Hello everyone! Welcome back to A Melody of Second Chances. Important note, please gain a secure hold on your hats, scarfs or accessories of that nature because after this chapter, things are going to get crazy. Very crazy. As in, please leave your sanity with the attendant before taking this roller coaster ride. That kind of crazy.
Review Response: Dear Muirgen79, hi! Yes, he is an agent of Prehnite. Really? I thought it was obvious ... huh. That's okay though, I wanted it to be a surprise! Starwish had better watch out, because love is a tricky battlefield. Especially during war.
Dear igeegeei, hello there! Windblade? (looks up) Oh yeah, her. Nope! While she's an interesting character, Arcee seemed like a better fit for Hardwire. (Watches Brazenshot for a while with big optics. Glares at Starscream, "What did you put in that goodie?" Starscream, smiles innocently. Bumblebee Mini whispers in Author's ear.) Uh ... Bumblebee suggests a stuffed toy and warmed energon as a bribe to get her down, Skywarp is voting for chopping down the rafters with a buzz saw, and Soundwave is asking if Jazz would be willing to share the blackmail video for entertainment purposes. (Shrugs helplessly) good luck and sorry about the potency. I warned Starscream not to add a drop of Energon wine to it, but he didn't listen apparently. Wait, what? No! Oh no, she is NOT Nadine! Even I'm not that cruel to my characters. The emotional backlash would be just ... way too much.
Dear KHGiggle, greetings! Sorta ... its complicated and secret. No, the Well is not a place for reincarnation. There is no, I repeat, NO reincarnation in this story. Or any of my stories for that matter. Agent 77095 wasn't leading Arcee to the Well, he was leading her away from it. In short, he was preparing to make her like him. An Agent. Hardwire scares the Decepticons too (grins evilly). Arcee's name would sound the same to an Autobot, but since Cyber-Standard is a different language, to us it would sound like clicks and whistles. The meaning is the same, it just the syllables sound different on a fundamental level. Does that make sense? Yes, Hardwire is paired with Arcee. Just wondering, who were you expecting?
Dear Guest, hello! A truly impressive guess! Unfortunately, I do not know if you have an account or not and as such cannot simply PM you an honest answer. Also, since I really don't want to give out anymore hints or possible spoilers about him and his employers just yet ... I'm afraid you'll have to wait and see on whether you are correct or not.
Dear SunnySides, hi there! Don't worry, I'll tell you who he is eventually. Who knows, you may have guessed correct and don't even know it yet! That scene was in fact partially inspired by the Avengers Movie. Sort of a nod to the awesomeness of that moment. Plus, that's what the characters wanted to do. I couldn't get them to do anything else and believe me, I tried. Your update wish has been granted!
Dear Guest number two, greetings! I hope the reveals live up to your expectations!
Dear xVentressx, hello! Hopefully you will find the later chapters even spicier! I do tend to alternate between those two the most, but I like to give other characters POV time as well. It makes things more interesting. Thank you, I'm glad you liked it! I'm going to assume that there was supposed to be a 'Hardwire' after the 'with' in your last sentence and will answer accordingly. Arcee's first real interaction with Hardwire will most likely be ... interesting. (Grins evilly) He did make quite a first impression after all.
Dear Abyss Prime, hi! I will do my best!
Dear Sunstreaker's Squishy, hello there! You mean Agent 77095? He works for the beings who dropped Starwish and co onto Cybertron. I'm fairly certain that Megatron would completely overuse a bot who could go invisible and phase right through walls. Do I really give the 'you'll see' response that often? (reads back and blushes a little bit sheepishly) Oops. What can I say? I like to keep my surprises secret for maximum impact.
Dear Giddy, hi! It's perfectly alright, if there's no internet, there's nothing you can do. I'm just glad you got it back, being internet-less sounds very uncomfortable. If you nearly fritz at the last chapter ... I'm not sure how well you'll handle the upcoming ones. There are more cliffhangers coming. Here's a hint about the connect between them, the phenomenon has been mentioned in this story before. Yes, that is a very vague hint I know, but it's the best I can do right now. Thank you very much, I work really hard on my descriptions and it is always heartening to know when they carry the intended affect to the reader! You're welcome, I enjoy replying to all of you! Skywarp can't stop me from having an extra energon goodie right now, he's in the brig for pranking the new Autobots. (Shakes head), he should really learn not to anger an enforcer over five inches taller than he is. Longer legs equals more chances of getting caught.
