Windy City Rampage

Downtown Chicago

The heart of Chicago is a sprawling landscape of skyscrapers which predominate the skyline. The birthplace of the modern day skyscraper, the downtown area holds one of the largest in the world, the Sears Tower. All around the downtown area, the famous elevated trains run the Loop route, carrying what appears to be multitudes of passengers back and forth. Several attractions highlight the downtown area, including Wrigley Field and Comiskey Park where baseball remains the national pastime.

Ah, downtown Chicago. Home of the pizza pie. Rampage decides to pay a visit to the Windy City, and he's almost forgotten what he's supposed to be doing. Wasn't he going to find a new place to park NCC? Well for now, he's batting cars around like rubber catnip mice.

Ju-87 Stuka  prowls at high altitude overhead, hidden by the clouds but with her sensors tracking Rampage, incase he needs some backup. Her internal speakers blast Ride of the Valkyries to her holographic pilot and gunner, the Con herself humming along quietly as she rolls and dives with the music. <>

Skydive glances up at the sound of an aircraft. Only, it's not the typical engine found on Decepticon jets. No, this is something Skydive has only heard on historical recordings of early-generation planes. "Sounds like - a propellor!" he announces gleefully. "I can't believe it! Do you know how long I've been hoping to see a vehicle of that class operate in person?" Dropping whatever it was he was doing, Skydive transforms and flies into the air, carefully scanning for the source of that sound.

Skydive transforms into his F-16C Falcon  mode.

Jazz had been feeling pretty good lately. For Christmas, he had received some great gifts, including a classic Nintendo Power Pad (tm). How sweet was that?! Soon he'd be racing Decibel in a variety of Olympic events from the comfort of the AC Command Center. <>

The Porsche shuffles through a few different songs with the radio blasting as he comes to a light. So far the Autobot's oblivious to Rampage's destruction derby up ahead. Maybe it's because the huge buildings around the area demand so much attention. <>

Hearing Skydive's incoming radio message, Jazz fires back, <>

Robot Tiger  is still tearing through the city streets, piling up parked cars like dominoes, and smashing the sides of buildings with a paw. The sound of Ride of the Valkyries high in the air inspires him to a higher level of ferocity. Who knows what a mechanical tiger would do to an Autobot in this state.

Ju-87 Stuka  putters along quite happily until she detects an aircraft rapidly approaching her, banking towards it curiously and breaking into clear air. To the history buff, the Junkers Ju-87 should be instantly recognisable, mere moments ahead of the Decepticon insignia on her wings. She appears to notice Skydive's Autobot markings, cranking up the volume as she attempts to keep the F-16 t a distance. Like most prop planes, she's probably got the basic maneuvrability edge over Skydive's jet form, however, he's got the speed advantage- chances are, before she could open up with her wing guns, he'd streak out of range. "Guten tag, Herr Autobot." She says over the short-range, her tone slightly condescending- but much less so than it would be were it an orgnic pilot, instead of a cybertronian. After all, in her eyes, the inferior class of a superior race is still superior to everything else... "Perhaps you should look down, ja? It looks like Rampage is really causink trouble... hey, you might vant to dodge. That car's comin' straight up at you."

 Skydive says, "Careful Jazz, there's at least one other Decepticon in the area."  Skydive says, "It's Rampage."

 Jazz says, "Roger doger Skydive! I read two of them. Yo Bots! The 'Cawns are crashin' cars in Chicago. We're respondin' now!"

Once he's in the air, Skydive easily picks up the trail of destruction left behind by Rampage. He quickly alerts Jazz to the presence of another Decepticon, then identifies it as Rampage (once Banshee is kind enough to give him the hint). But then he pulls up next to Banshee, easily matching the Decepticon's speed. "So you're a Decepticon, and you've chosen an alternate mode from Earth's distant history? That's fascinating. I've often wondered what it would be like if my brothers and I had recieved jet forms from a different era than we did..."

Ju-87 Stuka  seems wary, keeping a very definite separation zone between herself and Skydive, but she doesn't go widly offensive or defensive, yet. Her 'pilot' hologram's gaze doesn't leave him. "Ja." She's also picked up the accent. "The people and aircraft of Germany during zat era are just more... stylish... zan others. And zey had a few good ideas - primitively executed, and megalomania took over ze leadership leading to some very bad policies unt decisions, but a reasonable effort, for an organic race anyvay."

