Ep. 2 - Downturn - [Closed]

[Deleted]

“Thanks, too bad you can't look things up now though, but it makes sense.” She commented as she glanced at him for a brief moment. “make sure the others got that info too – just in case you know.” She was being serious about that, if something happened to them? The info would at least be 'emailed', or whatever the Cybertronians could do, and be on hand to be..Useful more or less.

Nell might have been a joker, she might have had one hell of a mouth, but when things got serious? Oh she knew how to be serious and keep her eyes peeled for trouble on the horizon.


Course seriousness did not stop her from chuckling as he forgot to unbuckle the seat belt “Smooth.” She drawled out, her lips curled in a slight smile. “It still trips me out how you guys can be..So damn solid.” Nell remarked as she moved to open the 'door'. She glanced over him for a moment or two and she shook her head. “It's fine, I'm not really one for the double-O seven thing either. So this is new for me too. Just...Try to act like you blend in, follow my lead – try not to get noticed.” She remarked and let out a sigh.

“We can do this.” She wasn't too sure of that, but hopefully they could do this – and end up back into safety sooner rather than later.

Course, his little sidetracked thoughts about dogs and asking if she had one, made her smile slightly again. “No, don't have one. Would love a German shepherd though.” She remarked. “Let's get goin'.” With that? She unbuckled her seat belt, and opened up the door like any other car (even if it was weird as all get out because he was the car).

The shouting match of the couple was hard to not notice, but she acted like she didn't – only moving towards the interest with a feeling of purpose. She wasn't moving too fast though, she was moving at a normal clip – and making sure Bluestreak was close by.

Two other people, arguing about one smoking – then a third pop up and that made her a touch nervous. She was a little fighter, a scrapper by nature, but they needed to stay low. Maybe they should have gone up another level?

Hopefully, they would continue to go unnoticed by the arguing pair, and the joking third wheel.

She would spare a glance towards Bluestreak before moving to head towards the pathway that would and could lead towards (and of course into) the building.

God, she wished she could communicate with him without actually talking.

[Zercon]

"Back off, this doesn't concern you Nick."

The male that had been smoking shot this back, his words raised only enough to be audible to the thinner individual a few cars away. He didn't sound truly agitated, but more an exasperated exhaustion, either his energy levels being so low he didn’t get riled easily, or he was worn down from lack of sleep. Either or were possibilities. Despite this attempt though, this only seemed to make Nick more eager to get involved, a smirk pulling back further that reeked of mischief and a desire to cause some trouble.

"Ohhh, it does. Because if you got your panties in a twist, I will have to deal with it later, and I'd rather not."

Nick shoved the fistful of cash he had been holding into the pocket of his inner shirt, making sure it was tucked safely within, before he would start to step away from his car, locking it with a chirp of the alarm engaging. He made sure to keep a few vehicle lengths between him and the other two though while walking in the direction of the stairwell.

"Ah don't you worry about him, Nick!"

The female chuckled, using her foot to smush the snatched cigarette into the ground, much to the male's dismay.

"I like when he gets all riled up, it's cute."

She hadn't been paying attention to the strange car that had entered the area, focused on harassing her husband, but when she heard the doors closing, she would adjust the box in her arm just slightly, turning to watch with eyes narrowed to try to recognize just who had gotten a new car. She didn't immediately recognize them however, glancing back to Nick who was busy walking still and talking, starting to move to catch up to him and keep on track.

"If you say so Rae, all I know is you better drop that off soon."

"Yes yes, I plan to."

While the two seemed to meander towards the stairwell, the male watched Nel and Blue a bit more pointedly. His gaze was piercing, intense, and most of all unwavering, judging them while he locked up the car. He would linger behind to let the two newcomers pass by first before following.

[Bluestreak]

Bluestreak had at least the decency to look a bit chastised at the whole missing the seatbelt thing as he leaned against the door. He brought up his hand and straightened his avatar's tie; the gesture a bit stiff and awkward as if he was one of those men who honestly spent every waking moment in jeans and t-shirts. Then he lifted his closed hand up and towards his own silver frame.

