Cairo

There are visible signs of improvement in the once-destroyed city of Cairo. Many of the outlying, burnt-out buildings have been cleared, as well as the blackened, twisted metal that made travel so hazardous. The countless dead have been recovered and given proper burial. Near the spaceport, a vast tent city has been erected by the Autobots and the Red Cross, equipped with badly-needed food, supplies, and equipment. The massive skyscrapers of the downtown area still lie in ruins, huge, ragged chunks of concrete and twisted girders piled high, but much of the debris has been moved out of the way in the search for both the dead and any survivors. Oddly enough, the spaceport outside of the city and the massive Arcology still stand, untouched.

Contents:

Arcology

Obvious exits:

North <N> leads to Mediterranean.

South <S> leads to Nile River.

Southeast <SE> leads to Red Sea.

Southwest <SW> leads to Sahara.

East <E> leads to Cairo Spaceport.

Fly <Up>

Porsche 935 Turbo arrives from Mediterranean to the north.

Porsche 935 Turbo has arrived.

Well, assuming that the @desc is up to date (with this place you never can tell), there's construction going on here. LOTS of construction. And somewhere, on one of the many construction sites, sits a lone lime green dump truck with dark purple tinted windows, the world's most pimped out dump truck, currently being loaded with supplies. Whether the humans loading him are merely confused or have been bullied into the job is yet to be seen.

Assuming can be fun. But anywhere there are humans, there's activity. Building is just one of them-- so we'll continue to assume that there'll be construction going on no matter what.

That said, there's definately a slightly out of place element on the streets of Cairo right now. It'd be something that has a spoiler, and looks like it'd be more at home on a race track than a dusty street. But hey. Jazz... will find a way to fit in eventually-- all the better to find ways of keeping tabs on the Decepticons in the neighboring country. He's better than he was before. And he has a job to do.

Which would be why the White Porsche is cruising through, and checking out some of the construction sights that have not yet been raided. Slowing down... Third lime green dump truck he's seen today. The other two had pink detailing and partners that were neon orange and yellow.

Neon orange and yellow? Fine colors for construction vehicles, granted, but WRETCHED colors for ConstructiCONS. But this particular lime green dump truck is not currently doing anything blatantly obvious at the moment. Just getting loaded. It'll be when he trundles off without a driver that things will become really apparent (you'd think the dark purple windows would be a dead give away, but it's really startling how often Transformers fall for each other's disguises...)

Hey man! Don't blame them! It's like ignoring the fact that you've got a bunch of antique 80s cars running around the streets on Earth, and no one points at them and says 'Either that's a nice shiny antique, or a Giant Transforming Robot'. Really.

And there'd be the dusty herd of camels and children and goats running across the road, and slowing up the pretty dirty Porsche. No sighing. It's just good to see the colors and have an excuse to sit back and watch the loading... Hmm No pink. Better keep a slightly closer watch on that, and see if Jazz can talk to the driver. Deja Vu... South America... Truc-- Awww... man... definately keeping an eye out for other construction vehicles.

Yes, but this time there's no high-heel-former around to back the poor ass up! (You know, ass... as in donkey, since he's constantly hauling stuff? Ah, never mind) The humans finally finish loading and the dump truck starts up... and still no driver! Well, it would seem all the cards are on the table now...

Oh great... Make it more obvious. No dump truck driver has a remote car starter, especially in Cairo. This is CAIRO. . .

Which is why the Porsche pulls in front of where the dump truck is parked, and... yeah. He transforms. Because it's kinda hard to intimidate a Decepticon while you're ... a vulnerable sports car type. "Hey there..." Jazz says casually, giving one of those big ol' smiles. "Ya mind tellin' me where ya think yer takin' this load?"

Here he thought he was just going on another dumb ol' supply run, but instead and Autobot has shown up! At last! Conflict! Hitting! But he'd still better put /some/ effort in, you know, accomplishing his actual mission. "Erm... other site, down the street?" Oh, wait! He just spoke without a driver! Damn, that's not gonna work!

Jazz shakes his head, "Ya know, Carbombya ain't down the street. It's th' other direction entirely." Hopefully those construction workers will get spooked by the driverless truck speaking. Back away little humans. Back away. "So why don'tcha jus' dump this load, an' get on outta here 'fore someone hasta get hurt." Threat? Uh. yeah. He doesn't really want to start a fight, nor does he want to get hurt over a load of supplies. Maybe Ricochet is coming through, because Jazz takes a quiet gander at what Long Haul is toting today. Curiousity. It killed the cat.

