So, here's a life fact for everyone:
Tornadoes are scary.
And they like to throw trees.
And take out power.
Luckily writing doesn't take power :D
Thanks for having patience with me everyone, I appreciate it!
Don't be afraid to review, I love to see what you guys think :)
Enjoy!
Of The Spark And Heart
Part 1
Chapter 37
The ground shook violently beneath the scrapped rubble scattered around. Pebbles fell from above, bouncing off the piles building here and there. Sparks fizzled overhead, flickering on and off repeatedly in their last dying spits of light. Chunks of the walls were missing, with most the dislocated rock laying about in pieces bigger than a youngling. The ground was a flurry of moving figures, small in size, but many in number. They ran around in an array of organized madness, carrying the only weapons they could with them. If one was to travel down the interlacing halls and past the spacious rooms along the way, they would pass a particularly bustling wing towards the bow of the building.
Rows of military men and women rushed to cycle in and out the lobby entrance. They switched places constantly, taking stand outside where a barrage of enemy fire vomited down on them. The enemy? A band of eight Decepticon Seekers and Combaticons.
The California sun beat down mercilessly on those below, shining off the armor of the alien warriors and causing sweat to bead off the brows of the human soldiers. Jets soared above and roared past as their bellowing engines grated on the hearing of one specific mech among his fellow allies. His bright red and blue paint stuck out like a sore thumb against the background of grey and green, but he was nimbly able to keep a good shelter by the left middle of the main fight behind a makeshift blockade made of steel and rock.
He whipped around the shield again, wielding a large rifle and missile launchers on his shoulderbolts. Closing one optic and holding his weapon close, the fighter released a volley of bullets that ricocheted off the plates of other Cybertronians or the barriers they too took refuge behind. For a split astrosecond, the humans and his own firing overwhelmed the four on the ground, and the space before them was clear. Two jets rumbled across the skies, the tailing plane keeping up an impressing series of attacks on them.
The mech on the ground whipped around to press his spinal support to his block and he sank lower so to better protect his high shoulderbolt mounts. His vents heaved for air while his joints hissed in waning strength. They'd been at this for joors at least, neither side budging for a single nanoclick to the other. "Frag!" he spat, curling to the side as a bullet met its mark beside him, spraying concrete and flaming metal chips in all directions. The wails of humans nearby sent chills up his relay, reminding him all too kindly of those gravely wounded on the Cybertronian battlefield.
"Ultra Magnus, this is getting out of hand!" a small voice, one he did not recognize, had Ultra Magnus looking down to find a human beside his ped. The man doubled over a shard of rubble, using as a stand for his automatic weapon as the flashes burst successively. "Just hold the lines! As long as we can keep them at a safe distance, they will back off eventually." Magnus peeked over the damaged edge of his block and he quickly struck out with a single missile as Thundercracker's helm crested the top of his mound of ruined scrap and Earth.
Receiving no response to his answer to the human's comment, Ultra Magnus glanced back at him to see the human sat with his back held against his wall and his expression that of confusion. Right, Magnus finally reminded himself, humans don't speak Cybertronian. The chip in his CPU kicked in and his vocal capacitor shifted gears. "The Decepticons will retreat if we hold them long enough." he explained in fluent English, his words bordered with a hint of a British accent, "Until then, we must bar the entrance and stand our ground for as long as we can."
The soldier nodded at him, the helmet he wore sliding forward before he replaced it and wiped the shining gleam from his forehead. "Alright men," he called, getting to his feet and displacing his gun from its stand, "hold your stand, and make these moving scrap-heaps regret ever coming here!" hearty cheers accompanied his battle challenge, and Magnus paused for a brief moment to really admire the height of human spirit. Many of these soldiers may never make it back to their relatives, or family for that matter. However, that didn't seem to stall them for a sparkbeat as they charged into the crossfire without a care to their already pitifully short life cycles.
Magnus was able to take out two of the four fighting on the Decepticon side. Swindle and Bekos went down shortly before their Combaticon companion Brawl followed suit. The three retreated by their own ways, leaving smoking trails behind them as they climbed the blue Earth skies and raced along the rough, haggard grounds. Lero, the only flying Autobot on base at the moment, twisted skillfully behind them, setting off a few lasting shots to their afts so to fully sink in the message of their unwelcomed presence.
The last two in sights however were Ramjet and Vortex, holding their positions stubbornly as the humans and their Autobot comrade approached. Ramjet suddenly jumped to the air and transformed, soon followed by his black peer. With a few shots aimed for their wings, Magnus and the humans swiftly made sure the 'Cons left with a good amount of damage. Vortex escaped easy enough, discharging a wave of wind powerful enough to make a few of the humans fall to the dirt and Magnus' audio receptors sting in their aftereffects. Ramjet on the other hand, wasn't one to be so simply discouraged.
A flash of black rocketed around on the tip of his wing before he sharply turned back around. Magnus lowered his rifle with a perplexed gaze trained on the black and red Decepticon Seeker. Path evening and his engines flaring with wisps of flame, Ramjet soared pass and picked up speed in the shutter of the optic. Narrowing his optic slips, Magnus watched the 'Con as he took up another, more solid direction. He knew the mech was already reckless, never processing before acting, but this was just odd. An unexplained round on the enemy? He couldn't be planning out his actions, that wasn't Ramjet's way. So, he must be acting on impulse.
His optics followed Ramjet as the aircraft turned again, putting on a burst of power as Ultra Magnus glanced ahead the 'Con's intended path. Realization dawned on Magnus and his optics widened with a snap. Lero was still in the air, oblivious to the 'Con coming up on his tail. However, the Commander of the base did. ~Lero, behind you!~ he warned. The jets came closer, their distance shrinking. Ramjet took this opportunity and he suddenly reformed mid-air, leaping through the space between himself and his target. The Decepticon latched onto Lero's wings, roughly yanking them to the side. A blaster appeared from Ramjet's arm, then shoved into one of Lero's engines. A reverberating explosion rocked the expanse, nearly vibrating Magnus' plates from this impossible stretch of length.
Unable to keep a good balance, Lero started to spin through the skies, Ramjet still attached to him. His other engine burst as well, overwhelmed by the lack of support. Energon spilled into the open, fluttering behind him like rain as he quickly came upon the ground. Magnus' spark rose into his throat as he witness Ramjet jumping off his wounded adversary and gave a short bellow of success before jetting away in his alt mode.
Magnus' wide peds thundered quickly across the earth as he started towards his peer as fast as his heavier build would allow. Wind ripped through his plates, whistling amongst the red, white, and blue armor. Grass and organic matter splattered around him to cake his paint and lodge in his cracks and crevices. Soldiers called after him, but the horrified sense in him egged him on past their strange words.
Ultra Magnus could only watch as his comrade and fellow brother in arms crash-landed to the earth below. His alt mode melted away just before he hit, allowing his bipedal frame to take most the damage as the dirt mushroomed around him in a billowing cloud of dust. Magnus' legs moved impossibly faster, bringing him to the lip of the crater sooner than expected. The City Commander skidded to a stop on the cliff of the pit and slowly leaned forward to gaze below. His venting took up the entirety of the sounds, heaving massive amounts of air with humming buzzes. Energon trails dotted the outer rim and led to the other small pools staining the inside and lying beneath the silver body at the bottom of the bowl. A crumpled mass of silver and black rested in the belly, slumped and twisted into an almost unrecognizable bulk.
The larger mech gasped and started forward at the sight of his smoking peer. Magnus slid inside to fall beside his friend, instantly dropping to his kneebolts as he reached the wounded mech. Hesitant at first to touch him with the sight of the energon leaks, Ultra Magnus hovered his servos over the flier's chassis and by his helm as he leaned down to get a better look.
