And another one clean, and no less horrible than the last. I mean, good gosh, I thought this was good? Wow.
FireFox Vixen - That was what I was going for, thank you.
Disclaimer: Transformers belongs to Hasbro. I only take credit for this story and my OCs.
February 26, 2012 9:56 P.M
Autobot base, outside Jasper, Nevada
It had been one mega-cycle since I started training. Most of that time was spent down in the area where I destroyed the building. I learned it was called the Safe. Arcee kept me on a very tight schedule when it came to my training. From six in the morning until ten at night she had me spar, run the obstacle course, and test my battle awareness with combat simulations.
When I went to spar, Arcee would often give me a severe handicap, either by making me use one servo or pede, or by having me fight multiple opponents. I once went against Bulkhead, Ratchet and Bumblebee at once with a servo tied behind my backplates. That fight went... Less than well. But, it taught me a lesson in the fact that not every fight was going to be fair.
The obstacle course was like five stages of pain and suffering.
The first stage was a long crawl under barbed wire with electricity coursing through it. Due to my very large frame I hit the wire at least four times before getting to the next stage. Stage two was a series of rotating clubs that hit you every time you touched them. Again, due to my size, it made this stage a difficult one, and also painful. The third stage was to climb a wall that came so close to the ceiling I would almost hit my helm, then I was to jump down to the other side from the top.
Stage four was set up for testing agility. There were narrow beams I was to run across, high walls to jump over, and a swinging pipe on the other side that I immediately had to duck under.
The final stage was a maze that Ratchet would change every time I went through was by far the least painful stage but also the most difficult. Arcee would give me a time limit to finish the maze and if I didn't finish by that time, I had to restart.
We rarely used the combat simulator, and when we did, Arcee would program it for random scenarios. The most common ones simulated how would I fight Decepticons in a heavily populated city, or how to protect Miko, Jack and Raf if I found myself ambushed.
When I wasn't sparing, running the obstacle course or in the simulator, Optimus was teaching me the Cybertronian language, history, and culture. At the end of the cycle, I would go to my quarters and get the second of my two daily cubes of energon.
I found out that energon had three levels of quality. Low-grade was the most common energon on earth. This was the same type as most of our supply. It had a slightly bitter, and slightly sweet taste, reminding me of grapefruit juice. Mid-grade was less common then low-grade, and it had a much more bitter taste, though sometimes it also could be equally sweet. I never tasted alcohol as a human, but apparently mid-grade was similar lower-end alcohol for Cybertronians. Drink too many cubes at once and you'd overcharge. That was the Cybertronian version of being drunk.
The last type of energon was high-grade. There wasn't any high-grade on earth, but according to Ratchet, it was far more potent than mid-grade. Unlike the other types, high-grade would change flavor. One micro-klick it was bitter, and the next it was sweet or sour. When Ratchet described the flavor of high-grade to me, he had a look of longing on his faceplate.
Getting back on track, I was currently in a weapons spar with Bulkhead, which made our melee weapons legal to use.
Of course, using our actual melee weapons would cause significant damage, so Ratchet had created a number of weapons used only for sparing. These were made with a reactive metal. When coming into contact with another weapon of the same material, they would behave normally. However, when they came into contact with Cybertronian armor, they would shatter like glass. That was how to win a sparing match, or at least one of the ways. Score what would normally be a fatal hit on an opponent, and you've won.
Bulkhead and I had yet to make the first move. We were slowly circling each other, holding our weapons at the ready. It was Bulkhead's clubs versus my broad swords. Bumblebee, Arcee, Miko, Jack and Raf were standing outside the ring, waiting for the first move.
"Kick his aft, Bulkhead!" Miko yelled, standing next to Jack and Raf, who in turn were next to Arcee. I heard Jack and Raf sigh at her words.
"Gee, thanks, Miko," I said sarcastically, not looking away from Bulkhead.
Miko didn't miss a beat, "You'er welcome!" she responded, making me roll my optics.
