| The Search | |
|---|---|
| Date of Scene: | 22 October 2016 |
| Location: | Grav-Haraan Glacier |
| Synopsis: | Vortex and his friends follow a lead to the Grav-Haaran glacier. Bad ideas lead to problems. |
| Cast of Characters: | Blast Off, Prowl, Swindle, Vortex |
- Prowl has posed:
The Grav-Haaran glacier is one of the largest icy structures in Cybertron's southern polar region. It can be seen from a good several kils away, jutting out of the whitewashed horizon like a massive and very sharp finger pointing toward the sky.
Frigid winds howl as they rush around it, screeching in protest as it blocks their passage across the pole. It is surrounded by many other frozen metallic structures like itself, though they are not quite as large. Certainly a treacherous terrain to navigate, whether on the ground or in the air, which explains why there is not much out here in the way of civilization, and why it is not a place that is frequented by normal bots on a regular basis.
Really, one would only come out here if there existed a very urgent and desperate reason to do so...a reason that must be worth the danger and the distance of coming here.
- Vortex has posed:
Vortex has been waiting to get the go ahead, he even sharpened his sword twice in preparation for this. Sure, riding Dynobots was fun and all- nix that: SUPER FUN- but this... This is what he'd been waiting for. His rotors all twitch, an excited but collected energy about him. He has a mission and an objective and he's going to achieve it... With some Combaticon help. Brothers are helpful like that.
Lik Blast Off! Flying them to their co-ordinates and making sure he didn't get too in over his head. Seeing how they're dealing with Functionists, that seems likely. Vortex absent-mindedly strokes the interior of the shuttle's walls, going over all the intel in his head. Find the space-bridge and secure it. Down all targets with extreme prejudice. Simple. "We there yet?"
- Blast Off has posed:
Keeping an optic on his brother becomes a full-time job sometimes... or so it seems. Fresh from Dinobot trouble, Blast off isn't keen on having to repeat a rescue here. Still, he'd rather rescue than retrieve wreckage. If only Vortex didn't make it so *irksome* at times. The shuttle's engines rev and grumble at the touch. << No. When we get there you'll know. Vortex, stop that. Remember what I said about *no touching* inside my bay. Or cockpit. Or anywhere. >> Meanwhile, the shuttle gets closer to his destination, veering in towards the landing spot.
- Swindle has posed:
And here we have Swindle along for the ride as well, because Combatibros stick together. "Are we there yet? Really? What are you, a protoform?" he says to Vortex, rolling his optics. He chuckles a bit at Blast Off's admonition of Vortex, as if their combatibro had sticky jelly peanut butter and chocolate constantly coating his fingers. Maybe his protoform assessment wasn't so far off after all. "Yeah, keep your servos to yourself," he chimes in.
- Prowl has posed:
There's a good landing spot a few clicks northwest of the massive glacier, a rare clear spot barely large enough for Blast Off to land safely. An energy signature that matches the profile of a transdimensional device has in fact turned up somewhere in this vicinity...it's just a matter of pinpointing the location. Perhaps once they are closer to the ground, they might be able to get a clearer signal.
- Vortex has posed:
The movement along Vortex's rotors rolls but he doesn't stop his stroking. "You like it and you know it, don't be so coy," Vortex says, brushing the complaints off and shooting Swindle a look. Watch it, Stubby! "I'm just eager to get here. C'mon, you know how it is with me." When there's answers to be found, he doesn't stop until he finds them. "And there's still so much left to connect and unravel! It's almost maddening... But I won't bother the two of you with it- intelligence is all me innit?" He's not calling them stupid. Only sorta. For fun.
With a sigh, the rotary does eventually stop touching the shuttle's interrior so he can sit up straight, claws tapping eagerly and anxiously. "Just tell me when we're there, Blasty. And keep your fancy scanners peeled." They all know what they're looking for. And best to find it before the cold gets to them.
- Blast Off has posed:
Vortex is lucky they're about to land. The shuttle's slightly disadvantaged in this situation, but not entirely helpless, and he has been known to fling open his cargo bay door and let Tex get sucked outside to think about what he's done for a moment or three. It's especially fun to do deep in space. This time, however, the shuttle's engines rumble, annoyed, but given that they are at the landing spot he focuses on doing just that. And advises his teammates to do that same. The SubCommander is all seriousness and work- it's something he seems to take after Onslaught. << Just focus on the mission, and save that energy for the Functionists. I don't want to have to repeat the other day with the Dinobot. Which, by the way, you oew me for. Again. >> And he's gonna keep count.
The shuttle eases down, possibly making the ride just a *bit* more bumpy than it needed to be, given his current huffy mood. Sorry, Swindle. (Ok, it's his usual mood.) << Now get ready, I'm landing but it's a very small spot... my scanners are picking something up. It's close. >>
- Swindle has posed:
"Maybe we should get him a super soft buffing rag for him to stroke," Swindle suggests to Blast Off, "It'd save on the wear and tear in your interior." He braces himself for the bumpy ride that he knows full well is directed at Vortex. "Yeah, let's go get those Functionalists, and make them De-Functional." He checks his arm-mounted blaster to make sure it's sighted in properly.
- Prowl has posed:
As the shuttle touches down, the signal does grow stronger, and appears to be coming from somewhere within the massive Grav-Haaran glacier just ahead. If they begin to move toward it, they might even take note of what appear to be fresh tire tracks in the partially-melted ice on the ground. Has someone -else- been here recently?
At any rate, there appear to be several ways into the caverns within and below the natural icy fortress. Some are more cramped than others, but now it is a matter of deciding which is the best way inside...
- Vortex has posed:
Vortex is at home in the bumpy ride. Weeee- what fun! It has nothing on his own aerial pursuits of course. But, thankfully, the shuttle lands and those cargo doors open. FINALLY! He was getting all stir-crazy. The rotary jumps on out of Blast Off and has Instant Regret(tm) as the frigid temperatures hit his rotors. "COGSUCKIN-!" It takes some dancing around outside to finally get used to the cold along his blades. Ugh, rotaries and cold don't mix. Insulation is more a... almost every other alt sorta thing.
