Man, I really like writing this fic. You guys are fantastic- but there were parts in here that just didn't want to be written! I literally spent all of January working on like three pages, but I like what I ended up with. What do you think? I also made this one pretty gooey, figured since we're heading into movie plot territory a little indulgence might go a long way.
PS. I'm making a writing blog on tumblr. This is my first writing blog, so I'm not sure where I'm going just yet, but I'll probably post snippets of what I'm writing and take in questions and advice. Here's a link if anyone's interested in following . Or you could just look up signaturedish on tumblr.
Enjoy!
Small. The sparkling was so painfully, pitifully small. Hunched in a primitive prison it was clearly even tinier than the insects that put it there. Were sparklings supposed to be so minuscule? Megatron wasn't sure, but it definitely didn't belong on the floor where anything could happen to it. So young and weak, the very sight sent lightning bolt alarms down his mainframe urging him almost to the point of pain to rectify the situation.
His combat matrix was restarting over and over. But it wouldn't work, battle plans wouldn't fly to his servos with legendary ease anymore and it was getting hard to think past that.
-A lord! That's amazing!-
Megatron started, pulling back from his daze. He had just been staring at the sparkling while it mulled over his hasty introduction but thankfully, his distraction hadn't been detected.
When the tiny infant's words washed over him, so bright and impressed, he preened helplessly. Haeree was astute to already see how impressive Megatron was compared to the scrap heaps that had utterly failed in caring for their charge. Those neutrals are lucky they died before Megatron discovered that they not only somehow managed the impossible feat of creating a sparkling but failed to tell anyone and allowed their treasure to fall directly into a nest of miserable humans. Death would've been a mercy after he was finished punishing them for their stupidity.
-Yes, and as lord, I place you under Decepticon rule.- He transmitted firmly, there was no Primus-damned way that this absolute impossibility was ever going to stray out from under the vigilance of the best Decepticons had to offer, and that was Megatron himself.
-W-what does that mean?-
Right, it didn't know what Decepticons were. Exactly how long was the sparkling with its creators was a mystery to Megatron. Slag, everything about Haeree was a mystery to Megatron. He still didn't have a clue how it had been created when he hadn't seen a single drop of energon in millennia, nevermind with sparkling-grade refinement. And that was just sustaining, how had a pack of witless neutral cowards managed to not only find this distant planet but a fully-functioning femme to reproduce with as well?
-Hello?-
Megatron grit his denta, he needed to focus. He couldn't afford to get so sidetracked when a slagging sparkling was depending on him.
-It means that you are a Decepticon now and are my charge. I will protect you-
-U-um okay...But, um…-
Was it normal for sparklings to be so skittish? Megatron could barely remember how one behaved, but some malfunctioning program deep down didn't like it. -Speak-
-Um! How...would you, er, since we're both here...How could you protect me? They got you too, right? -
As soon as Megatron properly registered the audacious question frustration and fury slammed down on his helm, soaking into his frame and corroding his spark. He was Lord Megatron, a god among ants on this insufferable planet. On a mere whim, he could wipe the very galaxy from existence, it would be disgustingly simple to protect a sparkling from humans. How dare anyone doubt him, especially for something so rudimentarily easy.
-I mean it seems like you've been here a while? And you're covered in ice. Er...I'm just not sure what being with your Decepticons means since we're all alone down here. There's no one else like us right?-
Except it wasn't. Except he was stuck and frozen and the only reason he wasn't a pile of scraps was because the humans couldn't penetrate his armor.
Except the High Lord Protector, leader of the Decepticons, and greatest mind of the cybertronian wars couldn't help a single, tiny sparkling. And that sparkling knew it.
-U-um, hel-
-Be still.- Megatron snapped, he didn't want to hear any more. - If I say I will do something then it is so!-
The transmission went deadly silent, leaving Megatron in his stew of humiliation and anger. This Primus-forsaken planet wasn't worth the space it took in its galaxy, it was a rock full of lifeforms less intricate than a virus. It absolutely burned that he was caged on such a mudball, a true visceral pain that made him want to vomit. If hatred alone could melt ice-
The smallest, softest whine broke through his cloudy haze of rage with the ease of a solar ray, sending him to a smashing halt.
Another minute whimper reached his audio receptors, followed by several smothered hiccups. Megatron turned his attention back on the clear cell that held Haeree. The sliver of cloth that made up a heated cover did little to hide how the sparking was now positioned, curled into a ball with its fragile servos thrown over its helm.
For more than half a breem Megatron sat stock still, staring blankly at the shivering scrap of a cybertronian. A white noise filled his helm at the horrible sight of Haeree's distress, the sheer revulsion at the thought of it continuing without his aid was just as striking as his shock. And with the dawning understanding that Megatron was the one to put it in such a state...
Megatron hadn't felt shame in vorns, but that was surely what was lancing through him now. He had let his distractions overwhelm him and lost control in front of a vulnerable infant, had he really just yelled at Haeree as though he were an unruly foot soldier? So fragile and so sensitive, parental units had brawled mechs for behaving so abhorrently toward a sparkling even during their golden age. His programs had fallen into even greater disrepair than he'd realized to have allowed him to bring a sparkling to crying, how disgraceful.
