re_alignment | AUDIO;

Not far from Liege's temple.

On my way, darlin'. Hang in there. [Have an ETA of his arrival while he speeds in your direction, sirens and all.]

Yeah. Okay.

[And so Soundwave waits.

He's outside of the temple, propped up against a wall. His arms and legs appear to have been shot or torn off at some point, and other pieces of plating are missing.]

[Barricade shifts back to base mode as he gets there, immediately kneeling next to Soundwave.

Frag.]

I need t'get you back to a medbay. I don't have the tools to fix this with me.

[And he shouldn't carry Soundwave. Carrying Convoy on Sacrosanct had done terrible things to his re-constructed knees. He doesn't want to risk stripping the gears halfway to somewhere safe. But he doesn't...

Hrm. Maybe...]

... I need to call someone, first.

[Or something, anyway.]

[His intakes speed up a bit at the mention. No, no it's fine. Medbays by mention aren't bad, but...]

Jus'... jus' as long as it's you, okay? I can't-- not Ratchet.

[He doesn't even know the Autobot, but he doesn't want to.]

[He puts a hand on Soundwave's shoulder lightly. Reassurance.]

I'll keep him off your back, don't worry. I'll even hiss at him if I have to.

[Barricade's patients - especially his friends - are his. And he knows how Soundwave feels about Ratchets.

But for now... he's sending a location and distress ping along his old Tyran lines and hoping that the Driller is here to pick it up.]

[Driller has been out and about, learning the landscape from beneath it. Its instincts combined with how it's been raised tell it that it's something it needs to learn as quickly as possible, so when Shockwave does not wish for its presence, and it is not resting beneath its master, it is out exploring.

That is until it gets a distress ping.

It takes almost no time at all for the creature to reach the location and burst out of the ground hissing. Distress call meant fight! It meant kill! It meant cover! It-- there was no fight.

...

It looks around slowly, finally spying Barricade and someone else. This was no distress. Ruffling its plating it lets out another hiss, this time directed at Barricade. Distress calls are not to be played with.]

[He settles a little under his friend's hand. No, he's fine; despite everything that's ever happened, Barricade has always been a good friend to have at his side. 'Cade has never let him down.

When the Driller bursts from the ground, Soundwave's visor flashes in surprise, his head jerking back.]

Well, uh-- w-wasn't expectin' that. Whoa.

H-hey there, big guy...

It's friendly, I promise. Well, friendly-ish, anyway.

[Fast reaction time, Driller. Barricade gets up, flattening his own plating down in apology as it hisses at him.]

I know this isn't your usual kind of emergency, but I need to get this mech - this Decepticon - to the Solian Temple as soon as I can, and I can't do it alone.

[He spreads his arms wide.]

I was hoping you might help me carry him there.

[Driller's platting settles as it eyes Barricade, head rolling from side to side before it moves its sight to Soundwave. Slowly it moves in closer extending some tentacles to go and poke and the blue and white mech. A Decepticon? A Decepticon in distress, but not the usual distress. Transport distress.

It rumbles softly in agreement, but not before letting out another hiss at poor 'Cade. This was not that distress.]

Dude, he doesn't sound all that happy. But if y'say so.

[The Driller doesn't frighten him, particularly, but the way it hisses at his friend makes him a bit wary.]

He's just mad that I used a distress ping, I think.

[Barricade practically made his career on guessing the emotions of others. He dips his head to Driller.]

I wasn't sure what else to call this. I'll make it up to you. But for now we should get going.

[It lets out a short rumble, almost like a grunt as the tentacles around Soundwave carefully wrap him and all his pieces up. Pulling itself out of the ground completely its cockpit opens and Soundwave is deposited inside. Barricade gets a stare that lasts a good ten seconds before another tentacle extends and scoops him up, placing him in the cockpit next to Soundwave.

Driller away!]

[The tentacles earn a discomforted whimper from Soundwave, but he can't even struggle. He has nothing to struggle with.

So he'll just. Say nothing and behave himself.]

[Barricade manages to keep the wince off of his features, but only barely. Too many tentacles lately... even if these ones are actually helpful for once.

He settles in next to Soundwave, giving the cockpit a looking over.]

Sorry. Us Tyrans and our cables and tentacles...

N-no, no, it's okay; usually wouldn't even care, maybe even laugh a little...

[Soundwave shudders and turns his head away.]

But things happen.

[Barricade isn't going to ask. He's just going to let Soundwave tell him in his own time; the Saleen is a patient mech.]

I'm gonna do my best to repair all of this. Luckily you caught me at a good time.

...Yeah.

[He knows that Barricade would understand.

There's a slow nod from Soundwave.]

Heh, righteous... Thanks. I... I don't know, I couldn't-- couldn't think to ask anyone else. Don't think I would, even if I was clear-headed.

[He twitches a small smile at that. It's barely there, though. He hadn't thought he'd see a friend in a worse state than he'd been in a few months ago.

And he has to start a new injury log for someone he'd hoped he would never have to.]

Probably the nicest thing I've heard in a few months. Think I oughta be flattered.
... Swear I'm not gonna let you down, Soundwave.

I... I'll have better compliments later...

I know. You'll do what y'can, 'Cade. I trust you.

Don't worry about it.

... And there's not a finer compliment than that, for me, darlin'.

[It's always a little startling to hear, of course.]

[All this talking is very nice, but it didn't go to the distress signal to listen to talking. It has transport distress to solve for the Decepticons!

The creature rumbles, a few small tentacles wriggling into the cockpit and just flopping down on both Barricade and Soundwave's heads. It needs to connect. It has a question.]

Ack-- N-no, don't do that!

[He's already had enough with something trying to hack into his processor or prying him open with tentacles. Soundwave's first reaction is to try to struggle away.]

[Barricade visibly blanches, more at the cables than Soundwave's reaction, but reaches for one of the cables that dropped onto his friend.]

I've got it, it's okay.

[He turns his arm over and splays his plating before guiding the cable he'd grabbed into one of the ports there. He also retracts his back plating slightly to give the other tentacles access to the lines of ports along his spinal strut. Barricade doesn't enjoy this - at all - but he'll take care of this himself.]

Talk to me, Driller. I can relay any questions you have to him if need be.

[It doesn't understand what the problem is, why the both of them seem to have a problem with its cables. Its body making a whining sound, stopping once Barricade allows it to connect. It still doesn't understand why that took so long to do.

Once connected it rumbles, prodding Barricade with its first question.
Why no limbs?]

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