[ti]Ep 3[/ti]New Threads! [Kup, Neon and Rain]

[Rain]

Episode 3.0 | Week 1 | Day 4 | Dusk
Quicky moving to out and about Nevada

[[Congratulations! You have completed the quest “Planet Dirt”. Nice going adventurer! Your reward is the “Terran” skin for your alt-mode. To collect your reward, scan a terran vehicle that matches your personal specifications.]]


Rain almost skipped to the Ground bridge control room. She was doing her damnedest to act serene and calm but everything from her field to her footsteps radiated excitement. The autobot flier was a couple of minutes early for the meeting with the two other mechs. The plan was a quick and simple run to scan earth vehicles to update hers and anothers alt-modes so they would be disguised on Earth. Simple in theory but surprises awaited any unprepared.

She had arrived on the planet just over two days ago and everything was still new, and she was loving it. Everything, the flora and fauna - which she naturally loved - the terrain and cities and oceans was beyond her experiences. It was all so alien and a literal breath of fresh air. Her meditation had completely failed her as she was still trying to find her balance and harmony. After so much war, her passion for life was surging and she was likely making an aft of herself in the process.

Rain invented deeply and exvented slowly a few times trying to force a modicum of decorum from her circuits. Inside she knew she was really just going to have to burn off the excess energy rampant in her thoughts.

[Deleted]

    The Old Tesaran had spent his time at the Outpost either in his Quarters, the Rec Room in his favorite Recliner, or in figuring out what he'd be able to do in a place like that. There hadn't been anyone he could have taught or at least as far as he'd known, and a large number of the Cybertronians present hadn't really needed his tutelage by either having passed through the Academies at some earlier time or had learned hard lessons through the rigors of near constant duty against the Decepticons and against an Earth-bound Menace known as M.E.C.H. or they simply hadn't had time to hear his stories. There hadn't been that much for him to do or at least he hadn't found anything that needed to tending to since Ratchet tended to keep the Sickbay in tip top shape, Optimus kept the Outpost in functioning Order and Red Alert kept the Security Systems up to his own standards. The Outpost had been larger than most that he'd found himself assigned to, and with an Outpost this size he'd learned there had always been something that required attention. He'd set off from his Quarters in search of something to do, even if it had been something as minor as feeds on a monitor.

    His thoughts had been focused on who might have been around at that certain breem, what they would require and if he'd be able to climb into his favorite recliner by the end of it. There had been something else on his processor, something he'd tried to recall but had perhaps been tapped into a bad sector of his available RAM. He'd meant to do a lot of things, but had left most of it unfinished due to the War or having to fight to keep his helm intact. His pedes carried him into the Main Control Room of the Outpost while his thoughts had been focused more on attempting to recall that errant memory.

[Deleted]

Neon arrived a bit later than either Kup or Rain. He did not sleep much last night. (Mostly thanks to Thunder.) Then again, it was his choice to tag along with a convict, so it's not like he was completely innocent. He rushed in with eyes wider than the Grand Canyon and venting heavily. Neon clearly ran all the way from his room to here. Either way, it stood to paint a pretty bad picture of his timing when he found the confused old geezer and the chipper flier already waiting for him. This was not his usual self—The punctual, precise, and quiet intellectual. What an embarrassment.

"I, sorry. I didn't sleep much yesterday and then I had this really cool idea about the base's GroundBridge, and I think I can modulate a few components to adjust for Energon consumption while simultaneously extending the transwarp field's range by 0.0009%. Oh...right. I'm Neon by the way," Neon stopped himself from going on an excited rant about the poetry of GroundBridge engineering.

"Of course, you already knew that...I think," he shrugged and approached the other two Cybertronians, eyes facing the ground, thumbs twiddling. The cherry on top was an absolutely embarrassed chuckle with his Energon lines under his cheeks letting off a faint, blue blush for a good few seconds.

[Rain]

Rain approached the older mech, pressed her simple hands together, palm to palm and politely nodded. "Hi, I'm Rain, and you are Kup? Do I have that correct sir?" Her tone was pleasant and friendly, though with energy underlying her field. She had been at the base two days but had made an effort to catch names and faces. Rain judged Kup as being old, like, really old, and to her that meant he carried vast experience, skill and knowledge, traits to be valued. Keep on the good side of a mech like him and she might just learn a thing or two. 

The elder barely had time to respond when they were joined by a third. "Good day Neon!" He got the same show of respect at Kup, a polite nod of deferment. Rain inwardly chuckled to herself at the stark contrast between the three. Despite this, Rain did not fail to notice Neon's little ramble about GroundBridge engineering. It was a little tidbit of information she tucked away for later. She briefly eyed up Neon and immediately took in the distinct line of a cybertronian alt-mode, much like hers, and separate from Kup's. 

Rain turned back to Kup. "Could you kindly help us two wisps find suitable vehicle mode disguises?" The sooner she could fly in the open, the sooner she could burn off her energy and get back to being professional. She was still working on maintaining that good first impression.

[Deleted]

"I wouldn't worry about a lack of recharge, Lad. My old Drill Instructor in the Academy used to say, it's not the lack of a recharge that'll kill you but the Bad Batch of Cheap Oil that'll do it," the Old Tesaran said.

