Duty and Deceit
Chapter 26
A Change of Direction
The silver figure shivered, cringing away from the light as it cut through the darkness like a sword. A wild, animalistic shriek escaped the figure as the light touched the sensitive wing armor for the first time in quartex.
"D-Darkshine?" Shadowlight, for that was who the pitiful scrap of a Cybertronian had once been, croaked hopefully.
The spy shook her helm gently, hardly believing her friend's state. "No, Shadow, it's me: Terabyte."
The silver Seeker femme grinned brightly, looking for a moment like the femme she was before Darkshine's death. Running up to her, Shadowlight embraced her tightly. "Oh, thank Primus you're alive!"
She returned the Seeker's hug, feeling her friend's happy tears dripping into her armor. Shadowlight rubbed her back consolingly, "I'm so sorry they couldn't salvage your frame... better a spark transplant than terminating though right? Right, 'Shine?"
The desperate tone broke her spark, and the two-wheeler couldn't bring herself to try and convince the jet that she wasn't her twin. From what she could tell of Shadowlight's mental state, no amount of arguing would sway her anyway.
"Yeah..." She agreed sadly. "Have you been well cared for? Are you happy? Because I will bring anything you need or want."
Shadowlight laughed and patted the air beside her. "Oh, it's lovely here, Shine. You, Terabyte, and Nightracer come visit me all the time and I have this beautiful view over Kaon. I do wish I had a couch though."
She bit her lip-plates, this was the first time she or anyone else had visited. The guards didn't even have to take her Energon because of the automatic replicator. Seeing Shadowlight like this was just... agonizing. Nevertheless she nodded bravely.
Glancing around at the dark, windowless enclosure, her spark twisted in pity. No wonder the Seeker femme had lost her sanity. Seekers can't take closed spaces. And twins can't handle the loss of their other half. For the remaining twin to survive the other's death was incredibly rare. For them to remain sane was even rarer. Judging by the erratic way the jet femme's spark was pulsing, the femme's time was coming to an end. Perhaps it would be kinder to let her spark reunite with the Allspark, than for her to continue in this state.
"Tell you what, Shadow. I'm going to go for right now, but I promise I'll be back tomorrow... and I'll bring some things to brighten this place up, okay?"
Shadowlight nodded enthusiastically, looking over at the wall where a crude stick drawing had been carved. "That's sounds good, what do you think Thunderblast?" The jet paused then nodded. "Oh cool idea! See if you can't find some more curtains, Shine."
The spy followed Shadowlight's gaze over to two pillars of half-empty Energon cubes. One side was shorter than the other. "I can certainly do that for you. See you tomorrow Shadow. I swear I'll be back."
As she walked out and to her quarters, the spy stopped by the personal items request sign up and filled all of her allotted spaces for the quartex with home supplies for Shadowlight. If it had been possible she would have simply brought their own things, but the twins' belongings were all confiscated and redistributed already.
From that rotation on, she never failed to visit Shadowlight every chance she got, bringing commodities each visit. Very quickly, the dungeon-like cell was cozy and comfortable both in appearance, accommodations, and general atmosphere.
Her frequent visits were good for Shadowlight's mental state as well. Often times she was almost able to forget that the jet wasn't all there. The spy couldn't help but wonder if she could have kept her friend sane had she only visited sooner.
Ratchet gaped at his long time friend, not wanting to believe his audios. "What?!"
The Prime patiently repeated himself, "I said, I am going to grant Skyquake parole."
"I heard what you said." The medic snapped. "Are you out of your processors?! I don't care if it worked with Prowl. He was a one time exception!" He slammed his wrench into the tabletop, bending the tool and denting the table. "You can't just naively trust every 'Con that hands you his gun and says please and thank you!"
"Ratchet, calm yourself." Optimus said quietly but firmly.
"No! If you think I'm going to let you get us all killed because you decided to just pass out the Autobot insignia like candy, then you're more glitched than I thought!" He roared, flinging the ruined wrench at Optimus. The calm mech didn't even flinch as the projectile passed microns from his helm.
