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Post by commissarfaytality on Aug 4, 2020 11:25:59 GMT -7
Shadow agreed "Very good, we shall have to be careful the area seems quite fragile" she responded over the comms.
Looking at the humans she hummed slightly "I understand, I wish you all the fortune for your holiday" Shadow nodded at them and with a flap of her wings she launched herself into the sky intending to keep an eye over the humans as they left. "I'll keep an eye on them from up here until they reach safety" she transmitted down remembering that the children still had her spare communicator, but decided not to bring it up for now. Forming a circling survey pattern for now Shadow would wait until they had reached safety before landing near the new hole in order to fulfill their new task to explore the ruins.
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Elegance
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Post by Elegance on Aug 5, 2020 1:22:53 GMT -7
The humans and the Autobots exchanged farewells, thank yous, and promises to meet again, before the mothers and children hastened away, out of the car park and away from the castle. While Elegance surveyed the castle grounds and guarded the great hole, Shadow watched from above with a dragon's-eye view. But Bombshell made no further appearances, for now, perhaps deciding that threatening the family again was too much trouble for too little gain.
When Shadow landed again, Elegance informed her 'I've reported this to local human and Autobot authorities, but this is rather out of the league of the Sussex Constabulary and Autobot reinforcements are at least an hour away. Until then, we have permission to handle this, and Bombshell, ourselves.'
The Spy Changer turned toward the crumbling hole, calculating how she could jump back in without causing further collapse, and wondering whether she'd ever get out again afterward. 'What do you propose?'
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Post by commissarfaytality on Aug 9, 2020 3:50:52 GMT -7
After landing Shadow moved carefully over to where Elegance was waiting and sat down on her haunches. "Well, the biggest question would be, how heavy are you? By design I am quite light and nimble so I could explore down below with relative levels of safety; retreating if it looks too structurally dangerous." Shadow paused for a moment looking down stretching out her tail to keep her balance and looking down in a move which would be foolish on anyone who didn't have a decent counter-balance, or wings. "I am capable of carrying you, but only for short distances. I am not quite designed for carrying extra passengers, my creator wanted quick and agile for her particular brands of weapon design, Arctic was never one for large things. 'Small, but packs a punch' is what she'd say" she spoke conversationally as though contemplating things and letting her mouth run for a moment as her higher processors ran over calculations and her sensors scanned the area around the crumbling castle. Perhaps Bombshell was smart or perhaps he'd be dumb enough to try to get close whilst she was distracted? Or he might be off doing something else for now, Shadow wasn't a tactician, she was an ambush predator and so more than a little out of her depth.
"Though perhaps we should put a cordon up? It wouldn't be a good idea to get other people involved. Whatever the bug wants is here, so he will eventually return for it, we could lay an ambush for him?" the dragon was not used to working with others and it showed, but she was trying, and may have slightly over compensated for it by sharing too much.
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Elegance
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Post by Elegance on Aug 13, 2020 5:08:12 GMT -7
'How heavy? I'm not sure that's a question one is supposed to ask a lady...' Elegance quipped, in reference to a human idiosyncrasy, while still scanning the hole and assessing its structural integrity. 'Let's say I also have a light sports-car frame, and I'll toss the sword in first and leave the stereo system and picnic basket behind.'
She mused for a while on Shadow's suggestions, rubbing her chin in an affection she'd picked up from humans. 'Perhaps, but this Insecticon has a very small alt-mode, and some sort of stealth capability. Whatever cordon or ambush we set, Bombshell is bound to find a way around, over, through, or under it... And this hole also might not be the only way in – he could slip through any crevice in the cliff and find another way in to his prize. I presume that's what he intended until I, ah, put my foot in it.' she added with an embarrassed grin. Maybe she didn't have such a light sports-car frame after all. 'Still, tactics were not my strong point in the War, so I'll go with whatever you propose?'
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Post by commissarfaytality on Aug 22, 2020 11:16:16 GMT -7
Shadow tilted her head slightly and simply decided not to comment as she wasn't quite sure what was meant by that. "Yes it'd be a good idea to leave extra things behind" she agreed as she stretched out to get a good look below, thankfully being quadrupedal meant she could distribute her weight in order to avoid breaking more of the fragile soil. "So far my sensors and visual ques don't see any large issues below, but there is an extensive cave network" she sat back a little away from the edge and chirred thoughtfully.
