sixwordstories | (no subject)

[ Bulkhead tosses a large rock off to the side, and he goes to shake off the rest of the rocky debris that fell on top of him. The Autobot doesn't look the least bit upset about what happened, and in fact he smiles about the whole ordeal. ]

That's cool! We all make mistakes, and there's nothing on this planet that can snuff my spark. Er, well kinda. But that's besides the point.

Nothing, huh?

[ From her tone, there's a grin under the helmet. Still apologetic enough to want to explain, Blaze jerks a thumb back at the corroded blast doors she was trying to break through. Whatever she hit in the control systems obviously ran right up the cliff face. The architects might have intended it to be that dangerous. ]

In my defense, I'm pretty sure I wasn't around when they built this. Bunker's been dead a long time. Or- uh, nearly dead. I'm glad you're not hurt.

Nope! And as the humans say, nada.

[ He looks to the doors Blaze is pointing at, and he trudges over towards them and he glances down at them to give them a look and a tap with one of his big fingers. They don't look like they're wrecker proof, and as he glances over his shoulder. ]

There's another saying, never think a bunker to be dead until you at least test for traps. [ Bulkhead steps back from the bunker door, and he's got no idea what might be waiting for them there. He's got explosives of his own, but they might do more than just blow the door off. They might end up burying both Blaze and him. ]

Now if you give me just a sec' I'll help you with the door. Any idea about what might be waiting for us inside?

[ She moves aside for him, head tilted up at the much bigger robot. She still finds these guys kind of bemusing, and she's not in so much of a rush today. There's time to be curious. ]

Yeah, guess I should've let my Ghost have the first crack at it.

[ She turns a critical look on the door. ]

It's human-built, so- nothing living. The power got siphoned off centuries ago- looks like Fallen work, but they're nowhere around. My guess: probably skeletons, some equipment and a lot of offline systems. Golden-Agers didn't set up a lot of traps inside their own facilities. It ought to be a pretty straightforward salvage job.

[ He raises an optic brow, and he's not sure why one would send a 'ghost' to check the door. He pokes at the door with a finger, seems easy enough to just bash it in 'gently'. ]

Yeah, being unliving has those perks. You don't have to worry about being killed twice. [ Without there being any worry of anything shooting at either of them, Bulkhead is going to take his time with getting the door open. Sure, Earth looks like it fell victim to an entire army of Insecticons, and he wonders if this is was the result of them leaving it behind.

He's got lots of questions to ask, and he apparently has lots of time to ask them. ] Golden-Agers? [ Here goes the first question, and maybe the easiest question to ask. ] Does this have everything to do with why Earth looks like a war zone?

[ She keeps a watch on his work: it's not her nature to stand around while someone else does the job. For once she's not obviously the strongest one on the scene, but if it looks like she can lend a hand she'll be in like a shot. ]

Well, mostly you don't. [ She can't help chuckling. At his questions, though, she takes a moment to look him over, noticing an insignia she's seen before. ]

...You're an Autobot, right? [ See, she can learn. At this rate she'll get practically discerning! ] I've got to remember this is all strange for you. It's all connected, kind of. About a thousand years ago, a visitor came to this system: something we called the Traveler. It started the Golden Age - two centuries of incredible advancements for humanity. Technological miracles, planetary colonization, world peace, longer lifespans...

[ Blaze hesitates. It's hard to convey exactly what that time means to them, halfway between a fairy-tale and a long-lost home, all the more tantalizing because they know it was real. Some of them were there. ] It was- I mean, all we've got now are stories and ruins, but it's like humanity became better than they realized they could be. It changed everything.

[ Bulkhead gives the door a shove, and he looks surprised at how strong the door happens to be. He gives it another push and he grunts. He's a little shocked to hear that she's heard of them. He stops pushing at the door, and he peers down at Blaze. ]

Yeah, I am. If I were a Con, I'd have taken this place by force. [ But he doesn't forget his question about the Earth. It all seems like a lot, but he does his best to take in everything. Two hundred years is more of a flash in the eyes of a Cybertronian. His own home world is still slowly being rebuilt, after millions of years of war took its toll on the planet. It still is nice to hear the humans had a time of peace, even if it was short lived. ] Sounds like Earth was a pretty nice place to live, and I'm sorry it didn't last. Two hundred years might not seem much to a Cybertronian, but I know humans aren't among the longest-lived sentient species in the universe.

