A/N: This story is not a happy one. Also it was a glitch to write, I kid you not. I've cried, screamed in frustration, and pulled my hair while writing it. And the best part? It's probably not even that good.
Note: It was inspired by the song Sing For Absolution by Muse (listen to the song, it's beautiful). Inspiration was also taken from MissCHSparkles's stories and one of poisonouswaffle'n-stuffs stories. Unintentional inspiration was taken from Wannbe Starscream's story Loves Crime.
Note 2: There are no OCs in this fic. Unless you count drones and a mentioned nameless Autobot.
Note 3: This is a sequel to my poems Discipline and Visitor.
Note 4: The lyrics in the summary are from Sing For Absolution and sort of go with the story if you think about it...
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Now if you excuse me, I'm going to go cry in the corner for writing this.
Absolution
The drones had been chasing her for a long time and she was running low on energy. The youngling wished her caretakers would swoop in, destroy the drones, and take her back home. But that was a fantasy, the chances of that happening were slim at best.
She had to be realistic.
The youngling could no longer hear the drones, and thought that maybe this was her chance to find a place to hide. In the corner of her optic, she spotted a half-demolished building and she approached it with her sensors on high alert. Death could be around the corner if she was careless.
She opened a door and carefully closed it before turning around and nearly gasping at the sight. All around her were beautiful murals, some reminding her of something she'd seen when she was a little younger, and inscriptions of quotes her caretakers had told her once or twice. Entranced by it all, she almost didn't notice the podium on the other side of the room. On it was a large book, a very old book from what she could tell. Books were very rare nowadays -ever since the war began- and information was now found in data pads.
In an instant, she knew what kind of building she was in. It all fit: the murals of scenes from stories she was told growing up, morals her caretakers would tell her inscripted on the walls, and the ancient book.
This was a temple of Primus.
Her caretakers had told her plenty about life before the Great War began, including how mechs and femmes would worship Primus in temples all over Cybertron and how most, if not all, were reduced to rubble during battles. She never thought she would see one outside of old, faded photographs.
Suddenly, the little femme heard something move. She wasn't alone.
She hid behind a large pillar and barely had the courage to peek out at the origin of the noise.
The noise didn't come from glitch-mice like she hoped, but instead came the podium. It was then she noticed that someone was resting next it. It was a Seeker mech. His armor was a dull yellow, covered with dents and grime; his dimmed optics were the same color and held a haunted look within them; mounted on his back were large protrusions -that she presumed were once wings- so torn and mangled that looked like they would fall off at the slightest breeze, much less winds roaring past at mach 1. The mech didn't look like he could get up and kill her at any second, but instinct told her to keep hidden from his view and she listened. The hint of purple on the shredded metal made her feel uneasy. If the Seeker really was a Decepticon, then he could easily call the drones if they ever came past the temple and have them find and kill her.
Another option besides hiding from the mech would be to just leave the temple. That's what she should do, but wouldn't. She didn't want to risk the drones finding her again because she left at the wrong moment, besides, she doubted if she could find another shelter quickly enough. No, it was easier to stay.
So she sat behind her pillar observing her mysterious and oblivious companion, wondering how he had gotten here in that state in the first place…
XXX
It was so dark…
Why was he here?
He didn't mean to misbehave.
Pain! Horrible pain!
Someone, anyone, please let me out! I'll be good, I promise! Just let me out!
The screaming and the begging doesn't work.
It won't end.
A small yellow light shines in the dark, mocking him.
He hates that light so much, he wishes it would just disappear forever!
More pain comes and the torture contines.
He'll never be free…
Sunstorm onlined screaming and sobbing from the nightmare of his past. Immediately, he felt someone hug him tightly whispering comforting words until he quieted down.
The clone looked at the mech holding him and saw Acid Storm's kind smile.
"You're fine now," the elder murmured.
The younger nodded, but his hold on Acid Storm never wavered.
XXX
Every night it was the same, Sunstorm would wake up in the middle of the night screaming and Acid Storm was always there, ready to give him comfort.
