Watching the water fall one drop at a time

[leader_prime]

WHO: Movie!Optimus, Movie!Ratchet, Movie!Ironhide, potentially Movie!Jazz, likely Mikaela, (SEMI OPEN)
WHAT: Finding Optimus and dragging his fat... self elsewhar
WHERE: Near one of the entrances/exits to Zone 9 and movin' on up in the world
WHEN: Backdated to July 23 (Damn LJ brownouts)
WARNINGS/NOTES: Lucy, you got some 'splanin' ta do.

Comments

[dayglo_cmo]

Ratchet jolted clear of a direct collision with a short and rather curt flick of his lights, and then fell in behind Ironhide. As much as he wanted to barrel over the increasingly uneven terrain of scrap and crumbling buildings, he resolutely followed his companion down through the levels. Mostly, what kept his place at the black truck’s rear axle and his speed in check were the difficulties inherent in leading the way if you are unaware of where you are going.

:: I can see that, Ironhide. Hnn. A rather blatantly aggressive move, that he is all the way down here as opposed to outside processing like anyone else. ::So the Hummer wove around obstacles behind the larger mech, with a sizable portion of his processors on what they would find when they finally located Optimus. As mangled as their Prime had seemed over the commlink, anything could happen before they reached him. Even then, Ratchet had his own repair supplies and cache of redundant systems, but there was always the concern he might not have enough to adequately

[leader_prime]

"Even still." He did not bother to elaborate - he did not need to. He would have taken their concern any day and felt it better served to be directed elsewhere, but always on the other hand, he was grateful to have it at all. For all the things he had done right or wrong in his time, he never had felt worthy of half of the good he had received

[show_my_cannons]

Mikaela's place was, if he remembered right, sort of in the middleground their apartment sat in. Not too many Transtechs. Not too many lowlife scum from the lower zones. Even if some of them did bother her, the security systems should take care of them.

He'd made sure of that.

He tried to focus on driving, and not all the unknowns. What had happened to Prime? Why was he so reluctant to talk about it? It bothered him, mostly, that his leader had been damaged so severely... and he had no idea what had happened. But the sooner they got to their destination, the sooner he'd find out.

"Almost there."

[dayglo_cmo]

A response to Prime's self-deprecating statement was rather a futile gesture, and Ratchet chose to spare his own logic protocols in trying to fight that losing battle. Instead, the Hummer pulled closer alongside the semi's trailer hitch, a slightly more friendly position than a professional escort.

He occupied himself trying to prioritize what he knew of Optimus' damage and the requisite treatments. The shoulder was obvious, probably a few lose circuit boards if the dents were anything to go by, at least a few leg wounds...

"Ironhide," Ratchet shook himself back to focus, starting to recognize landmarks and where they were beyond a bland string of coordinates blinking on his HUD. "Are we an appropriate distance to contact Mikaela?"

(ooc: Should we tap 'Kaela-mun? ...which sounds Jamaican. Let's pretend I did not do that...)

@3@ I'm not sure about the streets of this level, how crowded they are *BS TIEM*

[leader_prime]

At the very least, things looked less dreary by leaps and bounds where they were. He hadn't seen or heard anything - either through visual receptors or any of the various environmental scans that he possessed - to indicate that they had been followed, and neither, apparently, had Ironhide or Ratchet. They had his unquestionable trust, but a small part of him still wanted to think that maybe, just maybe, something still lurked at the edges of their range.

None of them could find the culprit while they were still down in the pits of this world, and yet something had still alerted a number of its citizens to his presence. He resolved to reassure himself with the fact that that first level had been a horrible place, likely run and maintained as badly as it looked, but these upper levels were vastly different. Cleaner, better kept, its occupants were alive and many of them did not hide

[show_my_cannons]

"Yeah, probably."

Likely, the 'bots around here were more interested in the fact Prime was damaged than anything else. He'd learned, by now, that no one really seemed to believe there could be any Primes in the Nexus. The alternate Prime's run-in with the group of pretenders proved that much. Still, he stuck close, looking dark and dangerous as usual, even in his vehicle form.

No one would come close, if he had anything to say about it.

But he did attempt to send Mikaela a hailing ping -- a message to her comm. Something to tell the girl they were en route.