A/N: I had another case of "This is why I have written so far ahead" with this one. The other day, I realized there's a thing that Shade' would do after discovering what Vector did. She would've done it at some point anyways, but that discovery feels like the sort of thing to give her an extra push to just do it. So originally I stuck it onto the beginning of a chapter a bit later than this. And then this morning, while going through and adding the dividing lines and reading for typos or small edits, I realized that it was something that really should happen before that chapter. And, due to the timeframe, this chapter made the most sense. She's still hiding from the other bots for the most part and trying to sort through her thoughts and emotions on her own and this kind of information gathering would be part of that. After doing this method for so long, I would encourage anyone else to do this as well. It's been really nice and helpful to write ahead for multiple reasons. Though I also understand posting stuff as you complete it initially as well. I used to do that. I did that when I first started this story.
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Shaniversefan1: As far as I know at this point in time, Stark is the only Marvel character I intend to use. The humans are still relatively side characters thus far. That may change later, may not, I don't know. I don't have every single arc planned out yet. So we'll see. I could see Natasha potentially getting a role, though I'm not sure about Capt. I would have to change how and when he became Capt. if I use him as an existing person in this reality. Some Marvel characters just won't fit, at least in the capacity of being in this reality. Like, I *love* Doctor Strange, but humans using magic doesn't fit in the reality of NLNB. We'll see how it goes.
Chapter 24: Meetings
I sat, hidden from any satellite images or humans by the cave walls around me as I hacked into the world wide web. I searched for reports of a fire in the area I had been last as a human and found it buried a little under some AI results and misinformation. An article about a conspiracy by the government was the first result and I saved it to peruse later for clues on what might've started the fire. Not that I believed the writers had come to any proper conclusions, but I knew how to sift through it to find kernels of hints with what I already knew. And I wanted to know if Vector was responsible for the fire or not. Maybe it mattered, maybe it didn't. But if he was, it did add to his crimes and I wanted to be informed of such things in the event he ever actually talked to me.
An obituary was the second result, the main one I was looking for. I perused the article, searching the names for my human one. I found it listed among the dead. A body had even been found and identified, which I found strange, but also did not surprise me. Vector had probably planted it. The obituary written for my human self was very touching and made me cry a bit, made my spark ache.
There didn't seem to be any other articles, so I moved on and hacked into Facebook next. Into my fiancée's account to check on him. I had come several years into the future from when I would've died. I was relieved to see he was still alive. It pained my spark to see what my apparent death had done.
The posts left on my old page showed how much those I had finally found a place with had genuinely cared. It also showed how much they had hurt at my passing. But I was thankful to everyone for supporting each other. And that they'd been able to pick themselves back up.
I almost thought about leaving something behind to show I had been there. But I didn't know how it might be interpreted and I didn't want to open old wounds. I had just needed to know. I logged out, leaving no trace of my hacking behind.
Part of me desperately wanted to go and actually see him, but I knew it would be too dangerous. Cybertronians did not exist here. Between all the different factors, being seen by anyone was too dangerous. For them, even if not myself. Besides, it was best for him that I let him continue to live his life and heal. Hopefully he could find love again someday.
Spark aching, I ducked back through a portal to the reality I called home these days. At least I knew he didn't think I had purposely abandoned him. And that he was home and safe. That would have to be enough.
Tony Stark sat across from Agent Fowler in the helicopter that was carrying them to the Autobot base several hours after their meeting in Area 51 had concluded. He had perused the files provided him more thoroughly while listening to the man and Admiral Hackett argue with someone over the phone for a couple hours and had a pretty solid idea of who each of the Autobots were.
At least, who they were according to the reports. He knew reports only told part of the story, of course. Take this Shadebreaker for instance. There had to be more to her story that wasn't in the reports. One could not simply change the nature of one's very soul. If her soul truly was that of one of the aliens now, then had she truly been human to begin with? Or was it really not now? Was it simply something that they simply could not tell despite their claims otherwise? He had a hard time believing the story in its entirety.
"How do they know?" He asked Fowler suddenly, moving his hand away from his mouth as he considered the man before him.
"Know what?" Fowler asked, raising an eyebrow.
