Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers: just my OC's & the plot.
TRUE SELF
Chapter 1: Doubts & Dubiousness
NEST Base, 11:25am:
", Can't catch me old mech!" Ashley grinned as he transformed into his hybrid form, and took up a fighting stance as Jetfire came at him with his battle axe,
"Not so old I can't catch you!" the black seeker grinned as he went on the offense.
On the sidelines of the training ground: the Autobots and humans watched the spectacle in a mix of disbelief and awe. It had been ten day's since Ashley's incredible metamorphosis, but the reality was still sinking in for many of the members of NEST. Off to one side, Ratchet, Wheeljack and Que were busy overseeing the various medical scanners that were all trained on Ashley, as they followed his every move: while at the opposite end of the training ground, Optimus and Majestrix watched as Ashley dodged and weaved between Jetfire's legs, avoiding his axe while 'tagging' the seeker on his tail-fins.
"Have you seen anything like this?" Majestrix thought aloud as she watched Ashley transform back into human form to avoid a swipe, and then transform back to hybrid mode to resume his defense.
"Never..." Optimus shook his head
"If it were any other time it would be different" Colonel Bishop sighed, "But this couldn't have happened at a more uncertain time"
"I think for the boy's sake, it would be prudent to keep this from Galloway" Majestrix stated: both Prime and Bishop looked at her in surprise, "...Until Ratchet has completed his tests, and is satisfied with the results" she added.
"Whatever they transpire to be, it's unprecedented; an organic with a cybertronian's transformation capability. Such an organism is unheard off" Optimus thought aloud
"Even the techno-organics couldn't replicate anything even remotely similar" Majestrix replied, "You do realize this raises our, 'security situation' exponentially?"
"It's bad enough the Decepticons could catch wind of this, but if this 'Project Broadsword' finds out about him? I don't even want to try to imagine the troubles that are likely to spring up" Bishop threw in
"Either way, we're going to have to handle this like glass; tentative, and carefully" Majestrix replied.
"Alright Ashley, that's enough for today" Prime called over the training ground; both Ashley and Jetfire stopped, and the crowd of onlookers dispersed as they followed the two fighter's back into the base.
"I'll have words with his father about this, though it's really more of a formality now" Prime sighed quietly.
"I can't think of anyone more acutely aware of his son's situation than him, and have the courage and fortitude not to despair; how does he do it? If it were any one of my daughters I'd be going out of my mind with worry" Majestrix sighed.
"I don't know, but whatever it is that keeps him together like that, I hope he's got some to spare..." Bishop concurred. "Oh by the way, Darren texted me while you were enjoying the show: he's got some things he needs to show you"
"Tell him I'll be there" Prime replied.
As the three commanders brought up the rear of the crowd, up the front, Ashley made his way to the wash-racks with his entourage in tow. "Not bad" his father smirked, "But seriously, save the tricks for the ladies: you dropped you're guard twice back there"
"He didn't pin me down though," Ashley replied as he transformed back into his human form, "That still counts right?"
His father rolled his eyes, "Doesn't matter: an offense is an offense is an offense, doesn't matter if it's for the hell of it or not. Don't get cocky and take a liberty like that, understand?"
"Fine" Ashley huffed, "But it still would've been three to two"
"Four to two" Jetfire corrected, "Weapons count"
"Aw come on! That's not fair!" Ashley protested
"Those are the breaks rookie" Jetfire smiled, "Next time remember to use your tail more, limbs and appendages count too you know?"
"Whatever" Ashley waved, "I'm hitting the showers: catch you lot later" he waved good bye.
As everyone dispersed and returned to their posts, only Morri, Tom, Danny and John remained at his side. "Tactics aside, that was still a good fight" Danny said offhand; "You think?" Ashley smirked, "Come on, you're a human and a transformer now, you got the best of both worlds: and talk about being an x-factor. Big bad Decepticon comes along, sees a little human, thinks he's got easy prey, and boom! You're gonna be a favorite at all the parties mate!"
"Good point" Ashley nodded
"I don't know..." John thought aloud in a concerned tone, "Best not jump to conclusions before we know all the facts"
"Aye, but Ratchet and the other egg-heads have been working on my blood for over a week now, surly if there was something they'd have found it by now?" Ashley shrugged
"They ran just as many test before, and nothing indicated anything like this was going to happen" his father pointed out
"...Good point" Ashley sighed as he thought about it.
"Look, I'm relieved you're okay, and that we've overcome one big uncertainty: but that doesn't mean we're out of the woods just yet. Give Ratchet the time he needs to try and get a better picture of this okay? We still don't fully know what it is, that you are now" John explained
"Um? Not to sound sarcastic or anything? But I'd have thought he's exactly what he is" Tom threw in.
"Aye dad, being able to turn into a giant panther-drone isn't obvious enough?" Ashley raised an eyebrow.
"Speaking of giant panther-drones: where'd that oversized house cat get to?" Morri sighed offhand as she looked up and down the intersection of the corridor.
"Who're you calling an oversized house-cat?" Ravage growled peevishly as he came padding around the corner.
"And just where have you been all morning? You missed the training session!" Ashley put his hands on his hips, "You promised you'd be there!"
