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Psychout wrote:Character being tried out for the Convergence timeline, profile taken from Dark Legacy Archive.

Punch/Counterpunch

Allegiance: Autobot/Decepticon
Function: Secret Agent
Altmode: Cybertronian Hovercar
Weapons: Punch -- twin mortar launcher; Counterpunch -- photon cannon
Special Abilities: Unique triple-changer design (Autobot Punch, Decepticon Counterpunch, Cybertronian hovercar); flight (Counterpunch only); personality shell-matrix (essentially allows Punch and Counterpunch to register as two completely different mechs in terms of thought patterns, neural circuitry activity and overall personality)
Height: 26 ft. / 7.92 m
Quote: "In my business, there are no friends, only suspects."


Strength: 6
Intelligence: 9
Dexterity: 6
Speed: 6
Endurance: 6
Courage: 10
Firepower: 6
Accuracy: 7
Melee: 7
Tech Skill: 08
Charisma: 7
Rank: (7 on techspecs)

Profile: Punch is as cool-headed and well-adjusted as you will ever meet, although aloof and detached to a certain degree. However, the fact remains that he is, if anything, more observant and wary than many would suspect. Paranoid he may be that there may be traitors in the midst of the Autobots, but it's nowhere near Red Alert's levels of paranoia. He knows all too well just how much he has to lose by taking too many risks -- and the fact that he's willing to do it anyway is a testimony to his confidence in the rightness of his actions, his courage in the face of adversity, and his dedication and resolve to the Autobot cause.

As Counterpunch, on the other hand, he is ruthless, volatile and bad-tempered. An act, of course, but one that Counterpunch has proven capable of portraying quite well. There is a growing confidence in his 'act' as Counterpunch, because of the knowledge that he has been able to retain his Autobot sensibilities in the face of his constant exposure to the Decepticon camp. Still, however, there is the fear lurking in the back of his shared mind of the Counterpunch persona taking over and betraying the Autobots. That, however, is remedied by a personality shell-matrix that helps to ensure that there is enough difference between the Punch and Counterpunch personas to avoid some of the more dangerous pitfalls that could lead to his discovery and execution by the Decepticons.

Abilities: Punch / Counterpunch has slightly above average strength and great intelligence -- a skilled spy and infiltrator, as well as a capable actor and a canny judge of character. His ability to make rapid situational analyses is impressive, as is his knowledge of security and undercover tactics. As a Cybertronian hovercar, Punch / Counterpunch is capable of attaining velocities as high as 160 mph with a range of 1,200 miles. In Autobot mode, Punch utilizes a twin mortar launcher with a range of 9,000 feet; in Decepticon mode, Counterpunch wields a photon cannon designed to destroy the target's circuitry, tearing them apart internally. The Decepticon mode also affords Counterpunch with a personality shell-matrix which helps to dissociate the persona (including neural circuitry activity and thought patterns) from the Autobot mode and the Punch persona.

Weaknesses: The fear of the Counterpunch persona becoming too comfortable as a Decepticon spy and winding up taking full control of the shared body with the Punch persona is a very real possibility that Punch must always take into account. The personality shell-matrix helps to mitigate that somewhat, but deep down, Punch still remains concerned that the Counterpunch persona may find a way to circumvent the personality shell-matrix (or worse, the personality shell-matrix be damaged and rendered inoperable for any appreciable length of time), and thereby allow Counterpunch to wrest full control of their shared mind, in turn sowing untold chaos and disaster for the Autobots.



Sample Post:
"GET OUT OF MY WAY!!!" Counterpunch yelled as he put his foot to the chestplate of the sentry outside the Kaon jail cell and shoved viciously. "I do not need your permission to visit MY captee!" The stunned sentry wasn't paid enough to stand in the way of crazy types like Counterpunch, and Punch knew it. In no hurry to get back up, he just waved the short tempered 'con in, still stunned from the blow. "You never saw me, got that??!" Using his Photon cannon to emphasise the point, he kicked dirt at the sentry and strode off into the jail complex laughing.

He checked to see that the coast was clear and he was safe from the cameras, and switched to his Autobot mode. It had been a while since he needed to change, but this was unavoidable. Disabling the cameras in Gamma-wing is an easy enough task, and I can blame it on this sentrys incompeten... No, no. That's Counterpunch talking - that is not me. I will do this properly so no one gets hurt, I do enough damage as my alter ego as it is. He thought back to the sentry he had just abused, and felt a pang of guilt that he had actually quite enjoyed it. That guard is going to get disassembled after this regardless, I'd be doing him a favour if just killed... No! That's not ME! He opened up the prisoner weapons locker and pulled out a familiar gun, fiddled wiht its settings, checked the coast was still clear and used it to destroy the security system, taking most of the lights with it. Perfect, now lets go and see what state he is in...

Unable to assume his identifiable altmode as even this prisoner - one of his oldest friends - didn't know who both sides of him were, he retained his Autobot robot form and sprinted down the corridor to cell G-477 and entered the code he had stolen weeks ago from a drunken Seeker over some spiked energon ale. To his huge relief, it worked and a battered mech lay half dead in the far corner.

"Hound, its me, Punch. HOUND! Come on, wake up, you have to get out of here!" He threw a handful of fast-charge energon cubes to his friend who just stared unbelievingly at his saviour. Hound tried to mumble a few words of thanks but gave up and quickly drank the energon. "...woah woah, careful, you're still weak. Shush! Don't worry about how I got here, just take your rifle and this keycard, go two floors down to the lowest security wing. Counterpunch is on shift so you should easily defeat him, use the door on the east side. Its unguarded and if you can assume altmode then you should easily get away. Hurry!! You only have another 36.5 minutes before they restore the power. Ill go on ahead and meet you at Outpost Epsilon-6 tonight. NOW GO!!"

He gave Hound a few shoves to get him moving and make sure he was on his way and sprinted off ahead of him, re-assuming his Decpeticon persona once he was far enough away. Even if Hound was up to full speed, Punch was much faster and had more than enough time to overpower the door sentries, take their place and allow Hound to defeat his alter ego. He knew it was going to hurt though, but it had to be done, he couldn't let Hound be executed... but what if I was to actually prevent hound from escaping... I'd be a hero here, maybe even get close to the command and then who knows what information I would be able to get for the Autobots... but is that an acceptable risk..?

Sent you a PM concerning the resident double agent.

Mal Practice

Allegiance: Decepticons
Function: Medic/Scientist (think Frankenstein)
Alt. mode: Blacked-out Boxcar all terrain Ambulance.
Weapons: Energon scalpel/knife, concussion grenades, twin energon pistols. Generally a non-combatant and carries extensive medical equipment in various limb and torso compartments.
Special Ability: Force Field -8.
Height: 20 foot (6.1m)
Quote: "Ethics do not go hand in hand with Science, we do what must be done, or we do not do our job properly"

STRENGTH: 7
INTELLIGENCE: 9
DEXTERITY: 5
SPEED: 5
ENDURANCE: 7
COURAGE: 7
FIREPOWER: 2
ACCURACY: 9
MELEE: 4
TECH SKILL: 9
CHARISMA: 3
RANK: ? (previously 7)

Profile: An early Autobot defector to the Decepticons, Mal Practice is an exceptional - and mercenary - surgeon capable of performing complex operations under battlefield conditions using his own force shield and built in equipment.

In battle he will not fight face to face unless pushed, preferring to nobble the injured in a cowardly way as opposed to fighting them fairly. This lack of ethics spills over into his professional life as a research specialist in Decepticon R&D and Mal Practice has been responsible for many a dark and hideous creation in the past, some that Shockwave himself would have been proud of.

Abilities: As a physician his skills are extensive and his knowledge of transformer maintenance and repair is vast. As a researcher he has studied extensively the processes for integrating various generations of transformer technology together and so is able perform both quick and extensive repairs to models from all era's of the transformer race, from ancient sentinels right through to modern multi-changer designs.

Tough but extremely slow in battle, he is skilled at using concussion grenades to clear a safe zone near the 'patient' for him to work. He also carries paired pistols for emergencies and at extremely close range he is as skilled with an energon dagger as he is as with a scalpel.

His toughened hide can resist most ballistic and artillery fire and doubles as an impact shield in explosions. As long as he stays stationary he can summon a 50' force field to protect himself and his ward that can last for up to 10 minutes, but drains almost half of his energy in that time.

Although due to his position as a Medical specialist he is normally ranked higher than his partner-in-crime, Psychout, he defers to the tiny 'con on almost all matters due to a total reluctance to think about anything non-scientific and will often ignore an order not coming from him if it means he has to leave the safety of his lab. This can put him at odds with his other superiors, although due to his near-legendary skills at repairing anyone and anything technical with just a torque wrench and a bag of hammers most people prefer he was in their side to be able to fix them.

Robot Mode description: Customising his altmode early on in the war to eradicate his Autobot past, Mal chose a non-refelctive black as the predominant colour for his outer armour, retaining the silver skeletal sections on his face and upper arms with minor red detail in his eyes and hands. Similar to Psychout he also prefers to wear a battleplate over his lower face. Unlike previous Autobots of his boxcar/van alt type though, he retains the use of the lower section of his altmode that doubles as a field laboratory he can work in almost any environment and generates the energy shield he uses to protect himself whilst working.

Weaknesses: His ethics are non existent, he has no bedside manner and will charge extra to use anaesthetic. His general lack of speed and inability to fly like other Decepticons leads to him being left behind frequently. Like to take 'trophies' from the battlefield, disgusting all but the most hardened of Decepticons in the process.

