| abstract
| - The main plaza of this underwater city is an unusual octagonal shape. The grand archway which forms the entrance to the city dominates the eastern face, while the remains of murals can be seen adorning the crumbling walls to the north, northwest, south, and southwest. Towers still rise along the northeast and southeast facets, flanking the entryway, while a low, stepped wall leads to another, smaller plaza to the east. The center of this great plaza is occupied by the low ruins of a pyramid, which may once have been crowned with a temple. Glyphs decorate each of the old steps, their curls and symbols telling the story of this ancient place. Moving through the area, the silt underfoot shifts to give glimpses of ancient artifacts - shards of stone or pottery, fragments of precious jade, flakes of obsidian, and carved figurines and stelae. Few of these treasures are intact, but all may give some clue about the people who once gathered here for feasts, celebrations, and temple rituals. Hubcap Talia McKinley First Aid Marissa Faireborn Amber MacKenzie Omnisuit "Salamander" Obvious exits: Northeast leads to Astronomical Tower. Southeast leads to Guard Tower. East leads to Grand Archway. West leads to Marketplace. As of December 23rd, 20033, Pvt. Apocryphacius of the EDC has been missing, washed out to sea when Shockwave, Fusillade and Boomslang attacked a weapons demonstration on the EDC training island. Since then, humans, Transformers, and perhaps even Nebulans have been reporting strange, bricky dreams. Charting the ocean currents has suggested this general location in the Western Atlantic. Radio tracing, difficult due to all the water, has narrowed down the location further. An underwater city? How peculiar. Funny how sometimes the things you've done in past careers come back to be useful at times. In this case, being a former Coast Guard operative, scuba-diving and rescues at sea (or in some cases just finding the corpse, but hopefully this won't be one of those times!) were nothing new to Talia McKinley and likely one of the reasons she was assigned to this mission in the first place. She was, if anything, just a bit rusty since it's been a long time since she has had to suit up for a dive. But it's like riding a bike, it comes back quickly. The underwater city, on the other hand, that may be a bit on the unexpected side. She was suspecting maybe he'd wash up on a deserted island or get caught in a coral reef or something, not sink into a city beneath the waves. First Aid steps through into the main plaza of the great city, not far from Talia. The Protectobot's body is all dark due to the depths, but is visible thanks to the constant red and white flashing of his feet and back mounted sirens. It makes it fairly easy to track his position, at least. First Aid's movements are slow and methodical thanks to all the water around them, but this gives him more time to see this Aztec City they've stumbled upon. Aid's gaze sweeps across the plaza. <> he comments into his radio, <> Aid's tone isn't as cheerful as his words, though, given how worried he is for his friend's safety. Marissa Faireborn needed to get out, do ...something, anything. Paperwork, the press, everything that came with taking back the EDC and trying to fix things had driven her to distraction. And now, Apocryphacius was missing. She still felt a deep gut wrenching guilt for sentencing him to 'death' but she felt others would be able to find a way around it. She'd had her hands tied at the time and had been unprepared for the whole debacle. Finally, when it came back that there was something 'tracable', she insisted on going. Letting those who knew their trade, fit her up in a proper suit, she was onboard to go look for him. Sinking down to land near First Aid, she slowly takes in the surroundings as she turns, whistling softly. <> Her radio allows the sense of her worry to still come through. Amber MacKenzie requisitioned EDC gear for this. Not an exo suit, but a specialized environmental suit which is a much-advanced version of the old scuba gear. She swims not too far behind Talia, using the more experienced woman as a guide. She stares at the surroundings in awe. "Bloody hell. Reminds me a bit of Alexandria." She pauses to let a slow moving manta cross in front of her. Hubcap, despite the signal distortion caused by defraction through a denser medium (Water), seems able to compensate. He's also, don't laugh, wearing an old-time diving helmet. One of those metal ones. <> First Aid raises his arm, looking at the transformed monitor on his wrist as it shows current calculations ranging all the way from Decepticon Island. Aid himself didn't make these calculations, of course, but rather they're just being fed to him from from a Earth Defence Command surface facility. <> he comments, bringing his wrist closer so he can see the tiny screen in the darkness. <> Aid looks back up, at the towers to the east in particular, commenting: <> Talia McKinley nods her head to Marissa <> She was honestly glad to see Marissa back and about on the field, even if it was just search and rescue. The woman needed to get out more, be where her troops can see her in action. <> She pulls an underwater flashlight off her suit's belt, clicks it on, and starts loping along. Bobbing along the ocean-city floor was kinda like walking on the moon. Kind of. Not entirely, she's been up there, and knows it's differences, but it was close enough. Towards the towers, the fish seem to get... confused. There are more of them, but they move towards the towers, vanishing into the dim light, and then they come back out, as if they're looking for something and not finding it. Marissa Faireborn pulls her own flashlight out of her belt and flicks it on. She too has had plenty of training in low-G, having been some of the first humans to be sent into space as part of the new EDC program so long ago. But she moves along, spacing herself from Talia a little as she scans the buildings around and the ocean floor for signs of disturbance, anything out of place with the natural flora and fauna, so to speak. Repugnus has arrived. Amber MacKenzie follows the lightbearers. With her own light source, she tries to cover the areas that the others don't. Something catches her eye, and she focuses on a crevice in one of the octagonal walls. Lo and behold, a squid. Unfortunately, it's only a couple inches in length. She sighs and moves on. No, she doesn't think it's cute. Instead, she marvels at the architecture and how well it's held up over the years. Though she's not an archaeologist, she suspects that this is from one of the early Central or South American civilizations. Ford Benett has arrived. Talia McKinley pauses and points towards where