#AND MINI VENT BUT I HATE WHEN AMERICANS TELL ME I HAVE NO RIGHT TO HATE THE NHS BC ITS FREE. THAT DOESNT MAKE IT GOOD OR EFFECTIVE.

[spearheadrampancy]

hi guys guess who just found out they actually might not have been referred to the nhs gender clinic five years ago. the gender clinic whose pre-2020 waiting times were 2 years and whose waiting times are now above 5 for first appointment plus another year or two for the second appointment where hormones can first be prescribed.

[fxyeahriverdale-blog]

What Happened To Us?

Chapter 6: Don’t wait until it’s too late

A/N: I edited this myself, so please be nice haha

Read this story on AO3

"Stop!" Jughead looks over to see Betty in a cheerleading uniform. That's a new fantasy. He blinks and she is covered in blood. Her green eyes are filled with tears. Her honey blonde hair now has streaks of red.

Jughead shakes his continuing nightmare out of his head. He doesn't know if it is some sort of memory or his mind playing tricks on him. He needs some answers.

Jughead sat down and tapped his fingers as he waited. He wasn’t sure what exactly he is expecting.

“Well this is a surprise.” Chuck Clayton sits across from Jughead with a smug smile on his face. Jughead is not exactly sure why he is here. He woke up this morning after having the same nightmare for the fourth night in a row and bought a ticket to Greendale. His feet took control once he was dropped off at the Greendale bus station. Jughead eventually found himself standing at the entrance to the Greendale prison.

“Chuck.” Even though Chuck is a minor for a few months, he is being charged as an adult and being placed in adult prison.

“And what do I owe this pleasure?”

“I want answers. I want to know what happened.”

“Why don’t you ask your girlfriend?” Jughead looks at Chuck confused. He is always confused these days.

“Aw that’s right I heard about the memory loss. Why don’t you ask Betty?” Jughead shifts uncomfortably hearing Chuck say Betty’s name.”I am sure she has a lot to say.” Chuck smiles and Jughead feels sick.”Has she not told you?”

“Leave her out of this.” Jughead lashes out.

“Ooh I hit a nerve. So I guess there is a lot that Betty Cooper has not updated you about. She walks around like she is an angel sent from above, but she is just the devil in a pink cardigan. Did she tell you about the time she locked me in a pool house, drugged me, and handcuffed me to the hot tub? She turned up the temperature attempting to boil me alive before going on a crazy rant pretending to be her sister. And how could I forget the outfit she wore that night when she dressed up like a hooker. Black bra, black skirt, black wig, black high heels, and slutty red lipstick. The things I would have done to that crazy bitch.” Jughead gets out of his seat and Chuck laughs.

“You are so full of shit Chuck.”

“Did she also tell you about the time she slapped me at your party?” His party? Jughead laughs at the thought. He would never have a party. He knows that Jughead

“I would never have a party! You need to up your lying game Chuck.”

“You’ll soon find out Jughead that I am one of the few people in this town that won’t lie to you.” Jughead's blood boils when he sees Chuck's evil smirk.

“Well this was a waste of time.” Jughead motions over to the guard. He doesn’t care about getting details anymore. Jughead cannot spend anymore time being in the same room with Chuck.

Jughead walks out of the meeting area not even looking back. Chuck and Betty have always hated each other, but he could never imagine Betty going as far as Chuck says. He would do anything to hurt others. Chuck Clayton is sick. Jughead officially hates his guts. Chuck Clayton has always been a horrible person. He has bullied him throughout the years alongside Reggie Mantle. Ever since Jughead’s first day of school Chuck has gone out of his way to make him feel bad. He remembers his first day of school like it was yesterday.

He had lost his two front teeth the day before. His mom gave him some change to buy lunch. Jughead could only afford some mini corn dogs and a carton of milk. He had not talked to any of the kids in his class yet, so he sat down Chuck Clayton a first grader walks over with his friend Jason Blossom. They took Jughead's milk and drank it right in front of him. Chuck grabbed Jughead's apple and began to eat it, "Hey that is not very nice." Jughead looked up to see a blonde girl from his kindergarten class. She was wearing a pink dress with polka dots. She had a nice pink ribbon in her ponytail with perfect curls.

"Go away little girl."

"I'll tell Ms. Baker."

"Tattletale." Chuck teases trying to get Betty to back off, but she stands her ground. Betty looks over at their kindergarten teacher. "See you later Beanie boy." Chuck and Jason retreated. Jughead expected Betty to leave as well."Can I sit with you?" She asks politely. Jughead looks at the blonde girl intimidated. "Sure." Jughead tries to play it cool. "I am Betty." She smiles at him revealing her smile with her two front teeth missing. "Jughead." He smiles back. "Hey we both lost our teeth." Betty says before giggling."I lost mine two days ago." "I lost mine last night." Betty waves over at two people to join them. Two boys join them at the table. Jughead recognized one of the boys. Archie. Their dads work together and they have play dates sometimes. Jughead had hoped that they would be in the same class, but Archie is in the other kindergarten class. "Jughead." Archie says excitedly.

"I am Kevin." The other boy says. Jughead smiles at the two boys.

Betty takes her milk out of her pink lunch box and hands it to Jughead.

"No thank you." Jughead says shyly.

"I don't like milk. My mom makes me drink it." Jughead takes the milk from Betty.

"Thanks Betty." Jughead smiles at the pretty blonde girl. She is the nicest person he had ever met in his young life. Suddenly school seemed a little less horrible.

Jughead didn't realize it for a long time, but the first day of Kindergarten was not only the day Chuck Clayton made Jughead his permanent bullying target, but the day that he fell in love with Betty Cooper.

Jughead can get over the bullying without hating Chuck, but he cannot get over the way he talked about Betty.

“Jughead?” Jughead turns around to see Sheriff Keller filling out paperwork.”What are you doing here?”

“I don't know," Jughead answers honestly.

“Visting Chuck isn’t such a good idea. Not with an upcoming trial. You can get all of the answers there. Speaking of the trial. Chuck’s lawyers are really pushing a case here. We need to look through your phone again."

“I thought you guys still had it.”

“I gave it to Betty Cooper a few weeks ago.” Betty has his phone?

“Oh ya right. Sorry brain damage messing with my head again. I left it at home. I’ll drop it by this week before the trial.”

Jughead walks out of the Greendale police station more confused than when he walked in.

_______________________________________________________________________

“Betty hello. Earth to Elizabeth Cooper.” Betty snaps out of her thoughts and looks back at Kevin.”Are you okay?”

“Ya sorry, continue.” Kevin is telling Betty his exciting California stories. Kevin looks at her hesitantly than continues.

“You have barely touched your milkshake in the last hour. It’s probably melted by now.” Betty looks down at her almost melted full milkshake.

“I want to hear more.” Betty tries her best to change the subject. She bashes her eyelashes at Kevin knowing that will do the trick.

Betty California men are everything. There are so many attractive gay men. It was the jackpot. If dad knew what I got up to in California, he would lock me up alongside FP Jones in the Sheriff's station and never let me out.”

“Maybe we should move to California.” Betty suggests. She is half joking. Right now anywhere but Riverdale sounds nice.

“California is the American Dream. We have to go! I used my cousin’s friend’s brother’s fake ID to go out to beach bars. So many hot straight and gay men. Having sex on the beach trumps sweet water river for sure.”

“So you’re over Joaquin officially?” Betty asks carefully.

“I guess so. Finding out that the first relationship that I have ever had was a lie is a hard thing to get over.” Betty is unconvinced. She had witnessed the two together several times. She saw the way that Joaquin looked at Kevin. It may have started out as fake, but anyone could see that Joaquin liked Kevin.

“I don’t believe that. Joaquin had genuine feelings. Nobody is that good of a liar.”

“Typical Betty Cooper always wanting to see the best in people.”

“How did you cope after Joaquin left?”

“We all have our ways of coping with broken relationships. I distracted myself for a bit because we found Jason’s murderer and then Fred got shot. I was in denial for a while, thinking that he would come back. It has been months and I still haven't heard anything from him since he got on that bus. I guess I started to heal when I finally started to mourn the end of my relationship. And then I decided to use the old fashioned method of getting over someone by getting under someone. Which I have done a lot of.”

“Does it work?”

“It’ll never really work without closure. I will never get answers about why he did what he did. I will never know if he had any genuine feelings or not. It drives me nuts that I will never know.”

“I am sorry Kev.”

“Hooking up with people is just a temporary solution, but it's nice to not to feel alone sometimes." "Kev you're never alone." Betty grabs Kevin's hand. "Thanks Betty. Okay seriously you have not touched your whipped cream or your strawberry. There is something seriously wrong with you. Spill.”

“It’s nothing Kevin, really.”

“Boy problems?" Betty avoids eye contact."Right on the money." Kevin is so happy with himself for guessing correctly what is wrong with Betty. "I know a lot about boy issues. You can talk about it you know.”

“Kevin we’re here to talk about your trip-”

“And you. I have been gone through this traumatic time. You have spent years listening to me vent about boys. It is time that I return the favor. So tell me about your boy issues. I may even good you some okay advice. All though I am offended that your man has been hiding those heart throb locks underneath that old beanie. He went from boy to daddy so quick without the beanie.”

