Author's Notes: I actually meant to add more plot points into this chapter, but the flow didn't seem to work beyond this point. Besides, I wanted to make an announcement. This story has reached over 100,000 views! One of my stories has never come this far before, and it's all thanks to you my wonderful readers. Health issues have kept me from writing as much as I want to lately, but despite that you guys have stuck around to see what comes next. Thank you :)
Chapter 52
Only The Good Die Young
Part 2
June performed her last checkup for the day and sent the private back to his barracks with a clean bill of health. When the young man was gone, she exhaled a breath and sat on the examination table. Worrying over Jack tore at her heart, and when there was no room left for grief the stress merely left her tired.
Fowler was meeting with the Autobots, including their new recruits, so she didn't even have any reports on him regarding the search for the missing children. She knew Raf's parents must be worried sick, and if Miko's family in Tokyo knew what was happening they would probably fly to America immediately. In a way she envied the Nakadai family's blissful ignorance.
She walked down the hallways as the stars shone in the night sky outside the windows. She was tired, and at that moment weariness was the only emotion that existed.
As she walked past the parking garage where a lot of the Jeeps were stored, she saw a blue and orange figure sitting against the wall. At first she thought it was the new Autobot commander, but then she realized he was in the meeting with Fowler. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was the Vehicon.
"Hey," June called out to the drone, "Shouldn't you be discussing battle strategy with the other Autobots?"
"The commander doesn't tell me when we act," Psyclone replied, "He keeps his information to himself so I cannot betray him. When we get to the target, he will point, and I will shoot. That has always been our arrangement."
"That seems kinda cold of him," June commented offhandedly, "But I guess I don't understand everything about Autobot culture."
"It's not Autobot culture, but Vehicon programming," Psyclone corrected her, "If I were ever in the presence of Megatron again, my programming would force me to divulge every scrap of information he asked for. I don't want to, but I'm not foolish enough to think I could control myself in such a situation."
"Oh," Was all June could say, feeling awkward around the intense drone.
"May I ask you something?" Psyclone probed.
"Um, sure. I guess," June shrugged.
"Why is your planet so…green?" Psyclone inquired, "What makes it this color? I've never seen anything like it before."
"Our plants use chlorophyll to feed themselves in a process known as photosynthesis," June explained, "I know that answer is kind of dry, but that's the reason."
"I like this…chlorophyll," Psyclone said as his head raised up in an approximation of a smile, "Green is my favorite color. It's a rare optic color on Cybertron, and a truly unblemished emerald green topcoat looks amazing on a Cybertronian. I hope my time on earth lasts a while. I want to see more of it."
"Pardon my asking," June interrupted his reverie, "But if your favorite color is green, then why are you painted blue and orangish red?"
"Because I am indentured to Ultra Magnus," Psyclone explained, "He will always know which Vehicon I am so long as I wear his colors. In battle I am a greater target, but I am only targeted by the enemy. That is a fair trade off for me."
"Why do you work for Ultra Magnus?" June asked, "You don't seem to be…well, I don't know how to put this. When most Vehicons join the Autobots, it's because they remembered something important about themselves, but you don't seem to know anything more than the average drone. If your Vehicon programming is still intact, then why defect from Megatron?"
"Oh, I get it," Psyclone nodded, "You're asking if I'm glitched. Megatron sure thinks I am, and he's probably right. He's usually right about everything. I don't care though. Let me be glitched. At least I know who my friends are."
"So Ultra Magnus reprogrammed you?" June asked.
"Nothing so crude. He doesn't know how. Truth is, I used to be way more glitched than I am now. My problems with the Decepticons started after a mission to Topitron, a planet full of plants and birds. I don't know what was in the air, but I started hallucinating real bad. Apparently I said all sorts of crazy stuff, and it took forever for the medic to repair my processor. If it had ended there, I wouldn't be here right now, but it didn't. When Megatron heard about my case, he said there was no point in repairing me, because I had to be terminated. He didn't just blast me like a normal execution though, oh no. He was in a mood that orn, because he started pounding the scrap outta me."
June gasped when she saw the way he pantomimed his injuries. As a nurse she knew what kind of damage he referred to as he motioned to his optic, his neck cables, and his cod plate.
"I was half dead, and sure I was gonna die for something I couldn't help and barely remembered. That was when a miracle happened. Autobot rebels infiltrated the base, and Megatron and the medic were forced to defend the perimeter. I was left to bleed out in a pile of my own energon and transmission fluid. The next two mechs that came into that medbay were Wreckers, and I was sure I was dead. When one of them aimed his blaster rifle at my helm, his superior officer said 'Wait. Standard Wrecker protocol says we don't kill an unarmed enemy. That statement was kinda funny, considering one of my arms was missing thanks to Megatron."
