Updated quickly this time. Been working on it while working on the other.
Whoooweee, this turned out to be much, much different from the original. Much longer too. Added some shit to ... can't quite call it spice, but, yeah...
Let's see how Skywarp and Typhoon are doing, huh?
Warning: This does have some implications of PTSD or similar, though I refer to it as something else.
The fight had been lost. Soundwave could hear it coming from Megatron. It was the protocols all new leaders sent to all subordinates, similar to the ones sent to new arrivals. It was waves, and she did her very best to block it, blanketing over a thousand miles in her effort. No matter how strong it became, it would not get through. As long as she could block it, they wouldn't go to him. They would remain loyal to Starscream. She wouldn't allow anything to undo what Starscream had created.
He would not have them. He would not!
Unbeknownst to the rest of the world, what appeared to be an F-22 and a UFO from another planet seared the southern Nevadan sky. Flying around like this was risky, but the risks were higher if they couldn't find somewhere to hide. Going back to the Autobot base was not an option. One of them was more injured than the other while the other was having complications and trying to stay in the air.
Thundercracker vibrated as she flew. Her Spark had been hurting since shortly after Skywarp had vanished. She figured it had to do with him somehow, but the pains were becoming increasingly sharper, when they should have been dying down. The one she had been flying with already knew what was happening. "I need to go back. 'Screamer… he's hurt."
"No. He told us to go," Soundwave droned.
"But!"
"No," The dark blue femme repeated, "You are not allowed to interfere anyway, no matter what," Soundwave told her, already knowing the outcome. She'd already vowed to herself before the contest started that if Starscream lost the fight, she would destroy Megatron and all who followed him. This had gone on long enough.
Thundercracker knew she was right. This was a contest for leadership. But… he couldn't lose… He just couldn't. "But… he's up against Megatron…" she said quietly, knowing his chances.
Soundwave considered the femme a moment. She then considered the protocols Megatron was blasting. Knowing he'd lost, the only thing she told her was, "I will not allow Megatron to have control of the Decepticons."
The Seeker wondered how Soundwave thought she would stop him. She gave her a look, although she didn't see it. After a moment in contemplation, she then addressed her own issue, "Something's wrong with my Spark… I need to see Hook or Ratchet."
Feeling they were far enough to go around any Decepticon or Autobot for that matter, Thundercracker began banking, headed to the Autobot base. Suddenly Soundwave shot up in her way, causing her to bank hard lest they collide.
"Continue previous course," Soundwave commanded. She knew she needed repairs herself and couldn't fly long. They needed somewhere safe for the both of them.
Slowing down and wondering what Soundwave was up to, Thundercracker didn't change course immediately, instead, she had simply maneuvered around Soundwave. Eyeing the other femme, she then said, "I think it's Skywarp," being the only thing she could think of that would make her Spark hurt currently. It was way too early for the Sparkling. "M-Maybe he's still alive!" The thought gave her hope. Soundwave again began corralling her toward the way they'd been going. "What are you doing? Where are you taking us?"
"You are incorrect," the telepath droned evenly, "Ahead is a canyon. Go there,"
"What for?"
"Shelter is highly advised." Just as Soundwave said that Thundercracker's propulsion system faltered, and she dropped in the air as a pain in her chest struck her harder than ever before. The telepath followed closely, making sure she did not crash.
Evening out her flight, Thundercracker waited until the pain subsided a little before asking, "Why couldn't we go to the Autobot base for that? I need a medic, Soundwave! I'm sure 'Screamer did the same."
Soundwave still chose not to respond on Starscream's status. "You will not make it. We must land. Now."
There sounded to be an urgency in Soundwave's voice – or perhaps she was imagining it. Doing as she was told, Thundercracker took the first chance she had and went down into the canyon. Soundwave followed, staying close to her. Both of their engines screamed in the closed space beside them. Soundwave then moved in front of Thundercracker, looking for the first suitable place she could find.
"Follow," the darker femme directed. All the while, she was ready to catch the blue Seeker if she could no longer fly.
Finally seeing something in the distance, Soundwave began lowering to the ground and slowing so she could get a better view, plus her propulsion systems were becoming drained from lack of repair. Thundercracker, having no real other choice, did the same. The telepath loudly and haphazardly transformed and landed near a large cave with the Seeker not far behind, transforming as well.
Thundercracker hadn't missed how badly Soundwave was damaged but chose not to comment, lest she incur her wrath. It was bad enough she wasn't allowing her to go back to the Autobot base. "Where are you taking us?" Thundercracker asked, and then it was as if Primus himself had struck her chest and a powerful weakness overcame her, and she didn't want to move. She grunted and went to her knees.
The telepath stopped and turned to the other femme, hearing her go down. If they didn't get into that cave soon, they'd both be doomed. She took Thundercracker by the wing, gentler than the Seeker was expecting and picked her back up, "Come," The cave was large enough for them both to fit, much to Soundwave's delight. It would offer Thundercracker protection and give the Psion a better chance to protect them both. She pulled when Thundercracker let out a strangled cry and started to drop again. "Not here. Get inside. Let's go,"
Thundercracker was becoming scared from the pain. It was as if someone was reaching into her Spark casing and shredding her from the inside out! "Wh-What's happening, Soundwave?" she asked between pains as she stumbled on. She knew she knew something. Soundwave always knew. "What's wrong with my Spark?"
Soundwave refused to comment, only pulling the troubled Seeker to the cave. When they got close, she pushed Thundercracker before her, "In." Making sure she pushed her all the way to the very back, Soundwave followed, painfully scraping armor on the ceiling and walls. Thundercracker's glowing optics shined on the wall, and she turned to Soundwave who was completely blocking any means of escape. Why had she put her in here? "Answer me!"
Whimpering, the Seeker held her hand over her chest, looking to Soundwave for answers. She then let out a shrill cry and bent over again, this time going to her knees. Her arm flew back, hitting the wall behind her in frustrated pain. Grasping with her claws for support, Thundercracker embedded them as she tensed. Why wasn't Soundwave telling her what was wrong? "S-Soundwave… Please! Answer me. What's wrong?"
The Seeker watched as Soundwave knelt in front of her. The telepath aimed her right arm at her, looked at it, then shook it furiously, spatting a curse. Seeing it was working a little better, Soundwave then began typing on the parts of her arm that actually still worked.
