[VIDEO]

[schrodingersbot]

[The video feed, when it clicks on, is a bit chaotic, the picture jerking about roughly. What landscape that can be discerned in the image, however, seems to be near the border of the badlands. Something large, mechanical, and sharp suddenly slashes into the frame and then back out again, like a weapon being thrust toward the camera.]

AAhhhhh! Cease and desist at once, you arachnid annoyance!

[Perceptor briefly flails into view for a moment, looking a bit flustered, before he ducks out of view again under another swipe of that weapon. Or rather, not a weapon, as the view shifts wildly to pan across a massive robotic spider with very large fangs lowered threateningly toward the camera.]

[As the view swings wildly again, there are muffled thuds and thumps and the thick clang of metal against metal that seem to hint at an epic struggle. Perceptor looks much more harried when he bounces into view again.]

I, ah, seem to have stumbled into a bit of an inconvenience... wherever this location is. If anyone is nearby, assistance would be greatly appreciated!

[There is an odd, almost liquid sound that splatters into the feed, and a sudden yelp from Perceptor as a stream of thick, greyish goop blasts past his head.]

As soon as possible?

Comments

[video]

[sword_redemption]

[Drift's sitting on the front steps of the Solus Temple when he hears the message over the Link. Someeone who needs help. He can do this, at least.]

[He's on his feet, moving down the steps.]

Do you have a locator beacon?

[Because the Junk Pile's kind of big. It would help to narrow it down.]

[video to audio]

[schrodingersbot]

[There is a long beat of stunned silence, and the camera rocks to a standstill.]

Drift?

[There's too many emotions to list in that incredulous tone, but relief and hope figure highly on the list. A harsh clang rings out, and the view jerks back into motion as Perceptor ducks another swipe of Giant Spider-thing Leg.]

Locator beacon? Oh! Oh, yes! Yes, of course!

[Almost simultaneous with the beacon flaring to life with his position, there is another one of those thick, wet sounds, and the video portion of the feed suddenly cuts out. Perceptor yelps again.]

[video towards action eventually]

[sword_redemption]

[He catches himself from a waver at the voice. He couldn't recognize it: definitely not Turmoil, or anyone else he knew. ]

Do I know you?

[No, wait, that's not important right now.]

I mean, can you get someplace protected. At least your back so you don't get swarmed.

[He winces as the video goes dead, figuring it was turning on the beacon that distracted the other mech. Drift finishes descending the stairs, dropping into his vehicle mode.]

I'm on my way. Hang in there.

VIDEO;

[inferiordude]

[Oh, if a visor could only squint.]

Whaaaat the frag is going on there? Weird!

Dude, do you need a hand or two?

[video] Baffled Percy is BAFFLED!

[schrodingersbot]

[Soundwave's visor may not be able to squint, but Perceptor's optics certainly can. And he is. Squinting, that is. With a look of baffled confusion.]

[Soundwave is speaking to him. Soundwave. Is speaking. To him. Offering help. To him.]

[The confusion nearly costs Perceptor his head as the spider-creature takes a swipe at Perceptor's momentarily still form.]

Assistance would be appreciated! [He ducks and dodges, nearly tripping over debris strewn about in his haste to evade.] Drift is en route, I believe.

[He takes hides behind a large rock for a moment, peering into the feed.]

Did you... use the word... "dude"? And offer to assist?

...are you wearing a headband?

[video] Poor Percy slghlkfh

[inferiordude]

[There's a bit of a guilty look given in Perceptor's direction, considering he almost got struck by the weird spider thingamajig.]

Eh, Drift probably won't need th' help, but I'll come as back up so nothin' bogus happens.

[At the questions, Soundwave chuckles quietly.]

Yep, sounds like me, dude! Try not to think 'bout it too hard, ch'yeah?

[not_halfbaked]

Where are you exactly?

...Is that Airachnid?

[video]

[schrodingersbot]

[A human? A HUMAN! Perceptor has not seen a human since he'd arrived on Gillanan III several years ago! Oh, how he'd missed the fascinating beings!]

I, ah, am not certain. [He has to pause here to dodge an attack. Badly dodge, actually, but he manages not to get skewered.] The area appears to be abandoned and filled with detritus and-- aagh! [He dodges again, and his locator beacon pops up onto the network about now.] --And inimical lifeforms.

An arachnid of some sort, yes! [The leg that swipes into view briefly, however, is a bit too thick and nasty looking to be Airrachnid. Plus, he seems to have misheard the name there, Korra. Or, at least it isn't ringing any proverbial bells with him. Even if his proverbial bell is about to get very badly rung.]

It seems quite angry, however! Please, maintain your distance; it is far too dangerous for a human to interfere!

[Yes. He went there. He'll apologize later.]

