soul_logs | We are the monsters [Closed]

At least practicing had finally paid off - Barricade had no trouble transforming for the Gargoyle, making their flight that much easier. He really would have preferred to drive, or keep his feet on solid ground, but this was unfortunately more practical. Keeping an optic out for anything unique was easy from this vantage point, and between the two of the, they should find something.

"Sand and more sand. You see anything different?"

"Patience." Demona could see during the day, but her sight was much better during the night; BREW was kind enough to allow her physical gargoyle traits (at least some of them. The stone sleep no longer was), so her eyes were too sensitive to the sun, but during late evening and at night she could see so much better. She had no idea about Barricade, nor she cared.

The gargoyle also took few deep breathes, not because she was sighing, but because she was trying to find new smells. It'd would be nice to actually try Barricade in a battle. Soon, a smell picked up and suddenly she changed her direction.

A mammal. Maybe a coyote? Maybe some sort of mountain lion? "Let's take a small detour first."

Oh, he had plenty of patience when he needed it, but flying over the great expanse of sand ran that short. The company was a little better, though, since Qilby ran his patience even shorter with an endless supply of barbs and insults.

Barricade's basic scanners and senses had been left intact, what little good they did him in Weapon form. There were other senses and vantage points he'd gained from this form, but it was nothing compared to what he was used to having. For the moment he was relying on Demona for most of it, but his night vision was just fine.

"Fine." Ugh, off course already. Not that they were flying somewhere specific - a detour might land them right where they wanted to be, after all. "What've you got?"

"A target." a smirk grew on the female's lips "I wish to see what you are capable of in this form." and suddenly she dived towards the ground, headed towards the area where she picked the smell; soon a mountain lion was recognized and before Demona hit the ground or even the animal, her wings spread.

She was, however, close enough for a sudden attack, using the robotic claw on her hand (Barricade) to slash at the feline as she roared loudly.

"You could have just asked - " Too late for that, though. He'd barely finished speaking when she dove, and Barricade remembered hating flying all over again. He put a lot more faith in propulsion systems than he did Demona's wings.

His capabilities were relatively straightforward, and the mountain lion experienced firsthand just how sharp his metallic claws really were. They'd have to engage the thing hand to hand if she wanted to test his strength, but other that, he didn't have much to offer her. Barricade had the nasty feeling the extra armor he'd gained earlier with Qilby had depended entirely on resonation. Unless he and Demona really clicked, she got what she saw.

Demona was fine if they didn't fully resonate or if Barricade's form never changed; she liked it. It's a claw and Demona fights with claws.

Once the first hit was drawn, the cougar obviously fought back, but Demona didn't land to face it. Instead she raised up in the skies again, before dropping once more right on top of the animal, using not only her hand claws but also her feet. Demona's free hand sunk into the animal's flesh, rising the one that held Barricade as she slashed the cougar. Her tail moved too, wrapping around its neck.

She is a physical warrior, after all. As much as she likes swords, clubs and maces, nothing beats the good old hand to hand, claw to claw.

This was more Barricade's style. Demona had the advantage of being able to strike at a distance, but didn't shy away from getting up close and personal. It was a shame this was just a wild animal, though, because tearing apart a Kishin was a lot more gratifying. The night was still young, he supposed, and they had actual work to do after this.

"Give me something to grab onto," he growled, ignoring the tufts of fur that were surely going to get caught in his joints. She needed to stop wasting him on cuts and slashes, and finally see what he was capable of doing. Being trapped like this felt like hell sometimes, at the mercy of the Meister's decision to attack or use him. Once they started working in unison, he had no complaints.

Demona gave in to Barricade's demand, only because she remembered that he might have some special ability that they could both use.

Resonance. With this one, she didn't have to hold back feelings of hatred and anger; with her partner Londo, she often let go during the middle of the battle, but otherwise she made sure to keep her resonance at minimal invasion. Now, with the robot, Demona could easily let go, but always careful (after all, deep inside, there were darker emotions she could not ever show) not to step too deep.

