We are a literate, intermediate to advanced AU Transformers RPG Based off of the first season of TFP with dashes of other incarnations sprinkled here or there. Characters from any continuity are welcome however must be restyled to match the TFPrime universe.
Active, with ongoing plotlines, we are always willing to integrate new characters into storylines once incorporated into the setting.
"Nothing has gotten into me. It wasn't as heavy as it looked. Simple mistake and not a big deal."
Annoyance was building up, and while he was used to the emotion, he hadn't felt it being this prominent in a long time. Something felt off, but it certainly wasn't something he was going to admit to while there was someone else in the room. Last thing he needed was the femme being given a reason to harp on him further.
As if she wasn't already.
"And I am not glitching," he snapped back at the femme, his helm turning slightly to look at her with a look of disgust on his face.
Mistake. The distraction to her was long enough that the small metal cylinder in his servo was caught up in the clenched fist he made and crushed into a mangled mess before he turned his attention back to it. He dropped it into the crate and picked it up- being more careful this time. He was now done collecting the items that had scattered in his immediate area so he moved on and stood, moving to collect the items that were further away, kneeling down to gather those and started to place those in the crate as well.
He hated optics on him. Hopefully his answer would get them to return to their usual activities and pay him no further mind. Not like his error was worth making a big deal out of. Didn't they all have something better to do than to watch him, the mindless brawler of the Decepticons, picking things up as though he couldn't' do it without assistance from someone pointing out the things he was doing wrong?
Knock Out kept his attention on Breakdown, listening to his reasoning as his gaze drifted to the contents of the box that’d scattered onto the floor. At least it seemed like there was nothing breakable in there. Without the Nemesis everything was in short supply these days, meaning everything - especially medical supplies - were precious.
“Ah, simple mistake then. At least nothing was broken.”
His own tone had calmed some after listening to what Breakdown had to say. He’d been so very on edge after Coldwind had barged in, and had probably snapped far faster than he should’ve. He did note the annoyance from Breakdown, having been around him long enough to notice even the most subtle of changes. The big blue mech had been quick to anger as of late, that stalwart demeanor and well of patience faltering at times - but Knock Out had simply chalked it up to the change of scenery. The transition from Nemesis to Blackridge was one that even he was still struggling with, and Breakdown had been through a lot in the moments before the floating fortress had crashed into the depths.
A quirk of a brow was given at Coldwind’s comment, but before he could respond, Breakdown snapped back. Again, unlike him - but she had been nothing but rude since she arrived, so it was no wonder his partner was annoyed, especially with that comment.
He did spare Breakdown a glance as he heard the crushing of metal, gently frowning - but wouldn’t draw attention to it. Not wanting to upset the other mech further, knowing full well he wouldn’t want extra focus turned his way.
“Simple mistake, nothing more. Given a lot of our supplies are still packed into boxes due to a sheer lack of room, some are heavier than others. I almost did the same thing earlier.”
He didn’t really need to add the extra explanation but he wanted to back Breakdown up on this so Coldwind did not judge too harshly.
Still unaware that the Spymaster was lurking nearby, he would turn his attention and gaze back up to Coldwind. Still unmoving from his chair.
“So, as for that direct order from our Lord. I assume you need a basic checkup, given you are new to Blackridge?” there was a touch of sarcasm there - any possible niceties that may have trickled through had gone. She'd insulted Breakdown, and- well, he took offense to that.
This would where normally he’d get up to look into Coldwind’s file, or to check his datapad for the order from Starscream - as it’d probably been logged directly - but ehh, she could wait a few more seconds.
Petty? Eh, a little bit.
Last Edit: Jan 25, 2020 0:09:12 GMT -5 by Knock Out
Knock Out knew Breakdown more than anyone else, the two of them going back in time for quite a long stretch of this war. Side by side, a duo where one always came with the other... but just because Soundwave could not come near to the understanding their Medic had of his companion, it didn't mean he was not aware of Breakdown and much on his general temperament and persona. Hard data, logs of his actions and style of conduct on and off the battlefield... Oh Soundwave had a good idea of who he was simply from surveillance and reports alone, however he was uncertain if his quick irritation was standard or not.