It was immensely frustrating not having full use of her arm. She'd been getting errors on most of it, and the part she really needed right now, was intermittently working and not working. Shockwave had no idea how much damage he'd really done and Sixshot only stove the flow so she didn't bleed to death. Luckily, repairs had already set in, but it would be a while.
After a moment of trying to get her arm to work properly, she stopped and looked Thundercracker right in the optic. Soundwave only had one conclusion to offer the other femme and she wasn't going to like it. "Listen very carefully, Thundercracker." From her readings, she knew that the birth was farther along and Thundercracker had progressed little, which posed a problem. They needed a medic, and bad. Without one, there was very little chance either of them would survive if she couldn't get the computers to work right. Soundwave would do her best. "You are in the first stage of a failed Spark expulsion. I'm not sure there is anything I can do to stop it."
A failed Spark expulsion was the last thing any femme wanted to hear. It was unbelievably painful, and it was Spark-breaking, because a femme's Spark would attack the new Spark. The survival rate was zero percent, sometimes for the both of them. Thundercracker looked up at Soundwave in horror. The Sparkling Skywarp had given her would die.
"W-what…? How? Why?" Thundercracker couldn't understand. frowning deeply, the thought rooted itself in her mind. She was going to lose the Sparkling. "No!" She then looked down at her chest as the finality of the situation hit her. So many thoughts ran rampant. It was bad enough losing the mech she'd wanted as a mate, let alone their Sparkling as well. "No…"
"Quiet," Soundwave demanded as she continued to fiddle with her arm. She reached out for Thundercracker's chest and Thundercracker exploded violently at her. Instantly the cannon that hid on her arm formed, rose and the barrel end began turning green. Thundercracker's optics grew dark with hate, "Never again! Don't you dare touch me!"
Soundwave watched the Seeker's display of misplaced hatred. Thundercracker didn't have the energy to send to the cannon, being it was all concentrated at her Spark at the moment and Soundwave knew it. She watched almost casually as the cannon went dark, saying, "Pursuing this course will absolutely kill you both. The Sparkling is not ready, and neither are you."
"I don't care! Do you think I could forget about what you did to me?" Enraged, Thundercracker wasn't even thinking about what was being said. She was more worried about what Soundwave would do.
"Now is not the time," Soundwave tried to reason, reaching again, only to have her arm slapped away. That slap hurt, but she ignored it.
"Back off!" The blue Seeker hissed, swiping her arm out further to try to knock Soundwave back as the cannon went dead. She went forward in pain and her systems began heating. Her vents opened wide to pull in cool air.
Soundwave dodged her easily. She backed off and went back to fiddling with her right arm. Out of the corner of her visor, she watched the Seeker in her current stupidity. The Psion knew Thundercracker would need her but if she wanted to be stubborn about it, she could suffer until she asked, or she'd simply move in when Thundercracker had no choice.
Thundercracker cried out time and again from the pain of her Spark preparing while Soundwave went through every protocol she knew, working to get things just right with the system on her arm, she finally got it so it would make do. It wouldn't be perfect by any means, but it was what she had to work with.
Bolts shot around the Seeker's body from her Spark, zapping her legs and the rocks around her as well as the telepath. Soundwave watched the telltale light signs of birth from the Seeker. The telepath never made a sound or moved. She was delighted when Thundercracker's legs buckled, the femme going forward from another strike of pain, and she landed on her hands.
That was when the Seeker's body froze in that position. There was a pained grunt from her, "Soundwave, help me. I can't… I can't move!" She shuddered from the pain and watched curiously as her chest panels began to shift and slide away, revealing her inner chamber and surrounding systems. "It's coming!"
"No. Your Spark will kill it."
Thundercracker grunted and looked up at Soundwave in anger when the femme said that. What was with her stating such hurtful, obvious facts? "Why are you so slagging cruel?"
"Being cruel has nothing to do with facts." Soundwave replied coldly.
"I already knew my Spark is going to kill it. You didn't have to verbalize it."
"Perhaps then, I wished to terrorize you more," Soundwave hissed darkly, affronted.
"That would be like you… to make it even more painful than it already is." Thundercracker replied in a strained growl.
"Shut up," The telepath snapped.
Soundwave approached when she was sure Thundercracker was immobilized from the Spark-birth. It was the opportunity that she had been waiting for. She lifted Thundercracker against the wall, making sure she would stay there. She then slammed a hand on the wall next to the Seeker. Her visor bore into the smaller femme for a long moment. She then said in a threatening tone, "If only you knew what I was about to do to you…"
Fear stricken, Thundercracker was unable to do a thing. She winced as another pain wracked her systems. Thundercracker growled loudly but Soundwave ignored it and moved next to the Seeker, finding the position she needed for this to hopefully succeed, she got to work.
"Get… get away from me!" TC hissed, screwing her optics shut as her thrusters began changing into special coolers to help regulate her temperature. However, they also weren't working with her, they started working against her, heating to help the expulsion process.
Soundwave didn't reply nor give any indication she was going to heed the troubled Seeker. She leaned down and watched as the Sparkling began to separate from Thundercracker's Spark. The lighter blue femme's body choked and sputtered. Thundercracker's Spark began acting erratically as the energy around her Spark began striking at it instead of releasing it like it should have. The new Spark began turning red from damage inflicted from the femme. Thundercracker's spinal structure seized and caused her to arch through the paralysis and Soundwave moved quickly, pinning her against the wall by a wing, so she had easier access to her Spark chamber.
Gasping for cooler air that wasn't coming, Thundercracker knew she was at the mercy of the telepath. "Wh-what are you doing?" Soundwave seemed to completely ignore the question. Thundercracker felt Soundwave's hand against her chamber. She could only think that the telepath was going for the kill, as she remembered her doing this very thing before to her. Never in her mind had she considered Soundwave capable of healing or anything good. She was brought back to that moment, the moment she hated Soundwave so much for. She begged, "don't take my Sparkling again…"
"Quiet," Soundwave droned.
"No! Stop, please! Don't take it!" Thundercracker whined.
