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TF: All for One - Hide

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Title: All for One – Hide
Pairings: None
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Author's Note: This is technically the second chapter of my All for One story line, but it's completely standalone and can be read without reading the first chapter. The main premise for these ficlets is one group member getting the entire group punished for something he's done; a new take on the phrase 'all for one.' Comm transmissions are marked with colons – ::like this.::

-o-o-o-

"Hide!"

"Hid – ? Wha – ? Why? And, slag it Skywarp, I have a door!" Thundercracker growled at his trine mate. The black and purple mech had just materialized in the middle of his quarters, ignoring, as always, such common place courtesies as doors and knocking. Thundercracker leaned back in his berth, turning back to his datapad, and tried to tune out his fellow Seeker.

"I know you have a door! Who cares? We gotta go! Find someplace safe – " Skywarp wrung his hands, eyes darting between his wing mate and the closed door.

"I care," Thundercracker interrupted. His voice remained calm, in stark contrast to Skywarp's. "I've told you before not to teleport into my room. Or, at least to ask first. Use the door."

"Will you forget the slaggin' door! We gotta hide. Now!"

"What did you do?"

" … Um, nothing?"

Thundercracker covered his optics with one hand. "Really. 'Nothing?' Then why do we need to hide?"

"Well … " Skywarp dragged the word out, "okay, maybe 'nothing' isn't quite the right word. See, the thing is, it was a complete accident."

"Amazingly, that doesn't surprise me at all. What was – "

"Quiet!" Skywarp hissed. He pressed an audio receptor against the door. "He's coming! Let's go!" He dashed over to Thundercracker – ignoring the other's frantic attempt to gesture him away – and grabbed his arm. In a flash of purple light, they vanished.

Thundercracker cried out as he suddenly dropped. Skywarp had teleported him in the same relative height and position – reclining at about waist height – but he arrived with nothing under him. The resounding crash filled the small chamber as he fell on his aft. He glared at Skywarp and pulled himself back to his feet. "You're dead. I'm going to kill you."

"I just saved your life!"

"What are you talking about?! Will you please tell me what is going on? And why am I hiding in … where am I?" Thundercracker gazed around the crate-filled room. Obviously, a storeroom of some kind, but not one he recognized.

"Lower level storage. I come here sometimes when I need to be … somewhere else." Skywarp shrugged.

"And that's, what, every other day or so?"

"Funny." Skywarp crossed his arms, glaring.

Thundercracker matched both his stance and glare. "Now, tell me what's going on? Why do you think you 'saved my life?' And," he held up a hand, stalling his wing mate, "don't tell me about accidents or whatever."

Skywarp rubbed his chin, thinking. He threw up his hands in defeat. "Fine, sure, whatever. Oh, um, you might want to disengage your comm link. Just in case."

"Just in case of what? Oh, never mind." Shaking his head, Thundercracker shut off his main comm, more to humor his wing mate than anything else. "Now talk."

"Well, the Constructicons always give me a lot of slag – "

"And we all know you've never done anything to deserve that," Thundercracker interrupted, his vocals filled with sarcasm.

"Exactly. Anyway, recently they've started comparing my flight skills to that of a chicken, and making these weird monosyllabic noises at me: sounds like, 'bok, bok, bok,' over and over again. I'm sick of it!"

"'Warp, do you even know what a chicken is?"

"Of course I do," the purple and black mech scoffed.

"You do?"

"Yes." Skywarp nodded. Then shrugged. "It's a local bird. I think."

"It's this planet's fastest, most lethal, avian creature. That 'bok' noise? That's it's war cry. It screams that right as it dives in for the kill."

"Really?"

"No."

Skywarp glared at his trine brother for a moment. "I hate you."

"Right now the feeling's mutual. So. You were upset because they compared you to a bird which you didn't even know was flightless – "

"Flightless?!"

"Shut up. You didn't know that. But you were still upset anyway, just because you're you. What then?"

Skywarp grumbled to himself, muttering vague comments about 'flightless' and 'showing them.' Thundercracker cleared his throat, a habit picked up from the local sentient lifeforms. Glaring at him, his trine mate scowled. "Well, I was tired of them and their snide remarks, so I decided to show them who was really the chicken. So, I ransacked a human supply place, y'know where they go to trade stuff, and stole a bunch of their head cushions."