Haeree didn't calm, remaining under the cloth and making scared little noises to itself. Each sound was a blow against his spark. It was clearly trying to appease Megatron by refraining from drawing any attention to its state of upset.
He drudged up whatever salvageable caretaker protocols he could recover and got to soothing the tiny creature. Letting out a dark purr that he couldn't recall ever using before that cycle, he crooned for Haeree, infusing as much tenderness as he could muster into it.
He only vaguely understood the settling prompts embedded in those transmissions, promises of safety and femme engine mimicry entangled to compose a frequency of reassurance. Megatron didn't really need to understand, he supposed, but to successfully maintain his new charge anything less than complete mastery was unacceptable. Once reinforcements arrived he would demand caretaker package downloads from any soldier who retained programming.
The sparkling had already proved extremely susceptible to this form of comfort when Megatron had almost sent Haeree into stasis earlier with the very same method, and sure enough, the shaking quickly ceased.
Megatron continued his humming, something cinching in his chassis when Haeree gradually relaxed against its nest to his lullaby. He waited for the sparkling to slump, void of any tension, before stopping.
He took a moment, though he wasn't sure who it was for, and then began.
-You have nothing to fear from me, little one- He vowed gruffly, allowing the sparkling to stiffen when first hearing his words and carefully review what was said. When the Haeree didn't reply Megatron continued.
-As my charge, I will never harm you and will never allow others to harm you.- It was easy to promise this, but he had to address more than that. Steeling himself against the ghosts of indignation and pride, he allowed, -Right now I can't move to defend either of us.- The humans would pay for making him say that, forget endangerment, he was going to aim for outright extinction. -But I'm already working to get both of us out. We will not be here long. You will trust me and I will not abandon you.-
Haeree was silent for a long, drawn out moment. Finally, a little head poked itself out of his covers and faced Megatron with the roundest pair of optics he'd ever seen.
Megatron wasn't sure what a sparkling would look for in Megatron, he couldn't move a single face plate to express himself after all. Nonetheless, something was eventually found.
-Promise?-
He hated being questioned, but when it was spoken in the tilting, vulnerable lisp of a child, he found it was much harder to reject. -Affirmative-
Haeree swiftly fell into stasis after receiving his reassurance, leaving Megatron in the unending agony of watching a captive, grossly unprotected sparkling lay prone mere feet from where he stood. He almost regretted reviving those caretaker protocols, they jabbed so viciously at him for not doing what he was hardwired to do and just walk over there and pick it up and never let go and destroy any obstacle and kill anything close and-
But he couldn't begrudge the insistence, not when he wholeheartedly agreed that he should do just that, and he would. All he had to do was pull a few unsavory strings and he would be free.
If it had just been him in the hellish depravity of a human cave, Megatron would've gladly waited it out and burned every measly lifeform during his inevitable escape. But now he had Haeree to think of, and though it hurt him dearly, he would have to take a few humiliating risks.
Megatron's navigation and communication units were the first, and only, processors to recover full functionality under the tight hold of ice, and it was time to put them to use.
Forcing himself away from the sparkling, Megatron turned all of his power to those sole units and dampened his bruised pride once more.
He sent a detailed, hyper-powered transmission directly into the cosmos, colored and clear in ways only a command class processor could achieve. It traveled faster than light speed, already hurtling like the loudest echo to rattle off planets and smack into every clueless mech on the way. In it, much to his chagrin, he placed a purposefully anonymous report of his last actions as an unfrozen epitome of power traveling to Earth, and a confirmed alert of the Allspark's presence on the very same rock.
It would bring his minions, greedy and desperate for any word of their dictator or the cube. It would also bring that overambitious wastrel Starscream, if he still functioned. But worst of all, he had no doubt in his spark that it would send Prime and his pack of mongrels sprinting to his location with the same precision and force of a fellow command class mech.
One of his greatest treasures while stewing in his prison had been the knowledge that Prime was hopelessly lost in the stars, searching fruitlessly for the Allspark he so foolishly cast away in the first place, it firmed his hold on sanity and left a wonderful escape when the situation grew too...burdensome. Now it would have to be sacrificed in favor of sending an armada of Decepticons and Autobots racing for this pitiful excuse of a lab, inevitably loosening his bonds and allowing for both his and Haeree's escape.
Once his transmission was long gone, he ripped himself away from his trepidation and zeroed back on his charge to distract himself from his heavy gamble. It was surprisingly easy to get swept up in staring, recording every twitch and murmur of his miracle.
It truly was a tiny thing, so insubstantial compared to the rest of their race. Though it hurt to contemplate without doing, Megatron wondered how it would feel sitting in his servos, frame curled into his digits, the most precious handful he could ever hold.
He would find out, he swore to himself. Once his Decepticons tracked him and the cube down and disrupted his deep freeze, Megatron would scoop Haeree up and never let him back down. After all, who else should Cybertron's last great hope and finest treasure belong if not to Lord Megatron?
Harry dozed comfortably for an uncertain amount of time. He kept himself nestled securely in his blanket, warmth pouring into him and blocking out the harsh fluorescent lights. He knew distantly that no matter how long he stayed buried in his dog bed, he was still inexplicably a robot and still trapped in a horrible lab under a dam, but it didn't seem so dire when the cotton cushioned his uncovered joints just right.
