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"Oh." Clutch didn't move for a moment, his AI core still processing before Eric's next comment jogged his memory. "I don't normally forget things, unless something's been messed with. But now it's coming back to me."

Clutch backed off the ramps slowly until he was on even ground again, and then stopped. "Alright, you can finish the oil change--and Tara doesn't need to know about this. It was just a fluke."

Eric pursed his lips and looked around with shifty eyes as he quickly decided not to tell Clutch that he had removed the battery and checked it just to see how the charge was. He didn't want to upset the car and make him distrust him. "Well I need you to turn yourself off again so I don't mess anything up. Running engine plus new oil doesn't normally mix." he said as he thought about Tara. "And you are right. It probably wouldn't be good to tell Tara. More fun to have her come out here, turn you on and be shocked and confused as to why you don't remember her." he chuckled sinisterly.

Clutch backfired at the comment and then sighed. "Very well. It does take me a minute or two to...wake up. And thanks for the oil change."

He turned off the engine again, and the car sat silently once again in the garage.

Eric quickly refilled Clutch, closed his hood, and then danced around the garage as he quickly cleaned up and it was no exaggeration about Eric 'dancing' around the garage. He literately did just that. He then quickly moved over to the driver's seat and turned Clutch back on.

"Come on buddy." he cooed softly making sure to remain behind the drivers seat. "Wakey wakey!" he purred.

Clutch came back to life a bit faster than before, and he snorted at Eric's comment. "I'm awake. And, oh wow..." He had just gotten a taste of the oil that had been replaced. "Smooth as honey...and well done. Not like those idiotic mechanics who try to touch everything and make MORE problems--" Clutch cut himself off.

"Thank you, Eric." He hesitated briefly and then admitted, "perhaps I was, er, wrong about you. You did a great job." It was high praise coming from a car who purposely tried to make a mechanic's job hell.

Yeah, definitely don't tell him about the battery. If he doesn't ask I won't have to lie.

Eric smiled and laughed softly. "See? Not all bad. Gung ho about racing but I can do a decent job replacing a car's oil." he said as he patted the steering wheel. "Anything else you need or want me to do for you?" he asked figuring he may as well ask. He was sure Clutch knew himself much better then Eric could figure out looking him over.

"I won't believe your racing until I race for myself," Clutch replied, not realizing that his comment might be mistaken for a challenge. "Otherwise, between you and Tara, I'm running perfectly on all four cylinders."

Eric laughed and patted the steering wheel a few more times. He sighed and shook his head, "Alright smart ass. And speak of the devil." he said as he heard the door to her townhouse slam shut. She had changed into a pair of jeans and t-shirt and also made herself something to eat. She walked out putting a forkful of something into her mouth and lightly leaned against Clutch's hood. "How you feeling Clutch? He beat you up?"

Clutch beeped at Eric. To Tara, he said: "What kind of discriminating AI would I be if I let just anyone beat me up? No, Eric gave me an oil change." A happy car was a well-fueled, well-oiled rig.

"What were you doing?"

"I changed into more comfortable cloths and made myself food." She said not expecting him to see the food she was currently holding and eating. Her eyes looked up at Eric as he smiled out at her though, mainly because of the fact that he had oiled Clutch. "Don't let that weasel suck up to you Clutch. Just because he gave you an oil change doesn't mean you should let him behind the wheel.

Eric jaw dropped and he huffed. "I'm insulted that you thought I was trying to get behind the wheel by giving him an oil change!" he said, not expecting what she was about to say next.

"Yeah, you also took out the battery. What the hell were you doing with that?" she asked honestly just wondering. She had see him take it out and carry it to his side of the garage. "Oil changes don't involve the removal of the battery."

Eric was quick to answer, despite his shock though. "I was just checking the charge! I wanted something to do while the oil was draining and that's what I normally did what Red Hot when I was waiting. I always checked her battery to make sure the charge was holding and there."

There was a moment of silence as Clutch processed the information. It was shortly interrupted by a blast of static. "You touched my battery?! No wonder I couldn't remember everything! This is why I don't let mechanics within twenty feet of me. They touch everything, heedless of what might happen to my internal processing units or my AI core... If it had broken..." Clutch trailed off. It didn't bear thinking about.

"I still want to check out the racing thing, but I refuse to participate in one." He wasn't going to risk crashing and letting Eric "fix" him up. There was no telling what wires would be crossed, or damaged, or shorted out. "And Tara, I am not letting him behind my wheel--which is why I'd be indebted for you to come with us."

