I thank everyone who reviewed. I enjoyed the comments. I am trying to wind down this series so that I can write something else. I have several ideas and I also want to write something for the original Thundercats cartoon. I used to enjoy that cartoon as a kid. I ranked it up there with Transformers. I also want to write a love story for Frenzy. It has been on my mind for a few days. I think I want to wait on my other Optimus story because it is too close to my own life.
This will be a short chapter because I am going camping in the cold just so my son has some kind of a Spring Break.
Please take a moment to review my chapters because I do enjoy reading them and they mean a lot to me. Enjoy!
Raven curled into Mirage's chassis, her breaths labored and systems whining, as she whimpered against him. Mirage felt so helpless but he had promised not to wake her from the nightmare so that Allie could merge with her CPU and see for herself what was going on. Mirage wasn't sure how Allie was going to do it since she was not even in the room or in the berth with them but he trusted Prime's mate and Consort since she had faith in him to help Raven overcome the abuse that Shockwave inflicted.
It took all that he was as he watched his potential mate whine and squirm against him and Mirage worried that this would not work. He prayed to Primus as Raven curled her fist against the armor on his chest and cried in her recharge.
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"Case, what are you doing?" Ratchet asked as he looked at his mate questionly. She was sitting back on a medical berth that had been propped into a sitting position and scanning her spark and carrying chamber. The lights were dim since they had gone to two rotations a solar cycle instead of three full rotations. The medics in the infirmary were on call during the night hours since there had been few emergencies, a new aspect of the peace that prevailed, and one that all the medics liked. Knockout was the current medic on call, though enjoying his time with Sara and their family, and so Casey had taken advantage of him being away to quietly run a scan on her spark and systems. She did not want Ratchet finding her but their intimacy and closeness had made it hard for her to shut him out of their bond and now here he entered the medical bay, wanting answers that she wasn't prepared to give.
"Casey, what is it?" Ratchet asked again softly afraid that he might upset her as she looked up at him with a strange expression and worrisome feelings flooding their bond.
"I wanted to check something out. Allie made a comment and it concerned me… Ratchet, I don't know how to tell you this." She said softly. They had discussed sparklings in general and she knew that Ratchet didn't want any more for a while but this wasn't something that would go away. Primus had struck again and as she looked away to watch something just out of his optical range on the screen and whimpered while thinking how she was going to tell him.
"It's impossible." She said it reverently tinged with just a bit of fear. "How are we going to take care of them with First Aid?" Ratchet frowned even more as he listened to his mate's worry and fear. He walked over quickly, to assess the situation, and stopped in horror as he saw the scan on the screen. Nestled tightly together in Doc's carrying chamber were four little beings, mechlings huddled together, and Ratchet grabbed desperately to the side of the medical berth that his mate was sitting on to keep from crashing to the floor below. Four at one time, how in Primus' name could it be possible. Twins were rare, triplets more so, but Primus had other plans and this was just one example of what was evolving in their species.
"Casey, this is not possible." Ratchet finally scratched out between the static that laced his vocalizer. His optics blinked on and off but still the picture on the screen remained the same. Doc's hands shook and the scanner fell from her left to clink against the metal of the berth as she looked at Ratchet with shock.
"It may not be possible but our equipment is not faulty. I just calibrated this scanner yesterday." She whispered. She looked at Ratchet, eyes shining bright with unshed tears, lips quivering trying to say everything and nothing coming out, and Ratchet immediately pulled her close to his chassis.
"We will get through this." He said shakily though he himself quivered with shock and fear for what this could mean for his mate. "I will not lose you to sparklings when I have just found you. You have my word." He held her close as she shook against him.
"You are never touching me again. I warned you about all those spark merges and just after interfacing." She whispered desperately. "We both knew better but no, you said that you would take care of me, that you loved me, and I being utterly naïve and foolish, believed you."
"Yeah well Primus has other plans for us because this is impossible but it is happening to us." Ratchet said gruffly as he realized that he was too old to be raising five mechlings at the same time.
