Never Did Run Smooth, Ch. 14
You want Rhinox in a good light? Fine. Prettiest light I can shine on him at present.
- - - - -
"So what do you think, old friend? Could this actually work?"
Optimus stood looking over Rhinox's shoulder as the tech sat at his workstation, going through the data Rattrap had retrieved. (The spy had been dismissed with orders to rest and to leave Dinobot alone for the time being; after their last conversation, Primal doubted the raptor was in a sociable mood.) Rhinox was deeply absorbed in the schematics, and it was a moment before he answered the question.
"I can't believe I didn't think of this," he mused out loud. "Tarantulas may be crazier than a grounded Seeker, but he's a sharper engineer than I am."
I doubt that, Primal thought, but he knew that trying to get Rhinox to give himself due credit was a lost cause. "At least you don't leave webs all over the engineering bay."
"Hm, true. Well, we'll have to build some of these parts from scratch... that can be done. We're missing a few raw materials, but I'll see what I can dig up. Power source will be tricky, but I've got a few ideas. Of course, it still needs to be set up in an open spot as close to the Axalon as possible, not to mention protected from Predacon retaliation..."
Primal patted the bulky mech's shoulder. "I'll worry about all that. Can you do this?"
Rhinox shrugged beneath his hand. "Sure, why not? It wouldn't be the first time we've pulled off a miracle."
Grinning, the commander clapped him on the back. "Nothing worth doing is easy, right?"
"Wouldn't mind a break once in a while," groused the tech, then sighed. "So, now I've got a list of necessary but unavailable parts, a formula calling for five or six times more energy than we can spare, and a diagram written by a madman. When do you want this done?"
"The Predacons will figure out what we're up to before long. We need to work fast." There was the briefest pause. "Can you do it in a week?"
The sigh this time was long, deep, and profound. Optimus didn't prod him any further, just waited.
"I swear, the things I do for you..." The tech rubbed his heavy brow ridge with one hand. "All right. But I'm going to need all the help I can get."
Primal gave his shoulder a squeeze. He knew Rhinox would deliver, no matter how impossible the task, once he decided it could be done. "Help won't be a problem, I promise. We'll make this a priority. If it works, it might win the war for us."
Rhinox tilted his head back. "Oh, great. No pressure then."
"Come on, where's your optimism?"
Without hesitation, Rhinox pointed up at him. "Right behind me." It was an old joke of theirs, and gave them both a chuckle.
Good to know we CAN still laugh. Everyone seemed to be on edge lately, including Rhinox. Optimus was glad to see his old friend acting like himself again, and much of his own laughter was from relief at seeing Rhinox lighten up.
"It will be nice to have a project to work on," Rhinox admitted after a moment. "Might help keep my mind off other things."
Optimus moved around the chair to stand at Rhinox's side, allowing him to see his friend's face. "What has been on your mind lately? You've seemed pretty tense the last couple of days, since..."
Rhinox waved a hand dismissively. "Ah, it's nothing. Just worried is all."
"About anything in particular? I mean, no offense, but worrying about everyone and everything at once is supposed to be my job." Optimus hoped the light tone would get another smile out of him, but instead, Rhinox's expression became grim.
"Not this time. This one's my problem, if it's anyone's. I guess I don't have to get involved, but if I don't, and something happens... then what?"
It was true, Primal was many things, but an idiot wasn't one of them. It was his turn to sigh. "You're worried about Rattrap."
Rhinox brushed away an imaginary fleck of dirt from the screen, not looking up this time as he answered. "Is it that obvious?"
"Just a bit. Now I get where you're coming from, but I don't think--"
"I know what you think," the tech interrupted. "Again, I wish I had your optimism. But I know Rattrap. If he's playing the same old game he used to play on Cybertron, we're in for trouble." He swiveled his seat to face Primal. "You weren't there when he got caught flirting with a Syndicate hand's favorite consort. The guy had his legs lopped off and tossed him in the gutter for the trash collectors. Guess who he called to come scrape him off the pavement?" He shook his head. "Didn't teach him, either. That wasn't the last time he went off chasing something he wanted even though it said TROUBLE in big neon letters. I should've given up at some point, but somebody had to keep him from getting himself killed. No one else seemed to care, least of all him..."
