After the celebration the night before, Team Balisong awoke the next day completely refreshed and motivated. The team decided to pay a visit to the IGPX practice track, the place where all the mechs were kept for teams during the offseason. They planned to get their mechs in working order before spending the next few months in strenuous, grueling training for the upcoming IG-1 event. The team was up early the next morning, having been used to early starts while in the military. When Blair and the other pilots met in Team Balisong's hangar, Sarah and Lucia greeted them with motivated smiles.
"Good to see you bright and early, Team Balisong," said Sarah. She and Lucia were looking quite awake for being up that early in the morning, but Maggie, on the other hand, was still half-asleep.
"Good morning, ladies. Team Balisong, reporting in," said Blair, smiling as she gave a casual hand motion resembling a salute. She then looked to Maggie and gestured to her. "Hey, uh, is Maggie okay?"
Sarah turned to Maggie and noticed she was asleep, snoring with her head hung off to the side. She nudged her arm which caused her to jolt awake.
"Huh, wha!?" said Maggie as she gripped the wheelchair before regaining her composure. She then saw Blair and the others, clearing her throat. "Oh! Hello. Welcome back," she said with a tense smile.
Blair gave her a smile then looked to Sarah. "How're the mechs doing? Are the guys getting them ready to go?" she asked.
Sarah gave a nod, motioning for them to follow her and Lucia towards the mech storage area. They began moving further into the hangar as she gave Blair an update. "Your mechs are currently being charged and inspected as we speak. The crew is conducting the usual diagnostics to make sure everything is running smoothly before you take them onto the track."
The group finally entered the section where the mechs were stored, stopping to take in the sight of their massive racing robots shining under the bright, industrial lights. The three mechs belonging to Team Balisong were very similar in body style, boasting a color scheme akin to the F-22 Raptor, the American fighter jet Blair, Roxanne, and Sarah flew while in the military. Their back boosters also used aesthetics similar to the vectoring-nozzles found on the F-22, another nod to the aircraft. They were sleek in design, utilizing the latest in reinforced carbon-fiber technology in a lot of their parts. The designs for the mechs were created with certain goals in mind. They had to be agile and lightweight, but capable enough to carry enough armor to withstand a well-placed blow if hit. The mechs utilized a very minimalist and streamline design, only using the essentials without worrying about dazzling the crowd; the team's skills and victories did that for them.
"Glad to see they're still looking superb. I see they repaired the damage from the last race. Can hardly tell that there was a huge scratch across the center," said Blair as she approached the near twenty-foot tall mechs to get a closer look.
"Give my crew some credit; they're the best in the business," said Lucia as she was wheeled next to Blair. "They've been doing periodic checkups on the bots, coming in every weekend to make sure they were at least still in one piece."
"Yeah yeah. I'm just pulling their legs. We wouldn't be able to do what we do without their expertise, just like the maintenance crews who worked on our jets back in the military," said Blair, looking up at her unit and admiring the mech's head.
What made the mechs of Team Balisong iconic were their stylized heads. They were fashioned to resemble a fox's head, a tribute to Lucia's old team. The front of the head was pointed to make the nose and snout. In the back, two aerodynamic fins were added to make the ears of the fox. All three models had a pair of glowing eyes styled to represent a menacing glare. The midfielder and defender models had amber colored eyes while the forward boasted red eyes.
"Coach, the decals on my bot are starting to wear out. I can barely make them out anymore," said Miharu as she stepped up to her mech.
Lucia had Maggie push her over to Miharu, stopping next to her. "The crew said the vinyl stickers wouldn't be available until next week, so don't worry about it; it's only cosmetic, so it's not a priority," said Lucia.
Miharu gave Lucia a nod and peeked into her cockpit. "Ryoukai (Roger)," she said.
The decals Miharu was referring to were of U.S. Air Force logos and emblems. While most IGPX teams had corporate sponsors or private investors, Team Balisong was sponsored by the U.S. Government, specifically the U.S. Air Force. When they team first asked for their help in the forms of financial aid and equipment, they agreed to advertise and help in recruitment by decking out their bots in Air Force logos. This was only a short-term arrangement, however, and Sarah had other plans for Team Balisong. The team needed a quick infusion of resources and the Air Force wanted to experiment with advertising in the IGPX; it was a win-win for both sides.
