Chapter 2 :: Credō XIV
Chapter 2 :: Credō XIV
Cliffjumper was slagged. He knew that. When every other Autobot in the area was out of sight, Soundwave was jamming the comms, and three Seekers were circling a lone minibot, bad things were going to happen. It didn't help that this was Starscream and his trine, and earlier in the battle, before he was caught alone, 'Jumper had been taunting them. Now, they were returning the favor, showering him with insults and lasers.
Yup. Cliffjumper was well and truly slagged.
“You Auto-dolts are so weak!” Skywarp sneered as he took a shot at the red minibot.
“Ha! You think?” his trine leader called back. “Wimpy 'bots. Don't have a single bolt among them! They're all insane organic-huggers!”
Cliffjumper refrained from snarling something back, knowing the only reason he was still alive was because the Seekers were too busy trying to outdo each other's insults. Perhaps, the minibot thought, they're too focused on each other? He slid sideways, hoping to make it into the nearby woods and leave the Decepticons alone in the valley. The Seekers, however, were keeping an optic on the Autobot.
“Nah-ah-ah, we aren't finished with you,” Starscream called as he let a cluster bomb fall in front of 'Jumper. The minibot jumped back, landing on his aft, and the purple Seeker above him chuckled.
“Poor widdle Autobot! All alone wif us!” Giggles followed the two sentences, from both Starscream and Skywarp. Thundercracker remained quiet.
“Actually,” a refined voice cut through the almost hysterical laughing, “he's not alone.” The Seekers did a little approximation of a jump, seeing as how they were hovering in the air, and looked around. Cliffjumper, recognizing the voice, felt two conflicting emotions rise up: relief and even more panic.
Mirage. The one bot he had pretty much made it his mission to get rid of. The one bot (besides maybe Sunstreaker) who he irritated and made fun of on a daily basis. Of course, it had to be him. And he would get his revenge, now. He'd let, and probably even help, the Seekers take out the biggest pain in his aft, and then walk, invisible, back to the main battle and claim he had no idea what was going on.
A little panicked whimper was emitted from Cliffjumper's vocalizer. He scrambled away from the voice as fast as he could, which wasn't very fast, seeing as how he was still flat on his aft. He managed to do a sort of crab-crawl a few feet before collapsing.
“Who's there?” Skywarp called nervously, still looking around. “Show yourself!”
“Oh, but where's the fun in that?” Mirage asked, still invisible. Cliffjumper could tell he was moving. “Why should I tell you where I am?”
“So we can slag you!” the purple Seeker answered, and his trine leader smacked him on the back of the helm.
“That's not a very good reason for me to tell you where I am,” the frameless voice rebuked. “I’m not particularly fond of being slagged.”
Skywarp snarled and started firing all over the clearing. Dirt sprayed up in clouds as lasers hit. Cliffjumper jumped as something brushed over his shoulder armor.
“I'm right here, Cliffjumper. Don't move,” a soft, cultured voice whispered in his audial. “I can hide another bot with my electro-disrupter, but I have to reset it first. On my signal, we jump towards the nearest dust cloud. Ready... Set... Go!”
Cliffjumper followed the order without protesting. There was no point in it. Dirt enveloped them. There was a moment of simply laying in the dirt, then a funny tingling ran through the red Autobot's circuits. A moment later, Mirage poked him.
“We're invisible,” he whispered, the words barely even audible for 'Jumper, who was pressed up against his chassis. “Hold on to me, and I’ll carry us both out. If I tell you to do something, do it.”
Cliffjumper nodded as he clung to the spy. After a moment, Mirage started moving, darting out of the cloud of dirt and running silently toward the trees. The Seekers were busy careening fruitlessly around, searching for their lost target.
Who was now safely hidden by the trees. Mirage set the minibot down and deactivated his electro-disrupter. Cliffjumper stared at him for a long moment, then turned back to the clearing. “We should take them out.”
“Of course. Who do you want to take?”
“Starscream. And... thanks, by the way.”
Mirage smiled softly, though Cliffjumper couldn't see it. “Of course. I will take the other two.”
The minibot nodded, still facing the clearing, and pulled one of his famously large guns from his subspace as Mirage took his sniper rifle off his back where it had been slung. They both took careful aim and pulled the trigger. Two Seekers went spiraling to the ground, while their blue companion remained high in the sky. After shooting him down as well, the two Autobots returned to the main battle.
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Mirage had been injured in the battle. Cliffjumper learned this only after everyone was back on the Ark. For the rest of the day, he sat alone at a table, nursing an energon cube, wondering if it was worth risking Ratchet's wrath to go talk to the spy. After the sun set, he made his way to the Med Bay.
The red minibot poked his head in the door, glancing around to make sure Ratchet wasn’t playing guard. When no demon medic showed, he stepped inside. First Aid glanced up from where he was rewiring an offlined Wheeljack's arm to his shoulder. “You start anything, Cliffjumper, I’m going to kick you out,” he said, visor flashing. Aid was a kind bot, but when it came to his patients, his temperament evolved to something more similar to Ratchet's.
“I'm not going to start anything, Aid. Can you tell me where Mirage is?”
