Post by elphie on Jan 10, 2010 17:33:31 GMT -5
Optimus speaks…
“You have to take Bumblebee first,” I told Jazz. “Keep the others far back from the edge. If anything happens—anything—get out. Megatron must be stopped. And—”
“Nothin’s gonna happen,” Jazz drawled. “I know the drill—save myself, save the others, live to fight another day. It’s all good.”
That was Jazz: completely confident. But there was a reason he was my first lieutenant—where things got bad, he always pulled through.
“All right,” I said, and turned away.
“Prime, you go up first,” Bumblebee transmitted. “I’m barely scratched.”
I glanced down at his damaged leg. It looked painful, and was still leaking fluid. “I would call that more than a scratch, Bumblebee. But you are also the smallest, and you will need help getting out. It is more logical.”
He let out a frustrated sound and rubbed his leg again. “Fine. I’ll have Ratchet check me out since you already told him.”
I wondered vaguely when Bumblebee would realize his worth. He was just as important as any of us, and had more courage than half the Autobots I knew. Many of us would do well to follow his example.
A slender cable came whipping down into the hole, narrowly missing Hound’s face.
“Tug on it when you’re ready,” Mudflap called.
Bumblebee wrapped several turns of the cable around his left arm and took a firm grip with his right. Hound laced his fingers together at waist level.
“Put your foot here, and I’ll lift you,” he said. Bumblebee obeyed, and I gave the cable a tug.
“We’re gonna start pulling,” Ironhide boomed from up above.”
“Hang on, little guy,” I said softly.
Clinging for dear life, Bumblebee began to slowly rise into the air. Hound and I lifted him from underneath. As soon as he was in reach, Bumblebee dug his fingers into the rim of the hole, his feet scrabbling for purchase. Ratchet and Ironhide came into view. They grabbed him under the arms and hauled him up the rest of the way.
I turned to Hound. “Okay, you’re next.”
“They have him,” Lennox said with relief.
“We got you, little guy,” Wheeljack said affectionately. He pulled an exhausted Bumblebee away from the hole. “I’ll check out your leg as soon as we get the other two out.”
Bumblebee limped over to Sam and sank onto the snow beside him.
“You okay?” Sam asked. The Autobot nodded tiredly. “Good. You had me worried.”
Meanwhile, Ratchet, Wheeljack, and Ironhide were still hauling on the line.
“Do not let go!” Wheeljack ordered.
“I’m not letting go,” Hound told him dryly.
The three Autobots pulled hard on the cable, and Hound grasped the edge of the hole. Ironhide dragged him up the rest of the way.
“Ugh, I never want to do that again.” Hound plopped down in the snow next to Bumblebee and stretched out. “I could use an Energon cocktail.”
“Mmm-hmm,” Bumblebee agreed.
Their attention was drawn by and apparent argument between Optimus Prime and Ironhide.
“Just grab the cable, Optimus,” Ironhide said impatiently. “We didn’t drop Bumblebee or Hound, we ain’t gonna drop you.”
“I am not worried about being dropped,” Optimus yelled, still inside the hole. “I am worried about all of you losing too much power! There is nowhere to recharge out here.”
“Shut up and grab the cable before I come down there myself.”
“Hound,” Epps said, “isn’t Ironhide gonna—”
“—get in trouble?” Hound finished. “Nah. Ironhide and Optimus go way back. Known each other since they were hatchlings. He’s the only one who can talk to Prime like that and get away with it.”
“I’m going to go scout with Perceptor and the others,” Lennox said. He got up and Epps followed him.
A large snowball flew up from the pit and smacked Ironhide in the face.
“Listen to me,” Optimus said. “No one can spare the energy to haul me out. That is why I sent the others first. I will get out on my own, and Elita One can give me a power transfusion later.”
Ironhide spluttered and spat out a mouthful of snow. While he was trying to come up with a retort, Skyfire landed with a thud.
“Stop arguing,” he ordered. “Optimus grab the line, or I will drag you out.”
“And Skyfire can get away with talking to him like that because he’s huge,” Hound told Sam.
