Unbroken

Like a Blue-Striped Red Screwdriver

Disclaimer: No, I don't own BF5, they belong to Mattel Inc and Nerd Corps. I only own the storyline and theories in this one-shot. And I tend to get wordy, when I write mushy stuff.

This all takes place post-Legacy

-Sage POV-

1905 hours (7: 05pm). "Welcome back, Battle Force 5! Congratulations on your victory!" I exclaimed, yet again. My inner circuits seemed to be fond of exclaiming these sentences over and over again. It only seemed right, since failure is never an option, when one team works hard to save the Multiverse that we Sentients painstakingly put together. The Battle Force 5 laughed and let out their cries of victory as Zoom handed me the Battle Key. That was when I noticed that only 5 humans and 4 vehicles were in the Hub with me. The Saber-and its occupant, my beloved Saviour-were missing.

"But wait, where is Vert? I thought he was with you," I inquired. Everyone looked around. Then Agura replied, "He must have skulked away while we were celebrating." "But where? I must point out to him all the damage the Saber has taken in the Battle Zone." Everyone fell silent for exactly a minute and exchanged uneasy glances. My inner scanners looked for an augmentation in their thermal levels and found it. I now felt the sensation of anxiety. "Why are you not telling me anything? Has he been injured by my brother?! Tell me!" My voice rose as my anxiety increased for the one human I felt a special connection with, for some reason. I managed to calm myself down, but my facial features retained what I hoped was a frown. Then Zoom spoke up, with hesitation:

"Vert found...aaaaand then lost his, um, Dad." "A 'Dad?'" I thought. I decided to let my thoughts speak.

"I do not understand, Zoom. What exactly is a 'Dad'?"

"A 'Dad' is a father, one of the two parents a human is born to and raised by," Sherman answered to me, "Like, y'know, what an axon is to a Sentient."

"Oh," Now it was clear to me, "I see. Then...All of you can take the night off. I'll meet up with Vert."

Now I understood why Vert was not in my presence. And I remember all too well how I once felt the way he felt at that moment. I handed the Battle Key to Sherman to be kept away safely, then made my way to the elevator. If my calculations were correct, there was a 99.9% probability that he would be in his own garage above the Hub. The thoughts in my head are numerous. Aside from having inherited the garage from his family, he never said much about the latter. And, in return, I said nothing about my own family, thereby protecting each others' personal lives. I knew from the very first day he brought me to his garage on Earth that it held good memories for him. The garage was not just his garage, it was his home. And it held a good memory for myself, because he looked after me here, when he brought me to Earth. He shared his haven with me, so that I could heal and recharge from my travels.

But now that the subject of family has come to light...It was now time we opened up to each other more. I still feel the sting from my teacher Sol's departure. He was the only real family I had, after the death of my axons in the great war that happened long before the Sentient War. I dare not speak of it. Or do I? My loved one's father may be dead like my axons, for all I know. And it is for my family, for which I live to be the driving force to the Battle Force 5. Correction: Now my only family is the Battle Force 5. And most of all...for love. The love of my Crimson One. The elevator doors slid open...

-Vert POV-

1905 hours (7: 05pm). "Zoom, take the Battle Key to Sage," I said, flipping it to him, "I've got steam to blow off." "Uh, sure thing, Vert. A lap around the test track will do you some good," Zoom replied tentatively. He took the Key and the team set off to meet Sage. I could still feel their sympathetic eyes on me as I turned around. Though they weren't there.

Zoom was right, though. A test lap would always work for me. But not today. Not after all that just happened. And here we are, my garage. Which used to be Dad's. And now belongs to me. I parked the Saber where it used to be parked before it became the Saber. I came up to Dad's old tool-bench. Yup, he'd got his wish: It was still clean. That's all. No "Say luv' ya to yer Mom and Grandma, kid." And I dunno what to tell 'em, either...

"URH!" BLAM!

My fists hurt. There were marks on the wall, where I'd hit it. They looked uglier than Tors-10's eyes. The thought of what that 'bot did to Dad just makes me mad. And DAD! *Thwack!* I kicked the tool-bench and sent the ol' toolbox flying. He DARED set foot in that portal, while I, being the stupid 8-year old I was, just stared while Mom tried to run after him! But NO, that car just left us all to bite its dust! Mom and Gran were so heartbroken. I looked at the tool-box and its littered contents. *sigh* Couldn't blame him, though. I entered that very first Stormshock portal back then, thinking it was just another Salt Flats tornado in which I could whoosh around and have fun in. And DAD didn't even know what hit him when the Stormshock just sucked his car into a Battle Zone.

