”Bad form!”
”No points!”
“Haul him up and try again!”
The jeers carried across to the Aurora Borealis as the harbor officer backstroked away from the Nordic Call ship in case some of the pirates that just made him walk the plank decided to finish him off with a beer bottle, answered by someone calling out for them to throw someone off of their boat in return.
“We should’ve asked Paul for his score cards from Italy.” Jenny snickered from beneath her short mop of hair in Fitzroy’s red-white-black, both Brits lounging in deck chairs on La Phénix’ sun deck and trading stories from the previous year when they were interrupted, first by the drunken shenanigans across the marina and then by a voice from below.

”Hey, Beatrix! Get over here!”

And that was how she found herself watching action movie scenes and chatting military and security hardware with, of all people, Kais Zenix and Keira Weaver. One who used to use the stuff, one who had a surprising amount of knowledge about the stuff - maybe Bea should see if there was some opportunity for Pridwen Solutions in there - and one who had all the behind the scenes tea due to her grandfather and to a certain extent father making some of the stuff. At first she thought Kais was just trying to ditch the actress and bail and Bea came to mind because she was a fan of hers, but upon reaching the duo it looked like he was genuinely having fun. Well, as much as a mortal could read Kais anyway, but that whole interaction certainly wasn’t on her bingo card for the evening.

---

DELTΔ HYPER

Episode Seven: Roll the Dice

---

”So tell me, what's it like in that moment? You're on the grid, ready to go. We can see through your eyes or near to it in the TV feed, almost feel the sweat on your brow and how you feel through the neural link. But what's going through your mind before you hit the throttle when the lights go out?”

”My inner monologue actually gets recorded unless I try to not have it happen thanks to the laryngophones I use, so for a comprehensive answer to that question you can head on over to my socials to get an uncensored version of it. But it’s nothing that interesting. You’re focusing on the lights, on the first corner and the ships ahead.” She grinned as the footage faded to black…

---

...And cut to the view from Bea’s helmet camera bobbing side to side in rhythm as the pilots were lined up on the grid.
’Piracy’s a crime, and crime doesn’t pay;
So we go home poor at the end of the day.
But I’d rather live my life in rags;
Than be chained to a desk with a wife that’s a hag.

We live each day like there’s nothing to lose;
But a man has needs, and that need is booze.
They say all the best things in life are free;
So give all your beer and your rum to me.’
”Twenty seconds.”
”Twenty, got it.” She confirmed through the radio.
’45 minutes, let this be over quickly. I can’t wait for Silverst- Aaand now my nose is itching. Bloody Hell. Stop! Bastard.’ She shook her head, ’Alright, breathing liquid can scratch an itch. The more you know.’
”Fifteen seconds.”
”Fifteen seconds.” Bea turned to look at Layla’s ship ahead of her.
’That Al-Saqr livery does look great though. I wonder what special liv- Is that a papier-mâché bust of Dorian in the grandstand? Fuck me, it’s the size of a smart car, that- haha! Oh, that is horrifying. That thing will haunt my dreams. Ah, who knows? Maybe this will be better this year. Bloody itch is back, piss off!’
”Ten.”
’Nine… Eight… Seven… Six…’

”Green!”

---

DELTΔ HYPER

Episode Seven: Roll the Dice

---

Cut back to the interview.
”You hate the moment because it’s so easy to get wrong, but love the 45 minutes that come after it. For the most part.”

---

The Racing Riviera

Soundtrack: Polaris & Nelver - Nexus

Four.

Three.

Two.

One.

The launch was clean, as Amy scrambled to try and push into the first corner, but to no avail, the silver-white of the Apex ship not enough against the sheer velocity and tight feel of the Valkyrie's black and blue, Amy's lungs automatically sucking her lungs in as the ship threw itself around the corner and barely over the kerb for the non anti-gravity based racers, sticking into line and giving her a view up the climb to the Casino. Dorian seemingly had cut the line off for her to swing into, but she didn't think about that. She just thought about staying close. And the ship replied, like an extension of her brain at this point, more than her body.

Dorian was locked in. There was no distractions, no feeling. Amy prodding stupidly into Casino Square got nothing out of him as he covered the line and made it clear, if she wanted to overtake, she was going to have to smash through them both. Relationship or not, commitment or not, Dorian was feeling good. He was feeling alive. His neural link made him feel like him and the ship were one, not like how Layla or Kais or even Amy felt, but like he was in a place of trust, like it wasn't bonded but like it was an old friend, dancing on apexes and giving him what he wanted in defending and holding his line. Perhaps not as sharp as Amy, but he could lean on experience to find every little particle on track, and felt frankly, superhuman. Because even in a ship optimised, even in a feeling this good, having Amy Stirling breathing down your neck was the stuff that sent shivers down anyone's spine. There was no noise.

"No talking." Dorian uttered into comms more than anything as he roared back down Portier, knowing Remy would understand this. He would see it on the tracker, all of his vitals, his neural state and where he was right now. This was an old head, someone who had lived his past glories, for one second, deafening all the noise out.

All of the distractions, the commotion, the controversy, the problems, sackings, issues, problems, all of it. All gone for one brief moment.

All that mattered was the track that hurtled in front, from the corkscrew like MAG-enabled hairpin at the old Bus Stop that threw the ship literally above the harbour and seared down even faster, even Amy prodding had nothing to him because he was so on the optimal line, he knew she would be insane to try anything. She was brave, but not stupid enough to write off a ship even for a fight like this. Experience she had just enough of to realise that.

And it was one hell of a scene. Tussling all the way through the hairpin, the two left Paul behind, who had his own fight with Astrid.

Which, she promptly binned into the wall, trying a brave move at La Rascasse at a MAG wall, and instead near spinning the ship into a barrier, clattering carbon everywhere, and losing spaces getting drive back. The ship was limping, sore, like it the pilot itself had fallen down and clambered back onto feet.

As for the rest of the race? The commentators watched on.

"We are watching one hell of a chase up ahead, Stirling is pushing Hornfleur all of the way..."

But that kept going on and on, because they weren't giving each other quarter, but they weren't fundamentally, overdriving. The others, however, a little differently were.

The first to make a mistake, was none other than Jamie Hart, clattering into Han's ship and writing his own Silver Apex ship off, creating another Virtual Safety, before racing started once all the remains of nanite-reinforced composites and carbon were swept off track, allowing racing to continue.

And that was followed by Astrid's already damaged ship from earlier getting into a tangle with Kais, her own ship and defense poor and leading to a mistake. A messy hit that left Kais worse off than her, and Astrid managing a ship that no longer wanted to corner anywhere near as fast. She was holding up Bea as a result, and creating a train of her own of extremely disappointed pilots in traffic.

At the front, it was frantic, with Nora making moves in a manner that most still were shocked by- for such an injured pilot to come back this fast was simply impossible. But if anything was getting the commentators and the crowd going, it was Nitro Nora, who at this point, had proven that adversity seemed to be the thing that fuelled her the most. She had benefitted from avoiding the chaos, but overtaking Max Wedgewood into Sainte Devote, now that was brave for someone who had nearly died doing something similar before. She was piloting it like she was invincible, or at least, back in her own mind again.

But in the end, and in a manner that kept everyone on their edge of their seats, Dorian led Amy through La Rascasse one last time and took the chequered flag from Keira Weaver, swinging the flag in the lightening fast breeze of anti-gravity ships roaring past.

---

Afterglow

Soundtrack: Justice - Civilization

"Dorian, that is P1, P1 Dorian! Monsieur Hornfleur, you are Mister Monaco, what a race!" The voice of Remy Deschamps on broadcast and in Dorian's ears was finally back, as Dorian replied, his lump in his throat not clearing anywhere near fast enough for him to reply.
"Let's go, thank you everyone, thank you Alexander, Remy, everyone back at the factory, what a ship this has been, what a race! Woo!" Dorian called out, crying a little under his visor, so emotionally charged and feeling alive. This was among the greatest wins in his career, a significant one for Valkyrie, and a milestone. A proof that he still had it, despite a poor season. All the worries, issues, everything. It had all come to this, and he had found it.

Proof an old dog still had fight in him.

The cheers in the Valkyrie paddock were booming, and as Dorian rolled in, the French pilot was flooded with mechanics, as he lept into them, being frankly carried, and the entire team jubilant. The same for Paul, who got the same treatment. A double podium was a moment of pure euphoria, and while Monaco was predictable given the order, to see it confirmed and both ships coming through clean in a dirty race was testament to the decisions, foresight and commitment of the team's pilots and training, talented engineered and pains that had gone into this moment. While future races might tip the balance against, for this moment, it was Valkyrie's moment in the Monegasque sun.

Staring down, Amy had popped out of her ship, and had missed most of her team, cheerful yet wanting to go straight across to Dorian, as the team disspiated. A surprise, to say the least. But not uncommon. Dorian and Amy had fought plenty of times. This was no less intense.

"Well done, Dorian. A good fight." Amy put a hand out, as Dorian took it, shaking her hand with a dap, a grin forming on his face.

"Let me enjoy this one, no?" Dorian was ahead, already seeing the look in Amy's sweaty, stressed face, that look of she was about to say something.

"Well, you cut me off at the first...."

It was Peter that intervened, grabbing Amy back.
"That's enough. We'll talk later. And in the stewards." Peter's Irish tone cut in, looking to Alexander, looking the twin-augmented armed Principal of Valkyrie with a certain grimace. And a certain feeling that sent a look in his eye. Amy hadn't said it, but the Principal had.

"That ain't on, boyo. You trying shit you don't understand." With it, Peter pulled Amy away, to what was a certain moment of confusion, before Remy whooped again, raising Dorian's spare arm up, and yelling and screaming extremely loud in French.

This was not a moment to be ruined, this was a moment to savour and enjoy.

---

"How does it feel winning at Monaco?" Aurora asked, inside the room once again, Dorian sitting on the couch, dressed casually in his Valkyrie polo shirt and trousers.

"A cherry on top. This was special."

"Would you say this is the high point of your career?"

"Well, the season isn't over. And I still have plenty more races to come. This is maybe the start of things to come as we're back in Europe, at my favourite tracks."

"And what about Paul?

"Well, I saw what it meant to him. And I am so, so proud. This was definitely something I could tell he loved every second of."

---

Cooldown Room and Podium

The Cooldown Room felt the same tension, as the race was played out, two Valkyrie figures in there- Dorian and Paul. The elder Valkyrie pilot smirked watching Amy chase him, almost as if it was like the intro played out again but for actual, real stakes this time. And Paul holding back Astrid, and running a clean race was a delight too.

Shame about the chaos, and the absolute traffic jam in the late race that had turned it into a bore, but nonetheless, it was still meaningful. Amy had calmed down, and Dorian gave a nod in respect, one that came back from her, albeit hesitant. She would let him have this one. She would have the rest.

Dorian looked to Paul, clearing the lump in his throat with a big swig of water, rather than the energy drink the team always had.
"Well done, mon amis. This one we did good at, no? Just remember this moment forever. This is your first at Monaco. It will not be your last, and your father, he would be proud." Dorian said, a few tears running down his face as he hugged him, feeling how emotionally charged Paul was right now. And despite the off and on partnership, there was a brief moment that they got to share this in. Paul's legacy, all of it before, and here it was, continued. Marked on, in a rival and his son putting it on the top steps. There was something poetic about that.
"I am going to miss this so much. But you better make the most of it. Come on, let's go." Dorian smiled, as with that, the call came, as they all stood and with it, walked down the LED illuminated corridor, and into the open air behind the trees, the crowd roaring, a sea of yellow and grey, mostly Valkyrie fans, as Dorian put his hand to the sky and smiled for the cameras.

It was unknown if Dorian would ever be back on that top step, he was nearly 40 after all. But he had proven the doubters wrong. And Paul Mulder had proven he could hold his own at Monaco. Down below, Cassie waved at Dorian, sitting on top of her own Zygon ship in the pitlane, surrounded by dozens and dozens of reporters, VIP paddock pass holders, and the various pit crews as the champagne flew from above down to below.

---

Delta Hyper Interviews

The post race interviews came through thick and thin, as the rookies all got an interview of their own, caught on the way out from the post-podium celebrations. Aurora was back out again, in person with mic and camera drone.

"Paul, congratulations on third, and what an achievement as a rookie to hold your nerve on such a tight, technical circuit. How does it feel?"

---

"Nora, what an incredible race staying out of trouble, and back on the grid that quickly? Wow, it's unbelievable determination, so talk us through what it was like to adjust and perform?"

---

"Han, not the best race for Zygon today, where do you think it went wrong?"

---

"Bea, a quiet race from you and not from Ava either. Was it frustrating to be unable to overtake Astrid?"

---

"Kais, a disappointing race for Al-Saqr, it looked like you were fighting the ship throughout the circuit. Is that something from your upgrades, or just from learning the track?"

---

Analysis - Silver Apex

Looking onwards at the footage of the start as part of the analysis, Peter sighed, looking to Amy.

"Fine. Stewards said it was a fair defence. He outplayed you." Peter simply commented, as Amy looked to him, sighing. Dorian was not stupid- he knew the dark arts, and holding that line through Sainte Devote had made it so Amy decided to make a massive accident, or backed down. And while she wanted to win, she wasn't so stupid as giving up points against Harrison and Nora in this moment.

"It isn't good enough. We talked through strategy. Why didn't it work?"

"Why do you think? You're not in his head. He's too old for this whole pressure thing. That's why you left Paul behind. Dorian doesn't crack, and he plays chess when he's given a ship that can hold up. You did what you had to. Let's not push the issue and let's focus on what we can fix." Peter commented, Amy nodding and looking to the wreck of the other ship in the garage, and then hers, cut up but sitting in the rack ready to leave.

"Well, that gap isn't any nicer. Silverstone is next. Can't let the home fans down, can we?" Amy smirked, Peter looking at her with a certain gaze of hunger. Want. This never died in Amy, it was like it was in her blood, in her neurons, in every part of her. It didn't let up. It never seemed to stop, at least intimately when with the team's presence close. It was what drove the mechanics, engineers, designers, everyone here to that goal. Putting her on that top step, and Jamie maybe too. If he hadn't messed up again.

"That we can't, Miss Stirling. We'll do a proper debrief later."

---

Analysis - Fitzroy Orbital

The garage was positively brimming with positive vibes, as Jenny was hoisted aloft, whooping and hollering, for a single point to be gained was just considered beyond their wildest dreams. It felt like ecstasy, as she giggled, grinning as she came back down, still in her pilot's suit and with her glowing grin that contrasted her red-white hair. The sight of Sally Morrigan, Team Principal even cracking a rare smile, better than her usual misery given how shit things were behind the scene, definitely painted the picture, as she felt her phone buzz, the caller a frequent one once, now much quieter.

"Hello. You saw Jenny get a point?" Sally replied to the caller, smirking, arm against wall, sighing. "Well, it's a good parting gift for you. One more race I guess, Maxwell."

"One more. The new buyers will look after you. Sorry it came to this."

"Seller's remorse?"

"Me forgetting how bloody good this can be."

---

Analysis - Southern Cross

In the Southern Cross garage, things were much more muted, but Nora was certainly getting a round of applause as she had been peeled from her ship, clattering down in her new white and navy blue coloured augments that almost had an etheral glow to them in the LED lighting. Harrison sat with Owen looking at the data points on his side of the garage, thinking it over, still cooling down from how intense it was in the midfield following Paul.

"We're tracking well. You did the best you could with a ship that could fight." Owen put an arm around his shoulder, as Harrison shook his head, looking across the paddock at the other ship, parked up with Nora already working on her side of the garage with the mechanics that were tracking her vitals, and going through the data of her race.

"Sure, but I'm worried for her. Is she going to be alright to keep going?" The concern was not from a place of wanting to outscore her, but a genuine one. Nora had been sheepish getting used to it all, this soon after something so traumatic was near unheard of.

Owen laughed, putting a hand on Harrison's shoulder.

"You leave her to me. She's been through some serious shit, losing a leg and an arm wouldn't stop her even against the strongest advice." Owen began, peeling up the data from both of them.

"She's going to keep going and giving you trouble because she's finally been given a chance at the top level, and she wouldn't run away from it. Use it to your advantage, Harrison. It helps the team if you want to beat Amy this season, and it helps her if she wants to come back and beat Amy too. You know that fire." Owen was blunt to him, as Harrison chuckled, shaking his head.

"Since when have you been so pushing? I thought you liked a conservative approach?" Harrison looked back, almost as if to throw Owen's logic back at him.

"Well, sometimes I think we surprise ourselves when we do what we think is impossible. Let's get packed up and home. Silverstone is one you love, right? Outside of home." Owen added, as Harrison chuckled, nodding.
"Aye, I guess we've had some good fights there...."

---

Analysis - Carrera Condor

Ava sighed, looking across the room, seeing Bea cleaning up the remains of the media attention, of which there had been plenty. Carrera hadn't done great, but then again, Monaco wasn't their circuit.

"Congrats. Well done on surviving Sainte Devote. I saw you get caught behind Astrid. Not easy to overtake, right?" Ava commented, her feet clicking on the concrete as she walked across, sighing out hard, thinking on it all.

The revelations she'd shared with Kais hadn't come yet to Bea. She didn't want them to, perhaps was that still on her mind? She wasn't sure. And she wasn't quite sure what she'd unravelled by showing that to him. The slate was clean, that much was sure, but was she certain Layla wasn't in her head? Almost the thought of it made Ava wince inside, she had unwittingly propagated the thing she was trying to find. So if Kais found something, great. But the rabbit hole was going to get bigger. Bigger than maybe even Ava was letting on. As she came back to reality, and walking out into the Monaco sunshine.

"Still getting used to my legs. Finding my feet, as they say in English...." Ava grinned, shaking her head at that awful pun, moving inside the Carrera paddock area, Ava waving to her parents in the trailer stairwell above.

"My mother and father came out to see me. Would you like to meet them?"

---

Analysis - Al-Saqr

Layla sat in the ice bath again, head under, before pulling it out seeing a silhouette appear.
"Fuck." The sight of a FIAR technician caught her by surprise.

The tests ran, and once again, came back clean. Pulling the cable out, Layla nodded to him calmly, with a well practiced, well versed way.

With it, she thought about the race. The ship was twitchy, insanely so, it was as if the bond was itself being rumbled or poked at. She had felt it singing to hear, but it sounded like there was static in that, the FIAR steward leaving the room altogether.

It felt strange, to say the least, as she flickered through her glass-fronted tablet and holographic display, sending new tweaks to her, and more vitally, emails to a certain Lunar corporation interested in her new little advancements. The ship being off had certainly left a hole in her again after the race, but more and more, she was dreaming, seeing things from a very different view that even the neural link couldn't quite explain. It was like being set free of her own biology, it was vivid. More and more, it felt like this body was just a shell, just a suggestion of a person when she stared in the mirror back at her undersuit-covered body and biological hardware, that felt like it was more and more disappearing. She may not have been the most modified human on Earth, no, some freak in Japan had that figured out, but that was because they thought themselves a toy rather than...something beyond. The next step. Layla hated losing, but felt it would just take the right track, the right link, the right feeling, and she'd be there. And she could already hear the others, every now and then.

It felt like the deep end and all of it was coming into a hypercolour, as she broke from looking in that mirror.

"Kais, you next door? Actually, what am I saying, I can see you're there....." Layla forgot that of course, intrusively, the AR ping of him came through in her very eyes. Letting him finish up his bath before she intruded, and actually being dressed, she poked her head around.
"Hey. You weren't at fault for Astrid crashing into you, just so you know. But you get a lot into these things." Layla stated the obvious, sighing, looking across at him, hoping not to get her head removed from her spine. She had no backups.....yet.

"You sure you haven't got some neodymium inside of you that seems to attract idiots on circuit?" Layla may have been half machine at this point, but she was no less willing to give a little bit of banter in a moment that for Kais, must have been quite a low one, as she sighed, shrugging her shoulders.
"It was shit. Let's be honest. But this is a joke of a circuit. And hardly a place for AG ships to really show what they can do." Layla's brutal honesty was not from a place of mistrust, but absolutely, a place where they knew this wasn't what they wanted. But after Luna, anything could have gone twitchy, wrong, or mis-set. Silverstone was normal, and they'd be there soon enough.

"I might be delayed coming back to home. I have some bits to sort out first. Nothing serious, just....you know. I need a bit of time for some personal stuff."

---

Au Revoir, Monaco

".....that race was certainly up and down, and from looking over the highlights, we certainly got a tense fight on our hands. The championship is still certainly open, and with it, Valkyrie have punched their way back towards Al-Saqr. Over to you Aurora." Rosie's cheerful demeanour wrapped up, as Aurora picked up into the camera feed, looking on from the yacht in the harbour that Delta Hyper had borrowed for this shot.

"Thanks Rosie, and yes, we have seen quite the display today from our drivers here in Monaco. While some may say the circuit is too tight, too complex for Formula AG, the scenes you're going to see I think show there's still a beauty in our racing here. Thank you, and we'll see you all at Silverstone, where we anticipate the top teams will all be fighting for points, but if anything this season has proven to us, there's always surprises to be had. Thank you, and see you next time."

Soundtrack: Pink Floyd- The Great Gig In The Sky

The outro played, showing the fights throughout the race, Astrid's nasty scrapes, Dorian and Paul getting carried and running into their crews, the vivid ocean contrasted by the AG ships roaring along the coastline, and the iconic views of the hairpin at the Hotel where ships crawled before hurtling out at speed.

And ended with Dorian hugging Paul, and the two on the podium, together, tears still visible in Dorian's eyes.

---

The crews packed up, and bit by bit, the helicopters, personal VTOLs, anti-gravity ships and more conventional boats left Monaco behind, with the teams headed home.

Prep for Silverstone was not a small affair. The place was virtually a festival now for Formula AG's arrival in amidst an old farmland landscape that had been mostly been rewilded with oak, pine and wildflowers, the British countryside's former intensity turned into a landscape left to itself. The teams would return to a situation unlike Monaco, less glitz and glamour yet more like feeling the pilots themselves were the royalty, the rock superstars of the grid. Silver Apex was always a firm favourite and actually the home team, but not if other teams had something to say about it.

It was a chance to regroup, and once again, prepare for the next round, two weeks from now. One thing was certain- the track was balanced, and finding an advantage was going to be tricky, but in a way, that meant the rookies that had arrived at Auckland would now be put into a spotlight like never before, at the original circuit of Formula One, and Formula AG. If Monaco was the jewel, the heart of the sport, then a sun-baked, or rain-soaked Silverstone was the head, where the brains of this all began, and where it all started with the machines, rather the people piloting.

”Green!”

Bea had a ‘3,6’ start - not great, not terrible. Layla was struggling ahead though, made evident by Bjorn getting by her that easily. Bea would follow two laps later, a well-timed use of ELS and a better exit out of Portier making it look effortless. Kais was next, being held up by Astrid’s damaged ship ahead. But she wasn’t just holding him up, Bea could vividly imagine the gap between Astrid and whoever was ahead of her growing corner by corner.
”Al, can we get that scrapheap out of the way? So we can actually have a race for crying out loud?”
”We’re on it. Save your energy and try a repeat of Portier to get by Kais.”

Trying a repeat of Portier didn’t work, Kais being much more on top of his ship than Layla was.
”Okay, Bea, update: Astrid’s ship isn’t dangerous so she can’t be meatballed.”
”Mate, that’s a load of shite, it’s not fit for competition!”
”It’s what it is. Focus on hitting your marks.”
”Hit my marks, they’re impossible to miss at this pace, did the stewards forget to pack the black and orange flag or what?”

”Safety ship is out, keep the delta positive.”
”What happened?”
”Hart’s ship is all over the track.” Alistair confirmed a second later as Bea passed Han, the Korean recovering from the collision. Free position. ”Looks like Hart’s out and Han is rejoining the race.”
’A second junker on the track, grand… On the plus side, Han’s interview might be spicy.’

The fight with Kais, brief as it was, was the most fun she had in the 45 minutes of the Monaco race. Not like it had a lot of competition. And then Astrid had to screw even that up.
”Astrid just slammed into Kais right in front of me.” She reported as she slipped past Kais’ slowing ship, first hoping she made it through before the safety ship deployed and then surprised one wasn’t necessary.
”It doesn’t look like you picked up any debris.”
”NOW can we get her off the track? Is she dangerous enough now, or does she need to take someone out completely?”
”Leave that to us, you worry about getting past in the meantime.”
’At least you had the bloody decency to take yourself out when you rammed Han in Italy, get the fuck out of the way!’

”That’s P12.”
”Just shy of a useful finish.”
Still better than what she expected to walk away with, even if she didn’t have any points in hand.

---

DELTΔ HYPER

Episode Seven: Roll the Dice

---

”Bea, a quiet race from you and not from Ava either. Was it frustrating to be unable to overtake Astrid?”

”I felt like mister Bean trying to get past the old lady in the stairwell. And for what? She’s not even in points. Any other track she’d be P19. What a joke.” Bea was uncharacteristically bitter, even more so than in Cape Town.
”Happy to see Nora seems to be the same.” Her tone shifted to a more positive note, ”At least that’s something.”

---

Having finished up her talk with Aurora, Bea fell into pace beside Ava, always having to extend her steps when the two walked anywhere together. Wasn’t that long ago when she saw an image of them side by side walking toward the camera, except with pointy ears and a longbow across the back photoshopped to Ava and an axe and Gimli’s helmet over Bea.

”Congrats. Well done on surviving Sainte Devote. I saw you get caught behind Astrid. Not easy to overtake, right?”

”See this?” Bea finished her bottle of water and held it up, ”That’s this race.” She crumpled it up with one hand and threw it in a trash can they were passing by. ”Let’s leave it in there, where it belongs, and find some nicer topic for conversation.”

”Still getting used to my legs. Finding my feet, as they say in English...”

So naturally Ava followed it with a pun. She was learning. ”Just because the yacht party’s over doesn’t mean you cannot still end up in the marina, Ace.” Bea chuckled.
”Oh? You and what army?” Ava teased in response.
”Don’t test my fans.” Bea poked back without a hint of a pause.
”Point taken.”

”My mother and father came out to see me. Would you like to meet them?”

”Sure! I have a feeling you’ll be meeting mine in two weeks time anyway, let’s go.”

---

DadManWalking: I got up at five in the morning for this…
UrbanMaverick: Lmao even Bea couldn’t think of anything to say about this snoozer.
Zero: Watching Astrid here was painful.
SmolNjol: If you can’t overtake a crippled ship, maybe look inward.
Crossfit_Crusader: Overtake HOW? Try down the outside, you get pushed out because Astrid’s ship ain’t turning and if you go down the inside, you’ll get pushed out the outside of the following corner for the same reason.
DohnJoe: mf didn’t ya see the race at all? tried down every corner, no dice
YorkshirePudding: POINTS FOR JENNY, FUCK YEEEEEAH!
Shel1: And more for Kofi too!
NorthWest: And Bjorn. Not like it’s saving his career tho.
MissedApex: DTM is calling his name.
Xinny: I’m wondering what Burkhart is cooking, because if the rumored deal with Sarif Industries goes through and we get some driver augs from this century for the second half of the season plus whatever he’s working on, oh my.
CarreraCarmen: I just wish they’d up the stability. Ava’s ship was shaking like a Chihuahua that saw its own shadow after every crest.
Xinny: CC bought their repulsors and magpacks from Southern Cross and they made some improvements to theirs, so it’s possible.
TruckerTim: Aurora: “What's going through your mind before you hit the throttle when the lights go out?” Jamie: [link]
IronBeer: Well, the lights are well and truly out in there.

