Just A ShortCircuit

My name is ShortCircuit. I am not sure how you stumbled upon me, but if you agree to respect my boundaries, I might just find it in my spark to do the same. Despite my remaining insignia, I do not consider myself an Autobot anymore, nor a Decepticon for that matter. I have my reasons, but I'm afraid that it isn't any of your business. Welcome, I suppose? But, please, go away. It'll be easier for me, and less harmful for you. Current location: ruins of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. [[Independent TF-OC Ask/RP blog. Will be more active once everything is ready. Please feel free to message, though!]]

[keepstartingfires-blog]

//Starting Fires// (Closed RP)

[justashortcircuit]

He shouldn’t.

Every single one of his adaptable processor chips practically SCREAMED at him not to.

But this was the first time ShortCircuit had ever, ever heard something like that even mumbled or whirred from another’s vocalizers. 

After a few long kliks, Circuit unclenched his servos, tilting his helm and stepping forward on a slightly-unsteady pede. “F-forgive me, if it is hard to rewire myself to trust so quickly.” he finally found the spark to say. The voice, to him, was obviously coming from behind Reactor 4. His suspicions kicked into overdrive for a brief moment.

"I would… would show myself, but it seems that either I’m glitching or you are, because my—" Circuit’s vocalizers clipped for a klik, but he ignored it and continued,"— my sweeping systems are sh-showing nothing. And my audial sensors say that you are in front of me."

[keepstartingfires-blog]

As the other bot emerged from his hidey-hole, Volt could see that the other was walking at an angle from him, and he leaned his helm to the side curiously.

Could he really not see him…?

The damage seemed indeed extensive—superficially and, as it seemed, internally.

"Look, I’m gonna come on over to you. Now don’t you panic when I approach, okay? Just be calm," he said coolly, beginning to head in the direction of the other mech—very slowly, very steadily.

[justashortcircuit]

ShortCircuit paused to mull over the other's words, but only briefly. It was very possible that he was completely off-course in his radar, although Circuit didn't wish to admit it. He retook a rather protective stance, and although he didn't shift into his half-blaster servos, he kept them at chassis-level on program instinct.

".... Go ahead." he whispered, a bit curtly. "But if you t-touch... touch me, be ready to get your spark r-ripped out."

The last part was hissed, despite the glitches in his vocals, flickering optics narrowed and searching the area in front of him.

[keepstartingfires-blog]

//Starting Fires// (Closed RP)

[justashortcircuit]

ShortCircuit couldn’t help but let his shoulders relax a bit at the words—- he didn’t recognize the voice, and neither did the last functioning files of his voice-recognition database. Lowering his arm, but still keeping his guard, the green bot stepped towards the ruins of Reactor 4. He still didn’t pick anything up in his visuals, but the voice MUST be coming from there…

Were they lying? Were they ‘Bot or ‘Con, or maybe even one like himself?

Primus, no. There weren’t any others like him left.

ShortCircuit contemplated asking the other to reveal himself (or themselves, a paranoid part of his processors chided). He made sure to ready whatever of his weaponry systems would listen to him, but when he opened his mouth, the first thing that came from him was what it always was.

" …’BOT OR ‘CON, WHAT IS YOUR ALLEGIANCE?!" ….It was almost impossible for him to compute how he did not stutter on the question.

[keepstartingfires-blog]

 And now Volt could see the other more clearly now, and indeed, he was dented all to the Pit. He frowned, though, at the question.

“Real tricky one to answer, that,” he stated. “Look, let’s just say I don’t wanna be affiliated with either at the moment. And yeah, not gonna lie, I got the old insignia still on me, but for reasons I don’t even understand, I haven’t burnt it off yet.

"I know that makes me a dirty NAIL or whatever, but just so y’know, I’m not here huntin’ anyone down. So c’mon, now, calm down and lemme see you."

[justashortcircuit]

He shouldn't.

Every single one of his adaptable processor chips practically SCREAMED at him not to.

But this was the first time ShortCircuit had ever, ever heard something like that even mumbled or whirred from another's vocalizers. 

After a few long kliks, Circuit unclenched his servos, tilting his helm and stepping forward on a slightly-unsteady pede. "F-forgive me, if it is hard to rewire myself to trust so quickly." he finally found the spark to say. The voice, to him, was obviously coming from behind Reactor 4. His suspicions kicked into overdrive for a brief moment.