Lero's helm was dented and bowed, charred from the heat he'd expelled at impact. His armoring no longer held its luster, instead being a tangle of missing bits and pieces. Dirt and smudges of earthly browns and greens covered over his paint. His faceplates appeared scratched and scrapped, with energon trickling from his lip plates and the light of his optics flickering on and off. His vents sputtered when he choked on the matter lodged in them, causing him to jump with the fits of his coughs. Ultra Magnus flinched in seeing this, finding even the sound of the mech's gurgling pipes and wheezing vents painful.
"Lero," Magnus called, finally pressing his servos to the creaking frame of the injured flier, "speak to me...are you alright?" his vocal capacitor vibrated soothingly with their natural language, and Lero slumped deeper into the hole he laid in when he heard it. Crackling pops sparked from his throat when he tried to speak, while the rotors in his neck and joints gave loud complaints as he attempted to move. Magnus gently pushed Lero back down, holding him still so as to keep him from hurting himself any further. This energon flow couldn't be good for the mech, and Magnus realized he'd have to stop it before a major line became swollen and possibly burst. He lightly applied pressure to a few areas experimentally, finally settling on under his chassis where a line must have broke.
Raising himself to get a better look around, Ultra Magnus used his height to his advantage in scanning the nearer perimeter in search of helpful supplies. After only a few sparkbeats, he was growling in frustration. All there was that was in the closest proximity was dirt, grass, rock, and more dirt. Oh, and the humans of course.
Maybe there was a useful tool here after all. The humans could offer some form of aid, and could provide the care Lero needed until proper medical attention could be given. Magnus rose himself straighter and looked down on his servos, seeing them drenched in azure-blue energon. He took in a flush of air, preparing to make the call for help. But, before he could, a strong, slim grip on his wrist had him looking down on his comrade once again. Lero was staring up at him, far stronger than he should have been at the moment, with determination clear in his optics and a small trail of his life liquid beading down his mandible.
Lero struggled to pull himself up to get closer to Magnus, so the commander simply got lower so to catch the flier's words better. In a raspy, strangled tone, Lero's youthful voice picked up. "Leave me Magnus..." he commanded to the shock of the larger mech before him, "you...you have to go...she needs you..."
"Who needs me?" he demanded, refusing to heed the fading mech's order. Magnus searched Lero's faceplates desperately, trying to keep the mech online for just a few nanoclicks longer. The mech he held grimaced at his pain and his vents shuddered with each intake. "I saw...while up there..." slowly, shakily, the mech's digits removed themselves from Magnus' arm. They rose and swayed, fragile to the wind as one digit separated from the rest to point at the magnificently blue Earth sky. The regal helm of the city commander tilted back as he followed the direction of Lero's digit.
All he noted was the soft fluff of the clouds and the endless smoke that marred the afternoon skies. Confused, he narrowed his optics and tried even harder to see what it was that Lero was seeing. However, he couldn't find anything. As he was about to question the flier, Lero grabbed Magnus again, jolting him with a supernatural vigor. Lero aimed Magnus' helm towards him, not allowing the mech to gaze anywhere else. His icy optics trained on Ultra Magus' own, holding them in a trance of solid fright. "They're inside Magnus!" he cried suddenly, "Inside...with...her..." Lero shuttered his optic slips a few times, seemingly dazed as each word began to slur and falter.
Apparently unable to take anything more, the mech's optics rolled into his cranial unit and he dropped limp to the ground. Ultra Magnus started and grabbed at the mech, concerned with the lack of response he offered. "Lero!" he called, gently rocking him to get him back online. When the flier's optics didn't relight, Magnus sighed at the unconscious form and he carefully set him back on his spinal support. The Commander then checked his vitals, making sure that he was alive and able to be left for a short time. Soft, shallow vents escaped Lero's chassis, while live energon pumped through the exposed circulatory lines. The warm breeze wafted the smells of overheated plates into Magnus' faceplates and he crinkled his noseplate.
Who could Lero be talking about? He sounded desperate and frightened, far past the worry for himself so to get out what needed to be said before he fell under. Magnus' optic ridges came down in confusion as he contemplated what it was that Lero was trying to warn him about. Shouts from human soldiers echoed in the near distance, calling for him and his situation. However, he paid them no attention. What in Primus' name was this flier trying to say?
And then it hit him.
Ultra Magnus' spark fell to his peds and his venting hitched. His tanks flipped and his CPU almost shot itself as the understanding dawned. His instincts kicked in and he swiftly jumped to his peds. Turning away from Lero, Magnus reached up for the higher of the bowl so to climb up, but he stopped. He couldn't just leave his comrade here, that wasn't right. Twisting his helm back around, Magnus looked down upon the broken mech in concern. Should he assist his comrade here and postpone his duty, or abandon Lero and try to take action against something that may not be true?
His decision was made for him as human personnel peeked over the edge of the crater and down at him. Magnus growled and squeezed his optic slips shut, already regretting where this was headed. His servos raised and dipped into the soft, temperate earth, while one ped prepared him for lift. Every ounce of himself was screaming for him to carry on, but his limbs seemed to refuse to go. Here, in the presence of the wounded, was it just to move on to others? "Frag it all to Pit." he hissed under his vents, roughly shaking his helm once before pushing off with his supporting ped. Of course he was going to her. But, why did he feel so badly doing so?
Ultra Magnus grabbed the outer circle of the crater and heaved himself up and over the top. His ped came down and the humans gathering around him shifted away nervously when it landed nearby. Magnus ignored their anxious gazes between him and Lero, instead focusing on the building before him. His own form of worry coursed through his core as the possibilities became reality. What Lero spoke of could be true. She could really, truly be in danger.
The commander motioned at the highest ranking official at his ped and the male gestured at himself questioningly. Magnus nodded and the man's expression became surprised. "Officer David, I am requesting you provide immediate aid for my comrade Lero. Tell your peers not to touch the energon, and if they do, to seek immediate cleansing." Magnus pointed out the life of his race and then opened his servo at the bottom of the bowl. Officer David briskly agreed, saluting Ultra Magnus before the hulking 'Bot pivoted on his heelped and started for the base.
Clouds rumbled overhelm, rolling in tune with Magnus' thundering steps. He nearly leapt for each stride, pushing himself as far as he could stretch. Thankfully, the distance was minimal coming from Lero's side to the ramshackle main entrance, so Magnus was able to come upon the building with ease. Once inside, Magnus slid to a halt and let his chassis rise and fall violently with his hurried vents. His helm snapped from side to side, taking in his options as he chose between his left or right.
Rubble was thick among the floor, chunks of concrete lying uselessly amongst scrapes of random metal and glass. Human men and women ran about, carrying around the injured and sprinting between rooms and adjacent halls. Magnus dodged a pair of medical workers as they rolled a gurney towards the back, a bloodied form spread over the top. From his experience, Ultra Magnus knew he was never to see that male again.
Finally, he ripped his gaze away and dived down the left pathway. This wasn't the time to reminisce on the unfairness of war. She needed him; they needed him. The lights choked above, spitting out sparks to rain over him. A few sizzled the paint from his shoulderbolts, stinging the wires beneath and gaining a pained flinch. Magnus rounded the balconies and ducked the arches of construction, making it past the corner and letting him run on. He made his way through the east wing doors after punching in the access code multiple times. A hectic new energy overtook his digits and caused him to make a mistake in the code each time. A soft, short curse followed.
But then, by Primus almighty, the doors jerked open, threatening to lock as their motors shorted. Ultra Magnus snarled and grabbed both the insides of the doors. Planting his peds, the powerful mech sucked in air and pushed against the stubborn slides. As they slowly began to ease apart, the light buzzed and gave. Magnus froze and sagged in irritation. Now? Of all times? Thunder roared outside, vibrating the air with energy as its brilliant shine flashed through the windows high on the walls around him. The City Commander growled lowly to himself and strained every mobility gear in his arms and shoulderbolts. Where was the backup generator?
