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Post by Victoria Raines on Mar 9, 2009 22:44:00 GMT -5
Day 7, shortly after Let the Games Begin ends. Semi-private
The discussion with Starscream having gone about as well as Shockwave expected, the purple gunformer has turned his attentions back to narrowing down the dead Shockwave's reality. And to do this he needs to speak with a few others, first on that short list being the Mayhems.
Of course, the fact that Shockwave wishes to speak with them privately about another matter is purely coincidental.
Shockwave once more finds himself waiting on visitors. As busy has his lab has been lately, mayhap he should install a revolving door.
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Post by Needlenose on Mar 10, 2009 17:27:40 GMT -5
Needlenose arrives with Spinister, although he steps into the room slightly ahead of his superior. He walks with his usual swagger, but there is a glint in the optic that seems to suggest this boisterous braggart is paying better attention to his surroundings than he lets on.
"Good cycle, Lord Sh-" Needlenose begins, then cuts himself off as he spies something sitting on the meteor rocks in the back.
"Why, you've had a visitor!" he exclaims.
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Post by Spinister on Mar 11, 2009 11:41:53 GMT -5
Spinister ghosts along behind Needlenose, content to let the boisterous jet take centre stage. People skills. That's why Spinister drafted him.
Or that's one version of the story.
He glances over at the corpse, not gawking ostentatiously, but keep his gaze discreet, as he tries to decipher the injuries. Spinister bows and greets, "Lord Shockwave," an ironic turn of his head as he straightens, now clearly staring at the corpse, "and Lord Shockwave."
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Post by Victoria Raines on Mar 11, 2009 12:25:38 GMT -5
"That I did," Shockwave dryly answers Needlenose, "What is more, he did not even have the courtesy to arrive at a known arrival point, instead choosing to make an entrance amongst the Cybertronian rubble Hellbender collected instead. Ironic, I think, that it is myself who has done something so unexpected."
He offers a datapad to the pair, not really caring which one takes it up first. The information available for their perusal is Shockwave's autopsy records, including the information that the body arrived alive, damage details, etc.
"This body has what appears to be what you call a brain module. I thought perhaps he might be one of yours."
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Post by Needlenose on Mar 11, 2009 17:46:47 GMT -5
"Hah!" Needlenose exclaims. "So they're coming out of the woodwork now, huh? Rockwork. Metalwork. Something like that," he says, accepting the datapad.
"One of ours, hmmm?" he then murmurs as he looks over the results. "Didn't know we had that many Shockwaves... of course, placement isn't a reliable way to tell brain modules from cores." He trails off and looks up at the body. "Pretty torn up. Would take a pretty high power level to do something like that to our Shockwave." He thumbs through the report, holding it so that Spinister can see as well, and pauses at one entry, both brow-ridges raised. "2008, from the chronometer? Hnh. In that case, I hope he's ours - at the point I was pulled from, 1991, things were looking pretty hopeless for us, what with Unicron on his way and the Matrix being lost and such. If this is ours, it suggests we somehow survive past that. But the problem..." Needlenose trails off, brows knitted, and rubs his chin as something tickles at the edge of memory. He hands the datapad over to Spinister.
"What do you make of this, boss?"
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Post by Spinister on Mar 14, 2009 19:18:28 GMT -5
Spinister looks around, considers something, and he comes to a conclusion.
Does it really matter is a dimensionally displaced Shockave hears Ravage's debrief?
This Shockwave doesn't seems too likely to go insane upon hearing it, and if he does, Spinister is certain that Needlenose can take a cannon blast to the fuel pump and survive.
Spinister begins, "Our Shockwave went insane when he heard that his future self in an alternative timeline would be slain by Cyclonus. I suspect that this corpse is that of the alternative Shockwave."
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Post by Victoria Raines on Mar 14, 2009 20:33:13 GMT -5
"Hrm."
Shockwave goes to lift up the body and finally remove it from its resting spot amongst the fragments. He needs to do some additional tests on those; the body, he'll strip down and set aside for use as replacement parts.
"While I will admit, hearing of my own possible demise might be disturbing, one can not protect against such if one's faculties are impaired. I would say your Shockwave was lacking, to lose control to such an extent."
He tilts his head to look over at Spinister. "It is good to see you up and fully functional. Your partner was not the only one worried for your survival." Shockwave's optic flickers, "And...I believe I owe you an apology."
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Post by Needlenose on Mar 14, 2009 23:40:15 GMT -5
Needlenose notes, "Well, our space-time whatsit was in the process of unraveling when all that went down, and who knows how that might of affected folks minds?" as he heads over to the body itself. "But if you're right, Spinister, and we're right on our guess about which Rodimus Prime they've got over there, that would make this his Shockwave, wouldn't it?"
His antennae perks up curiously as he hears Shockwave mention an apology for Spinister, and he starts to glance up from the dead body, although he absently picks up one of the rocks before doing so.
