Remnant

SUMMARY: A sparkling loses the only remaining family she has left, only that isn't all that true as she suddenly finds herself in the care of her Creator. Now she understands why her aunt was so sad at her similarities to her Creator—to Soundwave. But being with the Decepticons might not be as bad as the Autobots claim.

Set within the G1 universe.

Disclaimer: I only own OC's and my storyline.

The story inspired by Different Pebble by Decepticon Chick

Characters might appear out of character but I will work on that as time goes on.

I've never written a Deception-centric story before and wanted to take a bite at it while adding a twist to it.

[Edited: 6/4/19—since publishing the story, I've flushed out some minor detailing with aging, so I've gone back and rewrote stuff]

o-o-o-o-o

Chapter 1: Unexpected

"Resonate."

The tiny sparkling glanced up from her playing to look at the femme that called her designation, the sparkling made a sound of confusion, unsure about the sudden addressment. The femme smiled at the sparkling with an agonized look, but the Resonate knew it wasn't aimed at her—she'd long since learned that it was because of her creator; a mech she had never meet nor knew the designation of.

The femme crouched and held out her servo, the sparkling pushed herself to her pedes and crawled into the waiting servo. The femme swooped the sparkling up into her arms and a soft purr was the response as Resonate smuggled into the warm frame.

Orange optics watched over the femme's shoulder as they walked. They lived within a neutrals' camp—one of the only few remaining but being a neutral wasn't as simple as that. Other neutrals camps invaded others and scavenge them—it was like another war going on inside the already planet-wide war.

It was only a matter of time before their camp was hit—Resonate knew that for sure.

After her carrier's offlining, she's been placed within the care of her aunt Hexen. Admittedly, she'd been a bit (putting it lightly) stubborn at first—still was at times—but she'd eased up a bit knowing that being such a bot wouldn't get her anywhere in this current world.

She might be a sparkling but she wasn't dumb. She listened and observed rather than spoke most of the time—something she'd come to learn was one of the many things she'd inherited from her creator.

The front of her helm and colouring (indigo and white) were the most distinct similarities—although she herself couldn't compare since she hadn't ever met him.

And honestly?

She wasn't all that bothered—she had her aunt and before that she'd had her carrier. She doubted her creator even knew she existed because she lacked any sort of parental bond with him. None, not even the slightest hint.

The sound of her tanks rumbling brought her back to the present and she twisted her helm to look ahead. Hexen chuckled at the action. "Yes, we are going to get some energon, Re."

Resonate nodded, murmuring a quiet thank you in broken Cybertronian. The smooth pale red visor that covered her optics darkened as they passed a trio of mechs that had been causing Hexen some trouble recently. They'd been pestering her aunt for a frag—and it disgusted Resonate because this wasn't the time or place for such activities.

Unfortunately, she did know what frag meant—something she wished desperately that she didn't. It was something that just came with the situation.

The sound of a whistle from one of the mechs made Resonate roll her optics and Hexen ignored them, continuing to walk.

Two of the other mech snickered at the whistler's failed attempt at catching her aunt's attention. The first one called after them and Resonate allowed her mask to clamp down to hide the snarl that tugged at her lips.

(If she was older, she'd be more than willing to hurt them in some way—in what way she wasn't sure exactly, she just knew she'd cause them some pain.)

Hexen still didn't pay them any attention, something that made Resonate wonder if her aunt had experienced it before the war had broken out, and thankfully they reached the energon ration stand without any further trouble. But Resaonte wiggled her digits in some vain attempt to stop the way her spark fluttered with nervously as she was going to be forced to drink normal-grade—something sparklings weren't supposed to drink.

The camp didn't have the right recourses to be able to make her a low-grade every solar-cycle and the time between was getting longer and longer—it made her tank feel upset for a few joors and it was often accompanied with nausea with the higher and higher chance of her just purging it back up again.

Resonate didn't doubt it was because her tank was reaching its limits—she wouldn't be able to keep any down soon and she'd get even worst, she wasn't sure what would happen them but all she did know, was that it wouldn't be good.

