OK Number 33 - The Phantom of the Racetrack

"And now, back to sports news, and back to Formula One. In spite of the championship ending over a month ago, the headlights remain alight. The FIA prizegiving took place last night, with the top three driver and lead constructor receiving their respective honours for their success in the 2018 season. World Champion Suzaku Kururugi looked delighted as he received his trophy, and was officially crowned Champion of the World. Second placed Lelouch Lamperouge was unable to attend proceedings, and was represented by his younger brother Rolo, who gave an emotional acceptance speech on his brothers behalf."

"Controversially, Kallen Kozuki's appearance at the event to receive her third place award was marred by booing from attendees, manifesting when she stood on the stage to receive the glass trophy from erstwhile champion Cornelia McGlynn. The Briton moved to congratulate Kallen as a formality, however the crowd disagreed, and proceeded to issue a loud string of noise, likely as a response to her assault of Lelouch Lamperouge in the Brazilian Grand Prix. In any case, in spite of this response, the ceremony was able to proceed, and Kallen was ushered away to allow the room to quieten down."

"This, of course, is off the heels of her FIA court appearance last week with regards to sporting conduct in that exact incident, as the discipline board gathered to issue a reprimand for the Japanese driver. She was given a three month ban from racing, with a further nine months suspended. This means that, if she can find a team that would take her on, she would be barred from driving in the Australian and Bahraini Grands Prix, and would face an immediate nine month ban added on if she is ever in front of the board again over the next year."

"The seat she has vacated at Rebellion was recently announced as having been given to Kyoshiro Tohdoh, who is returning from a yearlong sabbatical to the team that made him a double world champion. The second seat remains to be filled, with heavy competition for the car that gifted its drivers second and third in the championship."

"Returning to last nights award ceremony, Lloyd Asplund, chief engineer and head of the Rosenberg team gratefully received the prize for top constructor, with Suzaku and Marrybel combined scoring the highest of any pairing over the season. It was a welcome relief for a team that was long overdue some good news given the talent and brains behind what has been a very small and tightly managed outfit."

"However, not all is well for the team, as it goes into its second week of rumoured financial troubles. After their title sponsor ASEEC has left the sport, the team has struggled with growing debts, with several suppliers growing vocally concerned as to the viability of the team as it exists right now. In golfing news-"

Lelouch clicked away from the news, before muting his television completely to mull over this information. It amused him that Kallen was booed, but it was of no moment as he considered the lattermost piece of news. It was certainly significant, both in a macro and micro sense; Rosenberg were not only the World Constructors Champions, but it was the vehicle through which Suzaku had found his success, and the material megaphone through which Lloyd Asplund was able to pontificate on the finer arts of car design. The loss of either would be grave, and Lelouch was fascinated as to what would happen next. Fortunately, he had the inside track on matters within the Rosenberg facility.

"Hello, this is Suzaku Kururugi, 2018 F1 World Champion, what can I do for you?"

Lelouch rolled his eyes as he held his phone to his ear, before replying "Careful, your head's getting so big you're not going to fit in the car. It's Lelouch."

"Ah, Lelouch, it's great to talk to you finally! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. At least I didn't cry."

Suzaku was silent for a moment, as Lelouch grinned evilly, before the Japanese champion sighed "Goddamn it Nunnally."

Lelouch laughed, before Suzaku with a healthy sense of self awareness joined in, and they chuckled together for some time, before Suzaku asked "So where are you now? I assume you're not in Brazil anymore."

"Indeed, I was flown back to France through Nice, and I've been in my home in Languedoc in the time since. I've even got my own personal nurse."

"Look at you, catching up on nineteen years of no rest." Suzaku teased, before continuing "This must be a whole new experience."

"Funny." Lelouch conceded, letting out a breath, before responding "So what is the Champion of the World doing with himself at the moment, mm? Where are you at?"

"Down at Silverstone, back at the factory." Suzaku replied, immediate and peppy in his enthusiasm.

"You're relentless." Lelouch chuckled, shaking his head.

"Thanks for the compliment."

Sighing, and feeling a bit bad for his friend, Lelouch asked "Mate, you've just won the biggest thing in your life, what you admitted was your one singular ambition, and now that you've finally done it you're getting back to work?"

"You have to." Suzaku affirmed. "To prove it. People might say I only won it because you crashed with Kallen, or because Kallen had poor luck in the beginning of the season."

"Forgive me, but it does sound like you're rather insecure."

"Bullshit."

Lelouch blinked, as Suzaku was not one to frequently engage in sudden brutal, decisive swears, particularly not as a hostile reaction. Put off by his friends vitriol, Lelouch was silent as Suzaku continued "I won my championship, sure. Now I want to prove I earned it. I need to come back next year stronger than ever and defend my victory, defend my title, show I didn't luck into it. That means hitting the ground running harder than ever."

Suzaku's voice was tired and aggressive, hoarse with an uncharacteristic prickliness. Stumbling for a moment, Lelouch had to pause before asking "Suzaku, are you alright mate? What's going on?"

