Summary: After some careful consideration, Laserbeak has concluded that Danny has a complete lack of self-preservation and it was up to him to keep the human safe.
Or three times Laserbeak "saves" Danny and the one time Danny returns the favor.
You guys are getting so much content this week! First, you have the longest chapter so far, ANNNNNNNND I made an ANIMATIC for one of the scenes in this chapter! — It is one of the first animatics I have ever made and I had to figure out the whole thing as I went but I AM SO HAPPY WITH IT! I'll link it when the scene comes up and in the end notes if you want to check it out. Love you all 3
If you are looking for the animatic you can also find it by looking up "Protective Programming Animatic" On YouTube. - I'll let you know when the scene comes up that it is attached too.
Also! lots of Laserbeak POV! It was a bit difficult and out of my comfort zone but I hope you like it either way. 3
Laserbeak watched from his perch as the meeting between his master, Starscream and Knockout took place below him. Most mechs didn't notice the bird-like mini-con when he was this high up, and Laserbeak preferred it that way. He could survey the entire room and gather data to share with Soundwave during later briefings.
The three were arguing about some new rules Soundwave was putting in place regarding their frequent disappearances from the Nemesis. Laserbeak sent a wave of amusement through his bond with Soundwave when Knockout gave an exaggerated, pained response, and Starscream waved his servo around in outrage.
Suddenly, Laserbeak noticed a movement out of the corner of his optic. He shifted his helm to spot the human — at least, that was what the others claimed he was. Soundwave wasn't so sure and shared those thoughts with his mini-con. Either way, Laserbeak was uncertain how the human could have slipped past his guard; surely, he would have noticed an organic entering the bridge — or anyone, for that matter. His optics narrowed as they tracked the newcomer.
The human, or "Danny," he had claimed his designation was, stood watching the debate with a smile, clear amusement reflecting in his EM field. Knockout continuously tried to rebut Soundwave's points, claiming that racing helped him relax and made his servos steadier for surgery. Starscream agreed with a similar sentiment for his flying.
In response, Soundwave simply pulled up a graph of all their recorded but unauthorized absences from the Nemesis, displaying the incidents' frequency. Laserbeak remembered Soundwave mentioning that Starscream was less of a problem, as he could fly to where he wanted to go, but Knockout often used excessive energon to power the groundbridge for joyrides.
Laserbeak continued idly scanning, reading their EM fields, mannerisms, and reactions, gauging whether he would need to intervene on his master's behalf. Not that Soundwave needed assistance.
Then the human made a snarky comment toward Knockout — something Laserbeak couldn't quite pick up. Knockout's field flared with anger in an instant as he spun to face the human, transforming his servo into a buzzsaw. He snarled a threat before holding it underneath Danny's chin, almost pressing against the delicate human vessels required to fuel their processor to keep them alive. It was an immediate threat. If the human's head was severed, he certainly would not survive the ordeal.
Laserbeak's programming seemed to kick in on instinct. One moment, he was observing from his perch; the next, he was dive-bombing Knockout, knocking the mech off balance.
Knockout yelled in outrage, retaliating by swinging his buzzsaw at Laserbeak, who easily dodged the clumsy attack and swooped toward the human. He extended two tendrils (designed for data upload and tasks requiring finer control) and Laserbeak wrapped them securely around Danny's torso and shoulders, lifting him up and carrying him safely back to his perch.
Danny made a startled sound and looked up at Laserbeak in confusion, trying to reassure the mini-con that he was fine and that this sort of thing happened all the time. But Laserbeak wasn't having any of it. His plating puffed up, and his wings flared. He wasn't putting the defenseless human down until the danger of Knockout's aggravated state had passed.
Humans were small, vulnerable, and easily squashed. It was a miracle that the species had survived this long. Danny had unwisely provoked a fight he could never hope to win. The Cybertronians in the room outclassed him a thousandfold — even Laserbeak could kill him with a drop from this height. As that thought crossed his processor, he tightened his grip to ensure no such accident would occur.
