OK Number 18 - V for Victory

"A...and as we begin the third session of Qualifying, yes, the green lights at the end of the pit lane are on, we can confirm it will be a wet session, with large amounts of standing water visible out of the last corner from what we can see in the commentators booth. In this session we have the top ten drivers from the end of Q2, with Kōzuki, Lamperouge, Kururugi, Marrybel Glinda debuting alongside her teammate in the Rosenberg, Weinberg alongside his new teammate Kewell Soresi, an Australian by birth and enjoying a lot of local support, Nu, Bradley, Xingke and Xianglin competing in this session to see who will be on pole position for tomorrow's Australian Grand Prix. Joining you for the next ten minutes will be my colleague Jeremiah Gottwald and myself, Diethard Reid."

"We will indeed, and one thing to note is how simply miserable this weather is. Very much un-Australian, it's raining cats and dogs, with everyone but the two Lancers on the full wet tyres, with those two on the intermediate tyres."

"Very interesting, particularly as the radar indicates that the conditions are to improve over time. Perhaps they will come into their own by the end of the session, but it's still quite early, given the standing water."

Jeremiah paused, leaning back in the chair as the cars gingerly trotted out into the tarmac. It had been a long winter, and he had missed his cosy hobby of commentating on the fastest circus in the world. He was paid for it, but it wasn't work, not in the least.

As he had indicated, the field had changed since the end of last year. Lelouch Lamperouge replaced Kyoshiro Tohdoh at Rebellion, reigning GP2 champion Marrybel Glinda debuted in the seat left open by the retiring Cornelia McGlynn, who was joined at grass by her less successful brother Odysseus, whose seat at Rosenberg was filled by the Camelot test driver Kewell Soresi. Interestingly, every rookie made Q3, which certainly filled Jeremiah with some hope that the future lay in more skilled hands than Shinichiro Tamaki.

Of course, Diethard noted that it was hardly as if the present was left wanting, as Suzaku Kururugi led the grid out through the country, visibly building up confidence to his feet and heat to his tyres, as their job to commentate resumed.

"You can see Villetta Nu on your screens now going through the middle sector, a high speed sweeper dropping into a fast chicane, and you're going to need a lot of grip to make it through there with speed, these long corners are where Nu and Bradley are gonna have trouble on those lower clearance tyres. You can see there, she's just taking it nice and steady on this warm up lap, not too much twitching or movement. Everyone's just trying to see where the grip is, where the water is, and all of this may play into the hands of the woman the camera has just cut to here, Kallen Kōzuki."

The low angle made the car look aggressive, though this was not a difficult task; the car sat on its haunches like a tiger ready to pounce, and hopped about the place as if unleashing that pent up energy. The munsell helmet sat aloft from the pillars, willowing and rocking about the place as the driver held the car in line with all her power, single minded and focused. You could almost see her eyes through the dark visor, narrowed, fierce and angry. It was a stunning image, however it was ephemeral, passing on as Kallen shot through the rain, squirming for grip, graceful by virtue of its furious gracelessness. Moved, Jeremiah returned to commentary.

"The all-new F19-Y Rebellion has brought out isn't the smoothest machine in the factory, but Kallen knows how to find grip in these greasy conditions, and, lets not forget, she loves Qualifying. All the way back to F4 and GP3, she has always had a better time finding speed over one mad lap than being consistent over a session, which could do her some good here in what are rather treacherous conditions."

"The other man who'll look to do well is just crossing the line now, beginning his flying lap is Suzaku Kururugi." Diethard noted. "He isn't as much of a qualifier as he is a racer, but he can drive a car smoother than silk, which in these conditions- could that give him the edge? Let's see, as Lelouch, positioned between the two Japanese drivers, begins his lap now, a few seconds ahead of Kallen."

"Now here's Suzaku, already out of the turn 4 chicane, and he's purple to the first sector, he's the fastest through there so far, even as he runs up onto the exit kerb, he won't be pleased with that at all, as Lelouch now enters-"

"Sorry to interrupt you there Diethard, but both Nu and Bradley have stayed out on the Intermediate tyre, they think they have the weather conditions on their side, so we may get a more direct comparison now between the two tyres in this weather. After all, this is the first time these wet tyres have seen use all weekend, so it will be a learning curve as we see some Kewell Soresi fans making it across the out in spite of the conditions to watch the local hero."

