| abstract | - Covering almost 762,000 square miles, rugged, mountainous Mexico is a land of extreme diversity: the modern tourist resorts coexist with awe-inspiring ancient cities, and snow-capped volcanoes slope down to evergreen forests, colorful deserts, and endless tropical beaches. The huge, crowded metropolis of Mexico City is only a short distance from tiny villages. Mexico's diversity is also reflected in its people; there are over 50 different indigenous peoples with different languages and customs. The drones scatter as a few are off-lined by the flame discharge, but Hot Spot doesn't get a chance to really respond to that matter as a focused laser beam cuts across one shoulder. Ooh that stung a bit, it wasn't no drone firing back, that's for sure. Because here comes Shockwave. "Aaaw, did I break some of your toys, big fella? Shouldn't of left them lying around like that." Having the one eyed one handed flying purple bot blaster bearing down on his position disuade him? Hardly! Hopping up onto the ridge he had been using for cover, Hot Spot pulled out his standard issue firearm with one hand and fired back at Shockwave, while his bigger rifle was lowered to let it cool off a bit. Last thing he needed at the moment was it blowing up on him. Combat: Hot Spot sets his defense level to Neutral. The Global Pose Tracker marks that Sideswipe has 'skipped' his action for this round. Combat: Sideswipe sets his defense level to Neutral. Combat: Hot Spot misses Shockwave with his Generic Autobot Firearm. You know the one with the blue beams (Laser) attack! Assault Helicopter begins to drop down to ground level once more, seeking to regroup with the arriving Autobots. One on one dogfighting is fine when it's 'on his own time', but now it's time to start playing his role of air support. Oh wait, air assault. He gets confused sometimes. Combat: Assault Helicopter takes extra time to steady himself. [Pass] Cackle has arrived. Windshear has arrived. Pretty boy Windshear transforms into a buffed steel Cybertronian Tetrajet. Decepticon Island is only a short jaunt to the east, and from that direction a small craft comes careering across the sun-baked landscape, running in low, just above the ground. A plume of dust trails in his wake, combined with the roar of his Cybertronain propulsion; The Decepticon speed freak Redshift approaches! Combat: Red Spacecraft sets his defense level to Protected. The Global Pose Tracker marks that Red Spacecraft has 'skipped' his action for this round.
* Vrrrm!* Sand and dirt are kicked up by the four wheels of none other than Cackle as she speeds onto the scene! And she, well...cackles. "BWA HA HA HA HA! Foolish Autobots, coming so deep into Decepticon territory! Or, er...what -was- Decepticon territory. ANd will be again! When we CONQUER YOUR PATHETIC ADOPTED PLANET! HA HA HA HA!" And she speeds up to transform and stand beside Shockwave, snapping off a sloppy (if enthusiastic) salute. "Reporting for duty, Commander Shockwave!" Cackle transforms into robot mode! "Heyyy... Where you think you're goin', Fragface? I didn't say you could cut and run yet! Especially not when we were just getting to know each other!" Apex calls as he begins to come about, the Cyber-Jet lining its nose up onto the Assault Helicopter as it regroups with the other Autobots quickly flooding the area. "If there's one thing that I absolutely canNOT stand it's RUDENESS!" Dropping from the sky, Apex transforms and draws his Harasser Gun from subspace with the speed of a gunglinger. The energy pistol spins round and round about the purple and black schemed Decepticon's finger before going firm within his grip, extended arm aiming the barrel of the weapon directly at Whirl's tail. "Readyyyy Aiimmmm FIRE!" Hiss, pop, whirr, grind, snap, click- Apex! Combat: Apex strikes Assault Helicopter with his Harasser Gun attack! "The reasoning behind your admonition is flawed," a cold voice from inside Shockwave's chest informs Hot Spot. "My drones are specifically designed to be inexpensive, replaceable, and interchangeable." Blue laser bolts crack into the ground around Shockwave's feet and whizz past him on his left side, but he catches his stride and steps deftly over them while turning away as if he had calculated their impact points before they struck. "By comparison, you possess none of those advantages. One should instead say that it was unwise to leave you 'lying around' where you could be 'broken' by me." Having ranged Hot Spot with his first shot, Shockwave steps up the frequency, the nozzle of his cannon rotating to change its focus. A pulse of energy flows down the hose from his back into his forearm and a pale shimmering beam of X-rays lances out across the intervening space towards the baby-blue bruiser. Combat: Shockwave strikes Hot Spot with his Short-Pulsed X-Ray Laser attack! [Pulled -4] "Take cover," Shockwave emits in response to Cackle as she comes swooping down to alight beside him. "You are in Hot Spot's line of fire. There is a high risk of exposure to extreme temperature." Unpainted buffed steel Tetrajet is closing in on the coordinates Apex gave him. Hes too far away still to join in but he can see the battle unfolding. Foxfire dims one optic in a wink