Cairo Outpost Infiltration

Cairo

There are visible signs of improvement in the once-destroyed city of Cairo. Many of the outlying, burnt-out buildings have been cleared, as well as the blackened, twisted metal that made travel so hazardous. The countless dead have been recovered and given proper burial. Near the spaceport, a vast tent city has been erected by the Autobots and the Red Cross, equipped with badly-needed food, supplies, and equipment. The massive skyscrapers of the downtown area still lie in ruins, huge, ragged chunks of concrete and twisted girders piled high, but much of the debris has been moved out of the way in the search for both the dead and any survivors. Oddly enough, the spaceport outside of the city and the massive Arcology still stand, untouched.

Cairo! The ruined city stands in the distance, slow signs of the rebuilding attempt can be seen even from the area Teletran has led the Autobots to. It's a rocky region one could easily imagine to be full of tombs and hidden wonders of the ancient world. Deep in the canyon Blurr and Wheelie have arrived in, the telltale signs of a small Decepticon outpost can be found if someone is looking closely enough...

Wheelie clambered up to the top of a rock just outside the rim of the Con outpost, bringing up a hand to shield his optics from the harsh Cairo sun. He had a mission, possibly (or not) of official assignment: find Metroplex's t-cog! And from the sound of it, Spinister had been seen roaming around these coordinates. He was an intelligence troop... he might know something!

Tapping the side of his head, he spoke into his radio. "Wheelie here, I have the outpost in sight! I think I see Cons, and I'm ready for a fight!" Wheelie started bouncing in place as he brought his dukes up, jabbing at the air quickly like a little boxer. Clearly, he was ready for some action.

Prowling around the outpost like some kind of guard dog is none other than Sinnertwin! The heavy footfalls of his creature mode leaves clawed indentations in his wake, just some of many he's worn into the ground from his constant patrols. It's only a matter of time before some annoying Autobots show up and he doesn't want to give them the satisfaction of getting the drop on him.

Blurr has accompanied Wheelie on this little excursion. Yep, just like old times! Metroplex's T-cog has gone missing, and Autobot spy probes have detected Decepticon presence in the area, likely a small outpost. <> Blurr confirms as he spies the outpost from a short distance away. <>

Sideswipe had come along to be the 'heavy hitter' in this team. It was just like old times and good to be with some of his old friends again. He'd been stuck on Cybertron for awhile and under pressure from others....he just needed to get away for awhile and hey, why not here? Hot sun, hot babes by swimming pools...oops, wrong place. Anyway, he had snuck in with the others and when Wheelie got up and started practicing his punches, Sideswipe grabbed him by the leg and pulled him down again, "Shhhh, don't be jumpin in too quick. I wanna do this as much as you but if we're spotted too soon, we might not get a chance to find the T-cog."

Spinister unfolds into his (terribly) mysterious robot mode! Also: Singe! Hairsplitter!

Spinister emerges from the outpost to speak with Sinnertwin briefly... That's all the spying Autobots can get out of it, at least. He then transforms and flies away, though Singe and Hairsplitter remain...

The odds of getting the cog back look good for the Autobots...

Spinister transforms into an Apache Attack Helicopter! A MYSTERIOUS ATTACK HELICOPTER!

Wheelie felt a tug on his leg as Sideswipe pulled him back into cover. Pulling himself back up to his feet, Wheelie looked up, then around the rock at the Cons in the area. "Sorry, Side. You saved my hide..." he murmured, before turning back to Blurr. "Hey, Blurr, perhaps the cog, gotten eaten by a monster from a bog? Maybe there's a monster about, who eats t-cogs... we should look out!"Not that he'd ever heard of a t-cog eating monster, but the universe was a big place... it could exist!

Wheelie looked back at the outpost, before ducking behind some rocks and moving along the edge. "Wheelie will scout and keep a look out. If things look dim, I can always call Grim! I keep out of sight, unless we have to fight!" And with that, Wheelie starts to do what he does best; sneak about like a scraplet looking for it's next meal.

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Wheelie slips into the shadows and out of sight...

<p class="MsoNormal">Whatever Spinister says, both of Sinnertwin's heads just nod before he continues with his uneventful patrol. At one point, the Terrorcon finds a dead animal at the edge of the outpost and he stomps on it a few times with a foot before picking it up in one set of jaws and tearing it apart with the other.

<p class="MsoNormal">That's about as much excitement as Sinnertwin has gotten since being out here.

<p class="MsoNormal">Sideswipe looks at Blurr, then looks at Wheelie as he slips off. He watches as the Terrorcan (yes that typo was on purpose) starts abusing a dead animal. He shudders at the sound of crunching bones. Ugh! He's not the leader in the expedition, he's just here for firepower and backup while speedy goes in for a look.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Riiight..." Blurr says slowly, which is quite rare and if Rewind were around he'd have certainly taken it for the record. "Yeah, a cog-eating monster. That somehow managed to get into Metroplex -without- any of us even catching a hint. Who knows, maybe it's invisible!" he says, throwing his arms in the air. Eh, typical Wheelie.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Whatever. Anyway. So here's how we'll do this. Me and Sideswipe distract Sinnertwin and Spinister. Wheelie--you get inside the outpost and see what you can find. If you get in trouble, call it off and I'll get you out of there. Sound like a plan?"