[ He steps back to look at the bunker, and then he turns around to take everything in. It does bring a sadness to his spark, and he kneels down to ask Blaze one very important question. ] Who did all of this? It wasn't the Cons was it? Cause if it was, I'll be busting some heads in when I get my hands on them.

Thanks. Next time it won't fall so easily.

[ Blaze tilts her head at the bigger bot as he kneels to talk to her. Sure, he's an alien, but she feels like she can read him pretty well. He's honestly upset about what's happened here. To her people. That says an awful lot to her. ]

Not them. Sometimes seems like the entire galaxy's trying to kill us, but you can let the 'Cons off the hook on this one. Something attacked us all those years ago: came after the Traveler and brought down everything we had. We've been fighting its armies off ever since.

...I've gotta admit, when you guys started showing up I thought you were just more of the same.

[ Bulkhead knew there is life outside of Earth and Cybertron, lots of it and some of what out there was just as bad as the Cons or worse. And he is really upset; he always thought they should have had some Autobots return to Earth to make sure the humans had some help. But with so few of them, it just didn't go as expected.

And he does his best to not think of the kids. At least they weren't around when things went down. But now isn't the time for him to dwell on the past. ] I'm not sure if that's a good thing to know, but I'll go about busting their heads just as well as I did Con heads back during the war.

[ The fact there's more of them here is very good news. ] Naw we're the same, but what we were fighting for isn't the same ideals. Peace through tyranny vs' all sentient beings deserve to live out their own destiny without any hindrance.

Now why don't we see what's in that bunker?

[ ooc: Sorry if things seem a little wobbly. :) Trying to get things working along with the Destiny Universe. (Which makes for an awesome setting imo.) ]

Won't hear any objections from us. We've got enough enemies to share.

[ Although she's still looking at him like he's a walking engram. There's stuff going on here she doesn't understand yet, another story she hasn't heard. Not unusual for her, but always intriguing. ]

And it sounds like we'll get along with you Autobots just fine. I was wondering what it was between you and the Decepticons.

[ She has more questions the more she thinks about it, but the doors beg for attention. ]

Could be a tough one to crack. Looks like the structure's pretty intact. [ There's a good-natured challenge to her voice as she adds, ] Think you can bust through, big guy?

[ ooc: no worries! It's an awesome cross-over! We can handwave some stuff if we need it to get things working with Prime-verse. 8D Might explain why ancient humans decided to solve their problems with 'build robot warriors'. ]

Well if this is a threat big enough to bring down the humans, maybe the Cons know this too. Either they're gonna try to monopolize on the situation, or worse...

But yeah, we've been fighting each other for what almost seems like an eternity. I thought peace would have been likely, but sometimes when you fight for that long it seems to be the only thing you know. [ Bulkhead gives it another look, and he gets to his feet and he goes to lean put all of his strength into it.

He squints his eyes, and he grunts as strains to get it open. Getting into this bunker is proving to be a lot tougher than he thought. ] I guess whatever is inside of here must be important, or they wouldn't have made it so hard to get inside.

But what can you tell me about those things that did all of this? What are they?

[ ooc: I have other characters besides the Prime characters, that would work well with the cross-over stuff. :) But yeah, I could definitely see the Transformers as a good enough reason for the build robot warriors thing. ]

[ Blaze catches that 'worse', ever alert to hints of a fight. Could the Decepticons be more trouble than she's observed yet? Probably. They're not exactly small fry. ]

The Future War Cult say war is the only truth. It's the only one I've got, that's for sure. [ She moves closer as he pushes at the door, looking closely for any signs of strain, any weak points she can throw her own weight at. That, or the rocket launcher at her back. Picking the most weathered section, she rams a fist like a pile-driver into it and inspects the result. ] Pretty big entrance, too. Explosives might speed this up.

