raisedbymoogles (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
raisedbymoogles) wrote2019-01-12 01:23 am
raisedbymoogles) wrote2019-01-12 01:23 am
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I have a hundred things I need to get written this month. This was none of those things.
Prequel bit to this ficbit, wherein zombie Hot Rod still manages to be adorable. There is nothing adorable in this one.
*
He’d been threatened by Autobot prisoners before, but Shockwave couldn’t recall any instance of an Autobot in or out of his prison block so mindlessly aggressive. The prisoner in question appeared to be a light scout model, even more incongrous; there was no reason for him to be throwing himself at the bars over and over as though he were a heavy-armor class.
“Be still,” Shockwave commanded, just to see how the Autobot would respond. It actually snarled at him.
“Yeah, he’s been like that since we brought him down.” Skyslice, squad commander, stood at Shockwave’s shoulder with his arms crossed, frowning at their prisoner. “Cracked in the helm if you ask me.”
“And the little glitch bit me!” yelled Clash from across the prison block, where he was getting said wound patch-welded by his squadmate. Recoil paused with the welding torch to smack his gauntlet in reproof, looking about as fed up as Shockwave felt. “Ow! Well, he did.”
“Yes, so you have said,” Shockwave answered heavily, and returned his attention to their prisoner. Who was - ignoring them entirely, clawing at the back wall as though he meant to dig through it. “Autobot, you will do yourself damage,” he announced. “Calm down and identify yourself.”
The Autobot continued to ignore him, blunt fingers going scratch-scratch-scrape. “Hey!” Skyslice barked. “That’s the Commander talking, you- holy scrap,” he blurted as the Autobot turned with uncanny grace and charged the bars again. He collided with a terrible crash of sparks, fell back with a hiss. “Uh,” Skyslice hedged, drawing closer to Shockwave’s elbow. “Did he do that on purpose?”
“No,” Shockwave mused. “That was… not deliberate. I almost think he forgot we were here.” He watched the Autobot attempt to bash out his own circuits on the energy bars again. “Interesting,” he murmured.
“Interesting?” Skyslice repeated.
Shockwave had no intention of explaining his thoughts to his underling, but he was saved from having to refuse by a yelp from Recoil. “What are you-“ xe protested. “Hey!”
Skyslice left Shockwave at a dead run, leaving Shockwave to examine his prisoner. Beyond the mindless snarling fury and the energy burns, the scout seemed in good repair, brightly painted, a custom model of some sort judging by the sleek, Seeker-inspired lines. Custom models were valuable, not easy to come by for the resource-hungry Autobot forces. And, Shockwave realized from a cursory analysis of the scout’s facial plate joins, this was a young model. Autobots did not normally let their young ones go unescorted, but Skyslice’s initial report had indicated they’d found him alone. Alone and injured, the plating on the side of his torso breached by some unknown weapon or-
“Help!” Skyslice hollered.
Shockwave turned. Skyslice was struggling to drag one squadmate off the other - Clash had Recoil pinned to the ground, his dentae inexplicably latched on xer shoulder. “Air scout Clash, what is the meaning of this!” Shockwave rapped out, turning away from the prisoner to stalk over to the disgraceful scene. “Control yourself immediately!”
“I don’t know, sir,” Skyslice gasped out, “he just lunged-”
“Get him off me!” Recoil howled.
Clash snarled around his mouthful of plating. An animal sound, a savage sound. Shockwave processed it in an instant, put it together with another couple of packets of data, and reached a logic-straining but inescapable conclusion.
“Skyslice, disengage,” he ordered, and fired.
Clash’s headless shell collapsed onto Recoil, who shoved it off in horror. “What,” xe gasped.
“Commander,” Skyslice protested as Recoil scrambled back. “Was that really necessary?”
“Scout leader Skyslice, report any injuries dealt by the deceased that may have breached your plating,” Shockwave commanded, then when Skyslice hesitated in bewilderment, “Did he bite you?”
“N- no! That’s-” That’s insane, why would he died in Skyslice’s optics as he looked at his remaining squadmate, who was struggling to his treads with one hand covering his injured shoulder.
“Escort Recoil to a quarantine cell,” Shockwave ordered. “Then report back here. I will require help moving the prisoner.”
He could still read bafflement in Skyslice’s optics, but at least the subordinate stopped questioning his commander. He went over to take hold of Recoil. “Come on.”
“Am I going to…” Recoil whispered as Skyslice led xem past Clash’s remains.
“No,” Skyslice answered firmly. “Of course not.”
Shockwave dismissed the pair from his mind for the moment. If Recoil’s incubation period was anything like Clash’s, Skyslice would be in no danger in the short amount of time it would take him to put his squadmate safely in quarantine. Of more interest was the cause of all this - their young prisoner, who by some strange instinct had finally settled down, apparently fascinated by the retreating Seekers. He looked up and snarled when Shockwave approached, and Shockwave paused well out of reach.
