TF: Prime -- Of Sparks and Cons :6:

“Of Sparks and Cons”
Chapter Six: Meeting

Groaning and shoving rock and dirt from his body, Reclaimer sat up and rubbed at the back of his helm. A large dent was located just above his neck. He’d been lucky. Looking over to where the two seekers lay, he noticed Darksky had not been so lucky. Getting to his feet shakily, Reclaimer approached the two seekers and knelt beside Darksky first, checking for any sign of a spark. When he found none he sighed and shook his head. The seeker was a pain in the aft, but he had been part of the colony long before Reclaimer and Quicksilver had shown up. It would be hard on the other colonists, those were still functioning, to know that he’d been taken out by a cave-in.

A moan drew Reclaimer’s attention away from the body of the red seeker and he clambored to his feet once more, “Starscream, hold still… you’re lucky. Darksky was not.”

“What caused the cave-in?” Starscream was more aware that Reclaimer had thought he would be.

“No idea… that was always Groundbreaker’s job,” Reclaimer stated as he looked pointedly at the sealed tunnel, “I doubt he or Catalyst made it…”

Something caught the seeker’s attention; Reclaimer could feel his optics on him. Looking back at him, Reclaimer lifted a brow ridge before offering the second-in-command a hand up. Starscream brushed it aside and pulled himself to his feet, forced to use Reclaimer for support. One of his leg joints had been damaged by some of the falling debris.

“Why did you not answer Darksky when he inquired about Catalyst’s location?” Starscream snapped suddenly as Reclaimer was assisting out of the tunnel. A few more pebbles fell from the ceiling and Reclaimer stopped long enough to make sure that was all that was going to fall before continuing on.

“Because I didn’t know who he was asking about… far as I know, Catalyst is a Decepticon like us,” Reclaimer responded easily, venting a sigh as they broke out into the darkening twilight.

“Hm… you work closely with a bot, I’d expect you’d notice the subtle differences,” Starscream sneered. To which Reclaimer opted to take one of Quicksilver’s expressions and rolled his optics.

“Commander, we work underground in a dingy hole. Catalyst and I, we were not friends, we were co-workers. When we left for the cycle, sometimes we’d stop off at the pub, but most dark cycles, we’d go our separate ways. In all honesty, I preferred to be outside of his company.”

“Why is that?” Starscream snarled. He was phishing and Reclaimer knew it.

“He was… different. More introverted than most of us. Normally that doesn’t bother me, I’ve cared for a femme more introverted for a while now, but he was just… different,” Reclaimer finished lamely with a shrug, “Can you fly?”

The question pulled Starscream up short and he stopped walking to glower at Reclaimer. The look did nothing to phase the larger mech and he simply returned the look.

“As long as I can transform, I can fly,” Starcream finally responded. And without further ado, did so. Reclaimer watched as he shot off into the sky, heading for the space port. Fighting the urge to look behind him to see if Groundbreaker and Catalyst were going to emerge from the tunnel, he moved forward. He wanted to check on Quicksilver before anything else happened this cycle.

“Quicksilver, where are you?” Reclaimer asked the question of the open air, his hand near his audio receiver.

“Oh Primus, Reclaimer! Are you okay?!!” Quicksilver’s ecstatic reply made Reclaimer wince. It wasn’t very often the femme was happy enough to actually shout and she tended to forget that it hurt sensitive audios when she did so.

“Ow… except for being a little deaf now, yes,” Reclaimer quipped as he continued to walk back toward civilization, or what was left of it, anyway.

“Oops… sorry,” Quicksilver’s voice dipped back to a normal octave and she sounded a little ashamed of herself for getting carried away.

Sighing, Reclaimer shook his head with a grim smile, “It’s fine… are you with Renegade?”

“Yes,” Quicksilver’s answer was quick and to the point but there was something more she wanted to say. Reclaimer waited her out and had to chuckle.

“He won’t let me leave,” Quicksilver charged. Reclaimer could hear her glare through the comm link. Renegade had to have had his hands full with her in the ship with him.

“For good reason. I want you to stay there, ‘Silver, do you understand?” Reclaimer ordered, waiting for her to agree. When it wasn’t forthcoming, he growled slightly.

“Yes… I understand… but, when are you going to come get me?” Quicksilver’s voice quaked a little bit and Reclaimer felt bad for getting irritated but not bad enough to apologize for it.

“Soon,” Reclaimer promised before cutting the link and transforming so he could reach his destination faster.

***

Moving along the main street, Cascade avoided looking at the bodies of the mechs he’d called friends. A number of Chartah remains were scattered about as well and he had a hard time understanding why the drones had attacked them. The Chartah were not a part of their colony, they had merely been visiting or working and yet, they’d been caught in the crossfire as well. Not even during his darkest of cycles would Cascade willingly take the life of an organic that held no purpose in the war.

