The Italian HQ rested in the middle of what was an old Industrial Area, now renewed at best to hold a group of futuristic buildings voted to advance the promised Anti-Gravity Technology for the citizens and for the Pilots.
The selected group of the Italian Subsection was relaxing at the major garden area, neat and luscious under the early spring lights, and Barbara saw some familiar faces of the past testings. She had chatted and spent some time with them in the past months, while others were entirely new for her. Regardless, she knew well that they had all the skills and courage to face the very last selections and proudly consider themselves part of the best AG Pilots out there starting to take off across the globe. Smiling confidently to herself, she was proud to have all of them as her last challenge to face hopefully. However, one of the girls around her age suddenly beamed in the ordered group, a face that Barbara had known very well in the past.
"Barbara! It's really you! Oh, I'm so glad to see you here!"
"Marika?" Barbara gasped as she approached her firstly with an uncertain walk, then almost sprinting at her to wrap her arms in a warm embrace. It was clear that she didn't expect her to be here instead, entirely.
"I thought that you remained in the Swedish HQ!" She exclaimed.
"I know, but they saw me being more fitting here. In the end, they did this to us last thousand people by organising us across the HQ. That was part of the Project in the end." The other girl explained before, on her rosy toned skin, appeared one lovely smile that made her all butter since she saw it the first time. A bittersweet sensation of one summer ago already.
"If you remained in your State HQ, it means that you are the best fit here, Barbara." She concluded before she released her from the shared hug.
That was encouraging somewhat, more diversity for more variety in the styles, she noted innerly, and in the end she wouldn't have asked for something better than having her crush beside her to motivate herself better. If only her fate was more clement...
After the brief meeting and regroup at the garden was done, the eighty Pilots reunited altogether at the main building of the central plaza, where they were met with none other than the Boss himself, Chris Robertson, but behind a big screen. His impeccable presence, together with his office as his personal frame on the back, made him to appear at least enough amicable to them beyond his initial serious look darted at the camera. Once he was given the signal that everyone was present, his face softened and his hands entwined on the oak table to rest better over its surface.
"Greetings, future AG Pilots of FEISAR! As we're speaking, the rest of the one thousand selected are watching, too. To everyone who made this far, congratulations! You really deserved to be here, and I cannot compliment enough the skills and talents you all have shown in the past year! As we're approaching the end, however, I want to add that, at the more recent news of the re-establishment of Qirex Industries as a possible new Team and as new experimental crafts are created, we will try to keep ourselves in touch with the first 100 who'll remain in the end beside the 12 official Test Pilots."
The news gave some mixed reactions in the hall, between relief and anxiety, but everyone seemed to agree on the fact that more Teams meant more pressure to reach a more decent amount of dexterity with the AG crafts if the AGRC was really waiting for them in the next corner. The low murmurs across the space were eventually silenced once he started to talk again.
"To reach those 100, we ask for one thing: race against each other and see who gets the best time in our tracks by equalling or besting the time of our Pilots. You are given a maximum of seven laps each, or around 10 minutes of testing. Three rounds as such will be made and no more to be selected for the first 100. Make full use of all of them."
The chuckles upon what they considered a pretty mild challenge were eventually hushed when they saw the timings on the screen. Many jaws dropped by the final times that de la Rente, Jackson and Nakajima pulled out in each of the 12 tracks, theirs included. What was left of the Junior Team in the Italian HQ especially blanked, they were all a full minute behind them, especially regarding the French woman.
"I'm sure that by now you're all confident with the FEISAR Speed under your hands, so all I can say is good luck and do your best. Race for Unity!"
As the broadcasts to all the HQ was terminated, a gelid silence filled the room. Barbara and Marika watched each other in a worried way, meaning that this would be the hardest challenge that everyone will have to face in the next months.
FEISAR Italian Subsection HQ, 15 May 2045
"Take a deep breath, everything is under control." Barbara muttered to herself, checking the now familiar rigidity of the steering wheel under her grasp.
Two months has passed, and the numbers have already dropped to sixty, which didn't cheer many despite the fact that last month they all celebrated together the ten years since the first maiden flight at Nevada of the Nx1000 Prototype. In those mere ten years they passed from surfacing from the shadows to fighting each other with anything at their disposal to have a glimpse of their best Pilots' times. In fact, the very next day after the celebrations, they were already back on their Speed crafts at full throttle.
As the circle of Pilots continued to shrink, even Barbara felt that same grasp tightening around her in the form of a string of digital numbers. Thankfully, in the group she ended up at the 50th place, but she needed better efforts to scrape away any possible milliseconds off her rivals - even if one of them had the name of Marika.
She shook her head inside her helmet and sucked in her lungs some air to not lose focus in front of the track, hoping that the grip of anxiety would ease up enough to let her continue undisturbed the seven laps ahead. The buzz of her opening communications almost scared her when she heard it echoing in her head.
"San'Elia, your turn is in one minute!"
"Great…" She muttered under her shaky breath, enough time to adjust her visor and check the controls while the gentle rocking of the Anti Gravity craft a good metre off the ground was the sole thing lulling her into a more temporary relaxed state.
