third contact

[chapterfiveversenine]

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.