Soundwave's unwavering stillness scared her the most, for it scared everyone the most. However, she was getting irritated at the other femme's babbling nonsense. "I am not taking what is already being destroyed. Shut up, I said,"
The scared out of her mind Seeker continued to cry, desperate and afraid, "I beg of you, Soundwave,"
It took all of her patience – every last wire of her patience to not kill Thundercracker just so she'd shut up. Stopping what she was doing, she lifted Thundercracker's head and glared right into her optics. Her voice was a nasty hiss, "One more word out of you and I will kill you."
The telepath was concentrating on what she was doing, not the fact she was scaring the pit out of Thundercracker. The Seeker and her Sparkling would live through it. It was getting them both to that moment by saving them, and if she'd shut up, she might be able to concentrate.
Concentrating her energy, she pushed the expelling energy back into Thundercracker. She needed them as one if this was to work. The shocks and attacks to her arm were agonizingly painful, but she didn't stop, doing her best to get this done. Cables emerged from Soundwave's wrist and went right for the femme's Spark hoping to stabilize them both.
Thundercracker screamed in pain from the force, and when she wasn't screaming, she was damning Soundwave. She suddenly went still and silent as she heard her Spark chamber crack. She believed this was the end for her… her and her Sparkling.
The Seeker panicked, "No… no, no, no!"
Soundwave knew she'd scared Thundercracker by cracking her Spark chamber, but it needed to be done. The membrane would heal in time if she lived. This was an emergency, and there was no other way to do what she needed to do without breaking it. She was delicate enough to know she could work with her chamber in that condition. New protocols began as she continued to root through the problem. "When I tell you, discharge your systems, reroute all power from your Spark directly to me."
"What?" What in the world? Was this other femme really that crazy? Thundercracker considered what Soundwave ordered, wondering first of all, why. Did she know what she was telling her to do? She hesitated a moment longer when she felt something in her Spark chamber that certainly did not belong there. It was intrusive, screamed danger, and oddly enough, it moved – no, it crawled. Thundercracker's optics grew wide at the feeling, "What is that? What is that I feel?" She was still unable to move, her body becoming weaker and weaker. She watched in morbid curiosity as Soundwave shifted on her legs and got more comfortable while she held her hand in place.
She hadn't missed the damage that had already been done to Soundwave's left arm when her Spark struck her. She also didn't know why Soundwave would allow such damage to herself and allow it to continue. She saw as Soundwave's hand was now covered in fresh Energon, and not only from previous injuries, but the constant assault from her Spark began ripping into more vital parts up her arm.
Soundwave found what she was looking for, meticulous in her work, she connected to Thundercracker and began protocols to reroute Thundercracker's energy. She needed to time it right in order not to kill the Sparkling. "You will both live if you do what I say."
Live? They would live? Both of them? But…"What?"
Soundwave jerked and there was a loud snap causing TC to still – it not only hurt, but it brought on a strange sensation she couldn't quite place. It felt as though her Spark would just drop right through her. Thundercracker felt Soundwave's weight pushing her back into the wall, still holding her claws over her tender Spark chamber while she successfully stabilized the Sparkling.
Thundercracker spoke, her voice uneasy, "I'm scared."
Soundwave continued to fight through the pain that was going into her shoulder now. She knew it would get to her already damaged sensor and destroy it completely if she couldn't get this done quickly. "Your fear is not misplaced. Discharge now."
Thundercracker was utterly astonished at this femme's audacity. What a thing to say… She did as she was told, having no other real option. Soundwave began making noises that were unmistakably pain as what she was doing destroyed more of her arm and began into her chest and up to her head.
The Seeker was still coherent enough to understand what was happening. Her systems began illegal protocols to discharge to Soundwave, which knocked her out in a sense, but not entirely. She was still very aware of what was going on. In that time, Soundwave supported the Sparkling and Thundercracker's Spark completely separated from her body as her systems reset.
This was no easy task, and it was quickly draining what power her Spark could put out. Soundwave used nearly all of her energy to do that little trick. She had to fight to keep herself online as she returned Thundercracker's energy and Sparkling to her own Spark chamber.
"It is done." Her voice even sounded weaker.
When Thundercracker came back, she found the strangest thing. It was like a vibration, but then it was like a sound. It came in waves, each one at a different strength and her pain seemed to ebb. Her optics onlined as the sensation faded and the other femme backed – no more like stumbled away. She immediately noticed Soundwave's left arm sparking badly and bleeding. It appeared to be dislocated at all the joints. Whatever Soundwave had done when she discharged, she felt better, even though she was still in pain.
Soundwave glanced at Thundercracker's optics then back to her torso, waiting for a reaction. It took a few more seconds until the Seeker's Spark began releasing normal energy and her Energon evened out. She'd temporarily lost control to the appendages she used in the process – and more notably her arm to her shoulder.
Thundercracker watched in pained awe while the Sparkling formed before her. She smiled, even though the pain was horrible. Soundwave hadn't killed it. She had saved it. It took her a moment to really realize that. She'd allowed herself to become that damaged for her?
"Soundwave… You…" The Seeker was at a loss for words. "You saved it. You saved us both…"
Soundwave chose to remain silent. Instead, she watched while continuing to fight to keep herself online and held her hand under the Sparkling as it formed. She wanted to witness this birth. She wanted to see Thundercracker's miracle.
The perfect tiny pod that had formed while she was in her state of wonder, landed in Soundwave's outreached, functioning hand. The telepath's claws curled around it carefully, tenderly, belying her cruel ways. Thundercracker began moving as soon as her body unlocked. She slid down the wall and dropped to her aft and watched in stupidity as Soundwave offered the pod to her.
TC took the Sparkling gently, still coming to terms that Soundwave had saved them. Ha, who knew she had it in her. Bringing the Sparkling closer to her optics, she went weak at the feeling of the Sparkling in her hand. It was so small! The new femme creator chirped at it and pushed it with the back of her finger gently, coaxing the newborn to take on its first form.
Soundwave silently watched her hands as the smaller-than-normal Energon spattered pod began to move.
Mission: Accomplished.
She gave up the fight to stay online and stumbled until her back touched a wall, using her hand to guide herself, she went down, and went offline right there.
Thundercracker glanced up to see Soundwave go down, and then her attention went back to the tiny Sparkling. She gave a soft smile as it moved. The one thing she would have from Skywarp. He would be proud. Her smile turned to one of sadness as she thought about him.