"Hnf..." Vortex rubs the side of his helm- and comm-unit- with a pout. He makes sure to constantly keep his hub rotating. Don't need frost building up in there. "Whatever. Alright, Blast, our dear Sub-Commander. Lead the way, just like Ons said. In the breifing I paid attention to." He spent the whole time balancing data-pads on his faceplate and imagining beheading Functionalists... But it does make sense. Wherever they go, they need the shuttle's firepower and sensors. Ugh, hate it when Onslaught is right about things he wants to do himself. "Let's hurry it up, though. My rotors are freezing- literally."
- Blast Off has posed:
Blast Off opens his cargo bay door and lets the other Combaticons out- one too soon in his opinion. The shuttle's heat shields and ceramic tiles keep him fairly impervious to the bitter cold- it's nothing he doesn't already handle in the deep cold of space- and then some. He glances back to Vortex, frowning under his faceplate and half-tempted to take his sweet time just to irk the rotary... but better not to. They have a mission and Onslaught is watching. He just *huffs* at Tex and starts moving forward, ionic blaster in his hand. "Yes. I'm sure you did. You really ought to know I'm the mech for the job, especially after your little run in with Grimlock the other night..." Tsk. Dark brown metal is nearly blotted out by swirling white blizzard... his pale optics become hard to see at all.
As they make their way in, Blast Off points out the tracks as they come across them. "We may have company." There seem to be caverns in the distance, so he heads towards one. "Here." He makes his way towards the entrance. "I'm picking up several places to enter, running scans now." And he does.
- Prowl has posed:
Indeed there are several different entrances that are within view. The closest one is long and low, probably would require them to crouch a bit to get inside. It looks like it would fit a standard speeder-type terrestrial altmode form just perfectly, and they'll notice the tracks lead to that opening.
There is also another entry above and to the right of the closest one--it would require them to fly up there, and is fairly large. Enough to fit Blast Off's shuttle mode.
Still another one is rather cramped, though it would probably just barely fit them in a single file line. It's right at the bottom of the glacier a few paces away, almost partially in the ground. Scans would reveal that this lower one slopes downward into a subterranean area, whereas the other two kind of connect just beyond the entryway, although any sensor sweeps are not able to penetrate too deeply.
- Vortex has posed:
Vortex crosses his arms and soon hunches over. C-C-Cold... He sticks close to Blast Off so not to loose him, his rotors shaking behind him. If he got out of this wind, it would be easier to handle this wind. When the entrances are found, he stalks around Blast Off to investigate the entries. He doesn't have scanners like Blast Off but he's flight capable and has his own radar and scanners.
"Oooo- I love choices..." The rotary looks them all over, pointing from on to the other to the other to the other- "aaaand you are it! This one, Blasty." He points to the lowest, smallest one. "That's the one."
- Blast Off has posed:
Blast Off radios Onslaught, informing their Commander of the choices at hand. He's feeling quite miffed with his rotary brother, largely ignoring him at this point. Including any advice the smaller mech gives. He finally does turn just to glare at the gray mech. "Vortex, stop being a pain in the aft and questioning Onslaught. He is our Commander and he knows what he's doing. And knows what *we're* doing." I mean c'mon bro how dare you question Ons, he's brilliant!!
"Alright, you heard Onslaught. In we go." The shuttleformer steps towards the smaller nearby entrance, blaster still in hand and ready to fire if needed. "Cover me. And *focus*." That's obviously directed at Tex.
- Swindle has posed:
If Swindle had to breathe, the sheer cold would cause him to gasp. As it is, his internals almost seize up a little at the exposure, though he's more insulated than Vortex, for sure. It'll take him a few seconds of defrost to adapt. He follows Blast Off and Vortex into the tunnel. "C'mon Vortex, you know Onslaught always knows the correct course of action. Give him a break, will ya?"
- Prowl has posed:
The party decides to proceed into the nearest entry, the one where the tracks lead. As they make their way inside they can see some light from the upper opening they'd seen earlier--it would appear that one opens onto a ledge above the tunnel they've entered. There are massive icicles hanging from the ceiling and from every overhang in view, and the tracks start to become harder and harder to follow as more and more icy obstacles crop up.
Finally they come to a fork in the road. One appears to slope upward, whereas the other seems to be a steep drop down into the ground below the glacier. Though the signal is strong, it has become distorted possibly due to the irregular structure of the cavern. At this point there appear to be tracks everywhere, but it's not completely clear which marks are actual tracks and which are just dents where icicles have fallen.
- Vortex has posed:
"Yeah, yeah..." Vortex grouches at his teammates about Onslaught. He knows the boss knows best! And, in the end, he'll listen to him! But it can't be just him that remembers that improvising is NOT their commander's strong suit. He plans, makes contingencies, and plans more. But if one thing unpredictable comes up and skewers the plan... Well, yeah. Vortex is just wary of skewers... Now that he's out that frigid wind, his mood improves marginally and he pulls his glue gun out, just in case.
"I hate the cold," Vortex says at last. His rotors are prone to shattering already, they don't need the temperature to help them. And, it makes his spark sorta ache. He warily eyes the icicles, wondering how easily they fall, and then the two options. He simply points to the slopping one. "What say you, sub commander?"
- Blast Off has posed:
Blast Off is aware of these things, as well, but he's still confident the plan is on track. It's what those tracks promise that could cause unpredictability, but there's no way to know until they find out who's making it- or reach their destination. His voice remains lowered. "This cold is nothing compared to space itself. You should have been there for that exceptionally nasty icestorm I flew through near Theta Nine..." He studies the area, sending scans back to Onslaught when he feels it warranted.
The shuttle steps over to the sloping tunnel that Vortex points towards, and fights the urge to say *no* just to spite him. But.... his instincts say take that tunnel too. Sigh. "Very well. Proceed with caution, we don't know if we have company." He steps forward, purple rocket foot squilching in the ice. "Watch those rotors, too... don't need to knock a bunch of icicles onto your head. Even if it *might* knock some sense into you, who knows..." It's possible he smirks under his faceplate as he strides down.
- Swindle has posed:
"Yeah but Space Cold is a 'dry' cold," Swindle says, "This is more of a 'wet' cold." He checks the tracks they're following. "Hope that's just one or two mechs and not a lot of mechs just stepping in each other's footprints to trick us," he remarks. He puts his cannon at the ready, just in case.
