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Thread: Faster Than Angels

  1. #901
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    Default Faster Than Angels | Part 32.2

    The referenced album title of Part 32.1 was A Matter of Time (Part 1) by Voicians.

    [s2_24.2: Part 32.2] The Major Cut

    <22120726>

    Sunday, July 26th, 2212

    Münsterranerring, Germany.

    10:29:10

    ...Meanwhile, halfway down the pack, Crinale were having difficulties keeping up, only being able to do so through sheer violence, keeping most of the pack around them. The race would not end well for them in the slightest. For a start, they were not even able to reach Angelus to even attempt to hold them back, let alone eliminate them. Not even the perfect flying of Lucia was able to get the results the so desperately wanted.

    The reason, of course, was simple. The course was a protest against the F12000 Commission. Since they knew that the effective controllers were Crinale, they developed their course to greatly favour high handling craft, a similar fashion to the Japanese Sidewinder course. Therefore, high handling craft such as Jennter and Angelus would excel in the course, where heavy craft such as Crinale would end up in the mid-pack at best. This did, unfortunately, hinder teams who did adhere to pure ideals, but still retained heavy-handling craft.

    At one point, Angelus were right behind the German frontrunners, having enough speed to overtake them, where suddenly, they pulled up and right. As the craft soared through the air, turning around, it performed a barrel roll, landing facing the part of the track that wasn't supposed to be accessed until after the loop ahead of them. The boost gained from the roll was enough to bring them back up to speed, as Angelus, were unable to react, already flying onto the loop.

    "WHAT?! How the hell were we to know they'd employ that same trick in the actual race?!"

    "We were not. Relax. I believe our craft are agile enough to copy them. We are able to use their line with ease."

    Gareth thought about it, then nodded.

    "Alright. Let's do it! We can beat them!"

    <apollo (electro mix) | astronaut_>

    It seemed that at least some members of the team were taking the race seriously, even if Brandon wasn't. The two craft flew off the ramp and, with a flourish, performed a sequential barrel roll, Kyoko rolling to the left, Gareth to the right, soaring right over the craft entering the loop. Landing successfully, the two flew down the straight at an incredible speed, navigating the light chicane with ease, rounding the final corner and speeding across the line for the next lap.

    The next time they went round, nearing the shortcut, they decided to take it. However, it was clear that they were at a disadvantage, and that Jennter had gained a mass of experience in navigating the shortcut, despite Brandon saying that it was doable after the qualifier. Kyoko attempted to mimic the actions Jennter did, by flying up and to the right, performing a barrel roll and...

    Boosting straight into the wall. The craft bounced off, the shields taking the brunt of the collision, but she had otherwise made it. Gareth tried to perform a Scandanavian flick, moving to the left, then turning all the way right, opening the airbrake as he flew upwards. He didn't barrel roll for fear of slamming into the wall. He landed at a 150° angle, the momentum still causing him to move towards the loop, but the craft did eventually slow down, then move forwards, barely missing the craft behind him speeding past. Despite the slower approach, the cut sill shaved some time from the lap.

    The white and azure craft kept on like that, following the orange and white craft's lines, all in an attempt to overtake them and take the win. It was a friendly rivalry, not being overly violent. It was clear, however, that the German team was more suited to the course, and would know every quirk about it, thus being able to navigate through the perfect line, whereas Angelus had to rely only on their practice runs, and the high handling and top end speed of their craft.

    Once again, the teams started objecting to the use of the shortcut, and those with higher handling also made attempts to navigate it, to varying degrees of success, though, naturally, none as successful as Jennter themselves. That did cause the heavier craft to fall behind more than usual. The race had ended that way too, with 2 distinct groupings of the teams' results: Those who took the shortcut, and those who didn't, separated by a large gap in race time. As Brandon had predicted, the winners of the race were, by a long shot, Jennter.

    ------------

    12:15:43

    A tired Lucia was walking through the Crinale partition of the pits, not paying attention where she was going. Suddenly, she found herself outside a room, occupied by a certain person. The yells inside had brought her back to reality, but the curiosity got the better of her, and so she listened in, pressing her ear against the door...

    "WHAT DO YOU MEAN?! You forget who I am. I can and will get rid of those routes."

    It appeared he was speaking with someone, but she couldn't hear what was being said on the other end, as if it was a phone call.

    "Fine, fine. Next order of business, the data.

    ...

    "Yes, that data."

    ...

    "What? What do you mean we don't have it all yet?! What about the Shinigami Project?!"

    ...

    "Fine. I know how I can gather and analyse their data, quicker than usual.

    ...

    "'Isn't it against the r--'?! Of course it is! Since when have we ever cared about the rules?! Or the law for that matter? These stupid teams will learn what is to be expected out of the F12000 sooner or later!"

    '...wha-?' Lucia thought. 'I only assumed the team were obsessed with violence, not completely f*cking corrupt?! Unless I'm misunderstanding...'

    Slowly, the girl stood up and backed away slowly, before turning and walking away, trying to look normal. However, that was slightly difficult with the information she inadvertently been presented with. Unfortunately for her, someone had seen her walking back.

    "Lucia? Are you alright?"

    The young girl let out a scream and jumped, the sudden voice scaring her. She looked around, and saw Leon.

    "Leon?! What the f*ck?! Do you want to scare me to death?!"

    The man looked confused.

    "I assure you, that was not my intention. Although, you did seem to be out of it. I'll ask again: Are you alright?"

    "I-I... I guess? Sorry, I'm just a bit tired, after whatever the hell that trainwreck was."

    He blinked at her, as if he had his suspicions, but ultimately dropped the issue. "Fine. I admit that race was heavily stacked up against us. I can only hope we can do better next time. Get some rest, Lucia. You definitely seem like you need it. I'll wake you when we need to depart."

    She didn't need to be told twice. With a nod, she headed off to one of the side rooms, and took a nap inside it. Or at least she would have, if it wasn't for what she heard, the words echoing through her mind. She needed to tell someone, but who would believe her? Leon? Hal? ...actually, Hal seemed like the better choice. Next time she met, she would tell him. With that mental note made, her fatigue had gotten the better of her, and she fell into a slumber.
    Last edited by Ace3000; 19th August 2017 at 01:49 PM.

  2. #902
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    Default Faster Than Angels | Part 33.0

    The referenced album title of Part 32.2 was The Final Cut by Pink Floyd.

    [s2_25.0: Part 33.0] A Matter of Time

    <22120801>

    Saturday, August 1st, 2212

    Angelus R&D HQ, Perth, Australia.

    13:42:51

    The weekend after the race brought a guest over to Angelus' headquarters, to discuss a certain piece of tech that was solely in their secretive R&D section.

    "Now that we aren't in the middle of a race, we can discuss the AG Pod further. Has there been any more improvements to the blueprints since we last spoke?" Nikole asked.

    "Only minor updates, but you'd want to know anyway."

    There were two reasons why they were not inside the R&D department itself. The first was that Brandon did not want anyone outside the department seeing the top secret technologies in development there, and also because the device was not constructed yet, so there was no reason to go there in the first place.

    "Anyway, the pod. How are you to get the chemical filtered out?"

    "I admit that's a tiny problem, because of what Alex mentioned. Unless the data was compromised somehow and we find what we need in that data..."

    Unconsciously, Brandon fiddled with a small storage drive in his pocket.

    "Well, wouldn't Viktor find out about his data being leaked?"

    "Well, it won't be leaked, per se. It will just be used by us to rectify the problem on our hands."

    "But would he not just find out his database was hacked? That's what Alex was talking about."

    Brandon had mumbled something sounding like "If only it wasn't so incomplete yet." in response.

    "Hmm? What was that?" Nikole asked, not hearing his mumbles.

    "Ah, nothing. Don't worry. Just thinking out loud."

    "..." Nikole just looked at him, but decided to not pursue the issue. "Anyway, as you said, the updates to the design aren't as important. I may need to get a therapist, or a neurologist, or someone to look at this, and see if it's alright."

    "I had one look at it."

    "And?"

    "Would I be still presenting this if I got a no?"

    "...good point."

    "Would you like to see the report? I have it here."

    "Sure, I'll give it a look-over."

    "Here, then."

    Brandon pulled out a holo-bar, containing pages upon pages of a document regarding the technology and the professional opinion of the neurologist that had examined the technical document before giving their okay on the project. Nikole opened it up and scrolled through the pages, skimming through the results they had come up with. Satisfied, she closed it up and passed it back to him.

    "Very well, then. We can build a prototype of the base system, using a different chemical in place of our unknown variable."

    "Sure, that works for me. If we obtain the data before it's completed, I shall use the proper chemical."

    With a nod, Nikole decided to go further into the basics of the system and the construction itself, discussing it with Brandon...

    ------------
    Unknown Location

    18:40:35

    A certain group of individuals met up with a recent Angelus employee as part of their regular meetings.

    "I have been doing the research," Alexandra Kotova opened with, "And I believe our best time to strike would be right after the final race of the season, Vohl Square II"

    "Interesting, because of its location?" CO-02 asked, to which Alex replied with a nod. "We do have our own plans for that race, but we aren't sure if we should go through with it."

    "Hmm? What do you mean?"

    "Sabotage. We were planning to make Crinale lose. However... that may possibly come at the cost of some technicians."

    "Which includes CO-05."

    "Exactly. We do not want any more COs losing their lives, if we can help it... unless we make the sabotage subtle, not enough to warrant more senseless killing by our new leader."

    "If you can make it so you can guarantee no deaths from this, then do it. If you are even 1% unsure, then do not go for it. It will not worth it in that case, specifically because we are targeting OE-0."

    "Understood. We have time before that race, though, so we may be able to devise a plan."

    "Fair enough. Remember, not at the cost of others. Anyway, OE-0. Have you come up with any better plans than after Vohl Square?"

    "They rarely let up their guard, I believe that after that particular race would be an optimal time to do it. Due to its short distance between a certain building, OE-0 would more than likely visit there. That is when we strike."

    "Okay, then. After Vohl Square. Thank you for the meeting."

    "Thank you, Miss Kotova."

  3. #903
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    Hey Ace,

    Could you kindly link your posts into a spoiler section in the OP?

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    That would take a lot of time to find the parts and compile the links, but yeah, I can get that done eventually.

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    Default Faster Than Angels | Part 34.1

    The referenced album title of Part 34 was A Matter of Time by Voicians. The full length release this time, not the Part 1 EP.

    [s2_26.1: Part 34.1] A Ghost's Attack

    <22120807>

    Friday, August 7th, 2212

    Nokav Vertigo, Rocky Mountains, USA.

