Nature of the Beast

Chapter 10

With another violent shudder and a mumbled Cybertronian word that seemed to shock the observing mechs and femmes, the emotionally tormented black Seeker spun on her heels and slunk off like a depressed wraith. She didn't even bother to cloak herself. Her lowered wings twitched and her field was laced with glyphs for horror and shame and guilt and self-loathing as she made her way towards the relative safety of her nook outside the walls. She did not want to be anywhere near anyone right now – not with those disturbing, oil-curdling images still flashing in front of her optics.

Why did Primus torture her like this? What had she ever done to deserve this – any of this?! Her whole life was just one tragedy after another with emotional anguish thrown in to the mix seemingly just to make everything even worse than it already was.

She was just about to jump the wall when she distinctly heard the sound of pedes pounding against the ground. Someone was coming towards her in a brisk run. Her wings lowered even further as she emitted a hollow groan of aggravated apathy, but she did not vault over the walls to escape the one approaching, but nor did she turn to look and see who it might be. She knew by sheer instinct.

"Sentenza! Wait!"

Counterforce skidded to a stop about ten paces from her, dual-colored gold and silver optics alight with worry and concern for her, though with her back still turned to him she never saw. His own field gently reached out and tried to mingle with hers, to wordlessly tell her that he wanted to help her, but she abruptly withdrew it into her frame with the finality of a singularity drawing in a star over the event horizon. She made to jump.

"Please." Counterforce pleaded softly, reaching out and laying a hand on her right shoulder. "You don't have to bear this burden by yourself. You have to talk to someone or this fear will drive you into madness. Seekers aren't meant to be alone when they're suffering. Telling someone, letting it all out – that's the first step in the healing process. I don't need to be a medic or psychologist to know that bottling all this up isn't good for you. Just tell me. You've done it before."

She did not turn to face him, but she replied neutrally: "I've already told you. I –"

"No. You haven't. You've told me about past grievances. You haven't told me about this most recent one." His voice became slightly harder, sterner, but it still retained the signature worried compassion she had come to expect in him. "Please. Tell me." He reached out and gently clasped one of her hands in his own.

Inwardly, the Seeker femme sighed. She didn't deserve him. He was too good for her. He was a mech of merciful justice, a bringer of light and unity. She? She was just a murdering demon given a physical shell to live in. All she brought was death and despair and agony. She had to distance herself if she wanted to protect the people she cared about. She had no real friends, and even her vast network of contacts she remained more or less aloof from. How could she ever hope to have him as her own? If he tried to get any closer to her spark he would get hurt. And that was something she couldn't have on her conscience. He did so much for her.

"Counterforce, please." Sentenza rasped, still keeping her back to him. She felt her spark twinge inside her in protest, but she ignored it stubbornly. This was for his own well being. "Go back to the others. Please. Just...just stay away from me. I-I don't want you getting hurt because of me..."

Despite not being able to see him, she sensed he was smiling gently. "I think you know that telling me that is pointless. I'm not leaving you. Try and get rid of me all you want. I'm sticking right by you until you tell me what's bothering you. I'm probably about as stubborn as you."

"I don't want to hurt you..." Sentenza repeated in a mere mumble. She was shivering as though freezing, but Counterforce knew better. Seekers were incredibly easy to read thanks to their inherently social nature. She wasn't cold – she was scared, scared nearly out of her senses. Sentenza was worried sick that she might harm him in the grip of the night code. Even now her optics were not their standard yellow but a pale orange.

"You won't."

"I don't want to..."

"You won't."

She turned to look at him then, and he saw all the fear and pain in her bright orange optics. To him they looked like glittering stones of carnelian carved by a razor of anguish, but deep down in the center of them was a small but stubborn little spark of hope and gratitude. Hide it as she might try, he knew she was happy he had stayed and not left her alone. For a moment she stayed there gazing at him with those fearful, pain-filled orange optics. Then he at last got his response when something inside her finally snapped. The orange faded back to yellow and With a small little keening noise she lunged forward, resting her helm on his chestplates while wrapping her arms around him in a fierce embrace. Counterforce could feel her coolant-laced tears trickling down her cheeks and onto his armor, could feel her whole body trembling from the storm of emotions she was laboring under. He watched the red glow slowly brighten to yellow. He felt her field slowly come back out of hiding, but it was still restrained, showing she was nervous about letting loose completely. It was humbling that she cared so much about his well being, even if it cost her. She was willing to hurt herself, but she wasn't willing to hurt him.

