Hellbender
Major
Mecha-Shai-Hulud
"Seriously."
Posts: 892
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Post by Hellbender on Jan 8, 2008 21:54:17 GMT -5
Part of this reposted...
// Keep me up on scouting reports, // Hellbender radioed Hook and Thrust. // Ah do more damage if there's actually an enemy near me. //
Hellbender slithered through the tunnels as silently as a gigantic serpentine robot could and he listened. The city was abandoned, silent as a crypt... save for the invaders scurrying and thundering about. Sound carries a long way through rock; Hellbender's seismic sensors twitched almost--but not quite!--imperceptibly every time a heavy metallic boot slammed into the pavement somewhere.
His course through the tunnels took him toward Counterpunch and Cannonball's territory. When the subway veered away from the direction of interesting noises, Hellbender paused and took some seismic soundings, dull "thud-thud-thuds" that echoed through the rock like distant explosions. Voids not far away and above--storm sewer mains, no doubt.
Hellbender deployed his cutters and began to bore through the ceramacrete lining...
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Cannonball
Minor
Me, I'm dishonest. And a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest.
Posts: 470
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Post by Cannonball on Jan 9, 2008 17:57:22 GMT -5
Cannonball stands amid the street not too far from where-the-heck-ever Counterpunch and Eye-fire are setting the flag up. He was muttering to himself, pondering out loud.
"Well. If'n ah wait a bit fer the runners o' th' othah teams tae go out, I might could slip by. Then again, ah also risk bein' ambushed that way. Also risk giving the middle-ground defensive buggahs more time tae set up. S'pose that ah sh--"
The pirate is cut off once he feels faint tremors in the ground. Audio receptors pick up the dull booms, but just slightly. Then something akin to grinding...he thinks. "Oh, bugger."
Click, pop, frequencies fire up. //Methinks we might be 'avin' company, lads. The big, grindy ugly kind.//
--------- Reposting some to a radio thread.
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Fleetwind
Major
The Chancellor, His Eminent Grandeur, Marquis Fleetwind. The Insurgent Subduer of A Non-Threatening Cute Little Furry Kitten
Twined Elf
Posts: 730
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Post by Fleetwind on Jan 9, 2008 18:41:20 GMT -5
Fleetwind briefly acknowledges Barricade's signal, and continues to rocket towards Cannonball's section of the city. He gains altitude as he flies. This means he's easily seen, but also means he can more easily see everyone else. He's got agility in the air on his side, and he's going to take advantage of it, damn it!
Well below, he spots Cannonball. No sign of Counterpunch and Eye-fire just now, but Cannonball seems the most likely of that bunch to take charge, anyway.
He radios Cannonball, //Fleetwind here, Pirate. I'm here to offer an alliance. I figure both of our teams' biggest threat is Hook's team, in both a literal and a figurative sense. What do you say?//
Fleetwind circles overhead, lowering his altitude as he speaks, but he's still high enough away that he can get away easily.
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Hellbender
Major
Mecha-Shai-Hulud
"Seriously."
Posts: 892
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Post by Hellbender on Jan 9, 2008 20:22:48 GMT -5
There's something moving up above.. but only one something. Go for it now, or wait and see if more targets arrive? Decisions, decisions.
Hellbender slithered along the storm sewer below the street, trying to position himself a bit closer to the noise-maker. Sound echoed weirdly down storm drains and access plates from above. The sewer was a tight fit--no way he'd be able to turn around in here without chewing new holes--but it fit. Apparently his was the standard size excavation machine used by the vanished Gillanese.
Almost there...
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Cannonball
Minor
Me, I'm dishonest. And a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest.
Posts: 470
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Post by Cannonball on Jan 9, 2008 23:01:51 GMT -5
The rumblings cease for a bit, and Cannonball grows all the more wary. Then...crap, an enemy!
Or not quite. The offer of an alliance intrigues the pirate. Their lot can be useful. The more folks to take down Hellbender, the better. //Arr, I needtae consult me associates, but this do be intriguin' me, lad...wot all do ye team 'ave tae offer?//
Cannonball stands still for now, as his attention is on the circling jet.
