|
Post by SceneMod on Dec 29, 2007 19:54:13 GMT -5
It is at this point that the communications tower near base is activated, causing images to form in the sky overhead. See the Two Towers thread for full details.
|
|
Nimbus Tsura
Major
Secretary to Mr. Breakaway
Sky-Painter Extraordinaire
Posts: 735
|
Post by Nimbus Tsura on Dec 29, 2007 23:46:07 GMT -5
The sight absolutely strikes Skyblast dumb and fills him with fear. Maybe later, he'll be joking about trench runs and exhaust ports, but for now, he's totally spooked.
Putting on full military thrust and afterburner, he lurches into the air and screams away from the course. He's billowing black smoke, and he sketches out dark, jagged patterns, like a maddened, drugged spider. His mindless sketching speaks of despair that knows no name, of horror that the Valkyrie cannot put to words.
|
|
Sideburn
Rookie
Must not chase Swerve, must not chase Swerve...
Posts: 211
|
Post by Sideburn on Dec 30, 2007 16:20:25 GMT -5
"Let's go," is what Sideburn starts to say as Rodimus races off and Firebolt approaches, but he is interrupted by the show in the sky. His image-self's optics widen and he slowly backs up at the image of Unicron devouring the planet.
Sideburn has never heard of Unicron. He doesn't need to. Evil with that power (and something eating a populated planet like that has to be evil) does not need any sort of explanation to inspire terror. Desperately he tries to radio his brothers. No answer. Again and again, no answer. Where are they? X-Brawn would know what to say, what to do to get him to calm down. And Prowl would have a rational explanation for this, this thing and all the proper protocols for combatting it. Where are they?
His frame trembles as he remembers that they aren't here and why they aren't. He's alone. There may be others right there, but without his brothers he is alone.
|
|
|
Post by Rodimus Prime on Dec 30, 2007 18:17:54 GMT -5
Rodimus has just cleared the next grouping of obstacles when the light show begins. He screeches to a stop and transforms to stare up and watch in horror at an all too familiar scene.
His optics are narrowed, his lips are pursed, his fists are clenched. He winces with each depiction of alien slaughter, but he does not turn away. Nor can his expression be described so much as fear as rightous, helpless, fury over the destruction.
After it becomes obvious that the thing's on loop, he snaps over the radio and strides several steps towards the source, desiring nothing more than to find whatever's broadcasting and shut it off. His second instinct is to go inside to shut the images out, not that he can ever shut them out completely. He's seen similar scenes through the wrong eyes, and even now, he hears laughter in his head.
However, he recovers himself. These people need him here, they need him calm, and they need him visible. He opens up the radio once more, and while his tone is still firm, still commanding, it is also calmer, the anger having been pushed aside.
|
|
Firebolt
Major
Brutal Gladiator, Scarab Lord Firebolt of the Shattered Sun
Moving Violation
Posts: 575
|
Post by Firebolt on Dec 30, 2007 20:30:02 GMT -5
So... What's that. Firebolt stares up in the skies, watching what she sees as another movie. A badly done, sci-fi movie. Man, the Ring was scarier than this! And the odd thing is, everybody seems to be flippin a sh... about it.
"Oi what's..." She starts to say before glancing over at Sideburn, then at Rodimus. They're not happy either.
"Huh?"
|
|
Sideburn
Rookie
Must not chase Swerve, must not chase Swerve...
Posts: 211
|
Post by Sideburn on Dec 30, 2007 21:10:10 GMT -5
Firebolt's voice snaps him out of the panic that had been welling up. "I dunno what that is, but it's bad. Real bad. That's what caused this planet's natives to disappear. As far as any of us know, we don't have it in our universe. At least, Wedge never mentioned anything like that when he was telling me 'bout what happens between when I was pulled and when he was." He doesn't mention that theoretically Unicron could show up after either of them were pulled. Or he could just be wandering their universe, never passing by Cybertron.
He shudders on his wheels. "I hope that thing doesn't come back here."
|
|
|
Post by Rodimus Prime on Dec 30, 2007 21:47:36 GMT -5
Rodimus looks at Sideburn and Firebolt. No Unicron, huh? Of course, he'd never heard of Unicron before his first attack.
"Unicron," he explains to the both of them, expression and tone calmer than it had been, despite the faint echo of laughter he can still hear. "In a couple of different realities, he attacked Cybertron, and obviously, he's been here. Kup had mentioned that there was supposed to be another inhabitable planet in this solar system, but where it should have been, there's just an asteroid field. Now we know why, and what happened to the people on this planet."
