-How is he?-
Flare brings his optics online at Talon's inquiry and looks at Torment in a deep recharge beside him.
-Better, sir. He has opened up to me and I have helped him as best I can. He is currently in a deep, peaceful recharge, but he had some troubling dreams haunting him at the start. He kept calling out for Athena, asking her to forgive him.-
There is a long moment before Talon responds.
-Thank you, Flare. You are the only one I trust to take care of him in his current state. Keep me updated if there is any change. I might be preoccupied in the following hours, but I will respond to your hail whenever I can if you need anything. If it is urgent and something that can't wait, contact Hailstorm, and he will get a hold of me.-
-I will, sir. It is an honor to help your heir in his time of need. You know how I feel about him.-
-I do, and you will be rewarded for your steadfast loyalty to him and me. One day you will find someone that reciprocates your feelings and will love you as much as Torment clearly loves Athena. You will have my full support to follow your spark when that happens.-
Flare can't stop the tears filling his optics at Talon's understanding words, but they are also a clear warning. He is not to, in any way, interfere in Torment's relationship with Athena. He has been in love with Torment for as long as he can remember, and his feelings for the sire had been the main reason for him to stay with the cartel when Torment left it. In the hope that Torment one day would return.
Now he has, but his spark is no longer free.
Torment has learned to love while away, his spark finding its other half, the spark destined to make it whole. It is impossible to fight the pull when you first have found your one true love, and like Talon lost himself to Tidalwave, Torment has lost himself to Athena, dooming himself to either save her or live the rest of his life without finding any other love.
He feels no hate towards Athena for the loss she has caused him, only a profound emptiness and painful acceptance that he and Torment never were meant to be.
-Get her back to him, Talon. She has changed him, and I don't think he can live without her.-
Talon signs off without a response, and Flare looks at Torment, his hand ghosting along a sturdy built arm, his digits finding all the embedments in the smooth plating.
Torment is lethal. A cold-sparked and remorseless killer who kills his targets without hesitation. But right now, he is more vulnerable than he ever has been.
12 hours after Talon involved his enemy organizations in his feud against Torrent and the Organization, Hyperline is staring haughtily down at him from the main screen within the Polyhexian Cartel's Command Center.
::Do not think I don't know what is going on, Talon.::
Talon remains stock still, not giving anything away.
::What do you mean?:: He asks civilly, waiting for the leader of the Kalisian Mafia to elaborate his statement.
Expressive yellow optics narrow slightly, showing their owner's displeasure.
::Your heir.:: Hyperline states matter-of-factly, his aristocratic voice carrying a dangerous edge. ::I am still debating whether or not to take offense at your unannounced trespassing on my territory. A simple request and explanation would have sufficed to prevent any hostile action from my side. I fully understand your need to keep your heir safe. We have always been on good terms regarding matters outside our territorial infightings, Talon. I would have granted you a free pass into Kalis if you simply had asked.::
::I will remember to keep that in mind should another situation arise where I need to enter your territory for personal reasons.:: Talon accepts the rebuke with a respectful nod to Hyperline.
A smile graces Hyperline's lips.
::I do not expect it to happen again. I am merely telling you to show you I can be amicable.::
Talon bursts into mirthful laughter.
::You! Amicable!::
Hyperline's responding chuckle is a pleasant lilt.
::I do have a reputation for violence.:: He muses with a glint in his optics before his amicable facade falls apart and becomes deadly serious in the blink of an optic. ::But we Kalisians are not mindless brutes like Rampage and his ilk. We can be reasonable when it suits us. And we understand the importance of family. So stop trying to convince me that this has nothing to do with Torment. I know for a fact that he had been grievously injured when he arrived at the hospital in Kalis. I have never known you to be someone asking for help, but here you are, requesting the aid of your worst enemies. Something has clearly happened to Torment, and this Organization has something to do with it. Do not deny it.::
::You are as sharp as ever, Hyperline.:: Talon concedes without missing a beat, the time for games over, and his expression becomes as severe as Hyperline's. ::You are correct in your deduction. Torment is involved in what has happened, but more indirectly. The reason I have reached out to you and the others is that I recently discovered that Torrent, one of the leaders of the Organization, has kidnapped Torment's beloved and is now using her against him.::
Hyperline purses his lips in deep thought.
