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Post by Cira Knight on Dec 13, 2011 3:33:02 GMT -5
((December 15th, 2027, 11:00 PM)) <Somewhere in Vegas...>
It was late, a little on the chilly side in Las Vegas, Nevada, and it was raining. The roads were wet and icy, which meant driving conditions were less than pleasant for those not used to icy roads. it was late as in midnight almost on the dot. Cira and KITT were out having fun on a break after a brief visit at the Satellite Surveillance Center for routine maintenance. Needing a break from her life in DC, Cira was able to get time off from her duties. Cira was out running and eating (literally having kept a pattern going all day) while KITT was driving around practicing Gymkhana. They used to drive about randomly together for fun more in the past couple years but lately they were giving each other more space from each other since they essentially 'lived' together as partners (not in the lover sense of course).
While KITT was out driving, Cira found all sorts of places to eat while they stayed in Vegas due to her love for food. She avoided the more formal places some days, but when she did eat at four/five star restaraunts she would dress formally then get straight back into comfortable gear for more running. Cira was loving her stay here, she would run and mess aorund various buildings and parking garages, then go eat more. AND MORE.
It was too late to have another fancy meal and she was glad that was so since they were vastly more expensive. She had stopped at a local fast food joint to cure her needs for more food since her metabolism had skyrocketed since she did more running. "Oops, that wasn't me." she glanced around and did a random handstand before moving on, dressed in black pants and a black long sleeved shirt with a purple shirt over it. {"I think that's the last fancy meal of the day fer me, I needa save a few thousand more if I still wanna get mah own helicopter."} At least it was her second to last day here!
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Post by blindspot on Dec 13, 2011 4:03:34 GMT -5
“Culture shock” didn’t even begin to describe it.
Blindspot had been in cities before, but he had never seen anything like this. The Decepticon had been on a long-distance recon mission, investigating some persistent UFO rumors further West. After numerous news reports and even some national media coverage, everyone was starting to take the claims seriously. His superiors had reason to believe that this was a possible Cybertronian landing, but Blindspot hadn’t found anything to suggest it when he’d visited the site. It was a little disappointing after such a fuss.
So, he’d made his way home. Despite the inconclusive results of his mission, he was enjoying himself. The clone rather liked long trips like this. There was something attractive about the wide, lonely road, the knowledge that he could go as fast as he liked, or amble off on a roadside detour, or pause to stare up at the stars in the desert sky above (when they weren‘t concealed by clouds, that was). It was all strangely exhilarating. He didn’t know the name for the feeling that welled up in his Spark while he was out here. It was freedom.
And then, in the middle of his somewhat solemn philosophical musings, he had spotted a distant light, a beacon against the flat horizon, and had headed towards it. He wasn’t due back on base for two whole days. He had time to explore. He was not prepared for the neon chaos of the city of Las Vegas. The gloom of storm clouds overhead and the grey drizzle of rain did nothing to diminish the spectacle before him. Blindspot was beside himself. He didn’t know what to look at first!
The problem wasn’t necessarily that he was curious. Curiosity could be dealt with. Rather, it was that Blindspot was curious about everything. He cruised slowly down the strip, trying to look in every direction at once (and nearly rear-ended the car he was following twice). He stopped to watch the Bellagio Fountain display. He paused at a red light and stared, fascinated, as a gaggle of Vegas showgirls on break strutted past, glittering from head to toe and wholly unconcerned with their outlandish garb. He lingered in front of the Luxor Hotel and gazed up in quiet awe at the beam of light shooting up from the apex of the pyramid. There was something beautiful and poignant about that sight.
Maybe human art had something to it, after all. He certainly approved of how they’d utilized electronics here. Blindspot would probably have darted from place to place in a frenzy of enthusiasm, unable to focus on any one sight for any length of time, had he not heard the tell-tale roar of gunning engines.
Now that was intriguing.
Twenty minutes later found him squatting on the brightly-lit tarmac of a broad thoroughfare. Despite the icy drizzle, a dedicated crowd of racers had gathered for what a host was enthusiastically declaring, “Midnight Madness.” A host of separate vehicles were arrayed, ready to test their mettle on the slick straightaway. Some of them were powerful four by fours, and others low-slung sports cars. Blindspot knew he could whip every single one of them.