"Rattrap?" It was all Optimus could do not to burst out laughing. "Rattrap avoids trouble like a hot wire. I can barely order him into a firefight. He likes taking risks about as much as I like having my coolant changed."
"If that were true, he wouldn't gamble with other people's money. Hell, he wouldn't gamble. He also wouldn't pick fights with mechs twice his size, or try to steal from high-sec buildings for fun!" Rhinox's voice began to rise, and he caught himself. "Look, I don't know what it is. He doesn't talk about it. Gets mad if I even ask. Maybe it's overconfidence, maybe it's a test of his own skill, maybe he's even testing me to see if I show up to rescue him. Maybe... he just has a deathwish." He saw Optimus's expression and his frown, if possible, deepened. "Look, I'm not making this up."
"I didn't say you were," Optimus quickly reassured him, though he still couldn't help but think his friend was overreacting a little. "I mean, for a guy so bent on self-preservation, he does pull some pretty insane stunts. Sometimes just because he has to, but not always. Maybe he does get a thrill out of it. But he's still alive, so I'd say he can handle himself." With a little smile, he added, "You worry too much."
The look he received now said You Have Got To Be Kidding Me. "If Rattrap's seeking thrills, and his latest thrill is Dinobot? I don't think I'm worrying nearly enough. And neither are you, by the sound of things." Giving up on the argument, he turned away. "But I thought you'd say something like that. I've already decided to let it go. This time, if he wants to get himself mangled, I'm not going to stop him. Not like he'll listen to me anyway."
Primal couldn't help but feel for him. He reached out, grasping Rhinox's upper arm lightly, until the tech glanced up at him. "I understand your concern, old friend. For both of their sakes -- and yours -- I hope you're wrong."
The other mech nodded once. "Believe me, Optimus, I hope you're right." Then he turned back to his work. "But in any case, it's out of my hands now."
- - - - -
Rhinox needn't have worried anyway. For the rest of the week, Dinobot was more elusive than Tigatron. He came and went like a ghost, spending most of his waking hours out on patrol, returning to rest and refuel mostly after dark. Hardly anyone had a chance to speak to him, least of all Rattrap, who in any case was busy day and night working with Rhinox on their new transmitter.
The only person he didn't quite manage to avoid was Cheetor, who had taken his request to be informed of goings-on at the base quite to heart. Either that, or he was bored and thought that hunting down Dinobot would be a little more interesting than whatever busy work Optimus might dig up for him. In any case, he managed to catch the raptor often on his patrol routes, and though Dinobot did not seem in the mood for the company, he made no efforts to drive him off. He would continue on his way as though alone, while Cheetor paced him or pattered along just behind, talking until he ran out of things to talk about. At that point he would wave good-bye to Dinobot and trot off back to base, feeling accomplished. Dinobot hardly said a word to him -- not that he would've been able to get many in edgewise -- but never silenced him, except to listen for the sounds of fliers or the skittering of giant arthropod legs.
Only once had they actually run into a Predacon, two days after the tower had been blown up. Scorponok had managed to look surprised by their presence despite Cheetor's unmistakeable babbling. Realizing that he had likely just launched a cyberbee, Dinobot had attacked without hesitation, driving the Predacon into hasty retreat. A short while later Cheetor had managed to shoot down the cyberbee on its way back to its creator. They weren't able to salvage the data, but at least whatever it had recorded would not make it to Megatron.
"What d'you think he was after?" Cheetor wondered aloud as they examined the wreckage. "The Preds don't know Rattrap made copies of Tarantulas's plans, do they?"
Dinobot poked a claw at the small recording device. "Impossible to be sure. But it would be best not to underestimate Megatron. He probably knows we're up to something, and driving off Scorponok will make him even more suspicious." He glanced over at Cheetor, and there was reluctant approval in his gaze. "Your aim has improved," he said shortly before turning away. Cheetor nearly shorted from surprise at the compliment.
On the fourth day after the tower was destroyed -- four days after he'd bitten Rattrap and chosen to inflict semi-exile on himself -- the raptor came across the cat for a change, apparently waiting for him on the trail. He stopped in midstride and stood looking at Cheetor for a long moment in silence. The cat stared back.
