Connection
Part Four
By:
Starath (starathbot@geekgrok.com)
PG 13 (Language)
Author’s Note: Woo! Numbah 4’s all done! Whee! This one is considerably less intense than part 3, to cool down a bit before things get all wound up again. Once again, Beast Wars and its characters belong to Mainframe Entertainment and Hasbro, I own myself, and Landray Depth Charge owns himself too unless he has some joint-ownership I don’t know about. Thanks fer helping me again!!! *glomp*
Nobody asked her why she walked with a limp. Nobody asked her where the huge mark on her jaw came from. Nobody asked her why she looked like she had been through a tornado. But she could tell they wanted to. Rather than throwing up the hood on her purple sweatshirt to hide the punch-mark on her face she walked through the halls of her school with head up, wearing the injury like a medal. Yes, she hurt like hell after what she had gone through. But she didn’t complain about the bruises no one could see under her clothes. She was stronger now because of them. They were from the fight to get rid of “I can’t” and finding her confidence. She had it now. Everybody left her alone but watched her with questioning eyes. Christine didn’t care; she was busy trying to process all that had happened that morning. And her head felt so empty now…
The strong presence that had been within her mind for nearly a month was
gone. She was alone with her own
thoughts like she was supposed to be. Depth
Charge wasn’t watching over her shoulder anymore.
His presence had gotten annoying after awhile but she had grown used to
it and now… missed it. Alone
again. Why had they been
disconnected? It wasn’t fair! While in the Beast Wars world as a robot she could have
helped him fight Rampage! Even if
he DID always fight him alone…. Depth Charge shouldn’t have to carry that
burden by himself. It wasn’t
right. Christine pushed away her
lunch bag and sandwich to lean forward and bury her face in her arms.
Sure, she was alone, but not that alone.
Still, she wished she could be that strong.
Yet soon… soon… Depth Charge would not only walk alone, and stand on
his own, but also die alone in his last battle with Rampage.
No! You can’t die! She huddled closer to the table and against the wall, biting
back tears. What if the fight he
was in right now was his last one? Even
though it was two hours after she returned to this world, she had no doubt that
Depth Charge still fought Rampage back in the Beast Wars. Will I ever see him again?
Christine always worried about her friends and Depth Charge gave her
plenty reasons to worry about him. But
she also realized that the path he traveled was by choice.
He gave himself the burden of killing Rampage for past injustices.
Rampage’s deeds had changed him forever.
There was no other option left for him.
But why does it have to be so grim?
She sniffled and attempted to bury deeper into her arms, pressing against the table. Her watch filled her vision and she blinked, bringing it into focus. It was almost one o’clock. Time for history class. For once she wouldn’t mind taking notes for two hours because it would take her mind off of other things. Like the fact I was a robot this morning and had the stuffing beat out of me, Christine winced as her jaw throbbed in reminder of Depth Charge’s heavy punch. If I see him again I’ll have to kick him in the shin or something…
Before going to class she attempted to make herself halfway presentable but by the way her teacher looked at her with a start she could tell she hadn’t done enough. At least she had washed off the mud and pulled the last leaf out of her hair. She groaned when she thought of how her parents were going to react when they saw her so roughed up. Yeah mom, I’ll be fine, honest, I just got into a fight with this really big fish-bot this morning…I’ve been talking to him for almost a month now, and guess what? He’s from my favorite cartoon show! She’d better think of something more believable… She snorted and nearly laughed out loud. The irony was that any lie would be more normal than what REALLY happened! Sheesh… Shaking her head Christine scribbled down notes about Woodrow Wilson’s involvement in World War I from her teacher’s lecture.
Class was let
out a little earlier than usual and by habit she went straight to the school’s
computer lab. She often considered
pitching a tent in the lab since she was around so much; it would be easier
simply to live there. Christine
plopped her backpack against the wall next to one of the computers she preferred
to use, set way back in the corner of the room.
Although she didn’t feel like talking to anyone she logged on to her
instant messenger anyway. Almost immediately a message
from her friend Landray Depth Charge popped up.
Landray
Depth Charge: ^_^ Hi!
Oh, THERE’S
some irony for you. She
was slow to reply and not in her usual bouncy way.
Starath: Hullo...
Landray Depth
Charge: O_o...uh
oh. Everythin' okay?
Starath:
I suppose you can say that.... just... extremely drained...
Landray Depth Charge: Any particular reason why..? I mean, that you want to talk about…
Starath: Heh... well... you wouldn't believe me if I told you....