[video-->action? how does this work? loosely play mult. action threads and handwave?]

[not_halfbaked]

[Korra frowns but keeps the comm on, as she kicks Naga back into action. She and the polarbeardog had been exploring the land again.

Then thinking more, she stops Naga, tries to get her settled and calm, then bends a wave of earth to take her and Naga across the land. The idea is to try reading the earth's vibrations to find this guy and his spider problem.]

video

[percept]

Can you broadcast your current coordinates?

[video] Baffled doesn't even BEGIN to descibe him NOW!

[schrodingersbot]

[Soundwave got a doubletake. Perceptor? He gets a sudden faceplant.]

[Percy is so startled by Perceptor that he trips in his headlong flight, and hits the ground; the camera view shakes and shudders violently for several long moments until Percy's face come back into the frame.]

You... But...

[Oh, this isn't the first time that Percy has been confronted with another incarnation of himself appearing before him. The last time it had happened, however, was on another world, in another facet of the multiverse, far, far away. And the other incarnation had been quite irretrievably dead. This Perceptor, however, is very much alive. And speaking to him. And he's so fascinated by this, that he's quite forgotten about the giant spider-monster that is about to pounce on him from behind.]

[video]

[percept]

[ Oh, well. That's not exactly the reaction he was looking for. ]

Ah. I believe we will have adequate time to discuss the obvious side effects of exposure to multiple universes after you have reached safety.

[Voice]

[vandalization]

[GIANT SPIDERS?]

I uh. Hope you're okay, buddy- because you're on your own!

[Necromorphs? No problem! Giant bugs? NOPE.]

[Voice bc altmode]jacked with permission

[sword_redemption]

I've got this, Vandal. You stay safe.

[S-something she's afraid of? Who'd have thought it possible?]

[Voice]

[vandalization]

Did you kill it? Did you kill it?

Yeah. Yeah no problem there. Fuck spiders.

[voice]

[schrodingersbot]

[That's hardly helpful! Although, Perceptor does rather understand the sentiment. He'd really prefer not to be dealing with a giant spider, himself, right about now.]

[Ah, but there's Drift! Drift will assist him. He always does!]

I believe that I shall be, momentarily?

[voice]

[vandalization]

Oh that's good to hear... that would be a shitty way to die.

[Video] /a bit later

[angleofscience]

[He hopes that Perceptor did get help, since he didn't catch this when it was actually happening.]

... Perceptor? Did you still need assistance?

[The look is... very, very similar to the one he knows, but something tells him - partly in the way the mech was reacting while attacked - that this Perceptor isn't, like the previous one, from his reality.]

[Video] /a bit later

[schrodingersbot]

[The image that pops up is definitely a Perceptor. His face is mostly clean once again, though there seem to be tendrils and thin globs of something thick, grey, and sticky looking clinging to a few seams. There's a swift look of something like hope that darts across his features, before he seems to school his reaction to one of calm patience.]

My previous difficulties have been abated. Thank you.

[He worries his lower lip for a moment, before continuing on.]

You are.... Skyfire?

[Video]

[angleofscience]

[Well, that doesn't look very... pleasant, but at least he's somewhat more clean than what the rest had seemed to imply. The brief flash of emotion gets a slight, curious helmtilt, but he doesn't say anything at first.]

That's a relief. I was worried I saw this too late... [Jetfire quiets, the name, similar but not, a surprise. So far, any alternates have looked at least reasonably similar... and definitely had the same designation. So why..?]

Ah, no... My designation's Jetfire. That does, however, confirm that you're not the Perceptor from the same reality as I.

[Which he'd been pretty sure of previous to starting the conversation, but confirmation was always nice.]

[Video]

[idle_time]

Golly Mister Wizard, you're tonight's special guest?

Re: [Video]

[schrodingersbot]

[A familiar face that he has not seen in some time! Not since he'd been taken to Gillanan III, at the very least!]

Wreck-Gar? Ah, yes, I do believe that I have been, er, tuned-in to tonight?

[His Junkion is pretty rusty.]

Re: [Video]

[idle_time]

[Rusty or not, it's a familiar face and someone who actually understands him!]

Central casting is really bringing in new talent. Wonder what this means about the show?

[video]

[aerospacecommander]

You could always stand very still and hope it doesn't get you.

[My, Perceptor you seem familiar! ... Unlike the other weird one with the one eye]

[video]

[schrodingersbot]

[Another familiar face. Once he's less pleased about than he had been anyone else. Perceptor is still holding a bit of a grudge about that attack on Autobot City. Of course, that's assuming that this is even his Starscream, which he cannot tell, yet.]

I shall grant that suggestion with all the consideration that it is due.

[Given the tone of Perceptor's voice? That's probably not much.]