What more could I do? I looked around, cleared my throat and got down on my knees. Ain't no way I'm gonna leave this place littered. A wrench here, a spanner there. *sigh* I loved playing with that spanner, when I was little. Gran didn't want me using it as a teethe though. Then I remembered I wasn't the only one who'd lost family. Sage had it worse. Parents out of the picture? I guess. Twin brother gone crazy? Check. Very young for her age? Check. Last one of her kind? For now. And Sol? She just lost him! And now it's my turn! If I didn't know any better, I've been punished for taking Krytus' Spawn-Bait! Worst week ever. Guess Sage and I are both even now. At least this means Sol's not my rival for her affections now...Oh, wait, he never was...

"Vert?" A gentle, though inhuman, hand landed slowly on my shoulder. Sage. Figured they'd tell her. This was gonna be awkward...

-Normal POV-

"Hello, Vert, why were you not in the lower level with the others?" Vert just glanced at her sideways and carried on picking up the tools, which Sage noticed, were scattered on purpose around the garage. She also noticed the marks on the wall, his trembling hands and how he refused to look at her face. As he picked up tools and put them in the box, the Sentient saw that the Saber's windscreen was shattered. She levitated there and found a red screwdriver with blue stripes on the driver's seat. "Note to self: Make Saber windscreen screwdriver-proof," she thought, then realized she was smiling at the screwdriver. It rather reminded her of Vert in his red Shocksuit and the blue stripes were his eyes..."Or maybe they represent my body wrapped around his..."She mumbled pensively.

"Uh, Sage...Did you say something?" Sage was shaken out of her reverie, as she levitated to where Vert stood and handed him the screwdriver. The brief contact of their hands made them both shiver a little."You shattered your own windscreen, Vert Wheeler," She rebuked with an amused smile,"I should do what you humans call 'grounding' for this." "Hmph," was the taciturn reply. He just packed the screwdriver away while Sage telepathically hoisted the bench.

Then Vert got up and walked over to the elevator without any acknowledgement. This aroused Sage's concern and she immediately made a scan of his thermal levels, the increase in which told her he was feeling uncomfortable around her presence. Vert's finger had barely reached the 'Down' button on the unseen Quantum Matrix, when he felt Sage's hands on his shoulders. Vert sighed.

"Sage, I just wanna..."

"I know," she interrupted him with that soft, calm voice of hers. He'd always heard her speak in that same tone, unless emotions betrayed themselves in extreme scenarios. But now, something in her voice told him not to ignore her. She sounded...subdued, quiet. He reluctantly turned around to face her hovering form. Sage liked hovering; it brought her up to Vert's height, as he was only a head taller than her. He saw the sympathy and worry etched on her face. Did she really know? 'Her face looks so cute, when she's worried,' he thought. He bowed his head to not let her see him blushing.

"Vert, I know you want to be alone for a while..." Sage spoke gently, but firmly, squeezing his shoulders to make her point clear, "But if you cannot stand to at least look at me..." She sighed, then added, "I will be in the Hub, if you need me." She let go of him to activate the Quantum Matrix, then hovered into the elevator.

-Vert POV-

Sage was gone. Back downstairs. Heh. She really does look cute, when she's worried. And beautiful, when happy.

Wait till Dad finds out that I need a computer chip to tell me I'm low on fuel...and that I've taken a lot of damage and that I'm so handsome. No, no! Sage's not just any computer chip! She's...she's my...friend.

'Ooh, is that what you kids call it these days?!' an image of Dad teasing me appeared in my imagination. 'Shut up, Pop,' my mind snapped back. I let out a deep breath and, next thing I know, I'm parking the Saber in its enclosure in the Hub. I found Sage sitting at the meeting table, studying a glowing blue rock that I recognized to be Sol's 'corpse.' My heart sank, but I cleared my throat to announce my presence.

Sage got up and walked towards me. Yep, walked. No more levitating. She held up a hand and pushed back a strand of hair that I didn't even notice. Her fingers feel so small...Shut up, Vert! Time to talk.

"Sage, I-I'm sorry I was...rude. It's just that...you and I both lost people who were...special to us..."

I faltered. Sage was now leading me to a chair next to hers, one hand holding mine, the other holding Sol. She gestured for me to sit, which I did. She nodded to know she was listening. I carried on:

"I knew how hurt you felt after what happened to Sol, but I'd..." Gotta choose the right words here. "...Forgotten how it really felt, until Dad..." I just couldn't continue.

