Author's Notes: I don't really have much to say except thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed this fic, and please follow if you want to keep up with this story :)
Chapter 25
You Owe Me
The Ark was in an uproar over the situation. Honey Venom was barely clinging to life on her medical berth, Bumblebee had nearly been offlined and had to have his fuel pump replaced, Shriek had to be nearly reconstructed from the ground up, and Terrabyte had been captured by the Decepticons!
Sunstreaker was outraged, and it was everything Sideswipe could do to keep his yellow twin calm. Skyfire was crying and refused to leave the medbay while Ratchet operated. The twins paced the room that held Teletran 1, and Wheeljack and Jazz were the only ones brave enough to stay in the same room with them. Optimus Prime had also been damaged in battle, and yet was trying to console the distraught Skyfire. He was the only one who seemed to notice Skyfire's pain since so many were in the room to check on Bumblebee.
In short, it was tense and overwhelming chaos.
Q-Boom and Phobia stayed locked away in the Dinobot's lair. They didn't want the adults to know what they were doing in case their idea didn't work. Grimlock didn't ask what they were doing, and they didn't tell him. The Dinobot leader could tell that Q-Boom needed space.
"Have you cut through the static yet?" Phobia asked as she paced the room on pins and needles.
"I can't cut through it," Q-Boom explained for probably the fifth time, "Terrabyte has to cut through it. I'll tell you once I've established a comm link, and then we can have a conference call."
"What's a conference call?" Phobia asked.
"It means a bunch of humans call each other at the same time and discuss business and lunch," Q-Boom explained in her own childish way.
"Oh. Okay," Phobia accepted the flimsy explanation and went back to pacing the room, "Do you think she's...dead?"
"I don't know," Q-Boom replied honestly, "I don't know nothin' about Megabutt. Honey Venom would probably know what's goin' on, but she's still in surgery,"
"Oh...How are the Filterbots?" Phobia asked after a moment of uncomfortable quiet.
"They're recuperatin' in Blaster's chest compartment. You know, if Terrabyte dies he'll probably be stuck with them forever."
Q-Boom lightly chuckled as she thought about Screwball annoying Blaster or Turret and Shriek correcting him on things. The laughter wasn't true mirth, but it was a way to forget how miserable she and her younger friend Phobia were.
Sunstreaker couldn't take it anymore! Optimus Prime was still in the medbay, and Prowl was doing nothing to get his daughter back! He wasn't just going to stand there and let the other Autobots handle this situation when it was his responsibility!
Sunstreaker mentally kicked himself for not noticing Terrabyte was on the battlefield until it was too late. He had been busy fighting Thundercracker while Sideswipe fought Skywarp. He never considered the sparklings going out into battle, but then he heard the static-filled distress signal Honey Venom sent out. It took him a while to realize what she was even trying to tell him, and by then it was too late. The 'Cons were already gone.
Honey Venom! She had to be the worst influence on Terrabyte! Sunstreaker knew she was probably the one that told the sparklings to go out and fight when they weren't ready. If she didn't die he might kill her.
Sideswipe could feel the anger and determination through their twin bond, and he could already tell where this was going.
/You're planning on breaking into the Nemesis, aren't you?/ Sideswipe asked his brother.
/So what if I am?/ Sunstreaker asked challengingly.
/I'm coming too,/ Sideswipe declared, /She's my family too, Sunny. We'll show them that they can't mess with one of us! We'll tear that ship apart!/
/Really?/ Sunstreaker asked in mild surprise, /I expected you to say some slag about how we Autobots are a team and we shouldn't rush into things and jeopardize Terrabyte's welfare or whatever./
/Heh. Guess you don't know me very well then, do you?/ Sideswipe said with a smile in his tone, /Let's just sneak out of here. Hopefully we're not too late./
Sunstreaker looked back over at Sideswipe, who was across the room from him, and nodded subtly. Wheeljack and Jazz were still in the room. They would have to sneak past those two in order to make their escape. Sunstreaker was closest to the door, so he inched away slowly. Wheeljack noticed what was happening and the hard look in Sunstreaker's optics, and decided against his better judgment to intervene.
