ANH. Bespin Station. It just might be getting worse; we'll get back to you

[astrotechmech]

The room where Jetfire and Arcee find themselves after Nemesis Prime finishes torturing Jetfire maybe be small, dark, and bare, but it is not completely soundproof.

Muffled voices can be heard in the hall outside of the "dungeon" sometime after the 'Troopers throw them in. Jetfire might be able to recognize that one voice is a very irritated Smokescreen.

"I'm going in."

"But sir! You can't!--I mean, shouldn't! You've seen what happened. That mech might--

"You're not changing my mind on this, mech."

"I mean, look at what happened this morning! There's no telling--"

"Out of my way, mech."

"But, sir! Sir!"

It is at this moment that the door opens, and the voices become clear and attached to faces, starting with Smokescreen as he turns to give a parting shot to the concerned security mech behind him before crossing the dungeon's threshold.

"If Jetfire wants to harm me, so be it! I deserve every blow I get after what I've done to him!"

Even in the dim lighting, it will be quite apparent that Smokescreen is not exactly "running on all four pistons." As he storms in, the two in the room will be able to see that--along with being the embodiment of annoyance right now--he is showing the signs of exhaustion. . . . Something that implies that he didn't get a lot of recharge in last night, and also that he's been employing a "poker face" to conceal that fact for most of the day. As it is, Smokescreen has to restrain himself from leaning on something within the room once he is inside.

The security guard bursts into the room soon after. "Sir, I--"

The security mech stops when he takes in the others in the room, instantly clamming up and falling into Smokescreen's 'shadow'. "Greenie" is figuratively written all over his face.

Comments

[astrotechmech]

Smokescreen is too distracted by the confidence he feels knowing that Primus has cleared a path for him that he doesn't notice Jetfire cussing him out.

Sideswipe, on the other hand, has the look that he thinks the whole room has gone crazy, but he manages a reply. "Uh, why wouldn't he? I mean most every Transformer has to have heard the stories at least once in their lives." Uh, Sideswipe, that's not what Jetfire means.

[random_xtras]

"That's not what he meant," says Arcee, suddenly understanding the scene between Jetfire and Kia when they arrived.

Jetfire, meanwhile has let go of Arcee and gotten off the bench to see if he can't grab Smokescreen and shake him. "Smokie, you glitch..."

[astrotechmech]

Smokescreen snaps out of it just as Sideswipe steps forward and is about to exchange Energon cubes for his firearm.

"Whoa! Calm down, kid," Smokescreen says, grabbing him and pulling him back before seeing what's got him upset. He looks surprised when he sees Jetfire's gotten off the bench and then frowns when he also notices the look in the other mech's optics. "I think you better sit back down, mech. What are you suddenly coming after me for?"

[random_xtras]

"I ain't commin' after ya, scrap fer processor." Jetfire leans his hands on Smokescreen's shoulders, trying to stay upright. "I was wakin' ya up!"

[astrotechmech]

"Could have fooled me," Sideswipe mutters in the background.

Smokescreen frowns before turning to look back at Sideswipe, where his expression turns into one that seems to suggest he doesn't remember the mech coming back in. Sideswipe stares back with an incredulous look.

"You may have been right in the idea," Smokescreen says finally, turning back to face Jetfire, "but you probably should have better stated your intentions." He tilts his head in Sideswipe's direction. "Having Imps aboard has made him and others on my staff a bit uptight right now." No, he won't say the mech is always so.

"Come on, mech, let's get ya sittin' back down." And Smokescreen will help Jetfire back to the bench if he'll let him.

[random_xtras]

The white and red flyer is persistent despite his shakiness, and stubbornly tries to plant his feet. "You slagger. You talk ta Primus?"

[astrotechmech]

Smokescreen stops and looks up at the ceiling in slight frustration when Jetfire attempts to make his stand, humoring his effort, however unreasonable.

Smokescreen raises an optic ridge at Jetfire's words as if asking what Jetfire took him for. "'Talk ta'? I've never had a full-fledged conversation with the mech, if that's what you mean. Only Jedi can do that--And before you ask, no, I'm not one of those either. I'm pretty sure he doesn't hire 'slaggers.'"

[random_xtras]

"He... hired me," mutters Jetfire, suddenly leaning on Smokescreen instead of trying to shake him. "'N talks with Kia... alla time."

[astrotechmech]

Smokescreen was already in a somewhat good position to take some of Jetfire's weight on him, so he catches the slightly larger mech without too much trouble.

He looks at the mech for a few moments before whispering, confidentially, "I think you took me far too literally." And if Jetfire has no other protest, he will help him back to the bench.