"As if it weren't bad enough dealing with Terabyte, whose loyalty is shaky at best," Ratchet ranted as he stomped around his med-bay looking for something else to throw. "Now you want to add a well-known war criminal, who's already sent several of our elite to the Well, to our barely manageable list of problems!"
"Ratchet, this is not a decision I take lightly, not now with Skyquake nor with Terabyte." Optimus said with confidence, paying little heed to the medic's temper. "As for Terabyte's loyalty, I do not wish to hear you question it again. She has been misled by the Decepticons, but I believe she will come to see that. In her spark, Terabyte knows what is right; she just does not know who is wrong yet."
Ratchet snorted derisively, but he knew that nothing he could say would sway Optimus. "If either one of them is lying... If either one of them betrays us, they'll do it together and it will bring the end of this war through our termination. I only hope you know just how much you are putting at stake here, Prime."
Meanwhile...
Terabyte stuck her helm around the corner, peeking in to make sure Skyquake hadn't already began recharging for the night cycle. He hadn't. The mech was glaring at his carefully bridged servos, deep in thought.
Pulling down her mask, the femme walked in and quietly shut down the force field, sitting down beside him wordlessly. She stared into the two cubes of Energon she'd brought for them. The blue liquid glowed brightly, swirling of its own accord in the cube.
After nearly a breem, Skyquake jerked his helm up as if waking from a trance. He still hadn't noticed her presence.
Silently setting down one cube, Terabyte playfully poked him in the shoulder. "Hi."
"Hi." Skyquake repeated, giving her a weird look.
She grinned awkwardly, handing him the larger of the two Energon cubes. "So... I brought you dinner..."
He grabbed the proffered cube and took a sip. "Thanks."
The two of them sat and drank their Energon in an oppressively awkward silence for another breem before Skyquake finally spoke up sheepishly, "So... er... how long had you been sitting there before I noticed?"
Terabyte smiled, knowing that the question had been nagging at him. "Oh, only about a breem or so." She shrugged lightly. "What were you thinking about? Seemed pretty... deep."
The jet's optics dimmed slightly as he thought about it more. Finally he said, "I asked Prime to let me defect."
The smile slid off her faceplates. "You did what?"
"I asked Prime to let me defect." He repeated, confused by her reaction. "I'm joining the Autobots."
"Why on Cybertron did you do that?!" She couldn't believe her audials.
The mech's loyalty to the Decepticons was unwavering! Yet here he was telling her he was defecting. Granted, her own loyalty to the Decepticons was somewhat lacking after sharing minds with Megatron... but she certainly wasn't duty bound to the Autobots. To be perfectly honest with herself, she was a neutral again –at least in her mind.
Skyquake frowned. "For you. Since you're an Autobot now... I thought you'd be happy."
"I-I am..." She started to explain hesitantly.
The jet smirked. "You sound so confident, I'm greatly reassured." He responded sarcastically.
Terabyte ignored him. "It's just... I'm still not sure if we're on the right side. I mean, I just had Megatron in my helm, so I know the Decepticons have lost sight of our cause... but how can we be sure that the Autobots-"
"Tera," Skyquake interrupted, his deep voice gentle. "The cause you fought for, and taught me to fight for, that was never the Decepticons' cause. You were sheltered."
His words hit her like a physical blow. "No I-"
"The moral standards you hold, and slowly taught me to, are very Autobot, Terabyte." His expression was pained. "Megatron... He tolerated your contradictory beliefs and made a great effort to keep you... ignorant of what we really believed."
Her yellow optics dimmed and her shoulders slumped as she processed this information. Everything she'd believed about the Decepticons was wrong? If that was true... every Autobot she'd killed in the name of peace and justice... died for the very cause she'd thought she was upholding.
"B-but why...?"
Skyquake looked away, but continued to explain. "Three reasons: you were dead loyal, one of our most skilled agents, and... you're... you're a femme. Most Decepticon femmes either defected or were killed. Femmes are pretty rare... but Decepticon femmes are even rarer... even then."
"So Makeshift... a-and you..." Her voice broke painfully and she scooted away from the mech she thought she knew. Her battle mask rose and clicked into place. "Y-you were lying to me all along?"
