| abstract
| - The interior of the fortress is a revolutionary design; after the original Darkmount was demolished in the cataclysmic final battle between Galvatron and the usurper Avatar, Shockwave had seventeen years in which to develop uniquely Decepticon architecture for the reconstruction. Consequently Darkmount is entirely without elevators, stairs, or for that matter contiguous floors. Designed by and for a flying species, such concessions as "connections between floors" are unnecessary at best and a tactical error at worst. Instead the center of the fortress is hollow, a vast hive-like space encircled by projecting structural members like the ribs of a whale balanced on its end. Decepticons fly up and down between the levels, landing on the ledges formed by the ribs which separate each floor from the next. Moving about in the fortress without the ability to fly would be something akin to scaling a cliff face. Pounce's Den Boomslang's Hangar Main Spacebridge Terminus Obvious exits: Simulator <99> leads to Darkmount - Simulator. Workshop <47> leads to Darkmount - Workshop. CMCC <112> leads to Darkmount - Master Control. Up <160> leads to Darkmount - Observation Deck. Out <80> leads to Darkmount - Landing Platform. Whirl has arrived. Snowblind has arrived. Scorn has arrived. Razor is still playing chauffer to Scorn when he isn't doing boring, degrading cleaning tasks. Moving around this buidling is okay for him, being as he is a helicopter, but he keeps wishing he had anti-gravs, which is not something he usually wants. Razor has started to wonder, if he gutted them out of someone, how hard it would be to have them installed - most Autobots are incompatible with the anti-grav technology and would need a total overhaul. Then Razor reminds himself that anti-gravs are for chumps, and dear Matrix, why is he even thinking these thoughts!? "...so, you eat... stuff, yeah, mistress? What about... bodies? Can you make those just... vanish?" Whirlwind, who is secretly the Autobot Whirl, stands on one of the many floors of the atrium watching Decepticons come and go. A passing seeker gives him a salute and Whirl returns the gesture, having picked up the habit of doing so after being incognito for so long. Convieniently enough, he just happens to be in the same proximity as Scorn and her degradation of Razor. He gives his 'fellow Decepticons' a salute with his awesome hands. "Hail Galvatron and such." Tiny Robotic Praying Mantis while still tiny, has been practicing regularly to try and shift herself back into her more normal modes. It's clear she isn't there yet, but she's not about to give up. And while her small mode has several pros, it still has its share of cons. Such as travel. Hence why the tiny femme is currently perching on Razor's shoulder. "Essentially, yes. It's quite the perk for us Insecticons, honestly. Able to eat pretty much anything, be it organic or inorganic, that we can get our hands on. Though, that doesn't mean we don't have our own preferances, of course." The tiny mantis speaks in a matter of fact tone, waving a little scythe studiously while regailing Razor with the awesome powers of Insecticons. Her ramblings are cut off, however, when Whirlwind addresses them, Scorn grumbling ever so softly before saluting as well. "Hail Galvatron." So inconvenient to say that all the time, but you won't hear her complain. "Whirlwind, I trust your training is going well with Spinister?" The door to Shockwave's lab opens. Snowblind is leaning heavily against the doorway for support. The edges of her limbs and tailfins are gray and devoid of color, as if they'd had the energon cut off from them. She pauses to catch her breath, as it were, before staggering a few steps out of the door and leaning against the wall outside. Razor is totally going to get himself reformatted as an Insecticon, after Scorn talks them up so much! (No.) He pulls off a textbook salute back to Whirlwind, who seems to be learning well how to use his hands, and he grins lopsidedly. Then Razor greets, "Hail Galvatron. Yeah, an' how's your dragon friend?" He looks surrepetituously up at the level where a door has opened. Oh, it's Singe's favourite chewtoy! She totally digs Razor, too. Spilled her guts all over him, four dead sisters and all. Razor shouts, "Snowblind! You look like you need that drink /now/." It's take everything in Whirlwind's power not to mention how absolutely hilarious it is that Scorn is still stuck as a tiny adorable mantis. It's really hard to take her seriously when she has to hitch a ride on other Decepticon's shoulders. "Oh yeah, I'm really learning a lot." Only half bullshit, he's actually learning some neat tricks from Spinister. Hopefully that will bite him in the ass once this charade is over. And almost as if it was destined to happen, Whirlwind looks over to see Snowblind stumble out of the lab. The undercover Wrecker just stares, utterly amazed that there is someone else out there without a face that isn't Shockwave. "Good good." Scorn nods at Whirl's answer, glad to hear these new recruits are doing so well. And well, if they weren't that's alright too. Always need more front line fodder. Razor's mention of Snowblind pulls the mantis' attention away, peering up at the femme who looks quite haggrd while leaning on the wall. "Ah, Snowblind good timing!" The little bug alights from Razor, fluttering on over to the femme and effectively landing on her visor like a bug on a windshield. "I remember you wanting to learn a few things from me, so now's your chance. Come, up with you now!" Arms give a little shimmy, directing Snow to stand up properly. "'hi don' need a drink," Snowblind slurrs, sounding exhausted. Or half drunk already. When Scorn lands on her visor, she flinches momentarily, as if expecting to be attacked; when that doesn't happen and the tiny bug speaks, she pauses to ask, "what in the scrap happened to you?" Razor observes that Snowblind is a bit more... crude when she is... tired? He smirks to himself. Then Razor tries to elbow Whirlwind, and he asides, one hand over his mouth, "She's Snowblind. Like I said. Onna Shockwave's lab monkeys. The lady says she's trouble, but that's just a bonus, eh?" Triggerhappy takes off from level 99. Triggerhappy has arrived. Carjack has connected. Whirlwind is further intrigued when Razor tells him all about the faceless femme. Her connection with Shockwave is a major point of interest for him and he decides it's definitely worth sucking up to her, especially if it means getting closer to the purple cyclops himself. "Snowblind, I hope you don't mid if I observe your little training exercise with Scorn. I think it would be an..." He struggles for the right words. "...interesting learning experience." Carjack might already be here.. actually, yes, there he is, standing on a platform higher up, occasionally checking things off on a datapad. Though it's hard to tell if he's taking notes on the work being done by the flock of empties and scroungers that saught asylum with the Decepticons, or said 'recruits' themselves. Razor saw what happened to the last bloke that proved to not be up to snuff, after all. Tiny Robotic Praying Mantis tries to glare as much as her expressionless face will allow when Snowblind mentions her diminutive size, the femme giving a soft hiss, abdomen giving a hauty shake before she scuttles around Snow's visor and climbs on her head. "It's a long story. Now come." She taps her head with a tiny blade, Snow likely even unable to feel it. "I'm going to show you a thing or two about precision cuts on the Cybertronian body. Where to bleed them out, where to cause the most pain, or how to properly incapacitate with minimal damage." Whirl's request has Scorn glance down a moment. "Not only will you be watching, Whirlwind, but participating as well!" Carjack also grabs her attention, though he's a bit too far for her tiny voice to reach, the femme switching to shortwave, <> And with that said Scorn takes to the air once more, wings spread and limbs outstretched while she delicately floats down a level or two and into an unoccupied room that will give them plenty of space. "Huuuh." The sylphan femme agrees with some kind of... well it sounds like a noise of agreement. "Jus' a sec, I gotta... force control back inna my circuits..." She laughs wearily. "Hahahah, but I did it!" She's quiet for half a second as the color and lighting flow back into her extremities. As she stands up and pulls away from the wall, there's a crackling and shattering sound. She leaves a shadow of frost and ice shards where she once stood. "As you wish, Officer Scorn," she replies, rolling her head on her shoulders to adjust her neck, and flexing her fingers. Razor did see, and he still wonder if he should have done something