Time Scale: Nano-click: second ; Cycle: Minute ; Groon: an hour ; Mega-cycle: days ; Orn: 13 days ; Steller Cycle: year ; Vorn: 83 year

Chapter 23: Suffering of the Father

"Wonderful, wonderful. You obviously did all of your homework, didn't you, Echo?" said an aging mech as he sat next to a tiny blue form, small blue legs kicking out from under the large metal table.

"Thank you, Professor Codebreaker. Creator tells me that I have to study hard and then I can go to a university anywhere in the universe and be … what he couldn't," said Echo as he bit his metallic lip in concentration as he did his practice exorcises on his digi-pad.

Codebreaker nodded softly, having heard this a thousand times from the youngling. Not that he was surprised. True, part of him wasn't really surprised that that was the lesson the dishonored Prime had taught his youngling, but at the same time it bothered him. Echo was bright, incredibly so for a vorn and a half. He always said it was because he stayed with his uncles Skyfire and Aquila whenever his creator could get some time off. Echo stated that Sentinel always grumbled that Skyfire and Aquila donated too many smarts. Codebreaker was sure it was some kind of joke he didn't get the punchline to, but he did know that Echo belonged in a Autobot funded school, being noticed by mechs like Brainwave or Tech-Up or even the famed Perceptor or Wheeljack. Not a retried professor who lived up the stairs, injured in the great war when war secrets were forcefully pulled out of his HUB. He still froze up from time to time when stressed.

He was even sure, as a mech that had once been Ultra, Sentinel should have been able to at least get one of those great mechs to be a mentor, yet here was this bright, intelligent mind under his tutelage. It was almost a shame … if he didn't enjoy the lessons so much. To this bright little mech, Codebreaker was not glitched or broken … he was his door to the universe.

Suddenly, his thoughts deep, Codebreaker noticed that the youth's work had stalled and like so many times before … he watched as the youth whimpered and placed his small hands on his chest, his vents hiccuping.

Sighing, knowing already what to do, the mech rose to his feet and went to the mechling's bag. He picked out a small cube of light energon which he knew was already premixed with Echo's medicine. There was even an extra one in the bag, just in case and that made the aging mech sigh. Sentinel knew it was going to be bad today and yet the youngling was sent over. Regardless, he handed the cube to the youngling and watched him down those almost too-strong pain killer nanites. He couldn't help but pity Sentinel though because he knew that today there was a medical appointment and tomorrow Sentinel would be the one in pain, almost unable to stand as pain hammered through his form.

And yet he would rise for the day, prepare Echo's medical cubes and walk him up to Codebreaker's room and then, if he couldn't get the day off, would painfully and slowly transform and go to work. He wasn't exactly sure what was wrong with Echo, but he did know that Sentinel would accept the painful blunt of the disease over and over again.

He was a good creator.

A little over a vorn and a half ago, he wouldn't have thought that of the temporary Magnus, but love can change even the most questionable of sparks.

"Thank you teacher," murmured the little bookworm as he handed his empty cube to the elder medic. "I should be fine now."

"Well, it won't hurt to take a break," said Codebreaker kindly as he placed the empty cube into a recycle bin. "Your creator should be here soon."

And yet, before he could even head into the living room to watch the holo-vision with the youth as they did every day for mid-afternoon break, there was a ring for the front door. Codebreaker stalled and turned to the door. He knew who was there and Echo new it as well, the youth hopping off the couch and running to his backpack, packing his digi-learning pads quickly.

Codebreaker instead headed to the door to have the conversation he always seemed to have when it came to Sentinel Minor: reminding the once-Ultra that he was mortal.

Opening the door, the white and yellow mech smiled kindly, "Ah Sentinel, perfect timing as usual. We were about to have a mid-afternoon break. Perhaps you would sit with us for a moment, have some low grade. You look a bit faded."

Sentinel frowned. He knew he looked terrible, but he had long since learned it was best to go hungry before a procedure because any energon he would consume that day seemed to end up on the floor, his tanks emptying themselves. Soon, he learned it was best to have as empty a tank. The less Echo saw him suffer … the better.