"My apologies, but I've had other business to attend to" the panther replied
"What kind of business?" Ashley demanded
"None of your business!" the panther growled curtly: a little taken aback by his tone, the Briggs family didn't quite know how to reply. Except Morri, who decided to step in before someone said something that could lead to a falling out: "Um? Ashley, why don't you go take a shower and the rest of you go and grab some lunch? Its chili-dogs today: and you know how Glen always fights to get first in line?" she suggested. The rest of the Briggs family left without another word, wondering how she was going to handle this.
When Ravage and Morri were finally alone, she turned her attention to him with a reprimanding look; he could sense her annoyance at his behavior, and knew he had no excuses for his rudeness. "Forgive me child, I am not in the most agreeable mood today" he humbly apologized.
"Obviously" she sighed as she folded her arms, "Care to tell me what's bugging you?"
The panther thought about it for a moment, as he tried to think of the right words to describe it. "...Last night, something, 'happened': something, serious"
"Is it trouble?" Morri asked concernedly
"Not per se...Soundwave came to me last night, from the astral void"
Morri blinked in surprise, "What? But-, how? I thought you said he was dead?"
"I thought so too, but it was his spark, it was him...and yet- ..."
"What?"
"...There was something, 'different' about him, another side to him I'd never sensed before"
"Well? It's the astral void: things there work differently compared to this plane of existence" Morri thought aloud as her memories the void came back to mind.
"In terms of the laws of physics, yes: for telepaths like myself? It's just a different place to go beyond what is physically known; to some there are no differences, to others? That's a different story. But in this case, a lost spark reached out to one it was familiar to, and it found it" Ravage explained.
"So? Did he say anything?"
"He said he was coming home" Ravage simply stated
"Home? But Cybertron's gone, isn't it?"
"I think he was being metaphorical; in any case, I think he's trying to find us"
"Can you be certain?" Morri asked
"No, I sensed he'd come a long way: it might not be so simple as far as the conventional means are concerned; but, it wouldn't be the first time a telepath has reached their mind across a stretch of the galaxy to find the ones they love"
"Have you thought about telling Optimus?"
"I've given it some thought: but for now, let us wait: I sense his mind is preoccupied with 'other' business"
Meanwhile, aboard the Black Solstus:
"So? It's sort of a good news bad news scenario..." Darren explained as he plugged his laptop into the holo-table and brought up a series of holographic images for everyone to see. "The bad news is: we ran you're audio feed through every audio-filter software we could think, and we got nothing on Silas"
"Whoever the guy is, he's careful to keep his ID under wraps" Sam threw in, as an image of Silas came up in the center of the holo-table.
"The voice scrambler in his mask was outputting several ultra-sonic and infrasonic frequencies that overlapped each other in a synchronized cycle. Throwing off you're audio-scanner's vocal recognition software" Darren explained, "I also ran you're optic-feed of the guy through Teletran's advanced analysis programmes, and it seems he's gone all out to make sure you couldn't get a peek under his mask. His entire body armor and face mask are lined with an interlocking double layer of pure cybertanium platelet's, with shock-absorbing silicon-polymer gel pads around the joints and other soft spots. Hell, you could unload a Kalashnikov on this guy and it wouldn't even dent the external plating"
"But that much cybertanium would weigh as much as his own body weight, if not more wouldn't it?" Crystalwing thought aloud as she studied the holo-image.
"If it were solid cybertanium, definitely; but the advanced analysis showed that the platelets were hollow with a honey-comb internal structure: Just like our bones, making the armor both lightweight and strong" Darren replied. "And then of course there are the suit's added features: like the wrist laser-guns, the EMP emitter, the optical and audio scanners, along with a range of other hardware I couldn't identify for the armor blocking Optimus's scanner's line of sight"
"Long and short of it: he's tricked himself out with some serious hardware: and there wasn't anything in the Pentagon's above-classified archives that even hinted at who he is. Whoever Silas is, he's put a lot of time and effort into turning himself into a ghost" said Sam.
"But the fact he didn't want you to know his identity suggests that he could be close to NEST: maybe he's the mole we've been trying to pin down?" Trailbreaker suggested to Prime.
"A fair hypothesis, but still a moot point:" Majestrix replied, "And the good news?"
"We did get a hit on those other guys that were there that night..." Darren explained as he brought up another screen-shot of Optimus's optic-feed: this time, it was of the two other gentlemen Prime met during his captivity. "These two, one Doctor Thaddeus Arkeville and Adam Rook, were originally part of Special Weapons"
"Special Weapons?" Majestrix echoed with a raised optic ridge.
