[hr] [center][img]https://txt.1001fonts.net/img/txt/b3RmLjE3OC5mMTk5MGEuUzJGcGN5QmFaVzVwZUEuMA/creattion-demo.regular.webp[/img][/center] [hr] [hider=Summary] Episode 12: In Hawaii, Kais explores the rainforest. Kais realizes that, with him in the lead, the team will be pushed further and further, and wonders if this will be good for Hamid. Aurora and the Delta Hyper crew are shown the Al Saqr island. A confrontation with Layla's parents and the team happens. Qualified: P5. Finished: P5. Episode 13: In Singapore, Kais did not answer Amy's question about the neural link acting up, and asks the team to add monitoring function for malicious code fragments. Qualified: P12. Finished: P11. Episode 14: In Argentina, Kais hypothesizes that he is cold towards Hamid and even pushes him away, to keep him away from Al Saqr's experimental pipeline. Once more he feels like his ship is aiding him. Qualified: P12. Finished: P8. [/hider] [hr] [center][color=gold][h1]DELTΔ HYPER[/h1] [h2]Episode 12: Hot Like Lava[/h2][/color][/center] [quote]"Kais, welcome back on Delta Hyper! How have you found the change so far this season, with a visit to Hawaii instead of Rwanda, as planned in the season?"[/quote] [color=orange]"Hello Aurora. It's probably my most favorite location so far. Weather's good. Nature's nice here. Didn't come across a bullshark yet."[/color] Kais shrugged, then seemed to hesitate on that last statement as he looked back to Bea... [color=orange]"Don't worry about me. This takes me back. It's soothing."[/color] Kais had said as the affectionately-called 'shitbox van' jumbled the crew against each other at the hands of hers truly. A back and forth went on between the occupants, but Kais' eyes was drawn back to the horizon as he always used to do. This time, however, he did not look out for anything nasty, but, as it turned out, a beach episode. Patting Harrison's shoulder, still looking a bit queasy from the ride over, they emerged in wetsuits with carbon-fibre boards slung under their arms, and were shown the ropes. After a while Kais dripped wet out of the sea, and decided he didn't understand the appeal of surfing, though a subsection of social media posts vehemently disagreed. Better still had been his off-time, when he had visited the rainforest here. [center][b]Soundtrack[/b]: [b][url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_P8a_JyRup4]Michael Giacchino - Apes Together Strong[/url][/b][/center] The rainforest whirred around them with sounds Kais didn't even knew existed. Native birds had decreased since the climate changed, but their songs had made way for the creaking of frogs and the buzzing of insects. Kais was not exactly familiar in this environment, but luckily the basics of survival were universal: shelter, water, temperature regulation, and some delicious Nomad Nutrition® Mango & Passionfruit Nutri-paste. The crew were supposed to make a mini-documentary about the native wildlife here for a local charity, but when the holography-drone had gone haywire Kais had taken on the mission to retrieve it. Something which some of the crew were very keen on, and others... not-so much. "Heard they have bullsharks here in Hawaii. Man'o'war jellyfish." Hamid told to the camera of his PDA, sweat pearling on his forehead. The recording may not have been full-holo, but at least it was something they could put up on their socials. [color=orange]"Be very scared, Hamid. They've got cats here too."[/color] Kais could be heard saying in the background. For all his overconfident cool factor, being born and bred into money, Hamid had a soft heart, and even softer hands. But he was right. Since the changes in the climate, the ecosystem [i]had[/i] indeed changed. Lots of new invasive species. Several experimental species. And, as it turned out, [i]cats[/i]... [color=orange]"...fled up the island with the rising tides. The Eco-cons have kept them there... They keep the rat population in control."[/color] Kais had read a lot about it, and it may or may not have been the reason he decided to come here. Hamid slapped at something on his arm and flattened some brightly-colored insect. "Ugh...Mosquitoes..." This time [i]Kais[/i] shuddered. "Hey," Hamid continued, "weren't they experimenting with uplifting some monkeys that one time? See if they could make them more climate resistant? Didn't some get out? Heard they were dangerous. Almost human-like even..." Hamid continued. [color=orange]"Used to be the excuse for many things."[/color] Kais mumbled under his breath, thinking back to what Cassie had told him. He shook it off. [color=orange]"They're just trying to survive, Hamid, same as everyone..."[/color] He pointed. [color=orange]"That way..."