| abstract
| - Main Lobby First Floor The Main Lobby has undergone a somewhat dramatic change. Scaffolding is erected everywhere, there's cranes loading equipment, and many of the lobby floor panels have been removed, exposing Metroplex's inner circuitry. Construction crews move through the area quickly, all busy performing their necessary tasks. Andi Lassiter smiles a hello to Foxfire, but then speaks into her phone. "Oh, sorry. I just wanted to let you know that Red Alert decided to let me stay here after all. I think when he saw how much food I have in the kitchen, he didn't want me to try and cram it all into his trunk." Foxfire starts wagging his tail, but politely remains quiet while Andi talks to whoever's on the other end of the phone line. He can hear her, at least. Quickswitch bristles, "...What is this human doing in here...?" Andi Lassiter frowns up at Quickswitch, but says nothing to him as she's on a phone call. Quickswitch says, "...On orders direct from Rodimus Prime, all, ALL, are denied access!" Quickswitch says, "...Until this traitor has been found and dealt with." Andi Lassiter covers the phone with her free hand and looks squarely up at Quickswitch. "Take it up with Nightbeat and Red Alert. It was their decision." Andi Lassiter puts her phone back to her ear. Andi Lassiter says, "Wait, did I hear you right? Constructicon? Which one?" Foxfire glares at Quickswitch. "I won't have you talking to Andi like that. She was granted access and there is no problem with it." Quickswitch folds his arms, "That's right, I'm a mere combat drone among hypocrites, without opinion. Which fool in Command lifted this restriction?" Defcon enters from the Repair Bay to the south. Defcon has arrived. Defcon saunters into the area, quickly scanning for trouble. Foxfire snarls quietly, but turns his attention back to Andi, slightly tensing. "Constructicon?" Andi Lassiter sighs, covering her phone again. "Quick, I'm sorry you're bitter about it, but really, it was Nightbeat and Red Alert's decision. Not to mention, this is a calculated risk I've taken before and will no doubt take again. If I really felt that my ability to contribute was less than the risk to my well-being, I'd have left already." Foxfire waves a dismissive paw. "Don't mind him, Andi. I think he's just afraid of humans." Andi Lassiter returns to her phone conversation. "Well, if he's being sociable, I'd say don't do anything to make him mad. Just be boring and he'll eventually just leave." Andi Lassiter says, "What? Oh hell no. Humans AREN'T pets." Foxfire stares at Andi. Defcon strides in from the medbay, fresh from a recent sparing session with the combat droid. You know all this lounging around and bomb searching can take a detrimental toll on a bounty hunter's physique. Stepping into the room, he notices some friction among the occupants. Quickswitch is looming massive with his arms folded over his chest, his fists now clench, "Only you would mistake honest dislike for /fear./" Quickswitch scoffs, "I don't like this at all. Not one bit." Foxfire snorts. "Then that's your problem." Defcon steps up. "What's the problem here?" he asserts some distraction to bring down the obvious tention. Foxfire glances over at Defcon. "Oh, the usual...Quickswitch is in his human-hating mood." Quickswitch's gaze directs to--hey, that's, WOW--Defcon. The displeased pinch of his mouth remains. The massive mech taps irritated fingers to the sides of his arms, "The Prime ordered Metroplex sealed to any further entrants--" he sighs heavy and brokenly from his vocalizer, lifting a chrome, oiled hand to rub at his forehead. His vocalizer issues, contemptuous and unsteady. The events that happened in here earlier evident by the blaster marks on the walls--his. And now they were letting them back in. They were allowing /them/ in their sad, misplaced sentiments which could further-- "--yet some idiot lifted this restriction foolishly, in order to allow this 'friend' in. No. Entrants." he enunciates, feeling the day's situation converge on him at once. "I would have expected better of them," Quick's vocalizer strangles with doubt and disbelief. Could it be, them..? Defcon's bright white optics blink once or twice, trying to take on the situation. While he does respect and usually follow orders from above the chain of command... ... ...this human does seem to be one of their 'friends' here on earth. "Whoa now, don't be so quick to jump to conclusions. You know what the humans say about when you assume... ..." Foxfire snarls dangerously at Quickswitch. "Be. *Quiet.