Never Will Be
Disclaimer: I was astounded by how much love Never Was had received on deviantart, as evidenced by the artwork done by Lecidre; two pieces of work entitled Dream of a Bright Tomorrow and Farewell. I'll admit, I had a sequel planned for the longest time, but never had a chance to actually write it. But because so many asked me for it, I was persuaded to do so. LOL. Also, listen to the song, "Love the Way You Lie Part 2" by Rihanna and Eminem after reading this. You'll see how it ties well.
"The strongest have their moments of fatigue"
-Friedrich Nietzsche
"I love you, and because I love you, I would sooner have you hate me for telling you the truth than adore me for telling you lies."
-Pietro Aretino
By: VampireQueenAkasha
"Having one eye makes you see the world in unusual ways, Shockwave..."
-Overlord, Last Stand of the Wreckers
Love's Thanatos
Cybertron
Iacon City was alive with activity as Autobots and Decepticons fought one another; laser fire ripped through holes in the walls, bodies fell in pools of Energon and screams of pain and death rang through the air.
The unit leader of the Decepticon troops let out a bellowing war cry, encouraging the rest of the warriors to charge through the walls. With a cry, the leader thrust his weapon in the air and the Decepticon army started charging forward, overwhelming the Autobot army attempting to regain control of the war. A shower of laser fire from the cannons of Fortess Maximus ripped through the troops as if they were nothing, but it seemed that the more that were killed, many more took their place.
Sentinel watched the scene grimly from the computer screen in the council hall. "PRIMUS!" he shouted, "Why are these Decepticons still alive?"
Alpha Trion looked disturbed, but resolute. "I don't think we can win this, this time," he said, softly, "They have us outnumbered."
"I'm not surrendering to anyone!" Sentinel bellowed, glowering fiercely at him. He was silent for a few moments before he snarled and looked to Cliffjumper impatiently. "And will someone PLEASE give me the status on the rear turret?"
"The rear turret can't take another hit, sir!" Cliffjumper cried.
"We need to get a handle on this situation and now!" Sentinel roared.
Meanwhile, Kaon was being torn apart by Autobots and Decepticons fighting for control as well. Through the mess, Red Alert and Shockwave attempted to fight their way to survive. Several Autobot troopers positioned atop buildings fired sniper's shots down at the Decepticons. The troopers below surged onto the walls and began to scale them as the Autobots drew their weapons in preparation for close combat.
Jetfire and Jetstorm streaked through the skies above.
"Brother!" Jetstorm called, "I'm on fifteen!"
"Haha! I'm close to twenty!" Jetfire taunted.
The twins soared overhead, spotting Red Alert and Shockwave below. They were taking cover in an alleyway.
"Brother, should we bring them in?" Jetfire asked.
"No. Rodimus Prime gave us his orders."
The twins sailed away through the sky and Red Alert watched them go. She gritted her teeth and scowled. "They saw us!" she snapped, "They were right there and they passed right over! What in Primus' name is wrong with them?"
"They saw us, but they were not about to help," Shockwave told her, shuddering and clutching his wounded arm, "After what you've chosen, you've become expendable to them."
Red Alert pondered the severity of this. Why did it come as such a surprise? Seeing things from the other side of the spectrum gave her a better understanding of her fellow Autobots and their motives. If anyone sympathized with Decepticons, they were cast out. So why should she have been treated any differently? It was disappointing that it had come to this; she could only have one or the other; Shockwave or her life on Cybertron. And she had chosen Shockwave. She didn't regret that, but she only wished that it didn't have to lead up to violence...
Shockwave looked down at her. "Red Alert..."
She frowned up at him. "Yeah?"
"How long have you been leaking Energon?" he demanded, his voice taking on a harder note.
Red Alert looked down and noticed that her side had been gushing Energon. She had attempted to ignore the painful sting and didn't even notice that she was leaking that badly. Through the chaos of battle around them, she had missed it entirely. She looked up at him and he was staring harshly down at her.