<p class="MsoNormal">Singe and Hairsplitter continue to stand around, looking super bored and completely unsuspecting. Where's Spinister? Very good question. Hairsplitter starts processing Decepticon timecards, noting laborors who's hours probably need to be cut.

<p class="MsoNormal">Sideswipe pulls out his pistol, checks it and then puts it back. "I'm good with that. Shall we?" He stands up behind some rocks and prepares to transform. He's better with up close and personal himself, his fists being the best weapon he has. Hey, he's a heavy hitter...the front liner. That's what he does.

<p class="MsoNormal">Mechanical Orthrus <Sinnertwin> swings the dead animal (a dog of some kind given it's size) around a few times, flinging rotten intestines and bits of flesh all over the place before finally tossing it as far as he can. "Ugh! Where are those damn Autobots!?" the left head snaps. "Don't they care about their stupid transformation cog?"

<p class="MsoNormal">Sideswipe transforms, shifting into his awesome red Lamborghini mode.

<p class="MsoNormal">Needlenose has arrived.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Alright, you three idiots are now stationed at our outpost in Cairo," says the Decepticon Lieutenant. Needlenose snickers, "Ha ha, sure buddy. We don't have any outposts in Cairo!" The Lieutenant just folds his arms and stares, causing Needlenose, Zigzag, and Sunbeam to exchange nervous glances. "We... don't actually have a base in Cairo, right?" Needlenose asks.

<p class="MsoNormal">That was two days ago, and since then Needlenose has been stuck in the cramped underground facility staring at security monitors. "Holy crap this is boring!" he shouts for the ten thousandth time since arriving here. Sighing, he alt-tabs out from the security monitors and goes back to playing Minesweeper, resting his chin on his propped up hand.

<p class="MsoNormal">Cackle has arrived.

<p class="MsoNormal">Slips closer to the entrance behind the cover of his rocky terrain. Looking over at the covered hole in the ground, Wheelie knelt down, pondering a moment, before his eyes lit up with an idea. Giving a brief, covert wave to Blurr, Wheelie crept over to the cover, rapping at it like it was a neighbor's door, then sliding back into cover. He pulled out his combat knife, giving Blurr a thumbs up.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Needlenose!" Cackle pushes her way into the cramped surveillance room. Sure, she's ostensibly on surveillance duty as well, but she has better things to do with her brilliant intellect! "You are one of these 'target' masters, yes? As I require the use of one of your Nebulan minions. For SCIENCE!" She just beams, and rubs her hands together eagerly. "As, even if this is just a routine recon outpost, I can still make use of my time here to do something AMAZINGLY BRILLIANT."

<p class="MsoNormal">Needlenose moves the mouse around, clicking every few seconds. "Sonuva... Sunbeam, c'mere and take a look at this bulls---." He points at the screen to show his partner, "See, I'm right in the fraking corner but there could be a bomb here or here, but there's no way to tell!" Grumbling, Needlenose finally sucks it up and picks one at random, causing all the animated bombs on the screen to go off. Figures, Needlenose thinks.

<p class="MsoNormal">Maybe I can load Starcraft on this thing or something. Needlenose gets off his chair and kneels down, trying to find the reset button on the computer. *Needlenose!* "Gah!" The Decepticon jolts upwards. Oh God, it's Cackle again. Swear to Primus, these past two days have been a fraking nightmare. "Heeey, Cackle. S'good seeing you again," Needlenose says warily, climbing back into his seat. "Targetmaster?" He glances at Sunbeam, "Uh... y-eah, I am one. Say, this sounds like a job for Zigzag. Oh Zigzag! Come on over, man! We got a special job for you."

<p class="MsoNormal">Now to set off the perimeter alarms to draw out anyone who might be inside. It would be good to give Wheelie a clear coast. He nods discretely in Wheelie's direction, then speeds off toward the outpost, kicking up a /lot/ of sand and those signature sonic booms knocking over any cactii that might be nearby. They're also likely rattling the walls inside the outpost.

<p class="MsoNormal">BOOM...

<p class="MsoNormal">BOOM....

<p class="MsoNormal">Large amounts of sand can be heard rising and falling and whirling rapidly--

<p class="MsoNormal">SSSSHHHHHHSSSS

<p class="MsoNormal">A giant sand cyclone begins to form as Blurr runs in circles! Now that /has/ to get their attention!

