| abstract
| - Will copyright infringement spell 'doom' for the EDC? San Francisco Harbor Almost all that's left of the sprawling, cluttered hodgepodge of piers, warehouses, and ships that was the San Francisco Harbor is massive piles of pulverized rubble. Devastated by worse than the worst of earthquakes, it was the center of the colossal battle between the attacking Decepticon city-Transformer Trypticon, and San Francisco's defender, Metroplex, causing hundreds of millions of dollars in property damage. Hardly a building is left standing, except for the EDC complex on Alameda to the east, miraculously missed in the fighting. It was a beautiful morning over San Francisco bay. It was a heavy fog over the water, hiding the Golden Gate Bridge save for the very tops of the support towers. The sun was up, and a very unique effect happened in the form of a 'fog bow', muted yet colorful in the mists. On the river itself, anchored to the shoreline was an old wooden dinghy, with a lanky fisherman who seemed more attentive to catching Z's than fish. It was Reidan, with his hat pulled over his eyes, snoring happily as his fishing line trailed off into the water.
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* VROOOOM** Tank treads roar along what is left of what remains of San Francisco Harbor. Something about this scene seems familiar to the owner of the loud treaded wheels, as Dreadtread could not help but imagine that the Apocalypse that he is certain to come will carry much the same mood as his current surroundings. For the planet Earth this 'vision' of the future seemed to the Decepticon oddly like home. Far from reinforcements it didn't seem to bother Dreadtread one bit when his sensors picked up something a short ways off of the bay... <> he intones to himself--a robotic, crackling sound. All of a sudden the AS90 Braveheart came to a screeching halt. Reidan stirrs a little. Sure, San Fran was noisy but nothing like this. His free hand lifts the brim of his hat as he peers out, over the water and fog to see the huge vehicle coming to a halt "... Thar she blows." he mutters, sitting up now and starting to wind in the line. Wind wind wind wind... The human's head is centered within the mono-optic sensor within the AS90's cockpit, and suddenly it seems to dart toward Dreadtread and become as large as an elephant, as he magnifies the image. Brown eyes, boxy-nosed, orange-brown hair... Everything about the creature is ugly. <> the tankbot murmurs to himself, as he watches the eyes fix onto him. <> Another loud screeching sound fills the air, and suddenly the tank is flying toward the waters, hits a jump, and then flies through the air on its way to a crash landing within the bay
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* SPLASH** Eyes widening, Reidan grips the side of the boats as the sudden 'cannonball' of the tank causes his shi p to rock wildly "Woahhh, steady as she goes." he winds up faster, dropping the rod as he moves to the back and picks up a paddle, eyeing the stream of bubbles and foam where the tank had landed "I wish I remembered if I brought my radio."
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* Bubble-burp-bloop-bloop-pop** The sight and sound of foam and bubbles that had followed the AS90's dive into the bay gives way to silence and waters mostly still, with only the barest hint of residual motion from the earlier disturbance. If Reidan has a radio with him it is in this time that he would have likely found it. If he does not have a radio that is unfortunate.
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* WHOOSH** Rising from the waters, transformed into a much larger than average-sized Robot, Dreadtread's mono-eye shifts to the left, then to the right before finding its focus again upon the human being. One of the Decepticon's hands reaches forward, grabbing hold of the boat to keep it close... "Human... You realize that I could crush you in an instant!" booms the robotic voice in a matter of fact exclamation. Still paddling despite being held still, Reidans' eyes widen further "... Yes, I am very clearly aware of that. Its quite heavy on my mind." he responds to the Decepticon, the paddle still in both hands, gripped tightly until his knuckles were white "I suppose you want something then in return for my pitiful meaningless weak life?" "Your pitiful life..." Dreadtread repeats. Interesting, the human knows the truth of his existence. He is meaningless really, in the grand scheme of things. A tool of Fate... Apparently, Reidan also knows how this interaction is slated to work out between them. GOOD! "Correct! You will..." the Decepticon begins, only to trail off as he considers the fact that he hadn't exactly thought of any questions that might need asking. "...Hold on a moment," Dreadtread commands, obviously thinking. "With dear life." promises Reidan, gripping the paddle in demonstration. He watches a moment, then admits "I haven't had to scream in terror lately though so hopefully you wont ask for that - I hate giving a poor performance." he's also a smartass "No. I would not -ask- for that... If you are not screaming in terror because of my actions then there would be no satisfaction