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| - Optimus Prime Magnum NPC Shadow Through lifeline and other sources, Optimus Prime and the Autobots had found out what was going on - and intended to stop it. Now, on the deepest level of Cybertron they had followed the instructions towards the Monster Truck Rally's location, finding other mechs on the way - most of them of the deviate kind, going to see the show themselves. Engines rumbled loudly in the arena ahead, more felt than heard even at this distance. Shadow being the announcer for the rally seated way up in the booth that oversees the entire rally area. "It looks like a bumper to bumper crowd tonight as our participants rev up their engines for the opening of this rally. Sit back, enjoy an ener-brewski, maybe put in a bet, and enjoy the carnage!" This is a job for a group of highly-trained specialists, the top in their field and prowess. The sort who are only whispered about, for little else is known, so skilled are they in their secrecy... ... unfortunately, they're not here right now. Sorry, guys. On the bright side, the mechs that -have- come are more than the capable sort. Selected by Optimus Prime himself, the small group makes its way towards the arena, though not all of them are recognizable as themselves. Indeed, the Prime has been given another set of colors for the day, along with some extra kibble to make it seem as though he's... well... anyone /but/ the Autobot leader. To be fair, there's only so many ways to disguise a mech, but... it should pass for now. //"Take your positions as quickly as you can,"// he orders the group. //"You all know what to do."// Magnum is right here with his old friend - Optimus Prime - as he tries to finally put an end to the disappearance of ground forces from Cybertron's surface. He, along with Prime, have worked out disguises. Those disguises should be enough for the pair to get in position until the real action begins. Magnum looks over with a glance - just a glance towards Prime and gives a nod. Slowly, Magnum makes his way through the crowd, casually stopping at the bookie to check odds before taking up his spot. "Jax here, I've got pretty good seats. How's the view over there?" Working near the Pitt, one of the 'Truck Handlers' was busy prepping, moving the defenseless cars into position. He hummed a little bit, then looked up as one of them growls behind the gate. his optics flicker and he turns to scoot out of the way, tapping his radio "We may have to start early Shadow. They're REALLLY riled up!" to the main booth as he leaps up and vaults over the wall, ending up near Jax, "Woah, not too close there! Prime seats are also dangerous!" Shadow looks over the arena, keeping tabs on who will go out on the rally field first and who the first volunteer might be. "Ah here comes our first rally volunteer, sort of on the small side ain't he folks? Heh. As our staff gets our volunteer in place, it appears that we will be starting with Fordzillaaaaaaaaa!" And of course the crowd that are fans of this particular beast of a truck all cheer. He clicks his radio back, "Got it covered." The other Autobots - disguised or not, as the case may be - quickly disperse, Optimus moving to get himself as close to the floor as possible. Someone could easily take him for an enthusiastic fan, and, well, he's happy to let them think that... for now. But this whole aspect of making sport of death... suffice it to say, it sickens him. "This is Orion," he answers, one hand to his audial. "It's not bad - Andromedea? Dichron?" One by one, the others report in as well... their positions more towards where security might be. Optimus nods imperceptibly to each one, before gripping the railing and leaning forwards as much he can. They'll need timing for this. Magnum casually scans the crowd, trying not to look directly at Prime. As he notices Optimus right up on the railing, Magnum turns his optics back towards the action as he slowly maneuvers himself towards the rail as well. It's as sickening to Magnum as it is to Optimus that death itself has been made sport. It's vile to no end. Yet, Magnum brings himself to blend in as much as possible with the nearby cheering crowd, mimicking their cheering and waving. Magnum replies, "I'm ready for the event to start." Shadow watches as the truck does some warm ups around the arena to the cheers of the fans, "Looks like our volunteer is in place. It's time to see if our reigning champ still has the goods. First up will be the move I affectionately call 'Lover's Leap'." there's a cheer to that, "For those out there that are not familiar with this signature move, Fordzilla we start at one side of the arena and the timer will begin. He will have to get up enough speed to jump over our volunteer without touching him. Let's find out what sort of speed Fordzilla has planned eh?"
