~*~ Chapter Thirty-Five~*~
One Year 2 Days
Scatterblade watched the group like one might look at a bomb about to blow; apprehensive and tense. More pointedly he was holding onto Illusory's bond, ready to brace against the wave of outrage he knew would be coming. A glance at Charlie showed her face red, eyes fixedly down trying to keep herself in check. Rex wasn't sure what to think of it all. It sure sounded like Joyce had been serious and this Cade guy had stood up for them, but Optimus was gone? Bumblebee did his best to add to the descriptions, adding video images where he could, sounds where they were helpful, and was generally feeling pretty good about the whole thing. Mirage and Blurr seemed willing to support Cade and Joyce. Prowl was dismayed to hear that Optimus had left them yet again, this time setting off alone, but he would do what he had to in his leader's absence to maintain the orders given. Sidestep listened to the whole thing with a bemused air. He could care less about any of it, as long as his head wasn't put in danger, he would do as he pleased.
Illusory only half listened to it all. The emotional pit inside her growing deeper and colder. "Optimus abandoned us." She said softly. Scatterblade tried to warm her against that emotional cold, but it was like a black hole, taking in the warmth but changing nothing.
Bumblebee shook his head, making plenty of clicking and buzzing sounds as he tried to deny her claim.
"He has not abandoned us," Prowl stated, though it seemed far more out of loyalty than true belief. "He will return when his current task has concluded."
"How long will that take?" Charlie bit. "Sure, you might be around..." She took a deep breath to silence herself.
Prowl acknowledged Charlie's concern with a slight nod of his head. "We have no way of knowing that at this time." He couldn't promise that any of the humans would see the Prime again; their life spans were far too short. "Until then, we will..." he stopped, realizing he was prepared to command all of the beings around him - human and Cybertronian - forgetting that he had promised they could choose for themselves. "I will continue to follow his standing orders."
"Aye, aye, captain!" Bumblebee agreed with another movie clip.
"I stand by my previous statement; I will follow my commanding officers," Mirage added.
"This is not something that must be decided now, but everyone needs to choose for themselves," Prowl continued.
"Ah might have somethin' ta weigh th' scales," Jazz stated as he sauntered back into camp, setting Vance down to join the other humans.
Illusory immediately noticed the two missing mechs and a mix of panic and despair washed through her before settling back to the yawning pit. "Are they gone too?"
"What?" Jazz looked a little surprised by the question, though it was entirely put on. He expected someone to note the absence of Knockout and Blindside within kliks of his arrival. "Those two? No, they just stayed back fer uh bit cause of what Ah'm about ta tell ya." He paused for dramatic effect, though he was aware that the tension was already too high to let it linger. "Joyce an' Cade salvaged th' ship th' Wreckers made off with...it's got sparks on board. They're in lockdown - spark cells - but they're still pulsin'. S'why Ah called fer K.O. He an' Blindside are tryin' ta arrange fer them ta get some frames built." He vented and shook his head. "Think maybe Ah was wrong 'bout all this bein' uh trap."
There was a stunned silence while everyone let that sink in.
"Who's sparks?" Sidestep asked the obvious question.
"Well, ya'd have ta ask Knockout. Ah didn't scan 'em all muhself, but there are some friends there - probably uh lot of friends so long as we can get everyone ta play nice."
Charlie's jaw dropped. "You can do that? Put-put them all back in frames? Bring them back?" Awe and apprehension tinted her voice.
"It's tricky, but it's possible," Scatterblade said.
Jazz shrugged. "Knockout wants ta try. Figure what's th' worst that can happen?"
Charlie's first instinct was to say 'zombies', but hope started to warm up her chest.
"So, think it's down ta pickin' time. Ah'm puttin' muh vote ta go." He looked meaningfully at each person and 'bot there. "Place checks out."
"The people there seem friendly," Vance added. "The shoot to kill order on us has been lifted..." he said this as though he knew there would always be some who would still be out to kill.
Crosshairs, with arms folded, leaning against a tree, lifted a hand. "Let's keep in mind the resident 'Cons. The humans find out you're not 'bots, it won't be very pretty." He looked to Sidestep.
"Alliances don't matter," Scatterblade said firmly.
"Maybe not to us," Crosshairs shrugged.
Sidestep gave a quiet growl in Crosshairs' direction, but otherwise didn't 'bother to respond.
"They don't really seem to be able to tell us apart anyway," Arcee quipped a bit sarcastically. "If we don't make a big deal out of it, it won't matter."
"I hate to say that's true," Myra spoke up, "but even as soldiers we depended on the 'bots to identify who was friendly and who wasn't."
"So, mum's the word. Problem solved," Bulkhead said, elbowing Crosshairs.
"So, does this mean were going to take Joyce's offer?" Hound asked hopefully.
"That is for everyone to decide on their own," Prowl stated firmly.
The Wreckers turned their attention to the humans and the small family. Scatterblade turned to Illusory. He knew better than to persuade her one way or the other. 'I'm going to support your decision,' he told her.