the fish are behaving oddly around the towers. <>, she murmurs over the radio Hubcap glances over at First Aid, not that anyone can tell in that helmet. <> First Aid stands before the towers in the east. He sees the fishies as they swim back and forth in a confused manner. <> The swirming red and white lights covering Aid's feet and back start moving in closer in that direction. If the fish start reacting to him then he'll shut off his lights. The fish seem to be mildly curious about the suited up humans, but they avoid the Transformers, who do not seem remotely like food in any shape or form. That, and the Transformers mess with the electric senses that many fish have. Marissa Faireborn follows the line of sight to where the others are pointing and after looking around her area once more, but finding nothing out of 'place', she shifts and moves off to follow the others. Under water exploration is not her forte' so she works to concentrate on making sure nothing is going to sneak up on them while the others begin to head towards the odd anomolly Talia McKinley follows after First Aid cautiously, shining her own light around the towers to see if it picks up anything. <> Amber MacKenzie rejoins the others after her side trip to inspect a baby squid. With her attention drawn to it by the others, she too studies the strange behavior of the fish. "Something inside that they don't like? If they normally hide in there, and our lost comrade is inside, it might account for their behavior." When Repugnus's assistant, Doubletake, informed him that they might have a lead on Apocryphacius, the Monsterbot seemed to blow it off, much to Doubletake's annoyance. They had a brief but intense argument over it before Doubletake left in a huff. And the instant he did, Repugnus climbed out of his office's window, got himself a shuttle, flew all the way over to this point in the ocean, and just before jumping out, he directed the pilot to steer the ship back to base. And so, Repugnus is sinking down to the point indicated by his assistant. Is here to help with the search? In a manner of speaking, yes--he wants to find Apocryphacius. The catch is, he wants to find him *first*... and KILL him. "Where oh where could my squiddy be," Repugnus mutters, transforming to monster mode before he impacts the water's surface. Repugnus twists and flips around into his horrific creature mode! Spike ain't geared up in anything really meant for the ocean, but he's modified enough of his exo to allow for some basic clunking around. The vast surroundings do little to impress him, though his gaze lingers longer on the wildlife. No comments from him just yet, as he slowly trudges along the sea floor after First Aid's lights. First Aid reaches the low stepped wall that leads to the northeast towers. Aid of course has no idea that it was once used for astronomical research. Hesitating, the Protectobot presses his foot against the first step. When it bears his lightened weight with no sign of shifting, he takes another step up. <> Aid replies to Talia. He keeps his hand down low. His medical scanners have a paltry range, but at least they'll make sure there's no Quint lifesigns immediately under the shifting silt. Talia McKinley makes a slight face, though it's unseeable behind her diving mask. But doesn't voice what other things that could possibly mean, since that would just ruin an already solemn mood. Hubcap pauses, <> He looks around at the others, most of whom head straight for the towers and the signal anomaly. Marissa Faireborn turns her head a little to look at Hubcap. <> She smirks but turns back to keep watch as she follows behind Talia and First Aid but her eyes aren't on them, but on the ocean surrounding them, what little she can see in the dark depths, as far as her light can shine. The Monsterbot sinks below the depths, and the visual spectrum soon becomes nearly useless to him. But given the Monsterbot's enhanced optics, he can see in other frequencies, extending his visual range in spite of the murky depths, and better still, his claws act as passive sonars, highlighting the scurrying fish as they dart about in a strange manner. (Those fish are acting a bit... fishy,) he thinks to himself, noting how they're swimming about what seem to be some ancient, undersea towers. Could it be something to do with Apocryphacius? Repugnus hopes so. He begins to swim towards the towers, using his talons almost like oars in the water. There are definitely more strangely acting fish the closer they approach the towers! Amber MacKenzie doesn't say it out loud, "Speak for yourself, General." She follows once again, more slowly, but only because this *is* a search and rescue mission, not search and destroy. At least for most of them. Like anything else they do, there's a chance of danger, but not the usual from marauding Decepticons or other enemies. Her suit is provided with minimal, short-range weaponry designed to keep pesky wildlife away, but nothing else. <> First Aid exclaims, <> Up and up, First Aid slowly climbs the steps that spiral around the northeastern astronomical tower. He has to be careful with each step to ensure it's sturdy enough to support him, but so far it's no problem. Hopefully the others can take the southeastern tower. <> Spike greets once he spots the swirling sand coming up from behind. He turns and offers a mildly playful salute as he moves for the other tower, and takes as much care scaling the stairs there as First Aid does, though it all seems sturdy enough. Talia McKinley chuckles a little between Marissa and First Aid's conversation. <> Cold. Ford has decided that the very concept of cold can go #$%& itself. First the Arctic Circle, now so far underwater... it's definitely not cool. Ford's got a SCUBA set on him, EDC modified to accomadate him and his signature weapon still clinging to his back. Swimming with more caution than he'd typically exercise in an approach, he paddles his way along a short distance above and behind Spike<<>> Hubcap nods at Marissa. <> He points a thumb at First Aid. <> With a weary sigh, he turns towards the southeastern tower. He's also one of the rare few who could notice Repugnus' presence. But that's Intel's business. Ah, there he is! Repugnus spots something vaguely squid shaped dangling its tentacles lifelessly in the waters. He moves in closer and yep, sure enough, that's the Quintesson mad scientist, all snagged on the side of the tower and everything. He touches his feet against the side of the tower and sinks a talon into it to secure himself there. The other talon snaps out, ready to stab into the Quintesson. Repugnus knew that Apocryphacius wasn't evil. Not exactly. But from his point of view, that didn't matter. He was a key player in Cross/Xabat's reign in the EDC, helping him engineer his destructive sciences and ultimately helped further his plot to destroy Cybertron and everyone on it. He was, in many ways, worse than being morally bankrupt--he was a moral *coward.