| abstract | - +Roll: Slipstream rolls against her Awareness Stat and SUCCEEDS PERFECTLY! Slipstream is in her containment field area, working on the console. She stops suddenly and grabs her helm, doubling over. "Uhhhh it’s at it again!" she screams. Shred hmms, looking over to Slip from within her own containment field, "Easy Slipstream, relax. take it easy. We'll work this out.. " +Roll: Shred rolls against its Awareness Stat and SUCCEEDS PERFECTLY! Slipstream shivers along her entire body, "It’s.. in.. .my... head!" Shred nods faintly.. and she smiles darkly, "it's alright Slip, Do not fight it. You will be alright." Slipstream frowns at that, still grabbing at her head. "It's not all right Shred! The #$*ing thing is trying to get into my neural net!" Slipstream is in a containment area saying this of course. Shred is in another area with Goa, who's resting it seems. Shred hrms, and she uses her remote to unlock the containment where she is herself... "Slipstream, trust me. Don't Fight it, you will only make it hurt. " up until very shortly, Shred was herself hooked directly to the recharger.. "Ah, Starscream, come here, would you?" Starscream enters, looking a little bit sullen. When Shred directs him over to her, he approaches. "What is going on?" he asks Shred, "Why is Slipstream acting so strangely?" You say, "Don't get near her!" Slipstream grimaces, trying to focus on fighting the thing off and speak as well. "We are infected... don't get near us... keep everyone out..." Shred turns quickly to look at Starscream.. and she then seems to freeze up. "GO. Get out of here, now Star.. " her voice is strained.. "I can't hold whatever it is for long. I need my strength to work out what to do.. Keep fighting Slip. " a moment later she's lunging towards Starscream. "INFECTED? With WHAT?" Starscream exclaims. As Shred lunges...he tries to dodge! Slipstream screams. "RUN!!!!" Starscream RUNS! Well Shred did tell him to, and so did Slipstream. He doesn't entirely understand what's going on...but he doesn't want to stick around to find out! He flees! As Starscream flees, Shred shakes her head slightly, turning towards Slipstream.. "Why do you fight?" Slipstream looks relieved as Starscream escapes. For now the containment remains in med bay. She looks up at Shred, "Because I don't want to be controlled. I am too young to have some alien thing using me like a puppet. That's why.. " "I see." Shred sighs, taking a seat, and she simply watches Slip for now.. "Of course, it's not like there's anything stopping me just walking out that door." Or is there? If it is that simple, why hasn't she done so? Slipstream frowns openly at Shred, "You need to be in containment Shred. Don't make me come out there and make you." she threatens with a growl. She grimaces, "Uhhh slaggging thing.. stop.. making.. me say... bad things!" Shred chuckles, and she walks over to the containment field surrounding Slip's chamber.. tapping it with her finger, "Unlike me, you don't have the remote to these containment fields." Slipstream snarls, rising fast and charging that field. Impacting hard against it. She growls as she somehow keeps her feet. "You.. can't.. let it.. win Shred." Shred chuckles, "I'm sorry, your friend isn't in charge here. She did not even attempt to fight me.. Though for some reason she did manage to talk before.. Hey.. what am I doing?" she has wandered while talking towards a terminal, and pressed a sequence to lock the med lab door. Slipstream shakes her head, for now hers is still fighting her as she maintains as much control of herself as she can muster. "Your friend.. the one in me.. ohh it has a fight... that I don't plan... uhhh.. to lose anytime soon." She trembles, leaning against the barrier to watch what Shred is going. "Ha.. not total control. Not enough.. time to fully have it.. need more of it don't you." Shred frowns, and then slams a fist into the console.. "Blast it!! She's blocking the encryption codes.. No matter.. I'll get them soon enough.. it's only a matter of time before she's just a part of me.. " Slipstream frowns, wondering how the thing in Shred got into her so easily. It's a bit perplexing. "That's it Shred. Fight it. You can do it." she says, flexing her hands against the barrier. "C'mon.. let's see that Shred." Shred turns to face Slip now, and she growls, "I think it's time for you to recharge, Slipstream..." +Roll: Slipstream rolls against her Intelligence