Danny's behavior seemed to convey a severe lack of judgment, possibly even a damaged processor. Laserbeak would request that Soundwave inspect him once the danger is cleared. Soundwave had already turned his visor up to face them, as had everyone else in the room. Laserbeak unconsciously pulled Danny closer to his frame, protectiveness radiating through his EM field.
Starscream said something in outrage about leaving the human with Laserbeak, while Knockout muttered something along the lines of, "Let the fragging bird do what it wants." Laserbeak bristled, his optics zeroing in on Knockout's buzzsaw. Sensing Laserbeak's scrutiny, Knockout transformed the weapon back into his servo. "There, you happy?" he huffed.
With the weapon gone, Laserbeak's plating relaxed, though he still held Danny tightly. In response, Danny chuckled. How could the human find nearly being decapitated humorous?
"Laserbeak," Danny began, stroking one of the tendrils wrapped around him. Laserbeak snapped his optics to him. "I'm okay, see? I was just annoying Knockout. I do that all the time."
Laserbeak was not amused.
Soundwave tilted his helm at the mini-con, sending a silent ping to Laserbeak's system: /Laserbeak: Return./ Laserbeak denied the request, removing it from his HUD and sending back a pulse of protective energy through the bond, optics focused on the current danger in the room.
After a moment's consideration, Soundwave powered down the monitor, turning back towards Starscream and Knockout before pointing at the door — a very obvious meeting adjourned.
Knockout left without complaint and a flick of his wrist, though Starscream looked ready to argue. But at Soundwave's pointed stare, he reluctantly stalked out of the room. Once the doors slid shut, Soundwave's visor tilted back up to Laserbeak and his charge, this time, he spoke aloud. "Danger: passed. Laserbeak: Return."
Laserbeak gave Danny a final, tight squeeze before he descended, gently depositing the fragile human into Soundwave's servos for his master to inspect. Laserbeak sent a ping to Soundwave requesting that the human be examined for possible processor damage.
Soundwave's visor was fixed on Danny, running a diagnostic scan, and sent a ping back that he didn't find anything out of the ordinary for Danny's vitals. Soundwave then turned his helm back towards the human to address him. "Request: Avoid aggravating Knockout in a volatile state. Threat level: considerable."
Danny chuckled. "Don't worry. I've got it under control."
Laserbeak fluttered close to him, trying his best to give a chastizing chattering from his vocalizer that he hoped would help the human seek sense. Danny simply turned around to pat Laserbeak's helm affectionately. "Thanks for looking out for me, Laserbeak." His field flickered with appreciation.
x
After careful consideration, Laserbeak had definitively concluded that Danny had a complete lack of self-preservation and it was up to him to keep the human safe.
It always seemed that the human was getting himself into problems he couldn't possibly hope to get out of. In all of Laserbeak's research and reconnaissance regarding the human race, he had concluded that the aliens may be easily breakable, but at least they had the common sense to not try and get themselves offlined every chance they got.
This human must have been the complete opposite of his species.
This realization was why Laserbeak currently found himself diving off the side of the Nemesis to catch Danny, who had stumbled straight off the edge of the ship. It was common knowledge that humans couldn't fly, yet here he was, tumbling through open air as if he didn't have a care in the world. Laserbeak's field buzzed with alarm as he scanned Danny's vitals, but somehow, the human's heart rate remained steady — disturbingly calm, considering the predicament. Processor damage indeed.
When Danny noticed Laserbeak diving after him, he even had the nerve to smile up at the mini-con. Laserbeak squawked in exasperation, extending his tendrils as he swooped beneath the human, wrapping them carefully around Danny's torso and limbs. He slowed their descent gradually, knowing he had to be gentle to avoid the organic's limbs detaching or sustaining an injury humans referred to as 'whiplash.'
Laserbeak brought the human back up onto the ship, safely depositing him in the middle of the landing bay at the furthest point from any edge he could find himself falling off of. Laserbeak's vents cycled heavily as he began running scans for injuries. The human seemed to have normal vitals for himself and showed no signs of distress or trauma. (At least from what Laserbeak's low-level scanners could find.)