The Nissan beeped, the lights flashed as if he'd had a key fob in his hand and set the alarm. Apparently he'd picked that up somewhere.

"Does it?" he asked her softly as he walked close to her up the pathway. He was careful, not wanting to be overheard, but fascinated by her question. "Oh the solid thing? It's interesting but it makes sense, you know. Not everyone has one, and they vary in what they can do. Some of them aren't like this at all, they're just sort of there to make things easier when we talk to other folks. We sort of - well, there's a lot of planets out there where we're way too big to interact without causing some stress..."

He shrugged a little. "It's easier like this," he said honestly. "Mine's solid - like it's- well, for sake of understanding because sometimes I don't understand it myself, I'm not an engineer, haha - It's hard light, right? That's the best way I can describe it to you, but it's controlled by a series of tiny projectors that you probably don't even notice. Mine are mobile, they move with me for a good dang distance, but if I was to uh, take damage...?"

A grunt escaped him. "If they get hurt, I get hurt, and if it's bad enough, I get feedback that could render me at best knocked out, at worst-well, yeah. I don't like to talk about worst, it's not a cheerful thought you know. That's why a lot of us don't use the type of hard light I do, they don't want to have an issue that possibly turns their neural interface into uh, what's the stuff... what is it...?"

"Ah!" he murmured and snapped his fingers. "It's Jell-O. Everything on Earth turns to that weird stuff. I still don't know how you eat it, it's freaky, hahahah. I see ads for it during daytime TV."

The man chuckled softly. "But I- I dunno, Nell. I like it. It feels nice to be accepted among races that don't accept us. I get why. But I'm always scared sometimes if I take it off, will they still see me as me, or if- well, it's happened. They just hate you because of what my folks have done, and I get that. It still hurts though, especially when you find someone you have a ton of things in common with and you think oh, they're my friend, and- right sorry, sorry, shutting up now, sorry distracted."

At least he'd not only rushed through his explanation, but had kept his voice down softly between them as they walked.

His gait was easy and loose, as if he was comfortable and totally meant to be here. Inside though, there was a knot of pure worry; he'd been trying to hide it with his chatter about the avatar. They were watching them a bit, come on, come on, we have to just- well, act normal, Bluestreak. Act normal. Right, nothing to see here just your everyday alien robot using a hard light avatar to wander through your parking garage, haha.

Bluestreak went oddly silent as he focused on the humans. He only spared them one look, as if they were simply something he'd noted as part of his surroundings and nothing more. However, it seemed to him as if it was an odd transaction they were doing. Maybe it was the amount of cash - he'd learned early on from Wash not to do that, human beings who flashed cash like that in the open often were targeted, same as mechs back home with credits. Also, hmm, he wondered what the box was she was supposed to drop off. Probably not something above the board, the way they were talking.

He didn't dare say anything to Nell just yet about it, not until he was sure they were entirely out of earshot.What would Mirage do, he thought, and then decided yeah, he couldn't even begin to try doing what Mirage would have done, so, hey, he'd wing it. What would a human do?

So, Bluestreak simply rolled a shoulder and strode along in that dark suit. He lifted his hand and ran it through his hair as if to neaten it up.

"Sort of hoping the weather holds for the weekend," Bluestreak offered to Nell in a normal conversational tone. It was as if they were simply discussing the day to day workings of their lives, as friends did and would. "Got plans to go to the beach myself. You?"

[Deleted]

Nell was honestly glad that Bluestreak had some mannerisms down pat, even if it unnerved her just a touch for him to be talking outside of the car about well, him not being human. For a moment her jaw was tense, and she nodded slightly as he explained about the whole solid thing. “Cool, we'll have to talk about that more later.” The petite bruiser drawled out before she noticed the woman, 'Rae', looking at them with narrowed eyes. She gave them a polite nod, before turning back to Bluestreak for a moment, brushing her blazer (as if brushing away some bit of imaginary fluff) so he'd notice her badge said R. Schulz on the front.

It was her way of bringing some sort of attention to that badge, and what name she was going by. No, not Nell, it was 'Rose, or 'Rosie'.

