Carbombya

 

 

     The grassy hills and savannas in the east, bordered by ancient volcanos and sprawling lava fields, are the only part of Carbombya not made up of barren desert. Until recently, the country depended on meager livestock herding and subsistence agriculture, but upon the discovery of a huge reserve of very high-grade oil beneath the shifting desert sands, things changed radically. The struggling democracy weathered multiple coup attempts by greedy neighbors and other interested foreigners before finally succumbing to the tender mercies of a home-grown dictator. There are no refugees from war torn Ethiopia being taken in as slave labor, not here under the enlightened rule of President-for-Life Abdul Fakkaddi!

 

 

Contents:

CPT

Trypticon <T>

Carbombyan Palace

Obvious exits:

 East <E> leads to Red Sea.

 West <W> leads to Nile River.

Fly <Up> 

 

Ratbat has arrived.

 

Scavenger emerges from the city that is Trypticon.

Scavenger has arrived.

 

Long Haul folds in on himself and transforms into a dump truck.

 

Dump Truck <Long Haul> is... want to guess? Anyone want to guess? No! You're wrong! He's hauling! Right now there are defense turrets (that'll probably just get ICly ignored next time the Autobots invade) to be built, and, as always, it falls primarily to the Constructicons to see that they're built correctly, but in order to do so, materials must be brought on-site. It is these materials that currently fill Long Haul's truck bed as he trundles along, muttering all the way.

 

Scavenger is also outside with Long Haul, but in robot mode, since there's no holes that need digging at the moment. If one were to look closely, one would notice that his "tail" was wagging slightly, and out of sync enough with his steps to suggest it's not just because he's walking. No one's yelling at him, he found a curious little lamp when he was digging earlier (and for some unknown reason, he wants to rub it...), and it's time to do what Constructicons do best! Build!

 

Dump Truck <Long Haul> grumbles as he rumbles up to the site, slowing and then stopping next to his brother. "Hey, Scavenger!" he shouts, just in case he needs to in order to attract his somewhat dingy brother's attention. "Get this stuff unloaded, will ya? Somma this stuff shouldn't just be dumped onto the ground... there should be a few components for the weapons systems back there."

 

"You got it, Haul!" Scavenger replies cheerily. The kind of cheer usually reserved for small children watching Saturday morning cartoons or a puppy who's master has just returned after being gone for... well, five minutes. Walking over to his brother, he begins happily unloading him. "More guns and stuff?" he asks. They're putting an /awful/ lot of effort into building defenses for what will no doubt end up being one of those places they run away from. Especially with Galvatron back to being, well, more nuts, if current orders are to be believed.

 

Dump Truck <Long Haul> DID say, 'a few components for the weapons systems,' didn't he? And the others considered /him/ the dull one! Sheesh! "Uhm... yeah. And if it weren't that, it'd be something else. You know how it is..." After all, the Constructicons are CONSTANTLY putting an /awful/ lot of effort into building stuff that just gets abandoned or blown up less than a week later. It's kind of in the job description.

 

Yeah, but that doesn't mean they have to /like/ it! Scavenger might not be a fancy-shmancy designer like Scrapper or Hook, but hey, he takes pride in what he does (even if that's usually digging holes---oh, how he loves his job!) and that means wanting to build things that don't get blown up. Quickly, he finishes unloading his brother. "How many of these things have we /built/ since we got here anyway?"

 

Scrapper emerges from the city that is Trypticon.

Scrapper has arrived.

 

Dump Truck <Long Haul> is having various building materials and a few more sensitive weapons components unloaded by Scavenger while he just kind of sits on there like... a big dump truck. "Oh, I dunno... one just kinda blends into another." Oh, sure, as an advanced alien robot, he COULD remember how many gun turrets have been built, but he just doesn't care that much. He would shrug but, well, once more... dump truck.

 

Scrapper is perched on a pile of girders, studying a datapad. He mutters to himself, occasionally glancing up to check what's on the pad against what's actually here. Scrapper pokes a finger into the pad's screen accusingly and his shovel flips up menacingly. He glances over at Long Haul and hollers, "We're low on components for the gun turrets!"

 

Okay. So Scavenger found something really neat in the sand that he has to run off and put away before things actually get interesting. But as he had already finished unloading Long Haul the transporter’s still able to transform. So he does. "What? You need me to get another shipment from Cybertron or... waitaminute..." The transporter's fists clench eagerly. "Are you sayin' what I think you're sayin'?"

The dump truck stretches out and unfolds into Long Haul.

 

Scavenger has arrived.

