Ep 2 : Continental Divide [Closed]

[Deleted]

Episode 2 - Week 3 - Day 4

Through a series of ill-timed events, Gypsum had found himself on his own. Which was all right he supposed, but other than wandering he had little idea of what to do with himself. Roaming the roadways, exploring, and laying low on the unfamiliar planet hoping to not attract the wrong kind of attention comprised the majority of his time.

Granted, he had spent two days parked in a shopping center lot just watching the locals go about their business for the sake of observation. He had, of course, encountered other races before working on the mining colony, but meeting a new one was always exciting. They seemed an interesting people, but he had the impression his kind were not in open contact with them so approaching any would likely be unwise.

Lack of having an on-board holo-emitter made travel a bit tricky too, he had realized. Given he was currently mimicking one of the local human vehicles and they were not self-driving and thus were never seen without an occupant made moving during the daytime difficult. He just had never particularly needed one. Dark tinted windows and sticking to night time travel cut down on the risk at least. At least tapping into the local internet had given him a pathway to grasp the road laws, and towards a better understanding of the local languages.

Gypsum's wandering had eventually seen him find way to the South-West end of Colorado. He had come from the direction of Denver, where he had lingered briefly just to see what the city was like before he had struck for the mountains. Such wonderful and grand views the mountains offered! Grand views and exciting roads that rose and fell, twisted, curved and meandered through an alien landscape built of stone, trees, and animals he had no name for. At times it was difficult to remember to keep up with traffic when he happened to be sharing the, instead of slowing to a crawl in his distraction. More than once he had pulled into 'scenic overlooks' and merely took it all in.

In the twilight of dawn he had crossed over Wolf Creek Pass only to pull into one of those scenic stops, vacant with the hour on the southern slope a bit before he would reach Pagosa Springs. The pull-off offered view of a waterfall spilling down from the mountainside above, creating a comfortable droning white noise in the background and catching the fist hints of morning sun with a beautiful glisten. He had only been soaking in the gorgeous views for a brief time, considering a nap before several chipmunks decided that his hood was the ideal place to warm themselves in the chill of the morning to Gypsum's amusement. The stop was seemingly overrun with the small creatures. They did not bother him, so he made no attempt to fend them off.

Thus, that was where he spent his day. Humans and their vehicles came and went, chipmunks did much the same and he sat with contented ease in the sun and drowsed. More than once other visiting cars had parked alongside him, humans brushing past him by bare inches as they navigated between vehicles to take in the falls or wander off along a trail. At times it was hard to sit still when they got so close, and to not rock on his tires as if to move out of their way.

Venturing on his own had nice in a way, but fuel was a concern and well... it was a bit lonely. Sunbathing chipmunks were not exactly quality company and he had not dared to try and interact with any humans as much as he was curious to do so. Being so near to an intelligent race just highlighted that loneliness the more.

Several times since being on his own Gypsum had sent out short range transmissions. Simple, conservative, non-verbal data-bursts calling out for other Cybertronians that may be near by in hopes of finding a friend. The transmission was an alert beacon, one that said he was there, and little else. Impulsive perhaps, and dangerous somewhat as he ran the risk of raising the attention of someone in the war effort who might choose to not be kind. Thus why he kept the call-outs cautious and bearing limited information just to see if anyone would respond, He would have to find someone, eventually, if he ever wanted to reach Haven.

Towards evening as the sun lowered, and the pull-off quieted and even the chipmunks retreated to their evening routines and the loneliness snuck up on him, Gypsum sent out that signal again.

[Knock Out]

There were a few things that Knock Out enjoyed in this world. From staying up too late in the medbay tinkering on his projects, to spending time with Breakdown, to hearing about the newest gossip from the Vehicons. The list went on. But sometimes what Knock Out enjoyed the most was being alone; away from the hustle and bustle of the Nemesis, which sometimes got to the point he couldn't even hear himself think.

He often sought refuge on Earth away from the Nemesis, just to spend time driving by himself. He cared little for the sights, of which the Earth had many – most of which were amazing should he actually take the time to look and appreciate them. The humans had it good down here with their drive in movies and millions of roadways, most of which were perfect for racing, and Knock Out was often in the right place at the right time and often got to compete in – and win – a few street races.

