<Decepticon> Fulcrum says, "Comcast.. the time of DepthCharge's doom laden DOOM is at hand. I request your assistance in initiating stage one, codename: Stage One Of DOOM."

<Decepticon> Comcast sings the DOOM song now!

<Decepticon> Comcast changes his mind at the last minute, and decides to be serious. "Affirmative."

<Decepticon> Comcast says, "You're not being detected by NCC's internal systems Fulcrum.. transmit location on a tighter signal?"

<Decepticon> Fulcrum says, "Meet me at co-ordinates Mu Kau Pi Kapa, 1337."

Skies above Oceania

The sky is filled with racing clouds that partially obscure the ground below. Up above the lower layers of the atmosphere, everything you see seems sharper and more distinct. Surveying the land below you, you can see various things moving and spy the layout of the terrain in detail.

Contents:

Fulcrum

Fulcrum slowly circles above the sapphire blue Pacific, frame locked in an octagonal holding pattern while his spark focuses on but one task.. the downfall of DEPTHCHARGE. Truly, this shall be a day long remembered. By Fulcrum, if by no-one else.

F-15 Jet <Comcast> rockets towards coordinates Mau Ki Papa something something in record time. The Seeker, sometimes referred to a SNAD, gives no such indication of those tendencies as sheer hatred for the Aquabot gets him here in record time. "Fulcrum!" his Speakers boom out as soon as he establishes visual contact with his 'brother'. "You don't need me to tell you again how eager I am to assist you in your mission," He begins to say as he matches Fulcrum's speed and vector. "Perhaps you could tell me what phase one is, however." He adds with curiosity.

"Phase One..." Fulcrum broadcasts, along with a burst of data that comprises a map of the globe, complete with markers showing Comcast and Fulcrum's location, as well as an unknown red blip in the middle of the Pacific, "...is to intercept this human vessel, en-route from France to Japan with a cargo of radioactive waste. You will disrupt their communications while I attach tow cables. We shall then tow the ship back to this location.... the Great Barrier Reef!"

F-15 Jet <Comcast> barely loses his vector for a moment as the abrupt information transfer begins, but then rights himself. "I see.." he asks, supressing the number of questions that emerge with these Mys-Teeeer-ious (waggle fingers) orders. "I assume this is happening immediately?" He asks, before using his navigation systems to plot the course to this vessel, assuming he already knows what the answer will be

You begin following Fulcrum.

MiG-29 <Fulcrum> simply replies "Yes", before engaging after-burners with a coughing roar and rocketing skywards.

MiG-29 <Fulcrum> soars upward to the Stratosphere above Oceania.

>TRAVEL SPAM<

West Central Pacific

Huge, ominious cumulus clouds block out the sky in a climate of heavy, year-round rainfall, the brisk winds stirring the gray waters into choppy waves. Lightning flashes, forked tongues of fire reaching down from the heavens to strike at the dull, heaving ocean below. Though, in less than a few hours, the wind sweeps the clouds away to reveal the bluest of skies above, bringing the ocean back to sparkling blue life again. The seas are prolific with sharks, tuna, marlin, rays, and even turtles, attracting deep sea fishing and reef diving.

Contents:

MiG-29 <Fulcrum>

Marshall Islands

After a convieniant spinny/scene transition, the two Seekers find themselves decending towards a workmanlike cargo vessel, its deadly cargo of nuclear waste safely stowed in its cargo bay... for now, at least.

F-15 Jet <Comcast> glides behind Fulcrum for the duration of the trip, deciding not to soar or glide or do anything 'fun' with the gift that is flying, since he doesn't want Fulcrum to think he's showing off. Not that there is anything wrong with showing off, but Fulcrum's usual foul mood(TM) is bad enough without doing something to make it worse. "All my jamming circuitry is dependant on my natural state, Fulcrum. Is there somewhere appropriate to transform?"

MiG-29 <Fulcrum> seems to consider that. "Midair" he finally replies. "Or on deck. Either way, hurry. We cannot remain unseen for long." Fulcrum's usual background air of sullen irritation seems to have been transformed to a focused beam of spite, locked on his Autobot foe. He's curt, but hardly grumpy. It would be a waste of perfectly good hate.

"Copy that," Comcast says as he raises altitude. "You'll be impressive enough to scare the humans as it is, Fulcrum, I'll remain in the air in case something just /happens/ to show." Those pesky Autobots always seem to know when the appropriate point is to show up. He reaches a significant level above the sea - high enough for a decent view of the area, but without missing anything from the ship itself. Suddenly, he transforms. "Finding the appropriate frequencies.." he announces before throwing the switch and shutting off communi

cations in the area.

The sounds of gears whirring and a jet engine dying down can be heard, as Comcast shifts his form into his natural state.

You send out a jamming signal, blocking all transmissions in and out of the area.

Comcast starts sending out a jamming signal, blocking all radio transmissions in the area.

"HUMANS!" Fulcrum booms as he too transforms in mid air, landing heavily on deck and sending the crew screaming for cover as the vessel rocks from the impact. "Do not attempt to resist, and you will not be harmed! All those that wish to jump overboard may do so. Attempt to fight us, and you will be crushed like the pitiful creatures of flesh you are!" Meanwhile, on the bridge, the first officer curses at the jammed radio, the only sound coming from it a loud hiss of static. Working quickly, Fulcrum attaches two magnetic couples to the deck of the ship, taking the a metal cable in each hand as he rises slowly back into the sky. "Resistance is certain death!" he reiterates, just in case they missed the point the first time.