If Skydive's radio message doesn't come through clearly, then the visual scene up ahead does the trick. Explosions flash across the Porsche's reflective windshield as humans begin to scatter through the downtown streets, some running past Jazz in terror. <>

Weaving his way around a few mangled cars, the Porsche accelerates towards Rampage and powers up his circular headlights. <>

POP! FLASH!

The Porsche unleashes two blinding beams of energy at Rampage, hopefully distracting the larger Decepticon so the remaining humans in the area can safely get away.

Combat: White Porsche 935  misses Robot Tiger  with his High-Powered Headlights

The mechanical tiger manages to turn away at the last second so he doesn't get high-beamed. "Don't you know that headlights like that are illegal?" he snaps at Jazz, "And so is pitlamping?" Even though it's broad daylight. He bats at another car, to send it careening towards the Autobot.

Combat: Robot Tiger <Rampage> misses White Porsche 935 <Jazz> with his Audi partner! (Kick) attack!

Ju-87 Stuka <Banshee> cheers Rampage on <<Ja, ja, you show him Rampage, stove hiss headlights in. I vill paint a portrait of you... if you bring me his Porsche badge."

F-16C Falcon <Skydive> keeps pace with the propellor plane, analyzing elements of it's flight, how it handles minor thermals and air currents, how - based on the sound - the Decepticon adjusts engine output. He seems so engrossed in his study of Banshee's flight that he doesn't pay much attention to the battle going on below. Or maybe he's just confident that Jazz can handle this enemy.

<Autobot> Sandstorm says, "Typical 'cons, jealous of us having spiffy wheels and taking it out on the locals."

Alright, maybe next time Jazz wouldn't be so revealing with his intentions. Zipping by the Robot Tiger, the Porsche turns on a dime to avoid a 1999 Audi TT flying back. <<Woaahh! Easy there Tiger!! Why can't you be friendly like Tony the Tiger?! Can you say 'Theeeeeeey're Grreeaaat?!'>>

After a blurr of transformation, Jazz now in his robot mode flips over the wreck of another car and uses it for a defensive barrier. Following Rampage's moving form, the Autobot draws his rifle and snaps off a few bolts of photon energy.

<<Yo Skydive! Looks like this dude want's to play this cat and mouse game! Can you make sure the humans are gettin' to safety down these downtown streets?!>>

Get on up! The Porsche 935 Turbo explodes upward into Jazz, Autobot Rock Star!

Combat: Jazz strikes Robot Tiger <Rampage> with his Solar-Powered Photon Rifle attack!

Ju-87 Stuka <Banshee> appears to deal with the air currents quite well - more stable than a modern jet engine, for sure, and she's constantly varying not just the throttle, but the feathering of her propeller blades and even the little slats along the backs of her wings, constant minor adjustments to nearly every control surface, much more precise than a human could manage. Just when she thinks Skydive is fully engrossed in study, her 'pilot' flicks him the bird. "Auf Wiedersehen!" And she pulls a full 180 roll on the propeller axis, briefly flashing the Autobot a glimpse of her tailgunner, who apears to be the composer Wagner. Then the Stuka is doing what she does best, and screaming down in a dive towards Jazz with the siren on her undercarriage wailing loudly. She seems intent on crashing into the Autobot rock-star, but at the last moment she pulls up HARD, releasing a long, thin 250kg Penetrator bomb!

Combat: Ju-87 Stuka <Banshee> strikes Jazz with her 250kg Penetrator Bombs attack!

Now that Banshee's taking care of Jazz, the mechanical tiger turns his attention to Skydive. Unfortunately this lapse causes him to get hit by Jazz's attack. He transforms, hefts a car over his head, and throws it at Skydive. He probably won't hit, but he's angry enough not to care.

Rampage rises up into his robot form.

Combat: Rampage misses F-16C Falcon <Skydive> with his Dodging midair traffic? (Punch) attack!

