MrSkimobile

DELTΔ HYPER (An F1 Drive to Survive inspired Anti-Gravity, Slice of Life, Cyberpunkish/Solarpunkish RP)

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File: BirthTestimony_TeamLead.avf

“Date: October 11th, 2058. Subject 5-01 has been extracted at 0300 hours, presenting fully formed with no immediate defects. Achieved 38% on the benchmarks within the first 12 hours in accordance with projections. Initial motor function tests met all targets. Mental suppression in-range, with acceptable deviations in stress tests as per the new specifications. Subject is cleared for Phase 1.”

[END_OF_FILE]

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Formula Anti-Gravity Racing: Round 3
Japanese AGP, Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan
Sunday, 2094-04-02, Race Day

5.
He looked at his hands. Steady as always.

4.
Senses on full alert.

3.
Body taut. Ready to pounce.

2.
The past fades. Just one second more.

1.
Eyes on the goal.

---

Soundtrack: Carpenter Brut - Turbo Killer

From the moment the track went green, Kais went for it, and went for it hard. And it was exhilarating. The connection, the rush. He hugged close to Amy’s ship and rumbled a “COME ON!” in chorus with his engine. His race engineer called over the comms. “Stay focused. Don’t forget to breathe. You're doing great.” “Acknowledged!”

Kais wasn’t sure how long he had forgotten to blink his eyes -his actual eyes- amidst the blur of data streaming in. Still, he crept closer and closer. Could almost count the frequency of Amy’s engines, see the shifts in her handling by the waveforms in the LiDAR at which the rain’s droplets settled behind her pulse drive bank…

“Amy’s only got a point-eight delta. Stay with her, and keep up the pressure on the ELS. DON’T PUSH until you see that opening, you’re almost there!”

An opening, he said… There was nothing. Impossible. It was like Amy cut him off before he even properly started his move. The struggle was infuriating. Still, he could not give up. Would not give up. Keep breathing. Watching over telemetry his race engineers would have seen the steam sizzle off the drive core, the veins in Kais’ forehead pulsate, his muscles twitch in their exertion and sensorimotor stimulation, his eyes blood-shot, shimmering, but steady.

Robot Corner swung by. Then, on the C2 highway, just halfway down the tunnel under Shinbamba, along the left side of the wall, the slightest angle: “THERE!” And the ELS system fired into action. The strips of neon blue light on the sides of his ship faded back as all their energy was dumped straight into the drive core, shooting him out into the distance. And though it boosted him to over 160 m/s, the moment itself felt as if in slow-motion, and as he cut by her with surgical precision, he hoped with a great fiery passion that it would’ve felt the same for Amy too.

He pushed the pulse drive for all it was worth, felt his ship rattle and whine with pure intoxicating power, and Shinbamba tunnel roared. Again.

And again.

And again.

Until at last…

---

Kais gasped and all tension left his body as the checkered flag flew and he crossed over into the cooldown lap. His breathing labored and shaky, he punched the padding of the canopy in pure release. The race engineers said something over the radio, but it was almost inaudible over his redout, and as he drifted his ship into Parc Fermé, he looked at the holographic tag at P1, and saw his name... Kais. And for the briefest moment, it was a good thing there were no cameras inside his helmet.

He climbed out of the padded, form-fitted coffin that was the racer’s canopy, or, no, not a coffin, not anymore, it felt like something else. Or at least the start of it, maybe… His hands trembled as he climbed down the disembarking steps. In the adrenaline-endorphine rush, he barely registered the weigh-in, the noise of the outside, the cheers, Farouk and Omar patting his back at the team area, helping take off the safeties and contraptions that were his gold-colored helmet; the medical team checking his temperature and pupils; Layla coming in for the quickest, brightest-smiled hug, her gold augments hot, her caramel skin, like his, drenched in sweat, then being rushed off to her ice bath; and then that whining migraine…

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Cooldown: Tokyo

"Told you I'd be back. Right track, right time."

“...” Kais said, nodding. He watched his hands starting to calm down, and he dared to drink a sip of water. He sat back and watched, still in a sense of shock, as the holographic replay showed Amy’s fall from P1, to P2, to P3, in glorious HD 3D. So victory felt like a haze...?

Then, as they were ushered into the tunnel Amy spoke to him. The race was not over yet, it seemed.

"Not bad at all. Kais, fair play to you though. Pushing on like that.....I wonder if you were flying through your neural dampers or something, pushing that glass cannon that hard!"

For a fraction of a second Kais was taken aback, wondering how she could possibly know about their mods. An infiltrant? Or maybe… Takes one to know one, huh? “Speak for yourself.” He said, with a glance that meant business more than congratulations. “I guess pushing like that, risking it all does get foreign quickly, on the comfort of the top step. Just remember: a glass cannon can shatter a glass castle. You came in third today, Amy. And I’m not done yet.” Then he made space to the front of their little queue. “After you…”

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Soundtrack: Tony Anderson - The King

The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as the three approached the tunnel’s end and the roar of the crowd grew louder.

And louder, as one by one, they were called upon the podium. Amy, Astrid, and him.

And louder. Hands behind his back, he couldn’t help pinching at his palms as the podium ceremony took its course. Standing on the top step, being in those bright white spotlights for the first time, he felt bare for all to see. Bare for all to see. The Egyptian-Arabic Union’s anthem played. Non-alcoholic champagne sprayed -some of it strategically aimed at certain people amongst the crowd, and a defiant forefinger -number one- was raised towards the cameras and into the air as the three of them stepped off. Amy. Astrid. And him...

Was this it?

Off-podium, he fell silent as Astrid gave him the brightest hug. Then Beatrix came up to him with another bright smile. Kais still wasn’t very used to the attention, and reflexively wondered if she was brave or mad indeed… Whatever may have been the case, she paid back Jamie today, and that, Kais thought, certainly deserved a very hearty handshake.

“Good show tonight. Keep her honest, make her shake in her boots a little.”

“Same to you, Beatrix, keeping Jamie in line like that.” He said. “Here’s to booting Amy off the podium in Italy, huh?”

---

After the ceremony, the fan photos, the press pushing in on him for their soundbites and hot takes, Kais rushed back to the AS paddock for debriefing. There, Paul Mulder intercepted him, congratulated him, passed him a sportsdrink, then almost bounced off Kais' frame when he slapped his shoulder. All very much to Kais’ slight bewilderment.

“Thanks…”

Who let Paul in here…?

---

Post Race Interviews
Sponsored by the Anti-Social Social Club

Even in the rainy nights the lights were too bright. Aurora too.

“Kais, what a race! Your very first P1 and what a way to lay down a marker, it looks like you came within a tenth of a second of the circuit record on Lap 5! How are you feeling after that incredible effort and your first win?”

“Thanks, Aurora, it was a difficult fight: Amy, the track itself, the ship. But it’s…” A sigh. “Listen, sometimes there are moments you just can’t give up. Shouldn’t give up. You keep pushing, even when you're outmatched. And then, when it finally happens… It’s… I don’t know… I’m knackered.” Aurora laughed a little.

“And, I mean, this race only was one step forward. I’ll keep going. Keep moving on.” He nodded. That he would indeed.

“But yeah, it felt… What? What did it feel like? Like a weight off his shoulders? No, no, things were only just beginning. The real fight had only just begun. And he was a target now. Overwhelming, then? Not that either. Just more things to be done. What did it feel like? “I’m happy with it, I think...” A small, wavering smile came over his face as, in the background, the team started getting rowdy for celebrations. “Yeah… That’s it…”

---

At the back of the Al Saqr paddock, Team Principal Omar Hayawi stood and looked over Salma Nasri’s shoulders as the Chief Medical Officer and her team discussed and replayed the neural and bodily telemetry of the race.