“Yes,” he said. “You are proving to be very interesting indeed.”
*
He’d been threatened by Autobot prisoners before, but Shockwave couldn’t recall any instance of an Autobot in or out of his prison block so mindlessly aggressive. The prisoner in question appeared to be a light scout model, even more incongrous; there was no reason for him to be throwing himself at the bars over and over as though he were a heavy-armor class.
“Be still,” Shockwave commanded, just to see how the Autobot would respond. It actually snarled at him.
“Yeah, he’s been like that since we brought him down.” Skyslice, squad commander, stood at Shockwave’s shoulder with his arms crossed, frowning at their prisoner. “Cracked in the helm if you ask me.”
“And the little glitch bit me!” yelled Clash from across the prison block, where he was getting said wound patch-welded by his squadmate. Recoil paused with the welding torch to smack his gauntlet in reproof, looking about as fed up as Shockwave felt. “Ow! Well, he did.”
“Yes, so you have said,” Shockwave answered heavily, and returned his attention to their prisoner. Who was - ignoring them entirely, clawing at the back wall as though he meant to dig through it. “Autobot, you will do yourself damage,” he announced. “Calm down and identify yourself.”
The Autobot continued to ignore him, blunt fingers going scratch-scratch-scrape. “Hey!” Skyslice barked. “That’s the Commander talking, you- holy scrap,” he blurted as the Autobot turned with uncanny grace and charged the bars again. He collided with a terrible crash of sparks, fell back with a hiss. “Uh,” Skyslice hedged, drawing closer to Shockwave’s elbow. “Did he do that on purpose?”
“No,” Shockwave mused. “That was… not deliberate. I almost think he forgot we were here.” He watched the Autobot attempt to bash out his own circuits on the energy bars again. “Interesting,” he murmured.
“Interesting?” Skyslice repeated.
Shockwave had no intention of explaining his thoughts to his underling, but he was saved from having to refuse by a yelp from Recoil. “What are you-“ xe protested. “Hey!”
Skyslice left Shockwave at a dead run, leaving Shockwave to examine his prisoner. Beyond the mindless snarling fury and the energy burns, the scout seemed in good repair, brightly painted, a custom model of some sort judging by the sleek, Seeker-inspired lines. Custom models were valuable, not easy to come by for the resource-hungry Autobot forces. And, Shockwave realized from a cursory analysis of the scout’s facial plate joins, this was a young model. Autobots did not normally let their young ones go unescorted, but Skyslice’s initial report had indicated they’d found him alone. Alone and injured, the plating on the side of his torso breached by some unknown weapon or-
“Help!” Skyslice hollered.
Shockwave turned. Skyslice was struggling to drag one squadmate off the other - Clash had Recoil pinned to the ground, his dentae inexplicably latched on xer shoulder. “Air scout Clash, what is the meaning of this!” Shockwave rapped out, turning away from the prisoner to stalk over to the disgraceful scene. “Control yourself immediately!”
“I don’t know, sir,” Skyslice gasped out, “he just lunged-”
“Get him off me!” Recoil howled.
Clash snarled around his mouthful of plating. An animal sound, a savage sound. Shockwave processed it in an instant, put it together with another couple of packets of data, and reached a logic-straining but inescapable conclusion.
“Skyslice, disengage,” he ordered, and fired.
Clash’s headless shell collapsed onto Recoil, who shoved it off in horror. “What,” xe gasped.
“Commander,” Skyslice protested as Recoil scrambled back. “Was that really necessary?”
“Scout leader Skyslice, report any injuries dealt by the deceased that may have breached your plating,” Shockwave commanded, then when Skyslice hesitated in bewilderment, “Did he bite you?”
“N- no! That’s-” That’s insane, why would he died in Skyslice’s optics as he looked at his remaining squadmate, who was struggling to his treads with one hand covering his injured shoulder.
“Escort Recoil to a quarantine cell,” Shockwave ordered. “Then report back here. I will require help moving the prisoner.”
He could still read bafflement in Skyslice’s optics, but at least the subordinate stopped questioning his commander. He went over to take hold of Recoil. “Come on.”
“Am I going to…” Recoil whispered as Skyslice led xem past Clash’s remains.
“No,” Skyslice answered firmly. “Of course not.”
Shockwave dismissed the pair from his mind for the moment. If Recoil’s incubation period was anything like Clash’s, Skyslice would be in no danger in the short amount of time it would take him to put his squadmate safely in quarantine. Of more interest was the cause of all this - their young prisoner, who by some strange instinct had finally settled down, apparently fascinated by the retreating Seekers. He looked up and snarled when Shockwave approached, and Shockwave paused well out of reach.
“Yes,” he said. “You are proving to be very interesting indeed.”
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HotRod does indeed, manage to keep adorable in the second fic X3
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