(no subject)

[wherenobotsgone]

WHO: Invisible!Skyfire and YOU
WHERE: The junk pile
WHEN: After the Pillar expedition
WHAT: Skyfire came back in one piece, but invisible. And now he's trying to fix that.


It was a long shot, Skyfire was quite aware of that. But it was the only more or less decent idea he had. Nobody could see him, nobody could hear him, and that made getting help from someone else quite difficult. He had considered making a text post to the network, of course. And then he realized that even if someone offered to help, there wasn't much they could do at all, in his situation.

So here he was now, digging through the junk pile and trying to find something remotely useful. Or at least something that sparked a better idea.

It didn't even occur to him that he was making it look like all kind of things were moving on their own and floating around.

Comments

[angleofscience]

Jetfire, in turn, was only half trying to fix (or even just figure it out) his situation as half just trying to get... anywhere, since he tended to continually sort of skip a few feet forwards or sidesways often enough it was thoroughly distracting.

At least he kept sort of going in one direction, but it made flying impossible.

Hence, he was walking while trying to figure out the finer points of whatever had happened to him, to have a basis for when he could properly research...

Wait.

Jetfire stopped and stared as a few pieces of junk floated up in the air and were moved aside a short distance away. Natural phenomenon of localised magnetising? No, the movements were much too precise for something natural and accidental.

"... I know we don't have a Mirage present, so who may you be?" And what were they using to render themselves invisible, anyway?

[wherenobotsgone]

It suddenly dawned on him that he should have brought a datapad.

Skyfire had been so focused on finding objects that it hadn't occured to him that he might meet someone else. And now Jetfire was here, and he had no idea of how to explain what was going on. Wonderful.

"I guess you can't hear me yet, right?"

It was worth a try, at least.

[angleofscience]

No, Skyfire, he can't hear you.

The only thing that made it obvious that he hadn't just made himself look quite silly by talking to thin air and some natural phenomenon was the fact that one piece of junk was still floating in the air, perfectly still - and had moved around at his question.

So clearly there was either somebody or something here.

Shaking his helm after another moment of silence, Jetfire frowned thoughtfully.

"If you actually said something, I couldn't hear it. What about the Link?" It was worth a shot, and Jetfire merely hoped they could establish some form of communication before he had to deal with another glitch.

[wherenobotsgone]

... of course. Skyfire dragged a hand over his faceplate. He was so frustrated he wasn't even thinking clearly, by now.

But at least he could do something about it - or try, in any case. A text message through the Link, now that Jetfire was actually expecting it, should work.

It's Skyfire. The Pillar had unexpected effects.

[angleofscience]

Well, some frustration in the situation was certainly understandable.

Optics flickering at the text as it appeared on the screen as he was indeed paying attention, hoping to get a response - if for no other reason than having to not feel silly about having talked to thin air.

"... Skyfire?" Well, that was... unexpected. Jetfire looked up, at that very empty-seeming spot of ground, fascinated now that he knew someone was actually there.

Of course, it was quickly clear it must be very frustrating as well.

"It does seem to give out the most... ah, inconvenient of---" He felt the slight rush of static before the effect actually hit, as he'd automatically been about to step closer to Skyfire whether or not he could see him. He ended up a few feet to the left and forwards of where he'd been previously. "---effects."

Optics narrowing, Jetfire shook his helm, both to get rid of the lingering fuzz of the... teleport? whatever it had been, and to settle his annoyance with the interruption.

"I'm not... unaffected myself. Yours seem to be somewhat more... involved, however. You can touch things, but not be seen or heard?"

[wherenobotsgone]

Skyfire stepped back, startled, when he saw his friend just disappear and reappear like that. Well. That looked like a rather annoying side effect, too. Granted, given that they had gone and messed with the Pillar, things could have been much worse. They probably should consider themselves lucky.

But that didn't make it any less bothersome.

