Chapter 8

One Month Ago - The Day After The Vacuo 500

Yang woke up with a splitting headache. It was so bad she could almost forget about her chest injuries. The morning sun shined in through a gap in the hotel window drapes, casting a blinding beam of light directly into her already sensitive eyes. Hangovers sucked and it had been a long time since she had one. She was usually smart enough to hydrate adequately when drinking, but she had apparently been too far gone. She had been drunk enough to fall asleep in the uniform she had worn to the race. It smelled of rubber and methanol - the scent of the Vacuo Motor Speedway - with a hint of another sort of alcohol mixed in.

Yang stumbled into the bathroom, flipped on the lights and took a look at herself in the mirror. Her hair was a mess and her eyes were bloodshot, the very definition of beauty. The previous day had been a whirlwind. She remembered Pyrrha crashing, May crashing, Weiss crashing and Ruby winning. There was a party at some point that night. Everything else was a blur. Something told her she had to apologize for a few things, but she could not remember for what or to whom. Someone would surely remind her. Hopefully there were not pictures.

After a quick shower Yang dressed and headed out. Her first stop was the next room over, her father's. She should probably apologize for getting wasted in his presence. She knocked on the door. She could hear some stumbling around inside and after a few seconds Taiyang opened up. He looked just as bad as she had, with the added problem of being in desperate need of a shave. "Hey, sorry I got so drunk yesterday." Taiyang said before Yang could say anything. "I was so nervous for Ruby. That shit Qrow drinks is stronger than I expected too. I hope I didn't do anything too embarrassing."

"I was actually here to apologize to you." Yang said. "I don't remember much about yesterday beyond getting drunk. And you're right about Qrow's booze. It's like he drinks pure alcohol. I feel like I should be apologizing to someone for something, but I guess not you."

"I kind of remember you, Penny and Pyrrha arguing about something." Taiyang suggested. "You're probably looking for one of them."

"That sounds about right." Yang said. She tried to think back but was no closer to remembering anything. In the past she had never gotten so drunk as to forget large chunks of time, but here she was. It was frustrating. She headed down to the hotel lobby. Everyone was supposed to meet there shortly before heading over to the track for the official winner's photos. That and meeting with the press would take most of the day, and then they would go to the banquet where Ruby and the team would officially receive their trophies.

In the lobby Penny and Pyrrha were sitting in adjacent chairs. Penny was hunched over looking sick and Pyrrha was gently rubbing her back. Yang sat beside Pyrrha. "I see you handle a hangover better than she does." Pyrrha said.

"I am never drinking again." Penny groaned.

"You look surprisingly fresh Pyrrha." Yang said.

"Well, I didn't drink." Pyrrha said. "You two on the other hand…"

"About that, I wanted to apologize." Yang said. "I don't really remember what happened, but I feel like I should be apologizing to someone."

"You're not wrong." Pyrrha confirmed. "Apology accepted."

"I guess I did something huh?" Yang asked. "Do you mind filling me in?"

"I'd rather not." Pyrrha replied.

"Please." Yang said. "I'd rather hear it from you."

"Fine." Pyrrha sighed. "After my crash you were very...affectionate. You kept grabbing my arm and staring at me."

"Did I?" Yang said with an uneasy laugh. "Sorry."

"Then in the winner's circle you tried to make out with me." Pyrrha continued. "I had to physically push you away. The whole thing made me very uncomfortable."

"Oh, wow, I'm really sorry." Yang said. Even she was shocked by her own behavior. "I hope this doesn't make things too awkward. I don't want to lose a great friend over this."

"Don't worry about it." Pyrrha said. "You weren't the only one. Penny tried to propose to your sister."

"I was very drunk." Penny said.

"It sounds like you had a tough time wrangling the drunks." Yang said. "I guess we owe you one."

"You don't owe me anything." Pyrrha said. "I'm just glad things didn't get more out of hand. In the future, try to watch your alcohol intake."

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea." Yang said. "I should probably stay off the hard stuff too. I don't know how Qrow drinks so much of it and doesn't...well...die of alcohol poisoning."

"I've built up one hell of a tolerance." Qrow said, suddenly appearing behind them. "You lovebirds were really cute yesterday."

