Fic - Something to Live For, Chapter 3 of 14
Title: Something to live for
Chapter 3: Briefing
Continuity: G1, Dysfunction AU
Rating: This chapter: PG-13
Warnings: implied past non-con, implied violence.
Disclaimer: Just playing in the sandbox, characters not mine.
Characters and/or pairings: Starscream, Onslaught, Blast Off, Brawl and Swindle, Optimus and Prowl.
Beta: naboru_narluin.
Summary: In which Optimus and Prowl come to a decision about Vortex, Starscream is utterly livid, and Swindle thinks they should all just jump ship.
[ Chapter 1, Chapter 2]
Chapter 3: Briefing
Prowl sighed and set down his datapad. It had been an exhausting few joors.
“Then we are agreed,” Optimus said, his image flickering on Teletraan One’s large screen. “We are at war, there is no other option.”
He sounded tired, regretful, and no wonder. Hot Spot’s report had been hard to read, harder still to digest. And as for their new course of action… Prowl shook his head sadly.
“It shouldn’t have to come to this,” he said. They were Autobots, this wasn’t the way they did things.
But Optimus was right; with the situation as it stood, their choices were limited. Starscream had unleashed a monster upon them all, and it needed to be dealt with.
Sparkplug would have said it was a bitter pill to swallow. Prowl thought it an apt metaphor.
Optimus nodded sadly. “I know.”
“I’ll brief Perceptor,” Prowl said. “He’ll find a way.”
*
Blast Off sat at the back of the briefing room, and glared at his team mates' helms. It was the calm before the storm; the long, dull wait for Starscream and his inevitable tirade. Unlike the Air Commander, Blast Off wasn't one to apportion blame, but intel from Swindle strongly indicated that this was Dead End's fault. And, oh look! Not a Stunticon amongst them. What a surprise.
Four Combaticons felt little different than five. It was quieter without Vortex, but not by much. Swindle still schemed, Onslaught still plotted, and Brawl still did whatever stupid thing entered his processor without any thought as to the consequences. They didn’t yet know if they could still combine, but Blast Off was sure that Onslaught would force them to find out.
Blast Off hunched down in his seat and yawned. He considered slipping into recharge; it wasn't as though anyone would notice. No one was looking at him. Slag, they weren't even looking at each other. He offlined his optics and focused on the subtle hum of the ship’s systems.
It was barely five astroseconds before the whine of jet engines could be heard in the corridor, followed by the close clatter of footsteps, and the far harsher whine of a particular voice.
"I don't suppose I need to tell you why you're here," Starscream began.
Blast Off sighed, and brought his optics back online. The seeker took his place at the podium, hands raised in a gesture that might otherwise have been quite friendly.
"I just have one thing to say,” Starscream sneered. “What the slag is wrong with you? He's your gestalt mate, you should know where he is at all times. You should know how he is, and make every effort to pull him out of the effluent that he will inevitably sink himself into. You have a bond. An excellent and highly effective bond far better than any mere comm. link. You know how I know? I programmed it myself! And now look at yourselves. Four fifths of a team that hardly functions at the best of times. You're a disgrace!"
Swindle raised a hand. "We know exactly where Vortex is." he said. "He's in the Autobot brig. What's the problem?"
"Swindle, be quiet," Onslaught hissed.
Starscream appeared to have frozen, mouth open, his optics blazing.
"Well, he is," Swindle said. "And it's not like they're gonna do anything to him. They'll go soft like they always do, and he'll be out again before you know it."
"Swindle, I said-"
"Silence!" Starscream yelled. "Do you even know what he did out there?"
Blast Off perked up; this wasn't the usual assault to his auditory sensors.
"You don't, do you?" Starscream leant on the lectern. "Onslaught?"
Onslaught shook his head, but said nothing.
"I didn't think so." The Air Commander smiled, a cruel twist of his faceplates that had nothing to do with good humour. "He fragged a Protectobot," Starscream said. "Hard. The Autobots aren't going to go soft on him. And they certainly aren't going to let him escape. They're planning a trial. Oh yes, now you get it. And if he's convicted - which he will be - they're going to wipe his core processor."
"How do you know that?" Brawl said. By the set of his shoulders, Blast Off guessed that he was going for belligerent disinterest, but it just came off as rattled.
"What do you think Soundwave does all day?" Starscream snapped. "Sit around playing Solitaire?" He made a small adjustment to one of his null rays, which, by apparent coincidence, was aimed at Onslaught's face. "This is your problem," Starscream said. "If you make it my problem, or if you make Megatron think that it's my problem, I will scrap every single one of you and start again from your cold, dead parts. Do you understand?"
Onslaught nodded.
"Good. I'm relieving you from regular duties until the end of this lunar cycle, by which time Vortex will be back with us. You may requisition supplies, and you have the use of repair bay, but aside from that, you're on your own. It's about time you learnt how to function as a team."
Always one to make an entrance, Starscream was also fond of grand exits. Not bothering to wait for questions, he stormed out, the clank of his footsteps far louder than was strictly necessary.
