| abstract
| - Shark walks into the command center to see if there's been any radio traffic about either Chimera or the dragon creature while he's been in recharge. "About to go on duty, any updates I should know about?" he asks of those staffing the area. Arcee also wanders into the area. Hot Rod is supposed to meet her here soon. She hasn't heard much in the way of what's going on out there, but she's curious to find out. "I haven't heard anything," she says to Shark, "I was hoping you'd know." Optimus Prime sits at one of the consoles, regarding the data onscreen. Reports of recent activity, Decepticon or not - the only part of him which moves are his optics, and, rarely, his hand to pull up a new file. He almost misses Shark's and Arcee's entries, the new sounds taking a few seconds to filter through his processor. When they do, the Prime glances towards the two of them. "For now, things are quiet...thankfully," he says, leaning back in his seat. Shark glances over his shoulder at Arcee and gives her a grin, "Oh I know stuff, just not the stuff that happens when I'm resting up between missions and all that." he comments. He looks back toward the absorbed in reading Prime. "You given any thought to Lifeline being our live bait for the big creature sir? I'm pretty sure that Jackknife, Wheeljack, and Perceptor nearly have something useable ready to help protect her from the things fire." You paged Optimus Prime with 'sure. basically the dragon has gone around taking neutrals and eating em. Lifeline recently volunteered to help us capture it by being live bait. Since the dragon breathes fire, it was up to the scientists and anyone with knowledge like that to make up something to make LL flame retardant' "Oh, that's good," Arcee says to Optimus Prime, "At least if things are quiet, we can focus more on rebuilding." Optimus drums his fingers on the console for a few moments. "I'd like to see that tested, first," he slowly says to Shark, "but we're short on time. If she's willing to take the risks, and we've got a medic in the group on standby, just in case..." He cycles his vents. "...then we-" Abruptly, he stiffens, straightening up as his optics brighten. /Something/ has caught his attention. Shark nods to that, "I'm sure they will be testing it. Been hearing a lot of chit chat over in Preceptor’s lab when I've peeked in on them. Hence why I think they are close to a final product, sir." then a nod, "I’m sure Ratchet can help, or Starfire, or maybe even Jade. I was going to contact Lifeline once you approved things and the final product was ready to be put on her, sir." "It's too bad I'm not a scientist," Arcee says, "Sounds interesting. Of course I'll help in any way I can." Hot Rod makes his way on through the corridors while trying to scuff up his pristine armor a bit to make it look like he was out in the field getting dirty with duty. It’s a good thing that he made a stop by his quarters to stash his fishing pole. He peeks into the command center and merples and slips back out into the hall and watches as the metal door slide close. He clears his vocalizers and regains his composure; "Maybe Optimus didn't see me." he mutters and tries to convince himself. Standing in front of the door the young Autobot waits for it to slide open with a hiss of hydraulics. Then he steps into the command center and peers around seemingly on his best behavior. His attention shifts the big boss bot in the command chair and crosses his arms, "What’s going on here..?" then he walks over to a terminal and takes a seat and starts to type up something like he's entering a report. Maybe no one will notice he's just pretending to look busy. Getting to his feet, Optimus nods briefly at Shark. "That-sounds understandable," he admits, sounding a little distracted. "But I'll have to give it more attention later. There's something else." With those somewhat cryptic words, he starts for the door. On the bright side, that whole distraction bit makes it a whole lot easier for Hot Rod to pass without so much as a second glance! Shark turns and follows after Prime as that tone didn't sound good to him. Arcee also begins following after Optimus Prime. "Come on, Hot Rod!" she says, beckoning him. "This'll be interesting." Hot Rod perks up from his fake typing and rushes