Author's Note: Sorry I took forever! I get in this habit of being very creative in drawing for a few months, and vice versa with writing. I've been very busy with my AP art class, so I thought I might add a little spice to my life by finishing this chapter. I hope you guys enjoy it, and forgive me once again for taking so long to get it up.
Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers.
Chapter 15: Yours to Hold
'I'm glad that you safely got out of the atmosphere,' Spike said with a smile, though his dark eyes reflected disappointment and longing, 'Would've just been like you guys if you'd hit an asteroid. We'd have to go through the entire thing all over again.'
Prowl gave him a ghost of a smile, though it was gone within a moment. "I sympathize," he returned, "It couldn't have been done without you; Prime gives both you and Sparkplug our thanks."
'It wasn't much a returned favor for all the stuff you've guys done for us…' the human murmured.
"Besides bringing our war to your planet?" the police cruiser said with the clench of his teeth before his anger disappeared, and his normal composure returned. It seemed, that to Spike, Prowl had been seriously off his balance lately. It was clear he against the Decepticons being on board—so were the Decepticons, for that matter—but that, because of Optimus and the younglings, he didn't have much of a choice in the fact. So long as there was peace, there wasn't much more he could stand against…even if he told his leader over and over again it was the wrong thing to do after so long. "Thank you for helping us, Spike. With your abilities, we were able to use our emergency pods to create this makeshift ship. Without your help, we would still have ourselves in a predicament. And do not fear; we'll return once we get this whole Unicron ordeal back in its rightful place."
'Why did Unicron only attack Bonecrusher, though? Isn't he, like, powerful enough to use Megatron's, or even Prime's, entire army?' the brown-headed male returned, lifting up an eyebrow.
"No. Primus is that way. Primus is everything—and, Unicron being the exact opposite, is only one thing. Therefore, he can only be at one place at one time, unlike Primus who can talk and be with multiple mechs and femmes at once. It seemed that Ratchet had a case of that, along with Starscream, Skywarp, even Prime and Elita-One. We're lucky for that, however, for if Unicron was capable of being with multiples, we would've all been offlined by now," Prowl muttered, leaning back against his chair as he released a sigh.
'What're you talking about?' Spike asked.
"Well…it seems that Megatron had been taken over by Unicron, and that's why he hadn't changed into greater forms, like us," the other responded as he glanced to the side, remembering the horrified expression of the Decepticon leader as he came to the realization; he'd seen it when Unicron had released him to attack Bonecrusher, just the sense of relief the elder expressed made him look so…made him look like he actually had a spark. While Brawl and a few others helped him get to his feet, he kept repeating something, though Prowl could never hear him. It seemed it was something completely out of his character, though, as Brawl and the constructions exchanged stunned glances. "Unfortunately for him it seems like it'll be a permanent displacement."
'What? Being possessed?' the other asked, albeit a bit dumbly. Okay, really dumbly.
"No," Prowl said even before the human could make up for his mistake, "Being in his…'Generation One' frame."
'Oh,' Spike responded, jutting out his bottom lip. 'What about the Decepticons?'
"What about the Decepticons?" Prowl asked as he lifted an optic ridge.
'Didn't any of THEM get, like…"suggested" by Primus? Didn't any of them get talked to?' he questioned.
"As far as any reports with Prime or myself is concerned, there has been no such thing," returned the police cruiser, wonder why in the matrix any Decepticon would be called upon. It wasn't like they were the especially social type, or the kind to flee and bow down to another. Certainly not the ones on this ship. "If there is, he's either hiding it really well, or someone's got their trap shut for them."
--
You did a good job.
Go away.
You don't want to be commemorated?
No. It's humiliating. I ended up falling for and trusting the twerp more than I should have. Now I've got both his guardians intent on seeing my scrapped tailpipe floating off into the middle of space…
You protected their youngling when they couldn't have; therefore they have no reason to stand up to you. If you hadn't done your job, Sideswipe and Jazz would both be dead.
And if I hadn't done my job, neither of them would have the-end-of-the-world grudge on me. I'm not going to be able to recharge anywhere safe on this ship.
Why don't you go see how Starscream is doing?
I'd rather go get slagged by Sunstreaker, and as far as I'm concerned, he's in deep recharge. What difference would I make?
