pullmeoutalive | And another one of these!

[ She actually doesn't mind. She listens intently, politely stopping him to ask for clarification every once and a while, nodding in the appropriate places.

All she's ever known are Hyperion and Pandora. This is all fascinating to her.

At least until they come across a plume of smoke in the distance, coming from somewhere at the edge of the forest. ]

Perceptor... Perceptor. Look-- what do you suppose that is?

[No one ever just listens. Well, except for Jetfire when he was being polite.]

[He stops, though, looking off in the direction she's indicating.]

Hm. Judging from the composition of the smoke heading in our direction, it isn't a secondary impact crater. Nor is there enough of it to be a natural fire of some sort...

... a settlement perhaps.

The only way to really find out is to take a look. Let's get through these trees.

Very well. Do hold on.

[Because the tank is about to indiscriminately smash through the trees.]

[ She gives a little squeal of surprise, clinging to his shoulder for dear life. ]

[He probably should have warned her better, but oh well.]

[In no time at all, they're reaching the edge of the forest, and the big scientist is... comically ducking down behind a rock. The better to observe.]

... What a wretchedly primitive little settlement this is.

[ She looks. Smoke from the chimneys, yes, but the lights seem electric. There might be "fuel" for them both here. ]

I guess... I guess I'm going to have to go take a look.

Do you have something that I can contact you with?

Of course.

[He's just going to hand her something small and round.]

A basic two-way receiver, designed to be placed in training modules for encryption work. It should serve your purposes.

[ She takes it from him, turning it over in her hands. After a moment, she closes her eyes and her tattoos begin to glow. ]

Can you hear me?

[ Yes, that is her voice on his comm lines. No, she's not moving her lips. ]

[He looks at her. Tilts his head. Taps the side of his head, as if to clear his audio receptors.]

Indeed.

How...? Is it you managed to...?

[ Her laugh sounds on his comm before she opens her eyes again, the light fading from her tattoos. ]

I don't really understand how, myself. It's something I've always been able to do. I'm what we call a siren- I have special abilities. The other sirens I've met can manipulate reality. Me? I manipulate technology.

[ As she says this, she takes one of the laces out of her shirt... vest. Corset. Thing. And ties it around the little device, making a sort of makeshift necklace for herself. ]

Fascinating. An organic being capable of interfacing with technology in such a way...

[He trails off, pulling out one of those datapads he seems to keep on himself like spare change.]

Do keep in touch. Just in case.

I will.

[ A beat, then: ] Can you let me down?

Let...? Ah! Yes. A moment.

[Excuse him while he just picks her up in one hand and sets her down. Like she weighs as much as a pillow.]

[ WELL, she's not exactly a big person. One on the ground, she makes the short trek to the town.

A while later, Angel's voice sounds over the comm again ]

Perceptor? There's no one here.

What do you mean?

[As he asks, his head pops up from behind that rock. With a small shrub stuck to the top of his helmet.]

Exactly what I said. This town is empty.

[ Lights on, fires burning, dinner cooking. It's actually a little creepy. ]

... Odd. Any sign of a cause?

[Regardless of her answer, he steps out of the bushes, making his way into the town.]

[stomp stomp stomp]

Not that I can tell, but I'm still investigating.

[ She does hear him coming and steps out onto the main street, a loaf of bread tucked under one arm. ]

Hmm.

[Time to check the air for potential gases lethal to organic systems. And scan the area for corpses, signs of violence... anything.]

Decidedly strange.

[ When he's in town, Angel's glow fades and she speaks to him normally ]

Do you think they left?

[ As for his scans- nope, nothing. It doesn't even seem to indicate that people even lived here at all. The bread in Angel's hand is real and safe enough, though.

Also, there are energy readings coming from a large tree at the edge of town. A tree on which there appear to be growing energon cubes. ]

Difficult to say. Observations aren't in line with an evacuation or...

[That's about when he notices that tree.]

[And shuts up. Completely. He's too dumbstruck by what he's looking at to form a coherent sentence. Which is some kind of miracle for the scientist.]

... I don't... believe this...

[Excuse him while he heads for that tree.]

[ That concerns her! He doesn't exactly... well, shut up a lot. ]

Perceptor? What's wrong?

[ She follows his gaze, but she's not quite sure what she's looking at. ]

It... would appear that all of our energon problems have... been solved.

[How could an organic planet produce energon in this manner? It doesn't make any sense.]

[And if there's one thing he can't stand, it's things that don't make sense. But the energy readings are accurate...]

[Like any good ~~idiot~~ scientist, he reaches out to touch one cube.]

[ It's real, all right. Real and solid and not totally going to make him... I don't know, take a nap after refueling. ]

Is that energon? But I thought you said it didn't grow on trees.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject