Cassie Neves Oh shit! Everyone alright?

Bea Would I be joking about it if someone wasn’t? Come on, you know me better than that.

Kofi Guys you're out here committing violations in chat

Bea That’s only a problem if someone snitches. 😛

Wedge My mixtape be like: [reposted picture of lab on fire]

Bea …wow. 😀

Ben Hale Why have I been told to bring trunks to Hawaii? What shit is Delta Hyper planning?

Jen Lowry I'm gonna say diving or surfing. I'm packing for both.

Bea You think that’s weird, but why am I getting mails from the production team asking if I have a minibus license?

Max Yeah, I got that too.

Jen Lowry Do you?

Max No.

Jen Lowry Yea, me neither.

Bea It’s not the license that drives… 😛 But I got it covered.

Ava Villarosa How and why do you have that?

Bea I had provisional licenses when I was rallying, because you need to drive the cars on public roads between stages. But since that was before I could legally drink, some of my older friends actually paid me to get the minibus license too so I could be their DD.

Amy Stirling Full of surprises.

Astrid No shit 😀

Bea And when I turned 18 I renewed them all to full ones because renewing is easier than getting them again if they expire. Never know when they might be handy.

Ben Hale That’s actually…

Ben Hale Fuck, that’s a point.

Bea I don’t know why you all act like I’m incapable of forethought?

Ava Villarosa Because we know you. 😛

Bea …you’re walking. 😀

Jen Lowry Bea out here rated to drive lorries.

Bea You jest, but yes. I raced those too.

---

Tuesday 10/08 08:28 Moneybags :p [Batt: 100%]

Dad: @Bea I just got off the phone with Alonso, how long have you known?
Eva: What have you done?
Dad: Stopped costing your future company money, starting next year.
Eva: They gave you a new contract?!
> Got it in one! Pablo told me after Spa, but first called about talking in private even before it.
[‘Eva’ reacted with 🍾]
Eva: Alright, I’m just looking at the transcript of the call, this… Wow.
> How am I?
Eva: Tolerable, for a younger sibling. 😛
[You reacted with 😀]
Dad: No longer racing on borrowed time and money. Never doubted the day, but still, congratulations.
Eva: All jokes aside, congratulations. This makes all our lives easier.
> Cheers, sis. Consider this an early wedding gift to your corporate marriage. 😛
Eva: …I’m ignoring that.
> I wish you could have seen Pablo’s face when he was telling me. He thought this would be some sort of hard pill to swallow, how if they chose to go with someone else you and I would all go elsewhere.
Dad: So they let you write half the contract to sweeten the deal for you completely for nothing?
> Yep! 😀
[‘Dad’ and ‘Eva’ reacted with 😀]
Eva: And not even the whole year in. You don’t do half measures, do you?
> Nope.
Dad: Unless it comes to cleaning her room.
> Hey, if it’s used often, it stays out.
[‘Eva’ reacted with 👍]

---

”Maybe we should’ve hired a better van?” The Delta Hyper intern riding shotgun in the follow vehicle asked the driver.
“They banned vehicle imports decades ago, that shitbox was grandfathered in. Was probably almost new when the ban went through. Plus we put cameras inside, this will make for good footage.” The Delta staff member driving explained, “But you could’ve listed someone else as the driver, not Ward.” He noted as the van with the drivers was now almost 30 meters farther ahead then when they pulled onto the trail and still gaining on them.
“The rental company demanded a license scan before they made the reservation and she was the only one who had a minibus license who answered in the time I had allocated to it.” The intern defended his actions.
There was a brief silence from the driver’s seat. “That’s a seven seater.” The staff member said, giving the intern a few seconds to catch onto his mistake before giving up. “You don’t need a minibus license for those even in Europe, nevermind in the Federated States.”
“...crap…” Was all the intern managed as he saw the van ahead rocking on its suspension. “And since she’s the only driver listed on the rental contract, we’ll get fined if we let anyone else drive them back.”
“Crap indeed.” The driver agreed.

---

"Bea, slow the fuck down! We're not on track, we're in a shitbox van!" Harrison yelped.

”Brake, brake, hairpin right cut, 30 jump maybe. Do we try?” Was Bea’s reply to Harrison’s plea, several “No!”s heard around her answered by her amused giggling and a slight application of the brakes. This was worth getting up stupid early for. She would’ve tried the handbrake in the hairpins if the van wasn’t this narrow, making it likely to tip over. ”Idon’t know what you’re panicking about, I haven’t gone above 70 klicks per hour yet. And this is actually safer than a rally stage, here you don’t have the braindead members of the fanbase standing where they shouldn- Wait, Paul, another concussion?”

"Relax, she's only crashed on gravel.....actually, never mind!"

Jenny began to reply to Harrison before changing her mind.
”If you’re not crashing, you’re not racing. And- Ho, pothole!” Bea shrugged before wrenching the van violently to the side, the vehicle rocking left to right in the aftermath of the maneuver. ”What, we got a broken sway bar or something…? Thought that was a shadow for a sec. Anyway, where was I? Right, where did you get that nonsense? I had moments across all surfaces. Gravel, tarmac, snow, ice, once on a field.”
”I think by the time you’re in a fucking field that’s already a crash, don’t you?” Ben asked.
Another crest, the van rocking back and forth, ”And the springs on this thing, Christ… No, getting onto that field I was still mostly in control, just a bit wide. Now the drainage ditch in the field that I didn’t see because of the tall grass, that one I have no excuse for. Do you want to know how you make a car do a front flip? That’s how.” She shared casually with a cheerful expression.

The ride finally over - well, at least for now, they’d still have to drive back and Bea kept the keys - she parked the van where one of the Delta Hyper crew members indicated, turning around to the passengers. ”Terminus, please disembark and have a pleasant day. Kais, you awake back there?”
She jumped out of the van, immediately bending under and checking the rear sway bar, finding to her dismay that it wasn’t broken. ”Hmm. Just shite, then...” She muttered to herself disappointedly before running to catch up to the rest of the drivers.

---

Bea hadn’t even bothered answering Rosie’s questions about affinity for water. For one, she knew the Delta Hyper presenters were up to speed on the drivers’ history; and two, she spent the entire window during which the other drivers were answering preoccupied by a long yawn.

The thing that surprised her a little was that Jenny had emerged out of the changing room almost at the same time as she did.
”That was quick.”
”It’s still fresh in my mind from our trip. Plus the neoprene is so much easier to put on over this,” She lifted up one of her still-recent prosthetics, ”it slides a lot easier over clearcoat than skin.”
”Just don’t get attacked by the fishies again.” Bea teased as they started stretching.

What didn’t surprise her was just how often she found herself in the water rather than on the board. Very much in the same boat as Max, as as despite being snowboarders, the slope doesn’t kick your board from below.

---

The Carrera Condor fan zone was set up in the Basque Country Park, a large grassy area roughly in the shape of its namesake with miniatures of its prominent natural features in their respective places. A tent city featuring a catering tent serving South American cuisine, from whole meals to sampling boards across the whole continent; an audtorium for organized QnA panels with the drivers or other team figures; a few dozen sims of the team’s 2094 ship as it was in Auckland, nowhere near enough to keep the waiting times down, manned by Alex Valle throughout most of the weekend; and more.

Off to one side of the zone, some fifty-odd parasols were set up, some with easels, some with drawing tables and others with computers loaded with a wide variety of art programs. Even until the late hours of the evening, Bea could be found darting between them whenever the schedule didn’t require her to be somewhere else, helping people with their project or just simply chatting about this or that. Despite her usual energy levels and full length leg cybernetics, she could swear her feet hurt in the evening after that.

---

DELTΔ HYPER

Episode 12: Hot Like Lava

---

”Welcome back to Delta Hyper, Bea. We know you never spent time here, but does it feel like a strange return-”

”No. Next question.” Bea interrupted curtly, her smile melting away into a blank poker face as soon as she clocked where the question was going.

”What would you say about your experiences in Hawaii so far, nearly at the antipode to where you live, and how does it compare to London?”

”Cleaner, both city and the sea, with better views; but boring and communication feels like having an Italian race engineer. And you worry about lava floods instead of Thames floods. Hard pass.
The fans here are great, though. And I mean Silverstone-level great.” A smile returned with steering the conversation to a more pleasant topic, ”I had a chat about it with Max and Hamid and they both agreed: Here, everyone feels like it’s their home race with how passionate the people here are about the sport, despite being on the other side of the world as you noted.”

---

---

---

The ship numbered 19 was off. Kais, despite his qualification at 10, managed to claw his way up through the positions. Hornfleur first. Flew past. Then, he came up to Mulder, defending hard, seemingly impenetrable, when suddenly something nagged at the back of his mind.

Go now!

---

"Kais, a nice turn there for you through that race to get a respectable points haul from Al-Saqr. How did you find those moves on Hornfleur and Mulder?"

Respectable his performance had been indeed, from 10 to 6, but deep inside Al Saqr knew Europe wasn't for them. Their focus was set on the later races, challenge Apex there, and all their prep went into it. After Hamid's strange encounter with the AG racing ship's counter-steering last race, Nadia had pushed for a greater amount of telemetry and data gathering setup. Officially it would be prep for Hawaii. To get as much information for calibrating the new mag and pulse thrust array. Unofficially, they had another goal.

"Hornfleur left himself wide open, but Mulder didn't. He was a tough one, but I took the only gap I got. Pure timing. You have to listen for that, or you'll miss it."

Kais was brief in the post-race, then quickly packed up and went. They had the data they were looking for. He knew they had the data they were looking for, had a nagging feeling at the back of his mind about it. So, now, his head was somewhere else. He grabbed a plane and flew to Bangladesh.

---

"I didn't expect to ever see you again, ZNX-5-01. Or should I say, Kais?"

The man sat in his wheelchair on the balcony overlooking the Khulna skyline. His accent was as strong as the last time Kais had seen him, which was many years ago. They had been left alone by the care home's mostly robot staff, and now sat sipping chai.

"Doctor Pahari."

"I'm retired, Kais. Call me Jyoti."

Kais did not call him that. Instead he thought hard of what to say. It had been so long, after all. He settled on "How are you?"

Professor-Doctor Jyoti Pahari shrugged. "I can't complain. It's always nice to see one of your old patients again. Even if they did say they never wanted to see you again. Finally grew out of your leave-me-alone rebellious phase, huh?"

"Never. It's in my blood."

"I thought I raised you better." Pahari smiled a little.

Kais' face was still. "What can I say." Kais huffed. "Your 'reprogramming' wasn't very pleasant, doctor."

"What can I say more than I already have? Probing the mind can be difficult. It wasn't an easy task to extract the real person out from all the programming. There's an art to it. Like sculpting, it's all about cutting away things. Painful sometimes, yes, but worth it in the end, no?"

"Worth it, in the end, huh?" Kais sighed, looking at the frail old man before him, then motioned to the wheelchair, a deflection of sorts. "I never did get why you chose to not augment your own... decline." He thought of Layla, who did everything she could to phase out her vulnerabilities.

"I'm old fashioned. Life's not all about comfort. Old age has a way of catching up to you no matter how many high-tech band-aids you use. I find the older I get, the more you are cut off from the things you used to do, the more the things that matter do get worth it, in the end..." He breathed in. "But maybe that's just what I tell myself. Anyway," he tapped his temple, "the ol' noggin's still fine. My secret's the daily chess game. It's the small things, you know." He let a small pause fall. "Speaking of which, I remember you being a mean player yourself. Care to join me?" Kais sat down as the man set up a game. Every time he made a move he looked at the intricate wood-carved figurines on the board, then glanced to the old man's trembling hands. It seemed he had long carved his last carving...

Finally, checkmate. "One cannot outrun one's fate, it seems." He turned towards Kais, his face beset with an expression that seemed probing rather than resigned. Then he continued with another glint in his eyes. "Nor can I outrun my sleep, I'm afraid. In other words: I only have so much time, Kais, Why are you here?"

Kais sat back, finally letting his guard down a little, but still avoided his gaze. "I recently re-watched your speech to the Union's high council. Where you petitioned the AU to not have us decommissioned. That there could be another use for us, to science first, and perhaps, in the end, that there could be..." A small pause. "another fate for us."

"Hmm yes I remember it well," Pahari said. And he did remember it well. The AU Genomod Veteran Reclamation Project was the crowning achievement of his life, after all. "'I've never seen a drone surrender. Never seen a robot cry. Never seen a machine dream.'" He quoted. "'We cannot know for sure what they will become, but I say to you: that is the essence of Humanity. And I believe we will surprise you'... What of it?"

"I need your help with something. It's for a... friend." He looked around to see if there were any cameras. "I need your sculpting skills, if you get me. There's no one else I'd trust more than..."

"I'm old, Kais. Tired." Pahari interrupted, then motioned to his ailing hands. "And technology is better now than what we had to work with. Whatever you're dealing with, modern biotech will..."

"I know you don't believe that." Kais snapped back. "Tech doesn't replace humanity, especially not when it comes to knowing the human mind. That's what you said, back in the day. To us. And now you dare to...?"

"Kais, please. I spent so many years cutting you up and piecing you back together again. And even then, most of you broke. For every success there were others who went mad, or were left hollow. Everyday I only hope I didn't made you... less than what I meant for you. I won't do it again. No. No, I'm done playing god, Kais."

Kais was silent for a few minutes. "Then I have nothing more to say." He stood up, finished his tea, and put on his jacket to leave. "And I may have surrendered, but I didn't cry. Never once, since then. Only ever fought for mine. Anything else," He shook his head. "It wouldn't have been grateful." He almost spit out the word.

"Of course you didn't." Jyoti Pahari sighed. "But there are more ways to feel for things, Kais, some people turn their sorrow inwards. You should know better than to think I didn't know it when I saw it." His eyes were turned towards the skyline as much as Kais' were, before Kais turned and walked towards the door that would have led him back inside, and out, and away.

"I saw your interviews last race." And Pahari smiled slightly, remembering the young man back in the day, when he hadn't gotten his name yet, and when he said he had finally seen something on the television that he truly enjoyed. His smile faded away. "You said you still couldn't sleep well."

"Forget it, doc." Kais waved it away. It was still true. It were always the same faces that came up. One more since recently.

"I also know you better than you do yourself." The doctor replied. "You were hiding something, weren't you?"

Kais was silent, then nodded. "That last question, about what no one knew about me... There was something else I wanted to say."

"Out with it, son."

"I wanted to say that..." He inhaled sharply. "...that after all this is done? I think I want to be forgotten. Finish my laps. Drive my ship into the pits. Hand in the keys... Then disappear. Cottage in the forests up north, maybe. I hear Finland's nice."

A small breeze stirred the scene. Then Pahari finally responded.

"What do you need me to do?"

---

Q: When you close your eyes at Wadi Rum, what do you see?

"I d-n't th-nk I und-rst-nd th- qu-sti-n, Aurora. D-d you g-t t-at right?"

"Th- cr-w yell-ng ov-r e-ch oth-r. Th--'re scar-d for m-, even -f they pret-nd n-t to be. Maybe - sh--ld tre-t th-m t- some falaf-l lat-r."

