Aberrant: 2011 - Mech-inations [Complete]

[z-Coyote-Mad Scientist]

There was no tank today, and no coveralls. There was a sundress, and there was makeup. There was also a confused Spickle; the labra-doodle was unfamiliar with Karrie's scent being mixed with perfume. The dog registered her opinion of all the fuss with a heavy, mucus-spraying sneeze.

"God, Spickle, could you be anymore gross?" Karrie fretted, planting a foot in the dog's side and pushing her gently but firmly out of the room with a scowl. Once the shaggy brown dog was outside the bathroom, Karrie pushed the door shut and studied herself in the mirror again.

Her bronze skin and high cheekbones marked her ethnic heritage clearly, and her make up only emphasized her features. Karrie wouldn't hide them; she was proud of herself and who she was, but memories of Alyssa's perfect features crossed her mind. For one bitter moment, Karrie wanted that white skin and life of racial prestige.

She shook off the desire as easily as she shook out her hair, sending the dark locks flowing around her face. After a moment's hesitation, she pinned the sides back. It let her hair remain down, but out of the way. "I think... that's as good as I get," she muttered. Which was when the doubts set in.

"Is this too much? Oh, god... he's going to know. I gotta get this crap off!" Karrie reached for the water faucet, but the device on the counter began to beep. It was her radar warning, and it signaled that she'd run out of time. A small form was approaching, smaller than an airplaner, and moving faster. "Crap!" Karrie whined as she shut off the water and hurried out to greet her guest.

[Mech]

Connor had been glad for the call. He'd had enough of the press hounding him as he'd helped with clean up and reclamation in California. His dad had given his blessing to this little excursion, knowing he'd seen things your standard teenager hadn't in this entire incident.

Of course beyond all of this, there was Karrie. An honest to god Mecha-fangirl AND she was a nova to boot. Thoughts of Alessa ran through his mind, but he pushed them back. They were good friends, but they hadn't spoken since the party. She was out of his league, and despite his subtle and not so subtle moves, she remained just a friend. "Then why do I feel like I'm almost cheating?" he muttered on the wind.

He banished those thoughts, after all this was just a day to hang out and talk with Karrie about some of her designs. He followed the gps to the right coordinantes and landed on the ground amidst a cloud of dust.

"Dammit." He concentrated and it sent a command through his eufiber, causing it to ripple and shift into another outfit. This caused it to get rid of all the dirt he'd kicked up. His outfit returned to a light Khaki button-down and a pair of khaki shorts. He wore leather sandals on his feet and smiled as he started walking up to the house.

In his mind he went over several witty things to say. "So I was in the neighborhood.." No no, too bullshit... "I heard you have some designs for me..." no, way too suggestive "So where's the tank?" nahh, cool as it is.. Then he actually noticed her. Wow. followed shortly by Oh Crap...

All his witty comments died there. Was this even the same girl he'd met at the beach? She looked totally different, and not in a bad way. She looked great in the sundress and he smiled as he walked up. Just relax Connor, she won't bite, this isn't a date, she just didn't want to meet you in oily coveralls again. Yeah, that's it.

He nodded to her with a smile. "Hey Karrie, you sure look great today." God Connor you are so lame. was that the best you could honestly do? I swear it's like you want to remain single. A small part of his mind answered back "Well considering how the last one ended.." Connor silenced his doubts and smiled, this was bound to be a fun day.

[z-Coyote-Mad Scientist]

Karrie was immediately attacked by a swarm of butterflies, which went straight to her stomach and lodged there, fluttering madly. "Hi, Connor," she answered, smiling broadly. The wind stirred slightly, rustling her hair and Karrie turned her face to it, inhaling deeply. "Sage," she murmured, "I love that smell."

Her distraction faded with the wind, and Karrie glanced at her guest. And her beautiful, lovely brain searched for the right thing to say and came up empty. "So... how was your flight?"

Oh GOD, you're a moron, Karrie moaned to herself. "How was your flight? I only possess two brain cells when you're around. Marry me! Heee-hee!" "I bet your arms are tired, huh?" Realizing that wasn't much better, Karrie wrinkled her nose. "Is there... a reset button or something around here? I knew I needed to focus on a memory-wiping machine." You're babbling. Stop. Talking. "So, hi, Connor. How you been?"

Gah! Nothing sounds right...

