[Ut-oh, looks like Deckard's got his "Leader of the Brave Police" hat on today, if his grim expression is anything to go by.  To say nothing of his tone of voice.]

Good afternoon.  This is Deckard of the Haven Police.  As I’m sure everyone is aware by now, we seem to have another Unicron-induced invasion taking place.  There have been sightings of what I can only describe as zombies, plus some pretty grotesque animals, either bio-experiments or possibly the results of radiation mutations.  I've never heard of victims of severe mutations like we're starting to see surviving birth before, but I'd never heard of a lot of things before coming here, so I'm not going to rule it out.  Especially in light of the rising ambient radiation levels throughout Haven.

Those without shielding, I must ask that you remain inside, as deep into the Temples as you can.  Those who can weather the radiation, we need to find the source and a way to neutralize it as soon as possible.  I'd like to ask all those with aerial capability to contact me.  If we coordinate flight patterns, we can cover more ground in less time with little wasted in overlapping efforts.  Those on ground patrol, if you decide to go out, I strongly suggest you do so only in pairs or more.  We don't know what these creatures are capable of, but I can tell you from past experience that you could be in for a wide variety of really nasty surprises.

Also, keep your eyes up.  There's been at least one instance of an attack by a flying adversary.  I'm sure many of you saw Thundercracker's video.  I just spoke to him a little more about it, and he described a seemingly sentient, floating fireball that was able to turn into essentially a column of flames.  Shooting the core destroyed whatever it was, so we know that firearms are effective.

If anyone has any additional information at all on what's going on, please share it.  Thank you all in advance for your help.

Brave Police, sound in.  I want to hear from everyone.

Kagerou, that means you too.

[Because you're the one he's the most worried about, Kage-bird.  With losing BOTH Power Joe and especially Kay.  Don't go holing up on him, man, he WILL search you out!]

[That goes for ALL of you!  All . . . only three . . . others of you.  He doesn't deal well with losing family members...]

I . . . I want to apologize for everyone I interacted with over the past few weeks.  It was behavior unbecoming of a police officer.  I believe I was under the influence of . . . something.  [He's honestly not sure what, or how.]  It was not voluntary, but i-if . . . if anyone feels disciplinary action would be appropriate . . .

[He shakes himself a bit, engine running just a little harder than normal - despite the calm exterior, he's really upset about this.]

If anyone needs me, I'll . . .

I'll be in Alpha Trion's temple, in the libraries.

[not!hiding...]

[The video shows Megatronus acolytes looking as frustrated as an acolyte is capable of looking. It might be because Blurr’s on top of the roof of the old Police Force headquarters. Or it might be because Blurr’s turbofox, Frank, is yipping and growling at them, running around their knees at fast speed to trip them, and generally making it difficult for them to get to the building and reach Blurr.]

I reclaim this building is the name of the Police Force again as it was our rightful place so many months ago. [Blurr wishes he had a flag with the police Force emblem to stick to the roof. Alas, he does not, which is a shame. Blurr and Frank are far from alone there and he turns to face his acolyte (who's on the sidelines looking really uncomfortable) and  Deckard.] Remind me to get a flag. OhanddesignthePoliceForceemblem.

It would go faster if you got your lazy aft down here and helped, Blurr. [Bulkhead came into the screen, looking up at Blurr in annoyance.] And are we gonna build that road, or not? Stop stallin' on your end of it.

Oh, come on, we can do both! [Deckard comes into view suddenly, up on the roof by Blurr.] It'll be fun! And I've already got the PERFECT logo. Check it out!

[He transforms, chassis balanced precariously off the edge of the roof so his engine hood is tilted down enough that Bulkhead can see the emblem spread across the center.]

What about this? Only fill in the black with the Autobot face, and replace 'BP' with 'PF'? For Police Force! [He transforms back but OOPS falls clean over the edge. Not to worry, though! He catches himself and pulls himself back up. No biggie!]

That could work…[Blurr snickers at Deckard, amused and then turns to Bulk one last time.]  I know you can’t do it without my invaluable help but the lave pit is not going anywhere, We’ll both help you out as soon as we finish, don’t worry my friend.

[They got important law stuff to do first, like angering everyone in the Megatronus’s quadrant.]

[After his recent conversation with Kagerou, Deckard went looking for Drill Boy again.  After all, there's not been anything he can do about the virus running around except avoid catching it.  Though he HAS been on-call if anyone needs him.  He made sure to tell people he was going out and to call him.  In the meantime, he's searched all over Haven.  He's searched all along the edges of the wastelands and even into them a little.  Nothing.  He came back to HQ for fuel and . . . can't help but be sure that he's found his answer.]

[It's not the one he wanted, though it's the one he knew deep in his heart was the truth.]

[The video comes on to him sitting at his desk with a monkey in his arms.  He's opened his Link and...it still takes him a second to completely gather himself and manage to speak.]

