Hi I am Ash, a new author.
This is a fanfic I worked on with Copyright_Prime and Kek-t! I only own the OC's Nightspark and she owns the Trine! We don't own Transformers, which I suppose, is a good thing.
Nightspark
Nightspark didn't remember when she first exited stasis, nor did she remember what she was doing in stasis in the first place. She remembered a big planet. When compared to Cybertron it was average sized, but Cybertron was so massive she decided it would be simple just to say this planet was huge. It was a warm color of cream with brown streaks. Maroon clouds floated across there and then, and there was a moving red... spot. The femme couldn't find a proper word for it. She frowned. What was she doing here?
The entranced bot peeled her optics from the beautiful planet and trained her gaze on the immediate surroundings. She was in an escape pod. That much she knew. It didn't take a Prime to see that the machine was built for more defense than offense. Scowling slightly, the femme half wondered why the heck she would be in an escape pod, when the reason she was probably in it could have been solved by fighting.
Shutting off her optics, Nightspark searched through her memory banks. She vaguely saw herself looking through holographic data. She was looking up something on...synthetic energon? Then there was brilliant flash of light and then...nothing. She turned on her optics again. Something had happened and she had been rendered incapable of pulling herself out of stasis. So then how did she end up in the escape pod?
The confused bot would guess this had something to do with Autobots raiding Airachnid's base. She looked outside again, and her spark nearly went out. Was it just her, or was that big red spot getting bigger? The black flier's optics must have grown to the size of Moon Base One and Two as she realized that she was being pulled in by the planet's gravity. Nightspark panicked as though the Autobots themselves were chasing her. She couldn't seem to remember from her flight training with Airachnid where the "go" button was, so began pressing everything within reach. She, yet again, didn't remember which button did it, but soon found herself shooting toward the orangish yellow star.
She was feeling very proud that she'd been able to get herself away from the planet, but found that she couldn't control the ship. It was zooming toward what looked like a blue rock. She began pressing buttons again, hoping one of them would stop the ship, but it was too late. Nightspark was hurtling through the atmosphere, and the last thing she saw was fire.
Tesseract
Tesseract sat low beneath the overhang, optics scanning the sky with intent interest as she searched for the telltale signs of a projectile entering the mudball's atmosphere. Back at the fortress, Soundwave had picked up a Decepticon homing signal that was commonly found in the newer version of escape pods, placed within the shell for easy troop retrieval in case things went south and more firepower was needed. Though situations weren't entirely dire enough to need backup, Lord Megatron had commanded the vessel be looked into upon memory of the Autobot's latest reinforcement, who had just so happened to have taken bunker in a pod similar to the signal she was tracking.
The dark blue femme's helm jerked to the side, dermas curled in a grin as she caught sight of a flash and then registered the booming crack of entry. Her position for interception was off, but that was no matter. She could easily find where the pod landed, both being that it wouldn't be too far away and the amount of destruction it would cause would be like a bright beacon screaming, 'Oi! I'm over here! Look at how I sparkle!' Or something along those lines.
She shielded her sight as the light brightened to optical lense searing point, and the loud slam of two solid materials meeting, closely followed by a rippling shudder as the energy was transferred into the dirt and rock all around, was all she had to go by to make sure it had made contact.
And made contact it had.
Once she was sure the coast was clear, she unshielded her optics and blinked them out of habit a few times, grin still in place and the bubbly excitement of having something to do welling deep within her chassis. It always got so boring at the fortress. At least when her master seemed content with sitting back and watching the world below panic and flounder like the pathetic vermin they were.
She rose from her crouch beneath the outcropping of rock and dirt and other organic based material, taking off in a dead sprint and weaving through trees and over various obstacles she had no desire to be tripped by. The crash site wasn't too far ahead, and she was at the lip of the impact crater in no time, gazing past the skid lines to where the pod had come to a rest, optics lingering on the still smoking, and in some places flaming, surroundings.