"- see her. Layl- laugh--g, t--ling m- to let push := hard-r. - -bl-g-."

"I se- th- b-ck of my -y-lids. But -t's not dark. Ther- ar- p-tterns th-re, m-ving, puls-t-ng. It'- l-ke I st-ll hav- a pulse desp-te my art-f-cial heart."

"El-e. E--e. E-se. E--e. E-se. Else. El--. -lse. E--e. E-se. El--. --se. Els-. Else. E-se. E--e."

"Th- des-rt -s l-ke home t- me. It m-- be h-rsh, but it'- hon-st: -t d--sn't j-dge, che-t and... Geez, Kais really -s r-bbing -ff -n me."

"T-- moon, of c--rs-, h-h-!"

"Head: Sl-ght l-ft: 1.332, R-ll r-ght: 2.16-, Ac--ler-te: 4.-, S--g-t r-ght: 0.42, (...)"

"I s-- my p-r-nts. I'm s- thankf-- f-- th-m. Yo- sh-uld int-rvi-w th-m, Aurora!"

"c19tL----Sx5X20---GVhZGluZ19kZWcsY3VydmF0dXJlXzFfcGVyX20sc2Vn--VudAowLjAsMC4wLDAuMCwwLjAsMC4wLHN0cmFpZ2h--zEKMS4wLDEuMCwwLjAsMC4wLDAuMCxzd--haWdodF8xCjIuMCwyLjAsMC4wLDAuMCwwLjAsc3RyY---HRfMQozLjAsMy4wLDAuMCwwLjAsMC4wLHN---FpZ2h0XzEKNC4wLDQuMCwwLjAsMC4wLDAu---dHJhaWdodF8xCjUu----jAsMC4wLDAuMCwwLjAsc3RyYW---aHRfMQo2LjAsNi4wLD"

"--sert."

"You th-nk I d-n't kn-w wh-t y--'re doing, you simming b-st-rd!? G-t me out! Get m- --t! G-t m- ---!"

Data feeds scattered through the AG Racing ship's computer core. Or rather, twelve instances of them, each a slightly different randomized subdivision of the ships' systems, all running in parallel, all at once. And in another country, in a refrigerated room behind many layers of security gates and bio-metric clearances, OG-Layla-al-Nadir twitched uncontrollably non-stop as CryoDigital's neural link machine gunned the same data patterns into her defunct brain.

"Run it again. We need to probe it every which way."

"Stop calling her 'it', doctor." Kais said.

"But it is, Kais. Her consciousness is hidden in the ship's networks. It's in the deltas, the differences and similarities between the return signals of the ship's systems and her brain, that we might be able to find the continuity that is 'her'... or something that is close enough at the very least. It would be wise to stay impersonal, not get ahead of ourselves. There's no guarantee that..."

"I don't want to hear it," said Kais. He wondered how they had talked about him during his reprogramming. "She's in there. And we will find her."

Q: What happens on power off?

A bleep and another cross reference appeared on the monitor: another set of connections which sufficiently weren't the ship's operating system, but something else. The monitor displayed Layla's brain scan, overlaid with the hypothesized Layla-esque sub-patterns. In there was a re-simulation of Stavelot, and the counter-steering that Hamid had felt there, a re-simulation of the Nürburgring and the sensation Kais had felt there. Them, and many more. Many, many thousands of trials, pokes, provocations, probes and dissections. And slowly, but surely, the puzzle pieces were starting to come together, yet so too did the realization of all the missing pieces.

---

In the meantime, Kais and Hamid trained. With the data at Nürburg, Hamid and the team had been at work dialing in the ship's profile and its drive configuration. And today, Kais' calendar sent up the notification for Test Flight: Warp Speed. In the garage, ready for departure to the straight desert test strip, Kais and Hamid talked over the stripped-down ship.

"Still no smile, huh?" Hamid said as Kais joined him at the ship. "You know what? I think you should be more thankful. To Al-Saqr, to the Union. Don't think I don't notice you don't salute the flags during our ceremonies. Despite all the second chances you get."

"Careful, P10. You'll see soon enough how far your loyalty alone gets you." Kais started walking around the ship, inspecting it. "Omar's been in talks with the Sheikh. You have to show results, else the funding tanks, now Layla's... retired."

A silence fell between the two. They still couldn't really stand each other. They were like a cat and a dog. A lapdog, if Kais had anything to say about it: Hamid, the pride of the Union... and Kais.

"But Amy's slipping," Kais continued. "Like she's lost her edge. If we can push harder, we will be in a very good position to gain on them in the constructors, especially once we hit our home advantage. This test flight's crucial."

After a more than uncomfortable silence, Hamid finally spoke up. "Pressure's killing me."

"Good... You can leave any time."

Hamid clenched his teeth, then took his kit and embarked his ship. Some time later, flown out on the test strip, Hamid inhaled, flipped the race-mode ignition, and the craft coasted the first stretch at a comfortable 400 kph. He clenched the throttle, felt the antigrav array, the pulse drives, the drag-reducing mag field, everything align perfectly into the knife configuration they had been testing out, and the ship roared forward, the air whistling as he cut through it, its speed gauge ticking past 550... 600... 650... 670... His jaw tensed, his grip tightened. He'd show them... 680... 690...

"Six-ninety-five!" Juan shouted from the max. readout. "You've punched it, Hamid, that's a new record! Ease out!"

"Did you see that?!" Hamid shouted back over the comms. "Six ninety-five. That's mine! Seven hundred next time."

Kais stood arms crossed, and begrudgingly impressed.

---

Solarpunk

After they had made it back to civilization after their surreal surfing adventure in the idyllic Waimanu Valley, Paul had gotten some food. He had wandered around checking out the food truck scene being trailed by two of his security guards. He had a few lovely hours where he got to do whatever he wanted. Then he had to report to the Team Valkyrie Fan Zone. The marketing team had managed to pull off a minor miracle to come up with something that fit the guidelines that Coalescene had demanded from FIAR and the Republic. Teams were not allowed to promote any sponsors; they were to promote themselves, their stories, and their lives. Team Valkyrie had managed to secure a local community center that doubled as event space for their Fan Zone. They had brought some extra security and general helpers with them to help facilitate the tour and interactive experiences.

The team took advantage of the team plane and brought the Team Valkyrie Wings of the Past, Present,and Future Tour out of storage and added to it. The tour already highlighted and detailed Dorian’s career so they simply updated his season. They highlighted Paul’s wins and rookie season. They included clips and pictures of the Junior Team. The traveling interactive tour included 3d holograms of a selection of ships past and present. Guests could ask for more information about the ships or for a particular favorite. It would show them a lifesize hologram they could explore. They had exhibits that highlighted technology changes in antigravity racing along the way. This included information about the crash that took the life of Paul’s father Audrick Mulder and the safety innovations in the sport that crash had inspired.

They honored the F1 racing roots of the team from the past with images of F1 cars and former drivers from the former racing teams. There were video displays of racing montages from past races. Then there was the draw that brought fans out in droves. They had brought virtual reality simulation pods with them. They had taken the online virtual reality experience and made it portable and more immersive by loading it into the mobile full immersion pods. The safety features allowed fans to experience the races without the biofeedback that is actually experienced by the Formula AG pilots. The biofeedback was significantly reduced to make it accessible and appropriate for all ages. It was more immersive than a simple VR headset though with haptic feedback. They had brought four pods which had long lines. They were definitely the most sought after experience in the fanzone outside the meet and greet lines for the pilots on hand. The Junior Team members were also on hand in the fan zone which seemed to be quite popular with the teens and young adults of the island.

They had recreated the food court experience in the fan zone with a focus on sharing team favorites. There was a Belgian street vendor selling waffles and frites. For those who sought sweets, there was a Belgian chocolate maker on hand selling gourmet chocolates. They talked the Drunken Dragon into joining them to promote one of the team’s favorite hangouts. They brought pictures of the engineering team hanging out at the local pub, drinking, shooting pool, and playing darts. They brought the drinks inspired by the team for the islanders to enjoy.The Pub created a new beer in honor of Paul and Bea’s race at Spa, The Mad Biermaiden. The pub’s twist on beer, a brew that combined methods for mead and beer using hops and honey. There was of course the drink that started it all Valkyrie Fuel, a cocktail featuring honey mead and Fireball. They also brought a fun non-alcoholic drink for kids called Wizards Punch that was purple and fizzed and bubbled, a combination of lemon lime soda and raspberry sorbet topped with a little cloud of cotton candy. Wizards Punch had been a new creation for Cavan’s children who occasionally visited the Pub with their parents for dinner. There was also a German beer booth. To ensure Dorian was represented, there was a cheese and wine booth featuring a tasting menu from France. It was as if a carnival and car show had descended on the small event center. There was off course Team Valkyrie fan gear and prizes being given away every hour.

Paul smiled as he signed autographs, took pictures, and chatted with fans. He looked over and Dorian was just as busy and happy to be the center of attention. Paul chuckled and looked around feeling good about what the team had done to showcase the team and teach them about the team’s history and where they came from. They got to see what was happening now with the team. They got to see the next generation of racers with the Junior Team members. The Fan Zone would be open most of the day on race days. Paul would only be at the Fan Zone a few hours each day. There was of course the media here checking out what they had done differently for this race. Paul chuckled as he accepted yet another lei from a blushing fan. He took a picture wearing it with her. He waited till she was out of sight before discreetly taking it off and dropping into a box underneath the table that was overflowing with other leis and gifts from fans. He could probably feed half the island with the amount of Kulua roasted pig and poi from islander fans. Everyone wanted to feed him. Food must be the love language of the islands.

---

Pacific Evenings

The NOVA Racing fan zone was a success, and with Ben signing merch, engaged in a scheme that introduced punters to an anti-gravity, upside down climbing wall (inspired by Jen's previous involvement), details on the livery that NOVA had elected for, the leafy, nature inspired green an obvious pick even for such a young team. Instead of history, NOVA could tap into the arts and ecology focus that the team had picked up, the "Mini-Rainforest" that the zone's theme had opted for bringing in punters.

That was nothing on the size of something like Southern Cross- who instead, had completely run riot with the Polynesian theme, basically bringing in choirs of Maori and Tongan singers, and being a Polynesian block party in Parc Poaka. Complete with a Rugby Sevens game, bug VR experience and in the harbour next to it, an exhibition on Waka rafts up to modern AG ships, including the 2094 Southern Cross example. Decked out in a lush navy blue, yellow and orange livery with a volcano playfully on the rear wing, it took a minimalist-maximalist Polynesian designer to bring out something different to the split-livery that Southern Cross ran with.

Ben could hear it from afar as he finished up, smiling to Sally and to Florence, who had joined in, eyes on everything as usual.
"All good?"

---/--//

Sitting in the interview room, Ben sat contemplatively, thinking on the question asked by Aurora.

"It's hard to get into Formula AG. A lot of sacrifices, but it's every kid's dream. So it was a tough one to take especially after how confident I felt in the Junior series, I was....yeah, I mean I was taking a challenge on. I mean, it didn't begin easy with the race in Spa. And same again in Germany. Junior AG was something I was relishing, and while I'd love to stay and take a title....it was a risk to step up and take on something new. Especially when I'm compared in a team to a great!"

"Is that something you struggle with?"

"I mean, sure, it's tough. Florence is....well, she's just incredible people really. Like she is so, so good as a mentor. But it doesn't matter what upgrades I get. She has something beyond just being able to make moves, just stay calm under pressure, it's....well, it's what makes her a champion. I can't get tied into that, so yeah, part of it is focussing on what I can do well and enjoying myself, developing the ship, and doing the best we can this season." Ben replied, the young pilot taking his time to think that one over, to get to that conclusion.

"Do you think it's what has led to her overperformance?" Aurora asked as Ben shrugged.

"It's like she never left."

---

Tempest Run

Soundtrack: Mohican Sun- God of Ages

The track felt like glue in the shiny aftermath of an afternoon rainstorm that was now drenched in cloudy sunshine, the ship's twitchy nature today offset by what felt like finally, a breakthrough. It felt good, the stability upgrade clicked with him far better that it did Nora, who hadn't performed after a poor Section 3, just failing to really make the most of the MAG sections. That was an area that Harrison adored- him and Dorian were absolutely there.

But going hard left in Turn 1, with the jink right left, the Southern Cross ship was no longer the fastest, that title belonging to Al-Saqr's absolute rocket now. But Harrison didn't need speed. He just needed Turns 4, 5, 6, 7, the complex left, right, straight into a hard long left that then peeled along the lava dam and and the magma field in the far right, well away from the circuit, before plunging back down at Turn 8's hard inverted turn, back past the facility into the gouged valley.

The wreck of Bea's ship was barely a glimmer in the corner of his eye where she'd overrun at Turn 8, the smoking mess with a standing Bea waiting for a recovery at least reassuring- in spite of the fact that despite her excursion at a corner with an overrun wide that would have likely been terrifying, the ship caught in a repulsor field to stop it from being yeeted into the floor with nothing to stop it- yet basically thrown three storeys into basalt rock anyway at the base of the dam, where the temps outside were easily 50C from the heat of the volcano itself. It wasn't on his mind, the straight ending with the end of the valley at Turn 9, inverting hard and to the left, the right, then left, the ship upside down for a lot longer than most circuits in the valley wall, running behind the waterfall itself that had been refreshed by the rains, and then into Turn 13, the ship and Harrison feeling bound. It was like out of each corner, he could just slap throttle faster, the ELS was screaming today, and from 14 and 15, the slow into a fast corner breaking out of the rainforest canopy onto a rocky beach and then back into the start straight, there was that confidence just flowing through him. The deltas were good, but the margins were so tight, so fine, was it.....

"Harrison, that's P4 mate, nicely done!" Harriet's voice came through as he powered the ship down, exhaling hard, a smile cracking that felt the most natural it had been in a while.

"Wooo! Wonderful job on the setup, this ship feels like a rock!" Harrison smirked, the ship itself feeling like it smiled and exhaled hard too.



-//-//-/-/

Back in the interview room, Harrison sat there, leaned back as usual, chill, yet taking more than a moment to think through that question.

"Nora is.....well, she is unstoppable. I mean, you saw the crash and uhh...well, it's like it's fire for her. Like she has to prove people wrong. She has champion all over her. But so do I...so hopefully for me not this season yeah! We're in the hunt for Amy this season. And in Hawaii, I think...yeah, we're getting there." Harrison replied, the quest a never ending one, and that question from the beginning of the season, of what they thought of each other, still echoing.

"Was it a relief that you managed to tame the ship again?"

"Yeah, I mean....it's a nice feeling. I suppose it comes and goes. But yeah, feeling better."

"Would you say Nora has pushed you to up your game?"

"Absolutely. And everyone else too. I think Amy's feeling that heat. But yeah. Game on."

---

Kanaloa Heat

The interview couch sat in a different place, with the background of the volcano up close in the Moa Tempesta viewing centre itself within the facility's tour area, paradoxically centred on the bit where Bea had crashed out, the evening sunset behind the glowing orange volcano.

