================================== Autobot =============================
Message: 3/25                      Posted        Author
Report                             Fri Sep 05    Whiz
------------------------------------------------------------------------
It has taken me a while to get up the nerve for this, everyone, so bear 
with me and listen. When I left Earth, Caern had been stabilized and 
was under the care of medical drones. However, his injuries were such 
that they required further attention. I knew that more supplies were 
needed on Cybertron, and that several Autobots were in the Iacon repair 
bay without access to a medic, so I returned to Iacon, judging the need 
to be more severe up there. However, in my absence, and despite orders 
from Ultra Magnus and myself, it appears that Caern was not attended 
to. This is... well, it's just stupid. I mean, come on, he's an 
officer, and.... (she collects herself). This reflects badly on our 
medical staff, and on me. And now, as much as I hate it, I have to lay 
down the law. I want to know what every medic on Earth was doing 
between the time I left Earth and the time Caern... left us. I expect a 
report from each of you - otherwise I will find out on my own (@mail 
me, please, with some excuse or something). I am on my way back to 
Earth to perform the autopsy - I don't want *that* to sit there for a 
week as well. Whiz out.
========================================================================

Repair Bay
     This is the main repair bay for the Autobots. Several operating 
tables lie in a row here, and a long bench lines one wall. On the bench 
are assorted tools used in repairing damaged transformers. Scattered 
throughout the room are various repair bots, awaiting the arrival of 
more wounded to repair. The room gives you the perception of being 
immaculately clean, with not a single tool out of place.
Contents: Inactive jetskimmer
Obvious exits:
Shaft Downward <D> leads to Training Chamber.
Doors <N> leads to Main Lobby - First Floor.

Whiz enters from the Main Lobby - First Floor to the north.
Mecha-Whiz enters from the Main Lobby - First Floor to the north.
Whiz rubs her hand over her forehead and looks at the battered form of 
the jetskimmer. "I don't believe this."
Mecha-Whiz says flatly, "Query: what is to disbelieve?"
Fielder glances up from an open cargo pod.
Whiz sighs and shakes her head. "This shouldn't have happened. We're 
here to do an autopsy, so this is as good an opportunity as any to get 
you familiar with the process. At least I can count on you to do what I 
ask... at least, I hope."
You say, "You okay Whiz?"
Mecha-Whiz nods jerkily.
Fielder steps around the cargo pad and comes over to stand nearby Whiz 
and eyes Mecha-Whiz, "Uh..what exactly is that?"
Whiz looks over at Fielder. "As much as I can be, I suppose. Just 
still, well, shocked."
Whiz's voice takes on a hint of pride. "Well, it's..."
Mecha-Whiz reports, "I am advanced medical drone mark 1.1, designation 
Mecha-Whiz."
Whiz grins. "Yeah, that."

Mecha-Whiz looks like a Cybertronian, but somehow... different. Its 
body is simpler, with no parts that appear to be there for 
transformation, and its movements are somehow stilted. It's as if 
there's a lapse between intention and action - a lack of connection 
between mind and body. In overall shape, it looks much like Whiz, from 
the slim figure to the pixie-like face, but its actions and color 
scheme make it easy to differentiate between the two. This mech is dark 
red, with yellow highlights at the neck, shoulders, and wrists, and its 
hands are a very pale orange. The optics are blue, but the gaze is 
eerily flat. Whatever keeps this frame moving and talking, it's not 
exactly life.

Whiz says, "She's here to assist me in the autopsy. And I think I'm 
going to comandeer you too, if you're not in the middle of something."
Fielder shakes his head, "Nothing that can't wait. I have the last set 
of datalogs the computer collected immediately before his deactivation 
if you want to see them."
Whiz nods. "That'd be really useful. Are they in the terminal?"
Viper enters from the Main Lobby - First Floor to the north.
Fielder nods, "Yeah. They should be under log 1209KA."
Fielder glances over and nods politely as he sees Viper enter.
