Disclaimer: Hey look! I (DragonScouter) am finally updating somewhat quickly! *amazed* Yes, it is a rare occurence but hey, who said that things can't change? *crickets in the background* …Okay, so this is a once in a lifetime event that I hope to repeat one day. So, I hope you all are ready for sooner updates! All we can promise is to try. =)
Shadow and I: You all sit back, relax, grab the snacks, and enjoy the story! *sit back and take the same advice*
I flinched as I was slammed to the ground again, Soundwave standing above me with his emotionless air ever around him. Three days. That was how long I had been up here and Megatron had wasted little time in starting my training. For the first day, it had been mainly against the drones and, honestly, they weren't that difficult to beat up on. However, I got a rude awakening yesterday morning when I was practically dragged out of bed by Soundwave and brought to the training room. From about three in the morning to eleven at night, we would train in intervals of about three hours.
Well, that was when Soundwave wasn't working on whatever crap Megatron had him working on. This was one of these times and it had only just started. "That's, going to leave a mark." I grumbled as I quickly got up and faced Soundwave. I would admit that, while the training with Soundwave was brutal, I was improving leaps and bounds more than I did with the Autobots. Now, instead of an instant knockout when I faced Soundwave, I could stay for about ten to fifteen minutes before I was knocked senseless.
Welcome to the life of the Decepticons.
When Soundwave came at me again, I dodged and threw a punch at his helm. To my surprise, it connected. That was the first time that I had ever been able to even connect a punch on the faceless mech.
Of course, my victory was short lived as Soundwave immediately turned and slammed his fist into my head and, lo and behold, the last thing I saw was my face slamming into the training room floor.
After some unknown time, I finally came back online and, not to my surprise, I was in the med bay and Knockout was just finishing the last of my repairs. "Hey doc." I greeted him like I had for the past couple of times I ended up in here.
"Don't you 'hey doc' me." Was his response as he cleaned his tools and put them away. "If you would have just taken my advice before you fought the drones and went easy on them then I wouldn't have to fix your sorry aft every thirty clicks."
Even though my fangirl crush on Knockout was gone, he and I had somehow hit up one of the strangest friendships that has ever been imagined. It was amazing what one could accomplish in just a few short days. "Yeah, I get it. I screwed up in that department." I huffed as he stood in front of me and I started to sit up. "But, I'm glad I did. I doubt that I'm going to just be here to train. One of these solar cycles, I'm going to get orders that will make me face the Autobots and I would rather have this intense training with Soundwave and get my aft handed to me by him then face the Autobots underprepared and get a hole straight through me."
Because I was pretty sure that was what they would be aiming for when I faced them next, especially Shadow. That would be something that I would not be coming back from without some damage, both outside and in.
"Very true, but I'm not sure if getting pummeled by Soundwave would be worth that. But, you are crazier than you look." Knockout jabbed at me.
In return, I raised an optic ridge. "I'm not sure if that was an insult or a compliment."
However, further talk between the two of us stopped when my comm. link activated. Before I could even say a word, a voice that I had gotten very familiar with spoke on the other side. "Pandimala, report to the bridge immediately." The voice of Megatron echoed in my helm.
"On my way now Lord Megatron." Thankfully, calling him Lord Megatron was not as difficult as I had thought it would be…and while that worried me I was not ready to go into deep thought. Once I closed the comm. link, I turned to Knockout. "Hate to dash but the boss is calling."
"Just don't come back in too many pieces. Remember that I have to put you together again." Knockout responded with the shake of his helm.
Even though I wanted to respond, I knew that I couldn't keep Megatron waiting. So, I simply nodded before running out the door and down the halls. The faster I got to Megatron, the less likely it would be that I would get him angry. Thankfully, there was only one incident of that so far and it was after I reported to him the morning after I got my insignia's. I slipped on the whole Lord Megatron bit and my faceplate met his very powerful and rugged fist very quickly. Guess who didn't forget again after that?
In no time, I was making my way onto the bridge and the first sight that greets me is Megatron and Soundwave standing next to each other…staring at me. Oh, this was not going to end well, whatever this was.
