[Accidental Video]

[memorial_wing]

[A lone drone seems to have found a wreck in the deep snows of the Northeast Sector. It's beaten to scrap, with spent energon and half-frozen cydraulic fluids smeared from a dozen places of damage. Part of the wreck looks like it was once black with a purple stripe paralleling one edge. The rest is blue but so faded, dented, and scuffed that the protective paint has all but worn off in many places.]

[There's a groan, and the wreck shifts . . . and sits up. Ah, so it's not a ship that got pummeled by a meteor shower or something. Actually, as the helm comes up, the face and torso will be familiar to many . . . at least to an extent. He looks like he's been ten rounds with Megatron who's ten factors of pissed off at Starscream, and he wasn't allowed to fight back. One edge of his helm is a little caved in, like he took one HELL of a backhand, the optic cracked and dark. His canopy is spiderwebbed. His wings . . . well, they're bent and dented badly - actually, before he sat up and turned to face towards the camera (without having noticed it yet), the backs could be seen covered in long scorched furrows. Also? They're not the same color scheme. His left wing is his, but the right . . . isn't. Also, there's something around his throat, a tight band with inscribed sigils and tiny indicators and controls.]

[Thundercracker seems to take a long moment to even really register being conscious, let alone where he is, but finally the cold - the cold WET - is sinking in. He shifts in confusion, then shifts some more, getting his knees under him as he flails a hand through the bizarre white stuff he's half-sunk into.]

W-what the frag? Where . . .

[He looks around and the comm drone immediately starts into the greeting and explanation that everyone here has heard.]

What? S-stop...stop talking. Whatever you are, stop talking!

[He makes a swipe at it with his hand - his arms are also devoid of rifles, leaving only roughly-patched holes in his shoulders - and it beeps and darts out of the way. It dodges easily, the once-proud Decepticon weak and off-balance from his injuries. Or...not Decepticon? No brands. On either wing.]

W-where am I? What the frag happ-!

[The comm drone, triggered by the "right" words, follows its programming and attempts to launch into its explanation again.]

I said SHUT UP!

[The video ends with the Seeker snarling and launching himself - okay, more like flailing himself - at the drone.]


((Heeeee's mostly just in reaction mode at the moment, but he'll calm down and be more reasonable shortly... Also, forgive the lack of icons, that's being remedied.))

Comments

[ACTION!]

[knight_light]

[Wing saw that video, and instead of responding there, he flies out. Oh please still be there when he arrives, Thundercracker!]

Re: [ACTION!]

[the_other_green_seeker]

[Jadewing had also seen the video, and had the same plan as Wing. It isn't long before he comes upon the smaller flier and wordlessly slips in alongside, speeding off with him toward the coordinates indicated in Thundercracker's video.]

[ACTION FOREVER!]

[memorial_wing]

[Yeah, he's still there . . . though he's /scrambling/ to get to one of the caves before the incoming flight frames spot him. He's...not doing so well, though, considering he's never tried to navigate ice and snow before even when he's /not/ beaten to slag.]

[ACTION FOREVER!]

[the_other_green_seeker]

[When they get near the coordinates, he's surprised at Thundercracker's behavior. Why would Thudercracker hide from them... unless he didn't remember them. Damn...]

Hey, Wing... Maybe I should go in first. Something's not right here...

Re: [ACTION FOREVER!]

[knight_light]

[Wing was glad to have Jade joining him. When they land, he gives Jade a nod, watching TC with a worried frown.]

I think that may be wise.

[memorial_wing]

[Unable to reach a hiding place before the flight frames arrive, the battered Seeker surrenders, turning toward them only to drop to his knees and fold over in submission.]

[He catches brief sight of just who have found him before his good optic is buried into the cold white fluff under his face. He doesn't recognize either of them, though he did see that one of them is a fellow Seeker. A bounty hunter and his slave assistant is his guess.]

[the_other_green_seeker]

[Jadewing frowns in concern as he approaches the other Seeker. The submissive, defeated-looking posture is not what he expected; even when damaged, Thundercracker had always held himself tall and proud, like most all Seekers.

And the damage previously seen in the video looked even worse in person. It wasn't the worst he'd ever seen- Thundercracker still had a full set of limbs and wasn't in immediate danger of leaking to death- but the sheer amount of damage he could see just with a cursory visual scan was astonishing. Damage sustained in battle tended to be concentrated into one or more serious wounds; this looked like it was from a sustained beating. Possibly more than one; not all the damage looked especially recent, if Jadewing was any judge. And one wing was both an obvious replacement and also disturbingly familiar...

And what was with that collar around his neck? Thundercracker had been moving too much for Jadewing to read the writing on it in the video, but he didn't like the look of it.

Jadewing crouched down in front of the slumped Seeker, so as not to loom over him. Part of him was inclined to reach out, to get the other to look up at him, but he did not. Partly because of the damage and partly due to simple unease. No telling how Thundercracker would react to being touched in this state if he didn't remember them. Instead, he only spoke.]