As Jeremiah had mentioned, the Australian fans were ecstatic to see the local driver pass by, before realizing they were on camera and giving a more spirited display of flag waving and excitement for the benefit of the viewers.

Chuckling, Diethard took up the commentary, explaining "So now, here comes Suzaku around into the deceptive turn 13, coming out of the second sector. He's the first to set a time, being the first one out, though interestingly his first sector has already been beaten by one Li Xingke, also out on the wet tyres, in the Geely would you believe, but that does show that the track is getting drier, and the last person to set a time will have a little bit of an advantage in this first run, but there is time enough for two runs, so the teams will be watching carefully, watching the temperature, watching the rain, watching the tyres, and watching- wew, goodness, pardon me, watching Luciano Bradley lose the back end out of turn 10."

It was sudden and yet expected, with the rear wheels visibly spinning up through fourth and fifth gear, before eventually parting ways with the concept of traction entirely, sliding out to the side away from the corner. Only strong countersteer kept him out of Australia's notorious Armco barriers.

"That was a big moment from the ginger, we can see on the replay his rear just steps out and he nearly swaps ends in the middle of the high speed corner." Diethard explained. "I can imagine he may want a change of underwear after that, that was inches away from disaster."

"He may have been a bit too ambitious in using those Intermediate tyres this early in the session but it is getting drier and the times will come tumbling down over the next five minutes, so we can expect an exciting climax, can't we?" Jeremiah noted, eager for a showdown. "In any case, here comes Suzaku Kururugi through the last bend, where he crashed out of Qualifying two years ago on his final run did you know, up to the line and he opens the account with a one minute forty point eight! That's a solid time, particularly in these conditions, as Lelouch, who's also on a lap now, comes up to the line and posts a one forty-one dead, not quite as fast as the man in the Rosenberg but a respectable time."

"Now, where's Kallen?" Diethard shouted out, audibly building up the hype. "She should be coming up to the line, but there's a lot of spray, so I'm not quite- ah, there she is, and she posts a…. one forty point six, two tenths up on Kururugi's time, putting her teammate down to third and seizing provisional pole position for her own. Great lap!"

By this point Suzaku, who had continued going round on the Wet tyres with his car apparently fuelled up for two laps rather than one do-or-die flier, and, as Diethard's colleague was sift to note, he was finding pace.

"He's three tenths up in the first sector split Diethard, wow! That's a lot of time found."

It definitely showed, as the camera shot rode onboard with Suzaku. In wet conditions, a lack of grip often forced drivers to squirm at the wheel, rocking it about to keep the rear end from sliding out, but a gentle use of the throttle and a smooth approach meant that Suzaku had none of these difficulties; he drove the car like a knife cleaving through butter, his simple, graceful style ensuring he lost no time in the traction zones, as he carved his way through the water. As he rounded out the lap, he had found another four tenths in supple braking and drying lines. However, the serenity of the drive was interrupted by team radio from Lelouch, played aloud in the commentary booth.

"Talk to us about the conditions Lelouch, is it time for inters? Is the track ready for it?"

Sounding out of breath, the Provencal driver replied "It will be at the end of the session, yeah.", to which Diethard noted "So, it'll be a close decision. We're approaching the crossover point where the two tyres give similar grip levels, so at this point it's anyone's guess-"

"Suzaku's coming in, Suzaku's coming in Diethard! Look! He's bailed on this lap even though he was so far up on his first time, he's committing to the intermediate tyres!"

With a minute-forty for a lap, and the necessity to fuel the car in the pits, there was no chance for Suzaku to reverse his decision now. Even if he botched his lap and rushed back, he wouldn't get a second chance at a lap. Diethard looked to see who would join him.

"Lelouch… has not joined him! He stays out! Fascinating, that the one who called the weather has not followed through. Perhaps it was a bluff- hang on, team radio…"

"Kallen, pit for Inters, we will have one lap to set a time after rotation."

"That confirms it." Jeremiah observed, continuing "This looks to be a straight showdown between Suzaku and Kallen, unless Lelouch can keep his tyres in their heat bracket and the others have trouble with the track being too wet. There's definitely a mixture of strategies at play, as Suzaku slots into his pit box."

The team was not under as much time pressure as during the race, and yet in spite of that the Rosenberg was only stationary for five seconds, rolling out of the hands of the mechanics who swapped out the almost-fresh tyres and topped up his fuel reserves. With that complete, he was away.