You never know if you don't try.
There was a slight push on his frame as Barricade continued to silently boil in the hangar bay, attempting to ignore the scowls and glares he was receiving from many-a-'bot. It all seemed that they were well aware of his crime against the mechanoids and took it about themselves to make sure he knew it, too. If only they knew of the growing form in his spark, the voice in his head, and that bad feeling you get when you know things are going to be forever changed by what he did now. And possibly not just for himself…
Unable to stand anymore of the growing, buzzing, hating air against him, Barricade rose to his feet and crossed the threshold of the ship, stepping over a few mechs before opening the door and taking his leave. It seemed like he had nothing more to really do other than to see Starscream, and luckily things would be in the medical bay where others wouldn't come in. Especially none that he would want to see. In but a few moments he pushed open the door and stepped in, glancing around a few times before he noticed Sideswipe asleep on the farthest corner of the room, Jazz next to him and Starscream a few beds away.
At least that yellow Autobot fool isn't present, the Saleen muttered to himself as he dreaded the thought of passing the twins in the hall. It was a horrible thought…even Jazz might be able to reconcile, but definitely not those two.
Seating himself by the youngling's bed, Barricade sighed as he leaned against the berth and watched the little one sleep. Apparently singing positive songs really whipped the kid out; but that made sense, in a weird way. It was so easy to hate someone forever for the things they did, and the feeling could just grow and grow and just like a raging fire, be extremely difficult to put out. However…for such a little guy to stay so positive…for anyone to stay positive…that was a difficult job. No doubt seeing as that he had done his job, Starscream probably didn't realize how exhausted he really was until, well…things had finally settled down.
Watching the smaller, Barricade briefly took the hand of the child, staring at it with interest. They're so small, he thought to himself, completely intrigued with the tiny digits. Like doll's hands.
"Amazing, isn't it?" a sudden voice said, making the other whirl about with a start.
"Primus above, Bumblebee, why don't you assassinate me while you're at it," the Saleen groused, a scowl etched across his features.
"I'm sorry," the Autobot scout murmured as he stood beside the Decepticon, joining in his staring spectacle. "Isn't it amazing, though? That something so small could cause such an impact on us all?"
Tell me about it, Barricade grumbled, though didn't dare say it out loud.
"Reminds me of myself when I was a sparkling," the other stated fondly as he looked back on the times, "Opi—I mean, Optimus was barely in charge and I was forced to stay with his new team while they tried to raise me at the same time. It was a little scary at first, but they became family to me afterwards."
Barricade kept his silence, not wanting to join in one the fun if he could help it. All the lovey-dovey attitude of Bumblebee, his creator and Starscream (beside Primus, who started the whole thing) was going to get to the Decepticon soon enough if he didn't stop it. He hated it, but the dream Barricade had when Primus had first asked his help always reminded him of what was possible. It was like a beam of light at the back of his mind, showing him the error of his ways, and letting warmth come through. But at the same time, it lead to the outside where things were so unfamiliar.
Bumblebee sighed, then, while taking Starscream's hand. "I feared that I wouldn't be good enough for them…my frame was too small, I would get hurt too easily…I was like the china shop and they were all the bulls."
The opposite scout thought for a brief moment before he turned the Camero, saying, "Prime's your creator, isn't he?"
"Actually, more like adopted creator…" Bumblebee murmured while he sat down next to him, making Barricade regret asking the question, "In truth, he was my half-brother. However when our creators died, I stayed with him. Starscream," he said with a nod towards the youngling, "is his first attempt at doing the whole creator thing. I…I think he really scared him when he disappeared like that from the Autobot base."
It was necessary.
"It was necessary," Barricade murmured before the world around him seemed to tilt and he managed corrected himself before it was noticed. Argh, what the frag?! Are you just going to control my vocal cords or what, now?!
"I suppose it was," the yellow 'bot muttered as he leaned against the berth, "but at the same time I wish I could do it differently. I wish things weren't so hard…it's hard enough trying to raise in a child in a time of war, but even more difficult when that child is your brother's son. He seems like he's trying to balance all the weights on his shoulders, but he don't have enough room or strength to do that and live up to everyone's expectations as a creator."