involved," Dreadtread replies, waving his tower shield briefly as if to dismiss the smartass remark that he had apparently taken seriously. "Now..." the Decepticon continues, still at a loss as far as what to ask for from Reidan. After a while he just gives in, deciding to do what he always did in training whenever he could not think of an 'answer'. "What should I ask you?" he wonders, mono-eye dimming slightly. Reidan runs a hand through his hair, ponderously, putting the paddle down "Hmm. A very good question. What do you need at this time? " he asks back, trying to help Dreadtread grows frustrated, rather quickly and suddenly knocks the side of the boat with his shield. "If I knew that I would not be asking you!" he shouts, lacking in emotion but making up for it in near-deafening volume. "...Fate has brought me here, and I do not know why. Perhaps you are suppose to tell -me- what it is that I need..." Then it hits him. Exo-Suits, EDC, humans and their fancy toys that mimic Cybertronian functioning. "These humans that masquerade as Cybertronians! How many of them are there?" There, that wasn't so hard..? With a SQUAWK, Reidan ends up in the drink. He sputters and comes up, treading water, hat now soaked, covering his eyes "Ye god in his high chair! The ones that what? " he pauses to think, grabbing onto his boat for support "A few hundred I think." "A few -hundred-!?" Dreadtread barks, and then jerks the boat closer to him--pulling Reidan along for the ride. "Perversions... Deplorable, dastardly, degenerates! How dare they... How -dare- they create so many of these imposter robots!?" Dreadtread is clearly not amused, though his tone remains robotic and for the most part void of emotion. Still, that likely doesn't help Reidan to think that he is in any less danger--what with all of the jerky body movements made by the towering Decepticon. "This...is an outrage..." Reidan grips on for dear life to the boat as he was pulled along, looking a little bit irritated "Hey now in all fairness, YOUR robot modes resemble US. But you could try suing them for copyright or patent infringement." he suggests. Dreadtread's optic flashes a bright-bright red, as his mood shifts to one of clearly visible anger. With a jerking of the boat, he lifts one end high into the air and bends his body forward to fix Reidan with his emotionless glare. "Us resemble -you-!? How dare you suggest such... Your words are insulting, HUMAN. I will not hesitate to kill you if you make another sleight against the Cybertronian race...lost as so many of us are. OUR history far exceeds your own. You resemble us in -every- way... From your squishy, organic bodies, in what small ways that they carry a likeness for our primary forms, to your pitiful low grade technology." After saying this, Dready lets go of the lifted section of the boat causing it to splash down heavily.
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* SPLOOOOSH** Reidan holds on tightly, then slips and splashes down once more, the boat nearby. HIs hat floats on its own, and with a puff he splooshes back up "... Sorry! Sorry. My apologies." he states quickly, now treading water carefully "Though in that regard, you really COULD try to sue the EDC for copying your form you know." Sue? Dreadtread is not familiar with this term... Is it some other way of saying 'destroy'? It intrigues him to say the least, even if it is being suggested by a human. Perhaps this was the reason that Fate brought him to this place to have a very unlikely conversation with an organic... "What do you mean 'sue'?" he asks simply. Reidan splashes a little "One moment please, let me get my hat." he strokes over to grab it and put it back on his head, paddling back to where he was "Its a legal thing humans do... a lawyer can help. If one human steals an idea or technology from another who had it first, the creator can sue them for money or force them to stop using it." Dreadtread snorts disdainfully. "MONEY!?" he begins, finding the entire assumption that he might wish to gain some form of currency through his anti-EDC actions most loathsome. "...Ah, force them to stop using it, you say?" the Decepticon repeats, seeming to ponder on the possibility of having the human courts force the humans within the EDC to stop using their bastardized, lasercore-less Transformer clones. But wait... Dreadtread growls, the sound a crackling distorted one most unpleasant to human ears. "You said if one HUMAN steals an idea from another... I am not human, HUMAN!" Reidan ahs "well, its an example see. " he explains simply. "That's how it works with humans, and I /think/ it may work if you tried as well. Worth a shot right?" Dreadtread's red optic flashes a bit more brightly as the large Decepticon leans forward again, his optic nearly the size of the human's entire body as it seems to glare at him, studying the small biological lifeform intently before suddenly flashing again while it shifts into a more neutral green. "...Worth a shot... If you mean an attempt then yes, perhaps so...HUMAN..." As the Big Robot trails, he lets go of Reidan's boat altogether and then slowly begins to rise up out of the water, leaking heavy loads of H20 along the