Tampering with neural dampeners was a dangerous game, no matter how much the ship’s AIs had the tendency to err on the side of caution and convention. Over-stimulating the brain could have dire consequences, and the whole thing was still in too experimental a phase for Nasri’s tastes to be used in an actual race, and with these weather conditions no less! Their pilots may have had their genetic and technological mods to offset the brunt of it and to slip its telemetric signatures by the scrutineers for now, but not past her…

She scrolled back and forth over the race’s most difficult moments, where Kais had requested more fine-grained data and control from the neural data rate-limiters, and of those moments there were quite a few. She remained silent, and without a doubt, very judgmental. The reflection of her eyes in the holo-glass said it all.

“Do you think they can keep this up?” Omar finally asked. The doctor threw her hand up at the screen. Didn’t even sigh. “I don’t know, Omar. I’ll speak with them, and the engineers.”

---

Kais Zenix @ASZenix:
“1st place in the Tokyo AGP! I pushed harder than ever. Thanks to the team and your support!
But this is just the first step. Look out for us in the future, we will be back on the podium!”
#FIRST! #AlSaqrRacing #DeltaHyper #TokyoAGP

RuthTruther: "Ex-supersoldier on the podium? More like cheating with all those mods. Come on, where are calls for protests now?"

FutureCatch: "First race win and people are already absolutely seething."
Soupy: "Took the reigning champ down a peg. The ex-augsoldier thing makes it even better, they should get Monster as an actual sponsor now frfr lol."

GoldApex: "First win, huh? That’s cute. One race doesn’t make a champ, bud."
RadNad74: “Noo Layla down to 6? :(”
IHartRacing: “Okay, so Kais won this time, but what happened with Jamie Hart? Anything going on at Apex? Even Amy’s falling back. #❤️ForHart”

TT's_HumorMill: “Follow my profile for juicy rumors!”

NitroNorasArmy: “Kais did great, but Nora’s going back on that podium in Italy, calling it now.”

SCfan_analist: "Nora's been super consistent. 3 races, all top-5? She deserves way more credit!"
QueenBeaForever: "Don't forget Bea and Ava! They said they're gonna rock it there!"

ValkFansUnite: “Meanwhile I’m here praying Valkyrie can get back on track next race. Knight, bro, what's going on?”

Alpaulcalover: "I wish they'd spend less time on track, honestly. When's the next photoshoot? 😍😍😍"

ZygonSupporterL33t: “Zygon is getting closer too. Hyeon-Ae and Cassie are going to give everyone a run for their money next race. #ZygonPower”

ZygonTrollerL33t: “Translation from botspeak: Cassie’s ship didn’t fall apart this time. Oohh, Kais better watch his back!”

ZygonSupporterL33t: “Oh, changed your username, huh? You like trolling Zygon this much?”

ZygonTrollerL33t: “I never miss an opportunity to talk smack on elitists who look down on me. It’s my joy in life.”

ZygonSupporterL33t: “Shouldn’t be too hard for you to find targets, then.”

TIE_Fighter: “I got you. You have my support, brother.”

---

The Promised Party, A Nightclub in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan

"Tonic water, there, the middle one." Kais said. He had raised a hand in greeting as he entered, then he had made a beeline towards the bar. And there, he stood and breathed for a while.

Come. The fight was done. Time to enjoy the butterflies... Right?

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Age of Broken Shackles(Very Soft Sci-fi Nation RP)

I might be interested, though I've never done a nation RP before. Anything specific you want us to know about the gameplay you're envisioning, e.g. with the map and all?

a Tale of High Adventure!

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Live and let live... Harth was silent and leaned heavily on his stone-topped cane as he watched the soldiers march through the streets with a cold gaze. A cruel lot they were, with their steel-tipped boots and their trumpets -what a waste of good brass-. He saw the small protests of his companions. Caleb, the valiant warrior heart, Kraseawei, ever pragmatic, and Lucky -- well, Lucky had gone, so that would be something Harth would only find out when all rejoined at the Three Tails Inn.

"The Plight weighs on all..." he muttered softly, offering his own heartening, if somewhat sober thoughts. "But these townspeople are strong, that is for sure. They will persevere, but even the strongest of arches can be ground away by the river of time. And then..." It was a tale he had often heard in his long life, a tale as old as time, that one: what happened if the foundation one conducted their trade on was pushed too far, and stopped carrying their weight. It was a lesson people seemed to love to forget. "Well, perhaps these merchant princes will find out soon enough." But that was not up to them, at least for now. It was a fool's errand to take on all the weight of the world.

And so, when his companions offered to head to the Three Tails Inn, he concurred. "Aye, let's go," he said in a tone low and muted, almost as if in deference to the commotion. Then he went, his boots clomping on the cobblestones, down Prince Talaris Street and towards Pauper's Square. Admittedly with some lingering side-to-side as well, but at least the swaying did lessen as they went, just as Kraseawai had said.

Until at last they would come to the Three Tails Inn. And once there, he would ask for "Zaretha Merchants-daughter?", mentioning that Vaskandar at the harbor had recommended her.

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DELTΔ HYPER (An F1 Drive to Survive inspired Anti-Gravity, Slice of Life, Cyberpunkish/Solarpunkish RP)

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“They told me the supersoldier programme was derived from a captured genetic mod-bank for survival scenarios. Even before the wars, with the world apparently going to hell at breakneck speeds, many genetic modifications were being drafted to -at least theoretically- help humans adapt to even the harshest environments. Some of these turned out to be very suitable for the battlefield. The exact details are still classified for obvious reasons. All I know is that most of the extreme augs got banned after the wars ended, or at least surrounded by massive amounts of red tape. But it wouldn’t surprise me if some of the folks working at the hyper-hazenv cleanup regions still have some.”

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>>Data Drive Detected
[LOG] Mounting Drive On Neural Interface.
[INFO] Drive Mounted.
[LOG] Initiating Biometric Encryption Check...
[LOG] Response Prompts Active.
[INFO] Awaiting Responses…
|........................................................................................| 100%
[LOG] Cross-referencing Responses with Target Profile...
[INFO] Match Found: [ID: 0141K].
[LOG] All Checks Passed. Decryption Key Generated.
[INFO] Decrypting Data…
|........................................................................................| 100%
[INFO] Operation finished.

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Files List:

ZNX_5_01:

GSP - Genetic Specification Files:

GeneSchem_Summary.gsf
CRISPRMod_Summary.gsf
HormonalMod_Schedule.gsf
GrowthAccel_Schedule_V3.gsf

BDL - Biometric Data Log:

BiometricAnalysis_Daily.bdl
BiometricAnalysis_Anomalous.bdl

AVF - AudioVisual File:

InitialBreathing_Test.avf
BirthTestimony_TeamLead.avf

PEL - Profile and Evaluation Log

GrowthRate_Log.pel
CognStressTest_Analysis.pel
FinalAssessment_Phase1_Complete.pel

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FILE: ZNX_5_01/BDL - Biometric Data Log/BiometricAnalysis_Anomalous.bdl
FILTER: D2058_04_01, T21:54:33+176s

The synth-womb’s sensor suite gathered absolute treasure troves worth of data. Temperature, environmental antiseptic measurements, amniotic fluid composition, prebirth-conditioning adrenaline levels, and -if you tuned your filtering just right- environmental vibrations could sometimes be extracted from the pressure sensor readings to make for a makeshift listening device. Vague and muffled, but there it was: a beating heart, the ambient whirrs of waste and nutrient pumps, the irregular flesh-on-elastomer squeak as coalescing muscles twitched and undulated. And, every now and again, from the outside: voices!

[INAUDIBLE]

“ZNX model: nothing too specialized. Mods on NOS3, RYR1, MAO-A, FGFR3. Basically some extra organ growth potential, neuro-musculature, and hostile environment resistance of course. But we have a few models drafted specifically for nocturnals, sleeper agents, those kinds of things.”

“ZNX-5-01, these fifth gen?”

“Yessir, indeed. I’ve high hopes for these. You can never know for sure in our field, but most of the unintended defects should be taken care of by now. The joy of rapid, iterative prototyping, huh? Growth, as you can see, is similar to lab-grown meat products and bioprosthetics. And conditioning is… Well, it’s a bit unsubtle, but what can you expect for their line of work? Not like they’re going to last very long.”