Scavenger returns, almost skipping with delight. He still can't believe he found the... whatever it was... in the sand! Granted, he has no idea what it was, but it was all shiny! Shiny! Sure, nobody else appreciates it, but that's nothing new.

 

Scrapper sighs and nods his head ruefully. He wishes that he could just send Long Haul back on a supply run to Cybertron. However, they require specialised parts that they'd don't keep in stock, and they need them now, so there's no time to fabricate them on the spot. That means stooping to nicking human-made parts. Scrapper has no qualms with stealing, but he doesn't like getting beat up by angry Autobots. "Yeah, Long Haul."

 

Bandit has arrived.

 

"At last!" Long Haul pumps a fist, excited. "'Bout time we quit playin' by these pansy human laws!" It's probably a good thing he has no mouth, because right now the grin would be so huge that the top half of his head would probably have fallen off.

 

Scrapper puts away the data pad and stands up, leaving his perch on the stack of girders. The new 'orders' don't make much sense. Why do this diplomatic charade if they're just going to raid and break it all? It worries Scrapper. He says, "I don't know... something doesn't seem quite right. Anyway, as much as I'd like to avoid it, the US is probably the best place to go for what we want. Constructicons, to the air!"

 

Scavenger has probably missed something important, but he's quite good at catching up on the "fly" so to speak. And hey, it sounds like they're going on a raid and that means a chance to rough up some humans and maybe shoot some Autobots! Always a good time!

 

Oh. And the other three Constructicons are here. The writers forgot to give them any lines.

 

Bah, we all know Hook would just be complaining about how lousy human-made parts are, anyway.

 

Bandit walks into the area and looks around. "Looks like something is going down...." he says as the group rallies.

 

Long Haul jumps clumsily into the air and awaits his brothers (and Bandit). Once all are airborne he'll follow like... a good little transporter that's currently spoiling for a fight.

 

* Spinny! *

 

<Earth> Long Haul fills in for whatever generic sensors, satellites, whatever, folks might have trained on Carbombya. Paying attention to these will reveal that seven Decepticons have been noted leaving the country and heading for North American air space.

 

California

 

 

     Covering almost 158,700 square miles, the Golden State contains everything from redwood and sequoia forests in the north, to the fertile Central Valley, to the deserts of the south and east. A land of contrasts, the lush beauty of forested national parks such as Redwood and Yosemite are matched by the harsh beauty of the Death Valley and Joshua Tree national parks. The coast, too, varies from waves dashing themselves at the foot of the rocky cliffs in the north to gentle swells lapping the sandy beaches in Southern California. The state is not only one of the most beautiful, but is also the most populous in the United States, concentrated mostly in major cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco.

 

 

Contents:

Scrapper

Porsche 935 Turbo

Autobot Standard Troops #5672

Obvious exits:

 North <N> leads to Northwestern States.

 Southeast <SE> leads to Mexico.

 West <W> leads to North Pacific - North American Coast.

 East <E> leads to Southwestern States.

Nevada <NV>  Fly <Up>  Arizona <AZ>  Mojave Desert <MD>  Death Valley <DV>  Los Angeles <LA>  San Francisco <SF> 

 

Bandit descends from the skies above.

Bandit has arrived.

 

Scavenger descends from the skies above.

Scavenger has arrived.

 

<Earth> Long Haul once more provides sensor data and what-have-you. Seven Decepticons, one jet and six robots.  Visual spy-satellites are to confirm that the six robots are, indeed, lime green and the whole lot are headed in the general direction of San Jose.

 

Ah, lovely California, and lovely Project Solutions, a computer components manufactuer not too far from San Jose, and the subject of tonight's... fun.

 

Scrapper lands with a thunk like the clunky payloader robot he is. A quick glance tells him that they're in the right place for stealing electronic components. He instructs, explaining to his brothers and the tag-along Seeker, "All right, let's make this quick. The sooner we grab what we need, the sooner we can get out."

 

Bandit flies in after the constructicons. He is along to take care of whatever needs to be done....recon, perimeter defense....whatever. With the go ahead to do more raids...he is anxious to get into some action.

 

"Bah!" exclaims Long Haul as he lands near his brother. "I hope the Autobots /do/ show! It's been too long since we've had a decent fight!" Even so, he follows orders, putting a fist through the wall of Project Solutions.

 

Scavenger lands beside his brothers, nearly completely gracefully or totally clumsily. Listening to Scrapper, he says, "You've got it, Scrap." Of course, having a seeker along on a Constructicon mission is a little odd, but, hey, nobody's complaining... yet.

