Altered Perceptions

After a few laborious cycles spent repairing the sublights on the Sarikus, Perceptor and takes Elita One back to Autobot City on Earth. However, not long afterward, the ship can be seen in low Cybertron orbit from the stratosphere below, flying toward the Istoral Chasm.

At least, by anyone who had accurate enough vision to be able to discern these details at such extreme distances...

And today is Perceptor's lucky day!

Sort of.

Probably unbeknownst to Perceptor, he has lit a proverbial fire under the afterburner of the Decepticon drone he aimed the shuttles' cannons at. Further more he added insult to injury by questioning her intellect, and to add a cherry on top, his unusual behavior upset her delicate and highly complex Universal End Advanced Calculations. How /dare/ he.

The still slightly damaged drone is maintaining a long distance pursuit of the perky scientist microscope. There will be heck to pay. NERD HECK.

The ship continues in a similar manner, beginning to ascend slightly after a few breems. Finally, it reaches its destination: A small orbital facility, which was probably a lab, given the person who was entering it, and given the way it looked (it certainly didn't look like a military bunker or anything like that).

A hangar bay door opens to reveal a docking area, and the vessel slowly moves into it, its landing struts extending outward to lock onto the docking terminals.

One of Snowblind's great advantages is utterly silent flight, and the ability to be forgotten as completely unimportant. Even by animators.

Her next appearance is her drone form, latched onto the shuttle like a small x-winged tick, blending in as it's begun docking procedures.

Once the ship is fully docked and refueling has begun, Perceptor exits the vessel, making his way down one of the many corridors leading out of the hangar bay. There are quite a few security systems in here, though, as detector beams lace the walls and floor, so Snowy better be careful! Though it might make one think that whoever owned this joint had -something- to hide...

Curiouser and curiouser. The anger beating in Snowblind's core pump gives way to interest. She notes the security systems and wonders what an Autobot could have that requires the sort of precautionary alarms that the Decepticon Ministry of Intelligence would generally use within their own headquarters. Quietly she transforms, and the sensor dome on her chest illuminates every scanning beam and detection laser. Sometimes it helps to have more than two eyes.

She slides off the transport and gently drops to the floor with only a minimum noise, as she listens for the sounds of Perceptor's footsteps for information on where he is heading.

His footsteps can certainly be heard, since this place is almost frighteningly quiet. And just as you are sliding off of the ship, you can make out his figure having just rounded a corner down a corridor off to the left.

Snowblind's grand philosophy of making the world move around her than her moving the world comes into play. Examining the detection beams, she quickly calculates their trajectories, finding which would impede her progress. Gathering a handful of shuttle parts that have reflective surfaces, she redirects the beams as she moves past them. Not once is the path of the beam broken to the sensor eye; thus the alarms are not triggered. Once past the security detail, she moves down the hall, keeping a handful of reflective panels with her.

Fortunately, the shuttle parts do their job for the recon drone, and the alarms are not tripped. Perceptor is striding rather quickly, but she is able to keep him just within her sights. Finally, he reaches a large room at the end of the corridor, which is filled with all sort of strange-looking machinery.

If she'd known what Perceptor's personal lab on board the Ark looked like, she would find this room rather strange. Unlike the other room, this one was a complete mess. Cables and wiring hung from the ceiling and extended across the room, and the walls were lined with circuitry and monitoring devices. Another odd thing one might notice was that despite the tussle earlier, the scientist does not appear to have taken any damage whatsoever. He wasn't even singed, despite having clearly gotten hit by Spinister's flamethrower. One might have argued that he could have gone back to Metroplex and gotten repairs before coming here, but repairs would have taken much longer than it has been.

Perceptor is now making his way toward the far side of the room where a large cylinder-shaped pod surrounded by all sorts of monitoring equipment, probes and Primus knows what else stood in an upright position. It looked large enough to fit typically-sized Cybertronian inside of it, in fact, it most definitely would have fit someone exactly his size.

Snowblind again keeps her distance. This time she holds up one of the reflective surfaces, her back to a wall, and uses it, held low, as a mirror to watch Perceptor for a moment while remaining out of sight.

