Through the Window: Decepticon Showdown

Roaring above the jungle canopy is a sight strange to this primitive world--a massive, swept-wing starfighter! "The Nemesis should be just ahead, if I recall correctly," Cyclonus rumbles, purple energy trailing behind him. "Time should not have concealed it from view, so it should be fairly easy to locate. Once we find it, the ship should still have a stock of energon we can use and supplies with which to repair and maintain ourselves." Cyclonus was confident of outlasting the other Decepticons, but not forever. Even Unicron-forged nuclear reactors need tune-ups, after all.

He begins to descend, forcefully ejecting Rampage from his cockpit without warning him and transforming, slamming to the ground a dozen meters or so from the Nemesis... currently buried deep into the rock of a mountain, like so:

http://transformers.wikia.com/wiki/File:NemesisMicrobots1.jpg

"All we need to do is clear a path inside," Cyclonus explains. "Hm. Would it be easier to cut through the hull, or the rock?"

Robot Tiger < Rampage > goes flying from the cockpit, cussing out Cyclonus. "Geez! Give a guy some warning before doing that!" He grumbles as he activates his antigravs and landing beside Cyclonus.

Windshear follows Cyclonus down and shifts a bit to the side to avoid Ramages sudden exit. Once the Seeker is close enough to the ground he pulls up and transforms, to land not too far away from the SoC. "Rock or metal -- whatever you decide... sir." he says as he looks at the con ship.

Wipeout's optics flicker on, and the Junkion scout sits up, groaning as her internal gyro complains about the sudden movement. "...Did anyone get the name of that donkey-cart?" she says to herself, looking around. She and Foxfire had been scouting, investigating that strange storm, and then... Darkness. "...Are Big Boss and Imp here? Somehow... I think not." She stands up, wincing as she bashes herself against a tree. "...Huh." Optics widen a bit. "F-Foxy?" she calls, looking around for the tapebot. "Where you at?"

Foxfire groans as he comes online, optics flickering before the glow becomes constant. He shakes his head to clear it, then gets to his feet. He makes a sound akin to a human sucking in his breath, ears perked forward as he slowly takes in his surroundings. "Strange," he murmurs to himself. "We were nowhere near the Amazon." He notices the river itself and shudders involuntarily, but the sound of Wipeout's voice nearby draws his attention away from it. "Over here!" he calls to her. And at that moment, a very large dragonfly lands on his head. "Holy--"

Assault Helicopter < Whirl > speeds over a particularly wide river running through the area. It's one of his favorite terrains to fly over. Whirl loves following the paths of water as it winds its way through trees, mountains or sometimes the occasional building. The way his rotorwash leaves a wake in the water behind his passage. He likes the broad, flat surface without obstacles other than the occasional bridge or boat. And the fact that a crash - err, 'emergency landing' - doesn't always result in massive damage.

But this is unlike any river Whirl's every flown over. "Wow!" he muses. "This is like...like a different world!" Whirl speeds along in silence, then activates his radio, calling out for Autobots over the broadband frequency that all Autobots, and only certain select Decepticons (doh!) can overhear. < < Any Autobots picking this up? Chief, you out there?? > >

Starfighter < Cyclonus > considers his options, ignoring Rampage's complaining. "...hm. Rock is not as sturdy as metal... and I do not wish to damage the Nemesis more than it already has beenn. I shall use an explosive to clear some of the mountain away from the Nemesis, but we'll need to get clear quickly, lest we are caught in the blast, or we trigger a landslide." He produces a silver disc from a compartment on his person, stoops down, and grunts as he wedges in between some exposed rock layers adjacent to the Nemesis's hull. "Alright, thirty seconds. Get clear, both of you!" He begins to run away from the Nemesis for the relative cover and safety of the nearby jungle.

Once the thirty seconds pass, there's an enormous explosion of rocks and dust. A variety of exotic birds shriek in fear and take flight. But did Cyclonus succeed in clearing a path to a hatchway and avoid damaging the Nemesis? Did he trigger a landslide? Cyclonus watches anxiously from the jungle.

The space fighter's nosecone snaps back as its body flips upright. Arms and legs unfold from the wings and fuselage respectively, and a dour face emerges from the body, forming the robot mode of Cyclonus!

The roar of jet engines somewhere high in the sky gives way to the presence of several forms, all flying at very high altitude over the expanse of the jungle below. Three F-15's lead the formation of collected Decepticons as they home in like a group of bloodhouds on a figurative scent, all drummed up by none other than their own communications expert.

And of course, the lead jet of the trio is the one that does the speaking, as his sensors pick up the sudden explosion at the side of the mountain down below, followed by the unmistakable signatures of metal bodies down there as well, "Well Soundwave, it would look like your instincts are as sharp as ever! Though how the Autobots located -our- ship before we did, I'll demand an explanation later! Decepticons, descend!" Banking hard, the leader suddenly half rolls and dives in a screaming arc straight towards where Cyclonus and his group of soldiers are gathered.

Thundercracker twists and folds up, although expanding slightly as the head, feet and arms fold away till an F-15E strike eagle is revealed.

Starscream reconfigures quickly into F-15 mode.

Windshear hears jet engines as he looks at area the explosion was, waiting for the dust to clear to see if it did any good. He glances up at the sound and looks over at Cyclonus, "Well, so much for NOT getting the attention of the Decepticons here... sir." and no he does not sound thrilled about it. He motions upward, "Orders?" he says almost blandly.

The black F-15 undergoes a bewildering rearrangement of parts, revealing itself as Skywarp!

Skywarp radically reconfigures his body into a jet fighter!

F-15 knows his place in the Decepticon Empire--Just off Starscream's wing. Feh, 'Empire'. That word is practically a joke at this point. Their leader is missing, their secondary leader is marooned on a Primus-forsaken dustball of a planet, and their only hope off this rock is to salvage a ship that smashed into the ground at terminal velocity. Still, Thundercracker keeps this to himself. "Yeah, Soundwave. Great going," he pipes up, though there's a bit of taunting in this voice. As Starscream commands, Thundercracker descends, still staying in perfect formation. "Never seen Autobots like that before," he mutters as he spies the mechs. Is that wings on a few of them? "Hey, uh, Screamer. Doesn't that grey one look kinda familiar?"

Soundwave, in his conveniently sized tape-deck mode, rides along in Starscream's cockpit! Even as the air commander descends, Soundwave is scanning every possible frequency: not that there's many on such a primitive planet to keep track of. Though as he does so, he discovers something...interesting.

"Designated cybertonians are showing unidentified Decepticon transponders. Analysis incomplete. Further data nessescary."