"Pandimala, I'm glad that you could finally join us." Megatron greeted me as I walked inside.
Nodding toward him, I figured I better get this thing started. "I apologize for my lateness my Lord." I responded.
The smirk that briefly flashed on his faceplate was scarier than anything that I could have imagined. Seriously. "Very well. I have heard from Soundwave that your training is improving greatly. Since that is the case, I feel that it is time for you to make a contribution to the Decepticon cause. So, Soundwave will ground bridge you to a set of coordinates we believe that are close to an energon stockpile. Once you find the stockpile, mark its location and report back to us."
I placed my right servo over my spark and bowed my helm. "As you wish Lord Megatron." Gosh, even though I was used to saying 'Lord', I still didn't like it.
He then looked to Soundwave, who nodded at some sort of silent command, and before I knew it, there was a ground bridge behind me. Well, better get this started. Without a word, I turned and walked through the bridge.
"Yikes!" I yelped as, after I stepped out, I realized that there wasn't anything below me. Frag it! Was this some sort of test? Probably what that secret nod was about. Thankfully, I was used to surprises and immediately transformed into my jet mode before slowing down and making my way to the ground….safely. "Thanks for nothing." I grumbled to myself before I continued to make my way to the ground.
Fragging Soundwave. If this was revenge for the hit earlier, this wasn't funny. At all. Once I got done with this whole scouting business, then I was so going in for another round of training with him. Maybe I can get in more than one hit this time. Yeah, that would definitely show him.
…Hey, a femme could hope.
Once I was close to the ground, I slowed until I was hovering before transforming back to my bot mode and landing with a small thud. Seriously, the next time I took a ground bridge, I was confirming the coordinates with Soundwave before walking through. Seriously.
Shaking my thoughts out of future ground bridge travels, I brought out an energon scanner and started to walk down the canyon, hoping to find this energon signal so I could report into Megatron and get back to training.
Or, if the training was done for the solar cycle, then I would take on my other past time; figuring out who was doing the pranks that Knockout talked about when I first got to the Nemesis. While I had yet to be pranked, I had heard some of the drones talking about getting pranked recently and it was going to be one of the mysteries I was going to solve while working on the mission for Alpha Trion.
Speaking of the Autobot old bot, I hoped beyond all hope that he had contacted Shadow and explained my departure to her. If she didn't understand why I defected and joined the Decepticons, then the next time we met, it was going to be a very energon spilled filled event. With all the training I had been doing with Soundwave, I knew that we were most likely evenly matched.
The sound of beeping had me looking down at my scanner and, to my surprise, it was only detecting a small energon signal. That was weird. With how Megatron had been talking, I was expecting it to be a larger signal. When I was with the Autobots, they had detected signals that were larger than this but it had only turned out to be a small supply. Now I was suspicious. It was the only signal within a fifty mile radius, which was the range of the scanner. Maybe this was some sort of field test against the drones? Annoying bit of training but I should be able to handle it. So, I sharpened the focus of the scanner on the signal.
To my surprise, as the signal got sharper, it showed that there were two signals right next to each other. This was highly unusual. I thought that the signal would be a group of drones about to split up. But, as the two signals came closer, I realized that these were two signals and, more than likely, these were not drones. No, this was a test, and not a test that I was going to be coming out of easily. I had a strange feeling that those two signals were Autobots. And, from the count, they would be in sight any,
My spark stopped and my optics widened when two bots came around the corner. One was a mech sporting a bright red finish, blue eyes, and horns on the side of his helm. He seemed to be smiling, laughing at something the bot next to him had said. However, he was not the one that caused me to stare in shock, and who caused my spark to almost shatter on the sight of them. No, that honor was reserved to the femme next to him.
There, standing right next to Cliffjumper, was a mainly black, with different sections of pink, purple, and gold, femme. She stood just taller than Arcee and her crystal blue optics with pink pupils were staring at me in shock. Of course, I bet that my own were staring right back at her. Could…could Megatron have known about them being here? With Soundwave around, it wouldn't have surprise me.