We're up against at least four species of aliens - Fallen raiders, monsters out of the Hive catacombs, some high-gravity troopers called the Cabal. And another kind of robots called the Vex, but they're a lot less... uh, relatable than you guys. When you get down to it, though, the real enemy is the Darkness. They're all tied up with its power, but they're just the foot soldiers.

[ ooc: well, they're all welcome! :) There's enough dregs for everyone. ]

Sounds like this Cult knows what its talkin' about. [ Bulkhead does miss peace, he misses his job doing construction but even war brings some good. He never would have met any of his friends without it.

Bulkhead continues to push the door, and his voice sounds strained as he pushes the huge door. He looks down at her when she punches the door, and he winces. He bet that had hurt. ] Ouch, that looks like it might have hurt.

[ He stops pushing the door, and he clenches his fists that convert into a pair of big wrecking balls. He holds them up, and he takes a few big swipes at the doors. ] But I'm not sure about explosives, I'd hate for us to end up buried. I mean, I got them, but they tend to pack on hell of a punch.

And it sounds like you guys got your hands full with all these aliens coming to make a mess of things. And if we're not gonna let the Cons take advantage of all of things.

[ ooc: I've got lots of sci-fi or post apocalyptic stuff floating around that I don't get to play with much. ]

Hurt? Nah. I was built to hit stuff. [ She chuckles at the suggestion. At worst, her gauntlet's a little scuffed and she's regretful that she's only dented her target.

On the other hand, she steps back at his converting hands, letting out an admiring whistle. ] Although maybe they should've built me with that trick instead!

[ Slow and persistent it seems they'll have to be. At least the company's interesting. ]

You can say that again. We've got one city, battlefields from here to Mars and never enough Guardians to take care of them all. But the 'Cons I ran across didn't seem that interested in humans. And we didn't sense the Darkness in them. What do they want here?

[ ooc: This news is intriguing and I wish to learn more! ]

[ Finding out that Blaze is built to take more damage than she gives, gets a big grin from Bulkhead as he continues to swing at the door. And with one big swing of a wrecking ball, the door finally gives way.

Bulkhead takes a defensive stance, and keeps his wrecking balls out just in case there's something or one waiting inside of the bunker for them. ]

That sounds kinda strange that they're not interested in you guys. Then again, you haven't given them reason to or there is one and we don't know what it is yet. They didn't involve the humans until the humans got more involved. There was a good reason as to why Optimus did his best to keep us hidden from sight.

As for what they want? We don't know ourselves.

[ ooc: I got some Star Trek, Who (Classic and New), Firefly, Riddick, Falling Skies, Walking Dead, and some other stuff. But as far as stuff goes, I'm just enjoying the randomness of this and coming up with stuff on the fly. :) ]

[ Blaze is... less reserved. With a whoop at his success, she strides right in, helm turning to take in the interior. At least she does pull out her pulse rifle, but it's an automatic move.

The tunnel ahead yawns dark and lifeless as the doors. It was obviously built to allow traffic down into the bunker, and the incoming sunlight reflects off bones and metal alike. ]

All right! Let's see what we've got!

[ Which for the moment looks mostly like skeletons, both human and machine (and even one or two Exos in the remains of ancient body armour). The Decepticons offer more to talk about. ]

You know, it'd be nice sometime to have enemies who'd just explain themselves up front. Save us all a lot of wasted speculation. [ There's something about the way he says it, though. Nags at her. ] I don't understand why you'd try to hide, though. You can bet our Hunters have been tracking you and the 'Cons-

Wait. What do you mean, the humans already got involved?

[ ooc: All good stuff! We can just take things as they come. ]

[ Bulkhead turns on his headlights to help light the way, and sure it might be a bad idea if it attracts unheard numbers of dregs or worse to their location.

He turns around to take a look behind them to make sure nothing is following them inside, before he goes to look at what is in front of them. He shudders audibly at the sight before him. It is different to see every that happened to the humans, a race he once was sworn to protect reduced to this.

Bulkhead tries to sound optimistic, as he looks back down at Blaze. ] You said something about there being colonies on other planets; I just hope things are much better for them out there than here on Earth.

