[ti]Ep 2.5[/ti]Unjust Deserts (Open)

[Raf Esquivel]

Raf’s eyes were riveted on the screen. He noticed the strange shudder that seemed to move through the screen. Interference? From what? Blue?

Come on, hurry up, hurry up, hurry up hurry up....

He blinked, startled, when the screen opened, and he was faced with so many files.

He didn’t know what to look at first. He was trying to take it all in, try to understand what he was looking at.

There were things that looked like the drones...and that...that big bullet thing that hit Blue...

He slightly moved the little arrow pointer to hover slightly over the file with the projectile, but he paused.

What would happen if he clicked on it? Would that reactivate it? Would Blue .... and he himself....get another shock, or would he be able to turn it off...and would turning it off bring Blue back? Was the projectile somehow keeping Blue unconscious, or would he have to wake up on his own time?

Wait...what was that?

The pointer moved again, this time to the odder of the bunch. What were those things?
Faintly, Raf heard someone yelling his name, but they seemed distant. It wasn’t important right now – this was much more important.

Suddenly, Raf’s collar tightened around his throat, and there was a swift yanking backwards – almost hard enough to pull Raf clear off his butt.

He hacked, shocked, a strangled half-yell coming from his throat as he was brutally brought back to the here and now, the laptop sliding from his lap to sit askew, one side resting on Blue’s back, the other still against his knee.

Raf’s hands flew up, and grasped at his own collar, freeing it slightly from his throat, so he could breathe better, and he looked back over his own shoulder.

Odessa!?

“Stop!” he managed to gasp, scrabbling wildly, one hand on his collar, the other trying to grasp where Odessa had a hold on him, “Stop, I’m in their system! I can stop this attack! Help me stop it!”

Raf threw his weight forward, angrily trying to make himself heavier, harder to pull, rubber on the bottom of his sneakers biting and grappling against Bluestreak’s metallic skin. His face was red with exertion, and lack of proper air, ”Let go! We can’t leave Blue! They’ll kill him! Look at my laptop, I’m in the system! Help me!”

[Deleted]

Ready to roll the fuck outta here. Odessa’s eyes darted to positions that didn't need to be explained, for they didn't last long enough at any location to warrant description. Full on Soldier mode. Odessa was looking for proper cover and a weapon. His thoughts were on safety. Luckily these troopers seemed much more focused on Sky, Spark, and the newcomer than on either of these two potatoes. They had shown to be hostile and were taking no prisoners. Of course Raf didn’t seem to have his senses all to straight. This mission was all Fubar and while it would’ve been great to save Blue. They didn't have the means or manpower to do so and while it was the noble thing - especially not to leave any friend behind - they couldn't rescue Blue if they were also dead.

“And who will rescue Blue if we die Raf?! We have to go!” He’d give a little slack to the kid’s neck. Giving a rip thinking it was a interceptor armor harness, he’d release Raf only slightly. Ready to rip him back into the air at the first crack of lightning.

“How the hell are you in their systems? There's no terminal, are you hacking them with Wi-Fi or something?” He then noticed the attachment from his little laptop to some large harpoon. From there, another one nearby on the ground. Raf was able to wriggle free from Odessa’s grasp in his minor thrashing. Which he made no attempt to reapply. Had to admire the kid’s bravery though. Intrigued, he’d hover over Raf’s shoulder, gazing into the window.

Kah - Deu - Shus

“Weird to name it after the symbol of medicine. Like, its killing someone and yet … medicine?” Then again all project names were weird to conceal them, but very odd to name one. A very strange name to give to a weapon. Maybe healing for humanity against the virus cybertronians. Distracted in thought now, Odessa’s rush of adrenaline began to part. Retrieving his mind from a light battle trance. Odessa would give the boy the time he needed. This harpoon however, was a little more interesting.

Odessa approached the ‘poon where his computer was hacked in. Taking a gander inside, he could easily draw out the plans of this thing in his head.

Exposed Mo-bo, RAM, ports, who put together this junkheap? Then he remembered his own prototype… he’d be the kinda person to do this.

“What happened Raffy-Taffy?” He couldn't make out much other than some light’s, diodes and other, but if he knew the method of what happened, he might know what to look for. For all he can see now is components with no clear direction. It wasn’t an explosive device… obviously, so there was no need to look for some kind’ve warhead. His first desire was to look for the propulsion device of this weapon.

If they had a hatch with components inside, then this wasn’t a fire and forget device. The peeps who fired this would’ve come to recover it. So it this weapon must be partitioned and therefore have more openings, only to search for where.

[Deleted]

((Sorry this took so long! February's been an insane month for me...))