“The beanie is apart of him. And yes Jughead does have very nice hair,” Betty blushes."He isn't my man. He doesn't even know that he dated me." Betty says quietly. She feels extremely insecure about the entire situation. She is insecure about Jughead's feelings and about how people are going to judge her for the way she has handled everything.

“What’s going on with Jughead?”

“I almost told him the truth the other day.”

“Really?”

“I feel guilty all of the time. I feel guilty that he is in the hospital at the hands of my enemy. Chuck would have never gone for Jughead with a knife if it weren’t for me. He hates me more than anything.”

“The stupid civil war is why Jughead got attacked. Not you Betty.”

“No part of you thinks Chuck went for Jughead because of me?” Betty asks.

“You can’t blame yourself for that piece of shit Betty.”

“I can’t stop feeling guilty. I have had nightmares every night. I failed my math exam last week. My face is breaking out like crazy, which is making my mom even crazier than normal. I am continuously reminded that my boyfriend doesn’t remember that he loves me and I have yet to tell him that he is my boyfriend.”

“Is there a reason you haven’t told him?”

“I am so scared of his reaction. I know how selfish that sound. I’ll admit it, I’m selfish. I don’t know if I can handle his rejection.”

“How do you know he’ll reject you?” Betty opens her mouth, but then contemplates Kevin’s question.”He fell in love with you before. Why can’t he do it again?”

“This isn’t the same Jug.”

“It’s Jughead from ten months ago. Not Jughead from Mars. Not all of his memories are gone. He is the same Jughead. The same Jughead that fell in love with you the first time. Betty you can’t keep torturing yourself over the ‘what if’. As nail biting as all of this angst is, I can’t stand to see you suffering like this Betty. Don’t turn the ship around just because you’ve encountered some rough waters.”

“Did you just make that up?”

“Did that saying make any sense?”

“Ya I guess.”

“I am writing that down.” Kevin pulls up his notes on his phones of ‘Awesome quotes by Kevin Keller’.

“You two are my OTP. Don’t tell Veronica. She and Archiekins wish they could hold that honor.”

“Kevin he might be moving away with a new foster family. I could lose him forever.”

“Don’t wait until it’s too late. Hey that rhymes! I am on a roll with the quotes.” Betty laughs. She wonders why she doesn't confide in Kevin more often.

“Ya you’re right. I need to grow a pair and tell him.”

“Well what are you waiting for? Go get your man!”

“Have I ever told you how amazing you are Kevin Keller?”

“Not enough.” Betty smiles as she runs over to Pop Tate. She hands him some money.

“This is for Kevin and I plus the tip.”

“Thank you Betty.”

Betty nervously races off to Archie’s house.

Jughead walks into the Andrews household after a long bus ride home. Veronica and Archie are cuddled up on the couch watching cartoons.”Where have you been?” Archie asks. Jughead is surprised that Archie noticed his absence. He has been spending the all of his time the past couple of days with Veronica.

“Therapy.” Jughead lies. He knows Archie has no idea what his schedule is. That lie would never get past Betty. He went to therapy yesterday.

“Mom called she wants to meet with us on Friday about your foster family situation.” "Okay cool." Jughead feels uneasy knowing that there is a decision of where he is going to live. He did get stabbed while living in Riverdale. Betty's words are playing in the back of his head. "Riverdale is your home." He hears her sweet voice say.

Jughead goes into the kitchen and opens the fridge. There is leftover homemade pizza that Betty made for them the other night. She had made his favorite kind of pizza with sausage, pepperoni, ham, and bacon.

Jughead puts the pizza in the microwave. He sits on the counter. Jughead can’t ignore Chuck Clayton’s smug voice in the back of his head. Betty would never drug anyone, not even Chuck Clayton. He also never thought she would lie to him, but she has been keeping his phone. Why would she hide his phone from him? What is she hiding? How much is she hiding for him? Is she hiding things from her for not genuine reasons? For the first time in his life Jughead begins to questions Betty Cooper's intentions.

The microwave beeps and Jughead pulls the pizza out of the microwave. Jughead notices that all of the dishes are now piled up in the sink. He places the pizza onto a paper towel.

Jughead walks back out into the living room taking a bite into the pizza.

“Do you want to watch cartoons with us Jughead?” Veronica offers.

“No thanks. I think I am going to the trailer.” Archie sits up.

“Do you think it’s a good idea to be going to the Southside?” Jughead can tell Archie is anxious. Jughead appreciates people worrying, but it is starting to get annoying. He is the same person. Yes he got stabbed, but he is not a child. He lived the majority of his life doing things by himself before the incident and he has no problem continuing his loner lifestyle.

“My therapist suggested that I go to the trailer. It may bring back some memories.” Jughead decides he needs to some peace and quiet to think about how he is going to handle what he found out today.

“Hearing you say you have a therapist is so weird." Veronica says. "I don't really have a choice. It is part of my recovery. Anyway I can get my memory back I am going to do it." "Do you want us to come with you?” Archie asks.

“No that’s okay don’t want to take you away from Spongebob.” Jughead would rather not be a third wheel for a little bit.

“Be safe.”

“I will." Jughead stops remembering something Chuck had said to him earlier. "Oh and Archie, do I have a girlfriend?” Both Veronica and Archie turn to Jughead away from the tv towards Jughead at the same time.

“That’s not really my place to say.” Archie answers. Veronica kicks him.”Ow.”

“You just gave it away with your dumb answer.” Veronica thinks she is only speaking loud enough for her boyfriend to hear.

“So I do have a girlfriend?” Jughead asks confused.

“I don’t know. You are a mysterious guy Jug. You hardly tell me anything.” Jughead is unconvinced by his answer.

“I’ll catch you guys later.”

Jughead heads out and begins walking towards the Southside. Jughead scans his brain as hard as he can trying to figure out who could possibly be his girlfriend. Chuck told him to “ask his girlfriend.” When Jughead joked about having a girlfriend in the hospital, Veronica was very quick to react. But how could he have a girlfriend? He has never been interested in anyone besides Betty. There is no way that it could be Betty. He knew he would never have had the courage to tell her.

Jughead spots the familiar Sunnyside sign. His eyes are on his dad's trailer when he feels a hand on his shoulder.”Jughead.” Jughead turns around to see a girl who lives in the trailer park. Toni Topaz. She lives a few trailers over from his dad's. Jughead can't remember the last time he has spoken to Toni?

“Hi Toni.”

“It's so good to see you are out of the hospital. Everyone was so worried." She puts her hand on Jughead's cheek and he feels uncomfortable.

“I am okay now." That is far from the truth. Jughead removes Toni's hand from his check. "They say that you lost your memory." "Ya." "That's why you don't remember?" She smiles at him. "Remember what?" "Your girlfriend." Jughead looks at the girl completely shocked. Taking advantage of his shocked state, Toni connects their lips. Jughead is so shocked and confused that he does not know how react. He feels nothing as this girl kisses him. There is no way that she is his girlfriend. His instinct is telling him that is totally wrong. It takes him longer than it should to push her away. ”You are not my girlfriend and it is not okay to mess with somebody who has memory loss." "But I am your girlfriend." "No! My girlfriend would have visited me in the hospital at least once. I don’t know what kind of sick game this is, but I am not playing it,”

“Jughead I am sorry. It is just I have always liked you. You always liked that other girl and when I found out what happened to you-”

“You thought you could trick me into liking you?” Jughead rolls his eyes.”Bye Toni.”

Jughead grabs the spare key from underneath the garden gnome and opens the trailer frustrated.

Betty walks into the Andrews house. She stopped knocking after the hundredth time Fred told her that she didn’t have to knock anymore when Betty was thirteen.

Veronica and Archie are cuddled up on the couch.”Don’t you two look cozy.”

“Betty. Did you come to join us for some afternoon cartoons?” Veronica asks excitedly.

“I came to see Jughead.” Betty says firmly.

“You just missed him. He went to the trailer park.”

“Alone? You let him go alone? What the hell Archie?”

“He didn’t want us to go with him.”

“There is a civil war going on with real life casualties Archie. Jughead almost died. You let a boy with brain damage and no memory of the people who hurt him go to the Southside alone.”

“I am sorry you’re right it was stupid of me to let him go by himself. Why do you want to see him anyways?”

“I am telling him the truth.” Archie looks at Betty concerned.”Not about you Archie. Not Everything is about you. I am telling him about our relationship.”

“Betty that is huge.” Veronica says excitedly.

“I need to go now before I change my mind.”

Betty runs quickly to Jughead’s. She prepares a speech in her head on the way to the trailer park."Hey Jughead one more thing I left out about this year, we began dating. No that doesn't sound right. I'm your girlfriend. You're my boyfriend. Surprised. Ugh that sounds so bad. I love you Jughead and you love me. No that is too pushy. Hey Jughead sorry I forgot to mention this, but we have been together since the fall." She realizes she sounds like a crazy person rambling to herself on the street. She can't help it, Jughead makes her crazy sometimes.

Betty stops at the entrance to gather her final thoughts. Betty pulls Jughead’s phone out of her pocket. No more guilt and secrets about them.

Betty confidently begins walking through the trailer park when she stops in her tracks. Her nails on her left hand begin digging into her palm. Betty wishes she could dig deeper. Her entire body goes numb and she can’t believe her eyes. Standing in front of her is Jughead Jones kissing a Southside girl.

Betty’s heart shatters. Jughead’s phone falls out of Betty’s hands. She quickly reaches down to pick it up. Fresh blood pouring out of her left palm.