"Well it's happening and the scans don't lie. I didn't even have any morning sickness or any warnings." Doc wailed pitifully and Ratchet had to smile though there was nothing humorous about the situation.
"We will get through this." Ratchet repeated softly. "I promise."
Doc rested against her mate as she felt the reality of the situation sink in. She pulled back suddenly. "Ratchet do you think that they might be… I mean… without the Allspark we have no way of creating combining teams like the Constructicons. Do you think? Is it possible? I mean we have First Aid but he is barely a year old but he could be the head of a possible team." Doc fell silent while Ratchet thought about her words. Could this be Primus' answer now that they no longer had the Allspark? Both he and Doc resided at the Hall and they would have help with five sparklings at one time but still it could be dangerous for his mate to bear so many at once.
"I don't know but we will have time to figure this out since they will not be able to combine until they are in their adult forms." Ratchet said softly reassuring his mate that he would protect them all.
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Allie walked down the ancient halls below the Hall that was built over the temple to protect the oracle. She wanted to use the old rooms, though they held the damp cold of the old temple when the generator was not being used during the night cycle, but they held a peace that was not present above. She found the room that had the only lock on the door and closed it. Chelsea had come through, just as promised, by lighting the fire in the ancient fire place and letting the old dry logs crackle in the large stone area. The only chair was sitting facing the fire and Allie slowly walked over as she cleared her mind and slowly sank down into the soft red cushions to prepare to meditate and enter into Raven's CPU. She rested her hands and arms on the long arm rest and crossed her ankles out in front of her as she closed her eyes. She focused all her mental energy on Raven, picturing the young femme in her mind as she felt herself drift toward a higher consciousness and her body become relaxed. She drifted into a sleep while her mind travelled and found Raven. She allowed her body to slow in rhythm as she fought through the haze to connect with Raven's CPU.
She found herself standing outside of Raven's old quarters and Raven humming to herself happily as she started to unlock the door.
"Oh Allie, you startled me. Do you need to see me for anything?" Raven asked her as she opened the door to her quarters.
"No, I just wanted to come in and visit with you." Allie said. She smiled at Raven and Raven returned the gestured as she motioned for Allie to enter.
"I have been away and I don't know if Shockwave is around but I promised to meet him as soon a Lord Megatron released me from the debriefing." Raven said. "Do you mind if I take a shower? I have just gotten in from Atlantica and I haven't had a chance to get cleaned up." She left Allie sitting in the chair next to the small desk in her quarters and Allie sat back thinking what was happening.
Raven was reliving the night that Shockwave tortured her into submission. This al least cleared up one of the questions that Raven had never answered. At least now Allie knew that Shockwave had initially never been in their quarters until after Raven had entered the wash racks. Allie stood up and backed into the shadows of Raven's mind as she watched Shockwave enter the room. He sat down where she had previously sat and waited as they both heard the shower turn off. It took Raven a couple of minutes but she finally emerged wrapped in a towel but only to stop as she spotted Shockwave. Raven had placed her case next to the berth on the floor since Allie had taken the chair when they had entered and now Raven looked at her case trying to keep her eyes averted from Shockwave.
"Shockwave." Raven said as she stood transfixed to the spot in front of the door to the wash racks. Allie could see the fear on her face and knew that Raven had felt Shockwave's cruel intentions from the very beginning. Raven may have been forced into a bond but Allie suspected that Raven held in her fears so that she wouldn't disappoint her comrades. This was unfortunately common among her femme soldiers because they didn't want to disappoint the superiors but this was taking it too far.
Raven's hands fluttered to her spark that Allie nor Shockwave did not fail to notice.
"You did not return my dear. I was beginning to worry." Shockwave informed her in his cruel evil voice and even Allie shivered as she realized that she was going to witness Raven's torture first hand unless she chose to interfere. "I do not like it when my possessions return late." Allie gasped and covered her mouth quickly. The audacity of Shockwave to call her a possession. It was shocking that any mech could feel that way. Optimus was possessive but it was out of a fear of losing her and their family. This was so much more sinister and it took all of Allie's concentration to keep from purging even if this was just a flux.
