[center] [h2][b] Tuesday March 23rd 2094 Zygon HQ, South Korea 14:27 Local Time [/b] [/h2] [/center] The soft buzz of high-power lamps and running machinery added a constant melody to the recurring thuds of feet hitting the treads of the electronic treadmill. Hyeon-Ae ran in place at usual pace, more bothered by the electrodes attached to her body than whatever slight amounts of fatigue she was working up during her training. Medical staff and physicians milled about, staring themselves blind at metrics and quietly chattering amongst each other. These physicals were tiresome; usually they pushed her less than she pushed herself privately - but at least it gave her ample time to think without distractions like phones or corporate gnats. Her mind was still on the confrontation with Cassie in the hall earlier in the day. She'd seen Neves upset a few times, but this time she genuinely looked upset - sad and desperate, like a miserable child quickly running out of hope. She huffed to herself as she considered the verbal exchange, earning her a few glances from the supervising physician. In truth, she shared much of Neves' opinion. A racing team was no place for committees and rigid three-tiered command structures of middle-men. The chaebol; the Parks, and their immediate inner circle, ran their racing team like they ran all their other businesses. With spreadsheets and cost-benefit calculations. Even her uncle and Ji Motors were better - at least Uncle was greedy and corrupt enough to value rapid action and decisiveness. Team Principal Jinwoo was a joke when compared to figureheads like Valkyrie´s Knight and Carrera´s Alonso; a puppet who rarely dared say much beyond what upper management greenlit. At least he had the softness to be manipulated by whoever was holding the leash at the time; including Hyeon-Ae herself. And he could be worse; Apex´ Thatcher gave her the same feelings of disgust as her uncle. The same slimy, self-serving attitude and mannerisms. Time would tell if the similarities were beyond skin-deep. But it was no wonder Cassie felt like it was talking to a wall. She wasn't brought up forced to analyze facial expressions, wasn´t punished for not being manipulative enough, probably was never ranked on social compatibility. Hyeon-Ae had come to understand that even if her case was not normal, even among people with similar pasts, her upbringing was rare. She wondered how many would feel as at ease among a room full of physicians and researchers as she did. No, the real reason what Cassie did was regrettable wasn´t because she voiced her opinion, or was in the wrong, but because of her rash choice of forum. Intruding on her in public like that meant that everyone in her entourage heard it, and probably everyone in the nearby rooms too, if they had their doors open. Hyeon-Ae would have to play the loyal dog and report her misgivings, or people would wonder why they heard it from second- or third-hand accounts. Jinwoo, as expected, had just looked like a slightly disappointed father being told his child scored low on a test, and had promised to look into it. Pathetic. Something would have to change. Whether it was untethering Zygon from the iron grip of Korean business managers, or perverting the organization to value her words above others; Cassie was right. There was a reason Kim Sanyung retired to an advisory position with another team last season. She wagered it was the fate for all future pilots if this giant refused to evolve. “Hyeon-Ae [i]nim[/i], uhm, the test is over. You can stop now.” the physician mumbled from the sideline. [color=magenta]“I may as well get a proper workout in. You can go.”[/color] [hr] [center] [h2][b] Wednesday March 24th 2094 Hyeon-Ae’s Penthouse apartment, Seoul 19:42 Local Time [/b] [/h2] [/center] “To our rising star, Hyeon-Ae [i]eonni[/i]!” Wine glasses clinked with a bit more force than any product advisory would ever suggest. The four other women brought them together in a circle of chuckles, while a mollified Hyeon-Ae looked at them from behind her own lifted glass, already taking a sip. Classical music suffused the pleasant atmosphere of the penthouse; the soothing tunes of old-time American legend Billy Joel. For what was otherwise a barren and quiet apartment, it now had flower arrangements, expensive traditional mats, Joseon-era pottery, and whatever else high-society people typically adorned their homes with. [color=magenta]”[i]Eonni[/i]? We are the same age, Nayeun.”