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Thread: Faster Than Angels

  1. #841
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    Default Part 81: Welcome back to the Despair World!

    [part removed]
    Last edited by Jonny; 6th December 2021 at 09:08 PM.

  2. #842
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    Default FTA: Curse of the Devil | Part (0xFFF)///.2//

    FTA: Curse of the Devil - Crinale 2210-12

    Critical Error retrieving log number.
    >log.2: 22160924

    Tuesday, September 24th, 2216

    Yokohama, Japan

    12:09:38

    The JTW Neko appeared at the start of the ending straight, its modified inline-4 screaming past the stock rev limit of 8000rpm, which had been increased to 10,500. When the engine hit 9,900rpm, the driver shifted up, causing the engine's scream to die down.

    "9th gear, here we go." Brandon said, reaching into his jacket pocket. He pulled out his sunglasses and put them on, then reached behind him and flicked his hood over his head. "312 before the start line, great. Nico, get ready to start the timer."

    "What do you mean, I don't have it on me." Nico replied

    <futureland | ace_>

    "Fine, I'll have to resort to that one thing I never thought I'd have to use again... oh, who am I kidding, I still love this thing."

    As soon as Brandon crossed the start line, he began the stopwatch. The first corner was a long, sloping corner that transitioned into a sharp bend. He used the momentum to cut through the sharp end and carry him to the other end of the track. An S-bend followed a short straight, which he slid through with some finesse and altering the power so the car slid the opposite way effortlessly.

    The next corner was a very sharp one, so Brandon compensated by turning wide into the corner and pushing the car toward the apex as closely as possible as well as sacrificing a lot of speed. The corner did transition directly into a high speed corner, so he gained his speed through it.

    Still gaining speed down the straight, he arrived at the final corner series, a left-right-left bend. He swerved into the first part, mashed the brakes briefly while shifting down to 8th, and slid mostly through whole distance of the right handed semi-circle, only straightening out before the entrance to the final left hand corner. He cut through it, onto the final straight and across the line where he stopped the clock.

    "Huh, about 28 seconds, alright... but I know of a way where I can get a better time."

    "How?" Nico asked.

    "Heh, how about a tuned Angelus hypercar."

    "What do you me-... no. Oh no, not that crazy thing?!"

    "Yep. And it's even crazier with this fool behind the wheel." Brandon pointed at himself.

    "Naturally. You've tuned it to your liking and have had about a year of experience with it."

    "Yeah, exactly. Come on, I haven't really had a passenger sit with me when I push her to the limits."

    Brandon parked the JTW Neko on the platform that was still sticking out from the truck. They got out and entered Brandon's tuned Iridium

    "This feels very... odd." Nico mentioned as he got in.

    "The car? Yeah, you can sense that this thing can do magical things. Let's go!"

    <scapecoat (dub mix) | hsp_>

    As usual, when Brandon pulled out of the pits, he started with a flying lap, progressively getting faster.

    "What?! This feels so much faster! And yet you aren't even trying!"

    "Well, I do know this car back-to-front, I can handle it really well."

    As they neared the final straight to begin the lap proper, Brandon prepared to use all of the car's power. He opened a hidden panel in the center console next to the shifter. He flicked a switch and pressed two of the 3 buttons, which pulsed azure for a moment before changing to a steady green light. The instant they were on the straight, Brandon pushed the last button, which turned the buttons red, as well as the dashboard. As soon as that happened...

    <1:01_>

    BOOM.

    "Ugh! Whaa--?" Was all Nico could manage.

    The hypercar gained a very noticeable boost in speed and acceleration.

    "This is similar to the tandem-electric system I used in my old Razer.X, before... [ahem], never mind. The only different thing is that this has a different, but new type of manual transmission. Also..."

    Suddenly, the car shifted violently, but smoothly askew, initiating a drift.

    "UGH!"

    "Heh, sorry about that. This system allows me to initiate a drift and change directions much quicker than I could ever hope to."

    When holding the drift, Brandon was much more composed, and didn't seem to fight with the controls. Already, they were travelling more than the JTW's top speed of 312km/h. When Brandon reached the S-turn, he used the unique system to snap his car to the right, using the momentum to slide into the first corner.

    Instead of manually maneuvering the car to the left into the second corner, he used the system once more to push the car's rear out and the front into the bend. Altering the angle of his steering once, he navigated out of the corner series without lifting the throttle.

    Up next was the sharp corner. Brandon had to drop some of his high speed in order to clear it. He shifted the car's angle and turned hard into the corner. He activated custom airbrakes fitted to the car, helping it navigate the turn. Once he was out of the sharp half, he accelerated hard and countersteered out the rest of the corner.

    Up next was the final corner series. Keeping the accelerator pedal down, Brandon cleared the first corner, then activated the right airbrake and skewed the car's direction to the right. The car navigated around the corner at a rather high speed, with help from occasional taps of the airbrake. He stopped turning at a certain point, cutting through the final corner and onto the final straight, speeding across the line at an even more incredible speed than the Neko.

    After spinning 180° and driving back to the pits, Nico stumbled out of the car.

    "What the hell was that?!" He exclaimed.

    "Interesting machine, that Iridium. Let's just say it used to be owned by someone in Japan, a legendary tōge racer who called himself 'Archangel'."

    "Ah... I got it. I knew of the Archangel legend, and I can understand why you brought it up. If I recall correctly, he raced through most, if not, all of the Kanto region without a single loss, except for his final race, maybe. We know it against someone independent to any team, but we don't know who exactly, or the result of that race."

    "Yeah, but that legend's over. I own their car now, and I'm getting quite used to it!"
    Last edited by Ace3000; 17th December 2015 at 08:06 AM.

  3. #843
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    Default Part 82: Antithesis - Hope & Faith

    [part removed]
    Last edited by Jonny; 6th December 2021 at 09:09 PM.

  4. #844
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    Default FTA: Curse of the Devil | Part 26

    Like Viktor, I cannot wait any longer. This is the final part of the Curse of the Devil. The following part will be the first part of the 2nd half of Season 2.

    EDIT: Maybe I'll have one small final part explaining some things that happened between August 2210 and January 2212.

    FTA: Curse of the Devil - Crinale 2210-12

    >log26: 22101113

    Tuesday, November 13th, 2210

    <midnight runner | pendulum_>

    "I cannot wait any longer." Viktor announced. "The 13th... The number of Crinale... IT IS TIME!"

    He took control of the communication systems that the CEAF1 were using.

    "Crinale, This is it, the big one. Silver Spear has been engaged, I repeat, Silver Spear has been engaged. Order 13 is to be carried out. Leave no-one alive. In addition, a fifth Squadron, Αιθέρας2, will be deployed to aid in Order 13, to carry out Order 13.2. That is all."

    He then ran off to Sektor 1 hangar, which, at that moment, housed a single aircraft, which was unique in design, and a technician, inspecting it. As soon as Viktor entered, he spoke.

    "The X10/P Kop'ye, our prototype multirole fighter. This is our trump card, the one thing that has some chance of defeating every single one of Pawel's forces. In order for it to be used up to its ultimate potential, you must use the best pilot we have. Do you know someone who fits?"

    Viktor replied with just two words. "Yes. Me."

    He jumped on top of the craft, opened the hatch, slipped inside and powered it up, the COFFIN system activating. As soon as he applied the thrust, the jet then accelerated at an incredible rate, flying out of the hanger and down to Earth. As soon as it had entered the atmosphere and was low enough, he engaged the afterburners and flew in the direction of Pawel's parliament.

    When he reached the Parliament, he aimed at the building and activated one missile, which flew towards the palace, however...

    VZZZ

    "HAHAHAHAHA! Did you really think it would be that easy?! WRONG." Pawel taunted over the comms

    "Pfft, I just wanted to test my intels credibility. I know that the whole complex is covered in what is basically a more powerful ECS cage, which is powered by 4 nuclear power stations located not far from here. In fact, I'm right by one of them now."

    "You do know what happens if you destroy them? A massive nuclear explosion will happen, destroying you in the process."

    "I know that, which is why I'm going to disable them, like this!" Upon saying that, Viktor fired a missile at a box beside the reactors. It blew up, but did not destroy the reactors. He then said, "There goes your generators, hahahaha!"

    Pawel muttered under his breath, "I knew I should have placed cages over the power stations." He then opened the communications system, yelling at one particular squadron of the Russian Air Force, "Волк3 Squadron, get to Nuke 3 immediately! I want you to intercept, and destroy that предатель4! GO!"

    Viktor suddenly made an irregular movement, before grinning and speaking in a very low pitch. "I can still hear you. Nothing you say or do is private to me anymore. I am not just going to take your position, I'M GOING TO TAKE YOUR LIFE. That lame squadron will NEVER BE ABLE TO HIT ME! HYAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!" Viktor's yell was unlike any other. In stark contrast to the pitch he was using prior, the yell was unnaturally high pitched.

    "[gasp] Л-Лиса5 Squadron! Help them!"

    BOOM

    "2 down, 2 to go," Viktor noted, before adding "Oh, look. I see your failures. Time to use my special weapon... hh..hha...hahahahaHAHAHAHAAAAAAA!"

    A loud, angry, unnatural noise filled the air as a glowing beam of energy shot out of the ship, directly hitting one of the oncoming aircraft, which immediately blew up. The beam moved from craft to craft, each one blowing up as soon as the beam hit it.

    "The ZTR7440 Quantum Destabiliser. In all honesty, it's really just a prototype for our F12000 Super-Weapon, but it's working so WELL!"

    With 3 destroyed, the final Волк Squadron fighter remaining, Волк 2, decided to take evasive manoeuvres. Pitching up, they flew over Viktor, who followed him up. No matter what he did, he could not shake the superior prototype, which, apart from the flash of bright light from the weapons beam, was the last thing they saw.

    Finished with the 4 fighters, Viktor them made for the 3rd power station, but he was not the only one in the area. Ahead of him were another 4 craft. Лиса Squadron. They saw what had happened to their fellow squadron, and made an accurate deduction. They could not defeat him. Immediately, they flew out of the way of the craft.

    "This is Лиса Squadron! We surrender! We know we are unable to defeat you, but please! Just spare us!" Лиса 1 pleaded to Viktor.

    "Hmph, whatever." Viktor responded. "You aren't my main target. You would have been destroyed only if you had gotten in my way. Since you aren't, I see no reason to destroy you."

    "FOOLS! I order you to attack him!" Pawel yelled back at the fleeing Squadron. "FIGHT! DECIMATE HI.... wait... no... hahaha.... BAHAHAHAHA!"

    "What's so funny?" Viktor asked.

    "The cage was designed to be powered by 4 power stations. Since you destroyed 2, the other 2 cannot compensate. They're losing power! Soon... heh.... HAHAHAHA! BOOM! NUCLEAR DISASTER!"

