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#Post#: 299--------------------------------------------------
Re: Transformers: Fragments
By: Ashes Date: August 3, 2013, 12:22 pm
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Episode 6 – Overcast
Airdate: Saturday 3rd August 2013
Synopsis: Aboard the Dawn Katana, Scale has been upgraded in the
same manner as the other Maximals. Prophecy remarks – once again
– that she kept the data of the upgrades. As Cross-Shot leads
Scale off to show him around the ship, Prophecy clutches at her
head; the two stop in the doorway, watching in concern, before
she stops, looking at them calmly. She asks if she can go though
the doorway.
Prophecy sits in the ship’s bridge, browsing files as the AI
assists her. She informs him that she is just checking over
things while she is still in clarity. Waspinator, Cross-Shot and
Scale watch on; Waspinator explains that Prophecy’s mind is
flooded with information, hence her usual odd behaviour, but on
occasion, she regains a sense of mental clarity. It is only
fleeting, however.
Scale: So, care to tell me what her problem is?
Waspinator: Prophecy is… odd. She sees a lot, all the time.
Every moment, she’s overloaded with information. The way she
normally is, that’s the only way she can interact with the world
when all of that’s in her head. Sometimes, though, it clears up
for a little while. Not for very long.
Indeed, Prophecy loads up a countdown timer, ignoring the others
and continuing her search for data. Sickleclaw, Huntdown,
Scorpinax and Airazor – now with a Meganeura alt-mode – are
trekking through a jungle; Scorpinax spots a camera, obviously
not the first, and remarks that Dinobot is keeping a very close
eye on them. Airazor expresses his disdain at this, and Huntdown
suggests they continue their mission. Dinobot wants to see how
well they work together while tracking a target, and they should
act as swiftly as possible. Prophecy’s timer is nearing zero,
and she is working frantically. Waspinator attempts to talk with
her, but to no avail. The timer hits zero… and nothing happens.
Cautiously, Prophecy checks over herself, and states that there
may be a slight delay. When still nothing happens, she turns to
the others and informs them that something is wrong.
Prophecy: … no, it’s… it’s just a delay. That’s all. I should
be- it’s just a delay, give it a moment…
*a few moments pass, and nothing; she turns to Waspinator,
Cross-Shot and Scale*
Prophecy: Something… is different. Something’s wrong. With me.
She heads off to her room, silently yet concerned. Elsewhere on
the ship, Tidal Wave and Howlback are training; they discuss
their concern over Waspinator allowing Airazor to be killed, and
decide that the best idea is to inform Waspinator himself. They
head out, only to encounter Prophecy. They can immediately tell
that something is wrong, and she informs them that she is
staying clear. Howlback states that this should be a good thing,
but the smaller bot comments that it feels wrong. She continues
on her way, as Tidal Wave and Howlback head to the bridge.
As the Archaicons continue through the jungle, Airazor boasts
of his leadership skills, with the other three mostly
disregarding him.
Airazor: It’s a good thing you guys have me here, really cos
I’m- I dunno what Dinobot’s problem is, I’m the best leader
here! The only leader here! Really, aren’t I just? I know I’m
not leading you NOW, but in general-
Sickleclaw: Make it stop, make it stop…
Sickleclaw spots movement up ahead – their target. Airazor
transforms and flies ahead, even though Huntdown orders him to
stand down; he leads Sickleclaw and Scorpinax ahead. Snapjaw is
watching videos in the recreation room when Scale enters; he
asks Snapjaw what role he holds in the Maximal hierarchy, to
which the former-Predacon remarks ‘would-be enemy’. Scale claims
that if he were already on the team, he would not have given
Snapjaw a second chance. Tidal Wave and Howlback approach
Waspinator, and inform him that they are not pleased with him
allowing Scale to kill Airazor just so they could get the
fragment – the leader points out that it was none of their
business, but Howlback snaps that maybe it should be.
Waspinator: I let it happen because our number one priority is
the fragments. We need to gather them, quickly. Scale’s mission
was none of our business.
Howlback: Maybe it SHOULD be! We’re Maximals, we shouldn’t
condone that kind of thing!
Waspinator states that he does not have time for this at the
moment, as Prophecy is in distress. Cross-Shot tries to talk to
Prophecy, but the older bot remains cagey, stating that she
feels as though the prison wardens of her mind have forgotten to
lock her back up again. Cross-Shot attempts to pry further, but
Waspinator appears, suggesting that Cross-Shot do something
else. He asks Prophecy if he can come in, but she refuses.
Airazor’s attempts to attack the target are futile due to his
diamond-hard skin, and even the other three Archaicons joining
in helps little. The target runs off, and Huntdown orders
Airazor not to follow. The newer bot asks who put Huntdown
in-charge, to which he responds that no one did – but someone
needed to step up. Scorpinax suggests that they continue on,
while Airazor remarks that Huntdown is just playing to the
cameras.
Cross-Shot wanders into the ship’s bridge. As she chats with
the AI, she notices Prophecy’s files still up, and heads over to
look at them.
Dawn Katana: Your training stats are pretty interesting. I take
it you’ve trained a lot?
Cross-Shot: Every day for as long as I care to remember.
Dawn Katana: That’s a lot of training, yeah… you look good, it’s
working.
Cross-Shot: I don’t train to look good, and I’m not open to
flirting from a spaceship.
Dawn Katana: Oh. Yeah, no, sorry. I didn’t- I didn’t mean it
like that. I just-
Cross-Shot: Ahem.
Dawn Katana: Sorry, yeah, I’ll shut up now.
They include maps of where the fragments have been found so far
and data on where they embedded and the powers they granted, as
well as Fibonacci spirals, data on Quintessons and Valoranians,
and fables relating to the Alternity. Browsing them in
confusion, she finds a message, reading ‘Cross-Shot, stay
strong’. Waspinator tells Prophecy about how he felt when he
regained his memories of the previous timeline – the feeling of
them not being a part of him, but knowing that he had to accept
them nonetheless. Prophecy opens the door, allowing him in. As
the target continues through the jungle, Airazor flies overhead;
the target watches this, and Sickleclaw and Huntdown pounce at
him, overwhelming him even as Scorpinax attacks his legs,
bringing him down. Airazor attempts to decapitate him, but his
neck is too tough – Scorpinax stabs through the target’s eye,
into the brain. Dinobot appears as a hologram, recalling the
four. Scale enters the bridge, and asks Cross-Shot what she is
doing. The young archer attempts to explain Prophecy’s notes,
but finds that she cannot truly make sense of it all. Scale
shrugs it off, though Cross-Shot claims that it feels important.
Waspinator sits with Prophecy, who explains that in her normal
state, her mind is so heavily bombarded that she feels
suffocated, and every thought is refracted through prisms. As
she continues to explain, a tear falls.
Prophecy: How I usually am… it’s like I’m being bombarded. All
these images, sights and sounds and thoughts, and it’s choking
me. It’s suffocating. I can’t think straight, it’s all
exaggerated and refracted through these prisms until I’m acting
on impulse, I’m shouting irrelevant comments and doing things
that make so much sense but can’t possibly matter. And then I’m
like this, and I can breathe, but it doesn’t even matter because
this is the exception, not the norm. I know that in a matter of
minutes, I’ll be back to… to that again. And… and the scary
thing is… it feels right. Being like that. Like it’s what I’m
meant to be. But it’s so terrifying, Waspinator. I don’t… I
don’t know how I manage. The things I’ve seen. The things I
know. And I can’t tell. Couldn’t possibly tell. Because even
though I’m so utterly broken, I know one thing… I know when I
really, truly need to be quiet.
Waspinator says that he understands, and that the Maximals are
all there to support her. At that moment, Prophecy clutches her
head, and after a moment, is back to her usual zany self.
Waspinator leaves her be, and the crazed fembot is confused at
the tear on her cheek.
Cast:
Scale – Ron Perlman
Prophecy – Jocelyne Loewen
Cross-Shot – Karen Gillan
Dawn Katana – Joe Thomas
Waspinator – Scott McNeil
Huntdown – Corey Burton
Airazor – Tom Kenny
Sickleclaw – Tiffany Grant
Scorpinax – Brian Drummond
Howlback – Kate Higgins
Tidal Wave – James Arnold Taylor
The Target – Scott McNeil
Snapjaw – David Leisure
Dinobot – Scott McNeil
[hr]
A.
#Post#: 302--------------------------------------------------
Re: Transformers: Fragments
By: Ashes Date: August 10, 2013, 12:54 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Episode 7 – Inner Circle
Airdate: Saturday 10th August 2013
Synopsis: Sickleclaw, Huntdown, Scorpinax and Airazor are
waiting in the Archaicon ship’s bridge, discussing their recent
mission (Airazor believes that it went exceptionally well),
while awaiting the return of Dinobot. The cloaked figures board
the ship all the while – they enter the bridge, and Dinobot
removes his cloak. He explains to the group that he has watched
the footage of their mission repeatedly and has chosen a final
member of his inner circle. The other figure removes her cloak,
and introduces herself as Lacerator.
A little while later, Dinobot is with Lacerator, as she selects
her new beast mode – an ancient sea-creature known as
Orthrozanclus. Dinobot notes that it will be fairly useless in
combat, but the fembot notes that it is an intimidation tactic.
It becomes evident that Lacerator is not only a PR expert, but a
mastermind at keeping people in-line. Dinobot has hired her as a
figure to keep the others united. Scorpinax has clearly realised
this, as he is searching through his computer network, bringing
up information on her. A message alert comes through, from ‘V’,
but Scorpinax ignores it. Elsewhere, Sickleclaw is reading when
Airazor enters, alternating between abrasively flirting with her
and attempting to get a rise out of her. She gets up, book
in-hand, and attempts to leave, but he blocks her exit,
remarking that he enjoys toying with the ‘emotionally pathetic’.
Airazor: Come on, give us a smile. Or something dirtier – your
choice.
Sickleclaw: You can watch my back, as I leave.
*she tries to leave, but he stands in the doorway*
Airazor: Whoa, sorry. I’m not letting you go just yet. I’m
having fun.
Sickleclaw: Bite me.
Airazor: May I?
*she sneers at him*
Airazor: It’s so much fun, messing with bots as emotionally
pathetic as you.
