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Post by Needlenose on Feb 13, 2009 18:26:59 GMT -5
As it so happens, Needlenose does not have aim as bad as Misfire. But Zigzag is so inaccurate that it almost amounts to the same thing.
He's not using Zigzag for this, though.
//Aaaaaaaand he's making a run for it!// Needlenose exclaims over the radio, sounding pleased as punch. Out loud, he observes, in Japanese, "So much more fun when they run," as he aims Sunbeam. He fires a blast not at Clipper, but next to him. It's not the shot hitting that he's interested in, which may become obvious when his shot lights up the sky - it's the side effects.
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Misfire
Minor
The Chamberlain, His Incomparable Immensity, Emperor Misfire. The Accidental Butcher of Anyone He Wasn't Aiming At
Improving. Honest!
Posts: 449
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Post by Misfire on Feb 13, 2009 22:24:51 GMT -5
Misfire obediently and promptly guards against being blinded. However, when the flash passes, he doesn't see the little guy any more. Whether this is due to Misfire simply being at the right (wrong?) viewing angle, or to Clipper actually having found a hidey hole remains to be seen.
He continues to hang back, above Needlenose's position.
//You want to send our partners in, or try and flush the guy out?//
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Post by Clipper on Feb 13, 2009 23:02:28 GMT -5
Clipper zigs and zags as she scrambles over and through the debris, looking for anything that even hints at being a promising little crack to duck into. She's lucky that she's so small, or else she'd be totally out of luck. Not that she's really having much luck at all, other than bad, since she hasn't managed to spot anything likely yet, and she can almost feel the itch of a target symbol painted right between her shoulders. Any second now, she expects to feel the punch of a blaster hitting her from above and behind, and she's starting to get just a little frantic-- Wait! That looks like a likely little shadow! Could it be a crack? Could it maybe be a tear in the ground that leads into some underground catacombs? A service passage? A stinky sewerAnything is better than being up here out in the open with that 'Needlenose' guy in the sky. He's taunting her, and Clipper is just a bit more than a little scared right now. She's gone right past intimidated, jogged around freaked out, and has plunged right into true fear, now. Especially since even Supreme Commander Emirate Xaaron had sounded a little concerned about this one, and if Holi respects the Supreme Commander, and she's never seen any Supreme Commander get scared... This Needlenose must be one bad guy. A few more steps. Just a few more st-- FLASH-SHATTER!The rocks beside her explode under the force of weapons' fire, but worse, everything erupts into the most painful flash of brilliance she has ever seen. And then it all vanishes into darkness as her optics overload from the assault. // I CAN'T SEE! // Blinded, disoriented, terrified, she stumbles and the ground under her feet shifts, slides out from under her. Clipper shrieks as she plunges headlong-- into what, she doesn't know and cannot see, not even enough to know if she's managed to make it to some pitiful approximation of safety or not.
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Post by Needlenose on Feb 14, 2009 15:44:58 GMT -5
Needlenose touches down, and when he lands, his two guns leap from his hands.
"Looks like we'll have to flush him out," he says, approaching the spot where Clipper disappeared into the ground. He doesn't get too near, however - it seems like the area isn't quite stable anymore.
He gestures to Zigzag and Sunbeam. "All right, you two. You know your jobs. He's armed, and while it's not that high power, be careful still." He shoots a look at Sunbeam, who is only now back on full duty after what happened during the big battle. "You, especially."
"Gotcha, dude," Sunbeam answers, waving his rifle. Zigzag, who's using a sword (no one trusts his aim, either), activates a flashlight built into his wrist armor and heads towards the whole where Clipper had dropped away into.
"Can't go far," he notes, shining the light down. "The 'Bots blocked up the tunnels over here when they did their runner."
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Override
Minor
The Chancellor, Her Noble Potency, Empress Override. The Glorious Victor over Everyone Else On the Track
Shut up and drive
Posts: 476
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Post by Override on Feb 14, 2009 15:50:43 GMT -5
Not to worry, Clipper! The calvary is coming!
