Activating the communications software, she sent a message throughout the
complex, requesting that everyone report to her office. This was good news
indeed.

===============================

	"Well?" Ranma asked as he leaned against the wall across from Nabiki's
desk. Akane sat in the chair across from Nabiki, while Kasumi and Soun stood
on beside Akane.
	"Yes, daughter," Soun said in a curious tone, "what was so urgent you
requested all of us to meet you here?"
	Nabiki fought to control her breathing as she gathered the words. Her face,
however, remained as calm and cool as though the news she had were of little
consequence whatsoever.
	"About a month ago, just before Ranma arrived, actually, I sent in an
application for admittance to the Kagawa-Circuit races this season," Nabiki
said.
	"Nabiki!" Kasumi gasped in surprise.
	"Do you have any idea what that costs?" Soun added.
	"Plenty," Nabiki answered, effectively silencing the peanut gallery. "I
managed to save up enough to send in the application this year." She didn't
mention just what she had to do to scrape up that kind of money, but she
felt that they didn't need to know, anyway. "And, to make a long story
short, we're in." Everyone stood there in stunned silence,
letting the information seep in. Nabiki's terminal loaded something off the
hard drive, some random file one of the programs needed to do whatever it
did. Finally, Akane broke the silence.

	"We're... in?" she asked, puzzled.
	"That's right," Nabiki said, her excitement finally showing. "As of now,
we're racing in the pros!"
	Cheers sounded from all present. Tears of joy streamed from Soun's eyes,
soaking the carpet. Akane and Kasumi exchanged hugs while Nabiki rose to
join them, an act uncharacteristic of her.
	Ranma, however, remained on the wall. So now they were a professional
circuit team. All that meant to him was some better  competition on the
track and a bit more money in his pocket. Maybe it meant a lot to the
Tendos, but he didn't see what all the big fuss was about. Perhaps if he'd
been on as long as they had his view would be diferent.
        However, Ranma felt that he should be the pilot on the race. He had
no doubts about his skill compared to Akane's and felt that he was the best
choice for a win. Despite that, he kept his opinion to himself. Rules were
rules, after all.
	"There's just a couple of things, though," Nabiki said when the excitement
had diminished somewhat.
	"Like what?" Akane asked, a hint of nervousness in her eyes.
	"Well, the first race of the season is in four days," Nabiki replied.
	"WHAT!?" Akane nearly screamed. 
	"There's something else," Nabiki continued.
	"Okay, what?" Akane asked.
	"The pole positions filled up faster than the committe had expected. So,
only one pilot is going to race."
	"And that's... me?" Akane gulped.
	"That's right," Nabiki replied.
	"But... in four days... I..." Akane stammered.
	"You know the rules on the professional circuits, Akane," Soun said
gravely. "In the instance where only one pilot is able to race, the highest
available pilot on the roster must be the one to race. No exceptions."
	"You mean...?" Akane said.
	"You're going alone on this one," Nabiki said.
	"I can do this," Akane said, her confidence coming out in force. "Don't
worry." With that, Akane turned and walked out of the office. The others
stared after her for a moment, and went about their business, a little
spring in their step.

======================================

	Ukyo stared into the blackness that surrounded her, deeper than any she had
ever seen before. The total absence of light betrayed nothing, but she still
felt the close proximity of barriers close by.
	The only sounds she could hear were her breathing and heart, sounds that
were amplified several times over by the total lack of other sounds. The
outfit, as black as the area around her, fit snugly to her body. The
material was uncomfortable in the stuffy confines of the tiny chamber, she
could swear she was beginning to chafe.
	Ukyo took deep, slow breaths in the darkness in an attempt to stave off the
encroacing terror. Telling herself that Chance and the others were outside,
and that nothing was wrong didn't help.
	She wasn't always claustrophobic. She, in fact, preferred closed in, cozy
spaces when she was younger. Now, they brought back uncomfortable, painful
memories. When those memories began to re-play themselves, she could almost
feel the scars on her back and legs throb at the memory of pain.
	[Ready?] came Chance Chekhov's voice from out of the void. Ukyo nearly
leapt out of her skin at the sound, loud as a gunshot.
	"Yeah!" she barked, her heart thundering in her ears. "I mean, yeah. Let's go."
	[Ukyo,] Chance asked over the commlink, [are you okay?]
	"Fine," she replied. She hadn't told Chance about her slight
claustrophobia. Once the exercise began, the fear melted away so she didn't
feel it a problem. "You just startled me, sugar."
	[All right,] Chance replied. [Stand by for download.] Ukyo waited in the
darkness for a few seconds more as the software loaded. She adjusted her
stance on the wide bench between her legs, trying to ignore the darkness and
discomfort.
	//C'mon, Chance-honey,\\ Ukyo thought, //Hurry up and load the damn thing!\\

	After an eternity of seconds, an Eyes-Up Display appeared inside the visor
of her helmet. Breathing a small sigh of relief, she ran her eyes over the
small orange ovals on the right side of the visor. Oddly enough, several of
the ovals were grayed out, symbolizing options that either weren't installed
or she didn't have access to. Ukyo didn't ask many
questions about what she was training for. She had the feeling that
questions were something her benefactors would NOT appreciate.
	The options and other accessible areas of the EUD highlighted when her eyes
passed over them, the technology that allowed her to access system options
with just eye movement a constant source of amazement.
	The image of a track appeared before her from out of the darkness.
Everything around her was shown in crystal clarity, the brilliant glow of
the noonday sun muted to reduce the glare. Nineteen other racers sat idle
before her, a crosshair centering on each one and flashing some statistics
about each Moto.
	After a five second countdown, the Motos ahead took off down the track.
Letting a small grin setlle on her face, Ukyo gunned her own engine. She
felt the mounting G-forces against her skin like a thin blanket, the
exterior aborbing the brunt.
	The Moto soared into a banking turn, causing three others to chew on Ukyo's
wake. She had to admit, this thing handled like no other she'd ever piloted.

	Chance Chekov sat in the complex's simulator control room amidst an
impressive array of computer technology. Computer banks line three of the
four walls of the five-by-five meter room, reaching to the cieling above.
Four white-coated lab techs sat before one of the panels, with Chance in a
chair behind them, manipulating vairous buttons and
programs.
	The image on the large monitor was of the rapidly moving track, and Ukyo's
EUD focusing on various points on the picture. Other, smaller monitors
displayed information of all sorts from Ukyo's vital signs to the status of
the simulation she ran.
	As he sat there, Chance couldn't help but be impressed at the vast array of
technology that surrounded him on three sides. All of these machines created
the virtual environment in which Ukyo piloted her simulated Moto.
	Chance had to admit, Ukyo was a very skilled pilot; better than the other
pilots Silas had sent his way. However, something about her bothered him.
>From their conversations he had gathered that she had a rough life, rougher
than most others to be sure, but there were many things beneath her sweet
Kansai accent and demeanor. 
	If the need arose, Chance could research her past more thoroughly than he
did when Silas proposed her to him. However, he didn't feel the need or
desire to intrude. If she wanted to tell him more about her life, she would
in her own good time.
	"Vital signs show normal," the lab tech on the far right intoned.
	"Simulation running at one hundred percent efficiency," the tech next to
him said.
	Chance said nothing as he cast his gaze at the monitor showing the image
Ukyo viewed from the simulator in the large, spacious room beyond the lone
door to the control room. The simulator now had her in first place, handling
insanely sharp curves at entirely unsafe speeds. Ukyo had scored higher than
the other pilots in the sims, which was
encouraging, but she had little practical experience with piloting an actual
Moto. However, her sim results were so damn promising that the higher-ups in
the corporation's beuracracy insisted in their none-too-gentle way that she
pilot the new design in its first field test four days from now. For a
reason he wasn't told, they had moved the field test
date up to the first Kagawa-Circuit race of the season.
	Chance wasn't entirely certain any of that was for the best, but his was
not to question why. The corporation had sunk untold amounts of money into
all of this, and they called the shots.
	"Simulation ended," the tech on the far left said. "Results forthcoming."
	"Excellent," Chance said as he rose from the simple chair. "Forward the
results to my terminal, I'll review them later." Turning on his heels, he
strode through the door, which slid open silently as he approached.