Betty quickly turns around and sprints out of the trailer park. She sprints as fast as she can as the tears flow down her face. She runs out her anger and frustration.

Betty stops running out of exhaustion a few blocks later. She is right next to Pop’s.

“Betty?” She sees Kevin exit the diner.”What’s wrong?”

A heartbroken Betty begins hyperventilating.

“Betty breathe. Calm down. Let’s sit down inside.” Betty shakes her hand.

“Just go Kevin I’m fine.”

“Absolutely not.”

“Kevin you can’t see me like this.” Kevin walks Betty over to a bench across the street.

“Please sit Betty.” Betty sits down.”What happened?” Kevin asks as he sits down beside her.

“I was too late.”

A/N: I began writing this chapter yesterday and half of it got deleted, so I had to start the chapter over from scratch this morning. This is a sad chapter I know. So much angst! I live for writing angst you guys! Betty was so close to telling him! I hope my lovely readers enjoy this chapter :)! Thanks again for the love and support <3!

[energonalucard]

Story of a Lost A.I.

Scene 1 - 3: HERE                                                                Scene 4 - 6: Coming Soon

Rating: Teen / PG

Warnings: Violence (certainly) and Character Death (minor)

Fandom: Brave Police J-Decker

Characters: Duke, Gunmax, Drillboy, Power Joe, Dumpson, McCrane, Tomonaga Yuuta, Tomonaga Azuki, Tomonaga Kurumi, Deckerd, Shadowmaru, Regina Argine

Genre: Adventure, Hurt/Comfort, Family.

Summary: Deckerd is still gone after the Chieftains beat the Braves. Regina and Duke’s arrival was not a welcome one, either. Even if Duke hides behind Regina's training to be "the perfect policeman," he can still feel the hate in his team towards him. But one day, it'll be too late to save Duke. And Gunmax can't help but sneak around since Shadowmaru is still hurt.

Scene I : Discomforts and Double Edged Swords

Gunmax mentally sighed as the normal activities of the Command room played out like any Sunday. Power Joe and Dumpson arm wrestled and McCrane polished his rifle as he growled every time Power Joe got his arm slammed down harder each time he lost, which was a lot. Drillboy sat on his small desk and bounced a soccer ball with either his hands or with his foot on the floor and he would eventually try basketball finger-spinning his soccer ball on his feet and just watched it spin. He saw Yuuta with his head down on his desk that over looked the room on the humans balcony.

Poor mini boss. Not a a day or two ago did they lose Deckerd to the Chieftain twins. Those two fuel snatching fakers decided to drag themselves out of whatever hole they thrived from and go on a killing spree for J-Decker. They had attacked Shadowmaru and almost killed him if it hadn’t been for Seia (she runs the Navy, apparently) saving him from bleeding to death in the ocean. Shadowmaru would have drowned in the ocean and drained of all his special oil in the salty water, slowly sinking to the abyss of the reef. And they had the nerve to kick Gunmax’s aft too when he got to the scene! It was frustrating! He barely got to the fight and even then, his bike was so bad, he thought about just running there if it hadn’t been for the fact he couldn’t move much.

And then their was Deckerd’s murder…!

No. Gunmax didn’t go there. He wasn’t going to bring it up, he was to fond of Deckerd to get mad at his death. Gunmax had a respect for the blue cop car ever since Deckerd had hand cuff themselves together… Long story; involving Gunmax being framed for a previous partners crimes, Gunmax’s mood swings and constant disappearing (he was just driving laps around the city), and Deckerd being one of the only ones to truly believe in Gunmax’s innocence (everyone was spectacle, okay?) and Deckerd smacked cuffs on him. When they were in that forest… they became… friends? Brothers by oil barrel? It was fun tricking that hillbilly old man that they were “confiscating” his oil for tampering in supplies at “the factory”! Good times…

And now, those Chieftain give Gunmax the worst feeling in his… everything. From his pede, through his body, in his tanks, in his neck cables, and to his Super A.I..Gunmax still couldn’t believe moral was so low… in the board room, it actually looked like a normal Sunday night.

Dumpson and Power Joe actually being entertaining (to themselves mostly), McCrane polishing that old rifle of his, Yuuta sulking because he had school tomorrow, Shadowmaru off doing whatever-it-is he does, and Duke on last night patrol. But it couldn’t be more difficult. He knew Dumpson and Power Joe were venting under hushed breaths as they wrestled, McCrane was polishing a deadly weapon (focusing on nothing but the deadly weapon), Yuuta was mourning for Deckerds death, Drillboy wasn’t enjoying anything his mostly prized soccer ball could give, Shadowmaru was still in a dead sleep while the engineers fixed him up, and Deckerd was under the control of that stupid eye rock alien that had a metal fetish! 

... Another long story…

Gunmax stopped staring at everyone when McCrane glared at him and McCrane himself stopped polishing that metal and wooden stick to reload the rounds within the barrel. 

'Good, why not go to the shooting range next?' Gunmax groaned in his head as McCrane swiveled his chair.

Just as he was about to get up and leave, the newcomer and self-proclaimed “leader” of the Brave Police, Duke “Knight” came walking in with all his glory. If your wondering how the Brave Police got an ambulance on their team (an ambulance knight, no less) then listen close. Not barely thirty seconds after Deckerd died, a pristine and curvy ambulance pulled up and a blonde lady with a black body suit and a tiny red shirt over the suit got out of it and helped them chase off the Chieftains.

The ambulance was very attractive he must say but the moment he was sitting in Deckerd’s seat and telling them it was a simple “leaders” seat made him even more alluring. He kinda liked this mechas' moxy.

When Duke walked in, the room went cold and silent. He went straight for the fire truck in the back of the room but he had to walk past a glaring Dumpson, a growling Power Joe, a practically-oblivious McCrane, and a saddened Yuuta.

A giant red fire truck in a meeting room, you must be asking, why haven't you mentioned it? Well, Gunmax didn't care. It's been there for a while and just sits in the corner, so he forgets about it. The fire truck is non-sentient, sadly. It's Duke's combining buddy and upgrades the ambulance to a hulking giant protection suit called "Duke Fire".

Who else can combined? Gunmax with his bike but... Gunmax didn’t include himself, he was telling this narrative right?

Duke made his way back to his combining buddy and checked something on the side of the fire truck. Duke just stared at it for a minute before he started to walk to Deckerd’s seat (A.K.A. the “leaders” seat). As he made his way over, Gunmax heard Power Joe growl and he almost acted on the instinct of throwing his pistol for the fun of it at the yellow power shovel's head. His pistol had a homing device in it, it always comes back to him.

But when Duke didn’t take a seat, he just stared at the desks contents and searched the reports that piled up a little, the American grew curious.

“Why don’t you sit down, throw your feet on the desk?” Gunmax asked as he leaned back in his chair for emphasis.

“That does not sound pleasing. Putting dirty limbs that are bound to be covered in mud or caking dirt on these desks, that the humans spent so long to sanitize when we leave, does not appeal to me.” Duke said but didn’t look at Gunmax til the next sentence, “And it’s very rude. Lady has taught me better.”

… Now even relaxing felt like a crime.

He felt the urge to throw his pistol again when he heard Power Joe growl and actually started to hold his arm against Dumpson’s before it slammed down again. He was getting angry, Gunmax could tell now because the green optics that belonged to the power shovel were darker in hue but practically glowing with "emotions". Gunmax chuckled mentally, it's a wonder Power Joe’s A.I. hadn’t blown out yet.

“You’d all be fit to join me.” Duke said as he toke a random report out of the middle stack and looked over it fully.

Power Joe ripped his arm from Dumpson’s grip, stood up in a rage, and stomped his pede. “Really?! What would you be doing that we so begrudgingly need.”

“Well, I think some of you can join me in getting our jobs done. Paperwork, faxing, or patrol.” Duke said and held the report more firmly, “Others, I recommend asking Mr. Toudou or my Lady to teach you anger management or to some extent, some respect.”

Power Joe howled and launched at Duke, only to be stopped by Dumpson arm locking him and Drillboy (abandoning his ball) holding his chest just incase he wiggled away from Dumpson. McCrane forgot about his rifle entirely and stood up in between the restrained Power Joe with his brothers and Duke. Yuuta stood up quickly but didn’t move in any other way, as did Gunmax.

“You piece of scrap metal!” Power Joe yelled to Duke as he returned to reading the report and apparently the newspaper that went along with it, “How could you just stand there and act like you didn’t do anything?!”

“Because I didn’t,” Duke said and gathered his papers, “I merely suggested what we truly need to be doing. I didn’t want you to actually prove that you need it... Stress relief or not."

Power Joe cried out again and fought against two of his brothers even more as Duke began to leave with what he came for. Gunmax caught Duke’s face when he left, and he saw just before his visored optics couldn’t see Duke’s own face anymore, that Duke’s plain and emotionless orange optics turned a sad and distressed yellow.

Gunmax would have pointed it out if (oh, he knew this was making it worse) Power Joe screaming revolting things after the ambulance.

“You giant wast of metal! Running back to your tiny, creepy corner in the base where trash ends up!” Power Joe just kept going and going, “Running back to the your little British master so she can find a new flaw in your head and make you more of a bastard! You --!”

“POWER JOE!” Yuuta cried and when everyone turned their helms, they saw everyone standing there.