"Back when the cold war was at its most tense: the Army's Special Weapons Division was given a budget to look into discovering a means of protecting its troops from the effects of radiation poisoning (in case the Russians decided to drop the big one). Arkeville headed up the project under the codename: Cyber-soldier"
"No prizes for guessing what that involved" Bumblebee deadpanned
"Arkeville had his hand in a number of different fields, but he had a particular specialty in bionics, especially 'cyborg tech'" Darren continued, "He theorized he could create a cyberneticly-enhanced soldier, that could withstand fatal quantities of radiation without incurring the usual cellular deterioration; the project looked set to go initially, but got shut down before the field-testing phase could begin"
"What happened?" Prime frowned
"Well? The story sounded dubious to begin with, but after digging around the above-classified archives, I found the truth was a lot more gruesome than what most were led to believe. For starters, Arkeville wasn't the Army's first choice for lead scientist; not only was he one of the many Nazi scientists who was recruited by Operation Paperclip right after the war, but his psych-evaluation showed that he was still a Nazi at heart (in principle). That, and he was one of Dr Mengele's more 'promising' medical students" Darren explained grimly.
"Jesus..." Colonel Bishop sighed bitterly as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Anyway: the main stipulation for Project Cyber-soldier was that no human test subjects were allowed, until the animal tests provided satisfactory results. But of course, this being a covert project meant that a lot of the details were never disclosed to the top brass. And Arkeville was not confident that using dogs and monkeys would yield the results they wanted..." Darren explained, before swallowing hard, and taking a deep anxious breath, "...So, without telling his SO, he not only used human test subjects (i.e. the soldiers selected for the project), but even went so far as to have orphan children brought in, to be test subjects for the more, 'advanced' procedures. Needless to say: it was anything but ethically acceptable"
"After he was found out, he skipped the country before he could be court-marshaled: probably helped by the CIA. According to the archives he'd done a few 'sideline' projects for them in the past: and at the time they were terrified of what he'd make public if he decided to blackmail them. Arkeville escaped to Kazakhstan in 'eighty three and a total of six assassination attempts were made on his life during the following years. But at every turn he evaded the SEAL's and Delta Force units. When the Cold war began winding down and Russia opened its financial boarders for trading, he disappeared altogether" Sam threw in.
"Until, in 'ninety four, when MI6 spotted him in Johannesburg meeting up with several high-ranking members of 'The hand of Allah' (a small terrorist sec that had strong connections to Al-Qaeda). Apparently he'd gone into the mercenary business as a scientist-for-hire, making everything from dirty bombs to custom-cultivated plagues. He's been near the top of the FBI's most wanted list ever since" Darren added.
"And yet somehow: he turns up on US soil, in one of the most top secret military bases on the planet" Lennox pointed out incredulously, "How the hell did that happen?"
"And Rook?" Prime asked
"Not a Nazi on paper, but his psych-evaluation could've fooled me: apparently he was just as ruthless of not more narcissistic. He was an engineer for Special Weapons, and his technical proclivity went in the direction of advanced robotics. About the same time Project Cyber-solder was being conducted; Rook was the lead scientist/engineer for Operation Iron-Storm: another Army-funded project that looked at arming Special Forces units with advanced robotic body armor. Not as 'ethically immoral' as project Cyber-soldier: but failed as much as the latter; the testing phase proved to be a disaster when several prototype units malfunctioned, subsequently killing their pilots and a number of other people. Like Arkeville he too skipped the country before the federal hammer could fall on his head, and stayed MIA until the end of the cold war. Until, he started showing up in several places around Europe and the Middle East; apparently he too had become a mercenary, specifically an arms dealer, specializing in high end long-range missiles, high velocity weapons, and rumor has it, even small scale nukes" Darren explained.
"So that scuttle-butt about Iraq possessing WMD's might not be a fluke?" Lennox asked curiously
"I couldn't find any confirmation on that: but between Al-Qaeda and several other high-profile terrorist sects in the Middle East, Africa and Asia, Arkeville and Rook had plenty of business between them. Whether they collaborated on any particular 'job' is speculative, but they kept several intelligence services busy between 'eighty nine and two thousand and five. Until five years ago, when they suddenly disappeared; no one saw or heard from them: until a week ago, when you saw them in the old Sector seven base" Darren gazed up at Prime.
"...This may sound obvious if not redundant: but together, could they be capable of reverse-engineering our technology?" Prime asked concernedly.
"I hate to say it, but despite what the shrinks wrote up in their evaluations: they're both genius's in their particular fields. So yeah, it's more than likely they managed to figure out your tech. And considering their not constrained by the limits of 'acceptable ethics' or morals: these guys could've gone all out and come up with some really dangerous weapons" Darren replied anxiously.
"Two former US scientist's turned-mercenaries: now working for Project Broadsword..." Bishop thought aloud as he mentally digested all that he'd heard thus far, "This raises more questions than answers; like, how did they get them back into the country? And onto the US Military's payroll? The possibility of blackmail is one thing, but no General in his right mind would go so far as to approve men like them for anything"
"That's another thing we checked out" Sam replied, "We went over the federal budget, and there's no funding for a Project Broadsword: classified or otherwise"
The other humans in the room blinked in surprise.
"But, that would mean they bypassed Congress, as well as the Administration" Lennox thought aloud.
"Which is why we think something big is definitely going on here; the kind of funding it would take for something like what we've seen would have to be immense. Whoever's bank-rolling them not only has huge pockets, but knows how to cover their trail" Darren explained
"And Galloway? What did you learn of him?" Majestrix asked
Sam and Darren both anxiously glanced at each other: "Unbelievably, not a lot" Sam sighed reluctantly.
