Softball Softsell

North Central States - North America

The North Central States encompass most of the Great Plains as well as the Midwest and Great Lakes regions. The Great Plains isn't just endless fields of grain in Nebraska and Iowa, it also includes the towering buttes of the Dakotas and the fertile river valleys that crisscross Missouri and Kansas as well. The Midwest is broad, clear horizons, a land of gently rolling landscape punctuated by rivers, woods, and trees. The Great Lakes states contain not only the huge metropolitan centers like Chicago, Cincinnati, and St. Louis but big swatches of forest and lakeshore to the north, with gorgeous scenic drives along the Lakes and the tall bluffs of the Ohio river valleys.

Contents:

Earthquake Generator

Blast Off

Carjack

Ohio

Detroit

Planet Junkion Restaraunt

Obvious exits: North &lt;N&gt; leads to Western Provinces - Canada. South &lt;S&gt; leads to South Central States. Southeast &lt;SE&gt; leads to Southeastern States. Southwest &lt;SW&gt; leads to Southwestern States. East &lt;E&gt; leads to Middle Atlantic States.

West &lt;W&gt; leads to Northwestern States.

Fly &lt;Up&gt; Illinois &lt;IL&gt;

Solstice has arrived.

Every now and then, the Autobots do charity events to raise money! Right now, they are raising money for the Red Cross, by playing a softball game in New Madrid, Missouri.

Blades is pitching. Blades has... an accuracy problem, so he's been walking a lot of batters entirely by mistake, and he's making him pretty angry. He's been trying to get better, though, focus on what he's doing. And who is at bat now but...

Solstice???

Oh, and New Madrid is right on top of a huge fault.

Solstice is low on her quarterly charity event log (plus speeding tickets means much community service) and has volunteered to play softball. It's much better than sticky fingered kids wanting rides, that's for sure.

"Come on Blades, I'm right here, aim at th' bat." Happy tone, smile firmly in place as door wings flex. She gives her bat a test swing and then settles, "Would it help if we played pretend?"

But all is not well in New Madrid. Or more specifically, not all is well below New Madrid.

Someone despite being -giant robots from space- the Decepticons have managed to locate a device of devious potential beneath, ironically enough, New Madrid's stadium. Because that just happens to be built right over the center of the fault line, meaning it's the prime location for what is about to happen.

"Just a little adjustment here.. and there..." Carjack fiddles with a few controls on the device of rediculously 80s looking techno-kibble. You know, a lot of wavering gauges and flickering lights that may or may not actually do anything. Then hops up onto the top platform of the 'generator'. "I'll show that overgrown purple caculator who's the crackpot. One track logic would of never thought of this!" With the appropriate maniacal laughter he pulls down the biggest lever on the device.

On the field, the game is going as it should. Except that Blades' sucks at pitching it would seem. But all that is brought to a halt as the ground gives a rumble. Then fades again. Living on the faultline, the locals are use to the little kicks and crinkles that come occasionally.

It's when the rumble comes back with much more intensity that they start to look worried. A crack appears in the center of the field. Then a few more, radiating out from it. The stadium walls start to crack along their retaining surface. Splits in the structure of the statium cause wires to snap and spark, throwing the scoreboard into a digital fight and causing some of the big light poles to wobble and flicker.

Then the central cracks burst apart as the control platform rises up out of the collapsing opening from the shaking and breaking, Carjack finishing his evil scientist laugh with arms thrust overhead. "BEHOLD! Tremble in fear as your pathetic national pasttime is tore apart but the Decepticon conquest of the very power within the ground you trod upo--"

And then he notices the Autobots already on the field. "What the... what the slag are they doing here already?!" He promptly backhands the gumbie that had helped him set up, sending the poor mech over the rail of the platform and into the broken, shaking ground below. "Imbacil! You told me this location would be vacant tonight!"

Combat: Carjack misses Bell UH-1V Iroquois &lt;Blades&gt; with Earthquake Generator's We're just starting to SHAKE things up! Area attack! [Pulled -3]

Combat: Carjack (Carjack) used "Earthquake!": A Level 0 AREA-MELEE attack.