Knock Out had a goal for himself, which was to find and compete in a race in every state – and he was lucky enough that Breakdown didn't mind manning the medbay by himself while Knock Out went out on his little... excursions.

This was how he found himself in Colorado. The twisting roads were perfect for him to let loose and blow off a little steam. He took unnecessary risks with his driving, but it was all good fun to him. He was, at this point, just waiting till nightfall so he could find race loving humans to compete against – they didn't seem to have the guts for street racing in the daytime, much to Knock Out's annoyance.

He meandered around the streets lazily as the sun began to set, just waiting. This was the frustrating part, the waiting. But luckily for Knock Out? Something else caught his attention before he could really start looking too hard for competition.

A signal reached him. Whoever it was, they were close by – he could tell it was a short range transmission, but not much else. They weren't giving out a lot of information, whoever it was. Could it be an Autobot? Not that he could do much if it was – it'd been three days since the truce had been announced.

“Interesting..” He hummed to himself, maybe racing would have to wait for right now as he got to the bottom of this signal. His first thought was to comm back to the Nemesis, as was probably protocol – but the curiosity got the better of him. This was exciting, and back up was always a groundbridge away should he need it.

He would pull off into one of the many scenic stops that surrounded this area, and sent his own signal in return. The information contained in his own signal was brief – He pinged that he was close by, that he had received the signal, and did the other bot need assistance? He left out key details for right now, such as name and faction – if this was an Autobot who had just arrived on Earth? The likelihood of them knowing about the truce was slim to none, and Knock Out wasn't exactly looking for a fight.

[Deleted]

It just seemed safer, in a way, to send out short range transmissions on the off chance of raising the attention of someone friendly. The other option was a long range broadcast that risked reaching everyone and their cousin, friendly and unfriendly alike Granted, the short range call-outs had the risk of reaching someone who was not friendly as well, but the risk felt largely reduced. That was Gypsum's logic anyway.

It was his general expectation that raising someone with his transmission was not terribly likely made the reply he received startling. Gypsum lurched on his tires in surprise at the response, and was immediately thankful that the parking lot had thinned out. Taking a moment to settle himself, he studied the transmission that came through.

Well, with any luck whoever this was would be friendly. Never could be too careful with those who were affiliated with the war. There was always the chance that he had run into another neutral again, though he was not sure what those odds were. Gypsum was perfectly willing to be friendly none the less, he just did not want to bumble blindly into the range of someone who did not share that sentiment Briefly, he considered what to transmit back.

His response was as cryptic, cautious as the message he received. He cautiously implied over the transmission he was in no dire immediate need, just that he was out on his own and looking for friends. He left it there for the moment, awaiting a reply to try and get some kind of bead on whoever this was.

Given the short range nature of his broadcasts they would have to be close by. Gypsum hoped that they were friendly. Having someone to talk to again would be nice.

[Knock Out]

In the brief moment after Knock Out sent his own reply, he went on the alert as he waited for a response from whoever it was that out there. They were close, whoever they were. And a brief scan revealed that it wasn't any of the cars that he'd parked near on this little dirt offramp.

The reply came, and he immediately wanted to try and triangulate the location of whoever it was. They were close. That much he knew. But he wanted to find them before they found him. Just for his own safety if anything, the chance of running into another Cybertronian was like finding a needle in a haystack, and given this semi-remote location? It was all the more surprising and concerning.

Still wary that it was some sort of trap, if only because of the location and use of short-range transmission? His reply back would be brief once more, although this time he would reveal a vital clue, his faction. He hoped that whoever was on the other end of this transmission wasn't an Autobot...

I am Decepticon. Why are you out here of all places? What kind of friends are you looking for? Why the short range transmission?

After he sent it, he would make his way from where he'd parked and begin to make his way up the steep incline of the road. There were a few of these little 'scenic' stopping points so he would aim for the next one up to try and get a better read. He went slowly, a little slower than he'd of liked – but there was no point in speeding off one way only for another transmission to come in and it be the wrong way.