"That this Shadebreaker no longer has a human soul? How can they tell? It's not exactly like the human soul is visible," Stark said. "Even my scanners cannot identify it. And I have the best technology humans can offer."
Fowler sighed, shaking his head. "The Autobots are different, Stark," he said. "Like I told you earlier, it is respresented physically by their spark. Which is how they identified that Shadebreaker has a Cybertronian soul now."
"So," Stark said, tilting his head. "They're completely certain this Shockwave changed her very soul?"
Fowler hesitated. "I…don't know," he said. "I only know what I've been told. And what I've been told is that, if not for her memories and the fact they know they are genuine, there would be no traces left of her human self. She has a Cybertronian soul and it is unlikely that she has two souls without knowing it."
"No split personality disorder?" Stark asked.
Fowler scoffed lightly in amusement. "No," he said. "Nothing like that."
"So it's entirely possible she may have had a Cybertronian soul the whole time," Stark suggested.
"I don't see how that would be possible for a Cybertronian soul to exist in a human body," Fowler scoffed, waving a hand in dismissal.
"I've seen stranger," Stark said. "They used to say alien life was impossible. Also, I was supposed to die two years ago from the shrapnel in my heart." He tapped the arc reactor that powered the magnet keeping said shrapnel at bay. "And then from the poisoning from the palladium in my old arc reactor metal."
"Until you were led to the pieces of a puzzle to discover an element not found on Earth," Fowler said, having a knowing look on his face.
Stark raised an eyebrow. "How do you know about how I made Badassium?"
Fowler chuckled. "Is that what you call it?" Fowler asked, looking amused. "The bots call it Cybernite and it's a metal usually only found on their home planet, but the Autobots were able to find a way to replicate its properties. Information we subtly forwarded to you, Mr. Stark."
Stark frowned, biting the inside of his cheek. He had prided himself on discovering a new element and had even had it patented. "Why? Also, why didn't you do anything to stop me taking credit publicly?"
"The Autobots are still very much a secret, Mr. Stark," Fowler said simply. "Allowing you to take credit for this new element was no problem. It allowed its use in more public spaces without risking exposure. It provided more cover for our Autobots to hide in plain site as they tend to while on patrol. But besides that, we couldn't let the world's first and only super hero die from the very thing meant to keep him alive. And when Optimus heard about you, he didn't mind at all sharing the formula for the element they had discovered thinks to Ratchet."
"Hm," Stark hummed thoughtfully. "So the Autobots know about me. Did they come to you about recruiting me?"
Fowler shook his head. "No, Mr. Stark," he said. "Recruiting you was Admiral Hackett's desire. We wanted someone like you to help us convince the Autobots to share more of their tech. Not for weapons, but to further more of the other stuff. You already head the race for environmentally friendly forms of power and efficient modes of transportation. We brought you in as additional liaison support, as an inventor with strong feelings about weapons yourself, we thought your coinciding views on the matter might help ease Optimus's concerns.
"Plus," Fowler continued, "having a strong human defense against the Decepticons is always a plus, especially given Optimus only recently allowed us a more hands-on approach to our assistance. You have experience taking a Decepticon down on your own, you could give our men a few pointers that the Bots might not think of."
"I'll consider it," Stark said, tilting his head the other way as he watched Fowler. "I haven't talked to them yet, after all."
"Sir," the pilot said, peeking over his shoulder. "The scanners are picking up a bogie incoming."
"What kind?" Fowler asked. "Decepticon?"
"The readings match the records for the Decepticon Laserbeak, sir," the pilot replied.
"Which means Soundwave's likely not far behind," Fowler said solemnly. "Contact base, let them know we may be in trouble." He turned to Stark. "I don't suppose you have your suit with you."
"Agent," Stark said, stretching his arms a little to reveal the bracelets around his wrists. "I always have my suit."
Fowler nodded his approval. "Good, cause you may need it," he said.
"We got incoming!" the pilot said, changing that into a definite a mere moment later.
Stark peeked out the side of the helicopter just in time to see what looked like a robotic bird of prey flying straight at them. And it fired at the helicopter's rotors, taking out the blades that kept them in the air.
"Sweet Lady Liberty!" Fowler said in swearing tones as the helicopter rocked, trying to stay on his feet.
