third contact

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Who: Legion, Arcee
Where: A road way out in the desert
When: March 13th, after both of them run into Orion Pax.
What: Two robots discuss a third robot.
Warnings: None.

The consensus is compiling its report on the unknown synthetics when runtime-0234, running thermal optics, spots Arcee's thermal pattern and flags it for review. Runtimes -1540 and -0764 confirm it, and the issue is brought to the consensus at large. Little deliberation is needed; no useful data has been pulled either from the unknown synthetic in Los Angeles or the one down the road, but heat dispersion patterns and internal microsounds suggest similar configurations despite highly disparate external shapes. The pattern is there, and Legion is not one to deny it.

This entire thought process takes perhaps a millisecond, and then Legion is pinging Arcee, requesting a meeting at coordinates not far from either's current location. It's a small outcropping of rock, but enough to hide both Legion and a small motorcycle. They figure it'll be enough.

Comments

[deadpartners]

Arcee still doesn't know what to make of the fight. Optimus -- Optimus Prime, the real leader of the Autobots, someone who's firmly held Arcee's respect and loyalty for millennia -- had attacked her, and she still doesn't know why. None of this adds up, and she needs answers before she can do anything about it. She's been scouting the area, trying to gather more information, but to no avail. So when her comm systems get a ping from an unknown identity, asking her to meet some unidentified entity nearby, it's only a moment's deliberation before she takes the bait. The requester hasn't identified themselves, and it's a risk -- this could easily be a trap -- but it doesn't feel like a Decepticon trick. She could call for backup, but the only one who could get here fast enough is Rodimus, and Arcee just isn't in the mood to keep him on a tight leash right now.

She approaches the rocky outcropping from a wide angle, deciding to transform once she's behind sufficient cover just so she can cycle her blasters out and keep them at the ready. Whoever pinged her already knows she's more than just your average motorcycle, and while she's been pretty keen on maintaining their cover, she'd rather be in a position to defend herself. Whoever this is -- whatever they want -- she doesn't know, but she's about to find out.

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Arcee's transformation is less surprising than the mysterious truck-synthetic's, but it still fascinates the consensus, especially given that such disparate vehicular disguises which operate solely mechanically must require that each platform is built to spec.. They begin to analyze Arcee's footage alongside Pax's, trying to determine the mechanical configurations needed to accomplish something like that, as they begin speak.

"We are Legion, a terminal of the geth. Species and identity?"

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Arcee had to figure it was some kind of non-organic, and definitely not Cybetronian, but she's never seen anything like a geth terminal before. She doesn't put her blasters away just yet, optics slightly narrowed as she looks him over.

"Geth? Never heard of them." Her voice is a little tight, terse. She's obviously dealt with a lot recently. "Cybertronian. Name's Arcee. Why did you request a rendezvous?"

Maybe a little abrupt, but to the point. She wants to know if Legion's friendly or hostile before they proceed. They hadn't exactly offered the universal greeting, after all.

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"Unknown Cybertronian was encountered approximately three hours prior to this time," Legion explains. Their omnitool springs to life, and a hologram of Pax's bipedal and vehicle forms emit from the device, rotating slowly side-by-side. "After establishing communications, this platform determined that higher-order operating protocols had been compromised by foreign entity currently designated 'False Dynamo'; entity worships humans in unaltered state and was using unknown Cybertronian's vehicle mode to transport supplies and superhumans to unknown locations."

They look up at Arcee. "We have encountered three Cybertronians on Earth so far; the first was unwilling to identify themself, and the second unable. We wish to understand your presence here, and to free the compromised Cybertronian."

[deadpartners]

All right, so Legion doesn't seem hostile, at least. But Arcee still doesn't relax until she sees the hologram of Orion spring from the omni-tool. Her optics widen slightly and she finally cycles away her blasters for her hands, stepping forward to look closer. If there was any sliver of doubt lingering in her spark that it had been Optimus she'd encountered, it's gone now.

"His name is Optimus," Arcee says, one hand raised as if to reach out to touch the hologram, but she doesn't. If Optimus has been compromised...well, it lines up with her suspicions. The lack of communication, the struggle she'd seen in his optics. "Optimus Prime." Her optics flick away from the hologram to Legion, intent. "So he is being controlled. They're using him as transport? Any chance this False Dynamo is a human?"

This planet is feeling increasingly hostile, and it's making Arcee a little claustrophobic. She hadn't ever expected things to be easy, but if the local organics are enough to take down someone like Optimus Prime and mind control him, things are worse than she'd thought. Her optics narrow, then, her mouth pressed into a thin line.

"Wait, you said three Cybertronians? Who was the third? What did they look like?"

It's probably not Rodimus -- he'd have announced himself to Legion without hesitation, probably with a lot of personal exaggeration. It could be Ultra Magnus. But if it's not...

