Nexus, Random Neighborhood, Interesting Meeting...
hsvSkyfire: *looking around, taking in his surroundings. Jetfire would be just fine with Starscream... and to be honest, he had needed a break from his sibling... so when an opportunity to visit the Nexus had arisen, he had been the first to volunteer*
Andalite: *nods in a friendly manner as he trots past down the opposite sidewalk*
hsvSkyfire: *nods in return, making note of the Andalite's presence and appearance. Yes, he's going to have a story to tell to Backwing later*
G1 style Sunstreaker and Sideswipe: *suddenly launched through a portal to land on their faces in the dust of the street. Both are dented and scuffed, not to mention sporting blaster burns*
hsvSkyfire: *Startles, stepping back a bit, before he's moving to crouch by the pair, concerned* Do you two need a medic?
Sideswipe: *pushing himself up on his hands and knees to give his brother a Look* He's gonna need a medic alright, when I get through with him!
Sunstreaker: Ow.... Slaggit, who knew Prowl could hit so hard?
Sideswipe: It won't be anything to what I do!
hsvSkyfire: *Sighs, separates the two by picking them up so that one twin is dangling from each hand*
Sideswipe: Owwww! *squirm* Put me down, you big... *blink* Whatever the slag you are.
Sunstreaker: *wince wince wince*
hsvSkyfire: Not until you are calm, and your brother is in no danger of you attempting to beat the slag out of him.
Sideswipe: He TRIPPED ME when Smokescreen and Prowl first went after us!
hsvSkyfire: *Sigh* *mutter* And here I thought the twins I know of were trouble... *To Sunstreaker, since he seems to be calmer than Sideswipe* What happened to irritate Smokescreen and Prowl to the point that they went after you?
Sunstreaker: *silent. The optic that's not cracked and dark glances away*
hsvSkyfire: *Gently* From my understanding of this location, there is an anti-violence field... and seeing as Prowl and Smokescreen are not here, I think it's safe to assume that they were unable to follow you here.
Sunstreaker: *mumble*
hsvSkyfire: Sunstreaker, while I may be old enough to understand many ancient languages, 'mumble' is not one of them.
Sunstreaker: ...Might've kissed their sister....
hsvSkyfire: ... *raised brow ridge, though he does understand now* I see...
Sunstreaker: A few times....
Sideswipe: *bitterly* They were so dizzy I couldn't stand up!
hsvSkyfire: *Gives Sideswipe a Look*
Sideswipe: What? It's true!
hsvSkyfire: I will ask you for your side shortly. In the meantime, please do not interrupt.
Sideswipe: *optics flash anger, but he silences his vocalizer*
hsvSkyfire: *attention back to Sunstreaker* It was consensual, was it not?
Sunstreaker: *avoiding his optics* ...Didn't say no.
hsvSkyfire: *gently sets Sunstreaker on his feet* If your Bluestreak is anything like the one I am familiar with, she will no doubt sort her brothers out... especially if she had no objections to being kissed.
Sideswipe: *sputters in his effort to keep his mouth shut*
Sunstreaker: *falls on his skidplate, and then onto his back*
hsvSkyfire: ... *concerned, scans the prone mech*
Sunstreaker: *so low on energy that he's nearly in stasis lock, and also so battered that he's barely holding together*
hsvSkyfire: *frowns, sets Sideswipe down, moves to gently pick Sunstreaker up* He needs a medic urgently...
Sideswipe: I'm not goin' back to the Ark till Prowl's cooled off!
hsvSkyfire: Then, perhaps, it is a good thing that I know a medic who is currently visiting this area...
Sideswipe: *pauses and looks around then, his optics widening* Uh....
Sunstreaker: *shuts off with a little whir*
Sideswipe: *winces and stumbles*
hsvSkyfire: *moves to help support Sideswipe as well, sending out an SOS to the other mech who came to the Nexus with him*
hsvWakeJumper: *coming to meet hsvSkyfire halfway*
Sideswipe: Where... where are we? This isn't the brig. *duh*
hsvWakeJumper: *as he scans the pair* No... You managed to wind up in a Nexus of Realities. Just don't look directly at the sign, and your optic sensors will thank you... *chuckles and moves to get some of his tools out*
Sideswipe: *looks around the neighborhood, doesn't see any signs, and looks back bewilderedly* Prowl's gonna kick our skidplates even worse for getting out.
hsvSkyfire: We can worry about that once your brother is repaired.
hsvWakeJumper: *already getting on that, pauses only to offer Sideswipe a CinnaSeeker*
Sideswipe: *stares at it, then looks up at WakeJumper and shakes his head* And Ratchet will come looking for us, and he'll get mad too... even more than he probably already is at Sunny.
hsvWakeJumper: *as he works, after shrugging and tucking the cookie away for now* Well, would it help if I spoke to him?
