Never Will Be
Disclaimer: I was astounded by how much love Never Was had received on deviantart, as evidenced by the artwork done by Lecidre; two pieces of work entitled Dream of a Bright Tomorrow and Farewell. I'll admit, I had a sequel planned for the longest time, but never had a chance to actually write it. But because so many asked me for it, I was persuaded to do so. LOL. Also, listen to the song, "Love the Way You Lie Part 2" by Rihanna and Eminem after reading this. You'll see how it ties well.
"The strongest have their moments of fatigue"
-Friedrich Nietzsche
"I love you, and because I love you, I would sooner have you hate me for telling you the truth than adore me for telling you lies."
-Pietro Aretino
By: VampireQueenAkasha
"Having one eye makes you see the world in unusual ways, Shockwave..."
-Overlord, Last Stand of the Wreckers
Strange Feelings
Cybertron
Red Alert sat with Moonracer and Chromia in the break hall at a table. They appeared to be engaged in conversation when Long Arm approached them.
"Hello, Red Alert," he said, "It's nice to see you again."
Red Alert looked up with a smile. "Oh. Hello."
"I was going to get a drink. Would you care to join me?" Long Arm asked.
Red Alert looked surprised by the offer and glanced at her two friends for some kind of approval. Maybe she didn't feel the need to abandon her friends without their okay as it would come off as rude to do so. They gestured for her to go ahead and grinned broadly before she looked up at Long Arm and smiled, nodding. She stood up and followed him and could hear the two females giggling and attempting to cover it up.
Long Arm purchased two Energon drinks; one for himself and Red Alert. He offered it to her and she chuckled and took it.
"You're buying my drinks for me now?" she said.
Long Arm shrugged his shoulders. "It's proper, isn't it?"
Red Alert smiled and took a drink. "Not even my old mechfriend did that for me."
Long Arm arched his brows. "Where is he now?"
Red Alert sighed and took a small smack of her lips. "Well, we decided to take it easy," she told him, "He served better being the head of our team than in a relationship shortly after he had his name changed when he graduated. And he was right. It was a mutual agreement between us and it worked out that we stayed better as friends than lovers."
Long Arm didn't reply and caught sight of Rodimus talking with Warpath. "I see..."
Red Alert chuckled and patted his shoulder. "You seem to be better company than anyone else I've spoke with," she told him.
"Surely you don't mean that..."
Red Alert shrugged her shoulders. "Well," she said, with a heavy sigh, "You can't imagine what it was like with him."
Long Arm arched his optic ridges. "Tell me. What was so horrible about him?"
"Well, actually nothing at first," Red Alert said, with a small chuckle, "When we were young bots, Rodimus was so..." She smiled and shook her head. "romantic. So passionate. It was his spontaneity and vibrant energy that I was attracted to. Everyone else around me was always so...organized, so scheduled and serious." She laughed and shrugged her shoulders. "Like me, I guess. But Rodimus was so wonderfully different from everyone. And funny. He could always make me laugh."
Long Arm watched her intently the entire time. "And what happened to that?" he asked.
Red Alert looked somewhat sullen now. "Things just stopped being funny," she told him, "I wanted to graduate from the medical academy, he wanted to go about his own thing. We soon discovered that we were just too different for one another. The truth is, I didn't like who I was when I was with him. I would turn into this horrible person who would always yell when I had to and he would yell back and it just turned into a mess. So we agreed to go out separate ways."
"That seems to be the most logical thing to do." Long Arm replied.
Red Alert smiled and appeared to be lost in thought now. "But there was one thing that happened to me a long time ago during the war," she told him, "I wish to Primus I could remember him, but I couldn't even if I tried with every bit of me."
Long Arm's cup froze over his lips and he tensed before looking sidelong at her. "What do you mean?"
"There was someone I had met," Red Alert continued; she rubbed her forehead, "I can't see his face at all in my head, but I know that I met someone so many cycles ago who I felt this...odd connection to. A strange...feeling whenever I'd been near him. I just wish I could remember him and have the chance to speak to him."
Long Arm looked at her strangely. There seemed to be an uncomfortable way that he stared at her; as if he was troubled by her words. "Why would you want that?" he asked, his voice low.
Red Alert sighed and placed her now empty cup onto the counter. "It's foolish, I know; he may have met his end in the war anyway."
You're looking at him, Red Alert; only he isn't who you think...
O
Cliffjumper was silently working at his desk when he saw Long Arm approach. "Long Arm Prime, sir!" he greeted, with a salute.
Long Arm gave him a half-hearted gesture. "At ease." he said.
He entered his office and assumed the form of Shockwave before taking a spot behind his desk. He sat in front of his monitor screen and typed in a few keys before the image of Strika appeared. She sounded very displeased with him.
