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Post by Carolyn Blake on Sept 4, 2011 21:48:19 GMT -5
Month 2, Week 3, Day 4, Open
A futuristic pink convertible tools across the desert. Arcee keeps to reasonable speeds, partially in deference to the passenger she carries and partially because the other vehicle keeping pace with her is an antiquated old pickup.
Not that she'll call Kup an antiquated old pickup to his face.
The scruffy US Army Ranger in her driver's seat props his elbow on the window, then hastily readjusts so that he's sitting stiffly in the seat. Arcee laughs, the dashboard lighting up prettily with the sound.
"Captain Lennox, please- you can relax a little. This isn't the first time I've carried a passenger."
"With all due respect, ma'am, that doesn't exactly make me more comfortable," the soldier replies, "Why were we checking out the pyramids again? You two guys don't strike me as the sightseeing types."
OOC: Kup and his passenger can hear Arcee and Lennox over radio. Posing of Kup with permission.
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Post by Kate Mason on Sept 4, 2011 22:18:04 GMT -5
Also, driving quickly over rough terrain is a good way to get into a nasty accident, little missy. Kup has a tale or two he could tell about sand...
Kup also has a passenger, a dark-skinned Master Sergeant, who is less than thrilled to be here. Of course the Ranger took the new hotness, sticking him with old and busted here. He asks dubiously, "Right, so... you even have air bags?"
"Do I have air bags?" Kup snaps. "Yeah, I got those installed now, but back when I was built, boy, you'd be lucky to have headlights."
His passenger half-snickers. Does that make Arcee a newer model, then?
Kup has some reply to that, but he's stopped before he can say it, because Lennox made the mistake of asking a question. "Eh, see, we gotta check and make sure there's not a solar harvester buried under the pyramids. There's probably not, I ain't too worried about it, but we gotta at least cross it off. Probably need to check some temples in Peru next..."
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Post by Carolyn Blake on Sept 5, 2011 19:04:21 GMT -5
Everyone is a newer model than Kup. Kup is older than the dirt they're driving over.
Lennox turns in his seat and looks toward the pickup driving along side. "I have a feeling that when I ask what a solar harvester is, I'm not going to like the answer. Though why you think it'd be in this particular area is a question I'd like answered more." After all, these giant alien robots haven't been to Earth before, right?
Arcee keeps quiet as far as answering Lennox's questions. Kup's an officer; let him run interference on that front. She doesn't however, remain totally silent. Privately, she radios Kup.
//So, can you split your attention enough to handle two conversations at once?// she teases.
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Post by Kate Mason on Sept 5, 2011 19:31:08 GMT -5
Oh, sure, Kup is an officer when Arcee doesn't feel like talking. That's great, Arcee. Kup explains, "Eh, Decepticons tend to hide these things under pyramids." This is mostly true; it was actually the ancient Primes that hid it, not the Decepticons, but Kup's not going to split hairs. "They're kinda nuts, y'know?"
And Epps thought that Fig's mama was bad!
//Ah, lass, I've carried on twenty different conversations at once in six-dimensional hyperspace. Lemme tell you, FTL battles are a real glitch, and that's not even accounting for the hyperspace ghosts,// Kup natters in reply to Arcee's simple question of whether or not he can multi-task.
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Post by Carolyn Blake on Sept 6, 2011 21:10:49 GMT -5
//Do you ever just answer 'yes' or 'no'?// Arcee asks, obviously amused.
//Nevermind,// she continues, //I'm not sure if you've noticed, but Rodimus and I have, ah, moved our relationship to another level. I wanted to make sure you were ok with that.//
In Arcee's cab, Lennox continues, completely oblivious to the birds and bees talks going on between the two robot cars. "Ah, so you guys see a lot of pyramids out in space?"
Don't tell Lennox that the Stargate franchise has some basis in fact. That would just be too much.
