TF: The List

[wildernesstales]

Rating: PG
Series: G1
Summary:  How to be on Red Alert’s ‘Naughty’ list.
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: As per usual, the good things in life are not mine to have, but belong to someone else... in this case Hasbro, Takara and IDW and anyone else I’ve forgotten…
Authors Notes: For thetf_speedwriting Wednesday 21st July prompt 4 – How to be…
Feedback makes friends.  Flames dealt with by the masters of paranoia and fire, Red Alert and Inferno.
Prompt: 4
Time: 40 minutes
 

 

Red Alert had a list of all the mechs that had broken, flouted or otherwise bent his security protocols.  Unsurprisingly, Inferno was top of the list.  Triple-encoded and buried deep within Teletraan-1, Red Alert only ever touched the file when he had to update it.  Which in his opinion was far too often.

Slingshot, Air Raid, Wheeljack, Sideswipe, Ratchet, Prime, Inferno… the list went on.  Red Alert ran his optics over the names; each of them had committed what he considered grave offences.  It couldn’t have been any more serious for him to have actually listed them somewhere to have a record.

Slingshot; the arrogant young upstart Aerialbot.  How many times he’d flouted Red Alert’s protocols for leaving the Ark, Red Alert had actually lost count.  Or given up counting.  The mech would consistently fly out the top of the volcano.  Or take off literally right outside the main entrance, which disrupted all of Red Alert’s carefully calibrated sensors.  He’d even told Slingshot that.  Which was, in retrospect, probably a bad idea.

Air Raid; the mischief maker that was only rivalled by Sideswipe.  How the little hellion had managed to get his hands on ‘silly putty’, not to mention managing to circumnavigate Red Alert’s security procedures and cameras to dump said silly putty all over Ironhide’s berth, Red Alert still couldn’t work out.  He suspected Inferno had something to do with it though.

Wheeljack… the less said about the inventor with a penchant for explosions, the better.  Needless to say, Red Alert had had to replace cameras in Wheeljack’s laboratory and the surrounding corridors too many times.  Now, he left the blackened casings up there, having found out purely by accident that they resisted explosions better.

Sideswipe.  The red trouble-maker that was the bane of both Red Alert’s and Prowl’s lives.  He knew the security systems and the rulebooks backwards.  Almost as well as Red Alert and Prowl did.  Which meant catching and punishing him for any misdemeanor was difficult.

Ratchet, the great medic who thought that rules and security regulations didn’t apply to him or to his medical supplies.  The number of times Ratchet had allowed medical supplies through without letting Red Alert check them was more than enough for Red Alert to have had words with the medic.  Of course, in emergencies, Red Alert was perfectly happy for the supplies to be rushed through.  But when there hadn’t been any Decepticon activity for three weeks?  And just how did Ratchet know that nothing had been planted by the Decepticons?

Optimus Prime.  Red Alert scrolled down the list, not willing to dwell on the reasons Prime was on his list.

Inferno.  That was it, Red Alert closed the file, pass-wording it and triple-encoding it before saving it back to its location deep in Teletraan-1’s systems.  He then turned back to his security monitors, groaning as he caught sight of the Dinobots stomping down the corridor towards the rec room.  That was never a good sign.  Particularly as they were all in beast mode.  Venting a sigh, he opened a comm line to Prime and Prowl to inform them of the situation.

“Hey Red.” The door to the security center slid open to admit Inferno and the cubes of energon he carried.
“Inferno.” Red Alert gave his friend a small smile.
“Figured ya probably didn’t take a break.  Or refuel this mornin’, so thought I’d bring ya these.” He set the energon cubes down on the desk and took one for himself, sprawling in his usual chair.
“Anythin’ interestin’ on the monitors?”
“Not particularly.” Reaching for one of the cubes (because Inferno was quite right; he hadn’t refuelled, nor had he taken a break so far that shift), Red Alert answered Inferno’s question.  Taking an appreciative sip and feel his tanks churn at the prospect of fresh energon, he sought to distract himself.
“The Dinobots are headed for the rec room.”
“Oh, that can’t be good.” Red Alert shook his head.
“Definitely not.  However, I have already informed Prowl and Optimus.”
“Dang, I really hope they don’t need me.” Inferno groaned, peering into his cube as though it could tell him the future.
“Hopefully they will be able to deal with the situation themselves and won’t require your presence.” Red Alert favored Inferno with a larger smile this time.
“Yeah, me too.” Inferno grinned back.

Red Alert had a list of all the mechs who’d helped him out it the security office.  Unsurprisingly, Inferno was top of the list.