| abstract
| - Splendora -- Nebulos Where Koraja was built as a testament to Nebulos' endurance, Splendora is a testament to the beauty of the world. In all terms of the word a 'pleasure city', the glass and chrome towers of Splendora pierce the sky, intermingling effortlessly with the grassy slopes and greenery. Trees nestle comfortably with towers, gazelle graze near food stalls. Nebulos has healed from war, it is enduring, everlasting. Life goes on. Contents: Jet_Helicoptor Foxfire Macrobiotic Restaurant Gardens of Eternal Peace and Harmony Mercury Gardens of Melanossus Obvious exits: North leads to Koraja -- Nebulos. Splendora has been torn apart from the battle between Rodimus, Defcon, Scorponok, Galvatron, and others. It is the battle that left Rodimus without a head, and the city of beauty with deep scars. In one of the hardest hits neighborhoods of the sprawling city-merged-with-nature. Both the forested section and the city section of the neighborhood have been ravaged. Collapsed buildings and ruined streets run into crushed trees and large burn patches. First Aid, Protectobot healer, is on the scene, helping with the relief effort. The wounded have been found by now, but the city itself still needs rebuilding. Currently First Aid is using his superior robot strength to lift up a lamppost that had fallen across three vehicles and crushed a small confection stand. Nebulon workers are getting access to the area underneath as First Aid holds it up. It's not too far away that the Decepticon medic, Mortex, is perched in the sky, his cloak spread out like a pair of disturbingly huge wings. The skeletal medic lowers himself slowly onto the ground of Nebulos, having gotten himself a bit of time off to go inspect the planet. Touching down, he strides forward confidently, force-field rippling to life to protect him from any particularly unfriendly elements. And speaking of unfriendly elements, there's First Aid. The autobot was helping repair a segment of the street, and he was completely alone as far as Mortex could tell... ...but there was some level of sympathy deep within his lasercore. As twisted as the Necrocon was, he had a respect for the learned medics amongst the Autobots, the skilled healers and modders whose work he had destroyed and examined time and again. So it was that, quite passively, Mortex strides across the street, wrapping his claws around the lamppost. "Allow me," the Decepticon wheezes, his voice shrill like a pair of gears grinding against each other, some of his noxious exhaust escaping from his jaws and floating into the idyllic, peaceful atmosphere. "Don't worry, guys, I've got a good hold on it," First Aid is telling the Nebulons as they scurry in to clear out the rubble. Their second, less commonly stated job, is to see if there's anyone's remains buried there. The *survivors* have all been found at this point, yes. Among the Nebulons are numerous transport trucks and heavy futuristic construction vehicles. It is a well oiled rescue effort, First Aid notes. A credit to the race, given that conflicts of this nature are so rare on Nebulos. At least... they were so rare until the Transformers arrived years ago. Since then... well, they've had time to prepare for more Cybertronian related disasters, First Aid grudgingly admits. The Protectobot holds the lamppost up straight, but he doesn't really have anywhere permanent to put it at this point. The Protectobot watches as the Nebulons scour through the debris. He never knows if he should want them to find remains or not. On one hand, he has a running tally of the missing in his head, and he knows how important the sense of closure can be. On the other hand, a part of him holds out a naive hope that they're still alive and can be rescued. In this case, it doesn't look like anyone was found, and First Aid starts to set the lamppost back down. This is stopped as a claw wrap around the post, holding it up. First Aid keeps his grip on it, turning to see who's responsible. It isn't Groove like he had hoped. "Decepticon!" he exclaims, immediately changing tones. Mortex holds up his other claw in a pacifying motion. "Hold, Autobot," the Decepticon wheezes, "I know you from our surveillance. You are a medic, yes?" "So too am I," the Necrocon informs him, gesturing down to the ground at the people. "What is more important to you at this moment in time? Aiding them, or destroying more of their world, Autobot?" Mortex's skeletal face and sunken optics stare into Red Alert's own eyes, unblinking and unchanging. "In respect for our mutual profession, I am here in peace. Would you turn it to war?" "Doctor," First Aid corrects. He didn't attend 5 vorns of Autobot medical school to be called 'medic', thank you very much. The doctor is still holding onto the lamppost. He's worried Mortex is going to use it as a weapon. "If you're asking me if I'm an