at Sideswipe. "Yeah, cover me if you can see me." With that, he vanishes into thin air as he activates his cloaking field. Now completely invisible, he takes off toward the radio tower, sabotage his first priority at the moment. Sure, he'll fight to assist his comrades should they need it, but for now he's just focusing on the tower. Combat: Foxfire activates his cloaking field and vanishes from sight! AUTOBOTS Assault Helicopter shudders as a large portion of his tail boom is vaporized by Apex's latest attack. The Autocopter begins to drop to the ground...but with a sudden increase in power - accompanied by an unhealthy whining noise from his engines - he manages to stabalize himself just before splatting into the ground. Whirl tries to pull up, but his tail rotor stutters and then stalls completely, imparting an involuntary spin to the Wrecker's flight. Reasoning that any Autobot in the area is going to be on the ground, he begins firing off incendiary shells and photon beams randomly, seemingly every time he's pointed at anything airborne. Combat: Assault Helicopter misses Apex with his Full-Auto Area attack! Combat: Assault Helicopter misses Red Spacecraft with his Full-Auto Area attack! Work drones. Jamming arrays. -Shockwave-. Something was up here, regardless if it was related to the concealed sensors or not. Looks like the parimeters of the mission have changed a bit. The big atomic nuker was here, and that jamming signal would make pressing farther into Mexico to look for those sensors difficult. He knew the Bros were on the way before the radios cut out, so he just had to give them time to get here and get to work. Just the sort of high pressure situation the Protectobot chief worked well under. The X-ray blast hits him square in the chest, causing a plume of smoke to erupt and splay backwards from the impact as it burns through some of his exterior chassis and fries some circuitry. But it's through the same smokecloud that he comes charging through as he restows his firearms and pulls out... What is that? It's got a hatchet blade on one side, and a hammer head on the other. Must be some kind of firefighting tool? "You go ahead and tell yourself that if it makes you feel better." Whatever its purpose Spot's using it as a weapon right now, closing in to take an arcing swing with the hammer-side of the head. Shockwave is his main target, but as if fate were proving the overgrown calculator's point, Cackle's proximity might catch her within reach. Combat: Hot Spot sets his defense level to Fearless. Combat: Hot Spot strikes Shockwave with his Tools of the Trade (Ruckus) Area attack! Combat: Hot Spot strikes Cackle with his Tools of the Trade (Ruckus) Area attack! Sideswipe sighs as Foxfire pads off into the ... wherever. He turns and surveys the skies.... perfect! Redshift, right on cue. Why is this perfect? Well, because Sideswipe has a gun. And Redshift is a Decepticon. That's about all it takes to make Sideswipe's day. Provocation? Nah. 'Wait 'til the 'Con fires first?' Absolutely not. Let's review: (1) Sideswipe has gun. (2) Redshift is Evil. Conclusion: Showtime. Sideswipe raises his gun, and with a little bit (read: a half-second) of aiming, starts the party. Combat: Sideswipe misses Red Spacecraft with his Laser attack! CONS! "Take cover? From that rescue machine? Why, we should-" *CLAAANG!* "Aie!" and Cackle is sent reeling! She flies through the air, and soon crashes into the ground...not too far from Sideswipe, of all Autobots! She's back on her feet...and, seeing that Sideswipe's much closer (and smaller) than Hot Spot, she levels her null ray projector at the red warrior! "Aha! Fear the wrath of my SCIENCE RAY, puny Autobot fool!" ~~ BOTS! ~~ Explosions, explosions, and more explosions! If this was the United States of America instead of Mexico one might think that the 4th of July had kicked off early this year! Apex finds himself surrounded by incindiary fire, but luckily unharmed due to the rapid rate of his descent. Giant robots do tend to fall from the sky like Humpty Dumpty from a wall after all... "Now this is what I'm talking about! I haven't had this much fun since that little dance on Char!" Apex chimes, recalling some random battle from times past. "Now that I've got your ATTENTION again Mister Wrecker how about we up the stakes a little?" Transforming again, Apex pulls up from his free fall and targets the spinning Whirl with his deadly Focus Beam! Combat: Apex sets his defense level to Neutral. Hiss, pop, whirr, grind, snap, click- Cyber-Jet! Combat: Cybertronian Jet strikes Assault Helicopter with his Focus Beam attack! Combat: Cackle strikes Sideswipe with her Science Ray attack! Combat: Cackle's attack has strange and mysterious effects on Sideswipe. Combat: Sideswipe has been temporarily incapacitated. The plume of sun-baked dust takes a sharp turn to starboard, and Redshift pulls up to break free of the ground. The photon beams and lasers sent his way leave craters in the earth below as Redshift peels away, drastically changing is vector as he wheels above the battlezone, turning on his midline until he's upside down, his gold cockpit reflecting the scene below. "A SITTING DUCK, Sideswipe! I would like to say I'm so far