Black F-15C < Skywarp >, cruising on Starscream's other wing, knows his place too. Not at the front- that guy always takes the bullet first. But right behind that guy is another guy who can point and laugh at the first guy. That's where Skywarp belongs. "Whaddya know, the Autobots finally learned something? Besides how to ride our tails to our base, that is. Might be fun to smack down a FLYING one for a change!"

Wipeout turns her head as she hears her friend speak up. "Hold on and hang tight, Fox. I'ma coming." She walks over to where she heard the little fox, being careful to not hit her head on any more trees. "...Foxy, what happened?" As Whirl calls out to them over the radio, she looks up. She's about to answer him when she spots what look to be F-15s in the air. That only means one thing to the Junkion. "Oh no, Decpticroonies!" She crouches down, hoping the trees and such will hide them. "...Now what?"

Cyclonus curses himself. Of course the other Decepticons would also be here just when he had to make a lot of noise. He supposes there was no avoiding this. But what to do? He could escape... but he glances at the others, and knows that they likely couldn't escape Starscream like he could. Of course, he could abandon them... "Your orders, Windshear," Cyclonus rumbles, "Are to reveal yourself to the other Decepticons. We shall... discuss matters with them." He steps out into the open, dust still settling around him. Placing his hands on his hips, he stares upwards at the approaching Decepticons, challenging them with a stern gaze. His posture seems to suggest that he won't budge even if they try to land right on top of him. More importantly, his Decepticon sigil should be quite visible on his broad chest.

Upon further inspection, Foxfire realizes that the large insect isn't a dragonfly at all. "A griffenfly?" he murmurs, watching it fly off. "But those are extinct." He flicks an ear at Wipeout before turning to her as she approaches, a slight frown on his muzzle. "I don't know," he admits, "but I intend to find out."

Upon hearing the transmission from Whirl, Foxfire responds by sending him the approximate coordinates of his and Wipeoout's location. < < Wipeout and I are here, Whirl. Be careful; I'm detecting Decepticons nearby. > >

Robot Tiger < Rampage > transforms so it's easier to tell that he's a Decepticon. He glances over at Cyclonus. "So, what do we tell those guys?" he wonders.

Rampage rises up into his robot form.

Cyclonus answers, "Tell them? They'll be telling US."

Windshear gives cyclonus an icredilous look and then turns, jumps up transforming as he goes and blasts toward toward the infamous command trine. Hes on a direct course straight for them and puts his weapons on standby but not actively locking for a target.

"Unknown's on an intercept bearing, Starscream. What'dya want we should do to it?" Skywarp asks eagerly.

F-15 leads the charge down towards where the "Autobots" are gathere. Under normal circumstances, it would probably be prudent to strafe and bomb the gathered figures to soften them up, but to Starscream, the chance to gloat a bit can never be passed up. Especially in a situation where they seem to have the enemy outnumbered. At least, that is until an aircraft comes soaring -up- to meet them, forcing him to make a sudden change in plans, "Interception...? ACK! Look out!" Banking hard to one side, he roars right past the other...seeker?

Transforming as he descends, the Decepticon seeker commander flips over in mid-air, and lands with a heavy crash of metal on metal on the jutting section of the Nemesis' aft section that now sticks out further from the mountainside after Cyclonus explosion. With this makeshift perch, he can at least look down upon Cyclonus and Rampage as should be proper. "Alright Autobots! I don't know what kind of tricks you think you're pulling here, but you're going to spill all that you know before we..." Starscream cuts himself off as he studies Cyclonus, particularly the symbol on his chestplate, and then he looks skywards to the other flying around again. So it -is- a seeker afterall. "...Decepticons?"

One hand thrusts forward then, pointing a finger straight at cyclonus' direction, "What is the -meaning- of this? I don't remember you in the raiding party? Who are you and how did you get here? I COMMAND you to explain yourselves at once!"

Starscream reconfigures quickly into robot mode.

Black F-15C < Skywarp > lights his afterburners and charges straight at Windshear, yelling, "Oh no, I can't pull off in time, we're gonna crash! Give my regards to Megatrooooo-" With a VWORP noise he vanishes mere yards away from Windshear's nosecone and rematerializes instantly a mile away, cackling. "-oonah ha ha ha! With another VWORP he disappears again in a pink flash and appears over Starscream this time, transforming to land with a sharp bang beside the Air Commander. "Decepticons? Where did YOU come from?"

The black F-15 undergoes a bewildering rearrangement of parts, revealing itself as Skywarp!

Blue F-15C < Thundercracker > barrel rolls to the right, nearing colliding with Starscream as the Air Force Commander nearly smashes right into him with his maneuver. "Oof! Look out, you lugnut!" he snaps as he starts to regain his focus. "Starscream, I'm telling you, that guy looked like a Seeker! Don't you realize what this means?!" Pause.

"The Autobots have stolen our Seeker technological and are planning to use it against us! They're probably plotting right now to make up a team to combat us. Say, five jets of varying design. The last thing we need are a bunch of Aerial Autobots fighting against us."

The F-15 twists and turns, now heading towards Starscream. He transforms as the leader does. At Starscream's outrage at finding Decepticons, Thundercracker shakes a fist. "Yeah! Tell us everything or we'll grind you into dust!" he shouts. "Isn't that right, Skywarp?" Pause. "...Skywarp?" WHAM! Skywarp 'lands'. "Oh hey Skywarp."

The F-15E unfolds, wings making way for arms, cockpit for a head, and the engines becoming part of what is evidentialy now a robots feet.

Tape Deck < Soundwave > ejects himself from Starscream's cockpit and transforms as well. He stands behind Starscream, just to the right. There's no better place to pick up sweet, sweet intel.

In contrast to Starscream, Soundwave remains motionless and impassive, simply watching (and scanning) the odd 'Decepticons' before them.

"Structural designs of these Decepticons do not match any known databanks." he vocodes.

"Hypothesis: They have followed us from an unknown Decepticon outpost or expedition. Their leader posesses FTL capability."

The small blue and silver cassette recorder unfolds and expands, transforming into the Decepticon Soundwave.

Combat: Skywarp sets his defense level to Neutral.

"Hey," Skywarp adds out of the side of his smirk.

Starscream twitches once and really...REALLY resists the urge to facepalm as Skywarp and Thundercracker 'fall in'.

F-15 Streak Eagle isnt phased by Skywarps actions and simply wingovers and watches the two land with Starscream.

< < "Oh yea, Cyclonus, that worked liek a charm -- could have told you that...sir..." > > if he sounds insubordinate right now, he doesnt care. This just keeps gettingworse. He goes into a circling pattern focusing over the area the command trine is gathered at as well as /that/ Soundwave and says nothing more.