[Mech]

Connor chuckled "Nope life doesn't have a reset button, I wouldn't use it anyway, I might not be a nova if I reset things." Smoothe cassanova...

He smiled, her face was so cute, he wondered if she made it all the time when she thought. "I only fly with my arms when I have to, most of the time it's just the flare effect."

"Honestly I've been pretty good considering where I've been. How about you? Invent any world-saving or world-changing devices lately?"

Welcome to Lameville, population, you; Connor Fontenot. "God, if your listening, please help here. Don't let me screw this up, Please?"

[z-Coyote-Mad Scientist]

"World-saving? Hmm, no," Karrie said, realizing that it probably made her sound shallow. "I did figure out how to make a sonic device that can only be heard by animals in a certain frequency - and possibly novas who can hear in that range - that makes them nuts, and it works off of three watch batteries. I've had a neighbor who has affixed them to collars and put them on a third of his herd, with the idea that they'll keep coyotes and predators from the majority of the herd. They have a range of about twenty feet, so it's a good chance that an uncollared cow will be within a collared one's range." Nerdlinger alert! Why don't you do some raging physics calculations now? "See, it's a problem in my area... so, not world-saving. Just cow-saving. Important, if you like steak and leather jackets."

Karrie regained control of her mouth for a moment; with an internal sigh, she attempted to stop the stream of thoughts in her head from spilling out her mouth. "Would you like some lemonade? My mom loves sun tea, so there's probably a jug of it somewhere in the house, too. Mostly, I'm suggesting we get in out of the sun. It's not too hot this time of year, but... the principle is sound."

"Principle is sound? You are a dork.

[Mech]

"It's cool that you helped out your neighbor like that." He smiled and nodded to the house. "Something cold would certainly hit the spot." For reasons I like to think I'm too much of a gentleman to say.

"Lead the way, It is a bit drier out here than where I'm from." This is the back ass-end of hell Connor. It's hot and dry and that likely never changes. It might rain here a hundredth of what it rains back home. "Oh God I've started thinking about weather. I'm so screwed."

He followed her up to the house, taking in the barren landscape. "Though I gotta admit this place is perfect for practicing new forms, nobody else around for miles."

[z-Coyote-Mad Scientist]

Karrie lead the way into the house, a round adobe structure that blended in with the landscape. A dark brown dog with an eagerly waving tail greeted them, and Karrie grabbed her collar. "Don't let her out, she got attacked something a couple of weeks ago and we don't want it to happen again, poor old girl." She released the dog once the door was closed.

Karrie stepped into the kitchen first, stopping short when she saw her brother Mike in the room already. "What are you doing here?" she asked him.

Mike grinned, his early height and bronzed skin making him look like a stereotype. All that saved him from being the Navajo poster child was the green Gorillaz shirt and blue jeans. "What are you doing?" he shot back, looking his sister over once. "Is that a dress?" He glanced at Connor and winked, adding, "And here's the reason you wore a dress. Must be true love."

"Get out, jerk!" Karrie shouted, kicking at her brother. Her foot caught him in the shin, but all it evoked was a deep laugh as he dodged the worst of the blow. "I'm entertaining a guest, so butt out!"

"He's not as pretty as the last one!" Mike taunted, putting the butchers block between him and his angry sister. "The last one had such lovely blonde hair!"

Karrie snatched a knife off the counter, her face red with anger and embarrassment. With an exuberant whoop, Mike ducked out of the kitchen, still laughing. Karrie made sure he was really gone before she set the knife down. "Sorry about that," she ground between her teeth. "He's a typical little brother, made worse by the fact that he's taller than anyone else in the family. He's supposed to be in school today."

[Mech]

Connor laughs at the interaction. It reminded him of both his own and his sisters antics towards Ashton when he brought home various girls. He would go on later to do the same to his sister. "I can relate Karrie. Though thankfully I'm the youngest of my family, I just have to worry about older siblings now."

He watched as she set down the knife and calmed down. "Kids are gonna be kids, little brothers especially. Don't let him get to ya." He was trying to be nice and polite, yet to him he sounded far too dorky. Just play it straight Connor quit trying so damn hard.

"So I'm not the first one to get the chance to visit eh?" His tone was in part tease, and a little jealousy, but it was plain to see by both his smile and his eyes he wasn't totally serious. He reached down to pet the dog and smiled as it wagged its tail. "Nice dog, she reminds me of Maki, though she's a good bit smaller."

