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randomplaces2009-10-19 11:56 am
random_xtras) wrote in randomplaces2009-10-19 11:56 am
Entry tags:
BW 'verse. Axalon and other places. Rumors of change.
Rattrap yelped as Scorponok grabbed him, then coughed enthusiastically right into the startled Predacon's face.
"Hey! What the slag was that?" The arachnid bot's optic band narrowed.
"You ever hear what they say about rats 'n plague?" Rattrap grinned up at him.
"No."
The Maximal demolitions expert sighed and muttered irritably about his talents being wasted on this lunk, then kicked him hard and squirmed away. "Don't worry, you'll figure it out in a few days."
Scorponok yelped and dropped him, then started in pursuit as Rattrap changed to his beast mode and galloped away as fast as his small pink feet could carry him. Pursuit was aborted abruptly as a fluffy little spotted wildcat even smaller than the rat sprang out of cover and gave a piercing shriek. "AHHHHH!"
Rattrap was too tired to even laugh a few minutes later as he curled up under a bush and held his head in his paws. "I really hope dat woiks. I mean, I jes' coughed on half da slaggin' Pred presence on da planet. Dat much effort's gotta be rewarded, right?"
Small, slender hands gently pushed his paws away and then checked the temperature of his nose.
"You're running a fever," said a female voice softly.
"Heh," he said mirthlessly. "Yous jes' now noticed, pussycat? It's ben dere fer a few days already."
The little fembot gave him a frown from where she knelt beside him. "It wasn't slowing you down before. You better rest."
He sighed. "I gotta get back 'n check on da others. Silverbolt really didn' look dat great when we left. Aww, Rumor, don't lookit me like dat."
Rumor's golden-eyed stare got sterner, and he finally sighed and curled a little tighter and closed his eyes. "Jes' a few winks, den. But no more."
He sighed again as he heard her transform and then felt her snuggle against his back and start to lick his head between his ears, his mind going back over the past weeks. He'd thought Codeak had looked a little under the weather as the big bot had boarded his shuttle to go back to Cybertron, but he'd put it down to having to leave Optimus and the bossbot's family. It'd been just a little over a week later that Optimus himself had wakened delirious and burning with fever as his systems kicked into overdrive to try and eradicate the virus. Dinobot had succumbed the same day, his sturdy systems clobbered to the point where Rhinox had despaired of his survival a couple times since. Silverbolt was next, and soon became as sick as Dinobot. The rest of the crew followed quickly, the spread of the virus remorseless and impervious to anything that Rhinox tried to check its progress. Even Windracer had caught it, though her mostly human makeup had allowed her to kick it quickly.
And then Rumor had arrived. A little Predacon who said she was searching for the bot to whom she owed her life. Rattrap had been too run off his feet helping care for the others to even raise an objection to her presence, and she had never once raised any objections of her own to obeying Rhinox's orders. She'd actually seemed glad of them, and Rattrap supposed that it had something to do with her Predacon programming. Whichever and whatever it was, he found himself falling into a working partnership with the fembot as they did what they could to help the others, and even waking up a few mornings curled up with her in some corner of the bridge or someone's room after he'd passed out from exhaustion. Slinky little sneaker she might be, but there was something of honour about her too, and an intense loyalty.
Kinda wish Chopperface was awake. I'd see if he knew anyt'in' about 'er, he thought to himself wearily, feeling his joints ache. Slag. I t'ink dis crud's finally gettin' me down. Jes' what we don't need, now dat Lardbutt's collapsed.
That had been a terrifying thing; going into Thundermoon's quarters and finding Rhinox laying on her berth beside her with his arms around her as the medic attempted to comfort the delirious fembot even when unconscious himself.
"I've called An," said Rumor softly. "She's bringing help."
"What?" He lifted his head and frowned at her hazily. "No! Rhinox said...."
"Rhinox is too sick to be in charge now," she countered evenly. "And so are you. So I'm in charge. If we don't get help some of your friends won't survive this. You said the human girl got over the plague quickly, so the other humans should be safe."
Rattrap groaned with the effort of trying to think of an argument, then just uncurled and crawled shakily out from under the bush. "Let's git back ta base."
She growled softly but followed, and he had to admit that if she hadn't been there he might not have gotten back to the Axalon.
An met him from where she stood in one of the guard posts with her spearthrower loaded in her hand. "Everything's quiet. Mara, Tirzah and Windracer are tending the sick."
