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Post by Perceptor on Jan 21, 2011 23:40:05 GMT -5
The Decepticons are attacking! Of all the inconvenient, dastardly things to do, they have blasted a hole right into the Event Horizon and are infiltrating with extreme prejudice! Worse, many Autobots are not even on board!
That would be why Perceptor is running, hell bent for leather, toward his laboratory where the completed Spacebridge is assembled. Eventually, it will get moved to its own room, of course, but that just hasn't quite happened, yet. He's only finished with the final system tweaks just this very morning, after all!
There is a lot of ship to cross between where he had been with the Command Staff and his laboratory, though. And he is not precisely known as a speedy mech, by any means. He is counting on the speed at which the alarm went out, however, to keep him safe as he sprints down the corridors.
Alone.
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Duskwing
Major
"What the slag happened?"
Posts: 848
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Post by Duskwing on Jan 24, 2011 19:03:29 GMT -5
Duskwing has managed to shove his way clear of the bottleneck on the bridge and is cruising down the corridors in robot mode, lifters keeping his feet just off the floor to avoid any betraying 'clang-clang' of heavy metal feet. He was hunting.
"Better not be any slaggin' Primes dis way. Dat'd be a real cracked blade in the turbines. Dey gotta have energon stores somewhere--Bots run on it too," he mutters to himself. No, Duskwing didn't go chasing off by himself in eagerness to claim kills for the glory of Megatron--that's Lugnut's thing. He's sneaking off to get in some private looting and pillaging.
Of course, if he runs into any small, weak Autobots all by themselves, well, Swindle pays for weapon systems and other specialty parts. Well, he will if he wants them from Duskwing.
The thud-thud of hurrying feet reaches Duskwing's audials. With a cruel smirk, he steps back into the entrance nook of what looks like a conference room, preparing to step out just as the Autobot passes. Assuming it is an Autobot. If it's a Decepticon, Duskwing is, uh... scouting ahead. Yeah, that's his story.
Then Perceptor comes into view, and Duskwing sees red.
"SLAGGIN' JACKLEG MECHANIC!" Duskwing jumps out into the middle of the corridor, blazing away with both arm-guns. "Been waitin' a long time for this, you under-lubed cracked bearing!"
Oddly, none of his fire is aimed at the red Autobot's likely vital processors--it's all going toward support joints, inasmuch as Duskwing can aim.
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Post by Perceptor on Jan 24, 2011 20:14:41 GMT -5
Perceptor's plating does happen to be red, however, that does not seem to be exactly the red that Duskwing is really seeing at the moment. Not entirely. Well, at least Perceptor's plating had been red, although now it seems to be gathering some rather spectacular carbon scoring from Duskwing's weaponry, fired from far, far too closely behind him. So intent upon his goal had been the scientist that Perceptor had failed to notice Duskwing as he'd run past that doorway.
His first indication that anything at all is amiss is that unfamiliar voice shouting from behind him, and sudden pain erupting down one leg. More weaponsfire blossoms all around him as Perceptor flies forward, tripped up by the sudden seizing up of one knee and ribbons of fire lancing along that thigh and tearing into his treads. He flies face-first into the floor, just barely managing to cushion his impact enough to spare his lenses, but both wrists will definitely need recalibrating before he does any truly delicate work.
"AAHHhh! What--" Perceptor cries out as flails to roll over, trying to scramble back to his feet before he has even finished skidding to a halt.
That is one very, very angry Seeker.
Fortunately for Perceptor, there is a conveniently-dictated-by-plot placed doorway beside him that he is able to throw himself through before Duskwing manages to target anything more vital than his knee. Unfortunately, there's not much besides a table and a couple of chairs in the room to hide behind, though Perceptor isn't going to eschew even that small comfort; he manages to scramble under the table and push it over to huddle behind with amazing alacrity.
"What are you talking about?" he cries as he braces himself against the dubious shield.
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Duskwing
Major
"What the slag happened?"
Posts: 848
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Post by Duskwing on Jan 24, 2011 20:38:12 GMT -5
Duskwing follows Perceptor into the room and a possible ambush, but he isn't thinking of that.
"I ain't that dumb, fragger!" He fires a shot at the nearest protruding bit of red metal. "Maybe youse forgot what you and dat glitched-up Clown Prime did to me, 'cause youse do it so much, but I ain't forgot. Gonna dismantle you one part at a time, only I ain't so good at puttin' bots back together wrong as you was, so you'll just have to stay dismantled, you rusted-out excuse for a maintenance drone! Figure Swindle might pay me good for that fancy scope of yours, and some-a your processors."
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Post by Perceptor on Jan 24, 2011 21:05:02 GMT -5
Perceptor yelps and hunches down lower as his scope takes a grazing hit. Oh, if only there had been anyone else waiting in the room with which to ambush the deranged Decepticon with!
"What are you talking about?!" Perceptor screeches. "I have never seen you before, save across a lengthy distance!"
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Duskwing
Major
"What the slag happened?"
