Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers: just my OC's & the plot.
AFTER THE STORM
Chapter 10: Listen
"Well? ..." Sam asked as he peered down into the maintenance shaft
"We might have something" Ravage replied as he sniffed the cables and pipes
"Something being what?" Colonel Bishop asked
"There is a scent down here, but it's a couple of day's old" the panther replied
"The hacker's been hiding down there?" Sam looked around the narrow opening, "Wow, he had to have been smaller than Frenzy to fit down in that hole!"
"Undoubtedly: and from what I can tell our mystery hacker is defiantly a drone of some kind; though who I can't say, it's no drone I've smelt before ..." Ravage said offhand as he leapt out of the shaft and moved aside to allow two NEST troops to put the protective manhole-like cover back over the opening.
"That's the third place we've tracked his scent to; if there'd been any maintenance work scheduled we could've caught him out sooner" Tom reasoned
"Not likely: from what the scent has told me he's been moving around regularly, not recharging in the same place twice, and probably living off his own energon reserves. He wouldn't risk coming out even at night" the panther reasoned
"Well that's a no-brainer, there's a security camera on every corner and in every room; he probably couldn't get more than ten meters before being spotted" Sam pointed out
"Either way, we now have a good idea where he might be" Bishop frowned, "If we start a sweep of the next five sections and move towards the central shaft, we could push him up to the next level above"
"But won't that force him out into the open-air hanger? That's the only other place the central-ground maintenance shafts converge" Will pointed out
"Which is why we're going to use this opportunity to put a trap in place: order your men up above ground and tell them to cover all the ventilation and maintenance shafts, if we can herd him in the right direction we'll catch him like a fish in a net" the Colonel smiled. "Yes sir" the Major nodded in agreement, then reached for his radio to contact his troops.
"I better order the rest of the search party to move as well, we don't know what drone this is or what weapons they might be armed with; better safe than sorry" Prowl added as he commed the rest of the team.
"What about everyone else down on the second level?" Sam asked
"Tell them to stand by; for all we know the hacker could panic and break cover, in which case he could injure someone or even take a hostage" Bishop replied
"Unlikely; if he's got the data he came for he won't go looking for a fight, he'll try to get out by any means he can" Ravage reasoned
"So it's just a case of flushing out the rabbit eh?" John thought aloud, "Then let's put our ferrets down the hole and see which way he bolts out"
Elsewhere:
"*sigh* I feel like an idiot..." Morri sighed ruefully, "At first I wondered if I'd said something that hit a nerve, but from the way she got up and left I think it must've been something on a pretty personal level"
"No no no don't blame yourself sweet-spark-" Moonshine was quick to reassure her, "She needed to hear it, and in the long run you did her a favor; she's been stuck in her own hole for so long even I can't recall the last time she admitted to her own faults"
"...Her pride is too disproportionate for someone as smart as her: if she's as smart as her profile says" Morri thought offhand as she shuffled about her perch atop Moonshine's work-table.
"At least you actually took the time to read her profile; there aren't many bots I can think of that have bothered to try and understand Eclipse without going by their first impressions of her" Moonshine offered as she went about cleaning up her studio, picking up and tidying away stuff as she dusted the surfaces with her tail. "Still, you came to the right femme for help"
"...I'm not one to brag, really I'm not; but, I've always seemed to 'ave had this knack for looking at people and getting an 'impression' that their thinking more than what their showing on their faces" Morri thought aloud, "My friends back home say I'd make a pretty good psychiatrist, and sometimes I wonder if going to art school really was my vocation? After everything that's happened these past few months I'm beginning to think perhaps this is where I am meant to be? But after this last week, I don't know if I'm 'out of synch' or if it's none of my business?"
"How'd you mean?" Moonshine raised a curious optic ridge
"This whole austerity; Longrange, Coldbore, Shadowstar, Eclipse: everything we've had to endure with them this past week is because they can't let go of the past. Hell when the war for the Allspark first kicked off we were still monkeys swinging around in the trees, we hadn't even evolved into Homo sapiens yet. I get that the war's been brutal, what war isn't? But you can only forgive so much before you have to put your foot down and say, 'I'm sorry but no, quit your sulking and get over it'"
"...I'm surprised" Moonshine replied offhand
"Surprised?"
"Well everyone pretty much said the same about three or so days after we came out of quarantine; you're the first person who's really been patient with this whole 'transitional phase'"
For a moment Morri weirded out a little:"...Really? ..." she asked offhand.
"Really; and please, don't think you said the wrong thing to Eclipse, she was bound to be confronted with the truth sooner or later. I'm just glad she nerve to hold her vocalizer and actually listen to you (which I'm still finding a little hard to believe)..."
"What is it with her anyway? Forgive my prying, but from what I've seen you two can't help but fight like cats and dogs and she belittles Novastar for the littlest insignificant things; I just don't get her..." Morri sighed in exasperation.
Moonshine couldn't help but sigh too, and putting a pile of data-pads down to one side, she pulled up a chair next to the work-table and addressed the girl with a frank but pained expression: "...The thing with Eclipse: is that she's more like mother than she'd care to believe. On the one hand she's always tried to do right by everyone, even at the expense of the rules and our ethics as Autobots; but at the same time she's always been afraid that her over-cautiousness and prejudice will somehow make others think she's loosing it, until one day something happens and she's branded 'unfit to serve by reason of mental defect'"
Realizing how similar that sounded to Majestrix's own predicament, Morri couldn't help but sigh: "...That's sad; and ironic too"
"And it's the incredibility of it that slag's me off: for years I've tried to show her the parallel of her and mother's fears, that they're both as fretful and worrying as each other; but she refuses to acknowledge it, and just keeps blowing it off"
"...Why does Eclipse hate her mother so much?"
Moonshine hesitated a little, before passing another heavy sigh and explaining: "...Centuries back, when we were still sparklings: mother had to attend a secret meeting with uncle Optimus and on this one occasion we had to come with her. The ship she always transported us in had an emergency 'panic' vault, so if in the event the cons found us and boarded the ship, we'd be safely locked up inside...Anyway, on this one mission, we were heading back to the Black Solstus when we were ambushed by a Decepticon seeker raiding party; mother locked us in the vault while she stood guard and fought off the seekers, I was too young to remember what happened specifically but I do remember at some point the vault door was opened and Eclipse somehow got out: by that point mother had managed to move the fight into outer space, but one seeker was still on board trying to get at us. Eclipse tried to fight him, so he went after her instead..." she paused as she stared off into space, the memory of that day glistening in her optics with fear and dread: "...I can still remember her screams...followed by the seeker's scream, as mother ripped his spark chamber out...Eclipse was lucky, had mother not been there in time, she would've-..."