about it. He's still trying to project the appropriate mix of useful, inoffensive, and /transgressive/. A nobody won't be a nobody forever: he'll end up dead, someday. A criminal, however... well, in the Decepticons, they call those 'officers'. Looking at Carjack, Razor narrows his optics and mutters, "...and he's probably carrying /extra/ energon." The talk of cutting obviously gets Razor's interest up. The subject is near and dear to his lasercore! He leaps down after Scorn and takes the fall as well as he could; wasn't enough of a drop to bother transforming. Carjack snaps his head up from looking at his datapad when the radio crackles at him. Squints down at the others, then passes off the pad to an assistant gumbie before hopping off the platform and engaging his anti-gravs to follow the others down. Once he's close enough for proper conversation gives Scorn (and thus Snowblind) a vile looking toothy smile. "You called?" Spinister has arrived. Spinister unfolds into his (terribly) mysterious robot mode! Also: Singe! Hairsplitter! Whirlwind follows the tiny mantis and Razor, just making a jump for it when it comes to descending to the lower level. If you dont have anti-gravs, you might as well fake it! It would be kind of odd for a Decepticon to transform just to go down a floor or two anyway, so unnecessary and suspicious. "Alright! So, who are we cutting up? This teal and white seeker gave me a dirty look earlier, I suggest we find him and use him for this." Whirlwind tweaks his robostache like a cartoon villain. Tiny Robotic Praying Mantis flutters in mid air as the others assemble, waggling little legs in delight when Carjack addresses her, "Indeed I did. I'll be showing Snowblind here a few useful tips for either battle or interogation purposes, so I'd simply be delighted if you could help keep our volunteers alive." Next she turns to Whirlwind and Razor, waving a blade, "Hm, you've got it all wrong, my dear Whirlwind. /You two/ will be our volunteers for the evening. Now stand near the wall, arms out at your sides." Some sort of hazing? Likely. Nothing but good can come after being sliced and diced for demonstration purposes. When they're in place she flutters over to Razor, scuttling along his body to point out different places along his limbs. "Now, Snowblind, first order of business. Besides the main tubes alongside the neck, other vital spots for quickly bleeding a foe dry is these two points along the arms, as well as these ones on the insides of the upper legs. And don't forget the nearby joints as an easy access point to those spots if you're unwillfy to hack through the armor. A simple jab into the joint, and up under the plating will ensure a stab into the main tubing there." "... Oh, so it's -that- kind of training, ehehehehehe~" That snicker and Carjack's smirk only getting wider can't be good signs at all. Said snickering continues even as he confirms Razor's fears by pulling out his syringe pistol and loading a couple of vials of energon into it. "I've been looking for a chance to get rid of some this low grade crude." Oh dear. Combat: Carjack deploys his reserve energon tank. Snowblind doesn't exactly have a face to register any sort of emotion at Carjack's smile. It's the best pokerface /ever/. She listens to scorn and 'watches' through the camera mound on her chest. "... You're going to use the recruits for this?" she asks pensively. Whirlwind isn't surprised at this turn of events though that doesn't make it any easier. Really, what's he supposed to do? It's not like he can refuse, he is pretty much the lowest of the low when it comes to rank, so he really has no choice but to obey Scorn's command and stay against the wall, arms held out on either side. Whirlwind is surprisingly comfortable with getting sliced up just as long as his hands are left intact. Seriously, don't take his hands away or there is going to be a problem Razor was not /fearing/ that Carjack was loaded with extra energon. He was /hoping/. The role he is playing was thinking that Carjack would be good eating if times got tough. The life of an Empty is rough! He looks at said low grade crud hungrily, and his gaze lingers down the syringe tip. Razor looks to Scorn and chews his lip. Getting cut up by Decepticons is not exactly his idea of a great time, unless, of course, he is allowed to cut back. Then it is a party. Razor, however, needs to be some mix of eager to please yet possessed of sufficient survival skills and common sense to want to survive. He takes a glance around at the exits, and then he stands at the wall, arms out, as directed. Now does Snowblind see what she is? A real Decepticon. Built that way. Above the gutter trash by virtue of her creation. With all the privileges that brings. He sighs heavily and points out, "Snowblind, sweetheart? I take it back. You're not the one who needs a drink. I am." "Consider it training them for dealing with being interrogated," Carjack replies to Snowblind with a dimissive wave of a hand. "And don't give me that 'but the Autobots are too sappy to interrogate' nonsense. That just means you haven't run up against Repugnus or a Wrecker yet." Suddenly, something has crashed through the doors and is careening wildly around the room, smashing into walls, ricocheting off of the various levels and causing quite the ruckus in general. Several other Decepticons shake their fists angrily at the troublemaker, who is no doubt Triggerhappy and could not really be mistaken for anything or anyone else. Of course, all the while he is laughing maniacally as his photon pulse guns are going off everywhere. Needlenose has arrived. Combat: Cybertronian Turbo-Thrust Jet Fighter misses Tiny Robotic Praying Mantis with his Photon Pulse Madnesss!! (Full-Auto) Area attack! [Pulled -1] Combat: Cybertronian Turbo-Thrust Jet Fighter strikes Whirl with his Photon Pulse Madnesss!! (Full-Auto) Area attack! [Pulled -1] Combat: Cybertronian Turbo-Thrust Jet Fighter misses Carjack with his Photon Pulse Madnesss!! (Full-Auto) Area attack! [Pulled -1] Combat: Cybertronian Turbo-Thrust Jet Fighter misses Blades with his Photon Pulse Madnesss!! (Full-Auto) Area attack! [Pulled -1] Combat: Cybertronian Turbo-Thrust Jet Fighter (Triggerhappy) used "Full-Auto": A Level 1 AREA-RANGED attack. Snowblind's visor turns several shades of colors, cycling through greens, blues, reds, the violet as a silent expression of conflicted emotion. "Maybe I should volunteer for this as well then. I've tasted pain, but I haven't mastered it. I need to." She 'looks' to Razor. "I think we'll both need drinks--" And then SUDDENLY TRIGGERHAPPY. She ducks for cover as a photon charge goes flying overhead. "Don't worry, I'll make sure you get a good sized ration after this, my dear." Scorn croons when Razor mentions needing a drink, now motioning to the mech's underarm. "Now we all know how difficult it can be to get to the spark, seeing at how it's beneath two layers of armor, the basic, and the spark housing. A simple way to bypass the first is to go directly through the armor gap on the underarm, moving at a slightly downward angle. And don't worry if you miss, you're likely to still hit a major component that'll cause internal hemorrhaging." Snow's question has Scorn give her a tilt of the head, likely to raise a brow if she had one. "Of course I'm using them. It'll build character and prepare them to protect these spots in battle. A win win on both our parts. Now come here and I'll guide you in the proper way to twist an arm from the socket, even if you have little strength..." Scorn flits off to land on Whirlwind, but nearly stalls midflight when Triggerhappy comes careening in, shooting up the place as per usual. "Slag!!" The little mantis shrieks, luckily dodging a spray photon shot before crash landing on the ground, desperately dragging herself to her feet and scuttling for cover behind something or someone. "I've got some rusty scalpels you could borrow too if you wa--" Crashing doors and erratic firing cuts off Carjack, whom on well honed reflexes promptly dives for the ground and covers his head with his hands. "--You flying rust bucket get some decent nav-controls!" While Snowblind might be conflicted - just what do all those colours mean, anyway? - Razor smiles beatifically, as if he's about to enjoy a good, long waxing, rather than torture. Despite the fact that he is standing against the wall with his arms out, Triggerhappy manages to miss him. Razor starts to reach for one of his blades. Then he looks at Scorn, sighs, and puts his arms back. He cautions, "Eh, don't get /too/ comfortable with all that. It'll work on most, but not everyone keeps their guts in the same place. Sometimes, you just got open 'em all the way up and rummage around inside..." Someone stumbles