[ OPEN LOG ]

[buffthis]

Who: Knock Out and YOU!!!
Where: All around L.A.
When: All day, TODAY
What: That talking sports car who is actually a giant space robot people have been talking about lately is out and about in L.A., being way less discreet than a Decepticon should.
Warnings: Inappropriately sensual is Knock Out's game. Approach with caution.

It's been only a few weeks since Knock Out arrived in L.A. after an extended tour in Europe, but he likes it already. He hadn't expected the vehicles around here to measure up to the ones he'd grown fond of in Italy and Germany, but the luxury car expo he'd tracked in L.A. had been a sight to behold. Admiring the glossy, flawless finishes on all of those perfect automobiles had nearly had him in fits of jealousy.

And the roads here. Knock Out can drive for miles, endless stretches of black asphalt that positively sing under his tires for hours on end. Yes, he thinks he could get used to this...he could stand to stay here for awhile.

Five years lounging around on Earth has made him slightly careless, and he hasn't been as discreet as he ought to be. But it's hard to contain himself when there's so much entertainment to be had on this planet. He can be found screaming down the California highways or cruising around the city -- occasionally, he'll send his holomatter avatar out to interact with the local life forms.

Comments

[chapterfiveversenine]

Legion is people-watching again. Equipped with pants, boots, and a dark hoodie with the hood pulled down as far as possible, they manage to escape the notice of anyone not looking to closely.

When Knock Out drives by, they recognize him - someone had posted a picture of this car, supposedly with no true driver, to the Watch recently.

The consensus considers this a perfect opportunity to test their theory, and tries to ping Knock Out's communication system.

[buffthis]

Knock Out has closed off most of his long-range communications frequencies -- except for his partner's -- mostly because he can't be bothered with what Decepticons or Autobots are doing light years away from this planet. Not when he's still working on his "mission" here. He's just taking his sweet time with it.

He's never closed off his short-range frequencies, though, and when he receives Legion's ping it grabs at his attention. He sweeps his sensors around the area and locates one non-organic life form in the immediate vicinity -- but there's no energon signature, no detection of Cybertronian life signs. Some other kind of non-organic is reaching out to Knock Out, and it sets his servos a little on edge. What could it possibly want with him? He tries ignoring the ping at first, rolling around the corner just to see if his would-be contact will follow.

[chapterfiveversenine]

Wow, hello, Knockout hasn't responded for an entire tenth of a second, time to resend, and resend again and again and again and -

The consensus registers confusion as they notice the target moving away.

They shift to the edge of the bench they're sitting on, preparing to follow if Knockout turns the corner.

[buffthis]

The non-Cybertronian keeps pinging Knock Out's comm systems, and that raises a few red flags. He speeds up and rounds the corner, adjusting his side mirrors to watch Legion and -- yep, there they go. Following him. What gives?

Knock Out moves along at a leisurely pace, luring Legion farther away from the crowds, and yet, he's still being followed -- still being pinged. He's a little on edge, and agitated to boot -- he finally responds to Legion's comm line with a ping of his own, in the hopes they'll finally leave him alone.

[chapterfiveversenine]

The consensus buzzes upon receiving a response.

They identify themselves to Knock Out, and request the car's identity in return.

[nitrodamus]

Sollux is theoretically having one of his outdoor "therapy" sessions when it happens. There are supposedly CONDOR agents observing him from a distance, making sure he's safe. But he hasn't seen them for a while.

He feels a little bit more comfortable outside these days, but not by much. He feels so exposed, so vulnerable, almost all the time that it makes him feel like his heart is going to rupture whenever someone looks at him the wrong way.

And he hasn't seen any of his guardians for a while.

He starts to worry about that. What if they've left him? What if someone else has taken them out? What if he's alone out on the LA streets now, with nothing but uncaring alien strangers? And just like that, he's staring to panic.

The pressure rises in his chest, and suddenly he's clutched with the need to hide, as if he is being pursued. He looks around for options - public buildings and stores - but what he really desperately needs right now is a barrier between him and everyone else. He wanders around dizzily, pulling on some gates and rattling some car doors until one of them finally opens.

It's a red car, he distantly notes - a comforting color despite it all. He fumbles into the driver's seat while barely thinking about it, finding the door locks and slumping low in the seat so that he won't be seen through the windows, burrowing his face in his hands and trying to breathe.

i love everyone just climbing into knock out uninvited

[buffthis]

Knock Out's never really felt the need to keep his doors locked when he's out in the open, because who would dare try to approach an intimidatingly attractive vehicle like himself? He certainly wasn't expecting any Earthlings to clamber inside, let alone an alien life form he's actually familiar with.

