Each step is a gargantuan effort, but he finally manages to drag himself through the door. Then his hand is going out to seek a wall for support as he starts to tremble so badly that things can be heard rattling inside his chassis.
Ironhide makes herself focus as they inch onward. She shifts uncomfortably, nervous and looking to Armorhide, Cliffjumper, anyone who can tell her what to do now. Behind them it sounds like someone's shooting again, and Stormcloud gives a jeering comment on their speed.
"G... guys?" Ironhide looks around as the rattling starts, afraid the Bulk will come apart under her. "Come on, Joe, you can make it..."
Abruptly Nightscream is out of patience. With a curse, he's climbing up the momentarily-halted Autobot.
"Hold still," he warns. He finds a good spot, whips a cube of high-grade energon out from subspace, and plugs it straight in.
"No, no," Ironhide murmurs insistently. "Keep moving. You can hold it together. You can."
Somewhere down there Nightscream's dumping the rest of what he has into the Autobot's systems. And Cliffjumper and Armorhide have stopped to look between the situation and each other with concern behind their nigh-expressionless faceplates.
The massive battered hulk stops, gathering energy. Then he turns his head and shines a spotlight directly on the area that he's sensing the signature from. He can only maintain it for a couple moments before it snaps off, and then he's groaning and resting his head against the arm that's on the wall.
The spotlight falls on bare wall, but in a moment Armorhide and the others disappear ahead. Even Nightscream is silent but for his metal footfall on the ground. Quieter than the heavily built Armorhide beside him, for one. Cliffjumper waits restlessly, peering after them. Oceanglide seems to be calmly checking his solar panels - and keeping a surreptitious sensor on the passage behind.
Ironhide pats her alt's armour. "Just hang on," she murmurs. "You did good. We'll get you out of here in one piece."
There's not much - flickers of signals, confused and hazy. And a few minutes later, the clangs of a scuffle and shouted threats echo back down the hallway.
//Anyone else notice the comms are working again?// comes Nightscream's abrupt and breezy voice. //...Oh yeah, and we've got him, Cliffjumper. Come on ahead. You might want to see this.//
Cliffjumper blinks at the darkness before she turns and beckons the others to follow. //We're on our way.//
"Take it steady," Ironhide says to the Autobot. "Time to go scare a spy."
The Autobot 'looks' down, sightless optics showing for a moment in his battered and in places unplated face as he frowns. "I do not like threats to my friends."
Yes, he just called this bunch his friends. He's pretty sure Ironhide would do the same.
"Yeah." Sideburn looks at the Autobot, and then at the others. "Yeah. I get that. But I had to get your attention somehow."
"Why?" Cliffjumper asks. "Doesn't that defeat the purpose of being undercover?"
"Not exactly. But don't worry about that. I had to get you on your guard. Once I found out where you were going, I figured you were bound to run into my 'friends' here. Hassling your defences..." His gaze flickers to Oceanglide, then the two Ironhides looming above, one staring at her bigger alt again. "I figured you'd either be warned off or you'd... well, you'd come in with your shields up."
He looks back at Cliffjumper, his voice turning sheepishly hopeful. "So, uh. Please don't kill me. I even left a blast door open back there for you."
There's a groan from the Bulk as he rests part of his weight against the nearest wall. He's silent then for a few clicks as he contemplates something. And then he lifts his head from where his chin had sunk to his chest.
"I know...." A pause for a staticky cough, and then more quietly, "I know how to tell if he's lying."
The damaged fingers close gently around the small being, and the entity inside Ironhide's shell listens and 'watches' the Minicon's reaction. He's already fairly certain that he doesn't need to use any other scan than this test of Sideburn's willingness to comply with his requests.
There's tension in his processor, and down in his frame, but he keeps it well-hidden. Then the fingers close around him. He stiffens subtly, holding himself still, visor sweeping the Autobot's face.
//You can tell that?// Ironhide asks her alt quietly, over private comm.
She'll feel a slight start as he hears the comm message, and see his very slight nod. //The very fact that he let me touch him more than likely proves him to be telling the truth.//
As he replies he closes his grip just a little more, his nod becoming more noticeable as Sideburn looks up at him.
She frowns at the spy. //People'll go along with anything if there's... if they're desperate. But I guess you have a point.//
"You done?" Nightscream asks, peering upward. Sideburn tips his head, relaxing a little. Just a little, because a nod, in his world, can turn into anything in a second.