    12:36:48

    On one of the breaks of the practice round at Nokav Vertigo, one female pilot went on a small search for another. Amazingly, she found her leaning on a wall at the peak of the short course, outlooking the view of the mountain range the track was situated upon. Approaching her from the left of the helmeted girl, who was looking out to the right, Katsuo gave a friendly wave when she saw her head move quickly to her direction, to see who was walking up to her.

    "Heya, how you doing?" Kat spoke in Japanese to the other pilot, Kyoko Fujisaki.

    "Alright." Kyoko replied, in Japanese as well.

    "How's the course?"

    "Twisty, kinda challenging."

    "Yeah, it is a bit."

    "...I love it."

    "You do?"

    "Yeah, I also took a look at the other courses here, and I am rather interested in the 2nd course. Alas, I must wait, but the course we're racing on should be fun."

    Kat nodded, smiling happily

    "Yeah, this should be fun." Suddenly, she had a thought. "Ah, how's Australia holding up for you?"

    "H-Huh? What do you mean?"

    "Oh! What I mean is moving to another country, it kinda changes who you are, you know?"

    She looked at Kyoko knowingly. While she did have a happy look on her face, there was an air of seriousness in her gaze. Kyoko also stared back at Kat, but, with her helmet on, no-one could determine what her emotion was.

    "I think... I understand what you mean. Why you would say that suddenly... is something I'm not yet sure of, but..."

    Kyoko suddenly stopped. Her helmet faced Kat, the Syncline pilot feeling the other girl's eyes piercing glare, even if she couldn't see it.

    "...I get it. I completely understand now."

    Those were her last words before she pushed off the wall, and walked back to Angelus' pits, leaving Kat there. Immediately, without stopping, she walked over to the small lounge room, opening the door and entering.

    "Brandon, w-"

    She stopped dead in her tracks. She had spoken before actually realising who was in the room... and what they were doing.

    "...I-I... I apologise... I, ah... I'll leave you to it then."

    Closing the door behind her as she stepped backwards out of the room, she took the time to think about where Brandon was this time, and so headed to where she thought the lab coat-clad man was, the main control room provided to the teams part of their pits. Like last time, she opened the door and walked inside, this time taking in the scene of the room, letting the door close behind her once she found him.

    "Brandon... we need to talk."

    He spun around quickly, sensing the urgency in her voice.

    "What is it?"

    "...Th... they know." Were the words to come out of her mouth.

    "...huh? Who knows about what?"

    "K-Katsuo, Syncline. They know about... me."

    His face darkened.

    "What... exactly do you mean?"

    "Kat spoke with me..."

    Kyoko proceeded to explain what she had said to Brandon, who listened carefully. When she had finished, he just kept staring at her.

    "...Finally. They just couldn't resist, could they?"

    Brandon suddenly started to move, walking out of the room. Kyoko practically jumped out of the way of the man's path, as he left the control room. Maintaining his pace, he made his way out of the partitioned building, heading to another partition of that very same building. He wasn't invited, but that mattered very little, as he walked right in, as if it was part of Angelus' partition. Since the layouts were the exact same, he knew where to go. He kept walking, unstopping, over to a certain door. He swung it open, and stared at the occupants, his face cold and unsmiling. Walking over to Nikole, he saw that the woman's face had become somewhat grim as well, as she stepped away from him and Katsuo.

    "Did you need something from me?" She asked.

    "I won't be needing anything if you can't keep to yourself for just a few minutes."

    She blinked. "I'm afraid I'm out of the loop on this one."

    The man shook his head. "Don't play dumb with me, you know exactly what I mean."
    Last edited by Ace3000; 10th February 2017 at 10:25 AM. Reason: wait nvm i used that album title before crud.

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    Default Faster Than Angels | Part 34.2

    Thanks Bardic for writing this part out.

    The referenced album title of Part 34.1 was Ghosts I-IV by Nine Inch Nails.

    [s2_26.2: Part 34.2] Etymological Kid

    <22120807>

    Friday, August 7th, 2212

    Nokav Vertigo, Rocky Mountains, USA.

    12:54:10

    Nikole kept a heavy pace to her office to be caught off guard opening the door. Katsuo sat against the wall inside with a bit of guilt in her tone.

    "Why don't you stand up?" Nikole asked with an attempt at sympathy. She knelt to Katsuo's level. "I can help you, okay? What did you need to tell me?"

    "I think I f*cked up," she replied.

    "That doesn't tell me much."

    "Well, its kind of a long story."

    "Is it immediately urgent? I'm expecting someone here."

    "How much time do you have?"

    Nikole grabbed Katsuo's hand and implied a request to stand up. "How about you clear your head. I'll meet you in your room and we can talk then."

    Katsuo started a smile at the growing likely hood of her over-reaction. "Will it be a few minutes?" she asked.

    Nikole backed away for space, just before Brandon swung the door open. Katsuo was about to say goodbye when he signalled for her to stay. He walked to Nikole with a stark face, ready to hold his ground.

    Nikole mirrored his expression while stepping further away from him and Katsuo. "Did you need something from me?" Nikole asked.

    "I won't be needing anything if you can't keep to yourself for just a few minutes."

    "I'm afraid I'm out of the loop on this one."

    "Don't play dumb with me, you know exactly what I mean."

    "No she doesn't, Brandon." Katsuo chimed in, without any expectation for a reaction from either of them. Brandon's attention was immediately shifted to the shorter girl.

    "Are you telling me you interfered with our lives for fun?" Brandon asked.

    "You're over simplifying a lot." Katsuo's voice started to raise. "I knew this from something else."

    Nikole went between them with a realization of what Katsuo might be recalling. "Calm down, the both of you. We can all solve this."

    "Just how much can I except you to be a part of this?" Brandon responded.

    "You can stop accusing everyone." Katsuo said.

    "And just why am I accusing anyone? Where's you trust for Kyoko to handle herself?"

    "She can't handle herself! Nikole is just like Kyoko, except she can see she needs help to function."

    "Is that right? You don't know if Kyoko is even like that!"

    "So what? Is that good enough for her to ignore it, because I've already seen what happens when that happens and I was orphaned because of it!"

    "This is different, we have it handled-"

    "It's always handled. Everyone knows exactly what they're doing UNTIL THEY HAVE TO FORCE A KNIFE TO THE SKULL OF SOMEONE THEY LOVE TO SURVIVE!" Katsuo stopped herself with her own words. She found out how close she'd manage to get to Brandon, but wouldn't back away. She was paralysed by memories she'd managed to not think about for years. Nikole pulled her chair behind Katsuo and gently motioned for her to sit. She opened the door for Brandon and followed him outside.

    "Is that something she did?" Brandon asked, "I had no idea she was an orphan, I-"

    "Her mother did that when Kat was very young." Nikole answered. "I suppose it's only a small aspect of the whole story. I don't think it'd be tasteful to carry on with her past."

    Brandon's sympathy returned after better understanding Katsuo's motives. "Is she going to be okay? She's not going to do anything rash is she?"

    "She's definitely not okay. She has a habit of dealing with pain in an unhealthy manner. I'll question her about how much she knows in the morning and I'll give you a call afterwards."

    "You can't see me in person?"

    "We'll be heading back home. Katsuo is in no condition to race. I don't know how Kyoko would act towards her in the race anyway. If anyone asks, my neck is acting up."

    "Yeah, okay... listen, I know you said you wouldn't go into Katsuo's past anymore, but... I just need to know that Kyoko will... that she's still alright for now."

    Nikole took a breathe before she started. "Kyoko isn't nearly as dire of a situation. Katsuo's father had the Condition when we didn't know as much about it. He was falsely told that her mother would take him in and he wasn't able to think rationally. Her mother wasn't able to calm him down and started to panic." Nikole moved her head a bit to make sure the hallway was clear. "You understand how important it is to never repeat this?"

    "Of course." Brandon said. "I'm just going to let Kyoko know that you're leaving the race. I don't know if she'll still feel okay with Katsuo, but-"

    "She shouldn't feel okay about her." Nikole interjected. "Once I find out how she figured out what she knows, I'll have to stress to her that she needs to control herself. I just hope she'll be stable enough to her the criticism."

    "And then we'll be able to trust her?"

    "Likely, yes."

    "What do you mean 'likely'?"

    "We'll talk about it tomorrow," Nikole said. "Just try to keep things sane on your end for now."

    Brandon gave an only slightly understanding nod and started his way back to Angelus, much more calmly than his trip to Syncline.
    Last edited by Ace3000; 15th February 2017 at 11:24 AM.

  7. #907
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    Okay, as was requested, I've written out a list containing links to all of my parts. However, because there are so many of them, I decided to write this list out on an article on our wiki. The article can be seen here, and a link will also be provided in the first post. I haven't listed all the parts though, as I still need to list all of the Curse of the Devil parts (and, maybe, Jonny and everyone else's parts). However, it is a start nonetheless.

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    Default Faster Than Angels | Part 34.3

    Posting this part early for reasons. Please note there may not be a part posted on the usual day until next week. It depends.

    The referenced album title of Part 34.2 was The Impossible Kid by Aesop Rock.

    [s2_26.3: Part 34.3] A Series of Issues

    <22120807>

    Friday, August 7th, 2212

    Nokav Vertigo, Rocky Mountains, USA.

    13:12:51

    Back at Angelus' pits, Brandon made his way back up to the control room, finding Kyoko still standing there in the room.

    "Huh? What are you still doing here, Kyoko?" He asked.

    "Waiting for you to get back."

    "Oh, well I'm here now."

    "So? You went and spoke with Syncline, didn't you? What'd they say?"

    "Oh, right. If you're thinking of getting revenge on Katsuo, it's not happening, even if I allowed it. They're pulling out."

    "They're what?" She asked, surprised.

    "After I confronted them, they said they're going home. Nikole determined that Katsuo was not in the best condition to race, so they're leaving."

    "And Hal? Is he going to race?"

    "Seems like it, they do have an 'official' reason, but it's not important to us. Anyway, are you alright to get back out?"

    "Ah, yes, I can get back to practising. Excuse me."

    Kyoko bowed, turned around and exited the room. As she left, Brandon slid his hands into his coat's pockets, and looked out towards the track, looking at Gareth's progress. As the craft soared past the stretch visible from the room above, Brandon's eyes narrowed, then flicked down to the screen displaying the craft's telemetry.

    "...Wait... how the hell...?!"

    Turning on his headset without hesitation, he quickly informed Gareth of the situation.