The MiG-29 twists around and folds in on itself with a grinding sound, transforming into the robotic form of Fulcrum.

Wow, Fulcrum does a great job being a badass, Comcast thinks to himself. But then, it's pretty simple when you're dealing with a pathetic sack of meat beasts such as those that inhabit the Decepticons latest planet of conquest. He hovers in the air, watching bemusedly as he sees small specks flee from the boat into escape vessels of various forms, some simply abandoning the ship the fastet way possible - diving out into the cold Pacific. He idly fantasises the earth pigs radioing for help - maybe the EDC, maybe the Autobots, maybe their fire department for all it matters, and shocked to find their signal is lost, even though they just made a call a few moments ago.

Fulcrum cares not for the fate of the crew, just it's preeeccccious cargo of horrible toxic waste. "Here" he says, throwing one of the cables to Comcast while he takes the other. In a complicated motion he transforms, the cable somehow attaching itself to the MiG's undercarriage in the process. Meanwhile, the first officer is giving it one last try, but to no avail. "No luck, sir. I even tried broadcasting on the Welsh frequencies."

Fulcrum crouches, then leaps up, his joints screeching as he transforms into a grey and green MiG-29.

<Public> AJL Waterboy DepthCharge runs down the street to buy some milk. Back in 5 minutes.

Comcast is high up, so it's through a sudden deactivation of his anti-gravs and this fine planet's laws of gravity that involve twenty-foot tall MEN OF METAL that he is able to catch the cable at the apex of the throw. "Those of you who were foolish enough to attempt to radio for help should learn better! It is useless to withstand the might of the Decepticons!" he adds, since he knows he cannot maintain the Jam once he is transformed. "Show me the one who would /dare/ to send a transmission," yeah, he's still assuming that someone did, "and your life will be given a final opportunity to be spared, in exchange for the life of the fool among you who thought to deny the will of your superior beings."

The Captain shakes his fist at Comcast as he gets into the life-raft, the last to leave the now-hijacked vessel. "Excellent" Fulcrum remarks. "It may be best if you destroy their communications array before transforming." he continues at a softer volume, so the puny humans can't hear. Firing his engines, Fulcrum begins to alter the course of the human ship. Resisting at first, the cargo vessel ponderously begins to move towards its new and FINAL destination.

<Public> AJL Waterboy DepthCharge is teh back.

<Public> Dial 'F' for Fulcrum says, "With MILK"

Comcast didn't even consider that! He will commend Fulcrum later.. right now he has a communications unit to take care of. He fires several shots, at MAXIMUM POWER, because he can, and it won't hurt! One to take out their antennas, and several for what appears to be where the Captain emerged from (he's not silly, he's not about to shoot where the radioactive materials are or anything). Satisfied that noone will hear anything from "The Ill-Gotten," for that is what it shall be called, the Seeker attaches the cabling to himself before transforming himself. "Expertly handled," he compliments Fulcrum as they begin to cart their new acquisition to the Great Barrier.

MiG-29 <Fulcrum> doesn't bother to reply, merely firing his after-burners once more, as he and his brother drag the ship off screen...

The jamming signal in the area disperses.

**** CONVIENIANT SPINNY ****

Great Barrier Reef

The water here is crystal blue, almost transparent all the way to the bottom, where the white sands give way to the organically rocky formation, stretching as far as the sensors can reach to the north and the south, and over seven miles to the east as well. This is the Great Barrier Reef, home to over six thousand species of coral and six times that many of fish and other marine life, including the last refuge of the Great White Shark, driven here by off-shore drilling. Another blow against nature, struck by humanity in the name of progress.

Contents:

MiG-29 <Fulcrum>

Comcast appears somewhere different to where he was before.. stupid Scene changes always give him headaches. "Can I ask," he finally says after some time travelling in silence, "What is the purpose of these materials? And why is it to be located here?" OOCly, he knows the answer to this. Or at least he likes to think he does.

Ah, the great barrier reef.. home to many rare species of undersea flora and fauna.. and now, home to a ship, floating with deceptive innocence on the calm blue ocean. "This" Fulcrum asks, hovering in mid air, arms folded in front of him, "Is the bait... I will draw DepthCharge here by threatening the environment he holds so dear. Then I will CRUSH him." Yes, THIS is Fulcrum's cunning plan.

Comcast is suitably impressed. "Simple.. subtle.. innocent enough. I like it." He then pauses for a moment. "You know, if you wish the nature of his humiliation to be thorough, Galvatron could always give you Cuddles. I think Cuddles would definately help us at this point."

"From what I understand, Lord Galvatron is not ready to give Cuddles to anyone yet." Fulcrum replies. "I think he wants Cuddles to come as a surprise. Now... Phase Two! Activate the Signal Amplifier, and I will issue my challenge!"

The Signal Amplifier! Comcast nearly forgot that large device in subspace. He retrieves it, and sets it up on the top of the ship's deck. He doesn't have any of the regular componentry, so he instead integrates his own communications equipment into the device. "Right.." He says as he holds the unit up to face his Seeker kind. "If you want visual, look into here." he says pointing to the camera. "I can set up some remote cameras as well. Just speak loudly and clearly for the audio, and my circuitry can handle that myself." He holds the device up to face Fulcrum, ready for whatever he requires. "When you're ready," he finally says.

Fulcrum nods, looking into the device as he begins his transmission, his secret black box of doom appearing in the air beside him, like it was there all along but a lazy animator forgot to draw it. Now with an anti-grav pod clipped to it, the almost featureless black box still hums slightly...

<Earth> Fulcrum's transmission suddenly cuts into almost every human broadcast, courtesy of Comcast and his Signal Amplifier. "HUMANS" the Bearded Seeker booms. "Your adopted guardians have betrayed you! While they galavant around producing films, and waste their time on frivoloties, the Mighty Decepticon Empire goes from strength to strength! One in particular has been lax in his duites! The accursed DEPTHCHARGE! For behold, proof of his laxness!" The camera pans from Fulcrum, down to an innocent looking cargo vessel, floating on the azure waters above the Great Barrier Reef. Dun dun DUNNNNN...

Comcast casts his optics towards the box. Curious.. but nevermind. "Remember, I want a piece of him too," he reminds Fulcrum. "The anti-gravs he carries are mine. I do not wish them re-installed, and I am certain he has run scans on them to ensure he could duplicate them, but the parts that function in him were once a functioning component of my structure. That he has this in him.. sickens me, and I would thank you to make a matter of seeing to their removal or destruction." And he says all this BEFORE you said that on Earth, you pose-hogging fool!

Fulcrum nods to Comcast while the camera's attention is elsewhere. "Very well.. but do not interfere in the fight itself. You may take the parts from his lifeless corpse."

<Public> Rodimus Comcast hmmms, "Think we stand a chance versus Prime, Fulcrum?"

<Earth> Fulcrum continues. "This is one of your pitiful human transport vessels... but one with a very.. unique cargo. For this ship was previously on route from France to Japan, carrying nuclear waste for processing.. but as you can see, I have OTHER plans for it! For THUS, I challenge you, hated DepthCharge! And should you not rise to the challenge, I will destroy this ship, and in the process contaminate the reef below with the by-product of the human's OWN energy stations!"

<Earth> DepthCharge says, "What type of pitiful stunt is this Decepticon Fulcrum? Radioactive waste? Another one of your decepticons."

<Earth> DepthCharge says, "What type of pitiful stunt is this Decepticon Fulcrum? Radioactive waste? Another one of your deceptions. Very well, you have got my attention. Where exactly would you like me to rise to this 'challenge'?"

<Earth> Fulcrum says, "Check with the humans, fool! Its absense must have been missed by now, even if they were unable to radio for help, due to my comrade's mastery of the radiographic spectrum!"

<Earth> Fulcrum says, "Our battleground shall be here, above the reef itself. That is, if you DARE to face me."

A thought crosses Comcast's mind. "Am I to jam communications and record this event for later play, or are we relaying it live? Any signals I jam would interfere with the Signal Amplifier's efforts."

<Earth> DepthCharge says, "Very well. I am on my way. Do not do anything rash..."

Fulcrum shrugs with the sound of metal against metal. "There is nothing to jam" he asides to Comcast. "If the Autobot calls for help, we will destroy the ship."

"Excellent," The Seeker says with an evil smirk. Though he is somewhat curious as to how they will determine whether or not DepthCharge is in fact sending a signal. Hopefully it's not when Rodimus shows up and blasts him again for calling him Hot Rod all those times.

Fulcrum shrugs again. We'll just... guess. Yes. Fulcrum gives his mysTEERious black box a cursory examination, before summoning his hammer and sickle from subspace. Now there is nothing to do but wait...

Autobot Submarine <Typhoon> cruises in from the South Pacific - Indonesia/Australian Coast far to the east.

Autobot Submarine <Typhoon> has arrived.

Entrance hatches on the submarine suddenly open up as the vessel unseals.

DepthCharge has arrived.

Fulcrum and Comcast hang in mid-air, the signal amplifier and camera rig floating on a hover-pad next to them.. as well as a mysterious black box, berefit of markings. Fulcrum's deadly (and Communist) weaponry is already at hand, the Blacksmith ready for his foe...

The cargo ship floats at anchor on the crystal waters above the reef, one of the wonders of the world, displaying no outward appearance of the radioactive death that waits inside.

Comcast is cameraman and willing lacky for Fulcrum in what may be his finest hour. He doesn't care, to personally oversee the defeat of the hated Aquabot is enough for him. He casts his gaze to-and-away from his 'brother' and out to the ocean, the sky, and anywhere else a flying Autobot submarine can get to.

Deep, deep below, through the ocean a sleek, futuristic shape speeds towards the great barrier reef. A large, futuristic shape that displays the Autobot symbol. But it isn't DepthCharge. Sure, the Aquabot is usually able to transgress through both the air and the sea, but today isn't a usual day. And so, seated at the helm of the Autobot Submarine 'The Typhoon', DepthCharge pilots a course to where Fulcrum instructed him to meet. Time passes and eventually he brings the sub to a halt, keying in the commands for the Typhoon to take on 'auto pilot' and DepthCharge stands from the pilot's seat. With a few final checks of the various radar and sonar screens of the Typhoon, he turns and steps into the Typhoon's airlock. Moments later DepthCharge is below the surface of the great barrier reef, water surrounding him. Activating his anti-gravs, the Aquabot propels himself to the surface until finally his ice-blue form breaks out of the water, into the glistening, sunlit sky.