She focused on the resonance before she sunk Barricade's claw form into the animal's neck, letting him show her what he wanted.

The emotion he got off of her was a rush, the kind that fueled him through a bitter firefight with an Autobot and kept him going until he was on the verge of collapse. There weren't too many times in the long years since the exodus from Cybertron that he'd gotten to feel like that, but he relished it every time it happened.

It felt like kind of a waste to get so worked up over a giant cat, but he'd take what he could get. Mutant animals and Kishin Eggs were made of stronger stuff, so the mountain lion didn't last very long once the hydraulics of his Weapon form kicked in. Demona could easily feel the tension and power in his claws, the talons slicing through flesh like it wasn't there. Under that kind of stress, its neck didn't even snap, but every bone in his grip shattered and splintered.

Blood dribbled down into the sand, but Barricade didn't let up. He'd let Demona release the beast when she was good and ready. Maybe she'd like a new fur coat, if it could be salvaged at this point.

The female kept her smirk as she watched Barricade slice through the cougar with ease; definitely a great weapon and though she had no plans on breaking off her partnership with Londo (well. No reason to. Yet.) she would love to try using Barricade more often, specially against a Kishin Egg.

Once they were done, she actually moved to grab the body of the animal and skin it, for its fur. True, she did kill it for a quick experiment, but she would at least make use of it; Demona took the skin to later on use to warm herself (their last mission she had to wear human clothing to protect herself from the cold. Demona would rather make her own clothing) and she also took the canines (these are more like a warrior's memento).

"We are done." she wrapped a piece of rope she had on her bag around the skin and fur to carry them easily before the gargoyled headed to the nearest place where she could take off once more. But that's when she noticed they weren't just standing on top of sand.

"Hm?" Demona looked down and with her foot she tried to push some of the sand to the side and underneath it, she noticed metal. "Barricade."

He hadn't really expected her to want the fur, but didn't question it either. Organic species had different needs, after all, even if he wasn't one for trophies of any sort. His survival was the only testament he needed to his skill.

Barricade was looking upwards, waiting for her to take off again, so it was a moment before he realized what was taking so long. Without his more advanced scanners, he couldn't penetrate past the sand or figure out what she was standing on, except that it wasn't dirt or rock. Without a word he transformed, feet sinking into the sand under his heavy weight until they hit that solid surface. It wasn't down too deep, so Barricade gave it a stomp, the telltale clang of metal-on-metal echoing across the desert.

It disrupted enough of the sand that it began to form cracks, loose dirt pouring through thin openings. Seams, more than likely, but to what?

"Sounds hollow under there," he said, looking to the left and right of them. It was too big for him to guess what it was, be it building, ship, or something else entirely. "I think that pelt of yours might be good luck."

"If only I believed in luck." she was familiar with fate, though.

Demona moved to look down the hill; the sand formed a small valley. Actually, now that she looked at it, this wasn't a hill at all - it was mostly likely some kind of structure that had been hidden by the sand that came from sandstorms (there was one sometime ago, she recalled) or just wind.

The female gargoyle turned to Barricade with a winner smile "Shall we go down there?" they'd have to see if there was some sort of entrance.

Barricade didn't put much stock in either - he'd survived by sheer willpower and skill, and not much else. No one was 'lucky' enough to survive a war spanning thousands of years, and fate was something idealists spouted. Reality was his domain.

"What else would we be here for?" It was a rhetorical question, and without waiting for Demona, he started off. Once it was sloped enough, he spread one foot out in front of the other, balancing his weight and letting gravity do its work. He slid down at a steady speed, easily cutting through the sand, until he'd just about reached the bottom. All the while he kept an optic out for an entry, but felt little to no disruption under his feet.

Demona jumped off the hill (which it seemed it wasn't an actual hill), she glided down trough the air, watching Barricade slide down; as he did so, the sand moved and exposed the structure underneath a bit more. This was, perhaps the roof. Having to dig it out would take too long and she wasn't about to turn archaeologist on this.

