he always did in a new racing game. The
first part of the race was a straight line.
Most of the players had fast reflexes and
had managed to push the throttle down
the moment the lines had turned green. So
the majority of the pods were temporarily
tied for first, with a few trailing slightly.
A11_4_ON3 could see in his rearview
monitor that one of the blue and two of the
yellow racers had hesitated for just a moment
before they’d accelerated.
The red team was perfectly in sync—all
of them had managed to hit the throttle
at the exact right moment. To his left,
A11_4_ON3 could see ECHO through her
pod’s windshield. She kept her eyes locked on
the track, ready for the first turn. He didn’t
bother to look at STR33T_WIZE on his other
side. The only racer that might have a chance
at beating him was ECHO. The other two
were good, but they were also sloppy—not as
precise as either ECHO or himself in their
turns or use of the hand brake. She was
the threat.
11
