Second pt 3- TWO HOURS LATER

Server: Your race begins in five minutes.

Segun: What?

Server: Where are you? Why is it so dark?

Segun: I’m inside my vat because it’s sleeping time.

Server: You should hurry to the entry space. The race will begin even if you are not present.

Segun: I know, I know, but I’ve gotta be careful not to wake up Prima.

Server: Is that who is squished in there with her arms around you?

Segun: Yes, Prima, my sister.

Server: Starters have no siblings.

Segun: Apparently glitches do. We hatched from the same vat.

Server: Twin Synths are not possible.

Segun: That’s what makes me a glitch...you’re not gonna delete me now, are you?

Server: No, I thought there was something fascinating about you, and you are only confirming I was right. Hurry.

Segun: I’m sitting in the entry chair now, the one Prima sits in to go to her races. How do I make it go?

Server: I make it go.

Segun: Ack, my stomach just jumped into my throat!

Server: Does it normally do that when you teleport?

Segun: I’ve never teleported before. Is this the Start Space, this line?

Server: You are Racer One. Stand on the labeled green circle near the starting line.

Segun: Got it. Why are all the other racers staring at me?

Server: You are three times their size. This is your first race, a Beginner Race, but you are much older than them.

Segun: Alright, triple the shame if I lose.

Server: Why does Prima race and you do not?

Segun: Because I’m her second.

Server: That is why they call you Segundo? Please define this usage of second.

Segun: I exist so Prima can be the best she can.

Server: Explain.

Segun: Remember the Skill Points I talked about? Each Level-Up is worth a range of Skill Points based on our Potential Class. The Server, you apparently, regulates Level-Ups to make sure the same Synth doesn’t get the highest possible Level-Up every time.

But our Masters worked out an algorithm to our training so I take the lesser Level-Ups and Prima’s are always the maximum for our Class.

Server: You must share code.

Segun: You would know, Server. I would’ve thought you knew everything about us. You’re supposed to keep track of every little detail.

Server: That is another part of me. Do you pay attention to your heart beating or know how it works?

Segun: No, you do that for me. That’s why without a constant connection to the Server, I’ll die.

Server: The other part of me. It is tedious. The race will begin in three seconds. Strike a gallant pose.

Segun: This is so exciting! My heart feels like it’s trying to beat me to the goal line!

Server: The course is not lengthy. You have enough stamina to sprint the whole way.

Segun: Alright! Let’s go for the record! This place is gorgeous. See how the rays stream through the trees?

Server: Why did you start jumping again?

Segun: I have to jump across these rocks. The signs say so; it’s part of the course. And the rocks are getting taller. Hold on, I’m jumping extra high and skipping a few.

Server: You disorient me, and what is that tingle in your nose?

Segun: I don’t know, but it kinda smells like Master’s cologne. He calls it Essence of the Mighty Pine. I like this smell better, though. Haha, it’s everywhere here!

Server: Please do not spin as you run.

Segun: You don’t have to watch.

Server: What do you look like, Segundo?

Segun: Just Segun. And I look like Prima, I guess.

Server: What I saw of her was dimly lit, but she appeared tall and slender with sharp, slanted features. An exotic but pleasing appearance.

Segun: Her fans call her beautiful. I don’t have any of her mods, of course, like her dragon wings or the slit eyes that let her see in the dark, and her mouth was made for smiles. Mine is the same but upside-down.

Server: You must be smiling now, judging from the tightness in your cheeks and the slant to your eyes.

Segun: I reached the goal! They say I smashed the old record!

Server: You cut the old time by more than half.

Segun: Am I amazing, the best there ever was at this race? My Masters will want to see me race again and again, right?

Server: That seems logical.

Segun: Humans aren’t always logical, though. Like, why does Master want to smell like fake Essence of Pine?

Server: Why do you wish to race?

Segun: It’s what I was made for, my purpose.

Server: Maybe your master’s purpose is to make the noses of others tingle.

Segun: That’s silly.

Server: Some might consider races silly.

Segun: That’s silly, too, according to me anyway. Here come the rest of the racers. They look tired.

Server: I suspect some of them may have had to climb those rocks where you leapt.

Segun: I’m gonna greet each one as they make it to the goal. I’ll tell them they did a good job and to keep trying harder so they get faster.

Server: Some are looking at you with awe, but most seem to be frowning.

Segun: They’re just tired, I think. Oh, the ground is rising beneath my feet! Haha, I almost fell. Wouldn’t that have made me look like a klutz.

Hehe, my pedestal grew the tallest and I can see the audience projected around us. This is where I smile and flirt, right? That’s what Prima says to do.

Server: Why do they look angry?

Segun: Maybe because they can’t find my Masters to give them the prize money? I know this is totally without their permission, but they’ll see it was right.

Server: Due to an extremely expeditious run, Segundo will be awarded the fox ears and tail.

Segun: It’s just Segun, and is that you, Server? You’re so loud. And I think everyone can hear you.

Server: The other part of me. Nod if you accept the mods.

Segun: I’m nodding with so much energy right now! Do they do anything special or are these mods just for looks?

Server: They reduce drag when in the race environment and increase Intelligence.

Segun: Hm, I don’t feel any smarter, but oh, I can wiggle the ears! And I can wag the tail! Wow, my first mods! So cool! I’m bursting with this feeling that’s like…like…sunrise! Thank you! Thank you so much for helping me get here, Server!

Server: There are other forms of competition available for Synths besides racing. Would you wish to attempt one of those next?

Segun: Like Death Matches? You die if you lose that!

Server: Are you not brave enough to compete under such odds?

Segun: I’m not dumb enough to compete under such odds, especially with a racer’s skillset, not a fighter’s.

Server: Then which race do you wish to attempt next?

Segun: Something with swimming, maybe? Prima and I have been working a lot on Adaptability lately, and we’re showing signs of gaining those traits in our Third Cocoon. See the start of webbing between my fingers and the faint scales on my palms?

Server: Would those scales protect you from lava?

Segun: That’s an Intermediate Race. You think I’m ready?

Server: I think you are ready for anything.

Segun: Um, I’m a little nervous, but okay. Yeah, let’s go! You can’t die in a Beginner or Intermediate Race anyway, right?

Continued in pt 4- THREE HOURS LATER

Thank you for reading! Please share your thoughts! It really means a lot to me.