There is a low humming noise approaching from behind her, but not to worry, it is only a few AI hoverdrones that zip past without detecting the Decepticon. They enter the room and appear to be attending to a few maintenance things.

Perceptor has now begun inputting commands into one of the many terminals near the cylindrical pod. There is a beep and a hiss, and it begins to slide open...

Now if Cybertronians were capable of vomiting or any sort of physical reaction to being exposed to something horrifyingly disgusting, Snowblind might have done so at the sight of -this-. Now certain other Decepticons most definitely wouldn't have flinched, but this was...it was appalling. For within the pod what looked like a grievously twisted and disfigured copy of Perceptor. It really looked like someone had eviscerated him and then partly pasted him back together. Half of his face had been ripped away, and energon along with other body fluids are all over the place.

And the worst thing about it? He--or whatever it was--was still alive. It was clear now that much of the machinery surrounding the pod was devoted to life support.

Combat: Snowblind compares her Courage to 75: Failure :(

CLANG!

Something drops to the floor just outside the laboratory. A piece of reflective paneling, and it's loud enough to be heard.

At the noise of the paneling clattering to the floor, Perceptor starts and jerks around, turning toward the doorway. He nods at the hoverdrones, and they move toward Snowblind's position to attempt to drag her out into the open. Combat: Perceptor misses Snowblind with his Grab attack!

What looks like a long black prehensile cord snakes out from behind the wall and attempts to latch onto the hoverdrones and pull them behind the wall - and into the silence of deactivation. Combat: Snowblind misses Perceptor with her Grab attack!

(OOC) Snowblind says, "We both fail."

(OOC) Perceptor says, "haha"

Apparently the hoverdrones are too slippery! If they're recording and sending visuals, Perceptor will find that around the corner is the same small, slim female Decepticon drone that blasted him with snow just a short time before.

Indeed, the feeds have revealed her identity, and Perceptor actually appears relieved at this. It would have been worse if it had been another Autobot! He moves over to the doorway and stands over her as she is crouched there, attempting to tussle with the drones, but he calls them off and they stop attacking.

The scientist smirks a little, folding his arms. "Well, well. What do we have here?"

Silence for a moment.

"... Funny, I was about to ask you the same," the calm female voice replies. "It seems that sometimes Autobots can be Decepticons as well..."

"Perhaps." There is another silent pause. Then he continues. "You are probably expecting me to say that this is not what it looks like. Which I actually will." He gestures toward the horrifying spectacle. "This...machination is simply a clone, however it has always remained in a vegetative state, as it does not have a lasercore of its own. Hence the support devices."

Well, it certainly made sense. But is he lying?

Snowblind steps out from the wall and faces Perceptor, who is taller than her - like a good many others. She's gotten used to being small as of late. Sometimes she considers standing next to Rumble or Frenzy just to feel better.

"I hadn't thought it possible of an Autobot to conduct such an experiment; even on a vegetative clone, is this not a violation of your own ethical code? Color me surprised yet again. First you fire on a Decepticon noncombatant, and now you are engaged in research that you apparently feel you must not only hide, but conceal with security systems."

"... Do you realize that I can simply scan the unfortunate there within your contraption and gain a full understanding of its present state?"

"Do you realize that I can scan -you- and gain a full understanding of -your- present state?"

Perceptor sighs and sits down, as if acknowledging the truth of her words. Yes, she could. And he could try to kill her, and given those aforementioned security systems, he might well succeed. Then again, she's fast, and he's not. There was a chance she'd escape alive, and if she did, that would increase the chances of her doing everything in her power to expose the truth and ruin his plans. Yes, it would be better to attempt to bargain with the Decepticon.

He shrugs. "Yes, you are correct. However, please hear me out. The research I am doing here is revolutionary. If implemented properly, it would render our kind nearly completely invulnerable. However, many of my...comrades...disagree with the risks involved in applying it. So perhaps, if you were to refrain from exposing this operation, I would be willing to share the technology with you Decepticons. After all, if the Autobots managed to perfect it, this war would suddenly not be a very fair fight at all."