Landray Depth Charge: Try
me.
Starath:
...... No, you wouldn't believe me.
Really, you wouldn't. You'd
write me off to the funny farm.... *blinks* Perhaps I belong there anyway....
Landray
Depth Charge: Considering
the people I surround myself with, nothing surprises me anymore. It can't be
THAT odd.
Starath:
Wanna bet?
Landray
Depth Charge: $2
on Starath to win, yes.
Starath: Heh.... 'Starath'
will have a new meaning for me... *long sigh*
Landray
Depth Charge:
C'mon...what's wrong? Need a hug?
Starath:
That'd be nice but you'd better not... I'm covered in bruises and
my jaw has a big mark on it.... @_@
He
didn’t reply for a moment.
Landray
Depth Charge: What
happened?!
Starath:
I can hardly believe it myself. Ah
sure what the heck.... A few hours
ago I WAS Starath.
Fighting Depth
Charge. He's got a hellava swing on
him...
Landray
Depth Charge:
...
Landray
Depth Charge: Ah,
fic writing a bit, hm?
Christine
sighed. No, it was much more real than that.
Starath:
Uh, no. I WAS fighting Depth
Charge. Until Rampage showed up and
shot us both.... He's a LOT bigger in person, I tell ya...
Landray
Depth Charge:
..uh...I must be confusing myself over here…
Can’t
say that I blame you. She
sighed again and geared herself up for the explanation that would probably
confuse her friend further.
Landray Depth Charge: Am I reading this wrong, or is there a double meaning, somewhere?
Starath:
*sigh* I told ya you wouldn't believe me.....
Landray
Depth Charge:
Yeah, what about him?
Starath:
He's Depth Charge in human form. I
swear he is.
Landray
Depth Charge:
.....That much of a likeness, huh?
She
growled and quickly pounded out: No
no.... he IS Depth Charge!
Landray
Depth Charge:
You know, I met someone like that once. Was the SPITTING image of Rattrap…
What do you mean 'is'?
Starath:
He IS Depth Charge. Somehow he
shrunk himself down and crammed himself into a human body. He just says it's 'magic'.... *rolls eyes*
But it's also a pain in the butt cuz he can go anywhere with me AS a
human and blend right in!
Landray
Depth Charge:
...
Landray
Depth Charge: Am
I missin' the interface here?
Starath:
It's true! My teacher met him!
Landray
Depth Charge:
O_o....so wait, what you're telling me is that you think a cartoon character is
real, first off, and is now somehow a human?
Starath:
Don't ask me how! It's magic!
When he didn’t reply for a minute
she explained: Look--
this morning I went to the Beast Wars world.
I WAS Starath. I learned how
to fly and how to shoot a gun. Then
I had to fight Depth Charge to learn how to be strong on my own and get rid of
"can't"! It was hell!
Landray Depth Charge: O_o..
Starath:
Then Depth Charge and Rampage got into a fight and I was sent back here with NO
time missing from when I went! I
swear, it's true!
Starath:
And for some reason the connection between Depth Charge and me is disconnected.
He isn't in my head anymore...
The empty hollow feeling echoed in her mind. She was more alone than she had ever felt.
Landray Depth Charge:
..Okay wait a second.
Landray
Depth Charge:
Let me try and piece this together. First, you are telling me that the Beast
Wars world is real?
Starath: Yes!
Landray Depth Charge:
..All right, next, you're saying that you went to their world and BECAME
Starath?
Starath:
Yes! I was so heavy being made of
metal! But now, afterwards, I'm
literally stronger because of it! *wonders
if Depth Charge planned it that way*
Landray Depth Charge:
.....*Is reeling over here*
Landray Depth Charge:
Did someone hit you in the head with a shovel this mornin',
luv?
She laughed at that before
replying: >.<
No, although DC's sucker-punch was certainly close enough....
I'd show you my injuries if I could!
People have been staring at me all day…
Landray
Depth Charge: *Shakes
head*
In
disbelief, no doubt… Well, here I go… Christine told him all that had happened that morning in full detail.
There was a long pause on the other end of the conversation.
Landray Depth Charge:
Are you
serious?
Starath:
It's the truth. Honestly.
I would never lie to you.
Landray Depth Charge:
Honest
truth? No drugs? Drink? Head injury or hallucinations?
Starath:
It's honestly true.
I have a good imagination, but I couldn't dream up something so awful....