Part to keep her identity covered by MECH, part covered by the 'Cons they were working with, since it was Optimus's idea she had a codename for more than one reason.

This whole thing was..Nerve wrecking though, especially since one of the other men, whatever his name was, was...Following them instead of heading off with the other two on the stairwell. The light conversaition made Nell nod, and she smiled slightly when he mentioned the beach. “The Beach? Again?” She asked. “Shit, you should have opened up that surf and paddle board shop you keep daydreamin' about.” Nell remarked. “It is suppose to be nice though, I plan to do some camping over in Huron – maybe see if one of my ol' friends has time to come along. Joe or Eric?” Joe was a random name, well granted it was the name of a marine she once known, and Eric well...She talked about her brother often enough it was likely familiar to Bluestreak at this point.

Walk she would, eyes mostly forward, though they glanced towards Bluestreak every now and then – like anyone else would, but her glances were more..Reassurance and also...Getting a read on what he was feeling. She also used some of the looks to see if the one man was still..Following them or not too. That was what was awkward about this whole thing, just trying to get into the building to get down to business.

[Zercon]

Rae and Nick continued towards the stairwell with no qualm or issue with what was happening behind them. They conversed, chatting away at a normal volume, the details of what was being said exactly drowned out as they gained a bit of a distance on the other three. The box that was held so precariously before, now was nestled against the female's hip, tucked under her arm in a loose grasp.

The other male however, the one that remained behind the two, started to follow, his pace picking up a bit to not only meet their stride, but start to catch up. His shoes clicked against the concrete flooring, making it apparent by sound alone that he was gaining, but wasn't RUSHING up after them. Casual, but still a subtle pursuit. It was a delicate balance to keep, one that permitted him to hear what they were speaking of on the tail end of it, his eyes narrowing some at the choice of conversation.

"I hope that isn't a prelude to you considering other opportunities."

His voice cut out to interrupt after Nel spoke about the surf and paddle shop.

"We are looking for individuals that intend to stay around to invest themselves, not lookeyloos that plan to make a few bucks then depart."

He moved up then to walk beside the other two, his head held high and stride formal and calm. While he kept the corner of his gaze where he was going, watching as Rae and Nick opened the door to the stairwell and vanished, he mostly was observing the newcomers.

"...I assume you are the new recruits?"

[Bluestreak]

To Nell, the man beside her in his dark suit was obviously out of his element. It wasn't the way he wore his suit or walked or anything like that; in fact, anyone passing him on the street would have either thought he was a corporate time card puncher heading towards his daily dose of high rises and traffic, or a G-Man who was thinking constantly about that one damn fine cup of coffee somewhere out there.

It was how his wrist was twisting slightly under that worn leather bracelet on his wrist that peeked out from under his perfectly crisp cuff he spoke; tilting and fiddling with it slightly.

He didn't have a rifle, he didn't have his rifle. It had never bothered him before in the avatar, really. But he'd always been with Wash, who carried himself like the humans so perfectly that all he had to do was follow his lead. Wash knew what to do in situations like this, he was in total control of a situation. He would have just waltzed right into the office, flopped down in a chair, winked at the girl behind the counter, and somehow pretended to drink a cup of coffee and chat even while he managed to pour it into a nearby plant pot without anyone being the wiser.

Yet here he was, with Nell. Nell, who was human. If something happened, his avatar might get damaged. He could possibly have a massive amount of feedback and be incapacitated, or worse. Yet there was also the chance that like Wash, he could be slammed into the window of a car doing sixty and bounce right off none the worse for wear.

Nell would not, and it scared him witless, even though he couldn't admit it. Nell was tough, she was smart, she was brave and bold and all the things Bluestreak could not be. She wasn't afraid very often; or if she did, she didn't show it, and you'd think that she would have at least once being drawn into some sort of dangerous alien combat, where all it would take was someone to accidentally trip on her in a hall, and she'd be dead. Humans were so amazing, they did things he never had considered in his life, but they also were like the lightest of crystal spires; engineered perfectly for their world, but a breath and a heartbeat away from leaving it.

