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FTA: Curse of the Devil - Crinale 2210-12
Critical Error retrieving log number.
>loghttp://scp-wiki.wdfiles.com/local--f...8/numerals.gif.2: 22160924
Tuesday, September 24th, 2216
Yokohama, Japan
12:09:38
The JTW Neko appeared at the start of the ending straight, its modified inline-4 screaming past the stock rev limit of 8000rpm, which had been increased to 10,500. When the engine hit 9,900rpm, the driver shifted up, causing the engine's scream to die down.
"9th gear, here we go." Brandon said, reaching into his jacket pocket. He pulled out his sunglasses and put them on, then reached behind him and flicked his hood over his head. "312 before the start line, great. Nico, get ready to start the timer."
"What do you mean, I don't have it on me." Nico replied
<futureland | ace_>
"Fine, I'll have to resort to that one thing I never thought I'd have to use again... oh, who am I kidding, I still love this thing."
As soon as Brandon crossed the start line, he began the stopwatch. The first corner was a long, sloping corner that transitioned into a sharp bend. He used the momentum to cut through the sharp end and carry him to the other end of the track. An S-bend followed a short straight, which he slid through with some finesse and altering the power so the car slid the opposite way effortlessly.
The next corner was a very sharp one, so Brandon compensated by turning wide into the corner and pushing the car toward the apex as closely as possible as well as sacrificing a lot of speed. The corner did transition directly into a high speed corner, so he gained his speed through it.
Still gaining speed down the straight, he arrived at the final corner series, a left-right-left bend. He swerved into the first part, mashed the brakes briefly while shifting down to 8th, and slid mostly through whole distance of the right handed semi-circle, only straightening out before the entrance to the final left hand corner. He cut through it, onto the final straight and across the line where he stopped the clock.
"Huh, about 28 seconds, alright... but I know of a way where I can get a better time."
"How?" Nico asked.
"Heh, how about a tuned Angelus hypercar."
"What do you me-... no. Oh no, not that crazy thing?!"
"Yep. And it's even crazier with this fool behind the wheel." Brandon pointed at himself.
"Naturally. You've tuned it to your liking and have had about a year of experience with it."
"Yeah, exactly. Come on, I haven't really had a passenger sit with me when I push her to the limits."
Brandon parked the JTW Neko on the platform that was still sticking out from the truck. They got out and entered Brandon's tuned Iridium
"This feels very... odd." Nico mentioned as he got in.
"The car? Yeah, you can sense that this thing can do magical things. Let's go!"
<scapecoat (dub mix) | hsp_>
As usual, when Brandon pulled out of the pits, he started with a flying lap, progressively getting faster.
"What?! This feels so much faster! And yet you aren't even trying!"
"Well, I do know this car back-to-front, I can handle it really well."
As they neared the final straight to begin the lap proper, Brandon prepared to use all of the car's power. He opened a hidden panel in the center console next to the shifter. He flicked a switch and pressed two of the 3 buttons, which pulsed azure for a moment before changing to a steady green light. The instant they were on the straight, Brandon pushed the last button, which turned the buttons red, as well as the dashboard. As soon as that happened...
<1:01_>
BOOM.
"Ugh! Whaa--?" Was all Nico could manage.
The hypercar gained a very noticeable boost in speed and acceleration.
"This is similar to the tandem-electric system I used in my old Razer.X, before... [ahem], never mind. The only different thing is that this has a different, but new type of manual transmission. Also..."
Suddenly, the car shifted violently, but smoothly askew, initiating a drift.
"UGH!"
"Heh, sorry about that. This system allows me to initiate a drift and change directions much quicker than I could ever hope to."
When holding the drift, Brandon was much more composed, and didn't seem to fight with the controls. Already, they were travelling more than the JTW's top speed of 312km/h. When Brandon reached the S-turn, he used the unique system to snap his car to the right, using the momentum to slide into the first corner.
Instead of manually maneuvering the car to the left into the second corner, he used the system once more to push the car's rear out and the front into the bend. Altering the angle of his steering once, he navigated out of the corner series without lifting the throttle.
Up next was the sharp corner. Brandon had to drop some of his high speed in order to clear it. He shifted the car's angle and turned hard into the corner. He activated custom airbrakes fitted to the car, helping it navigate the turn. Once he was out of the sharp half, he accelerated hard and countersteered out the rest of the corner.
Up next was the final corner series. Keeping the accelerator pedal down, Brandon cleared the first corner, then activated the right airbrake and skewed the car's direction to the right. The car navigated around the corner at a rather high speed, with help from occasional taps of the airbrake. He stopped turning at a certain point, cutting through the final corner and onto the final straight, speeding across the line at an even more incredible speed than the Neko.
After spinning 180° and driving back to the pits, Nico stumbled out of the car.
"What the hell was that?!" He exclaimed.
"Interesting machine, that Iridium. Let's just say it used to be owned by someone in Japan, a legendary tōge racer who called himself 'Archangel'."