Profile Expansion/Sample Post:
“Quiet in the court!!”
Ratchet banged his fist on the desk.
“We will have order here!”
Ratchet looked around the room. For three hours they had been hearing evidence from various Autobots and civilians and he was tired.
“Practice, you are an medical theorist, enigneer and scientist of incredible intellect and skill. You have, in your time, worked with Brainstorm, First Aid, Minerva, Highbrow, Wheeljack, Hotspot, Hoist, hells, even Perceptor himself. Are you seriously going to tell me that your dismissal from the service of each and every one of these engineers, scientists and medical specialists is down to 'a conflict of interest?' which is, and I quote, "Ethics do not go hand in hand with Science, we do what must be done, or we do not do our job properly"

"This is just a small selection of the charges we require you to answer for:"

"Case 234-FF00-Alpha. You attempted to graft organic matter onto the face of a civilian ‘volunteer’ as a prototype infiltration device."
You would prefer some kind of 'outer shell'?

!Case 5723-DT56-Alpha. Having exhumed Zeta Primes component parts – without permission – you proceeded to try and resurrect the corpse as an automaton, under your control, as a scare tactic to force the Decepticons to retreat from Iacon."
Its what Zeta would have wanted, to defend Iacon even after his death!!

"Case 4628-HDFH56-Beta. You took a shuttle in an attempt to track down a hereto unknown element you refer to as ‘dark matter’ that will allow you to ‘bring back the dead’."
I took the shuttle legally!!? Oh, it’s the ‘back from the dead’ part you have a problem with? Ah, right...

"Case 39667-EU12-Alpha.You grafted an extra pair of arms onto a civillian. He only came to see you to loosen up his binary rotator!"
It was a viable improvement, and the rotator was no longer a problem. I even strengthened the linkage to attach the extra arms. How am I at fault if its malfunctioning neural processor attacked him with his own appendages? Had I been given PROPER FACILITIES, that procedure would have been a flawless success.

"Case 3786-GSR-Delta. You attempted to splice (your term, not mine) two individual Cybertronians together in an attempt to merge their sparks and create the ‘ultimate killing machine’"
Yes. It was the perfect meld of these two subjects that turned the tide of the Decahex war in our favour if you remember? It was only regarded as insane by YOUR standards, subject 568/45’s higher functions were within safety parameters when I created it, your subsequent imprisonment as a ‘monster’ is what drove it to kill itself.

"Case 5826-WPI776-Gamma. You performed an illegal internal procedure on another unnamed civilian, and then attempted to extort extra energon from him – during the procedure – for more anaesthetic."
The subject should have been more specific about what he needed done. Painkillers aren’t cheap and you know as well as I do that a tri-cardio metallabiotomy with bi-lateral incisions on an early generation model is not a cheap or simple process, and complications such as a pento-thomallic fuel circulation is an undiagnosable condition until its internally inspected. I did Subject 98114/7 a favour. He’ll have an extra 400-500 years thanks to me!

"Case 23857-FYH435-Alpha though to Epsilon. You bought and sold Autobot body parts through Swindle, Hook and Soundwave, and it says here that you were even caught selling prototype combiner schematics to SHOCKWAVE?!?"
Prototype? It was a hypothetical theorum, which he had anyway. But I have had enough of justifying myself to you. The betterment of Cybertronian physiology is not a factional issue – it is a RACIAL issue. I don’t care if you regard Shockwave as a war criminal. If he is able to help me complete my research then I will work with him. The same goes for Swindle – if YOU will not supply me with the tools I need, then I will get them wherever I can.

"And then there is this; the icing on the oilcake. Case 47-PSA-Alpha/Alpha.
Upon the death of a former war hero and icon to hundred of Autobots all over the galaxy, you stole and grafted his special arm attachment onto a captured Decepticon who subsequently escaped, using the technology, killing 3 sentries. You then – and frankly this is unbelievable – you then used the dead sentries bodies to create a 6-limbed, multi-headed automaton ‘super-sentry’ …creature to guard your lab against, uh, revenge attacks by the Decepticon you operated on? How can you possibly justify that??!"
WOAH, WOAH!! It was YOU that let subject 3457/28 out of its cage, Ratchet. YOU are responsible for that. Had I been allowed to keep him in my lab under full observation and not have to hide it from your ‘ethics committee’, I could have euthanised the patient and neutralised the danger when it turned, but NOOOOO! You had to go and let it escape. “You’re a monster” you said “how could I have ever let you work here” you said, “what kind of freak are you”… None of this would have happened if you hadn’t had interfered. I feared for my life, so I utilised the tech I had on hand to guard my person. My skills are incredibly valuable, and you expect me to fix hydration units, treat squaddies who have spent too much time with the fembots for doses of ‘the clang’, and stitch up a bunch of mindless killers who aren’t clever enough to keep their heads down in the first place?

"..."

I have work to do, so are you going let me finish or what?

"You honestly feel no remorse for the torture you have performed on others? For the anaesthetised vivisections you have performed? For the lives you have destroyed??"

I feel remorse that I bothered showing up to this hearing. The betterment of physiology, neurology, metallurgy, transformation osteopathy, fuel digestion efficiency and spark analysis and dissection are more important that any of your moral platitudes. We lose more and more Cybertronians every day – how am I expected to save these subjects when I am forbidden to develop my methods and procedures as a handful of my so-called ‘peers’ are too squeamish to let me get the job done?

You know what? I can no longer work under these conditions, therefore I quit. Here is my faction badge. If you will not utilise my abilities then I will find someone who… hey, what are you doing… Get those cuffs off me… Gaaah!*



*Some time later*



"Ah, you are awake, finally! So, Practice is it? I’m your handler, pleased to meet you." Uhhhh, where am I? "Not dead. You were sentenced to deactivation and to have your spark imprisoned in some cube somewhere in outer space, but we intercepted your prisoner transport just in time. It’s a good thing you tried to sell those schematics to Shockwave, he noticed you, which saved your life."

"You now have a choice. The Decepticons will fund your research, utilise your designs and give you the most up to date state-of-the art facilities you have ever seen, whilst placing absolutely no ridiculous ‘ethical’ limitations on your work. The only conditions are that I have to be involved – at ALL levels – and you will report directly to Shockwave, personally, whenever he requests it. I don’t have to tell you what the other option is."

"This will be your new faction and your new home should you accept it. You’ll have to swear allegiance to Megatron and all that nonsense but there’s no rush… So, Practice, do we have a deal..? "

Total freedom to pursue the research of my choice? YES!! Although I don’t think Practice is a relevant name for me any more...

"Then welcome to the Decepticons, Mal Practice. Now, I’ll leave you to familiarise yourself with the lab, I’m going for a drink."

Eh? You’re not going to watch over me? Make sure I don’t escape?

"My newly-factioned friend you are one of us now. Even if you were to try and 'escape', where would you go? You are a wanted criminal to the Autobots, whereas here you have the chance to prove your skills as second only to Shockwave himself, with no financial limits and no need to 'justify' your work to anyone. I think I’m pretty safe to leave you to it. Look, here’s my comms frequency and my name is Psychout. If you need anything – ANYTHING – you now know where to find me. Now, go get to work…"



_______________________________________________________________________________


References removed, Tech Skill reluctantly reduced, changes are highlighted in Red.
Alpha Prime has been mentioned above as there are minimal references to him anywhere, and I'm pretty certain he's definitely dead, even in this universe. The mention of a dead 'Prime' is to illustrate that he has no qualms about who he digs up for his schemes, as you requested examples of his lack of ethics.

Psychout wrote:Mal Practice

Allegiance: Decepticons
Function: Medic/Scientist (think Frankenstein)
Alt. mode: Blacked-out Boxcar all terrain Ambulance.
Weapons: Energon scalpel/knife, concussion grenades, twin energon pistols. Generally a non-combatant and carries extensive medical equipment in various limb and torso compartments.
Special Ability: Force Field -8.
Height: 20 foot (6.1m)
Quote: "Ethics do not go hand in hand with Science, we do what must be done, or we do not do our job properly"

STRENGTH: 7
INTELLIGENCE: 9
DEXTERITY: 5
SPEED: 5
ENDURANCE: 7
COURAGE: 7
FIREPOWER: 2
ACCURACY: 9
MELEE: 4
TECH SKILL: 9
CHARISMA: 3
RANK: ? (previously 7)

Profile: An early Autobot defector to the Decepticons, Mal Practice is an exceptional - and mercenary - surgeon capable of performing complex operations under battlefield conditions using his own force shield and built in equipment.

In battle he will not fight face to face unless pushed, preferring to nobble the injured in a cowardly way as opposed to fighting them fairly. This lack of ethics spills over into his professional life as a research specialist in Decepticon R&D and Mal Practice has been responsible for many a dark and hideous creation in the past, some that Shockwave himself would have been proud of.

Abilities: As a physician his skills are extensive and his knowledge of transformer maintenance and repair is vast. As a researcher he has studied extensively the processes for integrating various generations of transformer technology together and so is able perform both quick and extensive repairs to models from all era's of the transformer race, from ancient sentinels right through to modern multi-changer designs.

Tough but extremely slow in battle, he is skilled at using concussion grenades to clear a safe zone near the 'patient' for him to work. He also carries paired pistols for emergencies and at extremely close range he is as skilled with an energon dagger as he is as with a scalpel.

His toughened hide can resist most ballistic and artillery fire and doubles as an impact shield in explosions. As long as he stays stationary he can summon a 50' force field to protect himself and his ward that can last for up to 10 minutes, but drains almost half of his energy in that time.

Although due to his position as a Medical specialist he is normally ranked higher than his partner-in-crime, Psychout, he defers to the tiny 'con on almost all matters due to a total reluctance to think about anything non-scientific and will often ignore an order not coming from him if it means he has to leave the safety of his lab. This can put him at odds with his other superiors, although due to his near-legendary skills at repairing anyone and anything technical with just a torque wrench and a bag of hammers most people prefer he was in their side to be able to fix them.