through the doors that Triggerhappy just blew through. Unlike Triggerhappy, Needlenose is walking with a bit of a limp as he's still beat up from what that psycho Elita One did. He doesn't get more than four steps in before Triggerhappy starts spraying photon shots all over the place. "Triggerhappy plan alpha! Triggerhappy plan alpha!" Needlenose shouts, diving behind a conveniently placed bench. Triggerhappy careens about for a few more kliks before he finally knocks himself so hard against a structural support that he falls to the floor. Needless to say, the support cracks slightly.... The targetmaster transforms as he falls down toward the bench Needlenose is hiding behind. Combat: Cybertronian Turbo-Thrust Jet Fighter strikes Needlenose with his Look out belowwwww! (Smash) attack! Triggerhappy reverts to his root form. Oh, yeah, and he is still cackling like a madmech. Needlenose crawls under the bench, ducks, and covers. But what's good enough for nuclear warfare isn't good enough for Triggerhappy, as the weight of the falling mech crushes the bench. "Mmmph!" Needlenose says, buried under the metal planks that once made up the bench. "Mmph mmmmmph! Mph!?!?" Only his arm can be seen underneath the bench's wreckage, but that's all Needlenose needs to flip Triggerhappy off. Carjack takes his sweet time in getting up and dusting himself off. "Some days I wonder where the slag Scorponok picked up those deadbolts. Lessons are gonna have to wait for a moment." The medic trudges over to the pile of Targetmasters and scrap as he activates his arm mounted multi-tool. A small laser saw screechs to life, but fortunately he's only using it to cut Needlenose out of the heap. So far... That idiot! He's ruining everything! This has Scorn literally shaking with rage as she peeks out from her hiding spot, mandibles clacking furiously. "That's /it/! Rragh!" In a display of tiny rage the little Insecticon moves from her spot, scuttling as quickly as her legs will take her across the floor to the downed mech. Admitedly, it's adorable, since there's a lot of distance to cover given her size. But this changes all too quickly, rage clicking something on, the femme's pint sized body shifting and expanding back into her robot mode while stalking over to him. Now back to normal, without even knowing it, she pushes past Carjack and slams a sharp heeled foot on Triggerhappy's chest, leaning down to hiss threateningly with a splitting lower jaw. "How /dare/ you interrupt my lessons!" Optics cast to Snowblind a moment, "As I was saying. A simple way to /dislocate/ the arm..." And if she's lucky, she'll snag up one of Triggerhappy's arms, foot steadying near the joint and giving it a sickening twist to yank the arm from the socket. Standing up straight, Scorn shifts back into sexy robot mode. Combat: Scorn strikes Triggerhappy with her Twist and Pull (Punch) attack! Crawling out from behind a solid object, Snowblind stands, watching the chaos and listening to the instructions and advice given to her. Her visor turns yellow, then fades to blank gray. She nods in agreement, slowly, the camera mound shifting so that the largest lense is focused on Scorn and Triggerhappy. Scorn's return to normal size is met with an open flare of cooling vents in surprise, which then flutters back down to normal after a calming puff of ice dust that glitters for a half second before melting. "I see," she muses, thoughtful. "I can /see/ weak spots on his frame fairly easily, I had not considered using such physical leverage. I am indebted to your teachings, Ma'am." She has more she wants to say, but decides to keep her vocalizer still for the moment. Some questions may be better asked in private. Others, on the other hand.... "Can I see that arm?" Razor can totally get behind Scorn dislocating Triggerhappy's arm. Like any sports spectator, he hollers, "Head wound! Head wound! They leak /so much/ and get energon all up in your optics, and you can't even see straight, and then you're freaking the flip out - head wounds are great. Perfect for making a victim panic." Triggerhappy doesn't cry out in pain in response to his arm being ripped off. In fact, he just laughs even more wildly, pushing himself to his feet as his empty servo joint sparks and leaks energon all over the floor. His Targetmaster weapon has appeared in the one hand he has left. "Aahahahhahhaah!! Ahahahahooohhoohaaa! Weeeeeell, well! Frag you to the afterspark too, Scorn!" he shouts, and his weapon goes off again, only this time it's aimed specifically at the mantis-con. Combat: Triggerhappy sets his defense level to Fearless. Combat: Triggerhappy strikes Scorn with his Same to you! attack! Needlenose is soon free of the heap by Carjack. The Double Targetmaster is looking /really/ badly off now, as his wounds in the fight in the Amazon still hadn't healed. He's about to whine and bitch about this, but then he sees that he's in the presence of two fine, fine ladies. One such fine, fine lady is smacking Triggerhappy around. Thus, Needlenose puffs his chest out once he's completely out. "Thanks doc, but it's only a scratch. Doesn't hurt in the slightest. No need to bother fixing me up. I'll just self-repair through the power of /mechliness/. Hurrrrrrrrrr!" Then he leans in close... Needlenose mutters to Carjack, "Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease... doc.... arm... hurts, my legs... man, do... a..." Whirlwind gets all shot up by Triggerhappy. Damn, maybe he should've paid more attention to those Triggerhappy Safety drills they had him do on the first day. Despite this, he still stays in his spot against the wall and even gets a great view of Scorn raging out and mutilating another Decepticon which just leads to more shooting. "Fight! Fight! Fight!" He asides to Razor, "My money's on the crazy one." Scorn really wanted to just impart some of her killing knowledge onto Snowblind. Honestly, is that too much to ask? Obviously so since she soon finds herself with a blaster wound in the side, the femme bowing over and holding the now sparking, leaking wound tight. "Nngh... You should've just taken your punishment and left it at that.." She hisses, wincing at the pain. Oh, it's on now. Triggerhappy's arm is cast side, Scorn in a rage now as she pretty much just lunges straight for the Targetmaster, looking to get at him with those sharp-tipped fingers. And if he's lucky enough, Triggerhappy will be the recipient of a kiss. ...Well, sort of, the femme's lower jaw splitting down the middle, stretching out like mandible to widen her mouth and give a screech before diving in to try and engulf his face and bite at it. Combat: Scorn sets her defense level to Aggressive. Carjack slaps a palm over his face. "I swear, you nimrods make my workload twice as big. Thank Straxus someone else is in charge of the division now." The saw retracts as he kneels down, pushing Scorn having a hissy fit over Tiggerhappy out of his attention range for the moment as he undoes the damages the Needlenose. And takes care of a few other lingering injuries while he's at it. "You're just damn lucky I don't need to amputate that leg for parts." Combat: Scorn strikes Triggerhappy with her Give me your faaaaaaace (Punch) attack! Combat: Carjack prepares Needlenose for surgery, his COMBAT flag has been waived. Combat: Carjack expertly repairs Needlenose's injuries. Combat: Carjack is able to repair some of Needlenose's internal systems damage. Triggerhappy is bit in the face by a nasty metal mantis mandible! Well this cycle just keeps getting better by the astrosecond, doesn't it! And he's serious about that. Yes, he prefers this over sitting around doing nothing or listening to Blowpipe nag and complain. Which is probably part of the reason why he came careening in here, looking to start something. And he got what he wanted. So, yaaaay! And now he gets to pommel Scorn's face with the barrel of his weapon. Blowpipe doesn't appreciate it, but he's at least accustomed to it by now. Snowblind raises a finger as if to say something. Scorn then decides to eat Triggerhappy's face. She puts the finger down. She walks over to Triggerhappy's arm and picks it up, turning it over in her hands and looking at it. Still got some juice left in it. There's damage to the elbow but not the wrist or fingers. She looks for an access panel, and uses her bladed fingertips to pry open the panel. From her lower back her datacable extends, and she flips it up and over her shoulder, the end flowering with a myriad of connectors as she sinks it into the arm. After a few seconds, Tiggerhappy's disembodied finger's start twitching. Combat: Triggerhappy misses Scorn with his Blowpipe's 'Butt' (Punch) attack! "What's that you say doc?" Needlenose says in a loud voice, "You say Decepticon regulations