Disclaimer: Transformers © Hasbro/Takara. A shame…
A/N: Something about Megatron and starscream's sparklings. WARNING: sparkling cuteness ahead! Fluffy and cute as death! More ruckus and laughable misunderstandings are up ahead!
Sparklingnapped!
Chapter 4: Attack!
"PRIME!!"
The powerfull roar ringed across the plain that extended in front of the Ark, the Autobots' base. Megatron and his Decepticons had landed "en-masse" and were ready to wreck havoc at the unprepared autobots for their doing. Even if the whole incident was a big misunderstanding, the Pit was about to be let loose on the head of the poor bots that had the bad idea to take what wasn't their.
Megatron was literally enraged. He was standing tall; fists clenched on his hips and optics ablaze whit the fires from the Pits. His expression could've sent the bravest mech running in fear and hide on the deepest hole he could've find. Behind him stood Starscream, looking as if he was about to blow all of the Autobots to Kingdom Come all by himself. He has his arms folded across his cockpit, fist clenched and his expression was bordering madness, and quite frightening.
And behind the two top-Officers of the Deceoticon stood at least 15 of the most powerfull soldier they could gather for that attack. There stood the constructicons, whom could merge into Devastator, the Stunticons that could combine to become Menasor, the Conehead Seekers and the Triple-Changers. And don't forget Soundwave and his tribe of casseticons.
All were looking bloodthirsty and ready to jump as soon as the order was given.
In front of them, a couple hundreds of feet away, Prowl and the Autobots were standing. Behind him he had Sunstreaker – who was looking a little uncomfortable – and Sudeswipe, the warrior twins, and Bluestreak, Mirage, Hound, Red Alert and Inferno, and the Minibots. The Aerialbots were ready to jump too, as were the Dinobots, Wheeljack and even Perceptor had join in.
For now, both armies were only glaring at each other and the tension was making the air itself sparkles with raw energy. Another couples of mknutes, and all Hell will run free. Megatron took another step forward and glared dagger at the Autobot SIC and tactician.
"Where's Primw? Is he too coward to come and face me?" Challenged the Decepticon leader with deep anger.
"Sorry, it's with me you're dealing, now! What do you want, Megatron?" Retorted the Datsun coldly, showing no emotions whatsoever.
"I'll talk to Prime and no one else, you weakling! Send him in in the minute or I'll blast your pitifull base and your toy soldiers to oblivion!"
There was a wave of angry shout and comments after that, and it took a lot of persuasion to keep the Autobots to jump blindly at the insulting Decepticon. Whom shouts were mirrored in the Decepticon ranks not even a klick later, and the tension reached a new level. The explosion was so close than the ait seems to be thickened by it.
"Prime's busy, Megatron! You'll have to tell what you want and why you're here before I consider disturbing him."
Starscream, loosing patience, took to the air and towered above the Autobots, shouting angrily.
"GIVE BACK MY BABIES, YOU AUTOBOTS SCUM!"
"STARSCREAM! Calm down and get down here, you hot-headed fool!" Shouted back Megatron, turning to face – more or less – his fuming bondmate whit blazing optics.
His anger was obvious, but it wasn't directed to the noisy jet, even if it was to him that he was shouting. Grumbling Starscream complied and landed next to his Leader and mate, tense and radiating a barely contained rage. On the Autobots' side, interrogatives and surprised whispered and comments could be heard. Prowl froze for a moment when he heard what Starscream had shoued. Babies? What was that? Another weird Decepticon trick? Did Prime omitted to inform him about something important? He had no really informations about what had happened on the gates earlier that night. Optimus hadn,t had time to tell him before the D-Cons arrived. So the SIC was taken aback by all that nonsense.
"What are you talking about? What… babies?" Asked the tactician, dumbfounded.
"Don't play dumb with me Autobot! You have taken something that's mine and I want them back! NOW!"
Prowl was about to answer when someone else – afterward, he couldn't even recall if it was an Autobot or a Decepticon that had open fire first – but a shot was fired, and in less than a click, all Hell had open loose…
oOo
Inside the Ark, on the med bay, Optimus had given the sparkling he was holding back to Ratchet when he heard Prowl alert toward the comm. system.
"I'm afraid they're already here, Ratchet. Come with me. I may disable that bomb before it blows in our face. I have to talk some sense into Megatron…"
The sparklings were now squirming and trashing so hard than the Medic had trouble keeping a hold on them. The little ones where shouting and clicking away more and more loudly, making the older mechs audio receptors ringed.