Illusory stared blankly at the ground, searching for something that would give her an answer - any answer - but had nothing. The emotional emptiness was spreading. 'Wherever Silverdust will be safest...' it was the only rational thing she could think of.
Scatterblade tried to push back his panic at feeling her so distant. The longer this apathy sat where her warmth used to be, the more scared he became. So he thought about her request. It gave him something to do, he thought; he could decide where his family would be the safest. "We'll go," Scatterblade said finally.
Charlie's anger was morphing. She was conflicted, now more than ever. Rex wrapped his arms around her, giving her a wall to hide her from the others while she worked through her emotions. "Whatever you choose, I will be with you."
Charlie took longer to decide than Scatterblade. She leaned into Rex, relief flooding her. "I..." When she spoke it was with a gravely voice, so she cleared her throat and tried again. "I'll go." She sounded more defeated than decided. "For Ratchet." She hadn't meant to say it, but it made her feel calmer about the decision.
"Then we are all decided?" Prowl waited for any objections. When none were coming, he gave a short not. "Hound, inform Knockout and Blindside that we will be coming. Have them alert our hosts."
"You got it!" Hound headed for the ledge he used to get a longer range and called to the two mechs with their decision.
"It's going to be okay," Rex promised Charlie, hoping that he wasn't lying to her.
Charlie nodded, her frown still etched on her face.
Scatterblade took Illusory's hand; the emotional distance was too overwhelming. She gripped his hand in return. She knew she should be bothered by her lack of feeling, but she just wasn't.
It wasn't long before they all gathered their things and headed back to the place causing so many conflicting emotions among their small group. When they arrived, Cade welcomed them excitedly and organized the KSI workers to move out the storage containers to make room for the 'bots.
Prowl, Mirage, Blurr, and Jazz had no hesitation as they came in. Hound was eager to talk to all the new people. Sidestep was uneasy but found a dark spot near a wall where he felt safe. Arcee stayed with Bumblebee who seemed completely at ease here. Illusory, much to everyone's surprise, gave no sign that she would react in any of her usual ways. With Silverdust tucked neatly in her arms, she simply went, ignoring the new people altogether.
Rex stayed with Charlie; Vance offering to show them what he had seen while he was there. Myra remained cautious but curious and joined in on the short tour. Charlie walked around with tightness in her chest remembering when she had been taken down these halls before. Everything had been so hopeless then. So broken. She had to shut her eyes in the elevator to help ease her nervousness. At one point she muttered to Rex as a distraction to herself that he still owed her a swing.
Rex smiled at the reminder. "You will get your swing," he promised.
Scatterblade couldn't keep his emotions from showing. His nervousness was plain, and he gravitated to a corner to talk to Illusory. 'Lu, please. What are you-' he paused to reign in his emotions, 'Lu, please talk to me.'
'It's okay,' she said softly. Her look was still blank; her optics paled across the visor. 'As long as you and Silverdust are with me, I am okay.'
The calm confused him, but he let it ease the tension. 'I feel like I'm falling. This can't be good for you.' Regret filtered to her for having given up right before a light was in view. If he had just held out a little longer, kept her buoyed just another few days, maybe she wouldn't feel like this.
'I am okay,' she said though she wasn't entirely sure about that. Still, it didn't much matter to her. 'Try not to worry.'
'I'm not,' he said, finally realizing what he meant to say. 'I'm not okay. I'm worried all the time. I thought I could just let fate carry us for a while, but it has been so cruel to us. I can't not care. I was wrong. Lu, I can't do that to you or Silver...' The rambling felt endless to him, more painful the longer he went.
There was a moment where fear spiked through Illusory, but it too faded to the cold void. 'It has been difficult...' she couldn't say it was going to get better because she was still convinced that it wouldn't. She searched for something inside, anything she could offer to comfort him but found nothing. She turned on their bond and sought out his discomfort and dragged at it, pulling it into the void inside herself. If she couldn't assure him, maybe she could take some of the weight away.
Panic lit up inside him. 'Lu, no. I just said that I can't not care.' He gently shut down her advance, holding her hand. 'Thank you. I love you, but don't do that.'
She looked at him confused. 'I do not know how to help.' She wanted to help him - it was one of the very few things she knew for sure: help her mate and protect their sparkling.
'You're fine,' he said, tiredly. 'If I don't feel this now, I might not know when I'm feeling better.' Maybe if he got her angry, flooded her with emotion again, he could reverse the damage he had let happen to her. A tiny part of him screamed that it was irrational. It tried to remind him that he couldn't always fix everything.
'Maybe you should recharge for a while.' After all, that's what everyone kept telling her to do. It must be meant to fix a 'bot. 'Or energon? I am sure Hound would have prepared what he could before we left.' She was talking, making suggestions, but her spark was hardly into it, and her processor was already wandering elsewhere.
Scatterblade felt the tug away, and he pulled himself a little closer. This emptiness was more terrifying than her glitches and erratic emotions. Finally, he nodded. 'Yeah. I'll be back, okay?'