And he wanted to try. He wasn’t sure how he’d get a chance to wriggle in, though. This was one of the times he almost wished he had a developed holoform. He lingered among a few other cars, either parked or idling (with their drivers safe and dry inside), his engine making its customary clattering sound from under his hood. Maybe he would have a chance to slip in, or they’d call for a free-for-all or something. It was worth sticking around for, anyway.
To a human passerby, he looked like an exotic, but otherwise nondescript vehicle. Blindspot didn’t actually have the Decepticon emblem displayed anywhere on his exterior. To an Autobot, though, his energy signature was all that was needed to give Blindspot away.
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Post by KI3T on Dec 13, 2011 5:25:12 GMT -5
Once they met up again, Cira convinced KITT to enter the races advertised near the Luxor. First some drag races, then a free for all touring some of the city. It was getting to be that time of night when there were lots of races (some underground, some not) after all. Since it was their second to last full day here, KITT knew Cira was going to want to race at least once. With having him as a partner, it couldn't be helped. They were usually able to keep a low profile...usually.
Two cars away from Blindspot was the black Mustang with the unique twin pacing lights above the grill pacing idly. As they approached the line to prepare for the first drag race, KITT noticed the Decepticon signal. Cira was oblivious to this fact and KITT brought it up with her just in case, since it was part of their duty even if they were on vacation.
"Normally I would protest more against joining this race, but there is a Decepticon in the mix. He is right near us two vehicles away, next to the right side of that red corvette that's after the Camaro on our right." Cira glanced over from the driver's seat, looking past the two drivers, seeing the dark vehicle. It was a little hard to tell but she could there was another there. Barely. KITT pulled up a better image showing a camera sweep over the unique alternate on the HUD.
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Post by Cira Knight on Dec 13, 2011 5:30:53 GMT -5
Cira bit one of her knuckles briefly, not enough to make them bleed, but just to emphasize what she was feeling about that update. Icy roads didn't bother her, but Decepticons certainly did!
None the less, she certaily liked the alternate mode. "Woah cool alternate mode, looks alien all right...Surprise surprise. Looks like he is just out for some fun...but at least we can keep an eye on him." Cira commented. {"I guess we're gonna have ta resist using Turbo Boost, we'd rocket past every one of these suckers haha. Well except maybe the Decepticon...We ought to not draw attention on him, I know."}[/i][/color] she then thought as they all revved their engines. She gripped the steering wheel a little in excitement, anxious to start. It had been a while since she had raced outside of DC.
As soon as they were signaled to start, Cira changed gears quickly as the engine revved up. KITT let her have full control since it was usually no fun for her to sit back in these races, KITT would have an easy time otherwise and letting her do it gave her a chance to learn about racing tactics and it also helped her focus under pressure, which was always a good thing, especially for a woman that had a temper such as herself. "Time ta kick some ass!"
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Post by blindspot on Dec 13, 2011 5:58:15 GMT -5
KITT noticed Blindspot before Blindspot noticed KITT. The Decepticon was distracted, watching the proceedings with the rapt attention of someone who had never seen such a thing before. It wasn’t until he started to look over the prospective racers that he noticed one of them was different.
Immediately he was on his guard. He carefully inspected the vehicle over his wireless scanning protocols. Nothing was coming up. It didn’t register as either Autobot or Decepticon, but it was clearly no ordinary vehicle. Huh. That was… odd. Blindspot weighed his options. He could leave and nip any potential conflict in the bud. That would probably be the sensible thing to do. After all, there was an entire city out there, waiting for him to explore it, and if this turned out to be hostile, he was in a world of trouble so far from any prospective backup…
…but, slag it all, he was curious.
What sort of vehicle gave a signal like that? It wasn’t obviously unusual. Sure, it was a little old-fashioned, maybe; sleek and stylish, certainly a very attractive design, but still nothing to raise any suspicions. The vehicle took off as Blindspot was musing, and the Decepticon carefully backed up, repositioning himself.
To poor Cira and KITT, it would probably look very sinister. By the time they had returned to the starting point, Blindspot had moved, and was observing them from a different angle. It happened again, with the next race, and again after that. Every time they came back, he was somewhere different, the rattling clamor of his engine giving him away each time, but he didn’t look as if he were making any particular effort to hide.
Nor, however, did he engage them. He just stared, his curiosity mounting. The mystery vehicle definitely had some power under the hood. Of all the cars there, this one was the only one that Spot suspected could give him a run for his money, even though it hadn’t displayed any out-of-the-ordinary characteristics yet. When the announcer called for what he described as the “Mayhem Tour,” and started encouraging drivers to join in, Blindspot saw his chance.
