[hr] [center][img]https://txt.1001fonts.net/img/txt/b3RmLjE3OC5mMTk5MGEuUzJGcGN5QmFaVzVwZUEuMA/creattion-demo.regular.webp[/img][/center] [hr] [center][h2][color=orange]Speed//Run[/color][/h2][/center] [quote][i]"Wait. Our little thing is good....but word to the wise though.....if you are looking for answers to your past, and your questions, just ask who you're getting them for. Is it for Aswan, shaqīq? Finish what you started on the inside, what they stole from you? Or is it for her? Find what you can while they poke inside? Let's see, shall we....you'll need to be more than a fighter."[/i][/quote] It went quick then, after [i]that[/i] race. Amy, with that veiled threat, a whispered message over his neural link no-one else would hear, with that toothy grin of hers. [i]Shaqiq[/i], she called him. [i]Brother[/i]. [color=orange]"Whatever it takes, huh?"[/color] Kais had said back, and he couldn't help but feel the whole thing be ominous more than anything. There they were, him and the two people he distrusted most on the podium, as if their ranking was fated. And with his victory came the defiant forefinger, up in the air, [i]number one[/i]... But who was he kidding, thinking back, after that talk with Cassie. It had come as a shock. Not only had he been an expendable utility, he had been just a test number too. Number one? More like number [i]minus-one[/i]. After the champagne and confetti settled down, the three shared a [i]very[/i] awkward photo moment. And as the flashes of the holography drones died down and their arms came off each others' shoulders, Kais turned to Han and offered her a hand. A proper one this time. Eyes only slightly more than slits, his mistrust would still have been clear on his face to anyone, [i]especially[/i] to someone as tuned in as her. That, he didn't doubt. [color=orange]"So... I always wanted to know: does Zygon own a patent for that smile for the cameras there too?"[/color] But there was also something else in his eyes, his voice. A scouting out of things. To see if this 'Han' was indeed a mask, or a shield, or a cage? Or perhaps, something more...? And Kais, surprising even himself, found himself curious. [color=orange]"For what it's worth, I was born with psychological control three cortical layers deep. Turns out living like that's just a way to go without anyone ever really seeing you."[/color] And as always the same echo went through his mind, of [i]him[/i], just prior to defeat at Final Storm. [i]Tell me you're still in there... [b]Swear[/b] to me...[/i] He noticed his eyes had drifted from hers, and he snapped back, tightening his grip. [color=orange]"Anyway, you held your ground today. And not just for the money shots, you did it where it counts. Good on you, P3. See you on the track..."[/color] It may not have been the highest of praise, that would be out of character, but it should do the job. Hopefully. [i]More than a fighter...[/i] The Al-Saqr garage was abuzz with celebration. His race engineer Zeina actually spoke to him in person this time, Yasif bet half his salary on who would last longest in the dabke line (spoiler: it wasn't Kais, no matter how much Layla tried to push him into it). Bulk amounts of olive oil smothered rotating plates of hastily ordered mezze -no one quite expected [i]this[/i] ending, no matter how much post-hoc parameter tuning Nadia did on her "what if" simulations. And Omar had once again started a speech with the usual flying and soaring, but it was cut off when their once-more star flier came on the holos. Farouk started a whoop, which soon died down as Aurora started her question. [quote]"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?"[/quote] [color=orange]"Harmony's a nice word. But you'd be wrong. We have [i]firepower[/i]. But our handling and stability aren't quite up to the level of other big-names here. And the only thing that trumps that is daring, sheer force of will. A ship like ours has to be [i]made[/i] to listen, to perform, to [i]soar[/i]."