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Post by Mirage on Sept 12, 2010 23:44:01 GMT -5
Mirage takes that simple, plain energon with a grateful smile and murmur of thanks, holding the container in both hands as he sips it slowly. He's taking the same care one should take if they've been too long without water. Too much too quick, and you risk knotting up your insides and making yourself sick.
"Mmm, they have more specific requirements. 'No drones. No cyborgs. No transorganics. Turing-quality sapience emulators, at the very least, with marketable abilities or skills.' That's what what they consider 'suitable quality.' I was told that if I gathered them two such individuals, that I would be released. Though I somehow doubt such would be the case," he adds dryly.
"The one who took us, one Gatekeeper Venatorious, apparently intended to capture Grimlock as well. Something about matched sets selling better." Mirage takes another sip of his energon, frowning at Perceptor's question. Mirage actually turns his head to look at the scientist through the walls.
//I saw one with five faces, but that one wasn't involved in my vivisection. That one had a single face. I... I'm sorry, I don't have the strength to simply show you. Not right now.//
Another sip of his drink and he continues, "I've never fought a foe like Venatorious. Seamless copying of looks and abilities, full hard-light skins, possible teleportation or some other method of travel, complete radio interception- it was like fighting a simulation gone rabid."
"I know that splitting off from Grimlock and the Arcees was not the best tactical move. However, even with our advantage of numbers, the odds were on his side. He could copy any and all of our abilities and use them against us. We could not see him, and had to not only protect ourselves but Pyrite. We couldn't risk such a foe traling us on to the ship. Plus, there was Bambi to be considered."
"I knew they wanted to take me; they might have taken her. It was a calculated risk."
Mirage is aware he is babbling slightly and also speaking of things entirely out of order. It's embarrassing, but he's having more than a little trouble focusing. Mirage rubs his temple with one hand, the energon sloshing now that he isn't using two hands to steady it.
"Glyph is a language expert, correct?"
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Post by Rodimus Prime on Sept 13, 2010 14:46:37 GMT -5
Rodimus's optics flare brighter as they widen, his mouth opening slightly, at Perceptor's question. At Mirage's answer, those same optics narrow and his lips pull down in a frown.
"Quintessons, then," he all but growls. "We've had hints of them since Gillanan, but this confirms it." He crosses his arms and leans against the wall, considering. "They seem pretty well established here, what with their ties to X and everything, so I guess we can't just assume they're part of the same group."
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Jazz [G1]
Rookie
Cool as an icicle in a snowstorm.
Posts: 177
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Post by Jazz [G1] on Sept 13, 2010 17:24:51 GMT -5
Jazz frowns a bit as Perceptor comes over the line with that bit of news. //Well, scrap me sideways,// he mumbles. //Just what we need.//
Then he looks a bit funny at Bambi. "Huh, you got medical skills? I knew you were in that division, but I didn't know the extent of it."
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Post by Lynn Deanna Payne on Sept 13, 2010 21:20:29 GMT -5
A bit shyly, Pyrite starts to unbutton his shirt, shifting and squirming like he wishes he couldn't be seen. Yet he was running around naked earlier. There is a thesis to be written about the psychoses of clothes-wearing-robots-on-Pz-Zazz. There's the injury on his chest from the fight, which seems so long ago now. It's quite bad, but it's started to heal.
He doesn't say anything to Perceptor's comments about being familiar with the species.
Pyrite explains, "I disguised myself as a server and snuck into X, the club where my sister vanished. I was looking for security tapes."
He pauses for a very long moment.
"Then they sent me to the drunk tank."
This is the same story he told Mirage. There's just a long pause in the middle. It's the best he can do. Hopefully Perceptor can fill in the blanks.
Bambi's demeanour turns a bit more defensive, if that is even possible, at Jazz's funny look. She grunts, "Repair trucks. Break down a lot in field. After patch him Mirage, patch him Pyrite, too, then whack him over head so him no betray us, 'cos there something wrong in him head or something." She shrugs. "Then him Mirage sneak us around. We see really ugly robot guards and arena and cabaret..."
