Prompt : Opportunity

[combatsalesjeep]

(ooc - open post. Anybody can come across Swindle in the caves or comm him!As the death of Swindle’s sparkmate receded into the past and his relations with the other Combaticons improved, Swindle felt better and better, and he thought more and more of ways in which he could return to his old ‘profession

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[combatsalesjeep]

Revving hard, bumping and banging his way over rocks, Swindle makes it round the corner and into the larger cave, where the going isn't quite so rough.

But he stays at the same speed. "Don't let go!" he says to Vortex. "Cos you did it - didn't you? That's those slaggin' crates of explos I got up there."

"And keep you optics peeled in here," he adds. "There's some nice photon rifles I put down somewhere. Grab any other pit you can see as well. There's plenty around."

They round the other corner and start upwards as the entrance portal comes into view.

// Where are you, Blast? // Swindle comms. Smallest Combaticon is now feeling decidedly 'stressed' by all this. In the old days he would have just located the gear. Various of Onslaught's lower 'minions' would have done the dirty work!

[readyforliftoff]

Oh wonderful… Blast Off vents another huff from his large alt-mode intakes.

// I’m outside the cave// he answers Swindle, and adds. //And don’t forget to secure everything. // He doesn’t need the cargo rolling and flying around and exploding inside him…

[twitchy_rotors]

"I just loaded what was closest," Vortex says, not bothering to comment on the large 'Hi-Ex' lettering he can see on the side of the crate.

"Heh, photon rifles, nice. I kinda got my hands full, though..." Vortex keeps up with Swindle, balancing his own crate on one shoulder while he tries to stop the high exposives from jiggling too much.

//Eh, no worries,// he says over comm.

[combatsalesjeep]

Swindle lets out a shudder at 'what was closest.'

"You're right!" he says. You do have your hands full! We'll come back for the loose stuff later. Just don't let go!"

He stays in low gear, his engine making a gravelly sound as he heaves up the slope. His tray aches, his suspension is sagging, his shock absorbers now don't feel in good shape, and his engine is struggling to stay cool. That's without the prospect of suddenly being blown to smithereens! The thought of having to go back for more is appalling.

// I thought you were coming in! // he says crossly to Blast Off. // Look at the size of you and the size of me? Why do I have to do everything? //

[readyforliftoff]

A growl over the commlink that echoes from his engine into the cave. //Look at the size of me and the size of the cave. Unlike ground bound mechs I don’t possess reverse gear, and I’m not going to transform inside the cave.//

Then, he huffs again, muttering sarcastically. //If it’s any help, I can level the mountain…//

[twitchy_rotors]

Vortex has no idea why Swindle would think that Blast Off was about to enter the cave. But he does pick up on Swindle's increased anxiety, and unlike usual when he would just goad his team mate into exploding, he has the urge to do something reassuring.

"All looks fine back here," he says. Then, over the comm., //Can you wait 'til we're outside, 'cause I'd kinda like to watch that.//

[combatsalesjeep]

// It's big in the first cavern, you could have walked in and given us a hand carrying! // Swindle grumbles, aware that he didn't actually ask Blast Off to do that but heck, couldn't the shuttle figure it out?

// We will not level the mountain. Don't be ridiculous! // he snaps, unmindful that his team mates were trying to be 'helpful.' // There's tons of stuff still in here and besides, you'll bring the Autobots running. And Cyclonus! //

Primus - and they wonder why he wanted to operate alone?

He rolls through the entrance to the cave and up to Blast Off, relieved to have 'made it.' "Get this stuff off me!" he says. "I need a short breather before I go back for the rest!"

[readyforliftoff]

Blast Off’s cargo hold walls shake when he growls again over his onboard speakers. “Watch your tone.”

They can be glad that he came in the first place. Over a private comm to Vortex he says //Hmpf, I’m very tempted to shoot the mountain with Swindle inside…//

[twitchy_rotors]

Vortex snickers, then realises that he's doing it out loud and stops.

He puts the crate down in the snow, recalibrating his optics for the light, and lifts the other two crates from Swindle. As far as Blast Off can emote while in alt mode, he really doesn't look happy.

