CtF Preps: Frenzy, Scourge, and Sky-Byte

[Sable Conolly]

Scourge is actually not sure who Frenzy is. They do not yet have a database explaining who all the personnel here are.

He knows who Sky-Byte, Dead End, Starscream, and Thundercracker are, and he can guess that Skystrike is the other blue jet, but Frenzy could possibly be either the spastic little bladed creature, the helicopter, or the solemn Stryker. Of course, given a name like Frenzy, Scourge is guessing it's probably the unhappy little animated Ginsu knife cabinet. If it is, Scourge isn't terribly put-out. There is a wide variety of body types in his home universe, after all, and he can see that a small team member could be useful for covert operations.

Scourge stalks off into their - his - territory, with a slight swaggering arrogance that implies that his team-mates will follow him as a matter of course. It helps that he's taking the most obvious way into their territory.

In his own universe, Sky-Byte was his slight superior. Here, however, they are both on equal footing as rank-and-file soldiers. As such, Scourge hopes that if he is forceful but rational in his plans for the team here, they will fall in line.

Right now, he simply calls out, "Sky-Byte, Frenzy, this way," and decisively gestures for them to follow. Something has already hit Scourge. Sky-Byte is the only aquatic combatant in this game, perhaps on the entire force. Also, Scourge is capable of underwater travel with relative ease. If they put their flag underwater and have Sky-Byte guard it, Scourge will have access to it to help Sky-Byte defend it, and Sky-Byte will be in his element and have an advantage over opponents.

Of course, this assumes that Scourge doesn't attempt to murder Sky-Byte before the game even starts. Considering his temper, he just might. Knowing what the Mayhem knows, Needlenose must have done this assignment on purpose. Scourge will remember it.

[Frenzy]

Frenzy scampers along after Scourge, leaping and bounding to keep up with the huge strides of the truck'former. It's almost comical, really. It's also almost completely different from the speed and silence he would use in stalking a target; never let the claws show before you're ready to use them, after all.

Of course he gets stuck with a bootleg repaint of Optimus frakkin' Prime. The entire blasting universe just poofed one up out of thin air and dross, because it knew Frenzy needed this slag.

[Sable Conolly]

Scourge notes that yes, the ginsu golem is on his team. He supposes that is was done to prevent too much power on one team. Sky-Byte may be a simpering fool, but Scourge can grudgingly admit that Sky-Byte would be formidable if only he wasn't a fish-brain.

No, Scourge is not terribly complementary or charitable to Sky-Byte. The feelings are likely mutual.

He pauses in his brisk pace for a moment and offers, "If you need a lift, Frenzy, take it." Scourge does not offer a hand up. The little Decepticon can seize what he wants, as a proper Decepticon should, if he wants elevation and not to have to leap like Slapper the cyber frog.

If Frenzy doesn't want to take Scourge's offer, that's fine. It's also entirely possible that Frenzy will be offended. Perhaps Frenzy reserves climbing all over people for that glossy black police car. Maybe Frenzy will take this as a sign of weakness and compassion, and if the little Decepticon does, Scourge will be quite happy to disabuse Frenzy of that notion.

Scourge would claim that it's simply inefficient for Frenzy to be leaping like that, but deep down, it's just annoying the slag out of Scourge.

Once they are out of audio range of the other teams, Scourge opens, "I have a few ideas in mind, but first, we need to assess our force's capacities." He doesn't bother to say that he's Scourge. Sky-Byte knows, and he's hoping that Frenzy is sharp enough on the uptake to figure it out. "I'm primarily a commando. I have enough firepower for a small garrison, I do know how to aim it, and I am a competent swordsman. I am reasonably sneaky, and I know a thing or two about the fine art of sabotage. Finally, I am capable of aquatic operations."

That last thing is relevant to note, because the Autobot brothers weren't, whereas Scourge, in a later episode, would drive out of the ocean to strike a refinery and back in to escape. Maybe the ability is common in other universes. Maybe it isn't. Still, he needs to get the knowledge out there, because it's important to one of his ideas.

