CtF Preps: Counterpunch, Cannonball, and Eye-Fire

[Counterpunch]

Counterpunch sticks around the group listening to instructions just long enough to hear the answers to the questions being asked before he transforms and rolls off at top speed towards Spinister's 'city.' He rolls towards a large dish, a satellite receiver similar to those commonly found at power receiving stations throughout Gillanan III, to wait for the others in his group: Cannonball, and Eye-fire.

Once he gets there he transforms and considers who he's been paired with. He imagines he's been placed with Eye-fire due to apparent frictions between them, but honestly, Counterpunch doesn't hate Eye-fire any more than he hates any other Decepticon. Which is to say he hates Eye-fire a lot. He remembers from the cave-in that Eye-fire is physically weak, and tends to be an order-follower. As an assassin, hopefully he's also decently stealthy but really, you can't always be sure.

While he doesn't hate Eye-fire anymore than he hates any other Decepticon, the same can't be said of Cannonball. The fact that they had to change frequencies shortly after Cannonball's return wasn't lost on Counterpunch, meaning that as double-agents go, he wasn't very successful, but the fact that he did what he did just emphasized the danger of this place. Only a fool trusted anyone, anyway, but here that became even more accurate. In order to do his duty, he had to trust someone, but the thought of there being more Cannonballs out there terrified Counterpunch.

Never mind that the reason Counterpunch was so terrified was because Cannonball had tried to do exactly what Counterpunch does.

It's while musing on such thoughts that Counterpunch waits, pushing his mood fouler and fouler as the minutes pass.

[Eye-fire]

Eye-Fire moved into the city at walking pace. They had time, and its not like can go all that fast without putting stress on his hydraulics anyway.

Spotting Counterpunch over by a large dish, its original use now irrelevant, he thinks about devising at trap with it before ruling it out as being too clumsy.

He thinks about his team mates, Counterpunch and Cannonball. He's fine with Cannonball, though he hasn't talked with him much he comes across as... jolly, in so far as that word can be ascribed to a con.

Counterpunch, on the other hand, comes across as gruff and stand offish. Its obvious he doesn't like Eye-Fire very much, which Eye-Fire finds disappointing but not unexpected. Some con's are just like that, others are somewhat unnerved by his design. A few have even taken issue with him being an assassin. He won't try to divine the reasons for Counterpunchs apparent dislike, but he hopes he might try to earn his trust.

[Cannonball]

Well, of course a fool will trust anyone. Starscream did pick Cannonball to be the spy right out of the gate since he was the only unfamiliar one with a land-bound alt-mode. Not very bright in retrospect. Ah well, he was back now, and that's what mattered to him. Now it's time for some 'friendly' competition!

Cannonball rolls up to where Counterpunch is in vehicle mode, and transforms, looking over at the other. He hadn't gotten to know either of his current teammates yet, so now that they have time, now would work.

"'Ello, lad. Don' think we've got t' know each othah yet. 'Ow 'bout we start wit' strengths an' weaknesses as they apply t' this 'ere exercise?" he asks, grinning a bit.

[Counterpunch]

Counterpunch glowers at the pirate, than shrugs. "Pretty run-of-the-mill warrior, really," he mutters. "I can be pretty quiet if I want to, and am good at noticing what's going on when I put my mind to it," though it's commonly thought that his temper gets in the way of this, and if Cannonball has asked around camp he's probably heard about Counterpunch's confrontational nature, "but that's about it."

He scans the area, optic band narrow and mutters softly, "Leaking waste of time."

[Eye-fire]

Stopping when he gets close, he decides he may as well respond to the question as well.

"Sniper. You could also call me an assassin, but that’s not all that applicable here." Eye-Fire responds.

"I can probably shoot better than anybody else in this game, and I don't make a bad scout either." he continues.

[Cannonball]

Cannonball nods, glancing back and forth. "An' I'd consider m'self fairly tough, able to take a good number o' 'its. Reckon ah kin delay folks 'fore they be gittin' t' th' flag" he explains. "Pr'vided ah dun git ootnumbah'd" he adds, chuckling.

He hears Counterpunch's mumbling - can't quite make it out, but he gathers from the tone that he's not happy to be here. Turning, he reaches over and smacks him on the shoulder lightly. "Ah, chin up, lad. S'all in good fun. A training exercise it may be, but no reason it can't be enjoyable." He chuckles, smirking faintly. "Unless ye take aftah that Dead End buggah."

[Counterpunch]

Counterpunch takes a half-step towards Cannonball, fist balled in anger, optic band narrowed and flaring brightly, when he catches himself. He snarls, "Don't touch me and don't compare me to Dead End!" Then he forcefully relaxes his fingers and steps back again, giving Cannonball his space.

"So we got an idea on how we're gonna do this, or what?"