"He has proven himself a coward before, also he infected Mary before we came running over so it stands to reason that he is too scared to go down himself. Perhaps he plans for us or another to get it for him and then ambush us as we get out. It would be a sensible tactic; after all following us down would increase his risk chances quite significantly." Shadow spoke quietly and also opened up a heavily encrypted comm channel, 'I am not particularly tactically savvy myself, I was designed to be a hunter and killer. I am an ambush predator, but that does have it's advantages. He will not likely try the same tactic twice, and he is now aware that I am a predator and can breathe fire, so I doubt he will attack head on. So we set an ambush of our own, a counter tactic if you will; but first we must choose our battlefield'
She looked down below and adjusted her stance before looking up and around, mantling her wings to give the impression of a secret conversation, speaking quietly but loud enough that if the insecticon really tried he would hear them, walking the fine line between misinformation and obvious trap "We should go down, and then when we've found what it is, call it in. It'd be best to get specialists in to check once we know more" Shadow hoped Elegance got the hint, bug, Bombshell might be, but in the dark was Shadow's domain and she was more than adequate to defend it.
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Elegance
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Post by Elegance on Aug 28, 2020 3:23:47 GMT -7
Elegance pondered the problem for a while, before musing over their encrypted comms channel. 'Bombshell chose to let James catch him, but waited to implant his cerebro-shell in one of the adult humans. He might've wanted a spy among us to see if we knew what he was after. When I fell in the hole, he had to change plans and use Mary to scout for him, to find it before we did, or steal it if we did. But you're right, he is a coward – so far, he's hidden behind clones, humans, and even children. So we can expect more deceit and distraction from him.' Then she came to a plan, or something near enough to one. 'Alright, let's go back down the hole. We can ambush him if he comes in behind us, or else find whatever he's after first. At the least, he'll have less hiding places and hostages.'
Aloud, following Shadow's lead in adding a little misinformation of their own, she added flippantly, 'Indeed, and if nothing else, we get to play at being Howard Carter. Or maybe Lara Croft... Do we have any great Cybertronian archaeologists?'
Regardless, Elegance unpacked the junk from her trunk, then tossed her sonic sword down the hole. Humming with power, it landed point first in the rubble pile, thrumming with vibration until it steadied. 'Okay, how would you like me?' She held her arms out, expecting Shadow might want to clutch her by the shoulders or arms, as dragons tended to do.
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Post by commissarfaytality on Aug 30, 2020 14:28:56 GMT -7
Shadow nodded 'Indeed, an interesting move on his part. His rather spectacular blowing of his cover was quite astounding, you think he'd have more patience but...it appears not.' She paused for a moment contemplating Elegance's plan 'Yes I think it would be the best course of action open to us, my stealth field is accessible again should we need it. Also he doesn't appear to be the overly subtle type, we will likely hear him coming before we see him' she added the last part with a slightly humorous lilt to her tone as caves were known to enhance echoes.
"Not that I am aware of, but that does not mean they don't exist" she really wouldn't know Shadow's historical knowledge was basically none existent.
Circling around Elegance once, Shadow hmm'd to herself before moving behind. She ended up basically climbing up Elegance's back (mindful of her own claws), and gripped her companion under her arms with her forelegs, Shadow's hind claws griping at Elegance's hips. 'Leaves your arms free to shoot if you need to' she added over the comms, as she flicked out her tail and spread her wings "On the count of three, one...two....three!" on the final word Shadow's wings gave a mighty beat lifting both of them into the air with a slight lurch. They reached a height of about two meters and the strain on Shadow's wing servos was audible; but she showed no worry or concern as she carried them carefully down the hole, using her prehensile tail to counterbalance, as they slowly descended into the gloom.
Once she had gently put them both down with a slight judder, Shadow carefully dropped down and checked over her wing joints. "As I expected, you were within my tolerable limits, no damage done. Though much more and we'd be telling a different story. Perhaps I should let you get on my back next time" she tried to smile; but reptilian faces really weren't made for it.