“Forget about it and move on,” Cascade snarled quietly to himself. Following the comment, the sound of something moving off to the side drew his attention. Looking in the direction, Cascade searched for any signs of a bot or Chartah in the immediate vicinity. What he found had him staring open-mouthed.

Two yellow optics glowed at him, nearer to the ground than those of a full-grown mech. The small body that the optics belonged too seemed to shimmer in the darkness, but Cascade was able to see that it was broader in the shoulders than Windsplitter would ever be and that there were wing tips sticking up behind the body.

Getting over his shock, Cascade knelt down and held out a hand, “Come here little one, I won’t hurt you. My name is Cascade and I live in this colony.”

The latter seemed to stop the mechling in his tracks and he retreated once more to the shadows.

“I won’t hurt you,” Cascade repeated, concerned. Why the mechling was wandering about in the dark was beyond him, but what he wanted to know more than that was where he belonged.

“No… I can’t… I have to go back,” the mechling spoke in a soft tone, disappearing into the darkness before Cascade could get to his feet and jog to where he’d been hidden.

Cascade stood beside the residence the sparkling had stood in the shadow of and stared down at the small indents in the sandy ground. There was no telling where the sparkling had gone exactly as the sand turned harder the further one ventured from the residence. He simply hoped the small mech would be okay, especially after seeing the things that had happened in the colony.

With renewed purpose, Cascade turned and marched toward the council hall. If he had to beat Crankshaft into a pile of scrap, he would. But the old mech would tell him everything he needed to know.




Cascade entered the building and searched the first floor before mounting the stairs. Reaching the top, he glanced to the right before following the curve of the hall toward the left. The council chambers were to the right while Crankshaft’s personal quarters were to the right, positioned over the front entrance of the building. Cascade knew this because he had designed and primarily built the council hall prior to Crankshaft’s election to the position of leader.

Pounding on the heavy wood door, Cascade waited. When no sound reached his audio, he pounded again. The pad would not activate when he tapped it; this did not surprise him as the power seemed to have gone down at some point. Probably a strategically placed explosive blast by the ‘cons. Muttering to himself, Cascade stepped back before ramming into the door with all of his weight. It began to give immediately. He’d built it for privacy, not security.

By the third ram, the door gave and Cascade was forced to catch himself before he landed on the floor beyond. Grunting he stood up and dusted himself off before looking over to where Crankshaft’s form sat in a chair, his legs sprawled out before him, a cube of energon beside him on a table. His optics were shuttered and it appeared, for all intents and purposes that the old mech was in recharge.

Growling, Cascade approached him and gripped his shoulder, shaking him roughly. Nothing happened and Cascade reached down to feel where the mech’s spark chamber was hidden.

“Fraggin’ old fool,” Cascade cursed, slamming a fist against the table, splintering it and watching as the energon spilled.

Standing he glowered down at the body, feeling as though he’d had his satisfaction taken from him by the old mech’s deactivation. As much as he wanted to tear the old rusty fool apart, he kept seeing Windsplitter’s faceplate in his processor and sighed. He wouldn’t do that to her, even if she wasn’t here to see it.

***

Soundwave joined Megatron as he left the Nemesis. He’d spent a shot while discussing matters with the silent mech. He had also reviewed the data regarding Renegade’s deployment and status. If he was still the same mech from back then, Megatron knew he wouldn’t be able to refuse an order.

It was not a long walk to where Renegade’s vessel was docked. However it was getting progressively darker as the planet’s moon had not yet risen. This didn’t faze Megatron in the slightest, but he was highly aware of the dangers of the planet they had landed upon. There were a few creatures that looked at Cybertronians as a snack. Even if they couldn’t digest the metal.

“Soundwave, keep your sensors active, I don’t feel like running into any… uninvited guests,” Megatron ordered, even as movement caught his attention to the left. A slight sigh left his body as he recognized the form and continued walking ahead. He’d deal with that later.

Upon reaching the vessel, Megatron examined it critically. It was well-constructed and bore a resemblance to a ship he’d seen once before. However, he did not dwell on this fact. Stepping up to the panel set beside the ramp, he lightly tapped the call button and waited. There was no vocal response, instead the doors opened and a massive black mech stepped down to greet him. When the ship’s exterior lights struck his armor, Megatron realized the mech was painted green and black. An easy mistake to make in the dark.

“Lord Megatron, I have been awaiting your arrival,” Renegade bowed to him and indicated the interior of the ship.

Megatron acknowledged Renegade’s greeting before looking back at the Soundwave, noticing that his focus was elsewhere. The Decepticon leader had a sneaking suspicion he knew what had captured his attention and when Soundwave lifted a hand to point, Megatron discovered he was right. With a quiet growl, he directed Soundwave to go after what held his attention before turning back to Renegade. The mech was only a head shorter than him but felt much larger. Still he did not show any surprise at seeing him.