Stark spared him a look, already giving the commands to his suit to expand across his body. The nanobots activated in less than a blink, crawling from the bracelets to cover his arms and transform his clothes into his signature red and gold Iron Man suit.
As the helicopter spun out of control, Stark grabbed Fowler with one arm and the pilot with the other hand before using the pulsors in his boots to shoot out from the helicopter.
"You called the bots, private?" Fowler asked, grabbing hold of the pilot's clothes to pull him closer to the flying man's body.
"No sir! The signal was jammed!" The pilot replied.
"For the sake of Uncle Sam's Beard," Fowler growled.
"Hang on," Stark warned and dived to the side to avoid a barrage of fire from the pursuing bird bot. "Jarvis, can you get past the interference?"
"Possibly sir," the voice of the AI said in his ears. "But I would require the communication codes in order to reach the Autobots of which your new friends speak."
"Fowler," Stark said, hoisting the pilot up to hug him to his side as he clenched his fists around each of their shirts to maintain his hold on them. "I need the codes to contact your base if we hope to make contact with them for backup."
Fowler looked like he was considering that for a moment.
"Look, I see a bit of land nearby, I'm going to put you down and hold bird brain off, but I can't call for backup without knowing how to call them," Stark said firmly.
"Fine," Fowler said and rattled off the communication codes and his verification numbers.
"You got that Jarvis?" Stark asked as he sat the two men down on the sand.
"Yes sir," Jarvis replied. "Calling for backup now."
"Good," Stark said and then shot back up into the sky toward the mechanical bird.
He rolled out of the way of some fire and then punched the robotic creature in the face when he met it head on. The creature, Laserbeak the pilot had referred to it, squawked loudly and then turned and snapped at him with its beak. He was just able to back out of the way, and then move away from the grip of its talons.
He lifted a hand and shot a blast from his repulsor at the thing, disorienting it.
"Sir, backup has arrived on the island," Jarvis said. "They are trying to take aim, but are hesitant to shoot with you locked in combat."
Stark took in Jarvis's update as he darted around attempts to snag him by the bird, it having been minimally affected by his repulsor blast. He wasn't entirely surprised. His repulsor blasts weren't designed for combat against giant alien robots. He had armaments meant for this, though.
"Another Decepticon is inbound, sir," Jarvis reported. "The energy signature matches that of Soundwave. Two unknown signatures accompany him."
Damn. He could take the one bot if he switched to his weapons systems as he was about to. He would not be able to take four. And he was too far out for the Autobots to provide him proper support.
He switched gears and flew back toward the island, the bird hot on his trail. With the help of his AI, he veered out of the way of most of the shots, but as he came closer to the beach, a shot caught him on the back, hitting one of the repulsor lifts propelling him forward.
The force of the hit, besides frying that portion of the workings of his suit, sent him hurting toward the water. He shifted his limbs, spreading them out and pointing his still active repulsors downward to slow his fall. He heard splashes as one of the larger bots he'd seen on shore entered the water, likely to catch him before he could sink in his armor. He appreciated the concern even if he didn't see it as necessary.
Then another shot hit him in the arm that he couldn't dodge in his frantic attempt to keep from crashing into the sea and he cried out as he felt his bone crack. Warnings flashed red on his hud, alerting him to the continual loss of fuel and confirming the break in his arm.
"Shit," he said through gritted teeth.
The water came up faster now. But he didn't hit it. The bot reached him first, catching him in one hand while shooting with the other. He rolled himself over in the hand cradling him, cringing in pain from the impact, even if it had been softer than he had expected.
The flying thing squawked in anger as it got hit in a wing and then seemed to reconsider its attack as a blast from a bot on the shore whizzed past it. It flew away, making angry noises the whole way to meet up with the incoming jets.
The bot that held him lifted him up to their face and whirled in what sounded like questioning tones. It was then he realized it was the Autobot known as Bumblebee who had caught him.
"I'm ok," Stark replied, looking at the blue optics looking back at him in concern. "My arm is broken, but other than that, I'm fine."