    "Gareth, return immediately. Kyoko, don't go yet. This is urgent."

    As he got acknowledgements from both pilots, Brandon called the technicians working on the craft to the pits along with the pilots, then fished out his phone and attempted to call Alex.

    "...Huh?" He looked at his phone. She wasn't picking up. No matter how long or many times Brandon rung her phone, Alex just wasn't answering. "What's going on here?!"

    Brandon rushed out of the control room just as one of the people working the control room was about to ask what was wrong. Running down to the pits, where both craft now were situated, he asked the staff entering the large room where the girl was. Almost all of them had no clue, but one person spoke up: Kyoko.

    "She is in Lounge A, but sh... she... wait."

    Brandon, like last time, took off before Kyoko had finished her explanation. Not wanting to leave him on his own, she set off after him. Arriving at the lounge, he threw open the door, and was faced with...

    "...what... the hell?" Was his outburst to the situation.

    "...Wait, what? That's not... w-what I saw earlier..." Kyoko spluttered.

    "What are you-? Ugh, whatever, just... help me."

    Alex was not speaking, but realising they were going to do what they were going to, she opened her mouth. "...W-wait, no, it's not what it looks like!"

    Alex was tied up. Literally, her hands and legs were tied to the chair she was sitting on. Brandon untied her hands, while Kyoko freed her legs. Unfortunately, she looked up at the wrong moment as she was doing so, and had seen how compromised she was, making a small squeak before Alex quickly placed her freed hands in front of her.

    "Damn it, I was hoping you wouldn't see..." She spoke in a soft voice, moving one of her legs once it was free.

    "Hmm? See what?" Brandon asked.

    "...n-nothing you should be concerned with."

    "Uh... right."

    Soon, Alex was completely untied, standing up after Kyoko straightened up, stretching.

    "Why were you tied up? Who tied you up?!" Brandon started questioning her once she rose to her feet. She looked back towards him when he did.

    "Brandon... y-you don't understand... I..." She faltered, and looked away, blushing. Her eyes briefly glowed purple for the briefest of moments. Then, she spoke up. "...I wasn't tied up against my will."

    "You... w-wait... I understand none of this."

    "I-I think I do..." Kyoko murmured.

    "You would... cause you saw... me." Alex mumbled back, before turning back to Brandon. "Maybe you'd understand if I told you who tied me up."

    "How do you figure that?"

    "Well... it was... u-uh..."

    "...it was...?"

    "...Catherine."

    Upon hearing that name, Brandon realised what happened, and his eyes grew wide. He made an attempt to quickly change the subject.

    "...U-uh... a-a-anyway... we need you to accompany us to the pits... w-we have a problem."
    Last edited by Ace3000; 14th February 2017 at 07:00 AM. Reason: minor plot change whoops

  9. #909
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    Post August 8th, 2212: Syncline HQ

    The lights were dimmed in the personal carrier with Katsuo passed out in the back seat. Nikole had been communicating with several e-mails just across the walkway. Despite her tendency to sleep comfortably in just about any situation, this instance led to her back ached and seemingly permanently bent sideways, along with her head not feeling that far off from waking up after getting knocked out cold.

    “Are we there?” Katsuo asked, despite noticing the presence of gravity.

    “We've been here a while,” Nikole said, “you wouldn't stay awake.”

    “How long has it been?” Katsuo asked.

    “We landed about an hour ago.”

    “You've been here the whole time?”

    “I've had a lot of explaining do.” Nikole answered, still focused on typing on her laptop.

    It started to sink in to Katsuo just a bit more what she had done. She unbuckled her seat to straighten herself out, still standing where she'd been. Nikole closed her laptop and set it aside. Katsuo took a breath and sat next to Nikole.

    “I take it you found out when finding Angelus's spy...” Nikole said.

    Katsuo nodded her head.


    “And I assume from the conversation we had after then that you disobeyed orders to find out.” she continued.

    “I didn't know what I was going to find out.” Katsuo said.

    “That means very little, you still confronted Kyoko about it.”

    “Well... I didn't tell her directly, I just-”

    “That is also insignificant. You took a very sensitive situation and ran in without caution.”

    “You don't think I was being careful?”

    “Leaving the issue aside would have been careful.”

    “It would have been careless.” Katsuo protested. “I'm not going to close my eyes and wait for the world to stop burning.”

    “You're not thinking objectively enough. Angelus knows enough about the condition to handle any anomalies Kyoko experiences.” Her statement was punctuated by a notification sound from her laptop. Nikole grabbed it and read though the new content. Katsuo started to get suspicious at the way Nikole stopped her lecture to read a message on a device.

    “You're recording this.” Katsuo said with certainty, with a growing anxiety at the idea that her actions may be more severe then she had thought.

    “It's just a live feed, for my superior.”

    Katsuo chuckled slightly, thinking that had to be a joke. To her, even with Nikole's serious attitude, that seemed more likely.

    “There's no need for alarm,” Nikole said, noticing Katsuo's fast changing expression, “there's just going to be some testing.”

    “They think I might've gotten it.” Katsuo said, simultaneously trying to slow her thoughts down.

    “Not at all, it's just hard to be sure what someone is doing when they go against protocol.”

    “So they think I'm a spy.”

    “It's a precaution. I hope you understand why this needs to happen.”

    “Yeah, I guess...” Katsuo started to lean into her seat, taking in deep, long breaths. “So, what now?”

    Nikole took a minute to articulate her words, and started at a low voice. “There's going to be a DNA test, an MRI for lie detection, and then a test for outside interference, to see if anyone else tries to peek in while you're down there.”

    “That last one can't be done while the other tests are happening.”

    “The other tests won't take but an hour,” Nikole explained, “but if someone else tries to break in, they could wait for quite a bit longer.”

    “Okay... I know you want to make sure I know the reason for everything, and to stay calm, and that I just need to prove my honesty, but I just...”

    “Do you need me to put put it bluntly?”

    “Please do...”

    Nikole took a moment to examine Katsuo's mood once more, even going so far as to check her pulse before continuing. With Katsuo appearing calm and ready to face her dues, Nikole spoke out quickly to get it done.

    “They're putting you in an isolation chamber.” Nikole blurted. “It will last ten days so that a third party would likely give up on you had they been monitoring you.

    Katsuo went to pat Nikole on the shoulder, to let her know she could handle the news. It ended up being a hug, with each thinking it was for the others benefit.

    “Can I make a call?” Katsuo asked, “I just don't want Ryouta to get worried after too long.”

    “We'll let him know you'll be gone for the next week and a half. We can't give specifics, but I'm sure he'll be fine regardless.”

    “Well, I kinda want to just talk to him one more time.”

    “A cellphone call isn't secure enough.” Nikole said. “I'm sorry, but this is the-”

    “It's okay,” Katsuo said, “I understand. If anyone else did this I'd expect them to go through the same thing.”

    Nikole let her arms go and stood up to the walkway. “I am to escort you out, with you going first.”

    Katsuo complied and stood in front of Nikole, and the both of the stepped out through the door into the daylight.

  10. #910
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    Default Faster Than Angels | Part 34.4

    The referenced album title of Part 34.3 was Issues by Korn.

    [s2_26.4: Part 34.4] Fear of a Dead Craft

    <22120807>

    Friday, August 7th, 2212

    Nokav Vertigo, Rocky Mountains, USA.

    13:32:43

    Now with Alex, Brandon got the technicians to perform a complete diagnostic on both of Angelus' craft, after disconnecting them from their network as part of their safety precautions. It took a long time to go over every detail of the craft's systems, until...

    "There! We got it! Alex, over here. Do you recognise this?"

    The black-haired woman stared at the console, looking over the code. As she did, her eyes glowed slightly.

    "This... I recognise this. So he's finally using my arsenal."

    "Sorry?"

    "I had stored several ideas for some... legally ambiguous warfare against you lot. Of course, that was before I mellowed out, so I kept them on a locked partition on Crinale's servers. It appears that he has gotten into it and is putting those ideas to work. This was intended to take advantage of the fact that we knew how the security on your first craft worked, so we could have been able to implant a virus that would ultimately disable the craft's systems."

    "So, you know how to combat it?"

    "I'm not finished explaining," She continued, "As I said, that was intended for that first craft you built, what was it? The AGR1 or something like that? Anyway, I would suspect that you are all smart enough to upgrade or otherwise rewrite the security's code, so my code would not even touch this craft. Viktor obviously knew that, as the code here is very different to my original, but I can spot traces of that original code in there, which is how I knew what it was. But that begs the question, how was he able to easily slip this into your highly secure systems?"

    This time it was Brandon that spoke up.

    "Do you remember, Alex? He is in control of the F12000. Just as you can spot traces of your original code in there, I can spot traces of official AGRC system code. This virus seems to be spoofing as official F12000 data. Naturally, all craft have to be compatible with the code, and with someone dangerous as him in charge, he could easily fix races like this. Chances are this was a test, an experiment, and we were the guinea pigs."

    "...tch, goddammit. Can you delete the code?"

    "Deleting the code is the easy part. Worst case scenario, we restore a systems backup. The tricky part is preventing it from entering our systems again. Because it spoofs F12000 code, we can't simply mark the code as a virus, as the F12000 code will create system conflicts. The worst case scenario would overwrite the code, though, so we won't have it to examine. However, it's not impossible, I have faith in my technicians that they can get the job done. We can't get back out there, though. Gareth's craft is not in the best way, I'm not risking Kyoko's going the same way, and both craft need to stay here for the virus extraction and to further examine it in order to create the antivirus hotpatch. Anyway, I need to go make the announcement that we've stopped practice for today."

    Alex nodded, as Brandon headed for the control room, letting everyone who wasn't tasked with the virus' removal that they were now free to do as they wished.

    ------------
    13:01:22

    <vargas | vinter in vegas_>

    "It's ready, we've loaded it onto your craft. Now destroy Angelus!"

    As Gareth was going through his practice run, a certain black and orange craft set off from the pits, aiming to catch up to the light craft flying around the track. However, because of the initial tight corner-heavy first half, the heavier, less agile RA8 could not get near the Xygen V, despite the fact that the Micro-Turbine thrusted craft could accelerate out of the corners faster than the traditional Xygen could. Even on the high-speed second half, the Angelus had it beat, having a higher top-end.

    It was there that the pilot of the dark craft decided that it wasn't an actual race, and so had decided to slow down and let the faster craft come around. As the white racer returned into view of the black craft, they put the next part of their plan into action, remembering what Viktor had told them beforehand.

