Pilatus

Sol City [Modern Slice of Life] . (CHAPTER ONE COMPLETED!) . ARCHIVED

Paige Kennedy

After SCPD arrived to take away Bob it was well after 3am before Paige made it back to her apartment. Coming down from the adrenaline and completely exhausted she scantly had enough energy to change into her bedclothes and collapse into the sheets. She was asleep when she hit the pillow and before long was happily dreaming about Hawaiian beaches, a certain private investigator by the name of Thomas Magnum and red Ferraris. “Damnit Higgins, go away,” She grumbled in her sleep, “Can’t you even knock… we’re busy.” She sighed winsomely. Snoozing away blissfully she had no concept of anything going on outside and continued to sleep through the morning in spite of the raucous noise going on outside. She and Magnum were on the verge of solving another big case when an unusual sound began to permeate through her dream, something foreign, unnatural. As the sound got louder, her scene faded away in a flash and suddenly her eyelids were creeping open looking at her dim nightstand from underneath the pillow seeing her phone vibrating and continuing on with its dream-ending melody. She lay still watching it momentarily while her sleep-drunk mind began cursing a violent string of obscenities at forgetting to turn off the alarm. No, it wasn’t the alarm, it was a call.

What the T-total fucking hell…

She reached her arm slowly out to grab the device, but still being half asleep, clumsily knocked over a framed picture and a lamp that also occupied the nightstand. The phone fumbled over the side as well and everything hit the carpeted floor with a dull thud. Becoming more annoyed, she reached for the wall and found the charging cable and began hauling the still ringing phone aboard the bed like an anchor. When it was finally in hand she rolled back over with a huff to the warm spot and looked to see who had first made her shit list for the day. Of course… She thought and rolled her eyes. The screen simply read: Milo – slide to answer. Seeing light flickering around the edges of her heavy curtains she looked at the time before swiping her finger over the screen. Her drowsy eyes stared crossly at the call screen hoping he could somehow feel them on the other side of the line. Her mouth was dry and the words came out gruffly, “What is it?” She groaned.

@RoccanIronclad

Sol City [Modern Slice of Life] . (CHAPTER ONE COMPLETED!) . ARCHIVED

Joel Nicolosi

The helicopter mounted camera panned over the assembled grid as the race commentators prepared to come back from commercial. Onlookers and teammates bustled around the cars as grid girls held up signs noting each car’s position, driver names and nationalities. Midday sunlight glinted off the polished exteriors of a variety of colors. The starting grid lineup appeared on screen along with car make and tire choice. Nissan, Lexus, Porsche, Dodge, Honda, Chevrolet, Jaguar… the list went on and was as varied as the driver nationalities.

And we’re back, taking a look at your starting grid today... The commentator went on to mention the sponsorship covering the starting lineup and pre-race summary. No surprise seeing a black GT-R on pole, He continued as the frame faded away, But if you’re just joining us, what’s become the story of the weekend is that red, white and blue 300ZX sitting there in P2.

That’s right, Steve, A second commentator chimed in as the camera zoomed out and continued to pan over the downtown area for a broad shot all the way out to the edge of Old Harbor. The waterfront was crowded with boat traffic and the assembled grandstands were packed out with spectators all along the waterfront section of the course. Other spectators could be seen leaning out from the balconies of hotel rooms. If you were watching yesterday, we really thought the Nismo GT-R’s would have the pole firmly in their grasp until the hometown favorite, Joel Nicolosi put down this absolutely blistering lap… The live shot of the racecourse transitioned into a highlight reel of Joel’s qualifying lap. The multicolored 300ZX blasted round a curve bumping along the uneven city streets in a flash of red, blue and exhaust flame. An overhead following shot and then another stationery camera tracked the car’s pass through the time traps, Watch him here through the follow-through… absolutely textbook, The car blasted down a long hill as boat masts and then the harbor docks rose up into the shot as the car slowed and negotiated a chicane, And through the first harbor chicane, he was actually fastest through this bit out of the tunnel, definitely impressive.

