Race Day
Sunday 1st October, 2094
Autodromo de Buenos Aires, Argentina
1730 ART
Paul spent an hour in the fan zone for the early bird fans. He was relieved to see the extra security and heightened security measures that Alexander had put in place. He could still see that terrified little girl’s face and her relieved mother once they had been reunited. Paul didn’t understand the violent edge to the passionate Argentinian fan base. He made sure to smile and be humble and polite to everyone he came into contact with. He would not be the reason for a riot in the fan zone. There was a moment of uncomfortable tension when Paul had to leave to prepare for the race. There had been grumbling in the crowd as his security shut down his line. Paul sensed the tension and stepped forward to address the crowd. He had used all the charm and poise at his disposal and all the training Katherine had drilled into him for dealing with the media. He raised his hands to draw the fans attention.
Paul’s voice oozed sincerity and amusement as he told the crowd.
“I apologize for not being able to stay but I need to go prepare for the race. You want me to give it my all don’t you?” He paused and nodded as cheers went up from the disgruntled fans in line.
“Then I have to go get ready for the race. It takes time, you know. I will be thinking about all of you as I race!” Paul looked at the line which had to be shut down. There had been twenty five fans already in the queue. Paul smiled and whispered quickly to one of the security guards. The security guard nodded, accepting Paul’s idea.
Paul: “As an apology those of you who have been waiting for a while will get a free Team Valkyrie T-shirt on me. The security guard here will hand them out but you will need to be patient for them. Now I have to go. Wish me luck!” He waved as he walked off with two other security guards. He was relieved when he made it into the more secure paddock facilities assigned to the team. His security guards escorted him to the pilots’ ready room. One of his security guards told him
“That was good thinking back in the fanzone. To offer those fans a consolation t-shirt probably reduced the tension and prevented another violent outburst. Relax and get ready for the race. We are on duty out here. Good luck Paul!” His security guard gave him a friendly slap to the shoulder as Paul entered the pilot ready room.
Paul’s security guards escorted him everywhere he went here in Argentina. After the violence that had transferred over into the Valkyrie Fan Zone the day before, Paul was grateful for their presence. He was more relaxed in the Team Valkyrie area of the paddock though. After leaving the fanzone, Paul’s morning had been busy preparing for the race. He had spent time with medical staff as they gave him an IV full of electrolytes to prepare his body for the race in the heat and humidity of Buenos Aires. Paul had spent some time meditating and communicating with his nanites as he pumped extra oxygen into his bloodstream as well. He spent some time meditating and employing the new visualization techniques Dr. Ingold had taught him. He had been so surprised that they had helped. It had quickly become part of his pre-race routine. Paul had called his mother and spoke with her for a few minutes. After what happened in the fanzone, this was one race he was grateful that she had not attended. She was on a nature shoot in Africa for a wildlife nonprofit. They had both agreed that no matter what she was doing, they would at least speak before each race. Paul had then changed into his racing suit. fHe was in standard Valkyrie Livery here in Argentina. He was in his typical dark gray and yellow race suit.
Paul was finally escorted into the garage section of the paddock by security. He stepped into the garage bay and saw that the mechanics and engineering were all doing last minute checks on both ships. There was a slight tension in the garage today. The typical laughter, music playing the background, and joking around seemed to be missing. Everyone had a more serious air to them. They were all going about their jobs with a professional demeanor and focus that didn’t surprise Paul but was usually hidden by their camaraderie with one another. Alexander was deep in discussion with both Carmella, his race engineer and Dorian’s. Alexander had begun to join the engineering team during races.
Alexander emphasized the security concerns that he had after the incident in the fanzone. He made sure everyone knew that the safety of their personnel came first. He had supported Wulfric’s decision to send more security to beef up their operations here in Argentina after what had happened in the fanzone. The additional security personnel had come from headquarters and had been flown in on one of the team’s shuttles. Alexander had been sure to beef up security for the Junior team members that were racing in the junior league. Security was an added concern for Alexander who should be focused on racing strategy but he needed his pilots safe in order for there to be a race.
