CAVE IN Mount St. Hillary -- Dark Cavern After weaving deeper into the heart of the mountain this tunnel widens out into a cavern large enough for all but the largest Transformers to be able to stand upright. The cavern is almost pitch dark, only illuminated by a faint glow from the southeast branch of the tunnel. After your eyes have adjusted to the darkness somewhat, it is just possible to make out the distorted shape of a long cooled lava flow, forming much of the southern wall of the cavern. The floor is potted and broken by a number of crevices, that say little for the stability of this area. It is probably not the safest of places. A small beam of a flashlight can be barely seen up ahead quiet near ground level, displelling some of the gathered darkness. It seems strange that light would be seen within this portion of the mountain. As it is, it's obviously artifical in nature. One can only wonder why it's there and...from where it's coming from.. Starcraft moves quietly into the cavern, optics casting a slight phosphor glow ahead of him. His central optic clicks once as he accustoms himself to the dark. With a hiss, his hover-jets deploy and lift him into the air. He drifts over the small crevices and pits in the floor. Light, dazzling in the darkness, stabs out at the wall of the cavern from one forearm of the enigmatic mech. The beam sweeps accross, searching for something on the wall. Shortly, he notices the smaller light and peers in the direction of its glow, central optic whirring as he tries to determine its source. Candice pauses as she hears some undinieable noises within the passage somewhere behind her. She swivels around...turning the flashlight's illumination to gather the distance...but mindfull to keep the light directed towards the floor. The glow illuminates her delicate features somewhat so her facial chatactersitcs are more clearly seen. She squints upon seeing the mechanaoid's own lighting as he stands there. Uncertain of who it is however, she calls out a cautious, "Hello?" Starcraft's head turns as he identifies the voice. He doesn't answer right away, armor shifting as he works something over in his mind. When he does arrive at a decision, he floats towards Candice, his light washing the ground between them with crisp contrasts of black and white, and the occasional sparkle of some mineral. The effect is altogether one that reminds one of the moon, with small multi-coloured flecks of light that glitter like stars. His voice cuts through the fantasy, however, with its starkness. "Candice," he emits as he drifts quietly through the air, "You should not be here. This is a dangerous cavern." Candice watches as the newcomer comes closer. Recognizing the voice as well as noticing more of his detailing as he draws nearer, she knows this to be Starcraft. The young woman breaths in a momentary sigh. Well...it wouldn't be the first time someone had stated something to her about her choice of hiking trails. More than likely it wouldn't be the last. Still, she's glad he didn't find her in one of the tunnels leading towards the core. She's certain he would say something about that. "I...suppose you wouldn't believe I needed a small change of scenery would you?" she questions lamely. "Does it help I know what pitfalls to avoid?" Starcraft hovers near, his light quite dazzling this close. "Then you are familiar with these caverns?" he asks. Candice shields her eyes from the added illumination until they adjust. "I should. Been exploring them off and on for the past 2 1/2 years since I've been here." Starcraft tilts his head, central optic whirring. "Then might you know where I might find a particular mineral deposit down here?" he asks. You notice, now that he's close, that he's carrying a battered case in his other hand. Candice lowers her hand as her eyes grow accustomed to the added lighting. "Yeah...I think so. Just up a little further if I remember right. Want me to lead you too it?" Starcraft looks at Candice. "It would be appreciated." Candice adds, "Course...not certain which kind of mineral it *is*..." Starcraft's armor hisses as it vents. "Ah." he says. "I need... crystal." Candice moves herself a little more towards the wall as she begins walking forward. The light from her small flashlight seems to be enveloped by the mechanoid's on lighting, leading her to wonder why she's keeping her device on. She pauses in her steps...in thought. "I recall...Hot Rod finding some some or crystal down here some time ago. Actually..." She shines her light on the wall beside her. The light is reflected by serveral miniscule particles. For those not looking...they may miss them entirely. Candice herself doesn't see them. "I don't know if this helps any...but some seem embeded within the cavern walls themselves. But they need to be dug out. Not...really sure of what crystallized rock it is." She then lifts up her small beam and shines it on the far wall to her left as if searching. Starcraft sweeps the walls himself with his own far more powerful beam, and the sparkles of the embedded particles show up brightly and unmistakably. Starcraft looks at them for a moment. With a slight whine, his blaster charges. "Candice, get behind me." he says evenly. Candice lowers her light and makes her way behind the larger personage. It takes her less than a few minutes to do so. She then clicks of the beam. "Alright..." she states, doing as told. Starcraft's blaster discharges with a blinding strobe of white light that cuts through even closed eyelids, while a section of the wall seems to explode into a plume glittering dust. The only sound of the detonation is a resounding KRAK! as the rock shatters and the resulting patter of falling fragments, and the ping ping ping of rock splinters bouncing off Starcraft's armored hide. The dust begins to settle and the echoes fade, but somewhere deep inside the cavern's ceiling, a low groan is heard. Candice turned away quite swiftly as the plast itself was fired...managing to cover her mouth and nose with her jacket's sleeve as she had done so. As the dust begins to settle she flickers a glance above