Darkness and Lightning 16: Crossing the Line
A high-pitched but quiet sound caught Drift's attention as he was studying with Shogun. Familiar, but it took him a moment to place it. Then pure terror gripped his spark as he bolted towards the sound.
Shogun jumped at the sudden movement, watching Drift dash out. When he heard the sound of Wing following, the red Knight shrugged and followed, wondering what was going on this time.
~Drift?~ Wing's voice was overlaid with nervousness as they bolted down a hallway. A high-pitched cry of terror echoed towards them.
~Starcrossed. She's here.~ Drift turned the corner at full speed only to come to a skidding halt.
Before him stood Dai Atlas, holding a squirming, keening youngling in one large hand and glaring at it.
Wing's pedes struck sparks as he slammed to a stop, optics wide with horror. A tiny squeak escaped him as he clutched Drift's arm, armor flattened to his frame and wings pressed so tightly to his back they creaked.
This was pretty much his worst nightmare come to life.
"Why would you be chasing this thing?" the Knight's leader shifted his glare on Drift and Wing, a look Wing knew entirely too well as promising a slow, painful deactivation.
Wing's jaw worked, but the only thing that came out was a squeak. Starcrossed looked more like him than like Drift; one good, hard look would tell Dai Atlas more than either of the pair wanted him to know.
Shogun came around the corner behind them, catching up with his students, and came to a sudden halt when he saw what was going on.
"Would this be why you went missing?" he snarled, squeezing her a little tighter. "You had a sparkling and hid it from me?"
"Creators!" Starcrossed keened, desperate for escape.
::Redline!:: Drift pinged the chief medic, reaching out to one of their few allies. ::He has her!::
"Wasn't planned..." Wing squeaked, shivering all over and clutching Drift's arm hard enough to leave dents. "Please... Let her go!"
Redline sounded helpless as he responded. ::I don't know what I can do... You know no one but Axe can control Dai Atlas. And I warned you that if she was discovered I would deny all knowledge.::
A frantic look behind him turned deep red optics on Shogun, Drift silently pleading, promising anything for the senior Knight's aid.
"You know all sparklings must be authorized," Dai Atlas growled, squeezing a bit tighter before he turned on one heel. "I will deal with it for you."
"Let her go, Dai Atlas." Shogun's wings flared out all the way, his body tensing. One thing his personal code of honor would absolutely not permit was harming a sparkling. "She's innocent!" The red Knight advanced on Dai Atlas, Wing close behind him.
Drift shifted to one side, trying to sneak behind the dark blue giant.
Dai Atlas snorted. "Nothing that comes from my spark line is innocent."
Wing's sound of protest was high-pitched, his wide optics on the tiny form in Dai Atlas' massive hand, his own hand clutching red armor. Shogun's wings and some of his plating remained flared, his optics narrow and fixed on the deep blue mech.
"There is no crime in protecting one's offspring," Shogun snapped. "Let the sparkling go. She has done nothing wrong, and her creators were only trying to protect her."
Blue and black wings flared in a responding challenge. "Her existence is a crime against my orders," Dai Atlas hissed.
~Keep him distracted,~ Drift ordered across the bond as he got behind his mate's creator. Quietly, more afraid than he'd been in a very, very long time, Drift drew a short sword and focused his entire existence on a strike to save his creation's life.
Wing's wings flared out. "She's only a youngling! Let her go! Please!"
Shogun's armor bristled. One hand tightened into a fist, very tempted to reach for the massive hilt rising behind his helm. "Leave her alone, Dai Atlas."
With a flicker of his ever-growing madness glittering in ruby optics, Dai Atlas smirked at his challenger and squeezed tighter, choking off Starcrossed's ability to even squirm.
Without making a sound Drift lunged forward, cleanly severing arm from shoulder and sending it, and Starcrossed crashing to the ground as his optics blacked out.
Shogun darted forward, slamming his shoulder into Dai Atlas and knocking him out of the way, scooping up Starcrossed and prying the dark servo away from her tiny body. Holding the jetling close to red plating, the senior Knight flared wings and plating in a protective threat display, keeping wary optics on Dai Atlas.