Combat: Carjack misses Solstice with Earthquake Generator's We're just starting to SHAKE things up! Area attack! [Pulled -3]

Space Shuttle &lt;Blast Off&gt; is NOT down there under the ground with Carjack. The somewhat claustrophobic Combaticon doesn't NEED to be down there, so he isn't. He'll stick to the sky, thank-you-very-much. The space shuttle comes swoooping down from above the clouds. ...Oh great, Autofools. &lt;&lt;I thought you said no one else would be here, Carjack?&gt;&gt; Annoyed, he flies in closer but refrains from any orbital bombardments until he's got more of an idea of what's going on and who is here. Though...hmmm, is that Blades he sees? Perhaps he can correct the mistake he made earlier by not completely *destroying* the Protectobot before....

Combat: Space Shuttle &lt;Blast Off&gt; sets his defense level to Protected.

Blades pitches at Solstice, snapping, "Oh, s-"

And then there is a tremor, which knocks Blades off the pitching mound and really alarms all of the humans in the audience, as does the stadium falling apart. There is screaming, crying, panicking, and trampling hordes of running humans.

So Blades looks up, because up is always where Decepticons are flying, and he spots the rising platform, and Blades calls out, "Decepticons! you've stooped to a new low! THIS IS SOFTBALL!" Then he asides, "Solstice, we have to get the humans to safety!"

So Blades rushes off to try to direct traffic a bit with the panicking humans.

Solstice narrows optics, focusing on Blades and the incoming throw, she's up on the 'balls' of her feet, balanced, poised to strike. The pitch comes, she starts to swing and then bobbles as the ground gives the initial few shakes. "Huh, feels like Sanfran..." Then another rumble, and another. Bobbling on her feet, she gives the area a quick look and notes that the natives are beginning to show signs of distress, "Heeeey Blades?" quizzical tone just before the ground goes nutso!

Kicking upwards into the air, she switches grips on the bat and hovers a moment. And then Carjack erupts from the ground in classic*tm villain form, spouting words better suited for a dime novel. Along with a device and more shaking. "Copy that, sir!" Dropping back to the ground to head towards a knot of humanities finest, the local softball groupies. "Out in th' open and stay away from th' walls, folks. Ignore th' con-gly there fer a sec and let's getcha outta here!""

"Softball? SOFTBALL?!" Carjack opens his chest compartment and pulls out a transformer-sized book. As he spreads it open the cover can be briefly seen and it's title 'AMERICA! A Decepticons Guide to Dominating the BEST NATION On This Otherwise Horrible Dirtball' by Americon. "... Wait, there's a difference?" After a moment Carjack shrugs, and throws the book over his shoulder. "Whatever. Doesn't matter!"

Just as that gumbie is climbing out of the creavase the book bonks him on the helm, knocking him back down. Because it's a damn thick book. Because Americon is that damn obsessed.

With that done he folds his hands behind his back. "I bet you're wondering what we're doing?" Pause to look. "... Or you could be wasting your time trying to help the humans. TOO BAD I'M EXPOSITION MONOLOGUING ANYWAYS!" Carjack stomps over to grab the largest lever on the platform. "Thanks to this seismatic accumilator I found while on that detestable lump of a wannabe planet because SOMEONE who will go unmentioned the ONE OPTICED FREAK didn't want me playing with his pet projects and stuck me there, we can collect the kinetic energy produced by heavy tectonic activity.... and then maybe go break off a chunk of California by blasting open the San Andreas later. Unimportant right now." He gives that a dismissive wave before grabbing the lever with both hands. "First I will use it to KICK YOUR ASPHALT!"

He shoves the lever all the way forward, and the violent shaking only intensifies. This time not only does the ground shake and upheave, but those cracks already put in the structure of the statium and widening, breaking loose pieces or sending already loosened lights toppling over. Looks like Blades and Solstice are going to have more problems to worry about trying to get those humans to safety.

"Blast Off!" Carjack adds almost like it was an afterthought. "Don't let them destroy the generator!"

Combat: Carjack sets his defense level to Aggressive.

Combat: Carjack strikes Blades with Earthquake Generator's A QUAKE! A QUAKE! HOW MUCH MORE CAN YOU TAKE?! Area attack!

Combat: Carjack (Carjack) used "Earthquake!": A Level 3 AREA-MELEE attack.

Combat: You took 15 damage.

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

Combat: Carjack strikes Solstice with Earthquake Generator's A QUAKE! A QUAKE! HOW MUCH MORE CAN YOU TAKE?! Area attack!

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

&lt;Autobot&gt; Solstice says, "Nice date, Blades."

&lt;Autobot&gt; Blades says, "I told you I was trouble."

