Part 30 (2/2)

RACETIME: 29 MINS 32 SECONDS.

LAP: 29 OF 50.

On Lap 29 of Race 42, as they both shot down the southern coastline of Tasmania at full speed, Horatio Wong cut wildly - and inexplicably - across Jason's rearend and smashed clean through his tailfin, blasting it into a thousand pieces and thus causing Jason to lose all control of the Argonaut, just like in the Italian Run.

It was loss-of-control at 795 km/h.

That Wong had been a full lap behind Jason at the time and completely out of the race made it worse. He should have just made way for the Argonaut to pa.s.s. Instead, he hit Jason square on the tailfin.

Wong flailed away to the left, but pulled up safely in a Dead Zone.

Jason, however, veered right and down, rus.h.i.+ng down toward the ocean waves, terrified.

He grappled with his steering wheel, but to no avail. He kicked his thrusters, trying to steer that way - and somehow managed to run the Argonaut over a full line of demag lights, thus diminis.h.i.+ng its magnetic power.

The Argonaut's power drained fast and it slowed and a quick burst from its left thruster caused it to fishtail to a skidding halt a bare foot above the waves.

Other cars boomed past it, shaking the air.

The Bug and Sally were shouting in Jason's earpiece - but all Jason could do was sit there and stare forward and swallow hard.

He looked at his hands.

They were shaking terribly.

When the Argonaut returned to the pits, towed by a recovery vehicle, Jason saw Scott Syracuse standing in front of Horatio Wong, letting him have it: ' - what the h.e.l.l was that! Straight section of track and you suddenly lose control...and you take out his tailfin perfectly!'

'I just lost control, sir,' Wong shrugged, looking down. 'Lost my steering and never saw him there. I can't explain it.'

'You just lost control. Lost your steering. Never saw him.' Syracuse shook his head with disgust. 'I'm not so sure about any of that, Mr Wong. Get out of my sight.'

Wong stalked off, glaring darkly at Syracuse.

Sally came over to Jason, who was still badly shaken. Jason said, 'What's going on?'

'Syracuse just went ballistic at Wong for hitting you,' Sally whispered.

'But it was an accident,' Jason said. 'At least, it looked like one.'

Sally said, 'Syracuse didn't think it was an accident at all. When it happened, he was standing next to me, watching on the monitor. He said it was a cla.s.sic pro tactic: when a young racer is coming back from a bad accident and his self-confidence is shaky, you hit him in a similar way on his return race - and thus crack his fragile confidence. It's a tactic designed for one purpose: to put a young racer out for good.'

'But Wong also put himself out of the race by doing it,' Jason said, perplexed.

'That's what p.i.s.sed Syracuse off the most. Wong was the patsy, the junior guy who did the deed and took the fall - someone with pro experience told him to take you out. That's why Syracuse was chewing out Wong. He reckons Wong was doing someone else's dirty work.'

Jason looked over at the departing Wong, and thought about his new dining companions.

Sally put her arm around his shoulder. 'Confidence hits. Geez. Those sort of tricks aren't gonna be a problem with you now, are they? Jason Chaser, Superstar of the Sponsors' Tournament, Hero of Italy, little guy with nerves of pure steel. Like you'd ever have a confidence problem.'

Jason didn't reply.

He just hid his shaking hands.

CHAPTER SIX.

Jason had two days till he had to race again.

And he was absolutely dreading the prospect of it. Whoever had told Wong to take out his tailfin had been smart.

ery smart. Because it had worked.

Going into Race 42, Jason's confidence had been wavering, not that he'd dare tell anybody in his team or family. And losing control in exactly the same way as he'd lost it in Italy had totally freaked him out.

He didn't want to tell the Bug or Sally that he was losing it. Didn't want them to think he was somehow a lesser driver. Nor did he want to confide in his parents: they got such a buzz out of his achievements, he didn't want to disappoint them by revealing his fears.

That was the bonus of having Dido around - she was sort of external, not a family member or a team-member.

She didn't have any expectations. She just liked him for who he was.

They met each other for lunch the next day, at a coffee shop not far from the Race School.

Jason got there early, and was already sitting at a table when Dido arrived.

And then a strange thing happened.

Barnaby Becker walked into the shop at the exact same moment Dido did, and as he stepped up to the takeaway counter, he checked her out.

Jason was sitting close enough to hear every word of the ensuing conversation: Barnaby said, 'Hey there, cutie. You're the chickie who's been hanging out with little Chaser, aren't you?'

'Yes, so?' Dido had replied.

'So. You ever want to go out with a real man, Becker's the name, give me a call.'

Dido had snuffed a laugh. 'That's a very nice offer, but I don't like Neanderthals. I like cultured and courageous young men. Men like Jason. Good-bye.'

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