Between the staff having to make minor repairs to the starting line after Reglnen's 'eventful' run, plus a few delays from other racers' mechanical breakdowns, Henry didn't get his chance to start until late afternoon.
"[Are you okay with beginning this late?]" asked Snnmnarath.
"Sure, no problem." Henry looked behind him at the sun that now settled closer to the western horizon. "I might have the sun in my eyes during the return leg, but I can still manage." He knelt and picked up a bit of crust between his gloved fingers, rubbing it back and forth to get a sense of its texture. After dropping that bit of salty earth, he stood. "Yeah, should give us great traction. And there's no wind to speak of. We should have a good run, my girl."
Henry patted the side of his motorcycle and missed the exchange of puzzled alien looks which literally went over his head. He ducked his head down into Lucille and performed a few last-minute checks of the turbochargers.
Nanrznin hovered nearby, his usual flamboyant manner now subsiding in the midst of a rising nervousness. He touched a finger to one ear. "[They're saying five minutes to go, [Henry].]"
"Great! Let's fire her up." Henry pulled himself up and out of his vehicle. Next to Lucille sat a small cylinder with two handles projecting from each side and a shaft protruding from its axis. Henry opened a small port in the motorcycle's aeroshell and picked up the cylinder.
"[That's a starter motor?]" asked Snnmnarath.
"Yep. A normal IC engine would have a starter built right in, but that's too much of a weight penalty here."
Henry set the starter's shaft into the port, then paused as he realized he needed three hands for this operation. "Um, Snnmnarath, could you hold down that green button right below the handlebars?"
"[Of course!]"
The human took a deep breath and then pressed his own start button. The starting motor tried to twist in his hands as it applied torque to the engine inside. The surrounding aliens started back at the sudden roar from Lucille's interior...and as Snnmnarath also started back, he let go of the starter button. Lucille's engine sputtered to a stop.
"[Sorry.]" The big alien looked ashamed.
"Hey, it's fine. I forgot to mention that she can get kinda loud. You just need to keep it pressed until she's well and truly going. Let's try it again."
The second time was the charm; this time Snnmnarath kept his finger on the button as the engine roared to life then settled down into a deep-throated rumble.
"Okay, you can let go now!" Henry yelled over the din. Snnmnarath did so and the engine kept right on rumbling. Henry reached back in and goosed the throttle a bit, causing that rumble to go louder towards an outright bellow. The curious aliens ringed around him backpedaled as if the motorcycle was a feral beast trying to smash its way out of a cage.
Henry grinned and let forth a general thumbs-up. "Ready to go!"
Nanrznin nodded and walked away from the rumbling engine so he could better communicate with those up in the announcer's booth. As Henry checked everything one last time, he hear the crackle of speakers over the throb of Lucille.
"[And now, speed fans, we've arrived at the most storied and ancient category of them all! That's right, it's time for 'Wheel-Driven, Antique, Other'! We only have one contestant in this category but they are certainly living up to the 'antique' and 'other' parts of that description. Not to mention it's the first time a [human] has competed in the Gnranth Trials. Here he is, all the way from his home planet of [Earth], give a race-day welcome to [Henry Madsen]!]"
Henry was surprised at the happy whoop of noise which erupted from the stands. It looked like every single spectator was on their feet or tail as they cheered. He gave an embarrassed wave to them all, feeling more than a little on the spot.
"[And next to [Henry] is the last great contender in this category. He's here at the Trials for the first time in [sixty years], so show your love for the one, the only, the immortal [Snnmnarath]!]"
The cheering from the stands doubled in volume, and now the onlookers waved their arms in the air as if they'd spotted Jesus, Mary and Jimi stepping off of the escalator. Snnmnarath’s hood scrunched in a little in embarrassment, and he glanced over at Henry. The two of them shared a rueful smile.
One of Henry's team, a shorter male named Agzrahn, trotted up. "Ready for your push?" he shouted over the noise of Lucille.
