Well, this is what happens when you've been bitten by so many plot bunnies that refuse to leave you alone. This has been on my mind for some time since I've recently been a little bit spoiled by the ending of DOTM. I wouldn't have been spoiled if I hadn't decided to read the novel of the same name. Yeah, yeah, naughty me. Anyway, I'm only putting the prologue up for now and I won't update this again until I've seen the movie. So don't expect much from this until the end of June or the beginning of July. We'll just have to wait and see. Enjoy!

Spark now online.

Uploading optical sensors...

...loading...

Darkness. It was all he first saw. It was cold, frightening, dim darkness. He didn't know what darkness was, but somehow, he just knew what it was. He didn't even know how he was aware of himself either, but he just knew that he was online. The darkness's cold fingers enveloped him, threatening to take him away into the void, but, somehow, he was not falling. He felt something solid beneath his body, holding him steady and keeping him upright. Although balance was not the first thing that came to him, he wasn't sure if he was the right way up or if he was facing the right direction.

There were loud noises coming from all around him. He could hear crashes, sonic booms, glass breaking, and possibly even the sound of yelling and guns blazing. He didn't know what sound was, but it was truly something he had experienced before in the past. Past? What past? These thoughts that were coming faster were making him more and more confused by the nanosecond.

...optical sensors damaged.

Error!

What? He could not see? It came as a shock to him like something heavy colliding with his body. It was almost like as if death had gripped him by the shoulders and was shaking him violently. How could he see when he did not know who he was, what he was, and where he came from? Being blind came as a real shock to him indeed, but that was not enough to get him moving.

Warning! Sensors detect hostile energy signature! Warning!

Hostile? What was a hostile, and what did it mean?

Whatever it was, he did not have time to ponder as his sensors detected a massive body mass of metal coming down from the sky and landing right beside him. The sudden shockwave came from out of nowhere as the being skidded across the solid ground and he felt his body lift off the ground and into the air. He flew several feet in the air before he landed with a painful thud that shook him to the core of his being.

Warning: energy levels at 76%. Recommend escape.

But how could he escape? He didn't even know what escape was! Frustration gripped him, followed by a sudden feeling that left him even more confused. The feeling swept over his body and threatened to overwhelm him. The feeling was icy cold, causing his body to pump fuel through his entire system. The unexpected energy rush startled him at how fast he had reacted to this feeling.

Without warning, he gunned the accelerator and he felt himself lurch forward. His wheels spun like crazy and he realised he was flying like mad as he struggled to escape from this unknown feeling and this 'hostile' being that caused him to become damaged. He had just woken up, and already he was forced to flee for his life.

He didn't know where he was going. Without his optical sensors to take him through this frightening place, he was as blind as he was. Though he had his other sensors guiding him, telling to make left and right turns and keeping an eye out for any openings that might be worthy enough of an escape route, he still felt that he was not going to get anywhere at this point. He could hear more shouting and screaming at the top of their voices. His sensors felt that there were tiny bodies in his way as he drove blindly through the field. He had no way to warn them of his coming, but before he could do anything, his sensors told him to make a right turn into a dark alleyway.

Warning: energy levels now at 65%.

Deciding to take a chance, he braked to a halt and then skidded into the alleyway. How he knew what it was, it was beyond him. His sensors screamed at him, telling him to keep on moving, but to take care to avoid hitting any obstacles that got in his way. He zigzagged through the alleyway, avoiding boxes, bins, cats, and humans or anything else that got in his way.

He wanted it to end!

Warning: energy levels at 60%.

He could feel exhaustion taking over, threatening to shut him down and into forced recharge to get his energy reserves back. But he forced himself onwards. The blasts, guns, and vibrations soon started to fade into the distance, but his spark told him otherwise to keep on going. The fear was nothing like he had experienced before, but he knew that he could not stop until all was calm again.

His sensors told him that the alleyway was nearing its end and that the open road and safety lay ahead of him.

Warning! Sensors detect a pothole five metres ahead. Recommend avoidance.