    "Great."

    "The best thing is, you can't stop them in time! Ahh... All hope is gone! Now, DIE! DIE IN YOUR OWN DE...spair? Huh?"

    "Imbecile. I'm not one person. I have 16 more fighters out there, all I had to do was get two that were the closest to the nuke stations. Problem solved. Now, how about you die in your own despair?" Viktor echoed, aiming his craft at the building that was previously shielded.

    "You... You... I... I DESPISE YOU!" Were the last words to come out of Pawel's mouth.

    Viktor locked on to a particular part of the building, the area where Pawel was situated. Viktor then replied to Pawel, the last thing he heard was Chris Scarbroughs British accent.

    "Oh, Mr. Bovier, I reciprocate your feelings."

    BOOM


    1 Crinale Elite Air Forces
    2 Aithéras, translates to Aether.
    3 Volk, translates to Wolf. Initially unintentional, but I then realised what I did. Be glad I kept it, Snake.
    4 Predatel', translates to traitor
    5 Lisa, translates to Fox. Purely intentional. Once again, you're welcome Snake.
    Last edited by Ace3000; 26th January 2016 at 06:31 AM.

  5. #845
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    Default FTA: Curse of the Devil | Part 27

    Friday, February 5th, 2016: The F12000 begins.

    The following is a list of events that were not in Curse of the Devil, occurring between August 12th, 2210 and January 1st, 2212.

    FTA: Curse of the Devil - Crinale 2210-12

    >log27: 22100812-22111231

    August 28th, 2210: Viktor Antonov publically announces Crinale's involvement in the European Continental War, also deploys Вулкан Squadron, a team of 5 Grav-Tanks to fight in strategic locations around the continent. Viktor also makes a mention of a Silver Spear plan.

    September 1st, 2210: Viktor sends Земля1, Вода2 and Воздух3 Squadrons of the Crinale Elite Air Forces on their maiden voyage and first battle in the newly developed I4-XA2 Fighter craft. 4 craft were on each team for a total of 12 craft.

    September 17th, 2210: The fourth and final Squadron, Огонь4, were sent out into battle, as the 16th and final I4-XA2 craft was not completed until the 15th.

    November 13th, 2210: After killing Pawel, Viktor took over him as the new Tsar of Russia.

    November 19th, 2210: Viktor makes plans to re-develop the Tsar's Parliament into a large, inpenetrable fortress, referred to as "Преисподняя5".

    March 29th, 2211: Russia's flag is changed. New colours reflect Crinale's effective takeover: Black, Orange, Black.

    August 15th, 2211: The F0-RA8/00015 is unveiled, showing that the new Crinale is even more violence-oriented than when the team was lead by Alexandra Gelorum. Also unveiled is the F12000 Super-Weapon, the ZTR7620 Quantum Destabiliser.

    November 30th, 2211: Crinale, under the guise of a military company, attempt to blackmail FEISAR into pulling out of the 2212 F12000 season. The plan, however, ultimately fails when a third party catches wind of the blackmail attempt and contacts the armed forces of a certain European country, who proceeded to decimate an integral part of one of Crinale's main ground bases.

    December 4th, 2211: Преисподняя is completed. The fortress builds upon the ECS Cage tech used in Pawel's Parliament, however uses newer, nore secure and more stable technology to power it, as opposed to using the primitive nuclear power option.



    Translations
    1Zemlya, Earth
    2Voda, Water
    3Vozdukh, Air
    4Ogon', Fire
    5Preispodnyaya, Hell

  6. #846
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    Default Faster Than Angels | Part 15.0

    Oops, I intended for this to go up on Friday, as it was in my usual schedule. Oh well, what is one day late?

    The referenced album title of FTA: Season 2, Part 14 was 18 Months by Calvin Harris. That was a loooong time ago, Not gonna let it go that long without an FTA part again. I mean, yeah, there was the Curse of the Devil, but ehhh.

    [s2_7.0: Part 15.0] Her Time Will Come

    <22120126>

    Sunday, January 26th, 2212

    Angelus R&D HQ, Perth, Australia

    06:25:43

    Brandon arrived at Angelus HQ earlier than usual, but that was only the first thing that was wrong.

    "Wait, where's security?" He spoke out loud, noticing the place was barren, no security guards to be seen. "They're supposed to always be here... ehh, whatever."

    He walked into his office, where he saw a familiar person sitting on his desk.

    "Ah, crap. What are you doing here? Whenever you come here, it's never good news. I assume you took out my security? Again?"

    "Hello to you too." Nikole replied "We have been investigating and looking over a... certain individual for a while now, and we have evidence to believe they are in danger. Also, yes, I took care of your security. Again."

    "[sigh], remind me to get better security. Anyway, what do you mean by 'a certain individual'? You're talking to me, so it must be someone affiliated with Angelus. In that case, I can assure you no-one will be in danger as far as I'm leading this team."

    "No, you don't understand. She's not in danger from a third party, she's in danger from herself."

    "Herse- oh, god damn it, no, not this again. Not her again! WHY IS IT ALWAYS TARAH?! As soon as we started dating all hell broke loose! Stop using her to get at me!"

    Nikole took a deep breath, as to keep herself calm. "Look, I wouldn't do something like that. She's had this problem since 2209, before you were dating. I want to help you, Brandon. She's in danger."

    "Haven't you noticed all the time you've been coming here? Tarah's not here, she hasn't been here since mid-2210. She quit, she's moved on and I will never find her again!"

    "What?! You should have kept her in your care! So, if she's gone, then do you only have the one pilot?"

    "No, I found a replacement."

    "Right. Either way, once again, you don't understand. We will locate her, and we will take her. This is for the safety of everyone."

    "Pfft, 'safety of everyone'. You just wanted to remove our best pilot, to give yourselves a chance. Yeah, I know about Syncline. Too bad you were one step behind, though."

    "I told you, I wouldn't do something like that."

    "Hahahaha, don't make me laugh!" Brandon thought for a second before asking, "If you want to retain my trust, then tell me this: What was wrong with her, why was she in danger, and what were you going to do to help her?"

    "I'm afraid I can't willingly give that information for free. I'd need some sort of payment, not money."

    "What about all that stuff I did for you? That doesn't count?"

    "That was in the past, some minor odd jobs, they aren't enough."

    "They aren't enough?! What, are you trying to get us to do something that will cripple Angelus' racing division, to make sure we aren't so much of a threat for your stupid victory?!" Brandon's frustration had peaked. He made one step toward her, grabbed her by her coat, and physically lifted her up. "You are exactly the kind of team I'd expect from the F12000! As a team leader that is completely against such ideals, I have no choice but to terminate our partnership here and now. I will no longer help you. You will vacate the premises immediately, or I will forcibly remove you myself. It doesn't matter that you took out my security, it will be done."

    As soon as he said that, Brandon regained his composure, dropped her back onto her feet and stepped back. Nikole just stood where she was, dumbfounded, before changing her expression to one of suspicion. After several moments in silence, she started stuttering and mumbling something about paranoia. Finally, she regained her composure, and spoke, "Very well, then. Don't say we didn't warn you. We will take Tarah Andrews by force, it is for the safety of everyone." After making that declaration, she turned to leave.

    "Fine, see if I care, I don't know where she is, I wasn't able to find her, and I doubt you'll be able to. As I said, you're too late, she's gone... and she's not coming back."

    ------------
    <22120129>

    Wednesday, January 29th, 2212

    10:12:57

    "Okay, team. I have a small, yet major update." Brandon told the team, "Don't worry, though, it shouldn't interfere with your work or your lives. In light of... recent personal events, I have decided to increase and strengthen our security, it seems my worries about the F12000 were spot on: There are new teams that will go out of their way to stop us, even outside of races, even before the damn thing has even begun! We need to keep up the purity of the race, this corruption and violence will help no-one, and we shall do our best to stop this cancer that is the F12000 Anti-Gravity Racing League. You are all doing very well. Now please, continue on with your day."

    "Smith-san, if you do not like the new league, why participate in it?" Kyoko asked.

    "Ah, a very good question!" He replied, "The answer is very simple. We will race for one very good reason: To prove a point, to send a message. I believe that the F12000 will be as violent, if not, more so than the F9000. We'll race to prove that violent combat-oriented racing is a very ugly thing indeed. We will show them purity! We will show them a beautiful race, one without ugly violence!"

    "Very well, I see that I have come to the right team. Thank you." She replied, bowing as she thanked him.

    "Fantastic! Now, we all need to get ready for the first race of the season, we need to fly out tomorrow night, but we will be ready. Let's go!"
    Last edited by Ace3000; 19th March 2016 at 08:13 AM. Reason: I fail at getting the dating right

  7. #847
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    Default Faster Than Angels | Part 16.1

    The referenced album title of Part 15 was Our Time Will Come by KMFDM.

    [s2_8.1: Part 16.1] A Weekend in Canada

    <22120131>

    Friday, January 31st, 2212

    Toronto, Canada

    06:32:48

    The moment Brandon entered Canada, he took a deep breath, then said "Ah, it's been forever since I have been in this wonderful country, and even then, I was in the old, abandoned Nova Scotia. It's nice to be somewhere that's still... alive. Still, let's hurry up. The sooner we get to Altima, the sooner we can try out our new craft!"

    ------------
    Altima VIII, Toronto, Canada

    <08:00:00_>
    <altima viii: short fwd_>
    <practice_>

    01.
    FUJ616.0.43.194 (#43 | Kyoko Fujisaki | AX2.0_r1)
    02. ARD889.1.19.194 (#19 | Gareth Ardos | AX2.0_r1)


    With a space of 15 seconds between the two, Kyoko and Gareth took off from the pits to their practice. Altima VIII was a slightly different course than its 2052 predecessor. Most of the historic 5.5k track was changed to comply with the F12000 regulations, and as such, was split up into 3 different courses, with each one using different parts of the full course and sharing main sections with the other courses.

    Since it was the first race of the season, it was to take place on the shorter, easier course 1. Laps estimated to take 30 seconds to complete at the level of speed the craft were currently at. Angelus, on the other hand...

    "New lap record!"
    <lap_time: 0:27.211_>


    Their fastest lap for the practice ensured that Angelus would get a high position in the qualifier.

    ------------
    <22120201>

    Saturday, February 1st, 2212

    Altima VIII, Toronto, Canada

    <09:12:37_>
    <altima viii: short fwd_>
    <qualifier_>

    01.
    FUJ616.0.43.194 (#43 | Kyoko Fujisaki | AX2.0_r1)
    02. ARD889.1.19.194 (#19 | Gareth Ardos | AX2.0_r1)


    The time was close to the start of Angelus' qualifying laps: one for Gareth, and one for Kyoko. Since she got the faster lap of the pre-qualifier of the two racers, Kyoko went first. She started on a flying lap, then passed the start line for the real thing... which was over before it began. The Speed Lap gave Angelus a final position of 2nd for Kyoko, and 5th for Gareth.

