by Smokescreen85 » Mon Jun 27, 2011 12:02 pm
- Motto: ""A look can be deceiving; a touch can be lethal.""
- Weapon: Twin Shoulder-Mounted Rocket Launchers
Miles Above Iacon
Divebomb continued monitoring and recording all activity regarding Shockwave and the small team of ‘Bots that had accompanied him to the chasm. From his vantage point high above the ruins of the Autobot capital, the flying Predacon could see everything that was going on down below, including when the cycloptic mech released the tiny sensor probes into the subterranean levels of Cybertron, itself, before then giving one to Wheeljack for analysis. It was an unwise move in Divebomb’s mind to give Decepticon technology to the enemy, even something so small and seemingly insignificant. It could give the Autobots an advantage by allowing them to counter such probes in the future. Perhaps Shockwave had other devices at his disposal and thus he was not concerned with sharing these particular ones. Regardless, the aerial combatant didn’t like what he was seeing.
The audio recorder that Divebomb carried, while not as perfect as his eyesight, did the job well enough that Razorclaw would likely be satisfied with the results. Furthermore, it yielded some very interesting conversations between Shockwave and his Autobot chaperones, conversations that would surely pique the interest of the Predacon Commander and likewise Onslaught.
Divebomb’s internal systems then alerted him of his current fuel levels, which were down to 30%. The additional weight of the recording device coupled with the length of time he had remained airborne had drained his power cells more than anticipated. As it were, he had just enough energon to return to base without having to land and walk the remainder of the way. If he was forced to go on foot, even for part of the journey, the likelihood of Shockwave arriving back at the tower before him was high, and it was imperative that the Predacon flyer returned first and deliver the information he had gathered to his superiors.
Making one final circle high over Iacon, Divebomb switched off the recorder and glided back across the border of the Autobot capital. Once he was safely out of enemy territory, he ignited his rocket thrusters and sped back towards Polyhex.
Iacon – Near the Chasm
Howlstrike stood by as Shockwave released the tiny, spider-like probes that quickly scurried underground. The former Predacon couldn’t help but notice how unnerved Grimlock was by this as the Dinobot Commander already had his weapon drawn on the little metal critters. Howl couldn’t blame him for that reaction as it was a concern the Autobot tracker shared, as well. He just saw no need to point a gun at them when the devices appeared to be of no imminent threat and firing on them would likely only agitate their purple 'guest' further. Of course, there were different kinds of threats, some of which became known immediately while others took some time before they struck.
Howlstrike leaned closer to Grimlock once more to share his concerns, keeping his voice at a whisper. “I don’t like the looks of those things. Sure they give off a strong signal now, but what happens when they stop transmitting? I doubt they’ll be as easy to detect once they’ve gone silent. They could do a lot of physical damage before we’re able to stop them.”
Command Center
Bluestreak nodded at the various comments Springer made without immediately responding. Once the triplechanger was finished, however, Blue decided to let loose his vocal processor. “That’s very true. Wheeljack is more than smart enough to figure out if Shockwave was hiding anything. Of course, ol’ one-eye’s a tough mech to read, so ‘Jack will need to be on his A game if he wants to figure out the Decepticon’s true motives. I’m sure he will be, though. ‘Jack doesn't do things half-afted."
Not on purpose, anyway, Bluestreak thought, knowing that many of Wheeljack's inventions tended to blow up in his face plate on the first try. However, that didn't mean the inventor was unintelligent. It just meant that he sometimes overlooked flaws when rushing to get things done, which was something he could not do in a situation like this.
“As for a possible escape plan, I’m sure Shockwave has one. It wouldn’t be logical for him not to just in case," Bluestreak continued. "Whether that includes help from the outside is another story. So far I haven’t detected any movement beyond the stray cyber-critter, but that doesn’t mean Shockers can’t send a quick distress signal back to Polyhex if he feels threatened. It wouldn’t take too long for the rest of the ‘Cons to get here. The only other thing I could think of is a possible underground assault. There are miles of tunnels and sewers underneath Iacon. Many are impassable, but some might allow a small rescue team through. But even if that was the case, they would have to emerge at some point above ground and then the autocannons would blast them, alerting us of their presence. I’ll continue to keep a close optic on the security feeds, of course.”
When Springer mentioned Kup's war stories Bluestreak looked over at the old timer, who was still sitting in the command chair, monitoring everything that was going on outside. “Yeah, he’s got some really great stories to tell, no doubt about that. I’ve always enjoyed listening to them, especially the ones where he goes into detail about the ‘Cons he's blasted into scrap. You know, when he really gets into it, Kup can sometimes talk for as long as I can. Ha ha!” The Autobot gunner chuckled, meaning no disrespect as he held the aging mech in the highest regard.
Training Facility
Snarl stood amongst the wreckage of several training drones, holding his oil drenched energo sword in one hand and his smoking laser gun in the other. While he needed no real training, as he was already an accomplished fighter, the exercise had been good for him and had kept his cerebral processor occupied while waiting for Grimlock to return from his ‘Con-sitting mission. In many ways it had been a good thing for the Desert Warrior to stay behind as it would have been near impossible for him to just stand there and watch Shockwave conduct whatever experiments he wanted without attacking him. Boredom was worst than anything in Snarl’s mind as he was only truly happy when he was eviscerating a Decepticon.
“Me think we’re done here now,” Snarl said to the other Dinobots who had gotten a good workout, as well. “Let’s get recharged and head back up to command center. See if Grimlock has returned yet.” The Desert Warrior then put away his weapons and walked through the debris of the combat drones, kicking chunks of metal out of his way as he went, before exiting the training room.
On his way through the corridors, Snarl made a quick stop by the repair bay where he hooked himself into to a recharge station to top off his fuel cells with some fresh energon. It wouldn't take long and then he and the other Dinobots could rejoin the rest of the Autobots in the command center.