Sideswipe: Uh... I don't know. You're even weirder looking than those Maximal guys.
hsvWakeJumper: *Snerk* Tech has nothing to do with function. I'm a medic, and that's all that really matters.
Sideswipe: *looks at him, and then sits down on the sidewalk as his brother's state hits him more strongly over their twin bond*
hsvWakeJumper: *Works on repairing the injured twin, while keeping a sensor focused on the one who is awake*
Sideswipe: *dazedly rubbing at the dents on his face* Slagger... trip me....
hsvWakeJumper: *doesn't look up from what he's working on* Mind telling me what happened?
Sideswipe: We were running, and he tripped me to try and get more of a head start on 'em.
hsvWakeJumper: And before that?
Sideswipe: We were watching the monitor for anything interesting.
hsvWakeJumper: ... I mean, what did you do to make your Prowl mad? He's almost impossible to anger where I'm from...
Sideswipe: *scowl* I didn't do it! I never get to get near the femmes!
hsvWakeJumper: *gives Sideswipe his best Stern Medic Look* I just want to know what happened.
Sideswipe: Ohhhh. *rubs his face* We crashed on this organic planet, and wound up sleeping for a couple million years. Then Optimus came and found us and got Teletran 1 to fix us all. But he's got a new mate, and that made Sunny jealous. So Sunny decided he was going to have some fun with Blue, because she's kinda... uh.... *tries to think of the right word*
hsvWakeJumper: ... On second thought, I don't want to know. *continues working on repairing Sunstreaker*
Sideswipe: So he kissed her. And he knows a cheat code so you can kiss a femme all you want without having to worry about accidentally bonding with her. *scowl* They were so dizzy I fell over.
hsvWakeJumper: *pauses to facepalm*
hsvSkyfire: *facepalming as well, kthx*
Sideswipe: And then this morning Prowl came storming in with Smokescreen behind him, and they kicked our afts.
hsvWakeJumper: *mutter* Why is it always the Twins who seem to attract the most trouble? *sighs and continues his work*
Sideswipe: ...What?
hsvWakeJumper: You and your brother... are synonymous with 'Trouble'... in pretty much every reality... even in the ones where you're both femmes. *finishing repairs now*
Sideswipe: *brain broken expression* What're you talking about? Every reality? Femmes?
hsvWakeJumper: *ignoring the Look he's getting from hsvSkyfire, proceeds to explain about the Nexii and different realities and how those realities can be different from one another*
Sideswipe: *shocked, disbelieving, and then sullen* I bet I never get the femme in any of 'em.
hsvSkyfire: That's not true... In the reality WakeJumper and myself hail from, the local version of yourself is happily word-bonded to a femme by the name of Columba.
Sideswipe: *face goes utterly blank with surprise*
hsvWakeJumper: And in a reality that we have close ties to, the Sideswipe there is with Red Alert... That Sideswipe is a femme...
Sideswipe: *yelp* Red???? Ewwwwww! Slag no! Ewwwwww! *flail*
hsvSkyfire: ... *sigh*
Sunstreaker: *shuddering as his banged up processor tries to reboot*
hsvWakeJumper: *soothingly* Easy... You'll be alright, Sunstreaker...
Sunstreaker: *quietly* Ow.... Swiper... shut up....
hsvWakeJumper: *offers Sunstreaker a CinnaSeeker* Here... you're low on fuel.
Sunstreaker: *squints at it with his unbroken optic* ...Low on dentae, too.
hsvWakeJumper: *nods to hsvSkyfire, who heads off towards the Black Dog* We'll get you some mid grade in liquid form then...
Sunstreaker: *shutters his optic and just lays still except for twitches*
Sideswipe: *growls at him, then curls up a little with his back to him*
hsvWakeJumper: *gives Sideswipe another stern look*
Sideswipe: *muttering* Red Alert. She must be freaking glitched. What? Does Firestar not kick her aft just because she's a femme? ...Me as a femme.... *massive shudder* Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.
hsvWakeJumper: That's nothing... I've met an alternate of myself who not only is a femme, but is bonded to an alternate of my mate's mech-creator.
Sideswipe: *snarky* Yeah, but you have a mate, so you're not so lonely that you have to daydream about femmes and knowing there's a femme you messes that up.
hsvWakeJumper: *scowl* Try being bugstomped by a Decepticon at least three times your size, resulting in you having to be put into a sparklet shell because not only did your original shell get almost completely destroyed, your spark was damaged. Add to that having to be carried around for almost three months because you weren't strong enough to walk on your own.
