The Energon Pub

Maximus Line: Bunker 24

The more things change the more they stay the same.

Getaway mused to himself as he stared out the bunker slit and out into the no mans land that separated the two City States. It hadn't even been a day yet and already calm was starting to return, what had once been a desperate battleground was now a graveyard, where Autobots and Decepticons had freely spilled each others Energon was now a memorial to a centuries old war.

Hours of battle and the scenery still looked the same as it had done so before, a battered, worthless wasteland with the Decepticons still sitting pretty way over there. Sure they had been sent packing with their tails between their legs, something that would always amuse Getaway, but they hadn't been sent packing far enough for his liking.

All the way to the sun would have been better.

...hmm...that wasn't half bad...

Getway continued to muse to himself, feeling oddly poetic. It must have been some bad Energon he drank. Yeah, that had to be it. Next he'll be reciting Preceptors literary works and sounding all educated.

...I should probably write that down.

Turning away from the view and slamming down the shutters, Getaway sat to the floor with a thud, a critical optic running down the length of his Plasma Shell firing Shotgun. A good weapon meant a long life for an Autobot, disrespect your tools and they'll bite you on the ass when you least needed it too. Nothing like a jammed round to get an inattentive Autobots cranium blown right off.

"Ceasefire my Afterburner..."

Getaway announced to the bunker in general, the young Bots looking in his direction. Good Bots, all of them, just wet around the ears. Nothing like a good, old fashioned, kill of be killed, battle to toughen a kid up, providing he survived of course.

"...mark my words, something stinks around here..."

Getaway slammed the barrel of his Shotgun shut with a resounding clang to emphasis his point before resting the primed weapon across his shoulders. It was only a matter of time, even if Megatron does see sense and backs down, someone will try something stupid, try to make a name for themselves. Someone will just have to set themselves up for another thrashing at the hands of this war worn Autobot.

"...and it smells like a Decepticon".

Autobase Nu - Command Center

Air Raid turned to look at Skydive. "Hey Skydive. Good to see you in one piece!" Air Raid paused for a moment considering Skydive's question. "Decepticons is what happened but I am still in one piece. Silverbolt's leg is pretty messed up." Air Raid exclaimed.

"We are scheduled to start patrolling the area. If Silverbolt would stop acting tough and go get repaired we could go sooner." Air Raid said with a small robotic snicker.

Command Center

Skydive started to laugh, but quickly suppressed it. "I can see the Decepticons happened. I meant where." He grinned. "Silverbolt's still got the super-warrior complex? I swear, he needs to learn when to go in for repairs..."

Autobase Nu - Command Center

Air Raid considered a moment. "Polyhex." Raid responded. "I just got out of medbay myself and I am anxious to take to the sky again. Prowl's giving me a hard time about flying around the base, but I only fly into things in the air." Air Raid responded.

"You want to take a spin around the Tagan Heights with me and see what's going on out there SkyDive?" Air Raid asked SkyDive.

Command Center

Skydive's grin broadened. "Tagan Heights, huh? I could use some more air time." He turned and left the room, ready to go take off into the skies to further parts of Cybertron.

Autobase Nu ~ Command Center

"Understood Kup, we'll have you covered at all times" Silverbolt replied to the veteran warrior, his audio receptors half listening to the conversation between Air Raid and the recently arrived Skydive.
Saluting to both Kup and Prowl, the Aerialbot Commander turned and began to head out of the Command Center, when he overheard Air Raid mention something about heading for the Tagan Heights to Skydive, which brought him to an immediate halt.

"Woah there Air Raid, there's no time to be gallavanting off to the Heights, we've got a job to do here first. Now I'm sorry patrol duty isn't exactly the most exciting assignment, but it's necessary under the current circumstances.." Silverbolt paused as he noticed Skydive had already left the room, leaving him with just Air Raid "..Look, I've got to get fixed up, and get a hold of Slingshot and Fireflight, I want you to go and link up with Skydive, but neither of you are to go anywhere, is that clear Air Raid?" Silverbolt asked, his tone of voice slipping into the one he usually used with Slingshot when the VTOL jet was being his usual difficult self.