He pulled into the next parking lot and stopped once more. This one looked a little tidier and more like a parking lot than where he'd stopped before, which was an 'unofficial' parking spot of sorts for lazy humans who didn't feel like parking in this one and walking down the hill. Unbeknownst to him? It was the very same one that the stranger was parked in – although he was at the opposite end.

This could either go very well, or very bad.

[Deleted]

To hear that the mech contacting him was a Decepticon was honestly no more concerning than if they had been an Autobot. Both sides were worth caution until their personal natures came to light, after all. There was also the risk of members of either faction taking exception with a Neutral for choosing to stay out of the frackas. Personally, he had seen very little of that kind of scorn, but he knew it had happened to others but he cared little to get into a quarrel with someone potentially far more combat ready than he was. Thus, generalized caution.

The car that pulled in down the lot was noted, but not particularly paid attention to for the moment. Not when he had three specific questions that he had to decide how to answer. So, he took his time to think, while the night continued to settle and the scant dusk-to-dawn lights flickered on.

Neutral, his reply started. As for why 'ere? No real reason, jus' been wanderin' a while, seein' where th' road goes, an such. Short ranges jus' seemed safer'n riskin drawin too much attention at once, aye? Wasn't in a terrible 'urry about it, anyhow. Regardin' friends... jus' well, lookin f'anyone friendly an' civil. Not lookin' for any kind of fight. The implication that he meant anyone who was not going to up and get unpleasant on him hung in his words.

Not paying the car down the lot any mind, he waited to see what his mystery contact had to say back.

[Knock Out]

Knock Out would settle in the parking spot as he waited for a reply from the mystery Cybertronian on the other end of the transmission. He hoped he hadn't gone too far out of range of the other Mech. He was starting to question if he should've given away his faction so early, what would he do if it were an Autobot on the other side? It wasn't like he was built for fighting, nor did he want a confrontation this far out the way. All the more reason to get a visual on whoever it was first, just incase. He just hoped they hadn't worked out who he was.

Then the reply came and.. Knock Out went on high alert. It seemed that rather than going out of range? He was now very much in range, and the Mech who had sent the broadcast was riiight... Over....

There.

Ah. Well.. This made things interesting. He knew that when he replied, the other Mech would know who he was, and more to the point? Where he was. So he considered himself thankful, and lucky, that this guy seemed to be not only friendly, but a neutral as well. Phew. At least it wasn't an Autobot. He wasn't looking forward to explaining that there was a truce, because who would believe that? Nobody.

Understood.

That would've been enough to give away his location, and all his attention was now on watching the Chevy across the parking lot with more curiosity than before. He would continue his transmission.

You aren't wrong about short range being safer. Especially with the ever growing threat of MECH. I suppose you haven't heard of them? Fleshbags who do all kinds of.. Ah.. Nasty experiments on our kind. You are lucky it was me that ran into you instead of one of them.

Driving around alone wasn't safe for a Cybertronian of any faction, although it wasn't like Knock Out could talk, or even comment on it, he often drove around by himself.

I suppose it's your lucky day! I too am not looking for a fight.

He laughed.

I'm Knock Out, Chief Medical Officer of the Decepticons. I came here looking for a race to kill time, but this is far more interesting. You looking to head to anywhere in particular? It really isn't safe to be out alone. I could escort or drive with you, if you'd liked? Not that I know my way around every corner of the Planet, but I will do my best to help get you where you need to go. How long have you been by yourself, anyway?

He'd offer to help, if only to possibly call in a favor down the line in the future, and to kill more time before heading back to the Nemesis.

[Deleted]

A Chevy that plainly had seen better days, going by the chipped and shabby paint job he sported. A paint job which made him look dingy in the off-cast glow of the amber lot lights overhead.

Knockout was a couple dozen words into his reply before Gypsum paid mind to the extraneous information that came to him along with the Transmission. Oh. He studied the extra details, realizing what it all meant with a touch of surprise. So, his contact was not far away at all. It seemed the fancy vehicle that had pulled in not long ago was the mech he was speaking to. Well then. Patient he was, none the less as Knockout spoke, listening politely before he responded himself.