"Ah... I got it. I knew of the Archangel legend, and I can understand why you brought it up. If I recall correctly, he raced through most, if not, all of the Kanto region without a single loss, except for his final race, maybe. We know it against someone independent to any team, but we don't know who exactly, or the result of that race."
"Yeah, but that legend's over. I own their car now, and I'm getting quite used to it!"
[part removed]
Like Viktor, I cannot wait any longer. This is the final part of the Curse of the Devil. The following part will be the first part of the 2nd half of Season 2.
EDIT: Maybe I'll have one small final part explaining some things that happened between August 2210 and January 2212.
FTA: Curse of the Devil - Crinale 2210-12
>log26: 22101113
Tuesday, November 13th, 2210
<midnight runner | pendulum_>
"I cannot wait any longer." Viktor announced. "The 13th... The number of Crinale... IT IS TIME!"
He took control of the communication systems that the CEAF1 were using.
"Crinale, This is it, the big one. Silver Spear has been engaged, I repeat, Silver Spear has been engaged. Order 13 is to be carried out. Leave no-one alive. In addition, a fifth Squadron, Αιθέρας2, will be deployed to aid in Order 13, to carry out Order 13.2. That is all."
He then ran off to Sektor 1 hangar, which, at that moment, housed a single aircraft, which was unique in design, and a technician, inspecting it. As soon as Viktor entered, he spoke.
"The X10/P Kop'ye, our prototype multirole fighter. This is our trump card, the one thing that has some chance of defeating every single one of Pawel's forces. In order for it to be used up to its ultimate potential, you must use the best pilot we have. Do you know someone who fits?"
Viktor replied with just two words. "Yes. Me."
He jumped on top of the craft, opened the hatch, slipped inside and powered it up, the COFFIN system activating. As soon as he applied the thrust, the jet then accelerated at an incredible rate, flying out of the hanger and down to Earth. As soon as it had entered the atmosphere and was low enough, he engaged the afterburners and flew in the direction of Pawel's parliament.
When he reached the Parliament, he aimed at the building and activated one missile, which flew towards the palace, however...
VZZZ
"HAHAHAHAHA! Did you really think it would be that easy?! WRONG." Pawel taunted over the comms
"Pfft, I just wanted to test my intels credibility. I know that the whole complex is covered in what is basically a more powerful ECS cage, which is powered by 4 nuclear power stations located not far from here. In fact, I'm right by one of them now."
"You do know what happens if you destroy them? A massive nuclear explosion will happen, destroying you in the process."
"I know that, which is why I'm going to disable them, like this!" Upon saying that, Viktor fired a missile at a box beside the reactors. It blew up, but did not destroy the reactors. He then said, "There goes your generators, hahahaha!"
Pawel muttered under his breath, "I knew I should have placed cages over the power stations." He then opened the communications system, yelling at one particular squadron of the Russian Air Force, "Волк3 Squadron, get to Nuke 3 immediately! I want you to intercept, and destroy that предатель4! GO!"
Viktor suddenly made an irregular movement, before grinning and speaking in a very low pitch. "I can still hear you. Nothing you say or do is private to me anymore. I am not just going to take your position, I'M GOING TO TAKE YOUR LIFE. That lame squadron will NEVER BE ABLE TO HIT ME! HYAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!" Viktor's yell was unlike any other. In stark contrast to the pitch he was using prior, the yell was unnaturally high pitched.
"[gasp] Л-Лиса5 Squadron! Help them!"
BOOM
"2 down, 2 to go," Viktor noted, before adding "Oh, look. I see your failures. Time to use my special weapon... hh..hha...hahahahaHAHAHAHAAAAAAA!"
A loud, angry, unnatural noise filled the air as a glowing beam of energy shot out of the ship, directly hitting one of the oncoming aircraft, which immediately blew up. The beam moved from craft to craft, each one blowing up as soon as the beam hit it.
"The ZTR7440 Quantum Destabiliser. In all honesty, it's really just a prototype for our F12000 Super-Weapon, but it's working so WELL!"
With 3 destroyed, the final Волк Squadron fighter remaining, Волк 2, decided to take evasive manoeuvres. Pitching up, they flew over Viktor, who followed him up. No matter what he did, he could not shake the superior prototype, which, apart from the flash of bright light from the weapons beam, was the last thing they saw.
Finished with the 4 fighters, Viktor them made for the 3rd power station, but he was not the only one in the area. Ahead of him were another 4 craft. Лиса Squadron. They saw what had happened to their fellow squadron, and made an accurate deduction. They could not defeat him. Immediately, they flew out of the way of the craft.
"This is Лиса Squadron! We surrender! We know we are unable to defeat you, but please! Just spare us!" Лиса 1 pleaded to Viktor.
"Hmph, whatever." Viktor responded. "You aren't my main target. You would have been destroyed only if you had gotten in my way. Since you aren't, I see no reason to destroy you."
"FOOLS! I order you to attack him!" Pawel yelled back at the fleeing Squadron. "FIGHT! DECIMATE HI.... wait... no... hahaha.... BAHAHAHAHA!"
"What's so funny?" Viktor asked.