&lt;Autobot&gt; Solstice says, "Nah, y' just know how t' show a femme a good time..."

&lt;Autobot&gt; Sanguine says, "Blades are you corrupting the younger sparks?"

Space Shuttle &lt;Blast Off&gt; spots Blades trying to direct traffic. How pathetic, worrying about those lowly flesh creatures when he really ought to be worrying about himself! As the shuttle gets closer, his side lasers take aim and direct a blast towards the Protectobot. "Blades! I'd worry about myself if I were you! It's time for me to finally finish what I started and make sure you're offlined permenantly this time..." Apparently, in this episode, Blast Off gets to be the villain cruelly unconcerned about human casualties as he aims for his foe's utter and complete destruction- literally. Sadly for him, this is an 80's show. Even in the A-Team, which the Combaticons oh-so-suspiciously resemble, amid all those explosions and vehicles flipping in the air- no one ever died. But Blast Off can still dream, like a proper villain does. He responds to Carjack, &lt;&lt;I will not... do not worry about me. Just take care of your end of this.&gt;&gt;

&lt;Autobot&gt; Spindrift says, ".. Wait, Blades and Solstice are on a date?"

Combat: Space Shuttle &lt;Blast Off&gt; sets his defense level to Guarded.

Combat: Space Shuttle &lt;Blast Off&gt; strikes Blades with his I CON dream after all... (Laser) attack! [Pulled -1]

Combat: Space Shuttle &lt;Blast Off&gt; (Blast Off) used "Laser": A Level 1 RANGED attack.

Combat: You took 9 damage.

Combat: Space Shuttle &lt;Blast Off&gt;'s attack has damaged your Firepower!

&lt;Autobot&gt; Blades says, "Would you prefer that I corrupted older ones?"

&lt;Autobot&gt; Sanguine says, "Older sparks are known to be set in their resonance."

&lt;Autobot&gt; Solstice says, "So we are onna dat--HNNGK..."

Once the humans have all been evacuated safely, there is still the problem of: Decepticons! Decepticons shooting him! Decepticons blowing up one of Blades's knee mounted rockets - and now Blades's leg looks like a wreck! Also, earthquakes!

Blades draws one of his photon pistols and grumps, "Let there be light, you pieces of slag."

Combat: Blades sets his defense level to Fearless.

Combat: Blades misses Space Shuttle &lt;Blast Off&gt; with his Photon Pistol Area attack! [Pulled -1]

Combat: Blades strikes Carjack with his Photon Pistol Area attack! [Pulled -1]

Combat: That attack has temporarily limited Carjack's Accuracy! (Blinded)

Combat: Blades strikes Earthquake Generator with his Photon Pistol Area attack! [Pulled -1]

Combat: That attack has temporarily limited Earthquake Generator's Accuracy! (Blinded)

Combat: You are running low on energon!

Combat: Drained 21 energon.

Combat: Solstice sets her defense level to Neutral.

"Yeah softball, who invited you?" Solstice calls back over her shoulder, while attempting to herd panicking mammals out of the way of falling debris. Queue the monologue, which might net her some time to direct the panicked masses. "Move along now, nice 'n order-" Cut off as chaos ensues, the ground performing the seismic hoochie-coo. Optics flash brightly and she leaps!!!

Right under a falling light, bracing herself to take the impact across back and shoulders. "Hnngk!" Staggering down to a knee, but bracing so some two-legged mammals can get the heck out of dodge, "Ferget calm, run like th' devil, folks!" she calls out, pop-kicking systems online to shove the post to the side, coming up off of the ground to hover. Glass shards from her windows shower down around her, doors on the mangled side of shiny but still pivoting down and locking out of the way. Giving herself a shake she takes a quick look about to survey before pulling one pistol out of a hip holster, "HEY! Capt'n monologue, this speech have a picture book with it? 'Cause I'd rather see pop-ups instead of listenin' to you!" She fires off a pop-shot at Carjack.

Combat: Solstice strikes Carjack with her Pop a cap in that 'Con (Pistol) attack!

Between the terrifying seismic interruption and the Autobots' efforts the humans are cleared out in decent time. Especially when Solstice yells at them to just run while she takes one for the team.

