Swindle found himself becoming quite annoyed with the pace he had to go at when going from one place to another, his ever present limp really seemed to be weighing him down , which for someone as "well liked" as him, isn't a good thing. Can't run away from people who wouldn't mind ripping off a limb or four if you can't even walk properly. Hook had given him a sort of...cast...as Onslaught called it. It helped him walk a bit better, but weighed him down more and felt very...bulky and uncomfortable. Especially sense - like everything Hook gave him for injuries - it appeared to be made for someone bigger than himself. Isn't everything?
He'd only seen a couple of 'Cons so far, though. So at least he didn't run that much of a chance of running into someone he'd rather not. But then again, he also ran the chance of running into someone he'd rather not and not having any witnesses around. So, it was a win loose. Depended on how things went. But on the bright side he would be to his Gestalt's shared room soon enough. He wondered if Megatron would ever let them get their own room, or perhaps move out. This place is far too crowded.
Well...not at the moment but...still.
"Hey, Swindle!" Swindle nearly screamed, but luckily bit it back. He did jump though, not high but still a jump. He turned to face the sound, and found himself staring at Thundercracker. He felt himself relax a bit. "Oh, Thundercracker. Don't scare me like that..." Swindle slouched his shoulder forward a bit, venting a sigh. Thundercracker smirked at him. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you. You walked right past me though." Swindle looked up at him, curious. He didn't...see him. Odd. "Anyways, Megatron took Soundwave and Starscream to go get Thrust. Surprisingly...he was going to leave him there. But someone - don't know who - managed to talk him into going and getting the idiot." Thundercracker made a dismissive wave with his hand, shaking his head.
"Where is he?" Swindle quirked, blinking curiously at the Seeker. "Autobot's got him, fished him out of a river or something." He shrugged. "He's been missing. No one noticed. "Anyways, Megatron's gone, so you don't have to sneak around. He just left, likely won't be back for a while. You know how obsessed he is with fighting Prime. I think it's a fetish..." Thundercracked grew a thoughtful face, which changed into a disgusted one and he roughly shook his head. "Primus! Images!" Swindle frowned, tilting his head and staring confused at the Seeker as he waved his hands repeating "Ew! Ew! Ew!" over and over.
Images? Of what? Never mind, he decided, no knowing is probably better.
So he slipped away, going unnoticed by Thundercracker who grew a look as if he were about to purge his tanks. He slid off and made his way towards Vortex's room. Until he found himself being stopped again, only it appeared to be by Hook this time. Where did he come from? "Hey Swindle. How's the injuries doing?" Seemed more like a demand than a question, with that gruff voice of his. "Fine." Swindle squeaked. "Healing nicely!" Hook nodded, giving him a prying, suspicious look. "Okay." And he was off, striding towards Thundercracker and yelling at him, something about his processor being fried.
He only flinched when he heard Hook exclaim "Ew!" and quickly walk away from the spazzing Seeker.
Swindle kept his optics locked forward as he walked, intent on running into no more distra- "Heya Swin'!" Swindle shrieked, loud, when Skywarp suddenly appeared in front of him and grabbed his shoulders. Skywarp paused, stunned, but still smiling. He blinked, and grew a confused look, still smiling. "Damn," He shook his helm. "Nearly blew my audios, there, Swindle." Swindle had taken a pose similar to a schoolgirl who had just had her foot run over by a mouse. Arms curled up to his chest, one foot in the air, as he was turned halfway from Skywarp, optics wide and mouth agape.
Skywarp probably saved a mental image of that.
With a chuckle, he pats Swindle on the head. "Just wanted to say 'hi'! Got to go find T.C. now, he's freaking out over something, I can feel it! I want to know what!" And like that, as sudden as he appeared, the violet and black Seeker disappears. Swindle, still in his startled position, evens himself and stiffly continues his limp-walk towards Vortex's oh-so close room. Their room.
A room without freaky Seekers and scary Medics.
Almost there, he smiles. No more interruptions! He can finally get Vortex and go find Astrotrain and have him take him to that planet so he can do some shopping, perhaps some selling if he's lucky! "Hey, pip squeak!" Swindle twitches. "Think you can help me with someone." Swindle turns, intent on just outright saying "no" until he notes who's talking to him. Blitzwing gives him an expectant glare from where he stands, holding what looks like a ventilation shaft cover. Why do they even have those? Under water...makes no sense. Swindle frowned. "What?" He tries to ask as nicely, and non-snappy as possible. It came out kind of strained.
Blitzwing glares at him for a moment, before pointing up at the vent. Swindle looks up, and frowns. Looks at Blitzwing questionably for a moment, then back to the vent. The triple-changer growls. "Skywarp threw my datapad up in there, I need someone small to climb up in there and get it, it's beyond my reach." He stated, growling and gritting the words. Swindle blinks at him, and motions towards his cased leg. "How exactly do you expect me to do that? My leg is useless without the cast, and the cast doesn't exactly bend to my will." It doesn't, stiff and inflexible it is.