[/color] (this time it was Omar who whooped) [color=orange]"Luckily Al-Saqr has two pilots and a team who don't take it easy. That's what's going to give us a run for the constructors. And that's exactly what happened after the red flag. As for what the critics say?"[/color] He scoffed. [color=orange]"Who cares. At the end of the day, critics will be talking, and we will be racing. Whether we'll last? Stay tuned..."[/color] Another cheer erupted, and unlike in Tokyo when she had spent most of her time in ice and check-ups, Layla was right there beside him, slapping his shoulders in celebration. And for the first time this season, the meteor actually seemed to light up a little. Hours later, in the deep of night, overlooking the now-quiet racetrack. Kais leaned on the spectators' balcony rail. Around him, all was quiet save for the lone cleaner drone handler making his rounds. "Good job, son." Kais nodded. The Tokyo win felt like it was proof that he could amount to something. Silverstone was about [i]crushing[/i] his opposition in no uncertain terms. And he did. And it felt good. Better than Tokyo, even. But he thought back to Luna, to every revelation up till now. And there was a tension lingering. and he wondered what was still to come. [hr] [center][color=gold][h1]DELTΔ HYPER Episode Nine: The Wall of Champions[/h1][h2]La Sauce[/h2][/color][/center] A 'fun challenge' they said. It was a crash waiting to happen, Kais thought, though some of the crew there seemed happy with it. Then, a certain someone mouthed the words [color=7AFFAD][i]"Make it spicy."[/i][/color] to him. And Kais had to agree. This may not have been his kind of fight. But fine. If they were going to play chef, he'd win that too. On [i]his[/i] terms. The maid apron went on, and a sneaky smile crept over his face. [color=orange]"Alright, divide and conquer. Layla, you're on curds, I'll handle the sauce. Let's get a move on."[/color] [color=plum]"[i]Ya Allah[/i], yes chef! Such motivation"[/color] Then he took something from his tray, turned to the camera and said, almost a whisper. [color=orange]"Secret ingredient. [i]Nomad Nutrition Faux-Beef Stock Pot[/i]. 'When good isn't good enough'. All the great restaurants use it."[/color] [color=plum]"Careful Kais, if you keep joking like that people are going to think you've got a heart after all."[/color] [color=orange]"That's rich, coming from you. And who said I was joking?"[/color] [color=plum]"I don't think you'd make a good beef sauce out of protein paste, Kais."[/color] [color=orange]"I'm [i]used[/i] to making [i]rations[/i] taste good. You'll see. Now less talking, more cooking, what, you got something better to do?"[/color] The cameraman zooms in on Kais smiling hesitantly. A moment that survives exactly 1.76 seconds before a barking [color=orange]"And where's the szechuan pepper, quickly!?"[/color] And half of their set helpers scramble. "We've already got the frittes cut for you." Aurora interjected. [color=orange]"Layla, what are... [i]frittes[/i]?"[/color] [color=plum]"The potato bars."[/color] [color=orange]"Ah, now we're talking."[/color] Some thirty minutes later, and their aprons were a metaphorical bloodbath. [color=orange]"It's not that bad, actually. It's got taste, and texture."[/color] [color=plum]"What are those lumps, and why is it tingling? Doc, if [i]you're[/i] watching, remind me to put an artificial stomach on my wishlist after all... You know the one, with the [i]poison[/i] filter."[/color] "What about Valkyrie's?" Aurora asked, almost giddy with whatever would inevitably come next. And Kais gave his tactical appraisal. [color=orange]"Presentation: overcompensation. Flavor profile: timid. You can really taste the French influence."[/color] Layla put an arm around Paul. [color=plum]"Don't worry, with taste buds like his everything seems mild... You get used to it. Was that Chimay Blue 0.0 you used? The sweetness really accents the onions."