| abstract
| - Highroad What once was a splendid and grand highway has been shelled and bombed almost to the point of non-recognition. It is so cracked, potholed, and littered with debris that traveling it requires a great deal of coordination and even more concentration, a dangerous distraction when an attack could occur at any moment. The powerful bombs that hit this road so long ago were meant to cut off access to and from the city directly to the south. The once glorious and admirable Highway system now lays in rubble and waste above, but the Autobots are hard at work under Cybertron's surface ... building something of grand design! Those in the know call it Project: Debris, the special *secret* base spearheaded by the Wrecker leader and numero dos of the Military division, IMPACTOR. The Wrecker is here, finishing some last minute drillings in the craggy room that will eventually be the Living Quarters of the base. <> he jests to the other Wrecker here, Roadbuster. Transforming, Impactor saunters back into the main room to check up on his teammate and any others that have come to give their assistance. He slurps noisily from a Transformer sized dixie cup, eyeing the room. Sandstorm is walking around looking at the room such as it were and looking for what he wants for his quarters. He sees Twin Twists sign proclaiming his space and grins then pauses and looks around. "Do we know where the elevator shaft'll be here or am I just not seein' it?" he aks no one in particular. "Gotta say," replies Roadbuster, "I didn't think this was gonna get of the ground." The big mech is finishing up a bit of a break he's taken from work on the Living Quarters. "But it's already lookin like a real place, right?" He rises from where he has been sitting on a massive stack of crates and heads back into the Living Quarters to pick up where he left off. "Et'll ne'er get OOF the ground, Roadbustah." Drawls a heavy accent from the entryway. His optics glittered brightly as Fanfare brought in an empty container to haul away more debris that wont be needed. "et'll get OONderground." Fanfare chuckles at his own silly, weak joke as he carefully sets the empty containers down. Impactor briskly walks towards the elevator and Fanfare, grabbing ahold of one empty box and striding back towards the Living Quarters room. "Bout time you showed up. Was beginnin' to think we'd have to make Storm o'er here drag all this stuff out piece by piece!" Stepping back into the room, the Wrecker leader starts filling the empty bin with bits and pieces of debris from the drilling and cut slabs needed elsewhere in the base. "Bustah, you got that floorin' ready to roll yet?" Roadbuster makes quite a sight as he kneels to press into place self-sealing squares of gun-metal grey tile. The stack he has been working from has dwindled to nearly nothing, thank Primus. "Yup," he says, "I got about 10 more a these top pieces ta lay and then we'll be set." Sandstorm realizes no ones going to answer his question and then sees where the elevator shaft is.. D'Oh... he looks at the wall behind him still trying to determine where he wants /his/ quarters when he hears Impactor's comments. He looks back. "Hey I dont care. I can do it and get it done faster then you think." he boasts and then suddenly points to a corner section. "Ok THERE is where I want my room!" he goes over and laser cuts his name at that spot and then heads back to where the building supplies and starts carrying some of it to the living quarter area. "Ah've arrived right when ah said ah would, Sir." States Fanfare, optics flickering a moment before returning to normal. He reaches over to pick up a giant shovel to help with the clean ups, having nothing else to do until they were full. He watches Sandstorm do this, chuckling softly with a smile as he heaves peices of metal into the nearest bin. "Yeah yeah, so you keep tellin' me Storm." Impactor yawns, filling the bin to the brim and toting it back into the main room. "If ya got the time Fanfare, we could use a hand settin' up the tables in this area. The instructions Fairway carefully wrote in large text are in the corner, complete with individual images for the energon tube insertion into the tables." the Wrecker leader spats out, thinking what an aft Fairway can be. His Wreckers have problems reading, not seeing. Dropping the full bin, Mr. Purple-pants grabs up another empty one and heads back into the Living Quarters area. "Ayight Bustah, looks good ta me. We got enough tile for