[ti]Ep 2[/ti]The Best It's Gonna Get [Closed]

[Knock Out]

Episode 2 | Week 4 | Day 2
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Knock Out had it pretty good in the Med Bay. Easy work, surrounded by gossip, he got to work with his partner; and even then he made Breakdown do the more boring, menial tasks most of the time. On the quieter days he even managed to sneak out and visit Earth to kick back and race, and luckily for him? Most days were pretty quiet. Or at the very least, quiet enough for Breakdown to handle things alone. The Med Bay was all he knew, and he was more than fine than this arrangement.

So when he got an order that he had to go do recon for possible MECH activity on Earth? He was.. Confused. This had to be a joke, right? Send the Medic, the dainty, immaculate and prissy Medic, on a recon mission? Of which he had no real experience? Yeah that sounded like someone was playing an awful prank on him.

They weren't.

A weird signal had gone out from somewhere in Africa, which had made both factions take notice. Fowler's men had heard it first, and it'd been quickly passed on that it needed investigating. Africa was where the Neutral base, Haven, was. And while most didn't know it's exact location? The fact that the signal was similar to those that'd been traced in the past by MECH was concerning, doubled with the fact that an outpost had been set up with some strange activity cited? It didn't bode well.

They needed smaller framed individuals to check it out, which was one of the reasons Knock Out had been summoned. He was, unfortunately, small enough to remain unnoticed despite his shiny and attractive cherry-red finish, to check things out and report back if it needed further investigation.

There were very few Decepticons who fit the bill, with most of them being rather.. Uh.. Tall and bulky. Which was why he'd been briefly informed that he'd be working alongside an Autobot. This had to be a prank. It had to. Even with the truce there was no way they would send Knock Out to do recon. Surely they could've found someone else, anyone else.

They couldn't.

Everyone else seemed to be busy elsewhere, and this was a matter of urgency in sending along whoever was free from both sides.

Red optics narrowed as he made his way toward the Control Room, scanning over the datapad in his servo which contained the information on where he was headed, and what he was actually supposed to do. There was no info given on just whom he'd be working with, not that it mattered – an Autobot was an Autobot.

The tl;dr of the briefing was that a weird signal had gone out, and was scary-familiar to previous signals traced back to MECH. Blah blah blah. Fowler's team had gone on the alert near instantly due to the location of the signal – it was in Africa, somewhere, which was the general location of Haven - and while they couldn't confirm anything – it seemed to be MECH related activity. They were taking no chances, just incase. Blah blah blah. Stay in your root-mode for easier movement. Knock Out's job was to go in with the mystery Autobot, who would meet him at the predetermined co-ordinates, and scope things out. Then if they needed back up then to call in. Blah blah blah. Simple enough.

He tossed the datapad down onto a bench without reading the rest, which was unfortunate as it went on to inform Knock Out that the area they were going to be investigating was actually a swamp.

Begrudgingly, Knock Out would tap the co-ordinates he'd been given into the ground bridge. There was a familiar whoosh and swirling of bright green and yellow as the ground bridge opened up. He vented out a long, drawn out sigh before stepping through...

...Only to instantly sink a short way into a boggy, smelly, disgusting swamp.

This had to be a prank. There was no other way. This was a joke. A horrible, horrible joke. One which wasn't very funny. First get Knock Out riled up, then send him into a swamp. Where he would get filthy. He rumbled in frustration, clenching his servos into fists as he took a step up above the mud, only to sink the moment he put his pede down. He swiveled to turn, to begin to attempt to walk back through the ground bridge from which he came, when another ground bridge opened a short ways away, and an Autobot stepped through onto.. Much more solid looking ground. Maybe it wasn't a prank after all.

WHY DID I GET THE SLAG CO-ORDINATES?!

Another frustrated rumble left him as he began to try and make his way through this slaggy bog over toward the other Mech. He was doing his best not to let the fact he was a total primadonna show through, but the grumbles and frustrated whines more than gave away the fact he wasn't happy.

The area they'd bridged to seemed to be quite open, and if Knock Out had actually continued to read the information on the datapad, he'd know that the signal came from West of where they were currently standing, no doubt somewhere deep within the trees. His processor right now, however, was sadly on the fact that this mud was going to take several wash cycles to get out. The area looked drab and dull, the sky gray. The mud was a sickly gray color, and it smelt awful – and it seemed to be everywhere.

For. Frags. Saaaaaaake.