The light blue femme watched in awe as the pod took form. Her red optics never shut, staring in amazement. It was a perfect tiny dark red Seeker. She wondered for a moment where the red had come from. Softly, she ran her claw down its torso checking it for health and if it was a mech or a femme. The Sparkling shifted quickly, and her hands reached for Thundercracker's huge claw to check it out. Upon choosing a designation, she nodded, "Runway," She then frowned when she thought about her Trine-mate, wondering what he would say, "Skywarp would… love you," TC then looked up at Soundwave, gazing in deep thought. After another moment, she looked back to her newborn. The newborn examined her creator's finger, she gave her a chirp and the blue Seeker smiled. "Thank you…" she said, knowing Soundwave wouldn't hear it.
Thundercracker sat with the little femme, talking to it. She then brought her to her hold and allowed her to siphon from her as she grew tired. Too tired to stay awake. "Rest now," she said softly.
Back in Maine…
Typhoon looked around the room she still occupied. The human had left again, and she took the opportunity to learn. She had also been thinking. Her processors were maturing with the rest of her. Slowly, she believed she was coming to a better understanding as to what was going on with her body. She was aging – much, much faster than she should be. She had been thinking a lot about her siblings and her creators.
The little femme had no idea what they were thinking about her being gone – if they even believed she was still alive. She wondered if they would still be looking for her. If only she could get home to tell them, 'Yes, I am alive, and I am okay, and by the way, here's a random human I picked up in my travels!'.
She glanced at the door, wondering why she felt in her Spark that she had such a connection with the man who kept walking into the room. He'd look at her, blink and leave. After nosing around, she'd figured out he was a firefighter. She thought about Barricade's connection with Mikaela and Miles' connection with Starscream. Did she have that kind of a connection with this man?
Tyler was up past his own bedtime, but he could not sleep. For the last hour, the robot that had gotten bigger was making noises in his office. He was astounded at the information it had told him. It made some kind of loud noise and that's why he went into the room again – mostly to make sure it hadn't broken anything. This time the robot was standing there looking at something. It dropped it as soon as it saw him.
He immediately noticed that it was more defined than before with metal in other places that were previously exposed. Red traced down its arms while the blue moved mostly onto its back and shoulders. There were some of both on the front, but minute in detail. Also, the golden spot on it had evened out and blended in with the rest of its chrome and white, looking more like a small fire design from the center of its chest. The strange bronze-colored marks along its arms and legs and down its sides were more defined as well. And there were other marks near the previous ones that were smaller and had a slight glow to them. Its back was also glowing a faint blue from two small triangular spots. It knew he was there, but it didn't seem to care at the moment. The man only watched as it set down a broken laptop and turned to him. It buzzed at him and then chirped. Tyler only tilted his head in awe at it.
It had called itself a Sparkling and it had been born in Nevada. Born? Not created? Aliens? Cybertron?
What.
"I want to go home."
He'd guessed by now that the thing was sentient in some way. "So, you say were born in Nevada?"
"Yes," Typhoon looked up, around and then back at the human. "Where am I?"
Unsure how to respond to the suddenly very aware robot, Tyler only answered part of his thought, "In my house…"
"What state?"
"M-Maine…" Tyler stammered.
"My creator's pets showed me the US, but my memory is still a little fuzzy from the fall," the Sparkling answered honestly, "Where is that on a map?"
"Pets?" What, there were talking dogs too?
"Yes, their humans,"
Wait, what?
"Human pets?"
Only a nod answered him. Had he heard that right? This thing was talking about human pets? What kind of a … creature was it? He had so many questions going on in his head, the biggest one being, "What do you mean pets? Like collars and shit? What the hell are you?"
Typhoon gave him a funny look. "I told you. I'm a Sparkling." What was he talking about collars for? She tried to remember where 'Maine' was in the United States territory. She'd seen it a time or two before. "My creators call their humans pets, pilots;" She answered, "Is Maine near Nevada?"
Attempting to make sense of the answer, he hadn't processed her question right away, still stuck on human pets. Tyler raised his eyebrows and then shook his head. "That's on the other side of the country. I'm sorry, I'm still trying to wrap my head around all of this."
If he wasn't confused before, he certainly was now! What was this thing talking about Nevada and human pets? He hoped he was missing some part of the story to the robot, because this thing was making him uneasy. "Stop for a second," he said. Typhoon only looked at him. "I think it's best we start over… Don't you have a name or something?"
"Typhoon,"
"Nice to uh… finally meet you, Typhoon," Looking around his office, he figured he'd known why she was named that. "My name is Tyler. What exactly is a Sparkling? Human terms, please."
Typhoon redirected her attention to a few wires and picked them up to examine them, "I'm a baby,"
Tyler flinched, though he was sort of expecting that as an answer. "A what… a Baby?" he asked in disbelief. He wasn't even sure he wanted to know, but morbid curiosity got the better of him, "H-how big are your… mom and dad?"
Typhoon had to think about that a moment, looking up, she said, "My femme creator is I think 20 foot tall. My mech creator is around 30 feet."
Just by the answer, he knew that this thing wasn't joking. Plus, for some reason, he believed what it was telling him. "Seriously? Self-aware robots that say they're infants." He then looked at Typhoon with a smirk, thinking he may have caught the creature in a lie, "You can't be an infant, dude, you're speaking. Obviously, you understand what is going on around you. Infants can't do that,"
Typhoon looked at him and grinned back, knowing his ploy. "That's because your species is not as technologically advanced as us. You're gonna help me get back?"
The man was truly shocked by what Typhoon had just said. He was wondering what it meant by that statement. "Species?" he asked before he thought about it.
"Are humans not a species like Cybertronians? Starscream told me they are. He teaches me well."
"Who's Starscream? – And yes, we are a species." Tyler said with a half smirk that he was holding an intelligent conversation with a baby. How advanced were its parents? "What's a Cybertronian?"
Typhoon picked up a screwdriver she'd found and looked at it, then proceeded to dig at her armor with it. "A species from Cybertron. Starscream is Cybertronian, and my mech creator and the leader of the Decepticons."
What the hell was a Decepticon? "And where is Cybertron?" Tyler asked, watching the robot poke at itself.
