Aurion Chapter 3: The Race (part 2)

"No fucking way," she muttered under her breath, staring at the five figures ahead of her. They moved with such grace and agility, leaping from platform to platform like it was a game. It was clear they had top-of-the-line cybernetics, the kind that Naya could only dream of. *Of course,* she thought bitterly. *The rich pricks are winning. What else is new?* She shook her head, trying to dispel the negative thoughts. She couldn't afford to dwell on the unfairness of it all. Not when she was so close to the prize. Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself and stepped onto the first platform. It swung wildly beneath her feet, but she managed to keep her balance.

*Okay, here we go. Just take it slow and steady,* she coached herself.She began to make her way across the platforms, leaping from one to the next with as much speed and accuracy as she could muster. She knew she wasn't as fast or as strong as the rich runners ahead of her, but she had something they didn't - the determination of someone who had to fight and claw for everything she had.

As she jumped and weaved through the obstacle, she couldn't help but flash back to all the times she and Trixie had played in the slums. They would leap from rooftop to rooftop, racing each other to see who could get to the other side first. Naya always won, of course. But Trixie never gave up. She always kept trying, kept pushing herself to be better.

*I'm gonna win this for you, Trix,* she thought fiercely. *I'm gonna win this and get us both out of the slums.*

She was so lost in thought that she almost didn't notice the platform swinging towards her until it was too late. She tried to jump onto it, but her foot caught on the edge of the platform. She stumbled, her arms pinwheeling wildly as she fought to regain her balance. For a moment, she thought she was going to fall - but then something slammed into her from the side, knocking her onto the platform.

She glanced down at the object that had hit her and spotted a bright red rubber ball. Although confused, she didn't have time to linger on it as she began leaping across platforms once more. By now she was only about 20% of the way across the pit and, but her estimates, the pack leader was about 60% of the way to the giant checkered banner marking the finish line.

Mid-jump, another ball whizzed past her head before she even had time to register it was coming. Her head snapped in the direction the ball had come from, only to see a massive wave of multicolored balls fly towards her.

"SHIT!" Naya swore aloud as she threw her body prone onto the platform to avoid as many of the balls as she could, her arms covering her head protectively. Her shoulders, thighs, arms, and every other inch of exposed skin was pelted with the fast moving rubber balls. Some were even fired from above, slamming against the back of her body. Despite her nano-fiber enhanced skin and muscles, it fucking hurt. A lot. She peeked through her arms and realized that the entire field of platforms was under assault from the barrage of rubber balls firing from all angles. The other competitors were similarly taking cover, clutching a swinging platform flat on their stomachs just as she was.

*This is fucking insane!* Naya thought, her mind racing as she tried to come up with a plan. *I can't just lay here and wait for this to stop. I gotta keep moving!* She had no choice if she wanted to catch up.

Gritting her teeth, she started to army-crawl across the platform, keeping her head down and her body as flat as possible while her body was continuously slammed by the rubber balls. It was slow going, but it was better than just waiting to get hit.

*Come on, come on,* she urged herself, inching forward bit by bit. *You've got this, Naya. Just a little further.* 

She reached the edge of the platform and peered over, trying to gauge the distance to the next one. It was a long jump, especially from a prone position. But she didn't have much of a choice. Taking a deep breath, she pushed herself up and, in the same motion, leapt off the edge of the platform and flew through the air. Balls slammed into and whizzed past her, some coming dangerously close to hitting her in the face. But she managed to make it to the other side, slamming onto the platform with a painful *thud.* The barrage of balls showed no signs of stopping and a quick glance around revealed that the other competitors were simply staying put, apparently content to wait it out.

*It must come in waves!* Naya guessed based on the reactions of the leading racers, which only further revealed just how far ahead they were, considering they had to wait out every barrage. She had no idea how long it would last, but she realized that this was her only chance to catch up.

*Alright, Naya, this is where you gotta put in the work,* she thought, steeling herself for the sprint ahead. *No more fuckin' around.*

With a deep breath, she shot to her feet and began sprinting forward once more, enduring the stinging pain of the rubber balls slamming into her skin while keeping her arms covering her face. Bruises and welts were already forming all over her body, but she was past the point of caring. The entirety of her focus was solely on the platform in front of her. One at a time. Her pace was slow. Much slower than before the storm of rubber balls had begun. But it was steady. She perfectly kept her balance even as the balls forcefully slammed into her from all sides. Even when she took a direct hit to the back of her left knee, she did not buckle. Her fortitude was rewarded with tangible progress. She had long since passed the woman who began the course slightly ahead of her, and now had even managed to catch up to the slowest of the rich executives. The woman dressed in a nano-weave top with expensive diamond earrings stared in disbelief as she watched Naya leap onto the platform beside her, fighting through the barrage even as her skin became a motted patchwork of purple and black bruises. Just as Naya leapt onto the platform in front of the shocked woman, the barrage of rubber balls finally let up. Naya was now about 40% through the course, while nobody else had moved at all while the balls were active.

"What the fuck?" The woman exclaimed, staring at Naya in disbelief. "Are you insane? Why didn't you just wait it out like everyone else?"