Grumbling, Optimus took hold of the line. Skyfire pulled him up and set him on the ground as though he didn’t weigh an ounce.
“There,” Skyfire said gruffly, preparing to take off once more. “Problem solved.”
Optimus staggered for a moment before regaining his footing. Skyfire harrumphed and took off.
“That was fun.” Ironhide stretched his arms above his head. “So, does that make it eight times that I’ve saved your chassis, or nine?”
“I would say we are even on that count,” Optimus shot back. “Ratchet, please examine Bumblebee. Jazz, status report!”
Ratchet knelt in front of Bumblebee. “Not too bad,” he said. “I can do a bit of tinkering to lessen that pain, but as long as you go easy on it for a while you should be fine.”
“Do whatever you have to do,” Bumblebee told him. “Which would be easier, my normal form or vehicle mode?”
“Vehicle mode,” Ratchet replied. He opened the armor panel and began repairs. Then he said through a transmission, “You cannot take Sam with you. Even his slight weight could upset the healing process.”
Bumblebee shook his head at once. “I always take care of Sam. He is my responsibility.”
“Bumblebee, you must take care of yourself.”
“What’s going on?” Sam demanded.
“You can’t ride with Bumblebee,” Ratchet said. “He needs to heal unencumbered.”
Again, Bumblebee shook his head.
Sam touched his friend’s arm. “It’s okay, ‘Bee. I can ride with Optimus.”
“No, you can’t,” Ratchet contradicted. “Nor can you go with Hound. They both need to conserve energy after this ordeal. I’ll ask Jazz to take you.”
“Humph.” Bumblebee wrapped his arm around Sam with exquisite gentleness.
“We picked up Megatron’s trail,” Jazz was saying to Optimus. “Almost all of the Decepticons are with him. Perceptor scanned the whole area for traps. Oh, and we found the dogs.”
“Dogs?” Optimus repeated.
“Yeah, the sled dogs. I figured we could set ‘em loose.”
“Yes, we should.” Optimus glanced around. “Ah, Sam, there you are. Would you mind seeing to the animals?”
“You have to take Bumblebee first,” I told Jazz. “Keep the others far back from the edge. If anything happens—anything—get out. Megatron must be stopped. And—”
“Nothin’s gonna happen,” Jazz drawled. “I know the drill—save myself, save the others, live to fight another day. It’s all good.”
That was Jazz: completely confident. But there was a reason he was my first lieutenant—where things got bad, he always pulled through.
“All right,” I said, and turned away.
“Prime, you go up first,” Bumblebee transmitted. “I’m barely scratched.”
I glanced down at his damaged leg. It looked painful, and was still leaking fluid. “I would call that more than a scratch, Bumblebee. But you are also the smallest, and you will need help getting out. It is more logical.”
He let out a frustrated sound and rubbed his leg again. “Fine. I’ll have Ratchet check me out since you already told him.”
I wondered vaguely when Bumblebee would realize his worth. He was just as important as any of us, and had more courage than half the Autobots I knew. Many of us would do well to follow his example.
A slender cable came whipping down into the hole, narrowly missing Hound’s face.
“Tug on it when you’re ready,” Mudflap called.
Bumblebee wrapped several turns of the cable around his left arm and took a firm grip with his right. Hound laced his fingers together at waist level.
“Put your foot here, and I’ll lift you,” he said. Bumblebee obeyed, and I gave the cable a tug.
“We’re gonna start pulling,” Ironhide boomed from up above.”
“Hang on, little guy,” I said softly.
Clinging for dear life, Bumblebee began to slowly rise into the air. Hound and I lifted him from underneath. As soon as he was in reach, Bumblebee dug his fingers into the rim of the hole, his feet scrabbling for purchase. Ratchet and Ironhide came into view. They grabbed him under the arms and hauled him up the rest of the way.
I turned to Hound. “Okay, you’re next.”
“They have him,” Lennox said with relief.
“We got you, little guy,” Wheeljack said affectionately. He pulled an exhausted Bumblebee away from the hole. “I’ll check out your leg as soon as we get the other two out.”