Pyrrha's face turned bright red with embarrassment. Penny just shook her head. "Uncle Qrow, don't make me punch you." Yang warned.

"Alright, alright, I'm just kidding." Qrow laughed. "There's no need to get violent. I've got enough people wanting to beat me up without adding you to the list."

Present Day

It was once again time for the Menagerie Grand Prix, still held at the same track it had been since the race's inception. There was a lot going on, and not all of the action was on track. The week after the Vacuo 500 Pyrrha, Yang and Weiss had visited the Emerald Forest Circuit. The promised upgrades were well on their way to completion and it was announced that assuming the work went ahead as planned, the grand prix would indeed be held there. The drivers were not particularly happy about that, but at least the insanely dangerous track would be slightly less so.

There were other changes on the safety front. Yang's proposal for an official series doctor had been accepted by the drivers and the governing body. Winter's personal physician, Dr. Glenn, was named Formula 1's official doctor. The medical centers and medical response teams at every race would be under his command, and all drivers would need to be certified healthy before racing again in the event of a crash. As predicted, Yang was the first victim of the new policy. Dr. Glenn refused to allow her to race at Menagerie. She was mostly healed, but given her recent re-injury, Dr. Glenn was not taking chances. She would have to wait for the Vytal GP to make her return.

The complicated relationship between the people of Menagerie and the Schnees went on. Winter and the Schnee Automotive team were the target of boos, protests and occasional threats during their brief time on the island. That was hardly surprising. What was surprising was the treatment of Weiss. She had once been as much a target as her older sister, but opinions were changing. Part of that had to do with Weiss herself. She avoided any association with Schnee Automotive while also publically criticizing her father and his company. Part of the shift was also down to Blake. Though not a driver, she was the most successful Faunus in F1 and as such she was a hero to many in Menagerie. When she said Weiss deserved to be treated with respect - that she was not her father, that she was not their enemy - people listened. Her last name meant they would never love her, but at least most ceased to hate her. Toleration was better than nothing.

On track the big news came in the form of a series of driver changes. Ciel was out at Schnee. She was too slow and Mr. Schnee was always on the lookout for a replacement. He chose May Zedong, the year's most promising rookie. May was replaced at Bronze Car Company Roy Stallion. Since she would be sitting out with her injury, Yang would need a substitute as well. The choice was obvious and no one was surprised when her sister Ruby was named her replacement for the Menagerie GP. She had roughly as much F3 and F2 experience as Yang had had when she debuted in F1, with the added bonus of being the Vacuo 500 champion.

As one might expect, Ruby's first practice session saw some slow times. She had to get used to the car. Up at the sharp end of the field Weiss, Winter and Pyrrha battled it out. May, getting used to a new car, was not far behind but noticeably off the pace. Sun was always fast at Menagerie and this year was no exception. He ran fifth, posting times similar to May's. Coco, Emerald, Mercury, Fox and Neptune completed the top 10. Ruby finished up the first practice twelfth. There was some good news though. She was already comfortable in the car. It was a totally different experience to driving a Champ Car, but it some ways it was easier. The F1 car had much more grip and less power, making it much easier to driver. Learning the track was the real trouble spot, but Ruby would get the hang of it once she put some laps in.

Get the hang of it she did. Ruby finished the second practice in sixth. Winter was fastest, followed by Weiss, Pyrrha, May and Sun. There was still a decent gap between May and the top three, but it was closing. The final practice saw more improvement from Ruby and May. Ruby jumped Sun into fifth and May placed fourth, just behind Pyrrha. Winter and Weiss again took the top two spots. Menagerie was a power track, and it was becoming clear that the Schnee machines were power cars. With even more fast tracks later in the season, the field had reason to be worried.

Between the final practice and qualifying there was a brief but intense rain shower. The track was soaked but the sun came out about a half hour before the hour long time trial session. The conditions were still damp, and with no further rain forecast, most of the drivers stayed in the garage and waited for the track to dry out. The only frontrunner to go out on track was Ruby who needed all the laps she could get. With the session three quarters over, the track was finally sufficiently dry for everyone else. The mad scramble to put in a good lap in what was effectively a shortened session produced some interesting anomalies. In the closing moments Weiss was first, followed by Pyrrha, May, Ruby, Sun, Winter, Arslan, Coco, Sage and Reese.