her. But the ceiling is quite high for the light to overly reach...even with the mechanoid's additional "light show". But she overhears...something. She then gazes at Starcraft's back. "You get it?" Starcraft kneels down and places his case on the floor. He opens it with a soft clack of the latches. Inside are rows of odd tools and several small containers. One of these, he uses to scoop up some of the fragments dislodged by his blast. "Get what?" he asks as he works. Candice offers a tiny shrug which may or may not be seen. "I mean...is that what you were looking for?" Starcraft says, "I won't know that until I melt it down and seperate it." poppopGROAAAAAAAN Candice nods slowly. She chances a glance up as some of the ominous creaking continues...followed by tiny particles of dust cascading towards the floor. Her distractiuon is growing. "I don't like the sound of that..." she notes. "How much...did you need?" Starcraft is filling his third container by this point. "This should do it." he says. PING! Something bounces off Starcraft's shoulder. popCREAAAAAAK! Starcraft looks up, trying to determine what just hit him. Candice takes a step away as more dust begins to fall. More ominious creaking sounds until finaly...up ahead near where Starcraft first fired his shot...the wall trembles. "Good cause...I---I think we should get outta here now." Starcraft looks up at the wall. His central optic clicks. "...I think that perhaps you are correct." he emits. He drops the containers into his case and closes it. KRAK! A fissure shoots accross the wall like a lightning bolt. The young woman yelps as the ground starts to shift from the growing activity. Behind the two...a slab of rock crashes down and plummets into the ground with a defeaning roar. Candice . o O(Maybe shooting at the wall with a blast *wasn't* such a good idea...) Starcraft grabs his case, then grabs Candice as carefully as he is able. You feel the slight tingle again, but Starcraft doesn't have a severe reaction like before. His hover system hums to life and soon he is hurtling through the air towards the exit. Suddenly, the hopeful little ray of light disappears into a cascade of dust and debris. If Candice feels the small jolt of electrical current going throw her as she had the first time she had come in contact with Starcraft she's much too preoccupied to give it any notice. With a deafening roar portions of the cieling above collasp ahead of the two, preventing much of an escape. Still more debris plummet towards the floor. After an eternity passes, which is actually but a few minutes, the dust slides to a slow trickle. Starcraft's legs pivot beneath him and his forearms light up again. He slows to a halt just as a huge rock slams into the ground in front of him. His body may not be his own, but it is still extremely coordinated. "We may have to find shelter elsewhere, this cavern is..." he is cut off as the ceiling groans again, just before unleashing another small amount of debris. "Not safe." he finishes. He turns his lights towards the back of the cavern, which is obscured in dust. Candice manges a glance up from where she had pressing herself against Starcraft's armor from protection. "Uh...ok. I think I believe you now..." Starcraft skims through the air, avoiding cracked sections of ceiling, and moves towards the rear of the cavern. "How much do you know about these caverns?" he asks. Candice coughs a little as some of the duct filters into her lungs. "Enough to know some of my way around. But...." her voice trails as he notices where Starcraft's present course is paved, "never went this far back." Starcraft's central optic whirrs. A head shield snaps into place over his optics, a dull green glow lighting up a triangular view-plate in the center. "Then you'd better get inside." he says, his tone curiously strained. He drops Candice and kneels before her. Candice offers a blink in confusion. "Inside?" she questions. She then backs a few paces think he may need room to transform...in case he's thinking of what she thinks he is. Starcraft's torso peels apart along invisible seams with a hiss and a wreathing of misty gas, opening like an avocado. Inside is a womb-like cradle, surrounded by viewscreens that peel open as well to reveal an oddly shaped seat, ringed with unfamiliar instruments and devices. Candice's eyes widen considerably. Well *that* certainly isn't something you see every day. Almost timidly she ventures forward, and then is prodded by the noises that continue on behind them. She crawls within Starcraft, gazing in awe at the uniqueness of his instruments. Finally she stettles herself within the cradle...not knowing what to expect. Inside, the seat is uncomfortable. Whoever designed it apparently didn't have humans in mind. Curiously, the more you try and /get/ comfortable, the more comfortable it /gets/. Then, the world closes in around you, as the canopy swallows you in darkness. Candice swollows almost audibly as the canopy itself closes. She's too taken by present events to notice the seating right away. But she evetually does seem to notice. "What is it your planning?" she asks. thinking he probably could hear from an internal radio...provided he has one...within here...somewhere. Slowly, a dim green glow begins to suffuse the interior. With a chitter from the consoles, the screens come to life all around, showing a virtual-reality 360 degree view all around. The sensation is much like flying. "I can hear you." he says, his voice sounds far more personable inside, and it comes from the console directly in front of you. "It is safer inside." he says. The screens light up with HUD displays, none of them in either cybertronian or english. Candice nods rather slowly in response as she stares at the alien script on one of the nearby screens, trying to make out the lettering. It sure isn't anything remotely close to a langage she would have expected. "Thanks, "she tones gratefully, although somewhat distractedly. "But...what about you?" The screens shake and little warning lights appear as something SMACKS against the armor outside. You can see a rock