Panting and a bit dazed from being shoved against the wall, Arena knelt to examine her unconscious roommate. Her chest was rising and falling, but a little blood was dripping from her forehead where the board hit her. It didn’t look to be too serious, but a lump was forming around the gash.
Arena wrapped her arms around Sophia’s waist and half-carried, half-dragged her to a small 24-hour laundromat across the street. Wondering how someone so thin could be that heavy, she got Sophia inside the laundromat and slouched on a bench at the far back. There was no one inside, but it was bright and felt a little bit safer than the street. The door had a round metal handle that required a key to be locked. A camera poked out from one corner of the ceiling, then she realized the glass was smashed.
Blocking the door was a priority, but the laundromat had obviously been designed to prevent theft. A metal bench filled with ads seemed her best option, but it was bolted to the floor. Arena suspected it had been stolen from a bus stop. Folding chairs wouldn’t be heavy enough, and the washers and dryers were immovable. There was a booth for a pay phone, but upon examination she found an empty booth with the phone missing.
For now, the street appeared to be empty. The van was still parked close to the front of the laundromat, so Arena stayed as low as possible and took off across the street. Sophia’s purse peeked around the corner, the contents strewn on the ground. Arena snatched the bag, and sorted through the lipsticks and compacts until she found the phone. She touched a few screens trying to figure out how to dial. The hissing sound and the sound of running feet grew louder, and Arena started. She grabbed Sophia’s wallet and stuck it in her pocket, then stood. The hoverboard zipped past her, the man on it now hanging more off than on it, his feet flailing behind him.
The men in dark suits followed, and before they could push her out of the way, Arena slipped around the corner. She scanned down the street in the direction the man on the hoverboard had flown, and the man in the T-shirt appeared around the corner at the end of the block. The flyer crossed the street and headed for the laundromat. Arena looked panicked toward her roommate, who was spotted by the man wearing the T-shirt. He said something into his earpiece, and another man appeared from a van near the laundromat. He ran into the laundromat and picked up Sophia, dragging her toward the entrance and the van.
Another hissing noise grew louder behind her as Arena shouted “NO!” at the men across the street. Another man, this time in a light-colored suit, appeared from the alley on a second hoverboard. Arena leaped sideways at the hoverboard, knocking the man off. The board dropped but didn’t touch the ground while Arena managed to climb on, and instinctively her body shifted on the board, controlling it like a surfboard. She wasn’t about to worry about how to stop the thing. She angled the board toward the van, but the men had beaten her to it, and took off.
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The men in dark suits started running after her, shouting to give up the board, but she ignored them. They scrambled into a dark car and began to follow her, shouting out the windows and pointing guns toward her. A woman with black, curly hair in a waitress outfit ran in front the hoverboard. Arena shouted at her to move out of the way. The woman stood her ground, arms raised, and Arena shifted her weight heavily and flew around her, still aiming for the van.
The van accelerated, and Arena tried to figure out how to go faster. Physical movement controlled the direction, but how to control speed was a mystery. She tried moving forward and back, and kneeling, but it didn’t seem to help. She crouched, put one hand on the side of the board, and realized there were grooves on the side. The segment clicked upwards, and the hoverboard slowed quickly, nearly tossing her off. The car chasing her came close, so she pushed down on it, and the board sped up again. Then she stood and used her front foot to push down on the edge, and it went even faster. Ingenious, she thought. No wonder they all want it so bad. I wonder how it’s powered.
Gaining lost ground, Arena held on to one side in a low pose, urging the hoverboard faster. Light pressure applied with her toes kept the speed consistent, and transferring her weight slowly kept her balance stable. The traffic lights remained green in this tiny town, and the van remained on a straight path. Town changed into industrial outskirts, and the streetlights were scattered.
The van made a sudden sharp left into a port area. Arena stood and turned after the van, but the arc was wide and she lost time. The car behind her missed the turn, and switched into reverse, slowing them considerably. A succession of turns made Arena feel dizzy, weaving through vehicles and giant metal boxes. She cast a quick look to the side at the sound of shouting, and saw a man aim a gun at her. Arena swerved, and ducked, crouching close to the board. The gun fired, and she felt nothing but her breath and pounding heart. She looked up to find the van had disappeared, and she raced forward, determined to find it again.
After whipping around a stack of red containers, a dark car shot into her path. Men emerged from the car faster than she could blink. They waved guns toward her, and one fired into the air. Shifting sharply to the left, she lost her balance, and fell off the hoverboard. She hit the pavement hard, and the world went black.