"I didn't notice," Red Alert told him, "We've been running and dodging fire through Kaon. I was behind you when we passed the bridge and a Decepticon sniper took a shot at me. I thought it missed, but I was wrong." Now that she noticed, the pain was much more intense than she thought. She gripped her side with one hand and looked up at him. "You've taken much more damage than I have and you're still functioning."
"I am only functioning at fifty four percent; yet I haven't been leaking Energon either."
Red Alert nodded her head. She was a medic and understood the severity of leaking precious fluids. But it wasn't as if she could stop in the middle of battle and get help for it. Primus, she couldn't even go to Hook. She was only functioning at thirty six percent.
"We need to keep moving," Red Alert told him. "I'll be fine."
Suddenly, an enormous explosion set off above them, blowing away a portion of the buildings. Rock, debris and bodies were thrown through the air. Then, a secondary explosion set off near them and they went flying into another building. The force knocked Red Alert offline and she vaguely remembered the sounds of screaming as her world darkened.
O
Rodimus was driven with a fury he never knew he had.
He could see from his position that Decepticon troops were charging toward Ironhide. With a fierce battle cry, he took a leap from his perch on a destroyed building and landed directly on a Decepticon. As they recovered, Rodimus delivered a volley of kicks to the Decepticon's chest. Before the infuriated mech could recover, Rodimus shot two arrows at his chest to which they detonated, obliterating the Decepticon's body completely.
Ironhide charged into the fray, hardening his armor and punching Decepticons in his path.
"Their numbers are dwindling!" Rodimus shouted, "Keep it up!"
Jetstorm and Jetfire passed overhead and transformed, just as Rodimus finished off the last Decepticon. "Rodimus Prime, sir!" Jetstorm said, "We have located field medical officer Red Alert in the streets of Kaon!"
Rodimus glowered at him. "And?"
"There was an explosion near her position, commander," Jetfire told him, worry in his vocals, "We should retrieve her if she has sustained damages. Her communications line has been cut off."
"No," Rodimus said, flatly, "She's made her choice. She's no longer one of us."
Jetfire and Jetstorm gasped softly in shock and looked at each other briefly.
"But...she is our friend, commander," Jetstorm argued, "She brought brother and me online."
Rodimus approached them and gave them a particularly frigid stare. "Let me remind you two of the rules set in place," he hissed, "Anyone who aids a Decepticon, be it Autobot 'friend' or not is a traitor. Traitors are to be either taken in or they will find their own death."
Even Ironhide looked shocked and smiled awkwardly, stepping forward. "Rodimus, please," he said, in a rather uncomfortable manner, "She made her choice, but that doesn't mean we should let her die out there alone."
"She's not alone. She's with that waste of metal Shockwave."
"But sir-"
Rodimus whirled on him menacingly. "But NOTHING!" he spat, "We're moving back to Iacon City. You can either follow me, or join the traitors too. It's your choice."
Jetfire and Jetstorm looked shocked by his words.
"Come on," Rodimus commanded, his voice harder now, "We have a war to win."
O
Red Alert felt agony through her entire body.
Her optics came online, shining blue light in the darkness. She looked around and noticed that she had been thrown into an empty building that was buried in rubble. It became difficult to move, but she struggled to do so regardless.
"Red Alert..."
She looked up and spotted Shockwave a few feet away, lying on his side. His single optic glowed bright in the darkness, but was flickering a few times.
"Come here," he hissed; his voice sounded so weak, so tired. She tried to crawl to him, but every single movement shot pain up her body. She worked through jagged rocks and debris with Shockwave weakly offering encouragement. " Keep moving. Come on, you're almost there..."
Red Alert crawled weakly until she finally reached his side. Most of his body was covered in cracks and burns and his legs looked like they had taken the brunt of the explosion. All around them, they could hear the sounds of screaming and moaning; a grim, terrible chorus of the tormented and the warring. Beyond the sounds, the only sights that they had was seemingly endless darkness, isolating them from the outside world.
