Black Shuttle Down

Synopsis: An EDC black ops team has been shot down in Carbombya, and a joint Autobot/EDC rescue team must save them from the clutches of Abdul Fakkadi!

Carbombya

The grassy hills and savannas in the east, bordered by ancient volcanos and sprawling lava fields, are the only part of Carbombya not made up of barren desert. Until recently, the country depended on meager livestock herding and subsistence agriculture, but upon the discovery of a huge reserve of very high-grade oil beneath the shifting desert sands, things changed radically. The struggling democracy weathered multiple coup attempts by greedy neighbors and other interested foreigners before finally succumbing to the tender mercies of a home-grown dictator. There are no refugees from war torn Ethiopia being taken in as slave labor, not here under the enlightened rule of President-for-Life Abdul Fakkaddi!

Contents:

Tiny Stag Beetle

Obvious exits:

East < E > leads to Red Sea.

West < W > leads to Shores of the Nile River.

Fly < Up >

Chopshop (Tiny Stag Beetle)

This is an extremely tiny robotic brown stag beetle, it's tiny red eyes glowing malevolently. It's small steel pincers work back and forth as it supports itself on six long, thin legs.

Alias set.

That is not a valid player.

Terran Shuttle < Banzai > arrives from the Shores of the Nile River to the west.

Terran Shuttle < Banzai > has arrived.

Terran Shuttle < Banzai > drops down into Carbombyan airspace in a barely-controlled descent, wings and undercarriage still glowing dull red with the heat from atmospheric re-entry. The pilot sets the ship in a high circling pattern, opening it's cargo ramp.

From Terran Shuttle < Banzai >, James Bailey runs for his Warthog. "We'd gonna bail out from here - no sense risking another shuttle down there!" He's halfway into the pilot's compartment before he stops and looks at Apocryphacius. "Uh...you ever used a parachute?"

The city seems to be alive! You can hear the shouting of the masses from here, and dark smoke pours upwards from several locations. Occasionally gunfire echoes out.

From Terran Shuttle < Banzai >, Apocryphacius suddenly looks extremely worried and twiddles his tentacles together. He hems and haws, "Ah, sir, on that day of basic, er... they did not have my size, and I was excused. I mean, I am familiar with how a parachute works, conceptually, I have just never actually used one, personally. Sir."

From Terran Shuttle < Banzai >, Talazia Keldahoff drops Ventress Exo-Suit < Talazia Keldahoff >.

From Terran Shuttle < Banzai >, Talazia Keldahoff enters the Ventress Exo-Suit < Talazia Keldahoff >.

From Terran Shuttle < Banzai >, Talazia Keldahoff leaves the Ventress Exo-Suit < Talazia Keldahoff >.

From Terran Shuttle < Banzai >, James Bailey enters the Exo-Tank Hermes < James Bailey >.

From Terran Shuttle < Banzai >, Sam drops Exo-Armor Talon < Sam >.

From Terran Shuttle < Banzai >, Talazia Keldahoff enters the Ventress Exo-Suit < Talazia Keldahoff >.

Ventress Exo-Suit < Talazia Keldahoff > leaves the Terran Shuttle < Banzai >.

Ventress Exo-Suit < Talazia Keldahoff > has arrived.

From Terran Shuttle < Banzai >, Sam enters the Exo-Armor Talon < Sam >.

From Terran Shuttle < Banzai >, Apocryphacius looks sidelong at Sam. So, strap on a parachute that was probably meant for a crate of supplies or ask a fellow member of the EDC if he can hitch a ride. Apocryphacius is not sure which option scares him more, and he looks at a pair of tentacles that the way a human might look at his hands. Stupid social skills. Sighing, Apocryphacius inquires, "Might I get a lift, Sam?"

Exo-Tank Hermes < James Bailey > leaves the Terran Shuttle < Banzai >.

Exo-Tank Hermes < James Bailey > has arrived.

From Terran Shuttle < Banzai >, Exo-Armor Talon < Sam > Robot is indeed in the rear of the shuttle preparing to launch. Its pilot turns at the inquiry. "Er.. certainly," responds Sam. The Talons arm's extend straight out to the sides like a kid pretending to be an airplane. "Recommend attaching to upper rear of exo-suit.. erm.. 'back of shoulders,' yes, avoid flight control surfaces."

Meanwhile...

President for Life, Abdul Fakkadi, clad in his ridiculous outfit, with numerous medals that he awarded himself, is riding in the back of a gold plated SUV, right behind some Technicals (ordinary trucks outfitted with military grade weapons, like .50 cal machine guns). He wants to see the crash site himself, as well as make sure that no harm comes to what may be potentially valuable hostages.

Ventress Exo-Suit < Talazia Keldahoff > Jet almost immediately launches from the shuttle and starts to circle carbombya. < < Beetle....I have a bad feeling about this. Let's just get the survivors into the shuttle above. > >

From Terran Shuttle < Banzai >, Apocryphacius makes a mental note to self to design himself a flying saucer or something. Hmm, he has not been 'home' to check on the wreckage of the shuttle that brought him to Earth for a very long time. Over a year. Perhaps he should take a visit back and see if there is anything of use in the wreckage. He replies, "Oh, thank you!" The Quintesson then hovers around behind Sam, trying his very best to seem NOT like the looming tentacled monstrosity that he really is.

Exo-Armor Talon < Sam > leaves the Terran Shuttle < Banzai >.

Exo-Armor Talon < Sam > has arrived.