---

It was the same-old meeting room, the same debriefing. Well, one face was different.
”To begin with: I know you’ve already met, and you know him well by reputation, but this being his first official team meeting I thought It would make sense to officially welcome Felix on board.”
”Thank you, León, and to everyone else for the warm welcome. I’m looking forward to working with you all, and to taking the ship which my predecessor already did amazing things with to new heights.”
”And with that, let’s start with the only thing that worked out flawlessly at Monaco.” He handed off to the team’s head of communications.
”All four of you did an outstanding job representing the team, although I’d like to have a few words with Bea after the meeting. I know some of you don’t like the media, or the politics,” The portly Colombian glanced at Ava and bea respectively, ”But if life was never bad, how would you ever know that it’s good?
In addition to Breitling extending their deal with us until 2099 and Sarif Industries all but closing the deal behind the scenes, PolarVault are very eager to work with us.”
”Norwegian biotech company.” Bea’s hologram leaned over and whispered when Ava looked confused.
”No joy.” Ava shook her head
”We spoke to them at the casino, just after the waiter spilled wine on Ben Hale.” Bea tried to clarify, ”Vat-grown fish and neural link response time optimization.”
”Ah, now I remember.”
”They are hoping to break into the South American market, so we’ll need Ava to do some PR work with them in Argentina.”
”I like how you put vatfish before faster reflexes.” The whispers continued.
”We’re also still in talks with a Spanish fashion and a British financial company, but that will still need some time.”
”I like salmon, but it’s hard to get.” The Briton shrugged.


The meeting room cleared out, leaving just Flávia and Bea’s hologram practically at opposite ends of the table.
”Now. About the Princess…”

---

Sunday 06/06 22:11 JEN [Batt: 48%]

> If I had a penny every time my luggage got lost flying to Monaco, I’d have two pennies. Which is not only not much, but it’s also extremely tiresome.
[You reacted with 😀]
> Two years in a row!
> Oh nooo!
> When are you landing?
> Still over the Atlantic. AA are serving quinoa pancakes, send help.
> Oh no, something healthy and without sugar!
> And since when are you in alcoholics anonymous? 😀
> Aerolíneas Argentinas.
> And I don’t think you appreciate the horror of it. It tastes like burning plastic smells.
[“Jen” reacted with 😀]
> Have you tried not eating it?
> I overslept and missed breakfast, it’s this or starvation until dinner.
> [Image of Jenny holding a blueberry muffin with a bakery display case in the background.]
[You reacted with 😀]
> I should get better friends... 😛
> Congratulations on your first points in the top tier!
[“Jen” reacted with ❤️]
> Thank you. It feels unreal, like I blinked and suddenly the race is over and someone’s yelling ‘P10!’ into my ear.
> So you’ve had a taste. Welcome among the addicted. 😀
> A year late if you ask me, genuinely surprised what you can accomplish with that tub.
> Haha, yep. I caught some of your overtakes on the big screens. I mean, outside through Haute? Down the corkscrew?
> At that point I was going for a maneuver kill to borrow a word from Ava’s previous job to be honest.
> I kept waiting for another safety ship. 😀
> Something, something, desperate measures? I still don’t know how you got past.
[“Jen” reacted with 😀]
> Magic!
> Could I borrow your Hogwarts textbook?

Monday 07/06 22:11 DAD [Batt: 98%]

> Movie night at eight still on?
> Still on.
> Should I bring snacks?
> I have chilli crisps and wasabi pistachios.
> Understood, bringing my own. 😛
[“Dad” reacted with 😀]

> Good luck in Monaco! We’re holding our breaths here.
[You reacted with ❤️]
> Race done and dusted, do you want anything from Monaco?
> Besides cognac?
> I was just going to ask, thank you.
> It’s almost like I know you or something. 😛
> You have Dan Ogier to thank though.
> Should I ask your mother and sister?
> I’ve got so many perfumes between the three of us my carry-on is clinking like an alcoholic’s bag.
[“Dad” reacted with 😀]

> You told me Margaret borrowed the car for a date.
> Does the statute of limitations apply here? 😀
[“Dad” reacted with 😀]
> What I’d like to know is how you covered it up?
> A lady never tells.
> Did you get your old rally mechanics to come up from Biggin Hill and fix it up?
> ...
> I asked two of my old rally mechanics to come up from Biggin Hill and fix it up.
[“Dad” reacted with 😀]
> It’s almost like I know you or something. 😛
[You reacted with 😀]

---

Wide Open

Soundtrack: The Chemical Brothers - Wide Open (By The Light Of The Moon Mix)

Cassie stared into the horizon outside of her window, the evening sky in London’s glass-framed, Bath stone-floored built up skyline, towers as high as the Shard, green infrastructure dotting the landscape and bridges across the Thames, as well as the streets. A city that felt like it was timeless below all the glass was there, warts and all, pubs and all, but it was modern, as efficient as it could be. It was the hustle and bustle in the commercial capital of the world, as well as the high-tech medical one making Cassie’s stay here a short one in the comfy hotel arranged after her visit to Harley Street.

She was deep in thought, deep in uncertainty. Isolated here after the surgery, her new eyes were still taking some getting used to. The false horizon and trying not to fall over was weird, it was like being drugged but with the slight feel of it being like her entire brain was at a wrong angle, so laying on bed was the way to go. No fix for that sometimes, not after a procedure that decades ago, was incredibly risky. Now it was back to racing within 24 hours. A needed fix, given her last ones were giving some yip back in Monaco, so she bit the bullet and did it early rather than risk any more issues.

It felt like gently, her humanity was peeling a teeny bit out. She got the whole idea of cyberpsychosis, maybe Layla accepted her mods by leaning into it? But her, this was a whole different thing. It was voluntary, she had healthy eyes sitting in an icebox in the Inverness repository when she had it privately done, that she could have reattached and put back into her. If she wanted to go back to a slightly short-sighted pair. Now she was staring back in the mirror at X+Y Composites Viewfinder AG Spec, one of the four main brands of eyeball that pilots chose if they weren’t using the Mk1 Human Eyeball that every pilot was born with. Rather than a normal set of eyes, these were made to sustain and deal with the demands of AG racing, like a specialised helmet for F1 or other motorsports, just on absolute steroids. It made her feel superhuman. Yet it was another piece of her she was parting with to go further and further.

It was complemented by a set of drugs to get her used to it, given it paired to her neural link, a hair-thin cable running from the back of her eyes into the link’s joining point in the base of her brain, and well, changing the very nature of who she was, how she saw, how she interacted.

Flicking to a blue, her eye changed, and with it, Cassie took a moment to stare in. Was Zygon even the right call? They’d encouraged this, wanted her to do this, were they the bad guys making her change? Or was it just herself, like Dorian said? She couldn’t tell. She felt conflicted, wanting to be on the grid and wanting it all, and yet, sometimes looking at what she was and being unsure who was exactly inside. There was a lot more composite than person sometimes, Zygon made that happen perhaps in a very literal sense.

The sponsor, media, and everything else was far more demanding than Valkyrie. To think the grass was greener on the other side. It really wasn’t, and even in spite of a good result in Monaco, 5th on the board, she wondered what came next. Han had been focussed in on her own self more and more lately, her own demands from being the promised one in Korea having its own toll. Cassie wanted to help, return the favour, but couldn’t find a way how. Instead, she was in a clinic-appointed hotel, resting up on a bed, letting herself literally adjust to not being blind.

Yet it was a place on the grid. And they had funded this, and had more money, and the mods went deeper. Cassie had to admit, that was what she hated about Valkyrie. The lack of change, the lack of anything. At least…. Zygon were trying, right? She just hoped it was the right change. Maybe if Jamie got kicked out mid season, she could jump over? Or Zygon would turn around? They were talking about something in the factory, something exciting, holding works and prioritising the engineers for a long-term upgrade in design. It was hard to know if she was in the wrong place, or right. Talking to family didn’t help. It seemed uncertain. The woman that introduced Delta Hyper in Auckland, cheerfully going around sponsors, putting on a brave face was now one that was in a little bit of a mental slump, trying to put it together for what next. Home race, yet it didn’t feel even like last year, it felt like she had to just get out of this block. And no amount of chemical stimulants, or fixes in her brain were going to change the worry she had. It would just come back worse.

So maybe she was more melancholy than usual. The gently tanned skin of the redhead, her curls neatly cut short for home, and being here gave her time to unpack. More than seeing family, more than catching up with friends, just being here, alone, gave her a chance. Maybe she would do it all again. No other way out, not unless MMR or Carrera called? Then again, maybe that could have been the trick. Who knew. It felt strange, but choices were choices. And as she sighed, trying to think less about the fact that she was replacing bits again, more about the other stuff she had going on to worry about, like the Scots Pine forestry scheme next week she was visiting, or the school visits she’d begged Zygon to let her do, before then going for advertising at a Scots-Korean Whisky company and being literally their doll for a day, there was much to do and a schedule that didn’t stop. The racing, somewhere in there, also fitted in.

She felt what Harrison felt, the advocacy, the want to do good, volunteer more, get involved and while Zygon had allowed her some opportunities to look at sustainability and go out there and do more to encourage it through the team's mouthpiece, she had been stunted. Not when their profit came first. And well, reality was that they weren't in the planet saving business, they were in the everything else. She thought she could poke in, but in an organisation, particularly an eastern one as certain as they were, Cassie was now realising her hubris.

With it, she flicked through to her phone and merely had to think to project the group chat into the glass wall, leaning up against the bedframe. Doing what she did best, taking her mind off things.

---

Tues 13/06 Formula AG Pilot Group Chat

AStirling
Heading out of the garage now, it is pouring it down
Dorian
Nice, we shot our piece yesterday
Harrison
So gutted to be missing out on this and the festival interview! Go go @Nelly !
Kofi
It looks so fun, super happy to see all those old cars out! That Starcross car sounds beautiful 😊
AStirling
It really is *attached video file*
Henry
Damn that is insane!
Layla
Pretty lovely
Henry
Weather is absolutely shit though, this is why I prefer St Kitts
Cassie Neves
Scotland is worse, much worse, and midges too
Enjoy the track, I’m over there tomorrow morning for prep
Harrison
*laughs in Australian*
AStirling
You have spiders and really scary animals that want to kill you all the time though
Harrison
This is a bad time to mention the ones the size of a cat that got made at my local uni I did a talk at?
Jen Lowry
Fuck off absolutely no
Cassie Neves
Jesus you people have something wrong with you and it isn’t sunburn
Harrison
It’s nightmare fuel but they’re making new synthetic fibres out of webs and stuff, super cool
Jen Lowry
NOOOOOO
Kofi
Better this cold rain than hurricane weather…..it is awful
Dorian
I’m enjoying being back inside now! Very soaked, no canopy on the roof, all my gear is sodden *picture of soaked replica 1980s era racing suit*
Astrid
You know there are more modern composites? That GoreUltra stuff is the best when outside, I swear it’s made of more than just nanites, it’s got magic in it
Harrison
It is the best
Ava Villarosa
Someone has lots of money, I want to go buy some more so so bad
Jamie
Such Gorpcore
Astrid
Someone wants to throw the 30s look on
Wedge
Ideas on pubs with good food for me and my folks on Monday? I keep coming here all the time but never actually went to a proper British sit-in
Jen Lowry
The Fox Inn in Farthinghoe has an incredible setup, they have really good shepherds pie with artificial lamb shanks
Dorian
Lmao you English are so funny you can’t have a village called Farthinghoe
Astrid
“oh la la fartinghoe”
Jamie
I heard this being said
Astrid
You are Canadian, no?
Dorian
*shots fired*
Kofi
That’s America
Ava Villarosa
They banned most guns 20 years ago to be fair, that joke is dead
Astrid
Dead like the uhhh…..
Wedge
Holy shit this is getting out of packet
Astrid
You are out of packet
Ava Villarosa
In all seriousness, that sounds lovely, thanks Jenny, I might go there!
Dorian
Fuck you @Astrid, gonna miss your shit talking 😉
Astrid
I am bored again sorry
Layla
We can tell.
Cassie Neves
Apart from Astrid being her usual self; PSA, when you’re modifying X+Y optics, be really careful when adjusting the dilution in the lens, it’s really horrid and I was quite ill over it
Wedge
Yeah I just had some fitted earlier this year and man is it weird, real upgrade from the last ones I had fitted two years ago before coming into Formula AG
Layla
Welcome to the fake eyeballs club
There’s the Novafite supplement that helps you get into it, take a stronger dose than they warn you because if you have the AG spec neural link it’ll need more of the biochemical building blocks to do the work, not that I should be telling you….I know how much it sucks to begin with when you’re getting into them but it stops you from getting fake horizons all the time when you start until your brain binds into that- the advantages are great though long term, self adjusting, neural link display comes through really nicely, I don’t use X+Y anymore (can’t say which I use but they are INCREDIBLE) but like the adjustable colouring on them particularly and would recommend to anyone, family / friends too. Lot of X+Y clinics in Jordan that do good business with yours truly still being on the old advertising 😊
AStirling
Nerd
Cassie Neves
Thanks Layla, I’ll try that!
Layla
No problem! I do my best, for all of you I’m a guinea pig anyway :P
@AStirling How to the gills are you again? I mean, I’ll trade you my liver for those arms of yours!
AStirling
It’s fine thanks, got a new filter and it works so nicely. Arms are still something you won’t see on market for a long time, go make your own 😉
Ava Villarosa
I have discovered you can hide stuff in the new legs, it’s actually mostly hollow. Yes, I didn’t change my walking ones for ages, you’ll all laugh but it is new to me!
Harrison
You guys like ripping yourselves up? I prefer not shoving more hardware into myself, bone marrow stuff was very painful / intrusive but I’m enough 😊
Dorian
You should have had it 20 years ago, that stuff back then HURT! It was horrible, I only had it redone five years ago and it’s insane how far it’s come along
Layla
Can’t have painful marrow if you have no limb
@Ava Villarosa wait until you’re mostly hollow! I don’t even need a suitcase anymore, that and adaptive clothing!
Dorian
consequence.net/wp-content/uploads/20…
Layla be like:
Astrid
Yeah I mean fair enough but I’m just waiting on the moment we get synthetic bodies. @Layla when?
(Also, @Kais you're already there, I'm talking occupancy)
Layla
Damn, rumbled me :D I’m an android all along!
@Dorian Classic Chemical Brothers. Actually my inspiration for becoming more synthetic, I ADORE that 3D printed, wireframe pattern. Came extremely close to using that instead of some of my designs.
@Astrid careful he does have feelings, and he will be judging you a lot more after you know what so careful ;)
Ava Villarosa
The factory androids can’t poke back as much you do so I’ll believe you’re human 😊
AStirling
For now!
Cassie Neves
@Bea I'm in London btw, sitting in St Giles Hotel at Russell Square- I can almost see your gaff from here (when these eyes sort themselves out)
AStirling
I can be there in like an hour?
Dorian
Aww British friends

@Paul want to get a drink in that pub Jen recommended?
Layla
None for me and @Kais, the ship has issues and he has a show run in that Porsche tomorrow

---

---

---

"Collision! Collision!" Kais' ship helpfully alerted him.
"You think I didn't feel that? Come on, you brick!" Kais growled at his ship as he wobbled his way back to stability, like a damn rookie.
"Damage is significant but minimal, Kais. Race continues. Looks like a bad defense from Astrid." His race engineer Zeina's voice crackled.
"Defense?" Kais borderline shouted as Beatrix blasted past him - that was the second time this season where a collision crashed their fight! "Astrid didn’t even brake, came in like a damn missile! Private channel, Zeina! Now!"
"...That's not how it works, Kai--..."

The visual feed for the audience would show wild gesturing and the impromptu addition of three stylish new dents in the cockpit internals.

"Fucking. Nordic. Call...! If it's not Jamie, it's them! Marmolada, the Luna crash. Now me? يخرب بيتك! And they call me the Meteor! I want the stewards to review the entire damn sector for intent, and Astrid's blood composition! And if they try to pin it on me, I swear..."
"We're already filing the complaint, Kais. Just keep it cool, OK? Don't give them any ammo."
Kais was annoyed at her trying to steal his metaphors, then he pushed down on the virtual accelerator, and dropped down to P14.

---

"Kais, a disappointing race for Al-Saqr, it looked like you were fighting the ship throughout the circuit. Is that something from your upgrades, or just from learning the track?"

Kais stepped in towards the ΔH crew, a move that would have definitely been too close for comfort, though it would have given them a good shot of the angrily pulsing vein on his forehead. "You ever try running with a knife between your ribs?" His eyes opened wide as he stabbed his finger towards them. "You can't be serious. I didn't fight my ship. Fucking Astrid did." He started pacing, shaking his head. "Like this absolute ego-inflated relic of a place wasn't enough, yeah why not let the drunk driver out on the road as well, bet you liked the champagne here, huh? What a joke." He threw his gloves out of frame, and with one last look at the camera, shaking his head, he walked off towards his team's area, bumping into some people that were in his way.

---

Out of the ice, standing in front of the dressing room's mirror, Kais looked at his hands where they had impacted the cockpit frame. It'd been a while since he had some bruises on his knuckles. He quickly put it out of his mind, and finished doing up his dress shirt's clips when his teammate's mental ping and eventual voice came around the corner.

"Kais, you next door? Actually, what am I saying, I can see you're there...."

"If you're here to talk about my 'temper' too, spare my ears, I don't want to hear it."

"Hey. You weren't at fault for Astrid crashing into you, just so you know. But you get a lot into these things. You sure you haven't got some neodymium inside of you that seems to attract idiots on circuit?"

"Don't flatter me, Layla."

"It was shit. Let's be honest. But this is a joke of a circuit. And hardly a place for AG ships to really show what they can do.

"AG ships, and its pilots both." Kais murmured, then quickly realized he started to sound like Layla. She must've heard the same thing, because the pause was longer than her usual quippy nature she used when coping with uncertainty. Kais could only speculate what ways beyond him she was interpreting his comment as.

"I might be delayed coming back to home. I have some bits to sort out first. Nothing serious, just....you know. I need a bit of time for some personal stuff."

Kais' pause was even longer. "Do what you have to do. I'll check out some things on my end. You know what. Be safe, Layla."

---

In a darkened room, Cassie's new eyes widened as the notification hit the projected screen on her wall.

Kais: I want to talk. About Zygon.

---

Team Principal Omar's windows were blinded again. Beside him, Dr. Salma Nasri scrolled through Layla's data on the holo-tablet. The notes were flagged red, but only to management. To everyone else, she was just 'taking a break'.

"Is she a danger to herself?"
"Depends on how you define 'danger'," Salma muttered. "Vitals are stable, but her personality markers drift while plugged-in. Did you see last race's feed? Close to zero communication with the race engineer. Just that strange humming. Look at how she describes the visual hallucinations, Omar. A flickering. It's like her neurons are randomly firing at times. And she’s reporting cravings. Not for food, for 'Shannon bits', who talks like that?"
"An addict for information content, huh?"
The doctor sat back, somewhat surprised.
"What? I used to be a financial controller. I know my maths."
She sighed, shook her head. Whatever. "And we haven't even talked Kais yet. You think he's fired up from his interviews? I've only ever seen the adrenaline-cortisol spikes like in last race from his medical record, from before us, from night terror monitoring sessions. Something over that neural link is hitting resistance, and it's making his old combat loops act up. As for Layla, I can only guess what's going on, with those sync issues."
"Her parents called me again." Omar nodded. "They want her benched. Can't say I blame them."
"What did you tell them?"
"The usual, that it's her informed choice. Free will and all that."
"Can we be sure about that, though?"

Omar went silent for a few seconds, introspective. Then responded. "You don't have children don't you?"
"I grew up in a dying world, Omar. I chose not to have them back then."
"Do you regret it? When you look at the world now?"
"Sometimes."
"Is that why you're so protective of Layla? I mean, you knew what you got yourself into when you applied here, that it was more... performance optimization than your usual GP gig."
Salma shrugged. "Perhaps..."

"Then let me tell you a story." Omar stood up, walked to the window spanning his office that overlooked the garage. A few taps turned down the opacity in the area of his visual field, and Omar felt proud of what he saw. "One of my boys, Malik, he's just about thirteen now. Obsessed with what I do here. He watches every race, even practice. And I usually skip those myself. A month or so ago he told me he wants to be like Layla when he grows up. So I gave him one of my old drones to play with. For 'practice'. Thought nothing much would come from it, but he's stayed up tinkering with this old thing the entire month now. He's added a better camera, swapped the rotors for micro-airjets, and before I knew I saw him controlling it like he was playing piano." He threw out his arms. "All on a damn toy. When I was thirteen I could barely tie my shoelaces together." Omar sighed. "That's when I really wondered if I could even understand this little world of ours, speeding ahead of us. Remember the days when we used to nearly boil Layla alive every other race? A part of me used to think we were insane back then too. But... We got through it, didn't we? Sometimes I think the only people who truly know how fast to fly, how high they can soar, are they themselves."

"Then I'll raise you one," Salma said, her eyes downcast on the ground. "Back during the Water Wars, I worked in this emergency hospital. There was this boy once. Smashed up by debris, collapsed building. We tried the lot. Tissue reconstruction. Neural regenerative drugs. It was all primitive stuff, back then. But let me tell you, I'll never forget the look on his face when we were done with him. Vacant. Didn't even remember his own name. I sometimes still go over our graphs as I did with him: with my heart up in my throat." Salma swallowed. "So I also like to believe something, that I'm principled about my care, Omar, and thorough. Our Falcons can only fly while they still have wings, and we're flying too close to the sun."

Omar sat back, rubbed his eyes, conflicted. Principles, huh?

He breathed in hard. "The Amir's watching us close this season, he's a big fan, very invested. You know just as well as I that if we bench both of them, they'll start pulling funding. These developments we're making? They can put the Union, put us, on the map for decades, centuries. I can't ground them. Not unless there's immediate danger."

Omar stared at the floor, then slowly nodded. "But I'll compromise. Layla got us an offer from a partner of hers, personalized stability system, should allow us to offload the most fine-grained processing more. That means we can tune down the neural sync a bit. And I'll plan in mandatory counseling with a therapist for Kais. I'll call it something like 'Stability Testing Session'. Maybe he won't avoid it anymore, then."
Salma smiled at his joke. "Thanks, Omar."

---

Meanwhile, many kilometers away, Layla laid back on a monitoring chair. Little of her was left to the imagination. Very little, in fact. Most of her gold frame laid opened up, and every single port she had was jacked with some kind of interface or monitor. Her headscarf removed, even her head now seemed to consist mostly of wiring. And as her mind and tech were prodded, moving an errant finger now and then, or making her stutter through her humming like an old dial up router, Layla thought back to the Luna crash. To Kais' almost-crash during last race. To the footage of Auldrick Mulder's crash she had reviewed before Monaco. Again. And again. And again. The human mind was such a fragile thing. One wrong move, and you were superheated plasma streaked across the safety lane... She wondered what it would be like, you know... After. Her stomach tied itself into a knot, and she sat up. No. Another 'After' was possible. Creatable!

Across the cramped tech-room the representative of the Lunaspace Engineering Company leaned against the wall, taking in the sights. Or rather, the representative of the newly minted 'Cryo-Digital Intelligent Systems'. It was a nice enough name, for a generic, though promising, scale-up. So generic that there would -hopefully- be fewer questions as to what kind of 'intelligent systems' they were working on - everything was intelligent nowadays, after all. Yet so promising, that both Lunaspace and Al-Saqr were interested in it as a partner. How fortuitous!

"Listen Layla, what we're doing here is very untested." The rep spoke up. "Maybe they've got something in an Area-51 basement somewhere, but we've never really gone beyond simple neuro-vids for training or stress test purposes before. Re-sleeving, full mental backup? It's uncharted territory. The regulations on it are... just as vague, let's say. The AU has the most broadly interpretable rules, hence why we've setup this shell corp here." He opened up a file on his PDA. "We've been working on what you suggested: we've let the system learn a 'copy' of the neural patterns you use for maneuvering. That way you won't have to consciously control them as much. The system will be able to trigger faster, acting as if it were a part of your brain nonetheless. Combine that with your neural interlink system, and it'll function a bit like muscle memory, or how an octopus' arm-brain-centers work. Al-Saqr should've already gotten the prototype. But don't get ahead of yourself. The sub-AIs are tiny for now, and mostly copies of your subconscious processes. But in time..." The rep shrugged. "Well, who knows, huh...?" He smiled at Layla. Who knew, indeed.

"So Kais is going to have some copies of my code flying his ship as well?" Layla said to herself. "Guess there's hope that maybe he will be able to understand me someday. I should ask for a raise if I'm going to be pulling this much work."

Layla then thought about what Kais had told her the night after the Casino, about the possibility that there were parts of Amy's setup lying dormant in his, and chuckled internally. Took one to know one, huh...? Maybe she was good at hiding it. Or maybe Amy had already bought off the stewards so they wouldn't sound the alarm on it. Maybe that's the reason why Al-Saqr had been able to get so deeply into the neural interlink developments to begin with. And that, thought Layla, made for quite the conundrum: whistleblowing her suspicions on what Amy's setup leaks truly were would definitely and very definitively put an end to her own project, after all. On the flipside: if she was right, the opposite would be true as well. A gridlock, for now.

Layla had encouraged Kais to investigate Zygon for this exact reason as well. Not that they wouldn't have plenty of secrets that would be interesting to know regardless.

"There's one more thing we need to talk about, Layla, something legal." The rep spoke, dead serious. "Have you thought about the risk at all? Fragmentation? Feedback loops? Overwrites? What if your person-hood becomes... disputed?"

Fragmentation? Feedback loops? Overwrites? More like redundancies, protections, backups... If they had to contend with Amy's code snippets floating around their system, or whatever weirdness was going on, then... Well, Kais would say the best defense is a good offense. And if her person-hood was disputed? "That, director," Layla smiled, "is what I call the victory lap."

---

In the Al-Saqr garage, behind the mangroves and the test track, mechanic Farouk Al-Najjar and lead electrician Juan Diaz worked round the clock to install a trial version of the new stabilization module. It was Kais' ship's turn now. It hung mid-air, suspended in its AG field, with engineering drones swarming around it. Stripped bare, battered, but still breathing, as Layla put it.

