It was the night before the mid-seasonal Grand Prix.

  Leon, as he often did over the past few months, visited the nearby park to clear his mind.

  They have worked hard on Trey’s maglev race car over the past weeks, so much so that it is unrecognizable compared to the original car three months ago.

  Stronger electromagnets, a better battery specifically designed by Fusioncore, add a partially seat-integrated G-suit system, as well as integrate the Vulcan AI into the software to monitor, regulate, and control all race car systems.

  These changes are but the main areas Leon and Zoe improved on the car, and tomorrow was the day when the results would be revealed. The past few races have shown that the new systems and components needed several workups to function properly, but despite issues, Trey was able to maintain his position in fourth place.

  Now, however, Leon was confident that every new part had been integrated properly and made the car perform much better than before.

  Tomorrow, Trey will ascend to the podium for the first time. He needed to make the podium, or he wouldn’t be able to get enough points to contend for the title further down the season.

  “What do you think, old man Howard?” Leon asked as he turned his head to the man sitting next to him on the park bench.

  “Well, I’m not sure.” The old man suddenly stopped, coughing violently. “... This is not exactly my area of expertise.”

  Leon nodded. “ Yeah, me neither. I’m confident in the car, but racing always depends on the driver in the end.”

  He paused for a moment, thinking about another problem that seemed to have gotten much attention these last few days.

  “Vulcan is bringing mixed opinions to the table.”

  Old man Howard tilted his head slightly, his mind lost in thought, before nodding. “Right, that other project you said you were working on. Some managing system for that internship of yours.”

  “Yeah, that’s it,” Leon responded.

  After Leon’s talk with Dr. Irvine, the air at Alpha Dynamics HQ has been quite intense. The board of directors heard about his words from Dr. Irvine’s report, and they apparently started to put more pressure on the development teams.

  They most likely got cold feet, thinking Vulcan might have gotten too much of their trust and focus after nothing but positive news had spread after Leon’s initial test run.

  Now, they are suddenly scrambling for another failsafe if Vulcan doesn’t deliver.

  In Leon’s mind, those attempts were useless. Too little time and he was well aware that nothing could top the Vulcan System at Alpha Dynamics. It would either go well or it won’t.

  Apart from that, it was long out of their hands.

  “Old man Howard, do you think my project can compete with GenoTech’s androids?” Leon stared ahead with a listless expression. Meanwhile, Howard looked at him with a serious expression.

  “I don’t know much about that, but no matter what, competing with their androids is no easy feat. Even an old man like me has heard about GenoTech’s new android models, and if the rumors can be trusted, they are revolutionary.”

  The old man abruptly began coughing again, holding up his arm in front of his face. Now, even Leon turned towards him, looking slightly worried.

  “Are you okay, old man. You’re coughing a lot more these days.” He said, but the old man only shook his head.

  “That’s old age creeping up on me.” He stopped, looking at Leon with a wry smile. “Even medical advancement can’t stop that.”

  “Life can be prolonged, though. Many live over a century these days if they have the money.” Leon shot back, but the old man chuckled in response.

  “That’s true, but what would be the point of that? For me, this isn’t about avoiding the inevitable but waiting to reunite with my wife.”

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  Silence filled the air for several moments until the old man stood up.

  “Well, I guess I’ll be heading back for today. Don’t worry about that project of yours, Leon. These things have a tendency to work out.”

  Having said that, old man Howard began leaving as Leon raised his head to look up at the stars.

  “Let’s hope it works out.” He mumbled under his breath.

  ……….

  The crowd was cheering loudly as the drivers lined up at the side of the track, waving at the people while the commentators began their pre-race pitch.

  Meanwhile, Leon was at the Tsunami Foods pit box, standing next to Zoe as they inspected the maglev race car for the last time before it began.

  “Do you think it will hold up?” Zoe asked, her arms crossed in front of her chest. Leon, who crouched next to the driver’s seat, shrugged his shoulders.

  “It’s perfectly calibrated. All systems are running smoothly and without interfering with each other like before.” He paused, turning toward her with a smile. “This will be the fastest car on the track. Whether it makes it to the podium, that’s up to Trey.”

  “Yeah, that brat better not waste it.” Zoe snorted.

  They worked countless hours on this car, so it wasn’t strange for her to feel a certain degree of pride.

  “He won’t. If there is anyone who wants to win, it’s him.” Leon replied as he stood up when a sudden figure skipped over to him, jumping on his back and wrapping her arms around his neck.

  “Hey, hey, hey, genius kid. We’re here to watch the race.” Tara said, half-laughing.

  Hunching over due to the weight, Leon chuckled. Tara soon got off his back while Leon turned around, his face showing curiosity as he looked at the auburn-haired girl and her black-haired asian friend behind her.

  “How come you guys are here? I thought you said you were busy?”

  “We were, now we’re not. The Grand Prix sounded more interesting, especially now that it’s on the Northern track.”

  She was right.

  Only the mid-seasonal and final Grand Prix would have different tracks that are both larger and more difficult than the one used for bi-weekly races.

  The mid-seasonal Grand Prix, also known as the Northern Grand Prix, took place at a special race track located in the northern sector of the Central Territory. Its trademark was the long overpass where the race cars could show their maximum speed.

  For Trey’s new race car, this was the ideal track. Here he could show the potential of the work they’ve done over the past months.

  “I heard Trey needs to make the podium today.” Nicole, who stood behind Tara, asked with a complex look on her face.

  Leon nodded.

  “Yeah, he needs at least third place.”

  “... Can he make it?” She added after a moment of hesitation, to which Leon smiled strangely. He wondered if maybe his best friend's one-sided crush might not be as hopeless as he thought.

  “He definitely can. With the new car on this track, it should be possible.”

  “I see.” Nicole nodded as she looked over at the flatscreen where the commentator introduced the many drivers.

  Meanwhile, Leon glanced over to Tara with a questioning look, but she only shrugged her shoulders with pursed lips, ignoring his confusion.

  “Can we drive the new car later?” She suddenly asked, changing the topic.

  “This car?” Leon asked as he pointed at the machine behind him. “No chance.”

  “What? Why not?” Tara asked, pouting.

  Leon shook his head at her obviously fake expression.

  “You must be crazy. With the new magnets and hyper-sensitive controls, this is nothing like the car before. You’ll crash. Trey can only do it because he tested and practiced for weeks.”

  “Just like that? Not even an exception for the girl you’re dating?” Tara shot back as she pretended to be offended by his words. “And yet they say true love overcomes all obstacles.”

  “True love, my ass.” Leon’s mouth almost spasmed. “How about me trying to make sure you stay in one piece? There’s your true love.”

  “Sure, kiddo.” Tara erupted into a fit of laughter as his last statement echoed in her head.

  “Just watch for now. Maybe you can try it on the straight road later.” Leon compromised. Hearing his words, Tara’s face beamed.

  “You see? I knew you’d be coming around. You saw that, Nicole?” The auburn-haired girl grew excited as she turned before bouncing over to the black-haired girl still watching the pre-race commentary.

  At the same time, Leon shook his head.

  He did say she might be able to drive it, however, that is only with Trey’s permission.

  ‘Hmm, that guy might just agree if Nicole asks nicely. He’s got like no standards.’

  This thought remained in his head as he looked over at the two girls who were busy talking.

  ‘I guess I’ll direct the Vulcan AI to put it into safe mode to limit its speed. I knew that would be coming in handy at some time.’

  Leon nodded with a smile as the idea became more feasible the longer he thought about it.

  ……….

  ‘Humans are about progress, not perfection.’

  ~~Dr. Benjamin Harper’s Memoirs~~