* ROAWRRRR* Goes the hidden Fordzilla, the gate trembling as the creature thuds against it. The assistant moves past Magnum towards the upper latch, climbing up above the gate nervously "Hate this part hate this part." another thud and he yelps, nearly toppling down into the gate itself, to the gasp of the audience. Shadow says, "All part of the show folks." "I think most of us are," 'Orion' answers wryly, gripping the railing tighter as he considers. Arguably, since the goal here isn't to crush the mech, this could be used to give them more time to get in place, and prepare... Can they risk that?... the answer is already given by the fact that the 'volunteer' seems to be struggling to get away. They're not a volunteer at all, are they. "I wonder," he muses casually over the radio, "how easy it'd be to knock 'Fordzilla' out of the air." Magnum picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Magnum rolls a 10! The gate crashes open, the assistant yelping as he holds on tightly. The HUGE monster truck roars out, wheels sending grit into the audience stands as it spins about before coming to a rest. It was HUGE - taller than Ultra Magnus was in his car mode, with the wheels alone at least fifteen feet tall. Its engine snarls as it starts to reverse slowly, turning to focus those headlights upon the ramp. Shadow says, "And here comes Fordzilla. He's going to be approaching the jump ramp. Looks like our volunteer might be chickening out at the last moment but we assure you he won't get away." Magnum is cognizant of the nearby staff member who went to open the gate. He can't risk even a code phrase to let 'Orion' know he's ready. Instead, Magnum joins the chanting crowd, "Jump! jump! jump!" Magnum of course has his optics on the 'show' and coolly calculates Prime's musing. He sees the 'volunteer' trying struggling as well. By Primus, he wants to get in there and help that poor Spark right now. But Magnum bides his time. "Could be possible, Orion. I'd give the contender 1:2 odds." "Not bad. I wonder if they've planned for something like that?" Prime's grip is tight enough to start damaging the railing, by now. Their weapons weren't checked... "Anyone care for a closer look at the volunteers?" he asks, again with casualness, but that's a code in itself; one of the other Autobots quickly offers, changing their route to investigate, and hopefully find where said volunteers are... 'stored'. None can be left behind. Honestly, Optimus wouldn't mind /nothing/ of this place being left behind. If it collapses... he wouldn't regret it in the least. But not with so many here... Ah. Fordzilla's getting ready, isn't he. "I guess we'll find out, won't we?" he drawls, shaking his head a bit as he finally releases his grip, reaching for something else. Another roar, and the truck charges one of the sides, slamming into the pit's side right below Magnum. He was big, and his engine put out huge amounts of heat as he puffed and growled, before turning to face the ramp again, revving up. Smoke plumed out of its' smokestacks as it rocked a few times, then spun out the tires, starting forwards, gaining speed over the uneven turf. "Probably so. Best to assume and prepare for the worst." Magnum replies, "I'll have to talk with you once we get back.” Magnum just leaves it at that, as he is in the same category as not minding leaving this place in rubble. Magnum looks down at Fordzilla, carefully taking in the details of the huge truck's topside, looking for vulnerabilities. Twin smokestacks are a possibility since Magnum can feel the heat emanating from them and the heat sinks. "Whew, runs kinda hot even with two smokestacks." Shadow says, "And here we go! Looks like the champ is in a speeding mood tonight! Such a magnificent specimen isn't he folks?" there are cheers from the audience, "He's got the speed and the ramp in his sights. I do believe our volunteer just voided his oil pan in disbelief." "Of course." There's some humor in Prime's voice, but it's a dark humor. Especially now since Fordzilla is in motion. Optimus reaches back for his weapon, ignoring the few surprised looks he gets from those around him. They're not important right now; what matters is his self-imposed mission. To stop this. The weapon is adjusted to stun, and set at maximum power; he doesn't want to kill, but he /does/ want to cause enough of a hit to reduce the danger of the 'volunteer' being crushed as much as he can. Fordzilla's own safety was forfeit the moment he agreed to perform this task. Whether or not he /knew/ the fullest of what was going on is besides the point... here, now, Optimus Prime will do as he must, to preserve innocent life. He can do no less. He waits, weapon pointed down, waits for Fordzilla to hit the ramp, and then the air - and /then/ he raises his blaster, 'leading' his target for a few seconds before firing. If that's not enough of a signal for the other Autobots to get to work - whether it be stopping security from targeting him in turn, or assisting with the jailbait, or helping stop /this/ particular show - then there's no other one that they'll understand. Optimus Prime picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Optimus