"What a mess," she hummed absently, sliding down the wall of the crater and making for the main reason she had been sent on this mission. Tesseract flicked her optics around the area cautiously as she began walking, servos shifting to their bladed forms in the event she would run into an Autobot or Autobots. Though she knew her Commander would call a retreat if faced with the prospect of defeat, she would not. And what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him.
The sound of a feminine voice relaying information to someone, or talking to themselves, whichever of the two, met the seeker femme's audials and she crouched low behind the wreckage, tuning in on the muffled sound.
"...seeing no movement within or around the pod. What do you suggest?" There was a moment of silence, in which Tesseract's earlier excitement rose to a higher level of anticipation as she waited and listened for the final decision. She hadn't had a good fight in a while, and training with the other soldiers aboard the Nemesis and around the fortress didn't cut it. They never really met her need for a real rush where the difference in skill meant the line between life and death, and simple ego hurting or petting was just not the same.
"Copy that, Ratchet. I'm going in- don't worry. I'll be careful. Arcee out." The currently unknown femme's pedsteps approached Tesseract's 'hiding spot', and the flier drew her right blade back as she prepared to attack. Already she could taste the sparks and energon that she knew would accompany a sudden conflict. Just a dive behind the femme and she could begin.
Nightspark
The previously panicking bot woke up to the sharp, concise voice of a femme. She felt her optics flicker for a second before focusing in on a green, tall... thing. She blinked and refocused her optics, but was still seeing tall green things. She took in a shuddering vent that echoed through her chassis. The femme voice paused. Nightspark looked around and saw a tall blue femme with a pink helm staring at her through narrowed blue and purple optics.
"Ratchet, there's a Cybertronian here. She's come out of stasis."
A pause accompanied her statement. Then her servos changed into long blasters. Nightspark's optics widened.
"Are you a Decepticon or Autobot?" Said blue femme questioned sharply. It took a second to realize that the femme was addressing her.
"Neither." The still dazed arrival croaked. The Autobot narrowed her optics.
"Don't lie to me." Arcee spat before suddenly grabbing the smaller femme's servo and yanking her up, seeming to be searching for something.
"Let go of me!" Nightspark shrieked, unleashing all eight of her servos and propelling herself away from the femme. The femme stood stunned for a moment before she pointed one of her blasters at the spider-like femme once more.
"Ratchet, it's a Decepticon, I need backup."
"A Decepticon? That would be my package then. Must have been delivered to the wrong address." The unusually excited voice sounded from behind the femme and she spun around.
Tesseract
Tesseract now stood just close enough to the blue Autobot so that she was in range for attack, blades held casually behind her back as she watched her target spin around with weapons aimed. Her grin widened at the fierce look in the soldier's optics, the tingling sensation of knowing she was about to get her wish pulsing through her frame as she jumped to the side, dodging a few shots. Out of the corner of her optics, she noticed the black Cybertronian crouch, all eight legs tensed to flee. Already one of her servos had turned into a blaster, but it seemed she didn't seem to know what to do with it.
"Restriction ten through seven unlocked," she purred, spinning around her opponent's arm as the attacker went to strike her with the blade on her blaster and grabbing the shorter femme's shoulder, slamming her ped into the back of the other's knee and causing the Autobot to stagger forwards and away from the pod. She released the blue one right as this move was completed and rolled away, casting a quick glance towards the one this assuming femme had thought was a Decepticon as her foe regained composure.
"If you're going to shoot one of us, I suggest you do it soon" she called to her, grin having turned into something nasty as she twisted and leapt out of the way of three more attacks, her enemy making a cry of outrage. "Before one of us comes to tearing the other apart, and then you won't have much to play with." This time, the lighter blue femme landed a shot on Tesseract's wing, and the taller soldier spun with the hit and swung a leg out, knocking her opponent solidly in the side and leaping back a few paces.
She had her doubts that the black femme could go through with any form of violence from her own side, taking in her posture, but if she did, and it was herself fired at, then it would give the Decepticon excuse to attack the both of them. And oh boy did she find that idea succulent as it rolled around her battle simulator.