The larger Knight roared as he surged to his pedes, but it was Drift that had all his attention.
Shogun and Wing both saw the realization cross Drift's features that there was no savior coming in the form of black plating.
~Get her. Go!~ Drift literally screamed across the bond, not even realizing he'd also spoken. With that his side of the bond slammed closed, the grounder knowing to his spark that either he or his mate's creator would die in the next few moments.
Shogun looked torn between taking Starcrossed and heading for the medbay or staying and watching. Wing was at his side in a moment, practically climbing the larger mech to get at the tiny shape cradled against the red chestplate.
Finally, the red Knight yielded the sparkling, pushing Wing down the corridor. "Get her to Redline, and fast. This is going to draw Axe in like cyber-wolves on a wounded robo-deer, and I'm closest to Axe in skill. Go!"
Wing wavered for a moment, then nodded, turned, and vanished down the corridor.
Drift dove across the confined space as Dai Atlas drew Strength of Conviction and swung at him before that blade had a chance to charge.
Shogun watched intently, sensors on alert. One way or another, this was going to end bloody. The red Knight shifted his hip sheaths, hand tightening on the shaft of his naginata. On his back, Song of the Warrior Lord's hilt gem pulsed with energy, informing him that it was ready for battle.
"What is the..." Axe's demanding roar died with the sound of a blaster shot.
For an impossibly long moment nothing seemed to move. Drift was on the floor, a compact heavy blaster in his hand, pointed at Dai Atlas. Dai Atlas was still, a large hole smoking through his chest and back, obliterating his spark chamber and much of the surrounding internals. Axe had stopped, frozen at the sight before him.
Shogun whirled on the black mech, weapon activated and ready. "Your mate threatened to kill a helpless sparkling. Her creators took exception to that. And so do I." Orange optics glowed fiercely over the glowing energy blade of his naginata, wings spread in a clear threat display.
Words didn't matter a nanoklik later as the broken bond crashed into Axe. With a keen that was half madness, half pain and all grief the glossy black mech rushed forward, oblivious to Shogun as anything other than an object between him and his mate as Dai Atlas began to gray and crumple to the ground.
Shogun snarled, bracing himself for what he knew was coming. Song of the Warrior Lord thrummed with readiness, ready to charge up and strike. The red Knight's hands tightened on the shaft of his weapon, his whole body tensing for the storm that was about to break. He'd seen what happened to bonded mates after one was killed. This was the calm before the pits broke loose.
A small bit of him knew sympathy for the black Knight as he cradled the broken and graying form that had once housed Dai Atlas. No matter how in the wrong Axe often was, the pain of a broken bond was a horrible way to spend your last moments.
A low, keening sob escaped Axe as the last of his mate's plating went gray and cooled. A tremor passed through his frame as he reached for his mate's Great Sword, already charged and capable of cutting even its own kind in half with a strong blow.
Drift had found his pedes and put his back to the nearest wall. No matter how much Knight was in him, no matter how strong his code of honor was compared to the average Knight of Shadow, the blaster remained firmly in his hand with the ease of one sparked to use the weapon.
::Drift, I would move if I were you,:: Shogun commed, moving to keep a very careful optic on Axe. ::I've seen scenes like this before. He's about to snap. And I would bet my right arm he's going after you.::
The red Knight eased toward Drift, moving with a slow, cautious step, ever wary.
::I know,:: Drift replied calmly. ::I'm counting on it.::
::I hope you know what you're doing,:: Shogun told him. ::Otherwise, he'll kill you.::
With a roar Axe lifted Strength of Conviction and rushed Drift. The crack of the blaster rang out, incinerating a hole in the black mech's chest even as Drift rolled to the side. Even being very dead, Axe's frame finished his lunge and strike, but all it did was destroy the wall behind where Drift had been.
There was another long moment of stillness when Drift stood calmly on his pedes and fixed his gaze on Shogun, trying to work out the large mech's reaction to such a blatantly dishonorable act.
