Red Fountain

Synopsis: Something very strange is happening to Kup...

London

The skyline of the capital of Britain is dominated by various famous landmarks such as Big Ben, St. Peter's Cathedral, and London Bridge. Crowded narrow streets make it very hard for giant robots to walk around in, but smaller robots and humans can move around with ease.

First Aid has arrived.

Kup is giving a speech in front of a water fountain. Let's assume other Autobots are there, too. "The Autobots remain committed to defending the Earth against any and all threats! And we are looking into the latest threats, such as the Concurrence..." Blah blah, usual blather.

First Aid is standing off with the other Autobots, arms folded as he listens proudly as Kup gives the standard Autobot rhetoric. The Protectobot believes every word the oldtimer says, though he can't help but think that Kup is phoning it in a bit here. The water fountain does not seem to garner any special interest from him.

Kup is, a little bit. But hey, he's tired. And he's old. "..and we will know victory one day, I promise you!" He says, looking at all the other gathered reporters evenly. But behind him, the water takes on a strange, pink tone.

First Aid takes the time to do some sightseeing as Kup speaks. He gazes at the people who have come to hear the Autobot talk. He's glad that he's had the chance to mingle with the British ever since Metroplex made his leap across the pond. He waves to some of the reporters. It isn't him who notices the pink hue in the water, however, but the people themselves. First Aid hears mumbles and words of surprise. People are pointing at something that isn't Kup. The Protectobot peers at the water. Pink? He elbows the Autobot gumby next to him. "What is that?" he asks, gesturing to the fountain. The Autobot gumby shrugs, "Isn't pink Britain's national colour?"

Kup is interrupted in mid-speech. "Thank you for... wha?" He looks around at everybody. Gumbies, Protectobots, reporters--they all seem to be gawking at the fountain. The pinkish color has darkened, now, and when Kup finally gets a look at it, the water is the *color of blood*.

Kup stares. "What the frag!?"

"Oh my gosh," First Aid exclaims as the water reaches a very familiar hue. "Everyone, stay calm!" The Protectobot says, stepping forward. "Please keep away from the fountain while we determine just what is happening here." The medic heads towards the fountain, speaking into his radio as he goes, "This is First Aid reporting from London. Kup and I have a squad here at an outdoor rally near one of the city's fountains, but the water's turned blood red. I'm initiating quarantine procedures until we figure out what's wrong here." First Aid reaches the fountain. Kneeling, he removes a small test tube from his knee (coincidentally his rear doors while in ambulance mode). He dips the test tube in for a sample.

< Autobot > First Aid says, "This is First Aid reporting from London. Kup and I have a squad here at an outdoor rally near one of the city's fountains, but the water's turned blood red. I'm initiating quarantine procedures until we figure out what's wrong here."

< Autobot > Kup says, "It's just dye! Some prankster musta done this!"

< Autobot > Quickswitch says, "One of the tapes, no doubt."

< Autobot > First Aid says, "I hope you're right, Kup, but better safe than sorry. I'll run some tests on it to be sure."

< Autobot > Quickswitch says, "/Someone/ ought to talk to Blaster about reigning in his charges."

< Autobot > First Aid says, "This doesn't sound like something they'd do."

< Autobot > Steeltread says, "let First Aid run his tests first, Switch."

Kup grumbles something about bad timing. To the press, he says, "Eh, yeah, just clear outta here in an orderly fashion. We'll look into this." Stepping up to the fountain, Kup stares into the red liquid. "Yeah, there's no way that's real blood. Gimme a break." Just as he says that, a blackened skull, twisted in some strange way so that it looks *angry,* bubbles up to the surface of the water. "Oh, that's just going too far!" the old mech yells.

< Autobot > Quickswitch says, "Very well. It's the only thing to do at this point anyway."

< Autobot > Red Alert groans. "I'll be right there."

< Autobot > Kup says, "I ain't accusin' nobody 'a nuthin' til I know what's really going on!"

