_LOG6_

_LOG6/File_name:REVERIE_…

Anda free-falls off the ridge and the turbulent air against his body gives him the sensation of flying. He shuts his eyes and the sounds of a jet engine overpowers the sky.

//render_complete:initiate_sequence_3//

We see a twenty-year old Anda wiping the muck off his hands with his eyes closed while he listens to a fusion engine of a hover bike run in the background. There's a number of monitors displaying various charts and graphs, showing power, temperature, gauges of multiple levels and chassis stress levels.

"Cut power, set 'track-Delta' configuration."

He gears up for a test run while the Motojet is being assembled on a conveyor belt. The aerodynamic performance kit is being fine tuned as swiftly as he's putting on his racing suit. As the Motojet leaves the garage in its final form, Anda does final inspections.

The Motojet looks like a fighter jet without its lateral wings and at a fraction of its size. A polycarbonate canopy protects Anda from being blown off by its sheer speed. Multiple electric turbines that redirect the fast air flowing through the vents act as thrust vectors to steer and stop the contraption. A number of actuating winglets on the side and the streamlined rear spoiler provides downforce so the Motojet doesn't just launch skyward when cornering at high speeds.

Anda is done with his inspections and the canopy opens revealing the cockpit that resembles a superbike with two handles and gear shifts where the foot rests. Before putting on his helmet he mouths a few words like a personal prayer, inserts pods in his ears and applies a few eyedrops.

He puts on his helmet, places his feet on the pegs, turns the main engine on, engages the actuators which balances the Motojet when stationary  and assumes position. The canopy lowers covering his whole body and an array of displays light up.

"Engineer and test rider, Anda Rin.

Test #6.

Track-Delta.

AI assistance, off."

Shortly after the HUD clears up giving a panoramic view and with a twist of his right wrist. He's off!

The test track has 14 corners, 3-high speed straights and a dreadful banked long right-hander before the start/finish line. Anda does a few warm-up laps before opening full-throttle. He gains full momentum from the final corner and crosses the start line to begin his time trial.

The first-straight is the shortest of the three with top speeds reaching 368km/h then slowing down 100 metres before the first sequence of corners. Anda approaches a chicane and the actuators engage making it look like the Motojet is twisting around the corners. The whistles  of the thrust vectors counter the propulsion of the deafening fusion engine as Anda lines up each apex at the hairpin just before the next high-speed section of the track.

At the second longest straight, Anda reaches 428km/h before approaching the braking point of the most dizzying sector. He carries the momentum through a long left-hander and then slaloms through a series of left-and-rights where overtaking is possible for best track position before approaching the final sector of the track. The lateral G-force takes a toll on any rider  as the Motojet almost resembles the Marlin that used to zip across the oceans.

At the ultra-high speed straight— a 1000 meter long runway, Anda reaches 450km/h at the quarter-mark, he engages the Drag Reduction System and the Motojet elongates and shortens height-wise, looking like a rocket. The speed trap registers Anda blitzing at 678km/h as he approaches the banked section of the track.

The penultimate corner where champions are made — those with enough mettle to carry momentum from the Mega speeds can gain a number of positions from this corner alone. As Anda endures the intense lateral pressures, it's the sensation of almost bending the chassis to ride the banks that takes its toll on most riders. But Anda is only focused on getting to the end of the circuit as fast as humanly possible.

The track begins to even out and he crosses the line at a blistering pace. He takes the Motojet around the circuit for a few cool down laps while studying his track times on the HUD, finding areas where he could go faster. Shortly afterwards, a voice comes through the pod in his ear.

"Good morning, Sir Rin, Mister Fathi here."

"Salam, Mister Fathi. I think I reached six-eighty-two at the final straight. The speed trap is reading it wrong."

"Salam. 688, sir. I just caught your final sector and so did the team principal who was tracking their investment do an unscheduled test session. They're inbound with their lead rider in cargo, sir."

"Lemme guess, they're upset there wasn't a marketing team covering this?"

"Well, to rephrase the principal's words kindly, sir: 'Luckily there wasn't any press to cover an organic engineer reaching new top speeds of our next-season-spec Motojet'."

"That's encouraging. Well, since they're coming in hot, that'll give them the best view of a Track-Alpha run."

"Sir, I highly advise against another session, especially since the MA-67B has never been run for a sprint session with the Delta Aero kit."

"I've got a few laps left in me Mister Fathi, lemme show them that flesh and bones can compete with their Aug-rich champi—", Anda is cut short by a stern Mr Fathi.

"Anda, having a human engineer build a Motojet alone is enough of a statement already in this augmentation biased sport. But having one the very few pure-breds test a machine  meant for heavily augmented riders at full-capacity, just spells out deviance and recklessness. This contract is a breakthrough, please don't taint it by proving something you don't have to. Please box, sir. I'm approaching the team garage."

"Copy that, Mister Fathi. Thank you.

Engineer and test rider, Anda Rin.

Test #6, End

Track-Delta.

