OLD PROMPT June 5, 2010 See Who I Am
Title: Chapter Eleven of For a Few Upgrades More
Warnings/content advice: Lockdown has a meeting with his client, while Slipstream struggles to keep Soundwave from blissing-out on Eurythma's harmonies.
Rating: PG
Continuity: Transformers Animated
Characters: Lockdown, Slipstream, Soundwave, with supporting Laserbeak and Ratbat
Disclaimer: Transformers belongs to Hasbro et al, not to me
Prompt: June 5 , 2010 song: Within Temptation - See Who I am. With inspiration from The Transformers (G1) episode Carnage in C-Minor
The city's aerospace port provided a fair view of the many-spired capitol. The planet was in one of those marginal orbits, which were a little less likely to have higher lifeforms, and starlight was dim. The locals made up for that with bioluminecsent flora and their harmonic-powered tech.
Lockdown turned to the two Decepticons with him, and their pets. "Eurythma here is part of the Nebulon Republic. Natives are of the squishy variety, but they're no strangers to mechanims, or even Cybertronians coming for trade or other business. You can tag along if you want, but I do the meet alone." He looked pointedly at the two younger bots.
"So no strafing runs on the organics."
"Eurythmans?" Soundwave suggested.
"Decepticon diplomacy. Who would have thought," Lockdown chuckled.
"We have diplomats," Slipstream insisted, but then, "Probably. We should have."
"To better inform sovereign planets of the corruption of the oppressive Autobot regime."
"Indubitably."
"Commander."
Lockdown transformed and accelerated toward the city.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Watching the modded muscle car, Soundwave had a sudden urge to see Lockdown spin-up dust on a country road. Not an event likely to happen, given the current planet was covered in a surprising amount of artificial infrastructure for an organic world, and Soundwave's own alt-form was decidedly better suited to urban environments.
"Go ahead and- roll out," Slipstream told him. "The little fliers can come with me, if they want."
Soundwave gave a nod and dispatched his minions, and added a - probably unnecessary - command to remain in communication. First time on a strange planet. It seemed safe enough. He selected some appropriate driving music, then transformed and cruised along the road Lockdown had taken.
Even with his traveling tunes, Soundwave still monitored signals. He always was. He realized quickly how different Eurythma was from Earth.
The very seams in the roadway played a tune as his tires rolled over them. There were sound and electromagnetic waves of varying frequency coming from everywhere. The entire world seemed to hum, as if alive. It was awesome. It was too much!
Soundwave transformed, again, in proximity to a city intersection. The buildings gleamed brighter than Detroit's best parts in daylight. The reflective, metallic surfaces: they bounced sound as well as light. The buildings sang as the Doppler screech and thrum of subterranean transit came and went.
Soundwave. He, Soundwave was having difficulty processing the input. Yet nothing hurt.
"Soundwave!" Slipstream was standing in front of him, and then he saw the jet transform, again.
Visual processing was glitched.
Ratbat wobbled in the air and sang, "Lucy in the sky with diamonds~"
Soundwave could feel Laserbeak's confusion.
Soundwave reach toward the location he hoped Slipstream to actually be, and after a flailing first attempt, caught hold of her left hand in his right.
"What?!"
"Necessary," was all Soundwave could say.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lockdown brushed dust from his poncho then proceeded into the audience chamber. One of the native Eurythmans was standing up on a dais, which put the human-scaled squishy just about at optic level. He had to wonder if they'd designed this chamber just to meet with mechs.
"Name's Lockdown. Got a message you are in need of someone with hunting ability."
She spoke in such a strong, lyric, accent that Lockdown's translation protocols strained to keep up. "My name is Allegra~ and my people have most urgent need of your help~ One of our Triumvirate, Basso Profundo, has been slain, and even as we lament! there is work to do. The apparent heir, Ben Marcato, has disappeared~ We fear he has joined his voice with political radicals Zenith Octavian and Bailar Lacrimosa!"
It took Lockdown a while, but he got the gist of it. "So the bounty's on all three? Marcato and the other two. Octavian and Lacrimosa?"
"Yes~ I will provide a reward for each~ but it is of vital importance Marcato be brought back alive~ We will lose what we have~ Our very way of life~ Bring us Ben Marcato, please!"
"I never give up a hunt," Lockdown promised. "Any idea what I'm up against with these other two?"