When Skystone’s massive frame landed, there was a noticeable pause in the spray of bullets aimed towards her. For a split moment, Skystone seriously wondered if she’d intimidated them enough that MECH would surrender. It was slightly more optimistic than her usual train of thought, but she was eager for this conflict to be over. In her many years, and many travels, she’d never encountered an enemy like this. Small, all over the place, but able to cause damage that was difficult to track.

The sight of larger weapons being turned around on her broke her momentary train of thought. She sprung backwards as they opened fire, trying to place enough distance to transform and get out of the way.

Simultaneously, the sound of a large crash drew her attention. One of their vehicles had exploded. Skystone had mixed emotions as she eyed it, still trying to move out of the way of MECH. She had no love for MECH. What she did have was orders, and those orders were that humans weren’t supposed to die. She wasn’t sure if self-defense would cover what had happened.

She couldn’t really consider it much further, however. MECHS bullets were actually causing damage to her armor, and that raised the stakes for her and everyone around her. As far as she’d known, MECH, and humans as a whole, did not have the capability to harm them, at least not with just guns. She hissed slightly as one bullet found a chink in her armor.

Enough of this.

Just as that thought went through her processor, she heard Sparkplug over the comms.

::More than happy at your enthusiasm, but we have orders. Humans can’t die, unless absolutely necessary.:: Her tone wasn’t judgemental, just mild. Sparkplug could do what she wanted with MECH on her own time. While here, Skystone didn’t want to be more responsible than she already was for the deaths of these MECH soldiers. She simply continued firing and dodging, trying to minimize the damage on both sides.

[Deleted]

The silver scout turned his head this way and that. He was trying to line up his finials with the source of the radio buzz and identify the direction. After a moment he was sure he had one or two of the vehicles narrowed down as the culprit but he could still register that they were not somehow the only source of the buzzing. In his position though there was little he could do except pinpoint them to his newest comrades.

Rail was about to shout over the comms that their radio signals were being jammed but he was beaten to the mark. He felt a little guilty about being slow off the mark but he pushed his guilt to the side.

:: Our long range radio is being jammed by the vehicles at this location! ::

Rail also sent coordinates to two of the vehicles, two much closer to Sparkplug than himself.

:: Take them out and maybe we can get through to our respective allies! ::

Rail heard Skystone shout for non lethal means to end this battle but he knew in his spark one side was going to die. He looked to Skystone with a hole in her wing, and Bluestreak, maybe dead already, maybe not, he couldn’t tell what the two humans were doing. Even the Decepticon was here fighting for survival and to help. Rail had too much to lose and would fight Primus himself to save his own spark. He didn’t want to defy order from the Great Optimus Prime himself, but this was now life and death.

:: Right now it’s kill or be killed! ::

Rail looked at his blaster and hands and solidified his decision. Right now, even behind the boulder he was an easy target for the drones, and whatever weaponry they help direct. His allies also perhaps needed a distraction, however minor to give them any edge in taking out the Radio jamming vehicles. Rail transformed his hands into blades that ran the whole length of his forearm and jutted past his elbows. He also made a brief calculation on the closing speed of the vehicles hunting him and his own sprint speed, and then energized the thermal circuits that world heat those same blades to armour melting temperature. The Earth vehicles were proving tough so he needed to punch harder. He was not going to provide them a sitting target.

Rail leapt up from his spot and sprinted with every erg of power he could towards the approaching MECH off roader. He leaned forward in his predatory approach with his alt-mode tail kibble providing counter-balance. The three forward toes of each foot dug huge furrows in the ground with each stride. Rail didn’t so much as jink and strafe as simply follow the uneven twists of the terrain. Weaving and jumping as he bore down on the vehicle, he felt the heavy sting of returning weapons fire against his skin and armour. Plenty missed, some broke on impact and some wounded. Rail didn’t try to fend off the pain but allowed it to drive him onward, to feed his own terror and resolve.

[Soundwave]

But no portal formed beneath the wreckage.

There was not even a reply to show Sparkplug's request even went through.

The line crackled faintly, a soft buzzing that fluctuated with a sort of pulse to it, a repeating click.

No connection re-established itself with the femme in the following moments despite its attempts, but beyond that, something had gone through with the initial transmission. Disjointed, scattered, its words mostly lost into the void between the receiving dish... But enough could clip through in the first fleeting moments before total shutdown, masked behind a heavy veil.