The contract only lasted a few years and after it was over, Team Balisong no longer needed to sport the logos during their races and the Air Force would create their own team. By that time, Sarah hoped to have scored a private-sector sponsor, or numerous ones even, to keep the team afloat. She gambled that they would have made enough publicity to acquire the necessary assets by the time the contract ended. That way, they no longer needed to rely on the U.S. Air Force for help. But, if everything fell through, and they didn't meet their goals, she was able to renew the contract for another few years, but she didn't want to do that; she wanted to be as independent as possible.
As Blair and Miharu inspected their bots, Shizune was helping one of the crew disconnect the power line to her bot. "Looks like they're juiced up and ready to go, Captain," said Shizune to Blair.
"Once the diagnostics are done, you can take them onto the track. No shortcuts. Make sure everything is in the green before you leave," said Lucia. "I don't want an incident because you were too eager to get out there and overlooked something vital."
"Roger that, ma'am," said Blair.
While the crew was finishing up with the check-ups on the bots, Blair and the other pilots got changed into their race suits. The suits were designed like the U.S. Air Force equivalents, imitating the same helmet design and camo scheme. Roxanne got changed as well and would be switching off with each member during the practice session. Sarah and Lucia agreed that Roxanne was the best pilot on the team overall, having been accustomed to all three roles, but amongst the pilots themselves, they agreed that Blair was the best, even Roxanne.
After securing the last strap to her suit and picking up her helmet, Blair left the changing room with the other pilots, rendezvousing in the hangar with Sarah and Lucia. "Are they ready to go?" asked Blair.
"Diagnostics are complete and you're cleared for launch," said Sarah as she tapped on her digital display pad. "The benefit of getting here this early is that we don't have to worry about getting reservations on the track. We've got it booked for the next three hours, so make 'em count."
Blair gave her a nod and continued walking to her bot along with Shizune and Miharu. Roxanne gave them a wave and went over to Sarah, Lucia, and Maggie. The four of them wished the pilots good luck before taking an elevator up to the track's observation deck. Inside their mechs, the pilots initiated start-up procedures and strapped in.
After slipping on her helmet, Blair tapped the radio on. "Check check. This is Blair. All systems go," she said. Her helmet was akin to the fighter-pilot version she was used to, even sporting her callsign, Brass, above the visor. It was nearly identical except with a few modifications. Unlike her military helmet, the one she was currently using lacked a polarized visor. Instead, it was clear so she could clearly see the mech's readouts. The oxygen hose was also removed, but the lower section still remained that covered her mouth and nose.
"Anko, ready to roll out!" said Shizune and Miharu together. The two wore the same helmet Blair was using, having added their own personal touches to the back and sides.
Sarah tapped on her pad and gave them the green light. "Team Balisong, everything checks out and we hear you loud and clear. Head on out to the track and take your starting positions," she said through her headset.
As the indicator lights in the mech hangar all turned green, Blair's bot and the others were released from their harnesses. The maintenance crew stood back as the mechs began taking their first steps towards the practice track. From the hangar, the mechs stepped onto an elevator which brought them up to track-level. The practice track was shaped in an oval with the sides elongated into straight-aways. Along the way, there were bumps and small changes in elevation to entertain the racers as they tuned their machines to near perfection, amongst other optional obstacles. If the team ever got bored with going in a counter-clockwise oval, they were allowed to go in the opposite direction to change things up a bit.
It was still near pitch black out as the chilly morning atmosphere enveloped the machines. In the stillness of the early morning air, there was hardly any sound emanating from their surroundings; the city was mostly still asleep or just getting ready for the day. The only thing that was heard were the loud steps of the mechs making their way onto the track, the sound of metal hitting metal echoing throughout the complex.
"Take it nice and easy, Balisong. We don't want to overdo it before the training begins now do we?" said Sarah through her headset as she gazed upon the bots from the observation deck, which also acted as the main control center for the track. Inside the control center, it was just her, Maggie, Roxanne, and Lucia watching the team. Sarah flipped a switch which brought all the lights along the track to life. The entire length of the practice track was illuminated thoroughly, making it seem almost as if it were daytime.
"Just take one lap to warm up the mechs and work out the kinks of sitting idle for so long. Nothing fancy out there, you get me?" said Lucia, using a headset as well to communicate with the pilots.