Bumblebee whirled again reassuringly and then moved back toward the shore, cradling him to his chest carefully. He thought about protesting being carried. It was his arm that was broken, not his legs. But they had some water distance to cover and he had broken repulsors, so he accepted being carried like a baby.
"How is he, Bumblebee?" A deep voice Stark recognized from the clips as Optimus Prime.
Bumblebee whirled and Stark could tell he was relaying information about his broken arm. It kinda sounded like it at least, but his head was starting to hurt and that made it difficult to tell past the sounds of weapons firing. Something, something about energon exposure? What?
Optimus said something else, but he was already slipping into unconsciousness before he got through a whole sentence.
"Who's the new guy, Fowler?" Bulkhead asked curiously from where he manned the Ground Bridge controls as he watched Bumblebee lay the unconscious man on a medical gurney.
"Tony Stark," Fowler answered. "He's joining the liaison team in Galloway's place."
Bulkhead groaned, shaking his helm.
"Relax, he's nothing like that jerk," Fowler assured, smirking.
"He looks…armed," Optimus observed. "A combat veteran like yourself?"
Fowler shook his head. "Former weapons engineer," he replied, watching the med team wheel him away. "Emphasis on former. He makes it very clear he will not make weapons anymore. He's a lot like you in that regard, Optimus. These days he puts his genius to use towards the development of environmentally friendly technology."
"Such as those you wish to pursue with our tech," Optimus said meaningfully.
Fowler nodded, seeing the Prime understood. "He is here so that we can come to better agreements," he said. "Ones we can all be happy with. And, it never hurts to have a liaison with Decepticon experience."
Optimus blinked his optics. "I was unaware of any humans outside this taskforce having contact."
"We left Stark alone for a long time for our own reasons," Fowler said. "You may recall the request to allow him use of the Cybernite formula to make a quote, unquote 'new' formula."
Optimus nodded.
"A year prior, he had come into contact with a Decepticon in Egypt," Fowler said. "The one you lot identified later as Sideways. Took him down completely on his own. We kept quiet about it, cause we didn't know if he'd play ball. We still aren't sure now. But brass felt it was a good time and he seems willing, to an extent. Demanded to meet you before making a commitment, however."
Optimus nodded, though a frown was etched on his face.
"I'll check with the doctors and get back to you," Fowler said.
"Ratchet may need to take a look for the energon exposure," Optimus said. "I suggest you have the doctors coordinate with him."
Fowler nodded. "Of course," he said and then walked out, flagging down a passing tank of soldiers for a lift to follow the ambulance that had carried Stark to the human medical zone.
It wasn't until a couple days later that the doctors allowed Stark to leave the human hospital. And even then it was only because the man refused to stay any longer than that. It was hard to convince the man he needed to rest longer after the energon exposure from Laserbeak's shots.
"So, who should we start with first?" Stark asked through a mouthful of cheeseburger Fowler had brought him.
"I figured we'd start with Ratchet and the others we'd find in medbay," Fowler said easily. "Not only is it closest, but Ratchet wanted to make sure the doctors did an adequate job dealing with the energon exposure."
Stark raised an eyebrow. "Is he gonna know anything about what to do if they didn't?" He asked.
Fowler shrugged. "He just likes to be thorough," he said. "Plus he doesn't always have the most faith in human technology to pick up on everything."
"Hm," Stark said as they made it down the steps and entered the car. "Well, you're the driver, champ."
Fowler rolled his eyes as he started the car and began driving.
"So," Stark said after he finished the cheeseburger and they were well underway. "Who all will be at medbay?"
Fowler shrugged. "Guaranteed will be Ratchet and Drift. Shadebreaker, too. The medic and our two on medical leave. But all the bots pop in from time to time for repairs or just to visit, so there might be others."
"Drift is the ex-Con, right?" Stark asked. "Is he in medbay cause he's still restricted or still infirm?"
"A little of both," Fowler said. "While he's close to gaining access to wandering around supervised, Ratchet wants his frame to heal a little bit more before he forays into the outside world."
Stark nodded in understanding. "What about Shadebreaker? Is she allowed to leave?"
Fowler shrugged. "Allowed, but I wouldn't count on it," he said. "Last time I was on base she wasn't even leaving her room. And that was just a couple days before our interrupted helicopter ride. I don't know what exactly happened when Chromedome entered her helm, but whatever it is clearly upset her."
