Chapter 23 - Rafael
At half past five, it’s unlikely anyone’s working inside yet, and the streets are nearly deserted. But that doesn’t mean he’s alone.
A security drone hums overhead while sensors near the entrance sweep the street. Even the air seems to buzz with InSite’s jingle, “Watching over a safer tomorrow.” The familiar tune drifts from hidden speakers, loud even over the noise of a passing HOV train.
Normally, Rafael would be on one of those trains, heading home half-asleep. But today’s different. This is his first day off in a week. And officially, his first real date with Kane.
His fingers tighten on the box in his arms. Since Kane rushed out of his apartment, they’ve traded only a handful of short messages over V-link. Until last night, when Kane finally sent a time and a place.
He checks his wristlink again, but before the time comes into focus, a low rumble echoes through the street. The sound grows, swallowing the noise around him.
A sleek, green and black motor HOV swings around the corner. Not with the usual electric whisper but a growl straight out of an old V-link film, coming from what must be custom speakers.
The bike skids to a stop before lowering onto its stabilizers. A figure swings off the bike, leather jacket gleaming under the lights. With a flick, their helmet comes off.
Kane.
A smile tugs at Rafael’s lips.
The man crooks a chrome finger with a smirk, and Rafael stares.
Is this really happening?
“Climb on!” Kane calls over the engine. He swipes over the dash, and a compartment opens, revealing a second helmet. “Got everything ready. Don’t worry.”
His gut tightens. Rafael’s never set foot on a motor HOV, and definitely not in Midtown with Kane, where anyone from work might recognize him.
The questions rattle through him. But the pull—the chance to do this with Kane—outweighs everything else.
A dozen objections flicker through his mind.
Kane glances back at him, smile spreading.
Rafael’s feet move before he can reconsider, carrying him toward the bike. As he reaches for the helmet, Kane cups his jaw and pulls him close. The kiss steals his breath, warmth lingering when they part.
I missed you.
The words want to escape, but he swallows them. Too soon. He stays silent and slips on the helmet while Kane checks his wristlink. Eyes now shielded, Rafael examines the seat. He’s not sure how to get on, where to put his—
“Come on.” Kane’s hand finds his wrist, tugging him over. “There you go.”
Rafael settles behind him, arms circling the man’s waist. Despite their last more-heated encounter, his cheeks warm from the proximity.
“Hang on tight.”
That’s all the warning Rafael gets before they lunge forward.
Midtown blurs into streaks of neon and concrete. Wind whips across his visor, stealing his breath. They pass an HOV stop, and the bike lifts, rising higher and higher. Below them, InSite workers shrink to scrambling red dots.
His heart hammers, and they rocket down another block.
This is a million miles from his usual routine. He should be terrified. Yet beneath the helmet, he’s grinning.
“This is incredible!” The words tear from him in a half-laugh, half-shout.
A chuckle crackles through the helmet’s commlink. “Enjoying the ride? I hoped this wouldn’t be too much for you.”
“I guess not.” Rafael turns, watching the blur of buildings sharpen into recognizable shapes as they begin to slow.
A brutal, imposing structure catches his focus ahead.
Factura Headquarters. He’d recognize the manufacturing giant’s sharp concrete and orange neon anywhere.
As they approach, the air starts to fill with security drones, circling the tops of the buildings in perfect sync. One drifts closer, tilting fast enough for its scan-light to reach them. Kane dips the bike so smoothly that Rafael doesn’t realize what’s happened until they’re already accelerating.
Once they’re past most of the horde, he exhales slowly. His arms tighten around Kane’s waist, and he leans in, voice low through the commlink. “Is this yours? Or one from Wren’s team?”
“Her crew goes for the lighter, faster models,” Kane explains. “What Wren rode when she was aiming for the HOV circuits. Before an injury shut that door.” He taps the side of the bike. “This one was my aunt Tina’s. Got it after she passed.”
Rafael swallows. Before he can apologize, the man’s tone lightens as he adds, “Uncle hated this bike. Couldn’t stand the rigged-up sound. She taught me to ride it behind his back.”
He grins against Kane’s jacket. “Baking and HOV bikes? She sounds amazing!”
“She was,” Kane says. “Actually, she started as an up-and-coming racer before she married my uncle.”
“A professional HOV racer?” Rafael’s jaw drops. “That’s incredible!” While cyber gladiator games dominate Nova City’s sports scene, racing is a close second. Not that he knows much about it either. “Did she compete from Shreveport?”
Kane hums. “Nah. Met my uncle at a race, and that was it for her career.” His shoulders lift in a shrug Rafael feels more than sees. “Sometimes during competition season, she’d get this look. But she always said being with him was worth more than any trophy.”