Honestly, he wasn't sure robots were supposed to be as sensitive to sensation as real people were, if not more so, but he'd never met one before so he supposed he could be wrong. Lord Megatron seemed to feel the icy blast like Harry had, after all.
Lord Megatron... Harry wasn't sure how to face the hulking behemoth so close to his box. It was part of the reason he was determined not to fully wake up until he absolutely had to.
On one hand, the other robot was ferociously terrifying, with a temper and voice that made Uncle Vernon look like a quivering mouse in even his most terrible rages. On the other, he was the only person to talk to Harry since the cube turned him into a robot, and had even promised to protect him. Harry didn't know what to do with that, did he trust Lord Megatron to keep his promise? No one had ever gone to the trouble of promising anything to him, never mind upholding it.
-Little one,-
Harry didn't startle, Lord Megatron voice was as soft as his dog bed even with his intimidating power.
Instead, he poked his head out of his pile of cloth and chirped questioningly at the gunmetal goliath. A chill began to creep under the covers, so he tucked the corners more firmly against the cold air of the lab.
-There are currently humans heading toward you from your left side. Stay alert.-
The last of Harry's sleepy contentedness fell away with a bucket of icy alarm. He jerked upright, clutching at his blanket to keep it strung along his winged shoulders like a cape, and spun to watch the approaching adults in white coats.
"...nough time to calculate median readings, so I believe testing can begin." The same woman from before was announcing to the others
She didn't immediately look at Harry, instead flipping through the clipboard stuck to his plastic box for a few moments, allowing the group of scientists to flutter around him excitedly.
He curled away from the walls, closer to the center of the box. What were they planning to do?
-I'm still with you, Haeree. Be calm.-
They didn't leave him in suspense for long. After the woman finished whatever she had been reading, she and two other scientists picked up sickening familiar prongs and slid them through the box's slots to strike at his prone form. Harry ducked the first attempt, rolling to unsteady, clawed feet.
The blanket fell away, but he was far too busy to mourn the loss of heat, stumbling out of range of one prong only to barely duck another.
"Better agility…" The woman mused, calm and collected even as she jabbed with the brutality of a spear fisher. "Hansen might've been onto something with his endothermic theory."
A stick swung low and in his haste to avoid being pinned, Harry tripped over the rod and sprawled on the ground. He didn't get another chance. In an instant, all four sticks pulled back and slammed into his limbs hard enough to send them screeching against the bottom of the box.
Harry cried out, it hurt and kept hurting because they weren't letting up.
"All clear." One man announced, and another woman, though at least twenty years older than the first, slid open a huge panel at the front of the box and climbed inside.
Harry squirmed under his restraints. She held a yellow strip of plastic, a syringe, and an exhilarated half-smile, and all of them were scary.
He didn't get very far though, and could only watch as she crouched right over his metal body and clipped the plastic on his ankle, bending it into a ring of yellow paint and black digits. Just as eagerly, she jabbed a wire his arm in one smooth motion and he whimpered at the sight of neon blue liquid seeping into the syringe.
Giving him a terrifying wild-eyed grin, the woman spun around and climbed right back out.
"All clear."
The sticks were pulled free in unison and Harry wasted no time diving back under his covers to nurse his stinging arm and wrapped ankle in peace.
"Send that to the lab ASAP. And you, start running diagnostics on that GPS, I want to make sure it's emitting clearly."
"Yes, ma'am." "Right away!" Hurried footsteps tapped away in different directions. Harry stiffened, the rest of the scientists hadn't moved yet.
He turned his attention on his arm, a wire was punctured and a little kinked and he felt it like a bee sting. It dribbled blue liquid sluggishly, thinner than blood but warm like a fresh wound. Harry guessed robots could bleed after all. He closed a claw around his arm to stem the flow, and though it hurt, he couldn't help feeling a little relieved that he wasn't so completely removed from humanity.
"You may all observe if it doesn't interfere with your assignments, I'm implementing a series of intelligence tests between major projects. To measure its similarity to both cube experiments and NBEs."
There was a wash of excited murmurs that Harry doggedly ignored. He never wanted to leave the safe heat of his blanket again, especially with those awful prongs so close by. He shifted to inspect his limbs for scrapes or...dents, he supposed. It had felt as if his joints were going to pop off like one of Dudley's poor toys.
There was a scuff on his shoulder, a gritty off-white found on the heavier lawn tools he'd dragged across the Dursley's cement driveway and it ached like a deep bruise. He carefully kept his blanket off that side and hoped it would heal like a bruise too.
A thunk was suddenly heard right by his side, and Harry flinched away immediately, diving under his blanket to get away from whatever had just landed in his box. When his wings hit the wall he ripped the cover off and, heart hammering, took a good look at the intruder.
It was a wooden block, brightly painted and paired with a pile of wooden shapes that looked just as cheery. The block had holes in it and seemed to be hollow and bottomless. It was a very strange thing to see in his plastic cell.
Harry stared in bewilderment, fear almost forgotten in his confusion with the...toy? Had the scientists given him a toy?
He dared to glance away from the addition to find the scientists cluttered around his box writing feverishly and muttering amongst themselves. They didn't hold any sticks or weapons and almost all of them were devoted to a clipboard so he gathered his courage and approached the block.