"I am not a possession." Raven replied quietly. Shockwave circled her stopping her chance of escape into the wash racks. It answered another question that Allie had wondered about. All wash racks were equipped with emergency locks should an intruder invade their quarters. Raven backed slowly away from him until the backs of her calves touched the berth.
"You are my bond mate and therefore belong to me." Raven watched as he suddenly lunged toward Raven and grabbed her by the neck. Before Allie could see the next part of the flux the walls began to blur and suddenly the flux changed. Allie looked back at the berth as both Raven and Mirage were bond, both at each end, Raven bleeding and broken as she watched Shockwave turn on Mirage.
"No, please he was only trying to protect me." Raven whimpered.
"You know that you belong to me. I will not allow another mech to touch you." Shockwave said in his most authorative voice. Raven watched helplessly as Shockwave began to ruthlessly tear off each piece of Mirage's armor as Mirage tried to get out of his chains.
"No please don't do this!" Raven cried as tears fell quickly down her face but the chain around her neck would only allow her little movement and nowhere near enough to get to Mirage. "Please!" She whispered pleadingly.
"You must learn that I will not allow anyone to touch you and once I find a way from my prison I will reclaim you as my own!" Shockwave snarled as he finished tearing off Mirage's armor and then quickly reaching in and tearing out his spark. Raven screamed as Mirage shrieked from the pain as his optics slowly faded and his protoform turned a sickly grey.
It answered Allie's final question. Shockwave was using the bond with Raven to terrorize her. It was why she would not allow Mirage to interface with her except only when the sparkling needed his CAN and why she was slowly weakening and wasting away. Shockwave would need to be eliminated.
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Allie returned to her body and immediately sent a telepathic message for Megatron to meet her. She jumped up out of the chair, sprinted across the room, and quickly unlatched the door. She ran up the hallway and doubled up the stairs and quickly ran down to the quarters that she shared with Optimus and opened the door to see that Megatron had already entered at Optimus' behalf and both were waiting for her to return.
"What did you find out?" Megatron asked without pleasantries as he stood to address her.
"Shockwave is using his bond to terrorize Raven. He is twisting her memories and killing Mirage over and over in her fluxes. I can see why she is terrified to get closer to Mirage. She is afraid that getting involved with Mirage will get him killed." Allie stated disgustedly. She still felt somewhat nauseated at what she had witnessed in Raven's CPU but she had to be strong so that she could help the femme.
"Megatron, he has to be destroyed. He will never let go of the femme and she will not only lose the sparkling but die as well from the pain and fear he is inflicting on her." Optimus said quietly though he reached out and held his brother's shoulder reassuringly. "I am truly sorry that you must make this decision. I know that he was a good and loyal officer, a true Decepticon that was worthy of your praise, and I do not fault you for having to make a difficult choice."
"Thank you Optimus and I know that this is not easy but I have also made a promise to your bond mate. Allie you have shown me loyalty as well as given me an empire that is quite massive though it is not the vision that I had in mind when I wanted to liberate the femmes and mechs that were under difficult working conditions and unbearable castes." Megatron stopped a moment as he looked at Allie. "Are you ready to go down to the holding chambers and do what needs to be done?"
"Yes. I have discussed this with Doc in great detail and she feels that by severing the bond since there has been no physical contact between them will keep Raven with us and that with Mirage's donating his coding the sparkling will survive the bond severing." Allie told them although she already knew that they had been informed as well through reports.
"Very well. Let's do this." Megatron said as he motioned for Allie to walk ahead of him and out of the quarters.
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"Thunder…I think it is time." Aura said as she held her very swollen belly. The sparkling, though single, was quite large as Ratchet had informed them from an ultrasound that Aura was carrying a shuttle former. Ratchet and Doc was both quite pleased with the sparkling and its development though its size had hindered Aura severely. She had been having contractions for several weeks though she had gone over her due date by three weeks.
