cyberformed IC Inbox

[eugenesis]

"This is Scorponok. Leave a message, as I am busy at the moment. If you want to see the infant, send me a text before you enter. Don't you dare knock and wake her up."

ACTION | TEXT | VOICE | VIDEO

Comments

Action

[loyaltyandhonor]

[A short while after the appliance incident, Scorponok will find an unassuming box placed on the work bench of his lab. Attached is a note written in large, slanted letters, unsigned.

"A Test of Skill"

Open the box?]

[eugenesis]

[Scorponok, if he were a smart person, would be suspicious of this mysterious box. Alas, he does not think before he acts and falls for the trap.

Why not open the box right here? It will be a nice way to wind down after reversing the effects of his experiment!]

Space TSA would be so disappointed

[loyaltyandhonor]

[The moment the lid is lifted, a high pitched beeping fills the room. Inside is a variant on one of Dreadwing's signature explosives, the bright red timer ticking down– 3 minutes. Generously, Dreadwing had already removed the outer casing, so the internal electronics were clearly visible and easily accessible.

All Scorponok had to do was successfully navigate the puzzle of dummy-leads and trip-wires. The longer he took, the more frantic the beeping became.]

[eugenesis]

[He was only complementing Dreadwing's skill! Not his own! He's a techno-geneticist! Why does he had to do the work of a technician??

He works at a steady pace, careful to check each wire before moving it around, but the time limit and the incessant beeping has his mind blank at moments, where he freezes up and realizes that failure is ever closer.

One minute left. He forgot which wire goes where.

Thirty seconds left. The bomb is screaming at him. He was tricked by a dummy-lead.]

[loyaltyandhonor]

[The explosive blast is loud, shaking the table beneath, but there was surprisingly little force. A huge, dense cloud of smoke tinged with various colors filled the space, glittering with flecks of metal. There had been quite a lot of supplies left over from the air show pyrotechnics.

The smokescreen settled into a light coating of powder around the room, drifting across the surfaces and Scorpornok himself. Within minutes a call came through on his comm, signaled by the timer.]

It is unfortunate that you were not able to pass this small test, Scorponok. Given your recent scientific endeavors, I expected this would pose little challenge to you.

[eugenesis]

[Thankfully, this isn't Minimus's room, and Scorponok won't have a Spark attack at all of the dust covering his furniture. Unfortunately, this still has to be cleaned.

He picks up the comm after he coughs out some of the power that got into his intake.] If I have my tools, yes.

[He won't admit that he sucks at this.]

voice

[knaval]

Do you wanna date Ma-- ugh, never mind. I just remembered who you are. Blocked.

[eugenesis]

Wait! Who are you talking about?!

[Nevermind, no one's answering. Scorponok will forever wonder if Riptide was talking about a cool scientists NPC they encountered.]

audio

[daintylegs]

Hey Scorponok! This is your good friend Tailgate that you've definitely spoken to once or twice.

How do you feel about a bit of mystery and spontaneity? It won't hurt, I promise!

[He can't actually guarantee that, but it's a good thing to say.]

[eugenesis]

Who?

[Did he screw over a guy named Tailgate at some point? Ah well, maybe it was during that appliance fiasco.]

I'm a scientist, not a poet. Nature walks are pointless with scientific exploration.

[daintylegs]

Noted!

But actually I want to set you up on a blind date with someone! I think you'll get along super well!

Besides, I don't think you're doing anything else socially, what do you have to lose?

[eugenesis]

[Is he saying that Scorponok has no friends? He's insulted!

But Tailgate is right.] It's not someone who's trying to kill me, is it?

[daintylegs]

Definitely not!

[He can't promise that though.]

I'll fight him myself if he tries anything! So you have the Tailgate guarantee!

Text

[quietone]

I understand you have some expertise with organics, as well as technology, is that correct?

[eugenesis]

You might say that. [Understatement.]

Why? Is there some creature that needs disecting?

[quietone]

Vivisecting would be more accurate.

An Insectkin named Frou Frou is the one responsible for kidnapping a portion of the crew, as well as giving us some trouble at Crown Station during the Ball. Unfortunately she’s put me in the position of having to meet with her shortly. I’d like to deal with her permanently if possible.

If you are interested I can provide more details, but I cannot guarantee your safety whatsoever.

[eugenesis]

It's a hit squad, isn't it? I don't know why you're asking me to come if you need muscle, unless someone told you I used to fight in the gladiator pits of Kaon.

Organics are pretty easy to kill. You don't need a surgeon to bleed her to death.

[quietone]

I hadn’t heard that. But if you were a former Gladiator and your Pits of Kaon were similar to the ones I knew, that would make you well qualified. However I mostly want your technical skills and knowledge.

[And for his lack of morals.]

I already have the muscle I believe we will need, but given what happened to our “muscle” on Crown Station when they faced off against a bunch of organics, I’m erring on the side of caution. Insectkin use a type of… organic, living technology that is difficult to deal with.

[eugenesis]

Like the ship we intercepted?




I'm in.

[quietone]

[So he was as much of a freak as he had heard. But on the bright side, if they got him killed on this mission, it's not like anyone would be upset.]

Similar, but not exactly the same.

[He sent over an image of what looked to just be literal slugs and a glass box of worms.]

Those are what they use for data slugs and a tablet.

[eugenesis]

I appreciate their commitment to the theme, but I hope that was the most efficient design they had for their technology.

[It's not the worms themselves that bother him.]

[quietone]

There were ‘ants’ as well that Frou Frou used as spies. Thankfully we have countermeasures for those being put in place.

Let me know when you are available for a full debriefing. Dreadwing and Skyquake are the muscle who will accompany us.

[eugenesis]

Tomorrow. I'm interested in catching some of these organic devices and cutting them open.

I also have plenty of tree-cons to help us out.

[quietone]

I believe they have all been culled from the ship, but I will see about getting you some of the bodies that security has.

Are your 'tree-cons' exactly what the name implies?

[eugenesis]

Yes. Droids that were grown from organic plant matter. They run on wires and electricity, so don't worry about them acting too differently from us. It's only their appearance and makeup that differ.