Only off the pole by a few hundredths, The first announcer came back as the shot changed once again with Joel’s lap finishing and the time being displayed next to the logo of an expensive watch company. As it happens, our crews have caught up with Joel out on the grid for a few moments to chat before the lights go out, The camera again changed to a live shoulder-mount following a reporter as he wound his way through the crowds out to the starting grid. He stepped past the dark, angular GT-R on pole to where a model-esque female stood in front of the 300 holding a sign reading P2 Nicolosi / Lomax with an American flag underneath. Joel stood with his racing suit fully zipped and a pair of sunglasses leaning against the car. He still had Marlin’s arm tucked under his and turned his head with a smirk as the reporter approached. Absolute dynamite lap yesterday Joel, how are you feeling about starting from the outside pole today?

“Well, naturally we would have preferred to have had pole,” Joel said with a shrug and his most diplomatic smile, “But we’re in a good spot for today, I’m feeling good about our chances.”

“You and Tommy Lomax are surrounded with a black GT-R in P1 and P3 and Honda is definitely looking strong with the NSX in P4,” The reporter continued, “Only a few tenths separate you. What’s going to be your strategy going into turn one?”

Joel shook his head and pretended to consider the man’s question seriously. His real plan was to take the inside line and pass the GT-R on the first turn, same as Senna had done with Prost in Suzuka, but hopefully with a different result. “We’re just gonna try and have a safe start, obviously we want to get in there and be competitive. The GT-R is strong up the hill, but I think we’ll be in there.”

“Joel, we’ve all noticed you’ve got some new sponsorship badges on the car this year, do you think that’s helped elevate you to the front of the pack?”

Joel looked back at Marlin with a genuine smile the camera could only barely see as he turned his head. She was blending in perfectly in her jacket and jeans. He gave her a playful elbow as the camera looked on and turned his head back, “It hasn’t hurt.” He said.

@PrinceAlexus

Sol City [Modern Slice of Life] . (CHAPTER ONE COMPLETED!) . ARCHIVED

Joel Nicolosi

Joel came out of the hauler with a yawn and a stretch of the arms. He had a very specific ritual when it came to race days most of which involved periods of quiet and clearing his mind. He could jump right into practice and even qualifying and post hot laps almost without effort, but the race was different, near sacred. He ate little, napped often and would emerge an hour or so before the lights went out on the starting board. He looked around at the paddock area. It was the same setup they had out at the airport only multiplied seventeen times and neatly arranged in a vivid barrage of colors in front of the Luna Sports Facility. Flags were out over the top of the haulers depicting various teams, countries and manufacturers. Crowds of onlookers moved about pointing, taking photos and enjoying the novelty of the transformation of downtown into a racecourse. Joel stepped down looking over his shoulder. He had to hand it to Tommy; their top flight hauler did blend in nicely with the rest of teams. The man understood the importance of presence.

Friday practice went smoothly. They never pushed the car hard in practice, just a few laps to get familiar with the course again and get their rhythm back. Joel knew it by heart: Every bump, every sign, every shopfront banner or traffic marker that the regular citizens of Sol passed by casually each day. Landmarks he grew up with that he and Tommy used to remind them when to brake, when to be on the accelerator and when they needed to push it. With their time at the airport, they had an advantage of being able to do a little more fine tuning than the other teams who made their way in later in the week and were obliged to wait for the course to open up. The car was as right as he could make it and he’d only made a few minor adjustments since the race with Marinalia. It felt like a streamlined butterfly and Joel was beaming though trying to hide it. He’d already made a few waves.

Saturday qualifying was where he’d really put on a show splitting the time of his arch rivals: the factory backed Nissan GT-R’s and landing their two-plus decade old 300ZX on the outside pole to the shock of many. His lap was the talk of the paddock. Sol City’s tight street course only provided a few brief passing opportunities making qualifying of extreme importance. Last year, with the new engine, they’d still managed to come up through the pack in all three heats, but still finished just short of their two state-of-the-art rivals. Joel’s qualifying run had taken them from a lucky hometown sideshow to a serious contender to win. He knew if he could get around the black GT-R on pole, they’d never catch him.

Walking through the tent he returned a few familiar waves with a small grin. The sound system was pumping one of his favorites and weather was still holding clear. Life was good in these moments. He felt like he was stepping into an exam where he studied thoroughly and was completely confident in his answers. He simched the knot tighter on the top of his racing suit that was tied by the sleeves around his waste as he found Marlin and Tommy chatting. He couldn't remember a time where he'd actually seen a woman wear their team colors and the thought threw up all kinds of flashing banners in his mind that she may actually be different.

