randomplaces | RiD-'verse. Some city. Survivors

REV: *heated argument with T-AI as he hides in his spying place* //I'm telling you, Joe's winning 'Survivor'!//

Hotshot: //REV... when I said it's our mission to spy on evil, that's not what I meant. /:-)//

REV: //You know I'm right! Oh... hello....//

Hotshot: //You're as bad as Crosswise. Did you know he was using his tractor beam to tip the odds?//

REV: //I just saw a red convertible. ...Wait, he what?//

Hotshot: //You know that game they were playing this morning?//

REV: //Yeah...? Hey, I'm going to follow this car.//

Hotshot: //Didn't you wonder why the clumsy one had no trouble staying on the log swings?// *pause* //Why, you want to make Sideburn jealous?//

REV: //Yeah, I did. And no. It's got a spark signature.//

Hotshot: //You can take Crosswise then.// *comms T-AI to ask about any new arrivals - they're sometimes behind on the Autobot news*

T-AI: //No... I haven't heard anything about anyone new coming.... Be careful, REV.//

REV: *sighs. You get hit by one train... and everyone fusses.* //Always am, T-AI. Hotshot, I'll meet him on the way.// *hops down from his hiding spot and goes into stealth mode.*

Hotshot: *chuckles and settles into REV's spot*

REV: *gunning silently along the streets, sometimes jumping up to buildings or guardrails to keep his quarry in sight. All his focus is on his job now, 'Survivor' far from his processor. Though he keeps a sensor open for his teammate.*

Crosswise: *slinks into the chase unseen and signals REV to let the other Spychanger know he's there* //All right, so it's not one of us, and- there's no way that's a Decepticon.//

REV: //Not with that lack of armor and size. It's fast, though.//

Crosswise: //Running around like that, it's either new to this neighbourhood or it's on its own- don't speed up for a second.//

REV: //What's up?//

Crosswise: //I'm cutting in front of where I think you are. There, you're good to go again.//

REV: *Scans the area and then starts as their quarry abruptly cuts toward an alley* //What... I think it saw us!//

Crosswise: *sticks with it* //More like heard us. We're kind of invisible here, remember?//

REV: //...Right. But how could it have... where'd it go?// *pauses and throws his sensor grid out in all directions* //Look up!//

*Five floors above them a slender red form is making like Spider-man up the side of the old building*

Crosswise: //I see it!// *revs his engine a bit and hops onto the wall. Shall we take this chase upstairs?//

REV: *follows* //I'm not letting some runty stranger beat us at our own game.//

Crosswise: //This guy has to climb. We can just drive on up.// *accelerates to catch up with the stranger*

REV: *accelerates in silence, then blinks inwardly as he notices something* //Girl//

*Their quarry glances down, and then slips onto the roof. The sound of tires on tar and gravel follows*

Crosswise: //I only have one gender gear and it's neutral. Come on, we need to be over the top before it ditches us.// *pause* //Or not. You go up top. I'll take a shortcut.//

REV: //Gotcha.// *speeds up slightly and arches over the top, then zips in pursuit* //She's heading for the edge.//

Crosswise: *has phased through the wall* //Which one?//

REV: //South. She's over the edge.// *following without a pause*

Crosswise: *cuts across and out the other side* //Whoohoo! Nothing like bending the laws of physics around your gearstick in the morning!//

REV: *chuckles over the link, starting to enjoy the chase*

*and the red bot is climbing again, this time using a fire escape that creaks with her progress*

Crosswise: *has to pull a fast U-turn* //Where does she think she's going?//

REV: //Up. Hold on, I'll try a shortcut of my own.// *zips across the open space, and through the wall* //She knows we're here. Try calling her to stop?//

Crosswise: //Roger.// *decloaks and speeds up a little* Hey there, pull over!

Cometchaser: *shows no sign of having heard him.*

Crosswise: *switches to radio hails* //Autobots: pull over! We need to talk to you!//

*The red femme continues forward for several paces, but then pauses and cocks her head, grey optics scanning the area as she tries to find her other pursuer. Those optics narrow, and then go wide with surprise as REV pops through the roof in front of her and snatches her off her feet.*

REV: Gotcha!