Exo-Tank Hermes < James Bailey > Robot steps out of the shuttle and immediately falls like the giant thirty-ton lump of metal that it is. As it approaches the ground, a pair of small parachutes deploy from an armored backpack, tiny like the ones on drag-racing cars, and thrusters fire in short bursts. It still falls fast, but at a slightly more controlled speed. Just before hitting the ground it shifts into it's tank mode, lift engines straining to slow it down so that it just bangs into the landing spot, a small field, rather than slamming down. < < Roger Siryn >  > He radios back. < < Heading towards the last known coordinates of the shuttle now. Keep an eye out on our Specialists on their way down? > >

Apocryphacius leaves the Terran Shuttle < Banzai >.

Apocryphacius has arrived.

The Hermes reconfigures into hover-tank mode.

Exo-Armor Talon < Sam > Robot has a curious passenger, so doesn't go for the hot-LZ approach of the heavier units, instead taking a gentler descent path to land behind the Hermes several minutes later.

Apocryphacius holds into the Talon for dear life. Medics that go splat are not very useful medics, and it sounds as if there will be wounded that need tending.

The city is a huge freaking mess. Everywhere, at seemingly random locations, roads are blocked off by whatever debris the citizens could scrounge up. Occasionally, these barricades include a pile of burning tires, seemingly drawing the hordes of enraged Carbombyans swarming throught the city. As for the crash site, the only thing visible there is a mob of Carbombyans, jumping up and down the hull of the slim vessel, firing off Kalashnikovs excitedly.

The EDC rescue team isn't ignored in all of this either. Stray rifle shots, and an even an RPG or two, are fired at them, usually from rooftops.

Ventress Exo-Suit < Talazia Keldahoff > Jet is quite able to dodge the small arms fire from the people on the roofs. she's a pretty skilled pilot. However, she's still on the radio. < < I'm counting at least 8 to 10, Beetle. I'm going to activate Phoenix Squadron for this. > >

Exo-Armor Talon < Sam > Robot ducks behind a building as best it can, taking a couple of ricocheting AK rounds zinging off its shoulders (and probably dangerously close to Apoc's head). Sam kneels the Talon so that Apoc can get down and use the larger exo-suit for cover.

Exo-Tank Hermes < James Bailey > Tank accelerates to faster speeds, not worrying about staying within a Talon's top speed in robot mode. Instead it lets itself get ahead, trying to attract the majority of the attention (and gunfire) and bulldoze it's way through barricades, then pausing to let Sam and Apocryphacius catch up before speeding ahead again. An urban setting is a perfect environment for the small hover-tank.

Apocryphacius ducks down as best he can, shortening his hover column to hang lower to the ground. He has been in live fire situation before, even proper combat, but it is not a frequent experience for him, and the Quintesson often cringes, especially as the bullets whiz past him, too close for comfort. He ducks behind Sam and draws his pistol, trying to stay calm.

The Carbombyans are shocked and awed, understandably, as James makes short work of their barricades, often diving out of the way of his tank. However, up ahead of him is a man with an RPG-7. And in front of him, are two women, one of which is his wife, the other his daughter. They make the perfect shield for him as he lines up a shot...

As the city rages, Fakkadi gets a call on his radio.

"More EDC units?" he growls into his short-range radio. "I want them dead. All of them." Pause. "No, not the spec-ops, you idiot! The new ones. Whatever!" Another pause. "Yes... you are right... time to make a call..."

For the moment, not too many Carbombyans have noticed Sam and his Quintesson escort, and those that do spot them tend to just stare dumbly at the bizarre alien, never having anything like it.

Exo-Armor Talon < Sam > Robot moves out, intentionally keeping along with the Quintesson. Sam keeps the safeties locked on his weapons as he navigates his exo-suit to catch up with the others.

From Exo-Tank Hermes < James Bailey >, James Bailey curses and brings his hover-tank to a stop as he notices the RPG and more importantly the human shields. He shifts his Exo back into it's robot mode and hefts a hand-held shield into position, but leaves his own weapons stowed. James has never used an Exo's weapons against another human being, and he doesn't want to start today.

Apocryphacius follos along closely behind sam. he can take a hit or to, but that does not mean that he particularly wants to. In fact, he would rather avoid it. He carries his pistol cautiously, the barrel pointed at the ground. One good thing about five faces is that he can keep a watch from behind while still looking forward.

The Hermes reconfigures into simulated robot mode.


 * FWOOSH!* The Carbombyan fires his RPG at James Bailey, but the shield absorbs the impact of the weapon quite handily. Still, the man is a persistent little bugger and is already loading up a new rocket.

And, as Sam and Apocryphacius make their way down the street, a throng of children begins to follow them, smiling as if nothing is wrong, even as bullets whip by. "Are you American?" asks one child, about ten or so. Hard to tell who it's directed at, with all the chaos in the streets.

CHAT: You join channel < Earth >.

Apocryphacius gets nailed where it really hurts: his citizenship! Or rather, his lack thereof. He scratches the side of his face with a tentacle, and he replies hesitatnly, "Ah, actually... I think I am from New Zealand. Not sure, really." Bother. He really does need to check with a lawyer about that matter someday.

< Earth > Abdul Fakkadi says, "This is President For Life Abdul Fakkadi, of the Socialist Democratic Federated Republic of Carbombya. My country has been invaded without cause by the EDC swine, and I ask the Decepticons for their help! In exchange, I offer some of my country's oil, which is some of the finest in the world!"

From Exo-Armor Talon < Sam >, Sam has never really dealt with children in a war zone and seems suitably horrified by their behavior. "Should not remain here unprotected!" he tells them. "Very dangerous!"