F-16C Falcon <Skydive> is startled for a moment by the sudden rull and dive. Luck more than skill saves him from the hurtled car, as it reaches the apex of it's flight and then starts to fall again just before reaching him. "Jazz, these Decepticons are causing too much damage! We've got to stop them--look out!" He calls out a warning just before Banshe lets her bombs go, but it's too late. "Jazz, I'll try to keep Rampage busy for a moment. I suggest you transform and do something about that Decepticon bomber!" He rolls and then executes a dive seemingly identical to Banshee's. In fact, it IS identical, down to releasing an explosive projectile at the Predacon.

Combat: F-16C Falcon <Skydive> strikes Rampage with his Photographic Reflexes (Laser) attack!

A wrecked car isn't much defense for a 250kg(he prefers lbs) Penetrator Bomb. The potent weapon clanks off the street surface for a second before it explodes into a million bits, sending Jazz hurtling backwards through the bricked-wall of Luigi's Pizzeria.

As the Autobot lies there in a heap of bricks, pizza dough, and mozzarella, a thin man with a black mustache peeks over his counter. "Whas the matta with ya?! You ruined my ah fine pizzeria!! How we gonna send out these pizzas with no oven?!"

Jazz manages to get out of the rubble and offers Luigi a sympathetic stare, "Sorry man! It wasn't me! It was /that/ old-school plane!" he motions to the sky. Thinking up an ingenius scheme, the Intelligence Director sprints down the street, withdrawing a lasso-like device from subspace. "You think you can get away with this?! You've got another thing comin' baby! Let's see if your wings can get through my little surprise!"

Whipping the lasso down the street around a couple of lamp-posts, Jazz pulls back and tightens the aerial trip-wire that appears to have a box device hanging from it. A second later, he grins as he pushes the BIG RED BUTTTON on a hand-held device. Sure it would be tough to do this in the real world, but this is a cartoon! Time flies when you're having fun!

KA-BOOOOOOOOM

Combat: Jazz strikes Ju-87 Stuka <Banshee> with Trip-Wire Bomb's Huge Explosion #8981 attack! [Pulled -1]

Rampage gets hit again, and rises up into the air to pursue the Aerialbot and perhaps get a better angle for attack. "C'mere!" he says, "Hold still! Stop dancing around!" He aims his pistol at Skydive, and hopes that he'll get lucky.

Combat: Rampage strikes F-16C Falcon <Skydive> with his Pistol attack!

<Autobot> Jazz says, "Oh yea! That's what I'm talkin' about! Roped Banshee in!"

Ju-87 Stuka <Banshee> spots the tripwire at the last moment and pulls up *hard*, clipping it with a singe wheelstrut. But that's enough to set the bomb off, sending the Decepticon flier tumbling end-over-end almost straight upwards. It takes her a good 200ft to regain control, and it's quite obvious from her amplified broadcast that she is NOT happy. Arschloch!" she spits venemously, evil-looking flames spurting from her exhausts as she pulls a loop around and dives down towards Jazz, trailing a little black smoke. Her cockpit glass looks cracked too- that bomb HURT. Ich schreie! Sie STERBEN, Autobot! RHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" The sound... escalates beyond the scream of voice quite quickly, developing all kinds of unpleasant subharmonics and echoes in the urban terrain, shattering windows and voiding bowels all down the street.

Combat: Ju-87 Stuka <Banshee>'s Horns of Jericho attack on Jazz goes wild! Combat: Ju-87 Stuka <Banshee> misses herself with her Horns of Jericho attack!

<Autobot> Jazz says, "Why don't we trade dance partners Skydive?! Mine's tired of me steppin' on her feet!" <Autobot> Skydive radio crackles with interference. "That's fine with me. This Predacon's aim is getting better with practice."

F-16C Falcon <Skydive> sees Rampage rising into the air with pistol in hand and banks hard, but this time luck is on the Decepticon's side. Skydive dodges directly into the line of fire, hissing in pain as his undercarriage is damaged badly by the attack. "Looks like a bad day to be in the skies all around," he grates, as he witnesses the results of Banshee's unorthodox attack. "But you - you're doing as much damage to the city as to yourself." Once again precisely mimicing the Decepticon's flying, Skydive loops around and dives after Banshee, firing short controlled bursts of minigun whenever he has a clear shot.

Combat: F-16C Falcon <Skydive> strikes Ju-87 Stuka <Banshee> with his Minigun (Pistol) attack!