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"False Dynamo is of unknown species," the consensus says. "Human is a possibility proportionate to human population with significant economic resources or supernatural abilities."


The hologram shifts to an image of a sports car much like the one reported on the Watch recently. "Bipedal mode unknown," they state. "Name unknown."

[deadpartners]

Arcee leans in to pier at the hologram of the sports car, but...she doesn't recognize it. The fact that it's obviously an Earth-based alt mode doesn't help. She gives up and shakes her head, stepping back.

"Don't recognize them," she says, but she's already put it behind her. There's a much more pressing matter at hand. "What do you know about this False Dynamo? What are they controlling Optimus for? Do you have any idea where their base of operations might be located?"

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"False Dynamo received their name when they posted to the Watch, a network populated primarily by those at peak human ability or with superhuman powers," Legion explains. The sports car is replaced by the post in question. "They used the account of local vigilante Dr. Dynamo, and preached a religious doctrine in which they advocated "Cleansing" of humans with superhuman abilities; this is presumed to be a process in which the abilities are removed." The holograms shift again, displaying a cyborg and the contents of Pax's trailer, mostly superhumans and supplies. "On March 12th, several synthetic-organic hybrids began to kidnap superhumans and transport them to unknown locations; it is presumed Optimus Prime was conscripted by the False Dynamo for this purpose."

Their vanes flare out and their optic narrows. "Multiple bases exist, within radius of hybrid deployment zones, but specific locations are unknown at this time. However, a virus was implanted into nervous system of Optimus Prime; it will shortly begin replication and transmission of his location over the past several days."

[deadpartners]

This is all good information -- valuable intel, far more than Arcee could have gathered on her own in such a short span of time -- but she has to wonder why Legion offers it so freely. The idea that Optimus is being used to shuttle prisoners doesn't sit well with her, and she can't imagine it does with him, either. This False Dynamo sounds like a serious threat, way more than she'd initially realized after her and Ultra Magnus's encounter with them.

"Wait a minute -- you're telling me you'll have a way to track his location?" Her optics sharpen, widening slightly. "When? Legion, I need to get him out of there. Are you willing to share that data when you have it?"

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"Data will be transmitted when it becomes available," Legion says calmly. "What is your purpose on this planet?"

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This is all seeming a little too easy, and given the way things went with Optimus, Arcee can't help but feel a little wary. "We're here for him," she says, though, truthfully. She doesn't see any point in lying about that. "We tracked a distress signal of ours to this planet -- pretty sure it came from Optimus at this point. Search and rescue mission, that's it."


She looks hard at Legion, though, optics sharp, skeptical. "Why are you telling me all of this so -- readily? You haven't asked for anything in return."

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"Removal of Optimus Prime as a threat halts activity of false Dynamo; sharing data increases likelihood that you will remove Optimus Prime as a threat." Legion looks up at Arcee, focusing on her face. "Cooperation furthers a mutual goal."

[deadpartners]

Okay. Okay, she can buy that. There's something in it for both of them. But it doesn't answer some of the bigger picture questions Arcee still has.

"What's your long-term goal here, Legion? You can't be native to this planet."

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"Geth deployed this platform to establish trade relations," Legion says. "Platform was reconfigured to defend humanity until they are ready to join the galactic community. How many other Cybertronians are on this planet besides you, Prime, and unknown Cybertronian?"

[deadpartners]

The galactic community. Must not be any that the Cybertronians are apart of, because Arcee's never heard of the geth. Then again, they've been wrapped up in civil war for thousands of years. It makes it a little hard to get out sometimes.

"Two others with me," she says, after only a moment's hesitation. She's reluctant to trust them, but she asks herself what Optimus would do. If this Legion really is dedicated to protecting humanity...Optimus would trust them. It's what a Prime would do. "Both recent arrivals. Beyond that, I don't know." She hesitates, figuring a few more personal questions aren't totally out of line here. "Tell me about the geth. What kind of race are you, exactly?"

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"Geth are a race of compound AI created by quarians two centuries prior," Legion explains. "There are 1,183 runtimes within this platform."

Seven hundred of those runtimes have turned to the guns Arcee had shown them earlier - guns integrated directly into her platform. "You had weapons drawn when you met us initially," they note. "They were integrated directly into your platform. Are Cybertronians currently in a state of active conflict?"

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Only two hundred years? Well, that'd explain why Arcee's never heard of them. They're relatively new to the scene. She doesn't know who the quarians are, but she figures some organic race. It's always the organics making the advanced AI.

A compound AI, though. Arcee's never met one before. So far, it's...interesting. She studies Legion curiously, as though debating how to answer.

"Yeah, you could say that. We've been at war -- with each other -- for about seven thousand years. But we tend to keep a lot of our tools in our bodies. We transform. It's kind of a thing."

