I GOT A REVIEW! *flails about so much that it should be illegal for a 17 year old to be that crazy*
To Jester's Joke: Welcome to my crazy corner of the internet and I hope you enjoy the rest of the story. If you're here for the smut then I'm sorry to disappoint you but you'll have to go to my AO3 account, you'll find the link to said account on my profile (even though the first scene isn't for another seven chapters) Don't ask why I wrote that, I'm simply trying to be professional...which is very unnatural for me.
The "~Text~" in the third section (the section after the second set of *) of this chapter doesn't indicate singing, they indicate echoing.
They say that we make our own Demons
That we are never given them
What they don't know is that
There are some rare cases
Where our Demons choose us
~Megatron's POV~
"Good," Red Giant mutters as he frowns at the patchwork on his wing.
"Just doin' ma job," the grounder smirks as he twirls his hammer.
I'm still shuddering inwardly at the fact he used that thing to "gently force" the larger dents out of the red Seeker's crushed wing.
"Where's the fragging buffer already?!" Nebula whines as she hunts for the lost treasure in the medical bay's large store room, "My finish is hideous and I refuse to leave looking like this!"
"And I absolutely refuse to discharge you from my medical care in that state my dear," the medic gasps and joins the hunt.
"I'm giving it half a vorn till this ship goes up in flames because of those two hot-headed, vanity-bots," I can't help but find it ironic that Solarflare just said that and I raise a questioning optic ridge at her flame-decorated coat.
"~Burning sparklings! Where are you now?!~" White Dwarf's maniac laughter promptly demolishes the cheery atmosphere in the room.
For nearly an entire breem the only sound heard is the two Decepticons rummaging through the storage room, yet neither speaks to the other.
"I should go," Starhopper finally mutters as she gets up.
"Just don't over exert yourself," Knock Out toneless vocaliser says from the storage room.
"I'm coming with you," Solarflare sighs and heads to the door.
"Why?" The youngest Seeker frowns in mixture of confusion and annoyance.
"So I can make sure you don't apologise to that slag-helm Hook."
"To be fair, it was Moonbeam who took it too far," Star growls to herself.
"No," her eldest, and temporarily berth bound, sister huffs as she crosses her arms, "taking it too far would be shoving his hook up his tailpipe, putting stasis cuffs on him and then throwing him into the vacuum of space. But not before a good, and very much deserved, mocking of course."
"He walked out looking like he was going to cry," the spotted femme whimpers.
"Frag him!" Moonbeam snarls, bearing her denta and brandishing her claws, "You all know that I don't mind a bit of playful banter, but he was being an aft! And so were his assistants!"
"Commander."
"Yes Red, you can go," the dark silver Seeker waves her brother away with a growl.
"Um...thank you," he purses his lips and walks away stiffly, nodding to me as he passes, "my Lord."
I watch Moonbeam's face soften from anger into something akin to regret and sadness as the doors close behind her siblings.
"Knock Out," Nebula shifts from one pede to the other as she holds up a buffer, "can...can I take this to my quarters?"
"Uh, sure. Just bring it back," even my CMO feels the thick, awkward and tense filled air as he avoids everyone's gazes.
"Nebula," Moonbeam stares at her pedes and sighs.
"Y-yes, Commander?" The turquoise Seeker flinches.
It's the first time I've herd her use her eldest sister's title.
"Tell..." She bites her lower lip and taps the medical berth with a claw, "tell Star, Red and Solar I'm sorry for...for yelling."
The spy sighs sadly and nods, "Sure thing Moon," then she leaves without any other exchanges.
Breakdown, Knock Out and I all watch the lunar coloured Seeker shutter her optics and let out a shuddered sigh. Her pain receptors are still off, but I don't think that stops her from feeling it in her emotions.
"~Why do you burn little sparklings?~" she flinches and growls at the sniggering mech in the other room.
"Shut up Dwarf!" Moonbeam shrieks, slamming a clenched servo on the berth.
There's a staticky laugh from the unstable mech, Moonbeam growls and blinks rapidly, quickly raising a servo to wipe her optics. She bites her lower lip and whimpers, arms curling around herself, then she changes her processor and uses her servos to cover her grief riddled face.
"Um, you're set to go too, if you wish...my liege," Breakdown gets up from his kneeling position he was in while patching up the wound on my waist.
But I remain seated, staring at the femme whose spirit is almost broken beyond repair. Something tweaks in my Spark chamber. I frown, it's been so long since I've felt something other than anger burning through in my Spark that I'd nearly forgotten I had one. That feeling...I've only felt it for one other, but he's been dead to me for a longtime now.
"If you can stand then you may leave if you wish," Knock Out steps over to the Seeker and extends a servo for her.
"I've endured far worse," Moonbeam growls, taking the servo and leaning on the mech as she drags herself off the berth.
My optics remain fixed on her pedes as she tentatively stands, instinctively lifting her wounded leg with a growl, the tips of her toes barely touching the ground.
"Can you take your own weight without hopping?" the cherry red mech looks at her patch and frowns.
"I'm fine," she hisses and let's go of his arm, the toes of her torn leg hesitantly pushing down.
The femme takes a step on her bad limb, then immediately slams the other in front of it, putting all her weight on the good one as her expression shifts from pain to relief.
"You don't...seem fine," Knock Out huffs as he raises an optic ridge.
"I am," I can see the anger growing in her optics as her frame tenses then relaxes with each uneven step.