"The cage was designed to be powered by 4 power stations. Since you destroyed 2, the other 2 cannot compensate. They're losing power! Soon... heh.... HAHAHAHA! BOOM! NUCLEAR DISASTER!"
"Great."
"The best thing is, you can't stop them in time! Ahh... All hope is gone! Now, DIE! DIE IN YOUR OWN DE...spair? Huh?"
"Imbecile. I'm not one person. I have 16 more fighters out there, all I had to do was get two that were the closest to the nuke stations. Problem solved. Now, how about you die in your own despair?" Viktor echoed, aiming his craft at the building that was previously shielded.
"You... You... I... I DESPISE YOU!" Were the last words to come out of Pawel's mouth.
Viktor locked on to a particular part of the building, the area where Pawel was situated. Viktor then replied to Pawel, the last thing he heard was Chris Scarbroughs British accent.
"Oh, Mr. Bovier, I reciprocate your feelings."
BOOM
1 Crinale Elite Air Forces
2 Aithéras, translates to Aether.
3 Volk, translates to Wolf. Initially unintentional, but I then realised what I did. Be glad I kept it, Snake. :D
4 Predatel', translates to traitor
5 Lisa, translates to Fox. Purely intentional. Once again, you're welcome Snake. :D
Friday, February 5th, 2016: The F12000 begins.
The following is a list of events that were not in Curse of the Devil, occurring between August 12th, 2210 and January 1st, 2212.
FTA: Curse of the Devil - Crinale 2210-12
>log27: 22100812-22111231
August 28th, 2210: Viktor Antonov publically announces Crinale's involvement in the European Continental War, also deploys Вулкан Squadron, a team of 5 Grav-Tanks to fight in strategic locations around the continent. Viktor also makes a mention of a Silver Spear plan.
September 1st, 2210: Viktor sends Земля1, Вода2 and Воздух3 Squadrons of the Crinale Elite Air Forces on their maiden voyage and first battle in the newly developed I4-XA2 Fighter craft. 4 craft were on each team for a total of 12 craft.
September 17th, 2210: The fourth and final Squadron, Огонь4, were sent out into battle, as the 16th and final I4-XA2 craft was not completed until the 15th.
November 13th, 2210: After killing Pawel, Viktor took over him as the new Tsar of Russia.
November 19th, 2210: Viktor makes plans to re-develop the Tsar's Parliament into a large, inpenetrable fortress, referred to as "Преисподняя5".
March 29th, 2211: Russia's flag is changed. New colours reflect Crinale's effective takeover: Black, Orange, Black.
August 15th, 2211: The F0-RA8/00015 is unveiled, showing that the new Crinale is even more violence-oriented than when the team was lead by Alexandra Gelorum. Also unveiled is the F12000 Super-Weapon, the ZTR7620 Quantum Destabiliser.
November 30th, 2211: Crinale, under the guise of a military company, attempt to blackmail FEISAR into pulling out of the 2212 F12000 season. The plan, however, ultimately fails when a third party catches wind of the blackmail attempt and contacts the armed forces of a certain European country, who proceeded to decimate an integral part of one of Crinale's main ground bases.
December 4th, 2211: Преисподняя is completed. The fortress builds upon the ECS Cage tech used in Pawel's Parliament, however uses newer, nore secure and more stable technology to power it, as opposed to using the primitive nuclear power option.
Translations
1Zemlya, Earth
2Voda, Water
3Vozdukh, Air
4Ogon', Fire
5Preispodnyaya, Hell
Oops, I intended for this to go up on Friday, as it was in my usual schedule. Oh well, what is one day late?
The referenced album title of FTA: Season 2, Part 14 was 18 Months by Calvin Harris. That was a loooong time ago, Not gonna let it go that long without an FTA part again. I mean, yeah, there was the Curse of the Devil, but ehhh.
[s2_7.0: Part 15.0] Her Time Will Come
<22120126>
Sunday, January 26th, 2212
Angelus R&D HQ, Perth, Australia
06:25:43
Brandon arrived at Angelus HQ earlier than usual, but that was only the first thing that was wrong.
"Wait, where's security?" He spoke out loud, noticing the place was barren, no security guards to be seen. "They're supposed to always be here... ehh, whatever."
He walked into his office, where he saw a familiar person sitting on his desk.
"Ah, crap. What are you doing here? Whenever you come here, it's never good news. I assume you took out my security? Again?"
"Hello to you too." Nikole replied "We have been investigating and looking over a... certain individual for a while now, and we have evidence to believe they are in danger. Also, yes, I took care of your security. Again."
"[sigh], remind me to get better security. Anyway, what do you mean by 'a certain individual'? You're talking to me, so it must be someone affiliated with Angelus. In that case, I can assure you no-one will be in danger as far as I'm leading this team."
"No, you don't understand. She's not in danger from a third party, she's in danger from herself."
"Herse- oh, god damn it, no, not this again. Not her again! WHY IS IT ALWAYS TARAH?! As soon as we started dating all hell broke loose! Stop using her to get at me!"
Nikole took a deep breath, as to keep herself calm. "Look, I wouldn't do something like that. She's had this problem since 2209, before you were dating. I want to help you, Brandon. She's in danger."
