audio || action

[stabbywheelfeet]

I've seen enough.

[Well... it's Sideswipe's voice. But it's crawling with static and contempt. More than usual. It sounds almost older somehow. Harsher.]

You let them crawl around your world like it's nothing. Foolish.

Don't worry. I'll clean up your little mess.

[And the line goes dead.]



[LATER]

[A banged-up, paint-scarred Corvette can be found cruising the Haven, its headlights off and engine muted. It acts more like a shark than a flashy sportscar, moving quietly about the area.]

[It's stalking. Searching.]

[As if it knows what it seeks is somewhere nearby, and is tirelessly seeking it out.]

Comments

[action]

[cliffjumper]

Then it shouldn't be a fraggin surprise you got attacked!

[Tossing his hands up in the air, Cliffjumper growls, frustrated.]

Humans can be fraggin' unreasonable and have done some blasted creepy things, but a bunch of innocent collateral 'cause ya can't fight elsewhere...

[action]

[stabbywheelfeet]

No! I couldn't fight anywhere else! He was there!

Don't talk about it as if you can understand, Autobot!

[action]

[cliffjumper]

Fraggin' Decepticreeps and fightin' where they shouldn't cause usually it means we're more careful...

[Narrowing his optics, Cliffjumper thrusts a finger at Sideswipe.]

What I'm hearin' is a complete disregard for the natives of the planet, just 'cause they were "in your way"! Even if the 'Con would probably have been near impossible to lure away, did you even try?

[action]

[stabbywheelfeet]

Why should we be careful. They aren't. There's no way to survive, otherwise.

[He slowly tilts his head to one side, glowering at that pointing finger, panels shifting like bristling fur.]

There wasn't time. That thing had to die. Right then. Right there. They don't deserve to be given a single inch.

[action]

[cliffjumper]

'Cause we ain't them! That's why! Time or not, if we were just like them when we're fightin'... then what?

[Engine revving, Cliffjumper grits his teeth, frustrated.]

[action]

[stabbywheelfeet]

Because killing them is the only thing that matters. It's all that's going to stop this war.

[action]

[cliffjumper]

Sure. [And yeah, he agrees, but.] Of course it is, but we can't do that the same way they fight us or treat 'em or our surroundings like they do us 'cause then we're no better!

[action]

[stabbywheelfeet]

If we go soft, they kill us. Or we get left behind to die.

What kind of war are you fighting where you can choose your tactics like that?

[action]

[cliffjumper]

A war, that's what. [With a hiss, Cliffjumper narrows his optics.] A war where we were surprised and slaughtered at the beginning, but that ain't no reason to not have some rules of how we do things!

[action]

[stabbywheelfeet]

And it would have continued if we hadn't hit back!

Their precious little mudball is going to go to scrap if we went soft on the enemy, like Optimus wanted.

[action]

[cliffjumper]

And if ya kill humans while tryin' to kill 'Cons, the humans're gonna work real fraggin' hard at killing you!

A two-front war ain't the best thing, ya know!

[action]

[stabbywheelfeet]

Then they're going to be killing the only damned thing standing between them, and their planet being another wasteland.

If they're too stupid to realize it, that's not my problem.

[action]

[cliffjumper]

Rrrrr--- Well they can't fraggin' appreciate that when both sides are killin' them off, can they?!

[He tosses his arms up, thoroughly frustrated. Cliffjumper doesn't really have the personality or patience for this.]

[action]

[stabbywheelfeet]

Don't ask me. I'm no monkey.

[action]

[cliffjumper]

Guuuuh--- [Scrubbing a hand down his faceplate, Cliffjumper has to haul himself back from stomping over and... well, he's not sure. But. Step back.]

I suppose it fraggin' well doesn't matter, since this isn't either of our realities.

[He doesn't like having to give even that, though.]