- Prowl has posed:
The downward tunnel drops off pretty steeply, possibly causing some of them to fall if they aren't paying attention to the terrain or don't do well on slippery surfaces.
Fortunately, it is not too far, or at least not far enough to cause serious damage. But once at the bottom, they find themselves in a large cavernous room. The mileu changes quite a bit. It -definitely- looks like someone else has been here recently, as the icicles and rocks have been cleared away, and light fixtures have even been installed in the walls along the ceiling. They aren't lit, but there are definitely tracks down here, tracks of multiple people, as it would appear.
And--are those the tail lights of someone on the far side?
- Vortex has posed:
"Haha, very funny. You two just try to keep up, I've go point." Vortex's rotors all fold as he gives a little hop past Blast Off and... Slides on down. Fun! And then- << Head up, there's a drop. >> Thankfully for Vortex, he's adept to tumbling through the air and he lands in a crouch before springing back up. After a moment of consideration, he steps aside so no one lands on him.
The rotary looks around, rotors shivering behind him. Huh? He quietly takes out his sword. << I think I see someone. Gonna check it out, won't go far. Don't make a lot of noise. >> Tail lights, here he comes. With a sword.
- Blast Off has posed:
Blast Off grumbles but keeps focus on the task at hand. Vortex gonna be Vortex. The shuttleformer makes his way down the slope carefully, his rocket feet not exactly the best tool at hand (or foot, in this case) but his agility keeping him on his toes, as it were. An occasional slip and slide later, he reaches the cavern and looks around. Already, the rotary is off again, heading for those headlights. The sniper huffs softly but decides to just let him do his thing. << Very well. Call if you need backup. >> As so often happens. Meanwhile, he scans the area, searching for any sign of the space bridge.
- Swindle has posed:
Swindle does very little sliding, just enough to speed things up. << "Taillights, eh? Yeah, figures there's something or someone there. Don't let 'em get the drop on ya. >> he shortranges.
- Prowl has posed:
According to any further scans, the portal is somewhere in the area. Has to be close to the room they're in, but the data isn't specific enough to really pinpoint it that precisely.
As Vortex approaches the taillights, it becomes more and more apparent that the individual he is following is in fact Prowl. Alone. And potentially unsuspecting. Is it too good to be true? It definitely does look like he is headed somewhere, however. But of course, it's Prowl--he's always headed somewhere. He isn't the type to just be wandering aimlessly for no reason at all.
- Vortex has posed:
<< I know how to sneak up on a bot, you two. >> Assassination was well within his repetoire. And unlike Blast Off, he got up close and personal to do it. Which meant being quiet and sneaky. He's quite capable of such a thing. He follows for a while until he realize /who/ he's following. It's... Of course it's Prowl.
Vortex becomes far more determines, rotors silently folding behind his back and visor dimming as he follows. He was planning on straight up murdering the guy but... This is Prowl! Prowl will lead him right where he wants. << Tailin' none other than Prowl himself- train didn't kill him. Shame. You two get a lock on my coordinates and follow at least two kliks behind. >> Enough time to give them a head start to vacate or run and catch up. << I'm going to see where he's heading. >> He's not letting the mech outta his sight.
- Blast Off has posed:
Oh great, /Prowl/. Blast Off immediately takes a second look around just to make sure they're not walking into a trap or something, but he doesn't spot anything immediately. << A shame indeed. ....Be careful. He always has some backup plan... or backup forces. We'll do as requested. >> The sniper turns , still scanning to try and get a better reading on their target, and follows two kliks behind the rotary after informing Onslaught of the development. << Have you seen anything like this before, Swindle? >>
- Swindle has posed:
"Don't think so," Swindle says, "At least, not that I can recall." He stays by Blast Off to make sure they're far away enough from Vortex so that their combatibro can do what needs to be done without alerting Prowl or any other 'bot to their presence.
- Prowl has posed:
Blast Off's scans don't reveal anything more than what he's already seen--the light fixtures and other evidence that others have been here, though as they get closer to wherever Prowl is headed, they will notice more and more signs of civilization, like plate flooring on the ground and more circuitry in the walls.
Prowl seems to slow down once he reaches the other side of the cavern, veering sharply a little into a narrow alcove. There is only one way in and out of it--if Vortex wanted to ambush and trap him, now was the time. Though if he does act now, he might miss the opportunity to find out where he was headed. As he's standing there, an arm extends out of the wall, with a round security drone at the end of it. It starts scanning him--thus far he does not appear to be aware that he's been followed.
- Vortex has posed:
Vortex narrows his optics. Where are you going, Prowl... He holds his sword tightly, staying still as he debates with himself. A quick interrogation with Prowl is useless. He could kill him though! But what if the space bridge is hidden? And they can't find it without Prowl? Hnnngh... His hatred of Functionist succeeds his dislike of Prowl. So he waits to follow him further. << There's an alcove. Its narrow and I'm following Prowl through it. If it leads the the space bridge, I'll let you know. >> Hmmm... He'll just slip past that security drone when he gets to it. Simple enough.
- Blast Off has posed:
For now, Blast Off sticks to the plan. To Vortex he radios, << Understood. Keep watch for traps. We're just behind you. >> He continues making his way after the other two, glancing back to Swindle before looking up. Enclosed, cramped places like this are *not* his favorite environment. "Well... we've certainly done missions in underground places like this before. I'm... sure we'll reach the space bridge any moment." He may be reassuring himself even more than he's reassuring Swindle.
- Swindle has posed:
"Now we're getting somewhere," Swindle says, still in lockstep behind Blast Off. << "No sign of the Functionalists yet?" >> he shortranges to Vortex. He also keeps watch for any sign of traps, not wanting the spiked pit treatment or the shrapnel-through-the-armor treatment, either.
- Prowl has posed:
"ID verified." The drone chimes, and suddenly, the ice seems to part with a slow grinding noise. Why yes, there is a hidden door there. Once it's open wide enough, Prowl starts to make his way through. Inside is a barren room, but from the angle Vortex is at, he can't really see beyond the wall on the left side. The drone is still hovering there, but if they wait until it retracts, the door might be closed already.