Henry nodded and flipped his visor closed. Agzrahn took hold of the tail of Lucille's aeroshell while the human slung one leg up and over into the motorcycle. Henry then about wriggling himself down and in, a complicated process that resembled a reverse birth. He finally got himself situated low in the saddle, his visor tucked behind the small windscreen. His helmet and back now filled the space in the aeroshell, making Lucille finally look truly aerodynamic. With his right hand, Henry reached down and pulled up the skid that held the bike upright when at rest.
"[I still think you need a canopy!]" yelled Reglnen over Lucille's rumbling.
"Too much weight!" yelled Henry back. He fixed his eyes through the narrow windscreen and onto the distant starting gate. "Are we good to go?"
Nanrznin nodded his ears and gave a thumbs-up. Henry returned the gesture just as he felt a final pat on his back from Reglnen.
"GO GET HIM!" she yelled.
Agzrahn began to run forward, pushing the motorcycle as Henry gunned the throttle. The rumble from the engine grew and after twenty meters Lucille was already pulling away from Hgzrahn.
The aliens watched the small red cycle accelerate, the roar from its engine still vibrating through the ground beneath them as Henry sped through the starter gate.
"[And he's off! Let's wish him a great run, folks. [Snnmnarath 's] record to beat is [seven sixty-nine MPH].]"
The roar settled into a distant buzzing howl, and the cycle became a red dot with surprising quickness. Then it vanished into the haze.
They all stood quiet for a moment.
"[I still don't like that thing's steering scheme,]" said Reglnen quietly. "[He can only turn, what, [ten degrees] at most to either side without crashing?]"
Snnmnarath 's face was serene. "[He knows what he's doing.]"
----------------------------------------
The turbochargers sounded their full-throated clamor right into Henry's ears. He felt a bobble behind him as Lucille's rear stabilizer fins fishtailed ever so slightly.
"Come on baby, settle down," he murmured. His surroundings were so loud that he couldn't even hear himself talk.
He felt the wind whip up and over his windscreen, felt it tug at the top of his helmet as if it was trying to tear him out of the motorcycle. By now he figured he had the throttle about eighty percent open and he was still accelerating. He'd never gone full-open, not even during testing. If he was honest with himself, he was worried about Lucille either shaking herself to bits or simply flipping end-over-end as had almost happened to Reglnen.
The fourth timing gate streaked past him, and a moment later Nanrznin's voice sounded in his commbead. Henry could barely hear the Dorarizin over the howl of Lucille.
"[That one was [four hundred and ninety]! How are you doing?]"
Henry almost rolled his eyes, but he didn't dare take his gaze off of the black line of the course. He'd told Nanrznin repeatedly that once Lucille was barreling along in full grunt it would be impossible for him to reply and be heard.
Lucille settled down as his speed increased, much to Henry's relief. He felt his worries drop away into the slipstream as his heart rose in his chest. He could do this.
Another gate whizzed past. "[[Five twenty eight! You've got five gates left!]"
"Damn." He wasn't accelerating as fast as he wanted. "Come on baby, let's show 'em what you can do..." Henry rotated his hand, edging the throttle more open. The turbochargers seemed to howl in approval as the frame beneath him began to vibrate more and more.
The course line wavered ever so slightly back and forth beneath Lucille's front tire. Henry's hands twitched ever so slightly on the handlebars to keep her pointed true. In the heat-shimmer another black gate appeared then whipped over him.
----------------------------------------
In the control/announcer booth the sixth of ten rapidly-changing digital displays slammed to a halt, showing Henry's elapsed time. The Gnranth Trials had an ancient pedigree, and its methodology still remained in a relatively primitive state in spite of existing in an era of cybernetic implants and star travel.
"[Time?]" snapped the head official, an aged-looking Dorarizin.
"<[Eight point five-seven seconds] for that segment.>" replied the Jornissian monitoring the displays.