Knock Out would continue to trudge closer toward the other Mech, trying to get onto the higher, yet still saturated ground. At least it wasn't mud. Eventually, he would, and would nod in greeting to the other; before glancing down in dismay at his mud covered pedes. It was only going to get worse, too, as they would both have to trudge through a lot more nasty slag to get to where they were going. This included walking through trees. So many trees. That would scratch and ruin paintwork.

Why did they send him. Why. This wasn't his job!

“So ah, I suppose you're my date for this little shindig?” He smirked, taking his attention off his muddy pedes to look the other Mech up and down. Knock Out wasn't biased, and a good paint job was a good paint job, regardless of faction. He gave a quiet little 'Mm-mm' in approval, before looking around, servos resting on his hips.

“So. Plans?”

Maybe scanning for the signal would be a good start, or finding some sort of cover on the offchance that it was MECH they were dealing with, but for right now Knock Out was kinda sorta okay with standing around here, if only to delay walking through the mud.

[Deleted]

For the life of him, Mirage could not understand why he was being forced to work with a partner, let alone a Decepticon. As far as he was concerned, he was more than capable of handling this little recon mission on his own - he had no need for back up, or a partner who would only slow him down or distract him by attempting conversation.

All in all, Mirage was decidedly not happy with the situation he found himself in, but alas, one couldn't always have things exactly the way they wanted them. He discovered this all-too-quickly after the towers feel, and nothing ever happened that way for him ever again.

Despite his disagreements with the mission plan, Mirage dutifully made his way through the ground-bridge to meet up with his partner at their designated rendezvous point. Immediately his senses were assaulted by the thick, muggy air of the swamp, and he couldn't help but curl his lip in distaste. Primus be, but it just had to be a swamp, didn't it? The signal couldn't have come from a more scenic location, someplace more atmospheric and pleasing to the eye? Of course it couldn't. Far be it from MECH to have the decency to send them on a wild-goose chase through a nice sunny field, or a beach.

Turning his head, Mirage surveyed the area around him, taking stock of his surroundings, before his keen optics fell upon the mech who must have been his partner. He eyed the cherry-red grounder up and down, sizing him up, looking for weaknesses to exploit in the event he needed to dispatch him quickly and efficiently. He wasn't planning on the mech betraying him, exactly, but it was always good to have a plan in the even you found your partner wielding a knife with the intent of driving it into your back.

The mech's paint job was immaculate, and judging by the way he was grousing and grumbling as he made his way through the swamp water, Mirage deduced that he cared greatly about his looks. Likely not much of a fighter then, this mech. Hmm. He would have to keep that in mind, in the event it became relevant information later on.

Once the mech finally reached him, speaking in a tone of voice which belied how little seriousness he was treating this mission with, Mirage felt he had a fairly solid impression of him already.

"That I am." He replied, sounding only slightly amused. "As for my plans for the evening, I should think it prudent that we know each other's names before putting them into action, don't you?"

He grinned ever so slightly, then held out a thin, elegant hand for Knock Out to shake.

"You may call me Mirage."

[Knock Out]

“Ah, how rude of me. My apologies.” He chuckled, bobbing his helm politely. “Lovely to meet you, Mirage. I'm Knock Out, and the pleasure's all mine.” His lips curving into a smile, laying the charm on thick as an equally thin and delicate servo reached out to take Mirage's, shaking it gently. He had long, slender fingers and it was evident that he was no fighter from looking at his servos alone. He removed his servo and dropped it to his side, peering around with a dissatisfied scoff at the surroundings, still unable to believe that he of all Mechs had been sent to a swamp.

Just like Mirage had done to him, he'd already sized up the other Mech in the brief moment it'd taken to look him up and down and nod in approval at his paint job. Not that he'd fare well in a fight, but it would be nice to know just who you're up against should they turn on you. He never did trust those Autobot types, and it was always the pretty ones who should be trusted the least.

He should know.

Not that he had any plans to dispatch of his 'partner' for the day. Knock Out probably needed Mirage more than Mirage needed him, given he didn't know the first thing about recon.

He would adjust himself slightly, shifting his weight from left pede to right pede. The ground here was more solid than the mud he'd unfortunately groundbridged onto, but it was still overly saturated and he felt himself sinking just slightly. Eugh. That could've just been his paranoia about getting filthy, however.

“I wasn't given any real information on the, ah.. Mission, and assume I'm only here as your backup,” Again, he wasn't sure why he was here, Mirage looked like he was suited to things like this. Knock Out? Far from. “I was merely given a run down. Something about MECH activity in this location. Or, should I say – possible MECH activity.” He lied. He just hadn't been bothered to read the rest of the briefing. Considering that this was a possible MECH situation he sure wasn't taking this very seriously, mostly because he had assumed it was some ridiculous prank or error. That would no doubt change once they started to move toward the trees, however.

