[ti]Ep 3[/ti]Catch and Release (Dagger, Arrow, Open)

[Starkrieger]

Week 4 Day 2

Louisiana, America, out on the bayou, early evening (some time after "Desert Winds" ) 

---

Pushing his luck, that’s what he was doing.

The sun wasn’t yet low in the sky, but it wouldn’t be long, the cover of darkness adding further protection from being noticed by the natives. Perhaps he should have waited? Nah, his wings were itching for action, the game with the Autobot earlier had ended much too abruptly. His Petro Rabbit had darted into its burrow, leaving him with no one to play with.

In the remote backcountry of the Louisiana bayou, a heavy symphony of local wildlife silenced as the air space above the foliage exploded with swirling greens and yellows. The unusual light show wouldn’t last, as from the vortex emerged… well nothing good that was sure.

With thrusters engaged, the mostly black and white seeker came jetting out, progress hampered by his nearly upright orientation in his root form. Starkrieger controlled his thrust, cutting and engaging the engine so as not to overshoot his environment. He needed to get a feel for it.

A smirk slowly spread, before he changed his angle to set a moderate pace . Through his visor, he observed this alien world, with its dark waters, and massive trees draped with bizarre organic matter like drapery adorning some towerling’s loft. Dropping down, the Seeker followed a winding trail of bloated river, emboldened as he passed the bordering flora jutting from the depths.

He stuck to the center of the waterway as he eyed his surroundings. Heavy atmosphere was detected, thick humidity flooding his senses, laden with the sharp scents of dense vegetation, and the stew of biological muck basting in the water below. More than likely there were no mecha out here to amuse himself with, but the living columns and interlacing canopy drew his attention, and soon Starkreiger had decided how he'd be entertained. Veering right, he remained in root, stalling his turbines, too slow so locks could be released and triggered locks comfortably. He swept his wings back for greater stability, flight mechanisms adjusting to accommodate the new position , as he opened the throttle.

In, and out, he dodged the trees, a careful lean rolling the mech to avoid a trunk, spanish moss wrenched from limbs, thankfully wicked off his frame.

Crazy, out of his mind, no doubt; but what was function without thrill? Constant pings to his proximity sensors registering less than a click before he had to respond, challenging his processor. If only there was someone to chase, and evade. The speed, his reduced sensor range, and the sheer volume of readings had him overshooting his senses just enough to keep it interesting.

But eventually, he would settle into a routine.   Lacking real danger or purpose, a portion of his attention would start to drift; his awareness diverting to consider the habitat.

So this was the sort of place Backwater favored. So unlike anything he'd seen on Cybertron, or the barren and battered outposts he'd been stationed at throughout the war. Alive, unbothered by the concerns of their conflict, and simply existing naturally...

Frag.

Proximity warning triggered late, but he spotted it.

Aborting the climb, the seeker disengaged his flight locks to execute a tight spiral. Intake stalled, pain exploding in a recently set shoulder. The limb jerked, subtle, but enough. Thrown off trajectory, he flared out every bit of equipment and shifted his wings to encourage stall.

Tree! TREE!

Thin, reaching branches broke, scraping ineffective against armor, as the sound of the passing object breezed by.

Something enveloped him, he saw it, but understanding didn’t register as momentum was consumed by the give in material, until Starkrieger was stopped. Hitting the net’s limit, the Seeker had plastered to its surface, gravity bringing him down to, cradled in a trap of Cybertronian make.

There he hung, stunned as he instinctively started to disengage flightlocks again, his frame sagging as the Seeker tried to orient himself.

What the actual frag?

[Deleted]

Things were going pretty good for ArrowBlaze. She was back in her element again, finally had proper shelter, and had even managed to successfully rig up a trap despite being out of practice. It probably wouldn’t see any use today, but still. There had been reports of Autobot activity recently in this sector- the very reason Commander Starscream had asked one of the officers to send them to scope out the area. Maybe, just maybe, they’d get lucky and some poor sap would stumble into their contraption. Catching an Autobot would be great for them, after all. Maybe they’d even get a promotion.