But yeah, the humans or at least a small group of kids helped us out. It was more by accident when one of them discovered us, our government liaison, and a militant group who wanted us dead. This was all during our exile on Earth, but all of those people we met aren't functioning anymore.

[ He continues to take in everything around the large bunker, and there's a hearty laugh. ] I wouldn't be surprised if you guys found us lurking around, we kinda stand out even with our ability to transform.

[ Blaze looks up with an internal pang at his deliberate optimism. She can't help feeling for the guy, even if he is a giant alien. She almost doesn't have the heart to correct him. But she's not one to hold back on the facts - what good would that do anyone, really?

Still, she hesitates. By the time her explanation gets as far as an awkward 'Uh...' he mentions their exile. The bunker's contents are abruptly forgotten as she stops to listen. ]

So you've been here before? [ The implications make her lower her gun,and though her widened optics are invisible, there's plain astonishment - and perhaps some awe - in the way she stops and turns to him. ] Before the Traveler?

...And don't tell me you can shape-shift, too. Heh, the teleporting robots were bad enough.

[ Bulkhead has no idea how bad it is, sure a war is taking place but he's clueless as to how far it has spread. Maybe the others knew but didn't tell him. Or the rest of the Autobots are just as clueless as he is. All he knows is what is has become of the Earth, and what Blaze has already told him.

But as he continues to take in the bunker, Bulkhead nods his head. ] Yeah, it was long ago when Earth didn't look like this, and they didn't do much space travel. I mean they did, but it was just a rocket into orbit and nothing more. Though I do recall one of the kids talkin' about some mission to Mars, but that was going to take decades for them to finish.

So yeah, I was there long before the Traveler. [ And without even answering Blaze's question, Bulkhead does one better and he transforms. He never swapped his alternate form for a Cybertronian one, as he became rather attached to the form he has. ] Pretty cool, huh?

Edited (icon fail) 2015-02-04 17:53 (UTC)

Woah! [ Blaze takes a step back in surprise - and so she can look over his new form admiringly. So that's what all the wheels were about! ] That's one I haven't seen before!

[ She just has to get closer, circling the newly-appeared automobile curiously. Even her Ghost materialises to have a look, though it keeps close to her. ]

So that's how you hide out - get people to look right past you. [ Blaze gives an astonished shake of her head, mood lightening a little. For all the sorrow in the world she's woken to, it never stops giving her cause for wonder. ] You bots are full of surprises, aren't you? We had no idea you'd been here.

It sure beats walking. [ Bulkhead stays in his truck form and pops open a door. ] What'd those guys didn't show you this cool trick of ours?

[ He's never met her Ghost, and Bulkhead is just as curious of her and it as they are of him. He sits there and laughs. ] I'm not sure how good this works now, half the cars out there are broken and covered in rust.

But we haven't been here that long, so that would explain some things. Then again, Prime the guy who's our leader doesn't want us to put the surviving humans in any danger. The last thing you need are the Cons adding to your problems.

Never got to asking. We were sort of busy. [ Blaze takes the offered chance and leans inside, only hesitating in her inspection when she remembers this is inside another bot - and how awesomely weird is that? Her Ghost darts inside for a look at the dashboard. Apparently it's quite jittery though - it starts and spins at Bulkhead's laughter. Blaze chuckles in return and slaps his roof. ]

It is a pretty old-fashioned look, but it's more imposing than our little Sparrows. Besides, you can't go wrong with more armour.

[ She can't cough awkwardly at his last remark, but she does let out a distinctly sheepish 'hmm'. ] Yeah. Uh. It might be a little late for that. Still, I appreciate you guys trying. [ A small pause, as if she's reached a decision, and she snaps a salute. ] Speaking of things I never asked - my designation's Blaze-37.

[ Bulkhead transforms back, and he feels a little awkward himself for not having to introduce himself. Sometimes it is just nice to find anyone who isn't going to shove a laser up one's exhaust pipe.

Introductions, of course if they're going to be friends it is a good idea to introduce himself. ] Nice meeting you, Blaze-37. My name's just Bulkhead.