"Any news on our pilots yet?" Farouk asked.
"Layla's taking a break. As for Kais? Well, you know him... Sometimes he just packs up and disappears for a few days. We've learnt not to ask questions." Juan answered.
"Too bad. Big day today." Farouk looked at the specs of their newest upgrade. "Predictive Neuro-Aligned Anti-Graviton Counterweight Grid Controller. Sounds borderline scifi. Shit's getting crazier by the race, huh?"
"Fitting, isn't it?" Juan took a drag of his flavor-stick. "You ever look at the way Kais steers? Turns are tiny, snappy, twitchy. Still dodging bullets out there, the madlad. But the instability in those turns is where we're bleeding ms. This baby here should give us a better recovery from them. Should make it all a bit smoother, less strenuous. Give it to Hamid and Nadia for testing when we're done, if it has any limits they'll find them. Let's have it stamped for approval by Belgium. Would be nice to start off the Europe-leg with a banger."
"What about the next long-term upgrade?" Farouk asked.
"I take it you weren't at the last team meeting?"
"No, why?"
"You would've known if you were. Kais had some thoughts about it. I think his exact words were something like 'I want my pulse engine to guzzle so much bio-fuel they need to start thinking about reinstating the old refueling pit stop rules.'"
"That many words? He must've been serious, then."
"He was pointing a lot too. I think Monaco got under his skin, with the stunt Astrid pulled."
"Heh... 'Can't hit me if I've already blasted off into the sunset', huh? Speed it is, then... Man, Wadi Rum's going to be insane."
"You love to see it." Juan took another drag. "By the way, how's Nadia?"
"Busy, as always. Promotions, huh..." Farouk answered.
"Everybody knows that. I was talking that other way,"
"It's... nice." Farouk's ears turned red slightly. "But don't imagine too much, alright, we're just trying things out."
"Ha! I knew it, you dirty dog!" Then Juan turned and yelled. "Yo Remi, guess who was right about our neuro/mech couple? You owe me 50 Ɖ's!"

---

"Kofi..." "Yeah?" "When you said you wanted to show me some cats... I did not imagine this."

The two sat topside of a ranger vehicle that had made its way through the open grasslands of the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park. Chirping songbirds filled some of the silence after the car's drive shut down. There weren't many places Kais had experienced this much silent and bare nature without being on the lookout for ambushes at least a little bit. But not this time. In close distance, a group of cats laid gazing around with a lazy curiosity. Very big cats, and one of them sported a majestic black-haired mane.

"I thought you'd like it." The Ghanaian nudged Kais with his elbow. "I know you did that animal shelter gig from your socials. The cat posts got you the most likes out of pretty much everything else, except for Tokyo, maybe."

"And they were photo ops, more than anything." Kais waved away the comment. "You went for a photo op 21 times in a couple of weeks?" "Can't remember." "Oh but I do, I counted." Kais sighed a "khalas..." And Kofi laughed. "Can't hide it forever, man."

"They were stray shelters, though, not... This." He gestured out. "This is big league stuff." "Big league stuff for a big league man, ey?" Kofi put a friendly slap to Kais' back, then turned his smile-lined eyes back onto the distant sights, the sight Kais' eyes hadn't even wandered from.

"There, look." Kofi pointed at one of the lions. "See her, second on the left? I remember it like it was yesterday, when our first viable embryo was actually born. They invited me for it, you know. I was there, cried like a baby too. The Cape Lion, brought back from extinction. And look at them now... Like they never even left..."

The first Cape Lioness rolled over in the sand. Kais couldn't help being entranced.

"The love of life is strong here, at Prides of Africa. We have many sanctuaries and restoration sites, so I normally don't have to travel as much all the time, but I wanted to show you this. It's one of our proudest projects. I started volunteering for them myself the moment I heard about it. It's been an off-and-on thing for some time, and I'm mostly just an ambassador now, you know how it is with our schedule. But me and the wife are planning on spending most of our time here after retiring from the races this season, for a couple years at least. A nice experience for the kids, don't you think?"

And Kais thought that that sounded very nice indeed.

"De-extinction and re-population work isn't easy." Kofi continued. "It takes a lot, years and years of research, engineering and crossing eco-genetic populations, sheltering, monitoring and keeping the territory safe. But it takes love, above all." He set his bright eyes on Kais. "And we love all the help we get. Sponsors, endorsements, ambassadors, hands-on workers."

Kais leaned back into his seat and dragged his hand through his hair, then, as his unconscious always made him, down over his neck, where the lines of his old serial markings could still be felt. "I appreciate the gesture." he said, thinking back to Monaco, to Luna, to... well... "But I'm not made for getting along with people. For endorsements, even to those that tolerate me, even less, and above all..." He shook his head.

Then, Kofi hit the nail on its head. "What happened back there, in Monaco? You seemed out of it, more... agitated than usual. I could tell. Everyone could tell, I think."

Kais was silent for a while, and Kofi stayed silent as well, like he knew Kais never felt very comfortable sharing these things. Eventually, even now he kept himself hesitant at best. "When I first started racing things felt simple. Go fast. Be precise. Go straight for the target. Then go a bunch rounds more. But everything feels like a trap nowadays. I'm being pushed. And... Look, I deal with problems by... getting rid of them." Another pause. "I'm going to do something one day..." Going to have to, maybe... Kais thought, but he kept that to himself. "I don't know what, when or how. But it won't end well." He breathed in. "Maybe I really am unfit for this."

"You know I don't believe that." Kofi said. He paused to look at Kais, who simply stood, looking out over his pride. And Kofi just smiled.

"We're thinking of doing the Barbary Lion next." He nudged Kais once again. "Give it a thought, yeah?"

Then they let the silence return for a while.

"By the way, Kais." "Hmm..?" "You really flew all the way here just to see some cats?"

Kais shrugged, a small smile on his face.

---

---

---

Alexander had greeted Kais and said what he wanted too. He and Kais had fought on opposite sides of a war. They both had fought for what they believed in and to protect others. In Alexander’s eyes there was no nobler calling than protecting those weaker than you. He understood the toll that came with being a soldier. There was a cost to peace and it was the men and women on the front lines that paid that cost. They deserved respect no matter which side they were on. Alexander knew that Kais had no more control over the methods and where he was sent to fight than Alexander had.

Kais: "We can only hope, can't we?” After a short pause he continued, “Mr. Knight. It's unfortunate we would probably have been on opposite sides back then."

Alexander gave Kais a respectful nod and smile. His lips lifted a little more in a smile as Kais tried to exert more pressure in the handshake. Alexander didn’t react and kept his grip the same pressure.

Alexander: “We might have fought on opposite sides but for similar reasons. To protect others and our way of life. That deserves respect as it comes at a cost. The world found a way to a better time, one of peace. We are no longer enemies. Friendly competitors on the race track certainly though.” Alexander gave Kais an amused look.

Kais surprised Alexander as he changed the subject after giving him a considerate look. “For what it's worth, I think you're doing a good job, with Paul."

Alexander was surprised by the seriousness in his response and the tone of his reply.

"Keep an eye on him, and his associates. Between us, brother to brother, there are strange things going on, on the track..."

Alexander’s eyes narrowed and if anyone was watching his body language they would have noticed his body tighten with tension as an apprehensive chill ran down his spine. He was suddenly a warrior in protective mode as Kais started to walk away. Kais turned and made one last comment to him before walking away.

Kais: "And Mr. Knight... Thanks, for the help back there. Stylish throws too." Kais then finished his drink and walked away.

Alexander’s eyes met Kais and nodded.

Alexander:“Understood, thank you.”

He let Kais walk away watching him leave. There was a mystery and danger here. He would have to investigate. He would have to look into this cryptic warning later. He had a date to retrieve and sponsors to woo.

---

The Racing Riviera

---

Paul was off the starting line with a clean start. Paul was pushing as hard as he could even as Dorian with Amy behind him pulled away from him. Paul pushed distractions away and focused on keeping clean lines. Astrid was pushing him and he was aggressively defending, unwilling to concede even an inch to anyone else. He was pushing to catch up to Amy. Paul focused on what he could control on the track. He kept it tight and in and out of the corners as fast as he could go. He stayed behind Amy, always pushing to catch her.

There came a point when everything else fell away. It was just him and the ship and the track. He felt as if he had merged with the ship. It was simply a joy as he could feel the throttle opened up. Moments like these were why he raced. They were almost spiritual in nature and made him feel as if he could touch the divine. He had precision control as he blocked yet another sloppy and aggressive push by Astrid to overtake him at La Rascasse. Paul had the line and took it moving to block Astrid’s attempt to swing past him on the outside. He shut the door on her line and she ran into the wall. Paul didn’t let it phase him as he continued to hunt Amy. He was giving his all trying to catch the leaders. Paul was frustrated when the cautions were called due to the accidents. They broke his racing flow.

Harrison ended up behind Paul who was pushing him hard. Paul managed to hold Harrison off and defend his position. Paul had enough experience to realize that if it had been a different track, that might have been a different story. Paul used the stability and cornering on his ship to the max. He kept a tight racing line that was fluid allowing him to pick up speed and fly out of the corners. He felt as if he had just gotten back into the groove when the race was over. His engineer was screaming in his ear that he had taken P3. Paul’s fist thrust into the air in a triumphant pump as he yelled out “Yes!” in joy. Paul took his victory lap and followed Dorian into the Valkyrie paddock.

---

Afterglow

---

Paul was all smiles as he pulled his ship into the paddock. The cheers of the team competed with the engines on the ships as they were shut down. Paul was happy for Dorian who had been searching for this feeling all season long as his last season as a pilot. Paul laughed as Dorian was practically pulled out of his ship by the mechanics and engineers in the paddock. Paul managed to climb out of his ship on his own before he too was hoisted up on shoulders by jubilant teammates. He laughed and cheered along with everyone else. The team had needed this win after all the bad press from the trial. It felt as if the team had reached a turning point and broken through all the bad luck that had plagued them since the start of the season.

Alexander was in the paddock watching with a smile. He was letting the team express their happiness and appreciation first. It was nice to see them able to celebrate something positive as a team for a change. He was smiling from ear to ear. He had moved forward as he saw Amy coming towards Dorian. He was guarded but simply watched her approach him. He relaxed as it appeared she simply wanted to congratulate him. He didn’t miss what Amy started to say and frowned. Dorian and Paul both had run a clean race. He frowned as it sounded like Amy was going to contest that. The look on Peter’s face as he intervened was not lost on Alexander as he crossed his arms and watched Peter. Alexander noted what Peter said and the knowing look he had in his eyes. He raised an eyebrow at Peter’s comment. Alexander would allow Dorian to celebrate his win but he would be sure to let him and Paul know that he was not to talk to any FIAR officials or stewards without him at his side. He made a point to send Leopold a heads up in case they needed to get the legal team involved. He wasn’t sure if Peter would press the issue but better prepared than sorry. It pissed Alexander off that Amy and Peter would try to take the win away from Dorian. He had run the race of his career today and he had earned that win.

Alexander waited till Dorian was free and congratulated him. “Congratulations Dorian, That was a hell of a race. That had to be one of your best races in your career. You earned this win. Enjoy it!” Dorian was all smiles and thanked him for finally giving him a ship he could win in. Alexander laughed and turned to find Paul. “Congratulations on P3 Paul. Your father would be proud of you. You ran a clean race.” Paul was all smiles and joy. It was hard to be unhappy around Paul who exudes happy golden retriever energy.

Alexander watched the awards ceremony plotting how he was going to counter Peter. He already had the engineers and technicians pulling the race data of the key moments from both ships. He wanted it analyzed and a solid rebuttal in case charges were made against his pilots. Kais’ warning from the yacht party was in the background of his mind.

---

Cooldown Room and Podium

---

Paul had a Zap sports drink in his hand. He chugged the drink to replace the electrolytes lost in the race. Paul was enjoying the moment but the underlying tension with Amy was not something that went past Paul. He simply didn’t understand it and observed. He didn’t know what to do with it. It was watching replays of the race after in the cooldown room that Paul found out what had happened to the pack behind him thanks to the two wrecks. He couldn’t help thinking that Jamie Hart spent more time wrecking ships than racing. He only placed well in one race and it was due to another wreck. Paul winced as saw Han’s ship get hit. He knew that had to piss off her off. He shook his head not paying too much attention to Dorian and Amy as they traded comments. He was pulled into their conversation when Dorian addressed him.

Paul did congratulate Amy. “Congratulations on P2 Amy. It was a hell of a race.”

Dorian: "Well done, mon amis. This one we did good at, no? Just remember this moment forever. This is your first at Monaco. It will not be your last, and your father, he would be proud."

Paul smiled and shook his head at the emotional Frenchman who had tears in his eyes. Paul gave him a sideways manly hug.

Paul: “You will always be my first Ag teammate Dorian. We might have different racing styles but you have been a decent teammate.” He patted him on the back. Paul’s emotions were running high but for very different reasons. His reasons were much more personal and he kept them to himself.

Dorian continued: "I am going to miss this so much. But you better make the most of it. Come on, let's go."

Paul laughed: “Oh I plan too! You might be retiring but I am just getting started, Dorian. You will have to come cheer me on after you retire. I want you to be there the year I win the championship!”

After that it was time to go accept their awards for winning 1st and 3rd.

Paul clapped and waved his arms like he was Vanna White as Dorian was presented as the winner. He clapped and cheered as loud as anyone else. He wanted to make the moment special for his teammate. Paul then took a bow and waved to the fans when he was presented as the third place winner. He grabbed Dorian’s hand and they raised them together and waved to the fans in the crowd. Paul laughed as he and Dorian were sprayed with Champagne. He did his best to dodge the expensive but sticky stuff. They still had some press to deal with. He wrapped an arm around Dorian’s shoulder trying to share a moment of solidarity and show the fans and the crowd that they were one team striving to win together. The fans roared in approval and the cameras were almost blinding. Paul let the moment soak in. He was standing on the podium at Monaco. Next year he will be on the top step.

---

Delta Hyper Interviews

---

The post race interviews came through thick and thin, as the rookies all got an interview of their own, caught on the way out from the post-podium celebrations. Aurora was back out again, in person with mic and camera drone.

"Paul, congratulations on third, and what an achievement as a rookie to hold your nerve on such a tight, technical circuit. How does it feel?"

Paul smiled as he was sitting on the Delta Hyper interview couch. He had taken the time to at least towel off the champagne so he didn’t drip everywhere. He smiled into the camera as he answered. “Well Aurora, I trained hard for this race. I really wanted to podium here and I achieved that. I want to thank the Valkyrie Team especially our new Chief Engineer Cavan Mitchell for all the work they did to get the ship ready for Monaco. My win here would not have been possible without their work. As to how it feels…. It feels like I am on top of the world!” Paul’s joy and excitement about winning the podium came through loud and clear and was almost infectious as it bubbled over. He had thrown his hands up in a classic triumphant pose as he answered. “Team Valkyrie fans should keep watching. Our winning streak is just starting!”

---

Pinned Open

Cassie's eyes widened, seeing the message hit.

And she started to type, on the neurally linked keys, the thoughts poured out.

"You've got balls to ask." Cassie sighed, looking through internally. She hated this. Hated all of it. What was Kais? Some super-soldier from years past, dropped into a seat....to what end? Just another freak, she thought, the lack of empathy probably helped him to forget he was racing people with feelings, families and emotions of their own. Cassie, hot-headed as she was, was certainly warm in her fire, there was something behind it. She was attached to that humanity of hers, even if it was being peeled back, and as hypocritical as it was of her, she thought Kais less of it.

She hadn't ever said any of this out loud, even emanated any of it. But Cassie had that deep down. That fire, that hunger, that....hate to almost of all of it that perhaps Kais had come out of. It was what kept her close to Harrison, and through all this time, away from Kais. War, conflict, the mess of the world. Even if Han had interacted with the Egyptian, her and Kais hadn't really chatted much. And maybe with good reason.

"I mean, you know my position. I'm not exactly keen if it's what I think it is. I've heard rumours, makes you no better than Amy. And given how angry you were last time I saw you, you haven't got a foot to stand on. So why should I help?" Cassie left almost a biting response, knowing that Kais would no doubt want to hurl whatever object was near him into oblivion, but then again, she wasn't scared. Not like she was going to reach through and strangle her with the diagnostic wire he might be running into himself later. And anyway, scary as she was, she wanted him to understand how she felt.

Yet she tapped away more.

In almost what was a snap of her mind, one that drove past, she sat up. Thinking about all of it, staring into the mirror across from her bed, seeing the changed golden-haze like of her eyes, her composite arm opened out, palm facing upwards, as she swallowed the lump in her throat.

She didn't like any of it. But on those thoughts of what she was, where she was going, and what she'd seen, it almost felt odd. And it felt like in a moment, a flicker ran through her. Like a want to open a door. A part of her that was intrigued as to what on earth was going on. Because she had her own uncertainties, and discomforts. The chats with Dorian, all the uncertainties, if Kais had a knack for timing then he had picked this strangely enough.

"Find attached meeting details. There's a cafe in Henley. It's quantum-link encrypted, blockchain so I know if you do anything, it pours. If you're going to play with fire, Meteor, I'm going to make sure you get set alight if you try anything. I don't know what your game is. But I have a feeling I don't try and figure it out, you'll do something worse." Cassie didn't hide it. And didn't lay off the feeling. With him, she could tell he was angry, but he was a soldier produced in a vat, and so she knew her message wouldn't be misinterpreted. Not with the angst she had in herself about all of it.

And with a send, Cassie exhaled hard. Why the fuck was she doing this? What on earth was compelling her to do this? She wanted to spark him out next time she saw him. Fuck, getting rebuilt after would be worth it. Yet, some tiny morsel inside her, just holding into the conversation she had with Harrison earlier in the year, something just stayed and tracked.

---

Message to Knight, Alexander

"Hey Alexander,

Hope all is going well. I'm dragged into more meetings over the former execs. I am a person of my word and they will be managed so you can focus on this team.

Nice work with Monaco. The PR is incredible out of this. Safe to say, Leopold will pass his regards on if he hasn't already.

That idea from your end on the tour throughout Europe will be a good one for Dorian's legacy and will be one we consider. Strasbourg, Brussels, Rome, Warsaw and Madrid all look like good sites.

We'll need to talk through your shortlist for next year. I've got Leopold's schedule, I can schedule a meeting in with you next week. Bring your lists of options and we can talk through costs, contract lengths, proposed biomodifications and sponsor commitments. Replacing Dorian will be difficult, and your predecessor failed to account for this entirely- I imagine your experience will be helpful here. Remember, we need someone marketable, capable, and someone who can win us something.

Regards,

Johanna"

---

Wilder Minds

If rewilding fauna back into a landscape was one thing, slowly and gently reintroducing them needed the flora to follow too. Brixworth was once a lovely village that also happened to house the Mercedes F1 Powertrains facility, but the surrounding rolling hills had turned from typically green farmland into virtually the densest, most overgrown part of the English Midlands that now stretched from Brixworth all the way to Leicester. Decades ago, they wanted to call it "The National Forest", a half-hearted attempt at a joined up woodland. Now it was, except it filled completely- instead of verdant green hills, it was an attempt to create the biggest deciduous forest in England since the Medieval era, pines interspersed with brush and undergrowth growing between the leafy trees. A new one, sure, but a start.

"This is stunning. And I thought the UK didn't have any greenery left." Harrison had recently gotten more and more friendly with Jen, through a mutual introduction via Cassie. And given she was at the circuit, getting her eyes looked at by the Zygon team after her external visit to an optometrist, Harrison enjoyed his spare hour here. A moment to get some calm, before it all went ballistic.

"No worries. Happy to show you my local. I need space out from the team. Things are mental at the moment." Jen replied, the quaint Britishness of the wood not really something that could be matched entirely anywhere else on the Earth. The stone walls that weren't even cemented, the little gravel tracks and the oaks just beginning to grow tall and out, adjacent to those that had been there for hundreds of years, dominating the landscape.

Environmental reparations were a strange thing, but taking the model of what had happened, it seemed like society had turned around and changed. A realisation that nature mattered, deeply had affected the English landscape and resculpted it into something utopian. Civil unrest, the collapse of the farming industry, drought and changes in mentality shifted things.

And so, from all that remaining land, it had been left to rot. Rot, compost, and yet, form the basis of a new world. As farms densified into multi-storey facilities that were more like warehouses, the remaining land was set back to nature as they were left behind. Population decline helped plenty too- with it, densification in cities stayed as is, and as such, the land dropped after a progressive series of land value taxes and renationalisation changed quite how the outdoors looked. Radical once, yet in 2094 in Britain, a step change that had delivered where highly advanced carbon capture and storage hadn't to actually make greenery and biodiverse landscapes. Wrecked by climate change, yet perhaps wiping away what had been left, this arose. The post-change world, perhaps. Oaks planted 20 years ago starting to create shade, and the return of deer, invertebrates, newts, it all healed, even if the entire landscape left in it was made of abandoned buildings and structures, entire villages swallowed whole by trees as if they were now monuments to folly 50 years ago. Life found a way, especially when billionaires with an ecological focus committed to UAV tree planting exercises. The rest was left to the ecosystem to form.

Walking around, it felt like a world put back to something that definitely, certainly hadn't existed in centuries. Quiet, and while almost all of it was new growth, mosses and lichen yet to really form, it was a start. Not as a forestry, not as a plantation or even just a little secluded wood. But as an actual attempt to reform nature.

A Solarpunk utopia was not just about technology becoming more green, but nature being allowed back in. A different mindset than a classic future that some painted, this was a future that blended what was the technology that informed humanity of its world, and drew the canvas of what was already in bloom in a more vivid, beautiful shade of colour. If medical technology had made lives longer, then reduced air, noise and light pollution had improved the people that lived into it markedly longer. And in a single generation, the world turned from one that was on fire, from the collapse of the previous version of the United States, almost the total collapse of the Mediterranean, Central Asia and good chunks of central America in conflict, into recovery. A want for a better world, fuelled, burning with the need to use technology to fix and allow it to heal. So that the people living there had something to live on.

"Makes you think. So much conflict, so much anger out there. And this is what matters." Harrison added, sighing a breath of relief, looking to Jen, as she smirked, with a shrugging sigh.

"What do you mean?" Jen asked, curious, the Aussie not one to spill himself often outside of a party, but this invitation coming from something she wanted to dig into.

The Australian leaned against a tree, thinking deeply, the checkered-shirt wearing, somewhat incognito AG racer having a security detail a tree back for fairly obvious reason.

"Technology is incredible, Jen, look at your hair. But we're becoming less human. Less us. Look at how Layla turns herself inside out, and people think it's a good thing? It's just strange that given how hard we fought to get here, this gets left behind." Harrison mused, Jen certainly not sure on that line of thought, yet captivated. This was the Harrison Makara, the fierce racer she'd seen, going toe to toe with Amy and he seemed almost....an anti-petrolhead?

"Progress is progress though. And I mean, it got us racing. Can't be back in the stone ages, can we?" Jen retorted, knowing Harrison's views, but well, now seeing them bare open a little more here.

"Well, there was a time when they mined, ripped apart vast swathes of land at home back where I came from. Companies running rampant, all justifying it because.....well, government had been made so small it practically didn't exist. The sky was red with forest fires, it was toxic, it became so bad people lived with oxygen in their ventilation systems so they could breathe. And only when they realised, they realised that the whole system was collapsing under their feet they had to do something. Maybe those with a bit of money looked on creation and decided that once you could pluck minerals out of an asteroid, you don't have to fuck people over. Imagine that. Still a bunch of them running the show....at least they got a heart." Harrison thought out loud, sighing.

"Or, they realised half the people they ran into the ground were going to kill them when they got made unemployed? I mean, when Universal Basics came in, I think people nearly had a collective stroke but the entire economy shat itself when they started picking out rare earths our. I remember that, they basically told us it was free. Nothing like it in human history, so hey, suppose they realised sooner if they did nothing there's a lot of people idle and willing to skin them. Oh, after the Water Wars, all that famine and the massive crisis, people....well, it changed. My parents too. I didn't come from money, and I remember when things went to shit in the UK. The storm my dad told me about in '72, fuck, the Dutch and French had it even worse. But a Category 5 hurricane hitting the UK? I get it. It's a change, for sure. Makes me appreciate this a hell of a lot more." Jen added, looking on at the horizon, the trees beginning to cover more and more land, but the landscape it showed different.

The coast was significantly closer given the flooding of the Fens in northern Northamptonshire, and from this hill, that marked change was much more visible in the break in the trees- river valleys now flooded forests and where the ancient irrigation channels had been now being submerged and left to the sea. And before it, a land that was almost left to overgrow, like many inlands of many countries in Europe now looked like. A markedly different landscape, one where it felt easier to get into nature and growth than ever before. While the cities were dense, and packed out, sometimes in an organised manner, sometimes more chaotic, irrespective of continent, it felt like a world gently remade in bloom.

But that had come from fundamental changes that were driven by climate change. Towns, even cities just wiped out, left behind. Refugee camps and inland relocation, the building of new, sustainable cities and a step change that demanded adaptation, not resistance. The old world still there in old cottages and houses, roads and telephone wires, yet increasingly looking like something from the medieval ages in contrast to the new, shiny places that had replaced it beyond. In the UK, a marked shift, but in America, entire swathes had turned to dustbowl, and migration north towards Canada,

If this felt heavy, then that was because it was. Conflict, war, resource stress, famine, squalor, all of them rippled worse around the world, but in a way, the very alteration of the coast, even mentality, reflected a shift. This wasn't like living in the end times, it felt like someone had blitzed the end times, put plaster to the wall and made it here alive, but bloodied.

"Maybe. But the work's not done. There's whole ecosystems that got mined to bits when people went crazy over lithium, then PFAS, now what we do with all the rare earth minerals. We barely got out of that one back in Oz. Underground circuits inland, using old Formula cars and early AG ships still race in the mines. Not like you can fill in a twenty kilometre sized hole." Harrison added, looking on at the track and the growing greenery that was emerging in this mega-forest for such a small island.

"Nora was in that, right?"

"She was. No idea how she got out of it alive though....less we say on that the better." Harrison replied, knowing a little more than Jen would, knowing the reputation of that particular league. It mad Mad Max look like a documentary in places....voluntarily living in the middle of a 50C desert when there was a sustainable mega-city in Melbourne, that was brave.

"Yeah....anyway, what were you getting at earlier?" Jen asked, Harrison shrugging, trying to regain his chain of thought.

"I guess, people always get greedy. If you gave people 50 years ago what we had, they'd think we were from another planet. So many people across the world, environmentalists, indigenous groups, shit, even just the scientists who put time into projects like this forest, there's so much more left to go. It's why I'm so vocal. We got Universal Basics with a chance to fix our world with the dividend of all the technology we had, all to spend it on....well, pretending it doesn't exist. And yet we're in a position to say something, call it out and do something, so we may as well. Look at how things work out when we work together, rather than burying it. I guess I'm less interested in being transhuman than I am being in this world." Harrison added, sighing as he leaned against the tree, the distant stag looking up through the woods, absolutely still, giving him a moment to turn his head to Jen, as they both looked on.

"Blimey, that's melodramatic of that stag. Sorry....just taking it in." Jen chuckled, as the stag bolted, running through the forest, the two walking down through another newly cut track, back down to where they'd left their cars.

