Purple Paint

Two Seekers are jetting over the Pennsylvania landscape, one lagging behind looking through some papers in his hand. "ARGH, Harrow wait up an astrosecond ... I can't make head or tails of these directions I downloaded from Mapquest!" Backfire yelps, stalling in mid-air peering at the paper. Shuffling the papers, he turns one upside down. "I think we passed the art supply store!"

The art supply store? What a coincidence! Swoop just happens to be at an art store right now! Specifically, he's standing outside of one and he looks upset. "Why humans make doors so small?" he says with a frown. "Swoop never become artist if me not able to get inside store.."

"I told you we should've used Google Maps!" Harrow pauses and swipes the papers from him. "Oh, well here's the problem. These are directions to Chuck-E-Cheese's! Damnit!" She rolls up the papers and swats Backfire with them. A blip pops up on her radar. They just so happened to be fairly close to their destination. It's also hard to miss Swoop. "That a Dinobot?"

"Owww, hey ... I'm not some vagrant dog to be swatted at with rolled up papers Dominatrix!" Backfire roars in his best intimidation voice. Stating that it's sub-par is /very/ gracious. "What's a Dinobot? I don't see no Dinobots?" Shifting position, the Seeker takes a glance down towards the ground. "Oh, look down there ... the art store! Oh crap, there's a DINOBOT!"

Art Store: http://www.utrechtart.com/images/stores/storephoto/87.jpg

Swoop presses his face against the store window, unnerving everyone inside. "This so unfair! This disc..discrim.." He struggles to properly express how he feels. "This racist! They need make doors bigger for us Dinobots!" Swoop glares at one of the employees and taps on the glass. "Me am going to sue you."

Tetrajet  is flying along with his CD player cranking up some death metal heading back from some disaster of a battle. Hes minding his own business not paying much attention when he suddenly flies up upon Harrow and Backfire. He slows down and pulls up, "What are you guys doing out here?" he asks.

Harrow huffs, "You just /had/ to pick the art store that's being guarded by a fraggin' Dinobot! Whatever, we'll take care of it. Let's blast the roof open. Ah, Windshear, help us out will you?" She darts for the store roof and hovers a bit, aiming her pistol to fire in a neat circle until it collapses.

"Tell him the truth Harrow! I don't like these excuses of yours." Backfire states blankly, looking towards Windshear. "Truth is ... We /were/ trying to spend some alone time together, without pesky interruptions from the likes of you!" he laughs. "But now that you've interrupted our special time, you're on Dinobot detail. Provide an adequate distraction while the Dominatrix and I raid this store's pantry DRY!!!" the Seeker chuckles, swooping down to Harrow's position.

Tetrajet  circles around a bit then transforms and hovers. "Yea, right, Backfire." He smirks. "Whats so special about this place? And why are you even bothering with Swoop down there? What are you even here for?" Boy isnt he asking a lot of questions?

Cybertronian Tetra jet transforms into the Decepticon, Windshear

Swoop doesn't notice that trouble is afoot since he's so preoccupied with giving the art store shoppers nasty looks. He taps on the glass like an annoying child at an aquarium, "You all ugly and me Swoop not like you." Suddenly, the sound of gunfire catches his attention and he steps back from the store to peer at the roof. "Hey! HEY! WHAT YOU GUYS DOING!?"

Harrow lets Backfire's comments slip by without chide; admittedly it was more amusing to her than insulting, and it wasn't like Windshear believed a word of it. She twirls and waves her pistol at Swoop. "Hello! Stay out here if you know what's good for you!" With that, she hops down into the store and leers around at the humans. "SHOW ME TO THE PAINT, please."

"You leave the thinking to the big bots, just know your role JABRONEY!" Backfire barks into the commlink, hopping down into the store with Harrow. Humans scurry around everywhere, out the front and back entrances. "You heard her, where's the PAINT!"

A studdering human with a red vest with a nametag that says 'ALEX' on it starts crying. "It's uhh, oveeer there." he yells, waving a quivering finger towards the far wall.

Artifice has arrived.

"Hey! You can't do that!" Swoop protests, pointing at Harrow before she dissapears into the store. "This look like job for Swoop!" The Dinobot rushes to the small door and

BAM!

He busts right through it, causing all sorts of ridiculous repair bills. "ME SWOOP SAY YOU PLANES GOING DOWN! BEHOLD, ME SWOOP'S SWORD!" He waves it around in the air. "Me am going to use it to cut you up."

"Ah, thank you! ..." Harrow squints at the name tag. "Awlacks. To the paint isle!" Before she can head off, Swoop busts through the wall and brandishes his thermal sword. "Backfire, Windshear, kindly take care of that!"

