YAY! TRANFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN TRAILER!!! I'm posting this chapter in honour of the TF trailer finally being aired on television for the first time today! I really, really wanted to mark this momentous occasion with something special, so this is my celebratory chapter here! xD
I realize that this chapter, and a few ahead of this one, are going to be heavy on the OCs, but they're a little necessary to see where Sunny and Sides come from. As the storyline progresses and they grow up, the focus will draw more to the Twins, allowing the OCs to fall away. A word to the wise- this is going to be a bit of a mind-stretching chapter, what with the introduction of Sunstreaker and Sideswipe's new troop. They're a real cast of colourful characters. ^^; Much unlike the Twins, who I'm leaving to flounder as they try to figure out who's who in the Centaurie Tetrax Performance and Exhibition Circuit, I'm going to write out a little guide right here for the readers to consult so they can keep track of the main characters and reduce the amount of headaches that are bound to go around.
Wildride & Blindside- Previously introduced in the Prologue, they are the Creators to the twins. Both function as stuntmechs in their circuit, performing many of the ground-based stunts. Wildride, as his designation indicates, is the risk-taker in the relationship. Blindside, on the other hand, is a little more subdued, though no less enthusiastic about performing.
Flip- the eldest of all the stuntmechs, he functions as the circuit's main director. He keeps everyone on schedule and makes sure every show goes off without a hitch... most of the time.
Thrillride- One of the troop's few bots configured in a femme frame, she heads the lightcycle performers- an eccelectic mix of fast, lightweight performers ranging from microbot to tall femme frame heights. Of all the performers, she's the most concerned with proper behaviour around the Twins.
Blaze- Bonded to Thrillride. A big mech, but kind and soft spoken; he functions as the pyrotechnic director for the troop, as well as second in command of the entire circuit under Flip. Often times, he's the big brother to everyone.
Flicker- The largest of all the bipedal mechs in the troop; he serves the dual purpose of being a launching pad in the shows, and being the cargo carrier for when the circuit goes on tour. He can be a little thoughtless at times, but generally means well.
Flashdance- The youngest of the troop; recently upgraded to his adult frame. Not the most mature of his peers, he's nonetheless a surefooted performer who takes on the most highly choreographed shows. Of all the performers, he is the least concerned with proper behaviour around the Twins.
Skyfly & Clouddrift- The two co-directors of the aerials in the circuit; it's questionable how much control they really have over their fliers... Anything that flies tends to be overly excitable. Both are microbots who use their specially designed frames to combine mid-flight for show-purposes only.
My most heartfelt thanks to my reviewers, Bluebird Soaring, Crying Blue Rose 366, Elita One, blood shifter, Chloo, Soshoni, Silveriss, Bunnylass, Lecidre, and FunkyFish1991. You ten are some of the most special people on the planet and I thank you all with my the most sincerest and loving thank yous I can offer. Cosmic love to you all. ^^
And Bunnylass, Lecidre- super excellent hugs of loveliness to the both of you. I just about melted into a big puddle of happy-goo upon reading each of your reviews. Thank you so much for taking the time to write such wonderful comments. *hugs you both* You two are such wonderful friends!
Surface of the Sun
Chapter 1
"Back up! Make room! Haven't you pit-hounds ever seen a sparkling before?! Get out of the way!" A dark-plated frame shoved its way through the excited, curious crowd gathered before the Centaurie Tetrax Coliseum. He was unforgiving in his brutality, clearing a wide enough berth through the corwding bot to ensure the pair following him would have enough room to get through, perferably without being mobbed. "I mean it- back up or I'll report you to Security Response for endangering a sparkling! Back the frag up, you half-bit glitches!"
Slowly inching their way behind the mech, Blindside and Wildride stayed in their alt modes, protecting the fragile cargo they were carrying. Even as they eased their way towards the entrance of their home, they could feel the restless movements of the twins straining at their protective harnesses. It had been a very long and arduous task getting them home; if it hadn't been hard enough trying to have Mend-Me and his mechs look them over to make sure nothing was wrong- their screeching had reached audio-shattering levels during the check-up - the news of the split sparks had traveled like wildfire. Upon setting foot outside the Crystal Spires administrative complex of Iacon, Blindside and Wildride were set upon by a flock of anxious and amazed media drones, while Cybertronians of all sorts clamoured to get a look at the twins.