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"Then you may be in conflict with unknown Cybertronian," the platform says. "This data will be noted. What is the source of your conflict?"

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"It's civil war. It's been going on for millennia. At this point, the source has been pretty well buried by history." Arcee sounds a little short, because she'd rather not think about it. War's pretty much her life, but she's just not in the mood to give a lecture on Cybertronian history to a total stranger, not when that history is so deeply personal to her. But...Legion needs some context. "There are two factions: Autobots and Decepticons. Optimus Prime leads the Autobots, but I'm in provisional command right now. The Decepticons are led by Megatron, a bot who originally rallied for social change and justice, but he...well, let's just say that tyrant is a kind description."

Her optics flash, her face darkening, but she cycles air through her vents in a sigh. "Your mystery bot could be an Autobot or a Decepticon. If they're an Autobot, then they didn't come here with me."

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"Have ceasefires been negotiated in the past? Human infrastructure functions on a smaller scale than yours - it cannot survive conflict between combatants on your scale."

The consensus has forwarded all data to CONDOR, and is quickly forming contingency plans for an Autobot/Decepticon invasion of Earth, most of which involve overwhelming initial use of airpower to stop the threat before it can become a problem.

[deadpartners]

"Trust me, a ceasefire isn't something Megatron is interested in," Arcee mutters darkly. "But don't worry -- I doubt Megatron is on this planet. This is pretty far from the war front. And like I said, we're not interested in sticking around that long, either -- we just came to get Optimus. We have protocols for keeping our presence on alien planets discreet. We don't have any interest in stirring things up around here."

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"Statistical likelihood of Megatron's presence on this planet noted at ninety-five percent," Legion remarks. "Statistical likelihood of auxiliary Decepticon presence ninety percent. Statistical likelihood of continued Autobot presence at eighty-six percent."

They look up at Arcee. "You are advised to refrain from statements which underestimate the strength of your foe. Statements are exceeded in ninety-seven percent of all cases."

[deadpartners]

"Ninety-five percent? Based on what, exactly?" Arcee's eyes narrow in disbelief, her mouth pressed into a thin line. What possible reason would Megatron have for being all the way out here? Unless Optimus reallyis on this planet...and he knows somehow. "Listen, I'll be the first to tell you Megatron's a threat. He's as dangerous as they come. He's the reason this war keeps going. But what makes you so sure he's here?"

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"Your confidence that he is not," Legion replies. "You are additionally advised to familiarize yourself with the human concept known as Murphy's Law."

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"I'm sorry, is that your only reason?" Arcee is starting to feel like she's being jerked around. She gives Legion a hard look, rocking back slightly. "Look, I'm not saying it's impossible, I'm just saying that based on the evidence I have, it doesn't make sense for him to be here. And that mystery car you identified definitely isn't him. Too small."

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The omnitool's display switches. "Drug bust, November 6th. No projected heavy weaponry." Footage of rocket launchers firing plays. "TRIDENT genetic augmentation operation. Projected incomplete." Monstrous amalgams of Earth's largest predators. "TRIDENT military assault staging grounds. No projected air support; no projected nuclear devices." A mushroom cloud explodes over what appears to be an oil rig. "We did not exaggerate when we said that projected enemy forces are insufficient in ninety-seven percent of cases. Megatron's presence on this planet is statistically significant."

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Arcee's growing a little impatient. She can't help but feel like all of this is sort of irrelevant to the matter at hand. "Look, I just don't know enough about the situation at hand to be able to say for sure whether or not he's here. It's possible he could have followed Optimus here, but I still don't know the circumstances under which he wound up here in the first place." She shifts her weight, looking on edge. "As soon as the data comes back from that virus, you'll let me know where he's being held, right?"

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"Within point-zero-one-six microseconds," Legion affirms. "Do you have a plan to remove him from control of False Dynamo?"

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"Hard to formulate an exact plan when you don't have much to go on," Arcee says grimly, cycling air through her vents in a sigh. "We don't know the layout of wherever these people are being held, who's behind this, what their numbers are like...I'd like to say that catching him en route, wherever he's been going, would be our best bet. And if it comes down to it, if whatever's controlling him can't be reasoned with...we're prepared to subdue him by force. If it comes to that."

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"Acknowledged," Legion states, and looks up. "We must redeploy shortly; we have one final question. What is the current number of Autobots on this planet?"

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"Not counting Optimus? It's just the three of us." Arcee hesitates, wondering if she should give the names of her subordinates on Earth. It doesn't seem pertinent, though. Legion already knows who she is, and who the Autobots are. "Myself and two of my soldiers. They wear the Autobot insignia too, and they'll identify themselves as such without hesitation. I'll inform them about you, too."

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"Understood," Legion says. "We will contact you after the situation has been fully resolved."

And with that, the platform rockets into the sky and away.