Danny chuckled as he dusted himself off. "Don't worry Laserbeak, I'm fine. Thanks for catching me," he said with a laugh, completely unbothered. The mini-con huffed and puffed up his plating, finding it hard to believe the human could find any humour in his near-fatal fall. Perhaps he was more broken than he'd initially realized. He ran another set of scans to be sure.
But there was still reconnaissance to do, so with one last glance at the human, Laserbeak took to the skies, sweeping the Nemesis' airspace to resume his patrol. He didn't get far, however, before his sensors alerted him to movement. Danny was wandering near the edge of the landing pad again .
Without hesitation, Laserbeak swooped down, catching the human before he could get within ten feet of the drop, carrying him back to the center of the platform and placing him firmly back on his feet.
Danny huffed in protest, but Laserbeak ignored it, flying off to resume his patrol, though he now kept a much closer optic on the human below. He wasn't about to be caught off guard again.
Sure enough, Danny inched back toward the edge the moment Laserbeak turned away. Laserbeak swooped in before he'd taken more than a few steps, scooping him up once again and depositing him in the same spot. Danny sighed. "Really?"
Laserbeak chirped in acknowledgment.
Danny paused, then inched forward again, testing Laserbeak's reaction. Laserbeak immediately flew in front of him, nudging him back to the center of the platform, his EM field pulsing with irritation. The human only laughed and tried again, but each attempt was met with the same outcome. Laserbeak's plating flared in frustration as he continued to intercept each approach.
Finally, Danny seemed to lose patience, deciding to make a full dash for the edge. Laserbeak lunched out his tendrils, grabbing the human and lifting him off the ground, keeping him suspended so he couldn't try another attempt.
Danny sighed, resigned. "Alright, I get it. You win."
Laserbeak decided that it was too dangerous for the humans to have any access to the outside. He turned around taking the human with him and used his codes to open the bay doors, running a scan over the Nemesis to locate one of Danny's caretakers. Starscream, the human's primary caretaker, was currently indisposed, so Laserbeak opted for Soundwave, who was in the ship's control room.
Laserbeak swooped through the corridors and located the room quite easily. Soundwave turned to look at Laserbeak as he flew in with the struggling human in his grasp. With a soft huff of exasperation, Laserbeak unceremoniously deposited Danny onto Soundwave's desk.
Soundwave looked between Danny and then back to Laserbeak a question mark appearing on his visor. Danny smiled up at him. "I think I've been grounded."
Laserbeak chirped in affirmation before he turned with a final flutter of his wings and headed back outside to continue his reconnaissance.
[ANIMATIC] Here
x
Laserbeak sat on his usual perch above the Nemesis control room, waiting for his master to return when his sensors detected a shift, and he spotted Danny walking in. Laserbeak's optics brightened as he focused on the human, running a quick scan as he always did. But this time, he noticed something unusual — the vitals weren't right.
Danny spotted him immediately upon entering, waving up at the mini-con, smiling without a hint of worry. "Hey, Laserbeak. Is Soundwave nearby?"
Laserbeak ignored the question, launching from his perch and swooping down towards the human. He stopped, hovering just in front of him, getting close enough to do a more invasive scan. Danny instinctively took a step back, raising his organic limbs in a show of surrender. "Laserbeak?" Danny's tone was confused.
The mini-con chirped, his scanners working over Danny's frame from head to toe. As he reached Danny's torso, his sensors caught something: an anomaly. A viscous substance was leaking from a wound on the human's side under his shirt. Laserbeak squawked in alarm, extending a tendril to lift the fabric. Beneath the shirt, he found bandages hastily wrapped around the area, and under that was a deep, raw injury that had been quickly and clumsily stitched back together with thread.
Laserbeak's EM field flared in shock and concern. Danny was hurt, losing blood. He knew humans required their blood just as mechs needed energon, and without armor or plating, their bodies were easily compromised. The realization sent another spike of alarm through Laserbeak, and he leaned in to inspect the wound more closely.
Danny placed a servo on the mini-con's frame, gently trying to push him back. "Laserbeak, I'm fine. See?" He said, gesturing at the rough patch job. "I already dealt with it."