Robot Mode description: Customising his altmode early on in the war to eradicate his Autobot past, Mal chose a non-refelctive black as the predominant colour for his outer armour, retaining the silver skeletal sections on his face and upper arms with minor red detail in his eyes and hands. Similar to Psychout he also prefers to wear a battleplate over his lower face. Unlike previous Autobots of his boxcar/van alt type though, he retains the use of the lower section of his altmode that doubles as a field laboratory he can work in almost any environment and generates the energy shield he uses to protect himself whilst working.

Weaknesses: His ethics are non existent, he has no bedside manner and will charge extra to use anaesthetic. His general lack of speed and inability to fly like other Decepticons leads to him being left behind frequently. Like to take 'trophies' from the battlefield, disgusting all but the most hardened of Decepticons in the process.

Profile Expansion/Sample Post:
“Quiet in the court!!”
Ratchet banged his fist on the desk.
“We will have order here!”
Ratchet looked around the room. For three hours they had been hearing evidence from various Autobots and civilians and he was tired.
“Practice, you are an medical theorist, enigneer and scientist of incredible intellect and skill. You have, in your time, worked with Brainstorm, First Aid, Minerva, Highbrow, Wheeljack, Hotspot, Hoist, hells, even Perceptor himself. Are you seriously going to tell me that your dismissal from the service of each and every one of these engineers, scientists and medical specialists is down to 'a conflict of interest?' which is, and I quote, "Ethics do not go hand in hand with Science, we do what must be done, or we do not do our job properly"

"This is just a small selection of the charges we require you to answer for:"

"Case 234-FF00-Alpha. You attempted to graft organic matter onto the face of a civilian ‘volunteer’ as a prototype infiltration device."
You would prefer some kind of 'outer shell'?

!Case 5723-DT56-Alpha. Having exhumed Zeta Primes component parts – without permission – you proceeded to try and resurrect the corpse as an automaton, under your control, as a scare tactic to force the Decepticons to retreat from Iacon."
Its what Zeta would have wanted, to defend Iacon even after his death!!

"Case 4628-HDFH56-Beta. You took a shuttle in an attempt to track down a hereto unknown element you refer to as ‘dark matter’ that will allow you to ‘bring back the dead’."
I took the shuttle legally!!? Oh, it’s the ‘back from the dead’ part you have a problem with? Ah, right...

"Case 39667-EU12-Alpha.You grafted an extra pair of arms onto a civillian. He only came to see you to loosen up his binary rotator!"
It was a viable improvement, and the rotator was no longer a problem. I even strengthened the linkage to attach the extra arms. How am I at fault if its malfunctioning neural processor attacked him with his own appendages? Had I been given PROPER FACILITIES, that procedure would have been a flawless success.

"Case 3786-GSR-Delta. You attempted to splice (your term, not mine) two individual Cybertronians together in an attempt to merge their sparks and create the ‘ultimate killing machine’"
Yes. It was the perfect meld of these two subjects that turned the tide of the Decahex war in our favour if you remember? It was only regarded as insane by YOUR standards, subject 568/45’s higher functions were within safety parameters when I created it, your subsequent imprisonment as a ‘monster’ is what drove it to kill itself.

"Case 5826-WPI776-Gamma. You performed an illegal internal procedure on another unnamed civilian, and then attempted to extort extra energon from him – during the procedure – for more anaesthetic."
The subject should have been more specific about what he needed done. Painkillers aren’t cheap and you know as well as I do that a tri-cardio metallabiotomy with bi-lateral incisions on an early generation model is not a cheap or simple process, and complications such as a pento-thomallic fuel circulation is an undiagnosable condition until its internally inspected. I did Subject 98114/7 a favour. He’ll have an extra 400-500 years thanks to me!

"Case 23857-FYH435-Alpha though to Epsilon. You bought and sold Autobot body parts through Swindle, Hook and Soundwave, and it says here that you were even caught selling prototype combiner schematics to SHOCKWAVE?!?"
Prototype? It was a hypothetical theorum, which he had anyway. But I have had enough of justifying myself to you. The betterment of Cybertronian physiology is not a factional issue – it is a RACIAL issue. I don’t care if you regard Shockwave as a war criminal. If he is able to help me complete my research then I will work with him. The same goes for Swindle – if YOU will not supply me with the tools I need, then I will get them wherever I can.

"And then there is this; the icing on the oilcake. Case 47-PSA-Alpha/Alpha.
Upon the death of a former war hero and icon to hundred of Autobots all over the galaxy, you stole and grafted his special arm attachment onto a captured Decepticon who subsequently escaped, using the technology, killing 3 sentries. You then – and frankly this is unbelievable – you then used the dead sentries bodies to create a 6-limbed, multi-headed automaton ‘super-sentry’ …creature to guard your lab against, uh, revenge attacks by the Decepticon you operated on? How can you possibly justify that??!"
WOAH, WOAH!! It was YOU that let subject 3457/28 out of its cage, Ratchet. YOU are responsible for that. Had I been allowed to keep him in my lab under full observation and not have to hide it from your ‘ethics committee’, I could have euthanised the patient and neutralised the danger when it turned, but NOOOOO! You had to go and let it escape. “You’re a monster” you said “how could I have ever let you work here” you said, “what kind of freak are you”… None of this would have happened if you hadn’t had interfered. I feared for my life, so I utilised the tech I had on hand to guard my person. My skills are incredibly valuable, and you expect me to fix hydration units, treat squaddies who have spent too much time with the fembots for doses of ‘the clang’, and stitch up a bunch of mindless killers who aren’t clever enough to keep their heads down in the first place?

"..."

I have work to do, so are you going let me finish or what?

"You honestly feel no remorse for the torture you have performed on others? For the anaesthetised vivisections you have performed? For the lives you have destroyed??"

I feel remorse that I bothered showing up to this hearing. The betterment of physiology, neurology, metallurgy, transformation osteopathy, fuel digestion efficiency and spark analysis and dissection are more important that any of your moral platitudes. We lose more and more Cybertronians every day – how am I expected to save these subjects when I am forbidden to develop my methods and procedures as a handful of my so-called ‘peers’ are too squeamish to let me get the job done?

You know what? I can no longer work under these conditions, therefore I quit. Here is my faction badge. If you will not utilise my abilities then I will find someone who… hey, what are you doing… Get those cuffs off me… Gaaah!*



*Some time later*



"Ah, you are awake, finally! So, Practice is it? I’m your handler, pleased to meet you." Uhhhh, where am I? "Not dead. You were sentenced to deactivation and to have your spark imprisoned in some cube somewhere in outer space, but we intercepted your prisoner transport just in time. It’s a good thing you tried to sell those schematics to Shockwave, he noticed you, which saved your life."

"You now have a choice. The Decepticons will fund your research, utilise your designs and give you the most up to date state-of-the art facilities you have ever seen, whilst placing absolutely no ridiculous ‘ethical’ limitations on your work. The only conditions are that I have to be involved – at ALL levels – and you will report directly to Shockwave, personally, whenever he requests it. I don’t have to tell you what the other option is."

"This will be your new faction and your new home should you accept it. You’ll have to swear allegiance to Megatron and all that nonsense but there’s no rush… So, Practice, do we have a deal..? "

Total freedom to pursue the research of my choice? YES!! Although I don’t think Practice is a relevant name for me any more...

"Then welcome to the Decepticons, Mal Practice. Now, I’ll leave you to familiarise yourself with the lab, I’m going for a drink."

Eh? You’re not going to watch over me? Make sure I don’t escape?

"My newly-factioned friend you are one of us now. Even if you were to try and 'escape', where would you go? You are a wanted criminal to the Autobots, whereas here you have the chance to prove your skills as second only to Shockwave himself, with no financial limits and no need to 'justify' your work to anyone. I think I’m pretty safe to leave you to it. Look, here’s my comms frequency and my name is Psychout. If you need anything – ANYTHING – you now know where to find me. Now, go get to work…"



_______________________________________________________________________________


References removed, Tech Skill reluctantly reduced, changes are highlighted in Red.
Alpha Prime has been mentioned above as there are minimal references to him anywhere, and I'm pretty certain he's definitely dead, even in this universe. The mention of a dead 'Prime' is to illustrate that he has no qualms about who he digs up for his schemes, as you requested examples of his lack of ethics.

Okay, he's approved with the edit to the Prime he tried to reanimate. Zeta's definitely dead and his past is still noted within the IDW verse, which the game is based off of...loosely.

Rank 6.

Thank you.

I may be pushing it applying for this one, but I thought I'd give it a shot. My hope is that he can be a guard at Garrus, but I'll be happy if he's just approved. Or I'll just shut up if he's not.

Steelhand

Allegiance: Autobot
Function: Warrior
Alternate Modes: Cybertron: Cybertronian Truck
Earth: Ford F-750 Super Duty Pickup
Weapons: Wrist-Mounted Energon Cutter, Mining Charges, Durabyllium Pick Axe
Height: 30ft/ 9.14 m
Quote: "An honest day's work is good for the spark.”


Strength: 9
Intelligence: 5
Dexterity: 7
Speed: 5
Endurance: 7
Courage: 8
Firepower: 5
Accuracy: 6
Melee: 8
Tech Skill: 4
Charisma: 6
Rank:

Appearance: Steelhand's alternate mode is dark gray. The hood folds down to make his chest, the back cab folds and splits to make his legs, and his arms extend from the sides. When not using it, Steelhand's pick axe is held by several magnetic clamps on his back, the handle sticking up vertically behind his head.