idiot, then the answer is 'no'." First Aid briefly glances over his shoulder at the Nebulons. They're aware of the Decepticon, and though they aren't about to panic, they are starting to withdraw from the idea. Willing to take the chance to stall for time, First Aid peers back at Mortex, "Decepticon medics don't normally come out in the middle of old battlefields for peaceful reasons... I'm sorry, I'm afraid I don't know your name." Sideswipe moves north to the Koraja -- Nebulos. "Nor am I," Mortex wheezes, "About to give it, -doctor-." He emphasizes the 'doctor' with an amused sound. "I am here to see this land of science. I am, first and foremost, a scientist. Is there something -wrong- with that, -doctor-?" Again, that vaguely-amused emphasis, "And I am curious at this 'headmaster' technology. Moreover...scrap metal." He isn't moving hostilely towards the Nebulons, nor does he seem at all interested in them as his jaw works like some sort of twisted halloween prop. Weirdwolf moves north to the Koraja -- Nebulos. Highbrow moves north to the Koraja -- Nebulos. "As far as I know you have plenty of Decepticon Headmasters to review," First Aid replies. "Decepticons aren't welcome here, 'scientist', and if you think I believe you that you're here for peaceful reasons then you have another thing coming." Despite these words, First Aid's voice isn't made for sounding hostile, and so it comes across as him just listing facts rather than trying to be threatening. First Aid shifts his stance a bit so he can still hold onto the lamppost. They both /really/ want that post, it seems. "What are you /really/ doing here, huh?" The Necrocon shrugs. "Don't believe me, then," he chuckles, releasing the post and kneeling to scoop some of the cars out of the way for the repair crews. "How impossible that I could be telling the truth." It was kind of ironic - but then, Mortex was good at manipulating ironies, and he was already tapping First Aid's metaphysical shoulder pretty hard. "How impossible that a Decepticon might actually want something peaceful for a change. If you -must- know," the Decepticon adds, "I am not so interested in the technology as I am the originators and their natural state." He places some of the rubble in one of the vehicles, clearing the street with the meticulousness of a surgeon and the critical eye. "And what are you here for, 'doctor'? I'm certain there are stronger Autobots who could do this. Why did you choose to come here?" Mortex It resembles nothing so much as a giant skeleton with gleaming red optics, wearing a massive metal cloak. Internal workings wheeze and tick, visible through the metallic 'bone structure', and there's an eerie sense that almost none of these parts are original -or- from the same place. Mortex's claws are mismatched - his index fingers are substantially longer than his other fingers - and sharp as blades, presumably for delicate surgical work. Attached to one of his arms is a laser blaster that quite blatantly belonged to Fireflight - indeed, the Aeialbot's paint scheme is still on it. "I have some questions for you," First Aid replies. As the lamppost is let go, he backs up a bit, carrying it with him. "How many times do you think the Decepticons have played the 'I just want peace' tactic on us? I've lost count it's happened so many times." He lets Mortex move over to start clearing rubble. The repair crews by now have evacuated, but their trucks are still there for Mortex to dump rubble into. "If you wanted peace then you wouldn't be a Decepticon, now would you." The Protectobot figures it's only a matter of time before he has to force the Con to leave, so he's buying time for the civilians to bail. Finally he gets around to answering some of Mortex's questions. "I'm a Protectobot. Rebuilding is part of my job. Furth-..." he stops. "Is... that Fireflight's gun?" He's a doctor. He notices these things. "Did I say I wanted peace?" Mortex points out. "I'm a Decepticon. I don't want peace. I want power. But I am here peacefully, and until I break a law, I am helping your recovery efforts...and from what I understand, you need all the help you can get." The Necrocon chuckles again, another cloud of noxious smoke exhaled. "Yes. It is. I ripped it from his arm with my own claws and welded it to my own body. What do you think? It matched my eyes." That horrible, soul-searing laugh echoes through the streets of the city, causing several Nebulons to shiver in terror as the Decepticon medic cackles. "I'm looking to get another one to match it." First Aid hmphs, "You're a silly billy, whatever your name is." First Aid is terrible at insulting people, "There's a saying that humans use to describe what you're banking on: 'Lawful Stupid, not Lawful Good'. I don't really get the reference, but it goes something like this: Waltzing into a battlezone to flaunt your Decepticon allegiance and