Mech. I've 'eard a touch about them, but not much. Enough t'know they aren't good company. Not sad t'ave not run into any of those sorts.

It was reassuring as well, to hear that Knockout was not interested in getting into a tiff. As someone who was not much of a natural fighter, and had no real drive or desire to cause others hurt or harm he had no particular inclination to get caught up in some physical quarrel. Such was not at all his idea of a good time.

The comment about a race made Gypsum chuckle in a cheerful tone, though Race? Sorry t'say m'not particularly useful in tha' regard, unless y'are into winnin' by ridiculous margins. Gypsum was, by far, not the fastest creature on four wheels. Anyhow, Nice t'meet y'Knockout. M'Gypsum; nobody in particular in th'scheme of things. It was interesting  to hear he had encountered a Decepticon of rank, though still thankfully he was one willing to be friendly!

I 'ad 'eard 'bout a place called Haven for th'Neutral minded. I jus' lost track of m'contact before I could make arrangements t'get there, but m'in no particular 'urry t'get anywhere. Jus' been out 'ere wanderin' jus' around fourteen or so, drivin about, enjoyin' th'scenery or so. None th'less, bit of company one way or another would be pleasant for a while.

In all honesty, he sounded about as average joe civilian as their kind managed to be these days. Not a threat by any means, and just looking for friendly faces after too much solitary time.

[Knock Out]

Knock Out would unashamedly admit if anyone asked, that the first thing he thought of when he saw the Chevy across the parking lot was just how badly he needed a new paint job. Or at least a buff. Or both. Probably both. Didn't anyone care about their appearance around here? It seemed even the humans didn't care for their vehicles, the sheer number he'd seen that had dodgy paintjobs, and were covered in rust with badly done fix-up jobs of headlights and various other parts was enough to make Knock Out weep. It was a good thing he'd been distracted by the short-range message, because the offerings of worthy opponents to race around here were slim.

Still, despite the shabby paint job, at least the other Mech wasn't an Autobot.

The problem with MECH is that we aren't really sure just how spread out they are. They could be anywhere. Still, I am glad you've been at least made aware of their presence, and thankful that you weren't unlucky enough to run into them.

He'd never wish MECH on anyone; let alone some humble little Neutral who didn't seem like he could hurt anything. At least that's the first impression that Knock Out had got. This was a Mech who minded his own business and kept to himself; if he didn't, he probably would care a little more about how he looked.

Ah, don't worry about the race. Lost the mood for it anyway. The sheer lack of competition around here is enough to make anyone give up after a while, as much as I do adore winning by ridiculous margins; I don't think the humans who reside in this area are really the racing types.

He'd chuckle.

The pleasure's all mine, Gypsum. Lovely to meet you.

He was still so thankful this wasn't an Autobot, but he would still be forever wary around newcomers. Although there was something about Gypsum that told him that if they did end up coming to blows? Knock Out could probably take him. Maybe.

Haven? Oh, yes, I've heard of that place. A lot more so now that there's the truce going on. Not that it really is any worry of you Neutral types, but for the time being the Autoscu-- He cleared his throat. Autobots and Decepticons have put aside their differences to dispose of MECH.

He'd come out here with an intent to race and to get away from the confines of the Nemesis for a while, so he didn't feel like calling in a groundbridge to Haven right this second – so the fact Gypsum seemed to be in no hurry was welcoming to his audials.

Since you've been driving around by yourself for a little while, why not lead on? Can show me interesting things to do around here as I've yet to find anywhere that looks fun. Then whenever you're ready I can call in a groundbridge and get you to the DMZ quick-smart. I'm in no rush to get back anywhere; so we can take as long as we need.

He hoped Gypsum would take advantage of Knock Out's lack of schedule and his willingness to chat and see the sights. The other Mech had said he'd wanted company, and Knock Out was as good as they came for that. It was win win. Knock Out got to be out and about, not going stir crazy, and Gypsum got to have some no doubt much needed company.