Starscream trusts in him; he knows Optimus won't fail him and that he'd do everything capable in order to keep him safe and happy.
"Starscream trusts in him; he knows Optimus won't fail him and that he'd do everything capable in order to keep him safe and happy," was the returned remark, before Barricade realized he couldn't speak. Oh, Primus…what're you doing?"Optimus has handled Megatron well—after all, he's still younger than he are, and still looking for his settlement. What's important now, however, is Unicron. He will attempt at hurting those around Optimus again, and will try to take separate him and Starscream in order to use his power. He knows how this works—he knows that negativity is the best way to defeat his enemy. He also knows of how fragile Starscream is, and can use it in order to put down anything in his way."
"Barricade?" Bumblebee gasped, staring at the other in shock. "What's wrong? Why are you…acting like this?"
The "Saleen" gave a gentle, almost spark-warming smile before stating, "This isn't Barricade, but it's a fair warning. And you need to have Optimus to speak more to Megatron about himself than anything else. Autobots and Decepticon need reconcile if your kind is able to deflect Unicron's wrath. It will be the only way to win this battle against Unicron; he's mature now. He can face it."
With that, something released the smaller 'bot of its control and Barricade groaned as he fell into Bumblebee's chassis, the Autobot scout catching him before he collapsed on the floor. The Decepticon's CPU was swimming, and all he could see was the room spinning in endless circles as a suffocating heat enflamed his body. It felt like his body was light-weight and everything around him was just so out of balance…
"Argh, I don't feel so good," he managed before putting a trembling hand on whatever was holding him. Pushing against it with all his might, he could hardly bring himself upright before he lost his strength again and caved into whatever kept him from eating his face on the floor.
"Don't move, just relax," a gentle tone returned, bundling him up into warm arms as he lifted him into the air.
I got a little carried away. Forgive me.
"Forgive my tailpipe," Barricade muttered as his head lolled back and he felt like throwing up. "Why don't you try not killing me in the process of controlling me next time?"
It's hard when the physical world is so fragile.
"Just…get me some energon. I'm exhausted, Bee."
"Who are you speaking to?" the scout asked softly as some other mechs placed the smaller on a different bed and the rim of an energon cube on the Saleen's lips.
"The Big Mech," Barricade responded before he allowed the gracious substance to pour down his throat. Oh, yeah, that hit the spot. You just drain us.
As a physical attribute, Primus murmured, but never would I hope to outright hurt you.
Barricade replied with nothing this time, simply taking the second energon cube and draining it. When the positive came, so did Primus. When the negative came, so did Unicron. It was so simple; why hadn't he seen it before? They were two of the largest forces in the entire universe fighting and creation was caught in the middle…like a gameboard that had to be specifically chosen and moved the proper way. Unicron had restrictions, but so did Primus, it seemed. Principle seemed to be the only thing holding their great god back; Unicron cared not for the sake of others, and that's why Bonecrusher had almost died. That and Soundwave.
And that's why Barricade didn't.
--
Things had now become rather quiet upon the half-constructed battleship of the Ark.
All except for the soft patting of small, quick footsteps, of course.
Even as the tiny form skittered down the hallway, swift in its destination, surprising optics—blue and red alike—watched as the tiny minibot passed without guardian or watch. What even surprised them more was that the little ebony cretin was not getting in trouble, which he had seemed to be quite capable of doing, no matter how strong the optics watched over him. However, for now, it seemed like the sparkling was not getting into any sort of mischief, therefore the berly mechs that passed the tiny version of them did not stop to speak to him.
None except one.
"What're you doin' from the medbay?" Sunstreaker growled softly as he gracefully took Skywarp into his large arms, "I thought I told you to stay there till I got you."
"Oh…sorry!" the miniature seeker giggled as he gave his caretaker a large, innocent smile. "New 'bots!"
"At least you can say your 'r's now…and no, we're not going to see the new 'bots," the Lamborghini scolded as he all but snuggled the tiny form into his chassis.
Skywarp wriggled some from the capture, though his attempts were futile at escaping from the yellow twin's enormous strength. It awed and frustrated the youngling at the same time, loving the feel of the larger's arms around him as he got scared or cold, but was always at a stump whenever he tried to walk on his own. A few angry clicks later and Skywarp gave up, staring up at the golden warrior as he muttered a few chirrups for his disposition.