way. "If you have wasted my time I will destroy you," he offers ‘matter of factly’ as he appears to be taking his leave. Puffing a little bit, Reidan states "I'll keep that in mind! Take care! " He notes, as he starts towards shore now. Jayson Redfield darts into the harbor, having been alerted by the detection of a Decepticon. Why isn't he in his armor? Because something tells him he doesn't need it. Stopping at the shore, he spots Reidan. "Mr. Wesley!" Reidan blinks and looks over at Jayson. Somehow he kept a hold of his hat. "Mister Redfield! Impeccable timing! Throw me a line?" "Don't have one," says Jayson. "I'll just come get you myself." He dives into the water and swims toward Reidan. "What about a Preserver? I just don’t like raspberry!" calls back the cook, puffing as he paddled. He was a good swimmer, but he'd been there a while as he moves to get towards Jayson. Now in the water, and near Reidan, Jayson grabs hold of the chef. He grins. "Fancy meeting you here," he quips. "Indeed. Beats a long walk on the beach,” remarks Reidan as he puts an arm around Jaysons' shoulder, looking rather tired and feeling cold. "Homeward, James!" Jayson Redfield can't resist another quip. "I'm not James. I'm Jayson." With Reidan in tow, he swims toward the shore. "Yes, but JAyson is a bad name for a chauffer " remarks Reidan with a harsh chuckle as he finally feels sand beneath his shoes. Jayson Redfield laughs a bit. "True, true." Once he feels the ground beneath him, he starts wading through the water, pulling Reidan by the arm. "What happened to you out here, anyway?" "Ah. A decepticon decided he wanted to ask me some questions. He is now going to sue the EDC for copyright violation for the Exo-suits resembling transformers." explains Reidan casually, letting Jayson help him up, his long coat heavy and now full of pocketed water. Jayson Redfield bursts into laughter. "Really? I'd like to see him try!" "Well, copywrite, patent... something like that." Reidan notes dismissingly "Let him try. IT would keep him from breaking things."
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* VOOOOOOOOOSHHHHH-THUNK** Dreadtread falls from the skies above the ruins of San Francisco Harbor, landing with a loud thud upon a pile of debris consisting of a Dodge Taurus, and half of a flatbed. Looking out over the waters, the tankbot seems to be searching for any sign of life around the boat that he'd tipped over roughly a half an hour before. "It seems the squishy organic was not strong enough to survive... They really are frail creatures, aren't they, Fate? Why would you ever create something so puny...?" the Decepticon muses to himself before noticing a pair of ‘somethings’ moving around his feet... Jayson Redfield blinks. "Why would you want him to get headway?" And then Dreadtread comes back. "Oh hell!" "Because I told him t..." he pauses nad looks back and sighs "I hope he didn’t give up already." he grumbles, wringing his hat out, fluffing it and placing it on his head. "HUMAN..." Dreadtread addresses Reidan, bending over at the waist to look down at the pair of tiny little creatures. "You have...procreated," he adds, his mono-eye flashing briefly. "You organics and your strange methods of reproduction. This one -must- be from your line... It appears to be nearly as frail as you are." Shaking his head, the Decepticon snorts with disgust. "I have more questions!" Jayson Redfield just stares up at Dreadtread. "You have no idea how procreation works, do you?" Reidan blinks and stares, then notes "While I'm old enough to be his grandfather, no he is not one of mine. A lot of humans are very similar in design though including frailty. What other questions do you have?" Dreadtread stares at Jayson for several seconds, unable to come up with a response that paints him in a better light than a simple 'no', and as a result he jabs his large tower shield into the ground--causing it to shake. Still, he does not answer Jayson's question. "Similar in design, including frailty... Hah. All of this time and you have yet to improve upon your obvious design flaws? Fate is entirely too kind to your species..." The Decepticon stares at the pair for another moment or so before his mono-optic focuses intently upon Reidan with a sudden jerk-and-flash. "How do I sue? What components... What...devices, what...ah, materials are necessary?" "Well, we have been working on it. A programming flaw in our core systems though causes large amounts of stupid people to breed the most prolifically." explains Reidan similarly "Ah. Well, I am not a lawyer, however I do know that they are the BEST ones to ask about such things - they know all the laws in and out, and a lot of them, if they think they have a case, will not charge you up front. And yes, they do charge sadly, however that is where suing for MONEY comes in. The Lawyer can take the money and you get the order to disband the EDC's transforming suits" explains Reidan Jayson Redfield just stands back with his arms folded. Dreadtread stares at Reidan speechless for another moment or so as the human explains the flaw in the core systems of his fellow organics. "...Why not just destroy these inferior models at birth? The flaw