A compartment opens in the center of the platform and pops out a transparent spherical container that Carjack catchs in both hands, watching the flicker and ripples of whatever is inside of it. "Yes, look at that. All that potential energy, stored in the vibrations that just keep rebounding again and again due to the liquid contents it is vibrating through. Particles constantly shifting their energy from one to another as they rattle around like little ball bears in a jar. Not that I've entirely figured out how to properly convert this storage medium into energo -- oof!" The pistol shot hits one of his elongated shoulders while he's hunched over. "Cut that out you tramp! Before I -- GAH!" And there's that damn photon pistol! Carjack yowls as it disrupts his optics. The machinery doesn't really have any visual equipment to disrupt, but the energy blasts cause small bursts of fumes to hiss from where they hit.

Snarling he shoves the container in to his chest, then pulls out his own gun before slapping it shut. "I'm gonna make you see the FAULT of your choices!" While the generator continues to churn away and shaking up the ground and collecting the resulting vibrations, he leans over to try and adjust for the blindness and take a shot at Solstice with his injector pistol.

The whole Protectobot/Combaticon thing those two can sort out.

Combat: Carjack strikes Solstice with his Bad Medicine attack!

Space Shuttle &lt;Blast Off&gt; hits the Protectobot and goes rushing by as Blades sends a flash of light his way. Carjack and the generator get hit with attacks, but the quick shuttle dodges, as he so often does. And for now, he's going to stay airborne, not risking getting shaken up by a dose of the Cons' own medicine. He circles back around, preparing a short orbital bombardment this time as the hatch under his nosecone opens and drops a blast at the Protectobot below. "Actually, darkness suits me better. A good sniper prefers the shadows. Just look at my color scheme! Sleek, subtle... not a gaudy mess like YOURS."

Combat: Space Shuttle &lt;Blast Off&gt; strikes Blades with his Hello Darkness my old friend... attack! [Pulled -6]

Combat: Space Shuttle &lt;Blast Off&gt; (Blast Off) used "Orbital Bombardment Laser": A Level 2 RANGED attack.

Combat: You took 8 damage.

Combat: Space Shuttle &lt;Blast Off&gt;'s attack has damaged your Accuracy!

Blades is shot riiiight in the optic by Blast Off, making him more of a wreck than he already was. He shouts, "You know why I have so much white on me? To match Defensor? NO, SO YOUR ENERGON WILL SHOW WHEN I GET IT ALL OVER ME!"

He transforms into helicopter mode and takes to the air to try to slam a rocket into the prissiest of space shuttles.

Blades transforms into his Bell UH-1V Iroquois &lt;Blades&gt; mode.

Combat: Bell UH-1V Iroquois &lt;Blades&gt; strikes Space Shuttle &lt;Blast Off&gt; with his Armor-Piercing Smart Rocket attack! [Pulled -1]

Combat: You are running low on energon!

Combat: Drained 5 energon.

Solstice fires her pot-shot, watches it hit (Mistake 1) and cocks a wry smile, "Boo-yah." The watching for it to hit doesn't leave her as much time to calculate her next action but when the evil 'con starts to talk it up again, "HEY! I'm not a tramp!" Spinning in mid-air, she looks to see that the locals have fled before turning attention back to Carjack.

"Blah blah blah blah. All I'm hearin' is 'I made poor choices as a wee 'con and got an ugly paint job. Now who's gonna respect me?' Waahh." (Mistake 2) Yeah, more action, less chatter would've been the better tactical option as the incoming shot sends her spinning about. Rotating a good 360, she comes back around facing Carjack and the Seismic thingamabob with regulation right shoulder rocket at the ready. Optics narrow, she gets a rather unfriendly smile and without further adieu, she aerial charges Carjack, firing off a staggered load rocket, full of smaller rounds, which are full of sharp, pointy things.

Combat: Solstice sets her defense level to Aggressive.

Combat: Solstice strikes Carjack with her Sharp pointy rocket-propelled things attack! [Pulled -1]

&lt;Autobot&gt; Solstice says, "Hey Blades?"

&lt;Autobot&gt; Blades says, "Hnnng."

&lt;Autobot&gt; Solstice says, "Yeah. Best Date *ever*!"

"And yet these colors and a few siren wails and you suckers fall for the emergency vehicle routine -every time-." Carjack leans over the railing again. "How do you think I got close enough to get under the stadium in the first place? Huh? Bet you didn't think of that did you?"

The gloating however puts him right in view of the shrapnel filled burst and he topples over on his back on the platform. "Mod damn little motherboardin' glitch!" With a snarl he grabs a rather large piece that wedged in one optic and pulls it out. He sits partway up, huddling next to the main console for some shelter as he flips down his visor and does some patchwork resyncing to make the medical sensors substitute for his damaged optic. "As soon as I can see again I am gonna rip her manifold out personally."

