| abstract
| - Torque was used to making weapons for people, even armor and specialty details on their forms. But this.. this was something else entirely. To say Torque has been recharging sparingly would be correct, her berth in the back of her workshop looking underused while the large workbench beside it is awash with schematics and bits of prototypes. But Chromia will not find Torque here when she arrives once summoned. Instead the medic waits in the center of the shop, sitting on one of the empty slabs used by customers with a datapad in her hand. She looks.. tired, nervous, but with a dash of triumph underneath it all. "I doubt that you called me to help you into a recharge chamber, but from the looks of you, that's what we're going to do." Chromia makes no effeort to disguise her entrance, neither in the steady march to her entrance or by calling out as soon as she sees Torque. Chromia approaches but doesn't crowd, as she lingers back enough to value the mechanic's personal space. "I didn't expect you to become so engrossed in this. Eager are you?" She never did ask when she asked if there was any potential motivation that Torque might have to saying 'yes'. Most times Chromia gets so wrapped up in her hatred of Shockwave that she fails to realize that she's not alone in that. "Hopefully you haven't made anyone else wait. I wouldn't want you to get in trouble." "I wouldn't turn down the help." Torque muses weakly and stands at Chromia's arrival. A hand waves dismissively afterwards and she shakes her head. "Nah, I'm a pretty good multitasker. Just did this whenever I had free time. Anyway, this is more.. a finished draft, of sorts. I still need to build the thing, but that shouldn't take long now that I've got it calculated." Stepping forward, Torque meets the other femme and holds the datapad flat, pressing a button which makes a light flash and a small holographic projection to hover above the screen, which looks like a four pronged claw. "I've narrowed it down to two devices for you to choose from, depending on how you wanna do this.. The first is a take on the old inhibitor claw used back in the day, which will render his weapons inert, but I've added an extra function to form a forcefield of sorts around him so he can't break out." A tap on the screen brings up a second image, which looks sort of like a collar. "This is something I've temporarily dubbed the tritanium collar.. since it's made of tritanium." She pauses, blushing faintly at her lack of imagination. She was tired, so sue her. "This would be more difficult to get on than just slapping on the claw. But it'd guarantee less chance of escape since it taps into the neural net at the back of the neck and forces then into stasis lock." Chromia should be worried that she has tasked Torque with so much, and something to be kept in private on top of it. That's a strain. Chromia isn't one for deception of any kind, of operating behind the backs of others - well, unless it's in the field, under Elita's directions, since she has done the whole guerilla thing for so long. Still, when you delve into the realm of secrets it tends to make everything more draining, or so Chromia believes. This is too important though to let it slide, or to allow it to go undone, so... "How about after this I see you into that chamber and I can answer calls or provide the 'come back later' to allow you to get some rest?" It's the very least that Chromia can do, and besides, she was built to look after others. "Thank you for taking the time to do this and so quickly too." She didn't expect that. Chromia looks, listens and watches, both to option one and then to the second as well. A hand comes up to rub the servos at the back of her neck as she mulls over each. "The forcefield is a great added touch, to keep him under wraps as it were, once we have him down. There's no guarantee that he'd stay down and I worry that he's more prepared than just his blaster arm. He's a tricky one... I think I'd have to go with the tri-lock collar," she offers by way of another name for it? "If he's immobile then we should be anle to handle him easily, all the way back to Iacon. Tritanium is hard to break," she whistles as she likes that feature too. "But how hard is it to get? How hard will this be to make? How long will you need?" That's a lot of questions, Chromia knows. Still, she's now more worried about how much she's asked Torque to take on than she was before. Still, Torque wouldn't have agreed if she didn't want to. "I spoke to Arcee, so she knows about... this," Chromia points at the datapad. "She's onboard with you, well, being onboard too." Somehow, having a secret is easier when you know someone knows it. "Once she sees this, I know she'd be as impressed as I am. This is more than I could have expected," even as it's everything she asked for. Torque would definitely appreciate the help, and it shows with her weary smile. But she focuses more on Chromia while the femme makes her decision, nodding head slowly and overlooking the collar schematic. "I have.. contacts that owe me some favors, so I can get the material within two cycles if I really press them. I'll refine the schematics