"[[Six-twenty-nine MPH],]" said the official. He bent over and made a precise few scribes on his clipboard.
The Karnakian announcer bounced excitedly as he turned to the microphone to give the news to the crowd. As the Karnakian made the announcement the Jornissian fixed his unblinking gaze on the next segment's timer.
"
----------------------------------------
Lucille's body now shook so much it was hard for Henry to keep his hands firmly planted on the handlebars. He teeth bared in an unconscious grimace as he fought to keep her front tire fixed on course. The wind tugged with renewed force at his helmet while he kept opening the throttle.
Gate seven flashed overhead in an impressionistic blur.
"[Number [seven], it's...[Seven-one-two]! You're within [fifty-seven] of the record!]"
Henry knew he was still accelerating but right now had no idea how close he was to redline on Lucille's engine. There was a tachometer below him, but he didn't dare take even the merest glance downwards. Now he was getting close to going supersonic, and the buffeting against his cycle's nose made his attempts at steering even more difficult. His forearms began to cramp from the strain, a pain that he pushed down as he opened the throttle more. He had to be at ninety percent...would that be enough?
He barely had time to form that thought before he was past the next gate. By the time he heard his official speed from Nanrznin, he could see the black dot of the next one already.
"[Seven five one! Two gates left, remember you have to slow down after the [ninth] one!]"
Henry gave the throttle another goose, and after one final slam of hideously-compressed air against his nose the world seemed to settle into an eerie silence.
----------------------------------------
A distant but definite crack echoed across the desert. Reglnen threw her arms around Snnmnarath, forgetting for a moment his old injuries. The grandstands shook as the spectators bounced up and down in their excitement.
"[He's supersonic, folks!]"
Reglnen remembered herself and pulled back from the hug. "{Sorry.}"
Snnmnarath just grinned and returned her embrace, while overhead the display showed the red streak of [Henry] flashing through the ninth gate.
----------------------------------------
Nanrznin yelled something in Henry's ear, but all of his focus was now on not crashing. Whatever speed he'd managed to achieve he had to be happy with. At least he'd broken the sound barrier. The howling turbochargers quieted their din as he began to rotate back on the throttle just as the tenth gate became visible. Once he'd dropped his speed enough, he pulled the lever on his right handle to release Lucille's 'chute. He could just hear behind him the rustle of its rigging, followed by a louder snap as the 'chute unfurled.
The resulting mammoth tug on Lucille's rear made Henry's steering wobble more than usual, and for a moment he feared he'd lose control while still going way too fast. The tug on his helmet slacked off as he slowed, and after he judged it to be safe he started applying the rear brake.
Lucille coasted past the end of the black line. By now most of the support teams had departed, and there was only a couple of Jornissians from Henry's team present...plus a Karnakian that he recognized with some surprise as the main mechanic from Reglnen's team. He fumbled downward and managed to extend Lucille's kickstand before he came to a full stop. The skid on the end of the kickstand dug into the salt crust with a faint susurration as his Jornissian colleagues slithered up with typical xeno speed.
"[Any problems?]" one of them demanded.
"Nah, she ran just great!"
The pair all but threw him out of his bike, then unfastened Lucille's aeroshell. One of them muttered to himself as he looked over Lucille's engine, while the other Jornissian removed the now-empty parachute module in preparation for installing a new one.
Henry took the opportunity to unfasten his helmet and yank it off of his head. He breathed in deep, then ran one hand through his sweat-soaked hair and felt some measure of relief as the sweat quickly evaporated in the dry desert air. After a moment of closing his eyes, he finally began to pay attention to the yammering voice from his commbead.
"[Damn it, [Henry], are you there?]"
"I'm here, buddy. Carl and Jasper are looking her over. How'd I do?"
The pause on the other end told him everything he needed to know, even before Nanrznin spoke. "[Your ninth leg was [seven sixty-two MPH].]"
"Seven miles per hour short. Damn." He gazed down at the ground, not really seeing it as he pondered his strategy for the return run.