 

<Earth> Long Haul stands in for a hard-hatted employee of Project Solutions components manufacturer. He's cool like that. "This is Steven Scrambling at Project Solutions. We are under attack by Decepticon forces. Seven giant robots are approaching and..." There's a loud crash in the background. "I've gotta get out of here!" he says, his voice tight with panic.

 

Oh. And the other three break in and start taking things, too. Probably some of these parts are getting stored in Mixmaster's drum, since Long Haul's truck bed just may be occupied with serving as Devastator's butt here shortly.

 

Shuttle <Sky Lynx> emerges from San Francisco.

Shuttle <Sky Lynx> has arrived.

<From Sky Lynx> : Twin Twist nudges Smokescreen while pointing at the board. "Check dat out." He obviously refers to bscan 8.

 

Scrapper bosses around the other Constructicons, making sure they all go through those silly little walls and into the building to grab electronic components. Once they're on the task, he enters as well, as he's got a better idea of what they need than some of the others do. Scrapper's midway into dictating the list when he remembers that they've got a Seeker along, absent-minded as he can be. He looks out through the hole he's made and shouts, "Uh, keep watch, eh, Bandit?"

 

Scavenger is happily raiding, his mind almost fully on his task, though he wouldn't mind stepping on a few filthy humans. But hey, today's task is raiding, not maiming, so that's what he'll do. "Stupid germs," he mutters as the tiny fleshlings flee in terror.

 

Bandit nods his head and flies up into the air, setting up a perimeter. He trains his scanners on anything that enters that radius.

 

With a leap canards and wings begin to fold out and rotate into place. Arms retract and legs change into powerful engines. Out of what seems a flurry of motion streaks a sleek and powerful jet fighter.

 

Shuttle <Sky Lynx> flies in faster than a speeding bullet! The large autobot shuttle begins to descend after its launch from Autobot City, "Rodimus, one of the EDC energon convoy for Metroplex is in the area. Perhaps they learn about what we're doing and they're here to intercept it... we must avoid that, Metroplex is not fully fueled yet."

 

Long Haul had already punched his way into Project Solutions, eager little 'Structie that he is, and is helping the others load components into Mixmaster's drum. Normally his truck bed would be used for this, but considering the likelyhood of it being put to other uses here, Mixmaster's drum will have to serve.

 

<From Sky Lynx> : Rodimus Prime nods. "I know that Sky Lynx, but they don't. Metroplex has plenty of fuel to get here and fight if necessary, I doubt they'll chance rousing the giant just yet, but we may have no choice if Devastator goes on a rampage."

 

Shuttle <Sky Lynx> continues to descend towards the raid site, "I got them on my scope Prime. They are attacking human installations." Finally the shuttle lands few meters aways from the installations. "We just landed. Get ready to give them hell."

 

<From Sky Lynx> : Jazz is doing whatever it is that Jazzes do while getting ready for a little skirmish. And making sure that things are definately on for whatever Rodimus has planned. Right hand men don't get much of a break, do they? "Metroplex ain't too far away either..." And whatever dieties help us. He's still disliking lime green and purple for some reason.

 

<From Sky Lynx> : Air Raid is currently trying to use a screwdriver to carve 'Air Raid was here' in Sky Lynx's interior. As a joke. Really. Ok, so he's mostly just sitting there, grinning like a maniac and holding his rifle. "We're here? Good." He rgets to his feet, ready for the smashing to begin

 

<From Sky Lynx> : Rodimus Prime stands from his chair and moves toward the loading ramp. "Weapons up bots. Foxfire, Jazz, I want you two to focus for the moment on getting any stray civilians out of the way, once thee area is clear, protect the convoy. Air Raid, the seeker is yours. The rest of you, well, I hope you like bashing green stuff." He grins wryly. "Questions? Comments? Give em to the secretary when we get back."

 

Rodimus Prime has arrived.

Rodimus Prime strides into the area.

 

Twin Twist has arrived.

 

Scavenger continues with his looting, occassionally taking an armload over to Mixmaster, 'cause, as previously noted, they might need to megre into Devastator. He stops, suddenly, and looks to the others. "You guys hear something?"

 

Jazz has arrived.

 

Foxfire has arrived.

 

Air Raid has arrived.

 

Black S-37 XF flies around and picks up a familiar image...."Decepticons....it looks like the autobots have arrived..." he growls in disgust, transforming as he does. He returns to the constructicon position, so that they can secure a combined front. "Multiple contacs....."

 

Long Haul looks up, radiating the glee he's unable to express. "Pit, yeah, I heard something!" Without waiting for Scrapper he drops what he's doing and heads back outside the building, taking a moment to glance back at the others. "C'mon, guys! What are we waiting for?"

