“Good. As I said kid, find a piece of happiness, and cling to it.”
Railgun thought this over and initially thought it would be better for Nebula to investigate on that end. After all, she was linked to Maximus now and had great potential to be around Axis. Though he then realized because of that link, it might make things awkward for the Maximal and less likely to talk as a result. He may not like the idea, but either he or one of his team would have to a friendly chat with a less than friendly bird.
There was brief consideration that Nebula’s other team members could do it. However, that thought was swiftly shot down. Clawshot would just be an right out no and Ramjet lacked the tact necessary. Really, it just had to be narrowed down from among his brothers.
“Perhaps when the time is available.”
Now there, Railgun opens the way into the den and waits for Nebula to go in first. Inside, Machbreaker had made some better headway with Tie-Grabber’s help on the custom controller. It wasn’t the best, it would take years of constant work and redesign to get something that would be perfect for Clawshot, but almost workable. At the very least, he could use one of his hands without too much issues.
Though at this time, Tie-Grabber is laying deep in one of the pillows. He just stares at the ceiling, eyes not really seeing anything as he is lost in thought.
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“Well the sooner the better. The whole reason I did what I did was so I could get the predacon in shape and get us out of here.”
She gestured down to the new minicon port in her midsection. It was honestly hard to miss, and would be a permanent reminder of what she did.
“If we wait too long, this will have been a waste, and I won’t be happy if it comes to that.”
She spoke with a very agitated tone. Having now fully commited and sacrificed for this plan, she was going to do everything in her power to make sure it happened.
Clawshot stood next to him, watching him work.
“Hey-uh, thanks for this. Ya didn’t really have to ya know. I appreciate it.”
Ramjet was in a similar position, laying in a pillow near Tiegrabber’s, similarly staring off into space. Though for much different reasons.
Nebula walked in and greeted her team.
“Alright you goons. I’m back. Hope you managed well without me.”
She addressed her team warmly and jokingly. Talking to them less like teammates or subordinates, and more like brothers.
Ramjet looked in her direction, but said nothing. Clawshot turned to her and smiled.
“Hey boss! Glad to see ya again.”
He then took notice of the new hole in her front, and fell quiet.
“So… You uh… You really did it.”
“I’m fine. It’s not that bad. Nothing you should worry about.”
Nebula said. Trying to downplay the situation as much as she could. The last thing she needed was clawshot of all people concerned for her well being.
“Right. Well, thanks for the advice. But if you don’t mind, I should go.”
“Probably a good idea” he said, before looking back down to his book, and music starting up again.
And do it too soon and we’ll get nothing from her, Railgun thought to himself.
“No fun to win if others can’t compete.” Machbreaker chimes. He stops working on the controller, thinking it will be the closest he can currently get. Whenever Clawshot is wants, it’s ready to try out.
Railgun goes over and sits by Tie-Grabber as Nebula greets her team. He’s quiet for a moment, waiting for a response. He had enough information to start thinking it over himself, but needed to hear from his old friend. Machbreaker meanwhile was now checking to see how many players could be in each game. Eventually, Tie-Grabber spoke.
“We asked the wrong questions,” the crane began. “We asked what it could do, we didn’t even consider that it might be a who. Who is it?”
“Who is what?” Railgun softly asks, playing a bit dumb to help Tie-Grabber empty his thoughts.
“The simulator,” Tie-Grabber replied, his voice sounding tired as though he had been speaking for a long while, just silently. "Remember when we were first here? For those first couple months? So filled with hate, you had to stop me from using the sim so much? That’s what Maximus was doing. Fighting a Megatron over and over and over, pushing himself off a cliff. I tried to stop him, Oddball too, but he almost attacked us. So I turned on Rectifier, beyond what the machine could do.
And then…he summoned them. If it was just us, maybe I could rationalize it, but it was everyone. Roadbed, Sheller–even Tilted, everyone. It shouldn’t be possible. If Rectifier was here at some point, maybe? But if he was here before, we would have found out. And he wasn’t here during or after our arrival, so how did the sim do that? How did it create things it could not know?"
He pauses.
“I can only conclude it being one of two things. Either the Vex have been watching and involved in us far more than we realized or the simulation room has been another Transformer. Hiding in plain sight the entire time, maybe playing all of us for fools.”
Railgun could easily see the trail Tie-Grabber was falling and it didn’t take much to go a step further. Perhaps the facility, this entire building, is just another captured and subjugated Transformer. There are city sized bots that could do such things, ones like that could not be shocking. Or rather, it would be shocking if that was the case. He continued to think in silence for the moment, trying to summon the best words to calm Tie-Grabber’s worries.
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Axis left and walked towards her cell in the barracks. Where she found Maximus, fast asleep in his beast mode. She wasn’t upset anymore… But she still couldn’t face him. Not yet.
She walked into the commons to get some energon, and keep her distance.
But it wasn’t long after that when the dragon began to awaken…
Clawshot happily took the modified controller. There were two others left for more players.
Ramjet was still laying down, doing whatever it was he was going.
And Nebula was sticking close to Railgun, patiently waiting for him to finish his talk with Tiegrabber.
@ajtazt
A potential solution finally dons on Railgun.
“You know,” he begins. “Railfire probably has some device that can detect living Transformers. We could ask him and eliminate one of those possibilities.”
“Oh.” Tie-Grabber says, his tone being a ‘why didn’t I think of that?’ attitude. “Yeah, that could work.”
