[color=gold][center][h2][i][b]Outro to Hawaii[/b][/i][/h2][/center][/color] [b]Soundtrack: [url=https://youtu.be/g9S931UbhTQ?t=6]Ian Brown- F.E.A.R (UNKLE Remix)[/url] [/b] With a wrap up in the studio, the group were back in New Hilo, surrounded by crowds of people, in the Fan Zone within an elevated platform. "Well, what a race we have had, and well, Hawaii has shaken up the leaderboard once again. We're so grateful to be here, and wow, what a passionate group of fans. Hawaii, would you like to lead us out?" Aurora asked the audience behind her in the Basque Park, to an overwhelming yell in the evening Fan Zone, a smile forming on her face as the scene cut to the outro film. And so, the outro movie to Hawaii played. The slow mo-shots of ships pulsing past the waterfall, one by one, the smack between Han and Jenny, the fight between Florence and Bea, the frustration of Paul visible on his face as he went inside, a split-screen of Jen going through the same, but most of all, Dorian cheering, smiling with trophy in one hand, yellow and grey suited European flag-draped, enjoying the hurrah that was this circuit. And what a way to do it. A final drone shot, of the volcano, the night, and the sound of nightlife, as with it, the Delta Hyper and Formula AG excursion to Hawaii came to a close. [hr] [color=gold][center][h1][i][b] DIGITAL /// INTERFACE //// ANODE [/b][/i][/h1][/center][/color] [img]https://cf.geekdo-images.com/dlWDzekZlldAlLBfcg1taw__large/img/WZHIFmDHppbJBpYJ7_-uU25jnRY=/fit-in/1024x1024/filters:no_upscale():strip_icc()/pic8542192.jpg[/img] [b]Soundtrack: [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRi-JHW50e8]KOAN Sound- Red Shift[/url] [/b] "Start Sequence." The voice is monotone. Robotic. Intentionally. A grain — microscopic, almost alive — floats in the center of frame. Then, a low-frequency resonance, the sound of containment fields activating. Titanium and lead panels snap together around it in perfect sequence — like origami folding in on itself, boosted by the light thrum of a unit that kept it aloft, with slowly, bits combining. An Anti-Gravity Generator. The “black box” glows emerald and violet. A single grain spins faster, and faster — the anti-gravity bubble blooms outward, shimmering like oil on water. "Connection established. Anode, active." In the white and grey digital void that feels almost like a digital render of a garage rather than a real world frame, parts started flying in. Exhausts, the engines, latching into position, chassis, carbon black and halo-like gold and silver, particles of paint decorating the ship in the specialist livery of Nordic Call's "Singapore Lion" livery, a black livery with gold and streaky pink metallic semi-conductor like lines across it (paying homage to the original) in the paint flecking into place, bit by bit, piece by piece. The aero, the underfloor and secondary vent ports, the glass and frame of the cockpit. "Systems, ready." All coming together, slowly but surely. The camera moves inside, revealing the hollow silhouette of a pilot forming. The pilot, inside in almost an MRI-scan like hollow of muscle, flesh, metal, synapses, nerves, bone, all slowly emerging in place in layer after layer, emerging and going out to undersuit, pilot gear, and the visored, harnessed, sitting, waiting, anticipating, view. "Interface, ready." The ship's whine heightening in pitch. The pilot's visor lights up — golden reflection catching the digital void. The ship’s canopy seals. A soft mechanical inhale. The white void collapses into black. "Pilot, ready?" The voice is still, without life, the hollow voice slightly feminine, but almost uncannily like it was machine playing human. Almost like the voice in a pilot's head that the ship would come out with, some pilots customising theirs, but played out loud as if it was a character of it's own. The ship's vox, if you will. The voice of the ship holding a pilot in, and trusting every decision and helping commit it to reality. Black swallows the white void as the engines spool, about to dart forward...... And the ships emerges from it, roaring in a way that it literally set the world into colour. And the scream increases, Singapore in full view, following the ship through, a clever drone shot. A cut back of the camera, revealing the gigantic Singapore Flyer wheel, with Marina Bay behind it, the main start-straight, and a tracking drone shot, the sound of screaming cutting through chicanes and then re-engaging, pivoting to the skyline of Singapore. "Welcome to Marina Bay." [hr] [center][h1][b]Thursday 1st September, 2094 Merlion Ultra, Marina Bay, Singapore 1700 SGT [/b][/h1][/center] [color=gold][center][h2][i][b]ZONE[/b][/i][/h2][/center][/color] [img]https://res.cloudinary.com/dtljonz0f/image/upload/c_auto,ar_4:3,w_3840,g_auto/f_auto/q_auto/v1/gc-v1/singapore/Singapore%20Sunset_hero?