[ti]Ep 3[/ti]Alone and Afraid [Patch]
Jan 31, 2020 19:26:17 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Jan 31, 2020 19:26:17 GMT -5
Episode 3 / Week 1 / Day 7 / Closed
Few places on Earth came close to the desolate, empty void left behind on Cybertron. But Chernobyl was one of them. Nature reclaimed what was left behind by mankind in the city and the humans themselves rarely returned to visit, if only to make a spectacle out of their tragedy. And even then, never at such ungodly hours. It was late, very late—and very dark. Still, nights could be bright when lit by the moon. But today, clouds cast a shadow over the area, and the ghost town was shrouded in a tenebrous umbra. That was to say nothing of the winds. Icy gusts howled through the blackened streets to the wailing of forgotten metal, carrying with them a thick fog.
Nobody sane would come here today, not without an exceptional reason. Sadly, Neon and Patch had one. It wasn’t that long ago when Ratchet found out about a signature matching that of Autobot technology in this particular area. The specifics were not known but Neon, being Neon, already had a dozen different hypotheses firing off in his brain. He and Patch continued in vehicle form towards the signal for quite a while now, and despite the darkness, he felt enthusiastic. He was not afraid of the night—yet.
Headlights beaming ahead, the scientist continued along his current trajectory. He did some reading on Chernobyl beforehand. It was a disappointing disaster, but alas one that could not be reversed. At the very least, the local wildlife stood to gain from its aftermath. Much of the city now belonged to stray animals and the forest had grown to merge with it. Which wouldn’t be a bad thing, unless you were a car riding through pitch-blackness with only your lights to guide you.
On that thought, Neon slowly came to a stop. Nobody was around, and continuing in vehicle mode raised the risk of hitting an animal. He didn’t want that on his hands, and he hoped neither did Patch. Taking a detour from the cracked, crumbling asphalt, he transformed with the iconic ratcheting sound. The Toyota exploded into a multitude of smooth shapes before solidifying into a somewhat stocky, yet sleek silhouette. With wheels and the back section of the vehicle now forming Neon’s shoulders and the front rearranging into his chest before neatly clicking in with a final sound.
His headlights were now placed on his chest. They kept their function, illuminating the surrounding area. He looked back towards Patch, as to confirm that they had not been separated while he was musing over animals and human catastrophes. For one who kept his mind so occupied, Neon often made sure to equally devote his attention to the environment.
“I think we should continue on foot. It’ll be safer,” the mech muttered with a light tone, already pulling out a tracker to see how far away from their destination they still were. The device was of his own making, nothing too complex, but it did the job. And though simplistic, Neon’s technology always had a dash of style thrown into the mix; a habit he had taken over from Directa.
“We’re getting close, this is so exciting!” He squealed, letting some of that excitement and wanderlust shine through by pulling his hands close to his chest and tippy-toeing a bit. Neon was a geeky little dude, and though he knew how to play it safe, his hunger for knowledge and technology often stood contrary to his rationality. Not like he could be blamed for it. Neon was hella good at his job, and that he enjoyed it was no crime.
The gloomy foreboding streets, and empty rundown apartment complexes aside, the treasure hunt was looking quite promising. This could be his first big score on Earth!
Oh, he just couldn’t wait...