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Post by Mirage on Jun 29, 2011 18:50:09 GMT -5
"I do not believe I said you owed me anything at all," Mirage says, taking advantage of the brief moment of down time to try and roll some of the damage-induced stiffness out of his shoulder, "Tell me or not as you like, but don't expect me to stop looking for the reason. I'm a terribly stubborn individual, you see, and ferreting out such things is my function after all."
Mirage can only turn the other cheek for so long. Is he being a jackaft now? Oh certainly. Was he in the beginning? Not by a long shot.
"Despite what you may think, I am perhaps not in as close a danger from an accidental strike as you might think. I've a spark, but it is not a fixed target; in my reality, the spark is diffused throughout the body. Nor do I posses a lasercore or brain module. Even a beheading is not necessarily a deathstroke for those from my reality set. It takes extensive damage to certain key systems to offline one of us, and those systems are not always in the same place from individual to individual."
"The Shockwave the Decepticons have is from my reality. Though he does have that nuclear reactor, which is another problem entirely."
If Drift pays attention, he might realize that Mirage is giving him valuable information that may at some point be life-saving. This isn't a bragging speech for effect.
"But if you truly think that is a concern, then all the more reason to practice against me cloaked," Mirage says, trying to salvage this entire encounter, "You're good, certainly the best I have ever seen at your chosen weapon, but you don't seem to have a level between 'guard' and 'kill.' Sometimes, being able to disable without killing is the better option."
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Post by Drift on Jul 5, 2011 9:55:12 GMT -5
"Not my job or anything, but seems to me a spy should probably spend his energy spying on, I dunno, the enemy." He's becoming unfortunately accustomed to being treated like one by most of these Autobots.
Not that he's been Prince Charming himself.
But at least Drift knows how to deal with mechs who position themselves as his enemies.
Speaking of 'not my job'... "Killing's more efficient. Disabling just leaves the fragger free to fight again later." Whole idea is to, you know, END the war? That means ending enemies.
"You going to do this or not?"
Then again, if Mirage-the-apparently-unkillable keeps talking when cloaked, he'll be easy enough to hit.
((OOC: the crabbiness is entirely Drift's POV))
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Post by Mirage on Jul 7, 2011 22:41:09 GMT -5
This expression on Mirage's face? This is Mirage fighting the urge to turn around and bash the rest of his head in against the wall. It would certainly hurt his head less than attempting to have a rational discussion with Drift.
Mirage should call it off. He should walk out of this room right now. Drift basically said he considers Mirage his enemy. Drift has also said he can't fight an enemy without killing him. Mirage is secure in himself enough that he could walk away from this challenge knowing he took no water, and he's already taken enough damage to have Long Haul yelling at him for days.
Except that Perceptor is someone that Mirage cares about. If this is who Drift is? Then how can Mirage trust the life of one he cares about to him?
He levels a cool stare at Drift. "It is not more efficient. It is lazy, because it is easier for you to hide behind the moniker of weapon rather than that of person," he says, before engaging his cloak. Any commentary from now on will be via radio over the Autobot frequency on low power.
More eighties fight scene-appropriate montage music later.
Mirage reappears leaning against a wall, heavily cycling air. He's sporting a stab wound through his left shoulder, and a slice across his chest, along with a few more injuries. Probably a good idea to make sure Bambi isn't on med duty when Mirage heads in for repairs. The little Dinobot might decide she needed to avenge him.
"Learned anything yet?" he says, giving Drift's earlier words back to him.
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Post by Drift on Jul 8, 2011 10:19:24 GMT -5
Drift would be perfectly okay with you doing that, Mirage! Drift's stubborn jerkitude: SEKRIT WEPUN.
On his part, if it's any consolation, Drift's really not looking forward to explaining any of his injuries to The Nerd. At least Long Haul doesn't have a subspecialty in Guilt Trip?
"Easier to be a 'weapon' than a 'person'," he snaps back, realizing too late how much he's actually revealed about himself. You need a noisier weapon, Drift. One that might drown out the dumb things you say.
Fine, let's do this, invisimech.
timeskippyskip
Drift studies the damage on Mirage, frowning. Harder to hit than he'd hoped--the blue mech was agile as well as invisible. If there hadn't been a few scrapes on the floor, he'd never have placed him. One or two hits he only got in because Mirage was hitting him at the same time.
Unlike Mirage, though, he's used to long fights, so he's not quite as winded. Still he's plenty dented, and Mirage managed to get one of his thumbs, so his left sword's grip is slick and a little wobbly.
"Other than you don't know when to quit?"
He pauses, trying to swipe one blade clean on the opposite forearm. "Your best bet in your line of work should be to disable and run. You've got speed for it."
Frag it. He shoves the left blade back in its scabbard.
