I started down the hallway. The metal walls echoing my pede-steps back at me. Some flyers came into view ahead of me. I moved to the right side of the hallway, my good eye closest to the group. Most everyone said that the Decepticons had more flyers. That was true, but it was more like 60, 40 than the giant gap that they made it seem.
I locked eyes with one of them. Usually they would look away first, but apparently his buddies were giving him a new confidence. Something that they picked up on.
"What'er ya looking at, optic patch?" The green one called, coming up beside his purple buddy.
I looked them over. There were three of them, yes. One wasn't hard to intimidate, and none of them were as large as I was.
"Nothing important." I answered, taking my eyes off of them, continuing forward. As they left my sight, I amped up the motion sensors on my back. Sure enough, barely a full klik later, one was charging me.
I spun around, using the green flyer's momentum to slam him into the wall. The second one slammed into me, almost knocking me over. I backed up and he grinned, holding an energon blade. With energon on it.
Stand your ground now, or they'll do this again.
The one who looked at me first, black and purple. He stood behind his buddies. One look at him, and I could tell he wouldn't be helping them.
"You want to do that again?" I looked the purple one in the optics, taking a step forward. His grin faltered for a moment, before his face went serious. He yelled, coming at me with the energon dagger again. He lifted it up, aiming to strike down. I blocked the attack with my forearm, his wrist clanging loudly on the armour there. I grabbed that arm, and his shoulder, ramming a knee guard into his abdominal plating. When he crumpled in on himself, I brought my elbow down on the back of his helm, letting him drop.
The purple and black one watched me, optics wide. I looked down at the energon dagger then back at him. I grabbed it, and took three long strides before looming over the flyer.
"P-please I-" I slammed my fist on the wall next to his helm. He jumped, shuttering his optics for a moment.
"You want to know how I got this?" I leaned into his personal space, vaguely gesturing to my patch with the energon dagger.
He just stared at me, afraid.
"It wasn't for being nice." I stared at him for a moment, before flashing the dagger in front of his face again. "I'm keeping this."
I turned on my heel strut and continued down the hallway, subspacing the dagger.
Eventually, I made it to the rec room. I got my energon ration, and chugged it down before anyone could try to take it from me. We were running low these days, so rations were smaller. And farther apart.
/FreeRide./ my comm buzzed to life.
/Hm?/ I responded, tossing my cube in the waste container. Usually I would answer more professionally, but this was someone I knew, trusted. Probably the only one.
/Someone is asking for you./
/How bad?/ I looked around the rec room, trying to guess who could be missing.
/Moderate./
I walked through the doors, looking down the two hallways. /Someone I know?/
/I do not believe so./
/Tell them my quarters then, don't give them the code./
/You really think I'd give them the code?/ Even though it was a mechanical voice, sounding nothing like the real one, I could hear the disappointment and, annoyance coming off it in waves.
/No Lift Kit, its just a habit./ Paranoia manifesting itself is more like it.
Silence for a moment. /Alright. Meet you there./ The transmission ended.
When I reached my quarters, no one was outside. Either Lift Kit was inside with them, or the mystery mech never showed up. I looked up and down the hallway, before typing in the entrance code. I had a new one every seven orns.
I didn't say anything until the door hissed shut behind me and the lock was engaged.
"I didn't think waiting outside would be a good idea." Lift Kit told me, gesturing to the other mech. He was correct, it wasn't someone I knew.
/Did he see the code?/
Lift Kit rolled his eyes, /I think he's a little too out of it to notice anything like that./
Something must've shown on my face because he let out an audible sigh before transmitting, /No. He didn't see anything./
"What is your designation? I asked the mech sitting in my chair. His paint was a gunmetal gray, with dark blue accents. He was holding his arm across himself, and he was leaking energon from… somewhere. The chair was not going to make it out unscathed.
"Who's asking?" was the smart reply.
"The one who's quarters you're in."
The mech took a moment, "Dropkick."
"Why are you here Dropkick?" I played dumb. Lift Kit crossed his arms and leaned against the counter.
Dropkick looked straight up panicked for a moment. "I uh- I thought you…" he glanced around nervously, looking at Lift Kit as if he would get anything else than a cool stare, "I didn't want to go to Hook because…" He looked at me desperately, "I've heard around that Mech's come to you when, when they want to avoid him."
"And just who am I?"
"The one that…"
"I meant my designation."
"You never told me you-"
"Exactly." I walked in front of Dropkick to the counter that Lift Kit was leaning on. He moved out of the way for me to open the cabinet, taking a box out.
"I will help you," I set the box on the counter with a clunk, "But you don't know my designation, and you will tell no one about this. Or else, next time you get injured," I flipped the box open digging around until I found what I wanted, "You go to Hook."
I was digging energon cube shards out of Dropkicks side for about half a joor before Dropkick spoke again.
"Why aren't you a medic? I've never seen you in the ward?" Dropkick hissed as another shard was pulled out, and dropped into the tray.
"Because the mechs in the ward aren't medics." I didn't look at him, grabbing a small mobile welder out of the box.
"What do you mean?" Dropkick sought out my gaze.
I played with the welder's settings, until I was satisfied with the small blue flame it had. "Are you scared to go to Hook?" I asked, already knowing the answer. Dropkick didn't say anything, but just looked as if he was expecting a trick. "That's why."