Skirting that gray line, sliding between his understanding of the situation's particular details.
It could be a klutzy moment, the Wrecker hiding embarrassment behind hostilities to guard a displayed moment of weakness, or it could be jumping to arms and the simmering ire before a rolling boil. Not even Soundwave knew what it could be leading to, and while he may consider just leaving and letting things pan out however they may, should Breakdown and Coldwind get into a brawl they could do some substantial damage to the Medical Bay in their aggressive posturing.
Soundwave believed Breakdown had more self control than to start that unprovoked, but Coldwind was a bit of a wildcard. Not witnessing her lines, not learning her habits and quirks. Newcomers always roamed this unknown veil for a good while before Soundwave curated a good profile on their characteristics. As such, he remained stationary in the doorway, helm crooking away from focusing upon Breakdown to instead peer at the other two. He was not out of his line of sight entirely, however he was not intently staring him down any longer to not regard what many would see as weakness and a moment of vulnerability and instability.
Instead of trying to let the moment pass... Knock Out was choosing to be a diva, mildly combative with tone...
The navy mech continued to observe with an unamused edge.
For all her bluster, Coldwind was not always unreasonable. While today she had decided to spit and spew insults at any given opportunity, deeming this entire debacle to be below her, eventually it settled in that slander alone would not spur Knock Out into action. They were making it much more difficult than it needed to be. Well, she and the sports car at any rate. She didn’t need to insult his assistant, she could have waited, and he could’ve gotten out of his chair to do his job. Nothing was ever easy, however. The Decepticons, for all the grand agenda spawned by Megatron and Soundwave, were often a rickety team. This moment simply served to confirm that without its presence, everything falls to chaos.
When Breakdown clarified his situation, backed—rather unnecessarily—by Knock Out, Coldwind failed to respond with more than a critical expression, a raised brow, and a low grunt. From there-on, she didn’t pull much attention towards the mech, letting him get back to his job. She still thought less than fondly of his mental faculties, if it was so difficult for him to measure the weight of a shipping crate, but commenting on that any more than necessary wouldn’t entertain her, nor would it be productive.
She needed Knock Out to do his job, not to be overly concerned with Breakdown’s. Fortunately, he seemed to be getting into just that—even though he was being a big baby about it. If only did he bother to register Soundwave. That would certainly put an end to his primadonna act. But it was more amusing for Coldwind to simply let him get that out of his system while the Spymaster watched. The embarrassment would indeed be great when Knock Out’s bubble of ignorance finally bursts.
Eventually, he gave her a modicum of his attention. This was an opportunity to do just that.
In the spirit of such, she moved closer towards Knock Out once more, getting uncomfortably personal. Breakdown permitting, she put a servo on the body of his chair and grasped it so tightly that its occupant could practically feel the tension. Coldwind locked her demonic red optics with Knock Out’s beady crimsons and spoke plainly.
“Yes, Knock Out. Though I am not certain if a medic who admits to clumsiness in solidarity with his assistant is qualified to do so...in Soundwave’s presence no less.”
Her optics skipped twice to the side, suggesting that Knock Out should look around the room a little more. Hopefully, this would put the much-needed—and desperately lacking—fear of authority in him. Not that she herself wasn’t in want for respect, but at least she feared Soundwave enough to not pull any funny business.
Deciding to turn his attention and focus to Coldwind, rather than watch Breakdown further and risk him dropping something else, Knock Out would eye the femme up and down a moment as she moved closer into his personal space, frame visibly tensing as she went so far as to touch his chair.
With his partner across the room, he wasn’t too worried that she’d actually do something so stupid like hurt him - after all, she did need him to do this checkup for her. But even so, her presence was intimidating, and for a flicker of a moment, there was a twinge of worry in his field.
But only because of what she said.
“I’m sorry, what?”
He blurted this out, almost like he hadn’t heard her properly. Soundwave? It wasn’t so much that he’d admitted to clumsiness - it was the fact the Spymaster was here at all.
“For one thing, admitting I fumbled with a box - a badly packed box, mind you - is neither here nor there. It happens, I didn’t drop or break anything and I’ll own up to it freely, even if you think of me as ‘clumsy’.” defending himself with a little sass, it was then he would awkwardly lean a little to the side, gaze moving past the brute of a femme to the rest of the room and the doorway that had been so wonderfully blocked from his vision.