Naya just gave her a wild grin, her brown eyes flashing with determination. "Because I'm not like everyone else," she replied, her voice steady despite the pain she was in. With that, she sprinted off the platform, leaving the stunned woman behind. She didn't have time to chat. She had a race to win.

Although she had caught up quite a bit thanks to her willingness to move during the barrage of rubber balls, the injuries she sustained ensured she moved significantly slower than the competitors who had simply waited it out. This was doubly true thanks to the top class cybernetics the pack leaders all possessed. Every time she glanced up, they were a little further in front of her than before. Even the woman she had just passed caught up to her again, flashing her a grin as she nimbly leapt onto between three small platforms in rapid succession.

*Fuck, I'm getting left behind again,* Naya thought, gritting her teeth as she forced her battered body to move faster. It was no use. She was only as fast as her cybernetics allowed her to move, and that wasn't nearly fast enough to catch up. Still, she kept moving forward with absolute focus. She'd come too far to give into despair. She'd make to to that finish line, no matter what. After another few minutes of leaping between platforms, the barrage of rubber balls began anew. This time, she didn't even pause her steps as she continued through the storm, enduring fresh hits to her bruised body.

Through pure grit, she managed to pass the same woman once more. Her obviously enhanced violet eyes widened as she watched Naya speed ahead of her once more. Finally realizing that she would have to do the same, the woman picked herself off her stomach and began jumping through the barrage of balls alongside Naya.

"Ow! Fuck! Shit!" she cursed as bruises began to color her pristine pale skin. Someone like her wasn't used to enduring pain, and it slowed her down significantly. Even with all her top of the line cybernetic implants, she couldn't match Naya's pace. She just didn't have the toughness for it.

Naya paid her no mind, only focused on the next jump. Two men that were nearly side by side turned around and saw her approach. They were so far ahead that they didn't notice her moving during the barrage of rubber balls before, so their eyes were wide with surprise. They too, realized that they would be passed if they didn't get up now. Waiting out the storm was no longer an option for anyone, except the pack leader who was so far ahead that he didn't realize what was going on behind him.

"Damn it, we gotta get up!" The blonde man called to the blue haired man next to him. The two had agreed to work together and split the prize, or at least compensate whoever didn't get the prize if it couldn't be split.

They were still a little ahead of Naya, and were determined to keep their lead. "Fuck, this shit hurts like hell!" the blue haired man yelped after a rubber ball smacked him directly in the cheek. "If that broke bitch can take it, so can we!" his friend replied loudly, trying to steel his determination. "We've got adamantite in our bones, these fucking balls just sting, that's all!"

Saying so, the two were able to ramp up their speed and again increase the gap between them and Naya. She just didn't have cybernetics that could match theirs. They had the overwhelming advantage over her, and they all knew it. In fact, Naya began to wonder why they were waiting out the barrage at all considering their augmented bodies definitely were built to withstand far worse than rubber balls.

Another explosion of pain from between her thighs answered her question for her. She'd been taking the occasional shot to her already bruised lips since she began running through the barrage of rubber balls, but the pain really just blended in with everything else. It wasn't nearly enough to stop her. But for guys…

"AYYEEEEEAAAA"

The blonde man's scream echoed across the warehouse as he fell to his knees on the platform, clutching his crotch. His face was contorted in agony, his mouth stretched wide in a silent howl. He didn't even have time to react to the rubber ball that had just slammed into his nuts with the speed of a major league fastball.

"FUCK, FUCK, FUUUUUCK!" he groaned, falling to his side and drawing his knees to his chest. Apparently the balls were too much for him to handle, despite his claims otherwise.

His blue-haired friend barely had time to react before another ball whizzed through the air and slammed into his balls, sending him crumpling to the platform beside his friend, singing like a choir boy.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH"

"HAHAHAHAHA!" Naya's laughter rang out across the platforms as she ran past the two men, leaving them writhing on the platform behind her. They had the most advanced cybernetics, but in the end, they were still just men. And men, no matter how rich, would always have that one glaring weakness. She just couldn't help but laugh.

Her glee was short-lived, as she focused once more on the finish line. The pack leader, alerted by the shrill screams behind him, had turned his still prone body around to see what was going on. His golden eyes flicked between the sobbing men, whose dreams of winning had just been shattered, and Naya. Despite not moving at all during both the barrages Naya had been moving through, he was still considerably far ahead of her. Proof of both his incredibly cybernetics and his incredible skill at using them.

The man seemed content to remain prone and wait out the storm of rubber balls, confident that he would out run the injured and exhausted Naya in the race to the finish line.

Naya was closing the distance, but she knew that she was running out of time. There was no hope of beating that guy in a straight foot race. Naya had seen the way he was casually leaping between platforms earlier. With his state of the art cybernetics, he could even skip over platforms entirely thanks to his speed and jump height. She needed a plan, and fast.

*Iris, how long until this barrage ends, based on the duration of the first one?* she asked inside her mind, believing that each rubber ball barrage probably lasted about the same amount of time.

"Based on the duration of the previous barrage, I estimate that this one will end in approximately 1 minute and 30 seconds," Iris responded promptly, her voice echoing in Naya's mind.