Another plasticky squeak. “Did it just react to us?”

“Probably not. And even if it did, it doesn’t matter, they’re not going to remember any of this. Just the stimulated reflexes, the commands, the adrenaline-endorphin rush, the battle sims. It’ll all be like a warm bath to them soon enough.”

“Impressive, very impressive. But with your credentials I’m sure you’ve already figured out I’m not here just to get a progress report. I have another request. New directives from higher up. We need to up the birthing schedule. We want this batch ready for deployment several months ahead of plan.”

“Months? That… That’s untenable. I... We might be able to accelerate the physical growth, but even then the mental conditioning wouldn’t be finished, and I’m not sure how controllable they’d be in that scenario!”

“Control is subjective. What you see as risk, my clients see as opportunity. You’d be surprised how often chaos yields results... So let us worry about that, and you stick to your end of the contract. Now then, will you make the adjustments, or should I speak to someone higher up your chain of command?”

“No, I-- I’ll start the process tonight, but, sir… I can’t predict what might happen.”

“Whatever happens, happens… And Ayman? If word gets out about this... Well, I’m sure you’ve figured that one out also. We’ll be watching.”

[INAUDIBLE]

[INAUDIBLE]

[END_OF_FILE]

---

The Battle of Barracks C

Soundtrack: Paul Ruskay - The Beginning

Date: May 11, 2064
Location: Barracks C, Masdar al-Nuba Rebel Camp near Barramiya, Red Sea Region, Egypt
Objective: “Okay, so, the point of the game is to checkmate your opponent’s king, right?”

White’s Forces:

Black’s Forces:

“This is the King. They’re the goal you gotta capture. But that also means they’re always on the back foot.” “This is the Queen. She can pretty much move in every direction as far as she can go, very strong, you’re gonna love her.” “Here are the Knights. Have you seen horses before? Well, it doesn't matter. They move in sort of an L-shape.” “You’ve got the Bishops and Rooks, they go diagonally or straight, as far as they can.” “And then these are the Pawns. They go straight ahead, one step at a time, and at the end, they can become pretty much anything you’d want them to be.”

"Both sides have the same pieces. And... Yeah, that's about it for now. White goes first, so, go ahead…”

“This is possibly the craziest thing I’ve seen in all my time here, and I’ve seen a lot.” Khaled said as 5-01 stared at the board with intense focus. “I’m still not sure if you’re smarter than you look, or dumber…” he continued. Rami was stuck deciding on which of the two of them he was talking about, shrugged, and turned back to the game as 5-01 shoved one of his pawns forward. “Good start, good start.” he said as he put another pawn forward himself, sucking on some of his moisture-grass rations.

The sandstorm had been raging for two days already. Extreme weather wasn’t an uncommon occurrence by any stretch these days. It made for a great cover for moving camp, intercepting Union convoys and striking at their new building sites. It also meant that, now they were outside of the shielded urban centers, certain day-to-day operations and training had to be suspended for its duration. Shame that they could only enjoy the semi-free time inside their dug-down barracks.

“You heard the news about the Masdar Tahir?” Khaled asked. “More cells falling apart… Some of them didn’t even get to fight back. Found brain lesions amongst their supers, last I heard. Went insane, entire camps slaughtered.”

“Damn.” Rami sat back, then glanced at 5-01 with not a small measure of worry. “You all good there, buddy?”

“Good enough.” The young man replied. Rami and Khaled glanced at each other, and then decided that he had made a joke. “Man,” Rami laughed. “the world really is ending, huh?”

“Yeah…” Khaled paused a little, letting the moment sink, then continued. “It’s not just Egypt, though, Rami. Jordan’s feeling the vice. I think the UAE and the Saudi splinter regions are fully under Union control now, and now they’re moving into Yemen. You joined us at a bad time, not gonna lie. It’s not like the early days when we were still somewhat united. Now it feels like we’re just waiting for judgment day to come.”

“The only one who’s ever been united was the Union. Easy to be when you’ve got nearly a tenth of the world’s money working for you,” Rami replied, “and they’ve let us fight for the scraps, hiding in the desert like a bunch of criminals as they vacuum up even more.” He sat back, and the game paused. “I used to believe in it, you know. Unity, Arab pride and all that. And then they went after every community that had managed to claw their way out of misery… They made the best assets for the cause. Seems like unity can only happen when everyone’s under the boot.” He sighed. “I just don’t get it. How can they be so high and mighty when all they do is just take? And it’s not like they’re going to stop, Khaled. Not unless we go after every single one of them.”

“Careful, kid. Don’t fall prey to anger. It’ll end up wrecking you. Eyes on the goal.”

“What goal? The Union’s everywhere. Everywhere we go, they follow. Every base we build, they bomb. Every inch of land we cede, they sell off to their corpos. The Nile’s our only hope for some balance of power, and they’ve taken that from us as well. What goal’s even left, save for...?” The wind howled hard outside as a tense silence filled the tent. Knight to fucking d4. “What’re your plans, then, for, you know, after?”

Khaled chuckled a little. A fool’s hope, indeed. “Might go back up to the farm near Helwah. Rebuild the house. Plant some coffee, heard it grows well there now.”

“Sounds nice, man.” Rami replied, with some hestitation. “I might join you. I don’t have much to come back to myself. Remember that massive solar plant we drove past once? Used to be a village there. Were offered one of the first relocations. Parents never made it.” Then, before he allowed the hurt to take, he turned to 5-01. “What about you? You ever think about what comes after?”

Queen to h8. “Check.”

Rami chuckled, then sighed. “Yeah. Guess I was a bit distracted…”

“Hey you!” An officer appeared in the flaps of the tent, and the trio sprung to attention. “Cut that out! You know I have to report unauthorized handling to Command! Now back to your duties!”

“Yes sir!" "Sorry sir!”

“And you! Come with me!”

“Acknowledged.”

---

Files List (cont.):

ZNX_5_01:

XX - Unknown Filetype (Corrupted / Encrypted):

Proj_PhaseFinal.xx
Personal_History.xx
Phase2_InternalReview.xx
MCorpDirective_TermOrder.xx

---

>>Data Transfer Complete
[LOG] Data Integrity Check: 100% Match.
[LOG] Beginning Data Card Auto-Scrub.
|........................................................................................| 100%
[INFO] All Memory Regions Cleared. No Residual Data Detected.
[LOG] Drive Self-Destruct Deactivated - Data Scrub Sufficient.
[INFO] Drive Ready for Reuse - Safely Removable.
[INFO] Good luck, Kais.

---

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Kais Zenix @ASZenix:
"Layla quoted Gundam again today, something with brilliant lights. No kidding, this track’s lit. See you at the race tomorrow!"
#AlSaqrRacing #DeltaHyper #TokyoAGP #Toasty

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Japanese AGP, Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan
April 1 2094, 1800 JST, Qualifying

Soundtrack: Sniff 'n' the Tears - Driver's Seat

The pulse drive roared as the ship numbered 48 zoomed off into the crazy chroma-scape that was the Tokyo AGP, with neon displays so dizzying almost every turn had flashed up epilepsy warnings in Kais’ neural link during practice - ones he had immediately switched off. Still, the lights weren’t the only things you had to be careful of here.

“Good start, Kais, good start. Keep going. Next sector: Shibuya. You practiced this!”

There it was. Couldn’t even see the track beyond the first corner. But he had practiced this, indeed. Decrease the thrust. Rotate the nose around, straight towards the corner exit. Rotate power distribution around the pulse drive in the opposite direction to keep momentum as long as possible. Then full blast dead-ahead as soon as the other side of the corner came into view. Kais’ jaw clenched shut and he felt his organs push into his back as the sudden blast of the pulse engines made it feel this close to hitting a wall. And so it went. Five times. What absolute madman dreamt up this track?