[/color] he said, after checking the map and double-checking on his orienteering in the landmarks again. Then, he set off at a very brisk pace, one the crew had to work to keep up. "You really take that bigfoot story seriously, Hamid?" Another crewmember asked. Hamid shrugged his shoulders, but his face betrayed his true answer. Under his breath he said "Lucky we have our own." At that very moment Kais held out his hand and stayed very still. Hamid froze as he bumped up against him and was held back, eyes wide. "What?" Kais put a finger to his lips, his eyes focused intently on several meters ahead of them. Then, with a slow, most careful finger, he pointed. "Look. Kamehameha butterfly. [i]Very[/i] rare here after temperatures shifted." Hamid let out a sigh of relief. "Oh thank g... I thought I was done for. But how do you even know thi...?" [color=orange]"Hamid, if you don't shut your mouth I swear I'll take my first aid kit and sew i..."[/color] The butterfly flew off. Kais looked at Hamid. "Hey, [i]that[/i] was [i]your[/i] fault." The crew marched on. Eventually they found the drone, downed, and picked clean. But no monkeys. [color=orange]"Hmm... IR Camera's missing."[/color] "That's not good..." He looked at Kais. "Right?" Somewhere else in the forest, the crew were being watched. An infrared camera spied them, flicking from one person of the crew to another. It eventually settled on Kais. There it stayed, and it watched him looking around, scanning, alert. The bar code on the back of his neck peeked from his jacket. Then he looked straight towards the camera, where he squinted his eyes -[i](gestured): reflection on the lens, quick, duck..![/i]- but then the man seemed to nod imperceptibly, and moved on. And in the end, the troop decided not to pursue them any further. The way back was uneventful. "So when are we drinking our own pee again?" [color=orange]"Sooner than you ending up in the Top-10..."[/color] [hr] [center][h3]Moa Tempesta Facility Kanaloa Island, Republic of Hawaii, Federated American States[/h3][/center] The Moa Tempesta high-tech geothermal plant had whirred to life theatrically for the opening shot, and it was an almost alien place, more fit in a sci fi game set on the moons of Io than close to the idyllic cityscape of New Hilo where Aurora had held her interviews earlier. And racing it was every bit as different. Luckily, Kais thrived in the different and the dangerous. [quote]"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?"[/quote] [color=orange]"Thanks Aurora. With Layla's break the team's priorities have shifted away from work on the neural link and computer systems. We've gathered a lot of data last race, and Hamid has worked hard on tuning the drive-grid with the energy systems for more..."[/color] He glanced behind, to the ominous red glow of the volcano. [color=orange]"Dangerous scenario's."[/color] Under his breath, he muttered [color=orange]"Comfort is over-rated. I'm going to push things for all it's worth."[/color] Then he made way for the next interviewee. He had been talking with Hamid after the tests. They had been pushing the speed to such levels he felt it was becoming actively dangerous for him. In fact, he figured that was Omar's play to begin with: with Kais now in a more lead position, no matter how little, they could get away with pushing the limits even further, at least for now. Hamid was still in the figuring-things-out phase, taking things carefully, no matter how much of a Union Fanboy Speed Junkie he may have been, so it was [i]Kais[/i] that was in the firing line now. And Kais wasn't sure it fit Hamid, and Kais had been cold to him for this reason. Better to stay unattached. Who knew if... He pushed it out of his mind. And in the race, Kais held his P5. His battle with Amy was fierce, but eventually she gained on him. [quote]"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?"[/quote] [color=orange]"Dueling her is like getting stabbed in the back."[/color] Kais responded. [color=orange]"There's no back and forth with her. No feeling out each other. She just appears, and then coasts by on her team's high tech, more than people dare to admit or draw attention to... Is what I think. I think we have an understanding."