Cyberformed Inbox

[legalcy]

"You have reached the personal frequency of Ultra Magnus. I am unable to answer your call either due to a scheduled priority or an emergency. If the issue requires my immediate attention, begin your message by stating "Emergency" and the level of threat or writing that information in the subject header. Please leave your name, time and date of contact, message, and location. I will respond at the nearest opportunity."

TEXT | VOICE | VIDEO | ACTION

Comments

[legalcy]

[And now Magnus bangs on Megatron's door. Unlike Dreadwing, he knows how he looks like and where he prefers to reside.]

Open up!

[legalcy]

Weird in what way? [Was he sick? Was he stressed?] Grimlock, if you were in a poor emotional state, you aren't necessarily punished. Cleaning up the mess you created is a good first step.

[He's so proud! Grimlock is taking responsibility.]

I can help. I want to see what Misfire did with his secrete arena.

[grimgrams]

Me no know. Just weird.

[He lacks the words to describe exactly how he felt, for the bits that he can remember. Even though he's asked other Rumble attendees about the events, it still feels more like it happened to someone else and not him.]

...Me Grimlock just go there alone. Me no think showing Magnus secrets good.

[Straightforward as he might be, he still understands the concept of keeping a secret, especially if it concerns one of his friends.]

[legalcy]

Oh. Then I can assume that he killed your counterparts in his universe?

[That nasty habit of murderers - hiding crucial facts behind incomplete truths.]

On this ship, one's history in their home universe is not meant to dictate how we treat them. Unless he partakes in dangerous activity, I cannot jail him or observe him any more than the other crew members. [He wants to say that he hopes that this Tarn won't become a mass murderer, but when does the best outcome ever happen?] Be careful, Optimus.

[legalcy]

What secrets? [He's assuming he's talking about the arena, but one can't assume these things when Grimlock has a simple vocabulary.] Were you ashamed of letting me know what happened there?

[autobotshield]

Yes, though the other version of me died a long, long time ago.

[It's a huge time and multiverse thing Magnus, they don't need to get into it.]

For now, I believe that Tarn will behave. I will take full responsibility for his behaviour.

[grimgrams]

[Ashamed? Yes, of course. Yet he is not so cowardly as to conceal his shame, which is why he contacted Magnus in the first place.]

Me Grimlock ashamed of self. But that no secret because me telling you right now. Magnus punish Grimlock as much as need. No go in secret arena place. That all Grimlock want say.

[legalcy]

Secret arena place, you say?

[Leaning into the camera.]

Then who will inspect the area for clues?

[grimgrams]

Me Grimlock...find clues...and bring them to Magnus?

[He feels a chill up his spine. As a Dinobot, he has no fear, but he finds Ultra Magnus unnerving at the moment.]

Me can do it. Me find clues before.

[legalcy]

Yes....find clues, like before. But bring Prowl or Longarm Prime with you to help.

[Claiming responsibility? How can he not encourage this?]

Be careful not to break anything.

[grimgrams]

[He visibly relaxes.]

Me say me should call Prowl.

[Prowl was there, probably. He remembers seeing him competing. There's less chance of bad news regarding Misfire making it back to Magnus this way.]

[Besides, as things stand, he like Prowl marginally better than Longarm.]

And me be very careful this time. No rip heads off.

audio

[daintylegs]

Hey Ultra Magnus.

Lot of things have been happening lately, are you doing okay?

[Because while Tailgate is responsible for quite a bit of trouble himself, he and UM are still Lost Lighters.]

[legalcy]

[Minimus still has the vocal modulator turned on, but his voice is not booming as if he were in the armor.]

No.

I'm attempting to distance myself from all this work temporarily and organizing my office. [again]

[daintylegs]

Oh. Somehow I figured.

I have a movie here that I've been meaning to watch. Do you want to watch it with me?

[legalcy]

I have time. [There's sounds of datapads going back into a shelf.] What movie is it?

[daintylegs]

Muppet's Christmas Carol!

[Tailgate says with more joy than you'd expect.]

I'll stop by Mac's and grab some snacks! Be there soon!

[legalcy]

In which room?

[Great, he has about ten minutes to finish up this task, so it better not be too far form his office. "Soon" is a vague description of time, but it certainly does not mean "in one hour".

But once he gets a place, Minimus is power walking there with a bottle of flavored Energon. It's nothing wild, but it does taste a bit festive.]

[daintylegs]

[Tailgate decides to invite Minimus over to his and Cyclonus' room, figuring that Cyclonus will be spending the next few hours staring out windows and won't bother them.

By the time Minimus shows up, Tailgate has set up a projector and has a bowl of energon sweets from Maccadam. Don't worry, these ones aren't drugged.]

Hi! Come on in!

I wish Rewind were here, he's always super fun to watch things with.

[He can't help but lament a bit.]

Which is a great trait for our usual movie projector to have.

[legalcy]

It's a smaller party than usual. [He would invite Megatron, but then the two of them would huddle together and leave Tailgate alone. He also must be incredibly busy at this moment.]

The movie, then. It's an adaptation of A Christmas Carol?

[He takes a seat next to Tailgate on the recharge slab, legs dangling over the sides.]

[daintylegs]

[Well if Tailgate had wanted to make a double date out of it, it would have been Him, Cyclonus, Minimus, and Megatron, all watching Muppet's Christmas Carol. With respect to all involved, he can't imagine that being very fun.]

I guess so? I haven't read the original. I think I only have the loosest conception of what Christmas is.

Must be super important to humans. They have a lot of Christmas movies.

[Tailgate pushes play and the movie starts.]

[legalcy]

It's a widely acknowledged holiday, but from what I've learned, it's interpreted differently across regions.

[That cultural discussion will have to be put on hold as the movie begins and our Muppet narrators.]

Interesting choice of characters. I wonder when the frog will show up. [He's the most famous Muppet.]

[video] At the end of the Vacation Time

[toguidethem]

Ultra Magnus?

[Although he is keeping it together, there's a quiver in his voice. He knows better than to cry, adults who aren't his family won't take him seriously if he does.]

A very important photo went missing in my room last night, and I can't find it anywhere. I think something might have taken it because it's not anywhere in my room.

[He sniffs and wipes his eyes.]

[video]

[legalcy]

[Was Cody around when Minimus made his big reveal? Hopefully someone told him about the little green man answering his call with Magnus's voice.]

Someone broke into your room?! We have to alert the rest of the ship. Find Prowl, he can change the locks on your door. Honestly! On this ship!

[At least he's in a good enough mood to get straight to writing up a report instead of internally crying to himself.]

How big is this photo?

Re: [video]

[toguidethem]

[Cody has no idea who this green man is.]

Uh.

About the size of my hand? I fell asleep last night with it on my bedside table, and it was gone when I woke up.

Um, does Ultra Magnus know you have his communicator?

[legalcy]

[........................................No one has told this child.]

I am Ultra Magnus. Well, my name is Minimus Ambus, but Ultra Magnus is the identity by which others know me. [Vague handwaving.] Back to the issue, are you saying that this thief was able to sneak in without your knowing. It could have been someone with a holomatter avatar...but we'll have to launch an investigation of the crime scene.