Dear emzydatffan, greetings! Thank you! I hope this story continues to peek your interest!
Dear SavvyOrion, hello again! Thank you, I tried really hard on the last two chapters, and this one as well. There is no point to a story if there aren't any feels. It's fine, I understand getting caught up in other things perfectly. Happens to me all the time. I loved writing that scene. Showing how those two leaders worked together on such a perfect level was fun, but no where near as fun as Hardwire's scene. Really? Your OC was the only one to guess Arcee as far as I can tell. Your OC is very clever. Heh, heh, please don't prank me! It will cut down on my writing time! If I remember correctly, then yes, the event happened during the Manhattan Project. Or it could have been a different bomb ... but I do know that the process happens in a very big bomb. His name is based off of a song? Awesome! The band sounds interesting! I might give them a try! I'm glad that you like the name generator sight, it has been very helpful to me in the past and needs all the attention it can get in my opinion. Very good guess, very good guess, but I'm going to have shirk the answer, it's a secret for now. (I guess I really do use the 'you'll see answer a lot. Who knew?) My username is the combined forms of the nicknames of my two favorite OCs. They've always been the most thought-provoking of my OCs, so I thought it appropriate. I will do my best to continue this story and may you have a wonderful week as well!
Author's Note: Let's see ... I don't think I need to introduce anyone. Can't really think of anything to say other than be wary of the bombshell. I'm fairly certain I dropped one in this chapter. Hope you enjoy it!
Copyright Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers, Cybertronian terms, or any references made in this story. The only things I own are my OCs and the plot. Please see my profile if you want to know who my OCs are.
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Findings and Warnings
Jazz resisted the urge to fidget as he stood next to Fermium, watching the naive scientist happily work away on his device. A device that could wreak havoc on the Autobots if the finished project ended up in Megatron's servos. Jazz knew he had to keep that from happening. He had to not only destroy the prototype, he had to make sure that Fermium wouldn't simply build another to give to Megatron. Of course, how to prevent the mech from simply rebuilding the device was a problem with very limited solutions.
He could try to coax Fermium to the Autobot side, but that would mean blowing his cover and risking Fermium sounding the alarm. Also, Fermium seemed so oblivious to the true nature of the Decepticons that the mech probably wouldn't even consider betraying his 'sponsors' and would more likely call down all of Kaon on him. Jazz could try kidnap Fermium and delete the information from the scientist's helm, but not only was that cruel and dangerous, it was far from foolproof. Fermium might just reinvent the idea and since Shockwave was no doubt recording any and all data Fermium entered into the lab computers, Shockwave might simply take over the project without the bumbling neutral.
On the flip side, Shockwave probably wouldn't take up the project on his own unless Megatron commanded it, there were simply too many more logical options for mass destruction to waste his time on memorizing Fermium's 'cleaning device'. But the risk of Megatron doing that was far too high. That left the painfully efficient route.
Jazz fingered one of the many slender energon knives he had hidden in his subspace. His absolute last option would be to delete all of the data stored in Kaon's databanks, lure Fermium into a camera blindspot, offline him, and purge Fermium's memory core. Frag, I don't want to do that. It wouldn't be right. He ain't doing this out of malice. He just wants to help bots. What else can I do? I either put my original mission and my bots at risk, or I harm an innocent.
He dipped his helm slightly, internally raging at the war. There were times he hated being Special Ops. None of the regular Autobots ever realized just how dirty Jazz and his mechs had to get their servos in order to preserve the Autobot cause. Out of all the Autobots, the Spec Ops had the longest list of war-time sins and as head of the Spec Ops, Jazz had a longer list over his helm than any of his subordinates.
A prim accent broke through his thoughts, "Meister?"
Jazz looked up, "Yeah, Fermium?"
Fermium was staring at him in open concern, "Are you alright? You seem distant."
Scrap. Jazz forced an easy smile on his faceplates, "I'm fine. I just can't really concentrate on this science … stuff for very long. Long equations weren't exactly my function before the war."
