Mason
We ran the final pre-qualifying test on the third bike that afternoon, mostly because Ryder insisted we keep some part of our normal routine going even with everything else closing in around us. Standing still and waiting for Alvarez's next call felt worse than staying busy, and the championship, however far away it now felt given everything else happening, still mattered enough to deserve our attention.
Zoe helped me wheel the bike out to the track, quieter than usual, her mind clearly still tangled up in the forty-eight hour countdown hanging over all of us. I understood the distraction. I felt it myself, some part of my attention always half listening for the sound of an unfamiliar engine, an unexpected knock, anything that might signal Cole had decided to stop waiting.
"You re