And how about I just call you Blaze? I mean if you want me to keep the 37, I can keep the 37. That's if there's 37 other Blazes. Or if it is the polite thing to do these days.

Good to meet you too, Bulkhead. { That's a good, sturdy-sounding name. She nods with approval, and answers his question cheerfully. }

Just Blaze suits me. I don't think there are any others. And hey, if any show up, they can always fight me for the name!

...When you transform like that, do you have to control the whole- [ She cuts herself off, noticing her Ghost flying a little ahead. He's picked up something from that direction. His casing spins, the AI expanding into an orb of blue light for a few seconds as he speaks. ]

There's a Fallen signal coming from deeper inside. Faint, but getting stronger.

Nah, the whole thing is controlled by an organ called a T-Cog. Most Cybertronians were forged with one of these long ago. And trust me I'm glad it's something that comes as naturally to me as breathin' does to a human.

[ He clams back up when the little Ghost goes flying ahead of them, and he stops in his tracks when the AI speaks. He hmms to himself, and he dims his headlights just a smidge. There's no need in drawing the attention to any of those Fallen to them.

And besides, a little bit of darkness might help give them advantage. Or so he thinks. ] How good are those things at seein' in the dark? [ He whispers, and his fists vanish again and the big wrecking balls appear in their place. ] Cause I'm hopin' we can take the upper hand by sneakin' up on them.

They love the dark. But I'm willing to bet they won't see us coming. [ Blaze cocks her head, alert for her Ghost's advice as well as the readings from her trackers. ] What kind of Fallen could have survived down here for so long?

Their machines can. I think there's a servitor down there. The bad news is, it's woken up and it's signaling for help. [ The Ghost zips back to her, looking up at Bulkhead before it vanishes. ] You might want to watch your backs.

[ Blaze glances up the tunnel, down the tunnel, and then gives Bulkhead a shrug. Looks like they've just got to smash everyone. ] I'm game for an ambush if you are. Take out the machines, meet the reinforcements?

Good. Good. And even better. [ Bulkhead dims his lights even more, it is just enough to make sure he won't end up bumping into a wall and giving away their position. He's pondering if he ought to use a grenade, he loves the idea of making a big ol'mess, but he doesn't want to risk destroying anything inside of the bunker. ]

And the fact it woke up is the best news I heard all day. It'll give me a chance to see just what it is we're goin' up against in person. [ He hefts his wrecking ball hands up in the air, and he takes a few jabs at the air before he quiets himself down. ]

Works fine for me, now I'd recommend we go into stealth mode and bust some Fallen head in.

[ Judging from the chuckle Blaze lets out, she appreciates his enthusiasm. ]

Right! [ She pads onward and downward, following the marker her Ghost flashes up for her. She's no silent-footed Hunter, for sure, but she knows a thing or two about weaving her way past the debris, choosing her path in the dim light Bulkhead's casting. She has a harder time remembering to slow down, though. Sneaking up on people is fun and all, but it's the noisy part she's looking forward to. Especially seeing what her new friend can do!

When they reach a junction of hallways she stops and signals Bulkhead to turn left. There's another set of doors here, but they stand open and twisted, forced open long ago. There are more Fallen skeletons scattered underfoot now, tangles of limb bones draped in red capes. The remaining defenders must have made a stand here. Blaze keeps her voice down. ]

We're close. I've got motion on my trackers. Too much for one servitor - it's probably got a few drone bots with it. Watch out for them: they're not tough, but they're slippy little bastards and they'll shoot for the face.

[ He follows behind her, Bulkhead knows his size as much of an advantage it is at times, it can also hinder him in some situations. And ones that require some degree of stealth, well lets just say he lacks a lot in that department. He tries to move as quietly as a titan can, and he tries to make each footstep as quiet as possible.

And now is one of those times he wouldn't mind having a blaster on hand. But he's going to happily smash those things. He peers down at the skeletons, and he shudders. Sure, they are long dead, but there is something to be dead organics that creeps him out.

