randomplaces | Nexus. By the sign. Hormah

More Decepticons would be good, Scorponok thinks. It is harder to fight when it's just him and Blackout.

Iceberg starts again at the rubbing, then frowns. As Decepticon behaviours go, it could be much worse, and after the hit he took from the LOL, there's a lot of aches back there...

But you've got to have lines, and when you're a Minicon, you can't afford to take these things the way another Bulk would.

"Hey," he says sharply, looking up at Blackout and reaching back to catch her thumb in one hand. "Much as I appreciate a friendly Decepticon, I ain't a pet, here."

"No," she says absently, her optics still on Hormah. "But it would seem we're allies, if only for a time."

Then she blinks and carefully sets him down before reaching for Scorponok.

Hormah makes a very funny sound and looks mortified and astonished.

Scorponok takes to her hand willingly. Will there be scritches?

Iceberg gives Blackout a nod as he's set down. "Works for me." So long as she hasn't got the wrong ideas.

Then he blinks and looks at the kid. "What is it?"

Blackout hasn't many ideas at the moment, other than that the smaller bot has shown himself friendly and she'd responded accordingly. Scorponok gets a kiss and then the rubbing recommences on his back as Hormah looks at her smaller creator and says,

"What the @#$%&%$# was that?"

He raises his optic ridges. "What was what?"

"That noise!" She gives a very Minicon flail that makes Blackout's optic ridges rise.

"You mean the one that just came outta your vocaliser?"

"No it didn't!" Shifty optics.

"Too bad we all heard you, kid." He grins at her.

"Noooo!" More flailing, and then a pause to hold her head and beep some more.

"Come here," says Blackout quietly.

Hormah pauses and blinks, but then gets up and walks over unhesitatingly.

Iceberg chuckles at Hormah, then looks up at the Decepticon beside him, wondering with only slight wariness what she's going to do to the kid.

She's going to take Hormah's chin in her hand and scan her throughly, noting the similarities between the rookie and the little red bot, and the similarities between the rookie and herself. She won't say it, but she's very pleased with the steady but unchallenging way that Hormah's yellow optics look back at her and with the way she'd obeyed without question or flinching despite Blackout's intention to shoot her moments before.

//I like this one,// she tells Scorponok, then looks down at Iceberg. "You're sure you don't want her?"

Her. Not it.

Scorponok considers that. Blackout likes good things, usually. And if this one makes Blackout happy... then Scorponok is pleased.

Iceberg isn't so pleased with the obedience as she is, but for all he knows it's a trait from Blackout and not himself. It seems unlikely, but he can hope. He does like the lack of fear, though.

"It's not down to wanting," he says, watching the the two of them. "But my team's work environment isn't exactly rookie-friendly. And maintenance costs aside, she wouldn't get looked after properly tagging along with us." Youngsters need training, he reckons, and as much choice of company as possible, and inhabited places to roam around in - heck, so do his own guys, now and again. He gives Blackout a sidelong, assessing look. "Think she'd be all right with you?"

He's slightly surprised that the Decepticon sounds willing to take the kid. But Iceberg's never been one to turn down a good opportunity. This one doesn't seem too bad, and he's sure the youngster's tough.

Not that he doesn't have a couple of safeguards on the disks in his hand...

"Scorponok and I live in the Nexus now," rumbles Blackout, turning Hormah to examine her shell construction more thoroughly. "Though at the moment we're staying with another team while I'm repaired." No point in letting anyone think she's naturally this weak. "The other team has a rookie as well, so I don't think she'll get in the way too badly."

She blinks at the cheeky beep that the rookie gives in response to that, then gives her a gentle cuff upside the head and resumes her examination. "What's this?"

"Sounds pretty good." Iceberg nods, then moves over to see what Blackout's looking at. "What's what now?"

"It looks like some sort of connection port." She brushes the powerlink with a finger, frowning, then lifts a browplate as Hormah tries to squirm away from the touch.

Iceberg's expression abruptly shifts from startled to impassive as he looks away. "Yeah, that's... that's not for anything good. I'd get it disconnected pretty soon if I were you."

A thought strikes him and he looks back at the port to check if it's the kind found on a Bulk or a Minicon. With mixed tech, you never know, and it matters.

"What is it?" She frowns down at him, taking her hand away as Hormah continues to squirm.

It looks like it could be either, actually.

And that isn't a good sign. He'd rest easier if he knew it was a Bulk-type - there might be dangers with that, but not as many.

"Powerlinx tech," he says simply, staring at Hormah. "It's no use outside of worlds like mine, and no-one there's used it in years."

"What is powerlinx tech?" Her frown shifts slightly to scowl.

Hormah just sticks a hand over the port and scowls herself.

"Power-boosting technology," he says shortly. "Connects a Minicon to a B- an Autobot or Decepticon and gives the second one a temporary upgrade like you wouldn't believe. Like I said, the stuff's useless now."

She recalls his reaction to being picked up, then looks at the rookie and rumbles angrily. "Come here."

"No." Hormah sidles away, her hand still over the port.

"I said come here." Blackout's hand goes out demandingly.

"No!"

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