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Post by Hook on Sept 17, 2007 21:42:46 GMT -5
Hook strides briskly in the direction of the plaza that he and Needlenose have been using as a field hospital. There have been efforts made to remold it into a field hospital proper, but as Hook pointed out to whomever happened to be walking by at the time "it is already ahead of some facilities I've had to use, as it is neither continually leaking acid rain onto my work area nor is it monsoon season on an organic world that no one has bothered to pave over yet".
It does, however, have a place for the engineer to sit and a flat, waist-height work area if the engineer truly needs it.
Hook glances over his shoulder at Dead End, then points at said structure. "Up."
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Dead End
Major
Yes, we're all doomed. I already knew that.
Posts: 797
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Post by Dead End on Sept 17, 2007 22:21:45 GMT -5
Dead End leans heavily against the work area, which, he is amused to note, rather resembles a bier or catafalque. Perhaps it is one. He leans, and then rolls onto it hip-first with a push of his undamaged leg.
"Why, may I ask, were you so annoyed at Demolishor? He was simply following orders. You are much too important and irreplaceable to be in the front line against Shrapnel. We have several warriors, but if you go down, who fixes you? Starscream?"
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Post by Hook on Sept 18, 2007 9:38:17 GMT -5
"I object strongly to being picked up and carried."Hook examines Dead End's damaged leg with just his optics. However, some of the armor is getting in the way of visual examination of the damaged systems.
What he can see, though, means that this calls for his toolbox.
"I am not helpless," Hook continues as he takes out a prybar and sets it to bend back Dead End's armor. No, he has yet to disable Dead End's pain sensors in the slightest. "I can still walk and run under my own power, and I do not need to be flung about like... supplies."
There is utter distaste in that word, the distaste of someone who has had the idea that people can be considered supplies drilled into his head as well as the idea that supplies are to be used as needed by the Decepticons, used up and abused if necessary.
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Dead End
Major
Yes, we're all doomed. I already knew that.
Posts: 797
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Post by Dead End on Sept 18, 2007 10:16:44 GMT -5
Dead End's battlemask keeps him expressionless, though he is wincing underneath. He has long been thankful for the visor and mask that hid his emotions from the predatory, bullying Motormaster; thanks to his brutal team leader, Dead End is no stranger to pain.
"Noted for future reference." Assuming Hook isn't annoyed enough to just disconnect something vital; Dead End isn't nearly as irreplaceable as Hook. "I may have misjudged; I remembered how dangerous Shrapnel can be, and thought it would be best if you were out of the line of fire. Demolishor was a bit more enthusiastic in protecting you than I expected."
"I take... responsibility for Demolishor's actions; I should have been more familiar with his likely responses." Don't take your anger out on Demolishor, is the unspoken plea.
"I am pleased with Demolishor, in spite of that--over-enthusiasm is better than insubordination, is it not?" Or complete apathy, but Dead End is oblivious to that irony. "Apparently he responds well to being given simple tasks that he can understand and carry out, that he believes he is being given because he is the right mech for the job. I may have stumbled on how to lead him."
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Post by Hook on Sept 18, 2007 11:13:32 GMT -5
Hook handles the repairs as roughly as if Dead End were an Autobot laid open for salvage. The work is just as slow and painstaking as any repairs from Hook are, and Dead End can look forward to as fine a repair job as it is possible to get on this wretchedly empty planet.
"You wish to take responsibility for Demolishor?"
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Dead End
Major
Yes, we're all doomed. I already knew that.
Posts: 797
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Post by Dead End on Sept 18, 2007 11:53:48 GMT -5
Dead End holds himself still in spite of the pain. This isn't like one of Motormaster's beatings, which are sharp, sudden blows that disorient and leave the ache of slowly self-reparing circuits behind. This is more like Motormaster when he's bored and decides that slowly twisting limbs to just short of the breaking point would be funny today. He didn't always stop at the breaking point, either, but Megatron had disapproved of having his Stunticons out of action just because Motormaster had nothing better to do. Galvatron was more indifferent, to the misfortune of Motormaster's victims.