The black femme crouched, then suddenly intercepted the recovered and charging Autobot, her small scythes warding her off. Then she turned her multicolored optics on Tesseract. Using two of her blasters to hold off the lighter blue femme, she pointed two more at the darker blue one, and the seeker instantly knew what would happen, the revelation sending a rush of excitement through her.
"Do it." Singsonged the anticipant fighter, spreading her arms and giving the eight legged bot an urging look.
"Which side are you on?!" hissed the lighter blue femme, probably still in denial that anyone could be Neutral in a war like this. But oh well. Her loss.
The black femme hesitated, then her optics began to dim. Her servos fell useless to her sides and she collapsed.
"How anticlimactic," Tesseract sighed, dodging a warning shot from the still standing Autobot and giving her a smug wink, picking up on a sudden burst of energy as a ground bridge opened up somewhere.
"She's all yours, little spitfire." And with that, she jumped up, transformed, and blasted straight into the sky, twirling a few times for display purposes before disappearing into the cloud cover and coming to an abrupt hover to watch the next events unfold.
Arcee
Arcee kept her blasters primed and ready, following the path of the retreating seeker before she lost sight and scowled. Heavy pedsteps from behind her tore her attention from the departed Decepticon and she glanced over to the two mechs approaching.
"Are you injured?" was Ratchet's first words as he knelt down by her and began doing what he called a mandatory scan.
"I'm fine Ratchet. Just a scratch. Her on the other hand," she said with a frown as she pointed to the femme laying unconscious on the floor, "I'm not so sure."
The CMO gave her a stern yet worried look.
"I thought you said she was a Decepticon." Obviously he wasn't pleased with the idea of assisting an enemy. Like the last two times, he'd helped repair that cowardly Starscream for information.
"She doesn't look very frightening," piped up Smokescreen from where he was crouched by the downed femme.
"Even if she doesn't, I would be careful if I were you. Besides, if she is a 'Con, we have a hostage and can make a deal with Megatron." The last bit was directed towards Ratchet, who had a withering look on his faceplates but said no more as he switched his point of interest from herself to the unknown bot.
While he hefted her into his arms, seemingly mindful of her appendages that disturbingly reminded her of Airachnid, the femme warrior turned towards the juvenile mech now standing by her side, unconsciously laying a protective servo over the area the seeker had kicked her as the movement sent a small spike through her systems.
"Megatron has a new recruit. Knowing him, there are probably more. We need to be on our guard. And a lot more careful." Her tone of voice was no-nonsense, which Smokescreen seemed to pick up on as his face hardened and he glanced over to the large orange medic.
"To think we weren't already on the highest level of defense," he muttered, and she saw for a split second how much suddenly being thrust into war had taken it's toll on the young mech. But only for a second, because afterwards he had regained that airheaded vibe and waltzed after Ratchet, who had called in a ground bridge to their new base.
She sent one last look towards the clouds, simply for the purpose of making sure that femme hadn't decided to return, and then stepped into line behind the two mechs, a sudden pang of withheld mourning striking her spark.
Arcee wished Optimus were there. Oh how she wished. She felt so uncertain about everything without his firm command and steady guidance, always there to look out for them and keep their hopes and courage up. Always taking their faults on his shoulders, as they always told him not to. "Home" just wasn't the same anymore. Not when everyone was so lost.
Nightspark
It was quite embarrassing to fall unconscious during a battle. The unconscious mech wouldn't have a clue what people do would do to them or where they would end up. Nightspark ended up in Autobot base. When her optics focused after she came to, she saw a pink creature sitting on the bottom of the glass chamber she was in. She was staring up at the black femme with big, brown optics. It was literally smaller than her ped.
Nightspark shrieked.
The creature jumped and shot out of the chamber at an amazingly fast speed. The femme hadn't even had time to blink when a huge mech pinned her to the wall of the glass enclosing. He was larger than most bots, and was a dark shade of some vibrant green. It was easy to identify what he had been back on Cybertron.
"Don't you dare hurt Miko!" He spat.
"Get off me, you stupid Wrecker!" She snarled back at him, and, putting all her force against the wall, she smashed her peds into his girth and sent him staggering backwards as the spider-like bot slipped back onto both peds. He stumbled into the wall of the medical chamber, cracking the glass. Her peds suddenly began to hurt. She winced. A CMO bot showed up around the corner of the base, looking alarmed.