"Roger that, ma'am. Nice and easy it is," said Blair as she took up her place on the starting grid. The three mechs moved into position and prepared for the countdown.
Sarah placed her pad on the table and looked to Lucia. "Ready to see the newest IG-1 racers in action?" she asked with a smile.
"More than ever. Let's just hope they haven't gone rusty in the offseason," said Lucia, her gaze unyielding and her voice firm.
Sarah acknowledged, giving her a nod as she initiated the countdown lights. On the track, Blair and the twins revved their bots as the red prep lights came on. Blair tightened her grip on the controls, testing the nozzles on her back boosters by moving them back and forth. In her cockpit, Shizune used her controls to rotate her mech's wrists then clenched its hands into fists. Miharu, on the other hand, cracked her knuckles and started humming to herself, remembering a catchy tune that had been stuck in her head for days now.
On the track display, a yellow light appeared, followed by another then another. When the sold green light finally appeared, Blair and the others activated their boosters to get a head start off the starting grid. The sudden boost of speed was a welcoming feeling to the tenured fighter pilots as they barreled off down the first straight-away. They were only able to use their boosters for short periods of time, or else they'd overheat and risk damage to the mech. The boosters were used mainly for quick maneuvers, such as dodging an attack or getting into a better offensive position. Rarely were they used for actual racing as they didn't function in speed-mode, but it wasn't totally out of the question in fight-mode.
Blair was at the front of a V-formation, leading the three mechs along the track. "How do things look on your end?" she asked as she kept the mech steady.
Sarah checked over the mechs' vitals on her pad, switching between the three machines. "Everything looks good so far. Boosters are operating at one hundred percent, stabilizers are functioning properly, and your power supply seems to be holding up. Just take the team around the track then bring 'er in for a checkup. After that, we'll let you start pushing yourselves."
Lucia nodded in approval as she watched the mechs on the monitors. "Initiate warm-up routines. Get those bots nice and limber before I let you off the leash," she said.
"Copy that, Coach. See ya in a bit," said Blair.
Shizune broke formation and moved up next to Blair. "Hey Brass, want to do a little hand-to-hand practice with me and Miharu?" she asked.
"That's a negative, Zuzu. Coach wants us to just warm-up the bots, so no fancy stuff, remember? Best we don't piss her off this early into training; it'll be a living hell if we do. After we bring them in for the preliminary check-up, then we can have our fun," said Blair.
Shizune sighed over the radio as did Miharu. "Guess that works for us. Take the lead, Cap'n," said Shizune as she returned to formation.
"Good. Now you all know what to do. Standard warm-up routine," said Blair. She led the team in simple warm-up exercises which included racing backwards, jumping, and boost maneuvers. The wide variety of movements was meant to test the bots' hydraulics, gyros, and other moving parts to make sure they could handle the stress the pilots were putting them through. When the team rounded the last bend, the twins couldn't help but be their mischievous selves. As they came to the final stretch of track along the straight-away, Miharu and Shizune put their mechs into full throttle after changing to speed-mode, zooming past Blair.
"Last one there is a prickly platypus!" said Miharu. She and Shizune were neck-and-neck as they began putting distance between them and Blair.
Unable to contain her competitive nature, Blair happily obliged them. "Oh, it's on!" she said as she engaged her boosters for a quick dash of speed. Afterwards, she changed into speed-mode and put her bot into full throttle as well, gradually catching up to the other two.
Their mechs were operating at full capacity as they raced down the track, sparks flying as their metal skis glided over the pavement. Hill after hill, they bounded over them with ease as Shizune and Miharu maintained their lead over their captain. Blair was running out of time as the finish line rapidly approached. She had to think fast as they approached the last hill. When the twins went over the top, Blair changed back into fight-mode and engaged her boosters just before she reached the peak. She gained extra air from her jump which put her right in front of the other two as she landed, changing back into speed-mode as she crossed the finish line in first place.
"Zurui desuyo! (Unfair!) That's cheating!" said Miharu as she engaged the drag flaps and brakes. The others did the same and skidded to a stop, changing back to fight-mode.
Blair chuckled to herself as she started skating past the twins, heading towards the starting line. "Cheating? More like… improvising. Besides, you two started it," she said.
Shizune huffed in her defeat, following behind her with a groan. "Well maybe you can use that in a real race. We'll need every trick we can get," she said.
