Hey everyone, I'm back. Sorry about the long wait, my life has been majorly hectic lately and I haven't really had time to do much writing. Anyway, here's the next chapter for you all, something that shows a bit more of Charlie's skill. I want Charlie to be her own character, to show that she is a capable woman that can equally match the Doctor in intellect and ingenuity and I hope I capture that over the next few chapters.

I couldn't help the smile that stretched my lips at the sight of the Professor standing in front of me and Frankie. She was dressed in a pair of bootleg jeans, a blank tank top, and a black leather jacket. The black combat boots she wore just completed her look and made her look like a total badass.

"Professor," I grinned, moving over to hug her and ignoring the slight protest Frankie made as I did.

"Hello, sweetie," she grinned, hugging me back before she pulled away and looked behind me. "What, no hello from you, Frankie?" she questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Do I know you?" Frankie asked and I watched the Professor roll her eyes.

"Really?" she huffed, "this pretending not to know me is getting old, Frankie."

"I'm not pretending," Frankie argued, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring at the Professor.

"He's really not, Professor," I told her softly when I saw her about to argue with him, "this is Frankie's first time meeting you."

The Professor fell silent and I watched her lips turn down in a frown before she looked down at me and studied me closely. Her eyes became sad at whatever she was seeing and I watched her take a small step back. I have to admit, that stung more than I thought it would. "I see," she said, coughing before she pasted on a smile and held her hand out to Frankie, "nice to meet you, I'm… The Professor."

My eyes narrowed at how she said it, like it tasted wrong on her tongue but that couldn't have been the case because she had been the one to tell me to call her that. "Frankie," my best friend replied cautiously, shaking her hand quickly before he let it go and turned to me, "baby girl?"

"She's cool," I replied, answering his unasked question, "we've met a couple of times."

"Just a couple?" The Professor asked, eyeing me closely.

I shrugged, "three times," I told her and frowned as I watched her deflate before she seemed to shake off the sadness a moment later and went back to smiling at me.

"Well then," she began, a small hitch to her voice, "how about an adventure, sweetie? You're welcome to come to Frankie," she added when I felt Frankie move to stand behind me.

"Really?" I asked excitedly, "hell yeah!"

"Are you crazy?" Frankie hissed, deflating my excitement a little as he moved to give me a disapproving glare, "in the span of a few days you've hit your head, suffered memory loss, and were almost killed by a Dalek!"

"A Dalek?" The Professor questioned, her concerned gaze moving to me and I shrugged.

"The alien that looks like a salt and pepper shaker with a whisk and a toilet plunger for arms," I informed her, "and it didn't kill me," I retorted to Frankie.

"I said almost killed you," Frankie replied with a huff, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Well, it didn't. So, you wanna come on an adventure or not?"

Frankie's frown only deepened and I was completely expecting him to say no so it was a surprise when he signed heavily and nodded his head. "Fine," he muttered, "what do you have in mind?"

He directed that last one at the Professor who skirted at us both as she began fiddling with her vortex manipulator. My stomach was already revolting just at the sight of the gaudy wrist band and I almost groaned out loud when I remembered just how much I hated travelling that way the last time I saw the Professor.

"There's a race on the planet Zoria 8 and I figured we'd sign Lottie up to participate," the Professor answered, looking up from the wrist band to smirk at us, "of course, we'll have to go shopping first. None of us can be seen in what we're currently wearing."

Frankie looked downright insulted, his eyes moving to look over his clothes and it made me and the Professor laugh as he gave us an indignant scoff. "I look amazing," he told her, his hand on his cocked hip.

"You always do," the Professor replied and I watched as Frankie's eyes warmed. If there was one way to get Frankie to warm up to you, it was to satisfy his ego. "Are you ready?" she continued, holding her arm out for me. I threaded my arm through hers, linking ourselves together before I did the same with Frankie. "Fair warning," she told Frankie with a mischievous smirk on her face, "you're really not going to like this."

"And she's really not kidding," I groaned before the Professor pressed a button and we disappeared in a flash of bright white light.

River knew she shouldn't find amusement in it, but seeing the usually composed man bent over and throwing up made her snigger. Of course, she was less amused to see Lottie looking like she was about to throw up but it didn't take long until the redhead seemed to recover. She watched Lottie look around, her eyes widening at what she saw and it made River smile and momentarily forget that this Lottie barely knew her.

She could tell when Lottie had said they had only met three times; River was sure she hadn't experienced those three moments yet but older Lottie had told her that if she ever met a past Lottie who called her the Professor, to just go along with it. River didn't like it, but she knew Lottie wouldn't have asked her to do it unless it was important. Still, that didn't make it sting any less to see such little recognition in Lottie's eyes.

"What the bloody hell was that?" Frankie croaked when he finally stopped throwing up and River would have rolled her eyes if she didn't recall that this was his very first time meeting her. That also stung; Frankie was a good friend, and although he could be a complete jerk sometimes, River was always glad for the moments she would run into him in their timeline. Especially, now that they were becoming so few and far between.

"Vortex Manipulator," she told him simply as she hooked her arm with Lottie's once more, "come on. We have some shopping to do."