Cyclonus fights the urge to facepalm as Windshear inexplicably feels the need to act as if he's going to attack all the other Decepticons at once. That is not what he meant by revealing themselves! He needs to get that boy's head examined. Regardless, he has even more problematic Seekers to deal with right now. "Still your vocalizer, you treacherous snake!" Cyclonus booms with all his authority. "My name is CYCLONUS, the right hand of the TRUE leader of the Decepticons. And no need for introductions, STARSCREAM, I know you well. Too well!"

He alights from the ground, landing on the aft section near Starscream. "And speaking of the true leader of the Decepticons, where is he, Starscream? Where is Megatron? Or were you so gutless that you elected to shoot him in the laser core while helay on the floor of the Ark, helpless?" He advances slowly on the Seeker, optics flaring. "Answer! I may decide to let you live!"

At Thundercracker's threat, Cyclonus merely shoots him a glare. And Soundwave's keen percepticon sets him on edge. He recalls now why he never trusted the supposedly loyal tape commander.

"Oh, well if we're having introDUCtions, I'm Skywarp, because I warp through the sky, this is Thundercracker, because he produces thunder cracks, and that's Starscream because he doesn't LIKE what we called him in Academy," Skywarp explains airily. "So, 'Cyclone-us,' I'm guessing you have some wind power? Would you say that you more suck, or blow?"

Currently hovering just below the canopy, is a green and purple Decepticon. His camouflage works here as well as it does in any other jungle environment, which is to say well. The purple is not a vivid shade, and from a distance appears to be a natural trick of the light. He sort of stands on a massive branch, but is actually engaging his anti-gravity systems as it would not support his mass. Softly, he whispers, "It would appear that we have travelled through a space time vortex. We are from your future, a future where they are not among us."

Assault Helicopter < Whirl > banks slightly, then slows and begins flying closer to the tall trees on one bank of the river. Enough to give him a bit more cover from being spotted, especially from something that's say flying higher and much faster than he is. But that's about as much as the Wrecker can manage as far as stealth. Other than lowering his voice to a whisper over the broadband. < < Foxfire, is that you little buddy?

Where are you guys? I can't get my bearings, this is like...it's like Earth, but not exactly. Have you gone up yet? You'll see what I mean. > >

"What?!" Thundercracker shouts at Cyclonus's claim and glare. "The right hand of mighty Megatron? That's crazy! Starscream here is the right hand! And the left hand, sometimes. It... it depends on Megatron's mood. Sometimes Soundwave is the left hand, and I, Thundercracker, the..." he trails off. "Look, it doesn't matter. The point is, you're just a big nobody. We are the top dogs in the Decepticon Empire, and no filth from some distant outpost is going to tell us otherwise." Mind you Thundercracker doesn't like Starscream. Hell, nobody likes Starscream. But between Starscream and a big mech he's never met before, he'll lay his energon chips on his fellow Seeker.

"Shockwave thinks he is, but he got put on guard duty while we got to go on the big important mission to murder Optimus Prime, heh heh," Skywarp snickers.

Rampage whispers, "Uh oh" to Cyclonus. "Better do some fast talking. This isn't getting us anywhere."

"Also," asks Skywarp, freezing and staring as if he had just realized something, "what is WRONG with your HEAD?"

Wipeout pauses, thinking hard. "Like Earth... but not? Oh no, is this a wibley wobbley timey whimey ball thing?" she asks, scooping the fox up in her arms. < < Whrilly, maybe you should land? I don't want you getting into trouble... > >

"Your designation is incorrect." Soundwave chimes in. "-WE- are the decepticon elite. You, by definition, are inferior." This said, Soundwave tilts his head ever-so-slightly in Marauder's direction, still expressionless.

"Hypothesis: Designated Decepticons are insane."

Starscream actually -is- half taken aback a single step as Cyclonus starts to advance, though it's more due to surprise at his openly aggressive posture than anything else. This isn't what usually happens, is it? It only lasts for about a second though. Mostly due to recovering from the initial surprise, and partly due to Skywarp and THundercracker as usual, going off at the mouth. "Urgh...I should have left you two to scribble pictures on a cave wall somewhere." A scowl then crosses his features as he steps forward, jerking a thumb to his own chestplate.

"I don't know -who- you think you really are, but the only TRUE leader of the Decpeticons is -me-, and you'd do best to remember your place lest I have you blasted into scrap metal for insubordination! -Megatron- is indisposed, and in truth I have no idea where he is! Destroyed in the crash more than likely, or he fled the scene and left the rest of us to rot...proving himself unfit as leader as has always been the case!" He then trails off, narrowing his optics as he picks up the whisper from the nearby tree canopy, and of course hears Soundwave's assessment of the situation.

And then? He tilts his head back and laughs openly, hands setting on his hips.

"...really. The -future-? You expect me to believe this sort of nonsense? Oh come ON, pull the other one while you're at it!"

A thumb jerks over towards the tape commander. "Yes, exactly! For once, Soundwave, I believe you've got it bang on!"

F-15 Streak Eagle decides theres no point in staying in the air and decends rather abruptly, transforms and lands. If he heard any of the recent comments he doesnt let on as he steps up to the side of Cyclonus and remains silent.

"Wait," Thundercracker tells Skywarp. "Shockwave can't be the left hand. He doesn't..." The Seeker waggles his left hand, "Y'know... with the thing..." He then goes back to paying attention to Starscream. Which is to say, not pay attention to Starscream.

Starscream twitches again. No doubt imagining pleasant thoughts...like punching Thundercracker.

"Considering I just saw an extinct insect," Foxfire comments, "I'm sure it's safe to say that we're not in Kansas anymore."

Yes, he likes The Wizard of Oz. Hush. "In any case," he continues, "there are Decepticons nearby, as I said. I'm going to get close and see if I can gather any information. You two stay here." After Whirl lands, of course.

Marauder continues to observe from his position of relative obscurity, hidden beneath the canopy. Then he transmits a signal to Cyclonus, < < Perhaps it would be prudent to refer to our leader by his original designation, while in the company of Lord Soundwave and these. . . relics. > > He then rises, pushing off against an imagined ground, floating up beyond the canopy.

"I thought I did some of my best work in that cave," Skywarp remarks, sounding hurt. "Very lifelike."

Starscream TWITCHES.

"Nuh-uh, little guy! Wipeout's coming with ya!" the Junkion femme smiles and pats the fox on the head. "Besides, if this IS the past and those are not teh Cons we're used to... maybe I can trix them?"

Skywarp elbows Thundercracker. "If intelligent life ever evolves here it'll be like 'oh look, our ancient ancestors must have drawn this buffalo being blown up by a jet to bless the hunt' and I'll be like 'PSYCH organic filth!' And then I'll laaaaugh."

Thundercracker laughs along with Skywarp as if that's the most hee-larious thing in the world.