Ventress Exo-Suit < Talazia Keldahoff >, despite all of the oncoming fire, STILL lands near the shuttle. despite taking small arms fire, she starts firing disruptors AT the carbombyans in the area. Of course, she misses purposefully...trying to make them scatter. Anyone that wishes to be a hot shot....WILL get shot.

Exo-Tank Hermes < James Bailey > Robot seems to hesitate as the man loads another rocket. Inside, James isn't sure how many rockets he can block. Finally, he presses the foot pedals in his pilot's compartment, causing the giant Exo-Armor to lean forward and sprint towards the small family. But halfway there, he stomps both pedals down hard.

The Hermes responds by firing the thrusters on it's back and lifting off - not actual flight, but just a jet-boosted jump that takes it high over the three locals and then brings it down on the other side of them. Once there it continues sprinting, trying to get around a corner before any more RPGs are sent it's way.

Exo-Armor Talon < Sam > Robot slides to a kneeling halt.

Apocryphacius has never dealt with children, period. The larval form of the human species is something of enigma to him. Certainly, he is aware that they exist, and he has read about them from a medical standpoint, but that is all, really. He has a vague idea that, as something of doctor, he is supposed to hand out lollipops to larval humans, but he is not sure why that would even be a good idea. The sugar would just rot their teeth! He reaches out to grab the Talon's shoulders.

Apocryphacius succeeds in grasping Exo-Armor Talon < Sam > Robot, throwing it off-balance.

The kids look at each other in a puzzled manner. "People from New Zealand have tentacles?" one asks. "Do they hurt?" asks another kid. "Nah, we're fine," says another child to Sam. And besides, this is the most exciting thing that's happened all day, so they continue to pursue Sam and the Quintesson.

The man squaring off with James loads up his RPG, but by the time he has done so the exo has already jumped over him. He fires a rocket after him, but misses, and it explodes into the side of a building.

Talazia successfully breaks up the mob at the crash site, but oddly, there's no sign of the spec ops soldiers here. Have they already been captured?

Exo-Armor Talon < Sam > Robot launches airborne, this time a good bit less gently than the earlier landing, skimming the tops of the buildings as it slides left and right erratically to avoid a rush of incoming fire from the ground.

Twisting and shifting, the Talon exo-jet transforms into an exo-suit.

Apocryphacius curls his non-grasping tentacles in tight and close to his body. He replies to the children, fairly shouting as Sam launches airborne, "Not reeeeaaaallly!" Alas, he does not have the time to explain all the details, such as how he is a not a typical example of anything, especially not a typical person from New Zealand. The children will just have to use wikipedia to clear up the matter. If there's internet out here.

Exo-Tank Hermes < James Bailey > Robot runs along through the streets, using more thruster-assisted leaps to navigate obstacles along the way and take a few strategic shortcuts. It finally comes pounding out in front of the downed shuttle, practically skidding to a halt and then walking out to join Talazia's Talon, carefully scanning the area.

Exo-Armor Talon < Sam > Robot lands sprinting on top of a roof as an RPG streaks overhead, then jets over a wide street, gaining some altitude and moving away from the buildings below. Sam's more intent on not getting him or his passenger blow up by a rocket than he is concerned about general comfort, so the ride might be a little harrowing for Apocryphacius. If anyone could see it, the frown around clenched teeth on Sam's face would indicate that the pilot's not enjoying himself all that much either. The EDC robot streaks toward the crash site.

From Exo-Tank Hermes < James Bailey >, Noah Wolfe leaves the UNS Atlantis.

From Exo-Tank Hermes < James Bailey >, Noah Wolfe dons an EDC exo flight suit. (see desc)

Apocryphacius is harrowed like a field when the farmer is on crack! He probably makes a few noises that would sound like 'eep' and 'ack' as said by a squid. Spotting yet another rocket flying at them, Apocryphacius cries out, "Watch your six!"

Sure, there's internet out here! The kids mostly use it for online scams though. You know the deal. Some royalty in Tezmurkistan or whatever can't get at his money, but if he can use YOUR bank account number, then OMG he might just share some of the money with you. "See my Myspace page some time!" one of the kids shouts, and the throng waves goodbye to the two while their parents and neighbors fire upwards at the soaring exo and his passenger.

Much as Talazia warned, James, Sam, and Apocryphacius will not find any of the spec ops soldiers at the crash site. But oddly, the Carbombyans seem to be losing interest in the crash site already. They're rushing off towards a plume of dark smoke off in the distance, jabbering something that sounds suspiciously like, "Durka durka!"

And then who should happen upon the crash site? Abdul Fakkadi, and his convoy of Technicals.

"STOP!" yells the dictator from the window of his Hummer, and the convoy comes to a halt near the EDC rescue team. He leans his head out, and imperiously demands, "Why have you come here and destroyed the peace of my country? We have done nothing to you... well, except for occasionally shooting at passenger liners that got too close to our country, buying and selling chemical and biological weapons, and kidnapping people from other countries, but that's no reason for this atrocity you have committed upon us!!!"

Exo-Armor Talon < Sam > Robot drops to the deck to avoid incoming fire, landing heavily on the outside ring of the crash site. Just in time to get faced down by a horde of pickup trucks with recoiless rifles. This is not good.

From Exo-Tank Hermes < James Bailey >, Noah Wolfe sits in the navagation and communication officers spot in James's two person exo-armor. Holding onto the bars he looks at the screens and lurches as the thing goes into robot mode. He says, "You're not going to fire on them, are you?"

Ventress Exo-Suit < Talazia Keldahoff > Robot starts to scan the skies for where the smoke is coming from. The dictator is all but ignored when he speaks up by the Ventress as it turns from him.....trying to look down the street.

Whirl has arrived.

