The wind blew against me as I yelped. I was in the air! Of course, I had flown on a plane before but that was starkly different from flying on a fucking hovercraft. The feeling of flying was surreal. The wind whipped against my skin as I hovered—free, but with the weight of the world far below. The city below stretched out in neon-lit streets, its ever-present chaos reduced to a blur from up here. Eliz laughed from the front seat, “Hold on tight, Huntress!”
I did as she said. As much as it was exciting, a fear of height and speed, which I didn't have before, appeared in me. From what I could see and feel, the Dawn was likely moving at around 250mph or 400km/h, which was insane! And pretty sure was over the speed limit too. But I didn't mind. "Don't have to worry about that! I'm holding alright!" I yelled back over the wind.
She laughed and started flying up, almost at a 70-degree angle, and I felt my stomach drop. My heart raced as we climbed higher into the night sky, the hovercraft cutting through the smog and the neon glow below us fading like embers in the wind. I squeezed the sides of her jacket tighter, my knuckles turning white beneath my gloves.
For a moment up there, I could see the moon, the bright big clear moon, which I haven't seen since I've arrived in Darkhaven. It was beautiful, and it reminded me of the times I went camping with my dad.
My thoughts were rudely interrupted by the sudden downward momentum I faced as Eliz tilted the Dawn forward, sending us into a steep nosedive.
The hovercraft plummeted, the thrusters humming with a dangerous roar, and the streets below rushed up to meet us far too quickly for my liking. Gravity yanked at my stomach, pulling it into my throat, and I gritted my teeth, barely keeping a scream from slipping out.
"The hell was that?!" I yelped, gripping hard on her shoulders.
"Relax, huntress. Dawn's got this." Easy for her to say! We are in fucking freefall!
The wind clawed at me, cold and biting, as the glowing streets of Darkhaven grew sharper and more vivid below us. Neon signs flickered, billboards blurred past, and the hum of the bustling city buzzed just beneath the surface of the chaos. It was all too much to take in at once—like standing at the edge of a cliff and deciding to jump without a parachute.
The bike shuddered as Eliz pulled hard on the handles, and just when I thought we were seconds away from splattering into the side of a building—she pulled up.
The Dawn’s thrusters roared as they shifted, and we leveled out with a smoothness that should have been impossible. We skimmed above the rooftops, so close that I could practically see the grime on the holo-ads flickering against the glass towers. The city blurred into a stream of color, a glowing river of light flowing beneath us.
“Holy shit,” I breathed, half in terror, half in exhilaration.
Eliz turned her head just enough for me to catch her smirk. “Told you, didn’t I? Dawn's a beast.”
"More like a flying deathwish," I retorted as I rolled my eyes.
“You say that now,” Eliz teased, banking hard to the left to avoid a glowing sign that read ‘CHOICE CHROME – First Aug Free!’ “But I saw that smile.”
I shook my head, biting back the grin that threatened to spread wider. "Fine, I'll admit it, but it was fun—terrifying, but fun."
"That's more like it."
"Please don't do it again."
Eliz didn't reply. She looked like she wanted to do it again. I tightly held on but nothing happened. The vehicle continued to race amongst the jungle of skyscrapers, weaving through the urban jungle.
As we zipped past another building, I caught a glimpse of my reflection in a mirrored window—a fleeting shadow, wind-whipped and wild, eyes wide with adrenaline. For a moment, I didn’t recognize myself. Who was this person, grinning like a maniac on the back of a hovercraft, rocketing through the city at 250mph? I've become an adrenaline junkie.
Just as I was starting to enjoy the wild ride, a shrill, mechanical siren pierced the air, cutting through the hum of the Dawn’s thrusters. Red and blue lights flickered behind us, reflecting off the glass facades of nearby skyscrapers.
“Shit!” I cursed, craning my neck to look back. “Are those—?”
“Yup,” Eliz answered, her voice way too casual for someone about to evade the law. “Looks like the coppers want a word with us.”
The police drone buzzed closer, its loudspeaker crackling to life: “Hovercraft! Reduce speed and land immediately. This is your first warning.”
Eliz rolled her eyes as if the idea of slowing down was personally offensive. “Ugh, pigs. They’re always so dramatic.”
"Don't tell me you are going to-" I was cut off by the sudden acceleration of the vehicle. I thought it was already going at max speed but apparently not. It must have been heavily modified because there's no way in hell a regular hovercraft could reach these speeds. The Dawn roared to life with a violent surge, leaving the police drone eating our dust. My stomach lurched as we rocketed forward, the lights of the city becoming streaks of neon in the periphery. The sheer acceleration was like a punch to the gut. To not fall off, I had to pin myself against her back, using all my strength to hold on.
"Holy shit!” I shouted, clutching tighter. “What did you put in this thing? A jet engine?!”
“Nah, just some experimental thrusters—military grade,” Eliz called over her shoulder, as casually as if she were discussing the weather. “Picked 'em up from a black market auction. Tweaked 'em myself.”
I stared in disbelief. "You’re fucking crazy."
"Yeah, but I'm fast."
Behind us, the police drones multiplied. I counted three—no, four—closing the distance. Their mechanical voices buzzed in sync, “Cease operation immediately or face disciplinary action.”
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“You think they’ll keep up?” I asked, hoping the answer was no.
“Not a chance.” Eliz grinned, full of mischief. “Let’s show them what Dawn can really do.”
She pressed another switch, and the Dawn’s thrusters screamed, spitting out a deep-blue exhaust that roared like thunder. My entire body felt the jolt as the hovercraft surged forward, blasting down the narrow airways between the skyscrapers.
