The Rec Room is as boisterous as ever when the two humans finally get to it, though it does nothing to alleviate their confusion.
Skyfire's words, and his actions, still have their brains reeling.
Spike considers asking Red Alert if he can pinpoint Starscream's location next the Seeker is out of the Nemesis, and try to convince one of the Autobots to help the boy find the jet.
After all, Starscream was the one to tell him to ask.
Though he can ask the Shuttle himself, the teenager doesn't feel confident, nor does he know where he is.
And the other two scientists have literally closed the door on their faces.
So, Spike looks around the Rec Room and finds someone else to get answers from.
Perhaps it's not the brightest move, taking into account the mech and certain situations he's been in, but if someone can explain about 'trust issues' it's a Spec Ops agent.
Thus, the teenager stops by the blue and white pedes and looks up at the slightly curious blue optics observing him over the rim of a half-filled Energon cube.
"Hey, Mirage, can I ask you a question?"
After a second of thought, the spy puts his cube on the table and reaches for the two humans, gently depositing them on the table.
"I don't see why not." He answers calmly, crossing his servos on the table almost business-like.
"Well, we were in the lab when Perceptor and Skyfire started… not fighting, but it was a nasty discussion." Blue optics pale slightly in interest and curiosity, and the boy looks down, trying to find his next words without insulting the mech.
"They were working in a null-ray, but Skyfire didn't want to help." His father interjects, patting the younger's shoulder reassuringly. "There were some… nasty things said—" Mirage's optics flash, and what was curiosity turns into a stony emotionless look. "—and Skyfire said that only Starscream could make the null-rays work, because they're connected to his spark." The Ligier's engine hiccups as he gapes for a second before he recomposes himself.
"When we asked why Skyfire hadn't said so from the start, Wheeljack said it was because of trust issues. Do you know what that means?"
"You're asking Mirage what 'trust issues' are? Please!" All eyes and optics turn to Cliffjumper, who is smirking at them with his arms crossed against his chest. "If you want to know something about trust, there are a lot of better mechs to ask."
"Like you?" The noble asks with light amusement, and the Minibot straightens almost proudly.
"Of course! Who has the most trust issues in the Autobot army?" The humans laugh lightly as the red mech takes a step next to the Spec Ops agent, looking down at them with curiosity. "Now, jokes aside. What are you talking about?"
"I'm not sure they should tell you." Mirage cuts in, voice and expression serious, holding a servo up to stop the Witwicky. "Unless I have misunderstood what you just explained, the reason that information wasn't divulged would be due to a promise between Skyfire and Starscream, rather than Skyfire not trusting the Autobots." He adds calmly, and, to Spike's surprise, Cliffjumper looks more pensive than angry at knowing the Shuttle kept something about their enemy to himself.
"Slagging Fliers." The Minibot grumbles almost darkly before looking at the Spec Ops agent. "Guess they told you what that information is, huh?"
"They did. So, I have to ask you keep this knowledge to yourselves." The Ligier answers, turning to the humans. "That is something for Skyfire and Starscream to tell, not the rest of us. As impossible as such a thing sounds like."
"Hey, it's The Screaming One you're talking about. I'm starting to think the slagger can't deactivate, with how many times Buckethead has hammered him into scrap metal." The red mech answers easily, his engine revving softly in a snort. "Only Primus could keep counting."
The noble doesn't snort, but the way he hides behind his cube to take a sip of Energon tells Spike he's hiding his own grin, though surely not as big nor sharp as Cliffjumper's.
"Now, did you say there was dissent among the scientists?" Mirage asks calmly after putting his cube down and, curious, the Minibot takes a seat next to the white and blue mech to listen to the humans.
"I'm surprised you understood the insults."
"They weren't really insulting each other." The teenager answers with a smirk before it vanishes. "Kind of. Since Skyfire didn't want to reveal… that information about Starscream, Perceptor said, well… he may have implied Skyfire wasn't really on the Autobot side." Regardless of their status in Cybertron, the flash of blue optics and the astonished expressions are the same on both mechs. "And man, was Skyfire pissed… Wheeljack grabbed us and almost ran out the door when his wings started moving!"
"His wings moved?!" Both Autobots exclaim in unison, the stunned flash of blue forcing Spike to blink blotches of light away for a couple of seconds.
