Dead End
Major
Yes, we're all doomed. I already knew that.
Posts: 797
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Post by Dead End on Sept 23, 2007 16:43:23 GMT -5
"Usually we fly," Dead End replied. "Or ride Astrotrain or Blast Off if it's a really long trip. We have some drone spaceships, too. We used to have a space bridge to Cybertron, but that got slagged by Unicron."
Dead End sits back quietly, brooding. They used to have a lot of things before Unicron slagged them.
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Post by Hook on Sept 23, 2007 20:27:36 GMT -5
"That is your assessment," Hook rebukes. "Show me the diagnostics interface with your damage-control computers. I must know your baselines before any readings I take will be of any use whatsoever."
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Post by Demolishor on Sept 24, 2007 6:41:08 GMT -5
People are not as amazed at his cool power as Demolishor had originally thought. How frustrating.
The tank shrugs. "Sure, whatever. Don't see why you guys don't have your own; everyone back where I come from has them, even the Autobots."
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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 24, 2007 11:27:42 GMT -5
Dead End idly notes that Hook actually seems concerned about Demolishor. Oh good, he doesn't want to kill him for his impertinence in protecting the Constructicon. The Stunticon continues to stand back and observe.
--- OOC: Dead End is just going to observe and brood until someone gets his attention. Feel free to skip him.
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Post by Hook on Sept 25, 2007 9:08:26 GMT -5
Dead End has obviously never seen Hook actually concerned if he considers this to be concern. Perhaps that is for the best, since a concerned Hook is a Hook who suspects he might not be fully capable of repairs. As one can imagine, that usually means the mech in question is heading very rapidly towards dead.
"Demolishor. Step over here and show me your diagnostics board. Immediately," Hook says sharply.
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Post by Demolishor on Sept 25, 2007 15:28:09 GMT -5
"Fine, fine." Demolishor pads himself over, opening up a few panels in his chest. He's a little weary, yeah, but the medic doesn't have to fuss over him like he's going to blow up from doing a little weird warping.
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Post by Hook on Sept 26, 2007 11:22:13 GMT -5
Hook removes a non-standard multimeter from his toolbox and attempts to attach it to Demolishor's access points. However, those points are just a few centimeters off in size from what the multimeter is designed to attach to.
A few scrap wires and a pair of pliers are all it takes to rig an adapter. Hook works more slowly on it than Dead End did with the energy adapters back in the swamp, but Hook always does.
That done, he plugs the multimeter into Demolishor and accesses the tank's damage-control computers. "Do you know if he uses the same commands to bring up current readings as compared to standard ones, Dead End? No? Approach and learn."
While the multimeter pulled readings, Hook took the time to visually examine Demolishor. Nothing seemed terribly out-of-place... Oh, what was that connector on his shoulder? It did not have a match on the other side.
"What is that?" Hook points at Demolishor's mini-con port.
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Post by Demolishor on Sept 26, 2007 14:01:54 GMT -5
Demolishor stands around aimlessly until Hook plugs into him. Now that's an odd bit of a tingly sensation. Do these guys not have repair chambers either?
"This?" Demolishor turned to look at his shoulder. "It's a mini-con port. Same as these." He indicated the ports on his forearms. "You put a mini-con on it, you get your powerup, things get blown up much better than they did before."
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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 26, 2007 15:05:58 GMT -5
Dead End looks up; Hook is actually addressing him. Should he acknowledge? He did agree to watch and learn some, and here Hook is inviting him to. He probably ought to, even it would all be futile in the end. Knowing more wasn't going to make him any less hopeless; if anything, it would give him more to be hopeless about. But if it kept him from embarrassing himself and his immediate superior again....
Dead End moved to where he could view things over Hook's shoulder. He might need to know this about Demolishor someday, if either of them survived so long.
"What, may I ask, is a mini-con?"
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Skyfire
Major
I'm a scientist, not a....
Posts: 891
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Post by Skyfire on Sept 26, 2007 16:26:51 GMT -5
Skyfire strolls into the small, mostly enclosed plaza that Hook is using as a field hospital. He notes with mild relief that there's no enclosing roof, which is a good thing. Skyfire has trouble fitting into rooms that aren't grand halls even on Cybertron. Like Omega Supreme, he's primarily an outdoors mech out of necessity.
He nods politely at the dark red and gray robot--the wheels make his transform moderately obvious, and at the tank-tread- and missile-launcher-festooned tan and red mech--also obviously a ground combat vehicle of some kind. Skyfire addresses the lime green mech. "Hello, you must be Hook. Starscream asked me to come see you about a system check-up, and I think my outer trim tabs may have gotten munged up when I fell into the crevasse. They're usually more responsive."