Very gently he returned the embrace, holding her helm and murmuring reassurances as she, piece by stammered, blubbering piece, let out the details of her nightmare to the listening mech held in her arms. Her low keening sobs soon died away along with the tears and the trembling, leaving only her active but forcibly restrained field reminding him that she was still upset, just not as much as before.

Sentenza jolted when she heard faint notes coming from his vocalizer, the same as the notes Charity had hummed to her on the day they had all arrived here, and just like before she didn't recognize it, but oh by the Allspark – it was lovely to listen to, as lovely as the femme medic's voice had been and enriched by his deeper voice. Just like before it seemed to wash away the night code, leaving her feeling strangely free and serene.

"Better?" asked Counterforce, his gaze less worried now and more inquisitive.

She looked up at him, a tiny, grateful smile on her faceplates. "Yeah. Thanks, nightlight."

The Seeker femme extricated herself from his arms, wiping away some of the lingering tears, and made to vault over the walls, but he put his hand back on her shoulder just before she did:

"I'll stay with you if it'll help."

Her red optics widened in disbelief. Glyphs for shock flitted around in her field, accompanied by those for gratitude and admiration. Her wings twitched once as she processed his words. "Y-You would do that? For me? Even after all that...B-But don't you have other things you need to – "

He smiled back at her indulgently, placing a single digit over her mouth to stem the flow of words: "You know I would. And no stammering, please. It doesn't suit the confident, witty femme I've come to know over the cycles. Now, where's this little hidey hole of yours?"

With that, Sentenza vaulted over the walls with Counterforce following right behind her. She led him to her the wrecked pieces of the Alchemor that formed a sort of strange, haphazard tent that was made slightly more spacious due to the shallow crater their impact into the soil had caused. It was definitely a bit aesthetically odd to the golden and silver mech, but to Sentenza it was a place of refuge when night fell. He knew from past experience with her that she wasn't exactly picky when it came to field accommodations. She made do with what she had available.

"Bit small for two." Counterforce observed, casting a sly smile in her direction.

She snorted in amusement, playfully shoved him in the arm, and ducked past him, making herself comfortable in her little nook. The homicide investigator took up a position near the entrance in due course, leaning against the edges of the nook's entrance. On an impulse he let one hand drape into the nook and was happy to feel her cling onto it in return. Thus contented, each allowed themselves to slowly slip into power down.

'Maybe I don't deserve him.' Sentenza thought just before falling under. 'But slag do I need him.'

Smokescreen's abdominal wound was duly tended to by the gentle hands of Charity in the course of less than a quarter of an hour. Fix-It had been more than eager to help her in her task, and had proven himself useful by showing her he could adopt the forms of many different tools, a good many of which had medical uses. In spite of this willing helpfulness she didn't rely solely on the mini-con's aid. She'd brought her medical kit with her – a force of habit of hers.

Zodiac herself seemed bound and determined not to leave her bond-mate's side for any reason, and the Elite Guardsmech himself appeared visibly gladdened by her presence. Throughout the welding procedure the little Avioid remained perched on the medical berth beside him, forcing her tiny helm under one hand and purring when he lightly stroked her helm, knowing that was what she wanted.

After a short while he was released from her care with the warning to abstain from any fancy transforming sequences until the weld line cooled and sealed. Having been in her clinic once before, he knew it was better not to argue with her. Charity, innocent sweet-spark that she was, could be benevolently ruthless if her orders were disobeyed, and Smokescreen sadly knew that from a past experience with her. Sweetest Thing On the Face Of Cybertron. Yeah, if she wasn't busy dragging you by your audials back into her clinic and lecturing you on rash, reckless behavior the whole time. Primus that had been embarrassing, and that wasn't even counting the scolding Magnus had given him after he'd been let out. Smokescreen had been unusually contrite and obedient for the next stellar cycle or so after that.

"C'mon 'Zee. Let's go see how the others are doing."

The little Avioid bobbed her helm in agreement, flew over, and perched herself on his shoulder armor. Charity eyed him suspiciously, but with an almost motherly aura of concern as well. She may be a bit strict, but in a way she was also very lenient in accordance with her gentle spark.

