[hr] [center][h1][b]Sunday 16th June, 2094 Silverstone, Northamptonshire, England 1300 GMT [/b][/h1][/center] [color=gold][center][h2][i][b]The Battle of Britain[/b][/i][/h2][/center][/color] [img]https://oversteer48.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/silverstone-gp-with-pit-lane-e1678222737992-1024x721.jpg[/img] [b]Soundtrack: [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXpSUjJ5Yqc]Kasabian- Stevie[/url] [/b] [center][h2][i][b]Cassie Neves[/b][/i][/h2][/center] Sitting tightly, the drizzle came down, the characteristic British weather dour as usual. The sight of the silver and white ship a little ahead, adorned with a British flag across its tail, was of only one pilot in particular, flanked by the hazy green, yellow and blue swirly mess of the Southern Cross ship, and then, the white and green of Al-Saqr. All to be passed. And then her team mate. To be hopefully not clashed into. The fans had packed out the stands. Not a single one was empty. All holding flags, banners, some mad bastard even got a flare going. This was one hell of a place, and most of all, "Comms check, Cassie." "Loud and clear." "Rain is going to clear in about twenty minutes from now. Let's check imaging systems." "All good. Feeling locked in, Harry." The ship set out nicely on warm up, and setting into the grid again, Cassie cracked her real and her fake hand, exhaling hard. [hr] Four. Three. Two. One. And with it, the ships were off in a haze of spray and screaming electricity, and sitting behind Paul, was already in the defensive fighting with him, the Zygon ship feeling like it could actually go toe to toe with Valkyrie's now. While it may not have had the absolute stability, it did have the pace that had been completely lacking, and the ship's new chassis seemed to sing to her. Ahead, Han, Kais and Amy would be fighting- the former two no strangers to a bit of rivalry and themselves, parallels of each other. "Good start Cassie, let's manage Mulder, keep him back." Her engineer uttered, and well, as easy as that was said and done, racing in the spray of Han who had nothing on Kais's start, even with her excellent piloting skills, this was going to be about just that. Running alongside, she stared over at his canopy as he went past and then she returned the move at Copse, snaking the ship through Maggotts and Becketts, this being a duel, the spray and rain making this feel even more cinematic than ever. This was a fight, Valkyrie versus Zygon, old team versus new. And she wasn't giving an inch. "0.5 behind, Cass..." "Yeah yeah, shut up!" Cassie yelled back, the ship almost as if recoiling from her response. And through the next corners, Cassie watched as Paul tried a move, at the MAG-enabled cuban-half at Stowe of all places. Trying to get her before she had the upper hand on the straights? Well, she kept a tight line, and gambled, keeping it tight through the half-loop the loop, half coil turn that spat back towards Vale, the magnet sucking the ship close to the floor upside-down. *Go on then, try it.* And well, even Cassie was in disbelief at what happened. [hr] The Valkyrie ship turned and caught the lip of Cassie's field, Cassie diving hard into the inside and drifting the ship, but leaving nowhere to go. The ships clattered, but it sent the Valkyrie one off circuit and with no chance to react, it was an instant knock out of the bottom of the turn, the G forces at their hardest and effectively, where the ships were even with a neural link, the most difficult to control. Cassie kept it on, recovering systems fast but losing a place to Layla near instantly, but was back in slipstream. The crash was a big one, the contact between the repulsor field of Cassie's Zygon ship and Paul's Valkyrie ship brought it to a halt upside down, before it headed towards a spectator bank, albeit sending the ship's depowered core and all of it into the gravel, and smack into a tyre barrier. Paul would see rocks above him, sitting upside down, and could peel himself out via a side hatch, although it wouldn't have looked terribly elegant. The ship absorbed the impact, and inside, Paul would be feeling the force too- the ship had violently deaccelerated and laterally too, so it would have given him a good shake. It likely wouldn't have caused any more injuries beyond bruising, but it certainly would feel sore, and the ship would have been screaming before the neural link disconnected. Cassie looked in her camera back at it, shaking her head as she saw the yellow immediately come out. "F**k, what an idiot! What is he thinking? Through there, really? Bloody rookie move!" Cassie yelled back, anxious, but to the point. "Okay, Cassie, let's focus on what we can do. You feeling ok, ship readouts look