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Post by Ironhide on Sept 14, 2011 9:10:55 GMT -5
Ironhide lowered his head then, venting a heavy sigh. His old friend and student was truly lost to him, dead and gone, never to return. What was before him now was just another Decepticon and Ironhide was forced to accept that fact. He clenched his fists tightly then and suddenly turned away from Barricade and as he headed out of the room, punched a rather large hole through the wall and part of the door frame. To Barricade's astonishment, however, the gaping hole slowly, gradually closed, the pieces reabsorbing into the wall and putting it back together again, not unlike the way nano repair cells did in Cybertronians and on Cybertron itself. A true piece of Cybertron, of home, on Earth? Was it even possible?
Ironhide had indeed stepped out of the brig and into the outer chamber only to slump against the wall and slide down to the floor, his head resting against the wall, his optics shut. His Spark felt broken, having lost so many of his closest friends, especially during the war. "Primus, why? Why couldn't I save 'em? Why can't I even get one of 'em back?" he pleaded softly. "Why can't I have 'em back?" He then brought his fists up, pressing them against his head on either side of his forward sensory array as he thought of each one he had lost, including Jazz and Barricade. His very Spark seemed to cry out with each name, missing them so much it hurt. This was the terrible price of war, the inevitable price of war: the deaths of those closest to you...
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Post by Barricade on Sept 14, 2011 9:28:02 GMT -5
Barricade watched the dent in the wall repair itself, then vented a sigh, figuring that Ironhide was gone. "Yeah, that went over really fragging great." He muttered. "Primus slag it all, why'd he have to go and bring all that up?" He snorted, bringing one hand up to dig his claws into the wall somewhat so that he could stand up. He was feeling restless, and needed to move. "I don't feel sorry for what I did to that moronic, glitch-ridden slag-sucker. He deserved it." The pacing was uneven, his legs refusing to function fully as he limped. "He deserved it....but....but Ironhide didn't..."
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Post by Ironhide on Sept 14, 2011 9:44:57 GMT -5
In the outer chamber, the monitoring station displayed each and every cell, video and audio feeds. Ironhide heard Barricade's venting and cursing, but it was the last three words that made the big mech lift his head and look over at the monitors. Did he hear that right? He pulled himself up then and moved to the main brig monitoring station at south side of the room, two scanning and inspection holding cells at the north end of the room behind him with the main brig entrance to the east and the prison chamber with it's secondary monitoring station visible to all twelve cells to the west where Barricade was now. Ironhide watched Barricade as he paced in his cell, listening to his words, hoping, praying for a miracle, anything to somehow regain even one of the dear friends he lost and missed so much.
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Post by Barricade on Sept 14, 2011 9:55:41 GMT -5
Barricade stumbled, his claws digging in deeper and gouging the wall as he caught himself and swore in a mix of English and Cybertronian. ~"Yeah...real great mess you got yourself into this time, Barricade."~ He growled angrily at himself, his Kaonian accent evident in his anger. ~"Just run off and join the 'Cons 'cause you were pissed the slag off at Ironhide and wanted to get back at him. And now, when you've dug a nice, deep hole and 're waiting for someone to cover it 'n bury you, you get t' see how you've gotten back at 'im."~ He lost his grip and fell to the cell floor with a crash and another string of curses. His secondary set of optics dimmed before shutting down as more energy was routed away from systems not required for immediate survival. ~"Maybe I should've taken my chances with Swindle's deal. 'Least it wouldn't have hurt like this..."~
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Post by Ironhide on Sept 14, 2011 11:04:19 GMT -5
Ironhide slowly sank into the chair then, his cooling systems hitching as he shuddered, fighting the pain he felt watching Barricade slowly deteriorate from loss of Energon in the cell and the things he was saying. ~"Barricade... Primus help me..."~ he whispered, then lowered his head and buried his face in his hands, his elbows resting on the console in front of him. ~"I dunno what ta do... Do I try n help 'im? Do I try ta get 'im back? Er do I just let 'im go, let 'im die?"~ He vented forcefully, then looked up at the screen at the one who had been so close to him so long ago, one hand reaching up, his fingertips just touching the screen where Barricade's image was displayed. ~"Oh'Cade... Why? Why put us both through all this? Why couldn't we just work it out n stay close like we were? Why couldn't ya've just... stayed?"~ he murmured and let his hand slowly settle on the console again, lowering his head and closing his optics, though he still listened.