He poked at it cautiously, like he had his blanket when it first arrived. It didn't move or indicate in any way that it wasn't a simple toy. He picked up a shape, noting belatedly that he just ruined the yellow paint with the acid blue blood staining his hand. He sighed regretfully, but the swirl of color didn't look ugly.
Harry crouched by the block and looked it over. He had only his memories of watching Dudley play to understand how to handle the toy, but it seemed straightforward.
The wood in his hand was shaped like a circle, so he slipped it into the correct hole and watched it rattle to the ground within the block. Harry tensed, waiting.
A few minutes went by and nothing happened, only the scientists buzzing with new vigor in the background.
Harry wrapped himself up in his blanket and sat down in front of the block. It wasn't very interesting, but there was a satisfaction in matching the wooden shapes to their holes. He got to work, a welcome and peaceful distraction from his pain and fear.
Harry picked up a star and dropped it through the roof of the block. When it hit the pile of blocks already inside and didn't sink more than an inch, he couldn't hold back a giggle.
"The NBEP-00 completed the test in three minutes and twenty-two point two seconds, marked and recorded." One scientist announced, eyebrows pulled high.
Harry admired his finished toy for a few more moments, a tiny flame of happiness flickering inside. He reached over and lifted the block to pull the shapes out from underneath and began all over again, this time only pushing them in enough to fill their holes instead of letting them fall.
Once the sides of the block were made solid, Harry dropped the star again, only for it to drop right past its hole, leaving a star-shaped gap in his toy.
Harry felt like an idiot, of course it would fall. The hole was on the top and didn't have any way of fighting gravity. He shouldn't have been so startled, honestly he was pretty sure his toy was for babies.
Nevertheless, he frowned in frustration and carefully lifted the block a little to the left in order to recover his star shape. None of the other pieces fell out during the move, so he contentedly left it complete to fiddle with the green star alone.
"Is the NBEP-00 allowed to do that?" One scientist asked, and the woman with a braid rolled her eyes.
"It's a block of wood. I would never give it something with destructive potential. The puzzle will be retrieved later." She wrote on the clipboard pinned to his box before turning to regard the group of scientists. Harry watched.
"You may continue to observe while I am away but any interference is strictly prohibited. Lopez, you're with me in the labs." Then, with a short man scrambled to follow, she left again.
-Lord Megatron?- Harry asked timidly, glancing up at his self-assigned protector. He had been quiet during Harry's attack and puzzle-solving, was he still planning their escape? -Do you know why they gave me this toy?-
He rolled the star in his hand while he waited for a reply, eyeing the scientists thinning away. Most stayed behind, in fact a few dragged seats over. Why were they staring so much? Was it really so interesting that he could put blocks through holes?
The silence stretched and Harry's back stiffened. -Lord Megatron? A-are you listening?-
He had yet to reply, Harry faced him completely, hands clenched tight in his blanket. -Are you still mad? H-hello? I'm sorry if I did anything.-
Harry stared up, stricken. Why was he being ignored? What had he done? The Dursleys never wanted him to play with toys either, but he'd thought…
-I'm sorry.- He blurted. -I promise I won't do it again. I didn't mean to be bad. P-please don't ignore me.-
"Why do you think it's making that noise?"
"I don't know, maybe it's mad the star didn't stay."
-L-lord Megatron? Please. Please please don't leave me alone.-
-Lord Megatron? Lo-ord Megatron?-
-P-please…-
-Haeree report.-
Harry jumped to his feet and scurried to the side facing the lord. -L-lord Megatron!- He leaned against the plastic, palms splayed. -I-I am so sorry. Ple-ease don't leave me. I didn't mean to do anything. Please-
-Be still.- Lord Megatron didn't sound furious like last time, instead there was a newfound exhaustion in his voice. Harry obediently froze, eyes fixed on the giant.
-Little one, you're shivering. Get under your thermo-regulating cloth.- Harry looked down at his hands, they were trembling against the plastic. He hadn't noticed, even now he couldn't feel how cold he must be.
Nevertheless, he pulled the blanket over himself and sat on his dog bed, star clutched to his chest.
-Report. What happened after...that revolting stain entered your cage?- Harry blinked at his vehement question, shouldn't he know? The crowd of people couldn't have blocked his view from so high up, right?
-She stuck me with a needle and took some blue stuff out of me...remember? Y-
-Where did it stab you? Are you still bleeding? How much did it take?- Lord Megatron cut him off without hesitation, leaving Harry to flounder.
-Um, m-my arm. She stuck a wire and took a little bit. I s-stopped the bleeding already, I think.-
He bent to check, and sure enough the wire was crusted over with dull blue, far too pretty to be a scab. There were a few more smears from where the blue blood had spread on his plates, which was kind of gross, but he didn't have any way of cleaning it off and he certainly wasn't going to stain his blanket.
-Stand up for a moment and face me. Be quick.- Lord Megatron instructed, and Harry did as he was told, feeling oddly self-conscious despite being in a robot body, but it might've been because of the staring crowd of people in white coats.
-...down…-
-What?-
-Sit down now. Rest.-
Harry was growing concerned for the other robot, was he sick? His voice was coming out so distant and mumbled.