that you're -practically- standing still, but you'll be too busy DYING to hear me!" He calsl out, peppering bright red lasers down on the prone lambo-bot. Combat: Red Spacecraft strikes Sideswipe with his Laser attack! "Blunt trauma is also a risk," Shockwave adds as Hot Spot comes rushing towards his and Cackle's position. Sure enough, Hot Spot's mighty fire axe thing is immediately crashing into Shockwave and Cackle, forcing Shockwave back with a clangor of good old American steel on whatever it is Shockwave's outer hull is made from, and sending Cackle flying! Shockwave turns to present his right side to Hot Spot, guarding his cannon limb and its relatively-delicate hose assembly while he brings his manipulator limb into play. "Your haphazard assault can not demoralize me, Hot Spot. I have reserves of strength untapped." Reaching out for Hot Spot's swinging arm, Shockwave attempts to seize his axe-wielding hand by the wrist and wrench him into submission! Combat: Shockwave sets his defense level to Protected. Combat: Shockwave misses Hot Spot with his Mechanical Advantage attack! [Pulled -3] BOTS BOTS BOTS BOTS BOTS Assault Helicopter still rising into the air and spinning uncontrollably, Whirl has trouble seeing this attack coming, much less scooting out of the way. He gets rocked halfway onto his side by the attack, then starts to pitch all the way over. Whirl transforms into robot mode and finishes his roll, falling to the ground feet-first and flexing his knees to absorbe some of the impact. Then he stands up straight, thrusting a hip out to one side. No, not as a fashion statement, but rather to better position the paralyzo box on his hip. "Time to slow you guys down a little!" he calls, before emitting the special 'anti-evil' energy waves that he claims only affect Decepticons and not Autobots. Whirl transforms into his reckless robot mode. Combat: Whirl misses Cybertronian Jet with his Paralyzo-Box Area attack! Combat: Whirl misses Red Spacecraft with his Paralyzo-Box Area attack! Combat: Whirl strikes Cackle with his Paralyzo-Box Area attack! Combat: That attack has temporarily impaired Cackle's Agility. (Crippled) Combat: Whirl misses Shockwave with his Paralyzo-Box Area attack! Combat: Sideswipe sets his defense level to Aggressive. Sideswipe did not have "Get DP'd" on his list of things to do today, that's for damn sure. He doesn't see Cackle's attack coming until it's too late... and then it's all he can do to stand and watch Redshift light him up like the Fourth of July. Luckily, every cloud has a silver lining, and Redshift's lasers wake him from Cackle's imposed reverie, and Sideswipe realizes that he can either step aside...or step up. It's Sideswipe. Of course he's stepping up. Up, up and directly towards Redshift, as Sideswipe's jetpack comes to life. En route to the oncoming spaceship, Sideswipe's hands become fists...of doom. Combat: Sideswipe misses Red Spacecraft with his Piledriver Arms attack! Foxfire makes it to the tower unhindered. He studies it momentarily, then gets to work. He opens a hip compartment and pulls out a spare explosive--he tends to keep those on his person just in case. And now, he actually needs one. And no, he's still not going to tell anyone how he makes and sets bombs. Combat: Added combat flag 'combat' to Foxfire Combat: Foxfire takes extra time to steady himself. [Pass] "And that is why you should always obey safety suggestions!", the Protectobot chips in cheerfully after Cackle's launch. The sound of hammer striking scientist and sending her flying is quite satisfying, but Hot Spot doesn't get long enough to really appreciate it. Less detered by the attack, Shockwave grabs onto one of his arms, but is sure to find ol' Hot Spot a bit of a handful to actually wrestle down. Turning into the Decepticon's reach, he grabs the offending arm with his other hand and puts his strength to use in an attempt to throw the Con over his shoulder and into the ground. Or Shockwave will probably remember that he can fly. Combat: Hot Spot misses Shockwave with his Throwing Your Weight Around attack! [Pulled -1] DECEPTICAWNS "AH HA HA HA HA! I'm helping!" Cackle says, having neatly set up Sideswipe for Redshift's strafing run. "Autobot fools! You cannot stand against the might of DECEPTICON MILITARY PRECIS-*OW!*" The paralyzo-box shakes Cackle's form, causing sparks to roil and travel all over her little frame. "...Interesting." she says, poking at herself..."But ultimately futile!" And she wheels about on Whirl, her shoulder-cannons locking into place. "For now, Autobots, you will -ALL- face the wrath of my mighty QUAD LASER!" And for all that buildup, the ensuing *pew pew pew!