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Elegance
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Post by Elegance on Aug 31, 2020 0:08:44 GMT -7
'Okay, but mind the paintwork.' Elegance fussed, but not altogether seriously, as Shadow's claws gripped a gentle hold of her body. Being picked up like cargo, or a dragon's prey, was a peculiar experience, even after all her adventures. 'I have to say, this all feels rather undigni—fied!' Elegance squealed as she was abruptly dragged up into the air. Not that she could complain too much, after her automobile acrobatics earlier, and one notable scrap with Slipstream that had seen her dropping off a tower atop the jet. She was used to getting air, she just preferred it under her own power.
But before she could worry about it, she was back in the cavern and her feet were touching down on the stone floor. Freed, Elegance turned around to check on Shadow; 'You're okay?' she confirmed before Shadow's assessment. She rolled and flexed her own arms, where the joints had borne a bit of Elegance's own weight, but she felt comfortable enough.
Elegance retrieved her sonic sword and transformed it back into her sheath. 'Well, that was easier than her first time. What would you like to do first?' she asked, clarifying over their encrypted channel, 'Wait here for Bombshell, or search for whatever he's after?'
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Post by commissarfaytality on Sept 1, 2020 14:56:55 GMT -7
Shadow flicked her wings slightly settling them to her back once she was certain they were comfortable. Elegance's squeak had been a bit amusing, Shadow was not quite used to carrying off live prey and had found the effort somewhat rewarding, dead things don't make silly noises after all.
"Well it does help to have wings, air resistance and surface area are useful things for making a controlled descent" she replied offhandedly as she looked around the room that had revealed itself when Elegance had fallen through it. Looking like a curious and slightly sulky cat as she did so.
'Move on and find the object, this place wouldn't work for a second ambush, he's aware of how I'd make it out to attack him. No we need somewhere new that he doesn't know about...also somewhere dark and narrow' she trailed off and sighed over the comms 'or at least somewhere that we can make the most advantage of our abilities' out loud she spoke "I think we should go towards where Mary was going first, it looks like it could be interesting, still I hope there are no traps which involve boulders...I'm not quite sure why that's so popular?" Shadow had never seen Indiana Jones but there were often references made in her hearing so she mistakenly believed it to be an actual method of trapping a place.
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Elegance
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Post by Elegance on Sept 4, 2020 2:21:00 GMT -7
'I believe it's because large boulders don't require as much aim as a dart, spear, or concealed laser turret.' Elegance mused, shining her chest-mounted headlights to illuminate the way ahead. The high-beams lanced through the dusty darkness, picking out the distant stone columns of the cavern. She scanned across, searching for the passage that Mary, under Bombshell's control, had been making for earlier. 'Anyway, it would take a big boulder to do us serious damage. Anything less that could threaten a human would just bounce off our legs. And after that collapse, a falling boulder wouldn't need to be part of a trap.'
Finding the tunnel, Elegance announced 'Ah, here we are.' and started striding towards it. Fortunately, though it might be tight, it was large enough to accommodate her height and even the two Transformers walking side by side. Funny that. Elegance stopped and examined the walls, where massive stone columns or pillars topped by lintels provided support, while the spaces between were packed with concrete. One gap was empty, and the tunnel ran through here. Above, stone blocks rose into a vast vaulted ceiling. 'Did you see this? This isn't a natural cavern. This was built by humans, in different phases. These pillars are natural silcrete, what they call "sarsen", probably erected during their Stone Age. The concrete would've been put in during or after the Roman Occupation. Then they added the roof, in the late Dark Ages, before William the Conqueror put a castle around the top.'
Elegance turned around, panning her twin beams of light slowly across the whole space. As they looked, it was clear these pillars formed a huge ring around the cavern. And a very familiar one. Elegance looked to Shadow with a smile. 'Have you even seen Stonehenge?'
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Post by commissarfaytality on Sept 5, 2020 12:58:49 GMT -7
"It is still a strange idea, and inconvenient it might not hurt, but it would certainly be irritating" Shadow replied nonchalantly as she nosed around. Before heading for the correct tunnel she checked her peripheral vision to see if they were being followed.
"So ancient human construction built in cliffs, though I'd imagine it was further inland when this was built?" she trailed off as she checked the stones as they passed through sniffing them gently and checking the overarching stones. This must have some importance, the amount of upgrades and care that had been put into it were very impressive. She also kept her optics and sensors active to ensure that they weren't about to be ambushed themselves, and to find her own idea of potential ambush spots.
