| abstract | - Research Facility The first thing that draws attention upon entering the facility if a large metallic technochair at the center of the room. It is surrounded with keyboards, monitors and is obviously designed to control the whole facility. A large supercomputer has been built into the northern wall, its large screen constantly displayind data and images of Cybertron. The rest of the room is filled with various stations and workbenches, each one equipped to work either with electronic parts or with chemical components. It is obvious that advanced science is performed within this facility. A squadron of technical expert gumbies march behind Red Alert, who has his best 'apology' face on when he strides into the Research Facility. "Torque, good news!" he announces, slapping on a smile and waving to the caged mechanic. Suddenly, activated via Wheeljack's audio command on the Autobot channel, the doors suddenly lock into place. What's more concerning, the tech team is on the other side! Turning to face the locked door, back to Torque.. Red Alert shrugs and makes his way over towards the console. "Well, there goes that idea.." he frowns, studying the controls. Torque is situated in the corner of the cage when Red Alert abruptly enters the room and leaves his team behind, the femme actually recharging. But his announcement has her jolting awake, antennas shooting upright as she sits up. "Ergh, I'm awake!" Once alertness passes she stares bleary-opticed at the mech, grumbling softly and standing. "You're not here to shoot it, are you?" She deadpans. The mecha slug is totally standing protectively in front of Torque, wriggling its mouth tendrils warily in Red Alert's direction. It knows that Red Alert is a huge jerk. Jetfire facepalms when the doors lock the tech team outside and Red Alert inside. What in the name of Primus is he doing here, again? He had just finished fixing the circuitry in the containment chamber, and the door slides open to allow Torque out inside again. "Red Alert..." he says, trying to sound irritated. "What brings you here?" There's some muffled yelling outside the door. "Hey, get out of the way, dumbafts!" -Pause- "I'LL SHOVE WHOEVER I WANT!" Raid promptly starts a fight with the entire tech team just outside the entrance. Brainstorm has heard something about how the mecha slug Jetfire was examining earlier has gone on to wreak havoc. Of some sort. WELL. Brainstorm naturally wastes no time in going to investigate! The Headmaster walks up to Air Raid and a commotion outside the door. "Hey there, Raid! Anything strange and unusal going on? I was told there was. PLEASE tell me there is, I'm bored." "Ah, Jetfire. Aren't you looking awfully loyal today?" Red Alert grins, looking back at the door when Air Raid starts a fist fight in the hallway with some nerds. "I was on my way to free Torque, with the tech team in tow, but things got complicated. How are you this cycle?" That said, he carefully approaches the doorway to the cell with his hands held out in front of him. Optics locked on the slug, he motions for Torque to join them outside in the lab. "Easy big fella, I think we got off on the wrong foot here." he speaks evenly, almost softly and angelic-like. Purdy, like a lady. Pointing to the Autobot emblem on his chest, then to Torque's emblem, the Security Director says "Friend." All the while, he fights the urge to vomit again. "Easy, easy. I'm not gonna let him do anything." Torque assures the slug in a soft tone, smiling at it while patting its side. "You're just in time, though, Red. I wanted to set this big guy free once Jetfire opens this thing." Which he does, and oh sweet relief! Wave of fresh air entering the cage is something she thought she'd never feel again, the femme cycling an intake before sighing softly. And so, with door open Torque steps on out to stand beside Red while he tries to make friends. She just smirks and nods at it in an 'it's okay' gesture while also waving for it to come out. Jetfire grimaces slightly, but nods at Red Alert's greeting. Whether he's grimacing at Red Alert or at the fact that he's fighting the feeling of purging again it's not quite clear. He leaves the coaxing up to Torque. Brainstorm comes upon a bit of a brawl. "Brainstorm! They've locked Torque in with the stupid slug! Here, hold this guy while I punch him!" exclaims Raid. The mecha slug starts to shuffle out after Torque, because damnit it wants to go graze in Cybertron's tunnels and not get stabbed with shrapnel. The strange shift in Red Alert's tone is noted with a weird warbling snort. Brainstorm is a bit confused now. He holds up his hands. "I'm sorry, Raid, I don't like to get involved with interpersonal relations... I'll.... just wait here while you guys fight and then make up...." He then peers at the mechs. "Wait- ARE you holding Torque prisoner?" Red Alert holds out an energon goodie from his pack, not stepping forward at all, trying to coax the slug out of the cell. "There there, easy fella." he speaks evenly again, other hand held out in front of him to show he's not ready to blast the slug in the face. The slug reaches out with its tentacles and takes the goodie - Red Alert is not such a big jerk now. It plops fully into the lab and begins to scoot for the entrance. Raid frowns at Brainstorm and finally stops the fighting, the tech team members cursing and glaring. "Guys, we need to get inside. Everyone bang on the door! Who knows what could be happening to Torque!" Torque eyes Red a moment in contemplation. Does he really wish to make amends? You can't tell with this guy, to be honest. "I think one way you can show your good faith, Red, is by escorting us back to the tunnel. If anyone can clear a path, it's you." She chuckles softly and approaches the slug to scramble up onto its back and ready to use feet to tap its sides in the right direction. But first? The door. "Jetfire, mind opening the doors on up for us?" Jetfire's been working on getting the door open, but it wasn't too hard--all he had to do was override Wheeljack's commands and hack all his passcodes! Like a walk in the Helix Gardens.... heheh. Anyway, the door finally opens. Brainstorm beams at Raid. "SEE? I knew you guys would work it out.... I feel the love already!" Then the door opens