He presses, insistent, "Next."

[Sky-byte]

On a team with Scourge. Oh the Powers that Be really like tickling this shark's fins don't they? That attention hogging, Megatron stealing, conniving vehicle. If Sky-Byte's a fish brain then Scourge has all the sneaky tact of a sixteen-wheeler.

Why of course the feelings are mutual.

He stalks after the Decepticon's pompous start, pausing momentarily to stare at the third member of their team. Frenzy is....small, smaller than a mature human. Perhaps even Koji-sized. But Koji is not silver, nor is he see-through. As for the leaping? Between Gas Skunk, Dark Scream, and Slapper, Sky-Byte has seen enough flapping, leaping, and scampering to grant him some bit of immunity.

But back to catching up with Scourge. Sky-Byte makes an attempt at staying close enough to the other to make it look more like he's walking with Scourge rather than after.

"I am Sky-Byte," because introductions are definitely cool if done impressively. "I specialize in aquatic operations and combat as well as close-range combat. Though, I do have my Tsunami Blaster to aid me in long-range details. I also have my own fair ability in being sneaky and disguised." Disguise meaning real disguises of the home-made sort.

[Frenzy]

Frenzy launches himself at Scourge as soon as the other Transformer makes his offer, sharp little fingers prickling over tires as he scrambles up the rubbery surface until he finds proper metal. Then his toes click into place with magnetics, and he scrambles his way up the truck'former. His hands dart out at any seam he comes across, poking them to try to figure out what hurts and what... doesn't.

"Scout and infiltration. Get in, get out, not be noticed. Steal information. Modify information. Good with computers." An understatement, really.

[Sable Conolly]

As soon as Sky-Byte catches up to his side, Scourge speeds up. Neener! This is incredibly juvenile, and yet, is anyone really surprised? Scourge does appreciate that Sky-Byte isn't being openly hostile, and he'll try to return the favour for now.

Scourge is remarkably stoic about having a bladed creature poking at him. His armour is thick enough that he doesn't feel a lot of things, and what he does feel, he is studiously ignoring. This isn't like when Dead End gave him that polish job, and he could relax. Speaking of which, perhaps he can bribe Dead End. It's something about which to think.

Voice cool and tinged with just a slight amount of amusement, Scourge explains, "Can you steal flags, too? And what is your alternate form? I'm a tanker truck. As I see it, we have one major advantage against the other teams, which each boast a significant air force and a ground component. We have Sky-Byte," yes, Scourge can do two-faced flattery when it suits him, "and he is at the peak of his game in the water. Even if they can maneuver underwater, they won't be able to match him, hopefully. If we can find a pond, river, or reservoir, we can hide the flag in there and have Sky-Byte lurk under there to guard it. An underwater cavern would be ideal. Given how these cities tend to be set up, we're probably near some source of water. Should he require reinforcement, I can come to his aid. Frenzy, you'll be out and on the prowl, trying to discover where they have their flags hidden. If you can get away with a flag, do so. If you need assistance, call me at [frequency]. Speaking of, I'll need yours. When not assisting Sky-Byte in active flag defense or Frenzy in flag theft, I will prowl the border of our sector, trying to keep out intruders.

Scourge concludes with, "Does this seem reasonable?"

It really should! Of course, if anyone has a better idea, Scourge is open to hear it. He then adds briskly, "If it does, we can get to swapping information on our opponents and setting traps."

[Sky-byte]

Not to be outdone, any speeding up of Scourge's is met with Sky-Byte's own burst of speed. Openly hostile? When there are other Decepticons around and when this is only a holo-chamber? Sky-Byte would want his victory over Scourge to be real and permanent, not temporary and with a futeristic pain-inducing experience afterwards.

Scrouge's surprisingly flattering words are enjoyed with a bit of suspicion. Sky-Byte can never turn down praise. He's also quite grudgingly impressed with the Deceticon's quick planning. "It sounds...fairly reasonable..."