"Or was it a Recipe for Trench-Made Anti-Freeze?" Kup asked, himself.

"It was one of those. How are you doing otherwise, Lad? An Honor to meet you, Neon," he said. It had been true sometimes his available RAM had missing sectors, or skipped at times.

"An idea for the Ground Bridge?"

"You're rather energetic, aren't you...Rain?" the Grizzled Veteran asked, with a bit of awe for the younger Femme.

"It's my Designation, or at least the last time I'd checked. If there was another one of me running around, I'd be a little perturbed," Kup softly laughed.

"You've found the one and only Kup, of Tesarus," he'd say. "An Honor, Rain,"

"I think we might need to discuss that with Optimus before we schedule a trip outside for that. I wouldn't even known where to find one. I scanned mine in an old Gold Mining Town," the Old Warrior explained.

He had to admit that the young Femme had certainly been enthusiastic, and would be an interesting addition to those gathered at the Outpost.

"What about you, Neon? Do you need to discuss it with Optimus too? I think the three of us could go try to find him,"

[Deleted]

"Happy to meet you, Kup, Rain!" He exclaimed meekly, letting the two chat for a bit, listing their options and hatching a plan. After the old bot was done with is piece, Neon continued.

"Uhm, actually...I've done some research and the nearest highway isn't far. I could stalk by and just pick the first suitable thing that zooms by. I'm not picky, really! So long as it blends and isn't tacky. But as for Rain and Optimus—"

Neon twiddled his thumbs awkwardly, clearly anxious about the prospect of prodding Optimus about such a venture. Surely, the leader of the Autobots had better things to do than worry about two newcomers and an old war hound, right? He has often known other Autobots to be busy and they did not have half the worries on their shoulder like Prime.

"Maaaaaybe we don't have to bother him. I don't know. Sounds a bit, uhm, rude. I'm sure he is super-busy and doesn't have time for us newbies," he shrugged innocently.

"Oh, what about that grumpy human?! Uhh...Agent Fowler? I thiiiiink he was covered in my welcoming brochure, but it kinda got lost between the paragraphs upon paragraphs of safety protocols. (The local security chief must be a menace.) Anyways, can't that guy hook us up with an altmode for you, Rain?"

The young scientist was totally willing to hear Kup and Rain out. They seemed a bit more adjusted. Any social situation outside of his comfort zone was a bit difficult for Neon to deal with. And, well, his comfort zone started and ended with a cold, lonely laboratory. After all, he did not know much about Earth. Very little in fact. He was even less confident in his knowledge after yesterday since Thunder proved that a good 20% of what Neon thought he knew about Earth was wrong.

[Rain]

"Oh yeah, I'd really prefer not to disrupt Optimus, it seems he has enough on his desk just trying to keep us all fuelled." Rain crossed her arms in contemplation and lightly tapped her left shoulder with her right hand as she thought. "I know of Agent Fowler, but I have not met him either, perhaps that could be a wind current worth chasing..." It was certainly possible, but Rain was impatient, though she knew better. She really wanted to stretch her wings, and she simply couldn't until she could blend in. The temptation for a nighttime stroll amongst the clouds was high, but not enough for her to break rules. 

"I'm a little more..finicky...I admit when it comes to scanning an human vehicle for a disguise."  She absolutely meant she was too vain.

"The people of earth have not crafted many aircraft that truly suit my frame." They had plenty in terms of size and mass in the civilian circuit but the vast majority lacked an aesthetic that the vain flier would submit too. She had been informed that the military aircraft in development, namely flying wing drones, would just be too suspicious, almost as suspicious as her current cybertronian form. 

"According to the map I studied, there is a civilian airport not too far, and the highway passes close, but I am unable to check what aircraft are stowed in the hangars. I suppose I will have to accept whatever I can find if that route proves acceptable. What say you Kup of Tesarus? Do we dare the wide open on our own, go bother Optimus for permission, or seek out the Agent fowler?"

[Deleted]

"Agent Fowler? Who is....oh, yes. I'm not sure if he's around. You can check though," Kup said.

He'd heard of the Agent that had been helping them out, and had been their connection from the Outpost to the humans and though the old Tesaran had sworn he'd read about the man he hadn't been certain if he'd met him. Or had he?

"If you want to wait for an Agent Fowler, we can wait. If you want to venture out and try your luck, it's up to you. I found my Alt-Mode in a Junkyard. Some human had decided to throw it out or left it," he explained.

"The Humans can be innovative and genius in their designs. My old Platoon Sergeant used to say you never looked a gift horse in the mouth, that you never passed up a free Alt-Form since your enemy may overlook it...or was it that you never wore pink bunny slippers? No, that's not right," he said.

His memory had a tendency to skip sometimes, and uncover older memories that had been burned to his RAM in past Cycles. It had been something he'd meant to resolve, or at least see if he'd been able to resolve it.

