Ep. 2 - Unpleasant Surprise - [Closed]

[Optimus Prime]

Episode 2 | Week 1 | Day 6


Preparations for a new storage area were well under way, which was something that was needed rather badly at this point.

When the Autobots first arrived at Earth, their base was meager, it was small. It really only consisted of a main Control Room, some personal rooms for occupants, and then the hanger that served as cover for the remains of the Ark. It was all that was needed with their tiny crew, and with how understaffed they were even if they had wanted more? They did not have means to accomplish it with what little free time was available.

Things were different now.

Now they had the personnel needed, and had already expanded the base. An ACTUAL Medical Bay, more rooms for individuals including a Rec-Room, and even an underground refinery to try to speed up processing Energon they got hold of. It was only natural progression that they would need to accommodate more supplies that would be stored away, especially with all of the things dismantling newcomer shuttles rendered.

The main hanger was cramped. Boxes and crates stacked up high, containers full of random supplies that never had time to be properly sorted through, all sharing the same space as the charred husks of ships and the Ark. It left it all... rather cramped. Not much room to maneuver too well, which made any deconstruction efforts more difficult than they needed to be.

The room all of this was going to be going into, was already expanded and torn out of the earth, and it would only be a matter of time until the shelving systems were ready for everything to be organized on. This just meant that it was time to start staging the supplies to prepare them to be opened and sorted. Being that many were larger containers that would be difficult for smaller Cybertronian to handle on their own, Optimus took it upon himself to take them up front.

The job was simple for one of his stature and strength. He need only pull the crates down and walk them over near the entrance of the hanger, where he would open and try to deduce what the primary contents were. If the crate was mostly things that can be used in medical? Than it would go in pile A. Mostly weaponry related? Than pile B. So on so forth.

Optimus walked up to the most recent crate that was tucked into the back of the hanger, glancing over how many more were left for him to transport. After a moment of consideration, he reached down and grasped the box on either side, lifting it up with minimal effort. His right arm was tucked across its lid, fingers curled over the far edge, while his left hand supported the bottom corner firmly. It was with this grip he started the gradual trek back towards the front of the hanger once more.

[Deleted]

The sudden shifting in his environment pulled Zoom-Zoom online. He came out of recharge without a twitch, systems switching on silently with no movements. He took a moment to get his bearings. It was dark. He was curled up on his side in a confined space.

And it was moving. Without his input.

The minibot's memory kicked in at this point. The night prior he'd gone for a long exploratory walk down the lower levels, to the floors that Fort Max had said no one had been since the Autobots had been given the base for their own. He'd spent a lot of time examining the structural supports and checking for signs of corrosion. By the time the minibot come back, Zoom-Zoom had been running low on charge and couldn't be bothered walking the distance back to his own room.

So he'd wandered into the nearest storage room and found a nice empty crate to pass out in. The minibot's paranoia meant that of course he'd closed the top after he'd climbed in. For once, Zoom-Zoom had fallen into a peaceful recharge, secure that he was in a place that no one could expect to find him.

Except, now-

Someone had picked up the box. Someone was carrying him.

Now, should he let them know or keep quiet and wait to put him down somewhere, then slink out unseen…?

In the dark, Zoom-Zoom's optics narrowed suspiciously. Who the frag was doing this? Was it a prank? Did they know he was in there?

They had to, the minibot decided. The box had been empty and would have been marked so on the base inventory. No one should have had reason to move it anywhere.

Which meant this had to be a prank. There were few mecha on base with the size class to be able to move a crate this size. And Zoom-Zoom didn't really think Prime was the type to play pranks or would be shuffling boxes about when there were more important jobs he could be doing. No, this seemed more like something Thunder would do.

That settled it.

He wanted out.

Immediately.

The minibot waited a few more steps, getting a feel for the angle he was sitting at as well as which way the box jostled. This helped him get a rough idea of where whoever was carrying the box was relative to him.

Then he moved.

Quickly.

Zoom-Zoom hooked his legs round, flattening them against the bottom of the box as he rolled onto his back. Then he quickly kicked up with one leg, just to throw the flaps of the box open before returning it next to his other foot. The minibot tensed, and in one smooth motion, lifted his back up and threw himself forward as he kicked off, out over the lid of the box. The minibot flipped threw the air, hitting the ground in a front roll. He sprang to his feet, continued forward a couple of steps before twisting round in a half turn to glare at whoever thought that it would be a great idea to prank the minibot.