So lost in her daydreams of success and power, Arrow was, that it took her a good couple of seconds to notice the sound of something buzzing past her overhead. When she did, however, it quickly grabbed her full attention. She followed the sound, speeding up to keep pace with it, only to finally locate…a mech. From her position within the trees, she couldn’t make out much, but she could at least determine he was a flier, given the way he was zipping through the air. However, she didn’t have the faintest idea as to who he was, or what side he was on. This demanded further investigation. The tracker took off, stalking her chosen ‘prey’ silently with an acquired ease. Between her quiet footfalls, and the muted tones of her plating, she blended right in with the surrounding environment, unseen.

…He never slowed down. This guy was really having the time of his life out here, wasn’t he? Not that she could blame him- she took a joyride whenever the opportunity presented itself, and tended to have the most fun when she was pushing 200 miles per hour if not exceeding it. Danger definitely made her feel alive. And there was, perhaps, something a bit charming about seeing a fellow daredevil having a good ol' time doing something insane and stupid. 

Luck was on her side, however, when her target slowed down just long enough for her to catch sight of the Decepticon brands adorning his wings. Ah-ally. She was truthfully a bit disappointed he wasn’t an Autobot, but perhaps her expert hiding abilities could still be put to use. Oh yes… some part of Arrow’s processor decided on a whim that it would be totally hilarious if she jumped out when the flier was least expecting it and scared him. Would he be one of those imposing looking soldiers that secretly screamed like a femme? That would be comedy gold. Scaring years off of bots’ functions was always so much fun.

Except…he never stopped. He never landed. He was still going, and from the looks of it, he was headed right into the trap. Oh..slag. This situation was officially no longer comedy gold.

Her first instinct was to yell at him to get his attention, and she was about to follow through on that impulse- but she was too late. In a split second, the unknown mech was entrapped. Potential words of encouragement about how everything would be ok and she would get him down from there as soon as possible died on her tongue, however, as she witnessed her brother approaching. Machete in hand.

Oh no. No he wasn’t. The three wheeler revealed herself via hopping out of the tree line as fast as she could manage, and started walking towards the two at a brisk pace. “AIRDAGGER! Drop the blade. NOW.”

A bit loud and intimidating, but she had a point to get across. Quickly. Her sibling would not be slicing up one of their own on her watch. Thankfully, he complied with her request.

“...Thank ya kindly.”

[ok'd for Starscream-order-assuming]

[AirDagger]

AirDagger had no idea what was in the trap, or why he had been asked to drop his weapon. But he had a hunch his sister knew something he didn’t. Still…the whole situation was quite alarming. One minute he had been minding his own business, scanning the ground, only to be abruptly interrupted by the sound of something crashing. Somewhat violently.

The mini jet moved closer to his sister, though he gave their new captive a wide berth in doing so, and chose to keep his distance as he inspected the contents of the net.


Should said 'contents' choose to inspect the two of them in return, he may be stricken with a temporary panic that he was seeing double from sustaining some sort of head injury. They were nearly completely physically identical. The seeker’s only mercy in this regard was a clear difference of frame type, as well as the presence of their respective weapons. Not much, but it was something.

Dagger, on the other hand, figured he ought to try to sort this mess out via comms.

::What’s going on?:: Asking Arrow would likely be the best course of action in this situation, given he genuinely had no idea what had just happened.

::He’s a Decepticon.:: The reply was short, to the point. But it gave him all of the information he needed. Unbelievable. They had just captured one of their own?


Upon returning his machete to it's dedicated spot on his belt, Dagger tapped the tips of his claws together as he looked up to make eye contact with the mech.

“Uh...I’m sorry I threatened you.”

[Starkrieger]

There was a marked lack of concern from the Seeker. He was ensnared, but not enclosed, and he was alone. Optics narrowing, Starkrieger carefully rotated his right shoulder. A dull ache, but structurally sound, no catching, no serious complaint. Second Rate* had done a fine job, it seemed. He’d just overdone it; nothing that wasn’t expected.

Now, what to do about the current situation?

A shout reached his audials, two unknowns came out into range. T-cog activating, his left servo and lower arm converted to his blaster, the charge starting even before all the parts settled. He didn’t aim, not yet. Wings snapped up, angling. Stiff, sharp movement that aimed towards the one that had come with a bared weapon..

He hesitated because the blade had been dropped. Their framelanguage, and the actual words caught up with the threat. Even as he considered the circumstance, he continued to evaluate. His sensors shifted their focus back, centered on the one that had called out, keeping track of it, while the flier remained in his line of sight.