- Vortex has posed:
Vortex's rotors swing up. By Primus, not acting impulsively to his own desires worked out! And it worked out wonderfully! << Secret entrance in an ice wall. Keep a close eye on my coordinates. Going in. >> Its a drone, so limited intelligence and limited sensory field. There's a high chance that most of its sensors are diverted to that scan. Which means if he runs, slides under the arm and security drone and through the doors... Well, this just might work. He's doing it, let's go.
- Blast Off has posed:
Blast Off finally arrives in sight of what's going on, spotting the drone - and the door. It's all still far off though. Frag. << ...Careful. I have you. Will take out the drone if need be. >> The sniper eases his weapon into position even as he continues walking forward quietly, ready for whatever he needs to do. He tries to stay out of the drone's view.
- Swindle has posed:
Swindle follows Blast Off, letting his combatibro take point while he covers the rear. "Eh, we'll be there soon enough. You ready to slag that drone when we get there?" he says to Blast Off. The floor plating thankfully isn't slippery like the ice, at least not right now.
- Prowl has posed:
Assuming all drones are terribly incompetent isn't always a very good idea. And this is one of those times when it -really- wasn't a good idea. Vortex manages to be quick enough to slip through the door, but the drone spots him immediately--given he pretty much tried to pass right under its nose. "INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT!" it shouts urgently. Though fortunately enough it would appear that particular one wasn't armed with anything, just designed to blow the whistle.
Inside, Vortex finds that he's now right in front of the shimmering, round blue portal into deep space, surrounded by all the monitoring equipment and other machinery dedicated to control and maintenance. However, Prowl seems to be nowhere in sight...is everything really just open for him to just waltz through unhindered? Or is this a trap...
- Vortex has posed:
Okay, so he blew the alarm! Hopefully Blasty will silence it soon enough. Vortex pops back to his pedes, sword at the ready and... No Prowl. But he was just here! The Combaticon growls bit he's side-tracked by the, you know, space bridge. His rotors flutter and then spin as he stares at it. Prowl could have gone through there. Right. << Blast Off, Swindle, I found the space bridge. We need to secure everything. I'm going to check out what's on the otherside. >> And his brothers, and anyone else, have approximately two seconds to convince him to do otherwise.
- Blast Off has posed:
Welp, slag. The instant the drone starts loudly pronouncing their presence, Blast Off, the sniper, does what snipers do. He braces himself, finds the drone in his sights, and squeezes off a shot to try and silence the drone once and for all. << Vortex, I said *be careful*! >>
The news about the space bridge is good though. Except the part where he checks out the other side. << Remember what I said about being *careful*! I don't need you to wind up in some Primus-forsaken far end of the galaxy... if I have to go fetch you, you are going to owe me.... you're going to owe... well, you're going to owe me something *huge*! >>
- Swindle has posed:
Swindle lets his combatibro take care of the drone. He checks behind to make sure none are forthcoming from the rear. Thus satisfied, he continues to follow as they make their way to Vortex's position. << "Yeah, don't go anywhere without us," >> he shortranges to Vortex.
- Vortex has posed:
Vortex pauses just a moment. Its very brief. << You two worry too much. I got this. >> Sword held tightly in servos, he bends slightly and then takes off to the portal. Just one peak on the other side couldn't hurt a lick. And just maybe, he'll find a nice head for his wall.
- Blast Off has posed:
Vortex does it anyway. You have got to be kidding. No, wait, this is Vortex. << VORTEX! If you get trapped in some alternate dimension I will spend the rest of my life tracking you down so I can bring you home- and then KILL YOU. And when I'm done, I'll take you back to base so ONSLAUGHT CAN KILL YOU, TOO. >> It's his way of saying he cares.
- Swindle has posed:
Swindle facepalms. "Oh great, NOW what do we do?" he wonders, looking at Blast Off, his expression conveying complete exasperation with Vortex. "Do we go in there and pull him out, or wait for him to come through himself?"
- Prowl has posed:
As soon as Vortex steps through the portal, he finds himself in a long corridor lined with windows looking onto the tumultuous Aria Nebula and the stars beyond. But, most importantly, he finds Prowl standing right there in front of him with a gun in his face, along with 3 other mechs who may be recognizable as Ricochet, Coil, and Pummel from the intel files in the report from the operation on Luna-2 some deca-cycles ago--where evidence of the existence of this organization first turned up.
"Don't move." The tactician demands.
- Vortex has posed:
The sight out of those windows is gorgeous. Truly, there's no view quite like space... The rest of it, however? Heh, Vortex could do without the rest. His rotors prick and then still as he stares down the barrel of Prowl's gun. Wonder if the space bridge will help a comm cross galaxies. << This might be a trap, you guys. Still big on the MIGHT, here... But don't go storming in, there's back up. Um... I'll keep you posted. >>
Vortex's stance goes languid, casual. "Prowl, good to see ya... And your friends! I know them. Hello, scum!" He twiddles his fingers without raising his servo. "Now... you know how I feel about orders." And with that, Vortex twirls his sword before swiping it up in hopes of getting an extra hand. Prowl's hand. Now that would make a hell of a keepsake.
- Blast Off has posed:
"Frag it," Blast off gripes as Vortex leaps through the portal, hurrying to get closer to it after downing the drone. He spares a quick glance at Swindle, "Too late to do much. Vortex sure acts *dumb* for a smart mech sometimes....." Grumble grumble.... Damn impulsiveness. "We go after him, what else?"
That is the plan- until Blast off gets that radio message. It causes a siiiigh- and also an immediate hand held up in a *stop* gesture to Swindle. "Wait." One of the sniper's black hands comes up to pinch at the bridge of his nose. << *Vortex*, this is why I said to WAIT.... >> But what's done is done. << ....Never mind. Fine. We'll wait... a short while. Try to lead any attention away from the portal so we can enter. >> "Alright, Swindle, get ready to jump through... but not yet."
- Swindle has posed:
Swindle sighs. "Fraggit," he mutters, as he hears the mess 'tex has gotten himself into. He was ready to rush the portal, when Blast Off's gesture halted him. "Fine," he sighs, "But let's not wait too long. I don't want to have to sweep up what's left of him to carry back home."