"What is going on?"
"What in the name of Cybertron-?! Why am I here? Where's that Decepticon?" Nightspark turned her head and snapped at the bot.
"One question at a time." The CMO grumbled. His optics narrowed as he approached.
"Alright," she uttered, annoyed, "Where is that Decepticon?" The CMO stared at her.
"And why would you want to know that?"
"Because I still want to wipe that ugly grin off her faceplates." She uttered. A snicker sounded from an unseen corner. Turning her helm, she saw both that creature and a juvenile Autobot laughing.
"What is that?" Nightspark asked, pointing to the pinkish creature.
"That," the CMO said, somewhat patiently though still seeming to keep an agitated vibe, "is a human. The 'intelligent' species of this planet."
"They're small." She said bluntly. The CMO scoffed and rolled his optics, muttering something unintelligible. She frowned.
"What?"
"Nothing. Let me get to the point. Are you an Autobot or a Decepticon?"
"I am neither." She had tensed, but answered evenly. The CMO seemed uninterested with the answer, or at least his tone of voice said as much.
"Arcee didn't buy that the first time. Why should I?"
"Listen," Nightspark growled, her temper rising. "Your femme is a nut job. I can't help it if she can't get it through her thick cranial unit that I am neutral!"
"You haven't exactly given us any reason to believe you," he said mildly, optics watching her carefully. The only femme in the room stopped abruptly. What was she supposed to do to prove it to them?
"I haven't attacked you."
"That hardly means anything. You are surrounded on all sides. You could just be making a wise choice and be preserving yourself, as many in your place would do if they had any neural cells left."
"I have no insignia."
"If you were undercover you could have simply removed it. It's not a difficult operation. A youngling could perform it." Rachet countered. She paused, flexing the appendages on her back in thought as her irritation began to get the better of her once more. Right after she had pushed it down enough to think too. But then she realized she could flex in the first place.
"You have to believe me, or else I'd be in shackles right now."
"Oh, yes. Thank you for reminding me. We will be certain to ensure you cannot off us in our recharge before the end of the day. It is difficult to work on a cuffed patient, though not impossible. Maneuverability just becomes a nightmare." His voice betrayed no emotion other than fact, but Nightspark had a suspicious feeling that he was enjoying this.
They both stared at each other in silence, the others in the room seeming to sense the thick atmosphere as they too remained at a distance and didn't speak up. This orange and white mech had an observant look in his optics, as though he were merely waiting and watching his target's reactions to study them.
"I am neutral," she said again, dermas drawn tightly against her dentes as she gave him a blank look.
"Unless we can confirm this claim, you will be a Decepticon until further notice." He glanced at the crack in the glass chamber and frowned. That green lug had backed off as soon as the CMO had arrived, and was standing over by the other two I had seen earlier with a stern and powerful look. As if he were King or something. Though now that the orange bot had his glare directed at the Wrecker, the large mech deflated and took to looking sheepish and guilty.
"Sorry, Ratchet." He mumbled, optics cast to his pedes as he avoided the venomous stare.
Ratchet made a noise of disgust and resigned acceptance, turning to the monitor that, as far as the femme could tell, had whatever information the chamber had scanned from her.
"It's an easy fix." He grumbled, seeming to reassure both himself and the accused as he went over the medical mumble jumble with a calculating air about him.
Nightspark fidgeted, looking over to the two watching her and the other one still pouting at the floor. The dorkishly grinning mech waved, and she blinked before tentatively bringing a servo up to wave back. His grin widened. Nightspark couldn't help it. She made a sound that she hadn't made in... who knows how long?
She laughed.
Ratchet didn't even turn around as he scolded the mech. "Smokescreen, don't interact with the prisoner."
Nightspark suppressed another wave of giggles as the young mech stuck his glossa out at Ratchet and then proceeded to make goofy faces at his back. He must've been much older than she was, but it was obvious the femme more mature than him.
