East Coast: Ghost Hunters

[Mirage]

Crossposted from Offering.

Mirage has not noticed the movement of another into his carefully chosen nest. He periodically checks behind and around, of course, and uses his scope to search for the enemies he knows are hidden around. There are times when he thinks he's spied someone, but even if he does, now is not the time to start this dance.

The spy is kneeling, nestled behind a rocky outcropping which provides a convenient rest for his rifle barrel. The dust and foliage smears across his white and blue paint help him to blend into the ground during the brief moments when he must let his cloaking system spin off. He is cloaked for the moment though, up until the instant an invisible foot makes contact with his own.

As far as Mirage knows, there is only one other invisible man in the area. Cloak disengaging, he swiftly turns, rifle barrel making contact with someone's (hopefully abdominal) plating. A shot now would ruin everything....

---

posing of Spinister-3 done w/ player permission. Other snipers/spies may spin off into the this thread if they like.

[Spinister-3]

When something is too good to be true, it probably is, and that spot was simply perfect for a sniper to pick.

Immediately, Spinister's cloak drops, and there is a rifle barrel pressing to his abdomen. In the instant before the other can pull the trigger, he raises Hairsplitter, trying to press him to Mirage in such a way that one shot would be all it would take to silence and disable Mirage... but not kill him.

Spinister doesn't kill. He refuses. Killing is beneath his talents and against everything he holds dear.

He groans and protests quietly, barely over a whisper, "If it isn't Rodimus Prime's concubine! Should have know this spot would look as good to you as it does to me."

Spinister is so screwed, and if he's very unlucky, it'll be a literal screwing.

[Eye-fire]

Wouldn't it just be ironic for Eye-Fire to blunder into the other two snipers? Unfortunately, irony has been stalking Eye-Fire lately, waiting to swoop in for the kill. And it smells blood.

Its the mono-eyed marksman's own fault really. Hearing speech, Eye-Fire quickly turned to see if it wasn't behind him while continuing to float backwards. Backwards into something metallic. A small clang rings out, thankfully small due to him being in his smallest size.

He has three options.

1) Hope really, really hard its another Decepticon.

2) Whip round and blast whatever he bumped into.

3) Hold dead still.

1) Being uncharacteristically optimistic and 2) being potentially fatal, Eye-Fire opts for the third.

_____________________________

))C Note: Cross posted with Offering. Out of thread.

[Mirage]

Mirage quirks a browridge up in surprise when Spinister de-cloaks, then raises it even higher at the helicopter's words. Indignation wars with surprise on the spy's face, even as Mirage notes that, should the garish skulker pull the trigger, he won't die. Oh, Mirage will hurt like hell, and will likely be offlined from the damage, but he won't die.

Wasn't this one supposed to be some sort of bogyman to the Decepticons? Why, then, wouldn't he aim to kill?

All this goes through his mind in the space of a few seconds, and he answers, just as softly, but with the upperclass haughtiness that his alternate never mastered, "Rodimus Prime's what? I mean, really, he's handsome enough, but I dislike making a target of myself." Because anyone the Prime cared for or even casually used would constantly be at risk, "Besides, he prefers pink, I think."

Even the quiet, soft clinking of metal on metal carries here and now, what with jungle unnaturally quiet, all it's small creatures still and hiding from the metal invaders. Mirage stiffens, swiftly deciding that a small risk is better than a large one at the moment. And then Grimlock proves that he is the King: King of Subtle.

Not.

A very low power burst over the Allied Hero Frequency: //Radio check!//

[Spinister-3]

This is apparently the best sniping spot ever, and they are doomed to have a sniper pile. In other circumstances, Spinister just might be excited by this idea.

Spinister whirls around, gun still pointed at Mirage even as his attention turns to Eye-Fire. Guns that see and aim on their own are wonderfully and lovely. Spinister barks out an order, voice firm and commanding but lacking the hollow whispering quality of the Spinister Eye-Fire would know, "Out of here, Eye-Fire. This spot's already taken... twice."

Is it his Eye-Fire? Is it the evil one? Either way, an order issued decisively will give most soldiers pause, and it will buy Spinister precious time to sort this situation.

