Easy Pickins

Log Title: Easy Pickins

Characters: Shockwave, Skywarp, Warlord

Location: China

Date: 2 August 2007

TP: Non-TP

Summary: Skywarp happens upon a badly wounded Warlord.

Skywarp has been "hiding out" at Xiqiao air base among the Chinese fighter jets. If the air base personnel think the presence of an American F-15 is odd, they don't express it.

After a while he gets bored and decides to take off and peruse the surrounding area for potential victims.

Warlord starts to awaken from where he crashed during battle with the Combaticons. His combat body is mangled below. The smaller Laser core support pod is trying to free itself, hearing the sound of jets in the sky. It looks up seeing a familiar looking, deadly design. "Ahh slag. Just stay still. Maybe he won't find me fun."

Skywarp scans as he flies along. It's not long before he picks up a signal; an Autobot signal. "Hey," he says gleefully, "a playmate!" He slows and goes into a shallow dive, his path taking him toward the wrecked form of Warlord. "Hmm, he don't look so good," he mumbles. "Hope there's still some play left in 'im. Heh."

Warlord stays very still, hoping the Decepticon doesn't pick up his life signs. He grumbles a bit as one of his systems sparks, betraying some activity. "You come any closer an' I'll slag you, seeker." he threatens.

Skywarp laughs harshly as he approaches. "Yeah? You an' what army?" He transforms and lands about fifty feet away, his feet thunking into the ground. "You don't look like you could slag a cyber-ant."

The black fighter jet seems to crack in half as its cockpit and nose section fold down toward the fuselage. The tailplanes swivel forward as the jet stands on its tail, the fuselage splitting in two and rotating outward to become a pair of arms. The jet's wings fold back, its nose tucks into the open space in the fuselage, and the robot's head emerges from within the nose of the vehicle.

Warlord snarls "Well. I can.." He says, trying to lift himself back into his battle body and reattach himself. "And my friends will be here any minute." He hopes Skywarp believes the ruse. It may just be the only thing he has on his side.

Skywarp cocks his head to one side. "Oh yeah? Like ta see ya try, bug-boy." He leers at the damaged Autobot and folds his arms across his chest. "Impress me."

Warlord chuckles. "Get a little closer." He says. "C'mon."

Skywarp laughs, and begins walking toward the spider-bot, fussing with his arm-mounted guns as he does so. "What'cha gonna do, leak on me?"

Warlord tries to claw up for Skywarp's optics with his sharp fingers. His hand falls right back to the ground. "Will rip them out.. make you eat them..."

Skywarp throws back his head and cackles. "It's only a flesh wound!" he laughs. He comes closer and gives Warlord a kick in the side. "You crack me up, Autobot!"

Warlord growls. "If you'd found me in one piece.." he states as his side is kicked. Something sparks badly, and starts to leak. "Great. Just great. He pauses. "Don't screamin' victims make it more fun?"

"Well, yeah," Skywarp admits, a pensive look coming over his face. He looks down at Warlord. "You gonna scream for me?"

Warlord chuckles. "No. You'll have to find someone else."

"Awww," the Seeker pouts, "not even a liitle? What if I shoot you a bit?"

Warlord pauses. "I ain' gonna scream. But I got somethin' for ya. BAT..erm. Drones. Come on out." He opens a hatch. Several small Spider drones crawl out of his chest and stare defiantly at the Seeker. What the slag are those?

Spiderdrones
Each of these drones stands about 9 feet off the ground. They are large, mechanical spiders, all of which are identical, with wide green bars to serve as optics on their squarish heads. Each of their backs are lined several minature missile launchers, ready to fire at any enemy that crosses them. Any number from one to ten of them can be seen at any given time. There are also smaller versions of these drones, which are about 3 feet in height that are unarmed and lined with brushes under their eight legs. These seem to serve a maintience purpose, and there are about fifteen of them in total, though usually not all of them are out at the same time. They follow Warlord around normally, like minature spider pets.

Skywarp chuckles. "Aww, are these your little babies?" He crouches down and reaches out a hand as if to pat one of the diminutive 'bots. "Hello, little spider babies!" He looks at Warlord, grinning. "You gotta be kidding me."

Warlord smiles at the drones. "Not at all. Optics, 7 5 and 9." the three tiny drones suddenly lunge for Skywarp's face with an odd chitter noise, moving to try to take out his face! He smiles triumphantly.

Skywarp shouts in surprise as the small robots leap onto his face and try to claw out his optics. He grabs at them and tries to throw them off, staggering about in a wobbly line.

Warlord chuckles and points to Skywarp. "Kick his aft, drones. COBRA!" He announces.

Warlord taunts "You ready to give up? Cause they aren't... Hey guys? You wanna literally kick his aft?" the three drones take the command literally and start to skitter over Skywarp's head, avoiding the punch and head to his rear. They start to kick at his aftplate. "Go for it, guys.."