The three mechs skated along the track, making their way back onto the elevator. Once they were all on, it began descending back to the hangar level for their check-up.
As they were headed down, Lucia's voice popped into Blair's helmet. "And just what in the hell was that? I told you no funny business," she said over the radio.
Back in the observation deck, Sarah chuckled as she turned to Lucia. "I believe they were putting the bots through a routine stress test, ma'am," she said.
Lucia returned Sarah's smile with a piercing glare of disapproval. She didn't like having her orders disobeyed or Sarah covering for her pilots, but because nothing went wrong, and what Sarah said was somewhat true, she let it slide as she usually did. "Right… a routine stress test," she said before looking back out the window.
Blair was startled by the sudden authoritative voice in her ears. "Funny business? What? No. That? That was just… a speed test! Yeah. Just wanted to test out the mech's speed-mode and stress under max speed," she said.
Lucia sighed and interlocked her fingers together, resting her chin on her hands as she looked at the monitors, specifically the monitor with Blair's cockpit feed on it. "I see. How's the bot doing then?" she asked.
"Fine. Perfectly fine. Purrin' like a kitten," said Blair with a nervous smile, though the bottom portion of her helmet covered her mouth.
"Mmmhmm. We'll be monitoring the crew's assessment of your bots from here. When they give you the green light again, you can head back up to the track," said Lucia.
When the mechs arrived back in the hangar, Blair and the others walked them back to their maintenance harnesses and locked them in. Once they were secure, the pilots got out while the pit crew took over, attaching cables and wires to the bots to get performance readings and data.
In the meantime, Blair decided to have a little chat with her trouble-making teammates. She casually walked over to Shizune and Miharu, nonchalantly placing her hands on their shoulders as she stood between the two. "So… guys… what was that all about? Trying to make your fearless leader look bad?" she asked.
Once Blair laid her hands on the two from behind, they both slowly looked to her as they began to tremble. Blair's grip was firm, signaling to the twins that she wasn't in the mood for nonsense. "Wh- What do you mean, Brass-sempai? We were just…" said Shizune, trailing off.
Miharu gulped and picked up from where her sister left off. "…warming our bots up," she said.
"Yeah, sure you two were. You're just lucky Coach didn't chew me out over the radio," said Blair, patting them on the back. Once Blair left, Miharu and Shizune returned to their old selves, chuckling and speaking in Japanese as they went to grab a snack. After dealing with the twins, Blair went to observe the personnel working on her bot.
The crew didn't waste a moment as they collected the information they needed from the bots. It was all sent to the control center where Sarah and Lucia analyzed it, scrutinizing over every detail. They notified the mechanics to make a few adjustments from their findings and gave the team the go-ahead to head back out.
"All right. Time to put it into high gear. You ready, team?" asked Blair as she took her place back on the starting grid, comfortably back inside her bot. The twins acknowledged over the radio and gave a thumbs-up with their bots. Blair returned the gesture and looked forward, crouching into her starting stance.
In the control center, Roxanne watched from above, peering out the window at the three mechs. She then looked to her superiors and walked over to them. "What are they going to be doing this lap?" she asked, glancing at the monitors along with them. She focused on Blair's monitor, smiling at her girlfriend's confidence.
"Oh, we have a few surprises in store for them. You'll see," said Lucia with a smirk. She whispered something to Sarah to which she nodded in acknowledgement, smirking as well.
"Okay, Balisong. Round two. I'm starting the countdown," said Sarah as she flipped the switch for the starting lights.
Lucia looked to the pilots, tapping her headset. "Stay frosty, team. And this time, all you need to focus on is- surviving," she said.
Back on the track, Blair held a hand to her helmet. "Surviving? Uh, copy that, Coach," she said, a hint of apprehension in her voice.
Shizune and Miharu gulped at Lucia's words, also a bit worried. "What do you think she meant by that, Brass?" asked Shizune.
"I don't know, but we'll soon find out. Stay close and keep alert," said Blair as she kept her eyes glued to the flashing yellow lights. Once the lights turned green, they darted off the starting grid, moving into their standard V-formation. Shizune and Miharu kept their guard up, flanking Blair to protect her from any threat that might pop up.