<OOC> Long Haul says, "Permission to ram, Jazzy?"

<OOC> Jazz says, "Permission granted. Just remember to use pro-- ARGH. Mind must get out of gutter.:)"

Oh, steel beams, bags of cement, things of that nature. Really, this is one of those dreadfully dull supply runs that Long Haul abhors. And does Jazz /really/ think he's going to get the Constructicon to leave with a threat? I mean, come on... this is Long Haul we're talking about! Not /too/ long ago he cheerfully went toe-to-toe with Grimlock! So his response is, "Oh, y'gotta be kiddi-" before he gives up (words having never been his forte anyway) and instead throws his engine into forward, gathering up as much momentum as he's able to muster as he heads towards Jazz.

You strike Jazz with Lime Green Grill.

Ok. The fact that Jazz was supposedly dead for a while probably didn't cross Long Haul's radar. Because he doesn't have one-- not being an airplane and all. That might make some go 'Huh?' for a moment... but hey. Lime green coming Jazz's way, while his attention is on a pretty package of cement in the truck's bed.

*CRUNCH*

T"Ow... hey... gone an' ruined m' bran' new--" Jazz complains, grabbing for the cab.he white mech is not going down /under/ the truck. He's a little big for that-- he's gone flying. And trying to grab ahold of the dump truck as he does-- hey! He could hitch a lift! Either way... Jazz is an idiot. But he's a persistant one.

Jazz succeeds in grasping Dump Truck <Long Haul>, throwing him off-balance.

<OOC> Long Haul says, "So you're on my hood?"

<OOC> Long Haul says, "Or are you in my bed?"

<OOC> Jazz was going to grab for your cab to flip himself into your bed.;> And that sounds really really bad...

<OOC> Long Haul has a NAUGHTY transform!

<OOC> Jazz says, "bwee."

"Hey-whaddiya-getouttathere!" yells Long Haul as Jazz *snerk* flips himself into the Constructicon's bed. And of course, this means if Long Haul transforms just now, Jazz will be... grabbing him around the legs? Oh dear... the dump truck hits his breaks hard, trying to jolt Jazz off that way. Then he backs up at full speed for a bit and stops again. He does this a couple of times, although there's a good chance he dislodges more supplies than Autobots...

Ow. That's gotta hurt. But Persistant Autobot that he is, Jazz is going to... try to hold on. Not for dear life, because it's not quite that ... intense right now. Instead, he's ... grinning like a maniac. "Whassamatter, Long Haul? Forget how ta drive?" He doesn't want Jazz in there, so guess where Jazz is going to try to stay? "I can teach ya again, if ya want." Smartass. We'll see if he tumbles out on that last jolt though. Could be iffy. Fingers are still a little stiff an' new.

Jazz succeeds in grasping Dump Truck <Long Haul>, throwing him off-balance.

Dump Truck <Long Haul> is the ass! Granted, he's not a smartass... but he's not exactly a dumbass, either. And now, unable to shake Jazz loose, he gets a clue and instead resorts to transforming (might as well! at this point he's got hardly any cargo left in his truck bed anyway!). Through the marvels of crappy animation whatever's left in there stays in place until he's done transforming and then everything falls all at once. Jazz may or may not be holding onto Long Haul's legs at this point, but if he is, all the better to kick him with!

The dump truck stretches out and unfolds into Long Haul.

Jazz evades your Dump Truck Foot attack.

Nah. Jazz apparantly felt the rumble that usually means that someone's going to transform, and... well... he let go. Which means he's dumped with the rest of the crap from Long Haul's bed. He got DUMPED! And now the Ass wants to kick him while he's--- waitaminute. He's not down. Jazz is... over there. Borrowing a steel beam from the cargo, and swinging it at the Decepticon's head. Owie. Y'know. Jazz is REALLY hoping that there aren't more constructicons hanging about. This could get messy.

Jazz strikes you with Cad! for 9 points of damage.

*CLANG!*

Long Haul is clonked aside his silver head, and while there's a decent sized dent left where Jazz got his revenge for being ousts from Long Haul's bed, odds are the steel beam got the worst of the encounter. "Ow!" grumbles the Constructicon, raising a hand to check the dent before balling that hand into a fist. "Why, I oughta... I'll teach you to try an' ride me!" He swings that same fist towards Jazz's pretty face.