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Fleetwind
Major
The Chancellor, His Eminent Grandeur, Marquis Fleetwind. The Insurgent Subduer of A Non-Threatening Cute Little Furry Kitten
Twined Elf
Posts: 730
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Post by Fleetwind on Jan 10, 2008 17:41:41 GMT -5
//Besides better numbers and therefore better odds?// the circling pastel jet asks. //Mobility. No one in our game can go as fast as I can, and no one is as agile. Hellbender can't touch me unless I let him, and I don't need to get in his reach to fire at him. Reasonable aim, good scouting, better than average maps.// Granted, some of these might be... significantly altered. //My partners are also very quick. We don't have the firepower you do, and lack the monster-brute force that Hellbender does, but we're a very agile bunch.// Fleetwind doesn't like saying even this much, but, beyond the fact that he's in part making only guesses about his own partners, he's also mostly providing only what can be gathered by close observation. If there's someone on Cannonball's team who's been paying attention to the other Decepticons, they should already know as much as he's saying, anyway.
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Barricade
Minor
Knight of the Spastic Sword
Trust Me
Posts: 372
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Post by Barricade on Jan 10, 2008 19:23:37 GMT -5
Barricade had slowed as Fleetwind had begun to circle, hanging back to find a likely looking building that he could maneuver through to support the yellow Seeker. Though he is one of the smaller Decepticons, these Gillanan insects had been but half his height, and so his choices are limited. The structure he finally finds himself crawling through - once some sort of parking structure, from the looks of the ramped floors - is further away than he would like, but everything closer to the center point of Fleetwind's circling is far too small to accommodate his frame.
It's good enough, though, giving him a view of the distant pirate where he stands in the street looking upwards at Fleetwind. He has not yet spotted Cannonball's other teammates as he stretches out low against the floor of the garage, taking aim on Cannonball's form with his cannon.
Now to see if the pirate will accept Fleetwind's proposal or not.
OOC: unless he's needed to respond to something done or said to him, don't hold rotation on account of Barricade; he'll post in as he can based upon internet connectivity. He is, for now, basically supporting Fleetwind to make sure Fleetwind doesn't get ambushed with no backup. Thanks all.
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Hellbender
Major
Mecha-Shai-Hulud
"Seriously."
Posts: 892
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Post by Hellbender on Jan 10, 2008 21:31:30 GMT -5
Whoever was directly above wasn't moving. Hellbender's borers rotated idly in frustration; without movement, noise, he couldn't be sure of a good first strike. There was another noise echoing down the storm drains from above--the shriek of jet turbines coming and going in a regular cycle. The echoes were too scattered from multiple sources, shunted down drainage shafts, for Hellbender to have a clue where they came from--except for one thing. He knew they came from above, and the jet--Seeker, rather--was probably circling.
That would be Fleetwind. Scouting Cannonball's territory, no doubt--so why wasn't he strafing whoever was standing around the street? Was it one of his allies invading as well? Barricade, then? Or was the situation more complex. Intrigue, perhaps...
Hellbender waited to see what might develop.
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Cannonball
Minor
Me, I'm dishonest. And a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest.
Posts: 470
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Post by Cannonball on Jan 11, 2008 0:10:27 GMT -5
Oooh, speed. That'd be useful in distracting the big lummox. //Methinks ye got a deal then, lad. We be usin' our personal frequencies tae communicate. I'll let'chee know that I -think- that big worm bugger is in the area. Felt some odd rumblin' afore ye came over...//
He pauses, thinking a bit. //I'm off tae hunt up the flag at 'Ook's. I be lettin' me team know we be allied now.//
A quick wave, and a momentary jump as his body folded up for transformation, driving off...
---------- Not quite out of the area, if Hellbender wants to ambush.
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Fleetwind
Major
The Chancellor, His Eminent Grandeur, Marquis Fleetwind. The Insurgent Subduer of A Non-Threatening Cute Little Furry Kitten
Twined Elf
Posts: 730
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Post by Fleetwind on Jan 11, 2008 14:27:04 GMT -5
Well, that was easy enough.
Of course, Cannonball is now running off, but he's free to go after Hook as he wants to. In the meanwhile, Fleetwind appears to have free run of this territory.
Granted, the implication seems to be that he's supposed to play bait for Hellbender, who may or may not be in the area, in order to keep him off Cannonball's back. Uhm. Riiiiiight.
The pastel Seeker circles once more, considering how to draw Hellbender out. Then he swoops low and, using a rocket, blasts a local vehicle that had been parked on the side of the road to smithereens. Maybe that will get his attention. Meanwhile, he passes on his news to his real teammates.
//Cannonball's accept the alliance. He appears to expect me to keep Hellbender distracted while he looks for Hook's flag. For the time being, I'm accepting that, as it gives us full run of his territory.//
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Hellbender
Major
Mecha-Shai-Hulud
"Seriously."
Posts: 892
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Post by Hellbender on Jan 11, 2008 15:08:49 GMT -5
Hellbender's attention was already drawn by the sound of four tires thumping on to the street above him and the rumble of a big SUV engine. He had a target!