There goes all ideas Sky-Byte had of being the one triumphantly parading an opposite team's flag away. He can picture Scourge's (or rather his Scourge's) reaction to such a thing: a haughty laugh and quick and not-so-clean shot to Sky-Byte's bubble. But then again, to have the chance to really sink his teeth in a Decepticon without much repercussion all in the name of defending a flag? All the better if he can 'accidentally' get a good bite into Scourge. Sky-Byte can go with this, yesssss.

Carefully, he uses his Anchor Arm to scratch out the names of other teams' members. "It seems that a majority of our opponents are fliers," states Sky-Byte. Yes, he's pointing out the obvious. It's a staple of cartoons. But to tell the truth, the only Decepticon he has seen in combat is Demolisher. Of course he has his own personal opinions about some of the Decepticons, say a certain red, silver and blue flier, but those are probably not to be spoken out loud.

[Frenzy]

Once Frenzy finds himself a comfortable perch on Scourge's shoulder, right next to the big rack of guns that give any Decepticon a warm-fuzzy feeling to think about using on the other guys, he turns hi twisted little mind to the solution they're presenting. "Sounds smart. Don' know about stealing a frakkin' flag. Haven't seen one yet."

Fingers flex as he works on the flier problem. "Gotta keep the fliers down. Gotta get some intact. Or talky. So long as they can work their little overclocked processors and run their leaking mouths, don't needa rest of 'em. Probly better off without the rest of 'em."

[Sable Conolly]

Scourge replies to Frenzy, gesturing over at their pennant, which is small enough that Frenzy could carry one, although it's about as big as he could deal with, as soon as it comes into sight, "Our flag. Now, captives may be useful if we're sure that we can take their flag, because we can then offer them the choice of signing on with us or execution. Otherwise, dismemberment is a good option."

Scourge goes over what he knows of the other teams, "An advantage that all of these Transfomers possess, as far as I can tell, is that they can transform and use their weaponry without verbal access codes, allowing them the element of surprise."

Scourge is really put out about this. Screw flying. He wants the interlock between his vocal systems, his transform, and his weaponry removed!

"Dead End, the red Porsche, is a Stunticon, a type of combiner. In his home universe, he answers to a black semi-truck named Motormaster who is, perhaps fortunately, not here. As a Stunticon, Dead End can fly, and he has force fields that nearly make him invulnerable. Certain types of weaponry can punch through his force fields, as can a strong enough concentrated barrage of firepower. As it is, tying him up may be the better option than trying to shoot him. Keep a look out for steel cable or the like. Dead End possesses a powerful radar and is capable of mapping with it. We need to know our sector well, especially Frenzy and I, because we're mostly stuck to land routes, which the fliers are not.

"Starscream himself possesses the sort of weaponry that can short out Dead End's force fields, and it can short out other machinery as well. It will be imperative to avoid getting hit by him. Aside from that, I would assume that he is impressively armed and capable in combat, as he has somehow attained the title of leader. Starscream has some technical abilities, so we may expect advanced traps from his team. He is something known as a 'Seeker', a sort of jet Decepticon.

"Thundercracker is another such Seeker. I know little about him, but I would assume he is not quite as powerful as Starscream. If he was, he'd be in charge. Also, the few combat reports I've heard on him don't paint him as anything terribly special.

"Skystrike has to be the darker blue Seeker. The one combat report I heard on her had her and Thundercracker failing to achieve their goal due to heavy enemy interference. Not very useful information.

"If you know anything else on any of these, add it. I know nil on Sell Sword and Wreckage, except that they are a helicopter and a Stryker, respectively." Process of elimination! "Sky-Byte, Frenzy, do you have anything on them? I know Frenzy can tell us about Wreckage, at least.

Scourge focuses his lurid, almost fevered red on Frenzy intently. Scourge, despite being a black repaint of Optimus slagging Prime, is a deviously clever, and he can put it together that Frenzy is one of the infiltrators that Wreckage mentioned on channel. Also, they have certain design similarities, although Wreckage is a bit more blocky, to be certain.