"Good," he said faintly, trying to get his eyes to focus. "Great. Y'see how Lardbutt's snugglin' Moony?"
The human chief frowned and went to one knee to look at him closely, then turned to Rumor.
"He's sick," said the little cat succinctly, her ears perked curiously.
"I see that." An scowled. "I wish there were more than three CR chambers."
"I ain't dat sick... wait." Rattrap blinked. "Who's in da t'ird one now?"
"Tigatron brought Airazor in a few clicks ago." An scooped him up despite his weak flailing and protesting, then turned and carried him aboard and to his quarters as Rumor tagged at her heels.
"Slag... da #$@#$@# woild's spinnin' bad enough wit'out you treatin' me like a... oiiiiiii." He curled up and shivered.
An lay him gently on his berth and then took the fur blanket that Tirzah brought her and lay it over him. "You stay there till I say you can get up."
"Yessir," he said faintly, feeling glad for the close darkness beneath the covering.
"Can you transform?"
"Trans... oh yeah. Rattrap Maximize." He flipped over and whimpered. "Slaaaag."
"Get some sleep." She fixed the blanket, then looked at Rumor, who had also transformed. "Take care of him."
"Yes, sir." The small femme stood to attention, then watched both humans go before turning back and settling onto the berth beside Rattrap, who startled slightly and moaned.
"What... yous. What're ya doin', Fluffy?"
"Shhh." She snuggled close and put her arms around him. "Just rest."
Rattrap was too tired to even care that a female was being nice to him. He just sighed and rested his face against her shoulder. "Dat bot you owe your life ta... I never met ya before."
"No, you didn't." Gentle fingers rubbed his back and sent peace through his laboring systems.
"Somebody heah?" He sighed and managed to relax a bit.
"Dinobot," she said softly.
"Chopperface?" Rattrap managed a weak smile. "What'd he do?"
"Created me."
"WHAT???" He pushed back and stared at her with shock and a bit of fear. "Yous mean yer Dinobot's kid???"
She growled at him and shoved him back down, then once more snuggled. "Yes."
"Ohhhh maaaaaan," he whined softly. "If dis slaggin' virus don' kill me he will." He shuttered his optics. "I'm gonna die."
"Do it after you sleep." She started rubbing his back again.
He frowned at her, trying to think of how to explain that what she'd just said didn't make sense. But he fell asleep before he could get the words in order.
"Hey! What the slag was that?" The arachnid bot's optic band narrowed.
"You ever hear what they say about rats 'n plague?" Rattrap grinned up at him.
"No."
The Maximal demolitions expert sighed and muttered irritably about his talents being wasted on this lunk, then kicked him hard and squirmed away. "Don't worry, you'll figure it out in a few days."
Scorponok yelped and dropped him, then started in pursuit as Rattrap changed to his beast mode and galloped away as fast as his small pink feet could carry him. Pursuit was aborted abruptly as a fluffy little spotted wildcat even smaller than the rat sprang out of cover and gave a piercing shriek. "AHHHHH!"
Rattrap was too tired to even laugh a few minutes later as he curled up under a bush and held his head in his paws. "I really hope dat woiks. I mean, I jes' coughed on half da slaggin' Pred presence on da planet. Dat much effort's gotta be rewarded, right?"
Small, slender hands gently pushed his paws away and then checked the temperature of his nose.
"You're running a fever," said a female voice softly.
"Heh," he said mirthlessly. "Yous jes' now noticed, pussycat? It's ben dere fer a few days already."
The little fembot gave him a frown from where she knelt beside him. "It wasn't slowing you down before. You better rest."
He sighed. "I gotta get back 'n check on da others. Silverbolt really didn' look dat great when we left. Aww, Rumor, don't lookit me like dat."
Rumor's golden-eyed stare got sterner, and he finally sighed and curled a little tighter and closed his eyes. "Jes' a few winks, den. But no more."
He sighed again as he heard her transform and then felt her snuggle against his back and start to lick his head between his ears, his mind going back over the past weeks. He'd thought Codeak had looked a little under the weather as the big bot had boarded his shuttle to go back to Cybertron, but he'd put it down to having to leave Optimus and the bossbot's family. It'd been just a little over a week later that Optimus himself had wakened delirious and burning with fever as his systems kicked into overdrive to try and eradicate the virus. Dinobot had succumbed the same day, his sturdy systems clobbered to the point where Rhinox had despaired of his survival a couple times since. Silverbolt was next, and soon became as sick as Dinobot. The rest of the crew followed quickly, the spread of the virus remorseless and impervious to anything that Rhinox tried to check its progress. Even Windracer had caught it, though her mostly human makeup had allowed her to kick it quickly.
