09-25-2018, 03:28 AM
(This post was last modified: 09-28-2018, 01:17 AM by Nika Raskov.)
Annessa sat in her customary position behind the team’s crew chief overlooking the main straight. She was close enough to the pits that she could make it to the garage before Nika, should she pit. It was a fun game for her to beat the rider back.
“Bah!” Luca smacked the side of his laptop screen and cursed something about losing the stream again. Annessa smiled at his back. He was an old-school mechanic really and was very proficient in the days' technology. Alex said it was all a front and that the man just needed something to bitch about.
She glanced up at the screen as her headphones droned on about how Cooper didn’t have the pace. That was because he wasn’t hungry anymore, she thought. There was...something about a crash...Nika’d be needing to pit again soon. Her eyes focused intently. Had the announcers said the 99 bike? She turned her sound up. The screens were settled on the dust and workers…a visor. Come ON!
Finally a replay. Annessa’s heart skipped a beat as she watched the bike slam into her rider. Her hand covered her mouth. It was a horrid crash. The whole team box was frozen. Another replay and another in slow motion, this time they’d put a circle around Raskov’s visor and followed it as it flew off screen. Fucking Fox! Those fuckers! Thank God all the angles were from behind as the main cameras for the race weren’t put up until tomorrow. Still there were the camera drones and she caught the shot of the young woman motionless in the gravel with both gloves gone. That’s how violent a crash it had been. There was the briefest glimpse of a bloodied face through the helmet’s visorless portal before the medics got in the way. Then they replayed the crash.
Annessa didn’t want to see Nika’s face hit the windscreen and triple clamps again. These TV people were ravenous though. Carnage. That’s what they wanted. Bastards. She watched the ambulance drive off toward the medical tent. Another screen shot showed the medical flight starting its rotors. Oh God. A job, she had a job to do. There was a calm about her walk to the garage. She made her way into Nika’s changing area, picked up the woman’s wallet then jumped as her own rang. Alex. He started talking before she could say anything. 'She’s alive. Costas has got her now and is scanning with the ah, the MRI.' The man was talking through a lump in his throat. 'Chopper has been called off so that’s good.' He didn’t know what else to say. Annessa was so relieved she blurted out what she didn’t want to ask and Alex couldn’t say. “She’s awake then? She’s awake? Right?” Silence hung between the two wallets. It took a long time for Alex to manage a response around his tongue. 'No.' More silence. Annessa couldn’t speak. It was Alex who managed first. 'Christ, I don’t know anything about this kid. Who’s her emergency contact?' He moved the phone away and yelled an expletive so loudly he was warned he’d have to leave the building. Annessa jumped. “Alex? Alex!” He was more calm then. 'Yeah. Sorry.' Annessa took charge. “No, it’s okay. I’ll find out and call. Let me know if...WHEN! When she wakes up, let me know. Stay there.”
Annessa hung up and took a deep breath. Her actual function was PR. She knew what she was doing though. She did. She hoped. Annessa keyed Nika’s phone on, scrolled to where it said ‘ICE’ and hit send. A man answered immediately. 'Hello?' It was Alex. “Alex? I just called her ICE contact.” ‘That was fast.’ “No Alex, it’s you. She’s got you plugged in. Well and 9-1-1. So you're second to 9-1-1. Oh wait, there's a third; G. Busters. Should I call that one?” The man was silent a beat but got it in one. 'No, that's a prank too. God. She doesn’t have anyone, does she?' Annessa felt her nose tingle and then start to drip. “No," The woman sniffled. "She’s said so casually it’s just her before and I didn’t really take it seriously. Nika’s such a joker, you know...I just...didn’t believe her.” Alex was silent. ‘Okay. Uh, we’ll figure it out.’ There was silence and then he laughed weakly. Annessa was confused. "What?" Alex's voice was shaking. 'She put 9-1-1 and Ghostbusters as her emergency contact.' Annessa laughed through a sudden sob. "Oh God, I love that." 'Me too. I'm uh, I'm going to see what's going on.' "Okay, I'm almost there." 'Alright.' And they hung up.