Even though they were similar, each bot had a specialization and specific role in the overall Team Balisong strategy. Blair used a modified forward design which was capable of high speeds and boasted formidable combat ability. Where she excelled in speed and power, she lacked in defense. Her strategy was to hit and not be hit, to attack in order to defend. So in keeping with these principles, she only opted for the minimum amount of armor. The carbon-fiber helped keep the overall weight down while retaining an ample amount of protection, but it was much less than her teammates' bots.
The defender and midfielder models were slightly different from Blair's forward model. They sported more armor, which made them slower than Blair, but their main purpose wasn't racing to the finish line. Their arms had titanium armor plating, allowing them to hit harder while taking more hits. Like Blair, though, they replaced a lot of metal plating with carbon-fiber on their main chassis, making them lightweight and agile. The two models were very similar, almost interchangeable. Their main focus was to distract the enemy while keeping them away from Blair. When an opening appeared, Blair would boost in for a decisive hit, then dash away before she could get cornered.
While they watched the three mechs streak down the track, Sarah and Lucia prepared the track for round two, giggling deviously on the inside in anticipation. They turned on the track's many obstacles and readied their fingers on the toggles.
Sarah looked to Lucia and smiled. "Would you like the honor of starting us off?" she asked.
Lucia smirked, moving a hand over to the console. "It would be my pleasure," she said, flipping the switch.
Maggie chuckled at the older women while Roxanne kept her attention on the track monitors following the mechs. 'Be careful out there, Hon. Don't do anything foolish now,' thought Roxanne to herself.
Back on the track, Blair and the others continued along unhindered for the moment. "Something doesn't feel right. Maintain high alert. It's coming… whatever it is," said Blair as she fidgeted slightly in her seat. Suddenly, gaps in the track started to appear as the team broke formation to dodge the holes. "Look out!" said Blair as she gripped the controls tightly.
Miharu and Shizune broke left and right to avoid the sudden gap while Blair jumped over it using her boosters. As soon as Blair landed safely after clearing the hole with ease, more started to form out in front of her.
"So this is what they planned, huh? Well we've seen this before, ladies, so let's not lose our heads just yet!" said Blair as she weaved in and out of the gaps, keeping mindful of her teammates' locations.
The three mechs moved gracefully as they easily avoided the holes in the track, using a combination of quick maneuvers and jumps to continue along unimpeded. Blair had done this before numerous times on the same track, so it didn't surprise her. She even remembered some of the track's patterns and positioned herself in the best possible spots, effortlessly skimming around the hazards.
"Stay behind me and we'll make it through no problem. But keep cautious; this can't be everything," said Brass as she kept her eyes ahead on the track.
"They seem to be doing quite well, as expected," said Sarah as she continued to watch from the observation deck.
Lucia looked to another set of switches and flipped a few more on. "Indeed. Time to take it up a notch…," she said.
Sarah chuckled as she put her hands in her pockets. "Let's hope our pilots don't get too roughed up out there, or their bots for that matter," she said with a wily smirk.
Meanwhile, Blair and the twins were having no trouble at all on the track. They were already passed the halfway point, making their way towards the finish line with ease.
"Almost there, ladies. Maybe this is easier than we'd thought it'd be," said Blair, suddenly letting her guard down. Just after she said that, a streak of blue skimmed over her mech, hitting the track in front of her. She jerked on the controls and spun around to see the source of the shot. "What the hell was that!?" she said.
In the air above them were mechanized drones firing concentrated stun rounds. The rounds were only potent enough to render maybe a limb or small portion of the mech they hit inoperable. It was a new addition to the practice track and Lucia was very eager to test them out. A swarm of ten small, disc-shaped drones opened fire on Blair and the others, making the simply routine test much more complicated. They were able to hover, only sporting a single rotor for flight, and attacked using their stun gun.
"What are those things? Are they part of the track?" asked Shizune in an alarmed tone as she observed the drones.
One of the drones flew by and got a lucky shot on Miharu's bot, directly hitting her left arm. It went limp and no matter how hard she pulled on the controls, it didn't respond. "Uh, whatever they are, don't get hit. My left arm just went dead after getting hit by one of those things," said Miharu, trying to keep her cool under pressure.
Blair cursed under her breath at the new addition to their run. But fortunately for them, they were already nearing the last straight-away towards the finish line. "Watch yourself, gals. We're almost there. Just keep cool," she said, pushing herself to the max in order to dodge both the gaps in the track and the drones flying overhead through the air.