"When are you gonna stop hiding?" asked Cheetor suddenly, prompting Dinobot to draw his head back in a velociraptor gesture of surprise.
"Hiding?" His eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?"
Cheetor looked down at the ground. Something seemed off in his expression, his posture, but Dinobot wasn't a people person and he didn't pay attention enough to be sure of what was different. "I was just talking to Rattrap. He thinks you're cheesed off at him, and that's why you're staying away."
Dinobot blinked. "He-- What?" I'M the one who bit HIM, remember? "That doesn't make any sense."
"S'what I told him, but I don't think he was really listening. Just wanted someone to vent to." The cat huffed. "Gets old fast, nobody listening to you."
"Does it really," the velociraptor snorted drily.
Cheetor glared, and Dinobot sensed the adolescent angst radiating from kittenish green eyes. Well, he had to start growing up sooner or later. It's seldom a painless process. "Is that why you've been hiding out here?" the younger Maximal asked bluntly. "Just tired of dealing with everyone?"
"I am not HIDING." A chorus of birds fell silent as Dinobot's voice rose, but Cheetor didn't flinch. He raised an eyebrow, unimpressed, and Dinobot actually felt a twinge of shame. "Fine. If you must know, I prefer my own company. I am far more useful out here, protecting the perimeter, than mucking about in the base. As for the vermin, he has work to do. I don't see why he should complain that I've been keeping out of his way."
The cheetah shrugged. "Ask him yourself. Sorry, but I'm through running everybody's messages. You want to know what's going on back at base, you can be your own eyes and ears. Not like you really care, anyway, right?"
Dinobot jerked back, beginning to wonder if this was some kind of imposter dressed up in Cheetor's skin. "What in the Pit is wrong with you? You were only too eager to be my eyes and ears before now. Have you finally outgrown your appetite for gossip, or are you worried about arousing your comrades' suspicions?" He looked closely at Cheetor, and some of the acid melted from his tone. "Or... is it that you have other things on your mind?"
Something flashed across Cheetor's eyes, too quick for Dinobot to catch. The impression it left was guilt. The cat wasn't telling him something. Now he looked confused and agitated, almost angry.
"Why don't you mind your own business for a change? I just came by to see if you were coming back anytime soon, that's all. Rattrap's all mopey and I just wanna cheer him up. Everybody's in such a mood lately--"
Including you, Dinobot threw at him mentally, chiding me for 'sulking' when it's clear you've come out to do the same. "And you hoped for a sympathetic audio, perhaps? Someone to vent to, as you put it, about how the others misunderstand you?" What do you know of being misunderstood, furball? At least they don't look at you as if you're going to EAT them. Granted, I find that impression useful to maintain at times, but still... "In that case, why aren't you pouring out your woes to Tigatron? It smells as if you've already run into him. I'm surprised his flower-sniffing euphoria hasn't rubbed off on you."
During the last few sentences a marked change came over the cat: his body tensed, his eyes widened slightly, and his ears flattened to his skull in the gesture of a scolded kitten. When Dinobot stopped talking, Cheetor tried to cover the reaction, but it was too late. The Predacon had seen him falter, as surely as the wild dog sees the misstep of a wounded gazelle. Dinobot cocked his head curiously, concealing an inner stab of concern and alarm -- he might be starting to care for the other Maximals, but he still wasn't in the habit of showing it.
"Did I say something... unsettling?" he inquired mildly, though fixing the cat with a piercing stare.
Cheetor looked away. "I..." He closed his eyes and gave a quick, decisive shake of his head. "No, it's nothing. Anyway, you're right. I'll leave you alone."
"Cheetor," Dinobot barked as the younger Maximal turned away. The cat paused, not quite looking back over his shoulder, and the raptor chose his next words carefully. "There has been... little perimeter activity the last few days. Tomorrow I will see if my skills are needed at the base. In case..." In case you want to talk was almost said, but not quite; that would be the Maximal thing to say, but then, Dinobot wasn't a very good Maximal. "In case there is any trouble at home," he finished instead, hoping the message would get through anyway.
He wasn't sure if it did or not, but Cheetor glanced back at him and nodded. "Thanks. It'd be nice to know where to find you, if things got crazy."
Just a matter of time around here, thought the warrior wryly. "Well," he snorted, "I can hardly leave you all to the mercy of your own wits. At least one of us has to keep a level head."
