A/N: Synapse is property of Hellsfirescythe on dA. Transformers property of.... whoever's gone and bought the copright at this point in time.
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Conversation died down as Ultra Magnus stoically paced through the door and surveyed the room, optics skimming over each small group of mechs to rest upon a solitary figure perusing a datapad, exhaustion almost etched into his calm face. The tri-coloured mech silently observed the smaller Autobot before exiting the room. It was no surprise to the other occupants when the solitary mech followed soon after, and there was more than one sympathetic look shot in his direction; the general assumption standing that, when one fragged off the mech in charge, one was in for verbal explosions. What none of them were privy to, however, was the radio conversation, which put into debate who exactly was on the receiving end. Of course, very few mechs were brave, or stupid, enough to even attempt listening in on Ultra Magnus's conversations.
: [Explain to me, Perceptor,
why one of my best spies is currently inoperable after apparently
trying to infiltrate Kaon on your orders.] :
:
[Magnus, though I find your dedication laudable, you and I
have markedly antithetic perceptions on how this battalion should
function. While your warriors are scrabbling around for energon,
Shockwave may have fabricated some commodity that could decimate us
facilely. We must know.] :
Ultra Magnus merely glared at the
small scientist keeping pace beside him, not noticing any and all
mechs that took one glance at him and scrambled out of his way.
:
[The last time I checked, Prime had left me in charge of the
Autobots - ] :
: [And I wholly acquiesce
with his volition.] : Perceptor interrupted, jogging to
keep up with the towering mech's strides as they passed through the
near-silent tunnel.
: [However, that judgement does not
dictate the progressive running of this army, and it is unable to
dictate how the Decepticons will act.] :
: [I'm
doing the best I can, Perceptor! I'm sorry if you don't like it, but
there's nothing I can do about that.] :
: [I'm
not saying that you've done a poor job. On the contrary, I believe
what you've done has been admirable. But it's time to face facts,
Magnus. As an army, we are barely surviving on what we manage to
scrounge from the Decepticons. As a civilisation, we've almost ceased
to exist. What will we do when the energon we manage to glean from
Decepticon stocks runs dry? We can't survive this way forever.]
:
"You think I don't know that?"
Ultra
Magnus's voice thundered down the corridor, causing everyone within
audio distance to freeze. The mech himself was busy glowering at the
now annoyed-looking scientist.
"I'm beginning to wonder."
It
was the blatant disregard Perceptor showed in that instance for Ultra
Magnus's rank that cause the tri-coloured mech to pause and stare in
near-stupefaction as the scientist stepped around him and continued
on his way. Shaking his head, Ultra Magnus followed.
:
[Care to repeat that?] :
: [You heard
me well enough the first time.] : Perceptor snapped back,
picking up his pace enough that the larger Autobot had to speed up to
keep up.
: [Magnus, you're a warrior, not a commander,
but you've done a dynamic accomplishment as both. You have, however,
one singular, fatal flaw. You believe in miracles.] :
:
[Miracles.] :
: [Exactly. From the
beginning, you've expected Prime to conceive a miracle. Even after he
and his crew departed on their jeopardous mission, you've been
expecting them to resurge and bring a triumphant victory in their
wake. And Magnus, for believing that you are a fool.] :
Ultra
Magnus paused mid-step as the scientist turned and poked his front
transformation panels angrily. Gone was the normally calmly reserved
scientist, and he was reminded just how well the mech before him
could hold his own in a fight.
: [This is war, Magnus.
Miracles were forfeit long ago. All we have now are facts, and they
are my speciality. Facts dictate that we either find a way to stop
the Decepticons, or find a way to survive. I for one will not risk my
life if there is another way to live.] :
: [Are
you suggesting we use any new weapon the Decepticons develop against
them? We are Autobots, Perceptor, we don't work that way.]:
He was almost bristling at the mere suggestion.
: [Then
how would you theorize we comport? Procrastinate and anticipate a
miracle?] :
A soft rumble passed through his vocaliser
as Ultra Magnus went to give his own irritated reply, only to be
interrupted again, as a green blur slid to a halt before
him.
"Sir!"
"What?"
He could have kicked
himself as the much smaller mech flinched slightly at his sharp tone.
The towering mech almost frowned at himself for trying to take his
frustrations out on the scout before him. Reigning in his temper, he
nodded to the green mech.
"What is it, Synapse?"
The
shorter scout looked warily between the two officers as if tossing
around the idea of whether it would be wise for him to walk away; in
the end, he decided it was safe to proceed, but wisely stepped back a
pace.
"Decepticons, sir. Seekers and a unit of ground troops
mobilizing outside of Praxus. The base commander there has requested
urgent assistance."
This caused Ultra Magnus to frown; there
was no reason for any Decepticon forces to be gathered near Praxus,
the city having been stripped of energon early in the war. A more
serious note for concern was the fact that most of his own soldiers
were still worn down from an earlier battle. Still, these were fellow
Autobots in trouble. He focused his attention back on the waiting
scout.
"Gather what mechs are able and see that they are
prepped. I'll join you in Communications shortly."
"Yes
sir.
Synapse threw a sharp salute before running from the room;
Ultra Magnus watched until the minute-sized mech had vanished through
another doorway before facing the scientist waiting beside him.
Raising a hand to rub one of his helm projections tiredly, he
sighed.
"Perceptor, I - "
The red mech held up a hand
to forestall him, and Ultra Magnus' own hand dropped back down to his
side.
"This warfare has begun to make ours an effete
camaraderie, and we both communicated in a regretful way. But I meant
what I said, Magnus. Miracles were forfeit long ago."
"Perhaps."
His
gazed fixed on the wall as a small group of mechs rushed past, some
with weapons already drawn. A small hiss escaped his vents.
:
[Let this soldier be deluded for a little while longer. We all
need something to believe in.] :
He glanced down as a
hand landed on his shoulder; Perceptor had to stretch up
uncomfortably to reach enough of his shoulder to pat. The scientist's
mouth was twisted upwards in a part-smile.
"Be assiduous.
Stay viable. We will descry a course of action to subsist through
this contention."
Nodding once with a small smile of his own,
Ultra Magnus left the corridor at a trot in pursuit of Synapse, not
noticing the thoughtful look on Perceptor's face as he went to assist
the medics in their
preparations.
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Silver
2008