<p class="MsoNormal">Cackle's optics go wider. "Oh, that's right, you're a DOUBLE targetmaster! Even better! That means we can leave one of your minions alone, as a control! As for the other, well, I've got a pretty interesting process planned out, in which we'll remove his brain, put it into a large octopus, and-" she trails off, however, as she sees the sand cyclone in one of the monitor screens. "...what's that?"

<p class="MsoNormal">Wheelie grimaced a bit as his first attempt to get someone's attention from inside didn't work. But then Blurr starts to kick up a sand tornado! Why didn't he think of that? Oh, right, because he's Wheelie and Blurr is Blurr. That's for sure. Wheelie waited patiently for Blurr's trick to do it's thing. He had his eyes on the prize, the second that door was opened, he was running there, gonna find that cog, and Magnus and Blurr would be so proud of him...!

<p class="MsoNormal">No! Focus, no time for daydreams now!

<p class="MsoNormal">Zigzag rushes into the cramped (isn't everything in this base cramped?) surveillance room. *...in which we'll remove his brain, put it in a large octopus, and-* Zigzag turns around and slooooowly walks back out. Then, boom! Boom! Needlenose is nearly thrown from his chair, but barely manages to grab hold of the armrest. "What the slag?" He alt-tabs back to the security monitors as Cackle draws in close. There's whirling sand and cacti all over the place.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Lemme switch to infrared." He clicks a button, and the bright form of Blurr can be seen dashing in a wide super-sonic circle. "Oh man, we got trouble. He's going to create a tornado around this place and bury us alive. Come on, we better get out there. Zigzag, Sunbeam, TO ME!" Both Targetmasters transform into gun mode and land in Needlenose's hands.

<p class="MsoNormal">Within a minute or so, the Targetmaster climbs the ladder to the surface. He grits his mechanical teeth as the winds and sand tear into him. Raising a hand to protect his face from it, Needlenose tries to figure out how the heck he's going to stop Blurr. Maybe Cackle has some ideas.

<p class="MsoNormal">Cackle scrabbles out the hatch after Needlenose, and then she glares into the oncoming tornado. "Hm! Weather manipulation! Clever, but ultimately useless!" Cackle transforms down into her vehicular mode, and then speeds off towards the cyclone, her thick tires easily handling the rough terrain.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Pay attention, Needlenose! My SUPERIOR sensor array is about to feed you VITAL data on the target! Because knowledge is power, and power is what we Decepticons deserve! Ha ha ha ha ha!"

<p class="MsoNormal">Cackle transforms into vehicle mode!

<p class="MsoNormal"><Autobot> Broadside says, "What's th' status in Cairo?"

<p class="MsoNormal">Yes, Needlenose is right! The Decepticons need to find a way to stop Blurr's supersonic marathon around the outpost before he causes enough sand to vortex down onto the outpost that it collapses altogether! Of course, he wouldn't -actually- do that, knowing Wheelie is inside and that there might be valuable intel to be found. Crushing the base would make retrieving said intel much more difficult. But the Decepticons don't have to know that!

<p class="MsoNormal">In the meantime though, the sand and cactii are flying faster and faster 'round and 'round, and the Decepticons have charged right into the midst of it! Sand granules might be tiny, but when they're flying at supersonic speeds, they hurt!

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Blurr sets his defense level to Guarded.

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Blurr strikes Needlenose with his Supsersonic Sand Cyclone! Area attack!

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Blurr misses Science Jeep <Cackle> with his Supsersonic Sand Cyclone! Area attack!

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Drained 3 energon.

<p class="MsoNormal"><Autobot> Blurr says, "Working on finding out what happened to Metroplex's T-cog. I'm the diversion."

<p class="MsoNormal"><Autobot> Wheelie says, "Some Cons just came out of the base, and now they're getting all up in Blurr's face!"

<p class="MsoNormal"><Autobot> Wheelie says, "And I'm the scout! If the Cons know where the cog is, we'll figure it out!"

<p class="MsoNormal">Wheelie waits carefully as the two Cons come out of the base, before slinking his way to the entrance hole and ducking inside, hopefully not setting off any MORE alarms than Blurr already has. Wheelie starts making his way deeper into the base, looking about for some sort of clue that might become useful... hopefully, Blurr could handle the trouble outside and nobody else would catch on to their plan...

<p class="MsoNormal">Needlenose squints, peering through his fingertips at the whirling figure that's running in circles, having holstered both his Targetmasters. He can only barely make the Autobot out from here, but at least heh as Cackle's data. "Fastest Autobot on land, movement, speech, etc etc... superior messanger, ok... electro-laser that reverses polarity? Ok Doctor Who... faster than the speed of sound, leaving a blurred image... alright whatever..." Needlenose frowns, "Wait, there's no weakness at all listed here! /Cackle/!"