    01. SCA308.0.7.329 (#7 | Lucia Scarlatti | F0-RA8/00015)
    02. TUR847.1.13.329 (#13 | Leon Turner | F0-RA8/00095)


    Meanwhile, at Crinale, the prodigy, as was her primary racing style, ran a perfect qualifying round, somehow maneuvering the heavy F0-RA8 around the track ever so slower than Kyoko Fujisaki in the much lighter Xygen V, putting Lucia Scarlatti at 3rd place. Leon, on the other hand, even though he had upgraded his craft, ran a more predictable run, obtaining the 14th position on the start line.

    ------------
    <22120202>

    Sunday, February 2nd, 2212

    Altima VIII, Toronto, Canada

    09:12:37

    The investigation into the failure of Triakis Industries' F12000 craft on the day of their qualification continues. The two craft, seemingly shutting down moments after crossing the line to start their qualifying lap, were discovered to have been tampered with, implying sabotage has occurred. Updates will be given as they come to light.

    "Mr. Smith, I hope you will do your best to win this race, for Australia! Also, we believe you may know something about the identity of the saboteur." The head of the racing division of Triakis told Brandon.

    "Yeah, I wi- wait... please tell me I am wrong in assuming this, but... you don't suspect Angelus, right?"

    "HAHAHA! 'Course not. I'm just saying that 'cause of your affiliation with the AGRC since '09, you might know who could have done it. Maybe it could be Crinale, you know?"

    "[sigh], at least I assumed wrong, thanks for that. Crinale may be a possibility, but I honestly have no idea who could have done it. Did you see anyone suspicious in your pits at any point from Friday to yesterday?"

    "If we did, we'd know who would have done it. Unfortunately, we saw no-one that we would call suspicious. And believe me, we are a weapons manufacturer."

    Well, the only thing I can say now is that we will try our very best to win. Good luck in finding the culprit."

    Suddenly, their conversation was cut short by the announcer: "WARNING. 5 minutes remain until race begins. All pilots please move to the start line in your relative positions."

    That prompted Brandon to make his depart. "Oop, better get going, I need to direct my team. I'll see you around."

    All 26 craft were at their starting positions, as Brandon ran to his control room in the pits, just in time for the race to start...

    3, 2, 1... GO!
    Last edited by Ace3000; 12th February 2016 at 11:41 AM. Reason: Title

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    Default Faster Than Angels | Part 16.2

    The referenced album title of Part 16.1 was A Weekend in the City by Bloc Party.

    [s2_8.2: Part 16.2] Tomorrow's Modern Competition

    <22120202>

    Sunday, February 2nd, 2212

    Altima VIII, Toronto, Canada

    3, 2, 1... GO!
    <09:30:00_>
    <altima viii: short fwd_>
    <race: lap 01 of 79_>

    02.
    FUJ616.0.43.194 (#43 | Kyoko Fujisaki | AX2.0_r1)
    03. SCA308.0.7.329 (#7 | Lucia Scarlatti | F0-RA8/00015)
    05. ARD889.1.19.194 (#19 | Gareth Ardos | AX2.0_r1)
    14. TUR847.1.13.329 (#13 | Leon Turner | F0-RA8/00095)


    All the craft took off at an incredible rate, some craft seemed just naturally fast, where most seemed just aggressive in their starts. As expected, the faster, more thrusty craft took the early lead. These included Angelus and Crinale, so the crowd seemed happy to see yet another dogfight between the two rival teams.

    In Angelus' control room above their pits, Brandon attempted to search for a few things, but ultimately failed. He typed out a list on a holo-bar, then called Alex up.

    "Alex," Brandon asked, "If you wouldn't mind, could you go and grab me some things?"

    "Sure, what do you need?" She asked back.

    "I have a list." He replied, handing her the holo-bar. She activated it and looked at the list.

    "Yeah, I can get those for you." She said, closing it up and slipping it in her inner jacket pocket. As she walked out, she nearly collided with an overly enthusiastic girl on AG skates

    "WOAH SH*T!" The girl exclaimed, nearly falling over trying to avoid smacking into Alex.

    "Agh! WATCH WHERE YOU ARE... going." Alex yelled, but her fury died down as she caught a glimpse of the girl. She wasn't sure what it was about her that caused her to lose her brazenness, but maybe the fact that she was still smiling had something to do with it.

    Suddenly, the girls bright expression changed to one of surprise. "W-wait, are you... it can't be... you're that Crinale girl, right? The original owner!"

    "Uh, well... I'm not really with Crinale anymore, my job got..."

    A flashback to the events of March 2nd, 2210 flashed through Alex's mind. The Apollyon prototype craft, Viktor's modifications and his annnouncements of taking over the AGRC and Crinale. She finished her sentence with "Uhhh, taken... from me."

    "Ah... but you are her, right? You're Gelorum?"

    "G... Ggghhh!?" Alex stuttered, before replying, "I... I only use that name when I'm with Crinale. Since I'm not, I'd prefer to go by my real name, Kotova. My name is Alexandra Kotova."

    "Kotova... Well, I'm still able to call you Alexandra... oh, right! Where's my manners?" She stuck out her hand "My name is Catherine Evans, I work for the Racing Commission."

    Alex's face twitched at the mention of the AGRC, but Catherine didn't notice, as Alex grabbed her hand and shook it. Suddenly, she spoke up once more with just as much enthusiasm as she did before. "Oh, wait, I must be keeping you from doing whatever you were gonna do! I know that I need to get back to work." She started to leave, starting up her AG skates. "See ya!" She waved behind her as she skated away.

    "Yeah, later." Alex said, slightly confused, walking off in the opposite direction to get Brandon's items.

    <toys in the hood | re-volt_>

    Altima VIII's short course was a pretty standard, simple course. It wasn't catered to one style, instead being somewhere between the straight-heavy high speed courses and the more twisty technical circuits. Thus for this race, it was really anyone's game. The agile, high-handling craft could navigate the simple corners with ease, where the heavier high-thrust, high-speed craft caught up in the straights.

    The rules stated that any one pilot would have to complete a series of challenges in order to obtain a Super-Weapon license for that pilot only. Naturally, the only one to have done that before the start of the season was Crinale, both of their pilots completed the challenges and so their craft were fitted with Crinale's superweapon.

    Whenever they would obtain it from the weapon pick-up, they did not hesitate to fire it at anyone ahead of them. This gave them a high placing for the middle third of the race, going back and forth between 1st and at least, 4th. Angelus knew this and strategised, holding off from overtaking and keeping behind them. It didn't really work as well as they anticipated, as another team would hit Crinale with a weapon, making them fall back and placing Angelus and other craft ahead of theirs at risk of being hit with the superweapon.

    "Quantum Destabiliser!"
    "Quantum Destabiliser!"


    Suddenly, Angelus' plan fell apart. Both Lucia and Leon had activated their superweapon at the same time, aiming them at the two Angelus craft. It was impossible for them to avoid them, they were on a straight, and any attempts to move out of the way of one bright blue beam would land them in the firing line of the other. They decided to slow down and fall back behind them, but the heavy Crinales made short work of the Angelus' remaining shield energy.

    <contender eliminated_>
    <contender eliminated_>


    Brandon could do nothing but sigh and place his palm on his face. He knew that it would only get even more difficult from here on out. He hoped that next time, they would be able to actually complete a race.

    ------------
    <22120204>

    Monday, February 3rd, 2212

    Angelus HQ, Perth, Australia.

    Brandon's post-race talk was as expected.

    "I knew it. I knew that the F12000 was going to be way more difficult, way more ruthless... I... just didn't know by how much. You need to be prepared for the new races, the new rules, but I'm sure our pilots know this, having experienced Crinale's wrath first hand. It is because of this that we need to complete our Super-Weapon as soon as possible, apply for the Super-Weapon challenges and then get our pilots to, along with some extra training to correct my prior underestimations, complete said challenges to obtain the license for use in the races."

    "Why was this not the primary concern?" Kyoko asked. "We could have done so much better had you done this earlier."

    "As I said," Brandon replied, "I underestimated how ruthless the league, especially Crinale, would be. Also, I didn't put the Super-Weapon first because of our team's ideals: light, fast craft over powerful weapons and violence. That being said, even though we are stooping to use a Super-Weapon, it still follows our ideals. I will explain the weapon in detail once it is complete.

    "Now, everyone not directly connected to the pilots, you can go back to work. For the rest of us, I need to discuss and revise our pilots' testing and practice programs..."

  9. #849
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    Default Faster Than Angels | Part 17

    New part today! Thanks to BardicSMG for proofreading and telling me I'm writing his characters wrong! I'd much prefer he tell me that than for me to write his characters wrong and actually post it, so thanks, I appreciate it!

    The referenced album title of Part 16.2 was Tomorrow's Modern Boxes by Thom Yorke.

    [s2_9.0: Part 17.0] Peaceful Technology

    <22120210>

    Monday, February 10th, 2212

    Angelus HQ, Perth, Australia

    13:17:40

    The pilots had completed the challenges, and the weapon had been finalised. Angelus were able to use it for all races, starting with the next one.

    Brandon had set up the simulator for a final test for the pilots. Most of the Racing Developments team members were in the conference room, which was set up to display a live feed of both simulators.

    Before the test begun, however, Brandon spoke to the team members, including the pilots, about the super-weapon itself.

    "This is it, the ge22B... that's our internal code. Our weapon, which, if Angelus had to have a special personal weapon, then I couldn't think of anything more fitting, is an EMP Railgun. This fires a charged energy pulse at an extremely high speed. The energy pulse, upon impact with any craft, will short out any and all electronic systems for a short period of time. Why I believe it is a fitting weapon for Angelus is that it causes no direct damage, it's a disruptive weapon, not a destructive one. The only damage caused by the weapon would be indirect. For instance, the affected craft hitting a wall or another craft.

    "Now, I will now allow our two fantastic pilots to begin the 8th and final test. This one is not required for your Super-Weapon license, you all have completed the prerequisites for that, however, this final challenge is to allow you to learn and master the new weapon."

    On his command, the test started.

    <13:30:00_>
    <omega harbour: azure fwd*_>
    <test: ge22b_>
    <1997 | savant_>


    The craft took off at full power, accelerating to their top speeds in seemingly no time at all. 24 other craft were loaded in, a patch was made to the simulator to make the aggression of the AI more accurate to the Altima VIII race. What Kyoko and Gareth were to do was to come in the top two positions.