Angered, Sickleclaw lashes out, and a fight starts. Huntdown is
the first on the scene, and tries to stop them, with little
luck. As other Archaicons start to gather, the two brawling bots
are struck with a number of small needles – Lacerator lowers her
hands, and orders Huntdown to take the two elsewhere. He does
so, while Lacerator informs the onlookers that this was nothing
more than an impromptu sparring match and for them to leave.
Lacerator: This was an intended fight. A sparring match. Nothing
more. Back to what you were doing, please.
Scorpinax watches via the ship’s security cameras. Huntdown
brings Sickleclaw and Airazor to Dinobot’s quarters, informing
the leader of their in-fighting. Unimpressed, Dinobot orders
Huntdown to escort Airazor to a prison cell to cool off, while
he deals with Sickleclaw. A dazed Airazor claims that Dinobot is
being unfairly biased as Huntdown drags him off; Dinobot helps
Sickleclaw to her feet and brings her into his quarters.
Scorpinax approaches Lacerator, questioning her needles; the
fembot explains that they are tipped with a chemical that
weakens the target. The shady mech asks her the chemical
structure of the substance, but she states that Dinobot has
informed her of each of her fellow inner circle member’s
behaviour. Scorpinax is not to be trusted.
Scorpinax: Must be an interesting chemical. What’s its
structure?
Lacerator: No.
Scorpinax: Sorry?
Lacerator: Upon hiring me, Dinobot informed me of your
behaviour. You and the others. You are not to be trusted,
especially not with potential biological weaponry.
She walks off, leaving him seething. In the ship’s prison,
Huntdown has locked Airazor up – the insect-bot complains,
stating that Sickleclaw was the one who attacked him, but
Huntdown clarifies that he is only following Dinobot’s orders.
Airazor points out that Huntdown does not like or trust Dinobot,
but simply joined due to his disapproval of the Maximals and
Predacons. He insinuates that Huntdown would be better of
joining his group instead, but Huntdown remarks that Airazor has
no ‘group’. Dinobot addresses Sickleclaw’s issues with
controlling her anger, and notes that he can teach her control –
he hands her his sword, and guides her into the right stance.
She questions how learning to wield a weapon could help with her
emotional control, and he explains that swordsmanship is all
about total control of one’s body and mind.
Sickleclaw: I don’t get it. You want me to learn to be calm, so
you give me a killing implement?
Dinobot: There is more to it than that. Swordsmanship is about
control. Complete and utter control. You can’t make a single
mistake, in your body or in your mind. So you learn, you teach
yourself to refine it. You teach yourself control.
He has her shut her eyes and breathe in and out deeply, and says
that he will return to her shortly; as she continues, he sits at
his desk and continues working. Scorpinax is back in his room,
watching over the footage of Lacerator’s subduing of Sickleclaw
and Airazor and trying to figure out, from their responses, what
the chemical substance could possibly be, although he has little
luck narrowing it down for now.
The other Archaicons are gathered in one of the ship’s larger
rooms, with Lacerator giving a basic introduction of herself and
summarising the state of affairs now that Dinobot has completed
his inner circle. She concludes by saying that Dinobot will be
updating them on the next step soon. The Archaicons disperse,
and Lacerator is confronted by Huntdown, who suggests she work
her ‘magic’ on Airazor. Sickleclaw is still focusing on her
breathing, and Dinobot applauds her – surprised, she turns,
annoyed at his deception, but he states that the longer you
focus and relax, the more control you can exert over yourself.
The younger bot disregards this, discarding Dinobot’s sword and
preparing to head off, but Dinobot suggests that she continue
training herself as she feels comfortable. She leaves,
contemplating doing so. As Airazor mopes about in his cell,
Lacerator enters, explaining to the troublesome bot that he is
under Dinobot’s command, and needs to respect the Archaicon
leader. If he persists in causing trouble, she is on authority
to terminate him. Airazor snarls that he has rights, but
Lacerator claims that if he continues to play up and act against
Dinobot, he will forfeit those rights. She unlocks his cell,
allowing him out, and insists that he should continue down his
treacherous path, as she enjoys murdering worthless bots like
him.
Lacerator: Airazor.
Airazor: Oh, hey, it’s the spiky fembot. Here I was thinking
someone with a personality had shown up.
Lacerator: You are an Archaicon. Do you know what that means.
Airazor: That I’ve signed up to a z-list band?
Lacerator: You are under the command of Dinobot. You have been
taken under his wing and given sanctuary aboard this ship. You
are to treat him and his will with respect.
Airazor: Or what?
Lacerator: Or I terminate you.
Airazor: What?!
Lacerator: Dinobot’s orders. If you continue to undermine him, I
am on authority to kill you.
Airazor: Th- That’s disgusting! I have rights! Right? I’m pretty
sure I do!
Lacerator: You have rights while you play fair. This is an
Archaicon ship, and Dinobot sets the rules. Go against them, and
you forfeit your rights. Understood?
Airazor: … yeah. Yeah, I got it, Scaly-Butt is in charge. He
says jump, I’m supposed to know how high, what angle and what
I’m trying to grab.
*Lacerator opens his cell door; he goes to leave, but she blocks
the doorway*
Lacerator: In my opinion? You should keep on acting up. I
really, truly love killing worthless pieces of scrap like you.
*she smirks*
As Scorpinax continues his search, Huntdown enters the room;
Scorpinax snaps at him for the intrusion, and Huntdown, noticing
his search, claims that he should watch what he does now that
Lacerator is around. Scorpinax hisses that Huntdown is afraid of
her, but the Lycaenops-bot corrects him, saying that he simply
has no reason to act suspiciously or play against Dinobot. All
the while, Lacerator gives her initial progress reports on her
fellow inner circle members to Dinobot; he states that he trusts
her to handle the four bots appropriately.
Cast:
Sickleclaw – Tiffany Grant
Airazor – Tom Kenny
Huntdown – Corey Burton
Scorpinax – Brian Drummond
Dinobot – Scott McNeil
Lacerator – Erin Cahill
Archaicon 3 – Corey Burton
Archaicon 4 – Scott McNeil
Archaicon 5 – Jocelyn Loewen
[hr]
A.
#Post#: 306--------------------------------------------------
Re: Transformers: Fragments
By: Ashes Date: August 17, 2013, 12:31 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Episode 8 – Hive Mind
Airdate: Saturday 17th August 2013
Synopsis: Hivax-8, a Cybertronian colony. The streets are
bustling, but without talking, as hundreds – thousands – of
identical bee bots head to work. The bustle is punctuated by
whistling; people start to look at the source, a lone fembot,
strolling along, hair cut shorter than her fellow female
colonists. More eyes start to glare at her, though they never
stop moving, and the fembot does not notice.
Aboard the Dawn Katana, Scale is checking on his weaponry in
his quarters; Waspinator watches via security cameras from the
bridge, when Tidal Wave and Howlback approach him. They again
address Waspinator’s decision to allow Scale to (as far as they
are aware) kill Airazor. The leader sighs, stating that if they
tried to prevent Scale from killing his target, they most likely
would never have gotten the fragment. As bad as it is to have to
let someone die when they may well not deserve it, retrieving
the fragments of the One True Matrix is a far more important
task.
Waspinator: Yes, we had to let someone die, someone who probably
didn’t even deserve it in the grand scheme of things. But the
point is, we DID have to. Retrieving the fragments are more
important – the fragments of the One True Matrix. You know as
well as I do how much this means.
Howlback is still unsure, just as Cross-Shot enters, stating
that they are definitely drawing closer to the next fragment.
The bee fembot is in a large office, each cubicle hexagonal in
shape. The others are working busily, but she is instead
dividing her time between work and art, drawing the city vista.
Finishing the drawing, she stands up, looking around at her busy
co-workers – she asks them how they all are, and is met with
nothing but a few stares.
Buzzstreak: Hey everyone. It’s a nice day today, isn’t it? How
are you all?
A little baffled, she heads out of her cubicle and way down the
office, where she tries to get everyone’s attention. Failing
again, she proceeds to head out of the office. The Dawn Katana
lands down, and the ship wishes the Maximals luck as they head
out. Scale is carrying multiple weapons, and Waspinator asks if
the former-mercenary needs to be so prepared. Scale retorts that
it is better to be over-prepared than under-prepared. Deciding
to let it go, Waspinator asks Cross-Shot to track the fragment,
with the young archer leading the team off. Sat atop her office
block, the bee fembot looks out over the city, pondering her
newfound independence, when she notices the Dawn Katana and its
crew. Curious, she transforms into her bumble-bee form and flies
down to investigate.
On the streets, Cross-Shot senses that the fragment is actually
getting closer – Prophecy spots the fembot approaching, just as
she is dive-bombed by two honey-bee bots. Cross-Shot confirms
that the bumble-bee is their bot, and Scale immediately tries to
snipe the honey-bees. Waspinator orders him not to, before
transforming and flying up to meet the bees. The two honey-bees
remark that the fembot is avoiding work and going against the
greater good of the colony, and add that Waspinator needs to
sign himself into the foreign office before being allowed to
explore the colony. As Waspinator tries to reason with the two,
they are shot down – Scale lowers his rifle below. Waspinator
escorts the fembot down to the surface, where they transform and
land down; the Maximal leader snaps at Scale, yelling that he
had ordered him not to shoot and that they have caused trouble
now (Howlback sneers all the while). Prophecy takes it upon
herself to introduce everyone, and the bumble-bee fembot
introduces herself as Buzzstreak.
Prophecy: Hey! I’m Prophecy, but you can call me Prophecy! These
are my friends: the tall waspy one is Waspinator, he’s the
leader; then the one with the bow is Cross-Shot, and she’s my
friend and they’re all my friends and I’m a Maximal! You’re my
friend, aren’t you? Wait, wait, don’t answer yet, look- Tidal
Wave and Howlback! They love each other. Isn’t it cute? Then the
two angry guys are Snapjaw, he used to be a baddie, and Scale,
he still kinda is. OH, I forgot myself, I’m- what was my name
again?
Buzzstreak: Prophecy?
Prophecy: What about her? Oh, wait, me! Yes! Hai! I’m Prophecy,
and you’re not-Prophecy!