Profile:
If Steelhand had his way, he would still be digging and toiling deep within the energon mines on Cybertron. He felt most happy when he was hard at work, taking pride in the fact that he was helping provide Cybertronian society with it's most important resource. Despite the harsh working conditions with little compensation and few rights, he never complained and took all the hardship in stride.

When the mines were automated and the other miners protested and rioted, Steelhand didn't want to cause any trouble, looking for work instead. After a stellar cycle of wandering he was unable to find anything, and was forced to sell off some of his own body armor on the black market for energon. It was there that he found a small, shady mech, who was looking for a few strong bots to fight in the underground fighting circuit. Desperate to earn a living, Steelhand jumped at the opportunity.

Using the equipment he had kept from his mining days as weapons, Steelhand found success as a fighter due to his great strength. Before long he earned the nickname "Cave-In", based on a signature move he used to end most of his fights; After digging his pick axe into his opponent's head, in one swift motion he would pull the other fighter toward him with the ax, while throwing a punch into the fighter's face with his free hand. Usually the match would end, with the opponent's faceplate caved into his cranial chamber.

Despite his success, Steelhand never took any pride or pleasure in what he was doing. To him it was just another job to keep his fuel tank filled. It wouldn't be too long before his attitude changed.

Leaving from one of his matches, Steelhand noticed a group of bots crowding around another, taking the poor mech apart piece-by-piece. As he tried to come to the bot's aid, he recognized it was his opponent from earlier, who had been too weak and damaged to defend himself. Finally realizing the harm he was doing to his fellow Cybertronians, Steelhand went to the authorities and turned himself in.

Because he willingly brought himself in, as well as rising concerns over a gladiator called Megatron, Steelhand was given a deal: enlist with the Autobots instead of prison time. Steelhand accepted, hoping to make up for what he'd done.
Steelhand fights hard for the Autobot cause, though he still thinks of it as just another job. Among the other Autobots he's easy to get along with and when work is done he enjoys kicking back with the bots over a mug of energon, though he never wants them to know of his fighting past. Deep down he has no desire to continue being a soldier or a warrior, and would gladly return to the mines if given the chance.

Abilities
Steelhand possesses great strength and above average durability, though he is not as thickly armored as he was originally designed. When Steelhand removed and sold some of his body armor, it had the unintentional effect of increasing his agility and coordination due to a lower weight and smaller size.

Steelhand's original alternate mode is a Cybertronian Truck. On Earth he transforms into a Ford F-750 Super Duty Pickup Truck, both designed to travel over most rough terrain. He has a top speed of 120 MPH, with a maximum range of 750 miles.

Uncomfortable with standard issue weapons, Steelhand uses the same equipment he had originally used for mining.
On his left wrist is an energron cutter. Used to help remove energon crystals from the rockface, it fires a thin, highly concentrated, piercing beam that will cut into almost any material within 100 feet. The beam emits no heat, allowing it to hit any energy source or fuel without igniting it.

Steelhand also possesses mining charges which can destroy up to 30 square feet of rock in a controlled explosion. The charges run on a timer with a default setting of 25 astroseconds, though the timer can be changed for shorter or longer durations. In combat situations Steelhand will normally use them like grenades, setting the timer then throwing them at the enemy.

Steelhand's most effective weapon is his pick axe. Originally equipped with a standard miner's pick axe during his gladiator days, it broke during an intense match. In what he considers his only splurge with his earnings, Steelhand managed to buy a new pick axe made of a virtually indestructible durabyllium alloy. Steelhand can puncture all but the most impervious armor with one stroke of his pick axe. Steelhand's skills with the pick axe are well beyond those of a typical miner thanks to his experience as a fighter, making him a force to be reckoned with in close quarter combat.

Weaknesses:
Steelhand deeply regrets his actions in the underground, and it can affect his performance in combat. Though not an issue in the heat of battle when he has to react quickly, when he has time to think of the situation he may hesitate to harm another mech, even a Decepticon. Besides his pick axe, Steelhand's weapons are not entirely affective in most combat situations. Both the energon cutter and mining charges were intended to use on stationary objects, making it difficult to damage moving targets. If the charge timer isn't set for a shorter detonation time it can give the target plenty of time to get away or throw the charge back at Steelhand. The energon cutter requires several astroseconds of contact to pierce through most armor plating; unless there is already an opening in the armor, or it hits an area not well protected (such as optic sensors), it will do little damage.



Sample Post:

The prisoners knew to keep some distance from him as they walked by. They knew to keep a small distance from all the guards, but with Steelhand it was a little different. As they passed him a few would look back, trying to get a better look at his weapon; that pick axe, held to his back by a few magnetic clamps. Some of the prisoners had seen him in action before the war, and knew just how brutal he could be with that weapon. Not surprisingly word spread, and few but the newest, most ignorant prisoners ever dared to cross him.

Steelhand didn't really care much about his reputation with the prisoners. It made his job a little easier, but then he never did do a job just because it was easy. As always he simply kept his optics on full alert, watching over every prisoner as best he could, ready to act should the need come.

After a breem of the same as usual, Steelhand noticed a prisoner he didn't recognize; a very tall Decepticon with dark red armor, marching toward Steelhand with purpose. He had the typical swagger of a new arrival, looking to be the top bot, looking for someone tough to take out so he can start out high on the prisoner's pecking order. This wouldn't be the first time Steelhand would be the target.

The large red prisoner got right into Steelhand's face- or rather, his chest was in Steelhand's face, since he was much taller. Steelhand did nothing but look up at him in a calm, but serious manner.

"You need to get away from me right now and go wherever you're going.", Steelhand warned, "I can give you directions if you need help."

The tall prisoner simply looked down and laughed in a mocking tone. A few prisoners stopped to watch the confrontation, keeping some distance from the two.

"Oh no, I'm right where I need to be.", he said with a smile, "I hear you used to be a gladiator. You look like a big pile of slag to me!"

Despite his calm demeanor, the comment hit a nerve. Not the "pile of slag" part, Steelhand never fell for such obscenities. It was the mention of him being a gladiator, something that Steelhand wished would never be mentioned. Regardless of whatever he was saying, though, this new guy was being downright disrespectful to one of the prison's guards.

"I'm giving you just one warning.", Steelhand replied, a slight hint of annoyance in his voice, "Get away from me or I will have to punish you."

The prisoner just continued to stand there and look down on him. What was once a few prisoners watching from a distance had started to turn into a small crowd surrounding them, whispering to each other about what the possible outcome would be.

"Punish me? HA HA! And here I thought there wasn't any good entertainment in prison!", the red Decepticon laughed, "I've killed 47 Autobots, and you're number 48!"

A collective gasp came from the surrounding crowd of prisoners as the large Decepticon lifted both his arms up, ready to smash down on Steelhand's head. Whether by design or due to the various security measures taken to make the prisoners more managable, he was too slow. Certainly too slow for Steelhand. Before the prisoner's fists got close to him, Steelhand kicked hard into his midsection, catching him by surprise and sending the Decepticon back several meters.

By now the crowd had started to yelling and stomping at the fight. As the large red Decepticon regained his bearings, Steelhand grabbed his pick axe from his back, stirring the surrounding prisoners even more. A few random screams of "Cave In" came from the crowd.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" the prisoner yelled in rage, "YOU'RE AS GOOD AS DE-"

Before he could finish he felt hard, cold metal piercing into the side of his head. Sparks and fluids squirted out from the wound that now had Steelhand's pick axe embedded into it. The crowd went silent.

"I warned you.", was all that Steelhand said.

As the Decepticon stood there in shock, a quiet chant of "Cave In" began. Then the chant grew louder. And louder. Before long the entire area echoed with the chants of "Cave In, Cave In, Cave In!"

Steelhand looked up, his pick axe still dug into the prisoners metal skull. He was still alive, and still aware of what was happening, and no doubt was in a great deal of pain. He then noticed the chants of the prisoners, no different from the chants he had heard countless vorns ago in the fighting pits. He knew what they wanted to see- the fact that it was one of their own made no difference to them. They wanted to see this prisoner's face smashed, every sensor in his head crushed, his cranial circuitry turned into scrap. As easy as it would be for Steelhand to accomidate that, he didn't want to.

This isn't a show, not anymore. He's hurt enough, he'll know better.

Steelhand brought the prisoner's head down, then not too gently removed his pick axe. The crowd started to jeer and boo, and the prisoners slowly went back to where they were going. The large red prisoner dropped into a heap on the floor, holding his hands over his gaping wound.

<<This is Steelhand to medical ward, I need a medic in hallway 45-Beta. I have one prisoner with a non-lethal facial wound.>>

Steelhand stood by the injured prisoner, making sure none of the other prisoners tried to hurt him or take any of his parts as he waited for assistance.

Wreck 'n Rule wrote:I may be pushing it applying for this one, but I thought I'd give it a shot. My hope is that he can be a guard at Garrus, but I'll be happy if he's just approved. Or I'll just shut up if he's not.

Steelhand

Allegiance: Autobot
Function: Warrior
Alternate Modes: Cybertron: Cybertronian Truck
Earth: Ford F-750 Super Duty Pickup
Weapons: Wrist-Mounted Energon Cutter, Mining Charges, Durabyllium Pick Axe
Height: 30ft/ 9.14 m
Quote: "An honest day's work is good for the spark.”


Strength: 9
Intelligence: 5
Dexterity: 7
Speed: 5
Endurance: 7
Courage: 8
Firepower: 5
Accuracy: 6
Melee: 8
Tech Skill: 4
Charisma: 6
Rank:

Appearance: Steelhand's alternate mode is dark gray. The hood folds down to make his chest, the back cab folds and splits to make his legs, and his arms extend from the sides. When not using it, Steelhand's pick axe is held by several magnetic clamps on his back, the handle sticking up vertically behind his head.