The quake generator is still churning away, though it's mostly just working up the faultline farther at this point and supposedly collecting the kinetic energy somehow. All the humans are gone so it doesn't really matter if the stadium falls apart at this point... Combat: Carjack sets his defense level to Protected.

Combat: Carjack quickly recalibrates his internal systems.

&lt;Autobot&gt; Sandstorm says, "This 'date' better be over broken decepticon bodies Blades, or I'm gonna be very disappointed in you bro"

Space Shuttle &lt;Blast Off&gt; huffs slightly at Blades' response, and it unsettles the shuttle just enough to delay his response when Blades suddenly launches into the air after him. The missiles strike along the side of his fusleage, not causing any huge damage.... but any damage at all always burns at his pride. Especially coming from a lowly *Protectobot*, and especially coming from Blades. Who was a Combaticon once, right? The memories are hazy, but yes, it seems so. Blades needs to pay for his past transgressions- and the transgression of not DYING like he was SUPPOSED to that last time. He circles back around, energon dripping from the wound- this time heading right for the Protectobot, attempting to ram him! "Then let me be sure to get this all over you, then! But I'm afraid it will be more of your own energon than mine that will stain that bright white eyesore of yours..."

&lt;Autobot&gt; Blades says, "Carjack and Blast Off decided to cause earthquakes in the middle of a softball game, because they are slaglords."

Combat: Space Shuttle &lt;Blast Off&gt; strikes Bell UH-1V Iroquois &lt;Blades&gt; with his You'll need more than just some Clorox for this..... (Ram) attack!

Combat: Space Shuttle &lt;Blast Off&gt; (Blast Off) used "Ram": A Level 3 VELOCITY attack.

Combat: You took 22 damage.

Combat: Space Shuttle &lt;Blast Off&gt;'s attack has damaged your Strength!

&lt;Autobot&gt; Sandstorm says, "Close enough"

&lt;Autobot&gt; Solstice says, "An' there's a big thing causin' th' shakes...Huh, what's this - Do not use unless emergency?"

&lt;Autobot&gt; Sandstorm says, "Ugh, I -hate- warnings like that. It always means it's something fun that I can't use for my own amusement."

&lt;Autobot&gt; Solstice says, "ell, dad had t' have a reason for puttin' that warnin' in so, movin' on."

&lt;Autobot&gt; Blades says, "....krk."

Bell UH-1V Iroquois &lt;Blades&gt; is pasted down into the pitcher's mound, into a craeter, that is about 22 feet deep.

His tailboom ends up in the stands. His cockpit is in the parking lot.

Everything hurts.

The helicopter very, very weakly pings back at the shuttle, because Blades does not understand when to stop.

Combat: Bell UH-1V Iroquois &lt;Blades&gt; strikes Space Shuttle &lt;Blast Off&gt; with his Poor Life Choices attack! [Pulled -3]

Combat: You are running low on energon!

Combat: Gained 1 energon.

&lt;Autobot&gt; Solstice says, "Uh.. Blades.. was that earth-shatterin' kaboom you nerfin' th' flyboy or..."

&lt;Autobot&gt; Blades says, "That was me losing 30% of my body mass the hard way."

&lt;Autobot&gt; Solstice says, "Well.. that's.. not good."

"Uhh, I tend t' run from flashin' lights. Speedin' tickets an' all that." Solstice offhands as she flies closer while pulling both pistols out, thumbing the payload over. "Per regulations, I gotta give y' th' chance t' run or somethin' so.. consider this th' warning' shot." Pulling up into a hover, she prepares to fire both pistols in automatic mode but the sound of something hitting the ground elicits a look over her shoulder, "Well... that's.. not good..." She proceeds to open fire with both barrels, interspersing energy beams with solid slugs, peppering the shots outwards towards both Carjack and the device in question. "Time t' stop messin' around."

Combat: Solstice sets her defense level to Neutral.

Combat: Solstice strikes Carjack with her Warning Volley Area attack! [Pulled -1]

Combat: Solstice strikes Earthquake Generator with her Warning Volley Area attack! [Pulled -1]

Once he's got a means of sight capable again Carjack gets up and pulls open the compartment that the storage sphere came out of previously. He reachs in to pull out another container with his omnitool. ".. Hmm. Not nearly as prolific as I had hoped. Maybe we should of gone after a bigger fault line after all. Or brought Rumble along. But then Soundwave would want a chunk of the credit. Oh well, prolific destruction and terrorizing is still productive destruction and terrorizing."