"They are all Eurythmans~ Our harmonic gifts are great, but Ben Marcato's power is equal to my own~" Allegra sang desperately, "Zenith Octavian believes in revolution against our traditional ways~ He employs cacophony and silence, to his ends~"
"Sonic attacks?" Fortunate coincidence Lockdown had Soundwave traveling with him?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
"Why didn't that aft say anything!?" Slipstream demanded. The harmonics were affecting her, too, now. She didn't say, but if he triangulated input using his two minions, visuals on Slipstream became clearer. There were obvious second takes. Besides, Soundwave could hear the shard of the AllSpark within her singing to him, much like the fainter signals of Ratbat and Laserbeak.
Soundwave squeezed her hand, wanting concrete input. Even the road beneath them vibrated. This was probably how others felt when he turned his infrasonics on them. "Maybe he is not affected as badly."
"No." She was trying to be logical. Soundwave was trying, but Eurythma made him feel too much. Not only the disorienting vibrations and sounds themselves, but the pure beauty and genius of the place. How could a bot be expected to be logical, when they were inundated with perfection? His emotional subroutines were seemingly all over the place: the sorrow of a lament, and then the joy of hymn.
"Someone great died here," Soundwave said. "And something is lost. There is a rising wave of revolution. No crescendo. A Song unfinished."
"Focus!" Had Slipstream moved even closer? A voice so close to his audio receptors: high fidelity. "What's something that guards against sound? There has to be something? A reverse wave. Or-? Like a stealth deco."
White noise. Soundwave doubted he had the concentration to produce the appropriate sound. Part of him didn't want to. He could just stay here, disoriented, but surrounded by harmonic bliss.
"The poncho! Would that work?"
"Dampening effect: affirmative."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Nothing more on this Bailar Lacrimosa?" Lockdown asked.
"Her techniques rely on a harmony the kinetic and visual. She will not sing, but she is dangerous! You must not look too long!"
"We talkin' hypnotism?"
"Your translation is approximate~ Please be wary and find Marcato!"
"Will do. You have a location where he was last seen? Might help me pick-up the trial. Get a feel for how he thinks."
"I give you leave to search the country retreat~ Go rapidly~ I ask for your discretion~ Our political climate is tense!"
"Ma'am." Lockdown gave a nod then left the chamber. Outside, he brought up the holographic comm display from his gauntlet. "Slipstream, you read?" If not, she'd get the message, eventually. "Got to take a detour to check some things out. Meet you back at the Death's Head."
Warnings/content advice: Lockdown has a meeting with his client, while Slipstream struggles to keep Soundwave from blissing-out on Eurythma's harmonies.
Rating: PG
Continuity: Transformers Animated
Characters: Lockdown, Slipstream, Soundwave, with supporting Laserbeak and Ratbat
Disclaimer: Transformers belongs to Hasbro et al, not to me
Prompt: June 5 , 2010 song: Within Temptation - See Who I am. With inspiration from The Transformers (G1) episode Carnage in C-Minor
The city's aerospace port provided a fair view of the many-spired capitol. The planet was in one of those marginal orbits, which were a little less likely to have higher lifeforms, and starlight was dim. The locals made up for that with bioluminecsent flora and their harmonic-powered tech.
Lockdown turned to the two Decepticons with him, and their pets. "Eurythma here is part of the Nebulon Republic. Natives are of the squishy variety, but they're no strangers to mechanims, or even Cybertronians coming for trade or other business. You can tag along if you want, but I do the meet alone." He looked pointedly at the two younger bots.
"So no strafing runs on the organics."
"Eurythmans?" Soundwave suggested.
"Decepticon diplomacy. Who would have thought," Lockdown chuckled.
"We have diplomats," Slipstream insisted, but then, "Probably. We should have."
"To better inform sovereign planets of the corruption of the oppressive Autobot regime."
"Indubitably."
"Commander."
Lockdown transformed and accelerated toward the city.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Watching the modded muscle car, Soundwave had a sudden urge to see Lockdown spin-up dust on a country road. Not an event likely to happen, given the current planet was covered in a surprising amount of artificial infrastructure for an organic world, and Soundwave's own alt-form was decidedly better suited to urban environments.
"Go ahead and- roll out," Slipstream told him. "The little fliers can come with me, if they want."
Soundwave gave a nod and dispatched his minions, and added a - probably unnecessary - command to remain in communication. First time on a strange planet. It seemed safe enough. He selected some appropriate driving music, then transformed and cruised along the road Lockdown had taken.
Even with his traveling tunes, Soundwave still monitored signals. He always was. He realized quickly how different Eurythma was from Earth.