"Is this Zoria 8?" Lottie asked her excitedly and River smiled softly; the one thing that Lottie would never lose over her many years was her ability to be excited by things. It was an endearing quality and River was happy to see her looking so thrilled to be here with her.

"No," she answered softly, "this is Zoria 7, the shopping capital of Zoria."

"Zoria's a galaxy?" Frankie asked as he followed beside them, standing close to Lottie as he looked around at the tall, futuristic buildings.

"A solar system," she corrected simply, "eight planets, sixteen suns, and seven moons. They weren't very original with naming the planets; that's what happens when you have a selfish and immortal king. Zoria 1-7 are more modernised and have been in development over the last few centuries."

"And Zoria 8?" Lottie asked curiously.

"Zoria 8 is for tournaments; it's a harsh environment but the king makes sure the races are kept fair and no one is seriously injured or killed."

"That's comforting," she heard Frankie mutter before he let out a whoosh of air when Lottie elbowed him in the stomach. "So, you want Baby-girl to race in one of these tournaments?" he asked with slightly forced politeness.

"Zoria used hover bikes," River explained, already seeing the excitement rising in Lottie's eyes again, "they work almost exactly like a motorcycle and I know how fond you are of your motorcycle." That last bit she directed at Lottie who sent her a blinding smile as an answer. River led them down the almost deserted street and into a gunmetal grey building with darkly tinted windows.

"Welcome," the saleswoman, a purple-skinned, red-haired woman, said enthusiastically as they entered, "what brings you to Yucuries today?"

"My friends and I are in need of something to wear to today's tournament," River informed her, hearing Lottie scold Frankie for staring behind her, "Lottie here will need full race gear."

This captured the woman's attention and she looked around River and at Lottie who waved gingerly. Her good eyes widened at the sight of Lottie and she rushed forward. "Oh, you are going to be perfect for the races," she coo'd, "slim build, short stature. You'll certainly have a speed advantage."

"I will?" Lottie asked unsurely.

The saleswoman hummed, "most definitely," she replied before she turned to River, "we have a new line that has just come in; all new technology and guaranteed to give her an added advantage."

"We'll take it," River said immediately, already fishing around for her intergalactic credit card, "Lottie, follow-" River paused to look at the nametag the woman was wearing, "-Raelle and she'll get you fitted properly. Frankie and I will be finding something to wear to the race." River dragged Frankie away before he could protest and looked over her shoulder to see Lottie following Raelle to a back room.

"We need to talk," she told him simply as she moved him over to the designer clothing range.

I looked at my reflection in the mirror and couldn't believe just how much I liked what I was seeing. Sure, it was a little showy in some areas, but Raelle assured me that I wouldn't be injured due to the exposed areas because the suit had an invisible fabric sewn into it that would protect the area. Even now, I could feel the fabric if I focused on it hard enough and I watched it ripple slightly where my fingers grazed it.

"It absorbs impacts," Raelle had explained to me, "the fabric is thin enough not to impair your movements but stronger than any substance found in Zoria."

That had been comforting to know until I realised, I had no idea how strong the strongest substance in this solar system was. For all I knew, it could have the strength and durability of a wet noodle. Still, the suit was amazing.

It was tight fitting and an almost iridescent black. The full piece suit was made from a fabric that looked like leather but was far more breathable and manoeuvrable. It ran the length of her body, from her feet to just below her chin. The suit exposed her sides from just under her breasts to just above her hips. The boots she wore reminded her of her riding boots from Earth; they were black and made of an almost armour like material, the same with the gloves and the helmet I had been given.

Raelle had given me a utility belt that sat snuggly on my hips and had told me I would be given the objects I needed for the race when I got to Zoria 8. She had braided my hair back for me before pinning the curled-up braid to my head so it could be hidden under my helmet. Raelle had just gone to get some more protective gear for me and the amount of protection I needed should have worried me but only managed to excite me. The whole reason I had gotten a motorcycle in the first place was because of the thrill of riding it. The danger that was always present when I went out on it. Today was no different, the thrill was there and it made my heart flutter in excitement.

I found myself wishing the Doctor and Rose were here to see me race. Rose hated when I rode my motorcycle but I was sure if she saw me in action she'd be just as thrilled as I was. The Doctor, he seemed like he'd find the race somewhat interesting and I didn't want to admit to myself that I wanted to see his reaction to me racing today.

When Raelle returned, I turned away from the mirror and grinned widely when I saw Frankie and the Professor behind her. "What do you think?" I asked, placing of my hands on my cocked hip as I used my other arm to hold my helmet to my side.

The Professor removed something from the pocket of the pants she now wore and I watched as she pointed it in my direction and a red light scanned me from head to toe. She smirked as she placed the device back in her pocket and gave me and Frankie a shrug at our inquisitive glances. "Memories," was all she said as she looked me over, "you look wonderful, sweetie."

"She's right, Baby-girl," Frankie answered with a strained smile, "you look amazing."

I looked between Frankie and the Professor with a frown, noticing their stiff postures and forced smiles. They were keeping something from me and something told me I wouldn't be able to get it out of either of them. "Thanks," I replied, forcing my own smile, "you both look great."

And they really did. Frankie was wearing a pair of leather pants and a matching jacket; I could see his black t-shirt under it but just barely, the jacket was mostly zipped up. The Professor was wearing pretty much the same thing except hers was more form fitting. They both wore black combat boots and just generally looked like a pair of badasses.