Whiz heads over to the console to examine the log, leaving Mecha-Whiz 
to stand there with an unnatural stillness as she waits for further 
orders.
Jazz enters from the Main Lobby - First Floor to the north.
Fielder continues to eye Mecha-Whiz, "Doesn't have much spunk does 
she?"
Whiz takes a look over her shoulder as the doors hiss open and shut, 
and sees Viper there. "Viper. I want a report."
Jazz walks in, but doesn't say anything, not wanting to interrupt.
Mecha-Whiz reports flatly, "I do not recognize the vocabulary item: 
spunk."
Mecha-Whiz says, "Please define."
Fielder chuckles and turns to Whiz laughing, "By Primus, you've created 
the anti-Whiz!"
Viper nods, "What exactly is it you want a report on." Viper looks 
kinda haggered...
Whiz's attention flickers to Fielder enough to nod, then returns to 
Viper. "You were a medic assigned here to Earth, and yet Caern didn't 
receive attention from you. What could have been so important that you 
ignored Magnus' orders?"
Fielder sombers up quickly as the conversation takes a decidedly 
bleaker turn.
Mecha-Whiz watches impassively, her optics appearing to record 
everything going on around her.
Viper's downtroddened features darken further. "Honestly, I have no 
explanation as to why I didn't take care of Caern myself, Whiz. I made 
a trip to Cybertron to get some supplies lacking, and worked on 
Schematics... I transmitted them back here in hopes that one of my 
staff members would be doing the work I specified. When I returned I 
found out that it hadn't been done."
Whiz lowers her head, shaking it.
Whiz says, "Everyone thought that someone else was working on it."
Viper looks around, and decides that ample people are here. "I was 
grossly neglegent in my duties as Medical Director of Autobot City. I 
accept complete and full responsibility for the tragic outcome. I've 
lost a friend. Forthwhit I tenure my resignation as Director."
Mecha-Whiz says, "Analysis: lack of communication major factor in 
failure of unit Caern.""
Whiz waves Mecha-Whiz off. "Not now."
Jazz leaves to the Main Lobby - First Floor to the north.
Whiz walks over and puts her hand on Viper's shoulder. "I know that we 
all have to take some responsibility for this."
Whiz says, "But I heard a story once about an executive at a really big 
company. He made a mistake that cost the company millions, and he 
expected to be fired. But they asked him, "did you learn what you did 
wrong?" And he told them he did. And they said, "After we lost all that 
to teach you, why would we let you go?"
Whiz tilts her head, looking at Viper searchingly. "We went through a 
lot to learn this lesson. I'm not going to be able to run away from it, 
and neither are you. I don't want your resignation."
Viper looks deeeep into Whiz's optics. "The fact is, however; that I 
must take the majority of the responibility. *I* did not make *sure* 
that my staff was in communication."
Whiz's optics are pained. "In the long run, though, it comes back to 
me. The responsibility isn't all yours."
Viper tosses a datapadd down on a nearby desk. The readout of Caern's 
new chassis is still on the screen. "I... I just can't believe this 
happened."
Fielder smiles as he catches a glimpse of the new form, "Strange, I 
guess I never really though of Caern as liking Earth. Yet his proposed 
chassis' altmode was an Earth creature."
Whiz's voice flattens, to control the emotions in it. "It happened. Now 
we find out... we find out why."
Whiz looks as if she's losing patience with her new project. "What we 
transform into. But... I didn't realize that Caern wanted a new one."
Fielder glances down at the datapad, "He never mentioned it. This came 
from his private data records. This and several pieces of music along 
with data transmissions from half the soap operas on the planet."
Whiz cuts off her clone before the words even come out. "Romantic 
television dramas. And I *really* didn't know that Caern watched 
those."
Whiz looks down at the battered chassis. "Amazing how much we find out 
about him now that he's gone. He was so private."
Viper looks anywhere but at Caern's battered form.