Ah, well, sure was Soundwave.
“Soundwave, Sir. Did you need something from me?” tone polite and professional, unlike his attitude toward Coldwind moments earlier. “I’d get up, but, well.” a glance was given to the femme then who was still holding the chair and leaving him little room to do anything but sit.
It was rather disappointing he had to deal with something so incredibly childish and worthless. There was so much more that Soundwave could be focused upon, so many other jobs ranging from plotting ideas for the Nemesis' resurrection, all the way to continuing to patch and fix electrical and satellite components around Blackridge. He had a laundry list of chores that would consume others if it were to be thrown upon their shoulders, and instead he was being forced to play babysitter. Keeping one unhinged animal from setting off a brawler, and keeping a little runt who felt himself irreplaceable from being backhanded across the room.
Soundwave wasn't too amused that his presence was being used as a weapon by Coldwind, though he could not act particularly surprised. She had caught on to his presence first, and was likely trying to get a rise out of Knock Out just to try to embarrass the medic or make him panic. Jokes on her however, Knock Out tended to seem to be immune to such things, having been so audaciously brazen in front of Megatron himself on more than one occasion. Flippant, assertive, joking coy comments and a flashed smirk...
The fact Knock Out responded with a sharp statement of alarm, only to then flow into professionalism would have told Soundwave all he needed to know even if he did not witness what had transpired previously. There was no panicked backpedaling, no scrabble to explain himself... simply a flow into asking if he required anything as if he felt no shame in his previous actions. It likely was bolstered by the fact Coldwind was still doing her particular act of power assertion, which caused a silent exhale to shift through his vents.
Soundwave then flowed into movement, his slender arm lifting rather quickly given his typical eased actions and calm stride. He pointed a narrow finger right at Coldwind first, it making it quite apparent who he was directing his first comment upon. /̧/Hostile Force /̸/́ unacceptable//͝
Abrupt, harsh, Megatron's growled words quickly followed by a deeper baritone that held a gravely edge to it. There was no mistaking displeasure in this recording, the sound waves popping and lurching across his visor from the snarled undertones. He didn't need Coldwind to sock their medic, even if they technically had backup options. Their current CMO was already well acquainted with the job, and despite vanity could work well. That said, he wasn't immune to reprimand, and just after these words Soundwave angled his pointer to then aim at Knock Out.
/́/Remain/ appropriately behaved//͟
Hollow, devoid, Shockwave's emotionless husk of a voice projected with that ever powerful presence behind it. While there was no direct hostility in this recording, it almost neutral in a way, it did not completely negate the fact that it was a reprimand, expecting Knock Out to cut out the nonsense. After this, his arm lowered back down, a final recording chirping out.
/̛/̕Do Not /̢/ Make me /̕/ Return//͢
Flatline's annoyed growl, a femme from days past, Starscream's words cut short...
Soundwave had more important matters to attend to rather than chaperoning a basic medical exam. While he was not NEARLY as angry as the abrupt recordings and physical motions implied he was, he believed the implication that he was angry would startle and snap them into behaving better. They could still hate one another, that he had no cares over, he just wanted them to not maul and start a smackdown.
At this, Soundwave did not seem to wait for a response, playing into the feigned annoyance more. His weight eased back and he started to turn as if to depart, before locking his visor on Breakdown.
Soundwave recognized he was stressed, and was unable to piece a direct cause to what had troubled him so, but he had no grievances with Breakdown. Because of this, he simply dipped his helm ever so slightly in recognition, or perhaps approval that he was keeping himself from being set off by the two idiots he was forced to contend with. At this, the navy mech would turn to depart unless one of them spoke to him once again.
A reprimand. A slap on the wrist and nothing more. Coldwind and Knock Out got off easy this time. But rest assured, should there ever be a need to do so, their conduct would be held against them. It was in their best interest that they avoided such a necessity. At the thought of that, Coldwind disengaged and removed herself from Knock Out's personal space as to respect Soundwave's command, though she did so with the slightest hint of hesitance.
