Title: A Good Working Relationship?
Rating: PG-13
Series: G1
Pairings: pre-RedAlert/Inferno
Summary: The beginning of a beautiful working relationship? Maybe?
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: As per usual, the good things in life are not mine to have, but belong to someone else... in this case Hasbro, Takara and IDW and anyone else I’ve forgotten…
Authors Notes: For the redxinferno February contest - Beginnings. Needless to say, I was beaten soundly into the ground by a better entry.
Feedback makes friends. Flames dealt with by the masters of paranoia and fire, Red Alert and Inferno.
“We can’t team them together. It’d be a disaster.”
“Well what else do you suggest? I’m not sure who else to pair either of them with. They’re both too…”
“Different?”
“That wasn’t exactly the word I was going to use.”
“What word were you going to use?”
“Impetuous and cautious.”
“That suits them both perfectly, although overly cautious might be a better fit.”
“True.”
“We haven’t got any other option?”
”None that I can see.”
”All right.”
”So we’re agreed?”
“Yes.”
“We’ll put Red Alert and Inferno on the same team?”
“Yes. And pray to Primus.”
“And pray to Primus…”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“Heya, I’m Inferno. You must be Red Alert. Looks like we’re gonna be paired together.” The large red mech held out a hand to Red Alert, an eager smile on his faceplates. Carefully, Red Alert took Inferno’s hand, relieved as the larger mech didn’t squeeze too hard.
“It certainly seems that way.” Red Alert agreed, looking up at Inferno. The mech had a kind face. And he seemed friendly enough. If not a little friendlier than Red Alert was used to.
“Lookin’ forward ta it already. Can’t wait ta get out there.” Red Alert shook his head.
“We shouldn’t have to go out there that often. Hopefully.”
“Yeah, but ya know we’ll end up out there. An’ I can’t wait.” Red Alert sighed; this mech was all too eager to get out there and help, which while it was a good quality, it was one Red Alert didn’t necessarily share. Oh, he wanted to be out there helping, sure. He just wasn’t quite so eager to get out in the thick of it as it seemed Inferno was.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“There’s someone in there!” Inferno yelled out, heading straight for the hottest part of the fire.
“Inferno!!” Red Alert called out after him. “It’s too dangerous!” But Inferno ignored him, plunging straight into the building complex, seemingly heedless of the flames roaring around him.
That he came out carrying a mech in stasis was of no consequence to Red Alert - Inferno hadn’t listened to him. He had recklessly endangered his life. Not that Inferno shouldn’t have rescued the mech - that was after all what they were there for - but he should have gauged the situation better. As it was, the building collapsed moments after Inferno made it out. Red Alert had watched, horrified as his teammate collapsed, medics and other search and rescue mechs rushing towards him.
“I can’t believe you did that!”
“Well hey there, Red.” Inferno’s voice was hoarse, indicative of the amount of time he’d been sedated whilst being repaired.
“Hey there. The first thing he says is hey there.” Red Alert’s voice rose in pitch and Inferno winced.
“What’s the matter, Red?”
“What’s the matter? What’s the matter! I’ll tell you what the matter is.” He said, poking Inferno in the arm. “The matter is that you ignored all your training and ran into a structurally unsafe building and risked your life.”
“Why Red, I didn’t know ya cared.”
“Care! I just don’t want to have to break in a new teammate. You were difficult enough.” Red Alert huffed, folding his arms across his chestplate. He liked Inferno, he didn’t know why, but there was something about the red mech’s easygoing nature that he found appealing.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“Red!” This time, it was Inferno shouting after his teammate.
“Inferno, there’s an energy reading in there.” Red Alert stopped and turned round to face the larger mech.
“But Red, the whole thing’s gonna blow.”
“Which makes it necessary for me to go in!” Ignoring anything else Inferno was about to say, Red Alert headed straight for the building.
“Frag, and he says I’m bad.” Inferno muttered, following Red Alert.
The fire inside the building was scorching hot, searing their plating.
“Red!” Inferno hissed, barely able to see the mech, so thick was the smoke.
“Over here.” Red Alert called out softly, smoke creating a little bit of feedback in his vocaliser.
“We have to get out of here!”
