Temporary 'home' [open to any Autobot or ally]

[heroindisguise]

Characters: Optimus, Read Alert, Mirage, any Autobot who wants to tag along.
Content: The Autobots regroup after the skirmish and decide what to do next. Luckily, the deserted Autobot base is where they expected it to be.
Location: Autobot base - Iacon.
Time of day: Late evening
Warnings: none.
Status: (Active/Finished?) Active

Comments

[vita_scientia]

"To any Autobot in communication range, this is Optimus Prime. We have encountered Decepticons on the planet - be on alert. Our priority is to find a safe place to regroup: if you can receive this, head for these coordinates."

Perceptor jerked his head up sharply as he received the transmission. Prime! Was it too much to hope that it might even be his Prime? Possibly, however, one of Perceptor's chief "failings" has always been an overabundance of hope, and so he would continue to hold onto that hope until it was proven false.

Hard on the heels of that, came the sudden realization that the very coordinates provided were those of the base that Perceptor and his counterpart had taken refuge in. As they had hoped, other Autobots were inbound to rendezvous here. He heaved a thin sigh of relief.

// Optimus? The base is secure, // he transmits to the Prime on that open Autobot frequency. // Myself and a counterpart from an alternate reality, as well as individuals from yet another reality, have taken refuge there. I have prepared the

[heroindisguise]

The response from the Prime came after an astrosecond of surprise - immediately followed by perceivable warmth in his voice.

//Perceptor, am I glad to hear from you! We are heading inside as we speak, you might want to keep those instruments ready. Mirage and Sideswipe are a little banged up from our encounter with Megatron.//Resolutely, he made his way inside the base, not without a quick gesture to the others to announce that he was going ahead to meet Perceptor

[vita_scientia]

// We? // he asked Prime. // Have you determined which reality you and everyone else with you hail from? // Because Perceptor knew of at least three represented thus far, and he was rather selfishly hoping that some of these new arrivals might have been from his own reality.

It wasn't that Jazz and Chromia and his counterpart were not pleasant nor fascinating to converse with - nothing could be farther from the truth, especially in regards to his counterpart - however... As fascinating as they were, he rather missed familiar faces. Even if they didn't necessarily miss him.

And, perhaps... Perhaps there was a little hope deep inside that since Jazz and Chromia had come from different time points in their reality, that others from different chronological points in his reality might arrive. Mechs who no longer lived when he was from. Like Ratchet and Wheeljack

I can html ;-;

[heroindisguise]

Relieved, Optimus turned to look around, quickly scanning the area to make sure all of his companions had found shelter inside the base.

//I am not sure, Perceptor, but as far as I know there's mechs from at least a couple of realities with me. You can judge for yourself when you meet them, and maybe help me figure it out. I am looking forward to seeing you again, my friend.//

He sent a quick ping to all of the Autobots that had come with him to base.

//Prowl, Sideswipe, Red Alert, Mirage - We have a medbay. Join me and Perceptor as soon as you can, I know some of your wounds were serious.//

He smiled, unseen. Things were looking up.

Re: I can html ;-;

[vita_scientia]

// Understood, Prime. // Perceptor began readying a few berths and equipment stations for inbound walking wounded. // I will be prepared for everyone by the time you arrive. //

It was hard to stifle the nervousness, though. Optimus Prime. The Prime he had failed to save on a day when so many had lost so much, anyway. Part of him was frightened to be confronted with that failure. Another part of him, however, was... was relieved, not only to have the Prime's solid presence there in such an odd situation, but to have an opportunity to apologize for his own failing. To atone.

// I look forward to seeing you again, as well. //

(so I thought I should wait for the wounded, but...)

[heroindisguise]

The Prime's worries were different - he knew nothing of Perceptor's internal struggle, and though he could have guessed he was upset, it was hard to do so via comm-link. This would change soon: he was closing in, finally, on the mech's location.

Another energy signal was there, along with the one he knew - similar, but not the same.
Only slightly wary, Optimus entered the medbay Perceptor had readied, quite respectable in its own right, though perhaps not as functional as Ratchet's on the Ark had been. He saluted the two mechs, one familiar and one giving him the small deja-vù Mirage had given him upon first meeting.

"Perceptor... I believe the wounded are on their way, but we have some catching up to do in the meantime, don't you think?"
He nodded to the other mech, taking an educate guess at his identity but not voicing yet. "It is a pleasure to meet you as well."

[scientificlife]

After touching base with Mirage, the sniper had headed back inside while the noble had gone off to do his own thing, heading back to the area where his counterpart had last been

[heroindisguise]

Optimus nodded politely, gesturing with one hand. "A couple who might require urgent attention, the others are merely a bit banged up like myself."