The timings had come in, and the grid was split by a hair. It was clear that whatever the case, the teams were split extremely close- deltas were so tight, it was clear that in a race here, even with limited passing opportunities, the teams couldn't find the extra marginal gains they dreamed of. Well, apart from Kais, who clearly had found something in that ship that like a bumblebee in flight, shouldn't have worked.

"Bea, that looked like a gutting crash for you! Starting at the back tomorrow, what's your approach to making up?"

"Paul, it looks like despite your result today, the grid being so tight here. How are you feeling about tomorrow, and how have you found the lap so far?"

"Kais, wow, what a lap from you! It looked like you gave it everything, so loose, so absolutely ragged out of every corner! We heard that you have a new speed upgrade and it shows in the splits with your ship looking like it will set speedtrap records here in Hawaii?"

”How’s the ship feeling?” Alistair asked as Bea weaved through the track on her outlap.
”On rails. I don’t know what the lads did to it, but it has no right to be this good at this track.” Bea replied, ”Do we feel like a front row start?” She grinned.
”Always. Got show them!”

The ship seemed to drop an anchor as it came into turn one, gradually accelerating through two and three as the handling and pilot compensated for wanting stability they should’ve had by now were it not for some faulty wiring in a place with a lot of powdered metal at the factory. The Tempesta Climb would be a nightmare to defend at, but required the pilot to position the ship right for the exit, which Bea managed with impeccable precision unlikely to be repeated in the race on her fast lap. The Pira and Kapua Complexes were a literal handful given the amount of work both controls had to do, but the delta stayed well North of Jenny’s time, who was the driver to beat at the time. Coming up on the dam, the orange glow of the lava flow, though far from the circuit, illuminated the scene. It would make for a nasty crash, the repulsors in that direction especially shored up, but still Bea subconsciously strayed to the left side of the circuit, as far away from it as she could get.

Bea realized that too late, forcing her to change sides while under braking.

The ship wobbled under the combination of airflow disturbed by the airbrakes, the rapid direction change and a change in altitude as the surface dipped away under it in the descending turn.

The Neural link gave her the same feeling as Cape Town, the ship’s mag packs no longer able to keep it glued to the surface. Free from the downward pull, the ship nosed up due to the pressure differences caused by the airbrakes, the last thing Bea realized before the link disconnected in anticipation of an impact.

The Carrera Condor ship flew into the repulsors standing upright on its engine, losing most forward momentum almost immediately and falling down onto the basalt. Bea had enough presence of mind keep the ship in the upright orientation, meaning that when the inevitable impact came, it felt like getting rear-ended, getting slammed flat into the backrest. The ship immediately closed fuel shutoff valves when the engine took a hit, the AG unit running out its last seconds of power having just enough power to set down the nose somewhat gently as opposed to simply dropping down.

”You okay?”
”...fuuuck me...” She groaned, counting her teeth with her tongue, opening the canopy and starting to untangle herself from the crash harness. ”I’m fine. So sorry, lads. That one’s on me.” She continued in a dejected tone, disconnecting the breathing liquid hoses from the ship and clambering out, trying to find a colder place to await pickup.

---

”I’m alright.” Bea said in lieu of a greeting, preempting the obvious questions as she emerged from the hospital’s doors, Ava waiting outside with her bike and Bea’s longboard to get them back to the hotel.
”What happened there? Flight Control issues?” The Chilean asked.
”Ran out of talent, that’s what happened.” Bea shrugged bitterly before a smile reappeared on her face as she slapped Ava’s shoulder, ”Time for you to remind the suits they forgot to renew the other driver.”
“Good. I was ready to remind you I did just fine if you tried to blame the ship.” Ava chuckled as the got going, ”In a way I envy you. You get to fight with Flo tomorrow.”
”True. If I can’t get back up into points, something’s seriously wrong with me.”
They passed a gaggle of people wearing various Formula AG merch, a round of greetings and cheers erupting when they noticed the pair, a “Welcome home, island girl!” clearly heard among the crowd.
”You’ve got the islands confused!” Bea called back with as natural a smile as she could force herself into, ”Mine still has temples of my faith!”
”Temples to your faith?” Ava raised an eyebrow once they passed.
”Goodwood, Oulton Park, Silverstone, Donington Park…”
Ava laughed, the chuckles dying out when she saw Bea’s face ”They are wearing you down. Never thought I’d see the day. I heard how you shut down Aurora.”
”I will start dunking people in the sea if they don’t stop painting me into pictures I don’t belong in…” The Brit grumbled.
”Paint your own tomorrow to shut them up. The race is a blank canvas.” Ava shrugged.
”Deep. You’ve been practicing for the interviews, haven’t you?”
”I had to, in case the doctors wanted to keep you.”
”Pffff, please. I’d tie the bedsheets together and check myself out the window before I leave you to Aurora’s mercy.” Bea laughed, once again genuinely.
”There we go, she’s back.” Ava smiled, ”Unless, of course, doing well will yield more headlines about your second home crowd spurring you on…”
”That’s it, come here. We’re taking a detour to the beach!” Bea laughed through faux indignation, pointing toward the ocean to echo her earlier comment, the rest of the way to the hotel spent in discussion as to whether or not Bea could get Ava in the water against the latter’s will.

---

DELTΔ HYPER

Episode 12: Hot Like Lava

---

”Bea, that looked like a gutting crash for you! Starting at the back tomorrow, what's your approach to making up?”

”Whatever I did back there?” Bea pointed behind herself with her thumb, the backdrop being the place of her crash by chance. ”Not that.” She chuckled. ”And in other shocking news: Fish found in water. I know.” Actually, in some places that would be shocking news.
”We had a few races way above our level, smarter people than me say it’s inevitable that the bad ones come here and there. Something about statistics and Bell curves. Still, really gutted for the team, I just shot our chances at beating Zygon in the foot because I’m stupid. We’ll have to push even harder to make it happen now.
As for my plan? Do what I usually do: Claw my way up to where I have no business being and scare half the people I pass on the way there.” She grinned, ”We have some backmarkers to work through tomorrow. On the plus side, I might get to fight with Flo, that’s something I think all of us have on the wishlist. Like I said in Africa: Think positive.”

---

Paul’s qualifying lap started. He pushed the pace as fast as he could. The handling was back after resetting the ship. He pulled through the corners trying to find the optimal racing line. The track still had some straights and the loss of energy forced the ship to keep a more moderate pace. It was different when there were other ships on the track that he could potentially leach energy from. Qualifying it was you against the clock. Paul found a little extra speed by taking advantage of the lava tunnel sections. Using the antigravity generator to go up and over in a corkscrew pattern. Gravity assisted the ship speed as it came back down. Paul used the return kinetic energy into the ELS system on the straights but he could sense it was not going to be enough. He pushed his skills and ship as hard as he could. Paul could sense that there was something he was missing but couldn’t really identify it.

He was shaking his head in disappointment when he pulled his ship back into the paddock. He climbed out and looked around at the mechanics and Carmella his race engineer. Paul was frustrated knowing Dorian had an exceptional qualifying run for him. It left Paul measuring himself against Dorian. Overall Paul had been outperforming Dorian in areas. It seemed he did well on tracks where Dorian struggled and Dorian struggled on tracks where he did well.

Paul's voice was laced with frustration and seriousness. “The track requires handling and stability with all the corners and chicanes. It also has straits in it where we lack the speed advantage of the other big teams. The ELS is going to make or break me at this track. Is there anything that can be done to improve the amount of energy being saved or leached from the track? I will do my best to steal it from other ships but that is where I am going to struggle on this track. I will also put in some more simulator time before tomorrow. Maybe I can work out a better strategy for the Mag sections. Carmella can you do a preliminary data comparison between mine and Dorian’s qualifying run. Maybe you can find something I can use and implement. I will check back in with you after the Delta Hyper interview.”

Paul looked around at the mechanics and engineers who were all nodding their heads in agreement. He could see the same frustration on their faces and the apology. He nodded. “I appreciate your hard work. I just wanted to lay it out there. I will do my best but any little tweaks you can think of before tomorrow would be welcome.” He smiled at his team before running through some more performance questions from his team. He finally managed to slip away. He sighed acknowledging that Hawaii might not be one of his races, which was frustrating. Paul thought about the fight with Bea at Spa and a smile came over his face. He would like to make a similar showing here in paradise. He was enjoying the people here very much. There were huge crowds and they were energetic but it was all about the sport not him as a pilot. He was enjoying the change of pace here. Paul was loving what they had going on in the fan zone here. It was different but he liked it.

He wondered how Dorian had done it. What was it about this track that had him doing so well? Maybe he would review Dorian’s qualifying data and compare it to his. Maybe he would find something to help him out at the race tomorrow. Before he could put in some time analyzing that data he had to do his mandatory interview for Delta Hyper. He headed for his trailer so he could take a shower before his interview.

---

Paul showed up at his Delta Hyper interview wearing some high tech sportswear shorts and matching t-shirt and sneakers with the team’s colors and logo on them. He took a seat on the Delta Hyper couch and gave Aurora his standard charming smile.

Aurora: "Paul, it looks like despite your result today, the grid being so tight here. How are you feeling about tomorrow, and how have you found the lap so far?"

Paul’s expression turned serious as the question mirrored his thoughts about tomorrow. “Well Aurora, the grid is very tight. There were a lot of upgrades to ships over the summer break and we are seeing the outcome of that. I believe tomorrow’s race will be about upgrades and skills. There is the possibility of overtakes but not as many opportunities as I would like. It is going to take pinpoint precision and knowing where I am in conjunction with where my opponents are. All I can do is go out and give it my all. The team has done a great job of fixing the issues we had in the last race. All I can do is go out tomorrow and run my race. I can’t win them all.” He gave her a confident grin. “Although I will always try!”

---

@Starlance

Saturday 08/19 18:28 the Guy in Front of You [Batt: 98%]

Paul Mulder Hope you are okay? I also hope your mechanics and engineers can get you in the race tomorrow. I expect you to at least catch up to me! Let’s have a repeat of Spa.

Vulcan

The afternoon sun hung among clouds following the mid-day rains on Kanaloa, but this was no less a tropical paradise. Aside from the continuous smoke pouring out of the massive spire-like volcano at the top of the island, the green paradise that made up the rest of this new earth.

Four, Three, Two, One.

Soundtrack: State of Mind - Sun King

Pulling away, things stayed smooth into Turn One, Amy immediately diving into Kais and forcing him to yield, before losing the position, but Jenny was clear of Han. Just. The Zygon ship was now an absolute burner of an all-rounder, and while it might not have dominated on the very fastest circuits, it was clear that it gave the Silver Apex ships a good run for their money. Whatever they had done was paying off, but Jenny wasn't letting go of the fact that there was still an option to stay ahead here, and make the hungry Han overplay her hand early. Through the lava tunnel, the climb forcing Jenny to defend, Turns 4 to 7 at the complex giving Jenny a chance to feint, before pulsing more ELS to boost her out of where she needed to go, back into the valley and into the greenery, the hard pivot at Turn 9 and 10, the ships lateral if not corked at the overhang, before spiralling into Turns 12 at the waterfall and Turn 13, no eyes back, just focussed on time.

At the end of the lap, Jen realised the delta hadn't climbed anywhere near like she expected. Han was finding stuff on her, and the leech was imminent. Jen kept defences up, but every time she had to hold back that leech, she was bunching everyone else up, she was forced to take lines she didn't want to get the energy back and then defend much more wildly. It was anyone's game, but unlike Spa, where it felt like a fight that was going to go on forever until one pilot cracked, this felt more like Han was trying to force Jen to crack.

"Two-tenths, keep her at bay, Jenny, we can't burn too much ELS right now...." The voice in Jenny's ear sounded like it was another echo in her brain, because she was so focussed, so on rails through corners.

"Yeah, copy Cal, not so fucking easy!" Jenny replied, feeling the heat breathing down her neck. She was normally ice cold, frozen even, but part of the pilot suit she wore had a coolant failure, and it was heating her right hand side up like an oven. Because her brain was being more or less run to 100%, that meant she was not enjoying sweating like a pig, especially on a circuit with this many demanding turns. If Nordschlife felt like an exercise in memory, this felt like an exercise in bravery- especially when the circuit inverted and went from a two dimensional simplicity to a 3D, mind-fuck of a playground.

Jenny's heart rate pounded. This must have been what it was like to be Bea and Paul, but more than any other fight she had before, it felt like she was blending into the ship, dissolving almost into the track, everything fading into focus. She was getting good delta in Sector Two and Three, but every time, that ELS on that Zygon ship just sprinted forward before trying to leech again, which forced Jen to defend, not attack.

Until it all came falling apart at Turn 1, where Han tried to make a move, and Jenny, unrelenting, didn't let go, as Han tried to force a move, a move that Jen's inexperience couldn't halt and yield for now. She could have let her go, then leeched back, stayed in front of Dorian and known he wouldn't have the pure speed to make the moves. But she hadn't.

It was a poor crash, the kind that shouldn't have happened, but by sheer luck, Han had actually held onto her position, the Silver Apex ship thrown off circuit, but limping back in. Jenny was dropping back, her ship hurt, her feeling hurt inside, but still, keeping a tough lip to make sure she could hold onto as many points as she could. She was cursing, angry, steaming with rage, anyone overtaking her or going past could see that, but with a compromised ship, there was little she could do.

That action was one that that Dorian made Han pay for. It wasn't long until the Valkyrie ship was in position, and Dorian did what he did best. He executed, with a solid push through Turn 4, and well, that paid in every single corner after. Dorian didn't care. He had the ELS, he had the pace, and unlike what many thought about the veteran, a circuit that he knew versus a pilot that didn't, meant he could play the fiddle all the way to the end.

Meanwhile, Jenny was now falling back, Harrison past her, then Kais, then Amy, who was hunting Kais like an animal. Her team-mate got a solid steal of ELS from her as she fell backwards, but with a damaged ship, Jenny aware that there was a minor hydraulics leak that forced her off airbrakes and the chassis felt like she had a few ribs of her own removed, all she had was to try and hang on in there and keep the points haul going. It felt horrid, watching then Ava, and then Cassie go past.

---

The tropical, volcanic island made for a hell of a spectacle, a place where no other form of motorsport, maybe outside of Rally Raid, and yet not even that could really make advantage of the natural features that the circuit went up and down through, on metallic platforms and MAG-enabled features that snatched ships upside down and on their side to the floor, the speed of how fast ships turned and accelerated on full display.

The rest of the fight on the track was of note, with Paul Mulder losing out to Hamid, who was absolutely rampant, Astrid being chewn up by the rookie Al-Saqr pilot who with his wings lit up via the speed update, was able to simply outstrip Paul on the lava tube straight out of the first few turns. Despite his ship seemingly looking temperamental, he was learning a little from his team-mate's approach to just send it as hard as he could. And send he did, as Nora, who was out of the points after a poor qualifying session given the new spec of the ship in stability, was learning.