"What? Head cushions? You mean 'pillows.' What do pillows have to do with chickens and Constructicons?" Thundercracker asked, staring at his wing mate with morbid curiosity.

"Feathers, of course."

Thundercracker rubbed a hand over his face. "Feathers. Right. Obviously."

"Thing is, most of the pillows didn't have feathers, just white fluff. I got some feathers, but mostly fluff. I figured that was close enough. So, then I broke into Hook's lab, and nabbed a couple barrels of his industrial adhesive."

Thundercracker slowly lowered his hand, optics widening.

"The glue barrels were big, and so was the crate with the feathers and fluff. I couldn't hold all that. So – actually, I'm kinda proud of this – I set up a sensor and a contraption to open the barrels when I hit a button. When the sensor trips, I hit the button, the glue falls and – splat! – the mech's covered in it. Then all I have to do is teleport in with the feathers – "

"'Warp … you didn't … please, tell me you didn't … "

"Well, I could say I didn't. I'd be lying, though."

"You glued feathers on the Constructicons?" Thundercracker covered his optics with a hand.

"Um."

Thundercracker peeked at the other Seeker through his fingers. "You didn't glue feathers on anyone?"

"Um."

"What?"

"It should have been Scrapper and Mixmaster. I saw them head that way. It should have been them." Skywarp held his hands up in surrender.

"Are you telling me you didn't even look before dropping two barrels of glue and then feathers on someone?" Thundercracker's hand clenched as he restrained himself from throttling the purple Seeker.

"Well, I couldn't put them somewhere the cameras would see, now could I? I was watching the Constructicons on the cameras. They were headed the right way. And then the sensor went off. I had to be fast or the glue would miss them. So I hit the button and warped in, throwing the feathers. It, uh, wasn't the Constructicons." Skywarp muttered the last words.

"Who, 'Warp? Who was it?"

" … Shockwave."

"You … you glued … feathers … on Shockwave?" Thundercracker vocals could barely produce the words. "You're dead."

"Um, we're dead, actually."

"No. There's no 'we' here. 'We' didn't do this. You did. You're dead."

"Well, actually, it's kinda humorous … "

"Nothing you can say right now could be humorous."

"When I realized who it was, it occurred to me that if Shockwave was mad at one mech, then maybe he'd only be half as mad if there were two of us to be mad at. So, uh, I may have yelled your name before I warped out of there."

"Brilliant." Thundercracker glared at his trine mate. If he killed the purple mech, could he still convince Shockwave that he was innocent? Or maybe just pummel him within an inch of his life, then turn him over to the one-eyed Decepticon as a peace offering?

::Starscream to Thundercracker.::

Thundercracker stiffened in surprise. He had disconnected his main comm – at the idiot's request – but the Seeker's had devised their own, private channel. Starscream was utilizing that channel now.

::Thundercracker here.::

::Tell Skywarp to turn his comm on.::

::Copy.:: Aloud, he said, "Starscream says turn your comm on."

"I can't. I took the components out. Tell him sorry." Skywarp shrugged.

::The idiot says he broke his comm.::

::Remind him that I know all his hiding spots and I know a certain mech who wishes to find him.::

::With pleasure.:: Smirking, Thundercracker relayed the Air Commander's threat.

"Slag it." Skywarp glared unseeingly around him. He shook his head. ::Hi, Starscream.::

::Now that I have both of you, will someone please explain to me why I'm currently listening to Shockwave explain – in agonizingly long, painful detail – how pranks are 'illogical,' 'serve no meaningful purpose,' and are 'potentially destructive.' He won't shut up. I had to turn down my comm. I'm actually hoping Megatron comms in, so I can tell Shockwave to shut up. Consider that. He's annoying me enough, I'd rather talk to Megatron. He's also mentioned both of you. Repeatedly.::

::Why would he bug you?::

::You're an idiot, Skywarp. Until Megatron returns, I'm in command. Any disputes come to me. As Air Commander, any problems concerning the Seekers are brought to my attention. And, as trine leader, I am personally responsible for both of you. Much to my chagrin.::

::Ah. Oops.:: Skywarp replied.

