| abstract
| - New Memorial Spaceport This Spaceport is very much like the original spaceport, probably because the plans were copied nearly sketch for sketch from the old Memorial Spaceport. The spaceport's domed ceiling curves high overhead, reinforced with thick armor plating in case of an attack. Style has been sacrificed for security, including ominous AA batteries mounted in the dome's perimeter walls and both interior and exterior scanners. Four pairs of sliding doors are evenly spaced along the southern half of the room, leading to the launching pad for interstellar shuttles. A set of sliding doors leads out to a roadway that curves in two directions, to the west linking up with the Southern Iahex roadway and to the north towards Eastern Iahex and its industrial centers. Used as a means of transportation system between Iahex and Debris, the Railcar might or might not be resting there ... depending on the last trip. A control console to the left of the track can easily be used to recall it though. Unusual for the Debris work crew, they have been toiling away here in the New Memorial Spaceport ... as opposed to their usual setting of underground busy work. Their diligence and work ethic has payed off though, the base is for the most part complete. All that's left is to finish the railcar track from Debris to Iahex. Lifting a heavy beam onto his shoulder, Impactor groans as he walks another few paces and sets it right back down. "Jeez, ya think there'd be an easier way o' doin this?" he comments, spot welding the beam into place. The Wrecker leader gazes over the assorted Autobots gathered here, all from differing walks of 'life'. Not the usual Operations fanfare these things usually are. Powerglide stands a little bit aways from Impactor, watching him work with a bored look on his face. "You'd think, yeah?" He lifts his arms up into the air and stretches before clasping his hands behind his head. "Oh well. No pain, no gain. Am I right? Heheheh.." "Not only are ya right, but yer not werkin!" Impactor growls, shooting Powerglide a dirty look. From Exo-Armor Pegasus , Jayson Redfield isn't quite sure why he's here, as he's supposed to be offduty and enjoying the holidays with his family. Nonetheless, duty calls, and here he is, readily assisting his Autobot allies. At the moment, he has his armor set to hover above the scene as he observes. Eventually he descends to the floor and, taking his hands off the controls, cracks his knuckles. He then takes the controls again and goes about helping in any way he can. It's dangerous work for a human, but he's in his exo, so he's confident in his own safety. "Hey!" Powerglide exclaims, shrugging his shoulders. "Don't get mad at me because you're all frustrated with the hard work, okay? Talk about ruuude." Nitro is helping!... with some of the semi-heavy lifting. Lifting a quite smaller beam on his shoulder, Nitro glances over at Impactor. "Where do ya want this, Impactor?" He asks. Decibel is here for the grand unveiling mostly because the transport he was on swung by Cybertron to refuel before heading for Earth. Having wasted, in his mind, a good deal of time discovering nothing with the team sent to search for the missing Autobots he had hoped to get back to the information hub at Metroplex. Stuck on a lay over he's now come to witness the new base being finished, though he has a trio of datapads in his hands he seems busy looking over. Broadside isn't griping for once, in a cheerful mood for some reason. He makes quick work of the beams and sets them down in various piles along the pathway. "Aw don't blame him boss, he's a minibot, he don't have th' strength for real mechs' labor. Gimme some a' those bolts, will ya' Jase? The toolbox right there." Impactor points down at his feet, in line with the rest of the track that's coming along nicely. "Why don't ya spot weld that right 'ere Nitro?" he asks, his attention pulled from the lazy layabout Autobot known as Powerglide. How he picks up chicks is anyone's guess. "Yeah, guess yer right Broad. Heyo Jayson, didn't notice ya there. Give the boatmech a hand will ya? Who knows how long this gripe-free moment will last!" Picking up another beam, Mr. Purple-pants walks down a ways and sets it on the ground ... spot welding it a few seconds later. "Sure thing," Jayson emits from the armor. He heads over toward the toolbox and kneels down, then opens it. After a moment or two, he rises back up with the requested bolts, and approaches Broadside to give them to him. "Been here for a while," he tells Impactor as he does so. "Guess I'm hard to miss." This last comment is spoken goodnaturedly. Contrary to popular belief, Powerglide isn't really that lucky when it comes to girls. The only one who's ever called him back turned out to be a psychotic (but rich) bitch. That doesn't stop him from being an arrogant jerk though! "Ha! Whatever you say, Boat-butt!" Powerglide jeers at Broadside. "I can lift like four Grimlocks over my head if I felt like it. I just don't feel like it." "Thank yeh." Broadside mumbles to Jayson before turning to Powerglide, hefting a beam and sweeping it at the minibot's bouy-like head as he turns. "Don't call me that! I ain't a /BOAT/. Say where's your wife anyway? You still datin' her or...sommat..." From Exo-Armor Pegasus , Jayson Redfield bursts out laughing. "Your the 'bot," Nitro answers as he proceeds to spotweld his part on. He glances over at Powerglide ever so briefly. "I'll be sure to tell Grimlock that, Powerglide. Just so he could challenge you and you can show off your... as terrans put it, 'mad skills'." Powerglide looks shocked! Well, as shocked as he can look with a facemask. "She's not my wife! I mean, technically she is but..uh.." He points at Broadside. "Atleast I got someone crazy about me! What do you have? Hmmm!?" From Exo-Armor Pegasus , Jayson Redfield points out, "You mean you have a stalker." "Stalker, wife," Powerglide shrugs. "It's all the same." From Exo-Armor Pegasus , Jayson Redfield just snickers and gets back to work. Decibel ignores the idle banter going on around him as he reviews the latest report. Coming to its end he lower the pad and examines a bit of rail that had been put down earlier. Peering down at it he kneels and activates his wrist blaster cutting away a bit of messy solder that had been left on the weld to insure a smoother ride. Standing back up he moves aside again leaning against a support beam as he takes the second data device in hand. Broadside puffs his chest out proudly, "I'm da' favorite of da' Wreckers! Imp said so. Hah haaaah, stalker wife! Decibel would-juh' quit readin' yer' fanfiction and come over 'ere to do some heavy liftin'? Here hold this for a nano." The huge mech dumps a massive beam into Decibel's arms, or tries to. About halfway there, Impactor sighs as the Powerglide/Broadside verbal assault fest. At least one of them are being productive, well ... sorta. "Would you quite totin' that round Broad? I was delirious and on the brink of death, a state of panic. It was a lie, everyone knows such ... cept you." he states, trying to keep a straight face. Bending down, the Wrecker leader retrieves another pile of beams and carries them a ways from the stack. "Nitro, give me ah hand 'ere!" he shouts, dropping them on the ground with a *CLIK CLANK* noise. "Ahhh, shove it up your arse, AIRCRAFT-CARRIER-BUTT!" Powerglide says with a dismissive wave. Although emotionally wounded, Powerglide keeps his cool and arrogant demeanor and kinda shuffles around the area. He finds a small bolt on the ground and picks it up. This is technically helping, right? Decibel sighs and grabs ahold of the beam with one arm trying to balance as best he can until he slips the recorder away. "sorry Broadside, but I do have things that I need to keep aware of. This is Op's deal anyhow, why are we doing the work?" Shaking his head he cradles the support until it is ready to be fit into place. Whirl walks out from behind a stack of building materials, gaze going back and forth between a datapad he's holding in each hand. Half the optics means twice the looking. He's so intent on his 'research' that he walks right into Broadside, bouncing off of course and falling to the ground with a clatter of pads. From Exo-Armor Pegasus , Jayson Redfield snickers some more, then regains his composure. "As amusing as this is, Impactor's right. Knock it off, you two." He picks up a steel beam, just small enough for him to carry in his armor, which is probably physically weaker than the majority of the Autobots. Nitro nods and makes his way over to the pile of beams and grabs one, "'right, Imp." He hauls it to where he wield the previous beam. "I'm kinda wonderin' that myself. Not that I wouldn't want to help ya guys... but this isn't in my job description." Chromia walks onto the construction site, having just driven herself here and arrived moments ago. With calm, cool blue optics she survey's her surroundings. Being an expert in sabotage...aka finding vulnerable points in things and breaking them...she's moderately impressed with the construction so far. However, it isn't her job at the moment to worry about such things...in fact, she really doesn't have a job at the moment at all. Which is why she does what she does next. "Hey, who's in charge of this again? I'm here to give you guys a hand," she shouts, putting her hands on her hips. Broadside grunts at Powerglide but leaves it be. The poor plane obviously ain't getting enough love at home, alas. "Decibel... damn, what's the Earth expression... you want some cheese with that wine? Hahahaha!" Far too amused at himself, he almost doesn't notice that Whirl had clanked into him. "Watch it buddy, I ain't that hard to miss. Aight' - everyone who's got beams, line 'em up over here, on th' ground." Broadside gestures, "Impactor's in charge, doll." Exo-Armor Pegasus takes the beam over to where Broadside indicates and lines it up, as instructed. Nitro hrms and walks on over to the space broadside indicated and the line it up with Jayson's beam. Scattershot enters into the cvonstruction area, nodding to everyone "So......anybody need my help?" Like a vulture to a carcass, Powerglide zeroes in on the only woman in the vicinity. He sidles up to Chromia and grins devilishly (under his mask of course). "Heyyyyy! Fancy seeing you here! Nice place we got going on here, eh?" Whirl collects a few scattered datapads and brushes the rest under a nearby pallete with one foot. "Uh, yeah likewise! Whirl's the name, Wrecking's the gaaa--" He cuts off in mid-word and thinks about it, then tries again. "/Building's/ the game!" Looking up from a decent enough spot welding, "Oh, why don't ya maker yerself useful and grab some more beams, Chromia. Powerglide, why don't ya try barking up her tree on yer own time." Impactor gruffs. Gesturing to a pile of beams with one hand, the other still welding ... running astray towards Nitro's foot. "Hey, I'm helpin'!" Powerglide barks, holding up the bolt he found. "See? I'm collecting materials." From Exo-Armor Pegasus , Jayson Redfield quips, "Working hard, Powerglide, or hardly working?" Scattershot nods and begins to pick up a bunch of beams and begins carrying them to the building site. "Keep linin' it up. Over here, Scattershot sir, we're just makin' the tracks." Broadside can't help but chuckle at Jayson. "Whirl, do me a favor and go make sure the path is clear, shouldn't take ya' long... Uhhhh, watch it boss!" Chromia sees Powerglide too late. Cursing herself for not looking before opening her mouth, she simply glares at the Aerial Bot as he approaches. Picking up a long piece of scrap threaded rod that happened to be nearby, she circles Powerglide while drawing a circle in the dust on the ground around him. "While I'm here, you stay in this circle and keep your mouth shut," she says, dropping the rod after she finishes the circle before nodding once in Impactor's direction,"Alright! How many you