Waking up at the Zoo

[Mirage]

“I afraid you’re mistaken, m’lady. My name is Mirage,” he said, inclining his head in said lady’s direction.

He wasn’t entirely sure if the Junkion was actually mistaking him for someone else, or was lost in her own fantasies. Best to be polite about it, regardless. After all, what could it hurt? She seemed mostly harmless. Crazy, but harmless.

Glancing over at Emirate Xaaron, Mirage noted the rather protective hold the other mech had on his pet. That fact should have made him rethink his position on the Junkion’s threat level. As it was, he simply dismissed it as a bit of over protectiveness on Emirate Xaaron’s part.

One of these days, Mirage’s tendency to underestimate those below his station is going to get him into trouble.

He nodded, “A download would be much appreciated. If others are likely to be using this Terran-speak you mentioned, it could prove invaluable.”

[Emirate Xaaron]

Someone who shows so little concern about her own well-being immediately alarms Emirate Xaaron. If she treats herself that way, how is she going to treat others? Also, she burst into Omega Supreme. He remembers that. That action does not inspire trust in him.

So the strange robot can converse like a civilised being in language if not in her actual words. What is she on about? He takes a moment to process. So she's referring to the lack of purple on him and also to Tiny. He tightens his hold on Tiny a bit, bringing the dragonette in closer to his chest. As he still isn't holding hard enough to hurt, Tiny doesn't seem to mind. Snugglies!

Lowly, Emirate Xaaron notes, "I'll get you the download later." He doesn't have Mirage's personal frequency, and he doesn't want to be discussing Mirage's frequency in front of the Junkion.

With warmth he is not actually feeling, he greets her, "Hello, there. What brings you here and what might be your name? I am Emirate Xaaron."

[Screwdriver]

No concern for her own well-being? Why, that's Screwdriver's top concern! It just so happens that limbs coming off are generally no big deal to a Junkion. It's not like she's asking them to remove their legs! And if they were to, she'd be able to put them back on, anyway.

Suspicions, but still no actual recognition. Not too surprising to think that Wreck-Gar never bothered to give his allies a list of his own criminals. Her kind likes to keep that sort of thing in-tribe when possible.

Her first instinct is to sigh in exasperation at Mirage's introduction. She knows who he is! Did she not just say as much? He smile fades, but she manages to keep it from fleeing entirely. She narrows her optics and starts to concentrate, trying to force herself to communicate with these... culturally ignorant individuals (really! They don't know Lord of the Rings?!), although her tone retains a level of sing-songishness.

She performs one of her skirtless curtsies towards the both of them. "Good day to you, m'lord Mirage, Emirate Xaaron. I am tinkerer, cobbler, and toymaker, and Screwdriver is my name! I suspect the fair folk have brought me here. I wandered off the path and fell down the rabbit hole!"

She watches for a reaction, trying to determine if she's dumbed down her speech sufficiently for these others. If she has to modify even further, she may not bother!

[Mirage]

Mirage gives his companion a thoughtful glance. Emirate Xaaron’s greeting to the Junkion was entirely at odds with the attitude he had displayed at her appearance. A prudent choice, perhaps, considering her…uniqueness, but too smoothly executed. Mirage wonders again, exactly, who Emirate Xaaron had been before arriving here.

Returning his attention to the new arrival, Mirage catches a flash of something (disappointment, or maybe annoyance?) on the Junkion’s face. He cocks his head, a slightly puzzled expression on his face as he processes her sing-song introduction. A toymaker, eh? Fitting, considering her child-like demeanor. Perhaps there’s a way around this cultural divide yet.

Mirage returns Screwdriver’s curtsy with a low bow and a smile. Straightening, he says, “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Screwdriver. Having only just arrived, the sight of a smiling face gives me encouragement that all is not as lost at it may seem."

"Please forgive my lack of recognition; it has been explained by my companion here that while we have all arrived at the same destination, we each ‘fell down the rabbit hole’ from different places and times.” He rattles off the same timestamp he’d given Emirate Xaaron, explaining that he’d been on Cybertron before arriving on the planet, but not clarifying beyond that.

“So you are an artisan! I am sure your skills are sorely missed by your community. If I might ask, what path did you wander from? Have you seen any others from your coterie here?”