"[You still went supersonic! For this category that's considered exceptional.]"
"But not fast enough. I gotta get my average up during the way back."
Nanrznin's worry was evident in his translated voice. "[Now, [Henry], don't do anything dangerous. You were right at the limit of control, I saw how your vehicle wobbled. We can always try again in [five years], right?]"
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.
Henry tuned out Nanrznin again as he turned to view the return course. The sun now hung low near the horizon, a blood-red disc that made him squint. After one last finger-combing of his hair, he settled his helmet back on his head and lowered the visor. Even with the tinted polycarbonate shielding his eyes he still found the sunset interfering with his vision. It was harder to make out the black course-line.
"Double damn," he muttered. That was going to make things even more difficult.
A cautious tap on Henry's elbow jogged him out of his foul mood. The Karnakian mechanic hovered over his shoulder, a hopeful be-fanged smile on her snout.
"[Greetings! [Reglnen] asked me to stay here just in case you needed assistance.]"
The human raised his visor and gave the raptor a polite bow of his head. "Much obliged, ma'am, but I think my buddies there have it pretty well under control." He turned to regard the sunset again. "Hey, now that I think about it...you wouldn't happen to have some duct tape, would ya?"
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Henry ignored the Karnakian's curious gaze as he finished the modifications to the helmet in his lap. The top of the visor now sported a silvery sheen thanks to a liberal application of Karnakian-supplied duct tape. That left Henry a smaller view-slit out of the bottom that should still (hopefully) allow him to steer while avoiding getting blinded by the sunset.
He pondered the fact that Karnakian duct tape was the exact same texture and color as human duct tape. Maybe convergent evolution could also be applied to engineering as well as biology?
"[Will you still be able to see?]" asked the Karnakian.
"Well enough," replied Henry. He looked up and saw Carl refastening Lucille's aeroshell.
"[We've only got [eight minutes] left, Henry!]" his colleague called out.
Henry started to walk towards Lucille, only to be restrained by a careful claw from the Karnakian.
"[I know it's very forward of me, but would you allow me the honor of giving you the initial push?]"
For one moment, Henry thought about telling him no. But then he reconsidered; what with that pleading look in all four of the raptor's eyes, that would be almost as bad as kicking a puppy. "Sure! Shouldn't need to do much, just keep me upright until I get her goin' fast enough."
With two minutes left, Henry found himself back in the cramped not-quite-a-cockpit of Lucille with the motor throbbing along underneath his saddle. He took a deep breath and felt the weight of history on his shoulders.
The Gnranth Trials had existed in one flavor or another for longer than his whole damn civilization. In that time countless aliens had made the trek to this place to prove themselves or break their bodies to pieces against the pitiless and unyielding desert floor.
It was now his turn. Somewhere deep in the frame beneath him sat a few struts and pieces of metal, smelted and forged during a time when humans thought themselves alone in the universe. Now those struts were here and he was here. It was well past time for both those bits of metal and himself to show the galaxy what they were made of.
"My girl, it's time for us to nut up or shut up," Henry whispered. The snarl of the engine was his only reply, but that was enough of a sign of approval for him. He raised his helmeted head and nodded to the Karnakian behind him, and in response the big raptor-like alien began to trot forward with a deceptively slow-looking pace.
Just as Henry settled his head back behind the windscreen, only for a moment, he thought he saw something odd on the horizon. Something barely visible against the sunset.
Something like a brown fuzzy dot.
----------------------------------------
"[Aaannnd he's off again, folks! Let's see how our brave [tiny-chomper] does on the return journey! He still has enough margin to possibly beat [Snnmnarath 's] record, provided he can get a good enough speed on any one of the return segments!]"
Reglnen squatted on her haunches and clenched her interlocked paws together. It was either that or she'd start pacing. She knew it would annoy Snnmnarath, not to mention it would make herself look flighty. The Dorarizin retained enough self-awareness to know that some of the eyes in the stands were upon her as the red dot of the tiny-chomper's [motorcycle] picked up speed towards the first timing gate.
