A/N: This chapter is dedicated to MariaShadow for giving me a good kick in the skidplate when I needed it, and to DesertCat87 who listens to me ramble on and on much too often to be healthy.
Part Three: Orientation
It would be another day before Triggerpinch came to release his children from their room. Weak from lack of energon, the twins slumped against the wall, optics dimly lit. Their shoulders brushed each other's, but other than that, there was no physical contact between them.
At the sound of the door hissing open, Yellow groggily looked toward his Creator. Too slow even for a weakened bot. They would have to work on that. "Get up," he ordered.
"Hm?" Red stirred.
Unwilling to repeat himself, the engineer just stood there, waiting impatiently for the two fledglings to become aware of themselves. "Now!"
As one they stood up next to each other, staring warily at the shorter mech who watched them in return. Looking for anything that might need repairing. Every child had its hiccups and the task now was to find theirs so he could fix it before the 10 days were up. "From now until I name you properly, you," he pointed to the red sparkling, "are Red. And you," to the other, "are Yellow. You will answer to those designations until I say otherwise, and you will obey me always. Understand?"
They nodded. He was their creator and they knew he was all they had to introduce them to this strange new world. They had found a link with each other. Maybe there could be one with Triggerpinch as well.
The engineer, however, had no wish to get all soft and paternal on this pair. Like he told Flattop: these were killers born and bred. It's what the Primes paid for and it's what the Primes would get. Taking out two identical discs, he attached one each to his children, locking them in place on their chest. They weren't quite willing to let him do this, but one frosty glare stilled the twins.
"I want you to understand this right now," he said. "From this moment on, you are in training to become the best frontline team in the Autobot army. 10 days from now you will be inspected and then named. That's when the more intense work begins. But before then, we have a lot of work to do."
"What did you put on us?" Red asked touching the disc. He hissed and drew his hand away when it gave him a sharp shock.
"That is Lesson #2." Pinch replied. "You are tall and strong and by the time I'm done with you, you will have the ability to rip me limp from limb without effort or remorse. Very often, your height and strength will be all you'll need. However, no matter how strong or skilled or tall you may be, never assume you will win. I am not without my defenses and in battle you will be up against bots much older and more experienced than you."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Yellow cocked his head to the side. He didn't like all this flowery language. For an impatient mech, Pinch sure liked to dance around the point.
"It means, little one, that if I wish, I can bring you down." Triggerpinch activated the disc on both fledglings' chests. The effect this had was that is sent an electrical wave through their bodies, seizing up their circuits and paralyzing them entirely.
Triggerpinch walked closer to the twins, entering their personal space to purposely make them uncomfortable. Though they couldn't even move their faces into an expression, he could tell it was working. "This bothers you, doesn't it?" he asked, though he knew the answer. "Being so helpless. By the time I'm done with you, you will have the power to remove the disc. But until then, you are my property. Your arms and legs are my arms and legs. And I want my limbs strong."
The hold was released and while both sparklings regarded Triggerpinch with new apprehension, neither backed away for more space. Good.
"Every time the government allows someone to create their own fledgling, the creator gets a set of programs and lessons to go with it." He held up a series of new discs and frowned. "A necessary evil as these are all pointless pieces of slag. You are supposed to finish them in ten days. I give you five. Now come."
He started to walk, Red about to follow. Yellow put a halting hand on his brother's shoulder and stood his ground. "Why?" he asked.
"Why what?" Pinch asked, stopping but not turning around.
"Why five when we have ten?"
"Since when do I explain myself to you?" the engineer demanded, still showing his child his back.
"It's not enough time." He'd seen the size of that pile and what limited knowledge he was born with told him they were given all ten days for a reason.
"Then you'd do best to shut your damn mouth and follow me so you can get started, wouldn't you?" Some of his peers would have thought it was wonderful to have such inquisitive and sharp fledglings. Triggerpinch didn't want inquisitive, he wanted obedient. His words were harsh as he glared up at his bold child.