"I would... would show myself, but it seems that either I'm glitching or you are, because my--" Circuit's vocalizers clipped for a klik, but he ignored it and continued,"-- my sweeping systems are sh-showing nothing. And my audial sensors say that you are in front of me."

[independentmasterlist]

Reblog if you are an INDEPENDENT roleplayer

[justashortcircuit]

And you will be added to the List. 

[keepstartingfires-blog]

//Starting Fires// (Closed RP)

[justashortcircuit]

The barely-audible, slow air flow he was allowing himself to cycle through his vents stopped involuntarily when he heard the voice again, and Circuit wasn’t sure if it was shock, or a glitch. His audio receivers heard it loud and clear, surprisingly.

ShortCircuit finally did laugh— a short, hollow sort of sound.

He was staring at the remains of the Reactor4 plant on the hill above him, covered in overgrowth and debris, and despite not all of his processors being trustworthy, Circuit knew the other being must be just out of his vision over and behind the human wreckage.

But Primus be damned if he would ever be the first to reveal himself, or his position. Even in the rare variable situation where he COULD trust whoever the other was.

"I’m very safe. Been safe for v-very… Very long. Here." He raised a slightly dis-rotated arm and clenched his servos. "Until others. Others…." ShortCircuit shook his helm quickly. "Until others follow!" he shouted quickly, becoming frustrated. "State your business! Now!"

[keepstartingfires-blog]

He had been making his way through the rubble—over toward the voice—and eventually he could see just a bit of the bot he was talking to, turned away from him and still quite far away.

Indeed, whoever this was, from what Volt could see, it like he had been torn up.

"Look, I wanna help you out, but if you’d rather me push off ‘n’ leave ya be, I will," he stated. "But just so y’know, I got a ship, and supplies onboard that I could use to help ya out."

[justashortcircuit]

ShortCircuit couldn't help but let his shoulders relax a bit at the words--- he didn't recognize the voice, and neither did the last functioning files of his voice-recognition database. Lowering his arm, but still keeping his guard, the green bot stepped towards the ruins of Reactor 4. He still didn't pick anything up in his visuals, but the voice MUST be coming from there...

Were they lying? Were they 'Bot or 'Con, or maybe even one like himself?

Primus, no. There weren't any others like him left.

ShortCircuit contemplated asking the other to reveal himself (or themselves, a paranoid part of his processors chided). He made sure to ready whatever of his weaponry systems would listen to him, but when he opened his mouth, the first thing that came from him was what it always was.

" ...'BOT OR 'CON, WHAT IS YOUR ALLEGIANCE?!" ....It was almost impossible for him to compute how he did not stutter on the question.

[keepstartingfires-blog]

//Starting Fires// (Closed RP)

[justashortcircuit]

Whoever it was, they knew Circuit was here. 

He cursed the Allspark silently, tapping the back of his helm against the cracked concrete of the wall he was half-sitting against. Of course they sensed his presence. His own systems were nothing to compare to. By the Pit, if it was a particularly advanced bot, they might even be able to see him completely through heat signature. 

Stretching his stabilizing servos out in front of him, he ignored the creaking of semi-dented metal, and moved down from under the half-destroyed layer of floor above him, to move into the opening blasted through all the floors of the structure and out into the open, large enough for him to stand up fully.

"Th-that," ShortCircuit started, but his vocalizers clipped short, so he tried again, loud enough to be heard, wherever the other was. "That is what they all say."

He turned on his pede, optics narrowed (although his right flickered at the attempt) hoping to face the owner of whoever was sent to track him down, and not having to search more for it. Circuit didn’t trust his systems not to give out or overheat if he needed to push too hard.

[keepstartingfires-blog]

"Whoa whoa," Volt said calmly, and though he knew he probably wasn’t seen by the other, he made the "calm down" motions with his servos. "Look now, take it easy. I came by thinkin’ I might be able to find some customers on this planet, found a lone signal, and figured it might be a bot in trouble. ‘M’not here to antagonize."

[justashortcircuit]

The barely-audible, slow air flow he was allowing himself to cycle through his vents stopped involuntarily when he heard the voice again, and Circuit wasn't sure if it was shock, or a glitch. His audio receivers heard it loud and clear, surprisingly.

ShortCircuit finally did laugh-- a short, hollow sort of sound.

He was staring at the remains of the Reactor4 plant on the hill above him, covered in overgrowth and debris, and despite not all of his processors being trustworthy, Circuit knew the other being must be just out of his vision over and behind the human wreckage.

But Primus be damned if he would ever be the first to reveal himself, or his position. Even in the rare variable situation where he COULD trust whoever the other was.