Rafael stiffens. Would he ever give up Midtown for Kane? Would Kane leave his crew for him?
“Hey—let’s hit downtown.” Kane cuts through his thoughts.
Before he can answer, the bike’s engine surges.
Block by block, Midtown dissolves into lights and steel. The skyline of downtown rises ahead, a place Rafael’s only ever seen from a distance—home to Nova City’s wealthiest and most famous. A place he’s only watched from afar or the V-link.
But downtown means twice the amount of corporate enforcers and NCPD patrols. His gut proves right the minute they pass the next block.
A trio of Premiere Corp enforcers appear in the rearview mirrors behind them, rainbow strobes atop the HOVs flashing off the glass towers.
“Are you sure it’s okay to be here?” He peers around Kane through his helmet.
Kane’s fingers tighten around his. “We’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”
Worry still buzzes at the back of Rafael’s mind as Kane shifts the bike into another air lane and loops around the block. The enforcers don’t chase, staying in the opposite lane.
He exhales. Kane’s right. Despite everything, the man has always kept him safe. Downtown shouldn’t be any different. “All right.”
Kane’s laugh rumbles against his chest. “Glad to have your confidence. Now hold on to your—”
The screech of a vehicle rounding the corner cuts him off. A HOV appears between two others, careening down the street straight toward them.
Rafael’s stomach drops.
Yet Kane doesn’t slow. He yanks them into a sharp bank, their world tilting sideways. The HOV screams past, close enough that a rush of air gusts over Rafael’s visor.
His fingers tremble against Kane’s jacket. The blur of traffic finally steadies as the bike eases out of the air lanes.
“See? Nothing to worry about.” Kane squeezes his arm. Rafael exhales and glances up.
Midtown’s towers and uniform apartments vanish behind them. Downtown rises instead in skyscrapers packed tight, each more extravagant than the last. Colossal holographic projections flicker between buildings while elite-owned HOVs slice through them.
Below the bike, a web of transparent skyways replaces real streets, terraces, and suspended platforms crowded with hotels, clubs, museums, and casinos. People in designer outfits move across the glowing walkways without hesitation.
Meanwhile, Rafael can’t help but gape. He’s in the heart of Nova City, worlds away from what he’s used to. All thanks to Kane. His arms tighten around him.
The Premiere Club Arena comes into view as they move deeper into downtown. Home to the cyber gladiator championship. Rafael steals a glance at the man driving their bike.
Would they ever sit in those stands together? Could Kane show up without drawing attention? The idea seems impossible. Maybe a gladiator-themed date is the safer dream to chase.
They turn a corner, and green floods his vision. Along the transparent skyway, a sea of restaurants lines the street, pulsing with Terra’s signature green. He inhales sharply.
This is Tastebud Alley. The country’s hub of synthetic cuisine. He’s always dreamed of visiting.
“Did you mean to bring me here?” Rafael is almost breathless as they zoom past Farm to Terra and Terra Capital Prime—Nova City’s most exclusive restaurants.
“Figured it was time you saw it outside V-link,” Kane answers.
Rafael blinks. He mentioned this place once, half in passing. Yet somehow Kane held onto it.
He tightens his arms around Kane’s waist. “Thank you.”
Metal fingers brush over his as the bike drops to a landing platform between the restaurants. As soon as they touch down, Kane’s head whips to the side. Rafael follows his gaze across the skyway.
Two Terra’s guards exit a nearby restaurant with scanners in hand.
They sweep geometric grids of light over anyone who passes.
Rafael freezes, breath catching, until Kane taps the side of his helmet and his visor darkens.
The guards walk on without a second glance, their green uniforms and metal rifles disappearing into the crowd.
Only then does Kane lift off his helmet, his shoulders easing. “Come on. We didn’t come all this way just to watch corp grease.” He glances back at Rafael with a grin. “Let’s get something to eat. See what Terra Inc. thinks passes for food.”
Rafael’s shoulders ease, but his body doesn’t entirely relax. What if someone recognizes Kane? What if more enforcers sweep through? What about the NCPD? One wrong move could ruin everything—for him, for Kane, for everyone he cares about.
“Are we okay here?” He hates how thin his voice sounds.
Kane shakes his head, stepping out of Rafael’s hold to unclip his helmet. “Didn’t I tell you not to worry?” His smirk softens the words as he helps lift it off. “Those enforcers passed right by us. Didn’t even try to scan.”
Maybe, but how long will that work? Rafael’s mind reels while Kane opens the side compartment.