 

Twin Twist slips off Sky Lynx, still carrying his weapon. Held by the handle with his right hand and secured by its grip with his left, it is slung low, its barrel seemingly to sway behind him. He keeps his shoulder down and his head up, veteran optics scanning for the slighest sight of hostiles while seeking the advantage of cover. Lining his sturdy body up with a nearby building, Twin Twist glances over the corner and immediately back. "Ain't seein' nuffin'.." He murmurs into his radio, "Whoz playin' our spy inna sky?"

 

The nose bends forward as the wings flip and rotate backwards. The engines spilt and extend, as arms, fists and feet are revealed. A head flips upward and locks into place with a purple shimmer of the optics.

 

Scrapper continues grabbing components. 'Shopping' is always such a chore. Pity he couldn't have just sent Long Haul to get this stuff... oh, slag! Autobots? Autobots! Scrapper panics, and pulls out the Constructicons' ace in the whole, shouting, "Phase one!"

The Constructicons, including the fun-fun bulldozer Bonecrusher transform to vehicle mode, idly knocking over walls that happen to be in the way as they do. Then, there's the cry of, "Phase two!" and there's a deep, nigh-subsonic rumble as the nightmarish amalgam that is Devastator is pieced together from his diverse components.

Scrapper shouts, "Constructicons, MERGE to form Devastator!"

With a shudder of metal, the Constructicons undergo a stunning transformation and combine into the mighty form of Devastator!

 

Devastator> Rodimus Prime steps off of Sky Lynx's ramp just in time to see the giant merge. "Remember the good old days, when the Constructicons weren't smart enough to do that until the end of the battle when they were almost slagged already anyway?" He shakes his head with a grin. "Jazz: Status on Metroplex if you please. Is he fully transformed yet?"

 

Devastator> Smokescreen steps out of Sky Lynx along with the others; for the moment, he's not even doing too much to contribute...yet. Just another quiet Autobot in the background. Even still, he's got his electro-scrambler rifle at the ready. He watches Devastator form and pauses just a bit...even after all these years, it's hardnot to get rattled by the beast.

 

Devastator> Twin Twist pokes his head around the corner and raises his brows at the sudden height adjustment made by the Constructicons. "Ah take it back. Ah see 'um, ah see 'um!"

 

Devastator> Foxfire bounds out of the shuttle, perking an ear in Prime's direction and laughing to himself. As best he can, anyway. Because his vocal circuits are still fragged. Then both ears lower as Devastator comes into view, and the saboteur stops in his tracks, optics widening slightly.

 

Devastator> Jazz pauses as he reaches the end of the ramp, making with the radios. "Almos' there, Rod. Should be on th' way in... two shakes o' a lamb's ta-" He stops himself, chuckles. "Should be on his way momentarily." Rattled? Nah. 'Course Jazz isn't rattled. He's seen it too many times, and.. uh. We just won't go any further than that. "Foxfire-- ya ready fer findin' the civies?"

 

Devastator> Shuttle <Sky Lynx> transforms back into his dinobird and take off, "I'm ready when you are."

Devastator> From his previous form, Sky Lynx transforms into his Dinobird mode.

 

Devastator> Air Raid groans as Devastator forms, but his targeting systems are already homing in on the one seeker present. "Well, I suppose I can take care of the nuisance in the sky. Prime!" The Aerialbot calls. "The others are on their way, but I don't think they'll make it in time to be much help!" But Air Raid locks on Bandit, and raises his rifle. "There's only one contact you need to deal with. Me."

 

Devastator> Bandit hovers there in the air as the Aerialbot trains his weapon on the seeker. His optics flare, "Is that so Aerialbot scum.......do you really think you are a match for me?" he flies about in an arc, and raises a glowing hand, sending an invisible wave of force. "You shall see what a true champion of the air looks like......right before you meet Primus!"

 

Devastator> Devastator shatters the roof of the Project Solutions building, sending debris everywhere as his pieces bind. He shucks the random building bits like an umbrella does rain, but those in the area may not be so lucky. Devastator announces, "PUNY AUTOBOTS WILL NOT STOP THE DEVASATOR!"

 

Devastator> Devastator unleashes his Project Solutions attack on Air Raid, Sky Lynx, Jazz, Foxfire, Twin Twist, Smokescreen, Rodimus Prime and Bandit, striking Jazz, Twin Twist, Smokescreen, Sky Lynx and Bandit.

 

Devastator> Jetfire emerges from San Francisco.