Stark could get that. After Obadiah's betrayal he had done a lot of introspection and that had him isolating himself for a few days himself while he considered what to do going forward. He wondered if she had learned of a betrayal she had not noticed before.
They came to the medbay a few short minutes later and Fowler parked in a small area designed for human vehicles to pull off the roadway. Mostly for events such as these where liaisons were visiting medbay, but also in the event June was bringing one of the kids by to visit one of their Autobot guardians in medbay. Or any of the soldiers to visit a medbay-bound bot, as happened on occasion.
The two men made their way into the building through the human-sized doors. Stark looked around, taking in the absolutely massive size of everything within. Not a single thing within was designed with a human in mind and it was interesting.
"Do humans not often come in here?" He asked Fowler curiously.
"Not to stay very long," Fowler replied as they walked across the massive room. "There are a couple human-sized rooms, just in case." He pointed toward a human-sized door at a distant wall. "But they are hardly ever used. Most of the time when a human does visit, they stay in the main room, with the bot they are visiting. You saw the image of Miko sleeping with Shadebreaker. That is the more common sight in the event a human stays in medbay for any length of time."
"Ah," Stark said, recalling the scene with amusement.
Fowler led them through another door and Stark immediately noticed the bot within. Huge. And sporting the white and red paint job of the medic from the clips and the reports. The medic was occupied with some task at the large counter off to the side.
"Ratchet!" Fowler called as Stark looked around the room at the bot sized furniture and equipment.
Ratchet paused in his work and glanced over his shoulder to glare at the interruption. His optics looked down, clearly recognizing it was a human who had called for him and they landed on Fowler and Stark within moments.
"You get the privilege of meeting Stark while he's conscious first," Fowler said, grinning in good natured humor as he motioned to him and winked.
"Technically that goes to Bumblebee," Stark said, shrugging.
Fowler and Ratchet both rolled their eyes, or what amounted to eyes.
"I also figured you could get your scans out of the way," Fowler said, sounding like he was placating the mech from irritation he had not yet displayed.
"Very well," Ratchet said and waved them over. "Come over and we can speak while I work."
Fowler lead Stark over to where Ratchet was standing and then the medic held a hand down to the ground. Fowler climbed on readily, but Stark just frowned at it for a second.
"Come on, flyboy," Fowler said. "Or are you suddenly afraid of heights?"
Stark raised an eyebrow, but then climbed on the proffered hand, holding onto the thumb for stability.
Ratchet curled his fingers around and lifted them with the utmost care until they were just above the counter. He rested his hand on the counter, indicating for them to get off, which they did carefully.
Ratchet moved his hand away and pulled a device from seemingly nowhere.
"Where did that just come from?" Stark asked.
"Subspace," Ratchet replied simply and Stark felt a tingle as he waved the device pass him. "A pocket dimension between the fabrics of realities in which we can store things. That's the…layman's terms anyways." His tone was dry as his optics flicked between the two humans.
Fowler looked sheepish.
"I may ask you for a more indepth explanation some time," Stark said, smiling a little.
Ratchet looked a little surprised at that and then narrowed his optics.
"Mr. Stark here is our new liaison," Fowler jumped in to explain. "To take Galloway's place in negotiations about technological development and such."
"We're not sharing anything you can make weapons with," Ratchet said sternly.
"Hey, I get it," Stark said, lifting his free hand as he paced a bit to the side. "I won't ask for that. I don't make weapons anymore, anyways. Don't believe in it. Not after Baghdad."
"Hmph," Ratchet grunted disbelievingly.
Stark stopped short of the large microscope on the counter. The thing was larger than he was. "What's this you're working on?"
"A formula for synthetic energon, our food, if you will," Ratchet replied, watching him with careful optics. "We have a data device with a full formula, but it was damaged and I have been unable to retrieve the information. Wheeljack is taking a crack at it, but I've returned to trying to complete it on my own in the meantime. With the Decepticons maintaining control over most of your world's natural deposits, we need any source of fuel we can get."
Stark nodded, looking impressed. "How's it going?"
