Hell hath no wrath like a rabbit scorned. [CLOSED]

[naniteknight]

Who: Rex (naniteknight), KITT (guardianbydesgn) and Fluffy the Destructo Bunny...and now adding V (crazylikefawkes) here at the end!
What: The rabbit EVO finally decides to chew on something that isn't either Rex or an inanimate, completely non-sentient object... KITT.
Where: Eastern District
When: Saturday night, the 4th of December
Warnings: VIOLENCE and fighty times!
Notes: None.

Comments

Damn rabbit can turn on a dime. @_x Don't feel bad, KITT, Rex has trouble with it, too!

[naniteknight]

The rabbit was starting to get it through its brain that machines were bad things to be destroyed on sight. They made far too much noise, smelled bad and had severe attitude problems. All they were good for was gnawing on and kicking dirt over.

JUST LIKE THAT DAMN KID.

Nevermind that the rabbit itself had a face not even a mother could love, it smelled like garbage and had a shriek that sounded like stuttering nails on a chalkboard.

The sight of the car suddenly shifting onto its passenger tires alone didn't deter the EVO, even though the sound it made was harsh on those long ears. However, the rabbit didn't want to bring its claws into play so much as simply bite and tear. The change in the situation threw it off a bit, forcing it to put the brakes on and use all six legs to dig in and turn, claws ripping into the concrete and asphalt below. It still slid behind KITT, but not by too much. If the car did fire the grappling hook, it would catch...but likely at close range as the EVO whirled around to compensate for the miss and charge again.

Yup, KITT's way underestimating Fluffy. And it'll cost him.

[guardianbydesgn]

((ooc: Also, let me know if this isn't okay. =3;;;))

The creature's unexpected agility . . . did not surprise the AI. No. KITT just...needed to make more adjustments to his calculations than he'd anticipated. That was his story and he was sticking to it! The fact that the monster tore up concrete and asphalt with its bare claws . . . ah, yes, okay, that was clearly something to take note of.

KITT realized that he would have to shift his tactics. The grappling hook had successfully snagged one of the monster's limbs between the shaft and the curve of a tine, and its own movement as it whirled around to compensate helped entangle it in the cable a bit. But even considering the size and weight of the TransAm and the power of its jet-turbine engine, KITT was suddenly getting the impression that he would not be able to outmuscle the creature. And certainly not outmaneuver it - he was fast and agile . . . for an automobile. The monster was just fast and agile, period. And enraged, for whatever reason. He needed to either get it calmed down or spook it somehow, startle and possibly intimidate it. He would have preferred to try the first but there simply wasn't time - it was too close and about to get far too much closer.

KITT dropped back down to all fours and darted a bit farther forward to put that little bit more distance between them - letting out more cable from his winch for now as well - and activated his flamethrower. He dropped the pressure of the propane tank so that the arc of flame fell short, hitting the ground between them in the hopes of startling the monster and breaking the rage. He also readied a round of tear gas.

((Feel free to god-mod a bit and let the thing latch on to KITT and start doing damage. XD))

This does make me wonder if there is coverage for EVO damage where Rex is from...LOL

[naniteknight]

((That works!))

KITT made it back onto all four tires and put distance between himself and the EVO in the nick of time. Despite two of its four legs becoming entangled in the cable, the EVO was still managing to at least half stagger forward, jaws snapping at the black vehicle's bumper and missing by mere inches.

As its target slid away, the rabbit hissed and tried to follow, only realizing after nearly falling on its face that it needed to do something about the line confining its movement. Teeth and claws ripped viciously at the cable, giving it a bit more room to move as the line was pulled and loosened.

But then came the jet of fire and a new wave of rage washed over the creature. While the flames didn't connect and burn, the sight of it along with the radiating heat was enough to get the rabbit barreling after KITT again. Unfortunately, standard issue Providence rifles did little more than irritate the EVO in Rex's home reality and it had taken nothing short of anti-tank weaponry to kill it. Everything less than a violent explosion just made it angrier.

The shrieking sound it made echoed off the nearby buildings as it managed to get in a halfway decent leap, coming down in front of KITT, the street cracking under the impact. Again the fangs sought purchase, this time finding the bumper that had eluded them before.

