| abstract | - Summary: Kup has a brilliant plan: attacking and looting the Ministry of Science! Even better, he's not evil at the time. It is said that life on Nebulos once started in the clouds, as simple, multi-celled organisms climbed down from the mountainous peaks into the lush and fertile valleys below. Modern science has been quick to dismiss such claims, but the huge, treacherous and ragged peaks of the Arvassian range still instill a feeling of awe in the average Nebulon. Stretching hundreds of miles across the planet's surface, the tips of the grey mountains reach into the misty clouds, as if a stairway leading down from heaven itself. Contents: Red Alert Cybertronian Jet Kup Ministry of Science Obvious exits: South leads to Koraja -- Nebulos. Sunder has arrived. Shadow has arrived. Apeface transforms into robot mode. Sunder's head disappears into his chest, his wings fold around him, and now he is in Sweepcraft mode, his headcannon still visible. Shadow transforms into his chopper mode. Kup falls forward, folding up into really old looking futuristic truck! Red Alert transforms into his Fire Chief's Car mode. Apeface is sulking around in robot mode. That is how you know he is in a /bad mood/. For if he were in a good mood, he would be in monkey mode, as monkey mode is what people use when they are happy. The Headmaster is on guard duty at the ministry of science. Attackers will have to face a very tough uphill battle, with the defenders having the height advantage. This is steep mountainous terrain. Perfect for monkey fights. "I can't believe I'm stuck here /defending/ while Scorponok and pals go off and have fun!" He angrily kicks a boulder off into the horizon. "I bet this is all your fault," he mutters, poking himself in the head. Whatever Spasma's reply is, it clearly amuses Apeface, "Haw haw, yeah, that's a good point. I never thought of it that way!" Nightbeat slouches down into Porsche 959 form. Time to roll. Sweepcraft just happens to be out here too. He spots Apeface and the boulder flung hither. Oh great, the Horrorcon is one of those that got those squishy-head implants! The Sweep approaches, transforming and landing Dredclaw has arrived. Cybertruck is on the road again. He feels like crap, but he's on the road again. Probably should still be sulking, but he's on the road again. "Alright, everyone," Kup says as he races up a narrow road on the side of a mountain. "When we get in there, don't bother being fancy. Trash everything. Shoot anything that looks like it'll explode. Labs like this should be full of dangerous crap." Porsche 959 is on the scene, as fast as he can, his wheels screeching. He's been told that Kup's been acting oddly, even assigned to the case, but he hasn't actually seen Kup lately. Inside of him sits Muzzle, already suited up in case of danger. Muzzle leans back in the seat, hands not even on the wheel - Nightbeat doesn't need it. "Breaking and entry is the order of the day, boss?" Sunder shifts into his fearsome-looking robot mode. Fire Chief's Car rolls in alongside the cybertruck and the Porsche. He'd be the one that told the Porsche that Kup is acting oddly. He's such a busy-body. "Usually, it's the other way around for me," he says in response to Nightbeat's quip, "but I suppose I could use a bit of varity." Bell 430 Helicopter would note that Apeface's other mode is technically not a monkey. But that's rather irrelevant. At the moment he is hovering near Apeface, occasionally flitting about like a humming bird. He seems nervous about something. Dredclaw is almost pegged by a boulder that is kicked past him into the distance. Wings flaring in irritation, he zeroes in on his XO's locator. "Ahh, there you are, Sunder." he notes the look given Apeface and represses a cringe at the thought that there is an organic in his head. He lands beside Sunder and looks around. "Orders?" he asks in a rumble. Apeface looks over at the just landed Sunder. He then groans when a second shows up. "Oh no, not you Sweeps," he growls, "That's the last thing we need here. I can't even /begin/ to explain how much I hate all you new fangled Decepticons with your stupid gimmicks lik- er..." Spasma seems to be telling him something. Apeface looks away and shuffles his feet, annoyed. "Erm actually you know what? Nevermind," he mumbles, sounding annoyed. He grumpily kicks another boulder. The rock tumbles down the side of the mountain, nearly crushing Kup and the other approaching Autobots half way down. Apeface does not notice this, though, as it is a long ways down. "Orders are to sit here and do nothing, whatever your name is! I mean what're the odds that the Autobots are going to actually attack this idiot place, huh?" he asks, jerking a thumb up at the mountain base. "Practically zero." Sunder alights near Apeface and looks at the Horrorcon before turning to Apeface. "I believe this is an area that needs defending," the Sweep tells Dredclaw, "I have a feeling we won't have to wait long to face opposition." His talons clench instinctively. Then he cocks his head at Apeface. "Why in the pit did you get a squishy in your cranial chamber?" Steeltread has arrived. Cybertruck rolls along the mountain path, when suddenly rocks plummet down from above. He manages to avoid them with a little swerving, and a gun pops up on his roof, aiming upwards. It catches a glimpse of Apeface, and Kup yells, "Decepticons! We can't stop, lads! Get to the top of the mountain! KEEP GOING!" The laser cannon begins to open fire on Apeface. This may have given away their position, but, well, that was probably bound to happen with the Sweeps standing up there, anyhow. Combat: Cybertruck misses Apeface with his Back-Mounted Laser attack! [Pulled -3] Falling forward, Steeltread's Rifle slides onto his backpack, with part of his body closing over the rifle and deploying it's weapons, revealing his other form to be a tank. Porsche 959 assures, "Yeah, you really do need to get out more, Red Aert. Stayin' cooped up all the time ain't any good. Gotta feel the road under your wheels, really know the beat." At Kup's orders, he does keep driving towards the mountains, but reluctantly. Kup isn't going to try to hold off all the Decepticons himself in some insane last-ditch manner, is he? Combat: Nightbeat sets his defense level to Protected. "I read you, Kup," Red Alert answers, hitting the gas. He'll no doubt be outraced by Nightbeat, but he's no slouch in the speed department himself. As he climbs towards the top, he hits the radar, checking for hidden menaces, and to give him a heads up in case of attack, which should make him harder to hit. Combat: Red Alert sets his defense level to Protected. Combat: Fire Chief's Car initiates a radar sweep of the area. Bell 430 Helicopter jerks upward in alarm. "Autobots!" he exclaims, moments before Kup opens fire on Apeface. He darts over to the others, seeing as how Sunder is the highest-ranking among those present. "Orders Assault Battle Tank rolls up late as usual.....and it probably what gave away their position. <> He radios as his speed increases exponentially to catch the other three ahead of him. Unfortunately this also means he's gonna really be hard to hit. Combat: Steeltread sets his defense level to Protected. Bell 430 Helicopter jerks upward in alarm. "Autobots!" he exclaims, moments before Kup opens fire on Apeface. He darts over to the others, seeing as how Sunder is the highest-ranking among those present. "Orders?" "It wasn't my idea!" Apeface snorts at Sunder, "Last thing I remember our ship was going down, and then BAMMO, squishie for a head! At least it isn't all bad. He's kind of amusing." he admits, "Watch this: Hey Spasma... 