Protihex-City state

[DarkXenith]

Realising he may have asked a little too much going on Towreck's reply, the medic vented a low, frustrated sigh, "Well, look, just gimme ten an' help me get the power back on so I can deal with these two… I'll do what I can once they're cleared. It's gonna be tight if anythin' else kicks off though. Real tight. Frankly, I think everyone should have some form've field tech trainin' but the day that happens is the day Unicron fronts the Galactic Peace Corps."[/color]

Jumpstart knew his grievance would fall on deaf audios, as it always had, but the simple fact of the matter was that lives could be saved if a mech took the time to do field basic. Medics were neither omnipotent nor omnipresent. Just because you hollered abuse at them over comm in the heat of battle didn't immediately place you as top priority… in fact, if you could make that much noise, it placed you firmly near the bottom. If there was someone around who could step in until a medic could get to an injured party, then everyone would be better off for it.

Nodding as Spironok settled into an obviously petulant crouch, the medic made a mental note to approach him with caution. Undamaged as Jumpstart appeared, didn't mean he'd intentionally failed to participate in recent events. He would usually be right in the thick of any given situation, co-ordinating med-evac and triage and fighting his own corner. He was many things, but work-shy wasn't one of them. Today, he'd arrived just short of being able to do anything directly… it was a rare occurrence, but then a transit bridge being blown out did tend to cause delays. Even for an all-terrain type like him.

Shouldering the door to the disused med-centre open, the medic brought his spot lamps to bear on the facility. From what he could see, it looked like it pre-dated Primus. Muttering a few choice words, he stepped inside and came out a few moments later with a gurney. It was weathered, but at least it was functional.

Crouching, Jumpstart brought the table down to ground level and carefully loaded Vibro on to it. He'd come back for the arachnoid in a few klicks.

It was time to start work.

[Towreck]

Towreck nodded, a smile on his face. "Power? Give me about 3 to 5 nanos' and it will be on." Towreck said, before he turned to the Arachnoid. "Sit tight...I'm certian Laser will show up soon. I believe it takes a lot to bring down a guardian after all." He said to him, before pushing on inside and taking a look around. He paused, trying to see if he could find some schematics of the building before he saw a door that went downstairs saying 'Staff Only'. Towreck decided to act on instinct and figure the generator was downstairs.

Pushing off to the left, he went down the flight of steps, and looked around untill he saw a door labeled 'Generator Room'. He went to open the door, but sadly he had found it rusted over from the left overs of grease and other fluids. Frowning, he withdrew his arm canon, and aimed at the door, before firing it off at it. Once the dust cleared, it left a hole large enough for him to fit through. He walked through the hole, found the Generator and other power sources, and went to work.

[Cutlass Rebooted]

Cutlass relaxes sitting sideways on the chair with his arms crossed behind his head, smiling to himself. There was nothing he missed more than being in command of a ship. He already had the beginning of a crew formed. Maybe in Protihex he could even convince a few others to join his crew? Maybe. He looked at the screen and then outside.
"Yes Cutlass we're almost there." Volca turns back to the controls now looking for a place to land.
"I didn't ask."
"I know. Preparing to land Captain."
"On the roof Volca, less chance of anyone stumbling upon our ship."
"I doubt anyone would, the place is deserted." She obediently lands the ship on the roof of the closest building and makes a note of their exact location. "After you Captain. Lead the way."
Cutlass charges out of the ship he could almost taste the energon.
Tecton keeps the ship cloaked, but seals the door anyway.
"You seem to be fully embracing the pirate thing, Volca." Tecton whispers to her.
"Why not? I don't think Cutlass would give us much of a choice anyway."
A few seconds later Cutlass spots a cybercat wandering the streets.
"I guess they'll be that way. The bot did mention cybercats." He picks it up as he passes, gently stroking it's back. "I used to have one of these as a pet, it certainly kept pests of the ship... Wonder if this one would want a new home?" He looks down at it, still stroking it gently.
The cat starts to purr softly, but then leaps out of his hands and runs off.
"Guess not!" He laughs.
Wandering a little further down the streets they see a group of bots, one of which seemed to be surrounded by cybercats.
Cutlass walks over to him, while Volca and Tecton stay a little behind. Volca gently rubs the head of one of the cybercats this poor creature looks like it recently got kicked away by someone...
"You the bot who sent the invite to drink?" He looks up at Starport.

[concentratedrandom]

“What are you talking about? You had your chance for a drink, ya dented cat.”

