19th Transmission

[heavyweaponsbot]

... I want to speak to the one called "Jak". In person.

Where is he?




...

Doc, Blurr. Need to tell you something too. When you have a minute.

Comments

[shadesofeco.livejournal.com]

What do you need me for?

[heavyweaponsbot]

... Want to talk about something you told another. A... Leonardo.

[shadesofeco.livejournal.com]

[Leonardo didn't immediately seem trustworthy. And it wasn't as if Jak had any secrets to keep about the boat.]

Where.

[heavyweaponsbot]

Where are you now? I can come to you.

[shadesofeco.livejournal.com]

The forest. I'll wait for you.

[heavyweaponsbot]

On my way.

[shadesofeco.livejournal.com]

[Jak waits patiently, halfway up a tree, one leg dangling down over the edge of a branch.]

[heavyweaponsbot]

[Ironhide's not hard to miss, the big black truck trundling into the area, engine rumbling. It's even more noticable when the truck unfolds into a big, battered alien robot. He scans the area before sighting the tree-sitter.]

...

You Jak?

[shadesofeco.livejournal.com]

[Jak blinks in surprise, and swings his legs over the branch to look down at the enormous robot.]

Whoa.

[He looks kinda like Bee. Hopping down from the tree, Jak straightens up and nods.]

Yeah, that's me.

[heavyweaponsbot]

[He rolls his shoulders, absently prodding at his chest - pain's gone for now. The "whoa" reaction still hasn't gotten old yet. He regards Jak silently for a moment, before speaking.]

... Then you were the one who saw these... passengers below? With "red spirals"?

[shadesofeco.livejournal.com]

[Jak eyes him for a moment, then nods again, folding his arms.]

Yeah. I saw them, deep in the ship where we were supposed to go.

[heavyweaponsbot]

[He nods, settling his stance.]

... I want to know exactly what happened, and exactly what you saw.

[shadesofeco.livejournal.com]

[Oh boy. Where to begin.

Jak leans back against a tree.]

We stole a crew keycard and broke into the lower decks. One of them had other passengers on board, they all had communicators just like us.

[heavyweaponsbot]

[His optics narrow.]

Whose keycard? How?

These others... Were any of them... from our levels?

[shadesofeco.livejournal.com]

A crew member. Meifeng. Someone attacked her, I don't know how.

[He shakes his head.]

None of them had ever been on our levels before. All they knew was down on their one deck.

[heavyweaponsbot]

Do you know who attacked her?

[He listens, and then seems to... sag, a little, head dropping. No hope then, of finding Bumblebee or the boy down there. They were gone.]

... Understood. Anything... else you can tell me?

[shadesofeco.livejournal.com]

Her name was Celeste, she was an undead. She's not on board anymore.

[He watches Ironhide curiously.]

Just that they had these red swirls on them. Two of them broke out later and came up to the top decks, tried to kill us all.

[He pauses.]

Are you looking for someone?

[heavyweaponsbot]

Hmn. If one could do it, another could...

[He nods at this, but doesn't look up.]

Why? Did they give a reason?

[And then he tenses, straightening. His engine growls softly.]

... Bumblebee. And the boy... Sam Witwicky.

[shadesofeco.livejournal.com]

[Jak blinks.]

I remember them.

[He sighs, and looks down.]

No, no reason. Just a lot of bloodshed.

[heavyweaponsbot]

[He looks up -- as... Jak looks down.]

You knew them? Were they... Bumblebee was all right... without us here?

[It's as close to admitting he was worried over, and misses, 'Bee that he'll get, in front of a stranger. Little 'Bot was important to him.]

So questioning one of them would be dangerous...

[shadesofeco.livejournal.com]

[Jak catches that concern, and tries to reassure him.]

Yeah, he seemed fine the few times I saw him.

And ... well, good luck questioning the other passengers. They're dead.

[heavyweaponsbot]

Good.

[He tries to shake off the concern, pretending it didn't happen. But then stares hard at Jak.]

What do you mean dead?

[shadesofeco.livejournal.com]

They were killed after they attacked us on the upper decks.

[Jak stares back.]

[heavyweaponsbot]

All of them? Even those who did not escape?

[... well, that's impressive. Not everyone stares back so easily.]

[shadesofeco.livejournal.com]

[Jak shakes his head.]

I know those two were killed. The crew won't tell us anything else about the others.

[heavyweaponsbot]

Then we see if we can drag another out of there. Somehow... They are down there for a reason. I want to know what they were told.

... Do you know if all the crew have these cards?

[shadesofeco.livejournal.com]

As far as I know. It was tough to get the first one though, and you know Redd punishes for attacking crew.

... I'm with you if you go ahead.

[heavyweaponsbot]

I know. But I have yet to see a punishment worth fearing.

[He nods.] Thought as much. I... may be capable of getting the engineer to a suitable location... [He gestures to his chest armor, sporting a rather impressive hole]

Says it is his job to repair us. He seems... easily taken care of.

[medicalofficer.livejournal.com]

Is there a problem?

[heavyweaponsbot]

No problem.

Just... wanted to inform you of something.

[medicalofficer.livejournal.com]

Oh?

[heavyweaponsbot]

Yeah.

[so pleased with himself] Found out Shockwave does not control our energon supply. Crew does.