* Andi is a friend, and I won't have you treat her like she's a problem. And Red Alert is not an idiot." Quickswitch receives a radio transmission from an unknown source, "Security in this place is a joke. Who watches the watchers? Red Alert spends his time worrying about /minibots/ while a Decepticon is running through his city. Things are going to go very bad, very quickly." Defcon nods in Foxfire's general direction. "That's our security director your talking about Quickswitch." The bounty hunter should know, he just downloaded CoC and relevant roster files following a slight mishap with Arcee earlier. "Someone that paranoid and observant wouldn't let someone into the base without the warranted regard." ...He is in the presence of Defcon, the legendary Bounty Hunter...It is one thing to have due respect for such a unit, but there are serious internal problems and the Autobot Security division is too busy focusing on the weak and even--the translucent blue panel of his chest flickers like mad--/opening/ security to the enemy--Yes. "Yes," the Six Changer hisses, "Yes, YES! Who watches the watchers?" he asks suddenly, agitated and correct and bordering on manic and-- "...They focus on the weak, a-allow and OPEN security risks..." the cold, distinctive vocalizer frays hysterical, "...make exception--when a Decepticon is running through this city!" Quickswitch issues icily, the massive mech's features growing distraught. Quickswitch sighs, running a chrome hand down the length of his fluid, agitated features. The green optics flare wide with realization, in silence. The clipped and cutting vocalizer emits another sigh-- "Hey, you've come back at quite a time, Defcon. Great to meet you, at any other time--" Quickswitch actually grins, tiredly and overwought, but no less friendly, "--we've got internal security issues as you can see." Defcon's mug shows a slight grin, stepping closer to Quickswitch and steadily letting his head rise to meet the slightly bigger Autobot in the eyes. His speach... ...frantic... ...and teetering on the edge of conspiracy theory... ...What is this bots major malfunction? "If your going to beat around the bush all day, I'd much rather you come right out and say it... ..." The hunter's fists clench and release, repeating this process a couple of times while their gazes are locked. Quickswitch fixes the bounty hunter with a quiet and steady expression in turn, one that doesn't quite sync up with the deformed behemoth's sudden change of pace, a cold flicker in the optics, an uncertainty that twinges deeper his circuits. This mech, this unit that was speaking to him, was right, whoever it was...but as usual, only /he/ had enough sense to see it for what it was. There was a rise of concern, of awe, of doubt, of unmitigated affront, of caution. His own fists worked and a point on his face trembled slightly--a tic--threatening to jump. The icy gaze continued-- "..Forgive me, Defcon," the soft and quiet voice from the vocalizer /completely/ at odds with it, "..It's very..complicated." Defcon holds their gaze steady, like a game of chicken. The first one to show a sign of weakness and vear off course loses. Only Quickswitch maybe at a disadvantage... ...This bounty hunter has spent millions of years tracking the scum of the universe, this isn't new ground for him. It's an old trick, and Defcon means to see this bluff out. "Yeah, I've gathered that much." Defcon huffs. "That doesn't mean you have to go around pointing the blame on others!" he adds with a pointed index finger at Quickswitch's chest. The pointed finger meets the flickering light of his processes, working in irratic blue strobe even as the massive Six Changer's expression--a tumult of anxious emotion just beneath the surface of his subtly tremoring tic, worsening to the rest of his form the longer it was held. Quickswitch himself had spent millions of years guarding the same such scum, though those games of chicken were infrequent and did not last long. ...The assault unit met and held the optics of the bounty hunter--but it did not have the benefit of eternal iron focus and thought. Thoughts came unbidden, opinions and a sudden flush of awe for the new guy as well as intense dislike eroded its own discipline. There was no quiet, not within Autobot City or within its own irratic mind. The contest was broken dramatically as the massive robotic form gave a shudder as the transforming cog within spasmed a tic of its own, and the form was abruptly lost, much faster than most other Cybertronians, into another form, a massive drill tank. Quickswitch rapidly transforms into a hulking drill tank. Defcon's smirk slowly faded from his rough exterior. The sudden break in eye contact and almost instaneous transformation of Quickswitch leaves some unease in the Autobot. Something strange about that one... ...when I looked into it's optics.... ...it was as if I wasn't just staring headlong against one... ...but many different personas wriggling... ...writhing... ...each trying to gain ultimate control over the other... ...this one warrants further study. The bounty hunter makes a mental note to also download all available data on Quickswitch as well, ... ... ... Defcon turns around and starts heading for the barracks. This confrontation has left him a little drained. He completely understands the objections brought forth, but tries to banish the thought from his neural processors. Whoever this traitor is, they sure are causing distrust within the ranks... ... ...and some bridges burn down... ...never to be reestablished again. Treads met the floor where feet once stood. Quickswitch cursed to termination his cog and the sudden show of weakness the damned thing caused. Still, the Sixchanger had to aknowledge Defcon's presence was as iron and dogged as he'd heard, and seeing it, in the metal, was impressive either way. He watches, in bitter shame, as the mech leaves.
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)