"Yeah....your forests aren't full of stuff wanting to kill us. That deer is a beautiful creature. Sorry, I guess it's just, I've met kids that just want to be something else, immersed in a digital world rather than remembering how close we came to wiping this all out. Rather than taking that in for real. They want to become one with the machine and all, they look at us as role models, and I mean....what we say and do has a lot of impact. We're biophilic creatures and we don't belong in concrete. Bloody hell, that's why every building has a bit of green in it so we can at least put that in our monkey brains. This world's everything we made, with the warts it has....but I think we'll enjoy putting it right. Once in a generation chance to do that. So that's why I guess I'm so keen to set that exaple. Use the platform we have to do some good for others." Harrison asked, Jen shrugging her shoulders, chuckling.

"This is getting way, way too deep. I thought I did some good by helping out on a moorland conservation project on the North York Moors....never really thought of it that way. Role models and all that. Guess it's sort of true. Though I guess, I'm just enjoying being in the sport. Given all the shit going on right now." Jen replied, Harrison's nod an affirming one, almost as if to take the heat out of the conversation.

"Whatever you can give is enough, don't sweat it. Shall we get back?"

"You gonna hug a tree on the way back?"

"Well, I think we're a bit past that....pick one for yourself." Harrison chuckled in return, and with it, the two headed back down the hill, and out of what was compartively a very different landscape.

"This was good as an escape. I mean, just all this shit with Fitzroy at the moment....I still can't believe it." Jen added, Harrison feeling for her. This was a messy stuff, and Jen certainly looked tense. More than she was letting on.

"Glad to hear you're staying. Did you meet the new owners?" The Aussie asked, Jen nodding in turn.

"They're alright. Nice bunch, dipping their toes in before they make big changes. Everyone wants a Formula AG team, but nobody realises you need to retain and hire a crew of barely functional, overworked, stressed out engineers that in this day and age, finding is like trying to prise blood from a stone. And that's just the engineering teams....mechanics, designers, everything else. Needs a real drive to make it happen!" Jenny chuckled, Harrison knowing the feeling all too well.

The team were a chaotic bunch, but well, functioned under the intense stress of build, crash, repair, repeat when it came to races.

"Yeah, that sounds about right. I mean, and how about you? I mean, you must have been stressed about it? And is Henry on the hook?"

"Well, it's impossible to know. I mean, between us? It's been shit. And I have to admit, I'd like something faster, the team try their heart out but are never going to go any further doing what they're doing. Going toe to toe in a ship that's awful is tough. And I mean, I know I can do more. Just need the team to prove it. Prove this isn't a fluke while I watch others get promoted from the junior category taking any chances I can." Jenny simply uttered, her own confidence coming back after Monaco, blowing it up plenty, but she knew as well as anyone- keeping her stock high was critical. Nobody talked about Kovalenko, or Waldgard because they weren't any good in poor ships. Even if they had a moment of brilliance, it would be fanned out by just about everything around it.

Harrison's eyebrows raised, thinking on it, the answer obvious to the British racer's issue.

"How about Valkyrie? Isn't Dorian retiring? The hype says you're in line, I thought, plus with your performances this year?"

"Hype is hype, they have their own junior programme, Anna and Scarlett are both really good in those. Ben Hale is screaming for a seat, and Wedge is also tipped for a move, especially when they're on the up. It's all paddock rumours. You know how it is, great pilots get stuck at bad teams and bad pilots stay at good. And everyone gets crushed by Amy."

"Yeah, they happen. They said I was moving to Zygon last year. Can you imagine?" The two chuckled, walking down, nearly out of the woods, metaphorically.

"We'll see what happens. I mean, SuperCat, MMR, hell, even Silver Apex at the rate Jamie is burning up have slots. People move, change, personal preferences, promises get made. I haven't decided yet but I'll think my options over. Plus whatever new management do." Jenny replied, as Harrison chuckled.

"I mean, I have to admit, that Silver Apex spot, it's a clownshow....it would be fun to see someone change that narrative. But it would suck to see you get burnt out. Way Jamie is going, I don't know if any team will take him...." Harrison shrugged, knowing that as bad as the Southern Cross ship was, as horrifically difficult it could be, in the right hands, it was absolutely lightening. Light, almost a bit too much so, but it felt like it was made of glass, not of something requiring weighing down.

"Why don't you do it for a laugh?" Jen replied as Harrison chuckled, shaking his head.

"I think Amy would kill me first."

---

CULTURE SHOCK///FIRESTARTER///TAKEOVER

Soundtrack: The Prodigy - Firestarter



The bars gently widen.

London. The beating heart, and the skyscrapers and the greenery fading into dark. The drizzly night no stop for the affair in play, and after midnight, the city for Delta Hyper, just became a playground.

And people moving. Electric motocross bikes popping wheelies in the night, spraying water, AG ships and older customs on the road, right outside at the Embankment.

People are up. It’s because this isn’t like most other places. This isn’t the clean, pristine image of anything that London projects, it’s the grime, the underground, the punk.

This is outlaw, this is rebel, but most of all, this is passion, and Formula AG have taken over a little bit. A projector up against the London Eye, the Shard, a drone swarm down the Thames augmented by a serious AR display, that of ships rushing past, displaying to nobody at all at this ungodly hour, but most likely, to you viewer, making one hell of a show.

And as a BMX leaps up onto a rail, a gravboard following behind and leaping off before barely avoiding getting caught in the Thames before the performer bounds back up via a drone, this is a bit of showing off. Because drifting through the middle of the city up Northumberland Avenue and into Trafalgar Square, and followed by car after car, bike after bike, AG craft after AG craft this is rebel culture, and it’s headed only one way. In amidst it, a drifting Silver Apex ship followed by a Carrera one, not pouring smoke, but screaming ELS like they were trying to wake everyone up, the drones weaving and following.

This is an armada, a whole bottle of crazy. And in this older part of the city, still showing marks from floodwater, it feels like a tidal wave of its own.

The scene cuts, jaggers on the gigantic holographic display at Piccadilly Circus as the smoke kicks up through the long hairpin, transitioning clean.



It’s an empty, abandoned warehouse, the darkness lit up with creaking crickets and a bit of moonlight through a panel in the roof.

Any town, anywhere in the UK. Probably near a motorway, probably set up on a local net that went wild.

And snap frame.

And it is full of people.



Soundtrack: The Future Sound of London- Papua New Guinea

Lights, drones, action. And bass that seems to want to rip your ears off, climbs into your chest and rattles your ribs, cramps your diaphragm. It doesn't wobble, it seems to move the earth, melt your mind.

It’s the sound of 2-step, garage, house, trance, drum and bass, dubstep, future bass, but more than that, it’s…..

The sound of the 90s. It seems almost strange that it retains the sound of the future, but in the future, it may as well still sound like it came from Mars of all places. It feels like the screaming call of the tropical rainforest, blended with the industrial fit of a world staring into post-history, posthumanist, utopian change. It feels unsettling, almost inhuman. And yet, rather fitting in that very world.

This is where Formula AG’s beating heart comes from. It’s the rave. And if The Future Sound of London hasn’t gotten into your head and utterly rattled in, then well….none of this makes sense.

But it’s a feeling of the underground, the punk, the counter-culture. Britain may be a land of tradition but this is a place where it feels like it waves a middle finger at it, at every occasion. Not through petrol bombs, but through performance. Through merely outcreating, and going against the tide.

A feeling of being on the motorway and pirate radio stations, going from rave to rave, interspersed talks, even in 2094, this is still alive. They said it was dead. But it was still kicking. So long as people were jilted, bored and left to their own devices, this is the feeling of being in the future. And music that happens to perfectly fit.

It’s chaos, it’s deafening, and complex in holographic displays when you’re in the midst of it, watching it through. But over far too soon in what is a haze and with a snap frame, back to reality. Because this isn’t Formula AG…..but it may as well bleed into it.

And contrasted in a cutting change to Silver Apex’s ship, sitting on a rack, empty. Dissolving into wireframe, and breaking into all constituent components, bolts, subframes, generators, everything dissolving into a broken up, immersed, almost exploded out view. And in the midst of it as it splinters, Amy, her own self breaking open, arms, organs, leaving nothing but a face, numbers, code, digitalism and everything following, yet her blink to camera cutting back to the warehouse empty.

And as the last people leave, as the light breaks. The sun barely rising over a rainy horizon, people asleep in the back seats of a humming AG-set car, the forest breaking to reveal a rain-soaked race Silverstone through the wipers at the front.

The afterglow, voices murmuring, mostly sounding exhausted, tired, but partied out.

Maybe the crews of Delta had gone with their fun in Monaco, Japan, and elsewhere, but here, this was what it was truly about. Even if it was a little too orchestrated, and perhaps a little too on the nose, for those in the know, this was a homage to a little something that maybe AG racing owed its heart, that Wipeout-inspired tangent where it all came home.

---

RACING GREEN////CLASSICS////ATMOSPHERE

The dawn chorus of birds chirping away was interrupted by drizzle, and the hyper-modern, glass fronted pits getting pittered with rain, the stands empty with a raven cawing at Silverstone. Well, apart from the movement of personnel, a murmur that carries on the dead, drizzly air.

The party’s hangover is never that fun to run through, because Britain even in summer, can be gloomy when it decides to drizzle and be overcast.

This is not exactly where modern motorsport may have its glamour, but, it is a place where it comes back. The legends, the feeling of almost a century and a half of history in hallowed ground. And yet, it’s quiet, almost ambient. An opposite to the buzz experienced by anyone watching. This is feeling by now, more like a short film, this entire intro about 10 minutes long in length. Which is unusual, given it seems to usually be a few, yet perhaps there’s a feeling this one has something a little more to it.

The cold, rainy outside cuts away as one by one, Amy, Kais, Han, Paul, Dorian, Nora, Jenny and last of all, Bea in a flashy cut, enter into the garage as it opens on the roller shutter, the illusion almost looking like they’re in the same place, before sticking on the last of those characters. The car, or the ship seems to metamorphosize from old to new in wireframe and then built up quality, from the nose to the chassis, the tyres to the sidepods and rear wings, before sticking completely to a black Mercedes AMG F1 W20 EQ Performance from 2020, so as to give its full name, that of Hamilton’s last title-winning, dominant car from the era, sitting there in carbon and composite glory. Aurora stands by Bea’s side, looking across with a certain smirk on her face.
“So when you were invited to give a classic F1 car a go, what was your first thought?”

”YES!” Bea cheered at the top of her lungs, forcing Delta Hyper’s editor to perform some post-processing sorcery on the audio to level it out. ”Except not out loud, we were at a café.” She briefly returned to a normal speaking voice - for her, anyway - before pitching back up in excitement, ”And then came the options!”
As she spoke, an observant viewer would note that she had a visibly hard time paying attention to Aurora, her gaze wandering over to the piece of motorsport history she was being entrusted with every few seconds.

Aurora’s chuckle came with a respondent nod, looking across at the car, a far cry in technology now to what AG ships came with.
“Excited then?” Aurora chuckled, looking into the cockpit, then back at Bea.
“Well, no neural link with this car, plenty less aerodynamics than you’re used to, and over 1,000 horses of pure mechanical and electrical power with nothing more than your wits to keep it on the tarmac. So, fancy taking it for a spin for us?” Aurora asked, knowing that question, even scripted, wouldn’t get a second split thought.

Bea stopped just short of asking ‘Does the Thames stink?’ in response, simply nodding. Goal number one: Don’t bin it. There was a second goal, as she remembered Ava’s words from earlier that week:

”50 Pesos they’ll have to hoist you out of it at the end.”

Not do that. In addition to less aero and no neural link, other things that were understandably missing were power steering and G-force dampers. But it would’ve been a crime to add.

The screen split somewhat, breaking as other pilots clambered into their various Formula cars, from the iconic livery of the 2049 Red Bull whose canopy was raised, and felt minimal inside, to the comparatively ancient 80s Renault that Dorian clambered into, the smell of fuel absolutely honking inside it, contrasted with Han’s incredibly elegant Hyundai that felt like that Red Bull but with even more aero slats and controls on it, and a light neural interface. The 2025 Mclaren of Piastri with adapted throttle for Nora, the 2057 Porsche for Kais, a beautifully glossy grey, red and ochre, the 2065 Audi that Jenny clambered into, and the 1975 Ferrari driven by Paul that made Bea’s Merc look comparatively new. With all of them, they went to turn the engine, and a roar sounded like it was almost in technicolour.

“Radio check, Bea.” The camera came back in to Bea’s face, and the rain outside didn’t seem to stop.

”Bet you I can pass down the inside of Copse with this beast.” She snickered as the not-silver ‘silver arrow’ slowly crept up to its grid slot, doing burnouts along the way to get some last-minute heat into the rear tires. This was the first time in forever that tire temperature was a concern, and Bea was grateful she could use an anachronistic 2070s helmet with a HUD that allowed her to monitor everything she needed without taking her eyes off the track.
”Please don’t.” Alistair’s eye roll was practically audible, ”Regretting not picking something with a canopy?”
”What’s a little rain compared to driving this beast?” She shook her head as the nanite coating kept clearing the raindrops off her visor.
”At least you won’t mistake sweat for rain like some others.” The historic cars were bringing out the historic jokes.

In another garage next door, Aurora walked over right as the Mercedes left its own, the sight of Paul gearing up, and the 1975 Ferrari being looked after as almost a priceless, beyond valuable car. An over 100 year old car, but the flat 12 in it roared, and backfired, making ear protection an absolute necessity.
“Paul, this looks incredible! What a car, and how are you feeling?”

Paul was excited about driving Lauda’s legendary car. He had been looking for this ever since he had been given options to choose from. He knew he was driving one of the oldest cars in this exhibition but the history that stemmed from what Lauda accomplished in this season set the tone for championships to come. Paul was wearing a replica of Lauda’s racing suit. The suit had all the modern safety features but had the red coloring with the white trim in areas to mimic Lauda’s suit. Team Valkyrie had cleverly substituted retro logos of Team Valkyrie sponsors to replace Lauda’s original sponsor logos on the suit and helmet. His helmet included special ear protection since the unmuffled roar of the mighty engine was strong enough to cause permanent hearing loss when subjected to it over time. He was standing next to the sleek red chassis Ferrari. The front wing and the tower behind the cockpit were white with a green red stripe at the top of the tower. Paul had his helmet under his arm as he talked to Aurora so hear her. He already had on the fireproof balaclava that went under the helmet. He smiled at Aurora, his smile full of genuine awe and excitement.

Paul: “Well Aurora, I am honored to be chosen to be a part of this event. I am humbled to be able to drive one of Lauda’s 1975 Ferraris. Lauda’s contributions to Formula One set the tone for years to come. He pushed innovations and records. He was a highly decorated and skilled driver and engineer. This may be the oldest car on the track today but it has to be one of the most important in Formula racing history.”

Paul smiled as he waited to see if Aurora had any other questions. He was itching to dive into the cockpit but he could wait a few minutes more. Paul saw that Aurora was done and was waiting to film him getting in the car. He pulled on the helmet and plugged in the communications cords and data jacks that would monitor his vitals and the car’s performance. He would not have access to his neural link for this. Paul was excited to test his skills without all the enhancements from modern technology and cybernetics. Paul climbed over into the sleek car that sat low to the ground. His long legs stretched out to find the pedals. He strapped on the safety harness as one of his engineers tested the straps for security. He was then handed the removable steering wheel. He quickly attached and tested it to make sure it was attached appropriately. Paul actually had to train on the early and now archaic safety features of the car in order to drive it. They had drilled him on the way to get out quickly in case he crashed. The car was priceless though. It would be a true tragedy if he wrecked it.

“Definitely, and this car went up against James Hunt, a real showboating figure from the 1970s. And here I thought Bea was driving something with little support! It must feel strange, in something so raw, something so powerful. How does it feel, to be sitting in a car, with such a basic arrangement? No traction control, manual gears, virtually no aerodynamics, this must be quite a different feeling to your own ship?” Aurora asked, letting him do his thing, getting setup and ready, getting a response in before leaving.

Paul gave Aurora a big smile as he sat in the cockpit of the storied Ferrari. “Well I love classic cars but this will be the first time I have driven something this powerful without the additional safety equipment. Aurora contrary to popular belief this car has excellent aerodynamics! It will be very different from flying my ship since this vehicle relies on traction with the ground through wheels. I am up for the challenge and looking forward to the experience. Ask me again after I cross the finish line. See you there Aurora!” Paul waved at her as his team began to push the car towards the warm up area.

The Ferrari was pushed onto the track just like it would have been during Lauda’s time. Paul had the biggest dopiest grin on his face as he started up the car. The engine roared to life with a deep growl and a backfire. Evidently it had been some time since the car had been started. It quickly cleared out any dust in the lines and injectors. Paul could feel the power of the car as he sat in the seat with the engine causing the whole chassis to vibrate. It was a unique feeling compared to the ship he usually piloted. His look became one of awe and respect. He motioned the crew out of the way as he hit the accelerator causing the tires to burn rubber warming them up slightly. Paul took the car out onto the track to warm up the tires. He kept the speed lower as wove back and forth as he made his way around and then back into pit lane. He kept his foot on the gas and his hands on the shifter as he was once again in place at the starting line of the pit lane. He was waiting for the race to start. Paul ignored the rain coming down even as it fell into his open cockpit. His race suit was fireproof and waterproof. He looked over at Bea in the lane next to him with a grin. “See you at the finish line!”

The roar of the V6 hybrid Bea was piloting was muted compared to the other sound of the other cars on track, the three-cylinder roar of the Red Bull that peeled through Luffield piloted by Amy, and then the deep shrill of the Ferrari's 12 cylinders. Slower, sure, but of different eras, and to watch them alongside was nearly a 70 year difference, yet Han’s Hyundai was nearly a full 100. And that was just up to 20 years prior to the ships that now raced! The water spraying off the wing and the mirror-like sheen of the glass canopy and Paul’s own teeny windshield reflecting races before, from the very first F1 race at Silverstone, the glory days of the 60s and 70s, Graham Hill, Stirling Moss, Mansell, Coulthard, Hamilton, Norris, and Starcross, the shot for shot matching her getting a rapture of cheers as she peeled through Copse, the sight of Han’s Hyundai going wheel to wheel with Amy's Red Bull through Becketts and Chapel, the spray dying back as the morning slowly faded away and the sun burnt the water on track away.



A sight to see, because the camera panned through, and bit by bit, the crowds slowly taking their seats, the festival-like atmosphere of the infield filling with people, onto the modernised stands in one area and the more gleaming new VIP stands above the pits that showed the contrast off at its finest. This was racing on show, both the ultra-rich, and yet, the pure, absolute spirit of this at once. Because this was literally a slideshow in motion of the history of F1, and the fans were going absolutely ballistic. This wasn’t the polite, hyper-luxury of Monaco’s parties and fancy balls, this was a feeling that motorsport had come home (even if the football still hadn’t by 2094, amazingly). This was beer and cider drinking, team-wear branded, history-knowing, Formula and AG racing fanatics alike in force. And the noise collectively, the transition from the rainy morning into the sunny mid-day felt as abrupt as the British weather itself could be. Bipolar, and well, perhaps personified in that cut.

Paul waited for the race lights to signal his timed start. He could feel the history at Silverstone. Racing was in the very stones that made up the track and stands. He could feel the presence and energy of all the great races of the past that were represented in the cars for this demonstration race. It was a great tribute to Formula Ag’s roots and Formula One racing. Paul’s smile got even bigger as he began his timed laps. He punched the accelerator and shot out of pit lane. He whooped with joy as the deep throaty rumble of the large engine responded to his demands. He was quickly taking a good racing line as he did his best to eke out every ounce of speed he could and keep firm control of the powerful car. Paul’s reflexes and experience driving classic cars showed through here. He was pulling out lap times you would expect from an experienced racer from Lauda’s time. Paul knew that the top speed for Lauda’s Ferrri was 180 miles per hour or 290 kilometers per hour. He pushed the car but not hard enough to worry the engineers that he would overheat the engine. The racing tires made for the rain made a huge difference as the car managed not to hydroplane on the track. The car threw up a rooster tail of mist and rain behind it as it passed by. The deep noise from the Ferrari’s engine seemed to drown out everything around him. He laughed as Han passed him in the Hyundai followed by Bea.

The circuit was broadly the same for the classic cars, but for AG ships came with a massive MAG bank at Stowe that created an inverted, cambered hairpin that then spat back into Vale, literally like pulling a cuban eight that showed off in a magnificent fashion just how sticky the AG ships were there, and made for the bravest overtaking zone. Not that anyone insane enough in an F1 car would test the theory of the car sticking to the metal that much even inverted, so a right turn it was....

And in that Mercedes, approaching Dorian’s yellow and black liveried Renault, that frankly screamed in comparison and stank of fuel, it must have been a sight to behold as the lone Mercedes was joined by a whole set of Formula cars through the ages, right towards Stowe.

[color=fff200] Paul was all smiles as his adrenaline junkie fueled dreams were coming true as he put Lauda’s car through its paces. He was having the time of his life as he sent the Ferrari screaming down the straight way clocking in at l70mph. He managed to brake and smoothly come through the chicane at the end of the straight. He smiled as he was passed by Kais in the 2065 Audi as he passed him in a corner. Kais was driving a much more modern and faster car. Paul just grinned knowing he made Kais work to pass him in that corner. It didn’t take away from his joy in driving Lauda’s Ferrari. There was something exhilarating about driving the car. That sense of power that came from having his whole body vibrating with the tune of the motor as it growled and responded to his every command. He was riding an almost euphoric high as he came out of the corner and hit the accelerator using the shifter to quickly change gears and pick up speed.

Bea had been uncharacteristically silent throughout the exhibition drive, getting updates but not responding beyond a double tap of the push-to-talk button. Later she’d joke that she’d been too focused on not dropping it to do much else besides driving, but that was a lie. Simply put, she was in awe. Silver spoon or not, there were still things money could not get easily. Then, as they were signaled to slow down and return into the pits, she eased up on the throttle, letting the others pass and drove one-handed, waving to any manned grandstands as she went by.

Until Stowe.

With no one behind her, she slowed the car down to a crawl, creeping up to the apex, in view of the spectator areas on the outside of that last corner before pit entry…

…and floored the throttle in first gear at full steering lock, sending the car into a dozen donuts before coming to a stop facing the wrong way, flicking the car around and pulling in in an orderly manner.

FIAR and/or the owners of the car were almost guaranteed to complain and the rear tires were definitely dead, but they could bill her and see if she cared. All throughout the pitlane until the car was stopped and put on dollies, the audio recording and anyone standing near the car would catch a long, gleeful laugh and just before the driver camera mounted at the base of the halo cut out, it would catch her raising the visor and wiping away a few tears of unashamed, childish joy.

Smoke pouring, as the crowd came to roar, a little act of defiance definitely not in the plan, but one that came back with history. Another British driver making her most out of Silverstone, and well, plenty more now being wheeled out again after a quick little exhibition. All of them, all at once, together, warmers taken back off the old 2020 Merc and a disappointed looking historical racing team that kept the Merc as a museum piece having their hearts skip a beat, but one older engineer beaming at Bea and caught on camera absolutely loving the sight of it.

This was the last little bit of the setup, and well, a sight to behold because it wasn’t just one, or the other, it was all of them now coming together.

With the historic cars settling into the grid, the camera cut back into the roaring crowds, a Spitfire over the track on a gloriously sunny day, and a cut back to last year’s race. A tense one, because whilst modified even more than it was 70 years ago, with an expanded section past the Hangar Straight, this circuit being modified. And with all cars on the grid, there’s a certain look forward. Amy looking through the glass through her visor, back at the vintage look of Dorian’s old Renault, the older Ferrari Paul had, and back from that, Han’s 2070 spec Hyundai.

It was a Friday morning setup, and an intro filmed barely an hour before Practice in the AG ships would take place. But, no pilot with an invitation would miss this. No fan without a ticket either, would dare not come along.

Soundtrack: Fleetwood Mac- The Chain (F1 Intro Version)

The history. The wins, British drivers, foreigners making this green and pleasant land their track of choice, the fans, the masses of cult-like following, young and old, motorsport addicted fans who keep coming every year, in spite of good or bad in the world beyond. Reflected in the visors, showing all of it. Hamilton round the inside, Starcross taking five in a row and almost causing a track invasion, Florence continuing that trend albeit with three, and Amy repeating the same with a British winner, twice in a row.

Cutting to her sitting on Delta Hyper's sofa, suited up, silver and pale white pilot’s suit, her hair left undone, gloves in hand, helmet in spare, looking dead into the camera.
“Welcome to Great Britain. Silverstone. Our patch.” And almost as if an X-Ray of Amy blips, wireframe, blipping out, the Red Bull phasing into the AG ship of Silver Apex, parts, pieces, everything as if it just rendered from digital into real.

And the music seems to come into pitch. Like it just turns to 11, and with it, the camera cuts to Amy’s eye as the four lights come in.

Her breathing can be heard, the clutch and electrical whine of the now 45-year old F1 car can be heard, the camera beaming into her eyes, inverting into her perspective and looking out through the visor. And with it, one gentle pull as the lights go out, and suddenly, it is all cars and ships away, roaring into symphony, the noise cutting to the whine of an AG ship and the roar of many of them, from last year, coming back in.

This was history right here, right now.

And the song, well…of course it was The Chain by Fleetwood Mac. A bass chord that frankly aligned with the pulsing of a heart, and a riff that screamed like an engine. Because no matter how punk, outlandish, weird, and progressive things could be….would it be anything else? The scene cuts, and seamlessly, the crowd reaction roars.

---

DELTΔ HYPER

Episode Eight: The Chain

---

Delta Hyper: Live!

And what a crowd it was, a festival-like stage and setup in the midst of the circuit.

With practice over, the fans that had turned up for the exhibition at the start of the day hadn’t yet left. That was because nobody was leaving the environs of the circuit before they went back inside to the main stage, back to a festival that by now, almost eclipsed Glastonbury in terms of the pure insanity, vibes and presence. And as one of the biggest sports on the planet, well, the stars of the sport even eclipsed the filler that was an English rock band, a Kiwi drum and bass act, and an American rapper’s increasingly controversial songs blasting to a roaring crowd. That was because they had their own headline slot, and each team, and the one driver they elected had an opportunity to get up on stage. Delta Hyper had made sure of that, because between the showruns in the infield of classic cars, the straight up Forza Horizon level car meet that had spawned, the music and pure energy, they were here.

So, this was a bit of an interview with a difference. Aurora amped up the crowd, because what was a Silverstone tradition was back in full force, the crowd more like they were awaiting another musical act, let alone just seeing the pilot up on stage.

Of course, being the face of Delta Hyper and having a mic, with another, and a sofa right across from her meant only one thing.

“Silverstone, welcome back to Delta Hyper Live after our little intermission! How we doing?”

The crowd of course, deafened even her in-ear speaker and lightly augmented hearing, as she grinned, beaming with white teeth.

