Beneath the City: Even Aliens Have Sewers

[Rodimus Prime]

OOC: This takes place a couple of days after the party. The alternate Autobots have arrived in this dimension and the treaty is in place, but the normal Autobots don't know it yet.

The small city that the Autobots have inhabited is placed on a river, and like many such habitations in many worlds over, it makes use of this fact. Water is redirected from the river to be processed for use, or to power small hydro plants (such as the one found in the zoo). Waste water is directed to plants where it is processed once more before it rejoins the river and, from there, on to the ocean.

In other words, like numerous versions of Earth and numerous versions of Cybertron, Gillanan has sewers. And right now Rodimus Prime, second in command of the Autobots, is tromping around in them, stopping now and again to leave markings.

Back home, markings were left in Cybertron's rather extensive sewers to provide a way for lost Autobots to find their way back to base. This is the very opposite of what Rodimus is doing now. No, he is clearly marking paths that lead to various pitfalls, sudden drop offs, and areas rigged to collapse with the very same sets of symbols that he used to use to find his way around underground back home.

After all, there's a chance that his alternate used those same symbols, too.

His hand lowers as he double-checks the symbol, then he nods. "That should do it for this segment. Now onto the next. Better to be careful, though - we haven't explored it completely."

---

OOC: Any Autobot who wants to can post in and say they've been helping Rodimus. If no one does, what he says out loud was just in a thought bubble instead - his thought bubbles got used for exposition a lot!

[Wheelie]

Wheelie makes an ideal companion for tromping around in the unknown. He's basically brave, small, lightweight, agile, and more than willing to stick a knife in anything that gets in his way.

Right now, his headlamp is on, illuminating the darkness ahead of him. He's moving carefully, in the half crouch, half spring that moves him forward while allowing him to spring back at a moment's notice. His posture is easy, relaxed, but one that's perfectly attuned to listening and observing his surroundings. The survivalist is in his element.

"Careful is the word of the day, Wheelie's ready for work, not for play."

[Rodimus Prime]

"Good," Rodimus says, straightening, before he turns and starts trudging further down the tunnel. These tunnels are in fairly good shape, but then, the planet's only been abandoned a couple of years. Rodimus is out to change that in some areas, of course.

It should be noted that Rodimus Prime does not think of Wheelie as a child. He thinks of Wheelie as a small Transformer who speaks in rhyme. In his own reality, he sent Wheelie back alone to live on Quintessa and act as the Autobot spy on the planet. Of course, he has a hard time imagining child-Transformers anyway, even in the face of folks like Wheelie or Holi. Younger personality types, sure - Hot Rod had been something of one himself. But children? They're robots!

Of course, it's also worth noting that the only reason Rodimus knows that Arcee is female is because she was introduced as such to him back when his reality's version was built.

The sewer isn't very deep for him, but then, it's built for species on a smaller scale. But as he trudges along, he can't help but ask Wheelie, "You doing all right there?" What isn't very deep for Rodimus Prime can be deep indeed to a Minibot!

[Wheelie]

Granted, it's hard to determine exactly how old Wheelie is. With his own memories files a mess and his definite child-like personality, he could fall into any number of categories. If that ever gets sorted out, then they'll know. Until then, he's just who is he.

He slogs along just fine, it's not quite thigh height on him, though it would probably be rather uncomfortable for any smaller humanoid. "Doing just fine, don't be paranoid. Water's all right, with no Sharkticons to avoid."

[Rodimus Prime]

"No Sharkticons, no," Rodimus allows as he notices a rippling, as of something moving just beneath the surface. "But some of those open cages at the zoo are much larger than what you'd need for a Sharkticon." It seems that whatever is in the water is moving away from them, though, and despite his deadpan delivery, Rodimus is joking. At times, Rodimus's humor borders on the inappropriate. Other times, it ignores the borders entirely and stomps right into uncharted territories of WRONG.

The Prime runs his fingers along one moist wall, and hmmms thoughtfully. "I think we're getting close to base now."

[Wheelie]

It's just as well that Wheelie hasn't fully figured out humor yet then, since the joke goes flying over his little orange head. Even still, he'd hardly be afraid. He's walked away from worse.