--------------------------------------
Autobase Nu ~ Medbay

Orpheus slowly removed himself from the table and headed off to get his last remaining repairs from one of the Medbay Technicians, leaving Archangel alone with Brewer.

"It's...." Archangel began, trying to pick his words carefully "..It's about Forte, I've found her, she was on one of the other shuttles in the recieving area.." The Medic paused as he decided honesty was the best policy "..I'm not going to lie to you, she's in bad shape... real bad shape, Primus knows what she got into out there. I'm about to start working on her, and I knew nothing was going to stop you from helping me, so I wanted to tell you first before you saw her, so you could be prepared..."

Archangel trailed off and looked away from his friend. Even though he knew his intentions were good, he still felt guilty for decieving Brewer "..I'm, I'm sorry Brewer"

Medical Bay

The words hit him hard, but Brewer stood tall and took it all in. He forced a smile and nodded, responded with a bit of a shaky voice, "I figured she'd be in bad shape. At least I know she's still alive." A small, yet heavy sigh escaped him as he tried getting rid of the pressure in his chest, "I really wish she could control her bezerker mode better, you know? Forte wouldn't be in this condition so often after every battle..."

A glance away, but he continued watching Archangel to show assurance that he wouldn't freak out. "If you don't mind, I'd like to accept your offer for help. You know me well, Archangel. I don't think I could stand by and not try everything in my power to help out a friend." A new smile curled on his metallic lips. It was small - slightly noticable - and yet not forced this time. "Thanks for getting the news to me this way. I'd probably have lost control of my exhaust if I had saw her without warning."

Autobase Nu - Command Center

Air Raid considered for the moment as Silverbolt gave him the father routine. "Alright Alright. I'll go find Skydive. Just hurry up would ya Silverbolt?" Air Raid exclaimed as Air Raid ran out of the Command Center.

"Hey Skydive wait up!" Air Raid exclaimed following behind his fellow Aeiralbot. "Bah we have to stay here for some reason. I guess Silverbolts worried about the Decepticons getting through our lines." Air Raid said as he stood beside Skydive. "I guess you'll have plenty of time to read." Air Raid exclaimed to Skydive.

Command Center

"Nothing wrong with that, I suppose. But I've been dying to test out this new maneuver..." Skydive sighed and called up a hologram of a past mission. "Interesting...Oh by the way, Silverbolt, I can understand your concerns regarding our gallivanting off after an attack, but shouldn't you go in for repairs already? Primus' sakes, I keep thinking a leg's just gonna pop off onto the floor all of a sudden."

Autobase Nu - Command Center

Air Raid watched Skydive as he pulled up a hologram projection of a past mission. "Hey you have any holograms of me in there?" Air Raid asked looking closer at Skydive's hologram.

Command Center

Skydive quickly pressed a few buttons and the hologram changed. Now it displayed Air Raid during a past battle at Polyhex, one of their first missions. "Does this ring any bells?" Skydive leaned in closely to study the individual maneuvers of Silverbolt more closely. "Interesting...A triple starboard barrel roll into a nosedive into a port feign. I'll have to remember to try that..."

Autobase Nu - Command Center

Prowl nodded his head slowly. "Very well, Kup. I'll keep Springer close to HQ, at least until I'm satisfied that he's completed at least a basic repair cycle. But if things go bad out there, I doubt that I or the whole maintenance team will have much luck preventing him from charging to the rescue. Even if we welded both his feet to the floor and had Juggernaut sit on him for good measure." It was a rare moment of humor for the straight-laced military planner, and it spoke volumes for the esteem in which he held the occasionally hotheaded leader of the Wreckers. He could be a royal pain in the aft, but there was no questioning his devotion to the cause, or the welfare of his fellow Autobots.

"And thanks, Air Raid," he went on with a polite shake of his head, "but I think you'd better keep that energon for yourself. It might come in handy if you run into any trouble out on patrol. I'll get around to recharging just as soon as I'm satisfied everything here is in order." Which wouldn't be anytime in the near future, as far as Prowl could tell, but there was no reason to emphasize that particular detail just now.