positive, we have damage to the sidepod but looks like he got sent out by your repulsor system." "Aye, because I turned them up to chat through there to defend on ELS, no chance he makes that!" Cassie reiterated, sighing as the red flag came out. The debris-stricken ship was immediately attended to by drones and the medical crew, who, once Paul had clambered out, checked him over and got him off-circuit. That would have felt rough, but then again, probably not as terrifying as Bea's crash at Cape Town, or Nora's on Luna. The ship was a ruin- and another chassis sent to the rare earth recycling plant, denting Valkyrie's chances at the top five. For the others though, it was an opportunity. [hr] [img]https://static.independent.co.uk/2022/09/27/16/f187e48a51a59a835423d04ac8336296Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNjY0Mzc4NTIz-2.60997434.jpg[/img] And on the grid again, that started up, the rainy track fading to sunshine that melted the rain from the tarmac below, leaving that strange ozone-like smell of hot tarmac against rainwater. And the lights dropped once more. It was all go, and there was this feeling in the air that this was a fight. Now the gloves were off, and at Silverstone, that meant pushing every single corner as far as they could, every late lunge, every pulse, every leech, defend, overtake, it all faded into flow and became so complicated tracking it felt pointless, because it was just too fun. "And what a restart we have, oh my word, Kais Zenix is making a move on Amy, it can't work, he's barely giving space on that inside line....oh it will! Kais Zenix passes Amy Stirling and forces her to concede, they are going toe to toe through Farm, Village, Aintree.... Amy is not having this, but Zenix is flying like he's on fire, the exits, he's giving her nothing to work on, it's like watching him in harmony with that ship!" "Wow, what a restart, Zenix is absolutely laying it down, coming out of Brooklands he has the advantage, whatever is in him today after Monaco, he seems to be taking it out on Stirling!" "Blimey, and behind him, Han is not far back, and in a massive tussle with Kelly, the two of them are trading positions through the circuit! And look at Ward, she is side by side with Neves, oh my goodness this is incredible! How are they keeping it together, Makara and Nadir are chasing, blimey they are trading paint almost, they are so close, this is wild! That's Makara past Ward at Copse, blimey no wait, she's back through, oh my how did she do that?" And incredible it was. Because the fighting kept going, lap after lap. If there was ever a race that you were passing by in a bar, a shop, anywhere, you stopped because it was constant, total action. Stirling on her home turf being bested by Kais Zenix, while Cassie, Layla and Beatrix and Dorian looking like they were in a fight for 5th and the crowd of course, were going absolutely crazy at the sight. Layla's ship being hurt but the fastest, Dorian just finding a second lung in the dry, Layla just woven with the ship yet taking it far more conservatively, while Bea was of course, just sending aggressively into everything to a point where it was like watching a feral dog yapper into every challenge. In some corners, Dorian looked to grab seconds back and lose it on the straights, elegant, compared to the Carrera ship that looked frankly like it was on ice skates but somehow, denying opportunities to ships behind, being driven on the ragged, uncomfortable edge. Cassie, already rattled, still had an operable ship and now had Bea in her sights. And well, she was racing like she wanted to prove a point today. The Zygon ship had been upgraded, literally built for this, it felt borderline alien today versus usual. How the fuck was Bea that fast? How the hell was she doing this? And well, the damaged ship did not have an answer, it felt like walking with a limp, the sensitive aerodynamics affecting everything and forcing her to compensate even in spite of what felt like a good ship. Fucking Paul. Really? She almost understood Kofi's anger now, but then again, he was a rookie like the others too. Even if he was in his mid-30s....supposedly. And behind, Kofi had quietly snuck past Astrid and was about to overtake Max, even himself on this sort of day, making his ship absolutely push through the circuit using a good setup versus his peers. It was all quarters, the only inevitable thing was that Jamie was once again, terrible and had managed to hit Henry on his way down to 17th place. It was heartstopping. Constant position changes, and it felt like in the air, a certain rivalry brewed between Cassie and Bea, Layla making advantage of her neural mods to caress what a wild horse of a ship between them as if to