Buzzstreak: *giggles* I’m Buzzstreak.
Waspinator asks her if she recently felt any pains in her chest,
and the young bot confirms that she did, and since then she has
seen life in a whole new way. Waspinator informs the others of
what the two officers said, and Snapjaw remarks that the colony
seems to almost literally be a beehive. Buzzstreak confirms
this, explaining that the fragment has made her realise that she
does not have to act as everyone else does. Impressed, Tidal
Wave remarks that her fragment must have granted her independent
thought, as the sky darkens – a swarm of enforcement officers
are in the sky. Snapjaw suggests they take Buzzstreak’s fragment
and leave, but Waspinator informs his team that he has another
idea.
Snapjaw: Oh, wonderful. Well done, Scale, now you’ve pissed them
off. How about, we take the girl’s fragment and get out of here?
Waspinator: *looks at Buzzstreak* No. No, I have a better idea.
He transforms again, telling Cross-Shot, Snapjaw, Prophecy and
Scale to cover him while Tidal Wave and Howlback escort
Buzzstreak to her home. With that, he flies up towards the
swarm; Tidal Wave and Howlback lead Buzzstreak off while the
others start firing at the swarm.
Tidal Wave, Howlback and Buzzstreak rush through the streets,
with the younger bot guiding them to her home, even as some of
the officers follow them. The two Maximals use their weaponry to
knock out a few officers, and Howlback transforms to confront
more. As the Maximals defend her, Buzzstreak notices a number of
screens, all reporting on her disruptive behaviour live.
Locating one of the security cameras, she heads off. All the
while, Waspinator weaves through the swarm, transforming
back-and-forth and taking out officers, but he finds that their
coordinated movements are too much; indeed, they start to lay
more and more damage on him, and the rest of his team on the
surface are being preoccupied by other officers and so are
unable to help him. As Tidal Wave and Howlback continue their
fights, Buzzstreak pops up in front of one of the security
cameras, and explains how she has recently gained a sense of
independence and that it is a good thing – the message is
broadcast across the colony, with all the workers viewing it on
a small screen beside their work.
Buzzstreak: Hey. Erm… my name is Buzzstreak. I guess you know
that now, anyway. I look a little different to the rest of you.
I cut my hair this morning. Want to know why? Cos I didn’t like
it being so long. You call this a bob cut, right? I like it.
You’re probably all confused as to how I could even think to cut
my hair, or whistle, or do things at my own speed, or anything
different. A week ago, something changed about me. It’s… like I
woke up. I realised who I am. I realised… I can be who I want to
be. And… that’s a good thing. It’s good. So please, don’t be
mad, and don’t be scared.
At that moment, a work break begins, and bots file out, all
evidently against Buzzstreak’s new-found mindset. Scared, the
young fembot calls for Tidal Wave and Howlback to come with her
again, but they are too busy fighting… until Prophecy appears,
generating an energy sphere around the officers and winking at
the others. Confused, the trio nevertheless head off. As a
damaged Waspinator falls from the swarm, hitting the ground
hard, many officers swarm him, preparing to arrest him. However,
they receive a message, and state that their queen has
specifically requested that they bring him to her.
Cast:
Buzzstreak – Sasha Paysinger
Scale – Ron Perlman
Waspinator – Scott McNeil
Howlback – Kate Higgins
Tidal Wave – James Arnold Taylor
Cross-Shot – Karen Gillan
Snapjaw – David Leisure
Prophecy – Jocelyne Loewen
Dawn Katana – Joe Thomas
Officer 1 – Scott McNeil
Officer 2 – Tom Kenny
Officer 3 – Corey Burton
[hr]
A.
#Post#: 313--------------------------------------------------
Re: Transformers: Fragments
By: Ashes Date: August 24, 2013, 11:28 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Episode 9 – Out of Touch
Airdate: Saturday 24th August 2013
Synopsis: Cross-Shot, Snapjaw, Prophecy and Scale are still
dealing with officers, albeit less now; Prophecy stops fighting,
remarking that she will return shortly, before stepping backward
and phasing into thin air. As the workers all file out of their
buildings, the area becomes crowded, and Cross-Shot, Snapjaw and
Scale sneak off in the distraction. As they head down alleyways,
they find Prophecy still holding back other officers in an
energy sphere. Concerned, she warns them that the colony shall
soon fall apart.
Tidal Wave, Howlback and Buzzstreak reach the young fembot’s
home, and Buzzstreak asks the two why she has been escorted back
here. Unsure, Tidal Wave suggests that Waspinator wanted
Buzzstreak to be safe. Howlback coldly remarks that it is unlike
Waspinator to protect the innocent, and Tidal Wave snaps at her,
pointing out that their leader is shouldering a lot of
responsibility and has to do what is best for their mission. He
adds that sometimes, even the Maximals have to accept loss if it
leads to a greater victory.
Tidal Wave: Quit it, Howlback! You do realise how much he’s got
to deal with, right? How much he’s handling? He’s regained
memories he never knew he had, he’s lost Arcrise, Dinobot
betrayed him, and now he’s trying to gather all these fragments
and handle us at the same time. He’s doing what he can, OK? He’s
doing what he has to do, and sometimes, that means accepting
loss if it means you’ll win in the end.
Howlback concedes, just as workers start banging on the walls of
the apartment, surrounding it. At the colony’s heart, Waspinator
is brought into the central hive; a queen bee is sat within, and
she transforms, introducing herself as Reginapoidea. Waspinator
likewise introduces himself, and demands that Reginapoidea allow
Buzzstreak the right to leave the colony.
Waspinator: My name is Waspinator. I’m going to be blunt with
you – you’re going to let Buzzstreak leave this colony.
Reginapoidea: I’m sorry… is that a request?
Waspinator: If it were a request, I would have asked.
Cross-Shot asks Prophecy what she means about the colony falling
apart, and the crazed fembot indicates the workers who are
attempting to hunt Buzzstreak. Snapjaw adds that Scale has
vanished; irritated, Cross-Shot starts tracking his fragment,
leading Snapjaw and Prophecy off after the mercenary. The large
crowd of workers start bringing down Buzzstreak’s apartment, but
as it comes down and they swarm it, they find no one in the
ruins. Nearby, Howlback thanks Tidal Wave for remembering his
teleportation ability when they really need it, and the mech
comments that it is difficult for him to teleport repeatedly –
best to only use it when necessary. Howlback sends duplicates
off in various directions to find a clear route for them, and
Buzzstreak asks about their powers. The two note that they are
granted by their fragments, and the bee-bot questions why her
‘power’ had to be so simple and so destructive.
Scoffing, Reginapoidea asks why she should surrender one of her
colonists to an offworlder, and Waspinator explains that due to
her fragment, she no longer belongs amongst the colony. He adds
that Reginapoidea controls her people by stealing their
independence, leaving them incomplete. The queen chuckles,
loading up screens of the rest of Waspinator’s team across the
colony, and counters that he struggles to control them as they
have independent thought, leading to them disagreeing and
disobeying. At that moment, Scale drops down from the ceiling.
Reginapoidea: Look at them, Waspinator. Look at your team. You
can’t control them. You allow them to think, and that means they
can think of alternatives. They can disagree with you. They can
disobey you.
*Scale drops down from above*
Scale: I dunno… I find obedience to be overrated.
Cross-Shot, Snapjaw and Prophecy reach the central hive, but
find that it is heavily guarded; Snapjaw phases them through the
ground, stating that they can sneak inside from here. Tidal
Wave, Howlback and Buzzstreak continue on their way, with
Howlback continually sending out duplicates whenever other
duplicates hit forks in the alleyways. A number of workers fly
over head, spotting the trio; Howlback quickly cancels her
duplicates, and Tidal Wave teleports the trio back to the Dawn
Katana. The ship welcomes them as they board it. Buzzstreak
notes that her entire world is turning on her, but Howlback
assures her that there are other worlds that will accept her.
Reginapoidea transforms and goes to attack Scale, but Waspinator
transforms too and blocks her – he warns her that he is the
hornet who will break her hive, and the two start fighting.
Cross-Shot, Snapjaw and Prophecy appear at this moment, and
Scale indicates the duelling bots above. Cross-Shot contacts
Tidal Wave, who reports that he, Howlback and Buzzstreak are
aboard the ship; Cross-Shot suggests they fly it to her
coordinates. Tidal Wave starts up the ship along with the AI,
and they start off towards the central hive.
Waspinator and Reginapoidea continue fighting, along with
verbal sparring over their leadership methods. Eventually,
Reginapoidea snaps, asking Waspinator if he has wondered yet why
there is no Hivax-1 through Hivax-7. They were not other
colonies… they were previous ones. Each one fell from anarchy,
and with each new colony, Reginapoidea exerted more control.
Reginapoidea: ENOUGH! Did you ever stop to think why this is
Hivax-8? There’s no Hivax-1, or Hivax-7, or anything in between!
Because every time we rebuilt our world, renumbered, started
again, they ended up tearing it back down! My people are chaotic
by nature – just look at them now! It was all I could do to
reign in their independence, gain more and more control over
them. For the sake of peace.
She transforms, and informs Waspinator that she summoned him
here as he seemed to have arrived solely to find Buzzstreak, the
anomaly. Waspinator likewise transforms, and states that trust
and respect are more potent than mental control, even if they
are harder to achieve.
Waspinator: I may not be able to control everything my team
does, but I don’t need to. Trust and respect are what a true
leader needs, not suppression. Even if trust and respect are
harder to achieve.
He emulates her dual stinger-hands, and activates a Prime-like
faceplate, before the two swoop at one another. Cross-Shot,
Snapjaw and Prophecy watch on, while Scale prepares his rifle.
The Dawn Katana soars over the city, and Buzzstreak watches the
growing witch-hunt below, despairing over her ‘curse’ and what
it has caused. As Waspinator manages to hold Reginapoidea in
place, even as she drives her stinger-hands into him, Scale
snipes her, non-fatally but knocking her to the floor.