Abruptly, the doors snapped open and Ultra Magnus vented a relieved wave of air. Waiting only a mere nanoclick, the small headlights on Magnus' chassis clicked on. The white of their light bombarded the dark with luminance, finding anything and everything and bringing them from hiding. Humans scurried around him, flustered around to find a better source to see by. The highly sensitive mechanisms in Ultra Magnus' optics allowed him to see clearly despite the gloom.
He started on again, skillfully evading those below as he glided on the black of the base. Caught in another array of halls and rooms, Ultra Magnus' chassis trembled in the stark still. The only noises were those from the storm raging outside and Magnus' own bodily functions. His servos curled to fists when he remembered one vital, careless mistake: He didn't know where he was going.
"What a foolish mistake!" he barked, quickly searching for the best path to take. Why were there so many ways to consider? The knowing that his luck was swiftly running out crept on the rims of Magnus' processor, and he groaned knowing this fact. Desperately, he sent out a general comlink message, hoping- no praying, she would answer. ~Bluestring check in.~ he ordered. Nanoclicks passed and the armory smith didn't answer back. Yanking his digits from his comlink communicator, Magnus made the grim conclusion that he was on his own. Lero was down, Bluestring wasn't responding, and the only other 'Bot on base was the one he was trying to find.
Perfect.
Ultra Magnus came upon the Cybertronian barracks, dipping his helm into each one to look around. Each sit dark and still, beside the destruction of the other areas to remain clean and sparsely furnished. Shadows danced across the walls as Magnus swiveled among each to quickly sweep each of the four rooms. Cracks and crevices caused tricks of light and dark to play with his already alert senses, making the mech feel jumpy and on-edge. Multiple times, he called the designation of the fembot he was searching for, but not once did he get a return.
When the last space came up empty, Magnus' worry soared. His spark pounded in his chassis, fighting back the horror consuming him. There was no distress call, no scream or cry, and absolutely no sign of where she was hiding. If Magnus wasn't so proud of the spy for covering her tracks, he would have been downright livid in frustration.
The Commander raised his arm and folded it on the doorframe, leaning on it as a support as his lights went out and he took a brief moment to himself. If only she had a tracker: some kind of locator that signaled where she was to be found, things would be far easier. The coolant systems in Magnus' frame whirred softly in the crushing black as the humidity placed small patches of damp moisture across his plating. The tiny droplets evaporated and turned to mist before they could settle for long.
Magnus rested his foreplate on his upper arm, fitting it against his bracer while he processed for a nanoclick or two. Where could you be? he called silently. Please, give me a sign where to find you! His pleas were followed by utter quiet, their only company being the noises made by the storm. He'd looked in the firing range; he'd looked in the medbay; he'd looked in the main offices; he'd even went so far as to take a peek into the military garage. And he'd found nothing. Absolutely, positively, nothing.
~We are here!~
The message was so sudden, and so powerful with emotion, that Magnus leapt from where he was standing and he stumbled back into the other side of the door. Dazed and awed from the short burst, Magnus let himself stare dumbly ahead until his processor picked up speed. He snatched the com from his files and studied it, reliving it time and time again as he made sure his assumptions were correct and not just some sick hoax of his fried CPU. After a single click, he was sure, by no doubt, that this was who he was after.
Attached to the distress signal was a locating beacon set specifically for the first individual to take it. It was a complicated concoction of communication- creatively invented to be sent as a general comlink, but end up terminating after the first response. Luckily, Magnus was that single responder, and he began to sprint down the halls before he'd even finished decrypting the mediocre access code. Surprised at the destination set on his positioning system, Ultra Magnus changed his course and snapped around a corner towards the distant cargo area in the far rear of the building.
On his approach, Magnus slowed and cautiously inched along the wall, his servo hovering by his weapon bolstered on his hipbolt. The distant warning made by Lero echoed faintly in his audio receptors, as well as the mathematical fact that three of the eight Decepticons attacking were missing. It wasn't a good sign, and it definitely wasn't a good chance of odds for either the rescuer or the rescued.
Magnus tightened his grip on the handle of the rifle, wringing his digits around over and over as the mounts on his shoulderbolts hummed. They were just pleading to be used, begging for him to release Pit on whomever it was threatening his friend. In the latter of the hall, he could make out the sound of shuffling and irritable voices. Fixing himself closer to the corner, Magnus switched off his lights and listened intently to the words being said. He couldn't say he recognized the speakers, but he knew they were all mech, and all speaking clear Cybertronian.
"Well? Can we leave now?" one questioned, obviously antsy to get out of the area. "Yeah," the next one answered, "I'd rather not stay around here when the others come around, so let's get going." uncertain of whether this comment should concern him or not, Magnus boldly stepped from his spot to gaze down the way.
There was nothing here but the fading forms of Cybertronian mechs melting into the dim to make their leave. They couldn't be Autobot, for Magnus began to recall the distinct shapes of their armor. He matched the voices with the forms and he soon had the designations of all three: Onslaught, Blastoff, and Skywarp. Magnus lifted his rifle's nose to the ceiling, removing his digit from the trigger as he assessed his position. Where was he to go from here? Three yards north...west... The weapon dropped and Magnus' faceplates did as well. Right where the Decepticon mechs had been just astroseconds before...
No, no, this couldn't be. There had to be some mistake. He refused to believe so.
Ultra Magnus let his servo completely let go of his rifle, allowing it to hit the ground with a resounding crash as he strode towards the cargo room door. As he came closer, he found the metallic door already wide open and left to hang by its last bolted hinge. Fright and denial welled in the mech's spark, and each step he made became slower and slower in speed until he was almost trudging to the entrance. Ruined heaps of stone, dirt, and other materials from the building shuffled from his path as he kicked them aside along the way.
One servo up, Magnus grabbed the doorframe and shuttered his optics. His helm bowed as he finally reached the room, shading him from seeing what was within. He was near too afraid to look up- too weak to face the gruesome failure surely there. Cool, damp wafts of air bustled from inside, brushing along his armoring in a chilling sense. It seemed so much darker here- full of the stifling malice riding on the vents of each being. Magnus swallowed the lubricant in his mouth and he let himself rely heavily on the structure he held himself up with. He needn't look up, for he knew.
There was no more beacon. There was no more distress signal. There was no life signature amongst the supplies.
Great grief burrowed into Magnus' core, and he sank to his kneebolts with the sorrow. She didn't deserve this. She needn't take the hatred. What had she done to deserve such a last stand? She was a Guardian, no longer even a spy as she devoted herself entirely to her charge- one who'd been created by her sister nonetheless. But she still took him into her spark; into her life as if he was her own. Ultra Magnus had never been blessed with seeing a sparkling with their creator until she, and he couldn't say he recognized they were but relatives and not sparkling and creator until explicitly stated.
It was a beautiful time full of laughter and joy and happiness for all of them. She raised him in the sake of her sibling, kept him safe in total war. It was a feet any Cybertronian should be proud of- one where it was to be reveled and fiercely protected. However, here, now, that promise could not be kept. The light was grey as her optics must be. He was no longer to hear her soothing songs, or her voice at all. Her charge would no longer see her smiles, or witness her loving ways. Worst of all: she would never see the end of the war. Bravely, Ultra Magnus forced himself to peer up into the expanse of room. Immediately, his bitter regret rose and he weakly keened.
Cyan-blue energon splattered about, coating the walls and floor. Boxes sit blown about, charred black, and scattered among the body mid-floor. This form, painted in the softest hues of pink and pearly white, was too covered in her own gore. She was laid out on her side, tipped over from a sitting position with her arms reaching above her and her body set in an odd angle. She was perfectly unharmed in every part of her armoring but above the neck. The wires there were severed or missing, twitching with electric sparks and spurting continuous amounts of useless energon onto the cold stone floor.