- Prowl has posed:
The blade swipes Prowl's wrist, slicing his armor a bit but otherwise doing minimal damage. The tactician fires his weapon at that very moment, the gun discharging at point-blank range. Then, the other three mechs attempt to jump on him and wrestle him to the floor!
- Vortex has posed:
Vortex's blade doesn't do much more than nick the tactician. Son of glitch. Prowl keeps his implied threat of shooting too and, thankfully, his sword managed to move the muzzle of the gun just enough that the shot didn't go through his head. Just... Sorta through the side of his helm. Man, the Constructicons are gonna weld him to recharge slab. The Combaticon yelps as the pain burns through his face, distracted enough that the three mechs easily down him.
Head injury or not, he struggles and bucks against. Unsuccessful he might be, Vortex isn't going to get cuffed or otherwise without a fight. Focus... Focus... Wow, he's really pinned here. Slaggit all. << Blast Off! Middle of the portal, about average height up. Shoot! Swin, feel free to charge in, just don't trip over me and my new friends. >> Better than running in blind, right? Or half blind, as is his case now.
- Blast Off has posed:
Blast Off mutters a little under his "breath", vents huffing as he listens to Vortex's radio message. Talk about cutting this close. The sniper is good, *really* good, but this is... shooting sight unseen. Still, well.... if anyone can do it, it would be him, right?? "....Alright, Swindle, get ready. We use surprise while we have it. Got it? ....Go!" With that, the shuttleformer lifts his gun and fires *through* the portal, using Vortex's directions and hoping to Vector Sigma that he doesn't accidentally shoot Tex. Then he leaps through the portal, ready to start shooting - or dodging- as soon as he spots a target.
- Swindle has posed:
"Well, here goes nothing," Swindle says. He leaps through the portal as soon as Blast Off fires, so he doesn't accidentally get hit himself. Once he gets there, he attacks the nearest of Prowl's minions with his cannon.
- Prowl has posed:
Vortex goes down, but not without a fight. He kicks at the three of them hard, causing Pummel, the one who had been pressing his torso to the floor, to wince. However they still manage to keep him on the floor. "Cuff him." Prowl orders, and has begun to walk away when suddenly Blast Off's shot comes through the portal and nails him in the back. He stumbles forward slightly then whirls around, firing at Blast Off in immediate retaliation.
Coil, Pummel, and Ricochet are about ready to restrain Vortex when Swindle and Blast Off comes charging in. Pummel attempts to keep Vortex down on the floor with a punch to the upper torso while Ricochet fires on Swindle and Coil retreats farther down the corridor to prepare his own attack.
- Vortex has posed:
Despite not having a mouth, Vortex does a good job snarling at Prowl as he walks away... And then cackles as the shot hit his back. "Haha! Good shot, Blasty!" Oh, slag, right, the guys on top of him. He thrashes about some more, ducking some of Swindle's- "Watch it, I'm right here!"- shot. But that's less guys on him now. Good.
Vortex squirms and manages to sit up, pulling up his glue gun and aiming at- aw scrap, sucker punch to the gut. His vents heave from the force and he's back with struggling against Pummel again. "Back off!" He shoves the mech aside enough to lift the muzzle of his gun and shoot at Prowl. The real prize is him, after all. He'll take care of these scraps in just a moment.
- Blast Off has posed:
Blast Off is on high alert, leaping through and instantly on his rocket feet, springing away from the retaliatory shot already coming his way from Prowl and returning fire. He springs forward, seeking to circle around the Autobot and his henchmen. Keep circling the wagon, keep the Autobots on their feet and getting attacked from all sides. He concentrates on prowl, too, sicne he's the head honcho. Take him out and the rest will be weakened.
- Swindle has posed:
Swindle eeps as he's hit, but it's not severe damage. "Why you uppity bot-mechs! I'll teach you to dogpile on a Combaticon 3 vs 1!" He lashes out with a fist at the mech that shot him, attempting to cold-cock him.
- Prowl has posed:
Vortex's shot slams into Prowl's shoulder, impairing his join movement a bit and causing him to stagger, which then makes Blast Off's shot harder to dodge. "Hmph. Take care of them." He suddenly orders, turning and transforming before driving away from them down the corridor. He has much more important things to attend to than these misfits!
Ricochet takes a fist to the torso from Swindle, as well as a few taunts. "Heh. Welcome to the Cog, scrapheap." he chuckles once recovered from the melee. He attempts to grab the wrist that Swindle used for the punch and send him to the floor.
Pummel does what he can cover Prowl's retreat, planting his bulky body between Vortex and his target. He smirks and punches one palm with the other fist, then charges at the Combaticon again.
Meanwhile, Coil is crouched behind a wall outcropping with his nucleon charge rifle aimed straight at Blast Off. Sniper vs. sniper, it seems.
- Vortex has posed:
Vortex's rotors all flick as Prowl is hit with a double-whammy. Haha! And then subsequently leaves them. Slagger! The rotary twists and manages to get up to a crouch while Pummel tries the whole intimidation act. Oh please, he's a master of such a thing. He picks his sword off the ground, attaching his glue gun to it as well and taking aim. He's about to stick Pummel up when... He hears Ricochet.
And that confirms it. This is the Functionist base. These are Functionists! And the TWELVES ARE HERE!!! And /Prowl/- slag him- is getting away. Probably to protect them or warn him! Well not on this rotary's watch! He snarls and charges Pummel just the same. But at the last minute he crouches and leaps over the mech, transforming in the air. His rotors explode to life as he charges down the corridor to follow Prowl- making for a nasty wind tunnel to pummel at the mech behind him. (Haha, pummeling Pummel) He may knock into the ceiling and hit things with his rotors but damn it all- Prowl's not getting away!
- Blast Off has posed:
Well, sniper vs. sniper is just fine with Blast Off. Right up his alley. Coil fires off a shot, but the Combaticon lunges to the side, evading the shot. The shuttleformer seeks cover of his own, ducking behind a piece of machinery, then turns to take aim and fire at Coil. He keeps an optic on his teammates as well, bracing himself as heavy winds hit thanks to the rotary. << Vortex, Swindle, do you need backup? >>
- Swindle has posed:
<< Um probably, yes, >> Swindle shortranges back to Blast Off as he's forced to the ground. "Hi Cog, welcome to the scrapheap!" he shouts at his opponent before trying to kick the mech's feet out from under him and thus put the two on equal footing, or lack thereof.
