Space Race (Space Race 1) by Nathan Hystad

Author:Nathan Hystad [Hystad, Nathan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Woodbridge Press
Published: 2021-02-15T16:00:00+00:00

Thirteen

My buzzer sounded, jolting me from my PersaTab. “Who is it?” I shouted, and Holland’s youthful face appeared on the screen near the entrance. Had I ever been that young and enthusiastic?

“Coming!” I let the guy in, and he walked past me excitedly, an object in his grip. “Nice suit.”

It was red, with the SeaTech logo on the breast pocket. A black dress shirt finished off the design. He’d actually color-coordinated with our Racer.

“Don’t worry. You have one too.” He shoved the bag at me, and I unzipped it, seeing a matching suit.

“You’ve got to be kidding.” I held it over my clothes, looking in a floor-to-ceiling mirror.

“Nope. Dad made them for everyone. Nice touch, hey?”

He was so thrilled, I couldn’t tell him how I really felt about the apparel. “Sure. Let me try it on.”

It was later than I’d thought, and I hurried. Holland stuck around while I finished, trying to comb my hair, and I used the fancy razor in the bathroom to clean up. When it was all done, I stared at myself, not recognizing the man in the reflection. I looked younger, and I tested a smile.

“Doesn’t it feel good?” Holland was behind me, nodding at the results.

“To what? Choke ourselves with these tight buttons and force awkward conversations with our rivals all evening?” I asked.

“You’re way too cynical, Arlo. Can’t you just let it go for once and enjoy yourself?” Holland had a point, but I didn’t think I could be like him.

“I’ll do my best.”

We departed and found Bryson at the end of the hall, he and Luther each holding a glass of liquor. “We make quite the team,” Luther said, indicating our matching suits.

“What are we waiting for?” I asked, advancing for the elevators.

“Her,” Bryson said, and I followed his gaze as Jade exited her room. She walked down the hallway with practiced perfection, and I tried to compose myself. Her dress was form-fitting, mostly red, with splashes of black along the hem and collar.

“I thought you couldn’t come to the dinner,” I managed as she stopped beside us.

“The tests were delayed, so Bryson requested I join the team.”

“What about the Racer?” I asked.

She held her PersaTab out. “R11 has it under control. If they pull the ship in for testing, we’ll be notified.”

“Shall we?” Bryson asked, and offered his arm to Jade. Her hair was pinned up at the back, revealing the shaved section of her head, and the black earrings.

A short time later, we were seated in the hotel’s finest ballroom, the lights dim, the scent of fine dining looming from the kitchens, and I surveyed the place, discovering we weren’t the only team in matching attire. Some wore jumpsuits, while others went for dark tuxedos.

I just wanted the night to be over so we could finally begin the Race we’d been preparing two months for.

The Board was all there. Ten faces. Each seemed content on the exterior, but when I looked closer, I noticed a lot of toe-tapping and hand-wringing. They were nervous.

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