Soundtrack: Kasabian- Underdog

“I think you’re gonna like our next one, she’s exploded onto the scene and made you all fans of Carrera Condor, so get your hands up and show some love for Beatrice Ward!” Aurora yelled into the mic, and the crowd proceeded to go absolutely bonkers, the smoke and the rainbow coloured blast of smoke, lasers, and AR-fuelled show basically a total sensory overload for literally anyone, because if there was ever a moment to become a rockstar in this sport, it would be right here, right now. To the theme of Underdog by Kasabian? Rather fitting, perhaps…

Bea emerged from the drivers’ staging area with a wave, a broad grin and a duffel bag slung across her shoulder, filled to the brim with both CC drivers’ signed merch - hats, beanies, the condor plushies the team launched in Italy and t-shirts and hoodies tightly wrapped so they’d fly well - and throwing it over the fence into the crowd as she went. This one she did actually clear with the event organizers first, no point testing the ice too harshly. Ascending to the stage, she ditched the now-empty bag out of sight behind the sofa and took the offered microphone, turning back to the crowd. ”Thank you!” She waited for the cheering to die down a little before continuing, ”I expected the crowd to be amazing here, but you have really outdone yourselves.”

Aurora beamed as the crowd reacted in turn, the floor nearly shaking with the cheering.

“Wow, what a reaction, and they are loving you! Have you got any words for your home crowd?” Aurora asked Bea, the crowd still absolutely buzzing.

Bea took a breath to speak, getting stuck wheel spinning for a second or two. ”Honestly, I’m a little bit speechless. I had something prepared since Tuesday, but… could someone go check Stowe, I think I left it there somewhere. It might’ve fallen out because of the g-force. She pointed in the corner’s direction to buy herself a moment to think of something.
I suppose a thank you is in order for showing up early and in force. I may have been here twice before in the junior series, but this does hit different - I may look calm but that’s not true, I’m just good at hiding the panic - and seeing all of this and knowing that you might have made someone’s day even just a bit better, that’s fuel for the soul. And a special thank you to that group of six or seven blokes I passed during the drive here waving an Argentinian flag, for giving me a chance.
The home crowd is always a different beast, even if the track might disagree with your intentions. I can’t promise you much, folks, except that it will be better than Monaco.”

Aurora smirked, the Irish presenter of Delta Hyper recognising the absolute hype that came with it. The expectations were on, and no doubt, the crowd was just loving the energy that came with the Carrera Condor racer.
“Big words Bea, and I can only imagine plenty of fans will be loving your adventures to come, as we have with you and the whole Delta Hyper cast so far! Do you think you’ll do a little better than Monaco here then, and show us a bit of as they say, hashtag Rally Brave?” Aurora teased, catching Bea certainly there with a throwback as the crowd, on that note predictably whooped.

She let out a hearty chuckle at the last bit. ”’Slow and steady wins the race’ was invented by boring people.
I think we’ve learned a lot as a team and I as a driver compared to Auckland - it being a similar track - and the ship has also come quite far, plus overtaking is easier here than Monaco and runoffs are- well, are a thing, full stop, so a small mistake isn’t the end of the race. Even though Silverstone demands a balanced ship, we can lean more on the things we’re good at here without suffering as much from our shortcomings.
So yep, I’m feeling good about this weekend.” She looked around, ”Aaaand no wood to knock on in sight.”

Aurora giggled in reply, the crowd laughing along to Bea’s classy sarcasm, the break letting the Irish interviewer jump back in.
“Bringing on the progress, and well, you’ve certainly caught the noise of the crowd. Bea Ward, thank you for coming on, and one last time Silverstone, let’s make some noise for MadBea!” Aurora yelled into the mic as the screaming came back, Aurora looking to Bea and letting her do her own thing, one last time on this stage as if to say “savour this”, as if to suggest that this was the one time, even compared to America or the AG-mad fans of New Zealand and Australia, to really, really take this in. This was what being a celebrity was all about, and well, exit stage right she would be pointed to because there were others to follow.

---

Following Bea’s interview, Aurora interviewed Jenny, who was up on stage, for what many now believed to be her last time in Fitzroy Orbital gear, but given her performances, almost certainly staying on the grid for years to come, popping out to a more modern swing on a 1990s track.

Soundtrack: Foals- The Runner

Summer in the UK? Yeah, it just sort of felt right, because for an island where it often poured with rain, on a cloudless Friday afternoon, it was perfection. Life was simple. Even though the plastic cups were replaced with biocomposite, RFID enabled tags to recycle them and the cider was churned out of lab-grown composite that basically tasted like Strongbow (ie not good), the atmosphere was good.

“It’s really been awesome, getting that point and showing what I can do in the Fitzroy ship. And yes, there are rumours…but stay tuned as there’s plenty more on the horizon, this isn’t a last goodbye!” Jenny called out, smiling and getting plenty of cheers for it, herself this season becoming a bit of an underdog like Bea had been, and their friendship certainly showed that.

That was swiftly followed by Astrid, who took to the stage, and inevitably had to answer the question on everyone’s mind, coming in to an absolutely slapping track by Nia Archives.

Soundtrack: Nia Archives - Baianá (camoufly Edit)

“Well, the yacht was close, so I went and had a drink, some might say it lacks commitment but….I was bored, and I mean, what was I gonna do, not enjoy the sunshine?” Astrid replied, the crowd screaming in what could only be described as peak 39p energy drink mindset and sustainable gin energy.

Soundtrack: Irah and Chase and Status- Gunfinger

Kofi frankly countered that vibe, getting his own entry with some classic Chase and Status. He might have been a lovely guy on the surface, but he always leaned into that vibe, always keeping a little fire inside him. He always got a cheer, maybe not the loudest, but he was always well received.

“Well, we got a point. We’re not doing too badly. And I have all you lovely, beautiful, amazing, rockstars too!” The crowd swooned frankly for Kofi, his grin wide like a cheshire cat, which the crowd adored.

Soundtrack: ODESZA - Loyal

Max’s intro was bombastic, set to Loyal by Odesza, hands in air, thinking he was definitely bigger than Oasis on stage, but well, the MMR fans loved it and he certainly embraced it as the points came in this season. There was no doubt about it, the MMR branding getting thrown into the stage, and the American feeding off the energy. There was no doubt, he could do festival crowds, something about it just screamed labrador energy that he could return.

“Yeah, absolutely love it here, so so much. I mean, wow, what an intro that was to it, and even as a Yank as you guys say, I’m looking forward to it already!”

---

Han, Paul, Nora and Kais were watching in the green room, huddled close in a sweaty, humid and hot room without air conditioning. The door opened, as one of the roadies pointed at Paul, over the deafening roar beyond, Aurora's voice just about audible.

“Silverstone, I know you are loving our group so far, but shall we meet the son of a legend?” Aurora asked, knowing the audience was gassed to see the next, and well, it was an easy roller…

“All the way from Belgium, and fresh off a podium, make some noise for Valkyrie’s Paul Mulder!”

The crowd screamed, particularly those who were no doubt, seeing the hottest man in the sport since….maybe a young Dorian? Either way, they were going off for the new podium sitter, and this was a hell of a lot of people, probably close to ten thousand or so, flags and all. The music came in, and it was all kicking off.
Soundtrack: Imagine Dragons - Whatever It Takes

“Welcome on stage, Paul! Well, it’s been a turbulent ride with Valkyrie this season. In front of your adoring fans, some of whom are definitely a little more than adoring, what do you have to say about sticking through a rough patch and coming back to winning ways?”

The crowd screamed, and well, the stage was Paul’s.

Paul joined Aurora on stage waving to fans and the crowd as he made his way up to join her. Paul was in his race suit for the coming qualifying race at Silverstone. He was wearing the dark gray with the golden yellow trim of Team Valkyrie. He was all smiles and charismatic energy. A microphone drone was close enough to pick up his words. He had a confident look on his face even as he paused to think about his answer before replying.

“Hello Aurora, It is always a pleasure to speak with you.”

He turned to the fans in the stands at Silverstone and waved.

“Hello Silverstone! Is everyone having a good time! It is so good to be here with you all!”

He waited for the crowd to roar and cheer out as he greeted them.

“Well Aurora, Team Valkyrie might have had a tough start to the season but my mother taught me that you have to fight for what you believe in. You don’t give up when it gets hard. You fight harder. Anything worth doing well is worth all your effort. We have fought hard to make the changes necessary for long term growth. I believe that effort is beginning to pay off. I believe Alexander Knight was the right person for the job of taking Team Valkyrie to new heights. I trust him to lead me to a championship in the future. I expect to get more podiums in my rookie season thanks to him.”

He gave Aurora a confident smile as he waited to see what else she might like to know.

“Wow, a glowing review right there! We’ve all been watching as the team has pushed through difficult times, and well, it seems like you have all turned a corner. A question that often gets fielded though- some say that Valkyrie currently has two of the hottest drivers on the grid, how do you think that dynamic will change when Dorian leaves? The fans have definitely done the rounds on social media about that one!”

Paul actually blushed a little at the question. While he was used to having the media’s attention, he was still not used to them digging into his private life. He was not the type to be a horndog and use his fame to take advantage of those who found him attractive. His hand reached up and rubbed the back of his neck as a sheepish expression crossed his face as he was obviously embarrassed by the question and thinking of how to respond. He cleared his throat roughly and gave it his best.

“Well Aurora, I guess I should thank the fans who find me and my teammate attractive. Dorian certainly isn’t shy when it comes to his relationships. As to how that dynamic will change when Dorian leaves, I guess that depends on the fans.” He waved a hand out to indicate all the fans in the audience. “Who knows there might be new rookies next year that they find more attractive. We will just have to see what happens. After all it will be the fans to decide.” He shrugged as if it was beyond his power to predict which it was.

Aurora chuckled, smiling back and knowing that as difficult a question as it was, well, in front of a crowd that laughed and cheered along with it, that was a power all its own.
“Well, we will have to see! How has been working with Dorian been over the last few months? He’s someone who raced with your father, too; what have you gained from his approach to racing?”

Paul smiled as this question was much easier to answer. “Well Dorian was justifiably frustrated with setbacks within the team. He has been a supportive teammate. We have very different racing styles. I would say I have learned more from him about the business side of racing than actual racing skills. It has been nice to hear stories of my father from someone who knew him.” He gave a warm smile at that thought.

“Aww, it’s a wholesome turn of events, and he seems to be enjoying his last year in Formula AG with you. With his retirement this year, many are wondering, what comes next for Valkyrie? Would there be anyone you would love to partner with next year?” Aurora asked, the question baited, but of course, a little media training would help control. Unless, Paul really had any preferences….

Paul looked thoughtful before giving his answer. “I have no idea who Alexander Knight is looking at to replace Dorian as he retires. I honestly think he has been too busy fixing issues to focus on it much. I can say we have some promising talent in our Junior AG circuit that might be stepped up. As for me, I am content where I am. Team Valkyrie has been good to me. I don’t plan on going anywhere. Dorian might need something to keep him busy though Aurora. Do you need a costar?” Paul poked back at Aurora with a grin. Who knew maybe Dorian would like the idea.

Aurora chuckled, nodding with a grin, tilting her head.
“Well, he’d make a fine addition to Delta Hyper’s team! Let’s see what the future brings, and well, we are all excited to see what happens next.” Aurora started, turning back to the crowd, these short interviews a snippet into the drivers, this time in the flesh.

“On that note, Silverstone, please give it up for Paul Mulder everyone!”

Paul smiled and waved to the fans. “Thank you for having me Aurora.” He continued to wave to the fans as he left the stage.

---

“From the land of the pyramids, and lighting the track up with his meteoric overtakes, welcome on stage Kais Zenix!” The crowd was not as wild as perhaps they were for Bea or perhaps swooning like Paul, but Kais had his own die-hards in the crowd that were obsessed with the Meteor. Like a certain football club, it was painful to follow sometimes, but when he got it right, they adored it and felt so vindicated. And well, even though many anticipated Layla to be up, here, unexpectedly to some, was Kais Zenix, in possibly the highest profile interview he’d had. And considering that was versus a cafe in Monaco, the actual Moon, and on top of a mountain in Italy, this was perhaps something a little different.

“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?”

---

Aurora was certainly still keeping the energy going, certainly helped out by plenty of natural-based stimulants keeping her on her toes.
“For all you Zygon fans out there, please welcome Han Hyeon-Ae!” The cheers roared, the K-Pop in full blare, introducing Han to the crowd, the die-hard Zygon flags in the festival crowd waved high.
“Han, safe to say you’re the best racer in Korea, and with the upgrades this week that I heard about from a little bird, how are you feeling going into this weekend?

---

Soundtrack: Flume- Highest Building (Prospa Remix)

“Next up, the sensation taking Formula AG by storm, and even one of the worst crashes in recent years couldn’t stop her from being here today, give it up for Nitro, Nora, Kelly!”

The crowd screamed, Nora’s punkish vibe catching the crowd’s joy- because Nora was one of them, unlike a few of the others from esteemed backgrounds, Nora was the racer from an underground league, someone who fiddled with old cars like they did, and lived rough just likey had.

“Nora, what a season it has been for you, ups and downs! We’re still blown away you’ve come so back so fast, and I think the crowd will agree, it’s awesome to have you here! How are you feeling coming back to the title fight between you, Harrison and Amy for this season?”

---

Last but not least? Everyone’s favourite frenemy. And to some Royal Blood that sounded straight up villainous on walk out.

Soundtrack: Royal Blood- Typhoons

The boos were drowned out by of course, Silver Apex’s most adoring fans. British people, maybe that bias was still there if it hadn’t swung for Bea, Cassie or Jenny.
“Silverstone, how are we doing this evening!” Amy called out, almost sidestepping Aurora completely, putting her hands in the air.
“Love you all, and we are so freaking back!” Amy blew a kiss to the crowd, brushing her blonde hair to the side, crashing onto the couch.

“Making an entrance here are we Amy? Sounds like you’re back at your favourite event, looks like you answered my question I was about to ask!” Aurora called, Amy simply beaming a glow. This wasn’t some cold, detached, by the numbers racer. This was an alive, animated Amy, who was completely feeding on energy like solar power here from the crowd that had turned up.

“Absolutely, Aurora, it is amazing. So many amazing people, and yeah, we’re the home team. Of course we’re making a statement!” Amy yelled, chugging an arm in like she was pulling on the shackle of a steam train’s horn, to the roar of the crowd.
“Wow, and what a response! We have seen you fight with Nora and Harrison this season, is it fair to say you plan on giving us a show?” Aurora asked, as Amy simply pointed the mic at the screaming audience, shrugging her shoulders, grinning and simply giving a bow, almost bounding across the stage.
“Looks like I will! Nora and Harrison have been pushing me this season, Kais and Paul too but you know what I think…..I reckon I might have the crowd reaction, right, Silverstone?” Amy put hand to ear and mic out as the audience whooped, as she dropped the mic, grinning ear to ear, walking out on Aurora early and with a certain lack of care, waving and blowing a kiss to the festival masses, before walking out through the door at the back of the stage.

If Auckland felt like the new breed coming out and swinging, it felt like Silverstone was a chance to swing back.

---

La Chauffeur

Dorian shut the canopy, as Maxine Lomas clambered in, the French World Cup winning footballer geared up in a Valkyrie racing suit and helmet, more like she was off to fly with Chevaliers de la Ciel rather than on board with Dorian in the specialised ship. The captain of Les Bleues was a legend in her own right, perhaps a little bit like Dorian. She was joining him for a hotlap at Silverstone after practice, an unusual slot but Friday was jam-packed with activities- the Delta Hyper intro records in the morning and the exhibition showrun, the practice sessions, then the VIP work, the data delve and then the festival appearances later, before more data work, food and getting sleep. This was less of a sponsorship gig for Valkyrie's ends, but definitely one that would improve socials and optics. After all, a few more footballers had also turned up given the World Cup was on in a few weeks during the Season Break, and many leagues had finished, or were about to complete.

"Okay, ready! Hit it, Dorian!" She yelped, the Valkyrie team harnessing her in, thumb up to the seat in front as Dorian chuckled.
"My pleasure, just remember, gentle breathing through the first few corners, hold on tight!" Dorian replied.

And with it, the two-seater Valkyrie ship set off, trundling slow, but the energy packs and engine warming up. This wasn't like the old supercars that were taking celebrities around, this was a bit more....well, the real thing. An AG ship like this was one of the main selling points to VIPs after all- no point being bimbled around in something that wasn't really close to the real thing. This might not have been, but when the pit lane ended and Dorian put the throttle down, Maxine screamed.

To anyone that wasn't an AG pilot, this was like being on a rollercoaster except instead of being on wheels, it felt like being in a stunt plane at barely a meter off ground. It felt like every corner was just an insane throw, like a motorbike leaning in yet the G-forces suckering in and making it feel like the ship was being pulled in by an invisible force. Even with an anti-gravity generator in the ship, it was relentless in the corners on whoever was inside, it felt like being sucker punched, coming in and out of phase. While Dorian had been told that Maxine was fit and resilient, given she was one of the best female footballers on Earth right now, nothing prepared anyone for this. Remarkably football hadn't been hit by much in the way of augments, but then again, even if she had designer or consumer grade contents, right now she wouldn't find they would help at all.

The second lap and Maxine was still screaming because every corner would feel almost like certain death. It was acceleration that was like being fired from a gun, and through the corners, barely tapering off.

"Putain de merde!" A scream could be heard from the back as Copse came up and Dorian didn't even let off the throttle, the ship to him going pedestrian speeds relative to race day but to someone without a neural implant, going faster than they could even think humanly possible.

And with a pull into the pit lane at the end of Vale, after the adapted Stowe corner's MAG-driven coil like sequence, the ship's cooling immediately kicked in, as Maxine exhaled hard, Dorian aware she'd been shown what real speed looked like.
"You ok?"

"Wow, oh my God, that was incredible! Thank you so, so much!" Dorian heard in reply, grinning as while it was always a bit of a task with VIPs, well, Maxine was a national treasure. And this made so much reward from taking people like her out. Opening the canopy, the stairs came in as he pulled himself out of his harness and offered Maxine a hand down, somehow her guts not wanting to immediately spill like many passengers did, but instead hugging Dorian, smiling and posing for a photo, easily one of the moments of her life up until now to put on the socials. With Paul geared up, he had his own VIP to show around the track.

"Paul, find a passenger as big as a deal as Maxine, non?" Dorian chuckled, giving him a nudge as Maxine reached a hand out, helmet off, the red and blue haired 30-someting footballer, a defender by trade with tattoos across her neck and an air of absolute shithousery in her general vibe now she was actually more visible to camera. The kind of person who would be carrying drunk men out of a bar on her own, because despite the nice hair, was an absolute thug of a centre-back that led France's football team. Maxine was taller than Paul, and yet that experience had definitely reduced her a little bit.

"A pleasure to meet you, Paul, this is incredible! Thank you both for showing me around the garage!" Maxine yelled over the roaring sound of another two-seater ship going out, the whine converting into a full blown roar when it left the pit.

---

Late Shift

It had been a hell of a day.

For some pilots, they'd been up since early morning and had the constant backdrop of the festival at Silverstone, then practice where they were dialling in the ships.

One thing was for certain- Zygon had improved significantly, there was something about that ship that seemed to be on acid, and there were five teams that were easily in the fray. Some better than others, but the setups were looking optimised for a handful.

Ava sat inside Carrera Condor's pit bay looking through the telemetry, wrapped up in a very loose, almost shiny Wiphala tech hoodie and her legs on the table, glancing across the room at Bea and the other engineers on the holocall.
"Okay, that sorts that out. Thanks guys." With it, Ava peeled off the call, looking across to Bea, the discussion over the phone with the Buenos Aires-based backend engineering team that ran the simulations for each of the pilots preferences in aero, and ELS deployment sequences, and how it tied to their literal hardware in their neural link. It was more like tweaking personal preferences on a phone, but it was nice to have it set up exactly the way it was preferred.

"Mierda. This is a hell of a day. You must be exhausted?" Ava asked, knowing they were finally about done- after a day with a practice session, the festival engagement, VIP meet and greets, and everything else inbetween.
"Well, this is the life. Tomorrow tends to be easier. Fridays are always crazy. And Sundays? Well, if you put it on podium, you are getting hearing damage."

---

Alexander was so relieved that the team had done well at Monaco. The Team had needed that win to calm sponsor and government oversight fears after the indictment of the former CEO Peter Brendel and former head of human resources Bernard Maier. Team Valkyrie had been lambasted in the press for the charges of embezzlement and fraud that had been brought against the two men. Alexander had advocated for complete transparency with the public and cooperation with government and FIAR officials. It had not been a popular decision as the Board of Directors would rather have hidden the extent of Brendel’s crimes. Alexander felt that if they didn’t clear the air now with the public they would pay a bigger price later when the full truth came out. Alexander had taken Lipusv’s warning seriously. She had told him that the team was under scrutiny and that they needed a win. Alexander wanted to capitalize on the wins at Monaco to help alleviate sponsors and investors worries over the pending court case against Brendel.

Alexander was looking forward to his meeting with Katherine Dubois, the head of Team Valkyrie’s marketing department.

Katherine was led into his office by Mabel. The ladies took seats in chairs across from his desk. They both came with their datapads ready to work.

Mabel gave Alexander a smile.

Mabel: “I saw you made the news while in Monaco. I didn’t expect to see pictures of you tossing drunken assholes off a fancy yacht though. The press’ pictures of you and Lena together made me smile though.”

Katherine chuckled as she saw Alexander fidget uncomfortably in his seat.

Katherine smiled as she asked in a casual tone. “I have been asked by various press agencies to confirm your relationship with Lena. How would you like me to answer those inquiries?”

Alexander squirmed in his seat uncomfortable with how the two women had brought his personal life into a meeting about marketing for the team.

Alexander looked at Katherine with a frown. “What do you mean the press wants to know about my relationship with Lena. I introduced her as my date.”

Katherine couldn’t help a smirk at how adorable and protective Alexander sounded.

Mabel just chuckled and looked between Katherine and Alexander.

Katherine: “Alexander by taking Lena and introducing her as your date, it sends a different message about you. It humanizes you in a good way. It also projects that you are secure enough to date and that all the legal issues regarding the former CEO are not hampering you from doing your job. It sends a different kind of message about you to potential sponsors and fans. This is good for the team’s image and gives me another avenue of positive press to push out. I will coordinate with Lena of course. I will arrange for her to accompany you to any company events. So I can push out an official statement from the team?”

Alexander looked like a deer caught in headlights as he looked completely blindsided. He sat there with his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. He felt as if his mind had short circuited and it was buffering.

Mabel cackled with glee.

Mabel: “I think you broke him Katherine. I don’t think I have ever seen him this stumped for words before. He must really like Lena.”

Katherine smiled at Mabel’s rough but loving humor. She asked Alexander in a gentler tone.

Katherine: “Well Alexander, what are your feelings about Lena? Are you thinking about marriage?”

Alexander’s face was flaming red by now which suddenly paled. “God no! We just started dating! It’s too soon to talk marriage.”

Alexander was almost hyperventilating by this point. Mabel took pity on him and leaned over and patted him on the hand.

Mabel’s voice was caring but firm. “Alex! Take a deep breath. Come on, you can do it. In and out, nice and slow.”

Alexander automatically followed Mabel’s advice and words. The panic was finally leaving his face.

Mabel patted Alexander’s hand as she confided in Katherine. “I don’t think he is ready to discuss his relationship with Lena yet. He has some issues about marriage thanks to his ex-wife. He had a panic attack just thinking about marriage.”

Alexander glared at Mabel with a frown. “I didn’t have a panic attack thinking about marriage. We just started dating. If you must release anything, we are dating. We are NOT engaged. We have not discussed marriage. We are two grown adults enjoying each other’s company.”

Mabel winked at Katherine and continued to pat his hand comfortingly.

Katherine did her best to keep a straight face and dutifully jotted down a few notes repeating what Alexander had told her. “Two adults enjoying each other’s company. Dating, no talk of marriage. It is early in the relationship but it is exclusive.”

Alexander snatched his hand back from Mabel and waved a finger at her. “You… You… stay out of my dating life!”

Mabel’s eyes twinkled mischievously. “Alexander, I did nothing. Katherine was the one to inform you that the press had questions.”

Alexander sighed in frustration as both hands rubbed across his face. He knew she was right but he couldn’t help feeling like she knew something more. He sighed and got down to the reason he had asked for a meeting with Katherine.

Alexander: “The reason I wanted to see you was to discuss a marketing campaign idea that I had. I want to capitalize on the excitement and positive press from Dorian’s win at Monaco and Paul’s third place podium. I would like to set up a traveling Team Valkyrie fan meet across Europe. I want to highlight and honor Dorian’s career. It would drum up some new endorsement deals for him and remind people that while he is retiring this year, he is still winning. He has won in the past. I want to remind people of that. I would also like to add in some messaging about honoring our roots. We have this tribute happening at Silverstone with historic Formula One race cars. I want to see us honoring Team Valkyrie’s past by including a tribute to our racing roots. We have remnants of what was once Team Ferrari, Renault, and Red Bull as members of our Board of Directors. Let’s highlight those connections. I want Dorian’s career to be the primary highlight and that we expect him to go out a winner. But let’s remind the fans that racing is in our DNA here at Team Valkyrie.”

Katherine blinks at the sudden change of topic but is not surprised. Alexander rarely liked to talk about himself. He took privacy to new heights for such a public figure. Katherine had come to know him since he had come to the team. She liked and respected him. She took a deep breath and focused on what he was saying. Her face lit up with enthusiasm at the idea as she was processing what he was saying.

Katherine: “I Love this idea! This is a great way to reconnect with fans. We can highlight older ships and video clips. We could have our training simulation guys build a mock up ship that fans could fly in over virtual reality. We can reduce the feedback so that fans could experience what it is like to fly in our ships but not hurt anyone.” Katherine was typing like crazy as the ideas were firing.

Katherine: “What is my budget? I need to get my team together. Anything else?”

Mabel looked thoughtful and looked over at Alexander. “I saw that Paul did an interview with one of the junior AG pilots. Maybe have some of Team Valkyrie’s Junior AG pilots help out with the tour to help promote the next generation of Team Valkyrie pilots.”

Katherine looked over at Mabel with a glowing smile. “That is a great idea. Tying into the team’s past and the future. Showing we have a bright year ahead of us.”

Alexander looked thoughtful. “I like the idea. Tap Scarlett Collins for this project. I am considering her for Dorian’s seat. I need to know how well she handles the press and the public. As for a budget, I expect this to be a short campaign across Europe and using virtual technology to make the event accessible to more people around the world. I am going to okay $500,000.00 for this. Can you work up a plan with this budget and get it back to me by the end of tomorrow? I will need to run this past Leopold for approval due to the amount.”

Katherine nodded after she finished jotting down a few more items on her notepad.

Mabel looked at Katherine with a smile. “Email me what you need me to take care of or what information you need.”

Katherine gave Mabel and nod before excusing herself and taking off.

Alexander looked at Mabel with an affectionate smile.

Alexander: “Are you satisfied with your meddling now?”

Mabel just smiled at Alexander as she rose from her seat. “Yes. You confirmed you are dating again.” She left without another word to get started on this latest project.