Nora didn't mess around, but while Paul was making her work for it, Nora just lunged in Sector 3, while upside down, and at the waterfall, finished the move, stealing the last point away from Paul in the death. It would have been heartbreaking, despite everything done, but it was just the cold reality of it. Nora was played a bad hand in qualifying, but if she wanted to take that top step, every fiber of her, every neuron was going to pull her past Paul, and when he came to counter, Nora gave zero quarter. She was unrelenting, brutal in every defence, playing right to the serif of the rulebook to keep her back when she burnt through her ELS.

Behind though, Florence and Bea were having a fight, the former's attempt to make Paul's day even worse stunted by the arrival of the Carrera ship wanting to get points.

"What a fight in the last few laps between Ward and Mason, wow, a young prodigy up against a veteran, we're seeing quite the fight!"

That fight from Florence's enhanced ELS had made a serious ding on a circuit like this, but it just wasn't enough to propel the NOVA ship into the points. Instead, it made Beatrix more than likely pissed off that she couldn't make any inroads. It would have certainly felt suspicious, but then again, Florence was a maestro at making this sort of thing work. And while the gambit hadn't paid off, in fact, she'd gone one place backwards, it had been enough to make her punchy enough if Beatrix hadn't have turned up to have gone after Paul.

A VSS interrupted that fight as Bjorn Waldgard crashed at Turn 15, after an attempt on Max, and the ship skidded off circuit. He then proceeded to top Fernando Alonso and Oscar Piastri's chair moment by basically breaking Delta Hyper's social media and told the recovery van to go away. So sitting at the beach, helmet off, basking in the sunshine as ships roared past, completely done with this bullshit, another day of poor results, and well, if he was in Hawaii, he wasn't going to go back to the pit to be told "don't feint on Max Wedgewood and expect him to play along", so instead, the blonde, long haired Swede was mulling his life choices in the afternoon sun.

But the race was restored once the debris was hoovered and peeled away. The two Brits were at each other again, Bea likely furious that she couldn't break through to attack Paul and ultimately Nora to get a point at least from her poor start. She was clearly on fire with the ship in her morale, but today, that volcano-like blaze was getting pissed on by the blue streak of Florence's ELS. But Bea got the move done, but far too late to make her charge on Paul.

"Yes, and despite their mismatch, it has to be said, Florence has frustrated the rookie Beatrix Ward in getting up the grid. And they have a train behind them..." The commentary from Rory continued, watching as it was going on, and on. And didn't really develop from that, really. Kais had been overtaken from the second from last lap as Amy prodded, and eventually, dumped ELS and roasted past, leaving zero recourse for Kais to manage it out. He was patient, smart, but Amy was experienced, and knew the Meteor didn't want to throw away the position, not here where they needed points. And on the other end, Dorian had cleaved a gap from Han, using his ELS smartly to break from her damage, use her as a roadblock from the rampaging Harrison, and pull off a smooth, easy race.

"And wow, what a result for Valkyrie, they must be chuffed with that!" The chequered flag dropped, as Dorian took P1, ruthless in the way he had taken charge, and the comms of the broadcast shifted to his engineer and him.

"That is P1, Dorian, P1, what a result!"

"Yes! C'est magnifique, what a win! Wow, great job, handling setup was just perfect, we didn't have the speed but who needs that when the ship just ropes through the jungle like it's Tarzan! Wow, moments like these....they are so special, what a run!" Dorian chuckled over the radio, whooping, absolutely gleaming as the commentary came back in.

"What a win for Hornfleur, and well, Han has managed to get it over the line five seconds back, and while she'll be gutted they couldn't do beter, they held back Makara all race, with Stirling charging past Kais Zenix right in the dying light of the race. He's followed by Villarosa, who performed admirably and kept it clean, holding off a rampant Cassie Neves who just seemed to make too many mistakes in Sector 3 towards the end of the race, Jen Lowry, who pulls across the line a wounded looking Silver Apex ship, and then Hamid Atlassi, getting his first points, and finishing off the top ten, Nora Kelly, who has punched her way through backmarkers to get the last point. Rory, what are your feelings on how that went down?" Rosie asked, as the ever present Rory gave analysis.

"Well, Rosie, that was a spectacle. With a shuffle of the grid caused by that damage to Jenny Lowry's ship, I think it all got a bit tense so it could have been anyone's game, but cooler heads prevailed in the heat of the volcano. Dorian just knew he had to keep it tidy, and you can tell, he just had everything there for him. The fight for fourth, as well as the last points positions was quite something too, and shows that Amy isn't willing to let go of any point advantage she can make on Makara and Kelly. It's clearly hotting up in the championship, and while Amy is likely breathing a sigh of relief that her biggest rivals couldn't pull out as many points as they hoped today, I think the pressure is still on her to deliver in Singapore and beyond. But wow, what a result for Valkyrie, and Dorian Hornfleur, who proves that age is just a number, and he still has what it takes."

"Absolutely, and do you think that his retirement could be coming too soon? He still seems to be loving the sport, just look at him and his team, he seems to be immersed!"

"Yes, he really has been such a talent in the sport and a longstanding member of Valkyrie, and while his performances this season have been suspect, at Hawaii, a circuit I know he loves, he clearly made the most out of the results."

"And what about further back in the grid?"

"Well, a crushing shame for Paul Mulder, who no doubt is kicking himself, just wondering what he lacked that Dorian made work today. The younger pilot has proven to be a beacon in that team, but it seems like in the close quarters, he still has a lot to learn, especially against rivals like Kelly and the new Atlassi, who are keen to make their mark and get points on the board. And then what about Beatrix Ward and Florence Mason, wow, what a fight that was. It was like watching Mason and Hornfleur fight back in 86!" Rory chuckled, as Rosie nodded, cutting to footage.

---

"P8, Jenny, not our day, but well done for clinging onto points. Let's review when we get in and let's go from there, nothing you could do." Cal's voice came through in Jenny's helmet, as she dwelled on that.

And didn't want to the more she tried to play any angle of it that was constructive. Nothing broadcastable.

She didn't give it a reply, breathing out hard, before yelling, screaming in frustration, all the constant focus finally settling in, swearing plenty, an uncharacteristic outburst, but absoltuely livid. As the ship cooled below her and she pulled back into the paddock, she opened the canopy and sat there for a moment, drenched in her own sweat, just gutted, in her own static shock.

Cal understood, this wasn't like Jamie, this was P1 snatched away, the most painful kind of loss, to have it sown and then to get involved like that. Han kept her P2, but she was just on the wrong side of it, wrong time, and now, not in the best mood. It would go away, but it would fuel more hunger for Singapore, more want to go out and put the ship on pole, and go win that race, no matter what.

---

Cooldown Room

Sitting in the cooldown room, it felt strange without a Kais, Paul, Nora or Beatrix. But such was the way that things fell in racing. It wasn't always a story that followed a dream.

"Nasty hit there." Harrison observed, looking as Han almost scowled at it, Dorian making a mental note not to get too chatty with her over this.

"Yeah....racing incident. My ass." The mumble could be heard, as Dorian made a note not to add anything more when he sniped her out of the corners in Sector 3, absolutely blitzing by, and holding first for the rest of the race as Han struggled. Harrison's own little fight with Han showed him struggling to get past, while Amy's blitzing of Kais towards the last laps was no doubt gutting him too, given their focus on data for Hawaii.

As they were called out, Dorian wondered if this was it. The last hurrah. The last raise. Hawaii was one he enjoyed, as strange as it was, but to win here? Well, that was quite something, and no doubt that despite the difficulties for Paul, getting P1 here felt like a lift to the team's continued efforts to try and punch into the top end of the constructors.

---

Post-Race Interviews

By the massive waterfall that sat at Turn 12, the pilots were getting interviewed, the tropical feeling still present in the brand new rainforest under the volcano. Lei's had been given out to the pilots, as well as bespoke wooden trophies made from the new forests here to the pilots who took victory, a one of a kind style given most others were ceramic or metal.

"Paul, it just didn't play out the way you expected! Despite a solid platform, how did the positions slip?" The question was not going to be nice, but then again, the result was definitely not one that was one to cheer about.

"Kais, a positive result for the team on a circuit that you surprised everyone on as you hunted down Harrison, but in the last laps, lost out to Amy Stirling. How does it feel duelling with her, given your previous experiences at Silverstone, do you think you have an understanding?"

"Bea, a rapid push right through the backmarkers, but you just couldn't get into the points today. How did you find duelling Florence, and do you think her experience tripped you up?"

---

The other interviews took place somewhat before and after the others, intermingled, other pilots getting to mix in them.

"Honestly, so gutting. You heard me on the radio, I was yelling, proper annoyed! But yeah, we'll go again in Singapore. The ship is great, just couldn't hold onto first, and well, what happened with Han I can't really....yeah!" Jenny spoke, keeping it short.

"Yes, it was brilliant to come out on top! I was lucky, I will admit, but you make your own luck, no? Good qualifying with a ship setup that maximised our advantage, and the boss had full confidence in the strategy." Dorian replied, professional, but not hiding his excitement as the man accelerating into what used to be once middle age seemed to still pick up victories, the yellow and grey pilot-suited champion relishing in all of this.

"Well, Kais is....turbulent, he gives it everything, but I still found a way through. A fun fight though, and yeah, at Singapore I hope me and Jenny can bounce back onto the podium!" Amy chirped, knowing that Kais was reeling from that.

"Well, Bea did well to recover, but she was always going to tear it up on this track! I mean, you give her so much hassle for being Hawaiian....she just wanted to avoid more of your questions I guess!" Ava joked, and for half a second, Bea might have wondered if her team-mate was actually beginning to have her ice melt into slush...

"Han did well considering the circumstances, and while I couldn't push on Ava, honestly, happy to post a good result as we're charging towards Valkyrie. We have a lot of work to do this season but it's paying off now. And on what happened? If I speak, I'm in big trouble..." Cassie channelled peak Mourinho, the Scots-Lusitanian definitely going fully on her Portuguese side on the last bit.

"Well, a sh*t result. Just fell backwards. Not our track." Astrid was in and out of frame as fast as she'd arrived.

"Yes, over the moon! I am so, so happy with getting more points. A bit of a weave past Astrid, and Paul too, but the ship is so fast, so quick, it feels like we can make up for even our deficiencies. Bring on the speedy circuits, we'll be lightening bolts!" Hamid grinned, in the way that his growing popularity got a positive reply, the once cyborg-like Layla who ruled the airwaves with her cool aesthetic and wavy feeling replaced by a warm, almost child-like Hamid that seemed almost to leap into things more than he had before.

"Yeah, nice to be back on the podium, and honest, have been missing that for a while. We need to push on and keep pressure on Silver Apex, so that's what we'll do, and headed to our hemisphere, I hope we can give our local fans something to cheer about, especially in Aus, we have one hell of a showcase there!" Harrison stayed positive, gutted he couldn't get past Han, but glad at least to not be dwelling in the bottom end of points today.

"Bea is definitely capable, but well, we don't give positions up that easy in Formula AG! Our ship just had the right ELS setup, what can I say, we had it all, tried to risk it going for points, and holding up a train isn't fun, but like Dorian did, he took advantage of the trip up on Jenny, and just made it work. Sometimes, chaos just happens and you just have to play strategy!" Florence commented, the dark arts from the otherwise positive, happy-go-lucky pilot showing that a champion in a lower-tier ship was still a wolf in green and yellow pilot-suited clothing.

---

@MrSkimobile

Saturday 20/8/2094 21:20 - To Kais Zenix (Salt Bae)[Batt: 98%]

AStirling Damn you put up a good fight! But that's payback for Silverstone ;)

---

@LadyAmber

Saturday 20/8/2094 21:32 - To Paul Mulder (Belgian Waffle) [Batt: 69%]

Wedge Yoo, just wanted to check in with you as we're team-mates next year! Got a quick question- how the fuck is Dorian still that fast despite being 40? Just checking, he isn't a cyborg is he, cos I'm gonna need to adjust to that ship?

Also, pls make sure you ask the canteen to stock schnitzel, I've becoming uncannily addicted for it in my protein allocation while in Lucerne after the Nürburgring interviews, thanks :) (I'll find something better than Hersheys to bribe them with because I know you hate it and think it's an affront to God despite it being the best thing on Earth)

---

@Starlance

Saturday 20/8/2094 23:32- To Beatrix Ward (US-Bea) [Batt: 52%]

Jen Lowry How much brick / plywood / plasterboard / composite wall do you think you can punch through with prosthetic limbs? I'm configuring a rage room in London just asking for a friend

No that wasn't totally bullshit and she should totally not get a penalty for a move that was clearly too aggressive, and write off yet another chassis with a hit that felt like losing teeth

Paul had spent the evening in frustration as he went over his data from qualifying. He compared his lap to Dorian’s. He rewatched the videos from qualifying. He worked with Carmella, his race engineer, to review the ship's setup. He couldn’t pinpoint anything in particular that Dorian did better than he did. He had no idea why he was performing so much slower than Dorian. It was frustrating him to no end. Paul struggled to sleep. He kept tossing and turning. He had stayed up late using the simulator. He practiced with the ELS and overtaking in the tunnel sections. Paul was up early the next day. He was tired and cranky. He was in a foul mood.

Paul didn’t want to lay the blame for his lack of performance in Hawaii on anyone else. He could blame his poor performance in Germany on the ship setup that Dorian had talked him into. He knew that Cavan and the team had rebuilt the ship. Dorian had taken P3 in qualifying and he had taken P9. Paul was younger and spent just as much time on his fitness and in the simulator as Dorian if not more. How was Dorian outperforming him? Paul tried to not take his mood out on anyone else. He retreated to the pilot’s ready room and tried to meditate and calm down. He was really struggling mentally about what happened during qualifying. Why was it that every time Dorian was doing well he seemed to do poorly? Why couldn’t they both get on the podium together. The press had been particularly vicious about his performance during the qualifying race. Paul knew his head was not in the right headspace and he was feeling the pressure to perform well. He tried to push it all away and stay in the moment but he was failing.

Then it was time to start. Paul had gone through his prerace ritual and checklist with Carmella. He felt jittery and on edge. He could feel the adrenaline rushing through him as he hit the throttle as the race started.

Paul just couldn’t seem to get into the rhythm of the race. He felt like he was having to force the ship into submission. It was not the effortless dance it had been at Spa where he had slipped through the field with ease making his way towards the front of the pack. Paul was passed by Hamid and Nora. His performance seemed to get worse as the race went on. Paul had cursed up a storm when Hamid passed him. He had tried to hold Nora Kelly but she managed to get past him as well. In the end Paul had slid down to finish in P11.

Paul had pulled his ship back into the paddock. He had climbed out the ship and for once said nothing. He had retreated to the pilot’s ready room where he pulled his helmet off and threw it across the room. He cursed up a streak in very colorful language where he had some privacy. Paul felt like slugging something. He settled for punching the throw pillows on the couch. It was not nearly as satisfying as throwing his helmet had been. Once he had calmed down. He took a quick shower and changed before heading over to the Delta Hyper set.

---

DELTΔ HYPER

Episode Twelve: Hot Like Lava

---

Paul showed up at his Delta Hyper interview with his hair wet and darker with the water in it. He was wearing sneakers, jeans, and a team polo shirt. He took a seat on the Delta Hyper couch and gave Aurora his standard charming smile.

