LINA AND THE AUTOBOTS

[dragonswag]

Who: Lina Inverse and the Autobots!
Where: the new Autobot base, courtesy of CONDOR
When: a…day… today? today.
What: Lina appoints herself a CONDOR ambassador
Warnings: Lina Inverse IS a warning

Lina got the basics on the Cybertronians from the CONDOR reports; Newt filled her in with considerably more detail, and her conversation with Starscream was...well, she wouldn't call it enlightening, but it sure had been something. At any rate, by this point Lina feels totally qualified to pop on over to the new CONDOR-sponsored base the Autobots have just moved into and introduce herself. After all, if the Autobots are going to be working with CONDOR, Lina's bound to wind up with them at some time or another, especially if the Decepticons are a threat. And getting to know them means getting to know their weak points, too! Lina couold use that against the Decepticons. Or, you know, the Autobots, if things ever get too out of hand. She heard about city hall. Yikes.

All in all, though, she's actually pretty excited to meet these guys. Of all the aliens she's fought with Alpha Force, there've never been any giant space robots before.

Lina pretty much lets herself into their base -- whatever, it's still CONDOR property, she can totally just waltz in here whenever she wants. She swoops into the base, cape aflutter around her as she levitates midair, glancing around.

"Hellooo? Any robots around? Come out, come out, wherever you are! Alpha Force member here!"

Comments

[thanksoptimus]

Somewhere in the base, Optimus looks up from what he's doing, frowning deeply. This is the absolute last thing he wanted, at the moment. Impromptu diplomacy is not something he feels ready for, and a CONDOR agent showing up out of the blue feels at least a little rude. He vents tensely, and sets down his things so he can go answer her.

He strides into the main area with heavy footsteps, looking down at the human woman, his helm tilting very slightly.

"I was not aware we would have visitors," he says, not rudely, not not friendly either. There is a beat before he continues, gesturing at the area. "We have not had the opportunity to prepare for guests."

[dragonswag]

Whoa, big guy. This is definitely the biggest Cybertronian Lina's ever laid eyes on -- not that she's seen all that many -- but she doesn't look all that intimidated by his size, just flying a little higher so she's more or less eye-level with him. Kind of a stuffed shirt, this guy. Ah, well, they can't all be charmers!

"Oh, I was just dropping in, so I'll forgive the lack of warm hospitality this time," Lina says with a cheeky grin and a little wink, obviously not self-conscious about her visit at all. She obviously doesn't think she's being rude. "Lina Inverse, Alpha Force's own sorcery genius! I thought I'd come introduce myself, since we'll probably be working together. And by the look of you," she adds, looking him up and down with a careful scrutiny that seems at odds with her totally unselfconscious manner, "you're probably the guy in charge. Am I right?"

[thanksoptimus]

With some time to settle into the situation, he adjusts. Not that that really makes him more laid back or anything, because that is just not in his emotional repertoire. Especially when being faced with cheekiness.

"Indeed. My name is Optimus Prime." He inclines his helm. "We are grateful for the accommodations we have been given. Some aspects of it are more convenient than I might have expected."

[dragonswag]

"Optimus Prime, huh?" Lina cocks an eyebrow, looking him up and down. "Well, with a name like that, you must be the guy in charge."

She circles him in the air slowly, almost idly, just getting a good look at him and not being too bothered if this is putting him off. Whatever, man, you're a giant space robot, you can handle a tiny human giving you a proper once-over.

"Yeah, this place isn't too bad," Lina concedes, and for someone who's supposed to be an A-list superhero, she acts awfully cheeky and cutesy. "So what are your plans, huh, Mister Prime? You gonna help us fight some bad guys?"

[thanksoptimus]

He is not easily threatened, at the very least. People disrespecting his space only gains a tic of minor annoyance.

"Our primary effort will be in deflecting the efforts of our opposite faction, but we will also be happy to lend our aid to any mission objectives CONDOR considers appropriate." He glances over her. "We do not wish to...step on any toes."

Or full legs, more accurately.

[dragonswag]

Good thing for you that Lina can fly, huh? Too bad for all those poor suckers stuck on the ground.

"The Decepticons, right?" Lina says consideringly, rubbing at her chin. Contrary to her almost childish demeanor just moments ago, she looks serious now, acting a lot more like her age -- or someone befitting the mantle of sorcery genius. "I met one of those guys back at CONDOR. Seems like they've definitely made a niche for themselves here on Earth. And you guys have been fighting for, what…how many thousands of years now? Talk about dragging it out."

[thanksoptimus]

"Seven thousands, at last count," Optimus says, his tone subdued at the thought. He pauses for a long moment, and then continues. "I take it you refer to Commander Starscream?"

[dragonswag]

"If Commander Starscream is the one who always squawks like an angry bird, then yeah, that'd be him. I can't believe he was ever actually in charge of anything!"