Shogun looked at Drift, then at the graying black frame. The energy blade of his naginata disappeared, the shaft of the weapon a moment later. Crossing his arms over his chestplate, the red Knight regarded Drift for a moment before lifting one shoulder in a shrug.
"Dai Atlas started the dishonorable conduct by threatening a sparkling," was his only comment on the matter, walking around Drift to collect Strength of Conviction and Sentry of Balance. "I saw nothing." One orange optic flickered toward Drift. "Wing and your little one are in the medical bay. Go. Now."
Drift gave a sharp nod and transformed on the run. He opened his bonds, offering what comfort he could to his mate. Even without asking, he knew Starcrossed had very little chance of survival. He only hoped she could hold on until he arrived.
Shogun watched the dark grounder go, then called for other Knights to help deal with the deactivated frames. He would get the two Swords back to the vault, then make his way up to the medical bay to see what was going on up there.
Wing was hovering as close as Redline would let him, armor flat to his frame, chewing restlessly on one knuckle. A very soft whine was rising from his vocalizer. All his attention was on his sparkling. He was still unaware of what had gone down with his mate and creators; he too distracted to notice the subtle opening of the bond with Drift that indicated it was over.
He didn't register it until Drift's arms were around him, pulling him gently into en embrace.
The dark jet jumped, caught by surprise, then slowly relaxed slightly as he recognized his own mate. Turning, Wing burrowed into Drift's embrace, his whole body shaking. Turmoil and emotional pain flowed through the bond as the soft whine began again.
"Shu, shu," Drift whispered, accepting his mate's grief. A glance at the tiny frame on the large berth and Redline's grim silence had been all he needed to know that their first creation wasn't going to make it. Three kin lost in a matter of a joor ... it was going to be long remembered as a terrible day for Wing. "Redline, may we take her home?"
The medic vented heavily, sorrow in every line of him. "I see no reason why not." He stepped aside, moving the equipment out of the way. "Let her spend what time she has left with her family."
"And her brother," Drift said quietly. His grieving would have to wait. At least one of them had to remain coherent. "Can you fly?" He nudged Wing.
The dark jet thought for a moment, looking unsure. One wing carefully extended partway, shaking from base to tip.
"I'm not sure I'd recommend flying in this state, but it is up to Wing," Redline noted after a long look at the shaking jet.
Behind the group, the door opened, and the pedefalls of a large mech crossed the room toward them. Shogun stopped next to Wing and Drift, his orange gaze dropping to the tiny form on the berth.
"I will fly them home, if they would permit," the red Knight offered quietly, looking over at the two.
Drift nodded, nudging Wing on their bond to let go so he could pick up Starcrossed. "Thank you," he said quietly. His spark erupted in pain with the way she relaxed as soon as she was close to his spark, comforted by the pulse of her carrier.
Shogun walked with them over to the balcony doors, crouching to carefully take hold of Drift and Wing, allowing Drift a moment to secure Starcrossed before the red mech pushed off. He banked in the direction he had seen Wing coming from on other occasions, figuring that was the direction to their lair.
Drift gave him a databurst of the cave entrance they wanted to go to.
"The Citadel will be in turmoil now, with both Axe and Dai Atlas dead," the red mech murmured as they passed over the city, changing course only once, to avoid one of the largest stalactites in the city cavern.
"Are you likely to come out on top?" Drift asked quietly.
Shogun obligingly headed toward the cave entrance. He hummed softly. "There is going to be a storm of politics for the next few orns, and Lightstrike might challenge me to an actual duel," he said after a moment. "The others... I don't see them as much of a challenge. There is a good chance I will be the next Circle leader."
Orange optics dropped briefly to the tiny form cradled securely in Drift's arms. "What is her name?" Shogun asked, very softly.
"Starcrossed," Drift murmured, another stab of agony hitting his spark as the bond with his creation, a spark his own had nurtured and a frame his own had built, began to unravel. "Wing said the truth. We didn't plan to kindle."
The sound Shogun made was one of sadness. "I grieve for your loss." He was silent for a moment, connecting sparkling with Drift's long absence, then wondering about Wing's. His voice was hesitant when he spoke again. "When you were absent from the Citadel for nearly a vorn, it was to carry and birth her, I assume. Then, Wing's more recent long absence..."