Thundercracker? Sir, can you hear me?

[A genuine question, given the helm damage, and with a much less obvious answer than 'are you OK?'.]

[knight_light]

[This was...distressing and upsetting. He wanted to go to Thundercracker, to assure him that he was going to be okay, to help him to the medbay. He didn't dare move closer, not yet, not until Jadewing could at least get Thundercracker sitting up.

/jumps in here.

[neverputincharge]

[Bulkhead had seen the video feed too, and took off. Those wounds didn't look good at all. But since his chosen flight mode wasn't a jet(they just didn't work for him), he doesn't get there as fast as Wing and Jadewing.

He lands near Wing, with a bit of a stumble. Yeah, that was still taking getting used to. At least he's not falling on his face this time. But his attentions quickly taken by Thundercracker's actions, and he frowns in worry as he comes to stand by Wing.]

[Video]

[a_little_red_in_the_face]

Frag, what happened to you?

[Video]

[memorial_wing]

[He flinches from the voice, looking around until he realizes it came from the drone. He scowls for an instant before wrenching his gaze down, his voice deferential but only barely so.]

Just...waiting for my master to find me, sir.

[Yeah, he's getting another beating for this, he's sure of it. And he didn't even escape this time!]

Re: [Video]

[a_little_red_in_the_face]

Master?

...Yeah, well, the fragger's not here. [Not likely anyway] You need a hand getting to the medbay?

[Video]

[memorial_wing]

[The noise he makes is somewhere between a snort and a growl and a whimper...he's in a lot of pain, okay?. He can be beaten for his tone, but at the moment, he just doesn't care.]

You'd deign to help a lowly Seeker, master?

[So. Much. Contempt.]

Re: [Video]

[a_little_red_in_the_face]

Cool your head. We're not even from the same reality.

[He'd know, because you look nothing like Starscream.]

[Video]

[memorial_wing]

...not from the same...??

[Okay, you have his attention.]

Re: [Video]

[a_little_red_in_the_face]

Reality. Welcome to a new Cybertron.

I'll tell you now, the place is weird and half covered with organic scrap, but it's not all bad. You'll be fine once you get fixed up.

[Video]

[memorial_wing]

Organic scrap?

[He scoops a big handful of snow into his palm.]

This stuff, sir?

[video]

[10_20_15_5_50]

Thundercracker?

Shit on toast.

[It's---alright, it's honestly self-indulgent to spare a moment to swear, but it's more of a moment to assess this fresh heap of what-the-hell. The seeker (who, Sam had assumed, she'd never see again) looked like he belonged at the bottom of a crater. A big one. What and how would wait, though.]

Dude, do you hear me?

[video]

[memorial_wing]

I hear you.

[He peers at the screen.]

What the frag are you?

[video]

[10_20_15_5_50]

Getting used to that question, and also pretty concerned 'cause you look like hell.

That's not helpful. I'm sorry.

I'm a human. Adult, female, from Earth. Name's Sam.

[video]

[memorial_wing]

...Sam.

[Yeah, that's about the extent of what he got out of all that. He doesn't even know what "hell" is, though taken in context, he can guess her meaning well enough.]

You knew my name. How did you know my designation?

[video]

[10_20_15_5_50]

It's going to sound like some serious BS, but bear with me. This place pulls in people from different worlds, okay? As in different planets, sure, but also different versions of the same planet with whatever events---some big, some small---putting the alternates apart from each other. So, you've got different versions of the same place populated by different versions of the same people represented by the people here, and. Sometimes, you get a different version of someone who was here showing up.

There was a Thundercracker here before, from a different version of Cybertron, or a very different time. He and I talked some.

[video]

[memorial_wing]

[He listens, but he's scowling.]

You're right. It does sound like...

[Whatever "bee-ehs" is.]

...a different version of me?

[He's not sure if he's offended or intrigued.]

[video]

[10_20_15_5_50]

[Scowling's arguably an improvement on 'the fuck is this, the fuck is you,' so Sam'll take it. At least she's got the bot's ear for the time being.]

I warned you, for what it was worth. You're going to hear some even weirder stuff, but once you get to talking with some of the other Cybertronians you'll see the 'alternates' stuff substantiated.

[She shrugs, not too terribly bothered---by Thundercracker's skepticism, anyway. If she's bothered by anything, it's the sad shape Thundercracker's in. She doesn't need to see an aura to know somebody should be patching the cyb up, and soon, but she's not quite as worried as she would be because Breakdown's responded.]

Yeah. It's not like I've got every chat logged, but I could probably dig up a couple of our conversations.

[video]

[memorial_wing]

...huh.

[The Seeker wants to ask "what was he like" but...no, he's not sure he /wants/ to know. With obvious, painful effort, he pulls himself to his feet, swaying only slightly.]

You look like you're in a building, which means there must be a city somewhere close. Will you tell me where? And where the slavers normally operate?

[So he can avoid them.]