Stat and succeeds by 1! The total roll was 9. Slipstream smirks, "Oh sure, just like Shred did. Then you get stronger.. don't you? Not happening. I rather go offline and leave you nothing to suck off of..." Shred smiles, "Either way you will fail soon enough. If you go offline I'll connect you myself.." Slipstream smiles right back, "I'll only come back online and pull that connection out." Shred smirks, "Not if I disconnect your motor servos you won't." Slipstream hisses softly. "Come in here and say that." kicking at the field that is keeping you out and her in. Shred smirks, "No, I don't think so. I have the time to wait. I think I'll hook myself up to the regenerator." Slipstream growls, "Shred. Don't you dare! Fight it! Don't let it get stronger! Let it weaken!" she screams, hands and feet pummeling at the field. "You hear me?!" Shred chuckles grimly, walking calmly to the recharge bay, and starts to hook herself up. "She can't hear you.." Slipstream decides all she can do to draw out the medic is a desperate ploy. She pulls out her rifle, then aims it at her own spark chamber. "Do it and I swear I'll kill myself right now!" Shred turns, and in doing so rips out the cables from the recharge bay.. "Slip! Put the damn gun down, now! We can stop these things.. I just need the time..." Slipstream grins triumphantly, "Got you. That's what I wanted to see." she shivers a little, fighting her own personal demon to keep that gun pointed at her chest. "Then.. start looking into it." Shred shudders, "I.. have been doing. Why do you think.. I haven't been in control of my body.. " You say, "Cuz you are letting it win?" Shred shakes her head.. "No.. because I need to dedicate my energy to working out how best to fight this.. can't waste energy on ineffective fighting.." Slipstream frowns, "Fine.. just do something before it does get control Shred. We don't know how long we got before they got full control.. by then may be too late to do a thing about it." Shred nods... and she turns to look at the recharge bay.. "Looks like I ruined it... " Slipstream shrugs, still holding the rifle barrel firmly to her chest, but her arms are trembling. "Doesn't matter. Focus on the task at hand Shred." Shred nods.. and she goes to a terminal.. at which she presses a series of buttons, opening the containment field around slipstream.. "Slip, I do have a theory.. I need you to get one of the samples we took from Goa.. " Slipstream blinks as she stumbles out of her containment field the moment it drops. Well they are locked in here.. makes sense. "A sample of the crystal that Psykeout took out of him? Okay." she looks around to see where that medic put them. Shred nods, "access a terminal, you should find where they are. I think it must be something about that crystal that protected Goa.. nothing else is particularly special in his circuitry.." Slipstream looks over to the terminal and nods, "Will try." she says, moving over there to tap into it. There's a few pauses as her Shambleau tries to stop her. "And.. there." she grins, "Ha, found it." Shred nods, "Okay... I know this isn’t the most scientific of tests.,. but put it next to your cranial unit.. until you can get it into a specimen scanner.. " Slipstream moves to find the crystals first then takes one up out and puts it next to her helm. "I don't see how this is going to..." +Roll: Slipstream rolls against her Awareness Stat and succeeds by 2! The total roll was 8. Slipstream pauses, "Wait a moment... something seems to be happening." Shred shrugs, "I don't know either, but anything's worth a shot.. right? And.. I get the impression that these things are afraid of something about them.. " Slipstream picks up another crystal to hold on the other side of her helm. "Shred.. it's backing out of my neural net." Shred 's optics blink, "It is? " next thing, Shred looks to be fighting herself, a pistol in her hand.. Slipstream blanches when she sees that, "Oh Shred.. don't let it win. Fight it! FIGHT IT!" +Roll: Shred rolls against its Courage Stat and succeeds by 2! The total roll was 13. Shred shudders a few moments, before flinging the pistol away.. "Hurry, get a sample into the scanner, we need to know what is so special about the energy field around those crystals.. and if we can flood here with it.." Slipstream moves to take one of the crystals to the scanner and taps on it to start up. Still holding one up to her head to keep her body visitor