Backfire glares at the human. "Thank you Lex!" he chirps, diving towards the wall and tearing through the supplies. "Uh Harrow, bad news. There doesn't seem to be sufficient supplies at this store, and uh.." his head turns to see Swoop crash through the door and swing his sword around like a madmech. "Oh, I guess this just got worse." Backfire mumbles to himself sighing. Stepping away, he takes a breath and closes his optics. "Avast you horrible excuse for a Cybertronian, I'm going to IMPALE YOU ON YOUR OWN SWORD!" Backfire roars, standing at full height with arms held out to the side. This is going to hurt.

Windshear is in the air circling. He looks at the scene below. "Hey Dinobot, your favorite target is up here, come and get me..." is all he says as he circles.

Robot Windshear transforms into a Cybertronian pyramid/Tetrajet.

"Me Swoop sick of beating you up!" the Dinobot shouts at Windshear. "It get boring! Time to crush different plane!" He turns to Backfire and stompstompstomps up to him. "What you say to me Swoop? It sound like you said 'hello, me am stupid Decepty-con, please bash me face in'. Is that what you said?" Swoop clenches his free hand into a fist. "'Cause that what me am going to do!" Swoop throws a punch at Backfire's mug.

Combat: Swoop sets his defense level to Aggressive.

Combat: Swoop strikes Backfire with his POW! (Punch) attack!

"Sufficient?" Harrow turns to browse the back wall, and realizes that there's just tubes, and no buckets. "Well frag!" She kicks over an isle of easels in frustration.

"Ooh!" Harrow abruptly exclaims, picking a book from the mess. It's a How to draw Horses book. "Always wanted one of these. Alright, Backf- oh, ouch. Uh, keep it up! I'm gonna' just grab these tubes." ... "I forgot what color we needed!"

F-16 Falcon  is passing through the area on his way to New York City, which he has been urged to visit being that this is his first time on Earth. He's flying low, so the ruckus on the ground catches his attention. "What's this?" He says to himself. "Decepticons in need?" He detects the Dinobot's energon signature and almost balks, but is afraid that, if his fellows were to die, he would be blamed for shirking his duties. He transforms and crashes in through the hole in the ceiling!

The F16 Fighting Falcon unfolds into Artifice!

"Dinobot distraction! You're horrible at distraction Windshear!!" Backfire yells into his commlink, but apparently he's the perfect distraction ... only for the wrong target. The punch sends the Seeker across the room, crashing into the cash register and over the counter right next to Alex. Stumbling to his feet, he peers over the booth at Swoop.

"Ugh, Dinobots. Am I right?" Backfire turns, looking at the human. "Oh, you wouldn't know anything about them ... would you? How silly of m..Oomph!" The cash register's drawer is suddenly popped loose and knocks him in the mouth. "Stupid, stupid, STUPID!" Backfire yells, picking up the register and chucking it at the Dinobot. "I'm gonna make you PAY for that! Get it Harrow, I threw a money dispensor at him ... Pay? Aw geez, rough crowd."

Combat: Backfire misses Swoop with his KACHING! (Disruptor) attack!

Tetrajet  gets blown off by the dinobot and could care less at this point. He just circles around for watever reason at this point while they smash up the building for whatever reason....

Harrow promptly hands Artifice a shopping cart and starts loading it up with paint tubes of every color. "That is hilarious, Backfire," she yells back, tone flat. Humans are flailing about, screaming and bolting for the gaping exit, but Alex stands frozen, eyes wide, forcing a smile at Backfire's joke lest he get blasted for not 'getting it'.

Swoop doesn't look very amused at Backfire's play on words nor does he look thrilled about having a cash register thrown at him. Fortunately, it sails right past him and explodes against the back wall, showering the shop in dollar bills. "Me Swoop not sure what Decepty-cons want with art stuffs," he says, pulling a large canvas off a shelf. "But me say YOU NOT GET ANY!" He throws the canvas like a frisbee at Harrow.

Artifice looks at Harrow in surprise as she foists a shopping cart on him. "What in the pit is going on here? Harrow? Backfire?" He looks to Backfire, and then to Swoop. "What is this cart? And is this paint?" He's not going to stand there holding the shopping cart like a doof. He points at Swoop with his left arm, which carries his sun ray. "Do you not see the Dinobot? Hit him where I tell you to hit him."

Combat: Artifice analyzes Swoop for weaknesses.

Combat: Swoop misses Harrow with his CANVAS'D (Punch) attack!

Backfire grows rather annoyed that Swoop merely casts the attack aside, but he's PISSED that the Dinobot didn't even laugh at his clever pun. Then when he chucks a canvas at Harrow, that's the icing on the cake. Climbing up to the top of the counter, the Seeker pulls out his Glue-Gun from subspace and loads it with it's pellets. "What are you, a tyrant on art supplies?" Aiming the weapon, Backfire unloads a couple of shots at Swoop.