Fulcrum's optics flare to magnesium brightness as his nemisis breaks the surface of the water, knuckles suddenly clenching around the hilts of his two weapons, then slowly releasing as he forces himself to relax. "So" he intones as DepthCharge rises to meet him, the single word a low peal from a bell of hate. "You have accepted my challenge."

You got it wrong, DepthCharge. It was COMCAST's anti-gravs you activated. He allows the anti-grav units still installed in his body to gently raise himself up and away from the combat for a better shot. He mutters quietly, "One piece is mine.." before acheiving an ideal position for the rest of the encounter.

<Earth> Comcast's radio continues to transmit from the Great Barrier Reef. DepthCharge emerges from the depths suddenly, with Fulcrum awaiting him some distance above him in the air, weapons at the ready. A mysterious black box hovers next to the Blacksmith. The view starts to suddenly pan back as Comcast leaves the area for a better view.

And there DepthCharge floats, in the sky with his arms crossed in front of him. He adjusts his level of ascent so that his optics are roughly at the same height as Fulcrum's and just glowers at the Decepticon for a few moments, trying to stare him down. Eventually the Aquabot speaks, the contempt he holds for this Decepticon before him clearly evitable in his voice. "You left me little choice." He replies, motioning towards the cargo ship with a quick nod of his head. "I don't know what sort of twisted game this is, Decepticon Fulcrum, but end it now. I am here. Now release your control of that cargo ship."

"Game?" Fulcrum growls. "This is NO game, Autobot. This is FAR from a game." He swings his burning sickle around, pointing at the cargo ship resting with deceptive serenity far below. "The ship and its cargo will remain under threat... unless I am defeated. Unless YOU defeat me, DepthCharge, in single combat. These are the terms." He indicates the ship again, this time with one arm-mounted heat ray, already whining as it powers up. Fulcrum's frame is locked with tension as he stares at Depthcharge with optics burning with hate. "Well? What will it be, Autobot?"

Comcast smirks at a distance at the loathed DepthCharge, keeping it only to himself. His systems have improved somewhat since last time they dealt with each other. Wouldn't it be marvelous to make his first shot in battle a high powered blast that decimates the ship, and all aquatic life in the area for the next several thousand years? Even if DepthCharge refuses to participate, that will be a victory in and of itself.

<Earth> Comcast continues to monitor the events. DepthCharge is acting very impatient with Fulcrum, before pointing to the ship containing radioactive waste, innocently floating above the reef and it's teeming life. Fulcrum replies as he gestures menacingly as his weapons power up, his optics flaring with hate.

Thoughts flicker through DepthCharge's CPU. Is that it? That all Fulcrum has brought him out here for? To fight? They could do that anywhere. Heck, they HAVE done that everywhere. But why here and why threaten a ship to force DepthCharge's hand? And if Fulcrum is defeated, will he really just release his control of the cargo-ship? Or will he simply destroy it in one final spiteful act.

So many possibilities. But for now, he had best cooperate. He'll keep his cards close to his chest until the time to play them arrives. Reaching behind him, to detach the trident that is magnetically locked to his back, DepthCharge says as he brings the weapon in front of him defensively, "Alright. You want conflict so badly? Then make a move."

"One...shall stand" Fulcrum intones, raising his hammer in what might be a salute. "One... shall fall." The meaning and intent of the phrase is not lost on the Blacksmith as he supresses a sudden burst of fear. No, best not to think of consequences. Focus on the task, the surge of battle, the release of the kill. Focus on that which makes you a Decepticon. Failure leads to death, if not at the hands of the enemy, then at the barrel of Lord Galvatron's cannon. Lunging forward, Fulcrum's left hand is an arc of flame as he brings his sickle around. The first energon spilled will NOT be his!

Fulcrum manages to strike DepthCharge with his Burning Sickle <Low>.

Comcast, ever the unbiased journalist, does not cheer Fulcrum on. No, it would be best if this feed was untainted from personal opinion. The earthlings must be fed the stone cold facts: the battle and defeat of the Aquabot at the hands of his brother. Fulcrum's victory - And therefore Comcast's victory by association - will be all the more sweeter for the Decepticons that way.

<Earth> Comcast's live feed shows DepthCharge, friend of harmless squid everywhere and all-round nice-mech, draw his weapons, and dare Fulcrum to launch the opening salvo. Which, unsurprisingly, he does. The Blacksmith gives (what might be) a salute with his hammer, before charging his opponent. Fulcrum draws first blood, connecting with his Flaming Sickle against DepthCharge.

If he could roll his optics, DepthCharge would as Fulcrum emits the ancient Cybertronian battle oath. But before DepthCharge can say anything in response, something along the lines of how /stupid/ those words are, the battle begins, with Fulcrum lunging towards the hovering DepthCharge. A groan of pain escapes from DepthCharge's mouth and he grimaces in pain as Fulcrum's sickle makes contact with his right arm, wisps of smoke rising through the air as the burning weapon quickly begins to melt through DepthCharge's arm armour. Quickly the Aquabot sends more power to his anti-gravs, sending himself spinning in a clockwise direction to remove his arm from further contact with the burning weapon. And as he moves, DepthCharge shifts the grasp of his trident into his left hand, lowering it forward, attempting to send the bladed prongs of his sea-fork slicing into Fulcrum as he spins.