Cyclonus glances to the side. What the hell is Marauder doing here? Did he get sucked in, too? Or did he go looking for the missing Decepticons. Whatever the case may be... "Watch and learn, Rampage. If you want to get far in the Decepticons, be *bold.*" He turns away from Starscream for a moment. "Oh, it's quite true. I am from the future, as is Rampage, Windshear, and Marauder, there." He gestures to each as he mentions their names. He gets the latter's transmission, but, well, he was already doing that. He's more worried about Windshear and Rampage blurting things about Galvatron.

"In the future, I serve Megatron as his humble advisor and confidant. Let us just say..." He gives Starscream a sidelong smirk. "He no longer required YOUR services. But regardless, I cannot accept Starscream as leader. Not now, not ever. My loyalty is sworn and I shan't break it, even upon death. So instead of accepting your ultimatum, I challenge you, Starscream... for the right to rule the Decepticons as leader until such time as Megatron is recovered!" He steps right up to the Seeker and backhands him across the face. "What you say you, worm? Or do you want your FRIENDS to do your fighting for you?"

Whirl transforms into his reckless robot mode.

Whirl clings to a giant tree, then scurries up into the branches and settles down in a spot where he can look up and down the river in both sides while also watching a big slice of the sky overhead. < < I hear you Wipeout...going into Metal Gear mode. So, uh...what's this about Decepticons? Anybody make a visual ID yet? /Which/ 'Cons we talking about here? > >

Thundercracker snorts, folding his arms, "That's crazy. Megatron needs Starscream and could never possibly replace him. He's essential to the war effort!" He then exchanges looks with Skywarp. "Ok that didn't sound so stupid in my head." But then Cyclonus has to go and challenge Starscream to a duel, and TC's jaw drops. "Cyclonus, you've got ball bearings, I'll grant you that. Starscream may be an arrogant twerp, but he can back it up with skill. You sure you want to do this?"

"Whoah," Skywarp remarks. "A duel! Weirdhead's got a manifold after all! You aren't gonna let him get away with that, are you, Starscream?"

"Thanks, Wipeout," says Foxfire, "but I have an invisibility cloak. Maybe you can still help, though." He then shakes his head at Whirl's question. "No ID yet. But I'm gonna find out who we're dealing with." With that, he goes invisible, and speeds off in the direction of the Decepticons.

Combat: Foxfire activates his cloaking field and vanishes from sight!

"Temporal anomalies, theoretically possible." Soundwave intones, mulling over Cyclonus' words- though before proper computation can be finished, Cyclonus is smacking Starscream around...and the tape commander takes a notable step BACK from Starscream. Decepticon loyalty, after all.

"Warning: Initial analysis shows Decepticon Cyclonus to have formidable combat capabilities. Caution advised." Well, there's an understatement.

The Predacon just stands there. If he had a jaw in this mode it would be on the floor. Decepticons in the past calling Starscream basically essential? Unthinkable! "Wipe the jungle floor with him," he asides to Cyclonus.

Starscream's head snaps to one side as the backhand makes contact with his face, that look of surprise crossing his features again as the metallic *CLANK!* rings out once more.

A long moment of silence follows, birds take to the sky and the air seems completely still in those few heartbeats. "...did you just really?" He starts, incredulous, optics wide as if this wasn't happening. But the shock quickly passes, and is replaced by a burning, seething rage.

"I don't care who you are or what you think you're capable of." He may be hearing Soundwave's warning, but he's not -hearing- it by this point, as he takes one step back, and then raises his right forearm and points it straight at the big purple figure in front of him, "You'll learn your place and BEG me for mercy!" The tip of his arm blaster suddenly glows bright, before lancing out in a beam of energy at point-blank range.

It is, as they say...on.

Combat: Starscream strikes Cyclonus with his Laser attack!

Thundercracker takes several steps back, raising his arms up to cheer, "Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!"

"You can take him, his weird head will make him topheavy!" Skywarp shouts, cheering Starscream on.

"Furthermore," Soundwave intones, "Decepticon Cyclonus' plan is tactically valid, provided he is as loyal as he claims."

"You're not helping!" Starscream somehow manages to aside to Soundwave.

Wipeout blinks as the fox pulls a ninja vanish. She shrugs, and heads towards the rather loud group of Decepticons. She doesn't try very hard to not be noisey, they probably couldn't hear her over the sound of their supposed mechness.

Skywarp asides to Soundwave, "So how screwed is Starscream right now? In percentages."

"Your concern is *touching,* Thundercracker," Cyclonus rumbles, "but unnecessary. My word as my bond, I shall break this spineless wretch, cast him down, and restore Megatron to his rightful place as leader." He smirks slightly at Skywarp's words. Then, Cyclonus's vocalizer sounds... a little Welker-y as well? "Yes, Starscream, you aren't going to let me get away with that, are you?" Of course, Cyclonus realizes there's a danger in sharing foreknowledge of the future with these guys, but he figures that he's doing damage to the time stream anyway, and if he can get a psychological advantage, all the better.

Then, he catches a blast to the chest from Starscream's laser, but Cyclonus uses all his willpower to force himself not to show pain. Maybe it will give these idiots the impression he's some kind of indestructible super-warrior from the future.. and give up all the more readily. "I beg for nothing, from NO ONE!" Cyclonus rumbles, marching forward and--oh, Primus, has he ever dreamed of doing this--he rears back a fist and swings it heavily forward in a powerful haymaker. "Least of all from simpletons like you, Starscream!"

Combat: Cyclonus sets his defense level to Fearless.

Combat: Cyclonus misses Starscream with his Let Me Fix Your Face For You (Kick) attack!

"Initial estimate at 68.573 percent, based on surface data."

Who says Soundwave doesn't have a sense of humor?

Marauder flies over towards Thundercracker, "This will be entertaining." He'd offer Cyclonus advice to watch out for Starscream, but he knows that Cyclonus can take care of himself. Besides, it would only serve to be a distraction.

Thundercracker pffts at Soundwave and Skywarp. "No way, Screamer's a fighter. A whiner, but a fighter. This guy-" he jerks his thumb at Cyclonus, "Is all talk. I'll bet ten energon sticks on Starscream... but I need 2:3 odds."

Thundercracker glances up at Marauder, "And what's it to you?" Marauder's an outsider, so he doesn't get trusted.

Marauder offers, "Where Megatron leads, I follow." He taps the Decepticon emblem on his chest, and points to the one on Thundercracker's wing, "just as you. If in his absence, these two wish to fight for leadership, I'm fine with that."

Whirl also makes his way towards the sounds that by now even he can pick up. All these weird prehistoric jungle noises may be unfamiliar and troubling...but sounds of fighting? Those are the same no matter what or where or when - although Whirl hasn't that deduced that part yet, shhh! - you are. Whirl creeps to the edge of one sturdy branch and then jumps to the next prehistoric tree. Catching this one, he moves on to the next, and then the next, in this way edging closer to the are where the Decepticons are fighting.