"Haven't you noticed all the time you've been coming here? Tarah's not here, she hasn't been here since mid-2210. She quit, she's moved on and I will never find her again!"
"What?! You should have kept her in your care! So, if she's gone, then do you only have the one pilot?"
"No, I found a replacement."
"Right. Either way, once again, you don't understand. We will locate her, and we will take her. This is for the safety of everyone."
"Pfft, 'safety of everyone'. You just wanted to remove our best pilot, to give yourselves a chance. Yeah, I know about Syncline. Too bad you were one step behind, though."
"I told you, I wouldn't do something like that."
"Hahahaha, don't make me laugh!" Brandon thought for a second before asking, "If you want to retain my trust, then tell me this: What was wrong with her, why was she in danger, and what were you going to do to help her?"
"I'm afraid I can't willingly give that information for free. I'd need some sort of payment, not money."
"What about all that stuff I did for you? That doesn't count?"
"That was in the past, some minor odd jobs, they aren't enough."
"They aren't enough?! What, are you trying to get us to do something that will cripple Angelus' racing division, to make sure we aren't so much of a threat for your stupid victory?!" Brandon's frustration had peaked. He made one step toward her, grabbed her by her coat, and physically lifted her up. "You are exactly the kind of team I'd expect from the F12000! As a team leader that is completely against such ideals, I have no choice but to terminate our partnership here and now. I will no longer help you. You will vacate the premises immediately, or I will forcibly remove you myself. It doesn't matter that you took out my security, it will be done."
As soon as he said that, Brandon regained his composure, dropped her back onto her feet and stepped back. Nikole just stood where she was, dumbfounded, before changing her expression to one of suspicion. After several moments in silence, she started stuttering and mumbling something about paranoia. Finally, she regained her composure, and spoke, "Very well, then. Don't say we didn't warn you. We will take Tarah Andrews by force, it is for the safety of everyone." After making that declaration, she turned to leave.
"Fine, see if I care, I don't know where she is, I wasn't able to find her, and I doubt you'll be able to. As I said, you're too late, she's gone... and she's not coming back."
------------
<22120129>
Wednesday, January 29th, 2212
10:12:57
"Okay, team. I have a small, yet major update." Brandon told the team, "Don't worry, though, it shouldn't interfere with your work or your lives. In light of... recent personal events, I have decided to increase and strengthen our security, it seems my worries about the F12000 were spot on: There are new teams that will go out of their way to stop us, even outside of races, even before the damn thing has even begun! We need to keep up the purity of the race, this corruption and violence will help no-one, and we shall do our best to stop this cancer that is the F12000 Anti-Gravity Racing League. You are all doing very well. Now please, continue on with your day."
"Smith-san, if you do not like the new league, why participate in it?" Kyoko asked.
"Ah, a very good question!" He replied, "The answer is very simple. We will race for one very good reason: To prove a point, to send a message. I believe that the F12000 will be as violent, if not, more so than the F9000. We'll race to prove that violent combat-oriented racing is a very ugly thing indeed. We will show them purity! We will show them a beautiful race, one without ugly violence!"
"Very well, I see that I have come to the right team. Thank you." She replied, bowing as she thanked him.
"Fantastic! Now, we all need to get ready for the first race of the season, we need to fly out tomorrow night, but we will be ready. Let's go!"
The referenced album title of Part 15 was Our Time Will Come by KMFDM.
[s2_8.1: Part 16.1] A Weekend in Canada
<22120131>
Friday, January 31st, 2212
Toronto, Canada
06:32:48
The moment Brandon entered Canada, he took a deep breath, then said "Ah, it's been forever since I have been in this wonderful country, and even then, I was in the old, abandoned Nova Scotia. It's nice to be somewhere that's still... alive. Still, let's hurry up. The sooner we get to Altima, the sooner we can try out our new craft!"
------------
Altima VIII, Toronto, Canada
<08:00:00_>
<altima viii: short fwd_>
<practice_>
01. FUJ616.0.43.194 (#43 | Kyoko Fujisaki | AX2.0_r1)
02. ARD889.1.19.194 (#19 | Gareth Ardos | AX2.0_r1)
With a space of 15 seconds between the two, Kyoko and Gareth took off from the pits to their practice. Altima VIII was a slightly different course than its 2052 predecessor. Most of the historic 5.5k track was changed to comply with the F12000 regulations, and as such, was split up into 3 different courses, with each one using different parts of the full course and sharing main sections with the other courses.
Since it was the first race of the season, it was to take place on the shorter, easier course 1. Laps estimated to take 30 seconds to complete at the level of speed the craft were currently at. Angelus, on the other hand...
"New lap record!"
<lap_time: 0:27.211_>
Their fastest lap for the practice ensured that Angelus would get a high position in the qualifier.