[Deleted]

He would not deny that his paint was rather weather-worn! Putting time, attention, and energy into it just was not something high on Gypsum's priority list. He had spent recent years doing hard physical work after all. Keeping a paint job looking nice was fairly futile in a mining situation and he'd never been so well off as to keep a pristine look at all times before that. Thus, he was not bothered by looking the way he did and was vaguely unawares of the idea that his shabby look may cause someone else disgruntlement.

Otherwise,, he listened patiently while Knockout spoke, speaking about MECH, racing, differences aside, Haven and all that. It was good information to store away, even if the mech did seem to talk a lot. Or perhaps that was just Gypsum feeling like it was a lot of talking, after doing several weeks of very little speaking at all. It was kind of nice to listen to, in a way.

Curious' t'ear there is a truce on. After so long, didn't imagine we'd see something like that.

The neutral hummed at the thought, impressed that the factions had pulled it together enough to even consider such a thing. After enough quibbling and fighting you start to imagine no one was ever going to get along again.

He chuckled then though, when Knockout suggested that he lead on in his wandering, shifting into drive as he did.

Can't promise followin' me will be all' tha' much more interestin'.

With that, he backed out of where he had been parked for the past amount of time, and then out to the main road headed down into Pagosa Springs to see what adventures or lack there of waited there. It was nice to have a companion for a while, and the assurance that through this mech he could find his way into good company.

[Knock Out]

Knock Out couldn't help that he talked a lot. To say that he liked the sound of his own voice was probably an understatement. That, and he'd never actually met one of these neutral bots before! They were like shiny rare unicorns! Especially finding one out in the wild like this! So he was trying to make a good first impression, and being a little overly helpful and friendly was just part of his charm... When he wanted something. He never knew if he'd need the help of the neutrals one day, and it was always nice to have friends, afterall. You never knew when one might need them.

Ah, yes. The truce was surprising but I suppose it's needed, given the threat. We're only three days into it, I believe, so it's still early days yet – no telling what will happen.

He wasn't sure how long the truce would last. Not long, probably. There were idiots with short tempers on both sides, and all it'd take was one of them saying the wrong thing, or doing the wrong thing, and the entire thing would crumble in an instant. It was more of a 'when' than an 'if'. He wasn't even sure why there was a truce to begin with, the Decepticons could easily take out MECH alone with their numbers... But then he quickly remembered how Breakdown was taken by MECH and saved by the Autobots...

Maybe it was needed.

I'm sure wherever you take me will be interesting. Well, at least more interesting than driving around by myself at any rate. It's always nice to have company, so I'm not too fussed about where we go. Surprise me! I'm always down for mindless driving, so even if you don't know where you're going, I wont mind one bit.

He chuckled. Maybe Knock Out would get lucky, and while following Gypsum he could make note of places to race that he'd missed, or places that might interest Breakdown on one of his rare excursions from the Nemesis. He did always want to try and show Breakdown more of Earth, especially considering his partner seemed to have some weird fascination with the more 'beautiful nature' side of things, and this place looked like it might have a few hidden gems.

He would shift into reverse, backing out of the parking lot and then switching to drive, following Gypsum. It pained him to drive a little slower than normal, but at the same time the slower they went and more 'sightseeing' they did? The longer Knock Out would be away from his work.

So, Gypsum, how are you liking Earth, anyway?

Time for the awkward small-talk, which to Knock Out wouldn't be all that awkward – his days of working in body and paint repair back on Cyberton meant he was good at the small-talk thing.

[Deleted]

Gypsum was someone who could become wound up in a good conversation and be fairly chatty when the mood struck. Other times, he was content to be quiet and mostly listen to the chatter going on around him. It all just depended. Right now? It was just pleasant to have someone to talk to in general. More, it was pleasant to listen to someone speaking -to- him, rather than just overhearing the local race talking among themselves whenever he happened to park near enough to them.

It was amazing what difference was made by being involved in the conversation, versus just being around conversation. It truly had been a lonely span of time.

Though he was vaguely unsure about this development of being put in charge of the fun and games, so to speak. He had not even been down to the town yet to scope out much of what there even was, so he supposed they would roll off and find out what went on in tourist-infested vacation towns. 