individual rooms or is that on back order?" Whirl pokes his 'uniquely' featured head out from a shadowy side chamber. "Did I hear voices out here?" he muses, looking at the carving of Sandstorm's name. "Sandstorm? Sandstorm! Hey, we're gonna be neighboors!!" "Aye aye. Et depends ahn how fast we load thes up, but ah ken spare a few moments sure." agrees Fanfare readily, listening to the banter of the Wreckers, relaxing now in their presence as he hums "We need music." "I counted every tile in sixteen barrels," Roadbuster says, "If we aint got enough I'll eat a slagrat." He rises, glad to be done at last, and walks back into the main room to greet the others. "Sandstorm, Whirl," he says, "And Fanfare! Haven't got to meet you properly just yet, eh? Good to have everybody aboard." He claps his hands together. "I c'n help with those tables if you need." Sandstorm sets the box of floor tiles down near his 'quarters' and looks at Whirl. "Hey we will be!" he grins, "That rocks!" he heads back for another box of supplies. Along the way he sees Roadbuster and grins, "Hey there, how you doing?" he asks as he continues to work. Fanfare ehs? And looks up and over at Roadbuster, grinning widely as he pauses in his shovelling " A pleasure sir. Ah look forwards tae droppin ye in combat someday." he grins, offering a large plain metal hand to the mech. Slag came down to level two and growls as he is carrying things along his horns and back. "When Me slag volunteered for this, Me Slag thought smashing sceptycons would be involved. Me Slag no like this." He bellows as he stomps about, not sure where to go with the stuff. Impactor lets a little grin widen on his visage, before quickly reasserting the tough macho mech everyone knows and loathes. "Whirl, where ya been hidin'?" he asks the one eyed Wrecking machine, peering out of his hidey home away from home. "Uhh Slag, did ya think I meant Constructicons when I said we had Construction to be done?" Impactor laughs, pointing to a lone empty spot in the corner for the supplies. Whirl steps out of the side chamber, then pauses and reaches one hand back inside to pull shut a door. It's not even on hinges or rails, and he has to set it in place by hand. "The place is still a mess," he explains to Sandstorm. Then he walks over into the middle of the living quarters area. "Sorry boss, guess I got a little carried away with all the scoutin' and reconnoiterin' and all and I missed the last few trips down here. Well I make it, but only after everyone's already gone. I feel like I've been two steps behind the rest of the team for weeks now!" Roadbuster nods. "Ahh, I think I DO remember you!" He shakes Fanfare's hand hard. "It musta been a bit! And yer paintjob's a bit different, yeah?" He turns to Sandstorm and then. "Good as can be expected," he replies, "Pleased with the progress so far. An don't worry, Whirly. We got plenty for ya to do now!" Sandstorm nods to the comments his way and chuckle at Whirl, "Well youre here not. Thats all that counts." he says as he starts laying down some floor tile himself. Fanfare grins, clapping Roadbuster on the shoulder "Aye, a few aeons at least." he agrees "Between paint jobs roight now. Nae sure what to do fer the next one." he admits. "You said constructycons! Not constructions!" Slag bellows at Impactor angrilly and just drops the objects on his horns carelessly and just grunts as he bites the stuff slung along his sides and hurls it at the first dumped stuff. "K, Me Slag help you do this, then me Slag can smash sceptycons." "I said no such thing Slag, an I'll pull out tha log ta prove it!" Impactor replies harshly to Slag, wagging a stern finger at him. Some Autobots might be scared or intimidated by the monstrosities knows as the Dinobots, but not this Wrecker. He's had to deal with their type before ... hell, he was locked up guarding a prison with Quickswitch for millions of years. If that doesn't sharpen your steel nerves, nothing will. "Now stop slouchin' and help out. If ya do a good job, I'll see 'bout findin' a Con fer you to Wreck! How's that sound?" Turning towards Whirl, the Wrecker leader sighs. "Yes, well ... just don't make a habit of it eh?" Whirl just so happens to wander up to stand next to (but slightly behind) Impactor, in position to back him up. But his voice is cheerful as he adds his two energon chips. "C'mon Slag, your own Con to Wreck. And you know he's good for it..." "Current issue's these tables," Roadbuster says to Slag. He gestures toward one such table. "I'll