Only touch. He hesitated for a moment, and then other the most frustrating bit of news. When I take readings, they say I'm not here.

[angleofscience]

Putting aside the annoyance of having his moving interrupted every now and then with a "helpful" teleport a small distance away, Jetfire's optics flickered in surprise at the text appearing on the screen, then narrowed.

"Curious... Some form of... er, phase-shift, maybe?" Idly, he performed a quick scan of his own and, indeed, there was nothing in the results that indicated there was another cybertronian nearby. "Something that would put the larger part of your mass and energy in a phase slightly above or below this one, but not completely removed from it, or completely unable to... ah, affect it, hence your ability to influence things by touch?"

[wherenobotsgone]

He nodded absently, and only then realized just how pointless that gesture was. This whole situation was making him feel quite silly. Having to communicate only through the link when Jetfire was right there was more than a little annoying.

It's the soundest theory. Unfortunately, I don't know how to fix it.

[angleofscience]

It was rather frustrating on Jetfire's end as well, if not to the same degree since he wasn't directly affected. But being unable to have something to properly focus on when he knew Skyfire was right there was... strange.

"States of energy isn't a field I have been involved in either unfortunately, even less quatum states," Jetfire said with a static sigh and a shake of his helm. "What have you tried so far?"

Better start somewhere easy, right?

[wherenobotsgone]

I tried to take readings of wherever I am instead of myself. Didn't work. The instruments seem to only read the phase they are currently in.

Truth be told, he hadn't tried much else so far, embarrassing as it was to admit it. This wasn't his area of study at all. Looking around the junkpile had given him a few ideas, at least.

I was thinking perhaps I could try to somehow attach myself to the usual phase. I have some effect on it after all.

[angleofscience]

"Curious... one would think your equipment would be able to pick something up, whether that is merely residual energy or light wavelengths from whatever phase you've ended up in, or from this phase..." A pause as Jetfire frowns, folding his arms over his chestplates while still keeping his screen visible and accessible.

"Of course, given the... ah origin of both our current states, expecting equipment to act normally, or be capable of normal interaction with the surroudnings, may be too much to ask. What were you considering on trying? If I can help, I will, of course."

Frustrating and potentially fruitless or not, Jetfire's interest is piqued... and he does want to help his friend.

[wherenobotsgone]

Jetfire was right, of course. Expecting any kind of logic in these conditions was too much to ask. But Skyfire wasn't about to try things at random, either. By now he did have same vague semblance of a plan.

The problem was, explaining it somehow managed to make it sound both silly and embarrassing. Still, he had to at least try.

Since I can't take readings on myself, but I can touch things, I was thinking perhaps _you_ could try to take readings if there is some kind of physical contact.

Which probably wouldn't help bring him back to the correct phase, at least not by itself, even if it worked. Then again... it'd be a start.

[angleofscience]

"I think we should definitely try it." Glancing up from the screen in the direction of where he was pretty sure Skyfire was, Jetfire hummed throughtfully. "You're hoping that, while you're touching something, there might be some form of connection between your location or phase and this one?"

Shifting, Jetfire held out his left hand with a small smile.

"And hopefully I'll be able to feel you touching me, otherwise the phase difference might be even greater than it appears to be... or your ability to interact with your surroundings is less... er, apparent, than it seems." Which would be another lovely (no sarcasm here, no sir) bit of evidence for the Badlands and Lambda not obeying proper scientific and natural laws.

[deadlydoctor]

[ooc: Do you mind if this is before Knock Out's post where Cliff lets him unconscious and drags him to the medbay?. Just so it makes sense, time line wise.]

[Knock Out was trying to get back to Solus temple. He wanted nothing more than to get a bath of hot oil to clean his finish, fix the scratches all those damn wolves put on his precious paintjob and find a way to stop his massive headache.

A sound caught his attention and the looked around the junkpile. His grip on the sword tightened as he wondered if one of those robot wolves escaped the Pillar's destruction.]