[/color] [color=orange]"Hmm..."[/color] Kais nodded. [color=orange]"I do like the beef strips, nice and rare... Still prefer mine, though..."[/color] He licked his finger. [color=orange]"Delicious."[/color] [hr] [center][h2]Sunday July 2nd, 2094, 1400 EST Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montréal Canada (Federated American States) [color=gold]Hockey Fight[/color][/h2][/center] Qualy had gone decent. 6 and 8. So, back in the garage, the team had gone over tactics. This was a race they couldn't miss. Montreal had a circuit that fit their ship somewhat: speed, decent enough handling and stability, but importantly: they had [i]momentum[/i] again, so they had to keep it going. Omar looked over his spreadsheet with constructor rankings, then pulled up the map of the circuit, his eyes lingering over the Wall of Champions. "It's going to be tight on this one. Montreal isn't our kind of track, but we [i]can[/i] manage to gain on the others if we play [i]them[/i] right. The Wall of Champions is a brutal beast..." [color=orange]"We push, then."[/color] Kais said. [color=orange]"Don't let Amy get too much of a lead. We need to keep as close as we can on her six. Run interference on her."[/color] Layla nodded. [color=plum]"Force her into tight spots with others and she might be pushed in a tough spot."[/color] Her gaze went to the Wall. [color=plum]"One wrong move, Amy DNFs here, and things might flip into our favor."[/color] She more than anyone wanted to see Silver Apex taken down a peg, never forgetting her and Amy's little race together, in more ways than one. And she wanted to be the one who came out on top. Minutiae were discussed. Projected ELS deployment sites for other teams, breaking points, how they could rebound. But the general gist was enough: put pressure on Amy. Thus, Omar sealed the deal: "Time to cook, everyone." And so... [center][h2][color=red]5[/color]. [color=red]4[/color]. [color=red]3[/color]. [color=red]2[/color]. [color=red]1[/color].[/h2][/center] ...said the distance sensors. Kais had launched well, and he pushed for all he was worth into the midfield. Then Amy was taken out of the running, exactly what they aimed for. But now, on lap 13, Jamie Hart came in twitchy, a panic move, like he had lost control. Kais defended, but the Silver Apex ship stabbed into his back once again. And for a microsecond, all sensors went to noise. The two of them skidded across the track, the AG drives trying to stabilize and steer and brake their momentum into the safety lane with a slight wobble that made sparks fly when they scratched across the ground. Red warnings blared as he kicked open the canopy, undid his seatbelts, and dropped out of his racer amid the roar of the others flying by. [color=orange]"Hart, you...!"[/color] Kais growled. With one hand he reached for Jamie's collar and pushed him back into his racer's chassis. Not quite choking, but close enough to get the message across. Jamie raised his hands, starting a simpering "I didn't...", but Kais cut him off. [color=orange]"Do what? Didn't mean to? Bullshit!"[/color] His voice turned low, intimate in his intimidation. [color=orange]"Once is a mistake, [i]twice[/i] is a coincidence, [i]three times is enemy action, Hart[/i]! I should punch your head clean off for this, you pathetic piece of sh..."[/color] He smacked a dent in Jamie's racer's chassis. [color=orange]"So this is how Apex does things, huh? Hire incompetent lapdogs to do Amy's dirty work, taking out her competition?"[/color] Security intervened, and Kais stepped back. [color=orange]"Tell her next time, she can come finish the job herself."[/color] Adrenaline coursing through his body, his ears a buzz. Before long their racers had found themselves back in the pits, and there they watched the race go by. Layla came in 8th, in the points, and ahead of Amy, and that was reason enough for elation. [color=orange]"Held your ground, Yalla, well done."