 

Devastator> Air Raid grins and leaps backwards, easily avoiding the blast from Bandit. "Wow. Yeah. A true champion of the air. Amazing. Tell me, Mr. Champion. Do the other Seekers laugh at you during target practice?" he asks, raising his own rifle, firing a maximum blast from his Torque Rifle before rolling and ducking the debris that falls all over the place from Devastator's attack. "Man, I hope the guys hurry up and get here." He mutters to himself.

Devastator> Air Raid strikes Bandit with Torque Rifle.

 

Devastator> From high in the sky, Sky Lynx dives towards Devastator, "The first shot is for me."

 

 

"You big ugly green punk will be stopped by Autobots!" Even though he is struck by the debries thrown by Devastator, the Dinbobird doesn't slow down and tries to shove his claws into the Decepticon Gestalt.

Devastator> Sky Lynx strikes you with Raking Claws for 12 points of damage.

 

Devastator> "Well, Rodimus, looks like our best bet is to-" Says Smokescreen, until...a shadow falls on him. Growing bigger, and bigger, and..."Oh Slag." and down it crashes sending Smokescreen a reeling backwards, where he lands in a heap- with a big old chunk of concrete pinning him down. "Little help?" he manages, voice shaky. <no attack>

 

Devastator> Foxfire nods up at Jazz, then yelps, startled, at Devastator's attack. Some quick thinking saves him from injury, but he has a feeling that this is only going to get more difficult. Then a small whimper emerges from his throat, as he notices Smokescreen's predicament. But there's not much a little tapebot can do, is there?

 

Devastator>       Gee, what a lovely variety of targets we have here today. A lone seeker, and a giant green monster. Which one will draw the ire of Rodimus Prime? I know, lets flip a coin. Too late though, as Devastator shatters the roof sending huge chunks of material flying everywhere. Rodimus rolls to the left, managing to avoid major injury as he returns to his feet. With Smokescreen pinned nearby, Rodimus levels his rifle at Devastator and begins laying down a volley of fire as he races across the battlefield to help free his comrade. "Be there in a second Smokescreen."

Devastator> Rodimus Prime strikes you with Photon Eliminator: <Low> for 13 points of damage.

Devastator> The building collapses -- no -- it explodes. The upper half of it topples over the shouting Jumpstarter that sought refuge beside it. "Waaaugh!" The cement burial lasts for only seconds. The loose rubble atop shifts and falls aside, allowing for Twin Twist to surface up. Large dents mar his helmet and upper body, yet they deter him none. Leveling that enormous chrome rifle at Devastator's knee, he pulls the trigger and unloads several loud rounds.

Devastator> Twin Twist strikes you with Semi-Automatic Rifle Cannon for 3 points of damage.

 

Devastator> You wake up in the morning, thinking 'This'll be a great day', and go about your business--- right until the concrete smacks the everloving crap out of you when you were busily looking the other way.

 

Which would explain why Jazz is no longer right next to Foxfire. Pushed backwards by the impact of the concrete to one shoulder. Ow. He isn't pinned-- just got grazed. Heck. He's had worse hits. But, since he's not here to fight, Jazz is going to have to get his silly aft moving, "Foxfire, g'wan an' help the civies. I'll see what I c'n do ta help Smokey." Yep. Jazz is gonna check on ya, Smokescreen. Fear. <no attack here>

 

Devastator> Bandit gets pummeled by debris from behind. He was totally not expecting that, as that came from his side. He will remind himself in the future to leave Devastator to his own stupidity. "Devastator....just whose side are you on....." he grumbles. Just as he is launched forward, it prevents any chance of dodging, and he gets nailed by a rifle shot from Air Raid. He flies backwards into a spin. He raises an arm and fires a blast of energy. "Well it would seem you are well on your way to victory Autobot....as you have a gestalt aiding your cause...." he curses as his voice trails off.

Devastator> Bandit misses Air Raid with his Fusion Beam attack.

 

Devastator> Devastator roars with frustration under the attacks of Sky Lynx and Rodimus Prime, but the attacks of Twin Twist might as well not be there. Taking a few steps forward on his mighty legs, the green and purple giant draws his equally giant rifle, locking his sights on Sky Lyx. "SAY BYE-BYE, BIRDIE!" he roars.

Devastator> You strike Sky Lynx with Solar Shot.

 

Devastator> Sky Lynx is struck by the plasma fired by Devastator, his armor his burned and the large Autobot feel the pain but take care to not show it. "That's your best shot? No wonder the Predacons keep saying you're outdated." Sky Lynx dives towards the gestalt once again, opening his jaw and firing a deadly attack on his own.