- Prowl has posed:
"Where you goin' so fast?" Pummel laughs as the rotors scrape his paint but otherwise don't do much damage at all. But he's not quite fast enough to catch up with Vortex. So he glances at Coil, who is still crouched a few paces down--right in Vortex's path. He aims another shot of his rifle this time at the chopper mech instead of Blast Off, but gets nailed in the left arm by his former target. Smoke rises from charred armor as he shouts in pain, but still manages to squeeze off his own attack.
Meanwhile, Pummel turns back toward Swindle and Blast Off, and pulls out an EMP grenade. He throws it at them, glancing in Ricochet's direction as if to signal him to let loose as soon as it goes off--which he does.
As for Prowl, he is still tearing down the corridor just ahead of Vortex--he rounds a corner...
- Vortex has posed:
Vortex's engine snarls as he's hit, sending him off course. "RAHH!!" He corrects himself before he crashes however, stabilizing and zooming forward again as his missilies heat up. Shooting missiles in a space stating is a bad idea? He doesn't care. The missle 'ker-clicks!- into place before launching at Coil as he goes to follow Prowl around the corner. The Functionist scum may fit in the corridors better but no car is faster than a Copter! << No back up needed, both of you just stay alive! I got this! >> Gonna get Prowl and kill the rest, haha!
- Blast Off has posed:
Blast Off is a little concerned about Vortex rushing off alone after someone like Prowl... but the rotary is a skilled warrior, a *Combaticon*, so.... he'll just have to trust him. << Alright, but be careful, Prowl isn't a lightweight. >> He gets Swindle's message and is just about to head over to him when he spots Pummel throwing a- GRENADE???- one that Blast Off avoids by ducking back behind the machinery. It takes the blow, instead of him. He huffs, drawing his weapon up... and then swinging it around to take aim at their attacker. << Got it, Swindle. >> He takes a shot at Pummel, trying to cripple his arm. No more grenade throwing for you!
- Swindle has posed:
Swindle acks as the next attack shorts out his optic sensors! Unable to see his attacker, he lashes out blindly, trying to nail the mech. << Good, my optics are shorted out for the time being. How're yours? >> Swindle shortranges back to Blast Off.
- Prowl has posed:
Vortex's missiles strike Coil and send him flying backward with the explosions. He lies dazed against a wall for a moment before jumping to his feet. He glances quickly back and forth between Vortex as he pursues Prowl and his teammates dealing with Swindle and Pummel, then decides the two of them should be able to handle themselves. He hurries after the chopper, again taking aim with his rifle once more.
Meanwhile, back by the portal, Blast Off shoots Pummel in the arm, and the larger mech howls in pain and anger, gripping his injured arm for a moment. "I'll get you!" he shouts, and swings his other fist at the shuttlemech's face. Ricochet smirks, seeing that Swindle has been blinded by the EMP, he attempts to take advantage of the moment and pin him to the floor.
Prowl is headed toward a tall pair of sliding doors at the end of the hallway he just turned down. They start to open as he approaches...
- Vortex has posed:
Vortex is encroaching on Prowl, another missile warming up to blast the mech. He lays on the speed, tilting forward with a flurry of rotors. The next shot hits his undercarriage, making him buck up into the ceiling. But no two-bit, second-rate sniper is getting the best of him. What's a little pain after all? And damage to his rotors. Sure, his flights a bit wobbly now but he's still fast. "You and your Functionist friends ain't gettin' away, Prowl!" And he launches his missiles.
- Blast Off has posed:
Oh slag. When the shooting and bombing doesn't work, Pummel opts for coming in up close and personal. Blast Off's least favorite fighting mode. The Combaticon looks for an escape route, but the same cover that protected him earlier also sort of boxes him in. He can't get away in time and gets hit - hard- flying across the floor and landing with a thud. Frrrag. That hurt. Armor now noticeably damaged, the sniper forces himself up and takes aim at his attacker even as he heads towards Swindle. << Slag it, he got lucky... but I'm coming, Swindle... >>
- Swindle has posed:
<< This one mech's got me pinned down! >> Swindle shortranges to Blast Off, << I'm going to need to get out of here, I'm hurting pretty bad. >> The attacking mech had done severe damage to him, not to mention the damage Swindle sustained blindly attempting a reprisal. So for now he bides his time and hopes Blast Off can get the mech off him long enough for him to escape.
- Prowl has posed:
Vortex's missiles send Prowl spinning, though still headed toward the doors. He doesn't retaliate yet, instead just trying to get back on course and rush through the partially open doors then close them again hopefully before the angry Combaticon can get through!
Pummel smirks at the very satisfying results of his work. "Guess you could stand an armor upgrade, huh?" He taunts, starting toward Blast Off with the intention of finishing him off. He takes another shot from the ionic blaster, grunting as his thick outer plating takes the hit. It doesn't stop his advance, however he is not very fast.
With Swindle down on the floor, Ricochet attempts to cuff him before his teammates can get to him.
- Vortex has posed:
Vortex snarls at his own success at hitting Prowl, the wing howling past his rotors. He pushes and pushes, sparks flying from where the blades hit the walls or ceiling. Come on... Come on... The copter cackles, rotors stopping and folding behind him so he sails through the slim entryway, transforming. Flipping through the air, he lands in the next room hard with his weapon in hand before he even touches the ground. "I told you, there's no getting away this time! Not for you, Prowl. And not for those damn Twelves! Not for anyone here!" His rotors twitch. Augh, teammate ruining the mood. << Can't you two handle a couple of lackeys?? >>
- Blast Off has posed:
Blast Off grimaces as Pummel approaches him, rubbing a spot on his side where energon flows down now. "Don't worry about me, Functionalist, I've survived a lot tougher battles than *this*." He'd like to return fire, but Swindle is the priority. The sniper moves to keep out of easy reach of Pummel while he lifts his weapon to try and shoot Ricochet- right in the back of the head, if needed. "Get off him, fool!" Meanwhile, he he finds himself radioing back to Vortex, << We're fine, just focus on Prowl. >> Fine or not, Tex needs to concentrate on Prowl right now.