June wasn't laughing however. She could imagine what the Vehicon had been through, and it made her worry all the more about Jack. Megatron was clearly a sadistic monster, which made sense considering the company he kept. June's first experience with a Cybertronian was Airachnid, a fiendish tormentor who enjoyed playing with her prey before going in for the kill. She didn't want her only son anywhere near this conflict or the evil mechs that could so easily rip him away from her forever.
"That was when I made a deal with Ultra Magnus," Psyclone continued, "Well, deal is probably the wrong word. I told him if he took me with him that I would consider it a life debt and help him slay his enemies. He wasn't sure at first, but I have a way with words when I need to. I can play the fool one minute, and be the serious stoic the next. Whatever I need to do to survive, I can do it."
Psyclone then released an intake of air, and June looked away from him. She recognized the tone of exhaustion and bemusement in his voice, because it was the same feeling she had right now.
"I will be candid about one thing however," Psyclone said after a moment, "I do respect Ultra Magnus. His command style is unappreciated by real mechs, but it suits me just fine. He points, I shoot, and we both get energon to fuel another orn."
"You remind me of a more serious version of Skywarp," June commented offhandedly.
"You mean Thundercracker?" Psyclone scoffed, "No, I'm not seeker material. I'm just a drone. You have some funny ideas though. I like talking to you. Are all members of your species this easy to talk to?"
"I hope so," June said, smiling despite the situation, "My name is June, by the way."
"I remember," Psyclone told her, "Where did you get your name?"
"Um, my parents," June shrugged again.
"Ultra Magnus let me name myself," Psyclone said proudly, "Vehicons don't get names of their own. Before I met Ultra Magnus I was just SS-PLX-333, but now I have a name that represents who I've become. I am a clone of my Vehicon brothers, but I am psychotic and glitched. Therefore, I am Psyclone."
June didn't know how to respond to that, mostly because she just assumed he was named after the weather pattern. She wondered if the Vehicon was being honest about his motives, yet for some reason she didn't completely mistrust him. She knew working for someone who would kill you without cause was no way to live. After seeing how brainwashed most drones were, she was honestly surprised that one could escape that life without removing his suppression chip. If Megatron could lose his army, then perhaps that would be the key to the Autobots' victory and peace in the galaxy at last.
"So what do you think it is?" Fowler asked Ultra Magnus.
Everyone in the oversized conference room was staring at a holographic map taken from Ultra Magnus's ship, with the humans sitting around the table while the 'Bots stood and looked down at the proceedings.
"I am uncertain, but the energy signature is like nothing I've ever seen before," Ultra Magnus explained, "It seems to be Cybertronian in nature, but with a higher concentration of spark energy than a mech or femme. I suspect it may be some sort of Insecticon hive, or perhaps an experiment the Decepticons are working on. This signal is what brought me to your planet, and I suspect destroying it should be our top priority."
Examining the map seemed fruitless at first, with no one able to determine exactly what they were looking at. It took only a minute for the investigation to be turned on its head, however.
"I recognize that area," Arcee suddenly spoke up, "It's a cargo ship. Well, half of a cargo ship. It's part of a Decepticon ship known as the Harbinger. It was transporting an ancient relic known as The Immobilizer. That relic was found, and the portion of the ship on your map seemed to contain nothing of value."
"It appears this 'nothing' is currently 18 strong and growing," Ultra Magnus replied stiffly, "We need to intercept this mysterious entity before whatever is in that wreckage destroys the Autobot cause."
"You think it's that serious?" Chromia asked.
"I will demonstrate so you understand," Ultra Magnus replied.
Ultra Magnus pulled out another chip, this one containing several personnel files. He opened Optimus Prime's file, Smokescreen's file, and Rewind's file.
"This is an average Autobot signature," Ultra Magnus said as he pointed to a dot of light at the bottom of Smokescreen's chart, "Below that are smaller Cybertronians, such as sparklings or symbiotes. Up here is Optimus Prime, who as you can see has an energy signature far greater than average. This is because his body contains a lot of excess power which can be diverted to his custom built blasters. Now, look again at the 18 signatures on the map."
The other 'Bots did as instructed, and immediately saw what Ultra Magnus meant. 17 of them were bigger than Smokescreen, and the final one was even greater than Optimus Prime!
"What the frag are we dealing with?" Arcee asked in muted horror.
"Whatever it is," Ultra Magnus replied, "We cannot allow it to escape into the general population. It would put the native life forms in danger."
"If you need troops, we can help with that," Fowler offered.
"Your assistance will not be necessary," Ultra Magnus refused, "With proper planning we will be able to destroy this monstrosity…whatever it is."
"What if it's a combiner?" Smokescreen asked, "You know, like in the old days? Alpha Trion said they were almost undefeatable."
