A/N: Another Bunny Farm prompt:

42. The first Cybertronians realizing their own sentience. Going from simple servants of the Quints to thinking, feeling beings for the very first time.

There were three of them, including himself, he realized. Winged, like himself. All the same dull gray. They followed their Masters just as he did his.

"ST2V6!" his Master called, and the large robot turned dim optics on the Quintesson. "Follow."

ST2V6 did so, movements slow and jerky, going where his Master directed. They entered a large room. The roof arched high overhead, elaborate scrolling etched into the metal. Five more of the Masters sat in a semi-circle against the far wall.

ST2V6's master knelt before them, motioning for his slave to do the same. They spoke. ST2V6 did not pay attention. It was not for him to know what the Masters said. It was only his job to follow orders. To take Master wherever he wished and to defend him from those who wished him harm.

"The previous experiments have been rather interesting, though we have never tried a merge while they were online."

"I understand. I have read the reports."

"You will be paid for him, as per our arrangement. Should this work, you shall have double the price."

"Thank you, Five."

One of the five motioned to the side of the room. His Master followed the wave, gesturing for ST2V6 to move as well. They backed against the wall. One of the other Masters and his slave came in, and did the same as they had done. Then the third.

Then ST2V6 was being motioned down and ordered to listen. "ST2V6, you are to bare your spark and merge it with TCR34 and SK95D. Once you have done so, you will be owned by the Five Faces."

ST2V6 nodded. "I understand, Master," he said, voice low and monotone. A quiet flicker deep inside whispered something about being abandoned, and not wanting to go, but he didn't feel. He was a robot, designed and programmed to follow orders.

The robot lifted himself and walked jerkily to the other two robots. They had already parted their chestplates. He did the same, and the three stepped forward. The outer coronas touched and mingled, and something rushed through them. If not for the orders, they would have pulled back.

A sense of dull curiosity flickered around their barely mingled sparks.

They had never felt pleasure before.

But after they overcame their surprise, the first taste was like a drug – they had to have more. ST2V6 pushed forward slightly, grinding his chest into TCR34's and SK95D's. They shuddered as one, armor plating rattling loudly.

~What?~ someone whispered faintly, and ST2V6 poked back. It was returned, and all three of them pushed together even more. Their sparks stretched from their containment, entwining, meshing together. Tangles of light knotted together, pulling their minds tightly to each other.

Something was rising up. Something strong. Stronger than any slave coding.

With a jolt, one of them, it was hard to tell which, realized what it was. ~It's like the Masters... emotions, I think...~

It was something, though, something they had never felt.

Fear rose with it. This was new. It was strange. They were fine living as they had been! Dumb and stupid and under control. This was breaking through everything, breaking all of that away.

Suddenly, there was something more important than the Masters. There were others. Stronger ties. TCR34 and SK95D were tied to ST2V6's spark, and he to theirs, and there was nothing more important than them, than keeping that connection alive.

The slave coding shattered.

The energy in their systems peaked, and the three keened as they overloaded.

. . .oOo.

They awoke in a repair bay. Bright lights shone down on them, and repair drones scuttled over them. Their sparks immediately reached for each other.

~What happened?~

~What's going on?~

~What's going to happen?~

~Where are we?~

ST2V6 blinked slowly and sent a pulse of calm/easy/think through their interconnected sparks. And it was strange, but he actually could think now. He could connect things, make ideas, believe and think and know on his own, without a Master to tell him to do so. He could understand, he could wonder. ~I don't know what happened, but... I think this is good. But we should keep acting like... like...~

~Like we were before?~ SK95D asked, and he sent a pulse of affirmative.

~I don't think they'd like this. Whatever it is.~ The two others pushed their agreement into his spark.

"Hey. SK95D, TCR34, ST2V6; get up."

Allowing a hint of that old programming to rise up again, they moved jerkily and stood up, standing stock still next to the berths they had been lying on.

"Follow."

~Simple commands... were those all we really knew?~ TCR34 asked, wondering at their fuzzy past.

~I suppose. That programming... the stuff that's not working right now? I'll need to look at it a little more, but... I think it just sort of locked everything down. Made us stupid.~

~Makes sense,~ SK95D said slowly.

They were led out of the building. As soon as they set pede outside, they froze. The sky. The sky. It was so big, and wide, and bright. They knew they could fly. They had wings and thrusters, and before they had been tied together, they had often transformed to transport their Masters. But it had never seemed so... so big.

"Hey! Move!"

They snapped back to themselves and started walking again, silent to all appearances, but babbling away at each other.

~Did you see it?~

~Did you feel it?~

~It's amazing!~

~Can we fly?~

~Please, ST2V6?~

ST2V6 sent a pulse of yearning, yearning for something he couldn't have. ~Not yet. We can't let them know, remember? This is... I want it. But we can't. We can't.~

There was a short silence. ~So what do we do? Because I feel like... I need to fly.~

~I know.~

Another long pause before ST2V6 spoke again. ~We... What we need to do is get away from the Masters.~

~How?~

Had he not been guarding his expression and frame, a truly evil smirk would have risen on his faceplates. ~We get more people like us. We make them like us. Then we fight back.~

Agreement was sent along their connection. They'd figure out all the details later. Right now, it was enough to know that they would, eventually, taste the sky.

I'm not exactly 100% satisified with it, but I doubt it's getting any better than this. The idea's not entirely mine - one, I used the prompt, and two, I read another story like this a long time ago, only the characters were Prowl and Jazz. (If anyone can point me out to this story, I'd be incredibly happy. I'd like to read it again!)

(Thanks to the_lost_robot on livejournal for finding it for me! www. fanfiction s/ 5570832/23/ Prowl-and-Jazz-challenges)

Anyways... if you've got a couple seconds, tell me what you think!