take this edge if you wanna get the next." Roadbuster likes Slag. "You help us out, n' I'll go out to wreck some with you." Fanfare finishes shovelling as well, moving to help Roadbuster as he starts to unstack the tables as well, nodding in agreement as he moves to a table of his own "Nothing's changed et seems." he chuckles. Slag growls. "That what me Slag like about you Wreckers. You am better then whiny other autobots." Slag growls out as he moves to the edge of the table and begins to lift it with his horns, to help roadbuster move the table. Impactor shrugs and joins with the rest of them, grabbing a table of his own and hefting it into position. "Storm, wanna go grab us the tools from tha other room?" he inquires, moving towards a large crate. His hand withdraws, the harpoon attachment shoots out to replace the void in less than a second later. With the tip of the hook, Impactor jars loose the top of the crate and throws it to the ground. "Ayight, here's tha energon tubes ta be inserted in the middle 'o tha tables. Should be easy nuff." he gruffs, taking out one and approaching his table. Whirl scoots over to where the tables are going, his pincer-like hands twitching open and closed in anticipation. "That's it...that's it...keep 'em coming...that's it, keeeep 'em coming." He occasionally takes hold of a table edge and helps direct them into one of the waiting spaces. Roadbuster retrieves an energon tube himself, holding it delicately in one enormous hand. He looks over to Impactor to watch how his fellow Wrecker goes about the tube installation. "What're these for?" Sandstorm nods at Impactor, gets up from laying tiles in that section and goes to grab the tools boss needs from the other room. Shortly he comes back and offers them to Impactor, "Need help? Tell me where and what, boss." Fanfare slides a table over into place, glancing over to Impactor as he nods, hands up to work to help steady the tube "Does any'un mind a bit o music?" he asks aloud. Whirl leans over a recently placed table, peering at the tube and the connection. He slowly pieces together how the system works and what it's purpose is likely to be. "Awesome! Energon at your table! Now all we need is a giant TV!" Impactor stares at the energon tube, turning it around once or twice before attempting to install it into the table. "Hrm, how does it go now? Uhh, yeah Storm. Go o'er there and grab the directions for me ... err for us!" the Wrecker leader orders, pointing over by Slag and Roadbuster. "Oh we'll have us a TV Whirl, you'll see..." "Me Slag just want sceptycons..." Slag says as he looks to the tube and just grabs the paper with instructions, growling as he picks it up with his mouth, the paper stuck under the box he had dumped earlier. He growls and rips it up to pull it out, and hands a piece to Impactor. Roadbuster waits to read the instructions before installing the tube. "Wait, even you don't know?" He laughs at Impactor. "Are we gonna be blowing this place up now? I hope not. I spent a lotta on that floor!" Sandstorm starts for the instructions and then sees Slag tear off a piece of it. "Slag stop!" he says as he reaches to snatch the instructions from the dinobots mouth to hand them to Impactor. Fanfare shifts a little, his question unanswered.He quietly moves towards the box near Slag, tipping it up enough to retrieve the rest of the paper without a word to the dinobot. "Git some tunes up Fanfare, jeez ... this quiet is killin' me!" Impactor shouts, taking the scrap piece of instruction from Slag. "Ohh, that's how it works." he muses to no one in particular as he slides the tube into the table and fastens a few screws. And just like that, it's set to go. "Okay, now all we gotta do is move 'em into postion and hook up the energon system!" Slag grabs the piece as Fanfare pulls the box and growls as the instructions are snatched out of his mouth which he tries to snatch back from sandstorm. "You no posed grab!" He bellows as he tries to grab back! Chuckling, Fanfare set the crate down, his fans whirling up. A faint bit of dust picks up before he sets his speakers to something appropriate 'wrecky' it seems, a heavy bass beat that shivers his blades enough to make them rattle as he hums along, 'Hit em high/Hit em low' now pumped out fully. Roadbuster installs the energon tube the same way he sees Impactor do it. "Easy enough," he says. "What's this about an energon system?" Buster's not dumb, but he apparently has no head for construction. No...DEstruction