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Post by Emirate Xaaron on Sept 13, 2010 21:51:05 GMT -5
Emirate Xaaron notes that Mirage really does seem concerned about Bambi, which is interesting, given that when he ordered Mirage to go looking for Bambi, Mirage at first refused, then accepted the mission, and proceeded to completely blow it off without making an attempt at completion. The little Dinobot seems so wild and skittish. Emirate Xaaron wonder how she'd take the fact that her 'friend' Mirage could not be afted to go looking for her under orders when he eagerly threw himself after the alternate Swerve. With a few words, he just might be able to tear them apart. It would be exceptionally cruel. Emirate Xaaron will have to keep it in mind for the next time Mirage misbehaves. Instead, he comments wryly, "I think you're insulting Swerve." However, he's serious enough as Mirage explains that the Quintesson he faced had martial prowess well in excess of any that Kup or Wheelie had documented. Instead of creating the Transformer race, as they did in Perceptor's universe, did they just decide to learn how to kick skidplate and take names instead? "Glyph is. Why do you ask?" Next, he'll ask how Mirage escaped, if Mirage doesn't get to it on his own.
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Post by Mirage on Sept 14, 2010 22:20:09 GMT -5
Skipping Perc due to 24hr timeout rule and because I asked to.
"Swerve? What- never mind. I don't have the energy or focus ability to try and cross verbal swords with you today Emirate."
His optics squint shut for a moment. "Venatorious. The Hunter. He went on about how he thought I was compatible with his old cloaking systems. The scientist decided it was worth the risk, possibly because of increased value, and so he uploaded some software into my CPU. He said I was pretty enough to make money even if it left me mostly brain dead. When that didn't send me into cascade failure or drive me crazy, he installed the matching hardware, as well."
Mirage's optics open a bit and he takes a sip of his energon. "That's part of why I insisted on the quarantine. It's familiar enough that I can understand the functions. It's a... rather extensive upgrade to my cloaking and holo tech, and the actual integration is rather seamless. It's as if...as if it's always been a part of me, really."
"But it's in a different language, one that is close to ours, but not," he frowns, "Reminds me a bit of Ancient Cybertronian, actually. But it's giving me a terrible headache and making it hard to focus. If I could understand it..."
His optics open fully and Mirage slumps a bit, one hand going to the table to steady himself. "Bambi and Pyrite were both unconscious at that point, and the... Quintessons? left so that the everything could finish adjusting- after hooking me up to a fair approximation of an energon drip, complete with a drug cocktail. They kept calling me a mere machine as if it were a slur, as if the idea of my having free will, having not been built by some other hand was impossible."
"All my main motor and subspace lines were cut. I could manage fine movements only. Cut the wrist in one hand to lubricate the shackle, broke the thumb getting out of the bond. Got myself loose and off the IV, then went to Bambi. Confirmed her, got her out. She did some spot repairs on us both, then we freed Pyrite. I wasn't leaving him, not after all that."
"There were these guards," Mirage describes the Sharkticons, "but with the cloak they were easily avoided. We came across Chalco while looking for an escape route. I took the opportunity, used my tech to impersonate Venatorious and free her, and after a bit more running found our way onto a subway train."
"She still think I'm him."
The details are lacking yes, but if Xaaron and Rodimus want more specifics, they can ask. Mirage isn't sure he can properly tell what is important and what isn't, right now.
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Post by Rodimus Prime on Sept 14, 2010 22:29:21 GMT -5
"Sharkticon," Rodimus answers automatically as Mirage describes the creature. He glances at Xaaron and sighs. "He's going to need a complete comb-over before we let him out." He rubs the back of his head, then the same hand, in one motion, slides around to his chin to rub it. He shakes his head.
"Even with the steps they took... them stepping out of the room at that moment seems too convenient."
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Jazz [G1]
Rookie
Cool as an icicle in a snowstorm.
Posts: 177
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Post by Jazz [G1] on Sept 15, 2010 15:37:04 GMT -5
Jazz nods at Bambi, plugging this into the datapad. "Thanks, little lady. Hate to be a sudden downer, just that accordin' to Perceptor, the guys behind this are some majorly bad news, and a name that if I never heard again long as I function, it'd be far too soon." Jazz shakes his head. "Crazy jive."
He looks over at Bambi, forcing a neutral face. "Anything else you can tell me?"
//Hey Percy, that Pyrite fella might have some head damage that the quints didn't do. Bambi mentioned that she knocked him upside the head before they left.//
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Post by Lynn Deanna Payne on Sept 16, 2010 12:17:33 GMT -5
Bambi shrugs at Jazz's downer message and opines, "It already bad. Not surprised it get worse. Anyway, so where me Bambi leave off? Him Pyrite's sister up in cage in cabaret. Him Mirage pretend to be him Venatorious - him bad guy - so ugly bartender no get suspicious. Me Bambi free her Chalco, but something wrong with her Chalco's head, so her no think right. Then us escape into subway tunnel and almost get run over." Okay, it was more Bambi almost becoming run over and Mirage saving her, but Jazz doesn't need to know that. "Us get on train and go to spaceport, where him Mirage get mistaken for... someone." Her optics narrow. "Him spaceport man try give us free tickets, but him Mirage no take them and get real huffy."