The Professor ushered us from the store once Raelle had bagged all the gear I would need for the race. She gave as an enthusiastic wave and a promise to come and watch me race. When I asked the Professor where we were going, she explained that there was a shuttle to Zoria 8 that we would all be taking. I nodded, still able to see and sense the tension in the air. It bothered me, that they were keeping something from me; especially since Frankie seemed to stiffen the closer, we got to the shuttle that would take us to Zoria 8.

We were halfway into our journey when I finally asked something that had been bothering me since Raelle had helped me into my suit. "Professor," I began, gaining the woman's attention, "how did they even have my size? So far, everyone I've seen has been well over six and a half feet."

It was true, even Raelle had been pushing seven feet in height and certainly had the muscle mass to match. Even the children who were on the shuttle were taller than me, so why would they have anything in any of our sizes?

"Zoria 7 isn't the only planet in this solar system with inhabitants, sweetie," the Professor explained to me, "the other planets have inhabitants that can range anywhere from two feet in height to well over ten feet; Yucuries is the most renowned store for race gear and makes sure it can cater to all customers."

I nodded my head and looked around at the occupants of the shuttle. There was a little boy a few seats down from me who hadn't stop staring since we had gotten on the shuttle. His silver eyes had no pupil and I could admit his unrelenting stare was very uncomfortable. The man he was travelling with seemed to notice his stare and nudged the boy to get him to look away. The boy did so, saying something to the man who looked over at me with a curious glance. I looked away, my face flushing at the intense look in his eyes before I began fiddling with the helmet in my lap.

The whole thing was smooth but there was something about the visor that seemed different to other helmets I had seen. Curious, I put the helmet on and gasped as the visor suddenly lit up with different things. Everything from temperature to altitude, to body statistics, was displayed on the visor without impeding my view of what was passed it.

"Wow," I breathed.

"Hello, Miss Williams," came a male voice that made me jumps. I looked over at the Professor and Frankie to see if they had heard it but both of them were deep in discussion about something.

"Hello?" I replied cautiously, "who is this?"

"I am Kaze, an artificial intelligence that will serve as a guide and companion during your race," he informed me.

"Huh," I replied unintelligently, "uh, cool. Can you explain all of this stuff to me?"

"Of course," Kaze replied, "this helmet has been specially designed to do a complete biological scan of your person from the moment you put it on. From the scan, the helmet's function is to adapt to suit your immediate needs at any given time. Body statics will inform me if you are injured or if I have to adjust oxygen levels. The temperature display is for both inside and outside of the suit and I will adjust the suit functions to keep you at a sustainable temperature depending on the climate around you.

"The rest is simple enough; each will be displayed during the race to help you best circumnavigate the course you will be racing. At any time, you can hide these displays but I will be constantly monitoring them and inform you of any necessary changes. Is this acceptable to you, Miss Williams?"

"How do you know my name?" I asked instead of answering.

"Basic memory scan," he answered, "a surface scan just to acquire basic information that will be necessary for me to provide you with the best services. Do not worry, Miss Williams, I only gathered basic information; name, age, height, weight, etc. Your memories remain private."

I nodded dumbly before taking the helmet off and taking a deep breath. This was some new aged shit and I wasn't quite sure what I was getting myself into. But, maybe Kaze did.

"Kaze?" I asked after slipping the helmet back on, "could you tell me about the race?"

"Of course," he replied, bringing up video images of several races. "Zoria has a long history and some of it is very violent in nature," he began, showing me videos of several different races at war. "King Jaek proposed the races as a way to sort out the planets' differences without further bloodshed. It involves a series of races over three days, each with its own unique set of challenges."

The picture of the king disappeared and three different videos appeared on my visor. "Day one will be hosted in the more dry, humid region of Zoria 8 and will consist of a cross-country race through harsh desert environments. Zoria 8 is host to many dangerous creatures," Kaze continued to explain, several pictures of strange and terrifying looking creatures popping up on the screen before they quickly vanished, "and it will be your job to not only avoid or escape these creatures but try to keep one of the first six places in order to proceed on to the next leg of the race.

"Day two will take place in a much more cold environment," Kaze explained, showing me an icy tundra that was dark and seemed to be perpetually snowing, "harsh storms and blizzards will make this journey perilous and again, you will need to avoid the many creatures who dwell in the icy wasteland.

"The final day will consist of a ten-lap race in 'The Arena', during this time, contestants are allowed to use any means necessary to be the victor of the race short of seriously injuring or killing another opponent. Several obstacles will be presented to you during the race and it is your job to navigate these as well as keep yourself from falling victim to one of the other contestants."

My head was spinning at all the new information presented to me. Thankfully, the shuttle ride was pretty short, which was amazing considering it was to another planet. I could still feel the boy's eyes on me but steadily ignored it as I removed my helmet and allowed the Professor to link our arms and lead us out of the shuttle, making sure to grab Frankie's hand and give it a gentle squeeze.

"You okay?" I asked him; he had been strangely quiet, which was odd for her friend.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" he questioned.

I shrugged, "I'm cool," I answered, "little nervous but otherwise very excited. But you don't seem to be," I continued, "do you know something I don't?"