"C'mon," He said extending his arm out with a smirk for her to take underhand, "If you want to be on TV."

@PrinceAlexus

Joel's Playlist

Sol City [Modern Slice of Life] . (CHAPTER ONE COMPLETED!) . ARCHIVED

Going to be out of town starting tomorrow afternoon. I'll have phone and computer so I'll still be around. May not be as active tomorrow night while we're on the road.

Sol City [Modern Slice of Life] . (CHAPTER ONE COMPLETED!) . ARCHIVED

Paige Kennedy

Around 1am, Sunday morning...

They say if you have to ask the rates you probably can’t afford it and the downtown Ritz in Sol City was no exception to the rule. Paige’s black and white Converse tread lightly over some heinously expensive rug as she walked through the main lobby. The air smelled of sweet perfume and she could see her reflection in white marble columns that were polished to a mirror finish. Her partner, Xi, walked alongside. Neither one particularly dressed for the location. She could feel the cutting eyes of Sol’s rich and affluent guests looking down on her as they approached the check-in counter. The Maître D’ looked up from the desk and glanced at them both from over his glasses. “Is there something I can help you with?” He said in Oxford Dictionary perfect English, “I’m afraid there’s no public restroom.”

Paige and Xi both produced their Marshal Service star at the same time. “I’ll just be needing the key to this room,” She said retrieving a small slip of paper from her jacket pocket and sliding it across the desktop to him. She lived for moments like this. There was no end to the fun in sticking her thumb in the eye of these northwestern yankees and she allowed her accent to speak up a little more just to drive the knife, “And I’ll need you to keep quiet about it,” She continued, “Or we could start making everyone’s stay very unpleasant.”

To his credit, the man said nothing and remained stone-faced. With a few keyboard strokes, he produced a passkey and slid it back over to her, “Please do enjoy your time here with us.” He said.

“You pick up on that?” Xi said as they walked to a gold framed elevator.

“Yeah,” Paige replied, “He looked relieved.”

It was on the penthouse level, but not quite the highest floor. It appeared the persons paying daily for the posh studio-suite did have some sense of trying not to be conspicuous. It had taken some digging, but as she’d checked out all the high-end hotels after the infamous jazz night, only a handful of rooms remained rented continually and this particular room’s expenses far and away exceeded the others. When she’d spoken with some of the staff it appeared the guests routinely cleaned out the hotel’s most expensive stocks and then worked their way on down from there before trashing the room repeatedly. Everyone she spoke with was clearly exhausted of dealing with them and wondering how long they’d stay. A few indirect and flirty questions towards Lupe confirmed it. However, as she looked further, there were other forces at work that she intended to shed light upon before leaving.

The hallway was stark quiet and as they approached the room Xi removed the fire extinguisher from the wall. The door was in a small recess. Paige took her leather jacket off and tossed it to the side revealing only a black low-cut spaghetti-strap top over her jeans. She took her hair band out and fanned out her blonde locks in a very messy 80’s style before glancing over at Xi who nodded. She knocked firmly on the door and put her hand on her hip as he waited behind the edge of the wall.

There was a metallic clack then a second pop inside the thick hardwood door before the edge of the frame opened up. She could see a pair of eyes peering around from a distinctly heightened position before the door opened up the rest of the way revealing a very large skull capped biker with a body-builder’s physique and blonde hair. He towered over her in the open doorway.

“Ooops!” Paige said playfully, “I must have the wrong room, sorry…” She giggled, “I like your hair.”

“No, I think you have the right one babe,” The man said with a wide grin. His vest clearly read THOR with the 1% diamond directly below it. He reached out his arm and she deftly extended her hand for him to take seeing the drug-fueled lust in his eyes. She stepped back and to the right forcing him to move forward for the prize and reach further. Still smiling, she ducked her head as the fire extinguisher came around and Xi caught him squarely between the eyes.

Though they knew there were only two of them, what they hadn’t counted on was the sound generated from the impact of a five-pound fire extinguisher against Thor’s cranium. To Paige, it sounded something like a metal baseball bat striking the ball and she had a fleeting memory of church-league softball pass behind her eyes. The large man crumpled against the wall, but the sound alerted his equally large, though not nearly as fit brother who stampeded to shut the door as Paige was forced to move back when Thor toppled over like a redwood.