::Spark-̛-̢k̡k̶t̸g ̕tra̡nsmiţti͏n͡g! U--͡ȩr -bz͟ztt̡kkkt̕- -͡o̷m̕ ̛M̷ ECHchh at an A̶u̵-́-̸ ̡-͡ąn̡d̡i̢n̸g site. Gok͝kt̶c̀h̴h͟ z͝z̵k̨kt̕t- -͠-- ̶-̵::

k̵̤̻͈iz̧̼z̲̦̻̘̗̟̜t̞̳̟t̳͎̞̲t͓̱͕̳̣̟͠

zz̰͘k͚̼̰̞̪̙k̥̻͖t...

kerklick

A booming roar erupted on the far side of the battlefield as space was torn into with all the force of a sheering blade. A cannon in a sea of gunshots, its cry echoed as green and blue ripped out from its core to form the powerful vortex of a Space Bridge. A veil, the world beyond warped and rippled at its outermost edges, but it was not there to offer retreat for those on the field.

It was here to deliver rather than retrieve.

Reinforcements were evidently here to assist in the clustered mess, but they did not launch from the portal with fury and thunder ready to fight. There were no Vehicons or Eradicons sent to overpower by numbers and determination, nor a frontliner whose bulk and raw power could make the ground tremble with each footfall. Weapons were not held at the ready, no blades catching the glint of the day's sun, nor the empty void of a gun's barrel looking down upon foes. For all of the hubbub that was going on, the response was almost... lackluster, a single lean individual's shape gradually forming as it emerged from a sea of rippled green and white.

High mounted shoulders hooking up into the air, a triangular torso leading to narrow hips and long legs. Slender arms almost vanished in the surrounding haze of light that cut out around it. A few moments later, neither rushed nor troubled by what was happening, pointed peds planted down onto rough grit and dirt, dust curling softly from air displacing around the gateways form. A fraction of a second later, the vortex slammed closed behind the lone figure, color washing over its frame to reveal navy and charcoal, with an ever distinctive edging of vibrant magenta.

A black visor scanned over the land in one even slide from left to right, taking in everything that was going on in a full 230 degree coverage in front of the figure. Circular reticles danced to life on the inky surface, spinning as they locked down onto every individual to cross in front of its gaze... both living, and unliving...

Evaluating...

Pod Shuttle: Felled

Status: Combusted

Occupant: Missing

The pod was not in a good state. If its Cybertronian metals were not of high value, the device itself could almost be brushed aside as a non concern. Abandoned to the wastes. But this was not some outlier world, and MECH was not one you wanted to get hold of such a thing even if most of its important parts appeared to be charred and smoldering. It would need to be removed, it would need to be relocated, but Soundwave's gaze continued to transition, flowing over the individuals present, but looking at the outermost horizons first for distant threats that were not as immediately apparent and could try to sneak up upon them. Always mindful of snipers and ranged concerns.

Designation: Unknown

Cowering, laying low... it would be easy to label the mystery individual a simple civilian or non combatant in this mess. However, just as soon as such a connection was made, barely seeing the helm peeking up over the rock, blades were unfurled and the mech was directly charging some of the human soldiers on the field. The frame was not recognizable on this instant, and no effort would be put into finding a name since more important things were at hand, the scanning sweep passing over others... but he, as with all else here, would be recorded to observe what retaliation was made to his boldness.

Designation: Sparkplug

The femme was within her alternative mode, recognizable in an instant, unique and almost abstract on this world due to its extra wheels. Whatever passability it may have was cast to the side for the moment however, as a weapon was unfurled and drawn, ready to open fire and show the full might of what she had to offer. Deep scores that ripped across the terrain showed that she likely already showed its power once, yet MECH stood stalwart as ever despite the display.

Designation: Unknown

Unseen gaze briefly passed over the large aerial femme. Assumed Autobot in nature, now targeted. MECH firing upon her with what could be assumed to be suppressive rounds. She appeared to be stagnant at the moment, trying to figure out what to do... lost... not good traits in an active battlefield, especially with a wound that gored into one of her wings, potentially clipping away the use of flight. A proper file would need to be formed on her, cross referenced with Autobot logs claimed through the war.

Designation: Bluestreak

Felled, downed, recognizable from paint and structure, and the fact he and the Autobot had crossed paths upon the interception of Javelin only a fleeting amount of time ago. Whatever MECH had done took him squarely out of this brawl, small pests crawling upon his body as a metal spear jutted out of his frame which had to be the source of the inaction. But the pests were not a threat, or... at least one wasn’t.

Designation: Rafael Esquivel

To say Soundwave did not know much about the Autobot's pets was a bit of an understatement. He knew their school; he knew some of their online movements and habits, if he was tasked to do so he could find their home in a few fleeting breaths... It was only smart to keep track of a valuable weapon that could be utilized at any given moment against your foe... that is... if the Truce were not in effect. The boy was clever, painfully so, his skills appearing to surpass his age. He was being attacked by some unknown male atop Bluestreak.