Fermium's look of concern melted into one of rueful understanding, "Ah. I understand. It doesn't seem that there are very many mechs who can concentrate on long formulas lately. To busy shooting at Autobots or visa versa, I suppose. Oh well, how about we take a break? We could get some energon together."
Jazz heard the undertone of hopeful pleading in the scientist's vocalizer and felt another stab of guilt for what he might be forced to do. Shoving the feeling away with a frightening amount of practice-born skill, he nodded, "Sure. Lead the way."
Fermium's optics lit up from behind the orange tinted visor, showing just how happy he was that 'Meister' was alright with spending off duty time with him, "Wonderful! Just let me shut down the computers and we will be off!"
Jazz waved his exclamation off casually, "You put your gear away, I'll shut off the computers. That's what an assistant is for after all."
Fermium smiled at him and hurried to put his experiment away while Jazz subtly attached dormant virus disks to the base of the computers as he shut them off. Whatever he decided to do with Fermium, he would have to destroy any and all data he had given to the Decepticons. The virus disks would remain completely dormant, blending in perfectly to the base of the computer console, until he so chose. Then, when he wanted them to, they would release powerful viruses into the Decepticon data-net that would specifically seek and destroy Fermium's work no matter what console it was on. It wasn't a guarantee, but it would help a lot.
Jazz followed Fermium out of the lab, noting how the scientist diligently locked it before leading the way toward wherever the Decepticons kept their energon. As they walked, Fermium chatted about this and that, acting as if he was anywhere but the home of the greatest tyrant to ever set pede on Cybertron. Suddenly changing the subject, he asked, "What was your function before the war, Meister?"
Jazz didn't let the question startle him, he'd been expecting it actually, "I was part of the news-caste. Never got screen time, I was one of the mechs who set up the backgrounds and made sure the equipment worked before it got sent into the field, that kind of thing."
Fermium's optics sparkled, "Really? That must have been a fun function! I've always been in the research caste. Never got a chance to make a designation for myself, I was an assistant for the most part. Such a boring job, watching all of the busy body 'genius' mechs bumbling around in their formulas like new-sparked petro-puppies when I'd already thought up the answer."
Jazz's optics flicked back and forth under his visor, alarm starting to build in the back of his processor, something about the way Fermium rambled was … wrong. It was like he was trying to act as conspicuous as possible for some reason. Jazz's processor kicked into battle speeds when he realized that his completely un-Decepticon behavior was actually causing mechs to ignore him. They would glance at the short, happy little mech, with his neon orange and yellow colors and blue optics, sneer unsympathetically at Jazz, then completely ignore his presence.
They don't think he could possibly be a threat, and with his bright paint job they don't think he can hide anywhere. So they ignore him because he isn't their assignment and inadvertently give him the best hiding place in the world … right in the middle of the crowd. Jazz's optics subtly studied Fermium with new interest, question is, is Fermium doing it on purpose? Or is he just making himself practically invisible by accident?
They turned another corner, shoving and jostling their way through the unfriendly crowd, when suddenly Fermium opened a hallway door and shoved Jazz inside. Jazz whirled just in time to see Fermium stumble inside after him and 'accidentally' break the door panel that would let them out of the small storage closet. Alarms were going off in Jazz's processor as he hissed, "Hey! What are you-"
Fermium's optics were wide and panicky, "I-I'm sorry! I tripped! I-I-!" He looked around, hunching his shoulder struts in seeming terror before huddling against Jazz's stiff frame, "So small-! I-I can't stand small spaces!"
Jazz curled his lip plating fiercely, "Than you shouldn't have-!"