"Most recent tests look promising," Ratchet said. "Still needs some more testing, however, before it can be deemed safe for consumption. And even then we won't really know if it is until one of us drinks it."
"What happens if you drink it and it's not safe?" Stark asked.
"There's a number of ways it could go wrong," Ratchet said. "From poisoning us to changing our thinking processes and personalities."
"Like drugs," Stark observed. "So you're trying to get something that does neither of those things."
"Ideally it won't be much different from our natural stuff, but I know it won't be exact," Ratchet said with a sigh as he looked at his scanner as it dinged with the results of the scan he'd run on Stark while they'd talked.
"What's the verdict on my scan, doc?" Stark asked, amused.
Ratchet considered the results, taking into account the arc reactor he had been told about during the consultations about the energon exposure. He read the readouts from it and compared them to the ones the humans had sent him when he'd first been hospitalized.
"Other than your broken arm and the shrapnel still in your heart, you're fine," he grouched. "Have you considered looking into procedures to remove the shrapnel rather than keeping it at bay with that magnet?"
"Human medicine hasn't quite reached that far," Stark said, tilting his head.
"Hmph," Ratchet scoffed a bit. "I can recommend a couple of our human doctors to talk to about it. You'll find where we have collaborated, your technologies have improved much further than you think."
Stark looked at the large mech before him and felt like the mech was subtly telling him that he knew he was making excuses. It was an odd feeling. To feel as if he'd been read so easily by an alien robot he'd just met.
"Ratchet?" A feminine yet still clearly mechanical voice interrupted, saving him from answering.
Ratchet looked only mildly irritated before the expression smoothed over to one of concern as he shifted his attention to the source of the voice.
"Shadebreaker," he greeted gently. "What do you need?"
"I- My pain's flaring up a bit," Shadebreaker replied, sounding more than a bit vulnerable.
"Ah," Ratchet said, sighing. "We still have an hour before you're ok for your next painkiller."
"Oh," Shadebreaker said, disappointed. "It's starting to wear off faster. Last time it was only a few minutes off and you could give me the next dose."
"Yeah," Ratchet said, reaching out and rubbing her shoulder. "We'll keep track and rotate when we need to."
"Yeah," Shadebreaker said with a sigh. "And hope my system unadapted to it." She sounded a little grouchy.
Ratchet rubbed her shoulder and paused. "We have a new guest, perhaps talking to him will help distract you," he offered, moving to motion toward Stark.
Stark could see the femme now and he took in the owl bot with a bit of sympathy. Despite the visor hiding her optics he could still see she was of a low mood by the way the massive wings sat low on her back and were pulled close to her frame and the way the feathers on her helm drooped. There was a hole in her armor at her side where he could see bandages covering her midsection and he saw bandages peeking out from under her armor in other places as well. Her armor in general looked pretty rough.
Something else he noticed, though, was the flash of recognition he thought he caught on her face. It was there for the briefest of moments and if he hadn't been watching her intently he would've missed it.
"Hello there," she greeted, holding out a hand to him. "Shadebreaker here."
"Tony Stark," he introduced himself, reaching out with his good hand and taking hold of one of her fingers.
She lifted that finger up slightly and then down in the best mimicry of a handshake they could muster between them. "And you are here…"
"As a replacement liaison for that shmuck Galloway cause he wouldn't lay off your weaponry," Stark replied bluntly.
Shadebreaker grinned a little as Fowler groaned, facepalming. "I'm glad to hear Optimus no longer has to deal with him," she said sincerely. "I'm sure you will be much better suited to technological negotiations. May your dealings with us be pleasant and conducive to bettering human-Autobot friendships."
"The reports didn't peg you as the diplomatic type," Stark said, smiling a bit.
"I can be, sometimes," Shadebreaker said. "I'm afraid I don't have the social energy to be much fun or up for storytelling or whatever. I'm merely trying not to put my foot in my mouth is all, quite frankly. But I do genuinely mean that, as well."
"Well, you are very kind," Stark said. "Do you mind if I ask you something?"
"Only if you mind if I maintain my right not to answer," she replied, tone light.
"That's fair," Stark said easily. "I've been told you used to be human. Can you tell me something about that? Should I be worried if the Decepticons grab me they might turn me?"