Perhaps a window, or some hatch. As the gargoyle landed, she watched the structure for a moment before she turned to Barricade "Most of it seems buried by the snow. Let's search for something to allow us to get in." OR - there is another option "Unless you wish to try and see if you can open a hole through the metal, with your weapon form."

Option 2 was certainly the fastest way to go, but Barricade knew he was pushing his luck as far as transforming went. He'd like to keep the fact that it was still an issue for him in the dark until it wasn't an issue anymore.

"Let's not wreck what might be a good thing," he said, cutting a path over to where Demona had landed. With the proper equipment, he could have already told her how big it was, what it was, and what was inside. Lacking that, no thanks to BREW, it was back to the old fashioned methods. Lifting one foot, he gave the metal surface another hefty kick, though the sound it made was different. "Hollow. Getting warmer, then."

Honestly, Barricade.

"If the whole structure is hollow, we won't go anywhere like this." Demona cleaned away some of the sand and she tried to claw the wall after; before, her claws could cut even through metal, but now, they only left a mark.

Might as well try something else. There was a moment of silence, as she was listening to everything. She banged on the metal wall once more and heard the echo, the sand moving, the wind hitting the structure. Then she placed her ear against the wall, banging on it once more.

Barricade simply watched her for a few moments, wondering why she thought her method was so much better. She was practically doing the same thing, just on a smaller scale. For a minute he refrained from kicking anything else, lest he hurt her ears, but it didn't last long.

Walking a path around the gargoyle, he scuffed around the sand, hoping it wasn't going to take all night to figure this out. He could have the patience of a saint when he needed it, but that was rare, and he didn't like doing it. Already irritated, Barricade gave the surface another violent kick, and this time something gave.

Hinges squealed, and while the metal didn't open, the cracks in the sand that appeared gave shape to a rectangular door. "Warm enough?"

Will you just wait! My god, Demona was trying to read -

oh okay.

sigh. Fine.

It would have been easier to just drill a hole, Demona thinks. Still, she said nothing of it and walked up to the door, much more interested about that than to remember Barricade of the things he could have done and didn't do.

She touches the door, before she turns again to the robot. "Care to try opening it?"

Save the delicate and careful examinations for science experiment time with Qilby, Demona. Barricade could only take so much waiting in one lifetime.

"Yeah," he said, spreading both hands over the surface while trying to figure just how it opened. Hinges were a good sign, but did it swing in or out? Sliding the tips of his talons into the cracks of the threshold, Barricade pulled back hard once, then twice, the tension in his joints visible. The door, of course, refused to budge.

Alright, next option. Leaning against the opposite side of the hinges, Barricade pushed, and this time the door moved. The metal shrieked in protest, obviously striped of oil and peppered with rust, but it opened just the same. He stepped back, flicking on his headlights to see into the dark opening. Hopefully the place wasn't full of sand.

Demona didn't bother waiting to make sure the area was safe; instead, she walks towards the darkness and enters it, not minding being engulfed by it. She took a deep breathe, smelling her surroundings as her eyes gotten used to the dark.

This place wasn't old per say; it was destroyed. Most of it. There was a lot of sand and at some corner what once looked like stairs that led upwards, showed her there was no upper level; the structure had collapsed on itself and all there was left was sand covering it all. There was, in fact more stairs, this time to a lower level, but Demona didn't rush there yet.

The area looked like some sort of hospital. There were doors, most of them busted or hidden by debris, but the common area had a "clean" feel to it - it reminded her of Dr. Sevarius' laboratory back in her world.

She finally looked over her shoulder at Barricade. "Can you enter?" or are you too big for the door?

He had to duck down to make it through the door, but Demona's question was answered once he was inside. The ceiling beyond was tall enough for him stand up, and not just because the roof was gone. The lower levels might be a different story, but here was fine.

Barricade flashed his headlights over the chamber they were standing in. There were thin patches of moonlight where sand had fallen through the roof of the place, but it was otherwise dark and dusty and dirty. Not exactly homey, but it had potential.