"Uh... I'm kinda not very good at all that securing the load scrap, so..." He turns on his heel and heads back into the cave. "I'm gonna go fetch the grenades!"

[combatsalesjeep]

Swindle transforms, sees Vortex snickering and looks from Vortex to Blast Off.

"Fine!" he says. " How about thank you Swindle for greatly enhancing the effectiveness of the Combaticon cause?" He turns to Blast Off. "I don't want you blowing the place to bits," he says, "because my sparkmate's body is still in there somewhere, dummy!"

He's aware that Vortex has headed off again. "He won't carry the rest all by himself!" he snaps. "I'll help him. There's not much more. We should be right back. Then we'll load the lot." he turns and hurries after Vortex.

But despite his grumpiness, Swindle experiences that fondness again at them all being together - even though they were all together just hours before.

// Sorry I'm snappy ... // he mutters grudgingly down the comm to both of them.

[readyforliftoff]

Blast Off doesn’t quite understand what a corpse inside the cave has to do with not blowing it up, but he’s far from mentioning that.

His vents puff a sigh and kicking up snow. Fine, he’ll just wait there until they come back…

He really doesn’t want to transform again as the alt-mode arm aches worse in robot mode. He probably will stay a while in alt, he thinks, and ponders on flying to the desert afterwards.

Blast Off is deep in thoughts and only realises after a klik or two that he should say and answer something.

//I won’t go anywhere,// he eventually replies blankly, and it’s true. It’s okay just sitting there and not needing to move, or to fly or to drag metal around. //Hey Swindle, do you have tires in there which suit the current weather conditions?//

[twitchy_rotors]

//He already called me 'dummy',// Vortex says via private comm to Blast Off. //I think he's got, y'know, dead fragtoy issues.//

Then, to Swindle, but not privately, //You can express your gratitude later, physically. And maybe with some high grade.//

He hurries back to the cave, and picks up the crate of grenades. "Hehehe, booom!" he says to himself, and heads back towards Blast Off.

[combatsalesjeep]

// Yes,// Swindle says to Blast Off, hurrying after Vortex, their footsteps echoing in the gloom. // But I hardly need them in here, do I? Since you ask though, I'm very good at driving in that snow! I'll give you a demo later! //

He rounds the last corner into the cavern in which are the crates, and nearly collides with Vortex, on his way out. "WATCH WHERE YOU"RE GOING!" he yells. "AND WAIT A SEC, YOU STUPID AFT! LOAD THE LAST ONE ON MY TRAY!"

Pushing past Vortex, he transforms in a series of graunchings and screechings of metal.

"Urgghh!" he says. "Slaggin' relays are fragged. This is all your fault!"

Again, everything transmits loud and clear over the comm.

[readyforliftoff]

//Obviously. I don’t care as long as he doesn’t want me to carry the dead metal,// Blast Off answers the private comm, muttering grumpily. Then he is confused by Swindle’s answer, but remembers quickly that Swindle, too, would need other tyres in snow. That wasn’t actually what Blast Off wanted to know.

//Well… that’s good, I think. Anyway. Do you have spare tyres?// If so, than the next loading with the Autobot would be over quicker…

He decides to ignore the new yelling and complaining and keeps quiet. It wouldn’t be worth any words.

[twitchy_rotors]

"Okay," Vortex grumbles. "Guess who ain't getting laid after this? That'd be you."

He puts the grenade crate down on the floor - that one's his - and loads up the larger and two smaller crates that are left over. Then he hefts the grenade crate onto his shoudler and pats Swindle on the tailgate.

"Done, you can start up."

[combatsalesjeep]

Swindle huffs and goes all quiet, rolling away without another word. The load isn't so heavy, and it's better balanced, so he makes it around the corner with greater ease, and is soon grinding and bumping his way up to the entrance, the cargo bouncing on his tray. He maintains a sulky silence.

// I got one spare tyre,// he says to Blast Off sullenly. // Why? //

As they near the entrance, he says in a small voice on private comm. to Vortex: // I thought you’d be too busy playing with this stuff for anything else anyway, Vee! //