SOMEWHERE

Soundtrack: Grafix, Reiki Ruawai- Somewhere

Somewhere. Faster. The text comes up, on screen, as does the scene you saw before.

You may be familiar with this. But the opener's a nice little bridge. The bars open slowly, as the drum and bass slowly, gently phases in. That build, that whine, it feels like it's almost to the beat of the whine of the AG craft screaming along.

It's even better than last time from that teaser you got.

As the ship straightens out through the hard bank, Harrison and the craft surges forward again, the thrust vectoring meaning that one side turns literally faster on throttle than the other, and he just has to think it. The speed is intoxicating, the scenery flashing by in a kaleidoscope of colours, the camera cutting back to the wider massive glacier delta, and forests, as well as the teal-blue lake in the horizon, mountains in the horizon, and in the middle of it, a ship running over ground at an insane speed, a dust trail from the edges of the tarmac spewing gravel everywhere, not that it matters, but 500kph does that to anything like it. The craft's stability systems keep it steady, but Harrison’s skilled hands and quick reflexes make every second count. The same, yet somehow, the atmosphere is different. Charged with a focus, as if this is the opener to Round One, and we're getting to see all of the beauty behind the country on show from its host, Southern Cross.

"Handling these ships is like surfing on pure energy," Harrison narrates, the joy evident in his voice. "You ride the edge, always pushing, always looking for that perfect line." The corners sway, and racing line comes through easy, the ship's low stability still countered by just how hard Harrison can tilt the craft through, and his skill at hand. He's not really even pushing, given he's narrating a lap. Which makes this even more insane. Similar clip to what you saw before, but well, that's a taster. First round's in NZ, right?

A series of loops and inverted sections appear on the horizon alongside the lake, small and woven into the cliffside, with MAG strips effectively binding the ship with a gentle clatter that feels like the downforce just got turned up even harder, yet barely affecting speed. Harrison approaches with a determined grin. The ship transitions smoothly onto the magnetic induction grabstrips, allowing it to climb and dive effortlessly. The world turns upside down and then rights itself, the ship never losing stability, Harrison's reflexes keeping him hot on the change of angle.

"This is where it gets real!" Harrison says. "Running inverted does make you sick first time, but you kinda get used to it. No loss of grip either!" Harrison commented, a sly smile even beneath his oxygen-breathing setup, as it corks back out, and pivots underneath the loop, away from the lake shore and towards the braided delta, and then, the small warehouse and testing facility's start.

The final straight looms ahead back down to Mana Park's origin, and Harrison activates the ELS. The craft glows with a blue streak as it taps into the energy passthroughs, boosting its speed even further. The sensation is electric, a surge of power that sends the ship rocketing forward.

"600kph and still climbing," Harrison shouts, the thrill unmistakable. "Not bad eh!" With a subtle turn, the system deactivates, and a hard turn banks the ship around, flinging hard, a deep breath and then exhale helping to push him physically, and mentally through a tight chicane slowing the craft from half of the speed of sound to a more manageable 200kph on an insanely twitchy complex.

The ship crosses the finish line.

And with that last cut, the scene instantly warps as if a jump-cut triggers, right as the drop smacks in, two minutes, twenty seconds in.

It's a hyper-montage. Scenes from last season, crashes, ups, downs the winning, the defeat, and more.

Victory for Amy at Singapore at one of the best races of the season, trophy in hand with an ornate hologram beaming out of it.

The messy wreck of a Valkyrie ship and Cassie with her head in her hands by it in Argentina.

Southern Cross and Al-Saqr fighting over position in Italy through the white-glacier snow.

The blasting of salt from a Miller Motor Racing ship over Bonneville.

A Carrera Condor ship flicking through turns hard from on board footage at Spa.

A Fitzroy Orbital ship clattering the wall and sending debris flying.

History, of ten years ago of what looks like a Zygon and Valkyrie craft battling, in early variants that have long since been replaced.

Even older history, from the first Formula One cars, rickety old things piloted by Fangio, to Stirling Moss, the roaring V8 of Lauda and Hunt going wheel to wheel, Senna at Donnington Park charging through the rain, Schumacher in a roaring V10 at Monza, so fast it blurs, cutting to historic footage of F1 cars roaring around Silverstone in 2023, Lewis Hamilton roaring past Leclerc and Verstappen in a late lunge, and the screaming of crowds, the absolute roar of V6 hybrid replaced instead....

With a cut to crowds at Silverstone now at the updated circuit and the thrumming of a Silver Apex, Nordic Call and Valkyrie craft and the sound of whining and the sound of almost a hyper-pitched screaming from the pulse engines, deadlocked in a ELS battle down Hamilton Straight, to the roaring crowd that seems even louder.

The holographic displays of Tokyo's tunnels emerging into a beam of light on the Tokyo Expressway Circuit with a Zygon ship reflecting light off its sleek surface.

The Hagia Sofia, and Condor Carrera's ships roaring over the Bosphorus Bridge, into the evening sun.

The red glow of the Rift Valley's volcanic surge, behind a SuperCat ship roaring through a lava tube, half upside-down.

And then finally, the Lunar AGP itself and two craft heading into the horizon at Mare Austral, Earth in the background, and the slow, cutting dark as it pans through the silver-grey landscape up to black, to the stars.

Somewhere faster is here.

The black fades and turns to to the next scene, bars coming in and cutting as the titles roll....

---

DELTΔ HYPER

Episode One: Finding their Feet

---

Meet the Pilots

Titles run, and it's a good one. You're not interested in that, though. It's a show you've seen once before.

"Twenty Pilots, Ten Teams, and Twenty Rounds. Only one can take the drivers title, and only one team can win the constructors."

A setup for drama? Yeah, as usual, but it has to be, but Aurora brings us in with her usual Irish cheer.

"And, this time, we go behind the scenes. We'll show you all the tension, glory and defeat. Shall we meet the pilots?" The screen comes from black, and well, starts introducing.

With Aurora's hologram pitched up, it's time to get back to an interview. As any good fly on the wall documentary does, this is being recorded in a way that picks your character up at an opportune time, near a sofa for a good five minutes, every single one of the drivers lined up. It's an instant response, as Aurora pops into view, but most of all, the camera is pinned on your pilot.

The thing about a meta-documentary is that it's a lot quicker to make than say, a normal one. The weird touch between having an AI editor means that what you say, what you think, and what you know is published an awful lot faster than say, a series at the end. The story isn't set in stone, and well, the narrative thread runs from here.

So, your character has an entrance, whatever that is you decided it to be, but for the future, well, it's still a sofa, and it's still a general background that you drop into.

Struggling to follow? Don't worry. You'll get to know the main cast in time. You're them, after all, and well, this is an interview to hold with your character, and they're now the main show.

---

@Enzayne

"Welcome to Delta Hyper, Han! So, whilst known to your audience in Korea, would you like to introduce yourself to the fans worldwide?"

---

@Starlance

"Morning, Bea! We've all been loving your drawings over the off-season, and before the season you've gathered a sizable following? What's your sketch of this season?"

---

@GingerBoi123

"Morning, Ulrich! Would you like to introduce yourself, and perhaps, take us through your move to Miller Motor Racing, a move I think we can all assume was rather unexpected?"

---

"Hello Kais, welcome to Delta Hyper! how are you feeling about the season, and what's your thoughts on working with Layla?"

---

The others also got an interview, each initially, without the question following. Although, you could probably work it out....

Cassie looked decidedly chill, even in spite of the fact that the makeup team had tried to layer on more pale white onto an already half-tan Scottish-Portuguese complexion that needed no more confusion.
"Han? Oh, yeah she's sound, like. I'd say she knows the team. The fans absolutely adore her, but, she's the native. I get that. Really sharp, really good across the board."

Ava looked square at the camera, the Chilean sitting up, her stern demeanour never going away, neither that or the Chilean husk in her English accent.
"What do I think of her? Well, Beatrix has talent, but she is raw. I am sure she'll learn quickly on the grid. It is not easy to be a rookie, not with what we have to do."

Max shrugged, the well-dressed, well appearing blonde haired American dressed in team kit and upright, as if the excitement is still there from first day.
"Man...he's good, yeah, Ulrich's cool, super serious when he's at work though. Won a lot in the juniors. Really, really good with his energy management. I'm gonna have to find out all his secrets!"

Harrison, the relaxed Aussie leaned back in his chair, sighing, not of disapproval. Almost of a weird sort of pride, thought that went into it, like he wanted to find the words.
"Yeah, she's uhh.....a unique one. Nobody could have seen it coming, but she's really incredible, honestly, she's gonna be super. I guess we're all rebels here, aren't we? That's how we get it done, and she has some serious venom, I think she's bloody ripper! Can't wait to race her!"

Dorian shrugged, perhaps a little more clammy and straightforward.
"Well, it's been a good pre-season here. Quiet even. Perhaps a little different when it comes to team mates than my old one, yes?"

Kofi heartily laughed, in a way you'd always expect him to be- happy go lucky, the easy going Ghanaian too at home in front of a camera.
"Well...they're good? Sister, I'm excited! New season, and well, time to go show what we can do."

Amy went next, the champion relaxed in the seat, arm over the support.
"Yeah.....well, they are in the hot seat. I know, I know what you'll say, but honestly? Best of luck to them. They'll get used to what it takes. They'll need to impress at the top."

Layla's response seemed more sincere, the highly augmented, highly implanted Emirati refined in her response back.
"We will see. I think it's a difficult craft this year. They'll need to be patient with it. Pushing doesn't always get more out it."

Lastly, Astrid, in her Nordic Call gear, put down the can she was drinking, and with a certain charm, the kind only someone as dry as Astrid could muster, replied in turn.
"Bwoah.....they are fine."

---

The Vibe of Formula Anti Gravity

Soundtrack: The Chemical Brothers- Galvanise

The scene cuts with a panoramic view of the Auckland paddock, set against the backdrop of the city's skyline and sparkling harbour in the late evening. The paddock sits on one of the jetties in Auckland Port by the start/finish, and it's more a rave than a racing spot. The camera captures the essence of the skyline, now much heavier built up than ever before, but with its iconic SkyTower still at the centre of it and remaining the tallest, with the mag tracking as always still lit up for tomorrow, as was the Auckland Harbour Bridge. The paddock is a hive of activity, illuminated by the glow of neon lights and holographic displays. It's the night before race day. It's a symphony of motion and sound, where every detail contributes to the electrifying atmosphere.

Cassie Neves stands at the heart of it all, her red hair catching the glow of the intense light, her freckled face illuminated by the vibrant colours. Her blue, augmented eyes reflect the kaleidoscope of lights around her, and her presence exudes a mix of intensity and charm. She moves through the paddock with purpose, her movements fluid and confident. The camera follows her, capturing the scene from various angles as she begins to narrate her experience, looking over her shoulder.

“Welcome to the Zygon paddock,” Cassie begins, her Scottish-Portuguese accent rich with excitement. “This is where the magic happens. Late night, but we have a lot of work to do, and fans are out still here for the first of the season. Let me show you around.”

The music pulsates through the air, a seamless blend of modern electronica and drum and bass. The beats are relentless, a fusion of artists that ranges from trance, drum and bass and breaks, creating an immersive soundscape that vibrates through the ground and energizes everyone around. The camera captures the pulsating speakers hidden within the sleek, high-tech structures of the paddock.

“Paddock for the first race always goes off,” Cassie says, nodding to the rhythm. “The music, the lights, the buzz. Just crazy, like! Though holy hell, that is loud!”

The camera pans across the paddock, revealing sleek, high-tech tents attached to trailers, and shimmering holographic displays that cast a futuristic glow. Zygon’s team area is decked out in their signature dark red with bluish-purple pearlescent accents. Traditional Korean motifs blend seamlessly with cutting-edge design, creating a striking visual contrast that tells a story of heritage and innovation. Everyone's got an allocation, so nobody is going bigger than anyone else if they can help it.

Cassie moves towards Zygon’s pit area, where the team’s anti-gravity craft are undergoing last-minute tweaks before bed. Engineers, dressed in team uniforms, work with precision, their movements synchronized like a well-oiled machine. The craft themselves are a marvel, adorned with ornate decals that reflect a rich heritage while incorporating advanced technology.

“This is where the real work happens,” Cassie explains. “The craft might look incredible, but it’s the details that count. Every adjustment, every calibration—it’s all about getting that perfect edge. Auckland needs a lot of work, and Pre-Season gave us one idea of where we were. Now here we are. I'll take 8th, but we have a lot of work tomorrow.”

She stops by her own craft, running a hand over the sleek, red surface with its intricate traditional designs. Her gaze is focused, her expression a mix of determination and pride.

“Zygon’s been on a bit of a rollercoaster lately,” Cassie admits. “But we’ve got the resources, and I’ve got the drive. I'm here to help turn things around. Somewhat.”

The camera captures the bustling activity as team members discuss strategy and fine-tune the ship’s systems. The hum of the engines and the rhythmic clinking of tools create a symphony of high-tech hustle.

The crowd surrounding the paddock is a mix of fans and media, their excitement palpable. They’re drawn by the spectacle, the promise of high-speed thrills, and the chance to catch a glimpse of their favourite pilots.

Cassie waves to a few fans and poses for quick selfies, her demeanour friendly and approachable despite the intensity of the event. She then turns her attention back to the ship, where a small team is working on the energy systems, the camera coming back in onto her, and onto her little piece to camera.

“So yeah, same as usual really, I guess! Han is as well, they just go crazy for her though.”

The camera pulls back, capturing the entire paddock in its full glory. The futuristic lights, the hum of technology, and the buzz of anticipation create a vibrant tapestry of sights and sounds. The music continues to pulse, blending with the ambient noise of the paddock, creating an immersive atmosphere. There is a LOT going on here, from the VIP areas that members of the public are in, displays and digital showpieces for fans to engage with, to VR neural link simulators providing almost a like for like that are here and on site. A lot of people are leaving, considering Qualy was just finished, but who is left, is enjoying the last bit of the rave-like atmosphere of the evening before tomorrow's race.

"Han, over here! Smashed it this evening, where'd you pull that out from, eh?" Cassie yells, the voices getting a lot louder, for the new signing of the team as she came over to the public.

---

The scene is a mixed one all over the paddock. So, what's going on? Post-qualifying blues, with the results in from earlier in the evening, and the results are interesting. Some teams that should be higher on the grid aren't, and some surprises are in. Tonight is the night before the race tomorrow and the start of season party and engineering fest, and well, it's a good opportunity to mingle, meet the team, meet team-mates, other competitors. Discussing qualifying results, race strategy, and most of all, media and sponsor work. It's a tough gig, but well, getting paid for it well is decent. So from here, the stage is set for your character to delve into this world, and enjoy the high life, whilst getting the last bits they can for the race tomorrow. An introduction to their world, perhaps. And what's in it is up to them, from the staff, Team Principals, fans, media, sponsors, all of it where they go, what they do for now. A moment of reprieve before stuff gets really serious.

It's the calm before a storm.

The video opened on a slow pan of Auckland, the camera drone hovering some 25 meters above the ground in front of the main entrance of the circuit and getting a good view of the nearest track features, the mag tracks over the harbor and the sky tower corkscrew in the background as well as the gathering crowds. As it finished a full 360° pan, it rapidly descended to head height to get Beatrix Ward into frame, the new Carrera Condor driver clad in a team branded zip-up hoodie, black pleated skater skirt and wearing a pair of aviators from her merch line and a wide smile while walking backwards toward the gate, arms wide open to welcome the audience. Longtime viewers and people giving it a bit of thought would’ve known the drone had a screen on it showing what the camera saw, allowing her to essentially reverse with a rearview mirror on foot, but at a quick glance she was walking backwards without checking over her shoulder with complete confidence.
”Welcome to Auckland, lads and lasses. Beautiful city, amazing people, one Hell of a race track and my first weekend as a bona fide Formula Anti-Gravity pilot. What a feeling. Obviously we’ve been here for the pre-season testing last week, but… that doesn’t even compare. The last time my heart was racing like this we were 17 points off the leader in WRC 2090.
And I thought to commemorate this, I’d do something weird.” She took off the hoodie and tied it around her waist to reveal a lime green long-sleeved shirt with an image of her 2091 Junior Formula AG craft sliding sideways along the ground in a shower of lenticular-printed sparks and smoke after her antigrav repulsor had failed halfway down Kemmel straight and the caption ‘Slightly suboptimal’ above it printed across the front and a velcro grid along the sleeves holding patches depicting the individual images she had painted on her arms attached to their respective places.
”What do you guys think?” She spun around mid-step with a waltz spin to show it off, ”Merch that grows with us as life keeps going. Pick your favourite colour and print, and instead of me trying to sell you a new shirt at the end of every season, you can just get the patches. It’s cheaper for you, uses less resources to make it and if you only want some pictures and not others, maybe you only want the good without the bad, you can! Or maybe you don’t like me and you want to make a wall of shame out of the left arm pictures.” She giggled at the self-deprecation, ”This is just a one-of prototype so far, so let me know if that’s something you’d be interested in, or if you have some ideas for improvements. I’m all ears.
And with that said,” She beckoned the drone closer with a hand gesture, leaning in closer to whisper to it as if to share a secret, ”Let’s see what mischief we can get into.”
The video continued sped-up, filmed over her shoulder like in a third-person video game as she entered the circuit and headed toward the paddock occasionally stopping to chat with someone, take a picture or sign something, only interrupted once by a slow motion shot when she tripped on a staircase and just barely managed to stay upright, finally fading to black as she entered the Carrera Condor area.

The next one was shot with the drone in front of her as she walked through the paddock.
”So, there was a meeting I can’t show you, hence the cut, but I’ve just been told that Ava and I have Delta Hyper interviews coming up. Now, I have two options here:
Option one, I go find her and we go to the interview.
Option two, I leave her to her fate and go straight away because a little birdie told me the boom mic guy is cute.”
There was a pause as if she was weighing her options.
”Now as much as a cute guy with a big stick sounds interesting, I’m thinking I’ll start the season by being a responsible teammate and go find mine. Good thing she’s like 19 feet tall, she’ll be hard to miss.” Bea grinned, craning her head to look around. ”More in the official interview, and don’t forget the scheduled fan meets, Saturday at eight PM and Sunday an hour after the race.” She blew the camera a kiss before the video ended on a screen with links to her social media and merch store.

---

DELTΔ HYPER

Episode One: Finding their Feet

---

The first shot was of a little girl, maybe five or six, sitting atop an overturned boat completely drenched and laughing hysterically.

The second was the same girl, around seven, dressed in a wetsuit and life preserver and standing on the top step of a podium holding a sailboat-shaped trophy above her head.

A mud-stained rallye buggy with a crumpled roof getting thrown around a chicane on a wet, pothole-filled road somewhere in Wales with the co-driver’s voiceover. “... brake, left four tightens into tight hairpin left, don’t cut- cool it, Bea! Mind the cracked frame!”
“Boring.” Came a one-word reply as the engine tune indicated an upshift.

A three axle World Rallye Championship truck hurtling around a long curve along a Finnish gravel road, front left wheel hooked in the ditch on the inside of the turn to help guide it along, the same co-driver reading pace notes at the rate of a machine gun. “...fourty, big jump over flying finish.”
The truck straightened out just before the jump, soaring over the finish line marker boards and landing in a cloud of dust and pebbles, easing to a stop.
“That felt good. That felt really good.” The co-driver breathed a sigh of relief at a normal cadence.
“I sink I bit my tongue on the laft one, fuck.” Was the driver’s response, the same young woman as before.

A Junior Formula AG ship struggling through some corners before understeering into the wall on the exit of La Rascasse, team radio coming on a second later.
“Bea, you alright?”
A dejected, frustrated sigh. “Yes. Just get me out, man, end this fucking pain.”

That same Junior Formula AG craft sending a wild one down the outside of Turn 13 at Istanbul Park before switching over to cover the inside of T14 and clinching her first win of the series in a photo finish, the same woman’s elated voice coming over the radio. “FUCK YEEEEES! BY MILLIMETRES!” A few heavy breaths, ”I’d just like to say ‘thank you’ to everyone in the garage. I don’t know how you pieced that pile of carbon dust I gave you after quali into a working ship, but at this point I’m convinced that if I gave you breadcrumbs, you’d reassemble the loaf in time for breakfast. You guys are absolute legends, each and every one of you. Dinner’s on me tonight. Thank you!”

Beatrix sitting down on the Delta Hyper couch. “My name is Bea Ward, I’ll be racing for the Carrera Condor Formula AG team in the 2094 season and hopefully beyond.”

Aurora asked her first question, Bea smiling at the art compliment in an unspoken ‘Thank you’. “And everyone who likes them can get some for themselves from the Carrera Cordon merch store, because we need every penny.” She grinned, “Sorry, I had to.” She wiped the smirk off her face before continuing.
“Not much of a sketch yet, obviously after the time between the announcement and now plus pre-season testing I got my easel set up and I know what kind of paints I’m working with and who’s painting with me.” She carried on with the art analogy, “But the ship being what it is, the team isn’t expecting podiums. There’s also some people who don’t like that I’m here, they’d prefer someone else to be sitting here right now and to a point I can sympathize, so my goal for this season is to prove to the team that they’ve made the right call and to the sport that I belong. As long as I’m finishing equal or above where I qualified and I’m not too far behind Ava, I think it’ll be an alright year.”
There was a brief pause as the answer was officially over. “Now watch me get outqualified by both Fitzroy craft.” She added in jest.

---

“...and that’s both Carrera Cordon ships done, improving on the Fitzroy times as expected, here’s the team radio:” The commentators’ thoughts were interrupted by the double beep and team radio graphic popping up on screen.
“Okay Bea, that’s projected P18, point six one behind Ava.” Her race engineer’s voice came over the radio, Alistair Vale’s calm, measured voice a contrast to Bea’s response.
“Aaah. That fast sector’s still kicking my *BEEP*.” The whine of the engine going quiet in the background as she eased up the throttle, “But it felt better than pre-season. I think this setup is working.”
“Yeah, not bad for your first Saturday. Engine mode ‘Slow’ please and set to recharge.”

25 minutes later, in time for the grid to have settled around them, Bea was out of the craft and racing suit. Getting the breathing liquid out of one’s lungs was neither quick nor pleasant, meaning she only caught the tail end of Ava’s debriefing before the team principal León Alonso, a broad-shouldered man with thick eyebrows and square jaw, outlined her goals for the race - Don’t let Kovalenko through, get past Mensah, keep Waldgard behind her if possible but let him through if it’s a choice between that and crashing or a prolonged energy battle that would let the Fitzroys catch up.

Straight after that was one of the highlights of a race weekend for Bea as she was off to the fan zone. She always seemed more energized there, signing hats, taking pictures and answering unscripted questions, a more relaxed and honest affair than the usual post-session conferences, while sipping a can of ice tea. No one knew, least of all her fitness coach, that it had a decent amount of brandy in it to help get the lingering chemical taste of the breathing liquid out of her mouth.