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Post by Kate Mason on Sept 6, 2011 21:54:50 GMT -5
//Yeah-ha ha, kid,// Kup grouses back at Arcee. Then his voice turns a bit more thoughtful and a little wry, //Well, I sure didn't reckon it was Farlane leaving those pink scrapes and cheery smiles on the lad, now did I.//
"Loads. It's a pretty simple shape, so they're real pop'lar," Kup answers, on the topic of pyramids. "If I had an energon cube for every pyramid I've seen, the Decepticons'd be attacking me at dawn."
Epps frowns and asks, "Why at dawn?"
OOC: Mention of Kup noticing things with Rodimus Prime cleared with his player.
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Post by Carolyn Blake on Sept 7, 2011 9:39:50 GMT -5
Lennox doesn't look overly thrilled with Kup's answer, but he shifts subject slightly, following Epp's question with, "And what's a solar harvester, again?"
It sounds like the MacGuffin of a really bad Syfy in-house production.
//You know, that doesn't actually answer my question,// Arcee says, //Look- Rodimus respects you and your opinion; he'd be lost without you, I'm sure.//
//I know that even now he... has doubts about letting himself be so close to anyone. I just don't want to be hurting him accidentally, if that makes sense at all.//
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Post by Kate Mason on Sept 7, 2011 9:57:21 GMT -5
Kup's life is a bad SyFy movie. Never ask him about the Olmec dinosaurs. That one's just weird.
He answers Epps first, "Don't get me wrong, they're tricky bootlegs, it's not like they don't know tactics and strategy, but if the time for an attack doesn't particularly matter, they'll probably attack at dawn."
Epps half-laughs nervously and says, "I'm starting to agree with you about these jokers being nuts..."
Then Kup answers Lennox, "A star harvester is pretty similar to a solar needle," which doesn't explain anything, but this does, "They take suns, suck out their energy, and make 'em go supernova." He says this like a human explaining an automobile or some other similarly mundane piece of technology. He doesn't speak of it as, say, a human might speak of an atomic bomb or other WMD. Being an old and jaded space robot goes a long way to make things less impressive than they should be.
Epps sputters, eyes wide.
Finally, Kup answers Arcee, //He can find his own way.// This is something Kup firmly believes. That is why he let his first Rodimus Prime go off on that giri nonsense. //I gotta admit, I'm still a little used to thinking of you as Springer's girl. Or maybe Springer as your boy.// Kup tends to get set in his ways. //I'm thinkin' his doubts are probably worth it. Rodimus seems a lil' happier now, and Sigma knows, the lad could use a little sunshine.//
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Post by Carolyn Blake on Sept 7, 2011 10:36:36 GMT -5
Epps may be sputtering, but Lennox is managing full sentences. Sort of.
"Wait. Hold on. You mean- they could- and you didn't-"
"Stop, damnit!" he shouts, actually smacking Arcee's interior for emphasis and prompting the pink car to squeak in surprise and spin to a halt, spraying sand into the air, "You're talking about something that would destroy worlds! And you people send only an old man and a fashion model to check into it? Our entire civilization could be wiped out if they have this thing and you're talking about it like it's as common place as a coffee machine!"
"Epps, with me," he says, climbing out of Arcee and walking a short distance away. Lennox is hoping Kup lets Epps out without trouble.
"Fashion model...," Arcee sputters in the meantime, "I'm a warrior!" Really. It's her specced function!
Still, she manages to answer Kup, //What, no triads in your reality?// she sighs, //I like Springer. But this Springer just isn't that into either of us, so... anyway.//
//This isn't going to be a casual thing. Hot Rod was casual. I don't think Rodimus is, or is less so than he thinks he is. I want your permission to properly court him, Kup.//
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Post by Kate Mason on Sept 7, 2011 11:40:46 GMT -5
Kup does stop. Given that he's a pickup truck driving on sand, it's not a very nice stop. Without a word, he opens his driver's side door. Epps gets out. That's an order, after all, and he walks over to Lennox.
Kup stays silent some time longer.
Epps isn't really sure about all this. It's hard to believe that machines could even be alive, for one thing. Sure, sure, some of the drone jockeys might complain that a little too much personality's gotten into one of the Global Hawks. Add solar… whatevers on top of it blowing up suns and it's all just a lot to take in.