"Alright, alright. Don't worry. I know the routine. I won't strain myself. Midge here'll keep me in line. Won't you, Midge?"

Zodiac keened and bobbed her helm a second time, using her starboard wing diodes to form the cyberglyph that translated to the word "trust." She would keep him out of trouble like she always did, as she kept her promises till the last. Charity appeared satisfied with this vow and bade them leave.

Russell bounded up to him as he stepped out of Charity's unofficial domain, worry swimming in his eyes as they fell on the weld on his abdominal plates. That looked like it had hurt pretty badly when Nightstrike had gouged him with his talons. It was a good thing that 'Con was now locked away, because he didn't want to see what those claws could do to a human if they could shred Cybertronian armor plating like that. He'd gotten dangerously close to doing so to start with.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine, tru – Ow! Hey! Cut it out!" Smokescreen started, only to yelp and protest when Zodiac pecked at his left audial receptor in a rather miffed manner while glaring at him accusingly.

"Apparently someone doesn't think so." Russell teased, grinning. He liked the dynamic between these two. It was a partnership built solely on trust. There was nothing obviously romantic about them. They acted more like close friends, like 'Bee had said. And she apparently wasn't afraid to bite him to get her point across.

Gingerly keeping two digits around the Avioid's sharp beak to keep her from biting him again, he asked: "Where's everyone else?"

Russell glanced around as he mentally took stock of everyone he had seen moving around. He said he'd seen Sideswipe and Backdraft wander off together; Frostbite was roaming around as a lookout and guard with Grimlock; Strongarm was taking stock of prisoners with Bumblebee and reviewing protocol for probably the zillionth time; Windstorm was tinkering with something or other; Counterforce and Sentenza had disappeared outside the walls, the Seeker having looked ready to curl up in a hole and cry herself into oblivion.

On hearing that, both Cybertronians glanced at each other, sympathy and knowing in their respective baby blue and royal blue optics. If anyone could comfort the traumatized Seeker femme it was Counterforce.

"Should we check on them? See if they're okay?" wondered Russell. Sentenza's shuddering and her shaky words still bothered him. Whatever her nightmare had been it had very nearly broken her. He didn't see her as dangerous any more. All he had seen when she'd slunk off had been someone in desperate need of emotional help.

Smokescreen shook his helm: "Nah. Just leave 'em alone. They'll be fine. He's probably just keeping her company until she's out. He'll be back once she's out of it for the night. I think."

But the hours passed and Counterforce did not reappear. However, no one really worried. They instinctively knew he was safe and unharmed.

Morning came, and still Counterforce did not reappear. Fix-It, growing slightly concerned for the mech, sent out a broad beam pulse to locate his life signal and was relieved to find it sitting perfectly still just outside the salvage yard's walls. Specifically it was located very near the spot where Sentenza's hiding place was, almost overlapping it due to it being so close, but not quite. Despite her signal being obscured by her cloaker, intuition told him she was there. No doubt she was using to keep unwanted attention off her. She needn't be physically cloaked, even – a skilled cloaker could mask only their life signal and not their body.

"Ah, could someone go and retrieve the detective and the investigator? I'm detecting energy anomalies in the vicinity of Crown City. I'm also picking up a Decepticon life signal, but it's very faint – I can't get a good lock on it. I believe reconnaissance is in order, lieutenant. And a few of our new friends expressed a desire to investigate the city further, if my memory swerves – nerves – serves." Fix-It inquired over the common frequency.

Out of exasperation the mini-con wonked his helm against his command console. There were some moments when he firmly believed his vocal tic was just there to make his life difficult, and right now was one of those moments.

[I will!] Sideswipe replied instantly.

Grimlock broke out laughing on his end at how eager he had sounded. Strongarm could be heard to snicker once. Frostbite's low, rumbling growl of amusement could be plainly heard as well, which temporarily stunned those listening in. This was the first time any of them had ever heard the Canipid chuckle. Like his howls there was a certain musical quality to it. Then again, it was pretty obvious to anymech with working optics that Sideswipe had a massive crush on Sentenza, and he'd do anything to get her attention.

[What?]