are clear that I must get repaired /against my wishes/? Well if it's for the good of the Empire I shall set aside my extreme mechliness! Wait, hold on... x-treme mechliness!" Needlenose taps his mouthplate while Carjack works him over, "Yes, yes it sounds better that way, doesn't it?" When he thinks nobody else is looking, he gives Carjack a secret thumbs up. "Tell me about it," he mutters quietly, "It's like working in a circus freak show sometimes..." Needlenose thinks Carjack isn't including him in the nimrod comment. Whirlwind turns his attention from the potential bloodbath that is Scorn and Triggerhappy's fight and watches Snowblind interface with the dismembered arm. That's pretty hot. "Do you always plug yourself into severed body parts or is this a special occasion?" Razor watches the fight between his patron and Triggerhappy. Which one of them is the alpha 'con, here? Which one should he support when the chips are down? Which is less likely to beat him senseless? He shouts, "That's right! Eat his face! That's the best part!" Scorn ducks the incomming butt of Triggerhappy's Nebulan partner, chattering those lower mandibles in fury, a bit of his face actually dangling from between her teeth here and there. Swiftly the femme jumps off of him, backing up a few feet, looking ready to shift into her more dangerous altmode. But she pauses, looking rather surprised when the obvious finally hits her. "Eh..?" Scorn looks down at herself, at her surroundings. "I'm.. I'm normal again? ...I'm normal again!" She'd be glad to continue beating the crap out of Triggerhappy, but she's a little busy being overjoyed right now, looking herself over with a sense of pride. "Ha! Screw that idiot Buzzkill, I knew I'd figure out how to change soon enough!" "I want to know how our bodies work in greater detail," Snowblind absentmindedly says to Whirlwind. Before long the hand comes to life, circling on the wrist, fingers flexing and twitching in rapid succession before touching fingers to thumb one after another. The success is shortlived; there's a crackle of abused circuits and a leak of energon and it goes dead. The arm no longer useful, the white and grey femme disconnects from the arm, sliding the cable back into place. "Congratulations, Ma'am," Snowblind says politely to her superior, still holding the severed and now oozing limb. Carjack just rolls his optics at Needlenose's triad. "Yeah whatever," he replies in the tone of a doctor that's heard pretty much every excuse or pathetic sob story in the book. "Just don't play in the slaggin' explosives this time." That said he gets up to his feet and dusts his hands off. Then catchs a glimps of Snowblind just before she puts her cable away. Needle-toothed mouth quicks in an odd way. ".... I'm not sure if that's glitching creepy or smeggin brilliant." Needlenose follows Carjack's line of sight to watch as Snowblind disconnects to the arm. "Yeah I'm going to go with the former..." he mutters, folding his arms. The fact that he can indeed fold his arms without intense jolts of pain shooting through them is a testament to Carjack's skill in undoing everyone else's stupidity. "What, you weren't normal before?" Did Triggerhappy even notice Scorn was tiny before? Maybe, maybe not. At any rate, for whatever reason she appears to be stunned by something, which he intends to take full advantage of. He again levels his weapon at her. Combat: Triggerhappy misses Scorn with his Laser attack! Scorn pretty much forgets about Triggerhappy entirely, not even caring to note the laser fire that flies clear over her head. When she's happy with her current self she ignores the Targetmaster, turning to Snowblind and grinning. "Snowblind! Your lesson will have to be postponed for now, I'm afraid. I've some business to attend to." And with that she's dashing off to dole out some payback to a certain bee who shook her up in her previous glass jar prison. Snowblind blinks at Scorn. ".... Well... okay then." She watches the mantis run off to go exact revenge. C'est la vive. Returning to her thoughts on the comments made by the others, she looks at Triggerhappy's arm and begins to explain her line of reasoning. "Well, think of it this way: Interrogations are based on inflicting as much pain, fear and misery as the subject can take before they reach a point of physical or psychological collapse. The problem with that is that's unreliable. It can produce false positives, bad data, bad information. A subject may scream out anything to end the pain, might agree to anything just to make it all stop. Or you may simply go too far and kill the subject or drive them insane. This doesn't even take into account those with strong will power, a strong control of pain or those who for some reason -enjoy- the pain and suffering." She continues to look at the arm. "The best form of interrogation, as I see it, will be an interrogation that involves no negative coercision - the ability to connect directly into a subjects motor or memory cores and simply view or download the information. Think of it... with enough power to the right parts, even the dead could yield information. If somehow it could be done fast enough, some time in the future, you could even perform interrogations in the field within nanocycles." Razor relaxed from his position up against the wall, and he stretches out. He listens to what Snowblind has to say with interest. Okay, that is... some seriously bad juju. Ultra Magnus will need to hear of it. Razor teases, "Now that doesn't sound like any /fun/. The screams... the splatters... the warm gush of life's fuel against your armour. That's what makes life worth living! Or ending. But mmm, so do you have access to the prisoner block, Snowblind? If we wanted to get up to some... extra-curriculars?" Carjack peers over Snowblind's arm. "Now this is an application of medical practices to vile purposes I can get behind. Though memory cores can be a tricky thing to poke around in. You need to make sure you've got enough data buffers to not bleed unwanted hexcode back into your own processors, or it can get... ugly." Pauses, then jabs a thumb in Razor's direction. "Granted, his way is a lot more -fun-." He smiles a bit more unsettingly, remembering all the 'fun' he had when Impactor was a prisoner in Mexico. Ah, such times, so long ago. "Everything you said is true miss, but if information -isn't- what one is after, it doesn't really matter." Suddenly a hand is placed on Blades's shoulder from the side. "Hey, you there!" Needlenose says, optics squinting. "Don't I recognize you from somewhere? You look awwwwwfully familiar to me." "Yeah, I have to agree with Razor on this," Whirlwind says, scratching what could be considered his chin with a hand. "Yeah, sometimes you get false information but that's not what it's about. You should really give it a chance sometime, you might like the feeling of power." Razor irritably tries to bat Needlenose's hand off his shoulder, and he growls, "You probably do! I'm a slagging factory overrun - you've probably seen dozens of me - dead in ditches. The government orders up however many, says they need 'em for work, but oh, some button-pusher counted wrong! Too bad. Not enough jobs to go around. Have fun starving to death, surplus to requirements!" "It's just logical," Snowblind explains with a strangely innocent naivete` to the hideous suggestion she has just made - it's as if she doesn't grasp what could possibly be wrong with it. "And yeah... I don't have the technical knowledge to try anything on a living target who might fight back. It's just sort of a pipe dream. I love information, all kinds, anything, my mind's always racing. I should probably have the buffers for such a thing though, I mean, I have over two hundred different sensors. From what I understand I'm experiencing five to seven extra layers of reality that most other cybertronians don't. I can only describe it as.... well... tasting the color nine." With a faint, feminine chuckle she tosses the arm back to Triggerhappy. "Well, I suppose so. I've never actually really hurt anything, let alone killed anything. I'm afraid I don't have access to prisoners - I don't have access to much, I'm just a grunt too, you know. We could always go to the training room and practice on each other if you'd like. Like I said before, I should probably learn how to handle pain even more." Sadly Razor's constant comments about being hungry echo sympathy in Snowblind. She knows what that's like. "They're dead, you're here. Guess we know who the smart ones are!" Carjack cackles a bit at that. But then stops to squint a bit at Snowblind. "Oh, a high sensory acclimation model are you? That explains quite a bit about the... unusual design athstetics." He gives the femme a pat on the