Chapter 7: Reach the stars

The *Neon Horizon Megaplex* towered before them, a cathedral of consumerism with holographic banners screaming *"70% OFF CYBERLIMBS!"* and *"TRY OUR NEW VIRTUAL KISSING BOOTHS!"*

Sarah hooked her arm around Miles.

"Rules," Miles said, holding up three fingers.

"No hacking the price scanners, no stealing from the food court, and *no* testing weapons in the VR zones. We just having a simple date" Miles said.

Sarah pouted, "You're no fun." Then her eyes locked onto a flashing sign: *"GRAVITY-FREE DANCE CUBES – 50cr/5 MINUTES!"*

Ten minutes later, they were tumbling through a transparent cube.

Sarah backflipped around, her laughter echoing as her hair floated like ink in water. Miles tried to lunge for her, overshot, and faceplanted into the padded wall.

"Graceful," Sarah teased, pushing off to drift beside him.

Miles caught her waist, spinning them both, "Oh bite me, I just overshoot it."

They crashed into the exit barrier, breathless and grinning.

Next: the *"Blitz boxing"* machine. Sarah and Miles stood at their respective machine getting ready.

"Finally get to test out if my repairing skills are top notch. If I win, I must be treated like a princess tomorrow for the whole day." Entering a boxing stance.

Miles performed a few stretch as he said, "Fine by me, I want free haircut."

The two begun their competition. Two were so locked in their competition that they captured the attention of a crowd of people.

In the end, Miles was victorious by a few extra points. Causing the crowd to clap at their efforts.

Sarah snorted, "Rigged."

Miles kissed her cheek, "What can I say, I'm a natural born fighter. Besides, looks like we made something popular." More and more people started lining up to compete against each other in the Blitz Boxing machine.

Their final few destination: They gorged on ramen while talking about getting new clothes.

By the time they hit the *"Visionary"* VR booth—where Sarah programmed it to show them on the moon where the two cuddle underneath the sun while staring at their home planet.

---

The explosion rattled the street.

Miles yanked Sarah into an alley as a blast wave of confetti and holograms erupted overhead.

A stage rose from the pavement, flanked by drones projecting:

**"NYX ENTERPRISES – THE FUTURE, TODAY."**

A man in a silver suit stepped into the spotlight, "Citizens of Neon," he boomed.

"What if I told you… *the stars are within reach?*"

Sarah's grip tightened on Mile's arm, "Isn't that your new friend?"

"Zero," Miles finished. The racer stood beside the man, now clad in a lab coat over his streetwear, arms crossed.

Nyx held up a gem. It pulsed with eerie violet light, casting shadows like grasping fingers.

"Found on Betory just outside our Milky way." he declared.

"A power source *ten thousand times* more efficient than plutonium. With this, humanity will expend it's empire across the stars." The crowd gasped as they wonder what the stone could do.

Zero took the mic, "We've named it the Eclipse Stone. Limits? Unknown. But I'll spend my life unlocking them." His gaze swept the crowd, until it lingers onto Miles. "Humanity's next evolution starts now."

Sarah's optics whirred, "That 'gem' is seemly reacting, but I don't know what."

Mile's blood ran cold as pull Sarah and himself away from there, "We picked a bad time to come to this city."

---

Back home, Sarah paced, her fingers flicking through Nyx online information, "Nyx isn't just an engineer. He is apart of the government officials in Neon city. He is known as the emperor of the stars for the many space ship his company built that was able to make space travel outside our star system possible."

Miles tossed the Eclipse Stone's hologram between his hands and to switch to an image of Zero, "And Zero? Friend or foe?"

"Not sure, a young genius at the age of fifteen was able to construct a robotic arm using tools he found at his parents barn. And even create his fair share of modification. I really don't know with this one." She said.

Sarah's eyes met his, "Do want to confront him?"

Miles groaned, "Maybe, but it's best we focus on Kira before switch targets."

Sarah straddled his lap, gently playing with his hair with her left hand, "Now looking at it up close, you do need a haircut. And I know the perfect style for you." In her right she had barber mod ready for the perfect occasion.