"Clinical," he commented, walking deeper into the room. "Where to first?"

"Let's explore this wing first." There were plenty of rooms to look through first, and maybe they'd find some unwanted creatures or even kishin eggs. Who knew, Demona was always being paranoid that she'd get attacked on surprise.

The female gargoyle headed to the first closed room, the door pretty much falling down when she kicked it. Okay. maybe she should have just pushed it with her hands, but she didn't know it was that frail. The room looked like some sort of living quarters. There was a bed, dusty sheets and broken furniture around, yet everything was still very "lab"-like and not homey at all.

"This looks like an abandoned hospital."

Considering she seemed to see in the dark just fine, Barricade left her to inspect the first room, while he went after some others. There wasn't much else besides what she'd found already. Mostly consistent with what he knew of human architecture - each level had its own purpose and function.

"If the structure is stable enough, you think it'll do?" he called back. Not that they really had a lot of real estate options on the table, but... if more exploring dug up equipment, they'd be golden.

He turned his attention towards the stairs leading down. It was tall and wide enough for him again, so he wondered what kind of hospital this used to be. Out in the middle of nowhere, no less. A staging ground for something outside of Shibusen's sphere of influence, maybe.

Demona was most pleased. To find something like this was more than just luck; it's as if they wanted her to find it. And so, it only boosted her confidence that soon, all of the human kind would perish by her hand (or someone else's hand, she isn't picky about that).

When the female heard Barricade, she walked out of the room. "Yes. It's perfect." partially hidden by the sand, looks abandoned, but enough like a laboratory or hospital facility? Yes, it IS perfect.

She walked up to him, eying the stairs. "let's try the lower level."

Barricade's concerns were more rooted in the present, and less about the inevitable death of humanity as a whole. Having operated out of the Nemesis for thousands of years, he had never really lacked a base of operations, even if they were more necessary for an army. For three people it seemed like overkill, though for the moment he was going to be glad for the tall ceilings.

He glanced down at her when she walked up to him, then started down the stairs himself. It was sturdy enough construction that his weight didn't crumble the steps, but the piles of sand made it a bit more dangerous for people who didn't watch where they were stepping. The stairs made a turn, wrapping around once to lead to the next floor. Prepared for more sand, Barricade flashed his headlights into the next chamber.

The gargoyle followed, carefully because there was a huge robot that could crumble everything down. The lower floor was nearly covered in sand, except few rooms that looked again, like some sort of hospital or laboratory. But more and more she was starting to doubt this was a hospital; as matter of fact, it looked more and more like a laboratory, mostly due to the lack of windows to the exterior - at least, big windows.

She looks up at Barricade "Does the structure look safe enough?" she doesn't want it to fall on her, all of sudden.

For all the potential jokes about his weight and size, Barricade would have liked to see their faces when the jokers found out he was on the smaller side of his species. It was nice having someone like Blackout or Starscream looming over your shoulder to prove a point, but neither of them were here. One was dead, the other AWOL. Business as usual.

Barricade walked further in, not quite as afraid of having the place come down on him as Demona. He'd tunneled his way out of worse. His headlights swept over the floor just like the one above, catching particles of sand as they drifted down from the ceiling.

"Aside from the sand getting everywhere and from what little we've seen, it doesn't look like anything's shifted," he said. Who knew how far down the foundation was, but it must be made of something impressive to stay rooted in a desert. "Nothing's warped beyond recognition here. So far, we're golden."

The female hopes for another floor, at least, so she moves up ahead, ignoring the rooms for now, and instead searching for more stairs; she had a feeling all the rooms would be the same.

Unfortunately her way is blocked by sand. She huffs, spreading her wings and flaps them, hoping they'd be able to get some of the sand away, but unfortunately it was too much. Perhaps with some work, they would be able to find something else up ahead, but that would be hard to do right now.

Demona stomps on the floor, though, hoping to hear the echo produced, but she had to be careful, so she couldn't stomp on it too hard. The sound produced wasn't enough for her to figure out if the floor below was full of sand or could be accessed.