"You can stand up now," she jerked her helm upwards.
Why, yes, Knock Out could. Coldwind was either pointing out the obvious to annoy him or asserting dominance, possibly both for maximum effect. Many Decepticons would easily question the wisdom of cornering the bot responsible for your health, however, Coldwind was both arrogant enough and strong enough to assume Knock Out would not try to cheapen her medical care—that is if he fancied his own well-being.
Regardless, she watched patiently and silently as Soundwave took his leave. This was not a great first impression, but truthfully, Coldwind did not care to curry favors or to rub shoulders with the Spymaster. His opinion did not matter, only that he stayed out of the way and did not in any way attempt to blackmail her.
But Soundwave aside, she turned back towards Knock Out, expecting the useless priss to start being a useful priss. The sooner they were done with this, the better for all of them. Coldwind most especially. Her patience was spent a good while ago and her restraint could go down the drain too if they kept up this nonsense any longer.
Usually he was fine, able to brush things off his shoulders like water under the bridge, but this time there was something else involved and it made him uncomfortable. This entire situation was causing his annoyance meter to skyrocket, starting with Coldwind's short and disrespectful manners. He was used to Knock Out acting like a flouncy jerk most of the time with a pede so far up his backside that you could taste the paint, but this time it was almost to the point of being unbearable. He couldn't deal with two of them that were so much alike they could have been forged from the same spark, at least not right now. Frankly, the two were morons and he was more than over it.
He did his best to focus on what he was doing- so much so that he didn't even stop moving crates around when the alert that Soundwave was in the vicinity reached his audials. Breakdown naturally would have at least acknowledged the spymaster, but with him reprimanding the two accordingly for their despicable actions that would have made sparklings look away in disgust, he chose to use the break to return to his duties.
After a while he felt a look on him and he turned his helm to stare at Soundwave, noting the nod of the mech's helm towards him. He didn't know what it was for, nor did he bother to ask. He didn't have qualms with that one so there was no need to be aggressive with him, so he politely returned the nod and then looked at the shelf he was currently stocking.
When Coldwind over her mouth again, his frame bristled and a growl rumbled within his chassis.
As Soundwave pointed at Coldwind, it was taking almost everything in Knock Out not to smugly hum because haa ha, she was in trouble. She was the one who came in here being uncouth and overly aggressive, and while he had reacted with a snide jab here or there, it was completely warranted!
And Soundwave had hopefully seen the whole thing, thus justifying Knock Out’s actions and-
Ah, slag, now he was being pointed at.
“Absolutely! Will do!” a cheery response to the directive given, paired with a flash of a smile. He was going to be on his absolute best behavior, at least while the Spymaster was lingering nearby. Once he was out of earshot it’d be game on should Coldwind start up again with her attitude - Knock Out knowing full well that the Medical Bay was one of few places in this base that wasn’t bugged, and Breakdown would no doubt back him up on anything should it get to that point.
But it seemed that, for now, the warning from Soundwave had been enough to placate the femme, and there was an almost sigh of relief as she moved out of his personal space. A wary glance was shot to the doorway to make sure Soundwave truly had gone, before he would respond, moving to his pedes.
“So generous.”
A glance was cast Breakdown’s way, before he would turn his attention back to Coldwind.
“So, I could look over the order from Starscream - or we could save some time and get right to it. I assume you’re here for a routine checkup considering you are new to Blackridge?” he quirked a brow at this.
“In which case, if you’d like to make your way over to a medical berth…”
He didn’t want to do this femme any favors, and he had half a mind to say his schedule was booked full for the day, but woe- now that Soundwave had been involved, he was trying to be on his best behavior.
Coldwind begrudgingly lumbered over to a sizable medical bad and sat down. She understood that the only reason Knock Out played nice now was Soundwave's presence and made sure to remember to find a better bargaining chip later. Coldwind could not survive on the Spymaster's orders alone. Oh well, perhaps a few good punches will straighten Knock Out the next time he decides to get pesky. Then again, Breakdown was there, and as much as Coldwind was confident in her skills, she did not want to cause more of a mess than was necessary to get her point across.
