| abstract
| - 12/6/2012 05:08 PM One will find themselves in the long forgotten factories that were once abuzz with activity. As the war dragged on and on, activity here waned and eventually this place fell into disuse. That was eons ago. Eventually this place became even less than unused; It became forgotten. That is to say, forgotten by and large. Adventurous sparks have found their way here once in a while over the eons. Right this moment? It appears that this old factory is in one of those 'Adventurous sparks have found their way here' phases. Why? Not only has Sideswipe and others found their way here... it appears someone beat them here. Signs of activity and life are littered about. Discarded containers or energon and wrappers from energon treats are collected in small piles. Though that isn't the most obvious sign of life. A number of the factory floor's lights have been activated which cascade light onto the disused machinery and floor. The machinery in the main manufacturing floor is massive in scale, dwarfing the Transformers who make their way onto the floor. Sideswipe is in Robot mode and has been since descending the tunnels leading to this long forgotten factory. He holds a spotlight in a gauntlet and shines it around the lit floor of the factory. Crackshot has a light as well, as he glances this way and that, having been the most eager to investgiate this new mystery. "Hopefully its not Decepticons. Or Cultists. Or mechannibals." he remarks, following the Red One. "I dont see anyone at least, so maybe they stepped out." The white and blue former astronomer frowns "THIS is where they said the satellite is though?" Shark uses the headlamps on his feet to light his way, handy that those are there eh? He takes note of the signs of life and mutters, "I'm thinking empties." Though the factory floor is lit, it's certainly not fully illuminated as it was in this place's hayday. The lights that shine narrow beams of light from the ceiling to the floor are more akin to security lights or afterhours factory floor illumination. They are certainly not lights that would have remained on by themselves over the eons. Something or something turned them on. Sideswipe continues to sweep his spotlight around the vast room. Not every area is visible due to the massive machines. Sideswipe grunts in response to Crackshot, "Or hiding. Or hanging. Or behind the next door." he shrugs his shoulders with the grunt. He adds, "And we're just followin' what little leads I can find on this." The spotlight Swipe uses lands on a pile of energon treat wrappers, "Someone's been down here at least. Not a bad place to hole up. Bet there may be some meager raw materials down here..." "Well, logically if it crashed from the sky, the satellite should be on the surface." he looks up to try and find a hole in the ceiling that ti may have caused "Unless someone dragged it here. Where DID you get the leads? " crackshot asked, shining his light on Sideswipe. Shark chuckles at the question, "Really now, like you expect an answer." Crackshot says, "I'm a Scientist. I /always/ expect an answer, or a formula. ... well, I guess not relaly" "I think there were reports of a group of Civvies finding it?" Sideswipe says with a questioning tone. He shrugs his shoulders to indicate he doesn't care one way or another. The Frontline Soldier continues, "I heard something from someone who knows a guy who is friends with a mech who's dating this femme who overheard 'round a corner that someone dragged some debris into the tunnels we came through to get here." Sideswipe says all this while looking around at what his spotlight reveals. Swipe stops sweeping his light around when the beam centers on a small pile of broken machinery that looks out of place. The Soldier humphs. Crackshot rolls his optics "You wouldnt make a good scientist Swipe. ALWAYS double check your references." he states solemnly, his opticals scanning. Then an idea occurs and he pulls out his scanning visor, slipping it over his head 'Why didnt I think of this earlier? three hundred and sixty degree vision is perfect for searching! " Shark snorts softly at Crackshot's reply to his comment and smirks a bit at Sideswipe. "That was a convaluted tip if I ever heard one, but if it gets us what we are looking for it's all good." then a snicker at the visor, "Does that see through stuff then?" "No, but it reduces search time because I can see everywhere at once." remarks Crackshot "Well if i put it into infrared mode it could see heat through thin walls and the like. Sideswipe attaches his spotlight to his shoulder and moves over towards the pile of debris. He arches the ridge above one eye, "Why am I doin' this? I'm a Fighter. I don't even know what a satellite looks like..." he thrusts a hand down into the pile of debris that could, conceivably, be parts of an ancient satellite. He sifts the smaller parts, nuts and bolts, through his fingers. He grabs a small dish-looking device and twirls it around in his hand. "Because I'm a geek? " joked Crackshot, starting to scan the room "It will be about the size of one of us I imagine, otherwise it would have burned up. Possibly alien in how it looks..." he describes. Shark moves over to join Sideswipe in checking through the debris. "It may have already been broken down