Atonement
Chapter 21-Conflict
Disclaimer: I don't own the Transformers. They officially belong to Hasbro and Takara. I'm taking them for a short spin.
Polyhex, Cybertron
Jazz clenched and unclenched his hands, energy field unchecked as he watched Prime and Lord Protector question the suspect through the one-way glass of the interrogation room. He itched to get in there, spend a little quality time with the mech if he didn't spill. Bot wasn't talking yet, but Galvatron looked like he wanted to carve it out of him piece by piece. Optimus stood with arms crossed, head tilted forward, battle mask in place as always, optics unreadable until he turned, walked out the door, joining the Jazz.
"Get anything useful out of him?" Jazz said.
"He swears the sparklings were brought to his location two days ago, and his orders were to keep them alive, no more no less, until they would be removed from his custody," Optimus said. "Then he was free to go. However, the femme in his possession was failing, and if any of the sparklings died, no payment, and he would probably be terminated, also, so he brought her and the mechling to the refugee center, hoping for the best."
"Anything else?"
"He's all yours," Optimus said, walking away, Galvatron following.
"What do we do now?" he asked.
"I wish I knew," Optimus said. "Were the other two sparklings retrieved?"
"Yes," Galvatron answered. "They're mech split-spark twins, and they seem to be fine, according to Kup, but as we know, he's no expert. The other two, the femme and mech brought to the refugee center, not as well. They're on the Trion now, in the med bay, on their way to Iacon."
"Primus, this is such a mess," Optimus said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "At least we have a few leads to go on now, but we need to put an end to this as quickly as possible."
"I want to get my hands on whoever decided it's a good idea to sell sparklings to the highest bidder," Galvatron said. "They don't deserve justice."
"I know," Optimus said. "Justice has to be served. We can't risk the populace's unrest becoming full-out conflict. We both know this better than anyone, Galvatron. Go home to Starscream. I need to get back to Iacon myself. I'll talk to the council tomorrow, if I must. I think an appearance by both of us is not out of the question."
"I agree," Galvatron said, surprising docile at the suggestion. "They do need to be reminded of what is at stake. You do need to get back to your foundling, and I have a suggestion. Don't keep calling him 'bitlet.' I think 'scraplet' is appropriate until you come up with a suitable designation."
"Scraplet?" Optimus asked, incredulous.
"Any sparkling raised by you is going to be a handful," Galvatron said. "I'll be sure to look to you for guidance in how to avoid future mistakes of my own when my twins are born."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Optimus said.
"We're both getting second chances we probably don't deserve," Galvatron said. "I'm going to enjoy mine as long as it lasts, and I advise you to do the same. Except the fighting never stops, does it?"
"No," Optimus answered. "All that changes is the battlefield."
88888
Prowl watched Springer with Echo as the triple changer walked around the med bay, pointing out different things to their daughter. It was notable for two reasons—Echo was free of every monitor but two, which were portable and strapped to her frame, and she no longer required an energon drip. The second reason was the ease with which Springer handled Echo, and the happiness on his face. That made Prowl smile, and Springer caught him staring.
"What's got you so goofy happy?" Springer asked, walking over, taking a seat beside Prowl.
"Watching you two together," Prowl said. "To be honest, I didn't think we'd make it this far."
"Sheer dumb luck I think," Springer said. "I can't believe Ratchet is letting her go in a couple of days. Where in my quarters am I going to put her?"
"I've been thinking," Prowl said.
"About?" Springer asked, giving Prowl a sidelong look.
"The two of you could come stay with me," Prowl said. "I have more room, my quarters are two doors down from Hot Rod, so you'll be close to your best friend, and Ratchet, of course."
"The room is tempting," Springer said. "By the way, nice logical thinking, but do you really want us sharing quarters?"
"It's not just for Echo I suggested it," Prowl said. "She needs both of us."
He didn't add the part he was thinking, that he and Springer needed each other, but that was a discussion for another time.
"What do you think?" Prowl asked.
"I think it's a good idea," Springer said, leaning against the other mech, who threw his arm around his shoulder.
88888
Iacon
Standing on the landing pad beside a shuttle gave Optimus Prime a sense of déjà vu he wished would go away. He was half-listening to Ultra Magnus, who was unaware of his Prime slowly inching back toward the shuttle so he could board. Apparently Remedy thought going through a space bridge with three sparklings in tow was a bad idea, so Optimus was volunteered to fly a shuttle back to Autobot City.
And he had passengers besides his bitlet and the twins, who were stable enough to make the journey. Remedy, his bond mate Pharma, and their first creation, Silverlight, were accompanying him to Earth. If only he could get away from Magnus.
"Magnus, you don't have to detail every little thing that happened with the council before I arrived. I'm sorry I was late this morning," Optimus said.
"You have many responsibilities, and the council needs to understand that," Magnus said.
"It will take time," Optimus said. "Magnus, I don't want to cut this short, but we're backing up the flight line."
Ultra Magnus threw his arms around him, burying his face his neck, holding him tight a few moments, reluctant to let go when he did.
"Take care," Magnus said.
"I can only try," Optimus answered, clasping Magnus' hand. "I'll be back in a few days."
"See you then."
Watching Optimus board the shuttle, Magnus waited until it took off to leave. Sighing, he turned around, heading for his own transport. He had a meeting to attend, and rebuilding Cybertron wouldn't wait.