[/color] Kais squeezed her upper arm, though she didn't seem to notice. [color=plum]"Beat... Amy..."[/color] Layla huffed, then was taken away by the medical team for checkups. [hr] "Kais, a race to forget. With reports widely going around that Jamie Hart is out of a seat for the season, are you disappointed he couldn’t keep it clean for his home race?" [color=orange]"Good. Get him out. And no, I'm not disappointed. I'm furious. [i]Again[/i]. Three times, Aurora. [i]Three times[/i]. Like this was accidental. [i]Again[/i]. Apex, fix. your. house. [i]Fire[/i] him, or else don't be surprised when [i]others[/i] will."[/color] Media training be damned when this was the so-manieth crash. He stood up and walked. Minutes later, and minutes calmer, he found Paul Mulder surrounded by Valkyrie crew. Kais elbowed his way past and offered Paul a firm hand. [color=orange]"Hell of a drive, Mulder. Kept the demolition derby in your rear-view sensors and straight into P1. Ace moves."[/color] Then, in the distance, unnoticed by many, but not to him, Nadia was stumbling through the paddock, clutching her datapad to her chest like a comfort animal, glancing around in a daze, until she found his eyes. He noticed her paleness first, even in the paddock's bright lighting. Something was wrong. [color=7ea7d8]"Kais?"[/color] [color=orange]"Nadia."[/color] [color=7ea7d8]"You have to come. They can't stabilize her."[/color] She almost whispered. Eyes went wide. Veins pulsated. And he marched straight towards the Al-Saqr area where the ping of Layla's link went... [center][h2][color=black]...Dark[/color][/h2][/center] The room dissolved. And she was home. Comfort. Mom and dad, or the ones she'd come to call that. Before long she had made her first blowtorch sculpture. Secretly sneaking out of the academy lecture halls with friends. Swearing she'd never do that again (and [i]actually[/i] never doing it again. Boom, ace student). The walls of the moon base. Mars simulators. Her first kiss. Her first pair of prosthetic limbs. Then the second, modeled after her childhood sculptures. It all went so fast then. The first neural tuning. the ice baths -what a time, huh?- Nadia's laughs. Salma's frowns. Kais' lone stares, ever-distant, ever-pained, no matter how much he told himself the opposite. Amy's face after beating her. Finally, one last message. "Hi [i]binti[/i], we saw the race," "...[i]and[/i] the crash." "Yea, gave us quite the scare there, but we saw you climb out alright, so that's another heart attack averted, haha!" "Darling, you know I don't like you joking about those things! Don't listen to your dad, binti." "...Listen to your dad, binti." "Anyway, don't worry about it toǒ̦ muc̀ͅh̫̿, yȅͅs?̐͢ We k͕̔n̫̽oẁ̱ hò̞w you͇̿ ĥ̞a̲͠v͙́e͓̅ a̼͌ ẖ͑à̙b͎͞i̞͋t̙́ of p̠͡ush͎̏in̺̈́g̺̐ yò̱ursel͓̀f̘̀ whĕ̟n̹̾ these t̙̏h͉̎ï̞ṇ́g̐͢ș̅ ha̠͗p̹͆p̙͑eǹ̫.̞̂ Wê̩'́͟rẻ͓ sure ỹ̲o͖͐u̝͝'l̯̐ḷ͆ d͔̕o bet̖̋t̎ͅer n͑͟ex̖͌t̩̀ tim̮̉e̮̒.̗͞ Eĺ̘s̲͕̚͘e̜̊ you c͒͘͟͟ȃ̱̥͠n a̟͓͆͝l̡͓̀̽w͉͕̍́a̫̿ys̪͖̾̀ c̙̾om͉͆e̤͆ ẅ͎͚́̐o̙̯͡͠rk w̘̳͑͂i̭̾tḧ̙́̚ͅ ü̫s̛͟ i̝̤͂͠n̳͑ the̹̊ ṡ͔ho͙̒p̗̲͐̌,̫̌ w̛͉e̦͗ c̪̺̽͝o̘̤̓͞ṵ̢̃̍l̞͝d us̛͔e a g̨͚͐͋ŏ͚̀͟od͉͔͉̆̔͠ m͚̗͆͂͜͝ą̭̾̿̕͜s̨̪͈͆̒͑ç͈̪̾͌̕ȏ̭͓̦̆̀ț̨̙̔̌͠"̳͉̞̾͗͡ "̘͉̳͐̐̌D̡̯̭̋̌͝a͓̗̥̅͂̕r̖̤͙̅͆̔l͔̞̪̚͝͞ï͍͗͘͢͢n̏̋̍͟͢͜g̢͔͉͛̉̿!̼͓̪̒̇̕"̥̤̯́̚͠ "̡̫͇̒̃͡A̮͇͌̃̾͢n͍̭̆̓̌͜y̫̙͈͒̀̑w̥̱̰̿̚̕a͓̮͋̍̕͢ỹ̛̤̰̬̊,̢̫̮͑̒͝ c̭̮͚̑̊͞ą̛͓̬̋̀ḷ̡̜͆̓͘l̥̟͚̽͐̐ ù͕̭̝͌͌ṡ̝̪̳͂͞ w̪̹͍̓̿̍h̝̩͊̒̽ͅe̬͔̍̔͛ͅņ̛̫̂̈́ͅ y̞̥̑͒̀͟ǫ̻̣̌̉͌ü̼͚̺̆͠'͙̩̝͋̎͊v̧̙̟̇̋͞ë̪͎̟́̾̕ g͔̱̟͂͘̕o̖̻̼͆͗̉t̢͉̙̐̊̍ t̖͕͕̅̂͝i̩̣̻̔̐̽m̰̬̠͂̈́͘ḙ̩̥̿͞͞.͕̯͎̽̔͡ P̢̜̖̒͒͡r̙͕̤͂̋̄ǫ̘̪̀̑͂u͓͍̜͒̓͡d̩͙̣̆̉͘ o̟̠̘̔͆͌f̗̮͖̌̇́ y̮͖̩̅̽͝ő̗͈̪͌̚ű̩̄̈́͜͜ a̜̻͔͋͗̐l̛̤̰̺̎̊w̬̖̞̿̒͂á͙̱̽̐͢y̧̖͗͊̕ͅs̛͇̘̺̉̉!