"You have your orders, Autobots," he concluded, returning Silverbolt's salute perfunctorily. "Here's hoping the Decepticons stay down whatever hole they crawled off into for the time being."

Autobase Nu - Command Center

Air watched Skydive's hologram. "Hah I remember that. You seem really obsessed with Silverbolt Skydive. You know, we are friends if you want to tell me something. I promise I won't tell anyone." Air Raid said jokingly to Skydive. "If we want to watch a real hologram show, you should get one of Minerva." Air Raid said with a huge grin. "I'd like to see some femme-bot moves." Air Raid exclaimed, just killing time at this point.

"We should go hassel Kup. That old-timer always acts like he's going to short-circut." Air Raid exclaimed to Skydive.

Command Center

Skydive shut down the hologram. "I swear to you it is purely maneuver research." He paused and then looked hard at his friend. "So where is Kup anyway?"

Please turn your signature off in all RPG-related threads including the Registration threads. ~J

Autobase Nu - Command Center

Air Raid had to grin at Skydive being uncomfortable. "Easy, I was just joking." Air Raid considered a moment. "I don't know where ever old-bots go? I'd guess somewhere around the Command Center." Air Raid exclaimed. "Gah." Air Raid let out a groan from his inner core from nothing to do. "This stinks Skydive." Air Raid exclaimed.

Sub-Zero was quiet for a moment then smiled his usual smile.

“Sure Minerva, but my offer still stands. Don’t hesitate to call me. Come on Wheelbar, time for us to take a break. I need to recharge my laser system anyway…. You ever heard of an absolute zero laser?”

He moved away from the gurney taking one last look at Forte. When she was awake and functional he would introduce himself. He motioned for Wheelbar to join him as he made his way out of the medbay.

Maximus Line - Bunker 24

The rifle stood steady, motionless, weighing on the tripod, placed right before the firing hole of the massive, fortified stronghold, its long barrel like a needle thrust out of the wall, aimed for the all too quiet, intimidatingly empty and desolate wasteland that separated the city states of Polyhex and Nova Cronum.

The wasteland faded into darkness, with clouds of dust occasionally blown by the crossing winds, as if ghosts were chasing each other in the nightly landscape.

The hand holding the weapon was likewise still, but easened, not the smallest sign of strain on the light gray - almost white - frame of the sleek mechanoid whose hands were resting on the weapon handle. The entire body structure was positioned naturally, and it seemed that position had already been maintained for a long period of time. Like the femme had been there for entire orns, waiting for careless enemies to walk into the crosshair of her rifle.

And in fact, that was not far from the truth.

The deep jade colored visor reaching down from the cranial forehead protector tirelessly kept lookout for anything that might be approaching on the ground level, the gaze of the sniper running back and forth across the horizon, not missing any motion, be it tiny cerebro-insects or entire vehicle convoys.

The tense silence surrounding the whole area was only broken by the voice of the bunker's lieutenant, a veteran warrior named Getaway. His tone gruff, he spoke in a serious manner, as if to calm the young mechs in the bunker, and to raise their alertedness a little by inducing minimal fear in their circuitries.

"They won't get closer than two clicks," The sniper femme said confidently, in response to Getaway, briefly glancing back at him, with a slight smirk appearing on her facial structure.

Autobase NU Med bay-

WheelBar was relieved to have to chance to get some energy in his systems. He hadn't mentioned it, probably because there were higher priorities at the time, but he really did need a recharge if he wanted to be functioning within the next two-or-three hours.

He heard Sub-Zero's question and answered in a light-heartedly manner. "No, but it wouldn't happen to freeze things, would it?" He smiled. WheelBar was amazed at how cool and calm he was after all that had happened. He must have been even lower on energy than he originally thought.

He strolled off with Sub-Zero, taking one more look at the other soliders, hoping that Forte would be in better shape when they got back.

Maximus Line: Bunker 24

"Is that a fact now?"