Fielder hrms, "Well, I suppose we should begin." He walks over and 
activates several consoles. The lights over the jetskimmer brighten and 
the equipment nearby comes online.
Whiz sighs. "Well, we can do this much for him. I'll get the autopsy 
underway, and then we'll get him into perfect condition for interment."
Mecha-Whiz reports flatly, "I am prepared to begin." and retracts her 
hand, replacing it with an array of tools.
Fielder steps around the table and begins gathering the necessary 
tools.
Whiz nods. "We'll examine his injuries in this form first, then see if 
we can get him into condition to transform."
Fielder nods, "I'm not real optimistic about transforming him. Most of 
the scans seemed to indicate his transformation cog was munched pretty 
badly."
Whiz ponders. "I heard that there was a bomb involved, but that damage 
appears to be secondary. It would explain the blackening of the 
circuitry here... and the shearing of the wings."
Mecha-Whiz reports, "The greatest trauma appears to be impact damage."
You say, "Most of the damage appeared to be inflicted when he impacted 
the surface of the Pacific. There is also damage from what appears to 
have been an electromagnetic pulse."
Whiz nods. "Electromagnetic pulse, eh? From the bomb, or another shot, 
do you think?"
Whiz delicately begins cutting away some of the external armor to get 
to the circuitry beneath.
You say, "From what I was able to gather from Scamper and the security 
logs the Militant that dropped the bomb claimed it had nuclear 
material."
Viper takes a long deep breath, and walks over to the table...he takes 
out his tools and joins the examination. "there is also what appears to 
be pressure induced trauma to the primary and secondary Energon 
Distribution nodes..."
Viper says, "Coyote... and it was nuclear. I was in AC when his 
presence was discovered."
Fielder hrms, "Well, that would explain the pulse damage. The blast 
must have caught him when he was trying to get clear."
Whiz says, "That could explain it. He was probably blown into the air, 
and the pulse knocked out his stabilizers and possibly his control 
centers. Then he plummeted into the Pacific," she points at the 
crumpled front end, "And struck it head-on. That would cause a general 
systems failure if the velocity was bad enough."
Viper looks at his medcorder. "as far as I can tell form the stress 
fractures beyond the crumple zones... he was moving at or near terminal 
velocity." he frowns at the necessary use of the word terminal.
Whiz winces slightly. "Then he was lifted very high by the blast - even 
if he was running, he didn't get far."
Mecha-Whiz silently absorbs the conversation, nodding jerkily at 
salient points, and then begins to cut and lift some of the damaged 
armor away, to examine the internal circuits.
Viper scrapes a tiny bit off of the removed armor and places it in the 
spectrometer. "Should be able to get an idea of how far he was from 
blast point by analyzing the ammount of subnuclear fusion of the outer 
layers."
Whiz says, "I don't just want to depend on what the scanners are 
telling us. Part of Caern's physiology is different from what they're 
used to - he's a Neddron.. er, Neddronite... er, Neddronese...whatever. 
He's from Neddron. And their systems are slightly adapted - I want to 
examine all of this piece by piece."
Viper nods, "Funny how I had forgotten that detail...'e seemed a 
permanent fixture here.."
Whiz nods. "It's important to know, though."
Whiz places a circuit-interrupt into two of Caern's central lines, and 
sends an electronic impulse through it to track resistance in the 
lines.
Whiz shakes her head slightly and disconnects it. "Nothing."
Fielder watches intently as there is no physical response.
Mecha-Whiz asks, "Autopsy is to determine cause of unit failure. Query: 
do you expect another response?"
Whiz sighs. "We can always hope for another response, Mechy."
Viper squints, "What is that structure up under the secondary 
neurofilter?" he points to it with the butt-end of his laser scalpel.
Mecha-Whiz files the 'Mechy' reference in her databanks.
Whiz leans over to examine the structure more closely. "I'm not sure."
Viper follows the leads out... "Goes through a power damper then back 
up and somewhere into his neural net."