<p class="MsoNormal">Surveying his options, Needlenose decides he's in a bad situation. He can't transform in a windstorm like this, Zigzag hasn't a hope in hell of hitting anything, let alone a super speedster like Blurr. Sunbeam has been stuck underground for the past two days and so hasn't had the chance to absorb the sun's charging rays, meaning he'd be low on power. The sand is continuing to hit him at a withering velocity, with grit getting stuck in his joints and making it hard to move around. Needlenose decides he has no choice but to hope that Sunbeam's got enough juice to slow that Autobot down. Drawing the light burst discharger, Needlenose sets it to wide beam and fires. Suddenly the area lights up! It isn't all that powerful, but at least aiming it isn't too important.

<p class="MsoNormal">Once Wheelie is inside, he'll find the base in complete disarray. Nobody's cleaned here since Lord Chumley abandoned the area ages ago. Things are cluttered, making the cramped spaces even MORE cramped. Worse, it isn't intuitive where anything is located. The one saving grace is that the base isn't too large, so Wheelie should find the command center/surveillance room after just a few minutes.

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Needlenose sets his defense level to Fearless.

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Needlenose strikes Blurr with his Light Burst Discharger attack! [Pulled -2]

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Needlenose (Needlenose) used "Light Burst Discharger": A Level 1 AREA-RANGED attack.

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: That attack has temporarily affected Blurr's Accuracy. (Blinded)

<p class="MsoNormal">Science Jeep <Cackle> drives fearlessly through the storm, and transforms to her robot mode! She looks over her shoulder at Needlenose, and huffs. "Please." She says, "His weaknesses are RIGHT THERE, if you're paying attention! I mean, look- if he's to keep this cyclone up, he's got to follow generally the same path...and that means we can predict his movements! Look!"

<p class="MsoNormal">And with that, Cackle raises her pistol, and snaps off a few blasts in Blurr's general direction, aiming for where he SHOULD be...but then again, as fast as Blurr is, will it do any good?

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Science Jeep <Cackle> misses Blurr with her DISRUPTOR RAY (Disruptor) attack!

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Science Jeep <Cackle> (Cackle) used "Disruptor": A Level 1 RANGED attack.

<p class="MsoNormal">Cackle transforms into robot mode!

<p class="MsoNormal">Wheelie looks about through the admittedly small base. This place was really cramped... how do Decepticons get anything done around here? Whatever, after a moment of searching, he runs across the main intelligence room. Running up to the console, Wheelie starts tapping buttons and looking up at the screen, in the hopes that either information showed up magically, or something beneficial happened outside to aid Blurr in his efforts.

<p class="MsoNormal">Unfortunately for Cackle, her attempts to predicted the speedster's movements fail, and her shot goes wide. She's right about him having to follow a somewhat homoegenous circular pattern, but he /can/ vary it a little. And he does so in order to avoid her disruptor weapon.

<p class="MsoNormal">However, the same cannot be said for Needlenose's wide-beam photon weapon, and suddenly Blurr finds himself caught in a burst of...well, light that encompasses the area around him and leaves him with spots of static in his vision field and scorch marks on his armor. "Agh!" he skids to a halt, not wanting to run into anything, and the cyclone begins to settle slowly as the sand floats back down to the ground. But he smirks to himself, knowing that Wheelie must have gotten inside already. "Come on, Decepticons! That the best you can do?" he taunts, aiming to get them riled up. He recovers as quickly as he can and rushes behind each of them in turn, attempting to shoot them in the side or back.

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Blurr sets his defense level to Fearless.

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Blurr strikes Needlenose with his Quickdraw Area attack!

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Blurr strikes Cackle with his Quickdraw Area attack!

<p class="MsoNormal"><Autobot> Blurr says, "Wheelie, what's your status?"

<p class="MsoNormal"><Autobot> Wheelie says, "Wheelie is inside the base... it really is a dirty place. I'm looking over their security screen, in search of something I can glean. What about you, Blurr, are you okay? Do you need me to head back your way?"

<p class="MsoNormal">*BZZAT!*

<p class="MsoNormal">Blurr's blast strikes home, and Cackle goes sprawling! If nothing else, at least she's gotten the cyclone to die down. "Argh! Puny Autobot!" Cackle wheels around, already fiddling with knobs and dials on her weapon. "You laugh now, but you're just one Autobot! There's no way you'll be able to stand the wrath of my mighty SCIENCE RAY!" And with that, Cackle takes aim and fires!

<p class="MsoNormal">"Needlenose, get to the air! There's not much cover here, he'll be an easy target!"

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Cackle sets her defense level to Fearless.

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Cackle strikes Blurr with her Science Ray attack!

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Cackle (Cackle) used "Science Ray": A Level 1 RANGED attack.

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Cackle's attack has strange and mysterious effects on Blurr.

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: That attack has temporarily impaired Blurr's Agility. (Crippled)

<p class="MsoNormal"><Autobot> Wheelie says, "I heard that from all the way in here! Are there any Autobots who might be near? Please say there is, this tension is crazy! Are there available Autobots just being lazy!?"