The Dictator pulls out gold-plated Desert Eagle--he seems to like gold-plating--and waves it menacingly at the rescue team. "Well!? I have asked why you have violated our sovereignty! Sure, Russia is the only country which formally recognizes us, but isn't that good enough to ensure our territorial rights?"

The Carbombyan mob, meanwhile, is still running off towards that plume of smoke. It's virtually impossible to tell what it is at ground level due to all the intervening structures, however.

From Exo-Tank Hermes < James Bailey >, James Bailey eyes the figure of Abdul Fakkadi on his screens. Is this guy for real? After a moment, James clicks on his external speakers. "We're here to respond to a call for aid - it's in the EDC charter, Mr...President. Anywhere and anytime. This is strictly search and rescue."

Exo-Armor Talon < Sam > Robot launches straight up into the air, into a high arc.

Ventress Exo-Suit < Talazia Keldahoff > Robot hops into the air and activates it's verniers to get higher into the air. The ship then travels in a different direction before transforming into it's fighter form and flying out towards the plume of smoke.

Twisting and shifting, the exo-suit transforms into the Talon exo-jet.

Fwoopfwoopfwoop. That's the sound a helicopter makes, for the record. Fwoopfwoopfwoop. A light blue helicopter. Fwoopfwoopfwoop. With yellow rotors. Fwoopfwoopfwoop. And that conspicuously painted helicopter is making its way over the beautiful country of Carbombya. Hn, beautiful? Okay, maybe not, but it doesn't change the fact that Whirl is here for, well, why the hell not?

Being completely obsessed with going out and practically begging for trouble, the Wrecker's attention is automatically drawn upon the plumes of smoke off in the distance. And so, he makes his gradual migration over towards it.

Abdul Fakkadi is, unfortunately for his country, citizens, neighbors, and pretty much the world at large, all too real. He aims the Desert Eagle at James Bailey, and sneers, "We do not recognize the EDC's charter! I have not even read it, but I may have used it as toilet paper once! I will fire a warning shot, and after that, you will leave at once!" He fires the pistol at the exo-suit, but the recoil is overwhelming and the gun flies up and into his face. "Ah, ah, ouch, someone! Someone get me a bandage or something!" The Technical crews, fearful of what their leader would do if they do not lend assistance immediately, all hop out of their vehicles, bearing first-aid kits. "Not all of you, you idiots!" Fakkadi yells.

The rescue team, once it rises up high enough, notes that the smoke is coming from a pile of burning tires. However, that appears to be a signal, drawing Carbombyans to what looks like a dilapidated hotel. A swarm of Carbombyans is clustered outside of it, firing into it. And someone inside is firing back...

Chopshop has left.

From Exo-Tank Hermes < James Bailey >, James Bailey watches his screen in disbelief as Abdul fires on his armored Exo-Suit. Then after a second, he shrugs and manipulates the controls, causing the Exo to perform an exaggerated, belated flinch, as if in pain. He clicks on the emitters again. "Your excellency...highness...um, Mr. President! Sir! Please! What I mean to say is, the EDC's charter states that we have to respond to calls for aid, wherever and whenever they're detected! I assure you, we'd never think to approach your mighty nation otherwise...at least not without permission. The thing is, we assumed it was someone in -your- country asking for our help! That's why we came straight here!"

Twisting and shifting, the Talon exo-jet transforms into an exo-suit.

Twisting and shifting, the exo-suit transforms into the Talon exo-jet.

Dogfight has arrived.

The wings on Dogfight's back flip and move forward as the entire form collapses into a much older model Cybertronian fighter.

Ventress Exo-Suit < Talazia Keldahoff > Jet flys it's hardest out towards the building....and drops towards the ground hard. once close enough, it transforms and blasts the ground with is verniers.....kicking up lots and lots of dust to hinder the eyesight of the carbombyans. < < Get to the roof. > > She shortwaves to the people inside.

Abdul Fakkadi dabs at his bleeding face with some gauze from one of the dozens of first aid kits that is being held out in front of him. "Ack, I do not believe your lies, American!" he yells. "Those are EDC markings on that vessel!" He gives a quick glance at the crashed ship. No actual EDC markings are on it. "Uhh... I... I could tell. But I know this is your doing! Withdraw your men at once!"

Hound has arrived.

Exo-Armor Talon < Sam > Robot obviously trails behind the jets. It's slower in Robot mode, and it's weighed down by the Quintesson. Unfortunately this makes it a fairly prime target for folks below in the streets, and a few more rounds ping off its armor. Sam speaks to Apocryphacius, over the suit's external speakers (turned down so they don't deafen the poor squid), "Approaching site. Are well, yes?"

Apocryphacius thinks he needs better shock absorbers. Or a flying saucer. Yes. He grinds out, sounding more cheerful than he feels, "Been better. Is your health within acceptable parameters?"

Dogfight is still a ways off, but is enroute, a purple blur in the skies as he flies towards Carbomya. He's flying as silent as he can.

Exo-Tank Hermes < James Bailey > Robot raises it's arms in a gesture of helplessness. The speakers ring with James' voice. "Mr. President, we'll withdraw our forces just as soon as we can. Just need a little more time. Believe me, I don't want to be here any longer than I want to." A faint voice comes out over the speakers, as if someone else is talking in the background. "Getting sensor contacts of incoming Transformers, approaching from the air - probably Decepticons. Recommend--" The speakers click off hurriedly.

