Curiosity and Loss



tf - Thursday, March 24, 2016, 7:14 PM

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 Teletraan-2 says, "WARNING. DECEPTICON THREAT DETECTED. DECEPTICON THREAT DETECTED, OUTSIDE AUTOBOT CITY."

 Teletraan-2 says, "DECEPTICON THREAT UNIDENTIFIED. CLASSIFICATION: INSECTICON."

 Imager says, "Aw...ah thats bad...uhm....we got a hoard hitting AC, and I'm still in uhm...the other earth place."

 Imager says, "maybe I can get the EDC to lemme use their landbridge"

Smokescreen hears the call from Teletran and speeds up.

 Smokescreen says, "I'm on my way there now. I will let you know whats going on as soon as I get there."

 Imager says, "Uhmmmmm maaaybe thats not such a good...wait, you're all about diversions, yeah go for it, knock yourself out."

 Imager says, "just don't get eaten, mkay?"

 Smokescreen chuckles, "Me get eaten? Never happen. My smokey flavor is too much for most.." yea he made a joke.

 Teletraan-2 says, "AMOUNT OF DECEPTICONS RECOGNIZED: ONE"

 Imager says, "oh.  One, pfft, that won't be much of a prob."

 Smokescreen says, "One? One.....I will be there in a few breams"

 Imager says, "I've almost soaked up enough rays here so when I get back we'll have some extra 'gon production"

 Smokescreen says, "Nice, Imager! We can use all we can get right now."

 Imager says, "pfft, breems?  I thought you were supposed to be fast!"

 Smokescreen says, "Do I look like one of the Lambo brothers? I am fast but come on."

Smokescreen pulls up outside HQ, transforms and with a laser gun in his hand, starts walking around looking for one Decepticon assault force.

<Autobot> Imager says, "Actually I don't know much about Earther vehicles, I don't even know what continent I am on"

<Autobot> Smokescreen says, "You on earth, right? Describe your surroundings, maybe I can help."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NouZB6QuCys

Guided by Teletraan-2, the trail towards the Insecticon threat, whatever sole problem it may be, takes you out of town. Maybe its just the day really, maybe its the scenic parts of Earth, after all the war and strife, but with the sun shining bright, the wind picking up and nothing but the empty road, the day seems filled with adventure.

Up the old dirt road into the hills, kicking up dust, driving past the remnants of a previous battle of years gone by, you ascend into the foothills of Lookout Mountain.

Back in the day when a young Hot Rod shot up an Autobot shuttle, kicking off one of the most deadly battles in Cybertron's history.

Still speed is poured on, and the road is clear, those high walled roads zoom on for ages. And if a chicken farmer was caught unaware by the Nissan Fairlady as it roared by, well, nobody got hurt.

Up ahead you sight the disturbance, in the out-of-town junkyard where a group of humans all stand outside of the yard, gazing inwards...

What a shame such a wonderful drive down this road and down memory lane has to come to end but it must. The FairladyZ slows up, transforms and smiles at the humans. "Perhaps I can be of some help." he says as he looks past the humans into the junkyard to what they are looking at. It should be the sole Decepticon Teletran picked up on its scensers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSXgyDZ4Fbc

Ole Biff who runs the junkyard, tucks a thumb into his cap. Still wearing his signature overalls and a wrench in his hand, he is unfazed by the giant robot transforming next to him. He's seen them practically daily, especially with Pipes and his collection. "Aw Mista", he starts, "I sure hope so. He's in there, messing up all my junk."

In the depths of the junkyard in the distance, you can see a hillock of metal and rust shudder and move, part of it starts to build up and collapse, as if something, like a mighty bulldozer perhaps, was pushing it around.

Smokescreen gives a nod at the human and starts toward the disturbance. "Stay out of the way just in case, alright? And if I tell you to run, do it." he heads toward the moving pils of scrap cautously with his scanner going, hoping to pick up possibly who it might be.

"work work work...."

Metal creaks and groans ominously as it rolls over another hill, a crude rolling mound of pure scrap metal about two stories tall appears, and from behind it, an Insecticon, in its insect mode, pushing backwards against it, pieces of metal attaching to the ball as it continues rolling.

"Cleeeaaaan up." The figure says in a labored, but singsong tone. After making the ball larger, it turns around, its mandibles clickclack for a moment, then a purple light emits from the two jaws.

The ball of junk seems to shudder and compact a little, actually knitting together more, solidifying. That task done, it promptly gets back to work of gathering more junk.

Somewhere on another world, Wreck-Gar raises his head to the sky, sensing a kindred spirit.

Smokescreen stops when he sees the Insecticon and instantl recognizes him. "Hey --" uhoh, this mechs name and all the earth slang gets all jumbled up in the Autobots head for amoment, " -- what's going on, Poop?"

The Insecticon doesn't seem to respond to that. In fact, it very nearly adds you to the katamari ball of junk by sheer accident. From your distance to it, you can feel the pull of something from within the ball. A baseline theory would guess that the insecticon has some sort of gravity or magnetism powers at work, which would explain a lot.