Red Alert has arrived.

< Autobot > Red Alert says, "Perhaps it was the frogs?"

< Autobot > Quickswitch says, "Frogs?"

< Autobot > Red Alert says, "Yes."

Kup, First Aid, and some gumbies are standing in front of a fountain that appears to be spraying blood and not water. Kup had apparently been addressing the press, but they're beginning to file out, now, looking visibly disturbed.

First Aid holds the test tube, now filled with red water, up to the light. He dangles a finger from his other hand over it, scanning it with chemical sensors. This is normally used to determine fuel composition and the like, but the safety oriented First Aid knows enough about human blood that he feels he should recognize it. "Definitely organic," the Protectobot reports. "But there's something odd about this. I don't think this is human blood at all, Kup. It may be from an animal of some sort. I know pigs blood is popular for pranks like this..." Meanwhile, the gumbies have formed a perimeter. As Kup spots the blackened skull, First Aid nearly jumps before recognizing it. Reaching in, he gently picks it up as he stores the test tube sample for later. A quick shot from his surgical lasers later, and First Aid has a tiny speck of skull to test. "Or... maybe not pig's blood," he mutters. The doctor is clearly unnerved by this prank, but the sight of blood is, by itself, not enough to freak him out.

White Vintage Lambo rolls into the area. There are a few notable differences between this Lamborghini Countach and the Red Alert that the Autobots know and love. It's predominately white with red racing stripes, and no hint of the Fire Chief's shield or the Autobot symbol can be seen. It also lacks the emergancy flasher bar. In fact, if it weren't for the condition of the car, this could easily be mistaken for the vintage pride and joy of some classic sports car collector. Unfortunately, paint that was new and shining only hours ago is cracked and dulled due to denting and scorching, while a few warpings indicate a recent dunking of the vehicle. Still, it dutifully rolls through the busy streets of London, approaching the two Autobots.

< Autobot > First Aid says, "Is there anyone at base who has access to the central computer banks?"

< Autobot > Fanfare says, "Errr, Ah have basic access..."

< Autobot > First Aid says, "Hi there. We met before but I don't think I caught your name. I'd like to send you a pair of chemical analysis for you to run a search on in the medical datafiles if that's alright."

< Autobot > Fanfare says, "Errr. Ah'll try me best!"

< Autobot > First Aid says, "Opening link... now. File transfer... begun. File transfer... completed."

Kup growls, "Then what the hell is it?" He points at the skull. "Come on! That skull's obviously fake, look at it! Someone got that at a party store, or something like that. Come on." He hears someone pulling up, and spots the white Lambo. Squinting hard at it, he wonders aloud. "Eh... wait. Damn, thought that was Red Alert for a second."

First Aid's optics flash as he carries out another chemical analysis, this time on the flake of skull. "Also organic," he reports with a sigh. The blood could have still been a part of a prank, but an organic skull now makes that possibility fly out the window. "But clearly not human. He opens up another link to the Autobot broadband. "Is there anyone back at base who has access to the central computer banks?" Pause. "Hi there," he says, momentarily cheerful, "We met before but I don't think I caught your name. I'd like to send you a pair of chemical analysis for you to run a search on in the medical datafiles if that's alright." Pause. The file transfer goes through, and the Protectobot waits for a response. He looks over at where Kup is referring, but doesn't see the lambo. "Where?" he asks.

It's while overhearing First Aid's call to base that the white Lamborghini transforms, revealing himself to be Red Alert after all. Not that there was ever much doubt! Still, he does look a bit odd in this new paint job - and also a bit worn from earlier events. He approaches the others. "I, erm, am Red Alert, Kup. The Battlechargers were targeting Lamborghinis, so I had to go under cover. So to speak." He studies the fountain, then takes one deep sniff.

"That's not ink," Red Alert proclaims, looking faintly ill. "It's certainly blood of /some/ sort."

