step one: stop fighting robots

[wreckers]

Who: Verity and OPENish
Where: Autobot Clinic
When: Noooow??
What: The fallout of this
Warnings: Injuries, TBD.


[ Once she shook loose from Arcee, Verity bagged out. She was not inclined to trust anyone let alone someone closely associated with Prowl, on good terms or not, but she trusted Arcee to run interference long enough for her to clear out of there. Running away happened to be one of Verity's talents and one she took immediate advantage of when the opportunity presented itself. ]

Shit - shit.

[ Burning rubber screeched on the metal floor of the clinic followed by a loud crash when a disoriented Verity slammed into a nearby steel utility table; spilling all kinds of equipment onto the floor. The clinic was dark - of course it was, everyone was off getting stupid at that party at the forum. Verity swore louder as she staggered up and waved her arm wildly in front of a motion sensor near the doorframe that brought the lights back on.

I fucked up, was all Verity could think while stumbling through the clinic wildly searching for anything that looked human friendly. ]

Enough people on this rock they should have painkillers or someth- hnng.

[ Verity stopped near a minicon sized gurney. She pulled herself up and once she was sitting felt the full force of what a little scuffle with something rip snorting pissed off and over thirty feet tall did. The plates of her armor retracted back until she was down to her clothes. Stomach rolling as she took rapid shallow breaths close to hyperventilating, pulling her shirt up to find angry red and purple bruising covering her entire right side. She cringed, looking down to see the inflamed mess that was her foot that twisted awkwardly at the ankle.

Winded, Verity collapsed on her back. Leaving her armor in pieces around her on the ground as she tried to steady her breathing. ]

Comments

[optout]

Optimus grows silent for one moment, an awkward veil of quiet draping over them as he stares at the ground. Attempting to collect his thoughts. He wasn't close to Verity by any means, but he'd often stretched his spark to encompass all of humanity. He had to keep his distance--or it just worked out that way--but he truly cared about the human race. Verity...moreso than she knows. His eyes narrow, a rare emotion bubbling up in Optimus's spark.

Anger.

"Prowl always has a reason for what he does. But I can't think of one that justifies this." And whatever it was, it didn't justify attacking her--attacking their friend. His eyes go back up to her, a fire lit in them now. "There's a lot you haven't deserved, Verity. Many of which I think we need to discuss now that you've been found. But...this I'll handle."

Prowl, despite what HE might think, is Optimus's responsibility in many ways. He helped create what Prowl is, if unintentionally, and now he has to look out for him before he takes it too far to even justify it for himself.

"Do you know why he attacked?"

[wreckers]

Verity looked up at Optimus with some of that wonder lacking the first time around. For the first time in a long time, wanted to think that maybe. Just maybe - one more face in this wide galaxy, one more than she could count on one hand. Actually gave a damn about the person sitting limp and bloodied on the gurney. Not the track record or the information that came with the package, but her. Even after Ratchet, Magnus and the Wreckers...it was still a strange and unfamiliar feeling to be regarded in any capacity that didn't regulate her to nuisance or asset.

"It..." And she was loathed to admit this, "Wasn't so cut and dry as if he attacked me out of the blue."

Verity looked over at where her armor was packed away on the other side of the room. Neatly stored with no one the wiser the data artillery she carried. When she locked eyes with Optimus again it almost engendered a feeling she could trust him with full disclosure. Almost.

"I've been carrying sensitive information since a deep ops mission with the Wreckers - all Prowl pulling the strings, of course." Her smile was almost genuine as if time made the bitterness dull. "I don't know if he wanted it back because it's still the ticking time bomb it was five years ago

Or maybe he's like the rest of us deep down and can't let go, but when he found out and I said no. Well."

Verity lifts the ankle still in the splint and motioned to the mess that was the rest of her.

"If I wasn't with my exosuit you and I both know we wouldn't even be having this conversation."

[optout]

His eyes pierce her with something invisible--maybe it was pride...no, pride would require some familiarity. Maybe it was recognition, Optimus impressed that she had gone through so much for their race and still could look upon them without any of the vitriol the rest of the human race had. And a sliver of thankfulness at that, if it was true. Verity, Jimmy, Hunter...by a strange amount of coincidence, they had been their first human contacts. Their first view of the human race, and by far were trustworthy ones. Ratchet had trusted them, Prowl had, and by default, Optimus did too.

"He always has his reasons," that didn't mean they were good, but they were reasons. "I don't always understand them, or him."