------------
<22120201>
Saturday, February 1st, 2212
Altima VIII, Toronto, Canada
<09:12:37_>
<altima viii: short fwd_>
<qualifier_>
01. FUJ616.0.43.194 (#43 | Kyoko Fujisaki | AX2.0_r1)
02. ARD889.1.19.194 (#19 | Gareth Ardos | AX2.0_r1)
The time was close to the start of Angelus' qualifying laps: one for Gareth, and one for Kyoko. Since she got the faster lap of the pre-qualifier of the two racers, Kyoko went first. She started on a flying lap, then passed the start line for the real thing... which was over before it began. The Speed Lap gave Angelus a final position of 2nd for Kyoko, and 5th for Gareth.
01. SCA308.0.7.329 (#7 | Lucia Scarlatti | F0-RA8/00015)
02. TUR847.1.13.329 (#13 | Leon Turner | F0-RA8/00095)
Meanwhile, at Crinale, the prodigy, as was her primary racing style, ran a perfect qualifying round, somehow maneuvering the heavy F0-RA8 around the track ever so slower than Kyoko Fujisaki in the much lighter Xygen V, putting Lucia Scarlatti at 3rd place. Leon, on the other hand, even though he had upgraded his craft, ran a more predictable run, obtaining the 14th position on the start line.
------------
<22120202>
Sunday, February 2nd, 2212
Altima VIII, Toronto, Canada
09:12:37
The investigation into the failure of Triakis Industries' F12000 craft on the day of their qualification continues. The two craft, seemingly shutting down moments after crossing the line to start their qualifying lap, were discovered to have been tampered with, implying sabotage has occurred. Updates will be given as they come to light.
"Mr. Smith, I hope you will do your best to win this race, for Australia! Also, we believe you may know something about the identity of the saboteur." The head of the racing division of Triakis told Brandon.
"Yeah, I wi- wait... please tell me I am wrong in assuming this, but... you don't suspect Angelus, right?"
"HAHAHA! 'Course not. I'm just saying that 'cause of your affiliation with the AGRC since '09, you might know who could have done it. Maybe it could be Crinale, you know?"
"[sigh], at least I assumed wrong, thanks for that. Crinale may be a possibility, but I honestly have no idea who could have done it. Did you see anyone suspicious in your pits at any point from Friday to yesterday?"
"If we did, we'd know who would have done it. Unfortunately, we saw no-one that we would call suspicious. And believe me, we are a weapons manufacturer."
Well, the only thing I can say now is that we will try our very best to win. Good luck in finding the culprit."
Suddenly, their conversation was cut short by the announcer: "WARNING. 5 minutes remain until race begins. All pilots please move to the start line in your relative positions."
That prompted Brandon to make his depart. "Oop, better get going, I need to direct my team. I'll see you around."
All 26 craft were at their starting positions, as Brandon ran to his control room in the pits, just in time for the race to start...
3, 2, 1... GO!
The referenced album title of Part 16.1 was A Weekend in the City by Bloc Party.
[s2_8.2: Part 16.2] Tomorrow's Modern Competition
<22120202>
Sunday, February 2nd, 2212
Altima VIII, Toronto, Canada
3, 2, 1... GO!
<09:30:00_>
<altima viii: short fwd_>
<race: lap 01 of 79_>
02. FUJ616.0.43.194 (#43 | Kyoko Fujisaki | AX2.0_r1)
03. SCA308.0.7.329 (#7 | Lucia Scarlatti | F0-RA8/00015)
05. ARD889.1.19.194 (#19 | Gareth Ardos | AX2.0_r1)
14. TUR847.1.13.329 (#13 | Leon Turner | F0-RA8/00095)
All the craft took off at an incredible rate, some craft seemed just naturally fast, where most seemed just aggressive in their starts. As expected, the faster, more thrusty craft took the early lead. These included Angelus and Crinale, so the crowd seemed happy to see yet another dogfight between the two rival teams.
In Angelus' control room above their pits, Brandon attempted to search for a few things, but ultimately failed. He typed out a list on a holo-bar, then called Alex up.
"Alex," Brandon asked, "If you wouldn't mind, could you go and grab me some things?"
"Sure, what do you need?" She asked back.
"I have a list." He replied, handing her the holo-bar. She activated it and looked at the list.
"Yeah, I can get those for you." She said, closing it up and slipping it in her inner jacket pocket. As she walked out, she nearly collided with an overly enthusiastic girl on AG skates
"WOAH SH*T!" The girl exclaimed, nearly falling over trying to avoid smacking into Alex.
"Agh! WATCH WHERE YOU ARE... going." Alex yelled, but her fury died down as she caught a glimpse of the girl. She wasn't sure what it was about her that caused her to lose her brazenness, but maybe the fact that she was still smiling had something to do with it.
Suddenly, the girls bright expression changed to one of surprise. "W-wait, are you... it can't be... you're that Crinale girl, right? The original owner!"
"Uh, well... I'm not really with Crinale anymore, my job got..."
A flashback to the events of March 2nd, 2210 flashed through Alex's mind. The Apollyon prototype craft, Viktor's modifications and his annnouncements of taking over the AGRC and Crinale. She finished her sentence with "Uhhh, taken... from me."
"Ah... but you are her, right? You're Gelorum?"