Heh, one would HOPE! A-also, thought I'd tagged this again already... orz

[guardianbydesgn]

"Oh my word!" Tires screeched as electromagnetic hyper-vacuum disk brakes engaged, the TransAm stopping on a dime while the startled AI struggled to compensate. Throwing both his gears and his Turbo Boost jets into reverse, KITT attempted to backpedal out of reach of that terrible maw before it closed, flashing through algorithms and fuzzy logic scenarios in a bid to figure out what to do next. Never mind that his MBS would prevent him from taking damage, he simply didn't want to risk the thing getting a hold of and possibly immobilizing him.

The TransAm was fast, the super-computer faster . . . but not fast enough.

The EVO's jaws clamped down, catching the whole forward half of KITT's prow. Fiberglass splintered and metal groaned as it crumpled under and around sharp teeth. Sensors and alarms shot a cacophany of warnings back through KITT's CPU, leaving the AI reeling as he fought to sort through the data.

Wait . . . wait! That shouldn't have happened! That shouldn't have been possible! What about his MBS! His tri-helical plasteel 1000 molecular bonded shell! What just happened!?

"U-unhand me, you monstrous-!" KITT tried to spin his tires, aiming to gain enough purchase to drag himself free, but the EVO's teeth had breached clear down - and up in the case of the lower jaw - into his jet-engine block. The fan blades of one turbine were catching and scraping on the creased inner surfaces of its duct, another completely immobilized in a duct that had collapsed around it. Without his engine, as with any Earth-built automobile, KITT's tires were useless. He fired his Turbo Boost thrusters, but that only succeeded in dragging the oversized rabbit a few feet and further stressing all the components of the systems under KITT's hood.

KITT had recently been forced to recognize - at last - his own capacity for emotion, or at least a potential for it. Happiness, grief, hopefulness . . . he could say he'd been annoyed more than a few times in the past. And he'd been anxious before, for people's lives or their well-being. Especially Michael's. And Bonnie's when those crooks working with his twin had gotten their criminal hands on her. And more recently, V's every time he'd gone out into a zombie-infested city. And now . . . a new sensation was sparking its way across relays and through sensor arrays into every system of his being.

Fear.

"I-I said, let . . . let go of me!" In a move of sheer desperation, the AI kicked over his electronic jamming system, sending volts of electricity into the monster, seeking the nanites swimming through every inch of its bodily tissues. Even if he couldn't manage to take control of the minuscule machines, he hoped to short them out . . . and prayed it would have some helpful effect!

((ooc: In his own canon, the EJS allows him to commandeer control of [non-sentient] electronic devices and most machinery. As a player, I'm not expecting it to work on the nanites, but it's something he'd try. =3;;;))

S'okay! I'm juggling a number of tags, so it's always tough to keep track of these things. x_x

[naniteknight]

((Oh ho ho... Actually, I'm gonna take advantage of that electrical burst. I have plans for later now, oh yeeessss...))

Though the creature had started life as a rabbit, it was as good as land running shark, now. It snarled through its mouthful of talking vehicle, savoring the sensation of metal bending under the power of its jaws. All demands to be released were completely ignored. To some extent, the EVO understood them... It just didn't care.

As KITT kicked on his Turbo Boost thrusters, the rabbit struggled to dig all six sets of talons into the ground, the big beast bristling as it was dragged a handful of feet over the asphalt. Eager to take the fight out of its victim, the EVO prepared to shake KITT like a rag doll, much as a shark would stun its prey by thrashing it about.

The sudden jolt of electricity took the EVO completely off guard, however, a shriek leave it as all the fur along its back stood on end. Releasing KITT, the rabbit backed up a step or two, three pairs of eyes wide, staring and angry. For a split second, it almost appeared to contract on itself the slightest bit, as if the nanites had a change of mind about maintaining that big body...but it was brief, the monster snapping back to attention a moment later. Roaring its displeasure, it reared back, front paws snapping up with intent to come down on KITT's hood--

"INCOMING!"