But he listens, the information about the Wreckers and her presence takes a moment to match up the right ops (they had a lot of missions with sensitive info okay). And with Verity holding information regarding it, he can see why Prowl might be...upset.

"I trusted Prowl to cause no human casualties, and even more to ones we call friends." His eyes narrow. "Whether he likes it or not, he's answering to this."

And then, they're right back to her, staring her straight in the eye.

"Can I trust you to keep that data safe?"

[wreckers]

"I have so far." Verity nodded, with unbroken eye contact. "My best guess is he's casing my apartment; I never told him I have the data on me even after I gave him some information about a few dead facsimiles. Nothing classified, so it's safe to assume he'd think I've stashed it somewhere. And he isn't wrong."

She smiled, exhausted but capable of self satisfaction, "There's a couple dummy data slugs at my place."

And then she says something she would not have if she weren't still delirious and concussed. "For what it's worth," She crossed her arms loose over chest to fight off a chill that wasn't in the room, "It go nasty but he probably never meant to kill me. Autobots took me in when my own species didn't and given the reaction I'm getting in some messed up way I can see why that leaves him feeling so raw about it."

[optout]

He nods in affirmation, silently impressed at her resourcefulness. It wouldn't derail Prowl's search for long, but it was crafty. He bets even Prowl would be impressed with her if he knew. Without breaking their gaze, his eyes shift from worry to a more warm gesture, hand gesturing out.

"You two go back. I'm sure your death was never on his mind--but he has gotten a bit more maverick since you last met him. Sometimes I hardly recognize him, even from after the war." His own arms go to his elbow, folding as he leans. "He's determined, but not without his spark. I think humans use the term 'rough around the edges'."

...

A glance to her injuries. "Whether or not that's figurative or literal can be debated."

[wreckers]

"Don't ask me to say he's something more on the inside because I was knocked inside him and that's why I have three stitches stapled into my head." Verity tapped her temple.

"I was going to call him a 'dissident' but that might be a little too personal when the authoritarian state is on two legs and standing right in front of me." Verity said, aware of if nothing else than Prowl and Optimus were not exactly seeing eye to eye right now. "Sorry, former authoritarian state. Go democracy."

Verity raised her fist only for it to fall back limb in her lap. Blood loss mixed a fresh concussion meant her sass was running on fumes.

"And hey, I'm not going to dictate how anyone is going to adjust after four million years of total war except maybe 'not like that'," She adjusted on the gurney with her complexion still clammy and soaked in sweat, "But if you want my two cents: Keep this in-house."

[optout]

"He's--..." You caught him mid sentence, Verity. Okay, maybe...maybe he needs a new way to phrase that. "He's changed, certainly. But he's still Prowl, the way you remember him. ...Somewhere."

It's almost as if Optimus is searching for that too. The Prowl that didn't insist the fight was still going, enough to chase Verity down and harm her. They'd been friends, and in the end he'd still hurt her.

Although a small part of him does raise a fist to imitate hers, if...out of pure curiosity. YEAH GO DEMOCRACY he can hear Prowl groaning from here.

"Everything said now will be kept confidential, Verity. Whoever you want to know about this is your decision. I"m just one of the choices." Although that didn't mean Prowl was off limits. He certainly already knew. "Do you need anything?"

Dad's going out.

[wreckers]

Verity bit her lip and tucked her head with her chin touching her chest in an effort to stem the smile creeping across her face when she saw Optimus attempt a power fist that bordered on self-effacing. It made him look meek. It made him look as vulnerable as he might very well be under all that plating. Made him human. She blew air through her teeth in a suffocated laugh and raised her head, nodding.

"Just one thing." The small hint of a smile faded. "Whatever happens - I'm the closed loop. Prowl nearly datamined more than the trials and I need you to know that it stays with me. Away from anyone looking to raise hell on this rock."

Verity pointedly did not specify any potential hellraisers as simply Decepticons - or Autobot.

"I think Prowl believes loyalty is really his last saving grace - and on that, we agree. You and I will share words later."

[optout]

Seeing that smile, no matter how well hidden it was...it was reassuring. Proof that he was doing at least one thing right here. Although what she says does make him contemplative. It would be safer out of Cybertronian hands, certainly. It had been so far.

If they could just keep that secret, then there'd be no issues.

"Alright. I'm trusting you with it's care. Maybe if I can talk sense into Prowl--" There's...slightly less confidence in that sentence, but he's certainly putting on his best act. "--it'll be between us."

...

There's a soft vent at the mention of a talk. "I guess we will. But until then..." he glances at the armor that's...probably seen better days. "You might want to put in an order for an upgrade. Just in case."