"In space. Skywarp told me it's in UV Ceti, but I don't know where that is," Typhoon answered. She tried to get to the annoyance on her back, reaching around as far as possible.
Tyler watched her struggles, debating on offering the robot assistance, "Well aren't you from Cybertron?"
"No. Miles picks on us, calling us Earthlings because we were born here on Earth,"
All this name dropping. How was he going to learn them all? "Who's Miles?"
"He's my mech creator's pet," the Sparkling answered. Finally tired of trying to do it herself, she growled. "Can you get this for me?" she turned slightly, holding the screwdriver out for the human. "Just on the surface. Don't touch my thrusters."
Tyler, still amazed this robot was asking him to help it, moved toward Typhoon, taking the screwdriver, "Not too comfortable with you calling humans pets, you know,"
He took a seat in the office chair next to the Sparkling and waved her to him, "Guide me so I don't uh… hurt you," he told her.
He wasn't sure his 'Cons would want him back after this screw up. He'd lost. It was over. Megatron had beaten the slag out of him. Again. He should have known he was no match for him. What the hell is so hard about staying dead? Right now, it wasn't the time to think about that, however. He needed to think of a way to get out of this. Starscream knelt awkwardly and painfully on the floor. The area was lit just enough for him to see shadows cast on the ground and walls around him. His gaze never left the one in front of him, the one whom he had been brought in with.
He couldn't explain what was going on, but since they had been brought into the cell, as long as they were touching, small, almost invisible energy bolts were coursing over their bodies, his more than hers. There was also a considerable hike in his repair systems and wounds were healing faster than he could understand. It wasn't instantaneous healing, but fast, nonetheless. He'd been watching it for a while. What was causing this? Not that he was complaining or anything.
Since they had been put here, he had been holding Barricade protectively against himself. His legs were on each side of her, making sure he could protect her from any angle. He considered it luck, though, that they had been put in one cell together because he did not want to be separated from her.
He'd thought about everything that had happened up until now. He had failed big time. He knew what the loss of a contest meant, and he was genuinely surprised Megatron hadn't killed him, as he had all the right to do so. Since he hadn't killed him, Starscream was certain he had something much more sinister in mind for him.
He saw the look on Barricade's face as they dragged them away. She'd snapped. It may have been when she'd realized he'd lost, or maybe it was after they were being dragged away, but he knew. It was the look no one should ever have. He saw it in Younglings that had seen too much way too early, or femmes who witnessed gruesome and cruel torture. They called it the Vornsworn gaze. This gaze was not only a stare in dissociation of reality because of trauma, but it often closed off Spark bonds and scrambled their minds. He hoped being Star-Mates, this wouldn't happen. She would be unreachable if it defeated her.
She was traumatized and he wasn't sure if he could reach her. Until now, he hadn't grasped how fragile Barricade really was. She always acted so tough, and he knew her many faces, but that didn't stop him from thinking about how strong she was. He could feel it all… she was so scared.
What disturbed him the most was that she did not seek his comfort through actions or her Spark. She did not speak to him. She did not acknowledge his existence. The femme was stone cold. The only way he knew she was even aware, was that she moved occasionally. It was hard on him not being able to console her. His Spark tried to call to her many times, but there'd been no real response from her, more like an automatic 'I'm alive' reply.
He was afraid he was losing her. "Don't give up on me," he whispered to her.
He wanted to tell her everything would be all right, and that they were going to get through this, but he knew that was one lie she wouldn't stand to hear. They both knew just what situation they were in.
Starscream's red gaze turned for the door as he thought about what would happen. Horrible things awaited them both, and he was sure they were going to die in here, very likely she would follow him, as he knew his fate was sealed if they couldn't get out. He knew the security of this place, and knew getting out would be very tricky, if it could be done at all. So far, no one had bothered them, but he wasn't naive enough to think it would last. Until then, he would offer her as much comfort as he could.
Her optics stayed on the wall across from them. She'd barely noticed the change in her repair systems, because her mind was on other things. She'd gone into the deep recesses of her mind to hide from what had happened. There was just no way this was possible. Everything had happened so fast! Defeated, she lowered her head onto her arms, which rested across her knees as she thought about it all.
She thought about all she'd done wrong and what her disobedience and failures had done. She'd failed her Sparklings and got their Sparkling killed. She disobeyed and got her mate and her caught by Megatron. The tyrant beat him mercilessly and she was forced to watch. How could she ever forgive herself? She was angry at herself, disgusted with herself. She disobeyed Starscream by not leaving when he'd told her to and because of that, they had been caught… This was all her fault.
Coming to her senses slightly, she spoke. Her voice was withdrawn, hollow, "I've failed you… disobeyed you," she said. "I caused all of this."
The Seeker felt slight relief at hearing her speak. Perhaps she wouldn't go down that pit and be lost to reality. "Stop," he said almost automatically. He knew why she disobeyed him. She was worried and didn't want to leave him alone at Megatron's mercy.
"I should've li-"
"Stop it, I said." Starscream snapped, cutting her off. He didn't want her to continue on her path of self-destruction. His hands lightly squeezed her, reassuring her, although she wasn't sure she deserved it.
Worry buried itself in her Spark at the thought of what would happen to herself and Starscream. She didn't have any grandeur thoughts of them escaping. The femme knew that now, more than ever, they were likely going to die. She also knew he would die sooner than her, as Megatron likely had … plans for her. She was thankful that they had been placed together. Being separated from Starscream is the last thing she would want.
Typhoon watched Tyler closely. She didn't know why she trusted him; she just did. It was as if she knew him already, "Can we go when you're done? I don't know how to get back, and they don't even know that I am alive."
Tyler considered what she said. "It's way past my bedtime and I still am not all that comfortable with you calling humans pets. It's kinda creepy,"
"It's not what you think. Once you meet them, you'll understand. Hook can tell me what's wrong with me, too."
"What do you mean?"
"I am not supposed to be growing this fast and I am not supposed to be developing thrusters yet. That mech did something to me down there,"
"You're gonna be big like your um… parents?"
"Starscream said that I am a Seeker like him, so I would assume so."
"Down where?"
"The bottom of the ocean," she told him. "The Laurentian Abyss." She tried to remember everything that had happened, but with her memory being not right and it all happened so fast, she only could remember parts of it. The last thing she truly remembered was trying to pull that glowing thing from her chest. Speaking of that… She looked down at her chest. It was colored differently and the same markings as that thing spotted across her chest in neat lines. Where had it gone? Was it still at the bottom of the ocean or did that mech have it?
