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Post by Red Alert on Oct 21, 2012 9:04:40 GMT -5
Red Alert's optics narrowed as he switched to comms, hating to shut Wheeljack out like that, but he'd made a promise. <"Like how I don't know the bit of information about Barricade that you were hiding, Ironhide?"> He asked. <"Two words; Combat Control. And before you try to argue, I could see it on the tapes, and Wheeljack could confirm it. So, before I go and tell Optimus about what Barricade has in his processor and how you deliberately withheld that information, therefore jeopardizing the security of the base and it's occupants, you have a chance to explain yourself. And don't try to sidestep the issue, Ironhide. I've been bending the rules so you and Barricade could have your privacy. I will not tolerate that goodwill being taken advantage of like this."> There was a slight growl to Red Alert's voice as his irritation grew, his frame shaking in both anger and in an attempt to push back a slowly rising glitch attack.
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Post by Ironhide on Oct 21, 2012 9:16:19 GMT -5
Ironhide snorted and looked away from Red Alert, then, venting a heavy sigh. <"Ya wouldn't understand..."> he muttered over the com. <"I can't just give 'im up n betray 'im like that. I can't."> He closed his optics then, knowing Red would go into one of his righteous tirades, but in his Spark, Ironhide knew what he had to do, and it meant that he had to protect the mech he loved, even if it cost him his own place among the Autobots, his freedom, or even his own Spark. He was a mech of honor, a warrior, and his word, his promise, bound him as surely as gravity held him to the planet he lived on now.
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Post by Red Alert on Oct 21, 2012 9:25:50 GMT -5
<"Oh, yes. I wouldn't understand the number of lives, yours and Barricade's included, that were put at risk because of this. I wouldn't understand that, if Barricade had gotten full control of your systems, our choice would have been to kill the scout in order to keep the humans safe. How would you have liked to be the instrument that served those of us who survived to Megatron on a silver platter?"> Red Alert vented once more, before continuing. <"I could have gone right to Optimus with this, and told him everything. But, I wanted to give you a chance to defend yourself, and give me a good reason why Optimus shouldn't know about the brig visits. I'm still waiting.">
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Post by Ironhide on Oct 21, 2012 9:52:38 GMT -5
Ironhide growled darkly and sat up, glaring at Red Alert as if he was mere seconds from shooting the Security Officer, which made Wheeljack nervous as he watched them in their apparently silent, private, conversation. <"Because they'll kill 'im, all o' them, Prime included! I can't let 'em! Kill 'Cade n ye'll kill me! That good enough fer ya?"> he snapped back with a venomous snarl. <"Or ya wanna just blow my Spark outa my chest n get it over with?!"> he added and pulled his chest armor open, revealing his deeply scared laser core. <"Go ahead! Kill me! Blow out my Spark n be done with it! Then ya can tell Prime whatever the slag ya want! May as well since none o' ya'll ever let me have 'im back!"> Ironhide was stubborn and furious, still not thinking straight under the receding effects of the sedatives.
In the process of his screaming at Red Alert, bits and pieces flickered across his processor and some of it filtered to Red Alert. Some of it was that the CC controller code was not only in Barricade's processor, but that it had become sentient and severely malevolent. From within Ironhide's mind, Red could hear him shouting that it wasn't Barricade who had attacked and tried to kill him, and Meta's name was within that shouting, along with the fact that Meta was a parasite, an implanted thing that threatened Barricade's very life if Ironhide tried to evict Meta from Barricade's processor and ultimately from his chassis. Along with this was Ironhide's very real fear of losing Barricade, a fear that tore at the very core of Ironhide's powerful Spark, and within that fear, within his Spark, was a resonance, a call, crying out a single name. Ironhide was shaking with rage and fear; not that he expected Red Alert to actually shoot him through his open chest and kill him, but for the fact that he actually feared Barricade's death far more than his own.