[Deleted]

While the two other 'Bots discussed suggestions, Neon produced a datapad that had been, until now, conveniently hanging from his waist. He went over some of his research while still paying attention to his companions. It was not unlike Neon to multitask. He had a knack for this kind of stuff. But when Rain suggested just going out there to scan her altmode like it's nobody business—and Kup then endorsed it as a valid suggestion—he had to double-take and raise his brow.

"Seriously?"

He understood breaking the rules, not having all the proper permits, not going through the proper channels. When it was important, yes. But this was a matter of one or two alt-modes. What Rain suggested, quite frankly, sounded like too much risk for too little a reward. He couldn't even begin to think how much could go wrong if they tried to sneak off to a real, proper, and populated airport.

"I mean...I'm new here but," he looked at Kup, hooking his datapad back to his hips. "That's, quite frankly—and I'm not trying to be mean or anything—a liiiiittle bit risky."

He pinched his thumb and index finger closer together and hunched over in a shy manner. Neon didn't want to sound like he was discrediting Kup or Rain, but it was clear they weren't exactly thoughtful types. Especially Kup didn't seem to have all his screws screwed on tight.

"If even one human sees us, we could be in real trouble. The kind of trouble we can avoid since we have a liaison on the planet who can help you, Rain."

Neon turned towards the flyer hopefully, leaving it up to her to make the final call.

[Rain]

As suggestions and thoughts rebounded in Rain's processor, her gaze finally settled back on Neon. "Well you're not wrong, not one iota. Any undue risk is to be avoided and this Agent Fowler might just shortcut the whole affair anyway I guess.." Rain absentmindedly tapped her left shoulder with right hand in thought. She then spoke her thoughts aloud for the benefit of the other two mechs. Contacting the human representative really was the sensible option, Rain could not deny that.

"I can't contact Agent Fowler directly, I don't know the code or process, nor do I have the authority. I can comm Optimus and maybe he can set up a dialogue." More idle tapping. "I'll do it! It's the safest option, best to try that first."

Rain spoke to the air facing just to Kup's side. ::Optimus Prime sir, do you have a moment?::  She felt well out of her depth talking to the Matrix Bearer directly but her voice betrayed no hesitancy. 

---

Some time later, the cybertronians found themselves standing in a large civilian aircraft hangar having just stepped out of the ground-bridge. The hangar ceiling was high enough none of them had to duck, a rare blessing when dealing with human infrastructure. Inside were five aircraft, two to side and three in particular Rain was visually inspecting, a Velocity XL-RG, a Freedom Aviation Phoenix and the last was a Rutan Defiant. There was ample walking room around these three aircraft, driving room potentially. 

Of all the human designed aircraft, these three were the closest match for layout, mass and size. Rain had spent several hours using the human built internet to search for the closest match to her native form.

Rain turned to face her companions and rubbed her hands together greedily. "Taa Daa!"

[Deleted]

"I'm not disagreeing with, Neon," the Aging Warrior said. "I don't think Agent Fowler would be available at a drop of the hat. Someone like him tends to be buried in his work,"

"I think the Humans have gone to bed by now. Don't they have bed times? I had been to a planet in the past where the entire species had a mandatory curfew," he asked. "They couldn't be out. They couldn't do business. They had to be on their Recharge Racks by that time. It was an interesting planet at least,"

"I'll see if I can contact Agent Fowler. I think I have his number in my cranium, or maybe it's in the computer core. I hope it's not another Five-Five-Five number," the Tesaran said, crossing over to one of the computer consoles. He'd tried to bring up the number for Agent Fowler or at least the listing after a few minutes. "I tried that once. It led to an Inflatable Army Wavy Mech Commercial, where they wanted you to buy a special kind of polish where a single coat wouldn't wear off in a single LightCycle. That was a bunch of rubbish. There isn't any kind of polish that'll last that long. I'm glad I hung up when I did,"

* * * * * *

"I'm not exactly an expert when it comes to Flight Alt-Modes, but I think you picked a nice one. It suits you, Rain," Kup said. He'd accompanied them to the Hanger containing the Civilian aircraft, and for a nano-klik Kup had wondered what it would have been like to have been a flyer and toyed with the idea for that nano-klik before coming to his senses. If he'd wanted to become a Flyer, he could have scanned a new Alt-Mode when he'd been a far younger Mech.

"You're...quite fond of pink, aren't you?" he asked.

[Deleted]

Neon looked about the hangar. Impressive choice, given their circumstances. He didn't expect there'd be so many options available to a flying Autobot. A small sliver of envy made him feel his back for nonexistent wings, wishing he were equipped with flight as well. Oh well, at least Rain was happy and that sure as all hell counted for something. Yay!

And then, well, then Kup spoke and left him a little bit confused. Pink? What pink? Rain was clearly blue as, well, rain. Unless Kup spoke directly to him. In which case, yes, Neon was quite fond of the color. And cyan! Cyan was also nice.

"Me or Rain? If it's me, you'd be quite right! I very much enjoy pink and magenta... and I kinda, as the humans would say it, wear it on my sleeve a little, don't I?"

He chuckled with a shrug, tapping the pink-ish chevron on his forehead.

"Either way! These all look lovely, Rain!"

Neon, hands-on-hips, looked over the planes one more time and nodded proudly.