Off we go then, t'see what there is t'see. It's been interestin' seein 'ow 'uman towns change from place to place, never quite know what y'are going to find,  he commented amiably, pulling out of the lot and heading down the road towards Pagosa Springs.

As for how I've been liking it.. well it's been interestin'  And lonely. I 'ave never seen so much organic growth in one place before, so tha' 'as been new. Lots t'see 'ere tha' is f'sure. If he stopped to study every new plant or organic animal he saw along the way, he would not get anywhere quickly by any means. 

Pity that all the hot springs down in the town would be tightly surrounded by human settlements or structures, or otherwise inaccessible to Mech-scale investigation.

The ugly thunderstorm rolling in from the other side of town might provide some form of entertainment though. Or hail. Maybe just mostly hail.

[Knock Out]

Knock Out liked talking. Something to do with the fact that he more than enjoyed the sound of his own voice. Sure there were times when he was quiet – mostly when he was elbow deep in someones chassis doing some kind of surgery that required thought, but even then he liked talking to his patients. He was lucky in that he got to interact and converse with many of his kind each day just through his line of work, and even on days that were slower? He had Breakdown. The big blue mech was quieter than Knock Out, and often let him just ramble on.

He didn't know what it was like to be lonely, but he no doubt would've hated it. The thing with Knock Out was that he actually liked being alone. He preferred it. Hence his need to drive around by himself sometimes just to escape; although that'd probably change if he were the last Cybertronian on this planet, or freshly landed on Earth and unsure if there were others out there. There was a difference between wanting to be by yourself, and being truly alone.

Off we go indeed! Must say I personally don't care much for the towns themselves. Seen one, seen them all in my opinion. Some have more to look at than others though, I suppose. Then again it isn't like we can really do much in our alt-modes other than drive – although there are the drive-in theaters if you ever get bored and have time to kill.

He hummed. The other mech probably didn't even know what a movie was, let alone a drive in theater, but wouldn't elaborate further on that unless asked. Knock Out had only really found one by chance himself, and then gotten hooked on them. It was Breakdown that cared for the actual sights of Earth. Knock Out usually drove past them all so fast that he never got to take them in. The only time he really slowed down or even stopped while planet side was when at the drive-in movies – or when he was stuck in traffic. That was annoying.

Eh, you get used to the organic growth after a while. If it isn't your thing, there are many over populated areas where the green stuff is sparse. Built up cities with huge towers and skyscrapers. Things like that. Nowhere near like the cities back home, however, not even close.

He didn't care much for the vegetation or wildlife here on planet side. The amount of bugs he had to pick out of his grille after he'd been driving around was disgusting. Summer was the worst – the yellow pollen covered him in a soft dust and it was absolute murder on his vents and internals. He sure talked a lot then, in the form of complaining and whining to Breakdown – who never outwardly complained.

So, tell me... How long have you been by yourself here on Earth? A while, I assume, given you started reaching out for others of our kind? 

He had other questions, of course. Such as why be 'Neutral' in this ongoing war when the Decepticons were obviously the winning team and had the upper hand in the majority of things. Sure there was the truce right now, so technically they were all considered Neutral - but that wouldn't last.

He would follow the other mech as he drove, staying close – but not too close. Driving slow was.. Eugh, something he didn't like. But he was being polite, and Gypsum was being nice enough to lead on and show him around, even if the other mech wasn't exactly sure where to go. Knock Out hadn't taken note of the sky, instead lazily looking around for things that may interest Breakdown at a later date. Even if he had noticed the sky, he probably wouldn't have commented - he'd finally gotten used to rain on Earth. And after the initial freakout at his first rainstorm, and sheer relief that it wasn't acidic rain like back home – was actually okay with them. The water helped wash any dirt off his finish when out and about. Storms were also good. He found he was oddly fascinated by them if he ever got the time to sit back and watch one. Sure they had things like that back home, too, but he'd never expected them here on this pathetic little planet.

Hail, however? He had yet to encounter – and knowing Knock Out? He wouldn't take kindly to them.

