Today has been a good day.
They arrived at the power plant sooner than usual, so the Decepticons didn't have time to steal as much, and the twins managed to somehow slam Thundercracker to the ground hard enough to knock him out, thus the Autobots gained a prisoner.
Spike didn't understand a thing of what Starscream screeched when Megatron gave the order to retreat, but judging by Soundwave's flinch it wasn't anything nice.
Now, however, the teenager has been left to roam the Ark alone because the officers are in a meeting, Bumblebee is in Repair Bay—and nobody in their right mind wants to be in there to be screamed at by Ratchet to not get underfoot—and the rest of his friends are busy with patrol, getting some rest or getting another layer of paint to replace the one that got scratched.
So, seeing how there's nothing else to do, the boy wanders to the brig.
Gears and Huffer are inside, guarding their bumped and scratched but otherwise unharmed prisoner, though it looks like they're paying more attention to the holographic chess-like game on the table between them.
"Hey guys, what are you playing?"
"Quattra."
"… What's that?"
"A game. Hey, that move's illegal!"
"Says who?"
"Me! You can't follow Reasus' High Ground Trap with Windshot's Spear!"
"'Course I can! I took out your Tank Roller with my Rotor, not my Chaser!"
"That's exactly what Windshot's Spear is!"
With a tired sigh, Spike tunes the discussion out, feeling utterly and completely lost, and turns around to leave the brig.
And he finally notices Thundercracker is staring very intently at the guards.
Curious, and feeling secure in the knowledge the energy bars are enough to keep the Seeker at bay, the human approaches the prisoner.
"So, is Gears cheating?" He asks, if only to start the conversation on something not too much of a sore point.
"I shouldn't know." The voice is calm and the words are spoken without anger, but Spike feels as if he's been slapped.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean what I said. I shouldn't know if any of them cheated at Quattra." Thundercracker elaborates, still as nonthreatening as before.
"You don't know how to play?"
"I shouldn't."
And the wording finally clicks in place, almost loud enough to make the boy wobble.
"You… shouldn't know how to play. But you do?"
"Soundwave taught us."
"Us?"
Thundercracker looks at the human, and for the first time Spike notices his optics are a deep orange instead of red.
Is it just him, or are there other Decepticons with optics that look almost red?
"The Seekers. Megatron. The Constructicons. Us." He answers easily, a servo waving in a tiny encompassing gesture.
"The… Decepticons?" Spike repeats, confused, because he's mentioned quite a bit of them, and that movement…
Thundercracker's optics darken in a small frown.
"No. Just us. They… You…" He looks briefly at the two Autobots, still grumbling as they continue playing, not paying them attention, before turning to the teenager again.
"Me?" The human repeats, his tone urging the Flier to explain himself.
Instead, his optics lighten in a flash, turning an almost yellowish pale orange.
"You don't know."
"Not if you don't tell me."
"They didn't explain anything. Is that why you're helping them?"
"Wha—Hey! Of course they explained! The Autbots are the good guys, you were the ones that started the war."
"But they didn't tell you why."
"'Cause Megatron is power hungry, and the rest of you are almost as bad as him."
"But why is he power hungry?"
And Spike opens his mouth, but no sound comes out.
"I… Does that matter?" He finally manages to retort, crossing his arms against his chest defensively.
Thundercracker's optics go back to their dark orange color, but are somehow brighter, more piercing.
"The saboteur. Black and white, with sensory horns and blue visor."
"Jazz?"
"He likes music, doesn't he?"
"Uh, yeah, but—"
"Why doesn't he make his own?"
"Pardon?"
"He has never made up his own music, has he? Not even to hum it under his breath while he waits for his Energon cube to be served, or while he goes to his office or a meeting. Has he?"
"Maybe he's just no good at it."
"The Tactician. Black and white, red chevron." The teenager narrows his eyes suspiciously, managing to stay silent this time, but the tiny gesture is more than enough answer for the Seeker. "He's always following rules and directives, enforcing them even with manual labor punishment or brig time."
"Laserbeak told you that. Or Ravage." Orange optics darken.
"The noble. Blue and white, high speed." Spike tenses slightly. "He never does much, does he?"
"He's one of the Autobots' best spies."
"And besides that? He has that invisibility device, so he's a spy. Does he go through monitor duty? Clean the ship? Deal with reports? Or does he just go, take a peek at what we're doing, tell what he's seen and go away to wherever? And your golden frontliner, that blasted twin. He's the one to deal with the paintjobs of the whole of the Autobots, isn't he? Why not another? Or the Minibots, they're the ones on monitor and cleansing duty, unless someone else has been 'punished' to do so, aren't they? And when was the last time you saw that hologram-making green scout inside the ship except for recharging, refueling and reporting?"
"So what?" Spike cuts, almost a bit forcefully, as he takes a step back, unnerved by how a Decepticon that doesn't even know his friends' names is so aware of their habits and routines.
"… They didn't tell you anything." The human takes another step back, slightly fearful, as the Decepticon hisses in anger, fists clenching almost hard enough for the boy to hear metal bending. "Tell me, do you know who was Abraham Lincoln?"
"Of course I know! He was one of the greatest presidents of the United States. He abolished slavery and—"
"One of the 'greatest'. And the first deed you think about is him granting freedom to all members of the human race regardless of looks. Is that why he's so great?" Thundercracker hisses, and Spike has to gulp a couple of times to get his throat to work, but ends just nodding in the end. "They didn't tell you anything."
"Hey, what the Pit are you hissing back there, Deceptiscum?!" Huffer snarls, and Spike jumps a bit in surprise, whirling around to see the holographic board is nothing more than a slab of metal now, deactivated.
They must have finished the game and noticed Spike talking to the Seeker.