[Oh, nothing.] Strongarm innocently lied, internally laughing. Sideswipe still had yet to pick up on Sentenza's romantic teasing of him, obviously. The Seeker was pretty much dangling a tempting little treat in front of him just out of his reach, knowing full well he would never be able to snatch it. All she was doing was toying with him for fun. It was her way of saying she was out of his league without going up to him and telling him to knock it off. Seekers were a bit catty like that. Sooner or later he'd finally get the message she was sending him, hopefully sooner rather than later.

[I'll come with you.] Bumblebee added in, doing his best to keep his voice neutral.

['Kay.]

Sideswipe and Bumblebee met up near the south wall where they both knew Sentenza's hiding place was located. With twin nods they vaulted over the cement barrier and into the wilderness outside. Ahead of them stood the haphazard, tent-like wreckage where the investigator's signal was originating from. Visible around one side of it was a familiar golden and silver form.

They quietly approached around to the side where the "entrance" was and then stopped in their tracks at what they saw. Sideswipe looked about to squeal from cuteness overload, and only Bumblebee smacking a hand against his mouth kept the sound from ever making its way out. Disturbing these two via embarrassing them just seemed so very, very wrong to him. Right now, they were physical embodiment of the words "adorable" and "sweet."

Counterforce sat leaning with his backstrut against one side of the entrance frame, doorwings limp from being in power down, and his legs stretched out in front of him. One hand was resting against his chestplates, while the other was held by the Seeker half-way concealed within. Sentenza herself appeared to have, whether by conscious choice or somnambulistic accident, re-positioned herself to lying flat on her belly, her helm resting on the mech's leg. Faintly heard coming from her engine was soft purring.

"Primus, where's a camera when you need one?" Bumblebee murmured. Screw kittens and sparklings and puppies! This took cute to a whole other level of downright lethal!

"Can't. Take. The. Cute! Might. Die!" Sideswipe whispered back, sounding like he was being slowly strangled by sheer adorability. He didn't even care right now that Sentenza apparently didn't reciprocate his feelings. He was smart enough to realize just then that she was way out of his league. Granted that wouldn't keep him from trying his hardest to befriend her, but this was just – GAH!

It seemed such a shame to wake them, but they couldn't snooze all day, and out here they were vulnerable to ambushes or being stumbled across by random humans. Not that they couldn't handle themselves, but they were trying to remain hidden while on Earth. But how to wake them without startling them or embarrassing them?

Sideswipe bent down to try and tap at the slumbering Praxian, but Bumblebee forestalled him, shaking his helm in a silent "No." If this mech was startled it might trigger his photon ability and they would both end up temporarily blinded, and if he was startled it might cause Sentenza to lash out instinctively. They had to be polite and careful about this.

The yellow and black mech knelt down and began sending out glyphs for energy and light to the slumbering Praxian. Almost right away, Counterforce's dual-colored optics flickered open, and his field sent out returning glyphs for greeting as he nodded to the the two mechs. Counterforce then turned his attention to the peacefully dozing Sentenza, looking a smidge awkward on seeing her helm resting on his leg, but at the same time smiling softly.

Counterforce put a hand to her helm, murmuring: "Sentenza. Wake up."

She slowly came around, Predacon yellow optics blinking away the light of morning. "Hmm? Wha? Ugh. My helm..."

Then she realized the somewhat compromising position she was in and gave a little embarrassed yelp, pulling away from him in a flash, her expression ever so slightly but plainly mortified. While Cybertronians were not able to blush like humans did, it was clear that if she possessed such an ability she would be bright, cherry red. They were probably thinking, they probably thought – oh Primus. She wished she could just curl up in a hole and die somewhere.

Fortunately they didn't seem to be thinking anything along those lines. Their grins showed they just thought the relationship was cute – nothing more than two close friends reassuring each other with their presences. And that was pretty much what it amounted to so far. It was no more complicated than that.

"Come on, sleeping beauties." Bumblebee joked, helping them up individually. "Fix-It says weird things are going on in Crown City. Also got a 'Con signal, but he can't really get a bead on it. Something's warping the signal, or so he says."

This got their full attention in an instant. A 'Con signal inside the city limits, but no human reports of unusual activity? That was more than a little odd, and it got their sharp intellects whirring away with questions and possibilities. But those questions were best saved for Fix-It, the signal's finder. He would know more about it.