"Don't make a habit of limping," the grounder says, making one last attempt at having a conversation with her, "if you do then once the cabling in your hip has healed, the new, weak cables will grind against your joints and create a very painful tear in them. A tear that will take many vorns to heal."
"Noted," with that Moonbeam limps out of the medical bay.
My audials twitch at the sound of the sniggering mech in the other room. Suddenly, an idea begins to take shape in my processor.
"Knock Out," I growl at my CMO.
"Yes my liege," he yelps and spins around to face me.
"Can the Seeker be cured?"
"I...um...perhaps," he leans on the medical berth, tapping the surface with a claw and staring at the ground looking like he's deep in thought, "he's got data cables like Soundwave though, so it's safe to assume that he has multitudes of data in his processor. It'd take countless orns to sort through it all and find the virus, the sorting would have to be done manually too. Then I'd have to decode it, analyse it and find an anti-virus to combat it. It'll take a few vorns altogether, assuming everything runs smoothly and all of my equipment remains in perfect condition. The scanners should've picked up the twisted code last orbital, which means it's an ancient virus, so running a third scan would be pointless."
"Is there a way to separate it from the rest this orbital?" I pray to Primus that there is, then everyone can recharge in peace.
"There...no, no," it looks as if a thought struck him for a moment, but he waves me away and turns to leave.
I clench my denta and snarl, "Don't lie to me grounder!"
"I-I don't...it...it's far too risky," clearly he forgets who he's speaking to.
"Terror of Kaon and Lord of the Decepticon's," I remind him, narrowing my optics as my engines rumble in a threatening growl.
"A...um...if the memory of when the virus was activated is stirred, then I'd be able to immobilise the code so that I could copy it for later study and decoding," Knock Out looks hopeful for a moment, then he sighs, "But...from what I've seen so far, the coding is smart, not just a mindless killer. It knew how to fight, it didn't just blindly charge, it knew everyone's weaknesses. It seems to have an Artificial-Intelligence, and a high one at that, I think it would've put as many firewalls and pass-codes around that memory as possible."
"Then we go fishing," I chuckle, giving him a dark smile.
"Like I said, it's too risky, as your Chief Medical Officer I strongly advise you to not do this Lord Megatron," he shakes his helm, optics fierce and determined.
"Then I shall order Hook to do it, although I'd prefer...steady servos for this job," what Moonbeam said is true, while Hook is a great physician, he's let himself become too stressed, which has revealed his old age and taken its toll on his frame. As well as his personality.
"A Cortical Psychic Patch then?" Knock Out sighs in defeat.
"~Hehehe, pretty, pretty birdie~" White Dwarf coos as he stares at Starscream as if he's going to eat him at the first chance he gets.
"Make sure those bonds are secure," my Second growls as he tries to push his sitting frame closer to the wall, the silly fragger insisted that he'd watch, even though his wounds need at least four orbitals to heal completely.
"They are," the medic glares at the Seeker, checking the cuffs on the ex-hacker's wrists and ankles that pin him to the medical berth, then the couplings over his data cable housings.
"~Hehehe, you get nothing from White Dwarf...but White Dwarf know everything about you all~" the white mech sniggers, black tipped wings quivering as he giggles.
"Doubt it," my Second huffs, crossing his arms and flicking his helm back in a display of egotistical pride.
But the insane mech decides to take that as a challenge.
"~Screamy try so hard to be like Creators, they such good King and Queen of Vos. But Screamy only get Vos destroyed at start of war, destruction kill Creators. Subjects no like Prince anymore, still listen to him, but want to remain neutral~" Dwarf's grin widens at Starscream's flabbergasted look.
"I-I...you..." The Seeker looks away, shame riddled all over his face.
The pale mech slowly turns his helm to me and begins a slow, made up song, vocaliser a sharp whisper that grows louder and deeper with each word, "~Miner miner, Megsy. Swing your pick, axe-y. Born to be, just a machine. Mine the rare ores, D-16!~"
Before I can even snarl with rage he starts on Breakdown, who flinches at the sight of his piercing gaze.
"~Brothers think medic good for you, tell you to be with him...but you betray brothers for lover. Daww, cute Breaky! Like it when medic call you that, Breaky! Dishonourable, cheating, backstabbing, brother-betraying-and-hurting Breaky! Hahahahahaha~" he spasms in his restraints, frame shivering with relish as he toys with our processors, "~Now Knocky!~"
"As if you'd know about me," the mech snarls and takes a step back, yet his tone is a challenging one.
"~Creators...no...Sire no like son being One-Third, want to kill son. Knocky run away, records say he appear again in Praxus, Praxus, Praxus, Praxus!~" his vocaliser short circuits, stuck on the name of his burnt home, "~Ahahaha! Knocky fashion designer, his courted not like it, Knocky no want to break seal and courted think it because he too busy with work. He burn business three times, third time kill two models. Knocky stop and decide to be medic instead, meets Breaky there. Courted get desperate for fuck buddy, cheat on him with six mechs and three femmes-~"
"That is it!" The medic darts over to a shelf and grabs his Energon Rod, a weapon he very rarely uses. There's a fire in usually calm, smooth mech's optics that I've never seen before.
White Dwarf screams and laughs with delight as the electrolysed weapon makes contact with his right wing, his entire frame rattles, but he continues to laugh through the pain as sparks dance across his armour.