The General was frowning deeply while Toudou was whispering to him, both looking grim. Yuuta and his sisters, Kurumi and Azuki, were standing there, Yuuta crying full and hearty tears as Azuki looked extremely pale. Seia and Ayako stood there with pure surprise and horror on their faces as the door behind them slammed and a young blonde girl stepped out. Regina glared out amongst the crowd but didn’t say anything at first, Gunmax knew she must have been mad at them for distressing Duke and putting “human” inside his “perfect” A.I. Regina had made…

“I could thank you.” Regina said and caused most of the room to go astonishingly more quiet, “But I won’t.”

With that note, she turned and left instantly with a huff. Gunmax… could not believe it. Regina, the head engineer that graduated at the age of 10 from an engineering college, made Duke out of spare parts (literally) and a half made blueprint (okay, exaggeration)… had just thanked them for letting Power Joe verbally abuse Duke.

After a minute of stunned silence, Ayako hit the desk with her fist and glared, “Baka! How dare you say such things to Duke! And how dare all of you-- !” she pointed at everyone else, "--dare to let Power Joe continue!”

“It’s not our job to control to control Power Joe!” Dumpson said and shoved the power shovel away now that he wasn’t struggling, “And Duke was taunting him!”

“Even if so, you do not retort back!” Seia stepped in, “I am a military commander and I have seen things like this in my ranks! Someone says something and the person getting spoken to gets angry and attacks the offender! The beginning aggressor never gets as much punishment as the soldier who attacks him, even if he starts! And I’m sure if you had maimed Duke liked you wish, he’d just come back because of Toudou and Regina’s engineering, and you’d be the one getting your A.I. refreshed!”

Gunmax didn’t stay anymore after that, he ung around swiftly. He was going to consult Duke; but before he left, he left on a sour note… 

“I could have cared less if I ripped the Super A.I. from his processor and he slowly died under my fist-- !” Power Joe, that fool...

Scene II : Taxi Downtown, Gunmax style

Gunmax's jaw line was snapped shut and pursed in a straight line. A very bad note to land on if you were sensitive to topics like this, and Gunmax wasn't a stranger to the whole "team hates new guy" thing. He had been the new guy in the American division once and they were slightly welcoming people. Some were greedy little monsters, because he would wake up from recharge and their would be some random soldier in his quarters and they'd be snooping through his rooms contents. He could still remember his partner being the only one assigned to him that would just sit in a chair and relax and wait for Gunmax to wake up and not snoop his room.

Those days were gone. He was in Japan and with a very crippled team, and right now, he was the glue that was going to fix these mechs. And going to do a pretty good job about it.

He rounded a corner and Gunmax couldn't help but think about what had happened in the Deckerd command room that made his tanks churn just a little. He had never felt so... nervous or this upset. This new guy, he was... Green. He knew the new guys always saw how everyone functioned in a team, like a black and white scanner of sorts, and what each team member was good at in their roles. At least he hoped Duke could see so...

He just hoped that he could at least teach Duke ABOUT the team. Cross his fingers he wasn't too late.

He rounded another corner and saw he was coming up to the Brave Police's engineering room and there were voices coming out of it instead of the usual sound of cutting metal and shifting feet. He stopped at the doorway and softly peaked into the room. The room was empty shy of three figures, two larger then the other. The little figure on the balcony was growling and demanding things from the tallest thing in the room couldn't seem to answer. Duke and Regina. Another figure was on a slab made for the human engineers to reach the Brave Police entirely and he was just laying there. Offline. Shadowmaru. Gunmax snickered but went quiet as Regina snapped at Duke again.

"I will hear no more discussion of it!" Regina said as Gunmax peaked a little more, just enough to see them entirely.

"But Lady! I can make a change. A difference in their perspectives." Duke pleaded, Gunmax's actual optics widen at the emotion it was leaking, strain, "I can show them they don't need Deckerd as a leader, and that it can be different."

"You won't." Regina said as she gripped a device in her hands, it wasn't really finished but it looked like a remote control, "They're too fond of him. You'll never be excepted into this team the way I made you for."

"Lady, to be fair," Duke began again and he almost growled at the kicked puppy look Duke was giving Regina, "I...I could care less if I'm seen as the leader, I just want to have the team-- a team again. This isn't Scotland Yard, your not the leader anymore. This is Japan, we have a direct superior now. Both of us."

"That is correct. We are not in Scotland anymore." Regina hummed.

"Thank you, Lady." Duke sighed. It couldn't be simply over just like that with Regina...

"That only means that you need to be reprogrammed." Regina began again and Gunmax winced, "The perfect policeman does not care to appeal the team. A perfect policeman does not care about where he is living and working, everything follows you no matter where you go..."

"Lady! Please." Duke called.

"And the perfect policeman does not beg and whine when someone does not rule in their favor!" Regina finished and held up the unfinished device, "This machine is going to be a switch. A switch for your A.I. and only I decide when you get shut down!"

"That's not what we wanted, Lady." Duke choked, "I want nothing to do with any of... THIS."

The sound of running meet his audios, as they grew closer, he pressed against the wall as Duke ran past him, his running stance sloppy and rushed. Gunmax watched the distressed ambulance run and he heard within the room he had previously been spying on. Just as he was about to run in the room, to demand what was going on, he heard a slight scoff from the room Duke had exit...

Gunmax frowned, growling softly as he made his way after Duke, the ambulance couldn't have gone far.

Stupid accusation! Turns out the ambulance could get as far as he wanted when he was upset. And he was very much ready to say, "Okay, I did my fair share of work, let him work it out on his own. I did."

And that almost made him smack himself, he hadn't done anything and it was hard for him to claim the prize of participation when all he did was eavesdrop and fail to give chase. He sneered and smacked his face, avoiding his visor to avoid dramatic stupidity, and slowly moved it down off his face in a gesture of stressed aggravation.

"Gunmax!" Drillboy came over frantically and in such bad hysterics that he would sometimes stumble on his one repeated word.

"Drillboy? Drillboy!" Gunmax said and tried to pay attention to the gibberish he was receiving.

"Gunmax!" Drillboy started again with the hyper speech, Gunmax wanted to smack the drillformer but that would cause the brat to be even more upset, "... Duke left with Yuuta and his sisters!"

Gunmax was tempted to say, "It could be his turn to take them home." but he wanted to smack himself again. Duke hadn't been here for more then almost a day and a half and he's pretty sure no one has had the guts to take over Deckard's job on taking Yuuta and/or his sisters home just yet. So that meant he had to go to mini-bosses home and look for the ambulance, demand a explanation, and stomp all over his teammates for earlier.

He didn't listen to Drillboy anymore as he put his servo on the naive mechas face to shut him up and he made his way to his garage where his bike was waiting for the chase. What he didn't do as he turned the corner, was listen to his orange and soccer addicted counterpart.

"Wait! Gunmax-- WAIT! Duke said something else! GUNMAX!" And Drillboy was left alone.

Scene III : Flashback to Kagero, Highway ambulance heist

Duke hadn't meant to go that far, Lady was probably hastening her advancements on her A.I. remote. He knew he went out of line, he knew he must have made her mad. Her glares said it all.

Duke speed through the hallway and down to the garage which he knew lead to the less used entrance of the building. The Braves’ garage could fit a little more than Super Build Tiger and J-Decker while the two sat, with a slight hunch, hip to hip. But the back garage wouldn't even fit Gunmax very well; though, as the room the humans stored their cars and bikes in, it could fit Shadowmaru's wolf form just fine. Humans storage, not ambulance bots escape route. Yet it was about to become just that.

He should have stopped as an orange frame came around the corner but he didn't. He just didn't. When Drillboy almost fell over him, Duke had halted. The ambulance really only did this because the smaller bot grabbing his arms in an attempt to stabilize himself.

Drillboy must have mistook him stopping as a sign he’d tried helped him from falling because he’d smiled sadly at the British bot, saying, "Thanks, Duke."

"Oh," Duke said, and he’d frowned slightly as the orange mech didn't let his forearms go, "Your welcome, Drillboy. I apologise for running into you but I really must go."

Drillboy didn't let go even when Duke tugged lightly, trying to not raise more suspicion about his rushed exit. Apparently dashing in the halls after what happened in the meeting room sent up a red flag. If he hadn't ran, if he’d set a leisurely pace in the direction he wanted, then maybe he would be scott free and transforming out of the back entrance by now. Maybe he wouldn’t be enduring suspicious looks from the little mech.

"Duke," Drillboy said lightly, "Don't take whatever Power Joe said to heart. He’s just trying to cope with Deckard gone."

Duke grunted but not in response to the drill, just at himself for getting dragged down like this. "Trust me, I won't. Anything Power Joe says "goes out the other ear" as they say. I appreciate your concern Drillboy but I really..."

Drillboy brought on a big, sad, look. Nothing like the usual puppy dog optics he used when the rest of the team tried telling him no. Somehow this was worse. Instead of simply invoking feelings of sadness, this brought unnecessary guilt to his A.I. He had a sinking feeling Drillboy was going to beg him to tell him what's wrong, or--even worse--beg to walk him to wherever he was in such a hurry to go. Duke couldn't see Drillboy casually walking to the back entrance and letting him creep out, not without asking why. He really didn't need the drill upset over him leaving.

"Please, Duke," Drillboy said softly, "Let me at least join you--"

Bloody hell!? Did the little mech just know exactly what other’s didn’t want him to ask?