His vitals are still about the same, but his energy level's dropped back to nearly nothing. He does, however, fight to respond, the fingers of his less damaged hand clenching as he beeps once very quietly.
//Ironhide... PINpoint? Unsure... able... make it out... zrrt.//
Ironhide's almost in a panic, glancing anxiously at the others before she remembers why. //Can't you move? Come on, Ironhide, we just have to get you on your feet... you can do it!//
The others are busy fussing and discussing out loud, unaware of her private stream of incoherent urging. Putting Joe in stasis lock until they can get the hoversled down here with energon is suggested, and argued against; trying to get him on the sled likewise...
His movement causes a ripple of astonished horror.
"No! Joe, just- stop!" Cliffjumper skids to a halt in front of him, flagging the Autobot down.
"He's never going to make it like that," Stormcloud observes sagely. Waterlog's scratching his chin and cuffing Sideburn for trying to move too far. Oceanglide watches with mild interest. It's not as if there's anything he can claim to do here.
"If we have to come back, we have to," Armorhide says. "Look, Joe- just settle down and go into stasis lock while we-"
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"...Give me... strength...." he murmurs shakily.
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"G... guys?" Ironhide looks around as the rattling starts, afraid the Bulk will come apart under her. "Come on, Joe, you can make it..."
Abruptly Nightscream is out of patience. With a curse, he's climbing up the momentarily-halted Autobot.
"Hold still," he warns. He finds a good spot, whips a cube of high-grade energon out from subspace, and plugs it straight in.
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Somewhere down there Nightscream's dumping the rest of what he has into the Autobot's systems. And Cliffjumper and Armorhide have stopped to look between the situation and each other with concern behind their nigh-expressionless faceplates.
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Ironhide pats her alt's armour. "Just hang on," she murmurs. "You did good. We'll get you out of here in one piece."
If those welds hold, anyway.
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//Anyone else notice the comms are working again?// comes Nightscream's abrupt and breezy voice. //...Oh yeah, and we've got him, Cliffjumper. Come on ahead. You might want to see this.//
Cliffjumper blinks at the darkness before she turns and beckons the others to follow. //We're on our way.//
"Take it steady," Ironhide says to the Autobot. "Time to go scare a spy."
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Yes, he just called this bunch his friends. He's pretty sure Ironhide would do the same.
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"Why?" Cliffjumper asks. "Doesn't that defeat the purpose of being undercover?"
"Not exactly. But don't worry about that. I had to get you on your guard. Once I found out where you were going, I figured you were bound to run into my 'friends' here. Hassling your defences..." His gaze flickers to Oceanglide, then the two Ironhides looming above, one staring at her bigger alt again. "I figured you'd either be warned off or you'd... well, you'd come in with your shields up."
He looks back at Cliffjumper, his voice turning sheepishly hopeful. "So, uh. Please don't kill me. I even left a blast door open back there for you."
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"I know...." A pause for a staticky cough, and then more quietly, "I know how to tell if he's lying."
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"All right," says Armorhide. "How?"
"Let's hear it, matey," purrs Waterlog from behind the spy. He's stock-still, his launcher not wavering a millimetre.
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//You can tell that?// Ironhide asks her alt quietly, over private comm.
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As he replies he closes his grip just a little more, his nod becoming more noticeable as Sideburn looks up at him.
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"You done?" Nightscream asks, peering upward. Sideburn tips his head, relaxing a little. Just a little, because a nod, in his world, can turn into anything in a second.
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//Ironhide... PINpoint? Unsure... able... make it out... zrrt.//
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The others are busy fussing and discussing out loud, unaware of her private stream of incoherent urging. Putting Joe in stasis lock until they can get the hoversled down here with energon is suggested, and argued against; trying to get him on the sled likewise...
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Another groan, and then impossibly, painfully, he's slowly rolling over onto his hands and knees. "Keep... going. Keep...."
Blind, crippled, lacking a living spark, he forces the black shell to continue on the journey to the outer world.
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"No! Joe, just- stop!" Cliffjumper skids to a halt in front of him, flagging the Autobot down.
"He's never going to make it like that," Stormcloud observes sagely. Waterlog's scratching his chin and cuffing Sideburn for trying to move too far. Oceanglide watches with mild interest. It's not as if there's anything he can claim to do here.
"If we have to come back, we have to," Armorhide says. "Look, Joe- just settle down and go into stasis lock while we-"
"Hey Ironhide!" Nightscream calls over angrily. "You gonna try helping anytime soon?"
The orange Minicon eyes him wildly, and then stares at her alt.
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