<p class="MsoNormal"><Autobot> Blurr says, "Nnnngh....no. Keep searching."

<p class="MsoNormal"><Autobot> Blurr says, "I can handle these circuit-glitched dimwits."

<p class="MsoNormal">News flash, Wheelie: /We don't/. Once the minibot reaches the computer panel, he'll find a failed game of Minesweeper, security camera access, local comm relay logs, the base's inventory, the base's operational log, and a file manager. There are also controls to operate the base's systems, but they're all geared towards sensors and radio jamming. There doesn't seem to be any base weapons.

<p class="MsoNormal">Outside, Needlenose grins. "Hah, got you, you arrogant fragger! Huh!" He pumps his fist as Blurr is forced to stop. "That's how you do it, Cackle. I hope you're taking notes." The faux-Seeker steps forward, now drawing out Zigzag. "You're pretty confident for someone attacking a base by themselves!" He's about to fire, but Cackle gives him orders, and so he instead transforms into F-16 mode, blasting off into the sky.

<p class="MsoNormal">Swooping around, Needlenose soars towards the Autobot with a Targetmaster under each wing. He grins as Cackle manages to hit him with... something or other. "Zigzag, you're up!" There's a jagged lightning bolt that flies from the gun towards Blurr. If it hits, the speedster may find his circuits all frazzled!

<p class="MsoNormal">Robots in disguise! Needlenose transforms into his F-16XL Jet Fighter mode!

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: F-16XL Jet Fighter <Needlenose> strikes Blurr with his Electrostatic Overloader Rifle attack!

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: F-16XL Jet Fighter <Needlenose> (Needlenose) used "Electrostatic Overloader Rifle": A Level 2 RANGED attack.

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: F-16XL Jet Fighter <Needlenose>'s attack has strange and mysterious effects on Blurr.

<p class="MsoNormal">Wheelie frowns as nothing of note comes up in his searchs. Dang, the Cons have nothing of use when you really need it, do they?! Oh well... Wheelie pulls a device from his shoulder pack, placing it into an insertion slot and twisting it in, letting the information start to download. In nothing else, the communications logs may reveal something of note... or perhaps some files buried somewhere under all their useless garbage... probably an endless stream of poems and doodles made out of boredom. But hey, you never know...

<p class="MsoNormal">Speaking of never knowing, Wheelie could hear the trouble outside starting to brew. Blurr might be in trouble! Hopping a little as he stared with increasing frustration at the device, he waited eagerly for it's little finished light to come on, before yanking it out and packing it back up. Turning, Wheelie made a dash for the entrance, hoping to lend Blurr a hand, or at least tell him it was time to get a move on!

<p class="MsoNormal">Blurr does his best to dodge, but he it's tough to avoid /both/ of them. He's taking a lot of punishment right now, and he knows he can't afford to take too many more hits! He doesn't have a lot of armor, since that stuff weighs a mech down. Being super fast had to come at a price. <<Wheelie...there's got to be a command center of sorts in there. From the scans it's not that big of a place so it shouldn't be hard to find. Besides, there's got to be a map on one of those terminals.>>

<p class="MsoNormal">Meanwhile, he smirks at the Cons. "I won't be able to stand it, eh? Looks like I'm still standing. But hey, I don't /have/ to be." And he transforms into his hovercar form, quickly breaking the sound barrier as he charges straight toward Cackle!

<p class="MsoNormal">In a flurry of moving parts, Blurr folds down into a pale blue-colored supersonic hovercar.

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Cybertronian Hovercar <Blurr> sets his defense level to Fearless.

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Cybertronian Hovercar <Blurr> strikes Cackle with his Sonic Boom attack!

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Drained 8 energon.

<p class="MsoNormal"><Autobot> Wheelie says, "Blurr, it's Wheelie, I've got some information! What's the status on the outside situation!?"

<p class="MsoNormal"><Autobot> Blurr says, "Did you find the command center?"

<p class="MsoNormal"><Autobot> Wheelie says, "The Cons have a whole lot of junk, it's really nothing but a rusting hunk! It's also really small, just my size! It was easy to find the center without those guys."

<p class="MsoNormal"><Autobot> Wheelie says, "I have some logs from their radio chatter. Some other stuff too, although we may have to scatter..."

<p class="MsoNormal">Streetwise has arrived.

<p class="MsoNormal"><Autobot> Blurr says, "Snoop around some more, see what else you can find...backup is on the way. I think."

<p class="MsoNormal">*BOOM!*

<p class="MsoNormal">Blurr hits Cackle, and hard! And with as fast as he is, there's not a thing she can do about it! The femme topples backwards into the dusty ground, and groans. "Agh! Stupid fast Autobot!" she pushes herself back up to her feet- though her aim's a little shakier now- not to mention her tone. "Do you think a mere MESSENGER could take down I, Cackle, one of the Decepticons' greatest minds! BAH, you may be fast, but let's see if you can outrun a LASER? Mwa ha ha ha ha!"