[/color] Hyeon-Ae remarked back with a jokingly offended glower. The marketing manager chuckled warmly and grinning. Without the dress-code and traditional bun expected of most office-staff, she put on a dangerously charming front. “I did my research, you know. You are two months older than me. That gives me the right to be the junior outside of work.” “Oh, you work together?” Jinyeon cut in with surprise, starry-eyed and captivated by that lone fact. The shrinking violet from the first meeting was all but gone - Hyeon-Ae had made sure the others treated her warmly and as an equal before she arrived, and they bombarded her with compliments during introductions. As a result, she was adapting to the group like a duck to water, at least according to nature documentaries about the past. “Yes, Nayeun traded a promising career in fashion for motorsport fluff pieces.” a third woman replied. Hak Chimin, freelance photographer and personal friend of Marketing Manager Lee Nayeun, was a trendily-dressed and modern woman in all regards, being one of the first people Hyeon-Ae knew in Korea to have jumped on the recent trend of tattooing her lower lip in gold. This was technically their first real meeting beyond a brief handshake right after returning from Africa, but Chimin acted like she knew them all already. “Oh, quiet you. I keep you fed with plenty of fashion models still,” Nayeun growled with a lion´s grin and lightly shoved her friend with her shoulder before taking a drink of her luxurious wine. Her gaze refocused on Jinyeon in her more traditional hanbok. “What do you do, Jinyeon [i]eonni[/i]?” [color=magenta]”At least I´m not the only one…”[/color] Hyeon-Ae remarked quietly from behind her wine glass, earning her a chuckle from the last of the five women; Kae Sol-Mi. A typically quiet and capable woman concerned more with results and facts than her appearance - somewhat unlike the other three guests. Sol-Mi had been an indispensable resource during her pre-Zygon public appearances, and her sharpness made her approach Hyeon-Ae with an insight many lacked. She was more than a past staffer, more than a secretary and trustee; almost a peer - but had unfortunately refused to tangle herself up in the massive bureaucracy when Ji Motors tangled itself into Zygon and Hyeon-Ae´s ascension was official. In hindsight, perhaps she was more clever than Hyeon-Ae had thought. “Oh, I-...” Jinyeon began, quickly faltering as she raised a hand to her cheek, struggling to find the words to the question posed at her, no doubt struggling to put herself on a level alongside the others. Hyeon-Ae finished a sip of her wine and leaned over, slinging an arm over Jinyeon´s shoulder and smiling with practiced smugness. Fortunately arrogance was one of the things that came very easy. [color=magenta]”Listen here, Naeyun. You are in the real inner circle now. Jinyeon [i]ssi[/i] is our boss.”[/color] The shock was palpable, and the brief silence left room for Billy Joel to claim he did not start any fires. Naeyun was not handpicked by Hyeon-Ae for nothing, however, and quickly proved her proficiency in reading the room by setting her wine-glass down and bowing down to properly kowtow to Jinyeon. “My apologies, Your Majesty. I have acted reprehensibly.” She exclaimed to the amusement of the others. “N-No! She´s.. I-.. It's not really, uhm, like that,” Jinyeon offered apologetically. Hyeon-Ae let her go as she tried to explain her way out of this contrived circumstance. “I´m not your boss, I´m no-one, really. What Hyeon-Ae [i]nim[/i] means is, uhm. Well. My husband is a board member in, ah, both the Zygon team and several Park affiliates. I´m just, you know, a receptionist and such in our main company. He does all the big things and investment management.” Hyeon-Ae exchanged a glance with Sol-Mi, who was looking like she was beginning to already turn gears in her head despite not having heard the mission statement yet. Naeyun lifted her head and stared at Jinyeon, who looked embarrassed after her explanation. Chimin was downing her third glass. “Wait. I thought you were like an affiliate director then. But you´re actually loaded? Ohmygod.” Jinyeon eventually burst out, and leaned out to grab the bottle from the table and offer Jinyeon a refill. “Do you have a vacation yacht? I´ve always wanted to go sunning on the open sea ~...” “Uhm…” Jinyeon hesitated briefly, but seemed to be recovering. “We, ah, we actually do have a yacht, but-” “OH MY GOD JINYEON! Where have you been all my life? Do you need a mistress? A tennis partner? A confidante in life and luxury?” Naeyun exaggerated with excited breath, grinning wildly at the hesitant older woman. “...Why was mistress your first choice?” Chimin chimed in with a grimace. “Money is my fetish.” Naeyun shot back shamelessly. Laughs were spreading among the