Finally, Kup says, voice low and slow, "That is her function. Warrior. What she was built to do. And me? I was my planet's chief security advisor until I got brought here. Keepin' it from getting blown up was in my job description. If you don't see many my age, it's because they were killed, because we don't die of old age." Mostly. If they stay up to date with their upgrades and don't starve to death. "They sent you a survivor. Now, if it would make you feel better to have a green rookie who happens to turn into a fighter jet , I can just sit here and wait until we got one of those free. Or we can get on with the slagging mission like professionals. What's it going to be?"
Anyway, a star harvester is like a coffee machine, since it makes a tasty liquid that keeps Transformers from getting cranky.
//Arcee, you're from my reality,// Kup corrects, rather disgruntled that the humans seem to have their diodes in a twist. He doesn't have anything against polyamory, but his Rodimus always seemed too busy and too burdened to carry on a serious relationship with one person, let alone Arcee and Springer at the same time. This Rodimus has a tiny bit more freedom. Then it hits Kup. //It's… it's Rodimus who isn't.//
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Post by Carolyn Blake on Sept 7, 2011 17:06:14 GMT -5
Telling Lennox and Epps that they'd be destroying a world to make coffee for giant alien robots would not make things better, however correct that might be.
When Kup corrects her, Arcee answers, //Oh, you know what I mean. We may be from the same base set, but that doesn't make it exactly the same....//
//Yeah. He isn't. He's not the Hot Rod I know, or the Rodimus Prime you know, and we aren't his either. The similarities are enough to comfort but only just. That's why I wanted to see what you thought. If we get sent home, and we still remember-//
She breaks off. The two soldiers have been talking back and forth for several minutes in low voices. Now, they are turning and walking back towards the two Autobots.
Lennox says, "All right. I misspoke myself. And maybe these other aliens are just the monsters you claim and have more ways to destroy the Earth than there are stars in the sky. But you listen to me for a minute here."
"You want US military cooperation, especially on foreign soil, you can't just take a couple of us out on for a ride and then spring this whole 'possible giant death ray' thing on us and expect us not to get upset."
"For now, we'll continue on, but I've called this information in so that those who need to know do. Also," Lennox gives the pickup a hard look, "You may be a superior among your group. But you're here at the sufferance of both the US and Egyptian authorities at the moment and I'm in charge of keeping things under control on this mission from their standpoint."
"So let's get back on the move, and you can give us whatever other information you have on this possible weapon that might be out there- and what bogeys we might be facing if it is." He moves to get back in Arcee as Epps moves- slowly- toward Kup.
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Tarantulas
Minor
The not-so-friendly neighborhood spider-man
Posts: 398
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Post by Tarantulas on Sept 8, 2011 19:55:49 GMT -5
The Autobots aren't the only ones looking for a Solar Harvester in Egypt. There are Predacons here as well, hiding in the sand.
Tarantulas, paranoid fiend that he is, set up perimeter sensors around the site. When he detected large objects approaching, he quickly dug under the sand, and instructed/cajoled/begged his companion to do the same. Neither of them is designed for burrowing, so they just barely got themselves covered in time, and he has sand in places he'd rather not have it. It lets him play trapdoor spider, though, which pleases him immensely.
One of the humans is walking right past his hiding place, he can feel the vibrations in the ground. The spider bursts forth in beast mode, grabbing with his forelegs. It turns out it's the darker human that he's ambushed. "They come in different colors! I wonder if they taste different?" he wonders aloud in Cybertronian.
Sorry, boys, Scorponok couldn't be here today, so you get substitute ambush arthropods. Also, Fig and Donnelly couldn't be here, so you get to be the ones who die horribly.
OOC: Rampage posed with permission.
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Post by Rampage/Xavier Goodkind on Sept 9, 2011 20:28:00 GMT -5
If Rampage were a different sort of crab he'd be totally at home in the sand. But alas, he is a rock crab! Sort of. The Transmetal doesn't look much like the king crab he scanned - though how his pod managed to scan an ocean crab in the middle of a forest is a mystery for the ages anyway. Still, he's not averse to burrowing under the sand; setting up ambushes is a delightful break from the tedium of searching for Decepticon artifacts.