Marauder then offers a hand, "I am called Marauder."

Windshear has his arms folded, leaning against a tree to all intents and purposes in standby mode which makes him look even more dead at this point.

Starscream has always been a slippery one even under the worst of circumstances, and he proves that he's no slouch in this case as he lunges suddenly to one side and Cyclonus' fist goes hurtling past, making contact with the rock wall of the cliff face instead of the Seeker Commander's handsome features. Rock explodes in all directions from the point of impact, some of it peppering Starscream's wings as he shields his face, and for a moment his expression turns from anger to something more serious. For all his boasting and past moments of infamy amongst the Decepticons when it came to certain moments of leadership, he's no slouch when it comes to combat, and is -quite- seasoned enough to sense the amount of force behind that punch. This brings just a moment of realization that this fight could be a little more serious than he was initially expecting.

Not that he would EVER show that, least of all to -this- particular Decepticon.

"Hah...is that it? Pathetic!" Ever one to taunt an enemy, he shifts both arms up now and delivers a double-blast of energy towards Cyclonus' side, even as he backpedals and starts to gain more height, his anti-gravs humming loudly as he rises into the sky.

Combat: Starscream sets his defense level to Guarded.

Combat: Starscream misses Cyclonus with his Good Old Fashioned PewPew! attack! [Pulled -2]

Thundercracker snorts at Marauder, "Do you know how easy it is to buy a Decepticon insignia? You can buy them in /sticker shops/. /Sticker shops/ for crying out loud." Thundercracker peers at the hand but doesn't take it. "So if you're a Con, tell me about you. What was your last posting? How long were you stationed there? Who was your Commanding Officer? What was the Autobot opposition like?" Even as he asks this, he doesn't take his optics off of the fight between Starscream and Cyclonus.

"He doesn't LIKE groundpounders," Skywarp tells Marauder in a mock-confidential voice.

Soundwave remains silent- though Thundercracker's doing a lovely job of interrogating Marauder for him. Nothing like an easy job!

Wipeout keeps walking, not very concerned. If the Cons were more interested in fighting one another, oh well. "Tinker tailor, soldier sailor, all flies in the face of reason and doubt." she sings to herself, She stops suddenly as she spots the dead-looking Seeker just chillin. She oh-so-sneekily slinks down to hide behind a bush... and lets out a very unhappy squawk as she trips over a rock and lands on her aft. "oooh, hope he didn't hear me..."

Cyclonus leaps up after Starscream, unsheathing his sword. He sees the blasts coming this time, and tilts his entire body ninety degrees to let both shots streak past him harmlessly. "No, Starscream, that is NOT it," Cyclonus rumbles, raising the sword up over his head. "Not by far! I shall break you even if I must kill you to do so! After all, there's no telling what the consequences of your misrule have been already!" He swings at Starscream's chest, then follows up with several more slashes. "Tell me, have you managed to get them defeated in battle by the natives yet? That sounds like something you'd do," he barks.

Combat: Cyclonus strikes Starscream with his Diamond-Boron Carbide Sword attack!

Marauder hasn't taken his optics off the fight either, though he's tilted his face so that he can watch the fight and address Thundercracker simultaneously, "I am a member of Decepticon Central Intelligence," he refers to it under its prior name, "and the Autobot opposition is laughable, at best." He doesn't answer the second or third question, but that is obviously for security purposes. "And if you need proof, I could tell you about you . . ."

"Well, there was that time Rumble got swallowed by a giant predatory plant," Skywarp muses, "but that hardly counts as 'battle.'"

Marauder floats backward, so that he can regard Skywarp, THundercracker, and observe the battle, "And I am no jarhead, though in a pinch, I can certainly impersonate one."

"Not what I asked, dumbass," Thundercracker snaps. "Where were you posted? Who was your Commanding Officer? Oh I'm sorry, are you worried your precious DCI secrets are going to get out?" Thundercracker laughs, "Well we have Soundwave right here, and if DCI knows it, Soundwave knows it. So get going and spill the ener-beans already."

Foxfire comes upon the Decepticons, and stares. He recognizes Starscream and his wingmates, but is completely puzzled, even though it's been established that he, Whirl, and Wipeout are no longer in their own time. During this era, the Transformers on Earth were in stasis! Does this mean that they've entered into an alternate timeline? Optics narrowed, Foxfire watches from a safe distance as the Decepticons fight.

Starscream gets introduced up close and personal to Cyclonus' sword, and this time he's not able to get the distance he needs. There's the sharp *SHRINKT* of metal meeting metal, and a shower of sparks as the weapon makes contact with his shoulder, "Yeeowtch!" Gripping at the injury, Starscream's momentum keeps carrying him backwards, but now -down- as he reaches the treeline and crashes through a couple of trunks, snapping them off like toothpicks before he comes to a halt.

Coming up on one knee, he cups one hand to the rend in his shoulder, growling as his pride has no doubt taken a hit. So much for the imagined effortless smackdown he had formulated in his mind. "...I haven't even gotten STARTED with you yet. If you think yourself so advanced, let's see how you handle...THIS!" Lifting his right forearm, there's the telltale purple glow at the tip of his arm barrel, followed by the lancing blast of spinning null-energy corkscrewing its way straight towards Cyclonus' form.

Uh oh.

Combat: Starscream sets his defense level to Fearless. Combat: Starscream misses Cyclonus with his Null Ray Pulse attack!

Windshear heres something in his standby mode that doesnt sound like whatevers going on in front of him. The dead mech leaning against the tree visage is blown as he powers up his optics and turns away from the tree toward where he picked up the sound. "Well, well." he rasps in that rcoker baratone of his as he sees Wipeout. A mech from his timeline, imagine that.

He steps toward her and brings his weapons online though doesnt aim, yet. But try as he might he simply can't think of anything to say. This whole situation he simply cant put into words right now.

Soundwave turns his head away from the brawl as he hears Windshear and Wipeout blundering around- and, at this point, he finally takes action! Which is, well, telling everyone else.

"Other potential temporal travelers detected. Likely Autobots."

Marauder says, "Very well, I was last stationed in Calyhex, under the direct authority of Commander Gridlock, and tasked with the command of Team Zeta, but . . . it would seem that we have company." And he departs, heading towards Windshear and what he's found.

Cyclonus, however, was likely faster than Starscream thought and is already on top of him by the time Starscream fires. "I'm more advanced than you can possibly imagine, Starscream," Cyclonus growls and he seizes Starscream's arm and forces his aim astray. He gets right up in the Seeker's face, his optics illuminating his dour face with a crimson glow. "I was forged in unholy fires for one exact purpose--to serve Megatron, and that is something I fully intend to do! But you... look at you.