Small frame, short wings, potentially quick, definitely agile. Claws… Krieg knew well enough what could be done with a good set of claws against a larger opponent. Range weaponry undetermined, melee armament suggested ground combat training, but reach was…so much shorter.

It was only then that this ‘Airdagger’s features really struck him. He looked like a proper Seeker, but in miniature, and how polite of him to move so he could better observe the pair of them.

Tipping his helm to raise his chin, the sharpness of his gaze didn’t lax, but its focus did shift between them more than once. Two tiny fliers? No, there was no mistaking doors for wings, no matter how convincing; and yet, nearly everything about them was a mirror image… down to the Decepticon sigils.

The low whine of his weapon cut off as he allowed it to go idle.

Clicking claws caught his attention. Size variation in Cybertronians was common, but the mini-flier looking at him the way he was and his mannerisms, struck a chord in the military build. The apology ill suited a mech of advanced maturation. What aged Con wouldn’t berate his folly in ruining the trap, or mock a fellow soldier for such a blunder? ‘Youngspark’, that’s what his instincts told him.

Without further thought, the Seeker’s feature’s relaxed, the harsh glow in his optics softening. Though possibly lost due to the angle, his wings dipped, slow and easy in what would have been a submissive gesture for a higher ranking mech, in this case offering assurance. The matter was resolved.

Aside from him still being suspended above them.

“You shouldn’t look so upset about it, Männchen.” His vocals hinted at a gentle tease, as smirked down at the flier, more playful than condescending. This ‘Airdagger’ and his doppleganger really should be pleased with themselves. “Ziss ist vun of your bettah hauls, ja?“ With the spike in amusement his typically soft accent thickened, accentuating the emotion.

---

* Flatline

[AirDagger]

One of his better hauls? Perhaps it would have been, should there have been an Autobot in their net. But there wasn’t. And as such, Dagger was feeling far more distress than pride. How were they going to get him down from there? What if he got hurt? He could call for backup, but…he hesitated to do so, for fear of embarrassing both their catch and themselves. Something had to be done, though. They couldn’t just leave him up there.

After exhaling a breath, he looked up at the mech once more. “Don’t worry, Mr. We’ll get you out of there. Uh…as soon as we figure out how.” A promise, but one he didn’t know how to follow through on just yet.

A moment later, he wandered over to one of the trees on which the net was secured, and began inspecting the set up. Perhaps they could both climb up on either side and then slowly lower the net together? As if to test this theory, he sunk his claws into the bark, and tried to pull himself up a few feet to determine if he could achieve a stable hold. Somewhat was the conclusion he came to.

“Hmm.” Releasing his grip, and dropping back down, he would turn to his sibling. “I think they’re sturdy enough to hold our weight if you want to try climbing up. Might need to put something under him to break the fall though, if we can't hold his weight." ...The current captive breaking a limb would, of course, not be ideal.

[Deleted]

This was supposed to be a simple scouting mission. However, the two of them now had a new goal to contend with: getting this mech’s silly aft down from the trees. Seriously...how did he even wind up in such a predicament?

There were a number of different methods to bring a captive down to the ground. They’d had to do it a few times, though…not for a bot nearly twice their own size. He was clearly capable of flying in root mode- perhaps if they cut the net, he could simply get down on his own? Though, there was also a possibility that said plan could go horribly wrong and he would then be left dangling by a limb or two, or worse.

Scratch that. This was going to require some thought. Arrow began to pace back and forth with a claw tip to her chin, mentally sorting through the potential pros and cons of every rescue maneuver she could think of off the top of her head.

Then Dagger piped up with an observation. That was a start, at least. 

“Worth a shot.” Upon saying this, the three wheeler strode over to where her twin was standing.


Shortly after her arrival, the trapped seeker would be greeted with the sight of two pairs of mismatched copper optics observing him intently. Not that they were trying to make him uncomfortable by staring at him but, well…they needed to figure out how to release this mech without breaking him. And that included taking his build and armor configuration into consideration. Might as well offer a greeting while they were staring the poor guy down, though.

“Howdy there.”