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Post by Emirate Xaaron on Sept 16, 2010 12:25:00 GMT -5
Mirage must be really under the weather if he can't even snark. In a calculated gestured, Emirate Xaaron's expression softens. What Mirage has to say if varying shades of horrific, though Emirate Xaaron's expression doesn't change much as Mirage babbles.
There are so many places that Emirate Xaaron needs[ specifics, and... //Perceptor, the first order of business is going to be checking Mirage's mind for tampering. He's had hostile alien programming uploaded into him. Also been drugged with who-knows-what.//
Mirage really is so young compared to the Mirage of which he knew, Emirate Xaaron is continually reminded, particularly when Mirage describes the trouble he had in escaping from the shackles. He somehow doubts an older Mirage would have been so inconvenienced. So innocence dies.
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Post by Mirage on Sept 19, 2010 15:50:52 GMT -5
"The convenience of their absence did not escape me, either, but I couldn't not take the opportunity. When we got to the spaceport however..." Mirage shakes his head.
"A tickets agent tried to give us four free first class tickets like 'he was told' to do 'as usual' or some such. I refused them. It could have been that Venatorious has been making use of my image, or that the cloaking tech pinged on the security scan and they assumed. Still-" Mirage shrugs, "Too much coincidence."
He looks across the way at Pyrite. "I hope Perceptor can help them. What was done... no one deserves that, to be made a slave to another."
Attention back to Xaaron, "That's the overview, obviously. What else do you need? I'm not familiar enough with that race to know what is noteworthy or not."
Mirage finally can't help himself, and he makes a private radio comment to Rodimus, //I... am glad you were not more involved. I've gotten enough people in trouble with my foolishness.//
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Post by Rodimus Prime on Sept 19, 2010 18:30:51 GMT -5
//And I still think confrontation with these guys was probably pretty much inevitable,// Rodimus replies to Mirage.
He frowns, not really sure he has enough information to even know where to start asking the questions. He steels himself - perhaps he needs to look inward to get some insight into this, but doing so is unlikely to be pleasant.
Meanwhile, he asks, "Could you find the place where they took you again, if you needed to?"
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Post by Emirate Xaaron on Sept 21, 2010 23:08:22 GMT -5
OOC: Skipping Jazz due to timeout. Also skipped Bambi due to timeout, and because I play her, and because she has nothing to do until Jazz does something.
Emirate Xaaron says up front, "We're going to need to have someone look at your mind, Mirage, in addition to strip-searching you for physical bugs. It won't be pleasant."
He does not apologise. This unpleasantness is necessary, and apologies are really just meaningless in this case. He does agree, "No one deserves it."
Perhaps he should rebuke Mirage more for yet another Harebrained Mirage Stunt, but he doesn't want to completely break Mirage. That would be unfortunate.
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Jazz [G1]
Rookie
Cool as an icicle in a snowstorm.
Posts: 177
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Post by Jazz [G1] on Sept 22, 2010 15:02:37 GMT -5
Jazz's head tilts curiously. "Mirage got huffy, or the guy with the tickets? Either way, good call - this is the kinda place you don't take stuff from people, especially if it's free."
Jazz frowns.
"And even if they look like someone you know, now. Lousy Quints..."
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Post by Mirage on Sept 23, 2010 14:11:36 GMT -5
//Perhaps. But I would not wish to be the one who led you into unexpected danger.// One corner of Mirage's lips turn up ever so slightly. //Soldier should follow Prime, not the other way around.//
Maybe Mirage is not completely unable to snark right now after all.
He doesn't protest Xaaron's declaration. He answers tiredly, "I assumed as much, on both counts. I may have never been through something like this before, but I am not oblivious to proper procedure." Proper procedure just usually doesn't apply to him.
"Oh. You both might be interested in knowing that with whatever they installed in me, I no longer seem to have to worry about timing out or cycling my cloak or holos. It's a power drain, but I have yet to find a limit to how long I can keep the tech powered up." Mirage sips his drink, and rubs at his temples again with the opposite hand.
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