Author's Notes: Most of this chapter was spontaneous, so I hope it turned out alright. There will be more of this story to come, but I might be a while in updating. Anyway, hopefully this chapter turned out okay. Thank you for reading and reviewing, and please enjoy this installment of You Will Care For Me :)
P.S: This fic has hit over 7,000 views! Thank you guys so much!
Chapter 29
Why?
Honey Venom awoke to the sight of bright lights in her face, which told her she was in a medical facility. She turned her head to see where she was, and orange walls confirmed she was in the medbay. It took her a moment to remember the details of her injury. She had been shot by Megatron at point-blank range, and Terrabyte had been carried off by the Decepticons!
"Uhn," Honey Venom grunted weakly as she tried to force herself to sit up, but her struts weren't strong enough to support such movement, so she was forced back against the berth.
"Oh good, you're awake," Skyfire said happily when he saw her from across the room, "Your pain receptors have been turned off, so you should feel numb.
"You…" Honey Venom breathed groggily, "...You...stayed here with me? Why?"
"You were hurt, and I wanted to be here when you woke up," Skyfire explained clumsily, unsure about what could possibly be strange about caring about a relative's welfare, "Ratchet took good care of you, as did Hoist and First Aid. The sparklings have been asking about you."
"Terrabyte…" Honey Venom groaned pleadingly.
"She's fine," Skyfire understood her unasked question, "She was rescued by the twins last night. I haven't seen them since, but rest assured that the Decepticons did not harm Terrabyte."
"Of course not, she's useful to them," Honey Venom pointed out cynically, "Skyfire, are you still angry with me over the past week? I did not mean to offend you when I asked for your help in undermining Sunstreaker's agenda. I won't bring it up again if you would be willing to allow me to continue to work in the laboratory with you."
Skyfire smiled and held Honey Venom's face in both hands. He laughed in relief that she was safe, and was caught off guard that she even still cared about their little tiff. He remembered then that their fight had actually been the last time they had spoken to each other, and then that realization made him sad all over again.
"Honey Venom, I might not trust you, but I do love you," Skyfire told her honestly, "We are very different people, and we have both been hurt in the past, but I want to try to make our family arrangement work. No matter what, you are still my daughter, and I'm in this for the long haul. You don't need to worry about that."
"Thank you, Skyfire," Honey Venom smiled back, "I suppose I owe the twins an apology as well, considering they just saved Terrabyte's life."
"You really do care about her, don't you?" Skyfire asked in an amused tone of voice, "You try to sound like you barely think about them, but I know better. Those sparklings are your family, and you do care about their safety."
"Terrabyte is my best friend," Honey Venom admitted without hesitation, "I know I probably shouldn't play favorites, but Q-Boom annoys me and Phobia is practically a newspark. Terrabyte understands me like no one else does. I might be the more vicious between us, but we share a lot of similarities. We both care about logic and fairness. We're both intelligent, and we both had strong ties to the Decepticon cause. Of course, we are also both adaptable and embrace our new Autobot heritage."
"I'm glad to hear that, Honey Venom," Skyfire told her, "Maybe you should get some rest now. I don't want you to relapse."
"You mean you don't want Ratchet to hit you for forcing me to strain myself," Honey Venom said with a mischievous smirk, "I understand. Good night, Skyfire."
"Well, technically it is morning, but good night," Skyfire replied as he rubbed Honey Venom's shoulder and waited for her to fall into recharge.
When her optics shut down and her ventilation stalled Skyfire finally got up from the chair next to her berth and left the medbay. He was grateful that the two of them would have a second chance, and he wasn't going to waste this one. He would help Honey Venom learn how to be a true Autobot, and he would keep her safe from the Decepticons no matter what.
Sideswipe couldn't help but notice how differently Sunstreaker was acting around Terrabyte. He knew they could be awkward around each other sometimes, but this was different. Sunstreaker spoke softly to her, moved slowly around her, and in general treated her like she would either break into pieces or else attack him. He didn't understand this at all. When he went into recharge he was sure the sparkling was finally warming up to them. Now suddenly they were back to square one! What happened?