Profile:
If Steelhand had his way, he would still be digging and toiling deep within the energon mines on Cybertron. He felt most happy when he was hard at work, taking pride in the fact that he was helping provide Cybertronian society with it's most important resource. Despite the harsh working conditions with little compensation and few rights, he never complained and took all the hardship in stride.

When the mines were automated and the other miners protested and rioted, Steelhand didn't want to cause any trouble, looking for work instead. After a stellar cycle of wandering he was unable to find anything, and was forced to sell off some of his own body armor on the black market for energon. It was there that he found a small, shady mech, who was looking for a few strong bots to fight in the underground fighting circuit. Desperate to earn a living, Steelhand jumped at the opportunity.

Using the equipment he had kept from his mining days as weapons, Steelhand found success as a fighter due to his great strength. Before long he earned the nickname "Cave-In", based on a signature move he used to end most of his fights; After digging his pick axe into his opponent's head, in one swift motion he would pull the other fighter toward him with the ax, while throwing a punch into the fighter's face with his free hand. Usually the match would end, with the opponent's faceplate caved into his cranial chamber.

Despite his success, Steelhand never took any pride or pleasure in what he was doing. To him it was just another job to keep his fuel tank filled. It wouldn't be too long before his attitude changed.

Leaving from one of his matches, Steelhand noticed a group of bots crowding around another, taking the poor mech apart piece-by-piece. As he tried to come to the bot's aid, he recognized it was his opponent from earlier, who had been too weak and damaged to defend himself. Finally realizing the harm he was doing to his fellow Cybertronians, Steelhand went to the authorities and turned himself in.

Because he willingly brought himself in, as well as rising concerns over a gladiator called Megatron, Steelhand was given a deal: enlist with the Autobots instead of prison time. Steelhand accepted, hoping to make up for what he'd done.
Steelhand fights hard for the Autobot cause, though he still thinks of it as just another job. Among the other Autobots he's easy to get along with and when work is done he enjoys kicking back with the bots over a mug of energon, though he never wants them to know of his fighting past. Deep down he has no desire to continue being a soldier or a warrior, and would gladly return to the mines if given the chance.

Abilities
Steelhand possesses great strength and above average durability, though he is not as thickly armored as he was originally designed. When Steelhand removed and sold some of his body armor, it had the unintentional effect of increasing his agility and coordination due to a lower weight and smaller size.

Steelhand's original alternate mode is a Cybertronian Truck. On Earth he transforms into a Ford F-750 Super Duty Pickup Truck, both designed to travel over most rough terrain. He has a top speed of 120 MPH, with a maximum range of 750 miles.

Uncomfortable with standard issue weapons, Steelhand uses the same equipment he had originally used for mining.
On his left wrist is an energron cutter. Used to help remove energon crystals from the rockface, it fires a thin, highly concentrated, piercing beam that will cut into almost any material within 100 feet. The beam emits no heat, allowing it to hit any energy source or fuel without igniting it.

Steelhand also possesses mining charges which can destroy up to 30 square feet of rock in a controlled explosion. The charges run on a timer with a default setting of 25 astroseconds, though the timer can be changed for shorter or longer durations. In combat situations Steelhand will normally use them like grenades, setting the timer then throwing them at the enemy.

Steelhand's most effective weapon is his pick axe. Originally equipped with a standard miner's pick axe during his gladiator days, it broke during an intense match. In what he considers his only splurge with his earnings, Steelhand managed to buy a new pick axe made of a virtually indestructible durabyllium alloy. Steelhand can puncture all but the most impervious armor with one stroke of his pick axe. Steelhand's skills with the pick axe are well beyond those of a typical miner thanks to his experience as a fighter, making him a force to be reckoned with in close quarter combat.

Weaknesses:
Steelhand deeply regrets his actions in the underground, and it can affect his performance in combat. Though not an issue in the heat of battle when he has to react quickly, when he has time to think of the situation he may hesitate to harm another mech, even a Decepticon. Besides his pick axe, Steelhand's weapons are not entirely affective in most combat situations. Both the energon cutter and mining charges were intended to use on stationary objects, making it difficult to damage moving targets. If the charge timer isn't set for a shorter detonation time it can give the target plenty of time to get away or throw the charge back at Steelhand. The energon cutter requires several astroseconds of contact to pierce through most armor plating; unless there is already an opening in the armor, or it hits an area not well protected (such as optic sensors), it will do little damage.



Sample Post:

The prisoners knew to keep some distance from him as they walked by. They knew to keep a small distance from all the guards, but with Steelhand it was a little different. As they passed him a few would look back, trying to get a better look at his weapon; that pick axe, held to his back by a few magnetic clamps. Some of the prisoners had seen him in action before the war, and knew just how brutal he could be with that weapon. Not surprisingly word spread, and few but the newest, most ignorant prisoners ever dared to cross him.

Steelhand didn't really care much about his reputation with the prisoners. It made his job a little easier, but then he never did do a job just because it was easy. As always he simply kept his optics on full alert, watching over every prisoner as best he could, ready to act should the need come.

After a breem of the same as usual, Steelhand noticed a prisoner he didn't recognize; a very tall Decepticon with dark red armor, marching toward Steelhand with purpose. He had the typical swagger of a new arrival, looking to be the top bot, looking for someone tough to take out so he can start out high on the prisoner's pecking order. This wouldn't be the first time Steelhand would be the target.

The large red prisoner got right into Steelhand's face- or rather, his chest was in Steelhand's face, since he was much taller. Steelhand did nothing but look up at him in a calm, but serious manner.

"You need to get away from me right now and go wherever you're going.", Steelhand warned, "I can give you directions if you need help."

The tall prisoner simply looked down and laughed in a mocking tone. A few prisoners stopped to watch the confrontation, keeping some distance from the two.

"Oh no, I'm right where I need to be.", he said with a smile, "I hear you used to be a gladiator. You look like a big pile of slag to me!"

Despite his calm demeanor, the comment hit a nerve. Not the "pile of slag" part, Steelhand never fell for such obscenities. It was the mention of him being a gladiator, something that Steelhand wished would never be mentioned. Regardless of whatever he was saying, though, this new guy was being downright disrespectful to one of the prison's guards.

"I'm giving you just one warning.", Steelhand replied, a slight hint of annoyance in his voice, "Get away from me or I will have to punish you."

The prisoner just continued to stand there and look down on him. What was once a few prisoners watching from a distance had started to turn into a small crowd surrounding them, whispering to each other about what the possible outcome would be.

"Punish me? HA HA! And here I thought there wasn't any good entertainment in prison!", the red Decepticon laughed, "I've killed 47 Autobots, and you're number 48!"

A collective gasp came from the surrounding crowd of prisoners as the large Decepticon lifted both his arms up, ready to smash down on Steelhand's head. Whether by design or due to the various security measures taken to make the prisoners more managable, he was too slow. Certainly too slow for Steelhand. Before the prisoner's fists got close to him, Steelhand kicked hard into his midsection, catching him by surprise and sending the Decepticon back several meters.

By now the crowd had started to yelling and stomping at the fight. As the large red Decepticon regained his bearings, Steelhand grabbed his pick axe from his back, stirring the surrounding prisoners even more. A few random screams of "Cave In" came from the crowd.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" the prisoner yelled in rage, "YOU'RE AS GOOD AS DE-"

Before he could finish he felt hard, cold metal piercing into the side of his head. Sparks and fluids squirted out from the wound that now had Steelhand's pick axe embedded into it. The crowd went silent.

"I warned you.", was all that Steelhand said.

As the Decepticon stood there in shock, a quiet chant of "Cave In" began. Then the chant grew louder. And louder. Before long the entire area echoed with the chants of "Cave In, Cave In, Cave In!"

Steelhand looked up, his pick axe still dug into the prisoners metal skull. He was still alive, and still aware of what was happening, and no doubt was in a great deal of pain. He then noticed the chants of the prisoners, no different from the chants he had heard countless vorns ago in the fighting pits. He knew what they wanted to see- the fact that it was one of their own made no difference to them. They wanted to see this prisoner's face smashed, every sensor in his head crushed, his cranial circuitry turned into scrap. As easy as it would be for Steelhand to accomidate that, he didn't want to.

This isn't a show, not anymore. He's hurt enough, he'll know better.

Steelhand brought the prisoner's head down, then not too gently removed his pick axe. The crowd started to jeer and boo, and the prisoners slowly went back to where they were going. The large red prisoner dropped into a heap on the floor, holding his hands over his gaping wound.

<<This is Steelhand to medical ward, I need a medic in hallway 45-Beta. I have one prisoner with a non-lethal facial wound.>>

Steelhand stood by the injured prisoner, making sure none of the other prisoners tried to hurt him or take any of his parts as he waited for assistance.

I rather enjoyed his profile. Approved. You can start him on G9 with a rank of 5.

Ember wrote:

Psychout wrote:Character being tried out for the Convergence timeline, profile taken from Dark Legacy Archive.

Punch/Counterpunch

Allegiance: Autobot/Decepticon
Function: Secret Agent
Altmode: Cybertronian Hovercar
Weapons: Punch -- twin mortar launcher; Counterpunch -- photon cannon
Special Abilities: Unique triple-changer design (Autobot Punch, Decepticon Counterpunch, Cybertronian hovercar); flight (Counterpunch only); personality shell-matrix (essentially allows Punch and Counterpunch to register as two completely different mechs in terms of thought patterns, neural circuitry activity and overall personality)
Height: 26 ft. / 7.92 m
Quote: "In my business, there are no friends, only suspects."