[wherenobotsgone]

[ooc: Sure, no problem!]

It took Skyfire a few moments to realize he wasn't alone. He was focused on his 'work', if it could be called that, and one useless thing after the other kept piling up next to him. This would have been a lot easier if he had anything specific to look for...

And then he heard someone coming.

Skyfire frowned to himself, thoughtful, when he saw who it was. He didn't know Knock Out very well; only from their expedition to the Pillar. So he had no idea if he could be trusted or not. But a medic was a medic, and he might be able to help. If only there was a way to get his attention in less, ah, sword-related ways.

[deadlydoctor]

[ooc thanks<3]

[Knock Out looked around, confused. He was sure he heard something but there was nothing in sight, no enemies, no more robot wolves...nothing interesting. Just junk.]

Hm...I must have imagined it.

[He stuck the sword to his back, turning to leave. The medic was planning on coming back later to retrieve one of the beast corpses to study it. But for that he was going to need some Acolytes. Those wolves were huge and he was going to have trouble dragging the corpse all the way to Solus's temple on his own.]

[wherenobotsgone]

... oh, no. He couldn't let Knock Out just leave. It was his chance of getting help, but how to get his attention? Skyfire briefly considered simply touching his shoulder, but he figured that might end with him getting a hit of that sword if only out of reflex.

So, instead, he picked up a harmless piece of junk and threw it in Knock Out's general direction - not to hit the medic himself, but so that it would land nearby and make some noise.

omg I didn't get this reply notifs. I am so sorry

[deadlydoctor]

The noise immediately caught his attention and he frowned. Either that sound was an accident or someone was out there playing hide and seek with him. His life was filled with bad luck and he had no doubts that he wasn't alone.

"Come on, come on...come out to play..."

No worries! It happens <3

[wherenobotsgone]

Well, that wasn't creepy at all. Skyfire grimaced to himself. But attention was attention, and he really needed that at the moment. He pinged Knock Out on the Link, hoping that he noticed it.

It's Skyfire, he wrote. The Pillar made me invisible.

Thanks! ♥♥♥

[deadlydoctor]

'That wasn't creepy at all' thought the invisible bot scaring the frag out of a poor, poor innocent medic. If Knock Out knew that Skyfire was thinking he would have been offended. He gets offended easily.

Knock Out almost jumped at the unexpected ping. Then looked around, wondering whether he should believe what he was hearing or if he had finally gone bonkers thanks to this place.

Where are you now?

[wherenobotsgone]

Skyfire gave a quick look at his surroundings, trying to choose something easy to spot so that he could give Knock Out a general idea of his location. After a moment, he made his decision and took a few steps to the left - for accuracy's sake, of course.

Right next to the pile with all the red cables.

To prove it, he grabbed a bundle of them and shook them in the air, as if waving hello.

[deadlydoctor]

[Knock Out stares, eyes wide.] I would say this is the weirdest experience I lived but I had to see Starscream dance that one time...

[He approaches the cables, cautiously.] How do I know it's you, though?

[wherenobotsgone]

... good question. And it wasn't easy to answer, either. Just the identification on the Link wasn't enough - there were ways to fake that with some imagination, he was sure.

Then he thought of something. It was pretty embarrassing, in a way, but it might work.

Because I don't think there are many others this tall, he texted, and then moved the bundle of cables he was holding over his head.

The thing this place made him do, really.

[deadlydoctor]

[Knock Out knows very well what sort of tricks can be played over the link because he has done them himself. He's not about to believe so easily. The cable thing is pretty convincing, he can admit that much.]

Skyfire!? It's really you? Primus. Can I actually touch you or it only works with inanimate things?

[His hand reaches out, curious about if this will work or the mech is some sort of a phantom.]

[wherenobotsgone]

I haven't tried yet. Let's see.

He let go of the cables and took Knock Out's stretched hand, hoping it wouldn't be too startling now that he'd given some warning.

Can you feel it?