Waspinator thanks Scale, noting that he knew the mercenary would
shoot, and repeats his demand to Reginapoidea. She concedes,
ordering that he leave, as the hive’s roof opens and the Dawn
Katana lowers in. Tidal Wave teleports Cross-Shot, Snapjaw,
Prophecy and Scale onboard while Waspinator flies up. Buzzstreak
insists on the crew taking her fragment and leaving her on
Hivax-8, but Waspinator (faceplate retracting) assures her that
they can show her so much more than the colony.
Buzzstreak: Just… leave me here. Take this fragment and turn me
back to normal… to how I should be…
Waspinator: No. You should be exactly as you are now. This
fragment is a blessing, and I promise you, we’ll care for you,
and protect you, and show you things you could barely imagine.
Cross-Shot asks about the faceplate, and he notes that Sonar
added it to his reformatted design. In their quarters, Howlback
thanks Tidal Wave for calming her down, and states that she
intends on thanking him… before generating multiple duplicates,
smirking seductively.
Cast:
Scale – Ron Perlman
Cross-Shot – Karen Gillan
Snapjaw – David Leisure
Prophecy – Jocelyne Loewen
Tidal Wave – James Arnold Taylor
Buzzstreak – Sasha Paysinger
Howlback – Kate Higgins
Waspinator – Scott McNeil
Reginapoidea – Bernadette Peters
Dawn Katana – Joe Thomas
[hr]
A.
#Post#: 314--------------------------------------------------
Re: Transformers: Fragments
By: Ashes Date: August 31, 2013, 10:55 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Episode 10 – Golem
Airdate: Saturday 31st August 2013
Synopsis: Buzzstreak (now upgraded like the others) stares at
the Arcrise egg, which looks a little bigger; Waspinator notices
and approaches her. She apologises, but he assures her that it
is fine, and explains that it is an old friend waiting to be
reborn. Buzzstreak stares at him, gauging his expression.
The Archaicon ship is resting on a planet called Mortas;
Huntdown, Airazor and Lacerator, along with a few other
Archaicons, are purchasing more fuel for the ship’s rare engines
(Airazor keeping his distance from Lacerator). As they wait,
locals speak of a monster that has been plaguing them; Lacerator
enquires further, and the two explain that a monster made of
rock appeared recently and has been tormenting the citizens.
Lacerator: Excuse me, I couldn’t help but overhear your
conversation.
Mortas local 1: No, no, don’t let curiosity take hold of you!
Mortas local 2: Don’t be so melodramatic.
Mortas local 1: It’s a terror! A monster! Am I supposed to be
relaxed?
Mortas local 2: *to Lacerator* Our people have been… tormented,
recently. A creature – some say a monster – made out of rock,
keeps appearing and… rampaging.
Lacerator contacts Scorpinax on the ship, asking him to
cross-reference this information (suggesting it may have been a
Rock Lord) – Scorpinax cannot find any species that from the
local systems that fits the description. As Lacerator ponders
this strange creature, Huntdown points out the arrival of the
Dawn Katana as it lands down across the city. The ship’s AI
explains to the Maximals that Mortas is a mineral-rich world,
and was once a fuelling location for older models of ship.
Cross-Shot leads the way as the bots exit their ship. Huntdown
reports the ship’s arrival to Dinobot, who is training
Sickleclaw; he grimly states that the Maximals are none of their
business, but as Airazor over-hears the conversation, he insists
on them confronting their enemies (Lacerator glares at him all
the while, and he tones down his enthusiasm in response).
Airazor: Maximals? Hey, Dinobot, we should fight them! Last
time, they attacked us, and hey, we hate them anyway! What’s
your problem? We-
*he notices Lacerator glaring at him*
Airazor: We, err, we should confront them in a strategic manner
and, ah, offer them some nice vintage Energon… or… a back-rub,
or something… O-Or fight them, y’know, whichever…
Dinobot concedes, allowing Airazor and Lacerator (along with a
further team of Archaicons) to confront the Maximals. They head
off as Huntdown continues to await the fuel. The Maximals
continue heading towards the fragment, Cross-Shot focusing on
finding it. Waspinator questions if she is OK, and she gruffly
answers that she is. At that moment, she stops, sensing that the
fragment is directly below them… just as the ground beneath them
shifts, throwing them off of their feet and contorting into a
humanoid form.
Cross-Shot confirms that the fragment is within the creature,
as it roars at them, before running away. Waspinator orders
Buzzstreak to follow him, and the two transform and fly after
it, with the others following. As the creature enters the
city-proper, the citizens start running and screaming in terror;
Howlback duplicates herself, with the duplicates helping people
reach shelter. Out of nowhere, Airazor (in Meganeura mode) slams
into Waspinator, sending him reeling; Buzzstreak goes to help,
but the leader orders her to continue after the creature. He and
Airazor brawl in the air, while Lacerator and a small number of
other Archaicons confront the other Maximals. Only Buzzstreak
continues following the creature, as Cross-Shot demands that the
Archaicons step aside. Lacerator introduces herself, and orders
the other Archaicons to attack.
Lacerator: Greetings, enemies of the Archaicons. My name is
Lacerator. Prepare to face our power.
Naturally, the Maximals have the immediate advantage with their
extra abilities, though Tidal Wave, Howlback and Prophecy try to
deal their opponents as little damage as possible (whereas
Cross-Shot, Snapjaw and Scale have no such qualms). As
Waspinator and Airazor finally land down and transform, Howlback
realises who the Archaicon is, and points him out to Tidal Wave
– Airazor is alive after all… and fighting Waspinator with
intention to kill. Buzzstreak catches up with the creature,
which has stopped in a stadium; she transforms and informs it
that she does not intend on hurting it. She asks if it has a
name, and it responds that the people call it ‘monster’.
Buzzstreak: It’s OK. I don’t mean you any harm. I’m good.
Golem: Good?
Buzzstreak: No, I mean, I’m not a bad person. My name’s
Buzzstreak. What’s yours? Do you have a name?
Golem: I do not know. The people… call me monster.
Buzzstreak names it Golem – it welcomes the new name, and tells
her that it is confused by its newfound life. The young fembot
claims that she feels much the same way, and asks if it would
like to hear her story. She settles down and beings to explain
her history.
At the fuelling platform, the Archaicon ship finally receives
its refuel; Dinobot, watching the fighting via monitors, sends
Huntdown and the Archaicons with him to assist. Sickleclaw
questions why she is to remain on the ship, and the leader
informs her that she must continue training. Huntdown leads the
bots off; all the while, the fighting is getting ever more
intense as the Archaicons give there all in combating their
enemies. Airazor mercilessly attacks Waspinator, who keeps on
fighting back despite the damage he is receiving. Buzzstreak,
now teary-eyed, finishes explaining her story to Golem, who
remarks that it has learnt that life does not make sense and it
is best lived quickly and eventfully.
Golem: My life has been but days… and yet I have learnt that,
perhaps, days are better than years. Life makes little sense to
me. Better to live in moments and experience newness at every
turn, then to go on forever and grow as weathered as the earth
that I was born from.
Buzzstreak explains that they need its fragment, although taking
it will “kill” it, and it allows this, heading off to the
fighting Maximals and Archaicons. Huntdown and his team pass
Buzzstreak and Golem, and the rock-creature sends the
lower-ranking bots scurrying (Huntdown orders a retreat). As
Airazor continues to attack Waspinator brutally, Dinobot
transmats in, halting him; he glares at his old friend, and then
calls his team to a retreat, transmatting them all back to the
ship. As Airazor complains, Dinobot snaps, telling him that
Waspinator is off-limits to everyone but him.
Airazor: You just won’t die, will you, Stripy? Well, we’ll just
keep trying!
*Dinobot appears behind Airazor with a glow of light, and
catches his arm as he swings*
Dinobot: Enough.
*he glares down at Waspinator*
Dinobot: Archaicons, retreat.
*they all start transmatting back to the ship, Dinobot leaving
last; he reappears in his quarters, Sickleclaw still stood
there, and Airazor facing him*
Airazor: Awh, come on, Dinobot! I was enjoying myse-
Dinobot: SILENCE! Waspinator is to be considered off-limits! No
one is to confront him, nor look at him, nor CONSIDER him but
me!
Tidal Wave and Howlback rush to attend Waspinator, as Buzzstreak
and Golem appear. The fembot explains the situation, and
Waspinator flies up uneasily, thanking the creature and removing
the fragment. As Golem’s form crumbles, the populace cheer,
which visibly hurts Buzzstreak. Later, aboard the Dawn Katana, a
repaired Waspinator again asks Cross-Shot if she is OK; the
archer insists she is, but Waspinator observes that she is still
shaken up from the miracle stone incident. He assures her that
he would not let her, or any of the crew, die. He heads
elsewhere, and finds Buzzstreak with the Arcrise egg again. The
young fembot asks him if he loved Arcrise, and he states that he
is not sure – he may have, but when he noticed, it was too late.
Buzzstreak: Your friend… did you… did you love her?
Waspinator: … I’m not sure. Hindsight complicates things. I
think… maybe I did. Maybe I did love her. But by the time I
noticed, it was already too late.
Cast:
Buzzstreak – Sasha Paysinger
Waspinator – Scott McNeil
Huntdown – Corey Burton
Airazor – Tom Kenny
Lacerator – Erin Cahill
Mortas local 1 – James Arnold Taylor
Mortas local 2 – Corey Burton
Scorpinax – Brian Drummond
Dawn Katana – Joe Thomas
Tidal Wave – James Arnold Taylor
Howlback – Kate Higgins
Snapjaw – David Leisure
Cross-Shot – Karen Gillan
Prophecy – Jocelyne Loewen
Scale – Ron Perlman
Dinobot – Scott McNeil
Sickleclaw – Tiffany Grant
Golem – Tony Todd
[hr]
A.
#Post#: 317--------------------------------------------------
Re: Transformers: Fragments
By: Ashes Date: September 7, 2013, 12:02 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Episode 11 – Other Visions
Airdate: Saturday 7th September 2013
Synopsis: Scorpinax is in his quarters, streaming through
signals; a message from ‘V’ pops up again, but he ignores it.
Continuing on, another alert pops up, this one more urgent. The
Archaicon sighs, clicking the alert… and an image of a ghostly,
glowing digital skull appears, introducing itself as one of the
Vok.