gathered, and at the combined joking of the others, Jinyeon seemed to forget all about her imagined inadequacy. As the group loosened up, much thanks to Naeyun´s natural charm and Chimin´s sardonic quips, Hyeon-Ae found that she needed to do less and less coaxing, and could focus on drinking wine and listening, and sharing old stories about her activism. Everyone needs a power base, and this was a good start. Much wine was consumed. [hr] [center] [h2][b] Thursday March 25th, 2094 Zygon HQ Again 11:57 Local Time [/b] [/h2] [/center] Sanbeng fanned at his face with a stack of silicone writing sheets, leaning backwards as much as the swivel office chair would allow and reached for his handkerchief to dab on his forehead again. On the opposite end of the table sat Zygon Principal, worriedly looking at the clock on his phone. He looked up to Sanbeng briefly and offered an awkward smile when their gazes met. Hyeon-Ae had selected an imperious executive chair, pulling it from the executive side of the table to place it beside Sanbeng. Mysteriously, she´d done the same with a second chair, but it was specifically [i]not[/i] for him. Now, she was tapping away at her phone, a glib smirk hinted at the corner of her lip. Her plot was petty at best, but the imagined consternation of upper management gave her a weird sense of glee. A few moments later, the door slid apart with a pneumatic whirr, and the plot began to come together as Cassie dropped into the meeting room, dressed in her usual [i]pilot-casual[/i] getup. The look of surprise on Jinwoo's face gave Hyeon-Ae a kind of sick satisfaction. Maybe she just enjoyed causing drama after all. “I'm not late, am I?” Cassie smoothly delivered, and with a gesture from Hyeon-Ae sat down beside her in the equally luxurious swivel chair. Jinwoo smiled thinly, worry clear in his eyes as the unexpected Portuguese variable sat down. “...No. But-.. You do not need to be here, Ms Neves. We had your efficiency analysis yest-” [color=magenta]”Excuse me, [i]timjangnim[/i]. It's my fault, entirely,”[/color] Hyeon-Ae cut in with remorseless accuracy, a polite smile of feigned humility plastered on her features. [color=magenta]”As Ms Neves is my [i]seonbae[/i], I asked if she could spare time for this. I had hoped to draw on her expertise. I prefer to have all the perspectives of the matter if I can.”[/color] Jinwoo looked at Hyeon-Ae, mollified and bemused, but eventually relented and bowed his head to the both of them, followed by a brief apology to Cassie. Sanbeng broke the brief tension of silence that followed by leaning forwards past Hyeon-Ae and stretching out his hand for a handshake with the foreign pilot, smiling clumsily. “I´ve always been a fan, Ms Neves. You traded up, heh. Glad to be working with you. I´m Hwang Sanbeng, aide to Ms Han. We met in the hall two days ago. Please, call me Sanbeng.” “Yeah, uh,” Cassie shot back as she shook his hand. “Good to meet you, Sanbeng.” Sanbeng happily sat back as Cassie gave Hyeon-Ae a glance. Hyeon-Ae just shrugged ever so slightly, smiling her impenetrable smile. They didn´t get much more time for socializing, as soon after, the door whirred open again, this time giving way to the immaculately dressed Park Iseul, flanked by her thankfully small team of legal aides and handlers. Behind them, head engineer Zhou Yijin mosied on in with a sour expression and bags under his eyes. They all promptly sat down, some unexpectedly left with the lesser chairs due to Hyeon-Ae´s great heist, and Iseul looked down at her watch before looking up at the group. “Well, let's get this underway.” she remarked smoothly. “Ms Neves, how nice to see you again today.” one of Iseul´s aides perked up. Hyeon-Ae assumed he´d been in charge during the portuguese pilot´s own meeting. Further, she was pretty sure Park Iseul was here because Hyeon-Ae had been causing a stir. Keeping an eye on the assets, as it were. “Ms Neves is here today in an advisory position,” Jinwoo informed them matter-of-factly, if only to spare them a verbal spar with either of the pilots. “Lovely…” the man replied, with a tone of voice and dry expression that clearly expressed the opposite. “Let's begin by analysis of the past performance and expected adjustments to the craft and training regimen. If you would turn your eyes to the screens on the table.” He further instructed, a clicked a button by the executive edge of the table, loading the pre-programmed data for follow-along view. What followed was a summary that was only brief in the sense that a more rigorous corporate buffoon could surely have squeezed out another tangent of inertia dampener aggregation data compared between