Lightshift stopped.
“Scrap. Still think we can pull this off?” He murmured to Thrust and Riot.
Thrust shrugged. “The probability is smaller, but it is still possible.”
Riot nodded. “I agree. Let’s go for it.”
They approached Facelift and his crew, their faces serious.
All three bots currently within the lab turn their heads to look at Zepar.
“Yes?” asks Grommet.
“Uh-huh?” comes the reply of Sprocket.
“Hi,” says Brakeswitch in a neutral tone.
Facelift shifts his attention away from Sidewire as he sees the Splitter brothers approach.
“Ah, more customers!” he exclaims, his fingers twitching madly. “Welcome, welcome, welcome! Now, what are you all looking for today? Same as this fellow? Weapons of dubious morality and cruel, unusual death?”
Lightshift shook his head.
“The captains send their regards.” he says. “I’m afraid their regards aren’t at all too welcoming.”
“I have a Deployer Cryo-condor that was causing trouble in the engine area and was inferring if one of you could learn anything about how it got here and, if it’s the case, who it belongs to.” Zepar said.
Facelift stops. His body is completely frozen, and his eye is wide.
“Uh… that’s, uh… that’s a shame…” he says, trying to conceal his fear. “Perhaps you could invite the good gentlemen down here so we can, uh, sort things out? Civilly? Preferably without arrest or undue harm?”
“Ah, yes, I could help you with that,” Grommet says, raising his hand.
“You do that,” Sprocket says to his partner. “The lady and I will be over here, if you two need anything.”
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Zepar walks over to Grommet and explains what he noticed about the condor: it seeming to have been modified into a Deployer, the dark blue color, scratched-out Decepticon emblem, that it was pretty clever and stronger than its size would lead one to believe.
He carefully brings out the creature, holding it as best he could to prevent it from escaping if it’s awake.
“Unfortunately, the captains are too busy to deal with you.” Lightshift answered.
“We’re their… enforcing squad, let’s put it. They sent us to take you to the brig. Without a fight, please. I’d rather not make a mess today.”
Fuse pulled out his heavy cannon and loaded it. The inside of the barrel began to glow.
Grommet gingerly takes the bird and places it on another table, and then readies some restraints.
“Hm. Not altogether unusual,” he notes. “There are many deployers like that; cryo-condors are one of the preferred mechanimal species for augmentation.”
“Just ask Soundwave,” he says with a chuckle. “Laserbeak and Buzzsaw have served the Eyes and Ears of the Decepticons well.”
"Heyheyhey!" Facelift protests, raising his hands to chest-level as some of his crew deploy weapons of their own.
“There’s no need for this, gentlemen!” he insists. “We’ve spent the last five hundred years shooting each other up. While I’ve certainly made a profit off it indirectly, this is to be a time of peace, yes? Yes. So, why don’t we all set the boomsticks down, and give discourse and conversation a fair shot, shall we?”
Zepar nods, he had known Soundwave and his minions had a reputation throughout Cybertron. “It makes sense but I’m curious how it got on the ship and was set loose on the engines like it was; it seems like an odd place for a Cryo-condor to just pop up in.” He said.
Fuse sighed.
“Fine.” He put his cannon away.
Lightshift nodded. “Just a warning.”
Thrust pulled out his datapad. “Facelift and accomplices, you are hereby under arrest for illegal cosmetics dealing, stowing away on the Fleetcarrier Salvation, and seducing multiple individuals.” He put it away and looked up.
“Come with us, gentlemen.” Lightshift said, his tone stern.
“Yes, it does, doesn’t it?” Grommet agrees. “Perhaps it simply escaped from its carrier and flew into engineering by happenstance?”
Facelift’s crew cautiously stow their weapons, as well.
Facelift sighs. “Well, so much for the civil discourse route, huh?” he laments. His accomplices redraw their weapons and surround the Splitter brothers, and Facelift himself produces a large, triple-barreled cannon that he holds in one hand. The cannon hums to life, and the weapons of Facelift’s associates prime in turn.
“Now, the last thing- the very last thing I want to happen as a result of this little impasse is for it to end in bloodshed one way or the other,” the cyclops says, regaining his confidence. “For the victor, this would likely entail a lot of paperwork and general unpleasantry that- trust me- no-one wants to slog through. So, as an alternative to this breaking out into a firefight and damaging my property and merchandise, I will present to you gentlemen this one- one alternative: walk away, forget all about the last ten-minutes-or-so’s proceedings, and continue about your day. You see, I believe this to be the preferable outcome to the situation, as all involved leave it alive, and free to continue as they have been.”
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“I’ll ask someone on the crew if anyone brought anything matching the description of the condor and its storage mode.” Zepar said. “If you don’t mind, I think it would be a good idea to not tamper with the condor, could be important.”
Lightshift and company procured their weapons as well.
Riot began snickering.
Grommet nods. “Very well,” he says.
Sprocket and Brakeswitch continue their project, glancing at the data displayed on the Omega Lock map and their various holo-screens.
Facelift tilts his head.
“Something funny, or are you the kind who breaks into fits of nervous laughter when staring certain death in the face?” the cyclops asks. “Either one’s fine with me, really.”
Riot laughed.
“We got you guys good!” he exclaims.
Fuse and Vigor begin to chuckle as well, and Thrust and Lightshift smile.
“Wait…” says Facelift. He and his crew begin to slowly lower their weapons.
“So… this is… just a… joke? A prank? A ‘gotcha’? An April Fool’s?”
“Thank you.” Zepar said, “Keep an eye on the Omega Map and who accesses it, we don’t want Bludgeon to get to it first.” He warned.
“I’m going to see what I can figure out this critter.” He told Grommet before heading off to the bridge to see if he could learn anything related to the condor.
Riot nods, still laughing.
His brothers begin to laugh as well.
Sprocket and Grommet both nod.
Slowly, Facelift joins them, laughing loudly and hysterically. The cyclops doubles over, hugging his sides as he continues to guffaw. His associates stare at him, dumbfounded.
“Ha-ha-HA! Oh, Primus, that was a good one!” Facelift agrees. “You really got us- no, really, you did! You really suckered me!”
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Lighthisft smiles and straightened up.
“But seriously. This is illegal.” He says. “Just a fair warning to you guys.”