"'Cause I said so," Sunstreaker returned, "they're not the nicest mechs on board, and I ain't lettin' you bless them with your presence if I can help it. They'd probably think you a turbo rat or something."
Skywarp clearly didn't understand the fact that he noticeably a sparkling when his physical attributes made it so, but he pressed no further as the powerful vibrations of Sunstreaker's air valves and revving engine began soothing him into a restful recharge. Optics flickered for a few moments before his optic ridges clicked once and then shut all together.
--
Starscream could hear voices.
They were muffled, but they were passionate and angry, a heated argument on the other side of the door. It was clear enough that it was between Optimus and Megatron by their tones, and that they were disagreeing by the words they were using. It was in their ancient tongue, making the conversation escalate in a matter of seconds. This interested the tiny F-22, as he normally wasn't allowed to see the adults argue for his guardian's fears of him picking up the less than appropriate words. Nonetheless, that's not why Starscream wanted to get in on the situation—it was because he would finally be able to see Megatron. He'd wanted to see him ever since he'd had that dream.
Glancing at his surroundings, Starscream spotted an air vent leading into the next room easily and quickly bent down to unscrew the bolts keeping it in place. His tiny hands had some good use; the youngling would use them for every advantage. Grinning, Starscream placed the filter on the floor behind him and then squirmed his way into the tight space. It was only when his little toes disappeared did he hear his name from the outside hall and ignored it. No time to wonder who had asked when he pulled himself through to the other side and noticed, finally, Megatron in the room.
Starscream gasped quietly at the state his relative was in—unexpectedly, he had several dents, open wounds and even places were his armor was completely ripped out. Bright purple energon seeped from the wounds, caking the silver armor that once gleamed beautifully beneath the florescent lights of the halls and room. His face looked drawn and tired, though his crimson optics burned with defiance. He was far smaller than Optimus, standing ahead of him, and looked like he had been through a metal clipping plant or something. The mini-seeker settled himself onto the silver tiles, quiet in his movements as the two continued to argue. They were talking about war, something Starscream was non-too-acquainted with, and therefore disregarded their words for their actions. Megatron was tense with antagonism while Optimus had his arms crossed and his sapphire optics were hard.
"Megatron."
The one word silenced the heated conversation, blue and red orbs alike turning wide and downward at the source of the small blip of noise. Starscream's innocent sky optics stared up at the silver mech, his face lit in anticipation at meeting the long-awaited form of his uncle. Megatron stared down at the youngling, all signs of frustration and anger replaced now with curiosity and—something else.
"Starscream," Optimus said softly, taking the smaller's attention. "How do you feel?"
"Better," the youngling said with a nod. Enthused optics settled back on Megatron, who continued to remain silent as he watched the F-22 with interest. "I remember you from my dream," Starscream observed as he took a few more steps towards the Decepticon, showing no signs of fear or apprehension. Optimus straightened nonetheless, though he kept his place a few feet away. He had recognized that already Starscream was interested in the new comer, especially Megatron, and like the old Starscream, there wasn't much to be done to stop Starscream if he truly wanted it.
"I remember you, too," Megatron replied gruffly, settling down to one knee despite the surges of pain as they arched up his back when he took position. Inwardly he winced, but remained silent on the outside to not show his distress. Optimus had already scowled upon him from self mutilation, and put him on the spot until they got into an argument. Like always, Optimus was trying to be the better half when Megatron wanted no part of it.
Starscream continued to regard the larger as he ventured even closer, and when he stopped, he was less than a meter away. Optics scrutinized his figure, noticing that there were many gashes and wounds that the youngling was surprised the other could handle. They looked harsh and painful, and though the little one didn't touch them, he felt the urge to heal them with his voice. "You have so many cuts…did the monster get you again?" Starscream asked softly while large cerulean optics stared up in concern at the larger. "You have so many more than the last time I saw you."
"Unfortunately," Megatron stated, strictly keeping his tone neutral.