He probably should have kept a low profile. Deep, deep down, he knew it was what his superiors would want. But he couldn’t resist. The night air beckoned, the slick tarmac smelled like victory, and he wanted to test himself against this stranger, wanted to challenge it. Blindspot pulled right up beside KITT, offering no form of greeting other than to rev his engine eagerly.
Hopefully, if this was an Autobot, they would take it as a challenge to race and not an invitation for an all-out brawl.
Because Blindspot most definitely did not want that to happen.
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Post by KI3T on Dec 14, 2011 0:13:14 GMT -5
KITT and Blindspot were a fair bit ahead of the majority of the time, though they did deal with some rivals from other muscle and sports cars in the mix. They both sopke little during the drag racing, focusing on what was needed with the gears, and that was it. KITT did pretty well for just being a "Mustang". When the Mayhem Tour started though, things changed, and car and driver noticed Blindspot make his move right away. {"As long as he does not hurt us or anyone in the race, we have no reason to act against him. It would seem he is just wanting a challenge for now. As long as Cira sees things that way, there should not be much trouble."}
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Post by Cira Knight on Dec 14, 2011 1:37:54 GMT -5
Cira's eyes were constantly scanning either side of her as well as in front. She was unable to hide a smirk as Blindspot challenged them. She glanced over at Blindspot with a look on her face that read "yer on" Oh he was just asking for a little Turbo Boost challenge. "Sorry KITT, but he's just askin' for it. Activate Attack mode." she would have said this aloud if she was more focused, but her thoughts continued on: {" It's not like humans don't know about Cybertonians 'n their abilities. It may be cheating to some, but at the same time, we're simply upping the bar for at least someone!"
KITT would roll his eyes if he had them. Yet his tone indicated amusement, since he was after all, more than equipped to race powerful vehicles. Maybe not ones quite like Jazz or Blurr, but, close enough! "Very well, I admit that it IS fun." KITT replied. "For my own entertainment, I hope they can keep up. Activating Attack Mode." KITT transformed into Attack Mode as Cira drifted them around a bend just before hitting the special button called "Turbo boost". Cira chuckled at KITT's response and quoted Major West from the newest Lost in Space movie: "And da Monkey Flips da switch."
Ionized particles and nuclear energy mixed together within a special combustion chamber at the rear of KITTs form, expelling something far more powerful than a typical Nitrous Oxide mixture for racing. The gap between Blindspot and KITT increased, even more so between those two and the rest of the competitors in the city tour.
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Post by blindspot on Dec 14, 2011 2:09:17 GMT -5
The other cars weren’t half-bad, and their drivers were clearly skilled. Blindspot had to give credit where credit was due. It had to be doubly difficult for them to maneuver through these turns. They had to control their cars; he was a car (that is, when he wasn’t a robot, of course). Still, they were distractions, at best.
It was very clear early on, though, that this wasn’t a free-for-all. This was a race between him and this mystery car, and all of the other would-be racers were about to take their place as spectators. Blindspot had been taking it easy for the most part, letting KITT get ahead of him and lazily working his way through the ranks. After he made his challenge, though, everything changed.
At the first sign of shifting plates, Blindspot swerved away, alarmed. He thought he was being attacked (Slagging Autobots, of course he should expect them to ruin what could have been some harmless fun), but when the vehicle failed to aim any nasty-looking weaponry his way, Spot realized he was mistaken. The only thing that the other vehicle was tearing up tonight was the road.
And then it was off. Damn. Damn, that was fast. Blindspot had to give credit where credit was due--that was impressive. This was definitely no Earth vehicle; no human machine could move like that. Blindspot’s startled hesitation had cost him time, and for a few moments KITT was free to enjoy a blissful lead. Blindspot even dropped out of sight.
The Knight Industries Three Thousand was a highly sophisticated machine. Simply put, it represented some of the best of what Earth had to offer. KITT had been made for greatness. Blindspot, on the other hand, had been created as a disposable soldier, and he’d failed to even meet those expectations. The engineers responsible for him would probably be surprised to learn that he was still even alive. There were many things that KITT could do that Blindspot would never be able to accomplish.
There was one thing, though, that Blindspot had,. He had a gift that he had given himself, through his own tireless research and self-experimentation: speed.
