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Serendipity	By : AkashaEmily Category: S through Z > Transformers (Movie Only) > Transformers (Movie Only) Views: 5248 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: All recognizable characters of the Transformers franchise as well as the franchise itself are licensed and owned by Hasbro. I do this for entertainment purposes only and do not profit AT ALL- monetarily or otherwise- from the writting of these stories.

Chapter List
- 5
- 6
- 7
On another note, I want to thank all
of you who review. They keep me going and help me
shape the story line. Cupcakes to those of you who review on a regular basis-
the feedback is wholeheartedly welcome and monumentally appreciated.

Serendipity
Chapter Six

�� Thundercracker
was frantic by the time he finally reached the orbit of the barren red planet in
the Sol system. He�d flown hard from the Nemesis, pushing his flight
capabilities and fuel reserves to their limit so that he could reach his
trine-mates as fast as possible. Skywarp�s spike of fear a few solars ago had
put Thundercracker on edge, the anxiety only compounding when nothing but pure
terror had suddenly begun screaming across the bond during the flight over.
Reaching the planet, not even
fully transforming, the Seeker stumbled on his pedes as he touched down, rust
red soil pluming as he caught his bearings and began running toward the base�s
coordinates since he no longer had the fuel to fly. Now that he was closer, he
could sense his trine-mates more accurately but this wasn�t exactly helpful
since Thundercracker could only barely sense Skywarp and all the newly arrived
Seeker could feel from Starscream was a relentless wave of keen-inspiring grief
and guilt. Thundercracker�s glitching emotional circuits had hopelessly skewed
his initial landing vector, making him land a full hic off target and he cycled
his vents to cool his systems as he worked to cover the distance separating him
from the base.
Primus, let them be okay, please let
them be still functioning, please�
�� Was
that a barn?
Thundercracker slowed as he
approached the base, scanning the unimpressive structure, comparing it to the
image files and information Starscream had sent them about Earth. He was
correct- it was indeed a barn but what in the Pit was it doing here on another
planet? An acute sense of foreboding filled Thundercracker, the emotion only
being underscored when he realized that the uneven pile of dirt the building
was sitting on didn�t match the native soil and neither did the odd assortment
of objects littering the ground. It was hard to tell under the thick layer of
red dust that had settled over everything but the longer he looked, the surer
of his initial assessment Thundercracker became and his worry over the situation
increased a thousand fold as he brought up Skywarp�s technical specification,
attention particularly on the mass limits of the other Seeker�s teleportation
capabilities. Thundercracker scanned the barn and the debris around it,
calculating the combined weight, comparing it to Skywarp�s abilities, and
coming up with critical error reports that made the blue Seeker�s spark freeze
in its casing.�
Oh
dear Primus, �Warp what have you done?!
***
~*Thundercracker�*~
Starscream immediately
reached out to him, searching for comfort and reassurance as he sat on the Med
Bay berth, the front of Skywarp�s chassis pressed against his own. The rest of
the dark Seeker in pieces on the other side of the room, the prankster had been
reduced to just torso and cranial unit propped in the Air Commander�s lap by an
arm locked tightly around Skywarp�s waist to ensure the other didn�t move. The bright
lights in the room�s ceiling almost masked it but Thundercracker could easily
detect the subtle interplay of his trine-mates� sparks, the resulting
blue-violet luminescence familiar and disturbingly visible through the many
missing sections of Skywarp�s abdominal armor.�
�
Something had to have seriously
malfunctioned if spark to spark stabilization had to be used and Thundercracker
felt his tanks roil as he gripped the open doorway to the room, unsure if his
gyroscopic stabilizers would function long enough to get him to his trine-mates.
Another glance at the berth holding the other Seekers and Thundercracker had to
kneel, one hand over his oral intake.
�Purge in that.� A large empty
metal bin hit the floor in front of the Seeker,
delivered by a sharp, scythe like hook through one handle. Thundercracker glanced
up at the Constructicon, pleased that at least someone with medical knowledge
was looking after Skywarp- even if it was Hook. Dull anger stirred but, rather
than argue, Thundercracker simply gripped the bin�s handle with one hand and
pulled it closer, hugging the basin to his chassis until he felt more settled.
