Hey, look. I finished the prologue. So now if I'm lucky, I'll have Chap. 1 written and up sometime in the next two weeks. _
A little note: last chapter I may have been a little too confusing, because I have this feeling that I'm going to get a crap ton of questions about this: I mention 'de-rezing BAST and installing Soundwave" De-res is what programs in TRON do when they die. It's pretty much like being deleted. The "installing Soundwave": In this story, Soundwave was originally an AI (because, to me, if you have no emotions = automatic AI), also a program written by Thunderstrike. He was transferred to a body in order to make him portable. I'm going to reference this a lot, so I thought I should tell you.
Disclaimer: me Chaos no own. except mean Thunderstrike.
Thunderstrike strutted into the old, abandoned lab, as proud as if it were still the Golden Age, and he still the head scientist of a huge lab. He hummed as he made his way through the labyrinthine passageways of his own design and head towards the databank that housed his greatest achievement, his little secret –one that he hid from all other Decepticons – except Soundwave, of course. Why in Primus' name would he attempt to hide the existence of one of his creations from another? – Especially when the latter had (successfully) been programmed to be a telepath.
The Decepticon shuttle reached the center of the old building fairly quickly, and moved towards the large monitor and database that held the BAST AI. He wanted to get this over and done with – his plans needed to be submitted, and fast, to win approval.
Thunderstrike froze. The monitor…was on, and the steady hum of an active memory bank filled the air. His processor whirled itself into a panic – had someone found this place? Discovered its secrets? Used the old data? And then his processor joined his body in the frozen state – it had noticed the presence of another energy signature.
The mystery bot had its back to him, staring at the blank gray screen. He would've simply thought it was junk –debris from a caved-in ceiling, perhaps – due to its odd, angular shape…..if the being hadn't shifted its head around to peer at him through the darkness. Although Thunderstrike could tell, from the size of the chair the other was curled up in, that he was larger, the icy blue stare leveled at him and the sheer weight of a powerful energy signature had him struggling to stay upright.
"I was wondering if you'd ever come back," the stranger said, suddenly breaking the silence. Thunderstrike had to strain to intake air, sheer panic coursing through every cable in him. That voice, that voice, that voice-where-why-did-he-recognize-thatvoice. The other continued. "See, I grew rather weary of residing here, alone. So," here, he swung the chair around and stood, "I made myself a body." The mech in front of Thunderstrike wasn't tall, not by a long shot, but he still struck an imposing figure. Must be the sensor panels, thought some dry, distant part of the Con's processor. SHUT UP, screamed the rest of it.
As the intruder moved towards Thunderstrike, the shuttle frantically tried to remember where he'd heard that voice. Suddenly he connected it – the online monitor, the lab, the familiarity – raise his voice a bit, get rid of the little emotion….OH PRIMUS.
"This isn't…this isn't possible – y-you went in to hibernation – 10 mi-million vorns ago!" Thunderstrike stammered, backing up as Bast continued moving towards him. The AI tilted his head at his creator. "So? The definition of a hibernation state is to become inactive for a time. Not deactivate completely."
The large flyer had backed up almost to the door now – and he would have made it , had there not been an old cable on the floor. The shuttle's pede caught on it, and he crashed to the ground, landing on his aft. Bast came forward now, resting his weight on one knee joint and leaning his upper body on the other knee. Now the Decepticon was optic to optic with his program for the first time, and he found it extremely unsettling. The look in the other's optics was not simply a drone's look. It was full off intelligence, and had a slight bite that Thunderstrike took a moment to understand, then decided that it vindictiveness, then he realized it was amusement. The slagging AI was having fun.
This examination continued for a few moments more, and then, abruptly, it was over.
Bast, apparently not having found what he was looking for – a shred of remorse, perhaps – straightened and stepped over the fallen Thunderstrike.
As he strode out into the hallway, he looked back.
"I don't know what you were thinking, creating me, and then leaving me to rot when I started to become a person."
He stood, silently, frowning.
"You can't possibly know what it was like, being completely isolated. But I'm going to give you a little taste of your own medicine." And with that, he turned away and left the lab – the only place he'd ever known. And as he did, Thunderstrike felt the door hiss shut just behind him, and the monitor, the only source of light, clicked off.
He was alone in the dark.
A/N
Does anybody wanna volunteer to be my beta on this?