Devastator> Sky Lynx strikes you with Acetylene Blaster -- 2000 degrees for 4 points of damage.

 

Devastator> Foxfire starts to run off, but stops, and looks over his shoulder for a second, seemingly uncertain. But in the end, he chooses to go save the humans, and does so. At least he's good at it!

 

Devastator>       Rodimus finally reaches the spot where Smokescreen has been crushed beneath a huge concrete chunk. Stowing his rifle for the moment, Rodimus kneels down to grasp the piece of debris. "Have ya outta there in a flash Smokescreen." It takes very little effort for the Autobot Leader to lift the concrete away and toss it aside. He then checks on his fallen comrade. "You ok?" He asks out of concern. <no attack>

 

Devastator> "Oof!"

 

 With a little help from his friends, Smokescreen manages to shove the chunk o' concrete off of him. He staggers up to his feet, a sizable dent in his chest. "I hate it when they do that." he mutters.

 

 This said, he waves off the other Autobots, watching Sky Lynx & Devastator battle in a clash of the titans. Yet through it all, he levels his rifle, tracking one target through it all...and finally, *FOOP!* Off goes a single acid pellet, straight at Devastator's optics!

 

Devastator> Smokescreen strikes you with Acid Pellet Gun! for 1 points of damage.

Devastator> Smokescreen's Acid Pellet Gun! attack wears off at last.

 

Devastator> Air Raid laughs as he dives behind some debris. "Ha!" He calls back towards Bandit. "You couldn't hit the broadside of Omega Supreme!" he returns, lifting himself up over the edge to track his target. He fires his rifle again, but without a full charge for a much weaker attack. "Did you forget to turn on your targetting computer when you got out of bed this morning?"

Devastator> Air Raid misses Bandit with his Torque Rifle - Low Power attack.

 

Devastator> Twin Twist swipes fine dust off his shoulder. "So, uh, Smoky. Wot were yew sayin' 'bout dat tripwiyah?" He takes several steps back, slowly regrouping with Rodimus and Smokescreen as he keeps an eye on Devastator. His finger squeezes the trigger once more and the rifle bucks back, discharging several shots at the same knee spot.

Devastator> Twin Twist strikes you with Semi-Automatic Burst for 1 points of damage.

 

Devastator> Jazz is not needed over by Smokescreen. So. Hey. Why not go and do what he's supposed to. Keep watch on the fight, and help with the aiding of the civillian types. Yeah. It's good that Foxfire knows to follow instructions. Makes things a little easier. Sorry no talking right now. He's busilly off yammering at whoever he finds.

 

Devastator> Okay. We've got little stings coming from the cat...bird...thing... and little stings coming from the little ground-gnats, and none of them really hurt, but then, for no apparent reason, Devastator pauses, and raises a large Bonecrusher (available for aps!) hand to his head. "What... what..." And suddenly, the Constructicons break apart, bickering with each other as they fall. Long Haul can be heard shouting, "I AM NOT SOUNDWAVE'S PET CONSTRUCTICON!" as they tumble into a heap.

Devastator separates into the individual Constructicons.

 

As the seeker goes to fire his optic blast, his optics sputter and fizzle. He looks down at his battered body and he sees that he has main line leak, dripping his very lifeblood out into the atmosphere. "What in the slag........" he struggles as he coughs up energon. "I must tactically withdraw ........another time....I will promise you that..." he painfully transforms and retreats.

Bandit begins retreating, leaving himself vulnerable to parting shots from Scavenger, Long Haul, Smokescreen, Air Raid, Foxfire, Jazz, Twin Twist, Sky Lynx.

 

Scavenger has arrived.

Scrapper has arrived.

Devastator has left.

 

Scrapper has disconnected.

 

Sky Lynx blinks as Devastator falls appart. He didn't do enough damage to actually be responsible for that. The large autobot is surprised, he chooses to not charge the Decepticons, perhaps expecting a trap.

 

Rodimus Prime has disconnected.

 

Twin Twist looks to Smokescreen. "So. Mebbe we shuld tell thuh Construktikons ta get their act togetha b'fo' dey come a-callin' again?"

 

Jazz is gonna continue to do the things that he was asked to do. Civilians and... watch.

 

Air Raid grins, and raises his rifle to fire at Bandit, but doesn't, lowering again onc ehe tarets the seeker. "Well....I guess that's that!"

 

Foxfire looks utterly confused as Devastator...falls apart. With Long Haul yelling about not being a pet? Weird. Oh well, at least they're not Devastator anymore! He looks to Jazz, as if expecting him to ease his confusion.