"The one thing you can count on with that guy, is that he's a creature of habit" Darren explained, "His online trail wasn't hard to back-hack and follow; like any typical hard-nosed bureaucrat he spends more time at the office than he does his apartment, and what with working in the top-secret intelligence circles, naturally his phones are tapped and his computer and laptop are both bugged. But no matter where we looked or how many times we went over his daily routines for even the tiniest deviation in behavior: we couldn't find anything that would suggest he's up to anything suspicious"
"If he's somehow in on Project Broadsword, there're only two possibilities that are plausible. One, he has a disposable cell-phone with an unlisted number that he uses to talk with his contact: or two, he keeps his moonlighting off the grid altogether by meeting his contact in person" Sam suggested.
"The latter would be highly risky: unless they have a system set up by where they can meet face to face without drawing any unwanted attention" Bishop thought aloud.
"An unlisted cell-phone's a possibility too: but there's no way he could use it in a place like the Pentagon or CIA; or anywhere within a two hundred mile radius of the White House for that matter" Lennox suggested
"It's all speculation: which brings me to my next question:" Majestrix addressed the two teens: "Would it be viable for us to continue this line of inquiry, without arousing any suspicion?"
Again, both Sam and Darren looked at one another as they contemplated the question, before Darren spoke up: "...Viable, in as much, if we had something to go on. A money trail, a name, something that we could trace back, and follow to see if it leads to anywhere that might offer something. Look, back-hacking the NSC is one thing, but after that stunt I pulled on the Pentagon two years ago, they've had my MO on record ever since: I can only do so much before somebody starts to recognize a pattern, and begins to put two and two together"
"And being Cybertronian, our typical back-hack MO would be found out soon enough too" Trailbreaker threw in
"What about putting a tail on Galloway, and following him around to see what he gets up to when he's on and off the clock?" Lennox thought aloud.
"And risk getting found out when Moshower told us to stay away? That will create even more problems" Prime replied
"Until we find something that offers us more information; I'm afraid there's nothing more we can do" Darren shrugged
"...Disappointing..." Majestrix sighed in disappointment, "But good work never the less"
"So what do we do now?" Sam asked
"We wait: and see what transpires of Moshower's investigation" Majestrix replied as she leaned back in her chair, "...You are both dismissed" she waved them off. Darren and Sam gathered up their things, and quietly took their leave, followed by their guardian's. Outside the room, waiting in the corridor, the Ainsley girls and their respective guardians were eager to learn of what had transpired; "Well? What'd she say?" Roxy demanded.
"We're putting a pin in the investigation, until something new shows up" Darren replied as he packed his laptop into his backpack, and slung it over his shoulder.
"So that's just it? After all our hard work we just get benched?" Roxy glanced at Darren with an air of frustration.
"We're not being benched Roxy" Darren deadpanned, "We're just-, gonna cast our nets again and wait to see if anything swims in; we can't push it anymore than we already have: we're not even supposed to be doing this, remember?"
"It's not a risk worth taking of you're likely to get caught: but since that's not the case with you, what's there to worry about?" Chelsea asked
"It's more complicated than that..." Darren sighed as he headed for the ship's exit, with his cousins and friends in tow.
Back in the room, Majestrix sat brooding in her chair, with Prime and the other humans looking on in dubious thought.
"...If Galloway's covering his ass, then he's doing a much better job than I'd originally give him credit for" Lennox sighed.
"But we can't rule the possibility he may be innocent (even if it's a long shot)" Prime pointed out
"The thing that gets me, is who'd stand to gain from Project Broadsword's exploits? You don't go into a black-ops project of that scale and not expect to cut a deal with whoever's lining your pockets" Bishop thought aloud, "Whoever want this, must be getting a pretty big pay-off for the time and effort it demands"
"But who?" Majestrix shrugged, before letting out a long and weary sigh, "...We've done all that we can for now: until something transpires that allows us to dig deeper into this, we'll stay put, and keep our optics and audios open"
"Very well, then I think we're done here" Bishop replied as he and Lennox both got up from their seat, climbed down off the holo-table, and left the room. Majestrix followed suit as she got up, and headed to the door that led through to her privet quarters.
"Majestrix, wait-" Prime got up, and placed a hand on her shoulder as the door opened up like a camera shutter, "...I know we haven't gained anything of great value from this 'investigation'; but you know, you can confided in me with what vexes you, alright?" he stated
Majestrix let out a light chuckle: "It's not that brother: whoever this Project Broadsword are, they'll avail themselves again sooner or later. It's just, 'everything else' in-between that's been keeping my time occupied" Majestrix replied
"Grimlock?"
"Him, I can handle, others though," Majestrix caught a glimpse of Blackshot through the window as she strolled by under the ship, "Could be a little more forth coming in their honesty" she frowned.
"Speaking of which..." Crystalwing stated as she slowly got up from the holo-table, "There's something, I feel I must talk to you about; something-, that happened last night..."
Sometime later, in the Rec-room:
The human canteen area was bustling as the first lunch hour was getting under way, while on the other side of the vast room, the bots were gathering for their daily energon refill. Over in the corner, by the main energon dispensers: Morri had found a secluded table, out of the way and just barely out of sight. As she idly watched the ebb and flow of the crowd, her thoughts weighed heavily on her mind, so much so, that she nearly jumped out of her skin when Max sat down opposite her.