---

Alexander spent the rest of his morning checking in with Wulfric on how the revised security protocols were coming along. He checked in with Leopold on the Board’s progress with the new transparent Team Policy for sponsorships and endorsements. They were already looking to hire a new CEO and were headhunting. The new policy was coming along but was not ready for revealing to the public. It was very different from their previous policies which were to hide all that information citing corporate privacy and team secrets. The board was not sold on Alexander’s idea of transparency about the team’s finances to the public. They were putting in place a system of checks and balances and third party auditors to keep the CEO, HR, and the Board of Directors accountable.

Alexander once more reached out to QCS Computer Systems. The warning that Kais had given him was still in the back of his mind. He still wanted to push forward with hiring new engineers and begin to build a whole new ship design. He had to scrap those plans for this season but he could plan for next year. He wanted new computer systems for the Team. He was not comfortable with having the same distributor as other teams. It made him worry about the security of their software and data. He was hoping to get a computer company as a sponsor to upgrade all their computer systems but especially the ones the racing team used. He certainly didn’t trust the current system that Brendel had backdoors into. He just had to get the Team past the bad press from the CEO. Then he could start moving forward with plans for new ships again and hiring more engineers to make that happen. The court case was taking longer than he thought it would but then Brendel and Maier had the money to hire top notch criminal attorneys as they fought for their freedom. Alexander had a hard time watching any of the news around the trial as he saw Brendel’s fake smug face as he declared his innocence. That he was being framed and slandered by Alexander. Brendel tried to make it sound like he was the victim. Alexander had almost put his fist through the television screen a few times when Brendel smirked into the camera. He felt taunted and worried that Brendel would find a way to weasel out of the charges.

Thursday 16/06 Formula AG Pilot GroupChat

Paul
Dorian and I are headed to the Pub Jen recommended The Fox Inn in Farthinghoe. Feel free to join us! Last night to relax before all the fun tomorrow! Come join us!
Dorian
As the boy wonder said, we have a reservation for 7pm. Come hang out with us!

---

Soundtrack: Coldplay - The Adventure of a lifetime

La Chauffeur

Paul was in his racing suit and preparing to take out his VIP when Dorian came back in with Maxine Lomas. Paul gave his teammate a genuine smile that hid his amusement as he watched the tough footballer regain her equilibrium as she climbed out of the AG ship. Paul and Dorian had been asked to accommodate a few hot lap VIPs at Silverstone. Alexander had launched a special Team Valkyrie victory tour through Europe and online using VR to capitalize on the team’s positive press after their win at Monaco. The fans were loving every minute of it. Scarlett Collins from Valkyrie’s Junior AG Team had been asked to help with that project. She had called Paul to tell him how excited she was. Scarlette was being introduced to Formula AG fans on a much larger platform than she was used to. She told him that Katherine’s team had taken some time to give her additional media training. Paul greeted Dorian warmly.

Paul waited politely for the ground crew to push in the stairs and for Dorian to pop the canopy and help Maxine down. He stood politely to one side holding his helmet as Dorian did the obligatory photo op with Maxine with the ship behind them.

Dorian walked towards Paul with a smile. He stepped forward and gave him a quick bro hug and a smile as Dorian pulled back nudging him.

Dorian chuckled as he asked: "Paul, find a passenger as big as a deal as Maxine, non?"

Paul laughed and blushed a little. “Nope. I think I got the VIP of a computer company. No one is as famous as your national treasure.”

Paul graciously smiled at the famous footballer and turned his attention to her.

Paul: “Did you enjoy yourself Maxine?”

Paul had a passing thought that they should add Maxine to the security roster. He bet going out for drinks with her would be an experience in itself.

Maxine: "A pleasure to meet you, Paul, this is incredible! Thank you both for showing me around the garage!" Maxine yelled over the roaring sound of another two-seater ship going out, the whine converting into a full blown roar when it left the pit.

Paul smiled and nodded to Maxine. “Our pleasure Maxine. I have to go check in with my VIP. Catch you later Dorian.”

Paul waved as he moved to the second tandem Formula AG trainer ship that Valkyrie had brought with the team with this very idea in mind. Paul went to the other ship that had ground crew around it. The stairs were set up and there was someone waiting for him in a racing suit with a helmet. The person had their back to him and he couldn’t tell whether it was a man or a woman. The person was short with a slight lanky build. Hairstyle was no longer an indicator of gender as both men and women wore their hair long and short. The person’s hair was cut into a sleek raven black bob with neon purple streaks in it that had some holographic and lighting effects woven into it. Paul’s thoughts drifted as he walked towards the VIP waiting for him.

Paul preferred to keep his hair natural. He just used a style that worked with his thick wavy hair. Paul was blessed with the kind of hair that always looked styled no matter how messy it was. He was grateful since he almost always was camera ready and he didn’t have time to fuss with a hair regime. His blonde hair looked golden in strong sunlight. He knew he was attractive but he tried not to let it go to his head. His mother had been serious when she told him she would have him chemically castrated if he got some poor girl pregnant because he was sowing his wild oats. She had driven the point home that he would not be cleared medically if he showed up with some STD. Even with modern medicine bacteria and viruses found a way to mutate and change. There was always some new STD on the horizon.

He had also been taught from a young age how people would try to manipulate and use him because of his heritage and wealth. Even with the extra training on how to deal with being in the public’s eye all his life, he had learned some painful lessons about that the hard way. He wondered if he would ever get over the trauma from his former relationships. He had thought he had found love and instead he had been blinded by hormone driven lust manipulated into believing the girl just wanted to love him. She had been carefully conning him into giving her access to his allowance. She had known that with his training and competition schedule that he didn’t have much time for romance. She had manipulated his feelings making him feel guilty for not spending time with her. She would get him to buy her extravagant apology gifts.

His best friend at the time had tried to warn him but Paul had lashed out at him. He had pushed him away telling him he was jealous of Paul. Paul regretted losing that friend later. His mother had confronted him with a dossier on his girlfriend. She had her investigated. It had been a humiliating and painful lesson as his mother showed him pictures of her with other wealthy men. Hanging all over them and kissing them. Then she had shown him the surveillance video from his apartment where she had let herself in using his code. She had wandered through the apartment and had placed some hidden cameras in the bedroom and living room. The time and date stamps were from the day before. Paul had been out of town at a race. She had told him she couldn’t come with him to the race. She normally begged to travel with him. That should have been his first clue. She had been hinting that she was preparing a special evening for them. Paul had felt gutted as he watched her placing the hidden cameras. Paul had felt so violated. After that experience he started seeing a therapist but he no longer trusted his feelings about people. It left him lonely and unable to really open up to other people. He kept his real feelings close to his vest. He didn’t really let his walls down for many people. He hid his feelings behind a happy relaxed attitude and front. Others would never realize how driven or how private he truly was.

Paul’s attention was brought back to the here and now as his VIP turned around to greet him as he approached. It was a petite elfin looking woman. She had a thin willowy build. Her features were delicate and her face was dominated by a pair of large blue eyes. Paul was stunned as she didn’t seem like that type that would seek the adrenaline rush of a trip around the track in an AG Ship. She looked really young as well. She looked like she was maybe 18. Paul managed not to frown as he worried if she could handle the physical stress of the g forces that would be exerted on her from the ship’s speed. Paul knew that the Team took safety seriously so she must have been cleared for the track. Paul stepped up and shook the hand she had extended with a gentle shake. One of Katherine’s marketing people did the introductions, Thomas Taylor who was in charge of public relations.

Thomas: “Hello Paul. Allow me to do the introductions. This is Miss Robyn McIntyre the founder and CEO Of Banshee Microsystems. Miss McIntyre has passed the physical but we would ask that you keep the g forces under 6 gees if possible. She has signed all the relevant waivers and disclaimers. She is good to go.”

Paul nodded as he listened carefully to what Thomas had to say. His eyes never strayed far from the face of Miss McIntyre who looked frustrated by Thomas’ words.

Robyn: “Now Thomas I signed the relevant documentation and I want a real experience in the ship.”

Paul frowned at her request. “Miss McIntyre, this is for your own safety. Pilots undergo training and augmentation that allows us to handle the g forces exuded by these ships. I am happy to give you a great experience but not at the cost of you being injured from it. I promise to give you all I feel you can take. This may seem like precautions but let me give you a comparison. Most standard roller coasters pull between 4 and 6 gees. Pilots in a Formula AG ship pull 7 gees and up.” Paul’s estimate on her age went up with the way she spoke. He couldn’t get over how young she looked. Yet she was supposed to be a CEO? Well tech did seem to be the realm of youth.

Robyn looked frustrated still. “I am going to level with you because I need this. I am testing a new computer chip. I want to test it against real g forces outside of a lab environment. I will accept what you can do now. But if I wanted to test it out in a race… would that be possible?”

Thomas looked surprised since their passenger had not disclosed this. He was at a momentary loss as he watched her pull out a small sleek box about 3 inches wide and 6 inches long that fit into the pocket of the flight suit she was wearing.

Paul was surprised and shifted his weight to his back foot. He had assumed from her looks that she was some kind of popstar or social media influencer. He looked over at the surprised Thomas. Paul looked amused to see the media executive at a loss for words since that was literally his job.

Paul: “Well miss McIntyre. If you truly wish to use Team Valkyrie’s services for testing, this is not the venue for it. I am happy to take you around the track today. If you really want to test that chip and get all the relevant data that we could provide you to go with such as the g forces being exerted on from the ship’s data, that would require a contract with the team. You should reach out to Mabel Brown, Alexander Knight’s executive assistant to arrange that. Team Valkyrie has a test track and test pilots on hand to help with requests such as these.”

Robyn looked frustrated and disappointed at Paul’s answer. As she thought through his answer she gave him a brilliant smile. “I didn’t think that was possible. Thank you Paul. I will reach out to her.” She looked over at Thomas with a smile. “Thomas, can you provide me with Miss Brown’s contact information?” She turned back to Paul. “Would it be okay if we still go around the track? I will just leave this secured in my pocket. It will still help forward my research along. This was the only thing on the public net that I could find. I know there are labs in space but I wanted to see how well it did in Earth’s gravity first.”

Thomas had simply nodded and bent over his tablet and he sent a ping with the relevant information to her inbox. Thomas smiled at Robyn. “Done Miss McIntyre.”

Paul nodded that it was okay with him. He turned to Thomas who looked relieved. Paul knew this was the kind of unusual request that would have to go through Alexander’s office or the CEO and since Valkyrie was without one at the moment. Leopold and the Board had been handling those duties. This seemed like something Alexander would find interesting and he knew Mabel would be a good gauge of Alexander’s interest.

Paul waved towards the ship. “After you Miss McIntyre.”

Paul made sure her chip was in a secured pocket and that it couldn’t come out with the g forces exerted inside the ship. He made sure her helmet was secured properly and that the safety harness was fastened. He gave her a smile as he tugged one last time on the safety harness.

Paul smiled at her as he asked. “Okay Miss McIntyre I have one final question for you.” He gave her a lopsided grin as asked. “How fast do you like to go and do you like roller coasters?”

Robyn’s laughter spilled into the cockpit with childlike glee. “I love roller coasters and the faster the better!”

Paul nodded and gave her an answering grin. “I hope you enjoy your ride.” He climbed into the pilot’s seat and tugged on his helmet. He fastened his safety harness before plugging in his neural interface which had an opening for it on the side of his helmet. He started up the ship as the ground crew closed the canopy. He took a minute to test the strength of his neural interface and how responsive the ship was. It was more sluggish than his typical ship since this was an older ship and was used at much slower speeds for training and these VIP track experiences. He had not been downplaying the safety of unaugmented people at the speeds their racing ships could go. He would be sure to give her a good experience though.

Paul smiled as he told her “Okay here we go!” He took the ship out for the hotlap to warm up the engines. He explained what he was doing. “This first lap is slow to warm up the engines. If we don’t warm them up first then the sudden shift in temperatures can cause dangerous microfractures in the engines which can lead to a catastrophic engine failure due to metal fatigue.”

Paul was not surprised when she didn’t respond. He hoped that she wouldn’t be one to throw up. Once they came back through the starting gate he opened the throttle. Paul smiled at her whoop of excitement as they took off. He heard her breath catch as he didn’t slow down for the first corner and slung shot around it. He could tell she was having a good time as she cheered, screamed, and laughed at being thrown around in the back seat as he made his way around the track. He was not using close to the speeds that he did when racing or even training but it was more than Thomas had suggested. He had heard her breath catch a few times as if the wind had been knocked out of her. He floored it on the back straight as they came roaring across the finish line. He then left off the throttle and pulled the ship back into paddock row. He powered the ship down as the ground crew approached with the ladder. He had disconnected his neural interface and took a moment before he began to unfasten his safety harness. He then stepped onto the platform at the top of the steps and bent over to help her out of her safety harness. She was pale but all smiles as she stepped out of the ship onto the platform. She did lose her balance a little and Paul caught her before she could fall.

Paul: “Careful take your time to regain your equilibrium and let your blood pressure settle. This is why we couldn’t push the speed higher. Did you like your ride?”

He waited till Robyn seemed stable before withdrawing his support.

She had looked up at him startled as his quick reflexes caught her before she could fall. She had stepped out of the ship and was hit with a dizzy spell. She was looking up into his eyes which seemed so close with her wrapped up in his strong arms. She gulped and nodded gratefully when he let her go. She was worried that he could feel her racing heart through the thick racing suit.

She took a few deep breaths before climbing down the stairs. She took a few steps away from the stairs before turning towards him as he came down the stairs. She pulled off the helmet and tucked it under her arm before shaking out her hair and running her hands through it to straighten it out some. She gave Paul a big smile with excitement still in her eyes. “Yes It was worth it! I had a blast! I will have to do this again someday.”

Paul had pulled his helmet off and had tucked it under his arm as he gave her a warm smile. “I am glad you enjoyed it. I hope it helps you out with your research. Would you like a photo to commemorate the occasion?” Paul motioned towards the professional photographer that was part of the package waiting next to Thomas.

Robyn looked at the waiting photographer and was a little startled to realize they were surrounded by people. The ground crew checking over the ship, Thomas and part of the marketing team and security. Robyn flushed a little and nodded with a strained smile. “But of course.”

She stepped next to Paul and posed with him in front of the ship as the photographer snapped a few photos of them together and then her by herself in front of the ship.

Robyn offered Paul a handshake when they were done. “Thank you Paul for the experience and information. You gave me the experience of a lifetime.”

Paul gave her a smile and a warm handshake in return. “Your welcome. It’s all in a day’s work for me.” He gave her a saucy wink before he turned her back over to Thomas and left for the Team’s private areas.

---

Social Media

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---

OfficeDrone#12: Wow! That sounds like a great event! I will have to check that out.
SuperfanAGR54: Free virtual racing for fans?! Count me in!
DantheMan: Oh hell yeah! Sign me up. I hope I can make the event close to me.
BatDave: I wonder if they would mind an appearance by Batman.
Superfan2075: It sounds like a desperate play to keep us focused on positive stuff but I have to admit I can’t wait to check it out.
DadBod89: Whooh! My kids are going to love this!
Hater101: Gotta give their marketing team props for deflecting the negative with positive.
Papabear34: Color me impressed by an actual family friendly AG event that I can take my kids too.
Nana2050: I wonder if Alexander will be at any of these events?
GeorgeFly: Darn it I just know I will have to work when the event closest to me is in town. At least they are offering some fun virtual stuff as well.
ValkyrieFan56: I wonder if they list which events Paul will be attending?
Weedhead81: Groovy man! Yes I know its old but you know what they say, anything old is in again.
SexyM@m@5: I wonder if they will tell us which events Dorian might be attending. He deserves this recognition.
Paulmulder4eva: Ohhh I have to check the schedule. Maybe I can finally meet Paul!
Britball12: Well the virtual stuff sounds interesting and fun. Don’t care about the other stuff.
!YouSlow!: Wow! That’s cool. It would be interesting to compare how the ships have changed.
xImFasterthanUx: I will have to check out that virtual reality experience.
AGInthusiast: I can’t help but agree that it is a deflection tactic to focus on the team’s positive news and Dorian’s win. I have to say I am interested in the virtual ship experience.
micheal650004: It’s nice of them to find a low budget way to engage fans with a new experience. I approve.
Bertha: You are all sheep being led away from the negative stuff. This is a distraction to keep you focused on the good stuff while the team is imploding.

---

Media Before Silverstone

Soundtrack: Justin Timberlake - Can't Stop This Feeling

---

“This is Lilly Stryker from TMZ. We come to you today with some news hot off the presses. Team Valkyrie’s marketing department confirmed that Alexander Knight is dating model Lena Bouras. Is love in the air for the Crew Chief at Team Valkyrie? Well ladies the word is that the man is off the market. There are no rumors about an engagement or wedding but the marketing team confirms he is in a committed relationship with Lena. Lena accompanied Alexander to events surrounding the Monaco Grand Prix. They looked pretty happy to us. Take a look for yourself. (The screen fades into a montage of video and still pictures taken at various events in Monaco). Remember you heard it here first. This has been Lily Stryker with TMZ.”

---

“This is Lauri Ivan with Victory Laps Racing News. We are hearing rumors that Amy Stirling wanted to contest the win by Dorian Hornfleur at Monaco but was shut down by team principal Peter Thatcher.Witnesses said Amy felt that Dorian had illegally blocked her in one of the turns. There was a mention of calling upon the racing stewards. We have not heard that any formal allegations have been filed with FIAR. If the allegations were upheld by race officials it would cost Dorian the win. Is it just a rumor? If it is, it is a spicy one. Remember to listen to Victory Laps Racing News for the latest in Formula AG news. This has been Lauri Ivan.”

---

"This is Hans Keller with Gossip. There is hot news from Team Valkyrie today. The team has confirmed the rumors that Alexander Knight is in a committed relationship with Lena Bouras. In a bold marketing move, the team announced an old fashioned victory tour to celebrate Dorian Hornfleur’s win at Monaco. The racing team is turning it into a family friendly event tour across Europe. They have also rolled out a virtual event for fans who can’t make it to the local events. The virtual offerings have fans salivating over the virtual reality racing simulation. Many are eager to experience that. The Team has assured that the experience is safe for all fans. They have cut the haptic feedback to reduce the neural strain experienced by pilots. They assure that it should still deliver an exciting experience for fans who wonder what it is like to pilot one of these amazing ships. Older fans are being wooed by the virtual museum and the ability to explore ships past and present. There seems to be something for all fans. The Team has kept the costs low to engage as many fans as possible. It appears to be working as it is all fans are talking about. This was a stroke of marketing genius for Team Valkyrie. We did pick up an unconfirmed rumor from Team Valkyrie’s office that the event was the brainchild of Alexander Knight. The new team principal keeps surprising us and the public. What will he do next? Remember you heard about it here first! This has been Hans Keller with Gossip.”

---

Welcome to The Paddock, our popular Formula AG Racing Forum! All Formula AG Fans are welcome to discuss all things Formula AG! This channel is moderated and all participants need to adhere to the Community Guidelines and Terms of Use. This online channel is a place to discuss the thing we are all passionate about Formula AG Racing!

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KingKofiFan: I am a diehard Kofi fan but I can’t wait to check out that virtual reality simulator!
$erwa: Agreed! OMW to Team Valkyrie’s website to check it out.
Jan2084: Interesting. I might have to check that out.
Bertha: You are all falling for their distraction tactics. Sheep to the slaughter.
NoraRules: That is awesome! I wish Southern Cross had thought to do that. I feel like a traitor but I want to check out the simulator.
BadBrad: @Bertha I agree with you. They fall for the candy trick every time.
ApexSuperFan: Hmmm I have to agree it feels like a marketing distraction ploy. Amy almost had Dorian at Monaco. She should have won.
AGInthusiast: Now that is a nice way to thank their fans for their support. I like it!
TeamCondorSF: I have to agree with @NoraRules I have to check out that simulator even if it makes me feel like I am being disrespectful to my team.
Susie: Ohhh I wonder which events the pilots will attend?
Abdullah: I don’t really care about the events but I might have to check out that simulator.
Roberto: Now if I get Team Nordic Call to do this and offer up some of Astrid’s free gin. Now that would be a party!
Merica1: Well I am too far away to attend any of the events anyway. I might have to check out the online virtual offerings though. You know… for research purposes.
Zygonista: Eh it is interesting. I am sure if Zygon decided to do this it would be better.
BadBrad: @Merica1 research purposes… right. (eye roll emoji)
ValkyrieFan56: YES! This is awesome!
SuperfanAGR54: I will have to check out the free online offerings and check it out.
BeaLover: I have no skin in this game. Can’t help my curiosity though. I will have to check out the free online offerings.

---

---

The deluge of text hit Kais like a freight train. Cassie must've been very 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 just 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 him. 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. That meant she took it seriously.

Kais: Deal.
Kais: But I have a demand too.
Kais: Be alone.
Kais: We'll see if you'll still have a leg to stand on, then.

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

What in the world, man...

---

"I don't know how you do it." Kais grumbled to the others before they went out on stage. Beatrix, Paul, Han, Nora. "Loud music. All this speeching. Horrible. I could be doing something."


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'm still here, and you will see me. 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.

“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?”

"It's..." He sighed. Why was this so difficult? He had been in hotter fires. Kais looked at his hands, neatly folded in his lap. "...It's an honor, first of all, to be here. And what a good question, Aurora." 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. "We at Al-Saqr are aiming towards a vision of the future defined by technological advancement, and the human... excellence to wield it." He grimaced a little. "We push the boundaries of our pilot-ship connection, and our drive power, and want to..."

"Look. You want the truth? It's hard." 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!"

"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 some of the others." A glance. "We blast our way forward, because we have 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 here?"

There came cheers from the crowd. "Good. Keep that energy. We definitely will..."

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. "...with the control and grace you know us for, of course." That barb was for him.

---

Running in the Shadows

Sitting in the commentary booth, the Zygon ship was visible blasting by the camera, painted in its classic pearl blue and red snaked through Becketts, its iconic whine piercing down the Hangar Straight. Silverstone was still sold out, given the support and Historic series were on here. For the ticket, you got a hell of a lot of entertainment, and compared to yesterday, the clouds had come in. The glorious sunshine had gone, and was replaced by an overcast, bland sky that covered the circuit yet held back from rain. Such was the UK- glorious at one point, awful in the next.

"Yes, Rosie, we're watching an incredible lap from Cassie Neves. She seems to be struggling generally, but back at home, the fans are going crazy here. Her second home, perhaps....but she's got spades out of that ship again.

"Well, she's definitely chasing results, and Nora Kelly has set a new fastest lap in her last delta, where is this coming from? You'd think she's always had two artificial limbs...."

The commentary continued, yet inevitably, Amy put it on pole. While the other teams were pressing up against her, she was resilient even so. She didn't need a team-mate, she just needed a calm run and she put it where it had to be.

The grid seemed incredibly difficult to split- Southern Cross, Al-Saqr, Zygon in particular looked almost in parity. Silver Apex, or rather, Amy, was the cut of the field. At home, she was clearly lapping this up. But then again, Nora was right behind her with a point to prove. As if she was there to set fire to her, and with Kais behind her, he had Cassie to worry about in his rear view.

Layla's neural mods pushed her past Han, who was then followed by Paul's silky handling with a regular chassis returned to after Monaco, and Beatrix had managed to overperform the ship once again, making advantage of a poor lap from Harrison, and a decent lap from Dorian.

The one thing that could be said was that given how tight the ships were on circuit on the timesheets, and how good the overtaking opportunities were, nothing could be certain. Ships had strengths and weaknesses, but it all came down to tomorrow, and it all came down to what they would do. Compared to Auckland, it felt like the ships had taken on paths, design directions and had a character to them.

Al-Saqr's ship was as fast as Southern Cross's, but without that handling, felt more like a missile that required a cutting edge mind to even pilot, one that Layla was now relishing and in sync with, feeling like it was an extension of her body in.

The Southern Cross ship capitalised on historic successes, with added handling and energy systems making it feel incredible on a sown lap, but less consistent, like Harrison had found.

Valkyrie's ship, while handling sublime and leeching power incredibly efficiently lacked the speed that now Zygon had found, with a ship that seemed terrifyingly fast, and with little serious weak points outside a poor ELS that Cassie couldn't use to put the ship even higher in the grid.

Carrera's ship, while incredibly fast, good in energy systems and on corners still lacked any semblance of stability, and seemed to drift more than it did hold tight in the slower corners, perhaps benefiting Bea but punishing Ava's slow and steady approach more and more. Even others, like Nordic Call had capitalised on an all-arounder that underdelivered in speed, while MMR and SuperCat were starting to chase too, in their own right.

After Monaco, this was not one to be missed because there was plenty at stake. Qualifying was a suggestion for a race that was no doubt, going to be an epic. Rivals known, and perhaps, unknown to the public, on a circuit going toe to toe. Al-Saqr chasing a struggling Silver Apex, Zygon hunting both, and Carrera wanting to break away from MMR and Nordic Call. This felt like despite all the drama at the start of the year, a point where it was all coming down to the long-term decisions playing themselves out.

---

Peer to Peer

Inside the Delta Hyper trailer, rather than talk through qualifying, which was already hot enough a topic, each pilot sat down, individually coming in with the edit cutting between each of them, naturally anticipating probably some hot question on their performance, relations, opinions, maybe even the history. Aurora stayed quiet, an envelope coming across the desk in front of the sofa.

"So, we have a bit of a change of plan again. Because today on Delta Hyper, after we've gotten to know you, your thoughts on your team-mate, and now....maybe we put you in the hot seat. Would you like to open the envelope, please?" Aurora asked, and with it, the pilots read the text out on the old-school cool that was the paper.

*Ask a question to one of the other pilots.*

They no doubt, would be a bit confused, and Aurora clarified it.

"So, does that make sense? If you had to ask something, take a look to our audience and tell them, if you could, what's your question to the name on your list? And....we won't tell them, not yet." The camera cut between each pilot in specific reference.

"Kais, you have a question to ask Bea."

"Bea, what's your question for Paul?"

"Paul, what's your question for Kais?"

---

Astrid chuckled, shrugging her shoulders.
"I'd say that person knows I would struggle to pick. But probably AG racing, definitely. I love it so much."

Harrison, on the other hand.
"Snakes are worse than sharks. Definitely. Shit, I know who asked that one.... I mean sharks got a really bad rep, you know, lot of restoration work there at Muller Cay...."

Max folded his arms, shaking his head, chuckling.
"I mean, I know who that is. I still haven't decided, I was thinking of saving it for a podium...maybe I should put it to an online poll?"

Amy thought about who had asked it, and really drew a blank.
"I guess that if I had to choose....yeah I'd still pick the same car after that intro. Can't fault it. No way I'm picking anything else."

Jenny looked like she had a bit more to contemplate too, thinking through who this may have come from.
"Hmm, I would say the hardest bit is overcoming the fear when you start out. It's so fast, so violent, so crazy. And I mean, I had a rough season to start with. So that's the biggest challenge, trusting your neural mods, which means totally trusting yourself. And embracing who you are comes with it. So yeah, being yourself. Weirdly that is the hardest bit."

Dorian sighed, thinking things over. It was easy to answer, at first at least he thought that.
"I think....best race? Crap, well, the last one was pretty good....hah, but the last few Formula One races. Those were something else. Truly terrifying machines, it felt like they were so unsafe..."

