video | Trion's temple

[sciencetank]

[Oh, hello there. A robot with an accent. And... a face that may just be vaguely familiar to some. Even if the rest of his frame... isn't. It's sort of huge.]

Cybertron. Or so I'm told. One might almost mistake it for another world entirely, when it lacks the gratuitous explosions and warships. That said, I'm not entirely convinced. Is this truly Cybertron? And, if so, how is it the planet appears... so much more intact than it conceivably should?

[Is he talking to himself, or to the Link? Hard to say.]

Which brings me to yet another issue with the current predicament, I suppose. Optimus? Ratchet? You were here a moment ago, don't tell me you've been left out of this nonsense.

[Because that's just not fair.]

Once more. Optimus? Ratchet? ... Jetfire? This is Perceptor, and I would appreciate a status update, if you've time in your terribly crowded schedules.

[The last comes out more than a little irritated. None of this makes sense, and that is a problem.]

Comments

VIDEO;

[thehardway]

[That can't be right. You look a lot like... No way.]

Perceptor.

This is Ultra Magnus. Perhaps you can attempt to describe to me what your universe is, ah. Like.

VIDEO;

[sciencetank]

Commander?

[And you look a lot less... glowy than usual, sir.]

What sort of description are you looking for? Physical, political? A generalized summary of current events?

VIDEO;

[thehardway]

Physical. I imagine the politics are little different. There are some consistencies.

VIDEO;

[sciencetank]

Ah, well.

Significantly more devastated than this one. More developed as well, if you could call over-sized piles of rubble development. Though, for all intents and purposes, the planet is, as someone of a more medical persuasion would put it, 'clinically dead', considering it ceased producing energon some time ago.

As far as Cybertronians themselves, all are fairly varied in design, though we share similar construction elements -- the light panels along various bits and pieces, the involuntary motion of devices such as wheels and wing panels. Altogether not terribly dissimilar to your own build -- though you... do look a bit different than last I saw your workup.

Does that help, Commander? Or should I continue?

VIDEO;

[thehardway]

No, that was helpful. Suffice it to say, I am not the Ultra Magnus of your universe. However, that should hopefully not discount my ability to command and direct appropriately.

I haven't been here very long myself, but I am attempting to organize laws and an enforcement team. Other details might be better fulfilled by others. For example, your alternative self who is from my universe.

video;

[percept]

Ah... Another one.

[ HMM. ]

Greetings. I believe I am your alternate.

video;

[sciencetank]

[... whoa.]

[Now this is something he was not prepared for in the slightest. He stares at the feed for a moment, before recovering.]

Alternate? Another one? I... you'll have to elaborate, I'm afraid.

video;

[percept]

Due to the nature of the Lambda, there are occasionally 'multiples' or different 'versions' of the same individual from differing timelines or universes. You are the third Perceptor to make himself known on the Link.

video;

[sciencetank]

Different versions...? Yes, that would explain the structural differences, wouldn't it.

Go on. What exactly do you know of this Lambda? They weren't entirely forthcoming when I asked elsewhere.

[Because you got huffy at the acolyte, Tankceptor.]

video;

[percept]

It would appear to me a rip in space-time, connecting various universes through an anomaly which just so happens to open directly above this version of Cybertron. Currently there is no known way to travel back through it to our respective points of origin.

[Video]

[littlecrowgirl]

[Blah blah blah explosions, existential questions and all that other jargon. This is a human girl, Perceptor.

Enjoy it.]

Oh my gosh you're British.

[Video]

[sciencetank]

[... you're tiny, you're pink, and you look like nothing he's ever seen before.]

And just what are you?

[Video]

[littlecrowgirl]

Me? I'm American.

Well, technically Japanese...but...born in America! But that's not important right now.

Quick! Say-

EUREKA!!!

[Video]

[sciencetank]

Your species is... american?

[Kay you're not helping.]

... Eureka?

[Video]

[littlecrowgirl]

What...? No! I'm human.

[Hey man, you asked.]

AHHH! Thank you!

Now go "NNNNGGGHHHHOOOOOHHHHHH!!"

[She's getting sound clips of this.]

[audio]

[rstlsslegsyndrm]

Oh, we've got a couple of those. Primes, Ratchets, all that. Not sure if one of them belongs from your universe, but you never know. There's even a few of you as well, as you've no doubt found out by now.