"Bloody hell Max! Don't scare me like that!" Morri sighed as she took a sip of her tea.
"Sorry, just wondered what you were doing up here: kinda, outta the way for you isn't it?" Max asked as she got stuck into her fries.
"I wanted to be alone with my thoughts" Morri replied frankly, the lack of her usual open and friendly demeanor caught Max's notice right away; and come to think of it, she hadn't been her usual self since she was discharged from the human medical unit eight days ago.
"Fine. But what gives? You've been quiet ever since you got outta the hospital wing; got any brain-damage I should know about? Or is it something else?" Max pressed her.
Morri thought about it a moment, about what was really troubling her: she was about to say something, when she caught sight of Velocity watching her from across the room; she was sat right next to Deathshot, holding his hand in a playful school-girl-like manner, while he took several sips of his energon. As they locked eyes/optics, Velocity's sultry yet sinister stare made it clear what she knew she shouldn't do. Morri's frustration and anger boiled up a little, before self-restraint put a lid on it: all the while her poker-face never betrayed her inner thoughts. Thinking up an excuse, Morri fluidly changed the subject. "It's just-...I'm just pissed off at how Galloway's treated us: it's bad enough he said we should've been declared MIA, but to handle the whole kidnapping and then pull the silent treatment on NEST? It's just-, it really gets my goat"
"I feel ya" Max nodded in agreement, "Hell everyone's pissed off at him right now: I mean, who the hell thought he'd make a good diplomat for the bots anyway?"
"It's not about diplomacy, as far as the Presidential Administration is concerned: that's NEST's job. They needed someone who'd make sure we'd tow the line" Morri replied.
"But if he's not towing the line, and we are: what does that make him?"
"Someone with highly questionable motives (if that's the case)" Morri sighed, "Whatever he's up to, it's a fair assumption that-
"-There you are" Deathshot smiled as he walked over to the table, "What are you doing tucked away in here?"
"Just girl talk" Morri smiled, "I didn't want to disturb you and Velocity over there"
"No disturbance at all," the sniper smiled, "Come, sit with us: we'd be most glad for your company" he held out his hand. Morri looked over at Max with an apologetic look, "Go, I'm good here" she waved her off. And with that, Morri grabbed her tray, climbed into her guardian's hand, and let him carry her back to his table, where Velocity was waiting quietly.
"We saw you hiding in there and wondered what was troubling you" the femme said in a sweet voice; her facade didn't fool Morri for a second, but making a sense wouldn't help in any way, so she passed a heavy sigh, and pushed down the urge to bite her head off. "No trouble: just wanted to do some thinking" she replied as Deathshot placed her down on the table.
"Oh? Thinking about what?" Velocity smiled as she cupped her hand around the brunette, and trailed the tip of a claw up the center of her spine, in a subtle threatening gesture: "...Things" Morri stated, "Ashley, Broadsword; and everything in between"
"It has been rather hectic of late" Deathshot said offhand, "Ever since Prime's kidnapping everyone's been wondering and worrying when Broadsword might show up again"
"Quite" Velocity agreed, as she looked Morri in the eye, "But we can all agree, it would be rather impractical of them, to attempt a, 'direct assault' on the base. They'd be overrun and outgunned before they could even get within range"
Morri knew what she was implying in her tone, and frowned up at the femme: who merely gazed down at her with a subtle obnoxious grin (all the while, being careful not to grab Deathshot's notice). Suddenly, the comm alarm on Morri's CTG began beeping, announcing an incoming call from Ravage. : Morri, you're needed in the external hanger, pronto: the panther growled.
"Oh, gotta go" Morri smiled as she picked up her hot dog and fries, and climbed down off the table, "Catch you love birds later" she waved good bye as she trotted out the Rec-room: half relieved to be out of there, and away from that venomous harlot. A few minute's walk to the external hanger allowed her time to eat her lunch, before emerging into the open-air hanger where the giant cybertronian ships sat stationary. Looking around, she couldn't see anyone at first, until she walked in between the Black Solstus and the Ark, and caught sight of Prime, Majestrix and Crystalwing standing under Omega Supreme, with Ravage sitting off to one side.
As she walked over to them, she could hear the tail-end of a conversation drifting across the tarmac: and it was only when she came to stand right by their feet, did they change the subject and turned their attention to her. "Hope we weren't interrupting anything important?" Majestrix asked as she watched the brunette lick the remnants of ketchup off her fingers, "Not at all," Morri shook her head as she whipped out her handkerchief, and finished off cleaning her fingers: "What's up?"
"You remember our conversation from this morning?" Ravage stepped in
"'Corse" Morri nodded, puzzled as to where this was going (and why both Primes and Crystalwing were involved).
"I deliberately left out the fact that Crystalwing had sensed him too" the panther explained, "When she confided in me with this fact last night, I realized there was something else to this: and sure enough, it turns out we both have something in common"
Morri gazed up at the sheepish-looking Crystalwing with a curious glance: the femme sighed in defeat as she uncomfortably explained: "...Do you recall, when we first met, how many of the bots commented that I was a dead-ringer for Soundwave?"