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Cackle sets her defense level to Guarded.

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Cybertronian Hovercar <Blurr> expertly evades Cackle's attack!

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Cackle misses Cybertronian Hovercar <Blurr> with her Laser Ray! (Laser) attack!

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Cackle (Cackle) used "Laser": A Level 2 RANGED attack.

<p class="MsoNormal">The Decepticon computer dutifully downloads its contents into Wheelie's device without complaint. Within a few moments, the transfer is complete and Wheelie is free to move on. The Autobot should have a pretty good idea of what this base consists of. It's a hidden barrack for passing Decepticons to refuel, restock on ammo, and maybe get a quick recharge cycle in as needed. Its usefulness is going to be pretty dubious now that the Bots know about it.

<p class="MsoNormal">Meanwhile, Needlenose is feeling confident: he and Cackle have Blurr outmatched, which is the very best kind of battle. Still, there's a nagging thought at the back of Needlenose's mind that something isn't right here. Why would Blurr come all this way just for a beating? Is he just a scout? How'd he even find this place? No matter, that can wait until later. For now, Needlenose has to help out Cackle.

<p class="MsoNormal">As the speed demon races towards Cackle, the sonic boom can be felt even up in the sky. "Cackle, watch out!" Needlenose shouts, but of course his voice can't go faster than Blurr, and so the warning is ineffectual. "Stand clear, Cackle, I'm gonna turn Blurr into a crater!" From under his right wing, Needlenose fires off one of his powerful proton missiles. The projectile streaks after the Bot, leaving a thick trail of smoke behind it.

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Cybertronian Hovercar <Blurr> expertly evades F-16XL Jet Fighter <Needlenose>'s attack!

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: F-16XL Jet Fighter <Needlenose> misses Cybertronian Hovercar <Blurr> with his Proton Missiles attack! [Pulled -2]

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: F-16XL Jet Fighter <Needlenose> (Needlenose) used "Proton Missiles": A Level 4 RANGED attack.

<p class="MsoNormal">Wheelie skids to a halt as Blurr tells him to keep looking for information. "<Are you sure? Trust me, Blurr, it'd be hard to anything in this scrap manure. I can keep looking, if back ups on the way. But I think I've dug up most of what they have to say...>"

<p class="MsoNormal">Haha, Protectobots to the rescue! Ah, well, just one, at least, for now... Streetwise arrives at the scene to find his Autobot companions in dire need of his assistance! (That's how he sees it anyway) Looking up, he sees Needlenose flying about, bold and nearly victorious. "Oh no you don't!" he cries. He aims carefully at the airborne 'Con, then fires!

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Streetwise strikes F-16XL Jet Fighter <Needlenose> with his Pistol attack!

<p class="MsoNormal">"Hahahaha!" Yes, Blurr is still laughing, as he easily evades both of their attacks. "I don't know if actually I've heard of anyone who can outrun /light/, Cackle, but I'm also finding it unnecessary, thus far, since you two can't seem to shoot for slag. He transforms again and ducks behind a few scant desert rocks. Not much cover out here, but it would have to do for now.

<p class="MsoNormal">The hovercar quickly unfolds upward and outward to reveal the fastest terrestrial Cybertronian in the galaxy, Blurr!

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Blurr sets his defense level to Protected.

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Blurr takes extra time to steady himself. [Pass]

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Regained 6 energon.

<p class="MsoNormal"><Autobot> Blurr says, "Yes, Wheelie. I'm sure. Streetwise is here."

<p class="MsoNormal"><Autobot> Blurr says, "We'll be fine."

<p class="MsoNormal"> <p class="MsoNormal">"Bah! Lousy Autobot! You can't keep up that pace for long! In fact..." Cackle smiles, and tunes her ray gun again, "Let's see how fast you can go once my ENERGY RAY has evaporated the fuel in your tank!" And again, she sets loose with a *VOOOOOIP!* of high-powered science!

<p class="MsoNormal">The other Autobots go unnoticed...for now, at least, but who knows how long that'll last!

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Cackle sets her defense level to Aggressive.

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Cackle misses Blurr with her Energy Ray attack!

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Cackle (Cackle) used "Energy Ray": A Level 1 RANGED attack.

<p class="MsoNormal">In the base, Wheelie is free to look around all he likes, but there doesn't seem to be anything new to find. It's possible that the Decepticons have something else hidden in here... or it's possible that Wheelie's suspicions are right and the base is just what it seems to be. There's some small arms weapons and ammunition, but beyond minor looting the base is fairly normal.

<p class="MsoNormal">Elsewhere, Needlenose nnnns as things go from super special awesome to super not special not awesome. Streetwise is here, and that means it's a fair fight. This is the very worst kind of fight there is. "Cheater, Streetwise!" Needlenose blurts out as the flashlight zings off his fuselage. "You know what they say about cheaters, right? Cheaters always /die/." Needlenose flips into robot mode, bringing up Sunbeam and Zigzag at the same time.