* she rakes over the battlefield comes off as a little anticlimatctic. Combat: Cackle misses Sideswipe with her Quad Laser Area attack! [Pulled -2] Combat: Cackle strikes Hot Spot with her Quad Laser Area attack! [Pulled -2] Combat: Cackle strikes Whirl with her Quad Laser Area attack! [Pulled -2] Ground-based autobots generally -don't- jump up to try and punch spaceships out of the sky, and Redshift is caught unprepared for sideswipe's attack! A sudden burst of retro-jets and opening his airbrakes halts Redshift's forward speed, sending him wobbling dangerously off-course, but safe from Sideswipe's swinging fist of fury, and incidently from Whirl's paralyzing radiation beam. Redshift flips up into his armed warrior mode, and fires off a burst of purple plasma before igniting his boot-rockets to rise higher above the battlefield. "Oh lookie lookie, the Autobot wants to FLY? fine then, come GET me, if you can! The sleek red spacecraft transforms into the winged warrior Redshift. Combat: Redshift sets his defense level to Guarded. Combat: Redshift misses Sideswipe with his Incinerator Rifle attack! [Pulled -3] Strange energy waves coming from a Wrecker... That's never a good thing, especially when the Wrecker is mad at you! Apex, sensing that something very bad is about to happen to him (which is the only time 'something bad' actually translates to something bad!), banks sharply to starboard and catapults himself forward with a sudden burst of speed followed immediately by a transformation that sends him Supermanning it behind an erected tent within the one time Decepticon held camp. "Incoming!!!" A plume of smoke and debris shoots upward from the concealment where Apex had landed, but he is only quiet for a moment for a moment is all the time that one has to think during the thick of battle! "Ah-hah! You missed! Now you will face the wrath of the Harasser Gun, bwahahah! Die, Autobutt, die!" the purple and black Seeker bellows before cackling madly, as he unleashes torrents of deadly energy at the Heroic Autobot Whirl as the Wrecker is double-teamed! Hiss, pop, whirr, grind, snap, click- Apex! Combat: Apex misses Whirl with his Harasser Gun attack! Although Hot Spot's technique is good, Shockwave has the advantage of flight, and with a sudden roar of plasma jets he blasts off, trying to drag Hot Spot with him as he ascends a hundred, five hundred, a thousand feet into the air! Conveniently this also escapes the weird energies of Whirl's paralyzo-box cone. But there is only room for one on Shockwave Airlines. Combat: Shockwave strikes Hot Spot with his Gravity is a Harsh Mistress attack! [Pulled -2] Shockwave hurls Hot Spot back to the ground, hovering on the searing purple cones of energy emitted from the soles of his feet. Was that just a lambo twin that went flying by? Shockwave disapproves of irresponsible jetpack use. Wheeljack, you madman! Bots, by the way! Foxfire's ears twitch like radars as he works, listening to the sounds of the battle around him. Finally, he completes his task, then sprints off to a safe distance. Several moments later, there is an explosion, large enough to take out the tower and hopefully disperse the jamming field. And all the while, his invisibility cloak is in place. KABOOM! Combat: Foxfire takes extra time to steady himself. [Pass] Sideswipe twists out of the way of Redshift's attack, thankfully, and turns back to survey the sky above him. He sees the perfect set-up: Red and Shockwave, together at last! While he sets his own trajectory for down -- don't wanna use up all the jetpack at once -- he lets his shoulder do the talking, as a nice shiny silvery missile goes forth, only to burst into a glorious bath of light and plasma. Combat: Sideswipe misses Shockwave with his Magnesium Phosphorous Flares Area attack! Combat: Sideswipe misses Redshift with his Magnesium Phosphorous Flares Area attack! Whirl shudders as Cackle's quad lasers repeatedly perforate his form. It doesn't stop him from protesting though (amidst sparks and smoke and miniature explosions): "You're--ACK!--supposed to--AAAIIEE!--be--AAARRRGH!!--PARALYZED!" Whirl raises his trusty weapons module, voice now turning to one of pure malice. "I suppose we'll have to do this the PAINFUL way then." Suddenly Apex's voice intrudes upon his monologue, long enough for Whirl to look up, then dive franticly for the side just in time to avoide the Harrasser gun. Lurching back to his feet, Whirl shakes one pincer-fist after Apex as the jet flies on. "Just a second!" he cries, almost cheerfully. Then he whirls around to face Cackle again, voice turning murderous once more. "Right after I finish with YOU." Combat: Whirl strikes Cackle with his Null-Ray Module attack! Combat: Cackle has been temporarily incapacitated. "Whooa!" Okay that sort of backfired as Hot Spot is hoisted up into the air, getting rattled with some of Cackle's erratic fire in the process. Then thrown back to the ground to let gravity do the rest. Unfortunately he's got plenty of mass for gravity to work with, hitting the desert floor with a rather voluminous crash that throws sand and rubble into the air violently for a few moments. Grit is still falling back to the ground around him as Hot Spot sits up and rubs his helmet a moment. Sitting in a crater a good several feet deep, no less. "I should of thought that one through a little more." With a grunt he pushes himself up to his feet and brushes himself off a bit, pulling one of his proper handcannons out of subspace with the other hand. Takes a look up, then raises his arm over his head to open fire with the flame expelling weaponry. Maybe while he's busy avoiding being blinded Shockwave won't see the big ball of blue fire hurtling up underneath him. Combat: Hot Spot misses Shockwave with his Fireball Cannon