as it falls and bounces off, the location of the hit going all pixellated for an instant, showing that much of the image is projected and computer generated. Candice shifts herself in her seat, "Uh...maybe we should call for help..." Starcraft's voice emits from the console. "I am not familiar with the Autobot frequency. I am still on probation." Outside, you can see the walls moving as Starcraft moves deeper into the cavern. The cockpit must be gyro-stabilized, as the sensation of movement is minimal. Candice hmms...and then recalls that small tidbit. But still...if he's an ally, why wouldn't he have acesses to the broadband. "That's alright. My radio still works...or should anyway. And---." Her had grapples for the spot on her belt where she usually keeps her Autobot communication's device. It's noticably gone. "Uh...I musta dropped it back there," she states a little horsely. Starcraft hmms. (something you've never heard him do before). "I shall try an open frequency, and hope that the cavern doesn't block the signal." Candice again gazes distractedly towards one of the monitors...this time eyeing the 3-d images before roaming back to the alien script. "Here's hoping," she states. Starcraft's voice comes through, very faint, almost unreadable... "...pped in cave-in. Cand... ...self lost in dee... ...verns." Candice presses her lips together and casts a clance towards the forward console. "Any luck?" Starcraft says, "I don't know for certain" Starcraft's voice is fainter than ever now, and fades out as he speaks. "Moving deeper to esc... ...imate position is 70 meters beneath... ...k cavern. Candice inwardly sighs and leans back within the seat. As the mechanoid attepts to call for some kind of aid she takes the time to take a more closer look within his interior. She rests a hand near a monitor...mentaly tracing the curvalinier lines of the foriegn wording. "It's not...some type of Cybertroinan..is it?" The light from Starcraft's forearms lights up the tunnel ahead brightly, more glittering minerals reflecting in the beams. He remains silent for a minute as he navigates the caves, moving deeper to get clear of the weakened areas. Finally he speaks again. "No." he says evenly. Somehow, though, inside, his voice possesses emotive ability. He sounds unhappy. Candice furrows her brow and pulls away from the screen and refocuses on the console. "Not from Earth either...is it?" Starcraft says, "No." again. "Nobody knows where, really." Candice recalls what Starcraft had mentioned earlier about this not being his orginal form. "How...did it...get there?" she questions haltingly...not entirely sure she should be asking. Candice can't help but flicker another glance within the cockpit as she begins noticing more and more details. After a several moments lapse she wonders if she should simply kick herself for asking as some bits and peices of earlier conversations come back to her. Starcraft's radio hisses. RADIO: .. have.. gotten fix.. your location.. commencing.. search.. Starcraft says, "It appears my message got through. We should find a safe place to wait." He picks his way into a cave through a narrow fissure, as his lights sweep the walls, they glow and shine. "...Look at this..." he says, awed. Crystals of some mineral cover the walls, floor and ceiling, glittering in multi-coloured light, like a giant geode. Candice watches through the internal monitors. She seems grateful that her question goes unanswered. Her curiosity should really be curbed once in awhile. "That...the type of crystals you had been searching for?" she inquires...from within Starcraft. Starcraft says, "Maybe not, but they are something else entirely." Candice then asks, "Think they would work for you as well as the others?" Starcraft sweeps the lights around, throwing a bewildering array of prismatic beams into the cave. "Perhaps... but I'm not sure I'd want to disturb it." he says. 'Or have the same repeat of...what happened before', Candice muses to herself. "That's makes sense. I'm certain...medbay has tools you could use to help extract the crystal if...you ever decided to," she offers. Provided if this place was ever gotten back too. Then, "How far are we in the mountain exactly anyway?" A series of calculations seem to scroll accross the screen. "I suspect... significantly." Starcraft says, avoiding an exact figure. Candice ohs quietly. "Thanks for...getting me out of there..." Starcraft watches the lights for a couple minutes. "You are welcome," he says. "I didn't think I could relate to a biological before now..." His console dims slightly. "I... must power down, to preserve life-support. It's been too long since my last recharge," he says sleepily. The lights outside flicker out and his viewscreens wink out one by one, leaving only a single forward screen active. "If you get lonely, activate the third toggle to your left on the central console." Candice asks, "What...would it do?" she asks as the mechanoid settles.... Starcraft says, "It will awaken my core." Candice inquires, "Core consciousness then?" She nods, "Well...alright. Rest well...ok, Star?" Starcraft's console dims. "You do so as well." he says. ===================================== Message: 9/95 Posted Author Cave In Wed Mar 24 Prowl ------------------------------------- "We need an immediate excavation team to work on a side-tunnel in the Dark Cavern. Apparently, Starcraft and Candice are trapped somewhere beneath the mountain. The area is still unstable, so.." "/Be careful/." ====================================== Candice shifts slightly within the seat. Her breathing quickens slightly, giving evidence she may be drawing nearer towards wakefulness. Starcraft's screens are dim. Outside it is still pitch black. Inside, small status reports scroll accross the central viewscreen. below it, the main console blinks at regular intervals. After a few more moments Candice stirs a little more and blinks sleepily. She waits a little longer before sitting up a little more with a small groan. She muses how ironic it seems. Her seat is slightly damp...while her lips and mouth themselves are dried from