Here we go, folks. The eighth chapter of Tiny! :D
Starts off in Knockout's POV. I do not own Transformers, Hasbro does.
During one of Starscream's single-minded acts of treachery, Optimus goes through a completely unexpected experience.
Let's get crackin'!
This is really getting on my nerves.
I watched the little twerp play around with some toys a Vehicon named Rudder made on the medbay floor. Lord Megatron came in here a little while ago and threatened to, quote unquote, eviscerate me and decapitate Breakdown if we lost the sparkling again. I didn't think he'd get this pissed over the sparkling. How the twerp managed to slip by unnoticed is a mystery to me. Breakdown looked glad to see the sparkling again after Steve brought him back. After that little meeting with our leader, I'm glad to be alive.
But, more importantly, this is really making me itch. That sparkling's paintjob is in horrible condition. It wouldn't kill the Autobots to fix their paint every once in a while! All of those scratches! I know Optimus did a lot of off-roading, but he could have taken some time out to fix this mess! He needs a really good buffing... No, I have an even better idea. I walked over to my tool shelf and picked out the tools I needed for my little project. I looked down at the sparkling right as he looked up at me, huge optics shining brightly.
"You are going to get a good sanding and a new paintjob." He curiously blinked at me as I put my tools down on the nearest medical berth. I picked up the sparkling and set him back down on the medical berth. This is ridiculous! The condition of his paintjob is terrible! I thought it was bad before, but by Primus! I shook my helm as I prepped my buffer.
"The least the Autobots could have done was get some higher quality paint. This is a disgrace to all self-respecting automobiles! This stuff is just- Ugh!" I complained as I got a closer look at the sparkling's paint. Parvolus here (I think that's what Steve said his new name was) is going to get a brand new paint job. Time to retire red and blue.
"Knockout, what are you doing?" Breakdown asked as he walked into the medbay.
"Getting him a new paintjob."
"Is that even safe for a sparkling that little?" I turned and looked at my blue friend, a servo on my hip. I kind of have an idea of what he was thinking about.
"I didn't plan on using the chemical paint stripper, Breakdown. All I want to do to get the old paint off is sand it." I don't have to worry about the actual paint I'll be using. All of the paint I have is safe for even the most sensitive of plating on the frame (my plating gets irritated with I use standard paints). Parvolus will be fine.
Breakdown shrugged. "Alright."
Parvolus chirped at Breakdown, who smiled at him. "Hey, little mech. How are you?"
The sparkling chirped and chittered, waving his tiny servos around. Breakdown chuckled and continued to carry on his little conversation. Breakdown probably can't understand him, but that's not stopping him talking back to the chattering sparkling. While he's doing that, I can go choose the paints I want to use. I went over to one of the small storage rooms and opened the door. Every color you could imagine lined the walls of the room from floor to ceiling. I had the shades of all the paints organized on the right side, while the tints were all on the left. I stepped in and pulled down a can. I noticed that I needed more crimson. I'll fix that later. Right now, I have a job to do.
"Hey, I need you to stop ventilating while I do this. Don't want you to get paint powder in your systems." I told Parvolus after I set the paints I picked out for him down. He just blinked at me and started chewing on his digits. I turned to Breakdown for some help. My friend walked up to the sparkling and bent over so he could be optic level with the little twerp. He started talking to him, but in no language I could understand. But whatever that was, it got Parvolus to stop his ventilations and shutter his optics. I gave Breakdown a wide eyed look when he turned back around. He shrugged when he saw the expression on my face.
"I have four brothers. I got pretty good at understanding sparkling talk." I continued to stare at him. You think you know a mech.
I shook my helm and handed Breakdown the small sander. "Well, let's get going. His paint isn't going to sand itself." I clasped my servos together as I watched Breakdown lift Parvolus's arm and start sanding the scratched, red paint off. His paint will be absolutely perfect when I'm through!
...
"And... done." Breakdown grunted when he finished with the small details on Parvolus's stubby audio receptor finials. The twerp was really well behaved for a sparkling. He only complained a little when I sanded the paint off a tiny bit too hard on his shoulder. I took a step back and observed the sparkling. I've done some good paint work with Breakdown before, but this is great. Even Parvolus's optics complimented the colors I chose for him.
Pleased with my work, I wiped off my servos with the cleaning rag I keep in my subspace and put my tools back on my shelves. Breakdown found a mirror and put it in front of Parvolus so he could see himself.
"You like your new paintjob?" He asked. I smirked as I stood off to the side, proud of myself. The plating on his arms and chassis was pure white. The blue paint on his legs was replaced with a semi-dull gold. The plating at his hips was painted the same gold as his legs. I decided to go a different route with his helm. His helm was mostly white with a gold trim. Breakdown thought it would look better if his audio receptor finials were painted gold, too.