 

"You're right, Twin Twist. You get him to go to the left, and I'll-" and then, even as Smokescreen says all this, he catches sight of his little acid pellet smacking Devastator's face...

 

 And then Devastator collapses!

 

 Smokey lowers his rifle for a moment, glancing at his rifle, and then back at the pile o' constructicons. Hell of a trick, that.

 

 "Don't get cocky yet, 'bots!" he warns, striding forwards toward the bunch. "We've still got six green goons to kick around, here..."

 

Sky Lynx has disconnected.

 

Twin Twist lightly shakes his head. "Givvit a minute."

 

Bandit soars upward into the sky.

Bandit has left.

 

Long Haul actually looks like he's about ready to attack the other Constructicons! Luckily for him, by the time he detangles himself he's realized that this would be a very, very bad time for that. Long Haul is brave bordering on stupidity at times, but even /he's/ not THIS dumb. And then Scrapper runs away, as too the unplayed bunch, so Long Haul decides it's a good time to follow. He clumsily takes to the air and follows his lime-green fellows.

Long Haul begins retreating, leaving himself vulnerable to parting shots from Scavenger, Smokescreen, Air Raid, Foxfire, Jazz, Twin Twist.

 

Getting himself detagnled from the others is tricky for Scavenger. Someone... maybe Mix or Hook... is on his tail, but he manages. Of course, he'd like to stay and fight just as much as anyone, but it's just not going to happen. With a grunt, he takes to the air, following after the others.

Scavenger begins retreating, leaving itself vulnerable to parting shots from Smokescreen, Air Raid, Foxfire, Jazz, Twin Twist.

 

Jazz has disconnected.

 

"So. Yew were sayin'?" Twin Twist says to Smokescreen as the Constructicons just beat it. He shakes his head again and turns about, lugging his rifle up to lean against his shoulder. "Lemme know if somethin' wit' a point happens."

 

Smokescreen hmms, and lowers his rifle as the goons retreat. "Well, that's about that, then." he taps at the side of his helm, activating his radio. "Stand down the Transform order, Metroplex. We're got everything under control...and send some cleanup crews, while you're at it. Devastator really made a mess of this place."

 

* Spinny! *

 

Trypticon Medical Bay

 

 

     Several operating tables are set in a row here, and long benches line the walls. On these benches are assorted tools and equipment used in repairing damaged Decepticons. The benches near the door are for patients waiting their turn for treatment. Scattered throughout the room are various repair droids, awaiting the arrival of more wounded to repair. The room gives you the perception of being immaculately clean, with not a single tool out of place. Your olfactory sensors pick up the faint odor of the cleansing solutions used to keep the room clean and sanitary.

 

 

Contents:

Scavenger

Sign

Gumby Medic

Obvious exits:

 East <E> leads to Trypticon Laboratory.

 West <W> leads to Trypticon Main Hallway.

 

Long Haul's internal systems have pretty much taken care of what damage he got during the battle, and he really didn't take any direct hits (people tend to go after Hook as the head or Scrapper and Mixmaster as the feet, and leave the ass alone), so he doesn't even need a new paint job. This does not change the fact that he is PISSED. He's practically SEETHING. He's doing his best to sort through the tiny human technical components (ah, inventories... yet another one of the joys of being a supply officer), and it's obvious that it's all he can do to keep from smashing the pieces in his oversized fists.

 

Somewhere along the line, Scavenger somehow decided that in addition to being the Constructicon excavator and miner, he was also, for better or for worse, their moral officer. Certainly, he's good at getting people to vent and be a good audio, so... "Looks, Haul, it happens. We're Dev, stuff gets muddles around, you hear stuff people were just thinkin'. It doesn't mean anything."

 

"It doesn't mean anything? It doesn't mean anything?!" Long Haul snarls, leaning back and throwing up his hands, smashing whatever he's holding. Oops! "Oh, I guess not!" he adds sarcastically. "After all, it's only what he was THINKING about me." Sure, he doesn't specify who-he, but it doesn't matter. They're all hes... well, more or less. At least, that's the correct pronoun.

 

"Well," Scavenger says, even as he takes a small step back from Long Haul, "it wasn't me, and Mix probably doesn't care about that kinda stuff, so that just leaves maybe Scrapper, Hook, and Bonecrusher. And I don't think Scrapper's gonna go all petty on us like that.... So really, just Hook or 'crusher." Logical enough, at least through rose colored optics, at any rate. Personally, his money's on Bonecrusher. Hook's too snooty to use such a low-brow insult. (Scavenger learned the word "low-brow" a loooong time ago, from one of Hook's insulting tirades consisting of asking questiong his continued association with the rest of them.)

