robothell | what am i willing to put up with today?

Entry tags:

slipstream | chickscream

what am i willing to put up with today?

who: thundercracker, buster, and YOU
where: the crater & then the outskirts of everything
when: WHO KNOWS
what: thundercracker and his dog realize they're back on cybertron, proceed to nope out
warnings: there shouldn't be any

I.
It dawns on Thundercracker, as he lies in the dust and the dirt, that he never actually thought he'd ever set foot back on Cybertron. Because that's where he is. Don't ask him how he knows that, he hasn't figured that part out yet, but it feels like Cybertron. And now that he's here he'd much rather be on Earth. Sure, it was a giant mudball with a species that couldn't do anything on its own most of the time, but it was where he wanted to be. At home, with his screens and his dog---

Buster.

He sits up suddenly, panic rising within him - animals can't breathe on Cybetron and she was in his arms when he'd arrived and the thought of something happening to her--

But then he hears a bark and there's Buster, tail wagging as she sits a little way off. Relief floods his face and he holds out his hands down at her level for her to hop into. "There you are, girl. Just stick with me while we're here - there's nothing good here."

Another bark, and Thundercracker shakes his head.

"Yeah, worse than Sharkticons."

Someone really should interrupt their touching reunion.

II.
After gathering his dog, Thundercracker wastes no time in getting as far away from any sign of civilization - transforming and jetting across the crumbling city until he's passed the city limits. At a comfortable distance away, he lands, careful of his precious passenger.

What he isn't doing, however, is paying attention to anyone else. He's incredibly easy to sneak up on, although the results of doing so may not be what said sneaker-upper might what.

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[ do you know who catches sight of the jet in the skies? yes, it most assuredly is one Bumblebee. this is actually one jet that he is more than glad to see arrive. he has no idea what sort of Thundercracker this is though. it could be one from any one of the seemingly endless supply of alternate realities.

or it could be his friend.

there's really only one way to find out. so Bee tears off after Thundercracker, trying to ping him. get his attention, as it where. Bee knows that he can't keep up with the speed, but that doesn't mean he's going to give up either. ]

( Thundercracker sees the ping, and dismisses it immediately. Bumblebee is dead, killed by his own stupid Autobot personality and whatever else it is that people look for in Autobot saboteurs turned leaders who shouldn't lead. He doesn't know why Cybertron is playing with his internal systems but he doesn't like it, and frowns at Buster who'd given a curious woof when he'd become distracted. )

I don't know. I haven't been here in years.

( He says by way of explanation for the plants and the water and the fact she's still breathing. And the strange ping. )

[ dumb jet! but this is also very telling. Thundercracker not responding means that there's a good chance the guy isn't going to come after him. at least not in the usual way that a Decepticon goes after an Autobot. Bee hopes that assumption pays off.

because as soon as Thundercracker lands? Bee is hot on top of him. in fact, he makes sure to spin around in front of the jet while hitting the breaks hard. it kicks up some debris, but it also makes it very clear that he's cutting the guy off. ]

Ignoring my calls? That's not very nice.

Well you're dead, so I don't see why it matters.

( That's his kneejerk response, even as he gives the strange yellow car a skeptical look. It reminds him of Bee's earth alt-mode rather than the Cybertronian one he assumed everyone took when they went back to this planet. Which - kind of a letdown, honestly.

Thundercracker holds Buster in his hands, cupped around her to keep her away from the other just in case this didn't turn out to be some planet induced hallucination and he was about to be attacked or something of the sort. )

I've been getting that reaction a lot. Most people are pretty happy to see me.

[ that being said, Bee is going to just transform right then and there. see? same Bee. mostly. new frame and all. but it's what's on the inside that matters, right?

Bee puts his hand over where his spark is. all dramatic like. ]

And my good friend Thundercracjer isn't one of those people. Ouch.

( His optics widen in shock because it looks like Bumblebee, mostly, and it certainly sounds like him. But Thundercracker isn't willing to completely celebrate the return of his only friend from death so soon. )

Hey, I didn't agree to that. ( The 'good friend' title. It's something you can't just sneak up on people, okay? Also: ) Don't like the frame change. It's not a good look for you.

[ it is something he can spring on people. only if they are Thundercracker. ]

About that... Really didn't have a choice. Megatron had crushed my helm in and I put too much stress on my frame. Ended up just kind of giving out.

[ a little lopsided grin for you, Thundercracker. ]

I see you go a friend. Can't say I'm surprised you'd be into dogs. Cats seem more your style, though.