He observed for a moment longer. "Are you ... Perceptor, as well?" He cautiously demanded, gaze shifting between the two. The similarities were obvious, even if the two gave out a completely different feel.

[vita_scientia]

Optimus may note that Perceptor seemed fixated upon him for a few moments, remaining quiet as he simply took in the sight of his former leader once again whole and functional. Relatively unblemished, at least compared to the fatal wounds he'd sported when last Perceptor had seen him.

"Agreed, Prime," he finally managed, nodding dumbly. "We do."

"Ah, yes, this is my counterpart, Perceptor, from another dimension." He paused to chuckle softly. "Perhaps I should adopt a nickname to lessen the confusion."

[heroindisguise]

"So it's indeed different dimensions we are dealing with. I am very glad you... both are here to help me wrap my processors around this. We need all the intelligence we can get."

He was still observing both mechs intently, alternating between one and the other as if playing a personal game of 'spot the difference'. He could probably be there all day, but he didn't miss his world's Perceptor's small hesitation and focused briefly on him.

His optics narrowed imperceptibly, before brightening to hint a smile. Placing a firm hand on the smaller mech's shoulder, he spoke gently: "Are you alright, Perceptor? You sure were the last time I saw you, but Primus knows what's going on on this Cybertron."

[vita_scientia]

skipping SniPerceptor with permission.

That makes one fo us, at least.

Perceptor gave himself a tiny little shake to gather his wits, smiling faintly at Optimus. "I was, hm? That is comforting."

"I wonder, though, Optimus... When are you from? What events had most recently transpired for you?"

[scientificlife]

The sniper stays silent for the most part, allowing his counterpart to do the talking as..well, frankly he just doesn't see any reason to interrupt the banter already going on though.

But just as Optimus is studying them he is studying the Prime and his interaction with Percy, taking note of everything from the way they speak to each other to the differences in the Prime's frame in comparison to the one he knows. It's all knowledge that he stores away in his own personal files, merely for his own curiosity then any real scientific purpose.

Arms folding over his chestplate, an optic ridge arches as he focuses on Optimus now, curious to see where this is all going to go.

[heroindisguise]

"When?"

The question wasn't quite what Optimus had expected, but then again it wasn't exactly unprecedented for Perceptor to ask something the ...average mech didn't completely understand, was it?

"I didn't know time could be an issue," he chuckled lighty. "Do you want a date by Earth calendar, or will it suffice to say that the last remarkable thing we did was, I believe, rendezvous with Omega Supreme? Everything else has been pretty routine."

[vita_scientia]

Perceptor offered Optimus a smile at his commentary regarding the chronology of their points of last presence in their own reality. Of course, Perceptor had already guessed that mechs must have been pulled from different chronological points as soon as he'd heard Optimus Prime's transmission.

"A date by calendar will not be necessary; I know of the event of which you speak," he replied, nodding. "And that merely confirms that not everyone is being taken from the same point in time as each other."

"You see, I come from a point in history roughly 20 years into your future, and much has changed on Earth between your most recent events, and my own."

Like, for example, Prime's deactivation. And zombie resurrection. And RE-deactivation. That was not something one explained casually, though. Gee, Optimus, when I am from, you've died *twice* already. Oh, and one of those was my fault, as I was incapable of making the necessary repairs to your fatal wounds, and Ratchet and Wheeljack were already deactivated. My bad.

No. Just... no.

[heroindisguise]

Mild surprise and a more than genuine curiosity quickly passed on what was visible of the Prime's features.
"Our immediate future? That's interesting. I confess I am tempted to ask you about it, Perceptor, but I am not sure whether that would violate some rule about 'time travel' such as ours that I am not aware of. Asking about the future would put us at an unfair advantage on the Decepticons, wouldn't it?" Optimus laughed again, good naturedly, but his hold on the scientist's shoulder tightened just slightly.

He was no fool when it came to his men. He could see Perceptor was troubled, but he wouldn't force an explanation out of him - especially if it concerned the so delicate issue of the 20 earth years difference between their personal 'timelines'.

[scientificlife]

It was an interesting revelation, one that the sniper had pondered briefly but had not given much thought to. But not that it was confirmed he couldn't help but wonder about Mirage, for example.

There would be time for conversation later, assuming he could track the noble down again.

"I do not know if there are any such rules against that sort of thing and one would have to consider the possibility that, if we do not return to our true timelines, what harm would it do?" he mused, frowning a bit before shaking his helm. "Until we are able to figure out what is taking place, it would most likely be best to keep details like that quiet for now. You yourself, sir, may be able to handle such information but there are others who I am not so sure would be able to grasp it completely."