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Post by Slingshot on May 9, 2008 1:03:21 GMT -5
Breaking the sound barrier for a journey of a few miles may seem like overkill. That's because it is overkill, and Slingshot overshoots the coordinates before he can slow down. He curves back around, wind screaming around him as he slows.
Still too fast; he curves back again one more time, finally going slowly enough to see the roads. He blips over most of them - coordinates are wrong, wrong, getting better but still wrong- here!
A pile of blackened shrapnel.
That's his first impression, and he drops vertically. Bits. He can make out bits. A hand. One side of Skyblast's face. A scrap of wing-edge. Shards from a window.
He transforms, landing in a crouch next to the burnt and broken wreckage that had been his friend. Up close, he can see it all oh-so clearly, each melted circuit-board, each cracked component, every burn and scar.
All the pieces that just aren't there.
Slingshot perches over Skyblast's body, staring. Distantly, he thinks he should do something, feel something, but the black silence in his head cuts off the rest of the world.
Something flickers in the mess of circuitry. Slingshot stares for a moment, then slowly reaches out to nudge aside a hunk of carbonized metal.
Behind a cracked piece of steel-glass with the Autobot symbol frosted on it, a silvery ball of energy flickers and tumbles in place. It hurts Slingshot's visor to look at for too long, but it's difficult to look away.
His fingers close around a piece of metal, and with effort, he drags it over to cover the exposed ball of energy.
- Skyblast is very badly hurt, and he doesn't know what to do.
First Aid will know.
One radio call later, and he finally looks up from Skyblast. There is murder on his face, and one may be forgiven for wondering if the wrong Slingshot had come for the sky-painter.
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Shanodin
Major
The Chamberlain, Her Chivalrous Immensity, Lady Botanica. The Unyielding Vanquisher of Weed Killer
This is NOT her field of dreams
Posts: 700
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Post by Shanodin on May 9, 2008 21:27:43 GMT -5
Botanica has been surfacing at regular intervals to catch radio calls and check her surroundings, which is how she caught First Aid's message about Skyblast. After that she stays underground, moving at her best pace till she's close to the coordinates given. She breaks ground a several yards away and she's radioing on short range as she surfaces:
//Slingshot, First Aid's on his way. I...// "Primus, what..." she trails off, and makes to move closer and kneel next to the offline jet. He has to be offline, at least. She can't imagine being conscious in such a state.
Unless Slingshot tries to stop her, she will very carefully go about checking Skyblast over, as best she can anyway.
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Post by Slingshot on May 9, 2008 21:56:57 GMT -5
As soon as he sees the alien lily rise from the ground, Slingshot lifts his rifle to his shoulder, sights on the ground in several feet in front of her, and taps the trigger. A short burst of neutron packets shreds the ground in front of her, driving a deep hole.
"Stay back."
Slingshot can level a city-block with a short burst from that rifle. The expression on his face says that he will if necessary.
On Botanica's frequency: //Confirmation of your coordinates. Now.//
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Shanodin
Major
The Chamberlain, Her Chivalrous Immensity, Lady Botanica. The Unyielding Vanquisher of Weed Killer
This is NOT her field of dreams
Posts: 700
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Post by Shanodin on May 9, 2008 22:53:26 GMT -5
//Directly behind this lovely hole you just made.// Botanica answers on Slingshot's frequency.
She also repeats that on the Autobot frequency, with the addition of, //I'd trust this frequency over personal frequencies at the moment.//
"Now, as I was saying, First Aid is on his way, but I was already en route. Let me check him, Slingshot. Please."
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Skyfire-3
Rookie
Professional Treasure Hunter and Pet Fancier
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Post by Skyfire-3 on May 10, 2008 10:48:59 GMT -5
Skyfire just managed to straighten out his plummet into something like a space shuttle's landing glide when the ground came up and smacked him in the landing gear. The big shuttle bounced twice down a not-so-wide street, sheering off the tip of a burnt and broken wing. He wasn't going to be flying on that wing anytime soon.
He transformed, and slowly stood up, his double-barreled proton cannon in hand. Skyfire couldn't fly, but he could walk just fine, and his guns still worked. Time to find some payback--and hadn't he seen some activity on the next street over?
Skyfire stalked the length of the currently empty street and peered around the corner. Various things caught his attention: recent battle debris, a viciously scowling Slingshot standing over it, and that crazed plant-bot beyond him and a hole in the ground.