“Bah!” Luca smacked the side of his laptop screen and cursed something about losing the stream again. Annessa smiled at his back. He was an old-school mechanic really and was very proficient in the days' technology. Alex said it was all a front and that the man just needed something to bitch about.
She glanced up at the screen as her headphones droned on about how Cooper didn’t have the pace. That was because he wasn’t hungry anymore, she thought. There was...something about a crash...Nika’d be needing to pit again soon. Her eyes focused intently. Had the announcers said the 99 bike? She turned her sound up. The screens were settled on the dust and workers…a visor. Come ON!
Finally a replay. Annessa’s heart skipped a beat as she watched the bike slam into her rider. Her hand covered her mouth. It was a horrid crash. The whole team box was frozen. Another replay and another in slow motion, this time they’d put a circle around Raskov’s visor and followed it as it flew off screen. Fucking Fox! Those fuckers! Thank God all the angles were from behind as the main cameras for the race weren’t put up until tomorrow. Still there were the camera drones and she caught the shot of the young woman motionless in the gravel with both gloves gone. That’s how violent a crash it had been. There was the briefest glimpse of a bloodied face through the helmet’s visorless portal before the medics got in the way. Then they replayed the crash.
Annessa didn’t want to see Nika’s face hit the windscreen and triple clamps again. These TV people were ravenous though. Carnage. That’s what they wanted. Bastards. She watched the ambulance drive off toward the medical tent. Another screen shot showed the medical flight starting its rotors. Oh God. A job, she had a job to do. There was a calm about her walk to the garage. She made her way into Nika’s changing area, picked up the woman’s wallet then jumped as her own rang. Alex. He started talking before she could say anything. 'She’s alive. Costas has got her now and is scanning with the ah, the MRI.' The man was talking through a lump in his throat. 'Chopper has been called off so that’s good.' He didn’t know what else to say. Annessa was so relieved she blurted out what she didn’t want to ask and Alex couldn’t say. “She’s awake then? She’s awake? Right?” Silence hung between the two wallets. It took a long time for Alex to manage a response around his tongue. 'No.' More silence. Annessa couldn’t speak. It was Alex who managed first. 'Christ, I don’t know anything about this kid. Who’s her emergency contact?' He moved the phone away and yelled an expletive so loudly he was warned he’d have to leave the building. Annessa jumped. “Alex? Alex!” He was more calm then. 'Yeah. Sorry.' Annessa took charge. “No, it’s okay. I’ll find out and call. Let me know if...WHEN! When she wakes up, let me know. Stay there.”
Annessa hung up and took a deep breath. Her actual function was PR. She knew what she was doing though. She did. She hoped. Annessa keyed Nika’s phone on, scrolled to where it said ‘ICE’ and hit send. A man answered immediately. 'Hello?' It was Alex. “Alex? I just called her ICE contact.” ‘That was fast.’ “No Alex, it’s you. She’s got you plugged in. Well and 9-1-1. So you're second to 9-1-1. Oh wait, there's a third; G. Busters. Should I call that one?” The man was silent a beat but got it in one. 'No, that's a prank too. God. She doesn’t have anyone, does she?' Annessa felt her nose tingle and then start to drip. “No," The woman sniffled. "She’s said so casually it’s just her before and I didn’t really take it seriously. Nika’s such a joker, you know...I just...didn’t believe her.” Alex was silent. ‘Okay. Uh, we’ll figure it out.’ There was silence and then he laughed weakly. Annessa was confused. "What?" Alex's voice was shaking. 'She put 9-1-1 and Ghostbusters as her emergency contact.' Annessa laughed through a sudden sob. "Oh God, I love that." 'Me too. I'm uh, I'm going to see what's going on.' "Okay, I'm almost there." 'Alright.' And they hung up.