[Starkrieger]

The poor mini Seeker, didn’t seem to lighten up much. On the other servo, Krieg only smirked lightly, amused.

Mister? Really? When had he become a ‘mister’? But, it was cute, the pair of them being so deliberate in their efforts.

He should be taking this more seriously. Peace flipped to life and death in a click during a war. Should the Autobots or MECH show up, he was compromised. Unable to escape, limited in defensive capabilities, for that, he’d keep an optic out but his main concern was getting comfortable. That this also meant regaining some control over his position was not entirely coincidental.

Despite being restricted in his movement, Krieg shifted his wings. With mindful adjustments, he managed to squirm into a more comfortable position. Once mostly upright he was satisfied, his left claw gripping at the netting for better stability, and further manipulation of his weight. Seekers were made of sturdy stuff, but not all his parts accepted baring him without complaint.

As they spoke amongst themselves, Krieg tracked the conversation . A single claw moved in, to lightly pluck at the netting, testing the material. It was sturdy no doubt, at least it had managed to absorb much of the momentum of his flight. True, he had not been going full throttle, even at the reduced capability in his root mode. Still, significant was force required to keep him aloft, as he wasn’t equipped to hover. Impact wasn’t the same as deliberate sabotage, however. He'd refrain from trying too hard to damage it though; the small might have a plan to save their trap.

As they continued to work out the puzzle, Krieg's main focus returned to them.

What the frag?

Why were they looking at him like that?

Secondary wings pulled back, red optics meeting copper, as the soldier’s mouth settled into a firm line.  Primus, they were like a couple of turbofoxes, sizing up a plump petro rabbit. The irony of it wasn’t lost on him, after all, he had a habit of visually evaluating certain frame types. But at least he didn’t stare.

What was next? Were they going to go find something to poke him with?

Howdy?

“... Was läuft?... you could always get a small energon dispenser. Some toys, a tarp in case you need to quiet me down.” Hesitation graduated to an easy casual tone, as the Seeker slipped into an insinuation that was properly innocent for the two young sparks.

[AirDagger]

Their acquaintance did not look all that happy, judging by his facial expression. Dagger had a theory as to why- their assessment of his build was probably misinterpreted as them sizing him up. Which, well, they were… but for the purpose of a rescue rather than an attack. Regardless, reassurance was still in order. "Ah, don't worry! We ain't gonna eat ya." Convincing? He hoped so. Even if said words of comfort were delivered with a smirk.

Upon being spoken to again, a somewhat puzzled expression would cross his face. Although he hadn't paid much attention to it the first time around due to his initial shock over the current situation, it now occurred to him that the mech seemed to be incorporating words of an unknown language into his speech. Interesting.

"What's a 'was läuft' ?" The mini jet inquired, fluttering his wings lightly in a subconscious expression of curiosity. He had decided that this was, first and foremost, the most important thing to address out of what had been said. 

“And uhh...hm. Well, we don’t have any tarps on us at the moment, actually. So we couldn’t quiet ya down even if we wanted too.” At this, he stopped to give a light laugh before continuing. “Nothin’ too interesting to look at either. But sometimes when I’m lookin’ around on the ground for rocks for my slingshot I find a really neat lookin’ one and keep it. I’ve got a collection I can show you if you want, but I guess we’ll have to get you down first. Might be kind of hard for you to see em’ up there. Well…maybe. I don’t know how good your vision is.”

[Deleted]

Someone seemed to be getting sidetracked. Arrow gave her brother a gentle nudge on the arm to catch his attention, and gestured to the net in which their captive was still ensnared with a tilt of her head. Speaking of said captive…now that they had determined he was an ally, it would likely be beneficial to properly introduce themselves.


"Pardon our impoliteness. We haven't introduced ourselves yet." More sarcastic rather than truly self-critical, given her tone and the amused smile on her face. 

"This here is AirDagger, and I'm ArrowBlaze. But you can just call me Arrow. …Or Blaze. Doesn't really matter." Honestly, she would settle for any sort of moniker that granted more individuality than "that one" or "the other one". With many a con who hadn't cared enough to learn how to tell the two of them apart, that had been her fate.


A moment later, that the three wheeler took the opportunity to ask a question that had been on her mind, and was likely on her counterpart's as well. "So uh…how'd you get here? Did the commander send you? Or were you just gonna kill some time?