And then, he realizes the Rec Room is silent.
A quick look around reveals that all mechs, despite there being not too many of them, are looking at their table with confusion and curiosity.
"Whose wings moved?" Brawn asks, and Spike suddenly feels very nervous and self-conscious.
"Skyfire's."
Curiosity and confusion turn to loaded silence, charged with something the boy can't identify between fear and dread…
"Oh, slag." And, with those two words, Cliffjumper summarizes the feelings in the room. "A torqued Skyfire whose wings moved. What did you say Perceptor said exactly?"
"Uh, something like… why do you have that brand on your chest…"
"What is the brand on your chest plates for." Sparkplug adds calmly, and clinking of Cybertronian shivers fill the room.
"Nice one, Perceptor." The Minibot groans, softly shaking his helm.
"I didn't know Skyfire's wings could move." Spike comments after a second, trying to change the topic.
"All wings can move." Mirage answers, sipping from his Energon once more, though visibly more relaxed. "Doorwings and Fliers' wings. It's just that Flier's keep theirs locked to lower their sensitivity when on the ground."
"Because they're sensitive enough to notice change in air currents and the like." The teenager adds, remembering the Shuttle's words in Jazz's office, and the Spec Ops agent nods.
"Doorwings are almost as sensitive, but their sensory suits are more easily controlled, so they don't have a locking mechanism. Wings are also used as a method of communication, so Fliers keep them unlocked at times when on the ground, though not in the presence of Ground-bound Cybertronian."
"Unless, as you saw, they are really torqued or want to make a point." Cliffjumper adds, the rest of Autobots in the room minding their own business once more. "That's when coding overwhelms the processor, and they act before they can check themselves."
The humans nod as a sign of understanding, and Mirage stands up.
"If you will excuse me, my shift is about to begin. Have a nice day." And, followed by the Witwicky's farewells, the Ligier walks out of the Rec Room after disposing of his empty cube in a recycling machine.
"Nice situation to learn about wings. First that thing at the battlefield and now the stunt in the labs. I'm starting to think you do it on purpose." The Minibot's blue optics darken as he leans forward, a suspicious look on his faceplate, and Spike can't help but think of Soundwave's words once more.
"Human: Would make a fine Decepticon."
"If you guys told me about those things, we wouldn't find ourselves in this situations!" He retorts with a grimace, and, after a couple of seconds of silence, the red mech straightens with a pensive look.
"Well, that's right. Guess Ratchet hasn't been doing that great of a job." He muses to himself and, with a gesture for the humans to stay put, he stands up.
After retrieving a cube of Energon from the dispenser, the Minibot sits down once more, still deep in thought.
"I'm not the best at those things, but if I am the one to tell you, at least I'll know what you're learning." He finally says, taking a big gulp of his drink before moving to a more comfortable seating position. "Alright. Do you know about the creation of the Cybertronian?" Both males nod, for the teenager told the story of Primus and his robots to his father as soon as he got home. "So, you know about the Thirteen Primes?"
"Thirteen what? Are they Optimus' family?"
Cliffjumper's engine roars in a bark of laughter, and Spike can feel some more bright optics turn to them.
"'Prime' is a title. It means they're the Chosen of Primus to lead the Senate, and, as thus, Cybertron. The Thirteen, or Thirteen Primes, were the first Cybertronian, those Primus created and taught himself, and the ones who guided Cybertron to rise as the most powerful and advanced world in unaccountable galaxies."
Spike's mouth falls open, though not so much at the words than at the pride and joy in Cliffjumper's face.
Cliffjumper. Smiling.
Eery…
"A title. Got it." Is the only thing he can answer, still stunned at the uncharacteristic look of almost fatherly pride in the Minibot's face, who seems to calm down when he hears the boy.
"Alright. The Thirteen were also the first of every existing frame type, and from them were created all the others in their image, with changes brought about by each individual that, with time, became different models." Movement catches the teenager's attention, and, with a look around, he finds all optics in the room turned to them, listening almost enthralled.
The red mech just straightens at the attention.
"The First, and the one who was eventually bestowed the Matrix—"
"The what?" Snickers fill the room at Cliffjumper's scowl when the boy interrupts him, so Spike gives him a sheepish smile.