-...the thing on your ped. What- What is it?-
-Um, what's a ped?-
-Later. What's the yellow item stuck to you? Did the humans do that too?-
Oh. Harry looked down at the plastic loop around his ankle, smoothing a claw across the numbers stamped on it. It was too thick to actually be plastic and he could sort of feel bumps when he pinched it, but that was all he knew about it.
-Yeah, the same one with the needle did this. I don't know what-
-I figured it out. Don't be alarmed, it's only a tracking device.-
Harry spluttered, sticking his leg out as though putting distance between the loop and himself would stop it. -What do you mean? They'll be able to find us after we escape!- Bubbles of panic were rising in his chest, how could he get away if these people only had to follow the plastic on his foot?
-Heh, as if their primitive, moronic devices are any match for my strength. I can already alter the transmission while trapped in ice! I'll remove it once I'm freed. You will rest now, that the insects bothered to attach their garbage to you indicates a long-term intention of keeping you uninhibited.-
Whatever had slowed Lord Megatron down before was definitely gone now, Harry's head swam with all the information the lord had dumped on him, and he scrambled to keep up.
-You can remove it then? They won't find me after we leave, right?- He pushed timidly, there was no way Lord Megatron would stay with him if he became even more of a burden.
-Haeree, once I'm free they will never be a threat to you ever again. Now rest, you need to recover.- The deep, promising growl of his words was a balm against Harry's worries, and he sank against his dog bed with a relieved sigh.
But still, the fast-paced events that had blown by in only the last hour remained swirling in his head.
-Um, L-lord Megatron?-
-What?-
He shifted. -I'm sorry for, er playing with that toy. I didn't know it was wrong.- He tightened his grip on the star. -P-please don't leave me.-
Lord Megatron made a static-y noise that sounded a bit like a sigh. Harry waited impatiently, he knew he shouldn't make demands so soon after breaking a rule, but he didn't think he could stand being all alone and forgotten under the dam.
-Haeree, I don't care if you entertain yourself with that crude slab of organic matter. I don't 'ignore' things. If I feel you have disrespected me, I will make my displeasure known immediately.-
Harry relaxed his claw, watching the star fall from his hand to the dog bed beside his face. His chest felt a little looser, Lord Megatron hadn't been angry with him. He hadn't done something wrong then.
-But why then...if you weren't mad-
-Oh, I was furious.- Lord Megatron's pitch was so low it vibrated through his chest in phantom waves. -I wanted to rend the human that entered your cage limb from limb. They have no right to touch you, and to see those worms use sticks as if you were cattle- They'll know my wrath personally very soon.-
There was a pause, Harry didn't realize he had slid the blanket back to stare up at the other until he was no longer mesmerized by the black fury practically radiating off his form.
-And that rage was incompatible with my current state. If I become too...unfocused my system can't maintain my level of function and I must reboot. I was unaware of what transpired during your attack, I will not let that happen again.-
Harry didn't really understand, did Lord Megatron get so mad he broke? Maybe it was a bit like fainting, though he'd never heard of it happening out of anger before.
-Now rest. I have no way of fixing you if you become injured or sick, so you must conserve your energy and heal efficiently. This is an order.-
It felt like all Harry did was hide and sleep in his cell, but as if by command, fatigue suddenly crested over his head and made his limbs grow heavy. It wasn't any worse than his cupboard, he supposed, and snuggled into his bed with the wooden star beside him.
The crowd hadn't left, but at least they were quiet. He deactivated his vision and allowed sleep to take hold.
-and the metal construct surrounding your face is called a helm. Your helm also includes a mouth plate or a modulator, I'll look closer once we're free. Either way, it wraps over your lower faceplates.-
Harry let a claw trace around his head, feeling over the smooth lines and ridges of the 'helm'. It was much rounder than Lord Megatron's, but they still looked similar. -So you have a helm too? But not a mouthplate.- He confirmed. It was only from the side, but he could see that the other's face had been frozen twisted into a snarl that bared sharp 'denta'.
-Correct. I have much more armor than you, though. See how my upper frame extends past my arms? Those are pauldrons. And the thick plating on my struts are called greaves.- It was almost ridiculous to little Harry, that such a hulking giant as Lord Megatron had actually put more thick armor on himself.
-And what are these?- Harry turned and twitched what he was fairly sure were wings. He had been practicing moving his robot parts while learning what they were called, but it was still a little hard to figure out how to control parts that weren't there when he was human.
-Those are your wings, but you're only moving your flaps. Work harder to control them.- Harry glanced at his reflection and pouted when he saw that only bottom panels of his wing were listening to him. It was even harder than figuring out how to focus and unfocus his vision.
-So I can really fly with these?- Harry needed to know, working to get them to hitch up on his command.
-You won't try until we get out.- Lord Megatron demanded, no room for argument in his voice.
Harry slumped in disappointment, but when his wings followed the motion in their own dejected drop he straightened immediately in excitement.
-Did you see that?- He asked, not tearing his ey- 'optics' away from his reflection.
-Yes, keep it up.-
Harry nodded and watched excitedly as he managed to slowly pull his wings up a little higher, the tips spreading a few inches. He looked up at Lord Megatron, glowing with pride. -You saw that too, right?-
Affirmative, you're improving quickly.-
Harry beamed up at the other robot and looked down just in time to see his wings flutter in his reflection. Startled, he frowned confusedly over his shoulder. He hadn't meant to move them, then.