One and a half minutes. There was no way she could catch up in that time. And even if she did, he'd beat her in the subsequent race to the finish line without the threat of the rubber balls.

*Think Naya, THINK!* She shouted at herself, desperate to come up with a solution. She had come so far, so close to victory. She deserved it so much more than he did. That asshole could probably just buy whatever was in that package anyway. Hell he could probably buy two of them! It wasn't fair for him to win.

*Asshole is probably just trying to feed his ego…* she grumbled to herself when a plan didn't immediately come to mind. Suddenly, a light bulb went off inside her brain.

*That's it!*

"Hey! Rich boy!" she shouted at the top of her lungs, drawing the attention of the man whose eyes were looking past her, likely watching how new arrivals dealt with the rubber balls and swinging platforms. Arrogant prick wasn't even keeping his eyes on her anymore.

"I bet even with all your cybernetics you can't even last 10 seconds in this barrage!" She taunted with a mocking grin on her face. "Or maybe your clothes are all fake and your tech is trash!" For her final strategy, Naya decided to attack the second greatest weakness of man (or third if each testicle counted separately). His ego.

The man's golden eyes widened in surprise at Naya's shout, before narrowing into slits of anger. He pushed himself up off the platform, standing tall and proud despite the barrage of balls whizzing around him. Several slammed into him, but he didn't even flinch, his advanced cybernetics ensuring that his body was more durable than mythril.

"You dare mock me?" he snarled, his voice dripping with indignation. "I am Thaddeus Winthrop III, scion of the Winthrop dynasty! My cybernetics are second to none!"

He stood there, one hand on his hip, the other covering his nuts, and his chest puffed out with pride. Even in the midst of the rubber ball barrage, he couldn't resist the opportunity to boast about his status.

Naya grinned, seeing her plan working perfectly. She knew that rich men were all the same - arrogant pricks who couldn't stand to have their egos bruised. And Thaddeus Winthrop III was no different.

"Prove it then!" she challenged, her voice ringing out across the platforms. "If your tech is so great, come and get me!"

She punctuated her challenge by jumping onto the next platform, landing with a flourish. She stood there, her hands on her hips, her brown eyes flashing with defiance. More balls slammed into her, but she refused to cry out or show weakness. 

Thaddeus's face turned red with rage, his nostrils flaring. "You insolent little-"

"What's wrong?" Naya interrupted, her voice dripping with false concern. "Too scared to face a street rat?"

That was the last straw. With a roar of fury, Thaddeus leapt off his platform, hurtling towards Naya with superhuman speed. He moved with such grace and power that Naya knew she had no chance of outrunning him.But that wasn't her plan. She had no intention of running. Instead, as Thaddeus leapt towards her platform, she dropped to a crouch. With perfect timing, she exploded upwards and swung her fist upwards, beneath the hand he kept over his crotch, and directly into Thaddeus's airborne nuts.

"HNNNYYEEEEE!"

His voice went up several octaves as his balls compressed against Naya's knuckles. His golden eyes bulged out and went crossed, his mouth was stretched into an eternal scream, and his hands clutched at his groin in an instinctual attempt to protect his balls that was far too late. Naya continued the motion of her uppercut, lifting Thaddeus's body all the way over her head. His body sailed upwards and over the platform, before he began falling straight downwards towards the pool below.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Thaddeus screamed in a soprano tone as he plummeted towards the pool. *SPLASH!*

The sound of the splash was the only confirmation Naya had of Thaddeus's total defeat. She hadn't even watched him fall, already leaping onto the next platform. There was no time to celebrate yet. Any number of competitors could be right on her tail, waiting for a small lapse in focus to overtake her. No, Naya would not let that happen. Her gaze was locked onto each platform ahead of her, leaping from one to the next.

The barrage of rubber balls finally ended, allowing Naya to pick up her pace even more. Her muscles burned from overexertion. Every inch of her skin was covered in bruises. The nano-motors in her right leg weren't responding, either from a lack of battery or from damage sustained somewhere during the race.

Her vision was blurry. Just the act of breathing was hard. But it was all worth it. There was only one platform left between her and the checkered banner. She was going to win! With a final burst of strength, Naya leapt off the last platform, soaring through the air towards the finish line. She stretched her arms out, reaching for the checkered banner that signified her victory. The banner that would change her life forever.

She hit the ground hard, her legs giving out from under her as she rolled onto the ground. She lay there for a moment, gasping for air, her entire body throbbing with pain. But she didn't care. She had done it. She had won. It didn't feel real.

"Well, well, well," a familiar voice drawled. "Looks like we have a winner." Naya looked up to see Mr. Xavier standing over her, his green eyes glinting with amusement. He was clapping slowly, a smirk on his face.

"Congratulations, my dear," he said, reaching down to help her up. "You've earned yourself quite the prize."

Naya took his hand, letting him pull her to her feet. She winced as her weight settled on her legs, but she forced herself to stand tall. She wasn't about to show weakness, not now.

"So," she said, her voice hoarse but determined. "What's in the package? What did I win?"

"Let's discuss that after we've helped the rest of the competitors out, shall we?" he replied with a bright, playful smile.