[OPEN] Arrival

[academybot]

Who: Optimus Prime & You
Where: The Clinic, The Crater
When: After Optimus (IDW)'s return to the city
What: Optimus Prime arrives on the planet
Warnings: ?

THE CLINIC

Wandering through the destroyed city, Optimus took a moment to consider how getting suddenly transported to another planet was pretty high on the list of strange things that had happened in his life, a list that had grown much quicker in the past few months than he would have thought possible. This was certainly not a specific scenario they'd trained for at the Autobot Academy, that's for sure.

With so many buildings in serious disrepair, finding one that not only seemed intact but to have working electricity was a surprise to say the least. With some apprehension he made his way over to the building, cautiously sticking his head in the doorway and hoping whoever, or whatever, might be inside was friendly.

"Hello? Anyone here?"

THE CRATER

Optimus had left the clinic some time ago to try and get a better feel for the city. It was pretty unnerving how much the ruins looked like Cybertron, and the silence was starting to get to him by the time he made it to a huge crater in the middle of everything. An unrefined energon deposit? Just sitting here unguarded in the middle of the city? That was certainly strange. Even if there weren't many bots here, leaving a resource like that unprotected went against everything he'd learned at the academy.

He quickly made his way down into the crater, sliding down some of the steeper slopes to get to the energon vein, running a hand over the rough crystal with a frown.

Comments

[academybot]

Having one of the Starscreams rushing at him from the back of building was exactly the kind of thing Optimus had been afraid of happening. He leapt out of the doorway, putting more space between him and the other bot and drawing his axe.

He also was not expecting that question.

"I don't know why you're asking me. He's your partner isn't he?"

[chickscream]

She stares in incomprehension at his axe, then laughs, delighted. Does he think he's going to fight her with that little toy? Does he think they're going to fight at all? He must be freshly new!

(She is, too, but she's at least a few days less new, and a few days mean a lot more when you're only a year old.)

"He's no partner of mine," she tells him, amused, and leans back against a wall, hands raised and guns pointed at the ceiling. "Put your, ah, weapon away, Optimus, this is a clinic. Haven't you any manners?"

Slipstream said weapon like the thought of it being dangerous to her is hilarious (which it is).

[academybot]

He lowered his axe, but very pointedly did not put it away. If she was trying to get him to lower his guard she was going to have to try harder than that. Just because he didn't have a good chance of fighting a decepticon on his own didn't mean he wouldn't try.

"What, a decepticon clinic?" he asked, suspiciously. It sounded a bit oxymoronic.

[chickscream]

"Yes, a Decepticon clinic, you must be this evil to be treated-- no, you circuit-fried idiot, it's an Autobot clinic."

Well, aside from Megatron. She thinks maybe he wouldn't believe her if she mentioned that, though.

She's kind of grinning, though, and settles herself on the floor in a tailor's seat, so she's approximately eye-to-eye with him, hands on her knees and a bright expression on her face. Sure, her lips twist a little lopsided and smirkily, her eyes narrow a little sly, but she does actually and genuinely seem pleased to see him.

"By the way, sorry about the thing," she says, offhandedly. What thing? Any thing that he thinks she needs to apologize for! She's not going to incriminate herself by apologizing in detail.

[academybot]

"Riiight." He wasn't planning on forgiving her anytime soon, but then she also hadn't attempted to shoot him yet, so there was that. And as much as he disliked it at the moment the flier was his only source of information. He slowly put away his axe as she sat down, crossing his arms over his chest.

"So what's a Decepticon like you doing on this planet in an Autobot clinic?"

[chickscream]

Oh, she can hear that sarcasm, Optimus! She is an expert in sarcasm, and it's pretty funny, coming out of him.

"Well, I was bored with flying around the planet, so I came back here," she tells him, tone innocent and sweet (or as innocent and sweet as someone who sounds like Starscream can sound), "and then I came inside, and then I talked to one of the medics and hung around the back. That's what I was doing. What're you doing here?"

[academybot]

"A little unclear on that myself, to be honest. How did you get here?"

Far as he was concerned they should both still be in Detroit, considering Megatron's space bridge exploded.

[chickscream]

"Ah, that one."

Her smile finally breaks down, into a displeased frown. "I don't know. No one knows, as far as I know, though maybe I'm just not asking the right people yet." She squints at him for a moment, then decides that, well-- she's not the lying one, she might as well tell him the truth. "Whatever net caught us up was cast very, very wide, though. You'll see all kinds of bots around here, and more than one of some of them-- there's at least two Starscreams, though neither are the one you and I are unfortunate enough to know."

[academybot]

"Two Starscreams. Well there's a shocker," says Optimus to one of the Starscream clones. Any number of Starscream were bad news, but as far as he was concerned it wasn't new.

"You're saying every bot on this planet just got pulled here randomly from wherever they were in space? Decepticon or Autobot?" he asked, frown increasing.

[chickscream]

She snorts a laugh, and tells him, "Two completely different Starscreams. One of them is even likable, and that's the real shock."

Slipstream is probably the only person on Cybertron who finds Primescream likable, but shh let her have this version of her dad she can actually bond with.

"And, uh, I guess? I really have no idea what the sorting pattern is. I've only been here a week, and this kind of thing isn't something Starscream had memories of when he made me." She taps her fingers, thoughtfully, on her knee, her gaze distant and thoughtful. "You're the only bot I've recognized, though. None of my brothers are here, thank the Allspark, or any Decepticons I or Starscream knew, or any of your Autobots."

[academybot]

"Right." he replied, shaking his head as he tried to come to terms with everything she was saying. Not to mention the fact he was listening to this decepticon at all.

"You said this was an autobot facility, mind taking me to the bot in charge?" Not that Slipstream was poor company, but he would much rather be having this conversation with someone he didn't have to worry about suddenly stabbing him in the back.

[chickscream]

"Mmmm... yes, I mind. You can go find First Aid yourself, if you want. He's red and white and pleasant." A slow, malicious grin crossed her face, and she gestured to the hall she'd come out of, riiiight next to her. If he wants by he'll have to either trust she won't shoot him in the back, or keep an eye on her as he goes, and both options are hilarious.

[academybot]

"Thanks. You've been a real help, whatever your name is." His tone was more harried than rude, he legitimately didn't know how these clones referred to themselves since they apparently didn't all just go by Starscream.

He took a deep in-vent of breath for composure before striding past her for the indicated door. She hadn't shown any indication to attack him this far, and if he was going to get shot by a Decepticon a medical facility would be the best place for it.

[chickscream]

She watches him until he's abreast of her, then just past, then tells him-- "Slipstream. I chose the name Slipstream."

It's not a secret, and she doesn't say it like it is, but she does say it like it's important, because it is. She may be Starscream's clone, she may be made of naught but Starscream and Allspark and protoform, but she's not him.

She clears her vents, a little embarrassed that her voice let on how important that was her to, and in a totally flippant voice, she tosses off "Have fun!" and lets him continue unmolested.