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Post by Raymond Stantz on Mar 27, 2011 12:44:25 GMT -5
Month 3, Week 4, Day 4, Event Horizon rock room, open
One moment, Pincher was doing a check on his suit's systems. He feared the synthflesh was suffering some acidosis and was just drawing off some mech fluid to do a check. It's such a rich, vibrant red, like cinnabar. Pincher wonders how anyone can take it seriously.
The next moment, he's on top of some rocks in an unfamiliar place.
Pincher doesn't actually notice. He continues along with the mech fluid draw and then turns around to his pH meter, which is just on top of his lab bench, right where he put it, and the pH meter isn't there! Oh bother, did he leave it back in the closet?
Wait. The bench isn't there. There's just some rocks. Pincher reaches out and pokes one of the rocks he's sitting on. Did he get into some of those deliriant warheads he had stored under the freezer? Pincher remarks to the rock as he pokes it, "If you are a hallucination, you actually qualify as a true hallucination, I believe, since this scenario is both highly realistic and has no basis in reality, as opposed to merely altered perception, which would imply either the diphencybermine or the atropix..."
To anyone on watch, Pincher appears to be a bog-standard, normal-sized human in a generic spacey jumpsuit designed by a 50s sci-fi designer who has absolutely no sense of fashion. This jumpsuit makes sweater vests and leg warmers look good.
He's speaking flawless Cybertronian, though, without the faintest hint of an accent, a difficult feat for human vocal cords.
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Optimus Prime
Minor
Caution: Hero makes wide right turns.
Posts: 385
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Post by Optimus Prime on Mar 27, 2011 15:41:14 GMT -5
Optimus keeps reaching for his axe out of habit, only to remember that it isn't there. He guesses he could put in a requisition to fabricate a new one, and he probably should, because you never know when you're going to need to defend yourself from Decepticons, but his old axe had the handle worn down just right, and it was perfectly balanced, and . . . Well, he liked it, is the point. And now Waspinator has it. He's probably picking his toes with it or something. Yuck.
But hey, a voice from the rocks! Speaking fluent Perceptorese, even. And coming from a . . . human? "Er, hello," the Prime says in Cybertronian, rising from his seat. "Don't be alarmed, I'm not going to hurt you," he continues, switching to English just in case and holding his hands up palm-outwards.
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Post by Raymond Stantz on Mar 27, 2011 16:23:50 GMT -5
The blood draw vanishes when someone says, 'Hello.' Pincher looks around and sees what looks like a shrimpy Optimus look-alike with an... Autobot symbol. The rest of what Optimus Prime says is Greek to Pincher, and he tries to scuttle down and hide under the rocks.
Either he's having an exceptionally weird trip, or Autobot anarchist rebels have kidnapped him! But why would they do that? Pincher's nothing special, just a chemical engineer who spends too much time without sunlight... and, oh. They probably want his shell!
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Post by Springer on Mar 27, 2011 16:41:40 GMT -5
Springer's kicked back at the console. He's out and about after all that nastiness with his head, and the fallout that came with it, and is (mostly) back to normal.
He's been fairly quiet this watch, though. Said quiet is interrupted by the squishy thing using big words. Optimus seems to have the actual approach handled, so Springer will stand back by the control panel.
Springer whispers, in Cybertronian, to Optimus - "Is that one of those 'human' things? How'd it show up here? And what language are you babbling in?"
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Optimus Prime
Minor
Caution: Hero makes wide right turns.
Posts: 385
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Post by Optimus Prime on Mar 27, 2011 17:19:35 GMT -5
Optimus blinks. The running and hiding wasn't quite so unexpected. The lack of screaming and the scuttling was kind of weird, though.
"It's English. It's a human language," Optimus explains over his shoulder, once again in Cybertronian. "You think we should radio to let everyone know a human showed up? . . . We're sure it's not a Transformer, right?"
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Post by Raymond Stantz on Mar 27, 2011 17:43:04 GMT -5
Oh no, there's Springer! The once-Wrecker captain has gone over to the rebels, so Pincher has been kidnapped for sure, except that... Springer can't tell Pincher's not a normal human? Maybe the rebels are testing a spacebridge or something. Nasty pieces of work, those.
Pincher doesn't speak English, but thanks to Optimus Prime speaking in Cybertronian, he know knows what the gibberish Optimus was speaking earlier is.
Pincher stays under the shelter of his rock and debates what he should try to do. Should he call Councillor Perceptor? But Pincher doesn't want to bother him; Perceptor is so important and busy... but this could be important news! The rebels have a shrimpy Optimus clone and a teleporter! He'll call.
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Post by Springer on Mar 27, 2011 23:07:14 GMT -5
"I dunno! It fits what the archives say about humans, but it was speaking our language!" Springer shrugs openly. It is a most befuddling situation.
Springer puts his arms down, then crosses them. "Of course, we could just ask..." he says, then looks over at the rocks. "Hey! Are you a human, or a Transformer?"
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Optimus Prime
Minor
Caution: Hero makes wide right turns.
Posts: 385
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Post by Optimus Prime on Mar 28, 2011 16:45:59 GMT -5
Well, the radio seems to have answered a lot of questions. So the bot's name is Pincher, and he turns into a human. That's kind of weird.