"Shockwave! What do you have to report?" she demanded.
"No new elements have come to light, Strika," Shockwave told her, "I have told you before that it is dangerous to attempt to contact me during the beginning of each solar cycle. Lord Megatron has made no orders yet. We must remain diligent and on high alert."
Strika snorted with contempt and leaned closer to the screen. "He has made no commands in over fifty solar cycles!" she spat, "The Autobots must have captured him by now!"
"I hardly believe that." Shockwave told her, unimpressed.
Strika was clearly getting impatient with him, regardless of his opinion. "I will not waste another nanosecond on this wretched excuse for a planet!" she warned him, "The longer we wait, the more time we could be spending claiming the space bridges!"
"No one is to make a move until Lord Megatron commands it, is that understood?" Shockwave snapped.
"Fine. But it is a waste of our time!" Strika hissed.
Outside of his office, Red Alert was passing by before she paused and frowned, tilting her head at the sound of what she believed was Long Arm angrily yelling at someone. His voice sounded lower and much more menacing than usual.
"It is not a waste of time to exercise patience! You have your orders and I have mine. Learn to abide by them or there will be consequences, do you understand?"
Red Alert furrowed her brow and continued on.
O
The following cycle, Ultra Magnus gathered Rodimus' team in his office.
"You will be sent to space bridge station 687-030," he told them, "We have had recent Decepticon sightings in that area. The team that was sent there before you could use some backup if it is needed. You are after all some of the best we have."
Rodimus gave him a salute. "Of course, sir."
Ironhide looked excited and punched his fists. "I'm ready to smack some Decepticon skidplate around all the way to next cycle!"
Ultra Magnus didn't smile, but he seemed to approve of Ironhide's retort regardless. "Very well, you'll be sent there in 40 groons."
As they left the office, Hot Shot was eagerly punching his fists in the air. "Yeah, our first position at a space bridge station! Oh, I am so ready for this action!"
Brawn rolled his optics with a bored look on his face. "Yes, because nothing says action like watching a space bridge..." he muttered.
"I know, right!" Hot Shot said, missing the jibe.
Red Alert chuckled and shook her head. Then, she stopped and furrowed her brow, a thought crossing her mind. "Guys?" she said.
They stopped and looked back at her.
"What's the matter?" Rodimus asked.
"There's something I have to do first before we go," Red Alert told them, "I'll meet up with you at the shuttle bay in a few minutes."
They shrugged and nodded, starting to go. But Rodimus looked to be in deep thought. "Hurry back," he suggested.
Red Alert turned and walked back the way she had come. She found Long Arm in the hall in the middle of a conversation with Cliffjumper. When she stepped up, he glanced at her and his chest inhaled, seemingly in impatience.
"Hello, Long Arm," she said, "Can I speak with you for a moment?"
"Of course."
Red Alert glanced at Cliffjumper. "Alone?"
He shrugged and continued on his way down the corridors. Long Arm turned to her. Before she could speak first, he did instead. "I have just heard about your orders from Ultra Magnus," he said, with a small smile, "Congratulations."
"Thank you," Red Alert replied. "Though I feel...strange about taking the position."
That notion was bizarre to him. "Strange?" he murmured, making an amused sound as if she had just said the strangest thing in the universe, "Why would you feel strange about it? They are your orders. You should abide by them."
Red Alert seemed to remember now the argument he was having with someone last night.
"I thought you said the same thing when I had passed your office the other night," she said.
Long Arm looked momentarily mortified by this, but only for a brief second. He spoke rigidly, yet still maintained a sense of calm, his optics suddenly as sharp as daggers. "Did you hear anything in particular the other night?" he asked.
"A little. You seemed angry with someone, so I just kept moving along."
He was relieved now and it clearly shone on his features. She hadn't heard anything about his orders or anything regarding Megatron. "Ah, well you had heard correctly. I was frustrated with a lesser subordinate, that's all," he said-it wasn't a complete lie either.
"Hm, I know the feeling," Red Alert said, chuckling slightly.
They were quiet for a moment before Moonracer and Chromia walked up to them. They had been watching the interaction for a while, playfully scheming before they decided to make a move on the two awkward Cybertronians.
"Hey, I just heard the news about your new mission, Red Alert. Congratulations!" Moonracer said, in a teasing sort of voice, "Before you go and take your leave, Chromia and I, well... We needed a little help that you two could probably give us."
Red Alert and Long Arm glanced at each other, bemused.
"Um, okay?" Red Alert said, sensing that Moonracer was up to something; she gave her a funny look, "I suppose I will do what I can."