She snapped herself out of her funk, "...Well, she survived that's the important thing; but Eclipse has never forgiven her for what happened that day: she constantly reminds mother that she broke her promise not to leave us, and blames her for nearly letting her die... But considering the circumstances I don't see what there is to forgive? You can't foresee how a fight's going to swing either way, and when it's twenty to one you're not exactly the favorable bet, even if you're a far more formidable combatant. It was out of mother's hands, and for the spark of me I can't understand why she can't see that" she propped her head on her elbow.
"...That doesn't make sense" Morri thought aloud with a perplexed frown
"I know! Even Novastar knows it and she was still practically a hatchling at the time. Ever since that day Eclipse became way more broody, and bitter. Oh she listened to mother when she put us through training, but that was as far as their relationship went; anything outside of her duty as an Autobot, she wanted nothing to do with mother. The only reason she didn't transfer out of the division was because she only wanted to serve with and command the best, and considering her pride wouldn't allow her to be so much as seen with so called 'ground-huggers' she didn't have many options outside of the 9"
"...Call it a hunch but something tells me there's more to it than that" Morri replied frankly
"I've often thought that too; there are times when, on occasion I'd catch a brief glimpse of-...something, I don't know what, but something in her optics, I can only describe as...'vexing'...I think sometimes she gets tired of her own ego, but she cares more about keeping up appearances than tending to what's important" Moonshine thought aloud.
"... What's she like with other bots?"
"Offhand? If you've got a sense of humor I grantee you won't be getting any laughs out of her (unsurprisingly). In terms of being a scout: strong, confident, always three steps ahead and always ready to do whatever it takes to get the job done; other than that, the number of friends she has I could count on one tail...Making friends was never easy for her; she's not one for tactfulness, always calls it as she sees it, and there is such a thing as being much too honest"
"It still kinda sad, who is her friend?"
"Blackshot; despite her austere attitude she was always there to make sure Eclipse had someone to talk to, and to make sure both she and mother stayed on good talking terms"
"Blackshot? Lending a sympathetic ear?"
"I know I know-" Moonshine couldn't help but pass a light chuckle, "But her sister Swiftshot used to be our 'nanny', and she was our tutor when we underwent 'Autobot academy training' so she's been in our lives a good few eons ...But I have to confess, even though she's a great tactician and warrior she could be too hard at times. What Eclipse sees in her I don't know, but those two were always able to get along, and not just professionally; in a way it was sort of a relief, knowing at least someone outside the family was willing to put up with her: but at the same time it hurt"
"Hurt?"
"That she couldn't come to me to talk or confide in; I mean-, I know we never see optic to optic on many things, but I always made it clear to her that we're sisters, and that I love her no matter what... But as the years passed and we grew older, I began to think-...Maybe? ..."
"...What? ..."
"...She's my sister, but I'm not her sister: and neither is Nova" the dragon femme sulked
"...Unhappy families are unhappy in their own way..."
"Hm?"
"Oh it's-, just something my uncle said..." Morri thought aloud as something else came to mind: "...It doesn't make sense, or seem fair in a way: that problems with obvious answer's aren't as straightforward as we like to believe...When we were in that other universe, and we teamed up with Section 9 to get to the bottom of that whole thing with the Spark Eater; all the way through I couldn't help but be both scared and angry. Scared because we didn't know what was coming, what we'd have to face eventually, and angry because someone somewhere was the cause of that whole mess: regardless of whether they had any inclination of what the consequences would be, that choice wasn't theirs to make...One thing I learnt a long time ago is that the most dangerous thing you could ever do is to try to presume the actions of another human being (ironic I know): a pro psychiatrist or even a telepath could make a well educated guess, but at the end of the day it's still just a guess, and there's always going to be a level of unpredictability that's inherent in our nature...I'm inclined to think cybertronian's aren't that dissimilar"
"Thinking about it, Moonshine couldn't help but nod in agreement: "...You could be right..." she sat up straight, "...For all my guessing and arguing with her, I don't know why Eclipse is the way she is, I could spend the rest of my life trying to dissect her mentality and probably find nothing. And at the end of the cycle, I'm still left to wonder where it went wrong for her"
"At least you love her"
"Of course, even now I still feel guilty for thinking she'd hacked Ashley's file...But at the same time, I wouldn't be surprised if she had"
"Seriously?" Morri raised an eyebrow
"...Let's just say it wouldn't be the first time..." the dragon femme sighed
Elsewhere:
As Eclipse lay flat on her birth staring up at the bare ceiling, her mind was somewhat numb, and she didn't know what to do about it; every problem has a solution, that's what she'd always been told: but this time, she couldn't see any solution to this...
Turning her head, she looked across at the door to her trophy room, and for the first time she didn't want to go in there. Which was strange, seeing all her trophies always cheered her up when she was feeling down; but instead, a sense of hollowness echoed out from where her pride usually was.
She got up, and stepped across to the giant mirror on the wall: it had been there since she first moved into her quarters, and in all the time she'd lived here aboard the Black Solstus she only ever looked into it once; the day she upgraded to her final frame, and became a fully fledged femme. She remembered the pride she felt looking upon her new form, how sleek and powerful she was, and so deadly her aura could cut the air like silicone gel.
But now, as she gazed into the cracked and worn glass, for the first time she saw how the eons had beaten down on her; she could see all the teeny tiny dents, dings, scratches and micro-cracks, even the purple of her armor wasn't as vibrant as she remembered it to be. A horrible cold sense of dread filled her up when she realized just how much she looked like her mother; old, beaten and worn, the years of war had etched their long tragic saga into the very plates of her face, and for a brief fleeting moment she couldn't help but wonder if she was staring at her own future?
Turning away in abhorrence: Eclipse's mind went back to what the human girl said earlier...
The only reasonable explanation I can think of as to why you're like that, is because at some point in your past someone or something happened and it hurt you on a deep level
"...Fear does not dwell in one's spark without a reason..."
Looking back into the mirror, Eclipse knew she was right (though she'd never admit it out loud); but the question that stood before her now was: what to do about it?
"...I'm not my mother..." she told herself in a shaky voice, "I'm not Megatron's-"
And then it suddenly hit her
She knew what her fear was, and she knew what she had to do to confront it.
She walked out of her quarters at a fast pace, making a bee-line for the ship's main rear ramp; as soon as she strode into the open space between the Black Solstus and Omega Supreme, she transformed into her altmode and took off up into the night sky...
At the same time: in the base's radar tower:
: Radar tower to base central, come in over-:
: This is base central, we read you over: Optimus replied
: Base central, do we have any airborne training scheduled for tonight? Over:
: Not tonight, why? Over :
: Base central we just picked up one of your flyers: designation Eclipse taking off from the open air hanger, she didn't check in her flight plan over:
: Leave it to me, I'll check in as soon as possible, over:
: Much obliged boss bot, over and out:
Optimus gazed concernedly at Majestrix, "Where is she going?" he asked
Majestrix didn't reply as she stepped over to Prime's desk, and typing in a command to the computer, brought up the base's radar image; there: moving across the screen at quite a speed, Eclipse was heading north-east...