would not be corrected, but perhaps the society as a whole would thrive..." A moment, and Dreadtread comes up with another idea. "Or, perhaps a wiser course of action would be to simply take all of your inferior models and use them as a labor force, granting you higher productivity as a species... You say there are more of them than there are superior models, correct? Fate appears to favor this course for your kind, and does nothing without reason...fickle as she may be." Mention of 'lawyers' draws a brief snort from the towering tankbot. "Lawyer..." he trails then, unsure of what that is. "Some kind of..." Again, he trails. Somebody should probably help out. "Because unfortunately it is difficult to tell which models will be inferior until they are twenty or so solar cycles old." explains Reidan "Another design flaw we're working on. And sadly they made laws against making stupid people work for a living. And a Lawyer is someone who knows about the Law. Usually humans but MAYBE a Decepticon would know as well." "You humans... Terribly inefficient species," Dreadtread states. "Destroying you all may very well end up being a service to the universe at large," he speaks, like a true Decepticon. "One who knows about the Law, you say... Swindle, I have heard may know something about this suing. Perhaps Americon as well... He is familiar with your America," explains the Decepticon, who is actually just talking to himself out loud by this point. Reidan nods at the Decepticon "That sounds like a good starting point." he smiles encouragingly and looks to Jayson "Don’t you agree?" Jayson Redfield just nods... Dreadtread, staring off into space seems to continue to contemplate his idea to sue the EDC for copyright infringement. This lasts for only a moment longer, and then with a sudden shifting the Decepticon transforms into his AS90 Braveheart alternate mode. It is then that the turret mount swivels around and aims directly at the pair of humans before him, and the ammunition feeder clicks and whirrs as it transitions between ammo types. <> It seems that now, Dreadtread has a bit of a dilemma. Reidan turns into a statue as he stares at the barrel now, focusing right on it "Well LEGALLY we can't say anything if you intend to try and sue the EDC. It’s one of those laws. The media can, but only after the Judge says they can. We're legally bound to not speak about it without consulting a lawyer first." he explains, voice kept calm, if strained. The Decepticon is eerily silent, as an internal battle rages within the automaton. Should he, or shouldn't he? They do know what he is planning to do, and how does he know that he can trust them to keep silent? Most of his logic circuits point to mowing the organics down being a 'good' idea--even if they are obligated by law to keep quiet like the more aged human said it would still be fun to open fire... Reidan is staring down a tank, while soaking wet with pockets full of Bay water. He waited nervously for the Decepticon to make up its' mind. Jayson Redfield is also soaking wet due to diving into the water to save Reidan. Yep. "Hey, now...if you kill us, you'll never know where the treasure is buried." Reidan blinks and looks at Jayson "Treasure?" The tank sits there still as a lake of ice, and after another span of time during which the Decepticon enters into internal debate he finally speaks. "You intend to bribe me with pointless currency, HUMAN?" At least he didn't just open fire, which just might mean the pair can keep him talking... James Bailey is driving an EDC jeep out, following up on some reports of strange activity in the Harbor. With EDC military forces stretched kind of thin, everyone's got to do their part in investigating possible Decepticon mischief. When he sees (and hears) the tank, James is silently glad that he did. Well, mostly glad. He stops the jeep quite a distance away and then walks the rest of the way towards the spectacle. Jayson Redfield shrugs at Reidan. "It worked for Bart Simpson..." Reidan nods "Good point." then he looks back at the Tank, not seeing James walking up this way "Well we have agreed that humans are stupid right?" Jayson Redfield, on the other hand, does see James, but isn't about to draw attention to him. <> booms the tank moded Dreadtread. <> Dready says in a moment of rather perceptive insight. The turret swivels back and forth between Jayson and Reidan, as if the Decepticon was in the middle of deciding which one of the pair he should shoot first. Jayson Redfield grins up at Dreadtread. "What, you don't watch TV? Bart Simpson's a fictional character on an old animated sitcom." Reidan shake his head "I have no need to mislead you. Jayson was merely trying to make a joke that's all, to relax things a little." he shifts his weight, to step on Jaysons' foot, hard. Jayson Redfield winces and glares at Reidan. He's just trying to distract Dreadtread from James! <> Dreadtread states, his robotic tone booming at full volume despite how close he is to the two humans within his gun-sights. <<...Joke? So, we have begun to 'joke'... That means this conversation is over...