* And couple that with his scientific ability, and he's probably better off dead. The claw descends rapidly, but stops just shy of Apocryphacius's cranium. Repugnus realizes that he can't terminate the Quintesson that way. Not with a blade. Nor can he shoot him, or strangle him. Autobot forensics would then know for sure he was found and murdered, and then it might be traced back to him. No, he's got to make it look like the local fauna did it. Curse him for not grabbing something like a Narwhal's horn or shark's teeth, or... wait. Sharks. Yesss. He does have something that might attract sharks, oh yes! He transforms into robot mode, drawing from a compartment on himself a packet of about two liters of human blood, and tears it open over Apocryphacius's body. Grinning evilly to himself, he kicks off the tower and into the darkness of the ocean, letting the sharks do their work... and hopefully that will be soon. What's Repugnus doing with that much human blood on his person, you're wondering? Don't. Ask. Cold. Ford has decided that the very concept of cold can go #$& itself. First the Arctic Circle, now so far underwater... it's definitely not cool. Ford's got a SCUBA set on him, EDC modified to accomadate him and his signature weapon still clinging to his back. Swimming with more caution than he'd typically exercise in an approach, he paddles his way along a short distance above and behind Spike. <> <>Aid points out to Hubcap even as he continues his ascent. Finally, First Aid reaches the landing platform near the top of the Astronomical Tower. From here he could go inside, but he doubts Apocryphacius would have drifted inside a building. Hmm, woken up and sought it for shelter? Aid considers it, but for at least a moment he uses his altitude to check out the plaza from high above. <> he says. It's only /kind of/ a good view, though, as much of the city is still darkened... including a very poor Quintesson and Pretender! The blood in the water definitely attracts the attention of the fish. Most of them have just taken nibbles of Apocryphacius, realised that he doesn't taste like their normal prey, and promptly just wandered back away. He's about as appetizing as a piece of plexiglass. But with blood all over him? Yeah, he's delicious now. It's not just nibbles they're taking out of the unresponsive body. Combat: Apocryphacius damages himself. Combat: You took 5 damage. Marissa Faireborn comes up behind First Aid and Talia as she listens to Ford bitch on his radio. <> she says, not meanly but as she had ascended the steps to lead to the tower, she felt like she just wanted to crawl further in her suit and hide. Something wasn't right and she could almost sense that something was out there but her light showed her nothing but more blackness and odd shapes in the water from long lsot buildings. If only Spike's exo could properly convey hackles rising and shoulders bunching in annoyance. <> As he wags a mecha-finger and shines a blinding light on poor Ford, fish swim past them in a rush. <> Hubcap frowns. < Talia McKinley huhs as the others stop and turns around to look. <> Talia replies to Hubcap in a flat, neutral tone. Because most of them here down here for more, that was just the official excuse. Then the previously aggitated fish start flocking in one direction? <> First Aid, contrary to Marissa, doesn't sense anything wrong. <> he asks. <> To Hubcap, he quickly says, <> Nyo ho ho. Ford rolled his eyes a bit at being chastised at by both Spike and Marissa. <> Ford mused casually back. <> Ford squinted a little at the blinding light, before grunting a little in response to the discussion on Apocryphacius. Ford suddenly turned very... serious. Odd for him. <> Ford squinted at the increase in fish swimming by. <> Ford raised an arm to guide Spike below him. <> Ford requested, paddling after the little scamps. Bug Creature transforms back into monster mode, settling down gently behind an archway. He peers around it, though his enhanced sight provides only a fuzzy image of whatever's going on with Apocryphacius right now. His claws' sonar helps more, showing a swarm of hungry fish buzzing around his latest victim. Exxxcellent. Now he just needs the fish to get the job done before the other Autobots find him. Hubcap stops, and turns his helmet in First Aid's direction, even though he can't see him. <> He's also not going to tell First Aid about Repugnus. Apocryphacius is still getting eaten by fish, thanks to being seasoned by human blood. He is still unresponsive, his body cold. Is he even alive? (Mystery snail, it is a mystery.) Combat: Apocryphacius damages himself. Combat: You took 5 damage. Marissa Faireborn was about to consider some form of reprimand for Ford for the lack of proper protocol and what he'd just called her but when he spoke again about the way the fish are going. She shines her light in that direction, the flash of silver fins going this way and that as they dive in and out of the beam of light. She gives a shove off with her foot, moving in that direction but being cautious enough she doesn't want to barrel right into something unfriendly. <> <> Talia muses along with Ford. With a huff into her breathing apparatus she pushes off the tower stairs and kicks a bit higher up in the water to get a different angle of light going. Spike responds with a curt nod, effectively hiding how surprised he is that Ford actually read the rules. <> he murmurs grimly, the small turbines in his armor kicking on. With a swirl of bubbles, he pitches in the direction the fish are heading. <> First Aid replies to Marissa. He looks down from the top of the tower before taking a step and... <> it's a long and slow descent thanks to being underwater, but this is good since it means Aid can enjoy the ride and it won't be too scary. <> he repeats before hitting the silt. His knees bend to absorb the impact as he rises back up to his full height. <> he starts jogging off to where he saw her shine the light. Ford pulled the rifle from his as he paddled a bit, stopping to steady his aim. <> he muttered, before taking aim at the swarm of fish... then angling it upwards and firing a beam of light a short bit over the swarm. That should at least spoke the little things enough to swim out of the way. <> Bug Creature grins toothily to himself as the Autobots dally more and more to save the Quint. Just a bit more nibbling and--oh, rats! Someone's shining a light over the fish. That might scare them off. Well, hopefully, even if it does, they'll have done