"{I hope he doesn't get too caught up in the moment,}" she said. "{I still don't like the way that craft of his steers.}"
Snnmnarath didn't reply, he just stared in fascination at the display. The drone's microphones picked up the harsh, staccato roar of [Henry's] engine, a sound that hushed the crowd.
----------------------------------------
By the third gate, Henry already had his throttle at ninety percent open. Lucille's vibration seemed worse now, and he hoped something wasn't coming loose. The roar of the wind over his helmet was answered in kind by the bellow from the turbochargers; Henry ignored them both and kept his eyes fixated on his course. Fortunately his impromptu duct-tape 'sunshield' was doing its job; he could see the line without interference from the setting sun.
"[[Five two seven]! You're doing great, just be careful!]"
Henry resisted the urge to laugh. If he'd wanted to be careful, he'd have followed in his old man's footsteps and become an accountant. He risked a glance up towards the horizon. The mystery 'dot' was gone, whatever it was.
----------------------------------------
Reglnen now paced in a circle around Snnmnarath and didn't give a single damn if anyone was watching. Taking the occasional glance at the display did not calm her nerves. Sure, the tiny-chomper was still intact but with her trained eye she could see how hard it was for him to maintain control.
"[Sixth gate is passed, and the official pace is...[seven two four MPH]! That is one determined [tiny-chomper]!]"
"{Do you think he could do it?}" she asked.
"[It's possible,]" replied Snnmnarath. "[The big question is how his [motorbike] performs once he goes supersonic. Air resistance becomes even harder to fight against, especially when using wheels to supply the propulsive force against the ground.]"
With great effort she forced herself to stop pacing, seat herself, and stare at the screen. "{And he's only got two wheels. Two. Even you used three, and I thought you were mad for using that few.}"
"[Broke the record, didn't I?]" Snnmnarath grinned. "[And yes, I also broke myself. Figured I'd get the obvious joke out of the way.]"
A distant and now-familiar crack sounded out just before the announcer came on.
"[Gate seven and he's supersonic! [Seven Six One MPH!]]"
----------------------------------------
"Come on baby come on baby come on..."
Henry couldn't hear his own prayer-chant over the noise from his engine and from the shuddering of his bike. He felt like he'd been clamped into an operating paint-shaker by some careless giant. The strain of maintaining control meant that once again his forearms were one big cramp. As a fresh bit of hell, that pain now radiated up his back and towards his neck muscles which also ached from him holding his head at the proper viewing angle.
He shifted a bit to try to ease his neck, and in that moment made a mistake. Henry brought his helmet just a little too far over the windscreen, and the slipstream grabbed his head and yanked it even further up. The supersonic airflow slipped against the rough texture of his duct-tape sunscreen, and the resulting force slammed his visor up and open.
Red-tinged sunlight streamed directly into Henry's eyes, momentarily blinding him.
----------------------------------------
Reglnen's claws unconsciously extended and mauled at the hard-packed earth beneath her. She said nothing, just ground her teeth in a continual chainsaw snarl as she watched [Henry's] bike wobble. It began to drift to the side of the course line, clearly out of control.
Snnmnarath 's voice was barely a whisper, but still audible over the suddenly-hushed crowd. "[Oh, no...]"
----------------------------------------
"GAH! SHITFUCKDAMN...!" Henry managed to get his head back safely behind Lucille's windshield but he had to squint against the sun which now flooded his view. He kept his eyes cast down, just a few feet past his front tire. His sight was still half-blinded by tears, but through his wavering vision he could just make out the darker course line against the whiter ground. On pure instinct he managed to steer himself back over so he was once more pointed in the right direction, although that slight angling of his bike sent a fresh shudder through Lucille's frame as the oncoming air tried to flip her.