::I see...:: He answers absentmindedly, his mind lost in old memories. After a while, his attention returns to Talon, a fierce graveness in his optics. ::You are trying to prevent history from repeating itself. If you need anything-::
::Your offer is appreciated, Hyperline, but I have it under control.:: Talon states firmly, feeling an ache in his spark at the reminder of what he has lost.
::As you wish, Talon.:: Hyperline concedes, letting the topic go. ::We are ready to attack and will wait for your signal. I assume the others have responded as well?::
::They have. Everyone is ready.::
::The Tarnians, too?::
Talon clenches his fist at the memory of his conversation with Rampage less than an hour ago.
The Tarnian leader had purposefully aimed to antagonize him.
"Do not think that any of this will make me forgive what your heir did to my Sire! Now that I know who he is, Torment will face the full force of my wrath when I meet him! You hid him from me once, Talon. It will not happen again! You can consider him dead when I get my hands on him!" Rampage had openly threatened.
"You do not want to restart our war, Rampage." Talon had growled in warning, his voice severe.
"The war never stopped!" Rampage had roared in response, pointing accusingly with his arm-mounted fusion cannon on the screen. "The other organizations might have put you in your place! But me?! I have just begun my vendetta against you and yours! And I will only cease the hostilities when Torment lies dead before my feet as revenge for what he did to my Sire!"
They must take this deadly serious because Rampage never comes with empty threats. It means that now that Talon knows it is coming, he will have to be ahead of his archenemy and prepare for an all-out war with the Tarnian Syndicate in the nearest future. Because no matter what he does, it will be impossible to avoid it as long as Rampage is so dead-set on taking revenge on Torment.
::The Tarnians too. Rampage is taking it as a personal insult to have so many undercover agents running about in his territory. He will be busy weeding them out.::
Which is what he wants.
Rampage will be too preoccupied with locating numerous non-existent undercover agents to notice when Talon and his attack force trespass on the Tarnian Syndicate's territory to get to Torrent's base of operation a short distance inside their archenemy's territory.
He is taking a huge risk by entering the Tarnian Syndicate's territory, and it is of utmost importance that Rampage's entire focus is elsewhere. Because if the Tarnian leader discovers his deceit, Talon will face enemies on two fronts, and the outcome of such a situation could spell doom. It will immediately reignite their war with the Tarnian Syndicate and bring Torment in grave danger.
But if it comes to that, he intends to use Prowl to get assistance from the local law enforcement authorities and get them all out of there alive.
That is the only reason he is allowing the enforcer to tag along.
There will, after all, not be any need to arrest Torrent.
Torment feels more like himself when he wakes from recharge and responds to a summon from Talon. Flare is curled against his side in deep recharge, and when Torment checks his chronometer, he realizes it is in the middle of the night.
He rises stealthily to not wake Flare from recharge and spares him a brief glance before he leaves.
Talon waits for him in the corridor when he exits his private quarters, and there is a long moment where they do nothing but stare at each other in silence.
Torment is painstakingly aware of how he had looked the last time Talon saw him.
A broken emotional mess.
Unfit to be the heir to a prominent criminal organization.
"Walk with me."
There is an edge of something in Talon's voice, but Torment isn't sure what, and he silently follows his creator down the corridor, waiting for Talon to speak again. They come to an intersection without any of them have said a word, and as they turn right, Talon looks at Torment with an unexpected uncertainty in his optics.
Finally, his creator speaks.
"After I was forced to stop my vendetta against the Tarnian Syndicate, I spent a whole month without leaving my private quarters, mourning the loss of Tidalwave. And when I finally emerged, I had cried for so long that I no longer could cry."
The open honesty is shocking to Torment, and he looks at Talon in disbelief at hearing his creator confess to it.
Talon sees his disbelief and looks straight ahead for a moment, mulling over how to get his meaning across, and then looks back at Torment, trying to sound as understanding as he is of the situation.