[Starkrieger]

“Merely an Earth Greeting. The natives have many languages to choose from.” More than one might have expected for a planet dominated by a species that was so similar across the globe. Perhaps the humans themselves didn’t see it that way, and he could be missing the nuances of them as a race, but no one would argue that Cybertonian frames didn’t vary by a wider margin… but then, perhaps Earth had not had its version of the Quintesson. Maybe it was Cybertron that was unusual, and a wide variety of languages was normal for life-baring worlds…

Considerations for another time, Starkrieger was no scientist, nor explorer, and now was not the moment to let his processor chase strange thoughts on what common ground potentially existed between them and the squishies. Besides, there was plenty of distraction in the form of the little Jetling below.

Rocks? Well the small mech’s enthusiasm was nearly enough to belay his skepticism. A gentle smirk was all that he was able to offer, before formalities were initiated.

“Starkrieger, Krieg most commonly”, he provided easily, as if he wasn’t currently suspended overhead. “Not directly, but it can’t hurt for the Bots to be made aware of our presence.” Specifically, their presence in locations other than their charming little abode. True, his preferences in location were self-serving, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t also serve a purpose. After all, just as the Spymaster, no doubt, used sightings to try to narrow down likely Bot strongholds and caches, such techniques could be used against the Cons. Let them ponder what he had been doing in the desert, or out in the sticks, far from any mines, or sensitive Decepticon campaigns.

“You could cut me down. What’s the worst that could happen?” His pride would hardly suffer such a minor upset.

Falling and recovering was the game.

“Or, we might send out a distress call… “ His smirk turned a bit wicked, but he was only joking. As amusing as using this to try to lure the Bots out to play might be, there were too many variables, risks he was not at liberty to take.

[AirDagger]

“An Earth greeting? Wow! Could you teach me some Earth greetings?” At this, Dagger would pause, a look of realization spreading across his face. He had, yet again, somehow overlooked the mech's current state. “Um, well, after you’re back on the ground that is.”


Assuming he made it down in one piece.


A small nod of acknowledgement was given upon being provided a name, which was then filed away for future reference. Hopefully, he’d be able to remember it. If not, perhaps his sister would? Speaking of his sister…she seemed to be approaching the pair of trees and readying herself to climb. He followed suit, and upon reaching his destination, moved to straddle the object as he had before, albeit with a more firm hold than the first time around. After a good deal of grappling, he managed to reach the spot where one of the ends of the net was tied, and gave it a thorough inspection.

Although he tried to project an aura of outward confidence with his handling of this situation, a visible dipping of wings might give away that he wasn’t exactly the most assured about the potential outcome of what he was about to do. Trying to get someone down from a trap without any injury was…not exactly something he’d ever had to do before, because he’d never had an ally in one of said traps before. But apprehension aside, they couldn’t just leave the mech suspended in the air. His earlier thought of finding something to break the fall lingered in the back of his mind- but in truth, he had no idea as to what they could use, or where they could get it.

…So, no use hesitating any longer...right?

After steadying himself, Dagger retrieved his machete from his belt, and grabbed hold of the loop. One hand held the material in place, while the other made an incision.

Oh.

With only his own strength left to support the rig? It quickly became apparent just how heavy it was with it’s new occupant inside. He hadn’t yet lost his grip, but his nerves went haywire despite the fact. He glanced up to meet his siblings' optics, for both direction and reassurance. Her own section of rope was currently being held as well, having been sliced by her axe.

“Lower on three?”

[Deleted]

“Don’t worry about it. No distress call necessary!” Arrow proclaimed with perhaps somewhat unwarranted optimism. “The sweet taste of freedom will soon be yours, soldier.” At this, she would give a small joking salute.

Freedom might come with a few mild to moderate injuries, true…but it would come nonetheless. However, it would be ideal to try and minimize those hypothetical injuries. And so, the three wheeler handled the trap with care, holding firmly to the former connection point as she split it in two with her axe. It was a bit disheartening to see something they had put so much work and time into be disassembled…but, surely, it could be fixed, given the very minimal nature of the alterations.

And so, the moment of truth had arrived. Did she know what the outcome of this would be? Absolutely not, but they couldn’t just leave him dangling up there, and neither of them had a better plan.