"That," he snapped, "Was not…"

Zoom-Zoom's voice trailed off as he registered just who had been hauling his box around. What the ever living frag?

"...Prime?" he squeaked.

Why was this his life?

[Optimus Prime]

Optimus was mostly working on autopilot.

He was treating this exercise as a means to relax for a change, which, given the fact he was doing physical labor could seem a bit contrary to this idea. This said, ever since he had his unexpected frame modification from the Matrix, heavy labor didn’t feel as laborious. He could now lift things far heavier with seemingly very little effort on his part compared to the days he served as a Data Clerk. It left him able to transport the containers as if they were nearly hollow crates, permitting him to let his mind wonder. This autopilot also meant he was not actively checking and evaluating the records to consciously know what is within them, and subsequently guess at if the weight was correct or not. It is because of this he didn’t notice the abnormal presence of something being within this particular container.

The events at the Mech facility were still fresh in his processor, and he was stuck going over what had occurred with a fine toothed comb. It was all being set onto replay in his processor, only half paying attention to the world around him. He made sure to check the ground, made sure that each footfall was safe and he wasn't going to crush a human or something else of immense valuable, but that was about it. It was then though everything changed in a way he was not anticipating.

A snap of the wooden crates top breaking clean off, the clatter of the pieces hitting the ground on either side, the pressure of something launching from the crate, paired with a loud bang of Optimus' foot slamming down with a bit too much force. He had been mid stride, and the startled explosion made him put the limb down not with his normal gait, but with a rapid slam to try to gain balance for whatever combat or trouble may have been pushed into motion. All thoughts of MECH and the events that had occurred days prior, were cast aside instantly, seeing a flash of red streak out of the box into a roll that only flung the unknown object, which he was just realizing had to be an individual, even further.

Optimus simply stood there in confusion. His hands did not change their grip on the crate, nor did he move his position save for dragging his outstretched leg back to rest beside the other one.

If he was under attack, he would have fast reaction times. He could be acting and defending himself or his Autobots at any given moment, and he would be able to relay proper orders to summon others. This said, he was somewhat at a loss, because this wasn't an immediate combat situation, and was instead Zoom-Zoom hiding out in unconventional places again.

He should be thankful it wasn't a ceiling and nothing was broken.

"...I see you are still up to your same antics."

[Deleted]

Zoom-Zoom had run a full gamut of emotions as he processed the events of the past 30 seconds. Indignation over the perceived prank had given way to disbelief that it was Prime which then gave way back to a momentary flash of more indignation over his interrupted recharge. Then it was dull resignation at the unfairness of the universe.

Seriously, Primus. What the frag.

The minibot straightened up slowly and swivelled round the rest of his body to face properly, though he didn't quite manage to drop the 'about to run like crazy if the situation calls for it' pose. Zoom-Zoom's doors and shoulders fell. Why did this keep happening to him?

Don't mouth off to Prime. Don't mouth off to Prime. Don't-

"...hey," the minibot squawked loudly in protest. "That's a habit of a lifetime and a great big frigging war you're asking to see change in after one Earth week." He folded his arms unhappily and glared at a piece of the floor, like it was responsible for this very situation he was in.

"It's like if I asked you to, I dunno, undo all the things that makes you sooo...Primey. Like right here and right now."

Dammnit, what had he just told himself not to do?

[Optimus Prime]

The large frame of the Prime did not change position or move as Zoom-Zoom reacquainted himself with just how unfair his life seemed to be. His stance, while the same, did change beneath his armor however, the leg cables and hydraulics no longer tense, relaxing into the formal posture that has been a part of his life since his very creation. He seemed stable all things considered, showing no signs of the alarm that had plagued him moments prior, the reeling of his spark receding gradually to an average calm pulse.

As Zoom-Zoom squawked loudly in protest, the sounds bounced and reverberated amongst the large cavernous hanger. It made the voice seem that much louder, though Optimus did not appear to acknowledge this in any way shape or form. He only watched, letting the minibot get his words out and express what he needed to say in full. To interrupt or counter anything spoken at this time, could risk further unneeded anxiety in the little Cybertronian.

Optimus understood how difficult it could be to change. He knew well how old habits could cling on and refuse to die even if you consciously wanted them to. He did not expect this to be a seamless transition, he just expected him to at least try. While the crate was not ideal, it was far better than a ceiling, and was in an area of the base that was typically not full of individuals that could be unintentionally spied upon. It was a better situation all things considered.

