| abstract
| - Medical Bay - - Antarctica Ice Shelf Several operating tables are set in a row here, and long benches line the walls. On these benches are assorted tools and equipment used in repairing damaged Decepticons. The benches near the door are for patients waiting their turn for treatment. Scattered throughout the room are various repair droids, awaiting the arrival of more wounded to repair. The room gives you the perception of being immaculately clean, with not a single tool out of place. Your olfactory sensors pick up the faint odor of the cleansing solutions used to keep the room clean and sanitary. A serene silence has befallen the medical ward inside Trypticon, technicians hurry to and fro looking down at their busy feet.. charts are passed along to the next rotation of specialists without word.. even Medical Wards are only conversing in hushed overtones. Something.. is not right in the world. In the middle of the room, sits a lonely Seeker. His legs are dangled off the edge of the slab, his hands cradled at the corners. Head back, optics up. For about a ten to fifteen foot radius, people are intentionally keeping their distance from the Seeker. When you are built specifically for the task of taking chances, to exceed the limits of what is thought to be possible and to challenge everything in your path, that is damned well what you're going to do. He's bright. he's yellow. He's hard to miss. And he's strutting like he owns the place. His fellow Stunitcons might be busy elsewhere but for what Drag Strip has planned, he needs some things here on Cybertron. Thus, what's meant as a personal gathering mission has brought him here. H'es completely immune to the realization of what's happening around h him for the moment, what witht he state of Trypicon or even the Decepticon cause. He has needs and he's seeing to him. Yet... the lone seeker is indeed puzzling, enough that he approaches. "You look like scrap," Drag Strip grins, so broadly it can be heard in his words. "You lookin' to take yourself offline or something? Sheesh, no wonder you all are causing us to lose the war..." Immediately, the block-headed Seeker whips his head around and rolls his optics. How does he do that?? "Of all the glitch infested diodes of a Decepticon, I'm bothered by you." Backfire barks out, hopping down off the slab and crossing his arms. A tiny electric arc plays over his forearms, then ceases to be. "Drag Strip, what brings your self absorbed.. self here??" Wait, which one is this again? "Thrust?" He's really struggling here. "No, Ramjet, right?" Because he wants to tailor-craft his reply insult to get it just right. In the end though he just waves a hand. "Like it matters. You all look the same to me," he grins, and rather merrily too. Seekers, more like cheaters. Do you have any idea how frustrating it is to race someone who gets to ignore terrain?? "Maybe you can put your function to use for me and 'seek out' some power converts, huh? How about it, chop chop," he states. he even gives a double clap of his hands to suggest you should get on that, promptly. "You looked to be the one searching your spark for a reason to go on. What, did I interrupt your pity parade? Impressive turnout you've got going for that," Drag Strip still grins as he looks around at everbot that is rushing in every direction except towards here. "Pity?" Backfire reels from the accusation, fists clenched at the side. "PITY?? You've obviously blown a transistor, Drag Strip.. though you've probably got less memory than a gig-stick." he points a finger at the Stunticon's chest, pushing Drag Strip backward. "Your memory lapse aside, YOU are my errand-bot.. not the other way around. ANYWAYS, I was just uhh.. getting my yearly check out. Those CURRS.." Backfire points at the medics, "..are obviously just afraid of my MAGNIFICANCE!" Crickets chirp. "As should you, groundpounder." Laugh laugh laugh. That's what Drag Strip does. He strides forward, pushing back ont hat (stronger) finger that pushes on him, challenging it. "Like magnificance needs to be checked out." Oh, that makes him giggle. His engines rumble with amusement. "I," he beams proudly as he thumbs to his own chest - the very one you push on! - have never *needed* a check-up. Only defective bots would need such a thing!" Drag Strip