05-03-09 Gun Running

A dark alley in a dark city. Pz-Zazz, the Space Mafia Planet, has seen many a crime in just such a place, and another is about to take place. One of the secret Decepticon tunnels is momentarily open as Boomslang pushes a hovering pallet of illicit arms out of it and towards a waiting unmarked van. "We have to get this stuff out of here before the Autobots bring the hammer down," he asides to the other Decepticons. "Swindle found us buyers for it in Grand Central Station, and there's no reason we should leave it here for the Wreckers to burn or Ultra Magnus to confiscate or whatever."

1986 Pontiac Trans-Am  drives around following Sideswipe. Tailgate is /obviously/ not the brains of this outfit. "Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Sideswipe! Hey! You! Hey!" he nags persistently. Even if Sideswipe is walking, Tailgate is driving. Just very slowly, stop-and-start.

"Yeah? Anything GOOD in this set?" can be heard from Fusillade as she digs around shoulders deep in a large crate. "I mean, MOST of it lately seems like it's not anytyhing that special, the locals have been pretty restless. I think it'd be a good idea to give them toys they'd actually like. Hey kid, catch!" She straightens up, and flings a space-uzi at a slender green and yellow blotched reptiloid, which practically crumples under the weight of the impact. A moment later, he gathers himself up underneath the sidearm, grunts in delight and darts off into a side alley/

"Grenades, spaze uzi magazines, rocket pods, stuff like that," replies Boomslang, tying it down with cargo straps. There's quite a bit in the van already. Convenient that so many of the Pz-Zazzians are Transformer-sized. That makes this kind of thing easier. "Chopshop's got a ship waiting at the spaceport for us with the engine running. We just have to get it there through the Bot cordon. They've been swarming the place ever since Dirge shot down that passenger carrier."

Mindwipe looks bored out of his head. Pz-Zazz is not his genre! He is also not a big fan of manual labour, and yet here he is, slogging boxes around. He misses Scorponok, and Mindwipe never though he'd be thinking that. Mindwipe looks from the Seeker to the non-Seeker uncertainly. He vaguely recalls the non-Seeker from one battle. Finally, he declares, "So. I am sensing that you two are real weapons afficionados."

Countach LP500S  is driving around Pz-Zazz, secretly trying to outdistance Tailgate. At first it seems that he is just doing agressive maneuvers, but in reality he's trying to get a moment or two of space. Probably still suffering from the hangover of a three month long bender. He cuts into an alleyway and through some garbage cans, only to have Tailgate right behind him. Of course he isn't aware this is the other's means of getting around but hey. In an effort to loose him, he cuts hard up a parking garage - flooring it to a the top floor and then transforming and rounding the corner suddenly -- his leg stuck out attempt to trip Tailgate or block his path at least in the best way that he can. In doing so, on the top floor of the garage he can see into that dark alleyway. He drops immediatly to his belly, trying to eavesdrop without being seen.

Complete with standard sound effects, Sideswipe switches to Robot mode! Hold onto your hats!

1986 Pontiac Trans-Am 's amazingly fine-control of his electro-magnet keeps him in place behind his comrade. "Heeeeey!" he tries again, louder and more annoying. "Are you ignoring me? Heeeeeeeey! Come on, this isn't funny!" Then something obviously shorts out on his dash as he gets an idea. "Oh no! What if you're sleep driving? Or.. oh no, what if you've been ROBOTOMIZED? SIDESWIPE WAKE UP PLEASE CAN YOU HEAR ME?!" he yells.

Glancing back and forth between the van and the direction of the spaceport, Fusillade scowls. "Great. Why'd there have to be SO MUCH of it, we could have just flown it ourselves instead." At Mindwipe's divination, she breaks out into a wide, indulgent smile. "Yep!" Unaware of the Autobot presence, she decides to sprint out a few blocks, leaping up to gain purchase on the sides of buildings. A few credits patter against her thighs and flanks, and with a fierce scowl at the appreciative audience below, she hops atop a building's roof to get a better view of the traffic conditions further down the road.

