Loaded with standard features By: Reverend   Mar 04-2005 I still remember, with clarity, the first timed I died. Those I had trusted killed me. I was placed on a track designed for the purpose by my creators, my wheels fastened to braces so that I could not escape. The wind whistled around my contoured body as I sped towards that wall, illuminated clearly even by my daytime running lights. It looked sturdy, stable. I had felt so betrayed, destroyed by those I loved. I didn't understand. The horrible screeching that filled the air as I collided with that barrier of steel and concrete still haunts my dreams. The metal of my body was torn; my vital fluids sprayed everywhere. My headlights went dim, and I knew that it was my end. I was, of course, mistaken. In a few moments, I regained consciousness; my frame and components already knitting themselves back together. One of my betrayers whispered to me that I had passed my test. I was Toyota Highlander, not only a SUV with high safety ratings, but an immortal, untouched by time and rust. When my ordeal was finished, I learned that there were others like me in the facility. Corolla, Avalon, Sienna. They were my allies in this world of strife, others who shared the name Toyota. We had many enemies, Honda Pilot, GMC Envoy, Buick Rendezvous, those that would destroy us and take our power if we gave them the chance. My mentor was Camry, a sedan who had faced many trials and conquered them all. We became friends, and he taught me as much about how to live life as how to survive it. We would have faced the centuries and our enemies together, had we been allowed, but those who ran the facility had other ideas. Camry was very loyal. Caught up in honor and romanticism of it all, and he would do anything for the Toyota name. The time eventually came when the powers that be decided that mentor would do battle with pupil, the victor stronger for the experience. More able to destroy the enemies arrayed before us. I would have refused to fight, abandon them all, if Camry would come with me. I saw the love he had for me in his eyes as he approached me, ready to fight. That look, it was an apology, but one that turned out to be unnecessary. Camry had taught me all too well. Yes, I killed my teacher. At first, I was horrified at what I had done. I was coated in my adversary's anti-freeze, his components scattered all around me. I knew what was coming next, and I didn't want it. I tried to flee, but the quickening caught me. It raged inside of me, it's fiery surge threatening to overwhelm my electrical system. It felt like being deaf for all my life and then finally hearing with crystal clarity, like using my sense of touch for the first time. I felt his standard features being added to mine, and my powerful three litre V6 engine roared to life like never before! Now, I understood for the first time what I only thought I had grasped before. My purpose, my reason to be, was before me in all its resplendence. I can't communicate it in words; no one who has not experienced it will ever know what it's like. I knew, without doubt, that Envoy would not now be able to withstand my wrath, and that Rendezvous would fall before me. No one could stand before both Camry and myself when combined in this manner. Most importantly, I understood Camry and why he had obeyed the facility officials. He did not die; he lives on within me and continues to battle our enemies. Loyalty is not romanticism. I, too, will now die for the Toyota name if it proves necessary. They had made me what I am, a next generation crossover SUV with the handling capabilities of a mid-sized sedan and the utility of an off road vehicle. My mentor had taught me my final lesson. Our enemies will be knocked down before my thunderous rage, brushed aside like insects! I am Toyota Highlander, and I am immortal!