Posts: 848
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Post by Duskwing on Jan 24, 2011 21:58:05 GMT -5
Duskwing dimly realizes he's standing with his back to an open door in an enemy stronghold. That might not be such a good idea, and he ducks suddenly to one side of the room.
Huh. Jackleg Red here hasn't gone for that nasty dart pistol yet--Duskwing fires some shots straight into Perceptor's cover, trying to blast it away.
"Don't be a wiseguy. I ain't dat dumb! Youse know what youse did. You even killed dat other me, the sappy one wit' the Bots. Youse tried to gank me, too." Duskwing lowers his voice, "Youse even torqued off Hook! I heard him. He'd shoulda slagged you for it, but Screamer was playin' his stupid tricks, so he couldn't."
Mention of Hook jogs Duskwing's memory about one way to goad his former tormentor (or so he imagines this Perceptor to be). "Bet you thought Hook couldn't fix your jackleg hackwork. Thought you were so smart. He fixed everything you did, like it never even happened. He made me work better than before. He's better 'an you. You're nothin' but broken fix-it drone."
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Post by Perceptor on Jan 24, 2011 22:13:14 GMT -5
Fortunately, Perceptor and Duskwing are from the happier reality, and rather than disintegrating away like it probably should, the table simply shudders and absorbs or reflects those shots off into the walls - not without giving Perceptor a bit of a scare, though! He scrabbles for the opposite end of the table, trying to keep himself down and as covered as possible as he puts more distance between himself and the deranged Seeker.
Deranged, because Duskwing is spouting utter nonsense! Know what he did? Upset Hook? Killed the oth--
Killed the other Duskwing.
"Oh for the love of stellar physics! That wasn't me, you tin-plated moron!" he shouts, twisting up onto his knees - and nearly face-planting into the table when his damaged leg screams at him. He peeks up over the edge of the table, scowling fiercely and shaking one fist at his tormentor. "That was the other Perceptor!"
He isn't quite certain who he is more angry at being compared to; Hook in an unfavorable fashion, or being mistaken for that bootleg of a chemist from the mirrored reality.
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Duskwing
Major
"What the slag happened?"
Posts: 848
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Post by Duskwing on Jan 24, 2011 22:35:33 GMT -5
Perceptor, in his outrage, has just presented Duskwing with a target. The Seeker's combat programming kicks in, and he flips both wings down as if partially transforming--and a slender black tube mounted on the underside of each wing fires. It's an awkward shot, not one he'd normally do from a standing position, but Perceptor has him so damn mad---
Duskwing's brand new Darkness Beam converges on target, channeling a stream of black, highly-opaque ferro-magnetic particles straight into Perceptor's face, obscuring the scientist's optics and lower scope. Magnetic particles. Blinding magnetic particles.
"What do you not get about 'I AIN'T DAT DUMB!'? 'Course youse gonna say dat! I caught you wit'out youse weapons, by yourself, youse gonna try and talk your way out and sneak up and shoot me inna back wit' dat dart gun. Ain't gonna listen. You think everyone else is dumb and can't see what kinda bootleg Vortex wanna-be hack-jobber you is. No. I got you, and dis time, you gonna hurt," Duskwing growls, rising from his half-crouch preparatory to tackling his target.
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Post by Sentinel Prime on Jan 24, 2011 22:46:49 GMT -5
Out in the hallways, there's a snowplow. He's rolling off to go reinforce the crew at the bridge, like he's supposed to. He shouldn't pause. He has his orders.
Sentinel Prime hears Perceptor, shouting, and another voice shouting back. The snowplow rolls out of sight. Seems he's going to blindly follow orders in the name of being an Autobot and has forgotten that the name Autobot comes from autonomous robot.
Once he's just around the bend, so that if Perceptor's assailant peers out the doorway, he won't see Sentinel Prime, Sentinel Prime transforms quietly as he can and presses his back against the wall. He pulls out his shield, his lovely rounded shield that he has adoringly polished to a parade shine, and holds it out in front of him like a big convex mirror. The assailant might not see Sentinel Prime, but if he pokes his head out the doorway, Sentinel Prime'll see him!
He read this in a book.
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Post by Perceptor on Jan 24, 2011 23:03:18 GMT -5
Perceptor should have known better. Really he should have.
It's surprisingly painless when everything vanishes into darkness. Even the input from his scope goes dark as billions of tiny particles of black magnetic dust adhere to his sensors, even muffling his audio receptors a little as he tumbles back with a sputtering cry.
Blinded, insulted, compared to Hook and now Vortex, Perceptor... snaps, just a little. "You ARE THAT DUMB, you underclocked bit drone!" he shouts, trying to scrub at his face with one hand, desperately trying to brush off the dust so that he can see. His other hand, however, pulls his concussion rifle out of subspace, since Duskwing just so conveniently reminded Perceptor that, yes, he actually does have weapons, and in the same breath, insulted him to the point of being willing to use them.