But it was too late. He was going too fast, and he felt his wheels land into it and he skidded out of control. He fishtailed for a moment, swinging side to side until he spun a complete 360. He tried to hit the brakes, but he could not find himself anymore.

Three times he spun, and three times he tried to hit the brake again. But his spinning was out of control. He continued spinning for another minute until he felt himself slow down and then come to an abrupt halt, his hood touching the flat surface of the wall in front of him. He felt dizzy and sick to his waste tanks. Although he couldn't see, he only saw the darkness spinning and looking out of focus for several minutes before he realised that the sickness was gone from his head.

Where was he? Should he try to right himself and continue on his way? Continue running?

He didn't know what to do. His sense of direction was out of focus, and his olfactory and audio receptors were as confused as his blind optics. With his systems now completely scrambled and nearly out of energy to keep him online long enough to recharge his body, he was sure that he was finished for good.

Great... he thought. First time I come online, and then I'm biting it already.

He was stuck between the walls with no room for him to reverse and turn around.

He wasn't going anywhere.

Warning! Sensors detect organic approaching. Sensors do not detect any energy signature.

He froze stock still. He felt his spark racing in terror again. He wanted to escape again, but he could not move without giving away who he was – whatever 'who' was at this point. He waited as he heard a small pair of footsteps approach him from the driver's side.

A five servo, light and soft, gently dragged itself over his body. He trembled at the feeling, desperately trying to hold back the growing fear again that forced him to flee the field where he had been born. The servo moved up towards his door, searching for something until it started fiddling with something. The something turned out to be his doorhandle. It opened with a steady creak and then he felt the organic being settle itself into one of his seats and stroke his steering wheel.

Then he heard it speak in a tone like nothing he had heard before.

"What is a beautiful car like you doing all the way out here?"

The voice sounded feminie and very gentle. The terror within him soon faded into confusion and unsureness. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do in this situation, but something told him that this creature was not going to harm him and that she was just as confused as she was. He scanned her body, curious to learn more about her.

Despite the blindness, his scanner told him what he needed to know.

She was what the creatures of her species called a human, a female that had earned the name 'woman' in their terms. She seemed no older than twenty-five. From what else his scanner told him, she was wearing worn out clothes that bore holes in them, probably from mistreatment over the years. His olfactory sensors picked up the scent of very unusual smells, smells that he had never smelt before.

Maybe it was for the best that he communicated with this... human.

"He-hello?" he spoke in a nervous voice. "I-I can't see you. Who are you, where am I, and what am I?"

He felt his body rock a little as the woman scrambled out his seat and backed away a few steps. He sensed her heartbeat increase by several beats before she settled down. "You can talk?" she asked huskily.

"Vehicles don't talk?" he asked. "I guess, from your reaction, they don't. Anyway, can you please answer my questions? I'm really confused at the moment, but I don't know why."

He sensed her hesitation again, but he kept himself stock still, waiting. He could feel his own desperate need to get away, but the confusion and his inability to move right now was holding him back. Why was he so confused over something he had never felt before? It was certainly a new experience for him, but the will to turn and flee was hard to fight off. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.

He heard footsteps slowly approaching him and then the woman's hand gently stroked his side.

He shivered.

But it was not out of fear this time. No, the fear had vanished now and was once again replaced by confusion and unsureness. He wasn't sure how to react in a situation like this, but the way how the woman stroked his body made him feel less afraid and more at peace. He decided it was best that he give this woman a chance. After all, she should at least answer his questions about what, who, and where he was.

"I'll be happy to answer your questions," the female answered.

"Th-thank you," he breathed.

"But before I do that" – her hand left his body – "I need to move you out of this position. You don't look very comfortable from where I'm standing."

"How are you going to do that?" he asked, his tone heavy with confusion.

"Just trust me," the woman said kindly.

He waited as he heard her footsteps once again approach the driver's side. He trembled violently, but he kept himself still, trusting her word that she knew what she was doing. Then, he felt her open something and then she climbed into him, seating herself on what he believed were called chairs. How did he have chairs inside of him? It was impossible! He wanted to protest her, but he kept his mouth shut. He didn't really have much of a choice with the way how he was stuck between the walls of the alleyway.