“Who do you think is gonna be your biggest competition tomorrow?” A young Japanese woman asked while taking a selfie with Bea, arms around each others’ shoulders as if they’d been long time friends.
“Ava, obviously. It doesn’t matter how good or bad your ship is, your teammate is always racing the same machinery, they’re always the most fair comparison. Of the other teams, that would be Waldgard. He’s right behind us, he’s not gonna want to stay there and he’s got the machinery under him to do something about it, but we like our chances on this track. Mulder I’m not even going to bother, he’s going to run rings around us and not run into a challenge until he gets up to the Al-Saqr ships. Poor bastard though, breaking down straight out of the gate.
What’s your take on the ELS? Think it makes the sport better?” Bea listened to the woman’s opinion before turning her attention to the next person.
“So you see Ava as the opposition.” An 80-something, violently Texan man with a freshly signed cowboy hat said.
“Not entirely, I think we both see each other as assets on this track since it’s a good mix of things we’re both good and bad at. Plus we’re nowhere near the points, that’s gonna cool the team rivalry as well. If points are on offer, that might be another matter.
Are you getting your travel money’s worth so far?”
“So you’re expecting P13?” A handsome bloke with a local accent asked, holding up his can of beer for a toast.
“That would be amazing, but I’ll call it P14, Ava P13. Hope for the best, expect the worst, you’ll live a happier life.” She shrugged as she returned the toast, a few others joining in, “Millers qualified really well, I think they’re beyond reach this time around. If we get a good bit of luck, maybe we could even get 12th and 13th, but I’m also hoping to get invited to Astrid’s parties one day so maybe that’s not such a good idea.” Bea added laughing, the fans joining in. “You’re getting a head start on that I see, recommend some local beer brands?”
“What would you say the best part of being a racer is?” A boy no older than 12 asked.
“Honestly, talking to you guys.” A chorus of “Awwwww!”s erupted, “Don’t get me wrong, the racing itself is a hoot-”
“15 degrees and 300 BPM!” Someone a few meters over shouted over the din of the crowd.
“Exactly! But I think every properly raised person likes to make other people happy, and these informal fan chats are a really easy way to do that.” She continued as she removed one of the patches from the prototype shirt’s right sleeve and handed it to the boy, the look of joy in his eyes illustrating exactly what she meant. “What got you into racing?”

---

Hello Kais, welcome to Delta Hyper! how are you feeling about the season, and what's your thoughts on working with Layla?

Kais squinted his eyes when the spotlight shifted over to him. The lights were always too bright. You’d almost think they did it on purpose just to make him look even more annoyed than he already was with this whole circus. Every time… “Hello…” he quickly glanced over at the holographic title-card next to his interviewer. “... Aurora.” He wondered if she even was a real person or if they just cranked up the happy-go-lucky AI settings since last time.

“The season is shaping up to be a damn interesting one. I’m happy to see some of my favorites back in the lineup. Wadi Rum, Istanbul, Dubai Sky, Mare Austral on Luna. Veeerrry challenging tracks, just as I like them. And with Luna, we have the home-field advantage. I swear, if I hear Layla brag one more time about how many times she’s already looped that thing I’m gonna…" Kais stopped his train of thought just in time. That was close. Come to think of it, what was he supposed to say again? Whatever…

"Layla and I, we're two different kinds of beasts. She’s a strong racer, I don't think anyone can deny that. Impossible not to be when you’ve got mods all the way up your [CENSORED - To view, turn off PG13 settings]. But the heart and soul of racing isn’t about how much of your body shines gold when you stand in the spotlight."

Kais paused to wait at Aurora's nodding animation to stop, a tiny hint of a smirk curling his lips. "Tech means nothing when you cap your energy management at just 100%, and let me tell you, I will fight at least twice as hard as that for every single millisecond. That’s how I'm going to win." He said as he glanced off-camera slightly. "And sure, some are gonna feel stepped on their toes about that, so be it. Reaction time in antigrav’s too short to take each others’ feelings into account. It's a battlefield, after all." He shrugged. It was as cut and clear as that.

Then he leant forward with a glint in his eye. His gaze locked tight with the camera. "Layla brings the shine. I bring the fire. And together, we're gonna make something very special happen. It’s gonna be one hell of a ride."

---

“Did you have to go so hard again, Kais? Manager’s not gonna be too happy about it.” Layla said as the two met up off-stage, somehow managing to look elegant even with her feet propped up on the table, her striking gold bionic eyes following Kais as he walked by. “Ach, when is he ever?” Kais answered. “You reckon he’s gonna last longer than the last one? I don’t think I’ve ever seen Omar smile even once.” Layla laughed. “I know, right? Is that why the two of you get along so well?” “Very funny, Layla. Why don’t you tell me about the moon again?”

---

Omar (Manager):
“Damnit Kais.”
“Is this how you treat all our interns? Making them clean up the messaging after your mess?”

Omar (Manager):
“She’s studying *electrical engineering*, Kais.”

Nadia (Intern):
“The vacancy didn’t say anything about this lol.”
“But will do my best.” (Kais Liked this)

Omar (Manager):
“Thanks, Nadia. Let’s try to keep our messaging at least semi-professional.”
“Gotta admit though, Fire and Shine has a nice ring to it…”

---

DELTΔ HYPER

Episode One: Finding their Feet

---

“Kais, look out on the bay. Layla reports wind and water turbulence.”

“Then we better get through that part fast.”

“Wouldn’t advise it.”

“Tell her I’ll wait for her at the finish.”


“This thing steers like a drunk cow.”

“Told you to be careful.”

“What pos we in tomorrow?”

“You’re on P11. Layla's on 5.”

“*tsk* Damn. Ah well. Nice run. Rematch tomorrow.”

“Rematch tomorrow.”

---

Deep inside the office complex a team principals meeting was being held. The conference room was well appointed with a dark mahogany conference table and plush leather swivel chairs. A sideboard had assorted pastries, coffee, and tea. The people in the room represented the combined corporate owners and the current crew chief, Dominic Ricci. The president of the owner’s board was Leopold Koch. Leopold was the man who had called the meeting.

Leopold called the meeting to order. His cool steely eyes turned to regard the five men and three women in the room.

“I have called this meeting to implement a team change.”

He held up a hand as protests went up around the room. It was highly unusual to make a significant team change this close to the season starting. The pre-season was done at this point and bringing a new team member in a key position was practically unheard of. Leopold steepled his fingers to continue now that he had their attention.

“We have been given a golden opportunity to work with a legend. I honestly was a little shocked to get the opportunity. Let me lay out my reasoning before we vote on this. I am telling you now that this must happen or Valkyrie AGR Sport is in trouble.”

His cold eyes seemed to bore into each of their souls as he met their eyes to make his point.

“Point one, Dorian is getting older. Our team should be placing better and winning more often. Our equipment is state of the art and on par with Silver Apex. Pilots are where we are lacking performance. Last year’s rookie was a disaster. Dorian is a solid performer and provides some consistency but we are not staying competitive.”

He glanced around at them all and saw contemplative looks and agreement on many faces with a few angry and dismissive ones.

“Point two, the rules we have to race under are stricter about augmentations for pilots. We have to find a way to help our pilots be competitive without them. We know the rules for them are not going to change any time soon. We need to make a change here if we want to stay competitive.”

He looked around the table once more and saw more thoughtful looks from them this time. He noticed Dominic was shaking his head and his lips were pressed into a tight thin line. Dominic had been supporting the line for further augmentations for the pilots. He wanted to pay for research to take to the EU racing board to get the regulations changed. He had suggested they try to steal a racer from another team that already had the body augmentations to get around the regulations. That was a can of legal worms waiting to explode.

“Point three, we have a promising new rookie who is a natural talent. He has great potential. Paul Mulder has the potential to get us to the winner’s circle but he needs the right coaching and support. What we have been doing is not working. We have a new rookie this year because last year the rookie was unable to continue the season after injuries from the crash.”

He left the reason for the crash unspoken. The board knew and had approved Dominic’s trial use of drugs to try and up the rookie's response times. The result had been disastrous. He could see the unspoken knowledge on the faces around the table. Dominic’s expression was darker and more mutinous.

“I believe we can all agree that Dorian’s reign is coming into his twilight years. We need to start looking for our next primary pilot. I also believe that we can all agree that Paul has the most potential of any pilot we have looked at in the last 3 years.”

He looked around to see where the board sat with this statement. It was about as divided as he expected. Paul's performance could be stellar in one race and he would botch the next. Dominic was again in disagreement. Leopold was well aware that Dominic didn’t like Paul. He also felt it was personal jealousy. Paul was very easy to get along with and had a positive upbeat attitude. The media had loved Paul and seemed to dote on him and exclude others when he was around which included Dominic who was a diva in his own right.

Leopold nodded and took a deep breath before releasing the information they had been waiting for.

“I believe that part of Paul’s inconsistency comes from not having the full support of his mother. It would help our team if his mother was willing to do interviews to support Paul. I received a call from Alicia Mulder. She will put her full support behind Paul but only if Alexander Knight is the Team Principal and Crew Chief. And Knight will have full control of all team decisions.”

As Leopold expected the board room exploded into chaos. He knew that the board liked the illusion of control. He was old enough and experienced enough to know that the board was part of the problem. They needed one person with a vision making the calls. They had too many bosses and followers. Too many conflicting opinions and strategies. They needed a strong leader to take the team to the next level. Leopold agreed with Alicia that Knight could get them there. But he would only do it his way. Leopold knew Knight and had worked with him in the past. He knew the snow job that happened to Knight had been unfair to him. He never dreamed that he could be coaxed out of retirement in any form. Leopold had approached Knight a few times in the past and had basically been told to stuff his offer where the sun didn’t shine.

After an hour of heated arguments and debate, Leopold felt gratified when the board vote went his way. Dominic left in a rage after being fired. He did leave with a great severance package. Leopold felt no regrets as he left to make the arrangements needed. The hiring contracts would have to be sent right away. They would announce the changes just before qualifiers in Auckland. Leopold left with a smile. This would be a season to watch. He could feel it. Team Valkyrie would rise.

---

Alexander had taken a redeye flight from Los Angeles. His daughter had surgery on Monday. He stayed with her as long as he could before joining the team in Auckland. He wanted to be sure she was stable and on the mend before he left her. She was responding well to the new implants and her body was healing, no signs of infection or rejection. He was dog tired and only functioning on coffee. He had managed to sleep on the flight over. Exhaustion was stamped on his face as the events of the last week caught up with his overtaxed body and emotions. He had struggled to rest as worry, fear, and nightmare about what could have been kept him from sleep. He could have lost his little girl. She was one of the only points of sunshine in his life. It didn’t matter that she was an adult. She was still his princess.He would do anything for her.

He sighed as he looked out the window of the plane. He couldn’t believe that he was headed back into the belly of the beast. He had sworn when Audrick died that he would never get involved in racing again. If it had been anyone else that had called him, he wouldn’t have trusted the offer or the reason. Alicia had not spoken to him since Audrick’s funeral. He had tried reaching out to check on her and Paul. She had shut him out of their life. He understood why. He had told her what he suspected his former racing team had done that had taken Audrick’s life. He still felt lingering guilt and anguish over that. It was not his fault. He had not known. He still felt like there was something more he should have done. It was not his burden to bear but he felt it anyway. Alicia knew the lengths and depths that some teams would go to for a win. He knew for her it was about protecting her son. He also knew it had to be killing her a little to see him willingly putting his body in harm's way the way his father had. He rubbed his face in frustration. He had to admit to being humbled that she would trust him with her precious child. He wondered why after all this time.

Arianna, his daughter, would be okay once more thanks to Alicia’s help. She had delivered on her promises. Arianna had been given state of the art implants and a neural enhancement integration chip with synthetic nerve manipulation and stimulation to replace the damage to her spinal cord and nervous system. The implants would allow her to function normally. She would walk and dance again. He closed his eyes as memories of her bruised and tattered body flashed behind his eyelids. He would never forget seeing her like that. Would he ever get over the fear of losing her again? He wanted to wrap her in cotton and hide her behind walls for the rest of her life. Unfortunately she was too much like him to live that way. Now if he could only focus on helping Paul. He needed to protect him and teach him how to protect himself. He owed it to Audrick and Alicia. Maybe he could redeem some of his past mistakes by helping him.

---

DELTΔ HYPER

Episode One: Finding their Feet

---

Alexander had flown in the day before. He had introduced himself to the team. He told them to just do their jobs as they normally would. He would be observing to see what changes needed to happen. He called a team lead meeting so he could get a better understanding where they were. There was a pit crew, an engineering crew, a marketing team, and never forget the personal trainers and doctors to keep the pilot’s in top shape. Everyone had their part to play for success. He knew that him taking over the team would throw them all for a loop and shake them up.

He was still shocked that Alicia had managed to make it happen. He would never have agreed if they hadn’t given him full control of the team decisions in writing. It was spelled in his contract which had a lawyer review before he signed it. He felt as protected as possible going into this. He couldn’t deny to himself that he felt a thrill of challenge to be back in racing. He had missed it. It would be different this time though. He was not in the pilot seat. The ships now were faster than they were back in his day. The requirements needed to race them were different too.

Alexander remembered Dorian. Dorian had been a competitor but hadn’t been a bad guy. He had always had that aloof gentlemanly air. He was so prim and proper. Alexander had to chuckle at some of the memories of conversation with Audrick about the stuffy racer. They had not hated the guy. If anything his feelings about Dorian were neutral. He had never really viewed Dorian as one of his main competitors. Dorian was simply one of the members of the pack in the chase for the cup. Their meeting had gone about how he expected. Dorian was surprised and shocked to see him and then gave him the same laid back formal greeting he had in the past.

His meeting with Paul had been very different. Paul was shocked to see him. He greeted him warmly with some distance and caution. He wondered what Alicia had told Paul about him. He knew that Paul was aware of the past and his relationship with his dead father. He would wait to have that longer conversation with Paul when he was going to be on the racetrack. He wanted his head in the game. He told them all he was just observing today.



Alexander had tried to get out of the meet the press section of the day. He was exhausted and frustrated. Paul had botched his qualifying round. He couldn’t help but wonder if his presence was the cause for his nerves. If the boy apologized to him one more time for it, he was going to put his boot up his ass. Leopold had told him to suck it up and do his job. Knight growled a little as he saw the signal that he was next on the interview list.

Alexander had already seen the surprise press announcement that Leopold had taken great pleasure in that morning. Leopold had held the press conference as the media had noticed him in the Valkyrie paddock. The media frenzy his return had caused was still going. There was so much speculation about why now, especially with Paul Mulder as the rookie driver. The media had taken great pleasure in pulling out old footage and folding it into new montages about his history in racing. He couldn’t deny that Valkyrie was dominating the media with his return. Not all of it was good press though. He had put his headset on and only used comms to speak to the team the rest of the day. He had literally blocked the press from his attention.

Alexander had worn jeans, a black t-shirt, and work boots today. This had happened so fast they hadn’t had time to even get his uniform made yet. He was lounging on the couch and doing his best not to glower at the approaching reporter's hologram. He was sipping on his tenth cup of coffee for the day. He felt like he was only awake because there were metaphorical toothpicks keeping his eyes open. He didn’t bother to roll his eyes as he saw the light on the camera flash yellow letting him know he was next on her agenda.

Alexander tried to smile but it probably came out as a grimace of pain. He tried to settle his face into neutral. It was the best he could do for now. He nodded to her that he was ready as he saw the camera aim towards him and the green light blinked twice to indicate it was recording before staying solid green.

Aurora’s perky personable voice grated on his already exposed nerves. He almost bit his tongue not to growl as she called him Alex. The only people who got to call him Alex were his close friends and family and she wasn’t one of those people.

"Hello Alex, welcome to Delta Hyper! It's amazing to have a legend of the first season of Formula Anti-Gravity back, how does it feel to be in the paddock and working with Valkyrie AGR? I imagine you must have had some interesting conversations with your old grid-mate, Dorian, and with Paul?"

Alexander bit back with a growl as he replied. “My name is Alexander not Alex, Aurora.”

He gave her a very pointed look that she should remember that in the future. This interview was going so fantastically he thought. Maybe it would make Leopold rethink using him in the marketing and on the documentary. He could only hope.

He sighed and rolled his eyes before taking a deep breath and putting his game face on. He probably looked constipated but Leopold would just have to deal. He put a lopsided smile on his face before he responded to her first question.

“Thank you for the warm welcome Aurora. I never thought I would come back to racing. I was given an offer even I couldn’t refuse.”

He thought that statement was more truthful than she would ever know. That brought a playful smirk to his face.

“I don’t know that everyone would call me a legend. I think you flatter me Aurora.”

He gave her a playful look. Yeah he remembered how to deal nicely with the media. At least she had not lobbed him a hard ball question. This one was fairly lighthearted and expected.

“Well Aurora as you heard, my return to racing was sudden and unexpected. I haven’t had much time to talk much with Dorian and Paul yet. Matter of fact I didn’t even start until yesterday. I have had to hit the ground running. Dorian and I were always friendly competitors. I would say our meeting went about as I expected. Dorian has always been a gentleman. Paul and I don’t know each other yet but we will get there in time.”

He paused and took a breath before putting on a serious face.

“This weekend I am getting the feel for how the team is doing and seeing how everyone operates. You can tell all the racing fans and your viewers to be watching to see what changes are coming to Valkyrie AGR Sport.”

He stopped and gave her a wink and a confident look.

“I am sure this season is going to be exciting. I can’t divulge team strategy though. I am sure you understand.”

He gave her a big smile and a wave goodbye. “See you next time Aurora.”

He looked smug as he got up and began to walk off without waiting for her reply and headed back to his hotel room. He needed sleep. Jet lag on top of his already exhausted body was taking a toll. If anyone else disturbed him before 6 am someone was going to die.

The well-aerated office space was both spacious and luxurious, though it seemed none of the suited people found the atmosphere anything but cloying and clammy. A row of businessfolk, awkwardly pretending to stare at the data on their pads. On the other side of the expensive conference table sat Hyeon-Ae, glaring a storm from beneath a black and red designer cap, seemingly held back mainly by the two people sitting beside her.

“It would be better if we pivoted to a more aspirationally calm and soft-spoken image, Ms Han.” Marketing manager Baek suggested crisply before pushing up her glasses, looking across the table to the race-pilot. “It is the preferred contrast to Ms Neves' more carefree appeal, according to focus tests.”

Hyeon-Ae's fingers drummed against the table rhythmically, and the portly Sanbeng beside her sat a little straighter as he cleared his throat to speak. “Ms Han’s contract stipulates that she will take Mrs Baek’s words into consideration.”

Baek nodded, satisfied, and flipped another page on her virtual journal. “Management also would like to extend their wishes for a promoted lean of cohesion and camaraderie between the pilots. A public show of support prior to the race from Ms Han would boost interest in Ms Neves in domestic demographics - an important boon for long-term viral growth.”

“Is she too important to attend this meeting?” Hyeon-Ae cut in, lips thinly pressed together as she eyed the now panicking corporate suits.

Sanbeng jumped in with a brief clearing of his throat yet again. “I believe such can be accommodated, with respect to happenstance. What Ms Han means is, surely such a direction should be discussed with all parties for, ah, mutual understanding.”

Manager Baek smiled, humorless and hurried. “We have a separate engagement with Ms Neves. It would be troublesome for Ms Han's schedule to sit through minor discussions and details for matters of no concern to her. Now, if you turn to page 72, please review the agreement on quota for support of the Sanghyok Waterway…”

As virtual pages shuffled, the air stilled for a time from sound, but the tension remained.

---

DELTΔ HYPER

Episode One: Finding their Feet

---

A long montage of pictures over classical Korean music sped past; first of what could only be paparazzi footage of a young girl in tow with a cadre of businessmen and the esteemed uncle and Ji Motors Executive Affiliate Manager Han Kangmin - here helpfully labeled for your understanding - and later organized photos as this shy youth blossoms into a athletic and fashion sensation. Remnants of organized photoshoots, team pictures and trophies, clips from a children's show. It's relatively late that racing enters the sequence at all, sparse clips of Hyeon-Ae in the pilot seat or emerging from her ship, squeezed in between activism at a podium for a large crowd of mostly women and footage of her as a complete celebrity - appealing, inviting, beautiful.

After which the transformation is complete, and the young adult proves herself on the track and in training; candid shots behind the scenes picturing her in deep discussion with the crew, the unyielding and cool determination she seems to hold in the pilot seat, and a flourishing montage in high-speed of all (well, the nice ones) of her race finishes over her career - an adrenaline packed finish that repeats with a ferocious zoom past the camera at different angles.

With the familiar transition to the interview couch, Han is sat in an elegant manner across from her host. One would think she was about to go out to the track soon, adorned in a gorgeous team colored uniform that hugs her form and closely mimics how the media traditionally portrays suits rather than the more burdensome reality.

"Welcome to Delta Hyper, Han! So, whilst known to your audience in Korea, would you like to introduce yourself to the fans worldwide?”

“Ye,” the well-mannered pilot replied in Korean, proffering a mild smile and bowing her head lightly towards the camera. “Hello, everyone! I am Han Hyeon-Ae - that is Hyeon-Ae Han for those of you watching from the Europa and the States. It is sometimes a little confusing.” Fortunately the show rearranges her name and provides helpful translucent labels for her name in real time to go with her brief introduction. “It is my hope you will enjoy watching me race. I have dreamed for a long time to be where I am now, and I wish to inspire others to also live their lives to the fullest.” she offered with a renewed smile, nodding to her own statement.

Aurora beamed a warm smile: one of those she was known for. “That’s so lovely of you to say. Now, to get a little more specific, you weren't always looking at a career in AG racing?”

Hyeon-Ae in turn smiled courteously, looking stellar and elegant for a few moments before offering her own insights. “Yes, that is correct. Ever since I was a child it was my dream to soar like this, but there was not much hope for it. I had much energy, you know? My uncle tried to make me compete in many sports, tried many things. In the end he understood, the dream was still there.”

“And now you're here.”

“Yes! I am so blessed, and that is my hope to other women as well; do not give up your dreams. You are capable of reaching for the stars.” Hyeon-Ae quickly continued, brimming with an energy that reinforced her otherwise modest smile.

“To men as well, perhaps?” Aurora shot back, a sly smile with directed editing to zip back and forth in the exchange. Hyeon-Ae chuckled softly, covering her mouth in humble embarrassment.

“Yes, of course. I apologize. Man or woman, you should reach for your dreams.”

“Let me quiz you on a matter on many fans' minds, Hyeon-Ae. Cassie Neves.” Aurora began, with a dramatic pause as if to catch Hyeon-Ae off-guard. The elegant race pilot remained unperturbed, smiling pleasantly. “A talent coming in from Valkyrie to Zygon - a whole continent apart, and to a team with traditionally homegrown talent. Fans can't seem to agree if she's a saviour or saboteur. What are your thoughts?”