back, adding much too cheerfully "But hey, this place is already full of freaks, weirdos, and psychotic warriors. You'll fit right in." Needlenose nods verrrrry slowly, "That does sound pretty likely," he admits. He doesn't seem to mind getting his hand swatted off Blades's shoulder. "Still, there was somethi- ah ha! I got it. You're one of the new recruits for the Mayhem Attack Squad, aren't ya?" Needlenose beams Triggerhappy's arm smacks him in the shoulder as it is tossed back at him. But he's a bit distracted. That guy...he looks awfully familiar. He walks up to Whirlwind and jabs a finger at him. "I don't think I've met you before." But maybe he -has-. "Who're you?" Razor suddenly straightens himself out, and he dusts off his chest. He gulps and says, "Yeah... yes, sir! Er. Spinister picked me out at Crystal City. I'm yours for whatever scutwork you want done." When he's not doing /other/ scutwork. He gives Snowblind a little wave; training happy fun times will have to wait for when he's not sucking up. "Just a new recruit," Whirlwind says to Triggerhappy tweaking the tip of his sweet moustache. This disguise is really something, no one is any the wiser. "Got picked for the Mayhem Attack Squad by Spinister himself. The name's Whirlwind, I'm kind of a big deal.." "Whirlwind, huh?" Triggerhappy examines him, finding the moustache rather strange. "That sounds kind of like that one Wrecker guy, Whirl. To tell you the truth I really wish he were a Decepticon. I mean, he'd be a -way- better Decepticon than an Autobot. Dunno -what- he's doing over there. But what can I say? Crazies will be crazies! Hahahahahha!" Carjack starts as if to say something else, but then there's a piercing oil-curdling wail from the general direction of Medical. "Oooh, sounds like that last patient finally woke up. That's my call to get back to work." Do you even want to know what sort of 'work' we're talking about here? Probably not. This is the guy that shoved a stolen experimental t-cog into a certain jet-femme just to make her turn into a car as well, after all. "I kind of doubt I'll fit in. I'm not doing a good job of it," Snowblind confesses to Carjack. "Honor and esprit de corp seem to be dirty words. It's... not quite what I imagined I'd find when I got back." She waves good bye to him to let him get on with his work. She sighs heavily. "Well I guess I don't get to have -any- fun today!" Needlenose gives as friendly a smile as he can give despite not having a mouth and not being an Autobot. "Well welcome aboard! You'll find this is a great outfit to work with." Ah, poor sod, Needlenose thinks. Factory overrun? In the Mayhem Attack Squad? We all know what that means the rookie's been tagged for. Poor fellow is being tricked and he doesn't even realize it. "Just stick close to me and you'll do fine, uh... what did you say your name was again?" Whirlwind laughs right along with Triggerhappy. "Hahaha, that Whirl guy sounds like an idiot. I hate seeing good talent go to waste, why would anyone side with Autobot over Decepticon? It's just such a shame, you know?" Cue half-assed salute. "Hail Galvatron, et cetera, et cetera. Hey, so, do they always let you get away with randomly shooting people? That's pretty cool." "Get away?" Triggerhappy laughs again and points to his empty arm socket. "I guess it depends on what exactly you mean by 'get away'." "I'm going to the library," Snowblind announces, turning on her clawed heels. "Have fun guys! If they're not too beat up later I want to play with them!" Whirlwind shrugs. "Call me a masochist but I'd rather get my arms ripped off than spend time in the brig, arms are expendable but my time isn't. And you really only need one arm anyway so it's not that bad when you think about it." Razor replies brightly, "I'm Razor, sir. Glad to be here." Yes, totally a dupe! Needlenose holds out his hand towards Razor, trying to hide the embarassment he's feeling for having to dupe someone who's clearly so stupid. Razor holds out his hand to shake, grinning, and there's something... sharp... there. He's called 'Razor' for a reason! Combat: Blades sets his defense level to Fearless. Combat: Blades strikes Needlenose with his An Unexpected Wrist-Slitting (Grab) attack! Combat: Gained 4 energon. "...yeah, so, that's why Spinister picked me, I think," Razor explains, beaming. Needlenose yelps and pulls back. Why are all his fellow Decepticons attacking him today?! "Hey! Careful where you put that thing!" Needlenose hisses. His demeanor shifts from pleasant to vicious in a split second. Holding his wounded widdle wist, Needlenose scowls, "You just watch yourself, Razor. Don't go thinking that this is like the holo-vids you've seen where a Decepticon can rapidly climb the ranks by taking down those above him. You wanna know how that story /usually/ ends? It ends with you joining the rest of your batch of surpluses." Razor grins at Needlenose, seemingly delighted by the vicious turn. He says, "Don't get me wrong, sir. I /know/ I'm expendable. But... better dead and well fed, than dead in a ditch." Needlenose hmphs and folds his arms, "Don't think you can't be both," he retorts. "Pissing me off is a quick way to get that ditch option." Needlenose figures he's tougher than any ol' surplus, so he can afford to be extra macho today. C'mon, Needlenose, get just torqued off enough with Razor to sentence him to clean the bathroom for the human prisoners! Then Razor can rescue the human filmmakers and go home and go whine to First Aid about everything! Bluh bluh bluh, Ultra Magnus is so mean! Razor raises a finger to his lower lip, "Well golly, I guess I woudn't want /that/, sir." Needlenose's optics narrow into slits as he tries to determine whether Razor is a fool, or if he knows something that Needlenose doesn't. You know, like he instigates a fight knowing that Needlenose will /think/ he has the advantage, only to show him up by beating the crap out of him. "Alright..." Needlenose says slowly, "We'll play your idiotic game. Razor, consider yourself officially challenged. Training room or in reality. Loser has to crawl to Carjack, begging to be put on life support." Welcome to the Decepticon Empire, Blades. We do things differently here. Razor has a brief, weird moment where he thinks, 'What would Onslaught do?' But the problem with that is that Onslaught is a master armchair tactician, so he would be back in the Combaticon base, sitting around, drawing out awesome plans that don't really work in reality, and then Onslaught would yell at everyone when the plan failed to work. What would Blast Off do? Snipe from orbit, then go sip an energon martini, muttering about peons. Swindle would... not be in this situation at all. He would be somehow selling Chic Chips /to/ Needlenose. But Brawl... WOULD SMASH. "Reality, mothertrucker," Razor growls, and he charges Needlenose, trying to get up in close. Needlenose is a ranged guy, right? Fancy flashlight that makes Blades envious? Combat: Blades strikes Needlenose with his Brawl Is The Worst Role Model (Punch) attack! Combat: Gained 1 energon. Needlenose gets all up in Blades's grill, using his superior height to tower over the disguised Protectobot. He's daring Blades, and Blades takes it on. This makes it easy for Blades to start things off. It's a very short charge, and Needlenose is decked on the chin. His head snaps to the side and a new dent is created on his faceplate. Wordlessly (thankfully for all), Needlenose retaliates with a vicious backhanded smack designed to knock Blades across the Atrium. There's many levels here in the Atrium, so there's no telling where Blades will wind up if this connects. Combat: Needlenose strikes Blades with his Backhanded Smack (Punch) attack! Combat: Needlenose (Needlenose) used "Punch": A Level 1 MELEE attack. Combat: You took 5 damage. Razor ends off knocked off the platform he was on, and he falls smack on his back three levels lower. He thinks... he cracked something. "Frak." Wow, Needlenose is up high now. Great job. Razor transforms to his awful grey and teal helicopter mode, and he... lets a rocket off at Needlenose! Blades transforms into his Bell UH-1 Iroquois mode. Combat: Bell UH-1 Iroquois sets his defense level to Aggressive. Combat: Bell UH-1 Iroquois strikes Needlenose with his Armor-Piercing Smart Rocket attack! Combat: Drained 14 energon. Needlenose steps up to the edge of the platform and watches Razor fall. Clearly he isn't one of the better Decepticons at flying in robot mode. But when Razor transforms into helicopter mode, Needlenose frowns inwardly. His jet mode won't be as useful in here, even though the Atrium /is/ pretty massive. As the rocket streaks back up to his platform, Needlenose dives. The rocket slams into the underside of the platform and explodes, causing