He tried to repeat the motion but the tips of his wings only dipped and rose like before. -They just moved on their own.- He reported cluelessly.
-Hmph, I've seen seekers use their wings to express themselves before. It's probably an emotional tell.-
-What's a seeker?-
-It's just a type of cybertronian. When your frame and processors specialize in aerial maneuvers, then you're a seeker.-
So many new labels, it was difficult to keep up. If the 'frame' was Harry's robot body and 'processors' were his brain, than what did that make him? -So am I a seeker too?-
-Unclear. I am...unsure of what stage your frame is in and can't estimate how much you will develop.-
Harry nodded in acceptance and looked back at his reflection against the wall of his cell. He got back to flexing his wings as best he could and while he did so, his optics strayed to the rest of him. Was there anything else he wanted to ask about right now? He'd already asked so many questions, could he keep pushing?
-What about the light in my chest? Er, 'chest plate', I think. What's the light for?-
There was a pause between them. Harry waited, his wings drooping nervously even as he batted away his anxiety.
-Did those slagging creators teach you anything?- Was Lord Megatron's final response and Harry winced away from the aggravation coloring his tone.
-N-not really. They died a long time ago. I don't r-remember that much.- He admitted. Personally, Harry was skeptical that his parents would've known what the light in his chest was anyways. It didn't seem like common knowledge and both of his parents had been jobless drunks besides.
-Of course they did.- Lord Megatron grumbled before blowing out a sigh. -That 'light' is the most important part of you. It's called your spark and it's your life force, so never do anything that could cause it harm, understood?-
-Yes, sir.- Harry chirped automatically. He mulled over the response, running a tipped finger over his chest plate. He had a spark inside there, it sounded kind of pretty. When Harry wasn't freaking out over being a robot, he could even admit the light shining faintly from him was pretty too.
Harry looked back to Lord Megatron and gave a flinch. It had only just become noticeable, but Lord Megatron didn't have a light!
-Where's your spark?- He cried out in alarm. Had the scientists put it out? Could it be given back?
-In my spark chamber, where it belongs. My armor is thick enough to protect me against any foe, and so my spark is not easily accessible.- Lord Megatron explained slowly.
Harry stared at the other's monstrous chest for a little longer, willing himself to calm. He was right, Megatron was incomparably bulkier than Harry, of course his spark wouldn't shine through. Harry didn't mind that he was different, though. It would've been even harder to believe he had a glowing soul inside of him if it wasn't so present.
-So all cyberians have sparks. They are the most important part of us.- Harry recited quietly.
-It's 'Cybertronians'. And yes, if you are alive you have a spark. They can be linked with others for various purposes, but above all, they are your spirit.- Lord Megatron was a surprisingly patient teacher. Harry hung on every word of his lecturing answers even if it was so hard to understand. The calm tone of his voice, the confidence in his teachings, and most of all his focus on Harry left him reeling in awe.
Aunt Petunia would've kicked him out into the garden for asking so many questions, his school teachers would've ignored him or scolded him for not listening, Dudley would've called him stupid. But Lord Megatron gave him firm direction and steady information, it was enough to make his wings flutter.
-They did it again!-
-Yes, your wings are definitely tied to your emotions. What were you feeling just now?-
To Harry's immediate embarrassment, he blurted the truth without another thought. -Glad that you're here.-
The silence that followed felt like nails against a chalkboard. Mortification swelled in his throat, choking him. -I-I mean- tha-at is-
-Excellent progress, little one.- Lord Megatron interrupted, a gentleness sweeping along his rough voice.
Harry could only stare down at his peds mutely, a little more appreciative that his robot face couldn't blush like his flesh and blood one could.
-Now focus on that feeling to move your wings again- He ordered and Harry eagerly retreated to stare at his reflection and do as he was told.
-Yes, sir!-
-Haeree, the human diseases are approaching you with sticks.- Lord Megatron warned, but Harry could already see them striding forward.
He cringed at the sight of the prongs clutched in their hands, coats painting them a blinding white against the dim warehouse. The braided woman he'd seen every time now was at the head, glasses hiding her eyes in the light reflected.
"Make sure to get every piece of the puzzle." She snapped to one of her entourage, and then four scientists poised themselves at panels into his box.
Harry's shoulder still ached fiercely, and though his pierced wire was almost completely healed, it was still kinked out of place and he didn't want to get in even more trouble. Balling his trembling claws up, he laid himself on the floor and watched tensely.
He didn't have long to wait but it didn't keep a gasp from escaping him when all four points jammed his limbs into the ground. Harry didn't have time to recover before a new, noosed pole fell over his head and clamped around his neck.
By the time the prongs were removed, Harry's claws were encased in the same cuff device as before, he was held from the distance of the long stick hooked under his chin like a rabid dog, and he was outside of his box.
"Clear!" The braided woman called, pulling him away from the scientists cluttering together to pick up his puzzle box and blanket. His attention was yanked away when a sharp push had him stumbling out of the warehouse, his trapped hands bumping uselessly against the noose.
-L-Lord Megatron!- He yelped, twisting to catch sight of his self-proclaimed keeper.
