A few months later...

Of all the things that Barbara might've expected that week, that fateful email wasn't in her plans in the slightest - nor she could've asked for a better birthday gift that day, if that's what she believes it is.

To the Candidate n°999, Sant'Elia Barbara…

She halted the reading at the very first line presented, holding back her tears from the corner of her eyes. It took her some real effort to not throw it into the Spam bin the moment she saw the initial Object at the top, Update about the Final Selections, thinking that it was over before she could even open it. But her own burning desires pulled back at her, making her to desist on such stupid action and make her sweep away the cursor from the three dots of the screen. Once her mind returned lucid enough, she gulped noisily and rubbed one eye nervously. She opened the full content and resumed to read the rest only when she had calmed down enough as well, making sure to scan each line on the neatly written email page and check if this is the confirmation she was looking for months, or if that's the feared farewell.

… We are proud to accept You in the last selections for becoming one of our Test Pilots at FEISAR. We've deemed You suitable for the finals in the Italian Subsection. From now on, Your position will be subject to change throughout the next months as we will continue the tests, so keep Yourself updated through our App. … Please follow the instructions in the provided attachments to this email and bring all Your documents to the FEISAR Italian Subsection HQ situated in the city of Bologna. Join With Us. FEISAR HQ, Strasbourg, 15 March 2045

So that was it.

After a quick scroll through the three attached PDFs, initially she sat there on her bed, motionless and soundless, trying so badly to grasp the importance of that moment. Then, with the same steadiness, she begun squealing gleefully on the bed, which turned into a joyous cry when she dragged the laptop to her kitchen for her mother to see there. The mutual reciprocation of the elder woman's feelings about this positive outcome was a blessing to see, to the point of commotion as soon as she hugged her in a loving hold.

"That's so amazing, I knew that you would've done it!"

"Hahaha! And I thought that I made everyone laugh in the last test, I guess it was quite the spectacle instead."

And what a last test indeed, Cristina thought while she shook her head gently at the sarcasm of her daughter. As soon as she broke the hold, she cupped her face and stared in her olive green eyes proudly. She recalled the moment she opened them again on that hospital cot and a sigh escaped her lips, the memory is just as vivid as a film in the back of her mind. Thankfully, despite that scary moment at Innsbruck last winter, she's fine and healthy as hoped.

"It was something that was beyond your grasp, you remained sick for a good week after all. In the end they must've thought the same and gave you a chance in this. Don't miss it, Barbara, this is your time to shine." She ended up saying as she went to hug her all proudly once more.

In that embrace, Barbara breathed out in utter relief. The worse has passed, but she'll have to resist for the next challenges ahead as foreshadowed by the email itself.

Situated at the edges of the Padana's Plateau, close to the mountains between Emilia and Tuscany, the city of Bologna has always meant business in the matter of innovations, technology advancements and the purest excellence aiming high for the future, all the while by keeping proudly its medieval roots and aesthetics on the inside. Beside that, it's on a very important and strategic geographical point which binds together the most important Italian Brands of their rival Motorsports with itself: one racing for Formula One, situated at Maranello, and the other for MotoGP, precisely at Borgo Panigale. For some unknown - or obvious enough - reasons about why they decided to not Sponsor or get involved in the rising Anti Gravity Racing League, Barbara preferred to don't dwelve further about it and pull herself back from the subject, aiming to continue using all her mental strength and willpower to be an AG Pilot than losing her time about what would they think about them.

The Frecciarossa train stopped at the Station Bologna Centrale after a relatively short trip. The place itself remained untouched throughout the decades as well, beautiful as she had always remembered from a few trips in the city with her mother. Before she could recollect herself in the few happy memories she lived in the past, an elegant man, with an eye-catching blue and yellow pin on his jacket, approachedd her politely. Thanks for his ID Badge showing up over his chest, it became immediately clear to her that he's one member of the actual Subsection.

"We've been waiting for you, Ms Sant'Elia. You're one of the eighty contestants selected for this HQ. Surprisingly, you've all been fairly on time with the schedules." He added before he checked briefly the time on his wrist, then he returned his full attention to her.

"Did you have a good trip?" He asked, motioning for her to follow him outside the Station and reach the nearest car parked right outside, if she could call it a conventional car by any means.