"MA! MAAAAA!" Was shouting the little red and bleu sparkling, and he was trying to jump off Ratchet arms, even trying to bite and claw at him.
"DA, DA, DAAAAA!"
That was the silver one, the tiniest, and he was the fiercest of the lot, kicking and hitting, biting hard the digits that were wrapped around his tiny frame.
"OW!"
Ratchet exclaimed and his hand opened suddenly, letting the little sparkling fall to the floor. Curling, the little sparkling landed and rolled a little, and then uncurled and crawled at an impressive speed to the door.
"Ho, no you don't!"
Optimus managed to catch him and then, the sparkling actually growled to him, baring tiny fangs and crunching hid tiny face in an angered way. He tried to bit again, but Optimus was made of a harder matter than Ratchet and that wouldn't work with him. That was actually cute, but they had no time to awe at the cuteness, because they're "daddy" was right outside the door and waiting for them impatiently.
"Take him. And that time, don't drop him!" Said Optimus, handing the growling and fierce sparkling to ratchet.
"That wasn't my fault! The little monster BIT me!" ratchet glared at the sparkling, but, unimpressed, the little one returned the glare with a pout. "How do you intend to knock some sense into Megatron? I don't think he would be open to discussion, seeing that we actually took his sparklings from him…"
During the entire ruckus, Darkwind, with his dark frame, had managed to stay unnoticed, and he had squirm and slid himself down the medic leg and right to the floor. Seeing than the older mechs were still busy, he saw his cue and crawled as fast as he can to the door, sensing the closeness of his creators. He got out of the med bay, and then, clicking and chirping happily, crawled faster toward the source of the bond that was pulling him forward. Seeing that the Autobot base was currently empty, every mech being outside to deal with Megatron and co, he wasn't stopped…
Inside the med bay, Optimus was about to answer ratchet question when the Medic cursed loudly, looking around feverishly.
"Damn it to the Pit!"
"What? Ratchet, what's wrong?"
The medic looked at his Commander with a bit of annoyance and desperation, still fighting to keep a hold of the two sparkling he was holding. Wait a minute! TWO sparklings?! Wasn't it THREE of them?! Understanding, Optimus slapped a hand over his face in disbelief.
"Ho, slag! He can't be too far!"
"Damn those pit-spawned little monsters!" Cursed ratchet, and then he bit a new yelp of pain as one of the two he was still holding bit him hard again. They had some quite pointy and hard lil fangs… "Ow! You slaggin'…"
Growl.
"And stop growling at me, you lil beast! You sure had some traits from your parents…"
Angered chirps and clicks, growl.
Optimus had left the med bay to search the remaining sparkling. The little one was still crawling, not even able to walk yet, so he couldn't be too far, could he? Looking into all of the traps, vents and grill on his way, he finally found the trouble maker two hallways away, crawling at an amazing speed to the gates. He managed to reach him before he got outside and the sparkling yelp in surprise, and then clicked and chirped very angrily at him, trashing, kicking and trying to bite him as well.
"What a little ball of fury! You really are your mommy's son…"
Growl. Chirps and clicks. Growl.
Behind him ratchet finally came out of the med bay and reach him. His own little ball of angry sparklings tightly holds to his chest.
"Lets give those monsters back to they're parents, shall we? I'm starting to get a migraine… Besides, they're already completely tainted by the Decepticons, so I don't see the point in delaying."
Optimus nodded and the two of them got out of the ark. The scene that greeted them was not pretty…
"I think were too late to avoid bloodshed, Prime… Thanks to those little rascals."
The clearance between the Ark and the boulders in the distance had been turned into a battlefield, and already, some mechs had been downed. Optimus winced and shivered. He could see, not too far from the Ark's gate, what looks like Sunstreaker but… He was literally torn in two. His legs weren't attached to his body anymore. Fortunately, he looked alive, moaning and whimpering in pain. Ratchet's first instinct was to run to the downed warrior to help him, and he handed his charges to Prime without a word.
"Take those. I have some work to do…"
Optimus sighed. He had to stop this madness. He was about to shout when Jazz literally landed in front of him in a heap of half-melted armour and horribly torn limbs. He could neard a crazed seeker laugh above him as Starscream and Thundercracker flew away, cackling like mad bots. Prowl was nowhere in sight but Bumblebee and Brawl were firing at the departing jets madly, taking cover behind some boulders.
Enough was enough…
"MEGATRON!" Shouted Optimus at the top of his vocaliser.