Aurora: "Paul, it just didn't play out the way you expected! Despite a solid platform, how did the positions slip?"

Paul’s expression turned serious with hints of anger in his posture. His voice was gruff as he answered.

Paul: “It is not what I had hoped for. I honestly have no idea why I ended up where I did. We all have an off race every once in a while. This was not my race. As I said before I can’t win them all. You can damn well bet I am thinking about nothing but how to change this in the next race.”

Paul didn’t wait for Aurora’s response or anyone’s dismissal signal. He simply stood up, pulled off the microphone that they had clipped to his polo shirt shirt and left. He didn’t yell, scream, or stomp but the tension in his body and the clenched fists combined with him grinding his teeth all pointed to a simmering explosion waiting to happen.

---

HydrofoilHater Another poor performance from Paul Mulder while Dorian Hornfleur finished in P1. So much variance from the same team. What is going on with Mulder?
ThrusterJester:@HydrofoilHater 100% agree with you. Doesn’t make sense. They have the same ship and Dorian took first place in the race and Paul didn’t even break the top ten to bring in points. What’s wrong with that picture?
QuantumQuokka:Mulder always seems to choke every other race.
Bertha:Mulder fails again.
ValkyrieFan56:Good for Dorian Hornfleur! Showing he still has it even if he is retiring at the end of the year.
Nana2050:I don’t understand why Paul Mulder didn’t do better.
MulderMuse:Paul Mulder is still my favorite.
Paulmulder4eva:@MulderMuse Paul is still my favorite too. He could always turn to modeling if racing doesn’t work out.
RumorMill:They had the same ship setup so how did Mulder end up in P11?
DantheMan: Obviously it was pilot error of some sort. The team hasn’t announced there were any technical issues.
RumorMill: Heard that Paul choked and failed to use his ELS efficiently.
LegacyStan94:That makes sense for what we saw on the track. You would think he had enough races behind him not to choke by now.

---

@FourtyTwo

Saturday 20/8/2094 21:32 - To Paul Mulder (Belgian Waffle) [Batt: 69%]

Wedge Yoo, just wanted to check in with you as we're team-mates next year! Got a quick question- how the fuck is Dorian still that fast despite being 40? Just checking, he isn't a cyborg is he, cos I'm gonna need to adjust to that ship?

Also, pls make sure you ask the canteen to stock schnitzel, I've becoming uncannily addicted for it in my protein allocation while in Lucerne after the Nürburgring interviews, thanks :) (I'll find something better than Hersheys to bribe them with because I know you hate it and think it's an affront to God despite it being the best thing on Earth)

Saturday 20/8/2094 22:02 - To Wedge (BBQ NUT) [Batt: 54%]

Paul
Dorian is not a cyborg. He has fewer enhancements that most pilots. You will adjust to the ship easier than you think. Hershey is a foul word in Belgium! I am glad you understand this. Think Belgian Chocolate! Try Godiva is pretty easy to get ahold of. As for Schnitzel, all you need to do is tell Chef Jacques what you want. He will be sure to run it past the nutritionist and make it for you.

Bea didn’t know if she got a great launch, or if it was because the first two ships she had to get around were SuperCat, but she opened the race with gaining two places before turn 3 was behind her, weaving past Vladimir off the line and seemingly appearing on the outside of Kofi at turn 1, yielding him space to get through the turn safely but fully leveraging the fact that the African team had just as bad stability while being worse in every other category, carrying more speed through turn 1 and able to keep accelerating through turns 2 and 3, simply walking away from the Ghanian.

P18.

A few laps later, Max was on the chopping block. This would be a fight, the Miller Motors ship handling quick turns better but lagging behind everywhere else. It came to a head at turn 8 where she gained a speed advantage along the dam and went alongside, the position of her ship forcing Max to the inside of turn 8, an even worse line than Bea tried to take in qualifying. Max evidently came to the same realization as he backed out of the corner. He made a valiant attempt to regain the position in the following chicanes, but it slowed them both down enough for Kofi to start nipping at his heels, forcing Max on the defensive and leaving Bea be.

P17.

With an even slower ship than Max’ and, plainly speaking, half the talent or less, passing Bjorn was a case of same test, same solution - this time making the pass at the end of the main straight where Bjorn braked too soon, practically handing her the position even without Carrera’s speed advantage.

P16.

She made that pass just in time to see Ben’s overtake of Ulrich, the latter’s energy reserves somewhat depleted from being on the defensive evening out the difference in ELS skill and allowing Bea to make up time along the straights of Pira and Kapua complexes before striking in the fast section that followed after the brain scrambling spatial madness of turns 9 through 11, a pass down the inside behind the waterfall definitely one for the cameras.

P15.

Ben was up next and doing a good job of holding her back through the slow sections, possibly remembering how to race her from the junior series and having the stability to do it. The Tempesta climb would be his undoing just one lap later, with Bea building up momentum through turns 2 and 3 before feinting left and quickly switching right in a barrel roll-like pass using the full breadth of the 360 degree MAG tracking in the lava tube.

P14.

Astrid would hold her own, making good use of the ships’ matching ELS and her experience with it, on top of simply not making a mistake per lap on average like her teammate, enough viking blood in her veins to be immune to the psychological effect of being tailgated by a driver with a point to prove and little in the way of self-preservation instinct. It took ten laps, Bea constantly gaining time with gutsy cornering only to lose it again with a mistake, a dance that was starting to seriously worry her team whose pleas to calm it down a bit fell on deaf ears, but the long straights and tight hairpins of sector one were taking their toll and lap by lap, the gap still shrunk until she took another corner faster than Alistair would have liked and ended up alongside, the Nordic Call ship losing the drag race to the joint second fastest ship on the grid.

P13.

And then she came upon Florence. Bea expected it to be harder than Ben, but somehow Flo was keeping up on the straights way better than Bea thought she would. There was only so much skill could do to make up for machinery, and yet… Corner after corner, she held on. Straight after straight, she failed to make a move until the safety ship.

”What kind of sushi sorcery is this thing running on? Al, any pointers?” The young Brit sounded exhausted, but spurred on by a certain kind of fury born of frustration known to people who followed her rally career. Unlike Monaco, where she was cursing Astrid hard enough for her grandkids to be affected, this time Bea herself was the source of her frustration.

Bjorn’s 15 minutes of fame scrubbed the safety net they’d built up, and not long after the restart Bea suddenly found herself with the rear view camera full of pink and blue. ”Fuck off, we’re fighting here!” Bea growled as she closed the door on the Faorese pilot in a move she’d later consider to be a bit late, but in that moment seeing nothing but red and the NOVA ship ahead of her.

Florence eventually lost the battle of attrition, the rabid determination of Bea guided by the calm experience of Alistair eventually wearing out the inferior NOVA ship. ”Fucking! Finally!” Bea breathed a sigh of relief, or rather shouted in joy, as Flo’s ship stayed behind following the next few corners, not looking like she’d be making a comeback in the next few laps, the rest of the race passing without any further excitement.
”So sorry, lads. Not my day. You worked your arses off to get us back in the race today, and that deserved better than this.”

---

DELTΔ HYPER

Episode 12: Hot Like Lava

---

”Bea, a rapid push right through the backmarkers, but you just couldn't get into the points today. How did you find duelling Florence, and do you think her experience tripped you up?”

”I won’t lie, it would have been a lot more fun if we were fighting in points.” Bea started with a joke before turning more serious, ”Real unfortunate, Paul was having a bad race so points still might have been possible despite the qualifying. We don’t talk about qualifying.” She chuckled, ”Experience definitely played a part, I don’t know what exactly she was doing with ELS but I will be studying that replay on the flight home, you can be sure of that.”

”At least it served as a neat demonstration of how far our ship has come.” She steered the conversation elsewhere, ”And from the way things are looking, our starting platform next year will be even better.”

---

Sat 22/08 18:37 PAUL [Batt: 91%]

> Saw your walkout from the post race interviews. Jen, Max and I are going to Ohana Café [map link] at 1915 for a meeting of the “Hawaii ‘94 sucked” club if you want to join and coat your nerves in sugar. 😛

Sun 22/08 23:33 JEN [Batt: 48%]

> How much brick / plywood / plasterboard / composite wall do you think you can punch through with prosthetic limbs? I'm configuring a rage room in London just asking for a friend.
[You reacted with 😀]
> No that wasn't totally bullshit and she should totally not get a penalty for a move that was clearly too aggressive, and write off yet another chassis with a hit that felt like losing teeth.
> [A picture of Bea’s left hand holding an aluminium plate used as base for painting with an indentation in the shape of right hand knuckles in the middle.]
> Less than that of aluminium.
> I got a 3D printer a few weeks ago, want some busts of Han for the rage room? 😛
> What for, they have you covering for that factory fire? 😛
[You reacted with 😀]
> Also, yes please.
> …
> That was a low blow, but I respect it. 😀
[‘Jen’ reacted with 😀]
> Yeah, it was one of those moves where if it lands, you’re a hero; and if it doesn’t, you’re the villain. Honestly racing incident seems fair to me, I would’ve tried that same move if I was in her position and you don’t want to hear what I would’ve said after the collision 😀.
> Nah, you don’t go for gaps that don’t exist.
> I’m pretty sure I did that to Ambrogi in Portugal in ‘92. Or was it Lister? I forgot, the lobotomes blend together after a while.
> Either way, scaring the guy ahead into making a gap is a valid approach. And Astrid got a grid drop for talking to her sternly in Italy, so I wouldn’t hold my breath either way. And stay away from Zygon fans unless you want to gas yourself up for the rage room. 😛
[‘Jen’ reacted with 😀]
> Yea, I took a page out of your book and took a peek at their official forum. Wow.
> I’ll bet you a tenner that there’s an effigy of you being burned somewhere in Korea right now. 😀

---

GalwayGirl: Bea showing up behind Flo with the energy of Gollum sensing someone has Precious in their filthy Hobbit pocketses. 😀
SmolNjol: Waldgaard finding happiness for the first time this year.
User420: Reject modernity, return to monkey.
NorthWest: Could they, like, leave him on that beach when the team goes back to the factory?
Endothermic: MMR fans seeing their team drop it at both of their home races: [link]
MrSmooth: As a Max fan, can confirm.
GaryFromIndiana: That “overtake” had so much “Boraro at Ark Angel” energy Han might as well be albino. Absolutely braindead, what the fuck? That could’ve been a win.
Cylonking183: Wrong, but agree that Silver Apex needs to put a brain back in Lowry’s head.
Ail33nDaw: And eyes in yours if you think that’s Jenny’s fault.
Sol_de_Mayo: I can’t be the only one falling fast for Hamid. Dude’s like Al-Saqr’s Bea!
Cats4Life: I ship it.
DarkStar69: #HamBead
GalwayGirl: Pray she doesn’t see that.
MadBea: I mean, what the Hell can I do with that? Is it weird as fuck? Yea. Can I say anything without catching Hamid in the crossfire? No. 😀

---

Bloom

The sigh came back as Amy looked at the board, the points tally shifting once more, the Brit taking it in. Thinking over her choices. And how Harrison, while stunting the gap, was still a threat to her championship. One that she felt wasn't quite as in the bag as it had been last year. Even if it was just him, it felt like Nora, nay, even Kais, might be chasing her down too. She couldn't let go of any results here, not anymore.

"How you feeling?" The voice was from behind, as she looked across to Peter, Amy pulling the wire out of her neck, no longer wanting to be tethered while in chat.

"Good, good thanks." She replied, as Peter cut to the chase quickly, sliding across the data interface in front of him.

"I'm no expert, Amy....but what is that?"

"Neural logs. They're the usual." Amy replied, as Peter scrolled to the right, peeling up the spikes, popping out from the tablet and Peter peeling close.

"They're definitely not." Peter's response was almost dry, comic even, in how borderline stupid it would have sounded out of context. Cutting from that to the studio was a decision, to say the least.

Sitting in the interview room, the ambience was hard to take, as Amy sat on the sofa, hearing that question come through.

"What was it like, finding out that you had some issues with your neural link?" Aurora asked, as Amy, looking more somber than usual, sat up, shaking her head.

"It's tricky. I suppose, it was starting to explain things for me. I didn't see it coming, it explained why I was a bit out of it. But it happens. I suppose it's what comes with being pushed hard. I guess my wetware just didn't decide to agree for a few races. Glad we caught it when we did." Amy commented, the feeling being, that was hiding a whole heap of truth that hadn't been shown.

---

Florence sighed, looking at the data on her tablet, Sally looking across at the dejected looking, former champion's glare.

"Well, proof that I'm right?" Florence asked, nodding as Sally took a seat on the soft chair across from her.
"Proof you were. You'd have been rinsed. Fair play for holding her up as much as you could. It wasn't our track to be. But, you put up a fight. And we're still there or therabouts for points. A better year hasn't been done in a while." Sally had kind words to say, but Florence knew that maybe just not making the most of Paul's awful day, or Hamid's surge forward, had come to bite.

"Maybe. Felt like a risk, and I didn't make it stick enough." Florence sighed, putting tablet down again. "So yeah. Lessons learned. More juice." Florence asked, Sally realising that Florence, despite everything, maturity, changes, still had that unrelenting hunger to push into points. Sally wasn't used to that from either of her pilots. That she almost had respect for. But concern beneath it too.

---

Factory Settings

In the HQs of each team, before the episode was out, a bit was shown on how logistics behind the scenes worked. From the moment the ships left the paddock, loaded up on cargo planes and various larger anti-gravity carriers, they were inspected, meticulously, checked and assessed in great, if not extraordinary detail. A process that came with plenty of engineering wetwork, despite all the automation, it meant a human was still engaged in the process at detail.

Aurora sat with a view overlooking the Pampas outside, the Buenos Aires factory making for a nice backdrop for this particular visit.

She was with Leon Alonso, and with Bea Ward, who were on the sofa, that of Carrera's choosing.

"Thank you for inviting me around to your factory! So, you took me around and showed us what your culture is like earlier. What would you say it is about Carrera Condor, going from a smaller, backmarker team into top of the midfield feels like? Has it changed, or do you still feel like underdogs, despite what feels like expectations changing surrounding the team at each round?"

----------

Meanwhile, Aurora had also made her way into the Valkyrie HQ, with the background of historic Valkyrie ships of years gone by as she sat in the main atrium. A brief montage inside, of the white-rooms, manufacturing prototypes, parts, components, and all the juicy engineering porn that made anti-gravity racing what it was, before cutting back to the interview.

"Alexander, Paul, thanks for the invite! I was recently at the Carrera Condor factory, who appear to be fast growing to be challenging you, alongside the historic Zygon and Al-Saqr teams. What are your thoughts on how you're being pursued, and how do you plan to react to make sure you keep up the heat on the top three in the constructors this season? Are you looking to continue snatching wins when you can at circuits that suit you, or do you think it'll be a different approach needed for the rest of the season?" The question went to both, knowing it was a tricky one, but no less getting to the point in the dynamics of the season.