After going to the wash racks Sideswipe had to get ready for his shift. He was going on patrol duty and Sunstreaker had monitor duty. They were going to leave Terrabyte with Bumblebee since he had a day off and loved watching the sparklings.
"Hey Sunny, you seen my police scanner?" Sideswipe asked as he dug around a pile of junk on his side of the room.
"How can you keep your living space so messy?" Sunstreaker asked in disdain, "It's disgusting! Also, why do you need a police scanner?"
"I'm going racing after my shift, and I want to know where the cops are so I can know where I won't be," Sideswipe replied cheekily.
Terrabyte watched the twins converse for a few moments. Sunstreaker was trying not to intrude on her feelings at the moment, but he could still feel her curiosity coming to the fore. That was certainly different than the fear and apprehension he had been feeling since last night.
"Found it!" Sideswipe declared victoriously as he held up his treasure, "Now I can really hit the town today!"
"Sideswipe," Terrabyte called out softly, "Can I come with you?"
"You wanna go out on patrol?" Sideswipe asked casually, "It's pretty boring."
"I don't mind. I want to go," Terrabyte requested, her optics never breaking contact with his.
Sideswipe grinned at the idea of a partner in crime, but then felt Sunstreaker through their bond, and then saw the look on his face. Sunstreaker was hurt and confused. Sideswipe didn't know what that emotion meant, but he suspected it might have to do with whatever happened between Sunstreaker and Terrabyte last night. Sideswipe wasn't there, but he felt that his brother had a night terror. That made him suspect Sunstreaker and Terrabyte bonded last night.
"Um, sure kiddo, you can come with, but you better not play that stupid Let It Go song on my radio again," Sideswipe said playfully.
"I promise," Terrabyte said seriously, "Thank you."
Sideswipe guided Terrabyte out of the room, but seeing the way Sunstreaker looked at them almost made Sideswipe want to turn back. He could tell Sunstreaker was jealous of Sideswipe spending time with Terrabyte, but he didn't know why. This had never been a problem before. Quite the opposite in fact. Sunny loved it when Sides took on some of the responsibility because it meant Sunstreaker could rest. Now though...something wasn't right.
Red Alert and Inferno sat at a rec room table and drank their energon in peaceful companionship. Phobia was with Hound asking him about some rare type of bird he saw on a scouting mission. Red Alert wasn't trustful of every mech to watch his precious sparklet, but Hound had often proven himself a capable sitter and friend. Phobia seemed to be able to make friends with just about anybody.
"So then I get to the sight and wouldn't you know it? It wasn't a real human kid at all! It was just a dummy!" Inferno exclaimed as he told his story to Red Alert, "I'll tell you, that was scary! Next thing I know I'm trapped in a human's mansion in some kind of sadistic death trap! Oh, I am so glad you weren't there!"
"I keep telling everyone not to underestimate the humans, but no one ever seems to listen to me," Red Alert tsked and shook his helm, "Danger can lurk anywhere. One must be ever vigilant in order to survive. Decepticons are not the only enemy we will ever encounter."
Just then Inferno glanced at the doorway, and Red Alert followed his friend's gaze. Honey Venom had come in to refuel, and she seemed to stumble every other step. The rescue vehicles were surprised she would allow anyone to see her in such a state out in public. Honey Venom turned their way, and surprisingly she started walking toward where they were sitting.
"Excuse me, sirs? Do you mind if I join you for a moment?" Honey Venom asked politely.
"Not at all, sweet spark," Inferno said with a charming smile, "Sit yourself down and tell us what's on your mind."
"Thank you, Inferno," Honey Venom replied cordially as she took her place with the two older mechs, "I was just wondering how the other Sigma Sisters are faring, and I knew I could get honest information from you two."
"Phobia ran out into the heat of battle," Red Alert groused, "I explained why she should never do such a thing, and I'm fairly sure it sunk in."
"Ah yes, the Coneheads. I noticed," Honey Venom replied with an edge to her tone, "Red Alert, if I were you I would never allow Phobia anywhere near the Coneheads. Especially Dirge."
"I don't intend to allow her near any Decepticon!" Red Alert replied defensively.