( what he is going to do is gently reach out with one hand to press a finger where Bee's badge should be and shove slightly, as if testing that Bumblebee is actually there and not dead and while he'd really like this to be some sort of shared hallucination, it's looking pretty unlikely at this point.

he's pretty sure he's seen an episode of something where this was the plot. )

That's your own fault.

( he's so helpful and understanding, look at him. but at the mention of Buster something in his face relaxes and he holds her out - he's reasonably certain Bee will not harm her. mostly. )

Her name is Buster. Dogs are traditional, anyway.

( for humans... which gives Bee an insight into what Thundercracker's been up to since he's left him on Earth. )

[ and naturally, Bee wavers under the little shove. if he's offended by it, he doesn't say anything. this is pretty hard to grasp. a physical reassurance of his presence is likely necessary. ]

It was, yeah.

[ doesn't matter that TC isn't 'helpful' or 'understanding.' Bumblebee already knows there is really no one to blame but himself. it had been his mess and he had failed. simple as that.

moving onto brighter topics. he holds his hand out for the pup. allowing her to sniff him and do the thing that dogs to when they are trying to decide who is okay and who is bite worthy. ]

Buster. Interesting name choice. [ not judging! not completely anyway. ] Trying to integrate yourself into a native there, Thundercracker?

( most of Thundercracker's aggressiveness comes from a place of caring - not that he'd admit it, but. he's always liked the yellow autobot in a way that he hasn't liked pretty much anyone else. even to the point where pointlessly considering the fact that maybe... maybe he wouldn't have been a 'con if everyone was like Bee. not that it mattered because they weren't and he wasn't. )

Guess leadership wasn't your style. I told you that, you know.

( he'd laughed, too. there's no point in filling any shoes Optimus Prime left - no one, decepticon or autobot - would accept it. that's just how things were. )

I live there, don't I?

I know. You were right. It was just there wasn't anyone else that really stepped up save Cliffjumper or Rodimus.

[ and who really wanted either one of those two to lead, right? but no. Bee is kind of done with that. it's over. ]

Well... At least with a dog you can't watch TV all the time. Bet she's good for you.

They wouldn't have done any better. ( so there's that, at least. ) She likes to sit on my shoulder and watch shows with me.

But yeah, she's good.

( buster gives a bark of agreement before starting to lick bee's fingers. ah, dogs. )

Does she even really have a choice?

[ chances were? probably not. ]

( he bristles slightly, are you insinuating that he is a bad dog owner who does not listen to what his dog wants??? )

Of course she does.

( yeah, taking his dog away from you now for that, bee. )

Awww, Thundercracker. C'mon. I'm just teasing and you know it.

[ don't take the pup away. it's actually TC's best asset at the moment. ]

Humph.

( wow and here he thought his hot bod would be his best asset.

but he reluctantly hands her over, still kind of hovering just in case anything bad happens. )

So why are we here?

[ well if the ex-Seeker wouldn't keep that frame to himself yanno..

but anyway. pup. she is a good pup, Bee has to agree with that at least. pretty brave, considering the sizes of Cybertronians in general. Bee can see why Thundercracker likes her. it's... nice to see him protective and nurturing over something... even if it seems a little borderline obsessive.

Bee will be careful as he pets though. no reason to upset the pup's daddy - a thought that has the little yellow mini snickering. ]

Not really sure. Optimus insists that the planet is trying to talk to him though.

[ Matrix things Bee will never understand. ]

Starscream was surveying the area again -- he has yet to find anything useful -- when he spotted a really a really familiar color scheme. Of course upon getting closer the frame design looked different but, this still obviously had to be Thundercracker.

And Thundercracker is good, out of any Decepticons this is one he'd rather deal with.

Of course he hasn't expected him to be with a dog. He transforms into his root mode before landing a short distance away.

"Ya know, I always figured you'd be more of a cat person."

"And I thought you'd learned to stay away from me."

Thundercracker doesn't look up at the voice beyond flicking his optics in the direction of the source and having his fears confirmed. Out of everyone he knows, he doesn't have the time nor the desire to deal with this particular 'brother' of his. Instead he focuses his attention on Buster before raising an arm in Starscream's general direction.

"Come any closer and I'll shoot."

Oh, this is new. He never saw Thundercracker with an aggressive side before. It was rather interesting.

The threat seems to mean very little to Starscream though, as he just stands there and stares at the other jet.

"In the long run -- if you wanted a pet, wouldn't it have been easier to stick a leash on Ravage and call it a day?"

