Author's note: Sorry for the delay, I'll spare you the excuses and say this year I'll do better with updating. Enjoy and thank you very much for hanging in there. Transformers belongs to Hasbro and Takara, not me.
A Blessing and A Curse
By: Quetzal1
Chapter 53
Love and Confusion
XxXxXxXxXxX
A long section of high, imposing wall stretched for miles along the eastern border and temporary force fields were installed along the rest. The latter functioned more as an alarm than a real impediment to anyone who wanted to get in. Cities remained in ruins, but the rubble was cleared from many sites and there were signs of construction. The restoration of the Decepticon held portion of Cybertron slowly progressed.
Megatron was aware of all this and Cyclonus didn't waste time by pointing out the obvious. He was back at Darkmount for his usual progress report, although he suspected that his leader already knew about everything that happened. There wasn't much new information for him to present.
Currently, their most concentrated efforts were directed toward the airfield, which was nearing completion. Thus far there wasn't much traffic. Mainly it was used by whoever was assigned to provide air surveillance for Chaar and the occasional shuttlecraft from there, bringing ranazite energon for further processing and often taking away salvaged items from the cleanup. Nevertheless, it was necessary for security purposes to have a central arrival and departure point for any off-world travelers. Soundwave's command had installed sensors that blanketed the skies and immediately alerted security forces if anyone came in from space without using the front door, so to speak. The two measures made it tremendously difficult for anyone to infiltrate their borders from the cosmos.
XxXxX
It was all going so smoothly, that there was nothing much for Cyclonus to criticize and no one who currently required disciplining. Ordinarily, he would be pleased but now it disappointed him. His mood was extremely foul lately. Being self-aware, he realized this, but also being frustrated, he didn't particularly care. He wanted someone to take his irritation out on.
He hadn't seen Stormvolt in months. They spoke at the end of each cycle via encrypted channel but it wasn't the same. Undoubtedly the smarter of his subordinates had put two and two together, but they had the good sense not to mention it and were careful not to do anything to set him off. He also knew that this behavior was unseemly and he must rein it in. He was a warrior first and foremost and should be the last 'bot who needed to be reminded of the fact. It was easier said than done, however, when he was lying alone in the dark, waiting to slide into the oblivion of recharge. Cyclonus despised any flaw he felt was a weakness, which made the realization that he missed the femme yet more bothersome. He didn't blame her and he knew that such feelings were a possibility when he asked for her companionship on that night that seemed long ago. It was a risk he was willing to take but he never actually expected to experience them. The idea of prolonged separation during peacetime had not occurred to him. And certainly not what he perceived as forced separation.
In the beginning he thought perhaps Stormvolt's assertion that being sent to Chaar was punishment for assisting Microntis and his mate was a bit paranoid. Unfortunately, he began to agree when it became obvious Megatron was doing all he could to keep them apart. Whenever she was due to make one of her weekly reports, Cyclonus was suddenly ordered to attend to something that was far enough away from Darkmount that it precluded his returning soon enough to see her. Each bit of his day was accounted for. He had only enough spare hours for recharge, energon consumption and personal maintenance. Whenever his schedule opened up, an unforeseen appointment was added. It was maddening. At least in the days of Galvatron, all he had to do was endure a beating and then it was business as usual. Now punishment was far subtler and drawn out. Theoretically he understood why Stormvolt was being disciplined, but why should he be punished? Was it because he was ultimately responsible for her training?
There was one other possibility that occurred to the mech and he found it greatly disturbing, more than any of his other ideas. What if…(he didn't even like thinking it) Megatron wanted her for himself? Cyclonus was quiet by nature personality-wise, and he moved stealthily when he wanted to. Those two traits allowed him to overhear a lot of interesting information. Much of what he heard was idle gossip, including speculation as to how long it would be before Megatron, who was rumored to prefer femmes, decided to make his move on Stormvolt. As Galvatron he had claimed she was one of his own. If that were true, then it wasn't possible for them to create sparks that wouldn't be mutated beyond any possibility of functionality. However, that didn't eliminate interfacing. Cyclonus winced inwardly at the idea. He knew the femme wouldn't entertain the notion for a nanosecond, but their leader was crafty and persistent and excellent at getting what he wanted. So where did that leave him?
XxXxX
"And the airfield will be completed within the next ten cycles barring unforeseen problems," Cyclonus said, finishing his account.