"....." Snowblind pauses. Her right arm raises to rub the edge of her blade-like left 'shoulder'. "... I do not understand," she murmurs in genuine confusion. "... Why would you give us this kind of technology? Should it not be to your advantage to keep it and eliminate all Decepticons? Is... is that not what Autobots desire? Our extinction?"

Perceptor shrugs again. "Well, I suppose...it depends upon who it is you are asking. There are some who would respond in the affirmative. But others who would prefer unity over complete annihilation of the enemy." Though he doesn't even hint at his own stance on the matter.

"And what of you, sir? What do you seek in that matter?" Well since you brought it up it might be a good idea to ask. Also wow, apparently Snowblind has manners.

The scientist considers this, thinking for a long moment. Or at least appearing to. "Many of my Autobot comrades would not agree with this, however...the war must rage on. We, as Cybertronians, were always meant to battle something, whether it be ourselves or another entity. Even our creators, the Quintessons, pitted us against each other as well as sending us off to fight for them before we became an independent race of sapient beings. Without war...we are nothing. We will fall into a despairing cycle of infinite restlessness until we find something or someone else to go to war with. We have been battling among ourselves for millennia...and why is that? Because no other civilized race in the universe has dared even attempt to match our battle prowess."

Snowblind looks up at Perceptor for a moment. Well, her face turns upwards. All the looking is coming squarely from her chest. If the Autobot scientist is observant he will notice a change of lenses going on in that sensor hub.

"... You understand, then," she nods slowly. "Then... have you stopped to consider the end of all things? Who will win, and who will lose, in the end?"

"Neither." Perceptor says simply. "At least I certainly hope not. We must battle on--the war -must- never end. It is a necessary evil, however it is our deepest purpose. The one thing all Cybertronians have in common. Other races will only ever provide a temporary outlet for this, as they will always be quickly vanquished by our forces.

"Hence, we must not tip the balance -too- far in any one direction."

He turns back to his instrumentation. "The sooner we accept this reality, the better off all of us will be."

"Autobots and Decepticons alike."

"It is an inevitability that no one will win. We will simply continue to fight, bleed and die, dragging our way through the eons until the heat death of the universe," Snowblind states with a hint of mourning in her voice. "That is the only conclusion I could come to in four million years. Perhaps the lack of energon affected my calculations, but I could see no other outcome."

She walks after Perceptor, looking at the encased... clone? After a moment she shakes her head and laughs - not a happy laugh; a laugh of despair in the sight of one's fate. "Evolution itself suggests that the entire universe is deeply flawed. Perfection cannot come from imperfection. There is only suffering in the endless attempts."

If Snowblind were to scan the so-called 'clone', she would find that contrary to what Perceptor had said, it did actually have a lasercore. And the closer she got....the more convincing idea that this 'clone' was so much more than a comatose conglomeration of functioning parts became.

...One might have even gone so far to say that it was lucid--aware of its surroundings. Staring into the recon drone's optics through that labyrinth of cables and machinery, silently begging her to end the agony somehow, some way.

Perceptor sighs and nods grimly. "Yes, you are correct. And I am glad you understand. We will fight until the end of all things. We will and we -must-. It is our destiny, our purpose. The war is our life energon. We have no choice. Hence, we must do all that is within our power to maintain it."

There is a pause. "...however...I am afraid I cannot let everything I have done here go to waste. I will be watching you, Decepticon. Do not think that I am naive. If you appear to have the intentions of exposing this operation...There will be consequences. You have been warned."

The threat is either ignored or not grasped. "His eyes," she says. "Can you not see the life in him, in his eyes?" she asks. She points to the "clone".

"Your capacity for lying is truly amazing; in you I see the line between us is blurred. How fitting we should have crossed like this. You are a Decepticon in an Autobot... and I an Autbot in a Decepticon."

