Crazy in...um...what?
Dreadwing walked down the halls of the police station, trying not to look at anything in particular. He could feel the nervous optics on his back, watching his every move. Dreadwing didn't blame them. It wasn't everyday that a former Decepticon was working with you, especially when the entire station was comprised of ex-Autobots.
Everyone he passed seemed to flinch a little and continue working, ignoring him as if they were trying to scrub him from the narrative. Dreadwing could see the the fear in their optics as they averted their gaze. They didn't talk to him unless he talked to them first, but he sometimes overheard them discussing him. Once, Dreadwing heard someone call him a devil. He often felt as if he was slowly being frozen alive, and nobody even noticed the cold nor the growing ice block. It was just as bad as the-
BANG!
He ran smack into one of the workers, a blue and green bot with optics the color of Earth's oceans. She fell back, scattering the data pads she was holding all over the floor.
"Oh, I'm so sorry! I wasn't paying attention," she exclaimed apologetically, picking up the scattered data pads. Most of the workers had paused to see what was about to happen.
Dreadwing knelt down and picked up a few as well. It's no problem is was an accident," he said, reaching for the last data pad. Just as he grabbed it, the bot's hand grabbed it as well. She retracted her hand, staring at the ground. But the look in her optics was different than the judging ones of his coworkers.
"Is she blushing?" Dreadwing thought to himself. He stood up and helped her up, trying to shake his own blushing feeling away.
"I don't believe we've met. My name is-" he started.
"Dreadwing. I know, you have quite the reputation for helping some humans defeat Unicron," she beamed.
Dreadwing blinked. He expected her to say something along the lines of 'oh, you're the ex-Decepticon'. Nobody else in the station ever mentioned the time he helped save another dimension.
"Oh, my name is Oceanshell, but you can call my Ocean." she continued. Dreadwing glanced down at the data files that they were holding. "Do you need help bringing these to your office?" he asked. Ocean smiled.
"Yes thank you!' She exclaimed, and lead him to her office.
And that was the start of a friendship, a kind that Dreadwing had not had in a long time. But something would make it stronger...
2 months later
Dreadwing arrived at his station and looked around for Oceanshell.
She wasn't anywhere. He gulped, swallowing down a stab of panic. Oh, who was he kidding, she was probably running late. Why was he getting so worked up about it? He did care about her, a lot, actually, but those feelings were too jumbled for him to make sense of them. Five more minutes passed. Dreadwing couldn't take it any longer. He tapped one of her fellow detectives on the shoulder.
"Excuse me do you know where-" he started. Just then, Oceanshell ran in, panting, her bag full of data pads jumbled and disorganized.
"I'm sorry I'm late! I-um...I slept in," she panted.
"It's alright it happens to all of us," nodded her boss. Ocean flashed Dreadwing a quick smile.
"W-well I'd better get going!" she stuttered, running into her office. Dreadwing frowned.
Something was not right, but he couldn't tell. Not yet, anyway. He needed more information. Dreadwing followed Ocean in her office.
"Ocean, are you all right? You've been acting a little..." he asked, voice trailing off.
Ocean blinked. "Y-yeah, I'm fine, just a little frazzled, that's all," she explained, slamming down data files on her desk.
"Is it because of a case you're working on?" he probed.
"Um...yeah! Yeah, I've been working on this, this really tough case, but I've got it under control," she replied.
Dreadwing nodded. "I understand," he answered, starting to head back to his own office. Ocean was definitely hiding something. She had sounded extremely uncertain about the case, and for the first time, he saw fear in her optics. Which definitely wasn't normal. Ocean was never afraid around him, always at ease and laughing. He needed to get to the bottom of this, but now was not the time.