The young medic looked up sharply. It was no secret that Cliffjumper wasn't a big fan of Mirage's, and that, given the opportunity, he was rarely nice to the spy. Him asking after the noble's health was something that Did Not Happen. “Why are you looking for Mirage?”
Cliffjumper hesitated; again, something that wasn't exactly common with the red minibot. “I... He helped me out today. I was wondering why.”
First Aid stared at him for a couple minutes. Was it worth the risk? Perhaps he should ask Mirage if he was willing to see the minibot.
::First Aid to Mirage.::
::Mirage here. What is it, Aid?::
::Um... Cliffjumper wants to see you. Is... is that okay?::
::I suppose so. Send him in.::
“Mirage is in room 3B. Go ahead... And Cliffjumper? Hound is in there. He stays in there.”
The minibot shifted uncertainly for a moment before nodding. “Understood. Thanks, Aid.”
The medic nodded and turned back to the prone form of Wheeljack. Cliffjumper slowly walked toward the small private room marked 3B. The door opened for him, and he stepped inside.
“Hello, Cliffjumper,” Mirage called from his place on the berth. Hound, sitting beside him, cast a curious look at the minibot.
“Hey, Mirage.”
There was a long, awkward silence. Then, “Can I help you?”
“I... I was just curious. Why didn't you let the Seekers just finish me off today?”
The former noble examined Cliffjumper for a moment before answering. “It was the right thing to do. As an Autobot, I could not simply stand by and watch them kill you.”
“But I’m the biggest pain in your aft! I' m constantly accusing you of being a traitor, I’m never exactly kind to you... Honestly, I wouldn't have blamed you if you'd done nothing.”
Cliffjumper suddenly found his pedes very interesting. Hound and Mirage shared a loaded glance before the spy struggled to stand up. He managed, though it was a slow and laborious process, and walked slowly, carefully, over to the minibot.
“Cliffjumper, I protected you because we are comrades, even if we are not friends. I am loyal to the Autobot cause, whether you believe it or not.”
The minibot finally looked up at the noble. “I... Thank you.”
With a soft smile, Mirage nodded. “Of course. Now, if you will excuse me, I’m tired. I need to rest.”
Cliffjumper nodded and turned toward the door. He cast one last glance at the noble as he left, then the door closed between them. He turned and walked out of the Med Bay, First Aid watching him curiously. The minibot was oblivious to the medbot's examination, though.
Thoughts and emotions whirled through his processor. Most prominent among them was wonder. Mirage had saved him, despite everything he had ever done against the spy. Maybe... Maybe Mirage wasn't that bad after all.
Cliffjumper was slagged. He knew that. When every other Autobot in the area was out of sight, Soundwave was jamming the comms, and three Seekers were circling a lone minibot, bad things were going to happen. It didn't help that this was Starscream and his trine, and earlier in the battle, before he was caught alone, 'Jumper had been taunting them. Now, they were returning the favor, showering him with insults and lasers.
Yup. Cliffjumper was well and truly slagged.
“You Auto-dolts are so weak!” Skywarp sneered as he took a shot at the red minibot.
“Ha! You think?” his trine leader called back. “Wimpy 'bots. Don't have a single bolt among them! They're all insane organic-huggers!”
Cliffjumper refrained from snarling something back, knowing the only reason he was still alive was because the Seekers were too busy trying to outdo each other's insults. Perhaps, the minibot thought, they're too focused on each other? He slid sideways, hoping to make it into the nearby woods and leave the Decepticons alone in the valley. The Seekers, however, were keeping an optic on the Autobot.
“Nah-ah-ah, we aren't finished with you,” Starscream called as he let a cluster bomb fall in front of 'Jumper. The minibot jumped back, landing on his aft, and the purple Seeker above him chuckled.
“Poor widdle Autobot! All alone wif us!” Giggles followed the two sentences, from both Starscream and Skywarp. Thundercracker remained quiet.
“Actually,” a refined voice cut through the almost hysterical laughing, “he's not alone.” The Seekers did a little approximation of a jump, seeing as how they were hovering in the air, and looked around. Cliffjumper, recognizing the voice, felt two conflicting emotions rise up: relief and even more panic.
Mirage. The one bot he had pretty much made it his mission to get rid of. The one bot (besides maybe Sunstreaker) who he irritated and made fun of on a daily basis. Of course, it had to be him. And he would get his revenge, now. He'd let, and probably even help, the Seekers take out the biggest pain in his aft, and then walk, invisible, back to the main battle and claim he had no idea what was going on.
A little panicked whimper was emitted from Cliffjumper's vocalizer. He scrambled away from the voice as fast as he could, which wasn't very fast, seeing as how he was still flat on his aft. He managed to do a sort of crab-crawl a few feet before collapsing.
“Who's there?” Skywarp called nervously, still looking around. “Show yourself!”
“Oh, but where's the fun in that?” Mirage asked, still invisible. Cliffjumper could tell he was moving. “Why should I tell you where I am?”
“So we can slag you!” the purple Seeker answered, and his trine leader smacked him on the back of the helm.