the two races performed thus far, and expected projections. It was presumably doubly worse for Cassie, who she assumed had sat through most of this once already, even if this was specific for Hyeon-Ae´s craft and performance. “That brings us to point four-nine; expectations from corporate,” he eventually remarked, and you could almost feel the entire room take a breath of relief that the meeting was finally getting somewhere. Well, except for Iseul, perhaps, who seemed more interested in her watch, and whatever was on her personal pad. The man continued. “I believe I don´t need to stress how important a good performance is on the upcoming track. While your performance thus far has been meeting expectations, it is imperative that targets are hit during this upcoming race. Thus, we´ve developed an improvement package suggestion that will aid you as a professional in that undertaking.” With another click, the screen changed again in front of everyone present. The visuals and his explanation on top as they perused the data package was clear; a set of added pilot modifications to both the craft and to her body for the required integration overhaul, that would tune adrenal reactions in high-pressure environments and give improved control. The projected installs had a list of red notes by the engineering team, things they´d have to work hard to fix before Tokyo. What was worse, was the projected impact of the integration on Hyeon-Ae herself. Bulky. Unseemly. Clumsy. In her mind, she saw herself go down the route of being turned into a fully metallic drone. Giving up her [i]perfect[/i] body and [i]natural[/i] advantages to become another swiss army knife in the corporate arsenal. People with lesser means and lack of talent might jump at the opportunity, but Hyeon-Ae felt the bile in her throat. One childhood of surgery and vats was enough. Sanbeng, ever quick to catch on when Hyeon-Ae´s mood was turning foul, was the first to speak up. “Ah-... What an interesting proposal you have put together. So experimental. Very cutting edge,” he smiled wryly, and the corporate suit smiled thinly in return. “However-... I see here that there are some notes from Mr Zhou´s team?” Attention turned to a new victim, eyes were on the tired engineering chief. “...Yes. We were sent this proposal forty hours ago, and have been looking at integration capability. The greatest risk with this suggestion is that the adrenal adjustment matrices won´t be compatible with prior programming. Won't know until we run the first compensation tests, which gives us four days to complete the proposed changes. Worst case, we´d need a full rewrite. Definitely not Tokyo. Maybe next year´s craft. It does look promising if we can integrate it.” Team Principal Jinwoo shifted uncomfortably in his seat, frowning to himself. “Forgive me, I know how important Tokyo is, but I believe we had already settled on an action plan to support the crafts´ weaknesses. Ms Neves has been a target of poor fortune, and Ms Han has performed above expectation, is this new proposal not a bit reactionary?” “Let me address this;” Iseul cut in before her flunkie could speak, putting her touchpad down for the first time of this meeting. “After discussing our future prospects, and given Ms Han's performance thus far, a few spare investment funds have been reshuffled from the home electronics sector affiliates for use in the team’s budgeting. No one doubts your methods, Team Principal, but we're willing to make a bigger push for even better returns.” She spoke with precision, but Hyeon-Ae could see the casual disregard the woman held in her expression as she spoke. “...I am grateful for your wisdom and generosity. I am just worried that changing course now will take time and energy away from the improvements to the crafts’ handling that were previously greenlit.” Jinwoo sparred back with practiced grace, the old man knowing to fight his corner without being unseemly about it. Much to the lead engineer's consternation, everyone's attention once again turned to him as a result of the discussion. “Yes, that's correct. Big modifications like this are gonna sideline the planned upgrades due to the workload involved.” Zhou Yijin sighed, trying to keep it simple for the corporate goons and pilots. “If we stay on track as previously discussed, we should be done by rollout for Portugal.” “That's very late, is there no way to increase the rate of improvement?” One of the previously quiet suits spoke up, and that sole question launched the table into a long back and forth that mainly consisted of the lead engineer fighting to explain why the process of tinkering with the handling