Combat: Backfire strikes Swoop with his Glue Gun attack!

Combat: That attack has temporarily impaired Swoop's Agility. (Crippled)

"Aiieee!" Harrow yelps as her helm's nearly sliced off by... a canvas. It shatters against the wall behind her, and she straightens, infuriated, "YES it's PAINT. Fine." Swiping the cart from him, she seeks out an isle of oil paints and starts haphazardly raking them off the shelves with the cart itself.

Tetrajet  sees humans running around, arty joining in and no sense in him being here. He fires up his CD and flies off.

Combat: Tetrajet  begins retreating, outrunning all pursuit.

"If me Swoop not allowed to have art stuffs, NO ONE ALLOWED TO HAVE ART STUFF!" No one really told him he wasn't allowed to have any art supplies but he thought that would just sound cool (it does). He's about to reach over and grab another canvas to use as a projectile when Backfire unleashes his load of sticky liquid all over him. Hot! "Blech! That it! You die now!" Swoop swings his sword at the seeker.

Combat: Swoop sets his defense level to Fearless.

Combat: Swoop strikes Backfire with his Thermal Sword attack!

"Anyone mind telling me what's going on here?" Artifice storms over to Harrow's and takes the cart back from her. If he's preoccupied with THAT, he won't have to fight Swoop, and that is an attractive proposition indeed. "Here! Are we just grabbing all the paint in the store?" Windshear moves the considerable distance west to the North Central State region. Windshear has left.

The sword digs deep into his chest plating, singing circuits and wires underneath that's like ... important. "AHAGA!" Backfire roars, apparently stuck on the thermal sword. "Little help here Arty-face ... I ain't built to tackle Dinobots alone!" Grabbing ahold of the sword, the Seeker attempts to kick at Swoop until he's 'released' from the weapon's grasp.

Combat: Backfire misses Swoop with his Let my people go! (Kick) attack!

"Yes, ALL of it! Go go go!" Harrow leaves the rest of the task up to Artifice, and moves to try and distract Swoop. "Art's busy!" She grabs a drafting desk on display and foolishly marches right up to the smack it over the Dinobot's head.

Combat: Harrow sets her defense level to Fearless.

Combat: Harrow misses Swoop with her DESK (Disruptor) attack!

Artifice snarls as he's called to battle. He makes no attempt to pretend that he isn't terrified at the thought of facing a Dinobot. Thankfully, Harrow answers Backfire's call. He's not surprised - the two are lovers after all. "Right. All the paint. Got it." He pushes the cart down the aisle, which is rapidly getting blocked by heaps of disshelved stock, and scoops up all the paint he can find.

Swoop holds the sword as far away from him as possible as if Backfire was a turd stuck on the end and Swoop doesn't want to touch it. "Get off me Swoop's sword, stupid seeker guy!" Swoop wiggles the blade around to dislodge it while simutaneously dodging flying desks. "HOW MANY OF YOU GUYS IS THERE? GEEZ LOO-EEZE!" He begins to punch Backfire in the face in frustration.

Combat: Swoop strikes Backfire with his FAPPO (Punch) attack!

Backfire is pummeld like a training dummy, gasping out in between punches. "Ow." *SMACK* "My face." *THUD* "MY BEAUTIFUL FA." *KLANG* After deflecting all of the Dinobot's punches with his face, the Seeker grins. "Ha, what's your next move Dinodumdum? AGAH!" Groaning from the frickin' sword lodged in his side, he brings both of his hands around as a faint light grows from the palms. "Allow me to show you the LIGHT!"

Combat: Backfire strikes Swoop with his Solar Flare attack!

Combat: That attack has temporarily affected Swoop's Accuracy. (Blinded)

Harrow steps back and shields her optics from the flare before moving to find Artifice. Backfire doesn't need help, naw. "Are you done yet? We don't have all day, let's get moving!"

Combat: Harrow takes extra time to steady herself. [Pass]

Artifice has managed to get a few cans of varnish and floorwax along with tubes of toothpaste and bottles of white-out. But he has also gotten just about all the paint in the isle - exlcuding whatever fell at his feet and disappeared underneath piles of junk. "I'm done," he announces, "What about Backfire and Swoop?

Swoop recoils from the blinding light and yanks his blade right out of Backfire's body. "ME EYES! ME SWOOP'S EYES! IT BURRRNNNSSS!" He stretches his arms out in every direction. "Me can't see! Grr...THIS MAKE SWOOP ANGRY! SWOOP CRUSH!" The Dinobot begins to throw kicks and punches in Backfire's general direction in some sort of frenzied rage!