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Post by Red Alert on Oct 22, 2012 9:16:24 GMT -5
Red Alert snorted, shaking his head. <"I'm not going to kill you, Ironhide. And are you claiming to know everything that Optimus would do? How often has he offered shelter to Decepticons who have grown frustrated with the war? I am saying that, by not telling me, you limited just what could have been done to avoid what had happened. Wouldn't that have been better? Barricade would have had his trial, and been allowes to give his account of events, and would likely be getting help in freeing himself from this "Meta." Now, put your Laser Core away, before you give Wheeljack a Spark-attack.">
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Post by Ironhide on Oct 22, 2012 11:12:01 GMT -5
Ironhide snorted and let his chest armor close, turning away from Red Alert then. <"I brought back a bot with the receiver code I found n he told us 'bout Combat Control right b'fore his Spark exploded. Das when Prime decided no Controller would survive the war. Ya weren't there, Red, ya dunno what we saw..."> he replied with a growl. <"But then ya dun trust any o' us n never will anyway, so why should I trust ya not ta get 'Cade killed just cause yer paranoid n hate all 'Cons? I'll leave if that's what it'll take ta be able ta be with 'Cade. Ye'll never understand what it's like ta love a bot everyone else hates, ta feel yer Spark..."> he cut his words short and shook his head, reaching down and disconnecting the life support umbilical before getting up, amidst Wheeljack's protests. <"Everybot likes the one you love..."> he grumbled irritably and pushed Wheeljack aside out of the way, heading for the door.
All poor Wheeljack could do was watch helplessly as Ironhide headed for the door, then he looked over at Red Alert wondering what had just happened.
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Post by Red Alert on Oct 23, 2012 4:25:01 GMT -5
<"Jazz is a brother, Ironhide."> Red Alert replied with a soft, tired vent. <"It's too dangerous for me to open my Spark to anyone. They'll just become a target. But then, you don't trust me, and it seems you never will anyways, but I have yet to tell a single Spark about you and Barricade. Even Wheeljack, who's been watching us in confusion."> He stood, watching Ironhide. <"Of course, if you'd rather, I could go and act like the paranoid glitch everyone believes I am, quite well, too, and tell the entire base. But, that would do nothing save destroy the fragile bonds of trust among the Autobots. I'm not a raw recruit anymore, Ironhide. Of course, if you think everyone would be better off with me not being here, since I'm such a paranoid glitch, then perhaps it is time for me to resign, since your opinion is so widely respected by everyone. I'm just the overly-glitchy Security Director, shutting myself away from the others in order to keep them safe. What do I know?"> He looked at the data pad for a moment before gripping it tightly and slamming it against the side of the berth. "Hmm...I seem to have had a slight malfunction with my neural connections... Wheeljack? Would you mind checking them over?" He glanced over towards Ironhide. "Seems I'll have to retype my report. Guess that means you have time to give Optimus yours, first. Better hop to it, Ironhide."
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Post by Ironhide on Oct 23, 2012 8:14:00 GMT -5
Ironhide snarled and turned, glaring at Red alert, his thoughts shouting the same thing, that to bond with Barricade would end in both their deaths, yet he could feel his Spark screaming for the young scout, a cry he couldn't ignore yet was forced to bury anyway just to protect the mech he loved. It was only now that he realized the truth, yet even as his Spark cried for Barricade he couldn't voice that cry, let alone answer or act on it. But as Red Alert continued, Ironhide's snarl faded to a mere scowl, glancing over at a very confused Wheeljack indeed, who was looking from one to the other hoping for some sort of explanation. <"I wouldn't do that ta Jazz... He loves ya more n ya think he does..."> he remarked with a snort and turned away again. As he reached the door, he heard the Data Pad break when it was struck against the metal berth and he looked back over his shoulder. He knew well that breaking the pad was deliberate, but he merely grunted and shook his head slightly, then left the med bay as Wheeljack moved towards Red Alert.