shrapnel to threaten anyone on it. Picking himself back up, he shouts, "Zigzag, Sunbeam, to me!" He draws both his Nebulon partners. Hovering in the air to avoid the wreckage of the platform he was on, Needlenose floats out of the smoke and takes aim at the chopper. There's a bright FLASH that Blades might find very familiar as Needlenose and Sunbeam try to fry the rookie's sensors. Combat: Needlenose misses Bell UH-1 Iroquois with his Light Burst Discharger attack! Combat: Needlenose (Needlenose) used "Light Burst Discharger": A Level 3 AREA-RANGED attack. "Ha, I guess you have a point there, Whirlwind." Triggerhappy chuckles, sitting down. Mech, once he's calmed down, that lack of an arm really hurts. "I know I've had worse, that's for sure." Ugly-Aft Helicopter is indeed familiar with that evil flashlight. That is why he hides under one of these awesome platforms! He peeks out from under the platform, and he cowardly tries to nail Needlenose with some laserfire. Combat: Bell UH-1 Iroquois strikes Needlenose with his Photon Beam Barrage (Laser) attack! Combat: Drained 2 energon. Needlenose scowls as Razor manages to outmaneuver him. The guy has some moves for someone that's only surplus. Maybe Spinister had something else in mind? Needlenose will have to worry about that later, as the helicopter ducks out from one of the platforms, not even harmed, and sprays lasers at him. The bolts of light ricochet off his frame, forcing the Decepticon to holster his weapons so he can use his arms to defend himself. Taking a quick glance around to see how much space he has, Needlenose decides he has no choice but to turn this into pure Aerospace vs Aerospace. Launching into F-16 mode, Needlenose soars high in the Atrium, easily reaching the 100th level platforms before circling around and descending, firing one of his potent proton missiles. Robots in disguise! Needlenose transforms into his F-16XL Jet Fighter mode! Combat: F-16XL Jet Fighter misses Bell UH-1 Iroquois with his Proton Missiles attack! [Pulled -2] Combat: F-16XL Jet Fighter (Needlenose) used "Proton Missiles": A Level 4 RANGED attack. Ugly-Aft Helicopter is surplus that /survived/. As soon as Needlenose transforms, Razor tries to get altitude over him, because altitude is king in an air to air battles. He just barely manages it, above that proton missile. Then Razor transforms and tries to throw himself down on the back of the jet. He draws one of his helicopter blades and tries to jam it down into Needlenose's cockpit. Bell UH-1 Iroquois transforms into his Blades mode. Combat: Blades sets his defense level to Fearless. Combat: Blades misses F-16XL Jet Fighter with his Rotor Blade attack! Combat: Drained 11 energon. F-16XL Jet Fighter 's proton missile continues on its merry way, smashing into a lower platform and sending a trio of labourmechs scurrying for the relative safety of the air. Keeping sight on Blades, Needlenose circles around, almost clipping another platform with his wings as he keeps his maneuvering as tight as he can. Razor got above him, but Needlenose doesn't let that last. He tilts, flying a shocking 90 degrees straight upwards. As Razor transforms and tries to land on him, Needlenose barrel rolls to one side, never altering his angle for even a microsecond. The result is Blades nicking, but not quite being able to hold onto the F-16. Glancing behind him with his sensors, Needlenose hrms. Why's Razor falling? Well, it should make him an easy target at least. "Sunbeam, Zigzag, if you would..." the pair rotate from their positions under the jet's wings, aiming backwards (and downwards) before firing. Combat: F-16XL Jet Fighter strikes Blades with his Sunbeam and Zigzag attack! Combat: F-16XL Jet Fighter (Needlenose) used "Light Burst Discharger": A Level 3 AREA-RANGED attack. Combat: Needlenose uses up a charge on his Double Targetmaster booster pack! Combat: You took 12 damage. Combat: That attack has temporarily affected Blades's Accuracy. (Blinded) Razor ends up clinging to a platform, half-blind, and he hauls himself up onto the platform. Well, blast. His plan of 'shank a jet' never works as well as it should. Oh well, if he has to be blind, he has smart rockets to see for him, right? He transform again. Blades transforms into his Bell UH-1 Iroquois mode. Combat: Bell UH-1 Iroquois misses F-16XL Jet Fighter with his Armor-Piercing Smart Rocket attack! Combat: Drained 14 energon. F-16XL Jet Fighter can be a raging egotist who spends more time goofing off and worrying about his own petty affairs than furthering the goals of the Empire, but sometimes... just sometimes he shows why he belongs in the Decepticon Elite. Another rocket is sent upwards from the helicopter, and Needlenose tracks it the whole way. The missile has quite a climb to make to catch him to him, and Needlenose flares his afterburners, making sure that smart rocket has a damn good look at him. The rocket chases after him, and the F-16 finally reaches the peak of its ascent, arcing smoothly just below the 160th floor of the Atrium. The rocket skims along the ceiling, almost losing a fin in the process. Needlenose races past a lounging platform where a group of Decepticons have turned away from the Cybernet programming to watch the action going on right here instead. The missile sticks with him, and the Targetmaster finally spies what he's looking for: a section of the rib-like platform section that's juuuusst wide enough for an F-16 to fit. Needlenose plunges towards it, angling himself to avoid turning into a stain. There's a loud tearing sound as Needlenose blasts through, clipping a wing in the process. The rocket, seeking the fastest route to the Decepticon instead of the safest, impacts against the platform and detonates. All that's left is for Zigzag to take the shot during the half second where there's a clear line of fire on Blades during all this. Combat: F-16XL Jet Fighter misses Bell UH-1 Iroquois with his Welcome to Decepticon Aerospace (Laser) attack! Combat: F-16XL Jet Fighter (Needlenose) used "Laser": A Level 2 RANGED attack. Half second? It's a quarter second. If helicopters have anything, it's turning radius. Razor lands on a platform, and he decides that if he gets to go through the happy fun times of being blind, then Needlenose does, too. Bell UH-1 Iroquois transforms into his Blades mode. Combat: Blades misses F-16XL Jet Fighter with his Evil Flashlight attack! Combat: Drained 5 energon. F-16XL Jet Fighter sees that Razor escaped. For once he doesn't blame Zigzag; it was a damn near impossible shot. The helicopter was there one moment and gone the next. Needlenose's single engine roars as he diverts power to pulling himself out of that dive. Recalling where Razor transformed and landed, Needlenose makes the educated guess that he isn't going anywhere. For whatever reason, the rookie doesn't like going anywhere in robot mode. With his engine protesting the strain Needlenose forced it under, the F-16 glides towards a platform just below but on the other side as Razor's. This doesn't make for a good line of sight for either of them, but that's what Needlenose is counting on. With neither Nebulon drawn, the Targetmaste creeps towards the edge of his platform--the only spot where Razor is going to be able to get a bead on him. As soon as he spots that ugly teal and grey colour scheme, he dives away. The plan works and Razor wastes his shot. Photon weaponry, eh? Needlenose thinks. The Decepticon jumps back into action, immediately sprinting off his platform and landing on the one immediately underneath Blades's. Then he soars straight up, fists outstretched. The result is the floor beneath Razor exploding as Needlenose busts through, sending a shower of metal flying everywhere. More Than Meets The Eye! F-16XL Jet Fighter transforms into robot mode! Combat: Needlenose strikes Blades with his A Grand Entrance (Kick) attack! Combat: Needlenose (Needlenose) used "Kick": A Level 2 MELEE attack. Combat: You took 8 damage. Combat: Needlenose's attack has damaged your Strength! Razor is totally punched into the air, and it snaps one of his shoulders, dislocating it something fierce. However, he tries to cling onto Needlenose, to ride him like a monkey, and like a monkey, he uses tools! Okay, he just tries to stab people, but chimps would do that if they could. With his better arm, he tries to dig a rotor blade into Needlenose's totally sweet and stylish helmet. Head wounds leak so much! Combat: Blades strikes Needlenose with his Rotor Blade attack! [Pulled -2] Combat: You are running low on energon! Combat: Drained 5 energon. Needlenose is already bringing his fist back to smash Razor into the ground, but the rookie is able to grab onto him. Shifted off balance by the sudden added weight, he tries to