then means to stride on, like you little finger push is of no signifigance. "Right, says the mech who agreed to make that Starscream their commander. Tell me again, how little did your bolt-for-brains leader command you to do stuff? How high did you *not* jump, Skywarp?" Surely he got it right that time. "Typical Stunticon, all brass.. no ballbearings." Backfire sneers, pushing an arm out to bar Drag Strip's striding. Then he brings up Starscream. Slag. "Aerospace Commander Starscream's name doesn't belong in your vocabulary, let alone mouth!" Backfire reacts, intending to push Drag Strip into a nearby wall. "Oh, what has Motormouth ever done for the EMPIRE? NOTHING! Starscream did more in betrayal, which I strictly abhor, than your pathetic KIND has ever done in loyalty." Leaning in, the Seeker pushes the issue. "Now, if you have anything else to say.. remember, I am SIC of Aerospace PUP. I am not some tree you and your team ram over to show how IMPRESSIVE you are." Backfire displays some rather usual fits of anger, orange electromagnetic arcs fly from his fingertips and spark the wall behind Drag Strip. Combat: Backfire compares his Strength to Tyrrell P34 Formula 1 Race Car 's Strength: Success! Drag Strip got slammed into a wall and yet comes away grinning like he's just won. "Yeah, because undermining has managed to do SO MUCH for our side of things." His viisor looks straight back at Backfire. Ah, the Stunitcons, full of youthful bravado. He's literally indestructable (in his mind at least), so why not believe in it? Drag Strip is really good at believing in himself. "It's only made us a JOKE to the Autojerks and perpetuated this notion that we'll continue to bicker and plot against ourselves. Motormouth's a jerk," WHICH is something he'll freely admit to - when Motormaster isn't around mind you. "But at least he ain't even put himself above the cause. No Stunticon has," he boasts. "How many times did your super-special aerocommander sell you out just to make a better name for himself? How often did you find yourself under someone else's foot because of him?" Always that grin. "Maybe you need some air," Drag Strip snorts as he draws his purple pistol. "Or are you going to show me how 'impressive' you are and take your orders like a good little Seeker?" "I give the orders here, unless you forgot how rank works!!" Backfire shouts loudly, raising his arms above his head held in balled fists. More of that orange electricity arcs forth from his knuckles and down his arms. The display brings the worried looks from medics in the area, specifically the energy signature trailing down Backfire's arms. "And that order is: You, me, training room.." the Seeker lowers his arms, stalking towards the exit. "NOW!" he stops near the door, before leaving. "Unless your vocal processor wrote a request form your chassis can't honor." Drag Strip holsters the pistol as he considers his options. He had wanted to merely get what he was after and get off Cybertron. Frankly, the place gives him the creeps. It's so... unnatural. Yet, the chance to show up a 'superior' officer?! How can he refuse! "Afraid of what the others think," he muses to himself, as he not so stealthfully means to file that away... though under what file for Seeker remains to be seen. Thunderclasp, wasn't that one of them? Besides, there's a fair amount of immunity that comes from being a part of Menasor, right? You bust him up too bad and you have a combiner in your faceplate about it. So with a skip, Drag Strip means to bolt ahead of you, as if to show you the way to the training room. "Assuming you can remember the way, you old cog," he quips. You're more apt to know the way on Cybertron than he does, still, he has to get his shots in. "Tell me again on the way about the 'glory days'," he chuckles. Training Room - - Antarctica Ice Shelf This stark, spacious chamber is well-reinforced and shielded to stand up to the strain of many practice bouts. A training drone stands in one corner of the room, ready for a workout. The walls are sheathed in protective alloys that house sensors and cameras to project to the shielded monitors, allowing the combatants to observe their fight and progress. Off to the side are a few seats for spectators to observe the combatants and let out a cheer or two. Fighting