The heavy hitters went out for one final run. Weiss knew Winter was lurking and that she could not count on her time standing up. She rounded the final turn, Forest, and blasted onto the frontstretch. It was a nearly flat-out turn and her engine screamed as she crossed the line to begin her lap. Weiss braked hard for the first turn, Wildman. She coasted through the banked right-hand hairpin then hit the throttle hard on exit. The car raced uphill toward the second corner, Faunus, a tricky right-hander at the crest of a hill. The car got light as she hit the apex, regaining control just in time to brake hard for the immediate left-hand hairpin, Founder's Corner. Even slower than the first turn, Weiss was careful not to spin the tires on exit as she headed into the faster part of the track.

After a crest the track drifted right, left and right again as it cut its way through the dunes. Weiss got on the brakes for the last time until Forest, slowing for the right-hand sweeper called Disconnect. She was back on the throttle almost immediately, getting a good run off and heading for the Dog-Leg, a flat-out left-hand kink. The car oversteered slightly but Weiss held it, drifting to the left side of the circuit to line up for her entry into the flat-out triple right-hander, East Tunnel. She hit the trio of apexes perfectly and was on her way toward Forest. On entry she touched the brakes ever so slightly, then coasted. She had to be patient. At just the right moment she hit the gas and the car leapt off the turn, tires screeching in protest as she pushed them to the very edge of traction. Weiss rocketed down the frontstretch and across the line to complete her lap.

Weiss was to be disappointed. Winter's final lap was faster than hers by fractions of a second. Pyrrha slipped into third just ahead of Ruby, followed closely by May and Sun. Coco, Arslan, Emerald and Reese rounded out the top ten. The people of Menagerie were confronted by an all-Schnee front row. Winter and Weiss were both winners at the track, and Weiss was not as hated as she had been, but it was still a disappointment to the locals. They wanted to see Sun up front, or at least a car powered by Blake's engines. They got a Schnee in a Schnee car on pole. It had been five years since that last happened but it was too soon all the same.

Race day was wet, very wet. It started raining about an hour before the cars rolled onto the grid and it just kept pouring. High winds added to the misery. In some places large puddles of standing water formed, particularly in Founder's Corner which was under about an inch of water. The inside line of Wildman was waterlogged as well. Out in the dunes it was no better with water running across the track in substantial rivulets. It would be insane to race in those conditions. Then again, sanity was never a big deal in F1.

Once out on the grid, most of the drivers sat in their cars with umbrellas shielding them from the rain. Ruby got out. She walked to the edge of the circuit, lifted her helmet and balaclava, and vomited. After that she felt much better. She was still nervous though. Her first F1 race was also going to be her first race in the rain. She was thankful to have run some laps in damp conditions the day before, but that was nothing compared to what she faced today. She had never seen a track in such terrible condition. In some places the rain had even washed sand onto the course as the dunes gave way under the watery onslaught. She did her best to memorize every puddle, every rivulet, every wash-out. She would again on the parade lap.

The cars rolled around for the parade lap before lining up on the grid for the start. The starter raised his soaked flag. After a much shorter than normal wait - apparently the flagman did not want to be out in the rain either - the flag dropped and the race was underway. Winter and Weiss got almost identical starts from the front row, but though she had the preferred line, Weiss was forced to yield. The massive puddle on the inside of the first corner was not navigable, so Weiss slipped in line behind Winter as the pair drove around the outside of it. For a start in such appalling conditions, the drivers were surprisingly well behaved. There was no turn 1 calamity, and the first lap went off clean with Winter leading Weiss, Pyrrha, May and Ruby. Ruby had been forced to slow to avoid the first corner puddle, and had not been able to get in line until May was ahead of her.

Lap 5 saw a dramatic turn of events. Jaune followed Cardin down the frontstretch, their cars approaching top speed. There was a spin in front of them as Fox and Mercury made contact on entry to the first turn. Cardin slowed abruptly. Jaune ducked right to avoid contact and ran straight into a puddle, hydroplaning all the way to the corner. Somehow he missed the other competitors as his car sailed straight off the corner. The banking caused Jaune's car to become airborne briefly. It landed in the sand just before slamming head-on into the armco at well over 100 mph.