[Deleted]

Gypsum had his reasons for lingering in the realm of neutrality. The fact he wasn't interested in combat, nor trained or experienced in the matter was part of it. A good portion of the rest of it being that fundamentally, he did not identify with either faction.

Both sides had faults, nor did he view either side as "good" nor "bad". Well, he did think of the Decepticons these days as being, overall, a tad more likely to up and murder you for whatever reasons. Blatantly anyway. Autobots were sneakier about that kind of thing. Sometimes. He would be marginally less concerned about being shanked arbitrarily in an Autobot base than among Decepticons, most days. Just different cultures.

On backwater mining colonies, you tended to hear the dirt on the Autobots, and the blips of good done among the Decepticon ranks. Of course, some were embellished to mythical tall-tale proportions, while some remained the more believable cut-and-dry retelling. It tended to help break down the "good versus evil" propaganda that floated about in official news reels, and reinforce his continued pledge to neutrality.

Ironically enough, once upon a time he had followed the Decepticon cause. Equality and representation of for the lower classes, the breakdown of the caste system, so on and so forth. He had followed, listened, and sympathized, until things turned to violence. That was where he had been lost, and instead of turning to the Autobots of whom he did not agree with for other reasons, he had washed his hands of the whole mess and found life elsewhere.

Really, what had he been thinking when he'd decided that trotting off to the front lines had been a good idea. He was still trying to figure out his own logic on that matter.

A while, though not too long. I 'ad run into another, though lost contact with 'im. So I've been wanderin' since jus' seeing what there was t'see.

A rumble of distant thunder made him pay attention to the storm up ahead of them, surveying the clouds that rolled towards them, as he casually lead the speedier mech down into the town. Massive, billowing anvil-topped formations with heavy black depths.

Storm comin'. Hail too, by m'guess. Might be wise t'find a place t'wait it out rather'n drivin in it.

Storms were one thing that the dull barren planet of the mining colony had done well, hail and all. He was no stranger to hail. Hail did not bother him when it stayed small, but once it got big enough to leave fist shaped dents in your armor, then he would think twice about being out in the weather. He did not anticipate this storm hitting those reaches, but he wasn't sure where his new travel buddy's comfort levels were. Going by the neat and tidy look to him, driving in the hail wasn't going to be a preferred activity. 

Having said that, Gypsum began paying attention to their surroundings, watching for a suitable place to pull over and wait it out.

[Knock Out]

Both sides had their faults indeed, although Knock Out wouldn't think of each faction as 'good' nor 'bad' – more like... Winners, and losers. And in this war? The Decepticons were the clear cut winners. Always had been. Or at least they'd always seemed to have the upper hand! It was why he'd been drawn to them, and so eager to join and get among their ranks in the early days of the war - and as luck should have it? He'd managed to do so easier than most by having some natural talent at being a Medic. Given the lifestyle he chose, and the company he kept prior to the war, it was an... Odd choice who he'd sided with in the end, but Knock Out had always been the type to look out for himself, and only himself.

The Autobots were few in number. The Neutrals even more so. Or at least, that was what he'd heard. He'd yet to visit wherever it was they called a base but he hadn't heard good things. A few 'lucky' Vehicons had been there to take supplies in the day after the truce, and while Knock Out didn't care much for the goings on of those who couldn't even pick a faction, he'd take any gossip he could get – which was why he hoped Gypsum didn't have any grand expectations of where he would be residing once they were done driving around here. 

Then again from what Knock Out had seen of the other mech and how he kept himself? It probably didn't matter to him any.

You ran into another of our kind, hm? Curious... Well, luckily for you I am nothing but a true gentlemech and shan't leave you to wander once we're done with this little tour – wandering around by yourself gets old after a while, as I'm sure you're more than aware.

He purred this over the comm as he continued to follow. Refraining from making a subtle comment about how if he wanted company, the Decepticons certainly had the numbers to counter loneliness. Sadly it wasn't his place to, nor did he really want to deal with the backlash of bringing a Neutral on board the Nemesis. It wouldn't go over well – especially as he was trying to lay low for a little while - having angered their Warlord with a backhanded compliment not even a week ago that'd seen his wheel-arch horribly mangled. He could only imagine what'd happen if he brought a Neutral on board. Most seemed to have a distaste for the non-factioned. Not that Knock Out really cared one way or another, although he did find them wishy-washy.