[audio]

[sciencetank]

A couple of Ratchets?

[Primus, how does your world not implode from the snark factor.]

Indeed. I appear to be the ah... third version of myself present in this place, according to me. The... other me, I should say. That's going to become confusing rather quickly.

Your voice isn't immediately familiar. You are...?

[audio]

[rstlsslegsyndrm]

Yes. Two, in fact. Both from different dimensions. And I suppose you'll get used to it soon enough - everyone eventually does. [Now he just pauses to think if there's duplicates of himself in all these different universes. So many legs!]

[pause]

Ambulon. I'm a medic, myself. Sorry for confusing you there a moment. I'm more [comfortable] reliant on the audio option.

[audio]

[sciencetank]

I've only managed to meet one. The other has yet to make himself known... I must admit, I'm interested in meeting both of them. It would be fascinating, wouldn't it? To learn from different versions of your own self...

[He trails off, the introduction breaking his line of rambling thought.]

Ah. Yes. No, it's quite all right. A pleasure to meet a medic, and all that.

[audio]

[rstlsslegsyndrm]

Oh, I'm sure you'll be interested. Because meeting yourself from a different universe is pretty damn interesting enough to last a lifetime. And you have two, so, two lifetimes.

[Video]

[angleofscience]

...I'm... er, present, yes, but I doubt I'm the Jetfire you were looking for.

[He smiles slightly anyway, dipping his helm in a nod by way of greeting.]

And, yes, this is... a Cybertron, younger than the Cybertron anyone of us knows, yours included it appears. Which means it's barely begun to form its basic structures and components, so for most of us, it's fairly unfamiliar besides being a version of our own home.

[Video]

[sciencetank]

... No, I don't believe so.

[You're like Magnus -- the basic design is the same, but you're significantly less... glowy than he was expecting.]

[possibly less British too]

Yes, a time displacement was mentioned. If this planet is still living, it would be a considerable improvement from the Cybertron I last saw. The primitive level of development aside, of course.

[Video]

[angleofscience]

[Defenitely less glowy. He's never been glowy even back on Cybertron in his previous altmode and frame.]

Hmm... your particular aesthetic would lend me to surmise that there's, unfortunately or fortunately, depending on how one views it, no one else from your particular reality present.

[Possible. It might be slightly hard to tell.]

It certainly is still living and changing more or less every day in fact. It's hard to get a good overview to compare the changes globally, but even in the relatively near surroundings there's quantifiable change.

[He pauses, hesitating... And then shrugs. He doesn't feel comfortable enough to bring up that, and he doesn't have enough proof either way. But there's a related thing he could always mention.]

The Firstforged have said Cybertron is still... preparing... for Primus' presence, which might make one argue about the "aliveness" of Cybertron, though energon is in abundance so whether or not that'd be true...

[Another shrug. He's not... completely convinced, yet doesn't feel comfortable believeing, but it's a point and should be mentioned.]

[Video] la la i have no idea if they exist in FoC

[sciencetank]

Hm. I'm not entirely certain how to view it, either. To be perfectly frank, I'd prefer not to be here at all, myself. I was involved in far too delicate an operation to be whisked off like this.

[He waves his hands a little as he says that. As if this whole thing is a personal insult.]

Changing. The planet itself is still in its transformational stages? I admit I'd heard of such a thing, but I've never gotten the opportunity to witness the process.

[That would be SO NEAT. It almost makes up for being abducted by a time-space-anomaly. Which is also neat. But inconvenient.]

Firstforged?

[Video] xD

[angleofscience]

I believe dew of us would like to be present, but yes, I was in a similar situation myself... The only saving grace, I suppose, is that time here and where we come from might not match up, which means we might get back to the moment we were taken from.

[Jetfire frowns, crossing his arms. He certainly hopes this is the case because otherwise... Otherwise Earth is probably long gone. Scorched to a husk.]

Ah, yes, it is! It's quite fascinating to see, especially as you can witness it first hand with a bit of patience, but I admit I'd like to see the effects over a longer and more coherent time-scale as well as geographic area.

[While his optics are still slightly dim, there's no mistaking the underlying enthusiasm for this part of the coversation. At the question about the Firstforged, he shakes his helm slighhtly.]

The Firstforged, or the First Thirteen... I'm uncertain if you have legends regarding the first cybertronians to wander on Cybertron, but that's... what they're supposed to be.