Improving a Dinobot's Old Technology

[Grimlock]

OOC: Takes place on Day 10.

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Grimlock wanders among the tunnels for a while in robot mode, until he finally figures out which one leads to the medical bay, and enters with a grumble. "Me Grimlock no like stupid tunnels. All look same..." he mutters, looking around.

"Where Perceptor? Him call for me Grimlock!"

[Perceptor]

Near the back of the medical bay, near the doors to the morgue/parts storage, Perceptor is busily scanning through the design schematics he has drawn up for a certain Dinobot at the berth/repair station which Perceptor has mostly adopted as his own. It's quiet, out of the way, and no one seems to complain too much when he stacks components all around it for easy access while he is working.

Much like all the sheeting and components stacked around it and along the wall behind it now.

"Ah, welcome, Grimlock," the scientist greets, waving the Dinobot over. "I require your presence over here, please." He points at the berth he is standing beside with a confident air.

[Grimlock]

Grimlock wanders in, back to where Perceptor is, and looks at the berth.

"Me Grimlock here to move berth?" he asks.

[Perceptor]

Perceptor smiles somewhat grimmly as he shakes his head. "No. You are here to sit upon the berth," Perceptor explains, pointing. "Where you will remain until I have completed the upgrades I have designed for your armor."

Oh yeah, Grimlock. By the way, you're getting upgraded. Heh.

[Grimlock]

"...upgrades?"

Grimlock turns toward Perceptor, looking at the stack of materials, and looking around the medical area.

"Only if Perceptor only one doing them. Me Grimlock no trust others."

[Perceptor]

It really is not terribly difficult to confuse a Dinobot from Perceptor's reality, however, seeing that perplexed glance around at everything gathered gives Perceptor something of a faint glow of accomplishment. There is a difference, after all, between confusing Grimlock, and catching him off guard.

The Dinobot's next comment, however, only feeds that glow kindling inside, stoking it with an odd, fond warmth.

"You only trust me for such work?" he asks quietly, and with a very muted tone of wonder. "Ahem. Well, the others here are very good mechanisms, Grimlock. They are all Autobots and would do a fine job as well," he admonishes more loudly.

Not as good as he will, of course, but, then again, none of them have Perceptor's particular skill with metallurgy and electrical engineering, both essential to what he has planned.

"And, yes. Upgrades," he continues, pointing once again to the still empty berth. "You have required multiple rebuilds of your armor, and several repairs beyond those, and all within the very short time which we have been here for. I have a difficult time envisioning any significant alterations to your behavior which would prevent such damage in the future. Therefore, I have been experimenting with parts of the technology from Bumblebee's reality, and have developed a new armor system for you which will possess some limited self-regenerating properties."

"Now, sit."

[Grimlock]

"Me Grimlock no doubt that others skilled. Me Grimlock seen it" he answers, though his tone falls a little quiet for the next thing he says. "They not work with Wheeljack and Ratchet, though..." he says.

He perks up at the talk of the premise of his upgrades, and nods. "Me Grimlock like idea. Me tired of waking up in medical." And then, he sits on the berth as directed.

[Perceptor]

Perceptor's expression grows sollemn and he lays a gentle hand upon Grimlock's shoulder. "I miss them, too," he murmurs softly.

He hasn't thought about how badly he misses them in... in many days. There has been too much work, too many new faces to meet and learn. He's kept himself occupied enough that he has avoided dwelling. Oddly, thinking of them now does not hurt quite so badly as it had before, either.

Perhaps time does heal all things.

He casts an indulgent, fond smile at Grimlock and chuckles. "And I have grown far too familiar with your exact specifications," he observes. It's Perceptor for "I repeir you too often, you big lunk-head."

"Additionally, I have utilized more raw plating upon you than any other mechanism here. Even Jazz."

[Grimlock]

Grimlock stares at the floor a bit.

"Me Grimlock hope they show up before we go... Other Dinobots, too." Just fighting with Slag is good, but it's missing the sheer chaos that a good old brawl with all five Dinobots had.

He looks up again, closing a fist. "Me Grimlock blame stupid fake Rodimus. If him not so overpowered, me Grimlock only lose half as much plating!"

[Perceptor]

Perceptor pauses, head bowed. "That... That would be very fortuitous, indeed, Grimlock," he says quietly. "I would appreciate their company as well."

And he'd figure out how to break it to Ratchet and Wheeljack that they both die... somehow.

"Although," he adds, injecting levity into his tone as he turns to gather some of his tools, "I must confess to a certain level of... ahem. Concern. Yes. Concern regarding a long distance, long term confinement of all five of you in an interstellar cruiser. You must promise that if the others do arrive, that you will not allow them to shatter our ship, yes Grimlock?"

He's mostly joking. Mostly.

"Additionally, it would be nice if, in the future, you attempted to lose no plating in a battle?" he remarks wryly, one optic ridge quirked up.

[Grimlock]

"Me Grimlock no tear up ship! Dinobots behave good on ship! We last all the way from Earth to nasty monster planet... Though it not our fault we go down."

Then Perceptor marks about the plating, and Grimlock shrugs. "Me try, but me Grimlock make no promises."

[Perceptor]

"I know, Grimlock," Perceptor chuckles, patting the Dinobot upon the shoulder as he returns with tools and begins unceremoniously removing significant portions of Grimlock's easily accessed outer armor. Asking a Dinobot to stay in one piece in the middle of a full out combat situation is like... is like asking them to be stealthy.

It's just not possible.

[Grimlock]

Tracks, Override, and those previously privy to this sight, flee in terror.

Grimlock's getting naked again.

"So you say me regenerate? Me Grimlock invincible now?" he asks, looking over at the scientist. Being invincible would rock. Then he can really show that Fake Optimus what for. Of course, he could have if that Fake Rodimus hadn't nearly killed Slag, but that's neither here nor there.

[Perceptor]

Oh dear. Must nip this mistaken impression in the bud, now. Grimlock already has an overblown sense of his own lack of vulnerability. A grimlock who mistakenly believes himself to be invincible... Perceptor shudders at the thought.

"No, no. Not invincible, Grimlock," he corrects quickly, pausing to tap Grimlock gently upon the firehead with the wrench in his hand. Yes, pay attention, Grimlock. This is important.

"However, once I have completed your upgrades, you will be able to assist in your own repair functions. Not as quickly nor as efficiently as those mechanisms who hail from Bumblebee and Jazz's reality, of course. Their technology is sufficiently different to render a graceful and complete integration of our various systems as yet beyond even my abilities, however, I was able to isolate certain, minimal functions of their regenerative functions to implement within your own."

Wait. He's speaking to Grimlock. Whoops.

"Ah, by ingesting base metals, your systems will be able to utilize the raw elements in the repair and regeneration of your own damaged armor."

Still too much, isn't it.

"Once I am done, if you eat metal, that metal will slowly heal your armor."

[Grimlock]

Grimlock slumps slightly as Perceptor makes his explanation. He wanted to be invincible! Sadface.

"...ohhhh. Me Grimlock get it now. Me just have to eat more Decepticons while me fight, then!"

Probably not the result Perceptor intends, but this is Grimlock.