----------------

A last stop on Aurora's globe-trotting behind-the-scenes tour was in Abu Dhabi, the Al-Saqr HQ making an appearance, Aurora touring the simulator and cutting-edge AI facility, albeit being shown absolutely nothing of a certain area....

And on the couch, the sea lapped quiet in the inland water, the sun hung low in the horizon past the mangroves.

"Omar, Kais, thank you for hosting me on the island, quite the scene outside! With performance behind you hotting up, are you hoping for a late season lunge into more points, trying to outpace your rivals at all costs? Is it sustainable, or do you think you've found a happy medium?"

Alexander had watched Paul struggle over the weekend. Dorian was thriving and managed to win the race. Alexander was puzzled as Paul should have done similarly well. It was unlike Paul to be short with the press. He knew for a fact that Paul had been looking forward to this race. He had not expected to get the opportunity to race in Hawaii. The last minute change up was something he was looking forward to. This circuit should have played to his strengths. This was the first time Paul’s interviews had ever shown any hint of frustration or anger. He was usually quite gracious and eloquent when on camera.

Alexander didn’t ask Paul to join him. He went in search of him away from cameras and other team members. Alexander knew Paul well enough to know he was isolating himself. Paul was always harder on himself than any other critic. Alexander found him where he thought he would. Paul was in the data center trailer. The team was still working on packing up the paddock equipment. Alexander paused in the open doorway and watched Paul for a few minutes. Paul was pouring over the data from the race. Paul’s body language was rigid with tension. His face showed frustration and his eyes flashed in anger and impatience. Alexander’s shoes made a scuffing noise on the floor as he stepped into the trailer. Paul didn’t even turn away. He just scowled and called out in an angry voice. “Go away!”

Alexander smiled and raised an eyebrow. This was a side of Paul he had not really seen before. “I won’t leave since I came to check in on you. I can see that you are already spiraling and acting like the spoiled prima donna everyone accuses of you being. Just because you have raw natural talent doesn’t mean that a career in racing is going to be easy for you. You have something to prove to yourself but your performance is not consistent. Why do you think that is?”

Paul had whirled around at hearing Alexander’s voice. All that rage and anger was focused on Alexander now “Don’t stand there and act like you know what it is like to be me. You might have been my father’s best friend but you are not him. You can’t replace him in my life. Stop acting like you have that right.”

Alexander let the words wash over him. He had a feeling this would come to a head at some point. There were things about being a professional Formula AG Racer that no one could prepare for. This was a make it or break it moment for Paul. He would either use this to push himself forward or he would fade away as has been and almost star. He would have to live with the regrets of never knowing if he was truly good enough to make it.

Alexander straightened and stood tall. He squared his shoulders and looked Paul directly in the eyes as he spoke. His voice was direct, ruthless, merciless as he told Paul what he needed to hear. He didn’t hold back and coddle him. He was brutally honest with him. Alexander’s eyes narrowed a little as he focused on Paul. “Paul, if you want to rise to be a champion it takes more than talent. It takes drive and grit. No one who is competing with you on that track is just going to hand it to you. You are going through the motions of what you think it takes. You are eating right. You listen to your trainers. You spend your time in the simulator. You pour over the data from your races. You listen to your engineers when they talk about strategy. You do your best to ensure that you are on good terms with everyone in the team and the media. Champions don’t get frustrated when the work gets hard. Champions push the team and lead the team in the direction they want it to go. The team looks for the pilots to lead them to victory and do their part of it. But you have to want deep in your gut. You have to know what you are willing to sacrifice and give up to get there. You have had a fairly easy life even without your father. You have not had to struggle to get to where you are.” Alexander paused as he saw Paul rise to his feet and take a step towards him, his hands balled into fists at his sides.

Paul’s voice lashed out in anger as his body shook with fury. “Fuck You! You have no idea what I have gone through because of my father dying. I have had to fight to be seen the same as every other pilot on the track. I had to do it with accusations of nepotism and buying my way in the whole way. I work harder than Dorian on my training and fitness. You do not have the right to try and tell me that I don’t want it bad enough. That I am not motivated enough. Who the fuck do you think you are?!” Paul took another step towards him.

Alexander used his voice like a whip as it rang with truth, authority, and experience. “I am your team principal! I decide who gets the seat in your ship. You should remember that before you speak to me that way. You asked me not to baby you. Well I am giving it to you straight Paul. You still haven’t figured out your why. Why do you race? Don’t give me that bullshit line about being closer to your father. Deep down in your gut… why do you want this? You think you are doing everything you can, yet you are inconsistent as hell. What has changed from race to race Paul? The only thing that has really changed from race to race is you. Some races you have the focus and drive, other races you seem distracted and lost and make mistake after mistake. When you can answer why… then you will know how to fix it.”

Paul looked thunderstruck and confused as the anger and rage seemed to drain out of him like a balloon with a pin hole in it. Realization was setting in that he had just been highly insubordinate the man who could yank him out of the ship.

Alexander slipped his hands into his pockets and just watched as Paul seemed to be unraveling before his eyes. He nodded once before continuing. “You need to do some soul searching and decide if you really want this. Because I have other drivers that would love to have your seat. You need to get your shit together. I know you can do better Paul. I have seen you do it. You need to be willing to give it your all like you did at Spa in every race. Not just the ones you deem important to you. I better not hear of you taking your anger and frustration out on the team.”

Alexander left Paul with that and turned and left him alone. All Alexander could do was wait and see if things changed. In the meantime, he still had a whole team to run. He had other people who needed direction and time as well. Paul didn’t even seem to notice that he had left.

---

Factory Settings

Aurora: "Alexander, Paul, thanks for the invite! I was recently at the Carrera Condor factory, who appear to be fast growing to be challenging you, alongside the historic Zygon and Al-Saqr teams. What are your thoughts on how you're being pursued, and how do you plan to react to make sure you keep up the heat on the top three in the constructors this season? Are you looking to continue snatching wins when you can at circuits that suit you, or do you think it'll be a different approach needed for the rest of the season?"

Alexander nodded to Paul to answer for himself.

Paul: “My goal is to try to win at every race. Just like the other teams, we have circuits which our ship is better suited for. I continue to try to identify where I am weak and how I can get the most of the Team Valkyrie ship. All I can do is train harder and try to turn my weaknesses into new found strengths.”

Alexander: “We will continue to snatch wins whenever we can. Team Valkyrie is in a year of growth and change that started with them hiring me. The goal is to focus on long term growth and stability for the team. That has been the goal all along. I am sure Delta Hyper is aware of the changes to Team Valkyrie’s Junior program and new sponsorships. We are trying to rebrand our thinking to give the fans of Formula Ag the most we can for their support. We are building and doing our best to position ourselves in contention for this season with an eye on championships next year.”

León had decided to capitalize on the actual ranch outside the factory once the visit was done. The trio were sat near the central farmhouse on wooden chairs made out of old barrels, a glass of fresh milk in front of each of them with a pasture of cows for a backdrop.

”Thank you for inviting me around to your factory! So, you took me around and showed us what your culture is like earlier. What would you say it is about Carrera Condor, going from a smaller, backmarker team into top of the midfield feels like? Has it changed, or do you still feel like underdogs, despite what feels like expectations changing surrounding the team at each round?”

León glanced at Bea and let her answer, given that he was representing the expectations Aurora was asking about.
”I don’t think expectations have changed much. Only once, actually. Before, it was ‘Do your best,’ now it’s ‘Be fifth.’ Possible or not, might as well try anyway, right?” Bea shrugged, ”I can’t really comment on any shifts in the team’s culture since I barely know how it was before this season.”
”I think there’s definitely been a change in the team’s mindset.” León picked up, ”Before, we used to be happy to be out of the bottom five. Now, we’re disappointed when both ships aren’t in the points. Not in a ‘You should have done better.’ way, but ‘It could have been better.’”
”Thanks for the clarification, that’s a relief.” Bea grinned, getting a chuckle out of the team principal.
”It’s 40 points and seven races. A lot can happen in that time.”

---

Fri 27/08 20:31 ACE [Batt: 97%]

> Thanks for taking care of the media duties today. Really wasn’t in Aurora mood.
> No problem. 👍
> Shame you couldn’t attend the tech meeting because of it. When you see the new engine specs, you’ll squeal!
> I did! Felix dropped by to give me the bullet points. He hasn’t misspoken, has he? We’ll outpace the Kitty Cats on engine alone if they’re dumping power!
> I knew you’d be excited about that. Wish I’d seen it. 😀
[You reacted with 😀]
> I think there’s CCTV in the cafeteria.
[‘Ava’ reacted with 👍]
> How’s that contract extension looking, anyone talk to you yet?
> Yes. The conditions are surprisingly good, but I’m still thinking about it.
> No other team has the benefit of having me around to draw journalists away from you. 😛
> That is a point.

---

Fri 27/08 15:51 FACTORY CHAT [Batt: 31%]

R. Faríaz (Manufacturing): Anyone care to shed any light on what the commotion at the cafeteria was?
N. Quirós (Neural): Oh, that’s easy. Burkhart stopped by to tell Ward about the new engine plans.
J. Cicada (Propulsion): I thought she’d have been told at the meeting?
L. Gallegos (Neural): She missed it due to the Delta visit.
N. Quirós (Neural): Ava was like “No.”
N. Kirkland (Propulsion): I thought it was an earthquake, but no, it was just Bea shaking with excitement.
J. Cicada (Propulsion): Yea, we’re awesome like that. Apologize for the inconvenience, everyone.
[‘N. Kirkland (Propulsion)’, ‘R. Faríaz (Manufacturing)’, and 5 others reacted with 😀]

---

Alexander considered what had been happening with Paul during the season. He came to an unusual decision. He hired Sports Psychologist Dr. Zoé Ingold to help Paul. Paul would probably throw a fit about it but Alexander believed Paul’s issues were tied to his mental state. He hoped that the good doctor could help him work through whatever psychological blocks he had. It was an unusual step but Alexander realized that Paul had some unresolved trauma around losing his father at a young age. Paul might fight it but Alexander was hopeful that mandatory therapy would help him even if it didn’t translate onto the track.

The two new engine specialists had started today and had spent the morning going through paperwork with the head of HR. They were being onboarded by Cavan this afternoon. Both of the new engineers were from Germany, Isaak Cronenberg and Jacqueline Schultz. They would be the liaison engineers between the Team and Meridian Aerospace. While this was going on, the Team headquarters and ships were getting completely new upgraded computer systems courtesy of Banshee Microsystems. The team was also receiving security upgrades courtesy of Radian Security Systems. Alexander had signed the sponsor contract for Immersia Entertainment which had dropped another cool 5 million euros into the team’s coffers. He had also signed the contract for Wizard Technologies. Alexander was looking forward to seeing how that sponsor translated after Singapore. He hoped the team did better at the next race. The new sponsor would have a space in the Fan Zone at Singapore. They would be demonstrating a new kitchen appliance line to fans.

Alexander looked over a report from Sami about the Junior Team. The Junior Team was responding well to increased support. Scarlett had done well in Hawaii. Anna had done better but was still performing much lower than Scarlett. Alexander was pleased to note that Sami was checking in with the Junior Team sponsors and they were all quite happy with their agreements so far. Alexander couldn’t help but think that at least one thing had gone his way. He was still waiting to hear back from Lipusv about the materials backlog for the engineering department.

Outro to Hawaii

Soundtrack: Ian Brown- F.E.A.R (UNKLE Remix)

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.

---

DIGITAL /// INTERFACE //// ANODE

Soundtrack: KOAN Sound- Red Shift

"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."

---

ZONE

Soundtrack: Mist- Smart Systems

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.



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.

---

Curry Night

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."

ZONE

Soundtrack: Wolfram Punk - Race - Synthwave Mix

Paul waited patiently as Rosie demonstrated and explained the system and training tool to viewers. Paul was intrigued. It was a little different to the simulator used by Valkyrie who had a proprietary simulator that was connected to astronaut antigravity and inertia simulators to replicate the physical feeling of the g-forces on the pilot in the simulator. He was excited to give this model a try. It reminded him of a souped up virtual reality video game. Paul watched the screens as Jen eagerly volunteered to go first.

Paul smiled as he climbed into the hot seat. He grinned at the others and poked fun at himself. He was trying harder not to take himself so seriously. He had started seeing the sports psychologist that Alexander had arranged for him. He had fought it at first. He was surprised when his mother was on board with the plan and told him to start whining and get to work. He looked around at the others. “Valkyrie has its own simulator that was built in conjunction with the European Union Space Agency. We don’t have as many mods as some of you others. Take it easy on me!”

Paul joked around with his fellow pilots before he plugged in his neural interface and began his run. Paul enjoyed the Zone. His neural interface combined with the cognitive training he had undergone gave him an edge with the Zone. He enjoyed the sensation of going faster and faster. He managed to reach that state where everything faded away and it was just him and the virtual ship. He was in sync and making effortless corrections. He was not sure how well he did with the others. He was feeling pretty damn euphoric until he clipped a wall in a turn unable to match the simulator speed.

He unplugged his neural interface with a laugh before cleaning off the cable. He passed it to the next pilot with a smile. “What a rush! That was fun. Can we go again?” He went to stand by Jen as he awaited his results. Unlike Jen he had never used the Zone before and had nothing to compare it too.

---

Curry Night

Paul joined the other pilots inside Tsai Wen Tower for dinner at Annapurna. It was a high end exclusive Indian, Malay, and Nepali fusion restaurant. The views of the city and harbor were fabulous. The restaurant was situated three storeys up, hyper-exclusive yachts outside alongside seemingly floating, ultra-modern blocks rooted deep in the earth. Nova and Nordic Call had prior commitments and would be missing the pilot dinner being hosted by Amy.

Paul looked over the digital menu kiosk to order. He was intrigued by the offerings and ordered a curry chicken dish with fusion potstickers for an appetizer and water to drink. The meal was already going to be heavy on calories and he was racing this weekend. He didn’t want to add alcohol to the mix.

Paul was still embarrassed over his behavior in Hawaii. He kept to himself and listened mostly. Those who knew him better might notice that he was quieter and a little more subdued. He was not quite his normal outgoing charming self.

His eyes followed the conversation that started with Harrison and Amy before jumping to Cassie who was still poking at Dorian. She seemed to take anything Dorian said or did as a negative. Dorian just laughed and almost choked on a cracker at her response. Paul’s lips curved up in a slight smile at Dorian’s response back to Cassie.

Paul tucked into his food and ate quietly. He continued to listen even as conversation slowed down as everyone dug into their meals.

He was surprised by Amy’s question. "Anyway. Question to you all. Everyone's neural link playing up, or you all fine?" All of the pilots seemed to pause and focus on Amy in silence for a long beat before Amy continued her questioning about Neural Interface issues.

"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?"

Paul was surprised and disturbed by the question. He looked over at Dorian with a questioning look. Paul watched Dorian to see what he made of Amy’s statements and questions.

Dorian shook his head in the negative as he responded. "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 Amy, looking a little confused.

Amy replied: "We have our own bespoke. Wouldn't have done anything."

Paul wondered why Amy would share this information with them. She must be really surprised and needing answers to share that she had this kind of issue.

Dorian made light of it with a joke. "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."