“And I can't say I'm much of a swamp loving kinda' Mech, so I'll be following your lead through.. This.” He snorted, waving an arm and indicating to the swamp.

Anything to get out of going first through the disgusting swamp, plus this way he'd get to check out the 'view' and get a head start in running the frag away should anything or anyone approach them that they couldn't take on as a pair.

“Lovely weather for it, isn't it?” He droned, glancing up – servos moving to rest on his hips once more. The sky was still a drab, gloomy gray, which did nothing to accentuate his stunning finish. The clouds were hinting at a threat of rain, which would be just his luck.

He shifted again, left pede to right pede. Okay maybe standing around with the feeling of sinking was just as bad as trudging through the mud. Swamps were disgusting and he hoped this would be the first and last time he ever had to visit one.

[Deleted]

Knock Out, hmm? Mirage smirked a little at the name, finding it oddly fitting for the other mech, considering what it meant in the Human's language. The mech certainly was a looker, or at least he cared very much about his appearance and took great pains to take care of it. That much was apparent by his unmarred finish and glossy topcoat.

He was a bit of a priss. Mirage could respect that, insofar as he could respect any trait that had the misfortune of being attached to a Decepticon.

Humming thoughtfully, Mirage took a look at their surroundings once more, taking a moment to map out a path through the swamp inside his mind. He wanted their little excursion through this Primus-forsaken wilderness to be as quick and painless as possible, and that meant finding the path with the sturdiest footing and the least amount muck to trek through. Unfortunately for them both, they were in a <i>swamp</i>, which meant both those things were in short supply.

With a small, irritated sigh Mirage waved his arm, signaling Knock Out to follow after him as he made his way towards a thick, likely <i>ancient</i> tree which had grown so large that its roots had begun to come up from the ground, weaving in and out of the murky water which surrounded it. He doubted the roots could hold a mech of Knock Out's weight, but he supposed they could bear up his own weight fine enough, and he didn't particularly care how the other mech would keep himself tidy so long as he himself stayed reasonably clean.

And so he went, stepping onto one of the roots, then another, then another still, using them as stepping stones as he led the way into the swamp.

"The weather is positively delightful." Mirage agreed, dryly. "Truly, we two are a lucky pair."

[Knock Out]

“Ah, the luckiest.” His lips curved into a smirk, servos still firmly on his hips as he continued to stare upwards at the sky; the already gloomy gray clouds seemed to only get darker and angrier the more he watched. The threat of rain was now more of a 'when' than an 'if'. Hopefully they would be done long before it started to rain and make this already terrible day even worse, but the chance of that happening was slim to none.

His attention was drawn by the irritated sigh, the smirk fading from his faceplate as he glanced over to the other Mech just as he was signaled to follow. Excellent, at least Mirage would lead on – Knock Out didn't know the first thing about traversing terrain like this, and if it were upto him? He would've gone back through the groundbridge already to send a Vehicon in his place. He was starting to regret not doing so earlier.

Carefully, with each footfall trying to be as delicate as possible to prevent him sinking further into the mud, he would follow Mirage. While Knock Out was smaller in size than the other Mech, he was bulkier – and so was finding it hard to make his way through the swamp without getting himself filthy.

At least the tree roots would provide some sort of solid ground.

Or so Knock Out hoped. What actually happened was the moment he stepped onto a root, it would give the telltale signs, and sounds, that it couldn't support his weight for more than a few brief seconds. A groan, a splintering warning cracking noise.. Knock Out kept moving, following Mirage quickly and carefully – he was trying to go fast, so he didn't fall, but was being careful and slow enough to not misjudge a step and fall off the root into the mud. As long as he kept moving he should be alrig--

Snap.

His pede went through the root, straight into the nasty muddy water below – he visibly cringed, an annoyed groan escaping him. The noise of the root snapping echoed throughout the area, there was a scuffling and beating of wings, the cawing of a crow that flew off somewhere in the distance at being disturbed by the sudden noise.

Knock Out froze mid-step, vents hitching a breath as his arms remained still out in front of him for balance. He waited, optics wide as he scanned around the area; watching for signs of movement. Was that enough noise to draw MECH out? The swamp was filled with various creatures and noise, but that was a damn loud snap, enough to draw attention.

“Frag..” He grumbled, “Fraggin' great...” The displeasure in his tone was evident, but it seemed he hadn't drawn out any unwanted attention. Aside from the annoyed crow? Things were still eerily quiet. Lucky.