Red didn't like the way Triggerpinch spoke to his brother, even if he was their creator. And he didn't like the look of hurt on poor Yellow's face for asking a simple question. But what could he possibly do about it? If he tried to defend Yellow, he himself would only make the situation worse. And if he sided with Pinch, he would alienate his fellow fledgling with whom he was created.
So he did nothing.
When Triggerpinch began moving again, both children reluctantly followed. Yellow shot a hurt questioning look in his brother's direction that Red did not return, instead staring straight ahead.
The room the twins were put in was even smaller than their sleeping quarters. There was a table in the middle upon which sat 11 cubes of energon. On opposite sides of the room were two computer consoles and chairs. One console looked as though it had been recently installed. It seemed to have been put in specifically for this task.
"I will see you in five days," was the engineer's parting farewell before the twins were shut in. Before the sound of his footsteps got too faint, he called back, "while you are completing the discs, and contemplating your second lesson, you must always remember the first. We will be returning into it later."
And then he was gone.
Yellow and Red stood there for a moment, unsure about their new surroundings. Immediately they felt the smallness of the room bearing down on them, making them tight and on edge. Yet as they looked again at the cubes of energon, they felt the pangs of hunger even more. They were tired and cranky and they knew that drinking the energon would go a long way to cure both.
The golden twin moved first to seat himself at the table, not once glancing at his brother who hadn't come to his aid.
Red felt the other's anger as though it were his own and frowned. "Yellow…"
"Don't call me that!" Yellow snapped, picking up a cube with violent force.
"Why not?" Red asked much quieter, knowing he was in the wrong.
"It's not my name, that's why."
"But we don't have names yet. Our creator said we won't get them for another ten days."
"I don't care." He sipped at the energon, too worked up to feel its strengthening effects on his young body.
Red came and sat down opposite his twin. "Well I can't just call you 'brother' the whole time, can I?" he tried for humor, feeling the seriousness of the other too unbearable.
Yellow snorted into his drink. "No. My brother would've stuck up for me."
"Look, you, there's no reason for our creator to get mad at me too. I was just…"
"Just being a slagging coward, that's what!" Yellow crushed the empty cube easily and stared hard at his equally angry twin.
"Don't call me a coward!" Red hollered, slamming both hands on the table, making the cubes jump and fizzle dangerously.
"Well what else do you call a…" the golden twin's body suddenly sized up as the disc on his chest activated. From the sudden gasp from Red, he could guess the other disc had been switched on as well. Obviously Pinch was watching them and didn't approve of this shouting match.
Cycles went by and still every circuit, servo, and system in the twins' bodies remained frozen. Pinch was right. Yellow did hate this feeling of helplessness. He wished with all his might that he was already powerful enough to throw off the disc's effects. Out of the corner of his optics, Yellow could see the door they entered in from the hallway. If anyone or thing came in through it now, they would have both sparklings at their mercy. There was no reason to think this; logically nothing that could harm them would enter.
But try forcing logic on a frightened newborn.
Because he knew that if something did enter to cause harm, he would be unable to protect his brother or himself. They'd be dead, and while newborns understood little of death, he knew it was bad and it was forever, and it would mean he'd no longer be.
So he just endured it, as he had to.
And he watched that door.
When the hold on the pair was finally released, all the anger Yellow had for his brother was long gone. Entirely drained, he sank into his chair while Red leaned against the wall.
Red looked over to his brother who stared back with wide, frightened optics. They could see the other's fear just as they felt their own. As they had felt each other's anger before. Triggerpinch could have found no better weapon to restrain his powerful children.
Yellow moved first, slowly making his way to the nearest computer console. They had five days to complete their orientation discs. If they didn't get started soon, they would never finish on time. And if they didn't finish on time, Triggerpinch may punish them again; perhaps he would paralyze them even longer. Yellow didn't think he could bear feeling so helpless again.
The discs weren't easy to complete. Pinch certainly hadn't created stupid mechs by any means, yet the designers of the discs had intended the creators to help their infants through it all. Every broad subject that all Autobots should know were on these little cds. History, religion, literature, science, language, and law… it was all on there. They weren't yet one full day old, how did Pinch expect them to do this on their own?