"Pretend I'm a sentry. What would you do?" He's ready for this to hurt: he doesn't care. Mirage didn't count on the fact that combat...actually calms Drift down.
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Post by Mirage on Jul 12, 2011 22:30:23 GMT -5
Mirage quirks both a brow and smile at Drift's first remark. "I have always been a stubborn mechanism," the spy says.
At Drift's question, Mirage shrugs one shoulder, then winces slightly as a twinge of pain hits him. "Honestly, I would ghost by him or her. But if the situation made doing that unfeasible...."
He shrugs again.
"A good blow to the back of the neck, or a blade stabbed through those systems will incapacitate most mechs. Long enough, anyway."
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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 13, 2011 22:35:57 GMT -5
Plenty of time has passed while Drift and Mirage have at one another. Enough time that their scheduled session in this particular training room has expired. Enough time for the Autobot with the next session slotted to get fed up with waiting and intrude whether or not they're finished.
Ultra Magnus stops just inside the door and takes in the scene, the battered state of both Autobots. He scowls, settling his weight evenly on both legs and crossing his arms.
"What," he asks in a low voice, "is going on here?"
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Post by Drift on Jul 17, 2011 21:43:34 GMT -5
"What about mechs like Barricade then." You know the one who was eating you for a snack? "Those windows kind of block a blow to the neck." Drift is making a vague gesture to imitate the space anemone's window-wings when Ultra Magnus makes his, uh, Magnussy entrance.
He throws one glance over at the much larger mech. Oh, look. Authority. Drift's favorite thing ever.
"What's it look like?"
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Post by Mirage on Jul 18, 2011 20:46:39 GMT -5
"There are other vulnerable points," Mirage says, "But normally, if the mission has gone pear-shaped enough for such things- oh. Hello Magnus."
Mirage's voice is carefully neutral when he addresses the City Commander. They never really dealt with their issues after that disastrous training session. One might even say they've been avoiding one another.
"We've run over time, haven't we? My apologies," Mirage pushes off the wall and steps slightly more into the room- which despite his efforts, shows off his injuries more than he likes.
He cuts his optics from Drift to Ultra Magnus and back. "We can switch to another room, I'm sure."
None of this actually answers Ultra Magnus's question.
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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 19, 2011 20:42:59 GMT -5
Magnus makes no attempt to hide the way he pointedly doesn't look at Mirage. He focuses on Drift instead, because while this Magnus has no real authority, he has a temper and Drift gave him a confrontational question for a response. He might as well answer it.
"It looks like you two have run over time mauling each other," he says dourly. "But I assume this isn't what it looks like, right?" It never is, in his experience.
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Post by Drift on Jul 21, 2011 20:30:43 GMT -5
"No, that's actually pretty accurate."
What? He's honest. Still surly, but honest.
"No point training under false constraints. Don't learn anything unless it hurts." Least, that's how it worked in the Decepticons.
And with Wing.
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Post by Mirage on Jul 24, 2011 0:54:15 GMT -5
Mirage is walking toward the door. Unfortunately, the path he must take will bring him closer to Ultra Magnus than Mirage would like. Swinging wide is out of the question, however, because damned if Mirage is going to be that avoidant and obvious.
What is obvious is the damned limp Mirage is attempting to disguise by moving more deliberately and less gracefully.
"Drift doesn't know how to fight an opponent without attempting to kill him. I needed more experience fighting someone with blade. It was a mutually beneficial training exercise," the spy says blandly.
A few more steps, and he'll be past Ultra Magnus. Just a few more....
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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 29, 2011 8:43:17 GMT -5
It's a response that draws a dire look from Ultra Magnus as he looks from Drift to Mirage and back again. As Mirage tries to pass him, Magnus clamps one great hand on the spy's shoulder without even looking; while he isn't trying deliberately to cause more pain or damage, he doesn't try to hold gently, either.
"There's a reason," he growls at both of them, "that we have a simulation room. I make fairly extensive use of it myself. You," he snaps at the Autobot currently in his grip with crystal-clear disgust, "should know better. Now you'll be reporting to medical so you can explain this stupidity while they patch you up, and I'll take you there myself since you aren't walking so well." Mutually beneficial exercise, his third axle. "You," and he turns his gaze on the Autobot a few paces away, "will report to medical as well. And you'll likely have to explain this to command. I'll be putting in a recommendation that you do your weapons training with holograms until you can wrap your processors around some setting other than murder." Maybe Perceptor can devise some patches for Drift. It has certainly helped Magnus, with his artificially boosted urge to smash, maim, and destroy the things and people that get in his way.
Banishing that line of thought, Magnus indelicately hefts Mirage like the lightweight thing he is and settles the smaller Autobot across his shoulders in an approximation of a fireman's carry, then turns to leave. This will be a long, awkward trip to the repair ward.
OOC: Manhandling of Mirage with player permission. Out of thread unless stopped.
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