Blitzwing glares harder, if it's possible. "Too bad, runt." He grits, grabbing Swindle by the arm and jerking him towards him. "You'll just have to drag yourself towards it." He unceremoniously - and quite easily -shoves Swindle into the vent after voicing that bit. Gaining a yelp from the smaller mech, he shoves him up entirely into the vent. "Now go fetch it!"
Swindle, now sprawled inside the vent - which seemed to be made for someone his exact size... - frowned, contemplating knocking the triple changer out, dismantling him, and selling him as spare premium Cybertronian parts. Vortex would probably help...Brawl too. Maybe even Onslaught.
With a grunt, he leans on his elbows and looks around, easily spotting the glowing datapad little ways from him. Venting a sigh, he drags himself towards it, valiantly ignoring the pain it causes his damaged leg as the melded metal scraps against the cast and tugs. He paused and reached for it, brushing the tips of his fingers against it. Just a littler farther, he pressed forward, leaning on his arms and reaching as far as his arms can go, straining some joints. He finally managed to grab it, pulling it back carefully then turning in the vent.
It was embarrassingly easy to do...
He pulled himself back to the opening and looked down, seeing an expecting Blitzwing. He dangles the datapad and smiles. "Got it!" Blitzwing brightens up, reaching for it. Swindle pulls it out of his reach. Blitzwing's features darken with a snarl, Swindle shakes his finger at him. "Get me down first. I don't want you to leave me up here." Blinking, the triple changer tilts a head at him. "That's all? No "How much you willing to pay for it" or anything?" He gives the smaller mech a skeptical look.
Swindle shakes his head. "Nope, not worth risking getting stuck up here." He dangles the pad where Blitzwing can see it. "Now get me down." Blitzwing paused, eying him, than smirks. "Not a fan of small places?" "Nope." Swindle froze, cursing himself. He answered that a little too quickly. Bliztwing smirks, jumping up and grabbing for the pad. "Get used to it then!" He chuckled darkly. Swindle is one step ahead. He backs up in the vent, pulling himself and the datapad quickly beyond the others reach.
Bliztwings curses, missing them by a mere inch.
"Ya little-! Get back here!" He snarled, poking his head through the vent and reaching for the golden mech. Swindle backs deeper into the shaft, far beyond the angry flyers reach. Blitzwing glares, and vents a sigh. "Fine," He speaks softly. "Come here and I'll get you out." He motions for Swindle to come closer. Instead he moves farther, glaring at him. "Like hell! Do I look stupid to you?" He snarls.
Blitzwing gives him a neutral expression. "Do you want me to answer that?"
Swindle snarls, sub-spacing the datapad. "Frag you! I'm selling this thing!" With that, he turns and drags himself farther into the vents. Blitzwing starts sputtering out all sorts of curses and threats. "GET BACK HERE!" He goes ignored, as Swindle tunes him out and continues pulling himself through the vents. Why did they even have vents in an under water base occupied by Cybertronian machines that don't even breath, he would never know. But at least they made a good escape route for the smaller mechs.
All of them, he found, as he turned a corner and can head-to-head with Frenzy. "Ow!" The red cassette sputtered, sitting up and holding his helm. "Watch where you're goin'!" He rubs his helm, eying Swindle for a moment, who stares right back. "What are you doing here?" They ask in unison, both pausing. "I'm hiding from Soundwave..." Frenzy gives him a wary glance. "You?"
"Blitzwing shoved me in here to get a datapad, was going to leave me so I sub-spaced it and ran- er...crawled." A slight shrug. Frenzy nods in understanding. "Yeah, had Dirge do that to me one time. Wasn't to get a datapad though." Swindle quirks and optic ridge. "What was it fo-" "You don't want to know!" Frenzy cut him off, waving hands wildly and shaking his head. As if trying to shake away the thought and memory. "Anyways, your room is that way, if that's where you're headin'." He points down from where he himself had came. Swindle nods. "Thanks."
Frenzy smirks. "Us lil' guys gotta stick together, mech." And with that, he's quickly making his way down the way Swindle had come from. "I'll give Blitz' a nice kick in the head when I jump out, for ya!" He calls back, cheerily. Swindle chuckles, and continues to make his way towards his room. After all, he needed to get Vortex before even considering going after Astrotrain, and he didn't want to get lost in this place. Best trust those who knew it best.
He only paused momentarily as the sound of a crash and the clanking of metal flowed through the shaft, fallowed by a strong of cursing and giggling.
"Crazy little brat." Swindle chuckled to himself as he continued on his way.
Authors Notes: Because I wanted Swindle to have to go shaft crawling, and I wanted to write about Frenzy because he never appears enough. Not as much as Rumble anyway. And yes, I realize that some of the mechs (Mainly Onslaught's crew) aren't fully Cybertronian. He-he. Oh well.
Disclaimer: Transformers does not belong to me, nor do any of it's Characters.