    "Activate the weapon and fly close enough for the data to transfer itself."

    Waiting for the perfect time that the craft would fly close enough to them, the Crinale craft had sped up, flying at it's normal speed, which was still slow enough to let the Angelus craft catch up to it. Eventually, it had gained on the team, and so they engaged a set of maneuvers to prevent them from overtaking, keeping them within range for their attack. Angelus' computer didn't acknowledge that a weapon had been fired because, technically, one had not been fired. It was released, able to be transferred, absorbed, into the systems, under the guise of official F12000 data.

    Once the data had completely transferred, the craft stopped its offensive maneuver, and resumed flying around the track in a normal manner, allowing the now infected craft to fly past. The virus soon started to take effect, with the airbrakes acting odd. Unfortunately for them, that was all they could see of the virus' effects, as the pilot soon spun the craft around and limped back to the pits soon after rushing past the main straight.

    "Brandon must have noticed and called him back in."

    "It is fine, they still have the disadvantage of using up their precious practice time on working on the virus. We can only hope that the nature of the code proves impossible for them to remove it, or at least gain an immunity to it."

    ------------
    <22120808>

    Saturday, August 8th, 2212

    13:54:37

    Throughout the night and the following day, Angelus' technicians worked on the update code for the craft's security, when they had a completed version, they applied it to a virtual copy of the craft systems, then ran the extracted virus to the patched system, noting the effects and, if the patch didn't work, restore the system, work on the update and repeat the testing.

    It was well into the Qualifier, and the team was still working on the code. If they were unable to get it working within the day, they would automatically be disqualified. Although, it seemed like someone had a backup plan.

    "Brandon, I'm not letting my craft let the whole team down, if they can't do it in time, put Kyoko out. She's a good racer, she can win!" Gareth pleaded to his team leader.

    "Gareth, we still have an hour and 5 minutes to get this thing completed, it still can be done. Besides, even if it doesn't get completed, and we send her out, Kyoko's craft may suffer the same fate as yours, hell, maybe even worse."

    "I wouldn't be so sure..." A technician working on the code spoke up. "Come take a look at this."

    Brandon walked up to the screen and looked at what he instantly recognised to be the diagnostic log of the the Xygen's systems. He instantly read the line that was highlighted.

    "Wait... it was deployed as a weapon?"

    "Yeah, and regarding the type of transmission, I believe that they cannot use it in the race proper. At least, that's my hypothesis."

    "Well, I can only hope you're right with that."

    By that point, they were extremely close to being successful with the code blocking out the virus but keeping in the F12000 data. It would only take them 38 more minutes to finish the security patch. Excited, they patched the update to the virtual system and ran the virus on it. It gave two quick, low beeps and spat out an error.

    WARNING: Blacklisted data detected. Transfer denied.
    Virus detected. Data deleted.


    "YES! It works! Now for the dummy file."

    He sent through an official F12000 data file, running it into the system, which graciously accepted it.

    "Brandon, are the craft connected up to our systems?" Was the head technician's question.

    "Yeah, why?"

    "Has Gareth's been restored?"

    "Again, yes. Why?"

    "The patch is complete. We can send them out to the ships, and send them out for the qualifier."

    "Do it. Quick!"

    With Brandon's permission, the head technician brought up the system back-end, and sent the hotpatch through to the two craft, updating their security immediately.

    "Alright, contact the AGRC and our pilots, tell them we're ready."

  11. #911
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    Default Faster Than Angels | Part 34.5

    The referenced album title of Part 34.4 was Fear of a Blank Planet by Porcupine Tree.

    [s2_26.5: Part 34.5] A Fragile Mind

    <22120809>

    Sunday, August 9th, 2212

    Nokav Vertigo, Rocky Mountains, USA.

    08:53:43

    The previous day's qualifier had put Angelus in 2nd and 8th position for the race, which went without a hitch, thanks to the software engineers' security update, which gave the team an immunity to Crinale's viral warfare. Gareth's craft did need some alignments and fine-tuning done to fix the damage the virus did to it, but the craft was back to its optimal performance in time to post a competitive time. However, said competitive time was not the best time the craft could do.

    "Tch, if only we had more time, I could have put in a better time." Gareth commented, "I didn't do the Xygen justice, I'm sorry."

    "It's alright, just relax." Brandon replied. "You did what you could, we all did. The starting position is not the be-all-end-all, the race is what matters."

    "Yeah, you're right. I'll be able to catch up to Kyoko... I think."

    "That's the spirit! Now go on, the 5 minute warning should sound an-"

    "Warning. 5 minutes remain until race begins. All pilots please move to the start line in your relative positions." The announcement sounded, cutting Brandon off just as he was mentioning said announcement.

    "...ahem, as I was saying."

    "Yeah, I'll get going now. See you on the other side of the race."

    Gareth then ran off, heading for his craft, which was in position, ready for him to enter and get ready. Kyoko, on the other hand, was already in her craft, waiting for the race to start. But, for the first time since she flew for Angelus, she was scared. Syncline knew... of course they did, they seemed to know about a lot of things pertaining to this horrid league, that would explain her visits to Angelus itself.

    However... what she could not forgive... was that they could not keep their mouths shut...

    "And for that... they need to pay!"

    3, 2, 1... GO!
    <09:00:00_>
    <nokav vertigo: short fwd_>
    <race: lap 01 of 109_>

    02.
    FUJ616.0.43.194 (#43 | Kyoko Fujisaki | AX2.0_r2)
    04. ERI220.1.99.175 (#99 | Halvred Erikson | V.ult-2X1024)
    08. ARD889.1.19.194 (#19 | Gareth Ardos | AX2.0_r2)
    11. SCA308.0.7.329 (#7 | Lucia Scarlatti | F0-RA8/00095)
    12. TUR847.1.13.329 (#13 | Leon Turner | F0-RA8/00127)

    <strobo migraine | callasoiled_>


    The craft shot off the line, and as usual, Crinale set about attacking the competition, gaining offensive weapons to make their gradual climb towards the lead. Fortunately, Gareth was able to avoid most of their barrages, catching up to Hal and Kyoko, who were in 2nd and 3rd respectively. However, when he caught up to them, what he saw shocked and confused him.

    When the race started, Kyoko's higher thrust Xygen rocketed away from Hal's 'Vulture', but she let him catch up to her once he had gotten his speed up. Once he passed her, she began her revenge. She ditched her speed-based racing technique and became more violent towards the red and purple craft. She was actively trying to eliminate Hal. Since it was just her, Hal decided to ignore and evade her, aiming for the top position. Unfortunately, Kyoko was having none of it, as her faster, more agile craft could easily keep up with him without breaking a sweat, where she continued to fire her weapons at him. It was getting to the point where if Hal didn't stop ignoring her, he would be eliminated fairly quickly.

    "...Kyoko? Are... you okay?" Gareth spoke, after catching up to the two craft battling.

    "Perfectly fine. Why do you ask?" Came the reply of the 'faceless' pilot.

    "You... seem to be... how should I put this... in the mindset of Crinale."

    "Please, they're worse. I'm just delivering some well-deserved revenge."

    "'Well deserved'? What did they do? ...Oh, whatever, it's not important, just let them go."

    "You let go. Keep that lead spot warm for me, I'll be there once Syncline learns to keep their damn mouth shut about sh*t they don't understand!"

    "Rockets"

    That point blank attack pushed Hal back, but he wasn't going to let that defeat him.

    "Missiles"

    He attacked back, impeding Kyoko's progress. Due to that battle commencing, Gareth decided to heed Kyoko's advice, and blast out in front, slowly reeling in the lead spot, but not before taking the full brunt of the heavier Vulture, as Hal's more violent solo racing style took over. The attack required some quick thinking on the Angelus pilot to regain control from the ram. However, he was back on track, and resumed aiming for 1st place.

    Many laps later, though, the inevitable happened.

    <contender eliminated_>

    Someone had been eliminated. Gareth, who was in a battle of racing skill and strategies with the craft in first place, naturally assumed Kyoko had finally eliminated Hal.

    'Tch, what's with her? What did they do to her to cause her to go haywire?' He thought, before speaking to his teammate. "Hey, Kyoko, you finally get him?"

    The response was... not what he expected.

    "Ah... about that..."

    ------------
    09:06:47

    As Gareth shot off with an amazing acceleration, Kyoko and Hal continued their battle, trading blow after blow. Despite the overall violent nature of their battle, their attacks were quite different, Kyoko taking advantage of the Xygen's light weight and agility to dodge and dart about, making it difficult for Hal to hit her, while also refraining from letting him escape her grasp, bringing him back down to where she was to resume the battle. Hal's technique was more direct, making use of his Vulture's heavy frame to, as well as firing weapons at the white, agile craft, ram into said craft whenever he got the chance to.

    'Khh, what's with her?' Hal thought, 'Usually she'd be shying away from violence, not taking part in it.'

    Naturally, since he was not aware of what Kat had done, he had no idea for Kyoko's reasons for attacking him. Nevertheless, he continued defending himself, but the constant hold ups of being attacked in the first place brought the two pilots down in the ranks, albeit not by much. He kept his defences up, while continuing to go all out on Kyoko.

    Kyoko kept forcing weapon after weapon into the purple and red craft, becoming increasingly annoyed in the process.

    "Tch, come on! How much sh*t do I have to pump into you?! I should have done enough damage to eliminate you already, even if you've been absorbing weapons!"

    Her increasing annoyance was stemming from two sources. The first was the more obvious fact that Hal was not as defensively weak as she had initially anticipated. He could cover his bases quite nicely, something she naturally didn't see due to all of their other races that she had observed showed the two working together to aid the other. With this race, though, she could see Hal's natural racing talent, and close-up from her insistence on eliminating him.

    The second source of her annoyance was her craft. Or more specifically, the shielding system. Another reason why she thought Hal should have been defeated by that point was the fact that her own shields were nearing the end of their usage. She was about to be eliminated. Or so she thought. As she ran over a weapon pad, the image that displayed in her HUD gave her a rather difficult choice.

    She could potentially go for the kill and fire the Plasma at Hal, but also run the risk of missing. Alternatively, she could absorb it for a rather sizeable and much needed increase to her shield energy.

    "...Agh, screw it! Haaaiiii-YA!"

    She charged and fired the plasma right at Hal... who took the hit, but was still not yet out. Although, he was dangling on an extremely thin wire, having his shield energy percentage go down to just single digits. As the white craft passed him, he unleashed something that was only seen twice before.