attack! Redshift twists and turns into his spaceship mode, blasting his engines to outrace the swiftly expanding flare explosion. "Anything you can do, Sideswipe, I can do BETTER! You're obselete!" He snaps, and swoops towards Sideswipe, launching a blinding white phosphorous warhead of his own! Redshift transforms into his sleek spacecraft mode and takes to the air. Combat: Red Spacecraft sets his defense level to Fearless. Combat: Red Spacecraft strikes Sideswipe with his Phosphorous Bombs attack! Combat: That attack has temporarily affected Sideswipe's Accuracy. (Blinded) As explosions and fireballs lash the skies above Oaxaca, Shockwave calculates calmly in his hover. Something destroyed the radio tower he had modified to produce the jamming signal. All the Autobots he can see are busy fighting the Decepticons. Therefore something UNseen destroyed the radio tower. He descends, letting the flare burst harmlessly above him like Independence Day fireworks, while swivelling his head through a full rotation to sweep the area with his sensors. Combat: Shockwave initiates a radar sweep of the area. Combat: Foxfire has been found!
* ZORK!* That Null Ray blast strikes Cackle dead on, and she freezes in her tracks- every circuit overloaded, every joint locked! Oh, this is bad. And yet, as she stands there like a statue, she can't help but muse: "...since when do the Autobots use Null Rays?" You post your note about 'Turn Trackers' in group 6 (Announcements) as message #72 Apex snorts and stomps his foot upon the ground hard enough to kick up more dust, as well as leave a rather sizable footprint in the earth. "Oh, c'mon! Just because she hit you with her quad laser doesn't make her worth attacking!" Clearly, he's a little annoyed with the sudden shiftin Whirl's attention. "Cackle! What's the big deal, huh!? This one was suppose to be MINE!" Shaking his head, Apex crouches lower behind the tent that seperates him from Whirl, as he takes a moment to pep talk his weapon... "You missed the last time. You're not suppose to DO that you piece of slag! How many times have I told you that you and me- we represent the Decepticon army's FINEST! That means NO MORE MISSING!!! Okay? Love you." SMOOCH! "Ah-hah! Prepare to eat energy blast, Whirlybot!" the Decepticon grunt shouts as he pops from behind the tent to unleash another deadly accurate blast from his Harasser Gun! Combat: Apex sets his defense level to Guarded. Combat: Apex misses Whirl with his Harasser Gun attack! There's a cloud of dust gathering over the horizon. It's moving pretty quickly. When it gets closer you can hear the pounding of little feets. Closer still, and you can hear chainsaws revving. Once he arrives, he starts circling the area. "Foxeh! Here foxeh! Come out and playyyyy!" He tries finding the hidden foxtape that Shockwave just ordered him to S&D. Whirl has to dive to the side again, this time by happenstance dodging in Cackle's direction. He comes to his feet next to her, glancing that way before turning towards Apex again. He looks back and forth one more time, then calls out, "You know, if you guys want to discuss this amongst yourselves..." he suddenly reaches out with both pincers and then grabs Cackle before lifting her above his head. For such a skinny guy, Whirl's packing a lot of PSI in those servoes. "I can arrange that!" With that he takes a few steps towards Apex and then hurls one Decepticon towards the other. Combat: Whirl misses Apex with his 1-on-1 meeting (Ruckus) Area attack! Combat: Whirl strikes Cackle with his 1-on-1 meeting (Ruckus) Area attack! A good distance away, Foxfire turns to watch his handiwork in satisfaction. Now that that's taken care of, he turns his attention to the battle around him...but before he can make a move, Shockwave discovers him, and his cloaking field disappears, revealing the vulpine saboteur in all his platinum glory. "Aw, slag it," he grumbles. "Oh, well...at least I got the job done." Hearing someone call him, he frowns, and looks in the direction of the approaching cassetticon. "Hah! There you are, Slugfest. I was told you'd be coming." He gets into an offensive position. "Let's rock." Combat: Foxfire takes extra time to steady himself. [Pass] Sideswipe gets clobbered in the allinfront by Redshift's bombs, which completes his descent to earth. But not his pose. The rest of the pose is something like this: Sideswipe lands on the ground, on his aft, in a fair amount of pain. It's a little too soon to take the jetpack back up, so he's gonna have to try to buy some time from down here. He fires off a clearing shot or two, to give himself time to compose himself. Combat: Sideswipe sets his defense level to Neutral. Combat: Sideswipe strikes Red Spacecraft with his Disruptor attack! Combat: You took 4 damage. Well, the radios are working again thanks to Foxfire's handiwork!.. Pawdiwork? Whatever. The importat part is the tape did his job. Unfortunately it also got Shockwave's attention. Who's still floating around in the air, the big jerk. Got to get his attention back before he tries to nuke the fox-bot or something else equally sinister. Searching for some sort of idea, he spots a large desert boulder nearby. "Well, a guy can't be picky in a pinch." Maglocking