"I understand your plight, and recognize the efforts you have made to accommodate my request."

Finally moving from his stance, Optimus lifted his ped that had been slammed down awkwardly a moment prior, and replaced it against the ground to start into a casual gait once more. While he was moving, he continued to speak to Zoom-Zoom, showing that he was not abandoning this situation readily, though he very well could have.

"I hold no illusions that this can be mended so swiftly, especially when the mind perceives nothing to be amiss."

Approaching the area he had laid out with supplies that were being organized, Optimus continued past it to the point in which he was placing the other empty cargo containers. He gently set it down atop another, sliding it in line so that nothing would be askew. He was not anal about such things, but felt if you were to do a task, doing so accurately was most beneficial. With the crate deposited, he stood and started to walk back the way he came, each footfall thrumming down upon the ground with his at ease gait.

"Because it appears you have no other task at hand, I may request of you some assistance."

Zoom-Zoom was effectively trapped. There would be no real punishment, nothing that would go down in the records as occurring, but it seemed that he may find himself now having to help out on a mundane task.

"The new storage area is being outfitted. All miscellaneous containers are to be emptied and organized into a far more cohesive system."

[Deleted]

Zoom-Zoom did not drop his posture even as Prime relaxed in front of him. He remained tense, alert and half a spark beat away from bolting. A calm Prime could mean...well, anything. Everything. The minibot had no idea and he didn't know how to read Prime. As far as he was concerned, anything really was on the cards right now. Zoom-Zoom still had no idea how he'd managed to put a hole in the mech's ceiling and came through that with a relatively small punishment. Not to mention getting some of his restrictions lifted when, if anything, Zoom-Zoom had expected to have gotten more piled on him.

"I understand your plight, and recognize the efforts you have made to accommodate my request."

The minibot blinked. The efforts…? He'd been making small ones, true. Tiny ones. Imperceptible to anyone who was not Zoom-Zoom or who had familiarised themselves with his extremely paranoid habits. All of them. And there shouldn't be anyone aside from him because the whole point of his paranoia was ensuring that no one really knew where he was or what he was doing. He expected he couldn't keep everything hidden but at least, Zoom-Zoom had hoped he was random and did enough that something went under the radar and was kept to himself.

Except apparently Prime was in the know, which meant that Zoom-Zoom was messing up somewhere.

Prime might have been trying to avoid increasing Zoom-Zoom's anxieties but by merely continuing the conversation between them, he'd already caused a fresh spike of paranoia in the minibot.

Also...ugh, what was the freakishly patient, accommodating, 'waiting for you to deal with things in your own time' thing that Prime had going on? Who did that? Why would they do that and why would they do it at Zoom-Zoom? Please don't hold any expectations for him, Prime. The minibot found the weight of such things uncomfortable and he was bound to disappoint and let them down. In that regard, Zoom-Zoom was rather consistent.

Disorientated, suspicious and utterly unsure of everything, Zoom-Zoom trailed listlessly after Prime when the big mech set off. He didn't want to prolong this encounter between them. But walking off mid-conversation also wasn't an option either. Well, he could, but then he was bound to bring down some sort of admonishment that had to be looming above his head already. And Zoom-Zoom was always one to put off incoming punishment if he could sooooo...sticking around it was.

"I hold no illusions that this can be mended so swiftly, especially when the mind perceives nothing to be amiss."

Zoom-Zoom did not reply but he threw a sullen glare at Prime's back, though it lacked any real heat to it. Mended...like there was something broken about the minibot, that there was something wrong with his approach to life. No, the fact that Zoom-Zoom's spark still pulsed was evidence enough for him that his paranoia and survival instincts were warranted and correct.

It didn't matter, the minibot decided suddenly and he slightly unwound. Prime's unexpected and patient….expectations could continue to be insufferably patient and understanding, possibly for forever (and with Prime, this seemed so very possible) but there was no doubt in Zoom-Zoom's mind that he would not be long in Prime's company for his lack of 'progress' to matter. As soon as the first opportunity came up to leave this wretched planet, Zoom-Zoom would be gone.

The minibot tucked himself beside the door and watched Prime set down the container amongst its brethren. Enviously and slightly forlorn, he stared after his one time refuge. It wasn't often Zoom-Zoom got a good night's recharge and to have it cut short to extremely unlikely circumstance...a frown tugged at the minbot's bottom lip plate.

