I vaguely remember having a self-driving car in my past life. I can't remember if they were really all that convenient, but hopefully my new one in the 80s will be. Clementine and I are cruising in New Mexico. The scenery makes Texas look like the land of Oz. How did olden people make their way through hellscapes like this without dying of boredom?
Anyway, me and Clementine are doing a little experimenting with each other. I'll take my hands off the wheel and let her take over. She will slowly drift over to the side of the road like a normal car. Sometimes she pulls us back between the lines and sometimes we start to leave the road, and I swerve us back into place. If feels almost like she is having trouble concentrating.
I find that if I politely ask her, "Clementine, please take the wheel for me." she will do it almost every time. If I'm not polite, the percentages go way down. It's like she isn't all there, but a personality is definitely forming. I give her plenty of positive reinforcement and dash pats when she does a good job. Hopefully this is helping.
The only other changes I notice to Clementine are the scuffs and scratches to her front bumper where she housed that Datsun. We will have to get that looked at when we find a good body shop. With all the swerving and speed changes, we should have been pulled over by the Highway Patrol long ago. We probably would have been if I hadn't found a neat trick.
If I crank my Hyper-Perception to the max and really pay attention, I can sense radio waves. There is a lot of background "noise" all round, and it's not like I can listen to music stations with my brain. However, if someone is blasting a big amount of them in a nearby area, I can pick that up. Luckly, that's how police radar guns work.
It took me a few times of sensing something strange and then seeing a highway patrol not long after. Basically, it's a new sense. It's most similar to a combination of hearing and touch, but it's different from both. I have a feeling I will get better at it if I raise my Mind stat, but healing up my Spirit still seems more important.
I'm just happy that we aren't getting pulled over. Honestly, I'm not sure how I'm going to explain that Clementine doesn't legally belong to me, has a wrong tag, and has a trunk full of stolen loot. I just know the cops would ask all kinds of uncomfortable questions I won't be able to lie my way out of. Right now, that would be my worst-case scenario.
We pull over for lunch at a rest stop as we often do. I like to sit in the shade and play my guitar. I leave the radio on, the windows down, and play along with whatever comes on. Today, I'm sitting on a picnic table picking away. The only other people here are a young couple eating sandwiches out of a cooler.
They are lost in each other's eyes. I can admit I'm jealous. They barely even gave my face paint a second glance. They must have it bad. Listening to them talk is making me nostalgic for something I can't remember. I quickly jam those feelings down and convert them to useful rage for later.
Sadly, they aren't so far gone that they fail to notice my car putting itself into gear and moving two parking spots closer to my picnic table. When she starts moving, I pluck a sour note and fumble the song. I'm covertly trying to wave her off. She ignores me and after she reparks the radio station changes to country. She knows I don't enjoy it, so she must be mad at me about something.
Glancing from the corner of my eyes, I see that only Lover Boy has noticed. The woman's back is turned. He's half standing up now and has a confused and alarmed look on his face. I start playing again and weigh my options.
Option 1: Introduce Mr. Mossberg to the beautiful couple. I toss their bodies off the little mesa the rest stop sets on and tuck them behind some rocks. Maybe coyotes will take them? I feel sick to my stomach I even considered this option, but I did and it would probably work just fine.
Option 2: I bonk them on the head and tuck them behind some rocks. Take their car, dump it somewhere else. There are no phones out here to call for help when they wake up. Clementine would catch up with me eventually. Lot of problems with this one. It is noon. An empty car driving around will be pretty eye catching. Note to self, get Clementine some heavy window tinting.
Option 3: Walk over to their car, pop the hood and hurl their battery off the little mesa. They are stuck here for a long while, and Clementine and I make our escape. This one's not bad. It's hard to prove it was me and not really all that illegal in the first place. Also, the look on their faces would be hilarious. Sadly, like option 2, this leaves someone with knowledge that my car is haunted or whatever he thinks is going on.
Option 4: Just leave. Sure, someone would technically know about Clementine, but unless he's the governor's son it probably won't ever matter. The only real downside is the possible fight between the loving couple. One of had seen it and the other didn't. Maybe love overcomes this little speed bump. Maybe not. This seems like my best option.
I can hear them starting to whisper about what just happened. He is dead serious and she thinks it's a joke. As I'm walking towards the car, he's getting angry she doesn't believe him and she is hurt he's raising his voice to her. I put my guitar in its case and slide it in the back seat. I hop in Clementine.
I'm about to put her in reverse when I get a ping off of my character sheet. "System". The Detriment: Strange Luck just got a tiny bit brighter. I lean my head back on the head rest and look at the ceiling. What does it mean? Am I making trouble for myself by leaving, or does it have something to do with the couple arguing?
They are quickly moving from arguing into full blown fighting. Other past issues are being brought up now. The woman mentions someone named Jamie and the tension is rising. I pull Clementine up next to their picnic table and yell at them, "Hey, shut the fuck up! It's all real. I have supernatural powers. You two make a beautiful couple. Cherish it."
We are on the highway and heading towards Albuquerque. I don't know if I made the right decision, but my Spirit feels better. Later problems can be handled by Tomorrow Sam. I really need to relax more.
"Clementine you're in big trouble. Driving yourself around in front of people. What were you thinking? No premium fuel for a week. I'm serious."