Frankie opened his mouth to answer when his eyes caught on to something that had his breath hitching and the words dying in his throat. I ground as I watched him gape like a fish out of water before turning to look at whatever had caught his gaze. He was tall, not as tall as the people on Zoria 7, but still over six feet and four inches at least.

He was white, not pale, but white; like, whiter than paper white. Even his hair was white and fell past his should, not a wave, curl or kink in sight. He kind of reminded me of the elves from the Lord of the Rings movie with his slightly pointed ears and fair features. Well, save for the blood red eyes. He had no pupils and no whites to his eyes, it was all just red. It took me a moment to realise who I was looking at and by then we had already reached him and the Professor was letting me go to talk to him.

"King Jaek," she greeted, bowing her head and placing her right fist to her left breast, "a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

The king looked the Professor over, his red eyes darkening with lust as he slowly eyed her from head to toe. Not that I blamed him, the Professor was an absolute bombshell and her confidence just made her so much more beautiful. I watched the king return her greeting before his eyes moved on to me. He barely even gave me a once over before his eyes became fixated on Frankie.

If his eyes had darkened at the sight of the Professor it was nothing to how dark they got at the sight of Frankie. He seemed to completely forget about me and the Professor as he stepped up to my still gaping best friend. "Well, hello," he purred, his deep baritones sending shivers down my spine, and not in a good way. "And where have you been hiding?" he questioned.

He held his hand out to Frankie who mutely grabbed it and I had to keep myself from sniggering at the blush that spread across his face when the king brought his hand to his lips and kissed Frankie's knuckles. I let out a whoosh of air when Frankie elbowed me in the gut, rubbing at my stomach as I glared up at my friend who was completely ignoring me.

"Such beautiful colouring," the king said, running his clawed finger down Frankie's cheek, "surely you are not to be participating in such a barbaric race?"

"Frankie isn't going to be in the race," the Professor spoke up, "Lottie, however, is certainly going to be entering today."

The king peeled his eyes away from my still strangely silent friend and looked me over once again. I got the distinct impression that he didn't like me and the dismissive scoff he sent my way only cemented the thought. His eyes were back on Frankie a moment later, his hand still grasping my best friends, before he stepped closer so he and Frankie were chest to chest. "Come with me, winimo," he purred, "you shall witness your friend race from the comfort of my suite."

I was waiting for Frankie to comment on how the king seemed to be speaking about me like I was some insignificant insect that he wanted nothing more than to squash. Instead, Frankie allowed the king to steer him through the crowd and away from me and the professor, his eyes still glazed and not moving away from the king's face.

"Did I do something wrong?" I asked the Professor, my eyes not leaving the back of my best friend as he disappeared into the crowd, "because I get the impression that the king might hate me."

When I didn't get a reply, I turn to look at the Professor only to frown when I was met with no one. "Oh no," I mutter to myself as I make my way towards the hover bikes and some of the other racers, "I'm fine. It's not like I've never been on this planet before or have a bunch of aliens trying to glare holes into the back of my head."

It wasn't just a feeling either; almost all of the other racers seemed to be trying really hard to kill me with their eyes alone. I was at a serious disadvantage here, that was obvious by the looks of everyone. I was, by far, the smallest racer. Hell, even the women towered over me. The racers that were smaller than me in height certainly made up for it in muscle; they looked like they could bench-press a semi-truck using one arm only. The tallest racer looked to be well over ten feet tall and every single one of them looked as mean as the next one. In fact, I made a mental note to keep far away from the medusa looking alien who seemed to be trying extra hard to annihilate me with her eyes, all ten of them.

After receiving an eye roll and a sneer from a woman when I asked if she could point out my bike for me, I made my way over to said bike and started inspecting it. Apart from having no wheels, it looked really similar to my motorcycle at home. I mean, there were a few buttons that made absolutely no sense to me but I got the general idea of how to work the bike.

"You don't need to worry about any of the buttons until the final race."

I jumped at the masculine voice that sounded from behind me, turning with a small squeak and my hand placed over my rapidly beating heart. It was the boy from the shuttle; who, now that I was closer to him, I realised wasn't a boy but a man. His features were young but certainly not young enough to be anyone under the age of eighteen. He looked almost human, save for the completely silver eyes and the weird glow that seemed to surround him. He was also almost seven feet tall and I had to crane my head just to meet his unnerving gaze.

"What?" I asked dumbly, finally managing to calm my racing heart.

He smiled at me; a boyish smile that just made him look far younger than he already did. "The buttons," he repeated, motioning to the buttons I had been wondering about a moment ago, "you don't need to worry about them until the final leg of the race. They can only be activated during the last race."

"Oh," I replied, "thanks, I have no idea what I'm doing. Are you going to participate in the race?"

He shook his head, his hands folded in front of him, "no, but I wish you all the best during the race."

"Thanks," I smiled, "I'm certainly going to need it." I threw a nervous look at the other contestant before returning my gaze to the man info font of me.

"You'll do fine," he assured me, "they look intimidating but… well, they can kind of back it up too."

I chuckled at the sheepish shrug he gave me and that boyish smile returned again, the sight of it made my stomach flip at just how cute it made him look. "I'm Charlie," I told him, holding my hand out for him to shake.