"If you do not stop that your faceplates will get stuck. Not that they aren't already a fright."
Smokescreen sniffed with a mock hurt look, but did not make any further gestures. Nightspark had the suspicion he would resume once Ratchet left the room, but it seemed Ratchet wasn't planning on leaving anytime soon. She huffed. This was going to be very long and very boring.
Tesseract
Tesseract hummed, leisurely sprawled on her berth as she patiently awaited her Lord's return to the base. He had left to oversee the progress of a newly located energon mine, and even though that put Starscream in charge of sparkling sitting the fortress, Megatron had specifically ordered her to report to himself first before any of his commanders. Even Soundwave, which she found a little odd due to the silent mech's undying devotion, but she obediently followed said order and was now just relaxing while she still could.
Before Starscream decided she was being lazy, that is, and sent her on a scouting mission along the exact same route he always did. The longest route, if she might add.
She knew he was trying to get rid of her, and she knew he knew that no matter what he did she would always come back to annoy the Pit out of him some more. And to make things more confusing, he knew that she knew that he knew, yet still bothered to fight her off anyway. And, like the 'irritating, no good, insubordinate glitch who had no sense of priority or respect' that she was, Tesseract had no plans on relenting. What fun would that be?
After a few minutes of boredly staring at the wall, the dark blue seeker rolled off the berth and onto the floor, remaining there for a moment before she picked herself up sloppily and trudged to and out the door, figuring she could at least go hang with the Eradicons in the throne room for a bit. They were cool, when one knew which to talk to and which to not. Like that one who everyone referred to as Steve. Such a human name, but that wasn't really what made him interesting.
He was so absolutely sickeningly loyal to her Commander that she sometimes cringed with how much he talked about him, as if the screechy mech were some, in human yet still accurate terms, god sent from the heavens purely to bless their existence, and being in his presence was of the highest honor.
Just thinking about it made her indecisive of whether she wanted to hack or laugh. It would have been one thing if he were joking, but no. He was serious. And that made it worse. Or maybe better. She couldn't decide.
Rounding a corner, she had to sidestep and duck out of the way of a running mech, twirling around to watch him go. He didn't even glance back to apologize. The aft. Continuing on her way, though a little more observant as she made sure no other surprise marathon running athletes would jump out at her, she made it to the throne room where both Commanders and a truckload of Eradicons were posted.
"I have arrived and now the party can officially start," she announced, raising her servos into the air as if to say 'bow down to me.' A few Eradicons looked at her from where they stood, a ripple of snickers and irritated mutterings traveling through the lined up sentries. She couldn't imagine how boring it was to simply stand against the sidelines in single file rows, like royal servants to a king, and so always did her best to liven up the atmosphere when she visited and Lord Megatron wasn't around. He never did approve of her attempts at humor. He had some stick up his afterburners about laughing or something.
But then again, the same went for Starscream, who just so happened to be there as well for reasons that she could only assume. Probably to drool as he stared at the throne that he wasn't allowed to even touch lest he be threatened with losing a digit.
"Quiet," the enraged growl of her Commander hissed through the room as he swept his gaze across each Eradicon in his line of sight, and immediately all sound muted. Though she caught a couple waves from the back of the room where the silver seeker couldn't see, and grinned at them with an amused flutter of her wings.
"I see you're as good humored as ever, Commander Chuckles," she greeted her superior as she neared. Again, there were quietly voiced noises ranging from giggles to badly disguised laughs covered up by fake coughs.
He stood by the main communication terminals that Soundwave was stationed before, the loyal dog typing away like the world would end in five minutes and he needed to write a biography on every bot that had ever lived in the history of ever.
The shorter of the two mechs was hunched over, wings flared aggressively in brewing fury as he watched her approach like a tiger ready to tear into a rabbit. Good thing she considered herself a hawk.
"You will address me appropriately, Tesseract. As Commander Starscream or sir. Do I make myself clear?"
"Of course, Commander Starscream or sir." She was still grinning, absently noting she was within range if he decided to lash out at her. That welcome and familiar feeling of giddy anticipation returned, her wings arching in obvious challenge.