Satisfied that the Seeker wasn�t about to purge all over the floor, Hook nodded
sharply then headed for the work station on the left hand side of the room
where Skywarp�s limbs rested next to a pair of two crumpled wings.
Skywarp! The urge to purge returned in a
rush and Thundercracker, sincerely glad he was already on the floor, hugged the
bin fiercely until he was finished.
Audio filtered in past the normal
sounds of his systems resetting themselves and Thundercracker looked up,
frowning at Hook as the other continued to talk to himself in a language the
Seeker didn�t have a translation protocol for. The Constructicon occasionally
gestured at spots along Skywarp�s legs, something
small crawling around inside the armor after the finger in obedience and
Thundercracker felt his spark skip a pulse.
Horrified, Thundercracker set the
bin aside and scrambled to his feet, the weight of his wings making him teeter
as he hastily made his way to the workstation before his stabilization systems
were ready for movement. Starscream tried to grab him as he passed by but the
blue Seeker shook him off, intent on finding out what the Pit the medic was
doing.
�What is that?� Thundercracker
asked, shaking with anger as he stared down at the� thing randomly pulling
wires out from the interior of Skywarp�s thigh armor. He pointed at the thing,
wanting nothing more than to pick it up and hurl it away but Hook�s namesake
moved into his visual field, hovering over the disgusting little creature protectively,
the Constructicon emitting a warning buzz as the Seeker shouted, �WHAT is THAT?!�
Behind them, Starscream was
making a veritable cacophony of distress sounds and Thundercracker felt talons
brush his wingtip as the other Seeker attempted to grab him. When touching
failed to distract the newly arrived Seeker, Starscream used words,
underscoring the message with emotions through their bond. �She is helping,
Thundercracker. This base isn�t fully equipped and Hook couldn�t reach all the
damage alone! Skywarp brought her, protected her��
Invoking Skywarp�s name made sure
that some of Thundercracker�s anger boiled off to a more manageable level but
what remained simmered not far from the surface and he glared at the little
creature, appalled that the Mars base was so ill-equipped that they were forced
to resort to such deplorable means just to carry out basic repairs, his
frustration and anger over the situation mirrored by his conscious trine-mate.
Megatron had never involved himself with the more mundane details of battle,
had devoted all his processing power to devising strategies that would outwit
and humiliate Prime, and now the rest of them were paying the price for his
foolishness but none more so at the moment than the dark Seeker.
In that moment, Thundercracker hated, hated Megatron, hated the
Autobots, hated the war, hated the resentment that
coiled in his tanks, hated that miserable little beast poking around within Skywarp�s plating�
�To the thing�s credit, it had stopped working
and was now standing carefully on the main leg strut, its hands held over its head,
palms facing the ceiling and the blue Seeker cross-referenced the image against
all the data he had of other life-forms. Several possibilities popped up due to
shape alone but Thundercracker eliminated most of them after augmenting his
visual display to see through the thing�s laughable armor. Whatever the
creature was, it seemed that someone had at least taught it Cybertronian gestures,
and Thundercracker relaxed his armor plating slightly at the visual entreaty
that the creature meant no harm.
�Buzzing loudly, Hook lowered his namesake to
the creature who grasped it awkwardly, small hands wrapping around the metal
tightly as the Constructicon lifted it from the inner workings of Skywarp�s leg
to the metal table the appendage sat on. Thundercracker scowled at the creature,
glaring at it, feeling his hatred and anger over the situation return full
force even as relief fluttered through him that the thing was finally away from
his trine-mate.
�I don�t want that thing near
Skywarp.� The blue Seeker stated flatly, glaring at it as Hook guided the
creature onto his hand and lifted it away from Thundercracker.
�You are hardly able to make
demands right now.� The Constructicon sneered, making the Seeker snarl
wordlessly. �If you cannot control yourself, then leave. Starscream is enough
of a handful without you adding to the problem.�
Behind them, the silver Seeker
issued a whine and the pathetic, needy sound only made Thundercracker angrier,
incensed almost to the point of full-blown rage.