Megatron and Ironhide were prevailed upon to escort the pair to the transport ways to ensure they boarded a private craft safely, and the High Lord even offered to fly along side until they reached Centaurie Tetrax, which the sparkmates were more than happy to accept for the sake of the sparklings.
By good fortune, Centaurie Tetrax Youth Sector had also heard of the amazing phenomenon that had taken place that morning and sent ahead a Guardian to escort the new Creators and their sparklings home from the transport terminal as soon as they arrived within city limits. While it normally was a Guardian's function to protect the Youth Sectors and wrangle up any escaped younglings who made it beyond the protection of the boundaries, the Guardian that had been sent to Blindside and Wildride was more intrigued by his temporary escort job than miffed about being turned into an errand mech. They bid their thanks and goodbyes to Megatron as he took to the air once more, and Barricade, their official Guardian home, took the lead to the coliseum.
Within Blindside, Sideswipe squirmed and squinted up at the towering building before him. "Home, Blindside?" he asked, making use of the rudimentary language files he'd been programmed with.
"Yes, that's our home," Blindside replied soothingly, hoping to keep the sparkling calm a little longer.
Sideswipe turned around to peer at the sharp, sleek form of his other Creator's alt mode, entranced by the bright motif of fireworks painted on him. "Wildride's too?"
"Yes, Wildride's home too."
"And brother's?"
"Of course it's Sunstreaker's home too. We'd never take you home without him."
Soothed for the time being, the small sparkling clicked tiredly and curled up in the safety of his Creator's interior. Instinctually, he reached out to that other half of himself. Sunstreaker reached back with his own astral caress. They'd only been alive for a short time, but they knew they were safe together.
"Back it up! Back it up! Let them get in their own home!" The Guardian barked, shooing away the crowd as they attempted to press closer. "Primus, this is why I hate outside the Youth Sectors- nobody listens! Just back up, will you?!"
With the way partially cleared, Blindside and Wildride opened the hatches of their alt modes, allowing for their Guardian friend to undo the harnesses strapping the twins in and taking them into his arms so the Creators could transform. Handing them back, the black-plated mech inspected both Creators and Creations for any wear or tear inflicted during the journey. Deeming them fit, he nodded firmly, turning to disappear into the crowd and return to his rightful place in Centaurie Tetrax Youth Sector.
Wildride cupped Sunstreaker close in his hands, allowing the tiny creature to curl into his palm. "Hey, Barricade, thanks for the escort."
The other mech looked back with a flat look, shrugging. "It's my function," he replied, transforming and leaving.
Blindside looked eagerly to his mate. They reached for the towering entrance at the same time, but it swung inwards before they even touched it. Wild, excited shouts emanated from within as brightly painted arms reached out and snagged the pair, drawing them in and slamming the doors shut. Voices mashed together as Blindside and Wildride's fellow stuntmechs all shouted and cheered at once; they were excitable on good orns, but now, in light of the Twins, they were an absolute maelstrom of chaotic happiness.
"It's all over the networks! Everyone's talking about it!"
"I can't believe you made it in here without having your plating stripped from your hides!"
"Twins! Sparkling Twins!"
"You lucky damned fraggers!"
"Don't keep them to yourselves! Let's see them! Let's see the little things!"
Ahhhhh, to be home again.
Shrill panicked trilling erupted from Blindside's cupped hands as Sideswipe finally had his fill of the clamouring around him; he'd been as patient as a newly sparked sparkling could possibly be, but all this was far too overwhelming! He whined, trilled, and squirmed uncomfortably. He would have asked for the noise to be toned down, but the sight of so many bots so close, all talking at once, and no protection between him and them like there had been inside Blindside... he was as overwhelmed as one sparkling could be.
Sunstreaker suddenly bristled, Sideswipe's foul mood hitting him hard. He reacted to it without knowing why. He was too young to understand that the emotions he was feeling weren't his; as far as he was concerned, Sideswipe was him, and if a part of him was feeling bad then the rest of him was going to be prickly.
"Stop! Stop!" the little brown sparkling shouted, hoping he was accessing the right word from his lingual files.
"Yes, do stop crowding them- it was bad enough out there without you lot crowding them in here," Blindside pleaded as he shushed Sideswipe.
Collectively, the gathered stuntmechs quieted, backing away to give the little ones space. Without so many looming faceplates, Sideswipe calmed marginally and allowed Sunstreaker to stop hissing.