He would continue to follow Mirage, however he had resigned himself to the fact that he couldn't walk along the tree root like the slimmer Mech, and begrudgingly trudged his way through the muddy water alongside. The revolting 'shlick' noises with every step as he walked couldn't be helped. His grumbles? They could. But he couldn't help but do them anyway. It was beyond evident he wasn't happy – and it didn't look like the ground would let up anywhere soon to something less gross; as they neared the trees the ground was still oh so very saturated, and with the ever-looming threat of rain, it wasn't about to get any better.

“Why of all places would MECH build out here? It is absolutely disgusting.” He growled, waving away a swarm of loudly buzzing insects.

As they moved further into the swamp, there was still zero sign of the humans they'd been sent to monitor. The nauseatingly thick, rancid and humid air only got worse as they continued to move, as did the loud buzzing of various insects and creatures, and the sky seemed to grow darker with every careful step as the clouds built up and up above them.

“I don't mean to doubt your.. Ah, expertise.. But we are going the right way, correct?”

[Deleted]

Mirage did not laugh when Knock Out's foot went right through the root. Really, he didn't. That would have been rude, and Mirage was nothing if not a proper gentleman.

He did, however, smile privately to himself and make damn sure his back was turned towards the other mech as he did so, so that he'd have no chance of seeing the amused expression on his face.

The humans had a word for the feeling, a fittingly ugly sounding word for an ugly emotion: Schadenfreude. Oh, how Mirage wished he were a stronger mech, someone capable of witnessing the misfortune of an enemy without immediately feeling a quiet, vindictive sort of glee. It wasn't becoming, finding amusement in someone else's mishaps. It wasn't becoming at all.

And yet, there Mirage was, feeling very quietly pleased as he listened to Knock Out trudge through the murky water behind him, following his lead deeper and deeper into the Godforsaken wilderness. At the very least, it was a Decepticon who's misfortune he was taking amusement in. He's not sure why that made a bit of difference, but it did. He hardly knew the mech enough to say with any degree of certainty that he deserved to be mocked for his predicament, and he wasn't about to make any snap judgements based solely upon the mech's faction.

He knew full well that judging mecha by one's own preconceived notions was a fool's mistake- a mistake he was not about to make all the way out here, alone in the middle of nowhere, far from aid.

"I would imagine the inhospitable terrain acts as a natural deterrent for most intruders." Mirage suggested mildly as he lightly bent his knees then made a short hop from one root to another.

The root gave a little beneath his weight, dipping down deeper into the muddy ground. Mirage curled his lip a bit in distaste, unhappy that his  boots had finally gotten a bit of muck on them. It was entirely expected, as there was simply no way either of them would be able to come away from this mission completely spotless, but even so. He disliked how quickly his tidy appearance had been sullied, even if it was just a little bit of mud on the bottom of his feet.

"And to answer your question," He began, with just a touch of annoyance. "Yes, we are going in the right direction. I wouldn't be subjecting myself to this, otherwise."

[Knock Out]

“Mm. I suppose that makes sense, but surely even the fleshbags have a need for hygiene and staying clean! The insects and this mud are ruining my finish. I can only imagine what it does to them! On that note why did they send us here?! It's beyond obvious this is not our preferred environment! We are above this! I am a Medic for Primus sake!”

He groaned out in dismay, although his tone remained lilting; despite the fact he was doing nothing but complain for the sake of complaining. He still couldn't believe they'd been sent here of all places. Maybe the Autobots were jokers too. Send the two most handsome mechs (Knock Out first, Mirage second) out into a swamp to see how they fared. Were there hidden cameras? Were they being watched as they... Well... As Knock Out struggled through the mud?! He vented out a sigh as he continued to try and be as delicate with his movements as he could. Although sadly for Knock Out? The words 'Swamp' and 'Cybertronian' did not go well together...

...Unless your name was Mirage, and were somehow managing to avoid having to trudge through this filth for now. Oh how Knock Out hated him for that. If it weren't for the fact he was so busy focusing on not falling over, he'd be glaring firmly at the back of the other mech's helm. Because of course, that would achieve so much. He may have been concentrating on his movements, but he did manage to spare a thought for the other mech. A mere wish that the roots would buckle and snap under Mirage's pedes and he, too, would fall into the mud.

It was only fair!

Okay, so maybe it was more than a tiny wish. He actually wanted nothing more than for Mirage to slip and fall at this point! If it weren't for the truce meaning he had to be on his best behavior around the Autobots, or the fact he'd stupidly left his Energon prod back on the Nemesis? He might've 'accidentally' pulled Mirage down here, citing it as a “They both needed to be on the same level when walking, and having Mirage up on a root might get them spotted” reason - as if his bright and overly shiny cherry-red paint didn't stand out like a sore thumb as it already was.