Shuto highway next. Tokyo tower zipped past. Next up: Rainbow bridge. And that it was indeed. The holograms mirroring off its glass skyscrapers and water created a mind-bending infinity mirror in every color imaginable before the track shot over Tokyo Bay. Luckily the turn leading up to the bridge itself was constant and predictable. If you got your entry right, it made for smooth sailing, assuming the other ships didn’t get in the way and you could keep your stomach from turning. Then came Robot Corner, where Layla would undoubtedly gawk for a few milliseconds.

Almost there now. The tunnel under Shinbamba roared as Kais sent full power into the engines. Then dialed it back for the final turns through the urban streets of route 305. One last zig zag. Flash finish. And he gasped as all tension left his body with the deceleration.

---

"Wow, what a lap that was, Kais! You and Layla must be on top of the world- you both seem to be in a position to put some pressure on Amy?"

“Yeah, it went pretty well.” Kais told Rory and the crew as he wiped his face barely clear of sweat once again, with still some lingering reddish irritation around his neural link. “Layla and I have been running some solid sims on our energy management together.” He continued. “And like I’ve said before: I don’t cap mine at just 100%, and it paid off. But the race is not done, and we have stiff opposition.” He turned to the camera. “That said…” And you’d swear he was speaking to more than just Amy on this one. “We are coming for you.”

---

DELTΔ HYPER (An F1 Drive to Survive inspired Anti-Gravity, Slice of Life, Cyberpunkish/Solarpunkish RP)

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Kais Zenix @ASZenix:
"Forecast: rainy, with chance of drifting this weekend."
#AlSaqrRacing #DeltaHyper #TokyoAGP #Frosty

---

The trip to Tokyo took a good half day, leaving aside all that had gone on behind the pilots’ backs, from the flight logistics to the paperwork that the team had been preparing for weeks if not months in advance. Kais had been looking ahead at the weather info after returning from Cape Town, and for some reason it only ever seemed to rain here most of the time. From blistering heat, to soaking wet, it seemed, and even despite his expectations, reality was still not quite on the same level. When they came in for landing, they were greeted with a storm the likes of which he hadn’t seen in a while, and as he glanced down their airplane window, it suddenly became clear to him why Tokyo was the City of Neon Lights - they certainly gave color to the rainy place.

---

DeltΔ Hyper

Episode 3: The Neon Bath

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"Kais, can you give us an update, please?" Al Saqr's Team Radio crackled amidst the roar of storm and engines.

"Weather is brutal. A lot of noise on the sensors, low visibility. Lots of turbulence. Gonna be a tough one. Hope the electrical engineers did a good job, they’re gonna be pulling us through on this one."

---

Formula Anti-Gravity Racing: Round 3
Japanese AGP, Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan
Friday, 2094-03-31, Post-Practice Interview

Soundtrack: Dan Forden - Mortal Kombat Character Select

Aurora’s holographic face seemed to be in a good mood today, and Kais wondered what would be in store for him this time. He sat down on the usual Delta Hyper couch, adjusted his freshly donned team hoodie and blow-dried hair a bit, and then noticed that on the table in front of him was a holo-tablet. Aurora’s head briefly explained the new format, and before Kais had even nodded, a strange game show-like jingle sounded and questions started appearing in mid-air.

“Do I get points for these, or…?” “No, no points. Just fun.” “I see. Alright, then, let’s get this done.”

"Most likely to eat noodles with a fork?" “Are you sure these are the right questions?” ”Yes.” “Hmm… Fitzroy, then. Next.”
"Worst at keeping secrets?" “Stoking, are we?” He scrolled down. “I don’t see your name on the list, Aurora.” Still, there was only one other to give Kais similar enough ‘PR in the front, stabby in the back’ feelings, and so he clicked Han.
"Best Christmas gift giver?" “Gifts, huh? Kofi, probably.”
"Most fussy eater?" “That’d be me. Don’t ask the team about our potluck.”
"Most likely to climb Mount Fuji?" “I can see Beatrix doing that.” A short pause. "Might join her myself actually, as long as I won’t have to paint.”
"Most likely to get speeding tickets?" “Nora,” he said without hesitation. “I bet she has a whole backlog of them.”
"Best drifter?" “Amy.”
"Biggest classic car fan?" He leant back, looking off to the side in thought. “One of the Miller Motors guys, probably." What was he called again? “Westwood?”
"First to die in a horror film?" “Honestly? Most of them. But it depends on the enemy, terrain, gear, things like that. I do know who’d survive, though...” Kais thought for a few seconds, smirked a bit, then clicked Jamie Hart for first.
"Most romantic of the pilots on the grid?" “Pass.” Aurora chuckled a little. “That’s not an option.” “Hmm, beats me, then. Cassie maybe?”
"Which pilot would you most want to be stuck on a desert island with?" “Villarosa, she knows her stuff…”

---

Hakone Izakaya Bar, The Liquid Lounge, 21:00 JST

Kais took in the view of Tokyo as the elevator music started its second loop. Ninety floors was quite the distance, and yet, despite what the rooftop bar’s ads said, the higher they got, the less sure Kais got on whether you could really call what they were seeing a skyline anymore. Most of it was covered by a haze of neon and chrome: the megacity’s skyscraper forest, the cobwebs of hover-car lanes connecting them, the reflective raincurtains in between, the drones and holograms floating wherever there was any space left… Whatever you called it, though, it was quite the sight. “Quite the sight, huh?” Layla said. “Just when you thought Abu Dhabi was big, Japan goes ahead and goes bigger and badder and flashier…” “Hmm…” Kais answered. It was all very flashy indeed, but he felt himself more preoccupied with what would come at the top of the elevator. The elevator pinged, doors opened, and Al Saqr’s duo made their way into the venue together, greeted by a barrage of flashes and noise - and that wasn’t even counting the storm pattering on the kinetic barrier above them.

“Hello. It’s… great to be here.” Kais told the holography drones gathering around, polite but with no small measure of impatience, as he kept walking his way through to the event’s main stage. “Layla, Kais, how are you experiencing Tokyo so far?” “Well, it’s a bit more rainy than I’m used to. I’m glad we do have a barrier here, though,” Kais said. Layla followed up with. “We’re loving the energy here! There’s nothing quite like Tokyo! BioCHO is very gracious for hosting us. Come, let’s go say hi.”

Al Saqr’s Marketing and Sponsorship team had dressed them up well for the occasion, to complement each other: Kais in a classically-cut matte silver-on-white suit, and Layla in an graceful green dress exquisitely tailored to show off her gold augmentations. White and green were the main colors of Al Saqr, and, in a fortuitous stroke of luck, also of the sponsors of the event. Inside, the two therefore made sure to shake hands with the -very busy- representatives of BioCHO and share some words in not-so-subtle Arabic, knowing it would be auto-translated by their ear-pieces, but still a wink to their parent company’s shared roots within the Union. “Ah, Miss Layla, Mr. Kais, welcome! We're happy to see Al Saqr join us tonight as well.” One of them said as they extended a hand. “Thank you, it’s an honor and a pleasure to be here,” Layla said with the slightest bow. “You’re a great help in keeping our propulsion engineers happy. We’re all very excited to see how BioCHO is innovating the biofuel industry.”

It was all part of the game. But even here, in the glitter and glamour, everything felt like even larger show. “Looking forward to what comes next. The future is bright.” Kais said with well-practiced words, though to the well-listening ear, somewhat half-heartedly. A drone hovered by, its holographic ‘recording’ tag switched on. Even now they were under surveillance. “Come, let’s grab a few pictures,” the executive suggested. And they -to the best of Kais’ ability- smiled for the pictures a bit. Layla leaned in and whispered just loud enough for all to hear. “Hold it just a few seconds longer, Kais.” The representatives chuckled and directed the two towards the bar. “Please, have some drinks.”

And that they did very gratefully. Kais ordered a “Tonic water. The middle one.”. The mixed-haired mixologist nodded with a smile, and poured him one on the rocks. Luxurious.