Did you know the design your alternate mode uses now is vastly obsolete in my time? Even by the flesh creatures who use it?..." He chuckles darkly. "Comparing myself to you is not unlike comparing a supercomputer to a handheld calculator." Cyclonus really isn't so vain, but he knows Starscream is...

His verbal beatdown finished, Cyclonus resumes the physical one, putting his shoulder into Starscream's midsection and trying to drive him through the jungle, smashing him into tree after tree. "So I suggest, Starscream, that you make way for the future! This is one battle you have no hope of winning!"

"Autobots? Where?!" Skywarp is all business suddenly (at least for now), arm-guns swinging down and clacking into place as he sweeps the barrels across the treeline.

At least nobody's peppering Rampage with questions! But he does look surly, at least as surly as one can look with nonstandard large optics and a faceplate.

Combat: Cyclonus strikes Starscream with his Jungle Bash (Smash) attack!

Wipeout sits up, rubbing the back of her head. She looks up as the seeker adresses her. The Junkion scoots back a bit, optics widening. She wasn't a combat-rated scout! "Uh... hi?" she says, sheepishly, raising hyer arms in the 'I surrender' pose.

"Hi..." She quickly beams a radio message to Foxfire, wherever he is. < < Sorries little guy! Go look for BigBoss, okay? > >

Thundercracker's optics widen as Starscream gets stabbed in the shoulder and smashes into the trees. "Too late, I'm taking the bet off the table!" he suddenly blurts out. He's about to reply to Marauder, but then, Soundwave detects Autobots. Real Autobots! "Come on, Skywarp, lets go flush them out the only way tha napalm bombs can!" Thundercracker leaps into the air and transforms, jet engines roaring.

Thundercracker twists and folds up, although expanding slightly as the head, feet and arms fold away till an F-15E strike eagle is revealed.

Starscream isn't too happy that he didn't make contact with the Null-ray pulse, and it doesn't help that there's constant distractions as well. "...what?" he starts, straightening up and peering in Soundwave's direction. "More Autobots? What..."

But a moment later, Cyclonus is in his face, berating him, and then carrying him through the trees, smashing them apart one after another as he goes. "Gyah! I...you..." he tries to speak, but it's hard to do so when you've got tree after tree after tree smashing behind you as your OWN BODY is crushed through them. Getting one boot up in Cyclonus face, he grunts and pushes with all his might, screeching out from his grip with the squeal of tortured metal bending under impact as he leaps up into the air, transforming as he goes. "I'm not...finished! I...am...STARSCREAM!" His howl rises up as he goes ballistic, gaining height in short order, then angling around with a quick flip and screaming afterburners as his undercarriage lights up. The Null-ray blasts stab out again, but this time they're thicker...continous. And more focused as he strafes Cyclonus' position.

Starscream reconfigures quickly into F-15 mode.

Combat: F-15 sets his defense level to Neutral. Combat: F-15 strikes Cyclonus with his Null Ray Blast attack!

Windshear looks at the Junkion. "Tell me, Junk," he begins, "do the Autobots have any leads on how to get back to our time?"

Skywarp kicks off with a "whoo-hoo!" and swoops after Thundercracker to hunt whatever unfortunates Soundwave has spotted!

Skywarp radically reconfigures his body into a jet fighter!

Cyclonus smirks upwards as Starscream takes flight, relishing the opportunity to fight him in the air. "*Finally,*" he grunts. But he has little time to celebrate, as soon he is staggering under Starscream's firepower, the beams scoring deep gouges into his armor and, worse yet, shorting out his weapons capacitors. Cursing, Cyclonus diverts power and glares up at the Seeker. "You were finished before this ever began, Starscream!!! And you were a fool to take to the air--you've only given yourself further to FALL!" Leaping up and transforming, he rockets towards Starscream, bearing down on him--and not breaking away. Seems he wants to go for a mid-air collision this time!

Cyclonus flips forward ninety degrees, limbs folding up and a nosecone snaps down across his head. Wings emerge from his sides and Cyclonus is now in his powerful space fighter mode!

Combat: Starfighter < Cyclonus > misses F-15 Starscream > with his Ramming Speed attack!

Soundwave lets Thundercracker and Skywarp charge off to bomb things- he himself stays put- partly because he still wants to watch the command-level brawl, and partly because he appreciates others doing the dirty work.

"Radio messaging indicates at least one other Autobot present, if in a concealed position."

< < Give us an approximate location, Soundwave, >  > Thundercracker says as the two F-15s streak over the tree line. "I can't see anything through this canopy, and it's not like we can just burn the entire jungle to the ground." Thundercracker thinks about this. "...hey, Skywarp. Think we can just burn the entire jungle to the ground?"

< < Why not? The great thing about fire is it takes care of itself after a while. > > Skywarp sends back.

Wipeout stands up weakly, looking down at the seeker's chest so she's not looking straight at him. "J-just got here... Where is here, anyway? I wanna go home to Planet Junk, don't wanna be here..." Poor Junkion! Wait, is she... trying to bluff Windshear into thinking she's not from his time, or something?

F-15 < Starscream > banks hard after his attack run as Cyclonus takes to the air and transforms. "So -that's- what Soundwave meant. You really ARE a Starship! Why are we wasting time with this FOOLISHNESS when you couldbe getting us back to Cybertr..." There's not enough time to continue the thought, because the huge spacefighter is actually bearing in on him on a collision course, and the Seeker Commander has to go into a split second evasive maneuver, barrel rolling wildly and levelling out upside-down as he skirts JUST under Cyclonus' form.

Say what you will about him, but Starscream -does- know how to fly.

Grunting as he straightens out after the pass, he pulls into a sharp looping maneuver that brings him around on Cyclonus' 6 o'clock position. "You LOOK big and impressive, but I bet you can't keep up with my maneuvers in the sky!" The tone for a missile lock sounds in his audials, and is soon followed by the audible whoosh as two of the four missiles strung under his wings tear loose, corkscrewing through the air and leaving their smoke contrails as they lance after the futuristic Decepticon second.

Rampage, meanwhile, is still watching the fight, because it's like some bizarre version of UFC.

Combat: F-15 < Starscream > strikes Starfighter < Cyclonus > with his Fox One...Fox Two! attack!

"I will go to no other planet until Megatron is safely rescued!" Cyclonus bellows. He tries to shake Starscream and evade his target lock, but the Seeker truly is as good of a pilot as he boasts--for the most part, at least--and none of his sudden turns and jinks are enough. The two missiles streak towards him, and Cyclonus briefly disappears in blinding twin blasts.