Lina crows, snickering as she hovers idly in the air, but her expression shifts back in the serious direction as she crosses her arms and leans back, considering.

"You Autobots look like you can handle your stuff, though," she says appraisingly, and for once there isn't an overtone of smug superiority to it. "I guess you'd have to, if you've been at war for so long. Which, by the way -- why have you been at war for so long? Starscream might have seemed like kind of a joke, but the Decepticons must be pretty seriously powerful to keep guys like you at a standstill for millennia."

[thanksoptimus]

"I consider Starscream to be somewhat of an enigma among the Decepticons," Optimus says levelly, though there is the faintest trace of actual butt chafing to it. "Our kind is naturally much longer lived than you own...though the war has endured far past its time, it likely sounds longer to your perspective than mine."

He pauses for a few moments, frowning to himself.

"Megatron is a formidable enemy. The war can not end until he is stopped."

[dragonswag]

"So let's stop him, then."

It's the sort of remark that would normally be accompanied with grossly inappropriate cheerfulness from Lina, but she actually looks pretty serious right now. "Look, I get that you've been struggling for thousands of years to overcome this guy -- and let me guess, you're the kind of good guy who'd never stoop to his methods -- but now you've got something you didn't have before."

[worstprime]

Finding himself with an excess of free time, Rodimus has decided to spend some time exploring their new base. It's pretty...empty. Empty and...large. Devoid of pretty much anything interesting at the moment. He's fairly near the entrance when he hears a decidedly not-cybertronian voice. Rounding the corner he sees a brightly coloured human, and looks around searchingly, as if expecting a...handler or some sort of accompaniment she clearly doesn't have. Why is she here? Are humans even allowed in here? Do Optimus and Magnus know she's here?

"Er...hello there. Are you...uhm...are you lost?"

[dragonswag]

Hey, so there are Cybertronians here after all. This one's a lot different-looking from Starscream -- a lot smaller, for one, and much more brightly colored. Frankly, Lina thinks he looks a lot cooler than Starscream. Are those flames? Yeah, all right. This guy has the right idea with his paint job.

"Nope!" Lina answers cheerfully, flying in just a little closer. It's probably not necessary for her to remain aloft, but she's only barely five feet tall, and she'd rather look Rodimus in the eye. She is obviously not very intimidated by the fact that he is a giant robot. "The name's Lina Inverse, certified hero and sorceress extraordinaire! I'm on Alpha Force -- you know, big A-list superhero team, part of CONDOR? You're new here, though, so you probably haven't heard of me. You're an Autobot, right?"

[worstprime]

"Oh right, I've...sort of heard of you guys!" If Rodimus ever paid attention to anything anyone around him talked about he would know exactly who they were, rather than just the vague knowledge that they were 'the guys the new base came from.' Right now his main concern is how this human is flying...no had told him human's could fly.

"'Course I'm an Autobot," he says, sounding almost offended which is kind of ironic, considering recent events. "I'm Rodimus. You're new to the Autobots, so you probably haven't heard of me, but I'm sure you otherwise would've. How're you doing that...flying thing?"

[dragonswag]

"Magic," Lina answers easily with a grin and a wink, her cape swirling around her ankles. Rodimus doesn't seem like the sharpest tack in the box right now, but Lina doesn't hold it against him. Actually, she thinks he's pretty neat so far. Newt said they turn into cars, right? And planes and stuff. Well, Lina can see tires on him, and he's got what looks like a pretty sweet spoiler...he must turn into some kind of super cool car. "Rodimus, huh? You some kinda big shot around here?"

[worstprime]

"Ah, right. 'Course." Rodimus doesn't know if "magic" has quite the same meaning amoungst humans as it does amoungst Cybertronians, nor how normal this is amoungst them, but feels like it's probably rude to ask, and since that always stops him, he accepts the answer.

"I dunno if I'd call myself a "big shot", replies Rodimus modestly, certain that he likes this human quite a lot so far. "But, yeah, I mean...I think I'd say I'm pretty...er...notable around here."

There's probably a better word than 'notable' to be used here, but Rodimus is trying a new thing where he uses more humble adjectives that aren't synonyms for "amazing" to describe himself. So far, he hates it.

[dragonswag]

"Right, right, 'cause Optimus Prime is the number one guy around here, right?" Lina grins and flashes Rodimus a cheeky wink, still swishing idly back and forth in the air as she hovers. "You look like you pack some serious firepower, though. I mean, you guys are fighting a war, right? Not only are you huge, but you're robots -- you Autobots must be able to kick some serious butt. I mean, you must have some moves, right?"

Lina could probably lay it on a little thicker, sure, but hey, a little subtlety never hurt anybody. Besides, Rodimus seems like the kind of guy who's ripe for a little ego-stroking. It's not as if she doesn't mean it! She just really wants to get a look at his alt mode...and maybe a ride, too.