of a billion-won vehicle required some care and expertise, and the executives spitballing layman's solutions off-the-cuff, such as “what about installing an automatic coffee machine in the workshop” and “would it help with a motivational retreat for the engineering staff”. Hyeon-Ae exchanged glances with Cassie, and something about the pilot’s resigned shrug soon after told her they'd had a similar debate about increasing efficiency during her last meeting too. Hyeon-Ae smiled back, thoroughly impressed with how Cassie managed to not look completely dead while also seemingly paying attention. Hyeon-Ae for her part made it a point not to listen too closely to all this technical jargon lest she needed to actually start learning it properly, and of course few things the suits said in discussions like this actually mattered. As if reading the genetically engineered pilot's mind, Park Iseul interrupted the spirited debate with a few taps on the table. “There is another proposition that I've been cleared to put forward. If you stand firm on the position that out pilots and craft can perform in Tokyo without the proposal package, there's another package put together by our investors from Hanwha’s jet engineering team.” Another set of pictures and data flashed on the screen. Most of it was jargon. Changes to the engine. Replacement of small parts that only a true mechanic could identify in a lineup. “Yijin [I]ssi[/I]?” “Mmh.” the lead engineer murmured. “Haven't looked this one over with the whole team yet - Ms Park sent it to me yesterday. It looks very doable. Nothing jumped out at me. Opening the whole engine up for detailed replacements, metrics, test firings… it would be extremely tight for Tokyo. I'd say it's not possible to get it done.” “Italy is the big one for pure speed, coming up.” Jinwoo remarked to no-one in particular. “That'd be much more workable. Room for fine-tuning issues.” “Well. What do you say, Hyeon-Ae [I]ssi[/I]?” Jinwoo passed the ball to her, the alleged star of the meeting. Her contract had clauses for nominally including her after all, on top of typical vetoes about her own body. [Color=magenta]”Hmm. I would like to begin to say that I will not agree to the corporation's initial generous proposal. I am concerned both with Yijin [I]nim[/I]’s points about the feasibility - and the integration of the modifications on my body. I don't want to be stuck with something that may not even work. I hope you understand.”[/color] she offered calmly but firmly, making a point of making consistent eye contact with the man who'd had the honor of presenting the proposal. He didn't last long before looking away. [color=magenta]”Beyond that, I’d like to hear my [I]seonbae[/I]’s opinion on all this.”[/color] All attention turned to Cassie, who eventually pieced together that she was the senior in question. “Oh, uh, yeah. I already got briefed on the previous plans that Jinwoo championed.” She adjusted her cap and gestured to the team principal across the table. He nodded sagely as though he contributed. “It's the easy choice, already on track to be done. It'll also make Portugal easier on us, and that one's important to me, so I was a bit partial going in.” She rubbed her eye and sighed before continuing. “That said, we're getting killed on pace out there. Villarosa sailed past Han like nothing. It's not gonna get better going further into the season.” With her input, she leaned back and shrugged ever so slightly. Hyeon-Ae, in turn, nodded. [color=magenta]”I think it would be a waste to reject management’s generous offer, then. And I agree with you, Cassie [I]ssi[/I], it's quite frustrating to feel as though no amount of personal effort will put you ahead of the opponent. With that in mind, I have to throw my vote behind Ms Park's offer from the Hanwha corporation.”[/color] Jinwoo looked unhappy at this sudden yet inevitable betrayal, but before he could say anything, lead engineer Yijin cut in again. “It has promise. I'll brief the team on it after this, see if any issues slipped through the cracks in the proposal.” “Sounds like that's decided then, lovely.” Iseul gave in turn, moving hair behind her ear and smiling mirthlessly. “Now, before I adjourn this meeting, does anyone have anything else?” What followed was barely more than minutiae, and smoothing over bruised egos. [hr] [color=gold][center][h3][i] [B]KR Industry:[/b] Centennial jet manufacturer Hanwha shareholder meeting mentions Zygon; stock rising. [/i][/h3][/center][/color] [hr] ([Url=https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/19piUFhfdWItsUOtrGhnCSnFv8nLVsaw3nJXQnCKhAMY/edit?usp=drivesdk]Zygon Characters[/url])