"Brother?" Sunstreaker chirped, searching for Sideswipe.
"Brother," Sideswipe replied, peering across from Blindside's palm into the anxious optics of his other half.
Flicker, the tallest and most brightly painted of the troop, leaned down to get a closer look at Sunstreaker. "What's up with this one's frame? He looks so…"
Sunstreaker glared balefully, curling a little more tightly in Wildride's palm. Wildride brought the sparkling close. "Obviously we weren't prepared for another spark- the frame is just a spare. He's fully operational and all, just…"
"It's the ugliest frame I've ever seen," Flashdance concluded flatly, only to have someone hit him about the knees.
"You shallow thing- be grateful the little dear has frame at all," hissed a femme, small and painted to appear as the aurora borealis. Her arms stretched out expectantly. "Let me see the dearspark," she ordered. "I want to see him for myself."
Wildride obliged, lowering Sunstreaker to the femme. She was so short she had to take the sparkling up with both arms, him being over half her own size. Sunstreaker fixed her with a stubborn look. She stared back closely.
"There's absolutely nothing wrong with this creature!" she declared firmly. "He's as handsome as any of you!"
Flicker crouched to take Sunstreaker. "Gee, Thrillride, I don't know whether to feel insulted or really insulted." He balanced the little brown sparkling in his palm and looked him over, faceplate crinkling the longer he looked. "You honestly need to get your optics checked."
Thrillride huffed, offended. "And you need to bring up your files on proper social exchanges in front of sparklings," she admonished. "If someone finds out you've been saying negative things to the sparkling, you'll get him taken away. You know how quickly they pick up things, and how strict the rules on sparkling care are!"
"Hey, hey, don't fritz at me- it was Flashdance who called him ugly," Flicker grumbled. "I'm just agreeing with him."
Flashdance snorted, leaping out of Thrillride's reach before he could be smacked again. "I was only saying what everyone was thinking!"
Blaze pushed his way to the front. Large, burly, and painted to look like an inferno, he was their pyrotechnic director, and one of the sweetest, softest spoken mechs in the troop. "May I?" he asked, holding out his hands to see Sideswipe.
Blindside, once sure the red sparkling was soothed and quiet, placed him gently in Blaze's outstretched hands.
"Well, aren't you the cutest little pit spawn I ever did see. Such pretty red paint, and little bright optics- one could almost mistake you for a pit-glitch," Blaze cooed at him, rolling the little sparkling around until Sideswipe was dizzy and choking on giggles.
"What did I just say to Flicker and Flashdance?" Thrillride snapped, preparing to smack her bonded for his thoughtlessness.
"They were perfect little avatars coming home," Blindside sulked.
Flicker dangled Sunstreaker by an arm, poking him with his free hand until the sparkling hissed at him, kicking futilely with his awkward legs. "Perfect avatars, eh? That don't sound right." He brought Sunstreaker up to his face, dangling him close. "To be part of this troop, you have to give your Creators pit. It's an unwritten rule amongst us, you know? You have to be a bad sparkling to be a good sparkling."
"Don't tell him things like that! You're going to jinx us!" Wildride hissed, trying to jump for Sunstreaker, but Flicker easily held him out of reach.
"You hear me? The more mischief the better. We were all bad little sparklings once." In answer, Sunstreaker's sharp little foot flew up and caught the mech in the olfactory sensor. Even though he could barely feel the tap, Flicker jerked back nonetheless with a deep bellow of a laugh. "There, that's more like it!"
Taking Flicker's order to spark, Sideswipe gave an impish cry and squirreled his way over Blaze's hand and up under the heavy, fire-proof armor at his wrist.
"Whoa! Hey now! None of tha-ah! That's tickles! Ho- that tickles!" Blaze shook his arm out, sending Sideswipe flying.
"Primus! Don't hurt him!" Blindside cried, now scrambling to catch his other wayward sparkling.
"Someone catch him!" Wildride barked harshly, already feeling a headache coming on.
Performing a move normally reserved for the stage, Flashdance leapt into the air and caught the flying sparkling, tucking and flipping once before landing squarely before Blindside. Sideswipe never stopped laughing.
"Liked that, didn't you?" Flashdance crowed happily.
"Fly!" Sideswipe cried gleefully. Acquiescing to the creature, Flashdance tossed him a couple times, juggling him like he himself had been juggled when he was young. Just as he'd enjoyed it then, Sideswipe squealed joyfully now.