He turned towards her, his voice pleading and gravelly, which she knew meant that he was desperate. Or at least that's what she had thought. Terabyte wasn't sure she knew him anymore... She wondered if she'd ever really known him. If it was all a lie.
"I was given the assignment the groon you arrived... I was only following orders, Tera..."
She stood up, cutting him off, her tone empty as she looked at him like he was a stranger. "I thought I knew you. I thought we were friends. But you were just in charge of keeping the new femme fooled. Just following orders like a good soldier."
As she turned to leave, Terabyte felt hollow. She wasn't angry, or sad, or even confused. Just empty. Too much to process. As if her life wasn't complicated enough right now. Skyquake leapt up and grabbed her hand, making her turn around and cock a coldly questioning optic ridge.
"Tera, listen to me. That was only in the beginning... You changed that. I wouldn't be the mech I am if it weren't for you. Tera-"
"You'd be offline if it weren't for me." Terabyte pointed out.
He smiled weakly, readily agreeing. "Slagged thrice over."
In spite of everything, the spy laughed, giving him a light shove. Bringing up their age old running joke, she teased accusingly, "Pin cushion."
He grinned in fond remembrance. Making a mock bow, Skyquake gently kissed the top of her hand, ruby optics twinkling. "My lady."
Retracting her mask Terabyte grinned before sobering. "Sky, I have to ask... how much was-"
His faceplates went tight. Stiffly he said, "Terabyte..."
She shook her helm firmly. "How much?"
Skyquake sighed deeply and his whole frame sagged. "Twenty quartex, three orns, eleven rotations, two joors, seven breems, four point nine astroseconds."
The femme stared, her mouth ajar. "You remembered to the exact second?"
He averted his gaze guiltily. "I was- I meant to tell you long before now... I should have."
A tiny, sparkling something fell onto his chest with the tinkling sound of liquid on metal. Terabyte realized with a shock that it was optic fluid. She'd never seen Skyquake cry before, and frankly, she had no idea what to do.
When she cried, he would give her a hug and try to comfort her. It usually helped. Maybe it was time she returned the favor.
Her mind made up, Terabyte clambered up onto the short brig table for the extra height, and awkwardly hugged the mech. The large fighter seemed to melt in her arms, the hug being exactly the reassurance needed.
As she hugged him, Terabyte felt herself relaxing as well. Though she hadn't realized it, the two-wheeler needed that hug just as much Skyquake. The last few quartex had done nothing but pile stress on both friends after a long and hard seven vorns.
After a few more seconds, the mech seemed to recover and took a step back. Glancing at her feet, Skyquake chuckled and gestured to the desk. "Interesting use of the table."
She smiled and jumped lightly off the table. Terabyte looked up at the mech: she stood to his midriff. "It served its purpose well."
He grinned slyly, adopting a mockingly thoughtful expression. "Hmm... Maybe you should ask the medic to weld one of those to your pedes."
She kicked his shin-plate lightly. "Your politeness is astounding, sir."
"Well," Skyquake said, shrugging modestly, "I do try to be the best pin cushion I can be."
Terabyte's optics narrowed as she playfully extended a tiny portion of her dagger. "If my pin cushion's not careful, he may win a few more pins to join the rest..."
He jumped back and gasped exuberantly, knee-plates held together, hands held up as a shield. His ruby optics were wide and his wings trembled comically. When he spoke, his voice was high and whiny, bearing a striking resemblance to Starscream. "Oh no! Please, great and mighty Lady Terabyte! Spare your humblest servant!"
Raising her hand, Terabyte pretended to examine her servos as she carefully considered his plea. She made a show of thinking about it for a good klick before waving her other hand dismissively. "I suppose I will allow you to live another orn in my glorious presence, Sir Skyquake."
Both of them dropped the charade and burst into laughter. Skyquake gave a round of applause as he roared with laughter. Terabyte was laughing so hard her vocalizer had glitched out and no sound could escape.
Once she'd regained herself a little bit, Terabyte grinned widely, a devious expression crossing her face. "Great and mighty Lady Terabyte, hmm? I like that... Maybe I should make you call me that all the time."
