re_alignment | [Video | Rung's Office]

Entry tags:

tf: idw | rung

[Video | Rung's Office]

ooc: This takes place directly after this thread.
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[His attacker was gone. There had been words said but they'd fallen on deaf audios, Rung too consumed with pain from the entire little 'session' and that final blow to his chest. He'd been slumped on his desk when the other left, barely functioning--barely hanging on as his vents cycled weakly. For a long moment he just stayed as he was, the pain just too much to handle, to bear, and Rung knew that he was done.

This was it.

Several thoughts ran through his mind even as things started to just shut down and he forced himself to move one of his arms, reaching weakly around the desk for his comm unit that was always sitting there.

Fingers brushed it and he gripped it weakly, sliding it slowly but surely across the desk until he could activate it--not caring that it was set to automatically view as video.

Weakly he focused on it, unable to even lift his head from the desk as his remaining optic flickered just barely.]

...help..please...

[The words are barely above a whisper, barely words at all considering how mangled his throat is, the light in his optic slowly starting to fade despite his attempts to hang on.]

.....so..rry...I'm sorry...

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[Something goes utterly cold inside, when he sees the video feed. Something wants to shit down and back away to panic and cover his head and...]

[No.]

[He shoves the calm to the forefront. He makes himself feel nothing but calm. Assurance. It's all woefully false but it has to do for now.]

I'm coming!

[He hears the response, vaguely recognizes the voice and it calms something inside him just a bit. There's also a wave of sadness as he realizes that he's leaving behind individuals he cares quite a bit about but..well...

The therapist tries to respond but there's just static, his optic dimming further as his vents only seem to cycle every few minutes or so.

It's a race against time..that Rung's not going to win. Sorry, Kagerou.]

[The lack of response is inwardly terrifying. But he has to function. He can't recoil from this. This is a friend... who's come for him so many times.]

[It doesn't take him long to get there. Not long for him, anyway. And once he makes it inside, the ninja nearly freezes yet again, his optic gone very wide. The tight control flees. And just for a second, the only sound he can make is a startled, panicked whine.]

[... he's never seen a sight like this. Not since the Chieftain had...]

[The moment passes. His hands hover in uncertainty over the broken frame, standing at his side, and lightly touching a piece of undamaged plating.]

You... you need a medic.

[Everything was cold. It was odd to be so cold but Rung was okay with it. It was all bound to happen at some point this was just..an unexpected twist to everything that had happened over the course of his life.

He isn't aware of the other's presence until the light touch registers and it only registers because it adds to the burn. It's unintentional, Rung is aware enough to know that, but it doesn't stop the sad, weak sound that escapes him.]

t...too..late.....sorry...

No! No, it's not.

[He tries to keep the panic from his voice and fails spectacularly. He might be acting calm, might look as if he has it altogether. But his voice gives it away.]

I'm fast. I... I'll carry you.

[Still, he hesitates. Where does he even begin to lift someone so badly damaged as this?]

[It's not too late. It can't be. He's lost Soundwave, Perceptor, he's failed so many others -- This can't be another failure.]

Tell me where to lift you. Please.

[Listening to the other breaks his spark. Kagerou is one of those individuals that Rung wanted to spare anything like this.

But here he is.

Rung tries to move but realizes then just how impossible that task is going to be, his arms not responding anymore and the rest of his frame just feels so heavy. So very heavy.

He manages a slight shake of his head, intakes hitching as his optic flickers, the light that's there barely a dot.]

...more..damage...it...its okay...okay..

It's not okay!

[The walls are crumbling. If he picks him up, will he make it worse? What if he could help, but didn't, because... because he didn't know the answers?]

[He freezes, in the face of the tearing indecision.]

[Then, carefully, he tries to lift the Autobot up. He isn't as strong as most. But he's tall. He has leverage. He can feel the fluid against his plating, and fights down a shudder, throttles back another low, distressed sound of sheer panic and something he can't quite name.]

We're going. We're going to find one of the medics.