enough damage to spell the end of Apocryphacius. His claws twitch. Uhoh. What's that his olfactory sensors are picking up in the water? That oil residue smells a lot like Hubcap. Crap. His audial sensors are about as good as his. Does the minibot know he's there? Has he already warned his fellows? He watches anxiously by the arch he's hiding behind. Damn, if the Autobots realize he tried to murder the squid, he could be tossed out of the faction, and this time, for good! Marissa Faireborn looks over at First Aid, then sees the beam from Fords sniper riffle. <> With that, she moves off to follow behind the mech, making sure she's not in his way. Hubcap, aware that he's in completely the wrong place if they're looking for Apocryphacius, keeps climbing the guard tower. <> There's enough people looking towards both places at this point that Talia remains treading water at her elevated point, and after adjusting the beam strength of her flashlight continues to shine it for others. Her other hand reachs down for the holster of the modified underwater laser pistol she brought along just in case, but hoping she's not going to need it for more than a fish fry. It's also quite possible that any earlier dismemberment could have been explained away as tidal damage. First Aid nods his head at Marissa's reply as he bunny hops through the Aztec plaza. <> Aid asks as he follows along the light path. Unless Repugnus takes action mighty soon, First Aid is going to run smack dab into Apocryphacius. (Un)fortunately, the angle he's coming from means the arch remains a decent hiding spot so long as the Protectobot sees the Quintesson and doesn't move past him. <> Ford replied to First Aid, firing off another couple of shots to scatter any fish bold enough to come back after the first fire. <> Ford kicked himself even closer as he pulled some scan-oculars from his back as well, tapping a couple setting buttons and letting his eyes rove over the area. After a moment of observation, the ace scout grimaces behind his breathing mask. <<...and that would be why.>> Omnisuit "Salamander" slows and leans back, feet drifting before him as he activates a hard-light blade of vermillion. The swirling mass of blood that comes into view has his eyes widening. <> Talia McKinley grunts as the others move closer, and follows from above to keep her higher angle of light on the area in front of them. She frowns and scowls as the mention of blood is made. <> Pause. Scowl that no one can see as she swims closer and draws the laser blaster. <<... Do Quintessons even -have- that sort of blood? Ah thought they were, y'know, part machiney like....>> Bug Creature , unfortunately, decides that he can do nothing at this point. Even if his Venom Laser wasn't mostly a stun weapon and barely capable of doing any damage, underwater it wouldn't have anywhere near enough range to hit Apocryphacius and finish him. His spark attack is also laughably out of the question. And it's probably too late to approach the Quint and finish the job up close--likely he'd just get caught in the act. Ah, well. Sometimes you murder, sometimes you don't. C'est la vie. He begins to quietly stalk away from the other Autobots. Best if they don't even suspect he was ever here. Talia is definitely right! There are some big, big predatory fish in the area... Like the ones snacking on Apocryphacius's blood-soaked tentacles, where he's stuck to the side of the tower. Combat: Apocryphacius damages himself. Combat: You took 5 damage. First Aid catches up to Ford Benett and immediately sees what made him grimace. <> First Aid says. It's less shock and more confusion. One very quick scan later, he confirms his suspicion, <>He follows the trail, figuring that Spike told /Ford/ not to get too far ahead but didn't say anything about First Aid doing so. First Aid hops over a slight crest and sees... <> First Aid announces, rushing for the tower. Reaching it, he shoos the fish away before drawing his undersea medical kit. This certainly doesn't explain the blood at all, but first things first. He checks Apocryphacius's life signs and begins his diagnosis. Marissa Faireborn looks at Spike and then Ford, frowning. <> She keeps looking around, making sure they haven't attracted unwanted company. When she hears First Aid's proclamation, she purses her lips. <> Hubcap rubs his nasal ridge. Oh well, looks like Apoc will live to see another day. Peering out a window, Hubcap keeps up the act. <> Talia McKinley bobs her head a bit at the announcement. <> She frowns as some bigger fish come into view from her point overhead already chewing on the squiddle. With a grunt she lifts her underwater blaster, takes aim, and pulls the trigger hoping her sharpshooting skills hold up underwater as she tries to plug some of those bigger snackers out of there. Hopefully mister sniper over there will help. Remember when First Aid was laughing about how 'Quintesson Medicine' isn't a class anyone offers? That would have been a great class to take. Apocryphacius is alive but barely. He seems to ve very cold, but is it hypothermia, or is it acceptable? If it /is/ hypothermia, how quickly can he be warmed up? The fish have taken a lot of chunks out of his tentacles. He's missing a lot of flesh, and a lot of fluid has leaked out - and, possibly, seawater has gotten /in/. What has that done to his fluid pressure and his ion balance? Apocryphacius hasn't eaten or drank since the 23rd. How long can a Quintesson go without food and liquids? He's a pack of bloody fish-eaten questions, and there aren't a lot of answers. Combat: Omnisuit "Salamander" compares his Accuracy to 90: Success! Combat: First Aid compares his Intelligence to 100: Success! Ford grimaced a bit more as Spike orders him back, before looking up and spying a circling shark as it seemed intent on getting in on this snack. <> Ford sang, before pointing his rifle up and pulling the trigger. A beam of light flies up to hit the shark and take a nice big hunk out of it. Right through the head. And likely spilling more blood in the area. <> Ford replied, before turning himself surface-ward and carefully paddling himself up to avoid getting the bends... or getting too close to the shark dinner he'd just served up. It appears that Spike might have noticed a hunched-over form in the darkness slinking away from the scene of the crime! Or was it a crime? And dare Spike investigate?... <> Talia mutters to no one in particular. Occasionally she plunk off another shot, but it's more just trying to ward the bigger predators away. They say sharks can eat metal, after all, and she doesn't really want First Aid to find out if it's really true or not. <> Omnisuit "Salamander" can't quite exhale in relief just yet; Apocryphacius is in some