"~Fucking slutty medic only spike partners to cool sexy need after heats!~" even through his screams and cackles of pain he manages to continue, "~Yet so sad when courted fuck a few bots. Hypocrite!~"
"Fragging piece of scrap!" the small mech hisses and jabs the rod at the Seeker's bared, vulnerable neck as hard as he can.
The ex-hacker's frame twists in his bonds, vocaliser short circuiting several times, each time it manages to reboot a new scream begins. Yet his optics show nothing short of complete relish and sick excitement.
"Knock Out, stop!" The blue bruiser tries to pull his mate away, but he staggers back as a white wing slams into his chassis.
"Enough!" I wrap my arms around the red grounder's middle, pulling him up and away from the mad mech; the rod clatters to the ground where it automatically powers down.
"Stupid, stupid aft! I'll kill you, you bastardly, rejected glitch of a scrap-helmed Autobot!" Knock Out sobs, shaking with rage as I pass him to his mate.
"~S-s-seeee-e-ee, W-Wh-White Dwa-Dwarf knooo...kno-know!~" his frame twitches, vocaliser trying to function even after his endless screams of twisted pleasure.
I'm falling...wait, that's not right. When a Cortical Psychic Patch is initiated the two participants stand on solid ground, sometimes in a world created by one processor, but because of the quick setup Knock Out did there's no such luxury this time. It was either a proper setup with no communications, or a quick one and communications with the medic.
"~Hehehehe, you like to fly?~" a deep, smooth vocaliser chuckles somewhere in the darkness, "~If so...then why do you fall?~"
With a snarl I hit the ground, or something solid and stable, yet it's dark like everything else. A see-through floor perhaps? Scrap! I hiss as my back gives a delayed stab of pain from the impact.
"~Hmm, like what I've done with the place?~" the vocaliser coos as a soft, yet eerie light appears and a mech steps out of the shadows, revealing the floor to look as if it's made of glass. Black, the perfect contract for his star-white frame.
He looks exactly like White Dwarf, except the young Seeker still has his blue Autobot optics. This mech has the red ones of an enraged gladiator and sharp denta that shouldn't be part of a Seeker's frame.
Pulling myself to my pedes I crouch with my blade out, being sure that I'm ready to take either an offensive or defensive action if needed, "I liked your entrance better," I growl.
"~Why thank you~" he purrs, forcing a smile of thanks onto his lips, the corners of his mouth twitch as he struggles to keep it, "~it's not every-orbital I get guests in my funhouse, so I do try to make a good impression~"
Then I notice another difference, "Your speech, it's not deranged, it's more...refined."
"~Ah, that may have something to do with the fact that I'm not struggling for control over the vocaliser with the...~" he takes a breath and thinks for a moment, before giving me a sneer that makes me feel as if I'm talking to the enemy of Primus himself, he emphasises each word with a twitch of both optic ridges, "current tenant~"
"I take it I'm talking to the virus that plagues White Dwarf's processor then?" I straighten my spinal strut and cross my arms behind my back in an attempt to relax, showing that I don't want a fight by sheathing my sword.
"~Oh...I think the word "virus" is a bit barbaric~" he chuckles, shaking his helm in disappointment, "~but then again you were a miner then a gladiator and now a warlord, slowly making your way up the barbarian food chain I see. Although I must say, I've seen far better than what you've achieved Megatronus. Personally, I prefer the word...upgrade~" he somehow manages to make a sweet smile seem twisted and mocking as he clicks the tips of his claws together rhythmically.
"In what Universe is a code that kills and turns the host insane an upgrade?" Keep him talking, that's what my CMO said, just long enough to make him relax and reveal the memory we need.
"~Mine!~" he cackles with an elegant sweep of a servo to indicate the black plain we're standing on, "~White Dwarf was far too weak, caring, loving!~" He spits the words out as if they're worse than Tox-En, "~I saw his potential, his data cables have a power like no other, but still the same kind of power owned by every other bot with the gene. And like them, he has the bonus of a processor that can hold the biggest upgrade ever! I'm vast miner, the lines to code that I'm made of go on and on. They have an end of course, but there are so few Cybetronians out there that can hold me, data cable bots have genetically large storage systems in their processors. By the Thirteen, even the Matrix would have trouble holding me! Although, I find that anything with the taint of Primus on or in it is rather unpleasant for me to be around. I get a horrible itch that simply won't go away~"
All of that is either an overstatement or-
::Sir:: Knock Out's vocaliser echoes in my audials, the corrupted code shows no sign of hearing him, just as planned, ::I think it might b-::
"~Shh, shush, shush, shhhh~" the "upgrade" clutches his helm and hisses, "~You're buzzing my dear D-16, stop trying so hard to think~"
"What are you?" I leap at the chance to begin the interrogation, and distract myself from his previous comment.
"~I'm a one-of-a-kind piece of coding, and I wear it well~" he sighs, checking his claws with a vain expression, his optics flick up to stare at me, the light dims and two crimson orbs glare at me from the depths of the darkness, "~I'm the thing that made your people create the word virus. I'm what all Cybertronians fear, even the greatest of gladiators, I came into existence before your race onlined its optics. I'm ancient, before the first simple Cybertronian, but after the Thirteen and the opposite of them. I'm the thing that goes bump in the night-cycle, the thing that whispers in the shadows, the thing that all mechs and femmes are aware of yet never see. I am your worst nightmare!~"
"One of a kind? Don't you have copies? What exactly are you?!" Calm Megatron, calm, don't look at his optics. If you stare into the abyss for too long then it'll slowly pull you in. It's lying, trying to unnerve you.