As it pushes the ball past you, it only notices you as you end up behind him, since thats the side his head is at. "Oh..." Its mandibles clickclack in thought as it keeps rolling slowly. "No...not poop."

It groans as it pushes the ball a bit more, "Gotta...clean..up."

Smokescreen feels the pull of the ball of junk and tries to get a reading on what could possibly be causing it as the Insecticon pushes the ball past him. "Well, crap then --Stool! Sorry about that! Hey why did you leave so suddenly the last time I saw you? Why are you doing this now? You know you're cleaning up stuff that doesn't belong to you. The human who owns it is a bit upset."

The Insecticon raises its head as you say its name. It pauses in its work, its legs twitching eagerly, little eyes raise up to look at you. Then it bends upward, folding up into its robot form, a short squat black and blue robot. He looks around the area, surveying the yard. "I...." His mandibles, on his back now, clickclack in thought. "Where did it go?"

<Autobot> Imager says, "so uh, you alive?"

<Autobot> Smokescreen says, "Oh yea Im alive its Stool. You never did describe where you were so I could help you figure out where you were"

<Autobot> Imager says, "the Earth Base you guys fought the 'secticons at?"

<Autobot> Smokescreen says, "Oh ok you're in Africa. Did you get a hold of the EDC yet?"

<Autobot> Imager says, "yeah they got things goin on, I mean if you're doin okay, I can stick around here, fix this ore capacitor of theirs"

<Autobot> Imager says, "but say the word"

<Autobot> Smokescreen says, "I think eveything will work out ok, it's just a little Stool."

<Autobot> Imager says, "uh......."

<Autobot> Imager says, "okay"

<Autobot> Imager says, "weird"

<Autobot> Smokescreen is trying very hard to stay serious sounding. "You don't know Earth that well do you? No matter. Its the Insection named Stool that was in the altercation recently in Africa.:

<Autobot> Imager says, "did ya shoot him yet?"

<Autobot> Smokescreen says, "No I haven't shot him yet. I'm trying to find out exactly whats going on. Hes an odd one, let me tell you. Sometimes shooting first is not the way to go."

<Autobot> Imager says, "Well I prefer punchin, myself"

<Autobot> Smokescreen says, "Wait, what?"

Smokescreen frowns a bit and simply asks, "What did what go?"

REPOSE: Smokescreen frowns a bit and simply asks, "Where did what go?"

Stool absently looks away, then raises a hand to his processor. He wiggles his fingers as if to indicate something about his head, then a moment later, notices a can at his feet, which isn't that hard to find since he's still standing on junk. He picks it up, then turns around to the ball. "Gotta clean up. Back to work. I..." He hesitates, can in hand. "You..." The insecticon turns back around, obviously confused, "Where did it go? The voice...its gone." He steps closer to you, "What should I do?"

Smokescreen listens and watches closely forming his own opinion about all this when the mech steps closer and asks him what to do. "Listen to me, Stool. I can guide you but you need to tell me what the voice told you so I can continue."

He looks up at you, then away, then back. "Everything?" He steadily grows a bit more uncomfortable as he talks, and as the moments pass, telltale signs of outright fear start to creep into his posture. "Where is everyone? How am I...supposed to know where to be? Where are we? Where are we?" He looks towards one of the larger structures in the junkyard, the trash compactor crane.

Stool transforms into his dung beetle altmode, and scampers as fast as his legs can carry him over towards it. He starts climbing it, ascending to its highest point. "Wh...." Again his mandibles clickclack, "Where...where am I? Where are you?" He transforms, perched on high, and repeats his last words in a call of fear and isolation. "WHERE ARE YOU?"

Smokescreen follows Stool and watches as he climbs to the highest point of the crane. "Are you looking for your colony? Stool, I want to help you but you need to calm down. Come down, you... you can join my colony." Insecticons are an odd lot and he's doing the best he can right now. He hopes its good enough.

He skitters down the crane, which only shifts a bit in his wake. The small Insecticon looks up at you, his purple optics squinting. Heck, the Decepticon icon was right on his chest, and he was being offered solace. Sanctuary. A colony. "W..where? Where is it? Where is she? She should talk to me. Can it be soon? I..I need to know what to do. Hurry...." He absently picks up a few bits of junk, and starts magnetically binding them together, oblivious to the large ball he put together a few dozen yards away behind him.

Smokescreen looks down at Stool with a gentle expression. "She had to go away and take care of something for the colony. She sent me to find you. You are safe with me. Do you know where the rest of the colony is? We need to get them together and have them ready for when she returns."

The look of eagerness and elation is apparent on his face, "She did? She did?!?" He looks aside in thought, "Frostbite said...said she was not here." He looks back up to you, as you lead him to Autobot City, which is guaranteed to become the cleanest city in the world shortly, "We should...we should find Thunderstruck. Tell him, he wants to know."

<Autobot> Stool says, "Everyone will want to know. Yes, everyone."

<Autobot> Imager says, "Wussat?"

<Autobot> Smokescreen says, "Nothing, Imager. I will explain soon"

<Autobot> Stool says, "explain soon...yes, yes please. Windcutter...you should come. All of us. The queen."