[z-Coyote-Mad Scientist]

"Thanks, that's Mom's dog. She's a wonderful dog, but she's getting up there in years. Maki? He's your dog, right? I've wondered what he is - he doesn't look quite like a Chow, and the other posters in the thread on it-" Karrie stopped as her cheeks turned red again. Way to admit that you're an obsessive, creepy stalking girl who debates exactly what kind of dog Connor has from pictures you've seen. "They don't know either," she finished lamely.

"So... lemonade or tea?" Karrie reached into a cabinet and pulled out two glasses. "And on the rocks or plain?"

[Mech]

"Lemonade on the rocks. I don't believe I've ever heard the latter put with the former on that one."

He chuckles a bit. "Maki's a three year old chow-wolf mix, that's why she's so ginormous. Most chow's rarely hit 85 lb's she's clost to twice that without an ounce of fat on her. She's really smart, I mean she practically trained herself."

He stops and catches what Karrie had said. "Wait, there's a thread discussing what sort of dog I have and they have pictures?" There's a small amount of alarm in his voice, but also equal parts amusement.

"What else is discussed on this thread?"

[z-Coyote-Mad Scientist]

"Everything..." Karrie said softly as she dropped ice cubes in the glasses. Seeing that the answer didn't entirely satisfy, she added, "Well, the forum is about you. There's a thread on your parents, your siblings, your pets, who you've been seen with, that girl that lives at your house and even a fiction thread for fanfictions about you."

None of her words were comforting, and Karrie tried a new direction. "The moderators don't allow any inappropriate stories about you; they have to be respectful to you and what they think you'd appreciate. And in the non-fiction threads, we debate the... details... of your... life." She looked up at Connor, an uncertain, unhappy frown on her face. "It's creepy, isn't it? It's ok; you can say it's creepy. I don't mind."

And just think how bad it would be if he knew I was the adminstrator for the whole site...

[Mech]

"My God, My life has really become an anime..." It got out before he stop it and he turned red with embarrassment. "It's flattering in a way really. Though there are some premises that I seem to need to clear up. SHE does not live in that house. I set her up withs something over on the other side of time near the university. I made a promise and I'll keep it regardless of how she treated me." Anger bled into his voice as he thought about Cassie and her betrayal.

"Only Maki and I live in the house, and my cousins come over to play with Maki and feed her while I'm gone."

He gives her a devilish smile. "Now just what sort of "details" of my life are we talking about here?" Oh God, please don't let them have cameras all over the grounds, after Tokyo i don't think I can handle that....

[z-Coyote-Mad Scientist]

Karrie watches Connor talk quietly, and the only sound coming from the young Navajo is the splash of pouring lemonade. When he finishes, Karrie debated asking more about the girl, but she stopped herself. It was really none of her business.

"Just the usual stuff you learn about celebrities. We post links to interviews or photos; some of us have done public record searches on you," Karrie admitted. Flinching a little, she added, "And the stories are all... admiring. I mean, you usually get to be a hero, and we don't allow male/male slash, since you don't seem to like guys. You don't get killed in the stories."

She glanced at Connor as she handed him a glass. "Little weird, huh?"

[Mech]

He took the glass and took a long pull, enjoying the mixed bite of sweet and sour taste. "This is really good. As for the site and everything, I'm not accustomed to it no. I mean back home my family was one of the prominent ones, My Big brother was the star football player and my sister the beauty queen. Me I was just the quiet nerd in the background."

He smiles. "No, I'm not into guys and I'll have to thank the mods for not allowing things to go there. I don't need a vist from the QNA. Besides they'd probably get shot if they came where I'm from."

"I have to ask, Why me? I mean I'm not godly powerful or brilliantly handsome like some of the other novas." Images of Gabe came to mind, but Connor pushed them away. Best not to focus on others right now. "I'm just a an anime fan who's getting to live his dream. I always wanted to be a mecha pilot, now I've gone a step beyond. I am the mecha. I was going to study so I could become an animator, and hopefully get to design machines for some of my favorite shows. Now I actually get to be part of the shows. I'm not half as heroic as people think I am. I just got really, really lucky."

Curiostiy finally got the better of him. "So what have you writen?"