'sock puppets'." Sparks suddenly start to fly out of Apeface's head, and the Horrorcon starts laughing as if this is the most hilarious thing in the world (which it very well may be). Suddenly there's a slightly different spark that flies by Apeface's... face. This however is a blast from a certain Cybertronian pick-up truck's laser cannon! It misses Apeface and hits the outside of the science facility instead (woo victory?). "Ahh, Autobots!" He roars, pointing down at them. He isn't entirely sure where the shot came from, so he ducks behind a barricade that's part of the defence initiative. He fires a quick sonic blast in Kup's general area with his gun. On his other arm is his electro-shield. Ba-da-boom! "KILL!" he shouts at Shadow. "KILL THEM LIKE YOU MEAN IT!" Combat: Apeface strikes Cybertruck with his Sonic Boomer Gun attack! [Pulled -5] Dredclaw looks down the mountain as Kup's laser whizzes past Apeface. "Riiight. So much for your probabilities." his laser blaster materializes from subspace and he sights down the mountainside and evaluates his targets, "Oh, the possibilities." He settles on Nightbeat, since he's got prior beef with the Sweeps. Combat: Dredclaw strikes Porsche 959 with his pulse laser blast (Disruptor) attack! Combat: Dredclaw (Dredclaw) used "Disruptor": A Level 1 RANGED attack. Combat: You took 9 damage. Sunder growls as the Autobots come in. Taking to the air, he warms up his headcannon and aims it at Red Alert. "Oh, look what we have here, my brother," he says to Dredclaw, "Plenty of prey, and one of them's on our list!" He grins as his twin takes a shot at Nightbeat. Combat: Sunder misses Fire Chief's Car with his headcannon blast (Disruptor) attack! Cybertruck begins to swerve a bit more, but continues to race up the dangerous road to the Ministry. Apeface's blast rattles his roof, warping it, but he presses on. "Don't stop for nothing, Autobots! We can't stay on the road, and we're almost there!" His laser turret snaps off more shots at the Headmaster. Combat: Kup sets his defense level to Protected. Combat: Cybertruck misses Apeface with his Back-Mounted Laser attack! [Pulled -1] Fire Chief's Car swerves out of the way of Sunder's blast. "Share and share alike, eh, Sweep?" he shouts nervously. "But even the most timid prey can suprise you with their sting!" A small laser pops out of his hood, but to focus on taking the blast, he drives a bit less defensively. Combat: Red Alert sets his defense level to Guarded. Combat: Fire Chief's Car misses Sunder with his Pew Pew (Laser) attack! Assault Battle Tank is the only one that seems to have a turret tonight (heh...go fig). Even though he's behind Kup....his turret still swings around to fire a shot at one of the people after them. the helicoptor, ironically. Combat: Assault Battle Tank strikes Bell 430 Helicopter with his Disruptor attack! Porsche 959 gets shot by a good-for-nothing Sweep. It hurts, given his paper-thin armour as a Porsche, but Nightbeat's biggest concern is Muzzle's safety inside. As he races for the mountain, his two photon pistol pop out and swivel around, trying to track the two Sweeps, to try to take a bit of heat off their tailgates. Combat: Porsche 959 strikes Dredclaw with his Hood Photon Turrets Area attack! [Pulled -1] Combat: Porsche 959 misses Sunder with his Hood Photon Turrets Area attack! [Pulled -1] Combat: Gained 1 energon. "Cram it!" Apeface snaps at Dredclaw, "Just focus on killing those Autobots already!" From behind his barricade, Apeface sees another blast careen just over him. He grins, "You're past your prime, oldtimer! You're ready for the scrapheap!" Apeface pokes his head up briefly enough to take another shot at Kup. Although he's glad he's getting the better of Kup so far and is growing confidence in his chances to take down the legendary Autobot, he is unnerved by the fact that Kup and his associates /have not stopped yet/. "Why... why have they not stopped yet?!" he growls. Deciding to take matters into his own hands, Apeface vaults over the barricade and charges the approaching Kup, electro-shield first. Combat: Apeface sets his defense level to Aggressive. Combat: Apeface misses Cybertruck with his Electro-Shield Bash attack! [Pulled -1] Dredclaw's wing is holed by the photon pistol blast from Nightbeat. "Owch!" he snarls, crouching to get a fix on the Autobot's incoming vector. "I'm gonna rip you open like a tin can and see what the gooey center tastes like!" he leaps from the relative shelter of the defence barricades and swoops down the mountain road to try and take the beat out of Nightbeat. Bell 430 Helicopter gives an undignified yelp as he's shot, which, for a moment, knocks him off-balance, but he quickly recovers. A gun extends from his underside, sparking with electricity. During this time, he attempts to put up a better defense. Without a word, he fires. Combat: Shadow sets his defense level to Guarded. Combat: Bell 430 Helicopter misses Assault Battle Tank with his Electric Cannon attack! Combat: Dredclaw sets his defense level to Aggressive. Combat: Dredclaw strikes Porsche 959 with his Claws attack! Combat: Dredclaw (Dredclaw) used "Claws": A Level 4 MELEE attack. Combat: You took 16 damage. Combat: Dredclaw's attack has damaged your Agility! Sunder dodges Nightbeat's attack, even as he zeros in on Red Alert. "Oh no, I will not be dissuaded that easily," he purrs, lunging at the Autobot Fire Chief car and lashing out with his claws. "You may have no chewy center or squishie abomination residing on your person, but that matters not." Sunder was eager to tear something apart! Cybertruck spots Apeface descending towards him, and transforms, backflipping over the whole Autobot convoy as he bicycle-kicks at the Decepticon! "Don't worry about me!" Kup yells, mid-kick. "Remember your mission! Destroy the ministry!" To himself, he mutters, "And besides, if this Decepticon takes me out, he might be doing me a favor." Combat: Kup sets his defense level to Fearless. Combat: Sunder misses Fire Chief's Car with his Talon Swipe (Punch) attack! The faded green cybertruck springs up and splits apart, revealing the ancient Autobot, Kup! Combat: Kup strikes Apeface with his Whuppin' attack! [Pulled -1] Swindle arrives from the Koraja -- Nebulos to the south. Swindle has arrived. Hinder arrives from the Koraja -- Nebulos to the south. Hinder has arrived. Porsche 959 quips, "Y'know if what he drinks is any indication, I can /assure/ you that Muzzle tastes /terri-argh/!" The Sweep tears into the the back of the Porsche - his boot cover comes clean off. Hastily. Muzzle opens the glove compartment and pulls out Nitghbeat's Detective Manual, a well-thumbed book, looking to see what it says. More applied force? Sounds good! Combat: Nightbeat sets his defense level to Guarded. Combat: Porsche 959 strikes Dredclaw with his Roof Plasma Turret attack! Combat: Drained 8 energon. Booster Pack Detective Manual is activated! It will use up a charge the next chance it has! Fire Chief's Car hits the gas just as Sunder swoops in with his claws (love tap? EWWWWW!), surging past the more distracted Nightbeat at the last moment. He swerves around the defence emplacements, transforming to leap and flip over the last obstacle. Once in robot mode, he lifts his weapon to snap off a quick shot at Sunder. "You Sweeps really are disgusting," he notes with distate over the 'chewy center' remark, before making a quick report. Fire Chief's Car transforms into his Red Alert mode. Combat: Red Alert strikes Sunder with his High-Energy Particle Beam Rifle attack! [Pulled -3] Dredclaw comes aways with a boot? Oh! a trunk lid... ok...! He looks at his prize with glee, until it vaporizes in his hands, along with a fair bit of his armor in the plasmafire that he is ingulfed in. For a moment, the Huntsman looks like a winged pinata on fire at a demented kid's birthdayparty- you know /that/ kid... that put a lit match to /everything/ right? Stop, dropping, and rolling, the Sweep puts himself out and scrambles to get back up and chase after the quarry. His headcannon warming up he lets loose with a single shot. Combat: Dredclaw sets his defense level to Neutral. "They taste BAD, ok?!" Apeface suddenly shouts at Dredclaw, even though the Sweep was most decidedly not talking to him. How does Apeface know what they taste like? You don't wanna know. It was an experiment that didn't work so hot... Apeface growls as Kup defly outmaneuvers him. He swings his shield, but Kup is already in robot mode and flying at him with a super kick that would make Ratchet proud. "UGH!" Right in the gut, Apeface goes flying backwards through the air, smashing against the roof of the Science Ministry facility. Before slumping to the ground, however, he pushes off and transforms into jet mode. Spasma sits in the cockpit. "That b-b-bully!" he stammers, smacking his hands on Apeface's dash as he tries to decide if he should be scared or angry. "'Angry'," Apeface says, helping him out. Holy crap, Kup's a badass, Apeface thinks. Still, he puts on a brave... er, face for Spasma's benefit. "Don't you worry. We're going to get that twerp and remind Kup why, now that the *Headmasters* are here, we don't need the /old/ models hanging around no-more!" The stylistic jet swoops downwards, directing