Okay, now who the slag was who?
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Post by Slingshot on May 10, 2008 21:17:47 GMT -5
Slingshot lowers his rifle and steps back to give Botanica room. "Yeah. You do that."
He moves stiffly, and Botanica can likely see the holes peppering his wings. What she likely can't see is the totality of the damage he's suffered - his tailfin is shredded to uselessness, his fuselage and wings are blackened and holed by lasers and anti-aircraft artillery.
Skyfire, however, likely has a good idea of how close Slingshot himself is to collapse.
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Shanodin
Major
The Chamberlain, Her Chivalrous Immensity, Lady Botanica. The Unyielding Vanquisher of Weed Killer
This is NOT her field of dreams
Posts: 700
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Post by Shanodin on May 10, 2008 23:00:29 GMT -5
Now that she isn't being shot at, Botanica take a minute to give Slingshot an appraising glance. "You could use checking over yourself. Can you give me a rundown on your injuries while I check on Skyblast?"
Botanica moves up to Skyblast's body and as she does she spies...something, or someone. A familiar shape at the corner. As she kneels, fingers gently running over the charred body of what once was a jet, she murmurs quietly, "I think we are being observed." Quickly she fires off several quiet radio messages.1
This...is not good. Skyblast, and now Slag, and Grimlock is running off to who knows what end. Slingshot injured...Ironfire also, most likely....and who knows who else has yet to report in. They are going to have to run, and run quickly, but she isn't leaving anyone behind, not if they've even a hint of a spark or charge left in them. Even if there isn't.
1 Since Botanica's using a headset instead of internal raido, Slingshot should be able to hear those radio calls. However, I'm not copying them all down here, because I'm lazy.
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Skyfire-3
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Professional Treasure Hunter and Pet Fancier
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Post by Skyfire-3 on May 11, 2008 14:06:41 GMT -5
So. Slingshot was wounded, but still sporting his weapon. That had to go first. The wild plant-bot shouldn't be a problem; not a lot of greenery here, and if there was, the hot blast from his jet exhausts should deal with any that bothered him.
Skyfire-3 drew his weapon and pointed it at Slingshot's rifle-carrying arm, then fired both barrels. The shot was quick and dirty; he had to fire before the plant-bot did something to alert his target, but the twin beams gave him a better chance of hitting.
Before he saw the results, he was already shifting his aim to the other arm and squeezing the trigger... If he missed the first shots, he'd swing back and try again. A disarmed Slingshot was the first requirement for a new pet...
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Boondocker
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General Contractor at Large and Sanitation Engineer Second-Class
Pickup Man
Posts: 216
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Post by Boondocker on May 11, 2008 15:01:41 GMT -5
A ways up the road, a blue pickup full of medical supplies is (hopefully) following an ambulance. Boondocker toots his horn, the custom bit inside tooting out the primary riff of "Dixie" before he goes on the radio.
//Hey, Slingshot, me an' First Aid is a-comin' up th' road towards y--Whoa!// The sound of squealing brakes and sliding can be heard. //Slingshot, Boss Lady, duck n' cover! Y'all's bein' shot at!//
Boondocker, master of the obvious.
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Post by Slingshot on May 11, 2008 15:38:22 GMT -5
As soon as Botanica utters her warning, Slingshot turns to look behind him, leading with his rifle.
This is why Skyfire-3's plasma bolts vaporize half the left side of Slingshot's torso, rather than his right arm and neutron rifle.
Pain and damage reports swamp his mind, his visor going black as all the pain adds up far too close to the bad kind of sensory overload. Slingshot wavers, stumbles, oh Prime, it hurts so much-
Skyblast needs him.
Slingshot forces his vision back online, though it comes up in grey-scale-
The plasma bolts aimed at his other arm vaporize one of his wings. But he can't move, can't stop being a shield for Skyblast-
Agony writ across his face, Slingshot fires his rifle from the hip at the evil Skyfire. His aim is erratic from both his damages and his general inexperience with shooting like this, but maybe he can bring down part of a building on the white shuttle.
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First Aid
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Conscientiously Objecting
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Post by First Aid on May 11, 2008 21:15:16 GMT -5
First Aid is indeed just in front of Boondocker - but when Boondocker responds to fire by braking, First Aid does nothing of the sort. He can't get a lot more speed out of his engine, but he tries anyway. That's his patient under fire!