Bulkhead made the first move at that moment. He swung at me with his right club, trying to hit my helm. I brought my left sword up to intercept his strike while moving my right sword in position to block where I excepted his next attack would be. Our weapons met loudly less than a micro-klick later. As I predicted, immediately following his first attack he swung at me with his left club, which was blocked by my right sword. I pushed Bulkhead away from me, spun and crouched, sweeping his pedes out from under him.
Bulkhead hit the ground and immediately rolled, making me just miss getting a quick win by hitting his chestplates. I ducked under his counter-attack after he got back on his pedes. Taking the initiative, I swung my left sword at his pedes, and my right sword at his helm, making him back up to avoid the strikes. Following this up, I faked left and swung right with both swords.
Bulkhead wasn't fooled. He blocked my attack, then kicked me back away from him. Bulkhead rushed forward to end the match by swinging both clubs at my helm.
In a counter-attack, I jumped to the right and swung one sword at his backplates and the other at his helm. Both hit their marks and shattered, but the one that hit his backplates wouldn't have been a lethal hit. However, my second sword would have decapitated him had I been using my real one.
I detached what remained of my swords and walked over to Bulkhead and said modestly, "I got luckly. Good match, Bulkhead." I never liked to rub in a victory, no matter if I deserved it or not.
Bulkhead rose an optic ridge. "That wasn't luck, kid, you won that match with skill," he said approvingly.
I shrugged, not comfortable with any praise directed at me.
"All right, get some energon. You're done for the cycle," Arcee said as she and Jack walked toward the elevator, keeping it open for the rest of us.
As I followed them to the elevator, Bulkhead, Bumblebee, Raf and Miko joined me.
"I can't believe you lost!" Miko yelled in frustration at Bulkhead.
I just shook my helm as Miko continued to scold Bulkhead about losing. After the elevator stopped at ground level we all walked to the ops center. On the floor directly in front of me I saw a homemade volcano sitting on a small table. To the left of the table was full-sized model of a motorcycle, and on the catwalks railing was a model of the solar system with buckets of paint next to it. I looked down at Jack, Raf and Miko as they walked past me.
"School projects?" I asked with a raised optic ridge.
Jack looked up at me and nodded "Yeah, I have to assemble the motorcycle," he said, walking toward his project.
"I'm making a model of our solar system!" Miko said excitedly, as she had Bulkhead hold the model up for her to paint.
I looked at Raf and Bumblebee as they pored an alarming amount of liquid into the volcano. "Are you sure you're supposed to use that mu-" an explosion cut me off.
As the dust and smoke cleared, I saw Raf standing in the same place, and Bumbelee had a look of surprise on his faceplate.
Ratchet and Optimus ran over from the other side of the ops center, likely to investigate the explosion, but they relaxed when they saw what had happened.
"Can we do that again?" Bumblebee asked, sounding much younger then usual.
"I don't think so, 'Bee" Raf said, wiping his glasses and looking at the now destroyed volcano.
Ratchet looked over to where Miko was painting her solar system model on the catwalk, then over at Jack and Arcee as they assembled the motorcycle. "What...in the Allspark...is going on here?" He asked with barely concealed anger and exasperation.
Jack shrugged at Ratchet's question. "Our projects are due tomorrow. We couldn't work on them at home so we brought them here" he said, focusing on his project.
Arcee picked up what I believed was a muffler. "Maybe it needs one of these do-hickies" she suggested, holding the part toward Jack.
"You're a motorcycle, Arcee. Shouldn't you know how to build a motorcycle engine?" Jack asked in teasing tone.
"You're a human, Jack. Can you build me a small intestine?" Arcee countered, a servo placed on her on her hip as she looked at Jack expectantly.
"She does have a point there, Jack," I commented dryly, making Jack roll his eyes at me.
Ratchet looked at Miko, Raf and Jack in frustration. "Well... You can't work on these projects in here you're... Making a mess." He obviously was fishing for any excuse for them not to work inside.
"The science fair is big part of our grade, and we don't have anywhere else to work," Raf protested, looking up at the medic.
