Author's Note: I am by far no expert on the Decepticons, so I make no promise that TC and Warp are IC, though I did try my best.
Disclaimer – "Transformers" and all related characters, events, and concepts belong to Hasbro, Takara, and any other related owners/distributors/producers. I get no monetary benefit from this. My benefit is the enjoyment of dealing with beloved characters.
"Independence Day"
by DragonDancer5150
Chapter 2
"How's it coming?"
Wheeljack paused in his work to look down at his human friend. Sparkplug hadn't waited for an answer before starting up the ladder to the table's surface. Wheeljack had recently constructed scaffolding around his workstations to help accommodate his fellow engineer, which Sparkplug had appreciated. "Never heard back from that guy at Disneyland, but the Sea World technician finally wrote me back late last night. He couldn't gimme specifics, of course – trade secrets or somethin' like that – but he told me they use a special control system ta spark the fuses. Control system's programmed with the calculations for how long it takes a fuse ta ignite a rocket, send it up, an' have it explode, an' triggers the sparks in the fuses enough in advance of the musical cues they wanna hit that the fireworks go off in time with the music."
Sparkplug reached the catwalk at the edge of the table and looked over the device Wheeljack was working on. He nodded. "Makes sense they'd use an electronic system."
"Yeah, it does. I just . . . " Wheeljack's voice dropped some, waxing pensive. "Ya know . . . I never thought'a usin' explosives for entertainment."
Sparkplug reached over and patted the back of one large, metal hand. "You've always had other things to have to concentrate on."
Wheeljack nodded. He'd confided in his human friend about a lot of his past in late-night chats over various projects. The engineer had never gotten to properly finish his schooling before the war overtook the university, then his life. He'd finished his education with the Autobots under the tutelage of one of the best engineers they'd had . . . until a Decepticon raid had killed him. Wheeljack had worked hard to teach himself the rest. Though he did often indulge himself with small, personal projects on his free time, even those tended to focus on the war and how he could protect and defend his friends. Pure entertainment just wasn't something he could often afford to spend time and effort on. At least not before coming to Earth.
"Anyway," the engineer murmured, shaking off the pall, "I think I've just about got everythin' ready. Just makin' some last adjustments on the control center here before I start programmin' in the timin'."
"Great! How can I help?"
Late the next night, Thundercracker was enjoying the rush of air over his wings. Skywarp had talked Starscream into letting him go see what the humans were up to. Something about fireworks, which he'd apparently overheard from a report Soundwave had given to Megatron. With the Victory sunk barely fifty miles south and west of the Channel Islands, the Decepticons had learned months ago to ignore the colorful, nightly explosions from a point just off the edge of the mainland, from some human entertainment center called Disneyland. But tonight was apparently some kind of special night for the humans, and there were supposed to be more of these "harmless" displays of fireworks all over. Skywarp had made enough of a pest of himself about wanting to go see them that even Megatron had all but threatened him if he didn't leave. And of course, to keep him out of trouble, they'd sent Thundercracker to keep an optic on him.
The blue Seeker couldn't say he could complain. It got him out of the base where the claustrophobia had been starting to get to him. And he was flying. What more could he ask for?
The pair had flown over Disneyland and several other major human centers, passing lazy circles high over the land as they watched numerous sites toss up their explosives with varying degrees of finesse. Thundercracker idly wondered how long it would be before the humans' military pinged the two "bogie" fliers and demanded they get out of American airspace. Not that Thundercracker had any inclination to oblige them. When the expected radio contact never came, he could only figure it was because there was just too much aerial interference to pick up the two lone jets.
"Hey, TC!" Skywarp started suddenly with that edge of excitement that Thundercracker knew too well. "Let's go see what the Autobots are up to."
The blue Seeker let a buzz of long-suffering disinterest sound through his comm-link. "If they're having any explosions, 'Warp, it's probably just that idiot inventor of theirs." Not that the Autobots' chief mechanical engineer was actually dumb or careless. Even Megatron himself knew to respect the eccentric inventor's capabilities and more than once had sent them to steal whatever he was working on in order to turn it to their own benefit. But that didn't mean they had to respect the inventor himself.
Skywarp laughed. "Well, if he's doing our job for us, I wanna see it. C'mon!" He banked, veering a little south from their current position.
With a sigh, Thundercracker dipped his right wingtip and followed.