No sooner than he had left the pits did Kallen enter, similarly wheeling the car into the outlined rectangle surrounded by eager team personnel, who completed their work with great zeal, getting Kallen out onto the streets of Albert Park. With regards to the people fighting for pole, she was still behind Suzaku and Lelouch on track, who had swapped places such that the Frenchman would cross the line at the end of the session first. As the countdown clock struck zero, this would be everyone's final lap, and with a drying track, it would be a bonanza of quick times.

"Alright now, we're looking over the finish line. Around the final corner comes the Geely of Xiangling, goes fifth fastest, an improvement of half a second. Everyone's finding time more and more, as Nu crosses the line to take fifth for herself! Shortly after her, here's Bradley, who moves up from ninth to fourth with that time! It's a frenzy!"

However, the big players were still out on their laps. Lelouch, with the track position, stormed into view, solid as a rock. The wet tyres were likely hotter than the surface of the sun, but they were giving him stability, which could well, in Diethard's estimation, make the difference.

"I'm not sure if he'll have the speed, due to rolling resistance, but he is stable, as he comes out of the last corner, the car looks super comfortable, but will it be enough, as he runs up to the line, to perhaps move up- oh, oh he's gone fastest! He's set a one thirty nine eight, moving up to the top of the timesheets! Mega lap, and now the pressure is on the two Japanese drivers to catch his new standard."

The camera cut to Suzaku, next in the queue of drivers on a hot lap, and the difference was pronounced. In spite of Suzaku's natural inclination towards smooth driving, one can only fight the laws of physics so much, and the man who had crashed two years ago was visibly struggling to keep the rear wheels in check, with the steering wheel oscillating under his frequent adaptations to the shifting tarmac and conditions. As he rounded the last corner, the stands stood to watch him on the sprint to the line.

"And here we go, up to the line, what can Suzaku do? He's got it all to do, as the other new times have dropped him down to seventh, but if anyone can, it's Suzaku Kururugi, who… also goes fastest! He has gone the fastest out of anyone!"

The Rosenberg garage erupted into celebration, mechanics leaping for joy and hugging one another. Their driver had stolen the top spot by half a second, a time that would be tough to beat.

"Indeed Jeremiah, he's snatched provisional pole from Lelouch Lamperouge, but what now can Kallen Kōzuki do, as we ride onboard with her through the last sector, and she is absolutely not stable, she is on maximum attack, leaving nothing on the table as she brakes into turn 13 and- oh goodness, she has a massive dose of oversteer, and skids the car over the kerb, trail braking, she is absolutely on the ragged edge, but that isn't necessarily faster. Watch the car slide out onto the exit kerb, now go, go go! She rockets towards the final chicane, wow, look at that instability, twitching this way and that, it looks like it's about to fall off the tarmac, but she just keeps it together, she just keeps it in line, and as she runs up to the line, she's definitely left nothing on the table, but we can only wait and see, as she crosses the line… and grabs pole! Kallen Kōzuki has pole position for the Australian Grand Prix! She found another gear, and has the ideal spot for tomorrow's Grand Prix!"

"And that overtake means that Suzaku Kururugi will return to his qualifying position of second, after his disastrous pit stop which allowed Lelouch to get ahead, which will be some joy to the man who has done nothing wrong today, he will come home second, but in spite of this he will not have the time to catch up with the woman in first, who is now coming round to complete her penultimate lap, Kallen Kōzuki, who has led this race from pole position. Setting the fastest lap of the race as she crosses the line for the second to last time, she has been on it since lap one. Some other drivers may ease off towards the end of a Grand Prix where they have a solid lead, but Kallen has not backed down from full tilt since the race started, and she's built up a lead of over thirty seconds as she piles into turn one, shooting the car towards the outside kerb as it turns to the inside, absolutely on it. You'd think she'd want to soak in what is a mighty accomplishment, and what a statement! Kallen has come to fight, and has simply dominated this Grand Prix. But no, she's still going flat out, setting the fastest first sector of anyone on track as Suzaku only now crosses the line. The man has run a perfect race, but even so, the time lost in the pits and in battles has meant that, now as his countrywoman is going through the country at the chicane of nine and ten, he is just now beginning his last lap. He's likely lifting off a bit to save the engine, but one person who is absolutely not lifting off in the slightest, one person who has driven at the limit for the last sixty laps, is Kallen Kōzuki, who with only a few corners to go, is visibly on the limits of grip, on the limits of her tires, never off it for a second, and for that, will be rewarded with a standing ovation, a grandstand of cheer, as for the third time in her career, Kallen Kōzuki rounds the final corner to win the Australian Grand Prix in spectacular fashion! If that's not a brilliant way to start off the season, I don't know what is! Haha, yes, team radio-"

"Yeeess! Great drive Kallen, great drive, absolutely dominant! You did it! That's the right way to start off the season. We're back in business, haha! Lelouch P3, split by Suzaku, a couple of postcodes behind. Top class!"