Shaking his head, hand offered out to his sparkling, Sentinel gripped his creation's small hand, murmuring softly, "It would be a waste."

If Codebreaker understood, he said nothing, and that was part of the reason Sentinel liked the mech. His world had become a one of secrets and he quickly learned to value a mech that could keep his mouth shut because he would give all his world for Echo … even his spark.

…

Breakdown was a butcher … though he was a professional butcher and he was discrete. Then again, Sentinel was more than sure that if he dug into the others identity he was sure he would find that the mech had once had unacceptable company.

It was part of the reason he went out of his way to go to the mech. It was because they both knew the other could ruin the other and thus would keep each others secrets. He honestly didn't know much about Breakdown, except that he lost an optic in the war and yet he had never bothered to replace it. Instead, he had a patch, and Echo was not shy about asking where he got it from. And though most people would think that would piss off a mech of Breakdown's caliber, it actually won him over. He would offer rare smiles to the youngling. Not that that made Sentinel feel any better.

Meetings with Breakdown always meant pain and lots of awkwardness.

"Ah, Sentinel Minor. I was wondering when you were showing up. A little later than usual, which for any other mech or femme I would not be surprised, but for you. Its odd," said Breakdown as he placed his medical tools onto his medical tray, stalling for a moment as he looked at a laser scalpel, a name echoing in his head as he looked at it.

Offlinging his optics, he searched a part in his spark for a little bit of comfort, and then turned to give Sentinel all of his attention.

As usual Sentinel looked like he was barely able to restrain himself from running away and yet was able to stand still long enough that Echo barely noticed. The youngling, as usual, was in a good mood because soon he would be feeling better and the child really did have too much of a liking for medical tools.

"Yeah," said Echo as he grinned up at the private healer he had come to know. "Codebreaker wouldn't allow us to leave until creator had something in his tank."

"Ah, understandable," murmured the mech as he looked at Sentinel's dull coloring. The ex-Prime was obviously low on energon. "You should try to be energized for these procedures, Sentinel Minor. You know that."

Sentinel, lip twitching, tried not to growl at the other as he murmured, "I think we both know why I don't intake before a procedure."

Breakdown hummed for a moment, before he answered back, "Well, that could have something to do with wanting to go straight home after a procedure. I'd rather have you rest for a mega-cycle or two before you went home, but I think we both know you wont."

There was a brief glaring contest between the two mechs, Breakdown gave up and shook his head, murmuring, "There's no helping you, you stubborn glitch. Now get on the table. We'll … extract the donation now that way while I'm working on Echo, you can rest."

Sentinel tried not to twitch at the word donation. The way the private healer was speaking, it sounded like it would be quick and painless. Something that would cause minor discomfort. The truth was that the private physician was cutting away a piece of his spark, chipping away a piece of his soul and then transplanting it into his creation to stabilize his spark. Sentinel was an adult spark, he could survive pieces being chipped away.

For how long … he didn't know.

Though Breakdown seemed to have an idea.

"Well?" said the medic forcefully as he stood over Sentinel a few cycles later, Echo reading in a separate room as lights glared down on Sentinel as he laid there on the berth, being prepped. "Have you found anyone recently? Someone that you are interested in? Someone with shared likes?"

Sentinel remained silent, making this extremely irritating for the healer as he prepped his tools.

Sighing, getting far to use to this, he asked bluntly, "Okay, someone with a nice aft? Someone you want to frag really badly? Someone you pushed against a wall and took advantage of? A whore that you took a fancy to? Come on Sentinel, you know the routine. I need to know if you've shared your spark with someone … like I have been encouraging you to since you knocked on my door and asked me to start chopping your spark up."

Sentinel sighed, placing a hand over his optics, murmuring, "I don't want to talk about it."

Frowning deeply, his yellow optic glinting slightly in irritation, he grumbled, "You mean there is nothing to talk about?"