When Thundercracker had voiced his concern Ratchet replied with a vague shrug and assured Thundercracker that the sparkling would come when Primus deemed its time. Ratchet was more concerned with Aura's health and happiness and that both carrier and sparkling was healthy.
"What is it my darling sweet doll?" Thundercracker said groggily as he came out of recharge. Both sparklings were sleeping through the night and though they were staying at the Hall due to Aura's carrying both sparklings were happy and content to play with all the other little sparklings at the Hall.
Aura rolled her eyes at her bond mate. He had created the endearment when Shalon had given their little femmling a doll in her image. "Sweetie I love you but I am not a doll!" She said as she grimaced in pain and then felt a wetness slowly seeping from between her legs. At least it had not been the sudden gush of fluids and energon like it had been with the twins but still it made Aura feel dirty and awkward as she tried to get out bed though her movements were slow and clumsy.
"Aura let me help you." Thundercracker said suddenly as he jumped out of the berth. He had felt the wetness and being tired was no longer an issue as he realized that his mate was in the first stages of labor and that soon she would spark a new life into this world. He came around to her side and helped her to sit up and then he picked her up in his arms as he carried her out the door of their quarters.
"Allie said you would probably do this. She even tried to pull me into a bet." Aura said jokingly. The pain was minimum despite the sparkling being quite large and Thundercracker laughed at her dry humor.
"Well it is good that you do not bet though it would make things a bit more interesting." Thundercracker teased back.
"Are you implying that I am boring?" Aura asked with her eyebrows raised.
"No boring has never interred my CPU. I just think that you would surprise your friends more by taking them up on a bet every now and then." Thundercracker replied as she noticed that they were walking in through the double doors of the infirmary. Knockout was there waiting for them as he smirked at Thundercracker.
"Where is Doc?" Thundercracker asked.
"It seems she and Ratchet are indisposed tonight. Doc wasn't feeling well but I promise that if there are any hiccups Ratchet promises to get here quickly." He turned and gestured for Thundercracker to place Aura on the berth in room one and they both could see that Knockout already had the equipment he would need ready. "Now let's have a look. I see that your fluids have released. Good, good, and here I see that the sparkling is ready and in the berthing canal. This looks to be a text book sparking. Aura you are even dilated enough that on the next contraction you should be ready to push." Knockout told them as he quickly positioned himself to catch the sparkling from its emergence. "Do you know if it is a mech or femme?"
"No, we asked that Doc and Ratchet not tell us so we could be surprised." Thundercracker hovered anxiously which irritated Aura to no end.
"Thunder please I feel fine and there is no unbearable pain so can you please stop worrying!" Aura snapped and Thundercracker blinked his optics on and off before turning them back on and focusing on his mate.
"I just worry! The sparkling is so large." He cried pitifully and Knockout smiled.
"It is normal if you bond with a shuttle former that you might have a few more shuttles in your family but I assure you that most shuttles that are sparked, though large, are more long than wide. It is normal because their protoforms have to develop fully in height to support the extra cargo weight that they will carry as an adult." Knockout explained in great detail as they waited for the contraction that would help lead their sparkling into the world.
Once Thundercracker settled Aura could relax so that her body could do what it was naturally made for. When the first strong contraction hit to initiate the pushing she gritted her dentas and pushed with all her might. The sparkling came quickly and before the second hour had arrived the couple was holding a long mechling in their arms and Aura was glad he came quickly and safe.
"He is as big as out other two." Thundercracker said with awe. "Are you sure that you are alright? I mean he may be long but still he is quite large."
"I am fine. I am a little tired but I didn't even have the backache that I had when sparking the twins." Aura said as she leaned back and relaxed, her eyes starting to droop from all the hard exertion she had expressed to get her little one out.
"What will we call him?" Thundercracker asked quietly.
"Can we call him after my sire?" Aura said. Her eyes were now fully closed and she had a serene smile on her face.
"That's fine if it fits." Thundercracker said as he sat down on the berth next to his mate.
"Then we will call him Astralplane.
I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. I tried to write it between camping and going to Nashville. Happy Easter.!