"Quit showing off, Flash," Wildride warned, hoping to snatch his creation back.
Flashdance was too fast, dancing away in a fancy jig. "He likes it, though. See?" He tossed Sideswipe higher, giving him a little bit of a spin for effect. On the way down though, an over-excited microbot got tangled amongst Flashdance's feet and he ended up fumbling with the sparkling.
"Please! Please be gentle! If anything happens to them, they'll get taken away!" Blindside pleaded, finally able to steal Sideswipe back- who appeared to have been having the time of his very short life.
Flicker clapped the mech on the back, passing Sunstreaker on to the next waiting mech. "When are we ever NOT careful?"
"Always," Wildride sighed. "That's the problem." It was one of the greatest downsides of being part of a stunt troop; their definition of careful didn't always follow everyone else's definition of careful. Or safe. Or sane, for that matter.
"We'd never do anything to get the sparklings taken away," Thrillride assured, although pointedly aimed a glare in Flashdance's direction. "We know how much they mean to you two, and you know how much they mean to us. Everyone's just really… excited to meet them. It's only natural; they're twins, after all. They're the only ones of their kind."
Sunstreaker squawked agitatedly as two microbot acrobats, Skyfly and Clouddrift, cooed excessively. Nothing was worse than getting strung between two aerials; they liked to talk a lot, and about nothing in particular. It hurt his audios listening to them. Sideswipe immediately stopped his laughter as he heard his brother's cry, turning over in his Creator's hand to look down on his brother. Sunstreaker paused in his fit, head angling up to meet his twin's gaze. Something passed between the two, unspoken and intangible. Both sparklings suddenly hushed, simply staring at the other. Both suddenly soothed.
Witnessing such an unusual show, the older bots drew away, mystified. The distraction the occurrence offered was enough to allow their director to enter unnoticed.
"-Well now, it seems our two proud Creators have finally returned from Iacon," Flip crackled from the end of the coliseum's entrance hall. "You've caused quite the stir, you and your new Creations."
"Flip! I- Twins!" Blindside stuttered, motioning to the two sparkling now being presented to the old mech as he shuffled forward.
"Ah, yes, precious little twins," Flip said fondly, crouching first to rescue Sunstreaker from Skyfly and Clouddrift, and then plucking Sideswipe away from Blindside, lifting them up to be silhouetted against the lights.
"What rare creature you are," he sighed, scanning the twins with an absent air of intensity.
"They're the second pair of split-spark twins ever to be recorded," Wildride announced proudly.
"Oh, yes, that's right. Those other twins from so long ago- that was vorns and vorns before even I was online," Flip said, remaining focused on the newest additions to his troop. While being on different hands, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker inched closer to the other, seeking comfort in their proximity. Flip smiled fondly. "What are their designations?"
"Sideswipe and Sunstreaker," Wildride replied instantly.
"Beautiful," replied the director. He gathered the pair in one palm. "When was the last time they had any energon? Their optics look too pale for their energy reserves to be full."
"Administered some before we got on the transport to Centaurie Tetrax, and then a little more before we strapped them in and drove here," Blindside said. "Barricade said that that should be enough to tide them over without overtaxing their systems."
"What does a Guardian know? He's certainly no Caretaker," Flip laughed rustily. "I've had more than enough sparklings come through this place to know when their optics look too pale. They're practically drained of every last drop of energy they have- too much excitement for their first orn online. No bot could handle that, not even if they were pre-programs."
"Of course, Flip," Blindside conceded quietly.
"Are you volunteering to see to them for now?" Wildride asked of the director. He was tired, and he knew through their bond that Blindside was more than a little exhausted.
"I wouldn't dream of leaving them in anyone else's hands," Flips replied. "I'll dilute something and administer it, and then put them in recharge. The rest of you, go on and get some recharge yourselves. Especially you two," he nodded pointedly at Blindside and Wildride. "We have an opening show tomorrow to present these little ones and I don't want to see a single sloppy move or dim optic out there. We haven't been practising all this time for nothing."
"But, Flip-!"
"No buts, Flashdance, I mean everyone. This is our time to shine; the world will be watching tomorrow to catch their first glimpse of Cybertron's only pair of spark-split twins. Any mistakes and I'll have you polishing the entire coliseum with your bare hands- blindfolded, if necessary."
