[color=gold][center][h2][i][b]Burn(ya) Phone[/b][/i][/h2][/center][/color] Ben sat in the Delta Hyper interview room, a bit of a strange pick, all things considered. "So, the group chat has heated up." "According to who?" "Well, according to rumours, there's a fanfic being talked abo....." "Oh wait? What? I go offline for like half a week and that happens?" Drawing his phone, Ben flicked through and clicked on the link. And his mouth turned agape. He put his hands on his knees, and solidly, for the next thirty seconds, entered a giggle loop, which Delta Hyper, oddly, didn't decide to edit at all. "No f**king way!" [hr] [center] [h1][b] Round 17 of Formula AG Sunday 5th November, 2094 Race Day Bonneville Salt Flats AG Race Circuit, Utah, FAS Federated American States AGP 1730 Mountain Time [/b] [/h1] [/center] [color=gold][center][h2][i][b]Floating on Salt[/b][/i][/h2][/center][/color] "Welcome to Bonneville, and wow, what a turnout. The heat has been on all day for the Juniors, but as it begins to come in, we'll see tensions really rise as the Formula AG championship takes to the Salt Flats. The sun is beginning to set, and that means it's time for the Federated American States AGP, here at the Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah." The classic tones of Rory Andrews opened up the beginning of the broadcast as Aurora handed over, flanked by Rosie, as ever, providing her countering voice to Rory's usual. "Certainly, Rory, and what a circuit it is. Whilst Bonneville is known as a temple of speed, the addition of corners at Volcano Peak and down at the Festival site certainly turns the circuit into a more complicated beast than some pilots would expect. While we anticipate ELS races all the way up and down the salt flats, don't rule out what crafty pilots can do in the corners." "Well, as we see the pilots make their final checks, we get ready to go racing." [hr] [b]Soundtrack: [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ve928Fl-x_4]Metrik - Automata[/url] [/b] Four. Three. Two. One. Launch. It pulled hard, pushing hard into lungs. And immediately, the front four of Ava, Nora, Bea and Kais were able to make advantage of having faster ships than everyone else, while Hamid and Amy fought each other with ELS, all the way, up to Volcano Peak, trading places but reverting quickly beyond. What seemed like a fairly straightforward circuit, was perfect one of one for Bea, Paul and Bellatrix. The main factor of the race was the high attrition, as bit by bit, ships began to drop away. From Kovalenko in lap five with a hydraulic leak, Astrid in Lap 9 over an overheating engine from too high of an engine mode, Max in Lap 15 after a collision with the wall, and most surprisingly, Harrison in Lap 18 with an engine failure, the order was able to be shaken up. Up front, Ava couldn't keep a hold of her lead, but in dropping back, she'd held up Nora with ELS for long enough. Which meant on a straight Bea could simply roll past, and well, the rest was another Beatrix Ward demonstration of fly or die. This was a performance to rival Belgium, and while some may have just pointed at the straight bits of track, taking on what had been a title contender was different to taking on Paul. Just how and what she did would be the reason she got first in time, even if it was traded plenty before. Meanwhile, further back, Paul and Bellatrix would be the main beneficiaries of Harrison dropping back, as well as both Zygon ships seemingly down on power too. Hacking their way past at different paces, they would find that in spite of having some of the slower ships on the grid, smart ELS use had kept them in the play. Dorian just couldn't keep pace with Hamid anymore, having burnt his entire ELS up and that meant only one thing when he dropped away on a straight, and Paul and Bellatrix were coming in hot, like two Looney Tunes characters in a cloud of smoke. He had held up Hamid, but well, in holding him up, he'd also held up Jenny and Cassie behind, who had become swift targets for the dogfighting Valkyrie and Nordic Call ships. It felt knife edge, but this time around, Paul would find his way to keep Bellatrix's unexpected ELS dividend at bay with his own, leeching off Hamid's overheating ship, and barely, barely keeping his threshold. But it would be constant, and how they played that fight, respectable yet of course, almost perfect for any media attention given their recent interactions, would be up for debate. Both putting out stellar performances felt almost like a fairy tale that felt pulled from thin air- but sometimes, truth was stranger than any fan-fiction in how fierce and hard they fought. Nothing was left on the table, and seeing who would win seemed just as exciting as how the hell a Nordic Call ship