“That's not a very good reason for me to tell you where I am,” the frameless voice rebuked. “I’m not particularly fond of being slagged.”
Skywarp snarled and started firing all over the clearing. Dirt sprayed up in clouds as lasers hit. Cliffjumper jumped as something brushed over his shoulder armor.
“I'm right here, Cliffjumper. Don't move,” a soft, cultured voice whispered in his audial. “I can hide another bot with my electro-disrupter, but I have to reset it first. On my signal, we jump towards the nearest dust cloud. Ready... Set... Go!”
Cliffjumper followed the order without protesting. There was no point in it. Dirt enveloped them. There was a moment of simply laying in the dirt, then a funny tingling ran through the red Autobot's circuits. A moment later, Mirage poked him.
“We're invisible,” he whispered, the words barely even audible for 'Jumper, who was pressed up against his chassis. “Hold on to me, and I’ll carry us both out. If I tell you to do something, do it.”
Cliffjumper nodded as he clung to the spy. After a moment, Mirage started moving, darting out of the cloud of dirt and running silently toward the trees. The Seekers were busy careening fruitlessly around, searching for their lost target.
Who was now safely hidden by the trees. Mirage set the minibot down and deactivated his electro-disrupter. Cliffjumper stared at him for a long moment, then turned back to the clearing. “We should take them out.”
“Of course. Who do you want to take?”
“Starscream. And... thanks, by the way.”
Mirage smiled softly, though Cliffjumper couldn't see it. “Of course. I will take the other two.”
The minibot nodded, still facing the clearing, and pulled one of his famously large guns from his subspace as Mirage took his sniper rifle off his back where it had been slung. They both took careful aim and pulled the trigger. Two Seekers went spiraling to the ground, while their blue companion remained high in the sky. After shooting him down as well, the two Autobots returned to the main battle.
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Mirage had been injured in the battle. Cliffjumper learned this only after everyone was back on the Ark. For the rest of the day, he sat alone at a table, nursing an energon cube, wondering if it was worth risking Ratchet's wrath to go talk to the spy. After the sun set, he made his way to the Med Bay.
The red minibot poked his head in the door, glancing around to make sure Ratchet wasn’t playing guard. When no demon medic showed, he stepped inside. First Aid glanced up from where he was rewiring an offlined Wheeljack's arm to his shoulder. “You start anything, Cliffjumper, I’m going to kick you out,” he said, visor flashing. Aid was a kind bot, but when it came to his patients, his temperament evolved to something more similar to Ratchet's.
“I'm not going to start anything, Aid. Can you tell me where Mirage is?”
The young medic looked up sharply. It was no secret that Cliffjumper wasn't a big fan of Mirage's, and that, given the opportunity, he was rarely nice to the spy. Him asking after the noble's health was something that Did Not Happen. “Why are you looking for Mirage?”
Cliffjumper hesitated; again, something that wasn't exactly common with the red minibot. “I... He helped me out today. I was wondering why.”
First Aid stared at him for a couple minutes. Was it worth the risk? Perhaps he should ask Mirage if he was willing to see the minibot.
::First Aid to Mirage.::
::Mirage here. What is it, Aid?::
::Um... Cliffjumper wants to see you. Is... is that okay?::
::I suppose so. Send him in.::
“Mirage is in room 3B. Go ahead... And Cliffjumper? Hound is in there. He stays in there.”
The minibot shifted uncertainly for a moment before nodding. “Understood. Thanks, Aid.”
The medic nodded and turned back to the prone form of Wheeljack. Cliffjumper slowly walked toward the small private room marked 3B. The door opened for him, and he stepped inside.
“Hello, Cliffjumper,” Mirage called from his place on the berth. Hound, sitting beside him, cast a curious look at the minibot.
“Hey, Mirage.”
There was a long, awkward silence. Then, “Can I help you?”
“I... I was just curious. Why didn't you let the Seekers just finish me off today?”
The former noble examined Cliffjumper for a moment before answering. “It was the right thing to do. As an Autobot, I could not simply stand by and watch them kill you.”
“But I’m the biggest pain in your aft! I' m constantly accusing you of being a traitor, I’m never exactly kind to you... Honestly, I wouldn't have blamed you if you'd done nothing.”
Cliffjumper suddenly found his pedes very interesting. Hound and Mirage shared a loaded glance before the spy struggled to stand up. He managed, though it was a slow and laborious process, and walked slowly, carefully, over to the minibot.
“Cliffjumper, I protected you because we are comrades, even if we are not friends. I am loyal to the Autobot cause, whether you believe it or not.”
The minibot finally looked up at the noble. “I... Thank you.”
With a soft smile, Mirage nodded. “Of course. Now, if you will excuse me, I’m tired. I need to rest.”
Cliffjumper nodded and turned toward the door. He cast one last glance at the noble as he left, then the door closed between them. He turned and walked out of the Med Bay, First Aid watching him curiously. The minibot was oblivious to the medbot's examination, though.
Thoughts and emotions whirled through his processor. Most prominent among them was wonder. Mirage had saved him, despite everything he had ever done against the spy. Maybe... Maybe Mirage wasn't that bad after all.