"The Matrix of Leadership. It contains the knowledge of all previous Primes and is the last gift of Primus to the Thirteen. Only a Prime can carry it." Gears answers grumpily from where he's sitting with some other Minibots, and nods and soft words in agreement follow.
The teenager remembers Ratchet telling about a powerful object given to the leader of the first robots, containing the part of Primus' spark that didn't become Cybertron's core, and quickly realizes that they're talking about the same.
"Yes, that. Now, as I was saying, the First, and the one who was eventually bestowed the Matrix, was Prima, the Road Runner, also known as the Embodiment of Light, for his speed was so great and his color scheme so pale that he seemed but a ray of light as he drove." Cheers erupt from the twins, sitting in front of the Cybertronian-sized console and the paused game onscreen.
"The Second was Vector, the Shuttle, also known as the Guardian of Space and Time, for his was the ability to traverse the void of space and visit any world he so wished, entering in other spaces and times unknown to Cybertronian." Sideswipe continues after he realizes they have the room's attention, a big and snobbish grin on his faceplate.
"The Third was Alpha, the Chaser, also known as the Knowledge Keeper, for his was the ability to roam areas impassable to others and find truth where others couldn't reach, taking it with him to share, for he always found his way back." Sunstreaker adds with an even more arrogant look, not paying attention to the soft whispers among the rest of Autobots.
"Why are you talking like that?" Sparkplug asks before someone else can pick up the curiously structured descriptions, turning to an annoyed-looking Cliffjumper that's glaring holes into the twins.
"'Cause that's how everyone knows it." He answers nonchalantly, not looking at the humans, who exchange an 'oh well' look and a shrug.
Sounds like the multiplication rules the boy had to learn in school—and that he can still hear bouncing in his brain in that sing-song cadence their teacher used.
"So, the first was…"
"Prima."
"Prima, who was the same frame type as Sideswipe and Sunstreaker." All Autobots nod, with the twins glowing under the glare Cliffjumper is still giving them. "Then, a Shuttle…"
"Vector." The Minibot supplies in a soft growl, just as before, and Spike takes out his small notebook and pen and starts writing.
"Prima the… Road Runner?" A nod, and the boy quickly writes it down next to the name and the number one, adding an arrow before putting 'twins' after it. "Then, Vector the Shuttle. And the third?"
"Alpha, the Chaser, also known as the Knowledge Keeper, for his was the ability to roam areas impassable to others and find truth where others couldn't reach, taking it with him to share, for he always found his way back." The whole room seems to recite in unison, and Spike feels awe and wonder fill him, as well as amusement at the thought that they sound like a class of kids.
"Wait, Knowledge Keeper?" He repeats, writing it awkwardly next to Alpha's name. "What were Prima and Vector's titles?"
"Prima was the Embodiment of Light, and Vector, the Guardian of Space and Time." And, no sooner has he written it down, the teenager realizes it isn't enough.
So, wiping the frown from his face, he turns to a blank page and looks up at Cliffjumper, who has finally turned to look at the humans in curiosity, with a big smile.
"Mind repeating from the very beginning? I want to write it down."
Whatever he was expecting, it wasn't the Minibot's—and the rest of the present Autobots'—to beam brightly at the humans.
"Alright. I'll go slower." The teenager nods before turning all his attention to his notebook. "The First, and the one who was eventually bestowed the Matrix, was Prima, the Road Runner, also known as the Embodiment of Light, for his speed was so great and his color scheme so pale that he seemed but a ray of light as he drove." Cliffjumper falls silent, letting Spike finish writing and nod before continuing. "The Second was Vector, the Shuttle, also known as the Guardian of Space and Time, for his was the ability to traverse the void of space and visit any world he so wished, entering in other spaces and times unknown to Cybertronian."
"… unknown to Cybertronian." The boy repeats softly, his smile growing as he moves the pen to a new line.
"The Third was Alpha, the Chaser, also known as the Knowledge Keeper, for his was the ability to roam areas impassable to others and find truth where others couldn't reach, taking it with him to share, for he always found his way back." The teenager startles a bit at Hoist's voice, not having realized he's joined them on their table, but manages to write it down before looking up. "Now, you haven't seen a Chaser, since there wasn't any in the Ark, but if you were to compare one with a Road Runner, it would be like comparing a motorcycle to a car."