Red Alert held onto him, her body shuddering in pain. Energon trickled down her open mouth. "They'll come for us..." she whispered, "They will..."
"No one's coming for us..." Shockwave argued weakly, "This was a one-way journey." He chuckled and it seemed to cause him physical pain. "The universe...is such a strange place... To have found you after such...a long time... Only to lose you again..."
Red Alert cupped the sides of his head and looked down at him with a desperate, agonized smile. "You'll never lose me."
Shockwave's claws lightly stroked her cheeks. "Why...Red Alert?" he asked, his voice barely audible.
"Why what?"
"Why do you love me?"
Red Alert lightly petted his head. "What's not there to love?" she whispered. "I love you because you are perfect to me. Nothing in the universe can ever change that. Nothing will ever change it, even if we die today, I'll love you even then."
Shockwave's optic flickered before his hands tightened their hold on her. "Jhiaxus was wise to speak then..." he said, "The love you gave me... The most beautiful thing I have ever experienced. And I do not see beauty in many things..."
Red Alert smiled tearfully. "Shockwave..."
Meanwhile, the Iacon halls were buzzing with argument between Sentinel and the council heads.
"She is an ally of ours!" Alpha Trion bellowed over the roar of the din, "To abandon an Autobot simply for the choice she made to love another is purely selfish on ANY account! What does that say about our integrity?"
Cliffjumper nodded his head in agreement. "He's right. We should find her!"
"Then let's go!" Alpha Trion said. No one moved and Alpha Trion frowned intensely, gesturing with his head. "Come on then!" No Autobot in the room would look at him. They simply stared down, unable to do anything. Alpha Trion scowled. "I don't understand a single one of you. What's the matter with you? It's our fellow Autobot! She saw something in Shockwave that we failed to see. Something pure that we never believed was there. I believe that if we want to honor Jhiaxus' last wish, we could see that too!"
Hot Shot suddenly sprinted from the crowd, joining Alpha Trion's side. "I'm coming with you, old timer!" he boasted.
Rodimus scoffed in disbelief. "Hot Shot?" he snapped.
Hot Shot grinned and held up his statis cuffs, spinning them on his finger. "Hey, look what I got." he boasted.
Alpha Trion looked pleased. "Excellent, young bot." He looked up at the group. "Will any one else be joining me?"
Jetfire and Jetstorm quickly rushed up with a simultaneous, "Yes, sir" from them. Rodimus snorted coldly with contempt. Many other Autobots joined Alpha Trion's side and once he was certain he had a good number, he looked at Rodimus expectantly.
"Rodimus?" he inquired.
Rodimus looked away.
Alpha Trion's smile melted and he looked stung. "Rodimus..."
"I'm going to remain," Rodimus snapped.
"I'm disappointed in you, Rodimus," Alpha Trion said, calmly; his optics were filled with sympathy and a little sadness, "I would have expected much better from you. Kup said that you were chosen for great things, that you were the purest of the pure; but it seems that he must have been mistaken. If you cannot overlook your blatant jealousy or your bitterness to save a friend, then I truly do fear for your future, young bot."
Hot Shot's optics widened. "Ouch."
Alpha Trion looked at the others. "Let's go."
Rodimus watched as the group left the Iacon halls and he stood there, a level of guilt and shame rising in him. He sighed and clasped a hand over his face, feeling like complete slag for the way he had behaved.
Finally, he relented and followed them.
O
Red Alert didn't even feel pain anymore.
They laid in the darkness of the building, listening to the eerie silence that had passed through. There was no longer any shooting, any moans or screams of death around them. In fact, there wasn't a single sound save for their weakening, water-sounding intakes of breath. They both felt closer to death now.
"It's quiet..." Red Alert whispered.
Shockwave sighed. "Yes..."