"I hope you tried and I hope Ravage clawed your optics out."

Not to say the least about Soundwave's own fury if anyone tried. It's not like Ravage is a pet, but Starscream would be foolish enough to attempt it.

"Now why would I do that? You're the one who apparently wanted a pet. But if Ravage is out, you could always go with Ratbat. Its not like anyone cares about him anyway."

No one would even notice. Probably not even Soundwave.

"I don't want a former senator for a pet, I want a dog. This dog."

Why are you still talking to him?

"What is so great about this particular organic animal anyway?"

Because he has nothing better to do with his life right now.

Barking.

It's not something he's heard in a long time. Too long. His whole body perks up, and, against his better judgment, he's turned toward the sound. He doesn't see the jet.

He just sees the dog running away -- toward something else.

Before he can stop himself, Kagerou has taken a few quick steps forward, not bothering to muffle his footsteps. The sight of the animal makes something twist in him, something eager and hurting all at once. He forgets caution.

... until he sees the metal hands descending for the dog.

Then he stops short. Jerking back into the shadows behind a rock and holding completely still, hoping whoever this is lacks the sensors to pick out his masked signature among the stones.

Nice try, Kageru - Thundercracker's attention might be focused on Buster, but he's not stupid in a way that makes him easy to get the drop on. You don't survive in war long enough if you are. Gathering up his dog and holding her close to his chest, Thundercracker frowns in the direction of where he knows someone is but can't see him.

Buster barks, however, and licks the canopy glass, and his optics drop to refocus.

"I know someone's there, girl. I told you, you've gotta be careful here."

"I won't hurt your dog!"

He blurts it out. He should be more careful. He should keep a low profile and slink away. Keep himself out of sight. But...

But the thought of someone thinking he would hurt a dog is deplorable. It makes him sick. Even if he does flee, it's important to make that fact known.

"How do I know that? I don't know who you are!"

Forgive him, he's been surrounded by Decepticons for too long to actually take anyone at their word.

So he steps out. Inches out, really. His wings folded flat, shoulders hunched, and expression uncertain. Mismatched red and green optics flick up to the strange robot, then drop back down.

"I am Kagerou," he says, quietly, then spreads his empty hands. "That's all."

Slipstream has spent a good chunk of her days here adventuring, by which she means exploring, by which she means catching up on a year of flying that she missed by hiding under bridges and out of sight while Autobots roamed Detroit-- Cybertron is a mostly alien place to her, and since that year of not-flying had been the first year of her Allspark-given life, she has a lot of catching up to do.

Still, she's not so enraptured in the joys of flight that she can miss the familiar spike of wings on the ground, in blue, egomania--

But on a robot that resembles Optimus and Dirge and other such bots much more than he resembles her brother, whose name (if he ever chose one) she never learned in the short bit of time they knew each other. Perhaps, like with Starscream, he would be more palatable when she wasn't so closely tied to him?

She doesn't bother sneaking up; instead, she lands straight ahead of him, heels planted firmly in the ruined metallic rubble of the trashed planet and hands planted equally firmly on her hips.

"Hello there, Seeker!" she calls, tone casual and interested despite the harshness of her voice. "I don't think we've been introduced."

(Wait, was that a dog? She stares at it for a moment, then pulls her optics back up to the bot, waiting for a reply.)

She has his attention the moment the word Seeker leaves her mouth - head snapping up from his intent focus on his dog to the other. He doesn't recognize her, which is odd. You learn to know everyone of your frame type sooner or later when you work under Starscream. Thundercracker makes an attempt to hide Buster from her gaze, one hand covering up the one she's in even as an upset huff comes form his hands.

Well, she can just deal until he's certain she won't hurt Buster.

"No, we haven't." Ah, yes, he is clearly winning points by being the most conversational individual out there.

"No, we haven't!" she agrees, and pauses for a moment before prompting, "My name's Slipstream. Is that a dog? It's cute."

She can only halfway imagine the brother she knew keeping a dog-- she supposes he might love the unbridled affection of a pet, but caring enough to keep it alive and safe? Nah, this guy has to be different from her family, just as the Starscreams here are different from her creator, and she's willing to give him the benefit of unbiased interest before he proves himself awful, or boring, or both.

"Buster," he says, and she doesn't seem to be interested in harming her. No one that would call his dog cute would be, and a small smile crosses his face as he looks down to the organic in his hands. "She's a puggle. It's a cross breed between a pug and a beagle."

Oh right, he should probably introduce himself.

"Thundercracker. Not a Seeker anymore."

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