into composite parts by now, have to keep that in mind." this said to Mister Science. Crackshot nods "Very likely. Hopefully not though." finishing his quick scan, Crackshot looks through another pile, still hoping to find the intact satellite. Sideswipe continues to idlly twirl the dish in his hand and he stands back up from the pile of debris. He twists at the waist and thus points the beam of light in a forward arc. He nods to Shark, "Yeah, This is clearly an endeavor one does when they feel like wastin' time." He gestures with one edge of the dish towards a nearby wall. The light Swipe is directing towards the wall falls upon a grouping of machines, a Transformer-sized module or pod is actually leaning against a conveyer belt with a wench and gurney dangling up above it. Crackshot's scans are inconclusive He's picking up a lot of machinery but if Crackshot's scans are detailed enough to pick up space-bound particulate matter or pick up various cosmic radiations, Crackshot should be able to tell that pile they sifted through could be interesting. Or even the area around the pod and curney. Shark is being methodical about his search, making sure he doesn't miss anything that looks like it doesn't belong here. Crackshot hrms "I'm detecting gamma radiation... over there." he guestures to the pod and gurney "I think that we may find PARTS of it there if not the entire thing. Gamma radiation comes from stars - not usually found planetside. Shark looks up and follows the pointing of the scientist, "Well then let's check itout." Sideswipe scratches the side of his head with the dish he picked up from the pile that Shark is sifting through. Shark will not other, similar, disks. Parts that look like solar cells and solar energy collection panels are littered in that pile. Some flat or partially cratered sheets that have markings that could be writing. Looks like something Cybertronian at least, though maybe an ancient writ. Sideswipe heads over towards the pod that his light revealed and that Crackshot highlighted. Sideswipe comments with a smile on his face, "I can totally fit inside this thing. Tight fit, though." He gets to the opened pod and shines his light on the inside surfaces, "Huh." "Why would you want to? " asked Crackshot as he looked over the thing. Then he pulled out a tool. A radiation detector and started to run it over, the machine being more accurate than his visor. "What's inside?" Shark picks up the parts he found and puts them into his storage for safekeeping. "Maybe the smalles of us should go in?" The pod is irradiated with the same radiation Crackshot picked up, though Sideswipe doesn't know it. He's busy looking at the inside to care, "Hey, I've got a simple mind. That's the first thing I thought of when I saw it. Makes me wonder what this place manufacturered. 'bot-sized containers?" Or caskets. He gestures to the inside with a wave of his hand, "Lotsa scratches and some dents, looks like someone was countin' due to the way it's all lined up and same-like." Like hash marks, "This likes a pretty durable alloy, honestly. Don't think my rifle could punch through it." "I dont think there's a pointin climbing in. We can see it all. This definitely came from space though." he crouched and peered inside curiously at the lined marks "Someone was counting something? These dont look new... " Shark looks at the containers a moment and hrms, deciding against commenting upon what he thinks they may be. "Yeah, I guess? I dunno. What else could it be? Odd place for it you know? Why the heck on the inside of this thing?" Sideswipe steps away from the pod and rubs the side of his head with the dish he pulled out of the debris pile. He turns his head to look at the dish when he realizes what he is doing. He grunts humorlessly and tosses the dish up and over some nearby equipment. When it lands behind the equipment, it's not a metallic clang but more of a dull clattering. Ratchet approaches the group, just coming up, curious about what's going on. "Hey Guys? What have we got?" Shark offers a nod toward the medic, "Looking for that fallen satellite, the front liner got a tip that it got dragged down here. SO here we are looking for it." Sixshot comes in behind Ratchet, dodging the few low-hanging gantries. "Watch out for explosive barrels. The last two factories like this I was in, they were just set out all over the place." He walks past a large vat, its contents long dried around the edge. "They probably made them here." he grumbles. Crackshot peers up and over at Sixshot "... Who would do THAt?" he asked, then nodded at Shark "I think we found part of it, Ratchet. This is brimming with radiation. Dont worry, its harmless to us in these quantities." he remarks. "I wonder who was inside it?" Ratchet looks over at Sixshot "think they're still ready to explode?" Ratchet runs his scanners over teh radiation to see what he can find Shark looks toward Sixshot and huffs softly, "Haven't seen any barrels as of yet, but we'll keep a look out. I don't feel like being exploded this cycle." Sideswipe turns his head to regard Ratchet and Sixshot briefly. He nods stiffly in greeting before turning his attention back towards the machines around the pod that they discovered. Sideswipe turns a corner to go onto the otherside of one of the massive