It was worrying her aunt more then she let on—Resonate played dumb but she had the suspicion Hexen knew that she knew.

The mech at the stand smiled and handed them their energon and even the idea of downing the liquid made her tank twist with unease.

She resisted the urge to whine in distress as she forced herself to drink.

Hexen gently rubbed up and down her back strut and Resonate allowed a sound between a whine and purr escape.

Then—

BOOM

The ground shook and screams followed. There were shouting and gunfire. Resonate felt her frame tense, plating clamping down in distress at the sounds bombarding her audio receptors.

Instinctively she dropped her cube and covered her audio receptors in a weak attempt to block the sound out. A panicked warble escaped.

Hexen hissed and also dropped her energon cube in favour of rushing off in the direction that the explosions were the quietest in an attempt to flee the scene.

The next several breems happened fast and with flashes of bright lights that left Resonate's optics stinging, she remembered Hexen setting her down, drawing her blaster and firing at bots all the while making sure Resonate was hiding and clutching at her leg.

There was another explosion close by—too close and the duo went flying.

Her helm jarringly hit the ground and she was sure something within it rattled. She blinked, shuddering her optics in an attempt to clear them. Her entire frame hurt.

She whimpered; reaching out and trying to drag herself towards the green and white frame of Hexen. The femme was pushing herself up, helm snapping towards Resonate and scrambled towards the sparkling.

Resonate whined lowly as Hexen lifted her. The sparkling easily spotted the energon on her aunt's frame—it was dripping badly.

Resonate did a quick system scan—they weren't very good and could only tell her the basics but thankfully she only had superficial wounds at best. Nothing serious—nothing like Hexen.

The thought sent panic through her.

She couldn't lose anyone else!

Hexen turned sharply and fired her gun. Resonate heard the sound of a frame hitting the ground heavily. Then Hexen was running and Resonate could feel the way her aunt flinched and winced at every movement.

o-o-o-o-o

At some point, the explosions and fighting between the neutrals had died down and Hexen couldn't run anymore. She set the tiny sparkling down and allowed herself to slide down the piece of rubble to sit.

Resonate chirred quietly, regressing to sparkling-dialect in her distress. In some weak and pitiful attempt to stop the leaking, Resonate tried to cover Hexen's wound with her tiny servos and put pressure on the worst one but it did nothing to stop the energon from seeping through her digits and staining them.

A more distressed cheep escaped and Hexen gently caressed her helm. "Shhh darling."

Then in the near distance, there was sound, Hexen tensed as two seekers flew overhead. Decepticons.

"Resonate." Hexen wheezed. The sparkling glanced up at her. "Hide, and don't come out no matter what, you understand?"

Resonate clicked once more but nodded. Her mask and visor hid her frown and worried expression as she did as asked. She looked left, then right as she scanned the area before her optics landed on some debris that she was small enough to hide behind. She crawled into the gap and managed to manoeuvre herself to be able to see her aunt still.

The sparkling flinched as the sound of multiple pedes got closer and closer to their location. Eventually, they stopped and Resonate dared a look to see a large grey mech with red optics. To his right was a red seeker and to his left was a grounder—faceplate hidden by a red visor and mouthguard.

She found herself frowning—what was it about the indigo and white mech that made him seem… familiar?

She pushed that thought aside and focused back onto the towering grey mech (he was the tallest, but she had to crank her neck for all three) as he crossed his arms, looking down at her aunt.

"Hexen." He greeted—his voice was gravelly. But what made Resonate curious was that they knew her aunt.

"Megatron." Hexen answered with a humourless chuckle.

Megatron? Resonate bit her lip—he was the leader of the Decepticons. Then… the red seeker was Starscream? It must be—it was only logical after all. The Leader never went anywhere without his Second in Command.

"To be truthful." Megatron continued and it snapped Resonate back to the conversation. "I hadn't expected to see you within a neutral camp."

Hexen scoffed. "Well, plans change."

She happened, Resonate realised.

"And what would those plans be?" Starscream questioned, a smirk curling into his lips. "You seemed pretty hellbent on being Autoscum."

Hexen set her head back against the rubble. Resonate didn't need to see her faceplate to know she held a sardonic smile. "My sister was murdered."