As Henry blinked away tears, he realized that mystery brown dot was back. He couldn't focus on it, not with the sun in his eyes. But that dot seemed to expand and grow nearer right as the eighth gate barreled past.
"[That was [seven six five]! You beat your outward run! Are you okay? Looks like you're back in control...]"
Henry ignored Nanrznin. He blinked continuously, his body now one big throbbing ache resulting from the strain of maintaining control of his fickle vehicle. He could feel the bike and knew she was hitting her limits. He did have one little bit of throttle remaining, but he didn't know if it would be enough...
Through his tears, the distant mystery dot seemed to morph into a Dorarizin running along on all fours. It was right at the limit of his vision, but Henry swore he saw a blue tongue lolling out of the hallucination's mouth.
He wobbled the bike in surprise as he thought he heard a voice in his head. This was no click-growling overlaid with a commbead's synthetic voice, it sounded...well, normal. Like a human talking to him, but bypassing his ears.
You'll never catch me, brother!
"Wanna bet, fuzzbutt?" Henry muttered.
Henry twisted his left hand, and with a protesting yowl Lucille's throttle went full-open.
He heard a responding happy laugh resound through his skull.
----------------------------------------
"[Ninth gate pace is...[seven seven one MPH]!]"
"{He went faster than you,}" said Reglnen in awe.
By now Snnmnarath was the one pacing. He slithered back and forth behind the Dorarizin. "[It doesn't count. His average is still too low, only [seven sixty six point five MPH]]."
She smirked. "{I guess your record still stands, eh?}"
"[I didn't intend it to be set in stone!]" snapped the Jornissian. Then, more mildly, "[Sorry. It just frustrates me, after all these years nobody's come close. Nobody's even tried!]"
"{[Henry's] trying. And he's coming damn close.}" Reglnen peered more closely at the screen. "{Er, he might still do it.}"
"[What?]" Snnmnarath stopped his slithering and beheld what Reglnen was looking at. "[Oh. Is it just me, or is he not slowing down?]"
----------------------------------------
"Why?" Henry gasped, all but blind from sun and the tears still in his eyes. "Why do you laugh at me?" His back and arms were now one pulsing throb of agony.
Another burst of ghostly laughter echoed in his head. I do not taunt you, my brother. You and I are Pack, we are of one mind and one body. No, I laugh at them.
A ghostly claw raised and pointed at the dark bristling lump of the grandstands, now barely visible in the distance.
I laugh at those onlookers, content to merely observe. They don't understand us. You and I, we know what it means to live life here in this place, where all ornamentals are stripped away and there is only the desire to reach the far horizon.
The grandstands expanded into a larger mass with heart-stopping quickness. Lucille's prow pointed right at the square black gate of the tenth segment.
Come find me again, my dear brother. Next time...next time, you just might catch me.
And just like that the vision evaporated, leaving Henry staring at the onrushing tenth gate. It was far too late to pop his 'chute and brake to a 'normal' stop. He figured he'd emulate Reglnen and go for glory. He'd have plenty of space after the gate to stop, after all. But his internal musing came at a price, namely that he started to drift away from the course line again.
To the side of the course line, a few hundred feet from the gate, was the one bit of non-flat salt crust for probably miles around. It wasn't much, just bump of hardpan raised a few inches up from the earth around it. Under normal circumstances, any motorcycle hitting it would feel nothing more than a slight wobble.
But Lucille's front wheel hit that earthen ramp dead-on while traveling at supersonic speed. The impact was enough to send her and her occupant airborne. The jolt also jogged Henry's hands loose from the handlebars, and he yelled in terror as he realized the disaster which had fell upon him.
The oncoming wall of air flipped his cycle, spinning him in mid-air. Lucille's speed was such that he reached the final gate in less than a tenth of a second, tumbling end-over-end like a candy-apple-red supersonic shuriken right through the gate’s center.
----------------------------------------
In the control booth the tenth digital display arrested its endless scrolling. Nobody noticed. The entire staff had their faces pressed against the front window, none of them breathing as they watched the drama unfold outside.