Hyeon-Ae gently moved a lock of hair to tuck it behind her ear, taking a few moments of silent - and elegant - contemplation. “Ms Neves is a very good pilot,” she began with soft, measured words, leaning towards Aurora as if sharing a secret. “Valkyrie has taken a big loss, in my opinion. Perhaps their machine was not enough to handle her spirit. However at Zygon we recognise talent and make dreams come true. I am grateful that such a strong personality will help elevate my team to new heights.”

“And as for Zygon itself,” she continued with a new confidence in her tone, preempting Aurora's questions. “We are prepared for a new season of challenges. There are many talents on the grid. I doubt it is as many who have Zygon’s professionalism and skill.”

---

“Great time, Hyeon-Ae ssi. We beat our projection data on this one.”

“It could have been better ...but it is good.”

---

“The stick is fighting me on my left yaws still, I thought we talked about this.” Hyeon-Ae stood firm in the center of the room, arms stretched out. Around her, a few of the crew helped her untangle and remove the mess of cabling and layering that made up the bulk of her suit's exterior.

“Perhaps it is an issue of wearing it in,” the man opposite her remarked as he pulled up the specs on his viewpad. With a mere glance at the pilot with nothing to do right now but mouth off, he preempted her reply with haste. “I'll take a look at it to be sure.”

Hyeon-Ae sighed sharply and pursed her lips, standing still to let others shed her external skin. There was no point in arguing. They’d hit the target and more. Perhaps she should pretend to be happy. Stepping out of the last of the suit and gently working her shoulders back and forth. “Well done, today. Let's keep this up tomorrow and I'll take you all to the fanciest place this city has to offer for a team dinner.” She didn't really wait to scan their faces; the brief moment of confusion and elation on the few in view was enough. She nodded to the coordinator and stepped away towards his viewpad. “I didn't say before, I wasn't sure, but I think I'm shaking the rig in extended inversion..” she continued and gestured at the specs, leaving others to mutter and speak among themselves.

An hour later, Hyeon-Ae was dressed to the nines in what passed as casual according to her virtual stylist; hypermodern form-fitted black with sleek angular cuts, though now somewhat different from its original pure black sheen with a wealth of Zygon patches and colored embroidery added. She was fond of the thick Zygon cap, however, made her feel less exposed. The blasting music and the chaotic din of fans blocked out anything else, and so staying by the VIP sections made sense. This was where she was in her element. Shaking hands, taking pictures, autographing. The little tells of ecstatic glee were easy to pick out even in a crowd like this. And the paddock was pulsing with activity tonight. Walking between two sections of activity, she heard Cassie calling out to her, and redirected with a steeled breath.

She went through the crowd straight to her rival and ally, offering a trained friendly smile. Seizing the moment, she laid her arm over Cassie's shoulders as she looked at the cameras and her interchangeably. “I am sorry, Cassie ssi. A challenge to overcome, for you,” she explained with a jovial tone. “I hope I did not use up all my good fortune today. But we reach for the stars here, yes?” Hyeon-Ae smiled at the cameras, and released Cassie from the brief, casual embrace. “I promised the crew a great partying. Tomorrow, the winner pays.”

Hyeon-Ae smiled for the cameras and engaged for a bit longer before the fiery Cassie found a new thing to be excited for, and the Korean native found her way towards her original goal, folding her arms and elegantly bowing for a heap of fans before walking into the chaos proper.

"Eh? No, no, no! Hugo would never get in a Ship with me!" The hearty chortle of Ulrich Falkner could be heard as he was fielding questions from the Formula: AG VIP pass winners. Such winners got a tour of the pits and paddocks as all the teams were busy making their preparations... however Ulrich was more than happy to entertain the excited fans, especially if it kept them out of the staff's hair. As if on cue, the familiar pitter patter of Hugo's paws could be heard as the racer's pet dog tottered over to his owner, a Miller Motor hat specially tailored for him resting on the canine's head. Ulrich happily knelt down and petted the dog. "Isn't that right, Hugo? You'd much rather watch with the team, huh?" The German fawned over the pooch before straightening back up.

He wasn't sure if interacting with fans with this close was proper of a Pilot or even allowed, but he didn't much care. There was no point to racing or indeed even sports at all if there wasn't people to witness the incredible things they were capable of. As soon as a young man with a pass was about to ask another question, they were interrupted. "Hey, Ulrich... Carver's going over the track. He wants you there with Wedge. Now." One of the engineers instructed, with little tact. With a sigh, Ulrich nodded. "Alright, alright, I'm coming!" He smiled before giving a regretful bow of his head and a wave goodbye. "Apologies, my friends! Please enjoy the rest of your tour! Auf wiedersehen!" He waved goodbye before they all left.

"Hugo, come." Ulrich spoke to his dog before turning on his heels and treading diligently to the holographic map that was highlighting the route of the Auckland track. He nodded to Carver, one of the strategists and to Wedge who was waiting. Ulrich's expression seemed to have changed during the brief walk over... The much more serious side that many fans and even competitors do not see. His eyes were already scanning the twists and turns of the track even before Carver started speaking.

"Sorry. Let's get started."

---

DELTΔ HYPER

Episode One: Finding their Feet

---

The home video of a boy sitting cross legged in front of a widescreen TV, watching a race of sports cars with wheels glued to the tarmac and the excited cheer as they crossed the finish line gracefully transitioned to a picture of a young Ulrich with a helmet tucked under his arm, racing suit donned proudly with a giant smile on his face. These were the first impressions shown to the world of Ulrich for this season of Formula: AG as young Ulrich pulled away from the starting line in his first Junior Rally. Smash cut to an intensely fast compilation of trading paint in rally and Formula vehicles, a Junior AG craft beating out an opponent during a box-in all interspersed with imagery of military tanks and accompanied with hard rock n' roll.

The Panzer was already sitting on the couch with loyal Hugo ever behaved beside him as the camera pans around with Aurora's introduction.

"Morning, Ulrich! Would you like to introduce yourself, and perhaps, take us through your move to Miller Motor Racing, a move I think we can all assume was rather unexpected?"

"Was it?" Ulrich joked, clearly not that serious in the immediate response as he laughed. "Ah, no. I can see why some people would say that but the reason for my move to MMR is no secret." He began, the side-on view of the camera getting a shot of the surgically grafted neural link. It was bit bulkier than most pilot's, with more hard edged plates and a thick port that only helped to serve the combat vehicle alias he's been dubbed with.

"You look at my teammate and you see a young rookie looking to make his mark on this sport, and now you have a team willing to take that chance. To risk it by putting their faith in the future. I want that kind of team backing me too, and I want to repay that faith by being among the best too. And I think I bring that same energy with uhh..." Ulrich's fingers rapidly snapped as he was searching for the English word, a technique he's used to make sure that he didn't miss too much of a beat during interviews. "Passion! That's what I want to bring!" Ulrich's wholehearted response continued. "I don't know if some of the other racers take me seriously, but that's fine. I know I can show everyone that I can be a champion."

---

As both Ulrich and Max watched the last racer post their times on the leaderboard, Ulrich had a slight smile on his face that both himself and Wedge had made the top 10. He patted Max on the shoulder with a wide grin, the excitement and optimism plastered on his face. "Top Ten, Wedge! Top Ten!" He laughed before giving one last goodbye pat and walking off to the next fan meet.

"Tomorrow will be fun!"

INTERVIEWS

Pre-Qualification

@Starlance

"We'll have to see what comes up later today! What do you think of Ava Villarosa, your team-mate? You say you want to be comparable- what do you think splits the two of you?"

---

@MrSkimobile

"Sounds like you have your approach down, Kais. We look forward to seeing you charging hard!" Aurora replied, with a chuckle in return, calm enough, the character in front coming with one hell of a story. That of course, wasn't escaping.

"How about the others on the grid? What have you got to say for the other racers you'll be going toe to toe with?"

---

@LadyAmber

"Apologies, Alexander. Whilst you can't divulge changes, how would your approach impart on the team?" Aurora started, knowing he had places to be, so would wrap it up after the reply.

"We will be watching keenly, and I am sure we'll be excited to see an ex-driver in the paddock as a specialist at a big team. Thank you for your time. We will see you later!"

---

@Enzayne

Han had made leading questions easy, and more followed. But, Aurora had one thing to pick out.

"How has pre-season been treating you? And what did you get up to over the off-season? You have many talents, so I am sure you kept busy?"

---

@GingerBoi123

"Passion indeed! And no doubt, many will look at Miller Motor Racing with a keen eye. Outside of Southern Cross, you have one of the youngest line-ups on the grid. Do you think you make up for experience with trying something new, like your enhancement shows?"

---

@Sylvan

"Hey Nora, welcome to Delta Hyper! Can I call you Nelly? Your addition to Southern Cross has everyone talking- a former underground racer now at a top team, how are you feeling and how are you finding the top level so far?" Aurora asked, then following up with her next after a reply.

"Whilst on the wrong side of the Tasman Strait from home, this is Southern Cross's unofficial home GP. How are you feeling about it, and what do you think you can do later today?"

---

Aurora had stayed with other ten, the tele-prompted hologram still across the room, sitting and looking over. The real person beaming in of course was exceptionally busy to keep up given her commitments, but hey, her projection here was good enough. It was still pre-qualy, and there were still questions, the last batch before they went off.

The questions as before, remain unsaid, but crucially- varied.

Dorian listened, and gave a quiet nod, the usually amicable, polite, gentlemanly Frenchman taking a moment to think it through. The question was heavy. Loaded, but a question that needed a really thought out answer.

"So, it's hard to answer that. Paul reminds me a lot of Auldrick. Very Belgian, of course. But very humble...a really good guy. Talented, capable, and I suppose this never happens in the history of Formula One, or Anti-Gravity Racing that someone has raced with a father and son on the same grid, not since.....Alonso? I suppose a lot was said, but at the end of the day, we are in a risky sport and that accident....was not something we will ever forget. There had been incredible advances in safety technology since then, no less the Field Generators in our craft, and I know Paul has been through the ranks and knows what he can do. I am sure we will make a very good team together. He has his father's talent and no matter what, he is here not because of name, but because he is the best option. I will defend him on that."

Dorian's words felt tight, unusually so, but still, came out the way they had come out. A vet standing there and taking those words into heart, it felt strong, percussive even.

Astrid sighed, another interview question to clear as she sipped down her energy drink.
"Yes, I suppose having a scientific background helps with racing. Allows me to examine things in better detail. Algal blooms, fuel processing....yes. Also, enhanced bioalgae makes a really good component for the most incredible gin you have ever tried....which I am helping to make and is what I got up to over the off season!"

Aurora sighed.

Harrison relaxed further back into the chair, meanwhile.
"So, what did I get up to over Season Break? Honestly mate....it was beautiful. Spent a lot of time surfing, a lot of Triathlons, gravboarding, fully got to unwind before we go on the attack this season. A lot of time in advocacy, especially for the relocation work that the Oceanic Whanau are doing for Niue and Norfolk Islanders after the floods, as well as seeing the reintroduction of the Tasmanian Tiger in Tassie. Really got to me...and a lot of good people involved in that project, and a very misunderstood animal! They're so beautiful! We did a lot of physical and physio work too, a new bone marrow means I'm getting used to having a bit more strength in my legs and arms than I'm used to, outside the muscle groups! Ah, yeah I can't tell you anymore but yeah, busy Aurora, never sitting still!"

Henry looked like he knew the question was coming, but, it was certain that his response would always pitch when he got it, one way or another on updates coming from the factory.
"We're going to try and improve this season. Honestly, my dad....I mean the CEO is saying we are getting more investment. We just need to be patient. We're going to develop something a lot faster, and with our technical support coming in from Zygon, I'm sure we'll have something to give. We just need to develop, then we'll be right as rain."

Max chuckled, his hand against his face, shaking his head and seeing this one coming.
"Look, I know what you're trying to bait me into. That Ulrich is here, not Valkyrie, because he wants mods, or he has money, or something else. This ain't that kinda place. We're a family here, you know? And he likes the project. He's the real deal. Trust me on that. Next one." Max eloquently replied, a smile on his very marketable face and shiny teeth.

Layla shrugged, brushing her obsidian hair aside, revealing her tanned, gentle features, a tattoo up her neck in Henna-style, that covered her neural link and what looked like a surface-level print that attached to her augments.
"Well....he'll not mind me saying this, but as a test tube ex-soldier, he's hard as nails and a man of focus. He may attack hard, but he's not out of control. He's fast. From my time researching at the joint Asterion-Cresent facility on Luna, I know harsh environments make racers even more determined. He will push hard, for sure. Just takes time to bed in and find when the limits fight back."

Cassie uncrossed her legs, sipping water.
"Zygon's culture? Uhhh....it is different, I don't speak Korean but that's nothing a neural piece and earworm (live earpiece translator) doesn't help with. But nothing much really compared to the European Union. Sure, there's digital sign-offs everywhere, but find a top team without it. It's work we have to do, but, it keeps us racing and at the best teams. So you have to do it sometimes, when you can't find the small army of support they send your way. It's a hard life, see, we do this too and don't just have AI companions working on everything!" She chuckled, cackling with laughter, water back to mouth.

Kofi sipped down some more coffee, a funny namesake, as he chuckled.
"The other rookies? They're a good bunch, yes? I like them. Young, full of vigour. Ignore Amy being elitist, I know she would say something like...."oh they don't have a Champion mentality" in her response. No disrespect, she is CRAZY good, but.....you have to give people a chance!"

Amy sat up, hearing the question, 3-D printed, hollowed carbon composite hand on chin for a second as she thought about it.
"So....what does it take to take a title, the Championship? Well, like my answer a while ago. A lot of grit. You can't just be printed out as a human being or win. Or have the best AI in the world. It's a fusion of person, and machine, and more than the sum of both of your composite. You need to take risks. Take the best opportunities you can. Not care what others think. And that means having it all. A really good craft. A really good team-mate. And more than anything, willing to do anything it takes and know when you're one on one with your championship rival, knowing you'll hold your line. It's forgetting what the backmarkers on the grid look like. It's knowing what clean air feels like and taking it in. That's addictive. I know that feeling so well now, it's....well, makes me want it badly." She sat up, no hint of worrying how some.....others on the grid may feel about it. She wasn't done though.

"You know who would be a really good answer for that question? My boss!"

And as if on command, there he was, in the next cut. The bald, 50-something, Peter Thatcher, Team Principal of Silverstone Apex, all presented in a white shirt and grey trousers, in full team garb. Just like Aurora....Irish accented.

"Amy has a good habit of this, doesn't she Aurora? Drags me into these things! The f*ckin' craic on her!" Peter chuckled, sighing, knowing where that question had led into.

"Jesus, here we go again....where were we?" Peter cleared his throat, Aurora looking on silently.

"Right then. Crucially, Amy's right, Aurora. It's not just about your pilot. Not about good your craft is. Only way to win, is with your team because the people at the factory, sponsors and everyone else, makes it. And we have to make cutting decisions sometimes. Not everyone will be happy, or understand. Marginal gains, you see."

"From my time being at teams for years that win, that's what it takes. Simon Hall, our lead Technical Designer, could go on for hours about the Art of AG Design, like his new e-book talks about. Then Amy, much of a wildcard as she is, is just no doubt, fast. Focussed. Doesn't even consider the idea of a flaw. She just gets on with it and delivers, every time. So yeah, it all works out. You just need to give people like that the freedom to do what they need to. Not like some teams....we don't win by committee, meetings, or just some chaotic free-for-all pinning everything into speed over stability and creating rockets rather than ships that can be managed. We have the freedom to just focus on what matters. Winning. The rest, like our R&D, our cutting edge tech that's propelled other organisations further? We pay people for that and they're champions too."

---

Pre-Race Party

Soundtrack: DNMO, Wolfy Lights: Bombalaya (Blooom Remix)

Post Qualification

Almost all of the pilots were out at a fan meet, the brief period of time each pilot would, out of most likely, generosity and the need to at least keep marketability up and keep the sponsors happy. Despite all the corporate bullshit, people needed to go represent. And the soundtrack did not let up- just utterly insane. The camera's following anyone of any interest- but it picks up one strand for a moment before anyone who is going to be followed, that hasn't been already in the post qualy party, is. Pilots could narrate their way, or go quiet if they wanted to enjoy it. Up to them- after all, exposure is a nice thing to have, but man, would be intrusive....

Amy meandered through the paddock, an entourage following. There's a certain look to her, team merino wool and hyper-smooth, hyper-futuristic tech fleece and baseball cap on, and the photos and camera were on her, though not saying much at all yet. She looked on at Cassie and Han getting pictures in their bit of Zygon's Fan Zone, and then, Layla and Kais in theirs, Layla waving to crowds and signing, "Yalla" herself with her gold catching eyes. Then Max and Ulrich, the young guns, happy as ever to be in this frame of things. Harrison and Nora, the shock third place sitter who nobody saw coming, let alone could even believe was here, then over in the far corner, Bea, with a growing crowd. She really was a star for such a small team driver, her marketability was just remarkable, Amy noticed. Another Brit, too. Then Han and Cassie, an unconventional pair, but bonding. She wasn't particularly interested in talking to any right now, just observing, as she signed bits on her way, as were Paul and Dorian, fielding questions with Valkyrie. She would have her own little bit of fan-zone, no Silver Apex really needed. And the questions came thick and thin.

Celebrities were here, from music to films and those that did both, and it's a hell of a scene. The party is going, and for anyone there- they can make of it what they will. Chill with their team, go to the fan zones, or hell, even join in the party itself. Options here are good. Probably limited chance to interact with other pilots, but that would come tomorrow. So, indulge!

---

Under the Hood

The party would die soon enough though, not that the Chilean of Carrera Condor was particularly engaging now. No film cameras were present there. She sat inside of the secluded trailer, on the bed lay Ava, with her wings a little clipped.

"How's it looking, doctor?" She asked, her husk carrying, Doctor Ivan Garroa holding up one the carbon-fibre, titanium reinforced legs in hand.

"You have two legs built for hypersonics because you're an ex-pilot, not anti-gravity. This isn't easy a fix." He sighed, the holographic display haptically responding, as Ava was quite literally, plugged in, like a diagnostic cable was running into an ODP port in the base of her neck. And most of all, missing two legs that he was tweaking at the base. Ivan was a Doctor, yes, but basically was an engineer too for this particular problem. On site, he was good for biotechnical fixes for highly augmented pilots like Ava alongside a couple of neural engineers, but back home, a fully-fledged biosciences and biotechnology team filled in the void.

Quite literally, you could rip a person almost entirely apart and replace nearly every organ. Not that there was any practical reason to do that- shit, while you could have almost an artificial replacement for anything, unless it saved weight and was more efficient, no point. It was a point of risk, and any engineer would tell you fucking too much with a good thing was a bad idea. So it was contained to just critical, the bits that were the winning edge. Doctors like Ivan knew how to balance that.

"Luckily, I keep spare components that don't get fried under load. I know you like these legs, Ava. But attachment isn't good, even if they're good on corners. You need to think about replacing them with a more modern composite. Before the boss just does it anyway." Ivan said, Ava sighing, knowing it was the crunch time.

*CLIP*

With it, he gently pushed them into place once secured to a bracket at the bottom of her stump.

"There's nothing out there I like the same. These have done a lot for me." Ava replied, knowing there was some sentimentality to it. After all, she could give up the brute strength in them for inputs in replacement of something finer, but more fragile. All a game, and not one she always was on the right side of, given engineers usually had an override if they had to. As fucked up as it was- about the only thing that a Pilot had, was their brain. And everything else was up for grabs. There were limits of course, but pilots like Layla, and little known to few, Amy, were pushing that idea.

"I know. Common symptom of anyone. Exhale please." Another firm clip and push in place.

"That should do the trick, yes?" Ava replied, checking her movement, feeling it easily reconnect, the AI-driven, haptic feel at the base of her thigh stump syncing perfectly. It looked more industrial as a prosthetic than some who either kept it skin-natural or even painted it, but, it worked and was hers. Attachment was easy, after all. It was literally a piece of you.

"Yeah, should do it. All other diagnostics are good. Your heart augmenter is nice, and your bloods are looking perfect. You look after yourself well, Ava, you're in one of the best shapes I've seen a Pilot in, given your regime, maeks sense. But you need to help yourself too on stuff like that." The Doctor replied, Ava sighing, the telemetry like a car available for Ava to look at, and without even the use of an X-Ray scanner, literally allowing her to look INSIDE herself at the various augments and implants.

"Good. Don't tell Bea I'm just stubborn?"

"Whatever gave you the impression she doesn't already know?"

---

Soundtrack: Bonobo- Migration

Race day.

Prep, final checks, everything else. It was a hive, and the party was dead, the soundtrack of drum and bass pounding replaced by a more sombre, eclectic yet thrumming quiet.

Most importantly?

Grid Photo

And there it was. A little away from where the paddock was, the track met the ocean and behind it, the Auckland Harbour Bridge and the pontoon moored to the land. All ten ships of each team were sprawled across it in isolation and floated, from the majestic white of Silver Apex, the Koru-swirling navy and yellow of Southern Cross, the dark grey, yellow, pink and neon blue of Valkyrie, the dark green of Al-Saqr, the purple-like pearl and red of Zygon, the aurora-like pink of Nordic Call, the teal blue of Miller Motor Racing, the orange of SuperCat, the spotted-rainbow overlay on black and white composite of Carrera Condor, then the black and red of Fitzroy.

Everyone was there, full pilot attire, minus helmets, standing there in front of each craft, side by side, and the drone was coming in. You'd think you would fake this now, you absolutely could. But tradition was tradition. This was when the grid came together, and looked at each other's craft, each other, and more fundamentally?

All twenty were in each other's company. And nobody else, bar a camera drone and well, an invisible defence system. You know, just in case about a few billion dollars worth of pilots were to be caught out. Insurers were adamant about that. The drone swooned in, catching the bridge, and the view of all the pilots, their craft, and their gazes in full.

Amy adjusted her presence, next to Jamie Hart, the new blood in the Apex seat alongside her for the year. Ex-Nordic Call driver, a rare find for the Scandinavian team, and the young, pale Canadian shared the honours for this year of trying to survive Amy...or at least, not get trounced. Amy checked her lid, a fully translucent helmet that made something like a modern-day F35 helmet look low-tech. Almost near 360 vision, and whilst it was a common setup, minor tweaks for each pilot's personal preferences existed.

She looked across, and got a good look at all of them. Kais's fire, Bea's creative flair and control, to Nora's punk that excluded even beyond her Southern Cross colours, to Ulrich's efficiency, then Han, the bioengineered poster child for Zygon. New blood. But blood nonetheless to take on.

Someone had to break the awkward silence, now the publicists were gone.
"No bad blood from last year, yeah Amy?" Harrison commented, chuckling, Amy sighing, shrugging her shoulders.

"Nah, not really. You gave me a good run. Try harder though." Amy replied with a sarcastic chuckle, to the laugh of a few other pilots, the casting director adjusting them to get another photo in.

"This is like being at bloody school again." Henry commented with his cool Caribbean voice, as Cassie tsk'd.

"The one you went to privately? Some of us were born without a silver spoon in our mouth. What, your trillionaire daddy also insuring you for truths?" The Scots-Portuguese got some looks, as she almost looked to say "what?" to others, as they shuffled. A bit of a groan, before Kofi, the man of reason, stpeped in.