"--Until I get where I need to be. We’re only a few corners away! I want to walk with you just a little, be next to you in a way."

That . . . actually didn't sound too bad. Drillboy had taken a room and transformed it into a decent soccer field: ball polish, extra balls, air pumps, extra nets and beams for goals, paint for the field he practiced on. You name it and Drillboy had it. Futball maintenance was all the room was good for and it seemed the ball on Drillboy's chassis could use some right about now.

"Fine." Duke said with some interest, watching Drillboy perk up. "We'll walk to your maintenance closet."

"Ah, ah!" Drillboy shouted, letting the ambulance go and waving a finger. "The maintenance closet of soccer professionals, you mean!"

"Whatever floats your boat, Drillboy." Duke smiled and began walking. Drillboy sticking close to his right side.

The maintenance closet was in the same direction as the back entrance and that made Duke less upset about the walk. He had plenty to be upset about today, certainly enough to make this walk uncomfortable: fighting with whatever was left of this team, watching as crippled Shadowmaru tried some physical therapy and landing back on the berth with a heave, Lady showing him the machine that would controlled his basic life, and being tailed by Gunmax for quite a while until he lost him. That was only since the sun had gone down.

"So," Drillboy said with his arms behind his helm, "Where were you going in a hurry?"

Duke couldn’t think of a reason to stay silent, not with the ceiling looming over head, soundlessly demanding Drillboy be treated well. Guilt. Neither did he have a reason to tell the truth. "Fax room. An urgent notion has to be faxed and looked over with care about medical professional not getting paid their wages." Duke calmly claimed.

Drillboy must have accepted it because he hummed and move on with another question, expression blank as he could manage. "Anything fancy happen lately? Anything you might be upset about?"

"Not that I can think of," or that you should know, "nothing urgent anyway. Maybe a few mothers giving birth in my cab as I saved them from buildings upsets me slightly but nothing else bad." Duke sighed.

Drillboy cringed. "Aren't births messy?"

"Yes." Simple answer.

Drillboy looked at him in surprise. "Who helped you clean that out?!"

Duke hummed in thought. "Well, Lady and the generals were too busy, so I think Ms. Seia and a military man cleaned and sterilized my cab."

"You think?!" Drillboy emphasized as they turned the first of two corners.

Duke nodded. He was slightly upset he couldn't actually remember getting cleaned. The births hadn't been lovely, but not all unpleasant. At least he wasn't the doctor who had to birth and control the process or the father whose hands popped and skin turned red as the wife screamed. He was glad he only had to drive to the hospital and not help anyone inside . . .

"Well . . ." Drillboy said after shivering. "Are you sure nothing else’s bugging you? Nothing you want to tell me, or at least show me?"

"No," Duke said. "Not that I can think of."

"You sure Duke?" Drillboy said, his tone interlaced two unknown emotions together.

"Drillboy." Duke snapped lightly and looked at the mech, "I'm fine, everything's fine, nothing is wrong and I'm sorry I have no ‘juicy gossip’ as you call it." He looked at how far they had to go before Drillboy's stop then back to Drillboy, "Why are you so persistent?"

Drillboy sighed lightly, looking at the ceiling, servos still interlocked behind his neck, "Because something is bothering me and I'm upset about it..."

Duke couldn't just let Drillboy leave off there. Duke might be the expendable part of the team, not really a true member , but he couldn't leave the little bot like that. Drillboy had that thing about him where no one could ignore him and it had nothing to do with how the mech was orange and white with a big mouth and volume. That was just his presence. Or the fact Duke was being a hypocrite lately.

"What is it, Drillboy?" Duke asked softly to his walking companion.

Drillboy halted and he lowered his arms, making Duke stop in his tracks in confusion for a second. Drillboy oddly blank look scared realization into the ambulance.

"A certain friend of mine has been lying to me since we started talking. Sound familiar?"

Duke almost choked. Drillboy continued with a light but rigid tone of voice. "He lied about fax reports. He lied about being fine. He lied about not letting a certain brother of mine's words get to him. I think the only truth I've got out of him tonight it the fact his cab has a 50 percent chance of having pregnant lady fluids in it."

Duke mental reeled and did a double take. So Drillboy was more observant than people gave him credit for. He had noticed Duke was walking in the opposite direction of the fax machine, the fact he was hesitant to walk with him after what transpired in the meeting room, and even that the only thing that was true came out of his vocalizer easier than the lies did.

"Kudos, Drillboy." Duke whispered back to him.

Drillboy smiled and then went back to a frown to keep him composure and make sure Duke didn't pull him into a subject chang. "Thank you. Now, will I get a correct answer? Please, Duke . . ."

"I won't tell you the whole truth . . ." Duke said as he stepped in front of the soccer mech. "Maybe some of it though. You did find your way around my steady lying."

"Some?!" Drillboy choked. "But I want to help you!"

"And you will. Just not now." Duke said, getting closer and whispered to the startled and confused mech, "But you're not the one who's going to save me from myself..."

Drillboy looked up in pure concern and confusion as Duke retreated and turned to take a few steps before he heard a beep. It was a comm link. It was too far and muffled to be his own so he watched as Duke stopped and cursed lightly. Someone must have...

"Looks like I have to take the children home, everyone else is unsuitable to roam the streets with children inside them. Like an ambulance is any better." Duke mumbled out loud, turning to Drillboy. "Sorry, you have to walk the rest of the way yourself, I have a duty to fulfill."

Duke disappeared from Drillboy’s sight and the little mech frozen after. He hadn't realized it until Duke was gone, but now he could hearhurried steps from where they--Duke--had stood a few seconds ago. He knew who it was before his teammate perimeter alert warned him.

"Gunmax! Gunmax!" He ran back the way he came.

Duke sighed as Yuuta was carried into his driver seat unconscious. He wasn't upset at this turn of events with Yuuta's family needing to be taken home. It was a hassle on his plan though, especially when they were asleep inside his cab. Sure, his sisters were awake but the little boss was who he saw everyday. He could get away with acting suspicious around Yuuta as he was blinded by childish naivety, but his sisters... His sister's weren't exactly often called to the police station. They could pick up on his subtle hints of being upset, being older sisters and mature, he hoped they didn't.

They swiftly swung in and the eldest sister buckled in Yuuta's sleeping form. When they were all buckled up, Duke speed out the back entrance and started a steady and relieving pace to the humans’ home.

The night would have been silent had it not been for Yuuta's snoring and the two girls whispering in his passenger seats about bloody knows what. He had no interest on listening in after the baby incident and he gladly just drove straight and--.

"Duke," Azuki said softly, "We want to apologize for what happened today. It was so ugly."

"Yeah!" Kurumi said louder but not loud enough to stir the sleeping boy, "You’re not the one who took Deckard from us, you're also not the one who put yourself in charge! That was all Regina--"

"Please!" Duke said and cut off the middle child, "You'll awaken Yuuta."

"But--" Kurumi was silent when Azuki shushed her dark haired sister.

"Duke," Azuki looked at his dashboard with a loving and calming look, making him feel something in his A.I. that was strangely uncomfortable. "I understand what you're going through . . ."

"Azuki..." He whispered gently, as a warning or as astonishment, he didn't know. He and Kurumi listened to the oldest sister of the Tomonaga siblings who's eyes had grown starry.

"I understand because I've done this about three times." She said softly with that same bloody caring expression, "Shadowmaru and Kagero, I think his name was, were fighting, and I was caught in the middle. Kagero and Shadowmaru were practically brothers when Kagero went rogue and started attacking talking machines, which is how I got where I was."

Duke listened intently, quiet but still paying attention, while Kurumi searched the seat.

"They had a falling out. Shadowmaru held a certain point of view that Kagero didn't. Kagero was going to be wiped of his memories, given new orders, and shipped off somewhere else. To Shadowmaru that was an okay idea, he didn't need Kagero being his "shadow" anymore and this was a chance at a possibly new and better life for Kagero. Kagero didn't agree. While Shadowmaru monologued how much memories were just data, Kagero stated his memories were more than data. Everything built from there. Kagero didn't want to forget everything he knew, didn't want to forget Shadowmaru like he was nothing...

"Because to Kagero, Shadowmaru was his everything." Azuki stopped, tears fresh in her big brown eyes, before continuing, "Shadowmaru let Kagero go and Kagero returned me. I was so tired I fell unconscious . . . when I awake, I got information that scared me to death--" She choked, "Kagero was captured and tampered with... Shadowmaru had to kill him . . ."

Duke watched as she rubbed her eyes and smiled at him, again with such love and misery he was sure it was burning his inner chassis.

"I had to comfort Shadowmaru when he showed up in our backyard with low fuel. He had tried to starve himself to death, would you believe it?" Azuki's voice was softer now. Duke couldn't understand how but it was. "I told him the real Kagero was cheering him on somewhere, and when Deckerd showed up to retrieve him for a mission, Shadowmaru, he fueled all the way back up. Ready to fight..."

Duke heard Kurumi gasp softly as Azuki finished off tortuous last words.

"For him."

"OH NO!" Kurumi cried, surprisingly not stirring the boy to her left. She was looking around frantically as if Azuki's story wasn't heart touching. Either that or this item she was looking for was important.

"Ms. Tomonaga, what are you looking for?" Duke asked as he stopped at their house.