Tyler shook his head, trying to shake the tired away, but it wasn't working. He needed sleep, but he was still so fascinated with his discovery, he was afraid to go to sleep, worried it would all disappear. Even if it was aliens, babies, human pets and robots, he was incredibly interested. He looked at his watch and that was the last thing he remembered before falling asleep with the screwdriver still in his hand.
Typhoon, exhausted herself, had laid down as well, trying to ignore the feelings through her body and the fact she missed her creators. She missed Mikaela and Miles, and she missed her brothers and sister. That only added to her annoyance about her body and changes. She didn't know what it was; she only wished it would stop.
Starscream looked up when he heard someone coming. His optics furrowed in hatred as he saw it was Megatron himself. The Tyrant laughed at him as he stopped at the door to his cell, "Something about this scene screams familiar, Starscream. Wouldn't you agree?" he said as he looked around the cell. "The irony is that it's your own cell. I feel like being generous. I've decided to wait until tomorrow to bother with the two of you." He gave a devilish smirk at how the Seeker held the femme, "Enjoy her while you can, Starscream, because you'll never touch her again." He watched the Seeker tense again and knew he'd gotten to him. "If you're lucky, you might be able to watch." He abruptly left, satisfied at Starscream's fear… Frenzy had the right idea to wait until tomorrow; he was exhausted and required recharge. Starscream, disgusted at the mech, only looked away. He tightened his grip on Barricade without even realizing it.
Sunstorm, who wasn't far off, added to Megatron's goad, "Sounds like he plans to use her like a… what's the word? Broodmare."
The small mech perched where Starscream nor Barricade could see him. He watched them with a frown. They both seemed different somehow from when they first got to Earth. It was fascinating. He knew Soundwave would be very upset and he wondered why she hadn't come for them. She would have come… or had something happened to her as well? He hadn't seen much on the field while Shockwave had him. Fear buried itself in his Spark that Soundwave had been seriously hurt… or worse.
Still watching for the telltale black and white Mustang, Prowl was becoming increasingly convinced they weren't coming, "Where's my sister?" he asked Thrust, who was standing there near him. He'd tried to sense her Spark through their sibling link, but it was strange, worrisome. Her signature wasn't as bright as it should be. It seemed twisted.
The Seeker looked out and then looked over at him, "I wish I knew. 'Screamer's missing too. I'm certain Megatron has them."
Prowl frowned and looked back toward the horizon, hoping they'd gotten away, but something in his search for Barricade's Spark told him they'd been caught. He couldn't imagine the horrors that awaited them or that already had been done to them. "How long do you think they'll last?"
" I suppose we need to get them back before we find out," Thrust replied. "Starscream might be out of his mind, but he's a good leader…"
"Look at you, being all heroic and everything," Dirge sneered from where he was.
Whether Dirge was injured or not, Thrust pounced on him. Prowl only watched with a frown, wondering how they thought now was any time for play.
He required recharge but he didn't dare. He wasn't going to let Barricade out of his sight. Starscream lightly touched her, always keeping at least some contact, ensuring her he was there. He'd hoped that his touch would keep her from going completely into her mind.
He feared that if he let go of her, she would be whisked away, and he'd never see her again. It was a cruel thought because he wasn't sure if he could deal with that. He'd just lost his Sparkling… Why would Primus hand him such an opportunity at life and then have it all sucked away in the matter of days… days! He never should have let Shockwave land, no matter what Soundwave wanted.
The only reason he was holding it together better than Barricade was because he'd seen more than his fair share of terrible things. He'd been through more than she probably ever had, and he'd lost so much in that time. He hadn't lost a Sparkling, however, and that had him teetering, but one of them needed to keep it together, and it surely wasn't going to be her.
He'd accepted Megatron's torture back then, but only because he figured that one day, he would have the Decepticons. And now…now he'd had the Decepticons, and he'd lost them. He was back where he had started. 'Only with a lot more at stake…' he thought as he glanced down at Barricade, who still hadn't moved much.
He would protect her with all he had. It wasn't only a fear of something happening to him – oh no, it was the fear of what was going to happen to her. He didn't want her to suffer his panic as well.
He knew to expect something from Shockwave. He would have been stupid not to. However, an unknown mech coming out of nowhere – one that got by Soundwave had attacked his mate and taken his Sparkling while nearly killing Mikaela hadn't been on that list. And that just started this downward spiral that didn't seem like it would end.
He wondered how many of his 'Cons made it out alive. He also hoped his trust in them Soundwave was not misplaced. That was why she was his second in command – not because of her creepy ways. But then again, on the battlefield, he'd noticed someone had hurt her, and he was curious how. He knew what he saw when he'd gone by her when he was calling a retreat, even though she was trying to hide it.
Vortex stood at the end of the corridor and was peeking in the door to the cell holding area watching the two, "Look at them. They look like Autobots all huddled in there,"
"How sweet," sneered another, clearly Swindle. "He thinks he's protecting the bitch… I almost had her once. It's what got me killed," he laughed.
"You don't suppose he actually loves her do you…?"
"Decepticons don't know how to love. That's Autobot slag." Vortex corrected, "I heard they're Spark-mated, though."
Swindle thought about it. "I think he'd chosen her back then…"
"Must have been for reproduction. You know how Seekers are when it comes to their mating habits. I would have figured it would have been Thundercracker, though. She's a Stridaer – weren't very common to begin with."
Swindle spoke up with a shake of his head, "Nah. I think she was Skywarp's mate. I think it's because 'Screamer's choice was limited. They already have offspring. I remember the black and silver one."
"Starscream reproduced with her?" Vortex asked.
"Actually, they're minus one," another growled, "the white one never made it. Shockwave dropped it on the way here. It was destroyed in the weird explosion. Too bad, it was a femme too…"
"I hear Megatron has plans for Barricade tomorrow, especially because she belongs to Starscream."
Starscream had heard the conversation, but he didn't even give them the satisfaction that he did. So, Typhoon really was dead… He didn't know if Barricade heard that, but he was pretty sure she did. He frowned as he thought about her. He could barely feel her whispers, but they were colder than usual. She wasn't mean to him, but she was not comfortable either.