James may be promising that the sudden visitation of Autobots and EDC personnel will be out as soon as possible but for Hound that is not even close to right now. He's currently driving down a central street, the mount of his gun pointed down so no one will get the wrong idea, at a simulacrum of a uniform soldier sitting in the driver's seat. He comes to a halt at one of the instersections, the soldier in the seat glancing to the left and right, before he guns his engine and rolls forward again toward the center of the consternation.

Abdul Fakkadi holds a bit of gauze onto his face as he grins evilly. "Decepticons? They are here? Very very good! Decepticons will kill you until you are dead, Yankee scum! Ha ha ha!"

Someone radios back to Talazia, "Understood, coming up to the roof. Be advised we have multiple wounded!" Soldiers in spec ops gear begin to emerge from a stairwell onto the roof, some of them carrying badly wounded men by their shoulders. The entire team looks like it's in horrible shape. So far, ten men have emerged from the hotel.

Bell AH-1 Cobra < Whirl > begins to descend and decides to make it's landing practically on top of the convoy Fakkadi has brought. Okay, well, not really on top of, but he's awkwardly close. Upon touching the ground, it transforms into the robot we've all come to know as Whirl. Yes! Surely he's some to help the EDC! To offer his skills to aid them!

Wait, that's weird. The Autobot symbol that usually sits above his cockpit is..pointy. And purple. And of poor quality. It looks like the Decepticon symbols you see on KO's at Dollarmania. The hell.

"FOR THE EMPIRE!

In a series of seperating, and splitting parts, Whirl transforms into his robot mode.

Archaic Cybertronian Fighter Jet comes swooping in then, and transforms. If it is possible to transform crankily, that is what Dogfight now does. "Your orders, sir?" His symbol is covered over entirely, wings and chest blank, as he turns his face to look at Whirl. Shockwave Junior, meet the Seeker wannabe.

The wings on the fighter flip up, rotating forward as the tail moves forward, splitting into legs. The cockpit area drops and becomes a chestplate, revealing a head as arms come out of the sides.

Twisting and shifting, the Talon exo-jet transforms into an exo-suit.

Exo-Armor Talon < Sam > Robot is kind of unwieldy at this point, trying to come in for a landing on a roof while dodging fire. Sam turns his exo-suit and moves in on the rooftop a little too fast for a proper landing while the suit's alarms go off. Some nut has pulled an archaic Stinger missile launcher from his grandfather's attic and has gotten a lock on the relatively slow-moving Talon. Without enough warning to do anything else, Sam's exo pries the Quintesson off its back and tosses it ahead the few remaining meters to safety of the rooftop just as the old warhead slams into the back left shoulder of the Talon, spinning it and sending it sprawling out onto the roof.

Exo-Tank Hermes < James Bailey > Robot backs away from Whirl and Dogfight, hefting the shield with one hand and holding the other one out, palm facing the 'Decepticons' in a keep back gesture. "Look...we don't want any trouble here." James voice emits. "Mr President! Please! Call them off!"

Abdul Fakkadi smiles at the "Decepticons." "Welcome to my country, friends!" Fakkadi says, warmly, yet with a smug overtone. "Please, take care of that unpleasant EDC THUG over there, would you? As promised, a portion of my people's oil will be yours!" He grins evilly at James. "Too late for no trouble, American! You had your chance!"

Apocryphacius is flung with a rather unpleasant screech. Groaning, he is not too quick to push himself back up. Instead, he checks to make sure that he is not about to have a face blown off, and he sees Sam's talon take the Stinger. His faces whirl, briefly cycling through horror before settling on something rather harder. Homo homini lupus, right? He withdraws his medical kit, and in a steady voice, he asks, "Who needs help the most?" Triage. No good to treat the guy with a headache if someone is dying of gunshot wounds.

With a ratcheting creak, as if he does not use this face often, Apocryphacius shifts to the Face of Death.

From Ventress Exo-Suit < Talazia Keldahoff >, Talazia Keldahoff lowers itself towards the roof, and brings out his rifle. It's there as a show of force and primarily to shoot down incoming missiles. She sends a radio to the Banzai to land on the roof and for the Quintesson to go with the Black Ops squad.

Terran Shuttle < Banzai > descends towards the city, circling in towards the rooftoop where the EDC squad and their rescuers are waiting. It makes an easy target for bullets and RPGs, but as an interstellar shuttle it's tough and covered in thick spaceworthy armor, so it can weather the storm of Carbombyan fire for a few minutes at least. Hopefully.

Though they eye the Quintesson with distrust, two of the soldiers gently lie a wounded comrade down on his back. He seems to have been hit with numerous shrapnel fragments, right through his body armor, although that might have saved him from the worst of it. He's bleeding and currently unconscious.

Down at street level, the Carbombyans continue their assault, attacking anything that tries to approach the hotel the spec ops team hid inside of.

Exo-Armor Talon < Sam > Robot is mostly fine. The 40 year old missile had just enough mass and explosive 'oomph' left in it to knock the already unbalanced exo-suit off course. But up here on the roof it's kind of hard to see from the ground, and some people in the streets cheer at their little 'victory' over the superior technology of the EDC. This, combined with the approach of the Banzai, provides a reprieve from the fire on the rooftop. So Sam pops the canopy of his suit, shakes his head to clear it of the mild vertigo from spinning around so quickly, and rushes over toward the Quint medic.

Sam leaves the Exo-Armor Talon < Sam >.

Sam has arrived.

Exo-Tank Hermes < James Bailey > Robot backpedals slowly, pulling off a rifle-like weapon that was magnetically locked to it's back and pointing the weapon at Whirl. At the same time it lowers a small laser turret on one shoulder to point at Dogfight. It also raises the shield and positions it to cover the most critical areas - namely the torso region where the pilot's compartment is positioned. Does it really mean to take on both 'Decepticons' at once...?