at bay. "It's scanning." Shred nods... and she struggles to make her own way over to slip.. "Can you get me one of those... ?" Slipstream nods, hurrying over to get one for you. She holds it next to your head once she returns. "Better?" she asks. Shred shivers, and she looks to physically relax.. "It feels like it, Slip.. " she looks at the scanner.. "We have to be able to do something with this... some way to replicate the energy field.." +Roll: Slipstream rolls against her Intelligence Stat and fails by 7! The total roll was 17. Slipstream nods, "Good." she looks to the scanner now, "If you think that's what it will take." Shred hmms, "I think so.. " +Roll: Shred rolls against its Intelligence Stat and succeeds by 9! The total roll was 6. Shred hmms, "Slip. These crystals are giving off a kind of radiation.. That's what is inhibiting the infection..! Slipstream hmms then nods slowly, "That makes sense. For Goa anyway. But what about Firestorm? It didn't seem to infect her either. Maybe she has radiation but another kind?" Shred nods, "Maybe.. I'll have to check her files.. but now we need to find a way to flood the lab with this radiation..flood our systems with it.." Slipstream nods a little, "Well you are the medic here, not me. We'll have to be careful about it." Shred nods, "For now, place the shard you have in your mouth, speak with your internal speakers." she herself does exactly that.. "It does not look as silly, and we can use both our hands." Slipstream nods and slips the crystal into her mouth, cuing up her internal radio. Shred hmms.. Slipstream nods, "I'll do my best, not like I'm a scientist here." Shred nods, and she moves to get one of the EMP projectors. "Alright, let's see.. " she starts to dismantle it, so she can alter the projection matrices. +Roll: Shred rolls against its Intelligence Stat and succeeds by 4! The total roll was 11. +Roll: Slipstream rolls against her Intelligence Stat and BOTCHES! Slipstream looks at the knob that came off in her head. "Oops." Shred erks, "Ok, Slip, you just go sit down, I can do this myself, if I succeed, I will clear you first.. " she continues to work. +Roll: Shred rolls against its Intelligence Stat and succeeds by 1! The total roll was 14. Slipstream nods, "Okay." she backs away a distance, keeping that crystal firm in her mouth so it doesn't jostle around. +Roll: Shred rolls against its Intelligence Stat and fails by 4! The total roll was 19. Shred continues to work, and she makes a mistake, frazzling herself slightly, "Agh!" she opens her mouth, and the crystal drops out onto the table in front of her. Slipstream moves to take it up and offer it back to you, "Here." Shred nods, taking the crystal back, "Thanks, That could have been bad. I need to concentrate on this, if I mess it up.." Slipstream nods, sticking nearby just in case that happens again. Watching what you are doing to alter the machine. +Roll: Shred rolls against its Intelligence Stat and BOTCHES! Shred hmms, and she starts to again, but this time she overloads the power unit, and the projector is fried.. Slipstream grimaces as the thing pops and smokes, she gets out another projector from where you got the first one and puts it down carefully. +Roll: Shred rolls against its Intelligence Stat and fails by 2! The total roll was 17. Shred fumbles this time, but she doesn't do any damage thankfully.. +Roll: Slipstream rolls against her Intelligence Stat and succeeds by 3! The total roll was 7. Slipstream reaches over to steady your arm. Shred nods, "Thanks Slip... here we go.. " +Roll: Shred rolls against its Intelligence Stat and fails by 4! The total roll was 19. Slipstream looks over at you questioningly, "Won’t he get exposed if he comes in here." +Roll: Slipstream rolls against her Intelligence Stat and fails by 0! The total roll was 10. Shred frowns.. "We can't do this ourselves, Slip.. " Slipstream nods, "How do you propose we keep him from being infected then?" Shred hmms, "We go into a containment chamber.. " Slipstream nods, "Makes sense to me, but do you think he'll be able to get in since you locked the door?" Shred taps her arm, "You think I don't have the ability to unlock it from any terminal in here? I used my own sec codes.." Slipstream comments, "Sure depend on that arm a lot." giving the femme seeker a smile. "Shall I try to call him in?" Shred chuckles, and she nods, heading into a containment chamber, "I think that is for the