If You Wanna Round Two, Meet Me Outside…

Five years later, In the biggest cart in Gemshore, two gangs stand across from one another. The public cleared from the streets almost like in a routine, used to the constant wars between the Ravaged gangs, all wanting control of the big cart. Scoots, Adrian, and Evelyn on one side while a man with a large hammer slung across his back stands to face them. On his forearm rests a Thunderblade plate, reading the number “1050”. They don’t exchange any words, just battle cries as they charge at each other, fists flying wildly with reckless abandon. Adrian charges at the hammer wielding Thunderblade, running directly towards an attack aimed for his head, deflecting the attack by hitting the hammer’s long handle with his bat. He immediately follows up with a front kick to his enemy's crouch and as he leans forward in pain Adrian gets in a batter's stance. Using his head as a baseball, Adrian goes to swing, his veins glowing a bright teal.

“Overdrive!!” He yells, sending the Thunderblade through the air and crashing into his own men.

Evelyn zooms past the chaos caused by her friend and squats under a hook from an enemy, springing back up with an uppercut directly into his jaw. She kicks another charging man in the temple and skates away from three more attackers. As the battle rages on the Thunderblade recovers from the large hit, sitting up and watching his numbers begin to dwindle.

“Retreat!!” He commands, his gang taking off in all directions, leaving Scoot’s gang victorious.

As the surrounding members yell out in triumph, Adrian makes his way over to Evelyn, “Aw man, it’s over already?” She said,

“Pft, please, you think they were gonna give us a challenge? That Thunderblade was a wuss, probably just a wannabe that stole his plate.” Adrian sneers,

“Which is why you already used an Overdrive?” Evelyn teases, “I still have all five.”

“You’re just mad I got to the boss before you.”

A few of their fellow gang members eavesdrop on the conversation, one looking at another, “What are they talking about?” Which only gets a shrug from his comrade,

“These two are breathers…” Scoots chimes in, splitting the two as he walks towards them, “They got bodies used to the Overdrive drug, but can only get that boost five times a day, then nadda.”

Evelyn watches Scoots as he walks towards them, “Heya, Scoots, what do you think? That was the last one right?” She said,

“Should be the only gang left in the big cart now, you should be grateful.” Adrian adds,

“Oh, I am very, very, grateful. So grateful in fact, ol’ Scoots decided to give y'all a bonus!” He said,

“Yeah? What’s the catch?” Evelyn asks,

“That I’ll be twice as rich now…” Scoots answers, holding out a large stack of cash,

Evelyn shrugs and swipes the money, “Eh, as long as you don’t hold it over our heads later, come on Adrian.”

The duo leave Scoots to plot how he wants to control the big cart, making their way through the streets, until reaching a large garage. Inside sparks fly off of metal as machines build airship parts, others attaching the metal parts to their skeletons. In the center rests a completed airship, with a mechanic seeming to be adding the finishing touches to it. She was a tall woman with short brown hair and large goggles over her eyes.

Evelyn skates in merrily and waves at the mechanic, “Hi, Kas!”

The mechanic, Kas, turns her head and returns the wave, “Evelyn! Is it time already?”

“Nah, just finished up what we had to do earlier than expected, how’s it coming?”

“Good! Just about done, all I have to do is tighten the bolts on the rain catcher.” She motions to a metal structure on top of the airship, almost looking like a mushroom in nature, with a deep crater in the center designed for capturing rainwater.

“Sick! Thanks again, Kas!” Evelyn exclaims,

“Sure, but are you sure about going into the storm? I don’t think I have to tell you how dangerous it is.”

“Oh I’m sure, selling Overdrive is soo much more profitable than cracking heads for Scoots. Plus, maybe I’ll get lucky and make it to the treasure in the eye!”

Kas rolls her eyes, “Right… The fairytale. Speaking of money.” She hands Evelyn a sheet of paper, “Here’s the bill.”

