Taking a Shine to You

Soundwave makes his way through the edges of Hive City. Not *too* far in, mind you... this is trecherous ground and the surveillance mech has no intention of becoming someone's *lunch*. But while many might avoid Insecticons altogether, Soundwave is fascinated with all the outcasts of society- outliers (such as himself), empties, the poor and downtrodden. All who society has deemed expendable. He tends to think more highly of them than many of society's elite.
And this includes, in the big blue mech's mind, even the Insecticons. He's heard rumors of intelligent ones, and that is partially why he's here. Ratbat sent him on a mission to Stanix, and he decided to take the long way around... and see if there's anything unusual to be found here. Because certainly... there *must* be.
Quiet stalking is what this huntress does.. and she does just that as she prowls along the outer edges of the Hive City, unable to go in but unable to stay away from it for too long. Finally.. a bit of flashing draws her attention and she focuses in on Soundwave's arrival, "Ooohhh.." is quietly let loose before the Femme in the Cloak disappears from view on top of one of the desolate buildings near the hives. A few moments later she is perched up ontop of a building as the large shiney blue mech passes underneath before she almost purrs out, "Your awfully shiney and new looking to be walking through these parts, mech.." Her voice is soft and musical, far from the more reberberating sounds most drones speak.
Soundwave stops as the voice floats down to him. Said big, blue and shiny mech straightens up, his visor flickering as he reaches out with his mind. He is an empath and picking up on the thoughts and intentions of others is something that comes naturally- and keeps him one step ahead of harm's way. However, at the moment, the only thought he's really picking up is, indeed, a fascination with shiny things... and a certain intensity that might indicate a hunter. Hmm. Does this also indicate he is now the hunted? Rather than alarm him, it intrigues him. Who is this? A singular red visor lifts up as he looks around.
"Inquiry: Who are you?" He is merely curious.
A moment passes then a heavily cloaked.. mech.. hands from a overhang above Soundwave, the low glow of muted red optics shining out of the deep hood, "I'm me, Shiney one. First that femme that came to play with the drones, and now a big blue shiney mech... have not seen so many here in a long time."
She climbs straight down the side of the building, leaving little grooves dugged into it before she finally gets down to street level and stands up.. well as straight as a diminitive lass like her could stand and stares up at Soundwave, "Are you trying to hunt bugs like those who were here a bit ago? I don't think they are coming back... heard a few screams but no one has returned."
Soundwave hears the voice above and looks up in time to see the femme decloak herself, his red optics shining towards her red optics. The big blue mech simply stands there, watching as she makes her way down. He still doesn't pick up much, but he's not sensing any *immediate* attack. And indeed she does not, coming to stand in front of him now. "Hunt...bugs? Insecticons? No, not hunt." He leans a little forward, studying the Inecticon before him. "Intention: Learn more about Insecticons. You are like I was... an outcast, correct?"
Harbinger simply stands there as the large mech looms over her a bit as he leans forward, and simply looks up at him, hands moving to push her hood back to show off her visor'd face, thought the mandibles that click togther over her mouth makes it fairly clear she isnt a simply drone, "Outcast?" She ponders that, then simply shakes her head, "No.. not outcast. My hive is no more, and I have no desire to join another hive... they will do the same my hive did, and pay the same price for it." Her hands flex, and the large claws that she had been using make a rather unpleasant sound of sharp metal sliding along sharp metal.
Soundwave straightens again as the femme reveals more of her face. His gaze is steady... neither aggressive nor fearful- it's rather passive, almost blank. Of course, his own faceplate and visor only adds to that hard-to-read effect. He gives her the slightest nod.
"I see. You are alone?" He glances about the adjacent landscape. "Surroundings: hostile?" Then his gaze returns to her as she sharpens her claws, his own mind attempting to reach for hers once more. "I am... curious to learn more. *I* was an outcast, once. I believe there is much to be learned from the outcasts, the empties... the ones who do not..."fit in"."
A.. imp-ish grin a Blast Off from somewhere ELSE would recognize flashes across the Insecticon's face, "By choice.." She pauses, then pads at a handful of pouches across her body, "I.. think I have the piece of my Queen I ripped from her skull somewhere here.. it was really shiney... had to keep.." She looks up at the later statement made by Soundwave, "Learn more about what?" She blinks again, "You and that Femme.. both want to learn more, why?"
Soundwave tilts his head slightly as Harbinger grins at him and explains what happened to her Queen. His optic ridges furrow slightly, but while he's aware that he probably needs to be careful around this Insecticon- he also sees a potential fighter- a potential recruit. He nods his head once more. "You think for yourself, then. A fighter."