_a=BAVAZGE70[/img] [b]Soundtrack: [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BM9MSvP43m4]Mist- Smart Systems[/url] [/b] With the technical marvel that was the intro out of the way, the scene cut to a sim, well, now a chair, no controls visible, this being akin to a home setup. No controllers. Just a small box that acted as a node that connected to the wider cloud-based network of quantum-based supercomputers, in the cloud, able to render something far beyond the recognition of any home-based device. Instead, it was a simple chair, not far off that of a pilot's seat, with a view over the sunset in Marina Bay. A minimalist, Chinese-themed room with a panoramic view of the dusk sky of Singapore outside of it. Marina Bay Sands The Lion City had its famous hotels, but around it, a swathe of 90, 100 storey tall buildings dominated the scene, the historical pieces surviving, but this. A city that was like New Hilo, but unlike the more insular, co-operative, sustainability dominant form of eco-capitalism that the Basque population had fostered, Singapore seemed as always, a pot of everything. Indian, Malaysian, Chinese, Thai, even the old English influences dominated everything, from skyscraper ads to the core tech and financial institutions that made this home. If Hawaii was a node, a marker of a new economy, Singapore was the crowning jewel of about everything else. The centre of the world, not an outpost. A hybrid chimaera of globalism, built in control, not in chaos, the pointed, serrated edge of hyper-capital and the world of tomorrow. Tokyo seemed outrageously built up and dense and felt almost out of body compared to the density of Singapore- yet the latter for its people, green yet safe, efficient, incredibly so. A place where technology didn't overwhelm, the greenery didn't shade, and people seemed to be, broadly, given security and inclusion. A humanitarian sort of cyberpunk, if you will. Prosthetics may have been more common in Tokyo than here, but if you were looking for the melting pot, it was here. This was an anti-Hilo, capital poured out the windows but made sure to keep every inch clean and every service at beck and will, in a lavish, unrestrained excess rather than a slow, sybiosis with nature. It was a heaven if you could find it, public transit and connections instant, everything immaculately clean from automation, education, health, everything, to an nth degree. The same atmosphere at New Hilo, albeit with the density, that came with entertainment, nightlife, cuisine and an ability to feel welcome, rather than detached. A place you could find yourself in and not feel a foreigner. It was optimised for the world to come to it, where it felt like instead of parking itself in a few years ago in cutting edge sustainability technology, this was the furthest, farthest step humanity took into a brave future that felt interconnected, technologically advanced, and where anything was possible. But that came with something else. A surveillance state. A feeling of having your entire personal freedom stripped. You could do anything here, any morality, any vice, all of it, but it felt like doing it nude. Singapore didn't feel like anywhere any of the pilots came from. It felt like Disneyland with the Death Penalty. If Hilo felt like a party, a model for a future still being moulded in locality, Singapore had decided to open to the world, and lock the gates high. It was always there, that punkish, brackish underworld, but it wasn't as edgy as Tokyo, or as illegal as New Lagos, or Sao Paolo or Buenos Aires. It wasn't the tradition of London or Paris, it felt strangely transient in being almost a little like it tried to hard to be cool. Functional, yes, absolutely, but....the glass was too polished. From the window of the the 104 storey skyscraper overlooking the track and the other towers, as well as the bay itself, with its iconic ferris wheel still in place, Rosie was back on screen, in place of Aurora. "Inspired by the recent update to AG2024, the official racing game of Formula AG, we thought we'd introduce our pilots to a new mode updated in the game that our pilots themselves might be familiar with. Whilst you may be able to make the game anything you can dream of, quite literally, we thought we'd introduce a curated mode, inspired by Amy Stirling and her two-time winning success." Rosie added, walking past the sim, hands on hips, excitable smile, always. "This is Zone Mode. A challenge for how fast a pilot can be, in absolute terms. Not our traditional format, but....as you'll see, a new frontier." The render around Rosie collapsed, as it seemed like the skyscrapers and walls around fell, revealing a digital, AR-enabled