But Laserbeak let out a low, displeased huff. The injury was still leaking, and for a wound of this severity, the human should be experiencing more pain — or at least expressing it. Ignoring Danny's reassurances, Laserbeak extended a tendril and lightly touched the injury.
Danny winced, pulling back with a soft hiss.
Laserbeak retracted immediately, his field radiating an apology. So, the human was in pain. He was simply hiding it, trying to wave it off to keep Laserbeak from worrying. But Laserbeak was undeterred. He wrapped a tendril loosely around Danny's arm to prevent him from walking off while he considered what to do.
Laserbeak could bring Danny to Knockout, but he dismissed it immediately: Knockout rarely had the human's best interests in mind and would likely not even know where to start when it came to an injury on an organic. Danny tugged at the tendril, impatience pulling at the edge of his field, but Laserbeak held tighter, determined to keep him in place.
This was beyond Laserbeak's scope to address alone. Danny needed a more thorough examination. Quickly, he sent a sharp, urgent ping to Soundwave, requesting his master's immediate return.
Moments later Soundwave glided into the control room, his visor flickering and field emanating concern through their bond from the frantic ping. Laserbeak dragged Danny closer to Soundwave, urgently pinging him requests to look over the injured human.
Danny rubbed the back of his neck, field drifting towards embarrassment under the scrutiny. "It's fine, really," he began. "I patched myself up. No need to worry."
Soundwave ignored the dismissal, scanning Danny's injuries himself. His field displayed a brief pulse of concern before he reached down, scooped the human up in his servos and brought him closer to his visor.
"Assessment: insufficient treatment," Soundwave's said. "Injuries: pose threat to Danny's health." His field became a little lighter as he sensed Laserbeak's worry. "Suggestion: Seek additional treatment."
Danny's field flared in — fear? - but he tried to smother it down and waved dismissively. "I'm not going to a hospital," he explained. "It's not that bad. I'll heal up soon, I promise. Really, I don't need any more attention, this happens all the time."
Soundwave tilted his helm, silently observing Danny for a moment. After a beat, he addressed the human again. "Solution: remain under observation."
Danny's shoulders slumped, but he nodded, reluctantly agreeing to stay under their watch for the next hour or so. Laserbeak, satisfied with this outcome, chirped softly and nestled at Danny's side, his tendrils close by in case the human tried any more evasive moves.
As Danny settled in, Laserbeak's optics flickered with a quiet intensity. He would stay right here, keeping vigilant, and make sure this reckless human didn't suffer further damage on his watch.
x
Laserbeak had been acting strange lately, constantly hovering around Danny and scanning him for injuries every chance he got. Danny found it strangely endearing, even though most of the times Laserbeak had "saved" Danny, he had been perfectly fine. But from Laserbeak's perspective, Danny guessed that he was technically putting himself in mortal peril all the time.
Laserbeak and Soundwave both seemed to have taken it upon themselves to always make sure Danny was in peak health. Even for just a little scrape, or if he was a little dizzy, he would be put on veritable bed rest until the two cons deemed him fit to leave their sight. He couldn't even sit up without one of them moving him to sit back down, and the worry and concern from Laserbeak's field always guilted Danny into staying.
But right now, Danny grinned as the wind rushed past him, sitting comfortably on Laserbeak's back as they glided through the sky, one of the con's tendrils wrapped around his waist like a seatbelt. Laserbeak was doing reconnaissance around a small mining town (Danny didn't think those existed anymore) but Danny asked to tag along. Soundwave deemed the mission safe enough for his two mini-cons to go, as long as they stuck together.
Danny loved flying with the Cons, whether it was Starscream, Laserbeak, or Soundwave. The last one happened the least often with the amount of work Soundwave was swamped with. But Here, with Laserbeak, he could relax. The silent mech always scanning and observing everything around them.
"Man, you really get a good view up here," Danny said, patting Laserbeak's side as they flew.
Laserbeak didn't respond, not that Danny expected him to. The mechanical bird was focused, always alert, and that was something Danny could appreciate. He stretched his arms, taking in the view of the vast sky stretching out around them.
Then something shifted.