"Well," Onslaught began.
"I'm gonna slag Dead End," Brawl snarled. "He knew what Tex was up to, I'm gonna ram his tailpipe right -"
"You'll do nothing of the sort," Onslaught said. He stood and walked over to the podium. "Vortex got himself into this situation, and we're going to get him out. All of us. Granted, we weren't built for each other, not like the Stunticons. We were thrown together, out of necessity, but we are stronger together, and we will make this work."
"We don't have to," Swindle said. He glanced at the door and lowered his voice. "I know this guy on Monacus, all we have to do is get to the space bridge. I've got the coordinates."
There was a sound very similar to a strangled organic as Onslaught powered up his sonic rifle. "I don't believe you want to do that, Swindle, do you?"
"C'mon!” Swindle said. “If we stay, the Autobots'll slag us. Worse, they'll haul us up on trial too and back we go in the box for the rest of eternity. You want that? I know I don't."
"Yeah." Brawl shuddered. "Me either. But Monacus? That place got bounty hunters."
"What about you?" Onslaught said, and it took a moment for Blast Off to realise that he had become the centre of attention.
"I," he began, then trailed off. Vortex was a right royal pain in the afterburners. All he did was touch and prod and poke. He was sadistic, unpredictable, easily distracted, manipulative, demanding, cruel, and possessive. He was, as one of the Autobots had so memorably dubbed him, the psycho-copter. But he was their psycho-copter. Not that Blast Off was about to say that out loud.
"Megatron will find us," Blast Off said. "No matter how far we go, it will never be far enough. If we desert again, we're as good as offline. Permanently. I agree with Onslaught; we’re better off as we are."
“Well, Swindle?” Onslaught crossed his arms and waited.
Swindle glanced at Brawl, then back at Onslaught. “Guys, I mean… Monacus… A new start in a profitable sector. Their law enforcement-”
Onslaught took a step closer to Swindle, rifle still buzzing. “You’re nothing without us, Swindle.”
“Just a dead mech walking,” Blast Off added. “With delusions of business acumen.”
“All right, all right!” Swindle stood up, hands in the air. “I’ll do it. I’m in.”
“Brawl?” Onslaught’s rifle became silent.
Brawl nodded. “Yeah, whatever. It’s not like we got a choice.”
“Really?” said Onslaught. “I think we do. We can choose to make this work for us.”
Swindle sighed. “What’s the plan?”
“You three go see Hook for a tune-up, then go recharge,” Onslaught replied. “I need to think.”
Chapter 3: Briefing
Continuity: G1, Dysfunction AU
Rating: This chapter: PG-13
Warnings: implied past non-con, implied violence.
Disclaimer: Just playing in the sandbox, characters not mine.
Characters and/or pairings: Starscream, Onslaught, Blast Off, Brawl and Swindle, Optimus and Prowl.
Beta: naboru_narluin.
Summary: In which Optimus and Prowl come to a decision about Vortex, Starscream is utterly livid, and Swindle thinks they should all just jump ship.
[ Chapter 1, Chapter 2]
Chapter 3: Briefing
Prowl sighed and set down his datapad. It had been an exhausting few joors.
“Then we are agreed,” Optimus said, his image flickering on Teletraan One’s large screen. “We are at war, there is no other option.”
He sounded tired, regretful, and no wonder. Hot Spot’s report had been hard to read, harder still to digest. And as for their new course of action… Prowl shook his head sadly.
“It shouldn’t have to come to this,” he said. They were Autobots, this wasn’t the way they did things.
But Optimus was right; with the situation as it stood, their choices were limited. Starscream had unleashed a monster upon them all, and it needed to be dealt with.
Sparkplug would have said it was a bitter pill to swallow. Prowl thought it an apt metaphor.
Optimus nodded sadly. “I know.”
“I’ll brief Perceptor,” Prowl said. “He’ll find a way.”
*
Blast Off sat at the back of the briefing room, and glared at his team mates' helms. It was the calm before the storm; the long, dull wait for Starscream and his inevitable tirade. Unlike the Air Commander, Blast Off wasn't one to apportion blame, but intel from Swindle strongly indicated that this was Dead End's fault. And, oh look! Not a Stunticon amongst them. What a surprise.
Four Combaticons felt little different than five. It was quieter without Vortex, but not by much. Swindle still schemed, Onslaught still plotted, and Brawl still did whatever stupid thing entered his processor without any thought as to the consequences. They didn’t yet know if they could still combine, but Blast Off was sure that Onslaught would force them to find out.
Blast Off hunched down in his seat and yawned. He considered slipping into recharge; it wasn't as though anyone would notice. No one was looking at him. Slag, they weren't even looking at each other. He offlined his optics and focused on the subtle hum of the ship’s systems.
It was barely five astroseconds before the whine of jet engines could be heard in the corridor, followed by the close clatter of footsteps, and the far harsher whine of a particular voice.
"I don't suppose I need to tell you why you're here," Starscream began.