-Sage POV-

Vert's fists were shaking. I realized that he was about to show the emotion of sadness. I put away Sol's remains and reached out for his hands. As I held them, a strange noise similar to a hiccup emanated from his throat. I recognized it as a sob. What should I do? I thought in dismay.

"Guess we're b-both even now," Vert's shaky voice alarmed me, "Both...*sigh*Alone..."

"Tell me, Vert...Is he..." Dare I say it? "...Deceased?" My lover shook his head. He withdrew a hand to wipe his face and his blue eyes, now red-rimmed, found mine.

"T-Tors-10 installed a tracking chip in him...I-it can't be removed...Ever since I was 8, I'd th-thought he was a goner...H-he can't come back home to us...And my family don't know..." He finally found his composure and the ability to speak lucidly. I listened earnestly as he carried on speaking:

"I don't know what to tell Mom and Gran. Gran's his mother and she'd been so sad ever since Dad left. She'd already lost her husband and eldest son to the Highway 35. And Mom, she's the same, but when Zeke showed her a photo he took of Dad's car in that Stormshock, she's been hopeful. I don't know what to say, Sage. Guess I can now say that we're both alone now."

Vert's eyes were bloodshot and his saddened face appealed to my heart. Yes, Sentients do have hearts, which are formed by our energy life forces. And what does he mean by us being...alone?!

"Vert Wheeler, how could we not be alone?" I asked him gently. Vert just gazed helplessly, holding my hands as though there were no tomorrow. I continued: "We have the Battle Force 5. We have our knowledge, our futures and our memories. And we have each other. You taught this lesson to me once, on the very same day I lost Sol. The very day that you and I became a couple. Or, to use the Sentient term, a synapse."

My lover let the meaning of my words sink in. It took him exactly 15.9 minutes to think it over. Then he put his hands in his hair and laid his head on the table. He moaned as his heart hurt for the axon he hadn't seen in years. I then decided it was time to tell him about my family. I knelt down in front of him and narrated my story:

"Once upon a time, Blue and Red Sentients were fighting against a common cause, which does not concern current Battle Force operations. Among the many Sentients that died in this war were my axons." Vert looked confused. I clarified, "They are like Sentient parents."

"So...you and Krytus were orphaned?" Vert's eyes widened. I nodded and continued: "It was possible back then for Blue and Red Sentients to marry and have neurons. Which is the Sentient term for children. My father was a Red Sentient and my mother Blue. Krytus broke their hearts with his rebellious ideals. He believed that I was their favourite neuron. Eventually, the enemy killed my father in battle. My mother's emotions overwhelmed her completely to the point that..." I shivered at the memory, as I added, "...she stabbed herself with a Hadron crystal in front of me and my twin. With our axons out of the way, Krytus was free to start the rift that led to all the events..." *sigh*

"Sage...I'm so sorry. Couldn't you regenerate them?" Vert asked. "No..." I said, "I tried everything. In the end, Krytus found out and he destroyed their Allotropes, before I could..." I couldn't talk anymore. Sentients cannot cry, but when they feel sad, they squeeze their eyes shut.

"Aww..." Vert's hands perched themselves on my shoulders and helped me stand up at the same time as he. Then he pulled me into the embrace I had wanted back then. When my axons died, Krytus was too taken up in his evil ways to embrace me, while I had yet to meet my fellow student Borealis and Sol, being my teacher, could never hug me. I returned the embrace gratefully. Now we both felt better. I designed the Battle Force's Shocksuits in order to have the same texture and durability as that of Sentients. Hugging Vert as he wore his Shocksuit made me feel like I was hugging a fellow Sentient, yet I yearned to know how his body feels when he isn't wearing his Shocksuit on. "I'm so glad I'm with you, Sage," he whispered. "Likewise," I replied.

We broke off the embrace. I wiped away at his face as he bade me goodnight. I went back to my assessment of the vehicles' damage, while he headed to his bedroom. As I worked, I thought about how simple humans were, yet so complex, in their occupations. They are able to recharge themselves only by lying down and shutting their eyes, yet they need electricity to keep their technology working. And their minds. Oh, their complex minds. They will set themselves on a goal and never look back. If not, they will change their minds and improvise. Earthlings are such multi-faceted beings and here I am, a Blue Sentient, entwined in that Multiversal mystery known as love, with a similar being. We are so much different yet so compatible.