Drag Strip the whole way, their way to the Training Room turned into a race.. a competition BEFORE the competition. They truly are long lost spark-mates. Or something. <> Backfire gloats, flying through Trypticon's inner tunnels towards the door. When he's just about reached it, he transforms and leaps towards the threshold.. keen on slapping his hand down before the Stunticon can reach it. "AND THE WINNER IS.." Combat: Backfire compares his Agility to Drag Strip's Agility: Success! Drag Strip makes a mad dash for the door, pushing the pedal to the metal. Cheating Seekers, with their flying! Drag Strip would cry out with how unfair it is butt hat would mean admitting it, which is something he'd never do. At the last moment when it looks like he's not about to make it... he transformers, springing into his robot mode... and aiming to end that process in Backfire's own transforming side. "Oops, clumsy me," he chuckles as he does so. If he's lucky the blasted Seeker won't manage to hit the button and he can then make a scramble for it. It's not a loss until he loses. "Just like a Seeker to think they see something that isn't there!" Getting up from the doorway and the OBTRUSIVE push, Backfire dusts himself off.. then fights with Drag Strip to step through the door first. "Just like a four wheeler to lack the VISION to see that is which.. unseeable!!" When they finally bust through the doorway, it's shoulder to shoulder and crunched walking. Technically a tie, but if you asked either one of them.. they would certainly boast winning. Rather empty, the only thing currently in the training room is the drone which is shut off. The Seeker strides across the room with an air of annoyance, about-facing to look Drag Strip right in the optics. "Your lessons will begin shortly, Drag Strip. You may call me Sensei.. or Master.. or Sir.. or Backfire-the-best-Decepticon-warrior-ever." he grates out, assuming a martial art pose he saw on television once. Combat: Backfire sets his defense level to Protected. The Global Pose Tracker marks that Backfire has 'skipped' his action for this round. "Did they not program you to count, you drafty empty-headed wingnut? Six wheels," Drag Strip sneers as he points to each one in emphasis as he gets to his feet. Once inside he stops to inspect the polish on his shoulders. He 'tsk!'s sharply for all the scuff marks you gave him and takes a moment to brush those out as best he can. "How about Sir Lou, to the Zah to the Ar!" Hah! He looks pretty pleased with himself with that one as you square off with him. "What can you teach me, you old crappy cog? How to grind my ge-... what is *that*?" He actually points at you as you take up that utterly silly stance. "is that how they fought in your day, you old clogger? Decorative stances? Hahah," Drag Strip rambles on as, instead of taking up any kind of neat standing pattern, he does the Decepticon thing. You know, draw his pistol and fires! Combat: Drag Strip sets his defense level to Aggressive. Combat: Drag Strip misses Backfire with his Gravity Rip attack! "Count? Hah, I totally said SIX.. maybe your audio receptors are damaged!" Backfire jests, holding up eight fingers. Okay, so he's not THAT great at counting. Or life in general. "I know not of this Sir Lou, or his holdings in Zah and Ar.." the Seeker idiot replies, resting a hand on his chin. "What does that have to do with me KICKING your face with my fist??" Lifting a foot, Backfire hops over the attack like a turbo-rabbit and pounces forward. Sending a blast from his palm, he tries to remain defensive to guage the Stunticon's reactions. "THAT is how I dodged your attack, Groundpounder!!" Combat: Backfire strikes Drag Strip with his Stink-Palm! attack! [Pulled -1] Combat: Backfire's attack has strange and mysterious effects on Drag Strip. Combat: That attack has temporarily impaired Drag Strip's Agility. (Crippled) "Do you even hear yourself? I think you're busted in more ways than one you cranky ol-... argh!" Drag Strip's retort is cut off by getting the ol' Stink-Fist. He's already pretty miffed that Backfire so easily dodged his big attack out the gate, as Drag Strip had meant to surprise his foe completely. Yet, here he is getting hit himself! He staggers back a pace or two and well, since Backfire is still staning there, Drag