The line was silent for a time, before Suzaku let out a sigh, which gave Lelouch some understanding. Knowing him, he was clearly under some pressure which was causing him to be so aggressive, which at once gave Lelouch some clarity and concern. Was the situation at Rosenberg worse than he thought?

"No, it's just…"

Suzaku cut himself off, before letting out a breath and beginning again.

"It's chaos down here. All the outstanding suppliers have come for the end of this fiscal quarter looking for their money, and it's just not here. The staff haven't been paid, and now the engine manufacturers have filed an injunction for contract violation. Lloyd has been panicked all day, and no one knows what's going on. If we can't get the suppliers paid, there's almost certainly going to be a winding up petition, and everyone's going to lose their jobs."

Lelouch didn't respond initially. This was bigger than he had ever imagined, and would represent a tragedy if it came to pass. However, this was not where his imaginations lay. As he mulled over the situation, instead of darkness, he saw a sudden light, with an obscured path becoming clear.

His eyes widened as he realised what he had to do.

"What about you? How much are you owed?"

He could almost hear Suzaku's brow furrowing as he was doubtless taken aback by such a rude inquiry into his personal finances, as the Japanese man began with outrage "How-"

Cutting him off, Lelouch hushed "No, don't- That's not why I'm asking. How much are you out of pocket?"

With some hesitation, Suzaku admitted "Fourteen million and change."

Lelouch baulked at that figure, before unavoidably replying "You were paid how much to hurl that monstrosity around a track every other week?"

Suzaku tutted, before responding "It's built up over a few months. I told them they could defer my pay to make sure the team finished the year in the form of a loan, but now that the term has expired they can't pay me back."

Lelouch processed this new information. If they couldn't pay back Suzaku, even if it was a lump sum, then his latest scheme could well be in business. He had an in, a moment of leverage to springboard his way back. However, things were different now.

"Lelouch? Hello?"

Realising he had been silent, he hurriedly replied "I'll call you back.", before slamming down the phone and frowning. This was huge, with chaos clearly the dominant force as Lloyd's lack of business sense caught up with him. Like a fly to honey, Lelouch found himself drawn to the scene as a plan revealed itself in his mind.

However, it was now not so easy. He was disabled, high on opioids and, with the tort suit of Kallen underway, likely to be set for life. He was now putting a great deal of what he had worked towards, security for his family, at risk.

However, there was undeniably something missing. One did not become a Formula One driver out of a rational financial decision. It would have been possible to take up a job in finance or investments that paid just as well, and carried with it a lower risk of paralysis. He could have retired at thirty with millions, and have done a far better job of making money for his household.

But he hadn't. One did not do what Lelouch did because one wanted to do well financially. They did it for the sense of adventure, for the rush of being, for a brief time, the fastest motorists on the planet, and the exotic locations, the drama, and the passion. Ever since messing about in French Formula Ford, Lelouch knew that that shot of adrenaline would be an addiction up to the day he died, even as he professionalised the endeavour.

He could, right now, decide to leave good enough alone, take his earnings, and retire to the countryside to allow Rolo to take the stage as he lounged about in Languedoc.

But he wouldn't. Lelouch was not built in such a way that he ever felt like leaving good enough alone.

At least, if he had a say. Because it was not just his household now.

"Nunnally! Rolo! Get in here, quickly!"

The pair rushed in, with Rolo arriving first and Nunnally wheeling herself in moments after with a furious whizzing of the arms about the tops of her wheelchairs spoked tyres. After they settled at the foot of his bed, he sighed, and looked them dead in the eye before beginning.

"I am about to do something incredibly stupid and reckless that could place our entire financial future on a slim possibility of success that is largely out of my hands. I have seen an opportunity, but it's a long shot and likely quite ill advised. This is very much high risk, high reward."

He tried to add weight to his words, however Rolo smirked, and replied "That's hardly new."

Nodding, Lelouch admitted "This is nothing new to me, but I figured you'd appreciate being consulted this time."

Desperate to impart the gravity of the situation, Lelouch spoke with a severity, but curiously, neither of his siblings seemed fazed by his words. Curious, Lelouch paused, before Nunnally explained.

"You're the best we've seen you in weeks. You've got that sense of adventure back into you, and it's great to see. I do appreciate the consultation, but I know better than to deny you when you've got that spark in your eye. We've been missing it. Just don't forget to bring us along for the ride."

In awe, Lelouch asked "What do you think I should do?"

"What you always say you do. Work out what Suzaku would do and do the opposite."

Now Lelouch could only laugh, his whole body contorting as Nunnally smoothly replied with one of his favourite lines. Far from his earlier sadness that Nunnally had grown to resemble some of his more cynical traits, he now saw the upside. She was so confident, so self-assured, so magnificent in her own capacity to shoot back, that Lelouch saw immediately how wring he was. Nunnally was not a girl, but a woman, and he realised that he was quite okay with that. Seeming to recognise Lelouch's good humour, she leaned back and smiled.

"Alright, so what's the plan?"

Letting the laugh trail off, he took a breath, as he finally allowed the breadth of his self-appointed mission to escape his lips. "We're going to save Rosenberg Grand Prix. Rolo, book a flight to England via Luton. Nunnally, get my laptop. The Lamperouge's are back in business."