She kept glancing to him, and he was caught in this desperate loop of wanting to say something - no, he needed to talk, he needed to speak, to chatter, to talk about anything he could think of right now to her. He needed the words to fill up the silence where he could hear footfalls sweeping in behind them, a casual conversation but he didn't dare because once he started to talk he knew it might mean he could not stop, and...

She gave him an opportunity. Nell filled the empty space between them with words, and he listened and it grounded him, like words always did. It was the silence he found so frightening. He was always frightened of it, and that's why he turned on human television late at night and listened to them build houses and yards and porches and playgrounds. 

The beach. He grabbed that line of conversation and pulled it close to him, he held onto it in his mind the way he'd once ridden a falling chunk of metal, balancing desperately on it as the Bridgeway collapsed underneath his feet.

Surf's up--

"That's totally my dream," he said suddenly. "Open up a little place, teach folks how to surf. I mean, it's got such an art to it, speed and skill and learning just the tiny motions are all you need after a while, but you just get on and go, and haha, yeah, that's where I want to run off to someday. Oh, really? Huron? Sure, I'll go, I'm game, let's go to Huron, you, me, your friends, I think I heard there's a really good dive place to grab dinner, and if you want after we can---"

The man's voice interrupted. He had been following them. Bluestreak glanced over his shoulder. The stone on the avatar's leather bracelet slipped and tapped against the edge of his wrist, tap tap tap, like the trigger of his rifle under his finger.

"Hey now," Bluestreak answered, looking over at Nell for a second before he turned back to the man following them. "If I take a job I stick with it, done that for a really long time. A really long time. I'm the sort that if I believe in something, I invest in it, simple as that."

He moved a step over towards Nell to let the man come up beside them and speak. His tailored suit-coat stretched over his broad shoulders. Right now, he was really glad Nell had taken him to the Men's Wearhouse to uh, borrow a few suit styles.

[Deleted]

Bluestreak wasn't the only one out of his element. Nell wasn't exactly in her's either. Sure, in some other life she could have been a cop, and going undercover all the time, but in this life? Well...She was a soldier, and one who had limited time out on a real battlefield. She was the one mostly at base getting the vehicles set up and ready to go again – not the one getting truly up close and personal.

She was handling things miraculously well, and she possibly had that to credit Bluestreak having her back in every way he could – and there was the fact that the others were hopefully keeping tabs on them, making sure things around this building were going okay. The brunette just hoped that if shit hit the fan? The both of them would get out of here, especially her non-human friend. Because if any of the stories were true? Well then, they would be eager to rip into poor Blue's guts to see what made him tick, and how they could have some sort of advantage against the Cybertronian's.

Thinking about it made her sick really, and she just did what she could to keep her mind off of the possible shit storm. Thus the conversation, thus getting Bluestreak's mind off of the what ifs too. He took it, and ran with it. She couldn't help the slight flash of a smile, but it quickly faded when their conversation was interrupted by an actual MECH agent.

Her jaw tightened for a moment, but it was less because of nerves but because she downright felt talked down to – and she wasn't even a real MECH rookie! “I agree with my friend here, that I invest in what I believe in.” She was honestly glad that Bluestreak was stepping a touch closer to her.

“And with all due respect, Sir.” Nell started, speaking with some formality of a soldier speaking to a higher ranked officer.“But people can certainly have dreams for down the line – because whats the use in investing in the now if you can't have somethin' to look forward to invest in when the time comes?” She asked, her drawl thick as ever. “Besides, I am hopin' what I learn here, will help me invest in myself – to learn, to grow like people do and all.” She remarked.

“Hope that doesn't paint me as some lookeyloo Rook', Sir – It's just somethin' my Pa taught me that's all, and he was the one who was against me joinin' the army in the first place.” A shoulder shrugged a bit. “If I hadn't, I wouldn't be standin' here now I guess you can say.” Her tone was even, but it wasn't disrespectful. Even if deep down? Goddamn, she just wanted to take these people down as much as the Cybertronian's wanted to.