"...I'll find out soon enough-" Majestrix replied as she headed out of the office and made her way towards the open-air hanger.
"WAIT!-" a tiny electronic voice squeaked: she turned her head round as Ratbat landed on the side of her shoulder plate.
"What are you doing here? You're supposed to be looking for the hacker" she frowned as she plucked the tiny bat off her armor and let him settle on the tip of her claw.
"I know, but-, there's something you have to know"
"Which is?" she raised a skeptical optic ridge
"It's complicated: but it's about your creation Eclipse"
Intrigued if not a tad concerned, Majestrix brought him closer to her face, "Concerning what exactly?" she asked in low voice.
At the same time elsewhere:
As he strode out of the hanger, Skywarp looked around until he saw who he was looking for...
"Hey..." he softly called over to Novastar, who was sitting by herself on a huge boulder just past the far end hanger of the air strip.
"Oh, Hi..." she replied in a somewhat sombre tone
"What're you doing out here? Everyone's inside looking for that hacker" he said as he sat down next to her.
"Red Alert's got it covered: I needed to get some air in my vents" she offered as she looked up at the sunset; somehow, something about that didn't quite ring true for the seeker: and as he noticed at the distant look in her optics, he had a sneaking suspicion as to what was really on her mind.
"...Is, that all? ..." he asked cautiously
Gazing at him, and knowing she couldn't lie, Novastar let out a depressing sigh and let her shoulders go slack: "...I just-, didn't want to be around while Eclipse was blowing off steam; that whole thing with the classified file's got her really riled, and she's not nice when she's like that"
"Actually, I haven't seen her all day..." Skywarp thought aloud, "But yeah, she was pretty ticked off after last night...come to think of it, I haven't seen you around either, have you been out here all day?"
Novastar didn't reply, and simply hung her head with a mournful puppy-dog like sulk.
"Oh..." Skywarp realized.
"I know you said she has no right to bully me, but honestly? After last night I didn't know if I wanted to help her or not?"
"What? You mean help prove she didn't hack that file?" the seeker asked, Novastar merely nodded. A little taken aback and confused, Skywarp asked: "...But why? I mean, she's your sister-"
"-Am I? ..." the femme cut him off as her optics welled up with tears and she gaze out over the horizon; "...For so long-, for as long as I could remember: I always dreamed of a moment when-, she'd realize she had everything backwards, and that everything she thought she knew was wrong, isn't..."
Unsure what to say, Skywarp didn't reply and simply nodded in agreement.
"...I mean, I wouldn't mind: if at least she just acknowledges that she's wrong about mother... I don't get-, I never understood: how she could be so smart and think her way out of a battle, and yet, when it comes to me, mother and Moonshine, she can't see what's right in front of her optics? ...Half the time I wonder if she really is that ignorant. And that's she's known all along but she denies it just to spite us?" Novastar thought aloud
"Uh? ..." the seeker tried to think of something smart to offer, "...Well? I don't have a sister so I really don't know; but 'Cracker's always been like a brother to me so I guess that counts?" he shrugged with a slight wince.
"You're lucky; at least Thundercracker doesn't demean you for the sake of expelling his anger" she sighed
"Not for his anger, he used to save that for the bots; but he did use to chain me up by my ankles for kicks though" Skywarp offered
"Huh?" the femme blinked in confusion
"Oh yeah, we used to pull some pretty hardcore pranking back in the day; he'd get me I'd get him, and we usually ended up fighting over who got who and then Starscream had to step in and knock our helms together until we were offline, and then we-" but Skywarp cut short when he realized he was getting off track, "...Okay, point being; yeah, we used to kick the slag outta each other and got pretty slagged off at each other for it. But he was my wing-mate you know? Despite all the slag we put each other through, at the end of the cycle we still respected one other enough to cover each others tail-fins in battle. Regardless of everything else, we never lost sight of that"
Novastar dropped her gaze as she considered his words: "...That's good of you...but even if I were to tell Eclipse to start acting like my sister, she wouldn't hold any respect for me"
"No offense, but how do you know that for certain?" the seeker raised an optic ridge
"I've known Eclipse since I could remember, she never liked the idea of having to share everything with her sisters, not least me"
"Well she's just gonna have to buck up and get over it, your her sister and that's that"
"She never get's over anything: when she holds a grudge she holds it like a death sentence..." Novastar sulked, "Besides, I can't think of anything that would make her change her mind; mother's been trying to stay on good terms with her since we were sparklings, Moonshine's been trying to look out her as well as protect me from her temper, and all the while Eclipse blames everyone else for her insecurities"
"Insecurities?"
"She doesn't know I know: but ever since she was young she's had this 'fear' of slowing going insane; she thinks when people talk behind her back they gossip on how uptight and paranoid she is. She hate's being thought of as paranoid, and every time she thinks we doubt or criticize her she snaps back at us, and everyone else...That's why she's been so unfair and stringent this past week"
"...She's afraid she'll-..." Skywarp thought aloud as the memory of Megatron's own descent into madness came to mind: '...Guess it runs in the family...' he thought offhand with a sense of sympathy. "That's-, kinda ironic, considering your uncle-"
"-Optimus?" Novastar looked at him with a weird look
"Uh? ...No, I meant the 'other' uncle..."
"...Oh..." she realized who he was referring to
"...I was just gonna say: its kinda ironic, considering your uncle embraced his madness, the opposite is very true for your sister and your mother; a weird parallel don't you think?"
"I suppose yes: but it's always been mother who feared becoming like our uncle, me and Moonshine always knew who we were so we've never really been afraid; but Eclipse? I can't be totally certain, but I think she fears becoming like mother; living stuck in her fears and unable to escape the fact that she's Megatron's niece...It's a fact that's haunted me and Moonshine at one point or another: and with mother's identity known to everyone, it kinda put's into perspective the depth of how far Megatron's legacy runs"
"...That's defiantly true" Skywarp nodded quietly
Suddenly, the thundering sound of jet engines echoed from out of the canyon as a dark purple jet shot up into the sky at full speed. "Was that, Eclipse?" Skywarp frowned, trying to train his scanners onto the now out-of-range jet.
"...It is" Novastar blinked in surprise as she recognized her sister's altmode, "Where's she going?"
"Should we go after her?"
"I don't know? I'll ask mother what-"
At that moment, another jet engine could be heard firing up, as Majestrix's altmode hovered up out of the canyon, and took off after Eclipse, following her at a distance.
