Ultra Magnus
Major
Disappointing Fellow Autobots Since the Age of Internment
Posts: 565
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Post by Ultra Magnus on Jul 19, 2009 21:42:38 GMT -5
Ultra Magnus doesn't pause; he doesn't even glance up from his hands. At first.
"I don't expect to be welcomed," he says coldly, clenching his jaw. He isn't the Magnus that Springer knows, or the Magnus that Emirate Xaaron knows. He may not know any Autobots out there; why would they welcome him? Especially since he's been in Shockwave's tender care this past week. If they're smart, they'll be on guard no matter what they think of Magnus. "And," his voice drops as he goes on, fixing an icy glare on the Decepticon, "I'd watch that traitor talk were I you." One leg binding rips free with a clang.
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Counterpunch
Minor
The Overlord, His Peerless Highness, Arch Duke Counterpunch. The Salient Vanquisher of His Own Mind
What're you looking at?
Posts: 419
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Post by Counterpunch on Jul 19, 2009 23:12:16 GMT -5
Counterpunch's free hand clenches into a fist as the other tightens around his gun, and he takes two furious steps towards Ultra Magnus, finger itching, now, to pull the trigger, a low growl in his vocalizer. Then he straightens and, by force of will, manages to open his clenched hand, although the fury now rests barely beneath the surface of his stance.
"Favoring the guy in charge over the guy who wants to be in charge ain't being a traitor," he growls, "and favoring one part of leadership over another while hedging your own bets is just being a Decepticon."
The hand twitches again, as though it wants to curl back into a fist, and then he turns suddenly away, stomping towards one of the tables and snatching up a welding torch. Without another word he stalks furiously towards the exit, the secret one that he arrived through, and kneels, activating the torch and taking it to the lock, both sides, from the inside of the room.
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Ultra Magnus
Major
Disappointing Fellow Autobots Since the Age of Internment
Posts: 565
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Post by Ultra Magnus on Jul 20, 2009 23:08:56 GMT -5
Interesting reaction considering Magnus wasn't talking about him. Magnus keeps working on his bonds while the Decepticon goes to town on the door locks. He doesn't say anything until he has one foot on the floor and he's down to the last binding below one knee.
"Defending the peace for Cybertron isn't being a traitor, either," he murmurs. Questionable considering who was in charge, yes, but he never betrayed his fellow Autobots. Optimus… thinks differently, he's sure, but Optimus clearly needn't worry about Magnus any more. As far as he knows, Magnus is dead.
Finally, Magnus breaks that last binding and nearly hits the floor when all his weight comes to bear on his legs. He's still too woozy. But there's that cube on the table, tempting him just by its presence. He finally gives in and staggers forward so he can prop his weight on the table and finish off that cube.
"…Getting shot for it seems to come with the brands," he adds – bitter about it? – after taking a swig.
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Counterpunch
Minor
The Overlord, His Peerless Highness, Arch Duke Counterpunch. The Salient Vanquisher of His Own Mind
What're you looking at?
Posts: 419
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Post by Counterpunch on Jul 21, 2009 21:59:48 GMT -5
Counterpunch again snorts as he continues to manhandle the exit. "I suppose it depends on who's peace." He glances up as Magnus works himself free, and yet, oddly, makes no move to stop Ultra Magnus from the energon cube.
"We spent four million years at 'peace' under our own Shockwave. Starved, stagnant peace, minus a few... disruptive elements."
Now with the lock blasted open from the inside, he moves to the outer door and begins his work there, too. This means that he cannot watch Ultra Magnus. This means that Ultra Magnus has a chance to move in behind him and stab him in the back with a tool, if he wants to.
"Seems some folks objected to the eventual plan of bringing our... peace to the rest of the universe." Another snort. "'Cos obviously it's worth tearin' our own planet up to protect some worthless fleshbags who would be better off with our guidance."
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Ultra Magnus
Major
Disappointing Fellow Autobots Since the Age of Internment
Posts: 565
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Post by Ultra Magnus on Jul 23, 2009 21:59:36 GMT -5
"Peace for all of us," murmurs Ultra Magnus in a pensive tone, staring at the cube in his hand. "Autobot and Decepticon. Side by side. And it worked." He has his suspicions that there was something more to it, but he wanted that peace to be real. He wanted the unity, the end of the war, the end of carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. He wanted it so much. "…Or that's what I thought."
And he's telling quite a lot to someone he barely knows. Someone who's going to great and baffling lengths to help him.
He sets down the cube – not quite empty – and follows Counterpunch only halfway, hanging back a few paces and watching, suspicion mingled with speculation.
"I could torch those on my own," he says. "Or do you just enjoy staging scenes?"
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Counterpunch
Minor
The Overlord, His Peerless Highness, Arch Duke Counterpunch. The Salient Vanquisher of His Own Mind
What're you looking at?
Posts: 419
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Post by Counterpunch on Jul 23, 2009 23:26:05 GMT -5
"Hey, we coulda had that, too, if the Autobots weren't soft-cored idiots who valued the rest of the universe over Cybertron and're too dumb to realize if we don't control it, it'll find some way to control us," Counterpunch answers almost casually. It's really amazing how easily this rhetoric comes to him, when it comes right down to it.
Well, amazing to someone ho knows the truth.
The thing is, Counterpunch isn't just engaging in idle conversation with a white Optimus Prime lookalike for no good reason. Drawing Magnus's opinions on these matters out of him is important. He needs to know that this really is an Autobot he's sending to the others, and not a Decepticon wearing a red smudge of paint, after all. Granted, to one extent or another, Ultra Magnus is a sell-out. No two ways around it. But Counterpunch needs to know just how badly he's sold out.