Tie-Grabber sits up, thinking that over. He seemed pretty satisfied with that answer, at least for now. With that, Railgun looked and remembered he did say he would play a game with Nebula. He forgot in the moment with the news of the Rectifier’s sims actions.
Machbreaker had already snagged one of the controllers however. Unable to think of a better excuse, Railgun says to him, “Machbreaker, interview Axis. Her distress this morning may be key to understanding Maximus’s actions.”
The sled looked at him a bit confused, but shrugged. He set the controller down and went to find Axis. Railgun retrieves the remaining controllers and offers one to Nebula.
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Oddball observes Axis and the Railroad Team, content to just sit back and watch them for now.
Backbreaker, meanwhile, lounges about the commons.
The maximal was sitting in the commons, enjoying some energon. Stewing in her own thoughts.
Meanwhile, Nebula was about to take the controller when a great deal of commotion could be heard from above. The sounds of fire and thunder.
“Megatron, Terrorize!”
Shouted a familiar voice, muffled through the rock and metal which seperated them.
“Oh come on!”
Nebula shouted in frustration.
“I can’t leave that kid alone for five slagging minutes can I?”
@ajtazt
Oddball would only be able to see Axis. As she was in the commons, and the minicons were somewhere else entirely.
If he so chose, there was a plethora of other prisoners he could talk to, and try to get involved in his escape plan. Including but not limited to, Wildsong, the two seekers, Demolishor and Cyclonus, Razorclaw, and Blackout.
Oddball tries to remember where they’d all gone.
Backbreaker walks up to Blackout.
The last he would have seen any of the minicons would have been by the training arena.
The hulking decepticon was sitting at a table, fiddling with some more foil. He looked up at Backbreaker as he approached.
“Can I help you?”
He said, clearly not up for prolonged conversation.
Oddball shifts into his roller form and rolls over to the training room.
“Probably,” Backbreaker says, sitting down beside the Decepticon.
Maximus was in a heated battle with the Transmetal 2 Megatron simulation. Getting completely dominated. Just as Oddball walked in, Maximus was thrown and crashed into the wall just next to the door.
Blackout raises an eyebrow.
“How so?”
Railgun looks up above at the noise, lettings out a deep breath. Tie-Grabber gets out of the pillow, arm tightening into the plough as he heads to leave the den. However, before he can get very far Railgun grabs him.
The train looks at Tie-Grabber and then to Nebula and says quite calmly, “Leave it to Machbreaker. He wasn’t racing, so he should be witnessing this. He’ll know what to do.”
And indeed, Machbreaker did not get very far from the training center when Maximus returns to fighting Megatron. He looks at the Predacon with a, “seriously?” face. Nebula may have said no-one needed to know about this, but at this point the kid needed help. Machbreaker transformers and races off to Railfire’s office to inform the doc.
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“Well if he’s going to be doing something else, that means one of you needs to talk to the bird.”
Nebula said with her arms crossed. Very clearly not happy about the situation.
“Once we get that sorted out, I’ll head up and try to talk some sense into him. Or at least make sure he doesn’t beat himself up too bad.”
Railfire was in his office. Since Jetfire had since stabalized, and was recovering naturally, he took this time to do some maintenance on his equipment.
Oddball emits a low whistle as he turns to regard Maximus passively.
“We’re breaking out,” Backbreaker says quietly. “You want in?”
Maximus staggered to his feet and looked at Oddball.
“What… Do you want something?”
He said angrily.
Blackout thought for a moment before he replied.
“Sure. Count me in.”
Railgun just shakes his head. Time has not taught you any patience it seems, he thought. Though Tie-Grabber, even when mentally sober, was not an ideal choice for this task. And while he was certain Machbreaker would not take long…Ugh, this is why one has plans and schedules, then you can be reasonably upset when things are late. Not mad at things not going as fast as you wished when you have no time table.
“Very well,” Railgun’s tone is much harsher than it was, almost booming in command. “I’ll complete the mission myself.”
Railgun heads out, though before he’s gone he says to Tie-Grabber, “Trackless.”
The crane lights up a bit at the command. Railgun heads into the commons looking for Axis, wondering a bit how he’ll communicate with the Maximal. Machbreaker had the tablet, so scratches it would have to be.
Machbreaker knocks on the door to be let in.
“Thank you.”
Nebula said before he left. She then went out herself, going into the training arena to meet up with Maximus. Leaving only Tiegrabber, Clawshot, and Ramjet in the den.
Axis was sitting at one of the tables, indulging in some energon. Lost in thought. She wouldn’t be hard to find.
Railfire opens the door. Looking down he greets the minicon with a warm smile.
“Hello my little friend. What brings you here this time?”
He asked kindly.
When Nebula goes to leave, Tie-Grabber’s arm loosens and he tosses his hook, lassoing around Nebula.
As his arm reels her back to keep her from leaving the crane says, “Not so fast! You’re staying down here for now.”
Railgun climbs up onto Axis’s table at waves at her. Though should that fail to get her attention, he switches ammo and fires a blank at her face. Honestly, not the best thing to do given her typical hostilities, but he hoped she had a sense of humor. That and at this point Railgun had some steam to blow off himself.
“Problem,” the tablet lets out as Machbreaker swiftly types. “Maximus fighting and getting thrashed by Megatrons endlessly. Won’t stop, can’t stop.”
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