until then, and it'll take a bit to actually form the collar itself, since it's not easy to work. Then at least half a day to wire the necessary components in. After that, it just needs calibrating and testing. So I'd say.. a week or so, tops." Amber optics peer up curiously past the hologram. "Hopefully that isn't too long, but it's the fastest turnout I can manage with this sort of thing. Neural jacks aren't easy to make, and Shockwave's a big mech with an even bigger processor, so it's gotta be strong enough to contain him." As for the mention of Arcee, Torque smirks and hands off the datapad. "Glad she's okay with me helping. Here, show this to her, then. And ah.. glad you like it, too. Just something that kinda popped into my head, yah know?" She bashfully rubs the back of her neck. As a medic, she knew plenty about the Cybertronian physiology, so it's not surprise she'd devise this. It's still a surprise to Chromia. She asked for something akin to this but still, see it - even if it's only a schematic at this point - is something else. It's a marvel what this war has pushed Cybertronians to be able to achieve. Would any of them even have dreamed of something like this before? "I think it will work perfectly, provided we can get it around his neck. I assume it needs to be activated close enough to his head to have an effect but not too close so as to fry it?" Now, wouldn't *that* be a shame. Chromia accepts the datapad and looks over what she's been presented, again. She'll gladly give it to Arcee mostly because this is perhaps the first tangible glimmer of hope that the plan has a chance of success. She could, and should, hug Torque for that. It's taken millions of years to get to this. That's a long time to wait. "This is worth it? Calling in those favors?" Chromia raise as abrow as she looks up from the holo-projection to Torque. That seems like a higher cost than any of the materials that are going into this thing. "Is there some way I can directly help? Maybe go fetch these things. Or put things together?" She's no medic nor a mechanic, so she's pretty clumsy at this delicate stuff, still. She dislikes that she's already put so much on Torque's shoulders. "When this goes down, when we do this thing, where do you need to be in this?" What kind of shots does Torque want to get in? "In a way, sort of." Torque nods and gesticulates with a hand around her neck area. "To be more specific, if I stuck it to his head, there'd be a chance of damaging his processor, not just the device. But if I put it on the neck then it can safely deliver the proper signals up through the spinal circuitry to shut him down. It's a lot safer that way." Such a strange femme, taking even Shockwave's health into account. As for the talk of favors, Torque nods curtly, a sure look on her smirking face. "For this sort of task? Yeah, it is. Besides, it's from a good friend of mine, so he won't mind." But then Chromia asks to be involved, drawing an uncertain look from her as optics shift sidelong in thought. "Perhaps.." She begins slowly, then gently takes the datapad back for a moment to punch in something before returning it. "It'd mean a lot if you went to these coordinates on Monacus when I tell you to. You should meet a mech called Jury Rig there. Tell him I sent you and he'll hand over the material for you to bring back." Yes, Torque is entrusting Chromia with delivery safety. "As for me?" She shrugs mildly. "I just need to be there and ready to affix the collar. It isn't hard to activate, but I just want to be sure, and be able to monitor his vitals afterwards." Slipping in as well as he can undetected, Specter blends into what shadows this area has to offer. It feels alien to him.. undignified. All that time he tried to fit back into the Autobots after being offlined for millions of years, only to resort to spying again? As they say, old habits die hard. And this old habit will have to die harder. Leaning forward from his vantage point, the Autobot intel operative attempts to listen in as to what is going on. Combat: Specter slips into the shadows and out of sight... Well, Shockwave's health matters as far as the journey to Iacon, so Torque is right to be concerned for it. Chromia is too. As much as she would be okayw ith Shockwave no longer being functional, he still has a purpose to serve, something to be held accountable for. "Makes sense." She can understand the notion that something that powerful shouldn't become active too close to something too important. "Jury Rig, got it," Chromia says as she accepts the pad. She's all for making trips into dangerous places so Torque doesn't have to. It is kind of her thing. If she can do anything to keep Torque from danger, she will. Well, aside from hauling her off to make an unsanctioned attack on perhaps the most dangerous bot on Cybertron. "Fair enough, and to be honest, having a medic there is a much better plan than going without one. Which I hadn't originally considered. I fear I'm too blunt of an instrument to have thought this through like I should have." Chromia nods again. "If there's any other tech you think we should bring, I'm all in. I've considered asking Wheeljack