"I'm very safe. Been safe for v-very... Very long. Here." He raised a slightly dis-rotated arm and clenched his servos. "Until others. Others...." ShortCircuit shook his helm quickly. "Until others follow!" he shouted quickly, becoming frustrated. "State your business! Now!"

[keepstartingfires-blog]

//Starting Fires// (Closed RP)

[justashortcircuit]

ShortCircuit felt a small shock of warning from one of his surveying grid systems— at that particular klik, he could not remember which one(only that it signaled something not HUMAN)— and he quickly onlined his optics. His left optic was quicker than the right, but both worked this time, and Circuit thanked Primus for that.

He didn’t dare to do more than tilt his helm to the side, clearing his visuals to leer out of the ruined side of the structure he was hidden in. Circuit preferred to think of his current surroundings as ‘being safe’ or ‘taking precautions’, but he knew how it looked to his fellow bots.

Barely willing to cycle air through his vents, Circuit concentrated his processors on the warning that he just received. Although he did not own the area, and the AutoBots had no base nearby, he had never come across another of his own here. And therefore, any other bot, ShortCircuit considered an intruder.

For a few kliks, he didn’t hear anything, nor did any more warnings go off. He almost relaxed, almost let himself rest and offline his optics again, until—

A voice called out, loud and clear, definitely not human. Every wire in his frame tensed, and his servos clenched automatically. His surveying systems let out a quiet, pathetic bleep. He almost laughed. Talk about a delayed reaction.

[keepstartingfires-blog]

Suddenly the signal popped back on, and Volt turned his helm in the direction of a gigantic crumbling structure, and began heading that way.

He thought his audials picked up a very faint noise—something that wasn’t coming from his tracker and the sound of the rubble crunching underpede.

He decided once again to try and reach out to whoever might be there.

"Hey, c’mon out. I’m not gonna hurt’cha. I’m here to help," he called out as he continued his leisurely gait. "Well… if ya need help, anyway. …But still, y’know, I’m friendly."

[justashortcircuit]

Whoever it was, they knew Circuit was here. 

He cursed the Allspark silently, tapping the back of his helm against the cracked concrete of the wall he was half-sitting against. Of course they sensed his presence. His own systems were nothing to compare to. By the Pit, if it was a particularly advanced bot, they might even be able to see him completely through heat signature. 

Stretching his stabilizing servos out in front of him, he ignored the creaking of semi-dented metal, and moved down from under the half-destroyed layer of floor above him, to move into the opening blasted through all the floors of the structure and out into the open, large enough for him to stand up fully.

"Th-that," ShortCircuit started, but his vocalizers clipped short, so he tried again, loud enough to be heard, wherever the other was. "That is what they all say."

He turned on his pede, optics narrowed(although his right flickered at the attempt) hoping to face the owner of whoever was sent to track him down, and not having to search more for it. Circuit didn't trust his systems not to give out or overheat if he needed to push too hard.

[keepstartingfires-blog]

//Starting Fires// (Closed RP)

[justashortcircuit]

The dug-out, basement level of the half-blasted, never-used ‘parking garage’, made for about 2,500+ human workers and their mindless vehicles originally, now housed the scraped and dented frame of the almost endlessly-exhausted ShortCircuit. Despite the humans routinely having closely-watched tours of the contaminated area, this was one place that he knew to be safe from the fleshlings (and most other beings for that matter), even the ones brave enough to stray from the tour path. It was simply too close to the ‘scene of the crime’, as some put it. Only recently has he heard whispers of others calling it ‘an old ground zero’.

Although it was toxic to the humans apparently, the type of nuclear energy that had been released from whatever horrific accident that happened here seemingly had no effect on him, and he took it to his full advantage when trying to escape contact. Contact of any kind.  One thing he could appreciate about Earth; although humans were almost everywhere, the places they DIDN’T go, almost none of them went. It was always worth the odds for him.

This particular structure (if Circuit could even call it a structure anymore), was directly attached to the left side of the destroyed reactor that had sent all Earthly beings running from here years ago. 

It wasn’t much —never was and never would be— but it was one of the few places he could stay easily hidden without transforming into his alternate mode, while still continuing to push his systems to their limits in his attempts to survey the area whenever he wasn’t in recharge. 

Circuit knew it was paranoia that kept him so alert, but either it was programmed into him, or it was glitched into him, and Primus be damned if that was going to change.

The cycles went by easily enough.

At first.