is more his style. "Like... you mean to drink?" Sandstorm decides to start hauling the rest of the materials needed for this level of the base from above and busies himself with that quietly. "I dunno, somethin' the brainybots dreamed up. Because apparentlah they wanted a lounge with goodies and drinks dispensed here." Impactor replies, fastening the last few bolts into place on his table's tube. Fanfare tosses the last of the debris into the bins, rockin' out himself as he listens to the others talk. "Awright, this ones' ready tae go up." Roadbuster nods. "Sounds like my kinda idea!" How does he drink with no mouth? It's a mystery wrapped in an enigma. "This one's ready, too. I can't wait to see what it'll be when it's all put together." He now looks about for something else to do. Impactor gets up and mutters something else into the Autobot frequency, giving Roadbuster and crew a sidelong glance. "Well, there's a four sided vid screen that needs ta be put up ... but I'll wait fer..." he mutters, looking around the room. "A uh, qualified engineer to install that. Can't be having a smashed up TV now can we?" he jokes. Walking towards the Brig, the Wrecker leader manages to snatch up a box of random console parts. "Let's see what we can do here, huh?" Slag growls and grabs a bunch of big metal bars and stabs them in the open doorway in the brig, effectively barring impactor's way out as he makes an old fashion barred doorway. "There, me Slag done." He says as he begins to weld the pieces in place now. Fanfare looks up at Slags' declaration, blinking a little "errr... Wheres the door, Slag?" he asks carefully. Sandstorm comes in with the upteenth load of material to this level, happens to glance at Slag welding those bars, sees Impactor on the other side, looks for a moment then with a shrug sets down this load and heads out for another one. "Hold up, there," Roadbuster says. He hurries to try and stop Slag welding the bars in place. "We gotta follow the plan, big guy. Plus...hows packs supposed to get out? You go help Sandstorm a second." Impactor turns around, noticing that the Dinobot has attempted to weld him into the other room. Dropping the box, the Wrecker leader stomps over towards the doorway and is about to give Slag a piece of his mind when Roadbuster intervenes. Sighing, he turns around to start wiring together the cell controls console ... as well as sorting through a box of assorted items for the guard's desk. Fanfare puts a hand over his mouth, turning to start hauling the debris out of the room before his laughter could be heard, the music dieing as he reaches the surface finally "ME Slag make cell, cell not posed have door!" He bellows to Fanfare before Roadbuster comes to save the day and he growls and leaves to go help sandstorm. "Me Slag make better cell then dumb plans." Slag mumbles as he goes. Sandstorm motions the dino to follow him and then grabs another crate of material. "Grab some of these left and take them where Im taking this one, Slag." he says and heads back to the pile hes making in this room. Roadbuster sets about pulling loose the bars Slag has attempted to weld in place, laughing to himself. "This is gonna be somethin serious," he says to Impactor. "Living quarters, a lounge, AND holding cells? There'll have to be a command office I suppose - something of an auxiliary command center?" Impactor sighs, going through quite an extensive book collection for bored guards and prisoners. It looks like Dee-Kal picked the selection out though, being as random and eccentric the selection is. "Oh, yeah yeah ... third level, same with tha rapid transport Ops are supposed ta be werking up." he mutters over his shoulder, giving up on dividing them by topic and merely chucking them all into one messy pile. "Me Slag know!" Slag growls out to Sandstorm and goes to pick up the stuff and follows after sandstorm. "This boring!" Slag bellows as he stomps along, angry he got conned into construction duty and not constructicon smashing duty. Sandstorm grins, "But it will be worth it when its all done, Slag. And just think, once this is all done then you can go smash... constructicons..." Roadbuster pulls the last of the bars free and then looks at the plans so he can start setting welding them into the write positions. "Had no idea how big this place was gonna be," he says. "It'll be nice to have something permanent on Cybetron. S'just too bad we have to build it underground, ya know? Cybertron should be ours." An idea occurs to