Jazz leaps up and down as Banshee hurtles through his aerial trip wire, "Yea! Score one for the Jazz Man!" Peering over towards Skydive's flying form, the Autobot raises a thumbs up in his direction as he sends off a radio message to his partner. Looking back at Banshee's incoming form, the Autobot makes a dash away and hits the deck with his hands over his audio receptors. "Sorry babe! Ya missed me with your opera singin! Maybe ya need a vocal coach?!"

Leaping back up, Jazz sets his blue visor on Rampage's form as he pops up a manhole cover with a tap of his metallic boot. "Let's play catch homie!" The Autobot steps backward and then powers forward, hurtling the cover forward at an impressive speed.

Combat: Jazz misses Rampage with his Manhole Cover Toss (Punch) attack!

Ju-87 Stuka <Banshee> curses at Skydive and grins, letting him get on her tail. But it's a ruse, one he probably should have spotted; that machine gun mounted in her rear cockpit isn't fake, unlike the 'man' gunning. Wilhelm Richard Wagner grins darkly, squeezing the trigger of his double-barreled machine gun as he takes aim at Skydive... "Eat this, Scheissenkopf!"

Combat: Ju-87 Stuka <Banshee> misses F-16C Falcon <Skydive> with her Tailgun Valkyrie (Full-Auto) attack!

"Nice frisbee," Rampage says to Jazz, as the whirling manhole cover goes wide. He grabs it as it sails past, and tosses it right back at the Autobot. "Chaar Frisbee Champion," he says, "Now let's see how you play."

Combat: Rampage misses Jazz with his Decapitator Frisbee? (Punch) attack!

F-16C Falcon <Skydive> utters a short exclamation of surprise, then pulls up and pours on the power. Angry blue flame pours out of his engine nozzle as he rockets into the sky and away from Wagner's gunfire. <<I'm sorry to break this to you, but advances in fighter technology give newer generation craft much greater speed and climbing ability>> he transmits to Banshee, voice shuddering slightly with strain and effort. The Aerialbot keeps pulling up, and up, turning the maneuver into a giant loop that lets Banshee pull far away before Skydive has completed the move and is facing her again. But apparently the increased distance was by design, as the range is great enough for Skydive to arm his missiles. <<As well as weapons!>>

Combat: F-16C Falcon <Skydive> misses Ju-87 Stuka <Banshee> with his Laser-Guided Missile attack!

Ju-87 Stuka <Banshee> giggles quietly to herself and attempts to try something cocky "I believe zat when I see it, Herr Skydive. You may call me Fraulein Banshee." She turns and flies fairly level, below Skydive as he turns to come towards her. She pulls /up/ sharply in an attempt at loft-bombing, the 50kg (110lb-ish) unguided iron bomb released as she pulls a half-loop, attempting to /throw/ her bomb at the faster-moving fighter jet. It's hard to see coming, and on a timed fuse... it'll either airburst near the F-16... or airburst somewhere over there and maybe terrify some humans or cause some damage. Either result is good for her! "Alley-OOP!"

Combat: Ju-87 Stuka <Banshee> strikes F-16C Falcon <Skydive> with her 50kg GP Bombs attack!

Jazz isn't as quick as someone like Blurr is, but he sure can be acrobatic sometimes. With a few springs of his leg servos, the Autobot flips up and over the Frisbee of Death (tm) coming back to the ground with a silvery grin. He'd likely wink too if he didn't have that attractive blue visor in the way of his blue optics. "Too fast for ya Rampage! How 'bout we get a little kung-fu on this?!"

Tumbling into a tight ball, Jazz speeds towards the Decepticon and at the last second, he pops up into a cartwheel for a flying kick aimed at the head.

"Hahhhh Yaaa!! Ya dig?!"

Ju-87 Stuka <Banshee> giggles "As you can see, I am not a fighter. I am a bomber."

Combat: Jazz misses Rampage with his Jazzie Chan Kick (Kick) attack!

Ok, so his frisbee didn't hit. That doesn't matter. As Jazz tries the Kung-fu Fighting, Rampage gets out his sword. "I'm going to chop you into little pieces!" he says, "The Sword is mightier than the foot!" He makes a clumsy slash at Jazz.