[/color] Kais left it at that. As for Amy's message, that was left unanswered. [hr] [center][color=gold][h3]Factory Settings[/h3][/color][/center] You'd almost think it was an ad for a futuristic resort. A crescent-shaped artificial island off the coast of Abu Dhabi. Mangrove trees swaying in the wind, the sun high up in the sky. And then... At many hundreds of kph, Hamid came blasting by theatrically across a VR-drone-marked testing strip in the water. They usually tested out in a desert strip, but they could use some nice-looking publicity - and if that meant enduring the grumbles of mechanics now having to deal with some sea water in the ship's systems, that was an okay sacrifice. In the garage, a Lunaspace macro-fab' 3D printed replacement parts that an extremely nervous Juan rambled on about like a mad genius, to some amusement by the crew around him. A safety-goggled -and somewhat flustered-looking- Nadia was seen holding up an intricate piece as the camera-drone swung around, as if inspecting these things was a manual job and hadn't already been done by the scanners inside the fabricator. In the end, Kais had even challenged Aurora for a little race in the team museum's retro-simulator, the one with actual screens and actuators (which, upon a theatrical wink from Kais, the team had adjusted to maximum settings for maximum viewing pleasure. Finally, the Delta Hyper filming crew was slowly but very surely ushered outside again, past a certain extreme-high-security area. "As I think you can see, our facilities are intricate," Omar spoke with his usual calm. "and very specialized to our style of racing. We have a lot to thank to our partners on that. Indeed, I think the keenest eyes among our viewers might have seen some Durrat yacht-tech at the garage today. We're very proud of where we came from." Hamid nodded. Kais kept his face still. "And I'm very happy that our viewers got an impression of that. I hope you've enjoyed our tour, Aurora." [quote]"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?"[/quote] [color=orange]"Our developments are made up of quick testing cycles, as you've heard from Juan."[/color] Kais responded, instinctively moving himself protectively between the film crew and the opaque window door that held their most secretive development. [color=orange]"Our racing is about playing the long game. We're very eager to show you."[/color] And after the shoot, after the DH crew were shown off, and Kais wandered back to his next appointment, he briefly saw Nadia in the corner of the garage, shivering in Farouk's arms. [color=7ea7d8][i]'I thought they were going to find out.'[/i][/color] [hr] In said secretive room, on another day, Mohammad and Amina Al-Nadir shouted like they hadn't done in years. "Did you get into her head to doctor her last Will also? Why were [i]your[/i] names in there to be her guardians but not us?" Kais put out his hand and looked him in the eyes. The man looked up at him, then to Omar, his thoughts clear on his face: [i]so you've brought your little enforcer too?[/i] But it was enough. Everyone would keep things safe here. Omar responded. "Because Layla had reason to believe if there were... complications, there would still be things we could do beyond burying her." "Things you could do, [i]ya Allah[/i], forgive them." Amina slumped. "And what would we even bury, huh?" Mohammad took over, speaking with such anger he almost spit it in Omar's face. "Poor girl's made of damn plastic at this point. I can't believe she let herself be pushed into going this far by you all, I just..." He paced around the room, hands in his hair. Omar kept his voice as eerily calm as he always did. "As per her wishes, she has been brought to a location where she is monitored and kept in a stasis chamber. All state of the art, of course. Our Dr. Pahari and the team are working very diligently on her... [i]condition[/i]." He didn't dare call it brain-death. "We can offer you help and compensation if you need it. Dr. Nasri is one of the best therapists we know. But I must press you that this is a secret operation. I'm talking military-grade top secrecy. It's why the media knows few details -retired due to health issues-, even our own team knows the bare minimum, on orders of the Emir." "Trying to grift the Emir for as much money as you can, are you? You're exploiters. Dirty, dirty exploiters, and I want nothing to do with it. I want her [i]back[/i]. [i]Whatever[/i]'s left of her. And if I have to blow the lid on..." [color=orange]"Sir."[/color] Kais interceded. [color=orange]"It's what Layla wanted. And she wouldn't have said it if she wasn't 110% sure about it..."[/color] He paused. [color=orange]"She was one of the toughest and bravest people I've ever known."[/color] Mohammad took one look at him, knowing who, [i]what[/i] he was dealing with, and decided on a more passive aggressive "If only you know the things she said about you..." He paused, as if to let it sink in. "Well, sorry for [i]your[/i] loss too, then." He snorted with disdain. But Kais responded. [color=orange]"I don't think you understand, sir. It's..."[/color] [i]'The way number 17 flies'[/i] was what he wanted to say, but he left it, lost in thought. [color=orange]"I can't explain it. [i]But I'm not giving up[/i] on her..."