    "Im-flash"

    The super-weapon of Syncline was a homing projectile weapon similar in design to a missile. However, it, like Angelus' Railgun, dealt no direct damage. The weapon temporarily messed with the hud and other visual and aural inputs, effectively blinding the pilot to the outside, as well as not allowing warnings from incoming weapons to be announced to them. Kyoko was, reasonably, hitting the walls, removing more of her shielding. And, just as the weapon wore off...

    "Bomb"

    Instinctively, the girl flicked her right wrist, making the light craft sideshift, avoiding the explosive device by a minuscule amount. As she soared past the failed attempt to eliminate her, she let out a sigh, passing Hal and taking a particularly sharp corner. Hal had learned how she acted through corners by watching her as they battled, however, and was ready to strike at the opportune moment.

    "Plasma"
    <contender eliminated_>


    A short yelp from Kyoko was the final and only thing that she was able to do, ending her race at the hands of Hal.
    Last edited by Ace3000; 20th April 2017 at 06:22 AM.

  12. #912
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    Default Faster Than Angels | Part 34.6

    The referenced album title of Part 34.5 was The Fragile by Nine Inch Nails. Remember this, it will be important... maybe.

    [s2_26.6: Part 34.6] THREELAYERPOSTRACESTRUCTURE

    <22120809>

    Sunday, August 9th, 2212

    Nokav Vertigo, Rocky Mountains, USA.

    10:06:57

    It was a close race, but the overall winners of the race by mere milliseconds were Wyvern, just snatching the victory from Angelus. However, Brandon had some words for Kyoko.

    "Hey, what was that just now? I understand what you're going through, but that performance was... how should I put it... ah. I've let you keep somewhat of an open mind when making your racing strategies, except when it's absolutely necessary, because you know what is to be expected of Angelus. However, that performance was really pushing the envelope. We must race pure, Kyoko, do not fall into the F12000's trap. Do not give in to the violence."

    Kyoko just sat there, looking down at the floor. When he finished speaking to her, she bowed deeply.

    "I am sorry. I am so sorry... I do not know what came over me, I just... I just felt like I had to eliminate him. It will not happen again, I promise."

    Brandon smiled. "That's what I like to hear. Anyway, let's go back now that it's all over."

    ------------
    On the other end, Hal had something to do as soon as the race was over for him. He picked up his phone and called a certain someone.

    "Yeah?" The voice on the other end answered.

    "Hey Nikole, it's Hal. Um... I, uh, just thought you needed to know something."

    "Go on."

    "It's Kyoko. She was acting rather odd in that race. She was going for me, only me."

    "What do you mean?"

    "She was trying to eliminate me. She was being quite forceful about it too."

    A brief silence came from Nikole's end, before she responded. "...Interesting. Well, I'll keep that in mind. Thank you."

    "Not a problem. Later."

    He put the phone down, and stayed there. He could have left at any time, however, there was something he had planned. for that day.

    ------------
    17:30:13

    Throughout the past two weeks, a certain couple had been catching up with each other over the phone since they had met up in Germany. For the first time since then, they were able to meet up again, after the race. When they finally met up, and they were sure that no-one could see them, they embraced each other with a large, warm hug.

    "Aaaahhhh, it's felt like forever since we could actually see each other!" Lucia greeted Hal.

    "It does feel nice to finally meet up again. How've you been holding up?"

    I've been okay, not too bad. Missed you though. How about you?"

    Hal let out a small chuckle, then replied.

    "Yeah... much of the same. So what about Nokav? How did that treat you."

    "With Crinale's heavy-ass craft? It was quite a challenge, I have to admit... but I liked it, it was the good kind of challenge."

    "Ah, yeah, you have traditional airbrakes. Syncline's are quite unique, so on that course, we had an alright time."

    "Ever the competitor, aren't you?"

    "Oh, come on, it's fun, isn't it?" Hal laughed.

    "Well... I would be completely lying if I didn't enjoy racing."

    Lucia had a smile on her face, but she was holding her arm, looking away. It seemed like that smile was an attempt at hiding her true emotions, which Hal picked up on.

    "Lucia... are you alright?"

    "I..."

    She had thought about lying to him, but had somehow gained the inability to do so, due to her mental self-promise.

    "...no. I'm not. Hal, I... I heard something I wasn't supposed to... a-about... Crinale."

    "...when was this?" He looked at her more intensely

    "Right after the German race."

    Hal's shoulders drooped.

    "Of course... why didn't you tell me this earlier?"

    "It... it wasn't something I could tell you over the phone. I had to tell you in front of you." She looked up at him, looking somewhat distraught. Whatever she heard, Hal thought, it must have been pretty bad. But that was Crinale, if only she knew what that team was up to...

    "It's okay, I'm here now, just tell me."

    With a nod, Lucia told him of every word she had heard her team director say. Hal looked at her directly, taking in every word. When she had finished, there was a small silence, as he processed everything she said.

    "...Yeah, that fits exactly with what I know of them, and a certain other group of interest Syncline have been investigating."

    "H-huh?"

    "Oh, trust me, Crinale are definitely corrupt, it's not your imagination." He thought for a moment more, before speaking again. "...[sigh], you're a smart, good girl, you need to know."

    "I-what? Know what?" She looked up at him, her anger rising ever so slightly. "Also, I don't think I care for you treating me like a kid. I got that sh*t from my parents, I don't need you giving me that too."

    "Wh... I... I'm sorry, that wasn't my intention. But what I'm about to tell you is the truth. I know how you feel about Crinale, so I know you can take what I'm about to tell you."

    Lucia just kept looking at him, curious and afraid. Hal took this as a sign to continue, so he did.

    "Crinale are very much corrupt. They've had a past of using stolen and illegal technologies to get their wins. But they were much tamer in the past. They made an attempt to make a league similar to the F9000, and, according to some of our sources, that is exactly what they've done, with this, the F12000. Ah, let me explain the F9000 to you, and why it's so bad. It was controlled by a corporation called Overtel, who were corrupt beyond belief. Quite a lot of races were fixed, financial irregularities ran amongst some teams and blackmailing had definitely occurred. A lot of people died there. It... it was practically war, with weapons taking more precedence than it should. This Crinale are making it happen all over again, just for everyone's entertainment. It's only a matter of time before the blackmailing and race fixings happen again..."

    "I-I... wh-wha-?"

    Lucia was in disbelief. Her racing team, her career... was run through corruption? She... just wanted to race... that's all she wanted to do... and yet... and yet... he was still acting like her parents. She wanted to believe him, but...

    "God damn it... not you too... why is everyone trying to f*cking stop me from racing?!"

    "I'm not... I want you to race. I can see the passion in your eyes. But... that's the truth about your team. We're working on stopping it, we are. You can have your perfect race, you won't be forced to use weapons even when you don't need to use them, I promise you, Lucia. I... I'm telling you this because I love you, not because I want you to quit doing what you love."

    The girl looked down. She had been quick to judge, and she started to realise her mistake in doing so. He did want her to race, he could see how much she enjoyed it. But still, whenever she got angry like this, she stayed like that for a long while, so she was also still pissed off at him. On top of that, it was a lot of harsh information to take in, so she also felt lost, unsure of what she should do, if anything at all. Shaking her head, she looked back up at him, her face clearly showing that she was flooded with emotions.

    "L-look... I'll forgive you. Not now, but eventually. I... I must go, I have a lot to take in."

    Not waiting for a response, she promptly spun on her heel, and walked out of the building they were talking in, clearly wanting to return to a place where she could have some time to herself to process all of that information, getting too far deep into something she didn't understand, apart from knowing it was clearly very bad. But she needed to plan what she was going to do with the new info, as she could not just go back to her normal life after this.

  13. #913
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    Default Faster Than Angels | Part 35.1

    The referenced album title of Part 34.6 was THREELAYERSTRUCTURETHEORY by Calla Soiled.

    [s2_27.1: Part 35.1] An Umbra Called Crinale

    <22120821>

    Friday, August 21st, 2212

    Monte Carlo Nouveau, Monte Carlo, Monaco

    11:05:30

    The next course in the roster was Monte Carlo Nouveau, a course that contained copied sections of the antique circuit, scaled up for the larger size and higher speed of the F-class craft. The course itself was situated several meters above the original road that constituted the course. The actual road was still being used for other road races, for cars that could fit within the road's dimensions.

    After a several very fast runs, a certain F12000 pilot set about making her own strategy for the race. She made note of all the points in which she could use her craft's high thrust output to gain the advantage over the competition. However, that was naturally stopped when a higher ranking individual, employed by Viktor, walked past her room, seeing the plans laid out.

    "What the hell is this? You don't need a strategy like this, you are paid to race our way." The head mechanic said.

    "Not this crap again." Lucia sighed, before lying to them. "Look, it's only half the plan, you need to go fast to win. The other half comes from being violent."

    The eyes staring into her narrowed. They knew of her difficulties in the past, as such not buying her story for one second. "Are you testing me? Do you believe you can lie to me?"

    "Of course not. However, I was signed on for my racing talent. Do you believe you can hold my talent back like you're doing now?"

    "SILENCE!" They yelled at her. "You will not speak to a superior like that! Y-"

    Lucia clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes, interrupting them "Listen, the pilots are the most important people. You cannot tell me what to do or how to do it. I'll race my own way, without interference, or you can just simply say goodbye to your amazing talent as she walks out the f*cking door."

    As the young girl stood smugly with her hands on her hips, she did not see the the head mechanic pull the object from the pocket their hand was in the whole time and, gripping it tightly, slash her face with it with a speed so fast the object became almost invisible with how much it blurred across the air.

    "Agh!"

    The resulting attack caused Lucia to fall to the floor, her injury not even having time to cause her any pain. However, when it did...

    "A-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

    She held her hand up to the wound, yelling out in pain. The mechanic looked down their nose at the crumpled heap of the girl, scoffing disgustedly while they slipped the screwdriver back into their pocket.

    "I sure hope that serves as a lesson, young lady. You will race for Crinale. You will race and you will race our way. Let that be a lesson to never go against us. Understood?"

    Lucia responded by continuing to breathe heavily, remaining in the position she had found herself in on the floor. The head mechanic took that opportunity to walk over to the plans she had laid out, and take them, which included her half-completed strategy. Their final fate were going to be destruction, as the head mechanic left, not even paying the shocked, injured Lucia any mind.