Megatron nodded. He sat behind his desk, leaning forward and listening with sharp interest.
"That includes its ground defenses, I presume?"
"Yes. They are already in place and functional."
"Excellent. All is going according to schedule," said Megatron. "Both here and on Chaar." He watched to see if mention of the dead planet drew any kind of response from his lieutenant. It didn't, at least none that he saw.
"Stormvolt was here earlier and she tells me that Ranazite production will continue at its current rate. In fact, further deposits have been located."
"Our current energon reserves are steadily increasing. Soon there will be a slight excess," said Cyclonus, showing no additional interest than if Megatron had mentioned Hook or Soundwave.
"Yes and then our power increases with that excess. We are close to having enough to begin trade with other worlds."
"It is surprising that the Autobots didn't place any restrictions on that."
"Those fools are going to wish that they had done far more than meddle in petty affairs," Megatron said, rising from behind his desk. "Have you detected any signs of their spies?"
"Negative. I think they are clever enough to watch from a distance for now. Once our borders have been permanently sealed they may try an intrusive maneuver."
"Yes. Remain vigilant and remind the others to do likewise."
"As you command."
"I am pleased with your performance thus far."
"Thank you, Sir."
"In fact, I think you have earned a reward for your efforts. Why don't you take the rest of the cycle off?"
"Are you certain there is nothing you require of me then?"
"I can function perfectly fine without you." Megatron said. Whether he meant for the day or generally, Cyclonus didn't know, but he presumed the latter.
"Of course."
"While you're at it, locate Stormvolt and advise her to join you. She has also done satisfactorily in her assignment and would no doubt appreciate the break." For a nanosecond he believed he saw Cyclonus perk up before maintaining his usual demeanor.
"As you wish."
"Yes, in fact, it seems that Chaar agrees with her. She looks well…very well," Megatron said, slyly, trying to spot signs of discomfort in Cyclonus. He found none. This situation was quite the novelty. Starscream would have openly glared at him and made an attempt at a scathing comment. How much pushing would Cyclonus endure before he reacted?
"She is a reliable officer," Cyclonus replied, staring his leader directly in the optics. He would not offer contradiction on such a trivial discrepancy. And he knew baiting when he heard it. There was no way that Megatron was unaware of how much Stormvolt hated being there. Not after living in her head for as long as he did.
"Indeed. Now be gone," said Megatron, turning back to a monitor on his desk.
Cyclonus bowed slightly and left the room, saying nothing further.
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX
The surface of Chaar between the mine and the original headquarters was changing more rapidly than that of Cybertron. Stormvolt flew low and slow over the area after she returned to the burned out planet that was showing a hint of life again. In the months that she had lived there, conditions had far outpaced anything under Galvatron's rule. Naturally the majority of the credit went to the tiny mechs under her command. They were now Decepticons, technically, but she couldn't think of them by any other name than the one jokingly bestowed by Rumble.
XxXxX
The Great Hall was crowded with 'bots. Several were of average size but they were only there to herd the hundreds of small ones and ensure none of them tried to change their mind and leave. Once they decided to stay, the neutrals were made to swear allegiance to Megatron and the Decepticon cause. From a high balcony at the back of the room, Stormvolt watched curiously. She had never seen the ceremony and was interested. The crowd was large enough that Microntis was not easily picked out. It was a brief affair, and after taking the oath they lined up to be marked.
"What's up, Blue?" Said a familiar voice. She glanced down to see that she was flanked by Rumble, who was peering over the edge, and Frenzy who was looking up at her.
"I'm watching these guys get sworn in. You ever see it before?"
"No. I don't think it's been done since way back when the Decepticons first started," said Frenzy
"Everyone after that was born one, eh?"
"You could say that. Now new 'Cons get marked after graduating from the War Academy, but that's different." He turned away and surveyed the crowd below. "Primus, those guys are little."
"A bunch of tiny 'Cons," said Stormvolt, echoing the sentiment.
"Yeah, Minicons," said Rumble with a snicker.
XxXxX
They were small, but when it came to productivity, they were a mighty force. Megatron hadn't been lying about their motivations. They were not entirely friendly, having more of a "go away and let us work" demeanor, but they didn't give her any real problems. Direct interaction with certain 'bots, however, had presented difficulties. Most of them spoke normally but others communicated via a series of beeps and chirps. Microntis functioned as a translator and Stormvolt was gradually building a database of the peculiar language within her processors. It wouldn't be long before she could understand them on her own.