The part Gypsum had said about running into another had piqued his interest, though. Knock Out hadn't heard of another Decepticon running into a Neutral out in the wilderness, so maybe it was an Autobot. No, it had to be. His processor would never have jumped to the conclusion that it was, in fact, another non-factioned Cybertronian. As curious as he was, though... He wouldn't ask who it was that Gypsum had run into – the dark, rolling clouds had drawn his attention away. As did the word 'hail'.

Well, those certainly came from nowhere. The weather here on this little planet can be so unpredictable at times.

He was trying not to panic – and was doing a good job of hiding it. His voice unwavering, his field unchanging. He knew what hail was, but had yet to have the misfortune of finding himself in a storm where hail was actually involved. He'd never seen clouds like that before and trusted Gypsum's word – given the other mech presumably had been around this area for a while and thus gotten used to the weather here. 

There was something honestly terrifying about tiny bullets of ice plummeting down on you from a great height – and something even scarier came from the knowledge that sometimes they weren't tiny at all, and could be the size of decent sized rocks. He did have the briefest glimmer of a thought to just speed past the other mech, thus ditching him, getting himself somewhere safe and then calling a ground-bridge out of here... But with the truce now in play, he'd no doubt have to deal with the Neutrals before too long, and he didn't want enemies. 

Shelter does sound wise, I agree. Anywhere will do – as I can't say I'm fond of the idea of getting hailed on. I have a certain image I like to uphold!

As if that wasn't obvious given his perfectly buffed finish – which was sadly dulled and not all that impressive looking (by Knock Out's standards) due to the clouds darkening the sky above them. Woe.

...And I do mean anywhere. Those clouds look particularly angry. We should probably hurry.

There was a slight sense of urgency to his tone there as he, too, would start looking – and silently wishing Gypsum would speed up just a little bit because he really, really did not want to get hailed on. Some mechs didn't care about how they looked, but this was terrifying for someone was vain as Knock Out!

[Deleted]

Oh, he would have said a bit more about the other mech he had encountered if directly asked. His focus just had shifted away from that topic as the storm gained momentum and continued to look concerning.

Aye, well aware, Gypsum commented half distractedly, when the concept of wandering around alone was brought up.

As for the clouds, well, he would not say the clouds had come up out of nowhere. He had been half-minding their arrival for a bit of time by now, after all. To one not paying attention skyward though, they may have seemed rapidly appearing. It had only been when the clouds had truly begun to appear ugly, that Gypsum had put more focus towards monitoring the oncoming storm.

Listen he would to Knockout prattle on stressily about the oncoming storm and the need for shelter. Fussy mech, he decided. Fussy over appearance in ways Gypsum simply was not. Miners did not squirm over mussing their paint jobs, after all. It was not a line of employment that kept good paint on for long.

None the less, shelter was the priority. on his own he would have just found a spot in the lee of a building and hunkered down to let the whole mess blow over. He suspected Knockout would now go for that plan, so shelter it was.

The good thing about old western towns was they tended to have a plethora of old, rundown buildings. Old barns, mills, mining camps, wooden ramshackle affairs as stripped of paint as the miner was, that were more the memory of a structure than they were suitable shelter anymore.

Outside of the town itself was one such structure, his scanners highlighting the remains of a woebegone old barn offset from the road. The building forgotten long enough that grass and other foliage had long consumed any visible route to the structure. Meant human activity there would likely be fairly nill, and thus an ideal spot for two Cybertronians to hide out from a storm.

As long as shimmying the barn doors open did not bring the whole thing down on their heads, anyway. Trivial details, that.

Looks like tha' may be our option, and with that, Gypsum just turned off the main road to drive through the lightly tree-studded field to go have a closer look at the structure. The dampness in the air informed him that their time to settle on shelter was going to be fairly limited.