He comes to a stop at the junction, and he tries to keep his optics off the corpses. ]

Will do. [ He whispers. ] Or I'll try to, that's if they're not too small. And that is one of the problems when you're big and tall like me, and not a minibot. The bigger you are the easier a target you wind up being for the smaller bots.

Heh, 'minibot'. [ She hefts her rifle. ] Nothing to worry about. I've got you covered.

[ That settled, she moves onward. There's a larger, vaulted chamber ahead. The walls are cleaner down here, the panels lined with indicator lights. But the lights are dark, and the ventilation systems silent.

Soon there's a light ahead: a large dark, floating orb illuminated by the energy fields around it. It's locked onto a computer terminal, but Blaze can see its light reflect off a couple of smooth metal shells. Shanks, patrolling back and forth like guard dogs among the shadows and wrecked terminals.

She glances up at Bulkhead, lifting a fist to show him the soft glow of a grenade in her hand. She can draw the attention off his approach. Doesn't actually wait for confirmation before she moves in along the left wall, either... ]

Thanks.

[ Bulkhead continues to follow Blaze into the second chamber, and he squints his optics as he studies the area around him. He looks up at the ventilation system, and in his knowing of human things and cybertronian things, those are great way to get the jump on an enemy.

He lowers his head, and he just keeps in mind the vents are there. He just hopes the Fallen aren't going to come pouring out on top of them. And he comes to a stop, and he catches a look at the light in the distance. And then he spots the Shanks, and he tries to get a good look at them. ]

Go for it. [ He says without even looking down at Blaze. ] And I'll go in and smash whatever doesn't get fragged.

[ She gives a nod, almost lost in the gloom as she moves in. The shanks can be tracked by the glow of their red targeting lights in front. They move steadily about the servitor, and Blaze knows they won't take long to spot her, or to hear the tread of her heavy boots.

As soon as she sees a few get too close together, she takes aim and throws the grenade in among them. The detonation lights the room in brilliant white and resounds back up the hallway. The nearest shanks spin out of the air and explode outright; the others move around erratically, sensors overloaded.

She charges in without hesitation, throwing a punch that disintegrates another shank with an electric crackle. The servitor turns. It too has trouble locking on the intruder. But she only has a few seconds to fire into the great eye before its sensors clear, and it looses a whumphing barrage of energy pulses. ]

[ Bulkhead just doesn't move, he doesn't move a servo in order to keep quiet. He's well aware of how big of a pain a small target can be, and he even knows how deadly something so small is. He might look big, and he's not the sharpest tool in the shed. He still doesn't want to end up having Ratchet put him back together again just because he became too gung-ho.

And just as Blaze tosses in the grenade, Bulkhead does a brief shutdown of his optics to avoid himself from being blinded by the flash. And with a quick shake of his head, Bulkhead breaks out into a charge with his fists in the air.

Slag it, if he's not one for thinking anyway. And he's going to be more than happy to let Ratchet fix him up. He takes a swing at some one of the shanks that weren't caught in the blast, and the sends it flying into a wall with a resounding explosion. ]

Man, these things are tough! [ He grunts, as he takes a swing at another. ] You got any more of those grenade things, because I can sure use one right about now.

Gotta wait for the recharge! [ A blast from the servitor lands at her feet, and she grunts as the energy splash burns over her plate. Before the next one hits she jets up and backward, finishing her answer once her boots hit steel again. ] I can only generate one at a time!

[ If there's anything that draws more attention than a Striker, though, it's the Autobot with her. The scattered drones are focusing on him as they regroup, trying to skid around his swings. Blaze hesitates. That servitor's far tougher than the usual ones: every instinct desires she get back in and test herself against it.

But then a low-flying shank opens fire on Bulkhead, and she lunges for it. She made a promise. Her grip closes on the drone; she fires her rifle into it, three quick shots at point-blank range. Then she twists and slings the dying drone at the servitor. ]

I'll get the swarm - you go for the servitor!

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So sorry about the delay. I had job training and a lovely case of the flu. :/

No problem! I hope you're feeling better and that the training went well!

the training stuff was fine if not a bit last minute and i'm slowly starting to feel better.

that's good to hear!

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