need?" she asks. Walking over to the nearest supply of beams, she hefts one onto her shoulder with little effort, then a second next to it. Then, draping her arm over them to help keep them balanced, she heads towards Impactor while awaiting his reply. You know, things are running too smoothly, when Nitro pauses briefly as he reaches for yet another beam. "...is it just me, or do ya guys (and gal, hi there Chromia) smell somethin' burning?" He does not notice Impactot (perhaps intentionally) setting his foot ablaze... yet. "As many as yer petite frame can carry over!" Impactor shouts, still not paying attention to the spot welding job he's currently WRECKING! Decibel does what he does best and falls silent returning to his usual mode of operation where he simply listens. With actual workers seeming to be in short supply he hauls the rail over to an unfinished section and gets to work. Hand retracting his arc-welder snaps in place and the sparks start flying as he starts welding the beam into place. "Aw baby, c'mon!" Powerglide whines from inside the confines of his circle. "I swear I aint gunna try nothin' funny!" He huffs and crosses his arms as Chromia goes about her business. Well, atleast now he has an excuse for not working. Chromia arrives next to Impactor and deposits the first load of beams, noticing the butchered welding job,"Impactor...you're wrecking what you're trying to do," she points out bluntly,"A welding job like that is a weakness. A weakness a saboteur can exploit. I think you may want to fix it." "Yeah yeah..." Impactor sighs, finally looking down to notice his welding has run afoul onto Nitro's foot. The front half is welded to the ground now, and the Wrecker leader contemplates not informing him ... maybe he won't notice? Broadside trudges along and makes sure everything's lined up properly. Or rather, Decibel probably does. "This batch up here is ready to be welded," he confirms, and starts laying out the next batch. "Powerglide quit dickin' around, grab an arc welder or somethin'!" Powerglide reaches out to where the arc welder is sitting but he just can't reach from 30 yards away. "Aw shucks, Broads. I would but.." He gestures to the circle around him. "'fraid I can't leave this spot. Lady's orders." Exo-Armor Pegasus picks up another beam from the pile, suppressing another snicker at the amusing banter around him. He does, however, comment, "You are so whipped, 'Glide." Chromia looks towards Broadside, a malicious light in her optics,"An arc welder! Perfect! Ummm...would anyone mind if I welded Powerglide to something?" she asks, her tone suggesting this is a serious question. Heading towards the beams again, her head turns sharply towards Jayson's exo armor and grins,"As it should be. You boys need to learn your place," she says, smirking wryly. Nitro's optics flashes in momentarily confusion as his left foot seems to be momentarily stuck. "The slaggin' hell?!" He peers down... and sees his foot... is now a part of the Wreckers' new base. "IMPACTOR!!!" Nitro has all but snarled out, "Help me get my foot unwielded as this is YOUR FAULT!" Oh, yes... he has overheard Chromia. "Jayson, Jayson, Jayson," Powerglide laughs, shaking his head. "When you're older, you'll understand." From Exo-Armor Pegasus , Jayson Redfield snorts. "I'm not whipped like Powerglide is." He pauses. "What d'you mean, when I'm older? I'm freaking eighteen!" "My fault? Yer foot was in tha way!!" Impactor shouts back, trying his best to hide a grin. Broadside laughs, "That I would like to see, weld 'im to the ceilin', doll!" He tosses Chromia an arc welder and gives her a thumbs-up. Chromia, despite herself, turns a knowing smile to Powerglide,"Jayson hasn't found a girl he likes yet, has he?" she asks, catching the tossed welder deftly in one hand while leaning down to pick up another set of beams. "Naw. He's as gay as when gay came to gaytown and had did it when a gay man," Powerglide says nonchalantly. Scattershot smiles and laughs at Nitro "Well I see you have a problem now don't you?! "You can weld his mouth shut?" Impactor suggests, trying to change the subject. Broadside finally notices that Impactor has managed to weld someone to something already. "Wow boss." From Exo-Armor Pegasus , Jayson Redfield points out, "I'm not interested in girls. Shut it, 'Glide." Powerglide points and laughs at Impactor's shoddy welding job. "Hahahaheheh! You drunk or something? Haahha!" In response to Jayson, he just shrugs. "Yeaaah whateva!" "MY fOOT IS NOT THE sAME COLOR OF THE BEAMS!!!" Nitro cried out as he tries wiggling his foot. "I really wouldn't mind bein' a wrecker, but ya know... when Terrans say 'get ya foot in the door' I doubt this is the way ta go! GET MY FOOT OUT!" Chromia turns her attention back to Impactor as she begins to heft the beams over, surprisingly strong for her petite frame,"I would, but he doesn't have a mouth to weld," she says with a shrug, before laughing a bit at Jayson's comment,"Better be careful; you just keep walking into them, youngling," she says slightly teasingly. Impactor stands, his head cocked to the side in inspection. "Hrm, you wanna do this the hard way or tha easy way? We could just cut off yer foot, that's tha easy way. Or -you- could painstakingly seperate the foot from tha floor. Since it's yer fault and all." "Does everyone have to comment on my age?" Jayson mumbles as he sets up a beam. "Here lemme' pull 'em off!" Broadside rumbles helpfully, moving to stand over Nitro. Scattershot laughs at Nitro "Want me to find a welder to weld your mouth shut? You would look good being a part of the building!" Chromia decides to cut the young human some slack,"Hey, compared to us Jayson, every human on Earth is young," she says, somewhat soothingly as she deposits the next set of beams next to Impactor, ignoring the banter between him and Nitro. "And a lot of 'bots seem young to me, too...maybe that's why I can't stand some of them," she says, directing a meaningful nod towards