True to her word, Override proved to be the fastest, and she's the first that can be seen on the horizon. She's also rushing rather boldly towards the scene, not worried about being spotted at all. The truth is, the more attention the Decepticons are paying to her, the less they're paying to that Mini-Con Micromaster they've got to rescue.
With this in mind, Override starts pulling ahead from the others, and notes, "I'll try to draw their attention. You two, try to get the girl!" Then, she does something sure to grab attention:
"Cyber-key POWER!"
If the Decepticons don't notice that flash of light descending towards her, they're blind.
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Tracks
Cadet
Can't match this
Posts: 122
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Post by Tracks on Feb 14, 2009 23:04:23 GMT -5
The calvary is coming, by land and by air! Well, Tracks at least finds himself zooming over the horizon as he tries to keep up with Override, white and red wings stretched out in the blue sky.
"But--" Tracks halts his vocalizer as the skies split with a beam of light. Everything spins as the flying car makes a sharp and spiraling turn away from the blinding flash. "What on earth?" He gives an awed whistle as his optics adjust to the sudden light. "Alright then, madame."
// You ready for this, Mirage? I hope I don't get there too far ahead of you. // Tracks swerves off and curves closer to where the Decepticons have gathered. // Clipper, miss? Hang in there, we're almost there. //
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Misfire
Minor
The Chamberlain, His Incomparable Immensity, Emperor Misfire. The Accidental Butcher of Anyone He Wasn't Aiming At
Improving. Honest!
Posts: 449
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Post by Misfire on Feb 15, 2009 16:21:19 GMT -5
So distracted was Misfire by the goings on below that he doesn't register the speeding blips on his radar until almost too late for a warning. The sheer speed at which Override appears on scene almost makes even that warning die on the jet's metaphorical lips. "Slaggit! Calvary! Three of 'em. Tracks, Mirage, and- Holy Mary Francis what's with the light show?!?"
Without waiting to be told, Misfire begins to lay down some cover fire for Needlenose.
//Who do you want?//
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Post by Mirage on Feb 15, 2009 16:47:18 GMT -5
//Hmph. You are cheating, Tracks darling.// Mirage grumbles good-naturedly. The spy is bringing up the rear of the pack; he's fast, but not planetary leader fast. //But at least I've a lovely view to gaze upon.// Is he talking about Tracks or Override? Yes, most likely.
Mirage has at least seen a Velocitronian call on his Cyber Key before and so is not put off stride by Override's actions. The spy zips into the fray. Three to two, but one of the two is...
"Needlenose, how lovely to see you again," Mirage drawls, then switches on his cloak and switches to the general band. //Or not, as the case may be. Don't tell me the planet's foremost circuit designer now gets his jollies chasing terrified little girls?// Mirage's tone implies familiarity, if not with this Needlenose, than a Needlenose.
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Post by Clipper on Feb 15, 2009 17:16:21 GMT -5
From somewhere above, Clipper can hear muffled thumps, like a heavy weight landing on the ground. The fact that those sounds are coming from above her, however, is a very comforting thing, especially with the way that the scuff and shuffle of her own movements are faintly echoing. She must have made it to a hiding spot. Or something.
Voices. Wait... more than two voices? Where did the third one come from? It isn't easy to shuffle backwards away from those noises quietly when she can't even see where she is, but she knows that she has to try. She's not making this any easier for them than she has to, and help is supposed to be on the way...
Correction. Help is here!
Mirage? Tracks? She notes those names, and how they seem to tease each other like Pipo and Boater and Fire like to tease Holi. That's an oddly comforting thought, but she just hopes that these two can handle those nasty Destrons up there (since she couldn't hear Override where she was, down in that hole in the ground).
// Okay, // she replies, relieved and not too proud to censor that from her voice.
Wait. "Little girls"?
// I'm not a little girl! I am Governor Raikuru's assistant! // she snaps on the Autobot band. She isn't refuting the terrified part, though.
She just happens to be out-classed, out-gunned, out-sized, and out-matured by pretty much everyone on the field here.