At least getting covered in mud would give him some form of cover, not that he would ever appreciate it. The cons of getting dirty and the mud clogging up his pedes far outweighed the pros of having an extra layer of defense! It was going to take multiple trips to the wash-rack to get all this filth off!

He glanced up just in time to watch the root give slightly beneath the other mechs weight, a sly smirk spreading over his lips – which quickly faded when he realized that, sadly, Mirage would not be joining him just yet in this filthy hell.

Soon, he hoped. Soon.

Mirage couldn't avoid this forever, surely! There was no way! He wouldn't reply to Mirage's answer about going the right way, just gave a short hum of approval and continued to do his best to follow. The sooner they scouted out the location of MECH, the sooner they could do whatever it was they were supposed to do here. If only he'd read the briefing. Mirage could deal with MECH, Knock Out would stand there and look pretty, and assist in first aid should Mirage need it. Sure that worked. Best plan! It had to have been a small and insignificant outpost, or they would've sent in those who were more suited. Why the Autobot's hadn't sent humans to scout out ahead was beyond Knock Out...

There was still no sign of anything human-made in the direction they were going – at least nothing that stood out or could arouse suspicion. A rusty old signpost here, a rotten piece of wooden fencing there, both long since claimed by nature. It seemed there was nothing but the buzzing of far too many insects, the croaking of frogs, the gurgling ambient noises of the swamp, and the steady sloshing noises and occasional grumble as Knock Out trudged his way through the muddy water. Above them the sky would rumble gently.

As the pair moved through the swamp, the denser the vegetation would get. The cloud overhead meant the area was washed out and gray. While it was still easy to see, the lack of sunlight would make things even more drab and dull, and should MECH be camouflaged? They'd be especially well hidden now. The air, which was already thick, became muggier and heavier, and the water became deeper and sludgier – now upto the middle of Knock Out's shins, much to his dismay.

Suddenly, Knock Out froze in his tracks. His arms out infront of himself to help stay balanced, bent at the elbow as he looked around quickly. There was movement below him, the murky water stirred. Something had touched him and brushed past him. It was only brief, and with the amount of vegetation around here? He could be forgiven for thinking it was a branch or a mass of rotten leaves.

The amount of mud and sludge, rotten foliage and Primus only knows how many decaying animals and whatever else were in this swamp meant that he couldn't actually see to the bottom of the water and get a visual on whatever it was. He knew it wasn't leaves. Whatever it was? Was big and bulky. He'd remain still while he assessed the situation, even though he couldn't see the offending thing.

“Uh.”

That would be the only warning Mirage would get that there was something wrong, before a split second later? There was a terrified (and undignified) yelp of a screech as whatever it was? Brushed against Knock Out's shin once more, and he scrambled up quickly in a panic and flurry of swamp water and mud, onto the root that Mirage was walking on.

It wasn't leaves. It wasn't a stray branch moving underneath the bog. No. It was something else. Something else that due to the fact it couldn't be seen? Knock Out thought it was much bigger, and much scarier than it actually was.

Instinct took over and Knock Out, not wanting to get himself killed by some unseen foe? Would unashamedly invade Mirage's personal space and frantically cling to his arm. He planned to use Mirage as a shield against whatever it was. Or if he had to? Throw Mirage at the thing that lurked below, and then run away.

Sadly he wouldn't get the chance to do either.

CRACK!

The root couldn't support the weight of both of them, and no sooner had Knock Out leapt up onto it and clung to Mirage? It would give way and snap with a harsh crack, sending both prissy mechs into the shin-deep mud.

Could this get any worse?

The offending organic would turn tail and run, swimming away quickly. It was no doubt more terrified of the two Cybertronian than they were of it... Although the fact that Knock Out still clung to Mirage cast severe doubt on that. In his defense, he had never seen anything like that before in person, and the only creatures he knew of that resided in swamps? He'd learned of through horror movies; and he did not want to mess with anything like that should the human stories be true!

Another rumble from the sky above, and then the rain would begin to fall.

It could get worse.

[Deleted]

One moment, Mirage was minding his own business, the next, he was being clung to by a startled Decepticon who for some reason decided that grabbing into his arm was going to improve the situation. Mirage hadn't the slightest idea what had spooked the other mech so badly - his own sensors hadn't picked up anything unusual, or at the very least nothing that would imply MECH activity. He had no idea what it was he was supposed to be alarmed about, and so the look he gave Knock Out was more baffled than it was frightened.

But then the root beneath them cracked in half and gave way beneath their combined weight, and Mirage's baffled expression quickly dissolved into one of utmost irritation.