[Sky-byte]

"Unless one of us have skills as an interrogator, I fail to see how we can pry information from any captives," Sky-Byte mutters as he eyes Frenzy speculatively. "Also, don't forget that death here would be virtual. We'll have to offer captives something a little more lucrative to get them to join up with us."

"Ah yes, I remember. Thundercracker, he seems vulnerable to ground attacks even as a flier. Rumor has it that he had his tail-fins handed to him in a scuffle with an Autobot car-former. Bring him down from the skies and the advantage should be yours."

"I have nothing on Wreckage, but Sell Sword is a peculiar mercenary-type character. Caused quite a bit of commotion with his entrance, but he highlights his use of swords and his melee skills."

"Perhaps we could make some decoys to lure our opponents to the wrong places and to buy us more time. It wouldn't be a terribly bad idea to conceal traps within the water in case anyone gets far enough," says Sky-Byte. He glances over at Scourge, encouraged by the other's seemingly more accommodating attitude. "Though, you know. I can perform some aerial reconnaissance of my own." Totally cheesing it up. You know, trying to get a bit more action than guard duty.

[Frenzy]

"They hide their flags. This place so big, just killin' them all and then looking for their flags is gonna be a fragging pain. Boring. Drone-work. You write programs to do that kind of stuff so you don't have to. Get people, get them to tell where the flags are, much better," Frenzy snaps at the others. Information! You need it!

Scourge's comment on the lack of verbal key just makes the little infiltrator stare at him. Weird frakkers.

"Wreckage gets in close. Gotta cannon, never seen it used. Gotta pair of swords. Likes to use 'em. Got machine guns. Uses 'em. Aggro glitcher."

[Sable Conolly]

Scourge is accommodating because if he beats the tar out of Sky-Byte now, it won't actually happen, and the resulting loss will surely go on his record. To Sky-Byte, he replies, voice a low, ominous murmur, "It's amazing what a little fear can do to someone." More loudly, he agrees, "Could you do up some of the local drones to look like us? And perhaps make some flag decoys?"

Little does Scourge know, but Sky-Byte made duplicate O-parts at one point. Flag decoys should totally be manageable for the shark!

"I could undermine the floor and make modifications to the ceiling so the whole area would collapse, roof included, if they tried to grab a flag decoy. That's another thing - with as many fliers as are here, we can't use normal pit traps. We have to have something fall down on, spike, or otherwise injure and capture them, too."

"Aerial survey... The problem is, if you head right back to the flag, they can trace you there, and it leaves the flag unguarded, unless I'm down there, and the moment I leave, someone could notice where I came from. We cannot put our flag where it can be seen from the sky. This means in an underwater cave, behind a waterfall, in deep enough water, under a bridge, or in the sewers. Of course, if you want to put the flag down in the sewers, we'd have multiple potential discreet exit and entrance points..."

Scourge is all about information. He's one of the few Transformers to ever care about space-based intelligence platforms. He just hadn't gotten there yet.

Scourge doesn't look like he's made out of blades, and Sky-Byte looks like a shark because he is one, as opposed to an insectoid turning into a stereo. Which one of them is weird here?

If Wreckage gets in close, Scourge can shoot from afar. Scourge is whatever you don't want him to be, baby.

Scourge adds, idly, "We'll also want our prisoner containment facility to have a sturdy enough roof that they can't fly away. We also need more steel cable. We'll want it deep in our territory, to make escape difficult, but far away from our flag. That said, which team do we want to target first? Starscream's team is ostensibly the more powerful one, because Starscream can knock people out with a shot. If we can take them down, we have a lesser challenge afterwards but have a greater ordeal up front. Alternatively, we could try to take out Wreckage, Skystrike, and Thundercracker and hope that we can coax one of more of them to our side to have a numbers advantage against Starscream. Also, we need to think about how they'll be thinking. The fliers may think up weak and target us firs, or Starscream's team might go after Wreckage, Skystrike, and Thundercracker's team first for the very rationale I suggested. Thoughts?"

Scourge is trying to get into his opponents' heads, but it's hard with so little to go on.