�Are you and your precious pet
going to make me go?� The Seeker asked, stepping close enough to Hook that
their armor plating brushed, enjoying the way the frowning Constructicon immediately
began stepping back. In a blindingly fast move, Thundercracker had snatched the
disgusting little creature out of Hook�s grasp and was tightening his grip before
Hook could even attempt to retrieve the animal. Holding it out of the
Constructicon�s reach, the Seeker squeezed the beast until he heard it squeak
satisfyingly.
The soft-bodied thing squirmed,
trying to wriggle out of Thundercracker�s grip and the Seeker squeezed the
creature again, the tactile sensors in his hand
detecting its fuel pump�s tempo increase dramatically at the pressure. Thundercracker
felt a perverse sense of satisfaction spike through him before curiosity
drowned it out as he sensed a second fuel pump�s tempo nearly hidden by the
first. The rage receded slightly, allowing him to think clearly for the first
time in joors and the Seeker opened his hand to peer
down at the little life form as it blinked dazedly up at him in return.
Thundercracker cocked his head, frowning as he tried to think coherently,
realizing that he was channeling Starscream�s emotions as well as his own. The
silver Seeker had always been the most emotional of them all, shifting from one
mood to the next in a spark-pulse at a rapid fire rate. Normally it was simply
distracting but today, with the stress of Skywarp�s condition, the personality
quirk was magnifying Thundercracker�s already tumultuous emotional state. It
was maddening and the blue Seeker felt his self-control slipping as Starscream
shunted his anger to Thundercracker through their bond, disrupting his normal
demeanor, and Thundercracker fought to drill the last through his processor as
more of Starscream�s influence swamped him.
The urge to destroy something was
building, driving calm thought and logic right out of his processor as it urged
him to close his hand once more, to clench it tightly and kill the organic
nuisance. She wasn�t the one he wanted but she was there, a weak little target,
and killing her would be practice for when he did finally sink his talons into
that damable-
Thundercracker jerked back,
staggering under the murderous assault, careful to keep his hand open as he hastily
handed the creature back to Hook, forcing himself to retreat from the medic
immediately while he was still able. He had to get out of here, had to find a
place to vent his frustration and rage safely or else he was going to do
something that would endanger his Trine and earn his termination.
But, even so, the need to remain
near his trine-mates was over-whelming and with the bond wide open between
them, it was over-riding his common sense. Thundercracker warred with himself,
torn between staying to comfort his Trine and going outside to work off his
temper.
The choice,
ultimately was taken out of his hands however as the Med Bay doors opened to
allow the remaining Constructicons inside and the angry pack pounced on top of
him, tangling his legs and riding him to the ground. They tried to pin him to
the floor but the attack had made the anger return full force and
Thundercracker�s roar of outrage reverberated in the enclosed space, drowning
out the shouts from the others, covered up the thud of falling metal as he
threw the Constructicon on his back through the large bay doors, another
following shortly thereafter as the fight officially spilled out into the
hallway outside.

It was following him again.
Megatron�s heavy footfalls nearly
hid the steady clop-clop of hooves on metal from behind him
but not completely and the Decepticon leader felt his back plating twitch in
habitual paranoia. Irritated, he paused, listening, feeling the armor of his
shoulder assemblies twitch slightly when the beast�s
steps also came to a stop. He waited, hoping that the animal would simply grow
bored and wander away or that Onslaught, the cow�s favorite mech, would fortuitously
walk by to lead the beast somewhere other than where Megatron was. The last
made him turn to face the cow properly- hiding behind a subordinate was
inexcusable for any leader actually worthy of the position.
She mooed
up at him, snout raised toward him as she took a few steps closer to where he
stood. The beast did not come near enough to touch him as she did with some of
the other mechs, and Megatron wasn�t sure if he was happy or insulted about
this fact.