A megacycle went by. Then two. Yellow limped through the lessons at a pace he knew was less than satisfactory. Looking over his shoulder he could see that Red wasn't doing much better, but he did seem to be ahead slightly. Perhaps he should ask for help?
No, he set his jaw and turned back around to face his screen. He didn't need his brother's help in anything. He was still mad at the red fledgling for abandoning him, even if it was only briefly. So he would leave Red too if it came to that. The young bot didn't care what Pinch said about slagging 'lessons'; he needed no one but himself. If he was going to survive his first year of life, he had to look out for himself. And that meant he had to complete the discs on his own. Narrowing his optics, Yellow went through the next lesson, working on speed now rather than retaining any sort of information.
The first day passed like this. As did the second and third. The only time the twins weren't facing a computer screen was when they had their allotted two energon cubes a day. Even then they did not speak to the other; barely even looked at the other. No peace had been made between them and both were too stubborn to try.
By the middle of the fifth day, both infants were strung so tight that they were on the verge of snapping. No one was meant to go through 10 discs in 5 days, and certainly not by themselves. But get through them they did. All the motivation they needed was the memory being locked into place, weak and helpless. Not that they remembered any of what the discs were covering, of course.
Red sighed as he completed the last of the discs. Leaning back in his chair, the infant felt a great weight lift off his shoulders knowing that he was done at last. Sparing a glance at his brother, he could see that he was not yet finished, though it probably wouldn't take him that much longer. But by his hunched shoulders and half-dimmed optics, the yellow twin looked just about as tired as Red felt.
Time for some energon then.
Reaching over, the young one saw that only one cube remained. They had had two cubes each that day, leaving a sole cube left. Risking another glace at his brother, Red saw that he was not paying any attention. The cube was his then. It wasn't as though Yellow were reaching for it anyway. Just as his ebony fingers touched the cool container, Yellow turned around to see why all the typing had stopped on the other end of the room.
"What are you doing?" he asked of Red, seeing him go for the last cube of energon.
"Nothing," his twin answered innocently.
"Doesn't look like 'nothing.' Looks like you're swiping the last cube for yourself." Yellow turned his chair all the way around to face his brother fully. "Were you even gonna ask if I wanted any?"
That self-righteous little… "Since you weren't going for it, obviously you didn't want it."
"Oh, so now you can read my mind now?" Yellow narrowed his optics.
"Look, slag off, will you? You only want it now cause I want it." He cradled it in his hands as though his brother were going to physically take it from him. "Besides, I'm low on energy and I need it."
Not that Yellow wasn't tempted to take it. He'd had enough of this red slagger and all the trouble he caused.
"I had the same amount of energon that you did. So that makes me need it just as much. But of course you don't care. You'll steal from me just like you'll backstab me?"
Red didn't pay any attention to the hurt look on his brother's face. If he'd wanted the cube he should have gotten it before he did. It was only fair. "Look, I got it first, so why don't you just go back and finish your discs. I already did mine."
Oh that was it.
Yellow lunged for the other before Red even knew what was happening. The days of stress and rationing had done its damage to both young mechs. They were now too strained to try reigning in their anger and too exhausted to do much besides knock each other around. Their larger than average sizes quickly made the room seem much smaller than it was as they both wrestled for the cube held between them. Their need to survive overrode what affection they felt for the one activated alongside them.
Triggerpinch had introduced them to an unfair and hostile environment. What better way to react than by being hostile in return?
Unstable as it was from being jostled back and forth, the cube of energon reached its limit when it slid from young, fumbling hands. It exploded at the children's feet, knocking them both back against opposite walls.
The last thing Red saw before blacking out was his brother sliding unconscious to the floor in front of him. Vaguely he wondered if he was alright…
OoOoOo
When the scarlet fledgling activated his optics next, it was to see a room he had not been in yet. Not very wide or long, it was just big enough for him to stand up in or lay down curled up. There was one light shining down from just above his head, showing him a veritable cell with no visible exits. How had he gotten here? Was someone going to come back for him?