Counterpunch snorts and stands back as Ultra Magnus offers to torch his own way. "Have at it. The further you are from here when I gun you down, the better."
And Counterpunch really does intend to fire on Ultra Magnus once they get out in the opening, while Magnus is 'escaping'.
He just also plans to miss.
Or maybe not, depending on how Magnus responds to his taunting.
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Ultra Magnus
Major
Disappointing Fellow Autobots Since the Age of Internment
Posts: 565
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Post by Ultra Magnus on Jul 24, 2009 22:53:55 GMT -5
Ultra Magnus takes that torch with a narrow-eyed look, suspicion giving way, probably too quickly, to irritation. He may deserve whatever abuse the universe throws at him, but not the Autobots.
"And that's the problem with Decepticons," he says in a tired and bitterly angry voice even as he eases himself into place, one hand on the wall to keep him steady – hunching over and kneeling like this pulls on several parts Shockwave didn't handle too gently – so he can take torch to lock. "They always think they have the right to control everything." Not once has he completely removed his attention from Counterpunch, nor has he ruled out the chance of being shot right here. "They would have destroyed everything if they hadn't been stopped." He clenches his jaw and adds, "Even Cybertron."
It wasn't stagnation on Cybertron for millions of years, but war in Magnus's time. Constant war that raged on and on until it crippled the planet itself. But perhaps this is part of that time and reality nonsense Shockwave mentioned; perhaps this Decepticon doesn't hail from Magnus's Cybertron.
That doesn't make him any less wrong.
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Counterpunch
Minor
The Overlord, His Peerless Highness, Arch Duke Counterpunch. The Salient Vanquisher of His Own Mind
What're you looking at?
Posts: 419
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Post by Counterpunch on Jul 26, 2009 0:20:45 GMT -5
Counterpunch laughs darkly. "Like it or not, the whole damn universe operates on a 'might makes right' basis. On organic worlds, it's usually one of the most aggressive species that evolves the farthest, not the most peaceful. Not always the strongest or the fastest or whatnot... jut the ones that become the most efficient at violence, and the most willing to do it. Autobots are an abomination, and can only exist because they're artificial. No natural species could possibly evolve with their sensibilities. There are some out there that pretend it, but they're all just predators who're good at hiding it."
"Besides, from what I heard, doesn't sound to me like your 'Cons had 'been stopped' at all," Counterpunch hisses merrily, but for all his sharp and biting words, he is pleased with Magnus's answer. Looks like there those symbols painted on him might be there for a real reason, after all.
Might.
"Sounds to me like they just decided to stop fighting you. Them stopping themselves isn't the same as them being stopped. You really think softhearted abominations like yourself could have stopped them?"
He looks at the lock that Magnus is torching, then hisses, "That's enough! Straight through the hologram, then to the right!"
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Ultra Magnus
Major
Disappointing Fellow Autobots Since the Age of Internment
Posts: 565
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Post by Ultra Magnus on Jul 27, 2009 21:28:52 GMT -5
"…Abominations?"
Ultra Magnus stops abusing the lock and rises slowly to his feet, turning, torch still in his hand. He should probably take the advice and leave, but he isn't thinking of himself at this moment, either. He's thinking of the comrades – and family – being insulted. His optics narrow to over-bright slits and his voice drops as he continues.
"You really think you understand what mindless thugs the Decepticons were? What an aberration they were?" He starts to lift the torch, using it to point at Counterpunch. "You really think a pack of warmongers is all we're meant to be?" he demands angrily. "Because I don't. Might doesn't make right no matter how many gang leaders like Megatron try to convince themselves and their brute squads otherwi– ngh!" His neck crackles painfully and he tucks his arm against his injured side to keep the sparks from flying too far, stepping back; maybe he isn't quite in shape to get excited like this.
But he's in just enough good health to run. Stiffly, Magnus turns back to the exit. Hopefully, no-one's looking too hard when he gets moving because stealth has never been one of his strong points.
"Fortunately, soldier," he says quietly as he pauses in the doorway, propping himself on it with one hand and dropping the torch, "I never saw you." He lingers only a second longer – long enough for one last jab, perhaps – before shoving open the outer door, breaking that last sliver of uncut lock. It's something he'd do when angry, impatient, and not in the best mental condition; Shockwave should recognise that. Then he lurches out, leaving behind greenish smears of fluid wherever the arm jammed to his side touches metal. He doesn't know how far he has to go, but he's getting as far from this place as he can, come Fallen or fuel surplus.
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Counterpunch
Minor
The Overlord, His Peerless Highness, Arch Duke Counterpunch. The Salient Vanquisher of His Own Mind
What're you looking at?
Posts: 419
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Post by Counterpunch on Jul 27, 2009 23:15:51 GMT -5
Counterpunch stares up at Magnus, but he holds his ground as the other Autobot, welding torch in hand, towers over him. In fact, if anything, he seems rather smug.
"Sounds like I hit a nerve," he hisses quietly, tone arrogant and self-satisfied.
Then, however, Magnus ducks out the door.
Counterpunch's optics widen and he exclaims. "Hey!" Then he darts into the hallway after, weapon now drawn...
...but just slow enough that Magnus is already partially blocked by tunnel by the time he's out there, and gone before he can take a shot.
He narrows his optics and snarls, "Dammit!" After all, he needed to make sure that guy actually made it out of the tunnels before he did his runner!
He still will, of course, but tearing off at a high speed chase just now would get too much attention. No, he follows along at a slower pace, stopping at any turns to make sure the other turned the right direction.
The chase, just for show, in case anyone does find out about it, won't begin until he's out of the tunnel.
And by then, Ultra Magnus will have had a heck of a head start.
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