and...STRANGE and UNUSUAL SLUG!!! Brainstorm's optics light up and he heads immediately for it. Epic slug mount is not very epic. It scoots along through the open door, startling Air Raid plus company. "Gah! What the? You're letting it free?" Red Alert cuts Brainstorm off, holding his stomach like he's about to vomit. "Ease up there killer, lemme check you both out real quick." he comments, transforming and running a preliminary scan. Once satisfied, <> he trails, as the slug high-tails it out of there with Torque in tow. <> Red emits, hitting the lights on his sirens (not the noisy part though, musn't scare the loving peaceful slug whom Red Alert loves now with all of his core) and follows them out into the hallway. Someone must be following Red Alert.. suspiciously, because he folds down into his Lambourghini Countach Fire Department vehicle looking to book it!! Combat: Fire Department Lambourghini Countach initiates a radar sweep of the area. Psh, slug mount is plenty epic. Just not very fast. Torque grins from atop her perch down at Air Raid and Brainstorm, giving a little wave. "Oh hey, Raid and Brainstorm! And yep, gonna set it free back where it belongs now that it's cured. C'mon, you can join us!" With Red Alert leading the pack she grins and spurs the slug on by pointing. "Follow that car!" Jetfire nods at Air Raid's outburst. "Yes, it would not be right to keep it contained. It is a wild creature, after all." Besides, keeping it there required quite a bit of extra maintenance work, which in his opinion wasn't really worth it. Sure, it might have something that could help their cause, anything could, but it wasn't immediately obvious. Thus far, the specimen was more trouble than it was worth. Air Raid looks rather peeved, because he wasn't the one to rescue Torque from the dangers of this completely harmless mechanimal. He sulks after the strange caravan on foot - there's really no point in turning into a jet here. Brainstorm waits impatiently, tapping his foot as Red Alert scans him, then gives Torque a thumbs-up. "OH, YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW AWESOME THAT SOUNDS! I'm IN!!!" He runs alongside, totally NOT BORED now. The Engineer takes out a few scanners of his own and starts gathering data, looking completely happy- then suddenly pauses a moment. "Oh- HEY, RED... I'm the Floor Marshall now, aren't I? That means I report suspicious activity to you, doesn't it?" He pauses and ponders. "This ...MIGHT qualify. I'll let you know!" And then he runs back alongside Torque and the slug. EPIC HAND-WAVE OF SPACE AND TIME AKA The players are lazy and don't want to relocate The expansive tunnels inbetween Iacon and Debris lie before them, some interior lighting in the random overhead floodlight shines illumination (though sparsely) down the way. Red Alert leads the caravan, keeping pace with the slow slug mount, his lights still flashing and sending the blue and red bouncing around the dark tunnels. <> the Security Director announces, rising up into his robot mode. Faster than you can say 'Richard Nixon', Red Alert flips up into his robot mode. Torque keeps her headlights on during their descent into the tunnels, which can mean two things since they're actually on her chest. With Red stopping she gives just a tiny tap to the slug to stop as well so she can slide off and come around to the front of it. She's smiling bright while patting the side of whatever counts for a face on said slug. "Well, here we are, big guy. You're free to go. Just try to stay out of the main tunnel though so you don't get in anymore trouble, yeah?" With that said she steps aside, waving the slug to go off and live his sluggy life. "You know sluggy," Raid says, patting the slug's side. "I know we haven't spent much time together but I'm really gonna' miss you." He vents a sigh, and the slug doesn't even seen to acknowledge him. It "licks" Torque fondly, then abruptly lumbers forth, schlooping down the tunnel - Jetfire's efforts aren't for naught! Perhaps this was a slug prince, and he'll have gained many sluggy allies for the Autobots! Before the slug manages to depart, Red Alert steps forward and pulls out some sort of strange feeder from a back compartment. "I had Crosshairs whip this up in a hurry." he tells the others, bending down in front of the slug to affix the item. "Can't let him wander off without a parting gift, can we?" he grins, still biting back the urge to vomit again. It's a little feeder trough that fits snuggly in front of the slug! After it's on, Red steps back and puts his hands on his hips. "He said the harness is biodegradable, should dissolve harmlessly in a matter of cycles. BUT, I'm sure Sluggy will enjoy the treats." he laughs, patting Air Raid on the back. Brainstorm says his goodbye as well. "SEE YA! You saved me from a moment of boredom... I'm TOUCHED, really. I'm not quite sure how I can ever repay you. But let me give you something!" Brainstorm watches Red give a "gift". "Hey! Great minds think alike!" and he takes out a water-and-slimeproof collar with a salt-shaker-shaped tag hanging off the front, and places it over the slug's neck. He waves as it heads slooooowly away. Whether it will actually stay on, who knows? Torque finds herself with yet another faceful of tentacles that leave her face coated in more slime, though she doesn't complain, only laughing softly before seeing it off with a wave. She doesn't offer a gift, unfortunately, though Red and Brainstorm's get a strange look before she just shakes her head. Looking to Raid next she just grins through the slime on her face. "Heh, guess I should hit the showers now, huh?" And with that she's off back to base with the others. MUCH MUCH LATER.. Combing the tunnels, Red Alert shines his light down a corridor and back to the main runway. "Damn, you said that tracking beacon was flawless!" he chastises. Shrugging, Crackpot shines his light down a ventilation shaft. "I thought it was, at least. What'd you want that slimy slug for anyways?" the neurotic gumbie asks. "Simple. If this thing is out there, I need my OWN samples instead of relying on Operations. Who knows how they've sullied them." the Security Director annoyingly answers, tapping his foot impatiently.
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