The dull gold brought out the youthful shine of his faceplates more and emphasized his ear finials, as well as his silver and black forehead crest. His black pedes and servos matched the gold and white perfectly. Contrary to what everyone else in the galaxy says, this white doesn't perfectly match every color.
Breakdown somehow managed to manually engage the little twerp's battle mask. He said something about a certain reflex when the forehead crest is touched a certain way. How he knows this, I will never know. He just gently touched Parvolus's crest right between his optics and the sparkling's battle mask covered his little face. I'm no sucker for cute things (that's Breakdown) but that surprised look on Parvolus's face is too adorable to resist. I quickly got rid of the old, blue paint and applied new, gold paint on the mask plating. After I let it air dry for a bit, the sparkling involuntarily disengaged his little mask.
To make it even better, his bright, blue optics shone against the gold trim, making the gold above his optics shimmer slightly. Parvolus's naturally silver abdomen was balanced by his now white chassis, somehow making the silver slightly less noticeable. You'd be amazed at how well colors can work together.
All in all, he looked pretty slagging good, thanks to my expertise.
...Optimus's POV: Ten Minutes Later...
I must say that I did not expect Knockout to choose white and gold. I assumed that my appearance would annoy the red mech, seeing the damage of the paint, and that he would choose a darker color for me.
But, perhaps I should not have expected a darker color. Back on Cybertron, sparklings of a very young age or, more commonly, of a small size were traditionally dressed in at least one light color. As they grew older, they were given the option of keeping those colors or changing them to whichever color they saw fit. Most chose not to keep their sparkling colors, but some chose to keep them. Ratchet is a fine example of those who chose to keep their sparkling colors.
Now that I have given more thought on the topic, these light colors on my frame are not as unexpected as they seem. The red medic was merely following an old tradition. I looked at the gold and white of my helm through the mirror Breakdown was holding up for me. The child within greatly approved of the new color scheme, and I allowed the child to voice that to Breakdown and Knockout. I chattered in delighted sparkling talk, optics growing bright. White and gold is an uncommon color scheme selected for a frame, and it seemed to work for my tiny frame. Knockout's face bore a clearly pleased expression as he looked at me.
"I thought you'd like it." Breakdown smiled. Both of them turned around when they saw the medbay door slide open. My silent guardian walked into the room. Breakdown's single optic widened as he watched the silent mech walk to stand next to the medical berth I was seated on. Soundwave briefly looked down at me before mutely addressing the red and blue mechs in the room.
"Commander Soundwave." Breakdown greeted. Soundwave merely played a recording, the size of the medbay emphasizing the mechanical echo.
"I will be taking him."
...
I sat on Soundwave's padded berth, clapping my little servos enthusiastically. We had completed another lesson in language and I am now able to form a few words in the Decepticons' tongue. The words in my limited vocabulary include father, mother, love, I, you and a few others. I could not yet properly address Soundwave without speaking in English, so I opted to create my own term.
"Seytas?" I stared up at the mech standing in front of me. His visor glinted as he looked back. The word was meaningless in a literal sense, but it was an affectionate term created by the little child within me, effectively granting the word meaning. Soundwave played another recording.
"You learn quickly for one so young."
A warm, pleasant sensation washed over my spark as I received the praise. I watched as Soundwave turned away from me and reached into a black cabinet fixed to the wall. He pulled out a small energon warmer and a cube of energon. He turned the warmer on after putting it on a table close to the berth and placed the cube on top. Soundwave moved back to me and gently picked me up. I listened to the strong beat of his spark as I leaned into his chassis. Soundwave sat down on his berth and cradled me in his slender servos. I smiled up at Soundwave.
"Seytas." I chirped to him. My silent guardian played a recording of Breakdown saying my third name, Parvolus, in response. He took the energon cube off the warmer and opened it. He shifted me to rest in the crook of his right arm and held the opened cube close to my mouth. The child within suddenly seized control and grabbed the sides of the cube. I took the corner of the cube in my mouth and Soundwave tilted it back. My mind wandered as I felt the warmed energon slide into my fuel tank.
I can only wonder how my fellow Autobots are faring at the base. I do not know how many days I have been gone. I already know for a fact that Ratchet is very worried. Soundwave moved the cube away from my mouth to allow the energon I drank to process for a moment. While Soundwave held me, I remained quiet, attempting to imagine that it was Ratchet holding me.
I wish that there were some way to contact the Autobot base and let Ratchet know that I am alright. I could not just send a message via radio frequencies, since the signal can be easily tracked by anyone aboard the warship. If someone traced the message to its destination, the missile silo will be exposed to ambush. With such weakened forces, the Autobots will have to either flee or surrender in order to live to see the coming of another solar cycle. Attempting to stand and fight would be futile.