strike fear into the hearts of the city's inhabitants is not much better than coming in with guns a blazin'. You have a strange sense of what the law requires." First Aid takes a step towards Mortex as he laughs about ripping the weapon from Fireflight's arms and how he wants another. "In conclusion..." First Aid swings the lamppost at Mortex's cranium. "Protectobots fall into Lawful Good, not Lawful Stupid." Mortex just looks up as the lamppost clangs off his forcefield, standing. "Well then," the Necrocon wheezes, a hint of amusement in his voice, "I see." His clawed fingers flex as the leech acid pours over them, like a crab's claw or a sinister vice, and his coffin opens with a groan, horrible, mindless patchwork tapes crawling their way out like a zombie armada. Mortex straightens. "Just remember..." He lunges forward, claws outstretched, the acid ready to eat away at First Aid and convert his metal to energy for its master, "YOU ATTACKED FIRST!" Combat: Mortex misses First Aid with its Leech Acid attack! Combat: Mortex (Mortex) used "Leech Acid": A Level 1 MELEE attack. "You attacked the moment you threatened this planet," First Aid retorts. His voice is even as he fights the growing panic. The Protectobot backs away, still holding the lamppost. A forcefield? Well that is going to make things rough. First Aid isn't a fighter, but he is a Protectobot, and that means he'll defend those who cannot defend themselves regardless of the odds. Mortex *looks* very scary if nothing else. The coffin opens up, and tapes crawl out in a disgusting fashion. As the Decepticon scientist lunges for him, First Aid blocks awkwardly with the lamppost, and the claws slice through that rather than him. The acid eats away at the post, leaving First Aid with nothing less than a stump, which he tosses away. Ok, he thinks, don't touch the claws. As if he needed more reasons to hate having to do this. Reaching down to a red painted thigh, a hip holster clicks open, and First Aid draws out his photon pistol, firing a blast back at Mortex. Combat: First Aid misses Mortex with his Photon Pistol (Laser) attack! Combat: Drained 2 energon. Mortex is hit! Right in the face! It passes through his forcefield, and indeed Mortex himself, sending ripples outwards like water...wait a second... The Necrocon's hologram disappears as he himself reappears slightly to the left of where he had been a moment ago, raising his claw to point at First Aid. "You're digging your own grave...it's a good thing I'm a hearse, isn't it?!" He cackles as Fireflight's cannon powers up, the force field opening ever so slightly to fire on the Protectobot, the zombies closing in on him as well. Combat: Mortex misses First Aid with its Fireflight's Stolen Blaster (Disruptor) attack! Combat: Mortex (Mortex) used "Disruptor": A Level 1 RANGED attack. "And holograms? You've got to be kidding me," First Aid complains. The zombies close in on him, forcing the doctor to constantly back away from the approach. He hears the telltale sign of Fireflight's cannon being warmed up, and dives behind one of the massive construction vehicles the Nebulons are using to carry scrap away. A hole is burned into the side of it, but it seems otherwise undamaged. Hoping up on top with the hope that zombies cannot climb, First Aid aims his empty fist at Mortex. "Wait... you're a hearse?" he asks as he fires his fist mounted surgical lasers. Combat: First Aid sets his defense level to Guarded. Combat: First Aid strikes Mortex with his Surgical Lasers (Disruptor) attack! Combat: Mortex's forcefield absorbs First Aid's attack. Combat: Gained 1 energon. Mortex cackles as the surgical laser bounces off his force field, leveling his claws at First Aid. "Devour him!" He wheezes to his troops, and they shamble forward...not climbing on the car, but -each other-, using each other's bodies as stepping-stones and makeshift ramps in a strange display of intelligence. Maybe they're not being controlled by their own brains, but Mortex's... Like a conductor's baton to a symphony, Mortex's exceedingly long claws dance, directing the zombies from the safety of his forefield. Combat: Mortex strikes First Aid with its Zombie Horde (Punch) attack! Combat: Mortex (Mortex) used "Punch": A Level 1 MELEE attack. Combat: You took 2 damage. First Aid kicks at the zombie horde as best he can, but ultimately they wind up dragging him down off the dump truck. For a moment, First Aid vanishes into the sea of Cassetticon ripoffs, with his shiny white arm doing down last. The zombies claw over one another to get to him, and for a few long seconds it seems all is lost. Up until there's a sudden explosion in the centre of the horde, which may or may not send zombies flying this way and that. Now in ambulance mode, First Aid proceeds to run over as many of the little buggers as he can, swerving this way and that through the rubble