rough shape, but at least good ole' Aid is on it. He drifts away from the gathering, his light glinting off fish scales before landing on something that's not quite ichthyoid. Eyes narrowed behind the HUD, he settles back on the ground and jets forth, omni-blade drawn back. <> And if it /is/ hypothermia, how quickly *should* he be warmed up? First Aid adds to that list along with a hundred other questions racing through his mind. Apocryphacius has survived this long so Aid would suspect he isn't in any immediate danger, but... <> <> he points them out to Talia. <> A light bulb goes on over his head. The human blood, he realizes. <> Marissa Faireborn had moved closer finally to where First Aid was looking over one of her own. <> She asked First Aid as she stood next to the munched on Quintison. But before she could do much more than offer her help, hear the report from the mech, she hears Spike call out to something or someone. She starts just little and then looks back at First Aid, her jaw tightening. <. and with that she's off to move towards Spike. <> Ford stopped his upward ascent. Not because of Spike, but because he had to. Undersea pressure was kind of a b**ch. But Spike's outburst does prompt him to look back down and level his rifle towards the direction Spike is running. Flipping a switch on the handle, Ford's weapon light up, a red laser sight blazing it's way into the darker waters below. "Corps, what'd you see? Do I need to blast it out into the open for ya?" Hubcap climbs out a window and drifts to the seabed. Uh-oh, looks like, sorry, sounds like they're onto Repugnus. How to distract them? <> Another factor for First Aid to consider is decompression sickness. Due to the pressure of the water, the balance of dissolved gasses in his tissues is not going to be normal, and if they bring Apocryphacius up quickly, it could get... really ugly. He does seem to be relatively stable, fish-inflicted injuries, lack of nutrition, and cold aside. The wounds going septic will be a concern, if they can get him out of here alive. Infections will be an issue. They'll need some kind of nutrient drip. Some way to warm him up without sending him into shock... And he's not awake. That's understandable. But there's more to it than that. Spike and everyone else is on top of the search, so Talia keeps her spot closer to First Aid and his patient. Because 1) there's still predators to keep at bay, 2) they may need her to call an air lift in, and 3) if whoever it was came back to try and finish the job... <> she answers Hubcap off-handedly. Crap. Spike of all people had to spot him. Now he knows why the Decepticons found him to be so annoying--always meddling! And unlike the Decepticons, Repugnus can't just up and murder Spike, however convenient it might be to do so. The Monsterbot hustles off into a tower in the northeast, pondering his options. One entrance in, one entrance out. Hm. He darts to the right of the entrance, transforms, draws his Venom Laser, and waits for Spike to enter. Hopefully he can pull this off without Spike getting a look at him. Even while he's doing this he plots how to hack the EDC diagnostic equipment to show his suit's shutdown as being the result of an EMP burst rather than his own unique weapon. The creature spins and twists about into Repugnus's robot mode! <> Spike mutters through his teeth, half jogging and half leaping towards the hustling figure. His blade is stowed and replaced with the nigh blinding light of his plasma torch as he shuffles to a haphazard stop within the entrance of the tower. The rush of sand that piles in after him renders his light useless, however... <> Spike mutters through his teeth, half jogging and half leaping towards the hustling figure. His blade is stowed and replaced with the nigh blinding light of his plasma torch as he shuffles to a haphazard stop within the entrance of the tower. The rush of sand that piles in after him renders his light useless, however... <> First Aid replies to the General. <> He turns back to the patient. <>There's so much of it on the Quintesson as well that First Aid probably doesn't even need to get any in the water, but since Talia is here there's no sense in not being thorough. The Protectobot works on the physical injuries first since that requires the least amount of Quintesson knowledge. <> Slowly due to that decompression issue. He chooses the decompression rates suggested for Tlalakans, who at least share the aquatic nature of Quints. Marissa Faireborn catches up with Spike, trying to cover his back as she pulls a weapon of her own, shutting off her life so not to draw notice to them. <> she offers carefully to him. Hubcap blinks and staggers as he suddenly gets updated with Quintesson anatomy files. Conveniently, he supports himself against the doorway of the tower in question. <> Talia McKinley nods a bit, taking the collector and quickly gathering some of the floating blood into it with apt speed. This... isn't the first time she's had to investigate an assault scene in the water. A lot of people think that ditching evidence in the water is a magic solution. Once done with collecting and her thoughts she hads it back to First Aid. <> She doesn't wait for him to actually answer a confirmation before ingaging the props on her suit and heading upward. Between diving and piloting she's had plenty of training dealing with pressurization; and considering what's at stake her she pushes speed as close to the limit as she dares without making herself too sick to be able to fly in the first place. Excellent, Spike rushed in and has his back to him. Repugnus moves quickly, putting his Venom Laser at point blank range right into the back of Spike's exo and firing it. There's a burst of green light and a surge of bubbles, then, as Spike's suit shuts down, he pushes the suit so it falls onto its face. He then closes the doors to the entrance, right before Marissa join him. One last touch before he can leave--he draws out an iPod, and delicately using the tip of a finger, loads up a scene in a Texas Chainsaw movie where a guy is getting chainsawed up by Leatherface. He drops it inside, the intention being to make everyone think it's Spike that's being horribly tortured within. Repugnus then heads out the exit, sealing it shut behind him, and hustles off deeper into the underwater city. Hopefully no more humans will spot him this time or the blood in the water won't be from donors! Combat: Repugnus strikes Omnisuit "Salamander" with his Venom Laser attack! Combat: Omnisuit "Salamander" has been temporarily incapacitated. Closing up Apocryphacius's fish-inflicted injuries here has the problem that there is bloody, unsterile water all over the place. Underwater medicine is truly a challenge! But