Barricade
Minor
Knight of the Spastic Sword
Trust Me
Posts: 372
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Post by Barricade on Jan 26, 2011 22:40:24 GMT -5
Barricade is swift to leave the chaos of the bridge and the shuttle crashed just below that behind him, stalking down the corridors of the Autobot ship, flail deployed. He wants away from the immediate area of the Bridge; everyone will be headed that direction, and Barricade does not want to be forced back against his own troops in the fight.
Besides, if he gets himself hidden quickly enough, he should be able to sneak back and help himself to some unsuspecting Autobot's back. A very quick transmission from Frenzy notifies him that the hacker has his own agenda, and has just accessed the ship's interior, himself. Barricade smirks, metal fangs flashing wickedly as he moves further away from the crash and thunder of battle behind him, and starts hunting.
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Post by Mirage on Jan 29, 2011 15:01:46 GMT -5
Mirage is one of those heading toward the bridge, though at a much more careful pace than some. He is cloaked, literally ghosting through the halls, searching for those who might have pushed past the first defenders.
Those like the wicked-looking cop car who just passed Mirage in the hallway.
Despite everything, Mirage still can't make himself shoot the other mech in the back. Not like this.
Still cloaked, he tries to press the barrel of his rifle against the base of Barricade's head.
"Tsk. Typical Decepticon, just barging in without so much as a by your leave."
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Barricade
Minor
Knight of the Spastic Sword
Trust Me
Posts: 372
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Post by Barricade on Jan 29, 2011 18:59:19 GMT -5
The world has narrowed to Hunter and Prey. These are the moments when Barricade is a creature of pure instinct, the rush of his fuel and fluids a thick background hiss in his audios, and the feel of the air against his plating as vibrant as digits as he stalks his hunting ground. Every sensor is alert for the merest sign of prey to lock onto.
That is, ultimately, the one thing that saves him.
He can feel the soft kiss of air moving against his back plating as Mirage moves. He doesn't hear anything, no movement, so scuff of plating on decking, not even the faintest whir of servos, just feels that barely-there swirl of air currents against his hunter-hyper plating. He is in motion before the rifle is in place, as those syllables wash over him, his own pistons firing, lightning quick. He drops, one leg flashing out in a sweep behind him as he uses that momentum to turn so that he can bring his claws to bear.
There is nothing there. He cannot see anything as he spins, but his instincts do not lie, and so he does not hesitate as he simply lashes out viciously, slashing with wild ferocity at the empty air that had moved.
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Post by Mirage on Jan 30, 2011 14:02:50 GMT -5
Barricade is not the only Hunter here, though Mirage's own instincts are shackled by his stubborn insistence on clinging to some semblance of civilized behavior. The day may yet come when the noble must let slip his mask and control and be as vicious as the prey he hunts, and if that happens he will be a fearsome foe indeed.
Today is not that day.
The leg sweep is expected, as are the slashing claws, though both come seconds before Mirage expected them. He has trained much with Oracle, however, and the spy leaps over the leg and back, albeit more clumsily than he ought. Barricade's claws just drag razor cuts across the spy's chest. It hurts, but Mirage makes no sound, does not drop his cloak.
//I take it you'll not come quietly. Such a fine example of a peace officer you are, // Mirage says dryly over general. He darts past Barricade on the left, knife in hand, and attempts to hamstring the Saleen.
OOC: Stat-wise, these two are fairly evenly matched, but Barricade has sheer viciousness and experience on his side. 'Cade, you've permission to catch Mirage at your leisure to set up previously discussed scenario.
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Barricade
Minor
Knight of the Spastic Sword
Trust Me
Posts: 372
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Post by Barricade on Jan 30, 2011 17:40:22 GMT -5
ooc: understood. ---------------------------------------
No resistance meets his leg, but his claws definitely score upon something. So, his opponent is invisible, is he? Feral glee alights Barricade's features as he keeps his momentum and builds upon it, letting it carry him into a vicious spin; a challenge to delight the Hunter's savage hunger.
Well, if he cannot see his foe, then he will remain in motion, his claws a whirling dervish of razor pain to ward the Other away, and strike when the Other grows unwary. Overconfident. Tricksy gadgets are not substitute for beastial skill. Barricade lashes out, snapping at the air until sparks spew from his mouth, his talons slashing at the empty air as he drops into a rotating crouch.
The unseen knife bites into the plate along his thigh, instead of the back of his knee, skittering along one seam until the edge bites in and slashes deep. The pain feeds his rage; the slash provides him a target. His only retort to Mirage's goading is a wild howl of gleeful fury as the flail swings, spikes in the tire's rim spinning up into a wail to match the one Barricade releases as the weapon scythes through the air for the spot where he judges that the Other will be landing.