"Now what's she up to?" Skywarp scratched his helm
"I don't know..." Novastar thought aloud, perplexed as to what her sister and mother were up to, and where they were going.
Down in the med-bay:
"Well Annabelle certainly has a good aim, at least the circuits aren't too badly fried" Ratchet said offhand as he repaired part of the damaged circuitry.
"How much longer? It's been three hours already" Blackshot huffed in frustration
"Mikaela's just finishing off your armor, and I'm done here; so all we have to do is weld it back in place and your good to go" the Chief medic replied; at that moment Mikaela came out from one of the other med-labs pushing a huge flat-bed cart with Blackshot's aft and thigh plates lying on top. "How'd it turn out?" Ratchet asked as he lifted the plates up onto the table.
"Not bad, the edges were mostly scorched and the interior side wasn't as dented as it looked: a clean blast right on top" she replied as she climbed up the side of the birth and grabbed the human-sized welding torch that was lying to one side. Blackshot glanced over her shoulder, looking the human up and down, and was a little dismayed when she climbed right up onto her lower back.
"What're you doing?" she demanded
"Getting into a comfortable position so I can weld your aft back on" Mikaela stated
"You let it operate the tools?" the femme glowered
"'It' is a 'she', and yes she does operate the tools, she's my apprentice medic" Ratchet stated matter-of-factly, Blackshot blinked in surprise. "'Apprentice medic?'" she echoed in disbelief, not quite believing it.
"Would you prefer your aft back on or would you prefer I left it off?" Mikaela stated with a hint of sarcasm. Not wanting to dignify that with an answer, Blackshot didn't reply.
"Just chill, I'm not going to shoot anything off" the girl huffed as she got to work welding the plate back on while Ratchet held it in place. Bored of the silence, Blackshot's curiosity got the better of her: "...So? When did humans qualify to be cybertronian medics?"
"Since I helped put Bumblebee's legs back together and helped to online Jazz with the last Allspark shard" Mikaela replied
Despite her incredulousness, that actually surprised Blackshot: "...You, helped online him?"
"Yeah, is that so unbelievable?"
"Considering the power contained within even a fraction of the cube is enough to level a whole human city, I'd have thought such an undertaking would be left to more capable bots" the femme stated facetiously
"She is capable, that's why I asked her personally if she would assist me" Ratchet stated, slightly annoyed at the femme's tone.
"And what valuable skills does a human possess that a Cybertronian does not?"
"For one thing their delicate hands: a human's sense of touch is much more acute than our own, they can sense vibrations that are too small for our fingers to detect, and their hands and fingers can detect the tiniest indentations in even the smoothest surfaces. A handy feature when trying to detect micro-cracks and the like; among many other fine attributes" the medic stated confidently
'Fine attributes my aft!' she thought disdainfully as she grumbled something under her breath.
"I have a question..." Mikaela asked, the femme met her eye as she gazed up at her, "Why'd you hate us humans so much? Cuz if it's about the Allspark, we already heard that one and frankly, we don't give a shit for that argument; what's done is done"
"You pretty much summed it up" Blackshot frowned, "Because of one human we can't restore our home-world, your 'friend's' actions was our death-sentence"
"And believe me, there's not a week goes by Sam still regrets that, but considering Megatron was on the verge of making mince meat out of him, I'd say he made a good call" the girl replied
"That's what you call it? A 'good call'?"
"Hey you weren't there so don't go making judgements without actually seeing what happened for yourself alright?" Mikaela shot back, "There's a hell of a lot I could say for your species too considering it was your cube that fell to our planet in the first place; but I don't go airing my objections"
"Then why don't you? You have more to lose anyway"
"Because as much as I'd like to rant it'd be pointless: holding onto a grudge doesn't do you any favors, no matter how much gratification you might get; in the end you only really screw yourself...Kinda like what you're doing"
Blackshot frowned: "What do you mean?"
"What I mean is..." Mikaela explained as she continued to work, "This whole thing you got against working with us humans, working with Prime's bots: openly voicing your negativity the way you do; your digging yourself into a hole, and the deeper you dig the less likely you are to get out of it. If you don't like it, go to another planet, cuz I don't think your protests are going to persuade the bots to leave earth anytime soon"
"They'd say otherwise if your government decides to drop a nuke on our heads" Blackshot stated
"And why would we want to do that?" Mikaela sarcastically shot back
"I don't know? You tell me; it seems you humans will find any excuse the blow anything up"
"Only the unhinged ones; and considering no nukes have been used in any conflicts since the Second World War, I'd say the majority of us have our heads screwed on right"
"The majority..." Blackshot frowned, "There's no accounting for the minority though; what guarantee is there to say they won't try anything?"
"None" Mikaela stated
"And that doesn't bother you?"
"Of course it bothers me: but there's nothing either of us can do about it is there? Look, the world may not all be peaches and cream but it's the only one we got: living with the negative aspects of human civilization is an occupational hazard, Bad shit happens, it's a fact of humanity, but it doesn't mean you should have to drop everything and live in fear on that account" she sighed
"But if it means you survive, why not?" Blackshot asked
"Because we humans don't just want to survive, we want to live life; and for the majority of us that means taking the risks: for some it's easier than others, but regardless our lives are our lives, how we live them is ultimately our choice. Evil may be a trait of humanity, but at the end of the day it's still a choice..." Mikaela explained.
Blackshot turned to face forward, her incredulousness replaced by a passive look of deep thought; she let the human and Autobot's chief medic continue their work in peace as she stared up at the wall, and contemplated on the human's words...
A few hours later: The east coast of Canada:
: Conn, Sonar. Gained new contact, bearing 346, and possible hostile, confirmed for Project Deep Six Drop Point:
: What'd you got? :
: SU pulled one contact at 5,000 feet, diving fast. Never seen anything dive that deep that fast sir:
: Man battle stations:
: Chief of the watch, man battle stations! :
: -Belay that order: Prime's voice stated over radio, : This is NEST Project, code 207 for Deep Six Drop Point, the contact is a non-hostile, repeat, non-hostile; stand down from battle stations and resume your course :
: Copy that; care to tell us what's going on? :
: ...Someone wants to pay their final respects...: was all Prime said
:...:
As the submarine slowly pulled away and leveled out: Eclipse shot past its port-bow, missing it only by twenty meters or so...
Down she went, deeper and deeper into the freezing pitch black, plunging into the deepest level of the Laurentian abyss, her scanners and make-shift sonar were her only means of long-range navigation as her optics tried to peer through the gloom. At this depth the water pressure was immense, how anything could live down here was incredible: but as she observed the various species of jellyfish, cephalopods and fish, she had to admit organic life could be tough when it needed to be. As she approached the bottom of the abyss, her scanners soon picked up what she'd come for, and spinning round head over heels, she came into land feet first upon the silt and rocky seabed; and stood there for a moment, scanning the area, making sure nothing and no one would disturb her...