DepthCharge strikes a blow against Communism with his Trident slash

Fulcrum clenches his teeth, a sharp hiss of pain escaping as DepthCharge's unexpected aerial manuever results in a trident being forcifully driven into his side. Clumsily spinning to follow his foe's movement, Fulcrum lashes out with one foot, in an attempt to gain some room for manuevers of his own.. and hopefully to dislodge this damn FORK from his armor.

Fulcrum manages to strike DepthCharge with his Mighty Communist KICK!.

<Earth> Comcast's camera shows DepthCharge spin about sharply in the air to release him from the sickle still embedded in his arm, before slicing Fulcrum with his trident. Fulcrum falters, but manages to free himself with a sharp kick into the Aquabot.

Comcast scowls as DepthCharge quickly retaliates. The Blacksmith is not gaining a sudden advantage as hoped for, and floundered for a moment before finally releasing himself from DepthCharge's trident. But the evening is still young, and neither Fulcrum nor Comcast could think of anything better to do than Decimate a certain Aquabot.

DepthCharge spins a complete 180 degrees, his arm sailing free from the burning sickle. But before he can complete another 180 degrees and turn back to face Fulcrum a kick lands directly into his back, a loud *crunch* echoing through the air as the armour on DepthCharge's back buckles and cracks. The force of the blow sends DepthCharge falling out of the sky somewhat, but he quickly recovers, power once again being directed towards his anti gravs and his position in the sky rapidly coming closer and closer to Fulcrum. As soon as he is just a meter away from his foe, DepthCharge clenches his right fist and swings a punch towards Fulcrum. No witty banter is uttered as he attacks. No sly verbal attacks. It is just fierce melee combat and DepthCharge dares not waste any of his concentration on anything but the matter at hand. He must defeat Fulcrum in order to protect this reef. He cannot fail.

DepthCharge strikes a blow against Communism with his punch

Fulcrum reels back from DepthCharge's punch, having raised his hammer to block, but far too slowly. Energon seeping from a long crack in his faceplate, Fulcrum snaps his concentration back to the fight. But there's something missing... something not quite right here... Warily circling his opponent, looking for an opening, Fulcrum suddenly realises what it is, what the missing element is from this duel of titans. Taunts. DepthCharge may not be wasting his energy, but Fulcrum feels that it's traditional. And so far they've struck blow for blow, no advantage either way. Fulcrum doesn't like those odds. "How does it feel, Autobot?" he drones as he circles. "Knowing that you are once more going to fail this pathetic planet... as you did once before... in Des Moines..." Waiting a nanosecond for his words to take affect, Fulcrum suddenly lashes out with his hammer, hoping his words have struck home hard enough to provide an opening...

Fulcrum manages to strike DepthCharge with his Blacksmith's Hammer.

<Earth> Comcast continues to run the Fulcrum-and-DepthCharge show, with DepthCharge righting himself after that powerful kick. With determination, he thrusts himself towards Fulcrum, connecting with a fist that cracks his faceplate. The gridlock holds as Fulcrum swings his hammer at the Aquabot.

Comcast is also known for his taunts as well, but continues to silently observe as he commands the device. The three of them are treating this with utmost respect and seriousness. While that might not be all that special for Fulcrum, neither DepthCharge nor the Red Seeker have turned to their usual banter. Well, that and he is making his best to.. oh, and then /Fulcrum/ taunts. It is obviously opposites day. Nevermind. At the least, it's working, and that is all Comcast cares about.

DepthCharge grabs Comcast by the underpants and gives him a wedgie.

DepthCharge's optic visor flares in anger as Fulcrum DARES bring up Des Monies. Why must he always mention it? Does he wish to tick off DepthCharge? Well, if that was his plan, then mission accomplished Fulcrum. The Aquabot lunges forward, to grab Fulcrum and try and literally shake him to pieces, but DepthCharge's moment of lack of concentration costs him dearly. Fulcrum's hammer slams into DepthCharge's shoulder, a shower of electrical energy spewing from the motors beneath the armour. Ouch. That one did some serious damage. DepthCharge falls back, but he is still enraged from the mentioning of Des Monies. He isn't about to back down now. But he does spare enough time to send off a radio signal to the Typhoon before launching into his next attack.

Deep with DepthCharge's metalic form a loud hum begins to slowly build as DepthCharge's electro-generators come online. The mechanical hum begins to slowly rise in pitch and the crackling of high voltage electricity can be heard eminating from the ice-blue torso of the Autobot.

DepthCharge raises his right arm in the air and a large panel on his lower right arm slides open. With a slight *click* DepthCharge's Electo-Booster extends up, crackling with suppressed electrical current. Aiming his electro-booster at Fulcrum, DepthCharge unleashes a volley of electrical energy towards the Communist Seeker.

DepthCharge strikes a blow against Communism with his Snaking tendrils of electricity

Fulcrum roars in pain as the electricity surges through his frame, one optic cracking, then exploding in a shower of yellow shards as arcs of crackling blue play over his frame, the smell of burning circuitry filling the crisp air. As the fierce electrical storm suddenly passes, Fulcrum's anti-gravs cut off for a moment, sending him plummetting downwards before his backup systems kick back in. Warily rising back to DepthCharge's level, Fulcrum's one good optic flickers towards his mysterious black box, the other staring blankly at DepthCharge, a stream of Energon running freely down his face. "More...lives... you were.. unable to save" Fulcrum remarks, gaining more altitude, slowly heading for his secret weapon, the occasional servo still spasming from the recent shock. "Even.. if they are only.. puny Earth animals.." Raising one arm, the bearded Seeker snaps off a shot from one heat ray at DepthCharge, to discourage him from following. "Do you think your pathetic turbo animal would have liked it here, Depthcharge? Did you think to make him aquatic? Ah well.. it is too late /now/..."