Rumbling down the track, the three of them struggled to keep on their feet. All three of them were constantly using their boosters to dodge the hazards and incoming enemy fire, but due to the chaotic addition of the drones, they sometimes bumped into each other. Several times they got hit, making Blair more frustrated with each mishap. To their relief, the holes had stopped forming, but the "damage" they sustained from the drones was beginning to add up. Shizune had lost the function of her boosters and her left leg was sluggish. Her sister, Miharu, still couldn't use her left arm and her torso was hit, causing her to slouch over slightly. Blair sustained the least damage so far, only losing the use of her right arm. The three of them saw the finish line ahead of them, putting everything they had left into crossing the threshold. The drones kept on their tails, continuing their barrage of stun rounds.
Suddenly, the team sustained their first casualty as one of them went down hard. "Mimi! Help!" said Shizune as her legs gave way to a stun round. Her bot fell forward onto its face, sparks flying as she skidded across the track, metal scrapping against pavement. Miharu and Blair turned to see Shizune fall and spun around, dashing over to her.
"Don't worry, Zuzu. We got you," said Miharu as she and Blair helped pick her up.
Each of them took an arm and slung it around their shoulders, hurrying for the finish line. When they arrived at the end, all three of them jumped over the line, barely making it before their bots were completely immobilized by the drones. They bounced a bit along the pavement for several yards down the track, skidding and sparking all the way until finally ending up on their backs and coming to a complete stop.
As she watched from the control deck, Roxanne grabbed a headset and put it on. "Blair! Blair, are you okay?" she asked, looking down at Blair's mech lying on the track.
Sarah and Lucia watched the team finish with approval, though Sarah was a bit concerned about their condition. "Do you think that was a bit much?" asked Sarah to Lucia.
Lucia turned to her with a positive expression. "They made it back, didn't they? Besides… we had to test the new additions sooner or later. Might as well give them a taste of what's to come over the next few weeks," she said.
Sarah sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "You're the coach. I'll leave the training to you. I just hope the bots aren't too badly damaged," she said.
"Don't worry. The stuff the drones are using is completely mech-friendly. The most damage that we should see are mere scraps and scratches. Once we restart the mechs' systems and give them a jumpstart, everything should be back to normal," said Lucia, reassuring her colleague that she knew what she was doing.
Sarah gave her a nod and looked back to the monitors, seeing the three mechs still strewn about on the track down below. "I sure hope so," she said.
Inside her cockpit, Blair was staring vacantly ahead of her, grimacing at the blank screen. She grumbled with displeasure within her helmet until she started hearing Roxanne's voice in her headset. She snapped out of her frustration and responded. "Yeah. I'm fine. Just… dandy," said Blair with gritted teeth.
Roxanne sighed with relief, moving closer to one of the monitors. "Are you hurt? Can you get out of your mech?" she asked.
Blair undid her safety harness and grasped the emergency release lever on her cockpit. "I'm okay. Just a little worked up is all," she said, opening up the hatch. It was still dark out but along the track, the lights were still on which made it somewhat blinding. Raising her hand to block the light, she slowly climbed out of her mech and looked to the observation deck. "Well, we made it to the finish. Now how does Coach expect us to make it back to the hangar? Our bots are totally dead."
Just then, Lucia's voice came on the radio. "Suck it up, Captain. Your bots are fine. Other than a few scrapes and scratches, there shouldn't be any major damage. The stun rounds are bot-friendly and after we get the crew down there to jumpstart your bots, you'll be up and running in no time. Just standby for now," she said.
Blair let out an annoyed sigh and acknowledged, still a bit ticked off about the recent turn of events. "Roger that, ma'am. I'll check on Anko in the meantime," she said, looking to the other two bots beside hers. She tapped her helmet and checked in with her teammates. "Shizune. Miharu. Status report," she said.
Shizune and Miharu exited their bots and stood up in the cockpit, stretching their arms up into the air. They were fine and just roughed up a bit from the fall, but other than that, they sustained no other injuries. Blair jumped down from her bot and walked over to them, who jumped down as well to meet her. When the pit crew arrived with the equipment to jumpstart the mechs' engines, Blair and the others inspected their bots to make sure nothing major was damaged. The crew hooked up each bot to a portable generator and juiced them up, allowing them to return to the shelter. Blair, Shizune, and Miharu returned to their cockpits and walked their mechs back into the hangar, securing them in their maintenance harnesses. Lucia, Sarah, Maggie, and Roxanne were already waiting for them there, watching as the battered bots walked passed.