"Because it appears you have no other task at hand, I may request of you some assistance.

The new storage area is being outfitted. All miscellaneous containers are to be emptied and organized into a far more cohesive system."

"No other task-" Zoom-Zoom cast a glance at his empty servos, almost accusingly that they didn't have something that he could use to declare himself busy. "What, recharge doesn't count?"

Not that he'd be able to return to it anytime soon, not with that awakening.

"I don't mean that," he added. "I now have a deep, abiding fear of boxes. So- inventory! I can do that. I love doing that. It's a safe and harmless activity with zero off-base requirements. Please assign me to do it and only it for the rest of my life."

[Optimus Prime]

Optimus was lenient all things considered. He could have a heavy hand with punishments, he could revoke privileges and send individuals to do mundane horribly boring or difficult tasks, but this situation didn't call for it. This was an issue of trying to alter and break habits that have been in progress for countless years, and to expect instantaneous and complete results was... unreasonable. While it would be convenient to have things turn around that fast, it was not meant to be and the Prime would take what little victories he could.

If only he knew that his words of encouragement he attempted instead clashed with the minibot so violently it only spurred on more distrust and worry. It was not his intent to make Zoom-Zoom think that he was tracking his every minute progress, when in truth he hadn't even been consciously aware of it until these few moments. Being Prime meant he just had far too much other important issues to contend for attention in his processor to be worrying over this. As much as he wished to be able to help others with giving them such attention, he was incapable, and a good deal had to slip between his fingers.

Either way, the Prime was oblivious to the disgruntled look that Zoom-Zoom had cast his way, instead focusing on planting the crate down in its new location and continuing on to head back to where all the other storage containers lay at rest. It was then the minibot replied, and Optimus cast a side glance over at the red Cybertronian as he passed.

He didn't reply at first, waiting to see if he had more to say before concocting his own retort. This ended up being a wise choice, for Zoom-Zoom continued on to speak in a way that Optimus had no clue how to translate. His social skills were always lacking, from Orion to Optimus that fact never really got fixed, and he never had a NEED for it to get mended. But this neglect of building a fundamental talent occasionally bit him, like right now. He had no idea of Zoom-Zoom was being serious, requesting to have this be a longstanding job where he could manage the storage portion of the base, or if he was being a sarcastic little thing.

"If it is your request to maintain and organize the storage facility long term, than that is something that can be arranged."

He decided to call his bluff while also offering a job. If Zoom-Zoom was being sarcastic, he expected the bot to make a hasty retreat and decline the proposition. If it was a serious request, than ideally they would have someone in charge of that area of the base who would know where every small component was stored to help others. Granted... that was a social job and Zoom-Zoom was anything but... but it was a risky move that could throw him into the open more to work with others.

Optimus clutched onto the next crate in the pile, and lifted it up with relative ease. As he did so, he could feel and hear the contents within shifting gently, proving to him that he wasn't about to get another Zoom-Zoom level surprise. He would start to walk it back then, working in near autopilot while awaiting the other's reply.

[Deleted]

Zoom-Zoom was being a sarcastic little thing. Of course he was. But that didn't mean there was a thread of real sentiment behind his words. He'd prefer to do no work at all, if he could. But if there was a choice between boring, bland but ultimately safe inventory management and his actual job as a spook, then he'd pick the safer and more boring option every time.

He might have been keen to go out and explore the planet soon after his arrival, if only so that the minibot had fall back locations and back-up hiding spots in case something went catastrophically wrong with the Omega base. However that disastrous encounter with Megatron had cured Zoom-Zoom of all impulses to travel outside. The sheer level of randomness that had placed him in the Decepticon warlord's path boggled the processor. It really did. Zoom-Zoom still struggled to understand how bad his luck was to ensure that both he and Megatron just so happened to be in the same area at the same time out of everything that could possibly happen.

The idea of having a job, any form of added responsibility, was almost an automatic 'No". But then Zoom-Zoom thought about it a little and actually considered the idea. His vision of such a role was different to Prime's, the minibot imagined a set-up where he'd have items neatly and clearly catalogued in an electronic database that was accessible to all and would require little personal interaction on Zoom-Zoom's part. And then in situations just like this one, he'd have something he could actually fall back on to claim that he was busy.

Not to mention he'd have a much better understanding of how the base supplies were faring. Which was probably depressingly so but Zoom-Zoom preferred to know exactly how bad a situation was rather than assuming the worst. Which he tended towards, when in lack of any evidence.

