re_alignment | [Text] [Transmission Originating From: Vectorian Sector]

[Frag. Frag. Frag. He needs another word, even stronger than that. One of Kup's thermonuclear invectives. Hell, he needs all of them.]

[Because he promised the robot he'd help, but right now...Drift's barely managing to help himself. Something--he has no idea what--is wrong. His systems keep flaring into alarms, pain rocketing over him so hard that at times his joints lock. ]

How long can you hold out?

[Lucky for the both of them that Noisy Boy is in (mostly) fully-working order and that staying in has given his battery some time to regenerate a charge. Unfortunately, estimating how long his battery lasts isn't something he's the best at.]

Perhaps an hour and a half, unless it starts disassembling me.

[He's been leading most of his defensive maneuvers with his left to prevent his right arm from being a target again.]

Right.

I'll try to make it.

[That's the only weakness he's going to admit.]

No cowardice in running, if it comes to that.

Someone will. Do not worry.

[Noisy Boy is probably too faithful that way, but. He can't really help it.]

I am not programmed to run. Besides, what if it attacks someone else less capable than I am because I left?

D-damn it.

Noisy Boy, hang in there.

It will have to take my head to stop me, Gunmax.

[And that? He is not letting that happen to him again.]

Heh... well, good thing it won't come to that.

I'll ... I'll make it there. Someone will.

I know. Until then I will keep it occupied.

That's the spirit.

I will hardly allow it to run amok through the temple. It disregards all previously-established protocols.

[Like "monsters are not house-pets, they have to stay outside".]

[Gunmax laughs tiredly.] Talk about priorities...

I am a League bot. Protocols are extremely important. [If Noisy Boy could talk, he might sound amused.]

Sure, sure. Man, how do I end up meeting all of these robots that are such sticklers for rules?

You are just that lucky?

Seems that way.

We are not all that bad.

[Besides, isn't it more fun to disregard rules in front of the rules lawyers and make them crazy?]

...I know that. No worries, Noisy Boy.

I am glad, Gunmax. There is enough to worry over already.

Vector is the flying one? Temple near canyon obstacle course? [Whoever Noisy is, she's more interested in being helpful if it scores points with fellow flyers.]

Correct. [Direct answers for direct questions is the plan. At least it's a question he can answer without worrying for his controls.]

En route.

Type of creature?

All that I know is that it is ten feet tall.

[And easily distracted by purple boxing bots, apparently.]

[Laughter doesn't automatically convey via text, but 10 ft to her sounds small. Maybe it's ten-foot and really agile and vicious? She'll find out soon; as wide as the Haven is, Slipstream's also fast enough to cover the distance in a short duration.]

Understood. Inbound. ETA 2.6 kliks.

[Several minutes later, Slipstream sets down on her landing gear, on one of the large platforms about the temple. She transforms, putting her hands to the ground, then extending her legs, and finally straightening. She scans for obvious disturbances.]

[He's fairly certain he's dealing with a Cybertronian, so Noisy Boy is expecting some sort of vaguely negative response. It matters little to him, in the long run. Besides, right now he's occupied.

Close to the entrance of the temple is the problem spot - some hideous malformed thing fighting a robot samurai some one and a half feet shorter than it. The robot isn't attacking, just blocking blows with his arms and dodging... occasionally taking a swipe to the body or arms in the course of things.]

[A boxing bot is a new thing to Slipstream, even with all the Cybertronians and Sumdac automatons she's seen. She'd been more intrigued if the thing trying to clobber the bot didn't so well fit the description of ten-foot-tall monster. She raises her arms and guns, stalking toward the entrance as much as a 30 ft, heeled, robot can. Her first instinct is to make a shot from behind, but she can see quickly that isn't going to be effective. The way the creature swings it appendages - are those even arms? Well, the top-heaviness and rotational momentum combined make its movement erratic. Summary: It's movement is not easily predictable. The little bot, therefore, is doing well.]

Hey! Meathooks! [OK, so she's not quite as snappy with organic insults. Not to mention she doesn't like the strategy that includes her being bait, but it seems an effective way to get the thing to move, so the temple and inhabitants aren't in her line of fire, if this thing suddenly wobbles out of target lock. Friendly fire: not a good way to score points.]

This thing doesn't fly, right?!

[Boxing bots seem to be a new thing for most of the people here, so it's probably lucky that Noisy Boy is willing to talk - well text - about it at length. Just not under these circumstances. And while he may not be used to multiple limbs flailing at him all at once, he was designed to intake visual data and translate it to fighting solutions. At the moment those just happen to be defense only. It's probably better that way, anyway: illegal fight moves have been his downfall in the past.

The shouted name - 'meathooks?' - doesn't particularly distract Noisy Boy, but it apparently gets the attention of the monster. It manages to trip him at it reels towards the winged robot. He's already picking himself up when he hears the question and gives a big, obvious shake of his head.

If this thing flies, he hasn't seen it do it yet.]

[Slipstream may never have been so displeased that a plan is working. Great! She is so smart the thing is lurching toward her. Not that she is really afraid of it, being she is larger, but she is used to strategies for fighting aerial battle, or acting in stealth, calculating how other warriors will react. This is- well, monster fighting.]