He holds out a hand. "I"m surprised and thrilled to meet one of the famous builders of Crystal City here!"
"And I don't think I've met you two yet. I am Skyfire, scientist, explorer, and recent maroonee."
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Post by Hook on Sept 26, 2007 17:20:53 GMT -5
The command Hook entered does indeed work the same on Demolishor as it does on the types of mechs he's more familiar with. Excellent.
The readings he gets, however, especially when compared with the settings they are supposed to be at, are rather ugly. Too much lost charge, worn wires, overclocked processors, overheating circuitboards... Probably no more than tiring to a frontline infantry-type, but Hook had often considered such designs to be poorly implemented for their complete lack of sensitivity to internal damages.
There are several miscellaneous warnings at the bottom of the right column of data. Several indicate a particular section of heat-damaged materials - exactly corresponding to the shots that went through Demolishor at the power plant, though Hook isn't aware of this.
The rest warn of misaligned wires and not-quite-in-the-right-place components. Those, like the heat-damaged materials, are not ones that Demolishor's damage-control computers will eventually be able to repair.
"You," he snaps at the tank, "are never to do that again so long as you are functional. The system is obviously not designed to successfully handle a partial translation, and do you have any idea what would happen to you if someone put something inside of you while you were partially translated and you phased back into solid-state with it occupying the same space you were?!"
Skyfire probably hears most of that rant, all things considered.
His hands clench into fists, and his visor flickers rapidly before settling back to his standard light-level. "You do not require repairs at the moment. When we have a more adequate infrastructure in place, either I or Needlenose should look over your internals and re-align everything that has been moved out of place."
Hook detaches his multimeter from the tank and snaps the cover plates over the diagnostics panel. His movements are sharp - precise as ever but full of tension.
Only after he has replaced the multimeter in his toolbox (a singularly massive affair resting on the table-slab), does the Constructicon turn to address Skyfire.
"Greetings," he says cooly. He hesitates before offering his hand, and there is a definite hint of wariness as he clasps Skyfire's much larger hand. "For myself, I am surprised any of us are out here."
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Post by Demolishor on Sept 27, 2007 11:23:32 GMT -5
"Thought I already explained Mini-Cons to you already," Demolishor grumbles in the direction of Dead End before Hook begins to rant at him. The tank seems to almost cower before the engineer's wrath, despite the fact that he's both taller and more powerful.
"But I feel fine," he protests quietly, again tapping his own chest as he looks up and more up at the taller shuttle who just landed. "Don't I look fine? Nothing wrong with it." Why must Hook take his shiny blurring power? Demolishor wants to be special.
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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 27, 2007 12:07:04 GMT -5
"No, you didn't have a chance to. You were interrupted, like just now," Dead End points out. He peers over Hook's shoulder, taking in the readings.
"You aren't fine. You are definitely sub-optimum right now--heat-damaged materials that could fail at any time, misaligned wires, anyone of which could further out of line, get pinched in something, and deactivate you while you stand. Probably while in combat with someone who will be happy to make the deactivation permanent."
Dead End, it should be noted, lacks something in the bedside manner department.
He nods politely at Skyfire. "You must be the fellow who was inquiring on the General band. I'm surprised you found your way here without being shot down by someone or running out of fuel and crashing in some lonely place where no one would find your wreckage for the next million years. I'm Dead End."
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Skyfire
Major
I'm a scientist, not a....
Posts: 891
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Post by Skyfire on Sept 27, 2007 12:17:39 GMT -5
Skyfire clasps Hook's hand very gently--he does remember that Hook is a famed cybersurgeon--and releases it. He's had a lot of experience in not accidentally mangling his co-workers.
"I see that you are busy; I'll wait here, unless this will take a while?" Skyfire indicates the unhappy patient still busy debating Hook with a nod of his head.
To the latter he says, "Sounds like the sort of maneuver you reserve for emergencies--the maneuvers that test your wings to the far side of their designed safety factor and cause your builders to bang their craniums against the wall when they hear what you did. Sometimes, though, it's do that or leave your hull in shards strewn from one end of a continent to another."
Skyfire gives Dead End an odd look. "Is he always this cheerful?" he asks Hook with a trace of a smile.
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Post by Hook on Sept 27, 2007 13:36:10 GMT -5
"If the choice is imminent death, or doing that again, strongly consider the imminent death, Demolishor."
Skyfire's clasp is swiftly gentle, warm white metal enveloping his hand and then releasing it, leaving Hook blinking. Few people treat his hands with any particular care in such greeting rituals, even those who ought to know better.
"Ah, I should be done now." That starts out rather quietly towards Skyfire, but the 'now' is growled at Demolishor.
It is not followed up with any chiding, however, as Hook acknowledges Skyfire's comment on Dead End. "This is better than the alternative."
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