    All the weapon pickups were either green or the EMP Railgun, as the team didn't place primary focus on the other weapons. With practice, they were able to master the weapon by accounting for the small delay of the weapon caused by it charging and the sheer speed of the pulse, so they were able to time the shot and hit the opponent craft easily, eventually bringing their miss rate down extremely low.

    "Ardos-san, I believe we have sufficient training necessary to use the railgun effectively." Kyoko told her teammate.

    "Mm, I agree. Still, though, more practice would benefit us." Gareth replied.

    "Naturally. Let us begin again, and maybe bring our time down. We will be able to surpass all 24 craft in a much faster time than before."

    "Sure thing. I'm always up for more practice, especially if it means sp-" He trailed off into mumbles at that point.

    "E-eh?! What? 'spend more time with me'? Is that what you said?"

    Gareth became quite flustered. "Wh-? How?! How are you able to hear me even when I mumble to myself?! What, d'you have some sort of super-hearing?"

    "No. I-I am just able to hear you. You are not that quiet, you know."

    "And yet no-one else can hear what I say when I mumble to myself."

    "I'm sure they can. But something that perplexes me, why do you not just have an inner monologue?"

    "I dunno, that's just how I am, take it or leave it."

    "T-... Ardos-san, it is not that big of a deal, why are you making it so?"

    Gareth was stunned for a few seconds, then muttered, "It is to me... K-Kyoko."

    ------------
    <22120211>

    Tuesday, February 11th, 2212.

    Syncline HQ, unknown location.

    Unknown time.

    A head researcher knocked on the door to the office, a voice granting him entry shortly after.

    "Nikole, we bring some good and bad news." He said upon entering.

    The voice behind the door, Nikole Carole, replied. "Well? Spill it."

    He continued, "Well, the good news first: We have obtained, through great difficulty, some information on the other new team that debuted this year, Berlin Design Racing. Because of its difficulty in obtaining, we believe that the info is of some importance, also because of their public secrecy."

    "Very good, thank you. That will definitely prove useful. What about any other teams? And also the bad news."

    "Well, the bad news has to do with another team. Angelus, specifically."

    "Oh... them. What's the info?"

    "The info we obtained regarding Angelus is that... there is a spy that has infiltrated them. They're gathering sensitive info on them and distributing it to a certain correspondant. As of yet, we are unsure as to the identity of said correspondant, however, we will definitely have it soon."

    "Argh, that is a huge problem, for them and me."

    "Wait, why you?"

    "Well... let's just say that I am no longer on good terms with them, Smith especially. He seemed to be unnaturally paranoid about me and Syncline."

    The researcher thought for a moment, then made a proposition. "...Could it be... that he is under the influence of 'The Condition'?"

    Nikole pondered about the researcher's guess before replying, "I don't think so. He hasn't shown any other symptoms yet. Until he does, only then can I be sure that he has been affected. Just focus on Tarah Andrews regarding that, she's our main concern."


    *Azure is an internal Angelus designation, which they gave to the different courses of Omega Harbour. The Azure course is never run in an official F12000 race, it is used by Angelus as their testing course. It is a full course that runs the first half of the long course combined with most of the medium course. In other words, it is pretty much like the full FX400 course, sans the Omega Complex.

    The internal course designations for Omega Harbour are:
    • Yellow: Short/easy course
    • Red: Medium/hard course
    • Green: Long/intermediate course
    • Azure: Full/test course
    Last edited by Ace3000; 19th March 2016 at 08:18 AM. Reason: I fail at getting the dating right, part 2

  10. #850
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    Default Faster Than Angels | Part 18.1

    The referenced album title of Part 17 was Emotional Technology by BT.

    [s2_10.1: Part 18.1] Chiastic Slide! 4 Consecutive Hairpin Drift!

    <22120214>

    Friday, February 14th, 2212

    Shibukawa, Gunma, Kantō, Japan.

    09:10:26

    The Angelus team landed in Japan at the early time of 7am, arriving at Shibukawa at 9. At 10am, they begun their practice at the second course in the roster, Sidewinder. Like the name suggested, the course was very technical, being based upon the various mountain passes the country was known for. It was a course that would favour light, high-handling craft, but would also put the airbrakes to it's limits.

    By the time they had finished the practice runs. They travelled to at the hotel the team was staying at, by which time it was late at night. Brandon was relaxing in his room, albeit bored, so he got up and walked out to his car.

    "I could do with a touge run." He thought, looking at his on-board map. "Let's see... the closest mountain pass is... Haruna. Great!"

    He set off, driving towards the mountain, then stopped at the base, where the pass started. He accessed the computer that controlled his car's settings, then adjusted them to suit the touge run. He then floored the pedal, going for a light run up the mountain. Suddenly, halfway up...

    SSSSCRRRREEEEEEE- BANG BANG BANG!

    The sound of tyres sliding across the road, the whine of a turbo, the sound of the wastegate from the turbo and a series of loud banging noises filled the air. Then, he saw it, drifting around the corner...

    "Huh?" He said out loud.

    Even though it was fast as lightning, he saw something he never expected. An old, white Mazda RX-7.

    "It... can't be? It can't be Jonathan, he's not around anymore. Ah, never mind."

    He continued up to the peak of the pass, turning around and preparing for the downhill run.

    "Okay, let's get serious. Music... okay"
    <gave | vinter in vegas_>

    "Stopwatch... okay. Right, let's... 2, 1, GO!"

    He set off at max speed down the straight, towards the first corner. He turned sharply while tapping the brakes. That put him into a slide. He navigated the corner at an extremely high speed. As he exited the corner, he mashed the accelerator, straightening out.

    As he passed corner after corner, his reaction time was always the same speed: brake, engage the airbrakes, disengage one side and hit the accelerator at the same time, putting the car into a slide. Continue through the corner, while feathering the throttle. As soon as he saw the corner straighten out, he went full throttle, straightening out of the corner. Soon, he was at the 4 consecutive hairpin turns*.

    "I hope to see some people drift down here!" A local said, sitting by the guardrails of the second hairpin.

    "Yeah, the hairpins are a great place to see their technique." His friend said.

    "Oh, I hear someone coming down, let's hope it's a local, they're the best!"

    The black Angelus Razer.X drifted into view, it's sleek, shiny body looking absolutely beautiful in the dark, and was only accentuated by its azure blue lighting around the body. It then attacked the corner the two locals were standing by at an incredible pace

    "Wh-WHAAAA~?!" The first local yelled. "That was so fast!"

    "Hold on," The second one said, being more observant, "I have never seen that car on the pass before. Also, it didn't have Japanese plates, meaning that it was not driven by a local."

    "Touge fan?"

    "Possibly, but that technique was incredible! I don't think I've ever seen someone race down here at that speed, apart from the top-tier locals!"

    Brandon started out by slowing down just enough that he would be able to clear the corners at the highest speed possible, then he pulled the car into a slide through the corner, hitting the apex almost perfectly. However, once he was out of the corner, he kept the slide, going to the outside of the road. Once he sensed that he was moving to the other side, he twisted the wheel and engaged the opposite airbrake so that he engaged an inertia drift, moving the car so that it faced the entry of the second hairpin, still sliding. He reached the outside as he entered the corner, turning more inward so he could hit the apex of that corner. He did so, and used the same technique for the rest of the hairpins.

    In near-record time, he reached the end of the pass, but as he drifted around the final corner, he saw it again. That exact same white RX-7. He kept the slide going, moving to the far end of the road, then turned sharply, sliding so that he was facing the opposite way, settling about 10-20 meters from the stopped car.

    "N-no, it can't be. He's not alive..."

    He put the handbrake off and set the car into a crawl, slowly moving up to the pure white car. Then he got close enough that he could read the license plate. It was the same as Jonathan's. German plates, same sequence of letters and numbers, everything. Suddenly he recalled the day he saw Jonathan's beloved machine...

    ------------
    Wednesday, March 28th, 2210

    "So, what do you think?" Jonathan asked proudly

    It was incredible. The sleek white body looked like it was a work of art. Brandon just kneeled by it, moving his hand over the various curves the body sported.

    "It's beautiful." Brandon muttered, before looking up and asking, "And this car was from 20...?"

    "17. The FG4 was originally built in 2017."

    "FG4... That's the model code?" Brandon butted in

    "Precisely, like your Raxer.X is a HS20."

    Ah, ok. So why show me a 2017 car now? You could have shown me anytime?"

    "It was a rebuilt model, I only bought it this month. I love classic cars like this."

    "I bet. I'd love to drive this, see how it handles. But you'd probably not let me drive, even though you know how good of a driver I am, hahaha! But it's okay, I feel the same about my Razer.X."

    ------------
    Brandon closed his car's door and walked over to the other sleek car. For a moment, due to its colour, he thought it was the ghost of the dear friend that had left him. However, it was a real car, that became more apparent the closer he got to it.

    "Well, maybe he just... hmmm" He thought.

    Finally, he reached it, extending an arm out and knocking on the window. The person inside looked up, saw who it was and smiled, opening the door.

    "Huh, I really did not know you were a fan of drifting down a mountain pass, Brandon." He said.

    "Well, I never brought it up." Brandon replied, before thinking 'Hah! Called it! Jonathan gave Nico the car, of course it would be him driving!'

    "So," Nico cut into his thoughts, "Since we're both here, and we both love touge runs, how about we have a friendly race? Your HS20, tuned by you, and Jonathan's tuned FG4?"

    "Sure, let's do it. I still have time."

    Brandon ran back to his car, as Nico started his up. They then both drove up the hill, to see who was the fastest.

    Brandon Smith, the owner and leader of Angelus R&D, in his black Angelus Razer.X HS20, tuned and modified by himself?
    Or Nico von Bovier, the president of Jennter Enterprises, in his white Mazda RX-7 FG4, tuned by Jonathan Bovier?


    * The real Mt. Haruna only contains 4 consecutive hairpin turns, not 5 as is in Initial D
    Last edited by Ace3000; 19th March 2016 at 08:19 AM. Reason: I fail at getting the dating right, part 3

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    Default Part 83: An omnipresent Trouble

    [part removed]
    Last edited by Jonny; 6th December 2021 at 09:10 PM.

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    Default Faster Than Angels | Part 18.2

    The referenced album title of Part 18.1 was Chiastic Slide by Autechre. (A chiastic phrase has 4 parts.)

    [s2_10.2: Part 18.2] Down to the Earth! Hyper Downhill Battle!

    <22120214>

    Friday, February 14th, 2212

    Mt. Haruna, Gunma, Kantō, Japan.

    Brandon and Nico lined their cars up at the start, ready to go. Brandon then took the time to make minute changes to his car's settings, as he noticed the car wasn't at its optimal setting.

    <night of fire | niko_>

    "Okay! I'm ready" Brandon signalled.