"Zaeden," he replied, grabbing my hand and lifting it to his lips. I blushed as he placed a light kiss on my knuckles before he let my hand go and I allowed it to fall back to my side, the skin where his lips had touched tingling pleasantly. "Charlie," he said, the way he said my name making me blush another shade of red and the butterflies in my stomach increased, "you have a strange, yet beautiful name."

"Oh, thank you," I replied dumbly.

"The opening ceremony should be starting shortly," he informed me, holding his arm out, "may I have the honour of escorting you, Miss Charlie?"

I smiled softly at him, threading my arm through his and allowing him to lead me towards this opening ceremony he had just mentioned.

Maybe this wasn't going to be so bad.

Well, the race was just about to begin and I still hadn't seen Frankie or the Professor. Zaeden had been kind enough to show her around and had introduced her to his friend, Aesel, and both men had given her a lowdown on the people she would be up again. Zaeden knew a lot about the other racers and even more about Zoria. There were times when Zaeden would zone out but Aesel assured me that he was okay. When he did come back down to Earth, or Zoria, he would be much sadder or concerned. I had caught him throwing cautious looks in my direction but the looked was there and gone so fast, I thought I had imagined it and didn't bring it up.

Zaeden and Aesel had stayed with me until all of the racers were ushered to their bikes and then directed to the starting line. Zaeden had assured me, he would be waiting for me when I finished the race to congratulate me on reaching the second leg of the race. He seemed so assured I'd make it that it gave me a much-needed confidence boost.

I was already wearing my helmet, Kaze had already adjusted my suit so that I wasn't sweating my arse off under the three hot suns. "Mozz Williams, you have an incoming call from a Professor. Shall I patch her through?" Kaze asked me as the bikes around me revved loudly.

"Yes please," I replied and not even a moment later, the Professor's face popped up in the corner of my visor. "Hey, Professor," I greeted, anger evident in my voice, "having fun?"

She sighed heavily, "I'm sorry for leaving you on your own, sweetie," she told me, "I followed Frankie and the king. There's something strange going on and I'm trying to figure out what it is and if it might present a danger to anyone here."

"Is Frankie okay?" I asked worriedly, turning to search the crowds to see if I could set my sights on my friend, "Professor, please tell me he's okay."

"He's fine, Lottie," the Professor assured me, "I promise, I won't let anything happen to him."

I nodded my head but I couldn't seem to make the knot in my stomach go away. "Okay," I breathed, "the race is about to begin. Will I see you at the finish line?"

The Professor smirked, "nothing could keep me away, sweetie."

Her image disappeared and I took a deep, calming breath. "You can do this," I told myself, "it's just like your motorcycle, except it has no wheels and can go a lot faster."

A countdown appeared on my helmet and Kaze informed me that I could go the moment it hit zero. The ten seconds felt like ten hours but when the little zero finally appeared all my nerves vanished as I took off with the other racers.

I whooped loudly at the sheer power of the bike I was currently straddling and all other sounds vanished as my ears were filled with the pleasant hum of whatever engine powered the bike. Kaze was silent unless it was to give me directions and tell me about shortcuts that could be used to cut my time in half. By the halfway point in the race, I was about ready to admit that all of this was going to be a huge piece of cake.

It's a good thing that whatever god these Zorian's believe in was there to prove me wrong. I was riding through a canyon short cut when an alarmingly horrifying howl pierced the air. Said alarmingly horrifying howl was then followed by several other howls which made me want to curl up into an itty-bitty ball on the ground and cry my eyes out.

If the howl was terrifying, it was nothing compared to seeing the source of said howls. I was sure they were supposed to be some weird wolf, porcupine hybrid with the size of a grizzly bear and the teeth of a sabretooth tiger. Said spikes were thick and shimmered in the light from the suns, making them look like the spikes were made from gold. In fact, the creature looked like it was made of gold and had skin tougher than diamond. In short, I was officially terrified.

"Kaze, what are those?" I asked the artificial intelligence as I slowed the bike down so as not to get too close to them.

"Sunglow Souleaters," Kaze answered immediately, "a highly dangerous, highly lethal, and highly indestructible creature native to the desert regions of Zoria 8. Their spikes secrete a fast-acting poison that renders the victim completely paralysed before working its way to the heart and stopping it. The process is said to be excruciatingly painful and a cure is almost impossible to come by. In fact, only the king has access to said cure."

"Well, that's just brilliant," I grumbled, "the only man that could potentially save my life if I get poisoned is the very man who seems to hate me and have a hard-on for my best friend. Could my life get any worse?"

I really should keep my mouth shut. Seriously. Because, as soon as the words fell from my lips, one of the Souleaters made to pounce on my bike. Thankfully, the bike had amazing steering and I managed to steer it away from the large animal. Well, mostly. The sound of metal bending filled my ears as I kicked the bike into gear and shot forward.

"Damage has been acquired to the right-hand side of the bike," Kaze informed me needlessly, "bike stability is compromised. Bike integrity at eighty per cent. I advise avoiding any further damage until reparations can be made."

"No shit, Kaze," I muttered as I shot passed two more Souleaters. "Why are they called Souleaters?" I asked, knowing I probably wouldn't like whatever answer he gave me.