Spike ponders that for some seconds before returning to the previous page and writing a new line.
3: Alpha – Chaser → Motorcycle
"Alright. Who was the fourth?" He asks with a wide smile, once more returning to where he's writing down the story.
Or, more accurately, history.
"The Fourth was Solus, the Femme, also known as the Artificer, for hers was the ability to develop and build what others thought impossible, and her nimbleness and hidden strength was her major asset."
"Solus, the Femme… Hey, that's the frame type your language packages think is feminine. Hound said it was a mistake." Soft murmurs along incredulous faces fill the room, and Spike snickers when he realizes the Autobots have just noticed that little detail with gender now that he's pointed it out.
"Slag, that's right." The red Minibot reboots his optics a couple of times in surprise, and the teenager laughs softly at his dumbfounded expression. "Didn't even notice when I spoke out loud."
"No problem, I'll just change a couple things and no big deal." The human answers with a wave of his hand, scratching the 's' on 'she' and changing 'her' for 'his'. "Done. I guess you have no Femmes here either, do you?" Hoist shakes his head with a smile, sipping form his cube.
"Maybe we can show you schematics from each main frame type later." The boy nods with a grateful smile before turning to Cliffjumper—
Who has straightened and looks almost as pompous as the twins did when talking about Prima, gesturing for the boy to turn his attention back to his notebook.
Curious and a bit confused, Spike obeys, readying himself for another paragraph.
"The Fifth was Micronus, the Minibot, also known as the Enhancer, for his small frame was a deceitful container for his strong spark and indomitable will, and never once turned he his back to those he was loyal to." The red mech recites proudly and, halfway through his copying, the teenager smirks, realizing the reason for the snobby attitude.
But, when he turns to his 'cheat chart', Spike stops and frowns softly.
"Huh, Cliffjumper? Which would be the 'standard' model of Minibot?" He asks, remembering that Hound told him there were a lot of different models, as he's witness to in his Autobot friends.
"Why, mine, of course." The red mech answers with a wide smirk, and the teenager snickers when he hears Gears and Huffer start to grumble.
"Yours and Bumblebee's, right?" Cliffjumper nods, still sitting pompously and without care for the optics drilling into him.
"Look at the midget, so proud. Please, it isn't as if there's been a real Minibot Prime." Sunstreaker scoffs, and the red mech's high and mighty attitude turns downright menacing as he glares at the golden frontliner, threatening growl included.
Fortunately, Hoist grabs the smaller Autobot's arm in case he was thinking of jumping the twins.
Which, judging from his snarl, he was.
"Now, now, calm down. We're teaching Spike and Sparkplug about the Thirteen, not arguing about the lines of Matrix-bearing Primes. So please, leave your arguments for another time, or I'll be forced to call Prowl."
The tension doesn't immediately vanish, but, after about a minute or two, the Minibot turns around to pay attention to the humans once more.
"Slagging Road Runners, always thinking themselves better because of Prima. Micronus wasn't called a Prime just because, what kind of glitch do their processors—"
The medic's engine rumbles softly, and the red mech's grumbles die with a scowl.
"Ready for more, Spike?" Hoist asks after a soft shake of his helm and, deciding not to irk the hot-tempered Autobot further, the boy nods and turns back to his notebook. "The Sixth was Alchemist, the Builder, also known as the Wielder of Worlds, for his was the ability to recognize all elements and materials in existence and manipulate them to give form to that which would aid those in need."
"Builder. Is that your frame type?" He asks the green mech, who revs his engine softly in what would be chuckling.
"No, it isn't. It's Grapple's, and the Constructicons'. Though none of them are anything like the 'standard' Builders, if you want to call them so. During the Golden Age, they were all reconfigured into more specific jobs, even if Alchemist was supposed to be able to take different positions instead of only one." He explains calmly, and, although mildly confused as for the reasons for this specifying, Spike nods.
"Alright. The next?" He asks, once more turning to his notebook, and this time it's Cliffjumper who answers.
"The Seventh was Nexus, the Triple Changer, also known as the Enigma of Combination, for his was the ability to roam both air and ground, with the nobility and power of three to strengthen his unbreakable desire to help." Various engine-snorts and mocking laughter fill the room, and the teenager can't finish writing fast enough to look up in an effort to understand their reactions.