best.. Right now I am running on empty... the thing in me took all of that energon.. " Slipstream moves to follow you into the containment. Radioing out as she does. Slipstream makes sure Shred has the containment back up for them both. "Okay open the med bay doors and let's hope Starscream shows up soon so one of us can tell him what needs to be done." Shred nods.. "Alright." she taps a few buttons in a panel on her arm, which unlocks the med lab doors. "I really hope he gets here soon." Slipstream nods to the medic, idly moving the crystal in her mouth more toward the front of it as we await the arrival of Starscream. Goa stirs and sits upright, optics powering up from orange points in the center of his lenses to great red fields. Huh. Must've drifted offline sitting here. Goa rubs his helmet and takes a look around... "Shred? You're up?" Shred nods.. looking over towards Goa.. "Yes, though my energon levels are dangerously low Goa.. " and the recharge unit is somewhat wrecked, the connection cables are torn out. "We.. have something inside of us, myself and Slipstream.. The radiation from the crystalline samples taken from you is controlling it for now though.. " +Roll: Goa rolls against his Intelligence Stat and succeeds by 4! The total roll was 7. Slipstream looks over toward Goa. "Hello Goa, glad to see you wake up. Maybe you can drag Starscream in here to work on the EMP projector." Goa looks down at his chest, then his processor 'clicks' and he looks back at Shred. "... still had those around ..." He starts to stand abruptly, but rolls back down onto his haunches. "... well, I'm glad it's helping something." His red optics, now fully online and glowing a fair bit angrier than usual, narrow to slits. He postures, about to say something, but just sighs. "Why would you want to project EMPs, pray tell?" Shred hmms, "Well, we want to modify one of the projectors, to project the same kind of radiation as the crystal samples do!" Goa rears back, hands across his knees, pauses with a ghastly look, then smirks. "No, you don't." Slipstream nods, "Yes we do, it's keeping them out of our neural nets because we have a crystal in our mouths. If we could project the radiation to the entire room, they'd have to leave our bodies. Shred nods firmly, "As Slipstream said.. I was basically out of control earlier, until we worked this out.. " "... Fry your motherboard in the process," Goa mumbles, "Drive them out to unmaker-knows-where. Well...!" The green mech clasps his hands together and leans forward, straight into Shred's face. "/You/ two don't have anything to lose, I suppose." His false smile stretches from audial to audial -- his legs tremble subtly. "Do you need the air commander's skills, or is it something you can walk me through?" Shred hmms, "Well, we were still trying to work out how exactly to reconfigure it properly ourselves, Starscream has some experience with such, so his skills would likely be useful.. " Slipstream states, "If you have a better source for radiation, Goa, I am sure that Shred would hear it out. But for now the option is radiation from the crystals." shaking her head a bit, "Besides we already have a crystal in our mouths, if it infects us like it did you.. so be it. Better than being taken over." Starscream returns gingerly. He's not entirely trusting of the situation... Slipstream hmms, "Glad I didn't bet on him not coming back." she whispers to Shred. Both of them safely put in a containment field. Goa slowly sits back up again, arms crossed in his lap. One spindly leg drapes over the other, and his heel on the ground bounces at a rate best measured in RPMs. "Prolonged exposure /will/ kill you. This is time-dependent." He shutters his eyelids. "... but I concur." Slipstream asks, "How prolonged?" Shred inwardly smiles, "Starscream, thank Primus you got your aft here.. Quite simply, we need you to reconfigure an EMP emitter to project the radiation from the crystal sample in the Scanner on the left hand side of the med lab... " Starscream sighs. "Very well," he says, and goes to the EMP emitter. He begins working on reconfiguring it, comparing the radiation from the crystal and adjusting the output of the emitter to match it. Goa keeps a VERY close watch on Starscream, but does not otherwise acknowledge the seeker's presence. "I can't say. With it right next to your neural net like that, I wouldn't risk more than a cycle." Shred nods faintly.. "Goa.. Would I also be right in assuming that our chassis energon efficiency might be a factor?" Slipstream nods a little to that, "Well I suppose we could only keep in there for short periods.. minimize exposure." Goa nods slowly. "It is..." He takes a distracted glance down at Shred. "So is your size." Shred nods.. "It figures. With my chassis.. the margin for error is practically nonexistent, isn't it?" "Yes, Shred." Goa's tone is exasperated. His knee-bouncing has not lost pace, either. Shred sighs... "Better dead than letting myself be controlled by whatever the damn thing is.." Starscream looks over at Shred. "What exactly is causing this erratic behavior with you?" he demands. Slipstream frowns a bit at this, "Maybe we should do short periods of time with the crystal in and short periods with it out. Keep the things guessing. Actually we could exchange times, like when I have it in, you have it out..?" Shred nods.. and now she takes the crystal out of her mouth.. "We don't know exactly what it is, Starscream... " Goa's optics dim to a dangerous burgundy. "If it comes to that, I'll finish the job." A moment's pause later, he beams at Starscream, grinning so widely once more. "We don't know. Slipstream caught it last raid and passed it to Shred." Then he releases the servos in his faceplate, revealing a blank frown. "I need to talk to you when you're finished, commander." Slipstream sighs, "Yes yes, everyone knows I brought it upon us. So put me in the brig later okay. Right now I want to live without this thing trying to take me over and turn me into some kind of mindless automaton." Goa's cooling fans hiss as they force air through the drawn-up cape of his back. "Why in the pit..." He actually diverts his glare from Starscream to the wall of Slipstream's cubicle. "Sure you don't want me over there?" He snorts, then snaps back to watching Starscream work. His attention seems most focused on the crystal samples and tracking exactly where they are. Shred has set the one she had in her mouth on one side, safe.. though her optics are flickering, as if losing power. Slipstream crosses her arms over her chest, then pulls her crystal from her mouth. "We are just fine here together, thank you though for your concern Goa." "Fine, sure, Slippy." Goa ambles to his feet and goes over to check on, and perhaps hurry along, Starscream's progress. Starscream keeps adjusting, turning a screw with a screwdriver. He then loosens a capacitor and replaces it so that the wavelength will be closer. Shred shudders, before slumping down, her optics dark as she goes offline. Slipstream blinks and turns to see Shred go down. She checks to make sure she's still alive and shakes her head, "Fighting that thing must have taken a lot out of her." she sighs, then takes a crystal and puts it on her head for now. That way she can rest without that thing infiltrating. Goa turns to take a long, appraising look at Shred and, seemingly satisfied, turns back to Starscream's work. He quietly takes the crystal sample and pilfers through, scanning for any amount missing... Slipstream has one small piece, Shred has another. "Honestly Goa, stop hanging over Starscream. He's doing the best he can as quickly as he can." Goa puts it back down. "... Yes ... I can see that now." He steps back toward the containment cell, shooting the red-blue flier a Look over his shoulder, and turns to lean his back against the wall next to the barrier. His back armor scrapes against the wall as he takes a seat at the floor. Slipstream approaches her side of the field and crouches down, "Heard from Firestorm?" she asks. Goa gets a data pad from his cab and sets to reading, having little else to do now that the desire to irritate is strangely sapped from him. "Not a peep. Nothing bad though." Slipstream puts her hand up on the field where his back is leaning against it, "Not worried about her?" she asks, "Seems strange she hasn't come in to see what's going on." she states. Goa feels the hum and nudge of the magnetic barrier and whirls his head around -- then smirks at the sight of Slipstream. "'Cons go in here and don't come out. I'd stay in the air too." Slipstream frowns a little then loses it, "Yeah, I suppose you are right. Cannot expect everyone to be concerned about this seeker." she then pushes off the field to sit at the console within and distract herself with some more research.
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