(Now, obviously, Jazz already knows how to ride Long Haul, and threatening to teach Jazz to do it was a rather stupid thing to say, but let's face it, folks on both side tend to use that rather moronic phrase a lot...)

You strike Jazz with That'll Learn Ya!.

No one's ever accused Jazz of being 'pretty'... and being clonked in the face probably isn't helping matters any. Though with his bust, he'd probably be a knockout female-- er.

Or something. As is, that's another *whang* Jeez ya broke my nose moment. You'd think he wants to break Jazz's face or something.

"Why d'ya need t' do that--" Ooof. Grunt. "Y'ain't no challenge-- Scrapper's more of a challenge t'ride than you are." And the grin is back. As is his own fist, since he's had to drop that beam... not that it's going to do him any good anymore. "Yer too slow."

Jazz strikes you with Sucka punch for 6 points of damage.

Wha-huh? Long Haul is an easier ride than Scrapper? How does Jazz know? Erm... let's not go there, since we're probably already pushing a few limits as is...

Jazz's fist hits Long Haul firmly in the... where there would be a nose if Long Haul had a proper face. He shakes his head slightly and, rather than answering Jazz's taunt, retorts, "Was that s'posed to hurt?" before clasping both his fists together and swinging them up towards Jazz's chin.

You strike Jazz with Two Fists Are Better Than One.

Take it on the chin! With a grin, and... Uh... hard to grin when your jaw is broken Guess who's going to be yammering incoherantly at Long Haul now?

Yep. That'd be the Autobot. That is, once he picks himself up from where that last blow sent him-- through the recently erected framework of the building that Long Haul was trying to get supplies from. Jazz /is/ getting up and out-- even if he's staggering, and looking a little punch drunk. Though it's hard to tell for sure. "Naah.. dis is s'ose t'hur..." Yeah. He's breaking out the guns. Judgement impaired slightly? Nah. He's a good shot, and hopefully this'll encourage the Constructicon to move along... nothing to see here...

Jazz strikes you with moooove along... for 7 points of damage.

Long Haul gets hit right in the driver's cab! Ouch! Now where's his driver gonna sit? Oh, wait...

Long Haul, for his part, is not a good shot, but he pulls out his laser anyway as he starts moving TOWARDS the Autobot, trying to close so he can once more bring his strength to bare. He's not getting hurt near enough to get him to run away just yet, after all.

You strike Jazz with Pathetic Laser.

Ahh crap. The only thing good about this is that there's no one behind him with a sword. And he's got his radio, and he's not outnumbered... this isn't New Orleans.

The Meister does, however, get that little touch of panic. Y'know-- the desperate fight or flight moment-- the unflappable has been flappied. Last shot singed something. Slaggit. He's usually a whole lot calmer in battle. "Go ho." Jazz tosses at the Decepticon. Along with that desparate missile... Damnit. Jazz. You'd better not miss... but of course he's going to, the need to not miss being as great as it is....

Jazz strikes you with missile for 15 points of damage.

No, Jazz doesn't miss, because Long Haul is slow and clumsy, and thus he takes the missile right in the chest and is thrown backwards and off his feet. When he stands again his chest armor is cracked and scorched, and a few good bits seem to be missing as well. "You go home! I was here first!" Well, it's more or less true, after all... ah, the witty banter. The dump truck runs at Jazz and tries to /shove/ him, for whatever good that may do.

Jazz evades your *PUSH* attack.

Thankfully Jazz was able to stagger out of the way. Loose screws and all. "Naah... y'need t'go." He's not exactly ... uh. Crap. Hopefully the EDC or something will pick up on the fight. Flick. Out comes a disruptor. Maybe he should stun Long Haul, and see about hauling him home. . . in a minute, maybe.

Jazz strikes you with disruptor for 3 points of damage.

Long Haul stumbles past Jazz in his clumsy attempt to shove the other, and then is zapped by a disruptor. He hardly notices it. Now, he could reply, "No, YOU need t'go," but really, that would be rather pointless, so instead he balls up his fist once more and swings his right hand out and back, trying to knock Jazz aside.

Jazz evades your Black Fists attack.