The smoke eventually clears, and... Cyclonus is gone?! Maybe he was destroyed in the blast?... Or... maybe that's him, flying straight at Starscream from the sun! "I need not necessarily outfly you, Starscream! I can out-think you more easily!" And he lets Starscream have it, firing twin continuous blasts from his oxidizing laser cannons. However, the Decepticon is starting to show damage, his armor tattered from the missile blasts. As much as he hates Starscream, he's forced to admit to himself that he's not sure he can beat him.

Combat: Starfighter < Cyclonus > strikes F-15 < Starscream > with his Oxidizing Laser attack!

"GYAAAAH!" The seeker Commander's howl cuts across the sky as the blasts impact against his frame, lightning coursing across his entire body for a few split seconds, before a contrail of smoke stats to trail behind him, his form struggling to stay aloft but starting a gradual descent. Forcing himself to transofrm, Starscream half lands, half crashes to the ground...not far from where the whole thing started in the shadow of the Nemesis' aft section. Dropping to one knee, he lets out several deep breaths, his shoulders rising and falling slowly as he struggles to recover.

It's times like this that one has to wonder what would happen if he kept going. Damage has added up over the seeker's form, and he's certainly hurting, but there's still hints that he could keep going. Other transformers have certainly kept on with more damage, and even prevailed, with luck. But in this case, as in others in the past... "...enough." He finally rasps out. "ENOUGH! I..." he places one hand flat on the ground. "....I yield!" His optics glint just slightly, and the last part is murmured barely, just for his audials alone.

"...for now."

Starscream reconfigures quickly into robot mode.

< < Roger that. Commencing Operation: Burn this Motherfrakker to the ground. > > Thundercracker's incendiary gun speaks, firing at the jungle below. Trees are suddenly engulfed in flames. The wet underbrush doesn't burn very well, but once the heat dries them out the fires start to spread faster. Still, the jungle's a big place and fires don't thrive here. They'll need a pinch of luck to even endanger their Autobot. He isn't aware of Starscream's FAILURE yet.

< < Hey, >  > Skywarp transmits to Thundercracker as he makes another pass over the area Soundwave indicated, napalm billowing in his wake. < < Think we should be helping Starscream out? I think I just saw him go down on my seven. > >

Soundwave, of course, heard that part. And so, he walks on over towards the two duelists, and rumbles: "Acknowledged. Decepticon Cyclonus is our new leader, until Megatron can be rescued. How should we proceed?"

Starfighter < Cyclonus > mercilessly pursues Starscream, fully intending to drop a load of incendiary bombs on top of his head to make SURE he yields... or just dies, he's fine either way. But regardless, he slams down to the ground near Starscream, hoisting him up onto his feet roughly by the shoulders, and he jabs the barrel of his oxidizing rifle under his chin, teeth clenched as he fixes him with a murderous glare. "You *yield,* Starscream? Did I ever say I offered you the opportunity to yield, you miserable wretch? Can ANYONE give me one good reason not to kill you right now and spare myself your inevitable and PREDICTABLE betrayals? ONE REASON! That's all I ask!"

He glances to the side at Soundwave, optics narrowed. Well, at least the changing of the guard went well. He's not entirely comfortable with the idea of Soundwave acting like he's one who gets to decide who the leader of the Decepticons is, but for now he has to work with it. "One moment, Soundwave. I'm *thinking.*"

The space fighter's nosecone snaps back as its body flips upright. Arms and legs unfold from the wings and fuselage respectively, and a dour face emerges from the body, forming the robot mode of Cyclonus!

Blue F-15C < Thundercracker > glances behind him. < < Oh, slag. Oh, slag. Now what? Is... is Cyclonus our leader now? Are we really going to be obeying the orders of a huge eared weirdo? > > Thundercracker momentarily forgets all about bombing the probably-empty jungle. < < Orders, Soundwave? > > Yeah, he goes to Soundwave, not Starscream. A shocker, I know. Finally Soundwave says (including the radio, we'll assume) that Cyclonus is the leader.

Thundercracker hmphs. < < Shortage reign as Decepticon Leader ever, Starscream. > >

"They're not inevitable OR predict..." Starscream starts to protest, but quickly clamps himself off as he raises both hands in a placating gesture, mindful of the gun barrel under his chin, "...AHEM! As I was -going- to say...if you truly are from the future...as you SAY you are..." He can't help but get that little jab in that he still doesn't believe it. "...killing me now would no doubt risk doing great damage to the future you come from, would it not?"

Ironic, that Starscream has no idea just how prophetic his words are. No Starscream would mean no Galvatron...no Scourge...no Cyclonus...

< < Oh shut up. > > He shortbands back to Thundercracker. Oh he's going to have WORDS with him and Skywarp later...a plot's afoot.

Soundwave regards Cyclonus- still expressionless, that blank faceplate of his giving no clue as to what he's scheming. He looks over to Skywarp and Thundercracker, and simply monotones at them: "Cyclonus is the strongest Decepticon present, and shares our common goal of rescuing Megatron. The optimal course of action is to put his future knowledge to good use, and follow his orders." Soundwave doesn't have the vocal inflection to imply 'until we feel otherwise,' but...well, Decepticons. < < Not counting that time Starscream declared himself leader while Megatron was stuck in an elevator, >  > adds Skywarp, banking back over the flaming forest.

< < Hey look, I flushed out an Autobot. > > He transforms and with a VWORP, suddenly materializes in front of Wipeout with an arm held out to try to clothesline her to the ground.

"Surprise! You're a Decepticon prisoner!"

Combat: Skywarp strikes Wipeout with his Surprise! attack! [Pulled -3]

Cyclonus's left optic twitches. Every instinct he has is telling him to kill him now before it's too late. However... Starscream's argument is far too logical for him to disagree with. And besides, if Galvatron never comes to be, would he not have failed his leader? "BAHHH!" He flings Starscream aside. "It grieves me that you have a *point.* Very well! I shall spare your miserable, worthless life, *Air Commander.*"

He turns to Soundwave. "Very good, Soundwave. I'm glad to see that you feel certain enough of my sanity to come to that conclusion!" he says wryly. "But enough of that. First order of business. Soundwave, I want you to access the Nemesis's power supply and generate energon cubes for my fellow Decepticons. They have gone quite a while without being supplied--too long. Do not worry about my needs. I have a... personal stash, you might say." He smirks. "Secondly, we need to discover what happened to Megatron." He thinks, brow furrowed. "I'd say that the Autobots might know. It's their Ark. Perhaps their security systems recorded the answer to this riddle. Hm... but we'd need a means of coercing them into telling us what we want to know..."

Skywarp levels his arm-guns at the Junkion, variable-caliber barrels rotating and clacking into position. "Is that cosmic rust? I've seen cleaner Autobot garbage-scows. I think I'll get Thundercracker to put the shackles on you." He shouts into the air, "Thundercracker! I got an Autobot made out of trash! Come help me take it prisoner!"