The cranial unit was barely worthy to be called that anymore, for it was but a caved box cupping the remnants of a Cybertronian's most internal hardware and the central processing unit. There was a messy hole through the middle, blasting off half the back of the processor and exposing what lay inside to the world. Loose gears and circuits buzzed along with the fizzling slivers of chips seen. Thank Primus, Magnus couldn't see her faceplates, for if he could, the mech doubted he would hold his tanks.
She almost appeared as if she were reaching for something, but hadn't achieved it. Magnus let his servos land in his lap as he stared on, memorizing, studying. This was a lesson for him, he knew it. Primus was punishing him for not being there during the Dark Hunt in Praxus, and for failing in keeping his city on Cybertron safe. It was a cruel punishment for mistakes made by the mech, and he knew it. But Primus was who he was, and he decided the fates of the wasn't in Magnus' right to say whether something was wrong or right, so he was left to simply deal with it. However, that hadn't meant the mech didn't feel every fragging 'lesson' taught was taking away another piece of himself over time.
Sure that the fembot was just a caddie for his imposing faults, Magnus bowed his helm and quietly produced a series of quiet apologies meant for her and her alone. This was all his fault. And she had paid for it. He'd been too late.
Then, a whimper.
It was a tiny noise, high-pitched and young. Magnus' faceplates whipped up at it and he pushed down his self-blame to search out the source of the sound. The mech climbed to his peds, using the door as a support to help his unsteady legs. The cry picked up again and the City Commander's optics flicked around faster. He leaned from the door, watching and waiting for the call to hit the air one more time so he could pinpoint the position. His spark fluttered when it happened once more, and he jerked.
No longer caring for his pity and his selfish turmoils, Magnus launched into the room and towards the place he felt the crying was coming from. He was headed for a small heap of cargo boxes, stacked in a pile against the back wall. When he stepped nearer, bending over to get a better look, the whimpers turned to full-out whines. Magnus' optics widened and he grabbed at the piles of supplies, easily tossing them over his shoulderbolt one after the other. The group thinned out and became less bulky as he dug on. After removing a good set of materials, Magnus was able to make out the small, beautiful blue optics and grabby digits that clutched at the air.
"Firelight..." he vented, pausing for a nanoclick to drink in the sight of the sparkling. Relief enveloped him and Magnus' faceplates broke out into a wondered grin. But then, Firelight became impatient and he began to yell, his watery optics producing fresh liquid as his apparent savior left him lying for far too long. Unable to help himself any longer, Magnus scooped up the young one and he tenderly cupped him in his large servos. As he held the sparking to his upper chassis, Firelight curled into his plates and clutched at his armor in pure fright.
Muffled sobs wracked the frame of the the tiny mech as he hid his helm in the crook of Magnus' neck. Firelight's delicate digits easily latched on to Magnus' plates, and the large commander found it highly unlikely he would be able to peel the sparkling from him. As if I'd wish to in the first place, he noted to himself. It put a joy in his broken spark to have the future locked in his grasp, safe once again from the dangers lurking in war. "Even in death," Magnus turned to face the body of his peer and hide the scene from Firelight, "Soulsearcher protected you." with a heavy spark, Magnus squatted on his peds and shuffled the fembot's lifeless form onto one arm.
Like Pit if he was going to leave this Autobot here. She sacrificed her life to save the sparkling he held, and he'd be blasted to the lowest depths of Unicron's prison if he was going to leave her behind. Firelight tried to look at what Magnus was holding, but the mech averted the sparkling's cranial unit away and pressed it on his chassis so he couldn't see his deadsparked Guardian. Soulsearcher's smaller frame made it possible for Magnus to cradle her in one arm and use the other for her precious charge. The pink and white fembot's helm hung back as he got a firm grip on her while her arm swung freely beside his own. Energon trickled off the side of her faceplates and over his arm, but he didn't mind in the slightest.
Once he was up and standing again, Ultra Magnus kept his optics trained ahead. A bolt of blinding light stabbed the dark and completely replaced it, attacking the shadows and illuminating every corner. The energon dotting the space glowed with a disturbing beauty before the white faded off. Grimly, Ultra Magnus exited the room and into the still airs of the cargo hall. There were no milling humans walking along the grounds of the base. There was no great show of Cybertronian and human technologies creeping towards the testing area. Not a sign of Cybertronian life snuck into view. The adamant pressure building on his chassis was overwhelming to take- the conflicting mix of joyous relief and crushing defeat too much to handle at the same time.
Together, Magnus and Firelight traveled the halls back the way he'd came, advancing in the sightless dim with only their optics and the distant lightning outside to show their way. The roaring barrage of rain on the roof was like a song for the trio, or a natural expel of sadness for the alien dwelling on the surface. Ultra Magnus straightened himself when he came nearer to the entrance lobby. Here, he started to see the full aftermath of human and Cybertronian violence. The base was in shambles, with glass shattered in glittering shards of dangerous knives, boulders of concrete larger than the humans in some cases, and the life of the humans staining the floor red in scattered spots.
Some of the soldiers walking around in the destruction seemed attempting a form of cleaning operation with their fellow comrades. All those injured were nowhere to be seen, ushered away to different nurses and doctors awaiting them in the human medical areas. Among the men and women, Magnus stood by the doorway to decide what his next move would be. Soulsearcher weighed deeply on his arm, like a receptacle carrying every sparkbreaking, crippling, impossibly somber emotion involved with her cease in life. Magnus caught the wandering stares of those around him, one after the other joining in as the mech's presence became known.
Most were openly distracted by Soulsearcher, more her than the sparkling bundled close to Magnus' neck. None spoke a word, but their expressions made up for that silence. There couldn't be more than twenty humans present, but each gave enough shock and utter disbelief to fill the space of more than a hundred. From the door, cracks of thunder reverberated ominously throughout, adding to the tension that continued to build.
Dull thuds sounded from Magnus' right, coming in from the weather to break the spell of the soundless expressions of the humans. Both he and they snapped their attentions towards the newer entry, fixed for a split nanoclick on something other than the fembot in the City Commander's arm. The silhouette roamed under the looming doorway, covered by the lack of light and outlined against the onyx clouds and landscape beyond. Their gleaming plates dripped in water from the rain while their optics shone a vivid electric-blue. It was definitely a mech, of average height, with sloping shoulderbolts and a spiked helm.
Leisurely, the being stepped into a better break of grey, where he could better be seen and identified. Royal blue paint covered his frame, with white accents on his arms, legs, and helm. The Autobot insignia fit nicely on his right shoulderbolt, fit into a square of indented armor made just for the emblem. Two hollow halves of spikes rose out from the outer sides of his arms, aiming at an angle out from his helm. His expression was mixed with confusion and curiosity, his faceplates sweeping the expanse of the room to take in the sights before him.
"Bluestring." Ultra Magnus greeted, no hint of warmth in his tone. Bluestring darted his optics in the Commander's direction and he froze in seeing what he held. His movements stalled, his features nothing less than astonished. Magnus' own faceplates were hard and unreadable, offering no immediate explanation as the younger mech locked gazes with him. Humans leapt aside as the blue armory smith rushed forward to close the distance between himself and Magnus.
Servos up, Bluestring hovered near to the body of the fembot, uncertain to touch her or not. The Autobot looked over her body, carefully studying each and every detail of her departed form before going back to Magnus again, pain and sorrow clear in his optics. "Is she...?" he vented questioningly, silently begging it not to be true. However, Ultra Magnus, with a sinking spark and a hazy processor that was hoping things were a glitch in his files, nodded in conformation. Bluestring's optics widened further and he shook his helm from side to side, "No, no, she can't be..." he denied, finally placing his servos on the fembot's cold frame. He pulled one back and moaned when he saw the energon there.
