New icon and Ironhide ficlet, Failsafe
This little one-shot, Failsafe, has lived over on the prompts comm for some time now. Thought I'd bring it home. ^.^ Ficlet below the cut.
Warnings: Pretty mild, but maybe PG-13, for an overall dark theme, violence and an OC death.
And~ An overdue and utterly delighted 'Thank You!' to toyzintheattik. She made my icon prize for winning the April Challenge, Vivid Memory, on tf_ic_prompts. Many, many thanks! XDD *hugs* ♥
FAILSAFE
Ironhide left the Shack behind, walking upstream until the waterfall came into view, and settling himself beside one of the trees. He pulled out his project, and examined the progress made, and set to work once more
A few of the pings he so steadfastly refused to acknowledge slipped past in his preoccupation, and he found himself musing on comfort and friendship, the recent bonding of Prowl and Jazz, and that was all it took for his own memories to resurface.
The sounds of the waterfall turned to the babble of voices and garbled orders, weapons fire, the clash of metal armor, the shock of explosions, shouts and screams...
****
A moment's inattention was all it took and then it was over. His partner hung in the Decepticon's grip, claws digging into armor seams, chest plating ruined, the weak flicker of sparklight shining through the gaps. He staggered to his feet and began working his way around rubble and dead mechs, opening a comm to his partner, dirtying the line with enough static to buy them a few nanokliks before it was noticed and hacked.
::Fight! Distract him! Buy me enough time to get close to him!::
He watched his bonded's optics flash and dim with their signal. Yes.
The weak screams that answered his demand twisted into audials and ripped through his spark, but he refused to block them out. Fight, defend, protect, instincts spark-deep and programming as old as he was, and when all else failed, when he failed, priorities were shunted, overridden and driven aside with one single imperative.
More screams as shining silver claws raked over his partner's bared spark.
Revenge.
The single shot was not enough to loose his partner from the deadly grip, but it was enough for Ironhide to close the remaining gap. One hand fisted over neck fairing and yanked the 'Con close, and a large black cannon pressed against helm.
"Release him."
Claws quivered and edged towards spark, and the cannon pressed harder.
“Don’t even think it,” Ironhide warned, and the Decepticon’s claws relaxed. Blue optics flicked over his partner, scanners cataloguing catastrophic injuries and the slow ebb of systems.
No time. There was no time.
Ironhide tightened his grip on the Decepticon and snarled into his audial.
“Try anything, scum, and I’ll blast you straight to the Pit. Now, release him!"
His bonded stirred and wheezed a grinding chuckle. "I'd listen to him if I were you. He gets a little impatient when he's got a clean shot."
Sharp fangs flashed defiance. “You won’t harm me while I hold your teammate, Autobot." Claws twisted within a joint and his partner grimaced with pain.
Ironhide growled, his cannon's charge whirring an angry counterpoint, and the Decepticon uttered a short laugh. "Stalemate. Back off and I'll consider letting him live."
The black mech sneered at the offer. "So you can reprogram him? No thanks, we'll take our chances together."
::'Hide, take him out now.::
::No! You're too damaged, you won't survive.::
Red optics glinted. “Together? You're bluffing. If you blast me, you’ll kill him as well.”
The smug tone grated across his audials. The cannon’s angry hum grew louder, and Ironhide’s optics blazed white, cold anger setting into core and spark.
“You think I don’t already know that? I’d rather kill him myself than see my bonded in your filthy claws a moment longer.”
::He's not falling for it. It doesn't matter now, I'm dead anyway.::
::Not by my hand!::
::Yours and no other's. Now stop arguing and take him down, Ironhide.::
::Not yet! Let me at least try!::
Desperation fueled fury, and Ironhide channeled every scrap of energy he could spare. The cannon whined with the sudden build-up of power, and plasma began leaking around the mouth of the weapon. The Decepticon hissed angrily as the plates of his face started to smoke, and Ironhide laughed harshly.
“Still think I’m bluffing? You have exactly one click to release my partner before my weapon overloads into your head.”
“You’ll die, too, Autobot.”
“My armor will hold. Will yours?”
Red optics flickered briefly. “You won't risk it. A blast like that will kill all of us.”
“I estimate that I have a 40 percent chance of surviving. Your chance is even less, while my partner has almost none,” Ironhide said coldly. “But if you should survive, and my bonded dies, there is no place in the universe you'll be safe from me. And when I find you, I will keep you alive for a very long time. Think about it, Decepticon, but don’t think too long.”
Surely the threat and the blaze of hot cannon melting faceplates would be enough. He thought it was, he thought there was hope-- until he saw the movement, almost before it started, the flash of claws closing around his partner's spark.
::Ironhide, now!::
::Together then.::
::Together. I'll see you soon.::
Ironhide heard the scream, released the failsafe and let the cannon go off with a roar of fury. He was thrown back by the shock, the blast shattering plates and melting armor. He felt the agonizing pain of his partner's death like his own spark being crushed into shards through the bond, before mercifully fading out.
His bonded's voice echoed through the blackness around him.
Don't give up, Ironhide. Keep going.
****
He studied the small human weapon he was modifying for Will, letting the last of the memories fade away. Only the shadow of pain with them now. The present and what future they might have here was his priority, and if battle was a part of it, then he would make sure they were ready.
Fifteen plasma grenades would make for an impressive explosion, and Ironhide began checking the failsafe once more, until a thought intruded and a stray snatch of ghostly song wailed through his processors.
...in a blaze of glory... I'm going down...
He mulled the idea and let the song play out in the background, a favorite of one of the NEST soldiers, and by the end he was reconfiguring the weapon to include the option for Lennox to override the safety and trigger all the grenades at once.