"~Ha, scared already, quivering, little gladiator? No Master here to help you? Ohh yes, Fallen lived up to his designation, didn't he?~" I try to not show how each word is like a dagger to my Spark as those optics shine their mocking gaze at me, trying to get past my processor and into my emotions, "~The Iacon database could barely hold me! When Primus chased my Master away with his silly boyband, he didn't know that my Master left me as a small gift. A brother's-goodbye-present if you will. My code was scattered so very thinly throughout the processors of hundreds of Cybertronians, it took me millions of vorns to pull myself together. I was in the Iacon database when a green, thick helmed clerk named Kup, unwittingly brought my final piece of code to me. White Dwarf was training, trying to hack the database, with the Alpha Trion's permission of course. I lodged myself in his cables and bided my time, countless vorns of waiting has given me the horrible patience of a Priest of Primus. During the fires of Praxus White Dwarf's processor defences crashed, giving me the entrance I needed. You know what I am, miner. Say my name!~"
I clench my fists and give a threatening growl, "I think you'll find it more delightful if you say it."
The virus sniggers, he walks up to me confidently, arms crossed behind his back, stopping so close that his chassis touches the armour over my tank. Yet he looks up at me as if he's looking down.
He whispers cold, dark words that make my Spark weep with fear and my legs scream for me to run, "~I've been in hiding for so long that my designation is now a myth, a story told to teach younglings to not go poking their digits where they shouldn't...My name has many meanings, it's been remade many times, twisted into abominations that wilt in comparison to what it really is! But the first one, my true one, is...Spawn of Unicron!~"
Unable to hide my fear I step back with a growl, claws ready to defend myself. My Creator's told me the tales of this virus whenever I misbehaved too much, the stories of the "Spawn of Unicron" had fuelled my nightmares for many vorns during my youth.
He cackles, shivering as he bares his serrated denta, "~Fear!~" the Destroyer's offspring snarls, "~I feast on the fear I create, and the pain of my victim's death as well as their sorrow is always a sweet desert!~" he stops, smirking as his wings flutter, "~But it's been so long since I've had anyone to actually talk to. White Dwarf's delicate sanity didn't last two metacycles. So...let's play a game, if you can keep on playing, you may continue to live~"
::Lord Megatron, he's done something to the patch!:: Starscream cries out over the link, ::Knock Out can't terminate it!::
There's no choice, I ready my cannon and grit my denta together, "Fine then, let's...play."
"~Oh you typical gladiator~" Spawn sniggers as he waves me away, "~No, no, let's not sully our lovely little meeting with the exchange of blows and wounds. A question for a question, I ask you something and you answer, then you ask something for me to answer. Around and around we shall go, until you run out of questions that is. I can't run out because I have three-quarters of the Iacon's database stored in my memory, that's not including what White Dwarf has! Even your simple, barbaric processor can keep up with that~"
::Don't do it Master! It's a trap...:: Starscream is cut off and there's a scuffle over the connection, a bit of enraged Seeker clicking along with some normal Cybertronian swearing.
Suddenly Knock Out mutters ::Fragger wrecked my finish! Alright my liege, I've got an idea. Just keep asking him questions. Dwarf is in complete shut down, so right now the monitors are reading the virus's vitals, I'll tell you when he's completely relaxed and you can ask to see the memory file. Just be careful with what you ask and don't get him too tense, no matter what he says::
"...Very well," I growl at both my CMO and the code before me, "around we go then."
"~I'll go first~" the mech chuckles, mimicking his Master's sneer once more as he taps his chin, "~Hmm...oh, I've got a great opener! Do you...miss your Creators?~"
An odd sound gets caught in my throat, he had to start with that one, he just had to...
::Easy Lord Megatron:: the medic's soft whispering is somehow soothing, most likely something to do with that One-Third code of his, ::don't let him get to you::
The Spawn of Unicron continues to stare at me, he takes a few steps back and gives me an taunting look, "~A simple yes or no will suffice, but do take your time, the pain you're radiating is absolutely delicious~"
"Is my pain not enough of an answer?" I try to keep the sharp growl in my tone, forcing the shaking in my servos to stop.
"~No, not really, I'd love to hear you say it. There's a certain satisfaction that I get from breaking a mech with your status, history and frame size. I know the answer...and I know that there are mechs watching us, ones who look up to you. So sad they can't comfort you though~" he feigns sadness, yet his optics continue to mock me.
"I..."
::Slag it all!:: Knock Out's growl is followed by a loud bang, possibly him hitting the monitor, ::My Sire wanted to kill me! We won't think any less of you or your Creators, whatever your answer is::
"...Yes, just like any creation I loved my Creators, I do miss them," I flinch, not at my opponent's sneer, but at how emotionless my vocaliser is.
"~Aww, now, that wasn't so hard was it?~" Unicron's apprentice sniggers, clicking his claws together again.
"Don't you care for your Master? He's technically your Sire and your Carrier!" I snarl in a small fit of rage, not realising that I just asked my question till his face lights up before he answers.
"~Oh, my answer is exactly the same as yours~" he says with a pleasant tone and smile, the fact that it's not faked makes me feel very uneasy, "~I care for him as if he were my Creator...I've never seen him in person though, but once he has risen then he shall give me what every Carrier and Sire gives their sparkling~"
"Which is?"