"Went to see it once, it's a fascinating piece of construction. Though to be honest I don't quite understand the hype." She replied thinking about her visit to Stonehenge and all the people who'd seen her there...it had been an interesting visit. Many photos had been taken that day.
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Elegance
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Post by Elegance on Sept 14, 2020 2:45:39 GMT -7
'Yes, or on top of the cliff, then buried in a kind of great mound.' Elegance proposed, looking up and scanning the ceiling, still a little wary of those falling boulders or another collapse around her. 'Whatever it was, they went to a lot of effort to keep this place safe and hidden. There must've been something very valuable inside...' she mused.
She shone her headlights further down the tunnel, but they still had a way to go before they came to the end. 'Well, it's what early humans used to tell the time, before they had atomic chronometers. They're a bit big to be practical, of course – only a Titan could wear one.'
Elegance turned to Shadow, asking curiously 'Do you detect that? There's an energy source ahead.'
But what Shadow sensed was behind them – the faint scratching of claws on stone, pebbles clinking and tumbling. Bombshell was creeping in behind them.
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Post by commissarfaytality on Sept 19, 2020 10:25:03 GMT -7
Shadow nodded "Yes, it was very carefully constructed and taken great pains to hide" she looked around and flicked her tail to brush away some of the gravel on the floor.
"I don't quite understand why they were so large though" Shadow pondered out loud and added on the end "It took great effort to make and yet they could have made some smaller ones instead they made a huge one which would otherwise be very impractical"
Shadow's optics narrowed a little as Elegance spoke "Indeed I do, I feel that we are going to reach it soon" she spoke at the same normal tone of voice and checked her communications systems and upped the algorithms for encryption just a little 'We have company' she kept her passive scanning active. 'As soon as I find an area which is secure enough I'll break off and camouflage, hopefully we'll catch him by surprise if he gets too close beforehand do you have a plan?'
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Elegance
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Post by Elegance on Sept 20, 2020 2:20:47 GMT -7
'Well, humans, like Cybertronians, do tend to believe bigger is better,' Elegance remarked in answer to Shadow, before noting curiously 'But we might not be the first Cybertronians to have been here – Susan saw big footprints in the dust back there, and this place is built to our propotions... I think I'm starting to see why Bombshell is so interested in that place.'
She glanced back and scanned the tunnel behind them. 'You have good audio sensors... We can't let him catch us in the tunnel, especially if it comes to a shoot-out. We have no cover or room to move, we'll be trapped or he'll retreat... I'm getting echoes of a chamber up ahead. We can ambush Bombshell there.'
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Post by commissarfaytality on Sept 20, 2020 10:47:26 GMT -7
"It is, I find, something of a fallacy to think that, some of the most dangerous things are the smallest" Shadow replied thoughtfully as she considered the area that she wandered through. "You are not wrong, no humans grow to be this size and most of their creatures that can are not found on this island, it does lead to interesting conclusions and some more questions" she replied as she walked forwards keeping her senses sharp, but making it appear that she was checking some tracks in the dirt.
'I am an ambush predator, sharp senses are required in order to ensure I catch my prey. Yes I am sensing that too, I might be able to climb the walls and take him out from above this time. My weight crashing into him should at least knock him over, what do you think?' Shadow knew that Elegance knew this prey better than her and so thought it wise to check her ambush plan with her ally first. 'I can always bite his head off' she added in a slightly amused tone.
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Elegance
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Post by Elegance on Sept 21, 2020 1:55:33 GMT -7
'What, and have him come back as a Headmaster? No thank you.' Elegance returned with a raised eye and a wry grin. 'Speaking of which, my energon arrow struck his left optic, so assuming it's not another clone, he should have a blindspot on his left. I'll attack from that side with my sonic sword.'
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Post by commissarfaytality on Sept 21, 2020 14:21:22 GMT -7
'Huh I think you do require something of the head left for that; still I should crush his head cannon thingy first' she responded thoughtfully 'getting shot with that would not be pleasant' she nodded to Elegance's addition to the plan 'Yes that would work, he does not seem to have an advanced sensor array and has been largely tracking us by our voices and tracks.'