	The simulator sat dead center in the large hangar-like room. Thick black
cables snaked to the bottom of a machine designed to resemble a large Moto.
Chance gazed over its reflective surface, thinking that it didn't really
resemble the prototype.
	 The back half of the canopy slid backward, Ukyo rising out of the cockpit
afterward. The night-black material clung to her curves in a most flattering
manner,
leavning no doubt about her gender. She then removed the helmet, her long
chestnut hair
spilling down her back as she did so. Her long mane had been dulled from all
the sweat,
the simulator wasn't known  for climate control.
	"So!" Ukyo exclaimed cheerfully as Chance approached. "How was that?"
	"Sorry," Chance said, "haven't looked at it yet. I'll tell you when I check
it over."
	"Okay," Ukyo said, a grin still on her face. She was a bit flushed, either
from the heat or the sim.
	"Well, Ukyo, I have good news and some bad news," Chance said gravely.
	"Okay, hit me," Ukyo said, her grin faltering a little.
	"Good news first," Chance said, "You're on as the main pilot for the
upcoming prototype field test..."
	"Yahoo!" Ukyo squealed as she grabbed Chance in a crushing embrace. The
young man struggled for breath as she gleefully hugged the air from his lungs.
	"There's... something.... else!" Chance managed while tapping her shoulder
frantically. She finally released her vise-like grip, resting her hands on
his shoulders.
	"Oh, yeah," Ukyo said, "what's the bad news?"
	"The field test has been moved up," Chance replied between deep breaths.
"You've got four days."
	"FOUR DAYS?!" Ukyo exclaimed. "But... I... I don't know..."
	"Ukyo," Chance said gently as he laid his hands on her shoulders
confidently, "You can do it."
	"You sure?" she asked, still a touch of nervousness in her voice.
	"Of course I am," he said in a gentle voice, "If anyone can handle the new
prototype, it's you." He didn't bother to add that of all of the other
pilots crashed and burned on the sims. They were all talented pilots, but
they simply couldn't hold their own on the virtual trainer.
	Anyone could become a good pilot, Chance knew. However, only one thing
separated the good pilot from the great one, and that was the knack for
simply knowing on an almost instinctual level how the Moto responded. Very
few possessed that, and Chance was not one of them. He had failed the sim
himself a few times before gettting a handle on it. Barely.
	"I guess you're right, sugar," Ukyo said with more confidence.

=======================================

	Nabiki gazed back down at her newspaper as Soun drove the team's car behind
the truck hauling Akane and her Moto. The article on the front page was
worth note, Nabiki's eyes scanning the printed words.
	One Toju Ishikawa, chief of the Kyoto Police Force, was found dead in his
office a few days ago, his service revolver still in hand. According to the
article, he had been under investigation by the Internal Affairs Division
for accepting bribes, kickbacks, and assorted other illegal activities. Some
rumors stated that PUSIO had ties to the investigation, but
they were largely unconfirmed. No real surprise there. More unconfirmed
rumors had the former chief involved in prostitution and extortion rings,
but Nabiki paid them no heed, placing the paper in her lap.
	The Pacific Ocean stretched out beyond her window, the early morning sun
reflecting of the gently rippling surface and casting splinters of light in
her direction. Salt water lapped at the sandy shore beneath the steep
incline on her side of the highway, the sight quite beautiful and a nice
departure from the dismal srroundings of Nerima.
	The track on which the first Kagawa-Circuit race was being held had been
carved out of the side of the coast in a mound not quite large enough to be
considered a mountain, and was one of several off-road style tracks on that
particular circuit. Titled Fandango, a name that utterly confused Nabiki, it
was known as a rather challenging track for any racer.
	Looking ahead, she saw the racer's entrance to Fandango approaching in the
distance. Nabiki, Soun, and Ranma; who sat in the back seat, would enter
through there as well, acting as Akane's pit crew.

=======================================

	//Not bad,\\ Ukyo thought as she wandered the hallways that linked the Moto
stalls of the individual teams. The stalls were situated in an below-ground
complex out of view of the fans who were by then pouring in to the stands.
	The complex was a decent-sized affair; ten rooms measuring roughly
five-by-five meters each. Each room was designated for one individual team
and could accommodate up to three motos each. One team actually had one
filled to capacity, which was a rather rare event.
	The long coat she wore hid her feminity, her curves and breasts muted
beneath the fabric. She still wore civillian clothing, Ukyo wasn't allowed
to don her "work clothes" until race time. 
	Ukyo couldn't wait until the starting gun fired. She had spent the past
four days cramming in hours on the simulator, and felt that she could handle
that new prototype with no trouble.
	Ukyo tried without success not to focus on the fact that this was her first
professional circuit race. A swarm of butterflies flittered inside her
stomach as she strode down the clean, bare walls of the Moto Stall Complex.
This was what she had all her life for, the dream of her father about to be
realized. The dream he didn't live to see fulfilled.
	//I made it, daddy,\\ Ukyo giddily thought. //I hope you're proud of me.\\
For once, all the pain and misery she'd had to endure seemed miles away, in
another life. Genma Saotome be damned, she had made it!