strewn streets. Resting on top of the roof of the ambulance is the jet black double barreled decrystalizer cannon. It is longer than First Aid himself is, and it swivels towards the master of these zombies, letting loose with a potent blast. First Aid falls forward, arms sliding in and legs flipping about, transforming into an ambulance. Combat: Toyota Ambulance << First Aid >> strikes Mortex with his Decrystallizer Cannon attack! Combat: Mortex's forcefield absorbs Toyota Ambulance << First Aid >>'s attack. Combat: Drained 8 energon. Mortex once again waves his arms, holding them both up to the Force Field at the impact as the strange back-talons of his legs clamp down into the ground beneath his feet, steadying him against the impact. The skeletal Decepticon lets out another raucuous laugh as he leaps into the air, hovering like some vast predatory bird, before descending towards First Aid with those horrible claws outstretched. "I will devour all that makes you you!" He shrieks, the spectre of death looming above Nebulos even as the zombie minions stumble about. Combat: Mortex strikes Ambulance with its Claws O'Doom attack! Combat: Mortex (Mortex) used "Leech Acid": A Level 1 MELEE attack. Combat: You took 5 damage. "Annnnnd here comes the B-villain ranting," First Aid mutters as he runs over a few more zombies. "That is something I could do without." Some of them are bound to have their heads crushed under his wheels, but the Protectobot is not specifically aiming to do that. He hasn't seen enough zombie movies to make the connection. Mortex falls upon him, and by the time First Aid has shaken him off, Mortex has clawed him more than once. It looks like someone has keyed First Aid's paint job, though beyond that he isn't particularly damaged. On First Aid's dash board, a light begins flashing as he receives the all clear sign from the Nebulon authorities. Their reinforcements are on the way, and the civilians are out of the area, meaning this Protectobot has done the protecting that needed doing. Without bothering to give a farewell to Mortex, First Aid skids to a halt, turns, and vrooms off down the street, dodging debris as he drives at a (for him) reckless pace. Combat: Ambulance begins retreating, outrunning all pursuit. Mortex crosses his arms, watching First Aid depart as the zombie cassettes gather up their fallen comrades and transform, rejoining the hearse coffin. His alternate was...amusing... He'd have to do this again sometime, the Necrocon reflects, soaring into the sky, his cloak slamming shut and sealing around him in a protective armor. Combat: Mortex's forcefield protecting itself vanishes. Combat: Mortex begins retreating, leaving itself vulnerable to parting shots from Ambulance and Foxfire Ambulance receives radio transmissions as he careens through the streets. Mortex is departing according to the Nebulon authorities, so First Aid will call this a success. Nobody got hurt on either side, and for a Protectobot that is a 'win'. Sure Blades, Streetwise, and Hot Spot might not agree, but they're not here. With obvious relief, First Aid's decrystallizer cannon refolds back into his roof, vanishing as it transforms out of the way. "I'm heading back to the base camp to make sure the venom doesn't have any lasting side effects," he reports to the authorities. ================================== Autobot =================================== Message: 3/165 Posted Author Encounter With Mortex Mon Feb 23 First Aid ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** AUDIO ONLY *** "First Aid reporting from Splendora. I was a part of a Nebulos repair force working to repair the damage dealt earlier this week in the battle where Rodimus lost his head when a Decepticon that I later identified to be Mortex approached. I'm not entirely sure why but he kept trying to give me Hannibal Lecter style speeches." Pause. "You know, from Silence of the Lambs?" First Aid hated that movie. It was way too scary for him. "Or maybe Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight." First Aid didn't like that movie either. Same reason. He preferred the 1960's Adam West version. "At any rate, he seemed to think that going around terrorizing the Nebulons would result in the Autobots standing around, unable to do anything so long as he didn't open fire. I don't know why he thought that, but needless to say this is wrong for obvious reasons. I stalled for time while the evacuation of the repair force took place, and then engaged him. Frankly I wasn't able to hurt him past his force field, and he wasn't able to deal any damage back. My paint job is badly scratched but other than that I am undamaged. I've returned to the Nebulon repair force's base camp in Splendora. First Aid out." ==============================================================================
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)