robothell | Rehab Session #1

Entry tags:

optimus prime | luckyfaceplate

Rehab Session #1

Who: Hey I'm Prime, I'm Not-So-Prime and we're the Prime Grumps (Optimus Prime and Sentinel)
Where: The Crater
When: After Optimus's Return, but before his clinic visit
What: Optimus checks up on his babysitting job, possibly gives him his first trial of rehab.
Warnings: Sentinel is present

To say that the planet had a tall order for the Cybertronians was an understatement. 'You must learn to cooperate and get along', while simple for many folk, didn't function so well under a race that had just come out of a war (some even still in it). Needless to say, it left Optimus with some...minor doubts. (see: major doubts).

First thing was first, though. He had to get Sentinel, and get up to speed with him. Leaving him alone for a few days was difficult, but he wasn't exactly welcome on their voyage, and he wasn't nearly as responsible as Optimus liked to think he was. So consider this a catch up, because he wants to know exactly what you did while he was gone, buddy. Thankfully, Sentinel was the size of a skyscraper and gold, so rather easy to spot in the dreary ruins of a planet.

They were to meet by the Crater. It was an easy landmark, and perhaps Optimus had something in mind for the bot. Whether or not Sentinel would like it was a different matter, and not something Sentinel had a choice in either way.

He stands there, watching the horizon placidly. Sentinel would arrive any moment.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

As predicted by Optimus, Sentinel arrives not long after. He has to walk, of course; his t-cog hasn't magically regrown.

He doesn't bother to greet the other Prime or anything, just comes to a stop near Optimus and glances at him before looking out over the crater.

There's a moment without any words, as he looks out at the vastness of the crater. He seems to focus on something for a moment, eyes narrowing, before directing his attention to the bot beside him.

"Have you been keeping a low profile?"

"Yes."

Not keeping a low profile so much as staring at the sky and wondering where his life went so wrong. Maybe exploring and scavenging a bit, too. It's not hard to stay on your own when no-one wants anything to do with you.

He's sorry you suck and everyone hates you. Really.

"Good. I worried that you might run into trouble." Not that he didn't trust you but he just honestly didn't trust you at all. "We start your official rehabilitation today."

Just so you know the point of all this.

Oh, what did he do to deserve this? Was it the empuratas? The murders? The tortures? The shadowplays? The thousands of sparks he wiped out with experiments?

"Don't be." He's decided he'll try to avoid any more confrontations like the one with Megatron. Mostly because he can't really take any more damage and easily walk it off any more.

"How did you want to start?"

Perhaps a combination of a few of those. That might slightly have something to do with why you're here, Sentinel. But the question does make him think. Where does he even start with Sentinel?

He had to work from the deepest parts of Sentinel's corruption.

"We're going to talk."

He knows that's difficult for you, but we're about reaching new horizons.

Ah, talking and communication. His least favourite past time. In fact, it doesn't even occur to Sentinel it would be a Feelings Talk. He cocks his head, clearly confused. Talk about what?? He's already said what he was doing. Confuse.

...

Sentinel's confusion was expected, to say the least. Although he wished he would be pleasantly surprised. So he'll elaborate, putting a hand on the other's arm.

"I want to know about you. I want you to tell me about you."

It's not so much he's unable to comprehend what Optimus wants, it's more he's surprised Optimus is taking this so seriously. Sentinel is still expecting Optimus to try and beat him up, maybe whack his face off a rock until he agrees to be nice.

He looks down at the hand on his arm, lip twitching ever so slightly in disgust at being touched.

"No."

Sentinel you're the second (possibly third) murderer he's put on probation. So when he gets that "no", his head slowly turns towards the other, eyes wide and...angry.

"It's funny, Sentinel. I don't believe I gave you the option."

His voice loses that evenness. Instead of a tired, wartorn tone, it's full of authority, and boy is it pissed. He's ready to throw you into that crater any second now if you keep that lip up.

Optimus may be angry with him, but Sentinel's expression and tone remains just as flat and disinterested as it was before.

He rolls his optics ever so slightly then rattles off his serial number, whatever crater in robot hell his spark was pulled out of and his altmode model.

That's what Optimus meant, right.

It's okay Sentinel. He knows that's your default. And although that...may not be exactly what he was looking for, he doesn't push it away. As dull and contrived as the information was, and how much it matters to him....

Well, that could be a starting point.

"Is that how you see people, as well? A number, a location...and an alt mode?"

"The important statistics."

Unlike Optimus, Sentinel didn't care to know everyone under his command. While he appreciated them to a point and would actively try to protect them when they were physically around him... to him, the Autobots were much like toy soldiers. Fun to play with and easily replaceable if they get broken. Nothing worth crying over.

"The basic statistics," he corrects. "We are not numbers. We are people, Sentinel. Not just you, not just Proteus, or Shockwave or me. All of us. The former disposables, now Cybertronian, as they always should have been. The outliers, once outcasts, now integrated into society."

...A pause.

"Statistics are cold and worthless if there isn't something behind them. And what's behind them can often be more important."

"I do know how it works, Prime. Prowl greatly surpassed expectations. As did Kroma."