	The sudden impact de-reailed her train of thought as she rebounded off the
man in front of her. Ukyo stumbled backward a couple of steps, righting
herself with ease. Her apology died on her lips when she caught sight of the
man before her.
	//No,\\ Ukyo thought as her eyes took in the details. //It CAN'T be him!\\
The hair was much as she remembered, a thick black mop with a braided tail
hanging down. The boyishly handsome face with cocky blue eyes staring out of
it. The body had definitely changed, but the face... //R... Ranma?\\
	"Hey," he said, concern in his vioce, "you okay?" Ukyo barely listened, her
mind whirling with memories of a time long since past. He had a sister, was
she in a Moto Stall? Was Genma here? What... Where...?
	"You feelin' alright?" he asked, taking a step toward her.
	"YES!" Ukyo shouted, her mind nearing a panic. //Get it together, girl!\\
she mentally screamed as she brought her breathing under control. //Don't
break down now!\\ "I mean, yeah. I'm okay."
	"You sure?" he asked in a disbelieving tone.
	"Yeah," Ukyo replied. "Ya just startled me a little."
	"Sorry," he replied. His eyes locked with hers for a brief moment, his face
taking an expression of puzzlement. "Do I know you?"
	//He doesn't even remember me! In that case...\\ "No," she said, "I'd say not."
	"Okay," he replied, moving past her. "Sorry 'bout that!" he called as he
sprinted down the corridor. When he was out of sight, Ukyo allowed herself
to lean against the wall
	That was Ranma Saotome, all right. No doubt about it. What was he doing
here? Where was his sister? And where was Genma? She definitely wanted to
see that fat son of a bitch again. Ukyo Kuonji had a major score to settle
with him...
	"Ukyo!" came Chance's voice from the same direction Ranma had just went.
Turning her head, she saw him jog up to her. His light purple hair was
toussled as always, black jeans and a black bomber jacket covering the pilot
suit he no doubt wore underneath. His face grew concerned at the sight of
her leaning against the wall. "Everything okay?"
	"Yeah," Ukyo said, pushing off of the wall. "Let's go."

	"You sure everything's okay?" Chance asked as Ukyo began walking toward
their Moto Stall. Something about her set his senses on alert. Something had
scared the hell out of her.
	"I'm fine, Chance-honey," Ukyo replied a little tersely. "I just ran into
someone I hadn't seen in a while. That's all."
	"That guy with the pigtail?" he asked.
	"Yeah, now can we please let this drop?"
	"Okay, okay," Chance said, concerned for his friend. However, he wasn't
about to let this drop. Whoever that guy was, he had spooked the hell out of
her. And Chance fully intended to find out what that was. As they walked, he
called up the image of the young man he passed earlier. His height, possibly
a bit more muscular, blue eyes and cocky grin.
Chance would definitely have to check this guy out.

===============================

	Akane's large Moto rested in the center of the Stall, hovering a few
centimeters above the small circular pedestal. At it's side knelt Kasumi,
arms deep in the access port of the floating machine.
	"Finished!" Kasumi called as she rose to her feet. Her loose-fitting
coveralls were relatively clean, though the gloves and her forearms were
smudged with lubricants and other mechanical fluids. "Test it out, would you
Akane?"
	Akane, who had been pacing about the Stall nervously, practically leapt
atop the hovering machine. Kasumi stepped backward as Akane manipulated the
small panel. Without warning, a bright pink beam streaked from the rear left
corner of the Moto, connecting solidly with a small octagon situated on the
far wall.
	"Dead on!" Akane exclaimed as she de-activated the beam. The grappling beam
was an option the team had seldom utilized, the minor circuit tracks they
raced on didn't require they even install the damn things. As such, in an
effort to route more power through the propulsion systems, Kasumi had
re-wired the Moto's systems to bypass the grappling systems. The result was
a one percent or so improvement in thrust, not much on the whole, but a
pilot took any advantage that came her way. Aane activated the grappling
beam on the rear right corner, which connected with another wall-mounted octagon
	"Well, the grappling beams are working," Kasumi said as Akane climbed down.
	"I don't see why I have to have the things," Akane protested indignantly.
"It's not like I need them."
	"Now, Akane," Kasumi chided gently, "It's league rules. They say teams have
to have a working set of grappling beams on all participating Moto's. It's
for your own safety."
	"But they take away power from the propulsion," Akane persisted, "And I
need all I can get out there."
	"Akane, you'll do fine," Kasumi said as she approached her youngest sister.
Giving Akane Warm-Sisterly-Reassuring-Smile-Number-74, Kasumi bit back the
flaming remarks that had been building up since they had been informed of
the race. For the past four days, Akane had been a whirlwind of nervous
energy, cramming in as much training as she possibly could in those
ninety-six hours. During that time, she had taken out her nervous
frustrations out on the others in small ways, but on Ranma in rather large
ways. It got to the point that he couldn't even speak to her without
igniting her fuse. Ranma, to his credit, had learned to steer clear of her
for the time being. Kasumi kept telling herself that it was just a phase,
and Akane would mellow out soon. She hoped.