-I'm here, you will never go far enough that we cannot communicate.- He assured, and then Harry was being dragged down a hallway and past another, lower-vaulted warehouse.
People in suits and scientists intermingled and stared at Harry, murmurs and whispers of curiosity followed him along with the braided scientist at the end of the pole.
When they reached a steel door, an armored man opened it slowly and gave a wide berth as Harry was forced through first, spotting a spartan, wide treadmill than was essentially a rotating mat and an iron handle.
Several scientists stood around it, cameras and notebooks abound and clearly excited to see him. One scientist snagged his trapped hands confidently and chained them to the bar faster than Harry could yank away.
Trepidation swam in his belly as he found himself chained to a treadmill without any controls, he turned to stare at the woman as she dug a remote out of her pocket and knew exactly what would happen next.
-Lord Megatron?-
-I'm here. You'll be back with me soon.-
"Physical ability experiments are now in phase one, maximum bipedal speed experiment is go."
If the treadmill made Harry feel like his body was on fire, the varied agility test felt like he had been reduced to ash. Even Lord Megatron's encouragement could only take him so far, especially when any time he tried to answer back his distraction led to tripping over a tire or smacking into a pole and restarting the entire process over again.
By his second successful lap, Harry shamelessly crumpled to his knees in front of the braided scientist running the experiment, his trapped arms slumped to the side and weighing a hundred pounds. When the chain was tugged back toward the agility course he curled tighter and shook his head wildly. He couldn't speak to anyone but Lord Megatron, but he needed to get her to stop.
"Hmm...it's not particularly fast or strong." Someone mumbled, but all his attention was focused solely on the braided woman watching him with a calculated interest.
He wasn't shaking from exhaustion like he might from too many chores at the Dursleys', instead he felt sluggish and a few seconds behind the rest of himself. He drooped a little further, but maintained eye contact.
"I suppose we'll take the rest of phase one in portions. Write this session down as part one of phase one." She finally decided, glancing away from him to address the others.
"Understood. Should I put the NBEP-00 back in its containment unit?"
"No, I'll handle it. I need to see that the puzzle has been replaced anyways."
The braided woman took the noose stick in hand and lowered it over his head, Harry didn't bother moving even as his cuffs were unchained. When she hefted the pole high and pulled him up by his throat, he twitched in pain, but he didn't need air anymore and the crushing sensation in his neck couldn't get his knees to lock.
There was a drawn out moment as he hung limply, a searing pain around his throat. Then, "I'm gonna need a platform truck to cart the NBEP-00 back to its containment unit." She sighed, and let him drop to the ground in a puddle of misery.
Harry blinked up at her and bobbed his head in thanks. Her forehead crinkled into an intense scowl and, while still looking down at him, she plucked a clipboard from one of the other scientists to write a note on the corner.
A steel cart that looked a bit like the treadmill was rolled into the room by a gloved woman in a janitor's jumpsuit, so Harry hefted himself onto the elongated bed of the cart, eager to be taken away from the punishing tests. A new burst of whispers rolled over him, but he was too tired to concentrate on what they were saying. He rolled onto his back to watch the ceiling get higher and higher as he was returned to Lord Megatron's side.
-Status report.- Lord Megatron snapped as soon as he was back in eyesight.
-Just tired...it was a lot of running and stuff…- He mumbled, ignoring the muffled voices of the scientists as he was shoved back into his cell and pinned to the ground while someone uncuffed his claws.
-No damage of any kind? Are you sure?-
-Mmhmm.- Harry forced an optic on and peered around the cell for his bed. He blinked in surprise when he saw the blanket on his dog bed neatly folded and any stains from his blue blood had been scrubbed out of the bed's cotton.
-While you were gone the humans replaced the items in your cage. Nothing harmful has been added.- The other must've guessed what Harry was staring at. He was a little too tired to care, though, and simply rolled into his dog bed and sloppily tugged the heated blanket over himself.
-Good night.- Harry hummed, and drifted off into blessed oblivion.
-Sleep well, little one.-
Harry woke up lethargic and heavy, his optics activating after a few seconds delay and his comprehension returning after a few more.
In front of him was a new toy, a pile of foam puzzle pieces with some sort of image printed on them in green and purple. There were considerably more pieces than the previous toy, each about as big as his hand.
Another flock of scientists was sitting nearby, seated in chairs and watching him like a favorite television show. Spotting no threatening tools among them, he set himself to ignoring the lot and sitting up in his bed.
-Good morning, Lord Megatron.- He greeted politely, though he had absolutely no idea what time it was outside of the dam.
-Haeree, you're awake. Status report.- Lord Megatron ordered in lieu of a reply.
Harry stretched experimentally, prodding at his joints and spots he fell on particularly hard. There were a few scuffs and his legs made it clear he wouldn't be running that day, but no real damage. He said as much to his caretaker, who huffed suspiciously.
-No lessons or practice today, do not exert yourself.- Was all he had to say before leaving Harry to his thoughts. Harry was admittedly disappointed he wasn't allowed to practice moving his wings, but the rest of him was relieved to snuggle back into his bedding and focus his attention on the soothingly easy task of solving a puzzle.