 Harrow says, "Backfire, we're through here, finish him off!"

Combat: Swoop misses Backfire with his CLEVER ATTACK NAME attack!

 Backfire says, "Easier said than done Dominatrix!"

 Scrapper says, "...hmph. Guess I'd better stick around in the medical ward. We got incoming?"

 Artifice says, "What's your status, Backfire?"

Backfire cautiously backs away from the Dinobot clutching his side, allowing it to swing at nothing but air and various racks set up in the store. "Haha, oomph." the Seeker heckles, than still feels the cut in his midsection. Straightening up, he suddenly remembers that he has an audience ... and a reputation to maintain! Backfire whips out the futuristic space-gun from subspace, aiming the rifle at the Dinobot. "Prepare for annihilation!"

Combat: Backfire misses Swoop with his Hypno Ray attack!

 Backfire says, "I'm right in front of you, protecting your aft from the Dinobot!"

"Bahh, forget the Dinobot - BACKFIRE! Quit dicking around!" Harrow yoinks the cart and hovers near the circular blast on the ceiling. "Retreat, Decepticons! WE HAVE OUR PRECIOUS PAINT!"

Artifice definitely doesn't want to dick around with a Dinobot! "Backfire, Harrow, let's blow this slagpile!" Arti has delusions of control, clearly. He takes some of the paint into his arms, transforming to stow it in his cockpit, and then roars out of the hole in the ceiling, leaving heaps of groceries melted and burning behind him.

Artifice's fuselage flips up. His wings rotate, his arms retract; with a declining, 5-tone sound, Artifice folds himself into F16 mode!

Swoop continues to stumble around like an idiot, oblivious to Backfire's super awesome space-gun until he regains his vision. "NO! You not get away!" Swoop growls. There's only one option.. He transforms into his pterosaur mode and escapes the building via hole in the ceiling. Is he running away? No! He soars high above the art store and...and...and...

...fires missiles at it. Yeah, Swoop is going to blow up a building so the Decepticon's can't get their paint.

Swoop turns into a flying dinosaur!

Combat: Robot Pteranodon  strikes Harrow with his ART STORE ANNIHILATION Area attack!

Combat: Robot Pteranodon  strikes Backfire with his ART STORE ANNIHILATION Area attack!

Combat: Robot Pteranodon  misses F-16 Falcon  with his ART STORE ANNIHILATION Area attack!

 Harrow says, "SUNNUVAGLITCH."

<Decepticon> Artifice says, "Harrow, Backfire, are you functional!"

Backfire grins as he sees Swoop retreat from him of all mechs. "Did you see that Harrow? I did it, I BACKFIRE turned the tide!" His illustrious speech is cutoff by missiles impacting all around the store, causing an explosion inside that sends him barreling out through the front glass. "AHHHHHHHHH!" Backfire screams, hitting the pavement and bouncing up to crash ontop of a car. "Fraggin' Dinobot, he'll pay for this ... no pun intended!" Leaping up off the vehicle, the Seeker transforms into his alt mode and rushes out of the area back for NCC's Medical Ward.

Cybertronian technology shifts and configures into a F-16!

Combat: F-16 <Backfire> begins retreating, leaving himself vulnerable to parting shots from Robot Pteranodon <Swoop> and F-16 Falcon <Artifice>

Harrow gets the full blow of a missile just as she's exiting the store, and is flung into the parking lot, smoldering just as badly as the store. It doesn't help that so much crap inside is flammable. She wills herself upright and transforms, climbing after Artifice and Backfire without so much as a mutter.

Harrow twists and folds into her F-16 Falcon mode.

Combat: F-16 Falcon <Harrow> begins retreating, outrunning all pursuit.

Combat: F-16 Falcon <Artifice> begins retreating, leaving himself vulnerable to parting shots from F-16 Falcon <Harrow>

<Decepticon> Harrow says, "Yes, of course. I have the paint in subspace. VICTORY!"

<Decepticon> Backfire says, "I dunno, did ya check before you started running away Art?"

<Decepticon> Artifice says, "You use subspace too liberally, nurse Harrow! I have some of the paint in my cockpit.  And yes, I ... I checked!  I checked very quickly."

<Decepticon> Harrow says, "SHUT UP."

"YES! ME SWOOP AM WINNER! ME SWOOP BEAT ALL YOU STUPID DECEPTY-CONS!" Swoop flies around in circles as a sort of victory dance. Then, the smell of burning art supplies reaches him and he stares down down down at the smoldering pile of rubble that was once your friendly neighborhood art supplier. "Uh oh.."