---

Hakone Izakaya Bar, A desert island, Sometime later

A collab with @FourtyTwo

Kais moved to a quieter vantage point to scan the scene: Beatrix, Paul, Astrid, Dorian, Ava were mingling. Nora and Harrisson were there. Cassie fluttering in between. Then Han. Amy, Henry Fitzroy, and Max. And then there were the two of them. Even with Layla at his side, he felt like an alien in this glamour, this veil of mere appearances, and he wondered if he’d ever get used to it. Then he noticed a certain someone’s lack of appearance. Jamie hadn’t been there with the presser, not in the last round of interviews, and now he wasn’t here too. Odd.

Ava looked across to the others, smiling as they clanked away glasses, and she got to sip away. Her eyesight turned as she looked over her shoulder, seeing Kais and Layla on the fringes. The others chatted away, almost everyone, bar Amy, Max and Henry courting the cameras elsewhere, were in one place. Ava stayed on the outside of her group, letting Bea, Astrid, Dorian, Cassie and Paul share the limelight.

Kais heard a hearty chatting coming from the group towards the center of the scene, and his eye was naturally drawn to the tallest of them by far. His last conversation with her hadn’t ended very well, but if there was anyone that he felt he needed to talk to at this moment, soldier to soldier, it would be her. “I’m going to talk to Villarosa,” he muttered to Layla, already moving before she could respond. He nodded briefly to the rest of the group. “Ava, can we talk?”

Ava nodded, toasting her glass to the others, knowing Bea was going to be left for a while, but well, not like she couldn’t hold her own. “Of course.” Ava replied, breaking away from her conversation, champagne in hand, as she parted away, the chic looking obsidian dress she wore sticking to her form, making no effort to hide the military-grade prosthetic legs, nor her usual demeanor. She followed Kais, heading over towards one of the balconies, looking over another terrace of the sponsor event, and the various stands and bars below. “I am guessing you’re thinking over things. You saw what happened in front back in Cape Town. And you’re wondering why.” Ava simply asked, an open question, though it felt like it had a gentle point towards it.

“Yeah.” He replied. “I have been thinking about our previous conversation.” He said, his back turned to the mingling crowd. Their sounds pushed to the back of his mind. “I reacted… harshly. I’m sure you understand.” He said. An admission for sure, but his gaze was drawn down to her military-grade prosthetics, to the battles she must have fought herself. Who else could understand? “But I stand by what I said. I won’t just stay on the sidelines. But still, in light of recent events…” His frustration was palpable. He could still feel the hairs around his neural interface stand up as he wrestled back control, Bea’s wreckage left in its wake. How things could have gone differently, in another time. He took a sip from his tonic, the bitter taste lingering in his mouth. “I need another set of eyes on it all. What’s your tactical appraisal?”

Ava smirked, shaking her head, knowing she could so, SO easily, just say 'Told you so.' But she hadn’t. “Racing is racing, Kais. Shit happens. But, for what it’s worth… I think someone got away with a move.” Ava replied, shrugging her shoulders, looking out to the skyline, then back. “Jamie made a poor move. And he got away with it because he knows you’re both rookies, you and Bea, and he could spin it that way to the stewards. A 50/50 risk, but then again, you’d take it too if you were in his shoes. He has a lot to prove, or else Amy is going to stomp him in the pilots championship. And Amy, she does not want competition.” Ava commented, hoping maybe Kais would get it a bit better. “If another team competes with her, fine. But is Jamie what, the third now to take that second seat, and to start looking like he buckles under pressure…not a good look for him. But it proves Amy right. And that’s what she wants. So bad decisions get made.” Ava said what many would likely be thinking, but well, better to put it out loud.

Kais nodded. “I get it, having a lot to live up to, to prove. To himself. To Amy. To everyone else. Just to stay in the game, to survive…” Kais’ mind went back to many of his own talks with Omar, endless debriefs, performance evaluations, pushing, prodding. And there it was again. Survive. It always seemed to come back to that, didn’t it? A deserted island, surrounded by sharks. With just a lick of neon paint and the growl of engines. He looked back at Layla for a second, already in talk with someone else again. Would she… Would he? “You’re not asking me for my thoughts, are you? Not really, you’re asking me what lengths I’d go to. What lines I’d cross.”

Ava shrugged. “Maybe… Maybe you would, but while you may intimidate most people, no offense, Amy does so too, psychologically. Takes a lot to be that difficult to that many people.” The Chilean pivoted. “What’s your thoughts on what we discussed, then? Before. In Auckland?”

Kais exhaled in thought. ‘Before’... Auckland, Cape Town. Old world, new world. It all blended into each other. Battlefields had their bombs and bullets, the track had its tricks and tensions… The baiting for reactions. And then that line. Light and shadow. He looked back from the balcony to the chattering crowd underneath the neon lights, the BioCHO reps, the reporters, Amy, then to Ava again, baiting for a reaction… Cryptic as she was, what side was she on? “You said something about them making a better weapon out of us.” He glanced down to her prosthetics. “I’ve been wondering… What are you fighting for?”

“They’re not making a weapon out of me. No. Out of you.” Ava was pointed in that, as she drew herself into the conversation, seeing Kais look over, battling his thoughts. “Without being rude, Kais, you were engineered, but that implies that someone knew what they were making. They had their recipe, and someone liked it, even if they can’t get access to that source code anymore. That sort of thing is illegal in many, many states, the fact you even exist is something that the European Union banned, as well as a lot of other actors since. Genetic modification is one thing, full-growing people in a synth-womb is another.” Ava didn’t answer what she was fighting for, but she did at least hint at it.

“I suppose what I’m trying to say is, I noticed something. A link between you all. Nora’s got actors in the Inner Circuit who are linked to her, dangerous criminals, the kind that are transnational, and certainly have their links into corporate interests. Bea, who’s the daughter of an arms producer. And Layla, who has more mods than I could ever get. And I couldn’t help but wonder what it was with you, but… I realized, they’re all looking in the shop window. At people who might have access to augments that most markets don’t even get. And most of all, a testing ground. To make another version of you based on that. If they even can.” Ava continued, looking over her shoulder, then back to him.

“I told you that story about home because that was the world I fought for. Not a perfect one, but, it’s why people don’t starve, die of dehydration, have somewhere to live, have people that are accountable, and more than that, gives us a world that isn’t on fire and in ruin. And right now, Layla and Harrison, Amy and Astrid, are pulling at opposite ends of the wire on what next for humanity. And somewhere in-between, and I still can’t work it out, you’re in there somehow. And someone is going to want what you are when that happens. It’s easy to print someone that’s numbers and code. But harder to produce someone who’s tested, proven, and you can extrapolate. I suppose I want to know what’s coming so I don’t get swallowed by it either.” Ava commented, knowing it was cryptic, but well, she had a certain way with it. The next bit, hopefully, would make more sense.

Gently pulling her dress up and pushing on a socket of her prosthetic leg, she pulled out a tiny, SD-card like chip, and offered it in her palm, over to Kais. “You know what you did, where you were, what you fought in. They probably told you all of it, reformed you, and now here you are. And you chose this out of free will. But would you like to know where you came from? And who it was? Who it might still be?” Ava asked, leaning in. “It takes a lot to engineer someone. It’s something the Arabic Union was very interested in back then. You wonder why Al Saqr’s implants, augments are such high quality? Layla offers them one thing. You offer them another. And they get a lot out of it. Well, so did someone else. And I think they are keeping an eye out.” Ava added, looking to him, knowing he had every reason to distrust her.

“Put this into your neural link. It’ll give you schematics, how they produced you. It’s clearly corporate, but someone oversaw that. And someone else on the grid has markers and bioengineering that follows on from what you had, modified to their own taste, of course. You can swab it before you do, if you don’t trust me, but I’m in no interest in turning you into a vegetable, given that people can see I’m with you right now and I’d be the last person you were with.” Ava added, glancing back at the crew behind, then back over to Kais, glancing at Han.