Alexander had reviewed their overall racing strategy for Buenos Aires with all of the race engineers and pilots. They had seen good luck with the precharged ELS batteries and capacitors so they would be doing that with all of their ships. The biggest risk with the strategy was overheating capacitors and batteries which might cause a premature discharge. Alexander felt it was an acceptable risk. Alexander also ordered electrolyte IV’s for all the pilots. The medical precaution had proven to be beneficial with Paul so now they would try it with all of the pilots. The engineers had spent the practice day dialing in ship adjustments for the heat and humidity. The ships were as prepared for the race as they could make them. Alexander warned the pilots to remember that while Mag Tracking allowed them to make some truly amazing moves and overtakes, it also ate up their power and speed. ELS Strategy and energy management was going to be a key factor for the team here at the Argentina GP. He reminded his pilots that smooth in and smooth out was fast. Stick to optimal racing lines when they could and ELS timing would be key to maintaining speed at the track. Alexander finished his briefing by wishing all the pilots luck.
Paul sat in the cockpit. He had just finished his prerace checklist and radio check. He massaged the hightech gloves on his hands to ensure maximum flexibility and dexterity. It was a habit he had that stuck with him. Paul did his best to relax and be in the moment.
Five
Four
Three
Two
One GoPaul had a poor start. He was struggling to focus on the race. He was just a fraction slow on the start but it was enough to put him in jeopardy. Bea and Ava instantly capitalized on it. Paul fought to maintain a good position around the first turn. Paul’s initial movements in the first turn were jerky and not the smooth polished lines he had been taking recently. It was clear that he was out of his comfort zone and that something was wrong. Paul watched as Ava passed Bea who then passed him followed by Bea. Carmella’s voice in his ear screaming at him to get his head in the race.
Alexander’s deep voice in Paul’s ear was unexpected but welcome as it had a relaxing effect on Paul.
“That’s okay Paul, you have time to get it back. Focus on your corners and racing line. Pull it back together. You got this.” Paul took a deep breath and adjusted his racing line slightly. Alexander’s voice pushed back his panic and allowed him to focus on what he needed to do to recover.
Paul followed in the two women’s wake. His focus returned as he then began to fight to regain the lost ground. Paul found himself behind Jen Lowry. He worked on getting closer to her so that he could attempt an overtake. Paul finally managed to get past Jen. Now his focus was on Bea in front of him. He began to stalk Bea in efforts to lock her up with ELS. Bea was defending but Paul didn’t let up on the pressure. Jen made Paul work to defend which was saving Bea some effort. Paul was caught between the two and Jen was forcing him to defend his position almost constantly.
Paul’s heart was in his throat as he barely managed not to plow his ship right into the center of the two Carrera ships colliding. Paul's cursing live on radio as he reacted. Trying hard not to incur a FIAR penalty for cussing live on the air.
Paul: "Fudgesticks!" Paul’s adrenaline was in overdrive as his ship had already shot between the two ships as his automated systems shut his ship’s power down as the marshals worked first to recover the pilots and remove the disabled ships and clear the track.
Camella and Alexander were both screaming into the radio demanding if he was alright. It took Paul a moment to calm down enough to reply.
Paul: "My heart about jumped out of my chest back there. I think I am alright. The ship got splashed as I shot between them though." Alexander: "Bring it in so we can inspect it while the race is stopped." While emergency crews worked to clear the track, all the ships were ordered back to the starting line. Paul’s ship was pulled into the paddock and quickly examined for damage. His paint job had scrapes and paint transfer from Carrera's ships that had dinged the side of his ship as he passed between them. Paul had been lucky there had been no significant or operational damage to his ship. Paul was waiting on the starting line once more. His adrenaline crashed causing his hand to shake a little as he waited for the race to restart.