The young clone grew to depend on the Rainmaker for company and was frightened when Acid Storm would leave him alone in the room. It brought back too many painful memories and whenever the green Seeker returned, Sunstorm would become clingy.
With time, Sunstorm's nightmares of his early life faded, leaving the mech with a demeanor of acceptance about what Shockwave did to him. At least on the outside. Inside, Sunstorm was filled with such anger and hatred that it terrified him that one day he might lose control over those volatile emotions and strike at some random mech. To him, the only mech who deserved his wrath was Shockwave. It was fortunate that Shockwave never left his lab and Sunstorm spent most of his alone time reading in the library, otherwise things would have become violent very fast.
It was Acid Storm who introduced the young Seeker to the library. The elder knew he couldn't watch Sunstorm all the time, and the chemicals he worked with were very dangerous, so he thought the data pads could entertain the gold Seeker until he finished his shift. When he took Sunstorm to the library, he preserved the memory of the younger's optics lighting up with wonder deep within his processor. He loved seeing Sunstorm happy, especially after he saw what the younger went through for so long.
It never occurred to Acid Storm that Sunstorm might take his reading too seriously someday.
XXX
Acid Storm was in his lab, taking notes of a chemical reaction he was observing, when his assistant, Thunderblast entered. He knew the femme for years and only trusted her to work with him. She was vain and superficial, but she worked hard and was the only one besides his trine mates, Cumulus and High Voltage, who reminded him to refuel.
"Acid," she said quietly, "you've been working too hard. I rarely see outside of this room anymore."
"I'm very busy," was all he replied.
Thunderblast frowned. For the past few months Acid Storm had been cutting himself off from everyone, including his trine, for some unknown reason. It annoyed the femme that such an intriguing mech was shutting himself away. It was about time she discovered what it was that kept Acid Storm so preoccupied.
XXX
Sunstorm was reading a data pad about the Golden Age of Cybertron, absolutely entranced by how wonderful the planet's past had been. Too bad the war destroyed most of the beautiful landscapes and forms of art.
The door to the library opened and Sunstorm froze, worried that it may be a strange mech.
"What are you reading?" Acid Storm asked.
The younger Seeker relaxed; it was only Acid Storm, a friend. "Something about the Golden Age," he answered.
The elder cycled his vents. He wasn't quite sure what to make of that. It was good that Sunstorm was keeping himself entertained, but was it right to give him thoughts about the Golden Age and long for a peaceful time that he may never live to see?
A servo grabbed his. Acid Storm was surprised; Sunstorm was holding his servo and gave him a soft smile.
"Thank you for everything."
He didn't reply -he wasn't sure what to say- he only took Sunstorm back to their room.
Neither Seeker noticed the femme spying on them.
Thunderblast was furious. She had followed Acid Storm after he left the lab and found him with that… that failed experiment! She knew who Sunstorm was. She helped Shockwave build and imprison the miserable thing. She regretted not killing the clone of that idiotic Second-In-Command when she had the chance. But no, Shockwave kept the slagger alive to observe him and maybe even make him into a soldier. As if that will ever happen, she thought with a roll of her optics.
She had a bit of a crush on the Rainmaker, she always did, from the moment she first met him. Thunderblast always tried to give him hints that she was interested, but he never responded or never noticed. Acid Storm was usually too busy concentrating on his work to pay any attention to social calls. But now he was spending his spare time with Sunstorm instead of anyone else. Instead of her.
The femme forced herself to calm down; she had to keep her processor clear if she wanted to take care of this little problem. Thunderblast will give Acid Storm time to come to his senses, if he doesn't then she will have to act.
XXX
There were times that Acid Storm would be gone for days and when he came back, he would be exhausted and covered with new scars. Sunstorm hated these times. When the elder Seeker was gone, he wasn't allowed out of the room for his own safety. And for the safety of others, Sunstorm would always add silently. Being locked away in the room reminded him too much of his cell, but the younger Seeker distracted himself with all the data pads Acid Storm would let him take from the library.