Magnus knew that Bluestring was a newer addition to Earth- in fact coming here on the very same ship Ultra Magnus himself had. Before he had arrived, he was a simple armory smith and nothing else. The horrors lived every kalon by the members of the factions never truly reached the mech or his brother Hawktail. The two had been sheltered- far more innocent than they should have been at their age. It seemed now that their lack of knowledge had come to an end. Magnus couldn't say he could relate to their younger experiences, but he too had been a recruit at one time. He too had dreams of a heroic massacre of the enemy and saving his home world from destruction. But sadly, those quickly came to a screeching halt as he climbed the ranks and finally gained the rank of City Commander.
It was pounded into each soldier to move on from the deadsparked as quickly as possible so to be at their best no matter what. The costs of war shattered each and every ounce of guiltlessness in those mechs and fembots. Ultra Magnus and Optimus Prime just happened to be two of them.
Shifting to get a better hold on the sparkling and deceased Guardian, Magnus refused to drop Bluestring's gaze for an astrosecond. This was the life the smith and his sibling had chosen for themselves, and there was no going back now. They didn't have to fight, they just needed to stay together as one of the lasting resorts against the malicious Decepticon side. Now, things would change for this mech. The first one always did effect them the most.
Ultra Magnus lifted his arm and wrapped his servo underneath Firelight's frame to remove the stricken creature from his neck. The sparkling reacted immediately, giving off desperate cries as he stretched back for the large red and blue mech. Ultra Magnus pushed back his urge to reattach the tiny being and he instead handed him off to Bluestring. He quickly took the teary sparkling, trying to awkwardly comfort Firelight as he shot Magnus an inquiring glance. "I wish for you to watch over him until I return." the commander explained, shifting Soulsearcher so she was now in both arms.
"What are you going to do?" Bluestring wondered, patting Firelight's spinal support. Ultra Magnus walked past him, beginning for the main door. "To clean her off. Soulsearcher is to have a proper farewell. I refuse to let her leave us this way." Bluestring said nothing in response to this announcement. Magnus trod across the floor in aims to exit, but he stopped before the pouring sheen. He sensed the form next to him without the need to look, and he continued to watch the curtain of rain as he spoke. "Establish a communication line with Optimus Prime. When you have this accomplished, contact me. Until then, I do not wish to be disturbed." he ordered, stepping on before the human could answer.
Out in the rain, he let it wash over them both. The droplets beaded down his paint and washed his helm and faceplates. Usually, Cybertronians would make wise to avoid water, because of its tendency to rust plating and short wires. However, in this case, Magnus didn't mind his discomfort. He let his cranial unit tip forward, letting the water drag from his helm to fall onto Soulsearcher. Her own streams rolled across her body, adding to the slick grasses below.
Ultra Magnus lowered himself to rest the fembot on his jutted legs, allowing his servos freedom. The mech gently turned her faceplates towards him, withholding the shudder of horror rising up inside him. The upper half of her foreplate was gone, her one optic cracked and other missing altogether. Wires poked out from where her noseplate used to be, while her lip plates hung wide open in a soundless scream. She was an attractive fembot, younger than her mech counterparts, with her gears and autonomous half of her body still in the final process of growth. The silver of her features was burned with black, her paint sizzled off by her neck. Ultra Magnus pressed his digit to her mandible, closing her lip plates.
She was so much smaller than the others she fought with, but she was just as brave nonetheless. Her kindness and tender nature was so rare among the lasting Cybertronian kind that she was liked by any and everyone who met her. Why the Decepticons would go for such an innocent Autobot Guardian, Magnus was unsure. It angered him to see Soulsearcher no longer with them, that she was unfairly taken to Primus far too early. She had a purpose here- a reason to stay beyond her deadspark. Firelight was her true promise to her sister and the final straw left for the poor fembot in terms of family.
Ultra Magnus reached up and brushed his digits over her faceplates, softly wiping away the dust and trying to remove most of the burnt flakes. He succeeded for a good amount before the few patches left stubbornly stayed despite his attempts. A clap of thunder followed the brilliance of lightning, brightening Soulsearcher's battered excuse for a cranial unit. Ignoring the audio-shattering roar of nature, the mech continued to clean off his comrade until he could no longer. And still, he held on to her motionless frame, unwilling to let her go just yet.
There was a point where he started to put back together her faceplates and displaced wiring. His bulky digits were clumsy and too large for the delicate work, but he tried otherwise to help her. He didn't care that she was grotesque and lifeless in his servos. He didn't care that he was in war and war called for the unfair. And he didn't ponder the thought of the reason for this unforeseen attack. All he was focused on was the fembot before him, resting peacefully with her Maker and beloved family. He succeeded to put back a greater part of her materials, but she was still gone. There was no amount of repair that would get rid of the fact that she was really gone.
Abruptly, a ping sounded in the communications hub of his CPU, blinking on the edge of his vision as an incoming message awaited his retrieval. Reluctantly, he gave in to his awaiting duties and he stood, now cradling the fembot like she was merely recharging, her cranial unit resting on his chassis and her arms draped over her midsection. As he began for the base, the message opened and revealed what was sent:
~He knows. He's waiting.~
"Fera, you know that-"
"Don't even start Solas, I know what will happen. But I don't care. I've been locked up for a week with a bunch of freaking aliens who only want to hear me scream. Let me break the rules a little for once."
At this, the mech's words dropped. The human in his servo shifted to get more comfortable and she eventually leant back on her hands. Her alabaster cast hung off the edge of his digits, swinging back and forth leisurely as the Guardian walked. It had been less than a breem before when they had been 'hanging out' as Fera put it, in his personal quarters. Truly, they had been testing the new connection they seemed to share, stretching the limits and trialing the qualities. Fera seemed delighted at this, actually smiling a few times as they went on. Sol on the other hand, was sternly focused and gravely concentrated.
There were so many possibilities that could come from this- many which ended with the termination of the priority he carried. Looking at the back of Fera's head, he noted the way her golden strands of hair fell over her shoulders and waved down her back, damp from the wash she had taken earlier that earth day. He remembered clearly that first time he had encountered this human, the way her incredibly blue eyes shined in the faint light of the overhanging rainclouds; the ivory tinge of her skin as it became speckled with mud; her soaked hair as it stuck to her scalp and a few strands clung to her face. Even then, through the obvious shock and fright she'd exhibited, he'd seen something that day that poked at him four and a half months later: wonder; excitement. From that astrosecond, he knew she wasn't like the others.
"Duck." that said female called out, snapping Sol from his thoughts. The mech's optic ridges came down and he gave the human a quizzical look. Before he could question her however, a very large, very hard thing collided with Sol's foreplate.
Solas' helm whipped back and his body wheeled as he stumbled from where he was struck. A sharp ringing sounded highly into the air, wavering in pitch as the tone went on. Sol gained his footing and he growled, using his free servo to rub the sore mark on his faceplates. "Frag that hurt." he hissed, grinding his oral sheets as he searched for the structure responsible. A scaffold caught his optic, lined with humans that continued to stare at him in surprise. It appeared like it was currently being used for construction if the wires, pipes, and other metallic pieces were anything to go by. Embarrassed and earnestly irritated, Sol grumbled to himself as he ducked the scaffold and continued on his way.
"Slagging scraps of useless junk...always getting in my way...stupid hunks of primitive building..." he mumbled, turning a corner and nearly crushing a human underped as he did so. Fera suddenly snorted, now twisted around to face him. Sol, not realizing she was looking at him, darted his optics away in a thinly veiled attempt at keeping some shred of dignity. She had one eyebrow lifted, her eyes drenched in skepticism. "I hardly think it's fair to call us primitive when we're not the ones bumping into stuff and then pouting about it later." her cheeky comment made Sol groan and his chassis rumble in annoyance. Right, he recalled, she can understand me now.