<p class="MsoNormal">Ka-pow, ka-ZING! He combines the both of them into one massive rifle cannon! Aiming the supercharged light gun, the Targetmaster first takes aim at the annoying speedster before reshifting for a quick burst against the Protectobot. "Lets see how YOU like being hit by light, Streetwise!"

<p class="MsoNormal">More Than Meets The Eye! F-16XL Jet Fighter <Needlenose> transforms into robot mode!

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Needlenose strikes Blurr with his Light Burst Discharger Area attack!

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Needlenose (Needlenose) used "Light Burst Discharger": A Level 3 AREA-RANGED attack.

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Needlenose uses up a charge on his Double Targetmaster booster pack!

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Needlenose's attack has damaged your Firepower!

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: That attack has temporarily affected Blurr's Accuracy. (Blinded)

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Needlenose strikes Streetwise with his Light Burst Discharger Area attack!

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: That attack has temporarily affected Streetwise's Accuracy. (Blinded)

<p class="MsoNormal"><<Alright Wheelie...if you think you've got as much as you can find, go ahead and get out of there. They don't know you're here yet so use that to your advant---ugghnnnkkkk!>> Blurr grunts as Needlenose's light discharger hits him again. The cover he's taken manages to shield him from Cackle's attacks, but not Needlenose's aerial ones. His armor's been reduced to nearly half its original integrity.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Oh slag! Thisisbad...badbadbadbadbadbad!" He jumps to his feet, springing from cover and once again. Needlenose was a problem in the air, since none of the Autobots present were capable of flying. He draws his electrolaser from subspace and aims it at the airborne Decepticon.

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Blurr sets his defense level to Aggressive.

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Blurr strikes Needlenose with his Electro-Laser attack!

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Needlenose has been temporarily incapacitated.

<p class="MsoNormal">Wheelie shakes his head as he looks about. He was hoping the base would be a bit more interesting, but it was just an outpost... nothing of real importance here. But the battle was going on hard outside. Wheelie needed to pack it up and get back out into the fray! Especially if Blurr needed help! Of course, Streetwise was there, so that bought him a little bit of time...

<p class="MsoNormal">Clambering out of the hole in the ground entrance, the first thing that caught Wheelie's eye was Needlenose firing his big gun around at Blurr and Streetwise. Leaping to his feet, Wheelie took a running charge at the targetmaster. "Wheelie isn't totally sure, what exactly you've done to Blurr. But danger is not something that I fear, not when my friends are in danger here! My moves are more than they appear, they'll knock you back into yesteryear!" Wheelie leapt off the ground for Needlenose, aiming a flying kick to the Decepticon's head... and hoping it would connect.

<p class="MsoNormal">That'd be really embarassing if he missed...

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Wheelie appears from the shadows...

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Sneak Attack!!

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Wheelie strikes Needlenose with his Kick attack!

<p class="MsoNormal">"Ha! Cheater's only a cheater if he gets c--unngh." Streetwise grunts as he's struck by Needlenose's blast. "Fragger.." he mutters grumpily. He regains his composure and looks around, seeing Cackle, he makes her his next target. "Now you two put me in a bad mood.." He says sourly.

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Streetwise sets his defense level to Aggressive.

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Streetwise strikes Cackle with his Photon Pistol attack!

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: That attack has temporarily limited Cackle's Accuracy! (Blinded)

<p class="MsoNormal">Cackle takes a blast full on in the chest! She steps back, looking down at the hole...and then she looks up, and runs a tactical analysis. Two Decepticons, three Autobots...and here she's fresh out of power cells for her ray projector!

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Augh! You've won this day, Autobots! But soon, I, Cackle, shall have my vengeance!" At this, she transforms to her vehicular mode and speeds off. "Veeeeeeeengeeeeeance!" her voice cracks a little bit as she peels out over the horizon.

<p class="MsoNormal">Cackle transforms into vehicle mode!

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Science Jeep <Cackle> begins retreating, leaving herself vulnerable to parting shots from Blurr

<p class="MsoNormal">Needlenose frowns as Wheelie appears near the base. It doesn't take him long to put two and two together to figure out what Blurr was doing this whole time, "Wheelie!?" The Decepticon takes aim, but suddenly ends up getting fragged by Blurr! Ah. Reverse the polarity. So THAT's what that means. Needlenose is completely frozen in mid-air, which makes him an easy target for Wheelie to leap up and kick him square in the mid-section! "/Ooof/!" he exclaims, knocked to the ground.

<p class="MsoNormal">Splitting apart and holstering his rifle, Needlenose transforms back into F-16 mode. Thanks to the Autobots, Needlenose now knows that the base was infiltrated. That may prove a problem since now the Decepticons know the Autobots know... whatever they know. The faux-Seeker blasts away from the base, abandoning what little is there to the Bots.

