Chapter 28 Rebirth?
When Megatron and Starscream entered the Command center, everyone turned to look at them. Bumblebee was bouncing from one foot to the other, shooting Blitzwing nervous glances from time to time. Starscream had Emberstar hidden behind his wings, carefully striding behind Megatron while murmuring to his sparkling to keep still. Emberstar had tried to peek over her "mother's" shoulder, but stopped when she got two messages from her parents to remain hidden until further notice.
Lugnut snorted as he glared at Starscream. "So, he has finally decided to leave the room?" He asked coldly.
Bumblebee glared up at the purple mech. "Oh, shove a cork in it! I'm sure he had a good reason for staying in his room. Didn't you attack him a few weeks ago?" He snapped.
Starscream silently waited for Megatron to give the signal to reveal their daughter. She was shifting slightly, accidentally digging her turbines into his back. He sent Megatron a small burst of pain and the larger mech's shoulder twitched slightly in response.
"Oh, he had a good reason alright." He chuckled. "Perhaps I should introduce a new member of the Decepticon army? A young femme by the name of Emberstar."
At everyone's curious looks, Starscream shifted his wings and proudly held up the tiny femme for all to see. She giggled, loving the attention and Megatron didn't stop the smile from sliding across his face. Lugnut's jaw hit the ground while Shockwave's optic widened in horror.
"I thought you said that the sparkling died!" Lugnut snapped.
Bumblebee stared up at the sparkling in awe. "It's so cute!" He chirped.
Blackarachnia hissed. "Only you would think that is cute." She spat as she glared at Emberstar.
"Oh, my first sparkling is indeed dead. This is my second." Starscream replied as Emberstar giggled.
Bumblebee's spark fell. "So the first one did die after Lugnut attacked you." He murmured sadly, shooting Blitzwing a glance.
Megatron smiled as he glanced back at his sparkling. Such a tiny little thing and yet he could sense that she was a strong sparkling. Blitzwing had hung his head at Bumblebee's glance, shooting Starscream a sympathetic look. Emberstar was swinging her legs happily while chirping.
Bumblebee stared up at the little femme and smiled. "Well, she definitely is a happy little thing. Going to be murder to try to keep track of her." He stated.
"Worse than you?" Blackarachnia asked.
"Don't make me sting you." Bumblebee replied smugly as his hands turned into his stingers and they pulsed with electricity.
Emberstar reached towards Blackarachnia, chirping insistently. "She wants you to hold her." Starscream smirked.
Blackarachnia hissed. "There is no way in the Pit I'm holding that thing." She snapped.
Bumblebee grinned. "What? Afraid of a wittle sparkling?" He taunted. The black spider hissed at him.
Emberstar gave a defeated coo and went limp. Bumblebee glared up at the organic spider. "Now look what you did! You hurt her feelings!" He snapped.
Blackarachnia rolled her optics. "Oh for...fine, hand the brat over." She growled as she held her arms out. Emberstar leapt from Starscream's arms into hers, snuggling closer to her instantly.
'This should be good.' Megatron chuckled over their bond.
Blackarachnia growled as she held the sparkling out from her body. "Don't even think about snuggling." She snapped.
Bumblebee giggled. "Aww, don't you two look cute."
Emberstar looked up sadly at Blackarachnia, chirping softly, trying to get her to feel guilt and cuddle her. "I think I just found my nanny." Starscream stated with a laugh.
Blackarachnia glared at him, the legs behind her head twitching angrily. "I swear." She growled as she unknowingly began to stroke Emberstar's head. The little black and fire coloured femme giggled as she snuggled closer to her and hugged her tightly.
"Harm her and I'll kill you." Starscream hissed as he arched his back, ready to attack.
Blackarachnia raised an optic ridge. "I'm not that stupid, thank you." She stated. "This little sparkling has you, Megatron, Bumblebee, and by the looks of it Blitzwing protecting her. I wouldn't last three nanoclicks before I was scrap." She added as she stroked Emberstar's head tenderly.
