Avery barely had time to process the year before someone grabbed her arm.
"You lost, scraprat. She wants to see you."
A woman with glittering eye implants and a half-mechanical jaw dragged Avery past the Spiral Circuit gates, ignoring her protests. Spectators parted to let them through, whispers trailing in their wake. Avery caught fragments: "Out-of-zone biker," "quantum wreckage," "Vex's new toy?"
She yanked her arm back. "I don't even know who 'she' is."
The woman stopped in front of an elevator platform. "You're about to."
The lift carried them high into the Spiral, where a private chamber overlooked the circuit's central loop. It was half observation deck, half throne room, and every inch screamed luxury. Soft violet lighting bathed the walls, casting long shadows. A holographic fireplace flickered without heat.
And at the center stood Reyna Vex.
She was out of her racing armor now, dressed in a sleek black flight suit unzipped halfway to reveal a silver chestplate and dark tattoos crawling over her collarbone. She stood with arms crossed, her boot propped on a hoverboard, watching Avery with interest.
"You rode something illegal," Reyna said, her voice smooth but sharp.
Avery swallowed. "It was an accident."
Reyna's eyebrow rose. "Accidentally launched yourself into a chronotear?"
"I didn't mean to time travel, if that's what you're asking."
"Hmm." Reyna approached, circling her like a predator assessing prey. "You ride with nerve. I like that. But nerve isn't enough here. We race for stakes."
Avery's eyes narrowed. "I'm not interested in playing your game."
"Oh, but you already have," Reyna replied, voice silky. "You broke into my race. You damaged one of my drones with your entrance. You showed off a bike tech I'd kill to own. And worst of all—" she leaned close, "—you made me curious."
Avery felt her pulse jump. "So what? You want a ride? The bike's dead."
"I want you."
Avery blinked. "What?"
Reyna turned to the crowd gathered beyond the glass. "Let's make it interesting," she announced, her voice amplified. "The outsider will ride my spare. One race. If she wins, she walks free. If she loses... she belongs to me."
A chorus of gasps followed.
Avery's face flushed with anger. "I'm not some prize to trade."
Reyna grinned. "Then win."
The platform beneath them shifted as a spare bike rose from a vault—sleek, obsidian, and clearly a high-end model. Avery ran her hand over the seat. It hummed beneath her touch.
She looked Reyna dead in the eye. "If I win, I don't just walk. I want your data on time tech. Every byte."
Reyna raised her glass. "Deal."
Avery mounted the bike.
The crowd roared as the circuit lights flared to life again. A countdown began.
She tightened her grip on the throttle.
This wasn't about ego anymore.
This was survival