Get a Move On

[young_upstart]

WHO: Hot Rod (young_upstart) and OPEN!
WHERE: Around central Haven
WHEN NOW
WHAT: No matter what they say, can't keep the madness at bay
WARNINGS: Potential violence?

     It had been subtle at first, the agitation that surfaced not seeming to be anything more than appropriate for the building frustration of this place and what the Autobot had learned not too long ago. He'd told Ultra Magnus he would let him know if he felt 'off' in any way, but so far, nothing had happened that made him feel the need to bring it up. After all, if there wasn't any trouble, why make some?

     And yet, it was because of that nothing that it only served as a further irritant for his dwindling mood. Hot Rod felt even more restless of late, and no one seemed to have any answers. The last time he'd gotten answers hadn't been very satisfying though, and clearly none of those that held rank in this weird place was willing to help. No one wanted to help. No one knew how to help, and even though he knew that probably couldn't be helped, it just made him so. Angry.

     In order to try venting some steam, he decided to do some target practice around the Junkpile. Blasting random things to bits had never felt so good. There was something definitely satisfying about seeing smoking debris scattering after your photon charges slammed and burned clean into your target, sending them into oblivion-

     The thought startled him. That wasn't like him. That wasn't like him at all.

     "What...was that?" His imagination? He hoped it was, but the smoldering remains in front of him certainly couldn't be lying. It scared him. Something was happening, and he couldn't let it.

     Turning, he started to move. He wanted to run, to get away, somewhere. No, you're not thinking clearly! You need to tell Magnus! -but what can he do? Or any of the others for that matter? What if you slip like that again?

     He couldn't allow that, and he didn't want to take any chances either. Within seconds he had collapsed and twisted into his vehicle mode, and wheels peeled away the moment they hit the ground, the bright magenta sports car emblazoned with orange flames speeding off. Somewhere. Anywhere.

Comments

[young_upstart]

     Unfinished was a good word for it. If one scraped away the spiraling scapes of the Cybertron from Hot Rod's memories, then it would possibly resemble something of the sort. "...maybe not even unfinished so much as unstarted..."he found himself saying.

     Was this how it was at the very beginning? And were these Badlands a part of it, or was that just something that became along with the Lambda and Unicron's attempts to make a hard time for the Firstforged? ...maybe it was better not to let his thoughts linger on those, not when he was trying to keep from being upset.

     He decided he didn't want to risk it. Elita was only offering assistance, but just having another, physical presence there seemed enough to tempt those irrational thoughts and dark whispers. Moving to match the other Autobot's speed so he wouldn't have to raise his voice, he hesitated before speaking his decision.

     "...it's probably better if we part ways here..."

[invisiblepinkboat]

"That actually... sounds very possible, though it is shifting around us all the time I've noticed..." Trailing off as Hot Rod came up close, Elita very briefly considered protesting as he requested she leave.

But they were getting further away from what limited "civilisation" there was, which meant that at the least, it'd take Hot Rod a bit to meet anyone if he actually lost it. It still didn't exactly feel right, and while she certainly would be able to defend herself, if she left before anything happened, she wouldn't need to.

A simple, practical solution which there was nothing to do but acknowledge.

"I'd like to refuse, but you're probably right." The static sigh was lost to the sound of her engine working in near-purring smoothness. "All right. Don't crash." It's the simplest, least complicated way of parting without saying things that are impossible, might be patronising or similar.

She let her engine slow to start to drop behind Hot Rod and started to turn in the same movement, feeling faint strains of frustration playing at her circuits, but what else could she do?

[young_upstart]

     He was glad she hadn't put up an argument in that. There was an irrational part of him that felt Elita was leaving much too easily, but he reasoned that with whatever was going on in his circuits- the things he didn't want to know.

     It was better this way, he told himself.

     "...thanks," he said quietly, figuring his words probably lost in the growl of his engine as he sped off, intending to put as much distance between himself and Elita One as possible before he found himself changing his mind.