Ever since the accident that destroyed most of her upper torso, her arms, a leg, and replaced them with cyborg parts she’d been one with the vehicle she drove. She could feel every part of it as if it had become her own body. The air around her and the ground below was more tangible than they’d been before. Thankfully, the pain receptors had never been implemented in her robotic parts. Someone could rip her arm off and she wouldn’t feel it. It was not standard procedure, pain does serve as a warning system, but she’d wanted it so she could race again. They’d told her that she shouldn’t, that there was no point for her to continue her career as a racer. Natalya had had enough money to live a life of some luxury for the rest of her days, but she’d spent the majority of it on the best cyborg parts she could afford. 

Now she was finally back on the track, next to her enemy and speeding towards the finish line. Nat had kept a couple of her plasma cannons firing on the Phoenix’s vehicle for a while, but her shields appeared to have more stamina in them than she’d initially expected. The rear cannons were firing on everyone behind her, attempting to keep them at bay. It was doubtful anyone would be deterred by it for much longer when they were all nearing the finish line. They would get desperate, even though she’d already taken out at least two other racers in this race alone. 

She noticed the Phoenix gaining speed, and heard Katya’s voice taunting her over the comms. “A few hundred years, and you’re still using ancient insults. Maybe you should get with the times.” All of her plasma cannons were aimed at the Phoenix’s rear, which should open a hole in the shields and give her a chance to use her harpoons. If she timed it right after hitting it with a harpoon, she should be able to carry out a maneuver that would spin the Phoenix’s vehicle around into the other racers. It’d require a lot from the Valkyr for her to win after such a stunt, but she’d rather make Katya lose than watch her win. The fans would love it as much as if either of them had won, maybe even more if it was played right in the media. 

When she thought she saw the shields begin to give under the pressure her plasma cannons were putting on them, Nat aimed both of the harpoons at the spot they’d been firing at. It was tempting to shout an insult back at Katya at that moment, but she didn’t want her to realize what she was doing. She fired the harpoons and waited for them to connect, before she would try to execute the maneuver to spin them both around, then detach herself from the Phoenix when she had been turned the wrong way.