----------------------------------------
His world was sky, ground, sky, ground, sky, ground...
Henry felt tunnel-vision creep in from Lucille's spin. He thought he was gaining altitude, but he knew that would end soon enough. If he hit the ground while twirling like this, he'd become salsa in spite of his racesuit's nanotech. He floundered his right hand around, trying to find the corresponding handlebar and its parachute release. There was one chance, but he had to time it just right.
It felt like a large ghostly paw closed over his seeking hand, guiding it to its proper place on the handle and giving it a squeeze at just the right moment...
The drogue 'chute streamed out behind his tumbling craft, pulling out the main parachute. After one heart-stopping moment the main 'chute opened with a snap, instantly halting his end-over-end motion. Henry's head slammed against the windscreen, and by the time he shook the stars from his eyes the salt-crusted ground was approaching like Judgement Day.
With a massive crunch the left side of Lucille's aeroshell dug into the dust, crumpling inward and pinning Henry in place. He felt a sheet of pain flare up his left leg and arm, prompting another yell as the motorcycle went skipping along the desert floor like a flat stone over water.
Finally, mercifully, the skipping stopped and the vehicle just went sliding along, throwing salt up into Henry's eyes as he growled in pain. He had to hold his head up or his skull would be acting as a skid-plate.
After a few dozen years, the cycle came to a halt. Henry let his head drop to rest against the earth as he panted, his eyes staring but not seeing. There was some sort of ruckus very far away, some sort of shouting...was it calling his name?
The right side of Lucille was suddenly gone along with a squeal of torn fiberglass. Henry blinked and focused on the worried wolf-face inches above him. Somehow he knew this giant figure. "Hey, Rgn..Regln...hey!"
Words formed in his commbead, words he had to focus on to parse out.
Are you okay, [Henry]?
"Fine...'m fine..." He moved his left arm and moaned. "Wait. Think I broke my arm. OW...and my leg."
He peered up at the worried Dorarizin and asked the one thing that mattered.
"How fast was that last segment?"
Before she could reply he slipped away into the darkness.
----------------------------------------
When Henry woke again he was in the hospital. His particular room must have been intended for Dorarizin, since his bed reclined at an angle instead of lying flat. He blinked in the bright light shining down on him, then focused down on his body.
He was wearing a hospital gown about two sizes too big for him. His left arm and leg were swaddled in silvery bandages, and his neck sported a collar of a similar silver hue. He looked up at his surroundings. The room was much larger than any in a human hospital, which was good because there were two giant aliens already here.
Reglnen lay curled up to the side of his bed, apparently asleep. Snnmnarath sat in a loosely-coiled pile at the foot of his bed. The Jornissian held a data-pad in his clawed hands, swiping a finger now and again as he read. He quirked his hood up upon seeing Henry stir.
"[Ah, back among the living I see!]"
Henry opened his mouth to respond, only to be confronted with the pants-soiling sight of a triple-rowed mouthful of fangs. Reglnen's amber eyes bored into him. "[Are you feeling all right? Any pain?]" Her nose poked here and there along his neck and collarbones. "[They said that collar would monitor your vitals, but I still say they should be here keeping an eye on you personally.]"
He tried to fend off her sniffing, but her questing snout would not be denied. "Ack, just...errf, I'm fine, I'm fine! I do feel like somebody's had a go at me with a baseball bat, but otherwise I'm fine."
Finally Reglnen leaned back, but still had a judgmental look on her face. "[You took too big of a risk.]"
"Says the woman with a half-melted leg." Henry looked at Snnmnarath for moral support, but the big snake had a cheeky gleam in his eyes. "Well? Don't keep me in suspense! How'd I do?"
The Jornissian sighed. "[I'm afraid that during your last segment you only clocked a speed of...[seven hundred and seventy-eight MPH]."
