Well this is odd, I'm usually done with a fic by the twelfth/thirteenth chapter :S

Enjoy!

:D

Chapter Twelve: I Couldn't

Gearshift spent the next few solar cycles at the dojo. He was still weak, and a decacycle of rest was highly recommended by the medics. But Gearshift was known to be restless, and was back training with his fellow ninjas the day after he was released. He was forbidden to go on missions, but training was usually enough to keep him occupied.

Master Yoketron kept his optics on him at all times, knowing that even with the sense of discipline and duty Gearshift had gained under his master's watch, he was still prone to doing what he pleased. Yoketron was not suspicious of him, but he was attentive. The younger mech had so much promise, but his dark history soured his intentions and left him full of well concealed hatred and fear.

Yoketron pitied him, but had noticed that recently his bitterness had lifted somewhat. Something had changed for him, but what that was, Yoketron could not say. Whatever it was, it was outside the dojo. Perhaps he'd gained a new friend that had shown him a different way of thinking? Or he'd seen something out in Iacon that had changed his perspective? Whatever it was, the positive changes in Gearshift had been shattered by his recent excursion into Kaon. Old wounds had been opened, and the change in him Yoketron had witnessed was so quick and absolute that the aging mech feared Gearshift could never return to the more jovial mech had had briefly been.

Gearshift was sparing against Lockdown. The spiked mech had developed an incredible repertoire of fighting techniques over the stellar cycles. He'd grown into a powerful ninja, but had developed into a brutal warrior, showing little remorse when it came to killing enemies. But he, too, had a taste for doing things his own way, often disappearing off into the city to track down any potential jobs. The work of the Ninja Corps did not often interest him. He preferred bounty hunting.

Gearshift threw a punch at Lockdown, but the larger mech grabbed his arm, spun around with the limb over his shoulder and threw Gearshift over his head and onto the floor before him. Gearshift cried out as his still-tender shoulder connected with the hard floor whilst the arm it connected to was still in the vice like grip of Lockdown, a break in his armour forming and letting lose a dribble of his Energon. Lockdown showed no sympathy to his friend, only grabbed him by his good arm and pulled him back up to his support servos. Gearshift grunted and shook him off.

"Frag off, Lockdown!" he yelled. Lockdown's optics ridges rose in mild surprise at Gearshift's outburst.

"What's wrong with ya?" Lockdown spat back. "Ya know yer injured, why ya shoutin' at me?"

"Well, I had been repaired," Gearshift hissed. "I'm out of here."

Gearshift, servo over his leaking shoulder, stormed out of the dojo, heading into Iacon. Lockdown's optics narrowed as he watched the green and white mech disappear into the bustling crowds absently passing by the dojo. There were so many innocent bots that didn't seem to care about the growing war that would soon consume the lot of them.

The club was completely dead. Again. Granted, it was still early doors, but Mercury usually had at least one couple of young lovers looking to beat the crowds looking for a fun time by this time of evening. She was so bored that she had to stop herself from falling asleep on the bar. As always, the bartender was stood cleaning cubes behind the bar, but he, too, seemed to be drifting into a stasis nap. Twirl came up to the bar, graceful in her dancelike way of moving, as always. She stopped before Mercury, her faceplate the picture of concern.

"We won't be dancing tonight, will we?" she asked quietly. Mercury didn't say anything, just looked at the younger femme with an empty glance. After a few nanoclicks, she stood up straight and looked at Twirl earnestly.

"I don't know, Twirl," she replied. "We haven't been open for long, we might busy up in time."

Twirl didn't seem to believe her, but nodded and returned to the backstage rooms, looking at the floor as she walked. Mercury sighed and let her cranial unit drop back to the bar with a thunk.

"Merc, we need to do something about all this," the bartender said. "Advertising, freebies, publicity. Anything, really."

"I know," Mercury replied. "My worry is how much of an effect it would have. Cybertron is at war with itself. It may not be full scale yet, but everybot is feeling it and knows that going for a night out isn't the best way to prepare."

