DON'T COUNT MISTAKES I LOST TRACK OF THEM

[tilallisoverused]

( He's in trouble. He's Rodimus, the younger of Nova's two candidates for Prime, and he is absolutely in trouble. It's not his fault. He just happened to be somewhere where trouble results, although okay - that part isn't new.

And he knows exactly how he got here in the first place, it's the same as it always is.

Orion frowns at him every time he leaves the Primal Basilica dressed in a cloak - knowing full well that he's going to go to those places that Nova finds unlawful and unruly. Sure, the other Prime in training had attempted to stop him before, to no avail. That makes something twinge in Rodimus because he likes Orion, he really does.

Then again, most people like Orion 'Super Cop, Future Prime' Pax. Because apparently some people like having a career that's pointless once you know you'll carry the Matrix. He guesses that has to do with Orion having spent some of his life from out of Nova's influence - maybe that made you like police work.

Not that Rodimus would know what that's like - Nova snatched him up two days after he was forged, as if he knew exactly where to find him. Must be a 'wisdom of the Matrix' thing. Find your replacements before someone else does and what not. But it boiled down to the fact that he'd never really got to know or experience life outside the basilica walls and for every time Nova told him he shouldn't or couldn't go out - he did.

Which is how he ends up standing over someone he punched into a wall - thanks Galvatron and Cyclonus for teaching him that one - inadvertently starting a bar fight that he is determined to win. Rodimus is pretty sure that as a mysterious cloaked and hooded figure, he definitely looks awesome which negates the trouble.

Mostly. )

Comments

[tilallisoverused]

Wait, so you all have it?

( Has anyone ever told you that's kind of weird, Minimus? But Rodimus moves towards the door to his office, one hand raised in a goodbye wave. )

Neither am I. ( That sure is a smug smirk on his face, completely erasing any good will he might have won over by being somewhat cooperative. ) Guess I'll be seeing you, Ambus.

[thesurpriseinside]

[ It does a bit, though the concern is back along with the frustration and annoyance. ]

For your sake at least, you'd better hope so.

[ Training with Nova's elite might have given Rodimus' plenty of fighting skills, but Minimus is far from convinced he knows how to put them to good use. ]

[tilallisoverused]

What, so you can throw me in my cell again? Not a chance.

( And with that he leaves - dramatic swish of his cloak and all.


Because it's Rodimus he absolutely doesn't take Minimus' warning to heart - showing up at the new gambling place half a week later for an exceptionally lucky winning streak. Half a million shanix, and he's grinning wide enough to split his face in half, even if no one can see it thanks to his hood, when he pushes away from the table and finds himself running straight into bots that, well. Tower over him.

And it's then that Minimus' words come back to him, and oh, frag. He manages to shoot one of them in the face before they pin his arms behind his back and slam him face first into the ground. Which hurts, but not as much as his pride is stinging.

Or how much he figures whatever they're going to do to him will. Which is why he's still struggling and yelling and telling them that they're really going to regret this when he gets free. )

[thesurpriseinside]

[ Minimus is going to wonder at the timing of it all when everything is said and done, but for now, he just knows that he recognizes the voice of that bot when he bursts through the door of the casino on another raid.

They're close enough that Minimus reaches them quickly, slamming his full force into the one pinning Rodimus down. Gun in hand, he turns to the other, firing off a few well aimed rounds into the bot's arms. ]

On the floor, all of you! You're all under arrest!

[tilallisoverused]

( The bot Minimus shot staggers back, clutching the arm and getting down on one knee out of shock - cursing as he does so. Not that Rodimus particularly cares.

Mostly because he doesn't think he's ever been so happy to hear that voice, or that he'll ever be that pleased to hear it in the future. He feels the weight lifted from his back as soon as the bot holding him goes flying to slam into a wall, and he groans, rolling onto his back in order to get his bearings back. )

Ambus?