Designation: Unknown

He did not wear the garb of a MECH soldier, yet he was pulling at the child, trying to wrench him away. Take to safety no doubt... the mature thing or an adult guardian to do... but this effort was given up upon just as soon as it started. Now he appeared to be focused upon a small point, the details of which were even too small for Soundwave to pick up upon at the distance he was observing. Whatever the case, he must be one of the military assists to the Autobots, an ally that had yet to be identified out on the field.

Soundwave's advancement continued...

One... two...

Designation: MECH

Targets: Multiple

Threat Level: Unverified

A flick of metal, a glint of light...

Drones

They were difficult to spot visually upon a first glance, small, borderline Scraplet sized, human made technology that blended in with gray tones that allowed them to bleed into the sky almost seamlessly. Difficult to pinpoint, problematic to try to get an exact number on, but with MECH in play they were potentially dangerous enough to not want to turn your back upon. These were not your hobby store purchase. Calmly, with this in mind, the sharp spines along the Soundwave's back moved a small amount, fanning ever so slightly away from his core body, before power was amplified. Beneath the radial quills sat an advanced satellite relay, now humming with life, waking up from a partial slumber to reach out and taste the air around him.

Chattering, buzzing, electrical feeds jumping erratically as they communicated with their hosts... Numerous, despite how many had already been felled, their sparking bodies twitching out cries to try to force functionality. There were quite a few, Soundwave's systems locking down onto the ones he could, not to send a signal in return, no... He did not fear them. He did not find need to strain himself to attempt to disable communications and trick them into landing. He didn't even find it necessary to eject Laserbeak to try to shoot them out of the sky... no... for now, he simply kept a bead on their positions, mindful of if they were to turn and angle towards him, or others out on the field.

Should they make the choice to turn against him, this decision could be redacted, but for now... he continued to step forward.

MECH

A select few appeared to be down on ground level, darting behind rocks and boulders, ledges that offered more than ample protection from any returning onslaught. It was difficult to get an accurate reading on the precise number due to the identical uniforms they sported, and small darting movements since not all were visible at any given time. It was safe to articulate that there must be at least four to five along the earth's terrain, while others roared across the landscape upon their combat vehicles.

Curled smoke... ashen remains... Not all the vehicles were functional still. Were there soldiers nestled within the burning mass? Trapped in their inevitable demise? Or did whoever shoot them abide by the hollow framework of the truce and see to it they somehow escaped their metal tomb? Though, MECH was smart and could have gotten out on their own, adding to the foot soldiers that flicked around.

The other vehicles were fairing much better, roaring across the uneven landscape, plumes of dust kicked up that set the entire battlefield into a dirty haze that was all too familiar for war hardened Cybertronians. Undoubtedly these housed the greater weapons brought to the fray, so they would be watched with care.

It was of particular interest to note there did not appear to be a helicopter... which in the past was a continuous presence at most encounters that had been reported. Soldier, or Silus, there often was at least one, and its absence stood out as an abnormality that could be looked into further later, but not forgotten entirely upon the battlefield.

Zkkkttch.....

These evaluations, this long visual scan of all that lay before the Spymaster, took only the briefest of moments, systems humming in a low growl as red targeting reticles dappled and locked onto each individual's movements, lighting up his HUD with countless circles and minute lines of data that accompanied each with coordinates, and if applicable, trajectory information.

The Distress call had been fleeting... barely made it through with chopped words... but now that Soundwave could see what was happening himself, he could start to plan what would happen next for their kind.

And what would happen to MECH if applicable.

[Feldspar]

As Sparkplug transformed, the drones swept after her.

A moment later, there was the hiss and whistle of a rocket; something silver blurred in the air, a blue-white flame propelling it towards the rocks where she'd been hiding. It seemed to try to make an attempt to turn as if it was following a direction, but her abrupt shift from standing into vehicular mode had thrown something off, and the projectile slammed into the curl of stone she'd been hiding in and exploded into a bright ball of flame. It cratered a huge section out of the rocks.

Whatever that had been packing, it hadn't been one of those harpoon-style projectiles. If it had hit her, that would have left a mark.

Or instant air conditioning and she'd have been minus a limb or even a head.

Curls of twisted, blackened metal thudded onto against the desert floor.

"Goddammit," swore Novo. His face twisted into an angry snarl. "Of course. Target that vehicle!"

The drones didn't pause. They chased after her and angled back in as if focusing on key sections of her frame; what went where, how did a panel tuck and bend. When she cracked down onto the sand in her vehicle mode, they took care to head back upwards and hold a point over the top of her.