I had just made the Saber's windscreen screwdriver-proof. My lover's vehicle. The one which he used to rescue me the first time we met. Then a subtle glimmer caught my eye. I went over to the Saber and found the toolbox that he was tidying up. I opened it, hoping I would find...yes, here it is. The blue-striped red screwdriver. As I held it, I got an idea.

-Vert POV-

Poor Sage. I feel so bad for her. She's got way more problems than I have. And yet she swallows them and smiles at me like they never happened. I locked my bedroom door behind me. I could practically hear Spinner snoring three rooms away. And Stanford's obviously cooking up another cool mixtape. I changed out of my Shocksuit and Earth duds into the first pair of red boxers I found in the drawers, then brushed my teeth and got into bed. I gazed at the photo on the bedside table. It was a photo of Mom, Gran, Dad and me, on my 4th birthday. I was on Dad's shoulders holding a brand new car.

*sigh* He must be probably on the run from Krytus and his boys in red by now. In that carburetor can of his. "I'll be back one day, Dad," I told no one in particular, "It'll take a long time, but trust me, I will." I turned over to sleep, but I couldn't. Today had been quite a long day. I was restless. So I just ended up shutting my eyes and staying in one place...

I must have dozed off for some minutes. I heard a quiet noise outside my door. I scooted over to where I'd stashed my sword, waiting to ambush the intruder. Then I wondered why Sage didn't sound the alarm. The door opened.

Phew! It was only Sage. And she looked concerned, though her funny smile indicated that she approved my shirtless form.

"I trust your sleeping patterns are stable?" she asked, hovering up to sit beside me as I reclined.

"Not really," I honestly admitted, "I just can't sleep thinking of the day I'd be able to bring Dad home." Sage saw the bedside picture and examined it, "I believe this is Jack Wheeler, your missing axon?"

"Uh-huh. That's him."

"You both share similar features, especially the outlines of those flames above your ears," she noticed with a smile. She put the picture back where it was, then added, "Vert, I'm not sure if I should ask, but...tell me about your grand-axon's woes." That took me aback. I thought for a few minutes, then explained: "It's like this. Granddad was a war veteran and his eldest son was my uncle Josef. Everyone nicknamed him 'Vert,' for some reason."

"So you were christened after your uncle?" Sage asked. I nodded and continued, "Granddad and Uncle J never really got along together. Dad was always breaking up their fights. Then Uncle J ran away and went off to ride the Highway 35. Then Granddad got a job at around that same time to watch over him. They always contacted Gran and my parents, but after 3 years, they stopped altogether. It all happened before I was born."

Sage listened carefully, then smiled thoughtfully, "They will be back someday. I guarantee it. And Vert?"

"Huh?"

"I think I may introduce myself to your family one day."

I just 'hmph'ed' in assent and laid back on the pillow. "Hey Sage," I said. She smoothed my hair as I added, "Thank you...for everything."

"All that I have done since we met was all done for you, with you," Sage smiled, stroking my cheek. I loved the way her fingertips felt on my face. So alien and yet fleshed out, like a blue variant of human skin. I shut my eyes, smiling. I waited for the creak of the door shutting behind me. It didn't.

Instead, I heard the bed creak as she stood up. Then I heard a faint whirring noise and, to my shock, felt a warm, soft body sliding into bed with me. I couldn't believe it! It had been only two days and we were already sharing a bed! But I knew that Sentients don't sleep. Then I felt Sage's arm snake around me and I opened my eyes. One look at her arm and I realized that the dark blue markings on her body were...

"Are you..?"

"Hush now, my Crimson One. Let sleep bring energy anew," she whispered in that soft voice of hers. It worked. I shut my eyes again and settled into her spooned form, as drowsiness claimed me.

When I woke up at about 4am, she was gone. I knew where I'd find her. And I was glad about it.

-Normal POV-

Vert was right. After hopping into Vert's bed to help him sleep better, Sage spent this time tangled in his arms, occasionally doing some Quantum calculations. Whenever he turned to her side, she traced the outline of the flame design of hair above his ear and felt the planes of his chest beneath her palms, listening to his breathing. When she put her dark blue clothing-like markings back on and left his bed at about 2:30 in the morning, she felt happier than she ever had before. 'How glad I am that a Stormshock did not occur at this time!' she thought, as she levitated back into the Hub and continued her search for more ways to stall her twin and re-establish her civilization. Once she had saved the necessary blueprints, she researched on how humans expressed love.

'We were in each other's arms for a night, like a Red Screwdriver embracing its Blue Stripes...'

FIN