Fulcrum manages to strike DepthCharge with his Heat Ray <Low>.

Comcast pans back as the opportunity to show the McGuffin, the stolen ship with its nuclear cargo, in the same shot as the two battling medics. Fulcrum is slowly progressing, but it's taking too long. Already Comcast considers abandoning his task to assist more actively in the Aquabot's downfall. But that will have to wait. For now, he continues to watch.

<Earth> Comcast's live feed is blow for blow, DepthCharge is visibly annoyed with Fulcrum, but says nothing as he calls some form of weapon up from storage in his arm. It discharges electrical energy, as it's tendrils coat Fulcrum. The angle shifts so that the Great Barrier Reefis fully utilised as a backdrop, and the stolen boat with its nuclear waste is clearly in the shot too.

Smoke and steam fills the air, pluming from DepthCharge's body as the heat ray makes contact with his Aquatic form. This time it is DepthCharge's anti gravs that experience a power interruption. But unlike Fulcrum's earlier malfunction, DepthCharge's lack of flight is deliberate. Falling from the sky, and out of the heat ray, DepthCharge is quickly engulfed in the reassuring arms of the ocean. There, in the cool embrace of his true love, the effects of the heat wave subside and slowly DepthCharge rises back to the surface again. But, as he breaks the surface, you can see that the exposure to the heat ray has had some serious effects. The surface of his armour is warped and cracked, and the glass of his optic visor seems somewhat.. melted. But, so long as he still functions, DepthCharge fights on. The reef must be saved. He just hopes the Typhoon is doing its job. Soaring towards where Fulcrum has retreated to, DepthCharge emits, "The value of life is really meaningless to you, isn't it Decepticon Fulcrum? You would destroy everything here just out of spite, wouldn't you? And you call yourself a medic. Well, I will not allow it." With the groaning of metal scraping against metal, the warped armour on DepthCharge's chest slides open and a few heat seeking rockets launch themselves towards Fulcrum. This is what happens when you use a heat ray.

Meanwhile, the Typhoon moves beneath the surface of the ocean. Rising up in an attempt to connect itself with the section of the cargo-ship's hull that is submerged, away from sight.

DepthCharge strikes a blow against Communism with his rocket

Fulcrum knows he can't hope to dodge, instead desperately raising his arms to sheild his already damaged faceplate. The seeker disapears in a clould of smoke and explosions, pieces of armor falling into the sea like evil rain. When the smoke clears, Fulcrum still hangs in mid air - damaged and bleeding energon, but unrepentant. "I alone know the value of life" he replies, spitting energon from his damaged mouth. "And I know that compared to a Cybertronian, one or one thousand humans matter not. They are vermin." Finally reaching his mysterious black box, Fulcrum actually /smiles/, an expression that seems /far/ more spiteful and full of malice than his regular frown. "Now... prepare yourself.. for OBLIVION! For not only am I your superior in combat.. but in technical prowess! Now fall, Autobot... fall to my creations!" The evil mechanic presses a button on the side of the box, sliding the front panel open to reveal.... nothing. Or rather, a blackness so absolute it resembles nothing less than a hole cut into space, a portal to some other realm, a outer realm of pure darkness. For a moment, there is silence, save for the suddenly mournful tone of the breeze. Then, softly at first, but growing ever louder, comes a humming... no, not a humming... a terrible buzzing, like thousands of tiny saws ripping the air... and from the mouth of the box comes the darkness, spilling and twisting towards DepthCharge it reveals itself to be not a solid inky mass, but an uncountable swarm.. of turbo BEES!

Fulcrum misses DepthCharge with his DOOM BEES!!! attack. Yay!

Comcast tracks DepthCharge to the waters surface, and following back up, before panning back again to catch the entire shot. Maybe all that work on earth media has made him pretty good at this. DepthCharge strikes, and Fulcrum fails to acheive anything with that damn secret weapon of his that he'd been flaunting all this time... hang on, he quickly thinks, I could have sworn I saw something by the boat there..!

<Earth> Comcast's camerawork gets jumpy for a while as DepthCharge, out of the blue, went into the blue. The ocean that is, leaving smoke trails behind him(aftereffects from Fulcrum's heat ray,) until he submerges completely, before reappearing, saying something as a chestplate lowers, before launching one. Fulcrum can do little but cover his own face as the rocket strikes him, before bragging about something, and unleashing.. well, a swarm, of something. The swarm makes its way toward DepthCharge.