Later that night he was about to leave for his house when he stopped by Ocean's office. He noticed a gleam of light on her desk, winking out at him. He walked in to get a closer look. It was a necklace, one that he knew that Ocean wore every single day. Dreadwing picked it up and put it in his subspace, deciding to return it. A good portion of his motive was that he wanted to know what was truly bothering her. He made an abrupt turn left, following a dimly lit road. Dreadwing realized that he was flying through the poorest and most dangerous neighborhood in the city. He'd been there often on patrols, but he didn't think that anyone he knew, much less Oceanshell, lived there. She didn't seem like the type of bot that lived in a rough neighborhood such as that. The neighborhood was infamous for having multiple families sharing a single home, and for having the highest crime rate in the city. There was much violence in that neighborhood, much of it emanating from gangs.
Dreadwing followed the directions that he'd found in the directory to get to her house. Hopefully, he wouldn't have to fight a gang on the way there. Within a matter of minutes, he'd reached the right address. Ocean's house looked very worn, small, and rundown from the outside. He estimated that it had maybe four rooms at the very most. Dreadwing reverted back to his normal form and walked up to her door. Just as he was about to knock, he heard tense voices coming from the living room. He snuck to the other side of the house and peered through the window, preparing to duck if anyone looked. Ocean and another bot seemed to be arguing. The window was open a little, so Dreadwing could hear every word.
"You have NO right treat me, or anyone, this way!" Ocean cried angrily.
"I'm the landlord here, and I say I want the payment NOW!" the bot demanded. Dreadwing felt like he recognized him, but he couldn't tell where he recognized him.
"Look, I'll have it in two weeks can you try to wait that long?" Ocean asked, a hint of pleading in her voice.
The bot glared. "I'll show you waiting!" he snarled. The bot reached behind his back, and before Dreadwing could move or react, he took out a dagger and slashed Ocean's arm. Energon came gushing out, spilling onto the floor.
"AHHH!" she screamed, gripping her arm.
"Consider this a warning. next time, I won't be so merciful." He growled.
Dreadwing's optics widened in recognition.
It was Blazestone!
Dreadwing reached behind his back to get his gun, but he hesitated. He wasn't a Decepticon anymore. Murder was only the last resort. He needed to do this the right way.
Blazestone stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind him. As soon as he was gone, Dreadwing ran to the front of her house and pounded on the door. Ocean peeked out and gasped when she saw Dreadwing.
"Dreadwing! How...did you?" She sputtered but Dreadwing held out the necklace and Ocean gasped. "Oh thank you!" she smiled, grabbing it with an energon-stained hand. She winced, as more energon dripped down her arm.
"Ocean...are you alright?" He asked. She sighed and allowed him to come in.
"I'm fine, I was a nurse during the war." She said and Dreadwing looked at her.
"I wasn't referring to that. I was talking about Blazestone." He said and Ocean's optics widened for a moment but she relaxed.
"You heard that?" she whispered. Dreadwing nodded. Ocean sighed, wrapping a bandage around the slash on her arm. "Dreadwing...it's not that simple...if I try to stand up too him he'll exile me and everyone in this property! I can't let that happen!" she cried, nearly on the verge of tears. Dreadwing's spark twisted a little. He never liked watching anybody cry. Whenever the Decepticons invaded a place with Sparklings, Dreadwing had always made sure to keep them out of harm's way, and shield their optics with a piece of debris or something so they wouldn't see the horrors that were unfolding in front of them. He shook those thoughts from his head before the flashbacks would start.
Dreadwing stood up. "I'll be back in a little bit. I have some friends who may help you," he reassured.
Ocean nodded. "Okay, I trust you." she said. Dreadwing froze. Only Angela had really said that to him before...he didn't know why, but it shocked him.
He walked out the door, pulled a key out of his subspace and pressed the top of it. He knew who could help.
Angela scrolled through the pictures on her phone, smiling. There was many pictures that brought back bittersweet memories.
Abby, Tess and Ember were somewhere upstairs, getting some chips and Energon. A bright light appeared next to her. She grabbed her blaster and loaded it, preparing for a fight. But that wasn't the case. When the light dimmed down, Dreadwing was in her basement, though he had to hunch down to fit.
"Hi Dreadwing!" she called happily.
"Hello Angela," he replied. There was a silence coming from upstairs.
"Is this who I think it is?" asked Tess.
"Yeah, Dreadwing is here!" answered Angela.