twist, reaching back for Blades even as he crawls up. A split-second later, and the rotor blade is jabbed into his back. It would have gone through his head were it not for a last ditch jerk of his shoulders, causing the rotor to instead embed itself where his right shoulder blade would be if he were human. With Razor still on him and Needlenose being unable to get him off, the air warrior ignites his anti-gravs again, soaring upwards straight into the underside of the platform above them. There's a loud CRACK as Needlenose twists, smashing his back against it in an attempt to dislodge his enemy. Combat: Needlenose strikes Blades with his Smash (Kick) attack! Combat: Needlenose (Needlenose) used "Kick": A Level 2 MELEE attack. Combat: You took 8 damage. Combat: Needlenose's attack has damaged your Firepower! Razor really twists and yanks hard as he pulls the blade out of Needlenose shoulder, and he grits out, "I hope that /hurts/ -" because being slamming into the underside of a platform definitely does! It knocks off one of his shin-guns. Oh no. Razor ends up knocked back on the semi-ruined platform where he was before. Combat: Blades strikes Needlenose with his twist The Blade Until You Feel attack! [Pulled -3] Combat: You are running low on energon! Combat: Drained 2 energon. Needlenose lets out a wheezing noise as the rotor blade is yanked from the wound. His arm can freely move again with it gone, but his energon and fluid levels are rapidly decreasing. His automatic repair systems begin shutting off valves to that part of his body, causing a numbness to appear from his left shoulder to his fingertips. Hovering just below where he smashed Razor, Needlenose glares down at the rookie. "You haven't even /begun/ to learn about hurting," he retorts. Reaching for the nearest Nebulon with the hand that still has sensation in it, Needlenose tries to annihilate what's left of the platform Razor is standing on. Combat: Needlenose strikes Blades with his Electrostatic Blast (Laser) attack! Combat: Needlenose (Needlenose) used "Laser": A Level 2 RANGED attack. Combat: You took 10 damage. Combat: Needlenose's attack has damaged your Strength! Razor surfs down on one of the fragments, freestyling through the air. Then Needlenose's shot connects, and Razor is sent sprawling on a platform, his other shoulder wounded. He seems to... pause, wheezing and coughing up energon. He wipes his mouth and looks at the sticky fuel on his hand. Oh Matrix, he really could end up dead here. The Protectobots are going to have to merge with Whirl. He can't let that happen. Combat: Blades sets his defense level to Protected. Combat: Blades takes extra time to steady himself. [Pass] Combat: Regained 6 energon. Needlenose allows himself a private, inward smirk as Razor is blasted mid-fall. Terrible, terrible flying ability in robot mode. You could have almost had me, kid, if it weren't for that flaw. Needlenose doesn't say that, though. Instead he hovers out, away from both the platform he smashed into and the one Razor fell down to. Both Zigzag and Sunbeam are in his hands now, and there's a loud ~chk~ noise as he connects the pair, turning them into a frighteningly powerful rifle cannon. "Had enough?" Needlenose says, "All you have to do is /beg for forgiveness/." The Targetmaster takes aim with the rifle cannon, looking down its sights towards Razor. "Or we can finish this the other way." Combat: Needlenose takes extra time to steady himself. [Pass] Razor consider his options. But there can be only one answer. "...yeah, no, you're just gonna trick me." He rolls over on his back, groaning. "'cause I could talk about how great your artwork is. Definitely better than Scrapper's; that dude is a loser." He pushes himself up a bit. "And what an /awesome/ dogfighter you are." He checks to make sure his rotors aren't falling off. "How i-inspiring a role model you make." "Or I could give you a tribute that is as dangerous as you are." Razor transforms. Rocket time. Blades transforms into his Bell UH-1 Iroquois mode. Combat: Temporarily restricting the SHATTER effect from all of your attacks. Combat: Bell UH-1 Iroquois strikes Needlenose with his Armor-Piercing Smart Rocket attack! Combat: You are running low on energon! Combat: Drained 5 energon. Needlenose doesn't take his sights off Razor even as the rookie makes his speech. Sunbeam and Zigzag's gun form hums contentedly as more power is charged through to the barrel of the weapon. The moment Razor shifts into helicopter mode, Needlenose pulls the trigger, sending a powerful jagged lightning bolt shooting out from the cannon towards the helicopter. The platform Razor was on detonates, disintegrating into metallic dust whether Razor was still on it or not. Now tracking Razor in the air, Needlenose activates his anti-gravs and soars upwards, only to stare down another smart rocket. He's too low and doesn't have the time to transform into F-16 mode, and by the time he's done realizing that, the rocket is here, exploding in his face and sending him crashing to the ground, where he hits hard and gets sprawled outwards. The combined form of Zigzag and Sunbeam rests just a few feet away. Combat: Needlenose sets his defense level to Fearless. Combat: Needlenose misses Bell UH-1 Iroquois with his Lightning Bolt Strike attack! Combat: Needlenose (Needlenose) used "Light Burst Discharger": A Level 3 AREA-RANGED attack. Razor thinks, 'My air combat instructor. I wish I'd thanked him. Instead of making fun of him. Well. Maybe just a bit of making fun.' As much as Razor hates air combat, his rotors don't fail him now, letting him hover other a platform, which is then obliterated by the concentrated might of the sun. The next rocket he loads up is a bit damaged. Not as much charge to it as most. The cowardly weapon will have to do. Combat: Bell UH-1 Iroquois sets his defense level to Neutral. Combat: Bell UH-1 Iroquois strikes Needlenose with his Armor-Piercing Smart Rocket attack! [Pulled -1] Combat: You are running low on energon! Combat: Drained 2 energon. Needlenose's neck creaks as he lifts himself up from the platform. He coughs in the dust from his impact and reaches out with his hands, trying to find his gun. "Blast it," he hisses, "Where are you?" He nearly gasps with relief as his good hand touches the familiar metal, and Needlenose pulls the gun in towards him. Now, Needlenose thinks as he gets up to his feet and tries to stare through the cloud of dust, Razor's still out there. The moment after he gets that thought out, the platform violently shakes from the impact of another smart rocket. Very nearly losing his balance, Needlenose feels the floor give way beneath him as the platform shatters, sending debris plunging downwards. A large piece of metal nicks the platform below it and ricochets towards the Atrium's center, where it falls thirty stories to the ground. The sole piece of debris that escapes a gruesome fate like this is shaped like an F-16, engine belching out fire as it soars away from the destruction with a Nebulon under each wing. Looking up, Needlenose realizes he is in a bad situation. The chopper is way above him. As much as he hates having to risk another high flying performance like the last, the air warrior realizes he has no choice. He forces his nosecone upwards despite the protest of his weakened wings. On his HUD, he struggles to lock the targeting reticle onto the helicopter due to the harsh angle. The second he gets it he lets loose with his second and last proton missile. Robots in disguise! Needlenose transforms into his F-16XL Jet Fighter mode! Combat: F-16XL Jet Fighter misses Bell UH-1 Iroquois with his Proton Missiles attack! Combat: F-16XL Jet Fighter (Needlenose) used "Proton Missiles": A Level 6 RANGED attack. Razor is continuing to play a mad game of 'leapfrog', hiding behind platforms and letting them be destroyed instead of him. With a sinking feeling, he realises that he is going to have to clean this all up, if he survives. No! He has to live! Hot Spot yelling at Whirl just won't be the same! This whole 'using cover' and 'flying' and 'shooting' is grinding his gears something fierce, though. How do all the other helicopters cope with it? It's just not as personal as stabbing! It feels so cold and remote. He takes a quick shot at the rapidly ascending fighter, and then he takes cover again. Somewhere, Blast Off is drinking an energon martini. Combat: Bell UH-1 Iroquois strikes F-16XL Jet Fighter with his Quick Shot attack! [Pulled -2] Combat: You are running low on energon! Combat: Gained 1 energon. You're not going to lose this, Needlenose. /You're not going to lose this/. Not to a Primus-damned rookie! Needlenose can feel his nerves getting frayed even as that rotor wound (now just above his right wing) continues