He looks at Firebolt and shakes his head (he did return to robot mode, after all). "That isn't make-believe, Firebolt," he says, addressing her by name this once.
|
|
Firebolt
Major
Brutal Gladiator, Scarab Lord Firebolt of the Shattered Sun
Moving Violation
Posts: 575
|
Post by Firebolt on Dec 31, 2007 0:09:08 GMT -5
She listens carefully, thinking before she says anything. A worried look crosses her screen-self's face as she glances over at Sideburn. "You gonna be ok?" she asks upon seeing him shudder. If he'll not recoil, she goes and tries to lightly nudge him in the side. "Hey, Sideburn?"
Her fears don't include Unicron at all, right now, so she's more worried about her hopeful new friend's emotions.
|
|
Sideburn
Rookie
Must not chase Swerve, must not chase Swerve...
Posts: 211
|
Post by Sideburn on Dec 31, 2007 0:53:05 GMT -5
Sideburn listens to Rodimus' explanation. He also uses the time to pull himself back together. His image-self offers Firebolt a faint smile as she nudges him. "Yeah, I'll be fine."
He turns his attention back to Rodimus. "What did you guys do to defeat him in your universe?"
|
|
|
Post by Rodimus Prime on Dec 31, 2007 1:15:07 GMT -5
Rodimus, it may be noted, is done with the obstacle course. He turns from the images in the sky to instead watch Skyblast painting his abstracts of smoke and darkness.
Of course, he also doesn't see these various image-selves, lacking a communicator that matches the others' technology. Ah, well.
"I opened the Matrix, and destroyed him," he tells Sideburn. He leaves out a lot of details... a lot of rather important details. But there are some things he can't say, and others that Sideburn and Firebolt don't need to here just now.
|
|
Firebolt
Major
Brutal Gladiator, Scarab Lord Firebolt of the Shattered Sun
Moving Violation
Posts: 575
|
Post by Firebolt on Dec 31, 2007 1:24:31 GMT -5
Firebolt hears 'matrix' and thinks Neo. She stares up at Rodimus and then nods, but it's only seen on her visual screen-self. "Ok. That works," she says, still not entirely getting it but trying to play along and sound semi-serious.
But her head's filled with Rodimus time-warp-style-dodging laser bullets from a giant planet with sunglasses.
She snuggles up against Sideburn, still worried about him. Seeing a pretty Viper shaking is just no good, after all.
|
|
Sideburn
Rookie
Must not chase Swerve, must not chase Swerve...
Posts: 211
|
Post by Sideburn on Dec 31, 2007 1:33:36 GMT -5
Now this is unusual! Normally it's Sideburn nuzzling up to the red car, not the other way around! He doesn't mind too much, though, for all that she's not his type despite outward appearances.
"Well, if you were the one to beat him before, then you'd be able to do it again!" That does much to reassure Sideburn. And while he does imply a little bit using the Matrix again... His wording still leaves open the option to do it other ways. Like if the Matrix can't perform the feat twice, at least Rodimus would know the weak spots, and they could figure out some other weapon to use against Unicron. Maybe a kick-aft sword. Yeah, a kick-aft sword would be good.
|
|
|
Post by Rodimus Prime on Dec 31, 2007 1:41:45 GMT -5
Rodimus smiles, hiding his own doubts away inside, and nods. "I will, or we will." His smile widens, the right corner of it quirking a bit higher than the left, and he holds his hands out, palms facing them. "There's more to the Autobots than just the Prime, after all, and as the saying goes, a whole is often greater than the sum of its parts."
He looks up. The images have flickered off, thankfully, although Skyblast's despair is still writ across the sky. The young Prime calls out over the radio, thanking those responsible.
Yes, Rodimus does know Unicron's weaknesses, and strengths, and everything in between. He knows them very well.
|
|
Firebolt
Major
Brutal Gladiator, Scarab Lord Firebolt of the Shattered Sun
Moving Violation
Posts: 575
|
Post by Firebolt on Dec 31, 2007 14:05:42 GMT -5
"Well you're like, the one, then or something, right?" Firebolt says, staring him down. "There's always that one guy who helps end the fight cos he did somethin' right, and I'm guessin that's you."
"And you promise me you're gonna be ok?" Firebolt says to Sideburn, looking sideways at him. "Making me worried..."
|
|
Sideburn
Rookie
Must not chase Swerve, must not chase Swerve...
Posts: 211
|
Post by Sideburn on Dec 31, 2007 14:45:23 GMT -5
"Yeah, I promise." He revs his engine a little. "How about we finish this course? You wanna, Rodimus?"
|
|