his jamming field towards Kup. It just might be enough to overload Kup's optics. Meanwhile, what is that in Spasma's hands? Is it... could it be a...? Vintage Army Jeep bounces along the road leading out of the city to the south, suspension readily coping with the landscape's newfangled Scenic War Movie artistic developments that the Decepticons have magnanimously sunk so much cash into for the Nebulons' benefit. "Okay," he tells the ferret, "This is what we in the business call an 'Auxiliary Combat Zone.' Usually around the fringes of these epic slag-slinging contests between good and evil, there're some smaller skirmishes. See, in the Primary Combat Zone you could get blown up by all sorts of nasty opportunity fire or even stepped on by a wayward gestalt or one of those city mechs. But out here in the secondary sites, you'll find less random fire and way more opportunity. Hey, are you even listening? Don't make me start charging by the word." Apeface transforms into jet mode. Sunder yelps as Red Alert manages to get a shot off on him. "The truly disgusting ones are the ones who let flesh creatures inhabit them," the Sweep snarls, "Although, Autobots in general rank a close second. Now if you'd just hold still for a while..." and with that he transforms, trying to restrain his quarry with an energy rope! Red Alert Rodeo, anyone? Combat: Apeface sets his defense level to Aggressive. Combat: Apeface uses up a charge on his Banana booster pack! Combat: Cybertronian Jet misses Kup with his ECM Suite attack! Combat: Sweepcraft strikes Red Alert with his Laser Lasso attack! Combat: That attack has temporarily impaired Red Alert's Agility. (Crippled) Combat: Dredclaw misses Porsche 959 with his headcannon attack! [Pulled -3] Combat: Dredclaw (Dredclaw) used "Laser Blaster": A Level 2 RANGED attack. Sunder's head disappears into his chest, his wings fold around him, and now he is in Sweepcraft mode, his headcannon still visible. Bell 430 Helicopter descends slightly, then transforms and lands on his feet, immediately producing a simple pistol. He again fires at Steeltread, while at the same time keeping an eye on his comrades. The black helicopter shifts into the form of Shadow. Combat: Shadow strikes Assault Battle Tank with his Pistol attack! Hinder speaks into the floorboards, still curled up tightly into a ball. "I'm...oof...listening." Kup doesn't land on the road from the bicycyle-kick--since the road curves around so much, he'd just miss the edge and fall to his death. So instead, he grabs the side of the cliff, legs swaying out to the side before they find purchase on the rock, and he begins to climb the rest of the way. Then, in a bit of irony, he is buzzed by a flying ape as he scales the rocks. The ECM assaults his sensors, but he doesn't seem to notice. Maybe they're just not registering on his ancient systems? However, Kup still notices Apeface flying around, and stops his ascent for a moment to fire back at him with his musket. Combat: Kup sets his defense level to Neutral. Combat: Kup misses Cybertronian Jet with his Laser attack! Red Alert does not, for the record, stand still. That'd be stupid. But he still is snagged by the laser lasso (and people are confused by acid muskets!), which knocks him to the ground. "Yiiiii-omph!" he exclaims, when snagged and crashing. He struggles to kick the laser-ropes off his not-laser-legs, reaching down with his hands to loosen them as he studies his opponent. "You'll hurt for this, Decepticon." Assault Battle Tank still rolls along, even when the con-copter decides to use it itty-bitty pistol. Still running at near full speed, his turret turns and fires at the con again Combat: Red Alert sets his defense level to Neutral. Combat: Red Alert analyzes Sunder for weaknesses. Combat: Assault Battle Tank misses Shadow with his Laser attack! Porsche 959 manages to swerve away from Dredclaw in the nick of time as Muzzle thumbs through the Detective Manual. Coincidence? Not in this business! He transforms, as this is getting ridiculous. He cracks off a shot at the Sweep with his pistol and snaps, "So when were you guys ever against a bit of random mayhem?" The puzzle pieces of Porsche 959 rearrange into the hard-boiled Autobot detective, Nightbeat! Combat: Nightbeat uses up a charge on his Detective Manual booster pack! Combat: Automatically deactivating booster pack Detective Manual Combat: Nightbeat strikes Dredclaw with his Space Revolver (Pistol) attack! Combat: Gained 1 energon. Cybertronian Jet soars upwards as Kup seems unaffected. Worse, he didn't plummet to his death like the Headmaster had been hoping. "P-probably too blind already," Spasma mutters from within Apeface's shiny new cockpit. "Argh, you're totally right!" Apeface shouts back, "I didn't even think of that. Good thing you're here." "T-thanks..." Spasma replies. Deciding to make sure his relationship with Spasma doesn't get too mushy, Apeface then says, "'Sock puppets'." Spasma begins to sniffle and sob, and Apeface laughs, performing tricky aerial maneuvers as the musket shot flies wide. "I think I know the trick to fighting you, Kup. You're spry in close combat, it seems, but you can't aim with a damn anymore! Haw haw!" The jet touches down, transforming back into robot mode. Unfortunately it is now Kup that is closer to the Science Ministry than Apeface is. Apeface doesn't seem to care, though. Sonic gun in hand, Apeface cuts loose with a series of three potent blasts. If they hit, great. If they miss, they hit the building. "You heard Lord Scorponok! If we can't keep it, the Autobots don't get it either! If they get in we just bury them in the rubble!" Apeface transforms into robot mode. Combat: Apeface misses Kup with his Sonic Boomer Gun attack! [Pulled -4] Shadow sends his gun back into subspace and summons his sword instead. "You are becoming quite the nuisance," he comments, and then he rushes forward and attempts to plunge the blade downward into the tank. Combat: Shadow strikes Assault Battle Tank with his Shadow Sword attack! Vintage Army Jeep has to slow down as he starts to go up the side of the mountain, due to his uncanny ability to flip over in too-fast or too-sharp turns. And flipping over off the side of a mountain would be bad for his health and the health of his passenger, the latter of which would smudge his reputation as semi-reliable chartered transport. "Okay, you can climb up on the seat, now, just be careful. Take a look ahead, see how busy and distracted everyone is? This is the perfect time for the savvy and sophisticated purveyor -- or collector! -- of fine found goods to move in and stake a claim. Well, usually staking a claim involves fighting someone, so it's usually best to just take anything shiny and run with it, what with possession being nine-tenths of the law and all. See, every so often someone's going to drop a gun, or fire a dud missile, then all -I- have to do is patch it up or slap a new guidance system in it, and sell it at a huge markup to people who don't speak English." Once he sees that his lasso has snagged the Autobot, Sweepcraft transforms. "Oh, I'm going to enjoy ripping you to shreds," he purrs, brandishing his claws and lashing out again. "If you think you're going to make me hurt, well that's fine. Because I'll make you hurt a lot more!" Sunder shifts into his fearsome-looking robot mode. Combat: Sunder misses Red Alert with his Talon Swipe attack! Dredclaw gets pegged with the shot from Nightbeat. "We're not against mayhem, We're against you!" he leaps upwards, wings snapping outward to carry him to the top and level with Nightbeat. "I'd like to shove that manual down your organic throat!" he snarls. Claws bared once again, he resorts to the old hack-n-slash. Combat: Dredclaw misses Nightbeat with his talon swipe attack! [Pulled -1] Combat: Dredclaw (Dredclaw) used "Claws": A Level 3 MELEE attack. Red Alert gets the ropes off his feet just in time, and manages to roll from Sunder's talons at the last moment. "You'll actually have to /hit/ me to do that," he snaps back, scrambling to his feet and raising his rifle as he stumbles backwards. "Either way, you're not stopping me from the secrets that building holds!" Combat: Red Alert strikes Sunder with his High-Energy Particle Beam Rifle attack! Assault Battle Tank is NAILED with Shadow's attack. "That TEARS it!" He roars as he transforms and his rifle is immediately formed in front of him. "Hope you like magnetics!" Combat: Steeltread sets his