Nexus. Blue's Bar. There and Back Again cont'd

[lumina-mechnics.livejournal.com]

((From here))

As Random finishes his Sunrise, deciding what exactly to do next, he takes a look around the bar . . .

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[random_xtras]

Arcee's busy closing her datapad down and putting it into a small lockbox, which she gets up and brings behind the bar. This done, she glances around, and then nods to the suddenly alert Keg before giving a quick glance toward Random to see what he's up to.

Then she pauses to snark dryly at a comment from Pink.

[lumina-mechnics.livejournal.com]

Random's about done with his Sunrise and looks like he's about to get up from his chair, but he glances over in the direction of movie!Blackout's 'gang' as if considering if anyone there would bother him if he tried to confront Arcee over by the bar.

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Arcee growls and puts out more unprintable content, then continues toward the door. "Whatever. I have a race to run."

[lumina-mechnics.livejournal.com]

"You probably shouldn't do that when you're this ticked off, Arcee. 'Road rage' impairs thinking and causes errors that normally wouldn't happen. . . . . At least tell me what's bothering you the most?"

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"I'm busy!" *click* The femme shot him a look, and then slapped her number on her windshield and transformed.

[lumina-mechnics.livejournal.com]

What the slag was he supposed to do?

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"Yeah. On little five lap races like this there isn't much need for it." Keg decides he's satisfied with everything here and straightens to lean on the top of the protective barrier and watch the race. Which Arcee is leading.

[lumina-mechnics.livejournal.com]

"That's reassuring," despite how relieved he should be, he sounds sarcastic. He frowns a bit as well as he leaves the tools alone and watches the race.

[random_xtras]

"No," says Fender unhappily. "Unless there's one at Blue's."

//Are her systems fried or just shut down?// asks Blue anxiously.

"It was a drone, and my EMP burned its processor out." Keg drops the sniper on the ground next to them and then levels a warning look at Fender.

[lumina-mechnics.livejournal.com]

His processor hits the wall and he starts to cuss under his breath as he searches through his subspace pocket. Darn it! He's not a fraggin' medic!

//Just shut down. There a medic there?//

"Good," replies absently to Keg as he continues to search his pockets. "Anyone here got energon or portable generator on them? Or would be willing to share energy?" He pulls out a few items out of subspace, drops them, and opens her chest plate.

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"Help me get Arcee into Keg's bed." She looks at him quizzically from where she's kneeling by her friend's head. Hormah is no where in sight.

Fender straightens the knee with difficulty, wincing at the almighty crack it makes, and then sighing with relief before he turns his attention back to what's going on.

[lumina-mechnics.livejournal.com]

He looks around a bit confused when he doesn't see Hormah but focuses on the situation at hand quickly enough. "Sure." He takes a similar position at Arcee's feet, and then gives Fender a "What the heck?" look before regaining focus on the matter at hand.

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//I'm surprised you haven't met her already.// Blue sounds absent as she says this last, and remains silent as she speeds up slightly. //Maybe we should have PINpointed. But I didn't think of it.//

[lumina-mechnics.livejournal.com]

//Really? I'm actually a bit glad.// Okay, the whole absent speaking and going silent thing? Not helping. Especially when acceleration is involved. It makes it creepy! // . . . Why?// He explores the world around him with his sensors.

[random_xtras]

The silence is banished as Keg sidesteps toward the jukebox after locking the door and turns on something soft and thoughtful. He doesn't follow once they're inside, instead looking around and starting to tidy up.

Blue continues up the stairs and down the hallway they lead to, passing the apartment that was once Arcee's and instead bringing Random and his burden to the small room that holds her own berth. It's got the feel of a barrack room; rather empty and impersonal but for a small framed image of Cybertron on the wall over the berth and opposite the door.

[lumina-mechnics.livejournal.com]

Random is grateful for Keg's action and continues to be as thoughtful with his caution as he had with the doorway as he follows Blue up the stairs and to her quarters.

He did not take more time than necessary to look at his surroundings as they made their way, knowing that he might have a chance to take a more leisurely look later and that this area wasn't commonly seen by the everyday visitor to the bar. At it so happens, Random doesn't take a long look around the room until he's settled Arcee on the berth with as much care as he'd picked her up initially.

[random_xtras]

She makes a small sound of discomfort and falls back. "Hurt."

//He used to hang around the edges of things all the time till we got Keg,// says Blue grimly. //And then I saw that drone come into the bar a few times and buy drinks.//

[lumina-mechnics.livejournal.com]

"Lay still. EMPs are pretty nasty stuff. . . . Any particular place?"

//Arg// he sighs irritably over the comm //Rotten slagger. The drone's probably his!// From his tone, if he wasn't conversing with her over comm, he'd probably be glaring darkly at some defenseless object in the room.