machines. He answers Crackshot, "Don't know. I'm bettin' whoever or whatever it was, was out of that contraption eons ago." Sideswipe steps around the machine and starts stepping into something wet. The other Mechs in the area will hear Sideswipe slip and stumble as well as let out an embarrassing yelp of surprise. Sideswipe finds himself prone on the ground in a pile of greasy, wet metallic debris in a dark corner beside the machines. He groans, "Ugh." Ratchet grins "I'd rather nothing explodes too. " He toakes a look at the machine next, head coming up when Sideswipe yelps in case something is seriously wrong. "You ok? " Crackshot blinks and looks up, straightening as he peers over at Sideswipe "Are you okay? " he calls over, standing away from the pod for now. "Did you slip?? Shark snorts at that question as he moves around the other side of the pod to take a good look at it. Seeing if there may be any markings on it, like writing or signs of scavenging... that sort of thing. Another snort as the question is repeated. "He's a big mech you two, not like he's the first to fall on his aft." Ratchet grins even wider "Hey, alien spacecraft..what if something from inside had attacked him?" He asks, clearly teasing "Aww slag it!" Sixshot cries, and points to a large crate. It is marked with a blast symbol, and within the symbol is the shape of a barrel. The crate has a large stenciling upon it that Sixshot's crest light illuminates. "DO NOT SHOOT" His shoulders slump, and he just shakes his head, then is distracted by Sideswipe's yelp. Crackshot peers over then at Sixshot, and sighs "you REALLYWant to shoot stuff that badly? " he asked of the neutral, a little bit warily. Then he nods to Ratchet "Its possible... you never know. it may hold an ORGANIC." Sideswipe grumbles and spits, "Gah. Slipped on some oil or somethin'. Really slick over here. Don't come too close. Oil slick or old lubricant or..." He grabs his light and starts to shine it on himself, "Ugh.. I'm covered in it. Looks like lubricant and bits of energon?" He turns his head and shines the light on the debris he landed on. Sideswipe yelps again, "Holy Primus, what the heck... I found someone? Someones?" He pushes himself off the debris which, when the light lands on it fully, will reveal itself to be a pile of bodies. Dismembered and left to rot in this corner. The disk that Sideswipe tossed is sitting on top of the pile. Sideswipe tries to get back to his feet, but slips on the pooling lubricant that surrounds the pile. Sixshot shakes his head. "I don't want to shoot them, they're just /everywhere/! he says, going to look at whatever it is Sideswipe has discovered. It has to be better than this. Shark spots the bodies now as he rounds the other side, "Well... ain't that special." Ratchet scans the corner to see fi i can find anyone alive...regardless of what his optics tell him. Ratchet goes to the pile, hoping there is someone still in there to help Ratchet he does this uncaring of lubricant, energon or anythign else that might get splattered, bar the slip risk. Ratchet finding only dismembered parts after and with teh sensors coming up blank he does give up shortly thereafter, regretfully Crackshot frowns at this, shivering and looks up at the ceiling nervously "... I think whatever it was came out of this pod.' Ratchet will find no sign of life. Ratchet will have plenty of space to work, as Sideswipe eventually makes his way up to his feet and away from the pile of bodies. Ratchet will be able to tell that these bodies were recently living. No military technology are in their frames, so they are easily descernable as Civilian Mechs. Casual scanning will not be able to determine cause of death... though it can be assumed that it was violent. Sideswipe wipes lubricant and flecks of energon off of his frame, "Good thing my Brother isn't here. He'd be screaming in the high octaves right now. He always hated the splatter in the Arena." Ratchet nods "they were some bots loved ones though. Somebot's friends. " Ratchet continues to look for any sign of identification "We're goign to have to arrange for the parts to be brought back so they can be identified. " He turns to the capsule "if it came through here and did this much damage this fast and its still on the loose....." Shark crouches down and examines the bodies himself. He hmms softly, checking for signs of possible predation from local fauna or possible signs of murderous intent. "These might the bots that have been living down here. Question is who or what did this and why." Ratchet nods "they haven't been dead that long." he shakes his head, looking around "I wonder if any of their kin or friends are living around who got away?" Crackshot remarks to Ratchet "We should focus on what did it first, so we can stop it, and then worry about contacting kin." he starts to scan the room again with the geiger counter carefully, to try sand see if the creature may have radiation. Ratchet nods "yeah you're right. Lets find whoever or whatever it was " Sideswipe continues to wipe lubricants and mechafluid off of his body, "Yeah? You really wanna know what did that to those guys? Haven't seen that kinda carnage in some time. Pretty bru-" The lights on the ceiling of the massive manufacturing plant go out. The only light in the area are