defense level to Fearless. Standing up and the main turret uncovering a backpack with a rifle to it's side, the body of the tank seems to shrink into the lighter, faster form of Steeltread. Combat: Steeltread strikes Shadow with his Inhibitor Shell attack! Combat: Shadow has been temporarily incapacitated. Nightbeat's throat isn't organic. It's still lined with metal. Drinking hard energon would be difficult, otherwise, and Nightbeat /needs/ his buzz. The detective dances away from the Sweep's claws and wags a finger, "Ah, ah, ah!" So, he has orders to /loot/ the place? It doesn't quite sit right with him, but he tries to steal the front door - and then promptly flings it at Dredclaw. Combat: Nightbeat misses Dredclaw with his An Attack He'll A-Door (Punch) attack! Combat: Gained 1 energon. Kup pulls himself up to the top of the mountain, onto the somewhat-level area upon which the Ministry resides, and dashes for the structure. As Apeface pursues and blasts away at him, Kup turns, aiming his musket at the Decepticon, firing sizzling acid pellets at him. "You ain't gonna stop us! We're gettin' in there, and we're gonna find out EVERYTHING you people know! Just you wait! Yer own tech's gonna be used against you!" Combat: Kup strikes Apeface with his Acid Musket Laser attack! [Pulled -5] Just his luck! Shadow finds himself stunned and unable to attack. His sword drops to the ground and he shivers slightly, but other than that he is unable to move. His rotors twitch. Hinder NOW pops her head up again and clambers out of her spot on Swindle's floorboards. "Shiny pieces? All mine? Or bring to you then maybe mine?" Dredclaw jooks out of the path of the door as it flys past him, he pauses a moment as he conciders just letting the Bot's waltz in a wreck the place. No, Scourge wouldn't like that, and Galvatron would likely be less than pleased as well. He tries to full body tackle Nightbeat in order to keep him from the mysteries within! Combat: Dredclaw misses Nightbeat with his Smash attack! Combat: Dredclaw (Dredclaw) used "Smash": A Level 3 MELEE attack. Sunder snarls as he's hit again. "So you're after secrets, are you? Well then, I think I should stop you!" He gets out his rifle and loads the secondary firing chamber with a rocket-propelled grenade. He then aims it at Red Alert, who seems particularly nimble and agile today. "Here--CATCH!" he shouts as he fires. "That's a better treasure than you'll ever find in there!" Combat: Sunder strikes Red Alert with his Rocket Propelled Grenade attack! Apeface growls at Kup, "You just try it, trash heap! Haw, I heard even Wreck-Gar is thinking about hiring you out as a /Junkion/! I hear you're so old Primus was your /babysitter/. I heard you're so old your favorite hobby is /not quite dying/. I heard you're so ol- ARGH MY CHEST IS BURNING!" Apeface stumbles around, dropping his sonic gun and clawing at his own chest. "Argh I hate you, Kup!" He transforms into MONKEY MODE and leaps for the Autobot oldtimer, massive paws outstretched. If he's able, he'll grab Kup's arm with one hand and his leg with the other... and then /yank/. Apeface transforms into ape mode. Combat: Ape misses Kup with his Sudden Bludgeoning attack! [Pulled -2] Vintage Army Jeep mutters as he gets no response at first, "Hey, did you fall asleep back there?" Then his voice brightens. "Oh, there you are. No, see, this is what you call a 'fair distribution,' where you and I get all the stuff we can carry, and then later when we're in a safe place we split it all up fairly based on a number of criteria -far- too complicated to get into right now." It appears that Swindle is trying to groom the young Cassette to put those natural thieving talents to good use. Of course, in his mind, Swindle will get all the expensive stuff, and Hinder will get all the worthless trinkets. Sunder's shot hits Red Alert solidly in the midsection, blasting him backwards... and closer to the Ministry of Science. He can't help a pathetic whimper of pain as he's slammed back into the ground, but this doesn't stop him from standing back up again. Around the pain, he manages a grim smile. "Thanks for... sending me closer to... my destination, Decepticon," he gets out. Then, with a quick short towards Sunder, he turns and once more runs towards the building. Combat: Red Alert strikes Sunder with his High-Energy Particle Beam Rifle attack! [Pulled -4] Steeltread only chuckles lightly at Shadow as he drops his sword. "I'm so tired of you Decepticons thinking you're so much better than we are. it's your arrogance that makes you walk into traps like that....." He then transforms and aims his main gun at shadow. 'say goodnight." and he fires.... Falling forward, Steeltread's Rifle slides onto his backpack, with part of his body closing over the rifle and deploying it's weapons, revealing his other form to be a tank. Combat: Assault Battle Tank strikes Shadow with his Treadhammer attack! Nightbeat is a real twinkle toes, and he tries to duck inside the Ministry of Science now that he has torn the door off. He randomly tries to pocket a computer, feeling really, really dirty about it as he does. The lab technicians around him are all baffled. What is /this/? Nightbeat grumbles, "This is a stick-up. You should, uh, run away? Yeah. That." For good measure, he flings a chair out the window at Dredclaw. Combat: Nightbeat strikes Dredclaw with his Flying Chair (Kick) attack! Combat: Drained 2 energon. Kup, instead of being grabbed, grabs Apeface, and attempts to toss him right through the windows of the Ministry! "Yeah, yeah, I heard every oldtimer wisecrack you got, Apeface. And yer fightin' skills are about as good as yer wit. Geeze." He feigns disappointment. "You got Scourge's number, or sumthin'? I bet he'd put up a better fight." Inwardly, he smirks. Bullies are so easy to enrage. Combat: Kup sets his defense level to Aggressive. Combat: Kup strikes Ape with his Whuppin' attack! [Pulled -2] Sunder charges at Red Alert, getting hit in the process. He doesn't care; he needs to keep the Autobot from getting the secrets...even if it's merely the secret to how they get that gooey caramel inside the Caramilk Bar. He pounces, trying to grab hold of Red Alert and restrain him. Combat: Sunder misses Red Alert with his Sweep-Pounce! (Grab) attack! Shadow is shot square in the chest, which sends him almost flying. He lands hard, and gives a soft groan as he tries to get back up. "Arrogance? You confuse me with some of my comrades, Autobot. I am merely following orders..." He suddenly dives at his sword and snatches it back up, and promptly slashes at Steeltread's torso. Combat: Shadow strikes Assault Battle Tank with his Shadow Sword attack! [Pulled -2] Vintage Army Jeep is in the final twisty part of the road up the mountain, coming slowly around the last turn to see the shiny chrome Ministry of Science complex. He has to stop. "My Primus.. it's full of swag," he whispers in awe. "Ah.. heh heh heh. Heh heh.. hehehehehehehe!" he cackles, and then peels out, heading for that great beacon of cost-effective acquisitions. Dredclaw snarls as a chair is thrown at him as he removes himself from the door jam. Tossing the office furniture out of his way he barrels in after Nightbeat, "Stop, thief!" he bellows, planting a foot on a rather large worktable and kicking towards the detective-come-looter. Ironically, in his anger, he's tearing the place up just as much as the Autobots would want to themselves. Combat: Dredclaw strikes Nightbeat with his workbench aflyin (Kick) attack! Combat: Dredclaw (Dredclaw) used "Kick": A Level 2 MELEE attack. Combat: You took 7 damage. Combat: Dredclaw's attack has damaged your Velocity! Hinder looks at the building when Swinder stops. "Swag is shiny?" Ape hurks as Kup once again outmaneuvers him. Kup turns the tables on him and chucks him. The mighty monkey flies through one of the windows, shattering the glass and rolling out of sight. He smashes through a few counters as he slides across the Ministry's lobby. Apeface is learning to appreciate why other Decepticons hate Kup. Combat: Ape takes extra time to steady himself. [Pass] Red Alert may have his back to Sunder, but his senses are as sharp, perhaps shaper, than a Sweep's, and it's sound that tells him the right moment to twist out of the way of the Sweep's rush. "You'll have to do better than that, Sweep!" he taunts as he twists back to fire once more. Now, if his fancy footwork just happens to carry him further /away/ from the ministry, so be it. Combat: Red Alert misses Sunder with his High-Energy Particle Beam Rifle attack! [Pulled -5] Kup kicks open a gaping hole in the side of the Ministry. It covers him in powdery plaster, prompting him to wipe it off almost casually. "Sorry, didn't wanna have to walk the way around to the front entrance." He takes in all of the diabolical mad science equipment in the room with an impressed whistle. "Wow... nice place! Bet this stuff would be worth a fortune on the black market." Little does he know that he's not the only one to come to that conclusion! Combat: Kup sets his defense level to Neutral. Combat: Kup takes extra time to steady himself. [Pass] Nightbeat is busily grabbing a rack of test tubes when the Sweep whams a workbench into him. One of his tyres is flattened by the attack. 