Art Pact 23
They'd been cycling downhill for about three or four hours, occasionally braking onto the slow lane in order to rest their hands. The old steel bikes worked without modification with the ship's mag-field generator, but the stiff flat handlebars wreaked havoc with their arms, and every half an hour it was necessary to release one hand or the other and shake out the numbness. The slow lane was also slightly warmer, and Karen took the opportunity to heat up her fingers by tucking each hand in turn between her pressed together knees as she freewheeled. When they pulled into the slow lane after the forward generator spires, she braked a little and swerved to let Joe slot in beside her.
"How much further?"
"Not sure," he said, "not much further, but... well, we're over half-way I suppose."
He crouched down to try to reach into the under-saddle pack, but the reach was too awkward and he wobbled right, causing Karen to veer away from him, briefly clipping over into the fast lane. By the time she could safely steer back in again she was fifty meters ahead of him, and she had to brake hard to give him time to catch up. Up ahead was a viewpoint, and she pointed it out to the others, coasting gently off the slow lane and up the ramp onto a little raised area about three meters square, edged by three bench seats facing outwards. She set the bike down on the ground and waited for the others to skim in behind her.
"Sorry about that," Joe apologised. He propped his own bike against the back of one of the benches, as did Jenna and Alice after they rolled in. "OK, so..."
While he and Jenna consulted the map and argued over legends and distances, Alice and Karen sat looking out over the vista. The inside of the ship began to curl up away from them about a kilometre away, and just above eye level in the far distance they could see tube 4, running parallel to them. Alice claimed to be able to see one of the other teams up there.
"We're in the lead, then?"
"Yeah, by - I don't know, ten minutes?"
Karen squinted, trying to make out the little dots of their rivals, but without Alice's enhanced vision there was no chance of seeing anything. She couldn't even remember which of the teams was supposed to be in tube four.
"Red. Ben's team."
"Oh god, yes. We have to get there before them."
"Should be okay unless the flip comes early," Alice said, looking up at the sun.
"I thought you said you couldn't predict it from the sun."
"You can't," Alice said. The lenses on her eyes rotated, clicking into place and then rolling in and out to focus adjust. The vents on the side of her head were still open, and Karen could see the glowing vanes at the side of her brain. "I was just trying to see the team in tube 1."
"..can you?"
"No, the sun's in the way. Anyway, there's no chance they'll be ahead of us, the fields are flatter there. They're probably half an hour back at least, probably three quarters. If the flip comes in the next few minutes they'll beat us, otherwise no chance."
"Well that's something, I suppose. That's Tom's team, right?"
"That's right, yes."
"Tom's no threat, but Mahmoud's clever. Who's their machine?"
"Lucy."
"Lucy...?"
"Lucy Pepper Seven. You remember, she got totally wasted at that party last year, snapped her head off diving into that pool."
"Oh god, yes! With the..." Karen mimed a beehive hairdo, and the two of them burst into laughter. When they'd recovered, Alice fetched a fruit bar out of her jacket pocket, snapped it in half, and offered one chunk to Karen.
"Actually, you'd better take both halves. My battery's still half full, it'll all go into my auxiliaries"--she patted her hips, making a clanking noise.
Karen shrugged, ate half of the bar, and pointed up to a giant mirror-plated skyscraper hanging over the countryside near tube 5. Her shoulder twinged, and she wheeled it around in a gentle arc to work out the pain. Finally she pointed up at it again, tapping Alice on the shoulder.
"Is that New Bristol?" she asked. "Or is it-"
"Yes, it's Bristol."
"Isn't that where-"
"Yes," Alice cut her off sharply. "Yes, it is." Her voice had a high grating buzz in it, the noise she made when she did not want to talk about something. Karen let her hand drop down, and popped the other half of the bar into her mouth.
"How much further?"
"Not sure," he said, "not much further, but... well, we're over half-way I suppose."
He crouched down to try to reach into the under-saddle pack, but the reach was too awkward and he wobbled right, causing Karen to veer away from him, briefly clipping over into the fast lane. By the time she could safely steer back in again she was fifty meters ahead of him, and she had to brake hard to give him time to catch up. Up ahead was a viewpoint, and she pointed it out to the others, coasting gently off the slow lane and up the ramp onto a little raised area about three meters square, edged by three bench seats facing outwards. She set the bike down on the ground and waited for the others to skim in behind her.
"Sorry about that," Joe apologised. He propped his own bike against the back of one of the benches, as did Jenna and Alice after they rolled in. "OK, so..."
While he and Jenna consulted the map and argued over legends and distances, Alice and Karen sat looking out over the vista. The inside of the ship began to curl up away from them about a kilometre away, and just above eye level in the far distance they could see tube 4, running parallel to them. Alice claimed to be able to see one of the other teams up there.
"We're in the lead, then?"
"Yeah, by - I don't know, ten minutes?"
Karen squinted, trying to make out the little dots of their rivals, but without Alice's enhanced vision there was no chance of seeing anything. She couldn't even remember which of the teams was supposed to be in tube four.
"Red. Ben's team."
"Oh god, yes. We have to get there before them."
"Should be okay unless the flip comes early," Alice said, looking up at the sun.
"I thought you said you couldn't predict it from the sun."
"You can't," Alice said. The lenses on her eyes rotated, clicking into place and then rolling in and out to focus adjust. The vents on the side of her head were still open, and Karen could see the glowing vanes at the side of her brain. "I was just trying to see the team in tube 1."
"..can you?"
"No, the sun's in the way. Anyway, there's no chance they'll be ahead of us, the fields are flatter there. They're probably half an hour back at least, probably three quarters. If the flip comes in the next few minutes they'll beat us, otherwise no chance."
"Well that's something, I suppose. That's Tom's team, right?"
"That's right, yes."
"Tom's no threat, but Mahmoud's clever. Who's their machine?"
"Lucy."
"Lucy...?"
"Lucy Pepper Seven. You remember, she got totally wasted at that party last year, snapped her head off diving into that pool."
"Oh god, yes! With the..." Karen mimed a beehive hairdo, and the two of them burst into laughter. When they'd recovered, Alice fetched a fruit bar out of her jacket pocket, snapped it in half, and offered one chunk to Karen.
"Actually, you'd better take both halves. My battery's still half full, it'll all go into my auxiliaries"--she patted her hips, making a clanking noise.
Karen shrugged, ate half of the bar, and pointed up to a giant mirror-plated skyscraper hanging over the countryside near tube 5. Her shoulder twinged, and she wheeled it around in a gentle arc to work out the pain. Finally she pointed up at it again, tapping Alice on the shoulder.
"Is that New Bristol?" she asked. "Or is it-"
"Yes, it's Bristol."
"Isn't that where-"
"Yes," Alice cut her off sharply. "Yes, it is." Her voice had a high grating buzz in it, the noise she made when she did not want to talk about something. Karen let her hand drop down, and popped the other half of the bar into her mouth.
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