|
|
Post by Long Haul on Jun 19, 2007 19:01:39 GMT -5
OOC: This is cross-posted from Long Haul's last post in the Tourist Beach Arrival thread.
The Constructibot trembles under the force of the giant's glower, and his head starts to lower, but he raises it again, and does not look away until Omega Supreme turns towards the city. Then he bends over to pick up the silver dragon and says softly, "But weren't you just sayin' how even the dead can be brought back to life?" before he hands the dragon, still muzzled, off to Xaaron1 and transforms.
"Guess it's time we headed back, then," he says, voice still subdued.
1 Hopefully the Emirate will accept it. Otherwise we might learn if baby dragons can bounce!
|
|
|
|
Post by Emirate Xaaron on Jun 19, 2007 20:27:15 GMT -5
Emirate Xaaron accepts the dragonet with a sigh. So much for hoping that Long Haul would forget the thing. It seems to have stopped trying snap, despite the muzzle, for whatever reason. He notes, "I had better have Perceptor examine you when he returns. Hopefully they will not run into too much trouble."
He sits himself in the back of Long Haul, the dragonet on his lap. One may wish to picture the Patrician and Whuffles. Xaaron suggests, "We should check Synapse's arrival spot. There was still power there in places, I heard. We may be able to find a working generator as an appetizer for our large companion. The little chargers in the cars won't even be snacks, will they?"
|
|
Omega Supreme
Minor
Shorter and Coloured Funny but Still Angry as the Pit
Posts: 456
|
Post by Omega Supreme on Jun 19, 2007 20:41:19 GMT -5
Omega Supreme is walking, for now, since conserving power seems to be the name of the game. If he falls too far behind, he might transform.
At Long Haul's comment about death being reversible, he scratches his head. So what, they kill Hook, then bring him back? That sounds like a pain. They'll have to find a Quintesson, and didn't they use the last one for Optimus Prime? Omega Supreme grumbles, "Death: temporary. Reprogramming: permanent. Resurrection: solution?"
He is feeling those hunger pangs, a bit. Omega Supreme hopes that they can find something. He gets grouchy when he's hungry.
|
|
|
|
Post by Long Haul on Jun 19, 2007 20:56:20 GMT -5
"I'm saying, from what you're saying, miracles happen." His engines start, and he mutters, only just loud enough to be heard, "I don't accept 'impossible.'" Then the dump truck rolls over the sand and back onto the road.
"Snacks? Well, for us, maybe. For Omega? Naw. Synapse's arrival spot sounds good." He begins puttering southward at his moderate dump truck pace, dragon-winged Emirate Xaaron in his back, much smaller dragon snuggling in the winged Autobot's lap.
|
|
|
|
Post by Emirate Xaaron on Jun 20, 2007 16:36:26 GMT -5
Emirate Xaaron chimes in with his own perspective on the whole reprogramming issue, "You know, there is one thing, aside from killing a machine, that will undo reprogramming. However, I doubt that you would like it very much. I do hope that Perceptor can find a more a palatable option."
Idly, he skritches the dragonet and comments, "We need to find some purple paint. You said that you wanted to train the thing, and the sooner you start, the better it will be. I have no idea if this thing can even see colour, but we might as well start painting Decepticon symbols on its food, so that it gets the idea that chomping on Decepticons is okay."
He pull out his holocube and fiddles with the settings. He displays a red screen and holds it in front of the dragon. Then, moving as little as he can, he flicks it to a blue screen of the same intensity. The dragonet's attention flickers, and Xaaron mutters, "Gotcha."
|
|
Omega Supreme
Minor
Shorter and Coloured Funny but Still Angry as the Pit
Posts: 456
|
Post by Omega Supreme on Jun 20, 2007 20:50:55 GMT -5
Omega Supreme continues to lope along and watches the speedy cars leave them in the dust. Long Haul's hope seems to be indomitable. He's not really doing Long Haul a favour by trying to squash it, is he? Innocence is something to be cherished and guarded. However, naïve as he is, he could end up dead or, worse, corrupted. However, slaughtering his innocence and leaving it pink in the dust is nearly as bad as just killing him. He can't treat Long Haul like a hot house flower. He has to sink his roots into the ground and feel the weather to grow up tall, but outside of the greenhouse, he could be twisted by the wind or struck down by lightning.
Omega Supreme groans, mulling these issues over in his head. And this Xaaron guy thinks what colour the dragon's food is matters? How inanely petty.
|
|
|
|
Post by Long Haul on Jun 20, 2007 21:09:50 GMT -5
Long Haul is not aware of Omega Supreme's musings; if he had been, he'd have been a lot more worried, both for Omega Supreme and for himself. He's not, however, so instead he's mostly worried about Hook.
"What's that method, Xaaron? Of deprogramming him, I mean? I mean, I don't know how it could be much worse than it is now. At the worse, y'know, we can keep it in mind as an option, I s'pose."
He pauses as he continues to putter forward. "And... yeah. I wanna try and train it. I'll... keep an eye out for paint, or something." His tone of voice expresses obvious confusion as to why they'd want to do something like that.
|
|
|
|
Post by Emirate Xaaron on Jun 20, 2007 21:22:53 GMT -5
Primus, Long Haul's more clueless than a day-old neutralist. Patiently, Xaaron explains, "You could wipe his mind. Removes programming, including reprogramming. Unfortunately, it also removes all his life memories, although his skills would be left untouched. You'd have to start over new with him, although he'd be an extremely competent neophyte."