"~Ahahah, nooo~" he shakes a digit at me, optics mirroring those of a scolding Carrier, "~It's my turn...hmm...oh yes, I've got one! Do you like Moonbeam?~"
What does he mean by that? No, I can't answer with a question.
I ponder over my next sentence, trying to not ask something while trying to ask what he's saying, "Be a bit more specific."
"~Yah know~" he grins while standing side on to me, linking his servos over his helm as he rolls his hips in the most suggestive way possible in all of space and time, "~Do you like her? As in would you do the dirty with her, the Universal night-cycle sport, dance between the sheets, ride the berth, redecorate the place~"
::Make him stop Lord Megatron:: Knock Out groans in disgust, ::I think Starscream's frame is about to reject this orbitals rations, and I'm not that far behind::
"You're sick," I growl, admittedly I agree with the medic, the thought of Unicron's disciple being sexually active is an extremely...unpleasant one.
"~Gaww, you~" he smirks, flicking a servo at me in a playful fashion, "~I may have underestimated you Megatron, it takes courage to flirt with the Spawn of Unicron! Now, your answer?~"
I sigh, "Yes, I must confess that her frame is rather...distracting," I frown at his snigger and suggestive optic ridge movements, "and it's not because my Master is her Sire!"
"~Then you must have a thing for Seekers~" the code chuckles as he looks at his claws again, "~or was Starscream's limp last orbital caused by a wound and not a good, long frag from a certain miner currently poking around in my rented apartment?~"
"You had your question," I can't help but smile at the feeling of triumph I get from the sight of his shocked expression, as well as the comical sound of my Second's enraged chirping.
The flirtatious look returns and he gives me a nod of approval, "~Hmm, you learn fast, good mech~"
"What will your Master give you when he rises?"
His playful smile vanishes and is replaced by a blank look, "~A fast learner but a stupid mech...interesting combination~" the virus shrugs carelessly, lifting his servos a little, "~Think you silly gladiator, when two bots love each other very much they decide to have a sparkling, to do this they need to interface to make the frame. Then at the same time they have to Spark-merge in order to make the...~" he mentions to me with an elegant gesture of a servo.
"...The Spark," I frown in confusion, what use does the Spawn of Unicron have for a Spark?
"~That's what I need to be a real mech~" he giggles, wings fluttering in a strange display of glee, "~My go...do you know what killed your Master?~"
"Poison," I snarl, "his Energon was spiked, Ultra Magnus ordered one of his assassins to do it because he feared that my Master would want custody of the sparklings he'd helped his old friend make."
"~So let me get this straight~" the virus holds up a servo and chuckles, "~The One-Third, Autobot Second in Command, Ultra Magnus wanted bitlits of his own. Because of his political position he didn't have time for a Bond-Mate though, so he asks his old buddy Fallen to frag him to make said bitlits. Moonbeam and her hexad are the end result, Magnus got paranoid and was scared that Fallen would later want the kiddies, so he ordered an assassin to kill him. That's what you're saying, just for record purpose and stuff~"
"Yes..."
His optics widen and he doubles over, clutching his knees as his frame rattles with suppressed laughter, "~Y-you're serious?!~"
"This is no laughing matter!" I roar, how dare he laugh at my Master's death!
"~I'm sorry, well not really, but...~" he shudders as a snigger surges through his frame, "~You really don't see how you and your entire staff are connected to the hexad?~"
I have no idea what he's heading towards, but I'll go there since he's so worked up about it, "Then that's my turn used up, tell me."
"~Okay, okay, get this~" he laughs and waves me away, "~When Knock Out moves back to Iacon he meets Breakdown, his ex moves out after scrap happens and the Wreckers can't pay rent, so the good doctor lets them live with him. A carrying Ultra Magnus is in-charge of the Wrecker's missions and he hears about Knock Out from Breakdown. So he requests the Iacon hospital that Knock Out becomes his personal doctor, since they're both One-Thirds. Knock Out is the one to deliver Moonbeam and her hexad-~"
::So far he's telling the truth:: my CMO mutters to himself.
And you didn't tell me?!
"~So the Seekers are raised by grounders~" Spawn laughs, shaking his helm, "~Ultra Magnus had killed Fallen by now, so there's no one that can teach the sparklings how to fly. He asks the King and Queen of Vos, they personally teach them, while an adolescent Starscream watches! Oh, but that's not the best part!~" he shrieks, "~Later, the kiddies find out who their Sire was, but they don't know exactly how he died. They end up sneaking out of Iacon and fly allll the way to Kaon. And...oh Unicron! And they see one of the first tag-team gladiator fights. Two absolutely hopeless idiots against...hahaha!~" he finally falls down, shaking with laughter, "~Against Soundwave and Megatronus! Oh how fate twists the lives of the seemingly unimportant so that they all find one another again when they're...well, less unimportant!~"
"And why is this so hilarious?" I growl, I'll be having words with my CMO and Second later.
The Spawn of Unicron chuckles, yet there's an odd hint of pride in his vocaliser as he speaks, "~Why do you think Moonbeam trains so hard, fights so fiercely, has mastered the art of being a natural leader, never takes no for an answer, is so deceptive and slagging betrayed the Autobots! She was love struck from the moment she saw Megatronus walk out onto that Arena! She improved herself in every way to catch her obsession's optics! She doesn't stop thinking about you!~"
He gets up, still shaking a little as he tries to mimic a femme's vocaliser, "~Oh, those piercing optics, imposing shoulder spikes and thick biceps! How my Spark flutters at the very thought of being embraced by him, or simply having his gaze focused on me alone!~" he roars with laughter, returning to his normal vocaliser, "~To say she's helm over heels would be an understatement! And they call me insane!~"
The creature stands there, just staring at me. Sneering smile mocking and optics...hollow? No. They were red, I'm sure they were. But...there's nothing there now, no red or blue optics. Just darkness. He takes a breath and...