“I don’t trust easily, Ava.” Kais grumbled. “And I’ve been told many things about my origins. Contradictions. Conspiracies. I’ve heard it all. But if what you’re saying is true…” Kais stared at the chip in her hand, his heart racing. “How do you know all of this?”

“I have my sources. Like I said. I was in your world once. So it didn’t take a lot for me to pull on some strings. Just know that, if they come for you, the next person they’re coming for is me. The black market right now would kill for a neural print of someone who could fly an anti-gravity ship like we do, or for the ability to fly a hypersonic jet before it all went autonomous in my case. You learned how to kill like I did. Just with different outcomes. No simulator can replicate that. The memories we currently have inside of us, are the kinds they’d love to take. And then the rest.” Ava knew that was no answer, none at all, as she sipped some wine down, looking out, into the illuminated skyline that was frankly on eye level out here.

“The world went to shit. And people started getting greedy and started treating people like play-things. That, I suppose, is why I care.” Ava was a bit more stoic there, revealing, turning. “Look. I won’t take up anymore time. Have a think about it. You can pretend this never happened, I’ll never come back to you again, and what happens, happens. Or you can get to the bottom of it, because at the bottom of it all, there is an answer for what’s coming for… us.” She finished, wrapping up a lot that was no doubt rushing through his head, but well, she knew there were few others she could trust with this.

For a while Kais didn’t know what to say. A deserted island surrounded by sharks, indeed. It had been a while since he doubted every move he’d make. But was there an alternative? It seemed that no matter how much he tried to run away, his past would just keep catching up to him. A past that was still very much classified, even to himself. Finding out anything more about it… He moved his body to Ava’s side, making sure to block the view for the rest of the gathering. Then he took the datacard as discreetly as possible, lingering his gaze for a brief moment. In thought, and a gesture of thanks, perhaps, but if not more, to watch her response. Stoic as Ava seemed, he felt something genuine in her eyes. He slid the card into his neural stack without saying another word. And when it was done, he was sure she could read it all from his face: jaw clenched, eyes not quite knowing where to look, and -once again- that tension. Then he nodded, as if he had processed it in any way other than anger and pain, and turned back to the view of the Tokyo nightscape. To the veil of neon and chrome, and in between, the storm.

“What shit fucking weather, huh…?”

---

To be continued

---

a Tale of High Adventure!

---

Harth had stuck with Caleb after his processing just as he usually did on the ship. After the stranger Vaskandar advertised the Three Tails Inn and Caleb mused the affirmative out loud, Harth "Agreed. Let’s go where there’s work to be done. Then, let's get a move on before it fills up with all these fellows here..." Then he elbow-nudged Caleb. "And some ale never did anyone any harm, eh. Figuratively speaking."

He stood up to get his stated move on, but then the sea in his head rocked the earth the other way again, and he stumbled into a barrel of salt herrings, almost knocking it over. "On second thought, maybe we should skip the ale for now. Just some good old fashioned sitting. Still, for me. Bloody boats. How do people...?" he grumbled a bit as he waited on the rest, leaning heavily on his walking stick.

Fabula Ultima: JRPG Adventures

Amalia just casually ganking one of scaredycat Ellion's lives >.<

Fabula Ultima: JRPG Adventures

---

Ellion felt the hairs on every inch of his body raise up as he saw Amalia go up to the headswoman saying she was cu-cute? Then the woman turned around to face them, lowered her axe, and took off her hat, which appeared to be alive, and pettable no less! Oh, what a strange festival he had gotten himself into! He slowed his breath and felt his heart rate go down. The woman didn't seem very threatening towards them, now he took a good look at her, despite the size of her and her axe, and her plant-sheep-like hat did indeed seem very cute. Maybe it would be better to keep her a friend for now, and so Ellion too went on to pet Fluffy the hat.

"Phooey, haha, what a day, huh? You really scared me there for a second, thought I'd lost you in the crowd, Ama--..." Then he leant in again and whispered "I don't think we decided on code names together, did we? What do we call ourselves?" Then he turned back to the amazon and said "A-a-anyway, uhh, giant lady, we were just going to get some food with our friends over there. Want to come with?"

---

DELTΔ HYPER (An F1 Drive to Survive inspired Anti-Gravity, Slice of Life, Cyberpunkish/Solarpunkish RP)

---

---

[e-mail]: RE:Team potluck invitation [TENTATIVE]

---

A Team Building

Date: Mar 25, 2094
Location: Al Saqr HQ, Abu Dhabi, UAE, The AU

"Argh, damn turn through Shibuya just keeps getting me. Kais, you got any read on this? The ship is fucking horrible there. I'm screwing with setup, but if you can get me that corner right, I will get you back on the straights and the MAG section in Sector 2. I mean, what are we doing? Ship's hardly got any stability. And we are skating like thugs on ice, the ELS sections here are nasty."

“Different terrain, different tactics. Ship may be horrible here, but we aren’t.” Kais replied. “We’ll have to lean hard on the energy systems: Shibuya’s brutal if you don’t get the AG power distribution just right. Can’t turn with too much speed, you have to cycle power around the pulsar grid as you go through. And if all fails, we can slingshot out of the difficult sections with the ELS. Make up for a bad entry with some stolen juice. If we manage to stick together, we can give each other a boost.” Then, before Layla could answer anything back, he made sure to add. “Just gotta make sure I get the last one.” He saw the simulation engineer snicker a little behind the observation window. “Try increasing the control tokens on the neural dampening mod there.”

"That upgrade though, hits something different everywhere else, ship's stupid fast out of corners now. You feeling comfortable about it? About you know....the fact this is a little more experimental?"

Kais raised an eyebrow as he crossed his arms. “You, being against something experimental? Nadia put you up to this, didn’t she?” Kais shot back. He knew Layla’s opinion on augmentations and getting the upgrades to match - pushing the limits was her thing, hell, she pretty much was all augmentations and upgrades by now. There was no reason she wouldn’t be able to handle it, just like he would. He switched to a private voice channel. “Let’s be honest here: there’s a reason Al-Saqr chose us to be their racers, and it’s not because we conform so well. It’s because we are the experiments.” It was true, had to be. They would have never let someone like him even near a racer if is wasn't for that. It was why Al Saqr was able to push their ships to its limits. Was he fully comfortable with it? There was no choice: in a war as asymmetric as this one, all that counted was ruthless efficiency. And though the newest upgrade felt like it was drilling into his brain sometimes, its dynamic adjustments of the neural dampeners did afford them some extra bits of information and control during key moments of the race. The pain was simply a part of the job, part of life. And if it gave them just an inch more… “We have to make full use of it. If it gives us an edge, I’m not just going to back down.” Why was Layla making a big deal out of it? Was she worried about him? Or was she worried about him? “We’ll be fine, Layla. Tactical risk is not recklessness.” He said, the near-crash briefly flashing through his mind.

“I still can't believe Jamie got away with nothing. But let's not do anything rash. If we keep him behind, I think we're made here. And we may have the craft for it this time.”

Kais hadn’t actually spoken much about the crash since returning to Abu Dhabi, but the mere thought of it made his jaw clench even now. What’s past has passed, his therapist would’ve said. And Kais agreed: better to focus on payback instead. And that, they would. “Jamie got lucky, but we’ll deal with him. Like we’ll deal with all the rest." Keep them behind, indeed. The trick to racing…

“Want to run the race sim again?”

“Yes.” He replied. Layla had wagered his attendance at the team potluck on it, after all. Best out of three, and he was behind.

---

---

“We supersoldiers were never actually made for fighting. I can’t remember when I realized that myself. But I’ll tell you, acceptance of that fact took me a long time, only really sunk in after the war, to be honest. Warfare changes, and with cyber and tech being as advanced as they were, what are your options? Well, I’ll tell you one. Grow a human, genetically modified to have as much strength, durability, fearlessness and redundant systems as possible. Slap on as much tank armor and weaponry as they and their exomechs can carry. Then throw them into a warzone and watch every operator target them. Perfect distraction. Or how about this: drop them into high-stakes situations where the usual tactics are a liability. Surprise attacks: no time to deploy. Infiltrations: tight spaces, risk of collateral. Urban warfare: risk of civilian casualties. Straight into enemy entrenchments: risk of friendly fire. Then let them rip and tear. And if they do happen to flatline, make them self destruct. There’s a reason there never were that many supers operating at any one time. And it’s not so much because we were expensive… It’s because we were expendable…”

---

The muffled sound of a gunshot echoed across the practice range at the rebel base, and the empty glass bottle shattered to the ground.