< Autobot > Fanfare says, "Hmmmmmm"

< Autobot > Fanfare says, "Accordin' tae th' computers, sairrr. It is genetic material frae a Neibulan."

< Autobot > First Aid says, "Oh dear. The mystery grows. Thank you very much."

< Autobot > Fanfare says, "Tis nae problem."

Kup points at the approaching lambo. "There. But I was wrong, it was just a--ah, wait, hold on. That IS Red Alert." He's initially happy until Red Alert gives his report. "Wait. That IS blood? That's fragging impossible! How would some prankster even hook that crap up!?" Growling, Kup reaches into the "blood," and begins searching around for some hidden device. "Ah-ha! Found something..." When he pulls it up, however, it appears to be four blackened rib cages, fused together in a nightmarish fashion.

Kup is visibly shocked by that.

< Autobot > Kup says, "What was that? Nebulan?! This stuff is Nebulan? How the frag could somebody get their hands on so much Nebulan blood, and would they... do THIS with it?"

< Autobot > Fanfare says, "culd it be cut t'water?"

Red Alert takes a step or two back and makes a face. "That's... I'm rather certain you're not supposed to be able to /do/ that with Nebulans." He covers his nose, trying to clear it out. "Do they have an embassy nearby or anything?"

"Hi Red," First Aid says, waving to the security chief with his free hand. "Am I ever glad to see you. We have a real mystery on our hands. HQ has run a comparison on the analysis I took... looks like this is Nebulon blood and a Nebulon skull. On the plus side it doesn't look contaminated so I don't think we have to keep anyone here." The Protectobot holds the skull up to get a better look at it. "We never even knew him, Kup," he sighs. "A fellow of mysterious jest and unknown fancy. What an abhored fate to have befallen him." The Protectobot gazes at the fountain, trying to determine what the ratio is of blood to water. He wants to know if this could all be from one Nebulon, or if it'd be more.

Kup sets the gruesome find down by the side of the fountain, shaking off his hands. "I... well, I don't think they have an embassy on this planet, no. They probably want to have as little to do with our war as possible, even if the Decepticons can't seem to leave them alone. Speaking of which, I'm guessing they're our number one suspect, here. Who else would have access to Nebulans, and who else would be twisted enough to do this?"

Kup sighs at First Aid, as well. "Yeah, well, it's a tragedy alright. But there's one skull and four rib cages. So he wasn't alone in there." Kup frowns. "Funny, though... Coulda sworn I looked into this fountain before I spoke, and I didn't see nuthin' in there but some coins..."

Red Alert scrunches his nose. "There are a lot of twisted individuals in the galaxy," he notes. "Mental sickness isn't just limited to /our/ species. I'll agree that the Decepticons should be our first suspects, but I'm wary of keeping them our only suspects." He crouches. "We need to drain this, check the pipes that lead to the fountain."

"Nebulons haven't been too interested in relations with Earth and Cybertron since the Decepticons occupied their planet," First Aid explains. "It was a terrible affair." First Aid leans over the edge of the fountain to get a better look. "Not to alarm anyone, but this is basically pure blood. I can't even begin to calculate how many Nebulons died for this. Maybe the Cons restarted their genocidal practices on Nebulos. Or Nebulon, rather. Or... whichever their planet is called. I don't mean to jump to conclusions, but the odds are good the Decepticons are behind this." He nods in agreement with Red Alert about draining the fountain.

Kup shakes his head. "Could be the blood of a hundred Nebulans. Maybe more. I... Primus, I wish I could say I've never anything like this before, but I have..." His left arm begins to twitch involuntarily, though he doesn't seem to notice. "Was fighting on a jungle planet once. Nasty guerilla fighting. There was this Decepticon warlord who once built an airship, and what he did, was he put the bodies of this indigenous alien species, and he'd drain their blood. And then...." He covers his face. "And then he'd use some sprinklers on the bottom of his airship, and he'd rain blood down wherever there were suspected Autobot positions in the jungle. Horrible. It was horrible."