Paul smiled as Hamid teased Dorian about beating him and being older.

The topic of conversation was brought back to the point by Ava who had pointed out that Amy had traditionally had an advantage with her neural interface processor in the past. Paul looked down at his plate hiding a slight smile. He wondered how their new neural interfaces from Shinichi Biotech compared to Amy’s.

Paul frowned as Amy mentioned that she was worried that other pilots had experienced the issue. Leave it to Wedge to make an inappropriate comment turning it into a bad taste joke. Paul rolled his eyes even as laughter from the comment was heard all around the table. Dorian and Hamid continued their good natured bickering back and forth.

Dorian nudged him on the shoulder, leaning in. “Talk Later”

Paul gave Dorian a hard look and simply nodded. He sighed and wondered if he should have skipped the pilot dinner tonight. He hoped no one really noticed he was quiet. He was struggling with a lot of personal stuff at the moment. He didn’t want it to show. He smiled as he continued to eat and listen to the pilots rag on each. Smack talk went around the table.

”We’re always watching.” Bea gave Jen a friendly nudge when the Yorkshire lass finished her attempt, ”Every race, every corner.”

“I’ll be messing with some settings, you lot go first so you don’t have to put it all back again.” When she plugged in, it became clear what she meant. Despite being among the youngest pilots by age - sharing second with Paul only beaten by Ben - she had her link set up like an old codger to the point of Alistair jokingly calling her a hipster when they first started training together. The setting screens flew by, seemingly stripping away aids. Bea didn’t use AR to see through her cockpit, she used its frame as reference points. Even her neural link use was almost one way, using it to control the ship but receiving the bare minimum of information required to handle FA speeds and the insane reaction times required, everything else that could be handled by HUD and the actual dashboard was.

She wiped out in a 90 degree chicane at Zone 18, not realizing it was a chicane and not a simple bend. ”WOAH!” She sat bolt upright, ”Mistakes were made.”

---

Bea was enjoying the shared dinner, a bowl of genuine chicken korma and butter naan in front of her. It was not meant to last.

”Sure, so a three way race for the title. And yet, no certain edge. I'm just looking at Carrera and Valkyrie.”

”Scared? You could try wearing a turtleneck if us breathing down your neck unnerves you.” Bea joined the shittalking with a grin when Cassie spoke, ”So how much yelling was there between you, the engineers and team leadership after Canada?”

”Anyway. Question to you all. Everyone's neural link playing up, or you all fine?”

Bea stopped eating, only half paying attention as thoughts raced through her mind at Zone 30 speeds. The whole comatose conversation, Layla, Ava and Kais’ hidden chat and the new server rack in her garage. Inadvertently, she found herself staring at her teammate, catching Ava glance in Kais’ direction before Bea excused herself from the table abruptly and headed out of the dining room to find a secluded place where she could hyperventilate in peace. Had she been a smoker, she’d be lighting them up three at a time. She never returned to the dinner, taking a cab back to her hotel once she’d calmed down at least a little bit and sending a message to Lúcio, her neural link specialist, as she waited, personal number to personal number.

Thu 02/09 19:14 LUCHO [Batt: 66%]

> Hotel bar, 20:00, off-books paid overtime. Need to talk.

---

Episode Thirteen: Under Spotlights

ZONE

With the session completing, Astrid looked to her pitful score, and Kais's impressive one, with Bea and Paul slapping inbetween- the former a tiny bit higher than the latter. Not bad though- most at home would struggle to clear zone 8, without assists.

"Not bad at all. My reaction times aren't as fast, but hey, I'll take it." Astrid smiled, neural link down, session completed. They'd all had a bit of fun in the virtual, but none of it compared to the real, tangible thing out there, as the scene cut.

---

@Starlance

Thu 02/09 20:15 - MadBea - [Batt: 66%]

Ava > You ok? Talk later when we get a chance. Maybe tomorrow. Something is up.

---

ZONE

After the dinner, Paul and Dorian shared the same AV, with the feeling between the two mutually awkward. Difficult as ever, as they sat apart from each other in the faux-leather seats, the automated craft lifting away into the increasingly windy and rainy night.

"Something is fucking wrong with her. I've never seen her actually scared." He was outspoken, straight to the point, shaking his head, head in hands, before leaning back. He sighed, plenty, looking back at the skyscraper, then back across to Paul, who no doubt, was mystified.

"If it's Hawaii that has you down, look....these things happen. Ship just doesn't feel right. You think you're useless. And it's shit." Dorian took pause, knowing in that situation, Paul had been quiet. Far more than he normally was.

"When I was young, I suppose I was hungry. Impatient. But if you are seeing someone, don't bottle up. It's better to talk. And I'm here too, Paul. I have nothing to lose but one last hurrah." Dorian smiled, shrugging.

"But if it's that...then sorry, I can't help you there. Because I'm thinking the fucking same." Dorian stated the very obvious, knowing the barely out of his teens Belgian would want to react back.

"She's always been pushing. Always so....greedy. Cassie was like that too. It scared me. I suppose I didn't trust you at first because I thought you might be the same. But even Starcross was wired up for her time. Shame we're not." Dorian leaned in, shaking his head.

"Alexander will push the wetware on you. He's got to extract the best pilot he can. If you don't feel comfortable, don't be afraid to push back. You are the biggest star of the European Union right now. He isn't." Dorian leaned forwards, hands on knees.

"Do whatever you need to do. The pilot isn't bigger than the team, Paul. But the team needs a pilot who can win. So we get it done here, however we can. Or any chance of us catching Zygon, let alone Al-Saqr, and we are done." Dorian finished, knowing that mentally, Paul was in a tricky place.

---

Humid Heat

The ships roared throughout the circuit, the late afternoon making it a little different to what they were used to.

The humidity was ridiculous. Even after a massive storm hit last night, the track had dried in the intense sunshine, but it still felt like the air was thick with damp.

The circuit was a stunner. Much like the original F1 formula, but with significant MAG-tracking throughout, with much of Sector 3 being almost at total camber, winding through the circuit. In the sunny light, nothing special. But come nightfall, this place would be lit up with the power of every halogen light there was in the citystate, all eyes on the ships and pilots. They had one chance to make it good in practice. And for a street circuit, they had chances, like Auckland, to make overtakes that were risky and difficult. While not a showstopper, it felt like the Lion City made for a street circuit that while an absolute focus on handling, offered glimpses to fast ships onto long straights.

---

Ava peeled in, the rainbow-coloured ship cooling down and settling back into the pit box, dragged back in as Ava popped the canopy, sweating buckets. The humidity was ridiculous, and even with cooling built into the suit, it was searing, with the rehydration fluid immediately passed to her the moment she disconnected from the ship's water supply. Taking a hand out, she stepped down the steps, the neural link left behind, the taller Chilean immediately up with Rey.

"We need way more oversteer. We definitely overcompensated in the setup. Bea has the same." Ava commented, the telemetry shared between the two already something the slightly-more experienced pilot could make. Rey on that note followed her, letting two of the other engineers know, immediately getting the ship's aero reprogrammed to adjust.

"Okay, it's done. We have twenty minutes more. Ready in five again. Feeling ok in the humidity?" The engineer asked, able to see the telemetry of not literally just the ship's wax-based core, but also, Ava's own innards.

"Yeah, fine." Ava replied, looking to Bea coming in, wondering if she really was alright. With everything with Kais, he'd gone quiet. And Bea had seemed even off lately. Did she know? Or worse, was she in on something? Ava was worried. And increasingly, unsure of where to trust, as Rey snapped her out of her freeze, pointing out the fixes.

"Ready?"

---

The various pilots were in the interview booth. This was getting tiring, no doubt, it was pushing them because after a humid, hot run in the sun, practice was over, and Aurora was back there again, run ragged this afternoon with various activities. They were probably no doubt, pissed off, not wanting to be interviewed again. But there they were again.

"With the humidity, how are you feeling?"

---

A cut inside the Delta Hyper booth.

"Singapore is hot. It's a humid, sticky kind of heat. That sucks!" Harrison commented, shaking his head, laughing with his white toothy grin.

"I mean, it's tricky. But we're made for this. Pilots adapt to the situation in front of them, right?" Max replied, the laugh coming back from Astrid.

"Yeah, but that is getting insane. I know we were in Hawaii. By a volcano. But this? It's out of control." The Faroese-Finn just uttered, the camera cutting into Cassie.

"Competition is heating up. And I mean, we are chasing after Valkyrie. One slip up, and...." The amber-skinned pilot grinned, seamless into Hamid.

"And we'll drop back. But not this time." Hamid replied, arms crossed, grinning, smile back.

"And top spot isn't easy to take away." Amy finally commented, the strings playing in the background ending on that.

ZONE

Paul climbed into the automated vehicle behind Dorian. He could feel the awkwardness and tension between them. Paul had been avoiding Dorian since Hawaii. He was frustrated and angry and knew it was not Dorian’s fault even as he wanted to blame Dorian for all his bad luck on the track. Paul was embarrassed that Alexander had saddled him with a sport’s psychologist that was providing progress reports to Alexander. Dr. Ingold had told him that the details of his session were private and would not be shared with her employer. The progress reports had more to do with how willing Paul was to work on his issues and the progress he was making overcoming them. That didn’t reassure Paul. He sighed as he knew that avoiding Dorian was childish and just made him look even more childish. Paul had been quiet during dinner because he didn't want to say anything he couldn’t take back. It was like he was unleashing years of angst and frustration and he seemed incapable of controlling what came out of his mouth.

Dorian broke the silence first and it was about what Amy had said. He was surprised by the vehementness of Dorian’s reply.

Dorian: "Something is fucking wrong with her. I've never seen her actually scared."

Paul could see by Dorian’s body language that he was serious, frustrated, and concerned about Amy.

Paul decided to break the ice and try to offer some camaraderie to Dorian about the situation.

Paul: “I have to admit. I didn’t understand much about what Amy was asking. I love my new neural interface. It is so much faster than our old one. I also feel better that we have a new one after everything that came out about Brendel.”

Then Dorian jumped in and targeted him with his performance in Hawaii. Paul felt his body tighten with tension. He was surprised when Dorian broached the topic first.

Dorian: "If it's Hawaii that has you down, look....these things happen. Ship just doesn't feel right. You think you're useless. And it's shit."

Paul stared at Dorian with widening eyes. He was surprised that Dorian had any clue how he felt.

Dorian: "When I was young, I suppose I was hungry. Impatient. But if you are seeing someone, don't bottle up. It's better to talk. And I'm here too, Paul. I have nothing to lose but one last hurrah." Dorian was smiling at him again.

Paul: “I just don’t understand how my performance can slip so badly from track to track. It’s frustrating and I have all this anger that just seemed to bubble up out of nowhere.” Paul found he was rambling to Dorian of all people. He sighed as he felt like a bottle of champagne that had blown its cork and was bubbling over. Dorian didn’t deserve the rough edge of his tongue or his anger.

Paul was surprised when Dorian admitted that he was feeling the same way. "But if it's that...then sorry, I can't help you there. Because I'm thinking the fucking same."

Paul sat back against the seat back realizing he had leaned forward to emphasize what he had been telling Dorian. Paul felt his face heat with embarrassment. “I am sorry Dorian. I know my performance is not your fault but I still took it out on you. I am trying hard not to. I feel like such a failure and fraud. I keep asking myself if I deserve to be where I am. I feel like such a disappointment to those who have supported me. I just don’t get what’s going wrong.” Paul paused for a moment and raised an eyebrow at Dorian. “Did you just hit on me? Man you know I don’t swing that way!” Paul sighed and gave Dorian a wry smile. “I can’t seem to find a girl I can trust. I can’t relax enough to try dating one. Maybe it is sexual frustration but I don’t want to be that guy who has a reputation for playing the field and ends up in court over child support.” He let Dorian get his laughter out of the way before he changed the subject again.

Dorian: "She's always been pushing. Always so....greedy. Cassie was like that too. It scared me. I suppose I didn't trust you at first because I thought you might be the same. But even Starcross was wired up for her time. Shame we're not." Dorian leaned in, shaking his head.

Paul tilted his head to the side. He felt like he was having two separate conversations with Dorian. He was struggling to keep up. “Do you mean Amy? I assume you are talking about the pilot modifications.”

Dorian: "Alexander will push the wetware on you. He's got to extract the best pilot he can. If you don't feel comfortable, don't be afraid to push back. You are the biggest star of the European Union right now. He isn't." Dorian leaned forwards, hands on knees.

Paul was surprised by how Dorian felt. Alexander had already told Paul he wouldn’t force him to take on any augmentations that he didn’t agree with.

Dorian: "Do whatever you need to do. The pilot isn't bigger than the team, Paul. But the team needs a pilot who can win. So we get it done here, however we can. Or any chance of us catching Zygon, let alone Al-Saqr, and we are done." Dorian finished, knowing that mentally, Paul was in a tricky place.

Paul felt the tension coming back at Dorian’s words. “I know man. I am sorry I have shut you out Dorian. I hope you can forgive me. I was just so overwhelmed with emotions I don’t usually have. It’s been unsettling to say the least.” He sighed remembering that Dr. Ingold had told him that he was dealing with unresolved issues regarding his father’s death that were probably triggered by the Spa race. “I am feeling the pressure to perform. I still have no fucking clue what went wrong in Hawaii. I have been practicing overtakes and cornering. I have been working with Shinichi to improve my reaction speed with the neural implant. I have been working to try to improve my lung and heart function using the new electronic neural pathways. Have you noticed that the integration seems to get better and better? It’s like the nanites are learning and improving the longer they are there. I am hoping for another good race.”

---

Humid Heat

Soundtrack: Linkin Park - Irisdescent

Paul was sweating inside his race suit. The heat and humidity were hard on him. He was in excellent health but he came from a much cooler climate. He was going to have to remember to hydrate. The electrolyte solutions were going to be important for him here in Singapore. He was looking forward to this course since it was similar to Monaco and Paul loved the road courses. He was a little nervous after Hawaii but determined to do better here in Singapore. He was trying a new visualization and calming exercise that Dr. Ingold had been teaching him. She had come with the team and was here to support him through the race. He had not been happy about it at first but the more he worked with her. The more comfortable he was with her and it was nice to have someone he knew he could vent too here at the race with him. He had apologized to Dorian and had already said hello to him and they had shared what they knew and talked about to help each other here in Singapore. Paul had been sharing with Dorian some newer tricks he had learned as the nanites continued to build and augment a secondary neural system overlaid onto their nervous system.

Paul was working with his neural interface to help his body acclimatize to the muggy heat of Singapore. When Paul had first landed in Singapore, he had felt he was trying to breathe through a soggy towel. It had gotten better the more he was on the ground. He continued to sweat more than he was used to. He had been drinking water and Zap sports drinks nonstop. He had not gone out sight seeing. He had only gone to the pilot dinner. He had stayed out of the public eye as much as possible. He wanted to stay focused on the race and what he needed to do to pull out a win here in Singapore. The press had been hounding him for statements since his poor showing in Hawaii. He had given a few statements before he left Hawaii. He didn’t want to let the negativity of the culture vultures get into his head. Paul knew he had been a Gonk in Hawaii. Security had politely let Paul know that they had turned away several Joytoys that had been sent by fans. Paul was horrified that anyone would go to those lengths or think he would enjoy that for the sake of his performance. He was grateful he traveled with well trained security.