"Well, are we all in agreement we shouldn't kill each other this season? We have a safety committee too we all agreed we'd send three people in for." Kofi retorted, the Ghanian the last person you'd insult. You'd have to be a real dick to do that....right?

"That would make sh*t content. Look at that drone." Astrid simply retorted, the aurora-wearing pilot suit glimmering with the sheen it had, as she looked across to some of the others, seeing it come into view. And well, Astrid just being blunt was never not funny, as it even got Harrison.

"You want content! We will make you content! Welcome to the circus!" Astrid yelled out, to the casting director's actual, physical sigh and possibly the entire audience's laugh.

This was going to be a short half an hour made long.

Interview Wrap Up - Alexander Knight

---

Aurora: "Apologies, Alexander. Whilst you can't divulge changes, how would your approach impart on the team?"

Alexander had already turned his attention to finishing up any last minute details, having some dinner, and getting horizontal till morning. He was surprised when he heard Aurora asking him to stop behind him with one final question. He sighed as he tried very hard to not growl in response. His patience was almost at an end. He was out of practice dealing with the media. Maybe he could talk Leopold into understanding that he should provide the media LIMITED ACCESS to his grumpy crew chief. He wouldn’t hold his breath though. By her very questions he could tell Leopold and the marketing team were pumping the fact that he was a pilot from the beginning of antigravity racing to build the hype for the season. He dropped his head in resignation and turned back around.

He didn’t bother to hide the exhaustion on his face as he gave her a genuine wry smile before he replied.

“Well Aurora I hope my changes will impart a winning season but only time will tell. If you are wanting to know what changes I will be making for the team or what I plan to focus on, I honestly don’t know yet. We will all find out together how successful I am. Now if you don’t mind I have a few last minute things to see too.”

He gave her a quick nod of his head before he left with a determined stride. He was not stopping for anything else. Behind him Alexander heard her reply.

"We will be watching keenly, and I am sure we'll be excited to see an ex-driver in the paddock as a specialist at a big team. Thank you for your time. We will see you later!"

He snorted in amusement as he stepped through the door. He hoped he didn’t grow to despise her by the end of the season. Overly perky people annoyed him because they always seemed like they were hiding their true intentions. They just didn’t feel authentic. He knew he was biased due to previous experiences. Now on to his next challenge of the day.

---

---

Alexander was in his hotel room eating some surprisingly good room service. He was reviewing important notifications sent over to him by the team. He was sorting it into categories of need to deal with immediately, tomorrow, next week, next month, or never. The number of requests for interviews were staggering. It was not even feasible for him to carve out enough time to do a quarter of them. He punted those to the marketing team and told them to set up a press conference at team headquarters for the week following the race. He would make it a team affair and share the spotlight. That should appease the sharks and chum the waters at the same time.

He closed the laptop and finished his dinner and was sipping on the last of his beer. He thought about the notification for the Pre-Race Party. He shook his head worried about that. He would try to get them to do the next one before qualifiers. He was not happy about his pilots being up late and partying the night before a big race. He wanted them well rested and focused. He also understood that this is how the game was played. The racing team had to have fans who brought in sponsors who paid for everything. To get the fans and sponsors they had to be in the media. He didn’t mind his drivers going to a party but the timing of this party almost felt like sabotage. Granted some of the pilots were so augmented they probably had blood filtering systems and could drink all the alcohol they wanted and not be impaired. He knew their drivers didn’t have those kinds of augmentations. He also put some thought into how this party could affect his rookie.

As a young man starting his pro-rookie season, Paul had to be excited to be in the big leagues and doing what he loves. Paul had to be nervous as well. He knew that Paul was feeling the pressure of the technical default that led to his failed qualifying round. His ship had a minor malfunction and failed to fire at the starting gate. Alexander had been furious and tore into the engineering and mechanical team. It had turned out to be a loose wire on the starting mechanism. Knight could see that it had rocked Paul’s confidence. It was not Paul’s fault but he understood that Paul felt that way because it was his butt in the seat. He didn’t want Paul to drive poorly tomorrow because he was hungover. Paul deserved his moment in the limelight and the perks that came with being a racer. He didn’t want to take this moment away from him. He knew Dorian would know his limits and had the experience to decide what was appropriate for himself. He wasn’t as concerned about the veteran racer.

Alexander was staying in the same hotel as the drivers. He asked them to come to his room for a meeting. He had a small suite with a separate bedroom and a small living room area with a desk and a small dining table. It was not overly pretentious and met his needs. He snorted as he knew some teams would pick a penthouse. He thought that was ridiculous unless he was sharing that space with other members of the team. He had no interest in knowing what his drivers were up to or what kind of company they might have. He preferred his own space.

Alexander heard a knock on the door and got up to let the two men in. He turned and indicated the couch.

“Have a seat gentlemen.”

He closed the door and followed them. He took the chair across from the couch where Dorian and Paul had settled. He smiled at them both before starting the conversation.

Alexander wasted no time as his arms settled on the arms of the plush chair he was sitting in.

“Thank you for coming. I wanted to check in and see how you were both doing. Dorian, let's start with you. How do you feel your qualifying round went?”

Dorian had settled onto the couch and had one leg propped up on the knee of the other. He relaxed back into the plush sofa. He can’t say he was surprised by Knight’s last minute request for a meeting. He had been getting ready for the Pre-Race Party and was already dressed in a custom tailored suit and tie with soft Italian leather shoes. His hair was styled and had enough product in it to keep it looking that way. He had on a nice cologne which was always a hit with the ladies. He looked like a million bucks and he knew it. Dorian exuded confidence as he regarded Knight. He had been shocked to hear about the crew chief change. He was not surprised that Valkyrie had decided to fire Dominic so much as the timing and who they had chosen to replace him. He respected Knight but he had no clue what he thought he could learn from someone who had been out of the game for so long.

“I did well in qualifying. I placed a respectable seventh place. The ship’s actuators for turns were a little sluggish which caused some shimmying and vibrations. I already let the engineering team know.”

Dorian shrugged like it was an expected result. He was satisfied with his performance.

Alexander nodded as he spoke.

“I agree with you Dorian. You did well. Thank you for letting me know about the issues you had. I will double check that the engineers have that problem fixed before tomorrow's race.”

Alexander turned his attention to Paul and smiled at the rookie driver.

“How about you Paul? How are you feeling after qualifiers?”

Paul had sat quietly after greeting each man with a flick of his head. He had been surprised to get a request from Knight to speak to them before they left for the Pre-Race Party. Paul was dressed in stylish but comfortable dark jeans, a nice blue button up shirt that was tucked in, a black leather belt, and butter soft dress black leather shoes. The blue shirt made his blue eyes stand out even more and look more vibrant. His blonde hair was styled in artful waves. He had a gold Rolex on his right wrist. It had been a gift from his mother. She had given it to him when he had left for New Zealand. He had been shocked that her attitude about him racing had changed. She was still afraid for him but she was supporting his dream. The watch she had given him belonged to his father. It had been a present from her for one of their anniversaries. He nodded as he listened to Dorian’s response. He agreed that his teammate had done very well in the qualifying round.

Paul couldn’t hide his nerves and discomfort about talking about what had happened during his qualifying round.

“I didn’t get the chance to run the qualifying round. The damn ship wouldn’t start.”

Paul's voice was full of all the frustration, anger, and resentment he was feeling about that.

Alexander met Paul’s eyes with a serious no nonsense look as he spoke.

“Paul, in case you didn’t hear from the team, it was not your fault. The engineering team reported back to me that they found a loose wire on the starter assembly. It had been jarred loose during shipping somehow. I have already promised them they could expect my size tens to meet their asses if your ship is not perfect by race time tomorrow. It will be dealt with.”

He watched to see how his words landed on the young man.

Paul met Alexander’s eyes unsure how to feel about this man. He could see from the dark circles under his eyes that the man was tired. He could almost sense the frustration on his behalf in his voice. He blinked a little as he was a little surprised at the crudeness of his remark. No one had yet thought to tell Paul what the issue had been with his ship. He couldn’t help the relief he felt that it was not his fault. It was nothing he did. He couldn’t think of how to respond and simply nodded.

Alexander was glad he had asked to speak with Paul. It was clear to him that no one had told him what had happened. He had seen the instant relief and tension leave his shoulders. He gave Paul a tired smile.

“I have faith you will redeem yourself tomorrow. You know something similar once happened to your father. He went on to take third in that race.”

He winked at Paul. It made him happy to share memories of the man who had once been his best friend. It also made him a little sad. He missed Audrick. When he died, there was a huge hole left in his life that no one else had ever filled. He turned his attention to the reason he had asked them to meet him.

“Gentlemen, I wanted to talk to you about the Pre-Race Party. When I was racing these things didn’t occur the night before a major race.”

He turned to Dorian and addressed him first.

“Dorian I know you have the experience to handle yourself and you know what to expect. Please keep an eye on Paul and answer his questions. Please remember you are racing tomorrow. I would like you to watch your alcohol intake and be back in time to get plenty of rest before the race.”

Dorian snorted with laughter at Knight’s admission. He smiled at him a respectful nod before giving him a resentful look.

“I know how to take care of my teammate Alexander. I already had his back in the interview room.”

Dorian rolled his eyes in annoyance at him for presuming to tell him what he needed to do.

Alexander had caught Dorian’s tone and raised an eyebrow wondering if he was going to have issues with the man. He let it go for now. As the crew chief he couldn’t presume that Dorian would do what was right. Competition between team driver’s happened all the time. It was his job as crew chief to make sure the whole team was looked after. If he needed Dorian to mentor the new pilot, then Dorian needed to step up and help mentor the rookie.

Alexander turned to Paul and met his eyes once more.

“Paul, I want you to enjoy this experience but be responsible. Don’t accept any recreational substances other than alcohol and try to watch how much you drink. Don’t forget to drink a glass of water before bed as well. There will be a mix of fans, other drivers, and media there.” He then flicked his eyes over both men. “Have fun but remember there are eyes everywhere. Watch out for each other.”

Alexander smiled at them both and flicked a hand towards the door.

“Get out of here and go have some fun.”

He watched them leave before retiring to his bed and was soon asleep.

---

Pre-Race Party

---

Paul had resented Alexander's words a little. He felt like he was a child being managed with kid gloves. He was not a child who needed to be coddled. He resented Dorian being tasked as his babysitter. Paul had no clue how Dorian was feeling about it. Dorian had been quiet and had a slightly annoyed air since they had left Alexander’s suite.

Dorian turned to Paul in the limo after putting up the privacy barrier between them and the driver. His accent had a hard edge to it as he spoke.

“Look Paul, I am not your father or your keeper. I am your teammate and I will help you out. Please just relax and enjoy yourself. Alexander means well and his advice is solid. I know you have been in the junior circuit and know how to handle yourself with the media. You wouldn’t be here if Valkyrie had any concerns, okay?”

Dorian waited for Paul’s nod, his face looking somewhat mutinous and angry. Dorian gave Paul a smile.

“This party will be… how do the American’s say… lit!”

Paul looked at Dorian and met his eyes. His resentment faded with Dorian’s words. He nodded and gave him a smile. It was funny to hear American slang from Dorian. It was clear from his delivery that it was not something he used often. Dorian could be very dry and formal when he spoke. He gave into it and just laughed. His good humor was restored. He chuckled before asking Dorian.

“Do you have any advice you want to share?”

Dorian patted Paul on the shoulder.

“No, I think you know what you need to do. Have fun. If you need me, have one of your security shadows fetch me or send a message to one of mine.”

Dorian winked at Paul as the limo slowed to a stop.

“It’s showtime.”

The limo door opened and they stepped out onto a red carpet to a sea of flashbulbs. There was the typical sea of media at the entrance to the track.

They made their way into the Valkyrie AGR fan zone that was part of their paddock at the track. There was a great DJ and music was being pumped throughout the track. Valkyrie’s marketing team had set up lighting to turn the fan zone into a dance club. Colorful lights cut through the space and lit up a packed dance floor. There was a bar area serving alcohol in collectible mugs and cups. There were servers walking around with trays of appetizers, and bottled waters. There were of course merchandise tables where pre-autographed merch was sold and along with merch for sale to get signed. Dorian and Paul each had their own signing station area where they could meet and talk to their fans. There was a step and repeat backdrop set up for pictures with the Valkyrie AGR logo and their sponsors logos. Some of their sponsors had their own booths catering to the fans. One of Valkyrie’s sponsors was a sports drink manufacturer that was giving out bottles to the crowd and branded merchandise. There was a food truck parked on the track side where a meat substitute sponsor was serving bratwurst sandwiches made from their product to the crowd.

Dorian smiled and waved to the crowd as he made his way to his station. He had learned long ago it was easier for him to be stationary. Others could come to him. It was easier for his security to manage the crowd that way. He easily chatted with fans and signed autographs while answering questions to the media.

Paul followed Dorian’s example and made his way to his signing station. He wanted to be sure he didn’t disappoint his fans. The Pre-Race Party was a fan exclusive event that they paid good money to attend. He wanted them to feel they he was an accessible driver and approachable. Paul quickly relaxed and was having a great time. Laughter flowed around him and there were smiles and laughter coming from those surrounding him.

So far the media had been respectful and had not asked too many prying questions. Many of them asked what had happened at the qualifiers and he joked about it.

“Well these things happen.”

He had winked at the press who were hanging on his every word hoping for a byline.

“I feel it gives me an advantage. My competition hasn’t seen my set up or my abilities for this race. I am the dark horse underdog for this race.”

Paul oozed charm and confidence as he said it. He brushed it off as just something that happened with the sport which was true. Mechanical issues happened. He would not let them see that he had been rattled earlier. The topics soon turned to other things and he chatted with his fans hoping to steal their hearts.

DELTΔ HYPER

Episode One: Finding their Feet

---

"We'll have to see what comes up later today! What do you think of Ava Villarosa, your team-mate? You say you want to be comparable- what do you think splits the two of you?"

”We’ve done a lot of sim training together in the off season and I think we complete each others’ skillsets well. Ava is a very smart pilot, good with all the energy stuff. I’ve got more of the raw driving skill. It’s a mixed track this week so between me and Ava it comes down to who can make up more time in the sections they’re good at to cover the deficit on the other half of the lap. For the race, if we’re competing, it’ll be down to consistency. She’s got me beat there, I’ve been known to pull some boneheaded manoeuvres in the past. But if we play our cards right and play the team game, we can make up for each others’ shortcomings on a track like here, Spa or Rift Valley.” Bea explained. ”Racers who came up through Rallying like Ulrich and I also have this thing, I like to say that we’re ‘Rally Brave’ because we’re fine doing up to 180 kph through a forest down a narrow gravel road so up to 600 kph on a wide, purpose-built track with runoffs, soft barriers and forcefields is almost like a grocery run to us, but the reality of the situation is that we’re plain mad with no self-preservation instinct.” She added semi-seriously. That could be both an asset and a drawback, being both the core of her racing style and th reason behind those early boneheaded maneuvers.
”Off the track, I think we’ll work great. Every comedy act needs a straight man to the weird one and Ava is perfect for that. Besides, I’m already used to having a responsible older sister trying to keep me- Well… Not ‘grounded,’ that would be pushing it, ‘within sight of the ground,’ that we can talk about, so now I basically have two. Let’s see if they can manage.” She ended with a cheeky grin.

”Has she smiled in your interview at all?” Bea asked, laughing when Aurora’ hologram answered, ”Just once? We’re working on it. Results by the Lunar AGP, I promise!” She said with her right hand raised in a pledge.

---

The video was shot on her phone as Bea ducked and weaved through the crowds, the format indicating a short, spontaneous video rather than something planned. If she was normally excitable, she was practically bouncing off the walls. ”Oh my God, I just learned that Keira Weaver is in the Southern Cross VIP zone! Hang on, I gotta go through the restricted areas, I feel bad rushing past the fans trying to flag me down.” She went through a door and continued down a sterile white corridor, a completely different world to the vibrant fete outside. ”Okay, for those who don’t know, not only is ‘Raven Squad’ both my favourite action movie and my favourite comedy of all time, Sam Dalton also happens to be my favourite character in that movie, so she’s not leaving the paddock until I get my hat signed. I don’t care what it takes, I will eat the false imprisonment charge if I have to.” She laughed before the video ended.
Bea wasn’t a racer who came up from the grassroots nor did she try to cultivate the image of one, she came from two generations of money and everybody knew it, but she understood the power of the common folk. Yes, those who could afford VIP passes paid a lot, but those who couldn’t were a lot more numerous. A lot of the time, they were also more pleasant. Not always - and even among the regular people there were those who felt like the world spun around them - but the money crowd tended to bring entitlement along in greater numbers, or more likely greater concentration. As always, a loud minority souring the reputation of the greater whole. So she always made sure to slip out of the VIP zone at somewhat regular intervals to get amongst the actual pillars of the sport. Security wasn’t happy about that, but they agreed to a compromise that she’d stay near the entrance of the VIP zone where those stationed at the door could keep an eye out on her without leaving their posts.

That’s how a video of Bea singing ‘The Wild Rover’ with a trio of drunken Irish fans before excusing herself with an apology and a maybe-true-maybe-false line about sponsor commitments when they suggested ‘Come Out Ye Black and Tans’ next, recorded by someone in the crowd, made it online before midnight. That wasn’t a topic she wanted to risk. She’s had enough of dancing on a similar edge for three years in Rally, with a co-driver from Inverness bringing in fans from all over Scotland.

---

She felt a little out of place in her racing suit, the segmented hard polymer plates covering as much of its surface as possible making it look like she could shrug off a sledgehammer to the chest, her helmet - similar in construction to the one worn by SR-71 crews a century go and adorned with a sharkmouth-style design of her own making depicting a Siberian Husky, each eye pointing in a different direction and the tongue comically hanging out down the left side of the helmet - held underarm. The suit bore the team’s black and white colors with lime green accents, though if it were painted battleship gray with white numbers, fake rivets and a balkenkreuz it would’ve felt right at home on ‘The Panzer’. The team took full advantage of the mostly flat plates, the chestplate proudly flying the vine-wrapped Anglo-Saxon shield of Pridwen Solutions - ‘Planting dreams, harvesting future’ - among the usual smattering of other sponsor logos all over, the team’s own looming large over her back positioned in such a way that when she moved her arms, the motion of the small, overlapping shoulder plates made it look like the stylized Condor was moving its wings. The girl in charge of placing the logos was pretty talented, and Bea had spent several hours nerding out about graphical design with her when the suit’s appearance was being finalized.

”Big step up from my school in the dress code department. Especially the Falcons, who did your suits and do they take orders?” Bea noted following Henry’s comment, trying to paint over Cassie’s words. ”And hold off on the fighting, the network doesn’t have rights for UFC. If one must get slapped around, might as well get royalties from it.”

She took the first bit of time when they were not being corralled to marks taped to the ground by the director to make rounds around the rookies, specifically those she knew from her two years in Junior Formula AG to shake their hands and wish them good luck, starting with Mulder to tease him about his mechanical failure a bit.
”Your ship was looking nimble in the street section. Well, maybe not yours.” Bea grinned.
“I wanted to give you guys a chance.” He mirrored her expression and tone.
”That’s the spirit. But they know what died, right, or is it dead dead?” She mimed slitting her throat with a thumb for emphasis.
“We’re racing today.”
”There you go, looking forward to it. And fans love it when their driver fights through the field.”
“That they do. I’ll give you a wave when I pass you tomorrow, for your fans.”
”Cheeky bugger.” Bea laughed, ”Good luck, mate.” She moved on after a handshake.

---

Sounds like you have your approach down, Kais. We look forward to seeing you charging hard! How about the others on the grid? What have you got to say for the other racers you'll be going toe to toe with?

“Hmm.. There are quite a few of those, … Glance at the nametag. ”... Aurora... so let’s stick to the new ones, shall we; if I burn all bridges we’ll be talking all day and I have a busy schedule, not to mention jetlag.” Kais said as he started a count on his fingers.

“MadBea and Nora. Reckless, loud, and proud--sounds familiar. But being a loose cannon only works until someone out-guns you. They’ll learn that soon enough. Ulrich: solid defense, but you can’t be afraid to fight, eh. Also I don’t know how he does it, all that smiling. Hurts my face just to look at him sometimes. I’m scared for Paul Mulder, honestly--I’d rather see him dance with girls, than with death. And Han Hyeon-Ae? I’ve gotten more down the nose stares from her than from anyone, and we haven’t even raced each other yet. But we’ll see how she handles being taken out of her comfort zone.”

In the distance, Kais saw the team principal wince.

“So what I’m saying is I’m sure we’ll get along fine.”

---

Pre-Race Party

“You any good at social stuff?” Kais asked Nadia during a small break from signing their way through the night. These were possibly some of his most dreaded events, and he welcomed any emotional support animal he could get. And today, Nadia drew the shortest straw.

“If I was, my security clearance would’ve probably been in by now. Those background interviews were pure hell.” Nadia responded. “Shame. That impatient to get inside our brains, huh?” Kais quipped back. Nadia smiled. With a lot of antigrav ship interfacing being a direct connection between their neurons and the ship's AI, an important part of optimization was the development of ultra low-level electrical circuitry fine-tuned to not only the car, but also to the driver, their mods, and even to the peculiarities of each individual track. There were some other avenues where neural control was important, but AG Racing was one of the most dynamic ones. Defense and space agencies did research in cooperation with constructors for exactly this reason. And with that came strict security clearances, even for their electrical engineering interns eager to get into their brains.

“Wouldn’t worry about it too much, Nadia, they’ll take just about anyone these days, eh…” Layla said with a wink. Their Anti-Arabic League supersoldier turned Arabic League AG racer was living proof of that. “Did he tell you about that time in the war he pulled someone’s arm off yet?” Nadia looked aghast. Kais shrugged.

Later that night, a short video clip of a group of fans intensely staring at Kais and another celeb playing a game of holo-chess would come to circulate the internet. They shook hands, and no arms were torn off.

---

Grid Photo

There they all were, dressed to the nines, with Layla and Kais wearing Al-Saqr’s signature racing suits. Just shy of skin-tight, with its weave of dark green, silver linings and joints, and a gold falcon in flight splayed across the chest and back, one might almost mistake them for old-school superheroes, if not for the flanking names of sponsors and collaborators and the scowl with which Kais wore it. Hidden in various folds across the suit were all the bio-amps and bioplasm-pumps, the various sensor, interface and power ports, and the entire length of the neck was hugged by a bulky silver collar onto which their custom-fitted gold helmet would be fastened. But possibly the most impressive feat of engineering was that it was almost comfortable. Shifting awkwardly sandwiched in between the others, hurled at them by one of their competitors, Kais heard a compliment.

“Smile Kais,” Layla elbowed him, “MadBea thinks you’re pretty!”

“I am smiling.”