::Idiot. What did you two do?::

::Actually, you need ask, 'what did Skywarp do,' because I had nothing to do with it,:: Thundercracker corrected.

::I. Don't. Care.:: Starscream bit out. ::What happened?::

::Well, it was an accident, really. The Constructicons were – ::

Thundercracker interrupted, ::Skywarp glued feathers to Shockwave.::

Silence. After several moments, the two Seekers exchanged looks.

::Hey, Screamer? You still there?:: Skywarp asked.

::You glued … feathers … to Shockwave?:: Starscream said with oddly strained vocals.

::Yeah?:: Skywarp dragged the word out, unsure of the other's reaction.

::You know, it occurs to me that, as Second In Command, it's my responsibility to personally assure Shockwave receives complete and proper care.:: Starscream laughed. ::Let's see … He's in the washracks right now.::

::What?:: Skywarp asked.

::I have to see this,:: Starscream translated, still chortling. :: Don't think I'm letting you off, though. Shockwave sure won't.::

-o-o-o-

The three Seekers surveyed the glue-soaked hallway. Skywarp carried several wire scrubbing tools, while Thundercracker held two canisters of cleaner. Behind them, Starscream stood arms crossed, optics alternating between the mess and his trine mates.

"This isn't fair," Skywarp groaned.

"No, what's not fair is having your wing mate set you up to take the blame for something you didn't do. Then being forced to share his punishment because no one cares," Thundercracker grumbled, glaring at the black and purple mech.

"You're right," Starscream replied. "No one cares. Stop your grousing and get it done. And it's more than fair. You made the mess. Well, one of you did. So, you clean it up. You should be thankful. Shockwave wanted to use you for his experiments." The Air Commander smirked at their horrified looks. "I pointed out how your absence would weaken our aerial forces. It would be 'illogical' to waste your strengths in such a manner." He spread his arms wide. "You're welcome."

"Please don't mention anything with the word 'logic' in it." Skywarp winced. "I can't believe you recorded all that slag he said to you. And made us listen to it. That was torture."

"How do you think I felt?" Starscream asked. "I had nothing to do with your idiocy, and yet I was subjected to that verbal punishment."

"I can sympathize with that," Thundercracker muttered.

"And if I had to experience that, so did you. Now, clean this up. I'm bored." The Air Commander leaned against the wall.

Skywarp crouched down. Gingerly, he reached out a finger and touched the mess on the floor. "Ick. It's still wet. And sticky."

"It's the Constructicons' industrial adhesive. That slag doesn't dry until it binds to something. Which is why we're cleaning it up: before random Decepticons start getting stuck trying to walk through here." Thundercracker shoved a cleaner canister into Skywarp's chest.

"Can you imagine that? It'd be hilarious." The black and purple Seeker laughed, then quieted suddenly. "Well, unless Megatron got stuck … "

Starscream burst into laughter. "No, you're right. That would be hilarious."

"'Warp? Start cleaning before he gets any ideas." Thundercracker nodded toward their trine leader. He nabbed a scrubbing tool from his wing mate.

"Wait a klik, TC." Skywarp considered the glue-covered floor. "This stuff is flammable, right? Wouldn't it be much faster just to light our thrusters and light it – "

"No!" both Starscream and Thundercracker yelled in union. Thundercracker continued, "There's a main fuel line under here. It leads straight to the reactor. Please, no fire!"

"I can hide some things from Megatron," Starscream added, shaking his head, "but trust me, he'd notice if we blew up the Nemesis. Not that we'd be around for him to punish. Enough stalling. Clean. Scrub. I don't want be here any longer than necessary."

"Y'know, Screamer, you don't have to stay." Skywarp glanced over his shoulder at the Air Commander. "Don't you have important … um, something to do?"

"Don't call me that! And, yes, I do. But the moment I leave, so will you. Even if I lock all the exits, you'll leave. Not only will I have to listen to even more of Thundercracker's complaints, but Shockwave will undoubtedly realize what you did. I refuse to listen to any more of his squawking. Just hurry up."

