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Post by Tessan Toov on Aug 29, 2011 21:51:52 GMT -5
Month 2, Week 2, Day 1, the general vicinity of Centralia, Pennsylvania, where even now, an underground fire still burns and has been burning since 1962, open
Twin Twist is usually not let out on his own, especially on alien planets. He tends to upset the locals. However, something crashed from space out in the vicinity of Centralia, something which seems suspicious enough that the Autobots would like to dig it up. That's why the Autobots...
...have Impactor. But Impactor's busy, and that's why Twin Twist was even allowed off-ship in the first place. They'd have set him down a bit closer, but the shuttles are in use, and the ship-based spacebridge isn't all that accurate yet.
Twin Twist also has a handler, and if not for said handler, he'd have taken out some K-rails by now. Twin Twist protests, "Override, do we have to stop at the gas station?"
Yes, they do. It's the last place to grab a snack before they enter Centralia and go hunting mysterious space junk!
OOC: Mention of Impactor and Override done with permission.
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Override
Minor
The Chancellor, Her Noble Potency, Empress Override. The Glorious Victor over Everyone Else On the Track
Shut up and drive
Posts: 476
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Post by Override on Aug 30, 2011 21:51:34 GMT -5
Override is said handler.
This would generally not be much of a problem, except that drill tanks are slow, and Override, in order to remain in handling range of Twin Twist, must also be slow, and driving this slow for this long is kind of frustrating to the speed queen.
Override shouts, "Transform!" and in a flash, does just that. Then she shrugs. "'Fraid so, Twin Twist. This is the last place to fuel up before we're on station, and to be on the safe side we should go into it as fueled as possible. We'll have to take turns, though." She reaches over and very carefully picks up the pump, ignoring the gawkers. "These things aren't automated."
So Override and Twin Twist will have to feed each other.
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Post by Tessan Toov on Aug 31, 2011 8:03:51 GMT -5
Twin Twist ignores speed limits and posted road signs. While he might seem slow to Override, he has a top speed of 200 mph. The only reason why he didn't drive through something just now is because this gas station happened to be on the right side of the road. This is a problem of Twin Twist's that his Prowl discovered.
He can tell she's a bit annoyed, though he isn't entirely sure why. People don't like him. That's just how it is, and it's fine. Of course it's fine. It's always been fine. Why shouldn't it be fine now?
Twin Twist snaps up into robot mode and blankly stares at the gas station. This whole edifice seems bizarre to him. Twin Twist looks left and right, rubbing his elbow, and he asks, speaking Cybertronian, "We can't just go to a bar? I said I'd get you a drink, but..."
Meanwhile, a few people drive away rather quickly, and some different people pull out cell phone cameras and snap pictures and video of the giant robot burbling modem noises. Twin Twist really doesn't seem to be paying any attention to the humans.
Twin Twist's optics cycle on and off in a 'blink' as he finishes, "...you want to stick that in me?" Twin Twist's not even sure where that hose goes! Is that kind of like a straw? Twin Twist knows straws. Maccadam's had straws.
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Override
Minor
The Chancellor, Her Noble Potency, Empress Override. The Glorious Victor over Everyone Else On the Track
Shut up and drive
Posts: 476
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Post by Override on Aug 31, 2011 21:12:08 GMT -5
Override makes sure that a few of the picture takers get her stunning smile or even a thumbs up, then she returns her attention to Twin Twist.
"We can't go to a bar because Earth bars tend to mostly just have Earth drinks," she explains, but her optics flicker when Twin Twist asks about where to stick the nozzle. "You... don't have a fuel port?" Override does. When your making a pit stop during a race, it's much faster to be able to fuel in alternate mode, even if you do transform faster than usual.
Override shrugs and hands Twin Twist the nozzle. "Guess you can just drink is straight." She then removes a credit card from subspace (she's been given one for official business)1 and crouches next to the pump, attempting to swipe the tiny thing with her over-large hands.
1 Checked with Xaaron's player
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Post by Tessan Toov on Aug 31, 2011 22:07:08 GMT -5
"Oh," Twin Twist says, when Override points out that Earth bars will not have energon. Then he shifts his weight from one foot to another, and his optics brighten with understanding, though he hedges, "Isn't that kinda... for jets?"
Twin Twist seems dubious, perhaps afraid he will catch jet cooties for refuelling in alternate mode, but he transforms in an instant and pops open a panel on his back end, revealing a fuelling port. Override is his handler, and as handlers go, she is at least not Prowl, which counts for a lot in his book.
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Override
Minor
The Chancellor, Her Noble Potency, Empress Override. The Glorious Victor over Everyone Else On the Track
Shut up and drive
Posts: 476
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Post by Override on Sept 1, 2011 21:22:42 GMT -5
"Naw, it's fine," Override answers, waving her hand haphazardly. "On Velocitron, we refuel in alternate mode all the time, and we have hardly any fliers." When Twin Twist transforms, Override kneels next to him in order to insert the fuel nozzle. She gives a stunning smile just in time for someone else's camera phone to go off, then goes back to ignoring the gawkers.
"Besides, look around. You see any jets fueling up here?"