- Swindle has posed:
Swindle squirms and squirms, trying to get free from the mech who's trying to keep him pinned down! His vision slowly starts to return, at least enough that he can see where the portal is. Now if Blast Off's shot managed to get this fool off him...
- Prowl has posed:
Prowl finally transforms and turns to face Vortex with an unreadable expression, his weapon readied. "You certainly are persistent." he replies evenly. "Smart is a different story, however. Did you honestly think the three of you could just waltz through the portal and single-handedly destroy an entire station? Do you even remember what happened the -last- time you tried to kill me?"
Ricochet dodges the headshot but it strikes him in the side, forcing him to get off of Swindle. He smirks at Blast Off, though. "Even if you kill us, scrapheap, there's an -army- waiting." He cackles and launches a missile at the shuttlemech. Pummel appears distracted by the explosion and Ricochet's taunts for the time being, and doesn't make a move yet.
Meanwhile, Coil catches up to Vortex and Prowl and attempts to shoot the rotoary in the back.
- Vortex has posed:
"I remember sticking your head to the wall and sending you down an off-rail, train." Vortex conveniently ignores how said train ran over him as it was derailed. Ahem. "We're /Combaticons/, Prowl. Taking down a space station is just what we-" The rotary is cut off as a shot hits his side, make him hiss and twist so both Coil and Prowl were in his line of sight.
Vortex just laughs though, sounding particularly deranged. "Shot from behind- how Prowl! Hahaaaa! Heh... I've been fighting Functionist SCUM all my life, you think you two will get in my way? I'm going to make you suffer and then those slagging Twelves will follow!" He cackles.
- Blast Off has posed:
Blast Off does succeed in getting the Functionalist off his teammate, but when he reaches towards Swindle to try and help him up, Ricochet takes the opportunity to hit him with a *missile*. It sends the shuttleformer stumbling backwards, grasping his shoulder and grimacing in pain. Frrag... He huffs in annoyance, circuits starting to short out. Then he turns to Ricochet again, swinging his blaster to fire right in his enemy's face if he can. "Well, *we're* an army all of our own!" he hurls back as he takes the shot. However, the reality is... he's taken some damage, and so has Swindle. His inner scans tell him he's at less than 50 percent functionality and Ricochet's right... there will be more.
<< Vortex, hurry up whatever you're doing, we need to get out of here! We can't take them all on by ourselves, we needed a strategy! Is there anything you can take back with us, or something you can damage to keep 'em busy for awhile instead of following us? Swindle, head towards the portal. >>
- Swindle has posed:
Swindle finds he has no choice but to exit stage right, back through the space bridge. He absolutely cannot take another hit. << I hope you guys are right behind me, I'm splitting. Don't wanna have to have you carry me out. >> He crawls towards the portal rapidly!
- Prowl has posed:
"And I remember running you over with that same train." Prowl states. He just watches as Vortex brags, his expression still neutral, though he inwardly cringes at how insane this mech is. "And yet you still go charging back into the fire. Typical." With that, he fires his own weapon at Vortex, giving Coil a break for now.
Meanwhile, despite the punishment Blast Off and Swindle have taken, Pummel and Ricochet are also looking quite battered by now as well, though they are still just as determined. Ricochet takes another shot to the chest, knocking him against the wall. He catches himself, barely managing not to fall. "Hahah, sure, an army of three--oh wait--take that back, two." He says, gesturing toward the retreating Swindle. Pummel moves up now, aiming to finish the shuttlemech off and send him back through the space bridge, hopefully for good.
- Vortex has posed:
Talk about being caught between a rock and a hard place. Prowl has a gun on him. Coil has a gun on him. One on one side of the room, one on the other... And there's two more waiting for him at the end of the corridor. Aaaaand, he just go hit in the chassis. Slag... << Fine! I'll follow you out. You and Swindle get out of here, I'll meet ya up top. >> He... May or may not be fibbing a little bit. Juuuust a smidge... He has his *ahem* doubts making it to the portal.
Vortex snarls at Prowl, aiming his weapon. "A train sure didn't kill me. Functionists sure aren't either..." He fires some of his non-lethal glue. Ya know, he sorta regrets not having, like, a laser right now.
- Blast Off has posed:
Blast Off isn't leaving until he knows Vortex is coming with them. The shuttleformer grimaces and flings himself to the side, evading the attack. "Ooops, too slow. Tsk." He chides the mech, while trying to keep him and his buddy busy so Swindle can escape. PEW PEW. << Vortex, I'm not leaving without you. So HURRY UP. >>
- Prowl has posed:
Vortex hits Prowl with his adhesives, again slowing his movement and rooting him to the floor where he's standing, but the tactician still doesn't appear concerned at all. "Who said anything about killing you?" He nods at Coil, who then exits the room. The door shuts behind him--now it's just Vortex and Prowl and console that the Autobot is standing in front of. "I do believe in second chances, despite what you might have heard." His hand is on the computer, he's about to push a button, the question is what that button is going to do.
Meanwhile, Blast Off is alone up against both Pummel and Ricochet. Indeed, he doesn't have much time left. "Better run while you still -can-!" Ricochet taunts, and launches another missile at the shuttle.
- Vortex has posed:
Vortex is about to turn and run to Coild- maybe kick him in the face or something... But that doesn't happen The missiles on his arm buzz as he wonders if he could blast them over... But Prowl gets his full attention as he mentally kicks himself. Primus-fraggin- his rotors rise. and his adhesive gun rises next. "Dunno what that does but you ain't pressin' it."
<< For frag's sake- I ain't leavin'! I'm gonna be here and Swin is gonna be in the ice captial of Cybertron freezin to death. So you're gonna go through that portal and get him to medibay and have Onslaught come up with a plan. Or so help me, I will invert your dorsal fin from the inside out! >> Vortex doesn't sound the least bit kidding. At all.
- Blast Off has posed:
Blast Off grumbles to himself as he dodges yet ANOTHER missile. Frag, he can't do this forever. the shuttleformer takes a flying leap, scrambling over some rows of machinery and circling around to try and keep these two goons busy while still avoiding their shots. Vortex's message just annoys him further. He vents his frustration by firing off another shot at Ricochet, then moving off towards another vantage point.