"I am not pouting." he argued, fixing the human with a harsh glare. She didn't seem the least bit fazed. "Yes you are. Pouting is walking around grousing about complete crap and carrying it on for too long afterward." both her eyebrows shot up, daring him to retort. The mech growled and rolled his optics, aiming them ahead instead as they came upon the human barracks section of the base. Though he hated to admit, with all his being, Fera was right. He was...pouting.
A sharp pinch abruptly constricted in his spark and Sol accidentally called out, stopping in his tracks to set a servo over the spot. A few humans walking by paused to look up at him in confusion, giving him odd stares as he stood there with Fera in his servo. "Stop it Sol, I want to have a good day today." Fera commanded, turning to face him again, "I don't want to have you angry and everyone else so serious. I just want to have a nice, happy conversation with the woman who gave birth to me. Is that too much to ask for?" at first, Sol was concerned about the almost bipolar change from Fera's teasing to her solid demand. But, he didn't immediately answer back at her when she'd finished speaking. She returned forward and Sol made the last leg of the way to the barracks, setting Fera on the floor as they came to the right door.
"I still wasn't pouting..." he said to himself, making it loud enough for Fera to hear, "I was just voicing my disapproval of the random location of the scaffold..." he didn't have to look down on the female to feel the amusement clouding her bothered attitude. Sol waited alongside Fera as the teen held her hand up, fist clenched, and hovering right above the surface of the door. All she had to do was knock, yet it seemed like she was avoiding the inevitable. She looked down and then up at her Guardian, who was leaning up against the wall with his arms cross and his optics on her. What was she waiting for? He probed into their bond to see what she was feeling, but she blocked him off, keeping him from knowing her true thoughts and feelings. The miniscule flinch that would have gone unnoticed by the human eye, but was clear as a star to Sol, crossed her face and Sol sighed. "I wish you wouldn't do that." he murmured, understanding the pain it caused her when he was barred off. "It can't be comfortable when you-"
"I'm fine." she interjected, cutting him off. Braver now, Fera knocked lightly on the door, keeping her gaze from contacting his. Solas could make out the uncertainty in her expression and the way her easy-to-read confliction danced across her faint face. She shuffled under his intent and watchful optics, jamming her hands into the pockets of her underarms. "Just a minute!" someone called from inside. Solas recognized Sarah Lennox's voice, high with a hurried edge as the sounds of her frantic moving inside easily reached them both. "No you're not." Sol said back to Fera as they waited for her mother to greet them.
Fera sagged, obviously hoping her female creator would have saved her in time to not continue the conversation. She kept her eyes ahead as she spoke up, "Who are you to say? Just because we have some connection now, that doesn't mean you know everything about my body."
"Yes, that's true, but I would understand more if you would inform me."
"Come on Sol, you need to trust me a little more. I survived the Decepticons for criminy sake, so why should a little sting effect me?"
"A 'little sting' could mean an array of different things considering what we have experienced Fera."
"Well it doesn't now, so could you drop it?"
"I am merely worried for your health Fera, it is the duty of a Guardian."
Fera moaned and tipped her head back as her eyes rolled into her head. She cast a dark and fiery look towards him. As she did so, her wall dropped completely. It simply didn't exist anymore, showing Solas to the entirety of all that was Fera the instant she did so. Solas, overwhelmed at the lack of warning jumped upright and his entire frame rattled. His spark skipped a beat as the boundaries disappeared, thrusting him into a place that held no solid ground for him. The flood of information was so vast- so immense in freedom that Solas felt as if his helm was going to fly off his shoulderbolts. He could sense the very core of his charge and the complexity of her capacity for emotion and overall promise.
It was a universe within an organic skull, full of a celestial brightness that confounded him. The beauty of her small universe was incredible, beyond explanation as Solas found himself entranced by the glowing orbs of her memories. He floated aimlessly in this world of blurred color and bubbling sound. He could hear and see nothing clearly, for it was all blurred and combined into confusing, muddled masses. Sol sucked in a sharp vent as he found himself surrounded by the many endless points of all that was Fera. There were so many -too many- to choose from first, including that of her encounter with the Decepticons and their leader Arachnid. He saw from her angle, felt a brief example of what she had.
The Guardian screamed as she did- squirmed as she had. The sights she saw and the fear she felt was his own, taking up all he could experience and overtaking his senses. A phantom agony lashed along his frame, lodging deep within him until he felt his core touched by fire. Ghostly echoes of pain bit into his wrists and a pounding ache remained in his lower left leg. Nothing but white masked his optics, allowing him no clue as to who the shadows were leaning over him. Cackles filled his audio receptors nonstop; his own hot tears streamed down the sides of his faceplates. Hopelessness was heavy in his frame, dragging him down into a black which he'd never felt before. This fear was so intense; so unbelievable; so raw.
But then, without inclination, Fera cut him off again. The block came up and Solas was tossed out of her mind and into his own once more. His chassis heaved for air while his frame lurched with his return. The mech had at some point slumped to the floor, his spinal support pressed against the wall. In his dazed state, he almost didn't see the grimace crossing Fera's face, or the way she held onto her chest where the organ of her heart would be. "There, happy now?" she growled breathlessly, trying to regain her composure as she locked gazes with the mech.
Solas, out of oxygen himself, was about to respond when Sarah opened the door. Fera and the woman saw one another, and that split nanoclick of recognition set in before the blonde-haired human burst into tears. She reached for her creation, gathering her into a hug that Solas knew would squeeze the breath back out of Fera's lungs. Together, they slowly sat on the floor, Fera holding her sobbing creator while the woman clung onto her neck and kept repeating her name over and over.
The Guardian let them have their moment, instead turning himself so he was staring ahead, his kneebolts up and his arms draped across them. It put a warm buzz to his spark to see the two so happy to see one another again, especially when Fera herself began to cry in pure joy. Solas admitted to himself that he was glad he'd allowed Fera to convince him to come here. If not, they would be in a meeting right now with the Unicron-created excuse of a human Secretary Kepler, as well as Optimus, Samuel Witwicky, and a few other Autobots. This, by far, was so much better.
He could feel Fera dropping her guard to him as she became more and more concentrated on her female creator. But even here, he didn't use her lack of awareness to explore her further. It felt similar to an intrusion of her privacy, though he could admit he was largely curious from the short exposure he'd had before. Could she sense his thoughts and emotions? Was she able to access his deepest memories and files? Suddenly, he felt far, far more uncomfortable. It all seemed so simple to have a bond with her- for he could see what she knew and know how a human lived how they did. However, now the 'tables were turned' as her kind would say. It was different to know that she had the same connection to him as he did to her. Was this why she was so defensive against him; why she had refused to accept him so many times before?
I understand, he thought in awe to himself, turning his helm so he could see Fera and her mother. The two human females were wrapped in each other's arms, foreheads together as they murmured to the other from smiling lips and tear-streaked cheeks. To have another in your mind- another entity with the freedom to shuffle through your deepest secrets and memories... The single possibility made him want to tremble. There were just some things in his life that he'd rather leave undiscovered by his charge. It was better that way. For the both of them.
The sounds of engines rumbling deeply across the concrete shook the thick-soled shoes of the humans filing in. The door sit open wide, welcoming those who dared come to this meeting. The lights above produced no shadows to hide any in, leaving each form, small or large, to face the wrath of the man in the middle of it all. The boring ash-grey of the wall clashed with the deep blue of his blazer, which now lie folded over the railing. Those asked to stay separated from those who were not, leaving the few to fend for themselves as they reluctantly crossed the sight of the vulture prowling the scaffold. He paced back and forth, nearly waring down a path along his steps before he noticed the approaching party and he grabbed the bar. The tendons in his knuckles popped into view as he clenched his jaw and stared mercilessly at the men gathering.