To Mirage, Spinister teases, despite the tense situation, "Is there another term you prefer? Because really, everything else I could think of was quite unflatteringly ribald, and of course he prefers pink. Of course. Anyone with a good optical sensor does." He may die; he may die in the next few milliseconds, but he refuses to be so condemned serious all the time. Right before death is the perfect time to live a little.

His gun can avenge him, anyway.

Spinister is doubting that this is his Mirage, and that radio just confirms it, unless this is really the evil Mirage, and he's on their frequency. That would be disastrous, wouldn't it? All the same, he replies, //Well hey there, baby. Nice taste in hunting perches you have. Sorry about my, ah, earlier comments, but you know.//

[Eye-fire]

"I-I..." IS all that Eye-Fire can stammer out as he turns around, pointing himself at Mirage as his various orders fight to gain supremacy. On the on hand, he knows there are doubles running around. On the other, Spinister has just given him a very clear order.

//Spinister! Where are?// Eye-Fire quickly shouts over the 'con broadband. In the meantime Eye-Fire is going to have to some furious ad libing.

"Drop your weapon Autobot! I won't let you hurt Spinister!" He says, hoping that this might buy him some time.

[Mirage]

Mirage purrs over the radio, very pleased to not be alone as things go to Kaon in a handbasket nearby: //Apology conditionally accepted, provided you don't call me baby again. That's one endearment I never could stomach. Besides, if you persist, I'll have to start calling you 'darling' or 'love' and, really, I prefer not to move that fast. One should savor such entanglements, yes?//

Mirage shifts a bit to better watch Eye-Fire, but doesn't lower his weapon. A half smile plays around his lips. These are the moments which make his lot in life worth living.

//Breaking left.// is all the warning the spy gives as he throws himself to one side, cloaking as he does so. He tumbles into the tree line, rights himself, then takes aim at the floating gun. No shots yet; he wants to make sure Spinister isn't in the line of fire.

[Spinister-3]

Does Mirage realises that he's just making Spinister want to call him 'baby' more? He replies to Mirage, words belying his tone of contrition, //Sure thing, sweetness.//

It may be utter lunacy to flirt with the other sharpshooter. Just because he isn't Spinister's Mirage doesn't mean that he isn't a psychopath. The enemy of his enemy may also be his enemy.

However, as a way of passing the time, it amuses Spinister.

This situation needs to be handled quickly and quietly. Breaking right, Spinister quickly takes aim at Eye-Fire and snaps off a shot, aiming to take out Eye-Fire's radio.

[Eye-fire]

Eye-Fire, currently in his human sized rifle form, would be utterly annihilated if Spinister's shot were to fully connect. His plan to remedy this is to transform into his robot form , engage his anti-gravs and flee like Trypticon was after him back the way he came.

What actually happens is that Spinister's shot impacts on Eye-Fire's left arm during transformation, sending him into a spin as he arcs over the forest canopy and back into the down as his anti-gravs go berserk trying for compensate the hit.

After landing with a resounding crash, he flails to throw branch's off himself as he gets up and fire's some shots over where he thinks mirage might have gone before taking off in that direction while sending a message over 'con broadband.

Yes, he's apparently forgotten how stupid it is to try and chase after an invisible opponent.

[Mirage]

By the time Eye-fire rights himself and begins to fire on Mirage supposed location, the spy has moved a good distance from where he disappeared into the trees. Mirage fires off three shots in rapid succession, minutely adjusting his aim to take into account the Decepticon's movements. The trees make being sure of a hit a bit problematic, what with their stubborn insistence at not growing evenly spaced and in lines, but Mirage will make do. He always does.

//Much better, my dear, much better. Once this mess is over and done, perhaps I'll show you how sweet U can be.// Mirage will flirt and snark on his very deathbed, he will. //Now, it's my intention to rescue that package tied up below- and really, whoever tied those knots has no sense of aesthetic- but I could use a hand, especially an invisible one.//

Mirage shifts silently through the trees, moving back toward Spinister. //The element of surprise is lost. Shall we leave this one to chase ghosts? It will only take a small effort to thoroughly confuse him, I think.//

[Spinister-3]

Spinister can write his name on a microchip two miles away. He is quite capable of shooting Eye-Fire without injuring him, and if he thought that the shot would be lethal, he wouldn't have taken it. Just because he might be able to paste a Pretender Shell with one shot does not mean that he has any desire to do so.