That shocked look on the very familiar femmes faceplate didn't last long as it was soon replaced by a cold, fury filled stare. The femme before me could once be considered my friend. While deep in my spark I hoped that we could once again be friends, I knew that after what I did I didn't deserve it.
"Pandimala." Shadow growled at me, taking a stance like she was going to launch at me any nano-click. Her blaster had come out from her left servo and the right one was holding one of her katanas in her right. Her optics were cold as they glared at , Alpha Trion more likely tan not did not tell her that this was a part of our mission. Great.
Did I ever mention that I could sometimes strangle ancient Autobots? If not, I could sometimes really strangle ancient Autobots.
"Shadowstalker and Cliffjumper. Two on one hardly seems like a fair fight." I responded to her as a Decepticon would while taking out my broadswords and lowering my shoulder cannons. I knew that I was at a disadvantage being that I did not have blasters but I knew that I was going to get through this. The three of us had a strange Mexican standoff, though in reality they outnumbered me, before Cliffjumper fired a shot at me and I immediately ducked behind some rubble for cover. It wouldn't last long before exposing my chassis but it would give me just enough time to focus so I could maybe use what I had against him.
"Slag!" I hissed to myself as one of their shots, though I wasn't sure whose it was, nearly clipped my wing. I had to get them separated now! "Eat this Autobots!" I yelled before jumping out from the cover and creating a wall of fire between us all. While the blaster shots were still coming through, they had no idea where I was so the shots were flying harmlessly by me. Now, I just had to figure out how I was going to subdue them without,
A sense of something coming at me, kind of like how I was starting to feel when Soundwave would come at me during our training sessions, caused me to swing one of my broadswords to my left. The clang of reverberating metal sounded as my blade met with Shadow's katana. I pushed against our met blades and she was thrown back away from me a little. In the blink of an optic, however, she was back up and coming at me again. "I see that you have finished your betrayal you Decepticon trash!"
As I continued to block her, my wings twitched in reminder of the pain that was felt when I had received these marks. She had no idea, no idea what pain I was in during that…both physical and mental torment. But, I had to endure for our plan to work. It was then that I finally noticed the marking on her shoulder. Instinctively, my optics narrowed at the sign that I had learned to despise, even before I was a Cybertronian. I had always been a Decepticon fan and for reasons that I felt were just. Seeing the Autobot insignia blazed on her shoulder drove a spike of anger through my systems as I took a swipe at her. "And it seems like you have become a weak, pitiful, disgusting piece of Autobot scum not worthy to even be in my presence, let alone fight against me."
I flinched as the words flew from my vocals. I didn't mean them. While I hated the Autobots, Shadow was not a scum. None of them were. I was struggling. Maybe it was the lack of interaction with the Autobots and the three solar cycles of training that I had endured with the Deceptcons as my new mentors. This fight did tell me that I had school myself to not lose myself in the Decepticons and remember that I had only betrayed the Autobots to complete our mission from Alpha Trion. The only reason.
Now, convincing myself of that would be awesome.
A hiss escaped my vocals as I felt Shadow's katana slightly graze my right wing. Frag I had to pay attention. This was a test from Megatron and Soundwave and I could not fail it. No matter what. This would help me further along in my mission to convert whoever I could from the Decepticons to peace. This wasn't working on converting them to the Autobots; that would never happen.
Gripping my broadswords tighter, I blocked a strike from Shadow before countering with one of my own. My reaction time must have really improved because, while she dodged most of the strike, about an inch of my right blade was able to cut her shoulder, barely missing the new…Autobot insignia. Her optics widened at that and she jumped back a bit so she was out of range. "How…,"
I could see the question she was trying to form but I had to be careful how I answered that. "What? Did you think that I have been lazing around these past few solar cycles? I have been training non-stop just to get back at each and every one of you pesky Autobots." I then swung both of my swords in my servos before pointing the right one at her. "I have improved with my fellow Decepticons and I shall continue to improve each and every solar cycle that I am there. You and I are on equal ground now and, while you probably want to eradicate me just as much as I do you, Shadowstalker, you will find that I am not so easily defeated now, and I will never be again."