First Aid is one of the best doctors there is, right? Shouldn't be /any/ problem. That, and First Aid has an anonymous backseat driver giving him advice. Right? "AAHHHH OH GOD NOOOO!" BWWWZZZZZZSHHHGHHKKKK "AAGGGH GOOD AAAH!" is heard from inside the tower Spike is inside of! Marissa Faireborn had just gotten to the doors when they were slammed shut in her face. <> Then she heard his sound of ...distress? She tried to grab ahold of the doors and pull them open. <> When no answer came but instead the sound of someone screaming, she started to panic, <> She tries to haul the door open with what little strength she has but with no luck. First Aid starts on Apocryphacius's injuries once Talia begins her ascent to the surface, though he's obviously cautious out of worry for doing further harm to Apocryphacius. <> he asks Hubcap, even though he isn't really concentrating to what's being said on the radio at this point. < Omnisuit "Salamander" is left face down in a completely powered down exo, all of the lovely little life support systems ineffective, along with the radio. All he can do is stare at the dimly lit ground and the small spatter of blood from bumpin' his noggin. "Urrgh." First Aid is terribly naive to trust random information dumped into his head, especially when someone just tried to murder his patient! But maybe it'll all work out fine. This time. <> Talia's cut off her swearing by then and is back to business. All business. Once she gets close enough towards the surface to be in range she digs a small device out of a pouch in her dive suit's belt and clicks it, then continues upward. Back on the EDC ship that brought them out here a few deck technicians are startled when the Firehawk's engines fire up, but it only takes them a moment to realize the auto-call function has been activated and clear out of the way. Auto-pilot and homing softward fires up, the multiple holo-screens flashing to life in the cockpit even with no one to see them. The VTOL turbines thrum to speed and lift the aircraft off the helipad and send it skimming quickly out over the waters to meet with its pilot. Ford's eyes snapped about at the various scenes unfolding in the waters beneath him. Several things flew through his mind, but his first and foremost was allowing the General to get to Chuckles as soon as possible. Things didn't sound good. <>A brief moment later, Ford's rifle fired off a potent burst of laser energy to chop through the entrance. Ford's casual nature seems to bely his skill as a gunman. Allowing the General to handle things from there, Ford's next concern was ensuring whatever assaulted Spike either didn't get away, or worse, made a move for First Aid or Talia as they handled Apocryphacius' transport to the surface. Ford's scan-oculars are out again, combing the waters both around the tower and closer to First Aid. If Spike's assailant was nearby, Ford would spy him. His eyesight was second to none, after all! ...except maybe for SPike's, but that hardly counts, Ford wasn't paying attention! To First Aid, the source of the databurst and the attempted murderer of Apocryphacius don't seem like they'd be the same person. The former has extremely detailed, scientifically laid out methods of treatment and notes on Quint anatomy, some of which Aid is able to immediately confirm. This seems far more advanced than someone using blood as bait for fishes. <> First Aid says, clicking his medkit shut. Cradling Apocryphacius in his arms, First Aid engages the aquatic surfacing jets that slowly take him up towards Talia.As he ascends, the Protectobot keeps looking around nervously. He'd be such a glorious target right now, so it's good that Ford has him covered. Hubcap shakes his head as he straightens up, a little the worse for temporal discontinuity. <> Drifting over towards Marissa, clearly not in a rush, he nods affably. <> Repugnus decides he's spent enough time here, and while the humans rescue their leader, Repugnus crouches down behind a crumbled wall just as lights from Ford's exo sweep over him. He grits his teeth. How is he going to get out of THIS one? Then he gets an idea. He decides that Hubcap may be his only hope. He radios him. Hopefully, the minibot didn't call him in because he's on his side, otherwise, he's going to be spending a lot of time on vacation. Marissa Faireborn looks frantic at Hubcap. She's been around Spike for too many years, they've seen and been through too many things together for something to happen to him now. <> She's doing her best not to panic but its not really working this time. One step closer and she would have been inside with him, possibly helping fend off whatever was going on. <> First Aid replies to Hubcap. It's starting to get brighter and brighter, and so First Aid shuts off his red and white flashing lights. <> Hubcap nods slowly, <> He taps at the doors. Clearly in no hurry. <> He has his own problems. Talia McKinley breaks the surface and pulls off her dive mask without waiting. Though like some action flick script writing the Firehawk is just hovering down to her position as she does so. "Rel'able as ever." With a grunt she grabs one of the landing struts and pulls herself up. Quickly pulls off her tanks and stuff and ditchs them in the rear hold and climbs to the cockpit. "Ah'll clean ya up for drippin' on yer seats later shugahcube," she apologizes even as she slips into the chair and straps in. Yes, she's talking to the airship even though it doesn't have a self aware AI of any sort. Pilots, go figure. Marissa Faireborn blinks at Hubcap when he comes up and says something about Audio. <> She pounds on the door, <> She looks back at Hubcap, <> Omnisuit "Salamander" manages to tilt and turn his exo juuust enough to move the heavy arm towards that damn iPod. Underwater iPod. It takes every bit of strength to end that chainsaw massacre thing by crushing the device. Stupid reliance on machinery! Combat: Omnisuit "Salamander" takes a moment to shake off the effects of the last attack. <> First Aid asks. <> Just then, FWHOOSH! First Aid and Apocryphacius break the surface of the water. First Aid twists and tries to look behind himself to see if he can spot the Firehawk. "I'm here, Talia!" He would wave but his arms are full. Apocryphacius is pretty limp, though he's waterlogged, which makes him heavier than usual. He sloshes when he's handled. Ford gave a wave back to First Aid as he hits the surface, not daring to take his eyes off the ocean floor. Something was down there, and Ford was determined to find it. Swimming over to gain a better view of the area around the backside of the tower, Ford swept his gaze over the ruins once more. Ford squinted as he narrowed his gaze. He thought something moved a little... <> he