Doctor in the House [open]

[Deleted]

Characters: First Aid, Open
Location: Somewhere over the Middle East
Content Warnings: TBD
Plot Summary: First Aid arrives on Earth with a bang.

[Deleted]

The incessant beeping was a continuous reminder of his failure to account for gravitational pull. Red flashed across his paint at intervals, turning him monocolored every few moments. It had already been too late when he realized he was being pulled down faster than anticipated. He was doing all he could, but, at the moment, it felt as though the shuttle’s thrusters were firing with no real chance of stopping. Maybe if an ace pilot, like one of the Aerialbots, was the one flying he’d have a better chance. But, he wasn’t a flier, he just knew the basics of piloting.

Tense but thinking clearly, he dared to lift a hand from the controls long enough to open a channel. He was savvy enough to know it was a gamble, but, he couldn’t afford to crash, and potentially be damaged, without contacting anyone.

“This is First Aid. I’m coming in fast. Requesting evac.”

How often had he said that last line? How often had the reply been ‘hold on’ when there was no time to do so? Would that be what happened this time? Or, worse, would this finally be the instance when the Decepticons got to him first. He hoped not, and not just for his own sake. His death would devastate his brothers, and the Autobots could certainly use Defensor.

“Coordinates are as follows,” he listed them, keeping his optics focused on the vis screen ahead. 

Now to hope that the ‘Bots got there first.

[Deleted]

"This is First Aid. I'm coming in fast. Requesting evac. Coordinates are as follows."

Wheeljack drew a deep vent. He would pull out a datapad to leave a note for Ratchet. A stern look crossed his optics and he typed quickly and furiously.

"Sunshine, went to rescue First Aid. Be back soon. Kiss our little Sprocket for me."

Once he had the note written, he would look to the groundbridge, then to the hangar, where the Jackhammer awaited. Either method could be tracked, ultimately, but it was a case of trying to minimize the danger of the situation. In the end, he tucked a grenade at his hip in case and approached the groundbridge, putting in the coordinates. With one last glance to the rest of the base, he swallowed before turning on the groundbridge and running through.

He would carefully tap into a secure comm frequency, hoping that First Aid could catch this one.'Kid, Wheeljack here. Gimme a sign so I can getcha to safety. Prepared in case we gotta fight for safety, but I sure as hell hope we don't gotta.'

[Barricade]

He was doing some routine maintenance aboard the ship when his comms picked up the distress call. It was open comm, Autobot signal. It was the owner of the distress signal that caught his attention and made him have to make the split second decision to go check on the little mech. First Aid, the mech that he still owed his continued existence to, was making landfall. Why he had left this mudball world and why he'd chosen to come back he didn't know, and really it didn't matter. He owed him a debt, and he always repaid his debts.

::Inbound.:: He clipped it out, answering the signal the same way it was sent out, though filtered so that it shouldn't hit the Decepticon communications. He wasn't sure how successful that would be, so he'd have to hurry. If he remembered right, the little medic didn't have weapons of his own, or at least not any that could take out a Decepticon warrior of any skill.

At least he had access to the ground bridge from the Harbinger, though setting it was a pain in the backside. He was a frontline soldier, not an engineer, so everything he did was through trial and error. Like repairing the ground bridge, which had been damaged when the ship came down. It worked, but he worried that each use would be its last. Hopefully, that wouldn't be this use. He did not want to be stuck halfway across the world, especially not for the sake of an Autobot medic.

Before heading through the bridge he used the ship's scanners to find the others trajectory and cursed. He was coming down way too fast. ::Mech if you have not already fire your thrusters at full reverse, in inverse directions from one another on each side. Bring the nose up some, scanners say you are full nose down. You are going to burn up if you do not pull the nose up.::

He tried to send the falling pod directions, though he wasn't sure what would and would not get through with atmospheric interference. He was not a professional pilot by any means, but he did know what he was talking about. Most soldiers had at least basic training.

Barricade vented loudly and hit the bridge at a run after that. If he could get into normal comm range he might be able to talk the little medic through an emergency landing procedure. He was familiar with a few, mostly because he'd crashed his share of transports during the war.

[Deleted]

Well, that was a relief. First Aid felt some part of him relax when Wheeljack's voice came through the comms. Not just a bot, but a Wrecker too. He was definitely in good hands. The second voice, however, was unknown to him. It came through only because he had the frequencies left wide open in his attempt to reach help. The clipped announcement of "inbound" wasn't enough to go on. It wasn't a hostile, else the mech wouldn't have bothered announcing himself? Another 'bot, then? Maybe.

At least the mech seemed to know what he was doing.

::I read both of you. Understood,:: he commed back over the open channel, firing the thrusters as instructed. He was a fair pilot, in that he could take off, fly decently, and make a landing. But this kind of emergency procedure? Not his strong suit.

A firm pull on the controls brought the nose of his craft slowly hop, leveling him out to a safer angle. It was a struggle, the craft creaking and groaning as it fought gravity and momentum. Once he reached what he deemed to be a safe zone, he did his best to maintain position, his fall slowing to a more manageable rate.

::Thanks,:: he replied, relief in his tone, ::I think I might survive this one. Still coming in hot.::