"~I'll ask now~" he sniggers, grinning as if he knows something I don't.
If this conversation has taught me one thing, it's that, that theory is probably correct.
"Alright," I manage, by some miracle, to keep my calm attitude even after everything that's happened so far, "ask away."
"~Do you know if we're in my processor, or your processor?" His optics widen as he bites down on his lower lip, frame twitching with repressed laughter.
"Yours," I huff, finally, a stupid question, "the psychic patch may be a two way link, but the two connecting can only meet in one mind. It doesn't matter whose processor they meet in, both can still share memories. Although this current link was randomised due to the hasty set up, it was just chance that it chose yours."
"~Tsk, tsk, tsk~" the creature giggles, waving a digit at me, "~you should've chosen to meet in your processor!~"
"And why is..." Wait...I'm in the virus filled processor of an unstable, insane mech.
I can almost see Knock Out face-palming while muttering 'I told you so, I told you this was a bad idea'.
"~HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!~" Spawn falls back, frame shaking violently with laughter, "~Silly, silly mech, now you're like a Terbofox in a magnet trap!~"
"Stop!" I snarl causing his helm to snap up to look at me, optic sockets fixed on me as he continues to snigger, frame spamming and twitching on the ground, "It's my turn to ask a question."
"~Ask, ask aaasssssahahahahaha~" he manages to get out before falling into another fit of crazed cackles as he struggles to get up.
I falter, having no other questions. Hurry up Knock Out!
"~I'm waiting~" the disciple of Unicron giggles, sockets narrowing with suspicion.
I let my fear get the best of me, my processor immediately turns to the one mech who I know will protect me no matter what "...What did you do to Soundwave?"
"~Hacked his processor! I hacked the bastard's so called impenetrable processor, took his biggest secret and used it against the fucker!~"The virus shrieks with laughter, I flinch at its use of the organic terms as well as the insult aimed directly at my oldest and closest friend, "~So silent, so lifeless...So. Much. Pain! I feast on pain! Soundwave is a smorgasbord of energy!~"
"Stop it!" I snarl, "You can mock my past, bring my most painful memories back and sexually harass me for all I care! But, don't insult my apprentice!"
"~Aww~" the mech smiles at me, looking almost humbled, "~That's so...~" he growls, a frown of disdain tattooing itself across his face, "~so disgusting. This is why I don't respect you, you feel, it's sickening. You're the gladiator that started the biggest war in the history of Cybertron! For Pits sake, some orbital it might even rival the Time War between the Darleks and Timelords!~"
::He's rambling!:: I hear the medic cry out with joy, ::Next question is the one my liege!::
"Your turn," I struggle to contain my sigh of relief, processor games like this are definitely not my strong point.
"~Oh fine~" he huffs in annoyance, "~impatient bastard...hmm...let's see, how about one that'll give us a few good laughs. Would you frag Knock Out?~"
"I feel like there's an 'if' in there," I mutter.
"~Ok, if he wasn't Bonded, would you frag him through the berth?~"
"First chance I'd get, I would," I can't help but chuckle at the in-comprehensive yelling coming from the medic and his mate, as well as Starscream's screeching laughter.
"~Finally! Something we agree on!~" Spawn flings his arms in the air and laughs, vocaliser far deeper than before, "~You, my good sir, just gained a bit of my respect!~"
::Glad I could help:: said fraggable mech growls, ::please Lord Megatron, just ask him::
I open my mouth to ask my question, preparing to shower him with praise and con him into showing me the memory. But his soft, high pitched giggle stops me, opticless gaze burning into the core of my Spark. The frame before me twitches as it shifts, rapidly flickering into lines of purple code several times, then returning to its previous state. His helm snaps to around look to the side, then it tilts and slowly turns to look at me. He parts his lips and slowly, hauntingly...sings...
Beware the darkness
Beware what lurks in the shadows
Beware whispers of temptation
He is Death and He is coming
Have confidence young one
Because He will pass, if you do
He feasts on fear and despair
Have courage young one
For He will starve, if you do
He shall be free when war calls
Bring peace young one
So He stays, locked away...
"~Hear me gladiator, hear the darkness, hear the temptation, hear Death...can you hear it...? I'm coming for you~"
My vocaliser decides to forsaken me, the one moment that I truly need it.
::That flicker, he was...resetting... Confidence...courage...peace:: Knock Out mutters to himself, I listen the soft tapping sound of his claws drumming on the console, something he does when he's on the verge of a brilliant idea, there's a cry of delight as he works it out, ::Emotions! It's not just a scary camp song or story my Lord! It's a message!::
"What are you saying?" I growl, hoping Unicron's creation will think I'm talking to him.
"~Shall I sing again?~" he whispers, the temperature drops and I shudder, shaking my helm in a display of true fear.