thrist. Wet one end and dry the other. Not suprisingly the young woman is becoming dehydrated. Not to mention faminshed. She hasn't been able to eat anything either. "Star...you awake?" her voice grates... The console blinks and the status screen changes slightly. Starcraft's voice emits, sounding faint. "Yes." he says. Candice comments horsely, "You don't...sound so good. You...alright?" Candice can only suppose that Star is low on "nourishment" himself right about now. "My power-drain is getting extreme." he says. "But at least I took him with me." Starcraft sounds distant, his voice full of despair and hopelessness. Candice looks towards the console in concern. "Took him with- --? Who's him?" she questions. She quicks a brow at his tone. It seems even now with her own growing discomfort her senses are heightened. Starcraft speaks as if from a great distance. "They came from nowhere, and we were already so weak. There was nothing we could do. We're doomed..." his voice crackles in the speaker, "We crashed... they're coming for us now..." Candice pauses, "Starcraft...who...are *they?" Starcraft says, "I'm telling you, I don't KNOW! They look like us... but they aren't! They won't speak! They just attack... They've killed them all, my friends... We're trapped... reactor containment is breaking down. And they're boarding us." Candice swallows with a soft wince, trying to generate some syliva to wet her lips. "Star...can you see me somehow...inside you? You're...hallucinatting...or...dreaming..." Or more than likely remembering. "No one is bording you..." Starcraft sounds confused, "Wh... inside me?" he stammers, "But, the Concorde... Threnody... Jammer..." Candice grapples the strange armrests of her chair to pull herself forward towards the console. "Do...you have a camera...to get a look-see within your cockpit?" Starcraft's console blinks. "But I don't have a cockpit..." he says. "I must be hearing things... JAMMER! Are you still out there?! I'm trapped inside the core! It's in here too..." Whether the mechanoid wants to admit it or not, he has a cockpit *now*. Candice shakes her head, at a loss for what to do. "Please, Stacraft. Don't do this..." she whispers with a sigh. Not having the strength tp combat Star's present state of mind she decides maybe it bets if she tries to work with him on it. "Who's...Jammer? A comrade?" Starcraft quiets down for a minute. He finally speaks. "Jammer. My friend," he says, sounding weary. "We all left on the Concord..." Candice tilts her head. "A spacecraft of some sort?" Starcraft says, "The Serenity Concord. Our statement." Candice narrows her eyes at this. "Statement? How do you mean?" Starcraft says, "Against the war. Artists, all of us, left Cybertron on the Concord to protest the war..." Candice nods slowly. "And...something happened. You were...overtaken?" Starcraft says, "We were lost. Running out of supplies, and then /they/ found us." Candice flickers a glance towards one of the other monitors, mentally recalling the alien script she had seen written on the dispalys. "Wha---What happened next?" she croaks...and would rather not prob the mechanoid into whatever he happens to be experiancing within the depths of his mind at the moment. However, the only way she may be able to help him is simply to...keep him talking. The viewscreen flickers as he speaks, and space slowly fades into view. "We were looking for supplies in an asteroid field." On the screen, the asteroids drift hither and yon. In the distance, a shiny, elegant starship manouvers into the asteroids, scanning beams sweeping the nearby rocks for minerals. "We weren't having much luck. And then they pounced on us, they were hiding in the rocks, waiting." The image flashes forward, darting through the field towards the vessel, on the wings, two vicious-looking starfighters keep pace. These fighters you have seen before. They are the same as Starcraft's alt mode. They swoop down on the starship, white blasts of photonic energy flashing through the void, pounding the delicate-looking vessel mecilessly. Candice leans forward again to watch the images of a time past as they display themselves on screen. Her brows noticibly furrow as she recognizes the forms of the assailnents. Her back strightens in response. "But...why did they attack?" she haltingly inquires...before coughing once or twice. "Territorial boundries unintentionally...crossed over?" The ship, the Serenity Concord lilts in space, stunned by the sudden onslaught. It drifts, a large asteroid hurtles in and the bow of the vessel crumples, a glittering spray of debris blossoms out from the bridge. Starcraft continues to speak, his voice still and emotionless. "I don't know. There was no way to know." The engines of the Concord flare and the ship lurches forward in space. Another rock drifts into the ship's starboard side. The Concord spins and the engines side-swipe a huge asteroid. "Everything turned upside-down. Power fluctuating..." A broad swathe of debris now surrounds the crippled vessel, sparkling, mixing with a purple haze of escaping radiation from the engines. Candice continues to watch the monitors, beginning to understand the mechanoid's present despairing note -- especially if this is what he happened to be remembering at the moment. "You and the other were rather helpless..." she gathers audibly. The young woman glances up at the roof of the cockpit for a moment...and then refocuses on the forward console. The Concord drifts for some time. The cruel hunters circling. "Jammer, Threnody and I moved to the reactor core. The only place on the ship still relatively safe. All the rest were trapped, gone..." he says sadly. "We were alone, but alive." The view shifts. The alien vessels close in on the ship, and discover a bulk-head blasted open by the impacts and weapons damage. Their forms shift in a familiar manner, and finally, you see the strange robotic form of Starcraft himself. "We heard them." he says. "Coming inside. We thought maybe it was someone still alive. When they were outside the core, Threnody opened the door..." The view moves through the ship's twisted