Perceptor glances momentarily up from the console he is working at. "Such perceptions are extremely subjective." he shrugs her question off, then shakes his head. "Autobots, Decepticons...there is no difference. We are all Cybertronians, a race destined to strive against itself until the end of the universe. By warring against each other we are simply doing as all other species have since the beginning of time: Maintaining that which is necessary in order to ensure our continued survival as a species."

(OOC) Snowblind says, "omp i luv u marry me"

(OOC) Perceptor says, "hahahah"

".... End his suffering," Snowblind says flatly.

Perceptor arches a brow ridge at her. "I assure you. It is merely your own perception. There is no suffering." he says calmly. "I find it odd, however, that you concern yourself with others' suffering. Your kind don't usually concern yourselves with such matters."

"... I was not necessarily made for war. I was part of a line of surveillance and terrestrial mapping units," Snowblind says. "... I was sent to find energon during the starving times. ... And I was forgotten." She can't stop staring at the clone, scanning it. "I had not tasted battle until just recently. I... I don't like the suffering."

"Well of course, no one likes suffering, but why should you concern yourself with others' suffering unless it affects you directly?" Perceptor questions. "You Decepticons were never known to be so concerned for the well-being of others."

Something odd is happening though, as she is scanning the 'clone' over and over again...there is something coming up on the scans. It's unclear how, but a message is appearing on the scan results--word by word each time she scans. Finally, the entire text comes through and it reads:

<>

"Did you not see my arm?" Snowblind asks. "... Did you not see the recent branding?"

She remains steely calmly and does not miss a beat as the message is sent to her. She scans again, trying to beam a direct message to the 'clone':

<< ''Warn Autobots? Y/N'' >>

"Ah, you are disillusioned with the Decepticon cause, eh?" Perceptor smirks a little. "I suppose you have already considered deserting, but have been deterred by the fear of termination by the Decepticon Justice Division." Ha, 'justice', right? It had quite the ironic ring to it. "Rightly so, reports regarding their activity are...disturbing to say the least."

It's not really clear if the 'clone' had received her message, but the last message is essentially repeated with only minor differences:

<>

Snowblind sighs softly. "Nevertheless, I gave my pledge of fealty. No matter what I believe, I am bound to them until death. I keep my word. Always."

She stands and turns to face Perceptor. "Do you still intend to share this technology with the Decepticons? Or have you decided to go back on yours?"

"I will share the technology with your faction as soon as it has been perfected so long as you swear you will not speak of this operation or any of the words we exchanged to anyone. Of course, if you do, I may not be able to produce perfected prototypes to relinquish to you, unfortunately." Perceptor answers. "I suppose I shall have to trust that you are a fem of your word, as you say."

(OOC) Snowblind says, "I guess falling in love with an evil nanite clone and having Dinforce babies is off the table now!"

(OOC) Perceptor says, "bahaha XD"

"... I believe in honor, sir," Snowblind says firmly. "Even if none of the rest of my kind do.

"Then will you swear not to expose this operation?" he watches her expectantly.

"I swear not to expose what I have seen here," Snowblind promises.

Perceptor nods. "Excellent." Despite this, he plans to transport all valuable data and experiments to a different location and destroy the facility they're standing in, leaving no trace behind. "Well, you had best be on your way, then. I don't believe it would be beneficial for you if one of your cohorts spotted you speaking with me."

"And... the clone?" she asks, lingering a moment, still looking back at it.

"... I just hate to see it suffer. Perhaps I am just being... too femme," she sighs.

(OOC) Snowblind "I ARE JUST A WOMAN, PAY NO MIND"

"Then relieve yourself of the sight, and leave the premises." Perceptor firmly suggests. "And cease to dwell upon it. That is if you simply cannot accept the fact that it is not in fact suffering at all."

"As you wish," Snowblind says. She turns to leave, making her way down the hall, transforming back into a drone and fleeing the shuttle. Combat: Snowblind begins retreating, outrunning all pursuit.

(Decepticon) Snowblind says, "Updates required." (Decepticon) Contrail says, "I'll say. I have some educational videos for you to watch when you have the time." (Decepticon) Snowblind says, "You are the individual I most need to see right now."