Prime rolls a 9! Discordia picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Discordia rolls a 20! As if on cue, Magnum levels his weapon at Fordzilla. Unfortunately, Magnum only has his cannon in terms of weapon systems, causing the crowd around Magnum to instantly disperse. It's not like ANY mech to carry around such heavy firepower. "It's time to stop this madness." With a determined look, Magnum also takes a shot towards Fordzilla in an effort to protect the 'volunteer'. Magnum picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Magnum rolls a 1! Discordia picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Discordia rolls a 19! Discordia picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Discordia rolls a 14! Shadow jumps out of his seat, "What in the name of the unmaker! Security!" he says that into his radio, "Sector grid Beta 6 Row 1. We got ourselves a rebel!" He leans over to speak into the announcing microphone. "Calm mechs and femmes. Please be calm! We will rectify the situation momentarily!" Then another shot zings toward Fordzilla, "Add Sector Zeta 4 Row 1 to that call out!" he yells over his radio. There's a gasp as the twin firings zip through the air, missing the huge truck by inches. He gains some air time, before crashing down on the other side of the ramp, rolling back down and past the cars now - a safe journey for the volunteer. But now the truck was MAD and growled, turning around to charge the wall where the most recent blast had come - slamming into it hard just below Magnum once more, causing the entire stadium to shake. Blast, but-thankfully, it wasn't required. That said, it's time to /move/. As the various Autobots still in the stands make to cripple security - and by cripple we mean 'obstruct, get in their way, otherwise delay them in getting to their targets' - Optimus raises a hand as he gets a report on the radio. One of theirs has been found. He orders the continued search for prisoners as he sees Fordzilla slam into the wall, shaking the stadium and his balance, -and he leans a bit too much over the wall, trying to catch himself- -and- -falls. To his credit, he catches himself in a roll, but being in the middle of a stadium with an angry giant truck is not necessarily how this plan was originally structured. Magnum grips the railing hard as the stadium shakes, keeping his balance. "So, you want a show? I will GIVE you a show! Let your prisoners free!" Magnum exclaims. Though he is shouting, Magnum probably can't be heard over the commotion that's been caused by both weapons fire and now a very angry Fordzilla. "Pick on someone who isn't helpless!" Magnum exclaims while JUMPING over the rail and attempting to land on the beast's head, firing at a smokestack while airborne. Magnum picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Magnum rolls a 4! Discordia picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Discordia rolls a 10! The huge truck pauses as Magnum lands on top of him. He stops, as though shocked at what just happened. "ROWOOOR!" With shocking suddenness he turns, starting to do a lap around the stadium - bouncing and bucking the entire way as sparks belch out of his smokestacks, coming up towards Optimus Prime ahead. Suddenly the wheels lock, the truck sliding sideways towards the Leader. Shadow chuckles, "Uh oh, looks like our two shooters are going to get a lesson in pain from Fordzilla!" He listens to the radio traffic and hisses into his radio, "You are all so fired after this is over!" then back to the microphone, "Oh ho a interesting turn of events! One of the shooters is trying to ride Fordzilla! And there's another volunteer on the field! Hey how about we let loose a few more of our contenders in tonight's rally? What do you say audience!" Getting to his feet, Optimus checks his gun for damage before catching sight of Magnum on Fordzilla. That... probably wasn't in the plan either, but plans adapt. He raises his weapon and targets Fordzilla, then hesitates for a moment- -/more/ contenders? Frag. "Let's hurry this up," he radios. "'Jax' - take him down any way you can. I'm not going to risk hitting you, not when we've got more incoming." Instead, he turns back to the stands, prepping his vocalizer to its max setting before roaring out an order - to everyone. "EVERYBODY -OUT-!" Sure, things are already loud with the chaos - but there's nothing wrong with adding the Voice Of Authority, now, is there? (Especially not when it's followed by a shot to the arena wall from whence he fell. This time - not on stun setting. Rubble is his /intent/ - they'll need an escape route.) Magnum manages to land on top of Fordzilla. Of course, that was Magnum's desired effect. Magnum gets down low to both minimize his target area and stabilize himself as Fordzilla attempts to buck him off. Magnum feels one of the smokestacks with the back of his palm - Woah. Too hot to attempt at bending closed. "Smokestacks are too hot to grip! Orion, do not hesitate! FIRE!" Magnum's shot is sure, aiming right down one of Fordzilla's smokestacks. Magnum picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Magnum rolls a 2!