Well, no. All this time it's been backing off, and now it turns and lunges into a nearby alleyway, disappearing from sight. "You'll never catch me!" James' amplified voice echoes out from between the buildings.

The Hermes reconfigures into hover-tank mode.

Whirl sends a glowing stare at Fakkadi, "Of course. Heh, tell you what, I'll do more than 'take care' of this goon, I'll give you his smoldering head. For a little 'tip', of course." If he could, he would wink at the Dict-er, Carbombyan President. But he can't, so his optic just flickers a bit. The Wreck-DECEPTICON, takes a step towards the Exo-ed James, fist clenching and unclenching, module upon his hand giving off an eerie glow.

When James takes off, Whirl quickly follows suit. "YOU CAN RUN, FOOL, BUT YOU CAN'T ESCAPE YOUR FATE! I WILL SHOW YOU THE POWER OF THE DECEPTICON EMPIRE!"

Dogfight draws his shotgun then, looking at Whirl and then shrugging, moving off after James, slowly, as though stalking, hunting. "Come out, come out, whereever you are!"

Apocryphacius has an EDC issue medical kit, if that helps at all. (It probably doesn't.) Briefly, he considers installing an ar-reactor capable of powering an exo-suit into the injured man's chest, so that I could then power a battery to keep shrapnel away from the man's heart. Then Apocryphacus decides that he has been watching too many human movies, and he moves to render more normal emergency treatemnet to stabilise the human. One might call it 'meatball surgery' - efficient and effective but, well... not pretty.

Sam stops next to Apocryphacius. "Will assist," he explains briefly to the squid, then looks at the injured humans. "EDC is here for retrieval."

Exo-Tank Hermes < James Bailey > Tank zips around out of sight, able to manage the narrow alleyways due to it's nimble hover-systems and the fact that it's no bigger than a normal-sized car. Soon it's headed away from the area Fakkadi is in.

Apocryphacius inquires briefly, arching an optic, "You have medical training?" Sam is a surpising person! He directs briskly, "Here, pass me some gauze pads."

Abdul Fakkadi laughs uproariously as the "Decepticons" chase off James Bailey. "Haha, yes, run, American! Quickly, driver, follow them! I want to see the kill myself! The rest of you idiots, get those bandages out of my face and go find out what that smoke's about!" Fakkadi ducks his head back inside the Hummer as it chases after the "Decepticons," and the convoy of Technicals breaks away and begins to drive towards the hotel.

The soldier winces as Apocryphacius operates on him. He opens his eyes for a brief moment, seeing the ghastly face floating above him. "Am.. I... dead?" he coughs out, as if it shouldn't be any surprise. And then, there's a loud *BOOMF* from somewhere inside the hotel, and moments later a grizzled man in his mid-forties stalks up onto the roof. He walks up to Sam, and asks, "Thanks for the rescue! Wasn't sure we'd make it. I'm Captain Jones of EDC Special Operations Squad 4. Our mission was to capture Shawn Berger, based on a lead on his location, and, if we couldn't find him, we were to retrieve Abdul Fakkadi for questioning!"

Whirl tries his best to keep up, but eventually loses track of James, much to his, er, 'distaste'. "GRAR! HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN!?" He spins around and /glares/ at Dogf-THE GENERIC SEEKER. "This is all YOUR fault! HOW COULD YOU LET THIS HAPPEN!? DON'T JUST STAND THERE, GO AFTER HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM RIGHT NOW!"

Ventress Exo-Suit < Talazia Keldahoff > Robot stays on the rooftop, turning this way and that to make sure no one else shoots at them. Soon, however....four more talons lower from the sky....literally forming a defensive perimeter around the roof for the time being, where the Ventress turns towards Jones. "Berger is here? and you had to grab Fakkadi otherwise? This...couldn't be much better."

Sure, Sam gets things explained to him by Captain Jones. Apocryphacius just gets mistaken for the grim reaper. His spins his faces around, settling on something marginally more presentable - he cannot quite manage his Happy Good Bedside Manner face, not with current foul mood. Still, he attempts to assure, "You are quite alive, sir."

Dogfight turns on Whirl then, the sound of his energon shutgon chambering a round followed by the click as he eases the hammer back. "What's that? Let's be clear here, 'boss'. You're only in charge because Galvatron put you in charge. And I don't particularly care if you make it back or not."

With a furious buzz, Apocryphacius bares the Face of Wrath.

Exo-Tank Hermes < James Bailey > cruises east to the Red Sea.

Exo-Tank Hermes < James Bailey > has left.

Sam tells Apocryphacius, "Er.. some!" He digs in the case and pulls out a small stack of gauze padding, handing it over to Apoc. Lifting a hand to shield his eyes from the sun (or -really bright moon- if it's night) he looks up at the approaching Captain. He blinks a couple times as things get explained to him. Captain, meet Technical Specialist (peon). "Er.. very good, Captain, yes. Have further wounded? Shuttle arriving very soon."

Whirl's optic flickers as Dogfight threatens him in a rather unsubtle way. "Galvatron acknowledges me as a superior warrior. That's why I'M in charge, and YOU take the orders like the grunt you are! Now put your weapon away or I will take it by force. And then SHOVE it right up your thrusters."

Captain Jones replies, "Fakkadi was supposed to have been in contact with Berger. He might help lead us to his location. We were hoping to do this discretely, obviously, but something went wrong. It doesn't make any sense. That shuttle's virtually invisible to conventional ground-based radar, and yet we were shot down by a guided missile. I... I... don't get it." He looks down. "Well, I blew the stairway before I came up here. That ought to slow them down." He frowns for a moment, then replies to Sam, "The LT here took the worst hit. I have three other men with major injuries, and the rest of us have gotten pretty torn up but we'll be fine."