asked, leveling the rifle out over the suspected area... Talia McKinley brings the Firehawk closer to First Aid once he's up to the surface and lowers the hover down to the surface of the water. And he's still got Apocryphacius. Good. Things are starting to roll back in order here. Repugnus gets a reply! And thankfully, Hubcap IS on his side, after all--for now. Damn, now a notorious con artist knows that he was in the same place where Apocryphacius was just mauled by fish thanks to a bunch of suspiciously placed human blood. He expects to be blackmailed later. Well, better than an enforced vacation. Anyway, Hubcap told him to burrow into the sea floor. He thinks for a moment--that might work. Shoot, why didn't he think of that already? Making sure no part of his body sticks out above his cover, he slooowly transforms into monster mode, and begins to dig into the silt. Carefully, so as not to kick up too much of it. Repugnus twists and flips around into his horrific creature mode! First Aid grabs onto the Firehawk's grip on the starboard side, hoisting him and Apocryphacius up into the hold. First Aid wheezes from exertion, as Apoc is /way/ heavier than normal. <> First Aid says. There really isn't much room, and so also little that Aid can do while they're stuck in the Firehawk, but he can at least start racing through that databurst to grab the information he's going to need. Figuring out how to warm up Apoc without killing him is step 1. Marissa Faireborn had hoped Hubcap to help her with the door but now that she'd gotten the weakest part to break due to Fords shot, she manages to get the door to open enough she can get through and to Spike, <> she asked as she came towards him, turning on her light in hopes of finding him 100 percent whole. Grilling is /not/ suggested as a valid way of warming up a Quintesson. As soon as First Aid is up and has Apoc aboard the Firehawk pulls up from the waters, turns, and heads for the nearest location they can get some proper facilities for First Aid to work his medical magic in. Trying to push as fast as she can without causing too much air turbulence for her passangers and disrupting FA's work along the way. Omnisuit "Salamander" is in one piece, and thankfully his exo is beginning to power up again. He slowly rights himself, a flickering glow seen between plates of armor as he lifts his helm to spot Marissa. <<...There we go. Though I won't be much help from here, this thing is pretty unresponsive. I'm headin' topside if that's all right with you, ma'am." He taps her shoulder fondly and shuffles back outside. Ford's sights narrowed in on a disturbance in the sand below. Ford dipped a little lower as he kept his rifle trained on the sight of the sandy shuffling. With so much debris in the way, it made it hard to see anything, but a cloud of kicked up sand drew Ford's suspicion. Scan-oculars out once again, Ford took a careful look at the area, hoping to get a glimpse of whatever was making that trouble. Hubcap ducks away from the doors as someone opens fire. <> But Marissa surges into the building. << Oh nevermind.>> Sauntering away, he grimaces to himself. <> <> Ford replied, squinting a little more. Marissa Faireborn nods to Spike and helps him up, then once he's on the move, pushes him through the door opening and follows, <> And with that, she heads topside. By this point, Repugnus has buried himself in the silt, and tried to make it look like it's naturally piled up against the wall he was hiding behind via sedimentation. Hopefully that'll be enough to elude the human, because otherwise he's going to have to go all sand spider on him. Hubcap searches in Repugnus' direction, then firmly puts a foot down on him. Hopefully, anyone scanning for Cybertronian lifeforms will only notice the minibot. First Aid meanwhile has begun the process to safely warm up Apocryphacius from within the Firehawk. The water logging is apparently acceptable for now, and that it's salt water shouldn't be an issue. Heat and making sure those wounds don't become infected are the primary concerns. Though the databurst only includes information needed for Apocryphacius's /exact injuries/, there's enough glimpses into Quintesson anatomy for First Aid to be impressed with how well... designed(?) the species is. Ford grimaced as nothing seemed to be there. Shaking his head, he sighed as he started up to the surface as well. Whether the guise fooled Ford or not isn't clear to anyone, really. Ford made it a policy to try not to reveal one's hand too early. In this case, Ford kept his thoughts to himself and simply continued his usual banter on the radio. When First Aid gets a chance to look at Apocryphacius's mental activity, he will notice something surprising. Apocryphacius is not comatose, per se. His five part mind is extremely active, particularly the optical processing sections. He's dreaming. Talia McKinley meanwhile is busy enough up front, between flying the Firehawk and taking care of a couple of much needed radio calls. First being calling the boat in to pick up the others. The second being finding a place they can get Apoc into proper medical facilities... well, considering he's not human. After a bit of calling around so to speak she gets something. <> Bug Creature , for his part, is content to stay right where he is until the coast is clear! That was a close one, alright--but then again, once he has his chat with Hubcap, he may not get off-scot free! Hubcap shakes his head, then turns back towards the plaza, but apparently trips over some rubble on the way. A surprising amount of silt gets disturbed, and clouds up the water, conveniently concealing any and all possible perpetrators. ==================================== NEST ==================================== Message: 15/1 Posted Author Apocryphacius Wed Jan 02 Spike Witwicky ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Spike appears in a dimly lit room, at a desk, leaning back with his hands folded over his abdomen. He's sporting a slightly bloodied bandage around his head and a wearied expression. "Witwicky reporting. MacKenzie, McKinely, Benett, the General, First Aid and Hubcab aided in recovering Apocryphacius from some underwater Aztec ruins (see attached for specifics). We found him surrounded with blood - human blood, oddly. A large, dark and apparently metallic figure was seen moving away from the area. When Benett, Faireborn and I pursued, I was hit with some sort of EMP beam, and it shut down my suit. Not entirely sure on what transpired during this... so I'll defer to the others to sum this up. Witwicky out." ============================================================================== ==================================== NEST ==================================== Message: 