Viper shrugs, "Do Neddrons have tertiary redundant backups?"
Viper says, "Or is that an adaptation to fend off power consumption by 
their Bug thingies?"
Whiz says, "It's worth investigating. Whatever it is, it's got more 
connections to his primary neural net than you'd expect."
Whiz says, "Could be to ensure that it's always getting what it needs, 
energy wise - could be something else, though."
Viper sighs, "I've never had to go in this deep with a Neddronese, 
whatever... it was always superficial and infrastructure damage that I 
saw on Caern... not like I saw him beat up that often..."
Whiz says, "Yeah, I know... I don't want to disconnect this thing quite 
yet, but I do want to look at it further."
Mecha-Whiz says, "Suggested course of action: scan for residual energy 
readings."
Viper finds a pair of spreaders and makes some room around the area as 
gently as possible. "I've got microprobe extenders here... use those"
Viper hands the adapters to Whiz.
Whiz takes them gently, then maneuvers them into place around the 
structural oddity.
Whiz watches the readouts carefully as she applies a very slight 
electric current.
Viper says, "15 microjouls and increasing...."
Whiz nods slightly, watching the readout. "I'm definitely getting some 
kind of response."
Whiz says, "I just don't know what it is...""
Mecha-Whiz says, "Residual electronic excitement is sometimes an 
after-effect of nuclear exposure."
Whiz says, "Um... hang on a sec."
Viper looks at the spectrometer report as it comes in. "Looks like he 
was just under minumum safe distance from blast point. over twenty 
three percent subatomic fusion in his outer hull."
Viper pauses, "Whats up?"
Whiz shakes her head a little. "Rodimus wanted to know what was going 
on - my hands are a little busy though."
Whiz hmmms. "This is a very interesting structure."
You say, "How so?"
Whiz releases it and stands up. "I want to see the medical records 
again."
Fielder nods and steps over and retrieves a datapad. He walks back and 
hands it to Whiz.
Whiz says, "The evidence we have is this. First, this is an unusual 
structure - probably Neddronese in origin. Second, it's extremely 
integrated into his neural net, yet also perfectly shielded."
Whiz continues to think out loud as she takes the datapad absently. 
"From that, we can guess that it holds some kind of defensive purpose 
specific to conditions on Neddron, which we all know are very hard. 
Maybe it's to continue supplying energy to the neural net in case of 
trauma to the body, but if that were the case, it wouldn't have all 
this residual activity once the neural net shut down."
Viper follows one of the leads up inside the neural net. "Uhh, 
wow...what are we to make of this?" he points out a tiny physical color 
change in the matrix crystals.
Fielder shrugs, "Maybe its got a timer on it. It will continue to 
operate regardless for a set amount of time."
Whiz peers at it, then returns her attention to the datapad, scrolling 
her optics along the data and looking for something that would indicate 
activity in this unusual structure.
Whiz says, "That's possible - like a battery backup of some kind, which 
doesn't recognize that the rest of the body has failed."
Viper ponders, "The power leads going into the structure are fed 
through a dampener first tho..."
Whiz says, "Interesting. Let me see..."
Whiz paces back and forth with the datapad, reading the strings of 
nonsense variables and computer code rapidly.
Viper carefully opens up the dampener housing, and begins going over 
the components...
Viper says, "Find anything yet Whiz?"
Whiz mutters to herself, "... ?"
Whiz blinks. "Wait a minute..."
Whiz heads over to the computer terminal and begins keying in a few 
commands, transferring data from the records onto the screen.
Viper says, "No kidding Whiz...this dampener has a phase varience module 
in it," he looks up...
Viper looks at the screen, deciphering the data being displayed....
Whiz isolates a particular portion of code. "Look at this. I think that 
this symbol here corresponds to that module we were looking at - I 
can't find any Cybertronian translation for that designation, anyway. 
And just before his systems failed, look, that module became active."
Fielder stares at the screen and the data, "I'm not getting any of 
this. This is way out of my league."