Sideswipe: ...Was it a femme doing the carrying?
Sunstreaker: *groan* Idiot.
hsvWakeJumper: *was going to let you off with just a snarkmatch, but now, Sideswipe, you're getting a wrench lobbed at your head. This medic's a student of Ratchet.*
Sunstreaker: *flinches at the clank and groans again*
hsvWakeJumper: *Apologizes to Sunstreaker*
Sunstreaker: *too wiped to even scowl or sulk*
hsvWakeJumper: *To Sideswipe* If all you've got to complain about is not having a girlfriend, then you have NOTHING to be complaining about. Yeah, I was carried around a lot by my mate. My son also did some of the carrying, when Eclipse couldn't bring me with her. Thing is... When I was bugstomped, Eclipse felt it. She could have died as easily as I could have that day. That thought has continued to haunt me... If Thundercracker hadn't gotten me to a medic when he did, at least two Cybertronians would have died that day.
Sideswipe: *freezes, and then turns to stare at him* ...Thundercracker?
hsvWakeJumper: *nods* In my reality of origin, he and I are brothers. He's older than me by several vorns, but he is still my brother.
Sideswipe: *gun in hand, optics wide with dismay* Get away from my brother!
hsvWakeJumper: *face.palm. Points to his insignia* Cool it, glitch-head. I'm as 'Bot as you are.
hsvSkyfire: *looking about ready to tip over as he returns with a couple of cubes of plain mid grade*
Sideswipe: *moves to try and cover the huge flyer too, then blinks* What happened to you? You look like Sunny did last night.
hsvWakeJumper: *eyes hsvSkyfire for a moment* Blackout got ya, didn't she?
hsvSkyfire: *moves to sit down, loses his footing and lands on his skidplate, nods*
Sideswipe: *winces at the falling down, then looks back to WakeJumper* Thundercracker's a 'Con.
hsvWakeJumper: He might be, where you're from... but where I'm from, he's Neutral. Our war's over.
Sideswipe: *doubtful, wary look*
hsvSkyfire: *reaching to try to shove a cube of mid grade into Sideswipe's hands* Th' medic's not lyin', lad...
Sideswipe: *looks at him too, optics scanning the big mech's chassis for insignia*
hsvSkyfire: Aye... She did... Despite me best efforts t' git away. *see that red Autobrand, Sideswipe? It's kinda hard to miss with as much white paint Skyfire has*
hsvWakeJumper: *Amused, tilts his head slightly in a listening motion, before cracking up* Even Jetfire felt that!!!
Sideswipe: 0.o What're you glitcheads talking about?
hsvWakeJumper: *as he grabs the remaining cube in Skyfire's hands and offers it to Sunstreaker* There's a big Decepticon femme named Blackout who frequents the Black Dog... She thinks it's funnier than slagging someone to grab 'em and kiss 'em stupid.... Seems Skyfires are one of her favorite targets... *amused medic is amused*
Sideswipe: .... 0_0 She just kisses anybody?
Sunstreaker: *trying to turn on his side and get a hand to the energon cube* *still dazed*
hsvSkyfire: Nay, lad... Ye gotta be presentin' the right setta circumstances as t' be gettin' combat-kissed...
hsvWakeJumper: *going to help Sunstreaker take in fuel now*
Sideswipe: ...You're talking like I'd want to kiss a 'Con. *he's half afraid he might....*
hsvSkyfire: This area's Neutral territory, lad... Ain't nothin' cin hurt ye if ye don't consent t' it... *pauses a moment* Oh, bollocks...
Sideswipe: ...Those big things the humans use to pull carts?
hsvSkyfire: Nay, lad... Me brother's gone 'n let it slip t' me wingleader as t' what happened... Th' slagger needs t' learn t' keep 'is blurdy trap closed... *sulk*
Sideswipe: ...Why does he care, anyway? Does he think you're fraternizing with the enemy?
hsvSkyfire: Nay... Th' slagger likes t' complain 'n carry on 'bout anythin' 'e finds as to be displeasin' t' 'im... 'n given th' state 'e's been in...
Sideswipe: ...So your wingleader's a jerk?
hsvSkyfire: Wingleader? Nay, me brother's the jerk... Me wingleader's th' best o' th' best.
Sideswipe: Then he'll understand this wasn't your fault.
hsvSkyfire: ... Me wingleader's a lass... 'n I cin only pray that she cin find it in 'er spark t' forgive me...