"Shockwave...I can't feel my body anymore," Red Alert said, her voice light.
Shockwave reached up his arm slowly, weakly to touch her face. "Look at me," he told her. She did. "I want you to know... Infiltrating the Elite Guard was the greatest mission I had ever taken. Not only did it bring me closer to winning the war, but it led me to you." He sucked in a sharp breath, having difficulty finding it. "It brought me to you... I am truly grateful for this. Truly... You have honored me more than... more than I deserve."
His voice was trembling from the severity of the damages he had taken, but his optic remained strong, locked on her. Energon had pooled between them from their wounds, forming a grizzly pool around their bodies.
"Shockwave..." she whispered, holding him with every ounce of strength she still had left. "Let me hear it... Please..."
His grip tightened on her.
"Please...just once...Just this once..." she begged, her optics nearly closing.
Shockwave pressed his helm close to hers and interlaced their fingers together. He struggled to find the words and hissed softly before he finally managed to speak them. "I love you, Red Alert..."
Her optics flickered with warmth and a weak smile lit her lips. She appeared to be staring through him now. "See you...soon." she whispered.
And the two of them laid there in their final hours, holding one another.
O
The first thing she saw was endless light.
Red Alert opened her optics and frowned, blinking passed the intensity of the sight. She winced and sat up, noticing that there was nothing around save for a seemingly eternal brightness. She frowned and struggled to stand. Finally, she could see the violet, familiar shape of Shockwave standing from a spot not too far away. She rushed up to him and noticed that he was no longer damaged or battered, but appeared to be in perfect condition.
"Shockwave!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around him.
Shockwave held her close.
"Where are we?" she wondered, looking around.
Someone cleared their throat and the two turned, seeing Jhiaxus standing there now, his arms behind his back. He was smiling and Red Alert was shocked to see that he possessed no scars, no Decepticon sigil and appeared to shine like a newborn sparkling. She couldn't lie that he looked beautiful.
"Hello, younglings," he said, "My brave friends. How far you've come."
"Jhiaxus, you're alive?" Red Alert exclaimed.
He chuckled gently. "No."
"So we're..." Red Alert began. "Really dead?"
"Yes." Jhiaxus said, "Though I wonder why this should be such a shock. You two were at death's door long before you crawled your way in that building. But you found one another here, in the next life. It is rather unfortunate, but not many can boast that here."
Red Alert smiled. "So you found her?"
Jhiaxus was almost at tears and he smiled, nodding. "Yes, I have."
"Where do we go from here, Jhiaxus?" Shockwave asked.
Jhiaxus turned to him and chuckled. "You move on, my boy."
They started forward.
"Shockwave, your spark mother is here as well," Jhiaxus told him, "I believe the two of you have some catching up to do."
Red Alert smiled up at Shockwave. "It's okay. We have plenty of time."
She took his hand and they made their way to eternity.
Together.
O
Rodimus was horrified by the sight of the Autobots returning to Iacon the following morning with the bodies of Shockwave and Red Alert. He stared down at the lifeless form of his friend in horror and anguish.
Alpha Trion looked at the watching Autobots, grief in his optics.
"Two great warriors have passed on this day," he said, "Let us honor them in the days of peace. Let us also remember Jhiaxus' last wish. We will acknowledge them for what the were, what they sacrificed, not for what we wanted out of them. Not for acclaim, not for approval, but, the simple truth of that recognition. This day does not belong to us, Autobots. But to those who have died fighting for what they loved, what they honored and what they believed in."
He looked at Rodimus, who was kneeling before Red Alert's body, holding her hand to his face. His head was hung in despair.
"There are some things that time cannot mend. Some pains that may cut too deep," Alpha Trio continued, "But we will move on. We will adapt. And we will most certainly look to changing our ways. From this day forward, we will rebuild this world that we may share in the days of peace."
Despite hesitation, there was a mutual agreement among them.
Perhaps a change would definitely be for the best.
Primus knew it was.