Viper looks down at the structures, and back at the code...
Whiz says, "And right afterward, look at this..." she scrolls through a 
series of commands. "These are almost all data transfers. Basically, 
various sectors of his brain were activated in sequence and, as far as 
I can tell, packets of information were transmitted."
Mecha-Whiz says, "This sounds like the process used to activate my 
neural net."
Whiz nods to her creation. "Sort of, but in reverse."
Viper hooks up a minute power lead and tester to the dampener unit. 
"Whiz, look at this... this unit not only dampens the _ammount_ of 
energon to that structure.... it is _Changing_ its subatomic harmonic 
resonancies..." Viper looks pale...
Viper says, "That thing doesn't run on normal energon."
Whiz nods. "That thing is weird."
Whiz says, "I... I think his brain's in there."
Mecha-Whiz says impassively, "Query: how to retrieve stored 
information?"
Viper's jaw hangs open slightly. "Ok. lets assume by some miracle of 
Primus, that Caern's brain is in that structure. How long do we have? 
And how do we upload him?" he grins as Mechy asks the same thing. "Neat 
bot ya got there, Whiz."
Sky Lynx enters from the Main Lobby - First Floor to the north.
Whiz takes a moment out to grin briefly. "She'll come in handy."
Whiz looks up. "Sky Lynx! Just who we needed."
Whiz says, "Rodimus wanted an update on what's going on - need you to 
go radio him and let him know that we think we've found something 
interesting in Caern's autopsy."
Sky Lynx steps in, his optics narrowed slightly, giving him a rather 
imposing unhappy appearance.
Sky Lynx says, "Interesting?"
Viper looks over Sky Lynx's countenance and looks decidedly 
uncomfortable.
Whiz nods, pointing at a screen full of gibberish code as if it makes 
sense to anyone other than a fellow medic.
Fielder glances at the data again and then shrugs, "Dang, I'm not 
getting any of this."
Sky Lynx sits in front of the screen looking to pretend to understand 
it however his optics show no hint of comprehension, "Well .... it's 
rather complex, prehaps you could put it in more laymen's terms so that 
... umm Rodimus could better understand it?"
Mecha-Whiz reports, "Our task: discover operation of module, determine 
how to perpetuate operation, determine how to return operation to full 
frame."
Whiz nods. "Oh yeah. Well, let's see. Looks like Caern's neural net 
went through a series of data transfer protocols before it lost 
functionality, and this odd Neddronese structure is still showing some 
kind of residual activity, so... you're not getting this, are you?"
Whiz smirks a little. "Looks like his neural net got downloaded before 
it failed."
Sky Lynx says, "Is there a possibility of retrieval and reactivation?"
Whiz says, "That's what we're trying to figure out."
Whiz says, "But he wanted an update. Can you radio him, or.. well, 
suppose I could go do it now. I need time to puzzle over this some 
more."
Mecha-Whiz reports, "Analyzing data." and her optics go oddly blank.
Sky Lynx pauses for a moment looking over Caern, he flashes Viper a 
decidely cold glance then looks back to Whiz, "Was his nueral failure 
the result of lack of attendance or was it an irrepairable error?"
Whiz looks at Viper, then back at Sky Lynx. "It was lack of attendance. 
Viper is not entirely to blame, and neither am I, but we all have to 
accept some responsibility for it."
Viper looks away from Sky Lynx and back down to the structure. He 
closes his optics and mouths something before looking back up.
Sky Lynx taps a key on his arm and a panel flips open, a long 
fiberoptic antennae extends from it and the workings of a long range 
radio are revealed, "I am not handing out accusations WHiz ... yet, 
although I am distressed that my suspicions came to be true .... You 
may use my radio, unless you would prefer I contact Rodimus."
Sky Lynx drops Sky Lynx's Extended Radio.
Whiz says, "Now then. I have to go report to Rodimus. Viper, make sure 
the structure is kept supplied with energon, and then cover the body. I 
will be back shortly."