Powerglide. Powerglide opens up his chest door (he totally has one, it's where he keeps his LED heart) and pulls out this months Hustler magazine. He flips through the pages until he reaches the centerfold which he (of course) pulls out and whistles at. He doesn't seem in hear Chromia's comment. Exo-Armor Pegasus waves a hand. "True, true," the pilot replies to Chromia. "Even so, I'm younger than most of my own comrades. Hard to find an EDC soldier my age." He grins, even though no one can see it. If it were at all possible for a Cybertronian, Nitro would be sweating bullets between Impactor's 'advice' and broadside LOOMING behind him. "The easy way," Nitro miserably whimpers. And he really didn't WANT to go Medbed for a while, too... Impactor shrugs, then the harpoon attachment snaps out of the forearm. "Okay, hold em still Broad." he cautions, leaning down on one knee. The shoulder mounted cannon humms to life, a bright pink light glowing from the barrel. "First I'll heat up yer foot, then cut it like so." he notes, making a slashing motion. Whirl busies himself by helping Chromia carry over beams. Despite his lean frame he has great strength as a robot, and his hands seem like they're practically made for such work. "So Impactor, I might have missed this part, but...how much longer until th new base is ready??" "Don't worry I can fix this! We won't have to cut it off, Primus boss!" Broadside insists, reaching with massive hands to grab at Nitro's middle and yank him from the tracks. Chromia notices the magazine and stalks over to Powerglide, activating the arc welder and bringing it up to the magazine,"Stay in your own species, slag brain," she mutters, reaching out and poking the 'bot in the chest,"Your conduct is disgraceful; if you acted a bit more your age, and less like a perverted old man, maybe some femme would actually take an interest in you. Ever think of that?" she says, emphasizing each point with a poke,"You show no respect to anything of the female gender, and one day you're going to wake up and realize you're all alone. And it's going to hurt." she finishes, before turning away in a huff to go pick up more beams,"Grow up yourself, Powerglide, before life forces you to." "This is tha last addition Whirl." Impactor replies, looking away from the foot. The shoulder cannon charges up to full, shooting forth a bright beam of low level plasma at the floor -around- Nitro's foot. With one quick motion, the Wrecker leader jams the harpoon inbetween the foot and the floor; snapping it up like flipping a pancake. "There we go, no need ta amputate!" he laughs, standing up. "Hey, quit playin' grab aft Broad. Get back ta werk!" Powerglide's intellectual pursuits are abruptly interrupted by pointy pokes to the chest. He opens his mouth to say something, anything, but the fusillade of harsh truths stops him. With no where to run (she told him not to leave the circle after all) he has no choice but to bear the onslaught. When Chromia finishes and leaves, Powerglide just stands there; shocked, confused, and a little upset. He looks up to Jayson. "God DAMN! She's so hot when she yells at me." "I'll never understand how straight guys think," Jayson comments. The good news? Broadside did grab Nitro and started to pull. The bad news? IMPACTOR did too good of a job, as even with Broadside's amazing strength, Nitro's... stuck. Then Impactor swings into action and his (thankfully) non-amputation technique got Nitro free... with a good small chunk of the base still attache to him. Oh well; better that than to be amputation. "Thanks, Imp. But I STILL blame ya, ya know." Before he heads over ta the pile to grab some more beams. Broadside downright sputters. "I ain't playin' no aft grab! What the slag!" Extremely flustered, he sulks off to finish up with the tracks, and can't even laugh at Powerglide being utterly chastised, nor at his sexist response. Nitro peers at Powerglide momentarily before shaking his head as he bends down to pick up a beam. Not even worth it. Chromia's optics flash briefly at Powerglide's comment, but she says nothing else. Truth be told, while she did find Powerglide irritating and annoying, he was still a comrade and fellow Autobot, and she was worried somewhat about his future. Hence the constant attempts to straighten him out when the two were in each other's vicinity. Picking up two more beams, she heads to the drop off point again, her good mood ruined somewhat...half by Powerglide, half by herself for worrying about her fellow 'bots so much. A planetary shuttle slowly comes down from the starry sky. The ports lock onto the shuttle as it lands and the main doors slide open into the hallway. A lone white figure carefully walks out of the shuttle and into the main domed spaceport. A cane bounces out in front of him, but only once a while with a half hearted effort. Oh man, who is that shady figure near the shuttle! It better be someone COOL if that's their entrance! Broadside rolls his shoulders and gazes down the rest of the pathway, "Alright gang, we're almost through here." With all the excitement of getting scolded gone, Powerglide is overcome with boredom. He opens up his chest compartment to see if there's anything else in there he can use to occupy his time but alas, nothing. Powerglide has no other choice but to start a conversation. "So...Jayson...how's it going?" "Eh," Jayson replies. "It's going. The Decepticons tried to steal Christmas earlier this week. Did you hear about that? It was...oddly epic." Impactor walks away from Nitro, grabbing the last bundle of beams for the tracks. "Ayight you slack jawed slackers, time ta put in tha last effert. We got only a couplea beams left ta lay down, let's slam it down and get back to base ... celebrate over a pitcher of energon, my treat." he shouts loudly for all to hear. Walking by Powerglide's 'circle', the Wrecker leader crosses out the crudely scrawled shape. "Yer free to move about, pullin' rank on tha lass. Just maker