break them up. But that seemed to make things worse, Layla going for a move on Bea at the outside of Abbey being denied as if by sheer will and Layla just not making the commitment. For someone as committed as she was to transhumanism, living like she only had one body seemed to still hold the Jordanian back a little, because it felt like a knife could separate the ships at some points, in constant, unending flux. At any point, one ship dropped two positions, two corners forward, got them back. If there was a race that must have felt like it was exhausting to manage, not just physically but mentally, this was it. Inside the ship, Cassie felt her heart literally stop and start, pull as the G-forces snapped on fast corners like Copse and the loop at Stowe, to the tighter ones at Vale where it felt like it was about to pull her out of her seat and then planted her straight in on throttle, holding steady and able to even hear her own breathing, so in zone that her body felt like it was frankly in meld. Nothing else was there, no other thoughts, it was like karting, pure and absolutely everything, anything on the line to get points in this vital race. But in the end, the cards fell where they did. Kais had pulled out a spectacular race, building a healthy gap to Amy that even a late ELS charge did nothing for. Pure pace, and a clear track made the Al-Saqr ship sing and allowed the bonded ship to feel like it was in total flow state, something even Amy couldn't quite match. That was followed by Hyeon-Ae Han, who had quietly raced a very neat, high level race, elegant and almost seamless, nipping at Amy but never quite there, patient and unassuming. As some would notice, this was of course a trait of hers- perhaps not a firestarter, but definitely finding smooth and fast to be in sequence with a ship like that. She was followed by Nora, who had scraped behind Han, and beind that, barely four seconds separated Bea, Layla, Dorian, Cassie and Harrison, coming down to Bea having to make a last lap series of incredible overtakes to keep Layla and Dorian at bay, to which the crowd, as you could imagine, went absolutely insane for. Behind that, Kofi rounded out the top 10, and scored yet another point for SuperCat, which was now showing as a rather beautiful swan song for Kofi's career. [hider=Race Results for Silverstone] https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1qF6cn-eA0G0sumgf79TvEnPjOHyQP-vZSFV6LNrn_OY/edit?gid=406667727#gid=406667727[/hider] "Unbelievable stuff, of course we're seeing driver of the day come out for Beatrice Ward from the fan voting, but....honestly, hats off to Kais. That was stunning, absolutely driving the bolts off the Al-Saqr ship today. I think in my heart, he's really the driver we need to be talking about, on a good day, he seems the only person who has the fire to match Amy right now." Rory commented, as the ships came in, "Yes, and what about Dorian? A poor qualifying from him, but he didn't stop- what a spectacular run from him too, I think that Valkyrie team will take some solace that even with a rare mistake from Paul, Dorian is keeping his momentum up. Even Han Hyeon-Ae, she's also been so consistent, and it's great to see her rewarded with a podium. What a result." Rosie replied, "Is there more pressure on Jamie Hart? This can't carry on, surely?" "Well, after this, I think unless he has a miracle at his home GP, I think the talk will change, surely Silver Apex will cut their losses if they want to take back the constructors title this year, and well, with the talent on the grid, your guess really is as good as mine..." [hr] [color=gold][center][h2][i][b]Cooldown Room: Silverstone[/b][/i][/h2][/center][/color] Cooldown was a weird place, as Amy looked on at Kais, sighing her head. "You really are coming in like a Meteor, aren't you? That move....fair play." Even Amy had to admit, she was impressed. The Egyptian had balls, because Amy could have pushed the issue, maybe like she should have on Dorian, but knew that Kais wouldn't have cared. He truly didn't, in some ways, she almost respected it. Unlike the others, who tried excuses...he was just a bastard. And even she knew better than to argue. She tutted at the crash between Cassie and Paul, shaking her head. "Rookie move that. Both of them...." Amy smirked, watching the fight between 5th and 9th rage, even for a moment, showing a little bit of enjoyment. As much as an absolute nemesis as she was, she was still human enough to enjoy people fight over position, and seemed glued to it. After Monaco, this wasn't so much a breath of fresh air as it was sucking in pure oxygen. Before they got the call to go out, as Han went first, Amy turned, the cameras peeling from the room and heading outside to the podium as Han collected her third place to a litany of screaming Zygon fans. Amy put a hand against his shoulder, pushing with far more force than he might have expected holding him back from walking forwards. [i]"Wait. Our little thing is good....but word to the wise though.....if you are looking for answers to your past, and your questions, just ask who you're getting them for. Is it for Aswan, shaqīq? Finish what you started on the inside, what they stole from you? Or is it for her? Find what you can while they poke inside? Let's see, shall we....you'll need to be more than a fighter."