�I do not have any food for you.�
The Decepticon leader stated and, copying something the Constructicons did
under similar circumstances, showed her his open palms. �No food. Go find
Onslaught.�
He turned and resumed his journey
down the hall to the medical facility where Thundercracker had undoubtedly
headed. If he could pull the Seeker away from his trine-mates long enough,
Megatron would be able to get a status report on the Nemesis� current
condition. Before having to send the Seeker to Earth, Megatron hadn�t been able
to get a report out of Skywarp since one, the teleporter had made himself
scarce, and two, when he did reappear, he�d been malfunctioning to the point
that he�d been nanokliks from offlining
into recharge. Starscream hadn�t been much better for the solars leading up to
his trine-mates� arrival, the stress of caring for the hatchlings maxing out
his processing power until he was just a glitching little mess, and Megatron
suspected that both of them being in such close proximity to one another as
they malfunctioned had ultimately been what had brought both Seekers down.
That was the problem with Seeker
Trines- the members were so closely bonded to each other that if one went down
then the remaining two became absolutely useless. Still, though, being that
closely bound to one another was also what made them so very effective and so
very, very deadly.
It was why he, while being ridden
by the Fallen�s viral influence, had done everything
in his considerable power to convince them to join him, to secure their loyalty
so that when the time came, Megatron could count on their support as he
systematically declared war on Prime.
And
single-handedly doomed his race to the brink of extinction.
Spark heavy, Megatron felt his
stabilizing servos falter and he sank to the floor, dropping to one knee with a
hand on the wall for additional support as the weight of his past actions
settled on his shoulders like an impossibly heavy mantle.
He could not say, �I was wrong.�
He could not say, �The Fallen possessed
me, made me do it.�
He could not say, �I am sorrier
than words of any language can express.�
Even if each
statement was true.
He was Megatron, former High Lord
Protector of Cybertron, a mech who led a fearsome army made up of the most
angry, violent mechs in existence and they would turn on him if they sensed any
sign weakness. He was a leader and, no matter how much his spark wailed in its
casing over the heinous things he had done while possessed by The Fallen, leaders
looked unwaveringly forward at the future.
Even if that
future seemed overwhelmingly bleak and empty with no Allspark and a home planet
so ravaged by war that it was at the Well of Sparks doorstep.
The cow brought him out of his
thoughts by mooing softly at him again before nuzzling his fingers and Megatron
jerked out of her reach automatically, standing to put distance between them as
his systems� output doubled at the brief contact.
The organic could not harm him,
he reminded himself, forcing his systems to calm down by running a noisy
ventilation cycle. Hook had run a battery of tests on both organics and neither
of them posed any sort of threat to him. Megatron knew this, had verified it,
but still he could not bring himself to trust the conclusion with anything more
than wary confidence. It was ridiculous and foolish but the memories of being
frozen and held hostage by the humans, of being taken apart piece by piece by
the filthy insects- the mighty Megatron brought low by a species that had just barely
climbed out of the muck that had spawned them- were unfailingly detailed and
his processor happily dragged them from their archival spots at the slightest
provocation.
Megatron whirled, his hand
smashing into the bulkhead with a satisfying sound, the wave of painful error
messages racing across his HUD from the collision strangely gratifying. The
pain was oddly soothing, calming his frustration as he withdrew his hand,
listening intently to the more delicate servos whine in protest as he opened and
closed his digits. Nothing was permanently disabled though his fine motor
control would suffer until his self repair systems corrected the damage.
Cycling noisily through another
ventilation cycle, the Decepticon leader resumed his path down the hall, turning
into the corridor that would lead him directly to Med Bay. Several steps in
however, Megatron paused, tilting his head in a considering manner as his audio
receptors caught the tell-tale sounds of battle. No alarms had sounded a
prisoner breakout meaning that the pair of Autobots Skywarp had brought with
him were still confined in their brig cell so that meant that any fight was
happening between Decepticons.
He�d known that the relative
peace in the base that his tolerance of the human woman had managed to
cultivate wouldn�t last.
Megatron picked up his pace,
almost stomping down the last stretch, ready to place credits that the
Constructicons were the combatants, undoubtedly fighting amongst themselves
over some silly bauble Scavenger had found somewhere in the debris outside. The
thought reminded the Decepticon leader to speak to the excavator about removing
those �flamingo� things that had sprouted out of the dirt to line the path to
the main hanger door�
Megatron ducked just in time to
avoid being hit by Scrapper as the scoop loader abruptly came
sailing through the air. The smaller Decepticon glanced off a wall before
crashing into the floor, coming to rest in a heap a hand span from where the
Pit-spawned cow stood bellowing her fuel pump out and kicking at the air before
turning around running away. Looking determined, Scrapper staggered to his feet
then charged back the way he had flown, Megatron right behind him.
