Get the Motor Runnin' {Ep 2; Closed!}

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Episode 2, Week 2, Day 4
1:45pm
Outskirts of Las Vegas

It was sorta nice, having the day to herself. Sure, earlier she popped into the Autobot base to do a thing or two – but it was stuff she was able to get done early. That in turn, meant she had the rest of the day to herself. It also meant she was going to treat herself to some fun in Vegas – which was where she was headed to on one of the back roads.

While this was going to take her longer to get to sin city, it was sorta nice being out here alone on roads so barely traveled they were smooth under the desert sun. Music was playing over her radio, though it crackled in an out cause of the poor reception. Not that Nell minded, this was a good time to think a little. Honestly, some people would have been a lot more shaken up than she was about the whole Cybertronian thing, but in some ways? It was interesting and she knew that as boring as Jasper seemed, she was now kicking herself for judging a book by it's cover.

Of course, could anyone blame her? Jasper was still quiet when she was off base, it was very much a one horse town and she was thankful that someplace like Vegas was close by. She would get her kicks there, enjoy the afternoon and maybe a little bit of the night, and head home in order to prep for the 'next day'. Because who knew what else Ratchet had up his sleeve when it came to projects, the mech was downright evil in her opinion – but the ridiculous tasks only made her more bullheaded. Which honestly was to be expected by the human who took the fact aliens were on Earth like she had been told what ketchup was made up of.

Removing her left hand from the wheel, she was getting her windows rolled down in order to let the warm air in. Who knew, maybe she would end up heading elsewhere instead of Vegas? Sometimes a drive could be far nicer than being surrounded by slot machines and drunks.

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It was a beautiful day.

The morning haze had long since burnt off, and the sun was at the apex of the sky. A few white clouds drifted across the deep blue sky, tattered by high altitude winds. Heat baked up from the highway ahead of her, casting shimmering mirages across the pavement. Aside from the song on the radio and her own thoughts, Nell was alone.

Though not for long.

In the shivering glass of her rear view mirror, something appeared.

A dot, which slowly grew into another car. A half mile behind her, it was barely visible in the waves of heat rolling up off the asphalt. But in less time than it took to reach out and change a radio station it loomed into her mirror, large and shining and fast. It had caught up to her in less than a minute.

The rumble of its engine vibrated through the road and into her seat, where it would settle in her bones like thunder.

The car was big. It was red.

It had two white Z28 stripes painted down its broad hood.

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Nell had noted the spot a moment ago, though she wasn't expecting it to catch up to her so..Quickly.

Someone was definitely not doing the speed limit, not that she gave a flying rats ass.

Though, her eyes were on the rear view mirror and her lips curled into a smile. Now that, was a car. Granted the brunette was just a touch biased. That chevy, was the same year as her own – same make too. Just a different shade of paint and she found it amusing more or less. She reached out of her window and signal for the other car to start passing her. There wasn't anyone heading in the opposite direction and they might as well pull up along side her for a tick.

Besides there was always room for a little Camaro appreciation and if the driver pulled up beside her? She'd shoot them a smile and shout out her window that they had a nice car.

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The red car flashed its high beams at her - once, twice. Then it swerved across the yellow line.

In a smooth burst of acceleration it pulled up alongside Nell, running fast in the opposite lane. Its engine barely ticked over as it drew level with her window. It was another Camaro all right, an almost mirror image of her own sleek muscle car. Its flashy red livery glowed next to her own bright blue paint job.

Unlike Nell's car however, this one was dusty and scratched by the road. But there was nothing wrong with the throaty growl under the hood.

After a moment its smoke-tinted passenger side window rolled down.

It was dark inside the red car. Nell would get a glimpse of a man inside, dark-haired and dusty and unshaven, and dressed in a dirty red and white flower-printed Hawaiian shirt that flapped madly in the airflow. He wore an expensive headset around his neck and was smoking a cigarette, while driving with the underside of his opposite wrist.

He grinned at Nell and shouted something. The words were torn away by wind, not to mention the loud music blaring out the open window.

