Authors Note- Here I am back again with yet another chapter of Victims Of Fate. As you can probably gather by now I don't own Transformers, that belongs to Hasbro. I do however own Joyride, Lunatic, Killshot, Vortex, and Max. Now that we got that out of the way here is Chapter Six. I hope you enjoy it!
Chapter Six: Getting To Know You.
Hours had passed since both Joyride and Max had survived their ordeal with the Autobot Vehicons. And now, the two of them were walking through the streets of whatever city this had once been, Joyride occasionally glancing left and right, and would sometimes slow to a stop. As if half expecting something or someone to leap out of the shadows. Not that Max could really blame Joyride for his paranoia. But this silence was getting on his nerves. He always hated the quiet, it just seemed to unnerve him. And after the first attack on Earth Max had always looked for something to kill the silence.
At first it had been his trusty iPod that had gotten him through countless nights studying at college. Trying to become a doctor as his parents always wanted. Fat lot of good it did him now, he was pretty certain that there weren't a whole lot of people left that needed a doctor. And he was pretty sure the Autobots or Decepticons didn't have much use for a human doctor.
"Question." Max spoke, cutting through Joyride's thoughts. Causing the mech to stop in his tracks, white optics shining in the darkness as he looked down at Max. An optic brow arched. "Um..." Max scratched at the back of his head, suddenly at a loss for words.
"Are you okay?" Joyride asked.
Max gave Joyride a sheepish smile. "I'm okay, just... why did you never choose aside in this war?" Max asked, as they continued on. The sun was setting behind the buildings, and night would soon be upon , however their destination wasn't too far away.
Joyride thought for a moment, optics trained ahead of them as they continued to walk. "I saw no reason to, even before Lord Prime revealed his true motives to the public."
"Lord Prime?" Max asked, tilting his head to one side, as he looked up at Joyride. Joyride looked down at the human. How much did Max know? "The leader of the Autobots, the ones that attacked this planet, and caused mine to go dark." A look of sorrow crossing over Joyride's faceplate, one that quickly disappeared.
Or perhaps it had been a trick of the light? Max thought. Giving his head a shake Max continued on, leading Joyride towards a rundown looking house, along with an equally rundown looking garage.
"Here it is home sweet home." Max said, gesturing to the house.
Joyride was silent as he looked at the house. It would seem that Earth dwellings were just as underwhelming and primitive as the rest of the buildings on the planet. No matter, it was far better than recharging in some alley, keeping an optic out so no Autobots snuck up on him. He had more than his share of Autobots as of late. He had been grateful that the last ones were Vehicons. He didn't know what he would have done if it had been those two hunters from before.
"So, what do you think?" Max asked, jerking Joyride from his thoughts.
"It's...something. Is this your home?" he asked, as Max moved past him, and towards the garage. Joyride following him.
"No, I had to leave my home during the first attack. When the Autobots started gathering humans up and I ran. And since then I've been on the move. Gathering supplies and staying in the shadows. Don't know about my friends or family though..." Max said, trailing off.
Sorrow gripped Joyride as he hunched down to enter the garage, and looked to Max. It would seem that he and this human had a lot in common. Planets ravaged by war, running from the Autobots, and Primus knew what else.
"Sounds kinda like me, I left my friends back on Cybertron, well some of them...I-I don't know about the others." Joyride said.
"Maybe they're seeking refuge on some other planets." Max suggested.
"If there are any planets left not occupied by the Autobot movement." Joyride answered.
"Oh..." Max murmured as he moved to sit on the bench, a tired sigh escaping his lips as he did so.
"M-maybe we should talk about something a little less...dark. Maybe try and get to know each other better." Joyride suggested after a while.
And then mentally kicked himself for such a lame suggestion. The planet was but a mere shadow of itself, Autobots roamed the area, and here he was wanting to have a friendly little chat with one of the natives.
"Okay." Max said with a shrug of his shoulders.
However, before either of them could think of something to say Max stood up, and walked pass Joyride once more, and pushed a button beside the door. Joyride's optics widening as he saw a thin metal sheet come sliding down, obscuring him and Max from view.
"So we can have some privacy, and won't have to worry about anyone sneaking up on us." Max explained. Smiling Joyride muttered a faint thank you.
"So, question..." Max said. "Why can't you transform like the others?"
"Oh, I could," Joyride said. "If I found and scanned the right vehicle. Easier said than done when everything I've come across are burned out husks. Or something not compatible with me."
"So, you need to scan a vehicle to transform?" Max asked.
"Yes, how did you think we transformed?" Joyride asked.
"I just thought could do it without needing to scan anything."