The scars Acid Storm had always reminded Sunstorm that there was a war going on outside the tower he was created in. He wondered if one day he too would be sent to a battle; Sunstorm wouldn't be able to do much; he'd be shot down before he could use his power. Cannon fodder, that's all he could ever be.
The Rainmaker's silence was even worse than the scars. Acid Storm would ignore Sunstorm, working at his desk as if nothing had ever happened before going straight to recharge. It worried the clone and he would pet Acid Storm's wings, offering a little comfort. How many familiar faces would never be seen again this time? That was one of the questions Sunstorm would ask himself. How much longer until Acid Storm stopped coming back from battles? What then? The younger would shake from fear of these questions, but taking care so that the elder wouldn't notice. Acid Storm always noticed and would hold him close until the shaking stopped. He never asked why Sunstorm shook though, Acid Storm just seemed to know.
It was during one of Acid Storm's long absences that Sunstorm discovered a data pad, different from the others. It was called The Covenant of Primus. Curious, Sunstorm began to read and never stopped once until he was finished, but even after he finished, he reread it, memorizing and studying every word.
Religion provided Sunstorm with an escape from the harsh reality of living on a war-torn planet, where at any moment one's life could end gruesomely. The stories and lessons long forsaken by the general population kept the Seeker's hope of a better life alive. Unfortunately, Sunstorm never really was stable mentally in the first place, causing his devotion to the holy words to become borderline fanatical.
XXX
The Seeker never moved from his spot at the podium, neither did he recharge even though it was obvious that he was exhausted. The youngling didn't understand why he didn't go into stasis yet. Shouldn't a mech with his injuries go into light stasis so that his systems could begin repairs?
He piqued her curiosity, this odd mech. She would hear him murmuring something akin to prayers. His soft words sometimes echoing in the sacred room, she would hear him whisper a name as well as mentions of the Well and the Pit.
The femme wasn't sure why he was asking "Acid Storm" to forgive him…
XXX
When Sunstorm told Acid Storm about what he'd read, the Rainmaker dismissed it, telling the clone that the data pad was a work of fiction and that he shouldn't dwell on what was written in it. But Sunstorm persisted, so sure that the tales it told were true. An argument broke out, and it ended with the elder leaving.
It was nighttime by the time he returned, Sunstorm was already on the berth when Acid Storm laid down next to him. The clone hugged the Rainmaker tightly, sorry that he brought up the topic. The green Seeker held him, whispering apologies for storming off like that.
The argument was only the first of many.
XXX
Thunderblast knew when Acid Storm had a fight with Sunstorm; the scientist wouldn't be able to concentrate on his work and his wings would be hitched up, occasionally twitching in agitation. Patiently, she would wait for him to either move out of his room or kick the clone out. But by the end of the day, her hopes were always dashed.
She finally knew she had wasted enough of her life chasing Acid Storm, it was time for her to make a move.
XXX
"Faithless scoundrel!"
"Delusional fool!"
This was, by far, the worst argument the Seekers had. Neither one even was sure how it began, but once it started, it only got worse and worse.
"So I'm delusional for worshipping and spreading the word of Primus?"
"No, you're delusional for thinking that you are some sort of messenger of Primus. You're not even a supposed creation of His! You were created by science, not some make-believe god! You will never go to the Well, even if it did existed!"
Sunstorm was silent and Acid Storm immediately regretted his harsh words. He reached for the younger Seeker.
"Sunstorm, I'm sor-"
"Don't you touch me!" Sunstorm screeched, backing away. With tears in his optics, he walked to the door, but not before glancing back at Acid Storm.
The elder was shocked by the amount of anger and hatred that were in Sunstorm's optics. He never saw a look like that from him before.
"Burn in the Pit, atheist," he hissed, saying the last word as if it were the worst insult ever spoken, and he was gone.