'Left Airbrake… Right Airbrake… responsive. On-board computer… active. Energy Shield, filled up and ready to go. Good.' She thought as she felt in control of the situation as soon as the small checklist was completed.
When the countdown appeared on the screen in front of her, she held still the foot on the accelerator and the fingers over the shift levers, with such a naturalness that she silently praised - hoping that she'll have such a happier state of mind more often.
GO! And off she goes to reach her dream, pushed on her seat at the speed of 400 km/h almost constantly across the straightaways and the chicanes of the Italian track. The g-suit developed for them made sure that also she would remain in control even at the sharpest turns. The yellow arrow her craft created at each passage over the finish line drew better and better at each lap, supported by her Turbo available at each Lap made to support each Pilot on their search for the best time. But it wasn't enough at the end of her backbreaking seven laps. Still 10 seconds separated her from the best time of Sofia de la Rente here, an abyss in comparison, but in the end her ranks rose from 50 to 48. She slammed her gloved palms on the wheel in frustration, two positions weren't what she was aiming for in this initial session.
If she continued with this terrible pace, she'd remain only a number in the list of FEISAR and not an actual Pilot there.
FEISAR Italian Subsection HQ, 15 July 2045
A week earlier, Barbara successfully finished her High School a year in advance than her peers since she started the Elementary schools at least year earlier than the rest since her mother Cristina couldn't afford to have her all day long at home, and it paid well in that Saturday afternoon when she triumphantly walked out of the building with the diploma in one hand and the other in the one of Cristina, raised up in the summer skies to crown another success after she managed to be the best of the 40 left at Bologna, with almost 7 more seconds to go. Now, without any more distractions from her old school, she managed to have a better focus overall, prizing her with an outstanding performance in one of the last sessions of her group and making her to snatch a few more positions off her leaderboard.
By the end of the month, despite being under one of the annual summer heatwaves around there, she managed to get a new personal best and place herself closer to the last selections ahead. For once, after months of tired and restless nights between time trials and her long studying sessions that felt endless at times, she was able to see some concrete results right ahead.
Cristina and Barbara eventually went to celebrate her success by bringing her to have an enjoyable break at Como's Lake, as every other year before, together with her parents. She recalled that fateful call of Jaume, telling her about the new take on the Anti Gravity technology they've spent so much time of their lives on. The brimming atmosphere of the city and its lake were always a good way for the girl to rest and recharge from her chaotic life, the only time ever where she could grasp the sense of time and eventually feel herself again - everything she needed before the last push.
FEISAR Italian Subsection HQ, 15 September 2045
In the end, they only remained in 20 at the HQ, and the situation was pretty much similar around the other twelve HQs.
The rules once more were turned upside down, since they needed only ten there to keep around and only one efficient Pilot beside the best three available, and the next step wasn't to have the best time but to have the notorious "Head to Head" to decide their fate. Divided in two groups randomly chosen by Robertson in a formal email, they'll race in pairs with not even the Turbo at their disposal, only pure skills would settle down the final list of Pilots.
Marika went to visit Barbara a few days before the actual last races for many of them and sat down with her at one of the benches present in the outside gardens of the HQ. Initially, they talked about their last year divided by their everyday life things and this experience in general, then the topics returned personal and almost contemplative of what they're feeling about this all.
"Although we aren't paired up for the next Head to Head, I can't shake off the fact that we're so close to the end. How do you feel about this? Are you excited?"
Barbara couldn't believe that she's always so cheerful and optimistic even in such dire times, but to not disappoint her by remaining self absorbed, she cleared her voice and nodded slowly.
"Yes, I am. However, I cannot shake off the fact that we might lose or just… lose, yeah. This makes me more anxious than excited actually." She confessed to her in the end, lowering her head in shame to show herself so vulnerable as this.
However, that earned from her a heartwarming smile while she patted her back with a feathery touch of comfort.
"You were amazing in the tracks in the last four months, I have no doubt that you'll reach the best ten by the end of these trials. And remember" she paused, retracting her arm from her friend to look up in the afternoon skies "you can hold only what you can control, let the rest go and yourself with it, Barbara. However it'll go, you can consider yourself one of the best who drove for FEISAR."
The Italian girl returned the smile in the gentlest way possible, she needed to hear something like that in these tiresome days. Despite the inviting words to accept whatever it'll go for her, she sealed her fists on her legs and her expression contracted into a more convinced look. "I see, but now I'm too close to simply sit here and feel satisfied of being the reserve of a reserve, literally. I'll go down with this and get that place here."
Marika remained quiet for some seconds, before she responded with a proud look at her.
"Since the very first day I've been sure of that, not many here have this same spirit burning inside with this as yours, Barbara. Then I look forward to seeing you on that list of twelve Pilots."
The expression of Barbara softened again, then she leaned closer and went to hug her in sheer gratitude, glad that she had with her a small yet important support for the Swedish girl.
'I'll win this also for you, Marika.' She thought before she let her go.
Their gazes crossed for a few meaningful seconds before Barbara, sheepishly, was the first to look away and stand up from the bench to adjust her racing jacket on her shoulder.
"Anyway, would you like to eat something with me, Marika?"
At the offer, the brunette couldn't simply refuse, and with a thumb up directed at her fellow friend, she stood up and almost became her shadow for how close she walked beside her.