Upon arrival on Chaar and being informed of what needed to happen and what was expected, the Minicons quickly organized themselves into teams and got to work. When materials arrived from Cybertron, they immediately began to create a barracks for themselves. After that, a warehouse was erected and near it, a landing strip took shape. The installation of metal decking cut down on the dust a great deal and made the going easier for those with wheeled alt modes.
That was a pleasant surprise. Initially, Stormvolt was all but certain that a lot of the diminutive mechs didn't transform at all. When they finally got down to business, it was a sight to behold. Some of them transformed to Cybertronian construction vehicles. Others were not vehicles but had functions that lent themselves nicely to the work at hand, such as drill attachments for boring into stone. It was similar to the way Rumble and Frenzy changed their arms to pile drivers. In, fact, there were a few of them who had that same ability, but they were not as strong and weren't in danger of causing earthquakes.
The femme noticed the lack of any recreation areas, but that was because they didn't need them. When forced to take a cycle or two off (and she did have to order them,) they spent their free days adding on to or improving already existing structures or else scouting locations for future projects. Chaar's main headquarters, though it started out nothing but a shell, was now virtually as nice as her office and quarters at Darkmount thanks to their constant improvements. Managing them wasn't a hard job at all. They organized themselves and were competitive, each trying to outwork the other individual or team. There were no slackers and the only disputes that needed her intervention were those that sprung up over the best way to approach certain issues in the mine or differing opinions over the quality of work done by competing teams.
Microntis was a big help, yet another thing Megatron was right about. No job was too large or too small and whatever it was, he threw himself into it as if his life depended on it. That was the nature of the mech, especially after going for so long with nothing to do but survive, but he did not forget Cyclonus's warning either. His work would be beyond reproach to whoever cared to inspect it. He and Stormvolt got along nicely once ground rules were established.
"My name is Stormvolt. If you absolutely insist upon it, you can call me ma'am, but this 'Mistress' business ends now," she said to him on their first day together. They were rearranging the old mine headquarters to use until the new one was finished and she noticed that whenever she asked him to do something, he replied with that term of address.
The little mech appeared surprised, but nodded and replied, "As you wish Mi-, I mean, ma'am."
"Thank you."
"You are welcome."
She nearly replied further but realized the exchange of manners could go on for hours. His eagerness to please was almost disturbing, but she had no complaints about his work. Still, she didn't mind when the others needed him. Of all the Minicons who stayed, he was the only one who transformed into a transit, a surveying instrument that measured vertical and horizontal angles. He had additional functions and was often in demand. It was nice to have him out of the office occasionally instead of hanging around waiting to be at her beck and call, despite the fact that it appeared to please him to no end.
Her flight path brought her to the mine. She considered dropping in but, no, that would disrupt their efforts and she was out here only yesterday. Ugh, with all this super efficiency anybody could do her job. On the other hand…. Many Decepticons would interfere and try to bully and abuse their charges. She had the feeling that to attempt such actions would have disastrous results despite the fact that the Minicons were dinky and unarmed.
How much longer was she going to have to stay here? The boredom was close to overwhelming some days. It got bad enough that a training session, with all its dings and minor pains, would be a welcome change. If Cyclonus visited now and then it would make all the difference in the world, but he was constantly kept busy. Coincidence? Not likely.
It would be easier if Megatron simply expressed his displeasure openly instead of coming up with these weird punishments. Whenever she made her regularly scheduled visits to update him on the latest progress, he listened with interest and approved of all she was doing. He was almost pleasant, if not for that knowing gleam in his optics that made her wonder what he was up to. That guy never did anything without a reason. She and Cyclonus didn't dare discuss it in their nightly calls. An encrypted channel was never a guarantee of absolutely security.
Her radar indicated another aircraft inbound at an exceptionally high rate of speed. There was only one who moved that fast. She transformed and turned to watch as Cyclonus dropped down from the stars and into Chaar's airspace. He transformed when he got close.
"Greetings, Stormvolt," he said.
"Greetings. How did you manage to get away?"
"Lord Megatron is pleased with our work and has graciously decided to allow us to have the rest of the cycle free."
"Seriously? He didn't mention it to me, not that I'm complaining. It's been so long, I don't know where to go or what to do first."
"I have somewhere in mind. And an activity to occupy us once we arrive."
"Oh yeah? What's that?" She asked with a grin.