When they were settled, a new crowd began to appear. This one seemed to have his better attention and he switched from glaring at the military officials to the barrage of brightly colored cars and trucks. Robert Epps, ordered to stand by his General on Kepler's left side, rolled his eyes at the daring show of discontent by the Secretary. The leader of the incoming Autobot forces was the same familiar flame-painted Peterbilt truck that put a shock of pride in his heart every time he saw the alien hero.
Among the Autobot Prime, Rob was able to identify most of the Transformers just by their paint scheme. He could tell Ratchet was there, as well as Mirage, Bumblebee, and a newer ally as a Charger police car he'd recently met named Prowl. However, the two other 'Bots he didn't know. Rob was surprised not to find Solas Kaon or Optimus' sparkmate Rethalia as one of them. They'd both been invited, but it seemed like they'd refused to show. Solas he understood, it was Rethalia he couldn't figure out. Lucky bastards, he groused to himself, his hands clenched behind his back and his shoulders squared despite his jealous moment.
Each of the seven aliens slowed upon nearing the scaffold, almost as if they too were apprehensive about arriving. Optimus Prime continued on when his comrades stopped, his brakes hissing loudly as he halted at the foot of the structure. The twin pipes on his sides puffed clouds of smoke that quickly melted into the air as himself and the group began their transformations. Not once could Rob say he'd seen the big guy smile. He'd never seen him laugh or joke or cry before. He was always reserved- always on guard to hide the thoughts and feelings he went through. Though he was impressive to say the least, Rob knew that this 'Bot lived a very sad, regretful life.
He couldn't possibly say he connected with Prime's problems, but he knew a few. He understood the pain one went through when separated from family, and he felt his stomach go numb with just the thought of his home and people being abolished so slowly. Epps let his mind travel in distraction as he carefully watched every move or twitch made by the massive leader. If one really stopped and though about all they had, and then compared it these guys...
Secretary of Defense Ben Kepler suddenly walked into his view, nearly running him over in the process of stalking across before the Prime. Rob stepped back as he was almost pushed aside the fuming official, and his face twisted in offended disbelief. Before he could say anything however, General Hendricks raised a hand and held his shoulder, shaking his head slowly in caution. Epps knew the man hated the Secretary as much as he did, but there was a certain thing called a 'code' that each lower rank had to follow if they were in the presence of their superiors.
Holding back a temper that had built for years because of this very man, Rob backed down and he respected his General's apprehension. Now was probably not the best time to approach the Secretary of Defense.
Kepler slammed his fist into the rail before placing the hand on his hip and the other to grab the string of metal. "Dammit Prime..." he huffed and paced again, slipping back and forth a few times before the patient Autobot Commander as he fought his own aggravation. "To think: I actually trusted your judgment!" he threw his hands in the air and faced the alien who wore the narrowed eyes of bright blue light.
"I do not refuse to admit that this was my fault more than any other's, and I take full responsibility." his deep, magnified voice bounced off the walls like a bass drum, thick and full in tone and soft power. As his words died, Prowl came forward, his own expression just as unreadable, "In all fairness Secretary, this was an unforeseen, virtually aimless, attack." the black and white 'Bot reasoned.
"Aren't they all? Soldier, your leader has agreed to take the blame for this, so your involvement in the matter is unnecessary."
"As was said before, I am the Military Analyst and Strategist to-"
"Has it any matter?"
At this time, Epps growled lowly to himself and drug his fingers tighter around each other. This government suit was becoming a real pain in his neck, and if he didn't leave soon, or cut the conversation short, there would be a size twelve, steel-toed boot right up his-
"It seems as if our missing company has finally decided to join us." General Hendricks noted, catching the Captian's attention away from his irritation. The General was right, for Rob could see Solas Kaon entering through the back entryway, Fera in hand. The teen had her injured leg swinging off the edge of his fingers, the rest of her seated comfortably in his palm. Hendricks stepped forward to place a hand on Kepler's shoulder, halting him for a moment as the Secretary seemed ready to fire again. The two leaned closer to exchange information before Kepler's head shot up to see the incoming Guardian and teenager.
Solas walked right up to the scaffold, giving Kepler a burning glare that dared him to speak up in any negative way. Epps and Sam quickly came forward, taking Fera from the Autobot as he raised her over the rails. Rob knew the Lennox had some smart remark about how she could do everything by herself, but there was nothing said as the two men wrapped her arms over their shoulders and helped her over to a rolling chair by the back computers. Fera thanked them both and Rob pulled away, meaning to give the girl a good smile and proper hello since he'd failed to do so yet. But, when the grin stretched over his lips and his eyes met hers, his concern rose and his smile turned to a worried frown.
Fera's eyes were puffy and red, provoked from the rubbing she was surely doing. The blue of her irises was cloudy and wet, giving him an immediate knowing that she had cried. General Hendricks left the girl and her 'uncle' alone, moving away to start the meeting again. Sam on the other hand, stayed close by with his features set in curiosity. Epps sighed, lifting a hand to softly wipe away a stray streak on her cheek. Her already rosy cheeks were shiny and flushed. This was one strong teen, he knew, so there could only have been one thing that drove her into tears.
"You saw your mom, didn't you?" he assumed, getting a nod and a soft chuckle from her. Fera used her palms and drug them over her face again, smiling as they dropped. "Yeah, it's kind of pathetic, right?" she questioned, fixing him with a sad grin, "Crying like a baby to my mom after only a week... Sam, really, it's ok. You don't have to look at me like I'm going to fall apart." she and Rob glanced up at the man standing beside them, finding his 'dad face' in full flight. "That's my girl." Epps returned her grin and he shrugged at Sam. "What did she say to you?" he wondered, raising a hand to dot away the lingering wet from the corners of her eyes. Fera's shoulders lifted again and she began to rub her arm, "That she missed me and loved me..." as she stopped, Rob patted her shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze, "And that she'd thought she'd lost me like my dad." he wouldn't push her on if she didn't feel comfortable. Instead, he set a hand on her head and ruffled her hair like he used to when she was little. He then moved to her other side to watch Kepler's never-ending whine fest.
The conversation had moved on, but the Captain couldn't help but see the darting look sent back to Fera by Optimus, Bumblebee, and Solas Kaon. The black and red mech was standing just on the outside of the rail, getting as close as he could to the structure without actually pushing it. But one by one, each seemed reassured and finally left the girl alone.
As the meeting droned on, pointlessly rounding back on itself like these always did, Rob released a long breath. His bothered attitude rose with the arrival of the small RC swerving from side to side over the scaffold. It was quickly making its way towards them, obviously not stopping before it nearly hit Fera's chair. She leaned over and looked at it curiously, confused at the monster truck as it backed up and paused for a split second. The next moment, that small remote-controlled vehicle was doing its own transformation, coming to stand as a complete mini-bot.
A 'Bot with glowing red eyes.
Fera immediately recoiled, gasping before she held herself as far as she could from the ex-'Con as she could. Her cast even came up, tucked close as she suddenly was in one chair instead of two. Staring wide-eyed, Epps came nearer to place a reassuring and concerned hand on her back, making her jerk in the process. The tiny Autobot didn't say anything during this, simply shifting from one foot to the other as he looked up at Fera. Abruptly, he raised his hands in a shrug and switched from Epps to Sam.
"What'd I do?" he demanded, taking a step forward. Rob narrowed his eyes, warning the little runt to keep his distance.