The very seams in the roadway played a tune as his tires rolled over them. There were sound and electromagnetic waves of varying frequency coming from everywhere. The entire world seemed to hum, as if alive. It was awesome. It was too much!
Soundwave transformed, again, in proximity to a city intersection. The buildings gleamed brighter than Detroit's best parts in daylight. The reflective, metallic surfaces: they bounced sound as well as light. The buildings sang as the Doppler screech and thrum of subterranean transit came and went.
Soundwave. He, Soundwave was having difficulty processing the input. Yet nothing hurt.
"Soundwave!" Slipstream was standing in front of him, and then he saw the jet transform, again.
Visual processing was glitched.
Ratbat wobbled in the air and sang, "Lucy in the sky with diamonds~"
Soundwave could feel Laserbeak's confusion.
Soundwave reach toward the location he hoped Slipstream to actually be, and after a flailing first attempt, caught hold of her left hand in his right.
"What?!"
"Necessary," was all Soundwave could say.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lockdown brushed dust from his poncho then proceeded into the audience chamber. One of the native Eurythmans was standing up on a dais, which put the human-scaled squishy just about at optic level. He had to wonder if they'd designed this chamber just to meet with mechs.
"Name's Lockdown. Got a message you are in need of someone with hunting ability."
She spoke in such a strong, lyric, accent that Lockdown's translation protocols strained to keep up. "My name is Allegra~ and my people have most urgent need of your help~ One of our Triumvirate, Basso Profundo, has been slain, and even as we lament! there is work to do. The apparent heir, Ben Marcato, has disappeared~ We fear he has joined his voice with political radicals Zenith Octavian and Bailar Lacrimosa!"
It took Lockdown a while, but he got the gist of it. "So the bounty's on all three? Marcato and the other two. Octavian and Lacrimosa?"
"Yes~ I will provide a reward for each~ but it is of vital importance Marcato be brought back alive~ We will lose what we have~ Our very way of life~ Bring us Ben Marcato, please!"
"I never give up a hunt," Lockdown promised. "Any idea what I'm up against with these other two?"
"They are all Eurythmans~ Our harmonic gifts are great, but Ben Marcato's power is equal to my own~" Allegra sang desperately, "Zenith Octavian believes in revolution against our traditional ways~ He employs cacophony and silence, to his ends~"
"Sonic attacks?" Fortunate coincidence Lockdown had Soundwave traveling with him?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
"Why didn't that aft say anything!?" Slipstream demanded. The harmonics were affecting her, too, now. She didn't say, but if he triangulated input using his two minions, visuals on Slipstream became clearer. There were obvious second takes. Besides, Soundwave could hear the shard of the AllSpark within her singing to him, much like the fainter signals of Ratbat and Laserbeak.
Soundwave squeezed her hand, wanting concrete input. Even the road beneath them vibrated. This was probably how others felt when he turned his infrasonics on them. "Maybe he is not affected as badly."
"No." She was trying to be logical. Soundwave was trying, but Eurythma made him feel too much. Not only the disorienting vibrations and sounds themselves, but the pure beauty and genius of the place. How could a bot be expected to be logical, when they were inundated with perfection? His emotional subroutines were seemingly all over the place: the sorrow of a lament, and then the joy of hymn.
"Someone great died here," Soundwave said. "And something is lost. There is a rising wave of revolution. No crescendo. A Song unfinished."
"Focus!" Had Slipstream moved even closer? A voice so close to his audio receptors: high fidelity. "What's something that guards against sound? There has to be something? A reverse wave. Or-? Like a stealth deco."
White noise. Soundwave doubted he had the concentration to produce the appropriate sound. Part of him didn't want to. He could just stay here, disoriented, but surrounded by harmonic bliss.
"The poncho! Would that work?"
"Dampening effect: affirmative."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Nothing more on this Bailar Lacrimosa?" Lockdown asked.
"Her techniques rely on a harmony the kinetic and visual. She will not sing, but she is dangerous! You must not look too long!"
"We talkin' hypnotism?"
"Your translation is approximate~ Please be wary and find Marcato!"
"Will do. You have a location where he was last seen? Might help me pick-up the trial. Get a feel for how he thinks."
"I give you leave to search the country retreat~ Go rapidly~ I ask for your discretion~ Our political climate is tense!"
"Ma'am." Lockdown gave a nod then left the chamber. Outside, he brought up the holographic comm display from his gauntlet. "Slipstream, you read?" If not, she'd get the message, eventually. "Got to take a detour to check some things out. Meet you back at the Death's Head."