Sidewalls

     Sidewalls - aptly named for his overuse of the Monster Truck maneuver of the same name - is nothing more than a foot soldier in the overarching Cybertronian conflict. His fighting style is quick, energetic, and surprisingly acrobatic for a mech of his stature and build. It comes as no surprise then that he has a personality to match: chivalrous but brash, cocky but caring, and certainly a thrill seeker. He has a natural inclination towards playing protector to anyone around him, big or small. His allegiance with the Autobots came naturally for these reasons, but after so many instances of reckless endangerment to save people on the battlefield, medics simply couldn’t afford to continuously repair him or keep up with the energon transfusions. His armor quickly became a shoddy imitation of what it once was, and though his combat capabilities never dulled, it was apparent he’d get killed if he kept pushing himself to such extremes within the Autobot’s limited resources. So he compromised and settled for a “soft retirement” from war in the form of joining the reserves - and being stationed on Earth. He was told to blend in and in the event he was ever needed, they’d call him out of hiding and he could fight the good fight on Earth. 

     And so he tried his best to adhere to that mission. For a long time he did stay in a relatively low-profile position as a tow truck working for a junkyard and impound lot. All he’d have to do is take a couple calls, haul a vehicle away often in the middle of the night, and the human staff would handle the rest. But as the years dragged on he began to develop feelings of indignation. Such a life wasn’t befitting of a Cybertronian warrior who had seen combat and lived. This was NOT the retirement he wanted for himself. So he broke the silence with his superiors and pleaded for something more interesting. As it turns out, Autobot science and knowledge of human life had come a ways since first contact, and the science division was keen on testing out the latest in Holoform technology. They granted him the best they had with the stipulation he would report back any signs of Decepticon activity and try not to abuse the new privilege. Sidewalls agreed, but not without bending the rules to suit his desires. The limelight called to him once more…

     …but this time in the arena surrounded by humans rather than his compatriots on the battlefield. He’s seen a lot of changes in the Monster Truck scene, from the vehicle crushing era where it all began to the less wasteful and destructive stunt-based performances. He challenged himself to think of it as a new form of combat training. If he had to keep his identity under wraps, he better be good enough to out maneuver and go toe to toe with any Decepticon in vehicle form. Pit crews quickly became a substitute to the medics he often relied on decades before and though he never interacted with them outside his Holoform, he couldn’t shake the growing affection he had for such a comparatively fragile race. The crowds boosted his ego and the pit crew was a second family to him. His identity was reshaped into The Lunar Rover, a custom Monster Mutt variant driven by a fabricated human persona named Percival “Poutine” Swanson. 

     As he competed against other trucks and skilled drivers, his popularity grew - and in turn his Autobot superiors became wary that Sidewalls had forgotten his real mission. They called him back to base on several occasions, but any intervention that was staged fell on deaf audials. With a shake of his helm and a wave of his servos he reassured everyone that no one would see his obvious “I’m a truck from space” gimmick for what it really was. That was the beauty of the sport he’d chosen! Everything was gaudy and hammed up for show. He never could have predicted that the one to see through his illusion would be a human of all things and not a Decepticon. 

     Anyone who’d worked with “Percival Swanson” knew he was a man who liked all eyes on him but preferred physical contact kept to a minimum. Even after the worst of accidents he insisted he had an “unusually fast healing rate” and “could shake off any injury with some bed rest and vitamins.” Sidewalls used his Holoform to convince those around him that his vehicle was the most important thing in his life - without it, he’d have no career and nothing in life to aspire to. The charisma he exuded and the cheerful spark in his brilliant blue eyes cast a calm across all those who fussed over him and redirected resources to repairs instead of unnecessary medical bills. His kindness for his crew would be his inevitable downfall, however. The upcoming event he would perform in was small enough that he felt they deserved time off. A local recruitment of firefighters, mechanics, and paramedics were called in as a replacement. When Sidewalls suffers a nasty accident landing on his top and setting himself ablaze, they jump the barrier and rush to his aid. To Sidewalls, having his Holoform crawl from the wreckage of his body was showmanship. He didn’t care how many struts and bearings and tie rods and sway bars he tore through in crashes, the fire was inconsequential compared to any blaster fire from Cons - what he really lived for was the crowd cheering as their man tumbled out of the inverted vehicle to stand triumphantly (but oddly) unscathed. 

     One of the paramedics, a young man by the name of Leo Newman, was having none of the bravado that Percival put on when asked if he was ok. His hobby was motocross for Pete’s sake, he’d seen plenty of people try to walk off injuries only to end up with repercussions and pain that lasted a lifetime. But still, Percival insisted he didn’t need any medical attention, and left to disappear behind the barriers and into the stadium hallways. Stubborn and driven by his paramedic instinct to check up on those he treated, Leo returns several days later to inquire about Percival’s wellbeing only to find the mechanic crew done for the day and The Lunar Rover sitting empty in the bay. Percival panics and spawns his Holoform in out of nowhere and steps out from behind the truck, asking what Leo is doing back here. Place is closed, scram. But Leo isn’t so easily deterred. Once more he asks Percival at least to comply with the basics of a physical exam and prove he isn’t lying about his condition. Sidewalls amuses the guy with a few Holoform jumping jacks and places his hands on his hips. “Happy now?” Still not satisfied, Leo procures his medical equipment and closes the distance faster than Percival can react, and when contact is made and Leo’s hand goes straight through Percival’s body, it’s over. 

      Sidewalls doesn’t reveal his true nature quite yet - but he sure as scrap wasn’t trained on damage control, or debriefings, or what in Primus he’s supposed to do with a human who knows his secret. So he panics and does the first thing he can think of - lie, and tell some wild story that might be crazy enough that a superstitious human might believe it. He tries convincing Leo he’s secretly a Monster Truck driver who died in a bad crash and now he haunts the arena trying to claim the championship title that was stolen from him. Leo is NOT having it at all and when Sidewalls sees his charade is failing he declares “Not working for you, huh? Well you’re not gonna believe the next thing I tell you then either” and transforms into a giant metal man then and there.

     From this point on, his story becomes even more human-centric than pit crews and cheering crowds. His newfound friends have no knowledge of what a Transformer is, or where they came from, OR the implications of endangerment that come with such information. Crazy interstellar robot war in OUR TOWN? Sure, whatever you say pal. One of the humans, TJ, is a bit of a conspiracy theorist and suspects giant robots are indeed lurking undercover in plain sight. He’s super excited when Leo tells him about the encounter and asks to meet Sidewalls. The fact that someone knows what he is and STILL thinks he is just the coolest goes straight to his head and he agrees that Leo can bring TJ around for a visit after hours. But as the secret spreads to more of Leo’s friends, so does the risk that these humans can be captured, held hostage, and used for leverage against the Autobots. Overridden with guilt, Sidewalls returns to base and reports his failing to his superiors. They are understandably angry with him and many “I told you so” moments occur. Their solution to the problem is to designate a new role for Sidewalls - Personal Protector, and Leo becomes his human charge. Now Sidewalls continues to perform as a Monster Truck but with the added weight that the trust in him cannot be misplaced. Should anything happen to Leo or his companions, he could never live down the shame or guilt and would rather be executed at the hands of the Decepticons than experience the kind of sparkache that comes with surviving in place of your loved ones. 

So he’ll stand and fight to keep them safe - or die trying.