Shadow frowned and hmm'd out loud and spoke in normal tones as though she was not aware of the approaching threat, "I may need to dig up whatever is ahead it appears to be slightly buried, perhaps if you dimmed your lights slightly we might be able to see it's glow?" This of course was completely fabricated, as she allowed Elegance to know over their comm link, but if Bombshell did not look up when he entered the chamber because he thought Shadow was trying to dig a hole further in. Well all the better for their ambush.
Upon entering the chamber Shadow made a show of rushing off ahead, acting like an excited puppy, making sure she was just far enough into the darkness before acting her camouflage and stealthily double backing to jump/climb up a nearby wall, making good use of her long sharp talons to dig into the rock without dislodging stone, much like how a bat would.
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Elegance
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Post by Elegance on Sept 26, 2020 1:28:08 GMT -7
'Of course.' Playing along with Shadow's suggestion, Elegance dipped her headlights slightly so, in case Bombshell was watching from back down the tunnel, he would see a change in illumination ahead. 'I hope you brought a shovel.' she joked. At last, they came to the end of the tunnel. It opened into another domed chamber, smaller than the first but still large enough to accommodate the Transformers. It was darker too, lit only by Elegance's headlights and the reflected light. But her high-beams revealed corroded metal walls, dusty dead screens, and circuitry – they were in a ship, a Cybertronian starship. But much of it was broken, surely wrecked in an ancient crash, and later rebuilt by humans into some kind of shrine, with tapestries hanging over some screens displaying Saxon warriors fighting alongside armoured giants. A plaque on the wall showed Cybertronian script, giving the ship's name: the Mantlo. Looking entirely out of place, an old wooden longboat lay off to the side, with cracked timbers, splayed broken oars, rotting ropes, and tattered sails. Its prow was a roaring dragon's head, its bow a coiled tail. But in the heart of the control room, the central console had been treated as an altar, covered over with a red-and-gold cloth. Atop it sat a golden, bejewelled chalice, a human-made treasure that glowed with energy to Transformer eyes. While Shadow found her hiding place, Elegance strode into the chamber, her attention all on the chalice, just amazed by what this might mean. And incredibly, she began to sing 'Woke up this morning, / From the strangest dream. / I was in the biggest army, / The world has ever seen. / We were marching as one, / On the road to the Holy Grail.' Because surely that was the humans believed rested on the altar now. Yet at the last, Elegance veered off to the left side, pressed her back to the wall and drew her sonic sword. There she awaited Bombshell, still singing as a distraction 'Started out, / Seeking fortune and glory. / It's a short song, but it's a / Hell of a story, when you / Spend your lifetime trying to get / Your hands on the Holy Grail.'
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Post by commissarfaytality on Oct 4, 2020 3:00:06 GMT -7
Shadow had not studied quite as much of human history as Elegance so she could not accurately tell what the boats were, but she did make note of them as she rushed past 'Don't need one, I have claws' she threw back in a somewhat joking tone. She did rather miss the holy grail thingy, because as she'd been informed it had been the cup of a carpenter (being forced to watch Indiana Jones and the last crusade by one of her theater friends, did wind up with her forming an opinion about things like that...she didn't want to turn into goo).
She settled herself into position, like a bat in a cave, as she waited for Bombshell to pop his metaphorical head out of the corridor listening to Elegance's song as well as the noise made from the insecticon's footsteps. Activating her cammo she made herself as invisible as possible. As soon as Bombshell was in position she would drop and break his head cannon, for now she was checking to make sure the insecticon was alone.
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Elegance
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Post by Elegance on Oct 5, 2020 1:45:00 GMT -7
Time passed as the two bots waited in hiding, and waited for their opponent. For a while, the only sound that could be heard was Elegance's soft singing, echoing around the chamber and surely confusing Bombshell's efforts to work out what they were doing and what on Earth they were talking about. 'But have you heard about the great crusade? / We ran into millions and nobody got paid. / Yeah, we razed four corners of the globe / For the holy grail.'
Then, at last, Shadow heard, not footsteps but the clatter of tiny claws on stone. Bombshell was no fool; he'd come in his tiny insect alt-mode, for greater stealth and a smaller target. Creeping slowly, the large-ish beetle with the glossy purple-and-black metal shell and long proboscis ventured into the chamber to spy on the Autobots and steal the treasure...
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