“Oh, right, sure. Just let me take a look-” Her face drops as she sees the amount on the paper, her mouth agape, “Y-you serious?”

Kas just stares at her and Evelyn lets out a sigh, slapping the stack of cash she got from Scoot in her hand. “I guess the money was nice for the three minutes I had it…” Evelyn remarks,

Adrian starts climbing the ladder inside, “Can we go already?”

…

Even with their freshly made ship, the storm still treats it like a toy, its winds throwing it around with reckless abandon. Adrian stands outside on the observation deck and swats away debris while Evelyn fights with the wheel. Behind her, a pipe connected to the rain catcher fills with Overdrive laced rainwater, filling up small vials at the bottom. She travels with the wind, before it suddenly shifts, having to find the direction and fly with it again. The storm travels over a lake and its winds rips the water upwards, creating a water spout. It rises like a geyser straight towards the bottom of their ship and blasts into it. She rips the wheel hard to the side in order to break free, doing so, but sending the ship barreling towards the trees below. She snakes in between two trees before pulling the wheel as hard as she can upwards. As they rise again, lightning threatens to hit them, Evelyn trying her best to minimize damage as thunder booms in her ears. They reach the top of the clouds and the winds slow their pace.

“Alright, Adrian…” She says over the mic in her helmet, looking at the monitor showing their location, “We’re making a decent headway… How you doing?”

“I’m good! Punch it!” He responds,

They fly further into the storm and the slowed winds pick up again, the small amount of rest short lived. It begins to grow darker than it already was and the clouds swirl tightly in a vortex, creating multiple clusters that Evelyn wouldn’t dare fly through. She marvels at the increased intensity of the storm.

“Holy shit… We never made it this far…”

“Are we close to the eye?”

Evelyn’s eyes dart around but even with the ship’s lights, she’s barely able to see anything other than the rain hitting the windshield, “No! Can you see anything?!” But before she can hear her friend's response, fire erupts from behind her, a sudden explosion blasting her forward and halfway out the windshield.

“Ev?! The hell was that!” Adrian yells into his helmet and after getting no response he rushes back into the ship.

He barrels into the cockpit and lurches back as flames blast from the open door. He runs through the flames with a cough and as he sees Evelyn he rushes over to her.

“Shit! Ev!!” He yells,

He pulls her back into the ship and sets her on the floor, before going to a nearby fire extinguisher to put out the flames. Once finished, grabs the wheel and throws the ship around, now trying to take them out of the storm. He looks over his shoulder at Evelyn and his eyes widen as he sees her suit had been cut from the glass of the windshield. The burn slowly started to spread across her shoulder.

“No… No, no, no!” He screams, lurching the ship forward full speed ahead out of there.

…

Later that night, Adrian sits next to a hospital bed, watching Evelyn sleep softly inside it. Scoots enters the room shortly after and Adrian stands up to face him.

“What’s the word?” He asks,

Scoots shakes his head, “It’s the burn, kid, ain’t no cure for it.” Adrian goes to protest but Scoots lifts a hand, “But she ain’t dead, which is more than anyone else. So she at least got some time. How long? That’s up to good ol’ fate to decide…”

“So there’s a chance?”

“Kid… What I’m trying to say here is… To just enjoy the time with her while you can…”

Adrian balls his hands into fists and turns to Evelyn, “We’ll be alright… We always are…”

“Where the hell are ya going, kid?”

He turns and leaves the room, barreling through the front entrance of the hospital and onto the streets of the big cart. Walking into the night with a thousand yard stare as he transitions carts. He continues on until he reaches gang territory, specifically the gang they had fought later that day. He finds their leader, drinking away the sorrows of his loss, sitting inside of a small dive bar. Adrian eyes the Thunderblade plate and walks over to him, yanking his shoulder forward.

“What the f-” The Thunderblade starts but stops as he sees Adrian,

“If you wanna round two, meet me outside… If not, we’ll have it right here… You got something I need.”