"Nothing, she's just jumpy from her..." he searched for the word, "experience with the 'Cons. She doesn't know you're one of us. Fera," he turned back to the teen to see her slowly coming to grips with her fear as his words sunk in. She watched the mini-bot carefully, not even looking up at her name. "this is Wheelie. He's not a 'Con anymore, so he's not going to harm you." Fera decided to finally make eyecontact with Rob before unwinding marginally and directing her eyes back at Wheelie. The dark-blue mech nodded and paced up to her, lifting his hands to heft himself up into her chair. She drew back again, uncertain to touch him.
"Yeah, it's not like I'm gonna hurt ya. I'm with the 'Bots now, so you can trust me." he assured, bobbing his odd, round eyes. Sam snorted, "I wouldn't necessarily say you could 'trust' him..." the man crossed his arms and nodded at Bee, who whistled softly. Wheelie rounded on the man, placing his fists on his hips in an offended way, "What's that supposed to mean fleshy? I'm totally trustworthy!" he argued. Rob rolled his eyes, already having heard squabbles like this between the RC car and those around him. However, it seemed like it was calming Fera down, making him wonder if it was worth it to disturb them.
"Anyway, there's nothin' to worry about. You're that um...Fair-fair- Fera girl right?" Wheelie went on, Fera nodding in conformation, "I've heard a lot about you." he waved a finger at her, "A lot. You're one tough human." he boldly patted her leg before dropping down onto his butt-aft- whatever they called their rear ends, and he lounged back with his hands behind his head. "What's going on here...? Oh, that guy again? Primus he gets on my circuits."
Rob ignored the little 'Bot in favor of Fera, who was quietly beginning to accept his presence, and he looked back to Optimus and the others. Prowl was speaking again, "Your statement is illogical Secretary." he reasoned, crossing his arms, "If this partaking byway of our adversaries was to be unknown by my comrades, how is it we were to prepare for such an occurrence? You behave as though you accuse us of failing to secure the base's safety beforehand."
Kepler snorted, "And by some amount, I do." Rob burrowed his eyebrows and he cleared his throat, trying to keep himself from speaking up. If it weren't for the years he'd spent in the brutal training needed to get to his level, he would have said something by now. Many somethings actually. He saw Sam moving from the corner of his eye and he turned to look at the man as he leaned by his old friend, "This guy's a jerk." he noted, the yellow scout clicking his agreement.
"How is that possibly fair?" one of the newer 'Bots he'd never seen before, a red and orange fembot, came forward. She was an interesting female, considering Epps had yet to see more female 'Bots than Rethalia and Greenlight. She appeared beside Optimus, flashing her far shorted height as she only came up to his elbow at her tallest point. Optimus set a hand on her shoulder, preventing her from going on, "Fairness is not a value we must expect in war, Firestar." he pointed out, causing the fembot to back down with a sigh. That was enough.
"But even then Optimus, you guys deserve some kind of trust." Rob spoke up, making each 'Bot and human look to him. Standing straight beside Fera, Rob pushed away his uncomfortable feel from being the center of attention, and he kept his gaze on the Prime. Optimus dipped his head in respect and Epps returned the gesture. "Stand down soldier, you are not to speak unless spoken to." Kepler said, completely ignorant to the fact that Rob was a Captain of the entirety of the base and not just another Private in bootcamp. Rob held his tongue by literally biting down on it, his throat burning with the unsaid.
"Secretary, I hardly doubt your personal opinions have right inside your professional decisions or mannerisms." Prowl pointed out, causing the man to whip around again. "And your kind has no right to determine the fate of a human priority!" he shot back.
"That hardly seems appropriate." the Prime stepped into the conversation, his tone dark and scolding.
"I'm sorry if demanding order offends you."
"Order is established Secretary. Fera is here, is she not? And at this time, our enemies' motives are being meticulously calculated."
"And why couldn't that of happened before she was kidnaped?"
Rob felt a tug at his sleeve, but he paid it no attention, instead setting his mind on what was going on before him. Whatever Wheelie wanted from him could wait for a minute or however long it took for the Captain to figure out just how insane this man really was. "Robert." Wheelie hissed, trying to get his attention again. Rob didn't look. "Robert." the 'Bot hissed again.
"Prior to her abduction with the Decepticons, you remember when we discussed that this was not a wise decision?" Kepler pressed, now being just plain cheeky to the Prime. Optimus' lips dipped down deeper and he didn't falter in his gaze with Kepler, "Yes." he admitted.
"Robert, it's Fera." Wheelie went on, making Rob's interest peek. He looked down on his neice, seeing her hand holding up her forehead while she hid her expression to them all. He knew this look- this position of tensity: she was about to blow up.
A small clink by the rails had Rob looking up again towards Solas, who did not look happy in the least. His eyes were a darker shade of blue, his hand culred over the rails. "Maybe now you will listen to me." Kepler threw a hand at Optimus and then placed both of them on his hips, "I know how hard that must be for you since you and your men feel as though they are better than their human comra-"
Quicker than the word could leave the man's mouth, Fera was up on her feet. She was standing tall on her cast, straight and clearly angered as she stalked over the metal structure. Her cast thumped on the scaffold, loud and pounding. Epps came forward, moving to make it look like he was to stop her, though he had no intentions of it until the girl had her fill of the Secretary. "Can you shut up?!" she yelled, making Rob almost flinch from her tone. Maybe letting her go wasn't a great idea after all...
Secretary Kepler turned towards Fera's voice, wearing a look of surprise as he saw the supposedly injured girl stomping at him. "Excuse me?" he inquired, moving his challenging eyes from the Prime to a suddenly more interesting agitated teenager. Fera stopped midway of the path between her and the man and she stabbed a finger into the air, aiming it for Optimus, "You're always complaining and blaming and screaming at them for things they can't control! Yell at your own men for once instead of riding on their backs all the time." she snorted at him in almost a disgusted way, crossing her arms over her chest tightly as she favored her left leg to help her pain. "His 'kind' has saved the dirt under your feet more times than you apparently care about! Just for once, I'd like to see you grab a gun and shoot a giant alien robot!" she flung a hand at the gathered crowd of 'Bots, "Then I'll listen to you complain like a spoiled brat. But right now, I'm sick and tired of all your bull."
They all stared. Openly and guiltlessly, each human and Cybertronian leaving the room to silence for those brief seconds. No one spoke up in either side's defense, and no one even seemed to breath. Bee was the first when he offered a long, soft whistle of awe. This created a sort of prideful well to spring in Rob's chest. It was clear to see that even Optimus was throughly shocked at her intensity.
Despite this impressive verbal lashing, Epps wanted someone to move, to make a noise or break the still so he could reach his highly aggravated charge and get her far away from this man before she did something she'd regret. Time for him felt like an eternity, standing where he was, frozen in uncertainty as he watched Fera's back. Technically, she was a legal citizen, and was protected by her First Amendment rights, so she could say whatever she wanted to. As well as that, she couldn't be fired either, because she wasn't a government employee, but a protected witness. Rob was surprised she'd lasted this long.
Finally, General Hendricks cracked open the shell of quiet and came forward to stand by Rob. He remained close enough for his words to be heard by the Captain and him alone. "Well it's about time someone spoke up around here." he chuckled when Epps gave him an amused look, "That man is really getting on my nerves. I have to get some evidence of him abusing power so we can get him out of here. I feel bad for making you all deal with him so often. I don't know how you do it." the General patted Rob's back and the Captain smirked in a mixed set of feelings towards the girl standing before him, still irritated past reason. "Finally shut him up." Rob felt Sam step up and he looked at the man with laughing eyes, "Didn't think she had it in her." Sam snorted at this.
"Nothing like a Decepticon vacation to bring out the beast in someone." he agreed.
And there goes more sad drama...
I know, I know, we need some happy rainbow sunshine crap to pick things up.
I'm workin' on it, ok?
At least Fera finally shut up Kepler.
*Chapter Inspiration: She Wolf (Falling To Pieces)= David Guetta Ft. Sia*