Soundwave arrives from the IHQ Central Chamber to the west.
Soundwave has arrived.
Soundwave sends a long-range radio transmission to Fulcrum.
Catechism is just hanging around the medical ward, recuperating. She's been light listed for quite a while, due to her massive stupidity in squaring off against Sky Lynx, dinobird terror of the skies, and letting him beat her within an inch of her life. As such, Catechism is shiny-shiny in the way that one can only be if one has had about 95.3% of one's structure replaced and/or refurbished. She snickers quietly, idly wondering what she *didn't* break in that fight. Good times.
Soundwave strides into the medical ward, surprisingly enough NOT looking for Constructicons to snoop on. He is rostered on for repair work. He checks the schedule...
Catechism snaps out of her light doze and reminiscing and stands at attention, tossing off a formal salute. Ah, High Commander Soundwave. Yeah, no one who has much of anything to do with Catechism, aside from an order of, 'Attack this,' now and then.
Soundwave also tells Catechism to transform too. That's important. And it looks like he'll be giving Catechism some more instructions today since she's listed for some improvements. "Catechism." He intones coldly to the room.
Catechism looks startled. What's High Command doing talking to her? Isn't that Fleet's deal? Her face scrunches up with dubiousness; his weirdness had better not be rubbing off on her. Maybe Soundwave was just listing off her name? Yeah, that's the ticket. Still, she replies, "High Commander Soundwave, sir?"
Nothing wrong with overcompensating when it comes to sucking up to Soundwave. "Your scheduled repairs work is due." He intones. "State nature of repairs." Sure, it's right there on the screen, but Soundwave just wants to make sure that there isn't any clerical errors.
Catechism's optics cycle a blink. Yeah, Soundwave is talking to her. Still acting as if she's not quite sure that the universe isn't playing some obscure and cruel joke on her, she answers, "I got rather thrashed the other day, sir, but that's been mostly fixed. I know I'm scheduled for a restructuring, too, sir, but..." Catechism trails off.
Soundwave doesn't care if she trails off or not. He's found out what he needs to know. "You are listed as supplying your own components. Identify components for refurbishment."
"I had them shipped to the medical bay, sir. I wanted to make sure that the right components would be in stock," she explains. Truthfully, Catechism has no idea where the components are. The mysteries of medical bay organisation are too much for her.
Arachnae arrives from the IHQ Laboratory to the east.
Arachnae has arrived.
Arachnae slips quietly into the area.
Soundwave knows where they get shipped. There are a number of containerloads of items shipped here. Since Long Haul hasn't done any deliveries, the paperwork isn't complete, however. Darn it. Soundwave turns to one of the on-duty technicians. "Obtain the componentry for patient Catechism." The Seeker, not wanting to anger the Tape Lord, does as he's told, and sifts through the various boxes. Soundwave instead picks up a set of quality tools and makes his way to Catechism. He opens up a pair of access panels. "Desensitizing pain sensors." No point having a patient squirm while she is 'naked' with her plates off and her delicate circuitry exposed, after all.
Arachnae moves east to the IHQ Laboratory.
Arachnae has left.
Catechism has never had an upgrade done, although she has had all sorts of repair work done. She watches dumbly as Soundwave opens her up and, suddenly, everything feels a lot less hurty and little fuzzy, like she's missing something. Ah, her pain sensors are offline. It feels kind of nice, in a numb sort of way. Idly, Catechism wonders if she shouldn't end up on a medical table at some point.
Catechism sits down on the indicated table, and glances up at Soundwave, vague curiosity in her optics. This is new and different and potentially life threatening! Of course Catechism is just fascinated. This is the same thing, incidentally, that leads her to attack Autobots like Superion and Sky Lynx.
The technician seems to have found something resembling a box full of high-grade sheet metal for Catechism. Meanwhile, Soundwave begins opening most of her body's panelling. "Power down all nonessential componentry." He commands to his patient while the Seeker pleasantly delivers the box on Cate's ward bed.