::He may be the creation of a God, but he's still a virus! The anti-virus is in our emotional code, specifically the codes for courage, confidence and peace! If I do a quick search through White Dwarf's memory files for those codes and bundle them up, I can virtually throw them at this bastard! It wouldn't kill him, but it'll put him under for at least eight vorns!:: my CMO's vocaliser has never sounded sweeter as he laughs with joy, ::Give me a four kliks, and get that memory!::
"~Buzzing, why are you buzzing?~" the virus growls to himself, hollow optic housings narrowing as his denta grind together, "~Ask your question miner! Or be terminated~"
He's changed...no he's changing! His claws are longer, sharper, tips so fine that I can barely see them. I swear he was shorter too.
"...Why do you ask where the burning sparklings are?" Primus, I pray to you now that this is the correct one.
"~...Because that was my victory, my rise to power, and they sang the trumpet fanfare...~"
The darkness melts away, shifting and twisting around me, until I find myself standing in a room beside the virus. The scene before me is bright and cheerful, giggling younglings play on the floor with a ball. One of them rolls it to a Seeker...White Dwarf.
He looks so different, so happy, shimmering with love and filled with life. Nothing like the alcoholic, depressed, quiet Seeker I saw last night. He sits on the ground with his legs crossed as he rolls the ball to a little femme who squeals with happiness as she grabs it.
"~He loved them~" the Spawn of Unicron whispers, face plates twisting with disgust, "~Moonbeam and her sibling were ordered to guard certain sectors of Praxus. Dwarf got the Daycare, which was joined to the orphanage. But he never stood guard outside, he played inside. The femmes who ran the facility told him he's a natural Sitter. He asked the hospital for the Sitter code, and during the operation the council of Praxus had connections to cameras that they placed outside the building installed, so he could do both jobs at once~"
A mechling reaches for the Seeker, he smiles and picks up the young Praxian while being mindful of his developing doorwings, then places him on his lap so that they can roll the ball together.
The scene shifts again and this time it burns away. No, that's real fire! The orbital that Praxus was destroyed.
White Dwarf flies overhead, transforming and landing on the ground. His pedes hit the ground but he doesn't stop moving, running straight at the flames, crying out what I assume to be the names of the sparklings. Suddenly, he freezes.
With an Energon curdling scream the Seeker falls to his knees, coolant pours down his cheeks and he clutches his helm. I clench my denta and swallow, trying to not throw up at the sound, it rings in my audials as it fills my Spark to the brim with horror and grief. The scream only ends once he offlines, falling onto his side as the fire continues to consume everything.
"~Listen~" the Spawn of Unicron growls, holding up a servo, reaching for the fire and using the claws on the other to tap his thigh in a rhythm that sounds like the drum beat of war, "~Just listen~"
Now I wish I could throw up, what I hear nearly brings me to my knees.
Sparklings. Screaming as the fire burns them alive.
The creature chuckles with sickening glee, "~Some of the cameras were still working, the images were fuzzy, but he could see the pictures clearly. He saw them burning, heard them screaming, one wailed his name as it caught fire...and the scene broke him. All I had to do was slip through the cracks~"
::I...got the...th-the code, and the...anti-virus is...is ready:: the medic whispers, vocaliser cracking from withheld sobs.
You always wanted a sparkling Knock Out, you begged me to reconsider my rule, but this is why I won't let you have one.
Rage, burning brighter than the fire before me, suddenly replaces my shock, I glare at the monster beside me and smirk with triumph, "...Make him bleed."
The One-Third hisses, ::With. Pleasure::
The dark plain returns as the virus falls on his servos and knees, back arching as he retches.
"~You...tricked...me~" he coughs, giving another dry retch.
"Yes," I look down at him, feeling smug and victorious, "I tricked the Spawn of Unicron."
His frame heaves, wings shuddering, claws digging into the ground as he continues to cough and retch.
He sits up, arms spread to the sides, flinging his helm back and screaming at the darkness.
Wings shift, twisting as they lengthen and widen. They arch up and spread wide as they melt, no, morph into organic wings. Blacker than the ground his lengthening claws scratch at and covered in silky, shimmering feathers, edges tinted with deep purple. He screams again as his entire frame darkens and a line of spikes rip out of his spine plating. Two horns break through the sides of his helm, just above his audials and the scream becomes a bellowing roar of rage. His denta grow as purple fire erupts from his mouth.
Something flicks behind him. A tail. Three espe long and covered in ebony scales, purple liquid dripping from the tip of the barbed end. With a shuddered groan the beast pulls himself to his pedes just as four claws slowly push out from the tips of them. He doubles over, wings drape across the ground, each one at least thirty espe long and his long clawed servos hang limp as his back heaves again. He shudders, then sniggers.
The creature straightens, flinging his helm back and spreading his thin arms wide as he screams with laughter. The black wings lift and arch towards the ceiling, stretching to their full length as their owner roars with pride at the sight of them. His jaw drops in an open mouthed sneer and a long, double tipped glossa flicks across the serrated upper denta. The glowing, black, opticless gaze stares at me. His frame towering above mine by seven espe.
This is the true opponent of the Thirteen, the true Chaos Bringer and the thing responsible for spreading evil throughout Cybertron since its first dawn.
Thisis the Spawn of Unicron.
"That just made me angry!" The beast roars, feathers puffing out in rage and scales rippling down his tail.
"Knock Out!" I take a step back and give a threatened growl, "What happened?!"
::He's blocking it, but it's hammering through the firewalls my liege, just hold on::
"Knock Out..." Spawn's whisper is colder than the air as steam puffs from his mouth with each word, "such a beautiful creation...the very embodiment of temptation, Primus thinks that One-Thirds are completely of his design. But you, medic, are proof of my influence on your specie's genetics," he licks his scarred lips and purrs, "Decepticons. You may bury me today, but mark my words, I'll dig out, and I'll kill you...I curse this ship!" He laughs, flames flickering in the back of his throat, "The first two newsparks are mine, I'll break you all as I break them!"