Mercury was right, the bartender knew, but this club was his life. He'd been working there for longer than he cared to remember, watching it change servos over the years and keeping a watchful optic on the management, steering the bots in charge towards making the right decisions and preventing anything truly bad from happening. But Mercury was different. She, like him, knew how bots thought, but he was skilled at changing their processor over the slightest thing, subtly changing a bot's ideas and thoughts. It wasn't manipulation, he told himself, it was helping bots make the right choices at the right times. Mercury, however, was almost the opposite. She could not have her processor changed.

But before another word could be said, the front door burst open. Mercury was bolt upright with a false smile on her faceplate in an instant, but the moment she saw Gearshift pass the threshold with a dark expression that could have sent a pack of sharkticons running, her expression fell. He was clutching his shoulder and glaring at nothing in particular, his servo wet with Energon as it seeped between his digits to form small rivulets of purple that dribbled down his back. Mercury grabbed a fresh cloth from beneath the bar and trotted over to him.

"What happened this time?" she asked flatly, trying not to let emotion into her voice. Gearshift's expression didn't change and, on closer examination, she came to feel he was irritated, rather than angry. Maybe a little of both. She pushed him around so his back was facing her, batting away his servo so she could get at the wound. It wasn't anything bad, just a split in the re-welded plating on his shoulder. She gently dabbed at the Energon, awaiting his reply.

"Just an accident at training," he huffed. Mercury sensed something else.

"And?" He said nothing. "You've been out of the infirmary for less than a decacycle and you've already hurt yourself again. What are you like, Gearshift?"

Gearshift grunted but still refused to say anything. Not until Mercury had finished cleaning away the Energon. She threw the cloth away and led Gearshift into her office. She had a small set of tools in there for basic repairs, including the basics for welding. She pushed Gearshift into a chair, his back still to her, and set to work on the break in his shoulder.

"Ouch," Gearshift huffed apathetically as soon as the welder touched his shoulder. Mercury knew he was just playing with her, he made no movement to suggest her was actually hurt. Mercury couldn't help the small smile playing on her lip modules. She wanted to cuff him around the back of the cranial unit, but knew better than to tease him when he was annoyed. The weld was an easy job, completed in the shuttering of an optic, but Gearshift still did not want to talk, even as he rotated his shoulder to test Mercury's handiwork.

"No need to thank me," Mercury said quietly, though Gearshift still heard her.

"I... I'm sorry, Mercury. I'm... no myself," he said, his voice somewhat reserved. Mercury frowned slightly and moved to stand in front of him.

"What's bugging you, Gearshift?" she asked, her voice even. Gearshift shook his cranial unit, a gesture that seemed to suggest he'd given in. But to what, Mercury didn't know.

"Everything's wrong," he mumbled after a moment. "I thought finding my creators' killer would make things better – even more so when I finally deal with him. But... I just feel worse. I'm inadequate, Mercury. I couldn't even escape an obvious ambush. I felt such fear when Swindle told me the truth. I couldn't..." He stopped then, still looking at the floor. After what seem liked forever, his optics moved up the look at Mercury. "I couldn't have protected you."

Mercury didn't know what to think. What did he mean? His tone suggested more than his words did, but she wasn't sure what. She found herself putting a servo to his faceplate, a gesture he was happy to accept. He leant into her servo, enjoying her warm and gentle touch as he shuttered his optics. For a moment, that was all there was; a gentle emotional warmth the two revelled in. Mercury felt her spark pulsing rapidly as her servo caressed his faceplate. His optics snapped open, looking right into hers. He put his own servo over hers and stood, faceplate to faceplate with Mercury, looking deep into her optics. He held her faceplate in his servos and began to lean towards her.

BOOM!

Gearshift caught Mercury as the ground shook and she stumbled sideways, holding her up as the few people in the club's main room began to scream and shout. Mercury pushed towards the door, opening it, only to be greeted by the thick smoke of blaster fire. Gearshift hot on her heel struts, she passed through the door and into the chaos, her fog lights flickering on in an attempt to get a better view. But it was futile; the smoke was far too thick.

But then, out of the smoke, a pair of leering purple optics came towards them.

I'm such a tease ;D

Please review!

:D