'Stop thief'? Boy, Nightbeat never expected to hear that aimed at him! At the radio message, he bails out /another/ window with a crash of tinking glass, and he scrambles for shelter, taking a moment to tie off one of his wounds with some crime scene tape. Combat: Nightbeat sets his defense level to Protected. Combat: Nightbeat quickly patches up some of Nightbeat's minor injuries. Combat: Drained 4 energon. Assault Battle Tank transforms back into his robot mode just after Shadow stabs him in the butt. "Just following orders. That's the same thing Whitewind said." He grumbles as he deploys his rifle again, but his left shoulder also deploys something else.....a predator-type shoulder cannon. oooo...this could be interesting... Combat: Assault Battle Tank strikes Shadow with his Pistol attack! Combat: Steeltread sets his defense level to Neutral. Ape climbs back up to his feet, rubbing his wounded head. "Ooooh..." suddenly his radio chimes. They're talking about A.F.S.? The hell is A.F.S.? Mindwipe says it's in the basement, and then... Scorponok's voice *I do not care. Cheat Galen of his victory, detonate the facility or I will have YOUR head Apeface.* The Horrorcon snorts and says, <> Still not knowing what the hell A.F.S. is, rather than rejoin the fighting and throttling Kup like he oh so wants to, Apeface lunges for the elevators, smashing through the doors and sliding the elevator cable down. "GRUNK!" he shouts for no apparent reason. Vintage Army Jeep drives to the Ministry compound now, skirting around all the firepower and firing a small bomb at one wall to create his very own personal entrance. The Combaticon transforms and starts to go inside. "Okay, grasshopper," he tells Hinder, transfering her to his shoulder in the transformation process. "You know science stuff, right? Like at the labs and medbays back home? Good shiny stuff, yeah? That's what you're after in here. I... well, I'll be looking for stuff that goes boom." He grins easily and points through the dusty rift in the wall, and sallies forth. Gentlemen, you've been had! That's no jeep, it's a Swindle! Standing up and the main turret uncovering a backpack with a rifle to it's side, the body of the tank seems to shrink into the lighter, faster form of Steeltread. "Oh I intend to," Sunder growls, intent on catching Red Alert, even if he has to wear him down to do so. "You're not getting whatever you're after!" Actually, Sunder cares less about what Red Alert wants at the Ministry of Science. He's all about the ripping and tearing of Autobot hides. He reaches into subspace and pulls out a small dagger. Grasping the blade, he throws it at Red Alert, just as he ducks out of the way of the incoming attack. Shadow winces slightly, as the shoulder cannon strikes him in the, err, shoulder. Is that ironic, or just amusing. "Think what you will, Autobot. I still have my orders." He sends the sword back to subspace, and a second later he rushes at Steeltread, throwing a fist at his face. Dredclaw snarls as his Prey exits the building. But noting the radio chatter, he figures it's time to make a hasty exit as it is. Transforming, he blasts out the same window that Nightbeat did and tries to impale the Detective while he's paused to wrap his wounds up. "Leaving so soon, Nightbeat? I thought we might continue our chat outside." he growls. Hinder watches Swindle blast a hole in the side of the buiding. "Stuff that goes boom. Shiny too? Or not shiny okay?" Combat: Shadow strikes Steeltread with his Punch attack! Combat: Sunder misses Red Alert with his Throwing Knife attack (Pistol) attack! Combat: Dredclaw sets his defense level to Aggressive. In a fluid motion, Dredclaw soars into the air, and folds into the menacing form of a Sweepcraft. Combat: Sweepcraft misses Nightbeat with his Ram attack! Combat: Sweepcraft (Dredclaw) used "Ram": A Level 3 VELOCITY attack. Kup chases after Apeface, leaping into the elevator, sliding down the ropes. "HEY! Where do you think yer goin' Decepticon?" Kup growls. "And what did you just call me?" as he plummets. "Did you call me a punk? That's pretty ironic, considerin'!" Combat: Kup takes extra time to steady himself. [Pass] Nightbeat narrowly manages to avoid being made into a very flat detective by a very fast moving soapdish. He spins around and snaps off a shot at the zooming Sweep before taking off running. The news on the radio is not good, not good at all! Combat: Nightbeat sets his defense level to Guarded. Red Alert twists out of the way of Sunder's dagger, ducking beneath it. Then he hears something over the radio and gives Sunder a big grin. "Catch me if you can, mighty hunter!" he says before diving forward, transforming, and driving right /for/ Sunder. As if he's entirely given up on getting to the building! Red Alert transforms into his Fire Chief's Car mode. Combat: Nightbeat misses Sweepcraft with his Plasma Blaster attack! [Pulled -2] Combat: Drained 2 energon. Combat: Red Alert sets his defense level to Aggressive. Combat: Fire Chief's Car misses Sunder with his Ram attack! Steeltread snaps his helmeted head back around as shadow's punch connects rather solidly. "Is that all you're about? Orders? I guess you don't do anything else except kiss your superior's aft plate. Or do you have an on/off button that someone else flips when they need you?" As he talks, the butt of his rifle comes around and tries to smack shadow in the head. Combat: Steeltread misses Shadow with his rifle butt (Punch) attack! Swindle waggles a hand side to side. "Meh. Get whatever you feel like, I'm sure even the wallpaper in this place is made of some kind of high-tech ultrapolymer. But what we're really looking for is the -weaponry-." He starts poking around, looking for, well, anything. "Sheesh, isn't there some kind of map or something in here? Maybe a registry.. or a guidebook.. how about an information desk..?" Shadow ducks back, away from the rifle. "It does not matter what you believe. All that matters to *me* is that Galvatron's will is carried out. It would be wise for you to not interfere." He starts to hover, and brings up a foot and kicks at Steeltread's chest in an attempt to knock him down, trying to get a good momentum with his anti-gravs. Combat: Shadow strikes Steeltread with his Kick attack! Hinder hops off of Swindle's shoulder when he starts poking around, snuffling around at the items closer to the floor. After moment she returns to Swindle carrying a slip of ultrapolymer paper -- a floorplan. Sunder knows that Red Alert is trying to smash into him. So he waits. He hold still, right until the last minute...then he LEAPS. And as he leaps, he attempts to shoot out Red Alert's tires with his Headcannon. He chuckles at the taunt." Combat: Sunder misses Fire Chief's Car with his Laser Blaster attack! [Pulled -3] Sweepcraft angles away as he misses Nightbeat and accelerates into the atmosphere, leaving the plasma sreaps behind. "Fine, if you won't stay still, perhaps this will convince you." he fires his laser lasso in all it's wonder womanish glory! Combat: Sweepcraft misses Nightbeat with his Laser Lasso attack! Combat: Sweepcraft (Dredclaw) used "Laser Lasso": A Level 1 RANGED attack. Ape looks up, seeing Kup sliding down the cable after him. "Hurrr... an old crazy guy who sounds like he's from Brooklyn is chasing me... I swear I saw this on a video game before." Against his desires, Apeface manages not to threaten Kup any further. He really does have to focus on his job here. The Headmaster's ape feet slam against the basement floor, and with one mighty blow of his powerful arms, he rips apart the elevator doors. Bounding away from where he knows Kup