As Raf was talking, Miko had walked along the catwalk toward us. "Yeah, if Bulkhead doesn't help me finish this model of our solar syste-"
Ratchet cut her off, "Oh? And what does Bulkhead know of your solar system?" He scoffed, failing to notice Bulkhead open his mouth to speak as he continued, "Or Bumblebee of your volcanoes? Or A-"
Jack interrupted Ratchet mid-rant, "Arcee of our motorcycles?" Arcee gave her human charge a light glare at that.
Ratchet continued a micro-klick later, "Precisely! We're not earthlings, and they're," He gestured to Arcee, Bumblebee, and Bulkhead, "Not scientists."
"But to be fair, Ratchet, what do you know about this solar system?... Or Earths volcanoes?... Or human motorcycles?" I asked, looking at Miko, Raf and Jack's projects as I spoke.
My only response was Ratchet grumbling something under his breath and walking to his work station. As other the Autobots went back to helping Miko, Jack and Raf after he left, I walked to my quarters, and got my first cube of energon of the cycle.
Fifteen klicks after I returned to the ops center, I got into a semi-heated debate with Miko and Bulkhead about music.
"All I'm saying is, when I listen to music I like, to understand the lyrics, not hear someone scream into the mic," I said easily.
"But that's the best part! How are you not pumped up by that?" Miko asked in an exasperated voice, having already tried to explain this twice.
"Because I like actually hearing afterwards," I replied.
Our conversation was cut short, since an alarm sounded from Ratchet's workstation.
"Exposed energon, and it's on the move," Ratchet said as the rest of us walked over to him.
"And since we aren't moving it, guess who it must be..." Bulkhead stated, now standing off to Ratchet's left with Arcee, looking at the screen.
"The Decepticons," Arcee finished Bulkhead's thought, crossing her servos over her chestplates.
"They have been quiet this past mega-cycle," I said, standing to the right of Ratchet.
"So they were..." Optimus said , looking at the screen in thought. "Autobots, you all have projects to complete. Ratchet, I may require aid," Optimus turned slightly to look at Ratchet.
The medic glanced at Raf as he and Bumblebee rebuilt the volcano. "The science fair is a big part of their grade..." Ratchet said, almost to himself. He turned back to Optimus. "Perhaps I'm better suited to remain behind and advise." Jis voice was filled with excitement, which made me nervous.
Optimus narrowed his optics slightly in suspicion, but his voice was even, however, as he spoke. "Very well. Bumblebee, let us see about this energon in transit," Optimus said, looking at the scout as he worked with Raf.
"I know your response will likely be no, but I still request to go on the mission as well," I said, looking at the Prime with my servos behind my backplates.
"You must remain here until your training is complete. And you have chosen both a name, and alt modes, Zechariah" Optimus said, as the ground bridge activated.
"Understood, Optimus," I said with a slight sigh.
A moment later, Optimus and Bumblebee disappeared into the ground bridge.
My internal clock read Optimus and Bumblebee had left base a little over one breem ago. In that time Ratchet had gathered some scrap metal, and completely rebuilt Raf's volcano into something I no longer recognized. Bulkhead, Arcee and I were standing to the left of Ratchet's workstation, while Jack and Miko stood on the cat walk. We were all watching the medic work on Raf's project with a kind of excitement that I had only ever seen from one person. Dr. Frankenstein.
"Now let's see, where is it?" Ratchet said to himself after making a weld.
Raf, who was standing between Ratchet's pedes asked, "Um... What is it?"
Ratchet didn't truly answer his question. "Yoouu'lll find out," he said, not looking at Raf as he drew out his simple statement. He just kept welding.
"But, Ratchet... Shouldn't I be doing the work?" Raf asked uncertainly as he reached out to touch what Ratchet was working on.
"Eap! Yap! Yap! Yap! Don't touch! Just watch, and learn," Ratchet said quickly, before Raf could touch anything.
Bulkhead then spoke uneasily. "So... We're just gonna help Jack and Miko finish thei-"
Ratchet cut him off, "Without my supervision?! You want them to be right don't you?" He asked Bulkhead and Arcee. He sounded like he cared about how Jack, Miko, and Raf did on their projects.
Ratchet spoke again before Arcee or Bulkhead had the chance to, "Now watch!... A master!...At work!" Went back to working on Raf's project, with a look on his faceplate that had me convinced he was secretly an evil scientist.