Because we all know how Prowl turned out! (Except Sentinel.)

Yeah let's not get into that lovely conversation. He's already not too keen on Prowl's attitude right now.

"Then you should expect the same out of everyone."

"If they prove themselves to be worthwhile, maybe."

Sentinel, they can't prove themselves if you won't let them it's like you made this system to benefit the guys who supported you...

"And how can they do that in a system that does not allow them to prove themselves?" His tone his sharp as he turned to face Sentinel. "Megatron was capable of so much more than just a miner, and yet that's all you'd let him be."

...

"When he tried to be more, you attempted to dispose of him."

"He was a homicidal insurgent."

While Sentinel finds Optimus' attitude towards Megatron amusing, his tone remains flat, mildly irritated, even.

He gestures to the ruins of Cybertron around them.

"Look at what happened when we failed to stop him."

"He was a writer and a poet forced into a mining position."

He doesn't sway in that aspect, keeping his eyes locked on Sentinel's, even if the other doesn't return the gaze.

"What happened is the result of your oppression. Had Megatron the choice of his lifestyle, Cybertron would not have experienced this."

To which, like Sentinel, he gestures out to Cybertron around them.

Hey man, blame Nominus for starting the Functionist movement!!

"I expect you'll want a talk with Proteus, too."

He's not stupid, he knows how he worked before won't go here. Sentinel turns back to Optimus and watches him for a long few minutes, optics eventually narrowing. He doesn't want to answer the second part, not yet.

Yeah well someone had to go off and get murdered so yeah that's going to be hard to fit into his schedule. Wonder who was responsible for that.

"It's certainly on my long list of things to do. But Proteus is only dangerous with his words. Not his hands."

Whereas....you are.

"If you're concerned about another fight, you needn't be. I'm not some psychopath with no self control."

That's not a joke.

"Megatron, however..."

Optimus is waiting for Sentinel to say 'no but really--'. And when it doesn't come, a soft vent hisses out of his faceplate.

"Megatron is going to do the same as you. And he's already showing improvement."

You're kind of failing bro.

Sentinel is a really unfortunate mix of being genuinely deluded and just not giving a shit about anyone other than himself.

"Is he, Optimus? Is he really? Or do you just want to believe he is?"

Edited 2015-03-04 12:21 (UTC)

Sentinel, that's pretty big talk coming from someone who enforced empurata.

"And what is it you believe about Megatron? What do you really think of him?"

You're not his real mum!!!

To the question, Sentinel doesn't answer immediately. It's clear that's something he's been thinking about himself for some time. After a good ten minutes (provided Optimus doesn't force him to answer sooner.) he speaks up again.

"That he's intelligent. Devious." Gang of thugs Sentinel may think the Decepticons to be, he won't deny that Megatron even getting them together in the first place was above the average dumbass miner. Not to mention the whole T-Cog business... "He could be playing all of you for fools. What exactly happened to him in the war?"

Don't make him come over there!

Optimus waits, though. Partially because it's such a loaded question. Megatron had killed him, after all.

...And he's firmly in the belief that Sentinel's brain moves slower than the average Cybertronian's.

But when he does speak, those ear pieces twitch slightly. "You admit he's intelligent, and yet you succumb him to the lifestyle of a miner. Where none of that brilliance can be shown." There's a sigh, before he continues. "You were a part of that system, not it's creator. But...I hope I can turn that viewpoint around."

...

"The war corrupted him far more than even HE realized. The Decepticon cause formed into something much different than it started."

It doesn't, really, he's just caught up in overthinking everything and being a petty motherfucker and seeing how much of Optimus' time he can waste. It's fun to see the different levels he can push at. Regardless, if Optimus wants to think he's a dumbass he doesn't care enough to try to convince him otherwise.

"One of many, no doubt."

See that? That right there is Sentinel just straight up not giving a shit about whatever skills any of them might have had. IF HE WAS SO SMART WHY WAS HE BORN INTO THE MINING CASTE?????

You're brilliant, Sentinel, but for all the wrong reasons. Optimus waits, though, eyes turning up to the sky as the other thinks it over. After all, he doesn't have much on his planner just yet.

But when he answers, you can almost feel the sigh emanating from him.

"What if it had been you."

Sentinel exvents heavily. Almost tiredly, even.

"'What-if' scenarios won't change what happened."

He knows Optimus is just trying to get him to see from a different angle, but Sentinel knows that won't work either. He's on the wrong path. The psychopath, ayyyyyyyyy.

He knows you're probably bored out of your robotic skull, and maybe that was slight punishment in itself. "But it can change you."

YEAH WELL HE'S TRYING TO PUT YOU ON THE RIGHT ONE OKAY IS THAT SO WRONG. His ears flick idly as he tries to keep his patience. It was hard--the parts that were still Orion Pax were screaming just to slug Sentinel across the face.

But he was better than that. He could keep civil.

Maybe.

Maybe that's what he needs. Sentinel does speak more languages than violence, but the current situation isn't really lending itself well to his mentality.

He glances at Optimus.

"We're done here."

Optimus's optics narrow dangerously.