Starport was still drinking despite getting drunk a while back. He didn’t even notice the three bots standing next to him, only more and more cybercats. For some reason, one of them was asking about some invitation for drinks. Who did that? Well, if they wanted a drink, Starport would not disappoint them. Grabbing two of his large, empty glasses, he filled them up, placed them down, picked up four cats, and dropped them into one of the glasses. He then started poking Beam’s K.O.ed back.

“Hey Beam! Kick these cats after their drinks so they don’t take it all. This is the good stuff now, and I don’t want them damn cats taking it all. 91%, this is the strongest I’ve ever had… So ya better appreciate what I just served here, cause you’re getting kick out after. RELEASE THE BEAM!”

[Laser]

Beam lazily burped and rolled out of her glass. "Fa sho, Sunpork...starpork....shit, I'm fried..." She crawled towards the cyber cats, grinning like a fool, and was about to reach out to one when two massive feet his the ground not to far away from her. The cats scattered in the blink of an eye.

Laser was alive.

The guardian gave a quick analysis of the faces about. All of them were familiar. He looked towards the little group who had helped him earlier.

"Volca, Cutlass, Doctor," he nodded towards them, saying their names in respective order. Turning to address Beam, he frowned at her lethargy. Something was wrong. He reanalyzed the situation, scanning straight through the stumbling Autobots. Starport's transmission then hit him like a slap in the face, receiving it late because of his radio damage.

"Intoxication." He spat the word like a dagger.

Whirling in anger, he grabbed Starport at his collar and lifted him off his ass like a doll. Normally, this would be easier. But because he was low on energon, it was a struggle.

"What do you mean by this foolery? Have you all but fried your circuits? Have we not been banged and battered by the most ignorant army in the universe practically within the hour? We should be preparing ourselves for the next attack! Not indulging ourselves with impurities!" In a rage, Laser dropped Starport and spun on the parlor, firing a missile into it from practically point blank. The place exploded, singeing his armor, but did no real damage.

Laser turned back to his comrades. His anger was obvious and hung around him like heat on a motor. It was miraculous Beam was even still alive after drinking such a quantity, and as far Starport....

"I'm deeply disappointed in you, brother," he said to Starport. "You are mandated to set an example! Whether you all like it are not, we are at war," he boomed, "and soldiers, fight wars. Not fools, soldiers. And we will handle ourselves as such."

"Such a party pooper..." Beam said in the most ancient cybertronian.

Laser was utterly shocked. He was sure he was the only speaker of this dead language. Literally no one was fluent--or still alive--and speaking it. "How came you by this tongue?" He whispered.

Beam looked like she was about to answer, but she passed out again.

Laser shut his eyes in a moment of sheer annoyance, but he bent to scoop up Beam, tearing something internally as he did. His temporary repairs were breaking up. He needed to get to the medical bay.

"The Decepticons know we are hurt," he began, with less edge on his voice. "They know we are vulnerable, and will hunt us down. It is our job to make sure that, though we are both hurt and vulnerable, we are not WEAK. We must be prepared for any occurrence, at all times." He gestured to Tecton. "I have detected a medical establishment not far off, Doctor. Would you wish to accompany me there?"

***************

Spironok twitched nervously. Its wounds were painful, but it was suffering from something else. Something that needed to be addressed as soon as possible.

He was hungry.

2000 years ago, the Arachnoids reigned in the Northernmost regions of Cybertron, where the dirt was dry and loose, and the weather was fair. It was dark most of the time, and plenty to eat. There were several kinds of Arachnoids before they went extinct, including his particular species, the eight legged. They ate everything, from scraplets to other animals.

Including Cybertronians.

In order to survive, Spironok's kind ate the entire day. They needed energy to function, and lots of it. Being an intelligent species, they quickly realized that eating Cybertronians gave them more energy than eating regular fodder.

Thus began to the Arachnoid Wars and the extermination of all species.

Spironok wouldn't eat anything dead. No real energy there. He needed to find something though, quickly. Laser had what was needed. This Spironok was sure of...but Laser wasn't around.

Slinking unseen behind Towreck, the Arachnoid stared him down. He would be perfect. Hefty, powerful. Surely he would put up a major fight, but nothing he couldn't handle as long as he was hit from behind. It would strip the kneecaps first, pulling that special tendon. As the Cybertronian flailed, struggling to stand, it would move in, going for the head first....

No!

Spironok ducked away, ashamed. Towreck was a kind soul. And a friendly one, too. Spironok didn't see him on it's own level, but it never did for anyone. Lurking up the scene of med-center, it stared as Jumpstart tended to Vibro. It could bullrush Jumpstart with no regrets. It loathed him to no end. Lashing out at the neck....it would finish there. Then it would make quick work of Vibro....