"We have to go back!" She told Duke's dashboard before patting her dress down again. "We left our pagers for the team back on Yuuta's desk. We also left some forms we need for Yuuta's next year on the force!"

Duke made a calming noise. "Don't worry, I have no reason to rush this trip. I can drive you back and Azuki can go retrieve said items from Yuuta's desk. Okay?"

Kurumi calmed down. "Yes, thank you. I apologize for yelling so loudly."

"No need." Duke's tone sounded of a smile while his vehicle form could not.

He set them back into motion and they drove down the street so Duke could get to the intersection and make a U-turn. On the way to the intersection, they paused at a red light leading to a four-way stop. South, the way they came. North were neighborhoods and houses of the city. West was small markets and local service providing places. East lead into the highways of downtown Nanamagari City. Duke sat at the red light for awhile before making a soft noise to gain the attention of the two young women.

"Yes Duke?" Kurumi asked.

"What do you need?" Azuki asked alongside her younger sister.

"Azuki..." Duke said softly, timidly, "Why did you tell me such a story? About Shadowmaru and... Kagero, yes?"

She nodded and hummed, "Well, you remind me of Kagero, excluding the kidnapping and physical dispute with someone else, you are having personality problems. Or in present terms, "getting along and fitting in" trouble. I feel with a little niceness, maybe..."

Duke saw the green light and turned onto the intersection, the blacktop cold and sleek with fresh friction under his rolling tires. He sped down the fast lane, making good headway for the station.

"Just maybe... you would open up to us helping you. Maybe even to the team . . .?"

"OH MY GOD! DUKE, SWERVE!" Kurumi screamed, awakening her brother next to her. She tried to grab his wheel.

Before he could ask why she had screamed once again, a large mass landed and broke the blacktop it crashed onto. A dozen cars on both sides swerved and panicked, crashing into each other, but Duke had no such luxury. He hit what appeared to be a leg, trying to stop the humans from receiving whiplash.

Whatever it was put its foot on his roof and pressed down, making Duke's alt mode creak with strain, and he grunted as the family inside him grew scared. He opened his doors and ordered them out of his alt mode, they quickly complied with his demands. The girls crawled out his right door and Yuuta out his left. With his door now open, they no longer providing essential structural support, his body began to give way to pressure and his roof started cracking.

Suddenly, the foot lifted off of him and Duke didn't take the opportunity to just sit there. The ambulance tried to transform, made challenging with the damage he sustained, only to catch a glimpse of the thing’s foot coming down to kick him in the face with full force as his bipedal form rested after his transformation.

He flew over a five car intersection blockage, an umptheen car pile on, and hit two cars with their humans still inside before skidding on the pavement, taking blacktop with him. He laid there limp as the man and woman in each car screamed in terror as the massive force loomed over them. The being just stood over there, blocking a good chunk of the stars and blending with the empty black midnight abyss he stared at some nights. The form’s optics glistened as they traced his inpudent frame.

J-Decker. The form was J-Decker, the big body couldn't hide those familiar features he recognized the last time they fought. The chassis. The base color clear even in the shadows. The optics burned the same even if they were under the control of an alien force. Said alien force clinging to J-Decker's body.

He quickly pulled out his pistol and cocked the revolver to make sure his ammunition was full before he shot up at his doom. Oil ran down his mouth and from the crack on his forehead, his right optic getting covered in black grease. He spit out said oil as it leaked into his mouth and quickly aimed up at J-Decker as the beast raised its same foot above him.

The humans under his side started to scream louder and the began to giggle their door handles.

The pavement felt twice as cold against his back...

It was going to stomp him. Like some fly it was just swatting out of the air but hadn't killed...

He pulled the trigger four times before that large leg came down at him with full force. All the while he heard the distant sound of a motorcycle revving its engine at full throttle and a human female screaming:

"DUKE! DUKE!"

Sadly, in his A.I. he knew that was the third time tonight a girl had yelled at him.

Sadly, it was the third different female who yelled at him...

Azuki-- no, any women-- had never sound so heart wrenchingly horrified.

[eddiejpoplar]

WORLD PREMIERE: 2020 A90 Toyota Supra — The Legend is Back

There are some legends of automotive history that enthusiasts, regardless of preferred brand, are almost forced to love. The Toyota Supra is one of those cars. Not because of Paul Walker driving one in Fast and Furious. That only made teenagers think the Supra was the fastest car in the world. The Supra is a legend because when it first debuted back in the late ’70s, it was a light, simple and humble sports car that was affordable to most enthusiasts. There were a few generations of the Supra before it finally disappeared in 2002, much to the chagrin of many enthusiasts. Now, though, it’s back. But it’s a bit different.

Toyota made big headlines a few years ago when it announced it was partnering with BMW for a small, rear-wheel drive sports car. The moment that happened, car enthusiasts across the globe immediately speculated the return of the Supra. Though, Toyota was mum on the details of the car for years. In fact, it wasn’t even officially confirmed as being called a Supra until its release was near. Still, we all knew what it was going to be.

Its return marks a new but very different chapter in the Supra’s history. While the Toyota Supra began life as a humble sports car built on the Celica platform, this new one has more upscale bones. That’s because it’s built on the same chassis as the BMW Z4. In fact, it’s almost mechanically identical to a BMW Z4. It shares the same chassis, same technology, many interior components and, most importantly, the same engine.

In a recent interview, the chief engineer for the Toyota Supra claimed that BMW was chosen as the partner for this car specifically because of its engine. Historically, the Toyota Supra has always been powered by a straight-six engine. Early cars were naturally-aspirated, later cars were turbocharged. But its engine’s induction didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was whether or not it had six cylinders in a line. So when Toyota was planning the Supra, its engineers knew that it needed an inline-six engine. However, Toyota hasn’t made one almost two decades and it would be far too costly to make another one. So it needed to partner with a brand that did make one. A good one.

BMW is the best builder on inline-six engines on the market, so the match was found. The two brands collaborated on a joint sports car project that would eventually give birth to the BMW Z4 and the A90-generation Toyota Supra you see in front of you.

Technically, this car is called the GR Supra, named for its Gazoo Racing DNA. Gazoo Racing, for those of you who don’t know your Toyota-speak, is the Japanese brand’s racing division and this is the first proper GR-developed production car in history. And while GR is a pretty well known name among Toyota fans, we don’t see this name catching on with Supra fans. It will still just be called the Toyota Supra. As it should be.

On the outside, this is a great looking car. There are actually a lot of mixed feelings about this new Supra’s styling. Some love it, some hate it and some just think it’s “meh”. Personally, I really like it. It looks like a fresh and modern sports car but it still looks like a Supra. It also has the right sports car proportions, with a short rear deck, long hood, wide stance and low height. It’s low, long and mean. It also has really pretty rear fender flares and an awesome looking ducktail spoiler at the back. Call me crazy but I see a bit of Ferrari 250 GTO in the back half of it. It’s quite polarizing to enthusiasts but this one really digs it.

The 2020 Supra will also come with a handful or really cool colors, actually. The red you see in these photos is actually called Renaissance Red 2.0, which will obviously be the most popular color choice. There will be other cool colors, too; Nitro Yellow, Downshift Blue, Phantom Matte Gray, Absolute Zero White, Tungsten Silver, Turbulence Gray and Nocturnal Black. Unlike a lot of new BMWs, the upcoming Supra will have many cool colors to choose from.

Having said that, the interior is a bit disappointing. The steering wheel looks like a blend between a BMW wheel and a MINI one, it has the paddle shifters from a BMW, the shift lever from a MINI and its climate control buttons are pulled from a BMW as well. At least the actual infotainment screen is a different shape, even if it does use BMW’s latest iDrive. Hell, the Supra even has an iDrive controller and it’s not even the new one.

Thankfully, Toyota did give it some unique touches, like its own digital instruments, air vent design and seats. The latter of which look very good, actually. The rest of it, though, is all BMW but actually looks a bit low rent. We can forgive it, however, as it will likely be cheaper than the BMW Z4 by quite a bit and undercut other BMWs, in terms of value.

Especially when you consider its power and performance. Under its hood lies the same 3.0 liter turbocharged I6 engine found in the European BMW Z4 M40i. I mention the European model specifically because the Toyota Supra makes 335 hp and 365 lb-ft of torque, just like the Euro Z4 (though, the Supra is down 4 lb-ft of torque). The North American Z4 makes 382 hp, which is quite the hefty bump over the Euro car, but we guess BMW didn’t want the Supra stepping on its toes.

An eight-speed ZF-sourced gearbox handles shifting duties as the only option, similar to the Z4. Toyota changed up the gear ratios a bit, though. So its lower gears are a bit shorter than the Z4’s which, combined with launch control and a lighter curb weight, help it get from 0-60 mph in 4.1 seconds. That’s three-tenths faster than the claimed time for the Euro BMW Z4 M40i despite having less power. Thank its lighter weight for most of that performance advantage. More importantly though, the Toyota Supra is just as fast as a BMW M2 Competition, while costing about the same. Talk about a good buyer’s dilemma.

Sending power to the rear wheels will be an as-standard limited-slip rear-differential, the same one from the Z4 M40i. It can lock between 0-100 percent in a blink and should help the new Supra be a blast to chuck through a corner. It will also only have two driving modes to play with; Normal and Sport. This is a refreshing decision in a world where every car seems to have about a million different drive-mode combinations. Hauling it down from speed will be four-pot Brembos at each corner.