And where the heck is Holi? Why isn't he sticking up for her? She almost gives herself away by asking for him, but then catches herself. She wishes that she could see; it wouldn't be so... so frustrating and unnerving if she could at least see. Her optics are still erroring out, though. How much longer will it take them to reboot? They'd said it was temporary!
// I still don't know exactly where I am, // she adds, trying to sounds calm and brave - although any one of them listening should be able to tell easily that she's still very scared. // Let me know when you think it's safe, and I'll shoot my pistol or something to try and signal where I've ended up. //
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Post by Needlenose on Feb 15, 2009 23:19:03 GMT -5
//Cyber-Key,// Needlenose casually explains to Misfire, internally pleased at being more up to date than the other jet. //We've got a couple that use them, too.// In fact, Needlenose dissected one with the help of Blackarachnia!
He leaves his partners to continue flushing out the Micromaster. //I'll take the delusional one. You know, the one who thinks cars belong in the sky? You focus on the ground - with Mirage here, we'll need a wide spray, anyway.//
//And Mirage, daaaaahrling, I really don't know what you're talking about,// he answers the race car's taunts. //I'm going after an enemy Micromaster. It doesn't surprise me to hear he's terrified, though - anyone sensible would be with me after them.// Needlenose, borderline-Xenophile that he is, has a better understanding of the concept of 'child' than many Transformers, but he's yet to actually apply that concept to Transformers themselves.
Though if he were to find out that they're fashionable, you can bet he'd be looking to adopt his own.
The Dassault Mirage 2000 (yes, Needlenose is a Mirage. Everyone laugh) flies towards Tracks to meet him head on, welcoming the Autobot with a fired air to air photon missile. Meanwhile, his companions are slowly approaching the hole into which the Micromaster fell through.
Unlike Needlenose, the significance of the Autobots repeated reference to her as a 'girl' had caught their attention.
"Hey, dudeeeeeeette," Sunbeam calls down into the dark, "You don't really wanna stay down there, do ya'? Worst you've gotta deal with up here is us Decepticons. This place used to be a zoo. Lotsa really bizaaaaaaaarro alien animals, y'know? Ain't no telling what's down there with you in the dark. Alone. Right around the corner. You're safer with us, little dudette."
Zigzag peers down into the tunnel, shining his wrist-light around as best as he can. He frowns at Sunbeam, then leans over and whispers, "You're joking to make her come out, right?"
Sunbeam gives Zigzag a baffled look, then shakes his head. "Naw."
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Override
Minor
The Chancellor, Her Noble Potency, Empress Override. The Glorious Victor over Everyone Else On the Track
Shut up and drive
Posts: 476
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Post by Override on Feb 15, 2009 23:28:37 GMT -5
Override snorts at Mirage's comments. //My tail fins may be all most people see of me, but folks don't usually talk like that's a good thing for them,// she observes as she continues to race ahead, holding the attention and intending to, generally, be a bigger pest than Mirage is. This gets a lot more difficult as Misfire starts to lay down the cover fire, forcing her to swerve and jink along her path, taking what partial cover from the remains of cages and exhibits and debris as she can. She's unable to avoid every shot from the wildly firing Decepticon, and some pepper her bright white and red form, but she's not without countermeasures as her own. She returns fire, taking advantage of bumps in the road and other obstructions to give her the elevation she needs to fire into the air, paying no mind to what it's doing to her own shock absorbers. Those can be repaired later. Contest. Now.
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Tracks
Cadet
Can't match this
Posts: 122
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Post by Tracks on Feb 16, 2009 1:23:07 GMT -5
// Cheating? Hardly. // scoffs Tracks back over broadband, there's a slight sniff at Mirage's comment at a lovely view. // But if you want another go, I shall be glad to take you up on the challenge another time. You'll be seeing that view for quite a while again if things go my way. Now be kind to the miss---whoa! // His voice vanishes over the radio waves for a moment. // Excuse me, but I've got some company in the skies. //
Needlenose isn't the only one with guided missiles. Tracks releases one of his own heat-seeking missiles before spiraling in an evasive maneuver, laser bolts now peppering out of his wing-mounted guns.
