WANGAN -ZQQ LIMITER-

Displacement: 999. As small as I am, I chose this bike for one reason alone—it's light, and it's fast. As if something were pulling me toward it, I throw a leg over the seat while still in my skirt and ride out into the night.

Destination: the Wangan. An endless straight that somehow glows bright even though it's the dead of midnight. I cross the bridge, and the whole world opens up in front of me.

First, 120. Second, 180. Third, 220. Fourth, 260—the rev limiter. Seriously? This easily? The scenery streaks past in long ribbons of light. My left foot clicks up into fifth. 299. Wait—could there honestly still be a sixth gear waiting?

The digital meter holds dead steady, frozen at 299. The speed just keeps climbing, and I'm scared—genuinely scared—but my right hand won't stop rolling the throttle open.

Then a truck cuts in. Full brakes. No—it isn't going to stop in time. The rear wheel lifts, and as the bike jackknifes I'm thrown straight at it. A white flash floods over everything—

—and I jolt awake. Soft morning light is only just beginning to fill the room. Just a dream. And yet my heart is still racing, pinned at 299.