- - - - -
"So what do you think, old friend? Could this actually work?"
Optimus stood looking over Rhinox's shoulder as the tech sat at his workstation, going through the data Rattrap had retrieved. (The spy had been dismissed with orders to rest and to leave Dinobot alone for the time being; after their last conversation, Primal doubted the raptor was in a sociable mood.) Rhinox was deeply absorbed in the schematics, and it was a moment before he answered the question.
"I can't believe I didn't think of this," he mused out loud. "Tarantulas may be crazier than a grounded Seeker, but he's a sharper engineer than I am."
I doubt that, Primal thought, but he knew that trying to get Rhinox to give himself due credit was a lost cause. "At least you don't leave webs all over the engineering bay."
"Hm, true. Well, we'll have to build some of these parts from scratch... that can be done. We're missing a few raw materials, but I'll see what I can dig up. Power source will be tricky, but I've got a few ideas. Of course, it still needs to be set up in an open spot as close to the Axalon as possible, not to mention protected from Predacon retaliation..."
Primal patted the bulky mech's shoulder. "I'll worry about all that. Can you do this?"
Rhinox shrugged beneath his hand. "Sure, why not? It wouldn't be the first time we've pulled off a miracle."
Grinning, the commander clapped him on the back. "Nothing worth doing is easy, right?"
"Wouldn't mind a break once in a while," groused the tech, then sighed. "So, now I've got a list of necessary but unavailable parts, a formula calling for five or six times more energy than we can spare, and a diagram written by a madman. When do you want this done?"
"The Predacons will figure out what we're up to before long. We need to work fast." There was the briefest pause. "Can you do it in a week?"
The sigh this time was long, deep, and profound. Optimus didn't prod him any further, just waited.
"I swear, the things I do for you..." The tech rubbed his heavy brow ridge with one hand. "All right. But I'm going to need all the help I can get."
Primal gave his shoulder a squeeze. He knew Rhinox would deliver, no matter how impossible the task, once he decided it could be done. "Help won't be a problem, I promise. We'll make this a priority. If it works, it might win the war for us."
Rhinox tilted his head back. "Oh, great. No pressure then."
"Come on, where's your optimism?"
Without hesitation, Rhinox pointed up at him. "Right behind me." It was an old joke of theirs, and gave them both a chuckle.
Good to know we CAN still laugh. Everyone seemed to be on edge lately, including Rhinox. Optimus was glad to see his old friend acting like himself again, and much of his own laughter was from relief at seeing Rhinox lighten up.
"It will be nice to have a project to work on," Rhinox admitted after a moment. "Might help keep my mind off other things."
Optimus moved around the chair to stand at Rhinox's side, allowing him to see his friend's face. "What has been on your mind lately? You've seemed pretty tense the last couple of days, since..."
Rhinox waved a hand dismissively. "Ah, it's nothing. Just worried is all."
"About anything in particular? I mean, no offense, but worrying about everyone and everything at once is supposed to be my job." Optimus hoped the light tone would get another smile out of him, but instead, Rhinox's expression became grim.
"Not this time. This one's my problem, if it's anyone's. I guess I don't have to get involved, but if I don't, and something happens... then what?"
It was true, Primal was many things, but an idiot wasn't one of them. It was his turn to sigh. "You're worried about Rattrap."
Rhinox brushed away an imaginary fleck of dirt from the screen, not looking up this time as he answered. "Is it that obvious?"
"Just a bit. Now I get where you're coming from, but I don't think--"
"I know what you think," the tech interrupted. "Again, I wish I had your optimism. But I know Rattrap. If he's playing the same old game he used to play on Cybertron, we're in for trouble." He swiveled his seat to face Primal. "You weren't there when he got caught flirting with a Syndicate hand's favorite consort. The guy had his legs lopped off and tossed him in the gutter for the trash collectors. Guess who he called to come scrape him off the pavement?" He shook his head. "Didn't teach him, either. That wasn't the last time he went off chasing something he wanted even though it said TROUBLE in big neon letters. I should've given up at some point, but somebody had to keep him from getting himself killed. No one else seemed to care, least of all him..."