Starscream pressed his lips together before regarding the damage once more. Prime already knew exactly what was going to happen, but he kept his tongue and watched for Megatron's reaction. Perhaps not all was lost. The little seeker finally looked the elder directly in the optics before asking, "I could heal them for you."
Megatron was taken aback by the request, brief surprise on his features before they returned to their emotionless façade. "No thank you," the Decepticon Lord said, though his tone held a soft note that Optimus hadn't caught before. "They'll heal up well and soon."
"But don't they hurt?" Starscream questioned while lifting his small hand, but not touching. "I can make the pain go away…and make you all new again. Right opi?"
"That's absolutely right," Optimus returned as he crossed his arms behind his brother. Megatron turned to give the other a flat, daring look, waiting for Prime to continue his espionage. However, he didn't and it was apparent that he was confident the child could persuade the other to come into the light. The younger brother could gag at the idea.
"They hurt, but I can handle it. Don't worry, Starscream," the elder returned, bringing himself to his feet. The world teetered, making the Decepticon Lord grunt, but he managed to keep himself steady. Starscream did not escape the pained expression that went across the other face, however, and opened his mouth to say something. "Excuse me," Megatron murmured, escaping through the sliding doors before the youngling could start in again.
Neither Starscream nor Optimus said anything but a small "Bye" from the mini F-22. Youthful optics glanced at the floor in disappointment, Starscream's small face sad as he tapped the toe of his foot against the tiles. Prime settled on his knee next to the tiny seeker, so proud of the youngling for his concern of others, despite their origins, despite all that Megatron had done. For such a small mech, he had more compassion than a lot of Autobots did. It was something that really brought a smile the leader's face, and he settled his hand behind Starscream's back in comfort.
Large, innocent optics stared up into the wizened ones of the elder, the youngling asking softly, "Why doesn't Megatron want help from others?"
"It's…hard to explain," Optimus returned, searching his processor for the appropriate words, "Megatron is a proud mech. How everyone sees him is the most important thing to him, and he thinks that receiving help is a weakness. Before others, he does not want to be weak, especially those that are counting on him to be strong."
"But he will not be strong so long as he has so many wounds," Starscream said, glancing back at the silver floor. Sadness turned into grief while the youngling's face contorted, an expression so helpless that Prime could do no other than take the seeker into his arms for reassurance. Silence befell the room, but after a few brief moments, Starscream began again: "Lucius said that we always need others. We can never be alone, because being alone makes everything not worth it. What did he mean by that, opi?"
Optimus was surprised by the fact that Starscream had disowned his creator by calling him his true name, but recognized it as a survival method for the young. Holding onto the guilt of the past would often put younglings into depression and die rather than those who clipped off from their previous lives to move on. The leader forced himself to concentrate on the question, recognizing it to be something that Lucius would definitely say. "I think he meant that it's the mechs and femmes in our lives that make more of a difference than what we want as a single person. If we work together, like you and Skywarp work together to heal those around you, then we can achieve more and be better mechs than we were yesterday. Primus created the first thirteen mechs to work together and create a civilization, and it is Unicron who remains alone to be full of hatred and resentment for our kind."
"So if Unicron had a friend, would he become nicer?" Starscream asked, the question so innocent that it caught Optimus off guard and even made him chuckle. Child logic always made more sense than adult logic did, and it continued to teach Optimus his place. It filled the leader with hope that Starscream would retain such compassion and kindness for others and everyone as a whole, that made him wonder if he could become a great leader himself.
"Perhaps," the elder said as he rose from his position, taking the youngling's hand as they exited the room. "Let's go find Bumblebee and get something to eat, yes?"
"All right," Starscream muttered, looking put out that his question wasn't taken seriously. Of course, the sound of energon in his mouth was tempting and he realized how hungry he was after spending so much energy making Unicorn go away and healing those that had suffered his wrath. His step-opi had always been an angry mech, but it was this time that had truly brought destruction onto Starscream's closest friends. For all the years that fear had consumed him, the youngling was beginning to feel like fear wouldn't do him any good so long as he wanted to protect those closest to him. And Unicron wanted to take that.
Starscream couldn't let him take that.
--
A/N: I KNOW it took forever, but my writing skills have improved slightly so I felt like I should give another update. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I hope you continue reading. Thank you for all your hits and comments!
Read and review, please.