The indigo and white mech's frame gave an aborted flinch. It made Resonate frown again.

"Well that got you here and leaking, now didn't it. How close are you to offlining?" Starscream sneered.

Hexen snarled back. "Watch it 'Screamer, I think you'll find I have enough to at least take you with me if you don't shut that trap of yours."

Resonate felt her lips quirk upwards before forcing herself to keep a straight expression.

Megatron gave a hissy chuckle. "What is the real reason, Hexen."

Hexen said nothing and it set Resonate on edge, the sparkling shuffled in her spot. Megatron crouched, a cruel smile curling onto his lips. "Come now, old friend."

Hexen vented, hitting her helm against the rubble she was leaning on. She turned her helm in Resonate's direction. No words needed.

Resonate moved forward. Her movement caught all three Decepticon's attention.

She poked her head out and all three froze at the sight off her.

"T-that's impossible, right?" Starscream stuttered, then glanced between the two other mechs when neither answered. "…Right?"

"Resonate." Hexen spoke, and so she crawled the entire way out of her hiding spot.

She was tiny (they were so, so, so tall) compared to the three mechs but it didn't deter her from staring them down, biting back the curious chirp that wanted to escape.

Megatron chuckled, glancing to the other mech that hadn't spoken a word. "Soundwave?"

Resonate pursed her lips, using the chance to take in his frame and—

It wasn't possible, right?

…Right?

Now she was sounding like Starscream, she silently scoffed.

Resonate turned her optics back onto her aunt and crawled back to her side, clicking once.

"Fine." Was all Hexen said—but they both knew it was a lie. Resonate tilted her head, and Hexen scoffed. "Don't give me that look."

Resonate continued to frown, pouting.

"So this is the reason then?"

Ah, right—Resonate nearly forgot about them for a moment. She turned her visor back to Megatron to see his own optics on her. Even crouched he was still over double her size—it made her tug her field close to hide her sudden wariness and fear at the fact he could easily harm her if he wished.

"Yes." Hexen hissed. "I've been caring for her the last three stellar-cycles."

Soundwave crouched suddenly, Resonate snapped her gaze to him. "Age?"

Resonate's digits twitched, curling in her lap, visor darkening before lighting again once she realised she'd done so. "Ten stellar-cycles."

He vented quietly, Resonate found it was a bit odd because of his previous stoic exterior.

For a moment, the femmeling thought he was going to reach out to her but he didn't, so she turned her attention onto her aunt, dismissing the three Decepticons altogether.

She chirped again; she wasn't sure what was going to happened now. Hexen was slowly leaking out and if she didn't get any medical attention…

Hexen vented and set a servo on Resonate's helm.

~Auntie?~ Resonate asked over the faux bond. Hexen's optics were slowly dimming and it was setting the sparkling more on edge each astrosecond.

The green and white femme hissed sudden, not answering Resonate, and instead turned to Soundwave. She didn't speak aloud—doing so over her commlink and so Resonate had no idea what was being said but Soundwave straightened his back strut a moment later.

"As you wish." He answered and held his servos out to Resonate. "Come."

Resonate eyes him warily but Hexen nudging her made the sparkling move. She shuffled into the waiting servos and they curled around her frame, where he lifted her as if she weighed nothing (it was likely so, she was tiny after all).

It was odd—she'd never been held by a mech before, but as he held her against his chassis and her audio receptors picked up the quiet hum of his spark behind his armour, she felt at ease.

Her frame slowly loosened until she lay limply in his arms and a soft purr escaped her vocal processor.

At the back of her processor, as she dropped into recharge, she was aware of the fledging Creator-Creation bond being created between them.

And honestly?

She wasn't angry at the turn of events, even though she not been bothered about her creator's existence not even two joors ago.

Huh.

o-o-o-o-o

For Resonate, I picture her having a voice similar to that of GLaDOS from Portal, only younger.

Joor: ~1 hour

Astrosecond: .498 seconds

Stellar-cycle: ~7.5 months (Cybertronian year)

~Bond speak.~

Thoughts?