The Spiderdrones land a series of kicks upon the Seeker's posterior. Skywarp wobbles forward, clearing his face of the drones, and whirls on the ones behind him. "You crazy freak!" he shouts, aiming his arm lasers at the drones, "I'll tear your little babies apart!"

Warlord forces a smile, though winces as he sees one of the drones fall. "Add in number four.." a fourth drone jumps in to replace the third. "You guys know better. One's down while another comes in.. start adding in lasers." the third starts to aim at his knees while the other two keep at his rear. "Don't give him quarter!"

Skywarp steps effortlessly out of the path of the laser attack. "Heh, just like an Autobot," he chuckles, "lousy shots." He grins suddenly. "I wish I had a chef's hat, because I'm about to make Spider Sandwiches!" He tosses himself backward in what amounts to a body slam on the two drones attacking his rear.

In the Southern horizon something begins to make it's way through the thick cloud cover. As it gets closer the dredd grows as it appears to be a 36 foot long giant ray gun flying effortlessly through the air at a high rate of speed.

Warlord winces a bit as two more drones fall. Two more rise to meet them, but these are the last two. "Gotta mke them count." the disabled Autobot says from his crumpled heap on the ground. "2, 3, 7, and 9. Make a circle around the seeker. Unleash everything. Give your all. If we're going down, we're going down like the spiderBATs we are. We're takin this seeker with us."

Skywarp is too involved in the fight to notice Shockwave's approach. As he picks himself off the ground, the Spiderdrones' missiles strike him in the chest, throwing off his balance and making him sit down hard. "Stupid bugs..." he mutters, raising an arm to fire off a few bursts from his machinegun at the offending critters.

The drones skitter to the left. "Allright guys you know what to do. Move in close and claw at his wings. Make sure he can't take off. We want him down and disassembled." Warlord commands. Disassembled? The drones move in, and start clawing at the Seeker.

Shockwave scans the situation, "The waste of energy and resources in this conflict is pointless, Skywarp. I shall terminate these pathetic drones, Personally." The massive weapon starts to charge, and glow purple from within.

Warlord chuckles. "It takes two of you. To take out three pathetic.. little drones.."

Skywarp scrambles back from the drones to be out of Shockwave's line of fire. "I can take 'em!" he says, somewhat petulantly. He swipes at the spiderdrones with both his fists, attempting to pound them into the ground.

Quick as a bunny, the drones avoid both the bash the drones look over at both attackers for a moment, before arming their missiles. "Keep on the seeker. Do not stop. No BAT under my command surrenders." Warlord states. "DOn't let the giant...Decepticon..warlord..distract you."

"This Pathetic show of force ends... Now!" Shockwave emits from his Massive Gun mode, as a Bright Flash emits from his barrel.

Warlord chuckles. "I think so too why don't you surrend.." He pauses as one of the drones is melted. "Ooohkay.. um. Ow.. ok. So there's only two of em left. Keep on going or..." he seems to be reconsidering. "This is the first..and the last time. You will ever see this. Drones. Retreat. Return to me." the drones start to scurry back to their master.

Skywarp shades his optics with a hand as the gamma rays strike the drones. "Wow." He stares at the melted bots for a moment, his mouth hanging open a bit. He looks at Shockwave. "Nice shot."

Shockwave reacts with an unemotional tone, "The shot was not Nice, it was Efficient." The large gun's barrel turns towards Warlord and emits, "You are beaten, Autobot. Flee, or I shall terminate your life force right here and now. This will be your only warning." A warm purple glow begins to emit from deep within the gun.

Warlord tries to stagger to his feet with a shower of sparks. His delapitated body remains still. "Come on..." He mutters to it, letting the drones back inside. "Slag.."

Skywarp stares Warlord down, folding his arms across his chest. "Not so tough now, are ya, Autobug? Heh!"

Shockwave emits, "Pathetic. Hardly worth the energy to terminate." A low hum is heard reverberating through his ray gun form, a glowing mass builds up inside the barrel and fires at the wounded Autobot.

Warlord takes the shot dead center mass. The Autobot's body doesn't exactly tear, but it melts, falling into two parts, with a audible scream of pain. The bottom half doesn't move at all. The top half offers a twitch, before it also goes dark as well. What a way to go. The Autobot can only hope he did not survive that.

Skywarp just stares. "Wow," he repeats. "Wow." He turns to Shockwave. "That was incredible!" he shouts. He walks over and gives Warlord a kick. "Stupid Autobot."

Warlord doesn't react at all to the kick. If he's alive, he doesn't show it.

Shockwave floats for a moment, that last shot took a lot out of him. He emits weakly towards the split body of Warlord, "Such is the fate of all who defy Shockwave. Illogical Autobot." The barrel which still has heat waves flowing off of it points towards the seeker, "Skywarp, report back to Trypticon and have any damage repaired. I want a report made on this encounter immediatly."

Skywarp nods. "Okay." He leaps into the air and transforms, gaining altitude quickly in a ballistic climb. "Reports?" he mutters as he departs, "I hate making reports..."