world. [img]https://media.pocketgamer.com/artwork/na-kaq/wipeout_2048_hd_fury_dlc1.jpg[/img] The only visuals being grey-looking ships, that were the outlines of existing models, and what looked like the outline of strange, swirling in the air, physical almost but more like glyphs or digital outlines, particles blowing around. "Zone is curated as an ultimate test to make you feel the speed and risks at the top of Formula AG. And to do that, we take you beyond the track into a cutting edge, training tool used by some pilots as part of reflex training. Ships start at low speeds, and advance through speed class after class, sector by sector, speeds steadily increasing. Getting to the point past any AG ships, and no human being could handle." As if to demonstrate it, a ship roared past, blowing what looked like particles out of the way in digital mesh. A world in white, grey and neon strip-like white walls for ships to stay within. "Constant throttle, and only air brakes to get through corners. To account for that speed, this digital world is stripped bare to create virtually zero latency. No distractions. Just....lots and lots of speed. Best enjoyed with your Neural Link, as our pilots will show you!" Rosie chirped, as she looked through the circuit, walking around, the only piece of human in this digital reality. "They call it a synapse builder, with pilot modifications and neural links being put to their test, building bonds between a pilot's lightening fast reactions until they can react superhumanly fast- making slow speeds to most seem perfectly normal to our pilots. Think of it like a reaction training machine, only a little more practical! It's a test that Layla Al-Nadir has described as one of the most addictive in training, is now available to you. How far will you go?" Rosie asked, smirk on face. Exhaling hard, the world peeled back into the studio in Singapore, as Kais, Bea, Paul, Nora, Astrid and Jen all appeared, back in the skyscraper, all in front of the simulator, with a few holographic monitors for the others to watch, and a comfy chair for the others to get into, get plugged in, and dive into a virtual racing game's training mode. "Hi all! So, who's up first? Jen eagerly threw her hand up, between climbing sessions, being an addict to this in testing. "Me please! Oh man, I love this." She cackled, walking across, passed the cable by Rosie and given the chance to sit down. "It is good fun this. But you're all watching so I can't promise I will do so good!" Jen replied, chuckling, the start up engaging, as immediately, she lept into Zone. It was strange, but Augmented, artificial reality meant that with a neural implant, you could see through the monitors the version of Jen engaging with the ship, climbing in and sealing it shut, same as anything real. Third person of course, was optional, any good video game got that, but Jen liked first. It felt about the same as the real thing. It was half a klick off their simulators, given how vivid, realistic and close they'd gotten nowadays. "Any bets on who will go...wow, that is impressive from Jen there!" The ship roared, the circuit far more undulating, but flowing- like an adapted Istanbul AGP circuit, but with some completely un-real sections in it with drops that would kill a ship normally, but here, seemed harmless. Being in Zone revealed a lot. If you looked at an EEG, you could literally see the points of synapses linking together through corners, bonding the pilot to the ship. This was not a formal version of it, not like what the teams used to build synapses as part of pilot mod implementation, from the surgery table out to the simulators, more a gamified version. But, they had a little chance to prove how superhuman they were. The rare moment where an actual pilot could be a record holder, based on their literal wetware. It kept going. To say that Zone 10 was a normal AG ship, Zone 20 about twice that, somehow, Jen managed to get to 24- the screen mostly a blur to anyone mortal. Before her ship smacked the neon side of the track, and spat her back awake, jolting her upright as her innate feeling of inertia stopped, levelling out. "Damn! Okay, not as good as it is in the factory, but I have all eyes on me!" Jen chuckled, stepping out of the seat, letting the next person have a go, cleaning the cable, ready for the next user. It was about to be competitive, but as it turns out, the rating was directly influenced by however high the pilots had their "pilot mods" set. This of course, meant that Kais seemed a little unnaturally good....and Astrid less so. This was less of an interview, more perhaps a test. [hr] [center][h1][b]Thursday 1st September, 2094 Annapurna Restaurant, Tsai Wen Tower, Singapore 1900 SGT [/b][/h1][/center] [color=gold][center][h2][i][b]Curry