<< Don't you *Dare* speak to me like that. And more than that, don't you *dare* tell me to leave you behind. We're Combaticons. We stick together. I'm not leaving you behind to be reduced to a pile of scrap, or worse, by a bunch of cog-sucking Functionalists and /Prowl/! >> Blast Off used coarse language, he must be riled up! << YOU are going to wrap up whatever you're doing in there and get back to this portal ASAP! That's an ORDER! From your SUB-COMMANDER! >>
- Prowl has posed:
"You'll find out, soon enough." Vortex may have made a verbal threat but doesn't appear to do anything to physically stop Prowl from pressing it. As it turns out, this was the manual control for a hatch in the wall behind him--this room was in fact an airlock. Whether Vortex noticed that or not probably wouldn't have affected his decision to go charging in after Prowl, though.
The hatch flies open, and the pressure differential immediately pulls Vortex straight toward the door and the vaccuum of space outside. Prowl, on the other hand, remains rooted where he is, thanks to Vortex's adhesives. Having gone up against Vortex before, he'd predicted that the Combaticon would use the weapon on him, and given the fervor with which he'd pursued him in the past, Prowl had also predicted that the same behavior would yet again manifest itself. Some people...they are just like open books, you know?
Still, if the rotary is fast enough, he might be able to grab onto the edge of the hatch, for whatever good that would do.
Meanwhile, Coil hurries back to rejoin his team, though the lot of them are leaking and battered. Ricochet gets shot again. He doubles over, stagginer backward. Pummel tries to come at him with another punch, though this one doesn't have quite as much force behind it.
- Vortex has posed:
Vortex sees the hatch open and immediately realizes his mistake. Onslaught is going to kill him. But it's too late. He yelps, twisting and scrounging around but he's already off the ground. SLAG! He swipes at a few passing things until his fingers curl around the hatching, claws sinking in. He growls and pulls himself as in as possible while the suction of space keeps trying to inhale him. Hnnngh... Just gotta hang on! His glue is strong but even it can't hold up to a force like this forever. Just gotta hold on. << Augh- don't suddenly go pulling rank! Prowl is pulling me outta an air lock so, no! I can't come! I can't hurry up! I got, I don't know! Intel or some slag! >> Its true, he does. << I'll be fine... Probably in space but fine! Just get outta here before someone decides to shut that portal! >>
- Blast Off has posed:
Blast Off is sure being kept on his toes here. Pummel tries to pummel him again, but the agile sniper is all NOPE and evades the blow with some fancy footwork and a duck of the head just in time. But as he reaches to fire his weapon again, the battery pack of the laser reads *empty*. Slag. the shuttleformer scrambles, hopping over another row of machinery as he tries to reload his weapon. 5r
Then he recieves THAT message from Vortex. The sniper grumbles something quite uncouth under his "breath", glancing over to one of the windows. << Vortex, you're going to owe me. AGAIN. >> He takes one last look at Ricochet and Pummel- and smirks, though alas they cannot see it under his faceplate.
Then he makes a running leap towards the window- and transforms. SUDDENLY SHUTTLE crashes through the window, which likely sucks any air (and possibly any robots who don't find something to hang onto really fast) out the window with him. The shuttle rockets off, veering towards the nearest airlock immediately. << Let go... I got you. >>
- Prowl has posed:
Blast Off's powerful shuttle mode smashes through a window, immediately creating the same effect for Coil, Ricochet, and Pummel that Prowl just did for Vortex. They flail and try to grab onto something, but aren't fast enough and are sucked out into space--and a very unfriendly part of space at that. Perhaps their allies will come fetch them or whatever is left of them later, or perhaps they are not worth it...
At any rate, though Blast Off has an advantage with a space-capable alt mode, he is still instantly assaulted with the fierce environment of the Aria Nebula. There was a reason no one ever really wanted to try traveling through it. Bits and pieces of debris are floating around everywhere, as well as hot clouds of burning gases.
Prowl smirks ever so slightly as Vortex tries desperately to buy himself some time. "As I said, remember what happened last time? When do you people ever learn..." he sighs, and touches the console again. The hatch snaps shut.
- Vortex has posed:
<< I'm not going to owe you anything! Because you're gonna leave! >> But of course he doesn't listen. Pretty sure Blast Off is experiencing exactly why he didn't ask for a space rescue- though he'll probably not hear the end of it from him. 'Debris' this and 'acidic gas' that or whatever.
Vortex snarls, his grip loosening as he glares at Prowl. Well, that's his cue then. He releases the hatch, gesturing obscenely at Prowl and avoiding being severed from the hatch closing. And now he's just spinning through space. Alright, come on, Shuttle. << Can you fly us back through the space bridge? >>
- Blast Off has posed:
<< That's my plan >>, comes the reply. Sure, hot gases and debris isn't really Blast Off's idea of fun, but he's built for extremes of cold and heat in space. His heat shields help protect him, though the turbulance is pretty hairy-scary, especially given that he's already damaged. But he's got a job to do, and he's gonna do it. The shuttle veers in swiftly, cargo bay door opening and moving in to scoop his teammate inside. Once (hopefully) Vortex is safely in, the shuttle plans to point his nosecone right back at the station- and ram his way back through the portal, if need be.
- Prowl has posed:
Blast Off had better hurry--alarms are screeching and more drones and personnel are headed to that sector. But since he's already broken the window, he shouldn't have much trouble getting back through.
- Vortex has posed:
Vortex makes it into Blast Off's cargo bay with little trouble, if not in a poor mood. << At least one of us has a plan... Let's hurry and report back. We need to act fast before they change locations of the spacebridge or move the Functionist Council. >>
- Blast Off has posed:
Blast Off grumbles, ready to lecture Vortex for hours... but they don't have time. Besides, Onslaught will certainly do it for him. ...That's enough to almost make the shuttle feel bad for his teammate. Well- as long as HE doesn't get lectured too, that is. << Hold on then. I'm ramming through. >> Sometimes brute strength IS kind of nice. The shuttle fires up his thrusters and rams himself right back where he came from. It causes him some more damage, but he shoves his immense but streamlined shape right back through the shattered widnow and into portal itself. Seems they'll make it home after all. No guarantees that Onslaught will be happy with them, though.