However, her scanners would be able to lock onto one of the vehicles. These men were scrambling, and also appeared to be readying another projectile aimed in her direction...

[Feldspar]

Raf's screen once again gave a soft flicker, as if something was interfering with the power supply.

That odd sensation lingered around him though. Like the way your hair sometimes crackled when a storm was approaching, or when you scuffed across a floor and touched a doorknob. There was no sharp shock though, no ending to the feeling; it was low and constant, as if a hundred tiny cold paws were wiggling along the back of his spine and then racing down to his fingertips.

Every time he touched the keyboard, it was as if there was an overlay of thin film, dampening away the sensations of something solid and real. As his fingers made contact with the mouse pad and keys, there was a tiny response from his computer, ripples of pixel static.

The arrow pointer scrolled across the screen.

It slowed down and almost appeared to be skipping. The same slow way that happened when your computer was trying to process too much information or download a huge file. Yet nothing was downloading. Raf's computer was powerful and it didn't bog down like this-

It had to be something else.

[Feldspar]

From his vantage point over Raf's shoulder, Odessa had a clear view of what was on the screen. The laptop's screen had sharp lines of static wavering through the icons displayed there. Every time Raf clicked on a key, the computer appeared to blink once more, as if it was experiencing constant micro-surges of power.

As he let go of Raf and moved to inspect the harpoon, he could see non-imbedded barbs just grazing the silver metal of Bluestreak's plating. If he pushed on one at all, it would wiggle slightly; apparently these were designed to be hidden within the device; smooth back until they hit and then lock out into place. Not easy to dislodge at all. Even on a shallow hit, it would likely hold within the Cybertronian's frame long enough to do- well, whatever this thing did. So that probably did mean it was designed to stay there until it was pulled out.

If it was removed by yanking straight out it would do an awful lot of damage. Depending on how deep it was, the end of the weapon was likely tangled up in lines and wires. If it hit some vital area, the projectile would no doubt hook and tear whatever it encountered within.

So it had to be partitioned somehow. As Oddessa searched the top of the weapon, he would find at least two more places where he might be able to get into it. There were some barely visible seams, but no screws. Possibly, if he jammed something in there, he might be able to pry them open. A screwdriver would come in handy, or a knife!

[Feldspar]

Bullets bit into Skystone's armor - there was a lot more force behind them than might have been expected. As if what MECH was firing was specifically designed to puncture into Cybertronian systems. However, Skystone's plating was thick and heavy and protected her joints fairly well, as well as providing solid, heavy protection to the more vulnerable places on her body. Hits sparked off of her legs and chest. They deflected off into the dirt, whizzing and slamming into the soil and kicking up red puffs of dust.

One of those bullets took a destructive path-

Into one of the drones shadowing above her. It smashed into the small hovering craft. There was a puff of smoke as the drone shattered; the wing flying off. Like a closing eye, the camera light underneath it went dark as it plummeted into the ground. The two drones that were still buzzing around her as if they were pesty gnats dipped sharply; their wings wobbled as if in confusion. They moved uselessly around her, no longer perfectly triangulated with one another, one came dangerously close to smashing itself against her wing.

A millisecond later, there was a sharp, bright hiss right next to Skystone's neck. One of the MECH rockets flashed by her at high speed, so close that she would feel the heat from the propulsion system. It missed her throat by barely even a meter, but it missed.

It impacted into the rocks behind her with a loud roar. A fireball licked upwards from a huge crater in the sandstone; large shards of rock flew past where she stood.

[Feldspar]

With the roar of the explosions behind him, and most of the fire being focused on the massive frame of Skystone, Rail would find a brief lull in the chatter of bullets being sprayed in his direction. As he bolted forward towards one of the vehicles, he would hear a surprised yell; apparently they hadn't expected him to charge.

Immediately though, they re-focused their fire on him. Like Skystone, the bullets were designed to bite deep. Whatever they were using had apparently been engineered to break through Cybertronian plating; to dig into any unprotected joint and thin areas they could find. As he bolted across the ground towards the vehicle, the MECH crew kept up a solid stream of attack.

Yet they certainly realized when he wasn't falling down, and they couldn't load up the next projectile faster than he could close on them.

"Go go go!" someone ordered. "Get outta here!"

One last burst of fire and the crew flung themselves out of the vehicle, running for the rocks and cover.

The vehicle sat on the dirt and sand, engine still rattling, doors wide open as Rail closed in on it. A few more bullets spattered past him, but whatever he wanted to do to the vehicle was fair game...