His partner, he decided, would approve.
Warnings: Pretty mild, but maybe PG-13, for an overall dark theme, violence and an OC death.
And~ An overdue and utterly delighted 'Thank You!' to toyzintheattik. She made my icon prize for winning the April Challenge, Vivid Memory, on tf_ic_prompts. Many, many thanks! XDD *hugs* ♥
FAILSAFE
Ironhide left the Shack behind, walking upstream until the waterfall came into view, and settling himself beside one of the trees. He pulled out his project, and examined the progress made, and set to work once more
A few of the pings he so steadfastly refused to acknowledge slipped past in his preoccupation, and he found himself musing on comfort and friendship, the recent bonding of Prowl and Jazz, and that was all it took for his own memories to resurface.
The sounds of the waterfall turned to the babble of voices and garbled orders, weapons fire, the clash of metal armor, the shock of explosions, shouts and screams...
****
A moment's inattention was all it took and then it was over. His partner hung in the Decepticon's grip, claws digging into armor seams, chest plating ruined, the weak flicker of sparklight shining through the gaps. He staggered to his feet and began working his way around rubble and dead mechs, opening a comm to his partner, dirtying the line with enough static to buy them a few nanokliks before it was noticed and hacked.
::Fight! Distract him! Buy me enough time to get close to him!::
He watched his bonded's optics flash and dim with their signal. Yes.
The weak screams that answered his demand twisted into audials and ripped through his spark, but he refused to block them out. Fight, defend, protect, instincts spark-deep and programming as old as he was, and when all else failed, when he failed, priorities were shunted, overridden and driven aside with one single imperative.
More screams as shining silver claws raked over his partner's bared spark.
Revenge.
The single shot was not enough to loose his partner from the deadly grip, but it was enough for Ironhide to close the remaining gap. One hand fisted over neck fairing and yanked the 'Con close, and a large black cannon pressed against helm.
"Release him."
Claws quivered and edged towards spark, and the cannon pressed harder.
“Don’t even think it,” Ironhide warned, and the Decepticon’s claws relaxed. Blue optics flicked over his partner, scanners cataloguing catastrophic injuries and the slow ebb of systems.
No time. There was no time.
Ironhide tightened his grip on the Decepticon and snarled into his audial.
“Try anything, scum, and I’ll blast you straight to the Pit. Now, release him!"
His bonded stirred and wheezed a grinding chuckle. "I'd listen to him if I were you. He gets a little impatient when he's got a clean shot."
Sharp fangs flashed defiance. “You won’t harm me while I hold your teammate, Autobot." Claws twisted within a joint and his partner grimaced with pain.
Ironhide growled, his cannon's charge whirring an angry counterpoint, and the Decepticon uttered a short laugh. "Stalemate. Back off and I'll consider letting him live."
The black mech sneered at the offer. "So you can reprogram him? No thanks, we'll take our chances together."
::'Hide, take him out now.::
::No! You're too damaged, you won't survive.::
Red optics glinted. “Together? You're bluffing. If you blast me, you’ll kill him as well.”
The smug tone grated across his audials. The cannon’s angry hum grew louder, and Ironhide’s optics blazed white, cold anger setting into core and spark.
“You think I don’t already know that? I’d rather kill him myself than see my bonded in your filthy claws a moment longer.”
::He's not falling for it. It doesn't matter now, I'm dead anyway.::
::Not by my hand!::
::Yours and no other's. Now stop arguing and take him down, Ironhide.::
::Not yet! Let me at least try!::
Desperation fueled fury, and Ironhide channeled every scrap of energy he could spare. The cannon whined with the sudden build-up of power, and plasma began leaking around the mouth of the weapon. The Decepticon hissed angrily as the plates of his face started to smoke, and Ironhide laughed harshly.
“Still think I’m bluffing? You have exactly one click to release my partner before my weapon overloads into your head.”
“You’ll die, too, Autobot.”
“My armor will hold. Will yours?”
Red optics flickered briefly. “You won't risk it. A blast like that will kill all of us.”
“I estimate that I have a 40 percent chance of surviving. Your chance is even less, while my partner has almost none,” Ironhide said coldly. “But if you should survive, and my bonded dies, there is no place in the universe you'll be safe from me. And when I find you, I will keep you alive for a very long time. Think about it, Decepticon, but don’t think too long.”
Surely the threat and the blaze of hot cannon melting faceplates would be enough. He thought it was, he thought there was hope-- until he saw the movement, almost before it started, the flash of claws closing around his partner's spark.
::Ironhide, now!::
::Together then.::
::Together. I'll see you soon.::
Ironhide heard the scream, released the failsafe and let the cannon go off with a roar of fury. He was thrown back by the shock, the blast shattering plates and melting armor. He felt the agonizing pain of his partner's death like his own spark being crushed into shards through the bond, before mercifully fading out.
His bonded's voice echoed through the blackness around him.
Don't give up, Ironhide. Keep going.
****
He studied the small human weapon he was modifying for Will, letting the last of the memories fade away. Only the shadow of pain with them now. The present and what future they might have here was his priority, and if battle was a part of it, then he would make sure they were ready.
Fifteen plasma grenades would make for an impressive explosion, and Ironhide began checking the failsafe once more, until a thought intruded and a stray snatch of ghostly song wailed through his processors.
...in a blaze of glory... I'm going down...
He mulled the idea and let the song play out in the background, a favorite of one of the NEST soldiers, and by the end he was reconfiguring the weapon to include the option for Lennox to override the safety and trigger all the grenades at once.
His partner, he decided, would approve.