What
in the Pit?! The
Decepticon leader came to a stop and stared in confusion as he watched Scrapper
dive for a blue pede only to be harshly stepped on then kicked against the wall
where he did not get up again. ::Grindor, Onslaught report to the Med Bay. Now.::
Thundercracker had Long Haul and
Hightower hanging off an arm apiece with Scrapmetal
hanging off his wings but the Seeker moved as if they weren�t there as he
focused his attack solely on Scavenger. The jet was hammering the excavator
with his fists, one blow after the other, pounding away at the smaller mech in
blind fury. If the Seeker�s target had been a mech other than a Constructicon,
they would have been downed in nanokliks but, even as
the weakest member of the gestalt, Scavenger�s armor was some of the strongest,
built to withstand forces the Earth vehicle he mimicked never could, and,
though dented, Scavenger functioned fine as he drove his shovel-like hand into
Thundercracker�s facial plates.
A Seeker�s armor, by contrast,
was built for flight, not taking prolonged physical damage and there was a resounding
crack as the blow connected, making the jet stumble back in an almost drunken
manner that the three Constructicons hanging off him used to their advantage,
pushing him to the floor in an attempt to pin him again. Thundercracker
thwarted their efforts, however, using a familiar move Megatron had never seen
this particular Seeker execute, turning the tables on the Constructicons and
making them retreat as he vindictively pressed the attack.
Both the behavior and fighting
technique were totally unlike anything Thundercracker had ever displayed
previously, were both so far out of character for the usually calm, quiet
Seeker that it was as if some unknown entity had taken the mech�s
place while Megatron hadn�t been looking. It was thoroughly disturbing and not
a bit frightening, but the Decepticon leader�s processor filed the information
away for later analysis because the possibilities represented were simply too
intriguing.
�Has Skywarp been giving him
lessons?� Grindor asked as he came to a halt behind and to the right of where
Megatron stood. Onslaught�s arrived a klik later, the Combatacon assuming a
similar position on Megatron�s left as he studied the scene.
�Possibly,� The Decepticon leader
conceded, a peripheral sensor catching the helicopter�s surprised expression.
�However, I think the answer is far simpler than that. Grindor,
if he hasn�t already done so, help Hook sedate Starscream and remain in
the Med Bay to help him with his work. Until Skywarp is repaired, all three
Seekers are on medical leave and are to be removed from active duty.� The
remaining pair would be all but useless anyway; Thundercracker wouldn�t be able
to handle his work because he�d devote his attention to caring for his
trine-mates and Starscream had been ready to have a complete system reset long
before his Trine�s arrival. Megatron paused, making a mental note to pick up
the slack for the Trine once he was through with Thundercracker. �Onslaught, I
will need a clear path to an airlock.�
�My lord?� Onslaught was rarely caught off
guard but this seemed to be one of those times and Megatron turned his head,
one corner of his labial plates quirking up in
amusement.
�I will handle this myself.�
Megatron said calmly, turning back to the brawl. �Some part of him is still in
control because he is only using physical attacks and we must seize upon that
advantage before he remembers that explosives do more damage than his fists. Take
care of things in my absence, Onslaught, and find out what happened here so
that appropriate punishments can be handed out, if merited. I�ll expect a
report once we�re back.�
They were both staring at him, he
could feel it like a physical sensation, but he ignored it- them- and stepped
forward, making sure to bring his pede down with enough force that it made the
floor shake. His distraction worked, gaining the attention of Thundercracker
and the Constructions, and Megatron felt his spark flare in anticipation as he
sneered at the Seeker, crooking his finger in challenge, pedes shifting into a
blatant attack stance. �
��With a
twist that his dark trine-mate favored constantly, Thundercracker roared, flinging
the Constructicons from his frame and charged right for his lord.