"Before their prey dies, the creature consumes the soul of its victims," Kaze told her.

"Well that sounds lovely," I growled, sweating around another Souleater, "any idea how many I can expect?"

"I detect a pack of five."

Great, four were already accounted for so where was number five?

I screamed as something jumped over my head and landed in front of me, forcing me to come to a stop to avoid hitting it. The Souleater in front of me was three times larger than the others and had completely pitch-black eyes. The spikes on its back were raised like a cat and all its teeth were on display at it growled at me.

"Kaze, I need a way around that thing," I told the A.I desperately.

"Searching for alternative routes."

More growls from behind me had me turning to see the other four Souleaters approaching me until they had me backed against the side of the canyon. They all made room for the largest one and all of their teeth were on full display, glistening with the drool that dripped from their mouths. Kaze was still quiet, still searching for a way to get me out of this problem but when the largest one, obviously the leader, stepped forward, I knew I didn't have much time.

If I didn't find a way out of this, I was going to die.

Frankie had felt like a haze had come over him since meeting Jaek. However, said haze faded almost immediately the moment he peeled his eyes away from the handsome king and looked at the screen that featured the race. Apparently, there were drones all over the place to catch all of the action and this one just so happened to be capturing his Baby-girl being surrounded by creatures that looked like they had come straight from a horror movie.

He pulled away from the man he had just be locked in a passionate kiss with a sat at the edge of the overly plush chair, his eyes glued to the screen.

"Ah," the king said from behind him, his hand coming up to the back of Frankie's neck, "it looks like your friend has found the Souleaters."

Frankie heard the excitement in the king's voice and felt his anger bubble to the surface but refused to look away from the screen. Charlie was back against the side of the canyon walls, surrounded by five very large, very scary looking beasts who were looking at her like she was the last pizza at the party.

The drone zoomed in on them and Frankie saw Charlie's head on a constant swivel as she looked for a way out. He felt his heart plummet as he realised, she had no way of escape. Why had he let that woman talk him into letting his Baby-girl do something like this? He shook his head; it was too late to dwell on that now. Now, all he would be able to do was watch uselessly as his best friend faced off against a hoard of feral animals that looked like they had eaten the hulk or something.

He watched her head stop moving, looking up at the sky and it only made his heart plummet further. Was she praying? Did she know she was going to die? The Professor had assured him she would be okay but Frankie had no idea why he had believed her.

His heart leapt back into his chest and finally started beating properly as he watched Charlie turned the bike around and take off. She didn't go through or around, no, his clever girl went straight up. Frankie whooped as he watched Charlie use the hoverbike to scale the canyon wall and watched as the creatures tried to follow. Four of them failed but the largest of the pack seemed to have enough strength to dig its claws into the wall so it could scale it. And fast.

"Come on, Baby-girl," he whispered as he watched her helmet covered head look over her shoulder before she quickly looked forward again and the bikes speed increased. It didn't seem to matter though; the faster Charlie went, the faster the creature did as well.

"The alpha Souleater is the biggest and strongest of the Souleaters," Jaek spoke but Frankie barely paid his words any attention as he watched Charlie climb higher, preying to any god that would listen that she didn't fall off the bike. Frankie had seen Charlie ride her motorcycle many times before; she was a speed demon and an adrenaline junkie. There had always been a risk of her hurting herself on the motorcycle but none of those risks included being eaten. "The Wildling girl doesn't stand a chance," he chuckled amusedly.

Frankie turned to glare icily at the king and watched the surprise enter his red eyes before he quickly covered it. "You think this is funny?" he hissed, pointing towards the screen, "that 'Wildling girl' is like a little sister to me. What the hell is even remotely funny about the possibility of her getting hurt or killed?!"

Jaek raised his hands and moved closer to Frankie, his eyes darkening as he did so and Frankie began to feel the haze from earlier return. He fought it, fought to turn his gaze away from the king and towards the screen so he could make sure Charlie was okay. When Jaek touched his face with a pale, clawed finger, the haze took over his mind and Frankie fell back into the king's embrace.

I broke the top of the canyon, throwing the bike forward before I was raising against the rocky top like a bat out of hell. I wish I could say I lost the Souleater but the sound of heavy paws hitting the ground told me exactly how wrong I would be if I did. A quick glance over my shoulder told me I better find a way to increase speed otherwise I was going to become a Souleater chew toy.

"Kaze, how far until I reach the other racers?" I asked breathlessly.

"Less than ten minutes, Miss Williams," he answered me immediately.

Damn, I couldn't lead this thing to the other racers but I couldn't get myself off course either or I'd risk losing; though, at the moment that seemed like a really good idea. This race was obviously more dangerous than I thought but that didn't mean I was going to quit it either. "I need to lose this thing before the finish line," I spoke out loud, "do Souleaters have any weaknesses?"

"Their own poison can be used to temporarily neutralise them," Kaze told me and I let out a long groan.

"Anything else? Perhaps something that won't put me at risk of losing an arm?" I asked pleadingly.

"A powerful tranquiliser would incapacitate the creature long enough for you to get far enough ahead that it would simply lose interest in the chase."