"I understood that you wished to delegate the job of commanding Demolishor. He does not respond well to reminders of his mental limitations; he does respond well to having a simple task suited to his nature, and being given positive feedback on accomplishing the task. That was a useful discovery today. If he will follow my orders, which is more than he's done so far for others, then I must take responsibility for him. Anything else would be a waste."
"Demolishor is a simple tool. One does not fault a torque wrench for not being a multimeter; it is my fault if I insist on trying to check voltage with a torque wrench. He is also moderately agreeable if you do not continually remind him he is an idiot; I suspect he got enough of that at home." Dead End falls silent for a moment.
"It is pointless to be angry at me for trying to protect you. I agree you are not helpless--you are very dangerous. You are also irreplaceable. There is no one like you, Hook. Who here is a master engineer, skilled architect, and an unrivaled cybersurgeon? Who here has the skills and knowledge to rebuild our gestalts, when we have the resources? Just you, Hook. Just you." Dead End falls silent again, fighting back the urge to flinch and writhe away from Hook's merciless touch. He knows better than to do that, as many times as he's been under the Constructicons knives.
"If Shrapnel had used his lightning..." Dead End winces slightly, but keeps his brief tremor from affecting the area Hook is working on. "I know what it can do to my forcefields. What can it do to an unprotected CPU? I expected him to terminate me, or Starscream to, after Shrapnel took control of me."
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Post by Hook on Sept 18, 2007 14:04:26 GMT -5
Hook tilts his head to glance at Dead End's face. "I suspected this might happen," he notes, hands still while he isn't looking at them. "Your forcefields and the damage you take without them have given you a rather warped idea of what damage those of us without them can and cannot withstand."
He turns his attention back to the internals of Dead End's leg. Now it is time to piece the limb back together exactly as it ought to be. Save, that he can't quite do that yet, as he still hasn't been able to replace the forcefield actuator the Stunticon so carelessly blew out in battle.
"I have always been irreplaceable," he continues. "This does not mean I should be coddled. It is one thing to protect me, it is another to assume I cannot protect myself. Do remember that, and see that it is passed on to Demolishor."
"As for the matter of Shrapnel... I suspect Starscream was too distracted at the end there to notice that at all. While none of my team has ever fought the Insecticons, or dealt with them extensively-" Something Megatron had good reasons for, really. "-I am familiar with the damages they do to our forces. Curiously enough, however, I can only recall one instance in which they did any significant damage to another Decepticon."
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Dead End
Major
Yes, we're all doomed. I already knew that.
Posts: 797
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Post by Dead End on Sept 18, 2007 14:47:34 GMT -5
Dead End considers that. "You may be right. Perhaps you can educate me."
He would nod in reply to Hook's next comment, except that he's flat on his back, more-or-less. "I will speak to Demolishor. Please remember that the rest of us have less familiarity in working with you, as yet; Spinister's training may remedy that, if we live that long, and if he actually knows what he's doing." The tone of his voice suggests that while Spinister may actually know what he's doing, Dead End doubts he'll live to apply it.
"Oh? When was that, and to whom?"
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Post by Hook on Sept 18, 2007 22:48:26 GMT -5
"Not unless you have become a significantly skilled medic in the intervening years between you and I. Likely not even then, as doing a residency out here, while challenging, would not provide you an adequate breadth of situations and there is no Mixmaster to teach you chemistry." Hook has a slightly different perception from Dead End about what educating someone about battle damages entails.
He works in silence for some time, concentrating on realigning wires and circuitry and relayering all of the system parts in the most comfortable setup possible. (Incidentally, this gives Dead End time to carry on his radio conversation with Starscream without distraction.)
"It was Megatron," he says when he has almost finished working on the Stunticon. "After feeding the Insecticons an experimental power source, they became much more powerful... and much more aggressive. Somewhere in all of the events that followed, Shrapnel blasted Megatron so hard that our warlord still had lingering electrical damage when he returned to the ship."
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Dead End
Major
Yes, we're all doomed. I already knew that.
Posts: 797
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Post by Dead End on Sept 19, 2007 0:52:52 GMT -5
"Well if you can't enlighten me, I shall probably run around treating everyone as too fragile, offend some one with an ill temper, and get my lasercore ripped out. At least you'll have more spare parts." Dead End falls silent for a while; he's actually engaging in a radio conversation with Starscream--or starting to.