Paul had a better start this time but Jen was faster. She made it to the first turn in a better position than him and took the lead in the race. Paul fought to try and catch up with the Apex ship but Jen managed to stay just out of ELS range and ahead of him. Jen’s ship was faster and she didn’t allow Paul any of the advantages that he had been exploiting with other pilots. He never managed to overtake Jenn and finished in P2 which was still respectable. Paul was grateful for P2 after his poor start.
He pulled into parc ferme and was helped out of the cockpit by his crew. They were all excited to have done so well here in Argentina. Paul accepted a Zap Sports Drink. He chugged it down on his way into the cooldown room as they waited on the official race results ruling from the marshals.
Paul smiled at the jubilant Jenny Lowry.
Jenny: "Nicely done Paul. Not today, but you duel well." Paul congratulated Jenny on her win offering her a handshake.
“Well I can’t win them all. I will keep trying to improve. I hope to catch you in the future Jenny. Congrats Jenny. Enjoy it.” He then turned to Nora with a mischievous grin.
“I keep telling them you are the rookie to beat. Congrats Nora.” He offered Nora a handshake as well with a big smile.
Paul was not quite as excited for P2 this time. He was grateful to do as well as he had but he was worried about the fans reaction to both Carrera ships being taken out of the race by a collision. There was no way he would ruin this moment for Jen though. She had more than earned her moment in the sun. He knew he could trust Alexander to handle the security issues.
Paul was once more in the Delta Hyper booth. He was still in his race suit having been pulled immediately into the interview after the podium ceremony. Paul’s hair was still wet from the champagne that Jenny had joyfully sprayed all over him. He had simply laughed and sprayed her with the bottle that had been handed to him. The result was that his hair was sticking up at odd angles in sticky wet waves. The press junket had been almost hostile after the race and was brutal to all the pilots with their questions and avarice hunger for any kind of scandal to capitalize on.
Aurora:
"Paul, what a thrilling race! What are your thoughts on the Carrera Condor incident? It looks like you just didn't have the spring back on Jenny after the restart, but it looks like you're continuing a rich vein in form, what in particular do you think has pushed you forwards?"Paul laughed and shook his head.
“I am not going to comment on the Carrera Condor collision.” He knew that there was nothing he could say that wouldn’t upset the fans or cause further speculation and strife. It was better to take the high road in his opinion. He considered Bea a friend. He didn’t want to make her situation worse. He had no idea what was going on with her. He gave a bright smile as he answered the rest of the question.
Paul: “Jenny managed to keep out of ELS range and her ship is faster than mine. I couldn’t capitalize on the ELS to catch up to her. I had to defend aggressively to hold Nora at bay. She was quicker off the restart line and managed to capitalize on that. Honestly, I believe part of my success is some of the new training techniques that I have been working on for a while that Alexander Knight implemented when he first came to the team. I think some of them are finally showing results. I also want to point out that I keep saying that Nora Kelly is the rookie to beat. I am not surprised that she came in P3. She made me earn that P2.”
The mood in the garage at the paddock was a celebratory one as the team worked on packing up. There was music playing and a champagne bottle had been passed around as the engineers and mechanics began working on packing up all their gear to be loaded on the company plane. Paul had slipped at the beginning of the race but managed to claw his way back to P2. The collision between the Carrera Condor ships certainly helped. Paul had no delusions about his performance at this race. He kept a smile on his face as he celebrated with his teammates. Dorian of course fussed that the champagne was not French. Paul had simply laughed and told him of course not they were in Argentina! Some of the engineers had hope in their eyes as they considered where the team had moved in the rankings. The team felt like a weight had lifted. All the negativity and pressure from last year’s season. All the attention from the scandal and drama of the court trial and investigations seemed to fade to insignificance under Paul’s consistently placing well and bringing in points for the team. Dorian had ended the race in P8 just behind Amy Stirling. That also seemed like something to celebrate. Everyone was talking about the preparations for next season that they might finish this season stronger than they had thought the team would. There was a palatable excitement in the Team Valkyrie paddock.
