[color=gold][center][h1][i][b]Episode Thirteen: Under Spotlights[/b][/i][/h1][/center][/color] [center][h1][b]Thursday 1st September, 2094 Merlion Ultra, Marina Bay, Singapore 1700 SGT [/b][/h1][/center] [color=gold][center][h2][i][b]ZONE[/b][/i][/h2][/center][/color] 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. [hr] [@Starlance] [b][center][h3][code]Thu 02/09 20:15 - MadBea - [Batt: 66%][/code][/h3][/center][/b] Ava > You ok? Talk later when we get a chance. Maybe tomorrow. Something is up. [hr] [center][h1][b]Thursday 1st September, 2094 Marina Bay, Singapore 2030 SGT [/b][/h1][/center] [color=gold][center][h2][i][b]ZONE[/b][/i][/h2][/center][/color] [center][h2][i][b]Dorian Hornfleur[/b][/i][/h2][/center] 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. [hr] [center][h1][b] Practice Friday 2nd September, 2094 Singapore Marina Bay, Singapore 1500 SGT [/b][/h1][/center] [color=gold][center][h2][i][b]Humid Heat[/b][/i][/h2][/center][/color] [img]https://cdn-9.motorsport.com/images/amp/2GzXaDK0/s1000/fernando-alonso-aston-martin-r.jpg[/img] 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. [hr] [center][h2][i][b]Ava Villarosa[/b][/i][/h2][/center] 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?" [hr] 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?" [hr] 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.