Erupting from his own hiding place with a burst of garbled laughter, Rampage snaps his massive claws at the other human, trying to grasp him around the waist.
"They're all just meat," he muses to Tarantulas. "But each one with a unique flavor of terror!"
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Post by Kate Mason on Sept 10, 2011 9:38:23 GMT -5
While the humans have their little pity party, Kup talks with Arcee, //Yeah.// He thinks to Arcee's pullpoint. She's from earlier than he is, from before Hot Rod ascended to Primacy, if he recalls correctly. Back then, Hot Rod was still on her romantic radar.
As to the matter of Rodimus not being his, Kup corrects, //He's my Rodimus now. I just got two of them, that's all.// Kup is sort of like a parent, who in a drug-induced haze, named his identical twin boys Rodney and Roderick, and now everyone calls both kids 'Roddy'. Except that Kup didn't name them, and they're actually alternate versions of each other, not twins, and he's really not their parent. Either way, like that hypothetical parent of twins, Kup is just going to love both kids.
He ponders a bit, //Lass, we don't know what going home'll be like... or if it will ever happen.// Kup is pretty jaded. If popping around the dimensions was easy, he expects it'd have been done before. That one time they tried... they summoned the mirror and scarred time and space. //If we never go home... I reckon your issues won't be much more than the usual. The rank difference. Your duties. If we do go home, maybe you'll split, and if you're both all right with that - a serious, committed relationship that you know is gonna end - that's fine. Though maybe you'd go with him. Dunno. Depends how it works. If it works. If'd you'd be all right with having an alternate around and maybe never seeing home.// Maybe this is how Rattrap's great-aunt Arcee happened. Two Arcees=one Arcee is a sister. Kup doesn't suggest that Rodimus might go with Arcee, because, well... his reality needs him, for all that he says they can manage without him. Arcee has more freedom in where she might go. //An' maybe, we'll set up some kinda reality gate system, so visiting any time or place won't be any big to do.//
But Kup doubts that.
//That's a lot of maybes. I ain't gonna ask you to decide anything. All I want from you is a promise that you're gonna talk it over with the lad, so you both know what you're getting into, even if all you decide is that you ain't gonna decide anything right now.//
Then the humans get back, and that Lennox kid is acting all high and mighty. Kup doesn't think that Lennox really understands the situation. The Autobots are not here on the sufferance of the US military. The US military is here on the sufferance of the Autobots. If the Autobots wanted to go see the pyramids, it's not lie the US or Egypt or both of them together could stop them. The Autobots are just being polite by playing along with proper protocol, so Earth won't feel invaded.
Also, this is the Kup that called Spike an idiot when they were all kidnapped by Quintessons.
What Kup is about to say is not at all pleasant, but before he can get out word one of it...
...trapdoor spider! And trapdoor crab?
"Predacons!" Kup shouts.
Epps is not at all pleased to be grabbed from behind by a horrible space spider. He shouts something unrepeatable before going for his handgun. He tries to put some rounds into the... appendages that Tarantulas is using to grab him. Epps protests, "I'm not on the menu!"
Wait, these things... eat humans? The pick-up truck and pink car have taken a sinister new cast now. Was this an ambush, planned between all four?
Kup rises up into robot mode and lunges at Rampage, aiming to score himself some crab claws, by tearing Rampage limbs from limb. "I'll teach you to grab things what aren't yours!"
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Post by Carolyn Blake on Sept 11, 2011 21:34:49 GMT -5
Arcee does not have time to ponder Kup's comments, or even to reply, before suddenly they are under attack from refugees from a bad science fiction movie.
Lennox is grabbed up by the crab thing. He tries to fire into the creature's face- or at least what he thinks is the face. Faces should be vulnerable even on evil crab robots from outer space, right?
Arcee transforms, pulls her rifle from subspace, and tries to shoot Tarantulas's claw/arm/appendage and hopefully cause the spider to drop Epps.
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