On each side it's sporting the same bicoloured roundy symbol present on his jacket, while its overall appearance is a mix between the experimented AG public veichles in Japan, magistrally designed by the people working for Belmondo, and a canopy of glass. The four seats inside were facing each other inside, like a micro living space in an aseptic environment. She recalled such design from some newer, expensive brands that had finally mastered the self-driving AIs, and this one appeared following that same trend.

"Y-yes, I had. Why thank you." Barbara replied with a thumb up at him with a brief yet enthusiastic motion - almost showing all her teeth for how wide her smile was for a moment, although she appeared to be also rather nervous in the way she fidgeted her oversized vintage shirt covering her toned torso down to her barely covered knees, as they were exposed below the gashes of her bleached jeans. She was glad that he didn't blurted out anything about her antiquated appearance.

The man, unfazed and unbothered, looked pleased at her positive response in the end, then he opened the doors for them with a Key Card and let her take a seat first. Once they were both inside and with the gull wings doors closed shut, he used the same card on the minimalistic dashboard present and almost everything lit up in an ethereal white light which embraced the space inside.

"Stella, drive us to the FEISAR HQ of Bologna."

"Coordinations set. The shortest path has been selected successfully. You'll arrive in the designated location in 30 minutes. Please fasten your seatbelts."

The voice of the AI abroad followed soon after the gentle motion of the electric car getting to its ordered location, firstly she saw it move gently off the ground at least for a centimeters off the ground, nothing new to her at first, but once they were in a space wide enough, the sleek veichle used the small propellers attached to its sides and literally took off the ground. Such is the vision of the future applied to the everyday life as dreamed by Belmondo.
Barbara looked around herself with visible amazement, before the man spoke again to explain what she's witnessed so far.

"Stella is a temporary name for this AI we're developing alongside the U.S. AG Community for an upcoming project of self-driving Taxis. As you can see, it's being powered with a high efficiency biofuel and the latest Anti Gravity engines to make it hover and even fly anywhere one desires. Their first and official appearance is set to be during the first Season of this upcoming Championship, hoping it'll help with the traffic in the coming future."

Saying that it left her fully speechless in the moment is an euphemism. However, the silence was soon broken by the man continuing the conversation inside the pseudo-cockpit alongside her, this time with a small datapad at hand. She cracked a smile when she saw him wearing a pair of thin rectangular glasses to read the screen, just like her mother still does.

"Anyway, let's make our resume now that we're here. Barbara Sant'Elia, born on 15th of March, 2028 - happy birthday again by the way - you're now 17 years old. You live in a city at San Colombano al Lambro, and you study in a Scientific High School present there. Your mother, Dr. Cristina Sant'Elia, is an Urban Planning Engineer, lately specialised on Urbanistic Materials for AG Crafts. She uses her knowledge for us at the small FEISAR Scientific arm present at Innsbruck. Regardless, you two live together most of the week in your home at the addressed location in Italy. Am I correct until now?"

The brief yet direct biography of the two made her cheeks to flare up in mild fluster for the details shared, before she nodded in agreement right away. After all he spoke the truth there.

"Yes, you are correct, sir." But she didn't let him continue when he opened his mouth again to speak, fearing that he knew more than necessary about her backstory. "Anyway, what about the rest of the eighty-or-so candidates left? Is there something I have to know beforehand?"

The question made the man to tilt low his face, letting the glimpse of a shadow sharpen his cheekbones as well as his eyes meeting hers with sheer seriousness coming out from him. That was the delicate topic he seemingly wanted to talk about in this visit while staying for a little more inside the flying prototype.

"They're the best of the category beside you, the competition has reached a significant peak now. As new Teams seem to rise at the horizon, we'll ask for more efforts from all of you in case the AGF decides one day to begin with an actual first season somewhere. All we can ask for will be your absolute best, Ms Sant'Elia, from now on we'll be more strict with our decisions and selections."

Barbara gulped in silence. 1000 of them were already selected across Europe, with more than 80 people here being more than ready to take that place with all their strengths much like herself.

As she needed only four more months to finish her High School, it meant that she had to double the struggles now if she wanted to prevail above all.

'Bring it on' Barbara muttered to herself through her sealed lips in a neverending determined smile.

There was nothing else to be afraid now, there's only hope for the best outcome of this last trial ahead.