The Nightmare Before Christmas (Open)

[Arcee]

((December 24th, 2024, 11:30 PM))
((Arcee's Quarters, Autobot Base. Location may change))

Sometimes her dreams were good. Sometimes they were blissful memories that made her sad yet happy at the same time. Memories of her first partner, Tailgate. Memories of her second partner, Cliffjumper. Memories of Jack, her recent partner. She could handle those. She preferred them, obviously, and was thankful when she had them. But sometimes there were nightmares. They ranged from somewhat sad to the point where she was screaming hysterically.

This was one of those times.

Airachnid had her in bounds, unable to assist her partner as the spider femme approached him with a malevolence that not even Megatron himself could match in her processor. Tailgate looked beaten up enough, but Airachnid didn't intend on torture. A violent hiss escaped the Decepticon's vocal processor, and one of her legs struck, slicing Tailgate's chest clean open and causing his Energon to splatter on the wall.

~"TAILGATE!"~ She screamed, as she always had done, thrashing in her bounds, trying to reach Airachnid and claim revenge. But there was something different about this dream. Someone else was here. Her optics searched desperately for the person, and they widened in pure horror when she found them. "J-Jack?" She stammered, this time in English, as her young human partner hung motionless from his own bounds. Airachnid approached him, arched her leg again, plunged it straight into his chest...

"NOOO!" Arcee cried, shooting up from her berth, optics blazing with fear and concern for Jack. It took her a few moments to realize where she was, and even longer to settle down. She swung her legs to hang over the edge of the berth, leaning her head in her servos and covering her face with her digits. Primus knew how many of her comrades she'd woken up with her screaming fit.

[Coldsteel]

Of what light was there, it cast a rebound from different points of his armor that weren't currently scratched to all Hell. A shadow of the newcomer lingered down the hall of this base, some parts, a ominous maze of sorts. The glow from teal optics lit the way, what one might call pupils, becoming slits to match his current mood and the way he viewed his surroundings. The fin at the left side of his helm was torn slightly, retracted much like a cat's ear to avoid further harm. The one on the right pulled back as well, though not as much, the blue webbing perfectly visible between the white spines. Most of his frame was white indeed, gray metals revealed beneath scratched and burnt paint. The sound of air being vented broke dome of the silence, taking in the unfamiliar smells. His heavily armored body moved on further, trying not to startle anyone, looking to see if another soul ventured awake at this time of, what did they Earthlings call it, day?

His slit pupils widened again, still as cautious as ever, moving forward quietly. Of course, there was a near unavoidable light clank of his large, metallic feet that also hid under water secrets, as they set upon the ground. Little did the inhabitants of this base know, he had broken in. He wanted to make sure this was a place of Autobots rather than undercover Decepticons hoping to coax in more guinea pigs. His optics narrowed at that, the pupils becoming thin slits for a moment before becoming more oval-like once again. The black around said optics only made the coruscate glow brighter, just above the scars they lay across his face. His side head-fins lifted a bit, his entire helm as a whole, tilting to the side. He thought he could hear the breath of another peacefully being drawn in as he passed another door, this one slightly ajar. He listened again, stopping for a moment as he questioned if the Transformers here would see him as friend or foe before a sudden yell broke the night altogether. At least, within his sensors, it did. Swift, trying to stay as quiet as he could, his steps heavier as he took off into the direction of the scream, his frame skidded in front of another room before full on kicking the door in after the success of a spin and use of momentum.

What he had imagined was what he had left behind, another horrific, violent, torturous killing at the hands of the enemy. What he found, was different. He put his foot back down, blinking both curiously and in a way that was somewhat frightened in the form of an oops. To Arcee, his ragged frame was probably more shadow to one who's vision was not at the moment, adept to what dim light did come from the outside hall, his optics glowing against the dark.

(( xD I hope she doesn't jump up and maul him. ))

[Arcee]

Arcee swore she heard someone's loud footsteps approaching, though it was probably another Autobot coming to check on her. Except it sounded like running. All of her comrades knew she had nightmares; surely they didn't need to run? She visibly tensed, having no idea what the frag was coming. It couldn't be the Decepticons; they didn't even know where the base was. Right?