[z-Coyote-Mad Scientist]

"But Connor, you do great work," Karrie said, shrugging. "We don't study you and write about your because you're some kind of god. We do it because you're living the dream we want, or you're giving us entertainment. Writing and learning about you is our way of giving back, of saying how much we appreciate what you do. It's not heroism; it's just a strange relationship of give and take."

Karrie was doing well; her nerves had settled, and the lemonade was cool and tart as it rolled over her tongue. And then Connor asked about her writing. Karrie froze and choked, in one movement. The lemonade already in her system went down the wrong tube and she choked harder, trying to clear her lungs. "Me?" she gasped, stalling for time. "I'm not exactly a writer." Not that it hadn't stopped her from putting together a piece where she showed up in a Gundum in his show, and got hired to make real Gundums for him to fight onscreen.

[Mech]

"You gonna be ok?" He gets up and gently slaps her back in an effort to get her choking under control. Her skin was warm to the touch, and for a moment he blushed at the contact. Easy Connor, yer just trying to help her stop choking. You're doing it well wenough for the both of you.

"Come on, I'm sure you did a great job. But ok, I won't press you to hard about it."

Once her choking stopped he returned to his seat and smiled. "So tell me, what would you like to do today? The sky's the limit..." He stopped and before he could fully form a truly witty comment he blurted out "...literally, I can't go to space yet, but I'm game for anything."

[z-Coyote-Mad Scientist]

"Well, we could-" Karrie interupted herself to cough again, "excuse me." Her back still tingled from his touch. That's psychosomatic. Be calm, be smarter than this. You are smarter than this.

"Ahem... as I was trying to say, we could go ahead and work on some of my designs," Karrie continued, rubbing her chest and throat, wincing at the sting from inhaling lemon juice. "And then there's dinner. My dad will be back from town soon, and he'll want to meet you, and my mom would want you to at least stay for dinner." She grinned. "Don't worry; this is the standard procedure for guests. My dad is retired so he loves guests, and Mom's a born hostess. And they really enjoyed Ravenshire's visit."

[Mech]

"I've got plenty of time, I look forward to meeting them. Though as far as dinner goes, I warn you now, I eat alot."

Her mention of the designs gives him a new focal point. "Provided I can actually figure how to work them without dislocating my shoulder again, Mr. Tomino wants to use some of them. He loved the idea of a gundam with explainable 360 degree joint motion, it's just kind of hard for me to do that. The human shoulder doesn't lend itself to perfect rotation."

He goes on. "We've always had some sort of four legged modle, but he wants one for the show that actually moves like the animal it imitates instead of tank treads and boosters on the feet."

He smiles faintly. "And he wants another high damage episode, even though he fully realizes just what that means for me. Oh well, anything for the fans I guess." It's clear there's a story there, but from the sound of his voice it wasn't a very happy one.

"So which design is your favorite?"

[z-Coyote-Mad Scientist]

"The Spider-ball," Karrie replied, then shook her head. "Wait, I hadn't shown you that one yet. It may be too far out for Gundam, though. Hang on."

Karrie hurried out of the room, coming back with a computer. Opening it up, she clicked a few buttons. After the screen flickered, she turned it so that Connor could see the picture. It was of a mech with ten legs set evenly on the round frame. "The legs create force shields which, given their arch, cover most of the body," Karrie said, getting enthuasistic again. "The legs can also fold higher or lower to cover specific parts; that's why they have ten legs. More redundency, in case one or two are removed. It also has an engine underneath, but all that does is get it out of a situation, fast. If all or too many of the legs are gone, it can only go straight up. Anyway... that's just something that came to me last night."

She glanced at Connor, trying to read his expression. "So... which one is your favorite?"

[Mech]

"Now that's gonna take some serious mechanical explanation for me to pull off."

He smiles and continues. "The Superior is definitely my favorite one that I've actually pulled off. The Shrike is one that is really cool too. One yours I believe. The wings are pretty sweet and It's one of the more primal designs, but it's also alot of fun. Bsides I love the sword and Claw combination for armament. Kinda reminds me of the old Cybuster from Super Robot Wars, one of my favorites."

[z-Coyote-Mad Scientist]

"Well... plagarism is the highest form of appreciation," Karrie laughed. She drained her glass and set it on the counter, then grabbed a themos from under the sink. As she put ice in it, she said, "To do this, we should go out to the back forty. We don't want to do something and damage any of the buildings."