DepthCharge hovers in the air, an unreadable expression on his face as Fulcrum unleashes the bees. 'Turbo-bees?' he thinks to himself. 'What could they possibly do to me?'. But, pride always commeth before the fall. And DepthCharge has already learnt, in the past when dealing with Fulcrum, that you can never be too careful. And so, he watches the attacking swarm coming long before he is in any danger of their DEADLY stingers connecting with his form. He watches and then DepthCharge lowers his head, as if he is resigned to his fate. Or is he? Concentrating, the Aquabot begins to quickly build power within his form. The BEES draw closer and it almost seems as though they are going to swarm around him. Until DepthCharge raises his head again and stares defiantly at them. Suddenly, a flash of blue energy bursts from DepthCharge's chest, morphing into a glowing protective forcefield. Bet Fulcrum forgot about that. And so, DepthCharge flies towards Fulcrum, shielded, straight through the swarm of BEES. Any that make contact with the electrified energy field will certainly get a charge they won't soon forget. Once he but an arm's span away from the blacksmith, DepthCharge drops the shield kicks out at him, saying, "The life of a Cybertronian is no more valuable than the life of a human. A life is a life, no matter what the species. And you, who are one, threaten the lives of many. Therefore your life holds no value. It must be extinguished for the good of the many."

DepthCharge strikes a blow against Communism with his kick

Meanwhile, for Comcast, the cargo-boat jolts slightly as the Typhoon magnetically locks onto it.

Fulcrum's cockpit section SHATTERS under the Autobot's heel as DepthCharge dismisses his DOOM BEES with casual contempt, most of the swarm being burnt away as they surge around the Autobot. "NO!" he cries out, though whether from the pain of the attack, or having his creations so easily dismissed. "No!" he cries again, dismissing his hammer into subspace to press one hand against his bleeding midsection, fighting the urge to flee. "I'll... kill... you!" he grinds from between clenched teeth, sickle raised high above his head as he rushes headlong back into the fray, giving his all to the fight. "I..shall.. not...fall!"

Fulcrum misses DepthCharge with his Burning Sickle <High> attack. Yay!

Something IS going on there! "FULCRUM!" Comcast cries out to his Seeker kind, unfortunately over the microphone of his live broadcast, "The Aquabot is distracting you! He's taking away the boat!" He is somewhat stuck to the recording equipment, so he follows down, carrying the unit along with him. Mag Lock. Huh... He decides his best best is to find out where the nuclear waste is kept and see that it gets put into the river regardless of the boat itself..

<Earth> The angle of Comcast's Camera shifts dramatically as DepthCharge annihilates the DOOM BEES with a forcefield, before lining up to.. suddenly the scene gets blurry. DepthCharge obviously connects with his attack, but it's difficult to tell. A deafeningly loud voice comes through, "FULCRUM!!! THE AQUABOT IS DISTRACTING YOU!! HE'S TAKING AWAY THE BOAT!!" As the angle continues to lower itself, until it's approximately at sea level compared to the combatants.

<Decepticon> Comcast says, "The ship is fleeing Fulcrum.. disconnect the feed to try and halt it, or do I continue?"

<Decepticon> Fulcrum "..*SKZZZK* I will kill...will kill...will kill..."

<Decepticon> Comcast says, "..."

As Fulcrum's sickle swings down at DepthCharge, the Aquabot moves quickly, despite the damage done to his right shoulder and right arm, and DepthCharge's trident comes into play. The forks of the weapon suddenly flare a brilliant gold as they become energised and DepthCharge uses his now powered up sea-fork to block away the incoming sickle. The golden energy of the trident meets the golden energy of the sickle, a stream of sparks flying into the air as DepthCharge and Fulcrum press their strength against each other. But DepthCharge hears Comcast shout a warning to Fulcrum; that his sub-plot has been discovered. DepthCharge doesn't have time to wrestle with Fulcrum any longer. He must work on continuing to drive him back, so that he doesn't have a chance to do anything about the radioactive waste. Ducking down out of the air, disengaging himself from pitting Trident against Sickle, DepthCharge swings about his energised trident once and attempts to slice it neatly into Fulcrum's leg, saying as he does so, "You will fall, Decepticon Fulcrum. You must. When you threaten the very oceans of this planet there can be no redemption. You must be stopped, no matter the cost. Good bye, Decepticon Fulcrum."

DepthCharge strikes a blow against Communism with his Energized Trident

Meanwhile, the Typhoon and the cargo-boat begin to chug-chug-chug away, trying to get out of the reef. Toot-toot.

Fulcrum lets out a distorted scream of pain, suddenly lurching as the boot jet mounted to the damaged leg suddenly cuts out. Unable to manuever, or do anything much at all with DepthCharge's trident lodged firmly into his frame, Fulcrum's mind seems to have gone. "Kill you... I'll kill you....I'll kill you" he rasps, voice not much more than a whisper, one baleful optic staring at his foe, the other nothing more than a blank hole, his face a mask of pain and hatred as he reaches out to grab his foe, intending to crush whatever limb is in reach.

Fulcrum misses DepthCharge with his CRUNCH! attack. Yay!

The Red Seeker tires of this. He leaves Fulcrum to fight.. and lose against DepthCharge. He has nothing but the upmost respect for Fulcrum's grudge, and that he is continuing to fight. But he can /not/ allow such a total victory for DepthCharge. He curses as he disconnects the signal amplifiers et al, returning it to subspace to handle the situation of the waste. He carefully adjusts the beam on his arm rifle to a fine beam, ideal for slicing into the boat's hull, the yummy glowing centre kept within. He begins to cut it open.

<Earth> The angle of Comcast's camera shakes for a little bit before going dead. After a few moments, regular earth broadcasts resume.