"The key word is 'almost'," Ultra Magnus reminded him, "Just stay in formation and we'll be fine. Autobots, move out. I'll join you as soon as I collect Psyclone."
"Hey Magnus," Chromia called out, "You sure that Vehicon is trustworthy? I know they can be, but that one seems kinda shifty."
"I trust him with my life," Ultra Magnus assured her, "And don't call me Magnus."
With that the group went to the hangar, ready to take on whatever they found aboard the derelict Harbinger.
"I think that one moved!" Raf exclaimed excitedly as he pointed to the tank, "Have you already programmed names for them, sir?"
"Naming the Predacons is not a priority," Shockwave replied without looking away from his computer terminal, "They will heed my commands when the time is right. For the time being, according to my readings, every Predacon fetus is in excellent health. Now, I require some wires to be untangled from incubator 8. The nutrition output is lower than the others."
"On it!" Raf replied, already running for the tank.
Raf couldn't believe how quickly he had fallen back into the role of obedient lackey. If he was being fair to himself, this shouldn't have been surprising. For as long as he could remember he was a people pleaser. He worked hard to impress Shockwave back on Cybertron, and after that he worked hard to earn the approval of both Megatron and Starscream. Even as Raf he was always working hard and studying hard to impress his parents and his teachers. He craved attention like energon, though he wasn't as upfront about this fact as Miko often was.
Miko…Jack…
Raf sighed as he worked on the wires, thinking about his family and friends. He didn't want to be a drone again. He wanted to be a human boy and live out his life on earth with those he cared about. Sure, Shockwave didn't know he was a Vehicon, but he treated Raf basically the same way he would treat a drone.
As Raf closed up the machine once again he found himself looking over to the corner of the room. The Predacon was resting placidly, or so it seemed. Raf could tell the creature was watching his every move, eyeing him keenly and waiting for the boy to mess up. Raf already suspected that the beast was somewhat intelligent, but he chose to keep this revelation to himself. After all, the Predacon knew his secret.
Walking past the incubation tubes, each one filled with a combination of yellow fluid and unborn Predacons, Raf couldn't help but think of his human siblings. He just wanted to go home, but he knew escape wasn't an option. Not yet. Not when he still had to figure out how to keep Shockwave from unleashing these monsters on earth and Cybertron.
As he passed one particular tube, a sudden flash appeared across his vision. It was a thought, merely a stray thought, but Raf knew it was important. It was a face, silver with surrounding red and yellow accents. That face had a voice…he just needed to recall it. The voice…the voice…
"The Voice," Raf whispered to himself.
"Did you say something, human?" Shockwave asked.
"Oh, um, no, nothing Shockwave," Raf lied.
He left the room, thankful that Shockwave didn't deem to follow up with him. The Voice…that was the name. The name behind the face was The Voice. Who was he? What did he mean to Raf? No, not Raf. Not even Refit. Raf knew at that moment a memory from his old life was trying to escape. If only he could figure out a way to unlock his memories. If only he knew anything about cybernetic medicine rather than merely linguistics and code breaking.
Do I even want my memories back though? Raf asked himself. Everyone who went through this process suffered, and whoever I'm trying to remember is probably dead. I don't want my old life's family. I have a family, and I have Team Prime. Then again, what if they miss me? What if there's someone alive out there? What do I do? What can I do?
"What do we do now?" Blaster asked as they stopped by the side of the road.
Frenzy was riding in Blaster's driver's seat, looking down at the pedals and quietly contemplating what they had just done. Never in his wildest dreams did he think he would willingly leave Soundwave. How could he choose Blaster over his own host? He knew why, and yet it still felt like an unsolvable question.
"Sir?" Blaster called out again, "Where do we go?"
"Wherever energon is stored, I guess," Frenzy said softly, "Got any ideas?"
"Starscream went to the Harbinger, from what I understand," Blaster suggested.
"I remember," Frenzy said less than enthusiastically, "It was the navigation end of the ship. He didn't have energon there. Frankly I don't know how he lasted so long. Eh, I guess we could call up the manifest to find the cargo end of the ship. Maybe there's energon in there."
"Good thinking, sir," Blaster replied, "Don't worry. You saved my life. I'll do everything in my power to save yours."
"Thanks, pal," Frenzy smiled as he placed his servo on the steering wheel.
Neither one knew what they were doing, but they knew so long as they had each other they could make it through anything. Frenzy wondered if Blaster would feel the same way if he ever got his memories back. Probably not, but that was why Frenzy left him this way. While Frenzy cared about life and death, he could also be a fairly selfish mech. He wanted a best friend, and if keeping him a drone was the only way to do it then he was okay with that.