Her door being kicked in was all it took. Almost instantly she leaped to her feet, her arm becoming her blaster and aiming at the intruder, her optics briefly put off by the brighter lights of the hall compared the the absence of light in her room. When her optics had adjusted, the first thing she noticed was that this intruder had teal optics. Like an Autobot...? Further adjustment made her realize that this mech was extremely beaten and battered. She calmed down, lowering her blaster, but still wary nonetheless.

"Who are you? How did you get in the base?" Arcee demanded, though by no means harshly. If this really was an Autobot, then she didn't want them 'getting off on the wrong foot', as Jack would say.

[Coldsteel]

Coldsteel had put his hands up, now that high, though most definitely in a defensive position when he saw the weapon drawn. The uninjured fin at the side of his head pulled back for a moment, the webbing folded before spreading to fan out once more near after. He didn't want to have to draw one of his weapons, especially after a quick search and scan, he located the well-known Autobot insignia upon the one he probably now had some explaining to do for. A spark flew from one of the folded up, well, banged up underwater turbines on his back, his teal optics solid, serious, ready, the pupils as thin as ever.

When the blaster finally lowered, gradually, his large fists followed. Paint scraped about the fists matching dented metals, telling the viewer that those had been used against something or someone a lot bigger than him. "I see I have some explaining to do." His deep voice started, the rows of Shark-like teeth visible as he lips pulled back. Trying to appear calm, though his ruffled armored plates and tense nature seemed to keep him from it. "Sorry about your door, and ah, well the lead fleshlings of this world could definitely pay more attention when entering this base. I made my way in earlier today and hid to watch and make sure this was the right place. As for location, I've been on this planet for a bit, collecting information is my specialty though I prefer to brawl." His feet shifted a bit, feeling rather uncomfortable, not wanting his back turned to the open hallway, though having little choice at the moment, not wanting it turned out Arcee either. "I'm Coldsteel, I'm one of the Autobots." For what came next after, his left foot drew back a bit and his fists raised. The unharmed head fin pulled back completely, his bright optics narrowing in an aggressive, defensive pose. "I'm hoping you are as well. The last base was a trap, not everyone got out alive. That insignia better not be some sick joke, I'll take you all on.." Though words like this seemed foolish, perhaps arrogant from the wrong mouth, he seemed completely serious and as though he was ready for another fight. He wasn't afraid of death.

[Arcee]

"Lights." Arcee stated calmly. The lights of her room flickered on, revealing herself to be a fairly small and slender dark blue femme. The Autobot insignia was proudly visible on one of her wing-like parts on her back, and she twitched said wing slightly to reassure him. "You're in the right place. Name's Arcee. I guess you could say I'm Optimus Prime's First Lieutenant." She replied, shrugging her shoulders lightly.

She did get a better look at him when the lights came on, though. As she had seen before, he looked like he'd been in a serious fight. But just who had this poor mech been trying to escape from? More importantly, how had he escaped with just this? "You look like you should see a Medic." She commented, standing up to lessen the height difference, even by a bit. "I can take you to see Ratchet if you want. He might be a little grumpy at this time of night, but as long as you keep your head down, you'll be fine."

[Coldsteel]

When at first the room lit up, his optics opened a bit more to shift around the room out of a reflex of curiosity before setting them back on the femme before him. She was blue and black for the most part with other small details before staring directly into her bright blue optics.

Quickly his focus changed to the wing-like structure she put emphasis on to spot that familiar insignia once again before he was satisfied enough to lower his bulky fists. She seemed somewhat casual despite whatever it was she had been screaming about earlier which might have amused him on another day. As for winning his company, word of Optimus took the cake. Alright, him he had heard of of course. With Arcee being his First Lieutenant he figured that would be a hard lie to carry out all in the sake of another trap. His armor that flaked into ragged edges, his frame once attack-ready, it all finally settled down a bit so that the only real rough looking parts might of been the battle damage he obtained.

His arms finally crossed which was their usual position, sometimes it being when he didn't currently like an idea. For now, he was comfortable enough, the undamaged head-fin at the left perking as his pained sensors about his body worked to try and pick up any vibrations through the floor. They worked far better in the water of course, but why put them on break?