[keepstartingfires-blog]

Eventually Volt reached his destination. He could tell that this city had long-since been abandoned, judging by the dilapidated structures and collapsing buildings surrounding the area. As he stepped out of the Blade, he kept a close optic on the small signature emanating from his hand-held tracker.

It seemed like he was getting closer, but then suddenly the signal began to fade a bit. He frowned, tapping the side of the tracker, before the blipping completely faded.

But that wasn’t about to stop him from finding whatever it was that was here.

He knew it was a rather bold move, but he decided to call out, “Hello? Someone out here?”

[justashortcircuit]

ShortCircuit felt a small shock of warning from one of his surveying grid systems-- at that particular klik, he could not remember which one(only that it signaled something not HUMAN)-- and he quickly onlined his optics. His left optic was quicker than the right, but both worked this time, and Circuit thanked Primus for that.

He didn't dare to do more than tilt his helm to the side, clearing his visuals to leer out of the ruined side of the structure he was hidden in. Circuit preferred to think of his current surroundings as 'being safe' or 'taking precautions', but he knew how it looked to his fellow bots.

Barely willing to cycle air through his vents, Circuit concentrated his processors on the warning that he just received. Although he did not own the area, and the AutoBots had no base nearby, he had never come across another of his own here. And therefore, any other bot, ShortCircuit considered an intruder.

For a few kliks, he didn't hear anything, nor did any more warnings go off. He almost relaxed, almost let himself rest and offline his optics again, until--

A voice called out, loud and clear, definitely not human. Every wire in his frame tensed, and his servos clenched automatically. His surveying systems let out a quiet, pathetic bleep. He almost laughed. Talk about a delayed reaction.

[keepstartingfires-blog]

//Starting Fires// (Closed RP)

Volt had been traveling for what had felt like ages. He had encountered neither Con nor Bot since maybe a light year or so back, and he was glad to be away from that whole mess. (Very dreadful small planet, he came across some Bot berating a Con for “getting out of line." Having the insignia on and seeing that that was no place to bare his wares, he thought it best to evacuate real fast.)

So here he was, floating out in the vastness, just him and the good ol’ Blade.

But his scanners signaled him that he was fast approaching a new solar system, and he examined the information displayed. A sun (rather small when compared to others he had come across), and a series of nine planets (maybe eight? He wasn’t certain about that last one). Only one of them appeared habitable.

He smiled to himself. Maybe things were looking up.

He tilted the Blade down, his trajectory set for the tiny blue and green planet, and hoped to pinpoint a familiar signal. Hopefully Cybertronians had come to this planet, since it seemed to look so very promising. Probably covered in all kinds of organic matter, but with that kind of setting, he imagined some bots might think of the place as rather comfy.

The scanners worked over the surface; so far, nothing. But then a blip. Very faint, very sketchy, but it was nonetheless Cybertronian. Enhancing the image on the screen, the area from whence the signal had come appeared to be very dark, very dismal—hardly a place where someone would take up residence.

Maybe a trap…?

Or maybe someone in trouble…?

…Well, Volt would find out soon enough.

Setting the course, he flew down towards his destination.

[justashortcircuit]

The dug-out, basement level of the half-blasted, never-used 'parking garage', made for about 2,500+ human workers and their mindless vehicles originally, now housed the scraped and dented frame of the almost endlessly-exhausted ShortCircuit. Despite the humans routinely having closely-watched tours of the contaminated area, this was one place that he knew to be safe from the fleshlings (and most other beings for that matter), even the ones brave enough to stray from the tour path. It was simply too close to the 'scene of the crime', as some put it. Only recently has he heard whispers of others calling it 'an old ground zero'.

Although it was toxic to the humans apparently, the type of nuclear energy that had been released from whatever horrific accident that happened here seemingly had no effect on him, and he took it to his full advantage when trying to escape contact. Contact of any kind.  One thing he could appreciate about Earth; although humans were almost everywhere, the places they DIDN'T go, almost none of them went. It was always worth the odds for him.

This particular structure (if Circuit could even call it a structure anymore), was directly attached to the left side of the destroyed reactor that had sent all Earthly beings running from here years ago. 

It wasn't much --never was and never would be-- but it was one of the few places he could stay easily hidden without transforming into his alternate mode, while still continuing to push his systems to their limits in his attempts to survey the area whenever he wasn't in recharge. 

Circuit knew it was paranoia that kept him so alert, but either it was programmed into him, or it was glitched into him, and Primus be damned if that was going to change.

The cycles went by easily enough.

At first.