    "Alright! Starting the countdown!" A local said, who somehow managed to get pulled into the race. "5, 4, 3, 2, 1, GO!"

    <21:25:00>
    <mt. haruna pass_>
    <touge race_>


    The two cars took off at an incredible pace, the black Angelus starting to pull in front. Brandon decided to hold off, keeping pace with the white RX-7.

    "I want this battle to be fair, but when we hit the first corner, I won't hold back." Brandon said.

    True enough, at the first corner, Brandon entered the corner in a slide at an amazing rate, his tuning allowing him to do so. However, Nico's RX-7 was not slow at all, he had also been holding off. When he reached the first corner, he entered the corner in an even more outrageous slide, and nearly overtook Brandon at the end of the corner. However, he was on the outside lane of the second corner, giving him a disadvantage.

    Brandon, having helped build the car from the ground up, and having tuned the car himself with help from Angelus' engineers, had known every single detail of the Razer.X's performance, and could handle it in his sleep. Nico had the experience of racing down mountain passes, and knew about the techniques and skills needed for touge battles. These two different skills had cancelled each other out, so neither one had the major advantage over the other.

    Then it happened. Brandon's method of taking the corners, even though he was drifting, consisted of the "Outside-Inside-Outside" approach when racing. Nico took this approach, and weaponized it. He kept to the inside during the latter part of the corner, somehow keeping his speed up and overtaking him. He then used his techniques to prevent Brandon from overtaking him.

    This, however, gave Brandon to look for a weakness in Nico's driving style, or even the car itself. "Hmm, Nico seems to be in relatively good control of that car, considering how much of a monster it is." He thought. "That 16X rotary is light and powerful enough, but it's been tuned to extreme amounts. There is no turbo lag, the anti-lag system takes care of that nicely, even though it makes a racket. It shows that it has been tuned properly, by someone who knows the strengths and weaknesses of different engines and different tuning types. It just so happens that the one who tuned that is one of, if not, the greatest racers in the world! Geez, Jonathan! That thing's mental!"

    He found no faults with the car being driven, so maybe there was some small weakness in the driving techniques being used by Nico? Well, none that would allow him to overtake him. his drift blocked the road perfectly, unless...

    "That's it! The car actually has an unintentional fault that no amount of tuning can fix!" He yelled in surprise. He decided to take action.

    They were coming up to a long, straight enough piece of road. After the corner, he made his move, getting faster and closer to the white rocket. Then...

    "OH, YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!" Nico yelled as the black car slowly accelerated past him.

    "Sorry, Nico. Your car actually can't use all its power effectively." Brandon thought "You see, the wheels are the problem. It creates friction with the road, resistance. The car needs extra power to overcome the force, but an AG car doesn't have contact with the ground, hence, it can use its power more efficiently."

    However, the race wasn't over yet, they were about 2/3 through, coming closer and closer to the 4 consecutive hairpins, still relatively neck-and neck. However, on the last corner before the hairpins, the FG4 was nowhere in sight. Suddenly, Brandon heard something odd just as he entered the hairpins.

    <mandragora | medicine drum_>

    "Huh? I... what the? Has that fool turned his lights off?! He has, that engine sounds familiar... no, wait a minute. That doesn't sound like a rotary..."

    A car was drifting extremely close to Brandon, with it's lights off. Just as Brandon came round hairpin #2, it made its move, turning on its lights.

    "WHAT?!"

    The tiny purple car was now side to side with him, then cut in front of him at the entrance of hairpin #3. It took the corner at a fast pace and was drifting at a wide angle.

    "Obake? Finally, we meet again... LET'S DO THIS!"

    As he yelled, he grabbed the power adjuster and cranked it to full. Brandon now had 720hp at his disposal. He was able to keep up for a few reasons. He had gained experience racing on mountain passes since 2 years ago, he had driven on Haruna before, and his car was running at 100%. Just keeping up with the mysterious car made Brandon lose his sense of speed, and was travelling faster than he ever was, but was leaving less and less of a margin for error. Not that he needed the margin, the race was nearly over.

    Brandon moved to the side of Obake on a longer straight near the end of the course. There were only a few corners left, and it seemed that Obake was going to win. However, they were still side to side at the final straight. It was there that it happened. Due to the higher power, Brandon slipped ahead at the final possible second, taking the inside of the finishing corner.

    Brandon pulled over and waited for Nico. He saw Obake pull into the parking lot. After a few seconds, the car started to move again, this time towards Brandon. It stopped next to his car, the driver got out and walked over to him.

    "Well, I never thought the fastest downhiller was female. Then again, one of the fastest F12000 racers is female." Brandon commented, finally seeing the driver of the purple car.

    Obake spoke, introducing herself. "My name is Katsuo Tsukiko. We will meet again for one final race. Next Saturday, 10pm. We race at Hakone's Tsubaki Line."

    "...wait..." Brandon squinted in the dark, trying to see, "Katsuo?! It was you?! It's me, Brandon Smith!"

    "E-Eh?! Smith?! I... never knew you were into touge racing!"

    "It's a recent thing I've picked up."

    At that point, another car entered the parking lot. Jonathan's FG4.

    "D-Did you see th- Wait, what?! You know the driver of that purple car?!" Was the first words to come from Niko's mouth after getting out.

    Before Brandon could answer him, Katsuo introduced herself.

    "Oh, hey! I remember passing that car! So you're a friend of Brandon's? I'm Katsuo Tsukiko, I know Brandon too! I'm sure you know me too, though, I race for Syncline."

    "Ah... Syncline. Well, it's nice to meet you." Nico greeted himself, "I'm Nico von Bovier, leader of Jennter Enterprises."

    "It's nice meeting you too."

    He then turned to Brandon, "So, how do you know her, considering she's with Syncline?"

    "Ah, yes." Brandon replied, "I knew Katsuo through some odd jobs I did for her boss, Nikole Carole."

    "Nikole?"

    "Yes. Unfortunately, through... recent events that had occurred, it seems that Syncline are actually the kind of team I would expect from this league."

    "What do you mean... they're...?"

    "Excuse me, I'm right here..." Katsuo interrupted.

    Brandon turned around and faced her, a cold expression on his face. "Do I look like I care?"

    Katsuo stepped back, alarmed. "Ngh... p-point taken." She said.

    He turned back to Nico, "I saw... no, I was involved an attempt by Syncline to cripple our team and, to me, that's not on at all. Some stupid racing team should not stoop to that in order to get the victory they so damn care about."

    "What are you talking about?" Katsuo asked, trying her best to play dumb.

    Brandon was almost amused by her attempt to look innocent. "I guess I don't know what to expect from a thief who races on the side"

    "I... Don't know where this is coming from, I'm pretty sure last we met was for that thing with Rameala."

    "Whatever, I don't want to deal with this right now, I need to sleep. Nico, I'll see y-... oh."

    Nico had left, not wanting to deal with their argument.

    "Fine." Brandon said simply, getting back in his car.

    "If you're leaving, then don't forget our-"

    "Yeah, yeah, the race, I'll be there. Goodbye."

    After leaving those cold words, he drove off, leaving Katsuo where she was.
    Last edited by Ace3000; 19th March 2016 at 08:20 AM. Reason: I fail at getting the dating right, part 4

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    Default Faster Than Angels | Part 19.1

    Screw this, have an early part. The next one will be up this Friday.

    The referenced album title of Part 18.2 was Down to Earth by Flight Facilities, quite an amazing album if I do say so myself. Works perfectly as driving music.

    [s2_11.1: Part 19.1] Do You Know Sidewinder

    <22120216>

    Sunday, February 16th, 2212

    Sidewinder, Kantō, Japan

    "Alright, guys... Race time. I have faith that your new training will provide fruitful results. I am sure that this time, we won't be eliminated. You guys can do this.... alright, let's rock!"

    The two pilots went to their respective rooms to prepare for the race. When Gareth stepped inside, he started psyching himself up.

    "Yeah... you can do this... you can do this... HAHAHAHA! I can do this!"

    He immediately strode out of his room to Kyoko's. Somehow she had forgotten to close her door, leaving it wide open. When Gareth stepped in, and saw the scene laid out in front of him, he gasped loudly. Kyoko was, naturally, in her room, but her helmet was open, which would give anyone a clear view of her face... had she been facing the doorway. She had her back to the door, drinking from a can. When she heard Gareth's gasp, she started choking on her drink in surprise. After coughing a few times, she reached up and pulled her helmet closed.

    "何だ一体!?1 Ugh, why would you just walk in here?!"

    "Th-the door was open... Wh... wait! Is... that... drink what I think it is?" He asked.

    She held up her can. "This? It is beer. I will not lend you any."

    "Oh, I thought it was a soft drink someone liked. Sorry. Anyway, good luck with the race." He started to walk out, but turned on the spot. "Wait, can I ask you something?"

    "No. We have no time." She said, mere seconds before the 5 minute warning announcement sounded.

    "Crap. Alright, let's go then."

    They got to their craft and navigated to their positions on the grid...

    3, 2, 1... GO!
    <10:00:00_>
    <sidewinder: short fwd_>
    <race: lap 01 of 72_>

    01.
    FUJ616.0.43.194 (#43 | Kyoko Fujisaki | AX2.0_r1)
    04. ARD889.1.19.194 (#19 | Gareth Ardos | AX2.0_r1)
    22. SCA308.0.7.329 (#7 | Lucia Scarlatti | F0-RA8/00015)[/B]


    As expected, the course greatly favoured the high-handling craft, as the course featured many tight hairpins like the mountain passes it was inspired by. As such, Leon Turner, obtained a final qualifying position of 27th, due to the craft's extremely low handling stat, putting him out of the race.

    Naturally, Angelus was competing for the lead against many of the teams that focused on handling than all else. However, two people were not focusing on the race...

    "Ah! We meet again! Hi Alexandra!" Came the voice of the now green haired girl.

    "Oh... it's you, Catherine. What do you want?" Alex replied.

    "Ooh, as cold as always! I just wanted to say hi!"

    "You said hi already... Pfftaahahaha! I'm kidding, please, let's talk!"

    Catherine breathed a sigh of relief as they begun to converse.

    <quoth | polygon window_>

    Angelus were having a great race, getting into non-violent battles with the likes of Jennter, FEISAR and Wyvern, under new leadership by David Mendel's son, Alex.

    On the opposite end of the spectrum, Crinale was having a miserable time, with second pilot Leon turner out of the running and lead pilot Lucia Scarlatti barely trying to so much as keep up with the other teams. Even Syncline, whose V.ult-2X1024 craft was heavier than the F0-RA8, was able to beat them in terms of handling due to their unique craft design, called a Semi-triple hull by their technicians.

    Lucia was able to get a quake, immediately firing it just as she got to a small but significantly faster section of the track, which was laced with less hairpins, which allowed her to make use of the craft's high acceleration and speed to catch up.