for some explosives since he's so good at them, but I can't tip him off to what they're for if I do." Torque beams, "He's a nice guy, I think you'll get along well. Met him a long time ago when I, uh.. got stranded there. Looked out for me and helped me get back on my feet. If you're not sure it's him, by the way, he's got a drawl. Hard to miss." Somewhere inside she wishes she could see him for herself, but she trusts Chromia enough to get the job done. "Heh, don't worry, I've got you femmes covered when it comes to repairs. I'll keep you in the fight, you've got my word." She smirks wide and nods to her workbench. "You know, I make weapons, too. If any of you want a little extra firepower besides bombs, y'know I'm always here. I'm sure I could whip up some things while waiting on the delivery." Chromia winces. "I've only fought him for eons and yet I am not sure we can ever be fully prepared for him. I'm not sure what we should take, other than our determination to get it done," she grins. "Anything you can whip up would be great. Something to keep him off-balance or out of control. Disorientated. I got some sound advise, that he's devoted to maintaining control, right? So if we can keep him from gaining that then the struggle to find it should occupy him... you know, as well as us pummeling him." Chromia is honestly curious to see what Torque might come up with. "Maybe something to use yourself." Something that would keep Torque back, out of harm's way - or at least not close enough to it. There's a lot of history there, a whole story to Trque that Chromia has yet to learn. "Do you ever think about where you'd be if all of this never happened? I think I have been i the trecnhes far too long to see that. Perhaps too changed by what I've lived. It fascinates me to think though how some might be if, well, things were different. Had been different? I met Rewind once," Chromia smiles warmly as she thinks on that meeting. "What he does has so much purpose, but I don't know if he'd do the same if there had been no War." "I was thinking of employing some of your.." Specter leaves the confines of the shadows, his arms neatly tucked behind his back. "..other talents." To Chromia, he gives a low bow. "Though we have not met, I too had been displaced from my time.. my allies.. my faction. You are and always will be a icon of perseverance." Standing, he resumes his haughty position. "There will always be a need for historians, as there will always be need for war. We Cybertronians are defined by it, unfortunately." Stepping towards Torque gracefully, his feet pratically glide over the floor effortlessly, Specter stops short. "I have need of your contacts." Combat: Specter appears from the shadows... "I'll come up with something, don't worry." Torque nods and smiles thoughtfully. "I think you asked me that the other day. Honestly.. I might still be in the medic business either way. It's something I can feel in my spark, you know? I have a feeling Rewind would do something similar to what he does now, too. I like to think we figure out our functions early on. What we're supposed to do, even if others think different." there's always a Functionist somewhere. Torque moves to speak further, but a third voice in the room shuts her up quick and has the femme whirling in an instant in Specter's direction. Among the ways to instantly wake up, he sure is one of them with the way she stares at him wide-opticed, her face a mixture of shock and a bit of anger. "How.. How did you get in here!" But she knows how, this is Specter, so she mentally rectracts that and grouses at him with an unhappy scowl. "..Why should I let you in on my contacts? What would you want?" Chromia bristles instantly when Specter announces himself. She feels like charging him, to demand to know what he knows... but that would be admitting that there was something he might of been able to overhear. So as Torque whirls, Chromia looks to her to try and get a sense if her friend will also go immediately radio-silent? With things this far in progess, the last thing they could use now is to have it come out to the Prme what they are up to. "Thank you for coming up with that ... thing," Chromia frowns as she instantly knows she should have come up with someting better. "For Tarn," she tosses in there. "For when I get back to it, which is where I'm headed once I'm done in Tyrest." Chromia turns her attention to Specter, to try and see if he will let on when he showed up. "You're too good at that," she notes aloud. She's honest. "We should make you wear a bell when you're within Iacon. One day you're going to cause somebot to jump out of their spark." "Please Chromia, I'm not half as dumb as you are creative." Specter winks at the Femme guerilla warrior, placing his arms folded in front of him this time. Pacing to a nice distance between them both, kept at minimal arms length, the Autobot operative smiles. "I was going to ask for your help in this matter, but seeing as you've let a turbo-cat out of the bag.. I'll bargain for it." he states, matter of factly all smuglike. "In exchange for my 'discretion', you will reach out and contact an individual you have had