[/i] Amy whispered with her finger against his collarbone and didn't even have to utter the words, showing she almost certainly knew about the neural mods Al-Saqr had gone through, and that link would have been beyond odd for him- audible to nobody at all. Beyond doubt now, she knew he was on it, Layla too, but Layla's realisation was correct. No point ratting them out and blowing this open. No, she'd been watching instead. And she had all she had to see. His past, even his present. And soon, what was to come. With an icy look, she smiled a teethy smirk and sent beams at him, before turning, the screaming crowd yelling Amy's name as she went out to grab her 2nd place trophy, and soon after, Kais was announced. And the crowd still went absolutely wild, because of all the podiums you won in Formula AG, this may not have been the glitz of Monaco, maybe not the absolute scene that made Auckland feel boisterous, or even Tokyo's rain, this felt like being the biggest name in front of the biggest stage. [hr] [color=gold][center][h2][i][b]Delta Hyper: Post Race Interviews[/b][/i][/h2][/center][/color] The interviews post race were back in full force, as Aurora was back at the Delta Hyper post, highly advanced mics all set up to avoid the roar of the crowd as they came in. [b]"Paul, a disappointing result for you. Cassie seemed to think there was nothing she could do- was that a rookie error from you or did she defend too aggressively?"[/b] [hr] [b]"Nora, not an ideal race after a spectacular qualifying run had you pitched, but it looks like you're keeping up the pressure on Amy. With the gap closing from others, is it looking like you will take advantage of the chaos in front of you?"[/b] [hr] [b]"Han, congrats on your first podium! The Zygon ship looks like it's turned a corner, but the upgrades are catching an eye. Any comments on how the ship's new chassis is feeling?"[/b] [hr] [b]"Bea Ward, P5 and at home, you must be on top of the world, and definitely shocking fans with what have been outstanding performances so far? What a fight you gave in the midfield, you must be exhausted after that! And well, what about your last minute overtakes, tell us how it felt? Do you think the hype coming from other teams looking to sign you this season has any substance?" [/b] [hr] [b]"Kais Zenix, wow, truly a stunning win from you today! You and the ship look like you're in harmony, tell us more about how you led that race from the red flag? Yet the critics will ask- is this the Kais Zenix bringing the fire going to last, as Al-Saqr challenge Southern Cross and Silver Apex for the constructors?"[/b] [hr] Cassie crossed her arms, knowing this question was coming. "Really, really disappointed to be honest. I mean, let's not talk about the incident with Paul, I didn't put him there, but he made a move where anyone could tell it wasn't going to work out of a MAG-induced spiral. As for the fight with Dorian, Layla and Bea, yeah just really annoyed at myself. Went hard and fair but the ship once compromised wasn't giving everything I could give it, and I had to just hold on. We move onto the next one but it's one of those." Amy adjusted her cap, wearing a shiny tech-hoodie over her undersuit, having a drippy techwear feel to it that almost made it look like it was made of thin material, yet smart enough to adapt to her- with a British design on her hat giving a nod to the team's locality. "Well, he got me there. Can't deny racing with Kais is intense, but it's respectful. He pushes the limits, so I'll push back. So yes, tough to take and really gutting not to win at home, but happy to have put on an amazing show and I'm sure we'll be back in the tumble next race. So yeah, thank you Silverstone, it has been awesome, let's keep the flag flying high and keep going. Woo!" Amy smiled, wiping the sweat from her brow before moving on for Harrison to come to the podium. Harrison shrugged, shaking his head. "It just didn't happen today. So close, but the ship just didn't have that bond I was looking for today, and honestly, it's so fierce in the midfield that we were basically trading paint at one point through