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Post by Tessan Toov on Sept 2, 2011 22:29:44 GMT -5
Twin Twist actually does swivel a little left-right to look around. He's fuelling with his engine running, which he probably shouldn't be doing, but if his engine was off, he'd be dead, so it's on. Twin Twist reports, "Don't see any jets. Some trails. Civilian, but that doesn't mean anything."
Decepticons can be mean sons of Cessna, after all.
Twin Twist at least seems reassured that fuelling up in alternate mode doesn't ruin his drill tank cred. He muses, "I bet Guzzle or Topspin could run this place dry."
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Override
Minor
The Chancellor, Her Noble Potency, Empress Override. The Glorious Victor over Everyone Else On the Track
Shut up and drive
Posts: 476
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Post by Override on Sept 2, 2011 23:36:32 GMT -5
"Hey!" Override exclaims as Twin Twist swivels back and forth. Fortunately, her reflexes are easily fast enough to make sure the nozzle stays in place, however.
"I meant here at the gas station, anyway," she points out. "If they're in the air, they're not exactly refueling here in alternate mode, are they?" They might be refueling in the air in alternate mode, but not at the gas station.
At the final comment, she looks around and shrugs. "They probably could. Luckily, I don't have to pay for them."
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Post by Tessan Toov on Sept 3, 2011 19:51:50 GMT -5
"If they were at the gas station, I'd be punching them," Twin Twist comments. Presumably, he's talking about Decepticon jets?
He points out, "Actually, aren't you not paying for me, either? Since the brass talked a lot and then the fleshies gave us some of their fake money for some reason? Think I'm about full, though, so... I do you, now?"
Maybe Twin Twist should have been paying attention when Override was doing him.
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Override
Minor
The Chancellor, Her Noble Potency, Empress Override. The Glorious Victor over Everyone Else On the Track
Shut up and drive
Posts: 476
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Post by Override on Sept 4, 2011 14:23:51 GMT -5
"Only if they're Decepticon jets," Override warns. Punching civilian jets wouldn't go down too well with the humans, Override is sure.
"And even if it's not my fake money doesn't mean the supply is infinite," she argues as she drops into vehicle mode. "And yeah. You do me now."
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Post by Tessan Toov on Sept 4, 2011 15:05:18 GMT -5
"...what about Vehicon jets? I can punch those, right? And Technobot jets?" Twin Twist asks, just to be sure that he's sure. He does visibly sag when she starts specify what can and cannot be punched.
Twin Twist stares at the gas pump for a long, long time. Then he gingerly picks up the nozzle like he thinks it is going to bite him. Then he tries to slot it into Override, like he saw her do him and... "...I just push this handle thing, right?"
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Override
Minor
The Chancellor, Her Noble Potency, Empress Override. The Glorious Victor over Everyone Else On the Track
Shut up and drive
Posts: 476
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Post by Override on Sept 4, 2011 16:42:44 GMT -5
"I'm not really from a 'special teams' reality," that Override knows of, "but aren't Technobots Autobots?"
Override has the panel covering her fuel port open, so if Twin Twist can find it, he can insert the nozzle. She can't nod, because she's a car and cars don't generally nod, but she does say, "Yeah, but don't wait too long, or I'll have to swipe my card again."
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Post by Tessan Toov on Sept 4, 2011 21:44:54 GMT -5
"No," Twin Twist says, though he doesn't explain.
He might just be a bit rambunctious in trying to jam the nozzle in there, but presumably he finds it and inserts it properly in time. Twin Twist looks around a bit more, again up at the sky. Open ground seems to make him twitchy; she would have noticed he seemed uneasy out on the road. "This whole place seems really awkward. What do vehicles that don't have partners do? I guess you could just try to drink it with your mouth, if you have one."
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Override
Minor
The Chancellor, Her Noble Potency, Empress Override. The Glorious Victor over Everyone Else On the Track
Shut up and drive
Posts: 476
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Post by Override on Sept 5, 2011 7:58:54 GMT -5
"Hey, careful!" Override protests as Twin Twist jams the nozzle in place a bit too hard. She quickly gets over her annoyance in order to chuckle at the other's question.
"Earth vehicles almost always have drivers," she explains. Almost, because technology has advanced to the point where unmanned vehicles are not unheard of. "And this station is meant for vehicles with drivers. I'm guessing if unmanned cars get common enough to be worth it, they'll either automate the pumps or go back to having attendants."
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Post by Tessan Toov on Sept 5, 2011 18:17:15 GMT -5
It's unclear if Twin Twist really understands the concept of drivers. Yes, he understands pilots, and he understands *master partners, but drivers might just escape him.
Then again, Bumblebee nearly killed himself trying to greet a Terran car, and Bumblebee has an Intelligence of 8, so it happens to the best of them... and the not-best.
It is somewhat ironic to think that an increase in robot cars could bring back human gas station attendants, the robotic revolution creating more jobs for humans, not less.
Twin Twist idly watches the numbers change on the pump. They're kind of meaningless to him. Yes, he downloaded English. Yes, his computer mind can convert the units for him, but it's sort of like knowing the Celsius conversation when one grew up with Fahrenheit. One knows the number, but one does not have a feel for what it truly means.
"Uhm. Sorry. Don't do careful well," Twin Twist mutters, rubbing the back of his helmet with his free hand.
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