Douglas' machine was a two-parter, as previously mentioned. He entered the cockpit of the relatively small humanoid robot, which was then seated in the seat of the vehicle he'd built before it. He first activated the mech, which came to life with an impressive-sounding whirring sound. The orange visor glowed brightly, and just because he could, Douglas made the mech crack its knuckles.<br/><br/>Inside, he was settled in a comfortable-looking chair, which had two chest-crossing seatbelts to keep him secure. The buckle that the belts attached to was stylized with an avian skull surrounded by fire. For safety's sake, Douglas did not actually have windows in the cockpit, but screens that broadcasted what was seen from the optics in the machine's head. Along with visuals, the screens broadcasted important statistics via holographic displays throughout the cockpit.<br/><br/>The first meter, the speedometer, took a lower central position on the HUD. A radar system built in sat in the corner, and with pre-known information about the race's route, a map that would lead to the first checkpoint was projected as well. Douglas took hold of the controls in the cockpit, and the machine itself took the controls of the hovercar it sat in.<br/><br/>Previously open-topped, a bright orange glow surrounded the machine as a hard light protective barrier was creative. It was still transparent enough to see through from the outside, and was completely transparent from within. Along with being protective, it made the vehicle he'd built look even more impressive.<br/><br/>The countdown began, and Douglas mentally prepared himself.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">3...</span><br/><br/>Hands wrapped tight around the controls, he gave a quick glance to the side, looking over the other racers. Machines came to life, boosters extended, and runners got into a position to offer maximum speed when taking off.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">2...</span><br/><br/>Turning his gaze forward again, Douglas stepped on a pedal. The large fan-like structures on the bottom of his hovercar roared to life, and the scaffolds that previously held it up retracted into the machine's sides. The vehicle was now suspended in the air.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">1...</span><br/><br/>The thrusters began building up speed even more, releasing a bright glow as they began to tilt ever-so-slightly. Douglas' foot twitched lightly on the pedal.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">GO!</span><br/><br/>Simultaneously, all the thrusters on the machine tilted backwards. Douglas' machine shot forward, leaning ever-so-slightly in a forwards direction. His speedometer shot upward as he reached higher speeds, and from the back of the vehicle, two vertical thrusters activated to give him even more speed.<br/><br/>If anyone had their communications on, they could hear him laughing. Not because he was ahead of anyone, or because he found something hilarious.<br/><br/>Just because he was already having so much fun.