Perfect, because I just had powerful tranquilisers laying around the place. Okay, plan C. "Zaeden told me Zoria uses cloaking devices on the bikes and suits," I told Kaze, "I have a plan but the timing needs to be perfect."

He didn't answer and I didn't really expect him to. He did, however, throw up a map of the terrain when I asked him to and my eyes quickly darted to a spot I had seen when I had looked at the map earlier. It was another canyon, this one much deeper than the last; so deep, in fact, that the bottom was pitch black because the sun couldn't reach it. With the darkness and the cloaking, I should be able to lose the Souleater and the canyon took me right up to the finish line.

During my little planning session, I hadn't been keeping track of the bike speed and I screamed when I felt sharp claws dig into the flesh of my calf before the sound of ripping flesh filled my ears and a burning sensation could be felt. I almost lost control of the bike but managed to keep it steady and turn out of the path of the Souleater at the same time. Tears stung my eyes at the pain radiating up my leg and my breathing had because laborious.

"Suit compromised," Kaze informed me, "the wound tore through the tissue and at the rate you are bleeding you will pass out in approximately twenty minutes."

"How far away is the finish line?" I asked as I pushed the bike to its top speed.

"Thirteen minutes and forty-six seconds from your current position."

"We can do this," I assured myself and the A.I, "we just gotta get to the canyon."

"Do you have a first aid function?" I questioned through gritted teeth, my leg feeling like it was on fire.

"My first aid functions are basic and would only prolong the inevitable by seven minutes and twenty-three seconds."

"Every second counts," I breathed, "do what you can, Kaze."

I couldn't even feel what the suit was doing to my leg but I was just relieved when the burning subsided enough for me to focus on anything but the pain. The canyon was rapidly approaching but so was the Souleater. I had no doubt it would follow me into the canyon but I just needed to be fast enough to activate the cloaking and use the darkness as a way to move through the canyon. Thankfully, the helmet had built in night vision otherwise this plan would be going to hell before it had even begun.

"Activate cloaking on my mark," I told Kaze as I forced the bike to do well over what was probably safe. This plan needed to be timed out perfectly or the Souleater was going to get much more than its claws into me. "Ready," I breathed as I got closer to the canyon. My breath completely left me as I quickly rotated the bike to the side and suddenly, I was going over the edge of the canyon.

"Now," I yelled as everything went dark. I felt the suit and the bike shiver for a moment before the night vision in the helmet activated and suddenly, I was speeding off through the darkness. The heavy thump of the Souleater landing on the canyon floor had me looking over my shoulder to see if frantically looking around. Zaeden had explained the cloaking to me earlier, told me how it also dampened sound and smell which meant the Souleater wouldn't be able to track me that way either.

"Oh my god," I whispered to myself as I face forward and raced off, "I can't believe that actually worked."

"Yes, I too, am surprised that you actually managed to pull off such a stunt, Miss Williams," Kaze told me.

"Oh, geez, thanks," I grumbled sarcastically.

I kept to the canyon until just before the finish line in which I once again scaled the wall and shot towards said line as if my life depended on it. And, if the light-headedness and the nausea were anything to go by, it just might.

"Hey, there wasn't any kind of poison in the claws, right?" I asked Kaze as I cut back onto the track, just behind the medusa looking alien from earlier. She looked over her large shoulder at me and even with the darkly tinted visor, I just knew she was glaring at me. She was third which meant I was currently in fourth place and that meant that as long as I crossed the finished line without more than two more people getting in front of me, I'd advance to the next leg of the race.

Thinking about legs just made me think of my own and, unwisely, I chanced a look at it. The light-headedness increased tenfold at the sight of the mangled skin and I almost threw up in my helmet. The claws had gone to the bone and the sight of said bone made wish I would just pass out now. The skin was angry and red and the torn flesh was jagged. It was definitely going to leave a scar which meant Rose would see it and I don't want to even imagine the fight that will start up. Not to mention I was probably going to be stuck with a limp for the rest of my life. You know what, Rose was probably worse. And don't even get me started on when Jackie sees it; I'll never be allowed out of the apartment.

I actually didn't realise when I crossed the finish line and probably would have kept riding if not for the Professor standing in front of me. I would later blame my horrible breaking on the light-headedness because the next thing I know, the bike is turning out from under me and suddenly I have a mouth full of hot dirt. Great, because I hadn't suffered enough today.

Quickly spitting out the dirt, I made to get to my feet only to have my body remind me of everything that had just happened. Turning over so I wouldn't face plant the ground once again, I laid now heavily on my back. My breathing was fast and loud and black spots danced in front of my vision. The Professor was leaning over me and although I could see her lips moving, I had no idea what she was actually saying. There was this annoying ringing sound in my ear and I quickly wondered to myself when my helmet had come off. Had I done that? No, I think I would have remembered removing it.

"…tie… right… sweetie, are you alright?"

I blinked owlishly as I looked at the Professor before I giggled. The sound was so unexpected and high pitched that it only made me giggle harder. Then I caught sight of the Professor's face and my giggling seemed like it would never end. "Ow," I moaned between giggles, "that was… that wass..." My tongue felt heavy and I moved it around in my mouth with a disgruntled expression on my face as I tried to get it to do what I wanted it to.