When her mech was locked in, Blair took off her helmet and exited her bot, heading straight for Lucia and Sarah. "So what the hell was that? I thought we were 'taking it easy' today," she said with air quotes, a hint of defiance in her voice as she approached them with a bit of an attitude in her step.
Lucia remained calm and collected, her hands folded in her lap. "This was a mere example of what you will be facing in the IG-1. You can almost never predict what you will be up against, so the drones were there to test your responsiveness to unforeseen challenges. And I have to say, you and the others need some work," she said firmly, looking Blair straight in the eye.
"We also wanted to try them out, but that was just a secondary objective," said Sarah, standing next to Lucia with her hands in her pockets.
Blair grimaced as Shizune and Miharu came up behind her; they too were looking less than enthusiastic about the latest training exercise. "Well what do we do now? How long do you think until the bots are ready to go?" asked Blair, crossing her arms over her chest.
"They'll be ready in half an hour. In the meantime, the four of you will need a debrief about what just happened out there. We saw several instances where you acted amateurishly and not as a team. Now let's go; time's wasting," said Lucia as she had Maggie wheel her to one of the briefing rooms.
While the bots were being fixed and recharged, Sarah and Lucia led the debrief for Blair and the other pilots, including Roxanne. They highlighted several points during the last lap where the pilots were unaware of each other's movements. Due to their lack of teamwork, they sustained more hits than they would have had Blair coordinated the team better. Lucia was firm during her talk with them, but offered several ways for them to address their problems and improve as a team. Even though Blair was irritated at Lucia for belittling her leadership and decisions out there, in hindsight, she understood where she was coming from and didn't harbor any negativity towards her coach in the end. Lucia was, after all, more experienced and tenured in the IGPX realm, especially in the IG-1 world, so Blair remained attentive and took her advice and guidance to heart.
Once the bots were ready, everyone left the briefing room to head back down to the hangar. Along the way, Shizune came up to Roxanne and began walking alongside her. "Yo, just wanted to remind you not to change any of my preferences, kay? It takes me forever to readjust my bot every time someone changes anything," said Shizune.
Roxanne looked over next to her, switching her helmet to her other hand. "Don't worry, Shizune. I'll figure it out like I always do. Shouldn't take me too long to get back into the groove of things," she said with a reassuring smile.
"Good. After this race, you'll be riding in Miharu's bot, right? So you shouldn't have too much trouble getting used to it after racing in mine," said Shizune. For the next race, she was told by her coach to give up her position to Roxanne, allowing her to get some experience on the track with the bots; it also allowed her sister, Miharu, to get more used to racing without Shizune as her partner, in case Roxanne was ever needed in a real race to substitute for one of them.
"Just hope she doesn't switch up her controls again, like she always does," said Roxanne, sighing at her teammate's finicky temperament when it came to her control schemes.
Upon entering the hangar and seeing their bots ready to go, the pilots made their way to their respective bots. After the briefing, Blair was more than prepared to handle the track and drones. As she started up her bot, she went over several scenarios and formations in her head to counter the new threat.
Lucia, Sarah, Maggie, and now Shizune returned to the observation deck, preparing for the next lap. "You ready this time, Brass?" asked Sarah as she prepared to start the countdown.
"Roger that, ma'am. I won't let you down," said Blair as she focused on the task at hand. She and her two teammates took up their positions at the starting line, more determined to improve upon their last performance.
Roxanne flexed her fingers and got reacquainted with the bot's cockpit, making sure she knew where all the controls were; she was familiar with all three bots, but over time they all started to blend together in her mind. She breathed in, held it for a brief moment, then exhaled softly as she prepared herself to race. She didn't want to let her girlfriend down, so she planned to do her best to have all three of them make it to the finish line unscathed. She smiled as she glanced to Blair's bot ahead of her. "We got this, Blair. Don't worry. You'll do fine," she said, trying to bolster her leader's confidence.
Hearing her words of encouragement, Blair chuckled with a smirk. "Thanks, Babe. I'm sure we won't have any problems this time," she said. And with that, the lights turned green and they were off.