He needn't have worried.
"Nobility, as if! Triple Changers are nothing more than brutes and warmechs." Huffer scoffs, and, to the humans' astonishment, others nod in agreement.
"Decepticon scum." Someone else grumbles, though this time there are some voices raised against those words.
"Hey, don't put them all in there! Some Triple Changers are Autobots."
"Oh, yeah? Like who?"
"That big blue and black Tread Roller-Air Weapon?"
"The one from Straxus? That could have been a 'Con for all he did!"
"And how about Omega Supreme?"
"One good among how many millions? They're all fragging 'Cons! Omega's a 'Bot 'cause of the Senate!"
As the argument—or swapping of insults and scoffs, to be more accurate—continues, Spike turns to Hoist with a pleading look.
The green mech's blue visor darkens at the look, but he doesn't say anything.
"Hey! Keep quiet, would you? We're trying to teach Spike and Sparkplug, and they haven't heard the whole story yet." Cliffjumper exclaims, silencing the rest of Autobots, before turning to the humans. "The Thirteen were Primes. They were right, and nothing like the 'Cons. Unfortunately, those who followed were nothing like them." He adds with a scowl, and murmurs of agreement follow his words. "Though there were some that shouldn't have been Primes. Keep writing." The teenager startles at that but, slowly, he turns back to his notebook, not knowing what to expect next. "The Eighth was Onyx, the Seeker, also known as the Three-Faced, for his was the most energetic spark and fastest processor, to enhance his ability to find that which was hidden, and to always return with what was needed."
Spike doesn't need to look up to know they're all scowling and snarling, nor does he need to ask for the reason.
All Seekers are Decepticons and, from what little he knows, they're the reason Megatron got as far as he did.
"Who was the ninth?" Sparkplug asks calmly, easily heard despite the engine growls starting to fill the room, so the boy gives him a grateful look.
It takes some seconds, but the Autobots seem to calm down as they push memories away.
"The Ninth was Amalgamous, the Doorwinger, also known as the Shifter, for his was the speed of Prima and the sensitivity of Onyx while being none but himself, and the ability to sooth sparks and calm processors."
"Prowl, Smokescreen and Bluestreak, right?" The teenager asks Hoist as soon as he finishes writing, and the medic nods. "When you say 'the sensitivity of Onyx', do you mean the doorwings?"
"Yeah, those things are almost more sensor-ladden than a medic's sevos." Cliffjumper answers gruffly, his engine rumbling somehow angrily before gesturing to the notebook. "Want to hear about the rest, or keep asking?"
"The rest. I can't start asking if I don't have all the information." He explains, remembering the two Decepticons that 'kidnapped' him so that they could teach him.
"Well put. Alright, the Tenth was Quintus, the Cassette Carrier, also known as the Life Giver, for his was the most active spark and the ability to synchronize systems with others to support sparks, processors and frames, as well as uncountable bonds." The Minibot answers, leaning against the back of his seat almost bored.
"Which would be Soundwave and Blaster."
"Only Blaster, actually." Startled, both humans turn to the softly smiling green mech. "Both are Cassette Carriers, but only Blaster is the standard model."
"But they look the same." Sparkplug questions without asking, looking confused.
"Not all differences are visible, some run code-deep."
After exchanging a look of realization, father and son nod.
"How about Cassettes?" The teenager asks, and Cliffjumper tenses even more in annoyance bordering anger.
"They're a model of Minibot." A look at the red mech is all Spike needs to know he would have better luck asking someone else, so he just nods, writes the new information in his chart, and turns expectantly to Hoist once he has turned to a new empty page to keep writing.
"The Eleventh was Liege, the Medic, also known as the Manipulator, for his was the ability to modify frames and processors to nurse and nurture and strengthen and heal, anchoring life to metal and giving metal life." The teenager doesn't even bother suppressing his chuckles at the pride in the green mech's voice. "And yes, that would be mine and Ratchet's frame type. There's no standard model, though, since Medics are so because of their inner workings and processors, not anything physical."
"I think I'm really going to go ask Ratchet that datapad he showed us before." His father muses out loud, and Spike nods eagerly.