"The location is the unnamed planet. As for activities, it has been much too long since we worked on your combat skills."
XxXxXxXxXxXxX
The rocky outcropping where the two Decepticons sat was bathed in an eerie glow from the red moon. Neither of them spoke, each was lost in their own thoughts. It was on a night a lot like this and in a similar area that Cyclonus declared his intentions. It sounded bizarre to her then, but Stormvolt had since decided that she very much liked his being "the exclusive recipient of her intimate companionship" and getting his in return. They'd been through a lot after that night, to say the least. It felt like it had happened ages ago. She gave him a sidelong glance. The mech hadn't been joking about her combat training. They spent hours on the usual items. Not once did he try to put the moves on her and he didn't seem to notice when she made subtle overtures. What was the deal there? He was sitting there ramrod straight, staring out into the darkness with his usual deadpan expression. There were things she knew about him now that others would never suspect in a million years, and she would never tell. It was nothing world shattering, just personal quirks, but it was nice having a secret that was harmless for once. No lives hung in the balance.
Now that was unusual. She'd carried dangerous information of one kind or another for so long it was strange not to have any. Okay, that wasn't totally true. Her former life as a human should remain quiet. That would bring all kinds of bullshit down on her, and that she and Cyclonus were an item probably ought to be downplayed too lest the others think that this was how she gained her current rank, but that was more politics than secrets.
Cyclonus continued to peer into the night. They did not have to be back at their posts for several hours yet but he felt more pressured than ever to say what was on his mind. He'd turned it over and over in his processors for weeks before now. It wasn't lost on him that he was in this same position before in nearly the same place. It went well previously, why not now? He glanced over at the femme. She had drawn one leg up to her chest and placed her arms around it, resting her chin on the knee as she stared up at the moon.
"Stormvolt…."
"Hm?"
"If I were to fall in a way other than honorable combat, would you avenge me?"
"What?" Boy, he came out of nowhere with that one. "Why? Are you planning something?"
"No. Perhaps I am not making myself clear."
"You are not."
"What I mean is, if you became a victim of an underhanded scheme or another kind of treachery that resulted in your end instead dying a true warrior's death, I would make those responsible suffer regardless of how long it took or how difficult it was. They would pay with their miserable lives in the most unpleasant fashion conceivable." His optics burned and his face twisted into a ferocious scowl. She sat up straight and it took a conscious effort for Stormvolt not to scoot backward away from him.
He calmed himself and continued. "That is a hypothetical scenario, however if the positions were reversed, would you do the same?"
She considered the idea. What if Vortex or Motormaster were successful in their attempt to overthrow Galvatron? They would have had no choice but to eliminate Cyclonus to make it happen, and it would have been by the lowest means available to them. Stormvolt felt the beginning twinges of anger at the mere idea. Oh yeah, they would not get away with it while she lived. But why was he asking about this now?
"Of course I would. But I don't understand what you're getting at," she said.
Cyclonus looked down, gathering his thoughts, and then back up at her. "There is no one whom I trust more than you."
"Not even Megatron?"
If there was truly no Galvatron and never had been, his programming in that regard was nothing but an error. It was like suddenly gaining free will, and for a long time he'd been unsure of how to handle it. Cyclonus had no aspirations toward total leadership of the Decepticons. He would remain loyal to Megatron unless given a legitimate reason to do otherwise. Was what he was saying interpretable as disloyalty? Possibly, if it were Galvatron he was speaking of. He had wrestled with the idea constantly after being restored by the Allspark. He had never said it out loud until now and struggled with the admission before finally answering. "No."
"Are you feeling alright?" She asked. This was huge! That he seriously rated her (or anybody, for that matter) higher than Megatron at something? What had gotten into him? Was it a malfunction? The mech acted uneasy and was growing more agitated.
"Yes, yes. I am fine," he said, crossly. This wasn't working. She didn't get what he was leading up to at all. It was time to abandon his attempt at politeness and be blunt. He was much better at that.
"You sure? Because I ," Stormvolt began,
"I have never been more certain of anything," Cyclonus interrupted, swinging one hand through the air in a slashing motion for emphasis. "What I am attempting to say is that, if you agree, I would like us to become…bonded."
Briefly, she stared at him with her mouth hanging open in shock, then she closed it but didn't look any less stunned. Well, shit, this was his night to be surprising. No wonder he was acting edgy and weird.
He watched closely, trying to be patient. It was a huge decision and should not be rushed. Had he asked too soon?