"Torment, what I am trying to say, is that showing feelings is not a weakness. It is only natural to react like you did at the sight of someone you love getting tortured, and I do not think less of you because of that. Torrent will regret what he did. We will take revenge on behalf of Athena and ensure her safety. With that said, I need to know how you feel?"
Torment is inclined to say he is fine, but Talon wants his honest opinion on his state.
"I don't know." He confesses.
Talon stops up and looks searchingly at him.
"Then let me rephrase my question: Do you feel fit for active duty?"
"Yes." There is no doubt in his mind.
He can't sit idle and do nothing while Athena is in the hands of Torrent.
Talon smirks predatorily at him.
"Good, because we are ready to mobilize."
His creator's smirk is contagious, and Torment feels his spark harden, the darkness within him awakening and suppressing any other feeling. He embraces the darkness, recognizing himself in it and its ability to let him focus entirely on a single goal without allowing anything to distract him.
I'll get you out of there if it's the last thing I do.
"What is your plan?" He asks curiously as they begin to walk down the corridor again.
"I have enlisted the aid of our enemies to take care of the network of undercover agents within their territories while we focus on Torrent and Highline. Torrent's base of operation lies a short distance inside the Tarnian Syndicate's territory. We will deal with him while the Tarnians are busy combating the undercover agents within their territory. I have provided Rampage with false information about the number of undercover agents in his territory, which should keep him busy and unaware of our trespassing. As for Highline and the Senate, Hailstorm will be sent to the Senate alongside Topkick and a group of the Joint Investigation Unit's enforcers. Quarrel will act as air support, keeping civilians away while allowing enforcers responding to our presence to pass without hostility. Stampede and his specialists will remain on standby if Hailstorm and Quarrel need backup to get out of there when the enforcers flood the Senate area. Flamestrike will handle the undercover agents within Iacon and protect the political top, while Ricochet and Overtop will handle the undercover agents in Polyhex and Praxus."
Torment analyzes the plan to find any flaws but finds only a few minor inconsistencies. Particularly the long distance to Polyhex and Praxus and the smaller distance into the Tarnian Syndicate's territory.
"How are you planning to go about it?"
"Ricochet and Overtop are preparing their troops as we speak. They will be dispatched in the next hours. We will meet up with them in the hangar when we have done something I regrettably have neglected to do after your promotion to my heir."
They turn left at another intersection, and Torment follows Talon into the section of the stronghold housing the frontliners' living quarters.
Talon looks at him expectantly as they stop before the massive doors into the mess hall.
"It is high time for you to pick your first two elites."
They step into the large mess hall, and all talk in the room silences while countless optics turn to them at once. Talon surveys the room with an unreadable expression before he speaks.
"We will soon be mobilizing, but before that, there is something I have been neglecting to do." He gestures with his hand to Torment by his right, directing all the attention to his heir. "As you all know, Torment is my heir, and he needs to choose two among you to become the first of his personal squadron of elites."
The silence stretches on after Talon has finished speaking, becoming almost deafening. But then the sound of chairs scraping against the floor fill the mess hall as the frontliners, one by one, rise and step forward to be inspected by their superior.
Talon steps back and moves towards the door, leaving the stage to Torment.
At the door, he turns around.
"Meet me in the hangar when you have made your choices."
Then Talon is gone, and Torment dedicates his full attention to finding his perfect matches among the many worthy candidates. Choosing your elites is not something done lightly. You need to be able to trust them unconditionally to keep you alive in any given situation.
The most logical would be to look among the frontliners already being elites. But instead, Torment takes the time to speak with everyone that has put themselves up as candidates, knowing that unconditional loyalty does not always lie with the elites that already have earned their rank by being battle-hardened veterans.
When Torment hours later walk into the hangar, he is flanked by two beast-formers.
Turborazor and Ripstorm.
Both of them are rank and file frontliners who slowly but steadily have been rising in the ranks. They had answered all his questions honestly, admitting their strengths and weaknesses without missing a beat and openly stating their ambitions and wishes for their lives within and outside the Polyhexian Cartel.