All right?

[Rung couldn't stop Kagerou even if he wanted to at this point, the therapist a ragdoll in the other's hold. His head lolls against the other's shoulder and he winces faintly, a shudder running through him before he just..stops.

His vents quiet, the time between cycles growing longer and longer as his optic does dim finally.]

...so...rry...

[He's so sorry, Kagerou. He really is.]

Don't say that!

[There -- there, he's got him. It was the right thing to do. Wasn't it? They can get to the medics now, and. And it's going to be repaired. All of this. It's going to go back to the way it was, and he won't have to remember this...]

[... won't have to remember seeing the ruined face. The wounds. Or feel the trickle of fluid over his own plating... ]

[Right?]

Please. Please, don't say that.

[He steps toward the door, tightening his hold on his friend. His friend who he can't fail.]

Don't tell me you're sorry! Get through it instead!

[All the shouting in the world isn't going to fix this, as the rational part of himself whispers, clinging on even as the light in that optic fades.]

Don't.

[He wouldn't get a response, not this time. Rung had gone completely limp in his arms as Kagerou took those steps towards the door, head resting gently against the other's shoulder almost as if he were sleeping.

Except there was no waking up from this.]

[He's probably taken several more steps, repeated himself several more times, and sworn everything would be all right several more times... before the realization sets in.]

[It feels like a physical blow. It feels as if someone has taken their blade and stabbed it into his own body, instead of Rung's. Something feels twisted inside, and he suddenly cannot stand.]

[He sinks down, very slowly, shuddering and trembling, to the floor. He doesn't bother leaning against a wall or a desk or... anything. He simply huddles there, head bowed. And he never once lets go of the frame he holds.]

[... not again. Not again. More denials bubble up in his mind, words he can't force past his own lips. A stream of wordless "IF ONLYs" flooding through his AI like a physical pain. No, he's the one who's sorry, right now.]

[He holds on, still.]

[Blurr ran all the way to Rung's office as soon as he saw the video. Yet, this time his speed failed him. He was not fast enough and when he arrives he can only stare at Kagerou holding the other bot in his arm, stunned.

He finally reacts after a few seconds, kneeling in front of Kagerou and slowly putting a hand on his shoulder.]

[He doesn't appear to even notice the new arrival. His wings don't so much as twitch when the footsteps approach, or when sensors indicate he's no longer alone. He remains still, head bowed, holding the body.]

[The touch though. That jerks a reaction out of him. A sudden jump -- his optic gone wide and staring, only to, finally, see Blurr there. And then it's as if the sentience drains out of him.]

[His face goes blank. His movements halt. Even his voice lacks anything but hard, brittle edges.]

He... wouldn't stop apologizing.

It's just me... [Blurr hold his hands up, showing that he's unarmed. He's not all that surprised that Kagerou reacted that way.

The agent looks down at Rung, or what's left of him. A few days ago he was hugging the bot trying to help him with his troubles and now...]

You know him...always putting others first. [Closing his optics shut for a moment Blurr pulls himself together. Both of them mourning won't do Rung any help, they had to gather the proofs and figure out who did this to him. And then they will pay]

Kagerou, I need to ask you something and you won't like it and I will ask again and ^{again and again until you} do it , please. I need you to let go of Rung and put him on the floor as carefully as you can manage. I will help you if you want but _{I rather not because we need to gather proofs} about who did this to him and we are compromising the crime scene already.

I told him to stop.

[His tone never changes. The look on his face doesn't change. He's looking past Blurr, to the wall behind him, as if speaking to it, instead of the Autobot.]

I told him to stop. It would be all right. I tried... to...

[His voice doesn't break so much as it trails off. He'd tried to help. He'd tried to be what he thought he was meant to be. To protect, to look after those he cared for. And nothing had come of it.]

[He has the broken body held tighter and more closely before Blurr finishes speaking. Something changes in his voice, finally, a sharp, nearly angry tone creeps in.]