( Shoving himself up onto a shoulder to get a better look at the minibot, pushing the hood of his cloak down. )

[thesurpriseinside]

[ Minimus is mostly just glad to see Rodimus is still in one piece, the rest of him is focused on the job at hand, because now they've attracted quite a bit of attention. ]

Get up, Rodimus. [ He offers his free hand, but keeps his head up and gun up, eyes scanning the room for more of the thugs he knows are usually on hand to dispatch trouble makers. Most of the gamblers are scattering, panicking as they should at the familiar sound of Tyrest's lawman, but there are a few surging through the crowd towards them. ]

[tilallisoverused]

( He takes the hand without question, allowing Minimus to help pull him to his feet. That's something he's curious about - the minibot's exceptional amount of strength. He doesn't know anyone that small who can pack the punch that Minimus does, it seems at odds with his small frame. But he doesn't think about that much, instead turns his attention back on the members of the crowd running towards them. )

I'm up, I'm up. ( He flexes his wrists for a second to make sure the joints are unharmed before leveling one of the exhaust pipes at the oncoming group. ) Are you going to arrest me if I start a fight now?

[thesurpriseinside]

Self-defense is permissible.

[ And the fight is unavoidable, so Minimus steps forward, ready for the first one to lunge at them. ]

Just don't shoot anyone who isn't trying to kill us.

blah blah punching things blah blah shooting things

[tilallisoverused]

Funnily enough, I know how to aim.

( He proves so by getting a round or two into the chest of one of the oncoming attackers. Rodimus thinks they do pretty well, at least until he gets an elbow into his side that brings him down onto one knee - but Minimus quickly gets that one too, and once there's no more attempts on their lives he thinks he can call it a day.

Which means turning his back on some of the attackers and looking slightly up at Minimus, which is weird. )

Told you I'd see you again.

( He's playing this cool, he's got this, he absolutely does not see someone behind him raising up a gun and preparing to shoot him in the back. )

cutting things down to what matters.

[thesurpriseinside]

You- [ Minimus almost says something to that, but the movement catches his attention. The movement is automatic, without second thought as he slams himself full force into Rodimus. ]

Get down!

[ Time goes a bit weird for a moment. He can feel the impact and he can hear the sound of metal tearing, vaguely aware that his inner armor has been struck. He has to assume not badly, but then the world rushes back and he can't really assume anything because his legs are giving out on him and he's slumping forward, hot energon running down his side and arm to the dirty floor. ]

[tilallisoverused]

( It takes him a second or two to register what's going on - Minimus is yelling at him and suddenly he's falling back to the floor and that's when he sees it, the shot clipping Minimus nicely in the side. )

Minimus!

( Rodimus immediately pulls himself on his knees to catch the falling minibot before he can hit the ground, panic welling up inside of him. It's bad, he knows it just doesn't look bad. Not when energon is already covering his hand and-- and it's his fault.

The guilt slams into him just as much as the panic does, and he's completely at a loss for what to do - holding onto Minimus as if his life depended on it. Well, it probably does.

It's only until he hears the whir of another shot preparing to go off that he realizes how fragged he is. )

[thesurpriseinside]

[ He doesn't have to hear the gun to know what's coming next. He can't really move and that is a problem, that's- ]

Rodimus. [ His voice is gritty with the wash of shock and building pain. ] Rodimus, you have to get out. You have to get up.

[tilallisoverused]

( Some instinct of his training with Nova and Galvatron kicks in enough to makes sure he ducks that shot - clutching Minimus to his chest as he throws himself to the floor, rolling so that he's on his back. )

How? I-- you're hurt, you're really hurt, Minimus.

( It occurs to him that lying on his back isn't a strategic move, so he shifts again, trying to stuggle to his feet while keeping good grip on the minibot in his arms. )

[thesurpriseinside]

[ He has never, really, had to make this conscious decision. He has had to choose between his life and the life of others before, but only when those specific others were trying to kill him. Now though.

He tries to keep his voice steady and firm. ]

I know, Rodimus. It'll be fine. Put me down and get out.

[tilallisoverused]

( It's not going to be fine. He's not stupid - he knows if he leaves Minimus he's going to die. And that's unacceptable, he refuses to acknowledge that as an option. No one is going to die who isn't trying to kill him, especially someone who took a shot that was meant for him, who wouldn't even been injured if it wasn't for him and-- )

No. ( He says it again, with more conviction. ) No, I'm not leaving you.