Viper says, "When the situation comes to a resolution, I will report to 
Ultra Magnus for discipline"
Viper nods and finishes connecting the power dampener so as to supply 
the structure with the correct energon.
Sky Lynx unhooks a mic from his arm and hands it to Whiz, "I would like 
to talk to you sometime soon Viper. ... "
Whiz pulls out the radio and adjusts some of the dials.

(Radio message reads:) Sorry this took so long, but we were in the 
middle of a rather delicate proceedure. First of all, it does appear 
that Caern's system failure could have been prevented with closer 
attendance. I've talked to Viper about it already and will discuss it 
with the others when I find them. During the autopsy, though, we 
uncovered some kind of structure - I think it's Neddronese in origin - 
that appears to function as a tertiary backup system - basically, I 
think his neural net was downloaded into it before the whole system 
failed, and that's being preserved somehow... the question is how to 
retreive it. I'll work on it, but it will take time. If you want to 
come down here to check it out for yourself, I'll try to explain it the 
best I can. Whiz out.

Whiz finishes transmitting and hands the radio back to Sky Lynx.
Viper slips a diagnostic scanner prob onto each connection. "Yes sir, 
at your leisure"
Sky Lynx pulls out the radio and adjusts some of the dials.
Sky Lynx turns to Viper, "you were one of the attending medics on duty 
at the time of Caern injury and subsequent death correct?"
Sky Lynx closes up his radio equiptment and seals it away in his armor.
Viper makes sure all the connections are stable. he turns around. 
"Alright, yes I was on planet and on duty when Caern was found."
Sky Lynx's optics flare slightly, "When he was found ... what about 
during his period in stasis?"
Sky Lynx says, "Prior to his death?"
Viper says, "During his period in stasis I was trying to coordinate 
supply shipments and work on Caern's design rebuild. For part of the 
time I was on Cybertron. I relayed the schematic updates back here, but 
it seems everyone thought someone else was working on it.. and no one 
took the time to see if he was attended to. I've said it before, and 
I'll say it again. This was my fault, and I take full responsibility."
Viper says, "Please note that I offered my resignation as medical 
director to Whiz, who refused to accept it."
Sky Lynx says, "Ahem, I'm not here to talk about blame or issue 
punishments, I am conducting an investigation and all I require are the 
solid facts. Now .."
Sky Lynx says, "Sidearm was also on duty was she not?"
Viper sighs and nods. "As far as I know, she was."
Sky Lynx says, "And you both recieved the command by Ultra Magnus to 
work on Caern?"
Viper nods, "Speaking for myself, I received the order and finished 
gathering the materials needed for his rebuild and returned to AC. It 
was on my return that Gunrunner informed me of Caern's passing."
Sky Lynx says, "Did Sidearm ever during this entire episode hinder your 
work either directly or indirectly?"
Viper's optics flash rather vividly, "Absolutely not."
Sky Lynx says, "You are aware that she left for Cybertron almost 
immediately following Ultra Magnus' command. Did she report to you 
before she left and give you reasoning for her prompt return to 
Cybertron?"
Viper blinks, "uhh, actually no I wasn't aware of that fact," he shakes 
his head, "I've never -required- my staff to report to me before they 
make a temporary change in location. I've always trusted their 
judgement."
Viper looks back down and adjusts the energon feed. He sets his 
medicorder back down on the instrument table.
Sky Lynx says, "Thank you for your honesty and cooperation Viper in 
this very unfortunate situation. I will report my findings to the 
review commitee as well as my reccomendations ..." Sky Lynx looks over 
at Caern again and sighs a bit, then back to Viper. He starts to say 
something but thinks better of it. After a long few moments he manages, 
"... Good Day ... "
Sky Lynx turns for the Medbay door, without another word.
Sky Lynx leaves to the Main Lobby - First Floor to the north.
Viper just stands there, looking at the door as it hisses shut. "Primus 
help us all."