Karrie began to run water in the themos and she said, "We can take the jeep, or ride horses if you want, or we could even take the tank. Dad won't mind, if he's not here to ask." The validity of her statement seemed to be put in doubt by the impish grin that crossed her face. Turning, she set the themos on the counter and said, "Whichever way, I need to put heavier shoes on before we go."

[Mech]

He chuckles. "We do have another option Karrie. We can always fly." He stops and thinks.

"Though if I'm gonna be working through forms today, I should probably conserve my energy. I'll let you decide, lead the way."

He waits for her to get her shoes and starts going over the various forms and modifications needed for them. This is gonna be an interesting time.

[z-Coyote-Mad Scientist]

Karrie scurried to her room and grabbed socks and her hiking boots. She kicked her sandals off and pulled on the socks, rolling the tops down so that they wouldn't stick out above the boot. Once she had the heavy boots over her socks, she walked back into the kitchen. "We should take the jeep," she said. "The tank is flithy, and loud and dusty. At least the jeep will just be loud and dusty. That ok?"

[Mech]

"That works for me, I'm somewhat accustomed to Jeeps." He thought to his own jeep back home and smiled. It had been three weeks at least since he'd ridden in it. Mostly he had flown or walked the last three weeks.

[z-Coyote-Mad Scientist]

Karrie grabbed the canteen and hopped into the Jeep, waiting until Mech was in the passenger seat to turn over the key and gun the engine aggressively. Once she was satisfied with the roar coming under the hood, she put it in gear and eased into motion.

She didn't take any of the paths, instead cutting around the side of a building and heading cross-country. She bounced over the rough landscape for about four miles, then stopped on a wide, open area. "Here you go," she said, killing the Jeep. "What are you doing first?"

[Mech]

"Lady's choice." he climbed out of the jeep and started stretching, rolling around his shoulders and streching his legs and muscles. He undid his sandals and walked on the parched earth a little ways off.

"What would you like to see first Karrie? You've already seen the Superior, so just name something you'd like to see."

[z-Coyote-Mad Scientist]

"Hmmm..." Karrie mused as she reached into the backseat and pulled out a woven blanket; still in thought, she spread it on the hood of the jeep. Her expression went from thoughtful to pleading, and she softly asked, "Maybe a preview? Of one of the suits from the show that hasn't been aired yet?" She didn't bite her lip in anticipation, but she came close.

[Mech]

"Ok I can do that."

He smiled as he began the transformation. his body became metal and circuitry. He stood there looking at her and smiled. "Now the fun part."

He concentrated on the form of the Thorhammer, One of the last machines to show up in the show. It boasted unmatched firepower and if not for the bulkiness of it's weapon load out it would have been able to destroy the Superion in a single volley.

The Thorhammer was a brilliant silver with sapphire blue accents to its armor plating. The barrels of half a dozen vulcan cannons adorned its head and torso. Behind it's shoulders above the massive thrusters, The huge Twin Mjolnir-class heavy railguns reached up into the sky. On its shoulders there were large missile pods, each containing dozens of small micro-missiles. On the left arm There was the massive tri-barreled beam cannon, on its right arm there was ahuge twin link chaingun. At the center of the chest there was a nearly invisible seam. This hid the final weapon of the Thorhammer, an Identical copy of the Superior's Ragnarok particle cannon.

Like all Gundam-class machines it bore a brilliant golden crest and the red "chin" that contained a host of sensors. The Thorhammer's crest was unique in that it was made from 6 separate vees with a green sensor stud at the center.

"This is the CFMS-109 Thorhammer. It was made along the lines of the traditional "heavy armament" mobile suits. Every time I actually had to fight with it I was totally drained afterwards due the enormous amount of versatility in the weapon loadout."

He turns to look at her and brings up the massive weapons on his arms, while the barrels for the railguns swung down over his shoulders. The missile pods poopped open and the barrels of the chainguns spun. It would have been more intimidting if he'd done it at full size, but he wanted to give Karrie a chance to examine things up close and that was much easier to do if he remained normal sized.

[z-Coyote-Mad Scientist]

Karrie stared transfixed, both by the transformation and the man-sized Gundum before her. She hopped down off the car slowly, sliding her hands down her thighs when the skirt caught on the hood, keeping her from total exposure. But her mind clearly wasn't on any flashing that might have occurred; her eyes were fixed on Mech.