"Break anything in me and I will break everything in you, Knock Out," she cautioned. Clearly, Coldwind had grown remarkably savage during her stellar cycles of isolation. Any medical attention she has received was her own or from automated facilities that the Seeker managed to get running again. Once, long ago, she had a lot of respect for the medical staff, seeing the upkeep of her frame as an incredibly important part of getting results. Not so much these days. She was crankier and older and, well, a tinge more insane than before.
"From the tip of your cortex to the last hinge on your heel," she emphasized further. As if Knock Out needed any more reminders that his patient was a certified nutjob.
Last Edit: May 21, 2020 9:36:37 GMT -5 by Coldwind
Breakdown figured that even if Coldwind hadn't been forced back by him, at least the ominous words of Soundwave and just knowing that the spymaster was about would have kept her in line to where he wouldn't have to worry about her snarky little attitude or threats anymore. Though, as usual, when the eyes and ears of the Decepticons departed, so did the moment of calm that had come to the medical bay. The threat to Knock Out didn't go unnoticed by Breakdown and a low, rumbling growl emitted from his throat over it.
It took SO much for the bruiser to bite his tongue and not retort. The mech didn't know if she were purposely baiting him to draw attention off herself or just trying to rile up Knock Out, but either of those possibilities were just unacceptable to him. Still, he had to be cautious. It wouldn't take much for Soundwave to come back and report his observations the Commander.
There was so much bothering him internally. The temper? Yeah, it was something he was used to. Being stirred up and boiling over? Dealt with it every day. So why was it so difficult to handle lately? He of course didn't like anyone to threaten Knock Out as it was, but he hadn't wanted to just rearrange someone's entire frame as badly as he did Coldwind. It wasn't like her attitude and questionable mental capacity was something he hadn't faced before. He usually just sucked it up continued with his own business to ignore the stupidity around him out of necessity for survival. If there wasn't that lingering fear of the consequence, he would have stopped putting those instruments away and organizing the counter space he was busying himself with and just smashed his hammers right into Coldwind's face.
Right now, even the consequences didn't seem to be that much of a big deal compared to how much better he would feel getting it out of his system. But Knock Out didn't need to have a routine check up turn into something more. The sooner she got herself out of the medical bay, the better.
Knock Out didn’t move as Coldwind did - not wanting to misstep or have her find reason to ‘accidentally’ walk into him on her way across the room. She was certainly large, and the last thing he needed were fresh scuffs to his pristine frame.
Even though Breakdown were here, he seemed a little distracted today and would probably be of little use if Coldwind did decide to be petty. He could only hope that should she attack him legit with any kind of malice, that the big blue mech would step in and intervene.
Still wasn’t taking any chances, though, hence why he did not move until the femme had gotten herself situated and sat down on the medical berth.
Only for him to pause in his steps a moment later at her threat.
“Well, there’s no need for any of that.”
If I’ll break anything it’ll be your personality into something more civil…
“I’ll give you a little tip, free of charge as it’s your first day here at Blackridge - being polite with me will get you far. Threats right off the bat? Not so much.”
Hadn’t she learned anything so far? This whole time she had been nothing but rude and it was getting her nowhere.
It was only a matter of time before Coldwind badmouthed someone far bigger and stronger than she, and ended up needing some sort of medical aid. And as luck would have it? Knock Out was the only medic- and he was prone to holding a grudge. Oh he’d do his duty and repair any injuries, but he would also remember this moment and possibly accidentally’ 'forget' any sort of numbing agent or use juuuuust enough so it’d wear off at the worst possible time.
Never piss off your medic. Especially when your medic is Knock Out.
A cheery smile followed these words, however, and he’d move quickly then, starting to gather the tools needed for what he hoped would be a simple and routine procedure.
“So, I know this will be fairly routine, and Primus knows we both want it over sooner rather than later, but I have to ask- do you need anywhere in specific looking over as well? Any old injuries acting up, or things like that?”
Above and beyond. Kill them with kindness. Yadda yadda… With Soundwave possibly still looming, or at the very least listening in? Knock Out would, for now, behave.
Kill them with kindness was not exactly in Coldwind's vocabulary. Doubly so when Knock Out was being so disingenuous. If only Breakdown wasn't around. That would allow her to put proper fear into that shiny, little chassis of his—preferably in the form of a few scuff marks and dents. Of course, she could always do more—far more. But let no bot say she was completely unhinged and without restraint.
