Deathrun

VIII. Platinum Lady

I remove my elbow as the plump lady quips, "This is Rush Fuentes, Ms. West. He's the only one who finished with you."

Rush stares back at me with frowning eyebrows. I scan him up and down and take a step back.

"Hey," I tell him. Kinda cute. Not my best first impression. Rush doesn't say anything, only lowers his helmet further.

"Let's leave him be, you have a race coming up." With that, the lady quirks her finger at me. As if pulled by an invisible string, I follow her.

***

I have never tasted anything so good in my life. With ferocity, I shovel mouthfuls of fruit cups, eggs, and burnt toast into my mouth. Platinum lady, also known as Circe, has a barely restrained face of disgust as I litter the table with crumbs.

"It's unfair really," she says with regard to my burnt toast. I chomp down on it. "The Steam City gets so much less zam than the others. Norsa provides all their transport but no." She chuckles, and there's an air of darkness to it. I could care less. I didn't even know the name of this place until 5 minutes ago.

"When do I race?" Circe checks her multipurpose watch, an elegant silver thing so unlike anything else in Norsaroc built out of clunky gears.

"Oh, sometime tomorrow. I'll go over the requirements with you after we get you a uniform. If you do well in these, maybe you'll get shipped to Los Versailles." Circe smiles airily. "Or maybe New Destia. I hear they have the best televised shows there. You know, I had a friend who worked there once..." I tune her out as she leads me back down the carpeted floors, blood already rushing.

I got out of a race just to go right back in.

A few minutes later I'm handed a scratchy, heavy thing. I hold it out in front of me; a clunky jumpsuit.

"I can't wear this," I tell her flatly. Circe raises her almost invisible eyebrows.

"Whyever not?"

"I run. This," I shake the bulging jumpsuit. "Is too heavy." Circe laughs nervously.

"You what?"

"I run," I say again, more firmly.

"No you don't," she replies, looking around, her pale face tight. "Nobody runs. You need a vehicle, we can get you one-"

"No." It comes out sharper than I meant to. "I mean, no, thank you." Her bobbed hair ruffles as she takes a breath.

"Well then, you'll just have to make do." With that, she deposits some ratty sneakers in my arms and clicks her heels out of the smelly room. Dragging the hulking thing, I trail after her once again.