Also, an attempt to contact the missile silo will put my life in danger. Soundwave brought the cube of energon closer to me and I began refueling again, engines producing a gentle purring sound. The hungry child within overwhelmed me briefly and tugged greedily at the cube, but Soundwave kept his grip firm. Though my safety would be put at risk, the wellbeing of the others is more important to me.
I will not put my family in danger.
For now, I must refocus my attention elsewhere. My business with the Decepticons is not done here. I have discovered a multitude of things that I would not have under any other circumstances. The silent mech holding me was more than an extremely loyal Decepticon. He was a gentle being, experienced in caring for a sparkling. I noticed that he liked to hold me to his spark in a caring manner. Knockout and Breakdown were very pleasant to be around. Breakdown was at first slightly nervous around me, possibly fearing he would harm me due to my abnormally small size. Eventually he grew more comfortable around me. Evidently he could understand the seemingly unintelligible language of a sparkling, because the two of us carried on a short conversation. What surprised me and Knockout alike was that he could also speak the language of a sparkling.
The Vehicons were all very interesting characters. Because of their near identical frames, their personalities seem all the more individual. Tripwire, a Vehicon who preferred to be addressed as 'Steve' seemed to be a calm mech, as well as a brave one. Most Vehicons would not have assisted Starscream. Having faced Starscream with groups of Vehicons out on the battlefield before, I could tell that most Vehicons did not like the Seeker, most likely due to his abusive nature towards them. I felt that I could trust Tripwire. However, I did not feel the same way about his best friend, Shank. The Vehicon apparently took pleasure in scaring people, since I saw him startle other Vehicons from behind while I was playing a game with Tripwire. Shank and Tripwire were very close; I was constantly reminded of how close Sunstreaker and Sideswipe are.
Volk was a paranoid bot, seeing how he panicked upon setting optics on me. He was essentially the Vehicon clone of Red Alert, though perhaps not as extreme. I am not bothered with the fact that he wants nothing to do with me. He has his own reasons, some I may or may not understand. Rudder is one of the few Vehicons that are physically different from the others. He possesses a yellow optic band. Upon seeing him, I wondered how this came to be, since the yellow of his optic band was not natural like Breakdown's optic. It is likely to be the aftermath of a disease originating from Cybertron that attacks the optics. The discoloration of the mech's optics could be a permanent reminder of not being able to receive treatment in time.
Aside from Rudder's discolored optics, the Vehicon was old, considerably older than Ratchet. Like Ratchet, he was an experienced medic. While we were playing the game he brought, a number of Vehicons approached him, asking him to patch injuries that were relatively small, but large enough to be concerned about. The old mech had a kindly demeanor and was evidently skilled in working with his servos. The game we were playing was hand made by the old mech. There are many questions I wish to ask the Vehicon medic; the old mech undoubtedly has many stories to tell.
What surprised me most were the discoveries I made about Megatron. When he first picked me up and placed me in a chair, I did not think that the warlord was capable of being gentle to that degree. In my encounter with him after I wandered into his personal quarters, I saw a side of the Decepticon leader that I doubt that he himself is willing to accept.
I can only accurately describe my many discoveries about the Decepticons with a single phrase: there was more to them than meets the eye.
My tank full of energon, I pushed slightly away from the cube in Soundwave's servo. The child within me was ready to take a long nap, but something was telling me to attempt to remain alert. I could not find a valid reason to remain awake, so I allowed myself to drift off. I shuttered my optics and leaned into Soundwave, my engines emitting a soft purring sound. The small voice in the back of my processor was the warrior within me, growing more urgent in attempting to have me remain awake. I could not act on the voice since I already allowed myself to slip into the full control of the child within me, who wished to do nothing more than sleep.
Before falling into full recharge, I ignored a sinking sensation and vaguely felt Soundwave stand and carry me out of the room.
…
I jolted awake to find myself alone, lying on the floor of a very large room. How could I have gotten here? Soundwave would not have left me here on the floor. I lifted my head slightly and looked around. It did not take me very long to see Starscream standing far away from me, close to the wall. I shifted, getting to my servos and knees. The Seeker merely stood there, a clawed servo resting on a lever protruding from the wall. I had begun to crawl towards him when Starscream spoke.
"I will not allow anyone to compromise my position as second-in-command of the Decepticon army."
Before I could finish forming another thought, Starscream pulled the lever on the wall. Suddenly, a powerful vibration shook the floor, knocking me back down onto my front as I felt the floor begin to angle downwards. The sound of high winds slammed into my audio receptors from behind. My optics widened, intense fear paralyzing me on the floor.
Starscream had opened the air hanger.
I began to slide towards the opened hatch, despite my best efforts to get a firm hold of the smooth floor beneath me. I looked back and saw the solid blue of Earth's sky. The Nemesis was flying above the Earth at least a mile. I would not survive that sort of fall, even if I were a grown mech. The child overwhelmed me before I could brace myself and I called for help.