"G... Ggghhh!?" Alex stuttered, before replying, "I... I only use that name when I'm with Crinale. Since I'm not, I'd prefer to go by my real name, Kotova. My name is Alexandra Kotova."
"Kotova... Well, I'm still able to call you Alexandra... oh, right! Where's my manners?" She stuck out her hand "My name is Catherine Evans, I work for the Racing Commission."
Alex's face twitched at the mention of the AGRC, but Catherine didn't notice, as Alex grabbed her hand and shook it. Suddenly, she spoke up once more with just as much enthusiasm as she did before. "Oh, wait, I must be keeping you from doing whatever you were gonna do! I know that I need to get back to work." She started to leave, starting up her AG skates. "See ya!" She waved behind her as she skated away.
"Yeah, later." Alex said, slightly confused, walking off in the opposite direction to get Brandon's items.
<toys in the hood | re-volt_>
Altima VIII's short course was a pretty standard, simple course. It wasn't catered to one style, instead being somewhere between the straight-heavy high speed courses and the more twisty technical circuits. Thus for this race, it was really anyone's game. The agile, high-handling craft could navigate the simple corners with ease, where the heavier high-thrust, high-speed craft caught up in the straights.
The rules stated that any one pilot would have to complete a series of challenges in order to obtain a Super-Weapon license for that pilot only. Naturally, the only one to have done that before the start of the season was Crinale, both of their pilots completed the challenges and so their craft were fitted with Crinale's superweapon.
Whenever they would obtain it from the weapon pick-up, they did not hesitate to fire it at anyone ahead of them. This gave them a high placing for the middle third of the race, going back and forth between 1st and at least, 4th. Angelus knew this and strategised, holding off from overtaking and keeping behind them. It didn't really work as well as they anticipated, as another team would hit Crinale with a weapon, making them fall back and placing Angelus and other craft ahead of theirs at risk of being hit with the superweapon.
"Quantum Destabiliser!"
"Quantum Destabiliser!"
Suddenly, Angelus' plan fell apart. Both Lucia and Leon had activated their superweapon at the same time, aiming them at the two Angelus craft. It was impossible for them to avoid them, they were on a straight, and any attempts to move out of the way of one bright blue beam would land them in the firing line of the other. They decided to slow down and fall back behind them, but the heavy Crinales made short work of the Angelus' remaining shield energy.
<contender eliminated_>
<contender eliminated_>
Brandon could do nothing but sigh and place his palm on his face. He knew that it would only get even more difficult from here on out. He hoped that next time, they would be able to actually complete a race.
------------
<22120204>
Monday, February 3rd, 2212
Angelus HQ, Perth, Australia.
Brandon's post-race talk was as expected.
"I knew it. I knew that the F12000 was going to be way more difficult, way more ruthless... I... just didn't know by how much. You need to be prepared for the new races, the new rules, but I'm sure our pilots know this, having experienced Crinale's wrath first hand. It is because of this that we need to complete our Super-Weapon as soon as possible, apply for the Super-Weapon challenges and then get our pilots to, along with some extra training to correct my prior underestimations, complete said challenges to obtain the license for use in the races."
"Why was this not the primary concern?" Kyoko asked. "We could have done so much better had you done this earlier."
"As I said," Brandon replied, "I underestimated how ruthless the league, especially Crinale, would be. Also, I didn't put the Super-Weapon first because of our team's ideals: light, fast craft over powerful weapons and violence. That being said, even though we are stooping to use a Super-Weapon, it still follows our ideals. I will explain the weapon in detail once it is complete.
"Now, everyone not directly connected to the pilots, you can go back to work. For the rest of us, I need to discuss and revise our pilots' testing and practice programs..."
New part today! Thanks to BardicSMG for proofreading and telling me I'm writing his characters wrong! I'd much prefer he tell me that than for me to write his characters wrong and actually post it, so thanks, I appreciate it!
The referenced album title of Part 16.2 was Tomorrow's Modern Boxes by Thom Yorke.
[s2_9.0: Part 17.0] Peaceful Technology
<22120210>
Monday, February 10th, 2212
Angelus HQ, Perth, Australia
13:17:40
The pilots had completed the challenges, and the weapon had been finalised. Angelus were able to use it for all races, starting with the next one.
Brandon had set up the simulator for a final test for the pilots. Most of the Racing Developments team members were in the conference room, which was set up to display a live feed of both simulators.
Before the test begun, however, Brandon spoke to the team members, including the pilots, about the super-weapon itself.
"This is it, the ge22B... that's our internal code. Our weapon, which, if Angelus had to have a special personal weapon, then I couldn't think of anything more fitting, is an EMP Railgun. This fires a charged energy pulse at an extremely high speed. The energy pulse, upon impact with any craft, will short out any and all electronic systems for a short period of time. Why I believe it is a fitting weapon for Angelus is that it causes no direct damage, it's a disruptive weapon, not a destructive one. The only damage caused by the weapon would be indirect. For instance, the affected craft hitting a wall or another craft.