DELTΔ HYPER

Episode One: Finding their Feet

---

"Passion indeed! And no doubt, many will look at Miller Motor Racing with a keen eye. Outside of Southern Cross, you have one of the youngest line-ups on the grid. Do you think you make up for experience with trying something new, like your enhancement shows?"

"New is... the unknown, and that is far more dangerous than any implant or modification any Team can bring to the table." Ulrich replies in a rare moment of profoundness when juxtaposed to his usually casual and devil-may-care demeanour. As he leans back in the sofa, Hugo jumps into the young racer's lap and he happily gives the pooch some well deserved pets for sitting still for so long. The enhancement in question was ELS/Neural Hybrid System. Though many Pilot's neural imports were sleek and barely stood out, Ulrich's had squarish, slightly bulkier plates and spread out over a slightly larger area on the back of his neck.

"However, like I said, Miller Motor is investing in the future." Ulrich added as he tapped the system with his finger. "This system is going to be a new tool to me, but new tools are not going to get me and Wedge over the finish line. It will be our skills, our guts, our unknown."

---

Pre-Race Party

After quickly watching a posted supercut of his and Bea's rally days with the new hashtag of RallyBrave thanks to the latter's interview, Ulrich had pocketed his phone before finally attending the party. Of course, Ulrich would be hitting the fan zones first giving out high fives and seflies galore alongside pit mascot Hugo and/or Max if the opportunity arrived. He would be wearing fairly plain clothes, not too dissimilar to his interview outfit. Black t-shirt and jeans, an MMR baseball cap to match his dog and a golden chain that displayed a holo-charm- a holographic image display about the size of a pendant that flicked between calligraphy of "Honor, Resiliency, Victory", motivational one word slogans.

However, as soon as Ulrich spent at least half an hour his opportunity to go mingle with celebrities was cut short by the buzz of his phone. As he pulled it out, he just as quickly declined the call from his Father... but any reprieve would be short-lived and the Panzer knew that his father wouldn't relent until he answered. Ulrich would quickly find Max and apologise before beckoning Hugo to follow and leave the party.

At first he struggled to find a place to take the call, but eventually he found a quiet hallway where he hoped there would be no prying eyes spying or wayward ears listening.

"What?"
"No, the races haven't even started yet. What do you exp-"
"No! You're shutting up now. I got myself this far, and as soon as I've dug you out of the hole you got yourself into we are done! DONE!"

Ulrich angrily jabbed the end call button before pacing around the hallway, breathing in through his nose and out through his mouth as he's been taught to try and calm his emotions. With his hands resting behind his head, he looked down at Hugo who was staring back up at his master. After a slow exhale, Ulrich crouched down and offered his companion a small smile. "You've got my back, hey Hugo?"

---

Grid Photo

As the sun beamed down on the competitors, Ulrich was happily waving to the crowds that surrounded the starting line as the picture drone was weaving between all the pilots and the ships. Donning his red and blue racing suit, reminiscent of the old Formula 1 suits outside of the general material and technological upgrades over the years, Ulrich looked over his helmet and caught a glimpse of himself in the reflection of the visor.

While the rest of the competitors were chatting and jibing at each other, he couldn't help but think about the phone call last night. He really had no choice. Even though he always believed he wanted to win more than anyone else, now he had to win. Even if he couldn't reconcile with his Father, the rest of the family needed him... so he had to help, and to do that he had to win.

DELTΔ HYPER

Episode One: Finding their Feet

---

Alexander felt more rested after getting a solid 8 hours of sleep. He was up at 6am and had called his ex-wife to check on his daughter’s progress. He relaxed to hear that things were going fine. She was continuing to heal and her body was accepting the augmentations that would give her a future and better quality of life. His daughter had been in with the therapists so he was unable to talk to her when he called. He would call her after the day was over. He turned his attention to what he needed to get done today.

He called room service and had them send up a hearty breakfast. Now that his daughter was out of the woods, his appetite had returned. He would need the energy today. It was going to be a long day. While he was waiting on room service he called the head of the engineering team and the pit crew to check on the ships. He wanted to know what they had done to fix the issues that Paul and Dorian had yesterday at qualifying. They didn’t pick up so he left messages for them.

By that time his breakfast was there. While he was eating breakfast, there was a knock at the door. He opened the door to find one of the hotel staff standing there with a box in their hands.

“Delivery for you Mr. Knight.”

The young man passed the box to him and held out an electronic pad to get his thumb print.

“If you could verify delivery sir.”

He held the device out to him and he placed his thumb on the reader. The young man smiled at him and clicked a few buttons and turned the machine back around to him.

“Would you like to tip sir?”

Alexander signed and clicked one of the preset tip boxes and confirmed it with his thumbprint. It would be charged to the room. The young man gave him a big smile and wished him a good day and good luck before leaving and closing the door behind him. He set the box on the desk and opened it. Inside he found a new team uniform with his name embroidered on it and a team hat. He shouldn’t be surprised that Leopold had managed to get it to him. He put it on and headed to the team’s paddock to check in with them.

He entered the paddock and it was the typical chaos you see on the morning of a race. The pit crew were making sure everything they needed to do their job was in its place and stocked. The engineers were working with the mechanics team to make sure the two ships were ready to go. Engineering interns were eager gophers trying to learn all they could. It looked like bedlam to any inexperienced outsiders. To Alexander’s eyes, it was a well choreographed ballet.

He headed into the crowd of people. Many of them had not yet met him. They knew about the change in Crew Chief but didn’t necessarily recognize him as he entered the paddock. Security had stopped him and verified his identity before letting him proceed. Alexander nodded and smiled. He was grateful to see that security was doing their job properly. Alexander enjoyed the anonymity he had since most had no idea who he was. He was just another team uniform in the large racing team. He listened to the conversations around him as he made his way around the paddock to the different staging areas.

He shamelessly eavesdropped on his team to hear what was going on.

He was listening to a group of mechanics going over Dorian’s ship.

Mechanic Zane: “I can’t believe we are double checking these adjustments on the steering actuators again. We had already worked on them yesterday after the qualifiers.”

Mechanic Juan: “I hear that Knight can be a tight ass and that the board gave him complete control. Better get used to it. He is the boss. If he says jump, we ask how high?”

Mechanic Zane replied, sounding grumpy and put out. “Dominic didn’t do this shit. If we told him it was squared away that was the end of it.”

Mechanic Juan: “Well I want to remind you, Dominic is not our boss anymore.”

Alexander walked on, having noted the resentment from the mechanic. He would address the issue back at headquarters. It would be one thing of many he would address and change. They would learn there was a method to his madness. He didn’t have time to stop and hold everyone’s hand today. He needed them to do what he asked. Explanations would come later.

Alexander walked over to the engineering team area and listened in.

Head Engineer Felix : “This solution works. We will switch all the wiring over to this new integrated locking design of yours before the next race. We will implement it at headquarters. This will give us a chance to tear it all down and examine the ships for damage from this race. Good job Kenji!”

Engineering Intern Kenji gave a half bow to felix looking pleased with himself. “Hai, Arigato.”

Alexander was pleased to hear that the head engineer was already addressing a permanent fix to try and prevent the issue that occurred with Paul’s ship from happening again. He inserted himself into the group since he needed to speak with Felix.

Alexander: “Good Morning Felix. Are both ships ready to go?”

Felix looked a little startled to hear the deep voice of Alexander Knight coming from his right. He turned to see the man approaching his group. He nodded and gulped a little. He knew that Alexander Knight was not only a former pilot but also an engineer. He knew there would be no hiding anything from him.

Felix: “We have turned the work over to the mechanic teams with the information about the settings and calibrations for Dorian’s ship. Paul’s ship was gone over last night by both the mechanic and engineering team. It is ready to go. Paul’s ship was tested and recharged. Dorian’s ship needed more work to dial in and fix the issue he was having. It should be ready in about a half hour.”

Alexander nodded as he thought about the information. He would have to remember to bring the team in before a race so that they could calibrate the ships for the individual race track. He appreciated Felix’s professionalism. Felix was doing a fine job so far. He gave the man a confident smile and clapped him on the shoulder.

Alexander: “Keep up the good work, Felix. Make sure Dorian’s ship gets tested when the mechanics are done.”

Felix looked a little surprised but pleased as he muttered in a heavy German accent, “Thank you, Sir.”

Alexander heard excited whispers and mutters behind him as he walked away. He had gone no more than twenty feet when he ran smack into a woman wearing a sleek black business suit and heels. Her brunette hair was up in a twist and she stepped directly into his path. He moved to step around her when she spoke.

Katherine, Head of Marketing for Valkyrie: “I have been looking for you, Mr. Knight. My name is Katherine Dubois and I am the head of the marketing team.” Her brown eyes were intense as she met his. “We need to talk.”

Alexander knew he would eventually have to meet with her. He had been hoping he could put it off till after this race. He suspected Leopold had turned her loose on him in regards to his interview the day before. He had not exactly been cooperative with the press regarding his own interviews, meaning he had been dodging the media like they were playing dodgeball. He refused to back up and give her space since she had stepped into his space. He looked down at her.

Alexander: “What can I do for you Miss Dubois? I am sure you are well aware that I am busy. It’s race day.” He raised an eyebrow hoping he could intimidate the woman to leave him alone.

The woman crossed her arms and looked at him like something she would like to wipe off her shoe. The toe of one high heel tapped against the concrete floor of the paddock.

Katherine: “Mr. Knight, I understand that Crew Chief’s typically don’t have to deal with the media as much as the pilots who are the international superstars of AG racing. However as a former racer and pilot, you know how important it is to woo the media. We need fans which leads to sponsors. We need to capitalize on their interest in your return. Running away from interviews and not answering their questions will only make them seek and investigate harder thinking Valkyrie is hiding something.” She paused and was looking for his reaction. Her eyes were sharp like a hawk’s.

Alexander had to give her credit for having the balls to track him down and confront him. His lips involuntarily twitched into a half smile. He was going to enjoy verbally sparring with the lovely Miss Dubois.

Alexander: “Miss Dubois, I understand that which is why I sent you the message to set up a team press conference at headquarters after the race. I am too busy doing my job to entertain every reporter asking for interviews right now.”

He raised an eyebrow curious what she had to say to that. Alexander experienced a feeling of dread as Miss Dubois gave him a smile that said she was only too pleased with his response.

Katherine: “I will use that to announce why you are not taking interviews at this time. However, you will sit and answer the interview questions for the documentary. We are under contract for those. You will wait until Aurora has finished her questions before you leave next time.” She gave him a regal nod before walking away.

Alexander watched her walk away without giving him a chance to respond. He couldn’t even argue with her because she was right. Damn it! He walked right into that one. He smiled as he watched her figure disappear into the crowd. He was definitely going to enjoy trading barbs with her. She also exhibited the strength and fortitude to deal with him. He had to admit she was perfect for the job. He laughed as he went to check in with his pilots.

---

Alexander made his way through the paddock to the area on the other side of the paddock where the team trailers were parked. There was a dedicated trailer that the pilots used as a preparation space and dressing room. Alexander was stopped by team security and had his credentials checked. He was pleased to see them doing their job appropriately once more. The area around the team trailers were cordoned off with temporary barriers with gates manned by security. He knocked on the trailer door as a courtesy before stepping up into the trailer. He shut the door behind him.

He took a moment to let his eyes adjust to the dimmer lighting inside the trailer. As his eyes adjusted he could see that Paul and Dorian were sitting on the couch in the main area of the trailer. They each had a private dressing room at the back of the trailer. The men were wearing jeans, sneakers, and team t-shirts and baseball caps.

He smiled and nodded to them both. He took a seat across from them on a separate couch.

Alexander: “Good morning gentlemen. How are you feeling this morning?”

Dorian shrugged as he regarded Alexander. “It’s race day. Excited as always and eager to be on the track.”

Paul was unsure what kind of answer Alexander was looking for and just gave him a grin. “Good. I am looking forward to racing today. I slept well.”

Alexander nodded, accepting their answers. He could see for himself that both had clear eyes and looked alert and well rested. He had witnessed racers who had been allowed to race who never should have been allowed on the track. He would not have that on his conscience. He was grateful he wouldn’t need to worry about clearing racers who had no sleep or were strung out or hungover.

Alexander: “Good I am glad to hear it and confirm it. I know that the team has given your schedule. You have an hour to go hang out with fans in the fanzone before you need to come back and suit up for the race. The fanzone will be opened up to all fans this morning. Not just those who could afford to attend the exclusive Pre Race Party. This is your chance to get the common fan on your side. I understand the marketing team will be taking full advantage of this. There will be photo and video drones up watching everything. I am sure the media will be around as well. Remember they are watching you.”

He paused to let that sink in. He knew Dorian was familiar with how things worked. Paul was used to how things were done in the junior league but the media and fan presence would be more intense in the big leagues. He wanted him armed with that information and not surprised.

Alexander noticed that Dorian had rolled his eyes at him. He could just suck it up. He was doing his job of checking on the health and mental wellbeing of his pilots. It was his job to ensure the pilots got to their engagements and that everything went smoothly. Alexander turned his head to look at Paul.

Alexander: “Paul expected there to be more people and media than you are used to. The tension and excitement and intensity of the fans and media will be stronger than you are used to.”


Paul frowned as he looked at Alexander once again resenting that he was being handled as if he didn’t have a clue what to do. “I have handled fans and media before you know.” Paul looked resentful and rebellious as he retorted back to Alexander.

Alexander looked at both pilots and sighed, shaking his head.

“Let me make something very clear to both of you. My job is to make sure that this entire team is working together to win and make Team Valkyrie AGR Sport the best team it can be. I would be failing in my job if I let you go out into that sea of wolves unprepared. I don’t know you yet Paul. And Dorian, we might have known each other in the past, but time changes people. We were never very close. I don’t really know you either. I don’t know how well you handle fans or the media. For all I know, a question about a fake girlfriend or your father might have you deck a reporter. Unfortunately I don’t have the luxury of taking my time to get to know you right now.”

Alexander's green eyes were intense as he met the eyes of each man before returning to Paul.

Alexander: “I will not be the one responsible for sending an unprepared pilot out to race. That is how accidents happen. I want to make sure you are ready mentally and physically before I clear you to go out on that track. I will pull you from the race if I think you are not ready.”

He turned his eyes back to Dorian and saw the fury and resentment in the other man’s eyes.

Alexander: “I want to see you retire in glory, Dorian not a bodybag. And Paul I will not be the one to tell your mother that you died from stupidity.”

His eyes were hard as he met the young man’s eyes.

Alexander: “I take this job very seriously. I am on your side. I am here to make things easier for you, not harder. It might not feel that way right now. You will learn in time, I have your back. You can trust me.”

Alexander could see the tension and disbelief on their faces. He didn’t care if they hated him. They would be as safe as he could make them even if they disagreed with his methods.

Alexander continued: “Moving on to why I came to check in with you. Dorian the mechanics and engineers spent the evening making the adjustments you requested to your ship. The mechanic team will be done verifying that all the adjustments were done to the specifications recommended by engineering. Your ship will be ready in about 30 minutes. Paul the engineering team went over your ship and repaired the issue. It has already been tested and is ready to go.”

Alexander waited as the silence stretched painfully before it was broken by Dorian.

Dorian’s voice was hard with anger. “You are right Alexander. You don’t know me. I continued to race while you were out of the scene. I know more about my job than you do. Stop trying to treat me like the green rookie and give me the damn respect I have earned.”

Paul looked furious and resentful. Alexander’s words made him feel even more like a child being schooled. “Mr. Knight I know you knew my father. I am not him. I don’t appreciate being handled like a child. I have been working and training for this opportunity for years. I know what I need to do. So get out of my way and let me do it.”

Alexander stood and put his sunglasses on. “Once you are done in the fan zone. The doctor’s will check you out here in the trailer to give you medical clearance to race. There will be a grid photo before the race starts. It will only be the drivers and a few video and photography drones for the league. I will see you gentlemen later.”

Alexander left as he had said what he needed to say. They were not going to make his job easy that was for damn sure. He shook his head as he walked out of the trailer into the sunshine.

---

Dorian did his best to put his anger and resentment behind him as he made his way to his signing station in the fanzone.

The enthusiastic fans and their excited energy soon helped him relax and put the words with Alexander behind him.

Security was doing a good job of keeping the excited fans in line.

Dorian ignored questions from the media about their new crew chief. He hadn’t calmed down enough to say anything nice about him. So he wouldn’t say anything at all.

Dorian glanced over to check on Paul and couldn’t help but smile. He couldn’t help comparing Paul to his father Audrick. Paul had the same easy grace and charisma his father had with fans and the media. Everyone around him was laughing and hanging on his every word.

Paul was signing t-shirts for a set of twin sisters who were fans. He flirted easily while not giving out any invitations to join him. He made them feel important while keeping it light hearted. He caught one of his security guards checking the young women out. Paul just smiled at him as the man realized he had been caught looking. Not that he blamed the man.

---

Grid Photo

---

Dorian Pascal Hornfleur



Dorian was standing there in the new racing suit for this season. It was dark gray with yellow color blocking. There were sponsor logos on the arms and back.

He was hoping to go out a winner for his last season. He wanted to retire on a high note and not be an endnote in Formula AG Racing.

He made sure to greet all his competitors and give them a handshake and wish them luck. There is always some trash talking but Dorian had a reputation as the gentleman racer. He wanted to keep that image.

His ship was dark gray with yellow color blocking on it. Sponsor logos were plastered on the sides. He stood in front of his ship proudly, ready to race as the photo and video drones circled taking their pictures.

Paul Mulder



Paul had his racing helmet tucked under his hand. His racing suit was in the same colors as Dorian’s but the design was slightly different. His ship was yellow with some dark gray stripes with sponsor logos down the sides and hood. You could tell they were on the same team but they were not a mirror image of each other.

Paul made sure he smiled for the cameras and posed in a manner that made him look manly and accentuated his fit physique. He once again followed Dorian’s lead and went to introduce himself to his competitors.

He smiled at Bea from the Falcons. She was a familiar face from the Junior League. He traded verbal spars with her.

Bea: ”Your ship was looking nimble in the street section. Well, maybe not yours.” Bea grinned.

Paul just smiled and refused to rise to her bait as he mirrored her expression and tone.
Paul: “I wanted to give you guys a chance.”

Bea: ”That’s the spirit. But they know what died, right, or is it dead dead?”
She mimed slitting her throat with a thumb for emphasis.

He rolled his eyes at Bea’s theatrics as he dryly told her. “We’re racing today.”

Bea: ”There you go, looking forward to it. And fans love it when their driver fights through the field.”

He grinned at Bea letting her know that she had not gotten under his skin. He exuded confidence as he retorted.

“That they do. I’ll give you a wave when I pass you tomorrow, for your fans.”

Bea laughed as she responded. ”Cheeky bugger. Good luck, mate.”

Bea moved on after a handshake and Paul moved on to another competitor.

---

DELTΔ HYPER

Interview; Continued

---

"How has pre-season been treating you? And what did you get up to over the off-season? You have many talents, so I am sure you kept busy?" Aurora asked.

It was an easy question. Pure softball, fluff piece level. Despite that, for just a moment, the facade took a minute dent. For a moment, the glamorous Korean pilot looked bemused and took on the briefest hint of a frown. With the power of pause and zoom and camera swivel, anyone could hyperfocus and obsess over such an expression. It was unlikely the average person would even notice, or think much of it. Hyeon-Ae exhaled slowly, and with her breath came a renewed, warm and charming smile. She masked her expression further as she raised her hand in front of her mouth to chuckle. “Well, Aurora, that is such a deep question. First and foremost, as most know, being a pilot is very demanding on the body. I must do much fitness, even when I am not racing. I visit a fitness retreat during the off-season to make sure my body stays fit and ready for the tracks.”

Hyeon-Ae lifted a leg to rest it on the other. “But it is true I like to keep busy. My most recent hobby has been neo-retro sculpting. There is much inspiration in the antique arts of the late 1900´s. But perhaps I did not have as much free time as I hoped,” she remarked with a soft laugh, leaning over as if to touch Aurora´s arm or leg - though stopping halfway, the gesture was enough to get the point across. “Between practicing, fitness, and helping my uncle as a consultant on Ji Motors, there has not been much time for free time. When I do have some, I like to visit more rural areas of my homeland. Recently, I actually visited Sanghyok, where they are building a new waterway….”

Hyeon-Ae talked on, explaining with passionate detail how a new waterway would improve the lives of hundreds of thousands. She must really be interested in Korean infrastructure development.

---

Zygonite: dam didu see cassie and hyeonae posing

Exxalibur: Hyeon-Ae my queen, I will propose to you at the next meetup

MrCultivator7: [Message removed by content filters.]

Zygonite: i herd if u buy the premium vip u get to meet 1 of htem solo

MrCultivator7: [Message removed by content filters.]

Exxalibur: @Zygonite; It's a photo op, I bought it

WyteNyte: I prefer Kim Sanyung from last season.

Exxalibur: [Message removed by content filters.]

MrCultivator7: [Message removed by content filters.]

Zygonite: @WyteNyte; gtfo

---

Pre-Race Party

Hyeon-Ae was dressed to kill; wearing a smooth-looking designer fit that combined the most tantalizing parts of Zygon´s uniform design with that of modern fashion. She looked like a moviestar dressed like a pilot as much as she did a real AGR pilot. That was relatively fitting in this case, as the Zygon Fan Zone was littered with small-name celebrities, trust fund children, and fans who spent their savings on the experience of a lifetime. She was taking pictures alongside Cassie, and had helped the suits badger her into the same form-fitting outfit so that the two of them matched. Neves hadn't been too happy, but fortunately the soulless bean counters from the office took any flak, and Hyeon-Ae had gotten to act like a sweet savior by pointing out how good they look together. She smiled and beamed for cameras together with Cassie for what felt like far too long, exchanging platitudes with her between shaking hands with fans or answering an errant question.

Soon it was time to separate; Sanbeng, her on-again-off-again aide, snuck up beside her and spirited her away from Cassie. She didn't particularly dislike him, just his status as a spy for her uncle. Not two seconds later, he was whispering in her ear. “Your uncle is outside. He is asking to see you.” Hyeon-Ae made a show of stepping away from him, greeting a fan with a warm smile and a shake of hands and bow of her head. She positioned herself for several selfies with this ecstatic fan, to make it hard for Sanbeng to engage again. When Hyeon-Ae moved to greet the next person stood in a line hoping to talk to her, Sanbeng swept in again. “I think it's urgent.”

Hyeon-Ae turned to glance at the portly aide, looking out of place among racing fans, Zygon personnel, and reporters. “What could be more urgent than meeting with my supporters?” She asked with a glibness hiding behind her elegant facade, then turned back to chat politely with two crew members answering fan questions. She shouldn't have asked. Sanbeng surreptitiously returned and flashed his phone at her, a message from her uncle on the screen.

´Park Ha-Soon broke nda´

Hyeon-Ae´s implacable smile faltered briefly, and she turned to the paused conversationalists. With a hurried renewal of her smile, she spoke with feigned humility. “Please excuse me. It was nice to meet you.” was all she mustered before turning away from the conversation, and following Sanbeng out of the Fan Zone - and out to the parking lot, where she disappeared into a large black car for nearly an hour.

