Page 15 of Synnr's Ride

The perfect place for a fusion cycle gang to flourish.

Her identity wasn't anything special. She'd be going in under her own name and with a similar backstory. Hanna Karsyn, university dropout, Apsyn displaced by the war, missing home and...

Punt.

And in a romantic relationship with Jori Harek, dissatisfied Synnr soldier.

She wasn't surprised. That was how she knew she had worked it out in the back of her mind, even if the rest of her thoughts had been studiously ignoring it. It made sense. No way would the Synnrs send her in alone, not when she could ruin the entire op. But getting two people in separately would raise suspicions.

But a new biker and his woman? No one would question that.

And it would keep her close enough to Jori to help him cover for any gaps in his knowledge of fusion bikes.

Hanna read over that part of the brief again, just to make sure she wasn't missing anything. This time it didn't come as a shock.

Well. Pretending she was attracted to her partner wasn't going to be an issue. She could use what she was already feeling to sell the job. As for Jori... she didn't know how strongly he was lying to himself, but she trusted him to play his part, no matter how much he claimed to hate spies and all they stood for.

She used her communicator to scan a code on the document. It sent an encrypted digital version to her so that she could study it further later. Paper documents wouldn't leave the training facility.

Hanna needed to get out, to feel the wind in her hair and the freedom that the road could bring her.

Before she left, she put her documents in a small slot to be incinerated, just as the instructions told her. Then she was out of the building. She didn't look around for Jori. If she looked, she might see him. And if she saw him, they might have to talk.

No, walking quickly with blinders on was the best option for now.

No one tried to stop her. A guard even pointed her to the right vehicle lot.

And there was her baby.

It was a beauty of a fusion cycle and Hanna had to pause and admire it. Nothing about it screamed military issue, something she'd been vaguely concerned about.

Instead she was looking at a three or four year old Fusion Runner. The body was mostly black, with a magenta line running down each side. Both wheels had magenta accents in the wheel wells, and the seat was studded with gold bolts. It was feminine and powerful and everything she would have wanted as a young racer.

Hanna ran her fingers over the cool metal of the body and sighed in joy. This was a thing of beauty.

The controls ran along the side of the battery casing in the center of the bike. Hundreds of years ago these bikes had external handlebars, but the design had fallen out of favor when gyroscopic controls were perfected.

Hanna opened the storage hatch and pulled out a black helmet with magenta stripes, perfectly matched to the bike. If she knew the city a little better, she might risk leaving the helmet behind, but it was too dangerous.

Maybe she could take a gentle ride in the countryside before the job was done. And maybe if she was really lucky, she'd convince the powers that be to let her keep the bike after the mission.

She climbed on and engaged the motor before pressing herself against the body of the bike. Some preferred riding while sitting straight up, but Hanna liked to feel her vehicle as she made every move.

She knew where she was supposed to be going, but instead of making her way for the thoroughfare that would take her to her new home district, Hanna turned towards the giant park in the middle of Osais. She couldn't ride fast, but the trees and green spaces were enough to let her pretend she was back home, if only for a few minutes.

She passed a group of children who pointed at her as she drove by. Hanna blew a kiss and kept moving.

Part of her was tempted to drive until the battery died. She could be hundreds of kilometers away from the city by then, out in one of the little outposts that wasn't much of a town. Hide out. Make a little life for herself. Forget Hanna Karsyn had ever existed.

But there was probably a tracking device on the bike. And Hanna wasn't made for a small town.

She took another lap around the park before pulling out onto a street that would take her towards the highway. There was never much traffic in Osais, so at least she could go fast. The bike hummed under her, and Hanna remembered her victories from those long ago competitions.

Nothing beat winning.

But the simple joy of riding came really close.

The beautiful buildings of the old town gave way to residential towers and then older houses. And beyond that were the factories that kept the moon functioning.

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