The shout from above distracted the creature and it whirled just in time to take a giant metal fist right to the face as the only other EVO in Nautilus plowed into it at high speed. The street cracked, debris flying as the rabbit and Rex skidded back for several yards.

The rabbit kicked Rex to one side and onto the ground, then rolled over to tear after him. Rex responded with another home run hit, sending the other EVO head over tail into the side of a building. He then glanced back at the nearby black vehicle--

"KITT! Say something! Are you alright?"

Yeah? Do tell. XDDD *looking forward to seeing what you do*

[guardianbydesgn]

((ooc: KITT can't move, what with the damage to his engine, so he's kind of in the way of these two fighting. Don't be afraid to knock him around a little more before you're done. >3 Or not, s'cool, but yeah, he's kind of an obstacle at this point and at risk for becoming part of the collateral damage of the fight. XD;;;))

KITT's anamorphic equalizer - the ruby, slaloming scanner under the front edge of his hood - wasn't working, and the AI couldn't even tell if it had just had its connections damaged or if the equalizer itself had been crushed. The device was a fiber-optic array of electronic "eyes" able to "see" in all visual wavelengths and consequently was one of the AI's primary means of optic information gathering about his surroundings. He had sensors that detected things immediately around him in all directions, but those were very short-range. Effectively, KITT was blinded as well as paralyzed. This did not bode well!

"INCOMING!"

Startled, the AI was just switching on one of his cabin cameras, which he could position to look out through his windshield to compensate, when a familiar voice called down from above.

"Rex!? Rex, no, look out!"

KITT watched in amazement as the young human slammed fearlessly into the monster. ...okay, then. He supposed he needn't have worried quite so-! The EVO threw him off and righted itself, but then Rex sent it tumbling. KITT had caught glimpses on the network of previous fights between these two, but seeing one live and from so close - far closer than the AI liked, by the way, thank you very much - was quite a different matter.

Rex paused to glance back at him. Were it in his programming, he would have whimpered at the question. "No . . . system damage is localized but extensive. I-I cannot get clear readings, but I believe that everything forward of my engine block is-REX! Behind you!"

Killer Bunny from Hell was coming back for more.

...remember Peter Puppy from Earthworm Jim? 8D

[naniteknight]

Rex turned just in time to shove a balled up Smack Hand right into the rabbit's mouth. It was the only real option he had, otherwise his head would have ended up in that ugly set of jaws. The larger EVO bit down hard, crushing Rex's fist with a groan of metal before whipping him around like a dog with a tug rope chew toy, lashing into into a lamppost (which bent at a ninety degree angle as a result) before the Smack Hand broke completely and crumbled into metallic debris, the kid himself hurled off to one side and rolling over pavement.

For a second, the rabbit turned to look at KITT...but the car was no longer moving. It was a dead target. Rex, however, was still moving and was a far greater threat. The beast turned and charged after the teenager--

--only to take a big chunk of asphalt right to the face as Rex regained his feet with the Slam Cannon online.

"You. Hurt. Him." Rex glanced from the EVO rabbit to KITT, having barely caught the vehicle's reply before being attacked again. The Slam Cannon shrank back into his left arm as the six foot long broadsword extended from his right. "Pounding on me is one thing, but hurting my friends? NOW IT'S PERSONAL!"

The tip of the BFS dragged over the street as Rex rushed forward, the grinding of metal on asphalt sending a surge of yellow sparks into the air. He swung the blade through the air as he came up on his opponent, the rabbit dodging to one side and looking for an opening to swing out with one of it's six legs. Still trying to cut the rabbit to ribbons, Rex called back to KITT.

"Call for help! I'll take care of this jerk! Just...get someone here to tow you out of here or something!"

Ah, never saw the show, unfortunately. =D;;;;

[guardianbydesgn]

KITT wasn't sure which stunned him more, the amazing cybernetic attachments the young man kept developing out of his own body and collection of nanites, the amount of sheer damage he seemed capable of both inflicting and withstanding . . . or the claim of friendship and strength of accompanying protective anger. In truth, KITT couldn't be sure where that came from, as the two had actually had little contact since the teen's first arrival to the city months ago, something the AI had always . . . not "regretted" - he wasn't sure if he felt that per se - but . . . he had long thought that he would like more interaction with the young man and resolved in that moment to be sure to seek him out more.