Sunstreaker: *dizzy, head rush, not sure he's keeping his energy down*
Sideswipe: *keels over*
hsvWakeJumper: *Acks and scans both mechs*
twins: *haven't had energon in a very long time. Sideswipe's tank is bone dry and has no sediment*
hsvWakeJumper: *grumbles in a very Ratchet-like style about idiots who don't know how to take care of themselves, works on helping Sunstreaker first. Will crush a cookie into powder and offer that to the yellow mech*
Sunstreaker: *starting to show a return of spirit. He's scowling blackly even as he eats what's offered to him* We... charge whenever our turn comes up. Some of us just aren't rolling in energon.
hsvWakeJumper: Do you have the means to build an energon still?
Sunstreaker: *frown* A what?
hsvWakeJumper: Something to refine energon from local fuels...
Sunstreaker: We've got a broken down ship on some backwater world where we have to hide from the squishy natives. And Wheeljack's stupid water wheel broke down this morning, so nobody got any energy.
hsvWakeJumper: *Frown* Hmm... and with the differences in tech, I could be seen as a threat... *frowning more as he tries to figure out a way to help*
Sunstreaker: *squints at him, then shrugs* We get along with those slaggin' Maximals.
hsvWakeJumper: Yeah, but your brother was about to try to slag me because of who my older brother is.
Sunstreaker: *shrug, scowl sullenly*
hsvWakeJumper: *blinks as an idea comes to him, slight headtilt, nods* Okay. Someone from my reality is coming... they're going to go get several boxes of the plain kind of cookies... The cookies have calcien and other essential minerals, as well as energon, in them.... That should be enough to hold everyone over more than long enough for the water wheel to be repaired.
Sunstreaker: *frowns at him* Why?
Sideswipe: *up on one knee and aiming his gun at a glowing line that just appeared in the air*
hsvWakeJumper: *Scans the glowing line with concern* Waitaminute...
line: *opens up*
Ratchet: *steps through, but Ratchet is gleaming black with brown accents, and yes, those are legs on his kibble* *stops short, his mouth falling open with surprise* What in the name of Blue Blazer...?
Sideswipe: Ratchet!
Sunstreaker: *rumbled from all the energy he's been fed*
hsvWakeJumper: *blink blink* Er... Welcome to the Nexus? *scans Sunstreaker*
hsvSkyfire: *blink* Th' pit're you supposed to be?
Ratchet: *looks from one odd mech to the other, then glances at the twins to make sure they're relatively alright* I'm Autobot medic Ratchet... and I could ask you the same question.
hsvWakeJumper: *without looking up from making sure Sunstreaker's alright* Autobot field medic WakeJumper... the guy who seems like he's overcharged is Autobot Skyfire.
Ratchet: Pleased to meet you.... Now would somebody like to explain what's going on here? This isn't the brig.
hsvWakeJumper: You stepped through a portal to an interdimensional hub known as the Nexus... This one's got an Anti-violence field, and like most Nexii, is considered neutral ground.
Ratchet: *considering look* Any idea who or what brought me and my teammates here?
hsvWakeJumper: Nexus quirk... It happens.
Ratchet: *frowns as he comes over to go to one knee by Sunstreaker* Can we get back?
hsvWakeJumper: *nods* That's actually the easy part... *looks over as a similarly-sized blue mech arrives with a swish and flash* And there's my son, Lumen...
Lumen: *Blinks, raised brow ridge as he approaches*
Ratchet: *hands busy taking off a dented body plate that's pushing on circuitry even as he looks toward the newcomer* Your son?
Sunstreaker: *isn't feeling any pain*
hsvWakeJumper: *nods as he moves to offer Sideswipe some of the cookie powder*
Lumen: *headtilt* Okay then... Um... Dad? You said to get the plain cookies, right?
Sideswipe: *doubletakes and finally notices the powder, then eats it*
Ratchet: But what does that mean?
Lumen: *blink blink, attention on Ratchet now* What? Son? *points to WakeJumper* He's my mech-creator. *yeah, like that explains everything*
Ratchet: *slowly* Your mech creator. ...So you have more than one?
Lumen: *nods and calls up a holo-image showing himself, WakeJumper, and a small femme with similar coloring to WakeJumper* The femme's my other creator.
Ratchet: *looks at that image for a long time, his hands stilling in their mission to get that panel straightened out* *then, quietly* Where are you stationed? *hasn't clued in that these guys aren't just oddly built denizens of his own reality*
Lumen: *provides the coordinates* But it's not in your reality, so I don't think you'd be able to find us... >.>;;
Ratchet: *frown* Not in our reality? What do you mean?