"Um... Ratchet? This is just an observation... but volcanoes on Eerth aren't made out of metal..." I said cautiously after Ratchet started welding again.
"I'm not making a volcano from Earth" Ratchet stated, not turning from his work. I tried to ask what it was then, but Ratchet brought a digit to his lips "Shhh... I'm working," he said quietly, his evil scientist look returning slightly.
"Should we stop him?" I whispered to the others.
Arcee and Bulkhead just shrugged in response as we kept watching Ratchet build Raf's project.
Four more breems passed. Not wanting to leave their projects at base, Jack called his mom and asked to sleep over at a friend's house. Raf asked his parents the same thing. According to Miko, her host parents didn't care, so she didn't bother calling. The three of them played video games and watched Ratchet work until about five klicks ago, when they gave up waiting and went to the makeshift beds we set up for them.
Arcee, Bulkhead and I were standing with our last cubes of energon for the cycle on the opposite side of the ops center from Rachet. We watched as the control freak of a medic worked on what used to be Jack's project.
"You think he'll fall into recharge from over-working?" Arcee asked, nodding in the direction of Ratchet.
"Yup, my guess is he'll fall offline just as Jack's project is complete, after Optimus and Bumblebee get back," I said, taking a sip of energon from my cube.
"Nah, Ratchet's an old mech, I bet he falls to recharge before he completes the project, and before Optimus and 'Bee get back," Bulkhead said, getting a disappointed look on his faceplate when he noticed his cube was empty.
Arcee shook her helm at us. "I think he'll complete Jack's project, then go into recharge before Optimus and 'Bee return," she said, finishing her cube off.
I looked over at Bulkhead and Arcee. "Should we make this a bet?" I asked with raised optic ridges
. Bulkhead gave a short laugh "What would we bet?" His voice was both amused and curious.
"Energon rations for a cycle?" Arcee suggested, looking between Bulkhead and I.
"Hmmm... That would work. What do you think, Bulkhead?" I asked.
Bulkhead nodded. "That's acceptable," he said, looking back at Ratchet.
Less than a klick later, Optimus opened a channel at Ratchet's workstation. "Ratchet? we need a-" Before he could finish, Ratchet activated the ground bridge and went back to working on Jack's project.
Just before Optimus and Bumblebee walked through the ground bridge, Ratchet suddenly stiffened while holding what looked like the final piece of Jack's project.
Standing completely still for a micro-klick, he then fell straight on his backplates, making Jack, Miko and Raf wake with a start from the loud noise. The final piece of Jack's project flew from Ratchet's servo when he hit the floor. It bounced and landed in the exact spot Ratchet was going to place it anyway, thus completing Jack's project, in a different way than Arcee or I predicated.
Optimus walked over to the now-recharging Ratchet, while grabbing my nearly empty cube of energon to revive the medic.
"How do we rule that?" Arcee asked Bulkhead and I, a blank look on her faceplate and a flat, dry tone in her voice.
"Rule what?" Bumblebee asked, looking at the three of us in confusion.
"We bet when Ratchet would fall into recharge from working too much," I said with a shrug.
Bulkhead looked at Arcee and I. "How 'bout we call it a three-way tie?" He asked hopefully.
"No, I'd say none of us win, and thus we all lose. He technically went into recharge before Optimus and Bee got back. That would make one of you the winner." I looked at Bulkhead and Arcee then continued. "But, he completed Jack's project after 'Bee and Optimus returned which would make me the winner. What makes none of us win, is that Ratchet completed Jack's project after he fell to recharge." I concluded, glancing at over Optimus as he finally revived the medic.
"Makes sense when you put it that way. I'm going to go recharge. I want a rematch in the ring next cycle, kid," Bulkhead said to me over his shoulder-joint.
I gave a nod of acknowledgement in Bulkhead's direction. Jack, Raf and Miko had already fallen back asleep after finding out Ratchet was responsible for waking them. I asked Optimus and Bumblebee what happened on the misson. They said Starscream revived a Decepticon seeker named Skyquake, who attacked both them and Starscream. The battle with Skyquake apparently was going well, then Agent Fowler showed up in a F-35. Skyquake scanned it and gained air superiority.