"Sir, you're the chief of security. Information is your business," Honey Venom surmised, "Therefore I feel that being part of the team means not keeping secrets from you. When the girls and I lived in Altihex the Coneheads were not yet members of Megatron's inner circle. I never suspected they would be here. If I knew we could encounter them in battle, then I would never have allowed Phobia to fight with us. I apologize for my error in judgment. I mean that. She could've died, and it would have been my fault. I know Dirge wants her dead, and I should've researched the crew complement of the Decepticons better."
Honey Venom had not come merely to check in on Phobia and Q-Boom. She had in fact sought out Red Alert purposefully. She might've hated Sunstreaker, but Honey Venom knew Red Alert was a good father. She wanted him to know exactly what he would have to defend Phobia against, and confess her own guilt before things got out of hand like they did with Terrabyte. No matter what, Phobia could not afford to be captured like that.
"You keep saying Dirge," Inferno pointed out, "Why would that fear-monger care about Red's sparkling?"
"Because he is Phobia's spark-father," Honey Venom bluntly told them.
"What?" Red Alert asked incredulously, "That's ridiculous! My sparklet might've been born to a Decepticon, but a Conehead? She's a car-former!"
"That is rather strange," Honey Venom admitted, "Especially considering her mother was a deep space shuttle."
"How do you know about Phobia's parents?" Red Alert asked skeptically.
"The records are public knowledge, and my information was augmented by a first-person account," Honey Venom replied calmly, "Phobia's father was Dirge, and her mother was one of his concubines; a femme named Starwish. The Coneheads made a habit out of capturing Autobot and neutral femmes for the purposes of turning them into pleasure bots. Starwish just happened to be unlucky enough to form a newspark with her erroneous master."
"Phobia did say her mother was a pleasure bot…" Red Alert muttered softly, realizing now that she probably learned this bit of knowledge from Honey Venom, "Phobia also said her father was one of her mother's customers."
"That information is false," Honey Venom replied, "It was easier for the caretaker to tell Phobia that rather than explain the concept of becoming the spoils of war. Tearjerker didn't want to give little Phobia nightmares. You need to understand that Dirge didn't want a sparkling, and once he learned she was an energon leech he insisted that his slave kill it. Starwish went against his wishes and paid a sympathetic neutral to take the newspark to Altihex foundling home. It was two city-states away from where the Coneheads lived. She had to steal that money from Dirge, and was beaten for it, but at least he never knew what happened to Phobia. You cannot let her anywhere near him. He will kill her on sight because of what she is."
"Who told you all this?" Red Alert asked suspiciously.
"Tearjerker," Honey Venom replied, "I would suggest asking her yourself, but she died trying to save us all from becoming the next Starwish."
Honey Venom knew she got her point across, so she got up and went over to where Skyfire was refueling instead. Red Alert and Inferno were quiet as each one tried to process what Honey Venom had just told them.
Honey Venom turned one last time to look at Phobia. The little femmeling thought her mother was bad and had abandoned her. If only she knew that her mother sacrificed everything to save them. If only she knew how far Tearjerker had gone just to save her sparkling. Tearjerker never wanted Phobia to know her true identity, and Honey Venom respected the deceased shuttle-former enough to take that secret down to her grave just as Tearjerker had.
Sideswipe used a perfectly shaped stone as a ramp and practically flew over the canyon below! He whooped and hollered as he drove beyond the designated patrol area, and every now and then he would hear Terrabyte let out an excited LOL. For some reason that sound was virtually unchanged despite her new voice.
"Hey Terra, what channel do you want the radio on?" Sideswipe asked.
"It doesn't matter," Terrabyte said calmly as she stared out his windshield.
"Alright!" Sideswipe shouted as he turned it to a rock channel and started listening to an Alice Cooper song, "Say Terrabyte, I couldn't help but notice you and Sunny have been kinda cold to each other. What's going on?"
"Nothing important," Terrabyte replied evasively.
"Oh, come on! It's me, your Uncle Sides. You can tell me," Sideswipe coaxed the young femme.
"Well...Alright," Terrabyte conceded, "Sunstreaker is upset because I used to be a Decepticon. I think he wants to kill me."