When the Decepticon reappeared, he was thundering up the road at an absolutely ludicrous pace. For a moment it looked as if he were simply going to ram KITT, but he flicked to the side, swerving and drawing up beside the vehicle, where he slowed slightly to match KITT’s pace. His engine was roaring and still rattling, but for all its violence, it was almost a joyful sound.
Blindspot wasn’t really thinking anymore. He was beyond thinking. He was just enjoying himself. He wasn’t worried that he was going to be attacked, or ambushed, or anything, really. Nothing else existed, at least for now, except for his opponent and the road.
The Decepticon pulled ahead just as they went into a turn. Blindspot overshot, twisting and locking his wheels, settling into a neat, clipped drift, before he was off again. He hadn’t pulled very far ahead of KITT, and if his opponent had another trick up his sleeve, he might yet again take the lead, but Spot had the advantage as far as raw speed went.
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Post by KI3T on Dec 15, 2011 5:14:35 GMT -5
Cira began to steer KITT into the same turn, and smoothly attmepted to slip KITT in on the inside of the drift. KITT had a hunch he knew what she was going to do. Having worked with Mike for so long and now driving his adoptive daughter, it was easy for him to predict or calculate what she would do at certain times, especially when racing. Despite being sheer opposites in personality, they often saw the same things in tactics when it came to racing. When KITT noticed her activate ski mode while Turbo boost was in operation, KITT knew what Cira was planning to get them a little ahead and play with the Decepticon's a little. The ski mode and Turbo-boost combo allowed KITT shift into his right set of wheels just as he began to catch up to Blindspot in the arc of the turn, and the pivoting thrusters from the Ion boosters allowed him to flip horizontally over Blindspot's form with one quick push thanks to the help of the powerful boosters.
They were going at off-the-chart speeds, but neither cared any more, KITT was starting to enjoy this even though he wasn't in complete control of the race. He half hoped Blindspot would continue to spur the challenge and not deem him a waste of time.
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Post by Cira Knight on Dec 15, 2011 5:41:11 GMT -5
As KITT landed with a thunk, Cira glanced over at Blindspot's alternate mode. KITT's windows were tinted to the point they were pushing the legal limitations, and rolling down the window before KITT could say anything, she shouted: "Nice alternate mode!" before shifting into a lighter gear and followed the slight incline in the road as it straightened out for a couple blocks. Now going well over 100 mph, they were rocketing down the empty street as two big black objects constantly getting ahead of the other. Cira knew it would be tough to beat a Cybertronian since KITT hadn't had any upgrades since he was brought online, but hey, he was doing quite good as it was!
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Post by blindspot on Dec 15, 2011 5:54:16 GMT -5
Flying automobiles
That was different.
Blindspot didn’t know if he was more shocked, impressed, or flat-out amused by the flashy display, and he actually laughed. It wasn’t audible over the sound of the two cars’ engines--his damaged vocalizer reduced the expression of mirth to a metallic scraping noise--but it was heartfelt, all the same. Blindspot had the advantage over speed, and this mystery car had him beat as far as fancy footwork went. Just who was this vehicle, anyway? He had to find out, once this was all over.
He was totally unprepared for Cira. To his credit, he didn’t lose speed in his shock at seeing a human inside the vehicle. Well, some Cybertronians liked to keep humans as pets. Perhaps that was it. It didn’t occur to Blindspot that KITT was anything but Cybertronian, or that Cira might be contributing to his opponent’s fancy footwork.
Under any other circumstances, he probably would have responded scathingly to being addressed by some verminous human, but he was in a spectacularly good mood at the moment, and he called back, “Same to your friend!” The dry rasp of his voice would probably have been hard to make out over the din.
The Decepticon was thoroughly enjoying this tit-for-tat. He had to keep this up, keep his opponent on his toes. Blindspot gunned it, maxing his speed again and pulling forward. The road was straight ahead of them, clear of traffic and obstacles, which was good, because Blindspot was about to pull something that was almost as impressive as it was stupidly dangerous.
He clawed his way ahead, getting a respectable lead on KITT, pushing his engine to its very limits. When he judged that he had pulled ahead far enough, he swerved, spinning, tires screeching and kicking up clouds of smoke. Stunt drivers called what Blindspot was doing a Bootlegger’s Turn. For a moment Blindspot lost nearly all forward movement, only his skidding momentum carrying him forward, and then he rammed himself into reverse, desperately picking up speed.
He was just fast enough to pull it off, but KITT likely came dangerously close to ramming him. Blindspot, now driving backwards and facing KITT, flashed his brights in greeting. He was being a cheeky showoff and certainly not acting with the decorum and dignity that he should have been, but he couldn’t have cared less. He was having fun.