Raf sat alone under a console on the bridge. He was trying to access the internet, but so far he couldn't find any mobile Wi-Fi networks to piggyback off of. He just wanted to see if he could contact the others, or even the Jackhammer. The last time he saw Optimus Prime the big guy was almost dead. He really hoped that Prime survived, and that Bee was still safe out there somewhere.
He heard large fast footsteps entering the room, and just as he suspected, it was the Predacon. Raf kept himself quiet lest he anger the ferocious beast. While Shockwave could be scary on a psychological level, there was a certain primal fear that came with seeing a long-extinct predator from Cybertron's prehistoric age.
Raf watched carefully, waiting for the Predacon to leave so he could shift his position without fearing reprisal. As he waited, the Predacon did something that Raf never could have imagined. It went to a computer, and with its large claws, it began to type.
"What?" Raf said to himself, but apparently not quietly enough.
The Predacon jerked its helm in Raf's direction, and Raf hugged his computer and tried to make himself smaller. The cybernetic dragon rushed toward him, and Raf shut his eyes tight to await whatever fate befell him.
When Raf opened his eyes however, the Predacon was merely observing him. Raf could tell it was waiting for him to do something, but he didn't know what.
"Um, hi," Raf said awkwardly, "Um…do you need any help with the computer?"
Instead of answering him directly, which Raf didn't expect anyway, the Predacon instead began to shift its form. Scales and gears began to shift as the quadruped became bipedal, and the lumbering beast became a towering giant.
"Ah!" Raf yelped as he tried to push himself further under the console, "You…you can transform?"
"A gift I only recently discovered."
The Predacon's voice didn't sound like a savage brute. His voice was deep, yet with a certain strength and regality that reminded Raf of Dreadwing. His yellow optics narrowed down at Raf, as if struggling to see something so small in such a darkened crevice.
"So, um, what were you looking for?" Raf ventured to ask.
"I was researching my people," The Predacon explained, "Until now I have little memory of my life. I know that I am different, that I am considered fearsome to other mechs, but until now I did not know why. Now I know. My people were so powerful that only a planetary cataclysm could destroy us. I am unique, among the last of my kind…until now. Soon my brothers and sisters will be born, and I won't be alone anymore."
"According to Shockwave, you're not very old," Raf pointed out, "Predacons must be very intelligent if you've already learned to communicate and reason to such an advanced degree. This is great news. That means you're not just some mindless brute Shockwave can order around. You can decide for yourself what you want out of life, just like every sentient creature should be allowed to do."
"And what of you?" The Predacon asked, "What are you? Why are you so small most of the time if you can make yourself bigger and mightier?"
"I don't know about mightier," Raf joked, but then pushed up his glasses and said, "You see, this form is meant to look like a human, one of the native life forms of this planet. The bigger body you saw before is what a Vehicon looks like."
"And what are Vehicons?" The Predacon inquired.
"If you must know, they're slaves," Raf replied, a hint of bitterness in his tone, "Vehicons used to be real mechs and femmes, but Megatron suppressed their minds and forced them into factory standard bodies, to make them serve him. I'm one of the lucky ones. I can transform into almost anything, and I used that enhancement to escape. Most…aren't so lucky."
"Megatron is the one who left Shockwave to die," The Predacon recalled, "He is the one I am to take revenge on."
"Technically Shockwave made the Vehicon project possible," Raf told him, "He invented the methods used to enslave us. I don't think he's sorry about that, but I think he does realize that Megatron can't be trusted. It's weird. I know Shockwave is a horrible person, but I want so badly to believe there's some good in him. He trained me, and he built me to be special. Before I met my real family, the Esquivels, I thought of Shockwave as my father."
"So…we are like brothers?" The Predacon concluded.
"Hm, I guess we are," Raf agreed, "So, do you have a name?"
"I thought of one," The Predacon replied, "I wish to be called Predaking, since I am the first of my kind and will be the ruler of my people."
"It's nice to meet you, Predaking," Raf said politely, "My name is Rafael Jorge Gonzalez Esquivel, but you can just call me Raf."
"Are all human names so…long?" Predaking asked.
"Only in certain parts of the world," Raf smiled, "Earth has a lot of diverse cultures and landscapes. Even more than Cybertron, I think."
Their conversation was interrupted when the sound of a car could be heard outside. Predaking transformed into dragon mode so he could listen better, and Raf deduced the sound's origin right away.
"It's a Vehicon," Raf announced, "I would know that sound anywhere. Listen, Predaking, please don't attack until we know the situation. It could just be Skywarp or something."
Predaking nodded, but Raf could tell he wanted to attack whatever it was right away. Raf was just grateful Shockwave's supposed pet was actually someone he could reason with. Pit, more than reason with. Apparently he had a new brother.