Author's Note: Gah! Disturbingly short, but it needed posted. And yes, there will be more, I promise. I just don't know when.
Donut was the first to notice them. His early morning routine of strolling around outside of the base clad only in his boxers suddenly stopped when he caught sight of the vehicles. Without warning he ran back into the base, yelling for Sarge.
"Sarge! Sarge, they're here! The new jeeps!" he shouted as he burst into the kitchen, spotting Sarge at the table.
"Donut, what in tarnation is goin' on here?" the gruff-voiced officer demanded. "Whaddaya mean, jeeps? We're only supposed to be gettin' one of those." The only reply he received was his youngest (and most excitable) private pulling him out the front of the base, where he promptly stood and stared in shock at the two brand-new M12-LRVs in front of him.
"I told ya, Sarge. Jeeps!" Donut giggled for a moment. "Oh! I'll go get Grif and Simmons, see what they think!" In another moment the young man was off and running again.
'I have got to figure out what makes that kid so hyper,' Sarge thought, watching him run off. Shaking his head, he turned back to the jeeps. "Well now. Let's see what Lopez's got ta fix on yeh before ye're in operatin' condition." Sarge couldn't be sure it wasn't a trick of the early-morning light, but he thought he saw one of the new jeeps twitch a bit.
------
Hound was beginning to have second thoughts about landing on this ring. His current alt mode was well suited to the dry, sparse terrain, and his tires were practically itching for the chance to just drive. When the strange organic bipedal who appeared to be in charge of the unit appeared with a similarly-sized mechanoid bipedal, however, and seemed to be telling it to examine Hound and the other, non-sentient vehicle, well...that's when Hound seriously started considering running. Especially when the brown one started approaching him with a wrench in hand.
'Frag this,' thought the tracker, and without any warning he started his engine and sped off into the canyon, leaving the two armored humanoids staring after him, dumbfounded. Hound's sharp audios picked up the soft comment, even as he left them quickly behind.
"Lopez, if anyone asks, Donut ate too much sugar and had double-vision. We never had two jeeps."