Through the blackness some thirty or so meters away, she could make out a large cluster of sharp sleek metal: it looked totally out of place among the rocks and various species of sponges and other strange looking invertebrates. As she slowly walked across the flat silt, she switched on a set of lights in her shoulders and saw the metal cluster was the body of a huge cybertronian, minus one arm and one leg, which were sitting motionlessly nearby. As she came up alongside it, the octopi and various other creatures that were inhabiting the enormous hulk swam away fast, not wanting to know if the strange creature in their midst was a hungry predator.
As Eclipse came around to the head, she gazed down at the lifeless cybertronian, and for the first time in her life, a cold shiver of sickening fear ran down her spinal unit as she took in the sight of her dead uncle...
Megatron
True to her mother's warning and all the war stories of all the veteran bots she'd ever known down the years, he was every bit as terrifying and then some; even in death he was still the very picture of terror with his mouth plates pulled back in a rictus gnarl, exposing his numerous shark-like teeth, his sharp robust armor still looked like it could cut anything, and his optics looked like they could burn right through one's spark.
For a long time she did nothing but stand there; her mind racing with a thousand thoughts all at once: all the fear, all the dread, all the pain and anger of what this one mech had done over the eons came bubbling to the surface, and the more it rippled through her the more she kept clenching her fists tightly. Until finally, she couldn't hold it back.
Leaning down with a look of absolute hatred burning in her optics, Eclipse stood over him, and in a soft yet venomous tone, said: "...All these years...all this time, I honestly thought the end would never come for you: the way you cheated death so many times, at one point I actually believed you could never die..."
Silence
"...I can't remember anymore, just how many nights I spent lying awake, thinking of all the ways to hunt you down, to make you suffer in every way conceivable, and then end you: as painfully and indecently the same way you hurt all of us...But then I realized: you probably would've been proud, and taken enjoyment at seeing me descend into madness (even if it was for the sake of revenge); knowing I was no different than you. I can't even tell you how much hatred that filled me with, that no matter what I would've done, no matter how far I would've taken it, I would never have won would I?... "
Silence
"It had to end with Optimus didn't it?!" she shouted bitterly, "-You and him! It was always going to be you and him! WHY? After everything you put me through from the shadows of my nightmares, after every waking moment of being haunted by the very thought of you; WHY DID YOU HAVE TO DIE?!" she screamed as she grabbed him by the spark chamber and started to rip him apart: "IT SHOULD'VE BEEN ME WHO KILLED YOU! I SHOULD'VE BEEN THE ONE TO RIP OUT YOUR SPARK!"
Screaming and ranting in a blind violent rage, she ripped and pulled apart every section of his body with her bare hands, everything from his helm to his limbs and even his spark chamber were not spared as all the years of everything that had been pent up finally broke loose. Everything she had saved for the day she would face him, all came in a flood of anger that poured out with every thunderous punch, every ripped armor plate and every gouge and swipe to the circuits and wiring. Before long red warning signs started flashing through Eclipse's field of view, warning her that she risked serious damage to her own systems if she carried on like this. And as fatigue and exhaustion finally forced her to stop, she fell to her knees: sobbing uncontrollably as she pitched over and cried into her cupped hands; her energon tears diluting into the briny water all around, and drifting off on the current like cigarette smoke...
Time passed, and the clouds of silt that had been thrown up by her violent outburst had drifted off and partially settled: and as she numbly looked around she couldn't even bring herself to be astounded at the mess she'd made. There was hardly anything of Megatron that was recognizable; a finger or two, part of a knee joint, half of his helm and face, and a third of his spark chamber were still largely intact, but everything else was nothing but scrap metal, broken circuits, ripped wires, and broken shards of metal platelets littered around her. Sighing in exhaustion, Eclipse let the freezing water cool her circuits as she slowly got back up on her feet.
"...Why couldn't I be there? ..." she sulked soberly, "Why did it have to end like that? ...Why was I deigned my chance for revenge? Why did it have to be a human that killed you? Of all the ways for it to end, why did it have to be so...insignificant? ..."
: That's what you thought? :
Eclipse nearly jumped when her mother's voice caught her off guard; picking up her signal on her scanner, Eclipse turned round to see her mother land on the sea bed some meters away: though she talked through the comm, Majestrix still mouthed the words. : You thought it would all be one big glorious battle? A battle to end all battles; wreathed in fire and spilt energon, countless dead littering the ground while high overhead the sky burned with fire smoke and the deafening thunder of gunfire as you bring the pit down upon him? : Majestrix pressed, taking Eclipse completely by surprise, not quite believing she'd just summed up her ideal revenge fantasy to a tee.
: Believe me I share the sentiment: I too was most disheartened when I learned my chance for payback had been stolen away. But seriously: you would've been willing to let this world die in agony, all so you could get revenge? ...I'll admit there was time I too might have done the same, but considering how deep our hatred runs, do you think it's any wonder Prime was the one fate chose to fight the final battle? : Majestrix reasoned.
Eclipse didn't know what to say, as her optics glazed over and she looked away in disbelief: her mother approached closer.
: ...As much I would've liked it to be otherwise, fate did us both a favor by letting the Witwicky boy be the one to end it. History would not have looked upon our actions kindly if we had destroyed him the way he destroyed so many innocents before. An optic for an optic, and everyone goes blind; one act of revenge could've echoed down the years and come back to haunt us in many bad ways: at least with a human being the one to deliver the final blow, our hands are spared the energon that would've stained them (even if was his energon): She gestured to the remains of the former Decepticon leader.
: How can you say that? : Eclipse sobbed angrily,
: Because it's the truth child...: Majestrix gazed down at her daughter with pain in her optics: Even if we had been there the choice wasn't ours to make; please, is one reckless act of vengeance worth the life of a whole world? :
: ...But it was our world he took from us! ...: Eclipse sobbed as a fresh wave of tears diluted into the water around her face.
: I know my darling...: Majestrix cooed as she gently wrapped her arms around her daughter, and pulled her in for a hug; for a long moment Eclipse let the tears pass as she sobbed into her mother's shoulder, before meeting her gaze again. Majestrix gently stroked the side of her face,: Fate rarely calls upon us at a moment of our choosing: she said offhand
: So Optimus always says: Eclipse sighed
: But it is true, and now it calls both of us to stand tall, and to do something we've never had a chance to do until now: her mother replied
: What? :
: Step forward into the future, and live our lives as we choose. Yes we've lost the chance to restore our world, but we have the opportunity to take a chance on a new world; and maybe, just maybe, find a way to restore the honor of our people:
Eclipse hesitated, and looked away in doubt, :... How can you ask me to-:
: -I'm not asking as an Autobot-: Majestrix cut her off, : ...I'm asking you as my daughter...: Eclipse looked back up at her, unsure and confused.