yerself handy, okay?" "No. No one tells me anything," Powerglide says dejectedly. His entire face lights up when Impactor frees him from his prison and he leaps from his spot like a gazelle. "FREEEEEDOM!" he shouts, fists raised high in the air. And then Impactor tells him he has to actually do stuff. "Uggghh...fiiiiiine." After that near TRAUMA (DAMN IMPACTOR DAMN YOU) Nitro glances over at Broadside... "We are?" Wow. The power of Cybertronians (and their closest allies) working together... amazing. He picks up one of the beams and hauls it on over. "Oh, well," Jayson says dryly, "the 'Cons tried to steal Christmas. There, now you know." He grins to himself and picks up another beam. Focus isn't sure how cool he is, but he might fit the bill. Focus glances towards the group building, or whatever it is they are doing, and walks towards them. He gives a small wave and just watches for now with hands behind his back. Broadside hauls beams. And more beams. Man, he's really good at this beam stuff. He hovers around, trying to supervise all the beaming. Beams are beamed and beamed into place. BEEEEEAMS! "Focus! You're just in time to not help with anything!" Chromia drops off the next set of beams. She pauses for a moment to listen to the announcement, sighs a bit when Powerglide is let loose again, but then turns to look around at what has been accomplished so far. Nodding once to herself, she chastises herself mentally for a moment for feeling satisfaction for something she has only played a small part in...but can't help but feel proud at the work the Autobots 'n friends have accomplished. Softly, she begins to hum a tune as she goes to get another set of beams; it's an old tune, one from even beyond her time...but she knows it well. It's peaceful, gentle, and somewhat dated. But it makes a nice work tune, at least in her mind. Beams, beams, and even more Beams! Nitro works in getting beams wielded into place before going for the next beam. As he does so, he overhears Chromia, and starts humming the tune to himself... after all, music makes the work go a little faster... Focus gives a shrug, "I was not aware I was to help you in your...." he pauses, as if looking around, "...construction." He gives a small bow, "My apologies. If there is something I can do to help now, I shall." He nods his head with the humming, thinking it's a very appropriate song. Impactor sets the last couple of beams down into place, giving them a quick once over with the arc welder. Satisfied with his work, the Wrecker leader spares a glance on down the line ... only one or two more spots requiring attention before they are good to go. "Ayight, time ta give it a once over bots. Call out any weak spots ya see!" Powerglide puts his hands on his hips and examines the amazing work he kinda sorta participated in. Kinda. "Looks good, man. We sure did a good job, right??" "I kid," Broadside replies to Focus, moving to walk along the length of the tracks. "Look for imperfections at least. None on this side, boss! Aw all you did was pick up a bolt, Powerglide!" "Hey! Every bit counts!" Powerglide snaps. Exo-Armor Pegasus backs off to examine their work. "Lookin' good," the pilot comments. "Whatever ya say, 'Glide, whatever you say." Nitro replies with a small smirk, before glancing over the railway. "Hrm. I don't see anythin' wrong. But maybe Focus can see somethin' we can't." Chromia glances around, still humming. Whereas before she simply appreciated the structure for what it was, now she looked at it with a predator's eye, after a moment, she stops humming,"There's a few points I'm concerned about; a well place demo charge there," she points at a cross section of beams,"would bring down about ten percent of the structure...it should be reinforced or at least be made inaccessable. Other than that...." she looks around more intently, before shrugging,"That's all I can seen from a sabotage point of view." Impactor shrugs, trying to shake off the 'saboteur' inspection Chromia just gave their work. If it works ... it works. They'd have to sneak into Iahex in the first place, I doubt a secret railcar track would be their primary concern. "Good. Now pile up in tha railcar! Next stop, DEBRIS!" he shouts, then moves for Railspike. Focus chuckles quietly to himself and walks over towards the structure. He can't see of course, but runs a hand over it picking up subtle vibrations which would give off any defects. "I am feeling small micro-fractures, but nothing that would be or could be exploited easily." He does a quick jump and lands into the rail car, hands neatly folded on his lap. Nitro walks towards the railcar... Chromia steps into the railcar, rubbing her shoulder a bit where the beams scratched her frame slightly. Heavy lifting work wasn't without its perils, after all. Still, this was mild compared to some of the dirt, grime, and scratches she'd endured...not to mention injuries...in the past. Autobot Railcar The inside of the railcar is very spacious, allowing for up to twenty passengers at maximum capacity. At the front of the car are Terran-sized comfy seats, around five. After those are the remainder of the seats, Cybertronian-sized and running all the way to the back of the vehicle. The front of the craft contains the systems to navigate between Debris and Iahex. Autobot Railcar shifts into motion, racing along the tunnels to Iahex, the outside blurring darkness and a smear of light. Catacombs Catacombs span out into winding halls, each path leading to a small enclave of sorts. Each of these enclaves appear to serve as storage for armor, weaponry, tools, and the errant miscellaneous doodad. A list of rules are posted, noting what can and can't be stored down here. Flickering yellow lamps line the pathways, connected by thick, coiling cables and are set at mid-height for easier maintenance. The quality of the gray-green metal used here is clearly subpar compared to the rooms above - the ground is rough, uneven, as are the