The other two Seekers exchanged glances. Thundercracker turned back to his trine leader. "If you're in such a hurry, you could help."

"I'd rather watch."

"That's fine." He regarded his wing mate. "Hey 'Warp, with just you and me doing this, we should finish this just after second shift gets off. We can hit the mess after." Skywarp stared at him, confused. He explained, "Rumble likes to go there. I was thinking it might be nice to have a chat with him. We could talk about … oh, say, our energy raid a few days ago."

"Um, TC, that raid was a disaster. Megatron was livid," Skywarp said.

"You're right. We all got pretty scrapped. Oh, wait. Not all of us. You got out without a dent, didn't you, Starscream? Interesting that. Hmm. Anyway, we should meet up with Rumble. I feel a sudden need to tell someone about this Seeker I saw who was off messing with the energon, when we were all ordered to attack the Autobots. You were next to me the whole time, 'Warp, and none of the other Seekers were there. Except, of course, you Starscream. It's too bad, because if that Seeker had been in the air with us – like he should have been – the raid would have gone differently. I'm sure Megatron would love to know about that."

"I've told you," Starscream spoke slow and evenly, "many times, I saw Cliffjumper enter the facility and I pursued him. I was busy fighting him, when our 'great' leader ordered us to attack. I couldn't join you."

"I'm not questioning you or your story," Thundercracker said with a shrug. "And I'm not going to tell Megatron anything. I just wanted to ask Rumble's opinion on that unidentified Seeker I saw. I'm sure he won't tell anyone either. After all, he's very discreet." Skywarp smothered a laugh behind his hand. Fighting a grin, Thundercracker continued, "Besides, who would he tell? Soundwave? It's not as if Soundwave tells Megatron everything single thing he hears."

"Are you blackmailing me?" Starscream asked, optics narrow.

"Of course not. You're my commanding officer. And my trine leader. Blackmailing you would be," he paused, searching for the proper word, "disrespectful. I'm merely pointing out a likely course of events, assuming this task takes us a long time to complete. Of course, if you were to help us, we would finish too soon to meet with Rumble. In fact, I'll probably forget about the whole raid by the next time I see him. But, either way's good by me."

"Here's a third option," Starscream added, raising his null-ray, "I could just shoot you."

"True," Thundercracker agreed. He crossed his arms and shrugged. "But do that, and it'll only be Skywarp cleaning this hall. And we both know how long it takes him to do something when he doesn't want to do it. You'll be stuck here for days. And I'll get out of cleaning."

Starscream considered the blue Seeker, gun still trained on his chest. The fingers on his other hand tapped a measured beat against his leg. After several moments, he cursed quietly and lowered his weapon. He shook his head in disgust. "I hate you."

Thundercracker stepped sideways, making a space between himself and Skywarp. With a grin, he gestured Starscream over to the empty spot. Glaring at the other two, the Air Commander stalked over and grabbed three scrubbers. He pushed the extra brushes into his subordinates' hands.

Confused, Skywarp said, "We've already got scrubbers … "

"And you have two hands," Starscream countered. "If I have to do this, then you get to work twice as hard."
Pairings: None
Rating: G
Warnings: None

Author's Note: This is technically the second chapter of my All for One story line, but it's completely standalone and can be read without reading the first chapter. The main premise for these ficlets is one group member getting the entire group punished for something he's done; a new take on the phrase 'all for one.'

Other chapters on deviantArt: Chapter One, Chapter Three, Chapter Four, Chapter Five, Chapter Six and Chapter Seven
Or
Fanfiction.net

Comm transmissions are marked with colons – ::like this.::

This is based on G1 Continuity, but doesn't really take place at any specific time. It's just for fun. And ignore a certain character abandoning his post to visit the Nemesis. ^^;

Transformers and all associated names are registered trademarks of Hasbro. My work is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro. All Hail Hasbro! :salute:
© 2011 - 2024 SingingFlames
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Quickrim's avatar
"No. There's no 'we' here. 'We' didn't do this. You did. You're dead."
"Well, actually, it's kinda humorous … "


This actually made me... well, laugh out loud. I liked the slow, detailed progression of the dialogue in this story. Nice writing.