"No he doesn't," Sideswipe dismissed her concerns, "We know you used to belong to 'Cons. It doesn't matter to us. You're an Autobot now."
"He knows about my dream," Terrabyte added, "Sideswipe...could you do me a favor?"
"Sure thing, kiddo. What is it?" Sideswipe asked jovially.
"If Sunstreaker decides he doesn't want me anymore, could you kill me?" Terrabyte asked stoically.
Sideswipe braked hard and kicked up a lot of dust from the terrain.
"What!? Kill you? Why would I do that?" Sideswipe asked; still in shock from the request.
"Because I believe you will kill me quickly," Terrabyte replied matter-of-factly, "You will not force me to suffer. I believe Sunstreaker would, since he thinks I deceived him."
"Deceived? What do you man by that?" Sideswipe asked intently.
Terrabyte did not answer, and refused to so much as move. She continued to stare out the windshield, and Sideswipe realized she was done talking. They drove on in silence, and Sideswipe began to wonder what exactly had caused this radical change in Terrabyte's attitude. They were doing well. Why would Terrabyte even consider the possibility of one of them killing her?
"Did the Decepticons tell you that's what we do? Kill innocent sparklings?" Sideswipe asked with ire in his voice, "Well, whatever Megatron and his goons told you, it's a lie! We love you and would never hurt you."
Terrabyte still didn't answer, and the rest of the ride was spent in uncomfortable silence.
Sunstreaker heard the door open and expected it to be Sideswipe and Terrabyte. He looked over his shoulder from his spot at the computer terminal and saw that Terrabyte was alone. Sideswipe was in serious trouble for leaving the sparkling alone! Sunstreaker hated it when his brother was such a flake.
"Terrabyte. Where's Sideswipe?" Sunstreaker tried to ask casually, but he still sounded like the situation was bothering him.
"He went out," Terrabyte answered vaguely.
Terrabyte let her Filterbots out of her hip compartment and watched as Screwball ran around in circles and the other two stood back and watched him.
"LOL!" Terrabyte laughed happily as she observed her little companions.
Sunstreaker looked over at her and felt his spark torn. She was so young and so innocent, yet at the same time he knew she was traumatized. If he really killed her parents and left her in a pile of scrap to die, then why would she want him anywhere near her? He wanted to protect her from everything bad, but he realized now that what she was really afraid of was him.
"Hey Terrabyte, I want to show you something," Sunstreaker said lightly in an effort to make her feel comfortable.
Terrabyte didn't want to stop watching her Filterbots play, but she begrudgingly did as she was told and sat beside Sunstreaker on his berth. He pulled a data cube out of subspace, and Terrabyte instantly recognized it as a photo block. He opened it and the first picture to pop up was a picture of an orange mech and two sparklings; one red and one yellow.
"This is me and Sides with our sire," Sunstreaker informed her, "His name was Vapor Lock, and he was a medic. In this photo we're posing in front of our new house in Vos. That was where Sideswipe and I learned how to use jet packs. Everything in Vos was above ground, so it was either jet packs or waiting for the school shuttle, who was never on time."
Terrabyte smiled as she remembered the city shuttles in Altihex, who were also always late. Usually they were cranky, too.
"Vos was the last city-state we moved to before he died," Sunstreaker said with a hint of sorrow in his voice, "Our house was one of the only ones on the ground, and we had a basement. It was used as a storage room, but we usually didn't have a lot to store. It's hard to collect things when you move so much. That basement saved our lives when the Decepticons came."
"Yes, they destroyed Vos," Terrabyte recollected Honey Venom telling her about this, "You were there?"
"Yeah," Sunstreaker sighed, "We weren't affiliated with any side at the time. The war was new, and many Cybertronians thought the whole thing would blow over. Sire said if we kept our heads down and congratulated the winner everything would be fine. No one thought Vos was vulnerable. Both sides fought there, trying to take each other out. My family and I were unlucky enough to live in a small sector that was mostly Autobot citizens. The Decepticons didn't care if we were civilians. We lived there, and that was all that mattered to them. Sides and I were about the same age you are now when it happened. Sire heard the soldiers coming and hid Sides and me in the basement. It was cold and dark, and we waited for hours. Sideswipe fell asleep in my arms, and shortly after that I heard the Decepticons break the door down and heard my sire being slaughtered by them. After we dared to open the basement door we saw Sire's remains, as well as all the furniture that had been destroyed in the chaos. We stayed there for 4 orns refueling on whatever energon we could siphon from the appliances. Eventually we started wandering the streets, but it wasn't long before we were picked up by a patrol and taken to a foundling home."