Alexander had been reluctant to inject any caution or negativity into the celebration. The crew had earned it. He was a little worried about security. He knew that Wulfric was following the events happening in Argentina and was liaising with the local law enforcement now that the race had ended. They couldn’t pull out till all the gear had been repacked into team trailers and hooked up to the heavy duty truck transports that pulled them.
Alexander’s comm unit beeped with an incoming call. He saw the name on the caller id and stepped into the quieter area of ready rooms attached to the team paddock. Johanna Lipusz was calling him despite the timezone difference. He accepted the call.
Alexander’s voice cautiously neutral as he greeted her.
“Hello Johanna.” Johanna: "Evening. Nice results. You breathing ok after what happened at Carrera?" Johanna chuckled, awaiting a response before replying.
Alexander raised an eyebrow she couldn’t see when he answered with humor in his voice.
“I am breathing okay but I am worried about the tension here in Argentina with the public. I am happy my two pilots mostly get along.” He left that thought there as he waited for her to tell him why she had really called him.
Johanna: "It'll be hard from here, but your wonderkid, he is something. We think P3 in constructors based on that performance is still viable. Al-Saqr will not let up on points in the desert tracks. We can end on a high. Let's aim high." Alexander rolled his eyes as if he wasn’t already doing everything he could to support both pilots to give a great showing at every race. He had enough ego to admit that Paul’s performance had improved and been more consistent lately. What he found most amusing was that Miss Lipusv felt the need to inform of this. Of course she was not informing him but demanding the results she wanted to see. It frustrated him as he knew that there was only so much he could control or influence to get the outcomes they wanted. Sometimes life turns on the roll of a dice and things simply happen beyond your control. Alexander knew better than to make promises he couldn’t guarantee. All he could promise was the team’s best efforts. Alexander just listened to Lipusv ramble. It was safer for him.
Johanna: "And Mulder's closing in on Makara. If this is what he can do with a ship that isn't made for him, imagine what he'll do with one that is. We need to hone in on this. Forget legacy, Alexander. We need to make sure next year, a European wins this title. The driver's championship would be a hell of a statement. Carrera are expecting to come out swinging but are under financial pressure. More pressure we put on them, more mistakes they'll make, like today. I don't share much optimism. But everything from here, you push. They took Felix from you. You decide how we take it back from them, starting today."Alexander took the opportunity to remind Lipusv of some of the things he had last contacted her about.
Alexander: “We have been working to improve and chase the best results we can get at every race. Some of the longer term training is finally paying off. Shinichi Bionics augmentation systems have been a game changer for the pilots. We are going to take it back by doing our best, hiring the best we can, and supporting them as best we can. Cavan is actually a better engineering lead than Felix. Felix had more personal accomplishments but Cavan is better suited to letting our individual specialists shine and pulling their egos aside for collaboration. His overall vision is beginning to come together. I am currently looking for a neural interface systems specialist. I have not heard back from you about the backlog of proprietary parts for some of the antigravity components that our engineers are waiting on. The team continues to push forward. We have not been idle.”
Thu 01/10 23:10 - Paul Mulder - [Batt: 99%]
"Sick drive dude! Gonna be real. MMR is pretty bummed out at the moment. Just trying to work out- you got any recommendations on personal trainers in Germany? I could use a guy, mine doesn't want to move with me to Europe next year."
Paul> “Thanks Max. I managed to recover. I had a shit start though. Oh Max, you didn’t pay much attention to your contract did you? The team has a whole department devoted to pilot training. You will be in the tender hands of our team’s physical therapist Sasha Volkova who will work with the medical team to design a new fitness regimen for you. Then you will be introduced into the hands of the lovely Agnes Poulsen who is the team’s physical trainer. If Agnes feels you need a personal trainer, you will get one that will work under her to implement the plan they develop for you. Don’t worry the team will have you sorted out and will provide whatever you need. Trust me when I tell you that you will be very surprised at the lengths the team will go through to develop and improve their pilots.”