When she returned, she made a beeline back to the Zygon Fan Zone, shaking hands and mingling and posing for pictures like she never left. But she did look a little less convincing when she smiled.

---

Grid Photo

Hyeon-Ae stood stoic and aloof as others bickered and chatted. She had no intention of getting dragged into the muck with moralist thugs like Astrid, or more typical egos like Henry. And given the stance Cassie had started loudly espousing, it'd be too easy to get on her bad side right now. She'd play nice until Cassie dug herself a hole. And given how she acted here, it was only a matter of time.

No, Hyeon-Ae found herself looking at the opposition in silence instead, measuring them in her own way. Looking for weakness. Everyone had one. Some more obviously than others. Some… She glowered at Amy from across the field, but moved on to the chuds from Valkyrie before she got caught staring. The real opposition here were the quietly confident ones. People with no skill make the most noise, in her own experience.

When she finally - accidentally - locked eyes with one of the others, she merely bowed her head politely. No reason to do anything else, or give them any ammunition. Her performance would speak for itself.

Round One: Oceania AGP

Delta Hyper Interviews

The interviews were all coming to a close, as Aurora was now wrapping up the majority, and had done so with Alexander.

@Starlance

"Ava has smiled just once!" Aurora chuckled, smiling, as Bea continued to respond, the literal Aurora in hologram chuckling.

"Well, I'll hold you to that, Bea. #RallyBrave! Any last words for the crew before you get started?"

---

@MrSkimobile

"Sounds like you have a good measure of the competition, Kais, certainly they'll have to keep their wits about them around you. We'll look forward to seeing you on the grid tomorrow!"

---

@Enzayne

"Well, we will need to cut you off there I'm afraid Hyeon-Ae, but it sounds like you have kept extremely busy over the off-season. A woman of many talents, and no doubt AG racing will be one we'll be keeping our eye keenly on!

---

@GingerBoi123

"The quantity of the unknown, yes, and certainly it will be interesting to see where the team goes from here with your new modification, and approach which will benefit the team. Thank you for your time, Ulrich- oh, and Hugo is welcome here anytime!"

---

---

The camera pulled back, capturing Aurora now on the sofa, instead of interviewing, well, calling back from a producer's card she'd been given to respond to. Not often the questioner was being questioned, but well, this time around, it felt like the viewer's insight into a lot of what they'd just seen.

Bea's singing, Hyeon-Ae's presence, Paul's magnetism, Kais's intensity, Ulrich's mingling, all of it, all in tape, cut up.

That's the thing about social media, sponsors, and people. They tend to see those things, even if an AI editor can't really paint in the things in the shadows, but well, at the surface level, you can tell it's a range of personalities. Bea would probably be a little embarrassed, but nothing a PR team couldn't glaze over comfortably, and shit, it probably worked even more in favour of her Irish fans who would adore it far more than any English fans might care.

It was exposure, and exposure in any case, well, it was good. A fine line to tread, but the personal trials of each pilot was always going to weigh in. There's no perfect answer for how to improve media or sponsor handling, but when all eyes were on you, deciding to be a renegade or a cool operator, a team-player or an outlaw, a punk or a corpo, an accelerationist or a ecological protector, well, that meant very different things to very different people. It just had to mean something though, because building not just the team, but a personal brand came with that, and it meant it in the right place, at the right time. Just meant you had to be you, and try not to pretend too much to be something fake.

"The antics of the grid? Well, they happen. Introduce some alcohol, and other....aspects, and well, our pilots are human. Some react differently, but most of all, they're characters for a reason. That's why we show it all. We don't want to show a bunch of androids, we want to show you the real men and women that make up Formula AG. Imperfections and no matter how much their PR teams do try to cover it off. We're bringing it all. Even if there are things they'd regret later...."

"Surely there's a line they need to be careful of?" The producer asked, from behind, as Aurora crossed her legs, leaning forward.

"Honestly? There probably is. But, you know what they say. Publicity sells. When Layla came to the grid wearing gold, well, a lot more hype came for designer prosthetics. Then Astrid came out with a new line of gin. And we know what happened next. Harrison got himself into hot water over comments related to mining in Papua New Guinea. Henry over activists blocking work at the Charlestown Orbital Launch site development in St Kitts, even Amy over commentary on her team-mate two years ago. Point is, it's easy for things to get out of hand. It's just how they manage it all after the fact."

Grid Photo

The photos wrapped up, everyone looking coolly in front of their craft. And the chat had died down, given they'd gotten all their pictures, looking cool as ever.

It was time to go. Time to head off into their various teams.

But, before they went, Amy had her eye on one racer in particular.

"Hey, Bea!" Amy called out, hoping to catch her without Ava looking over her shoulder, and now the drone had gone away, they weren't on air.

"Just wanted to say....I really like your sketch drawings, by the way. Don't get flustered or anything, but between us, I love your platform. I might have some charity work coming up. I might hit you up after...there's space on the private shuttle I've got if you're keen. Holler at you, yeah?" Amy said, fellow Brit to fellow Brit, the platinum-blonde pilot's wrapped up hair like a tiara almost on her head, with strands poking back past her almost pitch-perfect features as she put a hand on Bea's shoulder, beaming a smile.

Yet from that contact alone, Bea would probably tell that Amy had a little more than some others would like to admit she had- her forearms and hands quite literally hollowed from an autoclaved, 3D printed, mesh like form and definitely felt like they ran something else under the skin. A little style over substance, not that it mattered considering how good her prosthetics engineers were.

"Anyway. Enjoy this little thing of ours, yeah? Stay about, I don't want to lose someone fun." Amy chuckled, smiling back, a beam as she left Bea almost before she could reply.

There's a strange feeling no doubt when a three-time champion, who had all eyes on her would just casually swing that into conversation. With Amy, it was hard to tell considering she was ruthlessly competitive, but perhaps there was something to it- after all, they weren't competing, and Amy had her cracks. Cracks like that she allowed. Almost like a structural gap to allow a little bit of media through, but more to reinforce, she was Queen here in this paddock.

---

In another corner, Dorian caught Ulrich. The tone felt different, as Dorian looked to Kofi and Max, both walking away, chatting, then back to Ulrich.

"Listen. No hard feelings, about all the junior stuff, you made your call and I get it. But out there, I'm not going be your mentor anymore, oui? Whatever you have in the background you never told me, just sort it as soon as you can. I still think there is something more. And I know you understand that. But best of luck to you from here. For what it's worth....Valkyrie isn't the rookie hotbed anymore. I think you made a good call." Dorian commented, a passing comment out of earshot, knowing full well how things could be misinterpreted. But then again, in the relative isolation, cameras now off, it was the last time to talk without anything being brought up again.

That felt a bit colder. But maybe a bit like admin, but well, Dorian meant well. Perhaps unlike Amy, you could probably infer where he went with it, from years of wisdom. Perhaps he meant it in a way about a certain Team Principal, that had changed things. It felt like it in the air. Not of course, he'd find out.

---

And then somewhere else, Harrison glared over at Kais. The man was a fucking soldier. Not exactly like he could say much himself, but well....something felt uncomfortable about him. A pacifist at heart, Harrison was as easy, cool as you would have liked, but perhaps felt a little bit of....antagonism for the man. By design. Not before Cassie came over though and broke that.

"You were right. Shit, she's completely on the corpo-juice. Zygon's basically printed her out." Cassie referred, as She, being obvious in reference, was out of earshot.

"Told you so...everyone saw it coming and it was part of their corporate's deal to get you in. You owe me a seaweed taco, because when am I wrong? Oh, and she showed you up in qualy?" Harrison chuckled, as Cassie looked over, a grimace towards Harrison.

"Well, when you're taking on an unproven street racer and she drives your ship like she stole it....you feeling that heat too?" Cassie quipped back, Harrison chuckling, shrugging his shoulders.

"She is good, Cass. The problem about being a big punk though? There's always one bigger than you. Makes for some healthy competition." Harrison replied, a smirk on his face, as Cassie chuckled in return. She had reason to be confident considering everything though.

"Noted. We'll be coming for you soon. World needs more of it."

---

And then, Kofi came across Paul, in a moment of everyone mingling a little bit on the way off the pontoon. The tall Ghanian seemed like a gentle giant, his beard left grown in a goatee, his older augments clashing against his generally warm demeanour. There's something to him, a chuckle that you can't not associate with the guy.

"You really are your father's son. Good to have you in the grid, Paul! Me and Dorian were watching your junior racing, not often a son of a legend comes in...I am glad you found home." Kofi smiled, a hearty laugh as he put an arm around his shoulder.
"There will be a lot of talk. But you stay true to you, yes? Don't ever let them grind you down. Media, yes? And I'll tell you now. You're now an AG pilot, so there is action But, just be you and it's easy. Do not overthink....the rest you'll put to the fiyah." Kofi added, patting him on the chest, around his heart, chuckling, leaving him to it.

---

And yet last, Ava looked across to Kais, the former super-soldier now just super-humanly racing, though humorously, four inches shorter than Ava's tall height. A relic of a world gone by, yet repurposed into one better. Unlike Harrison, perhaps she had some empathy, though perhaps a strange way of showing it, the black/white and Wipala coloured suit she wore contrasting his green and gold.

"Kais Zenix, freedom fighter, terrorist, AG racer? Well, what a world that was, hey. I couldn't help but recognise your story. And before you tell me to fuck off, indulge me for a moment, please." Ava smirked, walking alongside, out of shot of Bea, her Chilean accent dripping off her husk voice.

"I remember when my family was getting evacuated from Bio Bio, when the forest fires started in 2070, and didn't stop for three years. I was so little, and I was told I'd never see home again. It all burnt, and what was left was ash like a volcano had spewed everywhere. Caused by a forestry contract in debate by two multinationals and a heatwave that never ended. Perhaps that was enough to want a better world than that and to stop whoever it was that did it. Rage, anger. It's a nice feeling, isn't it? And isn't that a story you felt too?" Ava seemed almost like a black mirror to him, and perhaps it seemed odd she opened up at all.

"The younger ones forget what that world was like. I suppose we lived it for a while. In a world full of drones, I guess I was the last of a dying breed. You too, and your stories that come with it. Sometimes we forget if we won or lost, considering it all ended in this. Yet here we are." Ava commented, folding her arms, staring across into the horizon, then back at Kais.

She may have been a former test pilot, even in a world full of cloaking-enabled hypersonic fighters and bombers, a human was still sometimes needed for decisions. And that also included fighting when it came to it. Perhaps not as personal as Kais perhaps had made it.

Ava looked him up and down, checking his implants over, then his general physique. Sculpted, and she understood why the rumours were all true. But, her own implants and prosthetics told her story too, as did her undercut brunette hair. Ava had been a racer for a few years since being that test pilot, at least five years and into her early 30s, now reminiscing the past before all of that racing, well, it wasn't just for show.

"For what it's worth? Perhaps, I understand you, and respect you enough to tell you to be careful. The old world isn't all dead. And they will figure out if they can make a better weapon than the one they made out of you. The grid isn't all clean, and I can tell you that now. This is the high life. But it comes with a price." Ava remarked, no doubt to the grimace of Kais, walking up to his side, out of ear or visual shot.

Perhaps it was bullshit, a ploy to throw him off. Perhaps something else. It didn't really matter to Ava, considering the aspect prior.

"You're not stupid. But you're not here just because of some talent, you had your ways. Yet....someone knows they need you at a peak level. Just be careful who those people are. Stay in the light and you'll avoid getting dragged into shadow...hard as that may be for you. It'll keep you in the game." Ava uttered, as she turned and like that, was gone as fast as she'd arrived.

It seemed cryptic. Very oddly so, given the world, the state of things, Kais's reforms, Ava's long past, and well, the fact it was not uncommon for AG pilots to come from pilots, ex-forces or other technical backgrounds. But for a moment, it felt like Ava was making a much broader comment, perhaps not on just those that would be expected to Kais.

---

Auckland and Format

On the grid, Aurora, actual Aurora, not hologram Aurora, was out and interviewing celebrities, team principals, but unlikely to get through to drivers. She found Alexander Knight, Dorian, Amy, Harrison, Cassie, Ava and Astrid, before getting to the end. The camera followed her throughout, and you can probably colour the scene in of what that was like. A lot of banter, funny chat, but well, it's the same old, and almost a blur to most, until she passes back over to the presenting team.

"That completes our grid walk, Rory! Back to you!" Aurora beamed, as the currently faceless British commentator took back over with voice, one that was not too dissimilar a voice to David Croft, a modern F1 commentator.

"Thank you for that Aurora! So, onto our circuit, just for the viewers at the home, here we are in cloudy Auckland, New Zealand. Let's fly through the circuit." He added, as the camera peels back, revealing the port. The start-finish is right after a massive loop at the end of a pier, looping back into the Wynyard Quarter, turn one going turning through the Auckland Marina before chicaning through the city centre, then up to the Skytower through the city via a 70 degree climb and around it via a half-pipe styled banking that was literally like a rollercoaster ride, then down through to Aotea Square via a 70 degree decline to more roads, a short diversion onto Highway 1 via a small drop that the anti-gravity generator would smooth out, up off the main motorway into the Auckland Domain park and museum with mid-speed corners, and the super twisty section through the kauri and various forests there.

The track then headed down to Albert Park, weaving between skyscrapers in Auckland centre, off a pier and on a dead-straight MAG-strip over the sea towards the Auckland Harbour Bridge for over a kilometre and a half, which backed back straight that led to a vicious chicane complex and hairpin that then went onto Highway 1 over Auckland Harbour Bridge and the next largest straight, all the way back down to the Wynyard Quarter again via an incredibly fast corner that had a small banking and was taken flat out, and one of the highest G-inducing corners on any street circuit, in the world. The map revealed overtaking spots, and the serious variety of corners on offer.

The sky was slightly cloudy, and the late afternoon sun was rolling in, the hives of people watching mixed with anticipation for the first event. This was where it all began, and the feeling was electric.

"So, a brief reminder of what's on the cards. On your haptics, you'll see the positions the pilots have qualified in, and the points they get for finishing in position. 25 Points for 1st, 18 for 2nd, 15 for 3rd, 12 for 4th, 10 for 5th, 8 for 6th, 6 for 7th, 4 for 8th, 2 for 9th, and 1 for 10th. It's a 45 minute race today here at Auckland, and should take us into the twilight hours. ELS systems are all live, and are prominent in Sector 1 and Sector 3, where pilots can take on energy. Our qualifying results from yesterday decide where each pilot starts on the grid, and they'll be forming up shortly."

"The circuit is balanced, and the best craft with all-around has the best chance of winning here. But of course, it's on our pilots to really step up to the mark as the difference makers, and we'll be seeing what they can do soon! Aurora, looks like it's time for the grid to assemble. Viewers, stay peeled, as we are moments away from the start of the Formula Anti-Gravity season here in Auckland!"

---

The Racing Line

Soundtrack: Noisia and The Upbeats - Dead Limit

The floating camera picked up Max, and well, followed behind, the American acutely aware he was the drone's given target now, and it would switch up rather neatly for him. He noted it, almost with a meta-like commentary as if he was looking past the camera into the viewer.
"Guess it's me, huh. Alright. Guess that's one extra thing....hi folks!" Max chirped, helmet on, giving a peace sign, as he got to work.

Engineers milled around the ship, checking diagnostics, even though almost everything could be done remotely and a small fleet of drones, each one roughly the size of dragonfly, were helping out with last minute integrity checks. He looked back over the grid, and took it all in. There's no feeling quite like here. The ecstasy, the feeling. Aurora picking up an interview with Alexander and Dorian was of note, though he was in his own little pod. It was time to get moving.

The feeling of clambering into an anti-gravity racing craft never got old to Max, and after the grid walk had been completed, he was in his zone. Oxygen running, HUD active. The ladder pulled away, he pulled the canopy in, exhaling hard. There's a feeling of pre-race jitters, the camera on him, focussed. The prodigy, now turned 2nd season wonderkid, was thinking things through, not just for thoughts, but for the fact he was quite literally wired in. The neural link gently attached, as was the composite bracing, and various diagnostics doing its jobs, it felt like he was all systems go. Water even sucking in through his little capsule in his throat-applied oxygen supply.

"Alright, Wedge. Like we practiced. You can make some heroics into Turn One, but none over the SkyTower. That's where crashes happen." The radio from Carl Matthews, American engineer called through the comms, as Max nodded to an invisible response.

"Yeah, like we practiced. I got this." His voice was confident back, bordering on arrogant, but then again, belief was like that. It had to be.

"Ulrich is right behind you. ELS activates on Lap 2, so between you both, hold things up and make the most of the stability we have. Zygon and Valkyrie know where to fight you. Remember. Long term, Wedge. Let's be easy and let this play out." The fact team comms were available to broadcast meant well, maybe it paid to be careful what was said. Most of the time, without pressure that was....

"Copy. Let's start well. But we can take the fight to them too." Max replied, checking his shoulders, his heart, blood and everything else now feeling all aligned. In one place.

"Hah....let's finish first." The reply came from the engineer, as Max clicked his neck, taking a moment. All ships ready. A gentle warm up of the ship systems, and instead of a warm-up lap, considering these things could be run cold, meant just a shift about 200m forward into grid slots, on an auto-pilot. All systems checked, all air brakes, all control surfaces, thrust points green, mods all synced, all systems, all good to go. A masterpiece of high end engineering insanity, for this one, very moment. The work of dozens of engineers, team-members, everyone, down to this, one, very moment.

A heartbeat fluttered, and no matter how good any pilot would be, or how many mods they had, there was always that feeling of looking across at another pilot, or at the lights, and knowing, this was do or die. Everything led to this point, now. His heart could pin itself shut or flutter harder, but nothing changed the psychological element. It almost felt like it was dialled up if anything, given the neurons in his brain were just going even faster.

Lights came on in sequence, holographic on an AR display of course. And it's almost as if the human body itself stops being in its own shell, but instead, feels disassociated. Max can feel himself almost as if he was a part of it, thinking, in a way that can't really be described to anyone else, it feels like....every brake, thruster, all of it, flowing through his head faster than anything, in subtle control with the two hands on a joystick in front. The trickle of a neuron enhancer speeds things, not to lightening, but close enough. The red lights fade, one, by one, until only one is left on the board. When that goes, it's green. And....

Go.

And it's an assault. Noise filters, instead it's more like a zone and it all blurs. All the noise of fans, crowd, ships, anything. It's instant adrenaline, and nothing but tunnel vision.

Force yanks back into the seat, and he quickly yanks past Cassie on the start, dogfighting out of Turn One with a hard cut on the inside with a hard bank and pivot, the Miller's stability rewarding his aggression and putting him right behind Dorian. It's a blur, the ship accelerating faster, and faster, and faster, and the air is a gentle hum on the cockpit, but that even seems to fade, because Turn 2 is coming fast and another dozen ships are behind him, and Hart has had an absolutely terrible start.

All ships are away.

---

Auckland AGP

From the perspective of the cameras, there are highs, and lows. Cheers from crews as they see overtakes. A nasty shunt of one of the craft in Sector 2, right in the tight turns of the Auckland Domain, to an epic ELS battle on the straight over the Auckland Harbour Bridge, ships weaving before the incredible corner that was the Auckland marina approach, the camera cutting between them, from pilot to pilot, ship to ship. There's a lot of iconic scenes, of ships roaring upside down at the loop before the start/finish straight, and plenty of overtakes, as well as dogfights throughout with ELS charge up and down the SkyTower, ships getting thrown for barely a moment from the induction and any good drone photographer worth their shot would get the spire, ship and clouds in the background perfectly.

The literal sea sometimes spitting over the MAG tracking in the harbour, the tight hairpin at the Auckland Harbour Bridge, the ridiculously fast corner coming off it that nearly needed no brakes, the corkscrew over the tower and the chicanes at Aotea Square, as were the tight corners in the public park of Auckland Domain, all of it, in absolutely glorious definition, a relatively high average speed for a street circuit making this enthralling for both pilot and spectator, ships roaring and rushing through.

For a first race of the season, this isn't just a simple affair of no overtaking- positions are traded, and it's a mucky affair, playing on almost every part of each team's skills, from team strategy, to ship quality in corners, stability and speed, as well as ELS. This one is pretty incredible even by Formula AG standards, even if the weather wasn't up to it, Auckland was filled with action, everywhere- and results came from not just the overall form of the craft, but the pilots that had either played a blinder, or weren't firing on all cylinders.

In the end, the result is inevitable, as Amy was always going to take that top spot today given the Silver Apex's balance and potency everywhere else, even despite the speed loss on the back straights. But there's some absolute roaring in the crowd when they see who came second, the inevitable first, and the unusual third. This came as a shock to almost everyone, even the people who saw qualifying and the result, and well, the discussions are going to be up. Nordic Call are underperforming drastically with technical faults, Valkyrie have work to do, Carrera Condor and SuperCat nearly shocked many people with points, and Zygon, MMR and Al-Saqr seem to be fighting in the mix of things. Some bad luck, but then again, opportunity for everyone else.

The pilots each had their own experience of the race, their own highlights, their own special moments that happened, from one position to the next. That's best left to them, though....

The final results are below:

docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1qF6cn…

---

The Chequered Flag

Soundtrack: Art of Rally OST- Sprint

And with it, there it was. All ships over the line past the chequered flag, and Rory yelled out, in his characteristic excitement.

"What a race we just saw! Stirling takes the win, but all eyes on Kelly, second place in her first race at Southern Cross's home AGP, you couldn't write this!"

"Absolutely, Rory, we saw some incredible talent on display, and some incredible handling of the ship there by Kelly, what a way to introduce yourself to the grid! A nasty knock for Falkner, though it looks like the pilot is unharmed and the craft is relatively intact. There will certainly be some talking points over Nordic Call's mechanical struggles, and Valkyrie's underperformance, but Han Hyeon-Ae really held off some big teams and kept her nerve. The rookies this season have certainly shown what they have been capable of."

"Thank you Rosie, and yes, as we watch the ships cool down on their in-lap, we'll have plenty of analysis to follow. Your winner, Amy Stirling for Silver Apex, followed by Nora Kelly of Southern Cross in second, and Layla Al-Nadir of Al-Saqr Racing in third."

"Unbelievable...Makara follows close behind Nadir, looks like that was a tight fight! And Han is not far back, looks like she held off a late attack by Jamie Hart, who looks to have had an awful race since his poor start! And...that is Wedgewood, Hornfleur and Zenix, right to the end, such close racing! Neves complex the top ten, and wow, Auckland does not disappoint."

"Absolutely Rosie, who do you think were the stars today?"

"Well, all eyes on Nora Kelly, what a performance to grab a 2nd place on debut, the rookie getting a well earned Biocore Pilot of the Day as voted for by the public! But Han for Zygon has proven herself immensely, and I think she'll be proud of a debut fifth place too to hold position."