"Clutch! I was really super careful with it and your AI core isn't even close to your battery. All the other wires are connected to the two clips so all I did was remove the two clips and take it out. Checking the battery is just as routine as getting your gas filled or your oil changed. Your AI core wasn't scratched, bumped, or damaged." he said huffing before Clutch continued.

Tara smiled as she watched Eric squirm under Clutch's words. She shoved another bite of her food into her mouth as Eric's jaw dropped. "I've never done anything to you that would make you not want me behind your wheel! Driving normally I'm fine. I told you what happened to Red Hot was a fluke! This isn't fair Clutch!" he gasped and whimpered digging his ass into the drivers seat where he currently was. "If you aren't going to at least let me sit behind the wheel while you are moving I'm not taking you to the tracks. You have to be signed up as a driver to get a car even in, cause only people are allowed in the stands. You would have to wait out in the parking lot ALL ALONE while me and Tara went and watched having a super good time." he huffed as he crossed his arms sticking his nose up in the air.

Clutch adjusted the seat beneath Eric as he wiggled in it, trying to make it uncomfortable for the racer.

"You realize you're blackmailing a CAR, don't you?" Clutch replied innocently. "All I have to do is roll in without a driver, looking my best and I'm sure I could pick someone up who wants to race." But that wasn't the problem. The problem was convincing said person to keep their hand off the wheel while he drove. And gearshift too, for that matter. A lot of damage could be done if the wrong driver got behind Clutch's wheel.

"And it's not driving normally-" Clutch retorted. "-if it's a race! Which we're not racing anyway. So you have nothing to worry about. Sheesh." A puff of static indicated a huff on Clutch's side.

"Or did you think you could bully me into letting you drive?"

Tara huffed coming into the conversation. "I'm so easily replaced! I'm offended Clutch." she said partially serious and partially kidding. More serious though.

Eric looked over to Tara and quickly readjusted the seat. "I realize I'm fighting with a car thank you and I realize it's a race. Racing on the tracks is different then racing on the streets where I wrecked my love." he huffed before whimpering, "I just wanna feel that adrenaline rush again."

Clutch, realizing he'd just inadvertently upset the driver who'd given him a roof over his hood, among other things, subsided from his callous remarks.

"No one could replace you, Tara," the Buick said. "Racers are all the same--give them some adrenaline, some speed, and they lose their commonsense. You're different; you're a driver who cares. All too rare these days. And I'd never do anything to jeopardize losing that."

He paused and then added as an afterthought, "Eric might, though."

Tara pursed her lips thinking about if she was going to continue on being upset with Clutch. He had sounded sincere though so she leaned back against his hook. "I accept your apology." she said before finishing off her food.

Erie sat there whimpering until Clutch said, "Eric might though."
"But I do." he said softly pouting. "Not like I enjoyed wrecking my car..."

The car sighed, grateful to be back in Tara's good graces, yet still leery of Eric's intentions, when a small, quiet alarm began to sound internally. He recognized it as his battery beginning to dip into its reserves of stored power. If he didn't switch off his battery soon, he'd black out entirely--which would reset him further back than the temporary battery dislocation.

"So this weekend we'll go explore?" Clutch asked hopefully--his question aimed more at Tara than at Eric.

Tara smiled and sighed, "Yes we can go explore." She shot a glare over at Eric though, "You aren't sitting in the drivers seat though."

Eric pouted and looked away, "Fine, fine, fine...just for this weekend though." He got out of Clutch and closed the car door, of course, not before making sure he hadn't left any stains on Clutch's interior. Which he hadn't.

"You'll have to wake me up when it's time to go to work, Tara," Clutch said, his volume suddenly much softer. "I need to turn off to recharge." Because of course, the idiot designer of his programming hadn't enabled the car to turn itself back on once it was off. Yet another practical joke by his manufacturer; although really it was another fail-safe built into the AI vehicles--probably so they couldn't take over the world without at least some human help.

"Alright Clutch. I'll talk to you tomorrow morning when I need to leave. Go to sleep." she said with a smile. She then looked up at Eric and glared, "Don't you be touching him when he is recharging."

Eric rolled his eyes and huffed. "I won't I won't. I'm leaving now." he said walking out of the garage with his hands in the air. She then looked back at Clutch and lightly patted his hood. "I'll close the door for you Clutch. Get recharge." she said before she headed out.