Drill Boy . . . he's . . . I-I think he's . . .

[With a sudden scowl and shake of his head, he darts a hand forward to his Link and the video cuts.  H-he can't.]

[Sorry . . . this is his first time losing someone.  And it's one of his own.  He can't help feeling that he's failed his team somehow, even though rationally he knows - he's been told - that this just happens sometimes and that there's nothing he could have done.]

[Several minutes later, there's a LOCKED video to McCrane, Power Joe, and Kagerou.  He's regathered himself . . . though McCrane especially might notice that he looks a little too close, emotionally, to places he's been before.  The look on his face is...a little on the hard side.  He has really poor coping mechanisms for darker emotions like grief and abandonment.]

Brave Police, sound in.

...please.

[Oh, hey, look who's finally been rebooted after having been essentially shut down for repairs for the past, what, two weeks after his unfortunate run-in with a certain psychotic medic.  Yeah, sorry he's been out for so long - it took medics a while to find or fabricate the parts needed, oops.]

[Deckard's sitting on a repair berth, one hand to his head, the other steadying his Link device.]

Sorry for being out of commission for so long.

Can . . . can someone update me on things?  From . . . ah . . . the past two weeks, apparently.

So it seems that things are returning to what . . . reportedly . . . passes for normal in this place.  If anyone has grievances concerning events that happened since that storm that we had, I hope that you'll be willing to come forward.  At the same time, however, I do have to encourage anyone who might have a complaint against another to consider if that person was themselves at the time and therefore if they could be held accountable for their actions.  Any reports will be investigated, either way.

Prowl, if you see this, please check in.  Either with me or with McCrane.  Until one of us hears from you, I will continue to act in the role I took on during the period people were affected.

At present, I will be away from the police headquarters for a time, working on a missing persons case.  I will still be reachable by comm, so if anyone has need of me, please don't hesitate to call.

Thank you.

[LOCKED to McCrane, Power Joe, and Kagerou]

Guys, check in please.  I know things have been crazy lately, and I just want to make sure everyone's okay.

Also . . . you've told me that Drill Boy is around too, but he's been MIA for as long as I've been here.  I intend to go look for him.  I'll leave in about an hour if any of you want to come with me.

[What he and Deckard found out on patrol, he does not want to describe. It was definitely a murder...but tracking down this suspect was going to be difficult with the haven behaving as strangely as it was.]

This is McCrane of the Haven Police. Deckard and I have found the body of Ravage, and believe that there may be a dangerous individual at large.

[Deckard is visible behind McCrane, a bit back and frowning at the ground. Finally, he shakes his head and comes forward, stopping just back and off McCrane's shoulder.]

Any information would be appreciated. The suspect seems to be interested in one's systemic fluids rather than inflicting physical damage.

[McCrane debates showing the scene of the crime in order to get more information...but decides against it. The Haven has enough to deal with at this moment.]

Deckard will also be temporarily taking over the duties of Prowl until a solution to the current predicament is found. The Haven police are working hard to gather as many facts as we can, especially with the loss of the Firstforged.

If anyone has information about the Firstforged and their whereabouts, that would also be appreciated. Thank you for your assistance.

[It's clear these two used to work together. There's hardly any pause in the dialog.]

Please, be vigilant. We may be unsafe here until they return.

[With that, the camera cuts...though the line remains open to receive any incoming calls.]

[Have a very serious-looking Deckard, Haven.  After his conversations with Barricade and Kagerou (and earlier, with Prima), he's . . . pretty sure he's figured out what's going on.  Not the why, he's still working on that, but . . . "what" at least will help everyone better deal with those who have seemed to go "crazy".]

Citizens of Haven, my name is Deckard, with the Brave Police.  I'm sure I don't have to tell anyone that we've had some massive changes in some of our populace in the past day or so.  Just since that unusual storm, if I'm not mistaken.

[He's not sure if there's a correlation or not, but the timing is hard to ignore, and if nothing else offers a point of temporal reference.  He's not mentioning the Pillar because, frankly, he's just not been here long enough to have really noticed/realized/known it WASN'T here before.]

I don't believe that anyone has gone crazy as some have been speculating.  I think we're dealing with alternate versions of them, from other realities vastly different from the ones that those we knew came from.  If I'm right, no amount of asking them to remember themselves will work, because those memories simply don't exist for them.  They belong to another.

Those of you who have found yourselves here just in the past day or so . . . please be patient while we sort this out.  If you are in need of assistance, all you have to do is ask.  I can't promise we'll be able to help, but I'm sure whoever answers will at least do their best.

[LOCKED]

McCrane, Power Joe, please check in.

[PLEASE tell him /you/ guys are still "normal" at least!]

[Deckard is nothing if not a quick study . . . though he's still not wholly convinced this isn't all just some elaborate sensory hoax.  But he's been given some real direction from a most unexpected source at that and is running with it.]