The planet Herros, in the Toncal mountain range – the Maximals
are trekking up one of the mountains, talking amongst themselves
all the while. Cross-Shot notes that, no matter how close they
get to the fragment, it always seems to be in a strange state of
flux. Snapjaw remarks that they should have simply flown the
Dawn Katana to the peak and had Tidal Wave teleport down with
the extractor, but Waspinator reiterates that the fluctuations
are blocking even that. Prophecy starts singing to herself, as
Buzzstreak falls behind a little. Scorpinax asks the Vok what it
wants, and it states that the Archaicon is close to the heart of
the storm. The Vok wish to make him their emissary.
Scorpinax: Okay. Let’s play this game. What do you want?
Vok 1: You are of the Archaicons. You are amidst the conflict,
in the heart of the storm. We wish for you to become our
emissary, Scorpinax.
Confused, the mysterious bot asks what that would entail, but
the Vok on the screen states that they shall contact him again,
soon. The image vanishes, just as Huntdown knocks on the door;
he tells Scorpinax that Dinobot is about to hold a meeting. All
the while, Dinobot is inspecting his Valemite crystal, with
Sickleclaw, Airazor and Lacerator watching on. Sickleclaw notes
that she recalled seeing the crystal when she first boarded the
ship, and Dinobot clarifies that he retrieved it before meeting
her, as a ‘failsafe’. The Maximals continue on their trek, with
Howlback now helping Buzzstreak along. The young fembot asks her
team-mate what Waspinator is like, and Howlback tries to put it
into words.
Buzzstreak: What is Waspinator like? I mean, I’ve only known him
for a few days…
Howlback: Oh, gees, where to begin? He’s… caring. Kind. He’s
hard-working, strong, reliable, smart… it doesn’t matter if he’s
in-charge or right in the heart of the fleet, he’s the type of
person you want to follow. You can open up to him. And he
carries a lot of weight on his shoulders… but he keeps on
pushing.
Scale, overhearing, scoffs at this, stating that people hold
their own idealisations of others. Snapjaw adds that some people
do not even have that, and Cross-Shot snarls at them to keep
quiet, as she has to keep concentrating. Prophecy continues
singing in the silence, and Cross-Shot yells at her too, at
which Prophecy snaps back that she has no right to yell at her.
Waspinator immediately orders the two to calm down, but
Prophecy’s singing continues… and it is not from Prophecy
herself.
As the Archaicons meet, with the inner circle at Dinobot’s
side, the leader explains that he has analysed their last battle
with the Maximals, and realised that they are being enhanced by
the Matrix fragments within them. To counteract this, he has
acquired a Valemite crystal from Mt. Velderbar – it will not
give his troops any new abilities, but it shall boost their
powers to the level of their opponents.
Dinobot: I have been watching and re-watching the footage from
our last battle with the Maximals. I am under the impression
that the Matrix fragments embedded in their chests give them a
strong advantage, and a range of new powers. *raises Valemite
crystal* This is a crystal of pure Valemite, from the heart of
Mt. Velderbar. Its properties are nothing like the Matrix… but
it will allow us to gain levels of power rivalling the Maximals.
He places the dark crystal on the floor, and shatters it with
his sword, breaking it into fragments. Ordering his followers to
accept a lone fragment into their spark, and for Lacerator to
bring him the remaining fragments, he heads off. The Archaicons
start taking fragments, while Sickleclaw and Airazor watch their
leader leave. The Maximals listen to the sound of Prophecy’s
singing, ringing through the mountains; Tidal Wave remarks that
it is too consistent to be an echo, and Waspinator suggests that
it is related to the fragment. Confused, Cross-Shot asks how the
fluctuations could in any way repeat Prophecy’s singing; none of
the Maximals are able to think up an idea, and simply continue
on their way, silently now as Prophecy’s song continues on.
Scorpinax returns to his quarters, uncomfortably touching at his
chest – he locks the door, sits down, and is greeted by a ‘V’
message. Loading it up, the same digitalised Vok appears on the
screen, and informs Scorpinax that he has been chosen due to his
potential to serve the Vok and still appear loyal to the
Archaicons. Scorpinax asks what he earns from this alliance –
the Vok clarifies that it is not an ‘alliance’, and that
Scorpinax will receive whatever he desires upon the completion
of the Vok’s plan. Pondering, Scorpinax accepts the offer, and
asks what his first mission is.
Sickleclaw and Airazor head through the ship; the Meganeura-bot
remarks that Dinobot is obsessed with Waspinator, and Sickleclaw
explains that, as she understands, they used to be allies, and
so he does not want others to step in on his business. Airazor
shrugs that if he took out Waspinator, it would make things a
lot easier for Dinobot.
Airazor: Eh. If I killed Waspinator, surely that’d make things
easier? Then Dinobot doesn’t have to worry about some “old
friend” blocking his Archaicon-y-ness.
The two part ways down a corridor. The Maximals finally pass
through the fluctuation zone, all of them feeling a strange
sensation as they do. The singing is still strong; Prophecy
attempts to sing along, but finds that she cannot – she simply
cannot produce the proper vocalisations and tune. Tidal Wave
wonders if her entire singing ability has been ‘stolen’, just as
Prophecy rushes the rest of the way up the mountain, the others
following. They find, at the summit, a small pillar covered in
markings, with the fragment embedded in its top. The singing is
at its loudest here; Waspinator uses the fragment extractor to
remove the fragment, and the singing stops, the fluctuation
field vanishes, and the pillar starts emitting signals. Scale
remarks that the fragment likely warped the pillar so that it
absorbed information, rather than emitting it. As Waspinator
calls the Dawn Katana to their location, he notices familiar Vok
symbols on it, but cannot place them. The Vok explains to
Scorpinax that, for now, he is to gather information on both the
Maximals and the Archaicons. When the Vok call upon him, they
shall retrieve the information and give him his new task.
Vok 1: For the time being, you are to gather information; to
learn more about your allies and enemies alike. When the time
comes, we shall call upon you again, awaiting the information
you have gathered. Upon passing that knowledge onto us, we will
award you with a new task.
Scorpinax states that he will do his best, and the digital Vok
vanishes from his screen. At that moment, Dinobot is storing the
remaining Valemite fragments, as Lacerator watches on. He
informs her that they are to keep watching the Maximals, as well
as the other Archaicons, and start to prepare for the next step
in their plans.
Cast:
Scorpinax – Brian Drummond
Vok 1 – Ron Perlman
Cross-Shot – Karen Gillan
Snapjaw – David Leisure
Waspinator – Scott McNeil
Tidal Wave – James Arnold Taylor
Howlback – Kate Higgins
Prophecy – Jocelyne Loewen
Scale – Ron Perlman
Buzzstreak – Sasha Paysinger
Huntdown – Corey Burton
Dinobot – Scott McNeil
Airazor – Tom Kenny
Sickleclaw – Tiffany Grant
Lacerator – Erin Cahill
Dawn Katana – Joe Thomas
[hr]
A.
#Post#: 324--------------------------------------------------
Re: Transformers: Fragments
By: Ashes Date: September 14, 2013, 10:40 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Episode 12 – Looking Down
Airdate: Saturday 14th September 2013
Synopsis: The Dawn Katana flies through space. Onboard,
Buzzstreak is sat in the recreation room, reading, yet obviously
agitated. Scale enters; he sits down too, and there is an
awkward silence between them, prompting Buzzstreak to leave.
Narration from Buzzstreak introduces herself, and explains that
this is a story that she must tell.
As she continues down the hallway, Tidal Wave and Howlback walk
the other way, arms around one another’s backs and laughing.
They greet her as they pass, but seem altogether more interested
in their own conversation. Smiling faintly, Buzzstreak continues
on; all the while, her narration explains that she has never
truly felt like she belongs amongst the Maximals. Prophecy is in
her room, painting the walls (using her fingers, but holding a
paintbrush with her tail) and mumbling to herself. A knock on
the door is followed by Cross-Shot entering, and Prophecy
immediately hugs her, leaving paint on the archer’s back. As
Cross-Shot begins to ask her a question, Prophecy realises what
day it is, and becomes distressed, before shrugging it off and
returning to her painting, ignoring a baffled Cross-Shot.
Cross-Shot: Anyway, I was wondering if-
Prophecy: WAIT! Oh god… is today today?
Cross-Shot: What?
Prophecy: Oh slag, oh slag, slag, no, please, not today, not
already! Please, Cross-Shot, tell me it isn’t. Tell me! Please!
Cross-Shot: Prophecy, I-
Prophecy: Oh yeah, painting.
Cross-Shot: … um…
Snapjaw walks past, commenting that they should padlock the door
and leave Prophecy inside, although Cross-Shot’s expression
shows her disagreement. Buzzstreak continues to aimlessly wander
the ship; she reaches her room and enters, but its barren state
makes her sigh. She lies down on her stasis-bed, with the
narration stating that her concept of ‘home’ has changed
irrevocably in the past weeks. Waspinator is flying the ship,
with assistance from the A.I. – the two are discussing the
vastness of space, when Snapjaw enters the bridge, ready to take
his turn in flying. The leader moves aside, thanking Snapjaw for
his loyalty to the team (Snapjaw attempts to brush the
compliments off), before turning to one of the consoles to work.
Waspinator: Thank you, Snapjaw.
Snapjaw: Hey, you came up with the rota.
Waspinator: No, thank you for… being one of us. I was nervous
about taking you onboard, but you’ve really proven your loyalty
to us.
Snapjaw: It’s nothing, honestly. ‘You scratch my back’ and all
that stuff…
Snapjaw then asks what their plan is once they have gathered all
of the fragments – Waspinator is unsure, but reminds him that
the Matrix’s power can destroy Necrocide. Buzzstreak moves
around restlessly on her stasis-bed, before finally getting up
and heading out of her room.
Tidal Wave and Howlback are still cheerily enjoying one
another’s company, now in the recreation room, as Scale attempts
to ignore them while reading. Eventually, he snaps, yelling at
them. The couple apologise, before adding that, for a while,
they did not feel comfortable having someone on their ship who
had mercilessly killed what they believed to be an innocent.
However, their recent encounter with the Archaicons – Airazor
among them – proved that things were more complicated than they
seemed. They apologise for thinking of Scale as being nefarious.
Bemused, Scale thanks the two, and continues reading.