"Yes?" Morri nodded
"Well? It's not a fluke. You see, many cycles ago, back before the beginning of the war: I knew Soundwave, personally"
Morri blinked in surprise, "Really? How?"
"He was my mentor, when I first started out as a communications officer with the Iacon Central Trans-net Hub. I was the only other telepath in the whole sector, so he was appointed to be my supervisor" she explained, "We were good friends for many years, he even let me use his altmode for my own: but when the war broke out...Well? ..."
"I get the picture" Morri nodded, "But where do I fit in with this?"
"You are one of the few humans who have had first-hand experience with telepaths and psychic manipulations: this puts you in a unique position, compared to everyone else on the base" Optimus stated.
"You see: when telepaths become friends, it's natural for them to exchange the 'mental frequencies' of their specific telepathic abilities; sort of like, exchanging email addresses or phone numbers. In any case, once a telepath senses another in action, they tend to remember the mental impression of their ability" Ravage explained
"And you remember Soundwave's 'impression'?" Morri asked
"Like the back of my wings" Crystalwing sighed, "But when he became a Decepticon: he completely changed. It's wasn't so much the fact that he'd betrayed us that stunned me, but rather: what I sensed of his mind, and who he had become"
"What do you mean?" Morri frowned
Crystalwing struggled to find the right words: "It's-, hard to put into words specifically: but the simplest explanation I can give, is that it didn't feel, natural..."
Wondering what she meant by that, Morri was about to ask if she could elaborate further: when Majestrix beat her to it. "Long and short of it: Crystalwing had always maintained her doubts as to whether Soundwave's defection to the cons was totally willing. But since she's the only one who knew him firsthand before the war, I'm afraid it's always been a case of her word against everyone else's. And as time passed, and Soundwave's exploits as Megatron's most trustworthy lap-dog became more and more prevalent; the whole speculation got 'swept under the rug'; until last night"
"One telepath sensing a spark is speculation, but two is a confirmation" Ravage added.
Morri blinked in surprise, as she suddenly realized what that meant: "So-...Wait, he really is alive?!"
"If he is, he's weak to the point of near-death, or he so far away from earth that he's just barely within our combined telepathic range," Crystalwing replied, "I've talked at length with Optimus and Majestrix about this, and they've both agreed to let me go off-world to try and locate him"
"Okay, does that mean you're going too?" Morri asked Ravage
"I would, if her chest-compartment were calibrated to my size specifications; but since their not, I'll be staying here" the panther replied
"That's where you come in, Morri," Prime stated: "If Soundwave is alive we will have to bring him here, and I will need a liaison to assist me in communicating with him. You're prior 'psychic experience' could help to establish a link between us"
"Mores the pity, if could be that simple" Majestrix sighed
Morri looked up at her in confusion, and then back at Prime: "But-, I'd have thought, Ravage and his brothers would be far better suited at getting through to him?"
The bots glanced at one another: half uncomfortable and half feeling stuck between a rock and very hard place: "It would, create a 'conflict of interest' as far as diplomacy is concerned. Being his creations, we would be too close to handle this with any level of detachment" Ravage explained bluntly, the tone of his voice betraying his reluctance.
"Well? That's understandable" Morri offered, "But why're you doubtful?" she asked Optimus.
"As you are aware, from the many stories the other Autobots have told you: Soundwave wasn't just Megatron's most loyal subordinate, he was responsible for many of the Decepticons most daring and devastating atrocities. I know we must strive to put the past behind us and move on: but I fear there will be too much 'bad blood' between the other Autobots to handle this responsibly. As such, I will require someone of an unbiased perspective to assist me" Optimus explained.
"Okay" Morri awkwardly agreed, "But what about Ravage and his brothers? Surly you're not going to keep them from being reunited with their dad?"
The two Primes and one drone glanced at one another awkwardly, before Optimus replied: "...We will, 'cross that bridge' when we arrive at it. For now, I'm ordering you to remain on stand-by: if Crystalwing finds Soundwave and confirms he is still online, I will send for you. And in the meantime, you are not to breathe a word of this to anyone, until I say otherwise. Understood?"
"Yes sir" Morri nodded respectfully, "Good: until we hear from you, we will confer with our officers about this" Prime told Crystalwing: "Yes sir" the femme bowed her head in respect; "Well then, you'd better get going" Majestrix smiled. Crystalwing transformed into her altmode, and took off for the sky, disappearing into the blue of the atmosphere, before a burst of orange light indicated her increased speed to break free from the planet's gravity. Prime and Majestrix made their way to the base's command center, while Morri followed Ravage as he steadily paced off towards the cliff-side road that hugged the southern side of the gorge, leading up to the airbase.
"Before you ask, yes; Crystalwing's offspring are aware of this. Telepath's aren't good at keeping secrets from one another; especially their kin" the panther beat her to the punch.
"So you know what I'm going to ask next?" she speculated aloud.
