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''Well, it's been decades before I've been able to go full speed. 30mph is like a snails pace to me!'' She muttered. ''Most of that speed was for jumping ramps. My oringal speed was 150...''

"You did jumps?! You must have had some incredible suspension to keep up at those speeds." Even if the thought made him wince--it was no wonder her brakes were probably shot. Suspension must have been too at some point.

"Weren't the landings painful?"

''Only if the ground was smooth. I'm pretty sure I broke a few gears and knobs from hitting smooth ground too hard, and usually sliding into the dirt. I've landed in water and one point, too. Got towed out by a boat.'' She replied.

Clutch guffawed. He couldn't help it. "Towed by a boat? That's not possible! How deep was the water? And where were you racing?"

''It wasn't too deep, low enough that I shut off from water build up. I was being chased by a heat-seeking missile. It was a last ditch effort to avoid it without using my own guns. And stop laughing!''

"Sorry, sorry!" Clutch did a remarkable impression of not laughing by shutting off his sound system. He turned it back on only briefly to comment, "It's just that I've never met a vehicle like you before." Oh, he'd been around plenty of AIs, but they were the 'preferred' type--always polite, responsive, accepting of their duties...in other words, boring.

''You haven't?'' She replied, looking at him. ''I was told my kind were common issue for spy duties.''

"Oh, well, don't get me wrong. I've been around Artificially Intelligent cars before, of all kinds, but they were manufactured en masse, and they didn't have any type of personality. I'm the rarity when it comes to that." Clutch's tone was so neutral that if he'd been on a hill he'd have rolled backwards.

Cranky smiled lightly, enging puttering a bit. ''I was apparently a test run, to see if cars could see with cameras. But after I got retired they destroyed any that were left. I've never been around other cars with AI. I was tested against average cars and the like. My human form was an accident, even at that.''

"I'm so jealous of both those features," Clutch sighed enviously. "To be able to see and walk around in the human world...it must be entertaining." Oh the fun he could have! The experience alone, he was sure, would be worth it.

"Why destroy the others? It obviously worked."

(ooc: although I get the feeling he'd be a terrible driver.)

(!)

''Well, the funding ran dry a few years after I was retired. My cores not in the best state of the art engineering. It wasn't designed to outlast my creators. It was only temporary, and as such it's beginning to lose its inital strength.'' She sighed sadly. ''One day I'll shut off, and never come back on, left to rust. With my brakes gone, I won't be able to race..''

"Oh, but...surely someone could fix those parts? Or maybe transfer you into a new vehicle? I knew a mechanic a few years ago that did that...he transferred my AI core into this vehicle. Prior to that I was rusting away in a lemon. He's fixed me up a handful of times after that." Of course it had all been for a price--but one that Clutch had been--mostly--willing to pay.

''Yea, but you saw how the mechanics freaked out when I glared at them.'' She snorted, engine humming lowly. ''Everyones scared of a car with eyes. But you don't have eyes per se, so you can't see how I look..''

"I wish I had eyes, video cameras would be easy to wire in--or should. I can't imagine it would be that tricky. But you just need to find a good mechanic--and maybe don't show off your eyes if you can help it?"

"I can hear fine," muttered Clutch. "So what if I don't have eyes? Sensors work just as well. Besides, your engine was something else back there."

''It's not often I can go fast.'' She replied, sighing. ''Now where we go? I guess I have to drive slow..Again..''

"Only if you want to stop," muttered Clutch. "Look, I can lead and you follow. So long as you stay behind me, I can probably stop you if I need to--unless I slam my brakes on hard. Hopefully that idiot driver has gone far, far away by now."

"As to where..." he trailed off, contemplating.

''Maybe another place where they can fix brakes and stuff? I don't want to end up making you crash.
''

"Well there is one mechanic I sort of trust. He gave me an oil change once or twice, and I figure he could probably fix your brakes, too. I don't think he'll be that frightened by your intelligence either."

Static crackled over his speakers as he chuckled. "You interested? He happens to be next door to the current garage I'm staying at."

''As long as ot isn't too far. My fuels pretty low, and my powers starting to run low. Are you sure I can trust him?'' She replied, eyes narrowed, recalling the past incident with a mechanic and the like. She surely wanted someone to fix her up corectly, and not lazily.

"Yes, he can be trusted," Clutch grumbled. It was high praise coming from him, who didn't trust anyone near his systems. "He'll fix you up good as new and...he likes to race. It's not too far--hopefully. Maybe another thirty miles? Can you make it that far?"