to join Arcee's side, "Hey cutie.." he smiles to his femme. There's a brief look at those following him, but rather than wave them away, Prime nods to himself and looks back forwards, touching a small panel on the wall. An ill-used door slides open, but rather than open to a supply closet like one would think by placement, it leads to a narrow hall. Which he promptly travels down. "Shark," he calls over his shoulder, "can you contact security from here? Is everything as quiet as it was a breem ago?" You paged Discordia with 'external didn't reply but internal did?' Hot Rod watches as the secret door opens to the narrow hallway, "Wow.. no wonder this place was kept a secret. Otherwise it'd scare away the new recruits." he says with a smile to Arcee as he intertwines his fingers with hers as he holds the femme's hand, "Aren't you glad you joined?" Shark inclines his head, "On it sir." he replies, cuing up his radio to contact Red Alert or Ironhide over in security. He waits a few moments and hmms, "Internal security states nothing is happening sir. External security reports all is quiet." It was quiet up ahead in the corridor. Curiously, one light was out, right at the end over the other door, leaving it in pitch black, with only a yellow light flashing in the darkness on the access panel. Arcee says, "Well, it doesn't scare me when I see it, and I'm fairly new." She clasps Hot Rod's hands. "Indeed I am." "There's no reason to tell everyone about it," Optimus informs Hot Rod dryly, overhearing the comment. "The only one who goes down here, for the most part, is me. The second password here is..." ...apparently half-compromised. Optimus slows briefly...and then hurries towards the blinking panel, optics narrowing. "This isn't a good sign. I want all three of you on guard - we could have trouble on our hands." Indeed, this could explain an odd feeling he had. He quickly works the panel, making to reset its alarm before inputting the correct password. The dim lighting is no trouble for him. Shark makes this odd sound that could pass for gagging, though he quickly covers it over with a gasped, "Uh that's not supposed to be yellow." he states obviously. Then nods to Prime, already pulling out his pistol from subspace and commanding his shoulder rifle and turret gun to come online. "Ready to rumble, sir." The password beeps acceptingly, and the door starts to slide open- Then stops halfway, the color changing to Red - usually a declined password. Caught halfway. Inside, a flicker of 'firelight' could be seen just out of sight in a darkened room richly inlaid in tones and paintings, like a shrine. The flicker was wild as though in a breeze. Hot Rod just shrugs and looks around, "So seriously.. where are we going to besides the creepiest maintenance closet ever?" he looks at Arcee after Optimus' warning, "Stay behind me pinkie.. okay?" he releases the femme's hand and moves into a protective posture in front of her. He pulls out his twin photon blasters. Definitely not good. Optimus doesn't hesitate at this point, grabbing the door with one hand and putting all his formidable strength in to hauling it open. "Weapons online!" he barks. "Someone's already in there, and I don't want them out unless they're in custody!" Shark spots that red and frowns, "She can handle herself, sir." he intones to Hot Rod. Having to use sir only due the ranks the flamed one has over him. Moving to be beside Prime when that door gets opened up properly. His radar, sonar, and scanning systems working to check the interior of the room before they step inside. "On it, sir." Arcee gives Shark a look like 'oh let him' and winks. She draws her own blaster. "If there's anything nasty in here, we'll deal with it together." she says. Shark moves his rifle to target something that he picks upon on the sonar pickup, "Got something." Hot Rod looks at Shark with a smirk, "Yeah.. but I don't have to not protect her if I can." he turns to Arcee and gives her a quick kiss, "Stay here.. I'll be right back." then the young Cavalier runs to Optimus and Shark's position with blasters at the ready, "What do you want me to do Optimus?" he looks up at the massively gigantic mech well.. compared to him anyways. He tries his best to peek through the door to see what the big fuss is all about.