"So, you'll care for her if there is an emergency?" Starscream asked. "I would ask Shockwave, but it would appear that I cannot trust our Communication Officer."
Blackarachnia glanced down at the sparkling. "Yah, yah." She replied, involuntarily smiling at the sparkling. She caught herself and blinked in surprise. "Don't look too far into that." She added. "Here shorty; you hold her." She added as she held Emberstar out to Bumblebee, who quickly picked the sparkling up.
Starscream stared around the room sadly before resting on Lugnut. He glanced at Bumblebee and smiled as the small, yellow Decepticon cuddled his daughter. "Well, aren't you the cutest thing this side of Cybertron?" He asked with a laugh as he wiggled his finger before he began to tickle the femme's stomach.
"Ve're on Earth." Blitzwing cackled.
"So we're on this side of Cybertron." Bumblebee replied. "Like the human saying this side of Mars or something like that." He added before he cradled the sparkling to his chest. "Don't you think she's cute Blitz?" He asked. Blitzwing nodded his head haphazardly. Bumblebee chuckled. "Careful. You don't want to snap your head off of your shoulders with all that nodding."
'I don't think any of the others realize that they are bonded.' Megatron commented as Lugnut walked cautiously over to Bumblebee and looked down at Emberstar.
Starscream readied his null-rays as Lugnut towered over Bumblebee. Lugnut picked Emberstar up by the scruff-bar and out of Bumblebee's arms. "HEY!" The yellow Decepticon shouted. "It's not nice to just pick a sparkling up out of the blue you know!"
Lugnut shrugged as he held the sparkling up to optic level. "I do not see what is so impressive about this sparkling." He stated. "It is too small to be of any use to us."
'I'm going to kill him if he says that again.' Megatron growled.
Emberstar chirped before she reached out and latched onto Lugnut's face. Lugnut yelped in surprise. "Get it off! Get if off! Get it off!" He whined as he bounced around on one foot. Emberstar squealed with delight as she was shaken through the air.
Megatron was fighting back a laugh while Bumblebee was rolling around on the ground. Emberstar giggled before she clambered onto the top of his head. "GET IT OFF!" Lugnut whined.
"Emberstar, leave Lugnut alone." Megatron stated with a chortle.
Emberstar giggled as she leapt onto the ground while Bumblebee fell over laughing. "Oh that was good!" He laughed. "Oh, oh, cramp! Oh man kid, you are too good at this!"
Emberstar held her hands clasped together and turned from side to side, blushing at the praise. Megatron chuckled as he walked forward and picked his sparkling up, moments before a laser blast scorched the ground. He backed up in shock before he looked up at Shockwave. "What?" He started to ask.
"She needed a lesson to be taught sir." Shockwave replied. "It was a blank." He added quickly. "Wouldn't have left any damage." Starscream snarled before lunging at him. Shockwave backed up shock. "It wouldn't have hurt her!" He stated. "It was just to startle her so she doesn't do that again! Others have used the tactic before!"
"She is not your sparkling! You have no right to discipline her!" Starscream growled as he bared his fangs.
Shockwave blinked once. "Forgive me. I reacted to how I would treat my own. My apologizes."
"You alright Ember?" Megatron asked softly.
Starscream bowed his head in response to Shockwave's apology. "I accept your apology. You must understand why I am so protective."
Shockwave nodded. "I understand. I...I told Lugnut to scare you that evening." He admitted. "But...I never imagined he would try to kill you! When I was informed of the sparkling's premature death, I was mortified to say the least. It's hard to lose a sparkling." He stated softly.
"Why did you order him to scare me?" Starscream asked as he narrowed his optics. "You know he wants me dead!"
Shockwave hung his head. "He was complaining about you, about how you were let back into the army, so I finally got fed up and told him to go find you and give you a little scare then." He stated. "I regret it deeply."
