Author's Note: Thanks for reading and commenting and the like. It's all appreciated. Transformers belongs to Hasbro and Takara, not me.
A Blessing and A Curse
By: Quetzal1
Chapter 55
The Devil's in the Details
Cyclonus was starting to wonder if perhaps this continuing failure was somehow his fault. Despite several attempts, he and Stormvolt had yet to create a spark. Had the reformatting process damaged him in a way that rendered it impossible? His old incarnation wasn't dead when it happened, according to the video Stormvolt saw. But what if she was mistaken? There also remained the possibility that Unicron's reformatting wasn't the same as the procedure done on Cybertron. There were so many variables and no good way to determine what the issue was. How many times should they try before giving up? The method employed for spark creation was not without dangers. Every effort was pleasurable but ultimately left both of them nearly depleted of energy and feeling out of sorts afterwards. And then there was the hesitation he managed to hide regarding the whole endeavor. He wanted it to happen but yet wondered if it would cause more trouble than either of them were prepared for.
He knew she had more in mind than visiting their creation and imparting extra instruction. It might start out that way, but she would get more and more involved as if this new being wasn't also a war machine whose main objective in life was to cause death to their enemies, and in turn die for their cause. Or was it? Cyclonus cared nothing about Stormvolt's human origins. As far as he was concerned she had successfully prevailed over any organic shortcomings, but were those undesirable traits able to be passed on? A new spark was made from the energy of two others and those imparted certain characteristics of the donors. What if their creation inherited the worst of human failings and couldn't overcome them? He tried to imagine a Decepticon who had pacifist tendencies. What good would training do one who refused to use it? It put them on the same level as a neutral. The mech remembered with disgust the Cybertronians who had colonized a planet and lived peacefully, not even possessing weapons. A 'bot with those leanings was unfit to be a Decepticon and deserving of execution. Yes, and he imagined the reaction of his mate if he told her of that particular opinion. She would accept their creation no matter what path they chose, short of joining the Autobots. And he wondered if she could willingly sent them into danger, as would surely be required when Megatron was ready to reclaim Cybertron.
And he might be wrong. Their creation had the potential to become a legendary warrior, or at least average. Average among their kind wasn't bad but he didn't know if he could settle for that in one of his own or not. But if they were not the greatest fighter, they would certainly be among the smartest. High intelligence made up for a lot. And what about the special ability that would be unique to them alone? He would never know if they didn't try.
A knock on the door interrupted his reverie. It was Sunstorm. Cyclonus had chosen him to supervise Blueshift until the War Academy was functional again and scheduled a meeting with him to go over the particulars. Good. It would take his mind off of problems he shouldn't have to give so much thought to, in his opinion.
XxXxXxXxXxX
The mine was a hive of hurried activity as always. Everywhere Minicons were drilling into the rocky walls or hauling away the ranazite, which had already been freed. The output had increased after Stormvolt left thanks to the ceaseless analysis of the crew bosses.
"I don't get it. What's in it for these guys? Why do they go at it so hard?" Sawtooth asked. Initially, when he had taken over operations on Chaar, he didn't believe that the mine pretty much ran itself. A few days into the job proved that it was indeed true, but it confounded him.
"This is what they do. They like it and they're good at it," said Stormvolt with a shrug. "I gave up trying to understand a while ago." One of the small mechs walked by carrying a heavy beam, and nodded at the femme who returned it. "You haven't had any problems with them have you?"
"No. Other than I get an attitude from them every time I come out here."
"How often is that?"
"Daily."
"There's your problem. Cut back to every three."
"But how do I know they won't be out here slacking off?"
"Try it. They know what's expected and don't like somebody constantly watching over their shoulders."
"Alright. But if production falls off, don't blame me."
"I'm not worried about it, and if that's all, I'm out of here. Do you need anything sent up with the next shuttle?"
"No."
"Okay. Ravage will be here to do one of his sweeps in the next cycle or two."