Danny felt it — an odd jolt in the air, like static electricity crackling around them. He frowned and looked around. "Uh… did you feel that?"
Before he could figure it out, Laserbeak jerked violently beneath him, his wings stiffening as if hit by an invisible force. Laserbeak screeched, his systems suddenly going haywire.
"What the—?!" Danny's eyes widened.
Suddenly they were dropping out of the sky, Laserbeak's flight systems failing as they spiralled downward. Danny's stomach lurched as they plummeted, the ground coming up fast to meet them.
Laserbeak was struggling, and Danny had no idea what happened. Was this an Autobot attack? He had never met one of them before but he knew they were the Cons' mortal enemies. Maybe an EMP or some other Cybertronian weapon to scramble systems he hadn't heard about?
The ground got closer faster. Danny desperately gripped Laserbeak's wings and tried to slow their descent, hands grasping tightly to the metal of his wings. Danny was staring at Laserbeak, trying to figure out what was wrong, trying to make sure the mini-con wasn't in pain.
Danny was so focused on slowing their descent and checking the Con's systems that he didn't notice the large abandoned warehouse/barn they were hurtling towards. By the time Danny looked up it was too late to use his intangiblility. They crashed through the roof (luckily with a much-slowed fall) and landed on a pile of old, rusted tools and parts.
Danny had been thrown off of Laserbeak and landed a few feet away. He slowly sat up, his eyes adjusting and ears ringing. When he finally blinked his vision back into focus, he saw Laserbeak lying in a heap. The mech's systems were clearly down — he wasn't moving, and the glow of his optics had dimmed
"Laserbeak!" Danny scrambled to his feet, rushing over to him. "Hey, you okay? What happened?" He put a hand on the Con's wing.
Laserbeak twitched, trying to lift his helm to look around, but his lights flickered and he collapsed again. Danny swore under his breath. Maybe he could try and reboot his systems?
He glanced over and saw how one of the Con's wings was crumpled and he had a few dents across his frame where they had hit the wheelhouse and then the ground. If only Danny had been more attentive, this wouldn't have happened. This may be out of his league. Laserbeak needed Soundwave, or Knockout, someone who knew how to deal with Cybertronian tech.
Laserbeak's optics flickered weakly as he tried to scan Danny, his chirp sounding almost pained. "I know, buddy," Danny sighed. "I'll get you fixed up, we just got to hope that whoever shot you down didn't see where we landed." He sat down next to the mini-con and stroked a hand on his back between his wings.
He pulled out his phone quickly and opened up his contact for Soundwave, sending immediate pings and requests for pick up, along with their coordinates. Danny knew it wouldn't be long before the Decepticon third in command would come for his mini-con and his sort of adopted human (that is, if he ever got the rights from Starscream).
"Help will be here soon, don't worry," Danny reassured in a quiet tone to Laserbeak. Suddenly, he heard something outside the abandoned building they were bunkered up in. He tensed and strained his ears to listen. Laserbeak must have sensed it too because his field flickered in fear. Voices .
"Where'd it go? I know I saw it fall over here!" One voice said, sounding closer.
"You sure that wasn't just a bird or somethin'?" Another asked.
"No way. Whatever it was, it was huge! And we nailed it with that zapper!"
Danny froze. Teenagers. It was just a bunch of teenagers. Of course, it was. A bunch of kids who had made some sort of EMP weapon for a school project or just for fun and decided to start shooting things out of the sky. Danny glanced down at the cowering mini-con next to him as they got closer and closer. Laserbeak couldn't even move a winglet with what they did to him.
So it was up to Danny to protect him this time. He was due a turn anyway. If they found Laserbeak, there was no telling what they'd do, especially if they realized he wasn't just some wild animal.
Danny stood up, looking around for anything he could use to hide Laserbeak. There was an old tarp draped over some machinery. That would work. Danny pulled it off with a flick of his wrists and then draped it over the Decepticon surveillance drone, tucking the corners under his wings.
Laserbeak's field flickered with confusion and Danny stepped back to see how covered the Con was. Danny could see the tip of one of his wings and his flickering optics reflecting a little bit of light from underneath the tarp. It would work as long as they didn't look too hard. "I'm keeping you out of sight. Just stay quiet and I'll buy us time till Soundwave arrives.