walls, chiseled into shape by some unnamed machine that has left wedge-shaped divots here and there. The main hallway eventually opens up into a massive, dimly lit room which is set up as a railcar station. Used as a means of transportation system between Iahex and Debris, the Railcar might or might not be resting there ... depending on the last trip. A control console to the left of the track can easily be used to recall it though. Impactor exits from the craft, a slight wobble in his step. Seems that they didn't get all the bugs properly fixed on the first go round. But they made it in one piece, that's all that matters. "Ayight, follow me bots. Up to level two fer some refreshments!" the Wrecker leader shouts out, making a break for the doorway leading east. "Refreshments means booze, right?" Powerglide asks no one in particular. "None for you," replies no-one in particular (Chromia). Focus climbs out and says calmly, "I will just have some spiced enertea, thank you." "BOOZE!" Broadside shoves Powerglide aside (or rather, almost steps on him) and heads for the elevator. Thank Primus it's one that can actually fit him. Mess Hall The elevator deposits you in the second floor of Debris, the Mess Hall. While not needing to consume food, Cybertronians do require refueling and recharging ... as well as relaxation and recuperation from active duty. The Mess Hall is that place in Debris, the catchall room for lounge, bar, and social gathering. It's a long rectangular shaped abode, tables lining the far wall with a random assortment of table top games, magazines, and energon dispensers. Hung from the ceiling is a four sides LCD screened television set, constantly switching over the news reports from the universe, unless someone actually affixes the channel to something specific. Across the bottom is a tiny scrolling text box, which makes up-to-the-hour announcements about Autobot activities. Impactor enters the Mess Hall from the elevator, approaching the bar and standing behind it. "Okay, lemme have yer orders ... and keep it simple, I ain't no serv-droid!" he shouts out, shaking up an ener-martini. "Energon on The Rocks for me," announces Nitro. Chromia sits down at the bar, crossing her arms over her chest plate and leaning into it,"EnerBeer. Thunder mug it, Impactor...I haven't indulged in a long, long time," she says, smiling politely as she does. Exo-Armor Pegasus stands off to the side. Powerglide sits at the bar a seat away from Chromia (he's kind of scared of her now). "Surprise me!" Chromia looks over her shoulder at Jayson and waves him over,"Don't be shy; you're practically one of us, Jayson. No need to stand off in the corner...even if you can't drink what we can, you can still enjoy the comraderie. Focus smiles at Impactor. "As I did not help with the contruction, I shall pay for my own if that is ok with you. A simple warm spiced energon, mid grade." He feels his way over to a chair at the bar and sits into it while reaching into a hip compartment lined with various throwing blades. He pulls out a pair of energon chips and sets them carefully down on the bar. Broadside instantly heads for the television hub in the middle, pulling a giant beanbag chair out of subspace and collapsing on it. "FINALLY! Some ener-avgas, boss, thanks! Jase, do you like wrestling? Oi, Peej, go find the remote!" Impactor doles out a myriad of different drinks out on the bar, each one a unique little suprise for the bot who wanted it. Grabbing the steaming pot of enertea, the Wrecker leader pours a tiny cup and slides it in front of Focus. "Yer credits ain't good here ... at least not tonight!" he smiles, something very strange for the usual grumpy guss. "Sorry," Jayson emits. "I just have a lot on my mind." The Pegasus approaches the Autobots. "What!?" Powerglide yells at Broadside. "How am I supposed to know where it is? This is my first time in here!" Chromia sips daintly at her enerbeer for the moment...her massive, incredibly large enerbeer...something you wouldn't expect a femme to drink ordinarily. But then, after the initial sip, she smiles brightly all of a sudden and proceeds to lift the mug to her lips and drain it. Rapidly. With no hesitation. Powerglide watches Chromia in awe. Broadside grunts and looks around, "Well you probably lost it anyway... aha." He promptly flips the station to some Monucas pit fighting. Gulp. Gulp. Gulp. Gulp. Gone. "Ahhhh..." Chromia murmurs, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. Turning her attention to Jayson she smiles a bit,"I'm sure you do...but whatever's troubling you, you can drop it for a little while, right? Unless you want to talk about it," she says, almost slamming her large (now empty) thunder mug onto the bar while glancing at Impactor,"Another please. Don't worry, I'll pay for this one," she says with a slight wink,"I don't want to abuse your generousity." Focus nods slowly, "If you insist, I am not one to discourage generosity." He takes the small cup and sips at it, "Ah, very good, very soothing. Thank you." He swirls the glowing pink liquid and sniffs at it, to enjoy it and make it last. Impactor sets a dish of little energon goodies in the shape of beer nuts onto the counter. He's mesmerized by Chromia's amazing display of drinkability ... almost. "Nah, I'll gladly pay ta see that again." he comments, filling the glass with another go and putting back in front of the frat boy femme. Powerglide can't help but feel just a little intimidated by Chromia's drinking prowess. He takes up his drink with a scoff and moves to join Broadside in his television watching. "Yooo...what we lookin' at?" Exo-Armor Pegasus holds up its hands. "Nah, I'll just try to forget about it for right now." The young pilot glances around at the various Autobots. "To answer your earlier question, Broadside, no, not really. Wrestling's not my thing." Street fighting, on the other hand... Nitro watches Chromia gulp down her beer and smiles -- nothing nicer than to see a femme