Nanosnipmo - Day 24
Day off today, so we get a little bit longer snippet! Also accomplished - took my two back car seats out of the garage where they'd become a home for mice and hosed all the mouse pee off of them in the driveway while the weather was still above freezing. Fun times! They did clean up surprisingly well - they're drying in the kitchen right now.
Thundercracker hid his terror as Prowl marched him through the ominous corridors of the Autobot base. Nameless, half-seen creatures scuttled or slithered out of the way as they walked, and Prowl steered him through puddles of...liquid, that was as specific as Thundercracker wanted to get. Call it liquid and leave it at that. Unsettling scratching, scampering sounds echoed faintly. Thundercracker inhaled and exhaled through his vents as they walked. Don’t panic. He could handle this. The Autobots were everything that was evil and sadistic, but he was an elite Decepticon Seeker, best of the best. He’d die before he let them break him.
Prowl paused at last before a set of doors and keyed them open, shoving Thundercracker through. Four pairs of red optics, and one set of...blue? looked up as they entered. “He’s all yours,” the enforcer growled. “Make him talk. If he won’t talk, strip him for parts.”
Prowl left, and the five mechs looked at one another and then at Thundercracker. “First Aid does love parts,” said the largest, a pale blue-and-black fire truck with the odd Decepticon-blue optics. “Blades, put him on the...examination berth.”
The helo model nodded and took Thundercracker by the stasis cuffs, steering him towards a flat, padded table with various instruments and devices next to it on the wall or dangling overhead. “Don’t worry,” the helo, Blades, murmured in one audio. “First Aid’s the best Autobot torturer in the field, you’ll be in good hands. Studied under Ratchet you know.”
Thundercracker twitched, keeping himself bolting in panic only by sheer willpower. The evil Ratchet! And this was his apprentice!
“On his back, please, Blades,” the red-visored medic-bot said in a soft, even voice. “Mind his wings.”
Thundercracker trembled as First Aid raised the berth to a comfortable working height, bringing him level with the white-and-red chestplates. “I’m not afraid of you!” he said defiantly.
“Oh good! In that case, I believe I’ll leave off the restraints, if you think you’ll be able to hold still and not flop around everywhere. So much easier when the patient...er…” First Aid paused.
“Victim,” prompted a black-and-white mech, looking up from where he’d been delicately placing small cubes of energon into a box on a table. Whatever was in the box growled and squawked, causing the whole container to shiver.
“Victim, yes, thank you Streetwise. So much easier when the victim isn’t flopping, although Groove and Streetwise are always happy to sit on you if you’d prefer.” First Aid looked at him expectantly, apparently waiting for an answer.
“I can hold still. Do your worst!” Thundercracker said, although he couldn’t help cringing a little as First Aid smiled happily and began...flushing his hydraulic fluid?
“Dear, dear, when did you last have this changed?” First Aid murmured. “This won’t do at all, better have a complete systems check. Clearly you’ve been neglecting regular maintenance for quite some time. And these dents! Oh my, how did you get those? Groove, could you start buffing out these scratches? Want to have you looking and feeling your best, you know, before we get to the fun part!” First Aid said brightly.
Thundercracker offlined his optics and did his best to remain stoic and silent as he was...thoroughly cleaned, buffed and polished, fluid reservoirs flushed and refilled, joints and wing flaps lubricated, filters replaced,dentals flossed and aligned, optics calibrated…
“You’re so quiet,” Groove said, as he worked on scrubbing accumulated grit from Thundercracker’s foot components. “You don’t feel like talking, yet?” Thundercracker onlined his optics and did his best to glare, although it was hard to do over the shiny, freshly polished and waxed expanse of his cockpit.
“This is taking quite a bit longer than I anticipated, my apologies, Thundercracker,” First Aid said conversationally. “You must be hungry. Blades, perhaps you could go get him a cube of energon? And Streetwise could show you the baby tunnel snakes, if you’re bored. They just hatched today, and they’re quite adorable.” First Aid smiled fondly over at his brother. “They’re kind of taking over the whole base, and Red Alert keeps complaining about the energon puddles when we feed them, but when Streets found another nest we just couldn’t say no.”
“No!” Thundercracker said quickly, as Streetwise moved as if to pick up the box. “No, that’s...that’s all right.”
“There you go, now you’re talking a little,” Groove said, patting one very clean foot approvingly before starting on the other. “Keep that up and this’ll be over in no time.”
“I don’t want you to be bored. Maybe a holo-vid, while you’re waiting?” First Aid said, looking at Thundercracker hopefully. “Or some soothing music? Torture is rather nerve-wracking.”