"You can speak it: it's not polite for telepaths to answer questions before they've been asked anyway" he replied
"I've heard a lot about Soundwave, and the way he fought the Autobots; but I've not heard you're perspective on him yet. I didn't ask before because I didn't know if mentioning him would stir up old memories: you know; the sort you can't remember without knowing he's gone?" Morri asked tentatively.
Typical Morri: just like her to hold her prying curiosity for the sake of another's feelings; Ravage couldn't help but smile: a lifetime ago she'd have been such easy picking for his bloodthirsty vices; but now, being the drone he is today: it was one of the qualities he couldn't help but admire about her. "You care too much sometimes, you know that, right?" he grinned with a purr, before answering her question: "...I don't know who he was before the war: that was long before my time; but I do remember him. Both during the bloodshed: and away from it"
"Away from it?" Morri raised an eyebrow.
"Even the insane can grow tired of their own insanity: and when time allowed and the demands of Megatron and the war were not too great, we'd take what time we could to be together; to be a family..." he explained with a sense of nostalgia in his voice; "True, he wasn't one for letting his emotions show, even with us (and that's an understatement at best, I know). But when we were alone in the bond together, I could always sense something just beneath the surface of his sub-conscience: a sort of, compassion and tenderness he never let out...I always figured it was due to some horrendous trauma he'd suffered at some point in his life, and that the need to save his sanity forced him to bury all that he once was"
"The mind can go to extremes when its survival is threatened: and sometimes, blocking out painful memories is the only way to keep one's sanity in one piece" Morri commented offhand
"True, but with telepath's it can be much more complicated, and dangerous," Ravage explained further, "When you're part of a bond you share everything, both consciously and sub-consciously: repressed memories are no acceptation. But one has to be very careful, unless said memory is repressed willingly, the damage it could inflict by being shared openly across the bond can be catastrophic. Like casting poison into a pool of purified water, the trauma of the memory can inflict pain and suffering on the rest of the bond: and depending on the degree of mental trauma, the likelihood of the rest of the bond suffering the same psychological afflictions rises exponentially"
"So? If one member of a bond were to suffer a psychotic break?"
"They'd all suffer the same break" Ravage replied, "Which is why; the issue of mental health was always such a dicey gamble among telepaths: even during the golden age, very little was understood"
"You couldn't treat one without the same condition affecting the others" Morri realized as she ran her fingers through her hair, "Jesus, it must have been hell"
"And then some...We always believed that was why Soundwave never completely opened up to us; something about his past was so horrific, that he couldn't let out the good, without unintentionally unleashing the bad"
"So? How did you cope with it? With him, I mean" Morri asked
"We tried to stay in the 'now', just enjoy what time we had together, and not let anyone or anything else take that away from us" Ravage sighed, "...Call us whatever you want: monsters, enemies, whatever; but don't let anyone convince you we were never a family, because with so much insanity all around us: it was the only thing that kept us sane"
As she thought about it, Morri then felt compelled to ask: "Considering how long it's been since you last saw him, are you worried? About, the unknown?"
"Heh, quite the opposite actually," Ravage couldn't help but smirk, "I know far too well: how this will transpire, if the others hear that he's alive". "Hmm..." Morri nodded: she was about to say something else, when she looked up and saw Shiningstar and Shadowstar several paces away. They were arguing (yet again), though this time, it wasn't as heated as usual.
"Everything alright here?" Ravage asked, the two sisters paused, and stepped back a few paces.
"We were just-, debating on mother's decision to-, you know" Shiningstar replied sheepishly.
"I know, but it's merely a formality: to give peace of mind to both of us" the drone replied coolly.
"If he's alive, it would be folly to bring him here" Shadowstar scowled
"And letting him locate and rejoin the other Decepticons isn't?" Morri interjected
"Clearly you don't see the bigger picture here, meat-sack" the purple and white femme paced around Morri with her usual air of ire, "If Soundwave is allowed on this base, he will take whatever opportunity he can to purge Teletran-1 of all his data, and leave as many of us dead as he can; oh, and did it ever occur to you that his drones would betray their loyalty to the bots in a spark-beat, for their creator?"
Ravage stepped between the human and sphinx, his wider frame making the point of his superior strength to her, as he looked her square in the optics, "Let us wait, and see what transpires: you might get too ahead of yourself... again" he stated as he walked off, with Morri staying by his side. Once the femmes were at a distance behind them (and arguing again), she let out an uneasy sigh, "... The flacks going to be a lot worse than that, isn't it?" she asked offhand.
"You have no idea..." Ravage frowned internally as he continued to pace up the road.
Meanwhile, in the med-bay:
"Okay, that should do" Mikaela smiled as she closed the hood, and patted Hound on his side, letting the bot know she had finished: the Autobot tracker transformed back into mech-mode, and stretched out with a sigh of relief. "Ah! That's much better! Thanks Mikaela" he waved good bye as he strolled out the door; "Next time, try to go around the cactus!" Mikaela called after him
"So how many cacti is that now?" Sam asked from where he stood behind one of the bot-sized counter-tops, sorting out a large bundle of wires, piping, cables, and a number of other items into their boxes.
"Uh, four in as many weeks I think?" Mikaela replied as she wiped the grease stains from her hands with an old rag, "You'd think he'd learn to watch out for that riverbed by now?"