"Sunstreaker, do you need anything?" Wheeljack asked diplomatically, not knowing how else to start a conversation with the frontline warrior.
"Yeah, I need something!" Sunstreaker replied harshly, "I need Terrabyte back. I don't get it! Why would those Decepticreeps take my daughter but not yours or Red Alert's?"
"Well, I don't know about Phobia, but they didn't take Q-Boom for the same reason they don't take most of my stuff. She explodes," Wheeljack explained half-jokingly.
"Listen, you don't have to worry Sunny," Jazz added reassuringly, "We'll get Terrabyte back before you know it. She'll be fine until then. Even ol' Buckethead wouldn't go out of his way just to kill a sparkling."
"Megatron has killed plenty of sparklings," Sunstreaker argued, "And don't call me Sunny!"
Sunstreaker then pushed Jazz out of the way, and Sideswipe walked right past Wheeljack to follow his twin. At first Wheeljack just stood there in stupefied silence as he stared at them leaving. He finally got his wits about him enough to check to see if Jazz was alright.
"We've gotta comm Prowl!" Wheeljack insisted after he helped Jazz up.
"Naw, we don't," Jazz shook his head and fixed Wheeljack with a hard stare, "Those two need to do this. I know it's dangerous, but that's Sunstreaker's only sparkling. If the tables were turned and one of your creations was captured, I know you'd feel the same way."
"Feeling and acting aren't the same!" Wheeljack contested, "The twins could get themselves or Terrabyte killed! Worse, the Decepticons could use Terrabyte to force the twins to do something against the Autobots. You know they would do it, too. As much as I like the twins, I know they're more loyal to each other than to us. That same attitude applies to Terrabyte as well. She's one of them."
"They're not that weak, Wheeljack," Jazz said in an uncharacteristically serious tone, "If anyone can save Terrabyte it's them. They won't compromise, and they won't surrender. They'll save her. Don't worry about it, 'Jack."
Wheeljack sighed, but it was clear Jazz had won the argument. Wheeljack couldn't help but worry about them. That was why he wanted them to wait. Megatron had probably already killed or converted Terrabyte. He didn't want the twins to be lost, too.
Skyfire, meanwhile, was speaking to Optimus Prime in the medbay and trying not to think about how close Honey Venom had come to dying. Ratchet had said if it weren't for the partial electrum armor Honey Venom had built into her frame that her spark would've been vaporized. It frightened him to think about how close he came to losing her.
"This isn't right…" Skyfire muttered as Optimus sympathetically listened, "She might look like an adult, but she's still just a youngling. Younglings shouldn't have to fight and die for a cause they barely understand."
"Skyfire," Optimus spoke in a gentle tone, "Honey Venom probably knows more about what she's fighting for than you give her credit for. She has lived with this war her entire life, and she knew the risks associated with engaging the Decepticons."
"I just don't understand," Skyfire replied impotently, "Why would Megatron try to kill her? She was sparked a Decepticon. Wouldn't trying to convince her to join them make more sense than just shooting her?"
"All Megatron saw was a female Autobot," Optimus explained, "Where she came from doesn't matter. It doesn't matter to me, and it doesn't matter to Megatron. He wants all Autobot femmes dead, regardless of whatever they used to be or what they could do for him. Femmes can create sparks without the Vector Sigma. Autobot femmes mean more Autobots will be born. Megatron wants to stop us from repopulating so that eventually we will cease to exist. Even on Cybertron there are very few femmes remaining in our ranks. Even my own bondmate is not safe from the Decepticons. I worry about my Elita every day."
"But Optimus," Skyfire interrupted as he looked back at his leader in shock, "What you are describing is genocide!"
"I know," Optimus said ruefully, "The truth is Skyfire, there aren't many of our forces left. In fact, almost half of our total population resides here on earth. As long as the Decepticons wage war against us, no one is safe."