The ground shakes and he stumbles forward a step.
"Can't stop it," he hisses as a glowing, white line of code slashes his right shoulder, "...just like how you can't stop me!"
Another shake.
"Sweet...little...Knock Out," he purrs, peeling his lips back to sneer and lick his denta again, "yours will the first to die...and then yours will follow, D-16!"
Light envelops the black plain, the last thing I hear is the Spawn of Unicron scream as it consumes his entire frame.
Then everything becomes still as darkness silently crashes down on me.
"Lord Megatron."
Shut up Starscream...
"Lord Megatron!"
I said shut up, I've got a massive helm ache right now and an itching fist with your name on it!
There's a loud bang followed by a clatter and a series of jittery chirps.
"White Dwarf! No, stop! Down! No, um...sit!" Knock Out yells, but the clatter and chirps only grow louder.
With a tired groan I slowly sit up and online my optics, my frame feels heavier than a mountain as I struggle to stay upright.
"Nononononononono!" Something white and lightening fast leaps over my chassis then scuttles behind the console, "away, go, shoo, leave! Hurt, can't!"
I look at Knock Out and frown, waiting patiently for an explanation.
"I undid the cuffs," the grounder mutters, "big mistake."
"Come 'ere little fella," Breakdown beckons to the huddling Seeker, "I'm not gonna hurt you."
"Nonononono!" Dwarf whines as he wraps his arms around himself, "no hurt me, me hurt you!"
"Hey!" Knock Out holds out a cube of Energon to the shuddering mech, "Have you ever tried Vos Energon?"
"Where did you get that?" Starscream snarls.
The medic just chuckles, "Your stash isn't hidden very well Commander."
The ex-hacker whimpers but shuffles over a little on his aft, leaning towards the cube and sniffing it. He lunges, snatching the Energon and downing it in one go.
"I made some Energon goodies with some of that," my CMO smiles and holds out a servo for the mech, "but I forgot where I put them, if you help me find them then you can have some."
"White Dwarf: not an idiot," the Seeker throws the empty cube at him, but it misses and he scurries beneath the berth I'm laying on as Starscream laughs at the red mech.
"No, you're not," I mutter, listening to the rattling frame of the frightened mech, "Because you were speaking during the Patch, weren't you?"
"How?" He whispers, the tip of his black fin pokes out from under the berth.
"The virus's vocaliser was deep and rough, but it was higher for most of the time," I look down as he moves his helm out a little more and looks up at me, "it was like yours, you were both speaking."
"That was a presence my liege," Knock Out shakes his helm, "the deeper Spawn spoke, the farther away White Dwarf was. He had no control."
"Then how could a creature, consumed by hatred for everything in existence, speak so highly of Moonbeam?" I raise an optic ridge at the grounder, who fumbles for an answer, then I look back at the mech staring up at me, "I've seen how your siblings care for one another, and how you begged Moonbeam to help you. But I must ask, why her?"
"She..." White Dwarf bites his lip for a moment, "she never gave up on me, she tried to help me train even after Praxus was nothing but a pile of ash. She carried me when I couldn't concentrate on walking because I was fighting so hard. I knew she'd help me."
"Well," I huff and look up at my CMO, "Knock Out is going to help you now."
"Lies!" The Seeker darts back under the berth and snarls, "Lies! Just like how the medics in Iacon said there was nothing wrong with me, but I saw the fear in their optics! Just like how the caretakers said I'd keep the sparklings safe! ...I..." I flinch as a pitiful sob echoes in the silent medical bay, "burned...they...I...weak...idiot..."
"Seven."
"...What?" White Dwarf pokes his helm out a bit and stares at Knock Out.
"If you keep thinking like that then the virus will stay away for seven vorns, not eight," the grounder explains, "confidence and courage kicks his aft. Keep thinking those thoughts and I'll have more time to unravel his code," he gives the Seeker a dark smile, "then we'll see how he likes being torn apart."
"You'll...you'll help me?" the ex-hacker pulls himself out from under the berth, kneeling with his servos on his knees and looking up at Knock Out with bright blue, hopeful optics.
"This project is too big and important for Hook to deal with," the vain mech huffs and smirks, "I promise, I'll cure you."
"Thank y-" the little Seeker sobs and chirps something, flinging his arms around Knock Out's neck.
"Um...Starscream, translation?" The medic looks at my Second helplessly as he returns the hug with an awkward smile.
The older Seeker sighs, "I'll give you an exact translation: The Autobots never even tried to help me, they were too afraid of the code. You're the bravest medic I've ever met and I'm forever in you dept."
"Ohh," the grounder chuckles and grasps White Dwarf's shoulders, holding him out at arms length, "I like this side of him much more than the other."
White Dwarf smiles as he chirps again, my CMO looks at Starscream hopefully.
"'Knock Out, friend?'" The Air Commander chuckles.
"Aww, now how can I say no," Knock Out returns the grin.
"I can erase all records of you," the little Seeker smiles, blinking tears of happiness away and flicking his data cables out to show what he means, "and...I c-can erase all re-records of...of D-16 as thanks for you Megatron."
"I'll have to give you a rain check young one," I smile, yes, this side of him is like the opposite side of a credit compared to the other.