Getaway turned his cranium to observe the sleek grey/white Fembot that had responded to his forever open opinion. He didn't recognize this one, which, considering the overall size of the defending force, and general complete overall the Bunker assignments had just undergone, wasn't really surprising. Some days he could find himself surrounded by entirely new faces on an hourly bases, as a Ground Pounder an Autobot rarely had time to get to know anyone all that well.

That was a luxury reserved for those sitting in the Command Bunkers further back, sipping refined Energon and generally being good Gentlebots with one another. To bad all that frilly, pencil pushing, nonsense didn't work for him, such a life would probably extend his own by a few hundred years or so.

As far as company went however this one wasn't bad to look at, and carrying a loaded weapon too, ahh Getaway's Spark could be easily pleased at times. Nothing like a Fembot in the ranks to boost morale, Primus bless whoevers idea it was to manufacture them.

"Two whole clicks huh?"

Getaway pulled the Shotgun back off his shoulders too observe his weapon with a critical yet loving eye. He'd had this beast for more years than he could remember now, damn fine weapon, fired like a mule and never, ever, jammed. He had to admit though, its range was...limited, an unfortunate down side to firing really big bullets.

Getaway made a little huff before slinging the weapon back across his shoulders.

"Ruin all my fun why dontcha".

The war torn Autobot fell silent for a moment, observing the young Mechs present, deciding it simply wasn't natural for a group of good Bots to be so quite. He turned his attention back to the Fembot with the sniper rifle.

"Don't believe I caught your name little Missy".

Autobase Nu ~ Medbay

A short walk, and a few elevators was all it talk for Silverbolt to get back to the medbay from the Command Center. Walking in, the Aerialbot Commander shook his head at the shear number of casualties that were in the room, among them, Fireflight and Slingshot, who looked to be almost ready to go. Walking over to the pair of Aerialbots, Silverbolt filled them in on their next assignment, while letting one of the Medbay medics start work on his injuries, with any luck, they wouldn't take too long to sort out.


Over the other side of the medbay, Archangel looked and listened to Brewer with relief, the smile on the face of the S&R specialist going a long way in easing the young Medic's concerns. Archangel knew he too had to get a hold of himself and focus on the situation at hand, Forte's life depended on he and Brewer controlling their concerns, and he wasn't about to go through the same situation twice.

"Don't mention it Brewer.." Archangel replied, a small smile creeping onto his face as well "...and thank you. I always hate delivering bad news, it's without a doubt the worst part of the job, but it helps a lot when who I'm delivering the news to takes it well" The Medic added, placing a hand on the green 'Bot's shoulder "Now, let's get our afts moving and get Forte back on her feet, I don't know about you, but I haven't seen her smile in quite a while"

Maximus Line - Bunker 24

"Without all this dust swirling around, it would be around eight clicks," The femme sniper replied to Getaway, her voice confident, but also distant. The way she articulated and expressed her thoughts made those who listened to their little conversation think that she considered herself superior to them, in terms of skill and style. There were no means of harm, nor ill will in her words, just plain, matter-of-factly statements of her abilities.

And looking at her holding her gun made them lean towards believing she was not all talk.

Some of the mechs gathered in the garrison in Bunker 24 were visibly edgy, sending sharp looks around, their hands twitching as they rested them on their guns, anxiously waiting for something to happen. But she just knelf there, for Primus knows how much time, holding the long barreled rifle pointing outwards of the stronghold, without any sign of stress on her frame. Each time she moved her hands to adjust something on the weapon, or move it slightly, to another position, her motion was fluent and light, as if she had not been armored at all.

At Getaway's question, she turned her head backwards to look the veteran directly in the optic.

"I'm Dragunov," She said, her tone remaining distantly confident, and threw an easened, but still respectful and firm salute. "Sniper expert at your service."

Medical Bay

"War? what war?" Skywatch asks incredulously "I know there's been some disagreement between some folks..but the guardians have always kept things civil." He looks at Spinger and Minerva "This ins't some reality-holo I've been dragged into is it?" He asks supsiciously

Maximus Line: Bunker 24

"Dragunov huh?"