The first sight that met them was Fix-It, Zodiac, and Windstorm busily working away in the mini-con's command center, holographic displays up and chattering with one another in rapid fire techno-babble as they attempted to isolate the strange 'Con life signal. Such complex science talk was enough to make the Dinobot standing nearby shut off his audials to drown them out. Everyone else was listening attentively, with only Frostbite missing from the group. He was out on another tracking mission in the wilderness.

"Find anything yet?" Bumblebee inquired, approaching.

"Nothing so far, sir. Well, nothing really as definite as we would like." reported Windstorm. "I have tried numerous different variables to attempt to account for the signal warping, but none so far have given any significant answers. But I will say the ones that showed a hint of promise were that the signal is most likely below ground (though not deep enough to conceal it entirely) and nearby electrical sources causing ambient distortion."

"Underground and surrounded by things that zap you." Zodiac clarified. "Doesn't narrow down exactly where we need to search, but it gives us an idea at least."

Bumblebee fell silent as he watched Counterforce's optics flicker in intrigue, his clever processor beginning to work:

"So the 'Con is underground, but not deep enough to totally shield him, equating to perhaps only a dozen or so feet below the surface. Signal warping is also being caused by nearby electrical sources, no doubt numerous and probably spaced out if not very powerful. I think that leaves only one positive match here, even though it does beg a few questions in my mind, like how the scrap he's gone undetected thus far."

"You're thinking he's hiding in the city's subway tunnels?" Bumblebee guessed, catching onto his train of thought in a snap.

Counterforce nodded sharply: "Exactly. That's the only choice that fits with the data."

"Then what're we waitin' for? Let's go find this sucker and pound him!" Grimlock declared, pounding his fists together in anticipation. He'd turned his audials back on once he'd inferred that there was no more processor-glitching science talk going on.

For once, his opinion was shared by many if not all of those present. After their rather humiliating multi-defeat by the siphon NightStrike (even if they had eventually caught him) they were all more than ready to make up for it with a good old fashioned reconnaissance mission followed by a good old fashioned fight. If compared to Nightstrike, this 'Con couldn't be anywhere near as difficult as he had been.

Backdraft and Sideswipe glanced at each other before grinning impishly. With maniacal sounding cackles they transformed and raced full throttle out of the salvage yard's gates, kicking up a storm of swirling dust behind them. Strongarm shook her helm disapprovingly and then motioned for Grimlock to follow her. Everyone else transformed and waited for them by the gates until they arrived at last, the cadet's sturdy vehicle form dragging a flat trailer behind her on which the Dinobot's crouched form was hidden by a large white tarp. Fix-It, taking the hint, hopped into Windstorm's vehicle form.

Only Charity remained at her post, unwilling to leave the two humans unguarded. Zodiac hovered above her, seemingly uncertain of whether or not to accompany the others on their mission.

*Hey, 'Bee?* Smokescreen asked over short band radio.

*Yeah?*

*You think 'Zee could come with us on this one? Call it a hunch, but I think we might need her this time around.*

*Well, so long as she stays hidden until we get below ground I don't really see why not. Heck, if she moves fast enough no one'll see her, not to mention she'll beat us all there.*

"Hey, 'Zee! 'Bee says you can join in this time!" Smokescreen called over to her gleefully.

Zodiac keened happily and zipped over to him, pecking once at his side mirrors in thanks before vanishing in a tiny clap of thunder, the sound echoing out over the bay like a gunshot. The bay's water parted in a small wake that was ramrod straight – the only sure sign that that was the route she had taken. No way could Sideswipe and Backdraft hope to beat her into the city limits.

"Charity? What about you?" wondered Strongarm.

Charity smiled gently, shaking her helm and explaining that medics were well-known home birds. They tended not to stray very far from their comfort zones, and she wasn't going to leave Denny and his son completely unprotected. She also fully understood her own weaknesses of never lying and showing too much kindness to the enemy. If anyone got hurt though, she'd be there on the double. She'd been sent here to act as the team's medic, and that was precisely what she would do.

"Alright, then. Take care."

With that, the squadron of vehicles pulled out and onto the open road.

Author's Note: If anyone's curious as to the song that CF and Charity have been humming to Sentenza, I like to think it's a very old Cybertronian lullaby that sounds very similar to "Skye Boat Song" by Celtic Fiddle Festival. Go find it on YouTube. It's so soothing to listen to, not to mention utterly beautiful.