//Botanica!// he calls on the EMS frequency, //We'll have to take that chance on evacuating Skyblast before working on him after all - it's no good with no cover.//
Cover's Skyblast's better chance at survival under these new circumstances (and everyone else's, too), but he's got to get there first. //I'm nearly to you, Slingshot.// Because he promised, even if Boondocker checked in on broadband before he could.
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Shanodin
Major
The Chamberlain, Her Chivalrous Immensity, Lady Botanica. The Unyielding Vanquisher of Weed Killer
This is NOT her field of dreams
Posts: 700
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Post by Shanodin on May 11, 2008 22:12:42 GMT -5
Slingshot is not the only one concerned with protecting Skyblast, and as soon as Skyfire shoots, Botanica leaps over the fallen jet's body, her vines spreading and lengthening behind her to help provide cover.
Four green pods are sent flying toward Skyfire, wriggling sucker vines disguising the sharp points of the data spikes1. With luck, at least some will hit and disrupt Skyfire's systems enough to give them a chance. Botanica isn't sure; he's just so damn big! A glance up at Slingshot tell her that the only thing keeping the Aerialbot standing is willpower.
//Under fire from alternate Skyfire at <coordinates>. Attempting to retrieve Skyblast. Slingshot is wounded.//
Botanica darts around Slingshot, being careful to keep to one side and out of his line of fire. Botanica is transforming as she moves, and as soon as she is sure she has cleared Slingshot, she lets loose the lightening2. It will not be as effective, with only one target, but it will definitely hurt.
1: Botanica's data spikes are wicked sharp and designed for slipping into tiny cracks in armour or other machinery. Once in, the sucker vines grab on and can be a right bugger to remove. They disrupt and interrupt system communications, and can cause anything from blindness to loss of motor functions to just a general shock of feedback, or anything in between. Entirely up to you Skyfire-3.
2: Arc lightening. Since there are no other targets for it to jump and gain power from at the moment, Skyfire doesn't have to worry about it gaining in intensity. However, she has every intention of holding the lightening focused as long as she can if it actually hits SKyfire. Which will, incidentally, make her more vulnerable.
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Skyfire-3
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Professional Treasure Hunter and Pet Fancier
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Post by Skyfire-3 on May 12, 2008 19:46:12 GMT -5
Skyfire-3 cursed as Slingshot's return fire zipped just past his blasted wing; he hadn't meant to damage Slingshot that badly--and now the plant-bot has gone aggro on him as well! He tossed off a shot at Botanica and then tried to swat away the green pods. He did not want any flora that she cared to gift him with!
The big shuttle managed to bat two of them away with the side of his hand, but the other two hit somewhere in the vicinity of his left knee and started sprouting. Then Botanica zapped him with some kind of lightning bolt--
About that time the wall fell on him and Skyfire disappeared in a pile of rubble and a cloud of dust.
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Boondocker
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General Contractor at Large and Sanitation Engineer Second-Class
Pickup Man
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Post by Boondocker on May 12, 2008 22:06:38 GMT -5
Boondocker pulls up to see Botanica being awesome, resulting in Skyfire winding up under a pile of rubble. "Hot dang..."
Though, now is not the time to be impressed. Seeing the state Skyblast is in sends chills down the hickbot, shaking his frame a bit. "Aw, man... that ain't right at all, ah tell yuh whut."
Then something crosses his mind. "Uh...I think I'm a bit full for carrying him, but I figger if we stow some of the kits an' what-not in my cab, we'll be good."
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Post by Slingshot on May 13, 2008 18:39:26 GMT -5
If Slingshot could read minds, he'd first yell at Skyfire-3 that if he didn't want the Aerialbot damaged that badly, then he shouldn't be firing plasma bolts. Boondocker, on the other hand, would get yelled at that no, Botanica's lightning hitting Skyfire didn't bring a building down on him. Slingshot's neutron rifle did that.
Fortunately for the rest of the world, Slingshot cannot read minds.
Unfortunately for the rest of the world, Slingshot only barely qualifies as walking wounded right now, and that's only because he's too stubborn to fall down.
The threat down, Slingshot forces himself to lower his rifle and turn back towards First Aid. It's slow and painful, and his visor flickers black several times during the process, but he finally manages it. "Glad you could make it."
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