and devestated corridors, the two robots before you blasting open doors, searching for survivors. They arrive at the huge shielded doors of the core. They open, to reveal a small, delicate Cybertronian, who's expression of hope turns to one of horror. The lead robot raises an arm, and with a dazzling flash you have come to recognize, she is cut down mercilessly. Candice watches the images intensly. He sucks in a breath as the Cybertronian named Threnody was immediately downed by the alien intruders. "Star...I'm sorry..." she manages silently. Although...she has an idea Starcraft is far from finished from telling his tale... "What about you and...Jammer?" A second Cybertronian appears in the view, wielding a lenght of pipe and furiously throws himself on the aliens, and with a strength born of desperation and rage, he grapples with the body you realize you are in now, and throws it back past him. The view spins and stops with a lurch, looking down at the control console of the reactor core. Warning lights flicker all over the cockpit right now, as they do on the reactor console in the image. The view spins, and you see a third Cybertronian, pure white armor and crystal accents marred by dents and damage, the expression on his face is one of terror. A siren sounds, and everything changes. Jammer, struggling with the other aliens, disappears under an avalanche... the ceiling buckles and falls. An explosion rips through the chamber, and Starcraft, the real Starcraft, falls. A beam lands on him. Crushing his body, except for his head and shoulders, which stare right at you with horror... and hate. Candice's gaze softens considerably. Her hand weakly reaches out towards the resultimg image and rests it upon the console. There is a tightening of her throat, and not just from the lack of water. "That...was you then..." Starcraft's voice is flat, deflated from sorrow and horror. The image dims, the warning lights flashing desperately in the cockpit. "Me." he says. "That was me." On the screen, the other Starcraft continues to stare angrily, his green optics dimming slowly until they are a bare flicker. Inside the cockpit, the image dims, as a series of readouts scroll accross the screen in that alien language you have seen before. They stop. And the image winks out, leaving a single line like heart-rate monitor flatlined. Candice continues to stare at the image until it unexpectently fades -- and is replaced by something which...very nearly causes her own heart to stop. "Star?!" she cries, bolting forward. "Star...you still there??" The line moves accross the screen. Once. Twice. Three times... Candice's lower lip trembles as she moves forward in the seat. "Starcraft, please respond. Show some sign that...you're still here..." Of course...if his reserves were all but taken he would not be able to even...display the lifeline, or lack thereof, on his monitor... Candice blinks and simply...sits there for a few moments...trying to decide what to do. Her hand then starts edging towards the...specific toggle that the mechanoid had told her about a day or so ago...and presses... "Star...?" The line passes the screen for the seventh time. Then stops. Candice bites her lower lip. As the line stops all she can do is stare. "Anyone...there?" Somewhere beneath you, there is a hiss. A slight buzzing fills your ears and a tingle of electricity courses through your legs. Then all of a sudden, everything starts again. Around you is a maze of adjacent caverns and tunnels which lead further on into the mountain itself. One can easily become lost hear...especially if one doesn't know where they are going... Swoop, having gotten around to actually noticing the emergency message on the databoard, stomps down into the newly created cavern, shielding his optics from the intense heat. "Hellloooo?" The Dinobot's harsh voice echoes down the passage. Swoop, having gotten around to actually noticing the emergency message on the databoard, stomps down into the newly created cavern, shielding his optics from the intense heat. "Hellloooo?" The Dinobot's harsh voice echoes down the passage. Swoop speaks quietly into his radio. Swoop says, "What's this on the databoard. Somebody trapped?" Swoop says, "*bang bang bang as Swoop taps on his mic* Hey! Anybody listening? Sludge, come here!" Two panels slide back on Swoop's chest, and moments the area in front of him is bathed in the harsh white light of his search lights. The Dinobot hesitates as he eyes the multiple paths, not knowing which one to take. Swoop sighs to himself and cups his hands over his mouth, amplifying his already too-loud voice. "Anybody in here?" His voice echoes through the caverns. Dust falls from the ceiling onto the Dinobot, suggesting some instability in the caves. Swoop shakes his head to get the fallen dust off of it, and then looks up at the ceiling. Shrugging, he takes a step forward, but a slight rumble in the floor gives the Dinobot pause. "Hmm.....too heavy." Triggering his comm-link, the pteranodon warrior attempts to locate someone with a bit less mass to search. Swoop says, "Swoop to any....uh....light Autobot. Need you in the caves." Glasspack says, "On my way." Swoop remains perfectly still, not wanting to trigger another cave-in, and calls out to anyone who may be trapped. "Help's on the way!" Candice jerks back from the unexpected response. Yet...her fingers grip onto the toggle. "Ok...now what happened?" she asks... The screens light up one by one. Starcraft doesn't speak, however, and outide, the light from his forearms washes the cavern in light, once again throwing the chamber into a stunning array of reflections and prismatic lights. Candice presses her lips together and forces a swallow...still holding on to that toggle until the knouckles of her had turn white. "Starcraft...if you can hear me...please answer." Starcraft's body emits a series of hisses and chitters, and slowly, one leg begins to move. Candice flicker an uneasy glance around her within the cockpit before focusing again on the front monitor... Starcraft moves back to the exit of the chamber, and as he turns away, the