Water splashed upwards around them, coating them up to the waist with murky, stagnant water which reeked of death and rotting vegetation. Mirage took a moment to look down at his once-pristine armor, his arms hovering far from his filth-splattered sides as he recoiled in disgust. His field rippled with immense displeasure, the sort of high-and-mighty indignance that only the most noble of high-casters could muster up. It was the sort of field-frequency that could clear a room, back before the war. The kind that made mecha scurry about and frantically do everything within their power to placate him and sooth his temper.

He looked up slowly from his tarnished frame, his gold optics leveling a cold stare at Knock Out.

"...Would you care to explain yourself."

[Knock Out]

The seconds seemed to drag on forever.

Infact? If it weren't for the pitter-patter of rain on the foliage and surface of the muddy water around them, Knock Out would've thought time had stopped entirely.

Slowly he'd raise his gaze up, his bright red optics meeting the gold ones of Mirage. He held his gaze. Knock Out wasn't a Towerling like Mirage. While he'd mingled among them, lived the lifestyle back on Cybertron, and could easily be mistaken as one (and wouldn't outright deny it, if asked) considering he was a prissy snob? The displeasure that rippled from Mirage's field gave him flashbacks to when he was just starting out at the body shop, working for the higher-casters. He knew that displeasure, having once upon a time been one of the ones to scurry around to placate the tempers of those above. That was a long, long time ago. Back before he'd earned the exclusive clients, back before he had the income to live the lavish Towerling-like lifestyle and in turn get treated like one of them. And for the first time in a long time? He found himself lost for words – if only for a second.

“I ah..”

Everything had happened so fast. One second he'd been walking... Well, trudging. Then? Something big had brushed up against him. His processor immediately assuming the worst due to the fact he was unable to see whatever it was, and he'd watched far too many horror movies about gigantic creatures that lurked in swamps. He'd moved with such speed to get onto the root that he'd surprised even himself, there'd been a snap, they'd both fallen into the putrid filth below.. Aaaand he was still clinging to Mirage's arm.

His processor caught up.

“There was a thing in the water!” His voice would raise slightly in defense, tone full of annoyance as he finally released his grip on Mirage – only to frantically gesture in the direction of whatever it was – which had long since gone. That would be explanation enough. He would continue to stand uncomfortably close, despite the fact he had now unlatched from the other mech's arm. He'd give an indignant scoff and make some attempt to flick mud from his chassis, but it didn't do much except 'accidentally' splatter some onto Mirage.

Hey, there may be a truce but that didn't mean he had to be a complete gentleman. Consider it some kind of petty payback for the fact Knock Out had been forced to make his way through the mud for longer than the other mech.

“You would've done the same, I'm sure! Whatever it was is long gone now, though. So we should probably keep moving before it comes back!” He was trying to sound like he was over the entire thing, and more confident than he actually was. He didn't want to be out here for more than one reason, and now that there were giant things lurking below? He didn't want to be out here even more. He cast a wary glance over his shoulder, not that it'd do much good if whatever it was down there decided to come back - he couldn't see it for one thing, nor had he seen the muddy water stirring when it'd come the first time! He wasn't familiar with the creatures of Earth, nor did he care for them – so he could be forgiven for overreacting just slightly.

Another rumble of thunder sounded that made him flinch. He grumbled under his breath to himself as he lifted each leg, one at a time, to stop himself sinking further into the mud, waiting patiently for Mirage to continue to lead on to... Wherever they were even supposed to be going. He could be off racing somewhere. He could be in the Medical Bay doing work. But no. He was here. Stuck in this ridiculous swamp. Hopefully wherever they were headed was close by, although that didn't seem to be the case; given the fact all he could see was trees, and sludge.

At least the company, annoyed as it may be, was easy on the optics - even despite the mud.

[Deleted]

As Knock Out tried to explain himself, his voice raising in both pitch and volume as he came to his own defense, Mirage hardly spared him any attention. His focus was instead on his chassis, which had been freckled with little specks of mud during all of Knock Out's wild gesticulating. He frowned at the sight of his once-pristine plating, his brows furrowing behind his mask as he allowed just the smallest bit of irritation to show on his face.

"Something in the water." He repeated flatly, as he brushed a particularly sizable glob of mud off his shoulder with a flick of his wrist. "Of course."

Knock Out continued to speak, and as he did so, Mirage continued to pay him little mind. Instead, he busied himself with scanning the water surrounding them, on the off chance there truly was something dangerous lurking beneath its murky surface. He waited a moment or two, allowing his scanners time to thoroughly inspect the water for anything insidious - or anything at all, really. There had to have been something there to spook Knock Out, though whether or not that something was actually dangerous was up for debate.