Chuckling at the next bit, meaning no disrespect, he lightly shook his head. "Thank you, but no thanks. I can wait until hours when he's awake. I'll live." Though he didn't advance on Arcee, he did move away from the open doorway to the side so that his back would be safe of his paranoia, for now. He looked back at what once stood as he proud door, now laying face down like a drunk on the floor. Looking back at Arcee, his right optic finally blinked before returning to it's usual squinted state within the scars dragged across his face and nearly through said optic. "I could fix that if you wanted. I thought I heard screaming and well, doors get in the way when you're in a hurry. Back at the trap base, I didn't make it there in time." He said that almost as if it was another sentence and not some horrible story of hearing the finally screams of the Autobots he had been looking for. Only to hack the door open in time to meet their killers and then trying to close it again.

[Arcee]

Arcee frowned slightly to herself, knowing she'd have to ask about what had happened to Coldsteel, but also knowing it probably wouldn't be a topic he'd like to talk about. "Oh, um, yeah, thanks." She replied to the fixing door offer, knowing she'd never be able to fix the thing herself, and asking Ratchet would be a risky business, especially when none of the other Autobots knew about the newcomer.

There was the small hope, though. If Coldsteel was here, maybe there were other Autobots out there that they hadn't found too. It would probably take a good long time to find them, but it would certainly be worth it; the more soldiers they could find, the better their chance was of defeating Megatron and ending this war for good. It was about time, anyway. There had been too many losses...

[Coldsteel]

Now, he had to figure out how to fix the door. One, he was pretty sure it was another voice command automatic piece of equipment. Two, this place was different, different than anything he had seen before. Touched by the building materials and partial design of humans. He had basically before, welded things together and called it good, hoping it would last until his destination was met. As for this, he might actually make things worse..

In the very least, the gruff mech lifted the door to lean in against the wall, out of the way for no one to trip over and hopefully if any others awake happening by would be less likely to ask questions. Turning back towards Arcee, both side fins flattened out of discomfort, giving him away when his body language itself read he could tough it out. "I.. Can't actually fix it right now, unless you have tools? I'd probably just break things."

[Arcee]

Arcee was already heading towards the door once she had realized what he would need. Obviously she was still shaken by the previous nightmare and wasn't quite feeling herself. "Wait here. I won't be long." She told the mech, hoping that he would indeed stay so that in case she had awoken any of her other comrades, they wouldn't find him straight away. There would be a lot of explanations to make in the morning, to say the least, especially to Optimus, and maybe to Ratchet about something that would help her to sleep easy.

She eventually made it to the store cupboard, quietly opening the door and taking one of the large toolboxes that their Medic sometimes used, making sure it had everything needed to fix a door first, before heading back to her quarters, reappearing in Coldsteel's vision as she handed it to him. "Sorry about aiming my guns at you." She said with a small smile. "I haven't been sleeping well lately."

[Coldsteel]

This crazy femme hadn't taken the hint and it only amused him when she left in order to fetch the tools. His brow ridges raised, including the more scarred of the two. Oh, she'd find out when he fixed things it served a more functional rather than fashionable purpose. Hey who knows, he could possibly give it a try?

In the back of his mind, waiting in the oddly loud silence, he was still a complete skeptic. As if this was all a lie and she was going off in order to return with Decepticon comrades to do him in. His paranoid ways of thinking would never end, though, he felt that it was not entirely bad at times. He was right to question things such as this, and if that nagging thought were the case, then he'd try to take them out. If he couldn't escape, he WOULD take them out. He would leave and try again, slowly becoming more and more broken on the inside with each failure to relocate his niece. She was still alive, he knew it, but where?.. He shook his head, such thoughts made him feel sick. Not that he had much to purge, supplies and rations were scarce for someone running around, hoping to ram into the right people.

Still slightly entertained by the thoughts of repairing this door, unknowing of its functions and mechanisms, he accepted the toolbox with a mentally restrained chuckle before he set to work. First, picking up the door he had so mercilessly kicked down and moving it to a more easily reached location behind him against the wall, before peeking his good optic at where said door once met with another. Circuitry frame had been dismantled horribly, damn, nice kick. Perhaps working on this would give him a chance for conversation, to find out more. He set to work, reaching into the tools belonging to another and beginning to try to fix what he had broken. "Ah no worries, I don't think I'd appreciate someone barging in like that either." He wished now that his arms weren't so bulky, it would make this job far easier. "If ya don't mind me asking, how come? Seems pretty peaceful during this time to me." This mech was no one's fool, he immediately assumed that it was due to stress in one form or another. Stress did such things to an Autobot as it did their enemies, though what caused said stress differed greatly within each faction. He was pretty sure maliciously ripping out an Autobot's insides and playing a game of Kick Ball with them and your pals while the poor fragger is still alive, was nothing to lose sleep over for a Decepticon. Something that made his insides churn again when he pictured Aquaduct. {"Where are you, kid?"}