glow of the crystals fades. "...I hope you remember how to find this place..." he says, voice still weak-sounding, "...because I'm not certain what planet I'm on at the moment..." Candice finally loosens her hold on the toggle. Chalky as her voice is she replies, "We're...on Earth..." in gentle reminder. She then states, I...can't exactly remember the way we came. Maybe...if/when we're found we can...ask Teletran. Prowl said...something about gaining the general area we were in...didn't he?" Starcraft moves into the passages slowly. "I will." he says quietly, something apparently weighing on his mind. His movements are agonizingly slow, and far less coordinated than is normal for him. He slumps into a wall. Candice blinks at the monitors, wishing there was some way she could help out. But even in here, with the cockpit itself being able to lessen the impact of the mechanoid's movement, she's able to tell how weak he is. "There any way I can...help from in here?" Glasspack instinctively shields her face from the radiating heat. "Ew. Swoop?" Pumpkin follows Glasspack, not even bothered by the heat. Swoop turns toward the sound of light footfalls, and watches Glasspack and Pumpkin enter the cavern. Switching off his searchlights so as not to blind the smaller Autobots, the pteranodon points in the direction of the maze of tunnels. "Trapped in there, I'm too heavy to go on and search." To prove this point, the Dinobot lefts a heavy foot and slams it into the ground. The single step elicits a dangerous- sounding rumble in the walls of the cave. Glasspack pushes up her sunglasses and squints around, presently finding Swoop behind a bunch of stalagtites. "Oh," she says, scooting over. "Who's trapped in there?" Swoop says, "Starcraft, and Candice. Starcraft damaged, not responding to hails." Starcraft pulls himself back to his feet after Candice speaks. "You said you had explored these caverns." he says. "Tell me how I can navigate them." Candice had also told him she had never gone this far back. So...she's as lost as he is. "I usually stayed close to the cavern walls...and kept my hands gliding lightly along the surface. Small steps. Nothing overly big." She then pauses. "Star...do you have an ide which cavern we entered here from? I recall...some sort of rock formation...looked something like several icicles..." Candice tries to be a little bit more specific. "There were three of them. Formed...some sort of triangle I think." Glasspack pulls out her datapad and does a backcheck. Sure enough there's Prowl's post. "Okay, gotcha," she says, nodding determinedly. She pulls off her sunglasses, jacket and skirt, hanging them on a handy rock. Strange, how much more professional she looks when she's not dressed up like a big human. "Don't have a bearing on them, I suppose," she says, tapping her radio. Starcraft says, "I'm receiving a message, but I don't know if I have the strength to respond..." Candice nods slowly. "Is...there a beacon you can send? Those...usually take less strength to emit..." Starcraft continues to stagger through the passage. "I remember..." he says, trying hard to think, "The Consortium installed a homing beacon inside me. But I don't have control over it, and it would be on a Consortium frequency..." Candice pauses...confused. Any kind of beacon would be of help. "You *don't* have...?" But that's another matter. So...she ends the thought. How...would the two be able to make some kind of noise so they can be...somehow led too. "What about a broadbanc? Anything that can be set on...automatic? like a distress frequency?" Swoop shakes his head, standing stock still. "Not yet." Glasspack's eyes go dark as she listens. "Hmm. Just static, and I don't have the sensors or stuff to get a position." With an inward shrug she heads into the tunnels, relying on her eons of experience under Cybertron's surface to help her find the victims. Swoop gets a look that indicates a light bulb went off in his mind, and activates his repulsors. Slowly, the Dinobot lifts off the ground, coming to a hover about a meter above the unstable rock surface. Swoop smiles in satisfaction. "Problem solved." Rotating back in the direction of the tunnels, he reactivates his searchlights. Pumpkin gets himself an idea too. Weight divided by two is more then divided by four. He transforms...turns on his foglights..and enters the caverns. Pumpkin transforms into Monster_Truck mode. Pumpkin folds down into a black and orange monster truck. Glasspack walks lightly through the uncomfortably hot tunnels, condensation covering her(relatively) cool body. As she moves, she listens for any possible sounds of heavy footsteps further in. She gets an idea, and suddenly yells, "Marco!" Swoop floats behind and to the right of Glasspack, his silence contrasting sharply with the typical Dinobot modus operandi. Glasspack skitters ahead, trying to distance herself from Pumpkin's massive car-crushing engine and listen for the lost. Glasspack waves Swoop towards one fork and takes the other, plinking lightly along the stone floors. Starcraft slumps to his knees and several warning lights go on in the cockpit. "Unh... reserves low..." he says. Candice falls back within her own seat, swallowing hard. "Maybe it's best we stay right here then. If they're already looking it would make us easier to find...." As she says this...her fingers unintentionally glide over an instrument panel to her right...quite by accident. A small blue and green button are depressed... Glasspack pauses at a fork in the cavern. "Hrm." Starcraft's bizarre controls are quite impossible to decipher, but Candice's movements have some effect, though perhaps not the ones she might have had if ... a small electrical shock zaps Candice's fingers. Swoop halts clumsily behind Glasspack, not used to moving in this fashion, and nearly running over the small Autobot in the process. Candice immediately pulls back her hand with a small wince. She peers at the offending console and then questions, "Star, what...do all these inner workings do in here?" Starcraft says, "I don't know..." he says. Small sparks of static buzz