DepthCharge is winning. He is beating his hated arch nemesis. DepthCharge is crushing him easily. Well, not easily. DepthCharge hasn't faired too well in this battle. His right arm is going to need serious recalibration, as well has he is going to need all the armour on his form completely replaced, due to that heat wave. But, whatever injuries DepthCharge has suffered, Fulcrum has suffered worse. Look at him. His optic is gone. His boot jets are gone. His mind is gone. And he is screaming in pain. It feels so very.. so very.. wrong.

Yes. Wrong. DepthCharge pauses for a moment to just look at Fulcrum. Primus. What has DepthCharge become? He is so ready to kill this being before him. To slaughter him to ensure he does not harm others. To kill him because of a hatred that he doesn't even remember what caused it. No. Fulcrum may be threatening the reef. But killing Fulcrum isn't the way to stop it. There must be another way. There is ALWAYS another way. Slowly lowering his trident, DepthCharge says to Fulcrum, "It is over. Your 'game' is over. You have lost. Now leave it at that before you lose something more dearer than this 'challenge'." Shielding himself, in case Fulcrum tries anything funny, DepthCharge begins to back away.. back away towards the Typhoon. But since he is ensuring he stays facing Fulcrum as he backs away, he notices not Comcast.

DepthCharge successfully activates a powerful protective forcefield, shielding him from the next attack.

Meanwhile, it appears the Typhoon detects weapons fire above the surface. For a few random laser blasts shoot out of the water in Comcast's direction as the Decepticon attempts to cut open the vessel. Scary!

No. No no no no no. You don't understand. Fulcrum was given an order to humiliate and defeat DepthCharge. And what has happened? Quite the reverse. Fulcrum can't give up. It would mean death, but worse than that. It would mean giving up his being. This fight has gone too far. He has uttered the words. One shall stand, one shall fall. Fulcrum knows he is beaten. But he cannot back down from this. It's imprinted in his core. "It...is...too...late..." he rasps, firing his jets in one last attempt, either not noticing or not caring about the forcefield, sickle raised in one last act of definance.

Fulcrum misses DepthCharge with his ram attack. Yay!

Fulcrum strikes a blow against Communism with his ram

Comcast panics when he sees the laser guns flare up, but then notices Fulcrum's sorry state. "/STRAXUS..../" He sharply spit out. This is not what he was promised. The sub didn't do anything until the Seeker started attacking the boat, so he might get away with just abandoning the job. He slowly raises himself up in the air, carefully, until he is only somewhat behind and below DepthCharge, out from his line of site. He might need to fight DepthCharge, or he might need to save Fulcrum. He doubts that any interference will help, so he decides to hover about and wait for the inevitable.

DepthCharge, of course, cannot see things from the Decepticon point of view. Here he is, giving Fulcrum a chance, his LAST chance most likely, and the Decepticon tosses it back. Does Fulcrum's obsession with DepthCharge's demise know no bounds? The Aquabot sees the deranged seeker speeding towards him, with sickle outstretched. And DepthCharge braces for the inevitable impact with his forcefield. Which occurs. But as Fulcrum collides, the energy/electrical current from DepthCharge's forcefield generators continues to flow. DepthCharge watching silently, and almost sadly as the electrical current that used to surround and protect his form surrounds and rips into Fulcrum. Not uttering a word, DepthCharge just feeds more and more power to the electrical energy that is crackling around Fulcrum. Crackling into Fulcrum. As this battle must end. And it appears DepthCharge must be forced to end it.

DepthCharge strikes a blow against Communism with his forcefield energy

Fulcrum falls to the ground unconscious.

KRAKOOOOOOM!

The sun is momentarily eclipsed by a huge, optic searing burst of light as Fulcrum impacts with DepthCharge's forcefield... and it continues as Fulcrum, trapped in the deadly energies is almost torn in two by huge bolts of electricity arcing up and around his frame, stray bolts so powerful that they earth on the sea far below. Finally, with a shuddering series of explosions, Fulcrum is torn free from the forefield and HURLED across the sky, parts raining from his shattered form as he describes a parabolic arc that ends in a massive fountain of water as what remains of the bearded seeker hits the surface of the Pacific Ocean, several miles away. As the spash cascades back down onto the surface, there's another muffled explosion from below, then only silence, the waters rolling in to cover Fulcrum's point of touchdown. Of the blacksmith, there is no sign, his fate... unknown.

Right up until the final explosion, Comcast had held onto a glimmer of hope that Fulcrum would win. His.. death.. I guess, (how many /more/ of our kind must fall in this war?) took care of that. The Seeker is furious. DepthCharge.... /killed/... his brother! He cannot even afford the opportunity to retreive his laser core, a shard of armour as proof, or anything. The hated DepthCharge... The contradictory fool. The theif. "I'll KILL you!" He spits through gritted teeth, before kicking his anti-grav units into high and taking off, blitzing the Aquabot on the way up, and back to base.

Comcast begins retreating, leaving himself vulnerable to parting shots from Specter Subfighter, DepthCharge, Autobot Submarine <Typhoon>.

DepthCharge optic visor widens slightly as he witnesses the final result of his continual forcefield feed. With a shake of his head, DepthCharge says, "It is done.." and then Comcast retreats too. Glancing at the still intact boat with a relieved sigh, DepthCharge sets down into the water and begins making preparations for returning the boat to its rightful owners.

<OOC> DepthCharge says, "The end."

<OOC> Fulcrum says, "Or IS IT?"

<OOC> DepthCharge says, "Dun Dun Dun!"