Starscream shook his head. "All the regret in the world won't bring my sparkling back to me." He stated. "But it's good that you at least apologized. Unlike some mechs." He added with a growl as he glared at Lugnut.
Shockwave nodded. "My loyalties lie with Megatron. And since you are his bonded, those loyalties are also to you." He stated. He glared at Lugnut. "Some just don't seem to get that through their cranial units." He spat. Starscream gave Lugnut a pained look before turning away. Shockwave reached out and touched Starscream's shoulder. He smiled weakly. "I'm sure our sparklings have met up by now." He stated softly. "They have a way of finding others like them." When Starscream looked at him in confusion he sighed and shook his head sadly. "Three different mates." He stated sadly. "All the same outcome; sparkling dies into the fourth week of development. When premature sparklings find their way to the Well, they usually seek out other sparklings who died prematurely. I think it has something to do with a kinderith spirit type thing. At least, that's what I've been told."
"I'm so sorry." Starscream murmured.
Shockwave shrugged. "Some of us just obviously aren't meant to have sparklings. Took three times for me to figure that out, but, what can you do?" He laughed weakly.
"I'm sure you'll have one someday." Starscream replied reassuringly.
Shockwave laughed weakly. "Nah." He replied. "Don't think I could ever handle having my own." He replied. "I'm more of a babysitter."
Megatron smiled softly to his sparkling. "Thank Primus."
Which one is Lugnut?
"Perhaps you'd be the better choice than the Techno-organic." Starscream whispered.
"Perhaps."
"I heard that."
Purple one with the large optic and all the smaller ones on his face? The one that Emberstar face-glomped?
"That's the one." Megatron coughed.
Payback time!
There was a sudden flash of black light, quickly followed by a sinister sounding "boo". Starscream whirled around in shock, his optics scanning for the source of the noise. Bumblebee froze before glancing around. "Did anyone else just hear that?" He asked.
There was a ghostly wail that shook everyone's frames and sent shivers running along their spinal arrays. "Lugnut…," a very deep voice wailed, "you will pay for your crimes."
Starscream tried to stifle his laugh as Lugnut tensed up. "Wh-what is the meaning of this trickery?!" He demanded.
"Aren't you scared?" The deep voice asked before wailing again.
"No," Lugnut replied.
Dude, you suck!
Starscream cackled as the ghostly voice was replaced by a sparkling femme's. "Who are you?" Lugnut demanded.
I am Oblivion.
Lugnut's optic got big before he fell over in fear.
He realizes that's my name and not what I am, right?
"Tell him who you are then." Starscream stated with a soft smile. A soft giggle followed his statement.
Ok! Lugnut, I am the sparkling you killed 9 weeks ago!
Lugnut let out a squeak before passing out on the spot.
Aww! There goes my fun! For all of you who can't see me, I'm pouting.
"I wish I could see you pout." Starscream sobbed quietly from behind Megatron. Megatron reached back and patted his mate's shoulder gently.
Hang on a minute. Adjust that, reconfigure this…yes Tidus, I realize I'm making this up as I go along!
Just checking.
Now you made me lose my flow!
Starscream placed a servo on Megatron's back for balance as he sniffled. It was so good to hear his dead child's voice, but it burned terribly in his spark. Megatron sighed before his optics widened; a black shape was forming in the center of the room. "What the?" Starscream's optics widened.
A tiny pair of wings formed on either side of the blob, closely followed by arms, legs, and a head. They were sparkling sized and designed after the appearance of a newly protoformed femme. Both Megatron and Starscream stared blankly at the mass as claws developed on the fingers. The wings turned a soft grey while the arms and legs turn a soft shade of mauve. The little mass stood up and tumbled backwards.
Ouch! How can you walk with these things?! Floating is so much better!
Megatron's jaw hit the floor in shock. "O-o-oblivion?" The mouth had moved only the barest amount on the sparkling femme, but it was all the indication he needed.
Starscream shrieked as he raced forward to cradle her in his arms.