    "Quantum Destabiliser!"
    <contender eliminated_>


    Slowly, she had started to climb up in the ranks the only way she would be praised for: violence.

    <11:29:39_>
    <sidewinder: short fwd_>
    <race: lap 43 of 72_>


    Suddenly, Brandon got a call from the guards outside the pits.

    "Hey, Smith. We have Carole outside wanting to speak with you."

    "Ugh, Sh*t. Fine, I'll get down there now." He replied, placing a few trusted employees in charge.

    "Brandon, this is urgent, we need to talk." Nicole spoke as soon as she saw him.

    "Do you now? A tactic to impede our race maybe? I thought I told you I terminated our partnership?"

    "I don't have time to deal with your distrust." She retorted "I'm just going to get right to it: There is a spy amidst your team. We have obtained sufficient evidence to support our claims, including intercepted documents from the spy themselves. It is the irrefutable truth."



    1Nanda ittai?!, What the f*ck?!
    Last edited by Ace3000; 22nd March 2016 at 06:53 AM.

  14. #854
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    Default Faster Than Angels | Part 19.2

    I forgot to put up a new part yesterday, ugh! >.<

    The referenced album title of Part 19.1 was Do You Know Squarepusher by... Squarepusher.

    [s2_11.2: Part 19.2] The Path of Total Truth

    <22120216>

    Sunday, February 16th, 2212

    Sidewinder, Kantō, Japan

    11:34:42

    "I'm just going to get right to it: There is a spy amidst your team. We have obtained sufficient evidence to support our claims, including intercepted documents from the spy themselves. It is the irrefutable truth."

    "'The irrefutable truth'?" He thought for several moments before replying. "Fine, I'll play along. Who is the spy?"

    "We don't know, they have assumed the identity of one of your team members."

    Brandon chuckled softly at the absurdity of her words. "There it is. There's your tactic. You are attempting to place distrust on my team?! NOT. GOING. TO HAPPEN. They are my family."

    "I'm not saying that. Just... think! Is there anything that has been odd about any of your members? Anything at all? It doesn't matter how insignificant."

    "I assure you, there is literally noth..." Brandon stopped mid-sentence, his eyes suddenly growing wide. "It... can't... be." He muttured under his breath. Before she could speak however, he spoke up. "This... does not mean I trust you again... not completely at least."

    "Better than nothing, I guess. I'll be off then, I did what I came for."

    "Right... bye."

    <indignation | desimal_>

    Brandon ran back up to the control room. When he entered, he searched around frantically for something.

    "What? What is it?" One of the employees asked.

    "There's some kind of device here, I need it for a thing.... ha HA! Here it is!" He proclaimed, holding up a white device about the size of his hand. He turned it on and started typing away at a fast speed, then after tapping the screen a few more times, set it down on the desk beside him, letting the files download to the device.

    "I need to send off an email too." He thought out loud, doing just that. When Brandon sent off the email, he checked up on the device, which was gathering the files he specified at a consistent pace. At that moment, Alex walked in the room.

    "Hi, sorry I'm late, I got caught up talking to a friend." She apologised.

    "It's fine, just check up on those readings there, see if they're normal." He pointed in a general direction to the opposite end of the room, as he examined other readouts from the ongoing race.

    "What's that?" She asked, moving towards the odd device.

    "It's nothing," He said, snatching it up and putting it in his pocket. "Just some stuff I'm working on."

    "Stuff?"

    "Plans, they have little to do with Angelus, though, so you don't have to know."

    "Oh..."

    "[sigh], I guess I could tell you a bit about it, though. It's a two phase plan. Phase 1... is getting Crinale in the hands of someone trustworthy. The top priority is you, though. I have been testing you to see if you can, or have, become trustworthy enought to take Crinale back."

    "...R-Really?! You're helping me get Crinale back in my hands?! I... don't know what to say, I thought you hated the thought of me returning there out of fear of me doing the same things I did back then!" She seemed extremely happy to get Crinale back in her hands.

    "It depends on if I think you're trustworthy enough, but yeah." He replied, though an odd look filled his face when he looked at her.

    "Hey, Brandon, you there?" Gareth's voice came through the comms. Immediately, Brandon moved over to the front of the room and turned on his headset.

    "Yeah, what's up?"

    "Is... Is this it?"

    "What do you mean?"

    "I mean... it seems too easy, we haven't had to deal with any team being excessively violent towards us."

    "Well, the track is littered with sharp hairpins, that's why Crinale can't touch you, you are outmaneuvering them."

    "Fantastic!"

    Unfortunately, he spoke too soon, he was bombarded by all sorts of weapons, dropping his position by several places. He was surprised to find that it wasn't Crinale, but quite a few other teams that did the damage. Thankfully, he was able to restore the damage done.

    However, his nightmare soon turned into a reality. Somehow, the racing prodigy had found her way up to 7th place, right behind Angelus' second pilot. The race was, however, nearly over, with only one lap remaining after the current one. Gareth slowed down, allowing Lucia to pass him.

    "Hahahaha, not this time! Sayonara!" Gareth taunted, firing the EMP Railgun he had held on to. It was a direct hit, the craft had lost control, slamming into the wall of one of the tight hairpins. This gave Gareth the edge to prevent Crinale from catching up to him again.

    <race: complete_>
    <fifth place_>


    While Kyoko had no problems placing first, Gareth had to make do with a reasonable 5th. Even though, it was considered a success for Angelus.

  15. #855
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    Default Faster Than Angels | Part 20.1

    The referenced album title of Part 19.2 was The Path of Totality by KoЯn.

    [s2_12.1: Part 20.1] Enter: The Devil

    <22120222>

    Saturday, February 22nd, 2212

    Hakone, Kanagawa, Kantō, Japan.

    21:50:28

    >>TARGET ACQUIRED
    >>ENGAGING SG_R-000


    The young girl was waiting at the meeting point, a parking lot. Soon, she saw a familiar car pull into it, the driver getting out.

    "Brandon, hi." Tsukiko Katsuo greeted him.

    "Hello." He greeted back, "Interesting place you picked."

    "Well, I've never raced here yet, that's the only reason. Now, have you had any practice?"

    "Going down there?" He pointed towards the Tsubaki Line, "Yeah, I got a few runs in."

    "Good, that's where we're the course is." She started to explain the course. "Further up the road there's a parking lot, that's where we start. The end of the road is the finish point."

    "Okay, let's get on with it."

    The two of them got into their cars. Brandon in his Angelus Razer.X, and Tsukiko in her Icaras-Lotus Elise, both were modified to some degree. They set off uphill to the starting point. When they reached it, they both spun their cars 180°, stopping by the starting point.

    "How are we going to start? There's no-one to count us down." Brandon asked, the two speaking through comms systems.

    "How much power does your car have?" Katsuo asked after thinking for a second.

    "720 horsepower max, but I've set it to 300. Though I can give you my word that I won't, I do have the ability to adjust it on the fly."

    "Okay, either way, yours is more powerful than my Elise. May I suggest a handicap start? Since I have less power, I can start the race whenever I want, as soon as you see my car move, you can go."

    Brandon thought about it for a moment, before voicing his opinion, "Sounds fair. Well, whenever you're ready, you can go ahead and st-ugh!"

    <crazy on emotion | ace_>

    He was cut off by Katsuo dropping the clutch and taking off as he was talking. The instant he realised that, he set off after her. He nearly caught up to her when the first corner came up. A right hander meant that she had a better line into the turn, but Brandon was close enough that she couldn't move on the inside of the next turn, a left hander. The sharpness of the turn gave Brandon the lead for the initial part of the course.

    The next right hand corner was even sharper, but they hadn't hit the hairpins yet. Even then, that corner was sharp enough that Brandon lost sight of Katsuo. He expected to see her once he was out of the corner, but the headlights of the purple Icaras-Lotus were not right behind him, and had disappeared out of sight.

    "Really? Isn't it a little early to be doing your little trick? The race has only just begun."

    Suddenly, a set of headlights turned on, but they weren't from Katsuo's Elise. They were 3 purple dots arranged in a triangle on each side.

    "Huh?" Brandon uttered in surprise.

    While the mysterious car kept behind him for a couple of seconds after its lights came on, it suddenly lurched forward with incredible acceleration. It rushed past him as he entered one of the last corners before the rest of the course, which contained hairpins. As it got ahead of him, it broke hard, sliding so it was perpendicular to the road. Brandon had no choice but to slam on his brakes.

    Illuminated by the Razer.X's lights, the new car could now be seen in full view. While it had flowing edges, the dark matte grey machine primarily looked like a jet fighter, having two large thrust ports at the rear of the car where a rear window would generally have been. The most interesting thing, however, was that the car had no windshield or other windows.

    The car was positioned in a way where it blocked the road to the Tsubaki Line, but left the Hakone Turnpike free to enter. Brandon had noticed, and went to drive onto the unblocked road, but Katsuo called him.

    "Brandon! Did you see it? That stupid car spun me out. Thankfully, I avoided any damage, you have no idea how much this car means to me. However, I am probably unable to continue the race, since I bet you're racing them now."

    "Actually, it blocked off the pass we were going to race on, I've stopped by the fork. I... think it might want me to go onto the other fork."

    "Be careful, that other fork is an extremely high-speed pass with a toll booth at the end. Please, be careful but... I want you to take. Them. Down!"

    "Yeah," He replied, "I'll do that." He hung up, then looked up at the car, still stationary. "Fine, I'll take you on, if that's what you want."

    He turned onto the Turnpike and floored the accelerator, racing up the split in the road, onto the high-speed piece of road. When he looked back, he saw the car following him. As soon as he entered the Turnpike itself, however...

    THUD
    Last edited by Ace3000; 9th April 2016 at 07:48 AM.

  16. #856
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    Default Faster Than Angels | Part 20.2

    Posting this a day early, hence there will be no new part tomorrow.

    The referenced album title of Part 20.1 was The Devil by Blue Stahli.

    [s2_12.2: Part 20.2] Shinigami One: The Demon of Racing

    <22120222>

    Saturday, February 22nd, 2212

    Hakone, Kanagawa, Kantō, Japan.

    22:02:38

    "Brandon! Did you see it? That stupid car spun me out. Thankfully, I avoided any damage, you have no idea how much this car means to me. However, I am probably unable to continue the race, since I bet you're racing them now."

    "Actually, it blocked off the pass we were going to race on, I've stopped by the fork. I... think it might want me to go onto the other fork."

    "Be careful, that other fork is an extremely high-speed pass with a toll booth at the end. Please, be careful but... I want you to take. Them. Down!"

    <on your wings | rich hard_>

    "Yeah," He replied, "I'll do that." He hung up, then looked up at the car, still stationary. "Fine, I'll take you on, if that's what you want."