Of course, more immediately he needed to make sure he "survived" this encounter. He was not living in any sense of the word, by either organic or mechanoid (which was to say, Cybertronian) ways of defining it, and he was not at all sure that he would "come back from death" as others did should he be violently deactivated here.

"I'll do what I can, Rex, but . . . please, do be careful!"

Reaching out for the nearest Nautilus camera, he activated the video and audio, tapping into the network. Rex would hear him as well as he called for help.

((ooc: ..........s-sorry? 9,9 KITT will do as told, but also his primary direct is the preservation of human life, so Rex and the threat to him take priority in KITT's processor over his own predicament, hence the call for help for Rex as well as himself.))

He was a nice dude until you hurt him. Then he'd mutate into an violent freakshow. XD

[naniteknight]

Part of being from Rex's version of Earth meant that nearly every living thing on the face of the planet was infused with nanites...down to a molecular bonded level. Though that bond didn't do anything good or bad for anyone without activation to go along with it. In Rex's case, the infusion of nanites had saved his life from some terrible accident, then caused a mutation that allowed the manifestation of machine powers. Without added durability and strength, he wouldn't be able to use the machines he built, much less support them without tearing his limbs clear out of their sockets. He healed faster than humans, his nanites going so far to keep his bones from shattering mid-fight and his organs from suffering internal bleeding. Rex would even find down the line that even drowning would not be enough to finish him...

The kid wasn't fooling around this time. He was good and enraged. Whether or not he and KITT had spent much time together didn't particularly matter right now. What Rex knew was that KITT had been one of the first ones there for him when he'd Woke in the Northern District, confused and panicked because the world had been two seconds from ending when he'd fallen into Nautilus. He might have been more short tempered with the talking car than he should have been and while it had been Starscream who had come for Rex to give him a place to call home, it was KITT who had given the kid the map of Nautilus. He was another Wakened, he was someone who was important to other people. At one point, Rex had risked being destroyed along with another EVO by bleach protocol back home in order to save hundreds of thousands of innocent people, he was more than willing to fight Satan's Rabbit for someone like KITT.

Because a person is a person, no matter how messed up they are. ...or whether that person is a talking super hero car.

"I got this, KITT! This is just another day at the office for me!"

There was an ear splitting shriek as the rabbit didn't quite manage to get around a swing of the BFS, one of its ears flying off to one side as the blade severed it. Ducking low, it charged like a furry bull on steroids, plowing into Rex. Grunting as some of the air was knocked out of him, Rex wrapped his arms around the rabbit's head to try and keep its mouth held shut, the BFS abandoned for the moment.

"Argh--you stupid--!" Rex cut himself short as he looked over one shoulder to see they were heading right for KITT. "Whoa--WHOA! Not cool!"

His lower legs changed into the Punk Busters, the soles of the super boots slamming into the pavement to try and slow the other EVO down before they crashed into KITT. Teeth gritted, Rex held on for all he was worth, feeling the ground cracking and giving away as they started to lose speed and momentum. Sliding to a complete halt just inches from KITT's ruined front end, the two EVOs pushed against one another, the rabbit picking up on the smell of leaking fluids and trying to get its jaws open to snap at the damaged vehicle again.

"N-NO! I--won't--LET YOU!" Rex dug in, body trembling. If he could just lower himself a little more...push down...engage jump mode...

Heh . . . ah. XD

[guardianbydesgn]

If KITT thought about it, he'd not actually be so surprised, but in truth, he was still getting used to certain concepts, even six months after arriving to this city. Being taken for a "person" in his own right, let alone being claimed as someone's friend - someone who isn't Michael, or now V - was something that will continue to startle him likely for some time to come. Not that he didn't appreciate it - he very much did.

At Rex's "day at the office" comment, the AI's dry humor surfaced in spite of the situation. "You and my former pilot, Michael, have something in common, then."