Blades returned and came over to the berth, holding out a cube of energon with a friendly smile, and Thundercracker’s nerve broke at last. “What! What do you want to know! Just ask me, I’ll tell you anything, just please...please…” Thundercracker wasn’t sure what he was planning to babble next. Please stop cleaning my toes? Please don’t fix my faulty airspeed sensor?
“You’re ready to talk?” Hot Spot said, coming over and pulling up a chair.
“Yes, I’m ready to talk!”
“Wonderful! I've always wanted to talk to a Seeker,” Hot Spot said, grinning and leaning forward eagerly. “Here, let’s take off your stasis cuffs so you can drink your energon. Talking can be thirsty business. So, what’s it like to have wings? I’ve always wondered! And have you ever been to Maccadam’s? Ironhide keeps telling us stories, but we’ve never been.”
“Yeah, does he really serve oil by the barrel? Is it true you can meet people from other dimensions?” Streetwise chimed in.
“Does Starscream really wear a crown or was Jazz just making that up?” Groove asked, looking up from where he was carefully pulling out an old dent.
“Now now, one question at a time,” First Aid admonished, propping up the front of the berth so Thundercracker could sit upright. Blades handed him the cube of energon and pulled up another chair, and Streetwise sat halfway on his brother's lap, all of them looking at him eagerly.
Much later…
“Here, take yer prisoner,” Ironhide said, shoving Thundercracker forward ungraciously. Starscream released the Autobot Jazz, who gave him a brazen wink as they passed one another, and then he was running to be engulfed by Skywarp’s welcoming embrace.
“TC! I was so worried, are you ok?” Skywarp babbled, hugging him tightly and then holding him out at arm’s length to check him over. “You look...wow, you look really great! And...what kind of polish is that, you smell awesome, too.”
“They...they hugged me, ‘Warp.” Thundercracker said, still in shock, not sure how he’d survived. “And here, they baked us energon goodies. They said they were evil energon goodies, but I tried one right after they baked them and it was really good.” He pulled out a package from subspace, neatly wrapped, with an elaborate aluminum bow stuck on top.
“Cool! Hey Starscream, looks like your plan worked! I should never have doubted you.”
Thundercracker stopped in his tracks. “Plan. You mean...you let them capture me on purpose?!”
Starscream rolled his optics. “Don’t be so dramatic, Thundercracker, of course I did. Your paint job was starting to look like slag. Now hand me those goodies.”
This entry was originally posted at http://playswithworms.dreamwidth.org/125139.html. Please comment wherever you wish.
Thundercracker hid his terror as Prowl marched him through the ominous corridors of the Autobot base. Nameless, half-seen creatures scuttled or slithered out of the way as they walked, and Prowl steered him through puddles of...liquid, that was as specific as Thundercracker wanted to get. Call it liquid and leave it at that. Unsettling scratching, scampering sounds echoed faintly. Thundercracker inhaled and exhaled through his vents as they walked. Don’t panic. He could handle this. The Autobots were everything that was evil and sadistic, but he was an elite Decepticon Seeker, best of the best. He’d die before he let them break him.
Prowl paused at last before a set of doors and keyed them open, shoving Thundercracker through. Four pairs of red optics, and one set of...blue? looked up as they entered. “He’s all yours,” the enforcer growled. “Make him talk. If he won’t talk, strip him for parts.”
Prowl left, and the five mechs looked at one another and then at Thundercracker. “First Aid does love parts,” said the largest, a pale blue-and-black fire truck with the odd Decepticon-blue optics. “Blades, put him on the...examination berth.”
The helo model nodded and took Thundercracker by the stasis cuffs, steering him towards a flat, padded table with various instruments and devices next to it on the wall or dangling overhead. “Don’t worry,” the helo, Blades, murmured in one audio. “First Aid’s the best Autobot torturer in the field, you’ll be in good hands. Studied under Ratchet you know.”
Thundercracker twitched, keeping himself bolting in panic only by sheer willpower. The evil Ratchet! And this was his apprentice!
“On his back, please, Blades,” the red-visored medic-bot said in a soft, even voice. “Mind his wings.”
Thundercracker trembled as First Aid raised the berth to a comfortable working height, bringing him level with the white-and-red chestplates. “I’m not afraid of you!” he said defiantly.
“Oh good! In that case, I believe I’ll leave off the restraints, if you think you’ll be able to hold still and not flop around everywhere. So much easier when the patient...er…” First Aid paused.
“Victim,” prompted a black-and-white mech, looking up from where he’d been delicately placing small cubes of energon into a box on a table. Whatever was in the box growled and squawked, causing the whole container to shiver.