"Victory! Victory! Hahaha, yes! So proud of all of you! So proud… we had a lot of change, we had a lot of challenges, but you've delivered one hell of a machine! Whoo! Hah hah. We own these roads! This team has grown. You should be proud of yourselves. Well done."

"Very good, ahaha. Cool down, pick up rubber, and bring her in. Oshiyoseru Kōzuki!"

"Aaah… Lord I'm drained… well done again, and thank you!"

Kallen was indeed exhausted, having thrown everything and more at that drive. She had fallen into a trance, with the driving being almost secondary as she flew across the circuit almost on rails. It was a dream Grand Prix, and a dream start to the season. Sweating and exhausted, she raised a victorious fist out of the cockpit as she brought the car down the gears gently, not wanting to unwind her muscular momentum too quickly, to trigger the muscle memory of the leg and arm movements of high speed driving developed over the last hour and a half of blisteringly fast driving. She had to wean herself off the sensation of speed.

But, empty as she was, she did return to the pits, rolling the car into the number one position, and sitting there, hardly able to drag herself out of the car. It felt like eight hits of cocaine, as she shook from both adrenaline and a physical hollowness, her breath shaky and her arms weak.

Suzaku by contrast was out of his car within moments, removing his helmet and HANS device from around his neck swiftly before ripping off his balaclava and uncovering his face. As Kallen clambered out from the bowels of her cars womb, she saw his face and was quite shocked to see he was as cool as a cucumber, with not a drop of sweat on him. The race had not taken an ounce out of him.

However, for as remarkable as his endurance was, this had not been an endurance race, and in spite of her physical strain, she had won, and won well. Mustering herself, she rose up, clambering onto the nose of her car. Her thighs were in bits, and she was running on fumes, but with adrenaline pumping through her, she hunched over and pumped her fists victoriously, joyously basking in this moment, before leaping off and running towards the fence where her team was gathered, pressing against the wire with joy. Jumping into the barrier, she felt the tips of their fingers grasp at her as they tried to pull her into their collective hug of joy.

As Kallen celebrated, Jeremiah Gottwald, who had sprinted down from the commentary box to grab an interview, decided discretion was the better part of valour and elected to interview the second placed man instead. As Kallen was released from the scrum, she turned to see and to hear the reactions of an entirely unfussed Suzaku.

"Suzaku, hard luck mate. It seems Kozuki just had the pace today, mm?"

Suzaku nodded, but lightly, explaining "It's unfortunate, but after Kallen pulled away and Lelouch got me off the line in the first stint, we didn't want to compromise our race and elected to protect the engine, the fuel, and the car. We were able to come back with the saved fuel in the last stint to retake second, but we did a good job with damage limitation. We didn't have it here, but our strengths lie elsewhere. No point panicking"

"That's the spirit." Jeremiah chuckled. "Good lad. Now, our race winner, ladies and gentlemen, Kallen Kozuki!"

There are moments that become iconic in sports, through the genius of cameramen and emotional context. Cornelia had been immortalised in the famed image of her passing Jeremiah Gottwald on the outside of 130R in her debut season, Li Xingke had similarly been captured in a joyous moment of celebration after winning the twenty four hours of Le Mans in 2013, and of course the enduring image of Jim Clark drifting his Lotus, reproduced for what was no over half a century. As Kallen heard her name shouted out, she had no way of knowing that as she threw her last ounce of energy into hurling her arm up above her head and forming her index and middle fingers into a vee, like a peace sign, that she was creating an enduring image of victory.

I feel like I need to say something, particularly as I reread this chapter; Kallen is not OP. She is quick, and has natural talent, but dominating one race doesn't mean that she has an unfair advantage, or is being written in a way where this season will not be challenging. This is setting up a good expectation, as well as demonstrating the skill of the woman who was canonically tied for the universes best pilot. This fic is not attempting to jerk any character, and this success will not last once Suzaku's skillset comes knocking.

~Eth0