There was the sound of a bag crinkling, and a few seconds later, Abby, Tess and Ember came down the stairs.
"Whts ump," said Abby, with a mouthful of chips.
"What did you say?" asked Dreadwing.
Abby swallowed. "What's up?" she repeated, wiping her mouth with the back of her sleeve.
"Is there a particular reason why you're here?" asked Angela, before Dreadwing could respond.
"Well, a friend of mine is in a bad situation-" he started. Tess dropped a bowl on the floor in shock. Ember's mouth hung open. Angela's eyes were widened in excitement. Dreadwing was finally making friends! Good for him!
Abby nearly choked. "You have friends? Awesome! " she exclaimed, hints of a smile threatening the corners of her mouth.
Dreadwing shot her a glare. "Why are you so surprised?" he asked.
Abby shrugged, probably not wanting to offend him any more than she already had.
"What's his name?" asked Tess.
"Her name is Oceanshell," replied Dreadwing. Angela started squealing. "You have a GIRLFRIEND? Why didn't you tell me?!" she exclaimed.
Dreadwing scowled. "She's not my girlfriend!" he snapped. Angela exchanged a look with Abby, who wiggled her eyebrows up and down suggestively. Angela burst out laughing, so hard that she could barely breathe. Sometimes Abby was a riot. She managed to regain her composure and stood up.
"Sorry, continue," Angela apologized.
"...well her landlord isn't being fair to her," he explained. Ember cocked her head in confusion.
"Who's the landlord?" Abby asked. Dreadwing sighed.
"It's Blazestone."
Angela did a spit take. Ember hissed. Tess' eyes widened and Abby clenched her fist.
"You mean the scrap heap who almost sentenced you to prison? THAT Blazestone?!" Angela asked, with anger peaking in her voice. Dreadwing nodded.
"Great, he's picking on someone who didn't do anything wrong." Abby muttered bitterly. Ember growled something to Tess and she nodded.
"What did she say?" Dreadwing asked.
"...all I can say is it involves a lot of biting." Tess explained, scratching Ember in her favorite spot behind her 'ears'.
Abby smirked and picked up her cell phone. "Getting back to the topic, I know just the bot who can help us," she cackled.
Angela stared. "Who?" she and Dreadwing asked at the same time.
"Someone who can make it look like an accident," Abby replied.
Tess grinned. "I know! I know!" she announced. Angela thought about it for a moment. Then, it hit her. "Of course! I should have known!" she exclaimed.
Abby dialed a number into her phone. "Hey, man, it's been a while!" she said into the phone. Dreadwing stared at Angela in confusion. "Who is she calling?" he asked. Angela smirked. "You'll see when he gets here," she said.
Abby continued talking. "Actually, I need a favor. Yes, it involves beating someone up," she said.
Tess, Angela and Ember giggled.
"You will? Thanks!" cried Abby. She hung up.
"What's the verdict?" asked Tess.
Abby gave her a thumbs up. "He said he'd be here in a minute," she confirmed. Just as she finished the sentence, another bright light appeared in the basement. Angela closed her eyes until it had receded. When she opened them again, Wheeljack was in her basement, kneeling in order to fit.
"You called?" he asked.
Abby ran over to him and jumped into his palm. "How are you doing?" she asked him. Wheeljack grinned. "Doing well, thanks. So, what's my assignment?" he asked.
Angela stepped forward. "Well, Dreadwing here has a friend in a bad situation. That Blazestone is being unfair to her, and we need to teach that piece of scrap a lesson so he won't bother her. That's where you come in," she explained.
Wheeljack put Abby down. "Blazestone? I'm in. Dreadwing, you're a cop, right? Are you really going to condone this kind of thing?" he asked, although Angela had a feeling that he really didn't care what the answer was.
Dreadwing stepped forward. "I condone this because it is my job to fight against injustice. And isn't that what we're doing? So, yes, I am in," he said.
Tess started applauding along with Ember. "Well said, Dreadwing," she nodded.
Abby grabbed her lightsaber. "Ok, do you know where this landlord is now?" she asked.