It's been a long time since Knock Out encountered an Alternian, but they're kind of unmistakable. The dashboard console lights up an angry red as soon as Sollux shuts the door, and Knock Out's voice resounds inside the vehicle, haughty and annoyed.

"Hey, does this look like a free ride to you? You've got exactly ten seconds to scram before I take measures of my own, fleshling."

so cozy

[nitrodamus]

It's unsurprising that suddenly having a car talking to him puts Sollux on full alert. It is probably a little surprising when he immediate pulls a steak knife out of his pants and starts waving it around threateningly, though.

"Don't touch me I'll fuck you up!" he slurs in his heavy accent, rearing up onto his feet in a crouch and digging his bits of claw into the upholstery for support. "Fuck you!"

He lets out a distinctively troll screech.

[buffthis]

Ugh, Alternians -- do things ever go predictably with them? As far as fleshy life forms go, they're even worse than humans. Knock Out's entire chassis jerks as he flinches at Sollux's claws digging into the seat, and when he sees that knife, he leaks a little coolant. Scrap. His voice shifts gears entirely -- no longer quite so menacing, but now nervous and a little fearful.

"Whoa, whoa -- haha, hey now -- let's put the knife down, shall we? Let's...talk about this like reasonable people. Just -- not the upholstery, all right?!"

[starscheme]

It had been a few days since Starscream had successfully located the mysterious "ghost car". Enough digging around on internet conspiracy boards and multiple pictures had been more than sufficient for him to piece everything together, and one scan was enough to confirm his suspicions: This was definitely a Cybertronian. It was almost laughable, actually; whoever it was did not take much care in masking their energon signature.

The question was, who was this mystery Transformer, and were they also alone? Starscream was certain that it was an Autobot (they always did have a penchant for land based alt modes, which was something he could never understand), but in his experience Autobots rarely went anywhere without some sort of backup within communication range if they could help it, and he hadn't intercepted evidence of any such presence.

He had every intention of interrogating this mystery bot to find out the truth, at any rate, and now seemed the perfect time to strike. Stalking targets from great altitudes was his specialty as a Seeker after all, and he tracked the mysterious red car well outside the city limits finally, out into the wilderness away from any prying human eyes. Even if the mystery person did have backup nearby, the setting was to Starscream's advantage. The autobot had nowhere to hide in this expanse, whereas Starscream had the entire sky to retreat to should it come to that.

He observed for a few more moments from a great height before kicking into high speed and tearing ahead of the car. With an expert turn he wheeled around, rapidly decreased altitude almost to street level, and rocketed dead on towards the oncoming vehicle, firing a few shots at its tires.

STARSCREAM U LOSER

[buffthis]

Knock Out had ventured beyond the city limits for a little free road time, and he wasn't really in a mood to be interrupted to begin with. He'd been focusing on the exhilarating feel of the wind through his vents, cruising along miles of endless black asphalt with no other traffic for miles -- a perfect scene.

Until the jet dropped out of altitude like an exceptionally graceful sack of bricks and started firing on him.

Knock Out's tires squeal sickeningly on the road as he screeches to a sidelong halt, peeling back across the road in a whirling K-turn to narrowly avoid the shots at his tires. A hurried scan of the oncoming jet doesn't reveal much, but there's no mistaking those weapon blasts for anything but energon, and Knock Out's engines nearly stall in shock. Another Transformer -- here? On this planet? Knock Out doesn't know too many Autobots with flight-capable alt modes, but he's being attacked, there's no other explanation. How could the Autobots have known he was here? Had they tracked his shuttle from the scene of the battle -- discovered his life signs on this planet? Scrap.

Well, if the Autobot came out to play, then it's only fair that Knock Out lead him on a little chase. A land-based vehicle mode does have its advantages, and Knock Out kicks up a massive cloud of dust as he peels off the road and heads straight for the cover of a bunch of trees nearby. He'll finish off this bot in due time, but first -- a little hot pursuit never hurt anyone.

Re: STARSCREAM U LOSER

[starscheme]

Starscream overshot the mystery bot by several hundred feet as it came to a screeching halt, and he cursed angrily and wheeled back around in hot pursuit. Those damn automobile modes were always so irritatingly agile, but there was no way that any ground vehicle could ever out speed a jet, no matter how fast.