Tidal Wave: Seeing Airazor in that battle on Mortas… we realised
that we were too quick to judge what happened. We made
assumptions…
Howlback: Basically, we’re sorry. We thought of you as the type
to kill without concern, and… you’re not like that.
Scale: … if you say so. Thanks.
Buzzstreak enters the bridge; she sees Waspinator, and shyly
approaches him, asking if they can talk, an enamoured look in
her eyes alongside the loneliness. Waspinator notes that he is
busy at present, but that they can speak shortly. The young
fembot dejectedly leaves, and Snapjaw notes that she is crushing
on Waspinator – the leader says that he felt something like
that. Cross-Shot is training; she finishes a course, and sees
that her time is still only milliseconds off of her previous
seven attempts. Looking determined, she goes to start yet again.
As Buzzstreak sits in her room, tears silently falling, she
turns to rummage beneath her stasis-bed, narration continuing
on. Howlback heads off to her and Tidal Wave’s room, leaving
Tidal Wave to sit in awkward silence with Scale. As the
former-teacher heads down the hallways, she stops at
Buzzstreak’s room. Knocking, she receives no answer; opening the
door, she finds Buzzstreak lying dead on the ground. Crying out,
she rushes in, while duplicating herself all the while. The
duplicate bursts into the bridge, crying, and tells Waspinator
what has happened.
Howlback: Waspinator… oh Primus… Buzzstreak is… aah… please,
she’s… she’s dead…
Deeply shocked, Waspinator rushes off along with the duplicate.
Reaching the room, the duplicate dissipates, and Waspinator
joins Howlback, cradling Buzzstreak’s body. The narration
continues, however, apologising deeply.
In her room, Prophecy stops painting, shivering, and
immediately cleans her hands and heads out. Waspinator goes to
use the miracle stone fragment to revive Buzzstreak, only to
realise that it cannot heal her if she is already dead. Tidal
Wave appears, looking for Howlback; she clings to him and he
comforts her, while Waspinator continues cradling Buzzstreak’s
body, softly apologising to her.
Waspinator: I’m so sorry, Buzzstreak… I never wanted this, no
one did…
A montage shows the others visiting Buzzstreak’s room, as the
narration explains that she knows that suicide is the coward’s
way out, but it is the only way she can end her pain. A little
while later, Waspinator is in the bridge, the ship resting on a
planet, as Tidal Wave enters. He apologises to Waspinator,
explaining that both he and Howlback can no longer stay with
them. The fragment hunts are taking away blessings from people,
and are causing so much psychological damage – even though they
know that the mission is important, they can no longer be
around. They will return to the other Maximals and help there.
Tidal Wave notes that he believes in Waspinator’s leadership,
and Waspinator hands him the fragment extractor, for Tidal Wave
and Howlback to remove their fragments as they leave. Tidal Wave
says goodbye, and heads off, passing Cross-Shot as she enters.
Waspinator opens his heart to Cross-Shot about his failings and
his own emotional scars, and although she is taken aback and
unsure how to respond, she comforts him.
Cross-Shot: Hey.
Waspinator: Hey, Cross-Shot…
Cross-Shot: Are… are you OK?
Waspinator: … can I be selfish for a moment?
Cross-Shot: … OK…
Waspinator: … she had a crush on me. She never said it, but
there was this look in her eyes like I was something amazing.
But I’m not, am I? I never wanted this. She was so sweet, and
pure, and she could’ve learnt so much travelling with us. And I
failed her. Am I cursed? Everyone that falls in love with me
ends up in some horrible mess! Everything I touch falls apart!
Tidal Wave said that he believes in me, that I’m a good leader,
but how can I be? Look at us! Buzzstreak KILLED HERSELF and we
could’ve changed that, I could’ve changed that! But I didn’t
notice. I… I’ve let her die. I’ve let her die with horrible
thoughts swimming in her head, and I don’t think I can forgive
myself for that.
Cross-Shot: … Waspinator… people like us, in our position, we
have to face horrible things. We have to shoulder our burdens
and keep on, right? We’re warriors. Maybe we could have saved
Buzzstreak, and maybe things could have gone differently, but
what’s happened can’t be changed. I lost almost all of my
friends in my training squad, and I blamed myself. I still do.
If I were better, stronger, maybe I could have saved them. But I
keep on. I have to, and I know that they would want me to.
Buzzstreak fell in love with the you that never gives up. Don’t
let go of that, for her sake.
Waspinator: Thank you, Cross-Shot.
Cross-Shot: Any time.
Tidal Wave and Howlback say their goodbyes, handing the
extractor and their fragments to Scale (already holding
Buzzstreak’s) as they leave, passing Buzzstreak’s grave as they
head to the nearby city. Waspinator visits Buzzstreak’s room,
and finds a data module with a recording on it. Playing it,
Buzzstreak’s narration starts – a suicide note. Outside of the
story, we hear the end of the note.
Buzzstreak’s narration (as played in pieces throughout the
episode): Hey. My name is Buzzstreak. This is a story that I
need to tell you. I’ve been with the Maximals for a week now – a
week or so – and I don’t think I belong. I walk around like a
ghost. You laugh and you live and that just isn’t who I am. Not
after what I’ve been through. Does that make me weak? But I have
no sense of home now. My people turned on me because I was
different… and I really am, aren’t I? No matter where I go or
what I do, I’m different. I don’t think I have a home anymore.
This fragment was meant to be a blessing, but I was better off
ignorant and blissful without it. My people hated me. I’d never
seen an emotion as strong as the disgust in their eyes when they
looked at me. You care about me, I think – I’ve never known what
care feels like – but it just isn’t enough. I’m too broken, too
different. I really am so, so sorry for this. *sniff* I really
wish it didn’t have to come to this. But it hurts too much. I’m
so, so lonely. I know, I know, this is the coward’s way out… but
there’s nothing else I can do. I’m a lost cause. If you mourn
me, don’t mourn for long. If you miss me, don’t worry. I don’t
mean to hurt you… but I know you can manage. I can’t. And
Waspinator… *voice breaking* I really, really am so sorry. I-I…
I think I love you. But… I don’t deserve you. I’m just a silly
little girl. I want you to be happy, though. Please… please be
happy.
Cast:
Buzzstreak – Sasha Paysinger
Scale – Ron Perlman
Tidal Wave – James Arnold Taylor
Howlback – Kate Higgins
Prophecy – Jocelyne Loewen
Cross-Shot – Karen Gillan
Snapjaw – David Leisure
Waspinator – Scott McNeil
Dawn Katana – Joe Thomas
[hr]
A.
#Post#: 326--------------------------------------------------
Re: Transformers: Fragments
By: Ashes Date: September 21, 2013, 10:30 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Episode 13 – Intelligence
Airdate: Saturday 21st September 2013
Synopsis: An alien village on the planet Vastania. The natives
are gathering outside of one building, curious and a little
scared. An adult female addresses her fellow villagers, stating
that her son is busy, but some members of the mob manage to see
past her – an alien child is drawing complex equations on the
far wall, mumbling to himself as he does.
Waspinator, Cross-Shot and Snapjaw are in the bridge of the
Dawn Katana; Cross-Shot notes that their next destination is
definitely close, and Waspinator continues silently piloting the
ship. Snapjaw sighs at the sight, earning a glare from
Cross-Shot. As Scale wanders through the ship, he bumps into
Prophecy, who assures him that everything will be fine. The
mercenary insists that he is fine, and Prophecy skips off
without response.
Prophecy: Oh, heya Scale. Don’t worry, everything’ll be fine.
Promise!
Scale: What? I’m fine anyway, I don’t know what you’re…
*Prophecy starts skipping off, ignoring him*
The Archaicon ship is on another planet all the while, as
Sickleclaw and Scorpinax gather up the unaligned on the planet;
aboard the ship, Huntdown suggests they wrap up quickly, and
Airazor adds that they will be left behind if they take much
longer. Scorpinax is recording this all the while, all of the
information being streamed to his computers. The Dawn Katana
lands down on Vastania, and the ship’s A.I. explains that the
natives are a very communal race. Waspinator states that he will
bear that in mind, as he leads the team off of the ship. Many of
the natives rush over to great them, and Cross-Shot takes it
upon herself to introduce the team, although Waspinator puts on
a brave face and takes over from her.
Cross-Shot: *looks to Waspinator, then back to the villagers*
We’re Maximals. My name is Cross-Shot, and-
Waspinator: And these are Snapjaw, Prophecy and Scale. I’m the
team’s leader, Waspinator. It’s a pleasure to meet you all.
One female – Serenala, the mother from before – asks if they are
here to see her son. After a bit of discussion, the Maximals
learn that the child has recently developed a vastly high
intelligence, and ask if they can see him. As they continue on,
Cross-Shot praises Waspinator’s professionalism, but the leader
states that it is his responsibility. The group reaches
Serenala’s house, and she lets them in, making sure that none of
her fellow villagers sneak in. She introduces the five to her
son, Kuuja, who is presently alternating between writing more
equations and penning a novel. The Maximals are taken aback, and
Waspinator heads over to him, introducing himself. Kuuja points
out that the Maximals are here regarding the
‘high-frequency-radiance crystal fragment’ in his chest, which
Waspinator confirms.
With more Archaicons aboard the ship, Dinobot introduces them
to the faction and gives them Valemite fragments. He orders
Lacerator to introduce them to the ins-and-outs of the ship and
the faction, and heads off, with Sickleclaw in-tow. She asks him
if he is okay – he has been more reclusive since the incident on
Mortas. The Archaicon leader states that he is fine, but as they
enter his quarters, Sickleclaw remarks that he can open up to
her, his first follower.
Sickleclaw: Look, Dinobot… whatever it is, you can tell me. You
can open your spark to me. I’m the first person you met when you
decided to form the Archaicons… I don’t know about you, but I
feel closer to you than I do with the others. So please, trust
me.
Sighing heavily, Dinobot explains that he is concerned about the
inevitable day where he will have to fight Waspinator as an
enemy. He continues on that he and Waspinator have been close
allies for many years and through numerous significant and often
harrowing incidents. Sickleclaw promises to help Dinobot when
that day comes, but the leader insists that it is not her fight,
and has her continue her swordsmanship training.