Her hands reached for something that was in front of her, and he hesitated even further when her hands gripped the object. She whispered something to him, but he didn't catch it. Whatever it was that she was doing, he just hoped that it wasn't something stupid.

"By the way," said the woman, "I didn't get your name. You have one, don't you?"

"What's a name?" he asked.

"It's something that we usually go by to identify ourselves," the woman answered as one of her feet pressed down on something and then one of the hands left the thing that she was touching and moved to something else that was beside her. "To make it easy, my name is Tracy Bloomwood."

"I... I don't have one."

"Then I'll give you one when I get you out of this mess that you got yourself into," Tracy laughed as she pulled the object she was touching back and he felt something change inside his body. Her foot pressed down what he believed was called the accelerator. He slowly drew backwards, much to his surprise. He wanted to stop her, to prevent her from controlling him. But something told him that he could trust her and that he had nothing to be afraid of.

He felt his bumper touch the wall behind him as his sensors warned him of the approaching object.

"Please don't do that again," he whimpered nervously.

"Oh don't be a baby," Tracy snickered. "I've done this plenty of times before I lost my home."

"You lost your home?"

The moment those words left his vocal processor, Tracy removed her foot from the accelerator, causing to come to a halt. He realised that he had said something he shouldn't have, and went silent. He hadn't meant to hurt her feelings, he was just curious of her since he had never met a creature like her before. He decided it was best that he drop the subject, so he apologised for his rudeness.

"No, it's alright, my friend," Tracy smiled. "It's been a while since I've thought about it. The very thought of it still makes me sad to this very day. I'll never forget the day that I became a homeless."

"I won't bring it up again if it makes you feel that way," he said softly.

"We'll talk about it some other time," Tracy promised. "After I get you out of this, we can talk as much as you want."

"That would be nice."

As Tracy returned to getting him out of his predicament, he could not help but think that he had something more in common with her than he thought. If she was indeed homeless and living alone on the streets, then, like her, he too was homeless and was on his own. He wondered if there were others out there that were a lot like him. If there were, where were they? Maybe he ought to ask Tracy if he could help her look for them. If not, then he may have to reduce his life to living alone and go where his instincts took him.

But where would he go?

That was the main question. He felt something inside him stir, but he pushed it aside for now. He couldn't do anything at the moment. Not when he was stuck between the walls with nowhere else to go. It was best that he saved that question for now until he was in the clear. After all, he still needed a name. Without a name, he could not give himself to go by.

"There, you're free now."

He lurched forward in surprise when he heard her speak. He hadn't realised he was free from his plight up until now. Without his optical sensors being online, he could not see and it made it difficult for him to realise it up until now.

"I guess I should thank you for helping me," he said softly as he felt Tracy step out of him and walk up in front of him.

"I should be thanking you," Tracy said.

"For what?" he asked.

"For letting me get the chance to drive again," she answered. "I haven't driven a vehicle in a long time and it certainly felt good to be doing that."

"You're... welcome."

"While we're on the subject, I suppose I should give you a name," Tracy laughed and he heard a clapping noise. He thought about questioning her about it, but decided not to. "It has to be a name that suits you perfectly." He heard her walk up and down in front of him. Again, that need to question her reason, but he once again held his glossa.

After several minutes, he heard a clicking noise and she stopped moving.

"I know," she declared, "your name will be Hot Rod."

"Hot Rod?" he asked. "I don't know if I like it or not."

"Why not?" Tracy asked. "It suits you perfectly. You're big, strong muscle car like nothing I've seen before. You look like some kind of... Ford GTX1 prototype of some sort, probably a new model that has just recently been introduced or heard of. You're a fabulous colour of magenta red with nice yellow flames coating your bonnet and sides. I've never seen a colour like that before on a car."

He felt his confusion die down. Somehow, the more Tracy explained it, the easier it became to understand what she was talking about. He didn't know what he looked like on the outside, but Tracy seemed to know what she was telling him. After all, what kind of vehicle would exist with intelligence, could speak, and drive on its own at the same time?