"Now, I will now allow our two fantastic pilots to begin the 8th and final test. This one is not required for your Super-Weapon license, you all have completed the prerequisites for that, however, this final challenge is to allow you to learn and master the new weapon."
On his command, the test started.
<13:30:00_>
<omega harbour: azure fwd*_>
<test: ge22b_>
<1997 | savant_>
The craft took off at full power, accelerating to their top speeds in seemingly no time at all. 24 other craft were loaded in, a patch was made to the simulator to make the aggression of the AI more accurate to the Altima VIII race. What Kyoko and Gareth were to do was to come in the top two positions.
All the weapon pickups were either green or the EMP Railgun, as the team didn't place primary focus on the other weapons. With practice, they were able to master the weapon by accounting for the small delay of the weapon caused by it charging and the sheer speed of the pulse, so they were able to time the shot and hit the opponent craft easily, eventually bringing their miss rate down extremely low.
"Ardos-san, I believe we have sufficient training necessary to use the railgun effectively." Kyoko told her teammate.
"Mm, I agree. Still, though, more practice would benefit us." Gareth replied.
"Naturally. Let us begin again, and maybe bring our time down. We will be able to surpass all 24 craft in a much faster time than before."
"Sure thing. I'm always up for more practice, especially if it means sp-" He trailed off into mumbles at that point.
"E-eh?! What? 'spend more time with me'? Is that what you said?"
Gareth became quite flustered. "Wh-? How?! How are you able to hear me even when I mumble to myself?! What, d'you have some sort of super-hearing?"
"No. I-I am just able to hear you. You are not that quiet, you know."
"And yet no-one else can hear what I say when I mumble to myself."
"I'm sure they can. But something that perplexes me, why do you not just have an inner monologue?"
"I dunno, that's just how I am, take it or leave it."
"T-... Ardos-san, it is not that big of a deal, why are you making it so?"
Gareth was stunned for a few seconds, then muttered, "It is to me... K-Kyoko."
------------
<22120211>
Tuesday, February 11th, 2212.
Syncline HQ, unknown location.
Unknown time.
A head researcher knocked on the door to the office, a voice granting him entry shortly after.
"Nikole, we bring some good and bad news." He said upon entering.
The voice behind the door, Nikole Carole, replied. "Well? Spill it."
He continued, "Well, the good news first: We have obtained, through great difficulty, some information on the other new team that debuted this year, Berlin Design Racing. Because of its difficulty in obtaining, we believe that the info is of some importance, also because of their public secrecy."
"Very good, thank you. That will definitely prove useful. What about any other teams? And also the bad news."
"Well, the bad news has to do with another team. Angelus, specifically."
"Oh... them. What's the info?"
"The info we obtained regarding Angelus is that... there is a spy that has infiltrated them. They're gathering sensitive info on them and distributing it to a certain correspondant. As of yet, we are unsure as to the identity of said correspondant, however, we will definitely have it soon."
"Argh, that is a huge problem, for them and me."
"Wait, why you?"
"Well... let's just say that I am no longer on good terms with them, Smith especially. He seemed to be unnaturally paranoid about me and Syncline."
The researcher thought for a moment, then made a proposition. "...Could it be... that he is under the influence of 'The Condition'?"
Nikole pondered about the researcher's guess before replying, "I don't think so. He hasn't shown any other symptoms yet. Until he does, only then can I be sure that he has been affected. Just focus on Tarah Andrews regarding that, she's our main concern."
*Azure is an internal Angelus designation, which they gave to the different courses of Omega Harbour. The Azure course is never run in an official F12000 race, it is used by Angelus as their testing course. It is a full course that runs the first half of the long course combined with most of the medium course. In other words, it is pretty much like the full FX400 course, sans the Omega Complex.
The internal course designations for Omega Harbour are:
- Yellow: Short/easy course
- Red: Medium/hard course
- Green: Long/intermediate course
- Azure: Full/test course
The referenced album title of Part 17 was Emotional Technology by BT.
[s2_10.1: Part 18.1] Chiastic Slide! 4 Consecutive Hairpin Drift!
<22120214>
Friday, February 14th, 2212
Shibukawa, Gunma, Kantō, Japan.
09:10:26
The Angelus team landed in Japan at the early time of 7am, arriving at Shibukawa at 9. At 10am, they begun their practice at the second course in the roster, Sidewinder. Like the name suggested, the course was very technical, being based upon the various mountain passes the country was known for. It was a course that would favour light, high-handling craft, but would also put the airbrakes to it's limits.
By the time they had finished the practice runs. They travelled to at the hotel the team was staying at, by which time it was late at night. Brandon was relaxing in his room, albeit bored, so he got up and walked out to his car.
"I could do with a touge run." He thought, looking at his on-board map. "Let's see... the closest mountain pass is... Haruna. Great!"
He set off, driving towards the mountain, then stopped at the base, where the pass started. He accessed the computer that controlled his car's settings, then adjusted them to suit the touge run. He then floored the pedal, going for a light run up the mountain. Suddenly, halfway up...
SSSSCRRRREEEEEEE- BANG BANG BANG!