* BLAM* It goes down as a blast of smoke goes up, scattering the laser light and only serving to severe the smokestack. Fordzilla roars again, spinning about on the spot to try and fling Magnum off, before focusing on prime. Then the entire cab lifts up, exposing a huge row of teeth that try to snap at Prime! Optimus Prime picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Optimus Prime rolls a 12! Shadow calls for the release of the other contenders over the radio. The crowd begins to chant, "Carnage! Carnage!" With a chuckle, "Oh did I hear someone calling for Carnage the Car Eater? Did I?" Discordia picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Discordia rolls a 20! Optimus Prime picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Optimus Prime rolls a 10! Discordia picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Discordia rolls a 19! Magnum picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Magnum rolls a 2! Discordia picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 < Fordzilla bounces!-10> Discordia rolls a 8! Turning back around, Optimus Prime has just enough time to catch sight of the gaping maw before it snaps down on his arm. He roars in pain, armor ripping despite the highest of qualities... but not completely. The limb isn't disabled - it's just damaged. On the bright side, at least it's a lot easier to hit /when his gun is already in the mouth/. He takes full advantage of this, holding down the trigger while trying to force the teeth off him. With a bellow of pain, Fordzilla drops Prime on his aft, starting to back up. This causes him to avoid bucking off Magnum. He roars again and starts forwards, intending to simply ROLL OVER Prime. Meanwhile, a high pitched scream announces the arrival of Carnage as the smaller, but faster Monster Truck speeds into the ring so fast he hits the ramp and goes FLYING Across, into the far side. He bounces there, reversing before turning to focus on what Fordzilla was doing. With a bellow of pain, Fordzilla drops Prime on his aft, starting to back up. This causes him to avoid bucking off Magnum. He roars again and starts forwards, intending to simply ROLL OVER Prime. Meanwhile, a high pitched scream announces the arrival of Carnage as the smaller, but faster Monster Truck speeds into the ring so fast he hits the ramp and goes FLYING Across, into the far side. He bounces there, reversing before turning to focus on what Fordzilla was doing. Optimus Prime picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Optimus Prime rolls a 19! Discordia picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Discordia rolls a 15! Magnum gets rocked while holding onto Fordzilla, but manages to lean down and find something to grab hold of while continuing to ride on top of Fordzilla. Still, Magnum holds on and raises himself up in an attempt to cannon Fordzilla's other smokestack. Magnum figures if he can disable both, Fordzilla might overheat and shutdown. "One smokestack down.. hope this works." Magnum picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Magnum rolls a 14! Shadow says, "And here comes Carnage to join into the fray. Or will he. Fordzilla and him have been rivals for a long time folks so this could get very interesting!" Tearing himself free, Optimus keeps moving, making to get a bit of distance between him and Fordzilla. Carnage ends up flying /over/ him, but not distracting him; instead, Optimus turns and runs. Not quite away - but for the still-captive 'volunteer'. He kneels down, adjusts a setting, and fires his rifle at the boot holding him in place and in alt mode. They still have their mission to do, after all. Discordia picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Discordia rolls a 18!
* BLAM* The boot is off now! Carnage ends up face to face with an angry Fordzilla, who snarls back. Carnage backs up a few feet, the smaller of the two as Fordzilla bears down on him. But Carnage isn’t backing down easily either as they blast smoke up through their stacks. Again, that smoke sadly disperses the damage done by Magnus, the other smokestack searing off - though smoke continued to roll out of them easily. Shadow chuckles, "Aw yeah folks that's what I'm talking about!' then a pause, "Heh, you know what would be more fun? Let's see if our mech trucks play rough with each other and our volunteers when we bring out the siren of steel.. Amazon!" there's a few oooos at that one since it's the lone femme truck in the rally. "I don't think she can hear youuuu!" "If you can fight," Optimus Prime urgently tells the other, "find a weapon and help us. If you can't-" he turns, firing another shot towards where he hit the wall before, just to make sure there's rubble enough to climb, "-we'll cover your exit. /Go/!" Waiting just long enough to see their choice, Optimus then turns back towards Carnage and Fordzilla. And Magnum. Well, seeing as Carnage is an open target, and more than a variable... let's hope Optimus can disable him in one or two shots. Optimus Prime picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Optimus Prime rolls a 8! Magnum looks over at Optimus. "Orion, let's get these captives out of here, quick!" Magnum changes tactics to distract Fordzilla the best he can. Magnum continues to hold onto Fordzilla, shooting his cannon now into the holes that are Fordzilla's new exhaust vents. Magnum continues to look over the top of Fordzilla's head for any other possible vulnerability. Magnum picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Magnum rolls a 15! The mech scrambles, spinning his wheels as he bolts towards the door as fast as he can, disappearing down the way the trucks had come from. Then a scream. Before the blazing silver and white form of AMAZON launches out. Smaller and more delicate, her wheels were SPIKED and she snaps with sharp fangs, venomous looking for a new target it seems as it focuses on the two male trucks, who pause in their bickering. Discordia picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Discordia rolls a 4! Discordia picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Discordia rolls a 4! Meanwhile, a pale form appears perched on the railing, wielding two weapons - a slightly scraped up Crackshot, taking aim from above. Shadow chortles, "Oh such a sweet piece of steel isn't she? Get 'em girl!" He's watching the situation and hms softly, "Security to volunteer area, I have a bad feeling something's up." he radios to the security that isn't occupied by Prime's troops in the crowd. A solid hit on Carnage, but Optimus doesn't fire another - instead, he's agreeing with Magnum's estimate. "Think we can get them focusing on each other instead of us?" he calls back, starting towards the exit. He doesn't want to leave Magnum alone with these three beasts - but since they seem content to snarl at each other for the moment, they may as well take advantage of this without risking damage... Suddenly, another figure leaps onto Carnage - The assistant from before. He lands square in the bed of the truck, the creature shrieking in pain as he climbs up onto the top, starting to... talk to it? Soothe it? "Easy boy! Woah, hup there, back up!" he coaches, using a slight prodding stick with a tingling end to make the truck back up. Magnum feels a rumble starting inside Fordzilla. Magnum's optics open wide as only he is privy as to the danger that's near. Quickly, Magnum sends out the call. "EVERYONE! Get out of range of Fordzilla NOW!!" Hopefully, Magnum was quick enough to get the warning out so no Autobots get hurt. Magnum jumps off Fordzilla in an effort to get as far away as he can with that one jump. Magnum picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Magnum rolls a 11! The trucks as well seemed to realize what was going to happen, Carnage distracted by Prime and his handler, while Amazon hisses and rolls away and to one side as well... BOOM! BOOOM!* Ah. Well. That's a good enough distraction. Shifting to alt mode, Optimus rolls towards Magnum to ensure his continued functioning. Can't just leave him there-! Hopefully the other beasts will be distracted enough with Fordzilla's... accident... to not notice his movement. Although jumping, Magnum flies into the air due to the concussive force of Fordzilla's explosion. As with all aerial adventures - taking off is optional. Landing, is mandatory. With a THUD, Magnum lands the best he can on his two feet, crumpling to the ground. "Oof!" Placing a hand on the ground, Magnum raises himself up. Magnum's lucky - there's only dents in his armor from the fall and he's completely scorched by the explosive damage. Magnum walks - yes, walks- a little slower than normal towards Optimus as the Prime rolls towards him. "I look worse then I feel. Let's get these prisoners out of here." The prisoners it seems had made a break for it - even the one crushed by Amazon. The mech on top of Carnage was still talking to it, the truck having backed into a corner, growling softly. Amazon meanwhile, had somehow leapt into the stands, awkwardly trying to chase after the audience. The mech looks up and over at the Autobots, optics widening nervously. Optimus makes a 90-degree turn, coming to a halt before Magnum. "Right." For a moment, he seems to be regarding Carnage's handler - then turns again, heading towards where the vehicles first came from, and the prisoners are still stored. The mech can deal with the monster trucks himself. The Autobots have their job to finish. Amazon continued to bounce through the stands, having caught one or two. The majority of prisoners were freed, most bolting for it. Crackshot was there, holding a gun to the head of one of the guards. Magnum nods, and follows along. He noticeably lags behind Optimus Prime even more then he usually does. "Whew, I'll never hear the end of this from my mechanic." Magnum finally does catch up to where Optimus Prime and Crackshot are. "Do any of the prisoners require transportation? I would gladly offer use of my hold." Crackshot shakes his head, weapon still aimed "They're all mobile. A bit banged up but mobile." he notes, his voice somewhat tense, and tired sounding "I could use a ride. Ran out of gas, how I got caught." Magnum has disconnected. "Good work, Crackshot," Optimus says approvingly. "I'm glad we were in time. Magnum-help those who're in the same state as Crackshot." He rubs at the torn armor of his arm - it hurts, he'll certainly need it repaired, but for now... for now, he still functions well enough. "I'll cover the exit." Amazon started to roll through the stands, making her way around towards where the cages were, and the others. Crackshot stares "We'd better hurry fast then... " he notes, then looks at the guard "What about this guy?" Magnum begins his transformation with a click. Unfortunately, Magnum's transformation sequence is not as fast as he'd like it to be. Such is one of the disadvantages of having such a large size. Once transformed, Magnum's engine engages as he begins to hover. Magnum opens his cargo doors, revealing the large interior hold as he rotates himself around to load passengers. "Thank you, Orion. Let's load up and roll out." Optimus follows Crackshot's gaze towards Amazon, optics brightening slightly. Ah. "Agreed." A look towards the guard. Well, if they leave him knocked out, he might get eaten... Optimus's expression is grim as he makes his decision. "Leave him, but take his weapons. He can rely on his movement, or the handlers, to get things back under control here." Crackshot reaches forwards, taking the mechs' weapon. The mech protests, but with a gun to his head he could do little. Then Crackshot nods, turning and backing up before climbing into Magnum. The guard bolted. On the way out, Carnage rolls through quickly, causing some panic. But with the handler on top, he passes by swiftly, disappearing into the tunnels.
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