It was hard to say these words to her. While we were on opposite sides now, I did not want to 'eradicate' her, never mind hurt her. But, this was a test of my loyalty to Megatron and so I had to make it look like all my ties to the Autobots were gone and the only thig I felt toward them was anger.
The sound of engines had both Shadow and I looking to my right, her left, and I saw the rest of the Autobots coming out of the bridge with Cliffjumper joining them, having gotten around my fire barricade. While I didn't mind trying to fight Cliffjumper and Shadow, having to fight the rest of the Autobots who were probably, while not just as much hurt as Shadow, hurt by my betrayal greatly, was not something I imagined myself coming out of alive.
A shiver traveled down my back plates as my comm. link turned on and Lord Megatron's voice came through. "Pandimala, we have detected Autobot signatures near your location. Can you confirm their location?"
While I wanted to spend more time with Shadow, even as mortal enemies, I didn't dare try and risk Megatron's anger again. "I am currently facing the Autobot Shadowstalker and her backup of Cliffjumper, Optimus Prime, Jazz, Bulkhead, and Arcee my Lord. What are my orders Lord Megatron?" I kept my swords up and pointed toward the Autobots as I awaited the answer.
"You have done well, my newest Decepticon. Soundwave is sending a ground bridge for your immediate return." Megatron responded to my question.
"As you command Lord Megatron." I responded before he shut off the line. The Autobots were glaring at me and looked like they were about to charge. So, I tilted my helm slightly towards them before saying, "While a fight with all of you Auto-scum would be entertaining, I have my orders to follow." The ground bridge then opened behind me. Turning to Shadow, I decided to make sure that Megatron knew my ties with them were severed…at least until Alpha Trion could explain everything to Shadow. "So long and enjoy living while you can. Next we meet, I will not be so forgiving on you Shadowstalker." I then ran through the bridge.
On the other side, I almost tripped over my own feet to stop myself from running into Megatron and Soundwave. "You did very well on your mission Pandimala. As I hope you have figured out, this was a test of your loyalty to our cause. I have had enough of betrayals as of late and I wanted to reaffirm your loyalty to us." Yeah, I kinda figured that out with the obvious lack of energon signals around the location I was sent to.
"Your praise is highly appreciated my Lord." I stated in gratitude with a bow of my helm. Even though I was afraid of this happening, calling him 'Lord' was becoming more natural to me now. What would become of me when this was all over?
When I looked up, my green optics locked with his blood red ones and I found myself being almost studied by them. As much as I hated it, I felt nervous and exposed under his gaze. I could see pain, anger, and determination in his optics. They came across in such a powerful way that it was hard to keep my chassis from falling out from under me. But, I was able to…barely.
After what felt like an eternity of our stare down, Megatron finally spoke. "You will have the rest of the solar cycle to recover from your fight. Your training will resume in thirteen cycles." He then finally turned to leave, which in effect broke out optic lock, and made his way out of the room with Soundwave while saying, "You have much in the way to learn of Decepticon fighting and battle strategy. As long as you stay loyal to myself and my cause, then I have no doubt that you will rise far."
I didn't have time to respond before the door shut behind the two of them. I was pretty sure that my jaw was hanging by a sliver of metal right now. Did…did I just receive a compliment from Megatron? This was too strange. Even though I loved the Decepticons while I was in my dimension, I knew that they weren't the type to really give compliments. So, getting one from Megatron threw me for a shock.
Actually, I stayed in this shock as I walked to the med bay and walked to the med berth to get patched up.
"Ah, so since you are still online, I am going to assume that my most frequent client passed her little loyalty test?" I vaguely heard Knockout greet me. He stopped in front of me and it was only him snapping his digits right in front of my optics that snapped me out of my shock.
"Huh?" Was the only thing that I could respond with. While I was still in a little bit of shock, I was now aware of what was going on around me more clearly.
A sigh escaped from Knockout before he said, "What's wrong with you? I figured that after a femme passes her loyalty test, she would be much more focused and relaxed."
I stared up at Knockout for a click before I finally said what was on my mind. "I'm fine and I'm glad I passed this test that everybot seemed to know about but me. But, I'm surprised that I got a compliment from the boss."