[Arcee]

Arcee paused, debating whether or not to answer that question. She rarely talked about it to anyone, certainly not people she had only just met. "It's... not something I want to talk about." She replied simply. She eyed him for a few moments, and her optic ridge raised as it clicked. Who was she kidding? He didn't know how to fix this door. He was probably just laughing at her. Boy, if he wasn't an Autobot, she would kick his aft there and then for making a fool of he. He'd come to regret it someday. She'd have to make sure of that. Or maybe she should make him fix it. No, that probably wasn't a good idea.

"You know... you can just say you can't fix it. I'm not going to kill you for it."

[Coldsteel]

He COULD fix it, eventually. Though he couldn't say he was used to this base's exact design. Perhaps if he was given the chance, he could fix it, but he was sure there was someone else here that could do a far greater job, and faster. Reminded him of when he was a kid, before the war, when he wanted to give a hand to architecture.

Of course, he assumed that Arcee would eventually want to get back to sleep, if she could, against whatever reasons there were for her to not. A brow ridge raised over his left optic, the teal light of his optic illuminating where the door had come from from inside the wall, tilting his head slightly to the right with an idea. Well, maybe he'd hear about it in the future if she knew him enough. He didn't always go out of his way to get to know people, it either happened, or it didn't.

He thought he had spotted a good place to start in the circuitry whens he spoke again, raising that optic ridge a good bit more and turning his head towards her, his back still somewhat turned. "I didn't think ya would, but I thought it might help since I knocked it down. Again, I'm sure you and others probably wanna get some stasis at some point." Alright, well, that seemed a bit obvious now, because she didn't sound the happiest at this moment.

[Arcee]

"Just leave it. It's fine." Arcee replied with a dismissive hand. She probably wouldn't be able to get back to stasis anyway.She didn't really want to either; it meant more nightmares. If only she could find something that would stop them. She might actually be able to focus on things. "There's a spare room down the hall if you need some rest. I doubt Optimus will be around until the morning, unless he's still awake writing reports." She shrugged. Admittedly, she was getting a little irritated, but she would never show it. She didn't want to get off to a bad start with this mech. It might have a bad effect in the future.

[Coldsteel]

Well, somehow he had fucked up in here, and he wasn't sure how he did it.. Other than the uninvited entry of course. At that point, he welcomed leaving, though his stubborn side led him toe ye Arcee for a moment, trying to read her, before finally getting up. Grunting when he forced himself up with his right arm, the rest of his beaten, somewhat mangled armor lining into place when he finally stood.

Going to sleep? This femme did have a sense of humor after all.

While he would much rather go make his presence known to Optimus, he figured for now, he wouldn't bother anyone else until they felt the need to come find the newcomer. Hopefully this place wasn't some sick joke or trap, but authentic. He might be able to stay for the night, and see how things went from there. Perhaps he would not be welcome to overstay passed that point, and would have to bid his farewells. Coldsteel would have to think through about what to do next in case of that scenario. "I'll leave you alone then. I won't kick your wall in if you holler, but don't be afraid to."

[Arcee]

"I think I'll yell if I want to or not." Arcee joked half-heartedly with a small smile, nodding a goodbye to the newly arrived Autobot. Optimus would be happy to have another soldier in their ranks, at least. Plus it would help them against the Decepticons. Maybe they could go home one day. "I'm sorry to have startled you." She added, a little quieter but not inaudible. She hated scaring the ones who weren't used to her nightmares. She hated the thought that she might be ruining the stasis of every 'Bot on base. And if this guy was as paranoid as he seemed to be, he'd probably be in her room every night.

Still, it was a human holiday tomorrow. Christmas, wasn't it? Maybe that would take her mind off of things. Seeing the humans run around with multicolored boxes with anything contained inside them was curious indeed. Sometimes even the Autobots got presents, mostly from their charges. Jack was no exception. She had a few gifts from him, most of which were stored in a subspace within the farthest wall from the door.

She didn't want any of them getting broken.