Night[/b][/i][/h2][/center][/color] [img]https://images.nightcafe.studio/ik-seo/jobs/CyCIZQ5BilqhulwjGvYK/CyCIZQ5BilqhulwjGvYK--0--egajt/a-futuristic-cyberpunk-style-merlion-towering-over-a-neon-lit-singapore-skyline-at-night-surrounded-.jpg?tr=w-1600,c-at_max[/img] Inside the Tsai Wen Tower, Amy took her seat at the head of the table, cutlery being dished out in the exclusive, high end restaurant, right by the bay three storeys up, hyper-exclusive yachts outside alongside seemingly floating, ultra-modern blocks rooted deep in the earth. Annapurna was a fusion restaurant, serving mostly Indian, Malay and Nepali dishes, and the expense for most pilots, even on their salary would be absolutely eye-watering. They weren't paid like old F1 drivers were, so a double-Michelin star having restaurant in a skyscraper, AVs on a pad outside ready to whisk pilots to their hotels and accommodation. NOVA and Nordic Call couldn't make this, having commitments elsewhere tonight. Amy had already paid. Sitting down, she already looked across, the digital ordering forms collected, as the conversation went from playful catchup, to more realistic shit-talking. "Feeling the pinch?" Harrison jibed, as Amy tsk'd shaking her head. "Not quite. But, looks like we have more to keep our spots, yeah? You're looking behind you. Me too!" Amy chuckled, giving Jen a gentle jab, Jen chuckling, shrugging, not really able to add anything more to it as Cassie finished with a popadom. "Sure, so a three way race for the title. And yet, no certain edge. I'm just looking at Carrera and Valkyrie." "Keeping you busy?" Ava asked, as Cassie shook her head, arms crossed. "Well, you annoyed me with ELS last time. I'll give it more next time." Cassie replied, Dorian chuckling, nearly coughing up the prawn cracker her had. "Don't write off another ship here!" Dorian chuckled, as Cassie's face turned to immediate thunder, like a teenager had gotten a strop, Dorian shaking his head, sipping down more of the incredibly vintage, 2021 Alsace that was a perfect pair for the fish-based stew he'd opted for. They all kept quiet, as the dishes came out, plates of gourmet food that were far, far, far above that of their usual dietary pick. "Anyway. Question to you all. Everyone's neural link playing up, or you all fine?" Amy asked, as the vibe seemed to change, almost as if the voices dropped to silence. No answers. "I had some issues back in the last couple races. Worrying, to be honest. They think they got a fix. But I thought you know, nothing of it first either, so maybe, it was something you lot had too. Maybe the ELS or something else just tripped it on something? Anyone?" Amy seemed a little standoffish. This was weird. Why was she asking that? Kais and maybe Bea would know why. Dorian shook his head, the elder stateman of the group having nothing to add. "Mine is fine. You going through withdrawals in the sub-frontal region? That can...." Dorian started, sitting up. "They fixed that last year though. Did you not go for it?" Dorian asked, as Amy didn't hide confusion. "We have our own bespoke. Wouldn't have done anything." Amy replied, as Dorian shrugged, not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth. "Can't help you there then. I'm fine. We had a new one fitted and it's fit as a fiddle. Even in my old age." Dorian looked across as Hamid chuckled, brushing it off. "Future is now though, old man. Whooped your ass at padel, habibi." The Moroccan added, chuckling, as he made a gesture with his hand, the dress code of smart casual coming through to him as an outlandish Moroccan designer shirt in traditional Berber form with jeans. Quite a combo. "Anyone could whoop his ass at padel. But Amy could probably fucking see the future with hers. Until her changes. Right, Amy?" Ava chirped, outspoken, the more athletic of all of them looking across. "Maybe. It's a bit of a difficult one. Just asking, because I hope none of you have got it." "Oh god, you been spreading the clap?" Wedge commented, to a gaggle of laughter, the conversation changing altogether when everyone else had a plate of food served, and it was too awkward to return. "Still kick your ass on circuit though, Hamid. Clap or not." Dorian sassily commented, as Hamid was silenced by a naan bread. Across the room, Ava sat quietly next to Bea, glancing across to Kais. Not knowing about her own team-mate. They hadn't talked in a while. But she hoped he would find her. There was more to discuss, since last time. More she personally wanted too. The deal from the team sat in the back of her head. And no doubt, Bea was a little horrified. Amy was scared. Barely able to show it, hiding it well, but Bea would see through that. Paul probably had no idea, as Dorian nudged him on the shoulder, leaning in. "Talk later."