Lumen: *points to hsvSkyfire, WakeJumper, and himself* We're from a different reality than you guys are... You couldn't tell from the tech differences?
Ratchet: *blinks, then lets go the panel with one hand to rub the back of his neck* At least you're all metal. Our new friends have got a pseudo organic look going.
Lumen: *blink blink*
Sideswipe: *mutters something about a slagging Baboom*
hsvWakeJumper: *glances at Sideswipe, then back to Ratchet* Maximals?
Ratchet: Yes. *sighs as he contemplates Sunstreaker's insides* I don't have half these parts.
hsvWakeJumper: What do you need?
Ratchet: *starts listing things off, adding with exasperation that Sunstreaker had just gotten one certain part when Teletraan rebuilt the bridge crew, and now it's broken too*
Sideswipe: *scowl* He didn't break it.
hsvWakeJumper: *making a list, databursts it to a spare datapad he has stored* Okay... I'll go and talk to Blackout and see if I can get some of these parts for you.
Sideswipe: *wide optics* The 'Con??
Ratchet: *looks at Sideswipe* What?
hsvWakeJumper: She's one of the best sources for hard to find parts in the Nexus. Plus, she won't try to kiss me, as I'm a bonded mech.
Ratchet: Whatnow, here?
Sideswipe: This is neutral ground. And that 'Con femme kisses people instead of attacking them.
Ratchet: *blinks* I see.
Lumen: *over poking hsvSkyfire now* *Snerks when the older mech sasses him* Skyfire got combat-kissed...
Ratchet: *chiding sound to Lumen without realizing what he's doing*
Sideswipe: *curls up a bit and asks plaintively* Can we go home soon?
Lumen: *blink blink* Here... *goes over to a bowl that's sitting at random on a bench under a purple tree and retrieves a device from it. The device gets offered to Ratchet*
hsvWakeJumper: *going to go get those parts now, or at least try to*
Ratchet: What's this? *sets the panel down to take the little gadget and look at it*
Lumen: It's a PINpoint... Basically, it'll let ya come and go between realities if you've got the coordinates of where you wanna go.
Ratchet: And how do I get it to bring me to those coordinates in my reality instead of another one?
Lumen: *explains by example. Yes, he's got a coordinate scanner... he ganked his mother's awhile back*
Ratchet: *watching and absently pushing Sideswipe's hand away from Sunstreaker's face so that he can't poke his brother in the broken optic*
Lumen: The ones from the bowl are free, and don't have some of the features the kind you can buy outta the vending machines have...
Ratchet: So long as it gets us home. *looks up* Are you sure your... dad... is going to be alright?
Lumen: *nods* Yeah. We do a lot of parts buying from Blackout... and like he said, he's a bonded mech, so he's safe from being combat-kissed.
Ratchet: ...She respects that, does she? Sideswipe, will you stop acting like a mis-wired drone?
Sideswipe: *blinks at him vacantly*
Ratchet: *shakes head and turns back to Lumen*
Lumen: *nods* Yeah... She's not interested in bonded mechs... unless it's to sell parts to 'em.
Ratchet: Interesting. And this nexus... do people come and go from here regularly?
Lumen: *nod* All the time, unless they live here. There're people who do that.
Ratchet: *nods himself* And where do you live?
Lumen: The coordinates I gave you earlier... With the rest of the Autobots of my home reality that made it to Earth.
Ratchet: *looks at those coordinates again and blinks* That's the same planet we crashed on.
Lumen: Yeah, but it's a different reality... *Shrug* It's the only home I've ever known, so I really can't say anything about other planets.
Ratchet: You called it 'Earth'?
Lumen: It's what the locals call it, and we're used to interacting with 'em... *slightly sheepish grin* Jetfire seems convinced it should be called "Planet Dirt"...
Ratchet: *surprise shows on his face* And you interact with the locals. Aren't you afraid of damaging their development?
Lumen: Not really... it's the year 2010 where Dad, Skyfire, and I are from... *grin* I'll be turning two in a couple of months.
Ratchet: Ah... I'm afraid the year doesn't actually mean much to me. I only know that the natives where I'm from live mostly in small hunter/farmer/gatherer groups.... *freezes* Did you say two?
Lumen: *Nod* Yeah... I was one of the last newsparks to go from a sparklet shell straight to a full protoform... The war wasn't quite officially over at the time, and Mom and Dad didn't want me put at risk.
Sideswipe: *blinking at Lumen* So you guys still have Vector Sigma?
Lumen: ... Vector whatnow? *blink blink*
Ratchet: *surprised* The creation computer that used to sit at the very heart of Cybertron before the cataclysm.