Strength: 6
Intelligence: 9
Dexterity: 6
Speed: 6
Endurance: 6
Courage: 10
Firepower: 6
Accuracy: 7
Melee: 7
Tech Skill: 08
Charisma: 7
Rank: (7 on techspecs)

Profile: Punch is as cool-headed and well-adjusted as you will ever meet, although aloof and detached to a certain degree. However, the fact remains that he is, if anything, more observant and wary than many would suspect. Paranoid he may be that there may be traitors in the midst of the Autobots, but it's nowhere near Red Alert's levels of paranoia. He knows all too well just how much he has to lose by taking too many risks -- and the fact that he's willing to do it anyway is a testimony to his confidence in the rightness of his actions, his courage in the face of adversity, and his dedication and resolve to the Autobot cause.

As Counterpunch, on the other hand, he is ruthless, volatile and bad-tempered. An act, of course, but one that Counterpunch has proven capable of portraying quite well. There is a growing confidence in his 'act' as Counterpunch, because of the knowledge that he has been able to retain his Autobot sensibilities in the face of his constant exposure to the Decepticon camp. Still, however, there is the fear lurking in the back of his shared mind of the Counterpunch persona taking over and betraying the Autobots. That, however, is remedied by a personality shell-matrix that helps to ensure that there is enough difference between the Punch and Counterpunch personas to avoid some of the more dangerous pitfalls that could lead to his discovery and execution by the Decepticons.

Abilities: Punch / Counterpunch has slightly above average strength and great intelligence -- a skilled spy and infiltrator, as well as a capable actor and a canny judge of character. His ability to make rapid situational analyses is impressive, as is his knowledge of security and undercover tactics. As a Cybertronian hovercar, Punch / Counterpunch is capable of attaining velocities as high as 160 mph with a range of 1,200 miles. In Autobot mode, Punch utilizes a twin mortar launcher with a range of 9,000 feet; in Decepticon mode, Counterpunch wields a photon cannon designed to destroy the target's circuitry, tearing them apart internally. The Decepticon mode also affords Counterpunch with a personality shell-matrix which helps to dissociate the persona (including neural circuitry activity and thought patterns) from the Autobot mode and the Punch persona.

Weaknesses: The fear of the Counterpunch persona becoming too comfortable as a Decepticon spy and winding up taking full control of the shared body with the Punch persona is a very real possibility that Punch must always take into account. The personality shell-matrix helps to mitigate that somewhat, but deep down, Punch still remains concerned that the Counterpunch persona may find a way to circumvent the personality shell-matrix (or worse, the personality shell-matrix be damaged and rendered inoperable for any appreciable length of time), and thereby allow Counterpunch to wrest full control of their shared mind, in turn sowing untold chaos and disaster for the Autobots.



Sample Post:
"GET OUT OF MY WAY!!!" Counterpunch yelled as he put his foot to the chestplate of the sentry outside the Kaon jail cell and shoved viciously. "I do not need your permission to visit MY captee!" The stunned sentry wasn't paid enough to stand in the way of crazy types like Counterpunch, and Punch knew it. In no hurry to get back up, he just waved the short tempered 'con in, still stunned from the blow. "You never saw me, got that??!" Using his Photon cannon to emphasise the point, he kicked dirt at the sentry and strode off into the jail complex laughing.

He checked to see that the coast was clear and he was safe from the cameras, and switched to his Autobot mode. It had been a while since he needed to change, but this was unavoidable. Disabling the cameras in Gamma-wing is an easy enough task, and I can blame it on this sentrys incompeten... No, no. That's Counterpunch talking - that is not me. I will do this properly so no one gets hurt, I do enough damage as my alter ego as it is. He thought back to the sentry he had just abused, and felt a pang of guilt that he had actually quite enjoyed it. That guard is going to get disassembled after this regardless, I'd be doing him a favour if just killed... No! That's not ME! He opened up the prisoner weapons locker and pulled out a familiar gun, fiddled wiht its settings, checked the coast was still clear and used it to destroy the security system, taking most of the lights with it. Perfect, now lets go and see what state he is in...

Unable to assume his identifiable altmode as even this prisoner - one of his oldest friends - didn't know who both sides of him were, he retained his Autobot robot form and sprinted down the corridor to cell G-477 and entered the code he had stolen weeks ago from a drunken Seeker over some spiked energon ale. To his huge relief, it worked and a battered mech lay half dead in the far corner.

"Hound, its me, Punch. HOUND! Come on, wake up, you have to get out of here!" He threw a handful of fast-charge energon cubes to his friend who just stared unbelievingly at his saviour. Hound tried to mumble a few words of thanks but gave up and quickly drank the energon. "...woah woah, careful, you're still weak. Shush! Don't worry about how I got here, just take your rifle and this keycard, go two floors down to the lowest security wing. Counterpunch is on shift so you should easily defeat him, use the door on the east side. Its unguarded and if you can assume altmode then you should easily get away. Hurry!! You only have another 36.5 minutes before they restore the power. Ill go on ahead and meet you at Outpost Epsilon-6 tonight. NOW GO!!"

He gave Hound a few shoves to get him moving and make sure he was on his way and sprinted off ahead of him, re-assuming his Decpeticon persona once he was far enough away. Even if Hound was up to full speed, Punch was much faster and had more than enough time to overpower the door sentries, take their place and allow Hound to defeat his alter ego. He knew it was going to hurt though, but it had to be done, he couldn't let Hound be executed... but what if I was to actually prevent hound from escaping... I'd be a hero here, maybe even get close to the command and then who knows what information I would be able to get for the Autobots... but is that an acceptable risk..?

Sent you a PM concerning the resident double agent.

Alright, we chatted about this laddie this morning. The core elements of the character are solid: profile, sample, etc.

The only thing we were thinking we needed to flesh out for this character, in this setting, in order for him to believably be able to survive and do this kind of double agent work would be a more substantial difference between his Autobot and Decepticon physical designs. All the other stuff is there, in terms of psyche and so on. So if you could just add some stuff about how in Decepticon mode he has an entirely different paint scheme and just physically a generally different design when he's playing the role of Autobot versus when he's playing the role of Decepticon.

It's kinda tricky, but this is why fanmade OCs who are double agents haven't been allowed.

Punch/Counterpunch

Allegiance: Autobot/Decepticon
Function: Secret Agent
Altmode: Cybertronian Hovercar
Weapons: Punch -- twin mortar launcher; Counterpunch -- photon cannon
Special Abilities: Unique triple-changer design (Autobot Punch, Decepticon Counterpunch, Cybertronian hovercar); flight (Counterpunch only); personality shell-matrix (essentially allows Punch and Counterpunch to register as two completely different mechs in terms of thought patterns, neural circuitry activity and overall personality)
Height: 26 ft. / 7.92 m
Quote: "In my business, there are no friends, only suspects."


Strength: 6
Intelligence: 9
Dexterity: 6
Speed: 6
Endurance: 6
Courage: 10
Firepower: 6
Accuracy: 7
Melee: 7
Tech Skill: 08
Charisma: 7
Rank: (7 on techspecs)

Profile: Punch is as cool-headed and well-adjusted as you will ever meet, although aloof and detached to a certain degree. However, the fact remains that he is, if anything, more observant and wary than many would suspect. Paranoid he may be that there may be traitors in the midst of the Autobots, but it's nowhere near Red Alert's levels of paranoia. He knows all too well just how much he has to lose by taking too many risks -- and the fact that he's willing to do it anyway is a testimony to his confidence in the rightness of his actions, his courage in the face of adversity, and his dedication and resolve to the Autobot cause.

As Counterpunch, on the other hand, he is ruthless, volatile and bad-tempered. An act, of course, but one that Counterpunch has proven capable of portraying quite well. There is a growing confidence in his 'act' as Counterpunch, because of the knowledge that he has been able to retain his Autobot sensibilities in the face of his constant exposure to the Decepticon camp. Still, however, there is the fear lurking in the back of his shared mind of the Counterpunch persona taking over and betraying the Autobots. That, however, is remedied by a personality shell-matrix that helps to ensure that there is enough difference between the Punch and Counterpunch personas to avoid some of the more dangerous pitfalls that could lead to his discovery and execution by the Decepticons.

Abilities: Punch / Counterpunch has slightly above average strength and great intelligence -- a skilled spy and infiltrator, as well as a capable actor and a canny judge of character. His ability to make rapid situational analyses is impressive, as is his knowledge of security and undercover tactics. As a Cybertronian hovercar, Punch / Counterpunch is capable of attaining velocities as high as 160 mph with a range of 1,200 miles. In Autobot mode, Punch utilizes a twin mortar launcher with a range of 9,000 feet; in Decepticon mode, Counterpunch wields a photon cannon designed to destroy the target's circuitry, tearing them apart internally. The Decepticon mode also affords Counterpunch with a personality shell-matrix which helps to dissociate the persona (including neural circuitry activity and thought patterns) from the Autobot mode and the Punch persona.

Robot mode - Autobot: Punch's Autobot mode is distinctive. Slightly taller than an average Autobot he makes a point of hunching down, concious of his differences in all things, not just height. His torso is a deep yellow bearing an Autobot badge proudly in the centre with black appendages, wheels, helmet and fists, but his visored face has a weary look in its eyes. His detailing is blue, however these patches are kept few and far between due to his willingness to hide his alter ego even from most of the Autobots, and only the few visible altmode parts, an altmode he can rarely as an Autobotuse for fear of being discovered, show any hint of his life as a doublespy.

Robot mode - Decepticon Disguise: Counterpunch's robot mode is as similar to Punch as Drag Strip is to Mirage, or Breakdown is to Sideswipe. Shining blue from face to foot, with a black helmet and upper legs, Counterpunch just exudes arrogance and insecurity. His paintwork is polished to a gleam at all times and constantly inspected in any reflective surface, partly to keep up his Decepticon persona's appearance and partly to ensure that there is absolutely no chance of his Autobot side being discovered by accident. His face is covered by a blast shield over the lower half and a visor over the top, an attempt to ensure no emotion can betray him, and he utilises various hydraulic techniques to attempt to appear even taller when in this disguise.