"Oh, but what would I do in battle and you were in trouble?" The jet asked 'innocently'. "By the time I was done yelling, 'Great and mighty Lady Terabyte, look out!' you'd have been slagged before I even got halfway through that mouthful."
She sighed in exaggerated disappointment. "I guess you have a point... it would have been nice though..."
"Next you'll be asking me to tend your every need as I bask in your 'glorious presence'." Skyquake drolled, rolling his ruby optics.
Terabyte laughed, nodding her pointed helm in eager agreement. "How could you have possibly guessed?"
"Oh, I never told you about my psychic powers?"
"Psycho powers, more like." Terabyte teased. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight..." Skyquake replied. Once he thought she was out of audio range, he whispered, "Great and mighty Lady Terabyte."
A Groon Later
The femme stared up at the roof as she lay on her berth, examining the dancing shadows cast by her golden bio-lights. It had been good to joke and tease with Skyquake again. They had both needed it.
But as soon as she'd left, her processors had drifted back to what he'd told her. For all those vorns, she'd been deceived into thinking she was on the right side of the war. She had never doubted the Decepticon cause... but now, Skyquake told her that her cause was exactly opposite to theirs.
Terabyte scowled.
The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. She'd always passed it off as an inconvenient coincidence when she had a mission on the days Megatron addressed the people, but now she knew it was to keep her loyal. Which also explained her mentor's vague replies whenever she asked about the warlord's speeches.
Why hadn't she figured it out before now? Had she been so blinded by revenge for all those vorns that she just didn't accept the signs? Terabyte tried so hard to keep an open mind, yet she had ignored the Autobots' attempts to sway her with a passion.
She'd always blamed the Autobots for Cybertron going dark... If the Decepticons were always as evil as Megatron, then she had helped destroy Cybertron. And now she'd been sending sensitive intel to the Decepticons, to aid in the destruction of yet another world.
Terabyte would never forgive or forget what the Wreckers did to Protihex. She still couldn't believe that even that could have been a lie. No, she wouldn't forgive or forget Protihex, but she could put the past behind her.
To begin to redeem part of the things she'd done ignorantly in Megatron's name.
Perhaps the Autobots were telling the truth about Protihex as well. But until she had more proof to support their story, Terabyte would not simply take their word for it. Even if they had apparently been telling the truth in so many other things.
Beside her, Terabyte could hear the gentle thrum of Arcee's recharging engine. Occasionally the femme would growl in her sleep or whine mutedly.
The ex-'Con sighed deeply. She was afraid to stop sending reports to Soundwave. As soon as she did, the silent commander would know that she'd betrayed them. That would put her very close to the top of Megatron's priority hit list. Which pretty much ensured that she would die. Painfully.
The Decepticon records had several occasions in which the warlord had actually deemed a traitor to be worth more than even the Prime. Traitors were often exchanged for Autobot hostages and then tortured and publicly executed as an example.
When Lieutenant Prowl had joined the Autobots, Megatron had practically put the War on hold in his attempts to offline the tactician. She had met Prowl once before he defected. It had been her first day in communications and intel, Terabyte had accidentally gone to the tactical division. The mech's red optics were so coldly calculating, his voice and demeanor completely void of feeling. It was as if his emotional cortex had been deleted.
That was probably why he had been such an excellent tactician.
Terabyte checked her internal chronometer. 0047. The Prime might still be in his office. She needed to speak to him. She had been tricked into staying on the wrong side of the war for far too long. The spy fingered the rounded insignia on her belt-plate. She couldn't believe it had already been almost two quartex, three and a half Earth months, since she'd been marked as an Autobot.
Thanks to Megatron, Makeshift, and the rest of the higher ups, she'd had no intentions of ever keeping it. Her past with the Autobots didn't exactly go in their favor either, but if the Decepticons were all like Megatron... Terabyte would rather join the destroyers of her family than stay with the Decepticons.
She felt that she ought to tell Optimus. Some part of her just didn't think it was enough to switch loyalties now, without telling anyone that she'd been a spy. At the same time though, Terabyte didn't want to tell everyone and lose the friendships and trusts that she'd begun to build - albeit through unsteady intent.