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Post by Spinister on Mar 15, 2009 11:11:38 GMT -5
Spininister doubts that his own Shockwave was really as defective as this Shockwave says, but he keeps his thoughts to himself. Context, so illusive, is always important yet so difficult to convey.
Is Shockwave implying that he was worried about Spinister's survival? Or does Shockwave know of Starscream's visit? Perhaps he means some other party? Just one blade tilts ever so slightly askew, and Spinister dips his head down, murmuring, "As you wish, my lord."
Then, he is perfectly composed again, and he answers Needlenose, "Guess so."
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Post by Victoria Raines on Mar 15, 2009 12:21:54 GMT -5
Shockwave suffers from his own brand of arrogance, an arrogance fueled by the idea that he knows what is best for his planet and people. He has yet to be proved otherwise, and so, yes, he finds alternate reality counterparts lacking, when he hears that they fall to emotion or lack imagination. Telling Shockwave he is arrogant, would not be recommended, however.
The idea that this may be the Prime's Shockwave is intriguing to the gunformer. Hmmm, mayhap there is a way to get a more positive ID on the fallen one. If Perceptor could be persuaded...something to think on later.
Spinister's so very neutral answer makes one of Shockwave's headfins tilt back slightly. "You are always so very proper and careful with your addresses; walking the line between serving command and serving the Decepticon cause must get quite trying," he says.
"But yes, an apology. Had I any idea that the ending of the alternate Prime's functionality would have placed you in such extreme danger, I would have hesitated to give that order. There were other options, and you are too valuable and too loyal to lose, Spinister." He looks from one Mayhem to the other, "You both are."
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Post by Needlenose on Mar 15, 2009 13:12:50 GMT -5
When Decepticons start talking of loyalty in any respect, it's time to get suspicious, and this Shockwave, for all that he wears no Decepticon symbol, is just as much Decepticon as Emirate Xaaron is Autobot. He tilts his head as he listens to Shockwave's oh-so-carefully worded apology, optics narrowed as he tastes it, processes it. Finally, he exclaims, "Well! It's good to hear that if you had known killing the body would have unleashed all that business instead of actually eliminating it, you'd have hesitated first. That's very comforting to know!"
Any thoughts he has on Shockwave's talk of loyalty or of Needlenose's own value, however, he keeps to himself. See? Needlenose doesn't always blurt out every thought that passes through his processor!
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Post by Spinister on Mar 16, 2009 17:03:11 GMT -5
Spinister, it should be noted, is not polite to everyone. He can be quite informal and casual in his speech, as he just was to Needlenose.
"As trying as life itself, my lord," Spinister replies evenly. There is no dichotomy in Spinister's role. If High Command fails to serve the Decepticon cause, he will kill them.
"Apology accepted," Spinister replies simply, sizing Shockwave up, before adding, "Don't swell on it."
He doubts Shockwave will, but still. They had no idea what would happen.
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Post by Victoria Raines on Mar 17, 2009 9:51:33 GMT -5
Another flick of that headfin, this time in annoyance.
"I prefer not to lie outright, Needlenose, and saying I would not have given that order regardless of the circumstances would be entirely too close to such. If, after considering all the factors, such an order were still the better course of action, then my orders would have been the same. You would be better to consider that I think the two of you worthy of such apology and consideration, rather than wax sarcastic about it."
He nods at Spinister, then Shockwave moves back to his favored chair while waving at a couple of others, ones that would accommodate the blades and wings of the two Mayhems, "If you have the time, I have something else to discuss with you two, a matter of some importance and delicacy. You may sit if you wish."
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Post by Needlenose on Mar 17, 2009 22:28:12 GMT -5
Right. Be grateful that Spinister and Needlenose will be among the last tools thrown away rather than bemoan that they'd still get thrown away in the end. Needlenose will get right on that.
Not that he has any illusions about what his status was back home. To all Decepticons, all other Decepticons are ultimately tools. The Mayhems have ever been relatively valuable tools, regardless of reality. But that doesn't mean that Needlenose is obligated to let all that pass without comment.
He considers the flick of Shockwave's headfin as he sits down. As a faceless sort himself, he's pretty good at reading body language. Thinking on that... maybe Needlenose should have let that pass without comment, after all.
The Double Targetmaster shrugs it off as he peers up at Shockwave. "I've got some time, sure." He glances at Spinister a moment, trying to gauge his thoughts, then turns an unusually sober gaze back on Shockwave.
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Post by Spinister on Mar 18, 2009 19:48:11 GMT -5
"Time enough," to cry. Time enough to die.
Spinister sits, taking the comment as an order. He is careful enough about sitting down, though he does not make a show of it.
Spinister's thoughts are difficult to gauge. Are Mayhems good agents for delicate matters? Yes, that is obvious. Is he grateful for Shockwave's apology? Certainly, that was beyond the call of duty.
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