[Zercon]

The man caught up smoothly, moving beside Bluestreak so that he could converse far easier than speaking at the backs of their heads. Now that they were closer, some more details could be seen on the male. His suit was clean cut and tailored well, fitting his frame nicely, though seemed to pull some at the wrists despite this, revealing the bottom rim of the blue undershirt that was a bit frayed at the edge and worn. His features seemed to follow a similar path. He was clean shaven, and tended to, yet still seemed tired and worn beneath its surface, his eyes holding a beaten down look, with a fierceness behind his gaze that was borderline aggressive in how he looked down upon them. Despite this mild hostility, he had seemed pleased by the other male's words, nodding once in solidarity, before Nel spoke up.

Women...

"I wasn't looking for some inspirational poster nonsense."

A clipped reply, paired with a bit of a sneer. The man apparently was not impressed with Nel's bolder words, and it wasn't gaining any favors with him. She had gambled with his personality, and seemed to have gambled incorrectly. He still listened however, his eyes narrowing a bit as she revealed more about herself, and painted a picture of who she was to him.

"Rook'... heh..."

He snorted at the term, finding it a bit odd. With a careful stride, he wove around a vehicle that was in their way, before walking towards the stairwell entrance.

"We have had a fair number of individuals come in, only to not last. This is not a good region to hire from. Feel privileged you will need to impress Paul, and not myself."

A bit of a sideways jab, before he reached the stairwell, and grasped onto the door, swinging it aside so that they could pass inside. Once within, they would see that the stairwell had about as much care as to be expected for the building. It was dirty, it was worn, there were more than a few dings in the walls, and the original color of said walls were probably not even visible any longer. Some halogen bulbs sat nestled at each turn of the metal and concrete stairwell, weaving up towards the building above. The right path that would ordinarily go down to the lower level of the parking garage seemed to be blocked off though. One stretch of steps down, on the first platform just visible before it hooked around to go down again, some larger trash bins were parked as a makeshift barrier. Caution tape ran across its front, making it so that passing would be a bit of a chore without tearing it. The light on that platform was also burnt out, making the correct choice in which way the duo should walk rather... apparent..

[Bluestreak]

At first, Bluestreak nodded back at the man; well, that was good, he seemed to take his answer in stride. The mech was glad for that, he'd been nervous when he spoke to him, thinking the situation was about to take a bad turn. When it didn't he was even more stressed about shutting his mouth. Did humans hold conversations with strangers like this? TV said they did, but then again there was a lot of splicing in those thirty minutes, right?

He had started to turn and nod, eyeing the man's suit. Huh, it certainly wasn't as new and clean as the one his avatar was wearing. It was the little things that caught his attention because he'd started to understand it after all these months. There was never a thing like a perfectly clean set of clothing unless the tags were still on it. Each individual human had their own finish and colors, a scratch here, a scuff there, some dirt ground in.

As Nell spoke, Bluestreak was eyeing the building in front of them. He'd relaxed a little now, trusting that Nell would know what to say; she was human, she knew humans and if anyone could keep them out of trouble, it was her, right?

The man's short dismissal of Nell's words nearly stopped the mech in his tracks. The sneer that flickered across the human's clean-shaven face abruptly cut into Bluestreak's thoughts. It was as cold and dismissive as any Decepticon, belittling and unpleasant.

Bluestreak's fingertips curled up slightly by his side. They pressed against his palm for a moment before he relaxed them out. Under the virtual fabric of his suit, his shoulders set in a steady line.

He didn't like that at all. Not one bit.

Tucked in between the two cars, the silver Datsun's tire moved slightly, as if he was grinding a toe into the pavement beneath him. It stilled almost instantly as Bluestreak refocused on the stairwell that they were approaching. As the man opened the door, he did not walk through it first; instead he stepped back and let Nell walk through in front of him. His gesture was obviously polite and respectful.

Then he glanced around the dirty building. The mech had the urge to go buy a few gallons of paint and repaint it all in an hour. It reflected the streets they'd driven through somehow, the dings and dinge. Looking to the right, he realized it was blocked off; their only path was to the left.

"Let's see what they're offering," he said to Nell with a small smile.