XXX
Thunderblast found Sunstorm alone in the library, anger radiating off of him. She held an Energon cube in her servo, this was just the chanced she needed.
"Hello, are you new here?" she asked politely.
The gold Seeker looked up at her and shook his helm. "I've been here for years."
"Oh really? I thought I would've recognized you. Are you alright?" she said with false concern.
"I'm fine," he lied. "I just had a minor fight with someone."
"It seems like it was a pretty bad fight."
Sunstorm didn't say anything.
"Well have some Energon," she said, handing him the cube.
He took it and had a few sips.
"You know, if someone hurt me," Thunderblast started, "I'd get pay back. Make them suffer for what they did."
Sunstorm had drunk the whole cube and his sight was becoming fuzzy. What did he drink? The last clear thing he saw was the femme's smirking face.
XXX
A splitting processor ache was waiting just for Sunstorm when he onlined the next morning. He groaned, what happened last night? Then he remembered, he had another fight with Acid Storm. Strange, that was the only thing he could remember. Did anything else happen?
Sunstorm's servos were sticky. He onlined his optics and saw the dried Energon on them. He also noticed that he was in Acid Storm's berth and that the elder was lying next to him. Sunstorm looked at Acid Storm and felt his spark stop.
Acid Storm was gray and covered in his own Energon, his spark chamber torn open and empty. The position of his arms looked like he had been pinned down, his servos were partially melted.
"No…" he whispered as he took in the sight. "Oh Primus, I killed him!" Sunstorm sobbed, pulling the corpse into an embrace. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean what I said!"
The clone continued cried quietly, whispering, "Don't leave me, Acid. I'm sorry."
Sunstorm fell into recharge after spending much of his energy for his grief; his dreams were about Acid Storm and death. He onlined screaming, it was the first nightmare he had in a long time. The younger Seeker shuddered when he realized that he had recharged while hugging Acid Storm. He climbed off the berth and looked at his chassis. If anyone saw him, they'd knew what he had done.
He needed to leave, that much was true. Sunstorm grabbed something from a drawer and walked to Acid Storm. He stroked the corpse's cheek and kissed him before running out of the room.
There was a door Acid Storm made Sunstorm promise to never go through unless Autobots infiltrated the tower. He ran down the halls, looking frantically for a certain door. Finally, he found it. It was a large plain door, not much different than the other doors, but to him, it was hope for freedom. Sunstorm opened the door and broke his promise.
The burst of cool air surprised the clone as Sunstorm walked onto the roof. He could see for miles from where he stood. Miles of ruins. Signs of a never-ending war, just like Acid Storm had warned him once so long ago. His spark ached at the thought of the elder Seeker. Sunstorm shook his helm. He had to leave, but how?
Almost like an answer, the wind caressed his wings and he knew what to do.
XXX
"That stupid clone killed Acid Storm and you're not going to anything!" Thunderblast shouted angrily.
Shockwave did not look intimidated by the femme. "After Acid Storm released him, I warned him that Sunstorm would turn on him one day. Acid Storm was a fool for not listening."
"But that clone is still a menace!"
"Sunstorm, as you've said countless times before, is a failed experiment and therefore is not worth the energy to find, energy that could be spent keeping Cybertron under Decepticon rule until Lord Megatron's return. Besides, Sunstorm will not last long outside the tower. He will die from starvation or will be shot down by Autobots."
Thunderblast clenched her fists. When will that Cyclops get it through his thick processor that Megatron and the Nemesis's crew were never coming back? It's been years and not a single message from them!
"Fine, be that way," she hissed and turned on her heel, walking out of the room. This was a snag in her plan. Drugging Sunstorm and killing Acid Storm had been so easy and fun, but her revenge wouldn't be complete without Sunstorm's destruction. She smirked, if Shockwave won't send the drones out, then she will.
XXX
A faint smile was on Sunstorm's face as he flew over the ruins. He felt like he belonged in the sky and wished he been allowed to fly sooner. With Acid-
Sunstorm cut off the thought. He couldn't think about him right now. He needed to concentrate on getting away.
