Two days after the firestorm, the garage began to hum again—not with tension, but with rebuilding. Steel beams were lifted, glass replaced, bikes rewired. The city's underbelly buzzed with rumors of Reyna's survival, and that was exactly what she wanted.
She wasn't just a racer now.
She was a leader.
And Avery? She had become something more too.
Reyna found her in the work bay, crouched beneath a hybrid bike, welding sparks flying like stars.
"You haven't eaten," Reyna said.
Avery slid out from under the bike, grinning. "Neither have you."
They shared an energy bar and lukewarm synth-coffee on the hood of a half-gutted hovercar. For once, it was quiet.
Reyna looked at Avery thoughtfully. "I was thinking…"
"Dangerous."
Reyna rolled her eyes. "I want to fix your time drive."
Avery blinked. "My what now?"
"Your bike. The one that brought you here. I've been studying the power readings you left in the system. If we calibrate the plasma core and adjust the phase dampener—"
"You think you can send me back?"
Reyna hesitated. "Maybe. I just… I wanted to give you the choice."
Avery went still. The idea hit her like a pulse blast to the chest.
Home. Her time. Her life. Everything that had been taken.
But then she looked at Reyna—grease-smeared, guarded and fierce, heart in her eyes even when her words were clipped.
And suddenly, going back didn't feel like salvation.
It felt like leaving.
"I don't want to go," Avery whispered. "Not unless you're coming too."
Reyna exhaled, tension spilling out like smoke. "You sure?"
Avery leaned into her. "I wasn't. But I am now."
Later that night, under the newly restored neon lights of the garage, Reyna took Avery's hand and led her to the empty rooftop.
"No crowds. No rivals. Just us," she said.
They danced slowly to the faint hum of city traffic and solar generators.
One step closer.
One beat at a time.
Hearts rewired.
Together.
---
Ready to roll into Chapter 18? There's still trouble brewing in the circuit underground—and someone new has eyes on Reyna's throne.