The lengthy battle only ended a breem ago with Skyquake's offlining. I had been tempted to make a comment about how the battle might have gone faster if I was there, but decided against it. I would have sounded both arrogant and disrespectful of Optimus' judgment. After Ratchet scanned both Optimus and Bumblebee for injuries, he went off to recharge properly, mumbling as he went. I went to my own quarters five klicks later and quickly fell into recharge.
The following solar cycle was similar to the previous one. I trained down in the Safe with Arcee until she took Jack to school. Optimus then came down into the Safe and trained me while Arcee and the others were gone. Of course he had trained me in a similar way as Arcee did, but sparing with Arcee was far less painful. He won every single match and I don't even think he was trying. But I learned more in every match we did, and in my opinion, that made the pain was worth it.
It was currently in the afternoon, and I was standing in the ops center with my first cube of energon of the cycle, when Arcee, Bulkhead and Bumblebee returned with Miko, Jack and Raf.
"So how'd you do on your projects?" I asked them, finishing off my cube.
Ratchet rushed past me from where he was standing at his workstation. "Yes, how were my-I mean your projects received?" His evil scientist look had returned. Probably not a good sign.
They glanced at each over, then looked up at him "We um... We got F's," Jack replied.
"What do you mean you got an 'F'? An 'F' is a letter in your English alphabet. What does a letter have to do with the projects?" Ratchet asked, confused.
I chuckled lightly. "Ratchet, what he means by 'we got F's' is that their projects got the lowest grades possible. Sorry about that, by the way," I directed the last part at Jack, Raf and Miko.
"Lowest grade? On Cybertron, those projects would have received the highest honors!" Ratchet said, shaking his helm in frustration.
"Well... The school tends to look down on projects that have nothing to do with our solar system!" Miko yelled at Ratchet.
"Or projects that destroy doors," Jack's tone was angry, but far less then Miko's.
"Or a project that blows a hole in the school's roof," Raf said nervously, making Ratchet and I look at him in shock.
"Yeah that's the same look the fire fighters had when the principle told them how the fire started," Miko said with her usual humor.
After Miko's words, Arcee then told me to go back down to the safe. The remainder of the cycle was the usual. Sparing, using the combat simulator, running the obstacle course, and practicing on the weapons range. That was always my favorite part. It was when I went to recharge for the cycle that things became... Strange.
The moment I fell into recharge, I found myself back in the desert. It was the same as the first time I was here, the ever-present clouds were the same dark gray, and the dust storm was still going on strong without any wind. Seeing that I was alone and I had no idea where I was, I picked a direction and walked.
I found areas I hadn't seen before, such as a small lake and a rather ominous looking mountain. About a breem of wandering later, as I walked past an large outcroping of rocks, I suddenly felt a number of emotions that were not my own that nearly flooded my senses.
It was as if I was standing in a river, a river whose flow I had control over. Lessening the flood of emotion I was receiving until I could focus, I became aware of the presence of someone. Someone who felt familiar.
"You seem to be lost," the voice of Solus said from the outcropping. I could both hear and feel her amusement.
Looking in the direction I heard her voice, I saw nothing but rocks. "This is a parental bond I'm feeling, isn't it?" I asked, still trying to locate Solus. I felt a slight surge of pride from the other side of the bond. "Got it in one," Solus said as I walked into the rocky outcropping.
I could feel Solus close by, and I soon found her standing next to one of the larger rocks. "Okay, I don't want to sound rude, but... Why am I here?... Again" I asked, looking at who was now officially my femme creator.
Solus didn't get the chance to answer my question, since we heard someone speak from nearby.
"Where am I?... Am I dead?" It was the voice of Sam Witwicky, and turning to my left I saw him looking around confused.
"He's one of the reasons," Solus said, pointing a digit at Sam.
I got a sense of realization "There are only five of you here," I said.
A strange mix of emotions came from Solus' side of our bond, but I couldn't place any of them. "Yes, and we need six to speak with Sam," my femme creator said, sending some humor to me to cover up the emotions I couldn't identify. Huh.
