Just a rat race?

Charles and I was sitting together, my hands was inside his jacket. One of his hands was playing with a curl of my red hair over looking my eyes the other was on my thigh. We were just about to kiss when the doorbell rang…

Maps, paper maps…
I groaned and Charles looked at me…

When Jon appeared on the viewscreen he began to give us our next challenge…

I looked down at this thing, " Who drew this map? It looks like some little kid did it or something." I said. Other contestants were speaking but I was thinking to myself… Why a paper map. Even if Hudson was the next Davinci it wouldn't have helped me. Why couldn't we have gotten electronic maps? Everyone assumes that because I am Magdalena that I know how to decipher secret codes, can put puzzles together and … that I can use and read maps… Okay so yes of course it was part of my training but … well it is like this... I suck at reading maps… The Bishop use to tease me by asking if I was sure I was a natural red head, and before you ask yes I am. Charles can confirm that… Oh this is going to be horrible, you see I have a disorder on top it’s the can't properly fold map back disorder…

Jon yelled excitedly, "On my mark... Ready. Set. Go!"

Oh crap… I watched as the 11 other contestant's scramble out of the barracks with me and headed towards their hovercycles…. I stopped… Oh … This is…

I watched henchman making a phone call and then walk away, Vegeta had no trouble getting in his… Guess being short sometimes pays off but I am, well mostly all legs…

I couldn't believe these were our cycles...

Then my gift… my ability to see into men's heart and sense things kicked in… I saw Hudson and Jon over in the corner, they were hiding, pointing at us and laughing trying to use their clipboards to hide it…

It took me a minute but I then saw Hudson eyeball something then look at us and laugh…
He was looking right next to where we were, but there was nothing their just a heavy leather drop cover…

I walked over to it and just stood, I made sure I was standing facing the window where I could watch Jon and Hudson in the reflection and them not see I could see them…

Jon nudge Hudson and he looked at me, they stop laughing…

I lifted the tarps, Hey there are hover cycles here… and they have our names on them! I heard Hudson say, "Oh man… and this was going to be funny."

I pulled the covers and went through them finding mine… Okay… it looked almost like a normal bike…

I found the instruction manual but I don't really have time to read through it so I just look on how to switch it on… I do have the training and several licensees that allows me to fly and drive many different vehicles but this wasn’t among them…

I got it turned on and was heading out…


North, I was heading North, this was a race… I hate races… back when I attended Catholic school we had Christian playday, each class had several competitions mostly different types of races. I hated it… I don't know why I just hate races, always have… Maybe because with my training a race meant I was racing to save a life… Anyhow, I was heading north… I would be entering the coral reef of madness… Jon had warned us that it would be dangerous so as I approached I pulled my boot knife from my boot and placed it in my mouth…

Dragon eels? Flying piranha?

Oh joy, I thought but surely not as dangerous as demonic clowns, vampires or the other monsters I have faced…

As I flew toward the Coral of Madness I saw it was so beautiful… I looked down at the water and wondered how something so beautiful could be so dangerous, then I remembered my training…

Often enough it is the beautiful things that are the most lethal.

Just then from behind a large tentacle grabbed me. I was snatched from my cycle and plumaged into the water…

It was a giant squid, I had dropped my boot knife and watched as it sunk to the watery depths… Trying to go after it wouldn’t be smart.. If I wasn’t attacked I surely would be cut to pieces by the coral, besides I don't think the squid is going to let go of me long enough for me to get my knife and stab it..

Then it hit me as I was swallowing water being strangled by the tentacles… The coral.. its sharp.. I relaxed and then with all my force swam backwards toward the squid shoving it into a bed of coral… I saw blood and ink as I swam to the surface… It had let go of me but I wasn’t sure for how long.. I found my cycle got back on and took off heading to the Lagoon of Danger.

Suddenly an arrow hit my vehicle… I looked and I saw cannibals shooting arrows at me from the Lagoons beach…

Several dove and were swimming for me but I just kept the bike riding through. I was turning west about to leave the lagoon when green giants began throwing lava rocks at me…

I drove and dodged as many as I could..


I was now heading for Gulf of Gorgons. What was that smell… It smelt as if it was close. A cycle sped by as Gaia yelled, "You're bleeding…"

I began checking my body… then realized it wasn't me she meant but my cycle… I was forced to stop my cycle. That was the smell… I pulled a ribbon from my hair and tried to rig the hydraulic hose as best as I could… I had lost a lot of fuel already though… The gauge showed I was very low… I got back on and headed west, worring I didn’t have enough fuel to make it.

Gorgon, if I remember my training with the church… Damn I do not want to be come a permanent piece here on Hacknor. Remembering my training I took my mirror out and began adjusting the mirrors on the cycle…
This was a time I could use a helmet but since I didn’t have one I had to do with what I had…

Through the canyons past the cliffs to the other side… Through the canyons past the cliffs to the other side…
He forgot to say without being turned to stone… Through the canyons past the cliffs to the other side…

Through the canyons …. Through the canyons …. So far so good no …. I heard her growl saw the shadow I used the mirror and saw her…



Just keep riding she is behind you…



Through the canyons …. Through the canyons …. Yes I was through the canyons …. With only one…. Oh no… to get past the cliffs I had to get pass her…


I avoid looking at her directly… using my mirrors to drive around her … She wasn’t making it easy… but I did it…


Deadly water slid o' fun? This looked more like an amusement park…. It was time to enter the old gladiator's home… I was dreading this part… I have been taught to respect the elders and to always sit and listen to them… You couldn’t imagine how relieved I was that they were too busy diving for dvd's on the floor when I entered… I then headed to the next obstacle… A mysterious hunted observatory…


I pulled my enchanted cross…




As hauntings and ghost approached I used the cross and recited a prayer in Latin…



The ghost faded and was released from this world…

The cycle began to sputter and I looked at the gauge… It was not good…


I could see the landing strip… I could see an explosion of sorts… My cycle slowed and spit and spattered and sputtered…


I didn’t know what to do I began to bounce on the seat, rock back and forth… Oh come on…. The engine quit and I was still rolling but barely … I saw the finish line so I was rocking more … The front of the bike crossed the line and as it passed the bike stopped… There was a finger space between the back of the bike and the finish line…but I was across it...


I am going to role it to the side and wait near it for them to announce who won and the places...
Then after I and Charles is going to spend some alone time...