Right then, green and blue washed across the dry desert. Colors whirled and framed the dark eye within, a static hurricane of light.

Rail's sharp hearing would hear one of the humans shout--

"What the hell is THAT?"

"Bridge, they're bridging in, support crew! Dammit, I thought we'd blocked any transmissions!"

[Sparkplug]

Sand hurled sideways like horizontal hail as Sparkplug slewed around a rough, rocky ridge in the broken terrain. She'd never been given a cause to try out her new vehicular mode in an environment that it had been built for, not like this, and to her delight it was proving everything she could have hoped for.

Skystone's mild reproof dampened her enthusiasm a notch, but the delightful ping of receiving targeting data from the newly-crashed Autobot, Rail, more than made up for it.

:: What Rail said! I'm under the same orders, and I'm shooting for engine compartments here, but this feels pretty necessary to me! ::

As if to underline her words, a seething silvery streak blurred through the air and augured into the heap of rocks she'd been sheltering behind. There was just enough time for her processor to register its existence and expect the dull crack-snap of an electrical harpoon grounding itself on the bare stone, before the assumption was flatly contradicted by a thundering explosion. A fountain of black-streaked crimson rolled into the air, bearing a sudden hail of rocky shrapnel on the pressure wave.

If Sparkplug had been in her root mode, it would have prompted her jaw to drop open. Instead, the sheer force of her indignation was channelled into her transmission.

:: You thieving, scab-plated, rust-ridden swarm of corpse-maggots! Did you see that? If I hadn't moved, I'd be a widely scattered debris field of limbs and wheels right now! I'll give you lousy, scuttling scraplet-spawn absolutely necessary! ::

And, as if in answer to her fervent desire, she rounded the edge of the ridge to find a MECH vehicle sat squatly behind it, desperation evident in the sway the occupants were pivoting another long, inventively unpleasant projectile towards her.

Hah. I don't think so.

She didn't hesitate a nano-klik. The dual Gatling blasters jutting from her front wings spun up, vomiting a hail of purple bolts at the vehicle as she swung past it. Those bolts were merely the opening notes of the overture, however, as her particle cannon blossomed with evil green light. A solid beam of brilliance flared across the desert, searing trenches through the rocks it touched and filling the air with the stink of burned silicon. She swept the beam across the vehicle twice, nose to tail and back to the front fender again, before she cut the beam and reinitiated the charging cycle to top up her accumulators.

Without stopping to see the result of her weapon's onslaught, she lurched around another outcropping of stone, bouncing on her six-wheeled suspension. If there was a lesson in the missiles flying about the place it was to keep moving, fast and unpredictably. Locking onto the coordinates Rail had provided, she slewed and jinked towards her next target, not yet able to see the vehicles the other had spotted from his vantage point above.

In the thunder of detonations, she'd missed the roar of the space bridge opening and closing again. However, as she skidded across the desert, a momentary gap between a rocky outcrop and a ridge gave her a fleeting glimpse of the new arrival.

A brief, incredulous laugh sounded across the local radio frequencies.

:: Commander, sir! Good to see you! Oh, you filthy little carrion-feeders, you're in trouble now! ::

[Raf Esquivel]

Rafael settled back quickly to his computer, attempting to get back to what he had been doing. His throat hurt a little, but he hardly noticed it. Later there might be a reddish mark, easily explained away, but right now Raf ‘s mind moved instantly back to the task at hand.

In answer to Odessa’s question, Raf tried to explain while still working on his computer. As a result, his words were sort of stilted and there were odd pauses.
“When Blue and I were walking forward, he...... he was hit with something....that thing...and he was all....*click click click*.... electrified.”

He paused, looking up at the man, “That thing put some sort of massive power spike through Bluestreak!”

Images, memories, of the electricity arching deep within the Autobot’s optics flashed through the youth’s mind for a second.

“It’s like he locked up. Shut down. I don’t know if he’s aware or asleep!”

Raf looked back to the computer again, “I’m using a USB to get into the computer of that spike thing, trying to see if I can help Blue, or...or turn off those things.”

He looked up, pointing towards where the battle was taking place not that far away. It was just at the moment he was looking up, and pointing towards where the small silver drones were flying around and bullets were flying, that he saw the portal flash into existence.

Please be Optimus, Raf prayed, Oh please be Optimus.

It wasn’t Optimus.

The tall, slender mech that stepped from the portal made Rafael’s heart sink even lower. Soundwave? Now Soundwave was here?

“Oh this is so bad,” Raf almost whimpered, “This is so, so bad,”

He looked back to the computer again, fingers starting to fly over the keyboard, attempting to isolate why the screen kept flickering, what the interference was. Was it him? Why did he feel like he was working on a big static charge?