was even keeping up with a Valkyrie one, let alone both of them beating Zygon. But they were. And if Bea's day hadn't gotten any better, it certainly would after knowing what this meant for the standings. [hr] In the end, screaming into the sunset light of the Bonneville Salt Flats, what felt like a payoff that had been a season in the making finally came to life, as Beatrix Ward took first, seconds ahead of Nora Kelly. "And what a result for Ward, she looks like a different pilot to the one we saw at the start of the season! Nora Kelly pushed her all the way and she will be gutted not to get first, but look at that, a solid performance from Villarosa in 3rd, followed closely by Zenix, Stirling, and behind.....oh it's to the wire, as Atlassi keeps on the power through the last sector and keeps his nerve, followed by barely a hair's width with Mulder and Olympus! Wow, what a race they had! And then Hornfleur and Lowry round out our top 10, what a race!" "Wow, and while many may say Boneville is nothing but overtakes, today I think we saw some of the best racing from our rookies this year, all of them put in an exceptional shift. Carrera must be pleased with that result, what a dividend that engine of theirs has been!" And with a cooldown lap to follow, no doubt Carrera would be screaming in the pit wall, as would Nordic Call, and Valkyrie. An unexpected points haul for those two felt like a win for a circuit that seemed to punish slow ships- but in the end, anything could happen. [hider=Race Results for Federated American States] https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1qF6cn-eA0G0sumgf79TvEnPjOHyQP-vZSFV6LNrn_OY/edit?usp=sharing [/hider] [hr] [color=gold][center][h2][i][b]Cooldown Room, Utah[/b][/i][/h2][/center][/color] The cooldown room was literally the front three qualifiers reversed, but nobody would disagree the final result had more to it than just that. Nora was dressed in a Southern Cross outfit that matched the aesthetic they'd gone for this weekend, flanked by two members of Carrera Condor, who had certainly had quite the story of their own, watching that story back on the giant screen. The cooldown was more than needed, with plenty of bags of ice brought in to turn it into a fortress of cold, much, much needed after how intense the heat had been outside. Watching the move Bea made on Ava, then on Nora with the overspeed she still carried, the footage played back the long, back and forth, straight after straight switches that came from opposite ends of the circuit. "Shame you couldn't hold your P1 though, ey Ava? Not bad at all fightin' with ya, Bea. Another lap and maybe I'd have gotten the place!" Nora chuckled, as she looked to the Chilean, who smiled, shaking her head. "Just don't have the same sauce in the corners, Nora. She is extra spicy." Ava simply chuckled, as the stewards were there after it was all said and done between them, and they had a tunnel to walk down. And for the 16th time this year, at the 17th race the stewards came and everyone was ushered out towards the podium, in front of what seemed like the entire festival crowd, and the pyro went off, fireworks into sky, and most importantly, champagne flying from bottles. [hr] [color=gold][center][h2][i][b]Delta Hyper- Post Race Interviews[/b][/i][/h2][/center][/color] The interviews after took place in the dying of the festival, into the night now as lasers, drones and holograms lit up the night sky above the circuit. Naturally, the race winner was the first to be interviewed, and it seemed Carrera's rookie was first up. She may not have had the number of Paul yet, but she was chasing him down. [b]"Unbelievable stuff, Beatrix, back on the top step of the podium after one of your finest drives since Belgium. It seems like when everything lines up on track, you seem to be one of the fastest pilots around, in a fight between you and Nora that was an epic finding a tenth nobody could. How does it feel?"[/b] [b]"Kais, a valiant effort, and another strong result for Al-Saqr to keep hunting Valkyrie down. How are you feeling going into the last few rounds?"