Spinister winks out of sights - and out of hearing, as well, for anyone who might be listening for him. He cannot even be smelled. Spinister never just settled for invisible. He wanted undetectable. Curse the organic worlds and their grass and twigs!

//Sweet enough to lock up my engine, I bet,// Spinister replies. //Ah, is he one of yours?// The red sports car may not be as vicious as the usual Autobot, but he was still an Autobot, and he can't see why Mirage would rescue an enemy. //It would stick on in Rodimus Prime's optic. I'm in.//

[Mirage]

Skipping Eye-fire due to time out

Mirage is suffering from cloak envy. He wants Spinister's shiny tech, he does.

//Oh, I can do much more than lock it up, sweetling. You'd be comparing other to me for vorns, you would.// Mirage teases as he moves silently back toward where Spinister had winked out.

Not a trace of teasing is present, though, when he continues: //He's not exactly one of ours. But he isn't one of theirs, either, and it's my fault they captured him. I won't leave him to suffer any longer.//

//Moving toward his location, flanking from the right. I can seem to appear elsewhere, so we've got a distraction if needed. For that matter, if I'm holding him close enough, I can cloak him as well.// Hurray for box-style cloaking tech. //Care to clue me in on your position, sweets? You're good!//

[Eye-fire]

Eye-Fire has broken off from pursuing Mirage, Awaiting his pick up.

The shots fired after him strike trees, though some get close enough for him to worry he's being followed.
Crouching down, he transforms into his rifle form and takes up position in a tree, awaiting any pursuers.

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OOC: Skippable. Please also excuse the timeout, trouble with interwebs cutting out randomly.

[Hellbender]

Hellbender had been in position to help ambush any rescuers of Swerve, but orders are orders--especially from Lord Shockwave. Eye-fire finally managed a coherent reply to the mining worm's request for position, and it wasn't too far away--so he tunneled.

The ground beneath Eye-fire's tree erupts, uprooting the tree as Hellbender's still-massive head bursts from the dirt. Oops. Perhaps he was too close to Eye-fire's coordinates. The first thing Eye-fire might notice (when he stops falling, that is) is that Hellbender isn't quite as ginormous as he was before--he seems to have gone on a diet and slimmed down a bit. There's still a large purple Decepticon logo painted on his blue-black head, and he still burrows with those whirling evil metal toothbrushes from hell.

The worm emerges from the earth, looping around the ruined tree in blue-black coils; he's definitely not as long as before--only about half his previous length. Shutters slide back, revealing oval red optics set between the upper pair of cutters.

"There y'are, Eye-fire. Ah be ready to go in a jiffy," echoes Hellbender's cavernous, accented voice; the shutters close again.

The worm rises up, over 2/3 of his length in the air; armor shell plates shift down and back, peeling away from his body to form wing-like shrouds. The four cutting heads split apart, sliding down to become part of his outer arms even as legs emerge and unfold.

Finally, there's a large blue-black shell-former with an armored helm and dark face standing on the wreckage of the tree. Red optics look up toward Eye-fire; a shoulder-mounted heavy laser whirrs softly as its owner points it in the general direction of whichever enemy is nearest and charges it.

"You comin?" Hellbender asks, holding one hand out. He's here to pick up Eye-fire, not engage the enemy, but he's not against firing a few shots in their direction. More the better if some of those shots are from a handful of Eye-fire.

---
Hellbender will be leaving with Eye-fire next round assuming Eye-fire cooperates and no one seriously interferes

[Spinister-3]

What does Mirage really envy, now? The silence? The lack of IR signature? The unlimited time period?

Or that Spinister is pink?

//Ah, but would this be a favourable comparison?// Spinister teases right back. Then, voice softer, he replies, //I see.//

He tries to walk on rocks and hard-packed dirt as much as possible, avoiding grasses and plants. He replies, //I really am, but hmm, what's in it for me? Doesn't that ruin the mystery? Isn't it much more fun to imagine what position I might be in? Because I could be here... or there... or right behind you!//

//But really, I'll take left.//

Oooh, ugly worm-thing! Not cool.