the blaster to his hip so it's still in easy reach, Hot Spot grabs the boulder with a growl, and hoists it up over his head. "You've only got one optic Shockwave, taking it off your real foe you shouldn't be doing!" And then heaves the giant stone and the purple fiend. Combat: Hot Spot strikes Shockwave with his Hot Spot imitates Guts Man attack! "...Well." Cackle finally frees her system up, and gets back into operation! But, in turn...she finally realizes the danger she's in! Oh dear. "Ah! Lord Shockwave! I am, uh...returning to the rear lines to aquire better weapons! And reinforcements! And something to replace that tower!" she cries out- and then she transforms, and speeds away! Cackle transforms into vehicle mode! Combat: Science Jeep begins retreating, leaving herself vulnerable to parting shots from Hot Spot, Red Spacecraft , Shockwave, and Foxfire Shockwave had not included a rock in his calculations. A rock would not be a reasonable thing to expect, since Hot Spot is well-armed with lasers and his fireball launcher. Nevertheless, a rock. Shockwave fails to account for it, and finds himself knocked from the sky, crashing down onto the ground and flattening part of an apple orchard with his impact. He rises from the cloud of dust, eye glowing over the treetops. His chest glows brightly for a moment as he pumps his liquid-sodium reactor up to military power, and his thrumming response burns across the Oaxacan terrain, birds falling out of the trees around him, cooked inside their skins. Combat: Shockwave sets his defense level to Aggressive. Combat: Shockwave misses Hot Spot with his Irradiate attack! Apex watches gleefully as Cackle is lifted into the air and then promptly flung at him. With a duck and roll the Seeker manages to avoid the incoming Decepticon before halting his momentum with a wide-legged, crouched, photogenic action pose! "Alright! Now that you've taken out the trash you and me can get back to our clash of KINGS! ...No offense, Cackle- awahah!" Twirling the harasser gun around his finger, Apex lets the weapon dance! Into the air it is thrown, spinny-spin-spinning before it is caught and then twirled some more... Oooo! Ahhh! Oohhhh! Man does he make that fancy action look easy. Finally, after much showmanship he is back to taking aim- ready for action! "Come get some!" Combat: Apex misses Whirl with his Harasser Gun attack! Red Spacecraft 's daring divebomb did the trick, but as he swoops back up above the billowing flames, Sideswipe's laser burns a hole on his tail assembly. Angling his thrust, the red and chrome ship spins back for another attack, smoothly transforming and continuing his accelerated flight in his robot mode. "Humph, lucky shot! you won't get another!" Redshift snaps, opening fire on the red autobot again with his plasma rifle. The sleek red spacecraft transforms into the winged warrior Redshift. Combat: Redshift misses Sideswipe with his Incinerator Rifle attack! [Pulled -3] Slugfest faces Foxfire and his solar cannons heat up. "Me get you now fox!" the little stegotape says, dashing at the foxbot and firing his cannons. "Me put you in box and never let go!" Combat: Slugfest strikes Foxfire with his Solar-Powered Vibro-Cannon attack! Sideswipe dives out of the way of the spaceship. Somehow. He takes a brief moment to sort through the options. Fact: Redshift is nigh unstoppable when in the air. Fact: Sideswipe can engage him in the air. Proposal: Go up, bring down. Jetpack engages, fists are out, and Sideswipe shoots up into the air with the intent of bringing Redshift back down to earth. Combat: Sideswipe strikes Redshift with his Rocket Punch attack! [Pulled -2] Combat: You took 11 damage. The cannon blasts hit Foxfire right in the face, for a moment blinding him, but he quickly recovers. He shakes his head, his optics returning to their normal glow, then snarls at Slugfest. "Two can play at that game! Eat rockets, dinobrain!" His hip compartments open and promptly fire a pair of explosive rockets. Combat: Foxfire strikes Slugfest with his Rocket Pods attack! Whirl watches the gunplay closely, murmuring 'oooh' and 'ahh' at appropriate times. Although it's hard to say if there is an appropriate time when you're watching your enemy showing off. But then his lone optic brightens slightly as the little display ends with the Harrasser gun pointed in his direction once more. With a little yelp Whirl ducks out of sight behind a small rise in the ground. Rather than appear over it, however, Whirl sneaks around the side. He uses other natural obstacles and landscape features for cover as he tries to close the distance to Apex. Finally he leaps into sight and sails at the Decepticon in a flying leap. Or at least, where he hopes Apex is, since Whirl's target could have very well repositioned as well while the two were out of sight. Combat: Whirl misses Apex with his Kick attack! See how well those lasers and fireballs were working? Sometimes it just takes a low-tech solution to a problem. At least Shockwave was on the ground now. Unfortunately, that glow coming from his chest was unmistakable. Birds falling from the few remaining trees around him as they start to wilt just confirms it. "Aaaw slag... Not on my watch you