Paul was in for another surprise as Alexander’s voice joined Carmella’s in his ear. Paul had not noticed him joining the other engineers at their station. Paul had just finished his prerace checklist when Alexander’s deep voice came over the radio.

Alexander: “Good afternoon team! I will be joining you at all the races from now on. This is where I should have been. Carmella please review the race strategy for me and Paul.”

Carmella sounded a little flustered but was soon in her element as they reviewed the race strategy. “We need to adjust the ship for climate changes. This muggy heat might affect the metal alloys in the ship. It might not sound like much but at these speeds even a half a second difference can make a difference. Practice is going to be crucial as we dial in the ship for this track. Singapore is a road course. It is going to be a place where skill shines. It has opportunities for overtakes but it takes skill and tenacity. You need to take advantage of the mag track while playing defense. Are you ready Paul?”

Paul swallowed and pushed his outside worries away. It was just him, the ship and the track. “Ready.”

Paul took his ship out to the starting line. He began his warm up lap and then went after it. He pushed his speed and tested his handling. He knew the race would look different at night with all the neon and lights along the track. His practice session was in the afternoon. Paul used his link to the ship to help him navigate around the track. He knew he would need it at night. It would help him to get more comfortable with it now. He was able to handle more and more of the ship’s sensors and information as he continued the cognitive training with the team’s specialist and Shinichi’s research team. Paul felt like he merged deeper with the ship each time. This time he was aware of the heat and moisture that pinged off the hull of the ship as read by the sensors. It was a peculiar sensation as it almost felt like his biological response was sweating. Paul had blazed around the track.

Alexander remained quiet on Paul’s first lap reading over the data. He watched Paul’s performance especially in the corners and straights. He waited until Paul had finished his first run before speaking. He waited first to see if Carmella had spotted what he had noticed.

Carmella: “Great first lap Paul. We need to go over the data. Park the ship in the paddock. We need to make a few adjustments while Dorian does his run. Then I want you to take the ship back out again. Did you notice anything you want us to address?”

Alexander waited and listened. He was curious if Paul had been working with his engineer or fighting their suggestions. This was a good way for him to see how that was going.

Paul: “The handling feels sluggish. It's almost like there is extra resistance in the corners. I am not sure what’s causing it but it is slowing the ship slightly. Like there is extra drag on the air brakes.”

Alexander smiled and nodded at least Paul had noted the difference. He waited to hear Carmella’s reply.

Carmella: “Yes Paul. That is what we need to adjust. The ship needs to be adjusted for the heavier moisture content in the air. Once we make some adjustments. It should respond better.”

Alexander’s voice was full of satisfaction and warmth as deep tones came over the radio once more. “Nice work team! Let’s get those adjustments made. We also need to test the ELS to make sure the moisture doesn’t impair that. You need to test that on your next run Paul. Paul you did well in the corners but you are leaving yourself open to ELS attacks on the straights. I know you are out there right now by yourself but this is a good time to practice defense and get more comfortable with the track. Take 15 minutes while Dorian does his run and then let’s do it again.”

The Valkyrie paddock was full of energy and focus as the mechanics and engineers got to work trying to adjust the tension on the air brakes and the damping field that provided safety for the ship in the case of a collision. They were going to use the field to help repel the moisture in the air. A few adjustments to the antigravity field would also help with the handling. The team made the most of their practice runs as Paul and Dorian both managed to get three runs in during their practice hour.

---

The various pilots were in the interview booth. This was getting tiring, no doubt, it was pushing them because after a humid, hot run in the sun, practice was over, and Aurora was back there again, run ragged this afternoon with various activities. They were probably no doubt, pissed off, not wanting to be interviewed again. But there they were again.

Aurora: "With the humidity, how are you feeling?"

---

A cut inside the Delta Hyper booth.

Paul was giving his charming self to the camera and Aurora as he was back inside the Delta Hyper booth. He had just come from practice and was sweating buckets. His golden hair was dark with sweat and flattened to his head from being in his helmet.

Paul laughed at Aurora’s silly question. “Hot and sweaty! I am not used to this heat and humidity. But my trainers and medical team are taking good care of us.” Paul held up his current bottle of orange Zap sports drink. “As you can see they are pouring electrolytes into us. It is a new challenge all its own. I am working hard to ensure we have a good race here in Singapore. I was very disappointed in how I did in Hawaii. I don’t want to disappoint my fans by a poor showing here in Singapore.”

---

Thu 02/09 20:15 - MadBea - [Batt: 66%]

Ava > You ok? Talk later when we get a chance. Maybe tomorrow. Something is up.

---

Bea hooked her suit up to the portable circulation unit and climbed out of the cockpit after the first practice run, aided out of the seat and down the steps by a mechanic. ”Ava says more oversteer is needed, thoughts?” Alistair shared the suggestion from the other side of the garage.
”It would make it more manageable, we’re ploughing hard here, but no. More turn-in, not more oversteer. He doesn’t want to rotate at first, but coming out of the turn he’s like glued, that part’s good.” She shared her view, now on her third chassis bearing her father’s name on the side, ‘Evangeline’ demoted to backup after the crash at Hawaii to give her a proper check.
“Want out of the suit in the meantime?” Larry, the liquid breathing tech, asked.
”No.” Bea shook her head inside the fishbowl after a bit of deliberation to the surprise of many in the garage, slinging the circulation unit over her shoulder. Despite her complaints about the taste of the stuff, the breathing liquid was still preferable to the air outside. First and foremost though, the circulation unit could keep the liquid at a comfortable temperature even out of the ship, meaning she wasn’t sweating like a necrophile in a morgue unlike everyone else in the garage.
”That bad, huh?” Alistair chuckled, completely understanding given that his shirt had stuck to him like a second skin.
”Why do people choose to live here? It’s the gilded cage of Hawaii combined with the climate of Cape Town, but worse.”
”We might need to find a compromise between entry and exit. Your reaction times were also off the mark in the first half of the run.” The race engineer turned the conversation back to the task at hand.
”I didn’t sleep last night. Something I ate disagreed with me.” Bea lied, having stayed up to six in the morning with Lúcio, combing over the neural logs in minute detail after explaining a simplified version of why she was asking that of him. ”Turned the liquid temp down a few degrees, that woke me up.”
”Have you seen a doctor about it?”
”It cleared up by the morning, I’m fine.”
”Keep an eye out on it. You can’t just tough things out on a race weekend.” Al scolded her.
”How much time are we losing because we’re running with the radiator full open all the time?”
”Two thousandths a lap, but we’re not sure the ship could handle a race with closed flaps.”
”Can we close them for overtakes or corners, like a mini push-to-pass?”
”We can try on the next run, see how much heat debt it’ll build up and how distracting it will be.” Alistair nodded, ”You’re going back out in two minutes.”
”Two minutes.” Bea confirmed with a nod and two fingers and darted out of the garage to apologize to Cassie for nearly running into her, having underestimated the ship’s understeer.

---

DELTΔ HYPER

Episode 13: Under Spotlights

---

”With the humidity, how are you feeling?”

Cut to Bea, head hanging back over the couch’s backrest. ”Uuuuugh. My kingdom for not having to be here.” She sat up straight, team hat and hair drenched in cold water to minimal effect. ”Imagine my surprise when I went into practice, the suit got flooded and I could hardly feel a difference in the effort required to get a lungful in or out.” She exaggerated a bit, but the spirit of it was true.

---

@LadyAmber

Dorian shook his head, hearing his comments about emotions, knowing no answer would be easy.

He put his hand out, putting fingers into heart.
"Whether it's synthetic or not, they haven't made a cure for how you feel. Nanites won't fix it. Working out doesn't either. What's in here, you need to make that happen. So don't worry about those things fixing you. Remember why you do this." Dorian replied, breaking a smile, knowing he had doubts. He was barely 20, and Dorian had to remind himself he was his age when Paul's father died. That was harrowing, and something he didn't want to outpour now, but he could at least cheer up his son. That much he owed the man.

"It's fine. Every team-mate wants to rip each other out. Be lucky I don't care and want to retire, so I'll take my victory lap and just try and do the best a 40 year old can with a ship made for fucking teenagers. Like you're barely old enough to....ah, forget it. You got this." Dorian added, slotting the champagne, shaking his head, thinking about his earlier comment.

"Please don't tell me this is because you're worried about not keeping a girl? Paul, putain, don't you fucking think......and ahh, I am taken, so don't worry. I'm not into Belgians anyway, last guy had a thing for waf....ahh, forget it. Anyway, when I came out as bi, do you know how much fan mail they sent in my prime? I had so many relationships, so much empty sex.....probably when I felt at my loneliest." Dorian paused, sipping more bubbly.

"Then I found Marcel. Someone who loves me for who I am. And you'll find someone too, because you're a Formula AG pilot, and that is the sexiest thing in the world. But being decent counts for a lot too. All that pressure, but in it, a diamond can be found when you're a version of you that doesn't worry too much." Dorian spoke with true French class, well, the kind that came with being bisexual, multilingual and two decades in the game of keeping his head straight. And trying to get a laugh out of Paul.

With the AV coming to a stop, Dorian put the glass back, stepping out into the 50th storey entrance to their hotel.
"Maybe not tonight though? If you get eyes for any other pilot though, especially Beatrix Ward, I am going to rip the shit out of you if I get into commentary." Dorian tried to at least get him cheered up, stepping out into the faux marble, and off to bed.

---

She spat out her red electrolyte, watching Beatrix nearly slam into her through the corner on the footage playback.

"That fucking close? Bea, what the...."

The sight of the rainbow, with black/white colouring at the mouth of the garage stopped her fully completing her swear word, looking meek and rather apologetic.

Cassie sighed, nodding to that apology.

"Suppose you came to apologise at least. Better than most. And probably not worth penalty points, let's not be children in karts. Unless you try it again. Anyway, back to it, yeah? Go destroy your teammate and don't drown? You seem like one of the nice ones." Cassie chuckled, her sarky quip well intentioned, as with it, she turned back to the team, helmet back in hand, and Zygon seemed to shoo her away after that.

---

More Than Machine

Soundtrack: Metrik - Ex Machina

Breathing in, Amy took half a moment.

A spotlight lit, LED-light filled skyscraper, hologram pulsing filled cityscape around a city. That in night, had unbearable humidity that at least didn't combine with sunshine. It felt at least cooler, yet sweaty. Even after a rainstorm, Singapore felt hostile.

The track was strewn in puddles, the regular afternoon to evening rainstorm that Singapore received having bucketed it onto the circuit, and waited out before qualy started. It was serious rain, the kind that seemed to almost hail this time around- leaving the circuit slick in the glistening lights. Not that AG cared, as it instantly vaporised the tarmac and MAG-tracking.

"Got this. Come on. Let's have it." And from slow pace, the ship jolted. Through the knife-edge like Turn 1 and 2, past the massive wall of fans that made up the bridge area at 4 and 5, with the enormous camber that allowed her to basically keep the ship going, albeit spilling a tiny bit of speed on the overrun, throttle pinned through ELS. The ship screamed. The headache faded. She felt herself meld, bond, closer. The reaction felt superhuman. The new upgrade did too. Fuck me, this was on rails, she thought to herself!

7, 8, 9 blasted, all with a slight camber making the 90 degree turns more palpable, and not quite like Monaco on the highly lit-up streets of Singapore. This place was an absolute maze, the tall skyscrapers of 70 years ago even taller, and dense, like a forest of glass, metal and composite that blended with the ground level heritage of Singapore's multi-faceted past. But no time to think on that. 10 was now an inverted chicane, in that a brake was required to avoid poor camber, a parody of the old Singapore Sling and made sure speeds didn't get too insane in 11 and 12, with a massive camber at the hairpin making it a passing place for anyone suicidal enough. Because the straight was silly again, the ship's lovely setup not too aggressive, but tuned finely to Amy's hyperreactive feel. In 14, that 90 degree was about to get boring, but it was the end of it. Because by 16, the track cambered upside down and corked straight to 18, at a massive wall of MAG tracking, making for an excellent finale.

And well, what a time it was. Jen hadn't delivered, having issues with the new upgrade, by Amy, she was back. The promise finally delivered. And she was taking top spot tomorrow. Time to widen a gap she'd kept too close to Nora lately.

"P1, Amy! What a lap that was!" The call came through, as Amy smiled behind her visor, that everlasting confidence back on her. It was always in her. Believe and you receive. The ship felt like it was crawling in her at this point, it was so much beyond a bond now, it seemed to exist in a future she hadn't gotten into yet. Finding the millionths in air oscillations nobody could even spot. And punching through regardless.

Cooldown on, she pulled in, and canopy open, put her fist up, clambering out, looking at the stunned Nora, who was certain she'd had in a bag with what was her own, insanely capable lap. Paul and Bea would feel a bit hard done by, but then again, nothing they could do when two pilots decided they were making Singapore a fight.

Amy didn't really talk. The noise was too much, her head hurt, but she was back where she wanted to be. Keira looked up at her, as Amy smiled, as best as she could through the cutting decibels.

---

Rookies in Frame

The pressers cornered Bea right as she was finishing up, Nora and Paul in the queue behind as all three were now in the booth, the usual ushering of them away stopped by a cameraman.

"Nora, Beatrix, Paul, you three have been rookies all this season and now that you're all here, how do you feel about taking the rest of the places by storm? What a dominant qualifying, do you think you can take on Amy, without taking each other out?"

Nora looked to the others with a grin, the Aussie no less relenting in what could be a charge to the title in her first season. If she could get past Amy, that was.

"Well, they'll have to keep up first. Sure I can get her. Tomorrow, and for the title." Nora smiled to the others, the crowd cheering, the local Bogans getting their local supersonic to here and in force, #NitroNora Army here for the series's last major visit to this corner of the globe (given Great Barrier Reef was not attended in force). Nora had clearly gone from strength to strength, the synthetic arm and leg having pilot seemingly repeating Auckland once again, despite Southern Cross recently being embroiled in scandals around Australian mining firms, still coming out of it with a pilot that seemed virtually like she couldn't quit.

---

@Starlance



With qualifying completed, press over, the team at Carrera were headed back to the hotel, locking up for the rest of the night. The team generally were out and about, shutting all systems off, and locking up.

"Bea!" Ava yelled out, as she chased over, running in front, past the trailers at the back of Carrera Condor's paddock.

"You okay? Like, we're on top of it all, P4 in that standing....and you seem all out of it?" She asked genuinely, before realising the few hours she'd spent thinking about this, wanting to check and get an answer, was getting a scowl from Bea. The others walked on by, still some team members left, but soon, they'd be out of sight.

"Look, if it's about Amy....and the op and everything, look, don't be worried about it. I'm sure it isn't anything serious. She's doing this to wind you up. Even if she is a freak of nature sometimes. Like in qualy." She seemed to tried empathy, but the look she was getting, did not appear to be it.