"Wonderful," said Sawtooth. As with many of the Decepticons he didn't much care for Soundwave or his minions. Ravage was sent up regularly to sweep the mine and the barracks to ensure there were no clandestine operations going on that they needed to be aware of. Occasionally Ratbat performed the same task but no one saw him coming or going.
"I'm out. Call if you have any problems."
Sawtooth nodded and she turned and made for the surface. As always, it was a relief to get out from underground and into the air again. There was no need to rush back to Cybertron and she set a course that would take her around Chaar at its equator. It was relaxing. She flew around under the guise of checking for abnormalities but was really using it as an opportunity to think.
There wasn't any rush but it seemed like she and Cyclonus should have managed to make a spark by now. For all her skill at repairs there were certain aspects of Cybertronian physiology that she flat out didn't know or didn't have a firm grasp of. She was learning thanks to many hours of study in her limited free time, but there was a long way to go. There was no information regarding a case like hers. Maybe she just wasn't able to do it. Unlike Cyclonus, she felt no guilt at the possibility. If you were going to make a 'bot out of a human, there were bound to be differences that were not obvious. Was there a chance that her spark was unusual in a fashion that precluded the ability to reproduce? If true, it was no one's fault. And what if it wasn't her? It could easily be Cyclonus. Or what if they were both different enough that they didn't work with each other but would be fine with other sparks? What if it was merely a case of trying too hard? Or not hard enough? Now and then she was uncertain as to Cyclonus's interest in this project. She knew that he enjoyed the effort, but she sensed doubt too. Doubt wasn't necessarily the correct word for it, but it was the best she had come up with. The trouble was, she couldn't tell what it was about.
She wasn't sure he was totally on board with the idea of… well, parenting, for lack of a better term. It wasn't a total lack of interest. Stormvolt understood the uncertainty, if that's what he was feeling. She didn't know what to expect either. A new 'Con wasn't going to be like a human child (not that she had much experience with those either.) They immediately spoke and retained new information in their processor without having to test it a bunch of times first. And they developed into their final forms quickly. Blueshift wasn't that old, but he was obviously a tetrajet. True, he didn't have all of his capabilities yet, but they were developing at a high rate. They were like little, naïve adults. Of course that naiveté went by the wayside very soon after they got out amongst the others, most likely. And how about that friendship with Hammerhead? What would the final basic programming do to that? If it did nothing, the War Academy definitely would when they were divided into air and ground units and developed the biases that came with it. Too bad. If they got along with each other, there was no telling how strong a force they would become. But see? That bullshit was something she and Cyclonus could warn their creation of thereby eliminating a tiny amount of unnecessary infighting in the future.
He wouldn't be against that, would he? Was he worried that she would get too attached? It made sense because she had that same concern herself. How did you create a new life and then send them off to conceivably get blown away without caring? If you did things the normal way, you'd never know if a soldier was your own or not. Not a bad system when you considered what Decepticons were all about. She had a feeling that Cyclonus was capable of that. If everything worked and they made a new spark, and were permitted to enact their plan, she didn't think the mech would be indulgent when it came to dealing with their offspring. He would probably be as stern a disciplinarian as he had been with her. Except that he had changed to a degree where that was concerned. But that was a different kind of relationship. The only real way to determine the outcome was to make it happen. If it turned out to be a bad plan, they stopped and allowed their creation to be brought up in the same way as others had for million of years. It would be painful, but it was an alternative. A sucky alternative, but at least an option.
Then there was the Megatron factor. What if the entire scheme was forbidden? And there existed the possibility that he could tell them "no", simply because he felt like it. There wasn't any way around him. Stormvolt knew that the second they showed up at Shockwave's lab, there would be trouble unless they already had permission from someone higher up and who else was there? Inwardly she cringed at the mere notion of going to see him about such a personal matter. He would give her that smirk and ask a bunch of questions. Ugh.
After another lap of the planet with nothing of interest spotted, she decided to go home. There was plenty to do there. The seeker gained altitude and broke with Chaar's gravity, setting a course for Cybertron.