He's moving.. LEAD him you big bloody idiot, yer as sluggish as you ever were--
Idling borers spin up to full speed as Hellbender slams into the sewer ceiling a dozen yards ahead of Cannonball's estimated position. The cutters crack the reinforced arch of ceramacrete and Hellbender's sheer bulk and momentum does the rest. The forebody of the great mining worm erupts from the street, cutters whirring and intakes gaping wide as he tries to gulp whoever's nearest. He twists as he strikes, revealing the purple Decepticon logo painted onto his forebody, just behind the hungry maws...
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Cannonball
Minor
Me, I'm dishonest. And a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest.
Posts: 470
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Post by Cannonball on Jan 11, 2008 16:31:25 GMT -5
Cannonball skids to halt upon seeing the bores rise out of the ground. The squeal of tires on pavement is apparent for a few moments while he rolls backwards as fast as he can manage, spouting off various obscene declarations of surprise fitting for a pirate. "--fraggin' glitchin'...!" He cuts to Fleetwind's frequency. //CRAP! Ach, lad, aim fer 'is mouth! Pour wotevah fiyahpowah ye got into 'is maw while 'e gots it open!//
Cannonball then brakes a moment, as a briefly appearing blue aura encircles him -"Cyber Key Powah!" The call goes out, and a ghostly blue 'key' flies down and into the slot on the back of his vehicle mode. The back side panels open, deploying laser cannons. There's a momentary charging of them as the aura fades, followed by large beams coming out, aimed for that big mouth...
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Fleetwind
Major
The Chancellor, His Eminent Grandeur, Marquis Fleetwind. The Insurgent Subduer of A Non-Threatening Cute Little Furry Kitten
Twined Elf
Posts: 730
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Post by Fleetwind on Jan 11, 2008 17:20:05 GMT -5
//Hmmm. I notice that you didn't tell me about the mouth thing before now. The information is... appreciated, partner.// He then radios the rest of his team, passing on what he's just found out.
The Seeker then flies climbs to get his bearings, angles himself, and comes in low enough to try to put a rocket down the gullet that's directed towards Cannonball. Hit or miss, he climbs back up and shouts out, "You know what? This is absurd! You're the fool who set him off by driving when you could have flown. You deal with him, and I'll go after Hook's flag."
Is Fleetwind breaking his temporary alliance already? No, not really. There's a reason he shouted that out loud, so Hellbender could hear.
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Hellbender
Major
Mecha-Shai-Hulud
"Seriously."
Posts: 892
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Post by Hellbender on Jan 11, 2008 19:09:46 GMT -5
Four cutting heads divided up four ore intakes lined with rock crushers. It was largest access point to Hellbender's interior, and the easiest way past the mining worm's armor--if you had good aim and good luck.
Cannonball's lasers had the slight drawback that they were line-of-sight weapons--the beams hit one of Hellbender's four maws and splashed off the rock-crusher teeth, doing some slight damage to the crushers. Hellbender checked for an instant--he hadn't considered being attacked there before--and while he sorted out what he ought to do, Fleetwind's rocket slammed into an open intake and exploded, shattering the rock crusher mechanism and jamming the intake.
Hellbender roared in pain and rolled, smoke trailing from the damaged intake; the other intake covers slammed shut. He was smarter than the simple AI the original mining worm had, and had a much greater sense of self-preservation. He slammed down, trying to crush Cannonball under his weight...
--- Note: the damaged intake is jammed *open*
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Cannonball
Minor
Me, I'm dishonest. And a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest.
Posts: 470
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Post by Cannonball on Jan 12, 2008 2:40:18 GMT -5
//Ye only mentioned distractin' 'im before. Said that "'E couldn't get yet unless ye let 'im", if'n I recall. I didnae think it were pertinent information at the time. My apologies, laddie.//
Annnnd....ohcrapohcrapohcrap. The scream of tires is heard again as Cannonball tries to turn and flee from under the behemoth. //Clever lad, but I don't think he be fallin' fer it...!// A crunch is heard as the worm impacts Cannonball's back, shattering his back lights. Bad enough that he's got bad vibes coursing through him from the use of his key, but now the crushing? Eeesh. His guns soon become locked in deployed mode, and his back scratched up something fierce, along with a big smashy dent back there. Lovely. His speed carries him out from under the worm and he transforms, taking to the air.
"Oh, fine then, leave 'im fer me, then!" he bellows back at Fleetwind.
//I do 'ave an idea tae damage 'im further, but it'll be tricky now that he knows that we know his weak points...//
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