: You are always willing to do your duty, even if it means going to extremes; and yet at the same time you know people will always have their doubts about you because you push yourself so hard...: Majestrix said as she gently stroked her cheek. : ...It's not because you may fall behind or let your paranoia get the better of you; but because you worry if people will somehow discover where you come from, your true lineage; the one I've tried to leave behind for so long, and the one you tried running away from all your life... In all the years you've known me: did you ever stop to consider how I felt? Knowing that my brother, who I once loved so dearly, destroyed the very empire I helped to protect? :
Silence
: ...For so long I tried to shield you from it, no parent should laden their children with the burdens of the past: but no matter how well I tried to keep your innocence intact, reality still caught up to us anyway. If there's one thing I truly regret, it's not being able to have the courage to tell you about the reality of what your uncle was sooner: Majestrix continued
: ...It doesn't matter...: Eclipse replied in a tired voice : We never had a chance: all those eons we spent in hiding, locked away in vaulted chambers, only coming out at night when no one was around, cruising through the most remote regions of the galaxy. The war was still there: all that distance you put between us and the fighting and still the war scarred us...It didn't matter that you didn't tell us until we were finally grown up, we knew all along, I knew all along; and the one thing I could never understand, was why you couldn't admit that it was real, that we-...we are a part of him...:
For a long moment Majestrix gazed into her daughter's optics; though Eclipse's face was unreadable, the pain that was glistening in her optics twisted Majestrix's spark. No mother can ever stand to see her child in pain like this, a hurt so deep that no softness or tenderness could sooth it away. Summoning up her courage, Majestrix gently held her face in bother hands, and looked her square in the optics.
: Yes, we are a part of him, but that does mean we have to give into what he was. No matter the shame, our families do not define who we are. Megatron does not define who I choose to be: and he does not define who you are too. You can either choose to wallow in pity and let that fact haunt you for the rest of your life, or you can choose to hold your head high and live your life for you...:
Eclipse stilled with dread welling up in her spark, :..But-, but, how can I? :
: By reconciling with the past, and taking a chance on the future. Try following the human's example and take the risk, regardless of whatever happens; besides, you maybe Megatron's niece, but your also Optimus Prime's niece too, his courage and strength of spirit is within you, just as it is within me. Fate may rarely call upon us at a moment of our choosing, but we can choose how we want to shape our destines, that is a fact no amount of bad luck or bad 'blood' can ever change...:
: But-, what about the Decepticons? What if they find out? :
: You'd let them stop you? Since when have you ever let a con get the better of you? : Majestrix smirked,: The con's can go slag themselves, or failing that we'd just slag them (unless they want to defect, in which case that takes the fun right out of it). Don't fret, you've never lost to a con before, and this changes nothing as far as their concerned:
: What? But how-:
:-Eclipse..: Majestrix cut her off, and look at her with a gaze that told her to listen, : ...If you choose to hang onto this, you will never be free of it not matter how far you try to beat it down or turn it away. We can't choose what family we are born into, that is a fact of life, but choosing to live in shame and disgrace for one mech's actions is not an obligation, and one you should never be compelled to bare in the first place... For centuries I lived in shame of what my brother did, I thought I had no right to my life knowing what he'd done, I thought I'd been condemned to an existence in the shadows, living as a ghost for simply being his twin... And then one day I realized, my brother's actions were his own; I had no part in anything he'd done, why should I have to feel guilt for crimes that were not mine to bring to book? From that day on I promised myself that Megatron would never cast a shadow on anything I choose to do by my own right...I can't take your fears away from you, nor promise you with absolute certainly that things are going to get better from here on out. But I do guarantee you this: if you let every decision you make be dictated by the past, then Megatron will have just as good as won, and you will never feel like you can do anything without his legacy forever shadowing your life, and every bot who died, everyone who died at his hands, their memories will be forfeited, all because you cannot bring yourself to accept the reality of where you come from, and where you stand now...:
For the longest time Eclipse couldn't find the words to think of a reply; as she gazed up into her mother's optics, she suddenly realized what it really was that had been vexing her...
: ...You really aren't him...:
Majestrix blinked in mild surprise
: All these eons, I thought you were his sleeper, the fact that you both came from the same spark made you a liability, and that always worried me; but the more I thought about it, the more I came to realize... I don't hate you because you came from him: I hated you because you still cared about him...:
Majestrix stilled
: I know you hated him, but I know you also wept for him, and for so long I couldn't understand why? Knowing Prime hated him so much I wondered why you were the only who stilled cared. I figured that must be why you and Optimus used to fight so often:
: Quite the contrary...: Majestrix corrected with a small smile,: Optimus never hated Megatronus, he hated what he turned into, but in the back of his mind he always believed there was a way to try and bring him back: and more than once I believed it too:
Eclipse stared at her mother nonplussed, completely taken aback; seeing the look in her optics, Majestrix explained,: Before Megatron came to be, he was our brother Megatronus, and we both loved him very dearly. Regardless of the war, regardless of all the death, carnage and destruction he wrought upon Cybertron, he was still our brother, and that's why it was all the more painful for us all these years. You think you're the only who's suffered? I know Optimus still grieves for him in the early mornings, and by extension Elita does too because of their spark-bond: I know Sam regrets destroying the Allspark because he forced him into that position: I know Moonshine has cried for me and you, and Novastar still wakes up from her nightmares on occasion... I know being a 'people person' has never been the corner stone of your character, but I still find it incredible that you never once stopped to consider just how far the collateral has gone...and even after all that, after all the pain he's brought upon us, I still miss him...and for so long I hated myself for that:
Silence
: ...I never thought-...: Eclipse tried to voice her thoughts as something else came to mind,:...What I don't get is why everybody's so-... 'Okay' with it all, even if we're alive and well, how can everyone be so sure? So confident that this is okay? :
: Because that's part of what taking a chance is all about, having faith and the confidence to know people are smart enough to know better:
: But why? What guarantee is there?:
: There isn't:
: B-But I don't understand, how can you be okay with it?:
: Sometimes you are sometimes you're not, it depends on the circumstances; But Eclipse, faith is not meant to be understood, you just have it. At the end of the cycle after all is said and done, it's the only thing we have left to sustain us, to sustain our hope...:
For a long moment Eclipse thought about it, bouncing her mother's wisdom back and forth in her head; for the first time in a very long time the anger she had towards her was gone, neither her pride nor her ego blocked her from contemplating the logic and sense she'd put forward. It felt strange, almost surreal in an objective kind of way; on some level she couldn't help but wonder what their relationship would've been like if she'd stopped to listen sooner...How much had she missed because of it? The thought of it made her guilt grow with regret creeping into her spark, and as she thought about it, something else came to mind...