Chromia and Moonracer chuckled at Long Arm's suspicious expression.
"Relax, Long Arm, it's nothing serious," Chromia assured him, "You see, Moonracer and I were having a debate about first kisses. I think it's okay for the first kiss to be more appropriate. THAT way it leaves the two of you guessing."
Moonracer laughed. "And I think it's okay to go all out if you really like someone."
Long Arm furrowed his brow. "I do hope this debate is leading to a point."
"Maybe you can show us which way is better, Red Alert?" Chromia suggested, with a very mischievous grin on her face.
Red Alert looked surprised. "With who?"
"Who do you think?" Moonracer teased, "You and Long Arm, of course!"
The two looked completely stunned by this.
"What?" Red Alert laughed, embarrassed, "No. We can't just-No."
Chromia grinned and put her arms around them both in a tight embrace. "Consider it a goodbye kiss," she teased, "The two of you were hitting it off pretty well these passed few cycles, so a little kiss won't hurt, now will it?"
They glanced at each other, clearly uncertain and uncomfortable.
"Come on, you two," Moonracer teased, "It's just us friends here."
Long Arm and Red Alert turned to face one another.
"Clearly they will never let us alone," Long Arm muttered.
Red Alert gave a nervous chuckle. "No."
Moonracer grinned. "Good. Okay. Alright, are the two of you ready?"
They gave half-hearted nods before Chromia and Moonracer grinned, watching them lean forward before their mouths connected. Long Arm had tilted his head slightly and closed his optics, leaning into the kiss. He kept his hands at his sides in a very awkward position, but soon found them reaching up and cupping her face.
Red Alert made a soft sigh and rested her hands against his. Long Arm wasn't sure why he felt the way he did next, but he wanted to continue the kiss for as long as he could. Something drew him to her and wanted to stay there.
And it wasn't long when they parted.
Red Alert looked somewhat dazed by the kiss and couldn't resist her smile. He awkwardly smiled back.
Moonracer and Chromia looked stunned to silence for a long time. Something about what they had just seen had not been expected by either one of them. They had figured a little kiss would be enough, but they had seen something more.
"Wow..." Moonracer said, impressed, "That was...that was great, Red Alert."
Long Arm looked slightly bemused by his own feelings and gave a weak nod to the two other females before looking down at Red Alert.
"Was that acceptable?" he asked.
She blinked once. Twice. "Um. Yes, yes that was."
Then, Rodimus and Brawn walked up, not noticing what had just transpired between the medic and the Intelligence Superior. "Hey Moonracer, Chromia," Rodimus greeted. He looked at Red Alert now. "Are you ready to go now?"
Red Alert blinked her dazed look away a few times before she nodded, watching Long Arm quickly walk away. "Yes, give me a moment." she told him.
She followed Long Arm as he started to make his way down the corridors.
"Long Arm?" she said, "Are you okay?"
He stopped and looked back at her, his face a mask of conflict. "I need you to leave now." he told her.
She stared at him quizzically. She didn't appear to be hurt by this, but more surprised.
Long Arm smiled weakly, reading her expression. "Please..."
Red Alert shrugged her shoulders, still very confused by his abrupt change in behavior. She still appeared not to be insulted by this after what they shared and nodded her head. "Okay, I suppose I'll be going now," she told him, "Goodbye, Long Arm."
He stood there and glanced helplessly back as he watched Team Athenia make their way in the opposite direction. It would be a while before he felt sane again.
O
Team Athenia arrived at space bridge 687-030 and went to work establishing connections.
Hot Shot poked his head in a room and grinned broadly. "I call this one!" he hollered.
Red Alert started working on setting up her medic station. Rodimus stepped inside and knocked on the doorway. She looked back at him briefly before smiling. "I'm almost set up here," she said, "Once we get connections up, we-"
"I needed to talk to you about something in confidence, Red Alert," Rodimus interrupted.
She paused and looked up at him curiously. "What is it?"
"I know there's something going on between you and Long Arm," Rodimus said, giving her a troubled look, "I just think that you need to watch out."
She laughed skeptically. "Is that you being concerned?"
"I'm serious."
She sensed his tone truly was and frowned, a little bit frustrated by his sudden change. "Excellent timing. Tell me, what brought on this sudden need to feel protective?" she snapped, "We've already established the fact that I can watch out for myself."
"I just...sense something off about him. Just be careful."
Red Alert sighed and turned to face him completely. "Will that be all, sir?" she asked him, calmly, "I have work to finish here."
Rodimus nodded. Red Alert always put priority first and did everything she could to avoid talking with him about their feelings that they may have had or their history together. Maybe she felt that there was no point.
Considering what they had decided, maybe there wasn't.
