Marissa's Arrival [OPEN]

[no_catsuit_thx]

Characters: G1 Marissa Faireborn, open
Content: Marissa arrives and has a run-in with some local fauna.
Location: Within Iacon city limits (there are a lot of towering gold buildings)
Time of day: Approximately 1800 per Marissa's digital watch, low-light conditions
Warnings: mild violence, fictional or incorrect military protocol.
Status: Active/

Comments

np, I was at work most of today.

[no_catsuit_thx]

Marissa watched the red and white Transformer unfold to his root mode. She had witnessed the like before, but never gotten entirely accustomed to it; She still found the gestalts, like Computron, particularly stunning

[no_catsuit_thx]

Marissa watched through the windshield of Ratchet's ambulance mode as he converged with two other vehicles. One of them certainly did have the colors of the Rodimus she knew. As they came to a stop, Rodimus transformed and she could make out the form of another vehicle opening its door, behind.

"There's a sure way to find out if he knows me," she said. Quintessons meddling with the time continuum as it may be, she could not rule out the possibility that he was the same she knew, and yet also did not know her. "I'm getting out." Then, she added, "It's worth the risk to find out, and if they are not really friendly, I can possibly stun one, and allow you to transform."

Marissa slowly exited Ratchet's interior, gritting her teeth at the discomfort in her leg, but standing firmly beside the ambulance, in her armor. Keeping one hand in reach of her null-ray blaster, she announced herself. "Captain Marissa Faireborn of Earth Defense Command."

[giri_guy]

Rodimus lit right up. "Marissa!" He knelt to greet her, grinning broadly. "Am I glad to see you! Did you just get here? 'Cause I haven't been here that long and I can already tell you, this place is weird."

Babbling like an excited kid? Maybe a little.

[big_bang_mech]

Once Perceptor had similarly exited Wheeljack's interior (which Wheeljack still couldn't figure out how he did, even after millions of years of friendship,) Wheeljack transformed, peering at the human. He recognized her, though he hadn't ever had a chance to sit and chat with her. He was glad to see Rodimus run into someone he knew well, though. Seeing the young Prime happy was nice, after how maudlin things had gotten after the various farm animal shurikens had been gathered up and put away.

He turned his gaze to Ratchet, feeling disappointed. He wondered if this Ratchet had a Wheeljack in his own universe, and what kind of relationship they had there.

[vita_scientia]

Mass shifting as he transformed, Perceptor exited and landed fairly gracefully - for him - on his feet near Rodimus, watching Ratchet with a quietly curious expression. "Greetings, Ratchet. I am Perceptor, and this is Wheeljack. There is much to explain."

He was interrupted before even beginning that explanation, though, when Marissa stepped out of the ambulance passenger compartment a few moments later. He offered her a polite smile, and watched benevolently as Rodimus knelt down.

"Greetings, Marissa. It is good to see you are safe, although I detect serum particulates that indicate that you have been injured? Do you require medical attention? Or had Ratchet already seen to your injury?" he asks politely.

[my_achin_struts]

He didn't like it. Not one bit. But... she seemed to recognize Rodimus, if her physiological responses were anything to go by. Better, though, was that Rodimus certainly recognized her, and Ratchet finally released the tension he'd been holding inside since he'd first laid optical sensors on the flashy Prime.

Once Marissa was clear, he transformed, rising to his full height, trying not to feel self-conscious around all these younger, much fitter 'Bots, with their boxy, but well-maintained frames.

"I know who you are," he replied, but not without a measure of respectful courtesy, no matter what instinctive flare of irritation and anger their appearance awoke within him. They clearly weren't his Perceptor and Wheeljack, so... maybe these two weren't quite as sparkless as his own were. "You're not the ones I know, but you've got their look, even if you sound nothing like him. I guess you both run together where you're from, too, huh

[no_catsuit_thx]

Marissa looked up happily. It was really him. "Rodimus!" He had not been one for formal address or protocol, like Ultra Magnus, so she continued, in a rapid, familiar manner. "I only just arrived in this place! I ran into a bit of trouble, but Ratchet helped me out! It's different where he's from."

She caught some of the exchange amongst the others and then replied to Perceptor. "I was attacked by some manner of technological creature. Between Ratchet and myself, we had adequate supplies to bind my wound, at least temporarily." She glanced at Ratchet with a smile.

"Do any of you know of a beast that is fast, clawed, sort of pointy? Can never be too careful with alien fauna. I've lost whole rockets to lipoles. There's no fever as yet, which is a good sign there's no infection for humans."

[giri_guy]

Rodimus instantly went into Worry Mode. "Will you let me carry you back to Autobot Base, Marissa? Although having just arrived there myself, I'm not sure of any medical facilities for humans yet. We'll figure something out, though," he finished confidently.

Then Marissa's next words registerd. "Slag, there's more dangerous local fauna? I thought the slugs were bad." He glanced back at Wheeljack and Perceptor to see if Marissa's description rang any bells with them, but their attention seemed to be fixed on not-their-Ratchet... who seemed just the slightest bit unhappy to see them. Hmm...

[big_bang_mech]

Wheeljack visibly shrank back from Ratchet's words- whether or not he used his 'respectful voice,' the accusatory language put him immediately on the defensive.