	"All racers, report to the starting line!" blared a high-pitched voice over
the complex's intercom. "Repeat, all racers report to the starting line!" A
small circular section of the ceiling opened, sunlight pouring in through
the hole. The pedestal would raise Akane and the Moto to the surface, where
she would guide it to the starting line.
	"Hey, Akane!" Ranma shouted as he strode up to the pedestal.
	"What is it, Ranma?" Akane said in an exasperated tone.
	"Just wanted to tell you. Nabiki & your dad're in the stands. They wanted a
better view of the race."
	"Okay," Akane said noncommitally as she powered up the Moto's systems. A
high-pitched whine sounded from the machine as it hovered higher off the
platform.
	"By the way," Ranma said as Akane donned her helmet, "Good luck out there."
	"I don't need it," Akane said as the platform began to rise to the ceiling.
	"What IS her problem?" Ranma muttered as the platform lifted Akane through
the ceiling and into the open air. The platform filled the once vacant hole
in the ceiling, cutting off the shaft of sunlight that had run through
earlier. Ranma walked over to where Kasumi sat before a large computer
panel. The monitor in the center showed the view from
Akane's Heads-Up Display, and sent the sounds outside through the speakers
set inside the metal cabinet.

=======================================

	The heat enveloped Akane as she slowly guided her Moto to the starting
line. It was barely ten a.m. and the temperature almost reached thirty
degrees centegrade. The glaring sun and her mainly black outfit conspired to
make the conditions more unbearable, sweat beading on her skin that couldn't
be cooled by the air. Dreading the prize-winning case of chafing she was
sure to get, Akane pulled up to the starting line.
	The rank indicator on her HUD showed her to be in seventeenth place, with
two of the last three behind her. Akane hardly had time to wonder where the
last pilot was when he arrived at the line.
	//What...?\\ The last Moto to arrive was unlike anything she had ever seen.
Where the pilot would be was covered by a night-black canopy, closing off
the cockpit entirely. The outer body was slightly larger than Akane's Moto,
and was cut into several angular faces, the sun glinting off the black surface.
	[What the hell is that?] came Ranma's voice over the commlink.
	"You got me," Akane replied. "It's rather big, though."
	[Whoever he is,] Kasumi said with an unmistakeable gasp of surprise and
pleasure, [he may be a threat. I've never seen a Moto like that before.]
	[I don't know how well he can maneuver,] Ranma said. [Be careful.]
	"OKAY, Ranma," Akane said. "I can take him."

	"All systems show green," Ukyo said over the commlink. The image of the
track appeared all around her in crystal clarity, the FireFox VR system
working as perfectly as it did in the sims. The enclosed, climate controlled
cockpit completely cut Ukyo off from the outside world. The VR system
displayed an almost razor-sharp image on the interior of
the cockpit in full 360-degrees.
	While most Moto pilots had to lean forward in their open cockpits, the
Nazgul, the name of the prototype Ukyo was testing, required the pilot to
sit back, as though she were riding one of those American chopper motorcycles. 
	"Any advice?" Ukyo asked over the commlink.
	[You know the track, and you know how she handles,] came Chance's voice in
her ear, [Just trust yourself, and know that I'm not far away.] Ukyo's heart
warmed a little at that. If nothing else, Chance was a good friend.