Then a volley of shots hit the side of the device, causing multiple more explosive bursts as several of the shots tear through the platform Carjack is standing on. The barrage knocks him over again, this time into the main console. He lands against the main control lever, pushing it all the way to where '11' has been scratched onto the end of the meter with a marker. All the lights turn bright steady read as the machine goes into overdrive. Carjack glances down past his arm, and growls, "Oh screw me sideways with a circuit breaker."

The entire stadium, or what's left of it, starts to rumble and shake violently once more. This time as the ground breaks apart and starts to heave up in some places, and down in others... unfortunately a lot of the down is under the generator itself, due to how unstable the gap it was set up in has become because of its own constant vibrations. That thing could topple down at any moment now!

Combat: Carjack misses Bell UH-1V Iroquois &lt;Blades&gt; with Earthquake Generator's AND IT ALL FALLS DOWN Area attack!

Combat: Carjack (Carjack) used "Earthquake!": A Level 3 AREA-MELEE attack.

Combat: Carjack misses Solstice with Earthquake Generator's AND IT ALL FALLS DOWN Area attack!

Combat: Carjack strikes Earthquake Generator with Earthquake Generator's AND IT ALL FALLS DOWN Area attack!

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

Combat: Carjack misses himself with Earthquake Generator's AND IT ALL FALLS DOWN Area attack!

&lt;Autobot&gt; Arcee murmurs something that sounds an awful lot like, 'I'm not going to jail'...but it's very unclear.

Space Shuttle &lt;Blast Off&gt; rams into the Protectobot, sending him crashing down to the ground.... where he belongs. The shuttle then sweeps back around, but doesn't attack... not yet. Instead, he transforms into root mode, landing at home base on the baseball diamond, facing Blades and the pitcher's mound. "How pathetic. I'm disappointed, Blades. You're a disappointment, even for a Protectobot. And as a Combaticon? Honestly, I'm not sure how you ever even got in. I'm glad you defected.... and how appropriate. A defect like you would have no place among skilled warriors like us." The Combaticon reaches down to pick up a bat left by one of the humans. He twirls the tiny (to him) thing in his fingers, then idly picks up a baseball. "So.... how do they do this again? Hit this ball? With this bat? How droll." He throws the ball up in the air- and misses as he swings the bat. Well, he's never does this before, after all. But the second time, he doesn't miss, and sends the ball flying. "Ah, I see." The third ball.... he hits the bat and aims to send the ball straight towards Blades. "I'm not even sure you're worth my time...."

Blast Off shifts into his battle-ready robot mode.

Combat: Blast Off strikes Bell UH-1V Iroquois &lt;Blades&gt; with his Batter Up Blades (Punch) attack!

Combat: Blast Off (Blast Off) used "Punch": A Level 1 MELEE attack.

Combat: You took 4 damage.

Combat: You are very aware that your life is in danger!

Combat: Blast Off's attack has damaged your Agility!

&lt;Autobot&gt; Getaway says, "Jails aren't so bad, Arcee. At least, not as soon as you break out."

&lt;Autobot&gt; Sandstorm mock sagely, as he's likely speaking from experience, "Drunk tanks are worse."

&lt;Autobot&gt; Getaway says, "Easier to get out of, though."

&lt;Autobot&gt; Rewind says, "Please don't give her any ideas, Getaway."

&lt;Autobot&gt; Sandstorm says, "Not when you're still plastered they're not"

&lt;Autobot&gt; Getaway says, "Hm. Point."

&lt;Autobot&gt; Arcee says, "I'm not *plastered*. No wwwaay. This is a bad misunderstanding. Tell them, Rewind."

&lt;Autobot&gt; Wraith says, "Arcee is plastered?"

&lt;Autobot&gt; Arcee says, "Nuh uh."

&lt;Autobot&gt; Rewind says, "Weeellll.... I'll put it this way. You're, uh, having a bad day. Which is understandable, we all have them. Let's say we go to Iacon.... like, right now. I could show you some of my newest historical videos!"

&lt;Autobot&gt; Prowl says, "You are in an overcharged state. When such a state is achieved, those subject to it often have difficulty comprehending the true nature of any situation they may come upon."