the various spotlights the mechs brought with them down into the factory, "-tal...." Sideswipe trails off, "Powers out...?" Off on a far corner of the factory floor there is the tell tale clattering of something heavy and metallic against the floor. Shark slowly stands and hushes everyone, "Listen for incoming." he murmers as he activates his sonar and radar as well as scanners to seek out any contacts out there that are alive and moving. Crackshot blinks at Shark, but falls silent, turning his lights out. But he leaves the geiger counter on, to keep an extra eye out. Sixshot pulls his weapons from subspace. "Finally, action." he growls. "Avoid that crate. I don't know if it's full or empty." Ratchet turns his light off, scanning for any signs of life with my medical scanners and unsubspacing the gun, stepping back towards the wall quietly Shark's sonar and radar turn up nothing, initially. The factory is too populated by heavy machinery to discern actual living contact from the massive machines dotting the floor of the complex. Sideswipe sweeps his light around, almost frantically. Sideswipe grunts, "Odds are the power's out. Primus knows this place is old. Maybe the plant finally lost the last bit of juice." A boisterous voice booms out from seemingly everywhere as the sound waves bounce off all the walls and surfaces of the factory floor. The voice is heavily accented and almost sounds regal or at least from a lost age, "No, that is not the problem." There is a loud metallic clanging on the opposite side of the factory floor as the first metal clanging. A third clang comes from yet another direction as metal collides with metal elsewhere on the floor. The accented voice continues to boom, "You are different than those. Substantial. Hmmm." Ratchet turns the way of the voice with a very quiet "I have a bad feeling about this." he turns the way of the third clang Crackshot pulls out his matched pistols, and turns his circlet back on to scan. He tilts his head, watching the geiger counter attentively, quietly adn calm. Shark turns around slowly, trying to determine where that voice is coming from. "Weapons at ready mechs." he states, "And watch where you aim, we don't want to set off anything explosive unless we absolutely gotta." Ratchet stays at ready as much as a medic can be, peering into the darkness. "Show yourself!" Sixshot waits quietly, his forearms tight against his upper arms, waiting for something to leap out. "I don't like games. This guy is getting on my nerves." he says. Crackshot nods "no he is not." he then raises his own voice "Were you the one who came in on the satellite?" Ratchet murmurs to Sixshot "and that is what he's counting on" Sideswipe pulls out his Photon Rifle and attaches his spotlight to the top of it. Once the light is on, Swipe holds the rifle at ready. He points the barrel, and the light, in various directions trying to spot the source of the accented voice. There is the tell tale sound of transformation coming from somewhere on the factory floor. The transformation sequence sounds slower than normal, with a grinding noise added to the familiar sound. There is a hum and buzzing as something revs up, like an engine spinning or spooling up. There is a shudder as machinery ahead of the group starts to shudder and shake. Crumbling can be heard and a massive machine starts to collapse down to the floor. Debris spreads out across the floor and also rains down from above. That same revving, spinning noise is heard a second time with more grinding of metal on metal. The voice does not reply to any of the other mechs. Crackshot lifts a hand to shield his head at that, hearing the machienry go to work "... Maybe we should just depart. " he remarks, trying infrared, and other settings on his visor. Ratchet steadies himself, expecting something to come at us. "yeah..that might be the best idea..." Ratchet doubts whatever will let them though Shark frowns as he hears that as he keeps his scanners going, "Cover each others backs, I don't want this thing sneaking up and getting one of us." he suggests. Ratchet says, "Lets move towards the exit..nice and calm like "" Crackshot says, "How can it sneak up when it makes this much noise??" Ratchet "who says there's just one?" Ratchet looks behind him, turning around to check the other direction, just in case. Shark gestures back the way they came, "One voice, one thing to worry about. Move out." Ratchet turns back and starts moving back the way we came, alerg Sideswipe keeps sweeping the rifle side to side and up and down, trying to spot the source of the voice and the amount of noise. As the machine goes crashing down in the distance and debris starts to rain down over the rest of the factory floor, Swipe raises an arm up to block debris from his head. Sideswipe comments, "We probably outnumber this guy, but we certainly have a disadvantage with this terrain. I am not keen to this scenerio." The grinding noise starts to fade as it sounds, due to the echos, that the noise is moving. Perhaps there's another door or cooridor on the otherside of the factory floor? It sounds as if the unknown individual or individuals retreated through a possible exit or cooridor.
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![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)