[bosky]

Excerpt 2
His car snapped off the line and he clattered up the metal ramp. Blinking at the burning desert sun he emerged into the Yuma arena.
As far back as the year 2028 it had been an international airport, but when the autodueling craze swept the nation the town was quick to repurpose the tarmac. Old, heavily glassed viewports were converted into grandstands and staff offices became tacky gift shops. The airplane hangars were transformed into bustling garages. Asphalt was poured and levelled between each runway while thick barriers were installed to form a circular arena.
Driving from the south gate Sunny quickly scanned the area. To add excitement and strategy a variety of obstacles and mobile buildings were shifted before each match. A series of crossed metal beams ran down the left of the arena in a vaguely straight line. Five concrete blocks had been randomly spaced near the edges of the arena. The center was dominated by a large building bristling with TV cameras. Slightly south of that was a smaller, weaker wooden structure painted with a mural of horses. A set of crowd pleasing ramps were on either side of the building like a pair of bookends.
Spurring his vehicle to seventy miles an hour Sunny directed his senses to learning about his opponent in the shortest amount of time. His ears picked up the echoed, booming voice of a male announcer.
"Roaring in from the south gate is the yellow car...you know him, you love him, he's the man that brightens anyone's day...Suuuuunny Miller. Powering in from the north gate in the black and red car is his opponent, the one and only Kilgor Khan the Killer. Let the games begin!"
Ferocious applause drowned the announcer as he listed and thanked a series of sponsors. Squinting against the shimmering heat haze, Sunny sized up Kilgor's vehicle. He had seen the man compete once before and already liked his odds. His opponent tended to prefer resiliency and brute force over finesse and speed.
Spying the hulking black vehicle paralleling the line of beams just confirmed his suspicions. Ponderous slabs of armor that would make a turtle jealous shielded every facet of the car. The driver quickly identified the chassis as a stripped and modified Hammer.
A big red fist was painted on the jagged front, and Sunny smirked when he saw the middle finger was raised. His mirth turned to concern as he looked closer and saw three bronze nozzles of flamethrowers lined vertically up the flippant finger.
Heavy metal music blasted from a loudspeaker on top of Kilgor's vehicle. Sunny decided to please the crowd and win their support early on. Carefully judging the distance he eased the machine gun trigger down. His vehicle bucked slightly as the belt fed weapon coughed to life, throwing shells as big as his finger down the range.
Evidently surprised by the early attack, Kilgor was caught off guard. As hoped, the loudspeaker took the brunt of the fire. Piercing squeals of protesting metal echoed between the cars as the noisy music was silenced in a glorious shower of sparks.
Sunny could hear the fervent bellows of the crowd as he weaved between the concrete blocks and circled to a north west position. He hoped to keep some distance between Kilgor's flamers and his Sunspot.
For a few seconds the strategy worked. Shells repeatedly fountained from his gun to hungrily chew through Kilgor's armor. With such a heavy vehicle Kilgor was forced to lower speeds to prevent rolling over during sharp turns. This allowed Sunny to keep one step ahead of the probing flamers. A few lashes of burning jelly did strike his vehicle, but the exchange was clearly in the rookie's favor.
Their chasing, roving route tended towards circling the arena. Clearly growing tired of the cat and mouse game, Kilgor acted suddenly and unexpectedly. As both combatants were closing on the central building, the black Hammer swerved towards the structure and jammed the accelerator to the floor. The vehicle spewed black exhaust as it veered towards the ramp in front of the building.
The maneuver happened in a split second before the trailing yellow car had a chance to react. Already edging left to circle the arena, Sunny was caught off guard and could only watch in shock as Kilgor's vehicle leapt up the steep ramp and flew over the wooden building, the spinning tires barely scraping the roof.
Tilting nose down from the weighted armor helped line up the red middle finger with Sunny's vehicle. He slammed on the brakes as the airborne Hammer sent gouts of flame across the Sunspot.
Beads of sweat formed across his forehead as the car was engulfed in the blaze. The acrid stink of burning plastic armor overpowered the cockpit as Sunny continued to slow. Tires protested and suspension howled at the deceleration, but it was all part of a plan he had formulated before even touching the brakes.
While providing prime pictures for tabloids and newspapers, throwing a three ton vehicle off a ramp isn't the best strategy. This was painfully clear to the roaring crowd and shouting announcer as the Hammer continued in a predictable arc, unable to change direction in midair.
On the ground Sunny twisted the wheel as hard as he could with one hand while the other worked the emergency brake. Using the last momentum the vehicle grudgingly did a full 180 degree turn, swinging the rockets in line with Kilgor's landing spot. As soon as the turn was completed Sunny sped in reverse.
Finally the black Hammer smashed to the ground, shattering the concrete and shaking the entire arena. Before Kilgor could reposition himself or catch his breath from the daring leap Sunny was on him like an angry badger.
Adrenaline pounded through his veins as the bumper collided at forty miles an hour. There was a momentary hush through the arena before the thunderous bang of both rear rockets triggering into the damaged Hammer. Sunny was thrown forward in his seat, the restraining belts cutting into his shoulders as his helmet cracked the front windshield.
Super heated plastic exploded in all directions as the heavy rockets impacted across the helpless Hammer. Like a can opener the yellow car continued to plow through Kilgor's crumpled vehicle. Maintaining enough sense to angle his vehicle slightly, Sunny was able to slide under the top heavy vehicle and flip the burning wreckage over.
The sound of broken metal and secondary explosions dulled his hearing for a moment before the surge of cheers overpowered all other sound. His heart raced and his hands shook when his name flashed in scrolling marquee across the TV building.
"I gotta tell you I thought it was over when those flamers hit, but an incredible maneuver by the younger driver destroyed Kilgor and brought Sunny Miller his eighth victory!"