They stop following him as is expected when he steps up to the aircraft Talon, Ricochet and Overtop are standing at, keeping out of hearing range of their superiors' discussion. Talon is engrossed in conversation with Ricochet, and it is only when the member of his inner circle makes him aware of Torment's approaching presence that he turns around to face him.
Talon's gaze wanders to the two frontliners standing a respectable distance away, and Torment sees approval in his creator's optics. It fills him with pride to know that in Talon's optics, he has made some wise choices among the candidates. Because as an assassin, he had not had much to do with the frontliners and knows none of them. The frontliners were used in direct battle, while his work focused on hitting from the shadows without getting noticed.
Talon steps forward, his gaze still focused on the two new elite frontliners.
"Turborazor. Ripstorm. I trust you will take on your new position with the utmost care. I am putting my heir's life in your hands and expect you to do everything in your power to keep him alive during any hardships he may face. If you are not willing to give your life for him, say so now."
The two elites stand completely still, their gazes attentive and focused on their leader, without saying a word.
"Good," Talon smirks, satisfied at their silence. "You are dismissed for now. You will be summoned when you are needed. On this upcoming mission, you will, however, not be needed. I will be utilizing my personal squadron to assist me, and Torment's task during it will rely heavily on stealth."
Turborazor responds with a respectful nod to Talon before he walks away. In contrast, Ripstorm follows proper protocol, looking to Torment for confirmation and then dismisses himself when his superior gives him a dismissing nod.
Torment looks at Turborazor's departing figure, realizing that while the new elite frontliner is ready to die for him, he doesn't yet have his respect. He might be the heir, but their people don't know him yet, and he vows to make up for that because he needs their full respect and loyalty if he is to lead them someday.
"Their respect is earned, not given," Talon comments as if reading his mind. "In the time ahead, you will have plenty of time to show them who you are and the leader you will become. You have already done well at gaining respect from my inner circle. The rest will come by itself as long as you remain true to yourself."
When he looks at Talon, he sees pride in his creator's optics and feels his confidence as a leader grow. Without Talon's wise words, he might have laid a lot of unnecessary thought into Turborazor's insulting behavior, trying to understand it and change himself to become someone they will respect. Betraying who he is at spark in the process.
"Thank you, creator." He adds the last part with a gentle inflection, for the first time in their long relationship putting into words how he sees Talon as a creator-figure to him.
Talon's optical ridges shoot up in surprise, but then his lips crack into a genuine, sincere smile full of affection.
"I will always be here to guide you until you need to take over."
There is a pang in Torment's spark at the implication in Talon's words. Because when that time comes, his creator will be dead.
It can happen any day. Tomorrow or in a thousand years. It is their lot in life, always being in the line of fire. And he is determined to treasure every moment he gets with his creator.
Talon finishes his briefing of Ricochet and Overtop, and he and Torment step back when the two members of his inner circle get dispatched, the dual rotors buffeting everyone in the hangar as the two large aircraft lift off and shoot into the tunnel leading to the surface.
Somewhere else in the underground stronghold, Nacelle is woken by the sound of Shade talking hushed inside the main room of their new, larger living quarters they have been given after Skywarp moved in with him and Thundercracker.
He can't discern any of the spoken words and wonders what is going on.
There is so much happening within the Polyhexian Cartel at any given time, and it isn't the first time he has been woken from recharge to the sound of Shade communicating with someone. The Polyhexian Cartel is a well-oiled machine that never stands still but constantly gets maintained by its leading members.
He knows that if it is relevant to him, Shade will inform him when the time fits. With that knowledge in mind, he goes back into recharge. But, immediately, he gets woken again, this time by an incredibly loud CLANK that rattles everything around him when the massive sliding wall that seals off the tunnel to the surface connects with its locking mechanism.
He glances at Thundercracker to his right, but the blue seeker is still in recharge, undisturbed by the sound and vibrations from their surroundings. Thundercracker has adapted surprisingly well to the nightly disturbances that frequently occur.
With a gentle smile at Thundercracker's relaxed expression, Nacelle offlines his optics, slipping into a peaceful and undisturbed recharge, knowing that they are safe and sound and among friends that will do everything in their power to protect them.