Blast Off sighed, and brought his optics back online. The seeker took his place at the podium, hands raised in a gesture that might otherwise have been quite friendly.
"I just have one thing to say,” Starscream sneered. “What the slag is wrong with you? He's your gestalt mate, you should know where he is at all times. You should know how he is, and make every effort to pull him out of the effluent that he will inevitably sink himself into. You have a bond. An excellent and highly effective bond far better than any mere comm. link. You know how I know? I programmed it myself! And now look at yourselves. Four fifths of a team that hardly functions at the best of times. You're a disgrace!"
Swindle raised a hand. "We know exactly where Vortex is." he said. "He's in the Autobot brig. What's the problem?"
"Swindle, be quiet," Onslaught hissed.
Starscream appeared to have frozen, mouth open, his optics blazing.
"Well, he is," Swindle said. "And it's not like they're gonna do anything to him. They'll go soft like they always do, and he'll be out again before you know it."
"Swindle, I said-"
"Silence!" Starscream yelled. "Do you even know what he did out there?"
Blast Off perked up; this wasn't the usual assault to his auditory sensors.
"You don't, do you?" Starscream leant on the lectern. "Onslaught?"
Onslaught shook his head, but said nothing.
"I didn't think so." The Air Commander smiled, a cruel twist of his faceplates that had nothing to do with good humour. "He fragged a Protectobot," Starscream said. "Hard. The Autobots aren't going to go soft on him. And they certainly aren't going to let him escape. They're planning a trial. Oh yes, now you get it. And if he's convicted - which he will be - they're going to wipe his core processor."
"How do you know that?" Brawl said. By the set of his shoulders, Blast Off guessed that he was going for belligerent disinterest, but it just came off as rattled.
"What do you think Soundwave does all day?" Starscream snapped. "Sit around playing Solitaire?" He made a small adjustment to one of his null rays, which, by apparent coincidence, was aimed at Onslaught's face. "This is your problem," Starscream said. "If you make it my problem, or if you make Megatron think that it's my problem, I will scrap every single one of you and start again from your cold, dead parts. Do you understand?"
Onslaught nodded.
"Good. I'm relieving you from regular duties until the end of this lunar cycle, by which time Vortex will be back with us. You may requisition supplies, and you have the use of repair bay, but aside from that, you're on your own. It's about time you learnt how to function as a team."
Always one to make an entrance, Starscream was also fond of grand exits. Not bothering to wait for questions, he stormed out, the clank of his footsteps far louder than was strictly necessary.
"Well," Onslaught began.
"I'm gonna slag Dead End," Brawl snarled. "He knew what Tex was up to, I'm gonna ram his tailpipe right -"
"You'll do nothing of the sort," Onslaught said. He stood and walked over to the podium. "Vortex got himself into this situation, and we're going to get him out. All of us. Granted, we weren't built for each other, not like the Stunticons. We were thrown together, out of necessity, but we are stronger together, and we will make this work."
"We don't have to," Swindle said. He glanced at the door and lowered his voice. "I know this guy on Monacus, all we have to do is get to the space bridge. I've got the coordinates."
There was a sound very similar to a strangled organic as Onslaught powered up his sonic rifle. "I don't believe you want to do that, Swindle, do you?"
"C'mon!” Swindle said. “If we stay, the Autobots'll slag us. Worse, they'll haul us up on trial too and back we go in the box for the rest of eternity. You want that? I know I don't."
"Yeah." Brawl shuddered. "Me either. But Monacus? That place got bounty hunters."
"What about you?" Onslaught said, and it took a moment for Blast Off to realise that he had become the centre of attention.
"I," he began, then trailed off. Vortex was a right royal pain in the afterburners. All he did was touch and prod and poke. He was sadistic, unpredictable, easily distracted, manipulative, demanding, cruel, and possessive. He was, as one of the Autobots had so memorably dubbed him, the psycho-copter. But he was their psycho-copter. Not that Blast Off was about to say that out loud.
"Megatron will find us," Blast Off said. "No matter how far we go, it will never be far enough. If we desert again, we're as good as offline. Permanently. I agree with Onslaught; we’re better off as we are."
“Well, Swindle?” Onslaught crossed his arms and waited.
Swindle glanced at Brawl, then back at Onslaught. “Guys, I mean… Monacus… A new start in a profitable sector. Their law enforcement-”
Onslaught took a step closer to Swindle, rifle still buzzing. “You’re nothing without us, Swindle.”
“Just a dead mech walking,” Blast Off added. “With delusions of business acumen.”
“All right, all right!” Swindle stood up, hands in the air. “I’ll do it. I’m in.”
“Brawl?” Onslaught’s rifle became silent.
Brawl nodded. “Yeah, whatever. It’s not like we got a choice.”
“Really?” said Onslaught. “I think we do. We can choose to make this work for us.”
Swindle sighed. “What’s the plan?”
“You three go see Hook for a tune-up, then go recharge,” Onslaught replied. “I need to think.”