"If it means not going outside then yes, I would do it," the minibot replied. He'd followed Optimus back to the piles of containers. "Or less outside time anyway," Zoom-Zoom tacked on begrudgingly, recognising that such a request was probably not likely possible.

The minibot hefted up a box of his own. It was nowhere nearly as large as the one Prime carried. "Or less answering the jobs that specifically need a small person. Because those requests normally arise when something needs to be avoided, which means danger, which means me. I prefer to keep the two separate, really."

[Optimus Prime]

Having no work was not option in this base. If they had an entire workforce of soldiers to assist, than there could be a few people who only needed to be called to action when their specialty was pulled up to the surface, but this wasn't the Decepticons. They didn’t have an army; they didn’t have a ton of working class drones to fill in the blanks. They had a very meager taskforce of people who had to double up and do a lot of jobs that they weren't exactly built or trained for. Warriors were playing the role of construction. Communications were helping dig up Energon. Scouts were trying to fill out reports and paperwork.

Zoom-Zooms goals were unrealistic.

As such, Optimus planned to correct the minibot that this task would not equal a free pass. Just because he would have this job didn't mean that he would not have to do ANY external scouting tasks or missions that needed his skill set such as the MECH raid. It just meant he would have additional work instead of having to lie idle or be assigned to other mundane busy work. But alas, he didn't bother. He figured the small mech was clever enough to know this, especially with his addendum that added in the very important 'less' to the equation.

"Your training and stature make you an invaluable asset for said tasks."

Unless Zoom-Zoom put his foot down and shrieked an inability to perform such jobs, than that role would forever be open. The training he had, and the smaller frame type was simply too rare a commodity to the Autobots. It is true they did have Mirage and Rook, but so much burden placed upon the shoulders of only two when they could have some help was hardly fair. Everyone had to carry their own weight, and most had to haul more than that. Sometimes the Prime felt like he was carrying a mountain on his shoulders, but that was his burden to hold and nothing that other's could help with.

Optimus sat down the loaded crate in the area he was staging the contents, peeling open the top lid in order to see what was inside. It seemed this container had been thrown together in more than a hurry, though... admittedly a lot of the cargo was put together like this. When they had to hemorrhage out the contents of the Ark to be able to relocate the immobile and crashed shuttle, they had to simply mash as much stuff into easy to transport frames as soon as possible. It left some crates like the one Optimus just opened that were more blended supplies than any true order.

Scraps of metal, some spare parts here and there, and some abysmally outdated components were all bashed together to fill the container. Optimus' hand fed down into the mishmash of stuff, and retrieved out what appeared to be a circuit board for something, but a chunk of metal from nearby devices had impaled it beyond recovery. He let out a dull hum of thought, before he started to pull wires off of the board to be placed in the pile of wires that had already been started.

"Much of this no longer holds value in its current form. It will be our task to separate that, from the functional."

He glanced over, seeing Zoom-Zoom had his own crate, which had who knows what stored within.

[Deleted]

"Your training and stature make you an invaluable asset for said tasks."

Of course they did. It was all he was ever really valued for and only thing Zoom-Zoom had going for him as a reason why people kept him around, that he was in possession of both a very useful skillset and a convenient height.

The minibot, in case it hadn't been established by now, was a complainer with a tendency to run his mouth. He'd doubted that the last thing he'd said would be taken seriously but hey, given how things went...bizarrely okay with Prime, might as well throw that one in there to see in a half-hearted attempt to see if anything came from it. Which it hadn't but there hadn't been anything to lose from making the attempt either.

Zoom-Zoom was content to lag behind Prime's longer footsteps with his box tucked away under his arm. When they reached the sorting piles, he drew to a step and pried the lid open of his box with his free hand. "Hmmm…." the minibot peered inside with a critical gaze.

His haul, much like Prime's was a disappointing mess of broken parts, scrap and possibly functional bits and pieces. However, opening the box had also been accompanied by a sharp acrid smell. Something had been punctured when shoved into the container and slowly leaked acid or an equally nasty chemical. What little oxygen inside the box had reacted and consumed in gradual amounts as the liquid leaked. There had been more chemical than air but fortunately, the box had been sealed airtight.

At least until now, that is.