Cometchaser: *kicking and struggling in total silence, her face full of fright*

REV: *is kicked* Hey, calm down, I'm not going to... ow?

Crosswise *catches up and transforms* It's all right, friend, we're not here to hurt you.

REV: *as she continues to try and escape* Hey, stop it.... Hey.... *Blares horn*

Cometchaser: *feels the vibration and looks up at his face, her brow ridges raising as she sees the lack of threat there. Then she taps the side of her helm, which bears no audio receiver, and shakes her head.

Crosswise: No... brain? Seriously, now... *scanning*

REV: //So much for my new paint. I knew it was too good to last. Hotshot, we have her. But we're experiencing some communication difficulties.//

Cometchaser: *notices the Autobot mark and looks guilty. Text databurst* [I can't hear you. But I can read.]

Hotshot: //What kind of difficulties?//

Crosswise: *optics flicker* Got it. [All right, then. Let's start by asking who you are and what you're doing on this little planet.]

REV: //She's damaged somehow and can't hear us.// *tilts his head down to catch what she has to say*

Cometchaser: [Cometchaser. I'm an anthropologist who studies organic races and cultures. I've been here for several years.]

Crosswise: [We weren't informed about that. Didn't you get the memo we were coming?]

Hotshot: //Do you need any help, or can you and Crosswise take care of it?// *contemplating whether the Survivors' campfire could use a little nudge*

REV: //I think we're good.// *belatedly sets the femme down on her feet.

Cometchaser: *blinks as she's set down and garbles her transmission, then tries again* [I did. But I didn't think it would interfere with my work.]

Hotshot: //All right, then. Let me know how it turns out, won't you?// *off to sneak up on some wannabe jungle chefs*

REV: //Gotcha.// *closes link and focuses on the conversation at hand, which is a wee bit hard to catch*

Crosswise: *chuckle* [It might, if a couple of Spychangers run across an unknown bot with no authorization.] *serious now* [Or if the Decepticons did.]

Cometchaser: *looks up at him seriously* [I've managed to avoid them so far... you mean those mechs that work with the Predacons, right?]

Crosswise: [I wouldn't call it 'working with', but it sounds like you know who I mean. Trust me, you can't take any chances about avoiding them.]

Cometchaser: [I'm good at avoiding people. If you two hadn't cheated....]

REV: [Hey, if you can't hear, how did you know we were there?]

Crosswise: [Everyone on this planet cheats- good question, REV.] *frown*

Cometchaser: *looking back and forth between them, her optics intent as she tries to work out the overlapping transmissions* [I saw you.]

Crosswise: [Saw what?] *He was sure their stealth modes were close to perfect on the light bending- and now his processor's racing to work out where the problem might be.*

Cometchaser: [There's a ripple as you pass. It's just tiny, but I notice things.]

REV: *...say it isn't so...*

Crosswise: [Slag.] *He's going to be working extra time for a week trying to fix that, and he knows it.*

Cometchaser: *suddenly goes very still as her optics fall on something across the street on a taller building* [Is that camera yours?]

REV: ..... [What camera?]

Crosswise: *glances at him and resists the urge to look at the camera* //T-AI, can you remote access any cameras near our position?// *Unless it's got 'con shielding, the AI ought to be able to tap it.*

T-AI: //...There aren't any cameras near your reported position, Crosswise.//

Cometchaser: *looks at the guys, wondering if they're talking*

Crosswise://Then I've got a feeling we're the ones being tracked.// [I think we just failed to avoid the 'Cons' notice.]

Cometchaser: *scared and trying to hide it, though it shows. Looks at REV as his mouth moves in curse words.*

REV: *looks at the sky in the direction that she said the camera was in* [I don't see anything.]

Crosswise: [You don't see me when I'm in stealth mode, either.]

REV: *gives a few more choice words*

Cometchaser: [So... they know I'm here.]

Crosswise: [But they don't know who you are. So we'd better not make them interested. REV, any ideas? You're the tactician around here.]