'Okay.' She pulled Silverdust a little closer but otherwise showed no outward reaction.
The mech stood and walked toward the hall. He sent to a ping to Blindside. ::How you doing?::
::Better. Gotta make it a rule of mine to avoid shrapnel,:: he said dryly, ::You okay? You sound dead.::
::Under fueled, I guess. I don't remember my last ration.::
::I'll grab ya a cube.::
::Thanks.::
::Pep up, Scatter,:: Blindside laughed.
Scatterblade didn't 'bother responding, and when the pirate appeared from the lower floor with a cube, he thanked him with just as much energy as he felt he had.
"Do I need to drag you to Knockout? He's kinda got his hands full, but I'll make him make time for you."
Scatterblade vented and smiled. "I'm fine."
"Okay," Blindside said clearly not believing him.
Prowl made his rounds, checking that everyone was settling in alright. Most of the 'bots seemed to be doing well enough, a little nervous but managing alright. Sidestep was the most standoffish, keeping to himself in a corner away from everyone where he could just watch.
The tactician considered checking on Illusory but hesitated at the distant look on the femme's face. Instead, he turned to Scatterblade. He approached with purpose but not intending to intrude. "How are you settling?" He asked cautiously.
Scatterblade turned to the mech and shrugged. "Okay, so far."
"Sure," Blindside said sarcastically before giving his goodbyes. "Gotta help Knockout downstairs."
Once Prowl moved on, Scatterblade walked the wall again, away from the others and sat leaning heavily against it.
Humans were walking among the new arrivals, offering to help with repairs they needed. There had been a small commotion when one of them had tried to pet Sidestep. He had not appreciated the gesture and had chased the people off, growling and hissing. Hound intercepted, keeping the quadruped from causing any harm and had quickly explained to the people that he was a mech - not an animal - and valued his personal space. Sidestep grumbled something in Cybertronian about their level of intelligence and stalked back to his corner to brood menacingly at them. The people avoided the mech after that but continued around. When they approached Illusory, the femme pulled Silverdust closer but otherwise ignored them. Silverdust, on the other hand, was excited to see more people and tried to squirm from her femme creator's grip.
"Is that a baby?" One of the people, a young man that had probably been working his internship for Joyce, asked with pure amazement. He kept trying to get a better look at the chirping, squeaking, clicking little 'bot that the femme seemed determined to keep restrained.
Scatterblade pushed off the floor, panic spiking. He practically stomped to Illusory and stood between her and the human. "Hey. Just leave her alone," he said his voice low, almost soft if he hadn't looked so menacing.
"Oh...uh," the man backed away a little, the others with him doing much the same. "We were told to, um, to help out if we can."
"Wanna play!" Silverdust had about all she could take of being held back. There were new things here, and she wanted to explore and play.
One of the women in the group gasped a little. "It is a baby!"
Sidestep crept closer, more than willing to chase the humans again if they did anything at all towards the sparkling.
Scatterblade stepped toward them all. "I said, leave her alone."
"Okay, we're just here to help," the man held up his hands in what was meant to be a calming manner. They moved away as a group, though their interest remained on the subject of a baby Transformer.
Sidestep offered a warning growl as they went, ensuring they understood that the sparkling was protected.
Scatterblade watched them warily as the panic subsided. He sat beside Illusory and put an arm around her. There really wasn't a reason he didn't want them to know about Silverdust. The humans of their group weren't restricted, and these people had only tried to help, but they were new, they were strangers, and with all they had been through he just couldn't let someone with curiosity, good or bad, come anywhere near his family. He felt these thoughts drift to Illusory, being able to let her see his reasons made him feel a little better, showing her he wasn't keeping anything from her. She accepted his reasons readily enough, though there was still apathy on her part. She still wanted their sparkling safe, and she didn't trust these new people.
Silverdust was still complaining that she wanted to go play, looking pleadingly from Scatterblade to Illusory. "Please?" She begged.
With the panic settled he looked down at her. He vented. "I'll go with you, but you can't run off," he said sternly.
"Okay!" She waited for Illusory to let her go, but the femme held tight. There was no feeling coming from her side of the bond, and she didn't say anything, she just didn't let go.
"Lu, I'll be with her. You can trust me." He placed a hand on her arm.
She vented softly, then released the sparkling reluctantly. Silverdust jumped from her arms as soon as she could and bounced around Scatterblade, eager to move. Her face made him laugh, but it only lifted his spirits so high. To not get a response from Illusory, something had to be wrong but who in the entire cosmos would understand what it was? No one would know the first thing about trying to help them on this level.
He shoved the worry away and picked up Silverdust letting her lead the way; he was simply her legs. The little femme wanted to look at everything, fascinated by what the humans had made and the new place. She found games in nearly everything, happy to be able to play. The other 'bots were glad to see the little femme so excited about everything and encouraged her good spirits.
Scatterblade loosened up as they traveled, hungrily feeding off her good mood. He immediately sent that playful innocence to Illusory, hoping to bring her around.