He was less than surprised when his scans came back clean, detecting nothing more than a few fish and what he assumed was some sort of amphibious, blob-like creature. A frog, he thought it was called. Whatever it was, it was ugly and unpleasant to look at and so Mirage turned his gaze back to Knock Out who - while vexing - was far easier on the eyes.

"--Come along, then. And do try not to have another fit, will you? I'd rather not give away our position by loudly announcing our presence to everything within a two mile radius."

Without bothering to see if the other mech was following, Mirage turned and began trudging through the water in the same direction he had been before he had been so rudely interrupted.

[Knock Out]

Knock Out swiveled around, glaring into the murky filth as if willing the thing to come back and show itself. If only so he could prove Mirage wrong! He knew what he had felt. His processor had raced and jumped to a thousand conclusions as to what it could be, but how could it not? It could've been so many things! A monster crocodile! A monster shark! Maybe it was that thing he read about online not too long ago.. What was it? A Snoligoster! Yeah! The fact was, he knew something had brushed up against him because he had felt it, and sure while it was gone now? He had totally not been imagining things, so his reaction, in his opinion, had been more than justified. Mirage would've done the same. Anyone would've. This place was bad enough without huge unknown creatures swimming below them.

Not that anything was really a threat to Cybertronian here on Earth aside from MECH and quite possibly each other, but that was beside the point!!

He decided to briefly scan the water himself, so he could show this other snobbish mech up, and prove that he was right. But much to his dismay? There was nothing. Little fish. Little frog. Lots and lots of foliage. He'd continue to glare, turning this way and that with his arms out to keep himself balanced. How could something so big just... Vanish?

Ugh whatever. Mirage's words made him quirk a brow and snap back into the moment, shifting his servos to his hips.

“Another fit?” He scoffed, reaching up to flick more mud from his chassis with a huff, trying to compose himself. How he'd reacted was hardly worthy of being called a fit. He'd just... Shrieked a little, and grabbed onto Mirage a bit. An overreaction maybe, but hardly a fit. “Really? My reaction to whatever it was is probably why it's long gone and wont bother us any longer!” He'd done them a favor! But sadly Mirage had a point. Yelling and fussing over the situation could give away their positions. Not that he thought anyone was out here in this godawful place, but on the tiny offchance there was? If he gave them away, then this entire mission would be pointless.

At least some good had come from this whole debacle. Mirage had been reduced to trudging through this slag too, just like Knock Out. So even though Mirage was above Knock Out in terms of stature and class (which was a rarity!) - he was now on equal ground with the Chief Medical Officer as they both had to make their way through this mess in the rain. It was oddly satisfying to watch, and the fact Mirage was a pleasure to look at from behind was a huge plus.

“Just be careful regardless. Incase it does come back.” He mumbled. He didn't want Mirage to go down to whatever it was, as then he'd be stuck out here by himself – and that just wasn't going to fly.

[Deleted]

Mirage would have liked to say he had been strong enough to resist the temptation to roll his optics at the other mech's antics, but alas, he simply did not have the temperament to suffer fools. His patience only extended so far, and polite to a fault though he was even he had his limits. As Knock Out carried on behind him, trying to save face in an embarrassingly transparent fashion, Mirage did his best to simply ignore him and focus his attention on finding the MECH outpost that was supposedly located somewhere in the general area of this godforsaken wasteland.

As they traveled on, Mirage remained silent. Not just in word, but in action - despite all the water he was disturbing as they trekked through the swamp, he scarcely made a sound. Whether this was out of habit, or because he just wanted to show off his stealth capabilities to his unhappy partner was anyone's guess, though the fact that he didn't seem to be paying Knock Out the slightest bit of thought gave quite a bit of credit to the former idea.

In fact, it almost seemed as if Mirage had completely forgotten that Knock Out was there - at least until he stopped abruptly and held op a hand, signaling the other mech to stop.

"Wait. Look there."

He gestured towards something in the distance, an inexplicable patch of cold, colorless gray marring the otherwise vividly green landscape. Mirage cycled his optics, refocusing his vision as he looked more carefully at the strange gray shape jutting out of the ground a few hundred yards away from where the murky water gave way to land.

"What do you make of that?" He asked rhetorically, as he clearly did not actually care to hear what the other mech had to say on the matter. "A bit conspicuous, one would think."