aren't!", Hot Spot growls as he starts sprinting towards Big Purple. He can't stop him from using his radiation powers, but he can at least try to interrupt him before he can spread the decomposing energy far enough for any more of Mexico into an uninhabitable wasteland. Halfway through the charge Hot Spot hits the ground, transforming on the move and kicking up a small cloud of sand as he hits the ground. Big blue firetruck comes barreling out of said cloud on a full throttle collision course, lights and sirens blaring! Potential nuclear irradiating was definately an emergency to warrent them! The Protectobot commander reverts to his fire engine mode. Where's the fire?! Combat: Mitsubishi Furo Fire Engine strikes Shockwave with his Big Blue Truck attack! GLANG! A blue wrecking ball smashes into Shockwave's shins, sending him flying head over heels to land a hundred yards away while Hot Spot rumbles on past, undamaged thanks to his reinforced grill. The rest of the beam of gamma radiation flashes into the sky like a searchlight and winks out quickly. As Shockwave picks himself up, a buzzing robotic voice addresses him from the level of his knee. "Mighty Shockwave," reports the nearest drone in the network to Shockwave as it comes rolling up to him over the fine ash sifting down from the trees. "We have detected the following list of salvageable materials." The monitor it has in place of a face underneath its bubble-dome scrolls a rapid stream of data. "Confirm the absence of any zero-emission sensors?" Shockwave asks. "Confirmed," replies the drone. "Return to the shuttle and withdraw," Shockwave instructs it. "There is nothing of substance to be won here." As the instruction passes out throughout the drone network they all stop in sifting the soil, set down pinecones and roll back out of worried Oaxacans' geodesic tents, gathering together as they stream back into the autoshuttle like ants returning to their nest. Without further explanation Shockwave lifts off and blasts away after the shuttle. Combat: Shockwave sets his defense level to Protected. Combat: Shockwave begins retreating, leaving himself vulnerable to parting shots from Redshift Flying recklessly right towards Sideswipe was not a good plan! The jetpack-equipped Autobot comes flying up at Redshift and clobbers him fiercely, knocking his jaw loose in the process, sending Redshift to the dirt. The Decepticon spacer picks himself up, spitting gravel and epithets in equal measure. "you want to play ROUGH, Sideswipe? Want me to stop playin' around?" He growls, kicking off the dusty ground and back into the air. "There's nothing here worth fighting for... Except proving that I'm STILL better than you at /everything/!" He snaps, flipping back into his spacecraft mode again, and flaring his powerful, unearthly engines. It may not be a 'punch', but it is certainly rocket-powered! Redshift transforms into his sleek spacecraft mode and takes to the air. Combat: Red Spacecraft sets his defense level to Fearless. Combat: Red Spacecraft misses Sideswipe with his Full Speed Ahead attack! "OW OW OW OW OW OW!" Slugfest says as he's peppered with missiles. He bucks around as he tries to evade them, though some of them end up hitting him anyway. The angry little stegosaur-tape charges at Foxfire and attempts to tapdance all over him. Combat: Slugfest strikes Foxfire with his the pitter-patter of little FEETS! (Kick) attack! Apex cackles madly as Whirl leaps away from his gunfire one moment only to looks entirely crestfallen the next. Frowning, Apex appears to be said, almost on the verge of tears before the sadness takes a sudden turn and his expression becomes one of anger! "I TOLD YOU NOT TO MISS" he shouts at his weapon, glaring at it as if his gaze alone would smelt the blaster. Almost a moment too late, Apex catches wind of the sudden appearance of the Wrecker at his twelve o'clock! "Whoa! You almost took my head off!" If it weren't for the antigrav units housed within his chassis and an impeccably timed sideways somersault that surely would've been his aft... "Alright, that is IT. You're going into time out." VUMPH! Subspace claims the Harasser Gun, and Apex poises himself for hand to hand combat- punching and kicking the wind a couple of times (a quick warm-up, maybe?) before sending a roundhouse toward Whirl's own noggin. "Spinning Kick of Straxus!" He totally made that up... Combat: Apex misses Whirl with his Kick attack! Shockwave takes flight to the Skies above Central America. Shockwave has left. Sideswipe somehow, again, misses being hit by a giant spaceship. Whatever luck he has tonight is certainly arbitrarily applied. As he ducks, tucks, rolls and covers, he takes a moment to mutter something about a good-for-nothing brother, and then comes back up one knee. The spaceship is heading away from him, but what the heck, might as well take a shot, right? After all, he still (a) has a gun, and Redshift is still (b) Evil. Combat: Sideswipe misses Red Spacecraft with his Laser attack! Tires screech as the fire engine swings its mass sideways after the impact to skid to a stop. And takes a moment to get rolling again. Downside to the size and horsepower is not being a very fast at turning, so once he gets