Nevermore

Disclaimer: According to mamabot, my previous little fic "The Visitor" wasn't going to be just a "one-shot". And she's exactly right. XD I wanted to wait until the next season of Prime known as Beast Hunters, but screw it, I can't. I can't wait until next year when they decide to air it. I have this one and another I planned on with this pairing. Most of my fics from the "Never" series tend to end on a sad note-with the exception of Neverland-but I'll be mulling it over if this one will or not. Perhaps anyone who feels it should can let me know in a review. Hehe.

"Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore..."

-Edgar Allan Poe

"For all sad words of tongue and pen, The saddest are these, 'It might have been'."

-John Greenleaf Whittier

By: VampireQueenAkasha

"Your reasoning is hardly... logical."

-Shockwave

A Childish Fool

Shockwave was working on his test subject when Red Alert entered, carrying a container of documents. He sighed impatiently and looked up at her. "What is it now? Your very presence has certainly come to be of a great irritation to me."

Red Alert's entrance into the room brought forth a peculiar chill that he hadn't felt before. Instead of focusing on it-his mind was too involved in his present task and the delay in which it was progressing.. She just placed the box onto a table. "I've brought these, Shockwave," she said, emphasizing his name with a bit of a bite to it that he failed to catch on to immediately, "I assumed you would have wanted them."

Her tone caught up with him and he glanced up, pausing in his work. "Why do you speak in such a manner?"

She frowned and when she spoke, there was no anger, but just a small hint of sadness. "Why should the way I speak matter?" she asked, rather distantly, "I am a prisoner, am I not?"

"Indeed so," Shockwave replied, watching her for a moment before returning to work. But again, he stopped when she left the room without so much as a second word in. Well, that was unusual of her. Normally, she would start talking nonsense, but failed to do so.

Later, Shockwave found the Autobot cleaning the room he had commanded of her earlier by organizing rubble and repairing the wall. He had not made such a command, but here she was, doing it like it was natural for her.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Cleaning," she answered, with as much robotic grace as before.

"I did not request for you to do more. The drones can do that."

"Nonsense," Red Alert answered in an almost cryptic manner, "I thought I'd make it absolutely perfect, pure perhaps; which, after all, is your desires, is it not?"

Shockwave tilted his head slightly before speaking and approaching. "This is a rather fascinating change from the previous day."

"What is, Shockwave?" she asked quietly, still focused on putting the metal pipes together.

"Your manner of speaking."

"Does it bother you?" Red Alert didn't stop what she was doing, even when he could see that her hands and wrists were bleeding Energon. Didn't the foolish Autobot know when to stop when she was bleeding?

"No. I am merely curious as to why it began," Shockwave answered. Her attitude change dd indeed make him curious in a manner he didn't care to admit.

"Then if it isn't a bother, why would you ask?" Red Alert stepped over to a crate where she picked up a container of sealant

The bluntness in which she spoke was a mild surprise, but he simply decided to address the nature of it. "The tone and pitch of your vocals have dropped lower," he said, "This suggests you are either angry or failing miserably at concealing it from me."

"Are you an expert in emotions?" Red Alert muttered, starting to seal some broken pieces of metal together, "Could have fooled me."

Shockwave advanced on her. "Enough. I will not have myself subject to mockery from you."

Red Alert rolled her shoulders in a shrug. No. She won't let him win this fight. "Mockery from a childish fool bothers you so?"

Shockwave paused. "So I see you're rather affected by my words."

"No. You were right."

A rare feeling of confusion filled the Decepticon's mind. He wasn't accustomed to feeling like a victor and feeling as if he lost something all the same. She wasn't arguing with him, she wasn't fighting. She wasn't raising her vocals, or even trying to refuse commands. This Autobot wasn't like the others whom he viewed like a simple, petty grain of dirt. She was something else. Something he had no name for or understanding of.

The atmosphere in the room grew much more tense and Red Alert scowled at the offending piece of rubble by her leg, nudging it aside before continuing to the next container of parts needed repairing. Simple adhesive would do the job for some, but the parts too gone to be saved were scrapped in another pile.

"Autobot, you will not-" Shockwave began.

"Enough!" Red Alert suddenly shouted, throwing a part onto the floor and glaring up at him with raw emotion now, "Yes, I know I'm a childish fool, I'll admit it! Yes! Are you satisfied? I am a fool!" She let out a bitter laugh. "I should have just let you shoot me. I should have just let myself die out there or here and been done with it! Then, I wouldn't have been sitting here, making a fool out of myself trying to change anything!"

Shockwave watched as she returned attention to her task. He said nothing for the moment; everything she said was surely asking for some kind of reaction. Surely she just wanted him to explode, to lose his logical grasp on emotion.

Right?

Red Alert stood up. "Is there anything else you want me to do?" she asked, her vocals flat and emotionless once more.

"No."

Without another word, she moved swiftly from his proximity and left the room.

O

Red Alert slept in her cell as she had before, reading the entries of Jhiaxus for some strange solace that she felt she needed. Keeping the device hidden in a compartment on her person was simple now and she could read it all anywhere she so wanted.

LOG ENTRY #1147

It's been a funny sort of day today.

No, I am torn now by what I have just learned. Eros brought a music box onto my ship and I recalled the melody from her dearly departed mother, Rhea-an Autobot commander of female troops-and Eros was stricken with grief and anger. I didn't know what to say or do to comfort her. It was the first time in my life I felt...truly helpless. I wanted to help her, but I didn't want to harm her further. She even thought that the death of her mother was a ploy to kill her as well, given my disgust with the Autobot High Council.

She claimed she never wanted to see me again. I couldn't bear that. I felt my spark breaking at the very thought of it, but I felt that forcing her to remain with me would be completely immoral and unjust to her, so I let her go.

LOG ENTRY #1148

It doesn't relieve me.

The blood of my fallen enemies no longer grants me peace as it once had. I feel naught but grief at the loss of her beautiful voice and her presence. I can be patient with her even though I long to hold her once again in these servos of mine.

LOG ENTRY #1149

These few cycles in silence drive me nearly mad. I killed one of my soldiers today, but believe me when I say that it was an accident. Ah, but don't misunderstand my actions so easily. I didn't hate him, though he should have kept his mouth shut. Then again, he wasn't to know not to speak with me on such a topic regarding Eros.

Red Alert stopped reading enough to consider this. She had nothing to really think about with her mind as numb as it felt. She simply tucked the pad aside and curled up to sleep. Hopefully she would sleep for a while and maybe forget about why her spark was in pain right now. Why did she let his words get to her so much?

She slept for a long period of time, not really sure just low long it was exactly, but that it had to be long since her internals yearned for nourishment. When she had awoken, she was surprised to see the stasis cuffs had been removed from her wrists. Red Alert blinked in shock and studied her free arms for a moment before standing. She pushed against the cell door, stunned to see that it had been unlocked as well.

What in Primus' name...?

She carefully and quite cautiously stepped out of her cell, wandering into the corridors. Her weapon systems were still offline, but at least she was free from those tight, painful cuffs. But why would she be released?

Red Alert walked until she was outside of the laboratory, standing at the very edge of Kaon. She thought of leaving. She could. With no drones around presently, it was the perfect opportunity to simply escape her enslavement. She glanced around before casting her gaze out to the dead city ahead. Nothing held her back it seemed. Red Alert could just run without a moment's hesitation. Right now. She had the chance.

In the distance, Shockwave watched her, concealed in the shadows of a corner. He watched as she walked back the way she had come and that was the first time he had been genuinely surprised by the actions of any Autobot.