Strip aims to take fire again. "You were lucky was all," grumbles Drag Strip, as he easily transitions to pissed off. He might already be losing! How is that possible? "Maybe it's time for YOU to pound some ground... with your face!" Time for shot number two! Combat: Drag Strip misses Backfire with his Gravity Crush attack! "Luck?" Backfire spits out in a mean spirit, throwing half his body backwards to dodge the next shot out of Drag Strip. "I have no need of LUCK!" he laughs. He totally does, because the dodging move he did sends him tumbling to the floor.. a face full of ground. Gaining his bearings, Backfire pushes himself up quickly and pushes himself backward with the aid of anti-gravs. "My face is ALLERGIC to the ground, that's why my head is always in the CLOUDS!!" the Seeker shouts, shooting off a couple of pot-shots while he's drifting mid-air and away from Drag Strip. "Heh, that was actually a good line." Combat: Backfire strikes Drag Strip with his Laser attack! Drag Strip is getting super frustrated! And with himself! He's a Stunticon and... oh, right. A part of a group. It's his loser teammates fault he's doing so poorly as they're not here to back him up. Drag Strip is assustomed to having a gang-mentality because, well, he is in a gang. But he's rather gangless at the moment. "Pft! Paft! Bah," he grumbles as he misses AND takes another shot from Backfire. Maybe if he wasn't painted bright yellow, Drag wouldn't be such an easy target to hit? "Closer to the open air is understandable since your head has to be so empty... it's at open with the breeze that blows through it!" Okay, one more time. You can do this Drag Strip.... he coaches himself. With a sneer he fires once more. "Get down here so I can see that allergic reaction for myself!" Shot number three, away! Combat: Drag Strip misses Backfire with his Gravity Rip attack! "Empty, like your knowledge of SHOOTING things??" Backfire laughs, thrusting higher into the air to evade the shot from Drag Strip. Cutting thrust, the Seeker floats downward and pulls a weapon from subspace. "Why don't I give you a hand??" he asks, the energy pools around the tip of the futuristic rifle. "Drag Strip, meet Hypno-Ray Rifle.. Rifle, meet loserface numero dos. Numero uno is Blast Off, remember Rifle??" he talks to his gun as if it's alive. Pulling the trigger on the weapon, a glow of plasma grows from small circles from the base of the tip.. growing more and more, hopefully outward to envelop the Stunticon!! Combat: Backfire sets his defense level to Neutral. Combat: Backfire's Hypno-Shell Rifle attack aimed for Drag Strip backfires! Combat: Backfire strikes himself with his Hypno-Shell Rifle attack! Combat: Backfire can't seem to think straight... "The only thing you're giving me is a headache, you old pile of scrap!" Maybe that's because Draggy keeps missing Backfire! He takes a moment to look at his gun and then slap it a couple of times, as if that is going to fix it. The Seeker is coming down though, which is good, though that gun is glowing yellow... this could be bad. If Drag Strip had been paying more attention then maybe he could prepare for what's about to come... he turns and winces and... Nothing. A distraction? "I'll show you who should be your number one, wings-for-brains!" The pistol is put away as he jumps forward and transforms, taking t his vehicle mode. He races at Backfire meaning to run him over! Quicker than you can blink an optic, Drag Strip flips and folds to become a race car - already leaving you in the dust! Combat: Tyrrell P34 Formula 1 Race Car strikes Backfire with his Racing Speeds attack! KRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR-SPLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHH That's the sound Backfire's frame makes when Drag Strip not only runs him over, but pins him against the wall. Tires squeel, burnt rubber smell fills the air, the Seeker groans loudly as he can actually HEAR internal systems crushing and being damaged. "You miscreant, unhand me THIS instance.. well, unwheel me. You don't really have hands in this LAME mode, but if you did.. they'd be LAME HANDS!!" Backfire attempts to push the car over on it's side. Combat: Backfire sets his defense level to Guarded. Combat: Backfire's Car Tossin'!! attack on Tyrrell P34 Formula 1 