Fermium twisted around to claw frantically at Jazz's frontal armor, the contact tingled and over the sound of his wails of claustrophobic terror, Fermium's voice pinged through his processor, ::You have to help me get out of Kaon!::
Jazz's thoughts raced as he raised his servos to clamp them firmly on Fermium's wrist joints, initiating a wrestling match of sorts, "If you'd stop struggling and let me see the access panel-!" ::What makes you think I'll help you get out? I'm a Decepticon!::
Fermium wailed pitifully as he continued to block 'Meister's' attempts to reach the door in his 'blind panic', ::You're no more a Decepticon than I'm a femme! You have to help me get out of here before I have to stop stalling and actually complete my device!::
How does he know? Is he bluffing? "Get out of the way, glitch!" ::What makes you think that? If I choose to report you to Soundwave, you'll be offline before I can receive an extra ration of High-Grade!::
Fermium's flailing took on a hint of actual fear as they continued to act out the parts of a panicking scientist and his irritated bodyguard, "The walls! They're closing in!" ::My olfactory sensor is highly tuned toward chemical compositions. Decepticons use southern hemispheric Taz-Oils as their lubricants, you're using northern produced Synth-Oil and the average Decepticon soldier uses paint with 0.5 lead content while you're using paint with 0.3 content. Now, I really do not want to turn my precious work over to a mad-mech like Megatron and that one-opticed monster Shockwave but my unfriendly intentions are very close to being discovered! Help!::
Jazz nearly froze in shock as he rolled the information over in his mind hastily, scanning it for possible lies even as he internally counted how much longer their 'struggle' could last without drawing suspicion from the ever vigilant Soundwave. He knew from his own research that those of the science caste often took unorthodox modifications according to their function. A highly advanced olfactory sensor was perfectly plausible and if Fermium really was trying to defect to the Autobots it would solve a lot of his problems.
Of course, Fermium could be lying in order to draw Jazz out to be captured. This would be an awfully complicated ruse just to draw me out thought … far too complicated for Megatron's style. If he thought I was in Kaon, he'd order a complete lockdown, not send a scientist after me.
Deciding to trust his instincts and risk it, Jazz finally shoved Fermium to one side, using one servo to pin him in place while the other worked on opening the door, ::You'd better be telling the truth, mech. Or you're offline where you stand. As for escaping … I might be able to get you out of the city. Maybe. If you don't pull anymore stunts like this! Just follow my lead from now on.::
The door slid open obligingly, allowing Jazz to roughly shove Fermium out of the storage closet and into the crowd of startled and irked Decepticons. Fermium continued to play the roll of a shaking claustrophobic mech, whimpering occasionally as he staggered along next to Jazz, who took one look at the gathered crowd and snarled, "What? You all want to deal with this glitchy fragger? Afraid of slagging small places indeed. Annoying little…"
Hearing Jazz's dark mutterings and the threat of being assigned the 'weakling', the Decepticons scattered, leaving the two to walk unmolested down the hall to the rec room. Fermium briefly brushed servos with Jazz as they sat down in the chaotic and unhygienic Decepticon rec room with their respective energon cubes, ::Thank you.::
Jazz didn't answer the com, Fermium could thank him later when he somehow pulled off an escape from Megatron's personal fortress with a mech that was literally a walking chemical hazard sign. All in a cycle's work, right?
Soundwave stood silently off to the side of Megatron's throne, dutifully recording everything that was being said in the room as Megatron made his plans to take Algol Base and capture the Bāsākā mech that had appeared under Optimus Prime's service as well as the mech's family unit. Starscream simpered before Megatron, earning the internal disgust of no doubt every other commander in the room, including the dual field commanders of the upcoming operation, Dreadwing and Skyquake.
Soundwave could have cared less, her job was simply to record this briefing for the Decepticon records and provide information when requested. However, even though a part of her processor continued to maintain awareness of what was happening inside the throne room, the majority of her focus was far away. Deep in the city of Algol to be exact.
"Ravage, maintain your position. There is a sentry approaching on your left." Obediently, Ravage froze on the shadowed ledge of a high building, optics swiveling silently to watch the unsuspecting guard pass by, only pausing to call a hello to Ravage's target.
The slender white femme returned the greeting before resuming her conversation with a yellow and black youngling designated Bumblebee. Ravage's audio amplifiers flicked forward, focusing on the sound of the two bots' conversation as he soundlessly followed them. The white femme, designated Starwish, smiled at Bumblebee, "I'm not sure I could ever willingly go out to the front lines, Bee. I'm … not much for bravery."
Bumblebee shook his helm, his doorwings flicking slightly as he spoke, "Don't underestimate yourself, Ironhide told me all about how you nearly took Jazz's servo off when you thought the twinlings were in danger." Twinlings. Split spark younglings. Hers? She's far too young to have sparked them through energy share, perhaps she has taken Guardianship over them?
Starwish ducked her helm a little bit, hunching her shoulders with seeming embarrassment, "That … that was different. I don't really know what came over me, honestly, I just … couldn't stop until I knew the twinlings were safe and Jazz got in the way. I feel really bad about that incident."