Ava leaned back in the chair, scratching her face, in a certain thought.
"Damn, you got me there! Fighter jets are scary, but AG ships are just something else. Feels like taking an aircraft through a canyon run, even with the controls....yeah it is serious. As I found out. And I mean, risk comes in one way but....we forget it happens here too."

Layla followed suit, answering right in sequence.
"I would probably say the biggest thing I've learned about new limbs, new attachments, is that it's an experiment. Sometimes good, sometimes bad, but, it always comes through in the end. And trying new things is like trying new food. Sometimes it isn't a fit, but sometimes, you can't live without it."

At the end, Kofi smirked.
"Well, of all the big cats, lions definitely are the coolest that I work with. And as for Astrid, I would ask her...."

---

---

"That's more like it." Kais was riding medium-high after coming into Parc Fermé and seeing his and others' times trickle in on the qualifying board. After Monaco's absolute disaster, after Cassie gave him an ear full, and after the rare introspective moment during his visit to Kofi's project, he wanted a win. Anything. And this, despite the wobble in their ship's handling since the speed upgrade? This was getting close.

"A start in 3rd tomorrow. Very nice, very nice. Looks like the upgraded pulse grid's really up your alley, huh?" Farouk said as he helped Kais out of the ship. "You really should thank Hamid for that someday, you know. It's quite ridiculous the amount of G's we put him through, test-track or no."

"Ahh..." Kais borderline snarled. He still wasn't fond of their overly Arabic Union-enthused test pilot. He waved Farouk away. "Tell him to get rid of that wobble!" And come to think of it, it had been a while since Farouk had been scared of him. He turned back. "And don't think you're off the hook, either, what with you and Nadia...!"

Farouk was already gone. And Kais smiled.

---

Kais stared at Aurora. Finally, he got to ask the questions now. He opened the envelope.

"Hmm..." Alright then. He nodded. "Beatrix, difficult, that one. Noisy. Too colorful." He crossed his arms. He wondered how Ava dealt with her. Those glitters in Monaco. Kais shuddered on the inside. But, Kais had to admit, if he had any questions, it would probably be about that... Art, of course, not glitters necessarily. He couldn't imagine that ever being useful, save for psychological warfare, maybe.

"So..." Kais inhaled sharply. "I'm not really into art." He turned his head, gazed into the distance. "But I have been wondering about it recently." His mind went back to the yacht party at Monaco where they had spent some time discussing the newest Raven Squad. And though he wasn't sure if one could call it art per se, with the series already being at installment... whatever number it was. But it had been enjoyable. Weaver did all her stunts by herself, too. No fancy computer-generated imagery or anything. Just some good old-fashioned drone-carried safety nets. Kais caught Aurora staring at him, as if she was amazed he could even stay silent for so long. Introspective, even... "Do you think Beatrix ever fought someone over her paintings? Like hand to hand?" Kais asked her, then paused for a while, mulling things over. She was tiny, but he could imagine how she may have had some odds in her favor actually, augments could do a lot these days. Just look at Nora and Ava. And now even Cassie, apparently.

And then he knew what he wanted to ask.

"How do you decide what to paint? What to share, put out there, show to others, and what to keep... inside?"

---

”Mierda. This is a hell of a day. You must be exhausted?
Well, this is the life. Tomorrow tends to be easier. Fridays are always crazy. And Sundays? Well, if you put it on podium, you are getting hearing damage.”

”How long have you known me?” Bea kicked off against the wall and rolled over to Ava on her chair, ”11 months now? A year? And you still can’t comprehend fan interactions recharging my batteries?” The Brit chuckled.
”No.”
”Monaco was worse. At least we had that Argentinian brewery and the Breitling execs, they seemed to care, but most of them…” Bea held her head in her hands, ”They are there to make sponsorship deals with AG racing teams, you would think they would do some homework.
‘Why do the ships have engines on the back, doesn’t the antigravity generator push you forward?’
‘Why don’t all teams copy last year’s winning ship?’ ” She mocked with appropriately stupid-sounding voices, ”And my favourite, some gossip journo asking ‘Wouldn’t it be easier to understand if they gave gaps between ships in meters rather than seconds?’ That was exhausting.”
”You can’t expect business people to understand the sport.“ Ava shrugged, ”You’d be just as lost in business.”
”True, and guess what? That’s why my sister takes over the company, not me.” bea crossed her arms in defense, snapping her fingers as she remembered something. ”But speaking of my family, my mum wants to meet my coworkers. You’re invited to dinner on Sunday at eight. Beef Wellington. Real beef. Can you make it or is it a bad time?”
”I’ll be there, if you tell me where.”
”Great! I’ll drive you after we’re done here, just let me know ahead of time if you’ll be going back to your hotel or if I should set up the sofa for you.”
”The sofa? I’m not good enough for the guest room to you?” Ava smiled.
”I don’t have a guest room. I don’t need a big house, I barely spend half a year in it anyway. If you lay down by the front door, your legs will be in the neighbor’s garden.” Bea laughed, joined by Ava. ”Anyway, I’ll get going, don’t stay up too late. I’ll pick you up at your hotel tomorrow at seven. See you then” Bea waved as she walked backwards toward the door.
”Good night.” Ava waved and turned back to her terminal before Bea’s head reappeared around the doorframe a few seconds later.
”Oh, and you owe me 50 Pesos. Got out of that Merc under my own power. Thank you, Rocklin Augmentics, for full-length cyberarms. Back will be sore tomorrow though, I’m already starting to feel that.” Bea grinned, ”I take payment in Frugelés or Arbolitos.”
”Your pronunciation is getting better.” Ava simply chuckled before the Brit disappeared again and she plunged back into the data from her last practice session.

---

The number 18 Carrera Condor ship tore across the circuit, flowing gracefully through Abbey and Farm, ploughing through Luffield like an overloaded van with baking sheets under the front wheels, blasting through Copse at full throttle, wobbling through the left-right-left-right of Maggotts and Becketts while somehow gaining time on Max through there, which would spawn a short series of video edits of that section of her qualifying lap spliced together with some of her more suicidal cornering back in WRC, and charging across the Hangar Straight into Stowe, where she pulled her little stunt in the Mercedes W11 earlier in the week over which she received a sternly-worded e-mail from FIAR and made a friend of the elderly engineer looking after it and several of its siblings.

She also brought a special helmet for her home race, the unhinged Husky covered in signatures and messages from kids from the schools she’d visited earlier in the season replaced with a more serious design, split into four equal sections displaying the flags of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

”Nice one! That’s provisional P1, we’re expecting P9.”
”Yeeees! Fueled by the crowd’s vibes, let’s go!“ She hollered, fully aware that bit would be broadcast. ”I have no clue how I didn’t bin it on entry to Becketts, the ship felt ready to roll over.” She laughed the tension of the lap away.
”You know what that was?”
”What?”
”*BEEEEEP*ing. Spectacular.” Alistair called back to Bea’s cheer after qualifying in South Africa.
”Haha. Don’t jinx us. Ah, it’s better than practice, but Luffield is still painful with this understeer.”
”Felix and the crew claim they’ve got a workaround, hang in there, both of you.”
”I still can’t believe our luck with that signing.”
”Maybe we should send them a cake? At least a thank-you note?”

---

Over the years, Bea’s bedroom had rapidly become a sim room with a bed and wardrobe. What was initially just her computer and a driving sim rig, which itself was quickly swapped out for a full motion model, was soon joined by a full motion flight sim with small changes made to it to mimic an AG ship control setup. And it was getting a lot of action that evening, with six rally mechanics each with a beverage of choice and both of the rigs hooked up to a computer each, one pair was trying to beat Bea’s personal best times in Dirt Rally 19’s driver-codriver coop mode, the rest trying to hold their pints in throughout the Dubai circuit in the official FA 2093 game in VR.

In the adjacent living room, Bea and a thin, tall man with a brown mohawk sat on the couch, drinks in hand and feet on the table, the day’s Junior Formula Antigravity race on the TV.
”Sae, how is yer teammate takin’ th’ fact you’re up ten points an’ leadin’ 5 tae 3 in qualifying?” Gareth Burns, Bea’s former co-driver and present co-driver and owner of the Black Isle Rally2 team, asked.
”If it bothers her, she’s good at hiding it. Doesn’t sound like her though, we’re both alike in that regard, say what we think.”
”Tactless? Ow!” Gazza suggested, earning himself a friendly metal elbow to the ribs.
”Blunt.” She finished her sentence. ”But I don’t think she minds. We’re not that far off on actual pace. Well, I hope she doesn’t mind.”
”...Soonds like her loss if she does? Think o’ everything she can learn from ye?” Gareth tried to lift the mood.
”Ah, who knows? Maybe I’ll get tired of FIAR and the politics soon and go elsewhere. Pro touge looks fun.”
”Ye cannae dae that tae yer poor ma’.” He objected with genuine concern.
”No, I can’t.“ She shook hear head, ”Rallycross then.”
”Sae no running back tae rallying either?”
”I would be lying if I said I don’t miss the co-driver. Can’t shoot the shite over the radio like that. Whenever I’m learning a new circuit, I still partition it out into pace notes and they play in your tartan twang in my head. Except now when they’re wrong, I only have myself to complain about.” She grinned past her beer.
”Awright now, that only happened four times, that’s less than twa times a season! How many times did ye break th’ car in impossible ways?”
”Three times… In the first year.” She had to admit defeat. ”Worst comes to worst, I can try commentary. Though I may be a tad…”
”Blunt?”
”Tactless, for that.” She grinned.
The conversation froze as on the screen in front of them, Elise Vogel and Alice Thovex got into the mix, the battle for P10 lasting from Abbey all the way to Brooklands where Thovex’ zeal finally gave way to Vogel’s experience and the Carrera Condor junior driver pulled ahead to a cheer from Bea.
”Ah heard Caroline’s still a salty twat?”
”Worse than you remember.”
”Absolute cunt.”
”Rich people, right?”
”Word.”
The two almost stopped cackling when a loud round of cheers signalled two mechanics finishing their rally stage and actually surpassing Bea’s time by six thousandths of a second.
Bea pointed to the door. ”Do we break the delusion?”
”Ye read mah mind.” Gazza sprang out of his seat.
She finished the rest of her beer. ”A second faster or I’m taking you all to Pikes Peak next week.”

DELTΔ HYPER

Episode Eight: The Chain

---

”Bea, what's your question for Paul?”

Bea sighed. ”Why must you spring this on me like this, you know I’m less decisive than the parliament.” She groaned into her hands.

She took upwards of 20 seconds to think of something of any value, taking a breath to apologize for wasting Aurora’s time when it hit her.

”If there was one area you could expand the scope of the Mulder Foundation into, anything at all, what would it be? Or would you leave it as it is because that’s how your mother intended it?”

---

“Now for your question. Turn the sheet over.” Aurora instructed.

”How do you decide what to paint? What to share, put out there, show to others, and what to keep inside?”

Bea read out loud.

”I think you grossly overestimate the amount of thought that goes into anything I do. At least things that only concern me.” She answered with a shake of her head immediately, the stark contrast to figuring out what to ask proving her point. ”If I’m doing a tutorial for some specific technique, then I’ll choose things that will work best with what I’m doing. Say, when I wanted to try a different way of blending colors, I painted a big eye with central heterochromia because of the way the iris looks. Otherwise, whatever strikes my fancy is what gets painted.” She explained a bit more in detail.
“Did anyone ever come to blows over your paintings?”
”Not that I’m aware of, no.” Bea shook her head, momentarily taken aback by the question. ”The odd auction aside, anything I paint that I don’t keep ends up given away to my fans, who are all well behaved, or to hospitals and I would hope no one is fighting there.”
“And did you?” Aurora sneaked in Kais’ other question.
”Not over paintings.” She shook her head.
This time it was Aurora who looked surprised. “The way you phrase that implies you got into a fight?”
”Some people lack elementary wisdom, such as not talking shite about the parents of their classmate who has titanium knuckles.” Bea shrugged, ”*BEEP* you, Lyndsey.” She added, an amused grin breaking through.

---

Paul pushed the ship as hard as he could. He kept his racing line as neat and clean as possible. The ship’s superior handling and stability made the corners and chicanes a thing of beauty to navigate. Sadly the ship lacked the speed of some of the others. Paul could only make up so much time in those corners. He was beginning to understand Dorian’s frustration from earlier in the season. He had to race the ship he had. Paul felt comfortable that he had done everything he could to eke out every ounce of speed in the ship. He saw his time posted after he pulled into the paddock. He pulled the ship into the paddock and shut it off. He popped the canopy as one of the pit crew rolled the stairs over for him to climb out easier. He hopped down and went to talk to Carmella, his race engineer.

Paul: “It’s handling great but we need more speed if we want to be competitive. I might be currently in fifth place but I doubt I will stay there. Talk to Cavan to see if he can get us any more speed without messing with the handling.”

Carmella nodded, making notes on her tablet. “I will pass on your notes.”

Paul grabbed a Zap drink and chugged it to help with the heat from racing the ship. The engines put out a great deal of heat and climate control would just slow them down and add extra weight. Besides that is why pilot suits had cooling technology built into them.

He sighed as he watched Hyeon-Ae best his time. He frowned. He had managed to beat her in almost every race so far this season. He would go work on overtakes and ELS in the trailer. He would need all the skills he could muster to stay competitive here at Silverstone. He had just wrapped up another training session when Carmella came and gave him the news that his final position was P7. It wasn’t horrible but after tasting the podium, it felt like failure. Could he make up for the ship’s lack of speed with skill? He would certainly try. He couldn’t help but smile as he remembered what it felt like to drive Lauda’s Ferrari. That was a once in a lifetime experience that not many people could say. Silverstone was worth the trip just for that.

---

DELTΔ HYPER

Episode Eight: The Chain

Peer to Peer

---

@MrSkimobile

Paul was once more sitting on the Delta Hyper couch in front of Aurora. He smiled at Aurora and for the cameras.

Aurora: "So, we have a bit of a change of plan again. Because today on Delta Hyper, after we've gotten to know you, your thoughts on your team-mate, and now....maybe we put you in the hot seat. Would you like to open the envelope, please?"

Paul took the envelope and read the question. He put the envelope down as he took a few moments to think of what he would want to ask and of who.

Paul gave a mischievous smile and looked into the camera before answering.

Paul: “My question is for Kais. He is a beast on the race course and seems very tense all the time. What does he do to relax? Do you have any hobbies? What do you do when you are not racing or training?”

Paul waited as Aurora revealed Bea’s question to him.

Bea: ”If there was one area you could expand the scope of the Mulder Foundation into, anything at all, what would it be? Or would you leave it as it is because that’s how your mother intended it?”

Paul smiled as this was an easy question. “The Mulder Foundation is my mother’s passion project. I wouldn’t change the scope of what they do. If I could expand the Mulder Foundation, it would be to increase the number of children they can help. I would love to see it get enough funding to expand to help children all around the world and not just Europe. The Mulder Foundation does it best to help as many children as possible but funding always limits the numbers we can help achieve their dreams. As a matter of fact Bea and Hyeon-Ae have both graciously agreed to help with a fundraiser for the Mulder Foundation. Bea is creating a custom artwork that will be auctioned off at the Fundraising Gala happening after the Spa Grand Prix. The art will be put on t-shirts that fans can buy from the Mulder Foundation website. The bulk of the profits will be going to the Mulder Foundation. The planning stages are almost done. So be sure to check out the Mulder Foundation Website for more information and dates! Thanks for the question Bea!”

---

Media Before Silverstone

Soundtrack: Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey - When You Believe

---

The Mulder Foundation needs your help to support children’s sports and art programs across Europe. The Mulder Foundation is proud to announce its 15th annual fundraising gala. Tickets are $100 per person and will include dinner and dancing and an auction. Auction materials will include signed memorabilia from Formula AG Team Zygon, custom art by Bea Ward, one of Audrick Mulder’s racing helmets, and a trip around the track in a Formula AG ship piloted by Paul Mulder. Formula AG Fans will be able to purchase t-shirts featuring Bea Ward’s art from our website. Tickets and t-shirts will be going on sale soon. Be sure to follow us on social media for updates!
[Link to the Mulder Foundation Website]

---

Social Media

---

---

---

The Battle of Britain

Soundtrack: Kasabian- Stevie



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.

---

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.

---

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.

---

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.



"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..."

---

Cooldown Room: Silverstone

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.

"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." 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.

---

Delta Hyper: Post Race Interviews

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.

"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?"

---

"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?"

---

"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?"

---

"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?"

---

"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?"

---

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!"

---

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.

---

Kingdom

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.

---

Her start may have been a solid five of ten, but Paul and Cassie’s high speed kiss offered a chance at redemption. Side-by-side with Cassie through Luffield - who was scared more would be one hell of a mystery - until Harrison looked around the outside of Copse, her defensive move unsettling the Carrera Condor ship and allowing Harrison to sail past her down the inside with a switchback as she drifted out, pacifying her unruly ship on the edge of track limits only for Harrison to get overtaken again halfway to Maggots with a mighty burst of her ELS.

Layla made a good attempt when Bea had to move off the line to block a lunge Cassie was setting up, but Bea held her line, leaving her just about a ship’s width on the outside of Abbey, translating into forcing her to the inside of Farm and leaving Layla the choice of either driving into the side of her or backing out, the Jordanian wisely choosing the latter.
”If that had been Jamie, we’d have another red.”
”Manners, Bea, and focus.”

She was relentless. If she wasn’t making an honest attempt at an overtake, she at least feinted to keep the driver ahead of her guessing. She braked for corners early or slightly off the racing line, compromising her entry but also forcing the driver behind her to take a suboptimal line and making up ground when she got early on the throttle and shot out of the corner. According to León, that had been a common tactic of his grandfather’s. Cassie’s ship was on par on speed, but wounded from the collision, leveling the playing field. Harrison’s was faster, but he seemed to be struggling with stability, something Bea was having problems of her own with, but also a wealth of experience. Layla’s may have outpaced hers, but was held back either by worse handling or the presence of a rational brain on board, playing it safe and letting several opportunities go to waste.

Near the end of the race, Layla and Dorian had turned their sights on each other for a few laps, allowing her to build up an energy reserve that would come in handy when she overcooked it into Village and lost three positions, leading to her Herculean drive in the final minutes of the race.

Full speed through Maggots and Becketts past the struggling Zygon sled - Cassie.

Down the straight out of Woodcote at full energy deployment - Dorian.

A last lap feint around the outside of turn 17 and down the inside of Club to get through, straight to the finish - Layla.

Only then did she realize she hadn’t been breathing since Stowe.

”Fuck me that was close!”
”But it counts!”
”Tell me where we are! I see it on my HUD, but I want to hear it.”
”P5! Fucking brilliant, that!”
”Note for mechanics, check exterior for Al-Saqr green. Note two, you all are drinking on me next Saturday. You’ll have to celebrate without me today, sorry.”
”They already are.”
”As they should. YES!”
”Bea, fantastic job today scoring our first top five in as many years.”
”Thank you, sir. We’ll try to keep them coming if possible.”

In parc fermé, she could be seen shaking hands, patting shoulders and trading quips and compliments with the four other drivers she tangoed with throughout the race.

”You two gave me quite the scare at the end. Where did you come from?” She threw an arm around Dorian and Layla’s shoulder each, having to tiptoe to reach. ”You can’t do that to me, or my hair will turn grey and I will have to ask Jen to hook me up.” She grinned mischievously.

”Shame about the start. For you, not me, likely would have had me otherwise.” She addressed Cassie seriously before switching to a jovial tone, ”Those were some battles. You weren’t taking out that I didn’t visit you in the hospital on me, were you? I was going to, but then PR happened.”

”You should fumble qualifying more often.” She appeared from behind Harrison’s ship, offering the Kiwi a handshake and a smile. ”As you can see, we have heaps of fun in the midfield. Thanks for the race.”

DELTΔ HYPER

Episode Eight: The Chain

---

Bea ascended the Delta Hyper stage, waving and blowing kisses at the crowd. She sauntered up to the back of the couch, vaulting over the backrest to take her seat.

”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!”

”Uhh, yeah. Still catching my breath.” She beamed with a smile so bright one could easily mistake for a canal defense light, ”I mean, the top is five floors above, but realistically speaking, I’m on cloud nine. Though I shouldn’t have said ‘Pinch me!’ within earshot of Jen. She’s fast like a cobra, even out of the ship.”

”And well, what about your last minute overtakes, tell us how it felt?”

”Ah, it was beautiful. No strategy, no shitebox holding you up on a track you can’t hold your arms out at, much less overtake, just the drivers, the machines and the mechanics that built and tuned them before the race.” She jabbered excitedly, striking a camera drone with her elbow by accident. ”This? This is what racing is! Isn’t it, Silverstone?” She turned to the crowd.

”Do you think the hype coming from other teams looking to sign you this season has any substance?”

”I don’t know. It could be empty paddock talk, it could be some people regretting a missed opportunity.” She leaned back comfortably on the interview couch with a shrug, allowing herself this bit of smugness. ”After all, you can’t believe everything you hear in the media. They’re always hungry for drama.” She briefly paused with a shit-eating grin before leaning forward and patting Aurora on the shoulder, ”I jest.”

---

CarreraCarmen: Poor León getting called out like that. 😀
AndesAG: Three overtakes in a lap. Holy. Shit.
Richie: Ogier is cooked. #RallyBrave
DohnJoe: or she finna die next week
Briat77: Did you really use ‘cooked’ in 2094?
CrossfitCrusader: Sucks about Paul tho.
Zero: Caused it himself and screwed over Neves.
LaughNess: Poor lass needs some luv’ aye?
Mate0: Why is she actually gooood? I don’t want to like the Pirata, but I’m running out of arguments by this point.
MadBea: Appreciate the honesty.
Sol_de_Mayo: We were the ones waving the Argentinian flag on Thursday, we got your back! #RallyBrave
Shel1: First the donuts in Copse, then this. Best money I spent this year and that’s counting the skydiving gear!
UrbanMaverick: I love the sunglasses.
GaryFrom indiana: Not that you need them in UK.
UrbanMaverick: Fair.
ForzaGl0ria: Trova donne single attraenti nella tua zona: [link]
ForzaGl0ria: Please ignore that, I got hacked! Anyone know how to delete comments on here?
HotStuff: what the fuck is villarosa doing lately
CloroxEnjoyer: Struggling.
Xinny: It’s the stability. She’s always had problems with that. Give Felix time to cook.
CloroxEnjoyer: I just worry he’ll need a rat under his hat to cook that good.
TruckerTim: Reset the ‘Races since Hart fucked it’ counter.


That same sponge cake with banana and chocolate flavoring would arrive by post to the Valkyrie headquarters later that week.

---

Paul went through his normal race day routine. He went through his final checklist with Carmella and made sure all systems were working.

Paul: “All systems green. Ready for the race to start.”

Paul was sitting in his starting position in P7. The ship alive and purring the engines warmed up. Paul in sync with the ship. Paul taking those precious moments before the race began to appreciate how lucky he was to get to do this for a living. He lived a truly blessed life. The ship felt like an extension of his body. Paul was beginning to note that he was seeing gains from the neural interface cognitive training that the training team had come up with. He was processing the vast amounts of data the ship sent him faster and easier. The response time between his thoughts and the ship were getting faster. Paul continued to train like a demon possessed to improve between races. He worked on ELS and overtaking skills. He had improved a great deal but he knew that to stay competitive he had to push not only his competitor’s limits but his own as well. Paul’s skills were improving. You could see it when looking at video recordings of his performance. His racing lines were becoming cleaner and his ship’s moves more graceful. Paul knew that even though he had been racing for a long time, he was at the beginning of his professional career in racing. There was still a lot to learn that only came with experience and pushing your limits and finding out what you were capable of.

Paul unconsciously kneaded the material of his racing gloves to ensure fit and flexibility for handling. He was focused as the countdown finished and he hit the throttle. The entire field of ships leaping into action at once in an almost eager surging wave. The leaders breaking away at the front of the pack. The first few corners showed the competitive nature of this track as positions changes and overtakes were already taking place. Paul kept right on Hyeon-Ae’s fins. He kept his racing line clean, maintaining good control of his ship. Paul had started the race behind Hyeon-Ae with Bea nipping at his heels with Layla in front of Hyeon-Ae and Cassie in front of Layla. The atmosphere of the race was electric with tension and excitement as pilots frustrated from the tight conditions at Monaco let loose at Silverstone trading positions and paint.

Paul stayed on Hyeon-Ae’s tail building up his ELS system. Hyeon-Ae pulled away from him on the Wellington Straight. She had to slow to maneuver through the Brooklands curve before the Luffield corner. Paul saw his opportunity as he caught up to her at Brooklands. He made his move in Luffield and slipped past Hyeon-Ae on the outside, his better handling allowing him to take the corner faster. He then went charging after Layla who Carmella informed him was 0.5 seconds in front of him. He did his best to close on Layla as she pulled away from him in a faster ship. He was slowly gaining on her through the smaller curves. He caught up with Layla at Stowe and went flying past her at Vale as Paul dove down and hugged the inside curve of the track as Layla’s ship drifted to the outside edge needing the extra room to make the turn.

Paul’s confidence was high as he now had Cassie in his sights. He was making up time in the corners charging his ELS. He was defending well and managing to keep ELS from hitting from the rear as he charged towards the Zygon ship in front of him. Paul knew it was going to be tight. He was charging hard down the outside catching up to Cassie as she slowed for the corner. There was enough room for a ship on the outside. Paul made a calculated decision to go for it. He charged for the opening he saw for Cassie to aggressively defend trying to shut him down. The Zygon ship drifted further into his space due to its poorer handling and Cassie’s aggressive maneuver. Paul didn’t have any time to avoid the collision as the ship drifted into the racing line he was taking. While Paul had been aggressively trying to overtake Cassie, Cassie had been just as aggressive in defending. Neither of them were willing to yield the line. The resulting collision knocked his ship off the mag track and sent it hurtling through the air and flipping before landing upside down and sliding into the barricade by the edge of the track.

The crash happened quickly and Paul’s senses were reeling as his body was flung around inside the cockpit against the restraints. The ship was hit from the side sending him into a lateral flip. His entire body being shaken and thrown against the restraints at high force. Paul blinked as he tried to figure out what had happened. His HUD had red flashing alarms all over it. He could hear Carmella screaming in his ear asking if he was okay. Paul was confused and disoriented. Blood was rushing to his head from being upside down. Paul could hear his heartbeat and thought that was odd. It was weird how his heartbeat sounded so loud and the rest was just a hushed and blurred background noise. After about 30 seconds it was like the world was done holding its breath and noise came crashing back into his head with awareness. He had crashed. Pain blinked thinking it was too bright as the flashing lights in his HUD sent pain through his head. He groaned and managed to hit the emergency release in the center of his restraint harness. He fell down into the canopy. He rolled over and managed to pull his legs free. He knelt and groped for the side latch clumsily. He felt so odd like his brain had been disconnected from his body. He managed to open the side hatch and went to bend over to go through it to have his head jerked back. He was confused for a moment as he ran his hand to the back of his head and found the cord that connected his neural interface to the ship. He managed to unclip it and release it. He then fell out of the side hatch as it released. He crawled out. He blinked as the light once again sent searing pain through his head.

