It has been a very, very long time since I posted anything in this 'verse. I found this in my WIPs folder, and decided what the heck. I've cleaned it up, and even with the reveals as to the DJD, I've opted to keep my own interpretation while retaining a name or two. It was also written before I found out what the TFCC had done with a certain Beast Wars Character, so there's that.
That said, Damus is only young here. He's got a lot to learn. Assuming he survives.
Eir hid behind the rubble of a building in one of Vos's many slum districts where the Dark Friend had bid eir stay. He was out in the open, taunting Enforcers with his words and the metallic tentacles that rose from his back, adding to the already frightening visage. Taunting with the dead shell of a flier who had tried to hurt them, Rampage said.
Like the Enforcers.
Why? Ei didn't know and didn't want to know. Rampage had acted in self-defence. He had done no wrong.
Ei could only watch as they advanced on eir friend, unable to help him - the one who'd helped eir when ei required it the most; when eir frame had been twisted and hurting. Taught eir, enabled eir to overcome the limitations of the glitching, fragmented mess that called itself code and select an actual pronoun outside 'it'. Eir fit, but ei thought maybe another one soon. Maybe.
He'd even helped upgrade eir frame from the twisted, painbringing glitch-ridden shell that had almost snuffed the spark within. Why, they didn't know.
Ei was sure ei did, but it seemed a distant memory, another life of pain and misunderstanding, of the spark being stabbed over and over again as it teetered on the edge. Ei wasn't sure digging through memories was wise. So the past remained unknowable and untouchable. The only thing that remained was a name. A precious, precious name hidden under false names.
The frame worn now was unfinished, but functional. Ei had the schematics to finish it should ei wish. Ei did not understand what that meant, but with time would come understanding and a thirst to learn and expand eir knowledge of the world. To be of use to the one who'd saved eir.
Golden optics narrowed. Being powerless to help was not an enjoyable feeling. But to help meant exposing the spark to more pain that it could bear. That power that lay within eir spark, Rampage had said, would kill eir eventually if it was used. It could kill if used period. But if it wasn't used - he'd die.
Rampage was good. He wasn't evil like they said. He helped. He eased the pain by feeding on it, taking it away from those who didn't want it. That's what he said and ei believed him. Sometimes he hurt others, but that was only to ease a deeper pain. They –the Enforcers and those who feared him- fought him. It was wrong to fight someone who helped you. But they said he didn't help. That he was a menace to society.
No. The First Prime, gold-white-purple with cold green optics that terrified eir deep in the spark, was the menace.
It was painful to watch them hurt him. To blame him for murders. He'd helped them, not killed them.
/Help?/ Ei knew the word was painful and wrong, spoken with broken glyphs.
/No. Run./
/You hurting are./
/I am dying, yes. I will take those that hurt me to my death. You, my sweet, must live./
/I without you I not be want./ He'd been there for as long as memory held.
/Oh but you must,/ Rampage chuckled over the comm-link. /Who else will hurt them?/
/Understand./ Ei would survive to hurt them.
/Yes, live and learn, my love. Make them suffer./
/Yes./
It was hard to leave, even harder when the maddening cackle filled the air, but ei couldn't look back, couldn't bear to watch him self-destruct. Rampage wanted eir to live, to hurt those that had hurt them.
Ei looked back only once, in time to hear Rampage's laughter pitch up as he took the Enforcers with him in death, and it was a glorious image that was seared into the cortex forever. The city of fliers had once been safety. No more – not with him gone. Another safety would have to be found, but that was expected.
Ei couldn't carry out eir mission if ei wasn't safe.
The body of the Enforcer hit the ground with a thud.
"Why did you do that?"
The assailant shrugged as the energy blade was retrieved. A quick flick to rid it of energon and it was sheathed.
"Well?" With a heavy exvent, the green-and-gold half turned to regard the red-orange tank with an unreadable look. A youngling, probably around the fifth instar, but clearly a tank. Bulky compared to the lithe, almost monoformer look ei sported. Almost, because there was enough kibble that suggested a gunformer's frame.
"Answer me!" An impatient youngling at that. Ei's optics flicked between the victim and the tank then shrugged. The killing had happened because it could and the young technopath had been in danger. Nothing more, nothing less.
"Are you mute?" There was a touch of derision in the youngling's voice and the nameless one sighed and gave a headshake. The vocaliser had never been upgraded, so it sounded like someone chewing metal shavings when used to speak Neo Cybex. The natural voice was smoother and didn't cause physical pain. But ei didn't have the words to explain that.
Words, in general, were understood, not spoken. To speak was pain.
"Then why did you do that? I could have handled him." Tentacles rose out of the youngling's back and the gunformer snorted, only to stiffen when something brushed ei spark.
Something ei had not felt in a very, very long time. Gold optics narrowed. "Em-pa-th?"