And then Rumor had arrived. A little Predacon who said she was searching for the bot to whom she owed her life. Rattrap had been too run off his feet helping care for the others to even raise an objection to her presence, and she had never once raised any objections of her own to obeying Rhinox's orders. She'd actually seemed glad of them, and Rattrap supposed that it had something to do with her Predacon programming. Whichever and whatever it was, he found himself falling into a working partnership with the fembot as they did what they could to help the others, and even waking up a few mornings curled up with her in some corner of the bridge or someone's room after he'd passed out from exhaustion. Slinky little sneaker she might be, but there was something of honour about her too, and an intense loyalty.
Kinda wish Chopperface was awake. I'd see if he knew anyt'in' about 'er, he thought to himself wearily, feeling his joints ache. Slag. I t'ink dis crud's finally gettin' me down. Jes' what we don't need, now dat Lardbutt's collapsed.
That had been a terrifying thing; going into Thundermoon's quarters and finding Rhinox laying on her berth beside her with his arms around her as the medic attempted to comfort the delirious fembot even when unconscious himself.
"I've called An," said Rumor softly. "She's bringing help."
"What?" He lifted his head and frowned at her hazily. "No! Rhinox said...."
"Rhinox is too sick to be in charge now," she countered evenly. "And so are you. So I'm in charge. If we don't get help some of your friends won't survive this. You said the human girl got over the plague quickly, so the other humans should be safe."
Rattrap groaned with the effort of trying to think of an argument, then just uncurled and crawled shakily out from under the bush. "Let's git back ta base."
She growled softly but followed, and he had to admit that if she hadn't been there he might not have gotten back to the Axalon.
An met him from where she stood in one of the guard posts with her spearthrower loaded in her hand. "Everything's quiet. Mara, Tirzah and Windracer are tending the sick."
"Good," he said faintly, trying to get his eyes to focus. "Great. Y'see how Lardbutt's snugglin' Moony?"
The human chief frowned and went to one knee to look at him closely, then turned to Rumor.
"He's sick," said the little cat succinctly, her ears perked curiously.
"I see that." An scowled. "I wish there were more than three CR chambers."
"I ain't dat sick... wait." Rattrap blinked. "Who's in da t'ird one now?"
"Tigatron brought Airazor in a few clicks ago." An scooped him up despite his weak flailing and protesting, then turned and carried him aboard and to his quarters as Rumor tagged at her heels.
"Slag... da #$@#$@# woild's spinnin' bad enough wit'out you treatin' me like a... oiiiiiii." He curled up and shivered.
An lay him gently on his berth and then took the fur blanket that Tirzah brought her and lay it over him. "You stay there till I say you can get up."
"Yessir," he said faintly, feeling glad for the close darkness beneath the covering.
"Can you transform?"
"Trans... oh yeah. Rattrap Maximize." He flipped over and whimpered. "Slaaaag."
"Get some sleep." She fixed the blanket, then looked at Rumor, who had also transformed. "Take care of him."
"Yes, sir." The small femme stood to attention, then watched both humans go before turning back and settling onto the berth beside Rattrap, who startled slightly and moaned.
"What... yous. What're ya doin', Fluffy?"
"Shhh." She snuggled close and put her arms around him. "Just rest."
Rattrap was too tired to even care that a female was being nice to him. He just sighed and rested his face against her shoulder. "Dat bot you owe your life ta... I never met ya before."
"No, you didn't." Gentle fingers rubbed his back and sent peace through his laboring systems.
"Somebody heah?" He sighed and managed to relax a bit.
"Dinobot," she said softly.
"Chopperface?" Rattrap managed a weak smile. "What'd he do?"
"Created me."
"WHAT???" He pushed back and stared at her with shock and a bit of fear. "Yous mean yer Dinobot's kid???"
She growled at him and shoved him back down, then once more snuggled. "Yes."
"Ohhhh maaaaaan," he whined softly. "If dis slaggin' virus don' kill me he will." He shuttered his optics. "I'm gonna die."
"Do it after you sleep." She started rubbing his back again.
He frowned at her, trying to think of how to explain that what she'd just said didn't make sense. But he fell asleep before he could get the words in order.