Shadebreaker's wings shifted and Stark saw Ratchet shift, looking ready to move from where he'd started back into his work on the synthetic energon to intervene. Fowler frowned off to the side, crossing his arms as he looked concerned he had crossed a line.
"I do not know for certain," she said sincerely. "Information I have come across says that shouldn't be a worry, but there's always a possibility of that being a lie to try to discourage Shockwave from trying. Plus, I do not think it would stop the mech from trying. If he has not already tried to replicate it and failed. There is too little information to say with certainty."
Stark nodded his understanding. "Can you elaborate? Or is that too personal?"
"That is something I am still processing and do not feel comfortable discussing at this time," Shadebreaker replied guardedly. "Perhaps in time." She seemed to consider him for a moment. "For now, know that we bots will do our utmost to keep you safe from the Decepticons as we do all our allies."
"I can appreciate that," Stark said and watched as a tension left the femme's frame. She had, he suspected, expected him to bring up the human casualties they'd suffered.
"I appreciate that you appreciate that," she said softly and there was a vulnerability in her tone that confirmed his thoughts and added some that she personally felt responsible for at least some of them.
"Can I ask what you did when you were a human?" Stark asked with a tone of genuine interest as he fiddled with a tool on a stand.
"Careful with that," Ratchet warned, barely even glancing.
Shadebreaker looked mildly amused as Stark raised an eyebrow at the disgruntled medic. "I did a few things," she replied. "I worked in food for a long time. Childcare briefly. Though the last thing I did was work as a receptionist."
"A civilian," Stark observed. "And now you're a soldier. A choice made for you?"
"I was given an option to sit on the sidelines as support," Shadebreaker replied. "And I could always walk away. But that's not the kind of bot I have chosen to be. I'm not a frontliner, but neither am I sideliner. Not even Ratchet stays out of the field entirely."
Ratchet grunted, shooting them a look as if he didn't like her using him as an excuse to keep going in the field. Stark got a distinct impression Shadebreaker would be sidelined if he had the final say.
She's the special one to him, he realized easily.
"I like to be where I know I can help," Shadebreaker said. "I am still learning the ropes of that, however. And learning where my limits are and aren't." She picked at a damaged piece of armor. "And how to adjust those limits."
"It sounds like a steep learning curve," Stark said.
"Indeed," Shadebreaker said. "Going from being human to suddenly having wings." She shifted one massive wing out a bit, where Stark got a glimpse of its actual size. It was rather massive and had quite the range of motion it looked like. "I've smacked a few bots with these suckers forgetting about them a time or two."
Stark chuckled at that.
"The ability to fly is nice, though," she said.
"Yeah," he agreed. "Flying is pretty cool."
"Hmm," she hummed and had a knowing look on her face that had him narrowing his eyes at her. Then she flinched and put a hand on her helm. "Ratch'..." She rubbed her helm.
"A little longer," Ratchet said gently, shooting her a regretful look.
Shadebreaker groaned slightly, leaning forward to rest her elbows on the counter as she continued to rub her temples.
Stark patted her arm sympathetically. "So, can you change what you transform into? Or are you stuck with owl?" he asked, hoping to help her stay distracted from the pain.
"I…haven't really considered it," Shadebreaker replied, tilting her helm as she rested it in her hands. "The others all have some control over their alt modes. They can chose what model of vehicle for their alt mode anyways. Theoretically, maybe I could choose between birds, but I don't know if it works like that for beast formers."
"That would be something to ask Optimus if he knows from the information he read in the archives," Ratchet said, leaning away from the microscope to look over. "That's how we even knew what your frame type is called to begin with. There aren't many beast formers around anymore."
Shadebreaker sighed heavily. "Go me for having a frame type of an almost extinct kind," she said dryly. "At least there aren't enough differences you can't keep me in health. Just seems to make pain management a, well, pain."
Ratchet huffed at that and then looked at his datapad, writing something down.
"Would you change your alt mode?" Stark asked curiously. "If it turns out you could?"
"Hmm," Shadebreaker hummed thoughtfully. "Maybe. I quite like owls, though, so also maybe not. It'd be a hard decision. Hawks are cool, but so are parrots and falcons and eagles and pterodactyls and, well, you get the idea. Kea parrots are really beautiful, and smart. And ravens. I might stay owl just for sheer lack of ability to decide on another."