Almost every Eradicon in the room was well versed in this motion, as she used it a lot around many higher authorities and lower ones alike, and it was blatant exactly what it meant after a few reactions from her targets. It was suddenly deafeningly silent, and she knew the anticipation was shared between herself and the others that were bored out of their processors.
Would the egotistical mech accept or decline?
Knowing Starscream, and how prone he was to losing control of his temper, probably accept. But then again, he had to set a good example for the troops, and attacking one of lower rank simply because of a wordless invitation would be nothing short of childish. And the silver bot was highly known for how much he prided himself in being looked upon as the one to make the right decisions, even if he had yet to do so in any sort of close succession.
Tesseract saw his claws curl and he drew himself up, his own wings answering her contest. She ran her glossa over her dentes as her grin twisted into something wicked.
He accepted.
Before she could unlock any of her restrictions, however, two voices cut in through her mind together.
::Restriction access denied. Reconfigure activation. Protocol temporary lockdown.:: She almost snarled with the sudden handicap, but held her sound of rage down as the door to the throne room slid open to reveal their master, flanked by her trine mates and a handful of Eradicons.
"Welcome back, Lord Megatron," the soldiers lined up against the walls all simultaneously greeted, lowering to one knee in sync and bowing their helms. Tesseract fluidly spun to stand beside Starscream, both of their wings relaxed back to submissive as they, too, bowed their helms. But neither voiced any greeting of their own.
They all waited until the ex-gladiator had settled into his throne before straightening to attention, and the dark blue warrior caught the disapproving gaze of her twin and the curious observation of her third. She returned their looks with a small pout, and instantly snapped to attention when the voice of their leader broke the stiff silence.
"Tesseract," he addressed her.
"Sir."
"Report."
She stepped forward, raising her helm and straightening her wings properly before beginning.
"The escape pod I was sent to intercept held a femme claiming to be of Neutral party. I was cut off from further investigations by an Autobot soldier, who called in backup and I was forced to retreat. The unknown femme was taken by the Autobots before I could confirm her alignment. Or lack thereof."
There was silence as he watched her, red optics boring into her own purple ones as if trying to make her wilt. No one snickered, as there had been no joke told. No one coughed, for to do so would mean death. No one even breathed, that habit they had picked up from the humans.
After many tense moments, he finally deemed something important enough to respond to, and he leaned forward while interlacing his servos under his chin.
"Tell me, Tesseract. Do you believe this femme was Neutral?" His optics held a deadly glint, and she felt any humor she might have been clinging to drain away, her own gaze hardening.
"I am... unsure, master. She-"
"If you cannot give me any proof to your findings, and you yourself are not confident with which you speak, then what use is the information?"
She swallowed her pride, dipping her helm to break contact with his gaze and make herself look ashamed. Though this she was not. Only irritated he would never accept what little data she collected and offered.
"It is of no use, my Lord. I apologize for wasting your time." With her helm bowed, she could safely curl her dermas in a silent snarl without him noticing, and from the corner of her optic she could see Starscream giving her a disgusted look. But it was mock, as he had to appear disappointed with her work as everyone else did. He had seen the twitch of her expression though, and his gaze was portraying silent approval for her contempt. Even if he understood what her current position was like, he held no sympathy.
The only things the two of them mutually shared was their spite for how Megatron treated them and their seeker coding.
"Your attempt at asking forgiveness is recognized." The distaste was evident in his tone. He was not one to appreciate a simple apology for an obvious failure. "Be sure you know your information before bringing it to my attention. After this, I will not be so lenient with you. Dismissed."
She stepped back into line, still not making any sort of visual contact with her Lord, and silently listened to the others' reports for their separate missions. After the end of the debriefing, while those with new tasks filed out, she met her Commander's gaze. A silent promise that their challenge had been initiated, and would not end until the other was defeated.
She was soon grinning again, that anticipating feeling overwhelming all other emotions. She knew Starscream would not disappoint, and even took to humming while making her way down the halls and onto her scouting assignment. The very one she always went on.
Tada! Read and Review please!