15/2 Posted Author Re: Apocryphacius Wed Jan 02 First Aid ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ First Aid appears on the screen from one of the waiting rooms in the Earth Defence Command hospital in North Korea. Doctors and patients are going about their business in the background, which has an orderly and calm feel to it. "Just to add to Spike's note, when we recovered Apocryphacius at the underwater ruins, he was being nibbled on by fish. The fish had been drawn to Apocryphacius deliberately by deposited human blood. Some points here, guys." "The human blood samples came from a dozen different people, but none of them are in the local Autobot or EDC databanks so it could be anyone worldwide. The ages varied from a day to two weeks old. I had Chromedome write up a quick program to search various human databases, but he told me it was pretty unlikely they'd find the sources." "The fish wounds were all recent. Recent as in within half an hour prior to us finding Apocryphacius. So clearly someone placed it on him in a very roundabout way to kill Apocryphacius while making it look natural. The blood would have dissipated before long had we not immediately arrived." First Aid folds his arms, "I spoke with Streetwise and we think the obvious hypothesis is this: Someone followed us down to the Aztec Ruins, found Apocryphacius before we did, deposited the human blood on him, and then shot Spike when he or she was nearly found out." "In addition to the blood, though, we do have one other clue: Spike's Exo-Suit. Spike, I'd like to take a look at your suit, examine the physical damage from the EMP beam, and capture its system log files. Once we have that I can run through all known EDC and Decepticon EMP wielders to see if we can narrow down the field, at least." First Aid flashes a determined look, "If there's a chance to find this creep, we will." Aid is about to turn off the camera, but then adds, "If anyone else has any clues or ideas, please don't hesitate to contact me. I'll be at Retoris for tonight's celebration but reachable by radio if needed. First Aid out." ============================================================================== ==================================== NEST ==================================== Message: 15/3 Posted Author Not Up To Something, Honest. Thu Jan 03 Hubcap ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hubcap sits at a desk. He doesn't have an office yet, but somehow he's found a desk. Probably best not to ask. "This seems like a matter for Intelligence. And as the seniormost Autobot Intelligence officer present at the time," (He somehow manages to look innocent while saying that,) "I suspect that makes this investigation my responsibility. Kindly send any updates through me." He leans forwards then, frowning at the camera. "I don't think I have to remind anyone that we may be dealing with an extremely dangerous individual. One who somehow knew exactly where we were and what we were doing." ============================================================================== ==================================== EDC ===================================== Message: 22/11 Posted Author Spike's Exo-Suit Examination Thu Jan 03 First Aid ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** TEXT ONLY *** Hi gang. I've taken apart Spike's exo-suit and put it back together again. Thanks by the way, Spike. Your exo-suit should be in tip-top shape now. Anyhow, looking at the system log files and the specific radiation damage suffered by the suit, it's clear that it was hit by a Venom Laser. It's a pretty rare weapon, and one that has a few variants. Red Alert sent me this list of known users of Venom Lasers, but he noted that this should be taken as incomplete. Also, according to Ford Benett, who saw the perpetrator kick up a dust storm, he appeared to be approximately my size. Clamor - Decepticon confirmed to be on Ganzvort. Crosswinds - Decepticon Seeker who went MIA five million years ago. Guardsmen of Derut Four - The planetary guards use a similar weapon as their standard sidearm, but that's half way across the galaxy and it wouldn't make sense for them to be involved. I've included them for completeness sake. Jailbreak - Decepticon last seen four months ago on Rada Mor. Autobot Intel suggests he can't operate that well underwater. Keel-Haul - Autobot currently stationed and confirmed to be on Pequod. Oarlock - Decepticon. Whereabouts unknown, but he's too large to fit Ford Benett's visual recollection, and apparently he's not a subtle mech. Seawing - Definitely has the know-how, and this is his style. Autobot Intel also has no record of where the Seacons have been for the past year. Repugnus - Pretty unlikely. Also, Doublecross and Grotusque say he was with them playing cards in Autobot City during all this. Ichor - Decepticon involved in the Massacre on Messatine four months ago and has been spotted there since. He might have been able to get to Earth since then. Torpedo - Decepticon believed to have been killed during one of the Decepticon attacks on Iahex a few years ago. I want to stress that this list is incomplete. There's plenty of Decepticons out there with unknown abilities and weapons, not to mention those that go into battle sporting something new every time. Chances are this is looking to be a Decepticon act, but for the life of me I don't know why they'd try to make Apocryphacius's death look like anything other than murder. - First Aid ============================================================================== ==================================== EDC ===================================== Message: 22/12 Posted Author Re: Frist Aid Thu Jan 03 Sandstorm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ **Voice Only** I can answer your last question by summing it up with a nifty human phrase: 'To dick with us.' Or in more common venacular, doing something outside of their assumed normal behavoir for no other reason than to mess with the investigators and make you guys confused and second-guessing. Same reason they didn't outright try to murder ol' Spike, a long time thorn in their sides as an Autobot ally, to avoid being caught. I'm sure enough of them hate Quintessons or humans enough to screw with a vulnerable one. Or maybe ol' Apocy was just a convenient oppritunity to mess with our heads by doing something unconventional. Either way, it sounds like they're as much trying to mess with our heads as they are get rid of weak allies. If I overhear any Cons bragging or manage to punch some answers out of someone's face, I'll let you all know. Sandstorm, out. **End Message** ==============================================================================
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