The Invisible Universe

Traction: Part 4

Marvin certainly hadn't forgot the first time he saw such a spectacle.

It had been with is dad, on his first visit to a live Luna race. He and his father had never really had much in common, having had a rather distant relationship when Marvin was growing up. So when from a young aged Marvin showed an interest in the Luna Motoring world (staying in the room when his father had it on TV) the estranged parent leapt at the opportunity to finally bond over something other than the fact they were both human.

So with quick succession, he booked two tickets for the next available race. It wasn't a crucial one, only being a time trial stage of a low ranking circuit, it wasn't something his father got ecstatic about seeing live, but it was at least something they could both have in common.

That next morning they both caught a hover train to the London spaceport, a bustling hub of activity that could rival that of the infamous London tube system. After surviving the ordeal of wading their way through the thick crowd, and after making a quick toilet stop, they bordered their flight to Mare Crisium.

Mare Crisium or more commonly known as the Sea of Crisis, is one of those dark coloured plains (called mares) that make up The Moons face. You can see this one with the naked eye, being the most upper right dark circle if you were to look up at the moon on clear night. Upon landing they were transported to their seat by a collection of hover-trains and awaited for the spectacle to begin. They were sat with a simple jump facing them. Initially Marvin wasn't that impressed, having seen the various aerial sections where the bikes perform their most extreme stunts, a simple jump seemed bland in comparison. However the pure joy of being on the moon's surface for the first time was really something special. He could be looking at a couple of snails slithering along and would still be having an amazing time.

All his doubts of being underwhelmed were erased however the second the first bike took to the air. The sight of the enormous machine, gliding ever so gracefully through the non-existent atmosphere completely blew his mind, burning the image onto his brain. He could still see that burnt-orange bike just as clear now, 20 years later.

A few more turns passed, some banked, some not. Either way, they passed by without event. Marvin had gained a lot of ground on the rider in front, overtaking him on an incredibly sharp left hand banked turn, passing with inches to spare. Even Marvin worried for a second. Once he was out of the corner he could see Lukaz ahead. The man that stood between him and the world championship.

Past his rival was another aerial section, once again surrounded by fans. This time it was a simple loop da loop, a towering structure was at least 150 metres high. The top of the loop lining up perfectly under the blue marble of Earth that hung silently in the sky. Once again Marvin was provided with a suggested route. Following the holographic line, he powered up the gradient allowing the centripetal force to keep him pinned to the curving arch. Gradually climbing higher and higher, the relatively slow speed of the assent gave Marvin time to glance at the crowd bellow. Watching as they went from the right way up, to vertical and then eventually upside down. It was an odd sensation as it could have easily been the crowd and The Moon moving, while Marin stayed put.

Reaching the top he was only upside down for a moment before curving back down again. The track cutting off just before it hit the floor, so once again he used a combination of the gyro and retros to make sure he landed in a way that wasn't going to end with an early grave. There was Lukaz. After another bank to the right, Marvin was met with another straight. The terrain of the moon spanning out alongside it. Accelerating as fast as he dared, he brought the bike up its max speed, trailing Lukaz. Despite his fast speed, he wasn't gaining, maintaining a solid 100 metre gap.

"Righty-lad you've got a jump coming up, you know the drill. Watch your speed! Too fast, or too slow and you're done for! I'm changing your display to fit." Jerry piped in, his voice once again echoing around the inside of Marvin's helmet like a lingering smell.