"Those are some uncanny senses you've got there, 'Headmaster,'" Boomslang replies in deadpan to Mindwipe, climbing into the driver's seat of the van. "Come on, you've got shotgun. Let's not keep Chopshop waiting."

Vorath would be sneering, if he wasn't busy being a head, and he thinks to his partner, 'She's humouring you. You're a joke.' Mindwipe just mantles his wings in a huff and piles into the shotgun seat, rolling the window halfway down, viper pistol in hand. He says slowly, as if he would like this to be remembered, "I am Mindwipe."

Sideswipe grimaces. He grimaces hard, actually. In fact he grimaces /really/ hard. Of all the people to have followed him out while on patrol. "I'm fine. I'm fine." He says quickly; standing up and brushing himself off. "There are Decepticons down there in that van, and we gotta stop 'em. Haven't a clue what they're doing, but when did that ever stop me? I'll try to slow 'em down. Worry about the van, not the guards." He's making the mistake of assuming that Tailgate knows /anything/ he is talking about. Nor does he even bother to think. Nope! When did he ever bother to think anything through? Just a flare of thrusters as Sideswipe leaps down from the parking garage; attempting to land on the roof of the van with a metallic -BANG- if successful.

1986 Pontiac Trans-Am  yells, "WHOA!" as his magnet pulls him over the edge of the garage, after Sideswipe. He transforms in midair and smashes right through the roof of the same van. Knocked a little (a /little/?!) senseless, he pulls himself out of the hole he's made, clattering out onto the road. "Whoa, whoa, who did that? What's going on?" The Pontiac Firebird isn't a mindless machine after all! It jumps up off the ground and transforms into Tailgate!

Boomslang hits the gas and peels out into the street simultaneously with Sideswipe landing on top of the roof. "What, -already?-" His face is a mixture of skepticism and dismay. "I hope they call you Mindwipe for a good reason because it sounds like we've already got some trouble on our hands." He pulls the emergency brake and skids around a corner, swerving through traffic towards the spaceport. As soon as he gets out ahead of traffic he flashes alarmingly out of view, reappearing a second later leaning back over his seat with a Transformer-sized revolver in his hand... and his sights set on the unaware Tailgate!

Combat: Boomslang strikes Tailgate with his 30mm Revolver (Pistol) attack!

Fusillade says, "Oh, huh. Where did THOSE come from?" Fusillade tilts her head curiously. "And why'd they HAVE to be in the van, ugh." She suddenly finds herself deprived of a LOT of tactical options for the sake of the weapons load. Breaking into a sprint along the edge of the building, she matches speed, and also leaps for the van. Any life remaining in its suspension gets rudely throttled out as she -CRUNCH-es atop the rear edge of the vehicle. Hooking one hand in the frame under the van roof to stabilize herself, she draws her favored weapon and tries to pops a cap in Sideswipe's cranium. "Hey, 'sup?""

Combat: Fusillade strikes Sideswipe with her Disruptor attack!

"I'm glad this is a stolen car," mutters Boomslang, flickering back into visibility in the driver's seat; one hand on the wheel, one hand cocking the revolver as he eyes the rear view.

 Catechism says grimly, "Someone, get medical prepped."

Sideswipe is holding on for dear life on the roof of the van; his thick fingers digging into the metal and peeling it back with the sheer force of his grip. Then two things happen. Boomslang hits the emergency brake, and even then he'd still be okay except that Fusillade decides to be nice enough to shoot him. Her blast takes him in the back of the neck and he lurches forwards on the roof in a spray of fluid. On the next violent manuver Sideswipe goes over the side like a rider over a horse's head, with only one hand still gripping the metallic surface of the van. Sparks are flying as he secures a second handhold, likely pulling the van off balance until he inevitably lets go and transforms -- accelerating hard and then transforming and leaping again. This time, he lands on the hood, and he gives wave. "Hi, Guys." And then the inside of the van is going to fill with a blindingly bright white light as he fires a magnesium flare point blank into the front of the truck. "Bye, Guys!" Even before the shot is sent loose, he is shielding his own eyes and abandoning his perch to land with a thud and a shower of sparks on the ashphalt.