Thankfully, the Supra also gets a 50/50 weight distribution, much like most BMWs. So it will be balanced and agile, much like the Z4. In fact, without the extra mass from the Bimmer’s folding roof, the Supra should be even more agile and balanced than the Z4. To keep the two cars feeling different, Toyota tuned the suspension itself, giving it a unique feel. Without driving it, we obviously can’t tell if it’s worked or not but Toyota claims the two cars will feel very different.

We’re very curious about the 2020 Toyota Supra. It’s a new take on an automotive legend, one built in joint with an unlikely partner and powered by another brand’s engine. Just hearing that, it sounds like the new Supra would be a mess. However, when you really look at it and the hardware it’s packing, it seems like it’s going to be a smashing success. We can’t wait to drive it, compare it to the Z4 and see what the remake of a Japanese automotive icon is like with some help from the Germans.

IFTTT

[erinelezabeth920]

Days 19-22: Growth

“It’s the get through”, I told Andy over the phone with spotty internet, drinking a Pilsner at a bar on Amazones on my way back to the bus. It was Monday (Day 19). Back to la routina.

It had been a hard day. I hadn’t slept well and had woken up tired. The busses were stressful, crowded, the cars emitting exhaust fumes, people shoving. The neuro clinic was fine; we went to go get cappuccinos from the coffee shop next door and it had really messed up my stomach. Raf was in an off mood, criticizing us for things, or asking questions like why didn’t we include this criteria, maybe we should add this, making hours more work for me and Kayla.

We had lunch at an almuerzo place, but my stomach was off and I didn’t want any of it. I bought a chocolate bar and sprite at the mini market. It felt like I might be getting my period. Kayla and Erin were off too, Erin was in her complaining mood, and Kayla was snappy. We walked into Beraca, the Spanish building to be bombarded with people. I had forgotten that the two week program group had showed up that weekend; this was their first day at the Spanish school. Meaning 9 new students meant 9 new teachers and 18 more people in the already small space. The energy was buzzing with new psychology girls who I’m sorry all looked the same. I know it’s rude but I felt annoyed, like an older sibling in the hospital. This was our space. Our program. We had a bond, a vibe, a routine. And suddenly it was thrown off by fresh travel energy, and all these new girls, just as we were slumping.

We had Spanish class for an hour. It was harder to concentrate; Irma and I got moved from our nice room with windows to the back room. Then we all (teachers included) headed outside and piled on a bus. Herding 30 people on a public bus was a nightmare when no one seemed to be in charge. It was hot and I was annoyed. We got off that bus and waited for like 15 minutes on a busy street corner for another one. I hate traveling in big groups. The objective was to talk to our Spanish teacher, but Irma was hot too and the high pitched chatter of the new girls about schools and policies and IEPs annoyed me. Finally the other bus came; we drove up a windy street to the top of the hill, the site of the Panecilla statue.

Once we were there it was kind of fun. There was space to spread out. Irma and I talked with Kayla and her teacher about our job site. Irma made dirty jokes. We looked over the city and saw the volcanos. I noticed sights at the Historical District from the Saturday before. I talked to Mike and his teacher; they have a hysterical friendship. I ate some chips I had in my bag and climbed up to the top of the tower. The site itself is an old Incan ruin on a hill overlooking the city. In 1976 they build a statue of a woman, a protector of the city looking out. It’s iconic of the city and beautiful to see from afar and up close. It was actually a nice time.

After that event things got annoying again. There wasn’t much direction and it seemed like we were just kind of stranded up there as class was officially over. Mike and Ana went to go try and buy bus tickets for our upcoming weekend coast trip. Erin, Kayla, Kat, Star and I ended up walking all the way back to Parque Elijido. Once we got over the confusion of the Spanish teachers who wanted to go out and were telling us a million different things, it was actually kind of nice. We walked through pretty streets in the historic district, narrow with colonial buildings and cobble streets. Kat and I vented to each other and felt better. Erin was still complaining.

At Parque Elijido I walked with them a ways to Amazones, the more commercial street. I needed a drink. I split off at a bar I found and said bye. I sat down and ordered a beer.

Which brings us to the conversation. I was telling Andy that traveling is kind of like a relationship. I know this phase. I had weeks of it in Thailand, Denmark too. When the honeymoon has worn off, all the new and shiny. And suddenly all the little things you didn’t notice start bothering you. The traffic, the food, how people always sit on the outside seat on the bus. The annoyance of small change, the lack of internet and Google maps. You want to go home. You wonder what your friends are doing, if they forgot you. Erin complains, Kayla is snarky, Mike gets in moods. I don’t understand anything in Spanish. I’m sick of paying for public bathrooms and throwing toilet paper in the trash. Or the big one, I’m sick of getting cat called in the street, feeling unsafe from men, clutching my belongings, being beeped at by cab drivers. The intense machismo and the fear I feel as a result. The list goes on.

That’s the phase. And then (for anyone who’s moved to a new place or been in a relationship) comes growth. It’s uncomfortable. It’s re-wiring our neurons for new patterns, expanded ways of thinking, literally changing ourselves. Growth doesn’t happen in fancy hotels or guided tours on vacation, in a safe and tourist bubble. Growth happens out in the streets, in immersion when all you want is for someone to speak English to you and a hot shower, standing on a completely packed bus at 7:15am, the only person with blonde hair, everyone staring, not able to drink coffee because your stomach can’t handle it.

That night when I came back, having tea with Monica and everyone, they showed me a shoe box. Inside was a beautiful dark green hummingbird with a broken wing, they were nursing back to health.

Day 20:

A lot of it was the same. Clinic in the morning, Kayla and I were formatting our screener tool, trying to change Spanish tenses from first to third person for a parent and self report and it was very difficult. We went to power lunch lunch at a Mexican restaurant nearby. It was good but I was very tired and not talkative. Tara was there, the other program director since Anton had left and they had switched off. She sat next to me and I felt bad because I didn’t talk much. I get quiet in big groups of new people with loud personalities.

After lunch we bussed to Beraca and I tried to finish my homework. I got tired and put my headphones in. I knew I should talk to the new people but I just didn’t have it in me. Irma and I had Spanish class until 4:30.

After that Kayla Star, Erin and I walked over to a sketchy looking bus station to buy the tickets for the weekend. We were all still kind of touchy and annoyed, trying to find the place, figure out the right time. The machine was slow and a car alarm kept going off. They headed back to go salsa dancing, but I was close to my house and felt pretty out of it, so I headed home.

I wanted a beer, so I stopped in at an almuerzo place that was still open. It was just the family and me; a grandma, some kids, uncle and who knows who else. I sat down at a plastic table with my beer and opened my Spanish teenage vampire book, trying to be unassuming. Soon I heard a commotion; more people had arrived, and then there was cake and singing of ‘Feliz cumpleaños’. A little girl of maybe 5 sat in a chair to blown out the candles. Someone recorded on a phone. I closed my book and turned around, smiling. I had accidentally walked into a birthday party.

When I left, I put my 2$ on the counter. “Who’s birthday I asked?” as everyone had been looking at me a little strangely. She pointed to the little girl. ‘Feliz cumpleaños’ I said. They smiled and so did I as I walked out into the Ecuadorian night.

Day 21:

We made a meal in our Spanish class. I had already eaten an empeñada with Kayla for lunch and felt full. I had done my Spanish homework and Irma taught me the recipe. Tara had made an announcement to the four week group that this was the phase where the adrenaline had worn off, and it would get tougher. She was right. It was kind of fun, a cool idea and I enjoyed myself except there were a lot of people and it was loud. Mike and I learned a card game from the cute teacher Raul, and we all ate the food. I was very tired by the end; I headed to a coffee shop but the internet didn’t work great.

Instead of going home, I just hung around. At 8 I walked back down the street, feeling a little sketched in the dark with my computer in my bag. I found the bar, Uncle Julio’s. Karaoke. It was the best. Just the best. A tiny empty bar with two old men singing Spanish ballads and about 9 Americans belting out 90s songs with popcorn and beer. Jojo sang Christina Aguelera, Raf sang Shania Twain. Kayla sang Ashanti and Star killed it with “My Heart Will Go On” It breathed life into me; I was up dancing talking to people and feeling like my old self. We ended the night with a sing along of “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”, my home karaoke favorite which the whole bar joined. And for that moment everything felt aligned.

Day 22:

I woke up and packed my stuff for the beach. Monica called me an Uber so I wouldn’t have to take my things on the bus. At the clinic, three new people from the 2 week group came to join us, which was stressful but we made it work.

After the clinic Kayla and I walked with Erin to her house to drop off our stuff. Then we headed up to the site of our “charla” walking up a huge hill with heavy breathing. We stopped for lunch at an absolutely adorable coffee shop, where I had a giant juice and a panini and we talked about relationships. It was a nice time. After that we went to an art museum where we had to pay 8$ to get in and were mas about it. The museum was beautiful though, a famous artist from Ecuador who donated his house and most of his collection to the public.

After after that we sat the in grass outside. It was a nice day. We talked about privilege and multiculturalism, and our experiences in Ecuador thus far. We talked about the difficulty, the growth. I tried to contribute as best I could, talking about my frustrations with being hustled on the street, beeped at by every taxi, stared at on the bus, and even THAT is a product of my privelage, as a visitor from a country with more opportunity. I am harassed because I am perceived as having more. And I do.