    He turned onto the Turnpike and floored the accelerator, racing up the split in the road, onto the high-speed piece of road. When he looked back, he saw the car following him. As soon as he entered the Turnpike itself, however...

    THUD

    The matte grey car made it's move, smashing into the rear quarter of Brandon's car, making it spin out of control. Brandon, however, had known how to control his car as if it were part of his body, and had kept the car spinning, until it had spun all the way around, where Brandon stopped spinning, and mashed the accelerator as far down as it would go.

    "Heh, I see your dirty tactics... DON'T THINK YOU CAN GET AWAY NOW!"

    The rate of acceleration the car produced made it seem like Brandon would have a very difficult time catching up to him, however, he saw the distinctive rear lights and glowing blue exhaust system of the car.

    "Huh?... oh, I see how it is. You just wanted to show your speed, how you could defeat me in a fair race. But this was never supposed to be one, wasn't it?!"

    The two cars battled at high speed down the Turnpike, and it didn't take long for Brandon's opponent to start its tricks again. It moved to the side of the Razer.X and rammed, hard, into the side of it. The car lightly tapped the guardrail, due to Brandon locking the wheel all the way to the right. That also allowed him to enter the corner sideways, in a large, but controllable drift.

    The grey car continued it's attack on Brandon. Eventually, it had enough. It sandwiched Brandon between it and the guardrail. He had no escape. Sparks flew fron his left side as the car ground against the guardrail. The matte grey car then stopped pushing Brandon into the guardrail, moved to the far right, then slammed into the rear side of the car, spinning it once more as it took off at high speed.

    As Brandon rounded two more corners, he saw that the machine had once again stopped for him, seemingly taunting him. Like last time, it took off with such a high acceleration, it had caught up to him in mere seconds and passed him, the exhaust spitting out blue flames.

    This time, Brandon fought back, pushing his car into the back corner of the grey machine. he was able to push it's rear out, but it simply swung back, colliding with the Razer.X. Brandon had attempted to slow down to avoid the counter, but the other vehicle slowed down as well. The force of the heavy car colliding with the lighter one caused it to bump against the guardrail again.

    "YOU... CANNOT WIN." A synthesized voice called out from Brandon's on-board comms system as the grey car once again accelerated ahead. Even through the distortion, Brandon heard the unmistakeable voice of Chris Scarbrough.

    "...YOU! What are you up to now?!"

    THUD

    "Me? Eliminating you. Oh, you mean the car. A little experiment I call... Shinigami. This is just one part of my experiment, it's called the RXK. If you survive this, you will see a LOT more of my experiment. Oh, and don't bother, I'm not the one driving. It is an experiment, after all."

    "Don't worry, I intend to survive our deathmatch." Brandon replied simply, "Your 'experiment' will fail when I emerge victorious." He floored the pedal unleashing his racing technique that he called the '01-X Technique'. It was designed to best work with Brandon's custom Razer.X. This time around, the RXK did not stop at the side of the road to catch up, it merely slowed down, waiting for the moment when the Razer.X's headlights filled the rear vision.

    Finally Brandon exited a corner onto the same straight the RXK was on, so Chris had the engine turned off, the rear losing it's glow. As Brandon careened down the straight, closer to it, it's engine re-ignited, the same blue flames appearing. He drifted into the next, relatively sharp corner, which was where the RXK finally made its move. It turned in the corner at a speed far greater that was needed to clear it, and forcefully used Brandon's car as a battering ram, being able to clear the corner and pushing the Razer.X uncontrollably into the guardrail with a loud, sickening 'CRUNCH'.

    Brandon's control hasd been severely compromised. 'Sh*t... did that break the stabiliser?' He thought. At that point, he had decided that it would end. He used 2/3 of his accelerating power on the straight, fighting the controls of his wounded car.

    >CALCULATING TRAJECTORY...
    >COLLISION AVOIDABLE


    "HAH... had enough yet?" the RXK taunted.

    Brandon flipped open a hidden panel, flipping a switch and pressing 2 of the 3 buttons in it as he spoke. "I have... one final trick up my sleeve." He pressed the final button, and mashed the accelerator down. He had activated 'Fury' mode, which powered 4 electric motors to give the Razer.X a boost of power from 720 to 984hp. A panel in the rear of the car between the taillights opened up, revealing two thrusters which promptly switched on, giving the car even more boost as it rocketed down the straight, right at the RXK.

    >FATAL ERROR: TRAJECTORY INCALCULABLE
    >COLLISION POSSI-


    At that point, Brandon had turned hard into the corner, not drifting with help from the broken stabiliser. He made impact with the matte grey car, which collided with the guardrail and flipped over it. It crashed somehwere beyond the road, off the cliff. The Razer.X, due to the angle of the collision and the stabiliser, had flipped around, facing the opposite way at the end of the corner. He was moving to the outside, so instead of fighting it, he let it happen, but used the guardrail to absorb his momentum by tapping it a few times before pushing away on the final tap, engaging the brakes as he did so to bring the broken car to a halt.

    Relieved that it was finally over, Brandon took his hands off the wheel and laid back in his seat. A few minutes later, when he had calmed down, he called Katsuo.

    "It's done." He spoke.

    "Wait, what is?" She asked.

    "Shinigami – that grey car – is gone... I destroyed it."

    "Shinigami?" Katsuo was confused, as she wasn't in the conversation where the name was brought up.

    "A-Ah, I didn't name it that, that's what Ch-..."

    The air was filled with a massive, cracking explosion, which somehow looked familiar.

    "...P-plasma...?!" He thought out loud.

    "What?! What happened?!"

    "It... it exploded like a plasma."

    "A plasma? Like, massive purple blast?"

    "Yes."

    "Huh, that's odd."

    "You're telling me. Anyway, I'm not going to bother with it, it's over... if you don't mind, I'm heading back, I'm too tired and exhausted to race you. Also, they wrecked my car a bit, I have no idea how bad the damage is, but I can barely keep it in control."

    "Do you need a lift? I can drive you back." She offered.

    "Nah, it's fine, I'm near the hotel anyway. I can make it."

    "Are you sure?"

    "Yes, I'll be fine."

    "Okay then... well, you take care." Katsuo said, ending the call, leaving Brandon to make his way back to his hotel.

    ------------
    Sunday, February 23rd, 2212

    Kantō, Japan.

    09:42:48

    The next day, Brandon decided to see what last night's battle had done to his car, now that it was bright. An Angelus technician was there with him.

    "Most of the damage is cosmetic, like the dented front bumper, and these scratches all over the car." He explained, "The main thing that's concerning is this." He pointed to the rear of the car. "The rear left stabiliser has shattered, which takes considerable force to do."

    "That explains why it was hard to control. Only one rear stabiliser isn't good at all for control."

    "Yeah. Once we take her and everything else back to HQ, I'll get the team to replace the stabiliser and fix up the rest of the damage for you."

    "Thanks, I appreciate it."
    Last edited by Ace3000; 9th April 2016 at 07:47 AM.

  17. #857
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    Default Faster Than Angels | Part 21.0

    It's April 14th, so a very happy birthday to Gareth Ardos! (Which means you should also listen to this) Anyway, here's a new part!... which doesn't feature Gareth at all. Whoops.

    The referenced album title of Part 20.2 was Shobaleader One: d'Demonstrator by Squarepusher.

    [s2_13.0: Part 21.0] How I Learned to Stop Caring About Revenge and Love My Enemies

    <22120303>

    Tuesday, March 3rd, 2212

    Angelus R&D HQ, Perth, Australia

    09:15:53

    The next F12000 race was set to be in a month's time from the last race, due to the Geneva Motor Show that took place every year in early March. Angelus had taken part in the show since 2205 with the introduction of their critically acclaimed R205 GT supercar. They were taking part in the 2212 show to show off their new Neko compact.

    For the first time, Brandon was not at the show. Instead, he was helping to complete their project for the 2213 show, a full working concept with a unique design. The design was even smaller than the Neko, similar in design to an enclosed motorcycle, yet retaining design elements from cars. The front stabiliser pods were situated on either side of a large front wing. There was only one rear stabiliser, which was situated on board the main body.

    That was just the Design Specification, though; the vehicle itself was incomplete.

    "The main body, front AG stabilisers and the Gen 2 prototype engine are now completed." Brandon explained, giving one of the many weekly updates to the development team. "The electrics, external parts like the front wing, the wiring and... pretty much everything else are left. As always, the most important components take priority. For now, attaching the front wing and installing the electrics are what we shall do next."

    Despite the main concept being Brandon's idea, several design elements were actually Alex's suggestions. In the original concept design by Brandon, given the design code KA-D219, most of the entire front end was completely different. The front wing was shorter and more angled, but Alex's first revision made it longer and less angled, which gave the vehicle more stability. She made more revisions to the design along with Brandon, finally culminating in the final design which was being constructed, design 273.

    "Why don't we call it the Tsunami?" Alex asked Brandon.

    "Huh? Why 'Tsunami'?" Brandon asked back

    "I was speaking to Kyoko about the project, I just happened to mention the code number 273, and she just mentioned something about some Japanese thing, saying that 273 meant Tsunami."

    "Ah, she might've been referring to a Goroawase num-"

    "That's it! That's what Kyoko said. It was a Go...ro...w... ah, forget it." She looked over at the vehicle, or more, the large pieces of it laying about, ready to be put together. "I don't know how, but I feel like the name somehow fits."

    Brandon stared at it for a few seconds, tilting his head. Finally, he said, "Tsunami... Sure, we can give it that model name."

    The front wing was being attached to the vehicle's backbone and also on the main body via a hydraulic system that would allow the body to lean in when turning. The rear end of the vehicle also had hydraulics attached to a rear section, which housed the engine and rear stabiliser. The front stabilisers were installed on the edges of the wing and connected up to the body.

    After connecting the stabilisers, they started installing the wiring, before the components went in. The engine side of the wiring was completed beforehand, so they simply worked on feeding the wires throughout the vehicle, only connecting up the components that were already on the vehicle itself, which at that point, only consisted of the stabilisers.

    Despite the vehicle being far from finished, they had done a lot of work on it, the wiring had taken most of the day to be put together and installed on the car.

    "Brandon, I'd like to ask you something." Alex said.

    "What's up?" Brandon asked.

    "Would you mind telling me more of your plan?"

    Brandon just stared at her with a smile on his face that yielded no information. It was like a poker face, a mask.

    "More... information?" He queried.

    "Y-yeah, like, what are you going to do after you get Crinale out of Viktor's hands?"

    Brandon kept his piercing, unyielding, smiling stare for several seconds, before answering. "Well, you see, t-"

    <phone call:_rez/area 5: fear | adam freeland1_>

    Brandon fished his phone out of his pocket and answered it. "Hello?.... yeah, speaking... yeah, I know him...."