“Not exactly according to plan,” Xi said pulling his gun out.

“Hey, I was just supposed to draw them out,” Paige protested, “You fouled into the bleachers.” She took her gun out from behind her back and felt her pocket for the passkey. Her stomach tightened at the thought of going through the door now.

“Time for Plan B,” Xi muttered. He pounded on the door, “US Marshals, open the door!” He barked. There was only a long, still silence as they stood there guns drawn. Paige reached back to retrieve the key giving Xi a ready glance. As she started to drop it into the reader she winced thinking of the tone it would make as soon as the lock was disengaged. The possibility it could be the last sound they both ever heard if the Visagoth on the other side was standing there with a drum-magazine ready to unload on them as soon as the door opened with that happy, affirmative beep. The card hovered over the slot in her finger tips and she breathed in deeply, just before the knob turned.

The door opened slowly and the burly biker made a show of holding his free hand up in open view as Xi commanded him to get on the ground. Paige briefly glanced down at him strangely as she moved in. Why would he shut the door in their faces and then so willingly open it back up? The thought was quickly stored as she swept the room just to be sure they were clear. The hard bit was nearly over.

To say the least, the room was a disaster zone. She’d seen postgame frat houses at UF that looked tidy by comparison. Bottles of every variety littered the floor and tables. Some full, some empty, some tipped over. Cigarettes, needles and a buffet other illegal substances covered the bar. The smell was horrendous. Didn’t they clean the room daily? She thought. This is just from today... She carefully stepped over loose clothing and pushed aside a completely destroyed room service cart. There were paw prints leading away from a spilled pasta dish that circled around the room until an apparently small dog had ate its fill and took a nap. There was no sign of the dog, but it left its markers in the corners and against the furniture. Still walking slowly behind her pistol she looked over the main living area that was tucked down into a trendy lower level. The large flat screen was muted on some bizarre infomercial and outside on the balcony the hot tub bubbled away with more than a few foreign objects bobbing around in the stew.

Oddly enough one of the attached rooms appeared to be completely untouched. As she peered inside from the open doorway the sheets were still crisply folded over and as she looked further, the towels still hung sharply in the bathroom. She looked across the main room at Xi who was easing towards the second adjoining bedroom. The door was shut and she carefully stepped across to take up position on the opposite side. It was her turn to shout, “Marshal Service, open up!” There was no answer and the two of them looked at each other dejected. Here we go again. But the prize was on the other side and again, hopefully not waiting to ambush them. Considering what she knew about the target, she felt slightly more at ease, though only by a fraction. Xi reached for the handle, locked. “Hope your kicking leg is better than your batting average.” Paige teased with a whisper.

Xi shook his head and took a step back sizing up the doorway. He’d kicked open a few slum doors in Afghanistan, but the Ritz-Carlton was a new experience. He drew back and with one swift motion launched the door nearly off its hinges. They both came through guns ready, however they had no expectation of what it was that lay ahead.

Sprawled across the bed against a spread of rose pedals was Bob. Both hands handcuffed to the bedframe and only wearing a miniscule pair of silk underwear in the light of several dozen candles. There was some odd middle-eastern music playing softly in the background. Paige and Xi both looked at each other then back at Bob who simply stared blankly back at them. Paige couldn’t tell if he was terrified or relieved. Xi flipped on the light switch and checked the bathroom. There was no one else. He found the source of the music and turned it off. “God, I hate that shit, listened to enough of it over in the sandbox,” He said. “No wonder they hate us, it’s because their music sucks.” Paige smiled and tipped her head back towards the mangled doorway. Xi nodded and left the room.

“Well Bobby,” Paige said looking down at him. “Here we are.” There was most definitely a clear look of relief on his face, but he did not speak. Paige looked around for the handcuff keys and inside the nightstand found them alongside a small, snub-nosed revolver and a Bible placed by the Gideons. She looked at Bob sharply as she set it aside then took out the Bible. It was still crisp and new. Feeling its weight in her hand she doubted anyone had even picked it up since it was placed and she opened the cover to look at the date before setting it on the bed. She uncuffed Bob from the bed just as Xi came back through the door with a chair from the dining table. He closed the door behind him and sat the chair down firmly in front of Bob.