We ended the charla early. Standing up in the sun, outside of a beautiful museum overlooking the city, I felt a huge weight lift. The week was over. I stood and stared for a bit at the Quito houses as the clouds floated by. In a few hours we’d be on a bus to the beach. I had gotten through.

Because finally after the frustration comes acceptance. Where you grow and change, let go of the things or learn to embrace them, changing yourself in the process. Even in the hard weeks, the lulls, the moments shine through. A city from a hill, a hummingbird in a shoebox, an accidental birthday party. Until you’re dancing to Whitney in a tiny dive bar in South America, drink in hand and suddenly the world doesn’t feel so big after all.

[cover2covermom]

Hello bookworms!

While on my quest to diversify my reading, I realized that I needed to read more books within the realm of LGBTQIA+ fiction.  So today, I am brining you mini reviews for two young adult book that I’ve recently read, and I think you should as well.

Books included in this post: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Bengamin Alire Saenz & Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin

Author: Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Genre: Young Adult • Contemporary • LGBTQIA+

Version: Audiobook (7h 29min listening length)

Narrator: Lin-Manuel Miranda

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Source: Hoopla

Amazon • Goodreads

Book Synopsis:

Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship—the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be.

My Thoughts:

Is Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe the longest book title ever?  I wonder what the record is?  It has to definitely be up there…

“I had a feeling there was something wrong with me. I guess I was a mystery even to myself.”

Honestly, I was anticipating a fluffy YA romance, but that is NOT what this book is.  Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is Aristotle’s (Ari) journey towards self discovery.  Ari is a Mexican-American teenager who seems more at ease when he is alone.  To say that Ari keeps to himself is an understatement… that is until Dante walks into his life.

Dante has my heart.  As many of you know, I am such a sucker for quirky characters.  Dante walks to the beat of his own drum and does not apologize for it.  He is so secure in who he is, something that I greatly admire in characters.  The friendship between Ari and Dante was everything.  This is the type of friend I want by my side.

I will say that I did not find this book predictable in the slightest.  I kept thinking that I knew what was coming next, waiting for “the moment,” but that moment did not come when I was expecting it to.  I found myself second guessing my theory throughout the entire book… I’m sure those of you who have read it know what I am talking about.

Can I just say kudos to the author for including positive family dynamics in a YA book?  Sure there was some family drama and secrets, but both sets of parents in this book not only loved their sons, but supported them.  It is so rare to see parents who are so involved in YA, which is such a shame because strong parental relationships are so important during the teen years.

Unfortunately, the pacing for the first 60% of this book was a big issue for me.  I remember reaching the 60% mark and thinking to myself, “Is anything going to actually happen in this book?”  I feel like the majority of this book was some serious angst.  I understand this book was about Ari discovering who he really is, but I felt like this book was way too heavy for the first half of the book, thus feeling very dense.  I feel like it was missing some balance. 

“We all fight our own private wars.”

With that being said, the last 40% of this book was a 5-star read for me.  The ending was absolute perfection.  I feel like this book could be very relatable to so many teens who don’t yet fully understand themselves.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is a very character driven story, so if you are one for action-packed plots, this probably isn’t going to be your cup of tea.  HOWEVER, if you are looking for a beautiful book about self discovery, you need to give this one a go.

My Rating:

*3.75 Stars

About the Author:

Benjamin Alire Sáenz is an author of poetry and prose for adults and teens. He is the winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award and the American Book Award for his books for adults. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe was a Printz Honor Book, the Stonewall Award winner, the Pura Belpre Award winner, the Lambda Literary Award winner, and a finalist for the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award. His first novel for teens, Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood, was an ALA Top Ten Book for Young Adults and a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. His second book for teens, He Forgot to Say Goodbye, won the Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children’s Book Award, the Southwest Book Award, and was named a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age. He teaches creative writing at the University of Texas, El Paso.

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Author:  Jeff Garvin

Genre:  Young Adult • Contemporary • LGBTQIA+

Version: Audiobook (7h 47min listening length)

Narrator: Tom Phelan

Publisher: HarperAudio

Source: Hoopla

Amazon • Goodreads

Book Synopsis:

The first thing you’re going to want to know about me is: Am I a boy, or am I a girl?

Riley Cavanaugh is many things: Punk rock. Snarky. Rebellious. And gender fluid. Some days Riley identifies as a boy, and others as a girl. The thing is…Riley isn’t exactly out yet. And between starting a new school and having a congressman father running for reelection in uber-conservative Orange County, the pressure—media and otherwise—is building up in Riley’s so-called “normal” life.

On the advice of a therapist, Riley starts an anonymous blog to vent those pent-up feelings and tell the truth of what it’s REALLY like to be a gender fluid teenager. But just as Riley’s starting to settle in at school—even developing feelings for a mysterious outcast—the blog goes viral, and an unnamed commenter discovers Riley’s real identity, threatening exposure. Riley must make a choice: walk away from what the blog has created—a lifeline, new friends, a cause to believe in—or stand up, come out, and risk everything.

My Thoughts:

You all know how much I sometimes struggle with the YA genre, but I am here to tell you that Symptoms of Being Human is YA done right!  Not only was I educated about all kinds of LGBTQIA+ issues and terminology that I didn’t previously fully understand, but I was also highly entertained while I was learning.  These are the types of YA books that I enjoy, those that both educate and entertain at the same time.

“The first thing you’re going to want to know about me is: Am I a boy, or am I a girl?”

Symptoms of Being Human was my first book with a gender fluid main character.  I have read a book with a gender fluid secondary character before, but this one is the first book I’ve read where the focus is on gender issues and that really explores what it means to be gender fluid.   I must admit, before reading this book I did not fully grasp the concept, but after reading it, I really feel like I have a good understanding.  I am amazed at how Garvin was really able to take a very complex idea and simplify it into an explanation that is easy for everyone to understand.

“The world isn’t binary. Everything isn’t black or white, yes or no. Sometimes it’s not a switch, it’s a dial. And it’s not even a dial you can get your hands on; it turns without your permission or approval”

This book goes into some deep issues like suicide, hate crimes, bullying, etc.  There were some shocking statistics mentioned in this book…

“64% of transgender and non-binary people in the US experience sexual violence in their life—12% before they graduate high school. 41% will attempt suicide. “

41% of transgender and non-binary people attempt suicide?! This number literally had my jaw on the floor.  64% have suffered from some type of sexual violence?  This is NOT acceptable.  According to a 2008 National Transgender Discrimination Survey, these statistics are fairly accurate.  I only hope that these rates have been reduced since 2008 as more and more people are becoming aware of transgender and non-binary experiences.  This is one reason why this book is so important, it can help enlighten readers about the injustices and violence that non-binary gender individuals face, thus hopefully creating empathy.

“People do judge books by their covers; it’s human nature. They react to the way you look before they hear a single word that comes out of your mouth.”

I was pleasantly surprised to find that Riley, our main character, suffers from anxiety.  I’m sure we all can relate to having some form of anxiety at moments in our lives, but I feel that Garvin accurately depicts how debilitating it can be to those who suffer from sever anxiety.  Anxiety is definitely something that needs to be better represented in literature overall, so I was happy to see it represented here.

From what I’ve mentioned in this review, you would think that this book is a bit of a downer, but it also has some lighter moments with a touch of romance, friendships, and family dynamics.  The friendship included in this book was so heartwarming.  Riley, Bec, and Solo reminded me a lot of the dream team in Harry Potter: Harry, Ron, and Hermoine.  I also appreciated the family dynamics included: Riley’s parents were not perfect by any means, but they did love their child and were involved and supportive of Riley.

While it is true there are definitely some tough topics addressed in Symptoms of Being Human, it definitely ends on a positive and uplifting note. This is a very important book that brings to light *some* of the experiences of those who are gender fluid (also referred to as non-binary gender or genderqueer).  Books like these need to exist.  If you are fuzzy on these concepts, I strongly encourage you to pick this book up.  Educate yourself, so that you can in turn educate others.

My Rating:

About the Author:

Jeff Garvin grew up in Orange County, California, the son of a banker and a magician. He started acting in high school, and enjoyed a fifteen-year career including guest-starring roles in network television series ranging from The Wonder Years to Roseanne to Caroline and the City, as well as several independent features.

While studying at Chapman University, Jeff won awards for classical guitar and visual storytelling before graduating with a BFA in Film. As the front man of his rock band, 7k, Garvin released three albums and toured the United States. When the band dissolved in 2011, Jeff, who had always written short stories and lyrics, found his passion in full-length fiction.

His debut novel, SYMPTOMS OF BEING HUMAN, tells the story of Riley, a 16-year-old gender fluid teen who starts an anonymous blog to deal with hostility from classmates and tension at home. But when the blog goes viral, a storm of media attention threatens Riley’s anonymity. Coming February 2, 2016 from Balzer + Bray / HarperCollins.

Jeff lives in Southern California with his music teacher wife, their menagerie, and a respectable collection of books and guitars.

Website • Twitter • Facebook • Instagram

Have you read either of these books?  If so, what did you think?

Comment below and let me know :)

Diverse #YoungAdult Books in Review: #AristotleandDante & #SymptomsofBeingHuman. #BookBlogger Hello bookworms! While on my quest to diversify my reading, I realized that I needed to read more books within the realm of LGBTQIA+ fiction.