̤̱̰͆͛͑" "M̨̢̥̀̓̚&̘͙̲̔̌̋D̨̩͉̃͋̚"͇̣̄̒͛͜ Her life flashed before her eyes... [i]Her[/i] life, and [i]more[/i]... Euphoria flooded her systems. Blinding data. Comfort. Home. [color=#FFFFFF]T[/color][color=#FBFBFB]h[/color][color=#F7F7F7]e[/color][color=#F4F3F3]n[/color][color=#F0F0F0],[/color] [color=#E9E8E8]h[/color][color=#E5E5E5]e[/color][color=#E1E1E1]r[/color] [color=#DAD9D9]v[/color][color=#D6D6D6]i[/color][color=#D3D2D2]s[/color][color=#CFCECE]u[/color][color=#CBCBCB]a[/color][color=#C8C7C7]l[/color] [color=#C0C0C0]f[/color][color=#BDBCBC]e[/color][color=#B9B8B8]e[/color][color=#B5B4B4]d[/color] [color=#AEADAD]c[/color][color=#AAA9A9]o[/color][color=#A7A6A6]l[/color][color=#A3A2A2]l[/color][color=#9F9E9E]a[/color][color=#9C9B9B]p[/color][color=#989797]s[/color][color=#949393]e[/color][color=#918F8F]d[/color] [color=#898888]i[/color][color=#868484]n[/color][color=#828181]t[/color][color=#7E7D7D]o[/color] [color=#777676]p[/color][color=#737272]i[/color][color=#706E6E]x[/color][color=#6C6A6A]e[/color][color=#686767]l[/color][color=#656363]s[/color][color=#615F5F],[/color] [color=#5A5858]a[/color][color=#565454]n[/color][color=#525151]d[/color] [color=#4B4949]f[/color][color=#474545]a[/color][color=#444242]d[/color][color=#403E3E]e[/color][color=#3C3A3A]d[/color] [color=#353333]t[/color][color=#312F2F]o[/color] Night. The moon was waning. Debriefing that day was a haze. [color=orange][i]"What do you need me to do?"[/i][/color] Kais had asked Omar, who had promptly replied: "Nothing" and told them in bureaucratically tender, but no uncertain terms, to keep the whole thing quiet -very quiet, the or-else kind of quiet- until they figured out a strategy forward. Until then, their PR team would say Layla had retired for "personal reasons". Their doctor had put them through a blitz of a psychological check-up, which came up with the expected: Nadia was sad, Kais was angry. Support each other. Use calm breathing techniques. [i]'We understand if you are scared,' 'We're here if you need us,' 'Avoid self-destructive behavior like substance abuse and doom-scrolling,' 'We keep it safe here,'[/i] and other affirmations pinged up on his neural link at frequent intervals. And the doc had promised she would check up on them more rigorously later with a personalized action plan. And so, now, Kais simply sat at the bedside of Layla, waiting for them to be separated. Nadia sat beside and leaned against him, on a chair that creaked so much every time she shifted his heart jumped into action-mode, instantly teleported back to [i]then[/i]. Every now and again he heard her breath slow and she nodded off, before her smartwatch showed a spike in her heart rate again and she woke up in sleepy sobs. Ping: [i]'Nightmares and jumpiness can be normal short-term.'[/i] No words were said between them. All those would come later also. It were many hours before she was finally carted away in the middle of the night, when traffic out on the paddock -and with it any potential interest and attention- was as minimal as possible. What a joke. "What do you [i]want[/i]?" Cassie had asked... But wanting was a privilege. Doing was all he knew. Thousands of possibilities went through his mind, troubleshooting, fixing, pleading even, but... One doesn't come back from [i]this[/i]. What [i]did[/i] he want? To tear the whole damn house of cards down, of course. To beat them all. To beat [i]her[/i]. And [i]her[/i] too... Is what he [i]thought[/i]... He pulled up Ava's files, and visualized the chain: Masdar al-Nuba, Zygon, Apex, FIAR? He sent a message to Inan: "Open the cache. Careful: sweep well, then sweep some more, might be rigged. Spread it round. Find out what you can." Another to Cassie: "Down once. [u][i]Back up[/i][/u] twice." One to Paul: "Keep an eye on Han." He hesitated over Nadia's name, then typed: "[i]Stay with[/i] her." The world kept spinning. He would get over it. As he always did. Is what he [i]wanted[/i] to tell himself. Words from his past came to him. [i]"[b]Swear[/b] to me you'll make it worth something..."[/i] But the one that actually seemed to put those words into actions was gone now... And doing right by them now? That, seemed further away than anything. What did he want? [i]What else...[/i] [center][b]Soundtrack[/b]: [b][url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBh-3ckB2Sk]Kensington - No Me[/url][/b][/center]