"Hot Rod..." he breathed. "I reckon I could get used to it."

"Then Hot Rod it is," Tracy said.

"Thank you," Hot Rod replied, and he revved his engine in response. "Now that I have a name, I must know who, what, and where I am. You promised that you would answer my questions when you got me out of my mess."

"Of course, how could I forget?" she laughed. "What would you like to know?"

"First off," said Hot Rod as he inched forward, "can you tell me where I am? I... I can't see anything because my optical sensors are offline. I mean, I can hear, feel, and smell where you are, so my olfactory, audio, and touch sensors must be working just fine. I just can't see what's going on."

Tracy seemed quiet when he spoke his first question. Either she was thinking on how to answer his question or she was generally confused on what he meant. But he didn't have to wait long on her reply because she answered, "You're in Mission City. It's in Canada. As for your eyes, I think they could be damaged on the inside. I used to be a mechanic before I lost my job. If you want me to, I can repair whatever's causing the damage and see if I can restore your eyesight."

"Thanks, guess I owe you one."

"You can pay me back when I fix you up," Tracy laughed. "Is there anything else?"

"Yeah," Hot Rod answered. "Do you... know what I am? The last thing I remember was waking up in the middle of something. There were lots of loud noises, screaming, and something knocked me off my wheels. I don't know what it was, but something told me that I was one of them. And don't tell me what I don't know. I want you to be honest with me."

"Well, in order for me to find out what you are, I would have to pull you apart and look inside you. From what I'm seeing, you look like a regular car. But when I hear you talk, you sound like you're from a different world and that you could be so much more."

"So... there's... more to me than meets the eye?" he asked.

"Possibly."

Hot Rod felt once again felt something inside of him stir. This time, he could not hold it at bay. The feeling was stronger, stronger than ever perhaps. He wasn't sure what it was, but he had to know. Was he really something from another world? Was he... an alien? But how could he be an alien? He felt that he was different, but he didn't know how to explain that he thought he was from this world... whatever it was called in the human language.

"Maybe we should get out of here," Tracy said, pulling his head from out of his thoughts. "We've spent too much time talking and there is not much light left. If you take me to my hideout, I'll see what I can do about restoring your eyesight."

Hot Rod hadn't realised that so much time had passed since he had come online. Now that he was pulled back into reality, he finally knew.

"Well, I can't see," he huffed, "so you'll have to take me to wherever it is that you want to go. I don't care where we go, as long as it's away from that horrible place."

"You get no argument from me," Tracy said. "But before we leave, I have to get a few things. Just before I met you, I was collecting some stuff for later. When you're on the streets, you have to do everything you can to survive."

"That sounds a bit frightening," Hot Rod muttered.

"It is," Tracy said sadly. "But it can be a good thing sometimes. Rule number 1 for the streets: always do what you can to survive, no matter what happens."

If Hot Rod had a head, he would've nodded. But just as Tracy moved away to collect her things, his sensors went off, telling him something that he did not like.

Warning! Sensors detect hostile organic approaching from behind 50m away. Recommend escape.

"Tracy!" he whispered nervously. "Tracy, come back! Something's coming, and he doesn't sound too friendly to my sensors."

"What do you mean, Roddy?" Tracy asked from several metres ahead of him. "I don't see anything."

"That's because you don't have any sensors like I do. Get inside me now," he warned as his tone grew dangerously cold.

He sensed her hesitation, but he inched forward several centimetres towards her, his engine revving furiously as he struggled to hold back his own fear. While he didn't fear for his life because of how he was probably stronger than the male human, but he still felt fear. The strange feeling that he felt several times since his awakening was stronger than ever. He didn't know what it meant, but all he knew was that he had to protect his new friend.

"Get inside, now," he ordered again. This time, his tone was pleading.

"Alright," she answered and he heard her come closer towards him.

As she moved closer, his sensors continued to scream at him to make a run for it again and leave her behind, but he held himself down, determined to beat his nervousness. But before he could do anything, the human male appeared from out of nowhere and grabbed poor Tracy by wrapping an arm around her neck and pulled out a knife, lightly placing it against her throat.