( Rodimus doesn't think about how he's going to manage it, only that he has to. There's not another choice. )

[thesurpriseinside]

[ That's the kind of conviction that could get them both killed, even as Minimus knows he means it. He might not know Rodimus well, but he's positive of that at least and arguing the point is just going to make him more stubbornly set on it. ]

All right. All right. I can... [ It hurts to move himself into his smallest form and push. The damage to his outer armor was more extensive than he thought. ] I heed you to open me up, Rodimus.

[tilallisoverused]

( That... isn't what he's expecting. He's about to protest when he can hear the gun being charged again - struggling to his feet to get them out of the way of that shot even though it ends up with him dragging Magnus along the floor before they can duck behind an overturned table. It's not a perfect shelter, but the thud of the shots hitting the metal next to his head is reward enough for the moment. )

You want me to do what?

[thesurpriseinside]

[ He realizes that was an unfortunate choice of words. He manages to get one arm up and dig it into the seams of his armor near his chest, tugging it away enough to reveal the armor below it. ]

This body is an exterior armor. My real body is under it. I can't move like this, but I might be able to if you can get this armor off. [ He already knows the chances of that are slim. He can feel the energon pooling in the gaps of his armor. But it's the only help he can offer. ]

[tilallisoverused]

Hold up-- you're even smaller than you are?

( This is not the time, Rodimus. But he uses the gap Minimus has already created in the armor to stick his own fingers in - pulling on the pieces of what apparently isn't his actual body but armor.

Yeah, he definitely has questions about this entire thing, but for once he doesn't ask them and instead focuses on getting Minimus out of it. )

[thesurpriseinside]

Yes.

[ And that's the last he'll be saying as he unplugs himself from his outer armor. He won't be able to move until Rodimus has it mostly cleared away and even then, he's still bleeding, still struggling to sit upright. ]

Frag... Hit me harder than I thought.

[tilallisoverused]

( He tosses the last bit aside as another shot hits the table, and his brow furrows. They need to get out of there, and they need to get out there quick. Ratchet. Ratchet will know what to do.

But they just need to get out. )

Hold on.

( Which is the only warning Minimus gets as Rodimus scoops him up into his arms - easier to do now that he's tiny. The moment his head pops over the top of the table he knows he's going to get shot at, which is why he kicks the table forward with all the strength he can muster at the same - it doesn't travel the same amount of distance as it would have if Minimus did it, but it goes far enough.

And then it does something better, and falls over onto whatever bot was shooting at them - the sound of pain is countered by Rodimus' own triumphant shout before he looks back down to the bot in his arms. And all the energon that's covering the both of them.

Oh Primus, he's going to be sick. )

[thesurpriseinside]

[ It's frustrating that there's nothing he can do other that hold on. Hold on and try to keep his systems stabilized, but he still feels Rodimus looking down at him. He knows what he's seeing. ]

Keep it together, Rodimus. [ His voice is firm. ] Just get us out and clear.

[tilallisoverused]

( He takes a few sure steps towards the exit that's suspiciously clear, slipping out into the night and gets a few steps further before he speaks again, panic evident in his tone. )

But you're leaking all over, Minimus.

( The anguish and guilt overtake the panic at the end, when he gets to his name. He stumbles a bit as he tries to pick up the pace to get them to where he knows Ratchet will be this time of night. )

[thesurpriseinside]

I know. [ Primus, does he know.. ] That's why I need you to stay calm, Rodimus. Keep your head clear.

[ It's a little startling to realize that his life is literally in Rodimus' hands and more so to hear the upset in his voice. He hadn't thought Rodimus even gave him much of a thought. But neither of them was dead so that was certainly something. ]

[tilallisoverused]

Ratchet. ( He knows Minimus might put up a fuss about it, but he doesn't care. ) I'm taking you to Ratchet.

( He's broke into something akin to a run - not full out, but enough that they're making semi-decent time and not running into the sort of people that are going to ask why someone who looks a lot like the youngest member of the Primal lineage is covered in energon and carrying a shot minibot. )