[/b] [b]"Paul, what a race that was! It's fair to say that few had any hopes you would get into the points- but to come 7th at a circuit like this, tell us, how does it feel? It feels like whatever your strategy was, you made it work!" "Bellatrix, what a constant fight you and Paul had. Many of us thought it would end in tears- but you both managed to push each other up the leaderboards! What would you say about your rivalry, and while it's a shame you couldn't win out, what can you say about your strategy today?" [/b] [hr] Nora smiled for camera, disappointed, of course she was, because it was now almost mathematically impossible to catch Amy. That was the last grasping scream, and her result just wasn't going to cut it. Not unless Amy were to DNF twice, or fall outside of the points. But there was no chance that would happen. Harrison had zero chance, but she might be able to at least leave Silver Apex with a bloody nose. "Honestly, gutted. I gave that everything. But it isn't looking good enough, but who knows, it isn't over till the fat lady sings! So so close to hitting the wall on a few laps. And yeah, Beatrix Ward, unbelievable talent. Well deserved." "Vamos! That was amazing! I am sad to lose first, but....so happy to see a Carrera double podium. We have thought about the ship so much for Bonneville, and it felt like if Bea and Ava didn't have a generational performance, I could be very happy with what I did." Amy was back again with her holo-hair (almost a rainbow like arrangement of white platinum blonde) and with her suit unzipped and down to her thermals, her her arms crossed, sighing, shaking her head about the question asked. "Of course things can change. We're in motorsport, and well, the gap isn't impossible. I can't slow down, any mistake, and trip, and Nora will capitalise. So I'll do what I do best and I'm in the best position to put the pressure on her, and clinch the title." Which was a response broken by Hamid, quite the opposite. "Haha, yes, we are back! We love fast circuits and Bonneville was a great chance to show our ship's absolute speed. We couldn't make it up in the ELS and I couldn't separate from Dorian, who stuck to me like wet sand, but yes, we are confident for Jordan. Yalla!" Hamid, was rather self explanatory as the crowd gave him a cheer, the bearded, hair-growing Moroccan becoming a slow fan favourite. "It was a shame, but same time, our strategy was perfect. I always knew that burning through ELS was risky to keep up with Hamid, but, what choice did we have. I am glad that Paul came in right when he did, and a double points finish, is always a boost." Dorian seemed clinical, but then again, that was the plan. "Keep latched onto the faster ships and hold on for dear life." Jenny had less to say, disappointed, clearly upset it wasn't. "Not a great run. We've got not as much speed as we liked, but our ELS setup was way off. Couldn't even make the most of it when we had it, so yeah, it is what it is, we'll move to the next." Cassie seemed even more pissed. "Honestly, not our best. We had every chance to make double points, not doing that is a crushing shame. Fair play to Paul and Trix though, what a fight they had, all the way past me." Kofi was up next. "Haha, yes, that was a great race! No points but, to take both NOVA ships, even fight with Zygon and MMR, I can be happy with that." [hr] "Wow....that was quite the race!" State the obvious, why don't you, Rosie, she thought internally, but what other words did she have? "Quite, Rosie, an unbelievable scene. Beatrix Ward is streaky, isn't she?" Rory cheekily butted in, as Aurora nodded in the corner, legs folded over. "Streaky? If by that you mean, the amount of salt she was throwing! Well, we can't look past it. She's had some horrendous luck, and I think some of it is her fault. But we can't look past the talent. Nora Kelly was proving to be the breakout, and in near equal machinery, with a similar style, it looks like Beatrix Ward can fight for wins. Can she keep converting beyond two? Well, that's for anyone's guess. And Kelly will be feeling that hurt, such a big chance to shut the door on Stirling." Aurora commentated, footage playing back of their overtakes. It wasn't like watching Paul and Bea, it felt like watching gladiators, go pull for pull. Push each other to the very edge, hoping the other would crack. Finding out neither could. Finding out neither would. "Certainly, and while the Brit isn't winning, she's doing almost all she can to win the title. It has to be hers, surely?" Rosie asked, as Rory shook his head, chuckling. "Never say never. We've seen wilder plays before, and while Nora looks all but out, the title looks like it will go at least to Istanbul." "Wow. And talk about competition back in the earlier pack! Wow, incredible skills from Paul and Bellatrix, but on another note- Ulrich Falkner put in a lot of snazzy overtakes, which if he was in a faster ship, I think definitely raised some eyebrows." "Yeah, but with a ship like that? He couldn't make it through, and what a shame for the Montreal-based team. A real what could have been story, and losing Wedgewood is a real blow, but, their fans, their energy, has never been relenting this weekend. Aurora, on the topic of teams, what about Carrera's progress towards 5th? Is that a pipe dream?" "It seems like they're one point ahead of Zygon with that win, but, there's still three races to go, and Cassie