The car ride remained silent with Tara mostly staring out of the window at the passing buildings. There was a sense of disinterest in her gaze as if she was in her mind somewhere else.
“So, why are you going to the race?” Leon decided to ask, trying to start a conversation.
Tara, however, just brushed it off without averting her gaze. “Because of the same reason you do.”
“You mean because Trey forced you to?”
“He forced you?” This seemed to catch her attention as she suddenly sat more upright, her eyes trained on Leon with a hint of amusement.
“Yeah, we talked about me being more social this semester. That's why.”
Tara simply laughed and shook her head. “That’s unexpected. I thought you were trying to socialize like us to make connections.” Her eyes showed but a moment of irritation before returning to the same disinterested gaze.
“Is that why that other girl, Nicole, tried to recruit me?” Leon didn’t want this conversation to end, especially since he could glean more information about high society from her, something he didn’t often talk about with Trey since it seemed irrelevant at the time.
Tara looked at him for a moment and nodded. “Nicole is ambitious. The company her family runs was founded by her grandmother and then given to her father. He said he would let any of their siblings inherit everything as long as they showed enough promise and grit to elevate it to higher standards.”
“That makes sense.”
A typical inheritance fight was what runned through Leon’s mind. It was the same for big companies 150 years ago, and it seems like it’s the same in this age as well. Maybe it’s even harsher because wealth and social status are of such higher importance now.
‘Still… founded by her grandmother.’ One thing that Tara said was stuck in his mind. ‘So after they failed to create the first true AI with the phoenix project, she founded a company to further research it after the United Human Territories were established. Has she not completely given up or was it to not let all their work go to waste?’
The more he speculated, the more his interest in AxonLabs increased, the company run by Nicole’s family. Maybe he should consider her offer at some point. After all, his deal with Alpha Dynamics, or Dr. Irvine to be specific, was mostly for him to find out about his father’s legacy which appeared to be the failed Phoenix Project.
“What do you think are her chances?” Leon asked.
“To run the company? Not bad. Actually, quite good. Her attractiveness gives her much more leeway and the network she has built through it is nothing to scoff at.” Tara stopped talking for a moment and leaned closer towards Leon. “Apparently, she got Trey to offer an investment contract through his family’s corporation that is heavily skewed in AxonLabs’ favor. It’s more like a donation.”
‘The bastard…’ Leon cursed in his mind while his eyebrows twitched visibly. Although he knew his friend was kind of a player, he never took him for a pushover. However, he did just put them in a car to play around with race cars an hour before the actual event started. Maybe he was just overlooking the fact his friend splurged money wherever and whenever.
“Then what about you?” Leon was curious. “Are you the tag-along for your friend to leave when she decides to call it a day or are you trying to build connections as well?”
He didn’t think she was that interested based on her expression throughout the car ride but he felt better to just outright ask. After all, she seemed like a straightforward person with her remarks and comments where others would simply keep quiet.
Hearing his question, Tara tilted her head for a moment and chuckled.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“Yes, well, my parents wanted me to go to the after-party where important people our age gather, those that will possibly take high positions at different companies or the government. I don’t have the same ambitions as Nicole, however, so it’s not exactly enjoyable. Being her backup while we have fun before the race, though, is a different matter altogether.”
She flashed a brilliant smile at last, the first genuine smile he’s seen from her all day. Watching her, Leon even became dazed for a short while until he processed her word correctly.
“Wait, did you say something about an after-party?” He stared at her in confusion, making Tara laugh again.
‘Oh? He didn’t tell you about that either? We’re going to the after-party where the winners of the race are celebrated. Most of them are students of Adkins, after all.”
This completely blew his mind. Seeing a race while meeting new people was one thing but Trey planned on bringing him to an event where all those in high society show their hypocrisy under a deceitful facade?
‘Damn, this wasn’t a part of the deal, you fucker.’ He could only curse in his mind at his own stupidity of not having predicted this.
Humans do work differently from machines, after all.
……….
Maglev Racing.
It has become popular after the magnetic levitation technology progressed enough to be implemented into any vehicles other than just trains and buses. By using powerful electromagnets with a race track that replaces tarmac with a superior magnetically conductive alloy, maglev cars can completely eliminate rolling resistance and friction.
Decades later, this sport gained extreme popularity among the rich and powerful, due to the high intensity and speeds. Even their ability to accelerate and decelerate is incomparable to conventional electrical vehicles. A different sensation that stimulates the audience and the driver in extreme ways.
These maglev race cars can perform at speeds up to 600 kilometers per hour, making race cars during the time before Leon went into cryogenic sleep look like a joke. Without any air resistance and material concerns, these cars could go even faster.
And now, such a race car was standing in front of Leon. Four more just like his were parked in front of the others, each one painted in different colors and designs.
Tara’s car was painted with a shiny rusty color similar to her hair with stripped highlights of teal and burnt orange, giving it a fresh autumn-seasoned look.
Neal’s and Trey’s car respectively had opposing designs of bright red and dark blue color schemes with the same highlights and imprints. Only Trey’s dark blue car had the black imprint of his team on the side of the doors, Tsunami.
Clearly as homage to his family’s company, Tsunami Foods, that sponsored an entire team just because Trey wanted to be a driver.
‘The privilege of the youngest child…’ Leon was once again reminded of Trey’s background that betrayed his simple-minded nature.
When his gaze passed by Nicole’s car, he unconsciously stopped for a moment.
It was painted in the color of an amethyst with golden highlights, giving the entire car a royal theme of luxury and prestige.
‘Damn, this guy is really going all out.’ He sighed. ‘What people do for love.’
Leon contemplated his friend’s actions when his gaze inevitably fell back on his car, making him sigh heavily once again.
“But why is my car color just plain matte silver?” He accidentally voiced his thoughts out loud when an arm appeared around his neck. It was Trey who smiled with an apologetic gaze.
“Sorry, man. I really didn’t trust you would actually come this time, so I didn’t prepare anything special for you. Just the uncolored model straight out of the factory.”
Hearing his explanation, Leon chuckled and brushed the arm off.
“It’s ok. Who would care about stuff like that if they can drive a race car like this?”
“That’s what I was thinking.” Trey grinned and turned back around toward the group, spreading his arms wide.
“Alright, ladies… ” He pointed one arm at Tara and Nicole, “.... Gentlemen…” He pointed the other at Neal, “... and Leon, of course.” He moved the one pointed at the girls over at Leon, making him raise an eyebrow while Tara giggled in the distance.
“We have around 15 minutes before I have to make the last preparations for the race, so how about we use that for a quick warmup?” Trey announced as he moved over to his car, the door already opening on its own.
“Alright, this is the bargain. Whoever is the first to finish three laps gets to keep their car.”
……….
‘Humans’ need for power is the same as their need for food and sleep.’
~~Dr. Benjamin Harper’s Memoirs~~