[random_xtras]

Her tank empties abruptly and thoroughly, and then she sags, her face screwed up with discomfort and weariness.

"Why...?"

Then she startles as a tap sounds at the door and Hormah calls softly. "Ye still after needin' a medic?"

[lumina-mechnics.livejournal.com]

The bucket's close enough at the time of eruption that it catches most if not all of the purged energon, and his hand remains firmly gripped on her shoulder even after she's done.

When he's sure she's not gonna purge anymore, he moves the bucket away from her so he can see just how much she purged. " . . . Hmm. Almost needed another one."

The tap interrupts before he has the time to answer Arcee.

"Um, yeah, considering she just like, purged her entire tank, I think we do."

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The room is small, and as Hormah goes in further Blue finds herself edged through the door. "Erm... Random?"

[lumina-mechnics.livejournal.com]

He soon notices this and tries to make sure he's not in Hormah's way.

"Um . . . yeah?" he replies, giving Blue permission to continue.

[random_xtras]

"No." Keg frowns and looks at the spot where he left it, then checks the floor and scans around. "I think it teleported. But I know where it's going, anyway."

Then he returns his attention to the part in Random's hand. "So was I right? And what's all this? You don't need stuff that complex for a simple remote."

[lumina-mechnics.livejournal.com]

Well, so much for one of them infiltrating the place when the 'bot tried to retrieve his drone.

"So he probably already knows we've got the rest of it then. Hmm." No, don't start thinking--Wait. "Hopefully he doesn't decide to split."

"Yep, this is definitely 'some kind of remote control.'" He turns the part over in his hand a few times in examination. "One that takes orders from the controlling bot's thoughts and turns them into action. . . . This kind of remote ain't as simple as you'd think. The part that allows some drones to take verbal commands is about--if not as or more--complex as this one."

[random_xtras]

"Yes, sir." Keg looks up as he finishes the programming, then steps out of range and vanishes.

[lumina-mechnics.livejournal.com]

Great. Waiting. He turns more towards the bar, picks up one of the drone parts and puts it down again. Sigh.

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Hormah winces and looks at him, then reaches over and puts a gentle hand on his arm. "Random?"

And Blue has withdrawn into the stairwell and is facepalming at herself.

[lumina-mechnics.livejournal.com]

He doesn't appear to have heard her as he takes Blue's reaction as a confirmation. He opens his mouth a couple times but can't seem to get anything out.

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Hormah turns and frowns at him suspiciously. "Random, where's Keg to?"

[lumina-mechnics.livejournal.com]

He didn't like the way she just homed in on him just now.

Great. Thanks, Keg.

"I told you he'd been eager to dismantle that drone."

[random_xtras]

Hormah puts her toys away and turns to smack Keg upside the head, then shoves him over and starts looking at him to see where that leak's coming from, deedlebeeping vehemently all the while.

"Uh..." says the young bouncer. "I... understand Minicon."

"Good!"

Blue's just frozen.

[lumina-mechnics.livejournal.com]

That's a lot of fluid. He'd get out his scanner thingy again but he's almost afraid to know.

Heck, maybe getting that thing out would help.

It's all binary to him!

[random_xtras]

"Yellow Ratchet's after comin' t'rough here some regular," she notes, her voice soothing as she watches Keg struggle to stay conscious and wonders at the rookie's lack of fear.

Blue, meanwhile, is doing a very credible job of not hovering, though she's standing at a good distance for both staying out of the way and letting Keg know that she's there.

[lumina-mechnics.livejournal.com]

He takes that as an okay to finish the tape so he does so.

"Keg gonna be able to hold anything down?" Hint. Hint.

He takes a closer look at Keg's hip injury, wiping away the excess fluid.

[random_xtras]

The blue femme pushes open a door near her own room, revealing a lined closet large enough to comfortably hold an average G1 mech. "Blue button's hot water. Red button's UV. Green is some kind of cleaning ray I can never remember the name to, but which feels good."

[lumina-mechnics.livejournal.com]

He nods at her, indicating he's heard what she's said. Now, if his tired processor can comprehend and remember that will be the true test! "Thanks."

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"She'll have Keg and I to watch over her, too. We don't know if the guy that was stalking her was working for anyone else, so we're playing it safe." She lowers her head to her arms again, but then looks up once more and tilts her head at him. "You look like you're going to fall over."

[lumina-mechnics.livejournal.com]

"That's good . . ."

Mech, he hadn't realized how much he was leaning on the post. He straightens himself up a bit. "This past . . . however long it's been--has felt like weeks."

[random_xtras]

"Alright then." She gives him a wan smile. "See you then, I guess."

[lumina-mechnics.livejournal.com]

It takes him a couple times, but he finds his PINpoint and takes it out of subspace. "Yeah. See you later, Blue." He presses a button on his PINpoint and is swept away . . .