Dreadwing stared. "Who said you three were going?" he snapped.
Wheeljack narrowed his eyes. "I did," he said.
Dreadwing sighed. "Fine, you can come. But be careful," he warned.
Angela nodded. "I will! Careful is my middle name!" she declared.
Abby stared. "Your middle name is Denise," she said.
Tess shrugged. "Well, it could mean 'careful' for all we know," she pointed out, putting in her suit.
"Point taken," Abby conceded.
"Ready to go?" asked Wheeljack.
"Ready!" answered Angela, Abby, and Tess. Ember gave a claw up (thumbs up). Dreadwing picked up Angela Tess and Ember. Wheeljack picked up Abby. Angela put on her magnet gloves. She couldn't wait to see Cybertron.
Hopefully she would return. Tess pressed the teleporter button. And with that, they walked through the light.
"Is this the place?" whispered Tess, they flew through the streets of Cybertron.
"No. I'll let you know when we get there," said Dreadwing. What is it with young humans and repetitive questions? He would probably never know. Dreadwing noticed Angela checking for Abby and Wheeljack out of his window.
"Relax, Angela, they'll be fine. Wheeljack can keep up," he told her.
She sighed. "I know. But I'm also just looking at all these awesome buildings!" Angela exclaimed.
"Yeah, they're so cool!" chimed Tess. Ember nodded in agreement.
"It's not all like this, you know," said Dreadwing. The girls and Predacon grew quiet. They had bad parts of cities in their world, too. Surely, they understood that Cybertron was more similar to their world than they thought. Ember had already been to Cybertron, so she understood what he meant.
Wheeljack took an abrupt turn right, and stopped at the corner. "This is it," informed Dreadwing. He landed on the ground and reverted back to his regular form. Abby and Wheeljack were waiting for them.
"Remember, no killing," reminded Dreadwing.
"What about maiming?" inquired Abby.
Dreadwing sighed. "Keep it to a minimum," he said. Abby and Wheeljack exchanged a wicked grin. Angela readied her magnets.
Wheeljack took checked to make sure his sword was sharp enough. Dreadwing snuck over to the far side of the house and stared through the window. Blazestone was on his computer, looking over some records. It was the perfect time to strike.
Dreadwing signaled the girls and Wheeljack, letting them know that they were clear. Angela knocked the door off its hinges with her magnets. "Freeze!" she cried.
Blazestone shot up. "What? You again?" He sneered.
Angela folded her arms. "Yep it's me," She smirked. Tess, Abby and Ember came in behind her.
"Great, you brought friends," Blazestone muttered sarcastically.
Abby took a step towards him. "We want to have a 'chat' with you," she said cooly.
Ember growled in the back of her throat.
"Oh really, what's the worst you can do? Call your little knight? Bite my ankles?" Blazestone taunted.
Wheeljack kicked down the back door. "Then they'll shred you, starting with your ankles," he retorted. Abby ignited her lightsaber, just for intimidation's sake. Blazestone took a step back. "What do you want from me?" he asked.
"Well, we want you to stop cheating the poor and start playing fair," said Tess, cracking her knuckles. Ember spread her wings to make her look bigger and hissed.
"And why should I do that?" snapped Blazestone. Dreadwing could see him starting to reach for the dagger, slowly, so Wheeljack and the girls couldn't see. He prepared himself to take a shot. Luckily, he didn't have to. Wheeljack noticed Blazestone's slow movement and knocked the dagger off the desk, using his sword. Angela used her magnets to bring the dagger into her hand.
"Not today, mister," she reprimanded.
Abby continued on as if nothing had happened. "Well, we'll leave you alone, for starters. If you don't, we will make sure you pay for it," she threatened, holding her lightsaber up to his chest.
Blazestone frowned. "Fine. Now, can you please get out of my house?" he griped.
"Sure," answered Tess, giving him the 'I'm watching you' look, along with Ember. And as quickly as they had arrived, they left. Dreadwing followed them out. Although he probably wouldn't admit it, he was very impressed. The humans seemed to surprise him more and more every day. As soon as they were out, Abby and Angela started jumping up and down.
