[hr]
[center][img]https://txt.1001fonts.net/img/txt/b3RmLjE3OC5mMTk5MGEuUzJGcGN5QmFaVzVwZUEuMA/creattion-demo.regular.webp[/img][/center]
[hr]
The deluge of text hit Kais like a freight train. Cassie must've been [i]very[/i] angry. Nervous. Probably both. [Cassie (Zygon) is typing] 'I heard the rumors'... [Cassie (Zygon) is typing] 'Why should I help you?' 

Rumors, she said. One to talk. He bit his lip. There was no end to it. If only he [i]just[/i] had to race. Not only were there strange things going on that felt like they were moving in on them. But now there were also rumors going round about [i]him[/i]. He threw his empty nutri-pack. What did he expect when he started this thing. [Cassie (Zygon) is typing] And then, after some tense moments, a meeting invitation came. With a lot of encryption, too. She felt he was a threat. Good, Kais thought. [i]That[/i] meant she took it seriously. 

[color=orange]Kais: Deal.[/color]
[color=orange]Kais: But [i]I[/i] have a demand too.[/color]
[color=orange]Kais: Be alone.[/color] 
[color=orange]Kais: We'll see if you'll still have a leg to stand on, then.[/color]

He threw his tablet to the side, vexed. The screen was still lit up slightly, showing his new background. 

[i]What in the world, man...[/i]

[hr]
[center][color=gold][h1]DELTΔ HYPER[/h1][h2]Episode Eight: The Chain[/h2][/color][/center]
[color=orange]"I don't know how you do it."[/color] Kais grumbled to the others before they went out on stage. Beatrix, Paul, Han, Nora. [color=orange]"Loud music. All this speeching. Horrible. I could be [i]doing[/i] something."[/color]

[center][b]Soundtrack[/b]: [b][url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XclXvB1Gmnc]The Score - Higher[/url][/b][/center]
The runners went back and forth, calling them out on stage one after the other. Then the spotlights flooded back onto the entrance, and it was his turn, apparently. The PR-approved music played, and he stepped out with a curt nod to the audience, and as always, the lone forefinger in the air. [i]I'm still here, and you will see me[/i]. He took his place with the others on the yellow sofa, and after taking a moment to breathe, turned to face Aurora, struggling to not give into his annoyance with her from last race. 

[quote]“Al-Saqr have been the dark horse of this season, and to the crowd, what would you say about a team that’s chasing the frontrunners with one of the most aggressive, absolutely punchy ships in recent years? We love your tech focussed socials, so tell us more about what it’s like to be at the cutting edge?”[/quote]

[color=orange]"It's..."[/color] He sighed. Why was this so difficult? He had been in hotter fires. Kais looked at his hands, neatly folded in his lap. [color=orange]"...It's an honor, first of all, to be here. And what a good question, Aurora."[/color] Kais clears his throat. Up close, the other racers surely would have noticed the projected letters from the holo-prompter scrolling along on his palms. [color=orange]"We at Al-Saqr are aiming towards a vision of the future defined by technological advancement, and the human... [i]excellence[/i] to wield it."[/color] He grimaced a little. [color=orange]"We push the boundaries of our pilot-ship connection, and our drive power, and want to..."[/color]

[color=orange]"Look. You want the truth? It's [i]hard[/i]."[/color] He said. And in the team-truck outside, Al Saqr's PR representatives looked at each other and started frantically typing. "Damnit Kais, not again, stay on script!"

[color=orange]"It's hard. It's painful. It's struggle. Al Saqr is not a big team, we don't have the funding or... polish like [i]some[/i] of the others."[/color] A glance. [color=orange]"We blast our way forward, because we [i]have[/i] to. And that means bleeding sometimes. Shit's brutal on the cutting edge. My ship kicks like a mule, like I've insulted its family too. But it's what we're good at. And honestly, if you don't like that, why are you [i]here[/i]?"[/color]

There came cheers from the crowd. [color=orange]"Good. Keep that energy. We definitely will..."[/color]

And as the cheers died down, he sat back and took it in. And enjoyed it, if only for a little. Then he glanced back at his palms, where one final orange line was waiting for him. [color=orange]"...with the control and grace you know us for, of course."[/color] That barb was for him.

[hr]