* SCREEEEE* The door is forced back by Prime's mighty strength, revealing a flickering flame that called to any Autobot present a little bit as it danced back and forth in its' place. A shadow moves as they enter, optics fading into the black, despite the light of the candle "That's it? A candle?" Arcee wonders, "Unless..." She peers around the area, to see if someone is hiding in the shadows. "Stay focused, Hot Rod," Optimus orders, before giving Arcee a quick look. "You too, Arcee." With that, his attention turns fully to the chamber, starting with the source of the firelight. Its presence seems to calm him, subtly - but the fact that there's still a shadow in the room puts him right back on edge. Immediately, he draws his own rifle, its hum a warning to any who would dare threaten that which is under his guard. "Show yourself," he commands, voice strong as Cybertronian. Shark moves his rifle with the movement of the sonar ping, "I see you over there." he steps forward slightly, keeping alert for any other pickups on his radar, sonar, or scanners. Hot Rod blinks a few times after Optimus snaps at him. He peers at the flame and opens his mouth to say something but decides not to. His optic balefully picking up the shadow. His finger tracing the curve of the trigger on his blaster. He's young, confused but still obedient in Optimus' presence. He really wants to ask questions but is showing am amazing level of control. He raises both photon blasters unsure of what to target. But he figures he might as well be in a ready position. The figure stiffens and starts to over back, though not that far as it draws its' own weapon. Looking at it was confusing - its' form blurred constantly, shifting back and forth wildly as it speaks back "You're faster than we anticipated, Prime..." in an accented voice, quiet and iambic. "Who are you?" Arcee exclaims to the figure, "Or, what are you?" This blurry form confuses her optics and she rubs them. Shark moves his gaze with the ping that keeps moving just slightly, though he cannot see it directly. "Think we got a stealthed figure here sir." he intones. He keeps track of it though, rifle moving with the figure. Baits. Stalling. "You have no right to be here," Optimus Prime says evenly, staying focused. "We outnumber you - disarm yourself and surrender, and you will not be harmed. This is the only offer I will give you." When it comes to the Matrix and its related items...can one truly blame him for being so touchy? The mech's form steadies a little bit more, now giving the mechs a general area of where he was. The mech then states "I am here only for a brief moment. The flame will not be extinguished, I promise." he notes, his form tensing, as though about to move... rapidly "I will depart though, lest you are willing to negotiate. We have things you may be interested in." Shark shifts his position to be inside the room, keeping his rifle pointed at the mech. "Uh huh, and my teeth are all natural." he snarks softly. Hot Rod trains on the figure as it stops shifting and gets it into his line of sight for optimal firing opportunity. The Cavalier slowly moves towards the door to act like a small block just in case the mech wants to try and escape. Optimus's optics narrow further. "You have given me no reason to trust you," he says slowly, evenly, adjusting the power output on his rifle - from lethal to stun. "That offer stands, but your time is running out. If you want to negotiate, you will do so without any trickery or weapons." The mech speaks quickly indeed, though he didn’t seem panicked "Forgive me if I remain stealthed. Some of your men may be a little trigger happy." a glance specifically to Hot Rod, and then Shark. Then back once more "My master is ailing quickly. We need but a spark of the Matrix Flame to ensure he will not die any time soon. We did not think you would be willing to negotiate on such a thing, so little as it is... but perhaps we were wrong about it. Ask your price, and I will tell you if we can do it." "And just who is your master?" Arcee wants to know. She's quite suspicious. Matrix Flame isn't just given to anyone. At least, not that she's aware of. Shark holds his fire, just keeping his weapon on the stealthed figure until commanded or forced to fire upon it. Letting Prime deal with the mystery of whoever this is wanting a bit of the flame. Hot Rod lowers one of his blasters but keeps the other trained on the mystery mech, "Don't do it Optimus.. how do we know this isn't a Decepticon trick?" the young Autobot stands his ground in front of the door since he's inexperienced and untrusting. It's a good mini-speech; were it not for some things going on unseen, it might be more than enough to disarm Optimus, at least in part. Some of the hardness in his optics fades - but not all. And there's still a healthy amount of suspicion, even without Hot Rod's reminder. "I regret your master's ailment, but I cannot let the Flame be used in such a manner. As for the Autobots - I would trust their weapons upon me. They will not fire unless given cause." For a moment, he takes his attention off the ninja, looking back towards the Flame. Discordia picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Discordia rolls a 8! Shark picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Shark rolls a 17! Arcee picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Arcee rolls a 6! Hot Rod picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Hot Rod rolls a 4! The Ninja moves the moment that Prime looks away. Shark catches his reaction in time and may react upon his pose, But suddenly the entire room is filled with an inky magnetic dust that clings to one's optics and body, blotting out all vision! Hot Rod picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Hot Rod rolls a 15! Shark picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Shark rolls a 10! Discordia picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Discordia rolls a 6! Hot Rod staggers about as his vision is complete obscured, "Hey!!" his instincts tell him to open fire but he doesn't want to accidentally hit Optimus, Shark or the flame. He just stays in front of the door. the mech'll just have to go through him or over his dead body. Shark evades the dust somehow, using his sonar pickup still to see if the figure is still in the room or not. He strides toward the flame, intending to stop the figure. "No you don't!" he shouts as he magnetizes his pistol to his hip to make a dive at the figure to tackle him to the ground. Arcee can't see! She coughs as the inky dust gets into her filters. She can't attack with this mess surrounding her. "Dirty trick!" she shouts. Shark picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Shark rolls a 7! Optimus instinctively throws up his free arm to protect his optics, re-readying his rifle in the same motion, but it's no use; he's blinded. Nonetheless, he doesn't need to see to remember where the Matrix Flame is perched. He's moving towards it, relying on his other sensors to alert him to danger to any of those in here. His Autobots are just as important as the sacred relic.
* WHAM* Shark slams into the Ninja, who yelps in surprise. The first real audible sound he made. The cloud continues to boil, having nowhere and no reason to fade away as he continued forwards, coming down with an elbow upon Sharks' head as hard as he could, still dragging the mech forwards as a hand reaches through the black to snatch at the flame. Discordia picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Discordia rolls a 10! Discordia picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Discordia rolls a 19! Optimus Prime picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Optimus Prime rolls a 10! Shark picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Shark rolls a 20! Shark gets that elbow, right in the fin on top of his helmet. It breaks off with an audible snap. That just ticks Shark off, "Gonna pay for that!" he snarl, moving to try and pin the mech in place any way he can.. even if he has to play dirty! Shark picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Shark rolls a 6! "Did we get him yet?" Arcee asks, still in the dark. She waits for the smokescreen to clear. "Hot Rod, are you alright?" Hot Rod lowers his blaster and decides to call out just in case no one can see like him, "Optimus.. I'm by the door.. at least he'll have to go through me to escape!" though he's not exactly the largest mech, he's still big enough to fill out the doorway. Blinded, Optimus barely catches sight of the ninja reaching for the flame. He makes to grab the limb, but whether it be by blurred vision, or the ninja simply moving too quickly... "NO!" No - he's not giving up that easily! But what can he do?-ping security, for one, warning them that someone who's breached the systems will be trying to make a break out, and that they need an expert here /immediately/. And take advantage of the fact that there are, in fact, two mechs by the door. "I'm counting on you two!" he shouts to Arcee and Hot Rod. Discordia picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Discordia rolls a 14! Arcee helps Hot Rod crowd the doorway so that the Ninja would literally have to go right through them. "You're not getting by!" she says. Snatching at the flame, there's a faint hiss of pain from the mech as he stumbles, struggling against Shark now as he twists... suddenly his body much Much slicker as he slides out of the mechs' grasp, leaping up through the smoke that was barely beginning to clear. There's a clatter overhead, moving towards the door quickly in the darkness.... Discordia picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Discordia rolls a 17! Optimus Prime picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Optimus Prime rolls a 4! Shark picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Shark rolls a 9! Hot Rod retracts his hand and extends what looks to be a switchblade, "I can't see anything Optimus.. but I won't let him get by me!" he calls out to the boss bot and the blade that is his hand starts to spin and it quickly turns into a buzzsaw just in case he has to get into close quarters combat, luckily for himm.. he's trained in blind combat. He calls over his shoulder, "I'm fine Arcee.. just stay back there in case the intruder gets by me.. you'll have to stop him!" and now he's extra determined to stop the mech from getting past him cause he doesn't want to let everyone down and possibly put Arcee in harm's way. Arcee picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Arcee rolls a 12! Shark feels the figure break free of him, frowning as he tries to locate it but the ninja has already disappeared. "Slaggit." he hisses lowly, "Getting away!" Hot Rod picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Hot Rod rolls a 18! Hot Rod lets out a frustrated sigh at being so easily blinded. But he focuses on his training. And stops to listen carefully to everything going on around him. And he can hear the ninja's movements on the ceiling and he pretends to be blinded and clueless. His feet dig into the floor and waits for the ninja to move closer to the doorway and once his audio receptors pick up even the slightest ping. The young cavalier springs into action, "Ha.. got you!!" he swings his buzzsaw arm with all his might, since he can't see, he can't target.. but he knows roughly where the ninja is so he'll swing in that direction in hopes f doing as much damage as possible.
