by Smokescreen85 » Tue Sep 13, 2011 8:06 pm
- Motto: ""A look can be deceiving; a touch can be lethal.""
- Weapon: Twin Shoulder-Mounted Rocket Launchers
Bottom of Lake Michigan
>>”No problem, Ironhide. I’ll just focus on the larger cracks for now.”<< Smokescreen commed back to his unit commander before turning his attention back to his portable scanner. With everything on the right side of the Ark-19 marked and catalogued as ordered, the diversion expert placed the device away into subspace storage and then pulled out a small welding torch. He quickly ignited the flame and drew closer to the hull of the huge Autobot vessel. He placed his free hand against the side of the ship in order to brace himself and then brought the intense beam of heat and light into contact with one of the bigger cracks near where he stood. Smokey slowly and methodically moved the torch across the fissure to ensure a proper seal. He wasn’t about to do a rush job and risk opening the crack up to a full blown breach. Patience was a virtue in cases such as this.
As he worked Smokescreen’s processor wandered as he thought about the multitude of things that had been weighing heavily on him over the past several cycles. The loss of Prime, who would lead them now and, of course, the Decepticons’ next move were all concerns that Smokey shared with his Autobot comrades. He tried to not let it all get to him, but it was still difficult to place feelings aside with so much at stake. However, there was one thing that worried the street racer more than anything else at the moment, and the source of that anxiety was Hex.
The young mech was clearly not right in the cranial unit. From everything Smokescreen had seen him do to Drag Strip during the previous battle, it was clear that Hex was unstable. The fact that he had been tortured by Darkride, as well, had brought everything into focus, but it still didn't make Smokey feel any better. He had out right punched Hex in the face plate, which was not a smart thing to do against someone with more than a few screws loose. It had been an uncharacteristic action for the red and blue racer to take, but it was one born from emotion and not logic or even common sense. Logic was something Prowl excelled at, but common sense was something that Smokey usually exhibited. Unfortunately, all sense of control had left him in a brief instant and now he may end up paying a dire price for it. If the severed optic was any indication, Hex was not going to forget about what had happened between them. The ‘gift’ had been a carefully concealed threat, and the diversion expert now had to watch his back for at least the foreseeable future. Hopefully, it would all blow over, but in the meantime he had to keep his guard up.
Like I don’t have enough to worry about, Smokescreen thought as he finished the first weld and then moved on to another crack closer to the front of the Ark. At least Axle knows about what happened. Maybe he’ll talk some sense into that crazy ward of his. Or perhaps Hex's apparent new friendship with Bumblebee will help to stabilize him some. I can hope, anyway. The rally bot’s torch lit up again as it was brought in touch with the next hull laceration. He kept his concentration on the task at hand, knowing that Hex was not amongst the mechs on this particular mission, and thus he really had nothing to be concerned about at the present time. Eventually, however, he would encounter the young Autobot again, whether it be within the corridors of their base or fighting alongside him on the battlefield. Either way, it was something Smokey was not looking forward to. It wasn’t that he was necessarily scared as the diversion specialist’s courage was unquestionable, especially when it came to fighting ‘Cons. However, this situation was all together different. Having seen the extreme, uncontrollable bursts of rage that Hex was capable of unleashing, the red and blue racer was more than a bit apprehensive about being close to him again. Unfortunately, it was something that was going to be unavoidable as they were technically on the same side and couldn’t stay out of each other’s way forever.
Just forget about him. He’s really not worth it, Smokescreen convinced himself, finally putting Hex out of his processor just as he finished with the second weld. Happy with his work, the diversion expert then kicked off from the lake bottom and swam up the side of the Ark to where another decent sized crack was located. Stopping his ascent with his free arm, he held on to the side of the ship as his torch went to work on sealing the third fissure.