<p class="MsoNormal">Robots in disguise! Needlenose transforms into his F-16XL Jet Fighter mode!

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: F-16XL Jet Fighter <Needlenose> begins retreating, outrunning all pursuit.

<p class="MsoNormal"><Autobot> Wheelie says, "Yeah, that's right, you'd better run, schlocks! You've been dismissed from our school of hard knocks!"

<p class="MsoNormal"><Autobot> Nate Briar says, "I think they just want a marriage between Prime's Bumblebee and Bay's Bumblee."

<p class="MsoNormal"><Autobot> Spindrift says, "Yes"

<p class="MsoNormal"><Autobot> Spindrift says, "Beepy-Bee is all Bay's damn fault"

<p class="MsoNormal">"That's right, run ya strutless cowards!" Blurr shouts, shaking a fist as the retreating Decepticons. But as they are leaving, he notices that Cackle's jeep form is like...waaay slow. Slow enough for him to aim one last shot at her damaged aft.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Heheheh....but I bet /you/ can't outrun a laser, either." Speeding after her for a short distance, he gets close enough to fire a single blast in her direction.

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Blurr sets his defense level to Fearless.

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Blurr strikes Science Jeep <Cackle> with his Laser you can't outrun! (Laser) attack!

<p class="MsoNormal">Wheelie felt a slight pain in his foot from the kick. Cool as that may have looked, those Cons have some surprisingly (or unsurprisingly) hard heads. Rubbing his heel a bit, Wheelie watched with great satisfaction as Blurr chased after the Cons with lasers. Looking at Streetwise, he gave a thumbs up. "Glad to see you back up Blurr, with just me on his team, I wasn't quite sure."

<p class="MsoNormal">He was paying a little too much attention to the retreating 'Cons. "Ha! Cheater, my aft!" Streetwise yells at the their two retreating enemies. "Bunch strutless slagpiles, that's what you are." It seems Wheelie's a little too small to gain the Protectobot's attnetion, as he has just protoformed to shake a fist at the mechs who were now leaving.

<p class="MsoNormal">Once Blurr has nailed Cackle one last time, he returns to the others. It only took him like a few astroseconds, of course. He looks triumphant, though his armor is sparking. "Ha! We beat 'em good. Nice kick there, Wheelie. I have to admit, I didn't expect that much from you..." he pauses a moment, looking exhausted. "Well, I guess we'd better get back to base." He transforms and offers Wheelie a ride back. "Good work out there, team!" <pre style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> ================================== Autobot =================================== Message: 3/136                    Posted        Author Report: Cairo Outpost Infiltrated Sun Dec 09    Blurr --        Blurr's light blue face appears on the videopane. He looks banged up but triumphant. "Blurr here. But you all know -that- alreadly so I won't state the obvious any more.         "Anyway, about five cycles ago, Wheelie, Sideswipe and I located a Decepticon outpost in Cairo. We spotted several Decepticons there, including Spinister, Needlenose, Sinnertwin, and Cackle. Wheelie was to sneak inside to see if he could find any intel on Metroplex's T-cog while Sideswipe and I planned to create a diversion outside to draw the Decepticons out. However, Sideswipe disappeared unexpectedly and I was left to deal with Cackle and Needlenose on my own. Guess we shouldn't be surprised at /that/ one, huh. Tch." He shrugs before moving on. "At any rate, Wheelie copied a bunch of information off of the mainframe, but it looks like the important stuff's going to take some decoding so Operations better get on that. "Oh, yeah and then Wheelie called for backup and Streetwise showed up, and we of course kicked the Decepticons' sorry skidplates all the way back to Polyhex. Blurr, out." The transmission ends with an Autobot spinny. =============================================================================== <p class="MsoNormal">Uncategorized Decepticon comm chatter:

<p class="MsoNormal"><Decepticon> Needlenose says, "Man there's another one. Lets bail, Cackle. This base is useless now."

<p class="MsoNormal"><Decepticon> Cackle says, "What? No! There's only two of them! And they're not even Dinobots or tanks or whatever!"

<p class="MsoNormal"><Decepticon> Triggerhappy says, "Tch, just listen yourself Needlenose. You're an even bigger ninny than than the scientist!"

<p class="MsoNormal"><Decepticon> Needlenose says, "Hmph, FINE."

<p class="MsoNormal"><Decepticon> Cackle says, "ANOTHER one?!"

<p class="MsoNormal"><Decepticon> Needlenose says, "Lame."

<p class="MsoNormal"><Decepticon> Needlenose says, "Wait a minute... Wheelie? I bet that little bugger was in our base!"

<p class="MsoNormal"><Decepticon> Cackle says, "For the record, I am making a tactical relocation that is perfectly justified given the situation. Needlenose, DESTROY THEM."

<p class="MsoNormal"><Decepticon> Needlenose says, "Yeah sure you did. You're filing the report on this."