His faceplate went from curious to downright shocked as soon as the words got out of my mouth. It took a second for the medic to finally say a response. "Are you sure it was a compliment? I'm pretty sure our leader does not give out compliments."
I had thought about this the whole trip to the med bay and I realized that I was not imagining and it was not a mistake. "Yes, I am sure. He first said that I did very well on my mission. But, I brushed that off because I figured he was saying that because I had shown him that I am loyal to him. But, then, right before he left me to myself, he said that as long as I stay loyal to him and his cause, that he has no doubt that I will rise far."
Knockout stared at me in absolute shock. "Yes, that doesn't sound like anything but a compliment. Maybe I won't have to see you back in here every thirty clicks tomorrow."
I frowned at that as he let out a chuckle. Yeah, laugh it up Knockout. "You're hilarious Knockout but I do need patched up." I then motioned to the many dents and cuts that I had received from Shadow.
It was then that he finally seemed to notice that I was in here for more than a social talk so he took out his equipment and got to work. While he worked, he decided to keep up our conversation. "So, since you have the rest of the solar cycle off, what do you plan to do?"
While I really wanted to locate the source of the pranks, my fight with Shadow had me exhausted and right now all I could think about was getting some recharge. A bot was not supposed to go through this many emotions in a single solar cycle yet my fate seemed to deem that yes, I did. "Just planning on getting in some extra recharge. I have a feeling that, unlike your hope of not seeing me so often, that I am going to be going through some advanced training tomorrow and that means that I will be in here a lot."
"Of course you are." Knockout sighed before he finished up the last touches on my repairs. "Alright, your all patched up. Get some recharge and try not to get too hurt tomorrow alright?"
"I'll try!" I laughed before I stood and left the med bay. Knockout was seriously different here in his med bay than he was in the show. I loved this side of him. He obviously cared about the Decepticons he worked on…unless it was just me, and he could have actual fun without trying to kill someone.
Though, I had a feeling that if I kept ending up in med bay so often, then I might wake up missing a limb or two. That would be fun trying to explain to Soundwave and Lord Megatron. 'Oh, I'm sorry I can't come and train today because I somehow lost my right leg.' I would look like an idiot. So, that meant that I had to take my training even more serious than I was before this test. Great. The only good thing I saw myself getting out of this was that I would be able to get even stronger and face the Autobots on even terms. That would be an awesome solar cycle.
Once I got into my room, I typed in my passcode before walking in and immediately laying down on my berth. As I started my shut down sequence, I went through the episodes in season two in my head and, since the Bulkhead hadn't ended up on the Nemesis and we haven't been attacked by insecticons and Starscream clones, then I figured that I was around the episode of Grill. However, I couldn't be too sure because it was harder to differentiate the episodes up here since, until Bulkhead showed up, I had no idea how far we were. Shoot, we could be at Nemesis Prime still and I wouldn't have a clue.
Further thoughts were stopped as my shut down sequence finally finished and I was cast into a dreamless recharge.
…Or at least I thought it was one until I found myself floating in a black space that was very familiar. Alpha Trion was going to be having a meeting with me. What was going to happen? Maybe I could convince him to,
I stopped my own thoughts when a snarl ripped through the air followed by an extremely familiar and angry voice growling my name. "Pandimala!"
Turning, I saw Shadow standing there with a look that promised my death.
Uh-oh, it looks like Pandimala's troubles aren't over yet! I wonder what will happen at this meeting…Can Cybertronians die in this dreamscape? *worried for Pandimala* Anyways, that was the end of this chapter and we both hope you enjoyed this as much as we did. Next chapter is going to be written and posted by Shadow Katakura!
Shadow: So, life with the 'Cons everything you dreamed of?
Me: Yeah, hard work and Knockout is awesome! Even though Pandimala's fan crush is gone doesn't mean mine is. *stares at the wonder that is Knockout*
Shadow: Well, she's gone. *turns to readers* Both of us hope you enjoyed this chapter and we will see you all at the next update! *drags me away*