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Post by Barricade on Sept 14, 2011 11:23:09 GMT -5
Barricade grunted and rolled himself over, though it took some tries, to that his weight was not on the door windows protruding from his back. With most of his non-essential systems shut down, his higher processor functions would be the nest to go, and he didn't want that to start happening quiet yet. ~"Fragging lying pit-spawned Autobot."~ He growled as he curled up slightly. ~"Bet he forgot I was down here, conveniently, 'n I'm going to go mad..."~ His other systems slowly shut, or slowed, down in preparation for recharge. He wanted to remain in that state for as long as he could, in order to slow down the energy drain on his systems.
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Post by Ironhide on Sept 14, 2011 11:35:37 GMT -5
Ironhide shook his head, torn between letting Barricade go and going in to help him. They had been so close once, why couldn't they be again? Ironhide finally slammed his fists on the console in front of him with a snarl and stood, heading back into the cell bay, back in to where Barricade was. He looked at Barricade laying there for a moment before he opened the cell door. Maybe, just maybe, he might be able to win his friend back, somehow. He knelt down next to Barricade and gently rolled him over, cradling the smaller mech in his arms. Looking down at him, Ironhide was reminded of a time thousands of years ago, a time before the war, when they had been so close, when they had trusted each other so much. The memory made Ironhide's Spark crack and he glanced away from Barricade's face, his optics falling over the prone mech's frame. His hand strayed to Barricade's abdominal plates, and making a choice, he gently eased them open, his own interface cable slithering out towards the smaller mech. Life support, that was his intention, and Barricade needed it, badly. Ironhide bowed his head and closed his optics as the connection was made and his own Energon began to flow into the critically drained mech in his arms. He didn't say anything, just held him, letting himself remember what they once shared so long ago, what had been lost between them. If only a moment of that could be relived, reclaimed between them, if only for a moment, then Ironhide would allow himself that small dream, just this once.
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Post by Barricade on Sept 14, 2011 11:48:08 GMT -5
Barricade's systems jerked back on with a start when he saw Ironhide enter the room once again, his limbs giving a slight twitch when he opened the cell door. {"Sure...Wait until I can't do slag for myself before coming in for whatever..."} A keening growl of protest was all Barricade's vocalizer was able to form when Ironhide rolled him over and picked him up, followed by a shudder when Ironhide began to slowly coax his abdominal plates open. {"He wouldn't!"} Barricade struggled only slightly, he was too energy-deprived for anything else, his optics wide with fear, before Ironhide plugged in and he felt the rush of energon into his system, making his struggles cease. His claws twitched as his energy levels increased, systems that had been offline for so long coming back online. It would be so easy, he guessed, to take advantage of Ironhide's supposed vulnerability in this situation, and attempt to offline him. Maybe, were he his younger, angrier self, he would have tried. Instead, he let his claws relax, though his optics never stopped watching Ironhide. A flicker of red, and the secondary set came online. "Why?"
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Post by Ironhide on Sept 14, 2011 11:59:38 GMT -5
Ironhide slowly vented a bit, then when he spoke, his voice was soft, almost wistful. ~"For what was..."~ he answered softly. He then finally opened his optics, looking at where his own cable was plugged into Barricade's interface port, his hand resting just below the connection, his thumb curled around the link. He wanted to forget the war, to forget what had happened that tore them apart, wanted so much for it to be like it was, to have Barricade back. But he knew that such dreams were impossible for them, and though his thumb tip ever so lightly caressed the edge of the interface connection as Energon gently flowed from Ironhide's own chassis into Barricade's starved frame, Ironhide knew that he would have to let the dream go very soon.