"That was AWESOME!" cried Abby.
"Yeah! LIKE A PRIME!" Angela exclaimed, giving Abby a high-five.
"What if he doesn't keep his word?" asked Tess.
"Then I will intervene," vowed Dreadwing.
Wheeljack nodded. "So will I. But trust me, he will keep his word. You all just scared him senseless," he smirked.
Abby stared. "Are you kidding? You were the one who disarmed him!" she exclaimed.
"But you held him at swordpoint," Wheeljack pointed out.
"Enough of this. We have to go tell Ocean the news," said Dreadwing.
"I can't wait to see her reaction," said Angela. The girls hopped into their respective bot, and in just a few minutes, they had arrived back at the house that Ocean shared.
"Be careful. It's a dangerous neighborhood," warned Dreadwing.
Tess whistled. "And I thought Baltimore was bad," she breathed.
Ember nodded in agreement.
"Ratchet told me to never step foot in here. Oh, if only he could see me now," remarked Abby. Angela laughed.
"He'd be having a panic attack," chuckled Wheeljack.
Dreadwing motioned for the four of them to follow. Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door. Ocean opened the door slowly, so she could shut it fast if need be. Her face lit up when she saw him. Dreadwing could feel his spark get a little warmer around her.
"Dreadwing! I'm so glad you're-" Ocean stopped mid-sentence when she saw the girls, Ember, and Wheeljack behind him.
"Ocean, these are my, um, friends. They helped me solve your problem," he explained.
She blinked. "Wait, you did?" she asked.
Tess stepped forward. "Yep, we did. That little Scraplet isn't going to bother you any more," she said. "My name is Tess, and this is Ember." she added on an afterthought. Ember waved, smiling. The other three introduced themselves as well.
"I'm Abby."
"Hi, I'm Angela."
"My name's Wheeljack."
"Well, it's nice meeting you. I heard all about how you saved your world, and I'm really impressed," said Ocean. Suddenly, she stepped forward and enveloped Dreadwing in a hug. He tensed up for a moment, not used to the feeling, but he hugged her back. Dreadwing had not hugged anyone in centuries.
"Thank you so much," she whispered into his chest.
"Anything for you," he replied.
Out of the corner of his optics, he could see Angela start to jump up and down, only to receive dual elbows in the ribs from Abby and Tess. Ember's smile widened
Ocean stepped back. "So, I'll see you tomorrow?" she asked.
Dreadwing nodded. "You can count on it," he confirmed.
Later that night, as Dreadwing flew back to his own home, he thought about the events of that night. He never thought that he would recover from losing Skyquake, but, slowly but surely, he was mending. Dreadwing knew that there would forever be a gap in his spark, but the rest of it could be filled up too. Scars healed, after all. Ocean was the one he needed to help him heal. They needed each other. And maybe, just maybe, he could pick up the pieces of his life. It was only a matter of time.
Blazestone, was fuming. "Those measly flesh bags are getting to close for comfort. Not to mention that pathetic knight," he growled, looking down at the Autobot symbol he wore on his chest. Blazestone then looked around at his house, taking in the things that the knight and the fleshbags had broken when they busted in his house. His life seemed to be getting lower ever since those three Decepticons had their trial. Blazestone bent down and picked up the knife that the Wrecker had knocked out of his hand during the invasion. They were free! Even after all they done. So many of his Autobots comrades had died trying to end the Decepticons and their leader, and now their deaths meant nothing! All he ever wanted, for years and years, was for the death and bloodshed to mean something.
He looked over at a photo on the wall. Blaze and his squadmates stared back at him, smiling and laughing. His spark twisted, and he ached to be with them again. Dreadwing and Skyquake had offlined all of them. All, except for him. There wasn't enough energon in all the universe to wash the sins out of Dreadwing's ledger.
Blazestone frowned.
"If I want to defeat that knight, and avenge my comrades, I can no longer call myself an Autobot," he declared. He held the knife to the symbol on his chest and started scraping. Scraping away his allegiance to the past.