Scorpionius

Diddly Do

@Hokum

Malcolm rolls to a stop in front of the Terrestrial Bay, taking a moment to realise what Fanny said.

"I mean, miss Fanny, I can not keep myself maintained. And... I never really desired to fly. That is what Aeravians are for. But, I guess, if it may be necessary for myself to survive here in this I may as well simply go for it. I may be too... outdated now. I suggest that you do the word for me, however. I do not wish to frighten the workers."

He reverses, does a J-turn and heads towards the Quantum Bay, slightly worried at the idea of receiving technology not even the Bugatti Chiron is equipped with. Hopefully it went well.

Diddly Do

@Hokum

For maintenance purposes, Malcolm's hood opens like this:

Hood opening for dummies

The entire hood also forms his head in Mantis Forme.

Diddly Do

Malcolm was slightly relieved that Fanny finally decided to use the brakes. She had to, since they appear to have arrived at their destination, but he was relieved nonetheless. How she got her driver's license was a mystery to him- if she had one.

The building they soon entered was what appears to be a gigantic garage. There was room for the most exotic and and supersized vehicles, machines that Malcolm could not even imagine back on Earth. The bays were specified for various different vehicles.

He was looking at the bay that said 'Quantum Modifications and Repairs' on it, confused as to how that would work, before Fanny interrupted his thoughts.

"Oh! Well, Miss Fanny, I do not need anything special. Merely some basic maintenance is fine", he said. It was as if invisible hands rotated the steering wheel when he turned towards the 'Terrestrial Modifications and Repairs' bay, assuming that that is the one a car would need.

"I do have an important question, though. Are they able to do maintenance without... machines? You see, Miss Fanny, prolonged contact with Carthropods is... not exactly something I can recommend to a machine not from my world".

"And 'machines' unfortunately enough includes 'car lifts'".

Diddly Do

@Hokum

"Is that so? Well, if we ever-"

Malcolm could not finish his sentence as Fanny brutely stomped the gas pedal. The six inline roared as Fanny did a proper J-turn and proceeded to race towards the gate.

"Miss Fanny, I absolutely do not recommend-"

Yet again, Malcolm swallowed his words as they barely hit the gate and approached the intersection. His tires protested as they took the left turn at the intersection.

"I am not really one for surprises, miss Fanny, and-", he stopped speaking for a moment to assist Fanny in avoiding a car, "Oh blimey, the traffic rules, miss Fanny! The traffic rules!"

From that moment on, Fanny could feel that something was restraining complete control over the car. Malcolm braked when he deemed it absolutely necessary, but did not interefere too much with her driving style.

When it was quieter on the road, he looked at the city surrounding him, with cars that could actually fly! He did not have much time to comment on them, however, since he was busy correcting Fanny's driving as if he was some fancy nagging Mercedes S-Class. The advanced machinery in the wreckyard already made it clear that this world was more advanced than Earth.

Diddly Do

Malcolm's interior

Malcolm's insides

Diddly Do

@Hokum

Malcolm wanted to open his right door for her, but was too slow as Fanny quickly sat on his driver's seat.

"It likely is a bad idea to drive after drinking that much beer. Do you not wish to rest? Or perhaps pack anything, as we are going on an adventure? Or- well, I could always take over if needed."

Malcolm's interior was still pristine, with some leather wear here and there. The air inside is a bit stale, given how little it has been vented over the course of the years. The rev meter indicates that Malcolm's engine is idling softly, while other gauges show that the engine is in a bit less than optimal condition. The radio is set to a radio station unknown to Fanny, but the volume is turned off. Fanny seemed eager to go for a ride, but her gearstick caressing seems to go unnoticed by Malcolm.

"Well, miss Fanny, the great Enzo Ferrari once said that the Jaguar E-Type is the most beautiful car ever made, but that comment may not say a lot since you may not have heard of Ferrari", he says proudly.

"Despite that, I do not have to... fight off female Carthropods. That is something I will leave to movie cars."

Then Fanny went silent for a moment, meanwhile. Malcolm could not see inside his interior since he does not have eyes on the inside, but the silence only took a moment. It was not really suspicious- and Malcolm was busy explaining why female Carthropods do not fight for a piece of his 'ass'.

"You see, we are quite good at keeping our feelings under control. It would be quite unfortunate for humanity if cars suddenly started to-"

Then, the garage door opened. Malcolm could not see it, but he could certainly hear it rumbling.

"Ah, good. I am not sure what... 'tech hunters' are, but their absence seems to be something good. We shall leave, then, altough I would like to to know where we shall go. It is always a good idea to plan out your trip."

Diddly Do

For future reference, Malcolm looks like this.