Don't think too badly of Xaaron for the suggestion. Optimus Prime did it to the Aerialbots.
On the other topics, he says, "Decepticons want to kill us, so I don't mind if your pet eats them. Putting Decepticon symbols on its food should accustom it to eating Decepticons. Decepticon symbols are purple."
Emirate Xaaron wants to facepalm, that he has to add that last bit.
|
|
Omega Supreme
Minor
Shorter and Coloured Funny but Still Angry as the Pit
Posts: 456
|
Post by Omega Supreme on Jun 20, 2007 21:30:20 GMT -5
Omega Suprme grapples with his issues and gives up for the time being. Instead, he listens in on the conversation. The gold fellow could be a threat to Long Haul.
At the talk of teaching the dragonling to eat Decepticons, Omega Supreme almost laughs, although the humour dies on his chips before it can dream of being sound. He boasts, "Decepticons: easy targets."
His own particular prey excluded, of course.
|
|
|
|
Post by Long Haul on Jun 20, 2007 21:56:51 GMT -5
Long Haul gasps at Xaaron's description of how to deprogram someone. "No!" he exclaims, horrified. He rolls forward in silence for awhile, then adds softly, mournfully, "There's... there's gotta be some other way." But still, he cannot shush the nagging thought at the edge of his conscious. And what if there isn't? It would still be better than death, but it would take a lot to convince Long Haul that such a solution would truly be worse than things are as they are now.
And if it did come to that, the same dangerous part of his mind that suggests there really may be no other solution also suspects he'd need it done to him, as well. Because he couldn't see living with himself afterwards.
While musing on such things, Long Haul falls silent. Soon, however, his mind drifts to more mundane, immediate matters, such as the road, and immediate concerns, and those in his back, and the fact that even millions of years and light years from home, he's still hauling. It's with these thoughts that he can eventually be heard once more, with the occasional muttered (but never too harsh) complaint, although he stifles even those when they eventually near the city.
OOC: Technically, our group would arrive at the outskirts of the city after the other group of Autobots; however, they'd also be gone by the time we got here, so it's still all good.
|
|
|
|
Post by Emirate Xaaron on Jun 21, 2007 10:41:34 GMT -5
Emirate Xaaron smiles faintly and sadly, a sphinx's smile. Do the sphinxes ever regret the stack of bones that clutters around them, knowledge seekers to the last? Xaaron does. Mildly, gently, he reminds, "I told you that you wouldn't like it. For Hook's sake and your own, hope that Perceptor can provide better. As I understand it, we have an untouched specimen - you, a specimen where the process did not complete - Omega Supreme, and a specimen that was wholly corrupted - Hook. Perhaps Perceptor can puzzle something out by comparison."
The gold mechanism looks up and suggests, "Omega Supreme, be on the look out for..." ...and he relays what Synapse told them of his arrival point.
Omega Supreme is tall. He has a better vantage point by default.
|
|
Omega Supreme
Minor
Shorter and Coloured Funny but Still Angry as the Pit
Posts: 456
|
Post by Omega Supreme on Jun 21, 2007 10:58:15 GMT -5
Omega Supreme mulls over the idea of just wiping Hook, which hadn't occurred to him. Hook's fine abilities would live on, still able to create masterpieces, but his hated enemy and his old friend would both die. It does seem a better option than just killing him.
He sweeps his gaze out, seeking what Xaaron described. He finds it near the river, near what looks like a hydroelectric plant. Omega Supreme points at it with his claw arm and rumbles, "That way."
|
|
|
|
Post by Long Haul on Jun 21, 2007 11:05:16 GMT -5
Sadly, it's not a straight shot, but between Omega Supreme's vantage point and Long Haul's knowledge of how cities in general work and are usually laid out, they should probably get where they need to go.
The Constructicon starts driving again, this time moving at an even slower pace, choosing his pathway carefully. He asks Xaaron, "You two doing all right back there?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Emirate Xaaron on Jun 21, 2007 18:26:01 GMT -5
Emirate Xaaron answers, sounding faintly amused, "We aren't trying to eat each other." He adds, "And I haven't seen anything of note, watching the rear. "
He twists around looks in the direction Omega Supreme is pointing. Xaaron grumbles, "We don't have a straight shot to the place."
|
|
Omega Supreme
Minor
Shorter and Coloured Funny but Still Angry as the Pit
Posts: 456
|
Post by Omega Supreme on Jun 21, 2007 18:41:13 GMT -5
Omega Supreme has a straight shot to the place but only in a literal sense of the term and that isn't very helpful at the time. He follows after Long Haul, since Long Haul has to navigate the streets. Omega Supreme tries to step lightly. It takes conscious effort for him to not leave bent metal roads behind him. Xenos don't build their roads to bear weight like Autobots do.
He can be seen over the buildings, which are fairly squat. Even the pair in the zoo ought to be able to see him. Omega Supreme does stealth like a cow flies.
|
|