Combat: Sideswipe misses Boomslang with its Flashy Thing Area attack! Combat: Sideswipe strikes Fusillade with its Flashy Thing Area attack! Combat: That attack has temporarily affected Fusillade's Accuracy. (Blinded) Combat: Sideswipe strikes Mindwipe with its Flashy Thing Area attack! Combat: That attack has temporarily affected Mindwipe's Accuracy. (Blinded)

 Hun-Grrr says, "Hrr . . Seeker whip lady need help or evac?"

Mindwipe is indeed called Mindwipe for a reason, and he starts to go into a long spiel explaining himself when the Seeker vanishes and all hell break loose. Oh, bother. Maybe he shouldn't have rolled down the shaded window, because he is blinded by those phosphorous flares - blind as a bat. Ha. Ha. Ha. He tries to take a shot out the side of the car at the sound of Cocky Red Autobot, but Mindwipe's echolocation skills have never been too hot. Combat: Mindwipe strikes Sideswipe with his Viper Pistol - Solid Ammunition (Pistol) attack!

Tailgate fortunately has a ridiculously basic transformation and thus the bulk of his car mode chassis and hood remains like a heavy cowl over the back of his head (with the side-effect of drastically reducing his head's range of motion, and his peripheral vision). But the shot certainly sends him flying forward on his face. "OH SLAG I'M UNDER ATTACK!" he screams, transforming back into car mode and squealing his tires, doing donuts until he sets his sights on Boomslang in his van. "Oh.. oh you! If I had my fists out I'd be shaking them at you, buddy! Well listen to this, I have an ATTRACTIVE proposal for you! Get it? ATTRACTIVE? See, it's a magnet joke, and I'd think at this point it would be a pretty obviARGLFLARGLEBARGLE," he garbles as his vocalizer shorts out. Then it comes back online. "I like to sing-a.. about the moon-a and the June-a and the spring-a.." he sings, off-key, while he just sits there in the street, rocking side to side on his shocks. The electro-magnetic pulse is only aimed at Boomslang, and solely out of spite, but with the giant vehicle in the way there's no telling what will happen. Combat: Tailgate sets his defense level to Fearless. Tailgate flips forward onto his face and pulls in his arms, changing into a classic Pontiac Firebird!

Combat: 1986 Pontiac Trans-Am  strikes Boomslang with his Ferrocobalt Hood Magnet attack!

Combat: 1986 Pontiac Trans-Am 's attack leaves him temporarily incapacitated!

 Catechism says, "Medevac. Got a man down."

Oh hey, that static thing. Again. Fusillade really should know better by this point, given all of her recent interactions with First Aid. "Leavin' so soo--" She acks at the glare, recoiling a bit. Howver, that doesn't stop her from bringing out the bigger weapons to bear -- she twists around, and despite the overexposed sensors, slings off of an angry sphere of magnetically shaped plasma at the rapidly receding spot where she heard Sideswipe fall. BLORT!

Combat: Fusillade misses Sideswipe with her Plasma Caster attack!

 Hun-Grrr says, "Me can come hold line and scare Autobots off if you get man out."

Boomslang throws up a hand, turning his cone away from the dazzling flareburst and cranking the wheel reflexively. The van swerves, tires screeching, around Sideswipe and into oncoming traffic! Cars blare their horns and scatter as Boomslang pulls it back into his own lane, keeping his head down so that he can barely see over the dashboard and firing wildly out the window with a Space Uzi. Another hard turn and they're headed for the freeway overpass. Spaceport, 3.2 kiks. The magnet is working havoc on his vision. Is he still going the right way? Is he even in the right lane? He can barely see the rear view mirrors, where is he shooting?

 Hun-Grrr says, "... if me can just find way out of sewer."

Combat: Boomslang's Wild Space Uzi Fire attack on 1986 Pontiac Trans-Am  goes wild! Combat: Boomslang misses Mindwipe with his Wild Space Uzi Fire attack! [Pulled -2]

 Catechism says, "...yeah, the sewers are handy, but it's real easy to get turned around down there."

 Rumble says, "Ugh, did anybody get da numba of da bus what hit me?"