XxXxXxXxXxX
Blueshift and Hammerhead were in high spirits. Shockwave informed them earlier in the cycle that the infusion of protoform material they had received yesterday was their last. With this round they would attain their full size. It was wonderful news. No more sitting motionless for hours as the process took place, no feeling weird for hours afterward, and best of all, they would be bigger. If not for the trouble they got into before, together they were strong enough to overpower Shockwave and go wherever they felt like.
And hadn't Shockwave been slagging mad about that?
XxXxX
They slunk back to the lab after their run in with Megatron and waited around outside until someone opened the door to leave. That happened to be Shockwave himself, previously alerted via communicator by Megatron, and absolutely livid. They couldn't tell by looking at his faceplate, such as it was, but his tone of voice was more than enough. He yelled at and berated them for a solid half hour before putting them back in the large, mostly empty room and locking them in with a new pass code and an addition to the outside of the door. They heard the heavy metallic scrape but didn't know what it was. And he stayed that way for weeks. They cringed on the inside whenever he came in the room
XxXxX
But… for as angry as he was, Shockwave seemed to get over it abruptly. He was, dare they say it, pleasant to them earlier. His mood was much too good. It made Hammerhead nervous.
"I think he's got plans for us and we're not going to like it," he said, pacing slowly.
"You are paranoid, my friend," Blueshift said, from the corner where he lounged on the floor.
"Think about it. He's had his circuits in a bunch for weeks now and then suddenly he's in a good mood?"
"I don't know. He can't stay like that forever can he? He's got to go back to normal sometime, right?"
"I guess, but I don't trust him."
"Me either, but for a lot of reasons besides that."
The door opened and a mech neither of them knew walked briskly into the room. He was spindly and flimsy looking compared to Shockwave's solidity.
"You are Hammerhead and Blueshift, correct?" He asked.
"Yeah. Who are you?" Hammerhead asked.
"My designation is Laminar. I will be reconnecting your weapon and anti-gravity systems today before we send you to your temporary assignments."
"Finally!" Said Hammerhead. He'd been impatiently waiting for the day he could fire the enormous mortars mounted to his back.
"Wait a minute. What do you mean 'assignments'?" Said Blueshift. He was anxious to be armed as much as Hammerhead, but it was the last part that caught his attention.
"Assignments. Once your weapons are on line, you will go further your experience. You will be sent to your respective units until we have enough of you for more formal training at the War Academy," said Laminar, impatiently. These two didn't give the impression of being terribly bright, despite having received their basic programming. "Is there a problem?"
"No. I thought we'd stay together, that's all," said Blueshift, glancing at Hammerhead who was scowling now, his pleasure at the idea of possessing functional weapons temporarily dulled.
"That isn't the way works. You are a seeker. What are you going to learn from a ground based tactical unit? And what is he going to learn from mechs who are constantly airborne?" Honestly, what a ridiculous question.
"Does Shockwave know about this?" Hammerhead asked, already suspecting the answer. This explained why Shockwave had acted so happy. He was getting rid of them.
"Yes. Now, enough of this. You have a busy cycle ahead of you, as do I. Dispense with your nonsense and get moving."
XxXxXxXxXxX
"You were not exaggerating when you said he had no experience," said Sunstorm, as he glanced over the little data available on Blueshift.
"No, which is why I want him with someone who is responsible and capable of instructing him in the basics. You will not allow the others in your trine to exert any influence over him, I trust?" Said Cyclonus. It wasn't really a question but more a friendly warning. He remained unimpressed with Flashburn and Turbulence, even with their continuing punishment. As of today, they were charged with guarding Chaar's airspace.
"They have learned from their misadventure, but no, I will not permit them to lead him astray.
"Good."
The doors opened and Stormvolt entered, practically shoving a timid Blueshift in front of her. "Greetings, Cyclonus, Sunstorm. Look who I found."
XxXxX
She came back from Chaar, and after more errands, returned to her office to write up the report on the mine. Standing outside the door of the Air Commander's office was Blueshift. He was obviously uneasy, shifting his weight back and forth and raising a hand to knock and then withdrawing it as if afraid. She was correct in that assessment. To say he was concerned was an understatement. He thought they would send him anywhere but back to the second in command. Their last meeting had not been great. Did he get him in trouble with Megatron too? If Hammerhead were here, it wouldn't be as bad, but Laminar sent him off to a mech named Barricade. He may have stood there all day but a voice startled him.