===============================

	The starting gun fired and the Motos rocketed off from the starting line.
Clouds of dust drifted into the air from their passage over the dirt track,
the sounds of their engines filling the air.
	The track began with a wide, banking curve that angled upward on the slope,
the leaders of the pack already well into the turn and movingon to the rest
of the track. The first curve, according to the layout posted on Akane's
HUD, was one of the few gentle curves on the whole track. Off-road courses
such as this were designed to test one's
endurance and skill rather than how fast one could go.
	Akane couldn't hear the noise of the crowd seated in the center island
above the roar of the engines as she jockeyed for position among the ranks.
	Gazing into her rear-view image, Akane saw the three pilots behind her
receeding at a nice pace. Apparently, that weird Moto wasn't all that hot.
Akane returned her attention to the racers ahead of her, the track's grade
getting ever steeper.
	//Damnit!\\ Akane swore as she tried to gain ground on the racers ahead of
her. The track had levelled out, racers ahead spreading out all over as they
jockeyed for position.
	Akane had been prepared for the fact that the Motos she would encounter in
this league would be considerably more state-of-the-art than those on the
track in Nerima, and that the pilots would be more skilled. However, the
reality of it was greater than she had thought. Akane had never had this
much trouble gaining rank before.
	[How's everything goin'?] came Ranma's voice from over the commlink. 
	"Just... Fine!" Akane replied tersely as she muscled her way into
sixxteenth place. The racers came up on another gentle curve, a quick check
of the map showing that it was the last until nearly the end of the lap. A
series of hairpin turns followed, with grappling posts to assist the pilots
with maneuvering.
	From out of the blue, a black streak hurtled past Akane, the wake from its
passing slamming into her back. Akane barely recognized it as the
strange-looking Moto that had started off in last place.
	//What the blue hell was THAT?\\
	[Where'd HE come from?] Ranma's voice asked.
	[He didn't register on this end,] Kasumi said, her voice slightly
bewildered. [Did he...]
	"Not on mine, either," Akane confirmed as she left the turn.
	[My panel isn't showing anything wrong with your proximity sensors] Kasumi
said, the confusion in her voice a bit more prominent. [I'll go over it when
you get back in.]
	"Okay," Akane said as she approached the first of the series of turns.
Expertly, she activated the grappling beam and leaned in, the G-forces
multiplying dramatically and forcing her eyes shut. //Here we go!\\

=============================================

	"All systems report normal," Ukyo said over the commlink to Chance. It was
rather unnecessary, since Chance was monitoring every aspect of the Nazgul's
functions from the Stall.
	[Everything's good on my end, too,] Chance replied. [How's she handling?]
	"Like a dream, honey," Ukyo said as she effortlessly weaved past two other
pilots She had to admit, while it did look a bit ungainly, the Nazgul
prototype could REALLY move.
	[No need to take it easy, Ukyo,] Chance chided with a light chuckle. [This
baby can take a good deal of punishment.]
	"You're right, Chance," Ukyo said. "Time to see what this thing can REALLY do!"
	The cockpit absorbed a good deal of the G-forces generated when Ukyo gunned
the Moto's enignes. The image of the track raced by at an alarming rate as
the Moto's engines poured out even more thrust. 
	Ukyo sailed effortlessly past four Motos as she leaned into a curve, the
map display showing a series of hairpin curves directly ahead. With just a
quick movement of her eyes, she readied the grappling mechanisms. She could
have allowed the on-board computer to fire the grappling beams, but she
preferred to do it herself. Ukyo firmly believed that no computer could be
counted on to perform like a human could in a race.

	As she approached the first hairpin, she maxxed out the throttle for a
fraction of a second, the extrememly responsive Moto lunging forward from
the short surge of power.
	Cutting the throttle, Ukyo thumbed the grappling beam switch. The beam
lanced out, connecing with the tall grappling pole situated in the elbow of
the turn. Ukyo leaned into the turn as far as the Moto would allow, the
momentum carrying her through the turn. The grappling beam kept the Moto on
the inside of the curve, G-forces increasing dramatically as the Moto
whipped around the bend.
	Ukyo kicked the throttle again, releasing it as she fired the opposite beam
to the next pole. The Moto leaned in the opposite direction as it whipped
through the next curve. 
	Ukyo clipped another racer as she came out of the insanely sharp curve. The
EUD flashed for a brief instant as the computer registered the impact. In
the image displayed on the interior of the cockpit, a small window opened up
to display the out of control Moto as it slammed into the barrier meant to
keep racers from flying off the track. Ukyo closed the image quickly,
cutting off the feed of the crash behind her.

====================

	[SHIT!] Ranma's voice shouted as the out of control Moto nearly slammed
into Akane. Akane's heart had skipped a few beats when she saw the light
Moto bounce off the barrier and perform a ballistic arc toward her.
	Akane didn't have time to think, instead relying on pure instinct to get
her by. She jerked the Moto to the right, coming in under the other Moto's
arc. As she fired the grappling beam at the next pole, she heard the
unmistakeable sound of Motos crashing. Akane couldn't see the wreck, which
suited her just fine.
	[Are you all right, Akane?] Kasumi asked over the commlink. She spoke
quickly, her frightened voice filling Akane's ears.
	"Fine, sis," Akane replied as she swung through the last of the hairpin
turns. She tried to make her voice sound cool and confident, as though the
fact that she had very nearly experienced a horrible high-speed death was of
little to no concern to her. She dearly hoped they didn't know that the
intense rush of fear-induced adrenaline had turned her guts into jelly.