[Emirate Xaaron]

Emirate Xaaron finds that if he just ignores every third word that Screwdriver says, she makes much more sense. Still, is she actually a toymaker, or is she being more metaphorical, as she seems to be about most everything?

He greets her bow with a curt nod. Something about the action, sparse as it is, says he isn't being rude here; he's just above her station. The Emirate bows for no man.

Emirate Xaaron briefly toys with the idea of locking her in a room with Bumblebee. As amusing as that would be, instead, Emirate Xaaron decides that he not only needs to make a good impression on Mirage, but he needs Screwdriver to be handled. Kup is busy with his interviews, but hopefully he's done with Nightbeat now, and if anyone can get straight answers from a curveball, it's Nightbeat.

Privately, he radios, //Nightbeat, I have a situation here. There's a 'Junkion' here who talks like... I have no idea. Says she's a 'toymaker', but that may mean more than it seems. We also have a Mirage here. Not our Mirage. I can handle him, but I'd like you to chat with the Junkion, Screwdriver. Coordinates transmitting now.//

Emirate Xaaron asks, tone neutral and mildly interested, "What sort of toys do you craft?"

[Nightbeat]

A blue sports car, sporting some fairly heavy ammunition, pulls up to the scene, transforming quickly into the robot form of Nightbeat. Almost instantly, his optic for detail goes to work, noting everything he can about the area and everyone in it. Subroutines kick off in his mind, designed to process as he goes and, if necessary, draw conclusions about it.

A number of those subroutines are focused on who he assumes is the Junkion.

"Ask and you shall recieve," he says.

[Screwdriver]

Screwdriver's smile brightens considerably at Mirage's polite response, but fades a bit at the timestamp. Junkions really tend not to have valid Cybertronian timestamps. They just use normal ol' human calenders (and lots and lots of TV guides). When Mirage asks what path she took and if there were others with her, she answers, "I took a roundabout way, and entertained myself by gathering nuts, running after butterflies, and gathering bouquets of little flowers.¹ I wandered lost and alone many years!" Or, you know, a few days.

Xaaron asks what sort of toys Screwdriver makes. Screwdriver, delighted to be the center of attention, answers brightly, "Only the best kind!" And with that she removes from her own subspace compartment a small, brightly painted and well crafted metal object, mostly roundish, but flattened; not quite spherical. There is small wire loop that can be seen at one end. A grenade, perhaps? She swiftly slips her pointer-finger (her only true finger, given the odd shape of her hands) through the loop, and before much can be done, releases the sphere to the grip of gravity. It shoots down, spinning as it goes, then spins and hovers just inches above the ground as the wire comes to its full extension. Her hand goes up, and the not-sphere returns to her hand before she repeats the process; those familiar with Terran society would, by now, recognize the odd object as a yo-yo.

She is still playing with the yo-yo (sticking, for now, to the basic up-and-down pattern) when Nightbeat arrives. In response to his statement of Ask and you shall receive, she chirrups, "I want a pony!"

---

¹ Paraphrase from "Little Red Riding Hood".

[Mirage]

Mirage manages to keep his smile in place despite a strong desire to sigh in frustration. In the past, he’s found that the best way to get information from someone was to get them talking about themselves. However, he sincerely doubts he can handle prolonged exposure to Screwdriver’s nonsensical speech pattern. Puzzling out her reply, he’s determined that she’d been on the planet a handful of days or so. He’s fairly certain “gathering nuts” might equate to finding energon, but since he has no idea what “butterflies” or “flowers” might be, he can’t fathom why the Junkion would be running after or gathering them.

When Screwdriver whips out her little “toy” from subspace, the smile disappears, and Mirage’s first instinct is to duck for cover. For all he knows, her “toys” could be like WheelJack’s -more prone to blowing up in their creator’s face. Managing to mostly stifle the impulse (though he does take a step back), he watches her demonstration with cautious interest. It is then that he takes note of the approaching Autobot.

This new arrival would likely have seemed as coincidental as Screwdriver’s except for the newcomer’s comment upon transforming. Xaaron is the only member of the group likely to have called for anyone, and Mirage is not (quite) vain enough to believe this subtle display of force is for him. Which means he should probably reassess the threat level of that Junkion.