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Post by Cira Knight on Dec 15, 2011 20:10:48 GMT -5
Cira and KITT were a bit surprised by Blindspot's move, especially Cira. KITT had thought he hearda laugh above their engines, but wasn't sure. Her eyes widened a bit but she reacted instinctively as they got a bit closer and closer to Blindspot from the direct left. KITT flashed his brightlights responsively as he got closer, his engine revving. Cira shifted into the second to lowest gear and did a sharp right turn as KITTs wheels lost traction on the slick road. She kept the turn tight and shouted in excitement as Turbo Boost kicked in again and the Mustang swooped behind Blindspot just barely in time to complete a graceful 180 degree turn. Driving backwards and switching the thrusters in reverse, Cira used the HUD and rear view mirrors to see where she was going before doing a tighter 180 spin to the right. With KITT's rear swiveling a bit as she nearly shot past Blindspot's right rear, they pushed onward as Cira shifted into a slightly higher gear. Music had been playing since the start of the tour. A song called Rockstar by NERD was currently blasting in KITT's excellent sound system.
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Post by blindspot on Dec 15, 2011 20:36:30 GMT -5
As soon as KITT started spinning Blindspot got in on the game, repositioning himself and spinning to face forward once more so that they aligned almost at the same moment (though not at the same distance). To an outside observer, it probably would have looked like chaos, but to the three racers, it was more like some kind of high-octane dance. KITT’s fancy footwork had put him in the lead again, so for a moment Blindspot just concentrated on getting caught up.
He could feel the music pounding through the air between them, more like a palpable force than a sound. He couldn’t understand any of the lyrics, but the tone was challenging, exultant, and he was surprised by how much he enjoyed it. He didn’t play anything in response. His taste in music did not suit the race track, and he didn’t think his opponents would be impressed to hear the London Swing Orchestra’s rendition of “La Mer” right at the moment.
He was willing to concede that this vehicle had more to offer as far as originality went on the road. Blindspot probably could have put him through his paces if he’d switched in and out of alt mode--he was used to a bit of battlefield acrobatics in that regard--but it didn’t seem fair. This was a race between vehicles.
Blindspot drew up beside KITT, concentrating on keeping an even distance, matching the other’s moves in their most minute as they made another turn down a stretch of sinuous road. He didn’t speak, but hopefully his message would come across clearly enough. I’ll do what you do. Bring it on.
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Post by Cira Knight on Dec 15, 2011 20:59:05 GMT -5
KITT was rather pleased with Cira's decisions, and his trust in her solidified more after that, since it had been a long while since they had a race this intense. Part of KITT wanted the two of them to veer away from the race upon completing it and go elsewhere into the sandy desert and mountains about half an hour away from Vegas.
Cira moved KITT from side to side as she tried to get ahead of Blindspot. She was watching Blindspot's moves intently, not realizing right away that they would soon be overlapping the other competitors that were farther back as they completed the first loop. The track took them down an alley way where it narrowed considerably and having shut off Turbo Boost for a bit after a couple turns, she activated it once again and attempted to rocket ahead into the small alley way. The HUD indicated they would soon cross paths with the other racers about a minute or two after they got through the alleyway.
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Post by blindspot on Dec 15, 2011 21:11:45 GMT -5
Blindspot was so focused on KITT that he didn’t notice the narrow alley until it was too late--he was forced to swing in behind KITT, conceding the lead to the other. At least he hadn’t crashed or anything. That would have been embarrassing. His rival might be in the lead, but Spot did what he could to make that lead as insubstantial as possible: he rode KITT’s bumper, mercilessly, never letting the other get more than a handful of inches away. Hopefully KITT didn’t have to stop suddenly, because if he did, the Decepticon would plough right into him, and Blindspot would definitely come out of the collision the worse for the wear.
When they cleared the alley, he shot out in a wide arc to take his place beside KITT once more. It only occurred to Blindspot to check the progress of the other racers then. He realized that they were about to lap the stragglers; the race couldn’t have much time left, maybe another lap.
They were going to have to tone down their performance once they were among the other cars, unless they wanted this to end in a wreck. As the other cars drew near, Blindspot gunned his engine and swerved to the side, weaving between the other races with easy, serpentine grace, passing them as easily as if they were standing still. He was more concerned with having fun that gaining a lead on KITT, at this point.
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