No one was here. No one was here. I scanned --

[He doesn't let go. Not yet.]

He was really injured, you did all you could, Kagerou. [Blurr can tell he's in shock. he wished he could help him too but he's not all that good with this sort of things.]

That means he, or they, left before we arrived. Rung's desk is all trashed, he tried to fight it.

[Blurr is not expecting any different. He still talks in a patient way.] Do you really want to help him?

I couldn't... it wasn't good enough.

[Because he hesitated? Because he didn't know what to do? Because he was nothing more than a shadow, a prototype, a disposable piece of tech...?]

[He should have added to the observations. Noted the lack of broken entryways, the lack of weapons fire, shell casings, or whatever else these robots used. He didn't. He'd only seen his friend.]

[His fingers tighten. He starts to draw back, his wings mantling around his shoulders. There's a low, wary sound, before he seems to come back to himself, and nods, stiffly.]

I do.

We all were to late, it's not your fault. We will find out who did this.

[They will analyze all that later, now this was more important.]

Good. We need to find who did this to him, we need to make sure they don't hurt anybody else.Rung would like that and I'm sure you don't want to disappoint him. _Please, put him down. That way we can figure out what happened to him.

I wanted to... I wanted to protect everyone important. Why can't I do that...?

[He suddenly sounds distant. Like he still isn't speaking to Blurr at all.]

[It doesn't seem as if he's going to listen. As if he's going to just keep sitting there in stunned silence.]

[But, very slowly, he releases his grip. He lays the body of his friend on the ground in front of him. Every motion is mechanical, jerky. And when he finishes, he's shaking all over.]

... No. I'm. Tired of disappointing people.

[They probably heard Prowl before they saw him, he had left on his sirens to let others know not to disturb their convoy. Yes, convoy, because he had brought Chromedome along with him. Both lights and sirens are flicked off as they arrive at the outside of the office.]

[When he transforms, he makes a beeline for Blurr, expression as solemn as ever. There's a quirk of the optic ridge as he spots Kagerou covered in energon, but one look at the body could already discount that this wasn't his doing.]

What happened here?

[Chromedome transforms behind him and enters the room. Immediately, he notes Kagerou's energon-covered state and Rung's body lying next to him, the sight of it causing his spark to fall slightly. He pauses a moment to observe the mech's mutilated face, and wonders what manner of creature would do such a thing. It's hardly the worst thing he's ever seen, but it's definitely among the most interesting, he'll have to talk with Prowl about it after.

He lets Prowl talk to Blurr, and starts setting up a perimeter outside the office. He'll take a closer look when Kagerou is gone.]

[Blurr was close to put a hand on Kagerou's shoulder to try to get him back to reality when the others arrived. He gave Kagerou a squeeze before looking back at Prowl.]

We don't know yet. Rung's cry for help came when he was already too injured for us to help him.

[The racer looks down at what's left of his friend. He's not strange to death and while he doesn't show it the same way as Kagerou does he's deeply upset with the view.]

[His sensors pick up the new arrivals before he can hear or see them. At first, he tenses. And it only gets worse when he fails to recognize either one of them. His shoulders hunch up, the panes of his wings flaring, before it occurs to him that Blurr is not reacting. He's not afraid.]

[All right then.]

[The near-aggressive posture fades as quickly as it came on, and he resumes sitting blankly. Though...]

[Though the question earns the barest sound -- a soft scoffing noise -- and hollow words.]

He died. That's... what happened here.

[With Chromedome taking care of the outer perimeter, Prowl could focus on the scene at hand. Rung needed to be taken to Perceptor as soon as they finished securing the office. And Kagerou looked completely shellshocked. Blurr should probably help him back to HQ.]

[Whether or not Prowl felt disturbed by the sight was a mystery, his expression remained as distant as when he had arrived. He took care with his next question.]

I understand this must be difficult to process all at once, but I'm going to need to ask one more question: Can you point out where you found Rung when you arrived?

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[Video | Rung's Office]

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