"I think it's in here."
Danny crossed his arms, standing as much as he could in front of Laserbeak, trying to keep him from view. The kids shoved their way in, even though the door had been clearly barricaded, the wood splintering easily as one of them shoved it hard with their shoulder.
The kids were laughing as they strode in, not noticing Danny at first. One of them had a crowbar in his fist and another a bat. There was a third who was holding some strange sort of mangled tech that looked like it had been pierced together from bits of a junkyard (looked like something his parents would make in the early days.)
"You guys lost?" Danny asked, his tone ice-cold. The three teens' eyes all snapped to him, all going stiff for a moment.
One of the teenagers, the leader apparently, smirked. "We're lookin' for the thing we shot down. Saw it fall right around here. Big metal bird or whatever." He slurred, waving his hand to the side. Danny added likely intoxicated to the mental list.
Danny's eyes narrowed. "There's nothing here. So how about you turn around and leave."
The leader scoffed, stepping closer. "You gonna make us?"
Danny clenched his fists. The last thing he needed was to get into a fight, but he wasn't about to let them get anywhere near Laserbeak. "Yes, I am, kid. Now get out of here if you know what's good for you."
There was a beat of silence before one of the teens made the mistake of grabbing Danny's arm, trying to shove him out of the way.
In a flash, Danny twisted, phasing just enough to throw the kid off balance and send him tumbling into the dirt. His crowbar clattered to the ground next to him. The others hesitated, clearly unsure whether to keep pushing or not.
"Last warning," Danny said, his voice dropping low. "Leave. Now."
The group looked at each other before the leader of the group stepped closer again, brandishing his bat. Danny smirked at the weapon and when the kid swung it Danny grabbed it, easily wrenching it from his grip. The kid stumbled forward and made an angry noise, turning back around to try and punch Danny in the face, who easily dodged, causing the kid to trip over his friend who was still trying to get up. They both ended up in a heap.
Danny held up the bat for them to see and then snapped it in half, throwing both pieces to the ground next to them. "Like I said, time to leave." Danny glanced over at the kid holding the EMP-type thing. "And leave that here." The kid dropped it and started running for the door, leaving his two friends. Danny winced as the piece of tech broke into many places as it landed.
The other two kids glanced up at Danny and back towards their friend who just left and scrambled to their feet, leaving their weapons as they booked it towards the door. "That guy's crazy," one of the kids called out.
Danny sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Damn kids." He turned back to Laserbeak and gently lifted the tarp off of his head so that Danny could see him. Danny then patted his side reassuringly. "They're gone," he said softly. "You're safe now. Just hang on, okay?"
Laserbeak's optics dimmed, his wings twitching slightly. Danny stayed by his side, keeping watch over the warehouse entrance, not planning on moving until help arrived.
A few long minutes passed before Danny finally heard the sound of a familiar engine rumbling in the distance. He smiled faintly as he heard the sound of the colossal mech landing harshly in the forest and the heavy steps of him getting closer to their location.
Danny looked up to see Soundwave poke his helm in the opening the teens made when they bashed open the door. Danny laughed lightly at the thought of the tall mech crouching down that far to see them. His visor flickered as he scanned the scene.
"Hey, Soundwave," Danny called tiredly. "Took you long enough."
Soundwave said nothing, his silent presence enough to reassure Danny as he finally relaxed. The backup was here. Laserbeak was going to be alright.
And for once, Danny had been the one to protect him.
Authors Notes:
Thank you so much everyone for all of your support! It really means so much to me. This has been by far one of my largest series and projects and there has been so much content made! And even though it is a small part of the fandom and will not really score that big! Those of you who stay and continue sharing amazing comments and support me really make my day. 3
Again for the ANIMATIC, Just search "Protective Programing Animatic" on YouTube. It will be under my art account "Raevo_Draws" for those who want to check it out! Please consider liking and commenting, maybe even subscribing so that I might get the chance to make something like this again in the future!
Beta read by Arvensia.