Stark chuckled a bit. "I mean, theoretically, you could put several into a rotation," he said. "Like a change of clothes. Be an owl for a week, then a falcon, then a raven, and on."
"Hm, that's an idea," Shadebreaker said, sounding mildly amused. "The bot of ever changing alt modes. It could be my whole shtick. Another layer of eccentricity to go along with the rest."
"Yeah, well, who wants to be normal anyhow?"
"Exactly," she said, shooting him finger guns without moving her hands away from supporting her helm. "Bots could take bets on which flying bird I might choose next. It could be a whole game. Provide endless entertainment. No boredom to be found."
"Gotta keep morale up," Stark agreed, noting the grimace in her face.
"I wonder if I'd be limited on which birds I could take as an altmode," Shadebreaker said. "I mean, some don't fly, like the ostrich. Others, like the puffin, have entirely different wings. Are my wings affected by my alt mode or are they this and that's it and I can only be a bird with similar wings?"
"All very good questions, I'm sure," Ratchet said dryly, moving closer.
"Time?" Shadebreaker asked hopefully.
"Yes," Ratchet said gently.
"Yay," Shadebreaker said and despite how desperate she'd seemed for the painkiller she didn't seem particularly thrilled as she lowered a hand to offer Ratchet an arm.
Stark watched as Ratchet removed a piece of armor with care and cleaned a patch of metallic surface underneath. He explained everything he was doing, though whether it was for his benefit or to distract Shadebreaker, Stark wasn't certain.
When Ratchet brought a syringe filled with a liquid, Stark realized Shadebreaker was beginning to tremble and he looked up at her face. She was looking down, away from the sight of Ratchet administering the pain killer. Her mouth was a hard line as if focused.
He reached out and placed a hand on her arm that still sat on the counter, giving her a sympathetic look. Her face shifted enough that he knew she had turned her attention to him, even as she flinched when Ratchet inserted the needle. He maintained eye to optic contact silently as the shot was administered, only breaking when Ratchet announced he was done.
"Thank you," Shadebreaker said as she backed away from the counter and rubbed her arm where her armor had been replaced. "I'm going back to my room now." She bowed her helm to them. "I hope you enjoy the rest of your stay, Mr. Stark. Thank you, Ratchet. Good day, Agent Fowler."
They all wished her a good day and Stark watched as she retreated away.
"Her captivity really hit her hard, huh?" Fowler asked.
Ratchet sighed heavily. "It's," he paused, seeming to look for the right words. "While I'm sure her recent time in Decepticon captivity plays a part, her current mood is about something else. The information she mentioned, in fact."
"I'm assuming that's about her time with Shockwave," Fowler said, glancing at Stark. "Is it something we should know?"
Ratchet looked thoughtful for a long moment. "It did seem to indicate Shockwave cannot repeat what he did to anyone else, however, like she said, it is unclear whether Vector was lying or not. And it's a safe bet it won't stop the mech from trying."
"Vector? As in Vector Prime?" Fowler asked. "Isn't that the mech that rescued her from Shockwave? What's he got to do with it?"
"He's also the mech who put her into his hands in the first place," Ratchet said dryly.
"That doesn't make any sense," Fowler said, motioning with his hands. "Why would he deliver her to him only to take her away?"
"We are uncertain," Ratchet said. "But my guess is that it's connected to whatever made him think the process Shockwave went through to change her wouldn't work for anyone else."
Stark listened to the two of them talk for a little bit longer, coming up with his own theories. His thoughts of there being something different from a typical human from the getgo felt vindicated with this information.
"Well, we better be going," Fowler said suddenly. "We got lots more bots to meet."
"We haven't met Drift yet," Stark pointed out.
"Drift's busy meditating," Ratchet waved him off. "Besides, it's best you wait to meet him until he's been cleared with security. Not that I think he's a threat to you. Prowl might get persnickety about it, though. I'm sure Elita is open to visitors, though."
"Very well," Stark said in acceptance as Ratchet held a hand out to help the two humans back to the floor.