* STZZZ* "ARGH!" There was a shower of sparks overhead and a spray of mechfluid on everyone present. The ninja lets loose of his grip, flipping to land behind Hot Rod - in front of Arcee, near the edges of the fog. He holds is side and then leaps, aiming to go right OVER hear, his own blade swinging to make her duck, though it was a rather limpy swing from his wounded side. Discordia picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Discordia rolls a 7! Discordia picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Discordia rolls a 6! With the dust no longer floating in the air, it's a little less difficult to see...key word 'little'. But while it's still stuck to optics, Optimus's are starting to clear...without showing him where the thief is. He looks around grimly, trying to see more as he rubs at his optics. Of course, he can still /hear/ that whole bit when Hot Rod's buzzsaw comes to action - the Prime spins around in surprise, then quickly moves towards the sound. "Hot Rod!" Optimus Prime picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Optimus Prime rolls a 17!
* WHAM* The ninja leaps right into the ceiling O.x Shark stands back up as he tracks the figure with his sonar pings again, striding to help anyone that has the figure within their grasp to keep him from escaping fully. Then he hears that buzzsaw and thinks better of that. "Red Alert is so going to fritz." he mutters to himself. Arcee picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Arcee rolls a 11! Dropping back to the floor, the ninja manages to not decapitate Arcee, but he was now out of the black inky smoke as he shook it off, and bolts down the corridor towards the main command room! Discordia picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Discordia rolls a 3! Optimus Prime picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Optimus Prime rolls a 4! Hot Rod can't help but smile to himself when he feels his buzzsaw cutting into the ninja. He looks around helplessly as the mist is starting to clear. And his circuits sink when he realizes that the ninja got past him and is probably after Arcee. He reaches up with his free hand and pulls off the lens that protects his optics that has been clogged by black gunk. He runs after the ninja, "Oh no you don't!!" The distance is too far for him to bridge so he raises his arm and let’s loose a flurry of orange blasts from his chrome tailpipe blasters. Dust. Distance. Speed. All are things counting against Optimus Prime as he raises his rifle, giving his optics a final wipe. But as the ninja flees - he knows he can't catch him. He knows he can't barrel past his mechs in time, he's too slow even if they weren't in the way. All he can do right now... ...is hope on the Flame that the ninja has in his hand, that this shot goes where it intends to go. Optimus Prime picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Optimus Prime rolls a 20! Arcee likewise sees the smoke clearing and tries to nail the intruder before he can get away. "We can't let that guy get away!" Hot Rod picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Hot Rod rolls a 9! Arcee picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Arcee rolls a 13! Shark heads toward where he can 'see' Prime as the stuff in the air is taking a bit to dissipate fully, "Someone tell me they got that guy."