accross the panels. The prickly electric sensation spreads up Candice's legs, and makes the hair on her arms stand on end. "Not again..." he says. The screens flood with alien writing, as the effect spreads to the outside, bolts of green energy splashing against the walls of the passage with hisses and pops and snaps. Starcraft buckles over and covers his head with his arms, throwing the cockpit forward. "UnhhhhAGH!" Glasspack ducks rapidly. "Woops." She looks back and up, then carries on plinking. "Marco!" Pumpkin can't help but call back, "Polo!" His voice rings clearly through the Glasspack calls back, "Not you!" Swoop gives himself too much lift as he attempts to brake, and smacks his head into the ceiling of the tunnel, causing a shower of dust and debris to rain down on the searchers. Cutting his repulsors, the Dinobot lands with a *thump*, and grins sheepishly at the other two. "Sorry." Pumpkin stops, "Tha heck with it." and transforms and states, "Ok....MARCO!!" Glasspack ehs, "Sokay." She keeps listening, but is starting to worry. "How far---?" Pumpkin stops silent, swearing he heard something. He calls out, "Ya'll hear that?" He doesn't move, listening, hearing nothing but his own echo, but listening. Glasspack straightens up like a shot, darting in the direction of the yell. "Yeah!" Pumpkin starts to jog down the tunnels, his fog lights bouncing off the walls. Nobody sees that but him. Silverbolt comes running out to the sound of Pumpkin's voice. He then stops, and he looks around, "Is Candice okay?" Candice widens her eyes considerably as the electrical current rides up her small frame. What in the heck did she just do?! Her voice betrays some of her rising fear. "Star...what's going on?" Pumpkin comes to a fork...but he's one of the splits...does he take the other split of the main path?? He hears Silverbolt, "Don't know..haven't found them yet..." Glasspack skids around a corner and spots the stricken Starcraft. "Found him!" she calls down the caverns over her shoulder. Pumpkin listens and the sound decides...he bolts down the main path...finding Starcraft...from the other side. "Ditto!" A wave of iononized air washes out from Starcraft's position, small green flickers of static energy buzzing in the dark. Starcraft seems engulfed in a small electrical storm. Glasspack comes up short at the sight of the green bolts, though. "Woah. This is Wheeljack territory, right here. Pumpkin, go for a medic!" Swoop follows right behind Glasspack, having again lifted himself up into the air on his repulsors. Spotting the 'storm' straight ahead, the Dinobot moves forward...just as a bolt lashes forth... With the bolt loosed, the electrical storm dissipates. Starcraft collapses onto his back. "...won't happen again..." he says softly, more inside to Candice, than outside. His voice sounds... relieved? Pumpkin sees something in his lights. Silverbolt. Uh oh...he cranks all four wheels to try to get up on the wall before he runs him over... Swoop lets out a primal screech, normally only heard in pteranodon mode, as the charged bolt sears into his chest, sending out a shower of sparks and smoke. As the bolt disipates, the Dinobot stands there a moment, a dumbfounded look on his face, and then topples backwards, landing with tremendous *CLANG*. Silverbolt dodges over as he sees Pumpkin come driving towards him. He shouts out, "Watch it!" He calls out, and then makes a not so graceful fall on his aft. He grunts, "Pumpkin, next time I'm going to get Doc to give you a more reasonable alternative mode." Pumpkin does both. The biggest part of him misses, but two of the three rollbar lights get knocked off, and are sent spinning into the tunnel. With his light down 2/3s, he continues through the tunnel. What happens to Bolt, he doesn't know, he's already around the corner. Candice blinks as her heartcontinues to race. "Wha---what was that about?" she questions breathlessly. Starcraft manages to say, "Adjustments... finished, it seems." Candice shakes her head...feeling a little more than dazed. "Adjust----what kind of adjustments?" Swoop continues to lay on the ground, for the moment simply an inert hunk of Dinobotium, the strongest metal on Earth. The loud engine dies off suddenly, as Pumpkin exits the tunnels. The aren't so long when you're doing 50... Starcraft groans. "I'm not sure." he says. "But I don't think it'll happen again." Silverbolt looks at Swoop, and he grunts, "Pumpkin, go see to getting some help in these tunnels." The young woman's breathing slows. "You ok?" she asks timidly. Starcraft's screens are dim. "I think so." he says quietly. "My energon level is very low, however." Candice, off course, doesn't notice Swoop's prone form right away from where she is. But then...being inside Starcraft...and having just gone through that electrical storm as well...is it any wonder? However, she does begin to notice the other Autobots nearby. "Just rest then. It's enough that...they found as at the moment I think." Swoop's backup systems finally succeed in getting the Dinobot back online, and he slowly sits up, gazing down at the scorched armor on his chest. Starcraft sighs (something you've never heard him do before). "Good." he says. Candice wearily closes her eyes and opens them again. "Just...hope Tom isn't too worried..." she muses idly. Silverbolt doesn't get Starcraft up. He kneels down, and he sighs, "Swoop, see to lifting Starcraft to the repair bay. There is no medics here to see about getting him out here safely." Swoop slowly gets to his feet, still slightly dazed, and nods in Silverbolt's direction. He then turns towards Starcraft and walks over to the stricken Autobot, preparing to lift him up. Candice looks towards the dimming console. "You...going to be ok now...you think?" Starcraft says, "Yes." simply. Swoop carefully (for a Dinobot) lifts up Starcraft and turns toward the tunnel. "Ready, Silverbolt?" Silverbolt nods his head slowly, "Go get him to the repair bay now." Swoop says nothing, and merely heads off into the gloom of the tunnel, carrying the near-lifeless Starcraft in his arms. Ratchet exits from the Ark soon