"I don't know what to say," she said.
"You and I function together perfectly in every way. We have conquered adversity and risen to positions of prominence among our kind. To me it is a logical and natural progression," said Cyclonus.
"I wasn't expecting you to ask this soon. Maybe later, once everything was closer to normal."
Cyclonus chuckled. "But you were expecting me to ask?"
It was another moment for the femme to be glad they didn't share human reactions, this time blushing. She had thought he would approach the possibility at some point if they remained together and had considered what it would be like. She had no reference and only a vague sense of what it was all about. In her long ago discussion with Skywarp she learned that spark bonding wasn't a euphemism but was indeed a bond. Having not experienced it firsthand, Skywarp couldn't define it in exact terms but he described it as being sort of like mind reading…but not. When two sparks were joined thereafter each of the parties involved had a strong sense of what the other was feeling but they didn't know what they were thinking. It was more than that simple explanation, but the seeker had been at a loss to explain it.
"Not to sound presumptuous, but yeah, I thought you might bring it up eventually for the exact reasons you mentioned. Eventually being the key word," she said.
"The future is never certain. We are Decepticons. Our 'normal' is chaos and conquering not peace and quiet. This may be as close as we get to what you consider ordinary. I do not foresee a better opportunity," he said.
"It's a huge step, though," said Stormvolt, unable to effectively express her feelings adequately. "Is this the way it's usually done?"
"You are drawing a comparison to a human ritual aren't you?" He'd been around her long enough to understand a number of the ways her thought processes worked.
"That's all the experience I have to go with in this case."
"I see. To answer your question, yes. There is no formal announcement. It is a private decision made between two Cybertronians without interference."
"It isn't a decision to be made lightly, either."
"No, it is not."
Such a big deal was made of marriage but it wasn't close no matter how much two humans loved one another. It was an agreement but nothing made it binding. Yeah, there were papers and laws and religious faiths, but none of that was a permanent physical condition. And a spark bond truly was "until death do us part." In fact, the bond was so strong that if one half was killed, the other often was damaged to the point that they slowly deactivated from grief or became dangerously unstable. If you considered certain cases, she guessed they were similar to humans in that one way.
"Allow me to ask you this: When you simulated the idea in your processors, how did you respond?" Cyclonus asked.
"I said 'yes'," Stormvolt replied.
"And yet now you are hesitant. What are your concerns?" Cyclonus asked.
"I'm kind of worried about what it's like. It's irreversible isn't it? What if we don't like it?"
"It may surprise you further to learn that I conducted research on this and nowhere did I find a single instance of anyone regretting the decision and attempting to reverse it."
"Really?"
"Really." It was true. Having existed no longer than he had, Cyclonus realized that there were certain gaps in his knowledge and spent some of the little free time he'd had to delve into the medical research database. If he had known of the secret archive containing information on medical experiments conducted on Autobot prisoners, he would have been extremely impressed by the strength of spark bonds. Not even Shockwave was able to break one apart through any manner of force.
For a split second, Stormvolt thought having Megatron in her head again would come in handy right now. No, that was bullshit. She could make her own decisions with no outside help. Oh, but this one was a whopper. It was one thing to imagine and all together different to be faced with the actual item. But he had a point. Not once in the 'simulations' did she ever consider refusing. And she already knew she loved him. She had never said it. He hadn't said it either, but she knew he did. He professed his affection in peculiar ways occasionally, but nothing said "I love you," like threatening to painfully murder someone in revenge.
"Have you decided?" Cyclonus asked.
"I… Yes."
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX
"Excellent work, Shockwave," Megatron said, not averting his gaze from the window in front of them.
"Thank you my lord," Shockwave replied, sounding businesslike but inwardly beaming.
The mechs stood peering through a large two-way mirror into a room containing the results of Shockwave's efforts.
"When was the last infusion of protoform material?" Megatron asked.
"Ten cycles ago. The larger they become the longer it takes each new infusion to become acclimated."
Inside the room sat a seeker and an armored assault vehicle. What stood out about them was that they were only about one third of the size they should be. They were throwing a ball of scrap metal back and forth, each hurling it as hard as they could at the other. Both were having fun and were totally unaware that they were being watched. It was unusual too, that they would get along as well as they did, but this was far from a normal situation. They were kept in strict isolation, seeing no one aside from Shockwave and each other. They had no one else to influence them and had yet to develop the usual flight capable versus ground based mech animosity.