Track workers rushed to Jaune's car. He remained inside, conscious and groaning in pain. He was pretty sure his legs were broken. As carefully as they could the workers extracted Jaune from the wreck. They carried him over the barrier before laying him down in the sand. His right leg was bent at a sickening angle, clearly broken somewhere below the knee. After a few minutes Dr. Glenn arrived with the medical team. He determined that both of Jaune's legs were broken, even if the left's break was less obvious. Rather than sending him to the medical center, he ordered Jaune loaded into an ambulance and taken directly to the hospital.

All the while the race went on. Winter did not have the speed in the wet that she had shown in dry conditions. On lap 11 Weiss swept to her right as they tore down the frontstretch, outbraking her sister as they entered the first turn to take the lead. Pyrrha was right there too, and on lap 17 she made an almost identical move to take second. The Schnee cars in general did not seem well suited to the conditions. Ruby followed May around for the opening part of the race. On lap 22 as the cars entered Disconnect, Ruby pulled left and drove up along the outside of May's car. They drag raced off the corner but May had to yield once they reached the Dog-Leg. Yielding the position as she did further slowed May, and Sun swept around her as they entered East Tunnel.

Pyrrha closed in on Weiss. She was obviously faster. Weiss could do just enough to stay ahead but not much more. On lap 37 Pyrrha made her move. She looked right as the cars thundered down the frontstretch. Weiss blocked the move and Pyrrha shot left. Weiss moved to block that move as well and it was nearly a catastrophe. Weiss' left rear just clipped the right-front wing on Pyrrha's car. The wing snapped and flew off as Pyrrha slammed on the brakes to prevent a bigger accident. Somehow Weiss' tire had not been cut by the contact, but Pyrrha's aerodynamics were compromised in conditions when she needed them most. Pyrrha steadily began to fall back, struggling to keep going with the reduced downforce. Luckily she had a big gap back to Winter.

May's race ended on lap 38 when her engine failed on exit at Founder's Corner. Her car ground to a halt in a cloud of smoke. Further back Coco had also suffered a mechanical failure, hers a collapsed suspension that luckily occurred in Faunus and not a faster corner. Arslan fell out with tire failure that sent her sliding out into the dunes before Disconnect. Toward the back the attrition was just as heavy and few cars were left running by lap 50 of 55.

On that lap Sun caught Ruby. Ruby knew there was more speed in the car but she could not find it. Ruby got to looking in her mirrors and running defensive lines to keep Sun at bay. On lap 53 it almost led to disaster. Ruby checked her mirrors before the cars entered Forest to see if Sun was going to try to pass. He made a little move to the right and Ruby matched it. When she looked up she realized she was off-line for the corner. She hit a rivulet and the car began to slide. Sun zipped past on the right as Ruby struggled to hang on. At the outside edge of the track she somehow managed to arrest the skid and regain control.

At about the same time Winter caught up to Pyrrha. Pyrrha knew she could not hold the position with her crippled car and let Winter go. Unfortunately, Pyrrha's issues were mounting. The engine was starting misfire so she was unable to be fast in the turns or on the straights. Staying ahead of Sun was going to be close. She could see Sun in her mirrors as she rounded Forest for the final time. She hit the throttle on exit but nothing happened. Sun swept around on the left just as Pyrrha's engine kicked back in, providing her with enough power to cross the line fourth. Ruby came home in fifth. Reese took the final points paying position. Emerald, Fox, Dew, and Sage rounded out to top 10.

The people of Menagerie were treated to a Schnee 1-2. They had to listen as the Atlesian national anthem was played for Weiss. Still, there was some cheering. At least Winter had not won. Sun occupied the third step on the podium. He always seemed to do well in Menagerie. Beacon GP sent Blake as the team representative to accept that trophy and she got a wild round of applause. Ruby was very happy to finish fifth. She had not expected to score on debut, her only goal being to finish the race. The celebrations were a bit subdued. Jaune was injured seriously. It was not life-threatening, but two broken legs were not insignificant injuries.

In the hospital Jaune decided to call it a career. He had never been fast or shown any of the talent expected of an F1 driver, but at least he had never gotten hurt. Now that this was no longer the case, he could not justify racing any longer. Team Juniper could keep the money he had paid for the seat, but he would no longer fill it.

