by Smokescreen85 » Tue Nov 15, 2011 9:57 pm
- Motto: ""A look can be deceiving; a touch can be lethal.""
- Weapon: Twin Shoulder-Mounted Rocket Launchers
Iranian Desert - Central Hub
Skywarp turned his head slightly in the direction of Nightraven’s hand as she caressed his cheek, but then quickly refocused his full attention on her as she tried to reassure him of his leadership abilities. While he didn’t really agree that the job he had done thus far was all that great, ‘Warp wasn’t about to argue with Nighty, especially not in her present condition. It wasn’t until she mentioned the name of the Autobot who had injured her that the teleporter’s rage swelled up once more, his optics turning a crimson shade.
Hardhead, Skywarp thought, a frown etched deep across his faceplate. The old war veteran was big and tough, but he was also slow and not as agile as the seeker. Hardhead wouldn’t be an easy target to take down, that was for certain, but ‘Warp felt confident that with his air superiority and teleportation ability, he’d be able to give the green mech the retribution that he so richly deserved.
“Nighty, I’ll make him pay, I promise....” Skywarp’s words trailed off as Nightraven’s body went limp and her optics darkened into a deep black. Stasis lock had overtaken her, but at least she could be repaired once they returned to the Ultrax. Until then she would be safe here, but that gave the teleporter little comfort. Placing one hand on her shoulder, ‘Warp leaned down and gently kissed her on the forehead. He then stood and took one last look down at her silent form before turning his cranial unit back towards the battle at the hub. He needed to get back there not just for revenge but to help the others beat back the Autobots. He was supposed to be the team leader, after all, and he wasn’t even in the thick of things.
Transforming into his F-22 Raptor mode, Skywarp launched himself into the skies and flew back to the hub and into the heart of the fighting. As he approached he was suddenly overcome by Dirge’s fear engines as a wash of emotions filled his circuits. The fear of failing as a leader, the fear of losing Nightraven, the fear of never being taken seriously, it all came over him at once causing the prankster to quickly lose altitude. >>”Dirge, you idiot! Turn down your engines! You’re not just affecting the Autobots, but the rest of us, as well!”<<
In an attempt to remain airborne, Skywarp teleported to the opposite side of the complex in the hopes the affects would be less there. He was correct, but those ominous vibrations could still be felt deep within his framework. He flew low and tried to get a baring on what was happening on the ground. Specifically, ‘Warp was searching for Hardhead, but instead he found a partially frozen Waspinator lying on a sand dune. With the loss of Nightraven and the useless green Insecticon doing very little, it was apparent that back-up would be required if this diversion operation was going to be successful.
As a result, Skywarp opened a secured comm line to the Ultrax in orbit: >>”Commander Starscream, this is Skywarp. We’ve taken some casualties down here. Nightraven has fallen into stasis lock and it appears that Waspinator is about as useful as a scraplet infestation. I will need additional support in battling the Autobots. Please send back-up ASAP.”<<
Once his message was sent, Skywarp returned his sights to the ground where he soon found the mech he was searching for - Hardhead. With the green warrior firing at Thrust, his attention would be distracted just enough to allow ‘Warp to make his attack. Banking to the right, the F-22 came around into position and set his sights on the Autobot below. Skywarp unleashed two of his heat-seeking missiles and watched as they streaked towards their target.
On the ground, Hardhead continued firing on the red conehead with his shatterblasters, attempting to force Thrust to break off his attack on Ratchet. However, the war veteran’s attention was quickly drawn away from his mark when he caught sight of two incoming missiles heading right towards him. Having very little time to react, Hardhead tried to dodge the rockets, but with little success as both heat-seekers struck the ground within a few yards of his position. The resulting explosions sent the massive Autobot flying through the air before finally landing on his back a good distance away.
A dazed Hardhead moaned and reached up to rub his cranial unit which was thankfully still intact. His internal systems registered multiple armor breaches from numerous bits of shrapnel, but it was nothing that would keep him down for long as his armor was designed to withstand close encounters like this one. However, he couldn’t afford to get caught in many more explosions like that, either, or even his armor wouldn’t be able to save him.
In his attempt to sit up, Hardhead was abruptly pushed back down onto his back by the foot of a seeker. The green mech looked up to see Skywarp standing in robot mode over him with one of his arm-mounted weapons pointed down directly at the Autobot’s head. The prankster looked enraged, a feeling that seemed to be focused squarely on the war veteran. “So, it was you that fired on me?” Hardhead groaned, already knowing the answer.
“Yes, it was me. You should really pay closer attention to you surroundings, Hardhead. This time it will cost you dearly,” Skywarp replied as he felt vengeance within his grasp. “This is for Nightraven, you fraggin’ piece of Autoscrap!” The teleporter then opened fire at point blank range.