 Catechism says, "A bus named 'Red Alert with a chunk of ceiling'."

 Rumble says, "Frickin' Lambos. I thought dat was Sideswipe. Now I's ashamed."

You receive a radio message from Fusillade: If you have anything near and dear in this shipment that you want to keep for yourself, start grabbing it.

Sideswipe lands hard on his flank in the middle of traffic; the momentium carrying him quite a distance. Abrasion with the ashphalt peels the paint off of his left arm, side, leg, and even his lambo door at his shoulder. And he just was resurfaced! Fusillade's shot fortunatly goes awry and it is her that draws his ire. Leaning forward he hits his thrusters; weaving through traffic in robot mode at a brazenly high speed. Insurance folk are going to be screaming about this day for the next twenty years.

Boosting upwards, he attempts to land right on the roof of the van beside her. "Hey, Baby." He says. "Gimmie kisses." And then, promptly, he attempts to knock her off the roof into the path of an oncoming hover-bus.

"Tailgate! Talk to me, bud. You still in this?"

Combat: Sideswipe sets its defense level to Fearless. Combat: Sideswipe misses Fusillade with its Hoverbus! attack!

<Decepticon> Catechism breaks out laughing! "Ah, if only Ramjet was around..."

You send a radio message to Fusillade: We can still make it! They fell off... wait, one's back on it. Half of them fell off, that's something.

The van shimmies, making footing on its roof tricky at best. Fusillade pinwheels arms a few times, snapping out her wingblades to better balance herself. As Sideswipe executes a great pommel horse leap to rejoin her, Fusillade manages to lunge aside, escaping the Autobot's fists. "Not on the first date!" she snarls out, and the Lambo just what kind of girl she is. Scissoring both wingblades in front of her, she breaks out into a wicked, exultant laugh, before cramming an AMRAAM down his gullet.

Combat: Fusillade sets her defense level to Fearless.

Mindwipe ducks down in his seat as Boomslang tries to blow off his head. He snaps, irritated, to say the least, "Seeker! The enemy is /outside of the van/." Mindwipe's vision clears as he cycles his optics on and off a few times, and he looks outside the van, trying to get a headcount on the assailants. A Minibot and a cocky red car. Hnn. He snaps a shot over at the Minibot.

Combat: Mindwipe strikes 1986 Pontiac Trans-Am <Tailgate> with his Viper Pistol - Low Level Energy (Disruptor) attack!

Combat: Fusillade misses Sideswipe with her Plasma Caster attack!

1986 Pontiac Trans-Am <Tailgate> responds to Sideswipe: "I am," no wait he's just singing again, "Henry the Eighth, I am! Henry the Eighth I am, I am! I got married to the widow next door! She's been married seven times before!" ZAPPO. "YOOOW!" Is he fine or is he just starting up on 'I Feel Good'? The minibot transforms and hops to his feet, staggering around. "Holy slagheaps, what was that for? What'd I ever do to you, huh buddy? Huh? Can you answer me that? Ow!" He pulls out his obviously-Made-in-Taiwan Nintendo Zapper of a laser pistol and points it at Mindwipe. "It is a far far better thing I do today then I have ever done before! And that thing is shooting you! Well, shooting's not really a thing, I guess, but--" he fires before he can finish his thought. The Pontiac Firebird isn't a mindless machine after all! It jumps up off the ground and transforms into Tailgate! Combat: Tailgate misses Mindwipe with his Fisher Price Junior Laser Pistol <High Power> (Laser) attack!

"Sorry, I was... I don't know what the problem was there," admits Boomslang, shaking his cone and stepping on the gas as he comes out of the turn. A spaceship shadow passes overhead, coming in for a final approach towards the spaceport 2.6 kiks down the road as Boomslang narrows his eyes and powers the van around a very bewildered hoverbus. Tailgate appears in his side mirror as Boomslang changes three lanes, and he sprays bullets out the window at the confusing little Autobot, hoping to blow out a tire or something.