Saying goodbye to Argentina
Alexander’s concern grew as FIAR rushed the podium ceremony. There was a restless almost animalistic energy among the crowd at the circuit. The crowd was not quick to disperse and was lingering. Circuit security and staff were working to guide fans to leave the stadium which unfortunately was fueling tensions. Formula AG Teams were urged to withdraw to their paddocks and begin packing up their equipment. The media junket after the podium was held in a secure area of the circuit but was almost brutally aggressive to all the teams. The journalists were like a pack of hounds that had scented blood in the air. The scandal and shock factor of the local team’s pilots colliding after taking P1 and P2 positions in the race were polarizing to the tensions in a region known for violence and political unrest. The local fans were angry to have what they felt was a guaranteed podium win taken from them at the home track. The fans were angry and they wanted someone to blame and take that frustration out on. The other teams were targets in their crosshairs. The fans left the stadium and entered the streets surrounding the circuit. Local authorities were doing their best to calm tensions and move the crowd along.
Alexander had been keeping tabs on the growing situation with the team’s security on the ground. He was confident that they could at least get their personnel out but he couldn’t pull everyone out until all the gear was packed. Alexander allowed the team to work at their pace. Then he received a phone call from the local authorities that he had been expecting. The fans had flooded the streets and had become a mob. They had been joined by fans who hadn’t been at the track and were protesting in the streets. Rioting had broken out and local authorities were responding but were hard pressed to contain the angry crowds. All their resources were currently focused on keeping the crowds from tearing the city apart. The stadium where the team was had been secured and was safe for the moment, but the streets on the way to the airport were not. The authorities didn’t have the manpower to help them evacuate. Alexander told the man who had contacted him that he understood. He got his contact details in case he needed to contact them.
Alexander had no sooner hung up with the man than he was receiving a live conference call from Peter Thatcher, Owen Keating, and Jinwoo. They had been informed of the rioting happening in the city. Curious Alexander answered the call.
Alexander: “Hello. I assume you just got the same message I did.” Peter: “Yes, I am concerned about waiting for them to contain this. I don’t think they can.” Owen: “I don’t trust them to contain this. They can’t protect us now. This is just getting started. This is only going to get worse before it gets better.” Jinwoo: “I agree. I don’t like having all of our equipment at risk.” Alexander waited for each man to state their thoughts.
Alexander: “I am assuming you are contacting me for a reason?” Peter: “Yes. I want to pool our resources and work together to secure our teams’ personnel and equipment. I know you have military experience Alexander. I have security but they have told me they don’t have enough manpower to do it alone. We want to propose pooling resources to make sure our teams come out of this alright.” Alexander paused and looked thoughtful. He pulled Wulfric into the conversation who had come to Buenos Aires with the additional security personnel after the issue in the Valkyrie fan zone.
Alexander: “I want to introduce you to my chief of security Wulfric Gunderson.” Wulfric gave a respectful nod to the other gentlemen on the video call.
“Gentlemen.” Alexander continued in a serious tone.
“I agree with Owen. These riots are going to get a lot worse. I don’t trust the locals to protect our people or equipment. They point blank told me to sit tight; they don’t have the resources to help us right now. If they can’t contain this, we will be the first targets. We need to move now before more people join the mobs already in the streets. Wulfric can we get out safely?” Wulfric gave Alexander a hard look.
“By ourselves no. We planned on an orderly evacuation from a set area secured by FIAR’s team. Not a full blown city riot without additional support.” Wulfric’s eyes went over the other team leads.
“We might be able to do it together but our window of opportunity is going to shut fast. We also cannot rely on the local authorities for help.” Alexander nodded understanding Wulfric’s shorthand. Alexander met each of the team’s principals with solid eye contact.