“Field commander,” Megatron greeted with a slight turn of his lips. Renegade returned his gaze without a single flinch, “I’m glad to take you up on your offer.”

Renegade stepped aside and allowed Megatron to precede him into the ship. Once aboard, they switched positions and Renegade led the way to a small compartment off to one side. Entering it, Megatron’s optics opened wider at the sight before him.

“Cascade mentioned that you wished to meet our sparklings,” Renegade stated solemnly, his gaze piercing as he watched Megatron.

Ignoring the gaze, Megatron looked down at the two femlings. One was distinctly feline in design, her small body reminding him of the local populace. She was also the only one who scampered to Renegade’s side, hiding behind him. The other was a light blue and charcoal gray femling who watched him with trepidation; Cascade’s sparkling, no doubt. She had a lot of details from her mother in her design, especially the helm. Behind them stood the youngling femme, a seeker no less; she regarded him silently, but her pale blue optics never left his faceplate as she watched him. He had the sense that, should he make a wrong move, she would not hesitate to attack. In fact, it looked as though she had recently been in a bit of a scrap with someone recently.

“Tell me Renegade, what are their names?” Megatron asked, in a tone that was soft and slightly gentle. He did not want to scare any of the three femmes.

“Quicksilver, Windsplitter, and Duskwalker,” Renegade had hesitated on naming his sparkling, but Megatron paid him no mind.  He was focused on the three newest Decepticons and considering how to go about training them.

“Who are you?” Windsplitter asked shyly. Megatron looked down at her and offered her a small smile.

“Megatron,” he answered her question and the way her optics lit up and went wide, he knew she’d been told the name before. Good, that was one less thing to explain.

The little sparkling looked as though she was about to ask another question when they were interrupted from outside by a high-pitched yell and slight thump. Which caused Windsplitter to jump and run to Renegade, clasping onto his arm as Duskwalker abandoned the table all together and climbed her creator’s armor expertly, curling against the area of his chest where his spark chamber would be hidden. The youngling did nothing more than change her focus to the rear of the ship.

Turning to a screen, without dislodging Windsplitter’s tiny form from his arm, Renegade activated the viewer and Megatron watched as Soundwave emerged from the darkness. A tantrum throwing Wildcharger clasped in his outstretched hand. Huffing out a bit of hot air through his vents, Megatron turned to Renegade and began to speak.

“I’m ordering you to return to your duties as a Decepticon, Cascade as well. All of you, including the sparklings and youngling will be joining us aboard the Nemesis,” Megatron grated out; irritated by the sight of the young mech that was still railing at Soundwave.

“Lord Megatron, I will do as ordered, however, I’d prefer to be in charge of the sparklings, especially my own who has special needs,” Renegade said it in a manner that broached no argument and Megatron did not feel like arguing with him. It was preferable to what was occurring on his ship at the moment with Wildcharger.

“Very well, however you are also going to be getting care of that one,” Megatron indicated the screen with a tilt of his helm, “He is a handful, but I’m sure you can rein him in.”

Renegade turned to the sight on the screen and watched as Soundwave made a motion that appeared to be an aggravated sigh and switched the mechling to his other hand. A small chuckle escaped Quicksilver’s frame, which she quickly covered as a cough when everyone turned to look at her curiously.

“You, are coming as well, my dear,” Megatron intoned, catching the youngling off guard. She turned to him with a look that could have melted metal, if that were possible.

“I am going nowhere with you,” Quicksilver’s voice was soft but firm. Megatron had the feeling that had the room not been so small and he not in front of the door, the youngling would have walked out the moment she finished her statement.

“Are you aware of who I am?” Megatron asked, not cruelly, but forcefully.

“The leader of the Decepticons,” Quicksilver responded evenly, “And that means nothing to me. I’m not a Decepticon.”

“You are now,” Megatron stated firmly, “Besides, you are far better off in the safety of the Nemesis with the aid of competent medic than you are here.”

“Lord Megatron,” Renegade spoke up before Quicksilver could respond to the words. Megatron returned his attention to the big mech.

“Yes, what is it?” he was starting to lose some patience as the scene on the screen became more aggravated and Soundwave was starting to lose his own patience with the sparkling. It wouldn’t be long before Wildcharger found himself dangling upside down from one of the silent mech’s tentacles.

“I’d prefer to keep my ship within range. I’d like to request permission to dock with the Nemesis. There is a lot of… sensitive equipment and information aboard,” Renegade requested politely, indicating the ship in whole.

After a few nanoseconds of quiet consideration, Megatron nodded and acquiesced to the request. The ship could also be handy in an emergency situation. Turning back to the three young ones, he examined them one final time before turning to leave, “I would like a chance to speak with them onboard the Nemesis. Also, to allow them access to their future home.”