Something Odessa said suddenly flashed back to him, and he blurted, “Medicine! That’s why it made me think of Ratchet! It’s like the staff for medicine! Only...it’s not.”

His young face frowned as he thought back to what he had learned, “In school they told us it was often mistaken for the medical staff, but it was really a messenger’s staff!”

He looked back again, “So...is it supposed to be a medical staff, and they’re mistaken, or is it not?”

What to do? What if he hurt Blue worse by clicking?

For a second, he looked up at Odessa, as if the man could help, casting an almost pleading look behind his oversized glasses, but he knew in the end it was his decision. No one else’s.

Taking a deep breath, Rafael moved the stuttering mouse to the strange file with the symbol of the projectile sticking in Blue’s back, and clicked on it.

[Deleted]

Electrified

“Electricity?” Ok, That actually narrows it down hard. The electricity was used to short circuit and fry Bluestreak. Overcome his senses and lock him up. He stopped momentarily, gazing over the mechanics again. It brought his attention to the intrusion point of the missile. He knelt down into the wound, lowering his head deeper into Blue’s chassis. Sharp cracks of blue and white sang soft hymns inside Blue’s torso. Short pulses between silence. Illuminating the metal carapace gently. Electricity rightfully was the culprit. The internals of a bot were so fascinating to modern mechanics. A wondrous display of metals going in different and strange directions never seen before, yet oddly familiar. As if by sight he could tell what was piece was to do what, or where it was going. Furthermore he could see the familiar sight of energon. Blue was leaking something fierce, the equivalent of internal bleeding. But being unfamiliar with Cybertronian physiology, he couldn't exactly make out if this amount was indication of something to worry over or not, but the best thing he could do was not to panic and make the situation worse or alert Raf to a possible bleed out and make his panic either.

“High energy pulse. E.M.P. weapon. Alternating current.” Odessa went through a rundown of the schematics. “Cyclical charge... high current, means capacitor, crank battery to keep the capacitor charged.” A strong piercing head followed by a hollow cavity to eject these strings which ended in strange grasping hooks. Designed to bite further into the metal in the event of being pulled out manually. Even if he could pull it out, like hell he was going to try. This capacitor’s voltage was enough to fry a Cyb, it’d be enough to fry him.

He went back to the motherboard to scan it once over, at least now he knew what he was looking for, a capacitor device with probably one or a few feeder batteries to maintain a incapacitating charge. The insides of the harpoon were somewhat cramped to look around in and were rather difficult to decipher. In such a dim box, every black square looked the same.

A deafening, but all too familiar crack drowned out even the local gunfire. A groundbridge ripping space and time a new one. Odessa rose up from his kneeled position to stare confusingly at it.

“What the hell? We didn’t call for Bee or Op, or Ratchet did we?” His confusion grew even more intense when a wirely bot came through, with all the telltale signs of Decepticon stardom, all the while, completely unfamiliar. It did seem like Raf knew exactly who it was though. “Who the hell is that?” he was able to pick up Raf’s fear though. The little muppet working a mile a minute now. It rang through to Odessa to see Raf panic over this alien lifeform. He could relate. In the army you became close with so many people and to see any one of them leave this world for the next was all too familiar.

And he could see that very same feeling looking back into Raf’s eyes. It hurt actually. The same look in someones eyes to watch them panic as deep crimson stains soaked broken body armor.

“I don’t think they meant medicine. The Caduceus was the symbol of Hermes, the fastest messenger of the gods, the Caduceus actually has nothing to do with Medicine. This is a message to the bots, and it’s meant to be a quick one.” That wouldn’t have eased Raf in anyway.

“I think this weapon just overloaded his senses. Like a tazer… a tazer.” His fingers rolled along the harpoon in an epiphany. “Raf, I have an idea. This device is pulsing a high energy charge through Blue’s body, I think it’s sedating him by short circuiting or overloading his processor. I need you to shut down that system, overload the O.S. or bluescreen it, force a restart or something, but I have an idea. A really stupid one, but a quick and dirty one. I need to find the battery of this thing. Just…. need to find it…” All electrical devices had to have some sort of power and this thing was no different, durrr, but the battery controlling the capacitor to periodically shock Blue also must’ve powered the motherboard and GPS tracking as well. He went back to the motherboard and began tracing the cables out towards different aspects of the missile.