---

Analysis with Rory Andrews

The camera pulls back to the Delta Hyper sofa, and on it, there he was. Rory Andrews, commentator, and pundit. There's a difference between him and Aurora, given his position in the sport to call it, play by play, alongside a punditry team. But Rory's opinion is a good one. A lot of talk on the pilots, teams, engineers, Aurora captured that, but Rory, Rory was the beating heart of the actual track-day. And well, he was someone you listened to, as he put down his glass, the drone picking him up with a certain contemplation.

"Auckland.....well, it was a pretty good way to start things. I think nobody saw Nelly coming. The pundit team had her down to lose positions, but well, sometimes you roll the dice and these things happen. The fight in the midfield was intense, and we saw Zygon's new prodigy, Hyeon-Ae Han, prove why she was called into the team. Jamie Hart let down Silver Apex badly, but nobody can deny what Max Wedgewood was doing with that MMR ship today, and let's not forget the heroics from Paul Mulder at the back." Rory started, the 30-something, dark haired, bearded commentator imparting his wisdom, Aurora looking over from the other side of the drone.

"So, who would you say is one to watch?"

"The season's only just started, so it's hard to tell. Things can turn around fast for some teams, and it's far too early to talk. But some pilots have just made their mark. All eyes are on Nora and Hyeon-Ae, and I wonder what they'll be like under that pressure. Alexander Knight has a lot of work to do with Valkyrie, but, he has a rookie that certainly seems to be living up to the mark of his father if his pace at the back is anything to prove. And we didn't say it at the time, but Nordic Call definitely didn't show up at all. They may shock people if they get their technicals together."

---

Post Race, Auckland: Cooldown

The cooldown room was quite a place, the quiet still containing cameras and beanbags, with a big holographic display for the three podium finishers to watch back the best overtakes, and action of the race.

Amy and Layla had been here before, but Nelly never had ever had seen anything like it, most likely.

"Not bad, Layla. Where'd you pull that move on Harrison from?" Amy queried, watching it back on the prompter in front of them, the holographic display providing an inch-perfect display of the move.

"Shh, secrets." Layla giggled, a rare crack in her demeanour, as she looked across to Nora Kelly, the Southern Cross racer here instead of Harrison, a smile on the Jordanian's face.

"You did well today, Nelly. Not many rookies come in and make a splash like that. And they will go wild out there for you. The lights will be very bright compared to the underground." Layla spoke, her eyes glowing up, as Amy gently strummed through her telemetry, not trying to be rude but taking it in now while it came through, breaking it there.

"Give her a moment, Layla. This is a lot to take in. Like you." Amy seemed almost nice to Nora, but beneath the surface, there was almost a look in Amy's eyes, countering Layla's sarcasm yet reminding that she was a veteran, and Nora was a rookie and Layla wasn't on that top step. One of the fact that this was all fun now, but it was because Amy had left them both behind, far behind at race start, and Nora's weave from third to second was not something she knew much about till now. An official gave a nod for them to come through, and with it, the three walked on out towards the Podium.

And there it was. The podium stood right in front of the gathered spectators in the Wynyard Quarter, Auckland's prominence as a race not meaning it was a holo-crowd, no, this was real, actual and it was deafening, as Amy waved out. It was loud as hell in the night, and even a gentle drizzle couldn't dampen spirits.

Champagne, trophies, and well, all that came with the glory of top level racing, Amy on the top step, trophy in hand high and spraying it over the other two, and a return customer many watched on at, bringing domination back onto the menu. Layla and Nelly, not so much, but they were here today.

You've seen this bit before, but the glory, the feeling of this, that's unbeatable. And what every single pilot wants to have. That feeling of victory, the camera capturing it and following Nelly through that moment, the realisation of what would likely be an entire life's dream, right here, right now. People would talk about Southern Cross's genius decision to take an astronomical risk. Some would say this was a fluke on a circuit she no doubt knew well from being an Oceanian native. But, nobody was keeping the lights off her now.

But Nora Kelly never had been on that platform before, and well, no doubt had a million memories in that moment forming.

Hype, speculation, and talk started from there, and just like any quiet move got you places, the loud, big ones got expectations, hype and rumours going faster. Fame is great, but there's plenty that follows the comedown. Like coming back to that step again.

That was what being a pilot in AG was all about.

---

Post Race, Auckland: Interviews

The interview format was changed this time around. The footage didn't roll from a sofa, but instead, a line up of racers, assorted at random in front of the Delta Hyper pop-up, to the side of the other media interview pen. Of course, the new pilots were up first, before the main pilots of each team were getting interviewed, due to a quirk in scheduling, Aurora back on interviewing duties again.

---

@Enzayne

"Amazing result Han, 5th Place in your first race! How did it feel to hold off the veteran ships behind you?"

---

@LadyAmber

"Paul, amazing work today finishing 13th in your first race, pulling the ship from last on the grid with a series of brave overtakes and showing off the Valkyrie's sublime cornering skills. Tell us, how did it feel weaving through the back of the pack?"

---

@MrSkimobile

"Kais, with the competition in the mid-pack, a respectable first race putting it into 9th and into the points. How did you find the balance of aggression to make the most of the speed from you Al-Saqr ship?"

---

@GingerBoi123

"Ulrich, awful luck for you out there on your first race crashing out! It's great to see you're all okay! Up until then, you seemed to be doing pretty well- do you feel there's anything to learn?"

---

@Starlance

"Hey Bea, a nice and steady race for you there and tangling with the back of the mid-pack, with lots of cut and thrust. Looks like lots of lessons learned in your first round on strategy and ELS, but you showed some promising pace and I imagine with more underneath you, you'd do better! What do you think you've learned the most from that race?"

---

@Sylvan

The crowd screamed for the next one. It was as loud as crowds got in Formula AG, and for Nora, this was a near-earthquaking feeling, as Aurora had to put a hand over one ear for her projected mic to still work, even in spite of how advanced it was.

"Nora Kelly, podium finisher! I can barely hear myself over that crowd- Nora, tell us how it feels to be 2nd and on the podium at an event many people consider to be Southern Cross's home event, and your first Formula AG race!?"

---

On other aspects of the grid, the other drivers had a chance to chime in during their interviews, coming in and out.

The roar for Amy was clear enough, as she stepped up to the stall, her polymer-like neckbrace in her left hand, her helmet in her right.

"Yeah, amazing race. Huge credit to the team, but once we were out of the gate, the ship was on rails and it was easy to break away from the pack and put on the pace. Awesome stuff."

Layla shrugged, itching her eye with her polymer-like hand.

"Yeah, well, Nora was just too fast. I thought I could handle an unstable ship well, she was amazing! But honestly, a few more laps and we'd have to see. Happy with 3rd, let's keep pushing from here. Yalla!"

Harrison smiled, the cool Aussie knowing the question would come up with an obvious tone.

"Amazing job by the team, super, super happy with the craft but gutted I couldn't get past Layla, but she had the ELS advantage. And massive congrats to Nelly, holy crap, we're going to be partying tonight! Woo!" Harrison yelled, fist raised, the crowd roaring.

Max brushed up to the camera, a smile on his face, the American beaming with a schoolboy like charm.

"Yeah, great race for us, considering everything. Super sad for Ulrich this weekend, but he did amazing too while he was in it. Lots of positives and we can definitely take those away for the next round, we can run with this."

Dorian shrugged, knowing this wasn't as amazing as he would have liked, but well, these races happened.

"Ah, these things happen but we are getting used to a bit of change, no? We had good strategy, and the craft is capable of more, Paul really came back from the back and showed we have a craft that can sit at the top of the mid-pack. Sadly I could not get more out of it and we were caught on the straights, but we'll perform better in Tokyo and Algarve, and we have a great platform of upgrades coming."

Cassie followed up, brushing her red hair and glowing bioluminescent ends out of the way, a new thing she'd just been working on since last night.

"Uhhh yeah, good race for us, but we still could do more. Han was on fire today, but Wedge and Zenix fought hard, and made it difficult. We move on, we'll know what to target next."

Ava was actually grinning. Well, considering the second-worst team on the grid had made Auckland work, nearly scoring points felt like a good place to start.

"Well....great for me, maybe not for Bea. The craft was amazing on straights, but we still have a lot of work to do to get into points."

Henry too, seemed to be grinning.
"Honestly? Buzzing! Made the most of a really bad start, and even with our teething problems punched above what we expected. And Jenny was insane, I've never seen her so fired up for a race."

Astrid sighed, knowing there was no easy way to cover it. Nordic Call was WELL below expectations.
"Not great. Not great. Ship should be far better than it is, lots of bad luck, technical faults. It's sh*t but we have time to improve."

The same seemed to even be on Kofi's face.
"Well, a technical fault stopped me from having a good race. But Vlad did incredible. Really impressive. Shame I couldn't make more out of it, we go again in Africa!"

Two figures were sitting in a corner booth at a dive bar late at night, a beer in front of each and paperwork strewn between them. One was Nora Kelly, recognized by the bar's regular mix of crooks and bored locals, and the other was unknown to them even though he bore a strong familial resemblance.

“Alright, we just gotta make sure it doesn’t turn into a dog's breakfast this time, eh Nelly?” The older man said, a wry smile on his lips as he set the final page of the contract down in front of Nora.

“She’ll be right, uncle Flynn. I’m a different woman now, better driver and everything.” Nora replied, rolling her eyes at the childhood nickname as she signed on the dotted line, rejoining a world she’d thought would never want her back.

She spent the rest of the night wondering what she’d just gotten herself into, and then was too busy being brought to speed to think an idle thought.

---

---

Pre-Qualifiers: Final Checks

Nora was unseen by the public during the leadup to the qualifier runs, instead laying on a slab going through a series of last-minute calibration tests. For these tests Nora was connected to a computer with enough wires to make a cyberpunk cosplayer blush, dressed in her race suit with the helmet off. As she lay face down on the table, her body twitching as the implant was tested, the Southern Cross principle, a balding man in his mid-forties by the name of Owen Keating, who’d managed to maintain a fit figure, walked in.

“If I didn’t know better I’d ask if you were fully charged.” Owen said, smiling at his own joke as he glanced over the readouts along the console. “If I’m reading this right we can get you unhooked soon, just in time to go over the track one last time before your Qual run.”

Nora sighed, but there was a hint of excitement in it. Go time. Ever since her first run in her sled, she’d been addicted to the huge rush of speed. Now she just had to make good on all the work they’d put into her.

---

DELTΔ HYPER

Episode One: Finding their Feet

---

Meet the Pilots

Hey Nora, welcome to Delta Hyper! Can I call you Nelly? Your addition to Southern Cross has everyone talking- a former underground racer now at a top team, how are you feeling and how are you finding the top level so far?

Nora is dressed in a tech punk outfit, the camera catching her on a water break as the young woman did her best to look comfortable and confident in front of the camera and its holographic interviewer and mostly succeeding. Her voice was firm and confident, but anyone who was looking for it could spot the nerves in the way her hand tightened on the bottle and fidgeted with the cap.

“I-” Nora coughed to clear her throat before starting again. “It’s unlike anything I’d expected, nothing like my brief stint in the Rookie League, or even anything I saw in the Interior. The competitors up here are on another level entirely. I’m stoked to see where I measure up, and who I leave in the dust!”

Whilst on the wrong side of the Tasman Strait from home, this is Southern Cross's unofficial home GP. How are you feeling about it, and what do you think you can do later today?

“Somehow I never managed to get out to this side of the Strait for a visit before joining Southern Cross, but now? Wish I’d come out here sooner! The mountains are magnificent, not that I’ll have time to visit them with race weekend and everything. Won’t even get a chance to look on the track with how fast I’ll be going.” Nora finished, her confidence solidifying as her thoughts returned to the racing ahead.

---

Qualifiers

“Those neural linkages were solid, felt like flying the raft was as natural as breathing!”

later

“Third position, hell of a run for my first qual! Lets see if I can keep up the pace.”

---

Pre-Race Party

Nora, in the same tech punk outfit from earlier, stood around the Southern Cross VIP area, trying to relax in a party bigger than any she’d seen and star-studded to boot. She’d read the contract and knew these events were important for both exposure and fundraising, but she just wasn’t yet used to the reach and influence of the Formula AG fanbase and organization. After a fairly short time, Nora made her way back to the rooms she was staying in, intent to get a good night’s sleep and be in top shape for the race the next day.

---

Grid Photo

The Southern Cross rookie was leaning against the side of her Ship, her suit decorated with bands of sand blowing in the wind, evoking the chaos of a sandstorm with bands of glittering yellow-gold accenting the Southern Cross colors that made up most of the suit. Her helmet, held under one arm, was fully the glittering sandstorm in color, except for the visor she had to see out of. As she turned to look down the racing line, noting each rider and the lines of their ships, the sun reflected off of the locking rings going down Nora's spine where her Ships systems would be plugged into her body.

---

To Be Continued…

---

Kais, with the competition in the mid-pack, a respectable first race putting it into 9th and into the points. How did you find the balance of aggression to make the most of the speed from your Al-Saqr ship?

“Hmm. Speed’s OK. Still breaking the ship in. So don’t worry… You ain’t seen nothing yet.”

---

Kais listened to Ava with a cold expression, but he felt she knew better than to think him calm. With her background surely she recognized the stares of his kind, eyes not knowing where to look, the clenched jaw, the hands floating near non-existent holsters, the pangs of recognition. Images of a world ablaze flickered in his mind. A world, and more. Shockwaves rumbled through the mining tunnels. Sounds of innocence. Smells of meat sloughing from a mech. And throughout it all…

"Rage and anger? I know them well. But you’re wrong about one thing: we’re not the same. I didn’t rage for some grand cause, to save the world, to feel good about my stake in it all. I did because I was fastgrown in a fucking tube, a childhood of killing uploaded straight into my brain, and was let loose in a war zone, where survival was all that existed. Rage kept me alive when nothing else did, in places where others break. To this very day…”

He paused for a second. “You say you understand, and maybe you do, and maybe I am a relic of a bygone age, but if you think for even a second that I’m just gonna wait till they put me down, you are going to be sorely mistaken. Make a better weapon out of me? They better. And stay in the light? You’re goddamn right. And I’ll make sure it’s my light they’re gonna be standing in."

And without another word, Kais turned and walked away. It didn’t matter, none of it, not anymore. The race was all that mattered now. Speed, the next turn… Survival.

---

An AG Racer was different from a warmech in many ways. In a mechsuit, their arm is your arm, their leg is your leg. Their eyes, your eyes. It was more natural even if the tech was considered vintage now. But in a racer? Whole thing’s different. The AG racer’s cockpit was clean. Sterile, but that’s all there was to them on the inside. Where they were colorful and stylish on the outside, on the inside there wasn’t even a real control pad - just some strips and markers for neurographic projection. Even the handles, pedals and joysticks were barely functional. They had some give, but that was mostly for show. It made it easier on the pilots if they had some haptic feedback that didn’t contradict what they did through their direct brain connection, and it probably helped the pilots not accidentally snap them off in flight too. But if you were so inclined, AGR cockpits could seem little more than many millions worth of metallic coffins.

A crew member was working frantically on plugging Kais into all the systems. Kais glanced over to him, and he saw beads of sweat pearl on his forehead, his eyes flitting here and there, but never to him. Poor guy was trying to get away ASAP. Last few systems: bracing clamps, medical support, breathing, neural interfaces. And it was done. The man closed the hatch, almost hesitantly tapped on it a few times for good luck, as tradition dictates. And then Kais was alone. Alone in his dark coffin, with only the craft’s soft background hum keeping him company.

Over the radio, he heard the crew countdown with a nonchalance like they had done many times before. “Alright, Kais. Prepare for plugin, in 3… 2…”. Suddenly, the ship came alive. It always was a slightly jarring experience, having your senses suddenly become 6x larger. His body vibrated as the ship. The markers and handles now had information projected onto it - speed, gear, lap number, racer position, temperature and energy levels. The rest of his ship became fully transparent, and Kais saw the circuit spread out in in a near-360 panoramic view around him. Falkner, Westwood and Neves, their ships wobbling ever-so-slightly as they too lifted off the ground just ahead, were undoubtedly just plugged in as well. AI-curated data feeds - visual, thermals, distance and pressure measurements - all simultaneously streamed into him in different layers of his mind. The frantic bustle of mechanics made last-minute checks before running off the track. Crowds cheered - Kais turned down the volume on that. And in the distance: the five lights. Just before he placed them on the stick, he looked at his hands - not even a tremble.


For a split second, the acceleration felt like then. The boost pushed him in his seat as kilometers raced by in seconds. Even the neurological dampeners couldn’t fully make the rearranging of his internal organs pleasant. Kais reached out with his sensors as the first positions were being traded. In front of Kais lingered Ulrich Falkner, careful and measured. Layla had already gained on Makara and was now maneuvering on Nora Kelly blazing ahead. The Zygon colors of Han’s ship crept close behind them. And Kais saw Makara would be no match. She was immaculately calculated. Infuriatingly calculated.

“Falkner. Kelly. Han. Go. Take them down.”

Kais started hugging those in front close. They had started their own maneuvers. If he could stay with them… Ramping up his own speed, he started his own moves to overtake Falkner in front. But before he knew it Ulrich was out of the race. Crashed, and crashed hard.

“That’s one down!”

---

“Talk to me, Cypher.” Team principal Omar asked their main neural engineer, as he walked up beside Nadia, pinching her shoulder in an attempt to calm her down from her nerves.

“Layla’s going like a champ. Kais, still the same problem. I can’t put my finger on it. Neural parser’s giving me strange readings now and then. I swear, that guy’s brain... I don’t know. It’s very unclear. Staticy. Sometimes I think I can make out words, but they make no sense. But most of it just sounds like… screaming?”

Later in the team cafeteria, Nadia was wondering what she’d gotten herself into this time.

---

“Passed Neves,” Kais spoke to himself. That was one Zygon down. She put up a good fight, but a fiery approach only works until someone out-guns you.

And then, there she was. Ava Villarosa. There may have been two drivers in Wipala, but Kais knew flying when he saw it. Controlled. Millimeter by millimeter he saw the distance measures creep down. She was gaining on him. Gritting his teeth, he pushed his own ship to its limits…

And then, it was all over. The checkered flag was flown. And it all died down to nothing. Cheers may have erupted, but that volume had been turned down. It didn’t matter, none of it.

---

Post Race, Auckland: Cooldown

Nora Kelly, newcomer and podium finisher. What an accomplishment. Kais noticed a pang of feeling welling up inside him. Pride, or jealousy? And next to her stood Amy Stirling, and Al-Saqr’s very own Layla. Kais mused he’d never hear the end of it… for now.

This was what being a pilot in AG was all about. Drive and, perhaps yes, even respect. Hidden in the crowd their eyes met: Layla, Ava, Ulrich, Hyeon-Ae, Nora. You’d swear you could see the slightest nod and smile on Kais’ face. He raised his index finger.

Bang.

Round One: Oceania AGP

Grid Photo

---

Paul had just wrapped up the smack talk with Bea and was headed towards the exit when he was approached by Kofi.

Kofi voice was full of warmth and his expression a friendly one as his slightly accented voice called told him.

Kofi: "You really are your father's son. Good to have you in the grid, Paul! Me and Dorian were watching your junior racing, not often a son of a legend comes in...I am glad you found home."

Paul was a little uncomfortable when Kofi smiled and put an arm around his shoulder. It was an invasion of his personal space from someone he didn’t know very well. While Paul was used to that behavior from fans, he was surprised to experience it from another pilot. It made him uncomfortable and he did his best to hide it.

Kofi: "There will be a lot of talk. But you stay true to you, yes? Don't ever let them grind you down. Media, yes? And I'll tell you now. You're now an AG pilot, so there is action But, just be you and it's easy. Do not overthink....the rest you'll put to the fiyah."

Paul was surprised at the advice from Kofi but he supposed he shouldn’t be. Kofi was billed as the gentle giant among the racers. He was that genuinely nice guy in a sea of back stabbing sharks. He smiled and patted Kofi on the back. “Thank you Kofi. I will be sure to keep your advice in mind. Good Luck out there!”

Kofi left him after patting him on the chest and left chuckling. Paul made his way off the pontoon platform.

---

Before the Race

Alexander saw Aurora making her way through the team paddocks. After he was chastised by the head of marketing, he knew he would need to give a sound bite. He waited for her to make her way into the Team Valkyrie paddock. He had been reviewing the course information and making sure the pilots had been well taken care of. Their ships were ready, physicals had been cleared, pilots had access to the information he had on the course. They could review the turns and memorize as much of the track as possible before the race. There had not been much time for him to make any changes. All he could do is support their existing routines. There was not much time left before the race started and he couldn’t think of anything else to do other than wish the pilots luck.

Alexander approached the fiery looking reporter. He gave her a warm welcoming smile. He extended a hand in greeting to her. He could see the camera drones that followed her. He guessed that they probably never turned off.

Alexander: “Good Morning Aurora. I wanted to apologize for my abrupt departure during our previous interview. As you know my return to racing was a surprise to everyone, including me. I had literally just gotten started and was working on getting caught up. I was exhausted and needed some rest.”

Alexander paused and wondered if he should say anything. He decided to get ahead of any rumors. The media was probably already digging into his personal life. It wouldn’t take much for them to find out about his daughter’s accident. Safety features in vehicles these days have made traffic accidents less frequent. The drunk driver who had hit his daughter happened to be in a vehicle with the safety features had been hacked and turned off. He would be sure to call his ex-wife and let her know that the media might come snooping around. It was inevitable anyway with his return to racing.

Alexander gave Aurora a tired look that was full of love and warmth as he thought about his daughter. Grateful he had been able to give her this chance for recovery and a life.

“You see the truth of the matter is, my daughter had been hit by a drunk driver and was in the hospital. I had not gotten much sleep the week prior. She was in ICU and then when we knew she was going to pull through, she had to undergo multiple surgeries to support her recovery. I had just come in on a red eye from the states. I promise, I will be more available for interviews in the future. I wanted to personally invite you to attend the press conference I have the marketing team arranging next Wednesday at Team Valkyrie AGR Sport headquarters in Aachen, Germany.”

Alexander didn’t miss the gasps and looks of shock on some of the team faces around him who had been listening in to what he had to say to Aurora. He was pretty sure the gossip mongers would be hard at work. He suspected the whole team would have heard about the status of his daughter before the race started.

Alexander gave Aurora a smile that softened his whole face and lit up with love.

Alexander: “My daughter is on her road to a full recovery. I didn’t want to leave her till I knew she was out of the woods. I would ask the media to give her privacy while she heals. She has enough going on at the moment without fending off interview requests. She will talk to folks when she is ready. Prayers and good wishes are always welcome though.”

He waited to see what questions Aurora might have. He hoped giving her an interview exclusive with such a juicy tidbit might redeem him in her eyes.

---

The Racing Line

Soundtrack: The Rolling Stones - Start Me Up

---

Alexander was on the headset looking into the monitors in the Team Valkyrie Paddock. He knew the mechanics, pit crew, and engineers all had a monitor with computers to give them data being streamed from the ship to their stations so they could keep track of the action. Alexander had worked to develop a dashboard that gave him the overview he needed to do his job during the race.