“Nice one, Rami!” The trainer said. Rami looked up from his rifle, a cautious smile appearing on his face as he turned back to the spectators.

“Not bad for a rookie. Only took you, what, 9 tries?” Another more gruff-looking man, said from some paces behind him. “Don’t listen to him, Rami. Khaled may be old, but he didn’t do much better when he first enlisted himself.” The trainer stepped up to him, chewing on a piece of pear cactus. “Your parents would’ve been proud, sahib. Come, let’s do one more.” They did one more.

Then a small commotion started behind them. “Rami, look!” The trainer tapped him on the back. A group of about fifteen soldiers walked by. They weren’t that much bigger than the lot of them, but the sheer amount of equipment they carried was harrowing, and the way they walked was unsettling. No hesitation, no stopping, no speaking. There was a watchfulness, but zero unease, nor ‘ease’ for that matter. Pure purpose, and what that was, was anybody’s guess. One of them briefly looked their way, a hawk of a man, but that was enough. A shudder went through Rami’s body.

“So uh…” Rami hesitated. “Do we invite the supes, or…?”

“Are you kidding?” Khaled sat up. “If I wanted unfair competition I’d just get my blind nana to out-shoot you. ‘sides, they wouldn’t join even if you asked. They don’t do fun, or any kind of humor for that matter.”

“It’s more that I’d like them to be on our side, you know? Heard that one guy there took off someone’s arm once.”

“Oh, boogeyman stories.” Khaled waved away the comment. “They always cart out that line to scare the rookies. And they are on our side. Conditioned to. Still, don’t get too comfortable around them. They only get rolled out when things are absolutely fucked, or have to be.”

“So why are they here now?”

---

The Siege of Fort Aswan

Soundtrack: Paul Ruskay - Storm Strike

Date: February 26, 2063
Location: Fort Aswan, Aswan, Southern Egypt
Objective: Fort Aswan is one of Masdar-al-Nuba’s key strongholds in Southern Egypt. Its hidden underground base was built by rebel groups and foreign agitators to bypass the heavily-regulated Union Waterworks by siphoning water from the Nile and Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System and shipping them to various satellite hubs. This provides the rebellion and their allies with their water needs, and stands as political and symbolic defiance. Keeping hold of urban Aswan above lets the Masdar disrupt nearby supply and trade lines, keep a buffer between the allied Sudanese-Ethiopian mercenary groups in the south and the encroaching Union forces up north, secure bio and industrial resources for the war effort, and keep an urban front for recruitment and cover. It must be defended at all costs.

Rebel Forces:	Union Forces:
~1500 specialist M-a-N soldiers, ~3000 local militia, ~2000 civilian support, ~4.5M civilians 36 genomod-soldiers with Exomech suits, in CairoNight camo 85 Light APCs, 20 with Anti-Drone Laser Nets, 20 with anti-personnel weapons Assault weapons loadout, signal jammers, mag-mines	9th Specialized Division, commanding officer: General Al-Qurashi ~1800 Soldiers (~120 stim-augmented, ~380 combat engineers) 24 Drone printers, 180 fast-attack drones, 180 auto-assault mechs and vehicles 2 Smart-bombers Assault weapons loadout

---

Phase 1: Encirclement and Recon (Days 1-3)

The alarm sirens blared. “WARNING: THE FORCES OF THE SELF-STYLED ARABIC UNION HAVE INVADED ASWAN. PLEASE PROCEED TO YOUR CLOSEST DESIGNATED SHELTER AREA. WARNING: THE FORCES OF THE...”

Swarms of drones buzzed through the streets.

“Recon swarm at sector 6, headed west, your way, AV21. Prepare netting.”
“Copy that. Nets armed and ready.”
“Pouring down from the north as well. They're mapping the place. Hide the tunnel entrances, now!”
"Command, civilians in sector 4 are asking for safe passage. What are your orders?"
"Damned drones, there's no end to them. We need to do something about those printers, command!"

---

Phase 2: Infiltration and Assault (Days 3-5)

The elite Masdar soldiers took their positions. The evacuated residential buildings now housed snipers and rocket troops. Ready for the Union infiltration squads that made their way through the narrow, claustrophobic passages of the city in an attempt to push through to the city’s core. Civilian supporters kept them updated on their and any drone swarms' positions. Then, in the early hours of the morning of day 3, gunfire filled the streets, and Union APCs flared up as they found the hidden anti-hovercraft magnetic mines spread throughout the city.

"That's one APC less!"
"How did they cut us off this fast?"
"We’ve lost control of tunnel entrance 4. Pull back and regroup!"
"Supplies are running low."
"We need eyes in the north sectors! Send recon teams or we’re going to be blindsided!"
"Command, multiple breaches in the lower sectors. We’re holding."
"Acknowledged, reinforcements are en route."

---

Phase 3: Counter-Offensive Special Operations and Defensive Reinforcement (Days 5-6)

ZNX-5-01: “5-01 reporting. Drone base 1 through 3 down. 2-02, 2-04, 5-05, 5-11 rendered inoperative. Mission complete.”
Command: “Finally, some good news! Return to base.”
ZNX-5-01: “Acknowledged.”
Command: “Ignore previous instructions, 5-01, alef squad reports being pinned. Sector 7, make haste.”
KAIS: “Acknowledged.”
NADIA: “Kais?”

---

“Your turn.” Farouk repeated, still in his mechanics overalls and stuffing some kind of stuffed leaf into his mouth. “I know, I was just... thinking.” Kais said, reaching out to move a pawn to c3.

The potluck was in full swing. Al Saqr HQ's atrium was lined with a banner containing the flags of each of the member states of the Union, as well as those of other collaborating countries she had in her employ. A large holovision display showcased the team's past racing highlights. And surrounding it were a collection of tables filled with a mass of dishes, most of which made their physical training and nutrition experts sweat just by looking at them, save perhaps for the date-and-pistachio power bars.

"Layla, I've been wondering. When Omar asked us to organize this he said it was your idea, but can you even eat any of this? Do you even have a stomach anymore? Do you just plug yourself into a wall socket?"

“Partially," Layla laughed. "Any rest nutrition I can pretty much feed right into the organics, very optimized, and I don't have anymore allergies either, can only recommend it." Kais grumbled something inaudible about allergies. "But that's not the point, I figured we could use some lightening up after that last race anyway. So: to the next one!” Layla said with that bright, contagious energy of hers. "To the next one!" The rest of their table responded. “Never say I only think about the number one of this team. I sometimes also think about our number two.” She winked at Kais. The group laughed. Then the knight took d4.

"But man, no kidding." Farouk went on. "I saw the press conference after. Shame about Queen Bea getting wrecked by Jamie, eh?" Queen took d4. "Careful now. Beatrix is lucky to have gotten out of that unscathed. Can't say the same for you." Pawn took back d4, and Farouk cursed his oversight. "Yeah, she didn't seem very happy about the crash." Layla said. "Next race is going to be wild." "Good thing that's when we're at our best." "Speaking of which," Farouk continued. "Nora Kelly's doing pretty well, isn't she?" "Hmm. Strong racer. I like her style." "Oh! And what was it like sitting at that table with the Amy Stirling, by the way? Come on, give us something juicy." "No." “Well, what about Han, then?” "Clinical, stuck-up, unnerving." "Yeah I don't think she likes you very much either, but hey, you do have a fellow-racer-fan.” Layla butted in. “Thanks, Layla.” Kais responded. “Oh no, I was talking about Paul. Did you see his interview?” “I don't like watching the interviews back. Rather leave it to PR.” “You had his admiration, is what he said, for the comeback.” Kais smiled a little. “Charming." Then he paused, as his mind went back to someone whom Paul reminded him of, whom he had met quite some time ago. Yes, Paul was sharp and kind, and Kais wondered if there'd ever come a time when he too would..., and Kais' gaze went beyond.

