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Post by Thundercracker-3 on Jan 16, 2009 23:24:00 GMT -5
Thundercracker's "flight" can hardly be called that -- he barely makes it off the ground before Barricade's arms wrap around his legs, dragging him back to the harsh canyon floor. He cries out again, fear of Perceptor and rage at Barricade for the seeming betrayal, and writhes to escape the Saleen's grip.
"You promised," he snarls, air cycling in ragged hisses. "I trusted you... and you brought me into a trap..."
It takes a moment for everyone else's shouting to sink into his panicked CPU, but when it does he finally ceases his struggling, though every joint and servo remains tense and coiled, ready to resume his struggles at a moment's notice. Decent Perceptor... not their Perceptor...
He wants to trust them. He wants to believe this Perceptor means no harm. But he can't look at the scientist without cringing. This Perceptor might be decent -- but he still wears the face of the brilliant sociopath that reduced him to a slave in the first place.
"How?" he croaks. "How do I know I can trust you, Perceptor? Why should I let you near me?"
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Post by Barricade-3 on Jan 17, 2009 2:51:15 GMT -5
For those long, gut-wrenching moments of struggle before Thundercracker decides to calm down long enough to hear them out, Barricade holds on tight and prays that he's strong enough to keep the Seeker from kicking him free.
// Sorry, p-partner, // he transmits privately to Frenzy for the battering that his partner is inadvertantly getting, still being tucked safely inside. Barricade knows, though, that if Thundercracker gets off the ground... He's not coming back and Barricade doubts that they'd ever have another chance at coaxing him away ever again after this "betrayal".
"Dammit, Thunder! We didn't! I wouldn't do that to you! The Doc wouldn't do that to you! Don't you trust us?" he pleads, still holding on tight.
"Perceptor didn't even want to come because he thought you'd freak out and he said he didn't want to do that to you! Hook had to talk him into it!" That had been a very... odd... conversation to watch, too. Hook. Asking Perceptor to come along. That's when Barricade had known that he had to ignore the face and try to trust the mech.
He doesn't blame Thundercracker at all, though. He's more frustrated than anything, and not at Thunder. More at Perceptor for slagging this whole encounter up. All he had to do was wait a couple of minutes so that he and Hook could explain things more calmly, but nooooo. No, he's got to...
Dammit. Barricade had done darn near the exact same thing when he'd first laid optics on Hook. "This sucks," he mutters, frustrated.
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Post by Pee-Dee on Jan 18, 2009 17:47:52 GMT -5
Pee-Dee decides this is one of those moments when the cameras are on a different part of the scene and she doesn't need to do anything more interesting than look pretty.
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Hook-3
Cadet
No One Knows What It's Like
Posts: 94
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Post by Hook-3 on Jan 18, 2009 18:21:38 GMT -5
"Thundercracker," Hook says gently, "Do you trust me? I will vouch for this mech. I will be right next to him the entire time, in arm's reach of him. I will not let him hurt you."
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Post by Perceptor on Jan 19, 2009 14:05:14 GMT -5
Perceptor hunches in on himself unhappily as he watches Thundercracker's fear demonstrate itself so clearly. This is exactly why he'd argued against his presence here. Hook had come to accept him, somewhat (Perceptor is afraid to ask just how much of that acceptance is nothing more than an act, and so he simply accept his observations on face value), however, Hook had not suffered... well... what Thundercracker had.
Hook had not suffered under Perceptor's very hands, thanks to Omega Supreme's diligence.
"I do not know," Perceptor finally replies softly. "I... I have nothing to offer you, Thundercracker, except for my word. A promise that I will not harm you, that I only wish to... to undo what my alternate has done."
"What if... What if I did not approach? Hook could perform the work, and I could advise based upon..." he trails off, seeing the flaw already. "But then, you would have only my word that I would not be advising inappropriately..." Hook is certainly clever and skilled enough to see through most of what an unscrupulous mech could attempt, however, not all. At least, not all of what will need to be examined and performed upon Thundercracker, else why even bother bringing Perceptor along in the first place?
He remains silent as he bends his considerable processing power to the quandary, finally offering, "I could offer Hook unrestrained access to my databanks?" Pee-Dee could guard him while he was so vulnerable, and Hook could hopefully find and utilize the knowledge Perceptor might possess to assist in undoing what had been done. Except... "But, again," he murmurs sorrowfully, "you would have only my word that I had not corrupted the data." He is failing. Again.
"I doubt that my word is adequate enough. I... I am sorry."
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Post by Thundercracker-3 on Jan 19, 2009 23:10:17 GMT -5
Thundercracker remains tense in Barricade's grip as the others do their best to reassure him. Barricade does have every reason to worry should he manage to slip free -- as much as he loathes being Skyfire's pet, his fear of Perceptor is even greater...
But as this Perceptor continues to speak, he feels some of that tension begin to ebb. Perceptor trying to calm him, to offer some sincere assurance... something his Perceptor has never done... Even as Perceptor argues against his own suggestions, he feels his terror of the scientist slip just a little, just enough...