"I think you need a healer, melda heri," came an almost melodic voice and I squinted my eyes against the almost blinding suns before Zaeden's came into view. He was smiling softly at me, his eyes reflecting his concern as he looked me over.

"And who the bloody hell are you?" the Professor demanded.

"I am Zaeden," he answered in that same soft voice he had used since I had met him. In fact, he never seemed to raise his voice, he was like some kind of Zen master; like master Splinter or Yoda. The thought just made my giggles return and both adults looked down at me. "She's lost a lot of blood," he told the Professor and I could just see the witty rejoinder she was going to send his way before she thought better of it. I grunted when I felt large arms under my shoulders and legs before I was being lifted and brought against a hard chest. A groan left my lips as my leg was jostled and Zaeden muttered an apology as he adjusted his grip on me.

"And where do you think you're going?" I heard the Professor asked heatedly.

"My friend Aesel is a healer; he returned to our rooms for the evening and I'm going to take Miss Charlie to see him so that he may tend to her leg," Zaeden told her as I cuddled up closer to him.

"Mm," I moaned, "you're warm. Soo warm," I breathed, burying my nose into his neck, "and you smell nice… like the rain." I turned my head to look at the Professor and smiled goofily at her, "you sshould smell him, Professssor," I slurred, "he smellss so gooood."

The Professor looked like she was fighting a smile but apparently lost as the little amused grin spread her lips. "I'll just take your word, sweetie," she told me.

I was about to reply but was cut off by my own squeak as something sharp jabbed me in the arm. "Hey! What wass that?" I asked Zaeden, "y-you can't go poking me with things," I pouted, "not until you b-buy me dinner first."

Now the Professor was outright sniggering at me and if I had had the strength, I would have given her the finger. As it was, I no longer felt like I was going to pass out but my arms and legs felt like noodles left in water too long. My glare only seemed to amuse the Professor further and I childishly stuck my tongue out at her.

"I can assure you, Miss Williams," Zaeden spoke up, "if I was going to entice you into my bed, I would not be doing it by injecting you with a serum to keep you awake long enough to be treated by Aesel."

Okay, now my leg wasn't the only thing burning and I could just imagine my face several different shades of red. The choking laughs the Professor was making wasn't helping either, nor was the amused sparkle I could see in Zaeden's deep silver eyes. I coughed to clear the lump that had developed in my throat before nodded sheepishly, "right," I said, "um, I could probably walk by myself."

"The serum might make you feel more awake but that doesn't mean you still won't suffer the effects of the blood you've already lost," Zaeden told me as he began walking, the Professor falling into step beside him, "besides, what man would ever give up the opportunity to hold such a beautiful woman in his arms for any amount of time?"

"Smooth," I chuckled before I looked at the Professor, "wasn't that smooth?"

She smirked, "real smooth," she answered with a mischievous gleam in her eyes.

We all chuckled for a moment before falling into a comfortable silence that was occasionally broken when the Professor or Zaeden decided to make small talk. I listened to the two of them converse in the background as I kept my other ear pressed to Zaeden's chest, listening to his heart beating steadily.

It was almost enough to lull me off to sleep. Almost.

We got to the suites Zaeden and Aesel were staying in whilst the races were on and Zaeden placed me gently on a plush sofa before assuring me he would be back with Aesel before he left the room. The Professor sat across from me, looking at everything in the room suspiciously before her eyes found mine and they softened. "How's the leg, sweetie?" she asked me quietly.

I shrugged, "like a demon porcupine dog tried to take a chunk out of it," I replied simply.

"I'm sorry, Lottie," the Professor sighed, "I shouldn't have made you race today."

I aborted, "it's cute how you think someone could make me do anything I don't want to do, Professor. Had I not wanted to race today, nothing you could have done would have made me race. Kaze just chose a bad shortcut, that's all. No one's fault."

"Kaze?" the Professor asked me.

"Yeah, the A.I. in my helmet," I told her.

She frowned, "I've never heard of one having a name before, they usually identify themselves with a number."

Before I could reply to the Professor, the door to the room opened and Zaeden walked in with Aesel following just behind me. Aesel smiled when he saw me, the smile only dimming a little at the sight of the Professor before he made his way over to me. "So, a Souleater, huh?" he tried to joke as he inspected my leg closely.

"Well, I did always want a dog," I joked back, breaking the tension in the room as Ariel chuckled at our poor attempt at a joke. "So, think it can be saved?" I questioned, motioning to my leg, "don't know if you can tell, but I'm very attached to it."

"I can see that," Aesel chuckled, "don't worry, winime," he assured me, "we shall have it back to normal before your next race."

I threw my head back with a groan.

I'd forgotten all about that.

Okay, there it is. This is probably going to be three or four chapters instead of just two but I don't want to leave out details and events just to make it shorter. Anyway, what are your thoughts? What do you think is happening to Frankie? He sure isn't acting like himself. What about Charlie, how did you feel about her in this chapter? What do you think of Zaeden? When I picture him I kind of picture a much taller version of Godric from True Blood. Please leave me a review and tell me what you think and I'll hopefully have Part II up in a couple days.

Translations:

Winimo - Little One (masculine)

Winime - Little One (feminine)

Medla Heri - Beloved Lady

All translations are from realelvish because elvish just suited the language I wanted for my characters to use.