Race Car goes wild! Combat: Backfire strikes Training Drone with his Car Tossin'!! (Punch) attack! The Training Drone whirls to life, accidentally being targetted in their display of ego. Responding in kind, the drone fires off a salvo of lasers towards the Seeker. <> it emits in all its robot-y goodness. Combat: Training Drone misses Backfire with its Laser attack! There's a rumbling in that revving that hints of laughter. Backfire might miss on pushing him away, but Drag Strip is eager to get off the dirty cheating Seeker. "You're good for little more than burning my rubber on. You make a really good landing strip," Drag chuckles as he tears away from you. He turns some distance away and races back towards Backfire, spurred on by the success he's had in this mode. Drag Strip should have known! He's always felt more comfortable as a car. As he barrels on on Backfire, he shouts out, "Time to break you in half, old bot!" Combat: Tyrrell P34 Formula 1 Race Car strikes Backfire with his Ram attack! "Hah!" Backfire attempts to laugh, getting bowled over once again. Rising up into the air for another display of aerial dominance, he easily avoids the drone's laserfire and focuses on the REAL problem. The Seeker's hands begin to glow with orange arcs of energy.. rippling, crackling, they trail up his forearms and soon engulf all the way up to his shoulders. "You can't deal with ONE of me, let alone TWO!!" Once they've built up sufficient charge, Backfire directs his palms outwards and allows the gigantic blasts of energy to lance forward.. at the Stunticon. "You look a little dull, maybe you need to be ENERGIZED???" Combat: Backfire strikes Tyrrell P34 Formula 1 Race Car with his Tainted Love attack! Combat: Backfire's attack has strange and mysterious effects on Tyrrell P34 Formula 1 Race Car . Combat: That attack has temporarily impaired Tyrrell P34 Formula 1 Race Car 's Agility. (Crippled) Tyrrell P34 Formula 1 Race Car has a tendency to run hot and this is certainly no exception. He's winning! Now, it's only a matter of dashing to the finish line. He's run you down and Drag Strip circles to do so again... only Backfire takes to the air! Dirty cheating... "No fair," he grumbles. Out come the guns and - *click*click* - not enough energy! Oh no, he's in ... "ZzzZzzzZzzzt!" That's what he says as he's bombarded (or so it feels!) from above! Drag Strip comes to a halt as he transforms, or rather more like he flops onto the ground under Backfire. He rolls on his back and whips his pistol up, to take a wild, desperate last shot. "You sound like you could use a nap! Maybe you should rest for, oh, the next million cycles and do us all a favor by staying gone for so long!" Quicker than you can blink an optic, Drag Strip flips and unfolds to robotic form - up and on his feet, ready to go! Combat: Drag Strip misses Backfire with his Pistol attack! Immediately cutting anti-gravs, Backfire drops to the ground like a rock.. narrowly avoiding the pistol-fire from below. On his drop, the Seeker transforms into his altmode and turns up the speed. <> he jests, arming a missile and letting it fly. Not so much fly as drop, however, the Agile Falcon peels off from the crash vector and across the room at a dangerous rate. The salvo? Combat: F-16C Agile Falcon strikes Drag Strip with his Eagle One Fox Two!! attack! It's with a whimper(Drag Strip) and a resounding BANG! (the missle) that the Stunticon realizes that this is over. Without the rest of Menasor to help him to win this, Drag Strip comes to the end of his track. Maybe he'll unfairly hold the Stunticons to blame for this defeat in the near future, at least when Motormaster isn't around to correct him. When the smoke clears, Drag is down and not getting up, or mouthing off, any more - at least not before he can visit with a repaircon. Transforming into robot mode, Backfire grins and takes a seat on a bench nearby. His wounds are not fatal at all, his energon reserves however.. need replenishing. "You there, Overload. Bring me a gallon of your best, I'm going to need it." he laughs, optics locked on Drag Strip. He's not going to use the energy to fight when the Stunticon wakes, oh no.. he's going to need it to gloat. "Rest well Drag Strip, you're going to need it!!"
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