"Blueshift, what are you doing here?" Asked Stormvolt. It hadn't been that long since she last saw him, but he was much larger. The process was working exactly as Megatron had described. He was obviously uptight about something, though.
"Greetings, ma'am. I am going to have a temporary assignment until I'm sent to the War Academy. Laminar told me to come here."
"Laminar?"
"Yes ma'am. He works for Shockwave."
"Oh. I haven't met him, but that's not important. What sort of assignment?"
"I don't know yet. Air Commander Cyclonus will decide that."
"Yes, he and I are looking forward to evaluating your abilities. Why are you waiting around out here?"
"I- that is…."
"Out with it, soldier." She didn't like to be a hard ass but knew a commanding presence would be apt to move things along. Truth be told, Stormvolt sympathized with him. Cyclonus was scary as hell when he wanted to be and it wasn't hard to imagine what bad scenarios Blueshift was envisioning.
"I am concerned that we inadvertently caused difficulties for both of you with Lord Megatron previously."
"You did nothing of the kind. Lord Megatron is quite reasonable. If he were going to punish anybody it would have been you guys." Or Shockwave, she added mentally, not wanting to undermine the mech despite her dislike of him. "If that's all you're worried about, forget it. Let's go present you to Cyclonus."
Blueshift felt slightly better. The femme wasn't particularly stern and seemed almost friendly as long as he didn't hesitate and waste her time, but he remained nervous about what was to come.
XxXxX
Stormvolt left Blueshift standing out in the middle of the floor and walked over to stand off to one side and slightly behind Cyclonus.
"Greetings, Blueshift," said Cyclonus.
"Greetings, Commander," said Blueshift. Hopefully, this would be alright.
"You will come to attention when you address me," said Cyclonus, with both his voice and facial expression showing annoyance.
Blueshift froze, unsure of how to proceed. That was when he noticed the femme, she was staring at him hard and standing up ramrod straight compared to her earlier relaxed posture. He mimicked the pose and hoped for the best.
"Please excuse me, Sir. I have not been instructed in protocol except where Lord Megatron is concerned."
"I see. It is no less than what I should have expected. However, from now on, when you address myself or any of your superiors, you will come to attention. Is that clear?"
"Yes sir," he said, noticing that the femme had gone back to standing the way she was before.
"Very well. Have you received any flight or weapons training?"
"No, Sir. My weapons and antigravity systems have been offline up until two hours ago."
Cyclonus said nothing but gave a disapproving grunt. This was not hopeless, but it set things back.
Stormvolt watched, gauging his reactions. He wasn't particularly hard on Blueshift, but neither was he sympathetic. If they made a spark, barring any input from them, this was what their offspring would be like. And it was likely that Cyclonus would behave similarly with it. Actually, he might expect more and be harder on them. It was difficult to say. She felt mildly bad for the newest 'Con, and while she wouldn't coddle him, there was no harm in offering surreptitious tips.
"Beginning tomorrow, at the start of each cycle you will report to Stormvolt for general flight instruction. After that you will see me for weapons training. Then you will spend the remainder of your day with Sunstorm, putting to use your training and performing whatever tasks he requires. He will also assign you to your temporary quarters and give you a tour of the facilities.
"Yes Sir."
"Do you have any questions?"
"Will any of my lessons be taken with Hammerhead?"
"No. I assigned him to Barricade, the commander of Darkmount's security forces. His role as a Decepticon warrior is entirely different from yours and I advise you to focus on your own function and not concern yourself with temporary alliances," said Cyclonus. Barricade wasn't his first choice, but he was better than the Combaticons. Not only that, but security training would cover most of the essential basics he needed to know and keep him out of the way. Eventually both of these new mechs would fall under the influence of their peers and then the usual seeker/ground based hostilities would commence. Why not get it out of the way now?
"Understood," said Blueshift, already learning and hiding his disappointment.
"Why is your designation Blueshift?" Stormvolt asked.
"I can show you, if you like," he said.
"Proceed."
"I presume it is because I can do this…." They watched as his entire frame went rigid and then suddenly he took a step toward them as the air appeared to wobble and flex and then it was as if he was moving fast and aggressively approaching. All three of them went into a defensive stance when the image wavered and faded and it was obvious that Blueshift was nowhere near.
"I don't understand it completely yet, but it has to do with generating a field that changes light and makes it look like I'm right there when I'm not," said Blueshift, apologetically. When the others prepared to defend themselves, he thought the end was near. That, or at least a beating.
"Interesting," said Cyclonus. "Can you do that in your alt mode?"
"I don't know. I haven't been able to spend much time in it. There's no room to fly where we were. The most I've been airborne was when we first met."
"Sunstorm, he is yours until the next cycle. Do what you like but have him practice that. In combat it would be an invaluable skill," said Cyclonus.
"Yes, Sir," said Sunstorm, maintaining formality in front of the new mech. "This way," he said to Blueshift and the pair left.
"Wow, that is a cool trick," said Stormvolt as soon as they were alone. "If he can do that in flight, no one will be able to shoot him down."
"Indeed," said Cyclonus. "And why did you feel the need to prompt him? Do not think that went unnoticed."
"Hey, it's not his fault no one's told him anything. And I wanted to see if he was smart enough to take a hint."
"It would appear so."
"I don't think he's a bad prospect."
"Nor do I. But this will set back our forces for a bit."
"Yes. But I wonder how they will differ from the ones that come along after the War Academy is up and running again."
"It remains to be seen, although I would think personalized instruction yields better results."
"Oh? Does that mean that our creation could expect such an education?"
"Perhaps. I have considered the matter further and have some proposals."
"Such as?"
"I think it would be for the best if our spark didn't know its origins as is the usual case. However, you and I could still give them our individual attention."
"Because why?"
"If your human creators held positions of great power in your society, for example, don't you think that would have changed your mindset as you were maturing?"
"It's possible."
"It is almost certain. Furthermore, when that information became general knowledge other humans would have granted you special preferences and privileges in an attempt to curry favor with your creators, wouldn't they?"
"Oh yeah. There are people who will try to further their own ends by any means necessary."
"Yes, and then on the opposite end of the situation, other young humans would have done the same but many of them would have given in to petty jealousies and attempted to make your existence much harder, correct?"
"Haters gonna hate."
"What?"
"Yes, kids are bad about being jealous sometimes."
"Would you want to visit this same nonsense upon your own creation?"
"No, but let me get this straight. You have no problems with taking a part in our creation's upbringing, but you don't want them to know that they're ours?"
"Correct."
It wasn't what she had in mind originally, but it made sense. And with Blueshift and others coming under their tutelage it wouldn't appear to be blatant favoritism. Stormvolt had to remind herself that they didn't think or operate like humans. It would be better for everyone in the long run to keep unnecessary attachments to a minimum. It had to make the Decepticons more effective in action to not have anyone to worry about other than a mate or close friend, if that. Family outside those connections didn't exist.
"What do you think?" Cyclonus asked.
"I'm not crazy about it, but I can do it."
"It may be our only opportunity. Once the process is back to normal and the War Academy is operational, there is every possibility that we may never know any future Decepticons we create beyond the initial spark."
"Then we should definitely make the attempt."
"I agree." Cyclonus was relieved. It was a suitable compromise and he was seriously curious about the differences in these newest 'Cons and the ones that would follow. But then all of this discussion was pointless if they were unable to produce a spark. However, that felt different too. He wasn't as apprehensive as before.
Stormvolt said nothing, but she tenuously felt his relief. Ah. This must be what was holding them back. If he were confident in how matters were going to proceed, he would undoubtedly relax. And maybe they'd been trying too hard. But somehow, the vibe between them felt different now and in a good way. The signal was more in synch and in tune than before. Either it would happen or it wouldn't , but if force to make a bet on the matter, she'd lean hard toward "would".