numerous encounters with." Stepping over to Torque, he hands her a folder.. filled with aerial photographs of Tyrest and Siberia and a certain orange brown F-16. "Backfire. We need to know what he's after to set a trap." Chromia stews because Specter's pretty much overheard it all then, the worst-kept secret on all of Cybertron. Still, she looks to Torque with desperation. If there's anything she can do to help keep this flimsy coverup going... Chromia sighs. "That's the first time I've ever been called creative." Yes, she knows that doesn't really apply, that it was something said in jest. She has to roll with it though at this point. "It would seem like you're bound to that Con like a bad paint job, Torque. If you agree to this though," she encourages, "Then maybe he can go away, so you could be free of him?" Yeh? Torque nods absently to Chromia, but doesn't take optics off the mech. It takes a lot not to shove him out of the shop, Torque feeling rather violated in the fact that he snuck into her own space and listened in on their conversation. And while she hoped he hadn't hesrd much, those hopes go spiraling into the abyss and she just stares. "That's.." She almost chokes on the words before they explode out of her. "That's dirty! I'd expect better of you than blackmailing another Bot!" Sweet demeanor is burned away in the hellfire of her anger and disappointment, Torque appearing much more dangerous than Chromia probably thought her capable. "I won't have you--" Specter invades her space further, risking her wrath, and produces a folder and a name that instantly shuts her down. Flames behind her optics are snuffed out and she stares down at the folder until a hand hesitantly takes it and looks through. Damn.. "..I'd ask why me, but I already know.." Face scrunches up around hard thoughts and she sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose. "You're damn lucky I don't knock you out for this, Specter.." Chromia's words further her decision and she wearily nods. "Fine.. Fine, I'll help you.." "A conversation, that's all I'm asking." Specter relents, shying away from the mechanic-medic. If his underhandedness is called into question, it's only because of the dire circumstances demand such. "We need any tip off about his next raid, Captain Hikage and I plan to educate his scout in some find dining." he grins. Back to Chromia, he nods. "If anything, Torque.. I am providing the chance for closure?" he asks, even he not believing in that one. "Once we have detained his scout, we'll know just -what- that Seeker wants and -where- he's going to get it." Chromia never really doubted Torque's potential for unsweetness, and to be honest, it's kind of refreshing to see, to know that she's that... fiesty? Protective? There's a reason Chromia feels a kinship to Torque afterall. Still, it's a little scary so she backs up a pace, mostly to be out of the way should Torque follow through and toss Specter out. "We can also maybe get him out of your wires, if not for good, then a really long time?" Chromia offers something to maybe help secure the deal. She also doesn't like the idea that one of their own, a Bot, is slinking aorund and maybe listening in on anything that could be said... yet, Chromia also knows that she shouldn't have something to hide, so she can't really blame Specter for overhearing something that shouldn't be happening. "Closure." That is kind of what all of this is about. "It would be nice to have," she agrees, mostly with herself. "Look, I said fine, alright?" Torque snaps, clearly on the verge of just outright hitting him. She's exhausted and her once good mood has now been soured, so Specter should watch himself. Steely gaze relents and she sighs deeply while rubbing her face. "I doubt it'll get him off my back, but I suppose I'm the only one to really get his attention. Chromia.. don't worry about this, I can handle it myself. I just really need you to go where I told you and get that thing." The medic visibly sags a bit under the weight of a tired body and motions to the garage door. "I hate to ask you guys to step out, but I think I need to catch some recharge before I even attempt to do anything else." And once they're out she'll lock the doors good and tight to prevent anymore ninja'ing before she drops on her berth and welcomes the sweet embrace of recharge. Specter says, "As you wish." Combat: Specter slips into the shadows and out of sight... Chromia wants to argue with Torque, to try and tend to her friend but... she gets it. That tension. That wear and tear. Chromia isn't the type to try and soothe or mask, so she'll let Torque have her pains. She's just sorry to have added to them. Chromia turns to say something to Specter but... he's gone already. "Creepy," she shivers and is sure glad that bot is on their side. Chromia then nods to Torque before she alt forms, transforming to her hover carrior form so she can be underway while the mechanic rests. "You got this," she repeats, "And I got some place to be. I'll be back," she promises, and maybe by then she'll have thought of a way to help make this better. Or at least easier.
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