Joyride nodded, white optics scanning the garage and its sparse contents, his optics then settling on something in the middle of the garage, covered up by a dusty tarp.
"Something wrong?" Max asked, noticing how Joyride had gone silent.
Joyride said nothing as he picked up the dirty tarp between thumb and forefinger, tossing the soiled cloth over his shoulder without so much as a thought, and revealing an Earth vehicle in relatively good condition. Well, at least it wasn't a charred husk.
Placing a hand on his chin he looked the vehicle over, before looking to Max. Max followed Joyride's gaze, his eyes lighting up as he saw it.
"Oh...man," Max murmured as he moved to stand beside Joyride. "Would this be something you could scan and transform into?" He asked, looking up at Joyride.
Joyride chewed on his bottom lip as he looked to the vehicle once again. "What is it though? Can it fly, or what?"
"Would you prefer to fly? Because I hate to break it to you I don't think there are any planes nearby." Max told him.
At that Joyride had to chuckle. "Honestly, as much as I would love to take to the skies this will do. Much better than walking and drawing attention if we want to leave the city." Joyride said, hand on his chin.
"You want to leave?" Max asked, looking up at Joyride once more.
"You want to stay?" Joyride asked, looking down at Max.
Max looked thoughtful, as he looked down at his feet, chewing on his bottom lip. This is...was his home. It had been for as long as he remembered. And now it was in ruins and a giant alien robot was asking him if he wanted to leave. Max was silent as he moved away from Joyride, and moved to peer out the dusty window, looking out at the empty road and abandoned houses. He thought back to a time before, when all he had to worry about was his grades and paying his bills while trying to keep himself fed, those seemed like simpler times.
"I mean I suppose there is nothing holding me back." Max said, looking to Joyride once more.
Joyride looked at the vehicle once more. "If you don't want to go I'll understand, but know that I need to keep moving." Max was silent as Joyride said that.
Max's home was no more, nothing but a war torn wasteland, his family was gone, there was nothing to keep him here anymore. So, why was he so hesitant? With a sigh and a shrug of his shoulders he spoke. "Why not? It's not like I have anything else planned." He said, forcing a faint smile to his lips.
Joyride nodded, seeming relieved at this. "So tell me, what do you call this thing?" he asked, gesturing to the vehicle.
Max took a moment to look at it before looking up at Joyride. "This thing is called a car. But, if you want specifics it's a Chevrolet Corvette, in..." Max trailed off, as he moved away from the window to circle around the corvette. Noting the green-brown paint job. "The ugliest shade of green known to man. In my opinion, that is." He added quickly.
Joyride chuckled. "Ugly or not I think it will work perfectly for me...us." As he said this Joyride scanned it. Max letting out a surprised yelp as he did so as the mech did so. Mouth agape as strange door-like appendages appeared on Joyride's back, and wheels formed on his shoulders and hips. As Joyride finished scanning the corvette and said nothing for the longest while. Without a word he transformed, and was rewarded with another startled yelp from the human. As rather than the mech standing before him there was now a blue corvette sitting before him.
"This..." Max said, moving around Joyride, fingers brushing against him as he did so. "Is so awesome! Does it hurt when you do that?" He asked.
"No, it feels...I have no idea how to describe it, but it doesn't hurt." As Joyride told him this he popped open his door, allowing Max to climb in.
The man in question wasting no time climbing in after a quick look around Joyride's interior. If Max hadn't known better he would have assumed that he was just a regular old car. Except normal cars didn't talk or transform that was for sure.
"Do you like it?" Joyride asked, as Max continued to look around.
"I do, maybe we could take it for spin tomorrow? Or whenever we decide to move out?" Max asked.
Joyride thought for a moment. "Perhaps, don't you need to gather some supplies and stuff." He asked.
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that, but," Max trailed off, stifling a yawn. Exhaustion gripping him, todays events seeming to catch up with him. "Before all that I think I need to get some sleep, and I don't know if your kind sleep but if you do you should get some rest too? You had a busy day today as well, saving my ass and all that." Max suggested.
"Actually it's not that bad of an idea." Joyride murmured, now that he thought about it he was feeling a little tired from todays events.
Max bid Joyride a goodnight as he slipped out of him, and disappeared into the house. Joyride listening as Max busied himself rummaging around the house before things fell silent. And soon he too drifted off into a deep recharge.
Authors Notes- Yeah, not going to lie, this chapter...I GUESS it could be considered filler. Since nothing much happened. Never less I hope you like it. And... I got nothing else to say other than this is The Exhausted Writer signing off, have a good day.
