(Untitled)

[midnightspook]

Blackstar pays little mind to which direction he's pointed when he lifts away from the ocean's surface above the Decepticon base. He just wants to fly, and direction doesn't matter to him any more. Whatever sensors or radars or satellites these humans have, none of them would be able to pick him up now anyway, except for possibly as a blurry image

Comments

Re: Lab session

[attair_al_fada]

What follows are a couple of hours of sorting through twenty years of projects, ideas, and random research. To Starscream, it's a fascinating retrospective of years of plotting and mad ideas, some fruitful, some not; to any onlooker, it must be supremely boring.

"What was THAT?" Starscream asks himself as he stares at almost his last investigative project, a small hyper-speed drone designed to troll around a star-system emitting a particular frequency of radio noises. "Oh, right. A pyropod lure. Now if I'd ever figured out an actual use for the thing!"

Potentially interesting projects, he saves to his own data storage. Anything Starscream deems especially dangerous in hands other than his, Starscream deletes--after copying.

"Jackpot!" he finally mutters. He's found them: the preliminary calculations and test cases verifying the waveforms to be used by the Machine. It had started out as an analysis of Soundwave's receptive telepathy and the cassete-host's ability to process both human brain electrical fields and Transformer processor waveforms--and had given him the key to converting from one to the other. It was still labeled as a study of Soundwave's telepathy.

Starscream grins. He's found what he's looking for. The rest is just tidying up.

Re: Lab session

[0ut_of_sight]

((Continued from here.))

Echoshift makes his way down the corridor to Starscream's lab, faded out of view and invisible. Careful to make as little sound as possible as he ducks through the open outer door, he finds the inner door still unlocked and open. Encouraged, he steps forward and slowly peers around the edge of the door, into the lab.

The lights are on and the computer stations appear to be working. Echoshift spots Starscream in front of a workstation, being kept occupied by something on the computer. Echoshift nods to himself and is about to back out, when it occurs to him to turn his head and look around the rest of the lab. He looks back at Starscream.

Hmm.

Still invisible, Echoshift risks taking a further careful step into the room, keeping his optics locked on Starscream for any sign of a reaction to his presence.

Re: Lab session

[attair_al_fada]

Without turning his head, Starscream says, "Echoshift, since you're already here tramping all over the pressure sensors that, fortunately for you, I disconnected the auto-lasers from, go get me some No. 4 oil from Maintenance. Better yet, get some WD-40 or whatever the equivalent was that Mixmaster kept around."

He turns slightly, looking right where Echoshift is standing. "I'm almost done here, but that door needs adjusting."

Re: Lab session

[0ut_of_sight]

Echoshift freezes, glancing reflexively down at the floor at Starscream's mention of the pressure sensors even though he knows he won't see any visible sign of them.

Slaggit, that was dumb. I should've thought of that.

So much for a possible chance to poke around the lab. It wasn't the sort of place he'd normally have access to, so he'd been curious. He looks back towards the weathered-looking door.

"Yeah, it looks it too," he says, finally giving up and fading back into view.

Re: Lab session

[attair_al_fada]

Starscream says, "Need to check the air circulation. It's gotten too humid in here." He points at the ecosystem growing on the wall under the viewport.

"I found what I needed. I'd love to stay and crack Megatron's lab, but I've got an odd feeling that time is not on our side. Where's Steadfast?" the red and silver Seeker asks.

Re: Lab session

[0ut_of_sight]

Echoshift wanders over to the nearest table and idly looks over the assortment of things collected together on the worktop. "I'm not sure. She went somewhere with Wingblade, probably so the two of them could catch up or something. Could try comming her, of course."

Re: Lab session

[attair_al_fada]

Starscream looks at Echoshift sharply. "Yes, I know how to use my comm unit. It's like I was issued one at the factory--oh right, I was!"

He points toward the hallway "Door. Penetrating WD-40 oil. Need it an hour ago."

At the same time, Starscream opens a channel to Steadfast. // Steadfast, do you have a moment? //

Re: Lab session

[lavender_wings]

//Yes, Starscream. What is it?//

Re: Lab session

[attair_al_fada]

Starscream answers: // I found what I needed in my old lab. I'll be going back to Autobot City as soon as I secure the place. //

Re: Lab session

[0ut_of_sight]

Echoshift looks up from peering at Starscream's stuff.

"Alright, I'm going. No need to get bossy, Screamer."

He takes his time about heading back to the doorway though. Whether this is because he genuinely finds the contents of Starscream's lab interesting enough to warrant a closer look before he leaves, or whether it's just because he feels like being deliberately irksome, it isn't easy to tell.

Re: Lab session

[lavender_wings]

//And I should be going back with you, shouldn't I?// Steadfast replies to Starscream. There is a hint of sadness at having to cut short her time with Wingblade in her tone, as well as guilt at having stayed out for this long in the first place.

Re: Lab session

[attair_al_fada]

Starscream regards Echoshift coolly.

"Thinking of taking up experimental engineering, Echoshift? Don't worry, I dismantled the really dangerous stuff before I left. None of that stuff could do more than blow up half the base." Starscream waves a hand dismissively.

// No need, Steadfast. I suspect getting this base and personnel in order could keep you busy for sometime--I'm going back to that project I was helping the Autobots with--rebuilding Drath's Machine. //

Re: Lab session

[lavender_wings]

//Yes, I suppose there's a lot I need to have a look at here,// Steadfast replies, more relieved than she lets on at Starscream giving her this excuse. Except that it isn't even an excuse - as Starscream pointed out earlier, the Undersea Base and it's personnel does fall under her responsibility as of current. The fact that said personnel includes Skywarp - or at least someone who may know more about how he's been doing - is only an extra perk, as it were.

Then her thoughts go to something else, something that should have crossed her mind earlier - //I suppose "exactly how you know so much about the workings of the Machine" isn't a subject I should ask about over comm, right?//

Re: Lab session

[0ut_of_sight]

"Not really," Echoshift replies to Starscream. "But this stuff looks kinda cool." He looks over it some more before finally heading back towards the door. "Oh, and for the record? I'd rather it didn't blow any part of the base up at all. Place is leaky enough as it is, you know."

Re: Lab session

[attair_al_fada]

Starscream replies to Steadfast, // I don't trust even our heaviest encryption on this--not considering the evidence I've had over the years to the contrary. I will, of course, give you full information in person, at your convenience. //

While waiting for Echoshift to return, Starscream moves a few of the more dangerous prototypes into locked cabinets--what was I thinking leaving a working model hyperdrive out for any idiot to turn on in a gravity well?
Then he opens another communication channel, to Autobot City and Skyfire.

// Skyfire, tell Ratchet I'll be back-- //

// Starscream, // Skyfire replies, sounding oddly quiet, // I'm not with Ratchet at the moment. A small crisis with Jetstorm that I'm trying to take care of. Let me relay you. //

Jetstorm? That's... not good. // Ratchet? Starscream here. I'm on my way back to Autobot City. I found the information I needed in my old lab. ETA about 45 minutes after I re-secure the lab. //

Re: Lab session

[lavender_wings]

//All right,// Steadfast gives back before returning her attention to Wingblade. She doesn't say "thank you" in words, but she's honestly appreciative of Starscream's offer of disclosure. //Comm me if you need me.//