himself reoriented in the right direction Shockwave is already packing up his drones and blasting off. The best he can do is flash his lights irrately. "And stay out this time!" The biggest threat taken care off... Hot Spot realizes just how far away from the rest of the fight his ramming trip took him. He grunts, shifts back into gear and starts driving back towards the rest of the ruckus. Combat: Mitsubishi Furo Fire Engine takes extra time to steady himself. [Pass] Whirl brings up an arm and manages to deflect the kick. "Sweet Primus, you're fast." he comments, lowering the arm to rub at his forearm with the pincer from his other hand. "Might want to work on that mechanical strength a little bit. Now me...I've never had that problem. I've got the arms of a mechanical bending unit." Whirl flexes to demonstrate, which consists of holding his arms out, bent ninety degrees at the elbow so that the pincers are pointed straight up, then click-clacking them open and shut. "You should see what these babies can do...to Decepticon faces!" Combat: Whirl strikes Apex with his Punch attack! Foxfire apparently has a Stegosaurus tapdancing on him. "H-hey!" he yelps. "You're heavy! Get off!" He shifts his body, positioning himself so that he can swipe at Slugfest with a front paw, claws out. Combat: Foxfire strikes Slugfest with his Claw (Punch) attack! "Hawhawhaw! Who do you think you are, eh? Johnny Brav-OH!" Apex is slugged directly in the face, and falls flat onto his back. "...You hurt...my face. You HURT my FACE!" the Seeker growls, kicking up from the ground in a rather impressive display of robo-acrobatics. "NICE job! Wow, that was smarts... Who did you say trained you again?" Apex asks, rubbing his jaw while sounding genuinely interested all the while. "I'd really like to get the chance to kill him someday," the mech clarifies appearing no less impressed. "So! I think we're about to bug outta here... I guess I'll be lookin' you up later then. Next time you won't be so LUCKY. So... Kill ya later, Autobafoon! BWAHAHAHA!" Leaping into the air, Apex transforms and quickly slams on the thrust- booming away with the loud, deafening pop of a sonic boom. Slowing down just a bit upon nearing where Slugfest and Foxfire engage in Mortal Kombat(tm), the Seeker's cockpit pops open... Red Spacecraft pulls up HARD after the near-miss, his extreme momentum driving him onwards and upwards, leaving Sideswipe in his fumes. Redshift continues to rise, circling back over the battlefield, before blasting off for the stratosphere. Combat: Red Spacecraft begins retreating, outrunning all pursuit. "Eeeee!" Slugfest says as he's scratched by a fox! He sees Apex swooping low and opening his cockpit. "Ride home ish here!" he says, "Play wif fox nuther day!" He LEAPS, his little front feets catching the edge of the cockpit rim and his little back feets kicking furiously to get a foothold. Eventually he propels himself headfirst into the seat. Combat: Slugfest begins retreating, leaving himself vulnerable to parting shots from Mitsubishi Furo Fire Engine and Red Spacecraft Combat: Apex begins retreating, leaving himself vulnerable to parting shots from Mitsubishi Furo Fire Engine , Slugfest, Red Spacecraft , and Foxfire Hiss, pop, whirr, grind, snap, click- Cyber-Jet! Whirl pauses in confusion. "What? Who trained..." he trails off as Apex elaborates. Then Whirl watches Apex transform and depart. Finally Whirl shakes himself back to the moment, thrusting a triumphant pincer-hand in the air and shouting after him. "Self trained, Warfly! So I guess the joke's on you, 'cuz you're just gonna have to kill me TWICE!" Then he turns and heads off to meet up with the other Autobots left in the area, shaking his head and laughing to himself. "Seeeelf traaaained...." he drawls, as if testing the sound of it. Trusting warriors like Sideswipe and Whirl to be able to handle themselves, Hot Spot chugs towards were FOXFIRE got intercepted by Slugfest to make sure their brave little saboteur was doing okay. Just in time to see the end of the scuffle as the jetfighter swoops in to pickup the wayward stego. "Go'on! Scram, get outta here. Shoo! Bad Decepticons!" His pressure cannon pops up over his cab, firing a short spray of water after Apex. It's like when you take the spritzer to a disobedient pet to reinforce that they've misbehaved. Combat: Mitsubishi Furo Fire Engine misses Apex with his Think of it as a Transformer sized Spraybottle attack! [Pulled -4] Foxfire successfully gets Slugfest off him. He gets back to his feet and shakes himself like a dog shaking water off its fur. As a result, dust goes flying. (It's a habit he's picked up, despite not having fur himself.) He watches as Slugfest retreats, then looks to Hot Spot and nods once. "Are you injured?" "Not any worse than usual in the line of duty," Hot Spot replies with a chortle, opening a door of his cab for the fox. "Hop in, I think we're done here for the time being." Foxfire does as told, climbing into the firetruck and settling down. He idly sticks his metallic tongue out to lick his front paw, another habit he's picked up, then makes a face. "I'm gonna smell like Slugfest for a while. Dang it."
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