Weaknesses: The fear of the Counterpunch persona becoming too comfortable as a Decepticon spy and winding up taking full control of the shared body with the Punch persona is a very real possibility that Punch must always take into account. The personality shell-matrix helps to mitigate that somewhat, but deep down, Punch still remains concerned that the Counterpunch persona may find a way to circumvent the personality shell-matrix (or worse, the personality shell-matrix be damaged and rendered inoperable for any appreciable length of time), and thereby allow Counterpunch to wrest full control of their shared mind, in turn sowing untold chaos and disaster for the Autobots.



Sample Post:
"GET OUT OF MY WAY!!!" Counterpunch yelled as he put his foot to the chestplate of the sentry outside the Kaon jail cell and shoved viciously. "I do not need your permission to visit MY captee!" The stunned sentry wasn't paid enough to stand in the way of crazy types like Counterpunch, and Punch knew it. In no hurry to get back up, he just waved the short tempered 'con in, still stunned from the blow. "You never saw me, got that??!" Using his Photon cannon to emphasise the point, he kicked dirt at the sentry and strode off into the jail complex laughing.

He checked to see that the coast was clear and he was safe from the cameras, and switched to his Autobot mode. It had been a while since he needed to change, but this was unavoidable. Disabling the cameras in Gamma-wing is an easy enough task, and I can blame it on this sentrys incompeten... No, no. That's Counterpunch talking - that is not me. I will do this properly so no one gets hurt, I do enough damage as my alter ego as it is. He thought back to the sentry he had just abused, and felt a pang of guilt that he had actually quite enjoyed it. That guard is going to get disassembled after this regardless, I'd be doing him a favour if just killed... No! That's not ME! He opened up the prisoner weapons locker and pulled out a familiar gun, fiddled wiht its settings, checked the coast was still clear and used it to destroy the security system, taking most of the lights with it. Perfect, now lets go and see what state he is in...

Unable to assume his identifiable altmode as even this prisoner - one of his oldest friends - didn't know who both sides of him were, he retained his Autobot robot form and sprinted down the corridor to cell G-477 and entered the code he had stolen weeks ago from a drunken Seeker over some spiked energon ale. To his huge relief, it worked and a battered mech lay half dead in the far corner.

"Hound, its me, Punch. HOUND! Come on, wake up, you have to get out of here!" He threw a handful of fast-charge energon cubes to his friend who just stared unbelievingly at his saviour. Hound tried to mumble a few words of thanks but gave up and quickly drank the energon. "...woah woah, careful, you're still weak. Shush! Don't worry about how I got here, just take your rifle and this keycard, go two floors down to the lowest security wing. Counterpunch is on shift so you should easily defeat him, use the door on the east side. Its unguarded and if you can assume altmode then you should easily get away. Hurry!! You only have another 36.5 minutes before they restore the power. Ill go on ahead and meet you at Outpost Epsilon-6 tonight. NOW GO!!"

He gave Hound a few shoves to get him moving and make sure he was on his way and sprinted off ahead of him, re-assuming his Decpeticon persona once he was far enough away. Even if Hound was up to full speed, Punch was much faster and had more than enough time to overpower the door sentries, take their place and allow Hound to defeat his alter ego. He knew it was going to hurt though, but it had to be done, he couldn't let Hound be executed... but what if I was to actually prevent hound from escaping... I'd be a hero here, maybe even get close to the command and then who knows what information I would be able to get for the Autobots... but is that an acceptable risk..?

Psychout wrote:Punch/Counterpunch

Allegiance: Autobot/Decepticon
Function: Secret Agent
Altmode: Cybertronian Hovercar
Weapons: Punch -- twin mortar launcher; Counterpunch -- photon cannon
Special Abilities: Unique triple-changer design (Autobot Punch, Decepticon Counterpunch, Cybertronian hovercar); flight (Counterpunch only); personality shell-matrix (essentially allows Punch and Counterpunch to register as two completely different mechs in terms of thought patterns, neural circuitry activity and overall personality)
Height: 26 ft. / 7.92 m
Quote: "In my business, there are no friends, only suspects."


Strength: 6
Intelligence: 9
Dexterity: 6
Speed: 6
Endurance: 6
Courage: 10
Firepower: 6
Accuracy: 7
Melee: 7
Tech Skill: 08
Charisma: 7
Rank: (7 on techspecs)

Profile: Punch is as cool-headed and well-adjusted as you will ever meet, although aloof and detached to a certain degree. However, the fact remains that he is, if anything, more observant and wary than many would suspect. Paranoid he may be that there may be traitors in the midst of the Autobots, but it's nowhere near Red Alert's levels of paranoia. He knows all too well just how much he has to lose by taking too many risks -- and the fact that he's willing to do it anyway is a testimony to his confidence in the rightness of his actions, his courage in the face of adversity, and his dedication and resolve to the Autobot cause.

As Counterpunch, on the other hand, he is ruthless, volatile and bad-tempered. An act, of course, but one that Counterpunch has proven capable of portraying quite well. There is a growing confidence in his 'act' as Counterpunch, because of the knowledge that he has been able to retain his Autobot sensibilities in the face of his constant exposure to the Decepticon camp. Still, however, there is the fear lurking in the back of his shared mind of the Counterpunch persona taking over and betraying the Autobots. That, however, is remedied by a personality shell-matrix that helps to ensure that there is enough difference between the Punch and Counterpunch personas to avoid some of the more dangerous pitfalls that could lead to his discovery and execution by the Decepticons.

Abilities: Punch / Counterpunch has slightly above average strength and great intelligence -- a skilled spy and infiltrator, as well as a capable actor and a canny judge of character. His ability to make rapid situational analyses is impressive, as is his knowledge of security and undercover tactics. As a Cybertronian hovercar, Punch / Counterpunch is capable of attaining velocities as high as 160 mph with a range of 1,200 miles. In Autobot mode, Punch utilizes a twin mortar launcher with a range of 9,000 feet; in Decepticon mode, Counterpunch wields a photon cannon designed to destroy the target's circuitry, tearing them apart internally. The Decepticon mode also affords Counterpunch with a personality shell-matrix which helps to dissociate the persona (including neural circuitry activity and thought patterns) from the Autobot mode and the Punch persona.

Robot mode - Autobot: Punch's Autobot mode is distinctive. Slightly taller than an average Autobot he makes a point of hunching down, concious of his differences in all things, not just height. His torso is a deep yellow bearing an Autobot badge proudly in the centre with black appendages, wheels, helmet and fists, but his visored face has a weary look in its eyes. His detailing is blue, however these patches are kept few and far between due to his willingness to hide his alter ego even from most of the Autobots, and only the few visible altmode parts, an altmode he can rarely as an Autobotuse for fear of being discovered, show any hint of his life as a doublespy.

Robot mode - Decepticon Disguise: Counterpunch's robot mode is as similar to Punch as Drag Strip is to Mirage, or Breakdown is to Sideswipe. Shining blue from face to foot, with a black helmet and upper legs, Counterpunch just exudes arrogance and insecurity. His paintwork is polished to a gleam at all times and constantly inspected in any reflective surface, partly to keep up his Decepticon persona's appearance and partly to ensure that there is absolutely no chance of his Autobot side being discovered by accident. His face is covered by a blast shield over the lower half and a visor over the top, an attempt to ensure no emotion can betray him, and he utilises various hydraulic techniques to attempt to appear even taller when in this disguise.

Weaknesses: The fear of the Counterpunch persona becoming too comfortable as a Decepticon spy and winding up taking full control of the shared body with the Punch persona is a very real possibility that Punch must always take into account. The personality shell-matrix helps to mitigate that somewhat, but deep down, Punch still remains concerned that the Counterpunch persona may find a way to circumvent the personality shell-matrix (or worse, the personality shell-matrix be damaged and rendered inoperable for any appreciable length of time), and thereby allow Counterpunch to wrest full control of their shared mind, in turn sowing untold chaos and disaster for the Autobots.



Sample Post:
"GET OUT OF MY WAY!!!" Counterpunch yelled as he put his foot to the chestplate of the sentry outside the Kaon jail cell and shoved viciously. "I do not need your permission to visit MY captee!" The stunned sentry wasn't paid enough to stand in the way of crazy types like Counterpunch, and Punch knew it. In no hurry to get back up, he just waved the short tempered 'con in, still stunned from the blow. "You never saw me, got that??!" Using his Photon cannon to emphasise the point, he kicked dirt at the sentry and strode off into the jail complex laughing.

He checked to see that the coast was clear and he was safe from the cameras, and switched to his Autobot mode. It had been a while since he needed to change, but this was unavoidable. Disabling the cameras in Gamma-wing is an easy enough task, and I can blame it on this sentrys incompeten... No, no. That's Counterpunch talking - that is not me. I will do this properly so no one gets hurt, I do enough damage as my alter ego as it is. He thought back to the sentry he had just abused, and felt a pang of guilt that he had actually quite enjoyed it. That guard is going to get disassembled after this regardless, I'd be doing him a favour if just killed... No! That's not ME! He opened up the prisoner weapons locker and pulled out a familiar gun, fiddled wiht its settings, checked the coast was still clear and used it to destroy the security system, taking most of the lights with it. Perfect, now lets go and see what state he is in...

Unable to assume his identifiable altmode as even this prisoner - one of his oldest friends - didn't know who both sides of him were, he retained his Autobot robot form and sprinted down the corridor to cell G-477 and entered the code he had stolen weeks ago from a drunken Seeker over some spiked energon ale. To his huge relief, it worked and a battered mech lay half dead in the far corner.