Bumblebee lightly jostled her shoulder plate with his, "Don't be, Chromia says that any femme worth her energon would have done the same thing. Besides, you don't have to be brave for yourself to go out there, you go out there because you're being brave for others. Ironhide goes out there to protect me and Chromia and everyone else," the yellow youngling looked up at the sky longingly, "I want to do the same thing. I want to become an official scout and always be able to make sure which way is safest for Ironhide and Optimus and all of the other Autobots."
Looking over at his conversation companion, Bumblebee flared his doorwings proudly, "Besides, I've already proven myself in combat! I helped Cliffjumper on an important rescue mission a few vorns ago!"
Ravage mentally snorted as he crawled into an air duct in order to follow the two invisibly, "Sure he did. That kitten has no clue of what it takes to be a scout."
Soundwave let the phantom sensations of cold metal brushing against Ravage's tactile sensors wash over her as she chided, "Focus, Ravage. Record as much as you can, Operation: Dominance will begin soon. You must perform other duties in order for the upcoming operation to be a success."
Ravage's reply sounded mildly sullen as he slipped out of the air duct against and hid behind a pile of building material, "Yes, Soundwave."
The black cyber-cat returned to monitoring the conversation, hunching down as another Autobot passed by his hiding place obliviously. Starwish and Bumblebee had stopped on the sidewalk, their conversation taking the majority of their focus and causing them to stop, "Wow. That sound's intense. Did you get in a lot of trouble with Ironhide?"
Bumblebee nodded, "You bet. Even Optimus lectured me over that. But in the end, he said that he was proud of my skill in helping a fellow Autobot and that I would make a good scout when the time came. It was really scary though. I … I hadn't seen a mech frame that badly torn up since … since Praxus. Whoever tortured them was a real meltdown."
Starwish reached out and touched Bumblebee's arm gently, her dual colored optics shining with compassion, "I'm sorry Bee."
Bumblebee shrugged with one doorwing, "It was a long time ago, and I barely remember it. But still…" the little mechling's large blue optics widened sadly and Soundwave had to push away an instinctive urge to comfort the mechling. She wasn't actually there and if she was, the two young bots would never accept her sympathy. She was an enemy to them.
Pulling away briefly from the sensor-link she had with Ravage, Soundwave glanced at Megatron. The large silver mech was currently exerting his dominance over Starscream, making the cowardly seeker cringe with the power of his threatening presence alone. She considered her leader. He had changed so much…
Shaking herself mentally, Soundwave returned to her duties with the single minded determination that allowed her to survive the increasing pressure the war caused her spark, "Ravage, ten breems have passed. Begin preparations for Operation: Dominance before the next aerial security sweep starts over your sector."
Ravage hissed softly, the noise barely escaping his vents as he flicked his tail and retreated into a tight makeshift tunnel made out of abandoned alley junk, "I'm not new to this kind of thing you know. I have a chronometer and I'm aware of protocol. You don't need to constantly monitor me over a sensor-link."
Soundwave's face twitched into a frown from behind her faceplate visor, "You're programming strongly orientates you toward hunting, I am making sure that you stay on task and do not attempt to capture the femme before it is time."
Ravage activated his temporary stealth field, using the two breems of total invisibility to slink past an alertly glaring Autobot patrol on his way toward the outskirts of Algol City, "I could've taken her, you know. She was alone for almost a joor while she did that … dancing stuff."
Soundwave sent a stern pulse over their bond, her tone falling back to the stiff rundown of facts that she had been known for in the arenas, "Knocked her out: assuredly. Without alerting nearby Autobots: perhaps. Get target out of city: Impossible. To many guards. Target's paint: too bright for optimal conclusion of suggested mission."
Ravage began gingerly slithering down a garbage chute that would take him to the main crusher/incinerator of the city, "My apologies, Soundwave. I trust your judgement. I just wish that you would trust mine a little more."
Soundwave sent a gentle wave of affection in reply before turning her attention to Megatron. Rapidly accessing her recordings, she played back his commands within the space of a few nano-kliks and obediently pulled up the map of Algol city that Ravage had just finished transmitting to her onto the main holoprojector that stood in the center of the room. Megatron flashed her a brief smile that was masked by his words as he continued to make sure each commander knew their part in his plan.