Sighing through his vents, Sentinel found no point in lying. "Yes ... there is nothing to talk about. Can we just get to the part where you mangle my spark and cause me large amounts of stress?"

Titling the overhead light above the blue mech, Breakdown grunted and sat down on a nearby stool, the older mech pinching his nose bridge before he rumbled, "Do we have to have this discussion again? Do I have to remind you that you can't do this forever, Sentinel. Especially not at the rate that we are cutting pieces away. Your spark will mend itself in time, but not fast enough."

"Please don't … aren't I going to suffer enough in a few moments? I don't need a chastising with it as well," said Sentinel moodily, bringing forward a tone he rarely used since his days before Echo. "There is no one. I want no one. The femme I loved is gone and any thoughts of gaining a mech's attention …"

Sentinel choked at his, unable to say another word. It honestly was like an unspoken agreement between the two of them that Sentinel never had to mention the night of Echo's creation and in turn Breakdown didn't have to say who he was waiting for in the stockades (for why else would he be waiting in this miserable place). They both knew it was not mutual and that was all Sentinel felt had to be said of his sparkling's sire and that the mech wasn't in the picture... Well, as little as possible, honestly. Sentinel had long since called it a learned skill: his ability to ignore Optimus Prime when they were in the same room … as long as they were not alone in the same room that is.

Not everyone was given justice, especially when no crime was reported.

"Well," said Breakdown, his tone careful as he watched Sentinel push back an emotional breakdown. "Perhaps you should search out femmes if mechs don't strike up your fancy. How about that large femme, Sonic Trip? You always speak of her fondly. Or how about that cute little sparkling-sitter you get from time to time for Echo, Low Tones isn't it? There's even that medic that you have mentioned, Red Alert is it?"

Sentinel snorted at this, cynical as ever.

"Touching Sonic Trip in that manner would be like touching a sister, Low Tones is but a child in many ways and 'd feel like I'm taking advantage of her, and Red Alert has been after me since her and her Prime picked me up in Docker City. She knows something happened and she won't let it rest until I'm completely ruined. I don't know what her problem is but I ignore her as much as a ignored Optim-" Sentinel tried to stall himself from saying the last word and yet it seemed hardly worth the effort.

"Optimus Prime, you mean? You've mentioned him a few times. Why not frag him since he always seems to be on your mind? Any options are better then no options at all, Sentinel. And if not him, their are plenty of nice family mechs out there," said Breakdown, trying to be helpful.

"You know how it is. You are a medic. After carrying, mechs see you as always being the recessive one in a relationship. I couldn't … emotionally … handle another mech dominating me. I … it just won't work. But, by all means, if you really think I should get laid, get me drunk and go at it," grumbled Sentinel, the last part obviously sarcastic.

The medic, in turn, merely placed a magnification device over his good optic and chuckled, "One of these times I'm going to take you up on that if you keep saying it, but until the day when we are both desperate enough to sink to each others level, I'll settle for mangling and berating you about your lack of a sex life."

Sentinel, despite himself, softly smiled at the other. Sometimes, because of the pain, he forgot why he went to Breakdown besides the obvious reasons. He knew he had changed a lot in the last vorn and a half with the birth of Echo, and when he spoke with Breakdown he felt a sense of deja vu. This mech before him had had a hard life and lost a love, forced into a life he didn't exactly want. Yet, he stayed, for loves sake and its sake alone. Sentinel didn't know who Breakdown was waiting for, but whoever it was …. they didn't deserve him.

"Alright, lets pop that chassy. Time for the fun part," mocked the medic, the two having done this so many times they Sentinel no longer blushed. Before anything could be gathered, the spark had to become excited first and Breakdown, surprisingly, had very good hands. Then again, at this point, he knew Sentinel's spark very well and knew just what to do.