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Post by Barricade on Sept 14, 2011 12:08:02 GMT -5
Barricade shuddered a bit at the light caressing, his frame tensing slightly as old memories played, though not the same ones that Ironhide was thinking of. ~"Stop..."~ His voice was quiet, and had a slight keen to it. ~"Please?"~ One hand came up to grip Ironhide's arm, the one where the hand was gently caressing the connection, his claws digging in slightly, but not enough to cause a significant amount of pain. His four optics had widened in the barest hint of fear, and were almost begging.
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Post by Ironhide on Sept 14, 2011 12:17:13 GMT -5
Ironhide looked at where Barricade's hand gripped his arm, and he slowly moved his own hand to grip Barricade's forearm in return. He would never force Barricade into anything, and he didn't want to hurt the one who he once called friend, not like that. He then lifted his head a bit, looking to the smaller mech's facial features. He had become so hard, so brutal, almost alien to Ironhide, yet some part of the young mech he knew still remained in his main optics, and that was what he focused on. He didn't say anything, he didn't really need to. The three words he had offered, plus the gentleness he showed as he gave Barricade the life support he so desperately needed, energon, vital fluid, even nano repair cells, told Barricade all he needed to know, for the most part. For now, Ironhide stayed there like that with him, holding the smaller mech in his arms, simply looking at him, his expression soft, like it had been whenever he used to look at the young mech so long ago...
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Post by Barricade on Sept 14, 2011 12:32:05 GMT -5
Barricade kept his main set of optics on Ironhide while his secondary set followed Ironhide's hand. His optics betrayed the pain he felt, and for just a moment, he felt like the small, scared mech who'd made the change from a "street urchin" to a trainee in the Security Forces. ~"I can't stop..."~ He whispered. ~"I want to stop, I want to go, but they'll find me, and they'll kill me."~ And then, as soon as it was there, it was gone. Gone was the quiet, timid mech. Now, he was buried under hard years of war. "Ger'off me!" He snapped, his attitude returning. "I don't need your help. 'M fine!" He cursed at himself for spilling out his thoughts like that. As far as he knew, it was useless. He was going to either be killed while serving within the Decepticons, or the Autobots would just lock him away until the war ended, and then he'd e put on trial.
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Post by Ironhide on Sept 14, 2011 12:46:15 GMT -5
For a moment Ironhide dared to hope, then winced like he had been stabbed in the Spark when Barricade suddenly snapped at him, turning his head away and closing his optics. Reluctantly, he let his interface cable disconnect from Barricade and retract fully again as he lowered the smaller mech to lay him on the low berth close by. He then let go and stood, turning away from the Decepticon scout and heading out of the cell, closing the door behind him again. Involuntarily his hand had come up to grip his chest armor over his Spark, renewed pain lancing through him at the loss of his young friend, the betrayal that had torn them apart so long ago.
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Post by Barricade on Sept 14, 2011 13:03:12 GMT -5
On the berth, Barricade curled up while sitting, his knees hugged close to his chestplates with his arms wrapped around them. His optics watched Ironhide leave, and just before the door closed, he spoke up quietly. "Didn't mean to hurt you." It was one of the few close-apologies that he'd given after joining the Decepticons, at least the ones he actually meant. He rested his chin thoughtfully on his knees, and held his left hand up in front of him once again. His energy levels were higher than before, much higher, and he was curious.
The tire responded to the command, and he was soon holding his personal weapon, his gyro-flail, in his hand. He turned it around thoughtfully, examining it, and vented. To tell Ironhide about his now-functional weapons and comms, or not? He supposed that could depend on if Ironhide noticed that they were functional...
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Post by Ironhide on Sept 14, 2011 13:13:08 GMT -5
Ironhide stood there just outside the cell, and though the door was shut, they could still hear each other clearly. He placed his other hand against the partition wall, leaning on it a bit, then he dared to take a chance. He didn't turn and look back at the smaller mech, though he heard the tell tale click and whir of Barricade's gyro flail, he merely remained where he stood, his back to the cell, and to Barricade. ~"I miss ya, 'Cade..."~ he murmured in Cybertronian at barely more than a whisper, and waited for a reply, though he fully expected some kind of hurtful, spiteful retort in response.
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