[Sky-byte]

Sky-Byte makes a face, not quite sure how to take Scourge's first comment. That right there could be double-sided. Is the ill-tempered little tanker mocking him? He'd make a scene, but then Scourge actually agrees with him. That'll turn things over quick. "Why of course I could accomplish something as easy as that. Consider it done!" Because somewhere on him Sky-Byte has the tool, genius, and skill to whip up even a Railracer disguise...underneath all of those books. Using objects from their sector for raw material could work.

"Well, we could always rough up the city landscape a bit. Make a few protruding beams and almost toppling slabs of concrete. The instability of the surrounding areas could bury the fliers in rubble and simultaneously damage them. They'll never know where they can step or set down safely!" Sky-Byte says with a delighted laugh. Oh so clever!

"Placing the flag in the sewers while a plausible idea, places the our aquatic advantage in a much lesser position due to shallower waters. Now we could see if the sewer has any outlets into discharge areas with deeper waters. Then we could use the multiple opening points of the sewer system to get to the area." Because Sky-Byte does not want to be an ankle-biter, he's a shark, not a musky. "We could actually put our prisoner containment facility in the sewers. There are some collecting chambers and they will be well underground. It would be hard to fly or blast through that. But it might put them uncomfortably close to our flag."

Perhaps Sky-Byte should start wishing that Scourge wasn't something easily eaten. Like cake.

"There could always be the chance that the fliers would want to band their teams together against us. Then we would be in a bit of a pickle."

[Frenzy]

"Fliers have Wreckage. Wreckage hasn't totally got rocks for brains." High praise from the little slagger. "Starscream best flier? Other fliers maybe find him threatening, want him grounded."

Figuring out where to put the flag is definitely those two's problem. Not his. Even knowing where it is could be bad if he fell into trouble. They put it underwater, he couldn't really get to it to use Sky-Byte to kill someone for him. Better not to know so he can't tell anyone.

[Sable Conolly]

"We'll need to remember where we placed our traps, so we don't accidentally walk into them," rumbles Scourge. Of course, he wouldn't shove Sky-Byte in a trap by accident. Not at all.

"Perhaps the prisoner containment in the sewers and the flag in an unconnected body of water? Much as I hate to say so, if they notice our shark is gone, they may think to look in the water." Scourge winces, scowling fiercely. "Very well. I can take care of guarding the flag to start, and Sky-Byte can assist Frenzy and keep out intruders. We may switch-up mid-game, if needed, but we will be discreet."

Scourge would be a dark chocolate devil's food cake, if he was a cake, with baleful maraschino cherry optics. Sky-Byte would, of course, be a fishcake. Frenzy would be one of those Halloween Ding-Dongs that someone stuffed a razor in.

Perhaps it's not a good idea to think of Predacons and Decepticons as desserts.

Scourge comments, "If the fliers would be liable to band together against us, we need to drive them apart. War is not merely a game of numbers. It is a game of minds. Our opponents may attempt to play us against each other. We cannot allow that to happen. Be wary of anything that opponents say. That said, we can perhaps use this to our advantage. Starscream attempted to recruit his 'friend'," clear distaste for the word there, "the neutral scientist Skyfire recently. Not only did Starscream fail, but he failed in executing Skyfire before he could escape. I am certain that the matter must still be raw. Also, in his own universe, Starscream dies in a few years. It may be possible to taunt Dead End about the lack of his brothers, and Starscream is fairly harsh on Dead End, something that can be played up. Thundercracker and Skystrike could be harassed about their failure to bring Skyfire to ground and end them."

Looking a bit annoyed by the thought, he adds, "Alternatively, I suppose that we could attempt to ally with a group, but which? Starscream's team is the clearer threat, possessing both disruptive weaponry, technical prowess, and a nearly-invulnerable individual. It would be easy to annihilate the other team with their support, but then we might face annihilation, as well. Alternatively, we could offer to ally with Wreckage's team, with the hope of them being easier to take out."

Scourge does need to make a call, however.