No again!

No matter what, these were Spironok's 'friends'. This was where it belonged...this was it's colony. And it needed to avoid all temptations to destroy them, lest it became an outsider again. And nothing good happens to outsiders. They were simply hunted.

It retreated back to it's place outside and lie down, shivering as it's energy drained....

[Cutlass Rebooted]

"I ain't a cat!" Cutlass smiles. "He's outta it!" He says to the bots around him. "Give me that bottle!" He snatches it from Starport as Laser arrives.
"Hello again Laser." Volca smiles glad to see he made it to Protihex in one piece.
"What kept you mate?" Cutlass drinks some of the energon straight from the bottle.
Tecton was a little distracted by a cat that was rubbing it's head against his leg, but soon snapped to attention as Laser called him doctor. It had been a while since anyone had called him doctor. He nods in acknowledgement as he shakes the cat off his foot.
"I bet that sobered him up." Cutlass mutters to himself as he watches Starport get lifted up. He gulps down some more of the energon. He didn't care what Laser thought of him drinking, he'd been wanting a drink like this since he got into battle. Now that he finally had a bottle he wasn't going to let go of it till it was empty, even if he had to fight to keep hold of it.
Volca looks at Laser shocked after he destroyed the bar. "Was that really necessary?"
Cutlass just sits back apparently unfazed by the destruction, gulping down more of the energon, his armor now almost completely repaired.
Tecton was a little glad that Laser destroyed the bar, he didn't feel much like being pressured into drinking more than he could handle by his pirate friend. His optics widen at the sound of the ancient language, he had studied some of the ancient languages of cybertron but never thought he would hear them spoken. He quickly collects his thoughts when asked to accompany Laser. "Certainly."
Before Tecton moves Cutlass attempts to step forward. "I can sober 'em up." Cutlass almost falls over having drank two thirds of the bottle.
Volca reaches to help him stand up properly.
Cutlass holds out a hand to stop her, straightening up himself. "I'm fine, I'm fine... I can drink three bottles of this stuff and still stay standing! It's just been a while..." He pulls out three small bottles stashing the drink in the process and begins to mix the three in a glass. Once he was done he takes a sip of the stuff himself. With a look of complete disgust on his face he holds out the glass to Volca. "Yep, that be it... Just a sip mind, not that anyone would be able to drink more of the stuff... Pass it round. I'll be wanting the glass back mind..."
Volca reluctantly takes the glass and Cutlass leaps over the rubble which was the front of the bar half running through the door behind it looking for a route to the basement. His main intention being of taking every bottle of energon he could from the place, though no doubt all the good stuff had gone with the people.

[Towreck]

As Towreck was continuing his work, he had for some reason began to get the feeling he was not alone. Still, he kept working, sparks flying from the generator, here and there. But the feeling stayed, getting stronger and stronger, untill it forced him to finally turn around. However once he turned, he saw that there was nothing but air. Giving a slight shudder, he murmured to himself. "Primus...this place is starting to give me the creeps. I need to hurry and fix this." He said, going back to work on the Generator

--2 Nanocycles later--

Towreck hummed as he worked, seeing that his job was starting to pay off. With one final pull of his torch, and the sparks clearing away, he heard the sound of static begin to rumble from the coils above his head. Quickly realizing what it was, he quickly spliced all the wires back together. As he spliced the last one, a loud electric snap was heard throughout the facility, before a soft but constant whirr began to emit from the generator.

Smiling, Towreck stood up, and went over to the Master Circuit Panel. Opening up the panel, he began to flip on all the switches, before a big lever next to the panel began to glow. The sign above the lever read 'Master Electric Switch'. Grabbing the lever and pulling down, a second snap was heard, before the second Generator kicked in, and all the lights came to life, Even the electronic pulse monitors had turned on. If one were to be looking outside, they would see the lights on the building flip on as well, marking the Med-Bay respectively. This would be noticed throughout most of the city.

Towreck stepped back, smiling that he had finished his work. Grabbing the tools he had used, he walked out the room and back up to the medical floor, where Jumpstart was tending to Vibro. "There you have it Doc, the whole place has power again." Towreck said to him.

[concentratedrandom]

Starport wasn’t sure what was going on still. All he could really tell was that he was standing up with one hand one Laser’s shoulder, making their faces meet. His other hand had formed a fist and was pulled back, ready to fight. His mind still racing of moments ago.