is right behind him, Apeface finds himself in the lab. He's been here before. He hates it. Spasma's been here before too. He hates it even more! Still, a job's a job and Scorponok gave him orders just prior to cutting out on the radio. A.F.S.? Of course nobody could be more /specific/, could they? Apeface bounds throughout the lab. "Where is it? Where is it?!" He roars, turning up a lab bench and chucking it away. He punches his way through what appears to be giant heavily modified Transformer sized recharging pods. He knocks aside a row of computer banks with a handwritten note on them that reads 'Master Nebulos. Master the galaxy. Master *power* itself'. The computer banks explode as they hit the ground. Finally Apeface faces off against a chamber about the size of a Dinobot. It is a huge metal vat with a clear glass window. A plaque reads 'Alternative Final Solution'. Inside is bubbling green liquid, kept contained by the vat itself. Apeface turns, spies Kup entering, and sneers, "Too slow, old timer." With one mighty paw, he smashes the glass and bounds away. The green liquid immediately turns to vapour upon hitting the open air. It is bubbling and growing, being pumped through massive pipes that lead to the Ministry of Science's rooftop. From the Ministry of Science's Arvassian mountain facilities... in the deepest of basements, Apeface stares at a huge metal vat with a clear glass window. A plaque reads 'Alternative Final Solution' adorns it. Inside is bubbling green liquid, kept contained by the vat itself. With a flick of a Decepticon's hand, green fumes begin emitting up through a series of pipes from the basement. Per Scorponok's orders, the A.F.S.... the Alternative Final Solution, is released into the Nebulon atmosphere. The green vapours pour upwards into the sky, dissipating as it dissolves into the air. Atmospheric readings change, as something in the air alters the planet itself. Some Transformers either aboard their ships or with their own advanced readings may notice the difference immediately: Energy on Nebulos is different now. Fuel has been altered. There is an additive in nearly all forms of fuel on the planet that is now poisonous to Transformer-life. Refueling via native means is no longer an option. Steeltread steps back after taking the foot to the chest. After that, he just loads his rifle like a shotgun......staring at Shadow. Combat: Steeltread sets his defense level to Protected. Combat: Steeltread takes extra time to steady himself. [Pass] Nightbeat does not want to be bound by his hands and forced to tell the truth! He knows too much! So the detective runs like blazes to get out of the way of the lasso. He's not sure what this green vapour is, but it doesn't look good. Then, Red Alert breaks the news, and the detective's jaw draws. He murmurs, for Muzzle, "I can't go home. I couldn't when they kicked me off the force, but this is... this is... damn it!" His hands ball into fists, and he stomps the ground. Combat: Nightbeat takes extra time to steady himself. [Pass] Combat: Regained 6 energon. Kup tries to grab the ape before he bounds away, but he's distracted by the vats that Apeface smashes open. He shuffles away as the noxious liquid spreads across the floor. "What... what did you do, Apeface!? What is this slag!? Are you poisoning the entire planet? That what this is? Scorched Earth tactics? You son of a glitch, do you even know what this will do to the environment? To the Nebulans!? GRAAAAHHHH!" He transforms into truck mode, revving up and chasing after Apeface. For such a big and old truck, he can reach top speed really fast when he wants to. He collides with Apeface in the middle of the elevator shaft, screaming, "WHAT DID YOU JUST DO!!?" Shadow cocks his head, staring away from Steeltread, almost as if sensing something. It's probably just his sensors detecting the poison, but other than that, he can't really tell. He turns to Steeltread and says coldly, "This battle is finished, as far as I'm concerned." He seems to have a great dislike for Scorponok and his minions. Kup falls forward, folding up into really old looking futuristic truck! Combat: Cybertruck strikes Ape with his Old-Fashioned Overrun attack! Hinder stops abruptly mid-snuffle, pops her head up, then dashes back to Swindle. "Yucky smell! Runrun!" Fire Chief's Car veers out of the way of Sunder's attack, then twists and transforms, turning to face, to taunt the Sweep once more. And then Apeface acts, and he catches a nosefull of the results. He bends over coughing, then delivers the news to the other Autobots. Radio traffic keeps him distracted, until finally he lifts his head and levels his gaze on Sunder, aiming his rocket towards the Sweep. "Go. Now. There's nothing for you here." "There's nothing for any of us here." Fire Chief's Car transforms into his Red Alert mode. Swindle's facial features crinkle as the air changes. He smacks his mouth a couple of times. "Eh. Tastes kinda gamey," he observes with a frown. "That can't be healthy." Shrug. "Okay, rat, plan B: RUUUUUUUUN!" He's already transforming and starting to squeal his tires, heading back for the exit. Swindle's no sucker! He transforms into a Jeep and gets ready to roll! Ape watches as the vapours billow up through the pipes, looking nonchalant. He turns and is shocked to see Kup raging at him. "Hey hey, Kup... no hard feelings, right? Whatever it does I'm sure it can't... w-wait..." Apeface takes a step bad, having never seen Kup so livid before. He holds his monkey paws in front of him. He has no idea what he just did, or what damage might be done to the environment. Scorponok told him to do it, and that's good enough for him. "Now you just hold... come on, Kup! Don't take this so pers-... frak..." Apeface braces himself as Kup transforms and charges. Rather than being run over, Apeface is struck head-on, being smashed backwards and skidding along the basement floor until he's pinned up against the wall. Shards of his armour splinter off as plaster breaks loose from the wall, leaving a dent. Still pinned, the Decepticon Headmaster gacks and flails, trying to free him. Spasma begins to panic, and Apeface follows suit. Combat: Ape misses Cybertruck with his Futile Flailing (Punch) attack! [Pulled -1] Sunder takes stock of the situation as the stench of foul anti-cybertronian poison leaks into the air! Well to be honest, he'd already calculated that they must leave. But he's not going to give Red Alert the satisfaction...just yet. "This was your doing, wasn't it, Autobot?" Sunder growls. He stares at Red Alert as he transforms. His sensors continue to analyze the subtance and he comes up with a chilling conclusion...if they do not get off Nebulous within a few hours, they will become gravely ill. He growls in frustration and pounces at Red Alert halfheartedly. Just a bluff. Combat: Sunder strikes Red Alert with his threat display (Grab) attack! Sweepcraft growls, "Commander, can we dustoff now? I think this party is officially a bust!" He angles upwards, forgetting about Nightbeat now that the very air is turning all energon to poison. "I don't know if it will poison us through our wounds, Commander. I recommend IMMEDIATE evacuation of this planet!" Combat: Sweepcraft takes extra time to steady himself. [Pass] The faded green cybertruck springs up and splits apart, revealing the ancient Autobot, Kup! "AAAAAAH!" Red Alert flails and stumbles back at Sunder's show of force, clearly falling for the Decepticon's bluff. Now, let's do the math here. Red Alert is flaily and easily alarmed. He has just fallen for Sunder's bluff, and therefore believes the Sweep is out to get him RIGHT NOW. And he has a rocket pointed right at Sunder, ready to fire. "Get away from me!" Red Alert cries out in panic as he fires the rocket. Combat: Red Alert strikes Sunder with his Shoulder-Mounted Rocket Launcher attack! Steeltread keeps his rifle raised as he looks around at the mist forming around them. "Following orders. Your orders apparently is to use chemical warfare against the entire world." he says as his faceplate closes and his visor snaps down. "How does it feel? You could've shared energon.....instead....you've denied it, even to yourselves. However, we now have more important business to attend to." He says as he suddenly turns his rifle towards SUNDER....and fires! Combat: Steeltread sets his defense level to Fearless. Combat: Steeltread misses Sunder with his Inhibitor Shell attack! Kup rises up into