Lumen: Er.... I don't know if we ever had that... According to what Gran'pa 'Jack told me about Cybertron, we had something called the Allspark...
Ratchet: But the Allspark is where we go when we die. *trying to figure this out*
Lumen: You mean the Well of All Sparks?
Ratchet: *slowly* Vector Sigma was a part of Primus' own spark. We came from him, and when we die we go back to him, though we won't all be one till the end of time.
Lumen: That sounds like the Well.... *confused bayformer mech is confused*
Ratchet: Well... maybe they're just different names for the same thing.
Lumen: *Small shrug, looks over as WakeJumper comes down the street towards the group* Oh, I think Dad's got the parts...
Ratchet: *looks toward the orange mech* I don't see any parts....
Lumen: Looks like it's all in the bag... *points to the bag WakeJumper is carrying*
Ratchet: *blinks, but then understands* Hammerspace.
Lumen: ...Hammerspace? Is that like subspace?
Ratchet: *Explains the concept of hammerspace to Lumen, then looks at WJ*
hsvWakeJumper: Aside from a few things, I was able to get pretty much everything you said you needed, Ratchet. *offers the bag to Ratchet*
Ratchet: *slips the PINpoint onto his finger so that he can take the bag, then holds the handles apart and looks inside* *quietly* What did this cost?
hsvWakeJumper: Oh, don't worry about the cost. We're pretty regular customers of Blackout's.
Ratchet: You mean she let you have these things for free?
hsvWakeJumper: *headshake, giving Ratchet a 'did you just ask that?' look*
Ratchet: *holds up his hands in a shrug to indicate he doesn't know anything about the femme and it had seemed like a good question*
Lumen: Was she still laughing about Skyfire? *cheeky grin at WakeJumper*
hsvWakeJumper: *headshake* She was busy amusing herself with what looked like a Gears... I bought the parts from Requiem.
Lumen: *SNERK* How decorated was he? Did she already have flowers made?
Ratchet: *blink blink* Flowers?
hsvWakeJumper: Napkins... she crumples 'em and uses 'em to decorate the mechs that she kisses stupid to the point that they have to reboot... *chuckles* I saw a Cliffjumper once who looked like he was on display for a funeral...
Sideswipe: *soberly* How big is this femme?
hsvWakeJumper: About twice my size... I'm about average-size for mechs from realities similar to my own...
Lumen: Her alt-mode's a helicopter. *shrug*
Ratchet: *looks at him, then looks above his head* Forty foot?
hsvWakeJumper: That sounds about right... she's bigger than Optimus... and he's one of the larger Autobots...
Sideswipe: What's a helicopter?
hsvWakeJumper: *calls up a holo-image of the vehicle in question*
Lumen: *Going to go poke at Skyfire again*
Ratchet and Sideswipe: *both looking at the image of that big vehicle*
Ratchet: ...Do you have one of Blackout?
hsvWakeJumper: Yeah... *calls it up, projecting a full-sized image of the femme and her scorpion-like symbiont*
Sideswipe: *would have fallen on his skidplate if he weren't already sitting down*
Ratchet: *shrinks back with surprise, his optics widening*
Sunstreaker: *suddenly struggling to his feet and groping for his gun*
hsvWakeJumper: Hey, chill. This is just a hologram... *makes the image vanish* See?
Sideswipe: 0_0 That was a femme???
Ratchet: *slowly shaking his head with wonder even as he restrains Sunstreaker*
hsvWakeJumper: Yeah... the one from my reality was a mech though...
Lumen: Hey, Dad? I'mma take Skyfire back to Starscream so she can talk to him...
Ratchet: *quietly* Something tells me she's different from the Decepticons we know.
hsvWakeJumper: *nods to Lumen* Alright... Tell Eclipse I'll be home when I can. *To Ratchet* Who? Starscream?
Lumen: *puts a hand on Skyfire and both mechs vanish with a 'Boing!' and a flash*
Ratchet: *stiffens* What? No! Blackout. How did Starscream come up?
hsvWakeJumper: Ah... I figured you were talking about Starscream since Lumen mentioned that ours is a lady.
Ratchet: *pauses and runs over the recent conversation and then raises both browplates in surprise* Your Starscream is an Autobot?
hsvWakeJumper: Technically she's from a similar reality to mine, but since she can't go back to that one, she's living in mine... She was never a Decepticon.