The Prussian blue and black femme stood up and silently left the berth room, swiftly making her way towards the Prime's office.
However, the closer she got, the less confidence she had. When she finally reached the door to his office, the little femme had managed to think of absolutely everything that could possibly go wrong. She must have a death wish, coming to tell Optimus Prime that she'd spent her four quartex on the base lying through her denta and sending sensitive data about everyone on his team to the enemy.
Not to mention the fact that as the leader of the Autobots, Prime would throw her in the brig for eternity after telling his team and pounding her to scrap. And Skyquake had just joined the Autobots for her, not knowing that she hadn't really joined them, and-
- the Prime was standing right in front of her.
"Is something amiss, Terabyte?"
Losing the tiny scraps of confidence she had left, the two-wheeler shook her helm quickly, averting her gaze. Left finial twitching backwards, she muttered, "No, sir. Just couldn't recharge."
His voice seemed to be smiling knowingly, "Terabyte, what is troubling you?"
The sticky black stuff from Carrier's box was all over her chubby little hands and faceplates. It simply wouldn't come off and she was still too little to reach the sink without help. Maybe Mama wouldn't notice?
The little yellow and blue youngling rubbed her hands on the table leg nearby, hoping it would scrape off. Nope. Now it was smeared further up her arm and on the table. What was this stuff anyway?
"Terabyte! Come downstairs, it's time for dinner!" Tetrastar called from the kitchen.
She looked at her hands, trying to decide what to do. She hadn't meant to drop the box... She'd even tried to make it stop. That was why it was all over her. Her belly rumbled hungrily and she finally just settled for putting her hands behind her back.
Running to the kitchen she smiled up at Mama, deciding to act like nothing was wrong. Mama looked down at her, optics gentle. "Is something wrong, Terabyte?"
The youngling shook her little helm, her carrier's black artist's paint smudged on her chubby face. Left finial - a new addition to her frame - twitching, she answered, "No, Mama."
Tetrastar smiled, her voice firm. "Sweet spark, you have paint all over you. Now tell me the truth, is something wrong?"
Coolant spilled from her wide optics. "I wanted t' paint... like Mama. But it f-fell a-an' I twied to stop it..."
The memory cut off part way, the Prime's tone reminding her so much of her carrier. Tetrastar always knew when she was hiding something, even when it wasn't nearly so obvious as that time. Optimus's voice... He knew she'd come to talk to him, and while he wasn't going to force her to tell him, he was making sure she knew he wasn't fooled.
She glanced both ways warily, not wanting their conversation to be overheard.
Optimus noted her glance and gestured behind him pointedly, opening the office door. "In my office?"
Terabyte nodded gratefully, following the mech into his office, sitting down across the table from him. Crossing one pede over the other, the femme stared down at her hands, trying to think of the best way to approach this.
"I..." She started slowly, trailing off and starting over. "I wish to- I haven't been-" The words just didn't want to come out tactfully. Scowling slightly, the femme tried again, referring to herself in the third person, as if she were simply reading a report, "Lieutenant Terabyte, second in command to Soundwave has to this date sent her observations, intel, and data regarding the Autobots to Commander Soundwave regularly every quartex."
She looked up at Optimus, trying to gauge his reaction. He didn't seem even slightly surprised, yet disappointed at the same time, like he'd suspected she was a spy, but had hoped she'd prove his suspicions wrong. The Prime remained silent, merely gesturing for her to continue.
"Said lieutenant has, as of gaining the title of 'Autobot', doubted her assumption that Autobot kind consists of murdering liars, acting good only to gain her trust. Lieutenant Terabyte ignored those doubts, but consequently did not inform her superiors of the Autobot base's location."
Terabyte again glanced at the Prime. Slight relief gleamed in his cobalt optics, but he still said nothing. The silence was becoming somewhat disturbing. She couldn't tell what he was thinking by his carefully shielded expression.
She continued a little slower, bothered by the mech's utter lack of response. "After being taken over by Megatron, Lieutenant Terabyte concluded that the Decepticons' standards had fallen without her noticing. The cause she thought they followed had been abandoned. However, her opinion on the Autobots remained uncertain. If they were, as the lieutenant had believed, deceiving her with their kindness, they had continued to do so for an unreasonable length of time."