Ok. This wire goes… GPS. Odessa went ahead and with one quick wrap around two fingers and gave those cables a hefty tug, ripping them out with a cascade of sparks to follow. These go to… hard drive. While he wanted to rip those too, it would’ve cut raf out of this unit’s system. These little cables he was tearing at were electrified, but held no danger of being shocked. Even if he were, dry human skin would have the ohms to resist such pitiful volts. These… thruster, alright, those didn't matter, keep searching. One thick cable wrapped in mech lead to a small black box. It was a number and then ...V ...O ...L

Volts! Got it! This is it! This is the battery, which meant these other cables that came out lead to a capacitor. Reaching his arm into the ‘poon, he’d feel around until he got to a spherical like device with many more protruding wires. That was it, this was the cause. He’d pull his arm free of the device, remove his shirt and wrap it around his hand. Then his combat boots, taking the soles out to further offer something, even if paltry, between himself and the charge. Grasping the soles in his hand then wrapping the entirety of it with his shirt. God, this was a stupid idea. He was going to try separating the connection from battery to capacitor. Separating the capacitor from Blue would discharge the electricity into Odessa, and a charge enough to shock a bot would fry him and while he was still exposing himself to the capacitor's charge, the charge should still continue draining into Blue than backfiring into the battery. Even electricity was like water, following the path of least resistance. This wouldn't be enough to immediate stop the shocking as the capacitor would still drain into Blue, but without the computer regulating the capacitors alternating current, nor the battery to maintain the capacitor's charge, it would dissipate in just a few minutes.

He'd force his hand back in and search for the battery to capacitor cable.

"Ok, tell me when..."

[Deleted]

The battle was picking up in speed, and if she were being honest with herself, Skystone was having a hard time keeping up. The MECH bullets were still pinging at her armor, and places where multiple had hit the same spot were beginning to leak tiny amounts of energon, like a small cut would. There was a cacophony of sound, ammunition being set off; she needed to recenter soon and find a better vantage point to fire from.

Out of the corner of her optics, she saw Rail suddenly dive from where he was hiding and attack MECH directly, listening as he gave his opinion on her advice earlier. She absolutely understood the sentiment behind his words-kill, or be killed. However, she felt it at least needed to be said at some point that there had to be caution. The rest? Was up to what the other Cybertronians decided and what the situation called for.

Suddenly, a groundbridge portal opened. Oh, thank Primus, reinforcements- but she had barely gotten that thought through her processor when a being that was decidedly not reinforcements stepped through.

Skystone admittedly had been out of the loop most of the war, but she knew a higher up Decepticon when she saw one. If only because she would never have forgotten seeing a...face? Like that back at base. Her entire field shuddered with barely contained unease, this Decepticon had an incredibly eerie air about them. But all she could do was shake herself off, and assume that they were there to help, if for no one else then Sparkplug.

Speaking of.

Skystone was having vague ideas that maybe Sparkplug, at some point in her life before now, needed professional help. As the other femme went on, and on, railing against MECH, even Skystone couldn’t help the small smirk that came over her faceplate. ::Takin’ it awfully personally, aren’t you, Sparkplug?:: The words were dry, but clearly teasing, said with a tone of camaraderie. Now that Skystone had said her peace, she didn’t care as much what Sparkplug did as she had no way to control it.

As she continued firing off and dodging what other attacks she could, she watched as MECH destroyed one of their own drones, ducking her head slightly to avoid the debris as she carried on. One second later, though, a missile shot right next to her neck, nearly taking off her helm.

::We need to find a way to end this, and soon, before we have another casualty.:: She wasn’t sure who she was talking to at this point, but it was still something she felt needed to be said- if they didn’t end this fight soon, it looked like it could actually turn truly fatal.

[Deleted]

Rail’s intention has been to tear the can apart to get to the beans inside. He wasn’t expecting the beans to voluntarily exit their mobile armoured can. It made things easier really. The beans hadn’t a snowballs chance in hell of evading the rat. Oh sure they had hurt him, they had hurt him plenty with their surprisingly effective guns. He could feel the masses of individual bullets lodging under his dermal plating, and how they grated with every footfall. He knew already that he would be unable to transform until he was fixed, even his left hand blade was mode locked for now. But Rail was a rat in a corner and that was when he was most dangerous.



Rail took exacting notice of every which way the soldiers of M.E.C.H had run. With his focus tunneled, he took little notice of the newest ground bridge or who it divulged. It simply registered as an event to deal with later. With the enemy vehicle now sitting idle, and idling, it had become no longer a target. Rail switched off the heating to his blades to conserve energon, though they would still remain hot enough to boil blood for a few minutes. Continuing his sprinting pace however, he simply changed course. He swept after one soldier – the one seemingly carrying the largest weapon - chasing them down and flicked his right hand blade in a backhanded downward diagonal slash intending the cleave the soldier in two.