the two crawlers tear out of the auto-shop's opening doors, headlights blazing.
ker-smasm! guttierez' crawler rams the other vehicle off the roadway and through the platform safety barrier. it balances precariously for a second, until finally it's weight sends it plunging into the swamp in a cacophony of stressed metal and crumbling concrete.
the sound of shredding metal makes hiroko look down. an alien is hanging on the underside of the bike! she twists the throttle, reducing acceleration and causing the vehicle to drop several inches. sparks shower the ground from where the creature makes contact with the roadway. the alien's determination is astounding. it's tail slams up through the alloy 'wing', anchoring it.
hiroko's bike veers blindly around the corner of a building, with hiroko still shooting. she looks up and her eyes widen. ahead is the out-of-control blaze. a tongue of flame licks out across the platform, directly in her path.
hiroko mechanically tries to get up from the concrete roadway. winces. something hurts. she looks down at the back of her left hand. the skin has been scraped away.