We are a literate, intermediate to advanced AU Transformers RPG Based off of the first season of TFP with dashes of other incarnations sprinkled here or there. Characters from any continuity are welcome however must be restyled to match the TFPrime universe.
Active, with ongoing plotlines, we are always willing to integrate new characters into storylines once incorporated into the setting.
Dipper wasn't sure how much he could offer in a way of strength. He wasn't a strong bot by any means. But he gave it his best shot. He put his hands on Rhinox and started pushing. His arms tensed up and locked in to position. They jiggled with tension. When there was no signs of success, Dipper dropped his arms and reconsidered the problem.
"Let me try a running start at it. That might work," said Dipper.
He ran towards the opposite wall and spun around. Putting his arms out, he took off running towards Rhinox thinking that with the extra running force, he may be able to help Rhinox through. He ran as fast as his little legs would carry him. He was about to make impact.
The running jump did the trick, jarring Rhinox the last centimeter past the lip of the access hatch with a painful scrape of metal on metal. He fell off the ladder entirely, whacked his head on the jamb on the way down (leaving a respectable dent... in the hatch), and landed flat on his back in the tunnel below.
And started to laugh. Primus, it was like a cartoon. (Raf and Miko had taken great delight in showing him human cartoons.)
"Perfect!" he called up, dragging himself to a sitting position. "That was a great landing."
As soon as Rhinox went sailing through the shaft opening, Dipper almost went with him. He stopped short on the very edge. His arms flailed about in flailing graceful motions. It was as though he were attempting to swim (or drown) in mid air. After a few seconds of wondering if he was actually going to fall, he managed to regain his balance.... mostly. Instead, the universe decided for that moment to hate him just a little less. He fell backwards and landed on his aft.
Scrambling quickly, he got on all fours and peered over the edge at Rhinox.
"Are you okay? I-I-I didn't h-hurt you, did I-I?" Dipper called down nervously.
Rhinox chuckled. Dipper really was dangerously close to adorable. "Believe me," he answered, hauling himself to his feet, "I have been hit a lot harder."
He gave himself a brief once-over. No error messages, a few scuffs - nothing to fuss about at all. He waved at Dipper's silhouette above him. "Come on down. We've still got a bridge to take care of."
"So does Rattrap," Rhinox assured him with an indulgent smile. "He still manages to be a royal pain in 'Con afts on occasion. You'll do fine."
He and Dipper went down the - rather short - access shaft to the groundbridge engine, all its working parts hidden here underground to guard against sabotage. Its guts - coolant lines and power cables - surrounded a central power core that hummed quietly in its rest state, as little indicator lights flickered along its center ring. It was, to Rhinox, beautiful.
"All right," he said. "Let's see to the old girl."
"Okay. I'll point out where I saw the hare on the first day. You can see some of my handiwork in here. I've been putting up some mesh near by to keep the animals from getting it. But I still keep finding them," said Dipper.
For he knew all too well how fatal a misstep could be for something so small. He walked over and indicated where he had originally found the hare.
Rhinox knelt to examine the mesh. "Nice work," he murmured approvingly. "Let's see..."
He ran his hand along the barrier, searching for points where it gave or split under his fingers. It was strong, clearly installed recently, and there was no evidence that anything had dug underneath, which, if he recalled correctly, hares were good at.
"No evidence of breach here," he reported. "They must be getting in some other way." He frowned. "The animals you keep rescuing are so small, we could be chasing our own exhausts for weeks trying to seal up every last crack."
Dipper sat down to start repairing some damaged mesh.
"That's pretty much what I have been doing. Except instead of weeks, it's months. I'm actually starting to wonder if I'm in the wrong shaft," said Dipper.
"It's possible," Rhinox allowed. "Maybe we should get some security cameras set up down here, see if we can catch them in the act. I'll ask Rattrap - he seems bent on wiring the whole base anyway." For what nefarious purposes, he didn't mention.
"In the meantime," he continued to muse, "I wonder if there isn't some alternate method of keeping them away. A smell, or a sound? Something that wouldn't attract a human's notice, obviously." He frowned, stroked his chin. "Mrs. Darby might know."
His Internet research on the subject had turned up some things that he suspected were quite spurious.
"Rattrap? I... can't say I've ever met him," said Dipper, "But Mrs.Darby seems smart. I think we can ask her about them. Maybe we can bring up some video for her to look at? I don't want to take the risk of bringing her down here. It's a little hazardous for anyone to be down here, really."
"You'll either love Rattrap or hate him," Rhinox commented dryly. "That's usually how it works."
Bringing video to Mrs. Darby, rather than bringing her down here, also made sense. Aside from the inherent dangers (was bridge energy dangerous to humans? Live wires almost certainly were) of bringing her, it would likely give the security team fits. He could just see Shadow's frustrated look.
He nodded to Dipper and hauled himself up off his knees. "Then that's our next step. In the meantime, this old girl still needs a little tuning." He nodded to the groundbridge engine itself.
Rhinox glanced up from his wiring check, a little surprised by the question - though of course, he shouldn't expect everyone to know his history, despite what huge gossips most of the Autobots were.
"Velocity I've only met in passing, but Airazor I know very well. She, Rattrap, and I served on a survey ship that became a war vessel - the Axalon." He smiled sadly - the memories never faded. They probably never would. "We've saved each other's lives more times than I can count."