	//Not bad,\\ Akane thought as she sailed around another curve, one nowhere
near as sharp as the last ones. The rank indicator showed that she had risen
up considerably, from seventeenth to ninth place. It was halfway through the
first lap, if she kept this up she could take first by the end of the second
lap. Of course, the rank indicator showed that
seventeenth place no longer existed, ranks from sixteen down having been
eliminated in a most greusome fashion in that wreck. Akane forced her mind
back to the track and the matter of winning the race. Mulling over the
misfortunes of others got one nowhere.
	Once out of the curve, the incline of the track increased sharply. Akane
soared up the steep grade, checking her map to see what was over the crest.
A curve that was none too sharp was at the top, as well as a heart-stopping
dive over the side if she screwed up. The barrier didn't follow the contours
of the track in that area, probably a ploy to increase
the danger and thus increase the thrill for the spectators.
	Akane lessened the thrust as she sailed into the turn. Her Moto was rather
sturdy, but she didn't want to test her luck on a ten meter drop. The track
angled downward at forty-five degrees, sweeping into a gentle curve that was
almost a complete semicircle far below the ridgeline.
	As she started down the incline, she engaged a boost. The G-forces
increased dramaticaly as the Moto leapt forward like a charging bear. Akane
stayed low and inside, leaning into the elbow of the curve as far as her
Moto would allow. As she did, she passed two more pilots, rising to seventh
place. 
	Akane didn't keep the large machine upright for long, leaning it over again
to the left as she went around the shallow bend at the end of the curve. The
incline rose again, the boost's effects wearing off gradually as she climbed it.
	The large Moto gained a bit of air as it crested the hill. The track rose
even more, climbing the coastline and bending around to the left. From
there, the track would loop back to the starting line.

=======================================

	"This baby handles like a dream, Chance-honey!" Ukyo squealed as she
rocketed through the hairpin turns with little effort and near at top speed.
Ukyo had already taken first place, and the second lap was just getting
underway. 
	[Yeah, it does,] Chance agreed. [Everything show green on your end?]
	"Yeah," Ukyo confirmed. "Except all these greyed-out options. Wonder what
they're for?" Ukyo had been curious about all that, though hadn't wanted to
approach Chance directly with it. When he asked about her instruments, she
saw an opportunity to pose the question. It couldn't hurt, after all.
	[Wish I knew, Ukyo,] Chance's voice said. [We're just test pilots. Ours is
not to question why...]
	"I know, I know," Ukyo groaned. It was a line that Chance had used whenever
any of the pilots had approached him with questions about the prototype, or
who was funding them. She had a definite feeling he had the answers, or at
least most of them. 
	Ukyo knew what it meant to keep a secret, there were many tales about her
own past that she hadn't related to him. He had never pried too hard into
those painful times, so she never pried too hard into Chance's affairs. That
didn't stop her from being curious, however.

	[HOLD, FOUL CUR!] came a thundering voice over Ukyo's commlink.
	//What the hell?\\ Ukyo thought, stunned. "Who are you?" Her commlink was
on a secured tightband, and the only one who should have been able to
communicate with her was Chance. So how did THIS moron bust in?
	[I am he who rides to victory over the common rabble! I am... Tatewaki
Kuno!] The image of the track around her flashed briefly, as though a bolt
of lightning had flashed somewhere. [You shall never win, you blackhearted dog!]
	[I'm working on blocking his signal,] Chance's voice said in her ear. [Just
give me a few seconds.]
	"I won't pass you, huh?" Ukyo said to Tatewaki. The track ahead was
straight, small hills on the surface. "We'll see about that!" Ukyo
mercilessly gunned the Moto's throttle, the large machine leaping ahead
obediently.
	Ukyo saw Tatewaki's thrusters flare as he engaged a boost. Calmly, she
engaged one of her own boosters, the Moto launching ahead as though fired
from a rifle.
	[YOU SHALL NOT SUCCEED! I...] Kuno's voice had abruptly cut off as his Moto
vanished from sight behind her.
	"Thanks for shutting him up, Chance-honey," Ukyo said gratefuly as the
first lap concluded.
	[Don't mention it,] Chance said in reply. [I just wonder how he was able to
break into our frequency.] //Something to bring up with the lab boys,\\ he
silently added.
	"We can figure that out later. Right now, I've got a race to win!"