And now Depth Charge is fighting Rampage and my head feels so empty!
I'm so worried! ;_ ;
Landray
Depth Charge: Well....
Landray
Depth Charge:
DC's a tough fish, he can take care of
himself... *Is still reeling*
Starath:
I know but still!!
I broke his foot! He's injured!
Landray
Depth Charge: Hmm…
Starath:
I wanna go and help him but he's the only one who can pass between
realities somehow.
Landray
Depth Charge: So
all that stuff on TV is real....
Landray
Depth Charge: DC's
real....so swears Starath herself.
Landray
Depth Charge: Good
God, this is nuts!
Landray Depth Charge: That
means Cybertron is real!
Christine smiled thinly when a thought came to her.
Starath: If I see him again
I'll have him come and visit you to prove it.
Landray Depth Charge:
*Screams at the sky* Take me hooooooooooooooooooooome!
His reply to her suggestion was immediate: Do
that!
Landray Depth Charge: Wow…
so he really pimp-smacked you like that?
Her cheek stung as if on cue.
She frowned as she read an email from her father.
Starath: *winces*
Yeah... it hurt... Gah... Landray... I hafta go, my dad is here to take me
home....
Landray Depth Charge: O_o...gah,
we-- okay! Just let me know if he comes out of everything okay! This still
sounds nuts.
Starath: I
will..... And then I'll beat him up for making me worry!!
*sighs* Even though you
probably still don't believe me.... thanks for listening.
I've been containing this ALL day...
Landray Depth Charge: I'm
always here to listen. You know that. *Tentative hug*
Starath: ^^ *hugs back* Luckily
I'm not THAT bruised.... See you later!
Landray Depth Charge: Bye!
“Christine! What happened?!”
She groaned and dropped her backpack on the floor and shuffled to the wall to take off her boots, hiding her face from her mother. She hadn’t even been in the house for ten seconds and the fuss-fest started. First she got it from her father on the way home, now her mother. On the couch her younger brother watched with curiosity too. Christine’s mother grabbed her daughter’s arm to pull her into the light so she could see her face. Christine yelped as a bruise was squeezed.
“OW! Mooo~oooom!”
“I didn’t do anything but pull your arm. Let me see your face!”
Grudgingly she let her see it. “It’s nothing. We were playing Ultimate Frisbee in gym today and I ran straight into the wall to catch the Frisbee. I’ll be fine.” Strangely enough, that was a partial truth. She DID hit a wall today. Or rather, the wall hit her. But she wasn’t going to clarify that part.
“It looks like you’ve been punched!”
“Yeah, that’s what I was thinking too.” Her father stood to one side to watch them. “But nobody’s fist is THAT big.”
Unless it belongs to a ten-foot Transformer. Christine squirmed under her mother’s intensive study. “I have homework to do. Can I go to my room now?”
She let go after looking her daughter over one more time. “…Alright. You should put some ice on that though, it looks painful.”
“I’ll be okay. Really. I just won’t run into anymore walls.” Picking up her backpack Christine hurried to her room and tried to hide her limp as well.
“Are you limping too?” Her mother demanded.
“Uh… no! My backpack is heavy today and I’m leaning on one side, that’s all!”
Quickly shutting her bedroom door, she breathed a sigh of relief and tossed her backpack in the corner. While changing clothes she winced as she saw all the bruises and marks she’d gotten from the morning’s adventure, thankful it was wintertime and pulled on another purple sweatshirt and jeans. Flopping onto her bed Christine stared at the ceiling, silence ringing in her ears. Talking to Landray had helped but her thoughts were still a mess of disbelief and confusion. She had really been a robot today. She learned how to fly and saw the world from a bird’s-eye view. She ran for her life and then turned to fight to prove she was worth something. She threw away her fear and doubt to become confident. The voices that said “I can’t” were gone now. It was a long tough battle to banish them but it was worth it. Tempted to believe she had dreamed the whole thing, all Christine had to do was stand up to look in her mirror for proof. A large yellow and purple bruise was smeared on the right side of her jaw. She couldn’t blame her mother for making a fuss over her. Grabbing a brush from her desk she went through her hair, wrinkling her nose when she found a leaf again. She wanted to think up something to do to Depth Charge for getting even after what he had done to her. But she couldn’t and sighed. It had been for her own good since she didn’t listen to his words. Action had to get it through her head. Glancing at her clock she saw it was almost 4:30. Is he still fighting Rampage? Is he alright? I wish I knew! Squeezing her eyes shut she brought an image of the lakeshore to her mind and tried to see him. Surprisingly, she did. But it wasn’t her imagination. It was like she was watching a movie. She could hear wind blowing and the rustle of sand and trees. Depth Charge leaned on a big tree growing alone near the shore, and the area looked like it had seen a small war.