At her question, he looks directly at her and answers, "I do not know this femme you speak of. However, my mission: information. As well as... something else." His visor glints. "Insecticons are like outcasts and empties.... treated poorly by the powers-that-be." He waits to see her reaction.
There is a brief shake of her head, "I am a hunter. I fight when I need to." Her own optics narrow a bit at the comment about informatin, and her impish grin grows wider, "I am aware and some have even tried to.. hunt me. They were tasty, though not very shiney" She reaches back to grab the building and climbs up to a small ledge on it to sit from, legs kicking idly at the air as she looks to the larger mech, "Information? What kind of information? If you have shineys.. I'll give any I have you want." Another soft laugh dances along the air, "As for what they consider my kind, or call us.. I do not care. I am who I am, and I will rip the spark from any who tries to make me otherwise.. my Queen's spark was shiney for awhile, but became dull and ugly."
Soundwave regards the Insecticon, his impassive gaze never really faltering. There is something very quiet about the mech- almost like he's listening intently- monitoring more information than the average mech would even know is there. But the majority of his attention is focused on her right now. In fact, it needs to be- Ravage's advice was to *focus* and that has made a world of difference to the outlier who was once overwhelmed by sensory input.
"Understood." He considers her request for "shinies". Standing a moment more, the boxy blue mech's fingers reach down and take a handful of shanix from subspace. "I have one kind of...shiny. Something both shiny... and useful." Holding the shanix pieces up but keeping a grip on them, he lets her look at the shanix if she so chooses as he lets it glint in the light. "My employer pays me fairly well. I can make... mutually beneficial agreements." He lowers the shanix. "I wish to know more about Insecticons. What motivates them and whether they would stand up and fight for the right... cause." His head tilts slightly. "Can they be communicated with? I have some... skill in communication, but wish to learn more."
The femme waves at the drones that can be seen, "What motivates them? Their 'queens'.. I killed mine. I will not die just for the 'greater' good of a hive. But find a queen that has a need and you will find what motivates them." Her legs keep kicking slowly from the ledge and she looks at the shanix, "Had some of those.. they were not very tasty.. armor is tas.." Her words break off as a few wild drones drift closer in their ranging but both pause under her stare then move along in a differnt way and she returns her attention to Soundwave, her optics following his armor, "You have alot of armor.. shiney armor.. may I try a piece?" Her claws click just a bit, but retract as she realizes that she had reployed them.
Soundwave listens to Harbinger speak, taking the information and storing it. What she says makes sense. Perhaps if he wishes to recruit Insecticons into the battles he sense are coming, he would do well to speak to some of them. But first he'd need someone to help him make that contact....
Hmm. So she does not wish to receive money. Instead... the blue mech blinks under that red visor of his. Armor? He glances down... well, there's not much armor he can easily *give* to this femme. Not much he *cares* to give. But he's made this contact among the Insecticons- he'd like to keep it. Hmm.
The mech hesitates a moment longer... and then reaches up for the only piece of armor that is easily removable. His faceplate. Soundwave takes the piece off with a *click*, exposing the face underneath. It feels a little weird to show his face again, but he doesn't mind it too much. Not if it benefits him in far more important ways. Ways that benefit the Decepticon cause. A faceplate is easily replaced, after all. He lifts it up, allowing it to glint in the light once more. "If I give this to you, will you assist me in the future?" He appears surpisingly unafraid about letting her *eat* what is essentially a piece of him, for a mech who *seems* to be all alone....
The Femme looks at the offered faceplate, then shifts around and seems to drop.. but stops as her feet dig into the ledge she had been sitting on and reaches out for the faceplate, "Let me see! Let me see!" Her optics are clearly locked on the faceplate.. and as it is held away from her she frowns a bit as she hears the questions.. then her antennas flop down and hang still for a moment, "That.. I cannot do. I can talk to them.. but they will see me as a intruder since I am not of their hive." Her arms cross, all three sets, though two are her ant-form legs that are arrayed on her back and thinks, optics still looking at that faceplate.
Soundwave keeps his grip on the faceplate and considers this. After a moment, his somewhat monotone voice speaks up again. "Assistance in exchange for faceplate: required. However, type of assistance is open for discussion. Will you help me learn wavespeak? Or is there another form of assistance you can offer?"
Harbinger stares at Soundwave for a bit, swinging slowly by her dug-in feet, "I.. do not know if you can learn it. It is.. part of us." She keeps up the lazy swinging, almost looking like a bat at rest. She looks at the blue mech, +Can you hear this?+.