“Lower on three,” she confirmed.

 
Upon completing their synchronized countdown, Arrow proceeded to move downward, net in hand. Gravity would now become the judge of ‘Starkreiger’s’ fate. Hopefully it would be a merciful one.

[Starkrieger]

Worry? Who was worried?

Despite appearing to have fallen into an idle state, Starkrieger continued to read the surrounding environment. Already he had a course plotted, once he was freed. Sadly, it was necessary to forgo inviting the Autobots to come ‘rescue’ him. So sad.

Absently the Seeker watched the twins, idly rolling his right shoulder to test the joint. Shifting in the net as they climbed, various locks clicked into place. His secondary wings adjusted their position as he waited. He’d been watching Dagger, the moment the netting was cut, he acted.

Thrusters engaged, It was only after they'd fired that he realized the Jetling hadn’t let go. A short jolt up met the resistance of the twins holding on. It was fortunate that Krieg only issued a quick burst, enough to judge the added burden.

Engines cut, to late to counter the lift, whether it unseat the pair from their perch the Seeker couldn’t immediately guess. He dropped at an angle, crashing through the nearest branch took the air out of his vents. Impact board side of the wing shorted his optics briefly.

Frag.
Not enough room.
This wasn’t going to be pretty.

Flicking his wings low, against his backstrut. Ground was approaching fast, the cracking of limbs weren't as concerning as the rush of warnings from his proximity sensors, as he angled himself down. Branches caught and pulled the net but gave under his weight until his pedes touched 'earth'.

Water splayed, as his pede tips submerged, hitting the spongy earth not far beneath the surface, and the muck of the marsh. Force was absorbed as his knee joins bent, the force drove straight up into his hips. Balance off set, and traction lacking he fell back rather than forward.

Splat

He fell wing first, and the world went dark.

[AirDagger]

“HOLY SLAG, DID WE KILL HIM?”

That was the first thing Dagger had to say after witnessing Starkreiger plummet to his potential doom. Below him, the mech lay sprawled out in the mud on his back, seemingly unresponsive. Not good.

The force of the fall had caused him to lose his grip- though on his way down, he had managed to get a hand around a branch, saving him from meeting the same fate as the seeker. His optics briefly darted away from the disaster below him to assess his sister's condition- much like himself, she was also clinging on to her respective tree for dear life, but with claws sunken into bark rather than grasping a fortunately placed tree limb.

Now, knowing that she was uninjured…he needed get to assisting their newfound ally. Quickly. The both of them dropped down in unison, and quickly scrambled over to the mech, creating a mess of mud on the ground below in the process of doing so.

The first thing he did was check for a pulse. Perhaps somewhat roughly. But not on purpose- in truth, he was effectively in panic mode. “O-ok…so…we didn’t kill him. I think.” But we need to make sure he didn’t break a wing. Or…anything else. Can you help me lift him up?”

[Deleted]

Lift him up!? Seriously!? Arrow rubbed her temples in exasperation, and let out a sharp exhale. Under normal circumstances, seeing all of her hard work ruined in the blink of an eye like this would have set off her temper, and the party responsible for doing such a thing would have swiftly faced her wrath. But… given the current circumstances, she couldn’t find it in herself to be angry. The poor mech was clearly having a terrible time, and had potentially just broken a limb or two.

And so, she would follow through on her brother’s request to help him.

“Alright, Doctor Dagger. Let’s give him a look over.” Upon saying this, the three wheeler would position herself in front of the mech, and grab hold of one of his wrists. Her counterpart did the same, and together, they lifted him forward to the best of their abilities until he was in a sitting position.


She liked to think she was pretty good at anticipating her sibling’s actions. What she did not expect, however, was for him to release one of his hands and attempt to circle around. He was examining the state of the mech’s wings, no doubt, which he had already expressed plans to do, but a bit of warning would have been nice and- OW. What was that?

As she felt a small jolt of pain course through her shoulder, Arrow looked up just in time to see the aftermath of her brother being clocked by a wing. A very large and heavy wing. Should Starkreiger have been currently aware of his surroundings, he would now get to hear the both of them grumbling as they dealt with their respective aches.

“Come on, airhead! How are we going to help him if we get knocked out too?”

[permission granted to manhandle the Kreiger]