Weiss was just about to board a plane to Vale when she received a message. Ozpin was on the phone and needed to speak to her. She picked up the phone at the gate. "I need you to come to the hospital." Ozpin said. "You know the one. We're having a meeting in Jaune's hospital room and require your presence."

"Who's we?" Weiss asked.

"Just get here as fast as you can." Ozpin said.

The next race was in just two weeks and Weiss had planned to spend them relaxing at her posh apartment near the Vale GP course. She wanted to get there as soon as possible. Now she would have to wait at least another day. "Fine." She sighed before abruptly hanging up.

Weiss arrived at the hospital and was directed to Jaune's room. Ozpin, Glynda, Pyrrha, Ruby and Yang were there. "What's this about?" Weiss asked. "I want to go home."

"Jaune has decided to retire." Glynda said. "That means his seat is vacant."

"Yang's coming back for the next race, so Ruby will be available." Weiss said.

"It would be a conflict of interest for Ruby to race against a car she designed." Ozpin said. "Right now we have a deal on the table, and all we need is your agreement."

"What deal?" Weiss asked.

"You would move to Team Juniper and drive the #2." Ozpin replied. "Ruby will take over the #4, at least for the remainder of the season."

"So I get to drive for the defending champions with Pyrrha as my teammate?" Weiss asked. Glynda and Ozpin nodded. "Deal."

"I told you she'd do it." Yang said.

"On one condition." Weiss said.

"Name it." Glynda said.

"I will drive the #2 car, but I will not be a #2 driver." Weiss said. "I expect to receive the same treatment as Pyrrha."

"Of course." Glynda agreed. "You're both champions and deserve to be treated as such."

"I didn't agree to this." Pyrrha cut in.

"Do you object to having Weiss as your teammate?" Glynda asked.

"No." Pyrrha said. "On one condition."

"Name it." Glynda said.

"I want an apology for knocking my wing off." Pyrrha said. "That was a dangerous block and it almost took us both out."

"I'm sorry for blocking so aggressively." Weiss said.

"Apology accepted." Pyrrha said. She and Weiss shook hands.

"Then if there are no further objections…" Ozpin said.

"Are you sure you want me to drive?" Ruby asked. "I still don't think it's a good idea."

"You're right, it's not a good idea." Yang said. "It's a great idea! I can't believe my baby sister's going to be my teammate! It'll be awesome!"

"I know you're nervous." Ozpin said. "But we all believe in you. You'll make a fine grand prix driver."

"I hope you're right." Ruby said. "I'd hate to let everyone down."

"Ruby, you could never let me down." Yang said. "You can do it. I know you can."

Standings after four races:

1st - Yang Xiao-Long - 21

2nd - Weiss Schnee - 19

3rd - Pyrrha Nikos - 18

4th - Winter Schnee - 13

5th - May Zedong - 10

6th - Sun Wukong - 8

7th - Arslan Atlan - 4

8th - Coco Adel - 2

8th - Ruby Rose - 2

10th - Fox Alistair - 1

10th - Reese Chloris - 1

10th - Neptune Vasilias - 1

Inspirations

- Menagerie is a stand-in for the Netherlands and the track is based on Zandvoort.

- The people of Menagerie's reaction to Schnee dominance is a bit like my reaction to Kyle Busch running lower division NASCAR races. For someone like that to step down to beat up on the little guys so often is disheartening to say the least. If he would cut out the ego trip and just run Cup races, or only a few Xfinity and Truck races, that would be fine, but he runs just about every damn race and I'm very sick of seeing him win. It would be a bit like if Michael Schumacher ran F3 races every weekend while he was in his prime.

Inaccuracies and Anachronisms

- Mid-season driver changes were uncommon at the time except in the event of death or injury, particularly at the larger teams. Ferrari, on which the Schnee team is loosely based, did have a habit of trying to secure any promising talent while repeatedly hiring and firing the same few steady if unspectacular drivers.

- At 21 Ruby would probably be too young to be considered for an F1 seat in this era.

- The 1971 Dutch GP was run in the rain but the conditions were not as extreme as described.

- Driver swaps like the one described at the end of the chapter were just about unheard of at the time.