“Did you take care of Thor?” Paige asked. She recuffed Bob’s hands behind his back.

Xi nodded and clutched Bob on the shoulder spinning him around and planting him solidly in the chair. He was now looking back at Paige who sat quietly on the edge of the bed, again looking at the Bible. She looked back over at him studying the confusion that spread across his face. “I know you’re glad to see us and all Bob and we are gonna take you in,” She said, “But there is just one thing we need before you go.” She waited watching his face looking for that first reaction to her next words. Bob looked quizzical, but hopeful. Grabbing that girl's hair and forcing her to drink that cocktail of meds and alcohol back at the jazz night was turning out to be one of the best decisions he ever made. Now that the Marshals had found him before he could be shipped off to India, he would be rid of that crew of delinquents for good. Unsure what else they could want, he listened carefully as Paige spoke: “You need to tell us exactly what happened in Cabo San Lucas…”

Bob’s eyes widened and he visibly trembled as his face turned even more pale than his blotchy white skin. He shook his head in complete terror.

“We thought you might say that,” Paige again picked up the small pistol and checked the cylinder, “You know, finding you wasn’t all that hard,” She said, “But Xi and I are very good at our jobs, ‘finding people’ and all that,” She put the gun back down. “See, most everyone looking for you thinks you’re just a tag-along, you forced that poor girl to drink cough medicine and vodka and then you all took off on your helicopter for who knows where, but the more I looked into it the more I kept finding all manner of things that tied all of you to that little flophouse in Mexico.” She turned and looked at him darkly in the eyes, “So I’m gonna ask you again and give you the chance to save yourself before the rest of them sell you out to save their own skins.”

Bob, unable to keep her glance, looked down and shook his head.

Paige put one hand on her hip and looked down at him then took up the Bible from the bed. “Don’t worry, Bob there’s still hope.” She said using the Book to lift his chin up. There were tears running down his face. “Did you know my daddy was a preacher?” She said. Her tone was suddenly lighter, reverent even, “Did I ever tell you that?” She glanced up at Xi who shook his head with a smile. “Yep, sure is. He taught me a lot when I was a little girl: right and wrong, truth and consequence… All out of this Book.” With a peaceful smile, she opened it up and thumbed over the pages remembering lessons and passages from her childhood as they crossed over from front cover to back under her fingers. “Daddy always believed in the power of the Word,” She said right before her eyes narrowed into a maniacal piercing glare, “And so do I”

The Good Book came across Bob’s face with such force and ferocity that he was on the floor staring at a few of his teeth before he knew what happened. His whole world was spinning. One side of his head was suddenly numb and then pulsed in shock pain. Xi’s heavy hands quickly hefted him back in place before she hit him again on the other side of the head. Bob spit out another tooth as Xi again placed him upright facing Paige. She leaned in with the Bible on her side giving him the same raging fire in her glance, seeing the fear in his eyes- fear now directed at her. “Now are you gonna tell us what happened in Mexico," She growled, "Or am I gonna have to go chapter and verse?”

@aladdin_sane

Sol City [Modern Slice of Life] . (CHAPTER ONE COMPLETED!) . ARCHIVED

SOL CITY CHAPTER ONE FINALE

24 HOUR TIME SKIP WARNING

SOL CITY GRAND PRIX

The final race of the worldwide Formula GT season returns to the streets of Sol City.

--------

Time skip is headed for Sunday afternoon. Much like the Winter Party, characters will find streets blocked and barricaded and traffic rerouted, detoured and backed up principally around Old Harbor and Central Point. The main staging area for the race teams is the parking lot of the Luna Sports Facility.

Please keep in mind this event covers the third day of a three-day race event for Sol: Friday Practice and Saturday Qualifying have already occurred so any posts that include prior scenes may have been affected.

After the race join one of many parties, galas and sponsored concerts on Sunday night, the city has come to life once more!

Sol City [Modern Slice of Life] . (CHAPTER ONE COMPLETED!) . ARCHIVED

SOL CITY CHAPTER ONE FINALE

24 HOUR TIME SKIP WARNING

SOL CITY GRAND PRIX

The final race of the worldwide Formula GT season returns to the streets of Sol City.