robot mode, lip twitching as he grabs Apeface by the shoulders and forces him to look at him optic-to-optic. "No hard feelings!?" he snarls, oily spittle flying out between his clenched teeth. "I'll show you hard feelings!" He swings a punch at Apeface's face, denting it, and probably jarring Spasma pretty good, too. "I'll show you the WORST kinda hard feelings!" He then uppercuts Apeface with such force that it sends him flying UP the elevator shaft. Kup leaps up after him and transforms, driving straight up the walls of the elevator shaft. Apeface's body collides with the bottom of the elevator platform, which had been on a higher floor, and then Kup's front bumper slams into him from below, sandwiching the ape between a rock and a crazy old man. Finally, Kup transforms again, and swings through the shaft doors into the second floor of the complex--but he's not done! THEN he leaps up through the third floor, rips open the elevator doors on this level, and sneers, "Sayonara, scumbag," before he fires on the elevator cables with his acid musket. The lines melt away, and then the whole platform drops, bringing Apeface down with it. Fools rush in where angels fear to tread, but when even the Sweeps want to bail? Then it's time for this old detective to hang up his hat. He looks around, taking in every line, from the beautiful mountains to the carnage that their fighting has wrought. He holds his forehead as he commits it all to memory, as if he won't ever return - and he might not. Muzzle thinks of everyone he should have said good bye to - hah, he thought it would be a bullet and death that took him away from this world! Not a big orange spaceship. Combat: Nightbeat takes extra time to steady himself. [Pass] Combat: Regained 6 energon. Combat: Kup strikes Ape with his Whuppin' attack! Shadow shakes his head. "It was not our doing. It was Scorponok and his incompetant minions. I do not follow such a beast." He summons his sword again, clutching it tightly, but he does not attack. "This fight is OVER. All of us should take priority with our own safety." His gaze passes over the others present. Hinder scrabbles at Swindle's leg, jumping up and clawing at him as if to try and climb to safety. The chemical can't truly hurt her directly, but just the potential for danger in the smell has put her into a panic. "EEEEE!" Vintage Army Jeep uses a door to bump Hinder back into the passenger compartment as he transforms, flooring his accelerator on the way out. The jeep skids right past Shadow, yelling, "Way ahead of you, there!" And vroom, he's taking back off down the mountain. Sunder howls as the missile hits him, as he tries to dive out of the way of it. Fortunately, Steeltread's attack misses him completely. He hisses angrily at Red Alert, then takes off. He's done here. He at least wanted to scare the frag outta Red Alert before he left, and that's been accomplished. <> he shortranges to Dredclaw and the other Decepticons, <> Sweeps being Space-Capable, will have no trouble in that department. Shadow just facepalms at Swindle. Sunder's head disappears into his chest, his wings fold around him, and now he is in Sweepcraft mode, his headcannon still visible. Combat: Sweepcraft begins retreating, leaving himself vulnerable to parting shots from Sweepcraft Ape 's head snaps back, getting dented both from Kup's fist and from hitting the wall behind him. Spasma yells something at Apeface in his mind, but Apeface won't have any of it! No longer pinned to the wall, the Headmaster falls forward onto his hands and knees, "Wait, Kup! It's just some stupid fleshlings! Don't get s-" Wham! The uppercut knocks him back up, smashing through the wall and into the elevator shaft. With his powerful hands, Apeface climbs the rest of the way up the cable, almost reaching the lobby. For a moment he thinks he's escaped Kup, but that moment passes as the pick-up truck revs up, crashes into him, and sends him hurtling up through the elevator car. "Hold on, K-" he holds out his hand in a futile act of defiance before Kup sends the entire car, him included, crashing back down to the floor in the basement. Sweepcraft forms on Sunder's wing and accelerates with his Twin, up up and away! Combat: Sweepcraft begins retreating, outrunning all pursuit. Red Alert manages to flail the Sweep away! See, sometimes there /are/ advantages to being easily alarmed. He picks himself up and looks around. He should run. He holds up a hand towards Steeltread, a thumbs-up, smiles, and nods his thanks for the assist. Then he falls forward into vehicle mode and does his best to catch up with Nightbeat. "Nightbeat..." he says softly, "I know that... your partner has to leave his home behind, but... but neither of you... you're not without family. You know that, right?" And speaking of family, time to check on the cranky old uncle. Kup walks out of the Ministry, somewhat battered, and covered in dust, but mostly ok. He rolls his head around, rubbing his shoulder. "Man, that was kinda therapeutic, but now I get this kink in my neck--" He stops outside of the complex, looking around. "Eh, how you guys doin' out here?' Nightbeat crosses his arms and grunts, optic band squinted. Red Alert's words are really touching, if the detective is real with himself, but he doesn't do so good with real sentimental things. He grumbles something too low to be heard and then follows after to Red Alert to go check on Kup, changing the subject, "Seems like Kup's got his fight back in him. A fair trade." Nightbeat, for his part, has been tangling with a Sweep and looks suitably battered, with some crime scene tape tied around one arm. He opines, "Eh, slap some Bondo on it and walk it off, Kup." Hinder gets bumped into the jeep where she curls up on the floorboards again as they bug out. But then almost immediately she pops her head up again. "Sunder! Shadow! Dreddy!" She cranes her neck and bites at the jeep's steering wheel. "Nono! Help friends, can't stay either!" Red Alert was in vehicle mode, actually. If he were still a robot, he'd be grinning. Still, he sounds pleased, despite the circumstances. "Glad to have you back, Kup," he greets, too formal, even now, to call Kup 'old timer.' Steeltread grumbles as shadow flies away...apparently...then looks to Kup and the others. "Came here to save nebulos.....ended up dooming it." Kup shrugs, managing to smile a bit. "Heh, well, I dunno, so long as no more weird slag happens to me, I think I'll be ok for now. But I'm more worried about you guys. Looks like you had more trouble with your dancing partners than I did." He scratches his nose. "I dunno what this gas does yet, Steeltread, other than what Red Alert told us. It'll contaminate our fuel, but..." He glances at Nightbeat. "You got a Nebulon in there, right? Is he feeling sick?" "Actually, the Sweep didn't really do all that much damage," the fire chief's car admits. He pauses, hesitating, then adds, "Mostly, uhm... he startled me." So Red Alert hit him with a rocket! Nightbeat shakes his Nebulan-filled head and replies, a bit hesitantly, "Fit as a fiddle." Strictly speaking, Muzzle isn't feeling /well/, but it's not due to the green gunk in the air at all. Knowing that Nebulos is going to spared their war is great, but... Muzzle is still unsettled by the idea of packing up and roaming the galaxy with an alien Porsche that's been around since before Muzzle's species even evolved. Kup nods. "So we'll all live, then." He gestures towards the Ministry. "And since we were standing right next to this thing, I imagine that if it was harmful to Nebulans, it would've killed Nightbeat's, uh, friend. So maybe I trashed Apeface for no reason." He looks around, and shrugs. "Well, like I need a fraggin' reason, anway." Vintage Army Jeep swerves wildly on the mountain course. "Ow, stop biting me! They can fly, they'll be fine!" "He's Apeface. Isn't that a good enough reason?" Red Alert asks. Nightbeat opines, "Any reason is a good reason to trash Apeface," nodding and agreeing with Red Alert. Muzzle is not thrilled by the idea of him being a lab rat for the green gunk, but yeah, he's not dead. True enough. Nightbeat glances over at Swindle and his passenger and frowns. Another day! It's times like this that Shadow wishes he could do repairs himself... Hinder ohs and lets go of the steering wheel, looking back toward the Sweeps and swirly not-plane. Kup waves dismissively at Swindle. "Eh, leddim go, tired 'a beatin' on people anyway." Hinder starts sending radio transmissions on an open frequency, probably very easy for anyone with a receiver to intercept. << Badsmell! Runrun! Not safe here!