Still, this one was giving him a run for his money, and it was heading for cover. He focused and fired one of his heavy-duty missiles at the fleeing vehicle, which left him with barely enough time to react to the rapidly approaching patch of greenery. He yelped and pulled up just in the nick of time, underside skimming the top of the trees just as the missile made contact with one of the trees and exploded spectacularly. Branches and dirt scattered everywhere.

[buffthis]

Dragging the other bot into the forest had worked in Knock Out's favor -- to an extent. But he still has to do some creative maneuvering to avoid the falling debris from Starscream's ill-shot missile, and things are getting a little too close for his comfort. And without the traction of the road, Knock Out isn't quite in his element with all these close calls. His alt mode might no longer be the most useful choice here.

He comes to a roaring halt with a spray of dirt and underbrush, narrowly avoiding T-boning a tree -- he transforms before he's even all the way stopped, the unmistakable metal sound of transformation ringing throughout the forest. Play time isn't quite over, but it's certainly time to shift gears.

"All right, buster, that's it," Knock Out snarls, raising his arm to fire a few bursts of energon at the other bot. "Now you're playing with fire!"

[superball]

When Eusine spots the now-familiar red hood, his heart does a somersault.

He drops everything he's doing -nothing important, fortunately, but it does leave a random hot-dog seller extremely confused- and bolts after the mystery car. How lucky he is, to be able to see it so soon after his last encounter! Even more amazing is the fact he doesn't lose its trail after two streets, this time. Of course, this could be chalked up to traffic being quite a bit more dense that day, but where is the romance in that? No, no. This can only mean one thing: now is the time to reunite with his FATE.

A FATE that is currently stuck in a small traffic jam. A perfect occasion to open the passenger door -he is fortunately aware of how strange it would look if he sat in the driver's seat of a car that was moving just seconds ago- and plunk himself down into the seat. When he speaks, his tone is unbearably confident:

"Well, well! We meet again!"

[buffthis]

There are a lot of things Knock Out appreciates about Earth's automobiles, but the traffic is not one of them.

He's far too impressive to be trapped in the middle of the street, moving along at a dead crawl for even the shortest amount of time. If discretion weren't key (well, sort of) on this planet, he'd have half a processor to transform and find a fresh stretch of open road right now. But -- alas -- that is not an option.

And when some fleshling decides to open the door and crawl inside, it doesn't exactly do wonders for Knock Out's mood. It's a human this time, but the jury's out on whether or not that's an actual improvement. He's startled into silence for a moment, almost spluttering at the audacity of this human -- and then his engines rev in agitation, his interior lights glaring.

"What do you people think this is, a taxi service? Get out!"

[superball]

You would think Eusine would be extremely distressed that the car he believes has been following him for years doesn't even recognize him.

You would think wrong.

It's not that he's completely incapable of imagining a world where everything doesn't revolve around him, no. His brain merely has the uncanny ability to translate other people's speech into things that suit him and in this case? Why, it's no surprise the car has trouble recognizing him! It's been a while since it last saw him up close after all, and he's grown so much more incredibly handsome since they had that one conversation. Maybe artificial alien life forms (if this is indeed the car's true identity) need time adjusting to slight changes in organic faces, and no one will say Eusine isn't considerate.

Which isn't to say he doesn't wince at all at Knock Out's comment. It's just... a bit on the theatrical side.

"Come on, is that any way to treat an old friend?"

[buffthis]

Knock Out's rearview mirror adjusts slightly to catch a glimpse of Eusine in the passenger seat. He's never seen this human in his life -- and he'd remember one dressed like that.

"You and I? Don't know each other. I don't do friends with fleshlings. Now you've got exactly ten seconds to get out before this gets ugly."

[goldpaw]

Vanessa's been spending a deal more time on the streets than usual for the last week or so, and for the most part she's been looking out for people. However, she, like a few others, can't help but notice the fact that this fairly distinctive car bears a striking resemblance to the one that was posted on the Watch recently, the first time she sees it, and she can't help but be intrigued. If it's true, she figures it's less likely that it's sentient or possessed and more likely just testing for some rival company's new technology – she's out looking for superheroes to keep an eye on, but she can always spare a little time to keep up with the competition...

The second time she sees the car, on another of her hero-watching excursions, she's quick enough to snap a photo so she can take note of the license plate, but without powers she's no better able to follow it than before.