"No. I'm fine," the Seeker mouthed off half-heartedly. Even though her body was covered in obvious signs of battle—welding marks that needed buffing, scratches, and dents that needed to be pounded out and covered—she was more than fine on the inside when one considered the environment she's been through. Coldwind was tough. As tough as they come. On the rare occasion that she let out a quip or a joke during the fall of Cybertron, one could often hear her say that it'd take more than the world ending to kill her. She just never figured it would come to that.
There was hardly anything worth mentioning beyond that. Coldwind did not want to spend here longer than necessary and the way she spoke pretty much screamed "Just give me the damn slip and let me go!" in Knock Out's direction. If he was any smart—and she knew he was—they would not have to spend much more time together. Just a few more formalities and necessities before they were done.
Soundwave had oddly made things a little more lax, as Coldwind seemed to want to behave a little more with the communications officer on patrol. Now that he was gone there was that annoyance back and he vented to himself as he continued with his work.
And listened. Best he could, considering, but still was more than able.
Breakdown may have been busy with his own thoughts, but he was not unaware of what was going on within the medical bay. He heard the conversations and the snide comments. So far it was just a case of the two trying to show up the other and it hadn’t turned into anything more than that so there was no reason for him to get between them. However, even if it seemed to be mute on the surface with the two coming to an agreement that they wanted to just get everything done and over with in a hurry, there was an underlying ripple in the room. The bruiser was more than aware of the tension. He felt it down to his core and it made him uncomfortable.
In a normal circumstance it should have been enough to drive him away just to relieve himself from the stress of it, though this was not ‘normal’. Instead of turning tail he stayed and soldiered through. Knock Out was here, and that was his first and foremost concern. He didn’t doubt the skills of the medic when it came to combat, but Coldwind was a large femme and not afraid to bully herself around. If she turned hostile with more than just verbal threats, he would show her that he was not there for show.
Knock Out could only give his cheeriest smile as he spoke. Should this have been anyone else - literally anyone else - he would’ve drawn attention to the fact she looked a little worse for wear. Whoever had done that welding had done a terrible job for a start, and while he knew it may look bad on him for not buffing them out, in this case? She knew best. She was fine.
And that was fine with him. He just hoped that there was nothing too wrong that the system would automatically log and file it into some sort of priority queue. The sooner she was done here the better.
“This won’t take but a moment, all going well you should be out of here in a jiffy.”
Still cheery. Still forced. He really was trying to be on his best behavior here, knowing this had to be done. Soundwave was probably still looming around somewhere, and as long as Knock Out got the basic medical done? It wasn’t like he’d be reprimanded for faking niceties.
What was sad was that this would’ve been over and done with if she hadn’t been so caustic upon her arrival to the room. If she’d used her manners, or even been a little bit nicer, she would’ve been on her way by now.
Alas.
With Breakdown across the room, Knock Out felt confident enough in moving closer toward Coldwind. Should she be stupid enough to attack him, he was sure the other mech would step in and help.
“Sit still, please. I’m going to pull a line from your arm, it won’t hurt- although may feel a little odd. It’s routine, I’m sure you’ve had it done before a hundred times, it’s just faster for the diagnostic machine to do its job than me going through everything manually.” sometimes that was needed, but for something like this? No way.
Normally he would’ve just done it, but he felt the need to inform her of what was going on. From here, he would carefully ease Coldwind’s arm out so it was straight, pulling out the aforementioned innocuous line. With it held semi-awkwardly in one servo, he would reach across to the table next to him, grappling some as he tried to find the datapad he had earlier.
Datapad in servo, he would simply plug the line into the small machine. It blipped to life a moment later, and Coldwind’s vitals would appear on the screen as it began to work.
There was a silence that followed, but it did not last.
“Okay, I have to ask.” there was some amusement in his tone then as he carefully set down the datapad. It wouldn’t take long to complete, but he’d rather not sit here this entire time in absolute quiet.
“Who did that welding on you?”
Surely someone she insulted and they’d done a rush job as a result, because it was absolutely terrible.