The red Camaro gave a playful lunge forward. It shot half a length in front of Nell's car and settled there.

That message was at least a little clearer.

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She caught a glimpse of the man in the other Camaro, and Nell gave him a small nod of approval. Though when his words were torn by the wind, and the music helped obscured what was said also, the mechanic still got the idea of what he wanted to do. Her lips curled into a wider smile, and she drove up to line her beauty of a car up with his.

Pushing her hair away from her face, Nell glanced over him and nodded her head before giving him the thumbs up sign. With a roar of her engine, she let her car pass his up similarly to what he had done to her before easing up on the gas to fall back. They were near a mile marker and once they pass that? Oh it'll be a lovely little sight to see if there were people watching.

After all, two Camaro's going at it down this long lonely stretch of highway was a very pretty thing to see.

Now the marker was getting closer, and Nell's foot hit the gas as soon as the marker hit the hood of her own car. The engine roared to life and her foot pressed down more so she was flooring it. The pedometer jumped with how fast she was going and she was already hellbent on winning.

She just had to win this, there was a certain amount of pride on the line at stake – but then again her engine was well tuned and it was a beautiful piece of machinery. So if she lost? Welp, she would be poking around that roaring engine block to see what was up.

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The red Camaro did nothing at first as Nell shot ahead of it. She would be able to look back in her rear view mirror and see it there, lingering just off her left rear quarter.

Ahead of her the highway was straight and flat. There were a few gentle bends, but they were still half a mile in the distance. Las Vegas was only a skyline of towers and a haze of smog on the horizon. Heat baked up from the long stretch of desert in between.

Luckily for her there were few cars about at that time of day. It was still much too early for afternoon commuters to be travelling home, and the highway was not a direct route into the city. Only a few restaurants and gas stations stood between it and Vegas. The two drivers could race uncontested, witnessed only by hawks and jackrabbits, and maybe the odd sedan in the opposite lane.

There was a rumble from the red car behind her. It had seen enough of her bumper, and now it smoothly pulled up alongside her again. The man gave a friendly wave as the red Camaro drew neck and neck with her before he touched the gas. The red Camaro clamped its rear end to the asphalt and shot forward with a burst of speed, before veering directly in front of Nell. Its cloud of dust billowed up and obscured her windshield.

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The glance in her rear view mirror was quick, Nell knew she had a great start but hey – these things can change. Which, after a few seconds of staying behind? That other driver was pushing his car to get along side with her. His friendly wave was met with a playful look of disapproval before it broke as her lips formed a wide grin.

Really, as much as some little bit of pride was on this with how her car was – this was all fun and games. It wasn't anything serious and besides! The mechanic had a lot of respect towards fellow Camaro owners, especially when it was the same make and model as her own.

In short, there were no hard feelings as the red Camaro overtook her blue one. She eased up on the gas slightly because of the dust that obscured her vision, letting it clear for a brief moment as she made sure it was safe to pass. One thing was for certain, she was cautious at these speeds simply because there was no way in hell that she was going to get into some wreck and total her baby. As the dust cleared slightly, she wasn't worried about how much farther ahead he was – she was biding her time until she pulled into the other lane.

The gas was stepped on, and she was soon neck and neck with him. She couldn't help shooting a wide smile over at him before the pedal was stepped on further. The blue Camaro shot forward, though instead of veering directly in front of him like he had done to her? She kept going before there was nearly a full car length between them, then she veered into his lane.

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The red Camaro was gracious about her neatly taking the lead. Rather than jostling for position it slowed a little to allow her to slide across the yellow line without risk of fender meeting bumper. The little honk it gave was friendly, like a wave. Nice move, it said. Cheers, mate.

Ahead of them a bright star appeared on the road. It shimmered in the heat.

Within seconds it had become a silver SUV. It drove in the opposite lane. It roared past them in a blast of wind and dust, and then it was gone, speeding rapidly in the direction they had come.

The red Camaro made its move.

Even before the dust had settled back to the asphalt, it shot forward. It swerved back into the centre of the highway and pulled smoothly alongside Nell, its tires snugly hugging the pavement. It matched her speed, and for a moment the rumble of both engines reverberated between them, a canyon of sleek metal and thunder.