New track record."

Anda enters the pit lane and approaches the garage. He sees the immaculate Mr Fathi with a tray of steaming towels and cool refreshments. The Motojet whirs down to a whisper and the canopy opens. Anda gets off, starts removing his gloves, helmet and pods and puts it to one side. The dark-clad Mr Fathi approaches him and lays the tray next to Anda's gear. His large hand softly rests on Anda's shoulder and Mr Fathi breaks the silence.

"Well done, sir. You take a breather and I'll handle them."

"I'd appreciate that, Mister Fathi," Anda says as he can barely open his eyes from the tinges of sweat dripping off his brow.

Mr Fathi approaches the entrance of the garage to leave Anda alone to recover. Anda zones out following the condensation on the crystal clear glass bottles. A whisper from the wind brings us back to the adult Anda. He's staring at the icicles hanging from the over-hanging rocks jutting out the sheer side he just jumped off.

The weather is getting warmer, marking the half-way point of the mountain.

"Ironic how tough being human was."

"History proves discrimination is rooted in society, sir."

"Hmm. Is that what this simulation is about?"

"Barely sir, these are the final moments of peace before a great conflict."

"I hope it's not an existential crisis."

"Hmm. Very funny sir."

Anda continues his journey of self-discovery down the mountain. The low rumblings of a storm cloud in the distance catches Anda's attention, with the wind blowing towards him, he can sense the dark clouds coming.

//render_complete:initiate_sequence_4//

The garage starts shaking as a transport Harrier jet hovers above the race track before landing on the main straight across them. A group of jumpsuit-wearing men jog off the jets cargo bay ramp with monitoring equipment and approach the Motojet. A tall skinny man with a fuming face walks side-by-side with a dashing well-built maverick with his chrome plated Augmentations exposed.

As the group of mechanics marvel and argue over the Motojet, Mr Fathi greets the fuming man outside the garage and is a fiery conversation sparks over real-life data that simulations won't give. The rider swaggers away from the conflict and heads to the garage taking glimpses of the Motojet. He then approaches Anda, bows with both hands on his side out of courtesy and Anda returns the gesture.

"That was a heck of a ride, Anda-san. I think you broke the speed trap", the championship rider says with an air of honest admiration.

"Thank you, Mase-san. Clocked in at six-eighty-eight. But without my canopy and with your Aero Augs — 700 would be a breeze", Anda says with a hint of dissent.

"Hey, Anda-san, I have mad respect for you. Signing you on wasn't just a gimmick, I've always admired what you can do. Heck, almost all the riders have some upgrade with their eyes and ears and still can't match up with you, myself included. People get Augs to have what you are born with."

"Anyways, with your 'clean' riding, no doubt you'll be champion again next season. I'm gonna cool do—"

"Hold on a sec, Anda-san. At least hydrate yourself. It'll give us some time to make it look like I've given you a proper lashing so the big boss over there doesn't have to give you a real one."

"Thanks. I'd prefer that."

"I apologize for what that slender-man said to Mr Fathi over the comms."

"Yeah, pretty much numb to all this discrimination. Can't say the same for the rest of humanity though."

"Yeah, I'm still hoping it'll blow over and there's a next season. I'm sure we're all here still doing this to take our mind off the war that's brewing", Mase says as he shifts his tone.

"The 'war-to-end-all-wars' — 'mechs vs. Augs'. All the wars I read up on has a creeping calmness before all hell breaks loose."

"Unnerving, huh? I bet you'd never get off the throttle to forget about it, I'd do the same thing, really. But alas all tracks just go round and round."

"These mechanics are probably shaken to the core — a few of them have to work on mechs of war while the rest fight against them for their lives", Anda says nonchalantly.

"Just promise me you won't be headlong in no man's land."

"I'll probably be drafted into 'engineering', taking care of the mechs fusion reactors far from the battlefield."

"Well, I hope the next time we see each other, we'll be on the same team again. Mister Fathi looks like he's diffused the situation, Mister Anda Rin, I wish you all the best", Mase bows his head again.

"Mister Mase Eo Azan, it was a pleasure", Anda says as he bows his head in return and grabs his gear before walking off.

Mr Fathi and Mase give each other a bow as they cross paths. Mr Fathi then catches up to Anda in the car as Mase sees them drive off. 

Anda gazes at the swaying trees out the car window and the hexagonal panels that enclose the district.  He takes the sights in as it'll probably be the last time he'll be on this route home.

The trees nearby the mountain on the other hand begin to be drenched by the storm which drastically approaches adult Anda standing below the halfway point of the mountain.

" 'Mase'. Is Eo and the lady doctor—"

"Eo is her son, sir. Despite you being home schooled, you and Eo both maintained a close friendship. The Mase-Anda partnership continued to accomplish many feats after the war."

"We both survived, that's great."

"Yes, sir. But at a cost."

"Bring it on then," Anda sighs just as the snow begins to disappear under his feet, the storm arrives above his head.

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