Well, two is company and three is a crowd, and four just makes things fragging uncomfortable. He gives a welcoming nod to the newcomer, his discomfiture evident.

[Emirate Xaaron]

Emirate Xaaron shows no reaction of surprise at Nightbeat's arrival, confirming that he was in on the blue car's summoning. He isn't even startled by how quickly Nightbeat arrives. The detective could have a fine career as a racer if he ever does solve all of life's mysteries and find himself bored.

Nightbeat's arrival serves several purposes for Emirate Xaaron. One of the secrets of being a good leader is knowing when to delegate, and Emirate Xaaron does think that Nightbeat is one of the better choices for talking to this Junkion. It's better than making a muddle of the issue. It also proves to Mirage that there are other Autobots here, as Emirate Xaaron said, and that at least one of them answers to him, which should help establish Emirate Xaaron as a command figure in Mirage's optics.

As for making sense of Screwdriver, Emirate Xaaron is finding this worse than a budget committee meeting. Even accountants and tax collectors make more sense than her! When she withdraws a device, especially a vaguely grenade-like device, Emirate Xaaron takes a few more steps back and starts discreetly scoping out the area for cover.

Then nothing of any importance happens. Emirate Xaaron squints at the toy. Well, he supposes that it'd be a decent weapon with a bit of modification. Smack it into someone's head and then reel it back to do it again and maybe add some flip-out blades. What sort of reality could she be from that she can support herself by producing such frippery? Perhaps she was pulled from before her tribe made contact with the Autobots.

Politely and with actual warmth, he greets, extending an arm with a flourish, and introduces, "Mirage, Screwdriver, allow me to introduce you to Nightbeat, Cybertron's greatest detective. My Cybertron's, at any rate. He's been off-world quite extensively. Perhaps he even speaks your language." Emirate Xaaron glances over at Screwdriver, still wary of the Junkion and her toy. He returns his arm back to his hold on Tiny. Emirate Xaaron is utterly nonchalant, as if carrying a dragonette is something unremarkable that normal people do every day.

[Nightbeat]

As far as Nightbeat's concerned, Screwdriver's largely spouting gibberish. True, he made a bit of a study of Earth and it's culture during the Ark-trip there, but its use as a dialog is a bit incoherent even to him. Given him enough time though...

Of course, when he was studying bits of Earth, he paid special attention to it's detective stories. From Arthur Conan Doyle to Agatha Cristie and more. Granted, he solved all of them five pages in, but the culture was oddly fascinating. Especially since he seemed to have been imitating it his whole existence without every knowing.

"Uh?" All out of ponies, sweetheart."

[Screwdriver]

Her language? Screwdriver had switched to (heavily accented and bordering on broken) Cybertronian, and even made an effort to speak 'normally' for these people, and still they felt the need to call in a translator? One who says 'ask and you shall receive,' but when she does ask for something, he cannot deliver! A person should not make claims they cannot back up! Horrible things happen to braggarts!

Usually they get eaten or the like.

Screwdriver is obviously being foisted off on this 'Nightbeat' person, so she takes one last, long (and very open) speculative look at Tiny before turning to focus on Nightbeat. She continues playing with the yo-yo all the while, absently performing ever more complex tricks with it.

She studies the detective, optics narrowed. Junkion law is a... fluid thing, much of the time. If there's some how new cop or detective show hitting the airwaves, suddenly half the tribe are coppers (while the other half, of course, are the criminals), but most of the time there are only a few 'specialist' Junkions, Junkions who are focused in one particular genre of human television and culture, just as she spends her focus in fairy tales and children's stories. And even then, they don't have much to do. It's a chaotic culture, with only very loosely defined guidelines...

...so you can imagine what it must take to get labeled a true criminal amongst these people.

Something about Nightbeat reminds Screwdriver of a particular kind of Junkion specialist. Specifically, of the kind with which she has had the worst experiences! This is all some trick, then... just as with her own people, these people want to catch her and put her in a cage and force her to sing for the fairies! Well, okay, maybe not that last bit.

