A scene from the middle of Disclosure, some of Shadow's counsiling with Sam. Also known as the scene that ambushed me at 4 in the morning... Transformers is not mine, not making money, etc. Shadow's my OC, and this is hyrde-verse.


"I mean, look at me!" Sam cried in frustration, motioning down along his body.

"I am..." Shadowsinger muttered, distracted. It was the first time he had seen the human naked since his rescue, but the mech wasn't looking in horror. No, he was more thoughtful.

Nodding a little, the mech turned away, looking at an empty space in his room. A shape began taking form there, the Autobot's hologram technology turned to a use it wasn't quite meant for. Another mech was formed, only as tall as Shadowsinger, but bulkier. Wheels started to shimmer into existence, but then the pale mech glanced at Sam, who was looking very confused, and the wheels faded out, replaced with six elegant rotor blades. When he was finished, Shadowsinger had produced a blue and black rotor-craft mech, visually the same as a real Cybertronian, though no rotary was that small.

"What the... what is that? I said look at me, and you go and..."

Shadowsinger shook his head, smiling a little. "I am looking at you. This is what I tend to see when I look at you, a vision of what I think you would look like as a mech. ...Well, full sized, but I can't make a larger holo." He came up to stand beside the form he had made, purple digits tracing lines on it. "This is you."

Sam shook his head, glaring weakly at Shadowsinger. "I don't know what you're trying to do or say, you're not making any sense. I'm not... that!"

"Rotaries are generally considered rather attractive, like you are. I considered a ground vehicle, but you're not a 'cycle, you're not... twitchy enough to be so small. Truck didn't fit, and cars... well, only really fast race cars tend to have the lines that match you. But a flier... you're flighty, at times, not so high-strung as a Seeker. Rotaries can by flighty, but can be very stable, and maneuverable, and very loyal."

"Um... okay...?" Sam agreed slowly, still not sure what he thought of the mech's words. "But it's still not me, it's too... too clean..."

It was Shadowsinger's turn to shake his head, "No... it has your scars. Most are invisible, weld-lines sanded down and painted over, nodes not quite repaired correctly... All but this one." He tapped the holo-form's chest, and Sam looked closer, growling slightly when he saw the perfectly etched Decepticon symbol, at odds with the red sigil Shadowsinger had put on the holo's shoulders.

"Why THAT? Of all things... That's a sick joke! I'm not-"

"I know," Shadowsinger cut Sam off, voice strong and understanding. "I know Starscream did it to be cruel, and I know you don't bear it by choice. On the other hand... I know some things about Decepticon marking, and I know Starscream. Even he wouldn't do that frivolously."

Taken aback at Shadowsinger's calm acceptance, was everything the mech did calm, it got unnerving at times, Sam looked up at the mech and the holo-form. "Okay... fine. I'll hear you out... I know you could get rid of that, I know if I really was that mech, you'd just, I dunno, sand it or something. So... what gives?"

"Very simply... The Decepticon... Leader deemed you worthy of bearing that mark. For 'Cons, it's quite the honor to have someone so high-ranked put the mark on... And you had Starscream himself thinking you were worth of serving him... don't look like that! I agree, I'm not fond of the idea of serving Screamer. It's the other things that it means that I'm wanting to bring up."

Bringing one hand up to hover over the still-healing acid burn on his chest, Sam waited a moment before prodding Shadowsinger for more. "So... bring it up."

"Simple," Shadowsinger answered a moment later. "He basically showed that he views you as a mech, as strong and worthy of being in his army. He saw you as... as close to an equal as Screamer can view any grounder, and the treatment was... much the same as that given to any conscript." Shadowsinger's voice became lightly teasing for a moment, "Which also means you're 'worthy' of defecting and joining the 'Bots..."

"You mean... he did it because... he thought I was strong? That... but there's still... I still don't want... I mean..."

"Bumblebee will see it the same way I do," Shadowsinger assured Sam, making a mental note to pass his line of reasoning on to the yellow mech. Bumblebee would understand it, Shadowsinger was sure, but it would be easier if it was shown to him. "You should ask him to make a holo of what he'd see you as, some day..."

"I... might..." Sam muttered, wondering how Shadowsinger had know what he was thinking before remember that the mech seemed to be telepathic, for all he denied it. That gave him the courage to actually voice his next question, "Um... do you think... could you maybe... I don't know, warn him... I mean, I wouldn't want it to... you know..."

"Be a surprise and interrupt the mood?" Shadowsinger filled in, smiling. "Sure, no problem. Oh, you can go ahead and get dressed again if you want." He dissolved the mech he had formed and reimplemented his human form so he could use it later, watching silently as Sam took him up on the offer and replaced his clothing.


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