"Seytas!" I cried. I called for Soundwave repeatedly as I slid closer to the opening, though I knew in my spark that the silent mech could not hear me. My distress was drowned out by the roar of the wind whipping around outside. I looked towards Starscream again, only to see him leave the room, a triumphant smirk on his face.
What did I do to prompt his actions?
My childish mind raced as I grew ever closer to the end of the downwards angled floor. There was no way that I can survive this. My only chance at living has left me here to fall to my death. I would never be able to see Seytas again. I would never be able to carry on a conversation with Breakdown and play with Knockout's tools. I would never see the Vehicons again. I would never feel the looming protective sensation of Megatron watching over me. I will not be able to see my fellow teams that I have fought alongside for a long time again, nor would I hear the young humans in their recreational corner.
I would not feel Ratchet's strong spark beat as he held me close.
I shuttered my optics and resigned myself to my fate. If I am to die a sparkling, so be it. I only hope that I made a difference in the outcome of the end of this war. The sound of the wind grew louder as I slid closer and closer to my death. I only wish I could say goodbye to Ratchet. I wish I could say goodbye to the medic whom I now consider is closer than a friend.
Before I reached the edge, I felt something grab my tiny servo and pull me back. The unknown force continued to pull me back to safety. The presence felt intensely familiar. I opened my optics to see who my rescuer was. My eyes widened in shock. Even the restless child within grew still as I recognized the mech tugging me to safety.
Cliffjumper was crouched before me, holding onto my servo. There was a serene, gentle smile on his face plates, but a protective fire burned in his bright white optics. He picked me up and held me close to his chassis in one arm. Faster than any living bot ever could, he bolted over to the lever and closed the air hatch. He stood still, gazing down at me. Suddenly, I realized that it was not just Cliffjumper watching me. A soft light shone around the red mech's horned helm. I could sense a second, far more powerful and ancient force gazing at me through Cliffjumper.
Suddenly, Arcee's former partner spoke to me. "I'm always here for ya."
The red spirit crouched and gently placed me down on the floor. I stared wordlessly at him as he stood to his full height. Then, a wind I could not feel blew Cliffjumper away like desert sand in a nanoklik as he waved his farewell.
The door Starscream left through burst open, though I continued to stare at the space where Cliffjumper once stood. A large cybercat raced over to me and looked me over, checking for injuries. I allowed myself to be picked up by the jaws of the cat and carried through the door.
…Soundwave's POV…
It has been a long time since I have experienced anger. But, as of now, I am in a very foul mood.
I had carried the little one to my workstation and let him sleep in of the chairs in the room. I left after thirty minutes to get a cube of energon for myself. I reentered my workstation a short while later, to see the sparkling gone. I had immediately tapped into my security system and evaluated the surveillance footage taken from the camera in my workstation. Starsceam had entered and taken the sparkling. I watched him carry the sleeping sparkling towards the air hanger.
Upon realizing what he was about to do, I immediately deployed Ravage to retrieve the little one from the dangerous situation. I attempted to tap into the camera in the air hanger to get a live stream of footage, I only received static. Starscream must have sabotaged the system so I could not see what was happening there. Ravage has just sent a transmission to me stating that he had the little one and was returning with him to me. I was relieved to hear this and sent to work on my next course of action.
Starscream has attempted to kill the little one.
He will answer for the act he committed against Decepticons and Autobots alike.
...Starscream actually managed to piss off Soundwave... he's going to regret it, though.
Children are believed to have a stronger connection to the spiritual world, allowing them to experience things that are considered paranormal clearer than most adults.
Naughtia, 'Steve' is a Vehicon nickname given by the fans, named after Steve Blum, a guy who voiced a Vehicon in Darkness Rising Part 2 and 3. Steve Blum is also the person who voices Starscream.
Minlem means mint and lemons, Knockout never said that he didn't want to repaint Parvolus. ;)
When Breakdown said he had four brothers, I was referring to the Stunticons. I derived the term 'Seytas' from the Cybertonian language spoken by Megatron in the 2007 Transformers movie. I appreciate all of you who reviewed the last chapter, and I credit Sparkling Prime's new paintjob to Minlem means mint and lemons! Thanks a bunch!
Update: Due to a review I received from EndlessHope'22 for this chapter, I want to say that when I used this quote, ("I wish I could say goodbye to the medic whom I now consider is closer than a friend.) I meant a father/son relationship, not a mech on mech relationship. This was just to clear up any confusion.
In the next chapter, Soundwave will do something that no one on the warship will be able to anticipate. Until then, if you have any ideas, let me know and tell me what you think! Peace!
P.S. Let's hope for Starscream's sake that Ratchet doesn't find out about what he tried to do.