"Megatron?" Dead End queries absently. "I would not have expected...." his voice trails off.
"Hook, I'm finally telling Starscream his future history. He may be a tad upset."
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Post by Hook on Sept 19, 2007 14:58:36 GMT -5
"You did not expect what?" He asks while focussing on another problem entirely.
Hook is attempting to approach the idea of teaching Dead End about battle damage from a different tack than 'do a residency' or 'maul him a few times while giving a lecture that he would be tested on later'.
'Maul other people while giving a lecture he would be tested on later'? Bah. Let the Autobots do the mauling. He could lecture while he repaired.
"If you wish to gain an understanding of battle damages, attend me while I perform repairs."
After all, having a broken mech to provide visual illustrations makes things so much easier to learn.
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Dead End
Major
Yes, we're all doomed. I already knew that.
Posts: 797
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Post by Dead End on Sept 19, 2007 15:56:35 GMT -5
"I would not have expected Megatron to be the one most damaged. He was always so indestructible until that last battle ..." Again Dead End trails off.
"As you wish. Will that help improve my judgment of what others can survive? Will this information override my skewed risk analysis circuits?" Dead End asked.
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Post by Hook on Sept 19, 2007 18:35:27 GMT -5
"You could inquire with Thundercracker about the incident. He was present for the entirety of that particular dealing with the Insecticons. Come to think of it, he was also there for the first encounter with those loathsome insects." Hook has finally finished arranging Dead End's internals to his satisfaction and turns to the task of bending the Porsche's armor back into the shape it ought to go in. "You ought to have this armor re-cast when we have the fabrication equipment available."
Dead End mentioned something earlier about how Starscream might be upset over his possible future. Hook didn't precisely see why the guarantee of a continuance after death should be horribly upsetting. Honestly, all he had to do was have an extra body built and stored in a convenient place, and he could get on with his life. Why, knowing what was in store for him, he could likely come up with even more preparations for that to make the transition from life to unlife as smooth as possible.
Seekers were so very foolish most of the time.
Hook glances briefly at the Stunticon when he asks his question. "It will entertain me. It may provide you with information. Whether or not that information will counter your flawed analysis routines is entirely up for debate."
A thought... If only he had the proper equipment, he could perhaps examine Dead End's programming. If he could examine it and understand it, he could fix the flaw in the Stunticon.
That brought a warm smile to Hook's face. An Autobot would never have thought of something like that. They saw any modification to a Transformer's programming as a sin. Well, a sin so long as the other side committed it. Never mind that it could also be used to heal the mentally damaged.
Autobots. Better to suffer with what your creator gave you than to allow your mind to be improved upon.
That smile has shifted to an unpleasant, almost angry expression now.
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Dead End
Major
Yes, we're all doomed. I already knew that.
Posts: 797
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Post by Dead End on Sept 19, 2007 22:20:27 GMT -5
Dead End would be of the opinion that Starscream has a problem with the whole concept of dying, especially in just a few short years.
"Either that, or I will be aware of even more ways that one can suddenly cease to function," he replies almost cheerfully.
Hook seemed to be cheered by something--oops, there it went! Perhaps Starscream was radioing Hook; that might account for the irritated look.
"Do we have a formula for making a good wax and polish? I've been scrounging the local stores for their version, but what's cached locally won't last all that long. Not if Needlenose is as fond of 5-coat wax jobs as I am..." Dead End adds. "Also, do you have any idea what Starscream is going on about on broadband? I didn't know he had any 'old friends'."
If it's not a topic dear to one of Dead End's obsessions, he's remarkably oblivious to what went on outside the ranks of the Stunticons.
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Post by Hook on Sept 20, 2007 19:09:40 GMT -5
"Even if we did, we don't have the supplies." And they do have several such recipes, for waxes and polishes are much like paint to a Decepticon chemist. Someone always needs them, so even the laziest student learns how to mix up a few different recipes.
Hook was not around for the Skyfire incident or most of the time after that when he was prominent with the Autobots. Nor does Hook devote himself particularly to digging through Intelligence files to connect Autobots to Starscream. "Perhaps that spaceship that just thundered overhead is part of the answer."
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