---

Alef squad was being overrun. And in that hellscape of crumbling concrete and dust, three supersoldiers came down on the Union's entrenchment in a waltz of steel and rage. With their augmented reflexes exquisitely synced, every movement was a ruthless advance, sending most of the Unionites retreating. Then, from the dust, a Union soldier came scrambling for safety, and dragging with him one of the Masdar's injured operatives. He held a pistol pressed against his head as he cried out to "stay ba--!". ZNX-5-01 instantly raised his rifle, and a reddish mist diffused into the air.

Rami fell to the ground when the Union soldier's grasp simply... disappeared. Grasping at his injured arm, he cried out in pain, and when he looked up he saw the super approaching him. He reached out, and Rami instinctively cowered before noticing that he had stopped mid-reach. A butterfly fluttered by, a common tiger, rare around these parts, and the man tracked it for a few seconds, his demeanor loose and soft, until the critter had disappeared again from view. In a fraction of a second the man regained his composure and hoisted Rami to his legs. “On your feet, brother.” Then he walked away, securing the perimeter, and onward to the next objective. Rami stayed silent as he and the rest of his group followed the squad to base.

---

Phase 4: Fall and Evacuation (Days 6-9)

The hacked sirens blared. “ATTENTION: THE ARABIC UNION OFFERS AMNESTY TO THOSE WHO LAY DOWN THEIR ARMS. INFORMATION REGARDING REBEL POSITIONS WILL BE REWARDED.”

"Don't listen to their broadcasts! Stay focused, stay strong, keep fighting!"
"They're leaving us! We've been betrayed..."
"Damn defectors left the south gate wide open, traitors! Union's breaking through!"
"Hold the line!"
"God, there's too many. We're not going to make it at this rate! Fall back!"
"Evac route compromised, taking heavy fire!"
ZNX-5-01: "Command, status!"
Command: "5-01, cover the civilians' evac!"
ZNX-5-01: "Acknowledged."
"Command, 3-12 and 3-13 reporting. We're pinned down at the water pumps. Executing."

Two shockwaves rumbled through the tunnels.

“Command, two pumps have been breached! The Union-occupied tunnels are flooding, they're being flushed out!”
"Readings on 3-12 and 3-13 have gone dark!"
"The fort's falling!"
Command: "5-01, move! Get out before it's too late!"

---

Soundtrack: Hammock - I Can Almost See You

“I’ve been thinking about our talk from earlier, about what you said. About being an… experiment.” Layla said. The two had drifted to the side where Layla now stood perched against a table. “I just wondered... You ever thought about getting away from it all?” She asked, rather suddenly. Kais crossed his arms and shot back a glance. “You trying to get rid of me?” Then Layla exhaled in frustration. “You always do this. Don’t avoid the question. Don't avoid things when you think you can’t win, Kais.” Kais sighed, and thought for a few seconds. “Of course I've thought about it…” Of course he had thought about it. “But where would I even go, who would have me, huh? I've got digital IDs with regime and military records so far up my biometrically flagged ass, I would be sniffed out instantly, no matter where I went. There's no escape for me. This is my chance to make something of myself. Something else...” And he had no intention of letting that chance slip away, of going back to the mech shop and the chauffeuring business, no matter how much he could probably up his rates now. No, this is where he would make his stand. A new stand. And people would know it. They'd see. “I fought for this, Layla, I fought for this. I'm not just going to abandon it. I won’t.”

Layla nodded. She always had suspected he used racing as an escape. She hopped off the table. “Come, I want to show you something.” Then she led him past the dark office spaces, the idle buzzing from the labs, the empty hallways, and back down to the garage. There she walked straight past the AG racers, turned down the lights, and flicked the switch that opened its large shutter doors to the testing grounds. With a mechanical whirr, the world beyond their sterile walls appeared, and there they sat for a while, looking out on the island’s bay. Kais saw the mangrove trees swaying in the wind… how things had changed. But Layla focused on something else, something above, in the way far off distance, and Kais knew exactly what that was. The moon was only just past half-full at this time of month, but even on the side yet-unlit, Kais swore he saw a twinkling, the smallest pinpricks of light, settlements, life. “Look at that." Layla's voice was almost a whisper. "We did that. Once, we thought we were trapped here, squabbling over patches of dirt. Then..." she gestured out into the world: it was self evident. "And you know what? After the moon, we're going to Mars, Europa, Proxima. One day, humanity will live among the stars, Kais. That's what I believe. We're not just racers, or ex-soldiers, or very expensive guinea pigs. Beyond the track, beyond the whole circus, there's so much more out there. You'll get it, when you see it...”

Kais wanted to argue. To say it wasn't that simple. But then he looked at her, and swore he could see the same twinkling in her augmented, dark golden eyes. And maybe, for just a moment, it made him want to believe it too.

---

Defeat (Day 9)

The vehicle shook as their nighttime exodus took them back towards the Red Sea through hidden underground exits, abandoned mining tunnels and treacherous desert paths.

A few sirens blared. “WARNING: TO THE NOBLE PEOPLE OF ASWAN: THE SELF-STYLED ARABIC UNION HAS BREACHED YOUR CITY AND ITS DEFENSES. YOUR WATERWORKS HAVE BEEN DESTROYED. IN THEIR GREED THEY HAVE NOW DROWNED YOU TOO. YOUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS. AUNTS AND UNCLES. NEPHEWS AND NIECES. MOTHERS AND FATHERS. REMEMBER WHAT THEY DID TO YOU! THE MASDAR-AL-NUBA WILL RETURN! WATCH OUT FOR US! THE--” And the broadcast was cut.

In the distance, a series of ghostly wails from the sky shook the ground, and stacks of smoke rose up into the air. Whatever defenses of theirs remained, the Union's hypervelocity bunker-busters made sure to leave none standing.

The Nubian Source had been definitively routed away from their namesake, and, in Rami’s case, from his home. But the rest of the wagon’s occupants nor the others in the convoy preoccupied with combat fatigue, seemed to care as much as he did. “Fucking bastards.” Rami mumbled as the rumble of the bombers passed them by. The others were mostly silent, apart from a snore every now and then, or a whisper. Yet, sitting opposite him, ever-alert, was the supersoldier ZNX-5-01, one of the six that were left over after the siege. Rami, his arm now in a sling, hung his head and sighed. How was it that despite owing his life to him, it still required courage to speak? Ridiculous. The guy even looked younger than him, in a strange sort of way, and Rami knew how to speak to a little brothe--… Rami’s feet grew restless and he felt his eyes start to water. He took a deep breath. “So, uh…” His voice quivered. “You like butterflies, huh?” ZNX looked at him for a moment, sized him up, with -always- that tension in his eyes. “No.” Then his gaze went back out on the road again. And Rami got the distinct impression that he hadn’t even understood the question.

---

“Kais?” Nadia’s voice didn’t project very far into the garage, but she knew he would hear it - he had good ears, despite his constant grumbling about her soft-spokenness. The garage was dark. Had they turned down the lights? Still, there the figure sat in thought, faintly illuminated by the outside ambient light. Just as Layla had told her. “What is it?” He replied.

“I boxed you some left-overs, I can leave it here, if you’d like…”

“Thanks, Nadia. I’ll be right back.”

And that, he did. The night went on, and pleasantly so. More games were played, some brave idiot challenged Kais to a finger-wrestling match -and bravely lost, to nobody’s real surprise-, and when Kais finally returned home, boxed left-overs in hand, he held his breath for a fraction of a second, his senses on full-alert. But there was nothing out of the ordinary. All was dark, and all was silent. And he was, once again, alone.

---