[Eye-fire]

"We've got quite a disadvantage agianst the rest of the teams. We have no flier, so no quick air support, or in my case, no extraction. I can get small enough to be carried around by either of you in vehicle mode, so I can be flexible where you want me as long as somebody is willing to provide the wheels."

[Cannonball]

Cannonball moves his hand back at the outburst, and can't help a laugh. Y'know, one of them hearty pirate laughs. "Alright, lad, I be takin' that comparison back - ye done showed more emotion roit then than I done seen oot o' 'im mah entire time 'ere."

The laugh fades into a chuckle, and he shakes his head, then growning serious. "Well. I be reckonin' we need someone close t' defend th' flag. I figger you'd be good fer that, Eye-fire. You prolly got th' strongest firepower oot of us three." Cannonball strokes his chin, going over the list of their opponents again.

"I can fly in robot mode, but m' not all that maneuverable. Best fer bee-linin'. We need someone t' play mid-way defense, and someone out t' git th' flag. We can figger that oot in a bit, but I wanna be drawin' attention t' 'Ellbender. I don' be knowin' 'ow 'e be usin' that body fer this game, but I were part of the group wot took 'im down shortly aftah ah arrived 'ere. Fer Primus' sake, stay away from 'im. He catches you in them bores, and yer done fer." Cannonball shudders a bit, then looks at Eye-fire. "I reckon if'n you can get that big mouth o' is in yer sights, nail it like a cheap 'ookerbot in the alley be'ind Maccadam's - That be the beast's weak spot" he says, chuckling again. Hook's little angry declaration of such may possibly come to bite him in the backside if his team's trump card goes down early...

"As fer others I've encountered...'Ook's a smart 'bot, prolly trap-minded like you" he says, nodding to Eye-fire. "Thrust is small, but pretty fast. Fleetwind be a flyin' lad, and seems easily spooked." Understatment much? "An' Demolishor is right dense. He's also got big guns. If'n we could forge some manner o' alliance with his team to take down 'Ellbender, he'd serve us well... An'...ah donnae know a thing aboot this 'Barricade' fellow."

[Counterpunch]

"If we let them get close to us, we're giving them more chances to find out about what we're doing," Counterpunch observes, his temper cooling somewhat. "But it also gives us more chances to find out what they're doing, and to find about Barricade." A field that Counterpunch happens to be fairly familiar with.

"We're the only team with all fliers, but none of us are going to be able to match the speed of that Seeker. We don't have the sort of underground capability the worm does. We've got good firepower, but not the sort of bruiser Demolishor is. We're going to have to be smart about this." Or, failing that, Counterpunch can sell out one side to be on the winning team.

He picks up the flag. "And we're going to have to find a better location for this, and start setting up defenses, right now."

[SceneMod]

It is at this point that the communications tower outside is activated. Due to alterations made, it manages to trigger the solid-light holo-projectors of the training room, causing images to form in the sky overhead. See the Dark Tower thread for full details.

[Eye-fire]

Eye-Fire is only merely puzzled at first by the holographic images appearing in the sky, and then interested when the two aliens appear on image.

But then his feelings turn to dread as he sees the ring move into view on the planet of the picture... and then finally terror as he sees exactly what that planet is.

Suddenly, he leaps over a pile of rubble, and clearing it takes off at a flat sprint. He looks like he's trying to outrun something, and anybody who he's told about him being pulled during Unicron's attack will know what he's trying to outrun.

[Cannonball]

Before Cannonball can muse over a location for the flag, the news report comes on. Cannonball doesn't quite freak out as much as the others - He finds Unicron to be a puppy in comparison to some of the femmes he's crossed paths with, and just plain crossed.

Then again, that puppy is a planet-devouring hellhound. Nomnomnom.

And then Eye-fire freaks out! Cannonball facepalms, and hollers over the radio at him on the 'Con frequency - //Ach, just calm the frag down, Eye-fire, before I catch ye and feed ye t' 'Ellbender! Yes, Unicron be th' big scary monstah wot gives a robo-kraken a run for its money, but smelt it all, lad, it's a 'OLOGRAM. It ain' like 'e's loomin' over the planet right now, cripes. //

[Counterpunch]

Counterpunch stares at the images in the sky, but with no face, his expression cannot be determined. He does shudder, however, at the vision of mass slaughter, as the slightest hint of his Autobot sensibilities slip through his iron-clad act. Well, no doubt the Decepticons will take it for fear.

Then Eye-fire goes racing off, and Counterpunch's head swivels to watch him go. "Of all the..."

He leaps over the same pile of rubble Eye-fire had cleared, transforms, and goes chasing after. As a vehicle, he's got the speed advantage. "Get back here, you idiot!" he screams. "It's not real!"

[Eye-fire]

Eye-Fire has, by Starscream shouting at him, been shook back into reality.

He comes skidding to a halt, still shaking a bit, but otherwise fine.

Walking back to where he originally was, he stands there silently