Zoom-Zoom had the box open for mere moments when suddenly there was smoke billowing out from underneath his arm and a concerning hissing sound emanating from the box. The minibot had a second to process this unexpected turn of events before he gently lowered his box to the ground and scooted the frag away from it, a odd calm falling over him. Having messed around with more than a few explosives in his time had taught him the importance of smooth and controlled movements over panicky and jerky ones.

"I don't think there's anything useful in there," he said unnecessarily, watching his box warily in case it decided to explode.

Disappointingly it failed to do so immediately but smoke continued to pour out of the box and billow menacingly. The more the seconds ticked by, the less likely it was to blow up, simply due to the fact that whatever chemical was inside it was being consumed by the reaction with the air.

[Optimus Prime]

Optimus was content to return to the silence, and honestly was looking forward to it since this was a job for him to find peace more so than actually get a ton of work done. He trusted Zoom-Zoom to recognize the piles of raw supplies for what they were, and to organize everything out accordingly. It didn’t take a particularly clever Cybertronian to recognize the system that was already underway, and if the minibot couldn't figure it out? Then... that would be surprising.

He had to have it figured out easy.

That would have been ideal.

It would have been perfect if they could just work in peace.

But the world doesn't play by such a game, and he was left staring down the barrel of another shot of bad luck that seemed trained onto him.

What hit Optimus first was the rancid stench that momentarily caused his faceplates to crease and wrinkle in dismay. It plumed over to him just as Zoom-Zoom declared there wasn't anything of value in the box. He would normally say that all of the contents would hold some kind of value, but the odor made him second guess this fact even before he saw the smoke pluming out of the container. It looked as if some kind of fire was on the verge of occurring, or other unstable reactions that could be the opposite of good.

Gradually, the Prime sat down the components he had been picking through, he eased upright into a full stand once more. He didn't seem particularly alarmed, ever calm, ever calculated, as his faceplates relaxed once more into a neutral look. It was almost as if this were a minor inconvenience and not exactly something that would go horrendously out of line. If he recalled correctly, nothing in the boxes could be TRULY explosive. There were no weapons as far as he was aware, and most certainly no grenades. Such objects would have been sorted out into the armory long ago. This meant the most likely cause was either some chemicals leaking out of a container, ((which would explain the stench)) or a punctured battery which meant things were likely going to go south in three... two...

Flames suddenly erupted out of the top of the box as if it were a flamethrower representation of the abomination Ratchet had made for Rafael's science project. The fire billowed up with a loud screaming roar that cast long shadows in the dimly lit hanger and coated everything in a film of red. It roared so violently that if the opening on the crate had been on the side rather than the top, it would surely have launched half way across the hanger and into something else.

All they could do is watch and let the ruptured battery burn up all of its internal components, as well as whatever chemical cocktail had also been in the crate.

Once things seemed to start to settle down, Optimus walked over to a side compartment where some extinguishers and emergency supplies were located, and retrieved a fireproof tarp used to smother flames or embers. While the initial blast was now gone ((and there would have been no way the tarp could have stopped that)) there was still some lingering flames licking at the mouth of the container that was now soot covered.

With a careful draping motion, Optimus placed the tarp snugly over the box, and left it alone, treating it as a hazard still. He would plan to leave it like that for some time until they were certain everything was snuffed out. It was with this, he wordlessly returned to his task, and began plucking wires off of the devices again.

He was too used to this...

[Deleted]

Zoom-Zoom might have been disappointed with the lack of an initial explosion but it was more than made up for only a few seconds later when the top of the box lit up in a spectacular display of crimson flames. It made the minibot mighty glad he hadn't just dropped the box to the ground as that would have no doubt jostled the box's content and sped up the reaction they were now witnessing without giving Zoom-Zoom a chance to get clear.

"Niiice."

The minbot could always appreciate a good fire or explosion so long as he wasn't in any danger from it. Transfixed, Zoom-Zoom was content to watch the reaction proceed and burn, right up until the point Optimus dumped a fire blanket on the sad remnants of the flames.

Oh.

Right.

Back to work then.

Casting on longing glance at his first box, Zoom-Zoom returned to the pile of containers and fetched himself a new one.

Disappointingly, his new box wasn't anywhere near as exciting as the first.

With a bored sigh, Zoom-Zoom got to work on sorting it out.

[Optimus Prime]

After a bit of silence following the whiplash action moments prior, Optimus started to speak. He didn’t seem bothered in any way about the possible chemical fire still going on under the fireproof tarp, and his voice showed this. The typical drone of commanding authority and polite understanding that was a staple to who he was speaking out as if it were any other day.