Combat: Rampage misses Jazz with his Thermo-Sword attack! [Pulled -2]

F-16C Falcon <Skydive> can't quite believe what his sensors are telling him - although he'll no doubt pour over a recording with glee later...if he survives. He belatedly tries to roll away but is still caught by the brunt of the explosion, spinning and tumbling out of control a few times before managing to regain control of his flight. He nearly smacks into a tall building, swerving aside and then rising into the air with a noticeable wobble. "Point taken," he admits grudgingly, once he stops trailing smoke and his engine fires cleanly rather than sputtering. "But without air cover, there's only so long you can last against a faster, more advanced opponent." I hope, Skydive adds silently, to himself. Then he lines up and unleashes a barrage of laser bolts at Banshee.

Combat: F-16C Falcon <Skydive> misses Ju-87 Stuka <Banshee> with his Laser attack!

Jazz's attempt at the martial arts doesn't connect with Rampage, but at least he looked super-cool doing it! Just as Rampage comes swinging in with his sizzling sword, the Autobot snaps his hip servos, causing him to lean back a-la Matrix. "How looooow can you go?! You're talkin' to the limbo king here!"

Instead of snapping back upright, Jazz falls backward into his Porsche mode. Popping his clutch into reverse, the Autobot swings his doors wide open as this finely-engineered sports car suddenly turns into a mini-club of sorts. A HEAAAVVVY BASSSS starts thumping the entire street and COLORFUL lights rise out of his frame for a dizzying and attention-grabbing performance.

"Let's party people! Throw your hands in the air if you're feelin' it!"

Break it down! With a flurry of sounds, Jazz drops down into a Porsche 935 Turbo.

Combat: White Porsche 935 <Jazz> strikes Rampage with his Sound and Light Show Area attack!

Combat: White Porsche 935 <Jazz> strikes Ju-87 Stuka <Banshee> with his Sound and Light Show Area

Ju-87 Stuka <Banshee> laughs as she avoids the lasers, doing a full rotation around her propeller axis before pulling around to fly at Skydive again My old Kommandant could shoot better zan you, and he vos a Gumbie!" She taunts with a joyous cackle. "So much for your advanced technology, eh? Run avay now, Autobot, zere is no shame in admitting defeat by a superior aerial combatant." Her smug, taunting tone suggests otherwise; she's not just a flier, but she's a /propeller/ powered /bomber/. And so far, she seems to be delivering a Dunkirk-style arsch-peitschen (arse kicking) to the more advanced, faster, more powerful fighter. But then, without warning she's hit by the lightshow and waffles slightly, her control surfaces seeming unresponsive as she still tries to attack with her wing-mounted machine guns. Ooh, pretty... sheiss! Jazz! Sie trinken Motorol verwendet!" (You drink used motor oil!)!

Combat: Ju-87 Stuka <Banshee>'s Wing Guns attack on F-16C Falcon <Skydive> goes wild! Combat: Ju-87 Stuka <Banshee> misses Rampage with her Wing Guns (Full-Auto) attack!

Sheiss! Cannot... see all zat vell... sorry Rampage>>

Rampage yelps when Banshee's attack strikes him, which is right after Jazz's attack. He seems all muddled now, and in a fit of rage, he lashes out at whoever is nearest. Which he thinks is Jazz, but may not be.

Combat: Rampage's Punch attack on White Porsche 935 <Jazz> goes wild! Combat: Rampage misses Ju-87 Stuka <Banshee> with his Punch attack!

F-16C Falcon <Skydive> flips over neatly as Banshee opens fire, but the spray of gunfire doesn't come close to him this time. Skydive has plenty of time to right himself and then begins banking to one side and then the other, weaving back and forth to keep himself from overshooting the slower-moving target - without decreasing his own airspeed. "I'll admit that your aerial mode is much more versatile and effective than I would have imagined. But admit defeat? Let's not get ahead of ourselves here!" His latest turn leaves his nose pointed directly at her, and he puncuates his statement with a burst of cannonfire.

Combat: F-16C Falcon <Skydive> strikes Ju-87 Stuka <Banshee> with his Pistol attack!