Loss had always been strange for Starport. He’d lose objects all the time, but when he lost a memory, there was no sadness for he couldn’t remember that he lost it. Losing an object wasn’t too bad unless he had an attachment to it, but without a memory, it was just an object. But in the fire crackling in front of him, his back still lying on the ground, he could see all the times he had spent their. Memories of better times racing back into his mind, holding pictures of those who had come and gone, some lost for good, all held by that building. Now, they were burning with the fire too. Starport’s mind just snapped. He stood up, walked right up to laser, spun him around with one hand, and raised his other.

And there he stood, holding his loss in that fist, ready to let it go. But he couldn’t. Dropping both his hands to his sides, he just looked down, hiding his pains and rage.

“I know that, Laser. I know we are at war. But I still can’t strike you, not a friend. Cause I’m not a soldier! Half the bots here aren’t soldier! Heck, most of Iacon wasn’t soldiers. But they, no- we, got dragged into your war, and we stood as soldiers, fought like soldiers. They died like soldiers! And you say you’re disappointed… Well if that’s what it means to be a one, I’m glad I’m not. Now go find a medic, heal those wounds. Cause that’s what we were doing here. Even stopping it before the injury. You know why Beam was drinking? Cause of you! In the rush of the battle, she only felt so sad. But if she had the time to sit and think, it would have broken her more than any wound you’ve ever taken in battle. Now just go, if anyone needs any of us, we’ll still be here.”

Walking back into the bar, Starport started to remove the energon before it all exploded. The flames burned him, but he was in too much pain to care. He just continued to remove as much as he could, and didn’t once look back at any of the other bots.

[Laser]

Laser felt Starport's heavy hand on his shoulder, yanking him around. He prepared himself for the inevitable strike. The titan's blow would send him to the ground in his weakened state, and do a great deal of damage. But let Laser stand up....

Suddenly Starport stopped. Laser narrowed his eyes at bot, listening as he gave his lengthy excuse as to why they were drinking. Reading his body language, he realized he may have pushed Starport too far. Looking around quickly, he noticed the faces of disapproval, especially on Volca's.

Laser understood Starport wasn't a soldier. For one thing, he bounded into battle without any weapons what so ever. He guzzled energon like a king when he should be preparing himself for an ambush. He didn't act like one. And if you weren't acting like a soldier, then you clearly have no idea you are at war. Cybertron was counting on them. The Universe, was counting on them. And there is no justification for such foolish behavior when numbers dwindled and all were wounded. And he'd be damned if he walked into battle anything less than a soldier. He was sure of that.

Laser took the glass from Volca and practically dipped Beam into it. She twitched for a second, and then woke up spitting like she had a disease. "Ugh! Okay that was raw! Ugh so nasty..." Laser silenced her by closing up his hand, sealing her inside. He sat the glass on the ground for the rest of the bots to drink from it.

Watching Cutlass drink and the sorry sight of Starport practically killing himself to save 2 or 3 bottles of energon was enough for Laser. He quickly analyzed the situation, realizing nothing could be said or done about it. It was hopeless. He gestured to the Doctor, starting on his way without saying a word.

Laser has made a promise to the Decepticons. One that insured an abrupt and deserved end. But if the Autobots didn't shape up, it would be them who were doomed...to destruction....

[Cutlass Rebooted]

Tecton looks back at Volca who seemed unsure of which way to go, regardless he starts to follow Laser.
Volca shortly runs after Tecton. "Did you see Cutlass run in there?" She points past the flames at the door he disappeared through.
"Yes I saw, he's gotten himself out of worse though, no need to worry about him." Tecton calmly keeps walking, looking into the distance he notices a glow, which he assumes to be the medical facility.

Cutlass steps into a room a floor down, running a hand along a crate he shifts a mound of dust onto the floor.
The lid of the crate appeared to have rusted shut.
"Hmm, what to do?..." He draws his cutlass and glides the edge of the blade slowly through the rusted metal at the front of the lid. He gently pokes the tip of the blade under the lid through the cut he made, with a sharp twist of his wrist the blade forces the lid off cracking and shattering the rest of the rusted metal.
"There we go..." He awkwardly takes the lid off the crate and peers inside.
Three bottles of energon.
"Only three..." Cutlass sighs. He pulls out one of the bottles and looks at the label. He hugs it. "91%... Perfect... Now for the other two..." He checks them both and hugs the three bottles, before stashing them away. "All three 91% and untouched. Let's see what else is down here..."
He looks around, finding only a small locked box he decides to break it open. Nothing. With a sigh he turns around and heads out and up. "I don't know why I'm disappointed, I knew I wouldn't find much."
He steps out and looks up to see Starport trying to carry a few too many bottles at once.
"Need a hand there mate?" He also picks up a few of the bottles.