It's Hook's words, though that are the deciding factor. And it's Hook he's looking at when he finally speaks again.
"If Hook stays by me," he says quietly, "I'll let him do what he must. That's the only way." His expression is almost pleading. "Don't leave me, Hook..."
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Post by Barricade-3 on Jan 19, 2009 23:20:04 GMT -5
Barricade can feel Thundercracker slowly, slowly, slowly begin to relax. A little. Enough, maybe. Barricade hopes. Hope that increases as he listens to the Seeker's concession.
"I'll be there, too, Thunder," Barricade adds. Unspoke, that Frenzy will be there, too. Frenzy can be one nasty little mofo when he needs to be.
Barricade must confess, though, that he is very surprised to hear some of the compromises that this Perceptor offers. Every time that he thinks that these weird alternates can't surprise him any more, they do. It's... weird.
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Post by Pee-Dee on Jan 20, 2009 14:55:39 GMT -5
Pee-Dee pretends to be an extra.
Skippable.
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Hook-3
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No One Knows What It's Like
Posts: 94
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Post by Hook-3 on Jan 20, 2009 19:43:37 GMT -5
"I won't leave you," Hook promises. He approaches Thundercracker carefully, reaching out towards the blue jet as if to touch his arm. "Will you sit down with me? I'd like to examine you myself before I let anyone else touch you."
Hook, if he knew Perceptor were thinking he couldn't reverse-engineer this by himself, would be mightily insulted. Fortunately, Hook is not a telepath.
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Post by Perceptor on Jan 20, 2009 21:12:43 GMT -5
"I would require his assistance anyway," Perceptor blurts out in surprise. Thundercracker is acquiessing? Perceptor had honestly not expected that. Not given the Seeker's sheer terror.
"Thank you," he offers softly, grateful for the opportunity to set things right.
But he should probably be quiet now, and allow Hook to calm Thundercracker and do his examination. It isn't as if Perceptor lacks the visual acuity to observe from his place by Pee-Dee, after all. Besides, she could use a little TLC herself, too.
"Pee-Dee, perhaps I should have a look at your systems while Hook examines Thundercracker?" he asks quietly. "I have brought components to at least make repairs on your radio..."
As for Perceptor's thoughts, he, of course, meant, "in a timely manner."
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Post by Thundercracker-3 on Jan 20, 2009 23:35:54 GMT -5
Thundercracker flinches just the slightest bit as Hooks' fingers brush his arm. It's been so long since anyone has touched him in a manner that wasn't painful or degrading... But this is Hook. Hook has never hurt him, would never hurt him.
He nods in reply, and if Barricade lets him he stands and goes to sit near Hook, ready to let the medic examine him.
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Post by Barricade-3 on Jan 21, 2009 22:59:07 GMT -5
Sanity seems to be holding sway after all. This is good. Better than good. Great. Better than great. Greatness.1. Barricade heaves a relieved sigh and does, indeed, release Thundercracker to Hook's care.
And then he decides to play the part of a cop shop extra now, since he isn't really needed for a while, or until Perceptor does something... funny... and Barricade has to jump in and bust a skull or something.
ooc: 1 - Borrowed blatantly from "Due South" during the third season when the cop, Kowalski, would use that line to describe good things.
Also, skippable.
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Post by Pee-Dee on Jan 22, 2009 19:24:49 GMT -5
"Sure thing, Doc!" Pee-Dee works her fingers into the seams at her collar and peels back the area of her chest that covers her radio. "I didn't get a good chance to check what was wrong with it. Too much time focusing on the more important stuff, like legs and wheels."
Pee-Dee's radio? Has neatly had all of its attachments to her systems cut. It's a rather startling contrast to some of the still present wires and lines that stop half-melted once they cross a certain seam in her armor.
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Hook-3
Cadet
No One Knows What It's Like
Posts: 94
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Post by Hook-3 on Jan 22, 2009 21:51:45 GMT -5
Hook carefully begins to check over Thundercracker, talking softly to the jet and explaining each part of the checkup. If Thundercracker tenses up, he immediately stops and waits until the jet is soothed again. Slowly and carefully, that's the way to do this.
The Constructicon cannot keep the wince from his face when he comes to the blue jet's lasercore, however.
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Post by Perceptor on Jan 22, 2009 23:08:35 GMT -5
Perceptor splits his attention between watching Hook and Thundercracker from where he is working on Pee-Dee and actually working on Pee-Dee. That's why it takes him a moment to grasp the ramifications of those neatly snipped wires.
"I assume," he observes in a carefully neutral tone toward Barricade, "that you assisted in Pee-Dee's... repairs?" Fortunately, the snips are quite neat, and are just as neatly, and quickly, spliced back together.
// Greetings, Pee-Dee. Do you receive this transmission? // he transmits on a very low power, extremely short wave signal. // If so, you should be aware that your radio had been intentionally disabled, and had not been involved with your other injuries. //
Irritated Perceptor is quite irritated.
Not irritated enough, though, that he misses Hook's wince. Oh, this will not be good, he fears.
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