Grinning, both of his siblings nodded before rushing to their duties as Lelouch dialled back Suzaku's number, holding the phone up to his ear with his one functioning arm as the Japanese man picked up the call, eager to get a word in in the confusion. However Lelouch, filled with an enthusiastic zeal, cut him off.

"Suzaku, this is your lucky day. I need you to listen to me very carefully. If we do this right, and have a bit of luck, then we will be able to save Rosenberg."

Suzaku sounded stunned, and replied with something expressing shock, though Lelouch did not hear as Nunnally presented his laptop to him, and he realised that he couldn't hold his phone and type at the same time. Wrestling his arm around his body, he nestled the phone between his shoulder and ear, head bent over to wedge it in place, before he began to type away with his one working hand and talk with Suzaku, barely able to hold the phone in place with his neck muscles.

"I'm about to email you two documents. The first problem is the engine supplier. If they get a court to serve papers, it's all over, so we need to address that first. Did you get the email?"

"Yeah, I got it."

"Fill the whole thing out and send it to the High Court. What this does is get you a stay of execution from an order fourteen to pay up. Otherwise, you'd need to get it through CHAPS by… two o'clock, I think, tomorrow, and unless you know someone with a few million quid burning a hole in their back pocket that isn't going to happen. I've also sent you a picture of a signature for a guarantour, and this tells the court that money is on the way and that they should extend the deadline based on trust in the undersigner."

"Who's the undersigner?"

"Kaguya Sumeragi, your cousin. I'll be calling her later."

"Didn't she want to be your wife back when she was thirteen?"

Shuddering, Lelouch shut that train of thought down by replying "Focus, or I'll hang up on you. We need to get this done as soon as we can, so forge the signature I just sent you. Rather than get the money, which we don't have right now, we will be able to get the bank to put the money up to the courts for the time being, and then we owe the bank over an extension. It's got a bit of a sting in the interest, but given that your team is about to collapse, no bank is going to want to touch you otherwise. We can worry about paying that back later, once I've touched bases with Kaguya, but this means they can't try to liquidate the company."

Suzaku paused to hear all of this, before he shouted across the room beyond Lelouch's comprehension to other Rosenberg workers, likely to try and get some help with this administrative task. There was some shuffling and a lack of audial quality, however the thrust of what was unfolding was clear, as the Rosenberg factory workers filled in the company details and identity of the creditor to be satisfied.

After allowing Lelouch let Suzaku finish this task, he reiterated "Have a solicitor look over it before filing it, but you have to do it before two o'clock, or else it won't make it in time for the deadline, the same time tomorrow. You do have a solicitor, right?"

The Japanese champion could only reply with a droning silence as he audibly realised he did not. Swearing, Lelouch continued "Alright, never mind, I'll pass you on a number for mine. Her name's Victoria, pay attention to what she has to say particularly to the filing process. You can get that done once I hang up. Now, the second file. You got it?"

Suzaku paused, as Lelouch almost heard the penny drop in Suzaku's voice, as he cautiously, yet aggressively asked "Yeah, I see it, what is this?"

Sighing, Lelouch explained "It's a petition to place the Rosenberg team into administration, arresting its activities until its debts are settled. You are going to sue Rosenberg to place them into this state of inactivity, and that sheet of paper in front of you is how you are going to do it."

"Is this a joke to you?" Suzaku shot back, as he heard Lelouch's description. "Put my own team into administration? Sue them while they're on the doors of going bust? Did Kallen knock you on the head harder than we thought? What kind of advice is that, to tell me to institute bankruptcy proceedings against the company you want me to save?"

Allowing Suzaku to finish his rant, Lelouch finally spoke to reply "No, we're not liquidating the team. We're saving it from liquidation. If we did that, there would be no obligation to keep the assets in one piece or any duty to keep the staff employed. Administration gives us a year to come up with a financial package to restore the debts and keeps the whole firm in one piece. Given that they owe you a significant sum of money, you have standing as a creditor to call for the firm to be placed by the courts into a state where it can be saved from the outside without someone being able to swoop in and pick the thing apart for scraps."

Suzaku paused as he put the pieces together. Clearly, Lelouch was quite persuasive, but Suzaku was not slow, and noted "I assume you have a buyer?"

"Not yet, but I can put a team together. We're going to need a significant base of investors, but that's my job to put together. I still have some of my sponsors from last season who would be interested in such a venture. Listen, I've got a plane to catch, I'll be heading straight to Silverstone as soon as I touch down to touch bases with you and get a handle on the situation. File both of those petitions as soon as you can, I'll see you tonight."

Hanging up, Lelouch turned back to his siblings and smiled "Ah, haha, we're back! Let's get to Nice, we're going to England!"

No matter how hard you try, even if you break his face and give him brain damage, you can't put down Lelouch Lamperouge! He can't be removed from the track for love nor money, like an omnipresent phantom. Sorta like Bernie Ecclestone now that I think about it. In any case, he's found his way back in, and not a moment too soon! Please leave a review if you enjoyed this chapter, as I did; I've been looking forward to this one for months!

~Eth0