    Slowly, silently, she looked at her hand. Instead of the usual pale colour, a glistening red hue took its place. She was bleeding, the screwdriver must have cut deeper into her than she had thought. Although, with that said, she did not recall the actual attack, only that she had found herself on the floor afterwards, the sharp, searing pain taking precedence shortly thereafter. But she realised that she could not lie there on the ground all day. Finding enough energy to stand up, she slowly left, her hair covering half her face. She let another, different higher-up that she was returning to her hotel room.

    Of course, this was a lie. Upon leaving the circuit grounds, she began her search, moving throughout Monte Carlo, looking through every single bar and hotel in search of the one person that could help her, the one she was the least pissed off at. Finally, after looking in the final building, she gave in, slowly and reluctantly pulling her phone out and sending a text out.

    "Where are you?"

    A few minutes later, she got a reply. He was in a hotel she had checked earlier. She had just missed him. She set off, running towards and into the hotel.

    "Lucia, he- what the hell?" Were the first words to come out of Hal's mouth upon seeing her, as she entered his room.

    She began to explain what had happened prior. His face changed from curious, to intrigued, to somewhat shocked. Finally, he calmed down.

    "They... what?" He finally spoke. "Show me."

    "No."

    "Lucia, please. If you don't show me, I can't help you."

    "I don't want you to see me like this."

    "I need to see it, Lucia. I need to know. Please, show me."

    "You 'need to see it'? Please, no-one needs to see it."

    "Lucia, look. You aren't invincible. Wounds, especially facial wounds, can become more hazardous to your health if left alone. Please, I care about you... just... show me."

    She looked down sadly, not because she lost the argument, but because she was still afraid. Afraid to show the one person she cared this much about something that horrific. She raised her arm to brush her hair aside, but then dropped it. Hal moved closer to her, raised an arm slowly and, when she didn't flinch to his movements, brushed her hair aside.

    "...Sh*t. They did this to you?!"

    "Goddamn it. This was why I didn't want to show you. It's not that big a-"

    "Not that big a deal? Bullsh*t. I... I care about you... to me, it is a big deal, nothing will change that. Now come, let's treat that."

    He sat her down and treated her wounds, using a first aid kit he had, which sat in his room. When he was finished, and her wounds treated, she stood up. He did as well, checking out his work, seeing if he missed any areas.

    "Th-thanks for that. I... I appreciate it."

    "It was nothing! Nothing at all! I care about you, my friend, that's all that matters."

    In a soft voice, she replied. "No it's not, it's more than just simply caring about a friend."

    With that, she turned to face the man whose face was close enough to hers. She didn't have to move far forward for her lips to meet his.

    "Mmm?!"

    She held that position for several long moments, neither of them pulling away. In fact, Hal reciprocated, kissing back. The passion, the pure emotion that went into the kiss was more than either of them had ever expressed before, let alone to each other. Their arms soon found their way around the other, holding each other in an embrace as their lips remained pressed together.

    She wanted to be here, living this one moment forever. The feel of human contact made her feel like everything was okay, the feel of Hal's arms around her, his lips pressed against hers... it was euphoric. She never wanted to let go, and she was so sure that Hal felt the same way. In fact, it was like, in that embrace, each other's feelings, their emotions, were displayed in full view of the other. She had never felt this way about any other person in her life, such that she never thought she had the capacity to feel these emotions in the first place. But here she was, completely enthralled by Hal. This... this was love, pure and simple.

    Eventually, Lucia was the one to break the kiss, but not because she wanted to.

    "I... I want to stay, I really do, but I need to go. Those assholes need to still think I'm loyal to them. Don't worry, they'll eventually pay their dues, but I can't do sh*t right now."

    Hal just smiled. "It's okay, I understand. Just... Stay safe." He let go of her.

    She pulled herself towards him for another hug, "I'll try." She spoke into his chest, before breaking contact and running back to the hotel Crinale rented out.
    Last edited by Ace3000; 30th June 2017 at 04:40 AM.

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    Default Faster Than Angels | Part 35.2

    This part was an experiment to me, being written in a unique way that I have never attempted before. Nothing and no-one are referred to by name, and there is zero dialogue in this part. Still, I hope you enjoy it.

    The referenced album title of Part 35.1 was Umbra by Boom Boom Satellites.

    [s2_27.2: Part 35.2] Rage Against Everything

    <22120823>

    Sunday, August 23rd, 2212

    Monte Carlo Nouveau, Monte Carlo, Monaco

    13:55:14

    <swamp | callasoiled_>

    One pilot, due to previous events, had made her presence less known, but her higher ups were still aware of her being there, and as such had prepared her craft. Like the past two days, she had her hair draped over her face where a wound lay. Because of them being the cause of her wound, she had also been actively avoiding her team's head mechanic, however it was only technicians that were dealing with her craft.

    Wordlessly, she climbed onto and entered the craft. After getting herself properly seated, she performed the final checks on the craft, the diagnostics being sent to the technicians. When they had received the data, and perceived it as being normal, they gave the okay to have the craft moved up to the track proper, where it sat on the grid, ready for the race to begin.

    When the craft's brace had brought it up, its pilot flipped all but one of the final group of switches. The last one, the ignition switch, was flipped for the briefest of moments. A low rumbling noise soon turned into a high-pitched whine, as the craft's unique thrust system gained power. As she looked upon the different racing craft developed by different racing teams ahead of her, she wondered briefly what it would be like to race for them. Would they let her race however she wanted? Or would she have to follow a strict racing style like the team she raced for?

    Her brief daydream was, however, cut short. The race's countdown had started, which pulled her out of it. She quickly built up the craft's thrust, waiting for the moment the green light appeared to release that thrust to launch off the line. The high thrust output of the unique system ensured that her craft would get to the higher places quickly, which was a good thing, because two days were not enough time for her to recover mentally from the attack she received.

    She was eventually passed by several craft, even, briefly, by her own teammate. She was racing far from 100%, as her mind was clouded by a mishmash of emotions, which blended together into one massive lump of uncertainty. She was not feeling right, about herself, about her team, or about what she should do or how to go about it doing it. Despite that, being passed by the other similarly coloured craft forcibly brought her far enough out of the depths of her mind to pass it and stay ahead of it, but she still wasn't at her usual limit.

    That was because, while racing less passively than before, she was still piloting her craft subconsciously. She navigated through the course through sheer memorisation of the twisty, elevated course, and was using her weapons moderately, just to slow the competition down. It was a racing style she was able to use when she wasn't trying to cater to one of the two extremes: Pure, weapon-less runs or violent, weapon heavy racing. The racing style usually came up when she wasn't actively thinking about racing, but wasn't her true default style, which was her pure style.

    After racing like that for a long time, her mind still preoccupied, she saw it.

    One lone craft, clad in a white and azure paintjob...

    Cutting through the sky so cleanly, so majestically...

    They look so happy...

    ...

    The girl's uncertainty began to change, one solitary emotion growing, changing.

    It was changing to a deep rage, but it was more than that...

    ...Hatred, for the team that would do anything to get their way, even resorting to violence to have their pilots fly their way, even if her way would garner more results...

    ...Fear, for what they might do to her if she were to defect to a team that would let her do her own thing...

    ...and Jealousy, for her forced-upon arch-rivals, who looked so happy, and flew in a racing style that she preferred...

    She was a racing prodigy, she knew how to win... but her talent was being impeded by them... forcefully...

    <my violent heart (instrumental) | nine inch nails_>

    The rage within her grew to such an extent that she could no longer hold it inside her. At that point, she silently exploded. They had got what they wanted, the girl had begun to race more violently than she ever had. Her rage was poured into the controls of the craft as she gripped her craft's controls. Her mind was slowly clearing up, her racing becoming more of a conscious task.

    She gritted her teeth as she actively pressed forward, catching up to them by firing every single offensive weapon she received into the craft representing the team she was the most jealous at. To the other team ahead of her, though, it was seemingly just like any other race. They thought it was just violence as usual, without knowing that it was more than that, that it was a very effective outlet for her built-up pressure.

    Her rage was so great, that she had actually started doing something she had never tried before. Pulling alongside the white craft, she shifted her craft to the side, ramming into the craft. Pulling away from the craft, she did it again, and again, and again, until she received something that, when unleashed, could very well represent the pilot's own vast rage.

    Pulling back so her black craft was behind the opposite coloured one, she charged the massively powerful weapon, and fired. A bright blue beam shot out from the craft's front, hitting the one ahead of it. A few seconds passed between the beam making contact, and the craft's shields becoming destabilised, failing and eliminating that particular pilot. Shifting sideways again, out of the way of the rapidly decelerating craft, the angry, upset young pilot continued to race forth.

    Reaching the second light craft after bombarding the other racers with weapons and rams from her craft, some avoidable, some not, the pilot started actively attacking them. All of a sudden, her vision began to blur. She was able to blink and shake it away, but it would just return after a few seconds. It was then she realised the blurriness was stemming from her tears, streaming down her face, from attacking the team she was the most jealous at, the team that, after this, would most likely not accept her, even if her current team would let her leave to pursue her own team, her own career.

    Nevertheless, her tears did not slow her down, she kept on, firing weapon after weapon into it, and then ramming the craft, first from behind as it slowed down from the weapons' damage, then from the side as it regained its speed. She had started to become very emotional, yet despite those emotions coming to the surface, her rage persisted, still being as strong as ever.

    The only time she would lose ground over the craft was by one of the two rather hard, tight corners. Otherwise, she would be right on top of them, whittling down their shield energy just that bit more. The pilot of the remaining white craft proved to be more skilled than the other that fell, but it was still not a challenge for a prodigal racer. Even when the odd weapon or two hit her and she fell back, the amount of effort to return back to following the craft at a very short distance was not overly much.

    The white craft gracefully rounded the tightest hairpin of the course, pulling away from the looming black craft. The pilot of said craft following them launched their final attack on that particular team. A large, unavoidable weapon was fired, guaranteed their elimination from the race. The already critical shields took the final hit, which reduced their energy to zero. The black craft shot past, the pilot looking back at the remains of the craft.

    As she looked back forward, having given that particular team what she thought was an accurate representation of how enraged she was, she set about finishing the race, not hesitating to fire weapons into any craft that stood between her and the finish line. It was not a victory by any means of the word, and even if it was, she would still not feel satisfied, as she was still part of a team that she actively disliked.

    Her fear of what they would do if she did leave kept her from doing so. She had become a prisoner to her own feelings, her own fear, and like how was proven in that race, something would eventually have to give way, it would not stay like this forever. Pressure was constantly being built up within her, and only time would tell when she could not take any more, and would release it all.
    Last edited by Ace3000; 30th June 2017 at 04:39 AM.