Sickleclaw: Well when that day comes, I’ll help you. I promise.
Dinobot: I appreciate your kindness, child, but it is not your
fight. For now, you must focus not on my concerns, but on your
own training.
Waspinator explains to Kuuja that the fragment is from the
Cybertronians’ Matrix of Leadership, an item of vital
importance, and that he and his team are traversing planets to
gather all the fragments. Kuuja listens while continuing his
equations and novel – Snapjaw remarks that Kuuja reminds him of
Prophecy, but the fembot retorts that she is not that smart.
Scale simply bemoans the lack of combat in the past days.
Snapjaw: Doodling on walls, writing in books, not paying
attention to anyone… remind you of anyone, Prophecy?
Prophecy: Oh, please, I’m not that smart! But thank you!
Scale: Is it just me, or have we barely fought anyone in the
past few days? I’ll start to lose my edge if all I do is train
by myself.
As Waspinator starts to ask Kuuja if they can take his fragment,
he observes that Waspinator has recently suffered a great loss.
Waspinator freezes up, and Kuuja asks him to tell the story.
Still in shock, Waspinator cannot find the words, and Cross-Shot
steps forward to explain Buzzstreak’s suicide and the departure
of Tidal Wave and Howlback. Kuuja is touched, and takes
Waspinator’s hand, leading him into another room and shutting
the door. The Maximals share glances, as Serenala confides that,
while she is proud of her son’s new intellect, she feels as
though her child has been taken from her and replaced by a
computer system.
Alone, Kuuja asks Waspinator how he personally feels about the
recent events. The Maximal explains that he feels responsible
for Buzzstreak’s suicide, as he should have helped her more in
growing to be part of the team. Kuuja smiles, and claims that
while Waspinator’s belief is true, it is not the whole truth.
Buzzstreak was saved from a life of mental subjugation, and was
shown another side of life. Waspinator points out that it was
this other side of life that pushed her to her limits, and after
pondering this for a few moments, Kuuja asks Waspinator how many
people have died because of him. Shocked, and then angered,
Waspinator remarks that the losses that he has caused are none
of his concern.
Waspinator: ‘Another side of life’? She was happier like that!
Or at least better off like that. That other side of life is the
very thing that pushed her to her limits!
*Kuuja sits in silence for a few painstaking seconds, as
Waspinator flinches*
Kuuja: But… how many people have already died because of you?
Waspinator: Wh… what? … how dare you?! How DARE you ask
something like that! That has nothing to do with you! All the
mech-fluid shed because of me, all the lives lost, none of that
is your concern!
Kuuja points out that Waspinator managed to move on from them,
and that he must move on from Buzzstreak, too. Pondering this,
Waspinator lets out a sigh, and Kuuja raises his clothing,
unveiling the scar where the fragment entered his chest. He
notes that he is scared of losing his intellect, but that when
he moves on from the loss, he will be happy to live his normal
life. Waspinator smiles, and brings out the fragment extractor.
As an exhausted Sickleclaw leaves Dinobot’s quarters, Huntdown
walks past; he asks how her training is going, and she states
that it is thorough but she is making progress. He also asks if
anything is wrong with Dinobot, and the fembot claims that he is
fine. Waspinator and a fragment-less Kuuja leave the room;
Serenala hugs Kuuja, while Waspinator thanks the two and states
that he and his team must depart. Serenala thanks them as they
leave; Cross-Shot asks Waspinator what he and Kuuja discussed,
and he simply smiles, weakly yet warmly, saying that he believes
that things shall be fine from now on.
Cross-Shot: So… what did you and Kuuja discuss?
Waspinator: I think… I think we’re all gonna be fine from now
on, Cross-Shot.
As the Maximals return to the Dawn Katana, Prophecy looks out at
the market stalls curiously, before muttering ‘not here’. She
claims to Scale that he will have fun in that fight, leaving him
once again confused and irritated as the five board the ship.
Cast:
Vastanian 1 – Scott McNeil
Vastanian 2 – Karen Gillan
Vastanian 3 – Corey Burton
Serenala – Mae Whitman
Kuuja – Jocelyn Loewen
Cross-Shot – Karen Gillan
Waspinator – Scott McNeil
Snapjaw – David Leisure
Scale – Ron Perlman
Prophecy – Jocelyne Loewen
Sickleclaw – Tiffany Grant
Scorpinax – Brian Drummond
Huntdown – Corey Burton
Airazor – Tom Kenny
Dawn Katana – Joe Thomas
Vastanian 4 – Erin Cahill
Dinobot – Scott McNeil
Lacerator – Erin Cahill
[hr]
A.
#Post#: 328--------------------------------------------------
Re: Transformers: Fragments
By: Ashes Date: September 28, 2013, 10:33 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Episode 14 – A Shadow of the Soul
Airdate: Saturday 28th September 2013
Synopsis: Cross-Shot is training aboard the Dawn Katana,
focusing on her techniques, when a shuriken slams past her face.
Surprised, she turns to see Scale smirking in the doorway. He
tells her that her techniques are weak, and will no doubt get
her killed. The younger bot snarls, stating that she has trained
for almost her entire life, but Scale goes to attack her before
she can finish, and the two begin ruthlessly sparring.
Snapjaw pilots the ship; he asks the A.I. what it is like to be
a ship, although the A.I. notes that he does not have any
experience as anything other than a ship for context. The
former-Predacon sighs, commenting on how hard it is to have a
conversation with a ship.
Snapjaw: … so… what’s it like, being a ship?
Dawn Katana: Well… I don’t know.
Snapjaw: What? How can you not know? You ARE a ship.
Dawn Katana: Yeah, but I’ve never been anything else, so I can’t
really say what it’s like being a ship compare to being
something other than a ship.
Snapjaw: *sigh* Here’s me, trying to have a conversation with a
ship, and even that’s ridiculously difficult…
Prophecy bounds in at that moment, pointing to a nearby planet
and stating that it is their next destination. Of course,
Snapjaw is unsure, but starts to pilot the ship there all the
same. Waspinator is sat in his quarters, analysing the eight
fragments that have been gathered so far. Interestingly, the
fragments also follow and attach to the extractor when it is
near, like a magnet, giving it a short crystalline blade of
sorts. Thoughts of Buzzstreak come to mind; troubled, he heads
off to the room with Arcrise’s egg, and starts talking to ‘her’.
In the training room, Cross-Shot and Scale are still sparring,
each giving their all, with Scale beating her rather viciously.
Suddenly, Cross-Shot’s power kicks in, and she senses a fragment
nearby. She rushes off, half-limping, to inform the others, as
Scale lets out a breath. Cross-Shot meets Prophecy in the
corridors, and the eccentric fembot leads her ally to the
bridge, informing her that they are already headed towards the
fragment. Giving her thanks, Cross-Shot heads off to a CR
chamber; Prophecy takes another quick and concerned look at her.
Waspinator walks through, and Prophecy informs her that they are
headed to another planet – the leader asks why he was not
informed, and Prophecy states that she already did, before
realising that she is actually thinking of this very moment.
Waspinator: Why did no one think to tell me until now?
Prophecy: I already did tell you! We were right here and- oh,
no, wait. … silly me, that’s right now, isn’t it?
Not long later, the ship lands down amidst dusty plains; the
A.I. explains that the planet, Heng, possesses a single
Cybertronian colony, which is nearby. Snapjaw asks the gathered
Maximals why they chose to land in the middle of nowhere, and
Cross-Shot insists that the fragment is nearby. The five exit
the ship, and head out into the plains.
With Cross-Shot leading them, the Maximals continue trekking,
passing through rocky outcrops; the group discuss little, and
Waspinator has to continue reining Prophecy in. Snapjaw suggests
putting her on a leash, and Cross-Shot freezes at that moment. A
figure leaps out from behind an outcrop, wielding two swords –
Scale quickly throws shuriken at the figure, but they manage to
block them, landing down and charging towards the Maximals.
Prophecy tackles the assailant’s legs, squeezing them tightly in
a hug and welcoming them. Toppling over, the figure – evidently
a he – threatens to decapitate her. However, he notices the
confrontational stances of the other Maximals, and asks them who
they are. They introduce themselves, and the figure states that
his name is Paladin. He clutches his head, as if in pain, and
then remarks that the five are from the Dawn Katana, that they
are gathering from fragments, and that there is loss amongst
them.
Paladin: Let’s see… ugh… you’re the crew of a ship called the
Dawn Katana, you’re heading from planet to planet in an attempt
to gather fragments… and there were more of you before. You’ve
lost- I don’t know, you’ve lost something or someone.
Snapjaw tightens his grip on his weaponry, but Paladin tells him
to relax, noting that he has gained telepathy from what he
assumes is the fragment they are after. Waspinator draws out the
fragment extractor, and Paladin writhes out of Prophecy’s hold,
raising his swords and stating that he does not want the
fragment removed. He stalks off on his own, with the Maximals
following after him. Noticing, he insists on them leaving him
alone, but Waspinator explains that they need to gather all of
the fragments. Angered, Paladin states that he needs his
fragment if he is to efficiently perform his duty – he clutches
his head again and snarls at Scale to stop imagining ways of
killing him (earning the mercenary a scowl from Waspinator).
Paladin insists that he will kill them if they do not leave him
alone, and Waspinator stands defensively in front of his team,
stating that the death of his team is something he cannot allow.
Sighing, Paladin continues on his way, the Maximals trailing
along behind him.
Reaching a cave as night begins to fall, Paladin heads inside;
as the Maximals reach it, they are surprised, and Waspinator
asks what his duties entail. The telepathic bot remarks that he
is leading an uprising against the authority dominating his
fellow colonists. Scale asks where the rest of the uprising is,
and Paladin grimaces, stating that he has so far been entirely
unsuccessful. The Maximals enquire further about the
‘authority’, but Paladin refuses to speak of it. When Prophecy
tells him to say about the mind-bugs, he grabs her by the throat
and pins her to the wall, snarling in fury not to mention them
and stating that if she has one, he has no qualms in killing
her.
Prophecy: Ooh, ooh, Paladin, say about the mind-bugs!
