28th Transmission

[heavyweaponsbot]

I wish to know what occurred on the upper decks. Between a certain turtle and an unknown person.

And I wish to know now. This is not a request. Speak up! Be quick about it!

Comments

[Locked // 98% Unhackable]

[tic_tech_turtle]

[you're probably not going to get much out of Don (who, coincidentally, probably knows the most what happened outside of Bass and Mike himself) because he wants to keep casualties to a minimum, but he has something he needs to say anyway.]

Ironhide. You kept him talking last night, didn't you? I wanted to say thanks for that. I'm not certain he would have stayed awake otherwise.

[Locked // 85% Unhackable]

[heavyweaponsbot]

Yeah. I did. I know... nothing of organic repairs. Had to do something.

[He pauses. Caution is not his strong suit either, and he really wants to know. Protective programming code will not be ignored.]

You got to him, then? What happened?

[Locked // 98% Unhackable]

[tic_tech_turtle]

Thank you for it.

[Don pauses, too.]

I did. He ended up with a fracture along his metacarpals. Er, those are the bones in the back of his hands. For an impact-created break, it...it could have a lot worse. I didn't detect any splintering, at least.

[longer pause, because he knows that wasn't what Ironhide was askign about]

He ended up in a confrontation with another passenger, who provoked him into throwing the first punch. Things degenerated from there, though Mikey's hand was the only extensive damage done.

[Locked // 85% Unhackable]

[heavyweaponsbot]

... Yeah. Ratchet would have done better.

[He is so glad there's a more layman explanation for things. Medic-speak still goes over his head.]

His hand is broken? Can you repair it?

[There's a silence, punctuated by quiet growling. This does not sit well with him.]

Give me their name. I will show them fractured... eh... whatever it was.

[Locked // 98% Unhackable]

[tic_tech_turtle]

I've...done all I can for it now, aside from trying to keep Mikey in as little pain as possible and making certain he doesn't do anything to strain himself...

But, as long as he doesn't do anything to misalign the bones or cause a rebreak, or mess with his splint and manage all of the above...as long as he lets it heal, he should be fine.

[there's another minor hesitation]

I...don't know his name. Mikey didn't get it.

[that's a lie.]

[Locked // 85% Unhackable]

[heavyweaponsbot]

You should sit on him. Take his comm away. Always worked for me. And when it did not... they used restraints.

[The growl gets a little louder. He's not buying it.]

Did he see him?

[Locked // 85% Unhackable]

[tic_tech_turtle]

I'm keeping an eye on him. Though I'll keep that in mind. Knowing Mike...

[Don, in times of duress, immediately plunges into "tldr" mode]

He did, but all he can tell me about him is the word "purple". It's possible he's experiencing some form of interference in the hippocampus, a mental block, brought on by minor trauma, and he'll recall in better detail at a later date, but at this point in time he doesn't know.

[Locked // 85% Unhackable]

[heavyweaponsbot]

Knowing him, he will sneak away at the earliest opportunity?

[His optic sort of glazes over for a second, before he makes himself focus.]

Purple.

... Good enough for me. It is a place to start.

[Locked // 85% Unhackable]

[tic_tech_turtle]

More like he'll forget he's injured and manage to damage himself further that way. Though him sneaking away is also a possibility.

[Don doesn't like that last bit, but purple can only get a person so far.]

Just...please remember that we don't know who it is for sure.

If you'd like, I can keep you updated on Mike's condition.

[Locked // 85% Unhackable]

[heavyweaponsbot]

If I were my proper size, I would tell you to lock him in my cab... Hmnf.

[He growls again, and metal creaks as he gets to his feet - pacing.]

We do not know yet. Yet. Whoever responsible will not hide for long. I will not allow it.

... yeah. Do that.

[Locked // 85% Unhackable]

[tic_tech_turtle]

The offer's appreciated, though by now Mike knows better than to try too hard to escape.

[what amusement had entered Don's voice is gone in the next bit of words]

I will, then. The person who did this...

[Don leaves that there, unsure where he'd been going with it.]

Thank you.

[Locked // 85% Unhackable]

[heavyweaponsbot]

Then he learns faster than this old 'Bot.

[His tone sobers as well, into something a little more dangerous than usual.]

The one who did this will be turned back into the scraps they were made from.

You do not need to thank me. Only tell me how he managed to be the one injured... while he was the one doing the hitting.

[Locked // 85% Unhackable]

[tic_tech_turtle]

[yeah, see, that's what Don's worried about. Raph died the last time he attacked someone.]

There's a reason the untrained are warned against hitting anyone with a closed fist - the bones in our hands aren't meant for it. Even though Mikey has training, that doesn't cancel out the possibility of him hitting someone just right and doing damage. Which is what I suspect happened.

[because saying, oh, yeah, Mikey hit a metal person sort of narrows things down to an uncomfortable level for Don. It's not strictly a lie, anyway. Don likes Ironhide. He doesn't like lying to him.]

[Locked // 85% Unhackable]

[heavyweaponsbot]

Hard enough to break his hand...?

[He's skeptical. Organics aren't all that strong, but they should be able to hit each other without breaking. Something's wrong with a species that can't do that.]

The chances of that seem slim. Maybe I should confirm them with my medic.

[... he's not sure if Ratchet actually knows or not, but no one has to know that.]

[Locked // 85% Unhackable] XD Ironhide.

[tic_tech_turtle]

It's true. We're not necessarily meant to hit others with our fists, it just so happens that it was discovered to be a more effective way to cause damage to another being, and was utilized as such regardless of the potential damage to ourselves.

If hit anywhere particularly...Hrm. If you strike someone in the face, for instance, you're liable to hurt yourself because the area is hard asnd doesn't give. You won't hurt yourself every time, which is why people still do it, but the chances are there.

...It probably would be best to ask your medic, actually.

[there's nothing to uncover, either. Because it's true, people do hurt themselves punching out other people. Don just might be exaggerating that a little.]

[Locked // 85% Unhackable] He's not good at this. |D

[heavyweaponsbot]

...

[Well that failed. Spectacularly. He's silent for a minute, glowering down at the comm as if it has personally offended him. There's a reason he doesn't interrogate verbally...]

... I will still find out who did this.