Combat: Boomslang misses Tailgate with his Space Uzi attack! [Pulled -3]

With that ferocious jerk around the hoverbus, Fusillade is dislodged from the van. There's a rather audible shriek, Doppler effect and all, as she goes sailing headfirst into one of the many garbage dumpsters lining the street. Trashbags and hypodermic needles go flying from the impact, and the Autobots and the van they're attacking is quite some way down the road before she manages to extricate herself.

Combat: Fusillade begins retreating, leaving herself vulnerable to parting shots from Autobot Shuttle <Alpha Trion> and Autobot Shuttle <Golden Age>

Sideswipe brings his left arm around in a whistling arc; half succeeding in slapping the attack away. The missile is still fired, but impacts into the ground in a shower of fire and ashphalt. He is just bracing himself and adopting a street brawler's stance when he is dislodged by the same thing that sends Fusillade flying -- a powerful cut around a hoverbus.

This time he catches the back bumper, and on his back this time; spewing sparks in every direction he has to fire this thrusters to gain ground. The intention this time is to send him right into the back of the van. Reaching out, he attempts to grab the back of Mindwipe's head and the back of Boomslang's head and bang them togeather a few times.

"That's some drivin' there, Slick. Ever think you'd be better on wheels, and not them girly wings?"

Combat: Sideswipe sets his defense level to Fearless. Combat: Sideswipe misses Boomslang with his Two Heads Are Better Than One Area attack! [Pulled -4] Combat: Sideswipe misses Mindwipe with his Two Heads Are Better Than One Area attack! [Pulled -4]

Mindwipe is inside a van, and so the van door takes the hit for him. This isn't a rental, is it? He ducks down, using his head, as Sideswipe makes a grab for it, and he suggests, sounding bored, "Cool down." In fact, that is more of a prediction than a suggestion, really, as thumb his viper pistol over to 'paralyse'. Mindwipe twists around and snaps off the shot.

Combat: Mindwipe strikes Sideswipe with his Viper Pistol attack! Combat: Sideswipe has been temporarily incapacitated.

Tailgate is obviously Uzi-proof! Or at least that's the story he'll tell later, for the fifteen minutes he remembers any of this. He transforms yet again to peel out after the van. "Oh no you don't! Get back here! I'm not through with you!" Considering he hasn't really started with anyone, that's a fairly bold assertion. As he catches back up with the vehicle, Fusillade bounces out past him. Seeing this as some sort of sign, he tries to get her number. "HEY LADY NICE TO MEET YOU I'D REALLY LIKE TO--" and then she's gone, or rather he's zoomed past. "Aw.." he grumbles, dejectedly. He shouts ahead at the Decepticons, "Now you've cost me a nice paint job AND a potential relationship! WHY WON'T YOU JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" Angry, hurt, and generally confused about the very nature of reality, he starts shooting lasers out of his pop-up headlights. Fortunately, this time, he pops them up first. Tailgate flips forward onto his face and pulls in his arms, changing into a classic Pontiac Firebird!

Combat: 1986 Pontiac Trans-Am <Tailgate> misses Boomslang with his Superbright LED Headlights (Laser) attack!

"The life of a Battlecharger isn't really my 'thing,'" replies Boomslang, ducking away from Sideswipe's grab to pick up a shotgun lying across his lap. He keeps the seat between himself and Sideswipe for cover as he flips the shotgun back over his shoulder and pulls the trigger.

Combat: Boomslang strikes Sideswipe with his Point Blank Blast attack!

Sideswipe is about to attempt to rip the seat out to get to Boomslang, when Mindwipe's pistol shot strikes him full in the torso. He freezes for a moment; dropping to the floor of the van as Boomslang's shotgun blast catches him directly in the flat of his chest. Armor plating explodes from a devastating short range hit, some internal circuitry visibly spark as he rises to his hands and knees; then back to his feet as he smiles. "Hey, I dunno. You got the same stupid face as one of them. Either way, glad you are paying attention to me!" And with that, he draws a laser pistol and fires not at the other two -- but at the steering wheel of the van. "Good luck with that freight truck, boys!" And with that he heaves himself out the back; landing hard once again as the van carries on without him.