"You aren't even worth the silicon your chips were printed on, you dundering DOLT!" he adds, firing wildly in the direction he'd last heard Duskwing's voice coming from. Well, at least he manages to get off a couple of shots before the gun is knocked away when something very large - and very stupid - crashes into him.
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Duskwing
Major
"What the slag happened?"
Posts: 848
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Post by Duskwing on Jan 24, 2011 23:22:28 GMT -5
Perceptor's shots aren't totally wild--one concussion blast shreds Duskwing's right jet intake, and another crushes the trailing edge of the right wing before Duskwing completes his tackle and crashes into Perceptor, knocking him flat. He draws back one light gray fist and slams it into Perceptor's face, once, twice, then grabs at his scope, clawing at the mountings in an attempt to twist it loose.
"SLAG YOU, BOT! Even if you ain't dat crazy Clown Prime's hackbot, youse a BOT and youse just like any other officer--thinkin' no else is nothin'! Yeah, well, it's you who's gonna be smelter-fodder, not me!"
It's the same old litany he's heard since came out of the factory--'moron', 'idiot', 'dumber than a sack of hammers', 'not worth the silicon his chips are printed on', 'waste of energon', 'smelter fodder'. Fear of being nothing but spare parts, and a rage to survive drives Duskwing, shapes him. As long as he can fight and kill, he's worth something to the Decepticons.
He doesn't notice Sentinel Prime pass by outside; Duskwing is too caught up in his seething rage at Perceptor, the living emblem (to him) of everything that sucks in Duskwing's life.
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Post by Sentinel Prime on Jan 24, 2011 23:40:19 GMT -5
Sentinel Prime steps back towards that open doorway quietly as he can. It's not very quietly, given who he is, but they're being exceptionally loud and should cover him.
Perceptor sounds seriously angry! The Starscream clone Seeker seems to have some personal grievance against Perceptor. Perceptor's niceness does unnerve Sentinel Prime, and Perceptor knows there's something wrong with his head. If Perceptor dies, that makes the secret easier to keep.
However, that's a ridiculous way to think, some small part of him says. Autobots are meant to protect the helpless, in this reality, anyway, and there's glory and fame to be had in being a mighty warrior.
Sentinel Prime flicks the energy spikes on his shield and flings it hard at Duskwing's back, angling it to cut in and then bounce back to him, if it all goes correctly. He raises one finger to his mouth once the shield flies. Don't react, Perceptor! Don't let the Decepticon know there's someone throwing a sharp object at him!
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Post by Perceptor on Jan 24, 2011 23:51:50 GMT -5
Perceptor is seriously angry; he's been compared to a hack torturer! It's an affront to nearly every sensibility that he possesses.
Perceptor is now, also, seriously in pain, as Duskwing's fist crashes into his face. He feels part of his cheek crumple under the second blow, and the rim that holds that optic in gives an ominous creak, but remains intact for the moment. And now, even worse, the dumb brute is pawing at his scope!
Perceptor howls with pain as he tries to wrench Duskwing's hands away from his scope and mount, thrashing from head to toe to try and dislodge the larger Seeker. Even if his optics weren't still almost completely covered with the darklight dust, he is just a little too distracted at the moment to even notice that you've arrived, Sentinel; your secret is safe until that shield hits.
If it weren't, though, Perceptor would be wishing for it to hit Duskwing hard.
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Duskwing
Major
"What the slag happened?"
Posts: 848
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Post by Duskwing on Jan 25, 2011 16:03:25 GMT -5
Sentinel's shield slams into the middle of Duskwing's back, denting the fuselage between his wings and savagely scoring the metal skin. He yells and rolls off Perceptor to face this new threat.
"FRAGGIT! Suck laser, you burnt-out processor glitch!" Duskwing rises to a half-crouch and brings his arm-guns to bear, double-firing at Sentinel Prime. "Get bent inna acid tornado, willya!" Additional obscenities, too long to fit the space alloted in the cartoon panel, follow.
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Post by Sentinel Prime on Jan 25, 2011 23:19:47 GMT -5
Sentinel Prime catches his shield when it bounces off Duskwing's back and quickly stows it on his arm. As shown in "Predacons Rising", Sentinel Prime's good with deflecting laser shots with his shield, even if this Sentinel Prime was pulled from before that particular episode. He half-turns back, presenting a smaller target area, and expands his shield into a tower shield for better coverage.
Sentinel Prime doesn't run away, though. Perceptor's making some downright piteous noises! Instead, he runs towards Duskwing, taking one hit to the shoulder that he just can't deflect. At a middle distance, he lunges and he extends his arm out and down with all the force he can muster to hit Duskwing in that crouch, his lance in his hand and his battlemask on his face. As he attempts to bestow upon Duskwing a deep puncture wound to the cockpit and beyond, Sentinel Prime snaps, voice dripping with elitist scorn, "Excuse me? I'm Sentinel Prime of the Elite Guard, and you are filthy."
Jetstorm is his student, and Kup is like his old drill sergeant! There will be no disgusting bending going on in any tornadoes, acid or otherwise!
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