"Rattrap?" It was all Optimus could do not to burst out laughing. "Rattrap avoids trouble like a hot wire. I can barely order him into a firefight. He likes taking risks about as much as I like having my coolant changed."
"If that were true, he wouldn't gamble with other people's money. Hell, he wouldn't gamble. He also wouldn't pick fights with mechs twice his size, or try to steal from high-sec buildings for fun!" Rhinox's voice began to rise, and he caught himself. "Look, I don't know what it is. He doesn't talk about it. Gets mad if I even ask. Maybe it's overconfidence, maybe it's a test of his own skill, maybe he's even testing me to see if I show up to rescue him. Maybe... he just has a deathwish." He saw Optimus's expression and his frown, if possible, deepened. "Look, I'm not making this up."
"I didn't say you were," Optimus quickly reassured him, though he still couldn't help but think his friend was overreacting a little. "I mean, for a guy so bent on self-preservation, he does pull some pretty insane stunts. Sometimes just because he has to, but not always. Maybe he does get a thrill out of it. But he's still alive, so I'd say he can handle himself." With a little smile, he added, "You worry too much."
The look he received now said You Have Got To Be Kidding Me. "If Rattrap's seeking thrills, and his latest thrill is Dinobot? I don't think I'm worrying nearly enough. And neither are you, by the sound of things." Giving up on the argument, he turned away. "But I thought you'd say something like that. I've already decided to let it go. This time, if he wants to get himself mangled, I'm not going to stop him. Not like he'll listen to me anyway."
Primal couldn't help but feel for him. He reached out, grasping Rhinox's upper arm lightly, until the tech glanced up at him. "I understand your concern, old friend. For both of their sakes -- and yours -- I hope you're wrong."
The other mech nodded once. "Believe me, Optimus, I hope you're right." Then he turned back to his work. "But in any case, it's out of my hands now."
- - - - -
Rhinox needn't have worried anyway. For the rest of the week, Dinobot was more elusive than Tigatron. He came and went like a ghost, spending most of his waking hours out on patrol, returning to rest and refuel mostly after dark. Hardly anyone had a chance to speak to him, least of all Rattrap, who in any case was busy day and night working with Rhinox on their new transmitter.
The only person he didn't quite manage to avoid was Cheetor, who had taken his request to be informed of goings-on at the base quite to heart. Either that, or he was bored and thought that hunting down Dinobot would be a little more interesting than whatever busy work Optimus might dig up for him. In any case, he managed to catch the raptor often on his patrol routes, and though Dinobot did not seem in the mood for the company, he made no efforts to drive him off. He would continue on his way as though alone, while Cheetor paced him or pattered along just behind, talking until he ran out of things to talk about. At that point he would wave good-bye to Dinobot and trot off back to base, feeling accomplished. Dinobot hardly said a word to him -- not that he would've been able to get many in edgewise -- but never silenced him, except to listen for the sounds of fliers or the skittering of giant arthropod legs.
Only once had they actually run into a Predacon, two days after the tower had been blown up. Scorponok had managed to look surprised by their presence despite Cheetor's unmistakeable babbling. Realizing that he had likely just launched a cyberbee, Dinobot had attacked without hesitation, driving the Predacon into hasty retreat. A short while later Cheetor had managed to shoot down the cyberbee on its way back to its creator. They weren't able to salvage the data, but at least whatever it had recorded would not make it to Megatron.
"What d'you think he was after?" Cheetor wondered aloud as they examined the wreckage. "The Preds don't know Rattrap made copies of Tarantulas's plans, do they?"
Dinobot poked a claw at the small recording device. "Impossible to be sure. But it would be best not to underestimate Megatron. He probably knows we're up to something, and driving off Scorponok will make him even more suspicious." He glanced over at Cheetor, and there was reluctant approval in his gaze. "Your aim has improved," he said shortly before turning away. Cheetor nearly shorted from surprise at the compliment.
On the fourth day after the tower was destroyed -- four days after he'd bitten Rattrap and chosen to inflict semi-exile on himself -- the raptor came across the cat for a change, apparently waiting for him on the trail. He stopped in midstride and stood looking at Cheetor for a long moment in silence. The cat stared back.
"When are you gonna stop hiding?" asked Cheetor suddenly, prompting Dinobot to draw his head back in a velociraptor gesture of surprise.