>> The last part of the transmission is a powerful burst of binary chattering, similar to morse code. Kup has left. Sweepcraft banks to go back for Shadow. "Acknoledged, I'll be right back, commander." Shadow curses the fact that he is not space-capable! He does not like having to rely on others. At the moment, he is clutching his injured, sparking shoulder. "Excellent," Sweepcraft replies, banking likewise and heading for where Swindle and Hinder are. "If you want out quickly, I suggest you come with us. This atmosphere is /very/ bad for your bottom line, Swindle. Hinder, come up?" He opens his hatch to his cargo hold so that Hinder can scramble in. Vintage Army Jeep drives up into the Sweepcraft's hold. "Huh. Who woulda guessed they'd be so much empty space?" he wonders aloud. It's the magic of Subspace! Hinder clambers up onto the jeep's passenger seat but instead of clambering into the Sweep she hits the ground with an 'oof!' then scrambles off toward Shadow. He's the only one still on the ground. Shadow kneels down as Hinder approaches. "Hello, little one. I hope you are unharmed?" Sweepcraft lands beside Shadow, his cockpit opening, "Extraction team is back... care for a lift?" Hinder puts her paws on Shadow's feet and looks up at him. "Need to leave. Yucky smell bad!" Sweepcraft 's ion drives remain at holding stations, "You are correct, Hinder. This atmosphere is toxic for energon sources... Those of us that are damaged must evacuate immediately. The rest should also leave now." Shadow nods. "Agreed, Hinder." He offers her his arm as a perch and looks up at Dredclaw. "Yes, if you don't mind. Just a moment." Sweepcraft has Swindle drive into him like a car loading onto a BC Ferry. "Let us depart this forever accursed place," he says, "Form on my wing. We head for New Crystal City, and uncontaminated Energon." Sweepcraft 's hull wobbles a bit, but he stays put for the time being. "By your will, commander. My passengers have not borded however." Sweepcraft says, "I will wait for them to board." Hinder clambers up onto Shadow's arm then looks at the sweepcraft there. She's not seen Dredclaw's altmode before, so isn't sure if he's the one owned by Frik and Frak or not. Shadow promptly boards Dredclaw with Hinder in tow. "This fight certainly could have gone better..." Speaking of Frik and Frak... The duo make an appearance, trying to patch up some of the more easily patched damage on their Master. (they deploy on either side of the secondary turrets, close to the top edge of the hull) Sweepcraft notes that the passengers are secure, then rockets off into deep space. Leaving Nebulon behind in his dust wake. Sweepcraft closes up and recalls the chains... Hinder has left. Dredclaw takes Hinder. Swindle has left. Sunder takes Swindle. Shadow has left. Sunder has left. Dredclaw has left. ================================= Decepticon ================================= Message: 2/87 Posted Author Update: Scorponok, Nebulos Mon Mar 02 Galvatron ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Decepticons... "While I was /detained/ fighting off /assassin Sharkticons/ sent by that foul, five-faced freak /Delicious/ -- our ambitious friend /SCORPONOK/ has seen fit to /RUIN OUR CHANCES OF PLUNDERING NEBULOS COMPLETELY/!" "His little... head-pet is incarcerated by the Autobots. I recommend we /leave/ him there a bit, if only to remind the two of them who is in /CONTROL/ of this situation. In the meantime, round up his men -- whoever doesn't swear loyalty gets their little fleshling /accessory/ /DRAWN AND QUARTERED/ in front of them. I also want his /SHIP/, the Hellbender -- we could /use/ a good destroyer on the Absolution. "Scorponok tried to lead the Decepticons to victory... and garnered only /ruin/ and /failure/, turning a world rich in resources, ripe for the plucking, into whose fuel is /POISON/ -- /USELESS/ to us! I think that is enough to remind you /WHO/ is running this show." ============================================================================== ================================== Autobot =================================== Message: 3/179 Posted Author The Future of Nebulos Mon Mar 02 Fortress Maximus ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Galen appears on the screen, his powersuit helmet tucked under one arm. His hair is matted and sweaty, but the young Nebulan leader looks far from defeated -- just exhausted. "Our assault on Koraja was successful. Scorponok has been defeated, driven from Nebulos -- and Zarak has been deposed. Unfortunately, Scorponok would not allow us a complete victory. He ordered his minions to trigger a bomb which poisoned the air of our planet..." Galen hesitates, anger causing him to visibly clench. "Leaving all of our fuel sources poisonous to Transformer life. I have no choice but to order all of my men to remain with the Autobots. If our Transformer companions die..." He pauses gravely. "So do we." "I will leave our fate to be decided by your leader, Rodimus Prime, once he has recovered from his injuries. I do not wish to impose a burden on you, Autobots. Know that we, the Binary-Bonded Nebulans, are as loyal to the Autobot cause as our partners. We are joined irreparably, our fates intertwined. Where one of us thrives, so does the other. We will help you keep the Galaxy safe from the Decepticon menace. In so doing, we will keep Nebulos safe as well until the day the environmental damage has been repaired and we can return to our friends and our families. When that day is, he doesn't say. "Fortress Maximus will remain in Koraja to assist with the repairs. All Autobots should leave the surface of Nebulos and return to the Orion Pax by the end of tomorrow, less they risk further contamination. "You have helped freed our world today, Autobots. The price has been great, but one that I shall never regret paying. Galen out." <> ============================================================================== ================================== Autobot =================================== Message: 3/180 Posted Author The Autobots on Nebulos Mon Mar 02 Fanfare ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ As a Refueller, Ah volunteer tae remain until the last of us are evacuated, tae ensure that we have a non contaminated source of Energon. ============================================================================== ================================== Autobot =================================== Message: 3/181 Posted Author The Horrible Truth Mon Mar 02 Brainstorm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Greetings, Autobots, this is Arcana, Brainstorm's partner. I have a revelation and... an apology to make. I discovered very recently that it was my former colleague in the Ministry of Science, Vorath, who leaked the Headmaster and Targetmaster technology to the Decepticons. He was the only one who could double-check the work Brainstorm and I had done, and I went over every detail with him. However, I never imagined that he would betray us! You must understand, during Thunderwing's occupation of the planet, the Decepticons put him in a lab and forced him to work night and day in hellish conditions. They barely fed him at all, and the poor man must've lost half his body weight in there. It's just unthinkable that he would turn around and do this! "Well... he did. When I last spoke to him, and overheard his confession, I saw that he regretted it, for he and the other co-conspirators in Zarak's camp thought they would control the Decepticons like puppetmasters, but that was never the intention of my technology, nor was it the result. The poor man bound himself to Mindwipe, one of the most sinister of all Decepticons--truly a fate I would not wish on my worst enemy. Perhaps one might consider that a fitting punishment for what he had done. I find it tragic, and... heartbreaking. And I must apologize to all of you, for though it was not my intention, it is my fault that Scorponok and his men yet live. While Zarak was apprehended, I fear there will still be terrible consequences for my actions. I am sorry, I truly am. My only consolation is knowing that the war on Nebulos will come to a halt, at least, for now. This is Arcana, signing off!" ==============================================================================
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