"Don't move, girlie," he breathed lustfully and low enough so that only Hot Rod could hear him. Hot Rod's audio sensors picked up Tracy's whimpering at the male human's heavy breathing. It sounded... disgusting. "You're going to come quietly like the good little girl that you are and we'll have some fun behind that bin over there."

"Roddy..." Tracy's terrified voice whispered. "Help me..."

Anger pulsed through his body like a raging firestorm. He felt his inner being beat furiously against his internal structure. How dare this human touch the first person who cared about him? He might not be able to see clearly, but if he could see right now, he would not hesitate to squash him like the bug that he was. As the rage continued to burn within his body, he suddenly felt himself rising up, and up, and up until he was standing as tall as the humans were.

The darkness he was seeing in his line of vision soon turned to static, and then – as if someone had heard his thoughts – his vision suddenly cleared and he saw everything he needed to see: a tiny creature holding another one by the throat. The one who was being held captive must be Tracy Bloomwood, while the other one must be the danger that was threatening her with that sharp, silver object against her neck.

He watched with satisfaction as the male dropped the object and fell onto his backside, backing away several times as Hot Rod got down on his hands and knees and stared the male in the face, his facial expression furious and determined to make his life miserable.

"I don't think that will be happening while I am around," Hot Rod growled. "But if you so much as lay another hand on her, then" – his back opened up and he instinctively reached for the object and he pointed it at the male's stomach – "I won't hesitate to blow you off the face of this world."

"I-I promise I won't touch her again, Mr. Robot, sir! I promise!" the male whimpered.

Hot Rod smirked as a wet patch formed between his legs, and he realised with propitiation that the male had peed his pants. The cannon in his hand hummed viciously and hungrily as he used his other hand to pull Tracy behind him and away from the male. He felt his brows furrow into a frown as he pushed the cannon closer towards him.

"Get out of my sight..." he growled as he lowered it slightly.

The male didn't have to be told twice in one day. He picked himself up quickly and raced off for the end of the alleyway. He seemed to stop a second and turn back, but Hot Rod lifted a foot and slammed it down on the ground to show that he meant business. The male turned and ran for his life, disappearing around the corner and leaving Hot Rod and Tracy alone with each other.

Hot Rod stood up straight, lowering the cannon against his side before he placed it back into his backpack. It closed up automatically with a hissing noise and he fell to his hands and knees, his breathing frantic and frightened. He looked down at one of his hands, his blue optics wide with panic.

"What's wrong with me?" he questioned.

"Roddy, it's ok," Tracy cooed as she came up alongside him and took his thick arm, wrapping her arms around him and doing her best to comfort him. "It's ok. Sh."

"I... I could've killed him," Hot Rod whispered, more to himself than to Tracy. "What the hell am I?"

"We'll figure it out together, Roddy," Tracy said, stroking his armoured arm. "I promise."

Hot Rod glanced down at the human he now called his friend. Unexpectedly, tears formed in his optics as he wrapped a hand around Tracy and pulled her close to his body in an attempt to provide himself comfort. He didn't know what to do, and that strange feeling now became nothing but a tingling sensation like what humans called pins and needles. It pulsed through him just like the rage that coursed through him, but he pushed it aside again as he bowed his head.

"Can you change back into your vehicle form?" Tracy asked. "For all we know, people could be snooping around and they may attempt to try and capture you on film and post it on the Internet."

"I-I think so," Hot Rod whimpered.

He thought back on the feeling on how he changed and he grew smaller, and smaller until his line of sight was closer to the ground. He opened up his driver's side door and Tracy climbed inside. He started up his engine and slowly inched forward again, but Tracy gently took hold of his steering wheel and he allowed her to control him.

"I'm glad that I met you, Roddy," Tracy whispered as she placed her head on his wheel. "I hope we'll be friends forever."

"Me too, Tracy," Hot Rod answered quietly, his voice quivering with his emotions. "Me too."