him and he becomes animated. "Maybe, from here, we can stage some attacks that will start to destablilize the Decepticons' hold!" "That's not tha plan Bustah. From here we can keep an optic on Crystal City and Omega Supreme. He's supposed ta be on our side, but he's not exactly dependable ... ya know?" Impactor gruffs off, piecing together a large metal desk. With a free hand he motions towards the cells already halfway set up in the room. "Feel free to weld 'em up, doesn't haveta be pretty ... just make it work." Sandstorm is finished hauling everything here for them and from there starts relaying the floor tiles again. "This place is going to be great, Boss when its done." the Triple-changer says as he works. "Course this place be great! Me slag help make it!" Slag bellows as he also finishes and just growls as he begins to move stuff about from place to place. Oh, they most certainly won't be pretty. Roadbuster jams the bars in place and welds them hurriedly. He's rough and lacks welding skill, but he's at least thorough. The cells he finishes wind up looking exactly as he thinks cells should look: close and mean. "Omega..." he muses. "He wears the symbol, but I dunno about him being on our side exactly. he hasn't done much in decacycles. Sure didn't stop the Decepticons' incursion into Crystal City. An I don't by that 'neutral' crap." "Neither do I Bustah, if we can't depend on him ... what's the point in havin' 'em around at all?" Impactor replies, leaning against the newly constructed desk. The Wrecker leader is connecting all sorts of wires and switches to the command console, peering over it. "What's worse, is I'm afraid he's actually lost it old chap. When will the time come Omega is less an asset as him bein' a liability?" he questions. Is Impactor honestly thinking of taking Omega Supreme out of the picture? Sure, wouldn't be the first time either. Just how his Wrecker mind works, that's all. Sandstorm listens to the conversation as he works on the floor in that area of the room. He doesnt feel its his place really right now at least to say anything regarding Omega Supreme and feels his leader will make the right choice. And whatever that choice is, he will abide by. Roadbuster leans back against a wall, arms crossed over his shoulders, and shrugs. "Dunno. Who's ta say that time's not come?" He watches as Impactor works, not sure how or if he can help. "If he won't fight for the cause, then what's he going to do? Sit in torpor while the Decepticons rebuild their empire on Cybertron? Somethin needs ta be done. But we can't just scrap him. He's, like, living history. And he could be an asset if he were to think right again." Impactor sighs, filling a desk drawer's contents and shutting it ever so harshly with a *SLAM*. "Yeah, how much time we gonna wait fer him to jump back to the side 'o angels though? We're makin' our big push, it's time he did the same!" he grumbles, propelling himself forward and turning back around to set up the command console. "If this war was won on maybes and possibilities, perhaps we wouldn't be fightin'?" Slag just sorta goes into a recharge cycle. Since they arent talking about anything good like smashing sceptycons, he decided he could recharge and them not notice. "Well, it's possibility keeps us goin," Roadbuster says, "in a way. But sure, the war's gonna be won by might, strength, firepower n all. But knowin what COULD be is part of why we're still fightin after so long." Theorizing like this isn't Buster's bailiwick, and he shifts his weight, looking uncomfortable. "In Omega's case...I'm like you. M'ready to make this big push without him. We been pushin without him this long, right?" He pushes away from the wall and pats his palms. "Chief, I gotta report in an then get to recharge. This place is really startin to shape up, though. You done good taking initiative." With this, he claps Impactor on the shoulder and then offers a small salute. "I'll be 'round chief." Impactor returns the gesture, his optics dimming from overwork done on his systems in the last forty eight breems. "Yeah, we'll talk later. I gotta catch some recharge if I'm ta keep up this pace." he replies, moving out of the room and towards the Living Quarters. If Sandstorm or Slag are still here, the Wrecker leader doesn't notice. Stumbling through the doorway, he pauses. "Come get me if anything happens alright?" Impactor asks Roadbuster, before dissappearing into the room adjacent.
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