"It actually was the three of us," Wheeljack protested feebly. "Ratchet's my best friend, we were stationed together practically forever, and Percy's a close friend we never got to see enough of, though he was finally stationed with us..." He trailed off, feeling that he was babbling and had said far too much. "But... I take it you're not the biggest fan of your universe's versions of us," he added, continuing to shrink back from the unfamiliar mech.

If all of this was Primus' idea of a joke, it wasn't funny, dammit.

[vita_scientia]

Perceptor stepped forward, placing himself just a little in front of Wheeljack, between the engineer as this curiously confrontational Ratchet, a faint frown upon his features.

"Nor do you sound like our Ratchet, so on that score, we are of a like mind," he replied stiffly, facing the medic with rigid tension in every line of his posture.

"Captain Fairborne, I will be most pleased if you would allow me to perform a full physical assessment and proper bandaging of your injuries once we have returned to the Autobot base. I am not familiar with the creature which you describe, and it would make me much more comfortable knowing for certain that it did not possess any pathogens or toxins within its offensive arsenal that will do you harm if left untreated," he explained, though he had not torn his irritated gaze away from Ratchet.

[my_achin_struts]

Well, now this was interesting. Wheeljack, backing down, and Perceptor stepping up to defend him. And expressing concern, non-verbally for Wheeljack, and outright verbally for Marissa. Seemed that these two were significantly different from the mechs he'd once been forced to deal with.

"We've had... differences of opinions on ethical matters in the past," he explained to Wheeljack, intentionally staring past Perceptor to address the white mech as he held up his servos in a placating manner. "But I've been known to have a few ethical difference of opinion with High Command in the past, too." His grin was not a nice one... more a bearing of denta than an actual grin.

"Funny, but I just think that experimenting on younglings is a bad thing. Sue me." Among other things.

He was still not apologizing, though. Not yet. After all, he still didn't know if these two agreed with him, or were just a slightly more conscientious version of the pair he'd known.

Or if they were just a figment of his imagination - pr rather, someone's

[no_catsuit_thx]

Marissa replied to Rodimus, "So, there is some base of operations established? I would appreciate a lift." She gave a curt nod. Finding sheltered had been near the top of her list of priorities. "Ratchet was good enough to help me this far."

She looked to Ratchet where he was in conversation with Perceptor and Wheeljack. They seemed to have discovered more examples of different pasts, or alternate versions of each other. She'd been age-regressed and sucked into a negative universe, but this was new. She had to wonder if there were other Marissas.

Marissa almost interrupted, thinking that it was more productive they all work together, but they were not in immediate danger.She would let them work out their differences.

Instead, she spoke to Rodimus, "Have you seen others here, yet? Decepticons...or Quintessons? I've only seen Ratchet and that almost vulpine creature."

[giri_guy]

Rodimus frowned. "Well, there was that white version of Ravage, but I can't imagine him being a threat to anybody. No other 'Cons and definitely no Quints."

If there had to be one or the other, let it be Decepticons. Please, Primus.

Rodimus transformed, popping open a door for Marissa. "Let's get going. The sooner we're back at base, the better. Ratchet," he added, addressing the other newcomer, "you're welcome to come with us."

And maybe get his story sorted out. Rodimus wasn't sure what he meant by experimenting on younglings, but he knew he didn't like it.

[big_bang_mech]

"Experimenting on younglings?! I would never!" Wheeljack shouted, completely horrified. He adored sparklets. Primus, he'd built the Dinobots! "Ratchet and I built the Dinobots and Aerialbots, and had a hand in the Protectobots' creation..." He shook his head, not even sure why he was arguing with this mech who claimed Ratchet's name. He transformed, taking Rodimus' hint, and opened his own door for Perceptor. "C'mon, Percy, let's get out of here," he grumbled a bit, voice giving away how sparkbroken and tired he was.

[vita_scientia]

To say that Perceptor was horrified and confounded by a supposed version of himself that... that... that would experiment on young cybertronians... He shuddered, his fuel tanks roiling with disquiet at the mere thought.

"Clearly... there is much we should discuss. Later," he offered hoarsely, shaking his head. Not that he was looking forward to any such conversation. He had the feeling that he would not like it. He did not offer any further commentary, though, before transforming, shrinking down into his compact form, and dropping neatly into Wheeljack's passenger compartment.

[my_achin_struts]

Hn. Seemed to have ruffled a few struts with those remarks. Interesting. Of course, it could be argued that his Wheeljack and Perceptor built mechs, too: Omega Supreme and the jet Twins, for example. Didn't much make them all that great in Ratchet's optics, by the time all was said and done, since it was the process as well as the results he had an issue with... But, Perceptor was right. Now wasn't really the time to continue this throw-down.

"All right, kid," Ratchet replied to Rodimus Prime, heaving a sigh as he glanced away from the scientific duo for a moment. He glanced back just in time to see Perceptor pull his little mass shifting stunt, and sputtered.

"How the slag did you do that?" he gasped, optics wide. He'd missed it when Perceptor had left Wheeljack upon their arrival, figuring that the scientist had been hidden behind Rodimus or something when he'd appeared. This explained it, though, except that it didn't really explain it. "How'd'you make yourself so small like that