Combat: Sideswipe strikes Boomslang with his Van - Steering + Incoming Traffic Area attack! [Pulled -3] Combat: You took 10 damage. Combat: Sideswipe strikes Mindwipe with his Van - Steering + Incoming Traffic Area attack! [Pulled -3]

Mindwipe gets hit by a ricochet from the shot to the steering wheel, and the truck starts to swerve, hard. The mystic pushes at the door, fumbling at the handle, and he settles on just wrenching the door open. He's a lot stronger than he looks, for a mystic. Mindwipe hits the pavement hard and grumbles a bit, shouting, "Bail out, Seeker! This is a fool's errand, now!" Combat: Mindwipe takes extra time to steady himself. [Pass]

1986 Pontiac Trans-Am <Tailgate> moves into position behind the van and begins to simply draft there for a few seconds. Even with all the swerving, yelling, screaming, and screeching of tires the little car seems perfectly at home, probably because he drives worse than this most of the time, himself. Then he remembers, "Oh wait, I'm shooting these guys!" His headlight lasers angle up and focus through the back door, and he starts to pepper the area around Mindwipe with little low-energy blasts that couldn't light a matchhead. As Sideswipe jumps out over him, he calls up, "Hey there, Sideswipe! How've you been? Man it's been a.." and then Sideswipe is gone, much like Fusillade. Hurt, and angry, he yells, "THAT'S IT! I'M MAD AS HELL AND I'M NOT GONNA TAKE IT ANYMORE!" He powers up his lasers with pure rage, firing as Mindwipe bails out through his field of fire! PEW PEW PEW! Combat: 1986 Pontiac Trans-Am <Tailgate> misses Mindwipe with his HEADLIGHT RAGE LASERS (Laser) attack!

Boomslang stomps the brake and pulls the e-brake, head slamming into the roof pillar with a clang as the van spins out and gets T-boned by an oncoming car which sends it spinning back the other way where another car wrecks into it and flips it on its side. It finally comes to a halt against the guardrail, resting on the passenger's door. Excelsior packing material and grenades and space uzis are scattered all around the wreck. "Ngh... Mindwipe... we can still make something out of this! Grab what you can and make for the spaceport!" groans Boomslang, picking up a crate and kicking out the windshield. He flickers briefly and then vanishes entirely along with the crate he's carrying, although he can be heard running towards the blast wall of the spaceport just a few hundred yards past the freeway's guardrail. Combat: Boomslang activates his cloaking field and vanishes from sight! Combat: Automatically setting your defense level to 'Hidden'

Sideswipe lands in a heap on the ground after flying over Tailgate's head. Transforming, he accelerates hard and attempts to make up for the lost ground that way. Indeed, roaring forward he simply attempts to crash right into Mindwipe; though it is kind of a halfhearted attempt.

"Get outta here, bat-ugly." He quips; cutting his wheels hard to the left and coming around in a long skid, managing barely to stay out of traffic. "Let 'em go, Tailgate. If they wanna run like idjits, we'll keep their stuff."

Sideswipe drops down into his Lamborghini altmode. Combat: Countach LP500S <Sideswipe> strikes Mindwipe with his Ram attack!

Mindwipe sees that Autobot mental health standards have dropped while he was gone. He's not sure if that is encouraging or just annoying. Groaning, he gets up, staggers over to the van, and he grabs a crate - which is promptly shot and destroyed by Tailgate's laser of RAGE. Mindwipe frowns, drops the broken crate, and he grabs another crate. Then, the /other/ Autobot runs Mindwipe over. Mndwipe reaches out and tries to grab Sideswipe's bumper to tear it off before the Autobot is out of the way. Combat: Mindwipe misses Countach LP500S <Sideswipe> with his Bumper Tear (Punch) attack!

1986 Pontiac Trans-Am <Tailgate> crashes straight through the van and right out the windshield. Glass and metal shards fly everywhere. There's even a massive explosion that he narrowly avoids -- you know, in his mind -- and he skids in uncontrolled circles until he comes to a halt. Facing Mindwipe. Terrified by the Bat-man-bot, he yells out, "WHAT ARE YOU!?" in a high-pitched screech. Having no real control over his own faculties, he charges his electro-magnet. "What do you do with a drunken sailbot, what do you do with a drunken sailbot, what do you do with a drunken sailbot earl-eye in the mornin'!" he begins, bouncing up and down in time on his suspension.