to aggrevate him. Needlenose chases Razor from one platform to the next, blasting away and annihilating them one after the other. The Atrium has seen duels before and survived, though perhaps none as vicious as this one. All the while as Needlenose is chasing Razor, he is continuing to gain altitude. He can't risk another 90 degree ascent with his innards desperately trying to become his outers, but with each pass he climbs a little higher after his foe. Another rocket soars towards him, and Needlenose has no choice but to head straight for it, tensing up as the rocket explodes against his nosecone in a ball of fire. Gasping, Needlenose transforms into robot mode, optics wide with a rising panic. No no no, you aren't beat yet! He tells himself. Needlenose draws his favorite Nebulon and takes aim, closing one optic in an attempt to help steady his vision. If he had his way he'd be aiming down at the chopper, but his wounds are so great he never managed to gain the altitude bonus. Needlenose pulls the trigger and prays. Combat: F-16XL Jet Fighter strikes Bell UH-1 Iroquois with his Light Blast attack! Combat: F-16XL Jet Fighter (Needlenose) used "Light Burst Discharger": A Level 3 AREA-RANGED attack. Combat: Needlenose uses up a charge on his Double Targetmaster booster pack! Combat: You took 12 damage. Combat: F-16XL Jet Fighter 's attack has damaged your Agility! Going for books? More like watching from above. Snowblind knew something was going to happen, but she decided it's probably better to not be present. She's tired of Triggerhappy and other walking accidents. She's presently just outside the Atrium, near an open entrance hanger, cameras following every strike and counterstrike. Ugly Aft Helicopter is lanced through by Helios's wrath, which severs the end of one of his rotor blades. Just the very tip, but enough to make it almost impossible to stay in the air. Almost. He feels slow, though, like a flying barge. Leaking profusely, Razor settles himself on the nearest ledge, and he weakly loads some energy bullets into his gun. He says to the pistol, "Okay, so we've had some misgivings. Some hard times together. You've tried to kill me once or twice. But you know what happens if I die? You get lost in subspace. Forever. Yeah. So. You know what to do." He takes aim at the jet, and he fires. Bell UH-1 Iroquois transforms into his Blades mode. Combat: Blades strikes F-16XL Jet Fighter with his Photon Beam Barrage (Laser) attack! Combat: You are running low on energon! Combat: Drained 2 energon. The cameras aren't the only observers to the match. The platforms that haven't been destroyed, from level 1 to level 160, are lined with Decepticons who have turned out to watch the action. There's a loud cheer as each blow is struck, cries of approval at sneaky tricks or brilliant maneuvers. It doesn't matter to them who's fighting. Instead it's the thrill of the fight and the knowledge that this is what makes them Decepticons. Two people had a problem with each other, and now it's going to be settled one way or another. Needlenose rises up to another level, blocking out the cries of the observers behind him. He scored a hit, and Razor is again forced to land. Before Needlenose can squeeze off another shot, Razor's retaliation knocks Zigzag clear out of his grasp, almost taking the hand along with it. Zigzag transforms out of gun mode and lands hard three stories below. The hard exo-armour takes the brunt of the impact, but the wind is knocked out of him nonetheless. Grabbing the injured hand, Needlenose is forced to land on the nearest platform. The two Decepticons are now directly opposite one another with a gulf in between. "Get out of my way!" Needlenose roars, swiping at the current dwellers on this level. Still have one more weapon, Needlenose thinks deliriously. He whips Sunbeam in Razor's direction before squeezing the trigger, planning more to annihilate the entire area instead of taking the risk of aiming. Combat: F-16XL Jet Fighter strikes Blades with his Light Explosion (Laser) attack! Combat: F-16XL Jet Fighter (Needlenose) used "Laser": A Level 2 RANGED attack. Combat: You took 7 damage. Combat: You are very aware that your life is in danger! Combat: F-16XL Jet Fighter 's attack has damaged your Firepower! Combat: Blades falls to the ground, unconscious. More Than Meets The Eye! F-16XL Jet Fighter transforms into robot mode! Blades is... thoroughly annihilated. Skeletonized, even. To a bare, blackened armature, like some grotesques puppet. It windmills and falls... and falls... and falls... The body falls past decks where Decepticons are cheering loudly, eager for spilled fuel and no picky about whose, and - he remembers Earth, about to plunge into the sun, and desperately trying to stave off the inevitable. Floors where there are nothing but boring laboratories - and being in the medical ward, much too often. Platforms whip past him, faster and faster now - what he wrote on the wall the last time he ended up in SPACE JAIL. And at the bottom - there's Defensor. The best of him. The perfect being made of imperfect parts, even this sinner. BOOM. That's enough for Snowblind. She hasn't developed a taste for bloodsports or this barbarian combat yet. She may never. She darts near silently into the Atrium, shouting aloud, "Permission to take the injured recruit to medical!!" and seems halfway ready to dive down after "Razor" regardless of permission given. Needlenose keeps Sunbeam trained on the platform opposite him despite the platform no longer existing. Where is he, Needlenose seethes. His optics dart upwards in case of aerial attack. He considers looking down but that would require inching to the edge of his own platform, and Needlenose isn't willing to take that risk. The Decepticons on his own floor gather around him, cheering and congratulating him for his victory in the duel. "Back off!" Needlenose snaps. It doesn't subdue the roar of the crowd in the Atrium, but it does make them give the Targetmaster a wide berth. Only after Sunbeam transforms into Nebulon mode and looks down off the platform for himself does Needlenose realize that he definitely won. "Yesssss," he hisses. Needlenose tries to see where Razor has fallen, but there's so much dust stinging his optics that he cannot. The weakness in his frame prevents him from searching and getting in that final vengeful kick at the body. Finally the other Decepticons crowd around him again, and Needlenose has to struggle to remember himself. "That's... how we do it in the Decepticons! Ain't that right, boys?" As Snowblind steps in, Needlenose tries to sound confident and nonchalant, "He's no concern of mine, Snowblind, now that he's learned his place." Behind the cocky attitude, Needlenose tries to steady his own nerves. You almost let one get away from you there, he reminds himself. "Thank you sir!" Snowblind quickly blurts out before making a nosedive for Razor's remains. She turns on her scanners in hopes he's still alive. Razor is alive but barely. He is a complete wreck. Even First Aid might have trouble identifying the remains now. Transforming back to robot Snowblind kneels near Razor's battered body and checks to see if he can be safely moved. She's no medic - and Straxus only knows she wishes she was right about now - but she can at least perform a medical evac. "... I was looking forward to those drinks with you, you glitchhead," she frets. "You're gonna stay alive because you owe me that much, you hear me! Don't you go offline on me!" She picks him up, holding him close and trying to secure him for movement. As soon as she's sure she has the largest portion of him, she starts to lift off, seeking the nearest repair center. ================================= Decepticon ================================= Message: 2/97 Posted Author Duel in the Atrium Sun Dec 16 Needlenose ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Word across Polyhex is that Needlenose fought some rookie with the Mayhem Attack Squad in an official duel in the Darkmount Atrium. It isn't clear what set the two against each other, but the battle stretched from the 1st floor to the 160th, with both making the most of the open air concept of the tower. As with most duels, there was a fair bit of destruction, as numerous 'ribs' in the tower were obliterated. That isn't what the talk is about, though. The talk is about how thrilling the match was. By the end of it, hundreds of Decepticons had turned out to watch the match and cheer. Two Decepticons had a beef with each other and so they settled it the way Decepticons should. Now, what was the name of that rookie who stood up to Needlenose again? ==============================================================================
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