The man was gesturing.

One hand gripped the wheel as he raised the other and pointed at the road ahead, where a small roadside diner of some sort was beginning to drift into view. He deliberately jabbed a finger at it, then pantomimed turning off the highway into its parking lot. He grinned crookedly at her, teeth white in his tanned and dusty face.

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The little honk made Nell smile, and she even laughed. This was all in good fun, no bets were made and it was just two gorgeous Camaro's racing along on a somewhat lonely highway. Still, despite their racing, she kept a close eye on the road ahead.

That was when the silvery glint hit her bright blue eyes, another car. She made a gesture outside of her window, giving the other driver a simple signal to let him know not to try to pass at this moment. The last thing the mechanic wanted? Was for him to attempt to pass, and for a wreck to ruin that classic car. Once the SUV passed, her eyes flicked upwards to look in her rear view mirror.

He was shooting forward now, and it wasn't long before their cars met nose to nose to create a beautiful canyon of metal and roaring engines.

There was a gesture, a point, and Nell returned his grin with one of her own. A thumbs up and once he turned off the highway? She followed suit, pulling off the highway and into the parking lot right behind him – right into the spot next to his. The engine was shut off, waves of heat rolling off the hood as she reached up to brush her short hair away from her face. The door was opened, her seat belt unbuckled, and the brunette stepped out of her car once her wallet was grabbed and tucked into her back pocket.

“Ya know, I never thought I'd run into another person who keeps their Camaro in such tip top shape.” Nell brought up, the grin never leaving her face as she glanced over at the other driver.

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The red Camaro was parked nearby, in the empty space in front of the diner's roadside sign. Dust was still settling over it.

Its door banged open.

Crumple cigarette packs and a Coke car fell off its seat as the driver stepped out. He kicked them under the car and slammed the door shut. He was a tall man, tanned and rumpled, his dirty red and white flower-print Hawaiian shirt dusted with dirt from the road. A small walkie-talkie wrapped in black electrical tape was clipped to its sagging front pocket. His hair was dark, salt-and-pepper, and blown back from the wind of a dozen races.

He strolled over to Nell, one eye squinted against the sun.

"You too, kid," he said. "That is one nice looking ride you've got there. Hell, it makes mine look like a piece of shit in comparison."

He laughed and pointed his thumb back at his own vehicle. It was certainly very dusty and scratched, but in otherwise good shape.

"Nineteen sixty-nine, right?" he said. He did an admiring circuit back to the trunk of her car, his thumbs in the pockets of his shorts. "Man. Nice. That was a good year. You got good taste. Your driving ain't bad either. What's your name?"

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She noted the cigarette packs and the Coke can that fell out of his car, her own was well...Definitely immaculate in comparison. She had to tilt her head upwards in order to look at him in the eye, but it wasn't like she felt intimidated by the older man by any means. Granted, when it came to a lot of people? The shorter woman wasn't easily intimidated by others just based on their physical appearance.

Either way, her lips curled into a wide grin as he commented that her ride made his look like a piece of shit. “Eh, I baby mine more than it should be to be honest with ya.” The mechanic drawled out before letting out a small laugh as he took an admiring circle around to the trunk of her car, she followed him in a casual sort of stride.

“Mmhmm, sixty-nine is right – and hey my ride used to be a damn rust bucket.” She pointed out. “But my dad and I got her fixed up to proper working condition.” There was such a hint of pride in her voice as she brought that up, but who wouldn't be over restoring a beauty like that? As far as it being good taste and her driving not being half bad? Nell gave a shrug of her shoulders. “Learned from the best, but the names Nell, Nell Collins.” The wind kicked up some dust around them, making her squint up at the other driver.

“What about yours, stranger?”

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The man ran a thumb along the trunk, just a gentle swipe to remove a smudge of dust.

"You can call me Doc, if you like," he said. "Everyone else around here does. I answer to it more often than my real name anyway."

He let out a laugh at that, gruff and good-humoured, and turned back to face her.