[/color] The sentiment and tact took them back more than anything, and eventually they were led to Omar's office where they went over details with the doctors and a strict non-disclosure agreement. In the end, they were led out without much trouble, but still very much with a heavy heart. "Thanks for diffusing the situation there, Zenix. I'm not sure if I could have managed it on my own if things were to have..." Gone bad, Omar left in the air. [color=orange]"I'm not doing this for you. Or the company. [i]Or[/i] the Emir,"[/color] Kais retorted. [color=orange]"I made a promise, to [i]her[/i]... That I wouldn't let another team member fall. And I'm not going to go back on that promise. Not again."[/color] Omar felt it prudent to answer with a solemn silence. Kais nodded. [color=orange]"That is all."[/color] And in the secret room's server, more data points bleeped up on the screen. The search for Layla continued... [hr] [center][color=gold][h1]DELTΔ HYPER[/h1] [h2]Episode 13: Under Spotlights[/h2][/color] [h3]Singapore Marina Bay, Singapore[/h3][/center] Singapore was a whiplash compared with Hawaii. No more tropical idyll, this was more akin to a greenhouse. Even racing in the VR-space ZONE here was only a short reprieve from getting drenched, and not even so much from sportive perspiration, oh no, the climate here did that all of its own. At Annapurna Restaurant, another reprieve. But then the stress perspiration started. "Anyway. Question to you all. Everyone's neural link playing up, or you all fine? 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?" Kais heard the comment, as off-handed as ever with her. But he did not answer, and spent most of the rest of the evening pretending everything was alright. But every now and again, his eyes would stare into empty space for seconds too long, something a certain other ex-military would likely have spotted. When the evening ended, he retreated to his quarters as quickly as he could. He opened up his PDA, and wrote a message. [quote][b]Kais[/b]: How is progress? [b]JP[/b]: Steady. Can't rush these things. [b]Kais[/b]: If there's anything, keep me updated. [b]Kais[/b]: And have Remi add some monitoring functions for potential malicious fragments. I've been hearing strange things.[/quote] [hr] Before Qualification. [quote]"With the humidity, how are you feeling?"[/quote] [color=orange]"Humid."[/color] Kais shrugged, absent-minded. [color=orange]"It's fine."[/color] And 'fine' it went. Middling, but Singapore never was a track meant for them. Qualified at 12, then he gained one to finish in 11. A gain on Han, too. And that was a win enough for him. [quote]"Kais, not an ideal weekend, but do you have hope that at the other circuits you'll be able to show off what your speed-focused craft can do?"[/quote] [color=orange]"Yes. We have a lot of difficult developments going on. Our eyes are set at the races on our home-turf."[/color] [hr] [center][color=gold][h1]DELTΔ HYPER[/h1] [h2]Episode 14: The Tango Swing[/h2][/color][/center] [center][b]Soundtrack[/b]: [b][url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0FqJPmC5ig]Mariano Mores - Taquito Militar[/url][/b][/center] [center][color=orange][h3]Autodromo de Buenos Aires, Argentina[/h3][/color][/center] Kais walked with magnetic boots on the upside down track towards the yellow sofa that seemed to almost taunt him. He... Sat down? Sat up? And strapped himself with the seatbelts the team had helpfully provided them. The blood rushed into his head... As if the interview wasn't a headache enough... [quote]"Kais, welcome to the upside down sofa! We're back in the southern hemisphere, how would you say you're helping Hamid get used to the pressures of the seat?"[/quote] [color=orange]"Hmm... Simple. I don't treat him as a rookie. He joined Formula: AG, at Al Saqr no less. If the pressure... goes to his head? That's on him."[/color] And it was true. Kais up to now had only ever pushed Hamid away. But something about him wondered: did he do it because he disliked him? Because he was a Unionite fanboy? Or was it because [i]something[/i] inside him wanted to keep him away from the Al Saqr experimental pipeline? He pushed the thought to the back of his mind, and instead raced as best as he could. In Qualy, Kais got P12, but during the race seemed to be so in sync with ship number 17 that it seemed to almost nudge him. He [i]felt[/i] the lines, [i]heard[/i] the opportunities calling out to him, and in an almost improbable push, still managed to scrape by another 4 positions to finish in P8. "Kais, not the best performance from you, but it looks like your ship seems to still be breaking all the records at the speedtraps. Tell us more about Al-Saqr's speed focused strategy, and how you're getting on with taming it?" [color=orange]"Speed doesn't have to be tamed. Every jump forward is difficult at the beginning. But we'll make a comeback. You'll see."[/color] [hr]