Her mind wouldn't stop. They hadn't been caught by just anyone… Barricade's mind was going wild. She'd expected Starscream to be furious with her for disobeying a direct order. She'd expected punishment for that fuck up. But it was not like she expected. Here, he remained, holding her. His hands didn't move much, and he hadn't let go of her since they were put in here. He wasn't angry with her. He hadn't tossed her aside because of her screw up like she thought he might. His whispers were soothing and gentle to her even though he was scared to death. The one thing she couldn't cope with, was that Typhoon was gone… forever. "I killed her, 'Screamer."
"Don't." he demanded in a harsh whisper. "I told you to stop. Don't do this. We'll get through this."
This was the last place Starscream had expected to be holding Barricade. He had failed her. Squeezing Barricade's upper arm, if only to validate that she was really there. He'd failed them all as a leader. He really tried, too. There was only one thing he could say about that. "I'm sor-"
"-Shut up, 'Screamer." The femme cut him off; she knew what it was before he'd finished. Even though it would be the first time she'd ever hear him say it, it was the last thing she wanted him to say. It wasn't his fault they were in there. She dipped her head. It was hers.
Starscream pulled her against himself lightly, a move she didn't refuse; at least she spoke.
Meanwhile, Jess was still working on Skywarp. His vision had come back somewhat to where he was able to see without a bunch of colors in his vision, and he focused on where he could reach. He'd severed a couple of the lines, but there were so much more that needed attention. The different lines would move or snake around his hand while Skywarp's repair systems worked and it skeeved him out. He managed to get them online earlier and hoped that it would do its job. One time his hand had almost been caught and he had to pull it hard to get it out.
He still hadn't stopped the flow of the weird metallic rainbow fluid that was leaking slowly from the spot Skywarp was hit. He tried to work on it, but the stuff left a third degree burn on his hand, even though it was cold. It wasn't a cold burn like dry ice.
He moved out from under Skywarp, giving his arms a break while he looked up. Only then had he realized he'd worked on the Seeker through the night. He wasn't sure how far he'd gotten, but Skywarp never stopped making miniscule noises, so he figured it was safe to assume he was still alive.
The sky was clear. He'd stop trying to figure out where they were, concentrating on doing what he could with fixing Skywarp. Skywarp's navigation had been on the fritz and in no way helped to tell him where they were.
As it slowly lit up around him, he got a look at the forest he was in to get a better idea of where they ended up. There were oaks and maples. Some beech, perhaps. He decided to take a break and climbed up on Skywarp's wing to try to reach a leaf, but instead he just sat down. He realized just how tired he really was.
It was getting late. Optimus had been standing with Prowl, Ironhide Jazz and a few others. Ratchet was absent because he was helping the Decepticons that had shown up on the base. Luckily, he had what Hook and Ramjet needed. Wheeljack was with him instead of the conversation, helping where he could.
In the large room, the group was strategizing how to get Starscream and Barricade away from Megatron if that was the case – and judging by how much time had gone by, they were either dead or trapped. They were limited because they didn't have Superion, but they still out massed them. The Decepticons that had shown up were a well of information. They'd told them everything they knew about the base, who Shockwave and Megatron had with them, and what weaknesses they could identify to help them figure out what to do.
Optimus considered a full-on raid of Starscream's base, but it would have to wait at least until tomorrow, as he considered the Decepticons would be of great help, especially because there were more fliers with them. Sixshot was going to take a day to heal enough to be able to fight effectively, and they knew they would need him. He would also need all of his men in top condition, especially if they were going to be taking on combiners.
"We have no combiners to deal with their two. How are we going to do this?"
"We have Sixshot,"
"You saw his condition when he got here. He took on the Seacons and Combaticons."
Too worried about Runner, Prowl had to excuse himself from the discussion, "I am going to take Mikaela and Miles somewhere to relax. They've had a rough time."
"They're gonna get them, right?" Miles asked through a yawn as Prowl carried them away from the others.
"They will, yes," Prowl told him. Though he wasn't confident it would be in time.
Even though both of them were wired-for-sound because their friends hadn't come yet, both going through something with them gone, they were worried that Megatron had indeed had them. They were exhausted and needed sleep.
Ramjet had seen Prowl with them as they walked by the med bay. He stopped what he was doing and grabbed one of Ratchet's human medicines and headed for them without a word. "Where are you going?" Ratchet had asked, seeing him take the vials.
Ramjet looked back at the medic, saying, "I'll be right back, give me a minute," Quietly followed Prowl, he waited until they stopped. Just before the tactician set the humans down, the Seeker poked them both with something.
Prowl whipped around when the humans both jumped and grabbed their arms from the pinch. "What was that?" he asked accusingly.
Ramjet shrugged, "They'll be fine. They need sleep, Prowl." and he turned to tend to Dirge. "It's been a long day, and they need the rest."
Prowl watched him leave and looked back at the two now sleeping humans. He didn't think Ramjet would do something bad to them. He placed them on the sectional that Will had demanded they get that was in a quieter part of the base. He watched them for a moment while he thought about Runner and Mikaela and the bond they had created. It was fascinating and puzzling, and no one had delved much into why it had happened. His wondering also made him think about Starscream and Miles.
Prowl looked up when he heard Radar and Sonar both enter, looking for the humans since Barricade was nowhere to be found. As soon as they found them, they wandered to them and laid down with them. They were tired too, and more so because they didn't have Barricade to supplement them. Prowl let himself smile as they cuddled up to the humans. Both humans moved and shifted, letting the Sparklings curl up with them.
Tyler thought he felt something poke him, but he was content to continue to sleep. He startled when it poked him again, this time harder. When he opened his eyes, it took a moment for his mind to make sense at what his eyes were telling him, something big and white was in his office. He jerked when it moved.
It was then he panicked as it moved again, and this time almost crushed him into the wall. He reached out and punched it and it moved away from him, startled at his hit. Coming to the realization that his little visitor was not so little any longer, he shifted to get from between the – what was it? – Sparkling and the wall. "Holy shit," he said to himself, standing up and getting himself around the metal giant. She was huge! – perhaps as big as a semi!
"What the hell is going on!" he asked rather loudly.