Vale, Abbey and Brooklands all the time. It is what it is but yeah, gutted not to close that gap to Amy today, but we'll go again." Max sighed, nodding. "I mean, rumours are rumours. It wasn't a great race, and I'm completely focussed on what we're doing at MMR right now. But yeah, I get it, it's tough but we gotta try and keep our heads down and Canada is our team's home race, so we'll really look to do more there for the local fans." Henry also shrugged, deflated but it was the usual question. Again. "Yeah, not much we did at the back, but then again, had a backseat to watching the crazy mid-pack race ahead. Seriously impressive, I mean...how we didn't get another red flag, god knows!" Dorian adjusted his hold on the metal bar, wearing an Enigma Lux branded polo shirt, also made of a similar fabric to the smart hoodie that Amy had- a new fashion trend, with it being a bit more flowy than a traditional polo but having a yellow and grey sheen to it like it was made of almost a backlit material in the smart fibres. "Yes, great race of course but shame about Paul. I am not sure, it looks difficult to tell but mistakes can happen when you overtake, and it is what it is. I did my best to make up after the red flag and yes, made the most of the ship. It's fun fighting with the others, it felt like the rookies have no fear, but some like Layla, they're so patient it almost forces you to adapt. It's really fun, but I am exhausted, I can barely breathe still!" Layla tsked, unhappy with her performance, given she'd let Bea through right at the end. "Honestly, shame to lost that position so late. But, Bea was brave and just pulled. Even my complex visualisation couldn't counter that, she's just brave, honestly not sure how that didn't end up in a crash, she might not be as in tune with her ship as I am with mine but she clearly trusts herself!" [hr] As the last evening of festivities played out, the pilots had one last chance to come back to the main stage at Silverstone, with teams given a chance to do some extra-curricular marketing and enjoy this. If any team wanted to, this was a good chance to really make a dent with their marketing, or any activities of their own they had planned - in front of the biggest audience in Formula AG. [hr] [color=gold][center][h2][i][b]Kingdom[/b][/i][/h2][/center][/color] [center][h2][i][b]Jenny Lowry[/b][/i][/h2][/center] The phone rang, the dejected garage of Fitzroy making its last appearance here in Britain, the marketing material barely alive here for the team's last little hurrah. Jen clicked the glass, and adjusted her earworm, hearing the voice inside her head, well, quite literally. "Jen, you free?" "Yeah, not bad, Andy. Not exactly the best, but you know, another race." Jenny mused sarcastically back as he dived into business, sitting on the stool, hearing the voice of Andy Wiltshire, Agent to her, and funnily enough of all people, Ben Hale and in another lifetime, Cassie Neves. "Look, forget the result. I have some serious talks on the table for you. Like, you need to find a quiet room, immediately, if you're in the garage, get out. I've got a couple of big teams sniffing. Someone's panicking after that and I think shit is about to get real." "Hah, no way. Shall we pen a meet.." "Look, one of them told me we have till the end of the week to consider the offer. So, yeah, ideally if we can." "Can you give me a hint at least?" "They need an immediate replacement. And well, your performances have impressed. But I know that we need to talk this through first. There are other options on the table that represent something more long term, and one of them, through a contact of mine, wants to offer you something significant with better terms. Another one I ignored which was no better than what you have. I told you this might happen. So here we are." "Didn't think I'd be the one getting that call. It's a chalice full of poison. Why not....you know who?" "You can guess they're tapping him up too, but can you see him there, seriously? We haven't got long. There's a deal we need to sort, but the pilot market is about to go mental so you need to pick who it is, now. Yours truly sold your talent. But it's up to you." Jenny breathed in a sigh, shaking her head. "Fuck. You really did well, Andy. Getting your 10 percent....so give me twenty and I'll sort a place." Jen exhaled, thinking to herself even faster than even her neurally linked ship would let her. "Of course. My best client gets my best work of my career." Beatrice was going to be absolutely floored when she found out the news, either way. And the way she was thinking about it, part of her stomach gulped entirely. This was a bit different than Junior Formula AG. This all had a lot more weight now. [hr]