Getaway raised an optic ridge whilst the worn torn Autobot made an impromptu raid on his own Memory Banks for names that at least sounded similar. He'd met Mechs from all over Cybertron, Bots and Cons of all shapes and sizes and had probably heard more names, or variations of names, than any one Mech could ever hope to remember. But that one, he was pretty sure that one was unique. Nope, his Memory Banks, which were admittedly not one hundred percent reliable, came up with nadda. That was an entirely new one.

Go figure.

There was some originality left in the Universe after all.

"Sounds very..."

Getaway paused for a moment, considering the appropriate wording.

"...foreighn, pleased to make your acquaintance I'm sure. And quit with the saluting slag.."

The Veteran grunted and waved a dismissive hand towards the Snipers own gesture. He appreciated the chain of command as much as the next Mech, it was a requirement of any fighting force, someone had to call to the shots and they had to be recognized for it, but such an open display wasn't to Getaways own liking.

Someone, somewhere further up the Matrix Ladder had decided he had the brass for unit Command, and he wasn't about to say no, but he was, and always would be, a Line Trooper. He liked to get stuck in, he liked to get his hands dirty and he liked to be on equal level with the Mechs he pushed around. All this saluting lark just made him feel uncomfortable, his cranium plating was to thick to suffer from delusions of grandeur.

"...save it for the pretty Mechs with stars on their afts. Besides, out there..."

Getaway jutted a thumb out over his shoulder and towards the empty expanse of no-mans land.

"...you just make me a wonderful target for good Mechs like yerself. I imagine you've bagged an officer or two in your time because of just that, am I right?"

“It definitely freezes stuff, but not in the traditional way.”

As they walked Zero opened a compartment on his upper arm and a weapon piece that looked as if it was cut from blue diamond rose from inside. Its crystalline form gave off its own subtle blue glow, and if Wheelbar were to touch it he would feel a strange drain at the contact point. Thus why the weapons are kept in storage internally.

“They require me to keep an internal power cell just for using them, if I do not keep the laser recharge at least at a decent power level then the weapon system will start draining from me. The lasers are capable of creating Cryostasis, but….. I’ve never gone that far. The theory my designer told me was that if I tried it at full force. I will most definitely, go permanently off line. I wouldn’t want to press my luck. So truthfully I haven’t used them all too often. I prefer to use my hand lasers, you know I’m a regular gunslinger.”

He twirled a hand laser on his finger and re sheathed it to emphasize his point with a little wink. His Zero Laser descended back into its storage compartment. He was just too good natured to let things get him down. He was definitely concerned about his comrades in the medbay but he could not see the function in sulking over it. He hoped Wheelbar did not think his priorities as an Autobot were screwed up

“So did you see any action out there? I was too busy dodging bullets to get a respectable shot off.”

He nodded as they approached the Recharge Units. As he did he wondered where the other uninjured bots had disappeared to.

Autobase NU~ Med Bay

WheelBar was amazed at the sophistication of his fellow solider's design. He haden't really ever seen anything like it, literally. He wanted to ask so many questions, he loved learning things, but he didn't want to intrude.

He eyed the laser gun Sub-Zero twirled, he was glad to see another bot like him who appreciated smaller weaponry.
"So, you like stuff like that, huh?" He laughed as he opened a compartment in his left wrist, taking a small laser pistol from it. "Looks like we got the same taste in weapons!" He grinned as he put the pistol back in his arm. "But to tell you the truth, I prefer a closer combat."

WheelBar tapped on the side of his right leg and a slim compartment opened slightly, revealing a sword with minimal beam capabilities. "I would take it out, but with all the machinery and chambers around, I wouldn't want to hit anything."

WheelBar turned toward Sub-Zero and responded to his question, about his battle experience.
"Well, as I said before, Polytex would have been my first battle. But, I don't really consider it that, because I didn't even get to fire off a shot. Another bot close to me got hit with an explosive just as I got there, so I carried him to the medical tent there. Haven't seen him since, but I got the job of helping out with the injured, so I guess you can say that's how I got here."

Autobase NU~ Recharging Rooms

WheelBar entered the room along with Sub-Zero. He reached one of the chambers and set the dial.
"I don't know about you, but I'm just about ready for good recharge!"