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    Default Faster Than Angels | Part 36

    The referenced album title of Part 35.2 was the self-titled album by Rage Against the Machine.

    [s2_28.0: Part 36.0] The Takeover is Happening

    <22120829>

    Friday, August 29th, 2212

    Somewhere in South Korea.

    12:05:58

    "Lucia, meet your friend's brother, Sterling."

    Hal had taken Lucia to accompany him to meet up with Sterling Turner, the older brother of Leon. While Leon acted more intellectually, Sterling acted more physically, being the leader of a certain private military company, whom Syncline often sought their services. The man looked down at the girl and raised an eyebrow.

    "Ah, so you are her. Pleasure to meet your acquaintance, Lucia. Hal has told me a lot about you."

    She blinked. "Hal? I thought you'd have also heard about me from Leon."

    Sterling smiled back. "Ah, him. Let's just say we both think the other's a humongous bell-end."

    "A what now?"

    "They don't like each other." Hal chimed in. "Well, either way, we're here for a reason, I'm sorry for going off-topic."

    He shook his head. "It's fine, I guess. Anyway, I only know of the Crinale name because of my tosspot brother being a pilot for them. I've spoken with the boss numerous times, and he seems convinced now is the right time to destroy them from the inside."

    "They're a corrupt team that'd do anything to win." Lucia said passionately, "We're going to destroy them so that corruption dies too."

    Hal turned to the her. "Lucia, I believe you can help us, but this job isn't without consequences. A small mistake could mean your life if you're lucky, are you sure you wan-"

    "-I know they're corrupt, and they also slashed my beautiful face open. I. Want. Them. Dead."

    "Great, I knew you'd do it." Stirling said cheerfully.

    Lucia looked to Sterling. "Alright, how are we gonna plan this? Wouldn't be as simple as going up to Viktor and killing him, I'd think."

    "Very true, although I doubt he can defeat me in combat. With a solid strategy, we will be able to end him. So, let's begin planning it out..."

    ------------
    <22120831>

    Monday, August 31st, 2212

    Angelus R&D HQ, Perth, Australia.

    12:05:58

    Two people were standing over a half-built machine, while Angelus technicians were working on it. That half-built machine was an AG Pod, in the process of being constructed.

    "There has been a recent development that will change everything to do with this." Brandon spoke to Nikole. "It appears that we don't need a sample to maximise the effectiveness."

    "Does that mean-" Nikole started, before being cut off by Brandon.

    "Yes. We will be able to build them and put them to use as soon as we can now."

    "That's fantastic, but what exactly was the development that didn't require the chemical?"

    "In all honesty, I should have grabbed this data while my team and I were planning it. I obtained a chemical make-up of our subject before everything went to hell. That gave me all I needed to create a filter that kept everything except that chemical make-up out."

    "Fascinating. How old was that sample?"

    "2205, taken from Sydney."

    "Alright, that's good enough. When would they be completed?"

    "The first should be completed in October, there's still some fine-tuning to be done to get it absolutely right. After that, though, they should take about a fortnight or two to be constructed."

    "Excellent. Keep the first here, we'll take a few, and if we need more, we'll let you know."

    "Sure thing."

    "Oh, another thing. The basic strategies of the plan to take Crinale has been laid out."

    "Oh, right?"

    "It would take a while to complete the plans. We've got the best person we know working with us."

    "It seems like there are lots of people now rising up against this new Crinale. Even my old employees."

    "What's that supposed to mean?"

    "I believe they call themselves CO; Crinale Originals. They were the original 13 Angelus employees that split off to form Crinale. Alex has recently been in contact with them."

    As Nikole opened her mouth, Brandon continued, not giving her a chance to speak. "I have overseen a couple conference calls, and I can definitely say they're on our side, they want Crinale back in Alex's hands."

    "Really? I have seen some of them, they only mention an OE-0."

    "It's a codename for a certain mutual enemy we all have." He smiled. "It is a need to know basis kinda thing, but I figure that we all need each other's help. Yours, mine, Alex's and the COs. We've all agreed to do the same thing, so I might as well make an attempt to bring everyone together and up to speed."

    "Well, thank you for that. We'll do some more investigating into things."

    "Fair enough. I will also let them know that Syncline are helping them. Oh, with your consent, that is."

    Nikole closed her eyes, shrugged and looked the other way. "Do what you must. As you said, we are all fighting against a mutual enemy. I don't mind if they know of our intentions."

    "Alright, thank you."

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    Default Faster Than Angels | Part 37.05

    A Letter Found in the Room of A Certain F12000 Pilot.

    <22121108>

    Sunday, November 8th, 2212




    Click the baton thingy to open the letter. If you're having difficulties reading it because of the transparency, here's a version without.
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by Ace3000; 18th March 2017 at 07:24 AM.

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    Default Faster Than Angels | Part 37.1

    You thought that one image constituted as a part? You thought wrong, here's the actual part!

    The referenced album title of Part 36 was This is Happening by LCD Soundsystem.

    [s2_29.1: Part 37.1] 2212: A Pilot's Odyssey

    <22121108>

    Sunday, November 8th, 2212

    Omega Harbour, Perth, Australia.

    19:51:02

    Angelus were more relaxed than usual, which was natural considering the course they were on, this time on the more difficult medium course.

    "Alright, Omega Harbour round 2. The best thing we can do is make an attempt to not have a repeat of last time. The true challenge is not the yellow run, but the red. In any case, like the last race here, I expect less weapon use than usual, but I won't be angry if you do end up using them as usual... just don't overdo it. Anyway, that should be all, You guys know what to do and how to do it. Good luck!"

    As the personnel exited the room to do their assigned tasks for the race, Catherine entered, having been let through by the guards.

    "Hey, Brandon, I wanted to cheer you guys on... even though I'm not supposed to have favourites when working at the AGRC... but whatever, it appears that I didn't have to work today, so here I am."

    Brandon shrugged and smiled warmly. "I don't mind, make yourself at home."

    "Thanks! ...Ah, that's right! I'm also here to see Alex."

    "Of course! She's right here, so you can come in and catch up."

    "Cool!"

    As Catherine walked in, she saw her girlfriend sitting at the desk.

    "Hey you!" She smiled.

    "Catherine, hi!" Alex greeted.

    "I'm needing to observe the race, so I'll take my leave. Have fun, you two!" Brandon said, getting up and returning to the control room, the race almost ready to start.

    "Sorry I'm late." He said as he entered. "I'm just glad I got here before the race started."

    "Well, it's not like we have to talk our pilots through, right?" A team member said.

    "'Course not! This'll be easy."

    "That's what you said last time."

    "Ugh... don't remind me of that."

    "Seriously, what happened in that race, we definitely had it... and then we didn't."

    "I'm putting it down to bad luck. Besides, we can't win 'em all."

    "Yeah, guess not. But really, our home course?"

    "Quite a few teams have lost on their home course this season, it's not really a big deal at this point... oh, wait, here we go."

    3, 2, 1......

    ------------
    Several minutes earlier...

    Just as Kyoko had finished preparing for the race, she found a note lying conspicuously in the room.

    'How did that get here?' She thought, 'Moreover, what exactly is it?'

    She picked it up and began to read it in the few minutes she had remaining until the 5 minute warning.

    "What... the hell? Is he for real? FINE. If it's a race you want, it's a race you'll get. There's a reason you're 2nd, Gareth! Screw Brandon's stupid purity, I'll be as violent as I want to be. I'll eliminate you so hard your stupid craft will be a smouldering wreck on the side of the track! ARGH!"

    She stormed out of the room to her craft, getting in and performing the final checks before entering the grid.

    Finally, the race was about to begin...

    3, 2, 1... GO!
    Last edited by Ace3000; 18th March 2017 at 12:37 PM.

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    Default Faster Than Angels | Part 37.2

    The referenced album title of Part 37.1 was A Funk Odyssey by Jamiroquai, which is a reference of 2001: A Space Odyssey.

    [s2_29.2: Part 37.2] Plans Falling Apart

    <22121108>

    Sunday, November 8th, 2212

    Omega Harbour, Perth, Australia.

    <4001 | squarepusher_>

    3, 2, 1... GO!
    <20:00:00_>
    <omega harbour: med fwd_>
    <race: lap 01 of 67_>

    01.
    FUJ616.0.43.194 (#43 | Kyoko Fujisaki | AX2.0_r2)
    02. ARD889.1.19.194 (#19 | Gareth Ardos | AX2.0_r2)
    12. SCA308.0.7.329 (#7 | Lucia Scarlatti | F0-RA8/00095)
    19. TUR847.1.13.329 (#13 | Leon Turner | F0-RA8/00127)


    The craft exploded off the line, Angelus more so than the rest, as the two pilots were hell bent on defeating each other. The medium course ran through the second half of the course, and the only official route that contained the 900° spiral.

    "And so it begins." Gareth said, psyched up for the race that meant the most to him.

    The two Xygen Vs gained no ground over one another until the first corner, where Kyoko slipped ahead. Gareth had slowly shifted from his usual racing style, into his unparalleled zone run style, even though it had been proven to him on more than one occasion that the racing style was ill suited for an actual race, due to the use of weapons. However, on this occasion, he somehow ended up avoiding most of the weapons fired at him.

    With his newly adapted racing style, he treated Kyoko's ship as a time to beat, an unattainable target that he was sure he could get. He entered the renamed 'Omega 900' turn, the 900° spiral, on the inside, getting gradually closer to the inner wall until he was almost scraping it. This caused a significant gain on Kyoko, who couldn't get on the inside due to Gareth.

    With a snarl, Kyoko made a move no-one had seen before, a unique maneuver that caught even Gareth and Brandon by surprise. The craft drifted almost perpendicular to the wall and tilted sideways towards the front of the track. That had resulted in an unexpected speed increase which was just enough to pull away from Gareth.

    That was, however, not a smart move, as it only urged Gareth on, pushing him to speeds he could only achieve through the higher zone speed classes.

    "Kyoko, you don't understand. You don't know how determined I am to win... I can defeat you!"

    "I would like to see you try."

    Out of the Omega 900 spiral, Kyoko straightened out. Gareth had caught up with a turbo, and was using her slipstream to catch up. He was close enough that he could pass her at any second...

    "Get off me!" Kyoko growled.

    "Mines"

    Instantly, that ground he made up was lost, as Gareth was hit by all 5 mines before he knew it. As the first one hit, he instinctively turned, then sideshifted when that proved ineffective, but hit the last one as the craft shifted, which planted him into the wall, sending him into critical shield energy levels. He was able to restore enough energy in a short time, but at the cost of catching up to Kyoko all that much quicker.