If Jazz isn't careful, he might draw the humans back to the downtown area. His sound and light show is just THAT CATCHY. However, the Porsche doesn't have the energon to keep up the club performance up for that long. Deciding to stow his show for the time being, the Porsche kicks back into gear as it tries to get away from Rampage a bit.

The sports car emits, <<Now that my song is over, how 'bout answering some questions now Rampage?! What are you Decepti-cawns up to around here anyway?! Searching for something?!>>

As Jazz continues his trek away from the Predacon, he focuses his car windows, which also double as solar panels towards the skies for some energy.

Combat: White Porsche 935 <Jazz> takes extra time to steady himself. [Pass]

"Mind your own business," Rampage says to Jazz, "I just came out here to have some fun. Speaking of fun, I'd like to blow your head off. He pulls out his lightning rifle and aims it at Jazz. "I'm sure you'll get a charge out of this."

Combat: Rampage strikes White Porsche 935 <Jazz> with his Lightning Rifle attack! [Pulled -3]

Ju-87 Stuka <Banshee> swears at Skydive quite colourfully as she banks around, visible holes appearing in her wings under the barrage of machine-gun fire. She snarls and climbs as high as she can before banking around again, trying to pepper both Skydive and the fleeing Jazz with machien gun fire. "You vill DIE!" she growls, obviously under some stress - she doesn't care if Rampage gets caught in it, so long as at least one of the Autobots is. She's trailing a thin, pale stream of black smoke from one of the exhaust banks of her engine, and it sure doesn't purr like it used to...

Combat: Ju-87 Stuka <Banshee> misses F-16C Falcon <Skydive> with her Strafing Run (Full-Auto) Area attack! Combat: Ju-87 Stuka <Banshee> strikes Rampage with her Strafing Run (Full-Auto) Area attack! Combat: Ju-87 Stuka <Banshee> misses White Porsche 935 <Jazz> with her Strafing Run (Full-Auto) Area attack!

When Ben Franklin went outside with a key on a kite, he could have never imagined lightning quite like this. Especially the Predacon on the giving end of it. <<Gggaaaahh!! Myy...syss..teeems!!>> emits the Porsche as the surge of energy lights him up like a lamp (a cool-looking one).

Jittering like a Mexican jumping bean (ole!), the Porsche transforms back into robot mode. "Alright punk! You're gonna pay for that!" With his racing-striped frame now blackened, Jazz starts for Rampage when he jumps back from a stream of bullets that bang off his foe instead.

"Nice aim babe! Think you're targeting systems are KA-PUT!" shouts Jazz as Banshee whizzes by. "As for you Rampage...you're gonna do some talkin' now. Why are you here in Chicago? What are your orders?!" The Intelligence Director doesn't think the Predacon will talk, but maybe a burst from his arm-mounted flamethrower will help persuade him.

Get on up! The Porsche 935 Turbo explodes upward into Jazz, Autobot Rock Star!

Combat: Jazz misses Rampage with his Flamethrower attack! [Pulled -3]

F-16C Falcon <Skydive> veers away just before getting pelted by Banshee's return fire. He pulls up, momentarily taking a break from the dogfight. "Just one moment..." he murmurs, rewinding his internal memory and then erasing the wild attack from his memory banks. Wouldn't want to be duplicating /that/ one anytime. "There we go. Now, where were we? Oh, right - you were losing!" A pair of missiles detach from under his wings and then fire their rockets simultaneously and twist in different directions - one towards Banshee, the other Rampage.

Combat: F-16C Falcon <Skydive> strikes Ju-87 Stuka <Banshee> with his Missiles Away! (Full-Auto) Area attack! Combat: F-16C Falcon <Skydive> strikes Rampage with his Missiles Away! (Full-Auto) Area attack!

"I'm not telling ya nothing," Rampage says defiantly. He yells up to Banshee, "We'd better find somewhere else to park the Shark! But first I'm going to take care of this Autobot!" He lunges at Jazz, attempting to bodyslam him.

Combat: Rampage strikes Jazz with his Smash attack!

Ju-87 Stuka <Banshee> seems to take this as a very good time to cut her losses and run. <<Apologies, Rampage, but I've... dammit engine trouble... ving trouble... aus weidersehen, unt good luck!>> She banks around hard, heading in a random direction AWAY from this firefight, as fast as her damaged systems will take her! "You vin zis one, Autobots, but I VILL return, vith A VENGEANCE!"