“Victim, yes, thank you Streetwise. So much easier when the victim isn’t flopping, although Groove and Streetwise are always happy to sit on you if you’d prefer.” First Aid looked at him expectantly, apparently waiting for an answer.
“I can hold still. Do your worst!” Thundercracker said, although he couldn’t help cringing a little as First Aid smiled happily and began...flushing his hydraulic fluid?
“Dear, dear, when did you last have this changed?” First Aid murmured. “This won’t do at all, better have a complete systems check. Clearly you’ve been neglecting regular maintenance for quite some time. And these dents! Oh my, how did you get those? Groove, could you start buffing out these scratches? Want to have you looking and feeling your best, you know, before we get to the fun part!” First Aid said brightly.
Thundercracker offlined his optics and did his best to remain stoic and silent as he was...thoroughly cleaned, buffed and polished, fluid reservoirs flushed and refilled, joints and wing flaps lubricated, filters replaced,dentals flossed and aligned, optics calibrated…
“You’re so quiet,” Groove said, as he worked on scrubbing accumulated grit from Thundercracker’s foot components. “You don’t feel like talking, yet?” Thundercracker onlined his optics and did his best to glare, although it was hard to do over the shiny, freshly polished and waxed expanse of his cockpit.
“This is taking quite a bit longer than I anticipated, my apologies, Thundercracker,” First Aid said conversationally. “You must be hungry. Blades, perhaps you could go get him a cube of energon? And Streetwise could show you the baby tunnel snakes, if you’re bored. They just hatched today, and they’re quite adorable.” First Aid smiled fondly over at his brother. “They’re kind of taking over the whole base, and Red Alert keeps complaining about the energon puddles when we feed them, but when Streets found another nest we just couldn’t say no.”
“No!” Thundercracker said quickly, as Streetwise moved as if to pick up the box. “No, that’s...that’s all right.”
“There you go, now you’re talking a little,” Groove said, patting one very clean foot approvingly before starting on the other. “Keep that up and this’ll be over in no time.”
“I don’t want you to be bored. Maybe a holo-vid, while you’re waiting?” First Aid said, looking at Thundercracker hopefully. “Or some soothing music? Torture is rather nerve-wracking.”
Blades returned and came over to the berth, holding out a cube of energon with a friendly smile, and Thundercracker’s nerve broke at last. “What! What do you want to know! Just ask me, I’ll tell you anything, just please...please…” Thundercracker wasn’t sure what he was planning to babble next. Please stop cleaning my toes? Please don’t fix my faulty airspeed sensor?
“You’re ready to talk?” Hot Spot said, coming over and pulling up a chair.
“Yes, I’m ready to talk!”
“Wonderful! I've always wanted to talk to a Seeker,” Hot Spot said, grinning and leaning forward eagerly. “Here, let’s take off your stasis cuffs so you can drink your energon. Talking can be thirsty business. So, what’s it like to have wings? I’ve always wondered! And have you ever been to Maccadam’s? Ironhide keeps telling us stories, but we’ve never been.”
“Yeah, does he really serve oil by the barrel? Is it true you can meet people from other dimensions?” Streetwise chimed in.
“Does Starscream really wear a crown or was Jazz just making that up?” Groove asked, looking up from where he was carefully pulling out an old dent.
“Now now, one question at a time,” First Aid admonished, propping up the front of the berth so Thundercracker could sit upright. Blades handed him the cube of energon and pulled up another chair, and Streetwise sat halfway on his brother's lap, all of them looking at him eagerly.
Much later…
“Here, take yer prisoner,” Ironhide said, shoving Thundercracker forward ungraciously. Starscream released the Autobot Jazz, who gave him a brazen wink as they passed one another, and then he was running to be engulfed by Skywarp’s welcoming embrace.
“TC! I was so worried, are you ok?” Skywarp babbled, hugging him tightly and then holding him out at arm’s length to check him over. “You look...wow, you look really great! And...what kind of polish is that, you smell awesome, too.”
“They...they hugged me, ‘Warp.” Thundercracker said, still in shock, not sure how he’d survived. “And here, they baked us energon goodies. They said they were evil energon goodies, but I tried one right after they baked them and it was really good.” He pulled out a package from subspace, neatly wrapped, with an elaborate aluminum bow stuck on top.
“Cool! Hey Starscream, looks like your plan worked! I should never have doubted you.”
Thundercracker stopped in his tracks. “Plan. You mean...you let them capture me on purpose?!”
Starscream rolled his optics. “Don’t be so dramatic, Thundercracker, of course I did. Your paint job was starting to look like slag. Now hand me those goodies.”
This entry was originally posted at http://playswithworms.dreamwidth.org/125139.html. Please comment wherever you wish.