After a while, he says, "Yeah, check the pipes."

< Autobot > Fanfare says, "Are ye needin' a leeft home? *hopeful*"

Red Alert looks distinctly queasy at Kup's story, but he manages to shake it off. He continues to occasionally lift his head to sniff at the air, and, as usual, is constantly looking around. Thus, he spots the twitching in Kup's arm, even if Kup doesn't seem to notice it. Since he has no means on hand with which to drain the fountain, anyway, he takes a moment to ask, "Er, Kup, are you all right?"

First Aid is respectfully silent as Kup gives his story. He shakes his head as he hears about the blood sprinklers. "That sounds like something they'd do for fun and games. Ugh..." He puts his hand on Kup's shoulder for moral support. He, like Red Alert, is worried for their buddy. Organizing the pipe draining can wait a few seconds.

< Autobot > First Aid says, "You're welcome to join us if you like. I think we have a fair bit of work to do here before heading home, though."

Kup blinks, as if snapped out of a dream. He grabs onto his arm, forcing the twitching to stop. "I... yeah, yeah, I'm alright. I'm alright. Damn. This day turned out to be a lot worse than I was expecting." Nodding appreciatively towards First Aid, he begins to walk away from the group. "I'm... I'm gonna take the rest of the day off. Lotsa bad memories coming back..."

< Autobot > Red Alert says, "Some pipes, tubes, and liquid pumps would be a good idea."

< Autobot > Fanfare says, "Needin' anything from th'lab?"

< Autobot > Fanfare says, "Roger that."

< Autobot > Fanfare says, "Wot size? 14B or 14C?"

< Autobot > Red Alert says, "Go for variety."

< Autobot > Fanfare says, "Aye aye."

Fanfare has arrived.

Folding down and around, Fanfare turns into a Screaming Electric Yellow CF-130 Super Hercules.

Red Alert, who is sporting a white paint job with red racing stripes and a distinct lack of emergancy flasher bar, stands near what appears to be a fountain of blood with First Aid. He frowns after Kup as the elder walks away, then nods once. "Take care then, Kup," he says, and his voice is sympathetic, but his optics are narrowed in a hint of the usual suspicion. Then he turns back towards the fountain. "I suppose now we just wait for Fanfare to arrive with the materials."

< Autobot > Fanfare says, "Clear a Drop area!"

First Aid gives the old timer a pat before letting him walk away. "No problem, Kup. Red Alert and I can direct things from here." They also have Autobot gumbies milling about, currently serving as guards who can help with the heavy lifting. "Yeah," the doctor says as he slowly circles the fountain. "First up lets get them to turn this thing off." He gestures at the fountain as he patches a radio frequency through to the local parks and services office.

< Autobot > Quickswitch says, "Wow, guys! Whassup?"

< Autobot > Red Alert says, "... Fanfare, we're in the middle of London."

< Autobot > Red Alert says, "How much area do you *need*?"

< Autobot > Fanfare says, "Fifty feet 'round minimum"

< Autobot > Fanfare says, "Winds' pretty low t'day."

< Autobot > Red Alert says, "I'll... see what we can do."

< Autobot > Fanfare says, "Okay. Iffen not, get ready to catch. I'll be der in five minutes."

There's lots of chairs scattered around that the press corps was sitting on. The chairs would have to be moved, or if you were feeling like a jerk, you could just drop the cargo on them.

Red Alert actually gets to work moving the chairs out of the area, clearing out the area around the fountain. He continues to sniff at the air and to glance around at random intervals. As he works, he notes, "The problem is, if this is Decepticon work, how did they get in and out without being noticed? Our alternate modes may work as disguise, but as robots, we tend to attract attention."

As First Aid calls in the local parks and services office, the fellow on the other end says, "What? You want me to shut off the water to the fountain? Alright, then, be right with you." Moments before the water shuts off, however, the blood in the water... begins to fade away. Or at least, it's being diluted by actual water. And this is as Kup is walking away from the incident.