Ratchet: *slow head shake of amazement*
Sideswipe: *putting one and two together and getting five* ...Is she the big guy's wingleader?
hsvWakeJumper: * nods* She's also wingleader to Powerglide and Fireflight... Though they've also kind of adopted Jetfire into their group... *amused chuckle*
Sideswipe: Okay, I know Powerglide. The old blowhard's still in stasis in the hold. But who's Fireflight?
hsvWakeJumper: He's one of the Aerialbots... Some realities have them already, and some don't quite yet... They're a combiner team made up of five fliers: Fireflight, Air Raid, Slingshot, Skydive, and Silverbolt. In my reality, they were created on Earth... *amused chuckle* They're first-gen Earth-born...
Ratchet: *quietly* Then they'll probably never come to be, in our reality.
hsvWakeJumper: You never know... *shrug*
Ratchet: Like I say, our Vector Sigma's gone. *optics dark and sad as he turns to Sunstreaker and starts doing some repairs right here in the street*
hsvWakeJumper: *blink blink, wonders if he should mention just how Lumen's able to have two creators*
Ratchet: Though there's still Transformers in the future, if the Maximals are telling the truth. *swapping out parts*
hsvWakeJumper: Maybe they found out what the Transformers of my reality did regarding new sparks...
Ratchet: *pauses in his work to look up at the orange mech* And what's that?
hsvWakeJumper: If you combine two sets of sparkcode, it can create a new spark with traits of both parent sparks.
Ratchet: *optics darken slightly as he processes that, then looks up again* That's what Lumen was talking about. It's similar to what the organic lifeforms do.
hsvWakeJumper: *nods* Eclipse is his other code-doner... *sheepish smile* I about had a meltdown when I found out her spark had budded...
Ratchet: *slight frown* Spark had budded?
hsvWakeJumper: *nods, getting out a datapad with information concerning newsparks on it* Yeah... *offers the datapad* The information's on this... It's kinda hard to explain...
Ratchet: *takes it and scans it, then blinks* Bonding triggers it?
Sideswipe: 0_0
hsvWakeJumper: In most cases, it does... especially after the shattering of the Allspark...
Ratchet: *reads the rest, has a thoughtful expression as he offers the datapad back* So the newly made sparks are helpless like organic newborns, too.
hsvWakeJumper: They only seem helpless... They're good at hiding, and a threatened sparklet's cries can cause a protective reaction in mechs and femmes... And from what I've heard, some realities have creche guardians who are protective of their wards...
Ratchet: Still. I wouldn't want to risk them in the situation we're in right now. *working again*
hsvWakeJumper: *small shrug* Well, bonded femme sparks tend to bud on their own schedule... It's kinda hard to predict when such a thing'll happen...
Ratchet: *blink blink blink* I'll have to warn Ironhide and Chromia, and Optimus and Starflower.
hsvWakeJumper: *Soft snerk* Well... I know one thing.. if Chromia's spark buds... Ironhide'll be even more protective of her than usual... and once the little one arrives, he'll be protective of it as well...
Ratchet: *smile without looking up from his work* Old Ironhide is protective of everything he cares about. And he's got a big spark.
hsvWakeJumper: He does... *chuckles* The one where I'm from is pretty much wrapped around the little finger of his and Chromia's daughter, Carina...
Ratchet: If he's anything like the guy I know she'll wind up being an Autobot that anyone would be proud to work beside.
hsvWakeJumper: *nods* I don't doubt it. *quick look around to make sure the Ironhide from his own reality isn't anywhere nearby* Wanna see an image of the one I know with Carina?
Ratchet: *checks on Sideswipe and finds him sitting and hugging his knees and looking bored and miserable and millions of light years away* *back to WJ* Sure.
hsvWakeJumper: *pulls up another holo-image, showing the massive black-colored frontliner gently cradling a little scrap of lilac in the crook of his arm*
Ratchet: *optics go wide* That's Ironhide? And.... *stares at the image of the sparklet*
hsvWakeJumper: That's the one from my reality... I think this image was taken a few days after he and Chromia got Carina... I didn't ask Eclipse when she databurst it to me.
Ratchet: Are they always so small?
hsvWakeJumper: Depends on the reality... The reality that's a sister reality to my own, most newsparks start off in a full-sized shell.
Ratchet: *relieved* Are they as dependant as the little ones?
hsvWakeJumper: Not to my knowledge... Though to be truthful, the only ones I'm familiar with are Eclipse's half-sister, Keepsake... Who is a typical newspark from the sister reality, and the Dinobots, which are... *trying to be polite* A bit... lacking... in certain things... >.>;;
Ratchet: *surprised by the name of that last group* Lacking in what?
hsvWakeJumper: Programming... Common sense? *shrug* You'd have to meet them...