"You lived in a foundling home, too?" Terrabyte asked, surprised.
"Yeah. I think The Pit would be a nicer place to live," Sunstreaker replied wryly, "We were never adopted, and when we came of age we had trouble earning a living. I tried painting portraits on the street corner, but it wasn't enough to live on, so we wandered aimlessly until we made it to Kaon."
Terrabyte's optics went wide at that statement. Kaon was a lawless pit, and was usually a place kept from the rest of the decent world.
"In Kaon we started fighting as gladiators," Sunstreaker continued, "I was pretty good, and we won enough money to survive on. That was also where I learned the importance of personal appearance. Fighters that were beautiful could usually get better sponsorship deals and attract bigger crowds. Bigger crowds meant more prize money. I admit that I liked the attention, but I wouldn't wish the living conditions on anyone. If it weren't for the Autobots taking us in when Kaon fell, Sideswipe and I would've probably died a long time ago."
"Sunstreaker, why did you tell me this?" Terrabyte asked point-blank.
"Because I feel like we don't talk enough," Sunstreaker told her, "Besides, I feel I haven't been very clear about how I feel about you. Terrabyte, I know this might be hard for you to understand, but I've been where you were. Family taken by enemy soldiers, lost and alone in an orphan scrap yard, wondering if you even have a future. I've been there, and I came out of it a pretty messed up mech. All those years of fighting made me cold and mistrustful. I just assumed that as long as I had my twin I didn't need anyone else, and I lived only to fight and eat. I don't want that to happen to you. You're a good sparkling Terrabyte, and I want to help you grow up to be a good femme."
Terrabyte nodded, but Sunstreaker could feel through the bond that she was still confused. Finally he decided to bite the bullet and just ask her what he really wanted to ask her.
"I think I killed your parents, Terrabyte," Sunstreaker said and winced immediately after those words had left his vocalizer, "Did I?"
"No," Terrabyte replied, and Sunstreaker relaxed until she said "You killed my mother. My father was killed by Sideswipe."
Sunstreaker groaned as if he had been physically hit in the abdomen. She was so literal-minded!
"Terrabyte, if you knew from the beginning that I killed your...I mean, if you knew that, then why would you want me to adopt you in the first place?" Sunstreaker asked; utterly puzzled, "I still remember, you wouldn't leave me alone. You were scared, but you still insisted I had to be your new father. Why?"
"Because you owed me," Terrabyte replied matter-of-factly.
"What do you mean I owed you? That's it? That's really the only reason?" Asked a perplexed Sunstreaker.
"Yes," Terrabyte replied.
"Then why wouldn't you just kill me, or have Honey Venom do it?" Sunstreaker asked in a harsher voice than he meant to convey, "You can do that now, so why haven't you tried?"
"Because you don't owe me a spark. I still have one," Terrabyte explained calmly, "You took away my family, therefore you owed me a family. The easiest way for you to give me a family was to become my new family. Once I am an adult, your debt will be repaid, and if you wish to never see me again I will respect your wishes."
Sunstreaker didn't know what to say to that. She was so cold when she spoke, yet he could feel the pain in her spark from talking about this subject. He could tell she was still afraid of him. She was probably also afraid of being abandoned, but Sunstreaker couldn't tell.
He didn't know what to say, so he opened up his part of the bond to show her his feelings. He sent waves of comfort and love, and for a moment he feared she would recoil from his attempts at reassurance. Instead, her part of the bond drew closer to him. Within their bond, as well as out in the real world, they hugged one another. No words were needed. Terrabyte knew Sunstreaker didn't hate her, and he wouldn't leave her. Sunstreaker knew she didn't hate him, and whatever brought them together no longer mattered. They were a family.