Wheelie nods at Rodimus. "Wheelie's been keeping track in his head, that way's safe, it won't make you dead."

[Rodimus Prime]

"Yeah," answers Rodimus as he walks, passing an open mouth to a side tunnel. He takes a moment to look down the side tunnel before continuing in. "Well, we're down here to change that," he adds.

The Prime runs his fingers over the ceiling - ugh, but he'll need a good cleaning when he gets out. "Can't make this area collapsable," he murmurs, half to himself, half to Wheelie.

[Wheelie]

Wheelie gives the situation his full attention and consideration. He's got some experience with setting traps, though the kind he's used to setting tend to work best on people who aren't too bright, like Alicons and Sharkticons.

"Some other trap, some cause for alarm, something to cause those Decepticons harm? If we can't make it collapse to lead them to slaughter, maybe we could make it flood and fill up with water?"

[Mirage-3]

The thing about sewers is that sound often behaves oddly in them, acoustics affected by the curved shape and many branch offs. One need not be in the immediate area of another to hear them, to be warned of their presence. Especially if one is slogging through water; ripples travel quite far, quite far indeed. At the same time, a creature might be staring right back at you with you none the wiser, if that creature is deadly silent and still, clinging desperately to the too-small access ledge along the watercourse several yards down a side tunnel, hoping that one of your more unreliable abilities does not activate and give him away.

Superior marksmanship and armour-piercing rounds don't stop Primes, unfortunately, not for long at least, and if one was familiar with a more ruthless, darker Prime, one would most be most worried at having encountred him here.

Still any information gained would be most useful, and if that still and silent creature hiding there were possessed of intelligence and reasoning he would now know to use the utmost caution when traveling these sewers in the future. Further exploration would, of course, have to wait for another time, when he need not worry about being caught, and if he could not return, what maps he has made- coupled with a very similar set he already has- would have to suffice.

Another things about sewers? They have multiple entrances and exits.

---

OOC: Not sticking around. Sneak,sneak, sneak!

[Rodimus Prime]

Rodimus nods, and opens his mouth to answer Wheelie, then hesitates for just a moment. Did he hear something? Well, it's a sewer - there's always something to hear, even if it's just the drip-drip-drip of liquids. Finally, he shrugs, though he is, perhaps, a bit more alert now. He's fought plenty of battles literally underground, both as Hot Rod and as Rodimus. Bad things can happen in the sewers to the unwary, and there have been times when only wit saw him surviving the sewers.

"Flood," Rodimus murmurs thoughtfully, optics narrowed. "That might work. I was thinking of maybe collapsing the ground beneath, but that's liable to weaken what's above, too." He purses his lips and considers. "We'll have to check how the nearest reservoir feeds into here. Maybe see if we can't build doors to slam down over some of these exits - that might be a good idea by itself, come to think of it."

[Wheelie]

Wheelie is fairly certain he sensed something, but without any visual or even auditory confirmation, he's got no real basis for bringing it up. Stray sounds are a part of life; learning to filter out which ones are important is the real skill.

"Bring it down just like that! Then pow, that's a wrap, they're caught in our trap!"

[Rodimus Prime]

Rodimus nods thoughtfully as he examines the archway. "Yeah. Unfortunately, we don't have what we need on-hand to do that just now," he murmurs. Then, louder, "I think the reservoir is this way," and he begins trudging in the direction indicated. He stops at the sight of something else - something big - moving under the water. Then he moves forward again, saying softly, "Be on the alert." A faint, quirky grin. "Now if we could just get the wildlife working for us..."

[Wheelie]

Wheelie follows close behind, crouching briefly when he too sees the thing under the water.

"Wildlife not always have big brain. Does Rodimus think it can be trained?"

[Rodimus Prime]

"Not sure," Rodimus answers, voice hushed compared with previously. "We already have our hands full with Tiny, anyway, and not much time to do any training."

"What we might want to do is figure out what sets them off. If we can figure out what antagonizes them, we can use that to send them into a rage when the Decepticons are down here."

He glances back at Wheelie and smirks. "Got any ideas?"

[Wheelie]

Wheelie considers, this problem briefly, reflecting on his own experiences with wild beasts.

"Lots of animals don't like noise! Maybe Perceptor can build us some special toys?"