My Hider

Diddly Do

@Hokum

Malcolm hobbles over to the fuel pumps and awkwardly grabbed the hose. He pops open his fuel valve and clumsily sticks the front end of the hose in it. Slowly, he folds his legs underneath his body and retracts his head to shapeshift into his Jaguar E-Type Forme, steering his front wheels to make sure everything's locked in place again.

"Why, that is a nice gift. It is especially convenient as well, considering the fact that I have no money. I can not just accept this, however- I ought to pay you back some day", he said while Fanny's slightly autophiliac sounding tone flew right over his head.

The fuel pump rumbles as Malcolm listens to Fanny's explanation. He still had questions, but she suddenly changed the subject.

"Well, I would prefer it if you would simply call me Malcolm. I am not quite fond of nicknames. But suit yourself, as I am not capable of forcing you to not use a nickname for me, obviously".

The fuel pump stops, and Malcolm partially shapeshifts back into his Mantis Forme to remove the hose. He then folds back into his Car Forme.

"As for our... purpose, shall I say, humans are indeed allowed to 'ride' us. In fact, it is how they get around. In turn, we get fuel. I too was once owned by a human. He went by the name Jack McAveny. Until he passed away, that is".

He stayed silent for a few moments.

"But anyways, miss Fanny, my engine is not all that spectacular. It is merely a 3.8 six in-line. I may have around 260 horsepower, but I have met Carthropods with four times as much power. You desire to go on an adventure- Why not sit behind my steering wheel for that? I would be happy to lend you my driver's seat to go... wherever you wish to go while on this adventure".

Diddly Do

@Hokum

Malcolm shortly followed the beer bottle with his eyes as it rolled away and then focused on the girl again, unaware of the quaint implications of her comment and not really reacting to her brushing his head.

"That is my name indeed", he said whilst patting his metallic thorax with his non-sword front leg.

"A pleasure to meet you, miss Fanny, despite your threat towards my life- NO-"

He braced himself for the ball that should soon squish him to smithereens, but the only thing he heard were the clunky sounds of a garage door opening behind him. He turns around to look at the door and realises that his life was not over- yet.

"Oh. Well then."

He follows Fanny inside, crouching a bit to properly fit through the door.

"You are surprisingly hospitable", he said whilst looking at the bits of complex machinery lying around. 'Promothe' did not at all sound like 'Earth', and these quaint machines -likely not Aplantiances, if she did not even know Carthropods- prove it. It's best to not touch them, since his life power would accidentally spread into them. Can't have that happening.

"Petrol is fine, miss Fanny. An oil change is definetly not needed".

"As for Brecon Beacons... it is a natural park in Great Britain, a country in Europe, which is a continent on the planet Earth. You speak the English language quite well, for someone who likely does not know about Earth".

He then turned his head towards Fanny again.

"And I must add, no, I was absolutely not sent to capture you. Are you in danger, miss Fanny? Are there hostile beings out there that desire to catch you? It would be rude of me to simply stick my nose into their business, but allow me to assist you as a token of gratitude for your hospitability. Has this to do with this 'Bob' fellow you mentioned?"

Diddly Do

@Hokum

Sir Malcolm Swallow fell flat onto his face, getting thrown out of the strange fissure. His legs writhe spastically as he awkwardly gets up and shakes his head. He looks around, not completely in right senses yet due to the interdimensional travel. Carcasses of cars were everywhere, stripped of their most valuable parts. A disturbing sight- it's as if a human would end up in some macabre mortuarium with corpses stripped of their valuable organs.

"By Jove- A graveyard-"

Before he had time to properly inspect his surroundings, he saw the young woman with a threatening device. It had a big red button and it very likely controlled the large wrecking ball that was suspended in the air above him.

"Why, yes, this fissure is quite the anomaly indeed- it appeared in Brecon Beacons as well. Do you know Brecon Beacons? It is..."

He then stopped his explanation, realising that this lady does not want to know about his home, but about himself. Strange, a human not knowing about the Carthropods- but as of now, this lady is in charge, and the only way of not resolving this violently seems to be an explanation. If it could save him from the giant ball of death, then that's likely the best option.

"Peculiar! As you are a human and apparently also the niece of the owner of a... wrecking yard, I would have assumed you have heard of us. I am Sir Malcolm Swallow. I am a Carthropod, and I am fairly certain you can see why. I am a mechanical monster, shapeshifting between the form of an automobile and the form of an insect."

He clears his throat, metallic parts scraping against each other.

"As for why I am here... Well, I was demanded to investigate a quaint-looking fissure in Brecon Beacons. Apparently it appears to be some sort of portal that sent me straight to your uncle's car graveyard."

He glances up at the ball before looking back at the lady, his plumage rattling as he moves his head.

"I hope this explanation suffices, so that you will not immediately murder me."

"Splendid. I step into this fissure and I immediately get threatened to death.", he thought to himself.