1:15 p.m.
The machine shop is way too far from our pit.
And the sharp edges from the newly machined spare part aren't making it any better. There are fifteen minutes until I must be on the field for alliance selections, and Hunter pointing out that our chassis had a severe dent in the right side thirty minutes prior has put me in a slightly above-annoyed mood. Out of breath, I squeeze behind Marcus, who's fixing a pesky wire in the power distribution panel.
"How is the list coming along?" Aidan asks, grabbing the extrusion from my hand and crouching on the bot's side. Reaching for an orange mallet in the road case drawer behind him, the sound of rubber on aluminum fills our 15x15x15 foot space, blending in with the whirring of drills and scratching of metal on metal.
I lean past Hunter while he's replacing the intake motor and grab the clipboard hanging on the side. Flipping through the stack of papers with the stats of all sixteen teams, I give myself a silent nod of approval at the list I've curated. This should work.
"The list is set. If the other teams have similar ideas, though, then the real tension is going to be accepting or declining the offers."
But I hope that it doesn't come to that.
1:30 p.m. "The FalconRiders would like to invite the Atlas Runners to join our alliance." My eyes dart up from my clipboard, and once I find the voice of the team's representative, my jaw nearly drops at the person who's wearing the DRIVER button on their collared jersey.
Shayla is a part of The FalconRiders.
I frantically search for the boys in the stands, and when I meet their gazes, their expressions are just as shocked as mine.
My phone buzzes in my pocket.
Wayfinder Tech Crew
MARCUS: I don't know what to tell you about this one, Faye.
HUNTER: I think you should decline it. we should still hope that BetaShock will choose us.
FAITH: that's wishful thinking, Hunter. based on rankings, I'm sure we're not exactly their top choice right now.
AIDAN: I'm going to have to agree with my brother on this one. we're one of the few teams with a sustaining game piece manipulator, and that puts us high enough on higher-scoring teams' radars, regardless of rankings.
FAITH: are you sure we're being objective here? this reasoning is purely based on statistics, and what was mentioned in our strategy meeting before we found this out?
HUNTER: it's completely unbiased.
AIDAN: ^ I also think you should be the driver for Elims, btw.
FAITH: hmmm. I just might pick you up on that offer. As for the response, I guess the consensus is clear...
I blink once. Twice. Then, I take a deep breath before strolling to the emcee and Shayla at their position in the center of the field. Taking the mic from the emcee, I keep my voice as level and stoic as possible.
"The Atlas Runners respectfully decline your offer."
Waves of "Ooooooooh" and confused murmurs rippled throughout the audience. Like BetaShock, the FalconRiders are a team to watch and are most likely favored to win, so when both the other number one ranked team and a wildcard reject an alliance proposal, it can get tense.
Especially if the driver on that rejected team is your ex-best friend.
But I felt a bit more confident in my decision after seeing the appalled and disgusted look on Shayla's face.
YOU ARE READING
The Silicon Valley Connection
RomanceCollege junior Faith Sommers is all about processes--a series of steps followed (sometimes often repeated) in order to yield a certain result. As an aspiring astronaut, the founder of her own tech company, and a full-time engineering student, proced...