"No. Better." The tank grinned, blue optics dark, but not so dark as to be malicious. The shade was wrong.
Something brushed eir spark again and the once-glitched cocked eir head in a sparkling-like wonder, optics crinkling in awe and wonder while the facemask remained immovable.
A Spark Manipulator like Nexus Prime had been, then. Or so ei'd read in eir quest to understand why They feared Rampage's ilk even after so long; a read that had given eir more questions than answers. But ei didn't know the Neo Cybex words for what the youngling was, and behind the mask, the adult scowled as ei used what words ei knew. "Singer?"
The youngling frowned in thought then smirked. "I suppose so. Any spark will dance to my voice. I could have killed him. You interfered."
"Arrogance be undoing," ei spat out at him in the ancient language of eir people. Primal Vernacular, they called it. Idiots. Something brushed eir spark, and hands fisted as gold optics glowered up, unphased, at the taller youngling. If the aim was to hurt, he'd have to do more than that. Ei swapped to Neo Cybex with a grimace, glad for the mask. "Fool. Wud dead."
"No."
The nameless one blinked all of once before eir face darkened. Was he blind or just arrogant like most of the young technopaths she'd meet in eir long life? Even Rampage hadn't been this arrogant, and ei'd seen him through his sixth and seventh instars. "Yes."
"No," the youngling smirked and approached eir, but the nameless gunformer held fast. Typical bully behaviour. "I'm once in a teravorn technopath."
The nameless one snorted but cocked eir head, this time in thought. If that were true, he could be useful, provided he tamed that arrogant attitude of his. Just because he had a rare gift did not make him better than everyone around him and arrogant fools died quickly. But if he tamed it, he could offer eir safety and protection. "Naame?"
"Damus. You?"
"No name." A lie, but he didn't need to know that. A name was something precious that should never be given out on a whim. He had to earn trust enough to obtain it. Ei looked the youngling up and down; his name suited him, not just for the almost fire-like colours but what he could do. Ei doubted he was a sparkborn. Likely a hatchling abandoned as soon as his gift was discovered. Typical, but none of it mattered much – he'd die soon if he didn't learn some cyberility. "Da-mus. Fool."
"I am not! I'm better than everyone! How dare you-"
Ei cut him off with a laugh and it was only prior experience with spark pain that kept eir from shrieking when something clamped onto the spark. The lack of screaming seemed to shock Damus, and ei laughed again, throwing eir arm out wide around them. Let him think what he wished. "No see com-pan-i-on."
That startled him enough to release the hold.
Good. Ei could make him, but that was only a last resort.
"Menagerie?" At eir nod, Damus continued. "I –don't have one."
Ei facepalmed with a groan, hand over optics before fingers moved enough so gold optics could stare in disbelief at him. Then how, the Thirteen tell, was he still sane? Ei dragged eir hand down eir face then gestured for him to continue.
"They would hinder my movements. I have no need of them."
Ei needed to find the nearest wall and shove his head into it. Of all the arrogant things-
Stupid foolish things. No wonder half of them died before final instar, and that was assuming the rest lived.
"Col-le-ct me. Need Po-tech-ti-on."
Damus boggled. "Protection? You are an adult –why?"
Ei shook eir head. He really was a processor addled thing. "They kill Tech-on-path. I pro-tech-ion you."
"You protect me?" Damus scoffed at the idea.
"Yes. Or you deaded." Ei pinned him with a look, hands on hips. While ei didn't know the words to convey what ei meant, he'd soon learn. When he scoffed and walked away, ei simply followed.
He had potential.
Damus spoke up after a few breems. "Leave."
"No."
"Leave."
If ei gave no hint he was affecting eir, then he'd grow bored.
"No." Eir own voice took on an edge, even as the continued the Leave-No cycle for several breems, the technopath's voice dropping lower and lower each time. But ei refused to allow him eir pain. He was not like Rampage. He did not, yet, deserve the pleasure of seeing it. Ei pretended eir spark didn't hurt and scream, even as the mask hid eir expressions. "You. Need. Me."
"No." Damus whirled on his unwanted companion, hand raised as if to strike, claws extended. Blue optics flashed dangerously, yet still the tiny green-and-gold refused to budge, even when he was looming over eir. He was no Rampage, that much was clear.
Finally, Damus sighed. "Fine. But I shall not call you No Name."
"Earn knowing of name." Even to eir audios, that sounded atrocious and judging by Damus's face, he wanted to claw his own out. Ei grinned then scurried up to perch on his shoulder, hand on helm for balance. "Tell when ready."
"But I gave you mine!" Damus whined.
Ei was silent for a very, very long time, and it was only when they reached a rundown habsuit block did ei speak again. "Vos."
It was the city most of eir life had been lived. It would do for a false-name.