"What about their processors?"
"It is that same as the rest of their systems. Size is limited. Right now, they do not have the capacity to accommodate the full amount of basic programming. But with each infusion, it is increased."
"And it was the seeker who had the failing spark, correct?"
"Yes, although implantation into a body appears to have saved it. Testing shows no difference between the two of them."
Megatron nodded thoughtfully, not taking his optics off the undersized Decepticons. "It is not an ideal solution, however it is far preferable to having sparks going to waste," he said. "And it will give you more storage space. I suspect when work slows and the peace continues, there will be an influx of new sparks. I want you to select a support staff to assist you in overseeing your new charges immediately. As soon as you have, begin with the fading sparks and implant them all into protoforms. Once that is completed, train members of your staff to continue the process with normal sparks. You will be busy with another project, that if successful, will increase our numbers further."
"New project, Sir?" The vast number of sparks stored now would give them thousands of new soldiers. Why the rush?
"Yes, and it is to be discussed with no one, other than myself. You will send no transmissions regarding it, nor will you store any information in any computer system connected to a network. Utmost security and secrecy are required."
"But what is it?" Shockwave was already intrigued.
"All in good time. First, I must get the groundwork into place," said Megatron with a sly smile.
"When will you begin?"
"Patience, Shockwave. It is a delicate procedure and cannot be rushed. You will have ample opportunity to prepare."
"Yes, Sir. Please excuse my eagerness."
"Carry on," said Megatron as he walked away. Secrecy was the top priority. What he had in mind would bring about another war if the Autobots got wind of it and it was much too soon for that. There were numerous details that had to be explored before the plan was set into motion.
XxXxXxXxXxXxX
It was only the second time that Stormvolt had ever seen a spark and it was wildly different and yet somehow perfect to her. The spherical outer shell was dark. It looked like a giant onyx at first but then when the threads of light flickered within she saw that it was purple. The light was also peculiar as it flared outward from the center. It was dark but still emitted illumination. It reminded her of a photographic negative. Did it have to do with Unicron's forced reformatting or had it always been like that? She didn't care. Soon she would know its secrets as Cyclonus would know hers. He was raptly staring at her spark. She didn't see it directly but a blue glow reflected off of his armor. Warnings glared in the edges of her vision, one after the other. There were only seconds to think about it before a narrow beam of light shot forward to join one emanating from her own spark, both spinning together and forming a deep violet ray. In that moment she knew his feelings for her and it was easy to see why he wasn't good at expressing them. They were huge, powerful, almost violent, and completely overwhelming. Then the ray connected them mind and soul and eclipsed any further thought.
XxXxXxXxXxXxX
Beyond the horizon Iacon glowed more brightly than ever, as did the red, downward slanted optics that stared in its direction. All living quarters in Darkmount had a balcony, albeit not as large as the one Megatron stood upon now. It wasn't merely a pleasant addition. The primary function was to serve as a place to assess immediate threats to the fortress and then launch oneself into the battle. No one could cover that many exits.
Enjoy it, Autobot scum. Your magnanimity will be the death of you all, Megatron thought. He wondered if they yet regretted the peace agreement. He knew the Autobots were watching them. Prime was not such a fool as to believe the Decepticons would go quietly into obscurity. Above him the stars glittered, although not as brilliantly now that Darkmount was fully lit. More and more of their territory was coming back to life. Gradually this sliver of Cybertron would rise to assimilate the entire planet. The sounds of construction drifted to him and made him more restless. It didn't matter how hard they worked, it would never be fast enough.
He shifted his gaze downward to view the goings on in the courtyard. A group of mechs was working on their hand-to-hand combat techniques. Megatron smirked. He could easily take any one of them. In fact, it would be a fine way to work off his restiveness. Perhaps he would go down there and . He completely forgot the idea as he felt an odd hitch in his spark. He gripped the railing in front of him as he waited to see if happened again or grew worse. It wasn't painful, but what…? After a few seconds, the confused scowl on his faceplate gave way to a chilling smile. Now he knew what it was. Another of his schemes had advanced exactly as planned, albeit slightly sooner than anticipated. Certainly the next phase would happen on its own with no prompting from him. What complications it might cause him, he didn't know but it was a risk he would have to take in order to achieve other goals. It didn't concern him much. He had a gift for turning inconveniences into advantages. And if it became an unendurable nuisance, there was an easy and permanent way to fix it.