Turbines could be heard behind the Seeker, growing louder and louder by the moment. Glancing back, Sunstorm saw five drones flying after him. He knew didn't stand a chance with the pitiful amount of flying he's done so far. His best chance of surviving would be to hide in the ruins.
Increasing his speed, Sunstorm tried to create more distance between him and the drones. It was then when they began shooting at him. He tried to dodge the shots, but one grazed his wing and another directly hit his thruster. Sunstorm spun out of control, the ground coming closer by the second. He tried to stabilize himself. It was pointless. Sunstorm crashed into the ruins, rolling a few times before stopping.
The pain was almost too much for him to handle, but the clone forced himself to move to find some sort of shelter. He couldn't let the drones find him. It wasn't long before he found an open door that led into a half demolished building. He crawled inside and shut the door.
For several tense minutes, he heard the drones searching the area. By some miracle, they never entered the building. Sunstorm let out an air intake and looked at the room he was hiding in. He laughed when he recognized it from the data .
He was in a Temple of Primus.
Sunstorm's laughter became sobs. How could a murderer make this temple his sanctuary? The Seeker fell silent and his gaze blank. He had to be punished for all he had done. He was a coward for running from what he deserved. No matter, he'll make sure he suffered.
The clone un-subspaced what he took from Acid Storm's drawer: an Energon blade. He lifted it with his shaking servo. He must be punished.
Sunstorm screamed in agony as he stabbed through his right wing with the blade and almost passed out as he pulled it down, leaving a horrible gash. He continued until both his wings were nothing more than shredded metal. A pool of Energon grew around him.
He kept himself awake, because in every dream he had Acid Storm was there, haunting him with that smile of his. He didn't deserve to see him. He deserved to be in the Pit, no matter how terrified he was.
It won't be long now…
XXX
Something was wrong, she was sure of it. Her companion was quiet, too quiet. It's been hours since she heard him speak and she was starting to wonder if he was still there.
The youngling peeked out from behind the pillar and saw he was in his same spot by the podium. The Seeker looked worse for wear: he was grayer now. Something else was off about him…
Tears. He was crying and he looked so scared that the youngling couldn't help but feel sorry for him.
"I'm sorry Acid Storm," he whispered weakly.
The femme got up from her hiding spot and cautiously walked to the Seeker.
"Are you-?"
She never finished her sentence. There was no need to. The Seeker was dead, she'd been too slow. The little femme sat next to the Seeker and held his cold servo.
Another day passed and her fuel tanks were now dangerously low. She would die if she didn't get some Energon quickly.
She glanced at her dead companion. He bled out, but there must still be Energon inside him.
"Desperate times call for desperate measures," as her caretakers always said.
The youngling had only drunk another mech's Energon once before, when she and one of her caretakers were separated from the others and were starving. The mech had been a dead Autobot, a friend who had been crushed by rubble.
With a shudder, she picked up a discarded Energon blade and cut into the main Energon line. There wasn't much, like she expected, but it was enough to keep her alive for a little while longer. She quickly fell into recharge.
"Arcee! Arcee, are you here?" cried out a familiar voice.
The cries woke Arcee.
When she heard the voice again, the youngling smiled happily. It was one of her caretakers! Chromia, if she heard correctly.
She was going to live. Arcee got up and ran to the door. Before she opened it, she sadly glanced back at the Seeker.
"I hope you find peace and forgiveness in the afterlife," she whispered and she left the Seeker whose name she never even knew.
The End
A/N: Originally, Sunstorm really was the one who killed Acid Storm, but I changed it because the story was too much like Loves Crime. Also I had planned to make Sunstorm much more insane, but it didn't turn out like I hoped. :/
Thank you Wannabe Starscream for giving me the go-ahead to write this.
Thank you Ultimos-11 for your suggestion.
Jesus Luvs Everyone, believe it or not, this is meant to be the oneshot I promised you after I wrote Visitor.
Please review if you liked.