&lt;Autobot&gt; Wraith says, "You can be overcharged?"

&lt;Autobot&gt; Wraith says, "Huh..."

&lt;Autobot&gt; Sandstorm says, "... That is no way to ask a femme out on a date Rewind. That sounds like a nerd."

&lt;Autobot&gt; Rewind says, "What? No, no, no.... I'm just trying to convince her to come back to the base before she gets herself arrested for disorderly conduct."

&lt;Autobot&gt; Getaway says, "Convince her with a date. Best solution."

&lt;Autobot&gt; Getaway says, "You can do it, Rewind!"

&lt;Autobot&gt; Sandstorm says, "Disorderly conduct? What, is she stripping her armor off in public?"

&lt;Autobot&gt; Arcee says, "No!! Just shut up."

&lt;Autobot&gt; Rewind says, "NO."

&lt;Autobot&gt; Arcee says, "I AM NOT disorderly!!! I NEVER HAVE BEEN."

&lt;Autobot&gt; Sandstorm says, "Too bad. I heard Springer likes bad femmes."

&lt;Autobot&gt; Arcee says, "Don't you eeeeven bring him into this...you."

&lt;Autobot&gt; Rewind says, "If you must know, she's saying very admirable things... just... in a way that has Prowl over here looking at us with that disapproving stare of his. But he's agreed to let her go... so, I think that's what we should do, Arcee."

&lt;Autobot&gt; Sandstorm says, "Oh"

&lt;Autobot&gt; Arcee says, "Yeah."

&lt;Autobot&gt; Sandstorm says, "Well that's just Prowl. He looks at everyone like that."

&lt;Autobot&gt; Rewind says, "...True."

Solstice is pushed back in the air slightly as both pistols buck and spew forth their delightfully, damaging payload. Optics widen slightly as Carjack is pushed into the lever by the impacts. "Uhoh... That can't be good..." Red lights and even more shaking isn't usually a good thing unless one is at a disco. Optics flicker as she assesses the situation, the shaking, crumbling stadium, the heaving and bucking ground. Being up in the air does have its advantage, she isn't thrown to the ground unbalanced and peppered with debris from the machinations of the Evil*tm Carjack's machine.

Solstice twists midair, holstering pistols and pulling a stave out with a nice, fluid movement, "Well.. Slag.." watching the generator teeter and bobble. "Maybe if it falls, it'll stop." Swinging the stave around and overhead before diving to strike at it again, attention on it. "Fall, frag you, fall!!"

Combat: Solstice strikes Earthquake Generator with her Overhanded Strike attack!

Carjack jets off the contraption as it starts to fall into its own hole, lugging the rest of the containment unit with him. Normally he'd transform and run off with it but 1) the ground is tore up like hell, 2) it's unfortunately not equipped for carrying this sort of device. So he's forced to fly out of here on the slower antigravs. Even as Solstice is smashing down the generator to make sure it goes down and stays down. And most likely just fills the hole in on top of itself before finally dying. "Next time, Autobots. NEEEEEXT TIIIIIIIME!"

Combat: Carjack begins retreating, leaving himself vulnerable to parting shots from Bell UH-1V Iroquois &lt;Blades&gt;, Solstice, and Blast Off

Bell UH-1V Iroquois &lt;Blades&gt; is beaten, with a softball bat, in a pit, by a Combaticon. This finally causes Blades to question his life choices. And think that, maybe, when he's aiming, he should also remember to dodge. He growls out, "Blast... Off. Take that softball... bat. Shove it... up... your... tailpipe... and rotate."

The Protectobot, in excruciating pain, hauls himself out of the pit and starts to hobble brokenly away from the diamond.

Bell UH-1V Iroquois &lt;Blades&gt; transforms into his Blades mode.

Combat: Blades sets his defense level to Protected.

Combat: Blades begins retreating, leaving himself vulnerable to parting shots from Solstice and Blast Off

Blast Off watches the Protectobot go, but he's so filled with disdain for the Autofool he can't even bring himself to destroy the pitible creature. Instead, he just keeps pelting him with baseballs until Blades is finally airborne and retreating. He shakes his head in disgust, then hits a ball one last time, sending it to shatter a window in a building somewhere. "Tsk, what a waste of time. Take me out to the ballgame... NOT." He then transforms and flies off to find more worthwhile pursuits.

&lt;Autobot&gt; Solstice says, "Sooo, are all your dates this fun?"