Slagging murderous crab! Next time he won’t get away so easily, and not until I’m FINISHED with him!
Christine dropped her brush and didn’t notice when it landed on her foot. Their connection was back!
Depth Charge! Can you hear me?
Apparently he didn’t because he cursed something she’d never heard before and wouldn’t repeat to her worst enemy.
GAH! I should have been paying attention in case X showed up! If he had done anything to her… No… Don’t think of that. He’s already taken away…
He slumped, pulling his knees closer to his body. Christine felt a blast of his sorrow and staggered back. It was the deepest bluest sort, the kind that makes the heart cry out. Then it suddenly shifted to a red-hot anger and Depth Charge snarled both out loud and in his mind.
Never AGAIN! That monster will PAY for what he did to them!
ALL of them!
I haven’t forgotten, X! I
will hunt you across the universe if I must!
The ferocity of his fury hurt her head. Biting and burning, it stung and her eyes filled with tears. No one should ever have to be that angry. For any reason. Her heart bled pain for him and she grieved for his anger and his sorrow.
Oh Depth Charge, you wounded soul…
…Kid?
In a flash of white light Christine found herself standing on the lakeshore right in front of him. She blinked, wiping tears away, then started crying all over again when she saw how beat up he was, covered in dents, gashes, sand and his own mech fluid. He cradled one arm against his side and circuitry spewed from his shoulder joint where it had been partially ripped out. One of his fins flapped loosely off his back but he kept it pressed against the tree so it wouldn’t fall off. His left foot flopped to one side, nearly separated from his ankle. Rampage must have capitalized on that injury she caused. The thought of that made her cry harder and she ran to his out-stretched hand to hug his arm. Depth Charge pulled her gently to his side and rubbed her back. “It’s not as bad as it looks… Don’t cry…”
“You l-look like you’ve been through a slagging garbage disposal!”
He chuckled. “X fights rough. But so do I.”
“You didn’t have to fight him alone though! I could have helped! Somehow I would have! Then you wouldn’t be so hurt! You shouldn’t have to do that all alone!”
“Nonsense. You would have gotten in our way and been injured, or worse… And I choose to fight alone. It’s my duty.”
“N-no! You shouldn’t have to carry such a burden by yourself! It’s not fair! You shouldn’t have to be so angry! You shouldn’t have to hurt so bad! I’d take all that pain away if I could! Then you could be happy again!”
“No. It’s for only me to carry. I don’t remember what it’s like to be happy. I doubt I ever will. Hunting X to bring him to justice is my life now. I have to be angry to do that. But tell you what,” he rubbed a few tears from her face. “Stop crying and be happy for me, okay?”
Christine sniffled and nodded slowly. “Okay…”
The two of them sat together in silence watching the tide of the lake and clouds dance across the sky. While nestled so close to him she realized he smelled like metal and salt water mixed together in a way that reminded her of those bath salts her mom sometimes bought. It was relaxing to sit next to him even though he was a person of great turmoil raging within. Sadly she ran her hand over a dent in his armor as if attempting to make it vanish along with his pain. Depth Charge kept himself from flinching away and didn’t make a sound, he looking down at her.
“You know, that one’s from you.”
“It is?”
“All the little ones are. Especially the one right here.” He patted at his chin where she had nailed him. “You got a good swing on you, kid.”
She gave him a small smile. “Yeah well, that was for getting me right here.” She proudly showed him the bruise on her right jaw. “People were looking at me funny for it all day.”
“You didn’t try to hide it?”
“Nuh uh. Why should I? It’s my graduation medal for getting through your school of hard knocks.”
He laughed at that and immediately regretted it when his injuries screamed at him in unison.
“That you did. Next time I won’t go so easy on you.”
“….That was going easy?”
He gave her a wink. “Maybe.”
She poked him in the side where she hoped it didn’t hurt. “Hey, why did our connection cut off when you flashed me back into my world? I was so worried!”
“I’m not sure why. I think it was probably because I had all my attention focused on X and I wanted no distractions. But I didn’t cut it off purposely. I’m still trying to figure out how the connection works anyway, how I can hear you all the time but so far you’ve only heard me today, and so on.”