The foam was soft under his claws, the colors pretty, and the challenge almost nonexistent. He placed the framing pieces together first and began working up the puzzle from within the edges. He was halfway done when he finally recognized the image printed on the puzzle, it was the green star he kept from the block!
A quick glance around told him that the star had been taken along with the block, but he enjoyed having something new to play with. The foam puzzle was a bit like a floormat, and took up from the edge of the box to his dog bed when completed, pleasantly padding the ground.
Harry peeked up at Lord Megatron, about to point out the pattern of the completed puzzle when something sliced through his thoughts like butter.
A blood-curdling wail rattled through his helm, choked and agonized. It wasn't very loud, but it left Harry floundering helplessly under its pain.
-Haeree, status report.-
-I-I'm fine. S-someone else is making those sounds.- He whimpered, staring sightlessly out in the direction it was coming from. What was happening to that poor person?
-It's a captured cybertronian, must have underestimated the humans' freezing capabilities.- Oddly, any alarm that was in Lord Megatron's voice before was completely void now, like he didn't care at all. But freezing hurt! Harry had probably made very similar sounds when he had been stuffed in that dog crate, and being alone had only made it so much worse.
The screaming continued, endless but quieting. Whoever it was could recover faster than Harry, it didn't sound like he had stopped being blasted with ice but the panic wasn't so overwhelming.
Harry tried focusing on the person making the noise, though using the 'communications processor' felt more like a honing set of thoughts than the computer Lord Megatron described, he had to search for a way to contact the other robot.
Where he got the vague sense of his own thoughts accommodating someone else's to receive, sending felt a bit like taking a piece of his head and throwing it to a very precise spot, and it was his own fault if he didn't hit his target.
-H-hello?-
The wailing stuttered, like a sob.
-Can y-you hear me?-
Whoever was screaming remained screaming, but he could hear it lowering to an even quieter level. Harry's wings twitched nervously, was it working?
-Hello? A-are you okay?- It was a stupid question, of course they weren't okay, but maybe they'd answer.
-Primus…- An unfamiliar voice croaked. Harry straightened, the components of his chest clicked noisily along with his excitement.
-Hello? Can you hear me?-
-Anngg...Primus, I've glitched. Oh no, oh no, oh no…- The voice was reedy and weak, but sounded reliably male if at a much higher pitch than Lord Megatron.
-Um, I don't know about that. B-but I thought you might feel better if someone spoke to you.- Harry said lamely, fiddling with his puzzle.
-Are you- nhg! Are you real?- What a weird question.
-Of course I'm real! We're not in the same room or anything, but you're not the only one down here.- He reassured.
-Do you have a...lisp or something? Are you g- Ah! G-glitched too?-
Harry shuffled in embarrassment, he knew he was still really clumsy with his comm. unit and Lord Megatron has been very kind not to point that out, but it was a little mean to tease when Harry was just trying to help.
-No. I'm not very good at this yet.- He muttered. -I'll get better, I just n-need to practice.-
-How old are you?-
What? -Um, ten years old I guess.-
Harry jolted when the cries cut out completely, a surge of fear rushed over him. What just happened?
-Er, are you ok-
-Are you for real? Are you really slagging ten? You're really going to lie to me right now?- The slam of aggression and volume sent Harry's breath hitching, why didn't the other like him? What had he done wrong?
-N-no, I-I'm ten. Honest.- He insisted in an unwillingly wobbly voice.
-Haeree, report.- Harry cringed, he must've made a noise to betray himself to Lord Megatron. It wasn't even that mean, the speed and forcefulness had just caught him off guard.
-I, um, I was just talking to the other c-cybertronian. He t-thinks I'm lying is all.- Harry explained grudgingly.
-Holy frag…- The other robot suddenly whispered hoarsely, pulling his attention away from Lord Megatron. -You're really a sparkling, aren't you?-
Harry didn't know what that meant. -I-I'm not l-lying. I d-don't know abou-
-Hey, hey, it's okay. Relax, I'm sorry for yelling just now.-
-You what?- Lord Megatron roared.
-My designation is Bumblebee, what's yours?-
Yeah, couldn't resist. Bumblebee's a favorite. Harry's been in S7 for like 4-5 days btw, in case anyone's paying attention to the timeline. Also I don't know if I made this obvious before, but Harry sounds like a lispy little kid- even younger than his age since he's pretty clumsy with his long range communication. That's what freaked Bumblebee out to begin with.
So what do you think? I'm a little insecure about emotions in my writing, but I'm pretty proud of what I've got going. Megatron holding up? Poor guy's super stressed but he sure as hell isn't gonna admit that to Harry.
Shout out to Dragon Courage who gave me a great idea to have the scientists use harmless baby toys to test Harry's intelligence- that was a great tip. S7 is finally catching on that he can understand them, but can they do anything before the two bots in the building with Harry get out?
Another shout out to a guest review, so I don't have a name. But they dropped some awesome prompts and perspectives I could work on. I hope you guys like where I'm going.
Okay- on to questions:
There was only one that wasn't asking for spoilers-
Lexisfightingrobots asked why Harry hasn't scratched out a message, and that's because he can feel with his claws and that sounds unpleasant, and because all he's got to write on is bulletproof plastic and cement.
Alright, classes have started for me again, so updating is gonna take a while. Just sit tight and I'll get something out as soon as possible.
Thanks!