A spike of fear gripped his spark as he noticed something else. Where was his brother? He had been with him constantly thus far and had just assumed that they would just be together. After all, their creator had told them to stay together, hadn't he? Had Yellow abandoned him? Maybe he was so mad at him for being such a slagger than he left him to this cell. Or had Pinch taken him away? Where was he? Would he ever see his twin again?
The smallness of the room did not help his growing panic, nor did the dim light that flickered now and then. He didn't want to be alone. It was too small here. He couldn't move. Not enough air was going through his intakes.
Going for the wall closest to him, Red slammed on it with his fists, trying to escape this tiny prison. Hollering for whoever might hear him. He was sorry, he didn't mean it, he would do better…
But no one answered the frightened newborn.
He finally curled up with his knees under his chin and shivered violently, the sound of metal against metal unnerving him even more. Where was his brother? Didn't he know he was afraid? Didn't he know he was sorry? If he'd known he'd be banished to this little cell, he'd have told off Pinch right away for even looking crosswise at his brother. He'd have given Yellow as much energon as he wanted.
It was too small here. He had to get out. He'd do anything to get out.
OoOoOo
The moment he opened his optics, Yellow knew that he was alone. The air was unnaturally still. He could feel that he was alone in this small place. It was strange being apart from his brother when they'd never been separated yet in their short lives. It… didn't feel right.
The walls were so close together and seemed to move on their own before his optics. The small light above his head only emphasized the fact that he was caged in. So small... he couldn't stand it in here!
But he dared not move very much at all, only sitting up from his sprawled position on the floor. If he moved too much, if he touched those walls, it would be real. It would seem even smaller. So he bunched himself into a tight ball in the corner, wishing for as much open space as he could manage.
Where was Red? Did their creator take him away or did the sparkling leave on his own? Maybe he hurt him too badly in their fight. What if he hurt Red! Pinch said they were to become warriors, but what if he'd done too much too quickly? They were supposed to stay together, not fight each other! Why did he have to stay angry at his twin? Surely Red was just as confused and frightened as he was; he didn't have to blame him for not going against Pinch. He didn't have to fight for that energon; Red was right anyway. He'd only wanted it because his brother wanted it. He didn't want to have less than him, so he fought him. It was stupid. He was stupid. Maybe they got rid of him because he was so stupid. Red didn't need a brother who hurt and blamed him because he was scared too.
He was helpless, yet again, and he hated it. He didn't even have to be under the effects of Triggerpinch's discs to be made so vulnerable. And this time there was no 'off' switch that could make it all better. No, he'd have to be saved from this kind of helplessness.
The yellow mech didn't like being alone. Back in that room with the computers, the young one would have given anything to be away from that bothersome twin of his. But without his presence, it was cold and much too quiet.
For the first time in his six days of life, he was lonely.
OoOoOo
Triggerpinch stared at the two monitors for a moment, taking a break from his work. He could see the punishment was having a very interesting effect on his children. Unable to stop the fight in the computer room before the energon exploded, he decided to use a different method rather than the discs to get his message across. He didn't want the fledglings to get too used to them after all. No, he'd much rather scare them into their lesson so that it would stick that much better.
They were supposed to be a team, and until they realized that, he'd have to waste a lot of valuable time drilling it into their processors.
He'd have to be careful, though. Too much time spent apart might make them more independent. They had to fear separation, not learn to live with it.
Triggerpinch watched as the red child got up from his cowed position and began to pace again. Could the infant not stay still for one cycle? He said no words this time, but instead focused his loneliness into anger and lay into the wall with all he had, even more so than before. The engineer scowled to himself, seeing the ebony fists punch into the wall. He'd just made those hands too! How dare that boy ruin his work!
Whether from exhaustion, pain, or just plain giving up, after a while the red one leaned against the wall he'd just finished punching and heaved a great sigh. Alright, he was still now. So that meant… ah, there it was. The slightest twitching of the right foot. Always moving, always doing something.
"Don't like staying still, eh little one?" Pinch mused to himself. He could work with that. Now for the other one.
Yellow, to his wonderment, reacted quite differently. He was still bunched up in the corner, so still one might mistake him for a statue or a piece of furniture. Not a single servo moved. All his energy from being penned in was conserved inward, growing larger with each astrosecond. Yellow wasn't tiring himself with useless acts of violence, but actually making himself much more powerful without knowing it. Once Pinch was done with him, that pent up power could be a great force to be reckoned with in the future. A mech would not do well to corner that one.