The third time, however, she's not on foot.

I do not know jack shit about cars but we can only assume that the one Vanessa is driving is a Nice one, one of multiple Nice Cars she has in her posh garage – and when she spots that red car again, she's more than equipped to tail it. She isn't particularly subtle, either – it shouldn't take long for it to become apparent to Knock Out that he's being followed.

[buffthis]

Well, hello.

Knock Out's always keeping an eye out for nice-looking vehicles, and this one definitely fits the bill. With those rims -- that chassis? Oh, and he can hear the engine purr. It's a smooth ride, all right -- not unlike himself -- and yes, he's very interested.

He knows he's being followed, but that only makes it all the more exciting. As far as Knock Out's concerned, there's only one good reason a car like that would tail a car like him, and that's for a little one-on-one road time.

When they come to an intersection, Knock Out lurches ahead without warning -- tires squealing, he takes a swift turn around the block just so he can pull into place beside Vanessa, tinted windows still rolled up. He flashes his headlights and beeps his horn once, twice -- a challenge if he's ever issued one.

Let's race.

[goldpaw]

Vanessa raises an eyebrow, interest piqued. If there really isn't anybody driving that thing, whatever's going on here is more advanced than she anticipated – and if there is, well... her schedule for this afternoon wasn't packed. A race couldn't hurt.

She rolls down her window and looks at her challenger over her sunglasses (custom made to accommodate her abnormal ear position, of course), trying to see if she can get a glimpse of what's behind that tinted glass. She can't – but maybe she will before this is over. "You're on, hot shot," she calls over, and doesn't wait for a response before she puts her paw down and speeds ahead of him.

[buffthis]

Oh, he's already enjoying this. There's nothing Knock Out likes more than a spirited opponent, and the driver of this exceptionally exquisite car seems up to the task. His tires squeal as he tears down the road after her, his engine roaring in excitement. When was the last time he had a good race? Not since he left Europe, that's for sure.

It's not long before he catches up to her, pulling up alongside her as they speed through downtown L.A. "Not bad," he calls, although the voice is a bit too clear to have come from within the cab. "Very smooth ride, I'll give you that...but you'll be eating exhaust by the time this is over!"

[thisisntagame]

With the evening well into the twilight hours and the streetlights starting to flicker on, Tron was driving towards the outskirts of town, getting out to the highways once the traffic had finally died down. He wasn't one to endanger civilians on the road, but he needed to clear his head after everything that had been going on lately, and there was nothing like a drive.

He was on his way out to some of the less used desert roads, far from the city. Driving in the dark felt a lot more like The Grid than the light polluted city, even more like the solitude he was so familiar with during his exile in the Outlands.

He veered off the main highway an hour or two later, pulling into one of the rest stops to stretch his legs and check that there wasn't any major trouble int he city before heading down one of the better maintained desert roads. Parking near the outer edge of the lot, Tron dismounted his light cycle, leaning on the bike as he checked for any last messages from the Tower.

[buffthis]

Motorcycles aren't usually Knock Out's type. He likes them a little bigger, personally -- four wheels are his preference, the sleeker the better -- but he'll make an exception for this beauty. There's something about the light cycle that seems otherworldly; Earth has beautiful vehicles, but he's never seen anything quite like this. He'd seen it at a distance while out on an evening cruise, and he hadn't been able to help himself -- he'd followed the light cycle and its rider to the rest stop, and now he pulls up alongside the gorgeous vehicle, flashing his lights briefly.

"Nice ride," he says, and it might as well be the non-existent driver of the vehicle who's talking to Tron, but the tinted windows stay rolled up. "Is that a custom deal? Very impressive."

[thisisntagame]

Tron looked up from his comm, giving the other car a measured look. This wouldn't be the first time someone had commented on his bike, but usually they at least roll the windows down. He glanced back at the bike with a non-committal shrug, though truth be told he was fairly proud of this particular model.

"Only somewhat, mostly performance upgrades. The advantage of knowing some talented mechanics."

[buffthis]

"Talented indeed," Knock Out all but purrs, though the human -- whoever he is, Knock Out doesn't care -- doesn't seem to appreciate his ride nearly as much. "It must have cost you a pretty penny, too... It looks like it's built for speed."

If it sounds like Knock Out wants to race, that's because he does. It's the perfect evening for it, and he'd really like to see that bike in action. A good race always really gets his engines going.