“Team Valkyrie will be evacuating all non essential personnel using our antigravity shuttle from the circuit to the airport. Then if you gentlemen would like to pool security and resources, we can make a break for the airport in a joint convoy. Our security teams can coordinate to get our equipment to the airport. The airport is still secure at this point. If rioting reaches the airport it will be shut down. Speed is going to be a factor. How fast can your teams be ready to move out?” Peter Thatcher looked relieved like he was hearing exactly what he hoped to hear.
“Apex will be ready to move in 30 minutes. Who will lead the security teams?” Alexander nodded to the other team principals. He didn’t think any of them would try to take advantage of this situation. They all had the same thing to lose if they failed. He felt comfortable working with the other team leaders on this. Alexander looked at the other team leads.
“I would like to suggest Wulfric Gunderson coordinate it. He has a military background and has been handling security for Team Valkyrie since I started. I trust him to handle this and he is here with us. Anyone else?”Peter Thatcher looked like he had swallowed a bug.
“I have security on site but my head of security is not with the team here. I would have to concede that Wulfric is a better choice than my team lead here.” Planning an operation to get a special equipment convoy to the airport during a riot is not typical crowd control security operations. Jinwoo and Owen both accepted Wulfric as the person to lead the operation.
Wulfric stepped in and took over the conversation at that point. He arranged for the Team Valkyrie shuttle to make multiple runs to the airport to evacuate the other teams’ non essential personnel. There was no need to put innocent people in danger. The plan was that all four teams would join up in a one long convoy that would leave in 30 minutes. Only the security teams and equipment drivers would be making the harrowing drive through the city to the airport.
Alexander had already developed an evacuation plan after the violence had erupted in the fanzone. He had his security prepare an evacuation plan for the pilots. Alexander didn’t wait to put it into action. Alexander called all the staff together and explained what was happening. He explained what he needed everyone to do. Everyone jumped into action to pack up all the gear and equipment as fast as possible. With everyone helping out, the containers were packed and ready to move in 30 minutes. Then Alexander had all nonessential personnel evacuated using the team’s antigravity shuttle that the extra security had come in on. The shuttle landed in the parking lot of the stadium and had just enough room to evacuate the pilots, the medical team, the engineers, and the mechanics. The only people left were the drivers for the trucks that hauled their equipment trailers and the security personnel.
Alexander stewed in frustration as he sat on the crowded shuttle that was making its way to the airport. The crew would be transferring to the team’s plane. Alexander would have preferred to stay and help the security members get through the crowd in the streets. He hated to trust other people to keep his people safe. Alexander knew that he might be a target and attract more attention to them so it was not safe for him to join them. Even if he was halfway decent in a fight. All Alexander could do was trust in his people and give them as much support as he could by clearing any red tape and bureaucracy for them.
Alexander and Peter had contacted the local authorities and explained what they were planning. They worked with local authorities to choose a route that would take them around the worst of the fighting in the streets. The local authorities had already set up road blocks to try and keep civilians out of the areas already erupting into violence. The local authorities would at least let their convoy through uncontested. Wulfric had planned ahead and all the security staff were armed with non lethal crowd control methods, sleep gas canisters, tasers, and high powered water hoses. Wulfric had shared what he had with the other security teams.
Security personnel were riding shotgun in every tractor trailer. Some of them were strapped to the roofs and tops of trailers with safety lines. The equipment they were using was strapped to the top and rear of the trailers. The convoy rolled out a moving heavy cargo train of heavy metal and steel bristling with security personnel with their head on the swivel looking to engage angry fans. It was not a matter of if they would run into rioters but when and if they would be able to break free without getting bogged down and trapped. Speed and decisiveness would be a key factor. Wulfric had given the orders not to stop and keep moving. They would do their best not to kill anyone but they needed to get out of this city before it completely self-destructed and they were trapped.
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