    At that moment, his smile disappeared from his face, but his mask still remained.

    "...WHAT?!"

    ------------
    Fiona Stanley Hospital, Perth, Australia

    15:05:34

    Brandon ran through the building, entering one of the hospital rooms, his long lab coat flapping behind him. Finally, he reached the bed of the one who called for him, Ramaela De Rosa sitting by his side.

    "Matt, I came as soon as I heard! What the hell!?... O-oh... hi Ramaela."

    "B-Buona giornata.2" She greeted.

    "Brandon... please, relax" The older man spoke calmly, "My time has simply come, nothing can change it... well, actually, I got them to prolong it for a while longer, just until I tell you what I need to. However, I am just an old man, at least I get to go from natural causes."

    "Matt... Anyway, I won't stall for time, what do you need to tell me."

    "This whole time, I was testing you. Seeing if you were the man you said you were. See, I need someone who is like me, who sees the purity through all the corruption, and can bring it out. You have that talent, I can see it in you. Therefore, I shall impart to you my most valuable piece of information..."

    The two men talked for a while longer, however, Matt's time had finally come.

    "Please, you may leave now. I have faith that you will use that to good use. I will see you around... someday."

    "Very well. Goodbye for now... Matthew O'Reilly."

    The man gave a weak smile, as Brandon left, leaving the doctor to come in and grant Matt's final wish. His life support systems were shut down. The old man could finally rest in peace.

    His final words were but a weak whisper, but was very powerful im emotion as he departed from the world.

    "Ramaela... ti voglio molto bene.3"



    1 This is actually my ringtone, I love it.
    2 "Good day!"
    3 "I love you very much"

  18. #858
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    Default Paris, 2208

    Looking at her gourmet dish in a five star restaurant wearing a gown worth more then a house, Nic Carlo only now came to see how far she'd gone. She never lacked appreciation of her current lifestyle, as a matter of fact, it fed into how she'd always acted for most of her life. For once Nikole was free from the times of her late childhood; shoplifting to survive, and her early piloting career betraying those she respected, to finally focusing on a nobler cause, only to stay on the run without a place to call home. At last the opportunity to take a breath seemed to present itself, but Nikole chose to stick to her nasty habit of paranoia. How much does she have, how much does she need, and how much could she lose at this moment, she could barely grasp the concept before it was whisked away by her company.

    “Good evening, time to wakey,” greeted Natasha, though they had spent a few minutes together already.

    “Sorry about that,” Nikole said as she scrambled back to reality, “I was just trying to work something out.”

    “You mean, some sort of riddle.” The youngest Belmondo leaned forward to listen, seeing as her friend has sprung back to life.

    “Well, no, its just that...” Nikole paused to find some other subject to ponder, and rushed to the first subject she could find “when do you think I should retire?”

    “You're already thinking about leaving the league?”

    “I, guess... I think I'm getting a bit worn out, and I don't really need that much.”

    “Why not just take a season off and relax, or coach others to pilot? You can't retire yet, you'll make me fell old!” Natasha jested.

    “I guess I could do something like that. I just kinda wanna live a simpler life, or something.” If only Nic could find the courage to spill her worries, she realized among her thoughts, as she did bothered to ask for some sort of advise.

    “Are you ok,” Natasha saw Nic grow a bit more timid, “with everything?”

    “Ehh, I think I'll just sleep on it.” Nikole responded, as she finally started on her dinner.

    The two stumbled upon other subjects to ramble on about, leaving Nikole distracted from her worries for a time. Natasha got a call from work after a few minutes, taking her out of her evening long vacation, and Nikole promptly returned to questioning what her own reality is. Even the check that was suddenly her responsibility tonight was a relief to her, if only because it set her free from her five-star confinement and allowed her to have a panic attack in the privacy of her home.





    Along her walk to the car, Nikole just wanted to pass out and sleep at the parking lot instead. Her rekindled anxiety resulted in her looking past every corner she could see, as though it were still the 2170's, as though she were still hated by the most powerful people of all the inhabited planets. Even entering her car, her eyeballs kept darting in every which way, until finally spotting a flashing, yellow light highlighting an alley in the distance.

    Now her attention was fixated on the anomaly. She tried to focus on the road and drive away, but resisting her worry was futile. She made the decision to drive along the road perpendicular, get a quick peek at what it could be, and put it behind her. She kept half an eye on the light, nighttime traffic and peered inside. She confirmed that the source of the flashing was the rear end of a car, hazard lights switched on.

    The car was the one Natasha arrived in.

    There was no more uncertainty on whether Nikole was over thinking. She pulled over immediately and removed her heels. She didn't have any fear for her own self, as her worries were of the well-being of her mentor turned friend. She made haste to the alley, picking up faint banging from the trunk. She went right to the drivers side, the door still being unlocked, and released the hood in the back.

    Nic went back to the trunk to make sure Natasha was alright, already assuming she was the in the back. Natasha jumped out at the sight of Nic Carlo, barely able to stand after being trapped for so long. Nikole opened her mouth to ask Natasha what happened, just as a migraine took over head, and Nikole fell to the pavement. She saw Natasha take the keys to Nikole's car out of her hand, but seemed too hesitant to run.

    Nic caught herself on the the car next to her and tried to get herself together. Her sight readjusted to reality, allowing her to spot a tire iron inside. Natasha was being grasped by someone in a lightweight armor, originally a prototype for a more mobile firefighters suit, now being used as a weapon.

    Nikole had lost her wit after getting knocked in the head. The only immediate action she could think was to swing away at the back of the capture. With one solid hit, sparks flew out the side of the panel, and Natasha ran to the outside in a panic. Nikole took one step forward before the damage in her head came back to bring her back to her knees.





    Nikole was forced awake by a breath machine shoved to her face. She tried her best to keep her mouth forced closed, but her nostrils helpless to the fowl gas blowing down her throat. Her lungs did what it could to reject the expansion of toxic air. Nikole tried to at least make out the room around her, instead being blinded by a light with brightness only rivaled by the sun.

    Her face was at last free from the mask. Nikole could finally take in oxygen and try to use her sore brain. She wasn't alone in the room, a fact only made apparent by the fist pulling her hair. She wouldn't dare open her eyes to the light again, hardly being blocked by her eyelids, but her head was kept still by the grip behind her head. She heard muttering in the background of a language she didn't understand.


    “Tell me where she is.”

    The voice directed at her didn't specify who 'she' was, it seemed self explanatory. As bleak as the situation was, there was a bit of hope in Natasha getting away in the end. If Nikole were close to the alley, it would just be a matter of waiting. But then, if that where the case, they should have been here before she came to. It didn't seem likely that her torturers wouldn't leave the scene of the crime. There was know way she could make a break for it, even if she managed to get her hair free, there were possibly a dozen people around to stop her.

    The machine was pushed back to her face. She made an attempt to push the mask off, something she had no hope of doing while holding her breath. Even when she managed to break the seal, the pressure was too strong to let any breathable air in. Nikole was going weaker at the second, and she turned just desperate enough to try to stop her panicking. Her chest felt as though it was going to burst open. She did her best to blow the gas out of her throat, even though being deprived of oxygen confused her into nearly thinking there wasn't and air keeping her diaphragm stretched.

    She had to have had the machine to her face for longer then last time by now. She tried to count in her head, if only to keep her from another panic. It was never made a point for her to hold her breath for longer then a few seconds. She twitched her fingers to each number she reached. Even spacing out every number with a “1000”, she reached the end of both her hands and started over. Taking into account the time before she started counting, she must have gone 40 seconds without breathing. She wondered if they even intended to let her breath again. It nearly impossible to keep from rushing her counting, at least that's what she hoped when she reached 10 seconds another 3 times. Her lips numbed and would no longer stay closed. Counting was brought to a halt, as though that would be enough to stop all of time.

    The mask was finally lifted, and Nikole was forced to cough from the change in air. Her dry throat collected as much air as it could gasp. It occurred to her she couldn't tell where Natasha had gone if she wanted. What would happen if no one else comes? There's no way she could survive longer and longer intervals without air. They may just let that happen if it becomes clear she is without use. Nikole was almost disturbed to see that the sign of acceptance, that her entire experience among the living had shown itself for a single instant. Among all of the poverty, starvation, disease, conspiracy, and war she triumphed over, it wasn't until she became among the highest social classes she could imagine when they would finally get her.

    It was rather amusing to, for once, let go of her instinct for survival. Whoever it was keeping her in one place, how cute of them to have found a way to break her for good. A mild chuckle started to manifest in Nikole. Her eyes popped open and embraced the fire they contacted. Every little facet of her predicament, from the hairs slowly snapping of her head, to her ruined evening dress, added to the comedy of her new found mortality.

    She made one big breath in preparation of a storm of laughter, only to have the machine shoved back at her. Again, she grabbed it, only this time to force it shut on her head. Her eyes stayed fixated on the light as she maintained an inhumanly gaping smile. It was no longer a matter of being unable to give in, it was all to damn those who thought she would betray her past after all this time. Overtel could not touch Nic Carlo, so why believe for a second that anyone else could.

    The grip on her head was released, Nic dropped on her back, her eyes still effected by the light. Releasing her hands from the mask was out of the question. In fact, her attempt to do so only farther locked them in front of her face. Her conscience began to fade again, despite her feeling wide awake. She succumb to her own autopilot and drifted off at about the same time she stood completely.





    After feeling time go by without memory, her chronology caught up to her. The first thing she saw was a window with daylight seeping threw. She gathered that the bed wasn't hers by the beeping on her right side. She saw her heart rate next to an iv, and a desk calender to her left, displaying the date to be three days ahead of what she last remembered. Her instinct was to grab it, as though she hadn't seen the date right. After several attempts to reach it, she realized that her wrists were strapped to the frame of the bed.

    The realization of being other than herself for days left an island of humiliation among a sea of depression. She waited desperately for a nurse to come, especially to be interviewed, to find out what happened while she was away. Acting calm and rational would hopefully lead to freedom from the bed, and then a day or two to prove that she regained her sanity would mean she would be able to walk outside again. Her placement in a traditional hospital implied that she never did anything unspeakable, nothing that would charge her of a crime. As much as she wanted to believe that no one else was hurt from whatever happened to, she felt suspicious that she was so fortunate. That she would have any bit of comfort outside of simply not getting caught.




    Probably going to get back to writing present day things, but until then I might as well finish some back story. But for now, imma go get burgs.

    ok thats enough

  19. #859
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    Default Part 84: Linkage

    [part removed]
    Last edited by Jonny; 6th December 2021 at 09:12 PM.

  20. #860
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    Default Part 85: Infinite Being

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    Last edited by Jonny; 6th December 2021 at 09:17 PM.

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