Abdul Fakkadi orders his driver to stop somewhere behind the "Decepticons," and leans his head out the window. "Please, friends!" he implores. "Please, no fighting! We have important things to take care of, then you will get all the oil you want, I promise!"

Ventress Exo-Suit < Talazia Keldahoff > Robot nods to the Captain. "don't worry about it. I think the Carbombyans are looking for a fight here." The mech says from it's speakers as it thumbs towards the shuttle. "Get your men in there. We're pulling you out."

Dogfight smirks slightly then, crouching over it like some giant...purple...redneck. "Just try it, you little baby-bot. I was blasting holes in things long before your body was ever built." For now, he ignores Abdul Fakkadi. Nothing like spreading a little doubt and worry among allies.

Sam nods several times. "Er, Captain.." he taps his rank insignia. Way lower than Captain. ".. er.. with respect, details of mission are ah.." he pauses to dredge up a phrase he's heard several times, "'above pay grade.'" He looks over at the squid. "Three additional injuries," he relays, "ah.. not qualified for treatment, however perhaps can triage."

Apocryphacius will pick out the shrapnel pieces later, if a human doctor doesn't. Right now, he just needs to make sure the Lt. is stable and able to be moved safely. In Apocryphacius's judgement, he is. Looking over at Sam and the other three who are most injured, he calls out, "Then triage. I am ready for whoever is next." Usually overly verbose, stress is making Apocryphacius a bit clipped in his speech.

Whirl emits a low growl, "Insolent fool. I will now make it my duty to purge the Decepticon forces of insubordinate morons." He takes a step back and lifts up his right arm, the module upon it glowing once more, "STARTING WITH YOU!" Completely ignoring Fakkadi's plight, Whirl lets loose an actual round of laser fire. There's a reason why he was kicked out of the Iahex Drama Club. He just took it /way/ too seriously.

Whirl strikes Dogfight with Fablam!.

Captain Jones gives Sam a meaningful look. "I'm aware of that, son. I'm telling you this because I want to emphasize something--we can't go home empty-handed. If we can't get Berger, then we NEED Fakkadi. The damn media's going to be all over this in a few days anyway, and if all we did here is get our asses shot up then all we will have accomplished is make the EDC look stupid. At the very least, I want to look stupid AND achieve an objective." He shakes his head, and wryly comments, "Goddamn. Gotta love the military life. But if you know Fakkadi's current location, we need to grab him."

(Hint hint.)

Nodding to Talazia, Captain Jones says, "Right, everybody, take the wounded and board that shuttle! MOVE IT! Quintesson--" He grimaces a bit, looking at the evil-looking creature. "--you'll have to work on my men in the shuttle. We can't stay here. And be careful." Perhaps a bit too much hostility in the "careful" part.

Dogfight gahs as he takes a step backwards. "Oh, slaggit! Scrapper just repaired that you petro donkey rear end!" He leans towards Whirl, aims for his head and fires his shotgun.

Dogfight strikes Whirl with Energon Shotgun.

Abdul Fakkadi hops out of his Hummer, and runs over to the two feuding "Decepticons." He grabs Whirl's leg, and yelps, "Oh, stop, stop my friends! We're so close to killing that Yankee scumbag! Pleeaassse!"

"Hehehahahaha!" is Whirl's reaction to shooting his teammate. "That's nothing! I'll give Scrapper a good WEEKS worth of work! Heheheh!" And then he gets shot in the face. By a shotgun. An effin' Transformer sized shotgun. Needless to say, half of his face goes flying off behind him. "ARGH, WHAT WAS /THAT/!? DAMN IT, YOU'RE TAKING THIS WAY TOO FAR!"

He stares down at Fakkadi who is making friendly with his leg, "Hey! HEY! I remember what we were here for, now." He reaches down and plucks the Carbombyan up by the back of his sweet military jacket.

Dogfight grins slightly, lifting it up to blow smoke from the muzzle. He doesn't exactly break character. "Aww...did I hurt you?" He asks, laying the gun across his shoulder then. "Shiny. Looks like I'm the better warrior. Why are we still here?"

Sam nods once, rushing over to the fallen forms of the three soldiers -- two corporals and a private -- to inspect their injuries. Thinking back to all the first aid field guides he's read, and the several training courses he's managed to attend in his spare time, he begins evaluating severity. The first corporal has a severe gunshot wound to the leg, but it's missed the major arteries. The private is much worse, bleeding from a shrapnel wound to the midsection. The other corporal is unresponsive from being concussed by a nearby explosion. Sam enlists the aid of a couple of mobile troopers to carry the stretcher for the explosion-damaged trooper over to Apocryphacius, while he starts applying a trauma patch to the private's gut-wound.

Apocryphacius has to remind himself not to glare at Captain Jones, but he does note icily, "I am Apocryphacius, EDC Medical and Technical Operations Staff." Not 'Quintesson'. Silently, he packs up his kit and moves toward the shuttle.

Apocryphacius has left.

Apocryphacius enters the Terran Shuttle < Banzai >.

While Sam performs EDC field-manual-level first-aid on the private, he glances back at the Captain to tell him, "Uncertain, however ineffective commander was last seen at original incident-site."

Abdul Fakkadi yips out, "AAIIIIEEE what are you doing!?" as he flails about in Whirl's grasp. "I do not like being at this height!"