Combat: Ju-87 Stuka <Banshee> begins retreating, leaving herself vulnerable to parting shots from F-16C Falcon <Skydive>

F-16C Falcon <Skydive> follows Banshee just enough to verify that she is leaving Chicago airspace, then turns back to help Jazz with the remaining Decepticon. He transforms and lands on a rooftop overlooking the street where they're fighting, raising his pistol and carefully drawing a bead on the Predacon. For now, he's too close to Jazz to risk a shot, but once they're seperated Skydive wants to be ready...

F-16C Falcon <Skydive> transforms into his Skydive mode.

Combat: Skydive takes extra time to steady himself. [Pass]

Jazz is slammed into the street with all the might of the brutish Decepticon. "Oooofff!! Where's the ref when you need one?! That's a penalty or something!!" Jazz squeezes out from his mouth as he tries to escape from Rampage's heavy frame. "Park the shark?! You mean you guys were lookin' to put NCC around here?!" The Autobot fights to break free, but it's a futile attempt for now. Instead, he withdraws his stun gun from subspace and rams it into Rampage's mid-section. "Hook me up Skydive! This lug's as heavy as a house!"

Combat: Jazz strikes Rampage with his Stun Gun (Disruptor) attack!

Rampage is momentarily mildy zapped by Jazz's weapon. "Argh!" he says, "Never mind! I'm just going to pound you into dust!" The furious Predacon tries giving Jazz an uppercut.

Combat: Rampage misses Jazz with his TIGER! Uppercut! (Punch) attack!

Skydive steps off of the rooftop, flexing his knees as he lands on the street below. "Of course Jazz - but based on known specifications, a Predacon will outclass both of us in close combat. We've got to get some distance, attack him from long range!" Spotting the much (ab)used manhole cover from earlier, Skydive picks it up, hefts it to get a feel for the weight, and then sends it spinning at Rampage. He's not much of an athlete, but he saw how the two ground-based fighters were throwing it at each other earlier, and with Skydive seeing it done is all that he needs...

Combat: Skydive strikes Rampage with his Manhole Cover (Kick) attack!

As Rampage finally meets the manhole cover face to face, Jazz finds a split second to break free from the Decepticon's clutches. "You snooze, you lose amigo! Can't take those siestas!" Taking his partner's advice, the Autobot starts back pedalling as he cals out, "So...why would would the Decepti-cawns wanna put NCC down in Chicago? Guess you guys can kick some butt from this location huh? What if I told you the Seacons were already here looking for a place to put down NCC? The nerve of those guys trying to show you up!"

Hoping his reverse psychology works on the dull-minded Decepticon, Jazz offers a few blasts of low-power energy to add some confusion to the mix.

Combat: Jazz strikes Rampage with his Solar-Powered Photon Rifle <LOW> (Laser) attack!

"Good for them," Rampage retorts. He gets a few dings from both the Aerialbot and the Autobot, including the makeshift frizbee to the head. He lashes out in fury. It's almost like the Tasmanian Devil.

Combat: Rampage misses Skydive with his Tasmanian PREDACON! (Ruckus) Area attack! Combat: Rampage misses Jazz with his Tasmanian PREDACON! (Ruckus) Area attack!

Looking to Skydive, Jazz turns back to Rampage. "Look pal...you're back-up already's hit the road and now it looks like you're outnumbered. Get outta here and you can get home in time to watch Oprah or something." The Autobot keeps his weapon leveled at the Decepticon, hoping strength in numbers pays off.

Combat: Jazz takes extra time to steady himself. [Pass]

"Gah, this wasn't a good enough spot for NCC anyway," Rampage says, "And I'd rather watch Jersey Shore than Oprah any day." The Predacon rises into the air, and heads back to base.

Combat: Rampage begins retreating, leaving himself vulnerable to parting shots from Jazz

Rampage takes flight to the Sky over Chicago. Rampage has left.

Skydive watches Rampage take off, combat systems powering down. "Well...that could have gone a lot worse."

Jazz nods, "Yea he could have said he liked 'The Hills' too."