The police drones buzzed angrily behind us, and one fired a burst of plasma rounds, bright blue streaks cutting through the night. Eliz ducked effortlessly, and we weaved through the glowing chaos, narrowly avoiding a massive billboard advertising the latest neural implants.
"Jesus Christ! They're shooting at us now?" I yelped.
She tutted, "Damn, they gave militech to the police? That's crazy."
My enhanced hearing suddenly picked something up. My entire body went overdrive on instinct. On instinct, I yanked myself left, dragging Eliz with me just in time to dodge the plasma round that hissed past, close enough to burn.
"You should get some seatbelts for this. My legs are getting numb!" I shouted, my voice strained as I struggled to keep my grip.
The hovercraft tilted precariously sideways, and I clung to Eliz with everything I had. The world spun around us as we zipped between buildings, still at a dangerous angle. My thighs burned from holding on to the narrow seat, every muscle working overtime to stay glued to the speeding machine. Eliz, of course, looked completely at ease. None of my knowledge includes how to hang sideways on a hoverbike with only your legs. That sucks.
“Seatbelts are for quitters!” Eliz called over the roar of the wind, her laughter almost lost in the chaos.
I clenched my jaw. Easy for her to say—she had cybernetic legs. Her enhanced limbs locked into place, perfectly stabilizing her posture on the hovercraft no matter how we turned or flipped. Meanwhile, my very human legs, although they were a lot stronger than the average legs, were trembling from the strain of gripping the seat like my life depended on it. Which, technically, it did.
Another plasma burst streaked past us, close enough to singe my hair. My heart nearly stopped. I yanked hard on Eliz’s jacket again, pulling both of us just slightly to the left as the shot grazed by.
I cursed under my breath. I started to try to hack into the drones. They were far too dangerous for me not to retaliate. And with my new neuro implant, I could connect to any network and start my magic. I instantly located the network and started hacking. My amber eyes shone brightly as I worked hard, trying to disable the drone.
After a minute of high-speed chase, I finally managed to turn off one. And after that, it was not hard. With my newfound experience, I factory restarted the drones, making them revert back to their standard version, which did not know how to fire the plasma weapon. And it stopped chasing after us, which I considered a win. I sighed. I almost wanted to shoot them but I didn't know how bulletproof the drones were. I also turned off the nearby surveillance systems so that they couldn't track us. My neuro implant didn't include the capability to automatically blur my face on all surveillance system so I had to do that manually as well. Eliz's was already blurred so I wasn't worried.
I was glad that it worked. I hadn't tried web weaving after I'd gotten the new implant. So knowing that it worked fine was reassuring. I said in a dead tone, "You're batshit crazy,"
As I said that, I opened the new notifications I've gotten.
XP - 100XP
XP - 100XP
XP - 100XP
XP - 100XP
Interface - 100XP
Interface - 100XP
Interface - 100XP
Inte...
Interface level up
Interface - 3
Web Weaving - 100XP
Web Weaving - 100XP
Web Weaving - 100XP
I was interested. Disabling drones also count towards my overall level XP? That's good to know. Would that also include the firewall AIs on the web? If it does, that means a ton of levels.
I found myself nodding, satisfied with my gains. I gained some new knowledge, not exactly just on Web Weaving but on the broad spectrum of anything digital and mechanical. Cars? I can fix some simple issues with cars. Even the hovercraft I was riding, I could fix some problems if I found some as I've learned how to. I sighed. The knowledge contained was too much but my mind was a lot stronger than before. I could process more knowledge faster and my memory palace was also coming in clutch.
I tapped Eliz on the shoulder, "Drop me off at my house."
"Got it. Send me the coord."
After sending her the coordinates, our ride home was more safe and calm. We didn't run into more cops so that was good. I put on my headphones as it was pretty loud.
I stepped off the hovercraft, waving her goodbye, "Bye, have a safe and slow drive."
She laughed back, "No promises." After that, she took off into the sky.
After going up the elevator, I opened the door to our apartment, "Nova, I'm-" I caught myself. I saw the empty sofa, where she used to lay lazily. That sucks. I'm gonna miss her for sure. I shook my head, shaking those thoughts away, and closed the door. After locking it, I took off my red jacket and threw it on the sofa. I made some coffee and took some bread.
I slumped into the worn armchair by the window, cradling the hot mug of coffee between my hands. The steam curled upward in lazy spirals, a stark contrast to the chaos that had unfolded just moments ago. Outside, the city droned on—holo-ads blinking in rhythmic patterns, air taxis whizzing between buildings like mechanical fireflies.
The weight of the evening began to sink in as I stared out at the neon-lit skyline. I let out a long exhale, feeling the familiar ache settle into my muscles—the kind that followed every wild encounter, adrenaline giving way to exhaustion. Eliz’s crazy laugh still echoed in my head, along with the hum of the Dawn’s thrusters. And for a moment, I caught myself grinning again.
The apartment felt quieter than usual. Too quiet. I caught myself glancing at the sofa again, like an old habit refusing to die. Nova wasn’t there—of course, she wasn’t—but for some reason, the sight of that empty spot hit harder tonight. She’d only be gone a year, and it had only been a week, but the apartment already felt hollow without her—like I’d forgotten how to be here alone.
I sipped the coffee, letting the warmth flood through me, chasing away the cold bite of the wind from the ride. The memory of the ride nagged at me, like the first itch of a new addiction.
Who am I becoming?
The person I saw reflected in the mirrored building window earlier... she didn’t feel like me. Not yet. But maybe—just maybe—I was becoming her.
And strangely, that didn’t seem like such a bad thing. After all, you need to be a little crazy to survive here. A little reckless. A little more than you thought you could be.
And damn if I don’t survive. Because I will.
And if someone stops me? Well, I'd just have to win every fight then, don't I?