Prima, Alpha Trion, Vector Prime and Zeta Prime then walked up to Solus and I.
"Just stand next to us, and try to look like a Prime," Zeta whispered to me.
I rolled my optics incredulously in response.
Vector then stepped forward to address Sam. "We have been watching you a long, long time" he said, reapeating a line from Revenge Of The Fallen.
I stood with my servos behind my backplates, trying not to look out of place among the Primes, and also likely failing.
"You fought for Optimus, one of the last of our descendants," Prima said, glancing down at the now even more confused Witwicky.
"Wait... One of your last descendants? Optimus isn't the last?" Sam asked, looking at all of us for an answer.
Vector and Zeta, who were standing to my left, gave me a sideways glance. Sam's gaze lingered on me a moment longer then the others. This was likely because of the wheels on my pedes and wings on my backplates, features none of the Primes had.
"No, Samuel, Optimus is not our last descendant." Prima said, answering Sam's question in a neutral tone before continuing from his original statement, "When you searched for the Matrix Of Leadership, you displayed the courage of a born leader, one worthy of our secret. The Matrix is not found, but earned. Now go and return to Optimus," Prima concluded. And he and the others opened space bridges and teleported away like The Fallen, leaving me alone with Sam.
"Okay, um... I don't really know why we're both just standing here... But the other guy said 'Return to Optimus.' And that would mean I need to leave here... So can you, like, flick the switch or reset the router or something, so I can go back to my crazy life?" Sam said, in one of his lengthy and often awkward rants.
"I'm not the one keeping you here, Sam, and for the record, I will bet money my life is crazier then yours," I said easily, confident he couldn't top dying in your original reality, starting a new life in a parallel reality you had limited knowledge of, and changing from a six and half foot tall human, into a forty-five foot tall Cybertronian whose femme creator was Solus Prime.
"Okay, you can't say your life IS crazier, when you've probably been dead for like thousands of years! And if you're not keeping me here, why is it just the two of us?" Sam gestured around the empty desert. Well, to him it was empty. I could feel Solus watching our exchange nearby.
"Maybe they blew a fuse, I swear Vector does that every Christmas," I said jokingly.
Sam widened his eyes when I mentioned Christmas.
"By the way, our term for death is offline... And I never said I was offline," I finished, in what I hoped was a mysterious tone. Although, I didn't have a lot of practice using one.
Sam tried to say something, but he then disappeared before he could open his mouth. I felt Solus' presence getting closer, and I soon heard all the Primes stop behind me.
"You were only supposed to stand still and not say anything" Zeta said, with a patient but gruff tone.
"Which I did, until you left me alone with Witwicky. Look on the bright side, Sam will have an interesting story to tell when he goes back" I said dryly, giving Zeta a shrug.
The Primes suddenly glanced behind me, then looked at me uncertainly. Solus sent me a wave of nervousness through the bond.
"I agree with Zechariah, Sam will have a far more interesting tale to tell then before. This version was more amusing. Also was funny just to see you both standing there, uncertain about what to do," an unfamiliar voice said, in the direction the Primes had looked.
I turned toward the voice, and my optics widened when I recognized the mech. I immediately deployed my broad swords and leapt toward the mech who was now my opponent... The Fallen.
I think I MAY have thought I was good at writing back at this point in time, but ah... Yeah. Definitely not. So glad I've learned since I started. I feel like I said that before, but still.
This chapters credit song "Two Steps From Hell - Exodus" *Listens to song* Well... Maybe this fits, but it's a little sketchy, and I am feeling a little lazy right now, so I am just going to leave it as is.
A Cybertronian term I haven't used before.
Parental Bond - Only formed between the creators and their creations. Parental Bonds allow Cybertronians to feel the emotions of their creators or creations. When either a creator or creation suddenly feels pain, the other will know, and send feelings of love and comfort through their side of the bond. Greatly reducing the other Cybertronian's pain.
PS. I even had to edit the author's note in this one! The AUTHOR'S note! Okay, I'm done.
Please fight through the pain, improvement is coming.