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Misfire
Minor
The Chamberlain, His Incomparable Immensity, Emperor Misfire. The Accidental Butcher of Anyone He Wasn't Aiming At
Improving. Honest!
Posts: 449
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Post by Misfire on Feb 16, 2009 23:46:19 GMT -5
//As you like then, boss.// Misfire answers, gaining a bit more altitude to make it harder for the ground-bound to hit him. The move is only marginally successful, and a few of Override's shots manage to hit.
The higher altitude does let him widen his spray, and Misfire hopes he's managing to catch that sneaky spy with a few. He's concentrating his fire on Override though.
Well, at least as much as he can concentrate his fire.
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Post by Mirage on Feb 17, 2009 1:10:12 GMT -5
//Tracks, you are flying, sweetheart. Hardly a fair race, that.// Mirage counters. Then is tone turns serious. //Watch yourself. I've not gone against him here, but if Needlenose is as ruthless in battle as he is on the social circuit, you'll have your hands full.//
//Override, I'm going to try and find a good point where I can try and take down one or both of them.//
That said, Mirage does just that, taking a few shots from Misfire in the process. Hopefully, the two Deceptions are too busy to notice the slight disruption in his cloaking from the laser fire.
Mirage always did like trading barbs with his Needlenose, though, and the spy finds he can't resist the chance to poke. //Now, I know purple is a better compliment to your paint job, dearie, but one would have to be awfully shallow to choose a faction for that reason alone. Oh wait, you are that shallow, aren't you?//
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Post by Clipper on Feb 17, 2009 20:41:32 GMT -5
Sounds of combat, muffled through the ground above her, break out overhead, and the sound of a jet taking off. Why, then, are there still slight scuffs and a voice calling down into her hidey hole? Had the Decepticons gotten reinforcements when she'd fallen into this... tunnel?
Just ignore him, Clipper. All the animals ran away when the battle that leveled everything above happened. They got scared and took off. I would have. Yeah. That's it. They all ran away.
Probably... Hopefully? Oooohhh.... I will not scream, I will not scream, I will not scream...
Clipper slumps back against the wall behind her, still offline optics buried behind her balled up hands as she struggles to throttle her imagination. She isn't hearing something breathing in the darkness. She ISN'T!
She isn't, right?
Given a choice between Decepticons who are trying to shoot her - or worse, capture her - or an unspecified and likely imaginary alien animal whose intentions could be anything from keeping away from all of them to eating her whole... She'll take her chances with her imagination down there in the dark. Just have to ignore those jerks trying to scare her, and keep her imagination from running away from her. That's all.
Yeah. She can do that.
She can do that, actually. Anger suddenly flares up as she turns her head back toward where that voice had echoed from. Stupid Dest- Decepticon jerk! Stupid Autobot jerk! "Little girl," huh? She'll show them a "little girl!"
This tunnel... hole... whatever... It doesn't sound too big. She can hear the sounds echoing too closely, and it just doesn't sound... hollow enough. It doesn't sound big enough for one of those jets to fit into, and the curve of the wall she is leaning against seems to support that guess. Standing on tiptoe, she stretches upward, grinning a little when her fingers just barely brush the ceiling. Not too huge, then, so whoever is out there will either have to dig her out, or come down after her. And if he is small enough to fit down here...
Well, she'll just have to see if her gun has any better effect on a little guy than those two big jets. Maybe. Hopefully. If not, if she can at least try to lure him in close enough, she can show him just what a "little girl" she is. She is a Micromaster, by gosh, and she will not go down without a fight!
So there, stupid jerks!
And so... She crouches, gun hidden in her lap as she curls herself over her knees to hide it. Leaning back against the curve of the tunnel again to brace herself, she begins to cry, soft whimpers that slowly build into much more audible sniffles and weeping. "Go away!" she cries out for effect, pitching her voice just a little higher, just a little breathier before hiding her face in her left hand to muffle her helpless sounds of crying.
Just a helpless little girl, boys. Not afraid of a helpless little girl, crying in a dark, spooky, abandoned tunnel, are you?
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