Still no visible response from the Prime. The femme began to wonder if he'd fallen into recharge.
A little more disturbed, she slipped back into first person. "I didn't trust either faction, but didn't want to go rogue either. So I decided to wait. Skyquake told me today that all the time I'd fought for the Decepticons, they had orders to keep me from learning what they really fought for. The Decepticons had never changed their cause... I just never knew what it really was."
"I've spent my whole life fighting and killing for a lie. A tidy little fairy tale that Megatron built around me to keep me loyal." She spat angrily, angry with herself for believing it so long. "It's time I fought for what I thought the Decepticons believed in. Justice, peace... family."
Still Optimus didn't move or speak. The scarlet and blue truck just sat there, watching her with his spark piercing optics. His servos were pressed together in a bridge, his face unreadable as he seemed to peer into her very core.
Finally he spoke quietly, curiously. "Why have you told me this?"
Jaw dropping behind her mask, Terabyte stared at the Prime in shock. For several astroseconds she just sat stunned as her processors attempted to process his question. She'd just told him everything... and all he had to say was 'why'?
"Sir?" The femme asked slowly.
"Why tell me?" Optimus repeated. "You've already been accepted among us, why did you not just play it safe and pretend your intents were honest all along? Why tell me?"
"I- I don't know, sir." She answered finally. She hadn't considered that. She just felt like she should. "It just felt... right. Sir."
"So what will you do now?" The Prime questioned, his tone and expression radiating silent approval of her answer.
Her golden optics blinked. "I suppose the others will be informed of my treachery and I will be - willingly - escorted to the brig, where I will return to prisoner status and await my punishment."
A tiny, almost unnoticeable smile touched the Prime's lip-plates. "Is that what you want, Terabyte?"
She gave him a strange look, shaking her helm slightly as she tentatively replied, "Negative?"
The smile grew a little more. "In my position, how would you deal with this situation?"
Terabyte frowned, thoroughly baffled by the Prime's questions. "I... would... inform my subordinates of the aforementioned lieutenant's betrayal and..." The femme sighed deeply, knowing exactly what she would do. "I would send the lieutenant to the brig, where she would be disarmed and held on half rations. If I ever deemed her ready to join my team, I would most lik- I would never completely trust her again."
Optimus nodded solemnly, pressing his servos together as he thought. For several klicks, mech and femme sat in silence. Terabyte resisted the urge to tap her servos against the tabletop as her anxiety built up. Instead, she rubbed one servo against the other until both were dull and scratched.
"Thank you for your honesty, Terabyte." The Prime said finally, after nearly a breem of silence. "I have carefully considered your advice, and deemed it wise..."
Her spark pulse doubled and her vents stopped as she thought about the fate she'd just sentenced herself to. Maybe she should have been more lenient...
"But merciless." Optimus concluded, no doubt noticing the two-wheeler's audible sigh of resignation. "I think it would be better for us to put the past behind us and strive to live up to the standard you have worn for two quartex."
The femme stared. "S-sir?"
"If asked, I will not lie to my team - nor should you - but for the time being, I do not believe any good would come of telling the others." Optimus explained firmly, making sure she understood his reasoning.
The ex-'Con nodded her acknowledgement before addressing the next issue. "Prime, sir, how shall I proceed; regarding the mission reports Soundwave will be expecting of me?"
The mech frowned minutely before replying as if it couldn't be more obvious, "As a true defector, you no longer owe anything to the Decepticons. The reports should cease."
"With all due respect sir..." Terabyte looked down at her pedes, whispering reluctantly, "I'm scared."
As she continued to stare at her pedes, the little two-wheeler didn't see Optimus stand up and walk over towards her. Laying one large, comforting hand on her shoulder, he spoke gently.
"Terabyte," She looked up to gaze into those wise, blue optics. "You are one of us... We will protect you."
Terabyte nodded once, then nodded again with more confidence. No turning back now. She had begun a new mission, a mission of redemption rather than vengeance. And now, there was no turning back.