Author: gatekat and starshield on LJ
Pairing: Prowl/Soundwave
Rating: PG-13
Codes: Crossover
Summary:
Disclaimer: The authors are only playing with their own twisted muses. Transformers belong to Hasbro. Fandom-side, check the inspirations page ( gatekat-fics .livejournal .com/290 .html ) We draw from a ton of amazing stories and authors you should read.
Notes: klik = 1 minute; breem = 8.3 minutes; joor = 6.3 hours; orn = day/32 joor; metacycle = 6 (5.9285) years; vorn = 83 years/14 metacycles
~text~ bond/hardline talk
::text:: comm chatter
At All Costs 04: Beatdown
Pain hit first, intense pain where his sensor wings should be, enough to wrench a keen of agony from his vocalizer before he'd even finished booting up.
"Hush you," a deep, angry voice snapped at him along with a light impact to his helm. "Or I'll give you something to keen about."
It was difficult to fight down the automatic reaction, made only slightly easier by the fact that the instructions had been given in the form of an order. He clamped down on the noise, expression of pain turning to a full body quiver until his processor caught up enough to recognize the intense agony as ghost pain.
His sensor wings were there, intact, and though there was still the discomfort of new components and repairs his reaction quickly matched up to the actual level of sensory input instead of the stored one. The shaking and the need to cry out ceased as his optics came online, scanning the room as a finally fully booted Prowl scanned his own memories.
What had happened and where was he and why did his wings ache so?
The repair bay.
Combat training with Skywarp.
The malicious grin on the seeker's face as, in less than a breem's worth of sparring, he warped out of existence where Prowl could track him and then ... all Prowl could register after that was the memory of intense pain. Pain bad enough, that despite his modification, it knocked him into stasis until he woke up here.
Optics settled on the bay's other occupant as a series of automatic internal diagnostics ran on the condition of his wings and the rest of his frame. "What happened?"
"Apparently Skywarp has yet to grasp the difference between combat and combat training," Hook grumbled. "The glitch took you down as fast as he could instead of teaching you something useful. He'll remember his job next time."
The threat was not lost on Prowl, and he briefly wondered at the current condition of his sparring partner before other more pressing matter rose. "There is a review system so that I can see what he did and avoid a similar experience in the future?"
"Of course," Hook look mildly offended and pleased at the same time. "The only real way to avoid Skywarp in close combat involves upgrades to your sensor processing protocols, combat protocols and hardware upgrades to improve reaction time. I wouldn't even bother with most, but you actually have the sensor suite and processor power to manage it."
Prowl considered this. "There are technical specs available for the proposed upgrades?" He had several variables he would like to run the changes against himself before allowing the upgrades to be made. Though even difficult upgrades would be worth it if they meant he would not be coming online in this condition on a regular basis.
Hook reached over to a side table and snatched a datapad. "Have fun," he handed it over. "And get out of my workshop."
"Thank you." The response was automatic as Prowl took the datapad, and made his way out. Once he was on the move he split his processor into different tasks, seeing what his orders were now that he had been released, making sure he did not run into anyone or anything, and looking over the proposed upgrades.
Some of them were fairly simple, improvements to already existing systems that would be easy to integrate. A couple of them would take more work on his part to employ to maximum effectiveness but might still prove worth the effort. He would have to consider them again once he reviewed the training recording.
His right sensor wing quivered in memory at the idea of watching what happened to it.
A light sensor sweep passed over him from behind, than Ravage pinged him for a private comm line.
::Hook did his typical good work, I see,:: she purred at him, coming up and walking at his left side between him and the rest of the corridor.
::Indeed. I am fully repaired and already investigating ways to avoid requiring similar repairs in the future. It was a most painful experience.:: Prowl responded, diverting most of his attention from the upgrades to her. ::You are well?::
::I'm good,:: she assured him. ::Just wanted to check on you after that number Skywarp did to your wings. You're almost family now.::
Sensor wings twitched slightly, unsure and pleased by the idea at the same time.
::Don't you want to be family?:: she glanced up at him, ruby optics shining brightly even as her EM field expressed her own discomfort.
Prowl stopped, trying to figure out the source of her discomfort while answering honestly. ::I believe so. It is just still a very new idea to me. I...:: He hesitated, searching for a way to express what he needed to say in something besides his normally blunt and factual manner. ::I am still attempting to learn to function appropriately in context.::
::Oh,:: she brightened and relaxed. ::You'll learn. It'll be fine. Soundwave's dealt with the lot of us after all.::
Satisfied that the situation had been taken care of, or at least diverted for now, Prowl continued on his way. ::You do not get along?::
::Oh we do, for the most part,:: she chuckled. ::Not at the beginning though. When you toss a very young mech into a quantum bond it's pretty chaotic for a while.::
To someone who depended on logic and order to function Prowl had the suspicion that 'chaotic' might be an understatement, an idea that he couldn't really process.
::You never were a sparkling, were you?:: she sounded like it was a guess.
::No. I was brought online for a purpose, the entirety of my functioning.:: Prowl responded, sounding as though it was perfectly normal. To him it was.
He could feel Ravage wanting to express sympathy, or maybe something stronger, only to restrain herself. ::None of us were. Symbiots can't be. Hosts can't be either. They wouldn't have the skills to cope with us if they went right into an adult frame.::
::Logical.:: Prowl responded. And it was, considering the level of relationships that he had observed needed to exist between host and symbiot. Simply analyzing his own functioning he could easily believe that attempting to force a mature functioning spark into the mix would be a disaster.
::Would you be available for a game of Clue tonight? It's just me and the birds.::
::Unless something demands my attention my schedule is clear. It would be nice to play again.::
::Cool. Looking forward to it then. Just drop by when you're free,:: she said before lengthening her stride to outpace him, heading somewhere else.