: ... You know? Sometimes I used to wonder, was there ever such a thing as hope? After fighting for so long, seeing so much death: I never believed in the concept there could be something better...: she looked up at her mother with an unreadable look, : I don't know if I can-...if I'm strong enough for this, but for what this has all been worth; I'll try...:
: That's okay sweet-spark...: Majestrix smiled, and for the first time in a life time, Eclipse wrapped her arms around her mother and hugged her tightly.
For the longest time they just stood there, thousands of feet beneath the waters of the Atlantic; mother and daughter embraced in each other arms. No more words, just the knowing that they had a common ground to stand upon together.
:... By the way...: Eclipse suddenly realized,: How did you know I was down here?:
: I taught you how to mask your signal remember? Tracking you is no hard feat; that: and let's just say a little bat told me what you'd been going through...:
Back at NEST base: a little while later:
The stars hung in the sky like diamonds; a night so clear that the Milky-way could be seen stretching from one horizon to the next, beyond the distant mountains where the vague glow of Tranquility's light pollution lit up the horizon with a grungy orange aura. Laying flat on one of the many giant boulder stacks near the perimeter fence, Morri let her mind drift with the sounds of the night; the distant howling of the coyotes echoed out from one of the ravines, while all around the insects chirped and clicked their usual night time melodies.
But another sound stood out.
Turning around, she spotted the four familiar red optics and long scorpion-like profile of a familiar drone. "Well? Long time no see" Scorponok greeted, waving his claw as he scuttled up the side the bolder and parked himself next to the brunette: "What're you doing all the way out here?"
"Oh, hi Scorpy" Morri sighed, "Just getting some air"
"After searching the base all day? I don't blame you" the drone sighed through his vents, "They found that hacker yet?"
"No, but how did you know?" she asked
"Rookies know everything, and Primus can they talk when you offer them beer!"
"That's bribery, and they're not supposed to drink while on duty!" she frowned disapprovingly
"Yeah I know, but no matter how well their trained they still get bored; besides I don't give them whole six-packs, only one or two to pass the time: and I make sure to water them down so they don't get over-energized" the scorpion offered with an innocent click of his mandibles.
"So you've not wasted any time getting up to mischief again huh?" she deadpanned as she flopped against the bolder.
"Are you kidding? After all that crazy slag that went down in that other universe I need a change of pace...That and I kinda need some distance"
"Distance?"
"Yeah...you know? To get over...her (or them I should say)..."
"...Oh..." Morri realized as nine familiar blue think-tanks came to mind, "You still them?"
"For the most part: I mean yeah we'll always have New Port, Section 9 HQ, and the safe houses; but it doesn't mean I stop missing them you know?"
"Yeah..." Morri sighed in a downcast tone
"...Do you miss them? The others too I mean"
"Every now and then" she shrugged, "Someone like the Major? It's kinda hard to not be impressed"
"She was 'uncanny' for a human; if she could really be called that considering she was mostly a machine"
"She was human Scorpy: you just had to look a little harder to find it" Morri sighed, before changing the subject, "So? What've you been up to since we got back? I haven't seen you anywhere on the base"
"Well after a month away my burrows needed some serious maintenance work, and a pack of coyotes thought they could move in and breed to their sparks content" the drone frowned in annoyance; "I just finished evicting the last of them yesterday, and drilling an emergency escape burrow so if Geo gets hungry I can get out easily"
"Oh yeah, how's your new 'room-mate' working out?"
"Meh, she's okay I guess?" the scorpion shrugged, "She doesn't mind drones and humans so much, just as long as you don't wake her up when she's recharging; and pit can she get cranky when she's slagged off!"
"I'll bet" Morri grimaced
"By the way, I saw the smack-down Deathshot and Longrange had"
"Oh yeah?"
"From what I heard things have been pretty tense of late since the new arrivals joined the ranks; is it true two of them have been thrown in the brig?"
"Yeah, that'll be Longrange and Coldbore" Morri sighed
"What happened?"
"Longrange tried to kill Thundercracker, among other things"
"Seriously? He took on 'Cracker? ...Pit, of all the seekers he had to take him on? My condolences to the idiot"
"He did kick his aft pretty hard. But after the way he'd been treating everyone no one can say they're sorry for him; and I think Thundercracker's earned some brownie points with the rest of the guys so that's something I guess?"
"Meh, good for him..." the drone shrugged, "-Oh, I nearly forgot, there's some stuff that fell into one of my burrows I think Miles lost a while ago? Mind if you take it back and ask if it's his?" he asked as he scuttled off the bolder.
"Sure" Morri replied, "-I'll be back in a sec!" he called back as he disappeared among the rocks. For several minutes Morri sat there, lost in her thoughts, until the sound of metallic scuttling came up behind her.
She turned around to face him "By the way, I nearly forgot to ask you about-", but stopped as she laid eyes on the creature standing at the foot of the bolder.
It was a humanoid drone of some kind, but nothing like Frenzy or Rumble; it was smaller than a man with insectoid features and a narrow chest and abdomen that tapered down to the hips, four large red optics, long slender digigrade hind legs, and two long arms armed with claws and lined with thorn-like spikes running up the sides. Alarmed, Morri froze as the creature looked her up and down.
"Oh yeah, you'll do" it said in a high pitched snarky voice.
"What-" But Morri didn't have time to think as the creature leapt forward and tackled her to the ground, grabbing one arm and twisting it up behind her back; she pitched over forward with enough momentum to throw the creature over her and twist the other way so her arm was free. The creature tried to scramble back up onto its feet but Morri was quick to deliver and hard kick to the side of the head before running down into the gully at the side of the bolder.
"GET BACK HERE MEAT SACK!" the creature screeched in a shrill angry voice as it got back up on its feet and gave chase, following the sound of her footfalls through the darkness. As she ran along the gully heading towards the rocks where Scorponok's burrow with hidden, she reached for the radio in her pocket and clicked the button on the side: "Briggs 208 to base! I have a con on my arse!"
: You what? : Red Alert's voice came over the radio
"I HAVE A DECEPTICON AND HE'S CHASING ME!-OF!" The creature blindsided Morri, knocking her down and knocking the radio out of her hand:
: Morri? Morri come in over! Where are- , the transmission cut out as the creature stomped his foot down on the radio, shattering it to pieces. As Morri scrambled back up onto her feet the creature was quick to grab her by both wrists and tried to tackle her again; but the brunette was stronger than she looked, and didn't spare an ounce of strength as she kicked out at the creature, making it loose its footing. But the damn thing still held on, and as it got back up it took the opportunity and picked her up and threw her down on her side hard. Pain shot through Morri's side as she landed on her hip, and the creature didn't waste time twisting both arms up behind her back, and keeping them up as far as they would go without dislocating both shoulders. Pulling her up onto her feet, he marched her up the side of the gully and towards the perimeter fence.