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Post by Mirage on Jan 31, 2011 21:05:25 GMT -5
Never in all his hunts has Mirage encountered a creature as wild as this. Even the Decepticons he's tracked have not been so, and the doppelgangers? They were cruel and vicious, yes, but Mirage saw nothing like this among them.
He pays for that scored hit with a broken shoulder as Barricade's flail connects. This time Mirage does hiss in pain. A small sound, but so telling, and the spy jumps back and left to put some distance between himself and the Saleen.
Mirage could take Barricade down, if he could only close- or if Mirage were more willing to kill.
He pushes those doubts out of his mind and lines up a shot on the dervish's head. Head shots aren't usually kill shots, but they do tend to make an opponent pause.
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Barricade
Minor
Knight of the Spastic Sword
Trust Me
Posts: 372
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Post by Barricade on Jan 31, 2011 21:22:04 GMT -5
Barricade has spent too long cooped up with too little activity; it's all bursting forth now with the fury of compressed hunger. He snarls, a pleased sound, his mouth twisted into a rictus of malevolent glee as he feels the flail connect, hears that tiny slip of a hiss. THERE!
His wrist snaps, bringing the flail around in a shortened arc, whirling it as he braces against the wall for an instant. It is one instant too much of stillness, though, and fire lances through the finials that shield his temple as the unseen, unheard round punches home, sending him tumbling back.
He is back on his feet, fighting his own momentum as his talons bite into the floor, shedding spark. Energon leaks down his face from the wound, dripping into one optic briefly before he flicks it away with a savage shake of his head.
Energon. Tiny drops of it, a thin spray, as if from a puncture, dot the floor. Too far away to be his own, and abruptly vanishing in the direction of his unseen assailant. He has not even scraped to a halt from his tumble before he is in motion again, the flail retracted in favor of bringing both hands to bear as he launches forward, following that brief splash of spatter like a signpost with another feral howl.
To pause is to die, Mirage, and Barricade... is a survivor. Something he plans upon robbing you of.
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Post by Mirage on Feb 3, 2011 0:29:12 GMT -5
Mirage's shot scores the expected hit, but not the expected pause. Even as he is lining up what should be the kill shot, Barricade is leaping in Mirage's direction.
The spy hurriedly squeezes off his shot, but he can't even be sure of where it hits before he has a slashing pile of blades upon him. Barricade's talons rake into Mirage's chest, the feedback and pain causing his cloak to flicker.
He swaps the rifle for a blade again, stabbing in and up, hoping to cut through a vital motor cable.
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Barricade
Minor
Knight of the Spastic Sword
Trust Me
Posts: 372
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Post by Barricade on Feb 3, 2011 0:41:40 GMT -5
Too slow. Too slow by far, Mirage. The shot ricochets off of a rib strut, clattering loudly down the corridor and Barricade slams into his unseen foe. Teeth as sharp and gleaming as silver talons flash as Barricade snarls with his hungry glee, and he tries to bind with his opponent, to tangle himself with the invisible phantom so that he can whittle the ghost away one slash at a time.
Something flickers. A flash of blue and white and shadows, of yellow optics staring up at him with faint disbelief, before it is swallowed again by the still air. Barricade snarls as his prey appears, vanishes, appears, and is taken away from his sight once again as pain slices along his arm. Sparks skitter away from the slash, and he explodes into furious action.
His hand flashes as quick as lightning, slashing toward that fiery pain; the impact of his wrist against something solid rings all the way up to his burning shoulder actuator, and a knife clatters into visibility as it skids down the corridor.
His prey is quick, though, already moving, trying to move, to escape, retreat into nothingness long enough, Barricade supposes, to bring that unseen gun back to bear. Before the phantom can break away, Barricade roars, barreling forward, dropping his shoulder to ram Mirage with all his might, talons flashing out like so many stilettos seeking Mirage's spark.
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Post by Mirage on Feb 5, 2011 0:41:29 GMT -5
The problem with going for the spark on Mirage is that his spark isn't a tangible thing that can be crushed by hand or a shiny life-giving artifact. So, as Barricade's shoulder slams into Mirage, the Saleen's talons do dig into the spy's chest, ripping and tearing.
What Barricade succeeds in disrupting, however, is merely Mirage's cloaking tech, Mirage's systems forcing the cloak offline as they shunt power to self repair and reroute to keep vital items online.
Barricade may howl in triumph, but Mirage will not scream in pain. Another sharp hiss, nothing more, as he stumbles back against the lift door. Mirage struggles to keep on his feet as he cycles air way to fast. One palm is flat to the door, and he can feel vibrations.