* BZAAAP* *BLAMBLAMBLAM* *PEWPEW* With another pained shriek, the Ninja collapses, sliding back out of the corridor, into the Command Center as he lays there, his back smoking somewhat, body stunned. In the light, he was flat black, utterly smooth in shape - no visible altmode. He clutched something in his hand. Shark hms, well that sounded like someone got the mech. "Nice shot." he states. Snagging his pistol off his hip and putting it back into subspace, not like he needs it now. "Judging by the noise," Optimus drawls, wiping his optics once more as he looks towards Shark, "I think we did. Good work, all of you. Hot Rod, Arcee, can you two make sure he's out?" Seeing as they're the closest...not that Prime's lagging behind. He's moving in a light trot, assured that the Matrix Flame is safe - for now. Hot Rod runs down the corridor and right past Arcee to stand atop the fallen mech, the young Cavalier aims both blasters at the fallen foe, "Don't even try it.. you've been beaten." he stands guard while waiting for the boss, "Hey Arcee can you check to see if Optimus and Shark are okay?" The mech groans a little bit, shifting his head somewhat as he lays there, obedient or simply not feeling up to moving, it was hard to tell. His fist remained closed. Arcee ewws. There's gunk all over her! "Ugh, I need to wash this off...but later," she murmurs. "So, we've got him, right?" She walks over to where Hot Rod is. Shark calls out, "I'm fine." moving out to join the two. He now looks blackened from helm to foot. "Oh nice.. this will be cool for a disguise for awhile." he chuckles, apparently amused by this fact. Rifle still on ready, Optimus shakes his head at Shark. "As long as none of us are hurt, I think we can deal with the temporary paintjob. Where's that security?" he adds under his vocalizer. And for that record - where's the bit of the Flame he stole? Once he's at the ninja's form, he nudges him with his foot - specifically, his closed fist. Open up. Security's footsteps were already on their way, although only a few mechs could really be allowed that far into that corridor. There's a bit of a grunt from the Ninja, and his blue optics flicker on. He comes to slowly, but doesn’t move as his hand obediently opens... dropping a crumpled card. Shark nods a bit to that, "No harm done other than the top of my helm, sir." he reaches up to touch the spot vacated by the fin on top. He moves to stand guard at the and point security to where the ninja is at when they finally run in here. Hot Rod looks at Arcee and smiles then his attention turns to Optimus. The young cavalier looks a bit odd since his optic lenses are gone so one can see right into his optical cavity and the blue optic itself, "I can cut it off if he won't release it Optimus." he smirks as he places his blasters away. Gesturing for security to drag the ninja out in to the Command Center proper, Optimus pauses - then takes a moment to kneel down and pick up the card. This is... "He doesn't have it," he says solemnly, looking up to Hot Rod. "-and you need to see a medic, with Shark." Arcee is still ewwing about the icky sticky paint, it really feels nasty. Though, she doesn't make a huge deal out of it. It's merely uncomfortable. Shark looks at Arcee and smirks, "I dunno Arcee, look nice in black." he notes and a nod to Prime, "Just a helm piece, sir. No big deal. But all right." he shrugs, not wanting to go against orders. The ninja groans a little bit more as he closes his optics again, not fighting at all as his hands were bound behind him and he was lifted "He will need repairs too sir. " notes one of the security mechs. Hot Rod just shrugs, "Alright Optimus." he turns to look at Shark, "Ready?" he looks down at himself as he's coated in black, "Man.. I look pretty cool like this." he smirks and peers at Shark with his exposed optics, "Why do you need to go see the medics?" "Better get it fixed sooner than later," Optimus advises Shark. In truth, he's glad cosmetic and optic lenses are the worst of the damages - aside from literal crud covering their armor. "Then he'll get them - but for Pit's sake, have whoever's working on him be careful," he advises the security guard. "He's slippery - and I don't want him seeing the outside of his cell until we understand why he sought the Flame so eagerly." The story they were given...it reeks of a cover. "In