Ratchet: *glancing toward Sideswipe with a wry expression*
hsvWakeJumper: *Soft snerk, headshake* The one back home's kinda grown up a bit... He'll still do stupid and risky things... But, having a word-mate's done him a world of good.
Ratchet: *quietly* How did he find a femme that could stand him? Don't tell me he bamboozled poor Bluestreak while her brothers had their backs turned.
hsvWakeJumper: *Small shrug* From what I understand, he rescued Columba... *grin, knows he's going to more than likely get a brain-broken look* And Bluestreak's happily bonded to Wheeljack, where I'm from... Two kids already, and one more on the way... My mate, Eclipse, is going to be an older sister.
Ratchet: *stops dead* Wheeljack and Bluestreak.
hsvWakeJumper: *nods* We didn't know at the time that Bluestreak's a femme...
Ratchet: *there's the brain broken look*
hsvWakeJumper: *soft snerk, reaches to patpat Ratchet's shoulder* Well, it's definitely not the weirdest couple... or the one that got the most attention...
Ratchet: *faintly* It's not?
hsvWakeJumper: *nod* Nobody's quite sure what to make of Hound and Desinex aside from maybe four of the other Autobots... and the Sunstreaker where I'm from is happily bonded to Showtime... They just recently added three little mechs to their family...
Ratchet: The weird part is how you thought Blue was a mech.
hsvWakeJumper: Our Blue's got a darker-colored spark than most femmes, and the frequency is that of a mech-spark.
Ratchet: But if she was having babies....
hsvWakeJumper: It's incredibly rare, but sometimes, mechs are able to carry a newspark to term.
Ratchet: .... *rubs his face as his processor aches*
Sideswipe: *restlessly on his feet, and then shifts into a red and black metallic equine form*
hsvWakeJumper: In those cases, it's usually because the femme is unable to carr... *trails off*
Ratchet: *looks up at WJ as the orange mech pauses* What's wrong?
hsvWakeJumper: ...*soft snerk, mutter of "Figures"* Anyways... In the cases where it's the mech carrying the newspark to term, it's usually because the femme is unable to do so... If her spark's too damaged, for example.
Ratchet: ...Wheeljack's a femme?
hsvWakeJumper: *headshake* No... He's a mech, just as I am. We just didn't know when Bluestreak was carrying Eclipse and Solar Flare that she's a femme... We recently acquired a scanner that scans the composition of a spark, instead of its appearance and frequency, which is how we discovered the error.
Ratchet: ...I think I'm just going to have to quit trying to understand how you didn't realize that ONE of them had to be a femme. Sideswipe, come back here.
Sideswipe: But I need to do something.
Ratchet: You could go home and sit in the brig.
Sideswipe: *horse statue*
hsvWakeJumper: *Another shoulder patpat* I've got more images of the sparklets where I'm from, if you'd like to look at those...
Ratchet: I'd love to, buddy. But I think I have to get these two back. Optimus is coming to talk to them after he's finished with Prowl and Smokescreen.
hsvWakeJumper: *small nod* Alright... Well, if you ever decide to visit the Nexus again, I'm usually hanging out at the Black Dog unless I'm here for a different purpose...
Ratchet: *telling Sideswipe to transform and lift his brother, but then he pauses halfway to his feet and looks curiously at WJ* Does Optimus have any sparklets in your reality?
hsvWakeJumper: *nod* He and Elita have a little mech named Diehard.
Ratchet: *slight frown as he finishes standing* Elita?
hsvWakeJumper: *nod* His mate... *pulls up a holo-image of the family*
Ratchet: *looks at the picture, wondering where that version of Optimus met that femme* She's a little thing. Compared to Optimus, anyway.
hsvWakeJumper: *soft snerk* Everyone's little compared to Optimus... Well, except for Ultra Magnus... *flips to another image, this one showing several brightly-colored sparklets napping on Optimus* The itty-bitty-kiddy-committee... *chuckles*
Ratchet: *has to grin at that, though the sadness is in his optics again* He looks happy.
hsvWakeJumper: *small nod, goes to turn off the image projector* Even with some of the slag that's gone down... I think he might be...
Ratchet: *quietly* I think ours is too, despite all the wear this war's put on him. He's finally found someone he can spend his life with.
hsvWakeJumper: *Small nod*
Sideswipe: *whining quietly that Sunstreaker's heavy*
Ratchet: *sighs* Thanks, buddy. I'll see you around, maybe.
hsvWakeJumper: *nod* Best of luck to you.
Ratchet: *slight grin, and then he PINpoints himself and his teammates away*
hsvWakeJumper: *PINpoints back home himself, to check on Showtime*
((co-written with random_xtras))