Henry tried to do the math in his head, but it took him a bit. He was still fuzzy from whatever happy-drugs they'd dosed him with. "Wait...does that mean...oh."
Reglnen beamed. "[Your final average was [seven hundred and seventy] even.]"
Snnmnarath shook his hood. "[I can't believe it. You beat me by the merest jnarlth-whisker. Go ahead, be smug. I suppose you've earned it.]"
Instead of gloating Henry lay back and stared at the ceiling, feeling as if he just might float up and through it. "We did it, old girl," he whispered.
His elation was short-lived. The door to the room opened just enough to admit Nanrznin, but as he slipped in sideways a few other aliens crowded in behind him. They bore the usual markings of reporters; data-pads at the ready and camera drones hovering next to them. The intruders didn't waste any time in shouting questions.
"[[Mister Madsen], Gnalnth-of-Namrn, GalNet Central News Network. Now that you've emerged victorious, what are your next plans?]"
"Eh?"
The Dorarizin reporter was elbowed aside by a pythonesque Jornissian. "[Mnarhanthn, Daily Disclosure. What do you say to the allegations that [humans] enjoy an unfair advantage in the Gnranth Trials due to their much smaller stature and lighter weight?]"
"What the flaming HELL are y'all on about..."
Nanrznin threw his arms open and tried to shepherd out the invaders with little success. More started pushing against the door, a few feathered or furred arms even held camera drones around the edge of the door just to get a glimpse of Henry.
Reglnen-of-Nrzahn stood, a monolith of fur and muscle. "[OUT! NOW!]"
Her furious, booming roar got the reporter's attention, and within a few moments there was once more blessed quiet in the room.
"[Sorry about that,]" said Nanrznin. His usually well-groomed mane now looked decidedly mussed, and he fidgeted his claws together in worry. "[I tried to come in through the cargo entrance, but a few of them spotted me and gave chase.]"
Reglnen chuckled and rested a friendly paw on his shoulder. "[Ah, don't worry. I've dealt with that crap enough. If our [human] here hadn't stolen all of my thunder, I'd be the one getting pestered with stupid questions right now.]"
For some reason that made Henry feel ashamed. "Sorry, ma'am. I didn't mean to."
She laughed. "Oh, better you than me, that's my motto!"
"[We will have to give a press conference sooner than later,]" said Nanrznin. "[We're already getting flooded with sponsorship offers.]" He nodded towards Henry. "[Next time you might even be able to compete in one of the other categories! We'll surely be able to afford it.]"
Henry pondered that for all of three seconds. "Nah. I think I'll stick to this one. We'll put the money into fixing up poor Lucille, get her runnin' good again."
"[I heartily agree,]" said Snnmnarath. "[I'd love to get some interest and fresh blood into my old category.]" He slithered up to the side of Henry's bed and shook hands with the human. "[I'm sure I will see you at the next Trials, my friend.]" With a stately nod to the two Dorarizin, the Jornissian slithered out the door. It seemed that the reporters had gotten the message; there were no fresh ambushers lying in wait. After a bit of chatting, Nanrznin made his exit as well.
"If you need to head out, go ahead," said Henry. "I'll just be sleeping for a bit anyway."
"[I just hate the idea of leaving you alone,]" said Reglnen. She plonked her huge frame next to his bed once more, clearly not going anywhere.
"All right, suit yourself." Henry paused for a moment, wondering if he should tell her of what he'd seen and heard during that last part of his run. Then he figured that if he couldn't tell her, he couldn't tell anyone.
"I...I saw him."
"[Who?]" Then her eyes widened as her ears went back flat against her head. "[Hznarah?]"
"Yeah. I spoke to him, too. He spoke back. I dunno, it was probably my brain being silly. I was in pain and stressed and the damn sun was in my eyes...but it felt real, you know?"
"[I know.]"
Henry smiled. "I almost reached him, too. I'll get him next time."
Reglnen matched his smile. "[Not if I get him first.]"