There's a deep growl coming from Thundercracker, filled with disgust and hate, and the teenager quickly rushes through the door when Gears opens it and gestures for him to go.
"Better stay away from here. One never knows what dirty tricks a Decepticon hides under their plating. And don't believe anything he says. Decepti-con. From 'deception'."
"You are being deceived!" Thundercracker roars before the door closes, filling the corridor Spike's been left standing alone in with silence.
Trying to replace the Seeker's words with Gears' only makes them come back stronger.
So, Spike starts to roam again, hoping to find someone that can distract him… or answer a couple of questions.
Loud steps make the teenager snap back to attention, and a wide smile appears on his face as he sees he's managed to wander to the corridor the Rec Room is in, a large white mech with red accents approaching it calmly.
"Skyfire!" The Shuttle reboots his optics before looking around but easily finds the human running to him.
"Hello Spike. How are you today?"
"A bit confused. Can I ask you a question?" The Autobot kneels down, looking curious, before nodding. "You're a scientist, right?" Another nod. "Why aren't you usually in the labs?"
"Because I am a field scientist. I study my specimens in their natural environment."
"That's it?"
"That's it." The Shuttle repeats, a small amused smile on his face.
"Huh… how well do you know Jazz?" He asks, his words coming out slowly and a bit drawn out because of his slight hesitation about how to word his next question.
"A bit less than you do, I'm sure." Spike deflates at the answer, looking up into blue optics with an almost betrayed look.
"And Mirage?"
"Same answer, I'm afraid."
"And… and the others?"
"Spike, what is going on?"
"It's just… Why do they do the things they do? And why don't they do the things they don't?" He lets out with a healthy dose of frustration, waving his arms.
"You'll have to be a bit more specific." Skyfire answers, startled.
"Why doesn't Jazz make music? Or Mirage! Why doesn't Mirage have monitor duty?"
"Well, that's easy. Mirage is a noble."
"So what? He can't do monitor duty?" The Shuttle's optics darken in confusion as he frowns softly.
"No, he can't. He's a noble." He repeats, stressing the last word a bit, and the teenager's mouth falls open.
"Just like that."
"Nobles shouldn't stoop to such menial tasks as monitor duty."
And there it is again.
Should.
"Do Seekers know how to play Kata?"
"Kata?"
"That board game, with the holographic pieces and the different layers?" He explains a bit hesitantly, gesturing with his hands to demonstrate the board he's seen, with some tower-like structures on the corners and holes in the middle.
"You mean Quattra?"
"Yes!" He exclaims happily, trying to drill the name in his brain. "So, can they? Seekers? Play Quattra?"
"Of course not."
Of course not.
With such certainty as one saying the sky is blue.
"Why?"
"They're Seekers."
"Tell me, do you know who was Abraham Lincoln?"
"And they don't know how to play Quattra because…"
"Because they're Seekers. It's not their function."
"Function."
"Yes."
"Do you know how to play Quattra?"
"I don't."
"Do you want to learn?"
"Of course not. Why should I?"
Should.
Of course.
Spike is starting to hate those words, as well as the way his stomach is clenching in dread.
"And… why shouldn't you?" He asks almost timidly, and Skyfire laughs.
A warm, amused, fond and completely non-mocking laughter.
Like when he was a young child that believed rainbows were bridges.
His father had laughed like that when he asked him if one day they would go see what was at the other side.
"Spike, I'm a Shuttle. My function is transport and deep space exploration. Not playing Quattra." And, with those last words he stands up. "Now, if you will excuse me, I need to refuel and get some recharge. Don't worry yourself with such ridiculous questions while I'm gone, alright?" He adds with a soft chuckle, again no hint of mockery, as he disappears into the Rec Room.
"You… shouldn't know how to play. But you do?"
"Soundwave taught us."
"Us?"
"The Seekers. Megatron. The Constructicons. Us."
Spike stares at the closed door as his hands clench into fists to stop their trembling.
"Spike, I'm a Shuttle. My function is transport and deep space exploration. Not playing Quattra."
He has to take a deep breath before he finally manages to look away, and his fists clench tighter when they keep shaking.
"And they don't know how to play Quattra because…"
"Because they're Seekers. It's not their function."
Slowly, he takes a step, followed by another, and another… and breaks into a run.
"Tell me, do you know who was Abraham Lincoln?"
The sun blinds him as he steps outside, and he has to stop in fear of tripping or slamming into something.
"And the first deed you think about is him granting freedom to all members of the human race regardless of looks. Is that why he's so great?"
When he turns around, the entrance to the Ark looks far darker than ever before.
"Wha—Hey! Of course they explained! The Autbots are the good guys, you were the ones that started the war."
"But they didn't tell you why."
"'Cause Megatron is power hungry, and the rest of you are almost as bad as him."
"But why is he power hungry?"
Thundercracker couldn't have been implying what he thinks he'd been, could he?
"Better stay away from here. One never knows what dirty tricks a Decepticon hides under their plating. And don't believe anything he says. Decepti-con. From 'deception'."
But…
"So, can they? Seekers? Play Quattra?"
"Of course not."
Skyfire hadn't known about the war because he'd been trapped in ice for longer than it has been raging.
He still thinks and lives mostly like how it had been before the battles started.
Quite a lot of the Autobots say so.
... Has he really been so blind?
"You are being deceived!"
The desert wind is almost scorching hot, but Spike shivers and hugs himself.
AN: There. I finally got it out.
This is something that's been in my mind for so long that I don't remember when I first thought about it. I've been meaning to get it out since forever, but I never managed to get more than create an empty doc. Not a word. Until now.
Think of it as you want.
As always, questions are welcome and will be answered.
And yes, that was a reference to IDW's Megatron. Whether it was a real reference in fic when Thundercracker said it or not is also open to interpretation.
All Quattra moves were made up on the spot.