after the other Autobot upon being called...he doesn't get that far to the mouth of the offending cavern when.... Swoop strides through the entranceway, carrying a heavily damaged Autobot in his arms. "Ratchet!" Walking up to the doc, Swoop holds Starcraft out to him. "For you." Silverbolt comes running after Swoop, and he calls out, "Hold on! Where the frag is Candice?!" He seems to be very worried about her remembering something about her also being missing. Swoop looks oddly at Silverbolt, as if he's just announced that he's a Decepticon or something. "Candice?" He pauses for a moment. "Oh, human. I dunno." Ratchet nears the new arrivals as they leave the offending canvern. "What happened exactly..." Borderline nods as he enters the room walking to a control panel and punches in data. Starcraft is lying on the floor, quite immobilized from energon depletion. He is covered in dust and scratches, one large dent has smashed one of the fins on his back. Swoop prods Starcraft with a toe. The very latest in Dinobot medical science. Ratchet shakes his head suddenly. He then kneels on the floor and starts a small transfer of enegron by linking a fuel line from his wrist to a fuel line within Starcraft's own wrist.. "Might be able to give him enough so he can help us locate the other one..." he muses. Silverbolt looks at Starcraft, and then the rest, "All of you go look for Candice now! This is an emergancey!" Pumpkin nods and turns to the Cavern. Starcraft's optics brighten slightly. "Uhhhh..." he moans, "I think I can solve the mystery for you." he emits, his crude vocalizer making it sound like a simple statement, devoid of any emotion. Ratchet is near the mouth of the cavern with the others where a rescue team had been sent down to locate two missing persons. He keeps up the energy transference. He gives s light nod...as the lifeflow is transmitted... Ratchet simply asks, "Where?" quietly. Starcraft's torso hisses, and the armor plates shift. A hidden seam appears, and amid a wreathing of gases, he peels open like an avodado, revealing a fully enclosed, nestled cockpit within. Enveloping viewscreens unfold like petals, and Candice is revealed. Silverbolt peers down at Candice, and then kneels down. He pokes her carefully, "Candice? You okay there 'ace'?" He speaks to her in a worried tone. Candice turns away from the sudden light almost immediately after the cockpit opens. She's certainly has looked better to be honest. She's had no food or water for 2 1/2 - 3 days now. And seems a little week. Also...some of her clothing looks to be slightly damp. "Ugh!" she winces openly at the sudden brightness. "Warning next time..." Swoop says nothing as Candice is located, but you can tell from the slight smile on his face that he's pleased to see her. Ratchet continies donating his own fuel for Starctarft's needs until his diagnostics relay that the resevers will last until Starcraft can be temporaily tended to. Starcraft is lying on the floor, quite immobilized from energon depletion. He is covered in dust and scratches, one large dent has smashed one of the fins on his back. Candice lowers her hand from her eyes as they adjust to the new lighting. She blinkblinks for several moments before croaking unsteadily, "Uh...hi..." from the strange cockpit... Tusk , one od Blaster's casettes, says, "Goodness...what happened!?" upon nearing the group. Silverbolt carefully lifts Candice up in his hands, and he looks at her, "I'll get you over to the Marine encampment so they can take care of you there, Ace." Candice weakly nods. "Yeah...uh...alright. Thanks..." she mumbles as she's wisked away. She turns towards Starcraft's prone form, offering a slightly-more-than-concerned glance before she and Silverbolt disapper into one of the other tunnels. Starcraft watches Candice and Silverbolt go, his central optic whirrs sluggishly. Ratchet looks over his shoulder and states, "Found the two missing persons, Tusk." he then looks too Swoop as he disconects the fuel transfer. "Starcraft, you may close yourself up now. She's taken care of. Now...it's your turn." He looks towards Swoop, "Could you take him to the medical center for me?" Swoop looks over at Tusk and points in the direction of Starcraft's shattered form. "Rocks happened. Cave-in." Tusk says, "Ouch, its good they were found. Magnus got burried by a building. But, we dug him out last night." Starcraft's cockpit re-seals with a hiss, leaving no evidence that it was there in the first place. Swoop ponders taking issue with his newly-appointed job of 'orderly', but thinks better of it, and nods to Ratchet. Leaning over, he carefully hefts Starcraft. Silverbolt says, "Autobots, I got Candice over to the Infimery to get some medical attention.. She'll be okay just needs fuel and rest." Prowl steps into the room, remaining by the door, optics slightly squinted as he looks in. Ratchet is running some diagnostics on Starcraft's prone form after hooking him up to a device which will slowly rebuild his energon levels. He blinks and flickers a glance around him at the small crowld of Autobots. "Yes...you did a good job finally finding them. Now...will all of you back away and let me work??" Swoop steps back in accordance with Ratchet's wishes, but stays in the bay, not having anything better to do and sort of wanting to see Starcraft's innards. Ratchet places his hands on his hips as he breiefly stops working. "I'm certain you all have something better to do than to watch me work..." Normal for him maybe. But he seems to be also making an extra effort for Starcraft not to be gawked at... Pumpkin thinks and grins, "Nope..." He waits a second to see Ratchet's reaction, then steps out. Swoop crosses his arms and stands resolutely in the medbay. "Nope, nothing better to do." You get the feeling that this is becoming an 'issue', as the Dinobots are known to create. Ratchet throws the lot a very nasty look before pressing a button on Starcraft's medtable. Without warning serveral metallic "walls" come down to give the patient some privacy... Swoop shrugs and turns, heading out into the corridor as others follow suit.