Combat: 1986 Pontiac Trans-Am <Tailgate> misses Mindwipe with his Ferrocobalt Hood Magnet attack!

Boomslang pauses on top of the blast wall, considering the fighters through the purple murk of what little light makes it through his energy-warping field. Should he do something for Mindwipe? Help him out, now that he's outnumbered? Nah, he's got somewhere to be. Boomslang drops down onto the tarmac and makes for Chopshop's waiting ship with the crate of grenades and other valuables tucked safely under his arm. Combat: Boomslang takes extra time to steady himself. [Pass]

Complete with standard sound effects, Sideswipe switches to Robot mode! Hold onto your hats! Sideswipe transforms as Mindwipe reaches for his bumper; twisting into Robot mode. He stands there with his hands on his hips. "What's wrong?" He asks, thoughtfully. "Trying to . . . OH, I get it now! You want what's in these crates. Well, here then." He bends down; picking up a crate of grenades and tosses it at Mindwipe. Of course, a second later his pistol comes up as he attempts to blow it up in the Decepticon's hands.

Combat: Sideswipe strikes Mindwipe with his Surprise! (Punch) attack!

Mindwipe will maybe remember that Seeker bailing on him. Maybe Vorath will remind him. Either way, he gets a crate blown up in his face as the Minibot does... something incoherent. "Ah. You have given me an idea, Autobot." Mindwipe then turns and shoots at the gas tank of the truck. The Seeker wanted these crates? Then he could have carried them himself. At least the Autobots won't get them, now.

1986 Pontiac Trans-Am <Tailgate> sits there singing and shooting his crazy electromagnet quasi-weapon at Mindwipe. "Put in the hold with Shockwave's daughter, put him in the hold with Shockwave's daughter, put him in the hold with Shockwave's daughter, earl-eye in the mornin'! Way hay and up she rises, way hay and up she rises..." And so on. That boy needs therapy.

Combat: 1986 Pontiac Trans-Am <Tailgate> strikes Mindwipe with his Ferrocobalt Hood Magnet attack! Combat: 1986 Pontiac Trans-Am <Tailgate>'s attack leaves him temporarily incapacitated!

Meanwhile, on the shuttlecraft, Boomslang is securing his ill-gotten gains and making excuses to Chopshop. "We had a lot more of it, but the Autobots chased us all the way here. Mindwipe's still down there, I don't think he got any of the goods." Chopshop lifts the ship off and makes for the spacelanes, but there's someone hanging to the outside of the shuttle as it cruises away... Boomslang leans away from the hull, zooming in on Sideswipe with one of the new scoped rifles that was in the crate. <<Mindwipe, get your head down!>> he transmits, and squeeeezes the trigger.

Combat: Suddenly, Boomslang appears out of thin air! Combat: Sneak Attack!! Combat: Boomslang strikes Sideswipe with his Scoped 20mm Gauss Rifle attack!

Sideswipe leaps clear of the van as Mindwipe sets it on fire and is almost grazed by a nearby transfer truck. He's pretty badly damaged already and it's showing, with most of his chestplate armor in tatters and circuits hanging out by the handfuls. "Gotta take a break." He says, assuming in his head Mindwipe is smart enough to leave. Then he's hit broadside by Boomslang's shot -- the round exploding through his side, puncturing a massive line of pain through his internal subsystems; taking him right to his knees. "Have to . . fight some more." He utters, levering himself back to his feet and trying to grab hold of Mindwipe and throw him into the soon-to-be-detonating conflaguration that is the van.

Combat: Sideswipe strikes Mindwipe with his Foom attack! [Pulled -2]

Shockwave went and built a daughter? Times must have gotten wild on Cybertron, after Scorponok's crew left. Trying to make sense of /why/ Shockwave would burden himself with an incomplete personality dependent on him, Mindwipe wanders around the road, confused. Cars swerve around him, the drivers making various unpleasant gestures at the mystic. When Boomslang comes out of nowhere and Sideswipe then throws him into a van, Mindwipe suffers a case of the jitters and looses a shot... but who is he aiming at?