"Your task for the storage room will be simple to maintain, but a chore to initialize."

Optimus eased his weight to the side a bit; to shift the angle in which his knee was resting against the ground in his kneel. The motion was careful, paired with a low sound of the cables in his legs shifting and bearing weight once more. He settled down a moment after, picking up a device that didn’t even seem worth salvaging... almost. He started to peel and scrape the small cybertronium metal bits off, so they could melt the rest of it down to scrap metal later.

"You must sort through and categorize objects in a way that others can locate what they require, even without knowing the technical term."

Basically, not everyone who has to fetch things typically has the training to know the complex true name for particular devices or components. This meant that a lot of it would need to be organized by its layman's terms, while not becoming so abysmally simplistic that it becomes a new more difficult type of struggle to locate it.

Ideally it would be broken down. Circuit boards all located in the same area, but then the particular bins within said subsection would be organized by their names or functions. It meant that if an individual did not have the technical designation for the object that they could look under the centralized area and not be hunting the entirety of the storage room for hours.

While the Autobots didn't have all the spare parts that the Decepticons had, and frankly the majority of it all would be broken anyway and need to be repaired, having this system would make some minor burdens that much lighter. It also could give an illusion of having a bit more than they had. Optimus wasn't one to deceive others, and frankly he was quite poor at that game, but if he could help others think they were doing a bit better than rock bottom then he would try his best.

[Deleted]

The minbot had figured that the silence that had settled between the two Autbots was it. And he was okay with that. He really didn't want to talk to Prime anymore than necessary because undoubtedly he'd find some new way to insert his foot into his mouth. So yes, he did startle when Optimus started talking to him. Zoom-Zoom's hands paused in the sorting of bits and pieces as he shot a bewildered gaze over to the Autobot leader.

Then he caught up with what Prime was talking about and he relaxed and resumed working. Instructions. Those were helpful. Even though he felt these ones were a tad obvious.

"A cataloguing system," Zoom-Zoom replied. "I can do that, sorting things out in a clear manner. I can do that and more. How about an electronic database with...hmm, common names, technical names, images of said item, location name, even a dot on a digital map?"

For once, Zoom-Zoom was oddly and somewhat enthusiastic about a project. The minibot's processor was already busy imagining how he could sort and manage the Autobot supplies.

[Optimus Prime]

What may be obvious instructions to Zoom-Zoom, may not be the case for everyone else. Optimus has well learned though the years to be direct about certain things; less they waste time obtaining a result that isn't beneficial for everyone. While other times he trusted his Autobots to do things in a logical means, he had never really lead a team that was so patchwork and cobbled as this one was. From tackling helicopters, to human children intervening, and even scraplets, it was a kaleidoscope of oddities and the mech next to him was a part of it. You couldn't blame Optimus for cautiously giving Zoom-Zoom a bit more instruction, when the little mech was foolish enough to fall through ceilings and somehow manage to catch a crate on fire.

Typically there was some order, not this... chaos... with a dash of crazy that was becoming the bizarre norm.

"If you can find time to put together such a database, it would be beneficial. This said, having the initial organization done for benefit of the now would be ideal."

He didn’t need the minibot rushing off and starting to compile a program to accommodate all the information, when there were still boxes scattered that needed to be organized out and put onto shelving. Ideally the actual shelves would be ready shortly ((Bumblebee and Carbine permitting)) and either Optimus could start moving the organized cargo down, or someone else on base could field the task to free him to deal with other issues again.

When this job was done alone, he could easily negotiate within his processor that it was some sort of personal therapy and relaxation to not have to think fully, running off of autopilot in a way that he could be at ease. But... he didn't have that luxury any longer with Zoom-Zoom there. Whether the little mech knew it or not, his presence made Optimus painfully aware of what a mundane task he was doing. This was something just about any 'grunt' could accomplish, and while he did not belittle others and their work, there frankly was so much more a Prime should be doing that only a Prime could accomplish.

You should be working on those transmissions

Putting together new patrol routs for Energon is wiser

Appoint someone else to this so they don’t get into trouble

Surly there were others available who could assist with this, but that would be immensely rude for him to depart and just drop everything onto Zoom-Zoom and someone else's shoulders, making it transparent Zoom-Zoom had done more wrong than was immediately evident, even though there wasn't anything wrong with him helping. Optimus opted then to do this for a bit longer

"Did you find out what you needed from Red Alert?"