Catechism wonders just what all counts as non-essential as she shuts down a number of systems. It doesn't occur to her, social creature that she is, that her voice may well be non-essential, and it is with that voice that she inquires, "Just what all counts as non-essential, sir?" Catechism wants to make sure that she gets everything, after all.
"I require an active vocalizer. Functioning servo-motor units. Operating Pain sensory units. All weaponry and peripheral devices are to be shut down." The Tape lord intones as he hands the collection of blue-gray panelling to his Seeker assistant. While the Seeker returns them into stock, Soundwave retrieves the high-density alloy from the containers.
So junk like forcefield generators, hologram makers, and teleportation devices? Catechism doesn't have anything like that. She's pretty much a basic model. With a bit of reluctance, Catechism completely powers down her guns and what few extraneous systems she does have. It just doesn't feel right, not at least having her weapons on low, but she does it. Dutifully, the Seeker reports, "As ordered, sir."
There is, of course, the less mundane stuff like targetting systems, radios and location transponder units. Since they're all shut down, Soundwave continues to apply the high-density plating to Catechism. Ah, Seekers. Alwyas have parts in stock, they're always cut the right way. Sure, Catechism is a femme, but there are still plenty of those as well.
That, and Catechism went out of her way to make sure that there were proper parts in stock. Seekers are common, yeah, but how many female Seekers does one see around? How many coneheads? And for a final count, how many female coneheads? Granted, the fact that she's consistently mistaken for Dirge would seem to indicate that she's made out of the same parts of the guys, but there was no harm in being certain that the correct parts would be in stock. Catechism just sits quietly on the table, waiting to see what will happen next.
Catechism is too light a blue for SOundwave to get confused. Plus she has roboboobies. Or robonipples. Whatever. Soundwave has Catechism's arms replaced with the red primer-coloured plating, and begins work on replacing parts in her torso.
Catechism looks at the red-primer coated parts with a bit of dismay. Remember girl, combat ability is far more important than looks. It is this that keeps her from frowning. She's rather unconcerned by the fact that large pieces of her are being removed. At least now they're being removed in a (theoretically) friendly setting, and they're being replaced promptly, rather than being torn out violently by raking claws.
Soundwave finishes the last pieces of the armour plating. "Replacement procedure complete. Activate all systems.
Soundwave finishes the last pieces of the armour plating. "Replacement procedure complete. Activate all systems." He obtains a pair of precision tools to re-configure his patient's pain sensors once everything else is powered up.
Catechism keys up the systems she had turned off earlier, throwing caution to the wind. The familiar low-level hum of her magnetic coils reassures her that her gauss capacities aren't on the fritz, and it's comforting to know that her weapons aren't fully off anymore. Grinning, she confirms, "Done, sir."
Soundwave finalizes the procedure by returning the pain sensors to their standard level. "Operation complete. A later date will be scheduled for painting." The tape lord intones. Huh, guess Cate's stuck like this for a little while.
"Thank you, sir," Catechism says with a smile, curiously poking at herself. Huh, she feels a bit weird now. Is this the feeling of 'sturdy'? A hint of a frown twitches at her mouth upon hearing the news that she's going to be stuck red for a while. Great, now she'll get mistaken for Thrust instead of Dirge.
Soundwave doesn't bother reciprocating. He's a big busy mech. Soundwave goes off to fix the next sucker in his ward.
Arachnae arrives from the IHQ Laboratory to the east.
Arachnae has arrived.
Arachnae slips quietly into the area.
Catechism wouldn't have expected a, 'You're welcome,' any way, because a) they're TeH EVIL Decepticons and b) Soundwave's a leakin' High Commander and she's just a trooper. Catechism's still boggled about that. How in the name of wingnuts did she get scheduled with him as her medic for this operation? So she just sits on the table quietly, still poking at her new parts. She'll probably to do so for a while.
Soundwave has disconnected.