the meantime," Optimus continues, getting to his feet and looking down at the card in his hand, "...I think I have some work of my own to do." Shark nods to Hot Rod, "I'm always ready." he notes and heads off toward med bay, no doubt the guards with their ninjabot package leading the way there. Hot Rod shrugs and laughs, "Who knew all those cycles of blind fighting would actually come in handy!" he smirks, "So I pulled off my optic lenses so I could see.. what’s your story?" he asks as the pair disappear down the hallway. "We're going to need to get this gunk off," Arcee says, "If I wanted to be painted black, I wouldn't make it all sticky." Shark walks into repair bay after having radioed medics that he knows to come and do the repairs that are needed to himself, Hot Rod, Prime, Arcee, and the captured ninjabot. Lifeline arrives as quickly as she can, even having gone so far as to purchase transport with one of the neutral fliers. Clomping briskly after the security guards escorting her, she enters the repair depot and looks around fully ready to see complete and utter chaos. Where the HELL is Ratchet? Again? Shark fingers the fin from the top of his helm as he looks toward that all too familiar clop. "Hello Lifeline. Think Ratchet is on his way too." he notes softly, glancing at the others that are here. "Got anything to remove the black from those too? Think I'm keeping mine for awhile." Shark too=two Arcee wanders in with Shark. She's covered in black sticky 'paint' as well. "Yeah, we fought a Ninja and he got us with this sticky stuff." Lifeline frowns as she looks from Shark to Arcee. "Did you say 'ninja'?" She's already getting ready to start the repairs, coordinating with the techs and pulling her tools from her travel case. Shark nods and points to the ninjabot that a couple guards are keeping in line at the moment, "That'd be the one right there." Then right on cue, in comes Ratchet. " Ratchet eyes the situation and moves over to the ninjabot, "Good cycle Lifeline, see they dragged you out of Cubricon for this." "They did, Ratchet." Lifeline steps over to try and determine who's worse off between Shark and Arcee. It's difficult to tell past the black stuff. So she ends up having to resort to her handheld scanner. Shark just has the stuff on himself, plus got a blow to the head that took the fin off the top of his helm. Arcee is blackened as well. "Do Arcee first, I don't mind waiting." he states, nodding to Ratchet. "I don't think I'm damaged," Arcee says, "It's just this stuff all over me, it's awful." Ratchet mutters something as he works on the ninjabot that the guards insist stay bound so he doesn't escape until Prime has a chance to talk with the prisoner. Lifeline nods to Arcee. "Let me see what I can do." She steps over toward the Autobot and tentatively touches one finger to her shoulder. Have to figure out what the stuff is in order to clean it off. Shark scratches at the stuff on him and hmms, "Yeah gonna keep it awhile, could come in handy. Oh by the way Lifeline, Prime said if you are willing to accept the risk of being live bait then we won't stop you. I'll be checking on Jackknife, Wheeljack, and Perceptor once you are done with me, see how that flame retardant is coming along." Arcee lets Lifeline try to figure out how to get that gunk off. "Is it magnetized to my armor?" she wonders. Lifeline nods to Shark, most of her attention still on the inky stuff adhered to Arcee. "Oddly, I don't think it is. That was the delivery system, but it's behaving more like a powdered pigment now." Ratchet continues to work on the ninjabot, having fallen silent now as he focuses on his work. Not even a grumble out of the mech! Shark smirks a bit, then nods, "Yeah well, means it can be removed then eh?" Lifeline nods, still focused on Arcee. "Yes, but if it won't come off with a simple mild solvent we'll have to remove it with the underlying paint." Shark hms to that, "That doesn't sound fun. In fact, sounds really annoying. Roddy will flip if Arcee lost the pink and all that." "Do what you have to do," Arcee says, "I can take having a little paint scraped off. Poor Hot Rod, I wonder if he can." She giggles. Shark's optic shutters flick down a moment in a definite blink motion, "I so didn't need that image." he mutters and shakes his head.
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