With groans all around, the gathered bots bowed and slunk off, not daring to dispute their director's orders. They'd just have to wait until the old mech settled the sparklings and drifted off into recharge himself before they broke out the high-grade.
Flip hummed gently to the twins as he continued to shuffle along. "The world awaits, dearsparks."
Along with rudimentary speech, sparklings were also programmed with basic motor functions. Essentially, from the moment a sparkling is brought online, even one with the most basic programming, it is able to walk (albeit wobbly), and talk (if you could call singular words and broken sentences talking). Basic programming such as that enabled easier and more efficient care to be administered by the Caretakers in the Youth Sectors.
The programming also enabled Sideswipe to get up from the berth he laid on and drag himself to the other side where his brother lay in recharge. The berth was several times their size, most likely meant for a femme, or even minibot-sized frames; they were only the size of microbots. Everything was big to them. In fact, everything was huge to them. Huge and new.
The room Flip had brought them to was relatively large, designated as the youngling pen for all the young ones of the troop to recharge in when they came. The walls and ceiling were scrawled with the glyphs of dozens of bots that had stayed in the room before- meesages from the past, some philosophical, some funny, some bizarre. Old graffiti marked the designation of a youngling and the designation they planned to take when they reformatted, like Surefoot = Flashdance, or some scrawled writing gave the author's opinion of certain bots in the troop, like Flip is a Fragger! and Skyfly is Pretty! Immature things a youngling might write when they hit their rebellious stage.
Dim, tiny optics gave the vast, colourful room a blank once over. It was all so… big. Big. Big. Big. And new. Everywhere he looked he saw something new; he could feel his processor adapting to the rapid input of information, his memory banks logging and retaining as much information as they could, before cycling around, shifting, broadening. He couldn't help but push a puff of air out his vents, some subconsciously running program vaguely informing him that what he just did was called a 'sigh.'
The place, the coliseum- their home, was just so… quiet and alien. It felt as though he and his brother would never know the place even if they spent every moment of their orns wandering the halls. Of course, it only felt as if it would take forever to know their home when their concept of time was limited to the few joors before when they gained awareness for the first time.
Sideswipe sought comfort from the warmth he felt radiating from the other side of the berth. He didn't know what it meant, or how to describe it. He simply felt it, knew it intimately, as if it were an extended part of himself. This comfort was something he needn't ever question. It was as sure as the pulse of lift he felt inside his sparkcase. His other half was as ephemerally real as the mysterious, warm ether beyond the puzzle of the Allspark from which they had been drawn from.
"Side…swipe?" Sunstreaker croaked, rolling over to face the looming shadow.
Sideswipe cocked his head to the side, laying himself down next to his twin and pressing close to the other half of his spark.
"You are me," he whispered gently.
"And you are me." Sunstreaker felt it too, that indistinguishable tie between them that connected them without words or physical boundaries. They knew without sight, without sound, without touch or taste.
Hands reached out, fingers intertwined, and they drew each other close to revel in the vibrations their frames made together. It felt right to be close like this. It was instinctual; their sparks knew each other because they were one. They weren't supposed to be apart. Being apart, like they had been coming home in their Creators, made them feel empty inside. Not good. They knew so little of the world beyond each other; they had no idea of the sheer rarity of creatures such as themselves. They had no idea what 'twins' meant. They only knew that the two of them were the most important creatures in the universe to each other.
"We... are the same." Sideswipe whispered in quiet, broken Cybertronian.
"Yes."
"But we are not."
"Yes."
Being so new, with such limited programming, both sparklings were having a tough time trying to comprehend their own words, trying to gather their thoughts into proper speech. They struggled though, because what they were trying to say was important.
It was just as Thrillride had said; sparklings pick things up fast. Sunstreaker and Sideswipe already knew there was something about them that was different. That's why everyone stared and whispered. They didn't know the world. They didn't know of twins. Of sparks. Of anything. But they knew of difference, and that it applied to them.
Their emotional ranges were still limited, kept to only the basic ones; happy, sad, angry, and fearful. Since this occasion did no seem to fit the first three available options, it left the twins scared of something they didn't understand.
"Is something… wrong with us, Sunstreaker?"
Sunstreaker's arms reached out, wrapping around his brother tightly. He brought Sideswipe close, curling around the red frame.
"Nothing is wrong with us, Sideswipe. Nothing."