But, wait… what was he doing now?
OoOoOo
He hated this room and vowed to himself that if he ever got out, he'd never go back. If this was punishment for a wrongdoing on his part, he would be perfect from now on. Any more time in this place and he might just deactivate from the stress of it. Yellow stared at his reflection morosely, angry that he'd been so terrible as to be put in here. Angry at Red for letting him be put here.
A golden finger absently traced his face in the pristine metallic walls. He knew, by definition, what beauty was. What most creatures defined as beauty. And while he could hardly be called a good judge of the subject, he found that he didn't mind looking at himself that much. Again his finger traced his face, taking care to notice the subtle lines of his face.
Then he paused.
Apparently he'd pressed too hard, because there was a faint scratch on the smooth surface. But it wasn't the act of scratching the metal that drew his attention. During his tracing, the young mech had managed to scratch his likeness onto the wall.
Furrowing his brow, he lifted his finger once more. Could he do it again? Could he create another Yellow on the wall?
It took a while, but in the end, there was another fledgling sitting next to him on the wall, staring right back.
He thought it might help him cope with the loneliness, but the newborn looking at him was just as lonely. The face was just as sad. What he needed was another companion. One with smiles and laughter and jokes.
He rested his forehead on his knees and wrapped his arms around them. What he needed was his brother.
Then his head lifted and he stared at the wall scratching of the other Yellow. Could he make a Red?
This was a much harder task to accomplish as the original Red was not here to trace. But he did it all the same if only for something to keep his mind off the chillingly tight space he'd been forced in. Looking back, he couldn't remember exactly what his twin brother looked like. Just a few details here and there. But he knew the feel of him and it was this feeling of 'brother' that he tried to put in rather than the exact angles of his face.
At the end of the 6th day, when Triggerpinch went to the closets to retrieve his misbehaving fledglings, the first thing he saw when he opened Yellow's door was a pair of scratched fledglings on the wall and one asleep on the floor.
End Part Three
A/N: I'm sooo sorry this took forever. I made it a bit longer than usual to make up for it though: ) I apologize if this chapter seems a bit slow, but I had to get some things in there. In canon, Sunny is an artist, so I wanted to include that here. We'll be seeing more of his artistic side later on as well. Thank you for your comments everyone! All your ideas and questions help keep me on track.
Reviews!
Flyby Starchaser: Aren't they though: ) I hate to make them all mean, but it has to be done. Sorry this is late, but I hope you still like it.
MariaShadow: Thank you for giving me the kick I needed! You're the best! Thanks, when I was coming up with the pre-name-names, I had the same trouble he did, and I thought 'well, heck! Let's just make them equal all the way around!' He may seem like a big mean old man (ok, well, he is), but he does have a plan. I love Starhorse's work! We've been chatting a bit too on how to deal with this 'baby' thing and a little bit about 'Our Revels.' Wonderful lady, very nice! And with such good perspective on it too! Keep kicking me if I seem like I'm too slow, that's how I operate.
Trueborn Chaos: I loved your email, it was great! Lol, thank you so much. I'm so glad the OC's seem to work well in the story. As I said before, I was a bit nervous about having them at all, especially in such large numbers. We'll be seeing a bit more of Weaver as we go, but her big moment won't be till later.
PuraJazzBot: I definitely love origin fics! I never knew they could be so much fun before! Eh, Pinch is just a big meanie. And I wouldn't call it mistreating so much as… creative rearing. Sorry I beat you to Jazz, but I'd love to see your version of it. Go for it, girl, I've missed reading your stuff!
Tiamat1972: They are cuties, and I plan to savor their cuteness for as long as I can! The human children… well they were an experience. Just imagine me with golden plating and a daisy chain stuck around my neck, and that just about sums it up. Oh! Congratulations! I wish you the best of luck! – hug! –
Zero: Thank you. But nope! There's plenty more chapters to come. Not just two. Thanks for the encouragement!