"We're done when I SAY we're done."

Oh there it is, the little bit of Orion bubbling to the surface. Sentinel knew how to bring it out best, and the way that plating seems to lift like a dogs hair standing on end...

You're not telling him what's what anymore, Sentinel.

Oh, good.

He doesn't say anything. Sorry, Optimus, for whatever stupid reason and stubbornness, he's not entirely sold on this 'rehab' thing.

"Then say something worthwhile."

Something in the way it's said is what sets Optimus off. Much like how Autobots and Decepticons who couldn't accept that the war was over, Sentinel couldn't accept that he would have to change.

It was a toxic attitude that he's going to stop, and if he has to use his fists for it, then so be it. He almost doesn't say anything for a moment, letting it sink in before he lashes out, almost too quick for someone of his build and grips him by the throat.

He's not stupid--Cybertronians don't breathe, but that doesn't mean he can't pop Sentinel's head off like a wine cork if he wanted to. His fingers dig in, securing that hold he has on the larger bot before slugging him straight down to the ground. Of course, he goes with him, ending up straddling his torso.

"NO. This is on you, Sentinel. And I will not condone you talking down to me like I'm some lower caste member in a segregated world only you see. I am your Prime and you will do as I say.

This world has no need for toxic individuals, so you're going to make a choice."

~~oh no that's hot~~

Sentinel passed his 'give a fuck' level a while ago, he doesn't really try to stop Optimus wrecking his shit. As it ends up, Sentinel is wincing because of his shattered optic and dented face (THANKS BUD!!!) and has both hands on the Prime's wrists. Not tightly, though.

"Why are you-- ack-" There, his grip does tighten ever so slightly and he leans his head back, a small amount of energon running down the side of his helmet, "giving the option?"

Seriously, dude, he gets the whole having power over someone else thing but did this nerd actually expect feelings talks to work??

Well the feeling's mutual at the moment, Sentinel, because you've pushed this truck farther than he's wanted to, and probably into the 'you deserve this' territory. His eyes narrow as he keeps his hands on that throat, lifting him up slightly only to slam him back down.

"Because I believe in our race. I believe that a species of lifeforms who pride themsevles on the ability to change and adapt can be so much more than what you exhibit. Because we are intelligent and we are old and have to provide an example. I expect better of you.

I expected better of EVERYONE. But we didn't--we fought a four million year long war because of the habits you're currently showing. And I will not condone it."

But he also won't kill him. Because that's another part of the war that needs to stop.

And yeah, maybe he expected feelings talk to have a bit of an impact. A little. He slams him down again, to emphasize.

"This is the choice you're going to make. If you want to keep your Prime title, you're going to play by my rules. If you decide not to, drop it, and become the very scum of Cybertron you claimed to be fighting so long ago. Because that's all you'll be reduced to."

He can't help but notice the irony in being told all this while also being slammed into the ground repeatedly. Please, where is the robot aspirin. This is far too much blunt force trauma to the head in such a short amount of time.

Regardless, he can't have gone through the sound ass reaming at the hands of Megatron and this right now without feeling a thing, everyone has their limits and Sentinel can tell when he's pushed his too far. He's far from being anywhere near what Optimus wants, but right now there's a multitude of factors piling up on each other and self preservation outweighs his (rather wounded) pride and ego.

Releasing his grip on Optimus' arms, he dims his optics a touch. The one that wasn't already shitting out, anyway, "You're-- right."

A puff of air escapes his vents and he ceases all remaining attempts to struggle against Optimus' grip.

That isn't to say that Optimus doesn't feel slight guilt from this. He's pretty much acting just like how Primes had exerted their power and authority in the past. But in some ways, Optimus felt justified. This was half the reason why their race had a war.

Killing him wouldn't solve anything. It would only paint them more as murderers. He thinks of Windblade, of how she would handle this. And in the end, that's the final straw in what keeps him.

It's not until he hears those words that he stills, not looking at Sentinel just yet. But there's a certain level of defeat in both of them. They have to give something to get something, and whether Sentinel knows it or cares, that's something he'd find out later. When Sentinel goes limp in his arms, his grip eases, looking at his own hands at the level he stooped to.

Nothing that the one he'd shaken had taken, but comparing yourself to Sentinel was never a good thing in the first place. "Then...then it appears we have work to do. A lot of it."

Meanwhile, Sentinel's still staring above him, at the sky. This entire situation is embarrassing. The fact he had to concede to Optimus was embarrassing.

"Optimus," he says after a few seconds, "Get off me."

...

It didn't register what he meant at first, until he looks own at his hands still clasping to his armor.

"Ah. My apologies."

Just...slowly going to get off you now. Awkwardly.

He sits up a bit too eagerly, maybe catching Optimus with his knee and 'helping' him up. He also not so subtly wipes himself down, though in the process managing to smear the energon from his optic all over his cheek. The perfect end to one of the most awkward and uncomfortable hours of Sentinel's life.

Looking at the small amount of energon on his fingertips, he sighs and in the words of legendary human composer and poet, Snoop Dogg, "Fantastic."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Rehab Session #1

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject