Chapter 4: Reformatting
Optimus Prime was sitting in his office, awaiting a report back from the Rescue Bots. He was made aware of Whirl's secondary disappearance, and it had unnerved him greatly.
When he was made aware that she was a Decepticon, he was unnerved, but he quickly got over it. When she returned, he planned to use the reformatter to switch her sides to that of an Autobot. But when Shockwave showed up, he had to reject the plan.
He knew better not to mess with someone else's sparklet, not to mention, he didn't want to make an enemy out of Shockwave, as he seemed docile at the moment. Avoiding unnecessary fights is what Prime wanted, for the safety of the Rescue Bots and for the safety of the humans near the area.
Ever since he allowed Shockwave to live in the Rescue Bot academy, a few of the Autobots on Cybertron questioned his allegiance and why he would allow a known Decepticon war criminal to walk free. Needless to say, the choice wasn't without consequences back on Cybertron.
"Are you sure about this, Optimus? I mean, letting one Decepticon into that academy was risky, and sure, while Wedge was changed, that caused panic on the outside. Now you're letting Shockwave seek asylum there, along with Whirl, who is also a Decepticon. I don't think that's a good idea," Bumblebee said as the aforementioned Autobot leader let out a tired sigh.
"I know of your concerns, Bumblebee, but we must let them prove themselves. For all we know, they could prove useful allies. Besides, Whirl was unaware of herself being a Decepticon in the first place. We can't just lock up and execute every Decepticon we see. It would be unwise," Optimus stated, his calm and reassuring voice bringing a slight smile to the Autobot scout.
For all his skills and talents, Bumblebee had an immense hatred for Decepticons. Optimus couldn't blame the young scout.
He lived throughout the war, lost his voice box to Megatron, and continued to fight them for millions of years. It would only be natural that the hatred for the Decepticons would remain, even after years of peace.
"Yeah, I guess you're right…." Bumblebee said as Optimus finally received the call he was looking for. Pressing the receive button, he was greeted with a scared Blades, much to Optimus's concern
"Blades, is everything ok down there?" Optimus questioned as Blades let out a worried chuckle.
"W-Well, uh, you see… Whirl came back, and she returned with Cyclonus, who was stranded on Zepheron," Blades stated as Optimus raised an eyebrow.
"Another Decepticon?" Optimus paused before shaking his head. Cyclonus was only a Decepticon by insignia, not by oath. During the war, he helped out the Autobot's when they needed it, all of course behind Megatron's back. However, when the Decepticon leader found out, Cyclonus had to escape and flee to the prisoner of war planet, Zepheron.
"Well, It's Cyclonus. He helped the Autobots in the war, so that's ok. But what about Whirl? Why didn't she report to me instead of you? I wish to speak to her," Optimus said as Blades rubbed the back of his neck.
"About that… When Whirl came back, she was on the Allspark's doorstep. She was ambushed by Zombicon's, and it was thanks to Cyclonus that she's still with us," Blades stated as Optimus's optics, as well as Bumblebee's, went wide.
Zombicon's. They're usually reanimated or insane bots that only rely on their hunting skills, as well as their keen sense of smell of Energon to stay alive. They feast on unexpecting bots, and 90% of the time, the bot attacked does not survive. So for Whirl to have survived, it was astonishing for sure.
"She requires reformatting, according to Shockwave. She's missing her Mul-T-Cog, several of her joints, and she's lost over 75% of her Energon… I don't want to go on, seeing her in that state, it made me think she had already joined the Allspark…." Blades stated as Optimus blinked in shock.
Most attacks by Zombicon's would usually leave bots heavily damaged, Whirl was no exception, but they could usually be repaired. To say that she needed reformatting meant that she was in worse condition than Optimus first imagined.
"Reformatting… I… I will be there right away," The Autobot leader stated as Blades spoke up.
"Oh! Wait, Shockwave wants to do it. He doesn't want an Autobot tampering with his sparklet. Just so that you know, I'd thought to tell you that," Blades informed as Optimus stopped before turning back to the screen.
In response to the statement, Optimus nodded, not saying a word. After that, he ended the call and walked over to his reformatter. Picking the small triangle device up, he marched over to the room where the ground bridge was kept with no delay in his movements.
The doors to the room opened as Optimus walked inside. The first one to greet him was Ratchet, the very bot who manned the ground bridge.
To say that seeing Optimus here shocked him was an understatement. The only times when Optimus used the ground bridge were for emergencies, which were rare on Cybertron nowadays.
"Optimus? Where are you going?" The old medic asked as Optimus looked at his old friend with concern in his optics.
"Whirl is in dire need of reformatting. A Zombicon had ravaged her body during a rescue mission," Optimus stated, causing Ratchet to gasp.
"By primus, how is she still functional? Being attacked by a Zombicon is usually a death sentence!" Ratchet stated as Optimus shuttered, knowing full well he was right. Composing himself, he responded to the medic's question.
"Cyclonus saved her. My guess is that Whirl went to rescue him but was rescued by him instead." Optimus replied gravely as Ratchet huffed with concern.
"I see… well, I'll activate the ground bridge then. Please standby," Ratchet replied as the ground bridge whirred to life. Optimus would never get used to seeing such a beautiful sight, even after using it so many times during the war with the Decepticon's on earth. Even now, the sight mesmerized him to this day.
Stepping through the ground bridge, He transformed into his alt mode and made his way to the academy. After a few seconds, he arrived, transforming back into his bot mode. He was greeted by Blades walking over to him, an urgency in his movements.
"Follow me, Optimus. Shockwave is waiting," Blades said as Optimus nodded. He was still wary about Shockwave being in the academy, but he could do nothing about it due to the truce.
Upon making it to the med bay, he saw Shockwave standing just in front of the door, head lowered, and from what Optimus could make out, worry in the con's sole optic. This took Optimus aback. Seeing that the cold-hearted Shockwave was showing emotion truly made Optimus open his optics to just how much danger Whirl was in.
This showed to him that Shockwave cared for Whirl, even if it was in his own way. This reassured Optimus that his choice wasn't a bad one. Once Shockwave saw Optimus, he raised his head and looked at the Autobot leader, optic returning to his normal cold and calculated one.
"You came quicker than expected," Shockwave spoke coldly as Optimus nodded.
"When a bot I care for is on death's door, I do whatever I can to make sure they make it. You said you needed the reformatter, correct?" Optimus said, handing the device over to Shockwave.
"Thank you, Prime. I will return this device when it is ready. In the meantime, gather the recruits. I wish them to see Whirl when she exits the pod in her new form. And also, find some alt forms for her to scan, as she will undoubtedly need them. I want three flying vehicles and three land vehicles." Shockwave stated as Blades ran off to grab the new possible alt modes for Whirl.
Optimus stared at Shockwave with concern as he stepped into the med bay. Medix walked out as the door closed, the young Rescue bot seemingly scared. "Medix," Optimus spoke as the young rescue bot jumped.
"Ah! Optimus, t-this is a surprise! Uh, hi!" Medix spoke with a nervous stutter as Optimus knelt to the young Rescue bot.
"Can you go retrieve your friends for me? Shockwave wants Whirl surrounded by her friends when she awakes from her stasis," Optimus stated as Medix nodded.
"Can do, sir!" Medix exclaimed as he ran off to grab the other Rescue bots in training. As the young bot ran off, the doors opened up, revealing Shockwave.
"How did it go, Shockwave?" Optimus asked as Shockwave stared at the Autobot leader. It was unclear to know what the bot was thinking, so he waited for a response.
"It went well. She is about to awaken. Let us wait for the recruits to appear before entering," Shockwave said, his optic narrowing as he turned to the hallway.
Her optics took a second to adjust to the light in the area she was in. How long had she been out for? Whirl didn't exactly know for how long, but from what she did know right now, it was that she felt… different? That was the word, different.
She heard the sound of liquid draining as the sound of decompression filled her audio receptors. What happened? She couldn't remember. All she remembered was pain. Unending, unyielding pain. That's when it hit her like a blaster shot to the faceplate.
She was attacked by some sort of rogue Autobot screaming about Energon, and then… she was rescued by someone. The sound of several footsteps echoed, then the sound of a door opening. That's when her optics finally opened to reveal that she was back at the med bay in the academy.
"What? H-How?" She muttered as she was released from what she could assume to be a stasis pod. The balance in her legs wasn't all that good as she fell out of the pod.
Luckily, she was able to catch herself with her hands. Her optics widened in horror as she looked at her hands. Gone were the big bulky fingers that she was used to seeing. Now, all she saw were thin hands with long, sharp fingers that nearly reached to be two centimetres long. But that wasn't all. Her arms were no longer the bright blue she was used to. They were now a sickly shade of purple.
What in the primes happened to her?! She grabbed her helm as she tried to figure out what was going on. "Whirl?" A familiar voice spoke as she raised her head. She looked up to see Hotshot and the other junior Rescue bots. They all had different degrees of confusion and fear on their faces as Shockwave entered the room.
"There is no way that is Whirl. She was blue, not purple!" Hot Shot said as the femme narrowed her optics at the bot in front of her.
"I have no clue why I look like this either, Hot Shot," Whirl spoke as Hotshot's optics went wide with alarm.
"Holy scrap! It really is Whirl!" Hot Shot spoke with alarm as Wedge sighed.
"Look, on her chest, She really is a Decepticon!" Hoist said, slight alarm in his voice as Shockwave cleared his throat.
"I would appreciate it if you would stop pointing out the obvious on my sparklet, please," Shockwave stated, causing the others to step away.
"Wait a nanoklik! He's your father?! I knew it was a Decepticon, but not him!" Medix spoke up as Whirl lowered her head.
"Ignore them for now, my sparklet. Blades has found you some acceptable alt-modes for you to change into. Follow me, if you will," Shockwave said as the young Decepticon nodded, following Shockwave. Hot Shot's optic's narrowed as Wedge looked on with concern.
'She's going through something… I mean, nearly being offlined twice in the same week is going to cause some serious trauma, but… I just hope she's fine...' Wedge thought as Hot Shot growled.
"I can't stand Decepticon's. Their always uptight and think they own it all. One of these days, I'll show that no good Decepticon, cyclops scrap head what for!" Hot Shot said as Wedge pinched the bridge between his optics.
As Shockwave and Whirl walked out of the front doors of the academy, Whirl's optics widened as she saw the lineup of possible Alt-Modes to choose from. There were three different types of flying alt modes and three different land alt-modes.
From right to left, flyers to ground vehicles were: A Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, a Sikorsky MH-60 Jayhawk, and a Gulfstream G15, black and blue dodge charger designed to look like a police car, a blue Ferrari, and finally a blue Aston Martin Vantage.
"Pick whichever mode you want. It didn't take me long to get some of these vehicle models out from the scanning room," Blades stated as Shockwave placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I suggest starting with a ground mode first since you are the most inexperienced with them right now. I have watched over your training logs while you were in stasis, and as your creator, I suggest you take my advice," Shockwave commented as Whirl reluctantly turned to the ground vehicles.
"Hmm…" Whirl hummed as she rubbed her small fingers on her chin. She wasn't going to get used to those anytime soon, that's for sure. She finally decided on one of the cars and scanned it, picking the Aston Martin Vantage.
She didn't want to be a police car, mostly because Chase was already one, and she didn't like the way the Ferrari looked.
After she finished scanning, she transformed into the alt-mode as she whistled. "Oh boy, I love this!" Whirl said as she Transformed back into her bot form.
Her chest was now made up of a split in half version of the car's front, a Decepticon insignia resting in the center of her chest, which was a silver colour. On her shoulders were the car's front wheels, and on her back were the windows of the car, acting as wings of sorts.
Her arms were made out of the doors and sides of the car, along with parts of the roof on the underside of her lower arm. Her long slender fingers curled up into a fist, again, something she couldn't get used to.
Her waist was the same as before, just now with a thinner look and appearing to look more like the dashboard of the alt-mode. Her legs were long and slender, with the remained parts of the vehicle mode being there; however, on her back were the exhaust pipes, which seemed detachable.
"This… this is weird…." Whirl said, looking herself over as Shockwave hummed.
"It is something you'll have to get used to. Now, go show the other Rescue bots you're new alt mode. Once you get a feel for driving, you can scan one of the flying alt-modes. That way, you can be good at both. It is logical," Shockwave stated as Whirl nodded, running back into the academy.
"You think her picking that form was the best?" Blades asked as Shockwave nodded.
"For her to be a good rescue bot, she must know both land and air alt-modes and be a master in both of them, does she not? It is best to use the one she is most uncomfortable with first before something she is comfortable with. That way, Whirl won't have to worry about failing rescues, correct?" Shockwave asked as Blades sighed.
"Well, you aren't wrong…. but who's going to teach her how to drive? Chase isn't a muscle car, and the others are just learning how to as well!" Blades asked as Shockwave had a gleam in his optic.
"I have… an idea," Shockwave said, walking back into the academy as Blades became worried.
Cyclonus was hooked up to an Energon refueler as he stared off into space. He was finally back with other, non-crazed cybertronians, and all he could think about was the bot named Whirl. The very bot which he saved and was also named after an old friend of his. He couldn't stop thinking about how much the bot looked like his deceased friend.
As he was thinking about that bot, in particular, the door to his room opened up, revealing a purple car bot. Their red eyes focused on him as Cyclonus raised an eyebrow. "How many Decepticon's are on this base?" Cyclonus asked as the bot raised an eyebrow.
"Uh, ok, that's a great way to say hi to someone. But uh… I kind of owe you one… you saved my spark," the bot said as Cyclonus's optics went wide. He took a closer look at the bot's face and started to piece things together until he finally spoke.
"Wait a nanoklik, are you Whirl? Did you get reformatted?" Cyclonus asked as Whirl nodded.
"It was either that, or I would be nothing but a cripple. So again, you have my thanks," Whirl said as the Decepticon sweep lowered his head. Unplugging himself from the Energon refueler, he stood up, towering over the young Decepticon.
"I owe you my life as well. Had you not came to risk your life for me, I would be a goner. Although, it took me nearly the rest of my Energon to save you back there. But that doesn't matter. You being alive is all that matters to me," Cyclonus stated as Whirl smiled.
"Thanks, oh, hey, do you know how to switch the colours on an alt-mode?" Whirl asked as she looked at the purple on her arm in disgust. "No offence, but I do not like purple…" Whirl said as Cyclonus scoffed.
"Simple, all you got to do is get it painted. Once you pain your alt-mode, it'll stick forever." Cyclonus stated as Whirl nodded.
"Thanks, Cyclonus!" Whirl said as she ran out of the room. The sweep smirked. Her boundless energy reminded him of the Whirl he used to know, minus the sadistic side of him.
The young Decepticon ran through the halls before making her way out of the academy, intent on finding one person in particular. Transforming into her vehicle mode, she sped off in search of one Cody Burns.
Cody was having a good day. Hanging out with Frankie all day turned out to be a good idea, as she had helped him with his school work. Unfortunately, she had to leave after her father called her back to help look after her little sister.
It was still daylight out, and he had planned to buy himself a slushie at the local 711. As he walked, he could hear the sound of an engine roaring down the street. Just as he turned his head, he saw a purple muscle car pull up to him and slow down. "Uh, can I help you?" The young boy asked as the car stopped and proceeded to Transform.
"Ah! Wait a second, who are you?! You don't look like a Rescue bot…" Cody said as the purple bot laughed a little.
"Well, it has been a while since we saw each other," The bot spoke in a voice that Cody instantly recognized as his face became laced with confusion.
"Whirl?! Wait a second, weren't you a helicopter like Blades before? Why are you a car now?" Cody asked as Whirl sighed.
"Rather not talk about it. Right now, I just want to get a paint job done. Since the town doesn't know that I'm a Rescue bot, can you act as my driver?" Whirl asked as Cody raised an eyebrow.
"Uh… Whirl, I'm only 13 years old. I don't have a license yet," Cody stated as Whirl sighed before grabbing Cody and transforming into her alt-mode, scaring the blond boy.
"Well, too bad, I just need to get this sickly purple off myself before I show myself to the rest of the recruits. Come on! Let's go!" Whirl exclaimed as she sped off down the street, unaware that a police officer saw her speeding.
"Better call the Rescue Bots about this. Another one of those stupid aliens, damn metal robots…." The police officer spat, signalling the Rescue Bots on his pager.
-To Be Continued-
Whirl's new design is heavily based on a certain Red Decepticon obsessed with his paint job btw. Don't worry, she'll get a flying mode soon, just a few chapters with speedster Whirl, and then we'll get back to fly-by Whirlybird. Whelp, see you in the next one. Peace.