KITT would have winced if he could at the shriek that was audio-splitting as well. The AI watched helplessly as the two wrestled, Rex being pushed inexorably back towards KITT's forward bumper. Urgently, he ran through his arsenal of functions and modifications, but few of them were actually offensive, fewer still that could be aimed at a target ahead of him . . . only one he could really think of that might be useful, but he didn't dare try it again. He did not have to be touching his target to use his EJS against it - usually the "attacks" were at quite the decent range - but this time, Rex was in the way of his attempt on the EVO, and he was unwilling to take the risk. But . . . what else could he do?

"Rex!" While still subdued by comparison, he AI's voice betrayed more emotion than likely anyone in the city had heard from him before - deep distress. "Rex, tell me what to do. How can I help?"

[naniteknight]

"Sounds like...Michael...might be the kinda guy...I'd get...along with!" Rex managed as he struggled to keep from losing any more ground to the rabbit, who was clawing and scraping at the street, still trying to force its way forward.

Slowly, Rex was managing to push down enough to where he could get enough purchase and an angle to engage jump mode. Yet he was still dangerously close to KITT... He tried to think, thought process hard won as sweat beaded up on his brow from the exertion of trying to keep the rabbit in check.

"KITT, can you--can you make a noise? A really...really high pitched one? Like a...maybe like a dog whistle?" It was a long shot, but if KITT could make a sound that would distract the rabbit, Rex would have an easier time forcing it back and away. "Just need...some...thing... Something to distract--!"

[guardianbydesgn]

"Yes, that I can do!" The relief at being able to do something was quite audible in the AI's voice. Immediately, a dog whistle sounded . . . in a handful of close, cacophonous tones clustered high enough to avoid hurting Rex's hearing. He hoped.

[naniteknight]

Rex could hear it... Why could he hear it? But...it wasn't too painful. If anything, it was just rather annoying. Perhaps it was merely that his nanites picked up on the frequency and were relaying it to his brain.

The rabbit, on the other hand, seemed disturbed by the sudden sound, shrieking and struggling now to actually get away from the source. As it attempted to backpedal, Rex seized the opportunity and pushed down and forward. There was a metallic *CLICK* followed by a humm as jump mode engaged and then fired. Rex shot forward like a rocket, nearly forcing the rabbit's head into its neck as they both left KITT behind by a good couple of dozen yards. Following the initial burst and rush, Rex lost his grip and tumbled away from his opponent, Punk Busters shrinking back into his legs as he rolled to a stop on the pavement. A short distance away, the rabbit was reeling, having difficulty regaining its feet after hitting a wall.

"Thanks, KITT... I think. Ungh." Staggering back to his feet, Rex swayed a little before redeploying the Smack Hands. "Not one of my better days."

[guardianbydesgn]

KITT maintained the cluster of tones. It was all he could to help.

Oh! Wait, no, there was more he could do. Rex had rolled to one side, leaving a clear line between KITT and the EVO. The AI's voice was defiant and determined. "Take this, you overgrown mongrel of a rodent." The cacophony was joined by another focused, sustained burst of the EJS. KITT was sure it had started to have an effect before - perhaps with the sustained distraction of the whistle, it would have even more. If nothing else, he hoped to gain Rex just that much more of an advantage.

"Rex, try not to get between me and the EVO if you can help it! I don't want my electronic jamming system possibly damaging you as well."

[naniteknight]

"Your what?" Rex glanced back to the black vehicle, not completely understanding just what was going on... Then the rabbit started shrieking in pain again, lowering itself against the pavement with all fur standing on end, electricity sparking over its back. "¡Híjole! I don't know how you're doing that, but keep it up!"

Rex backed up, making sure not to get in the way of whatever it was that KITT was attempting. The other EVO was contracting again, almost as though it was shrinking in on itself. While the process was far from rapid and wasn't actually curing the thing, it seemed to be messing with the nanites' ability to maintain consistent mutation.

"Wait... KITT, I think you might be doing something to destabilize its nanites! Give it another few seconds, then cut it! I might be able to extract the nanites that turned it into that thing!"

[guardianbydesgn]

KITT . . . had no idea what Rex was talking about beyond the "destabilize" part, but if the young man had an idea of what was going on, who was the AI to argue or question.

"Will do, Rex. Just tell me when."