Neves seemed fuming after that interview. We know she races harder when she's got fire in her. So let's see." The two stopped debating, turning to Aurora, who knew it was time to bring the show to a close. "Well, thank you for that, you two. On that note, thank you ever so much for watching! We're off next to the desert sands of Jordan, as we pick up tracks in the red rocks of Wadi Rum for the Jordanian AGP. It's all still left to play for this season, as the fight from sixth to third picks up in the Constructors Championship, and well, even if it looks sown up for Amy Stirling, it's still all to play for as Nora Kelly keeps on hunting the current pilots' championship leader down. We'll see you there." [hr] [color=gold][center][h2][i][b]Outro to Utah[/b][/i][/h2][/center][/color] [b]Soundtrack: [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UYgfElw-K8]YOUTH 83- Pathfinder[/url] [/b] The outro began to play, revealing revellers in the crowd, the pilots interacting, signing, and the blistering scream of an AG ship, all imposed in what looked like an almost 1980s style of montage. With synthwave going, that amped up too. From the overtakes on circuit to the agony of seeing Harrison retire in the Southern Cross pit, to the elation as Bellatrix took 8th, punching past Cassie Neves and holding her off, going absolutely ham in what would be one of her most heartpounding races to date. Sunset close, with dust trails and ships screaming down Mustang, as the camera pitched up, cutting gently into black, mountain in background and the orange glow fading to dusk, and to a gentle black. [hr] [color=gold][center][h2][i][b]SIGNAL // LOSS [/b][/i][/h2][/center][/color] [b]Soundtrack: [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlmeqTs4i_w]Aaron Hibell, Felsmann + Tiley- Levitating[/url] [/b] A gentle black that almost without transition, was filled by the movement of an augmented pair of feet, walking into a camera shot, onto a black couch with a black background. Sitting by the camera, the figure sat in darkness, as if the scene didn't intentionally show them immediately. "So tell, us, what did you think about the situation at Silver Apex? You were struggling for so long, then saw Amy do the same, in spite of her previous talent? Do you think you know why?" The camera's darkness revealed. Jamie cleared his throat, hands on knees. "I suppose it starts to make sense." [hr] [hider=Alexander.mp3] The phone would ring in Alexander's office when he returned home. He had demanded to be put through. Mabel would have been confused, but the call was urgent. It related to the history of the team, and more importantly, the future of the sport. It needed his attention, and ears, right now, only. "Alexander. Listen to me. I have info that's going to be uncomfortable. What I'm going to tell you, is going to break the sport itself. But you're the most untouchable Team Principal right now. A former operator. And I trust you'll do the right thing when I tell you. Are you alone?" She would ask, awaiting confirmation. Her voice seemed almost strange. Masked, concealed. Female, sure, but who the hell was it? Also, of all the days, why in the actual hell would it be going to Alexander? "I've got records of Silver Apex misusing AI of the kind linked to their pilots. But what I can't understand is if it's them, alone. You can find out. I'm giving you copies of everything I found. All of it. Do with it what you will, but if you can't convince Peter to shut down what he's doing, and find out who else is in, when this goes live, anyone in the blast range is going to be caught. Which may include you. Impossible to say, but, if you are what you say you are, you'll know where you stand about all of this. There's a chance it's already bigger than Silver Apex already. Don't call this number back. Think about who you trust, Alex." The line would go dead. And an encrypted file would hit Alexander's networked PC, sitting there, ready to look at. Rabbit_Hole.qzip. And once Alexander would find it, Amy Stirling began to make a lot less sense than anyone had before. It seemed even wilder. It seemed like Silver Apex had found a way around the rules, but even more seriously, it seemed like Amy wasn't logging anything normal anymore. It felt like it would need a neuroscientist to understand, but more to the point, the trickles that Alexander would understand there and then would show that Silver Apex was cheating. And even scarier so, that it seemed like they'd messed around with the neural link. A scandal like this was ripe. Juicy. Fit to burst, and well, it would make the smaller decisions seem like administration in comparison. [/hider] [hr] [hider=Beatrix.eml] Bea would be heading back on her transport back to home, and likely, living off