who likes Enerbeer. He sips at he Enerdrink... as he watches the goings on, intently. "Only the coolest sport ever invented! Mechs beatin' the slag outta' eachother!" Broadside tosses the remote to Powerglide and finally gets up to fetch his beverage. He notices Chromia's empty mug and gapes. "Daaaamn, doll." His gaze shifts to Focus' /tea/. "Tea? But... but we're celebratin'!" As if high grade is the only way to celebrate. "Is it any good?" Chromia laughs a bit at the looks she seems to be attracting from some,"Come on now. You don't wage a guerilla war against the Decepticreeps for millienia without developing a few bad habits...especially when you need to forget for awhile," she says, her voice growing distant for a moment...but then she smirks a bit, somewhat lopsidedly,"But the only thing is...the more you need to forget, the harder it is to hit the point where you -do- forget...so I've got a high tolerance for this stuff," she adds, raising her thunder mug after it's been filled again in thanks, before proceeding to down the second one...equally as fast, but nonetheless enjoyed. The elevator doors slides open with a soft swoosh and out comes a few more new occupants of Debris, amongst them is Blades who has missed out on the latter portions of the heavy lifting but somehow managed to attend the inaugral celebration of the newly constructed Wrecker base. The Protectobot surveys his surroundings with a satisfied smile that creeps across his face plate. "Eeeesh, this place looks a hell lot better now that all of its bells and whistles are working." He then looks around the rest of the room as he looks for more familiar faces. From Exo-Armor Pegasus , Jayson Redfield considers a moment, then approaches Impactor. "Hey, you don't happen to have anything consumable for humans here, do ya?" Focus turns in the chair to face Broadside and company, cup in hand. "In any celebration, it is not the drink but the drinker that makes it a party." He looks down at the cup and lifts it up to his nose before taking another sip. "But to answer your question, yes. It is most refreshing, though not as potent as your drinks." "Well if it isn't our Whirl replacement!" Broadside greets Blades, then turns back to Focus. "Hhhrrrmmm," he rumbles, setting his refridgerator-sized mug on the counter. "Boss, can I get some of that tea?" "Course I do!" Impactor smiles, reaching behind the bar and into the mini-fridge to grab out a jug of Skim Milk! Pouring Jayson a tiny glass, the Wrecker leader slides it in front of his 'customer'. "Drink up, someone told me it did a body good!" Looking to Broadside, his happy expression is soon gone. "Ya know Broad, these mechs are -our- guests ... why don't ya get it yer flamin' self?" The cockpit of the Pegasus opens up, and Jayson grabs the glass. "Merci, mon ami!" Focus is having fun just watching the wreckers talk smack to each other. He sips his enertea and finds his cup is empty. Focus shrugs and sets the cup down on the bar. "And as hosts, you are doing quite well." It almost makes him want to wear the autobot emblem again. But for that he needs to talk to Rodimus again. Nitro waves cheerfully at Blades then listens to Chromia and Focus. "Hrm." He too glances ever so briefly at Focus' Enertea. "As long as they're happy people doing happy people stuff, then it's a party." Raising the glass to Focus and Chromia, Nitro downs his drink, before looking at Impactor, "Hey, Imp. Can I have a bit of that Enertea thing?" Blades smirks with amusement, "Eeesh, maybe only temporarily. Feigning insanity ain't a part ol' my job description." The Protectobot aerial warrior heads on over to where the rest of the Autobots are gathered and joins the crowd, "I'll be dipped, this place looks amazing. First day operational and you guys already have the 'necessities' in stock, eh." Nodding in approval, the Protectobot takes a seat in front of the bar, "This place just might become my new favourite hang out on Cybertron." Broadside doesn't recall being 'flaming'. He scoffs and reaches over the bar, and with some effort, gleans some enertea, some for Nitro as well. "Here ya' go," the big Wrecker offers Nitro a rather sizable glass. "Hahaha! Aw Whirl ain't insane..." "Man," Jayson remarks, "when I get back to Earth, I might just find myself a bottle of wine. I don't care if I'm underage in the States--I need that stuff." Chromia places her once again empty thunder mug down on the bar, smiling lightly as a slight buzz overtakes her...nothing remotely major; just enough to relax. She remains silent, thinking of comrades living and lost...focusing on the pleasant memories, content to listen to everyone around her while doing so for the moment. She suddenly feels the weight of years through her memories, feeling very old and tired. These things she does not express, and does not allow her body language to signal them. She remains in a relaxed position, smile fixed on her face. Impactor points to Broadside, "Ask the maid-bot!" Broadside slaps a hand on the counter, "I ain't no maid-bot!" Blades returns a nod in greetings to Nitro before inspecting the current available selections that the bar provides. Nitro barks out a laugh at the maidbot comment, even as Broadside gives him his drink. He nods at Blades with his comment; "Yeah, this seems that this is goin' ta be the happenin' place ta be on Cybertron soon enough," he notes. Broadside sips at his tea, and suddenly feels as if he should be wearing a tophat and monocle. "Let's just hope the Dinobots don't blow it up again," he chuffs. Blades reaches over the bar table himself and grabs the nearest processable selection within reach, helping himself, and takes a quick swig before replying to Nitro, "Eeeesh yeah, it's too bad us Protectobots are largely stationed on Earth. Don't mind the mud ball, but a damn shame I won't be able to use this place much." The Protectobot raises an optical ridge at Broadside before commenting, "Eh, I thought the Wreckers' had this