Renegade met this with an inclination of his helm, holding a warning hand out to Quicksilver who appeared ready to speak of Megatron’s creators in a rather unkind way. The femme quieted down but turned her body so that she was not looking directly at Megatron or Renegade. Releasing Renegade’s arm, Windsplitter darted over to her and jumped onto her shoulder without asking, making the youngling flinch, but otherwise remain silent.

“I do believe that you will handle Wildcharger, just fine,” Megatron chuckled slightly before allowing Renegade to lead him from the ship. As they exited down the ramp, Wildcharger stopped struggling and hung limply from Sondwave’s hand.

“Wildcharger, what exactly are you doing outside of the Nemesis?” Megatron snarled slightly, watching as the sparkling glowered at him.

“It’s boring and Breakdown’s a jerk,” Wildcharger responded, without his normal vigor and Megatron looked at him closer. There was energon on his hands.

“You went into the colony, didn’t you,” it was a statement not a question and Wildcharger looked down at his small hands and sniffed slightly before nodding.

Megatron released a hard sigh as he considered his options, “Renegade, I’d like you to take Wildcharger for the time being. Give him time to acclimate to your ship and presence.”

Without waiting for Megatron’s order, Soundwave handed the sparkling to Renegade who took him, curling him up into the crook of the opposite arm from the one that held his own sparkling. Megatron watched curiously to see how Duskwalker would react to the new addition to her creator’s arms.

As he watched, Duskwalker shifted her position in Renegade’s arms to look over at the mechling curiously. When she couldn’t see him clearly from that position she scrambled up her creator’s armor, digging claws in as she went. Renegade did not seem to notice the claws, nor did he pay much attention as the little femme slipped behind his neck to look around and down at Wildcharger’s form. Wildcharger, for his part, did not seem to noticed the little femling, he was staring between Megatron and Renegade with wide optics before focusing more on Megatron.

“Meet your new caregiver,” Megatron stated slightly grandly as he indicated Renegade, “He’s called Renegade and I expect you to obey him, understood.”

Sitting up slightly, Wildcharger nodded to Megatron. Taking that as an affirmative, the Decepticon leader beckoned to Soundwave before turning back to Renegade, “I expect to see you next cycle, Renegade.”

“Understood,” Renegade responded solemnly. Megatron nodded curtly and turned to leave with Soundwave a step behind. He could hear Renegade speaking softly to Wildcharger but did not bother to hear what was being said. It did not matter, as long as the sparkling obeyed the older mech.

“Soundwave, send a message to Cascade, I expect him aboard the Nemesis tomorrow as well. Afterwards, inform the colonists they can come out of hiding. We are through punishing them for their mistake,” Megatron continued giving orders, including one that would be certain to have the streets clear of the bodies by the next light cycle of the planet.

***

“Knockout to Breakdown,” Knockout spoke to no one, or so it seemed to Nahallia. Though she had seen the bots in the colony do the same thing, it never stopped amazing her the way they could talk over long distances. For all of her people’s technology, they’d never gotten so lazy as to not just get up and go visit their friends and neighbors to talk.

“So then, you didn’t find him, well isn’t that just grand,” Knockout muttered, his red optics turning to her before he turned away. The rest of the conversation was too soft for her to hear.

Huffing air from her mouth, she let her head fall back against the table. Pain lanced up her arm and she looked at the bloody bandage that had been wrapped about it hastily after the bot doctor had done something to it. Thankfully, he’d knocked her unconscious prior to the procedure. Apparently hearing a Chartah screech in pain was extremely unpleasant for bots.

It had been something she’d been fighting ever since the first needle was placed beneath her skin and the burning liquid injected. Now she was glad she had given into the pain and deafened all within range. At least she didn’t have to suffer the indecencies he was inflicting upon her. Now, however, Nahallia was feeling everything he had done to her over the past few hours. She may not have been aware of it happening, but considering the pain in both of her legs, arms, and chest, he’d been moving over her body with whatever his experiments were.

“I see that you are finally awake, kitten,” Knockout greeted her with a smirk and she growled at him.

The pet name had become an instant thing for him and she didn’t bother to argue. He didn’t need to know her name.

“What have you done to me?” Nahallia spat when she noticed he was running scans of her body.

“Made a few modifications to your weak organic body, if you survive, you’ll thank me later,” Knockout responded with a shrug before walking away with his scans.

Pulling against her bonds, her eyes went wide when she realized they started to pull a little looser. If not for the immense pain that followed the movement, she would have tried again until she was free. But, as it was, she was starting to pant from the pain erupting in her arms. She didn’t want to think what her legs would feel like.

Though it would seem she may be thanking the bot sooner than he thought.