She walked forward, dark eyes wide. "Wow," she said, reaching out without thinking. Her fingers brushed over the red chestplate, feeling the strong metal that was now his skin. "Amazing. I know you've said this is flesh... but it feels..." She ran her hands over his arm, touching the gun before circling behind him. Connor felt her lean forward and touch the massive joints that made his shoulder, moving close enough that he could feel her breath on his skin.

"Incredible," Karrie said, continuing to circle around him and stopping in front. "Quantum is such a wonderful thing."

[Mech]

His digitized voice boomed out "Yes it is. He turned his head slightly to look down at her and she could hear the servos whine as metal realigned. He rotated his arms a bit so she could hear the gears and servos there.

He walked forward, the sound of metal flexing under the weeight seeming to echo across the feild. "It's not an abberation, just a quirk of my signature is what my dad said."

He shrugs and lowers his arms. "As cold as my metal skin is to the touch, I don't lose any tactile sensation. I can still feel the wind, I cann still smell and hear everything just fine. The only effect I've noticed that happens is my vision does get better, even without pupils."

[z-Coyote-Mad Scientist]

"Fascinating," Karrie said, her voice ringing with admiration. "What about your other functions when transformed? Do the urges happen? Do you think you could fulfill them? Digestion? Pesperation? Waste-extraction?" Karrie let the last '-ation' stop before it got out; asking him about robot sex, while strangely appealing, was not appropriate at this point.

"All right, this is interesting, but how about trying something new? I'd love to see how you learn and integrate a new form into your system," Karrie said. She stepped back, giving him room to work. "Your choice, this time."

[Mech]

Connor nodded and returned to his normal metal form. "Very Well., I'll try the Hellcat design you worked up." He spreads his legs wide and the transformation starts from his feet and works up. bootlike feet separate and become clawed paws, just as the knee joints audibly pop and and take on the structure of feline legs. The rest of his body is well into the transofrmation. His hands and arms have become clawed paws and reinforced legs. At the shoulders small missile pods form as he drops down to all fours. A long tail sprouts from the base of his spine and extends out over a meter, tipped with both a tiny beamcannon and a wicked looking blade. Is face contorts into a grimmace as it elongates to resemble that of a mountain lion. His eyes blazed an erie golden color as two large cannons sprouted from near his spine as part of an extremely aerodynamic turret assembly.

There was a loud pop and a grunt from Connor as the form finished taking shape. "Arrrgh dammit." he seems to buckly for a momment and there's another pop and he grunts again. "There."

"Every time I try this form because of the turret on my back, my spine pops. It hurts like all hell. "I've tried various methods, but none completly stop the problem."

"What do you think?"

[z-Coyote-Mad Scientist]

"Your back?" Karrie asked, her happy face becoming one of concern. "Your knees going ditigrade don't hurt as much? That's opposite of what I thought would happen. Of course, making assumptions about how nova flesh would transform itself into living metal is probably illogical."

For a moment, it wasn't Connor's adoring fangirl, but a cold, calculating scientist examining a specimen. Then she grinned and the moment was gone; with that same impish smile, she leapt up onto Connor's back, her legs and body assuming a rider's stance while avoiding the cannons. "When I was designing this, I thought that there would be a perfect spot to ride right here. And I was right." Her hands smoothed her skirt down over her legs as she tilted her head to peer around his shoulder, looking for his face. "I hope this was ok. I've always dreamed of doing something like this."

For all that she'd dreamed about it, she was starting to wonder if it was a bad idea. There was very little between her bare skin and his back, and her body was starting to react to that. This could get embarrassing very quickly.

[Mech]

"The knees I get easy enough. I can do one hell of a Mad Cat impersonation, So the Digitigrade legs aren't an issue. It's just..." He trails off as He feels her land on his back and shift into a riding position.

"Well, if you wanted to ride, all you had to do was ask." Even the digitization of his voice fails to hide the mischief in his words. He slowly starts forward, measuring the weight of the form with Karrie on his back, finding the right pace.

Once he's satisfied he looks back and smiles. "Hold on." He takes off much faster, quickly reaching seventy miles per hour in long powerful strides.

From her perch on his back, Karrie can hear servos and structure whir and moan under the stress. She can feel the myomer muscle beneath the armored metal skin move, delivering massive power through his shoulders and body as he accellerates and tears across the desert. He was the perfect blend of organic form and function and synthetic construction.