"Datapad?" Cliffjumper asks, leaning forward a bit.
"One with different schematics of frame types and models." Hoist lets out a humming sound of understanding, and the Minibot turns a suspicious glare to him.
"It's a basic learning program for newspark Medics, though I can see it would be useful for them too. It's made to learn, after all." Placated by that answer, the red mech goes back to leaning against his seat, quickly looking at Spike and nodding to let him know he's about to keep explaining.
So, the boy turns his attention back to his notebook eagerly.
"The Twelfth was Megatronus, the Tread Roller, also known as the Impenetrable Darkness, for his was the thickest armor and the darkest color scheme and the most powerful weapons, which allowed him to defeat all that dared harm those he was sworn to protect."
It takes the teenager a bit of effort to keep writing without messing up the words, but as soon as he's done, he quickly looks up at the almost expectant Autobots.
They knew what his reaction would be.
"Yes, Megatron is a Tread Roller, and yes, he was designated after Megatronus, though no one knows if that was his original designation. And no, he's not a standard Tread Roller, that would be Warpath." Hoist answers easily before the human even has time to ask, and, after some seconds to assimilate that information, Spike turns to his cheat chart to write it down.
"But Megatron's a gun, and Warpath is a tank." Sparkplug points out curiously, and there's an almost impish smile on the medic's faceplate when the teenager looks up.
"They're a really varied frame type. Perceptor is a Tread Roller too." Stupefied, the Witwicky can only gap at him. "Lots of different models, but what you need to remember is to never mess up with them." A quick look around the room shows the rest of Autobots nodding in agreement.
Slowly, the humans put themselves back together.
"I really need to learn about models." His father says, and Spike finds himself agreeing even though he's already readying himself to write about the last Prime.
"Let me guess, the Thirteenth is like Optimus. A Cargo?" The boy asks, and both Medic and Minibot nod before the red mech leans a bit forward.
"The Thirteenth was Maximum, the Cargo, also known as the Unifier, for his was the ability to bring closer that which needed be, whether it was through will or physical strength, and his spark was bright enough to act as a beacon that always guided his siblings home." The teenager has to scramble a bit to write it all, but, after filling his cheat chart with that last information, he looks back at it.
"That's oddly beautiful."
"You always say something about the others. To go back to them, to bring them back, to protect them…" Spike points out after sharing a rueful smile with his father.
"Because they were Primes, and that's how Primes are. They keep Cybertron unified, taken care of… without them, each frame type would go their own way, and we all know how that ended like." Cliffjumper answers with a scoff before standing up. "Well, I've got a shift to get to. Try not to mess up what we've told you."
Spike rolls his eyes at that with a soft chuckle, but the Minibot doesn't stop, joining the others of his frame type before they all walk out of the Rec Room.
"Any questions, or shall I take you to the Repair Bay to let you play with the frame type-model datapad?" Hoist asks, and Spike takes a quick look at what he's written to make sure he really doesn't have questions—
And finds one.
"Why was Onyx called 'Three-Faced'?"
"Because the processor speed of Seekers allows them to think faster than other Cybertronian, and thus makes their moods change apparently at random, resulting in them seemingly having different personalities." The Medic answers calmly, and the boy just nods before writing 'mood swings' in his chart.
"I think that's all. Can we go to the Repair Bay now?" He asks hopefully, giving the Autobot his best puppy eyes, and Hoist laughs with a rumble of his engine as he helps them get down the table.
"Since you already know about frame types, I don't see why not." the green mech answers as he gestures to the door and, happily, the humans start to walk, looking over Spike's notes.
"This is going to be awesome." The teenager whispers, and laughter follows them as they leave the Rec Room.
AN: Sorry about the lack of update last week, but this chapter was a lot harder than I thought it'd be, taking into account I had all my HC ready and waiting to just be copied here. The characters (I'm looking at you, Cliffjumper) made things more difficult than I expected them to be.
Unfortunately, I can't promise an extra update to make up for the one I missed, since that's all I have written, so, if there is ever going to be a double update to make up for this, it won't be this week.
I used Transformers: Prime's list of the Thirteen Primes as well as some of their titles and frames, but I adapted most of them and made up the history behind them. About models and which character is which, there are some obvious ones while I took liberties with others. Things will be explained further in the fic.