Whirl has no mouth and must snerk. "Perhaps you are. Or, perhaps not," he says to Dogfight. Ah, yes, Whirl wisdom. "And we are still here because our job is not finished yet." He jiggles Fakkadi around in the air, "Or maybe it is."

Ventress Exo-Suit < Talazia Keldahoff > Robot looks down to Sam. < < Can you move him? > >

Captain Jones silently watches the Quintesson board the ship, then turns his attention back to Sam. In reality, Sam is as alien as Apocryphacius, but his human-like appearance may be reassuring to him. "Still at the crash site? Maybe we should..." He whips his head to the stairwell. Carbombyans can be heard, screaming and shouting. "Damn, I think we're running out of time. We have to move the wounded or none of them are getting out of here alive!"

Ventress Exo-Suit < Talazia Keldahoff > Robot thunks over towards the stairwell. < < Get them in, Captain. I'll cover you. once you get out of here...I'll follow. > >

Dogfight looks over at Whirl, and then at the human in his hands. "Do we get to slag him now? I've been waiting to do that for a long time."

Sam is busily getting blood all over himself, shaking a little bit from adrenaline and time pressure, among other things. The bleeding seems to be under control soon, however, as Sam nods several times to Jones. "Yes, yes, yes, one moment!" he says hurriedly to both the Captain and Tenille.. er.. Talazia. He attaches the final wound sealant to the injured man and then stands up. "Ready!" The man with the leg wound gets a gauze pad for his trouble. "Time limited, apply direct pressure to wound," he tells the man, grabbing one end of the stretcher to help carry him on toward the shuttle.

"Hmm.." Whirl looks over at his 'captive', actually considering Dogfight's suggestion for a good, long time.

Abdul Fakkadi wails, "What is slagging, and why do you want to do it to me?! I don't know if I want to be slagged!" as he squirms a lot more.

Captain Jones helps with the other end of the stretcher, and a few of his men grab the other wounded soldiers, hauling them into the shuttle. "I can't remember if I said this already--" The Captain sucks in a breath. "--but thanks, you saved our lives!"

Talazia will no doubt notice the Carbombyans standing on top of each other in their fervor to get up on the roof, which is the only way to get up there with the damage Jones did to the stairs. One Enterprising little fellow is starting to pull himself up even now.

"Hn, I have just been informed that we need to keep this..thing alive. Here," Whirl says, tossing Fakkadi over to Dogfight like an old rag. "I shall carry him to, ah, wherever it is he needs to go," he says before transforming into his sweet helicopter form and popping open the cockpit.

With the folding of body and appendages, Whirl becomes an attack helicopter.

Dogfight gently catches Fakkadi, surprisingly gentle for someone who just shot half of Whirl's face off. Ahem. "Rats. I keep hoping it's time to melt 'em all down for rubber." He waits, until Whirl is ready, before lifting the human toward's the helicopters cockpit.

Abdul Fakkadi tries to push away from Dogfight's hand, but it's kind of hard for ordinary, un-suited humans to fight off giant metal robots, you know? "What is going on!? I want to speak to Galvatron! I know he will want my oil, please, we can make a deal!"

Ventress Exo-Suit < Talazia Keldahoff > Robot turns towards the captain and nods. < < save your thanks for when we get back to the EDC building. GO! > > She says as the verniers ignite and she takes off.....still in a covering position for the shuttle.

Bell AH-1 Cobra < Whirl > shuts the cockpit once Dogfight shoves Fakkadi in there. "Oh, yes, Galvatron has just informed me that he thinks your oil is terrible and that he declares war on your country."

Abdul Fakkadi preses his hands on the cockpit, and upon hearing that disastrous news, screams, "NOOOOOOO!"

Sam finishes helping the wounded into the shuttle and then runs back over to his still-sprawled exo-suit.

Dogfight covers his mouth with his hand to hide the smile that appears on his lips, watching Whirl for any future orders, though he does start to scan the rest of the city, see if he's 'needed' anywhere.

"Oh! Do not fret! I am sure he will only burn ninety-nine percent of your oil fields. Here, let me cheer you up." Pro-America country songs begine to play in Whirl's cockpit, all of them overlapping eachother and creating a bastardization of what was once music.

Avalanche has arrived.

Abdul Fakkadi just sobs quietly as the Autobot continues to torment him.

And meanwhile, the Banzai seals itself up, lifting off from the rooftop and slowly but surely accelerating away from the combat zone, eventually leaving Carbombya.

Is the day saved, or have our heroes unintentionally made an awful country even worse?...

Twisting and shifting, the exo-suit transforms into the Talon exo-jet.

Ventress Exo-Suit < Talazia Keldahoff > takes flight to the Skies above Northern Africa.

Ventress Exo-Suit < Talazia Keldahoff > has left.

Dogfight grins slightly, nodding. "I think I'm going to jet. Galvatron probably wants to promote me for shooting you in the face." He shifts into jet mode, and flies off, before anyone can see that the paint has started slipping away from his wings.

The wings on Dogfight's back flip and move forward as the entire form collapses into a much older model Cybertronian fighter.

Sam has left.

Sam enters the Exo-Armor Talon < Sam >.

From Exo-Armor Talon < Sam >, Sam climbs back in the cockpit, having to lie down in the pilot's seat since it's still flat on its back. He starts tapping the ignition button, quietly hoping the suit will start back up without a fuss.

Dogfight takes flight to the Skies above Northern Africa.

Dogfight has left.

Whirl takes flight to the Skies above Northern Africa.

Whirl has left.

Exo-Armor Talon < Sam > Robot takes a little bit of effort to get started again, but starts purring like a nuclear-battery-powered kitten soon enough! Sam helps cover the evac in his slightly damaged vehicle.