Sentinel, seeing no point in holding this off any longer, offlined his optics and with a grunt released the mechanism holding his chassis closed, a blue light washing over the private medic. This had to be the worst part, though he never told the medic as much, especially if he dared watch what happened next. In the blue light of his spark, he would sometimes see Optimus above him, staring down at this spark with a hungry expression. Though a part of his mind knew it was a critical stare on Breakdown's part, another part expected Breakdown to suddenly pin him down and have his way with him, like what happened the last time a mech stared down at his spark.

And yet, stiff as a board, the exam followed the same procedure as usual. Breakdown would always be very professional, telling him everything he was going to do before he did it, hands ghosting over his sour spark, exciting it with soft touches. It wasn't meant to be sexual in any manner, but it had to be done. It was the easiest and least destructive way to separate a small tendril of energy from the spark. Sentinel could already feel it coming, his hands twitching as his spark grew more and more excited, practiced hands petting his spark's casing while drawing him nearer and nearer to a moment of bliss. His vents were even panting as Breakdown's fingers knowingly ran across seams.

Besides himself, Sentinel whimpered, his fingers digging into the berth. Breakdown, thankfully, made no comment to the aroused reactions. This was a normal reaction of a healthy mech. If anything, it was odd that Sentinel thought it was odd for him to be aroused.

Breakdown, knowing the other far to well for only a vorns time, decided to end this quickly, fingers lithe as ever. Sentinel's spark overloaded with a jot of dancing blue which caused the blue Autobot to gasp and wither in bliss. Breakdown, secretly, would never admit that it was very erotic to see the blue Autobot release for a moment in elation. There was just something about that stout, cold and control-freak mech breaking down that was utterly erotic. Maybe it was just that hint of cocky character that so reminded him of the one he waited for. The one he pretended to be an Autobot for.

Finally, reaching for his laser scalpel, tendrils of electricity still clinging to his digits like crawling blue vines, Breakdown found that he did not want to watch the blue Minor collapse against the berth in elation before his withering spark was cut into. Perhaps if he cut into the spark while it was still elated like this, it would hurt less for the other. Deciding to test the theory, he turned on his laser scalpel with a dull pink glow and grasped a small tendril of living electricity,

He cut in just as the spark gave off a few more blissful beats, Sentinel's wails coming out between something like a sob and a groan as the mech passed out.

The whole time, Breakdown tried to ignore the odd shadow in the corner. The shadow that only seemed to be there whenever Sentinel came in for his services … the shadow that secretly gave him nightmares during his darkest of nights, only to be forgotten the moment he onlined his optics. It was as if it was waiting for him to mess up, to cut too deep, to falter when implanting the donation into Echo's weak spark. It was a shadow that was waiting to take the lives of these two patients.

Breakdown, though he did not believe in such things, promised he would not give it the one thing it desired.

A small shard of blue energy in his hand, he finally dared glared in the direction of the shadow and for the briefest of moments he watched Knock Out give him a wicked grin, his love twisted and broken looking. And yet, as soon as he had seen it, it was gone.

And yet the deed was done, the electric pulse he had been sending through his hand had faltered and the electric living piece of energy had faded away like dust to the wind, a faint glitter in the air and then it was nothing.

Cursing, looking back to see there was nothing really there, he looked back down at his passed out patient. He needed a sample. He needed a tendril to keep Echo alive. Sentinel was in less than satisfactory shape, but his spark was still much stronger than Echo's. Echo could die without a donation if he didn't get one within a groon.

Sentinel would be fine. Sentinel … Sentinel would be willing to suffer.

And so, throwing a glare to where the shadow had been, wondering how soon he could start a virus scan in the evening, he coerce another tendril of the blue spark around his finger and cut out a second piece without another thought.

Watching Sentinel's spark wither in pain, he prayed that he hadn't taken to much.

XXX

Paw07: I bet a lot of you are wondering where this story is going. Well, in all honesty, I am just leaning a little more into Unicrons shadow and the figures involved there. Basically, there will be a lot of secrets revealed, and not all of them are Sentinels. Plus, I like to keep a well round story with a lot of characters and how their lives intertwine with each other. Sari's will get her own chapter next.

Also, I updated if only in spite of a recent flammer on FFnet. XD