Combat: Mindwipe's Viper Pistol attack on Sideswipe goes wild! Combat: Mindwipe misses himself with his Viper Pistol attack!

1986 Pontiac Trans-Am <Tailgate> sings! While sitting frozen in the road, locked in vehicle mode! "Show me the way to go home! I'm tired and I wanna go to bed! I had a little drink about an hour ago and it got right to my head!"

Boomslang ejects the hissing shell casing and chambers another round, aiming down at Tailgate this time as the shuttle continues to climb away. <<Come on, Mindwipe! We're getting out of here!>> he transmits to the dazed and literally inflamed mystic. <<Mission's over!>>

Sideswipe is somewhat out of it at this point from damage; staggering to the guardrail for a moment to attempt to gather his wits. Maybe if he can make the double vision go away he can figure out where the shots are coming from. Combat: Sideswipe takes extra time to steady himself. [Pass]

Mindwipe is on fire. It gives him a real bat out of hell look. Mindwipe would appreicate the makeover more if it wasn't so blasted painful, but it does give him an idea for... later, perhaps. If he can ever rise above his circumstances. He nods vaguely to Boomslang and stumbles after the Seeker. Vorath has enough presence of mind to force his partner to transform and wing out. Mindwipe turns into a bat. Is anyone shocked? Combat: Giant Bat <Mindwipe> begins retreating, leaving himself vulnerable to parting shots from Autobot Shuttle <Alpha Trion> and Autobot Shuttle <Golden Age>

1986 Pontiac Trans-Am <Tailgate> starts to suddenly drive in erratic circles, kicking up clouds of smoke from his tires. Then he transforms abruptly and bounces to his feet, waving his pistol around and firing wildly up into the air. Kind of at Boomslang. "Come back down here and try that again you coward!" he yells. "Whatever it was you did! Which really hurt! Actually just stay up there and stop shooting me, that'd be okay too!"

The Pontiac Firebird isn't a mindless machine after all! It jumps up off the ground and transforms into Tailgate! Combat: Tailgate misses Boomslang with his Fisher Price Junior Laser Pistol <High Power> (Laser) attack!

Boomslang shoulders the rifle and ducks back into the door of the shuttle as Mindwipe boards. "Well, it's not a complete bust. And we all got away with our fuselages... basically intact, who can ask for more than their health, eh?" The shuttle continues accelerating up into the sky until it is lost to view, heading out into space to its rendezvous with Swindle's contact in Grand Central Space Station... where Boomslang can make his excuses for why the shipment is so much smaller than expected. Combat: Boomslang begins retreating, leaving himself vulnerable to parting shots from Autobot Shuttle <Alpha Trion>, Autobot Shuttle <Golden Age>, and Giant Bat <Mindwipe>

After both Decepticons retreat; Sideswipe continues to sit on the guardrail as the emergency crews begin to arrive. "Nice job." He says to Tailgate, and actually seems to mean it. "But we'd probably better make tracks." Without a word of complaint in regards to the state of his shot up aft he transforms and attempts to loose himself in traffic. . mentally promising himself he's going to kill tailgate if he tries that stupid magnet again.

Tailgate keeps shooting, but nothing comes out of the pistol.

EARLIER THAT DAY:

Tailgate is at the firing range, shooting his laser pistol at the target. When the charge on its power pack dies, he says to himself, "Self, remember to pick up a few spare power packs at the.. oh, hey, speaking of power do you remember that old He-Man show on TV? He was all like, I HAVE THE POWER. I wish I could do that. Man, that would be cool. Speaking of cool, why is it always so cold in space? Someone should turn on a heater, or make a few new stars. Stars are the best. Especially the ones that are all like, "Save the environment!" Those are some good people. Speaking of good, am I awesome at this shooting targets stuff or what? I should come back here again later. But there was something I was supposed to do... oh yeah, I gotta go punk Powerglide. C'mon, self, let's do it!"