place built tough. You guys telling me it ain't built Dinobot tough, ya?" Broadside's visor stretches, "No no no, it's tough! Dinobot tough! Should withstand some hardcore beatin'!" He emphasizes by mashing a fist in a palm, and ends up crushing his mug. "Hn. Maybe that Hot Spot a' yers could help ya'll build somethin'." He now waits to see if Chromia can truly hold her energon, waiting for her to pass right out. Chromia doesn't pass out. She does, however, stay silent for the time being. Focus nods, "That would be disappointing. It is a nice base of operations." Focus stands and walks over to an empty chair, closer to the TV. He feels around to make sure it is an empty chair and sits down, "What is this again? Ah, combat arts." He smiles and then tilts his head, "The one of the left is going to loose." With his martial arts knowledge and intuitive skills might just make him right. Nitro shrugs as he sips at his tea... oddly, enough after that his sip, he's feeling...mildly...well...british, for the lack of a better word. "They probably built to be Dinobot tough for the destruction of the old base," he shrugs, "As it stands, I think the Dinos could exist in here not have the place bein' burned down 2 hours later." Broadside nods at Nitro and turns to watch the pit fighting. "...Huh? How can you tell, Focus? You can't even see the screen." Sure enough, the pit fighter on the left loses horribly, getting his entire spinal column ripped from him. Blades downs another gulp of whatever it is that he just grabbed. Hopefully it's not a cleaning solvent. If it is, don't tell Blades that. Ignorance is bliss and energy poisoning is the stuff for sissies, right? "Eh, Hot Spot has us moving all the time on Earth. I doubt we'd ever find time to put up anything fancy like a Protecto-fort of our own, eh." Looking over to Nitro, Blades jests, "Although the smart thing would be having them Dinobots think that the Decepticon outposts are their new hang out, ya. If they can bring down our stuff in two hours flat, imagine how well they gonna be doing when they're all revved up in hostile territory. Haven't seen those Dinos for a while though." "Well, Grimlock is, eh. Gone," Nitro sighs, "He's not dead, though. He just went... well, where ever the slaggin' hell Ultra Magnus went after that artifact blew up on us." Chromia returns from her memories and stretches, before standing up and moving away from the bar,"Thanks for the drinks, Impactor," she says, before addressing the rest,"It was good working with you...even though I only helped out a little bit. It was nice to -build- something, rather than blow something up...take care," she says smiling lightly before turning towards the exit and walking out. Focus nods slowly, "No, I cannot see the light, but I can hear them and pick up the electromagnetic particle movements on the screen. It is not the same, but it gives me a good enough picture." He gets another cup of tea from Impactor, he's such a nice wrecker, and sits back down. "Knowing most cybertronian martial art styles helps too." Exo-Armor Pegasus stands still, though the pilot's interest is piqued at the mention of the missing Autobots. "And wherever *they* are," he speaks up, "we'll probably find Miss Lassiter. She's gone missing, too." Color Broadside amazed. "Not bad," he compliments to Focus, then frowns behind his mask at the Pegasus. "I really hope so, Jase. Our techs are smart though, they'll figure it out. Goodnight, Chromia." From Exo-Armor Pegasus , Jayson Redfield nods, though Broadside can't see it. "I guess you're right. But still, I can't help but worry. Wherever they are, I just hope they're safe." "Yeah, we will," Nitro stands up, and downs his tea. "Well, I'm off. Goin' do a little drivin' around before I head back ta work. Ya guys take care, all right?" With that, Nitro starts to head on out. Blades turns around on his seat and faces towards the direction where the televised pit fight is, "Eeesh, I've been out of touch lately with the going ons, especially with this missing Autobot thing. I did see a bunch of scientists from Sci-Tech boarding a shuttle heading for that alien artifact site, ya." The Protectobot takes another swig, grimacing a bit at the aftertaste. It's probably don't taste so well after all, but whatever, he's going to stubbornly finish it nevertheless. "I think the egg heads are finally throwing the gloves down and giving it their all, eh." "Huuh huuh, egg heads," Broadside chuckles, always happy to make fun of the nerds. Ahh, but not when they're trying to save your time-traveling friends. "Well. Good." He finds himself suddenly fatigued, and gets up for an expansive stretch. "Ahhhhhllright, think I'ma' get me some recharge. Don't party too hard, y'hear," he says to no one in particular before heading for the barracks.
- Based an on a true story about two sisters who came out on top of a man's sport. The story is based on Erica and Courtney Enders, two sisters who get in to junior drag racing and make it all the way to the top. The two sisters fight a battle of fellow racers who are against having girls race with them therefore it pushes them harder to compete against their competition. Erica becomes stressed when her racing life becomes mixed with her social life and academic goals, and decided to quit racing, until she realizes racing is what she truly wants to do. Finally towards the end of their teen years the Enders sisters come out on top to win the NHRA Junior Dragster national title. They continue to race throughout high school and college, and still do so today. On July 1, 2012, Erica Enders became the first woman to win in the Pro Stock division of the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series by winning the O'Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 Nationals held at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, IL, defeating Greg Anderson in a live televised final on ESPN2.
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