The yo-yo flies back into her hand, and even as it spins up her other hand brushes against the side, lightly tapping one of the decorative glass 'gems' on the side. Here's your blades, Xaaron, sharp and thin and curved like the fangs and claws of wolves and tigers. When the yo-yo leaves her hand again, it's heading straight for Nightbeat's head, and she snarls, "You'll not cage this bird again!"

To give herself space, she spins the bladed toy around her in a wide circle. The blades retract as it begins to return to her hand, and even as this happens, she leaps back, spins, and, just as she's stuffing the toy back in her thigh-compartment, transforms, opting to be a human-sized motorcycle this time. The moment her tires touch the ground, she starts to peel off, shouting behind her, "Run, run, fast as you can! You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man!"

---

OOC: If it's just Nightbeat giving chase, I'm going to go ahead and move this to a seperate thread. Otherwise, I'll keep it here... please let me know ASAP.

[Mirage]

Ah, definitely a leader, but not a Prime. A Council member, maybe, or whatever passed for one in Xaaron’s reality. Interesting.

Mirage joins Screwdriver in giving Nightbeat a once over. The name tickles Mirage’s memory banks; he recalls mention of a Nightbeat by someone on Cybertron as a rather tenacious sort. Obviously this wouldn’t be the same Nightbeat, however. Mirage was just about to voice a greeting when Screwdriver’s “toy” suddenly sprouts teeth. When she whirls it about her, he jumps back to avoid its bite, but loses his footing, landing hard.

By the time he picks himself off the ground the Junkion is a disappearing spot on the horizon. Giving chase is only briefly considered. Not that he couldn’t possibly catch her, mind you; Mirage is simply more concerned with learning more about his current situation than catching alien criminals. Of course, didn’t Xaaron mention that there were Decepticons here as well? She might join up with them, to disastrous results. Decisions, decisions…maybe he’ll look around for her on his own. Later.

Dusting himself off, he says, to no one in particular, “Now that went well. Excellent work.”

---

OOC: At this point, I’m perfectly fine with moving into another thread, once the current rotation is done.

[Emirate Xaaron]

Emirate Xaaron, for all his steps back, is closely watching Screwdriver. He doesn't want to offend a potential ally, and he doesn't want to unduly endanger himself around an unknown.

He is perhaps less surprised than he should be when the blades snap out of the yo-yo. Emirate Xaaron hits the ground, and dragonette squawks in protest at his sudden action. He noticed how she's been eyeing the dragonette. Perhaps it is time that Long Haul stepped up and started taking care of the beast, as he promised that he would.

As Screwdriver drives away, Emirtate Xaaron gets to his feet and barks, "Nightbeat, after her!"

If she's running, she must be feeling threatened, and all Emirate Xaaron did was call in Nightbeat. It's not like Nightbeat is scary (not when he's just standing there, anyway) or reeks of justice (maybe week old energon). If he's enough to send her running, there's something very wrong here. Emirate Xaaron turns to Mirage and shakes his head. He apologizes, "I'm sorry. I had no idea she would react so poorly! Come on, we should get to Omega Supreme, for safety and to regroup if for no other reason."

[Nightbeat]

Nightbeat, after her! Nightbeat, go find our missing lifeforce! Nightbeat, scan the interdimensional void for Ratchet! Nightbeat, tote that astro-barge. Nightbeat, lift that space bale.

"On it, Emirate," Nightbeat says, diving forward and transforming.

What in Primus's name had set her off? Nightbeat understood organic females well enough. They were easy to figure out. It was when you started patterning Transformers off dames that you got problems. All the messy, ditzy thinkin' of a dame in the body of a transforming robot. There was no figurin' a femme-bot!

Away he went.

[Screwdriver]

Though she doesn't know it yet, speed-wise, Screwdriver is hopelessly outmatched by Nightbeat. However, she has no intention on going anywhere where they can flat out ride, anyway. In fact, she has every intention of keeping to areas where Nightbeat can't go.

The little motorcycle skid-turns left down a small foot-path, one with high trees and plants on either side in an area that serves as a shaded walkway for the zoo, one that leads through what used to be the aviary...

...and yes, there are still some escaped birds about.

---

OOC: Nightbeat and I are moving to the "Autobot Interim: Gingerbread Girl" thread. This will be cross posted there, and I should be no longer considered part of this thread.