*he instantly grabs her by the throat, slamming her to the wall*
Paladin: Don’t slagging say that name! Don’t even mention those
things! I swear, if you have one of them in you, I WILL slagging
kill you! I don’t know who you are so what does it matter if I
end your twisted little life?!
Waspinator pulls Paladin back, explaining that Prophecy has a
unique condition that means she sees her own timeline out of
order, and so knows things before they should be known. He adds
that, given Paladin’s reaction, the mind-bugs are obviously
something bad, and Paladin simply utters that they have twisted
and warped all of his friends. Snapjaw figures out that
Paladin’s telepathy prevented the mind-bugs from affecting him,
and Cross-Shot adds that this is why he wishes to keep his
fragment. Obviously not wanting to discuss it, Paladin
nevertheless admits that the mind-bugs burn up when they attempt
to enter his mind. Warmly, Waspinator promises to help Paladin
eradicate the mind-bugs and save his people – in return for
which, they can they take his fragment. Paladin cautiously
accepts, but notes that they will be doing things on his own
terms.
Waspinator: Okay then. We’ll help you. If the mind-bugs are as
bad as you claim, then it’s our responsibility to help. And in
return, once we’ve removed the threat from this planet, you’ll
be able to give us your fragment.
Paladin: … fine. That’s fine. But you’re not going to boss me
about. My world, my mission, my terms.
Waspinator accepts this, although the other Maximals (besides
Prophecy) seem weary of this alliance. A little later, Paladin
sneaks out of the cave as the Maximals rest; drawing his swords,
he prepares to head off for the village. Cross-Shot appears
behind him, asking to accompany him. Allowing it, stating that a
second pair of hands would be nice, he leads the way as the
archer draws her bow.
Cast:
Cross-Shot – Karen Gillan
Scale – Ron Perlman
Snapjaw – David Leisure
Dawn Katana – Joe Thomas
Prophecy – Jocelyne Loewen
Waspinator – Scott McNeil
Paladin – Paul Rudd
[hr]
A.
#Post#: 336--------------------------------------------------
Re: Transformers: Fragments
By: Ashes Date: October 5, 2013, 10:02 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Episode 15 – Points of View
Airdate: Saturday 5th October 2013
Synopsis: In the dead of night, Paladin and Cross-Shot head
towards the village, with Paladin staying silent. Cross-Shot
repeatedly asks him questions, trying to discern the scope of
the mind-bugs’ effects, but Paladin maintains his silence… and
the two finally reach the canyon containing the village.
Prophecy bolts upright, crying out in desperation and waking
the other Maximals. Waspinator comforts her, as an irritated
Snapjaw notices that both Cross-Shot and Paladin are gone –
Waspinator sends him and Scale off to find them. As the two head
off, Waspinator continues soothing Prophecy, who asks him when
they will complete their numbers. Paladin leads Cross-Shot into
the village, still silent, and starts to slam the flats of his
swords against objects, creating noise. Lights turn on in the
buildings, and Cross-Shot prepares herself. Citizens appear,
bright and cheery, and Paladin tightens his grip on his swords
as a confused Cross-Shot lowers her bow. She asks Paladin when
the threat is to show itself, as Paladin approaches one of the
villagers, yelling threats. The villager is confused, but
continues talking happily, and the angered loner raises his
swords, threatening to kill him.
Cross-Shot: Okay… so when does the threat appear?
Paladin: *ignores her, approaches one of the villagers* Don’t
look at me like that! Don’t think you’re so sweet and pure, and
don’t think I am either. I won’t allow you to keep living a
slagging lie like this!
Hengian villager 1: Am I living a lie? Awh, if this is a lie, I
can’t wait to see the truth! It must be even more wonderful!
Paladin: *raises his swords* Shut up! Shut up, right now, or I
swear, I will kill you.
Cross-Shot watches on, confused and concerned, as another
villager approaches, evidently not even seeing the swords as
being weapons. Paladin again threatens to kill them, but does
nothing more than that, and Cross-Shot cautiously approaches.
With more villagers happily approaching, some even in giddy
excitement, Cross-Shot asks Paladin what the problem even is –
Paladin lightly cuts his arm, and asks the villagers what they
see. The unanimous response is that swirls of coloured light are
passing down his arm.
Paladin: What is this? What did I just do to myself?
Hengian villager 3: Oh my god, can you see the colours?
Hengian villager 4: They’re so pretty!
Hengian villager 2: It’s like- it’s like swirls of light.
Hengian villager 1: So many colours!
Hengian villager 3: You’re so lucky, how can we do that too?
The dark look that Paladin gives Cross-Shot proclaims that this
is what the problem is, just as Snapjaw and Scale appear at the
edge of the village. As the villagers completely surround
Paladin and Cross-Shot, he tells her that they have to escape,
and leads her up onto the roof of a building. They traverse from
rooftop to rooftop as the villagers cheer their feat and follow
along on the ground. As the two reach the path out of the
valley, the villagers bemoan their leaving, and head off to
their homes.
As Cross-Shot, Snapjaw, Scale and Paladin head back to the
cave, Snapjaw complains about Paladin’s idiotic tactic of
confronting the enemy without his new allies. Paladin retorts
that the Maximals are not his allies and that his decisions are
his own.
Snapjaw: Bravo, bravo. You must be the epitome of tactical
genius. You gain a bunch of allies and then proceed to storm
into your enemy’s territory without them. O-ho-ho, your
brilliance is so dazzling; I bow before your slagging smarts,
you moron.
Paladin: You’re not my allies, and what I do is my own decision,
for better or for worse.
All the while, Prophecy explains to Waspinator what the
mind-bugs are – mental parasites that alter the carrier’s
perception, making everything seem sweet, innocent and bright.
The others return to the cave, and Paladin starts to patch up
his arm as Waspinator repeats what Prophecy said. When Prophecy
notes that the mind-bugs are harmless and have no detrimental
effects, Paladin snaps that his fellow villagers no longer see
the world properly and have no sense of reality; Scale comments
that a different reality is not ‘no sense of reality’, and
Paladin charges at him. The two start brawling, but Prophecy
generates an energy bubble between them, separating them.
Waspinator states that, if removing the mind-bugs is what the
Maximals must do to gain Paladin’s fragment, then they must find
a way to do it even if it is not an immediate threat to their
lives. Paladin grumbles that it is a threat to the lives they
used to lead, and stalks off; Waspinator orders Snapjaw to keep
an eye on him, and when Cross-Shot notes that she would be
capable, the leader points out that she snuck off and followed
him, whereas right now, they need to stop him from leaving.
Cross-Shot: Hey, wait, why send Snapjaw? I can do the job just
as well.
Waspinator: Under normal circumstances, yeah, but you snuck off
with him and followed him into the village. Right now, we need
someone to stop him leaving, not to tag along with him.
He informs Cross-Shot, Prophecy and Scale that they shall start
their attempts at ‘curing’ the villagers at dawn. As Paladin
sits outside in lyrebird mode, Snapjaw asks him what his problem
is. Paladin perfectly mimics Prophecy’s statement about the
mind-bugs being harmless, and then explains that the people that
he loves have been warped and altered by an outside force. It
hurts to see them like that.
The sun begins to rise hours later, and the Maximals and
Paladin are gathered in the cave. Waspinator proposes that
Paladin’s telepathy may be of use, but it is obviously not
easily controlled at the moment. Paladin adds that, while his
telepathy has made his own mind toxic to mind-bugs, he does not
have the power to burn them out of other people’s minds –
naturally, he already had this idea, and if it had worked, they
would not be in this situation.
Paladin: The mind-bugs burn up when they touch my mind, because
of the telepathy, but I can’t just reach out and burn them out
of other people. I’m not strong enough. Trust me, I already had
that idea. If it had worked, do you think we’d be here right
now?
Cross-Shot points out that Paladin is not comfortable with
hurting the villagers (Paladin winces at this), and Prophecy
chooses that moment to point out Waspinator’s Fibonacci spiral.
Smiling, Waspinator explains to the others that he can increase
the power of Paladin’s telepathy and, hopefully, allow him to
destroy the mind-bugs. The group head off to the village, with
Paladin nervous. Upon reaching the village canyon, they find it
already bustling with activity; Paladin leads the way down, but
asks the Maximals to keep back once they reach the village
itself. The villagers spot them coming, and start to get
excited. Paladin enters the village’s open plaza, and as the
villagers surround him, Waspinator starts to increase the power
of his telepathy, sliding his finger up the Fibonacci spiral on
his right palm. As Paladin attempts to reach into the villagers’
minds, he receives flashes of the twisted, simplistic innocence
they perceive, and yells out in frustration, clasping his head.
His psychological pain waves back over the villagers, and
Waspinator quickly lowers Paladin’s power-level back down to
normal, and Cross-Shot calls in the Dawn Katana. As Paladin’s
eyes well up, he starts to rant at the villagers, stating that
even though they are twisted from what they once were, he is the
one who does not belong, and that as much as he cares for them,
he cannot stay any longer.
Paladin: Slag… I can’t do this anymore. Who are you? Who the
slag are all of you? I trusted you. I cared about you all, so
much, and now… I don’t even know you. You’re not the same people
you used to be, and you know what? I’m not either, now, because
of all of this. Because of you all being so messed-up and…
wrong. But really, I’m the wrong one, aren’t I? For not seeing
things like you. For not being like you. I’m the one who doesn’t
belong here. So I’m done. I AM DONE. I can’t… I don’t want to
lose all of you, but I already have… so I can’t stay. Not like
this. I-I’m sorry… but I can’t stay.
His breakdown over, he coldly walks aboard the Dawn Katana
alongside the other, shaken Maximals. Later, Paladin (upgraded
like the others) is sat in his new quarters, when Cross-Shot
enters; she assures him that he is welcome here.
Cast:
Cross-Shot – Karen Gillan
Paladin – Paul Rudd
Prophecy – Jocelyne Loewen
Waspinator – Scott McNeil
Snapjaw – David Leisure
Scale – Ron Perlman
Hengian villager 1 – Scott McNeil
Hengian villager 2 – Ron Perlman
Hengian villager 3 – Tiffany Grant
Hengian villager 4 – Erin Cahill
Hengian villager 5 – Tom Kenny
Dawn Katana – Joe Thomas
[hr]
A.
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