 

Long Haul shrugs and calms down. Rather quickly, come to think of it, but then, the Constructicons are known for swift mood swings, especially when dealing with each other. He goes back to sorting piece-parts, taking a moment to brush aside the broken pieces of what was in his hand. "Yeah, I guess so... although Scrapper was the one who thought I painted Hook." He snorts. "If I'd'a done that, I'd'a taken credit for it! But yeah, I guess I'm making too big a deal of it... I'll just pound whoever thunk it into scrap in the training room or something. Not in fronta the Autobots."

 

"Sure," Scavenger says amiably. Then, switching the subject, he makes a gesture toward the various computer parts. "We get anything useful?" If not, well, that wasn't great, but it was better than nothing. He'd have liked to have hanged that dinobird Autobot's head to him, but, well, things happen.

 

Long Haul looks blankly down at the components. Well, okay, he has no face, but still. Then he looks up at Scavenger. Then back down. He shrugs. "Look, I'm just sortin' the things by how they look. Scrapper or Hook would be the ones who could figure out how useful this scrap is. Hell, I thought you knew this stuff better'n I did!"

 

Scavenger shrugs uncomfortably. "Maybe," he says, perhaps a little bit embarassed. "Just 'cause I know the stuff doesn't mean I have to show it off." In fact, he's uncomfortable doing so. Showing off just leads to the other guy feeling crummy, and that's the last thing Scavenger wants. Unless it's Soundwave or one of his midgets. ...Or whoever's on the Constructicons "Hate" list this week. He moves over by Long Haul anyway, and has a look at the components anyway. "Not too bad," he says.

 

Long Haul covers his optic band with the palm of his right hand. "Scavenger. If you don't 'show off' from time to time, yer never gonna get scrap done!" he explains, his tone weary but patient, like a long put-upon kindergarten teacher. "Look, you like to be useful? Help me get this stuff sorted in some sorta way that makes sense! I can't figger it out on my own!"

 

Well, Long Haul's got a point, Scavenger supposes. "Sure, Haul," he says happily, taking another look at the various parts. "OK," he says after a moment, "looks like we got three kinds of parts, mostly. Circuit-boards, memory modules, and some communcations tech. And maybe a little software too, not that I can tell what it does without running it."

 

"Right, right," says Long Haul absently, even boredly. He tilts his head back a little and shakes his head somewhat impatiently. "Look, I doan' care what it does. All I care about is what bin I should put what in!"

 

"OK," Scavenger replies, "memory modules and circuit-boards can probably go together with the other hardware stuff, and the comm. tech should maybe go in with the "stuff we need to upgrade to our standard before we use it" bin, and the software, well, odds are, it's junk, and I mean /bad/ junk..."

 

================================= Decepticon =================================

Message: 2/5                       Posted        Author

Project Soltutions Raid            Wed Apr 06    Scavenger

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The distinct form of the Constructicon Scavenger appears on the screen, a seeming nervousness in his posture, as though he doesn't really want to be "on-camera" but doesn't have much of a choice.

 

 

 "Seeing that we were running low on supllies, Scrapper led us on a raid of a human installation called Project Solutions, accompanied by the seeker Bandit. We were able to retrieve a small amount of what we needed--computer parts, we're still checking what exactly--before the Autobots--Sky Lynx, Air Raid, Jazz, Twin Twist, Foxfire, Smokescreen, and Rodimus Prime--arrived to engage us. We formed Devastator and held off most of them, and Bandit fought the Aerialbot, until, ah, disorienting damage forced us to break apart. Seeing as how we were out-gunned, we decided to get out of there with what we had. Um...ah... And Bandit there did a good job playing look-out and keeping some of the fire off so, so I think he's got my commendation. Scavanger out."

 

 

 The Constructicon then reaches forward to hit a switch. Cut to spinny.

==============================================================================

 

============================ BB Post in Progress =============================

Group:  Reports

Title:  Devastator Attacks Project Solutio

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Project Solutions, a computer components manufacturer near San Jose, California was raided by a Decepticon force this evening, to include the behemoth known as Devastator. Although the attack was cut short by the arrival of the Autobots, several sections of the building were virtually leveled by the giant. The battle was short lived, however, as the Autobots were able to quickly force a retreat. The cost of damages and stolen goods has yet to be determined, but human casualties were virtually non-existent due to a swift evacuation of the building and thanks to the timely assistance of the Autobots.

==============================================================================