Soundwave spark instinctively reached out to the impregnable wall that blocked her strongest bond, but stopped and retreated before she could make contact with it, there was no point in asking for something that could not be given at that point in time. Ravage suddenly hissed over their bond and Soundwave returned to the sensor-link in alarm, "Ravage?"
Ravage shook himself, his plating rattling faintly as a vague ache settled in Soundwave's right side, "It is nothing. A molten bubble popped and sent droplets everywhere. One or two hit my armor."
Soundwave hummed faintly over her bond to Ravage, "Be more careful next time."
Ravage crouched, cables tensing and building pressure against his joints before launching himself across the chasm that was the Algol City crusher. Landing safely on the other side with a muted thump, he flicked his tail contemptuously at the crossed obstacle and resumed his journey. His route was simple enough in theory. No one ever patrolled the waste ducts and chutes for fear of being caught in the regularly scheduled crushing and then melting down of unsalvageable junk that accumulated in the city. The chutes led to every part of the city, including the the base of the wall Ravage needed to get to and around in order to prepare for Operation: Dominance.
Ravage had entered many a city, base, or otherwise forbidden location using this method, but as yet neither Autobots or Decepticons had figured out how Ravage got into such heavily guarded areas unseen and thus, the dangerous method continued to be worth the risk. That didn't stop Soundwave from worrying though. Her worry seeped over her other bonds to her recharging cassettes, Laserbeak, Rumble and Frenzy.
Laserbeak chirped mentally before resuming his recharge, he trusted his elder sibling to make it home in one piece. Rumble simply muttered a complaint about being disturbed before somehow getting into a muffled argument with Frenzy over which one of them could do Ravage's job better. Soundwave silenced them with a commanding pulse, they were distracting her from her tasks. An apologetic silence fell, during which Soundwave was once again forced to focus on her own surroundings as the meeting was dismissed and Megatron turned toward her.
Soundwave tilted her helm in Megatron's direction, indicating that she was listening. Megatron folded his servos behind his back, "What is the status of Ravage?"
Soundwave pulled up a map on her HUD, showing Ravage's location as the stealthy minicon finally completed his tasks and moved on to the rendezvous point. Megatron nodded in satisfaction, "Very good. Keep up the excellent work, Soundwave. Dismissed" For the briefest nano-klik, Soundwave felt a brush of hot, dark fire over her spark, a flare filled with scarred passion and well hidden affection. The fire acted as a anesthetic, the relief she so desperately needed from the pain of isolation. Soundwave clung to the feeling tenaciously, filing the feeling away in her memory files even as the fire was once again enclosed behind a wall of impregnable alloy.
Soundwave left the throne room, stalking down the halls toward her next destination, her spark clinging to feeling of her cassettes and that fleeting moment when she had once again come into contact with her precious other half. Oh, how I hate this war, she mused bitterly, how I wish it could be over soon.
Mirage slipped back into the shadows, watching as Buffer drove away to find a safe place to transmit the data Mirage had just uncovered. Internally, Mirage felt his tanks twinge with disgust at the entire state of the war. Targeting femmes, younglings, mechs who had incurable conditions that could be exploited for dark gains. It was all so … barbaric. Horrifying. Once again, Mirage inwardly wished that the war was over and he was safe back home, never to worry about sabotage or the snuffing of sparks ever again.
Stowing his feelings away, Mirage slipped back into fortress-city of Kaon to find Jazz and alert their commander that they had retrieved the necessary information and could return to base. Megatron was planning to attack Algol, Mirage had heard that for himself. The tyrannical leader of the Decepticons also planned on capturing Hardwire and his family unit and turning Hardwire's rage against the Autobots.
Walking invisibly past Decepticons with the skill of someone who had seen far more missions of this nature than he would have liked, Mirage started to search for his commander so that they could escape and carry a more detailed warning to Optimus Prime and his command. After all, Prowl would need a little more than 'Algol is target, Star family unit is priority' to go on if he was to organize a proper defense against Megatron's forces. I just hope we can keep Megatron away from them. Those younglings have faced enough trauma for the vorn. Or their lives. But I suppose the latter is too much to ask for in this Primus forsaken war.