That would be Jazz ducking under the swing. Long Haul only missed because Jazz was doing crazy half-assed Kung Fu ... er.. legsweep. Maybe if he sweeps the big guy off his feet, he'll settle down and just go home. Not likely, but hey. You take a few blows to the head and see how clear your thinking is.

Jazz strikes you with legsweep for 3 points of damage.

Long Haul gets knocked off his feet, but the action hurts his pride more than it hurts him, and he's still none-too-likely to go home. If he goes home, he has to work. If he stays here, he gets to fight! We're talking no contest here! The Constructicon remains on his robobum and kicks out at Jazz, aiming for the legs, but more because they're most convienent than for any particular tactical reason.

You strike Jazz with Dump Truck Foot.

Unfortunately, they've already been damaged before, so the kick... knocks Jazz off of his feet. Whump. Crash.

"rrrgh!" Yes, and if Long Haul doesn't go home, Jazz might just run out of energy. Breaktime. The White mech shuffles a bit to reach for-- oh. That'd be his gun. No. The Photon one. "'Et outta here." Dead sincerity.

Jazz strikes you with Photon shot for 13 points of damage.

Long Haul screams, because that hurts, and burns into his paint job, and melts the edges of his frame, but Long Haul isn't ready to run away just yet! But still, since Jazz is using his big guns, Long Haul decides that maybe he oughta use /his/ big gun. Er, rocket. Whatever. The Construcitcon transforms once more and fires.

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

Jazz evades your Anti-Porshe Rocket attack.

Thankfully the screaming and transforming bit gave Jazz the time he needed to get his feet under him, and dive out of the way. Thank goodness for shoddily constructed walls and such. They make good cover. Cover so that the porscheformer can try and stunn the silly green thing. Collateral damage is getting out of hand... and he's not doing so hot right now. Not even an attempt at a witty remark. Silly punch drunk Jazz.

You are temporarily incapacitated by Jazz's It's just one of those days! attack.

Dump Truck <Long Haul> is... stunned! Of course, he's a dump truck at the moment, so there's no dramatic falling and hitting the ground or bumbling around or anything. He just... kind of... sits there, exactly like a big, battered, driverless drump truck.

Yeah. That's some stunning music. Of course the Jazzmeister is going to limp over towards the truck, doubled fists... and.. try to smack that window. Not that he's going to be able to do much damage right now-- there seems to be a leak in one of his systems. Missile didn't launch like it should have. Hrm.. troubling. But hey. Hands-on works. Sometimes.

Jazz strikes you with vandalism for 10 points of damage.

Dump Truck <Long Haul>'s purple tinted windows are shattered. Dammit! Does Jazz have any idea how hard it is to get purple tinted windows designed for a dump truck! Obviously not! But the shock of the hit does wake Long Haul back up and... well, looky here! Jazz is standing in front of him, and Long Haul's sitting there as a dump truck. Return to step one, begin dance again! VROOOM!

You strike Jazz with Lime Green Grill.

Yeah, but do you have any idea of how much trouble it's going to be to get pieces of a porsche spoiler and hood out of the fender of a dump truck? And Jazz is again hit hard, and sent flying. Would he be able to repeat the drive? Hardly. He doesn't even have time to think about that before he hits the ground and starts rolling. In trouble? Sure. Leaking bad things from bad places? Oh heck yeah. And he may have clonked his abused noggin again, since he's making that attempt to stand up. Fight. Stagger. Half smirk. "las' shanse." Nah. Photons are close at hand. Lessee if he's got a steady enough hand to aim it.

Jazz strikes you with Photon shot for 15 points of damage.

Well, it was a good fight, but Long Haul has taken all the punishment he's going to take on behalf of a bunch of I-beams and a few bags of cement. That last hit does it for him, and he finally decides that this... isn't worth it. "Slaggit," he grumbles. "S'ain't worth this!" And with that the Dump Truck peels ou- begins rolling and starts rumbling painfully down the road, somehow seeming to limp despite having four wheels.

Long Haul begins retreating, leaving himself vulnerable to parting shots from

Jazz.

Jazz would be that white mech who's barely standing himself. Trying to look like he could keep going indefinately, so that Long Haul won't change his mind. Of course, you just KNOW that once Long Haul's out of sight, he's going to pretty much have to stagger his way home.

And now, since Jazz isn't taking any parting shots, Long Haul makes it out of sight. Slowly. Painfully. But he makes it.