By this time, the medical personnel were responding. They began leading him off the track. He stumbled along being pulled between two burly paramedics. He waved at the crowd to let them know he was okay. He certainly didn’t feel okay but he knew fans and other drivers would wonder how bad he was injured if it at all. He stumbled off the track and out of sight whisked away for medical treatment.

---

Post Race Interviews

---

Paul had been checked out thoroughly by the team’s paramedic that traveled with them to races, Konrad Badowski. Konrad accompanied him to the local emergency room where Paul was poked and prodded to ensure he didn’t have any broken bones. He did have a mild concussion from his head bouncing around. He didn’t hit anything but he had been thrown so violently his brain had bounced around in his skull. His neck was stiff and sore and he had bruises all over his body but especially where his body had been thrown against his restraints. Paul had thanked the doctor who gave him something for the pain. He had the worst headache. Paul had been released after treatment several hours later.

All Paul wanted to do was crawl in bed and go to sleep. His body felt sore and his head ached. He felt like a used dish rag that someone had wrung out. But obligations came first. For the first time this season, Paul looked disheveled and shaken up as he took his seat gingerly on the Delta Hyper couch. Paul just wanted to get through this so he could sleep. He already knew what they were going to ask him.

Aurora: "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?"

Paul wearily sighed as he answered looking directly into the camera.

Paul: “I haven’t had a chance to look at the footage of the race but I would argue that we both played a role in the crash.” Paul shrugged and looked over at Aurora. “I want to win just as much as the other drivers.”

Paul gave Aurora a lopsided smile.

Paul: “I might be a nice guy but I want to win. I was charging hard and aggressively going for the outside line. Cassie was aggressively defending and trying to prevent me from passing her. Neither of us wanted to concede the line. I had the outside line and was halfway past her when contact was made to the side of my ship. Racing incidents happen. What we do isn’t for the faint of heart. Cassie and I will face each other again.”

---

Dorian Hornfleur took 7th place at Silverstone. Team Valkyrie wanted to let fans know that Paul Mulder did suffer some minor injuries in the crash but is recovering quickly and you will see him back in action for the Canada Grand Prix.

---

OfficeDrone#12: Silverstone was certainly exciting.
SuperfanAGR54: Disappointed with Mulder’s performance at Silverstone.
DantheMan: Can the team even rebuild a ship before Canada?
BatDave: I am still Batman.
Superfan2075: Rookie error by Mulder.
DadBod89: I think Paul’s answer was the right one. Racing incidents happen.
Hater101: Paul was stupid to try that overtake. He caused the crash.
Papabear34: Paul’s crash hurt the team’s points.
Nana2050: It is good to hear that Paul will be okay.
GeorgeFly: Paul has been a very consistent pilot. I am more inclined to believe his version of events.
ValkyrieFan56: Can the team be ready by Canada?
Weedhead81: The grass is always greener and sweeter on the other side.
SexyM@m@5: Can we talk about Dorian’s stellar comeback?
Paulmulder4eva: At least Paul is okay. I was so worried about him.
Britball12: Paul didn’t have the skill to pull off what he was attempting. It was a classic rookie mistake. It’s sad that it cost Cassie too.
!YouSlow!: Paul’s crash drama shouldn’t overshadow Dorian’s racing comeback glory!
Bertha: Paul has been skating all season. What about the points it cost Cassie?

---

Alexander had done his rounds with the teams’ sponsors that had come to Silverstone. Zap Sport’s Drinks and I Can’t Believe It's Not Meat were making a small killing as vendors to fans at Silverstone. Alexander had stopped and checked in with BioCHO as well. Enigma Lux had a presence in the Valkyrie Fan Zone selling the high end line of fan gear created by them. Alexander had stopped by to thank Artie’s team for their support and to see if they needed anything. Alexander had to admit that the fan gear collaboration with Enigma Lux had become a quite lucrative sponsorship deal for Team Valkyrie even if the cost was him walking down a fashion runway. Alexander sported a rare smile as he thought about the fact he would never have met Lena without them. She had a modeling engagement in Milan this weekend and couldn’t be here with him. He missed her already. Thinking about her, he used his neural interface to connect with his tablet to send her a quick message wishing her luck with her event.

Alexander had started being more intentional with the Team Valkyrie Junior Formula AG Team. He had tasked the team’s trainers with ways to better support the Junior Team. They were building custom training routines for their drivers to complete while at home or traveling.The Junior team didn’t live at the Campus and were rarely there. Alexander was trying to change that within reason. If they wanted these drivers to develop into professionals they needed to do more than go to races. The team’s nutritionist was working with Chef Jacques to provide them with appropriate meals while the team’s physical therapist worked with the team's physical trainer Agnes Poulsen to develop physical training routines for each of their junior drivers. The Junior team typically came to campus for a bootcamp in the off season. Alexander is arranging for them to have smaller bootcamps over shorter breaks so that they can get more training on campus. He tasked Katherine’s team with developing a course on how to handle the press for their junior drivers. He tasked the HR team with developing a course to teach the Junior pilots how to vet and find a good manager to look after their personal interests. He had the legal team prepare a workshop for them on the importance of having contracts vetted by a legal professional they trusted before signing anything.

If Alexander was going to do this, then he was going to do it right. If they said they were preparing these drivers for professional careers and putting the team’s name on it. Then Alexander wanted it to be the best academy out there. Meeting Scarlett Collins of their Junior Team reminded him that not all their Junior Pilots had the same resources growing up. Racing was an expensive sport and was typically closed to those of lower financial means. There were skills that professional pilots were going to need that had traditionally not been taught by the academy. Alexander wanted to make sure they were all set up for success. He tasked the medical team to discuss the variety and types of augmentations that Formula AG racing teams were using on their pilots. He wanted them to have a realistic idea of the pros and cons of each type and what the implementation involved. He didn’t want the Junior team pilots to be taken advantage of after they left the academy. Valkyrie didn’t have space for them all. He knew some would go to other teams. With the new changes, Alexander was hopeful that all the Team Valkyrie Junior Team would start to show improvement in skills.

Alexander began to covertly work on his plans for long term change for next season once more with Leopold’s blessing. They were actively searching for new research and development partners to take the team to the next level. Alexander had a meeting with Yuhara Shinichi of Shinichi Bionics to discuss updating the team’s pilots to her new neural interface and helping to push the legal certifications through with the help of the European Union Space Agency. Alexander felt they were a good match. He could help her and they could help his team. Alexander was pretty certain that Johanna would be in favor of this and interested in the space applications for Yuhara’s special approach to cybernetics. Alexander had a meeting scheduled next week with Robyn McIntyre of Banshee Microsystems. Paul had filled him in on the young lady’s attempt to use a VIP ride to vet a new microprocessor chip she was working on. Alexander was interested in working with her. He wanted to upgrade the team’s computer systems. He no longer trusted them after what he found when investigating the former CEO. He worried that their systems were compromised and that Brendel could sell backdoors to their competitors. It was an itch he couldn’t scratch. His worry might be baseless but Alexander believed in preparing for the worst. It would set his mind at ease to put this worry to rest. After his conversation with Paul, he believed that there was a mutually beneficial partnership there for the making. Alexander grinned, happy to finally be making some progress on his plans. Now if he could only find a decent engine engineer he liked and could trust to build a new engine for the next generation of ships.

---

Alexander had wished both his driver’s luck before they had climbed into their ships for the race. Alexander knew most Team Principals would be in their posh private boxes for the race. Alexander preferred to be in the middle of the action in the paddock. He would watch the team’s race engineers and listen in on a headset. He rarely intervened as he trusted his team to do their work. He felt more comfortable here with the team than with the sponsors, suits, and other people who had no real idea of what it took to get on that podium. Alexander was watching the monitors intently as the race started. Paul was moving up through the pack. Dorian had a bad start but was at least holding for now. Alexander smiled noting the improvement especially in his ELS defense. It had been his biggest weakness at the beginning of the season. Alexander watched as Paul pushed aggressively to overtake the Zygon ship on the outside. He was in position when Cassie’s ship made an aggressive move to shut him down, the ship drifting further than she probably intended due to its poorer handling. Alexander saw it coming as neither pilot yielded.

Alexander froze in terror as Paul’s ship made contact with the Zygon ship and went flipping into the barrier. The ship came to rest upside down and there were pieces of the ship all over the track. Alexander closed his eyes and swallowed the panic that was trying to overwhelm him. He knew the ship had massive safety features for this reason. The crash looked worse than it could be. The cockpit area of the ship was still in one piece. The debris all over the track were those extra bits and sensors all over the ship. They were designed to crumble and break so that they didn’t impale the driver or crucial systems. The barrier technology was designed to keep the pilot alive and prevent accidents like the one that took the life of Paul’s father Audrick.

Alexander sat down in a chair hard as memories of that crash overlaid the present in his mind. Alexander found himself using some of the techniques his therapist had been teaching him. He purposefully focused on the differences to prevent being sucked into that painful memory. There was no blood. The cockpit was intact. There was movement now as Paul was helped out of the side hatch on the cockpit. Paramedics and emergency rescue personnel were already responding. Paul was obviously injured and shaken a little as he was being helped and steadied by a person on each arm. He was stumbling a little. Paul raised an arm and waved at the crowd who let out a collective cheer of relief at seeing he was okay. Alexander found himself taking another deep breath. He was okay. He pulled off his headset and began to run towards where he knew Paul would be arriving. He wanted to make sure he was okay. His mother might let him live yet. He would make sure Paul contacted her as soon as possible to reassure her.

---

Alexander was exhausted. It had been a long and trying day. He had a lot to deal with after Paul’s crash. He had first met Paul as he came in off the track and stayed with him as he got medical treatment. Alicia had called him while Paul was being checked out by the doctors. Alexander reassured her of what was going on and that he was with Paul. He told Alicia he would have Paul call her after the doctors were done with him. Alexander continued to deflect people away from Paul giving him a chance to get his wits about him before having to deal with other people.

Paul had a mild concussion, some strained muscles in his shoulders, and some bruising. Paul didn’t have a brain bleed but the force of having his head shaken around caused some bruising and swelling on his brain. His brain basically hit the skull from the force exerted on his body. The restraints and the neck support brace had helped minimize that. The repulsor barrier technology on the cockpit had kept it together protecting him further. Paul had been monitored for a while after being given some painkillers and medication to reduce the swelling and inflammation. He would heal quickly and be back to normal in a few days. He was under strict orders to rest with no strenuous activity for a few days.

Alexander had run interference with the press for the moment. He wanted to give Paul time to get back on his feet and be thinking clearly before he had to deal with them. Paul would have to do the Delta Hyper interview as it was a contractual obligation. Alexander had sent Cavan a message to begin building Paul a new ship and get it ready for Canada. They had resources to rebuild the entire ship. This kind of thing happens in racing. They never wanted to have to do it but the team could. Alexander was grateful for Lena's calm and caring voice as she checked in on him later in the day. He wished she was here but hearing her voice before he climbed into bed was a balm that he had not known he needed.

---

DELTΔ HYPER

Kais Zenix and Paul Mulder

@MrSkimobile

---

After the crash at Silverstone, Paul had flown home to Belgium for a few days. Paul didn’t keep a private residence of his own. He didn’t see the need and it would be a waste of money since he spent most of his time traveling or at headquarters. He had a private apartment in one wing of his mother’s ancestral home. The Mulder Family Estate was a historic residence outside Brussels that sat on 25 acres of property. The large family estate had been restored and updated through the years. The property was a short 15 minute drive outside Brussels. Paul’s apartment was cleaned and maintained when he was not there by his mother’s staff. His father had shared his passion for collectible cars, which were stored in a climate controlled secured garage built on the grounds. His apartment had its own outside private entrance and the grounds had security and was gated. He and his mother both had their privacy but could spend time together when they were both here without tripping over each other. Paul was never more grateful for the peace, quiet, and privacy of his family’s home. Paul had ordered his digital AI assistant to monitor his phone calls. He had a short list of people that Paul was willing to talk to.

This was a good time for him to work on the Fundraising Gala for the Mulder Foundation and spend some time hanging out with his mother. Working on the gala was low key and would occupy his mind and time while his body was healing. His mother had been receptive and cleared her evenings to spend time with him. Paul had flown home on Monday morning after sleeping in and taken it easy the first day. He had checked in with the Foundation Monday afternoon to see how the planning was going. Things were going just fine without him. He hoped to rope a few more of his fellow pilots into helping with the fundraiser. He had woken up Tuesday morning feeling stiff and like someone had worked him over like he was a heavy bag. He decided to try some light yoga and stretching this morning. He was still sore and tender in spots but the movement was helping the stiffness and tightness in his shoulders and back. He had a massage therapist come in and spend some time on his neck and back afterward. He then lounged around in a hot whirlpool bath and felt almost human afterwards.

Paul had managed to send Kais a private text through the driver group chat the Monday after the Silverstone Grand Prix. He wasn’t sure how receptive Kais would be to his proposal. He understood enough from watching Kais at interviews that he didn’t really like the attention or the press. Paul admired Kais’ strength and skill as a pilot. He smiled remembering how awkward he could be at times. He always seemed on the edge of violence or anger. Paul wondered if it was a result of his time as a soldier. He saw the same thing in Alexander occasionally. Maybe this would help soften his image a little. Kais got as much crap from the media about his supersoldier past as Hyeon-Ae got about her rigid public persona. Kais certainly didn’t help his situation with the media but Paul couldn’t help but feel that Kais simply didn’t care what other people thought or no one had ever taught him how to deal with them. He didn’t seem to understand other people well.

Paul was still determined to befriend as many of the rookie pilots this year as he could. They might all be competitors but there were things that only another Formula AG pilot would understand. The pressure to perform, to win, pressure to appear the way sponsors and your team wants you too. It was a lot of pressure where other people had expectations of you and often didn’t see you as a person but more as a tool or asset. Paul smiled as he thought about the grumpy ex-soldier. He was certainly keeping Amy on her toes. He sent the private message off to Kais.

Paul Mulder: Hey Kais, I have a proposition for you. I am putting together a fundraiser and awareness campaign for the Mulder Foundation. It is a nonprofit that was started by my mother Alicia Mulder to honor my father after he died. They provide funds to help low income kids with financial support to pursue sports including racing. They also provide art supplies to children’s arts programs in Europe. Is this something you would like to be a part of? Bea Ward is doing an art piece that will be printed and auctioned off at the Charity Gala. The design will also be on t-shirts for sale to the masses. Hyeon-Ae has offered to donate some signed Zygon stuff for the auction. You would be mentioned in the press as a sponsor and donor. You don’t have to attend unless you want to. The charity gala is being planned for the Friday between the Spa and German races. It will be held in Brussels.

Kais hadn’t expected this. Few people asked for his participation in these kinds of events. He supposed it wasn’t the best PR to have an association with someone that still had the image of a fallen-upwards drone-beast to a lot of people. But Paul was Paul, and Kais felt that meant there was no ulterior motive at least. He remembered their conversation after the Tokyo race, how he talked fondly about his mother. Kais sighed as he read the message. For some reason he still couldn’t shake the resemblance with a certain other person in his past. Trying to drag him out of his shell. And how that ended for him… Kais wondered what to do. He was sure they had enough security at the venue, at least, though with the events and revelations during the last few races in mind, maybe it wasn’t a bad idea to be there, just to keep an eye on things. Especially with a certain someone being involved... Plus, if there was anyone Kais would want to guard from whatever it was he was involved in now, if necessary, it would be Paul. And there was something else… The fact that it was for his mother and father somehow spoke to him. And so, Kais answered:

Kais: Hello, Ace.

Kais: I’ll come check it out.

Paul: “I would love to have you join us. I will wait to hear back from you.”

[Some days later]

Paul was still at home on Wednesday when he heard back from Kais. He was moving better today. He had done some laps in the pool after a yoga and stretching session. The light exercise helped to ease the stiffness and soreness from the injuries from the crash. He had been video conferencing with Dr. Montgomery the team’s medical lead and restorative medicine doctor, Sasha Volkova the team’s physical therapist, and Agnes Poulsen his trainer. They had approved of the exercises and were monitoring his progress. They wanted him to come back to the campus but understood his request for some personal time away after the accident. Alexander had backed his request so they had backed off. He was due to leave and return to headquarters at the end of the week. Paul had needed this respite. He had seen how worried his mother had been and knew that him being here and watching his recovery had reassured her. Paul had just been sitting down to his desk to work after his workout, massage, and hydrotherapy session when his phone indicated an incoming call. He smiled as he saw a video message from Kais. He clicked accept.

Kais: How’s this:

Kais: [Picture of a motorcycle. It’s not exactly prestigious-looking, a bit of a mechanical Frankenstein’s monster, to be honest. And for some reason, it’s been spray painted completely white]

Kais: Got it back from the shops this morning.

Kais: I don’t do art, though.

Kais: So you’ll have to supply the kids to paint it at the event yourself.

Kais: And try Nora. I think she knows how to handle a spraycan. She could teach them.

Kais: And hey, in Monaco? You did good.

Paul looked over the picture at the white bike in confusion before he continued to read Kais’ message. His smile bloomed as he understood Kais’ intention. Paul’s smile and good mood were infectious as he got more excited about the upcoming event. Paul knew that Kais struggled with the media attention. This would be a good way to show another more human side of him to the world. The kids would love to meet one of the AG racers. Paul’s excitement about the idea came out as he contacted Kais back.

Paul: “The kids will love that! Do you want to come join the kids and meet them as they paint the bike? I can of course reach out to Nora and see if she would like to join in on this as well. The media would love that you know. We could get pictures of you with the kids working together to paint the bike. We could use them in the promotion of the event and we can auction off the bike at the Gala. You are going to come to the Gala right?”

Paul finally wound down enough for Kais to reply and answer him. His excitement was palatable.

Kais... hadn't quite expected that. He had done some photo-ops before, but those were mostly with cats. He didn't think he'd have one anytime soon with actual human beings (Layla being the one exception, and even then technically questionable), let alone kids. In short: this was something entirely out of his ballpark, but Paul’s enthusiasm felt inviting, and with Beatrix’ comments on how she made her art still in his mind -just go with what strikes your fancy, don’t think about it too much-, Kais was curious to try. If push did come to shove, after all, children were tiny, he could handle them. Even with Beatrixian underthinking.

Kais: Wasn't my first thought. But I’ll give it a shot. I’ll be there.

Kais: See you then.

Paul smiled at Kais, his eyes sparkling with excitement. He knew this would do wonders for Kais’ public image. The kids would absolutely love it! Now he just had to convince Nora to join his media zoo for a cause campaign. He would message her next.

Paul: “Thank you Kais. I truly appreciate your support with this. I will make the arrangements for you and get you the details.”

Kais had already disconnected after a brief nod to him. Paul shrugged and decided no time like the present to hit up Nora.

@sylvan @NitroNora

Paul sent Nora a private message through the pilot chat app. He smiled into the camera as he made his appeal.

Paul: “Hello Nora! I am reaching out to ask for your help with a personal project. I am working on putting together a fundraiser for the Mulder Foundation. I have been reaching out to my fellow pilots to ask for their support. The Mulder Foundation was started by my mother to honor my father’s memory. It supports sports and arts programs for low income children across Europe. They even sponsor a few upcoming racers. I was hoping you would be willing to lend your presence and talents to this endeavor. Kais Zenix has agreed to join me in this. He is donating this motorcycle.”

He sent her a picture of the all white motorcycle that was a custom rebuild. A very nice Frankenstein monster in steel and chrome.

Paul: "Kais suggested that the children paint the motorcycle before it is auctioned off at the Gala. I suggested that he join with the children to paint it. He suggested I contact you to help with that. He said that you might know you were around a paint gun. So what do you say Nora? Will you come help me help some kids out? I think Kais might need some backup with the wee ones.I think I heard him mumble something about ankle biters.”

Paul’s eyes twinkled mischievously. “Come join us to paint the bike and you will have a front row seat to all the glorious chaos that happens. I also think you will have a good time. You can donate your own thing to the Gala and are welcome to attend. I am happy to include you in all the press as well. It helps out those children whose parents can’t afford to pay for a sports uniform or a ship to race in.”

Paul’s face became more serious and exuded his sincerity. ”I am glad you are okay. Let me know if you want to talk about the details. I hope to hear from you.”

Soundtrack: Rise Through the Rain - KMP Mood Music Maestro

“This is Hilmar Jokum with EuroNews. Team Valkyrie is in the news again as the team’s former CEO Peter Brendel and head of Human Resources Bernard Maier were indicted on multiple accounts of financial fraud and criminal harassment and discrimination. Peter Brendel received the maximum penalty for financial fraud and was sentenced to five years imprisonment with an additional 2 years for every employee that could prove egregious physical and mental abuse resulting in a lifetime sentence. Bernard Maier was found complicit and was charged as an accomplice to Brendel and also faces a lifetime sentence after he was found guilty of egregious harassment of Team Valkyrie employees. Both men were charged with egregious physical and mental abuse of over 100 former employees. Brendel was found guilty of financial fraud in excess of 5 million Euros. Both men had their assets seized which will be auctioned off and the proceeds split between the victims as reparation. The Team Valkyrie AGR Corporation was fined 1 million Euros for failing to identify and stop the abuses in a timely manner. The team was ordered to pay an additional 5 million in restitution to the fraud victims. In addition to that, they were ordered to adopt a new system to prevent abuse by their executives. The Team had a proposal ready for the Judge and international panel that included an internal checks and balances system for all executives and board members and a new system of financial transparency about the team’s sponsorships and endorsement deals. Moving forward their sponsorships and endorsement contracts will be public with accounting for where that money goes and available to everyone. The Team’s response went above and beyond what the court had expected and it was adopted and praised by the international committee overseeing the case. This has been Hilmar Jokum with EuroNews.”

---

“This is Jessica Smith with Fox News. Team Valkyrie is in the headlines again as the case against former CEO Peter Brendel and former head of Human Resources Bernard Maier were sentenced today by an International Tribunal. Both men were indicted on financial fraud and criminal egregious discrimination and harassment. In lesser news, the former head of their Medical Team, Dr. Julian Zimmerman was sentenced by Germany’s Court system to 20 years in prison and had his medical license revoked. Will this close this ugly chapter in the team’s history? Only time will tell…”

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“This is Jabari Biko with WorldWide Sports. Breaking news in the Formula Anti-Gravity Racing League as former Team Valkyrie members are sentenced in court today. Former CEO Peter Brendel and Head of Human Resources Bernard Maier received lifetime sentences and seizure of all their assets. The International Tribunal ordered their assets seized and split amongst their victims. The Team Valkyrie Corporation was fined 1 million Euros for not identifying and stopping the abuse in a timely fashion. They were ordered to pay an additional 5 million Euros in restitution to the fraud victims. Will the Team bounce back after this latest round of negative press? What is next for the long standing racing team? This has been Jabari Biko with WorldWide Sports. Remember to follow us for the latest in sports news.”

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“This is Germain Lothair with Winner’s Circle Vlog. Today an International Tribunal sentenced Former Team CEO Peter Brendel and HR Executive Bernard Maier to life sentences for Egregious Criminal Harassment and Discrimination of Team Valkyrie employees. In lesser talked about news, former Team Valkyrie Medical Team Lead, Dr. Julian Zimmerman was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment by Germany’s court system for physical and mental harassment of coworkers. Zimmerman also had his medical license revoked. In an interesting turn of events, Team Valkyrie is going to make their sponsorship and endorsement contracts public! They will be posting their contracts and accounting for where the money is spent to ensure transparency and compliance with contracts. Will other teams be adopting this radical ideology of transparency? While the amounts of lucrative sponsorship and endorsements tend to be made common knowledge and shared, the details of these large transactions have typically been highly guarded secrets and include non-disclosure agreements. There has been no announcements by other teams one way or the other. We will be following this news about this closely. Team Valkyrie will begin this new policy after the summer break.”

---

“This is Lauri Ivan with Victory Laps Racing News. Former Team Valkyrie CEO Peter Brendel and HR Executive Bernard Maier were given lifetime sentences by an international tribunal. The German court system sentenced former team Medical Lead Dr. Julian Zimmerman to 20 years imprisonment and revoked his medical license. Team Valkyrie has announced that they will be adopting a system of public transparency in regards to the team’s sponsorships and endorsement deals. The new policy will be adopted after the summer break in the Formula AG season. Will other teams be following Team Valkyrie’s lead? Brendel and Maier’s defense team have already filed an appeal calling for a mistrial. They are arguing that the two men faced a biased and prejudiced jury due to the media surrounding their case. We will keep you updated as things unfold. This has been Lauri Ivan with Victory Laps Racing News.”

---

Video of Alexander Knight talking to the public. A press release video by Team Valkyrie. Alexander appears on camera in a Team Valkyrie button down shirt. His hair loose and wavy around his head and his beard neatly trimmed.

"Hello Race fans. I am Alexander Knight, team principal of Team Valkyrie AGR Sport. The team has had a rocky start to this season. I can finally discuss the case against former team CEO Peter Brendel, HR Executive Bernard Maier, and former Team Medical Lead Dr. Julian Zimmerman. When I started at Team Valkyrie, I didn't expect my challenges to start at Headquarters. I uncovered the abuses of Dr. Zimmerman in my first week here. Dr. Julian Zimmerman was abusive to employees in his department. Investigating Dr. Zimmerman led to investigating Bernard Maier and the former CEO Peter Brendel. It took time to find and uncover all the connections and abuses. One the evidence had been secured, we took it to authorities. The abuses by Zimmerman were reported to human resources but hidden and dismissed by Bernard Maier. As the investigation continued, we uncovered more abuse and fraud that was ordered by former CEO Peter Brendel. Bernard Maier was complicit and helped Brendel and Zimmerman hide these horrible acts. I could not legally comment on these charges until they had been prosecuted in court. With the help of the Board of Directors and its president, Leopold Koch, these men were legally prosecuted for their crimes. Team Valkyrie AGR Sport does not condone the actions of these men. That is why they were prosecuted to the full extent of the law. The Board of Directors has adopted a new operating model that includes checks and balances for the team's executive officers and Board of Directors to prevent this type of thing from occurring again. We understand that this caused a breach of trust not only with our current sponsors but with the public. I wanted to ensure that we can win your trust back. In order to facilitate that the Team is adopting a new policy regarding team sponsorship and endorsement deals. Any future sponsorship and endorsement contracts will be made available for the public to review. This will include an accounting of where and how that money is spent. This only includes contracts that our team name is involved in. Any private endorsement offers made to our pilots directly will be exempt from this policy as it does not include us. I want the public and any future sponsors to know that they can rely on their money being spent the way they intended it. It is our goal to earn that trust back and keep it the right way. To the employees who suffered at the hands of these men, I offer the team's deepest apologies. All employees deserve to have a safe and positive work environment. To the public and Team Valkyrie fans, thank you for your patience. I know the start to this season has been full of drama and upheaval. I am grateful for your patience and trust. I am hopeful that we can now focus on being competitive, giving you reasons to cheer for us. Team Valkyrie will rise once again with your support."