Hey! Purple! You have any goals to take this one alive? [She knows some of the Big Bots wanted specimens. And she can kill the - probably organic - thing, once she gets into position-

A large meaty club of a limb swipes at her, proximity sensors don't even consider it a threat. But, then the momentum of the swipe sends the creature into a curious stumble that rapidly brings the back of another appendage flying toward her knee, tripping internal alerts. Bigger robot: take out the legs! She should have seen that coming.]

At this rate, it'll just stagger off the edge of the platform! [If there are forcefields below, she doesn't know. She spins herself, putting her back to the boxer.]

[Noisy Boy shakes his head again, pulling up to his feet. He knows some of the FirstForged wanted live specimens, but... it really seems like a better course of action to just get rid of these. And he's not in the mood to impress anyone, right now.

He watches her take the hit to the back of her knee and spin to correct it, but his optics areback on the monster shortly after. There are forcefields down there to slow falls, not that the boxer has tripped off the edge yet to know, but he can't bring himself to be concerned if it falls off the platform. So long as it's taken care of...]

[There is time in the movement to acknowledge the small bot with a nod. It doesn't make sense to have the malformed monster head right back to the temple entrance, so Slipstream turns again and walks backward toward the edge.]

Over here, genius!

[Slipstream weighs the options in her CPU: shoot here, subdue, toss over an edge. But, in that time, the monster is looking from the purple boxer to Slipstream and back. She has to decide, before it does.]

What would Starscream do? [The words are spoken, but quiet. Starscream would probably rush up and claw the thing open, but given the monstrous arms, Slipstream isn't ready to risk close-range combat, even if it is only ten-feet-tall.]

[So she accidentally-on-purpose dances the rest of the way toward the edge and throws herself down, gently.]

Oh! What will I do now? I probably look such a helpless and non-imposing target! Over here! [She throws the back of one gauntlet against her helmet in some feigned fainting feint. Hopefully the monster can't spot hammy over-acting.]

[While Noisy Boy is not the sort to simply give up on a fight, but in this case... he knows he's out of his league. Literally; he's at the upper limits of height regulations but everything here is taller than him. He is willing to go still and let this Cybertronian take care of the problem.

He watches for the time being, trying to make himself a less attractive target for the monster...

Which is simple when Slipstream is playing the helpless damsel. Even if that acting is kind of awful. Even Noisy Boy can see through that. At least the monster can't, taking the offered bait and heading straight for her.]

[Slipstream shutters one optic in a wink, just to make it more obvious she's acting. She wouldn't want anyone to get the idea she's genuinely helpless or that it has anything to do with the slight difference between herself and her template.]

[As the monster moves ever closer, in its curious, off-balance manner, Slipstream continues to play helpless. Wait, she tells herself. Wait. Then, as it swings a fleshy appendage, Slipstream sweeps its feet with one leg. The blunt, swollen appendage scuds just over Slipstream's faceplate as the monster twists in the air and falls headfirst from the ledge.]

[Noisy Boy offers a single, slow nod as an affirmative. He's a smart enough bot to figure out that she (and odd concept for him, he hadn't seen female robots before coming here) is hardly as helpless as she's trying to act. Otherwise she wouldn't have answered his call, likely.

He watches the thing tumble over the edge, trotting closer to peer over himself. He's hoping it's gone for good.]

[Slipstream turns and looks over the edge. She can see the monster moving down there; it's not dead. But it is no longer a threat.]

It's alive. Guess there's some safeguard. But, it doesn't look like it can climb back up.

[Slipstream only looked to the boxer for a moment, before returning to tracking the monster. She saw something like walkways and lifts, probably to allow friendlies to get back up, but this particular monster didn't seem to have either the intelligence or agility to make use of them.]

Maybe I could call and see if the Big Bots want it.

[It's still there. Huh. Must be in case someone falls - there aren't any other barriers here, after all. But it's not smart enough to find a way up. Noisy Boy is going to call this a TKO and leave it at that.

He looks back up to the Cybertronian for a few moments and nods. Might as well call one of them; some of them are looking for live ones of these things, aren't they? And this one is definitely still alive.]

[Slipstream stands. She turns to one side to look at the boxer.]

They're in charge, so it doesn't hurt to do them favors, right? You'll get all due credit, of course.

Do you have a designation? Like Boxbot5000 or Slipstream? My designation is Slipstream.

[She's not sure the bot talks, though comprehension and text communication don't seem too difficult.]

I am Noisy Boy. It is nice to meet you, Slipstream.

[It's a burst text transmission - the most he's figured out so far - but it works.]

Some of them are looking for live ones. I do not know how many others have been captured, but this one would be simple for them to retrieve.

Noisy Boy. Guess that's one of those ironic nicknames.

[Shrug.]

Don't know if anyone can get cuffs on that thing, but maybe a leash? Think the acolytes have something?

Noisy Boy is my name. I have heard others call me Noisy for short.

[He's not questioning your name even if he could.]

They might. It would not hurt to ask them. And something to bind its limbs.

Boy could be taken as demeaning. [Nod.]

Why don't I see about the call, and you check with the acolytes? [She taps her helmet, as if expecting Noisy to understand the gesture for comms.]

Noisy Boy! Can you hang on? We need to get some people to medical attention, but I'll come after we've secured them. Can you hold out that long?

I hope so. My plating will hold.

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