Blue F-15C < Thundercracker > lands next to Skywarp, transforming. He aims his arm lasers at Wipeout as well. "Ugh, Skywarp, it's disgusting! What did I tell you? If you can't fly, you're garbage. This Autobot just takes it more literally." He gestures with his arm cannons. "Come on now, Autobot. Move it. We're taking you back to, er, Lord Cyclonus."

Soundwave nods to Cyclonus. "Acknowledged." he says, and then looks over at the captured Junkion. "Hypothesis: The Autobots are in far worse condition than we are after the crash."

Wipeout gets knocked on her aft by a suprise clothesline from NOWHERE. Seriously, where did he come from?! She lands with a loud OOF, one of her arms popping loose. She sits up weakly, and reattaches it with a grumble. "Not Autobot!" the femme says. "I am a Junkion Scout! And you sur are RUDE!" She satns up again, but offers no resistance. "I am from Planet Junk, and was ordered to investigate a time-space temporal disturbance..." Yeah, she's BSing her way through this. Not that any of this Cons have ever seen her before!

Starscream crashes to the grund in an undignified heap for a few seconds, before rolling over onto his backside and rubbing slowly at his chin for good measure. "Nnngh, of course...-leader-." The last tone is all but bitten out as he glares at Cyclonus' turned back, slowly getting to his feet again a moment later and looking mournfully over the damage to his own frame. He can take SOME small solace in the fact that Cyclonus' form isn't untouched.

Cyclonus ignores Starscream for now, content that he's cowed. He remembers, from his previous life, that his betrayals follow a cycle. 1) Betrayal. 2) Beatdown. 3) Groveling. 4) Snarking. And repeat. He figures they're in stage 3, now, so he's not worried, yet... but once he starts getting sarcastic with him and challenging his every action, THAT'S when he will have cause to worry.

"Excellent news," he tells Soundwave. "However, be warned. The Autobot Leader of the future, Rodimus Prime, may have joined their ranks. He is a more formidable opponent than even Optimus Prime himself! So, the Autobots will not be down and out just yet Hm. But what's this?" He follows Soundwave's gaze, raising a brow. "Bring the Junkion here! I have... a USE for her!" He has no idea how inappropriate that might sound.

"I can't get used to that, 'Lord Cyclonus.' It sounds like the king of all bicycles," Skywarp mutters. "Planet Junk? You seriously named your planet Junk? I almost feel bad for hitting you now."

Thundercracker frowns at Wipeout. "Huh. First Autobot I've ever seen that /admits/ they're junk, Skywarp." He shakes his head. "Maybe it's be cruel to take this one in. Maybe we should just put it out of its misery. It'd be the honourable thing to do."

"Hey, I didn't name my world, dummy!" she yells at the Seeker, slowly heading towards Cyclonus. "My world is made out of the discards of other beings... thus are we." she says, sounding oddly proud of the fact. "But, who are you that look like us? Perhaps there's a connection between us?" As she draws near Cyclonus, her expression is nuetral. No small feat, considering she knows the guys. "Maybe you could tell me where 'this' is?"

Soundwave carries out Cyclonus' orders! He sets about getting inside the Nemesis and procuring energon and all that. Of course, he also happens to be inside eavesdropping distance...but that's just a coincidence, right?

"We ask the questions here, not you, trash!" Skywarp replies. "I... don't really have any questions, though. I guess you can kill it if you want. Wait, we should give it to the new leader first."

Starscream takes up a position behind Cyclonus for now, mute and understandably sullen as he seethes inside. If looks could kill, the glare he's giving the futuristic Decepticon at the back of his head would probably bore a hole through his cybertronian equivelant of a skull.

But for the moment, there's other things to concern himself with. "....Junkion? This isn't something I've ever heard of. If you're from the future..." He's never going to admit to that, more than likely.

"...exactly -how- far from there are you?"

Cyclonus could tell the truth to Wipeout as she approaches him, but he doesn't give enough of a damn. "I'm sure the Autobots can fill you in," he rumbles, "AFTER I exchange you in return for information on the status of Megatron. Of course, they may be reluctant to do so... in which case, well, I hope you've had a good life. Given that you are a Junkion, however, I find that unlikely." He turns his head as Starscream asks his own questions, but doesn't interrupt him.

Wipeout looks at Cyclonus with a confused look on her face. "Uh... Why would anyone exchange me for anything? I was the only Junkion assigned to investigate the abnormality."

Thundercracker and Skywarp march Wipeout back to base. "Mighty Lord Cyclonus--hey, that gets easier to say each time--we have captured a Junkerion Autobot spy." He pokes Wipeout in the back with his arm cannon. "Show the proper respect for our leader!" Even as he says this, TC can't help but wonder just how stupid the Decepticon leadership selection process is. Ah well, could be dumber, he supposes. Could be based off a religious coconut with handles.

"Ridiculous." As resilient as Starscream's ability to retain command no matter how many times he butts heads with Megatron, the ability of his pride to bounce back is even moreso as he sneers at Wipeout as she's brought before Cyclonus, "Are you telling me the Autobots would have some sort of feelings for this....this...trash heap? Have they really sunk so low where you come from? How have they not been defeated yet?"

Cyclonus might have been Skywarp, once. He might not have been. Either way he gives the Seekers an annoyed look at their typical lack of professionalism. "That doesn't matter a bit, Junkion." He turns his head towards Starscream, glaring at him. "Oh, but of course they will. Haven't you dealt with Autobots before, Starscream? If there is one trait which they share more than any other it is their simple-minded compassion for those too weak to defend themselves. Fortunately, I have NO such weakness." He points a finger at Wipeout's face. "They WILL exchange you, my dear. You see, Rodimus Prime, even more than his predecessor, allows his *compassion* to blind him. I have it used against him many a time, to my great amusement."

"I've heard the same thing about Optimus on more than a few occasions. Usually right before he punches them through a wall..." Starscream coyly adds in a slightly lower voie, arms crossed over his chest as he stands to one side, eyeing the Junkion with the sort of look one usually reserves for small things that go 'squish' when you step on them.

Wipeout grumbles as she gets justled around by the Cons. "Now, hey Big Cheese Wreck-Gar's gonna get mad at you! I wanna go home to my mama!" Yeah, now she's trying to annoy her captors. Oh well...

"What's 'Rodimus' supposed to mean?" Skywarp asks, with a look of disapproval. "What's wrong with you people?"

"We'll see, Starscream," Cyclonus rumbles. "Quiet, Junkion!" he snaps at Wipeout. "And mark my words Junkion..." He points at the Junkion. "You. Will. SERVE."

Dahnnn dahhhnnn dahhhhhhhhhh