Ark Angel - Anthony Horowitz [41]
Alex braked and immediately Drevin soared ahead, shooting up the raised section of the track. Alex followed, looking for an opportunity to slip past him. But Drevin was cheating again, zigzagging left and right, refusing to give him any space. They roared down the slope and onto the straight, then plunged into the tunnel. After the bright sunlight, it was very dark inside. Alex accelerated and drew level with Drevin. Drevin twisted his wheel and crashed sideways into Alex.
The whole world leapt. Sparks exploded in the darkness as metal tore into metal. The walls of the tunnel rushed past. Desperately Alex fought for control, and as the two karts burst out into daylight, he dropped back. Once again Drevin had the lead.
Out of the corner of his eye, Alex saw Paul wave the flag, signalling the third and final circuit. The race seemed to have lasted only seconds – and it looked as if Drevin had it in the bag. Alex thought about letting him go. What did it matter who won? After all, this was Drevin’s toy. Drevin was paying the bills. It might be polite to lose.
But something inside him rebelled against the idea. He stamped down, urging his kart on. Once more he drew level with his opponent. Now the two karts were side by side, heading up the ramp for the last time. Alex saw Drevin glance across and then wrench at his steering wheel. Alex understood at once what he was doing: Drevin was trying to knock him into the tyres and over the edge! For a horrible moment, Alex saw himself somersaulting sideways in his kart. He saw the world turning upside down and heard the grinding of metal as he hit the tarmac below. Would Drevin really kill him just to win a race? His nerves screamed at him. Stop now! This was stupid. He had nothing to prove.
Drevin slammed into him again. That was it. There was no way Alex was going to let the Russian billionaire win. He touched the brake, as if accepting defeat. Drevin shot ahead, swerving round the corner. Then Alex accelerated. But he didn’t turn the wheel. Instead he aimed straight for the wall of tyres. He hit them head-on and, yelling out loud, soared into the air. For a brief moment he hung in space. Black tyres cascaded all around him, spinning away like oversized coins. Then he was falling. The tarmac rushed up to greet him. There was a bone-shuddering crash as he hit the track below, and Alex was slammed into his seat. The steering wheel twisted in his hands, trying to pull away as he struggled for control. Somehow the kart kept going. Tyres bounced all around and he was forced to swerve wildly. But he had done it. He had cut the corner and now he was ten metres ahead of Drevin.
The tunnel loomed in front of him. He roared into the darkness and out the other side, across the finishing line. He slammed on his brakes. Too hard. The kart slewed round in an uncontrollable spin and stopped. The engine stalled. But the race was over.
Alex had won.
A few seconds later, Drevin pulled up next to him. He tore off his helmet. He was sweating heavily; his hair was plastered to his scalp. He was furious.
“You cheated!” he exclaimed. “You missed part of the track.”
“You pushed me,” Alex protested. “It wasn’t my fault.”
“We will race again!”
“No thanks.” Alex had removed his helmet, glad to feel the breeze on his face. “It was a lot of fun but I think I’ve had enough.” He climbed out of the kart. The mechanics were hovering beside the track, wondering if they should approach.
Paul arrived, still carrying the flag. “I can’t believe what I just saw! That was amazing, Alex. But you could have been killed!”
“The race is void,” Drevin