"Anyway, that was a pretty good race, kid," he said. "You had me beat at the end there. I don't mind losing though, not to another Camaro. If you were a Pontiac driver on the other hand, my nose might be outta joint right now. But this car is a thing of beauty."

He grinned.

"Hey," he said. "You busy? Got any place to be? I gotta get my waffle on. Alice should still be serving breakfast about now. How about it? Will you let Doc Marco buy you something to eat? Or just a coffee if you want. The menu here is good though. Real good. It's why I flagged you towards it. Whaddya say?"

He looked back at the roadside diner. It was a long squat building, all bullet-streamline steel and glass, like something straight from the Fifties. The big red neon sign over the front entrance read ALICE'S RESTAURANT.

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She watched him run a thumb along her trunk, getting rid of the smudge of dust with that little swipe.

“Doc, huh?” She asked him curiously before giving him a small nod.

Though a small laugh left her as he commented it was a good race, and that she had to beat him in the end. He went on to mention he didn't mind though, not to another Camaro. As for as his nose being outta joint if she was a Pontiac driver? Her smile was crooked and she shrugged a shoulder at his little remark. “Well only reason why I'd put your nose out of joint is if you tried to put mine out of place first. Besides, you'd end up with an unhinged jaw on top of a busted nose too.” She joked right back at him, but there really was a grain of truth with that statement.

“But thanks, I try to keep her lookin' like new.” Nell mentioned before the offer of breakfast was made. Now that, wasn't a half bad idea and her mouth watered at the thought of a proper breakfast for once in what felt like forever. “Got nothin' planned and food does sound good to be honest with ya – though you really don't have to pay for me, it was all in good fun.” The mechanic told him, she honestly didn't think it was anything but if he kept on insisting? Welp, she would end up taking the offered breakfast.

Besides, maybe they would end up chatting about their love of Camaro's.

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"Awesome," said Doc.

He looked satisfied with that and motioned for her to follow him across the parking lot. "Don't worry, kid. It's on me. Not often I get to buy anyone a meal. Besides, Alice owes me a few after I did that work on her radio and fixed the speaker system in the diner. Now she and her customers can listen to that easy listening soft rock eighties mumbo jumbo crap to their heart's content."

A bell jangled over the glass door of the diner when he pushed it open. Inside the air was pleasantly air conditioned, a relief after the sultry heat of the Nevada highway. Rows of red faux-leather booths sat against the windows, while the rest of the narrow room was occupied by a long yellow counter cluttered with napkin holders and salt and pepper shakers. A handful of men sat along it on chrome and leather seats, hunched over their coffees. Big glass refrigerators with slices of pie and pitchers of cold milk stood behind it, along with a coffee maker.

Everything smelt eggy and delicious. Whenever the swinging door to the kitchen banged open the sound of griddling pans wafted through.

Doc waved to one of the waitresses behind the cash register as he held the door open for Nell.

"Pick a seat, kid!" he said. "Anywhere you like. Whaddya feel like eating?"

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“Well, I would wonder what the point of winnin' a race would be if someone else didn't pay.” The mechanic joked, though really? She didn't care if he paid for her or not – that little race was just all in good fun and if she can talk shop with another classic Camaro owner? Well, her morning was starting on a real good note in her opinion.

As they entered the little diner, her eyes flicked across the stereotypical red booths and the round stools that lined the counter. She breathed the smell of coffee, and that delicious smell of something tasty cooking. Now this, was a diner in her opinion and she would have to stop by here again down the line – especially if those smells were any indicator on how things tasted.

“One of the stools at the counter is fine by me, and honestly I'm not sure yet – but those waffles you talked about sound great.” She replied, and she knew that menu was going to get a glance through. “How's the chicken fried steak?” The question was simple, and she could easily have that with a couple of waffles and fried eggs. Maybe some hash browns too?

Sliding onto a seat, the waitress that Doc had waved at was coming over with a menu for the unfamiliar face. “Gonna have the usual, Doc?” The girl asked with a cheerful smile.

{Hope it's okay if I NPC the waitress? I have just the character in mind for her xD}