"Or maybe it's his excuse to come and see you? It wouldn't be the first time you're 'delicate touch' has pleased many a bot" Sideswipe grinned from where he sat next to his brother on the neighboring birth: "Pervert" Sam deadpanned as he threw an old tea towel up at the red Lambo's face.
"What? It's true! Sunny likes getting waxed up when his finish is done" the red twin protested, to which his brother smacked him upside the helm: "WHAT?! It's not like there's anything going on! Human hands are just-, softer, is all" Sideswipe protested.
"Yeah? Well those softer hands are gonna be all mine this weekend," Sam grinned as he sneaked up behind Mikaela, and gently slipped his hands into her back pockets, and nuzzled his face against her neck with a teasing kiss: "Down boy, it's only Friday" Mikaela smiled, "Eh, it can't come sooner" he purred as he kissed her neck.
"Oh get a room!" Sunstreaker huffed in frustration
"Shouldn't you guys be pranking someone or causing trouble somewhere?" Sam eyed the twins with a deadpan stare.
"We are: we're keeping our favorite medic company!" Sideswipe grinned gleefully as a sour-faced Ratchet strode into the main med-bay with a tray full of tools: "More like annoying the slag out of me by wasting my time with your ridiculous injuries" the medic deadpanned sarcastically.
"Ridiculous injuries?" Mikaela echoed raised an eyebrow, to which both twins held up their left hands, revealing the gaping holes that went right through their palms. "Ouch! How did that happen?" she winced.
"Five words: don't piss off Grimlock" Sideswipe grinned
"Four words: be more careful next time" Sam shot back as he continued to try and get his girlfriend to reciprocate his affectionate teasing. But to no avail as she gently grabbed his hands and led him back to his work station: but before he could say anything, she discreetly slipped a condom into his back pocket, and leaned over to whispered in his ear; "How about some fun tonight?"
"I think that'll be just fine" he whispered back with a satisfied grin plastered across his face; when he looked up again, he saw the twins both staring at him with the cheesiest grins he'd ever seen on a bots face-plates: to which Sam's delight fell flatter than a souffle.
"You're not going to leave me alone on this, are you?" he deadpanned
"Hey, porn is porn is porn" Sideswipe grinned: "Even if it's organic" Sunstreaker concurred.
Sam was about to protest when the comm alarm on his CTG announced an incoming message from Glen. : Yo Sam! You're dads on the phone, needs to speak with you right now: say's its urgent:
The atmosphere in the med-bay was suddenly replaced with a sense of seriousness, as Mikaela and Sam both exchanged concerned glances. "Put him through to the med-bay office" Ratchet stated. Sam trotted over to said office near the entrance to the med-bay: headed for the corner of the room where Mikaela's desk was situated, and grabbed the phone off the receiver.
"Hey dad? ..." Sam answered; as Mikaela joined him in the office, she saw the unreadable look on his face, and realized right away that something serious was up.
"...Dead? When? ..." Sam replied to his father on the other end, Mikaela froze as she listened: "...Okay...This Saturday? ...Well?-, yeah I can dog-sit Mojo and Frankie, it's no problem...Sunday evening?, Okay... No that's fine, I need to be back on the base by Monday...Yep...Well? Okay, I'll see you guys this evening" Sam put the phone back on the receiver, and stood there for a moment as the look on his face changed from unreadable to a sense of nonchalant puzzlement.
"What happened? Is everything okay?" Mikaela asked worryingly
"It's-, Uncle Daniel. He passed away last night" Sam blurted out
"Oh..." Mikaela suddenly felt bad for him
"What?! Who died?" Sideswipe called out, to which Ratchet knocked him over the head with a wrench, and told him off for eves-dropping.
"Do you need to go home?" Mikaela asked as she laid a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"Huh? Oh no it's fine: it's just, the funeral's tomorrow so mom and dad need someone to keep an eye on Mojo and Frankie 'till Sunday" Sam assured her
"Aren't you going?" she asked
"...To be honest?" Sam sighed with a slight wince, "I didn't really know the guy all that well; he and dad were close so it's really more for him than me...Look on the bright side, we'll have the house all to ourselves: so at least we won't need to book that motel?"
"...I guess?" Mikaela thought aloud as she followed Sam back into the Med-bay, "So where's the funeral being held?"
"Just outside baker's field: it's gonna be at least a three hour drive so their leaving tonight; I'm off at six, so? If you want you can-"
"-That'd be fine" she assured him with a small smile
"...I'm sorry for putting a dampener on our romantic get-away weekend" Sam winced awkwardly, "I'll make it up to you, I promise"
"That's okay, we can improvise" Mikaela smiled as she hooked her arm around him, and led him back to his work-station: "After all, you did say we'd have the house all to ourselves, right?"
"Yeah, but..." Sam gazed up at the twins with a less-that thrilled look, "Let's just say, those two aren't the only dogs I know of who're perverts"
So, there you have it for chapter 1: sorry it took a little longer than usual, I've been enjoying the weekend sun, as well as being kept busy with other things; but hey, we're finally on a roll here, so hanker down and stay tuned for chapter 2.
Oh, & don't forget to R&R!