    Shaken out of it, Gareth slowly reverted back into his zone mindset. Slowly, he managed to gain the ground he lost due to a bout of good luck, obtaining far more turbos than his teammate, whose racing style had gotten slightly more violent. Finally, after several laps, he could see the white and azure craft ahead of him. He held onto his EMP Railgun shot for a while, then he got a clear shot.

    "...no. I don't have to resort to that." He said as he absorbed the weapon.

    "Wrong choice."

    "Bomb"

    This time, Gareth had time to prepare himself, since he wasn't close to Kyoko. He sideshifted out of the way with minimal effort, shifting back into the slipstream once more. As he was in view of her, Kyoko began turning using her new-founded style, pulling away from the pursuing Xygen, forcing him to chase her down all over again.

    Gareth, on the other hand, was grateful she did that. He began to enjoy the speeds he could achieve through the chase. In fact, he enjoyed the chase more than anything, being able to hunt Kyoko down.

    "This is the greatest race EVER! You just keep making it better!"

    "How? You just keep failing to pass me!"

    "Bhhah! While I do care about passing you, this little chase is so much fun! Also, because of my determination to win, I've been racing faster than I've ever done."

    "Argh, you were so much better when you were more passive, now you're just getting annoying."

    "You just don't understand my passion."

    "YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" She shot back. "You act as if I feel the same way you do! BUT GUESS WHAT?! I. DO. NOT."

    Suddenly, her racing style changed, becoming instantly more violent in nature. She was all over the place, turning late in some places, sometimes delaying or limiting her acceleration out of a turn in others, all in an attempt to put Gareth off his perfectionist run. However, that was not enough to put him off, as her overall speed was enough to keep herself ahead of him, and because they had both used that tactic before.

    "Either way... I will defeat you... for myself."

    "DO IT! I DARE YOU TO TRY. You will only destroy yourself in the process."

    "Heh. Hehahahaha... Do you realise how much you sounded like Alexandra Gelorum in her Crinale days?"

    "I don't care. I care about nothing anymore... do you know the despair I feel? Of course not, because you only think of yourself, you weak, ignorant, arrogant, selfish BASTARD! You will never know what it feels like to hide under a mask, to pretend you are someone else, to act as if you know not... as if you have no feelings towards those you love! Your friends, your hobbies, your likes, your dislikes, ALL GONE! YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH I HATE THIS! BUT I'VE DONE IT ALL FOR HIM!..."

    Kyoko suddenly slammed on the airbrakes, slowing down to allow him and several other pilots to pass.

    "What the hell?" Gareth blurted out

    "Kehhahahaha... That's it... I have had ENOUGH!"

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    Default Faster Than Angels | Part 37.3

    The referenced album title of Part 37.2 was Things Falling Apart by Nine Inch Nails... a companion album to The Fragile. Did you remember like I told you to?

    [s2_29.3: Part 37.3] The Destructive Condition

    <22121108>

    Sunday, November 8th, 2212

    Omega Harbour, Perth, Australia.

    <20:48:20_>
    <omega harbour: med fwd_>
    <race: lap 36 of 67_>

    01.
    FUJ616.0.43.194 (#43 | Kyoko Fujisaki | AX2.0_r2)
    02. ARD889.1.19.194 (#19 | Gareth Ardos | AX2.0_r2) +0.120
    06. SCA308.0.7.329 (#7 | Lucia Scarlatti | F0-RA8/00095) +16.306
    14. TUR847.1.13.329 (#13 | Leon Turner | F0-RA8/00127) +28.294


    Looking at the race's progression, Brandon could see clearly that there was something horribly, horribly wrong. Gareth's racing style was more perfectionist than ever, a display of pure, determined racing that he had never seen before. Kyoko, on the other hand, was all over the place. The racing style she had adopted was wild and rough. While there were no opponents to attack, she was overall violent.

    'Violent?' He thought. "....OH CRAP... sh-she... she was right... it's happening."

    Brandon was worried for a reason, he recalled a meeting he had with Nikole after the Stoica incident...

    ------------
    Monday, June 15th, 2212

    "Because my trust in you has been regained, I'll hear you out. What's the info you have? What's wrong with Tarah?"

    "Didn't I tell you at the start of the year? We need some kind of payment."

    "As long as it doesn't negatively affect our financial status or our participation in the league."

    She thought for a moment, before making her proposition. "Okay, how about this. That car you've shown off, the Neko, I believe it was?"

    "What about it?"

    "It was really an announcement for Angelus' participation in the World Rally Championship, yeah?"

    "Yes."

    "Drop out."

    "Drop out? From the WRC?"

    "Yes, retract your intention to participate. It will do nothing but help you focus more on the F12000."

    After some deliberation, Brandon responded. "Fine. As soon as I get the chance, I'll make the announcement, but officially, Angelus will not intend to participate in the WRC as of today."

    "Fantastic. Now, the information... We have reason to believe Tarah is under the influence of something called 'The Condition'. The symptoms depend on the host, but basically, it can either cause someone to have extremely violent thoughts without reason, or the more subtle effect, making them more sociopathic."

    Brandon had his eyes closed in thought. Suddenly he snapped them open.

    "...Sol 3 eliminator..." He muttered.

    "What?"

    "Nothing... So, is there a cure for this... 'Condition'?"

    "That also has to do with it's origins." Her eyes flicked briefly to Alex, then back at Brandon. "It's origins can be traced back to an event that occurred in 2209... Crinale's infiltration of the abandoned Tigron building."

    "Sh*t." Alex exclaimed loudly. "I know exactly what you're talking about. When we salvaged that Tigron data, there was one piece that we never used. It detailed an experimental drug that would make their pilots more aggressive."

    "Exactly. What you didn't know was that the active compound increased in potency in the 39 years that it lay there unused. When you broke in, that chemical was able to be released into the atmosphere."

    "...what? Is... that true?"

    "Unfortunately, yes."

    Alex placed her hands behind her head... then slammed it on the desk.

    "It... was all my fault." She mumbled, her head still planted on the desk. "God... F*CKING DAMN IT!"

    Both Brandon and Nikole flinched at Alex's outburst. Slowly, she raised her head, placing her hands on the desk, then suddenly bowed her head down.

    "Please... Let me help... I'll do whatever it takes, just let me fix this!" She begged.

    After a moment's consideration, Nikole accepted Alex's proposition. "Sure, let's do this. I will need to test you to see if you aren't affected, if you aren't, then I will be more than willing to help you."

    "First off, however, I need Crinale back in my hands, the data is securely archived."

    "Can't you just access it now?"

    "I can, but I have no idea what Viktor will do if he finds out I'm accessing what is effectively his database. Also, I'd be needing access to my researchers, won't I?"

    "I'll be willing to help if you need me to." Brandon spoke up.

    "No, you've helped more than enough. Please, this is something I must do."

    "I disagree. This affects the entire world. We need as much help as we can get. I will do everything I can until you get Crinale back in your hands."

    "...okay, fine. Let's do this."

    ------------
    "...if she keeps this up... then... ugh."

    His fears became more than just a reality. Kyoko didn't just keep up her violent racing style, it got worse.

    "What the hell?"

    "Kehhahahaha... That's it... I have had ENOUGH!"
    Last edited by Ace3000; 20th April 2017 at 06:22 AM.

  20. #920
    Join Date
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    Default Faster Than Angels | Part 37.4

    The referenced album title of Part 37.3 was The Ideal Condition by Paul Hartnoll.

    [s2_29.4: Part 37.4] The Holy Angel of Anger

    <22121108>

    Sunday, November 8th, 2212

    Omega Harbour, Perth, Australia.

    "Kehhahahaha... That's it... I have had ENOUGH!"

    "What are you doing?!" Brandon yelled, slamming his hands on the desk

    <salt in the wounds | pendulum_>

    "Plasma"

    BOOM.

    <contender eliminated_>

    "HH....AAAHAHAHAHAHA! This is it! THIS IS THE END OF IT ALL! Screw purity! F*ck hiding! Today... I WILL UNLEASH ALL OF MY HATRED UPON YOU ALL! NOW.... DIE."

    Despite the low power output of Angelus' weapons system, Kyoko continued on her rampage, firing her weapons both wildly and strategically, depending on the weapon.

    <contender eliminated_>

    She looked behind her for a second and saw Lucia behind her, slowly catching up.

    "YOU!"

    "Hahaha, it looks like Angelus has finally lost it. Did all that 'purity' get to you?"

    For the second time that race, Kyoko jammed open the airbrakes, the craft jumping under the sudden increase in drag. She didn't question why she could suddenly hear Lucia, there was only one thing on her mind: Destroy.

    "Huh?"

    As soon as Lucia was ahead, Kyoko closed the brakes and jammed the thrust open with a low "BOOM". Finally, as the black craft was completely in front of the pure white one, she sideshifted directly behind Lucia.

    "Rockets"

    BOOM.

    "Ngh! What gives? I thought your fearless leader taught you to not use so many weapons so aggressively?"

    "Pah! You're just a child, you couldn't possibly understand the sh*t I'm going through."

    "I'm not a child, I know enough to know that Smith would be unimpressed by your racing right now. Give it up, become a good little pure pilot and accept your fate as Crinale's b*tch."

    "How about you learn to respect your elders?"

    "F*ck no, just let us eliminate you like you are supposed to. Know your role, sl*t."

    "Cannon"

    <contender eliminated_>


    "You sh*tty CHILD! I told you to respect your f*cking elders!"

    Brandon jumped backwards in his seat.

    "Kyoko... just eliminated Crinale... how does that even work? ...This situation is worse than I thought."

    Kyoko was far from finished, though.

    "As for the rest of you..."

    "Quake"

    "KYAHAHAHAHA! Beware Gareth, I'm coming for you now!"

    In less than no time at all, with help from the quake and her new racing style, Kyoko was directly behind her new target.

    "Now... allow me to give you a taste of your own medicine!"

    "Mines"

    "HWHH-?!"

    Contrary to her warning, Kyoko was instead the one to taste 5 mines from following closely to the opposing Angelus craft. This time though, her craft twisted itself, facing the wall. She was able to turn it back to face the track again, but she wasn't able to avoid any mines.

    "Hah, looks like it was me that gave you a taste of your own medicine. You need to relax, Kyoko, you're being too violent."

    "No! I will never relax! You have not once considered my feelings, and now I've had enough of everything! Do you hear me, Gareth Ardos? I. WILL. DESTROY. YOU."

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