REV: *looks down into those sharp and worried grey optics* [She's Autobot. Do we want to trust her with our whereabouts?]

Crosswise: [I'm more worried about if Megatron thinks she knows them... hey, think we can convince them she's one of us in disguise? Then they wouldn't be looking for an extra Autobot...]

REV: [...No problem. And I know just how to do it, too.]

Crosswise: *smirk* [Take it away, maestro.]

REV: *looks at Cometchaser and speaks aloud as well as sending the text burst* [Go along with everything we do.] Alright, Mirage, you nearly won this round. But I still get to call in the vote tonight.

Cometchaser: *stares at him funny but nods*

Crosswise: *chuckle* I have to admit, that's the last disguise I'd expect anyone to pick... except maybe for Megatron.

REV: //Don't forget to say something she can see, too!//

Crosswise: *curses over the radio and repeats himself in text quickly* //Good thing that mode's so compressed...//

Cometchaser: *perks and responds to prompting from REV... and proves herself a much better actor than the two Spychangers* *seems to say in Mirage's voice* The only thing I have to worry about with this disguise is that idiot Sideburn. Who would think a little thing with no armor was really one of us? *laughs*

REV: *projecting the words, then adds in his own voice* I still get to call in the vote.

Cometchaser: Joe's winning anyway.

Crosswise: //REV, please. We're trying to fool someone here!// *text and voice* With what the Predacons think are targets? They'll probably kidnap the contestants tonight.

REV: *ditto* .... We'd better get into position.

Cometchaser: Even the Decepticons think that the Predacons are a joke.

REV: *voice and text* [Go East. We'll go West.]

Cometchaser: Gotcha [understood. ...what are you making me say?]

REV: *charming grin* [The truth.]

Crosswise: *voice and text* Oh no. Don't tell me you want us to guard them all night. ><

REV: We're here to protect. *slightly stern* //Hotshot, we suspect the Predacons might make an attack on the 'Survivor' set. We're going to keep an eye on it tonight.//

Cometchaser: >_< *boys are silly*

Hotshot: *has part of the campfire in one hand and is trying to shoo the other part back onto where it's supposed to be before the contestants notice* //I'm not sure that's necessary, REV...//

Crosswise: Who's going to protect us from listening to them?

REV: //Of course it is! Millions of people are watching that! We can't let it be interfered with by bots with dastardly agendas.//

Cometchaser: *can go now?* *fidgeting and looking around*

Hotshot: //I know, but it depends...// *shoo, little fireball! Shoo!*

Crosswise: *looks between REV and Cometchaser* //REV? You'll have to tackle me in a second.// *text-voice, to Cometchaser* Quick, let's get away while he's on the comm.*

REV: *suddenly suspicious* //Hotshot, according to my readings you're on the set... what are you doing... wait...//

Whut? *his head swivels as Cometchaser books it*

Hotshot: *stuffs the handful of fire behind his back on instinct* *there, there, it's almost there* //I'm making sure Ironhide and Mirage don't cheat. What do you think I'm doing?//

Croswise: *bolt*

REV: *pounces instinctively* Oh no! You're not getting out of this! //You don't even watch that show, Hotshot... do you?//

Cometchaser: *she's gone gone gone, she's ben gone so long....*

Crosswise: *yelp* Aagh! Have a spark, REV!

Hotshot: //No, but we're not supposed to interfere in human, ah... industry.// *wonders why this fire seems to like him so much*

REV: *aloud and over the com* //We'll be there in ten.//

Hotshot: *mutter* If there's anything left in ten. //If you're that concerned about it.// *eyes the fireballs* Come on, you're due on camera in three minutes.

Crosswise: *looks in the direction their red friend left* Lucky Mirage. At least one of us got away...

REV: //Exactly. We're on our way.// *suspicious bot is suspicious, yup* Mirage will get his. Transform and roll out. *shifts himself and goes stealth mode*

Crosswise: Ohh boy... *follows suit*

Hotshot: *working under pressure, does get one fireball back onto the actual fire*

Ironhide: *arrives on the set with Mirage* Hey!

Mirage: *quietly boggling at his leader*