>> offers the Decepticon, finally preparing to open fire. Now might be a good time for James to do...well, SOMETHING. James Bailey finally arrives, coming up to stand next to Jayson. Not /too/ close to Jayson, who's known as something of a magnet for trouble. And enemy firepower. Oops, guess that's a perfect distraction gone to waste. Sorry Jayson! But James doesn't seem scared by the presence of the Decepticon, not this close to the EDC base. Just cautious. Ready to dive for cover. "You know where you are, right? You know how much firepower we can bring to bear here? Even - uh, sorry, don't recognize the profile--are you new? - Even a Decepticon should know better than to come around here looking for a fight." Reidan blinks at the gun and puts an arm around Jaysons' neck as James arrives "OH would you look at that." he gestures casually to behind the tank, before yanking jayson sideways and FORWARDS, hoping to get under the turning angle of that cannon. Jayson Redfield is indeed a magnet for trouble. It's part of being a teenager. He finds himself being grabbed and yanked down by Reidan, though he doesn't protest. He's not worried, though. He's gotten out of worse situations. Boy are THEY lucky... 'They’, being Jayson and Reidan. A single burst of weapons' fire does escape the turret upon the AS90--the twelve or so rounds littering the ground at their feet as the Decepticon's targetting array automatically begans to correct its aim, causing pockets of debris to spit upward into the air before stopping roughly a foot or so from the pair. James' words were interesting... What did the new human mean 'even a Decepticon should know better...'? Jayson and Reidan are ignored for the moment, which allows them to duck around to the tank's side as Dreadtread focuses his attention onto Bailey. <> Jayson Redfield silently assumes that Dreadtread isn't very bright. But that's probably a given. James Bailey does dive for cover now as the Decepticon's guns open up. Ducking behind a parked truck, he slaps a palm over his futuristic looking wristwatch. An instant later there's a massive explosive sound, followed by the whoosh. In the distance - in the direction of the EDC base at Alameda, in fact - a metallic object rises like a rocket on a plume of flame. It arcs it's way towards James and the other EDCers, gradually becoming visible - it's an Exo-Armor, flying on rockets towards the sight of the confrontation. Just before reaching the ground near the humans, retro-rockets fire and it slows until it just THUDs to a landing instead of crashing. Exo-Tank Hermes has arrived. Reidan watches James dodge and he nods in satisfaction. He nudges Jayson "I'll follow. Let's get to cover." he lifts up his hat and tosses it in the air - aiming to flip it to land over the tanks' viewport - would it blind the Decepticon? Probably not but... James Bailey runs for his tank, which somehow manages to avoid the shot (apparently in the future, these things practically pilot themselves). A hatch opens just in time for him to scamper inside, then seals up after him. A second later the vehicle reconfigures into it's simulated robot configuration. Jayson Redfield cheers from behind his cover. "Get 'im, James!" Reidan ducks down as well, prying Jaysons' fingers out of his arm "Those bruises will be VERY awkward to explain you know Jayson." he notes, watching now attentively. Jayson Redfield gives Reidan a sheepish grin. "Sorry." Hey, lookit that! Dreadtread didn't get hit by his own attack this time! It looks like Fate is on his side this time aro-... Well, there goes that thought, as several EDC reinforcements seem to pop up out of nowhere. How did they get here so quickly? These humans, they were craftier than he thought... How foolish of him to drop his guard! <> That said, Dreadtread's tank treads screech loudly and engulf his chassis in smoke and debris before catapulting him forward. The tank only makes it about a quarter mile before suddenly transforming to launch itself from the pier out over the water where it transforms in mid-air and antigravs begin carrying the Decepticon away from certain defeat... "... He said it like it was an insult.": remarks Reidan, finally standing up. Then he blinks "... And he took my hat." James Bailey 's tank coasts out along the pier but stops at the end, hovering noisily above the space where the pier meets the water. Once Dreadtread gets far enough away, it backs slowly off the way it came, then turns fully and returns to Reidan and Jayson. It settles down to the ground, emits various hisses and pings as it powers down to standby mode and then James climbs out again. "What the hell was that all about?" he says, pointing a thumb in the direction of Dreadtread's departing form. "I'll get you a new hat," Jayson tells Reidan. Then, to James: "The Decepticon wants to sue us for using Exo-suits, apparently." Reidan grumbles, "That hat was a present from the King of America." he notes unhappily. "Ah well. i didnt like him anyways." he nods. James Bailey gives Reidan a skeptical look, but doesn't comment. Instead he turns to Jayson. "Well, I guess it's a small step up from just shooting at us. And if he thinks our Exo's are touch, wait'll he gets a load of the EDC's lawyers."
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