Spy Shot Down

[Spy Shot 6/Cameron Otto]

Month 1, Week 1, Day 2. Event Horizon. Open.

Within the Event Horizon is a series of darkened corridors, that otherwise look perfectly undamaged from the outside. Their mostly untouched exteriors hide the extensive damage done to their interiors, however.

The situation is much the same for the small camera that sits next to the doorway of the nearest unlit corridor. His plastic exterior has always taken well to repairs, sealing seamlessly in much the same way as it does when he transforms. Chips and gouges in his external lens are the only outward sign of the small battle he engaged in. But inside his plastic shell, repair systems labour to fix the damage to his delicate internal systems, sapping his energy.

And so he rests, and waits.

[Dinobot]

Two glowing red pinpoints bob down the darkened hallway, as the voice attached to them mutters discontentedly.

"A warrior of my caliber, conscripted into maintenance duty. Humiliating. There are plenty of 'bots on this ship that can't fight to save their own miserable superstructures, why can't they fix the lights?" Dinobot asks the darkness, throwing his hands up in frustration. He nearly steps on Spy Shot 6 before he catches himself.

He crouches down to examine the cameraformer, not touching him yet. "Spy Shot 6! Why didn't you report when the head count was called? Are you damaged?"

[Spy Shot 6/Cameron Otto]

Dinobot's voice jolts Spy Shot to wakefulness, several cognitive processes that had previously been in sleep mode to save power booting up. His power indicator light blinks on. He tries to focus on Dinobot, but the damage to his lenses makes it an exercise in futility. He dislikes not being able to see properly. He might even be able to say he hates it.

So he begins to transform, answering Dinobot as he does "I do not remember hearing a head count. I am damaged."

It's a slow, laborious transformation, and he actually has to manhandle his damaged arm into place - getting it transformed properly in the first place was quite a task! - two many of its connections severed to move under its own power. Much of his damage still remains invisible, silver plastic having sealed over his railgun wounds.

There, now he has optics to see with.

[Dinobot]

Dinobot frowns in displeasure as he holds out a hand for Spy Shot 6 to climb onto. "You should put a higher priority on making sure your communications systems are operational."

He looks around, peering into the darkness, and growls. "How were you damaged? I cannot help but notice the absence of a Decepticon corpse."

[Spy Shot 6/Cameron Otto]

"I was very tired," he says, climbing slightly clumsily onto Dinobot's hand. "But I will do that."

He follows Dinobot's line of sight, starting at the darkness that's rarely entirely dark to him. "The Decepticon retreated and he was faster than me. He turned into a car. It was a very small car. I punched him in the face."

This is Spy Shot's version of tired rambling.

[Dinobot]

Dinobot straightens up, being careful to hold his palm flat so the little camerabot doesn't fall off. "A victory, but not a clean one. No matter. You will do better in the future," he says confidently. "You did not come home with your shield, but you at least did not come home on it."

[Spy Shot 6/Cameron Otto]

Spy Shot nods along, sitting down on Dinobot's palm. "He shot me with a gun. And broke my lens. And cut my arm. It hurt. I am not dead, though, and I stopped him from further damaging the Event Horizon." Main goal achieved!

His head tilts to one side. "I did not have a shield. Nor did I leave home."

[Dinobot]

Dinobot nods. "You drove the enemy away and protected the ship. Admirable." He pauses, footsteps echoing down the dark corridor, before explaining.

"In ancient times, there was a race of warriors who carried large shields into battle. They were sworn to fight to the death. Any warrior who died was carried home on his shield. A warrior who was dishonored by surrender gave his shield to the enemy who defeated him. When they went into battle, they came home with their shields or on them."

Spy Shot may not have a shield, but Dinobot would be satisfied with Dustcutter's head.

[Spy Shot 6/Cameron Otto]

"Oh," he says with an understanding nod. "It is a metaphor. But I did not surrender, so do I not still posses a metaphorical shield?"

He's doing better at grasping this whole metaphor business!

[Dinobot]

"Hn. I may have spoken hastily when I said you did not," the raptor admits. He is forced to bow to Spy Shot's logic. "We will keep training. Your next victory will not leave you so injured," he says, then falls silent as he walks down the hall back the way he came.


Out of thread and into The Doktor Will See You Now.