[Knock Out]

((Apologies for the delay on this one. Knock Out didn't want to play nice. I blame the swamp.))
--

Knock Out was trying to put the whole incident behind him, he really was. Especially in the company that he found himself with! But there was something about not being able to see the bottom of the murky water that didn't bode well with him. Every time he walked past and bumped a fallen branch, or a mass of leaves beneath the surface brushed past a pede or shin and touched him? He'd pause in his movements, visibly flinching in panic - and it was taking everything in him not to squeak out in alarm that whatever it was he'd felt before, was back.

This wasn't the case at all, as he was now actively scanning for huge unknown lifeforms. But even with this knowledge, his processor jumped to awful conclusions. Luckily – or unluckily, as now he'd never get a chance to say “I told you there was something here!” - whatever it was, really did seem to be gone.

He silently chastised himself that he'd even reacted the way he had in front of someone who was just as much a snobby priss as he – he could tell Mirage was of higher class than he was - as he wasn't uncouth like the rest of the Autobot scum that he'd had the displeasure of meeting.

Then again, on the other side of the coin? He had every right to react the way he had, or so was his opinion on the matter – and Mirage should've expected it! His finish was immaculate and nobody else seemed to understand the amount of pride and work it took to keep himself looking as good as he did. He was surprised in a way that the other mech wasn't putting up much of a fuss about this whole ordeal, then again they were on a mission and Mirage probably knew the meaning of the word quiet.

He wished Breakdown were here. The big blue mech was more than used to Knock Out's prissy tantrums, and would've just shut the Chief Medical Officer up by picking him up and carrying him through the sludge without much fuss. Alas, Knock Out would have to make do with the knowledge that Breakdown would be back on the Nemesis waiting for him once this was all over and done with, hopefully with buffer in servo... Not that Knock Out had told him that he'd been sent on some random mission, and even if he had? He hadn't read the damn datapad with the briefing on, so wouldn't have been able to tell him much about it anyway, let alone that he was being sent to a swamp.

These happy thoughts of getting pampered when he returned to the Nemesis were abruptly cut off by Mirage's voice snapping him back to this awful reality. If it weren't for the fact that Knock Out had been stopping for every single little thing that touched him? He would've bumped right into the back of the other mech. But thankfully he'd trailed behind some.

“Hm?”

His gaze would follow where Mirage had indicated. His optics would narrow slightly as he focused. He wasn't used to doing this scouting thing, so it took him a moment to even see the dull gray shape that was being pointed out – but once he saw it, he couldn't unsee it.

He'd trudge his way closer to the other mech, standing just behind him now.

“Almost too conspicuous if you ask me. Then again, they may be trying to hide in plain sight,” He'd grumble as he lifted one pede, then another – to stop himself from sinking, before adding - “If they're hiding at all. This is a pretty remote location, to begin with. Why would they go to all the trouble of hiding their base if they're already located somewhere awful, that nobody in their right mind would go to.”

He realized he was talking slightly too much, and would awkwardly clear his throat.

“...Should we go check it out?”

[Deleted]

"We?"

Mirage raised a brow behind his mask, turning to throw Knock Out a dull look over his shoulder. He placed a hand on his hip, the gesture more condescending than perhaps he intended it to be, and scoffed dryly with amusement.

"With all due respect, Knock Out--" While the phrase sounded polite at a glance, it was truly a subtle, underhanded way of implying that the other mech only deserved as much respect as he was about to give him - which is to say, very little.

"You may have noticed that this mission is a bit outside your particular area of expertise."

He wasn't trying to be insulting, exactly, but then again, he wasn't exactly taking great pains to ensure that he wasn't offending the other mech either. As far as Mirage was concerned, he was simply being honest; there was no reason to spare the other mech's feelings when he was only trying to speak the truth. Surely, Mirage reasoned, the medic knew he was out of his depth here - he would have to be blind or particularly dim to not realize that a reconnaissance mission wasn't something he had any business being part of. Special operatives were so called for a reason, after all. They had a unique, specialized skillset which made them particularly well suited in matters of espionage, and to lump them together with someone of an entirely different specialization - well, Mirage wasn't going to lie, he felt it was a bit insulting.

"It would be best if I go on ahead while you stay behind and keep watch, wouldn't you think?"

It was a nice way (or at least as nice as Mirage was willing to be) to say that he didn't want Knock Out to tag along and make a mess of things. It wasn't the other mech's fault that he had been assigned to this mission, and Mirage did not blame him for his lack of skill when it came to being even remotely stealthy, but even so. Mirage did not want to continue on through a potentially active MECH facility with Knock Out at his heels. He wouldn't lose a bit of sleep if something happened to the other mech due to his own inexperience, but he really didn't want to put any unnecessary strain on the already-fragile truce between their two factions.