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Post by Wheeljack on Oct 23, 2012 8:30:19 GMT -5
Wheeljack gave Red Alert a suspicious look as he stepped up to the slightly smaller mech. "Uh huh... Care to tell me what that little exchange was about n why Ironhide's so pissed?" he asked, picking up a scanner and beginning to calibrate it. "And don't lie to me, Red, I know better n so do you." he cautioned, looking at the broken data pad skeptically, then back to Red Alert. <"What's going on between him n Barricade? What are you bots hiding?"> he asked and lifted the neural scanner to begin the scan.
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Post by Red Alert on Oct 23, 2012 8:37:45 GMT -5
"Nothing I can tell you, Wheeljack." Red Alert replied, remaining still so that Wheeljack could scan his systems. "I made a promise to him. You know I am not one to take trust lightly. If you want to know, you'll have to ask him." He vented air, fidgiting a bit. "Primus....sometimes I wonder if I need leave. Then, I remember that I would worry too much about everything while I was gone to the point that itwould be more relaxing to stay here."
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Post by Wheeljack on Oct 23, 2012 8:51:15 GMT -5
Wheeljack shook his head and vented heavily. <"This goes beyond just Ironhide, you know that, Red. Barricade tried to kill him n the two of them attack each other violently every time they see each other. Yet he defends Barricade even as badly as he ripped Ironhide open? We all know he was going down to the brig about every night n staying til sunrise, kinda hard to hide that for long. What happened down there? I know you had the security feeds, what's going on?"> he insisted, determined to get to the bottom of it as he continued the scan.
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Post by Red Alert on Oct 23, 2012 8:56:42 GMT -5
"I already told you, you need to talk to him." Red Alert insisted. "Aside from Combat Control, I knew everything that was going on down there, and none of it violated anything. If you want some of the story, I can give you what's in the old records. Barricade was once part of the security forces. He was still in training, and Ironhide was one of his mentors. I've found some of the records, if you want, but what happened in the brig is not something I can talk about without Ironhide saying that it's alright."
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Post by Wheeljack on Oct 23, 2012 9:12:05 GMT -5
Wheeljack frowned and lowered the scanner. <"What happened? This whole thing with Barricade, if Ironhide's been compromised n he's turned to their side we're all at risk, you know that. If Barricade's a controller from Combat Control, how do we know he hasn't implanted Ironhide with a receiver code n that fight was just for show to cover him letting Barricade go? You have to tell us what's going on. Secrets and promises have to be put aside for the sake of base security, Red. You of all bots should know that."> he pressed. Wheeljack was having serious difficulty with why Red Alert was being so secretive and putting the whole base at risk, especially if Ironhide could potentially have been compromised.
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Post by Red Alert on Oct 23, 2012 10:29:42 GMT -5
Red Alert vented again. A vacation was actually starting to sound nice. <"Before the war, while Barricade was near the end of his training, he and Ironhide were suspected to be lovers, though no one said anything about it, from what I could find..."> He continued on, explaining about what the records stated of their falling out, and the bare minimum of what he had observedin the brig, purposely omitting details. <"I told IronhideI would keep this secret. Ironhide fears for Barricade's life , if this were to reach the Decepticons.">
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Post by Wheeljack on Oct 23, 2012 10:44:20 GMT -5
Wheeljack vented softly, thinking it over. <"Lovers? Primus... How deep does this go? I mean... is it just being close or do their Sparks call out to each other to bond?"> he asked softly. If this went to the very core of their Sparks then that would explain quite a lot, and their falling out before the war when Barricade had nearly killed Ironhide, if it really was from the Spark, then what would that mean for thousands of years of hatred between them? Did Barricade actually betray Ironhide or was it all a mistake? It would certainly explain why Ironhide was defending Barricade earlier and why he visited the Decepticon Scout nightly while he was held captive, as well as Ironhide's protectiveness of Barricade now. He shook his head then and sat on the berth, sparing a glance at the broken data pad.
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