His loud question startled Typhoon awake. She abruptly moved, knocking him on his ass. Tyler scurried back out of the way as the robot kept moving. It must have realized it was big too. He got to his feet and ran out the door when it started punching at the ceiling and walls to get free from its confines.
Typhoon, realizing the area around her had gotten a lot smaller, kicked and clawed her way, not caring what she broke in the process. After another hit, she saw outside and went for it, crawling as she did so. When she finally made it outside, she stopped and looked around, then looked at herself. "What happened?" she asked with confusion, scratching at all of her body where it now itched profusely.
"I don't know! I woke up and you were… you…" he grabbed at his head as he looked at what she'd done to his house, "My house!" He was thankful he lived far enough away from people that no one would directly notice. Boy was he lucky, because he had moved in the last month or so from a populated city.
Typhoon scratched at her new armor as she looked around with confusion; trying to understand everything. She was annoyed with it enough that she dropped to her aft to continue to scratch and figure out why she was almost Starscream's size so fast. There wasn't a part of her that didn't itch. She looked down at Tyler.
The man noticed how much she was scratching, "You got bugs?" he asked. He really didn't think there was such a thing, but what did he know?
"I'm itchy,"
"You itch?" He asked in disbelief as he watched. It never occurred to him that a metal being could be itchy.
"Yes, I itch." Typhoon said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "Just because I am made of metal, doesn't mean I don't feel. No wonder Barricade doesn't let me speak to humans outside,"
"Hey… It's just… I dunno. After years of growing up, seeing 'new advances in AI technology' one tends to get this idea of what to expect. You're everything I wouldn't expect," he said, a little confused. "How-how did this – you – happen?"
"I don't know," the Sparkling answered. "I need to figure it out. My mech creator probably won't have any answers, though."
Tyler stepped around a pillow, looked up at Typhoon, then to his destroyed house. "Are there like… female and male robots?" he asked, trying to take his mind off the fact she'd just put a hole in his house, "I've heard you say mech creator and femme creator before."
Typhoon followed his gaze, answering, "Well yeah… There are mechs and femmes. I am a femme,"
"Interesting," he said to her. She didn't sound like any kind of her he'd ever heard. Her voice was deeper but had a decent tone to it. What the hell am I supposed to do with a giant robot sitting in my back yard?"
Typhoon answered with annoyance, "Take me home."
"How do you suppose I do that? You won't fit in my truck and I sure as hell ain't carrying you." Tyler argued, "Can't I like call them or something?"
"I don't have any numbers to get a hold of them and the government would take too long," Typhoon's body shuddered and she went on her knees. "Hold on," she said to him, protocols starting in her mind, telling her what to do.
Tyler went slack-jaw as he watched her begin to change. Metal panels moved over her body from top to bottom. Her legs vanished from under her. He couldn't take his eyes off of her. The sounds that came from her made him almost cringe, but he was too awe-struck to care.
"My god…" he said as the robot took on one of the most unique things he'd ever seen. She looked like she could fly, but he wasn't too sure about that. What was this? "You have the ability to fly?"
"Starscream takes the form of a Lockheed Martin F-22; I am not big enough yet."
An F-22? "A Raptor? I thought you said he was Cybertronian?"
She could understand his confusion. "He is. They take forms of vehicles on Earth to hide from people."
"So, you guys can change shape?" he asked, astounded at the implications.
"The form you saw before was my proto-form I think it's called." She had seen Starscream's form. He had a cockpit, somewhere for his human to sit. She remembered what it looked like and did the same.
Tyler watched as metal turned clear and retracted from over the top-front of the now-craft. "Come on," he heard her say.
Snapped out of his awe induced stupor, he now didn't know where to look, so focused on the nose of the creature. "And go where?"
"Nevada. I need to get home."
Looking at his house in thought, he then looked back at Typhoon. His house had a gaping hole in it, and it even went up a floor. Things from the second floor were still dropping down to the ground. At least it hadn't hit an important room. Perhaps getting Typhoon home was his best bet right now. "Someone's gonna pay for that."
"I think John Keller can help."
Tyler knew that name immediately. "Secretary John Keller? Like, Secretary of Defense, Keller?"
"Well yeah, he talks to Starscream sometimes," the unnaturally growing Seeker told him. "He's a nice man,"
"The government knows there are aliens here?" He chuckled because honestly, it didn't surprise him.
"Obviously," she replied in a condescending tone.
"So, you want to take me with you?"
"You've seen me. You're stuck with me," she teased.
"You really think I am going to get up there?" he teased back, "I like to live,"
"Me too!" Typhoon said, "It'll be faster this way I think. And less conspicuous."
Tyler was very hesitant as he climbed up on the side of the now UFO and sat down in the seat provided. It looked like a cockpit of a jet. The instrument panel was lit with blues, golds and greens. He didn't touch anything; afraid he might blow up or something.
"Have you ever flown before?" she asked him as her canopy slid back up over him and locked.
"Nope," he answered cautiously.
"Good, settle in! At least I'm not the only one! This should be fun!"
Had he just heard her, right? She hadn't ever flown before? How was this going to be fun? "WHAT?" the man exclaimed and began looking around frantically. He heard jet turbines kick on. "Typhoon you can't take off from here! Don't you need a runway or something?"
"I don't need a runway. Just hold on. I saw Starscream do it many times with Miles,"
"Do you have any idea what you're doing?" Tyler then asked.
"Not really. My protocols tell me what to do."
Tyler quickly shut his eyes when he felt a jerk. A strange sensation hit him, and he opened his eyes. He was looking out at blue. His eyes dared to look out over one wing and saw his town which was really small all of the sudden. How did she do that? That should have killed him from everything he'd learned about jets and G-forces.
"You said west coast, right?" Typhoon asked, hovering in place.
This had to be one of the craziest things he'd ever done – and he fought fires, for God's sake! He looked down at the instrument panel and then out across the vastness of the sky, "Yeah, sorta," Tyler answered with a deep sigh. There was no going back now. "You know which way is west, right?"
"I think so," Typhoon said with hesitance and then began moving toward where she believed the west was.
Poor Barricade...
Poor 'Screamer...
What will happen to our favorite jet and his Mustang?
If ya get the time, pls review, though, so I know whats going on in your minds. I like to know once in a while :)