Space Race (Space Race 1) by Nathan Hystad (book recommendations for young adults .TXT) 📕

“But Preston worked for Luna Corp. Wasn’t that a conflict?”

“Arlo, you have to stop thinking of the Corporations as enemies. Things aren’t always as you see them. Often we need to change perspectives. Look from another angle.” Bryson set his cup down and walked me toward the door.

“Where should I be looking?” I asked.

“Showing all your cards in the first round won’t get you to the finale. Go win the Race.”

I felt the weight of the Coin in my pocket and considered sharing the details of the alien ship I’d stumbled across with this man. But I wasn’t ready to divulge everything to a CEO, and a guy I barely knew.

“How’s my son?”

The change of topics was jarring, the thoughts of revolts and merges still racing through my mind. “He’s a good kid. Smart. Hard-working, and great with everyone,” I said.

“And the rest?”

He was eager for an update, so I decided to give him one. “Luther Payne is settling into his role well. We’ve found a balance within the team. The trials were solid, but fair.”

Bryson chuckled. “That was a test run. Expect things to be far different. The problem with a Race of this magnitude is that the playing field is quite even. You’ll have to rely on cunning and wit to defeat the various competitors. The track will be straightforward, but as you know, when you’re out there, competing against the best, things change.”

“Will the other teams have any advantages?”

“What is life, Arlo?”

“Life?” The conversation was strange. Every minute, we were farther from the finish line.

“Life is a series of obstacles. We’re born, and our parents strive to raise us properly. Some succeed, many fail, and each step, each year is full of impediments. And what is the finish line?”

“Death?”

“The finish line is success. When you find it, you can thrive in your victory until death, but the obstacles slow down. They never disappear entirely, because with death, we’re all equal, regardless of stature. Believe me.”

“What does this have to do with the Race?” I asked.

“Everything, Arlo. Everything.”

I glanced at his drink, wondering how many of those he’d had, but it was still full. “Okay. Anything else?”

“Why did you quit?” he asked me.

“Sage?”

“No. The Pod Racing. You were the best… a shining star in a heavily competitive field.”

“You know about Preston. He left on an expedition to Proxima. My grandfather was my rock. He stood in my corner, guided me, led me to the success I saw. When he died… I couldn’t go on. I never raced again.”

Bryson’s hand landed on my shoulder, and he squeezed it gently. “Until now. You’ll show the world that Arlo Lewis never left. You’re going to make him proud.”

His words inspired me, and I turned, not wanting Bryson to see my vulnerable side. “Anything else you need?”

“Not for today. The team announcement is tomorrow. We’re leaving at first light, for Primary City,” he said.

Primary City. The home of the Board, and offices to every single Corporation. Their footprints depended on their rank, but they each had at least one representative. From what I’d read, the elite like Sage and Luna had a thousand people residing in the city.

“We’ll be ready.” I moved for the exit, and he cleared his throat.

“And…I hope I don’t need to tell you that what we discussed today is strictly confidential and between us. CEO to race captain.”

I hated leaving the team in the dark on something so serious, but what choice did I have? “Understood, sir.”

I was halfway out of the room when he caught me. “I almost forgot. We need to shoot an advertisement.”

“An ad?”

“Sure. SeaTech has an opportunity to prove what we have. With all eyes on the Race, every Corp will be pushing their wares to the rest of them,” Bryson said.

I’d done my share of sponsorships when I was a kid, and after the first experience, I’d hated being on set. “Whatever. What are we advertising?”

Bryson smiled and clapped his palms together. “SeaTech’s proprietary thermal Core protectors.”

“How exciting.”

____________

“Primary City,” Luther whispered as the SeaTech luxury transport brought us into the city limits. It was near the Aegean Sea, and everything for countless kilometers in each direction had been removed, to allow a giant border around the destination.

The entire place was protected by an invisible dome, one you needed an access code to permeate, and the robotic pilot sent the request, the screen blinking acceptance a moment later. An opening appeared, blue lines in a perfect circle granting us passage into Primary City.

“Quite the safeguard,” Jade said. “Ever had a break-in?”

Luther answered, “Couple of times, but this is some advanced stuff. The shield tech was created by Lotus, adapted by Sage, and updated by Oasis.”

“Not Luna Corp?” I asked.

“Don’t think so,” Jade replied. “At least, not that I’d seen in their tech division.”

Luther had visited more than anyone, including Bryson, who claimed to only have seen it twice since he’d taken over from his father. Holland seemed thrilled to be making this trip, but I was dreading it. With the looming date for the start of the Race, and the unknowns involving this Eclipse and the Corporation uprising, my stomach was tied in knots. I tried not to show it.

We entered, and I stared out the windows at the sprawling city below. It was small by modern standards, but grand nonetheless. The Board building was the largest. Though the structure didn’t have an official name, everyone knew of it as Headquarters, or HQ. Its silhouette reminded me of a huge mushroom, with the top wide and flat. It overlooked the other Corporations’ lesser offices. To our left was Sage Industries, a stylish spire standing half as tall as HQ. From here, we could see Luna Corp, with their moon-shaped office building, and Harding; the eighth-ranked Corp was much simpler, with a plain boxy design.

Our transport flew for HQ, and everyone’s excitement rose as we landed on a hovering platform. We were earlier than some of the teams, judging by