"Hound, its me, Punch. HOUND! Come on, wake up, you have to get out of here!" He threw a handful of fast-charge energon cubes to his friend who just stared unbelievingly at his saviour. Hound tried to mumble a few words of thanks but gave up and quickly drank the energon. "...woah woah, careful, you're still weak. Shush! Don't worry about how I got here, just take your rifle and this keycard, go two floors down to the lowest security wing. Counterpunch is on shift so you should easily defeat him, use the door on the east side. Its unguarded and if you can assume altmode then you should easily get away. Hurry!! You only have another 36.5 minutes before they restore the power. Ill go on ahead and meet you at Outpost Epsilon-6 tonight. NOW GO!!"

He gave Hound a few shoves to get him moving and make sure he was on his way and sprinted off ahead of him, re-assuming his Decpeticon persona once he was far enough away. Even if Hound was up to full speed, Punch was much faster and had more than enough time to overpower the door sentries, take their place and allow Hound to defeat his alter ego. He knew it was going to hurt though, but it had to be done, he couldn't let Hound be executed... but what if I was to actually prevent hound from escaping... I'd be a hero here, maybe even get close to the command and then who knows what information I would be able to get for the Autobots... but is that an acceptable risk..?

Add small differences like spoilers etc. to that car mode they share too, so it ain't too obvious!

I wasn't actually going to have changes between the two, a character like this has to have an Achilles heel somewhere. I guess I can add a few variations in though...
(have also altered the wording at the end of the sample post slightly.)

Punch/Counterpunch

Allegiance: Autobot/Decepticon
Function: Secret Agent
Altmode: Cybertronian Hovercar
Weapons: Punch -- twin mortar launcher; Counterpunch -- photon cannon
Special Abilities: Unique triple-changer design (Autobot Punch, Decepticon Counterpunch, Cybertronian hovercar); flight (Counterpunch only); personality shell-matrix (essentially allows Punch and Counterpunch to register as two completely different mechs in terms of thought patterns, neural circuitry activity and overall personality)
Height: 26 ft. / 7.92 m
Quote: "In my business, there are no friends, only suspects."


Strength: 6
Intelligence: 9
Dexterity: 6
Speed: 6
Endurance: 6
Courage: 10
Firepower: 6
Accuracy: 7
Melee: 7
Tech Skill: 08
Charisma: 7
Rank: (7 on techspecs)

Profile: Punch is as cool-headed and well-adjusted as you will ever meet, although aloof and detached to a certain degree. However, the fact remains that he is, if anything, more observant and wary than many would suspect. Paranoid he may be that there may be traitors in the midst of the Autobots, but it's nowhere near Red Alert's levels of paranoia. He knows all too well just how much he has to lose by taking too many risks -- and the fact that he's willing to do it anyway is a testimony to his confidence in the rightness of his actions, his courage in the face of adversity, and his dedication and resolve to the Autobot cause.

As Counterpunch, on the other hand, he is ruthless, volatile and bad-tempered. An act, of course, but one that Counterpunch has proven capable of portraying quite well. There is a growing confidence in his 'act' as Counterpunch, because of the knowledge that he has been able to retain his Autobot sensibilities in the face of his constant exposure to the Decepticon camp. Still, however, there is the fear lurking in the back of his shared mind of the Counterpunch persona taking over and betraying the Autobots. That, however, is remedied by a personality shell-matrix that helps to ensure that there is enough difference between the Punch and Counterpunch personas to avoid some of the more dangerous pitfalls that could lead to his discovery and execution by the Decepticons.

Abilities: Punch / Counterpunch has slightly above average strength and great intelligence -- a skilled spy and infiltrator, as well as a capable actor and a canny judge of character. His ability to make rapid situational analyses is impressive, as is his knowledge of security and undercover tactics. As a Cybertronian hovercar, Punch / Counterpunch is capable of attaining velocities as high as 160 mph with a range of 1,200 miles. In Autobot mode, Punch utilizes a twin mortar launcher with a range of 9,000 feet; in Decepticon mode, Counterpunch wields a photon cannon designed to destroy the target's circuitry, tearing them apart internally. The Decepticon mode also affords Counterpunch with a personality shell-matrix which helps to dissociate the persona (including neural circuitry activity and thought patterns) from the Autobot mode and the Punch persona.

Robot/Altmode - Autobot: Punch's Autobot robot mode is distinctive. Slightly taller than an average Autobot he makes a point of hunching down, concious of his differences in all things, not just height. His torso is a deep yellow bearing an Autobot badge proudly in the centre with black appendages, wheels, helmet and fists, but his visored face has a weary look in its eyes. His detailing is blue, however these patches are kept few and far between due to his willingness to hide his alter ego even from most of the Autobots, and only the few visible altmode parts, an altmode he can rarely as an Autobot use for fear of being discovered, lest he show any hint of his life as a doublespy.
His Autobot-version altmode of a Cybertronian hovercar is sleek, blue in colour but lacks any kind of faction identification. Designed to look basic, simple and functional, Punch tries to avoid using it as much as possible due to its obvious similarity to his Decepticon counterparts far flashier but still identical version.

Robot/Altmode - Decepticon Disguise: Counterpunch's robot mode is as similar to Punch as Drag Strip is to Mirage, or Breakdown is to Sideswipe. Shining blue from face to foot, with a black helmet and upper legs, Counterpunch just exudes arrogance and insecurity. His paintwork is polished to a gleam at all times and constantly inspected in any reflective surface, partly to keep up his Decepticon persona's appearance and partly to ensure that there is absolutely no chance of his Autobot side being discovered by accident. His face is covered by a blast shield over the lower half and a visor over the top, an attempt to ensure no emotion can betray him, and he utilises various hydraulic techniques to attempt to appear even taller when in this disguise.
Counterpunch's Decepticon altmode follows the styling of his robot mode, the same blue in colour but a massive vulgar spoiler protrudes out the back, the arches over his repulsors have been customised and widened to a ridiculous degree, his windows are blacked-out, his lights are amplified and shine with a blue-neon tint, the underside of the car has strip lighting and the exhaust cans on the back could shatter a window from a mile away - this altmode screams vanity and every effort imaginable has been made ensure that the same vehicle mode as possessed by Punch persona looks as different as you can imagine to when he is undercover. (Not to mention the stereo...)

Weaknesses: The fear of the Counterpunch persona becoming too comfortable as a Decepticon spy and winding up taking full control of the shared body with the Punch persona is a very real possibility that Punch must always take into account. The personality shell-matrix helps to mitigate that somewhat, but deep down, Punch still remains concerned that the Counterpunch persona may find a way to circumvent the personality shell-matrix (or worse, the personality shell-matrix be damaged and rendered inoperable for any appreciable length of time), and thereby allow Counterpunch to wrest full control of their shared mind, in turn sowing untold chaos and disaster for the Autobots.



Sample Post:
"GET OUT OF MY WAY!!!" Counterpunch yelled as he put his foot to the chestplate of the sentry outside the Kaon jail cell and shoved viciously. "I do not need your permission to visit MY captee!" The stunned sentry wasn't paid enough to stand in the way of crazy types like Counterpunch, and Punch knew it. In no hurry to get back up, he just waved the short tempered 'con in, still stunned from the blow. "You never saw me, got that??!" Using his Photon cannon to emphasise the point, he kicked dirt at the sentry and strode off into the jail complex laughing.

He checked to see that the coast was clear and he was safe from the cameras, and switched to his Autobot mode. It had been a while since he needed to change, but this was unavoidable. Disabling the cameras in Gamma-wing is an easy enough task, and I can blame it on this sentry's incompeten... No, no. That's Counterpunch talking - that is not me. I will do this properly so no one gets hurt, I do enough damage as my alter ego as it is. He thought back to the sentry he had just abused, and felt a pang of guilt that he had actually quite enjoyed it. That guard is going to get disassembled after this regardless, I'd be doing him a favour if just killed... No! That's not ME! He opened up the prisoner weapons locker and pulled out a familiar gun, fiddled with its settings, checked the coast was still clear and used it to destroy the security system, taking most of the lights with it. Perfect, now lets go and see what state he is in...

Unable to assume his identifiable altmode as even this prisoner - one of his oldest friends - didn't know who both sides of him were, he retained his Autobot robot form and sprinted down the corridor to cell G-477 and entered the code he had stolen weeks ago from a drunken Seeker over some spiked energon ale. To his huge relief, it worked and a battered mech lay half dead in the far corner.

"Hound, its me, Punch. HOUND! Come on, wake up, you have to get out of here!" He threw a handful of fast-charge energon cubes to his friend who just stared unbelievingly at his saviour. Hound tried to mumble a few words of thanks but gave up and quickly drank the energon. "...woah woah, careful, you're still weak. Shush! Don't worry about how I got here, just take your rifle and this keycard, go two floors down to the lowest security wing. Counterpunch is on shift so you should easily defeat him, use the door on the east side. Its unguarded and if you can assume altmode then you should easily get away. Hurry!! You only have another 36.5 minutes before they restore the power. Ill go on ahead and meet you at Outpost Epsilon-6 tonight. NOW GO!!"

He gave Hound a few shoves to get him moving and made sure he was on his way then sprinted off ahead of him, re-assuming his Decepticon persona once he was far enough away. Even if Hound was up to full speed, Punch was still faster and he had more than enough time to overpower the door sentries, take their place and allow Hound to defeat his alter ego. He knew it was going to hurt, but it had to be done, he couldn't let Hound be executed... but what if I was to actually prevent Hound from escaping... I'd be a hero, maybe even able to get close to command and then who knows what information I would be able to get for the Autobots, but... is that REALLY an acceptable risk..?