< Autobot > Fanfare says, "ETA ten secunds"

With Fanfare's announcement, Red Alert stops moving around chairs and instead heads over to the fountain to get out of the way of the drop. As he nears, he seems that it's begun to clear up a bit. He looks up at First Aid, expression puzzled. "Can you confirm this?"

A vibrating, deep rumble builds up, easily audible for several blocks around him. THen suddenly -

*BAROOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooooom*

A huge shadow passes overhead... slowly. It was Fanfare indeed, flying low over the buildings and blotting out the sun. Going right over the others, he banks. Compared to the Aerialbots or seekers, he was almost standing still as he made a graceful turn. The pitch in his engines drops with sudden drag and his form jolts even slower, rear compartment door opening as he tilts his nose up, a package falling out...

And a bright yellow parachute opens, matching his own hideous paint scheme as the crate starts to float down to the square below... Exactly where Red Alert had cleared up a spot. It swings daringly close to a rooftop, but inertia carries it forwards until it lands at one end of the circle, scrapes across the ground and stops just short of front and center.

First Aid elbows Red Alert gently, pointing at the water. "Er, it's been shut off. How come the colour is fading?" He opens up another link, "I don't mean to be a bother, but are you sure the water is off?" he asks. Autobot gumbies help Red Alert move chairs out of the way. He retrieves another test tube from his knee/trunk and dips it into the water. "Are there any other feeds going into this fountain?" Looking up as a shadow covers up the area, First Aid sees the package floating down. It is an impressively accurate drop.

Red Alert shakes his head as First Aid elbows him. "I'm not sure. This doesn't make any sense." He reaches a finger into the clearing water, just as First Aid gets another sample, lifts his hand to his nose and takes another deep sniff.

Water pressure eventually drops to nothing, but the water appears clear before it shuts off.

FC-130 Super Hercules < Fanfare > circles overhead once more, caefully slowing now as he transforms... falling with a loud THUD beside the fountain and running a few steps to slow down. Then he turns to the others, grinning proudly as he sees his work

Folding down and around, Fanfare transforms from a Screaming Electric Yellow CF-130 Super Hercules into his robot mode.

Red Alert nods a greeting towards Fanfare before he looks back down at the fountain. He lifts his right hand to rub the bridge of his nose as he shuts down his optics. "The problem..." he begins, "is that this would have to be a too pronged... affair. Somebody would have had to have gotten to the fountain, hidden the head and the... the other part in an area that wouldn't be discovered until it was time despite the clear water, but would easily be discovered later. But... either that same somebody or someone /else/ would have had to have made it to the feed source with containers full of hundreds' of Nebulons' blood, poured it in, ensured that the lines did not feed anything /except/ the fountain..." He trails off.

First Aid continues to work with the parks and services guy to stop the draining at some point down the line. "I'm going to go oversee the drainage of this, Red. I don't want this getting to some water treatment plant and messing everything up there. I'll radio you with my progress." He offers Red a wave before folding down into ambulance mode. Roof lights flashing, he gets back on the road and heads to work.

Red Alert waves after First Aid, though if anyone listens to him, he continues talking, mostly to himself. "Something like this /couldn't/ have been done by just one person, or one Decepticon. Cutting off all other lines, getting into and out of the source without being seen... it would take a rather large group..." Yes, that's right, Red Alert is creating a conspiracy theory around the matter.

Next he's going to blame it on the mutant frogs.

Fanfare hums a little at Red's words, and taps a foot on the stones. Then he moves a few feet, ant taps again, listening.

Red Alert looks up at Fanfare. "I'm going to have to find out where this water is fed from, and investigate the source. Let me know-" he pauses, glances down one of the roads, shakes his head, and continues, "let me know if you find anything here."

Fanfare nods at Red Alert "Roight." he rumbles.