the high of her life. And strangely, an encrypted file would likely hit, inside an email. Delayed. It was sent on an automated loop, not like it was based on AI, but as if it had a delayed send time. From Amy. With one simple request left in it. "Hey, Bea. Hope you're doing well. This is an automated email that I would have authenticated with a biolock, as it was sent from a separate processing suite, so if you've received it, this came from me after the German AGP. If you've got this and I didn't send a follow up, it's gotten really, really bad. Good chance I'm either dead, or the person in there isn't the person who hung out with you at Avebury. It's likely the neural degradation has got me completely, or, worse.....I don't really want to picture that situation. I've attached instructions on what you might need to do. Take your time. I know you're scared, but you're the closest person I can consider a friend. And maybe the last one I trust. Do not go to Peter, or Simon at Silver Apex. They'll bury you if they find out what I did, and you, or anyone else, don't deserve that. Find anyone you trust, and someone who's capable if you need help. But once they're in, understand, there is no going back. Jenny might understand. I really hope she can forgive me. If I'm dead, hold onto my consciousness until you can find someone who can print a body and keep my brain scan alive. There's a Swiss bank address attached with a one-time cryptocurrency portal when you find that person, and it will be more than enough to cover all costs. I know it's not possible yet. But someone will know what to do when they what you are hanging onto. I hope so. If I'm alive, then that's even worse. If you haven't worked it out by now......it means they're running a print of my consciousness. Maybe even worse, because even I don't know the full extent, but if we're down the rabbit hole this far, there's every chance it isn't even me anymore. You need to find a way to sever my neural link to my brain, and before it can reglue itself, and put me back inside. Link whatever data device you have my memory into the port, and whatever you have of me, will find a way home. This'll cost Silver Apex everything, because once it happens, the cat is out of the bag. I have no idea how you'll do it. But you're resourceful. Nobody who takes a ship from the back of the grid to first lacks creativity. Nobody who worked for a weapons manufacturer doesn't understand what you have at your disposal. Whatever you do, don't do both. You really have no idea how scary it gets. Don't even take Raven Squad as a guide. I know we're competitors, but if you're reading this, know that I'd be in your debt forever, but more than that. As a friend, I wished I spent more time with you, and realised you're genuine than all the plastic out there. You're a kind, warm, genuine soul. You remind me of me when I was younger, when this was all new and exciting. You're one of few I respect. And now, the only person I trust. I wish I made better choices. Winning it all is the best feeling, but it's fleeting without people you care about to share it with. Regardless of what you do, you're a champion for the people around you, Bea. I hope I can make this right. I don't even know where to start, but I hope I can. Amy. P.S: Please don't feel guilty about the engine upgrade. You'd have been successful without it. Probably. I'm gonna say probably better than 50/50. " The instructions were rather stark. How Bea did that, was up to her. Would she be the best to do something? Well, she'd need to decide. Or maybe, there was someone on the grid, someone more capable. Someone who was capable of something that only a pilot that had a certain experience could do. Or she could of course, choose to not act upon it. Ad oddly enough beyond reading that, within that email, a photo sat. A photo of Bea drifting her Rally1 machine at Pikes Peak, taken from the perspective of a spectator, with Amy's signature to it. Amy had a funny way of showing she cared. [/hider] [hr] [hider=Bellatrix.xls] Bellatrix wouldn't receive any strange emails. Or any odd calls. Instead, back at Lulea, the first snow would soon hit, and the winter sun would become rarer and rarer in the sky. She would find that Astrid was as engaged as ever after it all, back to fitness, back to sim sessions, back to the job at hand. Preparing for next season was becoming a dominant theme. Nordic Call had performed below expectations. Carrera had come from nowhere, so getting 6th seemed impossible. That wouldn't be the case next year. And any edge, any opportunity, had to be exploited. Beyond the ears of Nordic Call, that was about to happen as Erin Becker, TP at Nordic Call, had her phone light up and she barely left the office. [/hider]