Optimus bends down to peer under the rock where Pincher is hiding. "Hey, you can come out. I promise we're not going to hurt you. Look, I'm unarmed." Really, really unarmed, being from Animated. "Well, I have tools that I could use as weapons, but I promise not to use them." It would probably make more sense to omit that detail, but lying is no way to earn someone's trust.
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Post by Raymond Stantz on Mar 28, 2011 17:07:08 GMT -5
Perceptor ordered him to comply with Springer and the growth-deprived Optimus clone, so Pincher reluctantly answers, "I am a Transformer," to Springer's question.
He was all set to insist that he is an Earthling from Planet Dirt, and he demands to be taken back there now, or he will consult his embassy. It would have been the worst human impression ever.
Pincher looks amused for a moment at the thought that he could be hurt. That's not his worry at all. Really, he's just worried that the rebels might steal his shell, so... actually, why doesn't he just put it away? They can't make Pincher unsubspace anything Pincher doesn't want to!
Pincher scuttles out of the rocks and stands up on top of one. His yellow armour flashes about around him, making him look marginally more put-together than the jumpsuit did.
Then his shell starts to sort of... split. It's not the prettiest process, to see what looks like a normal human in armour suddenly vertically bisect itself, and there's a wet hissing noise of pressure differentials as Pincher, in his full robot mode height, steps out of the suit, and the suit vanishes.
He's about the height of an average carbot, mostly a dull grey, there are horns on his head, he has claws for hands, and he smells faintly of acid.
The rebels're worried about hurting him?
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Post by Springer on Mar 30, 2011 4:25:13 GMT -5
Springer steps back a bit from the console - it seems like this guy isn't much of a problem yet, other than the mixup.
However, it's taking a great deal of Springer's focus to not haul off and slap the forcefield button when Pincher gets out of his shell. As springer has been one to wear his emotions on his bicep plating (or imprinted into Prowl's faceplate in the shape of a fist), he finds himself leaning back with a flinch-y, disgusted face at the display.
"That...that is certainly something I haven't seen before."
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Optimus Prime
Minor
Caution: Hero makes wide right turns.
Posts: 385
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Post by Optimus Prime on Mar 31, 2011 11:48:16 GMT -5
Optimus takes a step backward when Pincher emerges from under the rock, to show that he isn't a threat. He takes another step back when the Pretender's shell starts to split open, and a third when Pincher emerges and subspaces his shell. The latter two steps are because Pincher is scary.
"So, you don't have a human for your alternate mode, you sort of wear one? Er, that wasn't ever a real human, was it?" he asks, voice shaky. Because if it ever was, Optimus is going to have to lock Pincher in the brig and throw away the key on general principles. Even if it is the sort of thing they would try back home.
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Post by Raymond Stantz on Mar 31, 2011 12:30:19 GMT -5
Pincher watches Springer's disgust with a sort of clinical detachment, and he says to him coolly, "I do not think you will ever see it again."
Springer is a filthy rebel, after all, and Councilor Perceptor knows now, so even if they're in the wrong time and place, Shockwave will make things right somehow, and making things right will involve Springer being thrown in jail forever.
Pincher looks a bit perturbed by what Optimus Prime suggests, his claws clicking together nervously. No, Pincher is not Buffalo Bill from Silence of the Lambs. Just because he's a mad scientist arthropod doesn't mean he wants to skin people and wear them! Primus, Tarantulas, thanks for ruining being a mad science arthropod for everyone else. Pincher just has to explain, "No, no, the very thought is repugnant! I..." He trails off. He wants to tell them that they started with just a tiny little cell sample and worked primarily with the deoxyribonucleic acid and ended up processing it so much that Pincher is about as related to a human as he is to these rocks upon which he's sitting.
However, Pincher doesn't think explaining proprietary technology falls under Perceptor's order to comply with the rebels.
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Post by Springer on Apr 2, 2011 14:59:44 GMT -5
Springer can't help but shudder again. "Just not right, those...things", he mutters to himself.
He then clears his vocalizer and crosses his arms. "Welcome to the Autobot ship The Event Horizon," he starts. "You've been pulled from your home reality and time to a totally different one - many of us, Autobot and Decepticon alike have been pulled here - we don't know why or how, but those rocks have something to do with it."
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Optimus Prime
Minor
Caution: Hero makes wide right turns.
Posts: 385
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Post by Optimus Prime on Apr 2, 2011 19:42:08 GMT -5
"Oh, that's good," Optimus says, sounding relieved. "My name is Optimus Prime, this is Springer," he adds, gesturing first at himself and then the Triple-changer.
"You don't need to be nervous. Wherever you were before, you're safe now." For the moment, anyway.
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Post by Raymond Stantz on Apr 2, 2011 20:43:39 GMT -5
Pincher ignores Springer's disgust. He's just a foolish rebel. What does Springer know, anyway? Besides, Pincher's always been a creepy-crawlie. Cars and trucks have it easy.
Springer's lying. He has to be. This is all a trick. This is all some test of his loyalty.
Pincher stares at Optimus Prime. Definitely lying. He paces, claws folded behind himself, and looks up, carefully looking for hidden cameras. To what might be a camera, Pincher states, "Very well. I see that my loyalty is in question. I will state now that I have not ever nor will I ever harbour rebel sympathies in any fashion or form."
Or he's hallucinating. He hasn't seen any proof he isn't. That's the problem with hallucinations. If he is, Pincher feels sorry for his lab techs.
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