For a moment, there was an odd pause, like if everybody on the battlefield had frozen, and then, all the optics turned toward him. Optimus looked around with calm and determination, still holding the now quieted and awed sparklings. They were trying to hide into the Autobot Leader armour, frightened by the noises and the explosions and laser fires of the battle not even a minute before. They had curled in tight balls and were barely visible in the crook of Optimus' elbows. Soft chirps and clicks could be heard from the little ones, along with little sobs of fear.
"MEGATRON, STOP THAT MADNESS! I HAVE WHAT YOU WANT!"
In the odd silence that had fallen to the battlefield, Optimus' voice boomed powerfully, rolling from the Ark to the boulders in the distance. After a moment, the circle of mech that had surrounded Optimus broke and the tall, silver figure of Megatron appeared.
"Ha, Prime! The mech I wanted to see!" Mocked the Decepticon Leader in a smug tone. "hand them over, then, and I'll go without more casualties."
"Not so fast, Megatron. I will give them back, but first, you have to listen to me." Stated the Autobot leader, his voice steady and firm.
"And why would I want to listen to anything you have to say, Prime? I haven't started that mess! It is one of YOUR mech that had taken MY sparklings and not the other way around!" Spited the silver warlord angrily, optics blazing a fiery red.
"I am well aware of that fact, Megatron, and I assure you I never order anything like that! Yhat was the act of a single mech, whom had acted of his own will. I don't support such an act, and never will."
Optimus was apparently angered toward the mech that had committed that act, even if it was with good will that he does. Seeing the state Jazz was in now, Optimus thought than the mech had already been punished enough for his mistake. Megatron lifted an eyebrow at that display of honesty, not too sure if he should accept it or not. Starscream landed baside him at that moment and he screeched suddenly, seeing the infants in Optimus' arms. Reaching for them, he was denied as the larger mech took a step backward.
"Give me back my sparklings, Prime!" Screeched the jet, baring his fangs in a grimace of pure rage.
"Not yet, Starscream. I'm not finished."
Megatron put a hand on his mate shoulder to calm him down, and step in front of him, blocking the way to Optimus and the infants.
"Calm down, Starscream. Go on, Optimus Prime, I'm listening."
Optimus nodded and then he spoke again. Starscream looked annoyed and surprised that Megatron allowed Prime to go on, but he did have the sparkling in his arms… And attacking would be very stupid, knowing that he could hurt his offsprings in the process.
"I want to apologize for the misunderstanding that happened today, Megatron. I assure you that my mech'll be punished severely for that." Then, he took a pause and looked at the slightly larger mech in the optics before going on. "Megatron… Brother… I ask you to think about that. Do you really want to rais sparklings in a galaxy divided by war, violence and fear? These infants didn't deserve to be thrown in the middle of a war-torn world. Just… Thought about it, Brother."
After that, Optimus opened his arms and let Megatron see the sparklings fully. The little ones were still curled in a ball of fear and had closed their optics, not seeing the horrors that were surrounding them. They were clinging at one another tightly, sobbing and cooing softly in fright. Sensing their creators close, they opened their tiny optics and looked up.
Suddenly, the air exploded with happy chirps and clicks, the little sparklings reaching for their parents. All of the mechs around looked in awe and warmed at the sight when Starscream literally snatched the sparklings from Optimus' arms and hug them close to his chest, embracing them tightly. He looked like he was about to cry with pure joy. That was quite a transformation from the obnoxious, loud and overconfident SIC of the Decepticon army.
Without another words, Megatron looked into his brother optics and nodded in understanding. He didn't say anything, apart to call the Decepticons to retreat. They took to the air, Starscream still holding the sparkling tightly to his chassis, and showing no sign of letting go anytime soon.
Optimus sighed. That had turned much better than he had thought. But still… Looking at the battlefield, he could see many wounded, but fortunately, the worst seems to be Sunstreaker and Jazz. They would take a lot of time to put back together. Ratchet approached him as the worst of the wounded were brought to the med bay. He seemed tired and annoyed, and more grumpy than usual.
"Well, you still have a heck of a talent for speech, Prime. That was interesting…"
"I know. I only hope than my words hadn't fallen into defective audios. Megatron can be very thick-headed when he wants to."
"So… Those little rascals were actually your nephews? I didn't know Megatron was related to you. It's… surprising, seeing how much you're different."
Optimus laughed a little, but it sounded tired and void. Ratchet understood than the subject was touchy and didn't push it. Optimus would talk about it when he was ready. The ambulance goes back into the Ark, letting Optimus alone. The mech stays here long after the sun had risen above the horizon, looking in the direction the Decepticon had disappeared.
-TBC-