“Oh… Are you going to be alright, Depth Charge?”
“I always turn out all right, kid. No worries.”
“Shouldn’t you go to the Maximal base to get repaired?”
“And deal with those bozos right away? Heck no. Not yet.”
Christine let out a musical laugh. “Good point.”
Depth Charge didn’t reply and she glanced up to see his optics deepen to a darker red as he bowed his head.
“What’s wrong?”
The answer came cold and sharp. “Nothing.”
“C’mon, what is it? You can tell me.”
“No.”
“Depth Charge,” she took his hand in hers and uncurled it from a tight fist. “You can tell me. I won’t judge you. I can try to help.”
His grip tightened a little as he drew in a slow ragged breath. “It’s just that you reminded me of a little girl I knew when you laughed.”
“Oh… did she mean a lot to you?”
“Yes. She was my daughter.”
Christine had nothing to say to that. He continued softly.
“She was taken away from me when X leveled Colony Omicron, as was her mother. I found them afterwards…” His voice broke.
“Oh Depth Charge…”
He wretched his hand away from her and pounded it into the sand with fury burning in his optics. “I’ll never forgive him for that. Never.”
She tugged on his hand to get it out of the sand and he moved it, allowing her to hug it closely.
“That’s why I hunt X. He destroyed my family and so many more like it. He has no regard or value to life. It’s all a game to him. To cause pain. To kill. To murder innocents. I didn’t become a player in his sick game on purpose; he brought me into it by….” He trailed off, memories flashing through his mind and his throat tightened as he concealed drowning sorrow beneath a hard exterior. Christine watched him, looking for any signs of what he was thinking. He couldn’t hide the pain in his optics and she saw it, graciously deciding not to pry. Depth Charge would tell her when he was ready. After a moment he continued in a low growl of steely conviction, “Now I play the game to end it. And someday I will, even if it costs me my life.”
Tears filled her eyes as she remembered the last battle he would have with Rampage. She didn’t see him nod as he saw her thoughts and the scenes.
“But a life doesn’t equal a life! There is no law of equivalent exchange! Killing him won’t bring them back!”
“No. But it will prevent him from killing anyone else.”
“You don’t need to carry all the anger and hate! You don’t need to continue down this path! It may eventually destroy you!”
“I’ve been hunting X most of my life now, long before you came into existence. I can’t just let it go. I won’t until he is brought to justice.”
“At the possible cost of your life?!”
“Whatever it takes.”
“N-no! Depth Charge!” She clung to his hand tightly and shook with sobs.
“I’m too set in my ways. I’ve done this for too long. I’m not going to change.”
“Well… if I did, why not you?”
His optics widened and he shook his head. “I can’t.”
“What?” Christine let go of his hand and backed off to shake a finger at him. “Now you see here! That’s MY word, not yours! You are capable of anything! Letting go of the past is one of them!”
“I’m not as perfect as you think I am—”
“Nobody is! I don’t expect you to be! But if you’d stop looking behind you your life wouldn’t be so burdened! If you DON’T stop the anger will consume you and you’ll end up just like Rampage! What happens if you caught him and destroyed him? Would that be enough to silence your ghosts of the past? Would your desire for revenge be satisfied? Would you be able to find any meaning to you life afterwards?”
“I’m not becoming that monster!” He yelled back. “I’m better than that!”
“Are you? The pathway of revenge never ends, Depth Charge!”
“It’s justice, not revenge!”
“Not if it becomes every fiber in your body! Not if it’s the ONLY thing that keeps you breathing!”
“It’s not the only thing in my life!”
“Oh? What else is there, then? What else is there BESIDES hunting Rampage?”
Depth Charge leaned back on the tree and blinked. He returned his gaze to Christine, who stood with her fists balled up, shaking in frustration, her cheeks stained with tears.
“There’s… there’s…”
“Come on, WHAT else is there? Tell me!”
He didn’t reply and stared at the ground.
“Nothing, right? There’s nothing else! You’re going to keep hunting him forever until you catch him and destroy him, and there you’ll find yourself on the other side of purpose with NOTHING else in your life!”
“No.”
“What else is there, then?”
He wasn’t sure how he could explain it. There was something else, a piece of the happy past brought back to him…
“Something. Something from before. I don’t remember enough to know what it is, but it’s there.” He shrugged and ignored the biting pain as it lanced up through his back and shoulder. “You’ve given it back to me. I don’t know what it is yet. Maybe someday I’ll know. But there is something more than hunting X.”