The sound of tyres sliding across the road, the whine of a turbo, the sound of the wastegate from the turbo and a series of loud banging noises filled the air. Then, he saw it, drifting around the corner...
"Huh?" He said out loud.
Even though it was fast as lightning, he saw something he never expected. An old, white Mazda RX-7.
"It... can't be? It can't be Jonathan, he's not around anymore. Ah, never mind."
He continued up to the peak of the pass, turning around and preparing for the downhill run.
"Okay, let's get serious. Music... okay"
<gave | vinter in vegas_>
"Stopwatch... okay. Right, let's... 2, 1, GO!"
He set off at max speed down the straight, towards the first corner. He turned sharply while tapping the brakes. That put him into a slide. He navigated the corner at an extremely high speed. As he exited the corner, he mashed the accelerator, straightening out.
As he passed corner after corner, his reaction time was always the same speed: brake, engage the airbrakes, disengage one side and hit the accelerator at the same time, putting the car into a slide. Continue through the corner, while feathering the throttle. As soon as he saw the corner straighten out, he went full throttle, straightening out of the corner. Soon, he was at the 4 consecutive hairpin turns*.
"I hope to see some people drift down here!" A local said, sitting by the guardrails of the second hairpin.
"Yeah, the hairpins are a great place to see their technique." His friend said.
"Oh, I hear someone coming down, let's hope it's a local, they're the best!"
The black Angelus Razer.X drifted into view, it's sleek, shiny body looking absolutely beautiful in the dark, and was only accentuated by its azure blue lighting around the body. It then attacked the corner the two locals were standing by at an incredible pace
"Wh-WHAAAA~?!" The first local yelled. "That was so fast!"
"Hold on," The second one said, being more observant, "I have never seen that car on the pass before. Also, it didn't have Japanese plates, meaning that it was not driven by a local."
"Touge fan?"
"Possibly, but that technique was incredible! I don't think I've ever seen someone race down here at that speed, apart from the top-tier locals!"
Brandon started out by slowing down just enough that he would be able to clear the corners at the highest speed possible, then he pulled the car into a slide through the corner, hitting the apex almost perfectly. However, once he was out of the corner, he kept the slide, going to the outside of the road. Once he sensed that he was moving to the other side, he twisted the wheel and engaged the opposite airbrake so that he engaged an inertia drift, moving the car so that it faced the entry of the second hairpin, still sliding. He reached the outside as he entered the corner, turning more inward so he could hit the apex of that corner. He did so, and used the same technique for the rest of the hairpins.
In near-record time, he reached the end of the pass, but as he drifted around the final corner, he saw it again. That exact same white RX-7. He kept the slide going, moving to the far end of the road, then turned sharply, sliding so that he was facing the opposite way, settling about 10-20 meters from the stopped car.
"N-no, it can't be. He's not alive..."
He put the handbrake off and set the car into a crawl, slowly moving up to the pure white car. Then he got close enough that he could read the license plate. It was the same as Jonathan's. German plates, same sequence of letters and numbers, everything. Suddenly he recalled the day he saw Jonathan's beloved machine...
------------
Wednesday, March 28th, 2210
"So, what do you think?" Jonathan asked proudly
It was incredible. The sleek white body looked like it was a work of art. Brandon just kneeled by it, moving his hand over the various curves the body sported.
"It's beautiful." Brandon muttered, before looking up and asking, "And this car was from 20...?"
"17. The FG4 was originally built in 2017."
"FG4... That's the model code?" Brandon butted in
"Precisely, like your Raxer.X is a HS20."
Ah, ok. So why show me a 2017 car now? You could have shown me anytime?"
"It was a rebuilt model, I only bought it this month. I love classic cars like this."
"I bet. I'd love to drive this, see how it handles. But you'd probably not let me drive, even though you know how good of a driver I am, hahaha! But it's okay, I feel the same about my Razer.X."
------------
Brandon closed his car's door and walked over to the other sleek car. For a moment, due to its colour, he thought it was the ghost of the dear friend that had left him. However, it was a real car, that became more apparent the closer he got to it.
"Well, maybe he just... hmmm" He thought.
Finally, he reached it, extending an arm out and knocking on the window. The person inside looked up, saw who it was and smiled, opening the door.
"Huh, I really did not know you were a fan of drifting down a mountain pass, Brandon." He said.
"Well, I never brought it up." Brandon replied, before thinking 'Hah! Called it! Jonathan gave Nico the car, of course it would be him driving!'
"So," Nico cut into his thoughts, "Since we're both here, and we both love touge runs, how about we have a friendly race? Your HS20, tuned by you, and Jonathan's tuned FG4?"
"Sure, let's do it. I still have time."
Brandon ran back to his car, as Nico started his up. They then both drove up the hill, to see who was the fastest.
Brandon Smith, the owner and leader of Angelus R&D, in his black Angelus Razer.X HS20, tuned and modified by himself?
Or Nico von Bovier, the president of Jennter Enterprises, in his white Mazda RX-7 FG4, tuned by Jonathan Bovier?
* The real Mt. Haruna only contains 4 consecutive hairpin turns, not 5 as is in Initial D