This time he turned his attention to the rooms while she went for another set of stairs. It would be nice to scare up a set of blueprints on this place, but he doubted they'd come across anything so helpful. They were going to have to be patient to see how deep the rabbit hole went, so to speak.

Lighting up the nearest room, there wasn't much to see, so he just took a cursory glance through most of them. One room had the skeletal remains of something that looked vaguely human, but there was no telling how long it had been down here. The rusted remains of shackles were still around the wrists, though there was no sign of what it might have been chained to previously. Broken glass and furniture told part of the story, at least.

"I'm willing to bet Witches used to live here," he said. "Unless there's something else on this planet that likes mutant test subjects."

She gave up for a moment, all of that searching around and sand was too disappointing, but when she heards Barricade's words, Demona's full attention turns to the robot and then to the rooms. She quickly enters the closets one; they were different from the ones above. They were smaller rooms, less cozy and this didn't give a vibe of a guest's room at all. The shackles were also there, these ones were open.

This was not a Hospital.

This was a prison.

A laboratory with cells.

Demona was more than pleased. She moved towards Barricade, smirking wide and her eyes glowing red now. "This place is perfect."

Well, the eyes glowing red was certainly new. Right now he was going to assume that was a good thing.

Barricade backed away from the room when Demona approached him, minding that he didn't shine the headlights in her face. The place was full of sand and was going to need a lot of work, but at least it was usable. Finding something on the first try did make it seem too easy, though if the Witches hated Shibusen that much, the location was perfect.

"Home sweet home," he said.

Sometimes is a good thing, sometimes isn't.

She approached the shackles, touching them, playing with them a bit. This trip had been a good one, after all. Not only she had a new pelt and fur to keep warm, her resonance with Barricade wasn't that bad AND they have found the perfect place to finally begin their plans.

"I'm sure the old man won't pout no more after he sees this. We will just need to make it a bit more cozy" aka, deadly and full of things that will lead to death.

"Less sand would be a good start," he said, brushing his hands together as if that would take care of the grit. It wasn't going to do any real damage to him, but he really had to wonder how Scorponok tolerated tunneling through this stuff.

He moved off to look at some other rooms, stopping over to inspect the next staircase. Come to think of it, Scorponok would be really useful here. Just figured the most capable drone belonged to a dead mech in another universe.

"I don't suppose you've seen anything like a generator in any of the rooms?" Doing everything by candlelight would end with a lot of pouting, he'd wager.

"We ought to be careful when removing the sand, though. We don't know if that is what is holding this place together."

At the mention of a generator, Demona quickly searches for it in the other rooms. No, no generator; perhaps it was underneath them, but a generator was quite easy to get. "After the last emitter is found, we can start moving things here. A generator will be the first thing to do."

"Two floors is enough," he craned his neck to watch her move from room to room. He had a feeling this place was structurally sound if it could be filled with sand and buried in sand and suffer no real damage. The engineering of Death City and Shibusen were odd enough - Witches could easily make something similar, or better. He assumed better.

Barricade just nodded. At least she hadn't suggesting plugging him into the wall to light the place up.

Now now, that would be incredibly rude of her. She will consider it if it proves to be less of a pain in the ass.

Demona turns to the robot again "Well. Should we return and report our findings to a certain cranky eliantrope?"

"I don't think we're going to find much else here, not without power or light," he said. The latter was an easy fix, but the former was going to be like the rest of the place - a work in progress. "Let's head back and see if it could somehow make him more irritating."

He'd find something to complain about, Barricade was certain.

Demona smirked at those words and nodded, heading towards the exit. Plans were starting to form inside her mind, but first things first; to clean this place and turn it into a real thing.

Small steps. Until she will finally be able to kill all of the humans.

We are the monsters [Closed]

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wow that was supposed to be sand, not snow

i knew what you meant ;)

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my that is one sassy icon

demona is a very sassy gargoyle~

oh la la

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sorry for lateness :c

It's fine!

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