Bumblebee limped over to Sam and sank onto the snow beside him.
“You okay?” Sam asked. The Autobot nodded tiredly. “Good. You had me worried.”
Meanwhile, Ratchet, Wheeljack, and Ironhide were still hauling on the line.
“Do not let go!” Wheeljack ordered.
“I’m not letting go,” Hound told him dryly.
The three Autobots pulled hard on the cable, and Hound grasped the edge of the hole. Ironhide dragged him up the rest of the way.
“Ugh, I never want to do that again.” Hound plopped down in the snow next to Bumblebee and stretched out. “I could use an Energon cocktail.”
“Mmm-hmm,” Bumblebee agreed.
Their attention was drawn by and apparent argument between Optimus Prime and Ironhide.
“Just grab the cable, Optimus,” Ironhide said impatiently. “We didn’t drop Bumblebee or Hound, we ain’t gonna drop you.”
“I am not worried about being dropped,” Optimus yelled, still inside the hole. “I am worried about all of you losing too much power! There is nowhere to recharge out here.”
“Shut up and grab the cable before I come down there myself.”
“Hound,” Epps said, “isn’t Ironhide gonna—”
“—get in trouble?” Hound finished. “Nah. Ironhide and Optimus go way back. Known each other since they were hatchlings. He’s the only one who can talk to Prime like that and get away with it.”
“I’m going to go scout with Perceptor and the others,” Lennox said. He got up and Epps followed him.
A large snowball flew up from the pit and smacked Ironhide in the face.
“Listen to me,” Optimus said. “No one can spare the energy to haul me out. That is why I sent the others first. I will get out on my own, and Elita One can give me a power transfusion later.”
Ironhide spluttered and spat out a mouthful of snow. While he was trying to come up with a retort, Skyfire landed with a thud.
“Stop arguing,” he ordered. “Optimus grab the line, or I will drag you out.”
“And Skyfire can get away with talking to him like that because he’s huge,” Hound told Sam.
Grumbling, Optimus took hold of the line. Skyfire pulled him up and set him on the ground as though he didn’t weigh an ounce.
“There,” Skyfire said gruffly, preparing to take off once more. “Problem solved.”
Optimus staggered for a moment before regaining his footing. Skyfire harrumphed and took off.
“That was fun.” Ironhide stretched his arms above his head. “So, does that make it eight times that I’ve saved your chassis, or nine?”
“I would say we are even on that count,” Optimus shot back. “Ratchet, please examine Bumblebee. Jazz, status report!”
Ratchet knelt in front of Bumblebee. “Not too bad,” he said. “I can do a bit of tinkering to lessen that pain, but as long as you go easy on it for a while you should be fine.”
“Do whatever you have to do,” Bumblebee told him. “Which would be easier, my normal form or vehicle mode?”
“Vehicle mode,” Ratchet replied. He opened the armor panel and began repairs. Then he said through a transmission, “You cannot take Sam with you. Even his slight weight could upset the healing process.”
Bumblebee shook his head at once. “I always take care of Sam. He is my responsibility.”
“Bumblebee, you must take care of yourself.”
“What’s going on?” Sam demanded.
“You can’t ride with Bumblebee,” Ratchet said. “He needs to heal unencumbered.”
Again, Bumblebee shook his head.
Sam touched his friend’s arm. “It’s okay, ‘Bee. I can ride with Optimus.”
“No, you can’t,” Ratchet contradicted. “Nor can you go with Hound. They both need to conserve energy after this ordeal. I’ll ask Jazz to take you.”
“Humph.” Bumblebee wrapped his arm around Sam with exquisite gentleness.
“We picked up Megatron’s trail,” Jazz was saying to Optimus. “Almost all of the Decepticons are with him. Perceptor scanned the whole area for traps. Oh, and we found the dogs.”
“Dogs?” Optimus repeated.
“Yeah, the sled dogs. I figured we could set ‘em loose.”
“Yes, we should.” Optimus glanced around. “Ah, Sam, there you are. Would you mind seeing to the animals?”