“Inferno…” There was something in Red Alert’s voice that made Inferno’s spark stop pulsing for a fraction.
“Red, stay there, I’m comin’.” Inferno made his way over to Red Alert, ignoring the warnings he was beginning to get. He found Red Alert crouched on the floor, a sparkling nestled in his arms.
“Aww frag.” He muttered, kneeling to check on the both of them. “How we gonna get ya outta here, little one?” He asked rhetorically, processor calculating exactly how they could manage this.
“His plating can’t survive the heat.” Red Alert murmured. “It’s warped already.”
“It’s gonna hafta survive.” Inferno said grimly. “I ain’t letting any of us deactivate in here.” He looked around, trying to see if there was anything they could use to help, but there was nothing. Anything that could have been of any use was either melted or far too hot to handle.
“Ain’t nothing for it.” He sighed, looking at Red Alert. “You’re gonna hafta protect him, and I’m gonna hafta protect the both a you.”
“What?” Red Alert’s head snapped up.
“It’s the only way we’re gonna get the little bitlet out safe. And we gotta get him out soon, unless ya want the rest of the squad to be digging our chassis out of the ruins.” He gestured to the building around them, which was close to collapsing, the ominous groaning and creaking of metal could just be heard above the roar of the flames.
“Not particularly.” Red Alert admitted, realising exactly how his hasty decision was affecting the both of them. If only Inferno could feel the same, he thought briefly, but discounted the thought almost immediately. The sparkling nestled against his plating was proof of why he’d made such a decision, and he could understand why Inferno would risk his own life to save another, even if he didn’t entirely approve of it.
“Well then.” Inferno stood up. “If ya tuck him as close as ya can get him, then I’ll cover the both of ya.”
“How?” Red Alert busied himself nestling the sparkling comfortably against his plating, making sure he could protect him.
“I’m gonna carry the both a ya out.” Inferno shrugged, waiting until Red Alert had finished adjusting the sparkling to his satisfaction before picking the smaller mech up. Red Alert squeaked as he felt himself being lifted off the floor, instinctively grabbing on to Inferno.
Inferno covered the pair of them as best he could before backing towards the door. The more protection he could offer them, the better, regardless of the risk to his plating. It was designed to handle far higher temperatures than Red Alert’s was. And certainly far more than the sparkling’s plating was.
Red Alert ducked his head down against Inferno’s plating, cradling the sparkling between the larger mech and himself.
“Nearly there.” He murmured to the sparkling, trying to reassure it. It had stopped crying after Inferno had picked them up, and he wasn’t in a position to try and determine if the sparkling was still online. He fervently hoped it was.
Inferno gratefully gulped in fresh air as he staggered out of the building.
“Made it.” He groaned, collapsing to his knees, not struggling as others pulled Red Alert and the sparkling from him. They doused him in foam, immediately cooling his plating down. He watched as medics tending to the sparkling, Red Alert very reluctantly giving up his grip. Once he was assured that the sparkling was in safe hands, he made his way over to Inferno.
“Thank you.” He whispered, resting a hand gently on Inferno’s plating.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Inferno opened his optics to see the ceiling of the med bay. Unsurprising really, given what he remembered doing.
“Inferno?”
“I can’t believe ya did that.”
“Well hey there, Inferno.” Red Alert mimicked Inferno, a smile on his face. He was sitting on the next berth to Inferno, plating bare in patches where the fire had got through.
“The sparkling?” He ignored the jibe.
“She’s fine. Thanks to you.”
“Nah, it were you who found her.” Inferno pointed out.
“But you came in after me. If it hadn’t been for you…”
“If it hadn’t been fer you, we wouldn’t have found her.” Inferno struggled to sit up, wincing as he felt newly replaced plating stretch. “Still can’t believe ya were reckless enough to go rushin’ into a burning building.”
“Perhaps you’re rubbing off on me.” Red Alert smirked, slipping off his berth to move and perch on the edge of Inferno’s.
“Mebbe I am.” Inferno grinned. “Don’t expect me ta start using caution though.” He grinned.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“All right, so it was a good decision.”
“I thought it would be.”
“But you weren’t sure?”
“No, not initially. But it worked out for the best.”