"Who the hell are you?" Morri growled angrily through her clenched teeth.
"You should know. You and your friends have been looking for me all day" the creature smirked with wicked glint in his optics: "Well guess what? Now I found you!"
"What the hell do you want with me?"
"Information, among other things: once we get you back to base we're gonna have a nice long chat concerning your Autobot buddies" the creature smirked as the perimeter fence came within range: "Oh and you probably might wanna start panicking now..."
Wondering what he meant by that, Morri suddenly spotted a huge mech standing beyond the fence: his scarlet red optics pierced through the dark with a menacing gaze before he turned sideways and transformed back into his altmode: a police cruiser.
"Shit!" Morri cursed under her breath. Not wanting to find out firsthand what a Decepticon interrogation was like she decided to play a different tactic: she purposely twisted her left foot inwards and feigned tripping over. As she fell forward the creature let go of one arm and grabbed her belt to pull her up; she swung her arm forward and as hard as she could she elbowed him square in the face, making him let go of the other arm as he reeled backwards. Twisting around sharply, she punched the left set of optics and delivered a swift right hook to the right side optics, blinding him instantly.
"YOU FOOL! GET HER!" Barricade angrily called over the fence as he transformed back into mechmode. In a blind rage the creature tried to swipe at her, but Morri wasn't going to spare this creep any quarter as she delivered another several punches to its face, neck and torso. With one hard kick she cracked part of its leg joint, making it fall to its knees, and then made a dash for the base. Barricade wasted no time, after crashing his way through the fence he made a bee-line for the human; he barely got within grabbing range of her before the distant sound of blaring alarms echoed over the desert, followed by the sounds of wheels screeching and giant feet pounding.
"You hear that!" Morri called over her shoulder, "Their coming for you! You can give up, fight or run! What's it gonna be?"
But quite unexpectedly, Barricade made a lunge and snatched her up, holding her tightly as he brought her up to his face, and stared her square in the eye. "You got lucky tonight meat sack: but know this, I will come back for you and your friends, and when I do you better tell me what you did with them!"
Morri frowned in confusion: "What? Did what with who?-"
"-DON'T LIE TO ME! I know you've captured them! You and those others who've been-"
The Autobots were now within range.
Barricade knew he was out of time "-FRAG!" he cursed as he dropped her and dashed back to the opening in the fence. Picking his partner up and transforming back into his police cruiser altmode, he fired up his engines and disappeared into the desert; driving away at an impossible speed.
Picking herself up and dusting off the dirt, Morri watched as the Autobot team split into two: Prime, Ironhide, Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, Kup, Arcee and Trailbreaker drove through the broken fence and gave chase to the Decepticon while Deathshot came into land next to her, accompanied by Ravage, Ashley and Scorponok.
"Are you okay?" Deathshot wasted no time in gently picking her up and scanning her for injuries, "Did he hurt you? Are you-"
"-I'm fine D!" she cut him off, "Just some bumps and bruises is all"
"Even so, do you have any idea what he could've-" Deathshot stopped himself reprimanding her when she glared up at him, "...I'm sorry..." he sighed in exasperation, "But you are okay?"
"I'll live" she sighed
"Shit what the hell was he doing here?" Ashley breathed as he looked over at the fence.
"He came for me (or one of us at least); he needed someone to interrogate"
"Interrogate?" the twelve year old frowned
"Makes sense: but this was reckless" Ravage growled skeptically
"Yeah? Since when did Barricade start taking desperate measures? That's not like him to do something as sloppy as this" Scorponok concurred
As Morri watched the Autobots disappear into the night, Barricade's words suddenly came to mind:
I know you've captured them! You and those others who've been-
"... Not unless he had good reason" Morri unconsciously thought aloud
"Huh? What're you talking about?" Deathshot asked
Suddenly realizing what she just said, Morri sighed "Come on, I'll explain on the way back" she gestured for him to follow her as she started walking off in the direction of the base. "Forgive me, but I think under the circumstances I'll escort you back" Deathshot interjected as he bent down to pick her up and gently stashed her away in his cockpit before firing up his engines and taking off.
"Great, so we just galloped over a shit loada desert for nothing" Ashley huffed sarcastically
"Ah the night is young my student, and we have tracking to do" Ravage grinned as he headed for the hole in the fence; too tired to argue, Ashley grumbled something under his breath before trotting off to catch up with the drone. Not wanting to be left out, Scorponok decided to tag along too.
: A couple of hours later:
Majestrix and Eclipse both transformed as they neared the open air hanger, and as soon as they were on their feet, started slowly strolling back to the base interior. As they walked along, Eclipse leaned against her mother, and Majestrix obligingly put her arm around her shoulders.
"You know? I'm kinda glad we had this talk" Eclipse thought offhand with a small smile
"Me too..." Majestrix smiled warmly, "It's been way overdue"
"And then some" Eclipse concurred, "But seriously, looking ahead in the long run has never been my forte"
"Nor has it been mine, but we do the best we can, that's all any of us can ask for"
"...I've got a lot to sort out..." Eclipse changed the subject slightly, "For one, I need to talk some things over with Moonshine and Novastar, starting with some apologies"
"That's a good place to start" Majestrix agreed, "And perhaps talking with your uncle Optimus too? I know he'd -" she suddenly stopped
"Mother?" Eclipse looked up at her: noticing the mixed look of concern and confusion flickering in her red optics as she stared off into space; "What's wrong?"
"...Do you not hear that? ..." her mother replied: opening up her comm frequency, a whole load of chatter bombarded the femme as she listened to all the worried voices bouncing back and forth between NEST HQ and the Pentagon. Looking at one another in alarm, the two femmes dashed into base and headed straight to the central command hub; there, Optimus and Will were surrounded by their officers and troops, who gazed over at them in slight alarm.
"What happened?" Majestrix demanded.
A/N: Okay, now I know I said there wouldn't be any cons in this particular story, but after going over the draft again, I realized the story arc needed a starting point of sorts, a 'boost' to set the tone and get it going the general direction I want it to go. Barricade will be appearing in the next story for sure, but for now, this chapter was just a little amuse bouche of sorts; to get you guessing as to what might be coming next ;)
Concerning the undersea dialogue between Majestrix and Eclipse: This is a breakthrough for sure, but it's not the end of their troubles by far. You'll see in later stories, as I won't give away any spoilers here: sorry :(
So now that this story is official over the last hurdle and well on the down-hill run; I'll try to round it off in the next chapter (or 2, depending on the dialogue)
Let me know what you think! Many regards! ;D