Soundwave listens intently, and he thinks he picks up something.... but whether it was an actual /transmission/ from the femme- or simply him picking up some of her /thoughts and intents/... he's not sure. "I... sense something, but..." He starts to slowly shake his head. "It is unclear." Hmm again. He's not sure whether he *is* capable of picking it up at all, or if with practice and a little concentration he might eventually begin to sense more. "I am unsure if that will work." His optics flicker with a little disappointment, then return focus on Harbinger. "I would request a little time. Or..." He tilts his head slightly again. "Perhaps other assistance."
She thinks for a moment, "Faceplate for someone who knows how to speak wavespeech?" A counter-offer being offered up as she continues to think, "Know of one Hollow who can speak it.. she said she made thing to do so, perhaps get it from her?"
Soundwave listens with interest at this tidbit of information. Someone who knows wavespeech? This could be a very *interesting* someone indeed. "Your offer is...acceptible."
Harbinger simply flicks her fingeres at Soundwave in a 'Gimme' motion.
Soundwave considers the gesture... and then slowly releases his grip, lifting the faceplate up towards Harbinger.
Harbinger snatches it quickly, her arms proving longer then they look and moves quickly to sit back up on the ledge. She sniffs at the faceplate for a second before she looks at Soundwave, "The ugly not-shiney femme.. Nautica. She made device that could do wavespeech. Talked to me with it, so it works." She frowns a bit, "Not seen her in bit... but can try to find her if you not know where she can be found."
Soundwave watches as his faceplate is whisked away rapidly, slipping through his thick fingers. He brings his hand down and listens. Nautica. Red visor gleams up at the Insecticon. "Affirmative. I do not know her, though I shall begin looking through records. Assistance in locating: appreciated."
The Insecticon is quiet, eyes closing as she rubs the faceplate along her cheek a bit, then stops and looks at Soundwave, "I don't know where she is now.. but she comes by from time to time." She grins just a bit, "You want her, or device?"
Soundwave considers this, too, but there is only one answer. A device is a mere *thing*. What is far more valuable is the mind that built it. "Her."
Harbinger frowns in thought, "What do you intend on doing to her?" She is rather still as she watches Soundwave, "She was nice when many were not. You wanted wavespeech, yes?"
Soundwave's head tilts slightly once more as he gazes up at the Insecticon. "I intend to do nothing *to* her... except ask for her help. I seek information, and yes... the ability to understand wavespeak. You say she was... nice. The fact that she spoke to you, an Insecticon, indicates she is not a typical high-caste snob. I expect she and I might have something in common."
And this is true. Most Cybertronians wouldn't give an Insecticon the time of day... the fact that Nautica did indicates to Soundwave that she must be capable of thinking for herself... or even showing compassion for a fellow Cybertronian, no matter their caste. "I wish for equality for all Cybertronians, no matter their caste, alt mode, or frame type. She sounds like someone who may share that wish."
Harbinger is quiet for awhile.. her thoughts very feint and a bit murky then she nods her haed, "If I find her first.. I will ask her to talk to you. If she says no, I will get a device for you and you can try to talk to her. Maybe device show how to find her."
Soundwave nods. "That is acceptible." He is silent a moment longer, then adds softly, "Thank you."
Harbinger stands up on the ledge and grins, "Then it is a deal... though if I do get her to meet you, I get another piece of shiney armor! So make sure you have something on hand..." Then she blinks and peers, "What's your name?"
Soundwave makes a soft, dry sound something close to a chuckle. "Affirmative. I shall procure a piece of armor in anticipation of success." When she asks his name, he answers, "Soundwave. You may reach me here..." And he sends her a radio frequency to contact him at. "And you are?"
Harbinger grins wickedly, "Find the one called Blast Off... he was REALLY shiney." She disappaers, her cloaking kicking in and it's almost as if she was wiped from existance till Soundwave hears her voice getting further away as she scales the building assumedly, "Harbinger!"
Soundwave raises an optic ridge at the name. He recognizes that mech as a fugitive who has turned up in Kaon recently. Adding his frame with countless other fugitives from society there in the city right now. And someday soon... those fugitives will stop running and begin to fight. He just knows it.
The blue, boxy mech watches as Harbinger vanishes. He remains standing there for a brief moment, then turns to walk away. He seems to be alone as he picks his way through the landscape... but if you know Soundwave, you know that he is never alone. If one looked closely in the shadows, one might think they caught glimpses of movement... or even optics? But then they're gone... and soon so is Soundwave.