Through out all of this Connor did his best not to do two things. The first was to not look back. It was simply ungentlemanly. The second was to not think about the fact that she was actually riding him across the desert.

The first he managed to do, the second, unfortunately, he failed at miserably. First date and she's already riding me. Try to be cool, try to be cool, it's ok, it's ok, it's not like she's "riding" me... Oh God I'm so going to hell for this. He couldn't blush, but his base temperature elevated by about four degrees, though down his spine it was more like ten degrees.

[z-Coyote-Mad Scientist]

Karrie had been riding horses for most of her life. While she didn't prefer them over cars, she knew what she was doing when Mech broke into a high-speed gallop. Leaning forward, she rocked her body with the gait of his running, using balance and rhythm to remain on his back. And also, the design of the HellCat had a natural saddle, which helped quite a bit.

Before long, she was leaning forward on him, her hands finding grips on his body, her hair streaming behind her. Grinning widely, she let out a sudden whoop that came straight from her genetics, a warcry that hadn't been heard in this land for ages.

[Mech]

Connor opened his mouth and suprised himself as a very mountain lion-like roar came out as he ran a hard zigzag pattern. Hecame to a dried riverbed and smiled inwardly. "Do NOT fuck this up."

He willed all his strength into his legs as he jumped. His form was perfect for a leaping cat and his paws found purchase on the other side of the river bed. He seemed to almost skid as he came to turn around as he slowed down after the leap. Hefinally stopped facing in the direction he'd came and let out a loud roar of satisfaction.

"What a rush." It was then, now that he was stopped, that Karrie could feel his torso expanding and contracting in what could only be organic breathing.

"So what do you think of your design now that you've seen it in action?"

[z-Coyote-Mad Scientist]

"Fantastic," Karrie said. When he glanced back at her, he could see her eyes shining with glee, and her black hair had been pulled out of its clips. "That was better than I'd imagined. I think you took things I hadn't planned for and added them, like the roar. That was amplified, right?"

She glanced down at his back and asked, "Hey, your spine is hotter than your sides. Am I hurting you?"

[Mech]

"The roar is amplified yes, and as to the extra heat on my back..." You are so hosed now.... gotta think fast....

"The added heat is due to the power distribution system. The distribution network is all connected to my spine so it has the most power flowing through it at any given time except for when I use the laserclaws."

It takes him a moment to get his breathing under control but finally he manages to do so. "This form requires certain sacrfices to be perfect, unfortuately, I can't elimanate the need for breathing yet."

[Alessa Neri]

The line was ringing, and Alessa was kinda anxious, would Connor say yes to working with her again? She had not seen or talked to him since the beach party where they had to use some ingenuity to put the show in a 'bigger' screen for the guests.

She wished she could call, but Paolo was an implacable man when he wanted to, and the European tour was time consuming, Paolo figured that as a Nova she needed very little rest, and was basically giving her back to back concerts.

It was exhausting, but it was all worth it when the contracts started raining down around. But right now, there was one last thing on her mind before she stopped doing concerts for a bit, and it involved 'Mech'.

She could hear the line connect, and almost giddy she asked into the speaker. "Connor? You there? It's me Alessa, there was something I wanted to talk to you about."

[Mech]

A green lens flipped down over one of Connor's eyes and he cringed inwardly as his phone started to vibrate against his left rear hip. Crrrrrrrrrrraaaaappppppppp!!!! You don't call for months and all of a sudden when I'm busy with someone else you ring me up outa the blue? I reiterate, crrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaappppppp!!!

That out of the way he tried to remain calm. Ok she's probably just calling to say hi, maybe she's got a concert going on nearby. Just play it cool.

"Excuse me Karrie, I need to take this call." He allowed her to dismount from his back and showed her the other modification of the Hellcat. The form shifted again, this time it wasn't by much, but the quadrupedal machine became bipedal and the twin barrels of the back turret now were flipped down over his shoulders. The legs folded into themselves and as such became stronger and more heavily reinforced. This allowed for bipedal movement at the same speed as quadrupedal movement. Even with the readjustments he was still Easily eight feet tall in bipedal form.

He reached down to where his Eufiber was and retrieved his cellphone and opened it. "Hello, This is Connor."

He kept his tone as flat as possible, and focused on his breathing as he tried to remain calm to keep his temperature from rising any further. I'm so boned.