--------

Time skip is headed for Sunday afternoon. Much like the Winter Party, characters will find streets blocked and barricaded and traffic rerouted, detoured and backed up principally around Old Harbor and Central Point. The main staging area for the race teams is the parking lot of the Luna Sports Facility.

Please keep in mind this event covers the third day of a three-day race event for Sol: Friday Practice and Saturday Qualifying have already occurred so any posts that include prior scenes may have been affected.

After the race join one of many parties, galas and sponsored concerts on Sunday night, the city has come to life once more!

Sol City [Modern Slice of Life] . (CHAPTER ONE COMPLETED!) . ARCHIVED

Paige Kennedy

Paige got an uneasy feeling as Milo got up and seemed to find his resolve again. She felt the same as when they'd pulled up outside, like there was a premonition she could feel, but not quite put her finger on. She wondered briefly if he could read it on her, even though it was only for an instant. He knew her that well. The jabs she'd planned to throw at him over his latest choice of girlfriend suddenly didn't feel worthwhile. She shook her head and refocused looking at him set the big handgun down. "Just try not to blow your foot off with that thing, John Wayne," Her accent slipped enough that she could hear herself and did her best to recover. "That pretend thug I pulled it off was pretty proud of it."

She motioned for Sio that it was time to go before she could make a mess of any more words. Thing and Wayne were not meant to sound so similar. Then pretend, pretty and proud all came out right behind. It had to be the liquor. She thought and tossed the keys to Sio. "Just call me if you think he's gonna show," She said turning back at the door, "My number's still the same."

Outside her sneakers crunched down on the gravel off the front step and she felt some odd sense of relief having left though her eyes narrowed quizically at her car as she walked to the passenger side next to Milo's truck. On the rear quarter was a definite scratch and it was deep. She knew it wasn't there before when she looked at the car back at the garage. On closer inspection, she could even see loose paint flakes around the area. What the holy fuck. She thought. The audacity of it put a look of awe on her face as she ran her finger over it feeling the pit of the cut. Psycho-bitch keyed my car. She looked back at Milo's front door, but decided to wait and took a picture of it with her phone. She had lifted one of his cards from the refrigerator and quickly put together a message.

They were about ten minutes away before she went ahead and sent it over with a sly grin:

Here's what your delicate English flower did to my car.

@Almalthia@RoccanIronclad

Sol City [Modern Slice of Life] . (CHAPTER ONE COMPLETED!) . ARCHIVED

Joel Nicolosi

"I think she likes you," Tommy said crossing his arms and leaning back. They both watched her leave. Joel glanced back over his shoulder and shrugged returning to his Guiness.

"Well, if I was a woman, I'd like me too," He said putting down another empty glass.

"You just can't stand that a woman might actually be interested in you," Tommy said with a smirk, "You're really that spiteful?"

Joel reached over the bar and refilled his glass from the tap. He seemed to be mulling over Tommy's words. "Didn't you play before the concussion rule?"

"That's a low blow,"

Joel felt a small sense of victory in the concession. "I got enough on my mind without having to worry about some high maintenance woman getting up in my business," He said the words, but the first thought to come to mind was Lou's advice back at the shop when he decided to skip out on the winter party: That car not gonna take care of ya when ya get as old as me... Considering what he could do if they won, Joel thought he could prove him wrong.

"You need to live a little, brother," Tommy said.

"Now you sound like my mom,"

"What I'm saying is there's more to life than sitting in that shop for God knows how long at a time," Tommy said, "Race will be over before you know it, then what?"

"Then I'll count my money," Joel said. He was becoming annoyed.

Tommy knew when to let it go. He cleaned up the dishes and wiped down the counter. The two of them didn't speak. He knew Joel liked to fight as much as anyone and whatever social convention dictated he would always do the opposite. At the jazz night, he sat outside. The whole town turned out for the winter party and he stayed home. A beautiful woman gave him her phone number and went out of her way to flirt with him and he didn't call. Tommy shook his head and hung the picture before placing the model neatly underneath.

Joel worked on his Guiness and looked at the model, then at the picture. That was life. He told himself. He could remember the feeling and it nearly gave him goosebumps. The race and many others before it. He knew most people would never understand. Those few laps. Those amassed seconds of his life. That was living.

@PrinceAlexus

What Are You Listening To?