"Hiding?" His eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?"
Cheetor looked down at the ground. Something seemed off in his expression, his posture, but Dinobot wasn't a people person and he didn't pay attention enough to be sure of what was different. "I was just talking to Rattrap. He thinks you're cheesed off at him, and that's why you're staying away."
Dinobot blinked. "He-- What?" I'M the one who bit HIM, remember? "That doesn't make any sense."
"S'what I told him, but I don't think he was really listening. Just wanted someone to vent to." The cat huffed. "Gets old fast, nobody listening to you."
"Does it really," the velociraptor snorted drily.
Cheetor glared, and Dinobot sensed the adolescent angst radiating from kittenish green eyes. Well, he had to start growing up sooner or later. It's seldom a painless process. "Is that why you've been hiding out here?" the younger Maximal asked bluntly. "Just tired of dealing with everyone?"
"I am not HIDING." A chorus of birds fell silent as Dinobot's voice rose, but Cheetor didn't flinch. He raised an eyebrow, unimpressed, and Dinobot actually felt a twinge of shame. "Fine. If you must know, I prefer my own company. I am far more useful out here, protecting the perimeter, than mucking about in the base. As for the vermin, he has work to do. I don't see why he should complain that I've been keeping out of his way."
The cheetah shrugged. "Ask him yourself. Sorry, but I'm through running everybody's messages. You want to know what's going on back at base, you can be your own eyes and ears. Not like you really care, anyway, right?"
Dinobot jerked back, beginning to wonder if this was some kind of imposter dressed up in Cheetor's skin. "What in the Pit is wrong with you? You were only too eager to be my eyes and ears before now. Have you finally outgrown your appetite for gossip, or are you worried about arousing your comrades' suspicions?" He looked closely at Cheetor, and some of the acid melted from his tone. "Or... is it that you have other things on your mind?"
Something flashed across Cheetor's eyes, too quick for Dinobot to catch. The impression it left was guilt. The cat wasn't telling him something. Now he looked confused and agitated, almost angry.
"Why don't you mind your own business for a change? I just came by to see if you were coming back anytime soon, that's all. Rattrap's all mopey and I just wanna cheer him up. Everybody's in such a mood lately--"
Including you, Dinobot threw at him mentally, chiding me for 'sulking' when it's clear you've come out to do the same. "And you hoped for a sympathetic audio, perhaps? Someone to vent to, as you put it, about how the others misunderstand you?" What do you know of being misunderstood, furball? At least they don't look at you as if you're going to EAT them. Granted, I find that impression useful to maintain at times, but still... "In that case, why aren't you pouring out your woes to Tigatron? It smells as if you've already run into him. I'm surprised his flower-sniffing euphoria hasn't rubbed off on you."
During the last few sentences a marked change came over the cat: his body tensed, his eyes widened slightly, and his ears flattened to his skull in the gesture of a scolded kitten. When Dinobot stopped talking, Cheetor tried to cover the reaction, but it was too late. The Predacon had seen him falter, as surely as the wild dog sees the misstep of a wounded gazelle. Dinobot cocked his head curiously, concealing an inner stab of concern and alarm -- he might be starting to care for the other Maximals, but he still wasn't in the habit of showing it.
"Did I say something... unsettling?" he inquired mildly, though fixing the cat with a piercing stare.
Cheetor looked away. "I..." He closed his eyes and gave a quick, decisive shake of his head. "No, it's nothing. Anyway, you're right. I'll leave you alone."
"Cheetor," Dinobot barked as the younger Maximal turned away. The cat paused, not quite looking back over his shoulder, and the raptor chose his next words carefully. "There has been... little perimeter activity the last few days. Tomorrow I will see if my skills are needed at the base. In case..." In case you want to talk was almost said, but not quite; that would be the Maximal thing to say, but then, Dinobot wasn't a very good Maximal. "In case there is any trouble at home," he finished instead, hoping the message would get through anyway.
He wasn't sure if it did or not, but Cheetor glanced back at him and nodded. "Thanks. It'd be nice to know where to find you, if things got crazy."
Just a matter of time around here, thought the warrior wryly. "Well," he snorted, "I can hardly leave you all to the mercy of your own wits. At least one of us has to keep a level head."