“Me? What did I do?” Christine’s aggressive stance disappeared as she walked up close to him, looking questioningly.
“You became my friend… I guess.”
“Of course I am. You’re stuck with me for life.”
“Does that mean I have to hear your thoughts until the end of my days? Primus…”
“Yep!” She laughed, then squeaked as he picked her up and put her in his lap. His optics held a kind light and he seemed to smile with them.
“I haven’t had a friend in a long time. Not willingly, anyway. You should consider yourself honored.”
“Oh, I do. It’s not everyday a human gets the chance to meet a Transformer from another dimension.” She frowned thoughtfully. “Hey, how did you know what my ideal robot form and name was?”
He chuckled softly. “Magic, of course.”
Settling herself in his lap Christine sighed, then gave a goofy grin at Depth Charge when he glanced at her. She giggled, leaning against his side to get closer to his face.
“Ya know, I always thought your nose was cute. Like a little button.”
He blinked, rubbing his face with a finger. “I have a nose?”
“Yeah. It’s right in between your eyes, silly.” She pointed at it. “I’ve always wanted to poke it.” She moved to do so.
“I might explode.”
Christine jerked her hand back. “Really?”
“Maybe.”
“…No you won’t.”
“How do you know?”
“Cuz robots don’t explode when you poke their noses. Duh.”
“Duh?”
She nodded as if it confirmed the fact. “Duh.”
“I see…”
“Besides, what would happen if Rampage punched you in the face?”
“It’s my secret trump card. I’ll take him down with me.”
Christine stared at him for a long time, trying to figure out if he was being serious or not. Finally she concluded:
“You’re weird.”
He shrugged in reply.
“Maybe you’ll turn green?”
“I don’t want to be green.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s not my color.”
“Maybe you’ll turn red, then?”
“I don’t want to be red,” he grumbled, getting annoyed.
“Why?”
“It’s not my color either. It’s blue.”
“Will you turn inside-out?”
He blinked. “No.” When she started to ask another question he silenced her by covering her mouth with his thumb. “You ask too many questions, kid.”
She gave him another goofy grin when he removed his thumb. “How am I supposed to learn anything if I don’t ask any questions?”
“True, but you could start by asking questions that make sense.”
“Can I please poke your nose?”
“Only if I get to poke yours.”
Christine pondered the thought, but decided against it. “I’d let you but I think you might break it by accident…”
“Well, there’s your answer.”
“Why would you want to poke my nose anyway?”
Depth Charge dragged his hand across his face and counted to ten to keep his temper. Surprisingly, it didn’t take him long to calm down. Primus, I’m getting used to her silliness…
“To make you ask questions.”
“Oh.” A long pause. “Did you know bologna can stick to the ceiling?”
He raised an optical ridge. “And you say I’m weird…?”
“I’m always weird. You should know that by now.”
“Yes, I should know better than to expect anything normal from you, kid.”
She giggled again and smiled at him. “You know, I think you’d make a great father even now.”
“…Really?”
“Uh huh. There’s more to you than just the tough hunter. I can tell.”
They continued talking long into the afternoon until the sun started to set in the west. Finally Depth Charge hauled himself up slowly and painfully from the tree, allowing Christine to give him a goodbye hug around his leg before he sent her home in a flash of light. He transformed to flight mode and flew off to the Maximal base inside the mountainous volcano. As soon as he stepped through the giant doors he was bombarded with questions from Optimal Optimus.
“Depth Charge! Where have you been all day?”
He somehow prevented himself from giving a sarcastic answer. “Out and about.”
“What was your problem this morning? What were you talking about? A girl?”
“It’s been taken care of.” He walked down the pathway to the CR Chamber in a wobbly gait as if he were drunk just to confuse Cheetor and Rattrap as he went by them.
“What happened to you? You look like scrap!”
Depth Charge pushed a button on the CR Chamber and the door swung open. Spinning on his good foot, he made a face at Optimus and crossed his arms.
“I was fighting Rampage. Duh.”
The CR Chamber door closed before the Maximal leader could say anything more. The chamber’s walls prevented anyone from hearing him laugh at everyone’s bewildered expressions.
“I think da fish-bot swam in some bad water taday…” Rattrap made the “gone cuckoo” sign, rolling his optics.
END PART FOUR