Alexander used his comm to speak to his pilots just before the race.

His comm came alive as his voice filled the ears of Dorian as the preflight checks were being finished. “Good luck Dorian. I hope you have a good race.”

He signed off after getting a brief acknowledgement from Dorian.

His comm came alive as his voice reached Paul during the preflight checks. “Good morning Paul. I wanted to wish you good luck. Take a deep breath and remember Valkyrie chose you for a reason. You are good enough or you wouldn’t be sitting in that seat. Just run your race. You got this.”

And before much longer it was race time.

---

Dorian waved at the camera drones that were focused on him in the cockpit just before the start of the race. He then focused on his instruments as the countdown began. Adrenaline flooded his body as the race began. Right out of the gate he was battling to keep his position. The ship was handling well. The response time was better than his qualifier. The speed was pushing him back into the seat and the g forces were throwing him against the restraints as he sped through the course. He cursed as he lost speed on the long straight way. He cursed a blue streak as he saw Wedgewood pass him. He did his best to chase the leaders but he just couldn’t close the gap that came from the straight aways.

---

Paul smiled and waved at the camera drones that were focused on getting shots of him in the cockpit. He blew a kiss to the camera with a wink. He placed a closed fist over his heart which his mother would know was for her. He had the biggest and brightest smile on his face. Joy thrummed through him to know she was finally in his corner for this race. It gave him confidence. Paul was in the absolute last poll position due to technical problems during his qualifying round. He had nowhere to go but up. He felt more relaxed after Alexander’s little pep talk. He had been expecting Alexander to put pressure on him to perform instead he offered supportive advice. He was surprised that the cheesy tactic had worked.

He put his ship through its final checks. His engines started and the feeling of power thrilled him. As it always did, Paul’s thoughts turned to his father. He felt as if his father was sitting in the cockpit with him. A warm feeling came over him and his joy exploded into action as the race began. Adrenaline dumped into his system as he began to move through the pack.

Paul was driving like he was one with his machine. The ship was handling like it was on rails. He battled his way through the pack. He fell back again during the straight away. He just couldn’t get enough speed to hold off some of his competitors. He fought hard to continue to move up and at least maintain his gains.

Before he knew it the race was over. He got nowhere close to the top of the pack but was satisfied with the gains he had made. Paul had managed to gain 7 spots. That was respectable in such a skilled tight pack as this racing season was.

---

Post Race, Auckland: Interviews

---

@FourtyTwo

Aurora: "Paul, amazing work today finishing 13th in your first race, pulling the ship from last on the grid with a series of brave overtakes and showing off the Valkyrie's sublime cornering skills. Tell us, how did it feel weaving through the back of the pack?"

Paul was still dressed in his flight suit and had his helmet under his hand. He had a joyful and excited look on his face as he smiled at Aurora.

Paul: “Well Aurora, I had nowhere to go but up after starting dead last. I am happy with my performance. I am sure I will only get better as the season continues. It is a new ship and I am excited to work with Alexander Knight to see what changes might be coming to Team Valkyrie AGR. My ship was handling great, allowing me to squeeze more speed in and out of those turns and corners.”

---

Valkyrie AGR Sport Social Media

---

---

Superfan2075: Disappointing start to the season by team Valkyrie. Paul shows promise though.

Britball12: Team Valkyrie sucks!

Paulmulder4eva: Paul was looking great while killing it! RT if you agree!

Weedhead81:[message removed by content filters]

Hater101: At least Dorian made it into points. Team Valkyrie needs to get their sh!t together or I am changing teams! #ragequit

Mombaby: Me and U Dorian!

Weedhead81:[message removed by content filters]

BatDave: I am Batman.

GeorgeFly: I hope they have a better showing in Africa. #disappointed

Nana2050: I am glad to hear that Alexander Knight is back. I was a fan in AGR when he was a driver. He is great! #longtimefan

Papabear34:Alexander Knight Sucks! #knightfail #bringbackdominic

ValkyrieFan56: My family and I will be cheering you on in Africa. Can’t wait! Let’s Go!

Weedhead81:[message removed by content filters]

DELTΔ HYPER

Episode One: Finding their Feet

---

"Ava has smiled just once!" Aurora chuckled, smiling, as Bea continued to respond, the literal Aurora in hologram chuckling.

"Well, I'll hold you to that, Bea. #RallyBrave! Any last words for the crew before you get started?"

”Why ‘last words’, I don’t plan on leaving this early.” Bea shrugged with a cheeky smile, ”On a slightly more serious note the team did a bang up job not only with setup and preparation but also adapting the ship to tech they’ve never worked with before. They’ve done all they could, up to me to deliver now.”

---

With the photoshoot done, Bea was eager to get back to the paddock and get out of the suit for a few more hours. Without the immersion liquid, it was getting toasty in it. Hearing her name called out by a voice she couldn’t readily assign to a face she turned around, in no small amount of disbelief at who she saw waving her down. Walking backwards and slowing down to allow Amy to catch up, Bea didn’t know what she expected from the ensuing exchange, but definitely not that.
”Flustered? Who, me?” She pointed to herself with a smile, perfectly timed as she went slightly red in the face. She turned around to walk forward again when Amy caught up, not feeling Amy’s hand much through her suit while her own probably weighed down on the other Brit’s shoulder. ”I’m all ears.” She replied when Amy said she’d be in touch, not getting another sentence in before the three time champion slinked away.

Nearing the team area in the paddock, Bea caught up to Ava. ”Good luck today, Comandante.” She gave her teammate a light-hearted salute before the two parted ways.

---

The interview might have been over, but the Delta Hyper cameras were still rolling. In one of the Carrera Condor garages, a ritual was taking place. Bea stood in the back of the garage, arms held out to the sides, a crew member working on her suit. Noticing the lurking camera, she beckoned it closer with her hand, the camera remaining outside the garage to be out of the way, yet close enough to pick up audio.

“Aight, should be solid.” Larry, a 72 years old and 108 kilogram Pridwen employee in charge of the liquid immersion tech said after rechecking the fit of her suit.
Bea took a step back and did a series of stretches and jumps to run the suit through its range of motion and make sure it was settled properly and not shifting. ”Feels good.”
He handed her a rubber cap that held her headset, head cam and kept her hair dry and in check inside the helmet, attaching four laryngophones contained in patches about the size of a post stamp to her throat - defense sector equipment from a few decades back made available to the public maybe 30 years ago - as she fastened the cap and connected the comms.
”Radio check?” Alistair’s voice came over the radio after getting a thumbs up from Larry.
She moved her head and jaw around to make sure the laryngophones were secure. ”Good check.” Bea answered without moving her lips, her voice coming through the team radio and the suit’s built-in speaker. Speaking with the helmet, mouth and lungs full of liquid would’ve been a tough ask, requiring subvocal recognition to circumvent the problem. Using the neural link was initially suggested but quickly discounted as unnecessary, and since Bea’s headcam was recording mic input as opposed to the radio itself, her inner monologue would be audible in the recording as an added benefit for the fans.
Next came the breathing mask that helped move the liquid in and out of her lungs before she put on the helmet and the suit was pressurized to verify the seals held tight. “Seals aight, good for the liquid?”
”Am I ever?” A mix of unease and disgust apparent in her voice despite the attempt at humor.

The suit filling was never pleasant, but it was tolerable. Yet no matter how many times she’d done it, her heart always started racing as the liquid started rising past her shoulders and her brain had to confront the fact that she was about to inhale something that felt like water and smelled like rotting apples. Good thing Larry had been in charge of that program since the first flight tests and knew how to talk people through it.
All in all pretty good. The first time they’d done this four months ago, she had a full-blown panic attack.

Final checks complete, she approached the ship, the typical Carrera Condor eight-bit rainbow with the name “Akela” airbrushed under the canopy on the left side in Bea’s handwriting, and took her seat in the cockpit, wiggling around to sink into the gel-like crash couch almost like sitting on a beanbag chair. Doing up the safety harness, Larry disconnected the portable liquid circulation unit, connected the immersion liquid hoses to the ship and rechecked her straps. The HUD came on; track map, lap counter, start lights and current flags, a compressed 360° view around the ship and proximity indicators among others supplementing the neural feedback. “Good luck today.” Larry patted Bea’s shoulder, returning her fistbump.

---

”Mulder point oh nine behind, point one five per lap faster.”
”Are we racing him or not?”
”Our fight is elsewhere.”
She moved off the line on the next straight, the video and eye tracker showing she checked to see if he waved like they joked before the race, unlikely as it was. Taking a hand off the controls at that speed was closer to her levels of insanity.

”Yellow yellow, sector two.”
”Who? They alright?”
”Falkner. Don’t know yet.”
Bea glanced at the wreck as she passed it a few seconds later. ’Come on, man, get out.’ The recording voiced her thoughts.
”He’s out and walking.” Alistair informed her not 20 seconds later.
”Good.”

”Lowry point three behind.”
”Power?”
”Charged.”
Bea took an early apex, narrow-exit line through the next corner to set her up for the ELS charging passthrough on the next straight. At the same time, Lowry braked early and went for a pass down the inside, allowing her to get on the power early and shoot out of the corner like a kicked football with Fitzroy taking advantage of the opportunity and following her through.
”Fuuuuh!”
”Head down, he’s slow in tight corners.”
’And I’m in the head.’
She ended up having to use the energy to close the gap she created by wasting her time charging. She had a look down the inside into the next turn, a right-left chicane on and off Domain Drive, Henry covering his back in the first kink but the move compromised his line through the following left-hander and allowed Bea to switch over, stick her nose in before he turned into the corner and slip through with maybe three centimeters between her ship and the wall, but by that point Lowry had expended her ELS charge and was too far ahead to catch in the remaining two laps.

---

"Hey Bea, a nice and steady race for you there and tangling with the back of the mid-pack, with lots of cut and thrust. Looks like lots of lessons learned in your first round on strategy and ELS, but you showed some promising pace and I imagine with more underneath you, you'd do better! What do you think you've learned the most from that race?"

”You’re too kind. I don’t know what race you were watching, but that was everything but nice, I drove like a complete bellend. Take away the technical failures and poor Ulrich’s incident and I’d be P19. Yeah, you could say ‘that’s racing, it still counts’ but we all know that’s not the case outside of the leaderboard. I’ve got work to do.” Bea took the brutally honest route, ”Definitely lessons learned today, some stupid mistakes that could’ve been easily avoided, figuring out when charging is and isn’t worth it…
Congratulations to Ava, an amazing result given the machinery we’re working with. Clearly there is some pace in the ship, it’s just a matter of figuring out how to get it out.
And shoutout to Nora, obviously. Even if their ship is second best on the grid, beating an experienced teammate on debut is nothing to sneeze at.”

---

CarreraCarmen: P11? Could it be? Could this be hope? After all these years? O.O

Zero: With Ava P11, I can’t wait to see what you’ll do once you get familiar with the ship.
Xinny: Don’t forget the upgrades. Imagine what the Pridwen tech will bring!
MadBea: Can’t talk about that, but it will be big!
DohnJoe: they finna roll up with a whole fighter jet
Xinny: Imagine an Ikeya or an Antares-B pulling up on the grid.
GalwayGirl: Oh she’d do it if it was legal.
User420: Ain’t cheating, ain’t trying ;)
MrSmooth: That Silver Apex grindset :D

Mate0: We really lost Joaquin for this?
IronBeer: He had twice the JFA time, half the points to show for it, the media presence and charisma of a dead fish and the best sponsor he brought was a catering company.
Javi: shut ur bitch ass up, nobody asked u
Briat77: Dude she’s not gonna do you no need to suck up.
Mate0: Pirata copium.
UrbanMaverick: Seethe, Argie.
Sol_de_Mayo: Agree it was quite sad. Maybe should stick to painting, she’s actually good at that.

UrbanMaverick: All you haters need to seek grass. You’re chatting shite about someone whose art helped pull me through depression. The hell did Ibanez ever do for anyone but himself?
MadBea: Glad to know you’re doing better and I appreciate your support, but try to keep things civil, please.

Richie: Tad disappointed with Bea honestly. She’s cute and all and we still stan our national goofball in this house, but she needs a few good ones if she wants to prove she belongs in FA, otherwise she should go back to rallying and get that Driver’s WRC.
AndesAG: wouldnt mind if she did, she and burns were comedy gold. That polish stage without power steering sends me everytime
DohnJoe: bro imagine the team radio if he was her race engineer :D please make it happen @CarreraCondorFA

Hotstuff: pretty shitty of villarosa to fuck off into the distance like that, literally starting behind one another FFS
TheMassive: It’s called a motor race, they went motor racing
MadBea: A bit of help would’ve been nice, or we might’ve both ended up in the depths of Hell. Remember that in the end, all 20 of us are there to do the best for ourselves.

Delta Hyper

Aurora broke into a pause between Han’s sentences. "Well, we will need to cut you off there I'm afraid Hyeon-Ae, but it sounds like you have kept extremely busy over the off-season. A woman of many talents, and no doubt AG racing will be one we'll be keeping our eye keenly on!”

Hyeon-Ae smiled politely in return, bowing her head both to Aurora and to the camera. “Please cheer for me, if it would not trouble you too much.” She offered softly towards the cameras as Aurora finished speaking. Practiced and elegant, the image of what a refined Korean woman should be like. It was easy to latch onto; she seemed almost like she was a character out of a net-drama, rather than a person with flaws. Just smiling her polite, soft smile that gave no actual insight into her as a person, yet still welcomed onlookers.

She remained sitting until the cameras were off.

---

Eyes closed, Hyeon-Ae stood on the small stepping stool clad in her entire gear sans helmet, merely taking in the din and chaos of final prep as people milled around the vehicle and got everything in order. Chattering in English, shouting in Korean. The engineering team was a more well-oiled machine than the ship itself, and working with them in preparation for today had slowly opened her eyes to how they lived and breathed on the performance of this rocket with gravity manipulation. Not every mechanic was like the soulless salary-thieves at Ji Motors, doing the bare minimum as long as someone was looking over their shoulder. No, they moved like a family - or a colony of ants, and they treated her like a part of the whole rather than an annoying boss. It was a strange, but pleasant sensation. People who didn't look at you like a celebrity or a meal ticket.

A mild frown knitted on her features, she climbed into the machine and gave the mechanics a last glance before putting on the wired earset, and then lowering the pressure-lock helmet to let the clamps initiate. “Comms check.” She mouthed while waiting for everything to come online.

“Test the stick so you’re unhappy now rather than during the race.” The radio crackles back; Zhou Yijin, a Chinese national who clawed his way through Zygon on merit to snatch a lead role in the engineering team. Also one of the few on the team so far who didn't walk on eggshells around her.

Her scoff came through on the radio, then silence while she tested it. “It's much better. You spoil me, seonbae.”

“You're going to have to compensate for the shaking in the chicanes.” Zhou shot back, though a bit more friendly in tone.

“Sorry to break in,” the Team Principal cut in. “Get ready for synchronization, Hyeon-Ae ssi. Remember that Wedgewood and Hornfleur will try to challenge you on corners.”

Hyeon-Ae relaxed as much as was possible and exhaled in her little metal pod. Bleak and featureless beyond panels, cables, safety features. She felt the cabling at the back of her neck spool up, then came the slight whirr as it connected her to a new universe of metal and speed.

It was freeing in a way - a feeling of being bigger than yourself, connected to the world. Understanding your surroundings faster than any human should ever be able to. But it was also unpleasant. The artificial extension of her body, the cold and alien tingle through her spine when it completed that first setup; it brought back dark memories of people in lab coats, painful tests strapped to a table, being trapped in a vat with a tube down her throat. But it was worth it for the freedom that followed.

“Connection confirmed,” Zhou sounded off. “Good luck out there.”

Hyeon-Ae didn't respond. She was running the track through her mind. Preparing for the countdown. The others didn't matter until they were off the starting grid. What mattered was getting the optimal start.

Countdown.

Start.

---

The Renaissance

“Hart trading with Hornfleur. Point two behind.” the radio crackles, public communication for real-time watchers.

“He’s trying to earn his salary. I'm running a seven point surplus. I can hold.” Hyeon-Ae responded with a confident tone. The soft woman from interviews and TV spots had been abandoned in the paddock.

The whipping zooms of engines running hard and shooting past Auckland’s features at breakneck speed brought out the real woman. The confident hyena; the sardonic thinker. The gleaming colors of Zygon's livery twisting, turning and rolling to keep three veterans at bay. There was a twisted delight there, deep in the connection of the neural interface, where woman and machine intermingled. A desire of machine to outperform other machines, or the delight of a competitive addict being challenged and winning.

Whether it was Hart, Hornfleur, or Wedgewood, Hyeon-Ae stood her ground, spinning and boosting around the track like an implacable machine, eking out a performance from the ship that left her just above an energy surplus or just below a deficit - razor-thin margins and few big risks, instead keeping solid boosts to gain whenever possible. Makara and especially Al-Nadir were out of range - the one shot at fourth she almost had she never really pushed for, choosing instead to solidify her hold over infuriating Hart behind her.

Hornfleur overtook her in a corner and immediately lost the position in a straight following her minimal leeching and subsequent boost. Wedgewood rubbed shields and traded back and forth for a whole lap. The entire race was a battle, but the ship didn't waver. Quick, confident decisions. Emotionless. Unfazed. Inhuman.

She shot across the finish line with a near second lead over Hart, using up the last stores of energy allotted without having ran a real deficit for prolonged times during the race.

---

Post Race, Interview

"Amazing result Han, 5th Place in your first race! How did it feel to hold off the veteran ships behind you?" Aurora beamed at her. Hyeon-Ae had somehow been forced to shuffle to the front of the line, and was still coming off of the high of adrenaline from the race. Even so, she spoke with a giddy confidence that blended humility and media training.

“Thank you! And yes, it was exciting. Dorian is a very skilled driver, I look forward to meeting on the track again. I only wish to keep this momentum; to show the fans that Zygon is ready to rise.”

---

The Racing Line

It was finally time. Finally time to see if she could measure up when facing up against actual Formula AG racers. Noras heart raced with excitement as she stepped up to her sled, helmet under her arm. As she went over her pre-race checklist one last time, it struck her that while any racer might say that their ship was an extension of their body, it felt far more real for her. After going over the checklist for the third time, she stepped into the cockpit, letting the engineers hook up the series of neuralink cables that were supposed to wire her instincts and reflexes directly into her sleds controls. Once she was hooked in and the canopy sealed above her, her radio crackled to life.

“Ey Nelly, radio check?” The voice of SCs Principal came across her earpiece.

“Loud and clear, Keating. How’re we looking today?” Nora replied in an easy, relaxed tone that belied her excitement.

“Just drive like you did in the quals and don’t get bogged down in the midpack, and you’ll have a fair go. Good luck, Nelly.”

As the minutes slid away, Nora sank into her ship, nestling into every nook and cranny of the beast as her breath synced up with the air intakes and her heartbeat matched the rumbling of her engines. Her limbs became control surfaces as her eyes became sensors and readouts. The race would begin all too soon, and so would her dominance. It wasn’t a question of if Nora would win, just a matter of when.

Her eyes snapped open and she took in the track ahead and her opponents ahead and behind, and as the final seconds trickled away all of the support crews cleared the track.



As her system was flooded with adrenaline and the world slowed to a crawl, Nora couldn’t help but laugh. Full of raw aggression, this laugh persisted as she boosted past Jamie as the Silver Apex driver fumbled the starting sprint; a small mistake, but a costly one at these speeds. As she pulled ahead Amy Stirling was already fading into the distance, but Harrison and Layla were hot on her heels. The race was on…

---

The Chequered Flag

… And just as suddenly, it was over. The checkered flag waved, and the race was finished. Nora flexed a muscle that didn’t exist, and began to return to her body. She closed her eyes and stilled her heart, the ships mighty engines rumbling down to idle speed as her breath returned to her lungs, and the beat to her heart. As her limbs returned to the standard human ones she was born with, her eyes opened once again, back in her head this time.

Only then did her mind catch up to what she had heard over the team radio, and seen with her eyes. Second place, a podium finish! Her hands flew as she worked to decouple herself from the machine, shaking from the remnants of the adrenaline and the shock of the result. As she finally climbed out of her ship, she was lifted off her feet and thrown into a bear hug by the bear-esq team Principal.

“Bloody hell, Nora, a podium finish off the rip! We’re gonna rock up tonight for sure!” the portly man said, practically bellowing his enthusiasm as he set Nora back on her feet.

---

Post Race, Auckland: Cooldown

Even when she won on the Interior Circuit, there had never been anything quite like this. Nora stopped on the threshold momentarily, taking in the cooldown room, its decorations and displays finally reinforcing the heights her racing was taking her to. After a moment she shook herself out of the reverie that had gripped her and walked over to the display Amy and Layla were standing in front of.

"You did well today, Nelly. Not many rookies come in and make a splash like that. And they will go wild out there for you. The lights will be very bright compared to the underground." Layla spoke, her eyes glowing up, as Amy gently strummed through her telemetry, not trying to be rude but taking it in now while it came through, breaking it there.

“Bloody oath! Thanks Layla. That said, you shoulda heard Harrison when you stole that overtake on him. Move was a straight corker.”

The conversation was cut short there, as a race official beckoned them onto stage and onto the podium. As she took in the glitz and glam, and the sense of being near the top of the world… She could get used to this. As she looked over the crowd she picked out a few faces though, those of some of her fellow competitors. As their eyes met, Nora noticed Kais finger and twitched her eyebrow as if to say “come take my place if you can” before moving on to Ulrich, glad to see he made it out of his crash with minimal injuries to both man and machine. Other faces, happy and sad, angry or joyous, all looking at the podium. Three could stand on the podium, but only one could stand atop the rest, and it was only a matter of time until that one was her.

---

Post Race, Auckland: Interviews

The crowd screamed for the next one. It was as loud as crowds got in Formula AG, and for Nora, this was a near-earthquaking feeling, as Aurora had to put a hand over one ear for her projected mic to still work, even in spite of how advanced it was.

"Nora Kelly, podium finisher! I can barely hear myself over that crowd- Nora, tell us how it feels to be 2nd and on the podium at an event many people consider to be Southern Cross's home event, and your first Formula AG race!?"

Nora had to wait a moment for the cheers to die down slightly before she could be heard by the microphone. After waiting that moment, she responded with a breathless, victorious energy and a smile that split her face ear to ear.

“I- To tell you the truth Aurora, I’m still processing it myself. I mean, the team here at Southern Cross did an amazing job at preparing me and my ship for the race, I couldn’t have done it without them, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t eyeing that top spot. I’m coming for you Amy, and I’m right on your heels!” Nora finishes, pointing directly at the camera with a cocky air that some could say she was already beginning to earn.

---

Anon243953075 said:

Wait, where did NitroNoras old clips and shit go??

Anon563334846 said:

Wait, yeah, she had those great clips of outrunning police.

Anon243953075 said:

Damn, those were the best. You think SC made her take it down?

Anon783144648 said:

Probably, can’t have their new rookie making them look bad. Gotta look respectable for the sponsors