"Was more intentional," Drift admitted. "Nightsun is in our home."
The red mech descended toward the caves. "I promise you that no harm will come to your surviving sparkling," he told both mechs softly, flying into the cave as far as frame size and wingspan would allow before touching down and releasing them. "Take as much time as you need. The Citadel will be in an uproar, and it will probably take orns for the slagstorm to subside. You may return to us when you feel you are ready."
The big red mech bowed his helm solemnly to both Wing and Drift, stepping back, toward the tunnel mouth.
"Thank you," Drift's tone was genuine. He turned before Shogun had taken off, testament to both his grief disorienting him, his concern for his mate, and his trust of the large red jet. A gentle nudge and arm around the slender black waist drew Wing into the tunnel, Drift very much wanting to reach Nightsun before Starcrossed surrendered to the inevitable.
Catching his mate's urgency, Wing jogged into the tunnel. He would have run, but that would have jolted Starcrossed too badly. Shogun had actually flown them right into the caves as far as his large frame would fit rather than leaving them at the entrance, so they were actually fairly close to the door.
"Get the door," Drift's voice was low and urgent. "If Nightsun isn't already awake from all this, we need him checked out."
Wing nodded, moving forward to unlock the heavy door and pull it open. As soon as the crack was wide enough he was hit in the shins by a whimpering, keening black blur. Nightsun was wide awake, clinging to his carrier's leg as if he'd been welded there, purple optics wide and anxious. He didn't know what was going on, but he knew there was something terribly wrong.
With a clicking coo and gentle hands Wing convinced him to let go enough to be pick up and cradled so they could slip inside. As soon as the door closed Drift settled on the floor, low enough for Nightsun to see the crushed state of his sister.
"Dai Atlas caught her," Drift said softly, reaching out with the tiny thread of the bond he still had with her, trying to tell her it was okay to let go now.
"The big bad mech?" Nightsun's tiny wing struts pulled close to his back, the same way Wing's did when he was distressed. He crawled closer, reaching out to take his sister's hand, distress radiating from every line of his small body.
Wing keened softly, leaning on to wrap his arms around Nightsun and Drift, golden optics dull. He was as close to crying as a mech can get.
"Yes," Drift murmured, his intakes hitching as his systems briefly stalled with the snapping of the final strand of his carrier bond.
Wing let out a broken keen, burying his face against Drift's shoulder, his whole body shaking with emotion. The muffled keening continued as the dark jet vented his grief.
Nightsun's brief keen was higher pitched. The sparkling turned purple optics to Drift. "Did the bad mech pay for hurting her? Did you make him sorry?"
"Yes," Drift nearly growled as he tried to hold both Wing and Nightsun with his free arm. "He is dead."
Wing showed no reaction to being told that his creator was dead. His grief was for Starcrossed.
Nightsun's optics flared. "Good." That said, the tiny mech curled into his creator's arms, hugging the graying frame of his sister and letting out that high-pitched keen.
It was in watching and feeling the death of his creation with his family that Drift truly grasped how innocent even Wing was, or perhaps how jaded to the death of those he cared about he was. For Drift, this hurt, a great deal, but it was nothing more than another death to the list of those close to him. Gasket, Wing and Starcrossed were merely the brightest points of pain in a list that was far too long already.
It took several breems for Wing's keens to subside. The dark jet flopped against Drift, almost completely limp, his wings drooping. Nightsun burrowed into his creators' frames, whimpering, wanting his sister back. Her frame was cool and gray, however; it would never again display the glossy black, red and golds it bore in functioning.
"What do we do with the frame?" Drift asked, uncertain. Even among the Autobots, it was rare for a frame to see much more than being recycled. The war made resources too valuable to give to a departed spark.
Slowly, Wing lifted his head to meet his mate's optics. "It varies... Among the Knights, some are interred, some are melted down. Others are stripped for parts before being smelted. For Star... I would rather see her frame interred."
Drift meanly nodded his acceptance. Like so many other social things, he had no frame of reference to have preferences from.