He looks up and pushes off the doors to stand before them, a grim smile on his face. Then one entire leg goes numb and he falls.
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Barricade
Minor
Knight of the Spastic Sword
Trust Me
Posts: 372
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Post by Barricade on Feb 5, 2011 12:36:40 GMT -5
And his opponent appears. That sadistic grin widens even further as he takes in the rapid ventilations, and the slashes adorning Mirage's chest as the spy squares off against him.
And then collapses into a heap.
All Barricade sees is prey, ready for the kill, as he crouches for the pounce, his talons spread into deadly fans. He is hungry for Autobot fuel, and Lugmoron may have gotten the first kill, but Barricade will have the second.
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Post by Tessan Toov on Feb 5, 2011 12:51:49 GMT -5
"Unless Drift's from a new reality," Twin Twist points out to Elita-1, helpfully. "But yeah. Zombies. Impactor – he's a big purple and gold drill tank, sometimes falling apart – he's a zombie, but he's an Autobot, too. But there's these other guys who look like someone cut them up, but they're not dead. That just how Transformers look where they come from. So if you get attacked by someone that looks like a zombie blade demon hellcat, it's probably just a weird-looking Transformer, not magic."
He slaps the side of his helmet and groans, "And then there's the Micromaster Mega Pretenders. I mean, the Maximals and Predacons, who are not the same as the real Predacons, the ones who turn into Predaking..." Twin Twist trails off, realising that what he's talking about doesn't even make sense to himself. "...yeah, nevermind. Look, if you attack the wrong guy, I'll break your arm. Square?"
Twin Twist is torn. They need to get to the bridge! The troops there need help! Skid-Z needs help, too, and he's outnumbered two to one, and while Twin Twist thinks those are good odds, Twin Twist is aware that Skid-Z is not him. Meanwhile, Mirage sounds like he's getting his skidplate handed to him through his mouth (which Mirage might actually find enjoyable; Twin Twist won't judge). Twin Twist doesn't object to a target-rich environment. It lets him get his drills and himself spun up without worrying too much about fragging the wrong person, though that's always a nagging concern in the back of his head. He's just trying to figure out the best path to take to hit the largest amount of 'cons in the shortest amount of time, and he's not the cartographer of the Jumpstarters.
It doesn't help that he has attention span problems.
Then the lift doors swing open. Speaking of zombie blade demons, Mirage and Barricade's fight was a lot closer than Twin Twist thought, to hear it over the radio and compare it to his map! There's a drill tank on the floor, gunning it out the doors before they're entirely opened.
OOC: Cross-posted from "Drifting on the Wind".
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Post by Drift on Feb 5, 2011 14:15:03 GMT -5
"Spark," he says, swiftly, to the Elita. Whatever that told them about him, he couldn't be bothered. "Presume no matter what they've got, they all die the same?" That's the only thing that really matters.
He gives a grunt. Honestly, he doesn't know Perceptor all that well, not enough to know what he turned into. Just enough to know he had guts...even if he wasn't cut out for combat. But the way she describes this one is...disturbing.
As usual, about 90% of what Twin Twist says sailed cleanly over Drift's head. He doesn't remember his Twin Twist being quite so...wordy? Confusing? Odd?
"Correction: try to break my arm." And good luck with that.
The doors open to the sounds of combat. Finally, something familiar. Something Drift could actually do.
Twin Twist beats him out the door...but not by much. He has his blades out, ready, as he jumps the threshold.
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Post by Elita-1 on Feb 6, 2011 23:14:49 GMT -5
The seasoned warriors beat her out the door, leaving Elita staring after for a moment. Only a moment though, and she's out of the lift as well. Rather than also attempt to engage, she darts over to Mirage.
"Looks like you bit off more than you can chew, Mirage," she says as she tries to help him up and get him out of the immediate fight radius.
"Careful of my hands. We don't need me making you unconscious on accident."
If allowed, she'll pull Mirage back toward the lift.
Uhhh, don't think I need to actually post out of Drifting? If I do, poke me?
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Post by Mirage on Feb 6, 2011 23:58:23 GMT -5
Mirage coughs and allows Elita to help him up. However, someone paying close attention might notice he doesn't seem quite as hurt at first as he appeared moments previous. His chest, however, is still a slashed wreck, and a quick systems check shows that...
"Damn," he mutters as he stumbles against Elita. "I don't think-"
He goes limp in the girl's arms, and Elita will probably find herself covered in quite the mess now.
OOC: Mirage is skippable and can be carried off to medical by whomever wishes whenever it becomes convenient.
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