Skyfire shuddered and went back to staring at his daughter. She was alive, and would likely pull through, but for what purpose? She would just go out there and fight again. She would just risk being killed by the Decepticons again. At this point Skyfire almost wished she had abandoned him and joined her own kind. Maybe she would be safer with the Decepticons than here in the Ark. After all, it wasn't as if she truly believed in what they were fighting for. She believed peace through tyranny was reasonable.
He only hoped she would live long enough for them to truly discuss it. He would have to be careful to keep an open mind and allow her to express herself this time. He would find out once and for all what Honey Venom really wanted.
Inferno entered the security room after getting patched up by First Aid. He just had a few dents and scratches, but nothing major. Blitzwing was really off his game that day and Inferno defeated him easily.
He saw Red Alert was still stationed in the security right where Inferno left him. The Lamborghini was collecting data from the last fight and trying to determine how their security systems could've neglected to tell them about the Decepticons until their forces were right on top of Autobot Headquarters.
"Long day, huh Red?" Inferno asked sympathetically.
"Yes," Red Alert replied distractedly, "I think Soundwave used a jamming frequency on our seismic proximity alerts and sky spy devices. I'll need to change the passcodes on those things immediately."
At that moment Phobia entered the room with Q-Boom. Inferno looked down at the sparklings and a smile worked its way across his face plate.
"Howdy there, kiddos," Inferno greeted them warmly, "Say, Q-Boom. I saw you out there kickin' butt and takin' names! Who knew such a small Autobot could do so well out in battle?"
"Aw, it was nothin'," Q-Boom waved away his praise with a shy but proud smile.
"Nothing? That was irresponsible, that's what that was!" Red Alert chimed in, "How could your father let you go out there like that? Those Decepticons could've taken you prisoner just like they took Terrabyte! I would never let Phobia run headfirst into such a dangerous situation."
"But I did go out there," Phobia corrected him, "I drank Ramjet's energon until I barfed, and the dark blue conehead waved at me."
Red Alert's typing fingers froze in their tracks, and he slowly turned to look at Phobia. The horns on the side of his head started flashing pale green, and his optics started twitching as his logic circuits fritzed.
"Uh-oh…" Phobia said softly, "Daddy's Spidey-Sense is tingling…"
Red Alert then fell out of his chair when his paranoia glitch sent him into stasis lock. Inferno rushed to help his friend back in the chair, and Q-Boom started whistling and shuffling out of the room. Phobia noticed Q-Boom was running away and leaving her alone with this, and yelled after her to come back. Yep, just another typical day for the Alert family.
Terrabyte was almost grateful when she saw the great purple spire rising up out of the ocean. The Nemesis wasn't exactly welcoming, but she was so sick of being carried in the air like a hatchling bird that she was grateful for any sort of landing spot. Motormaster hadn't held her gently, and Terrabyte was starting to grow less afraid of him and more annoyed by him.
When they landed she was forced to walk with the troops to the bridge. Terrabyte's optics scanned the halls they walked down and she memorized every detail. If she was going to escape then she needed to know exactly where she was. She also looked at every face in the crowd, and there were quite a few of them. The Stunticons flanked her on every side, and there were also the members of the elite trine, the secondary trine, the triple changers, and the Constructicons. Somewhere in the back was Soundwave with his cassettes safely tucked away, and Terrabyte noted that she could no longer see Megatron.
Finally they made it to the throne room, and Terrabyte saw that Megatron was already there sitting in his chair with the Combaticons on monitor duty. She knew they were the Combaticons because of Honey Venom's text books, but Terrabyte noted that their current alt modes were really scrappy. Megatron stood up and faced the crowd with a smug look as he paced back and forth like a Sharkticon circling its prey.
"Well, well, well, it looks likes one of my troops finally did something right," Megatron said with a pleased look on his face, "Well done, Motormaster. You and your team will receive extra rations for this."
"It's an honor to serve you, Megatron," Motormaster beamed at his leader's praise, and gave a taunting look to everyone else in the room.
