Eclipse Revealed

October 24, 2011
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Horizon Nova Black
(Quiet Field by the Airport)
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Nova Black flies over the deserted field, scanning for anything interesting below. This area is just outside her usual patrol route, which is exactly why she's here. Life long ago taught her that sometimes the interesting things happen in exactly the places everyone's given up for abandoned.
Besides, she's bored. Fighting off that cityformer was fun, but the thing was a mindless brute, not a challenger who she had to out-think and out-fly. She'd spent most of that battle flying in front of it anyway. Which might have been exciting, if the thing had ever actually managed to aim or tried to grab her, but no.
And, hell, if everyone else is right and this place is as empty as it looks, at least she's out flying.
As the slight breeze wafts ash, rust, and other sediments through the air in a swirling eddie, Horizon sits still on the ground with his knees up somewhat, a long rifle resting against his thighs. He watches the hypnotic dance of the wind for a moment, lost in his own thoughts, and entrenched in the serenity offered by the eerily quiet location.
Nova Black's engines stutter in surprise as her scanners pick something up. She growls as she recognizes the energy signal as one she's encountered before -- and one belonging to the enemy.
For a moment she considers swooping down on him, lasers blazing. But she's not technically supposed to be out here, and maybe he is. If she misses, she really doesn't want his reinforcements showing up before hers do.
"Slag it, I'm not good at this sneakin' around scrap," she mutters, moving with the mists and looking for a place to land, hopefully without being seen.
One of the advantages of sitting in a very quiet location, is that sound carries far. Horizon is brought out of a reveries by the distant sound of engines. He glances around in alarm. There had been rumors of phantom shuttles in the area, but he was too skeptical for such superstition. If it was in the air, it must be the enemy. Horizon remains seated, and only subtly shifts to be on the ready, one hand now cradling part of his rifle whil the other rests on the handle, finger gently touching the trigger in anticipation. He otherwise remains still and seated - waiting for an attack.
Nova Black lands and transforms, trying to do so as quietly as she can, but "quietly" and "Nova Black" don't exactly go together well. When she looks back at Horizon, though, he's still sitting. Which means he either has no idea she's there, or means he heard her but doesn't know where she is yet. While one of those is more ideal than the other, she can certainly work with both. Her weapons systems crackle with energy as she steps forward as quickly and noiselessly as she can and fires.
Crackle. Yes. That has been what Horizon was expecting. The tension he had been building up to ready himself into action finally gets release as he rolls out of the way, turns to where the shot came from, and quickly gets into a kneeling position, rifle aimed. However, upon seeing his assailant, he lifts his head from his viewfinder for a moment. "You!" he exclaims. He could scarcely believe it was her, like a ghost forming out of the mist. He slightly lowers his rifle, but does not remove his finger from the trigger, ready to bring it back up if he so wishes. "Lower your weapon; I wish to talk."
Nova Black smirks. An Autobot wants to talk? To *her*? That's hilarious. And stupid. Then again, considering who it is... maybe she should go along with it for a moment. She did trick this one into helping her once. Maybe pretending to be unsure about attacking him will yield something useful. And she can always attack him later, once he's convinced she won't. "Talk?" she says, sounding dubious as she lowers her arm the smallest fraction.
Horizon stares, his optic visor burning an intense shade of blue as he nods his head with a decisive jerk. "Yes, talk," Horizon repeats with a firm tone. He keeps his rifle pointed at the ground in front of him as he watches her carefully, not hiding his wariness. It is evident he realizes this most precarious situation.
Nova Black looks carefully at him, as though trying to puzzle out who he is. She recognized him long before this, of course, but decides that pretending she didn't is wise. After all, she did just shoot at him. "What do we have to talk about?"
Horizon squints his optic visor at her, as they dim somewhat. "Do you not recognize me?" he asks on a gambit. "Come closer, but not too close." He glances at her hands and what they are doing before looking back up to her scarred visage.
Come closer? When her hands turn into daggers? Oh, this is *perfect.* She takes another step toward him. "Should I recognize you?"
Horizon nods his head, gauging her distance carefully. After all, she *IS* a Decepticon, and inviting danger is not how he has come to survive this long. However, the curiousity and familiarity of this femme will not allow him any rest, and he also is not one to waste opportunities. "Think back. I am sure we've met, only you were..." he pauses meaningfullly, "...different then."
Nova Black's optics narrow. She doesn't like remembering those times. "Maybe I was. What's that to you, Auto -- bot?" she hastily amends, figuring that her usual terms for the enemy are... probably not the wisest to use here.
Horizon inclines his head, finally getting somewhere. He hasn't quite yet placed -- no -- wait! Yes! But that would mean... no, Horizon doesn't want to consider he was duped by a Decepticon. She must have been neutral then. It's hard to process, and though the question is rearing to be released from his lips, he stops himself. He needs to process all of this first before taking on another harsh revelation. "Do not trifle with me, Nova Black... or should I say Eclipse?" He frowns. "Have you forgotten my assistance already?" There is an uneasy pang. The idea of assisting, speaking of helping, someone who now stood before him as the enemy, was difficult to come to terms with.
Nova Black growls, her weapons systems crackling with energy. "You were probably better off hoping I *had* forgotten that, Autobot."
Horizon raises his rifle as a knee-jerk reaction to the sound of crackling, his face stern as he keeps his optics trained on Nova Black. "Perhaps so, Eclipse. But I have already radioed reinforcements and they should be here shortly, much sooner than yours could arrive. The moment I heard you flying overhead, I knew a Decepticon must be closing in. So, if I were you, I would leave now. I would rather you to fly off, now, unharmed, and we can then both forget about anything between us."
Nova Black growls. He's bluffing, she thinks. Autobots couldn't tell a convincing lie if their lives depended on it. Still, her wings twitch in agitation. Someone who knows he can't lie well might well *not* be lying. And she's not sure she can chance it, not now, not when she isn't sure the others have been repaired yet after yesterday's battle.
That leaves going after him later. But that raises its own dilemmas. If she doesn't do it soon enough, more of the enemy will know her past, and she can't have that. But if she just goes after him, her obvious vendetta might lead to uncomfortable questions, both by Autobots and by other Decepticons. If she's going to handle this, she'll have to do it in a way no one expects.
She grins, an idea taking shape in her mind. Quickrazor gave her paralyzing serum a while back -- surely he's got nastier concoctions. And from the strength of their alliance, surely he'll let her borrow one sometime...
She gives Horizon a nasty little grin. "Very well. But take your own advice. Forget you know me. I'm sure we'll meet on the battlefield someday anyway." So saying, she transforms, rocketing off toward Polyhex.
Horizon keeps his gun ready until Nova Black is a mere dot in the horizon. He then finally lowers it, exventing a sigh. This was not an additional stress he needed, but at least he finally knew where he recognized her from. "Eclipse..."
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