Hello?  I've been told to seek out a . . . medic.  [Is that really the right word?] ...mechanical engineer.  Or a robotics engineer.  Someone who can modify an engine from running on gasoline to whatever is the common fuel source here.

[If he sounds - or looks - a little on the tired/haggard side, that would be because he's not fueled recently.  He'd intended to fill up "tomorrow" when he got in to work, but he's been here for some hours now and he's starting to feel it.  But he pushes that aside.]

Also, if anyone knows where the Build Team is, and if they're all right, I'd appreciate hearing from you.  McCrane, Power Joe, and Drill Boy.  ...and Dumpson.  [Because he can hardly imagine three-quarters of the Build Team being present and not all of them.]

Thank you in advance for your help.

[So . . . someone slipped into a defrag cycle in his boss's carport, in vehicle mode, and came to in robot mode . . . on a fancy table . . . in some ancient-looking sanctuary . . . with a robed robot drone hovering over him.]

[Deckard has heard the spiel.  He's explored the temple a little bit, shocked...almost more than anything else...at the SIZE of it all - not only the expansiveness of the building but the proportions of everything in it (he's not a giant by comparison!).  He's made his way outside only to look over a landscape as alien as anything he could ever imagine.  He's found the Network and gone back through some 2 weeks' worth of posts.  Honestly, it hasn't told him much . . . except that there are a few humans here and apparently a lot - A LOT - of robots.  With Super A.I.'s like his, it would seem.  And their designs run the gamut.  What the hell is this place!?]

[Frankly, he's wondering if someone's messing with his sensory input again.  Though if they are, this is far more elaborate than those programmer sisters had run.  He's finally learned all that he can on his own.  Time to reach out for some further answers.]


Good afternoon.  My name is Deckard.  I'm with a group called the Brave Police, from the division operating out of Tokyo, Japan.  If anyone receives this transmission, please respond.


[If this just all turns out to be some kind of hoax, he's going to feel really silly.  Honestly, though?  He'd much prefer that to the alternative...]

[McCrane, currently, sounds much more flustered than he has in past broadcasts. Granted, 'much more flustered' for him doesn't amount to more than a slight urgency in his voice, but considering both Gunmax and Drift have just collapsed he feels a need to be urgent.]

This is McCrane.

We have two men in need of repairs, and we are unable to ferry them to one of the temples.

[This is guilt. Gunmax, he knows, is down because of fuel, and both he and Deckerd are too low themselves to tow him anywhere. To illustrate the severity of the situation, he points his badge toward where the motorcycle detective is lying, optics flickering even as he insists to a very-worried Deckerd that he's perfectly okay. Beyond, Drift is lying in a puddle of his own rust, not obviously injured but not moving, optics offline.]

Ratchet? Knockout? Is there anyone available with mechanical expertise?

((OOC: This is a communal post. Replies may be from McCrane, Deckerd, Gunmax, or, if he snaps out of it, Drift. Also please feel free to actionspam arrivals!))

Well. You all saw it. There isn't much time to waste. We should all formulate a plan. The last thing we need is mass-chaos.

My best guess would be to secure anyone who can't fight in the temples. We'll probably need people stationed by each to keep watch over them. The rest of us can move in to corral any enemies into one area.

If anyone needs help or transport, I'll do my best to reach you.

[A beat.]

McCrane, Gunmax? I suggest we stick together. We're stronger in a group. And I... I have an idea. Grab as much oil as we have stockpiled. I'll meet you two at [Insert coordinates.], please be safe. Help anyone you can on the way.

Greetings. I'm looking for Prima- if you are able to respond, I would be much obliged.

I have been meaning to speak to you.

Ah, now more publicly:

Can anyone tell me more about Cybertronians? Your history, your culture, how you came to be?

I think it's prudent to get to know everyone here as we may be in this for the proverbial "long run".

[Well, people have probably seen him poking around, struggling to communicate. Fortunately, those translators have made things easier. He gives a small salute to the screen before speaking.]

Greetings. My name is Deckerd, current acting leader of the Brave Police from Nanamagari, Japan. Since it seems we are all in the same position, I'd like to offer to help out anyone who needs it. It's better that we all work together to figure out a way home. That said, I'll be more than glad to assist with anything. If you are injured or just need help getting something you need, please do not hesitate to ask.

[Well, when translated properly, he's extremely formal and polite.]

I am a civil servant and I find that even though this is poor situation, it does not excuse me from duty.

The more we help each other, the faster we can all get back home without leaving anyone to the wayside.

[There's a pregnant pause.]

That said, as my partner Gunmax stated earlier, I am looking for someone. If anyone has seen a young boy, around the age of ten to eleven, dark hair and goes by the name of Tomonaga Yuuta, please notify me as soon as possible. He is my charge and I am... very concerned about him.

[That's putting it lightly.]

Thank you for your time. If you have any questions, I do not mind answering.