"Now, as for the sparkling…" Megatron purred, and Terrabyte tensed at the scrutiny, "I'm sure the Autobots have filled your head with ideas about peace and love, about how being a soft-sparked glitch is the best course in life. Well, you can forget about that now. From this point forward you are a Decepticon, and you will either grow stronger or you will die. First of all, how old are you?"
"ThREE voRNs, and FifTy Two cYclEs," Terrabyte informed him dutifully.
"Ugh! What's wrong with this thing's voice?" Starscream complained, "I've tortured things that didn't sound like they were in as much pain!"
"Like you're one to talk, Starscream," Trust teased.
"Silence, you fools!" Megatron bellowed, "Three vorns...Almost old enough for an upgrade, but not quite. Very well then. I shall have to assign the sparkling a guardian until she is old enough to contribute to our cause…"
Megatron pondered who he would assign to adopt the sparkling, and Terrabyte looked around for who she actually wanted to take care of her until she could leave. This wasn't her first rodeo, and Terrabyte had managed to get her way before. She wasn't about to leave this up to chance, or to Megatron, if she could help it.
"Thundercracker, you will care for the sparkling," Megatron announced.
"NoO!" Terrabyte snapped defiantly.
Megatron looked down at the petulant sparkling and growled dangerously, but she wasn't afraid of Megatron. She backed away without taking her optics off the warlord until she was standing next to the mech she wanted as her guardian.
"AstRoTRaiN...Will CaRe for Me," Terrabyte insisted as she placed her little servo on Astrotrain's leg.
"What?!" Astrotrain exclaimed in shock, "No way! I'm not a sparkling-sitter! Find some other sucker, kid! I'm not doing it!"
"YeS, yoU ARe!" Terrabyte argued as she looked up forcefully at the much larger mech. She might've been intimidating if she weren't so small and delicate.
"Oh, come on, kid! Why do you want me?" Astrotrain whined.
"BeCAuSe...YoU OWE me," Terrabyte replied with finality, "YOu InJurED ScrEWBall and ShRiEK. You OWe Me."
"That doesn't make any sense," Breakdown pointed out, "He hurts your friends, and you trust him not to hurt you?"
Terrabyte looked up at the blue white and red Stunticon with a bored expression. She was tired of trying to explain her actions, as her Sigma Sisters would often ask her similar questions when she tried to collect a debt.
"It's NoT abOUt TruSt," Terrabyte tried to explain, "He OwEs Me."
Megatron actually found himself snickering at the insolent little femme. She had the right attitude for a Decepticon, he would give her that much. She was stubborn, and even the threat of death wouldn't stop her from achieving her goals. Unfortunately, it also seemed like the little carrier had a death wish. Astrotrain was a lot of things. Strong, brutal, conceited, stupid, conniving, and mean. One thing he wasn't though was a good role model or caregiver. Okay, that was two things. Still, forcing him to take care of a sparkling seemed like a recipe for murder/suicide. For some reason, the idea amused Megatron.
"Very well, sparkling. I will assign Astrotrain to be your guardian for now," Megatron conceded, and barely hid the smirk that was forming, "But if you want to survive here then you better do exactly as he says. Understand?"
"YeS, SiR," Terrabyte replied respectfully and without a trace of the triumph she felt.
"Very well. You are all dismissed," Megatron commanded as he turned to sit back down in his chair.
Astrotrain looked like he had just been put in charge of the mud-taste-testing division of their operation. He didn't want a sparkling, and he definitely didn't want this one! She was bossy and sounded like a distorted horror movie soundtrack. Nonetheless, he wasn't about to say no to Megatron, so he grabbed the sparkling in his fist and walked away with her. She hated being carried around like a human, but she endured it so she wouldn't be crushed like a eggshell in his grip.
Terrabyte didn't say another word to Astrotrain or anyone else for the time being. That being said, one thought surprisingly kept running through her mind: she missed her home on the Ark, and she missed Sunstreaker.