=====================================

	Akane had fared well in the following three laps. She had steadily risen
from seventh to fourth, out-maneuvering pilots with expert skill. She
crossed the starting point once more, beginning her fifth and final lap.
	The rules of the Kagawa circuit stated that one had to place at least
fourth to move on to the next race without paying to participate, at least
third to collect any prize money. As long as she kept her position, she was
guaranteed a spot in the next race, but the team would still lose money.
	Coming up to the series of hairpin curves, she saw the two pilots ranked
second and third battling it out. One was on a yellow-on-black Moto as big
as hers. His pilot suit
showed off a considerable physique, though she couldn't recognize who he
was. The other one, however, was all too recognizeale.

	As Akane cut the throttle, she engaged her grappling beam, as did Kuno and
the other pilot. The two had taken up the inside, forcing Akane to lengthen
the beam and come around on the outside. In an attempt to counter the lost
time, she engaged the thrusters to full as she went around.
	The G-forces increased rapidly, almost slamming into her like an iron fist.
As they came out of the first curve, Akane saw that she was alongside them,
their Motos registering on her proximity sensors big as day. She smiled,
realizing that she was in a perfect position to take second and possibly
first, the mysterious Moto being only a curve
ahead of her.
	Hitting the grappling beam, she whipped around the second hairpin and
charged for the next.
	[DAMN YOU!] Kuno bellowed, Akane's commlink picking up the broadcast
trnsmission. He never stuck to tightband, preferring instead to blast his
absurdly flowery speech all over any radio tuned in. [I know not who you
are, but you shall pay for keeping me from my true love, who now pulls away!]
	[Stow it, Kuno,] came a male voice that Akane recognized as belonging to
Ryoga Hibiki. [I'm getting tired of your lip!] Akane lost track of them in
her rearview image as she rounded the last of the hairpin curves. Let those
two duke it out, Akane had a date with the guy in the black Moto.

===========================

	Ukyo effortlessly guided the Nazgul through the hairpin curves, a feeling
of triumph flowing through her veins. She was out in front, about to take
victory in the first professional race of her life. Despite all the hard
knocks life had dealt her, she had come out on top. The Nazgul prototype was
far and away superior to ANY Moto she'd piloted before. She almost felt as
if it had been custom made just for her. In many ways, it was
part of her, an extension of her will. Everything seemed distant, even her
encounter with... she shoved that thought out of her mind violently. Even it
that WAS Ranma, it had nothing to do with her. He had to have been, what,
sixteen? Surely he and Ranko had left that fat bastard they called a father
by now.

	She noticed a pilot coming up behind her at an alarming rate, the pilot and
Moto completely disproportionate of each other. Ukyo briefly considered
leaving the contender chewing wake, but came up with a better idea as she
approached the drop-off.
	"I got an idea, Chance-honey," Ukyo said as they raced to the spot where
the track curved and the long drop to the water was located. "Time to see
just how much punishment this thing can actually take."
	[What do you have in mind?] Chance's voice asked. Ukyo's eyes darted across
the EUD in a precise pattern, accessing the controls for the electromagnetic
generators that kept the Moto aloft.
	"Just watch," This was gonna be fun.

	The edge almost popped up out of nowhere once she crested the hill. Ukyo
thumbed a boost. She noticed the pilot behind her doing the same thing,
which cause Ukyo to grin.
	At the last possible second, she surged the electromagnetic generators. The
sudden increase in power sentthe field's strength off the scales, pushing
the Moto upward as it sailed over the edge.
	For a moment, Ukyo felt almost weightless as she and the over-large Moto
hung in mid-air. A rush of exhilaration surged through her as she began the
descent.
	As she began the return to earth, Ukyo wondered briefly if the maneuver had
been a mistake. What if the prototype couldn't take the landing? The field
strength was set to maximum, but would that be enough?

===============================

	Akane engaged a boost at the same time the mystery pilot in front of her
did. Akane felt that she had the definite edge, being closer to the inside
of the curve. She could probably squeeze by whoever-it-was ahead of her and
take first.
	Instead the Moto sailed straight off the edge, gaining a little air just
before leaving the track. The maneuver absolutely stunned Akane, who was by
then safely into the turn.