Nodding again congenially, Will
gave the home owner�s hand a final shake before walking back down the nicely
paved driveway, past the immaculately cared for front lawn, past the perfectly
pruned bushes, and jogged across Ober Road to reach
the black GMC Top-kick parked there waiting for him.
�Guy thinks he hit a dog.� Will
said flatly once he was inside the cab, all traces of friendliness melting away
to be replaced with pensive anger as Ironhide revved his engine and pulled away
from the curb slowly. �Sent the car to a auto body
shop nearby to get the dent out of the front.�
Ironhide�s engine rumbled loudly
before falling back to its normal pitch. �Won�t the shop call the police when
they notice the blood?�
Will rattled off the address the
driver had given him for the repair shop then slumped back in the seat wearily
even as his hands gripped the steering wheel in a tight grip, a muscle in his
jaw jerking as he clenched his teeth. He had to work not to snap at the
Autobot. �I told you, the guy thought he hit a dog.�
�So?� Was the
surly response as they turned onto Mercer Road and gained speed.
�He hosed down his car.� Will
said, chest tight. �There�s no blood to make anyone suspicious. The owner said
they estimated a week for the work to be done and if we�re lucky they won�t
have replaced everything yet.�
�All the evidence of the crime
will be gone.� Ironhide said, the note of outrage in his tone making Will smile despite the situation. �He�ll get away with injuring
Sam!�
�Guy says it was an accident.� Will
repeated.
�What do you say?� There was a
growl to the words and the Major suspected that, whatever their little
unauthorized investigation turned up, Ironhide was going to exact some form of
vengeance on Sam�s behalf. The thought surprised Will though it shouldn�t have
in all honesty since he�d seen how the weapon�s specialist interacted with
Annabelle. �Hide was gruff, clearly not used to dealing with younger members of
any species, but he guarded the two year old as if she were his own, played
games with her that he literally augmented just for her, told her stories that
hadn�t been heard for untold years of worlds and species she would never see.
Sarah was beginning to worry about some of it, had voiced concerns over how
having �Hide in their lives would ultimately impact their daughter in the
future, and though Will couldn�t give her an answer, he was willing to take the
risk due to the trade off that Annabelle would have a guardian who would
protect her against any danger that threatened.
Will sighed as they turned onto
Providence Lane and gained speed. �I say we have a look at the car before
coming to any conclusions.�
Reaching the repair shop, Will
carefully bypassed the main office which was empty except for a lone older
gentleman speaking on the phone and went around to the garage area of the
building, reminding himself to relax his shoulders and posture so that he
looked as if he belonged there. Several mechanics looked up and eyed him,
looking as if they were about to challenge his reason for being on the property,
but after a few friendly nods at some random staff members, the suspicion directed
at him lessened.
For a species that was designed
to basically be intergalactic chameleons, the Autobots had an odd knack for
finding some of the flashiest, most ostentatious cars to mimic so the blue XK60
Jaguar he was hunting for wasn�t as impressive to Will as it would have been
for someone not as accustomed to such sights. It was a very nice car though, he had to admit as he walked around the vehicle,
eyeing it appreciatively before stopping in front of the Jaguar and looking
down at the bumper, grilles and headlights.
This car was built for speed,
practically begged for it, but most roads in America had way too much traffic
for such fast moving vehicles unless A) the driver was out in the middle of
nowhere or, barring that, B) the driver took it for a spin very, very late at
night. Will could practically see the scene unfolding- the car�s owner hitting
the gas pedal, feeling the speed as he roared down the familiar stretch home,
enjoying the thrill but maybe distracted by the exhaustion of a long day,
certainly not expecting a wayward college student to be wandering around on
such an out of the way road.
Except the owner had said he�d
hit a dog�
Will squatted down on the ground
and looked up in the direction of the driver�s seat, frowning. From this angle
he could clearly make out the headrest which meant that the driver would have
been able to see Sam, definitely would have made out the humanoid shape in
advance long enough to avoid the teenager in his path. The owner had said the
damage had been on the left hand side of the front of the car and, still
squatting, Will shifted until he was centered in the appropriate position,
still able to see the driver�s seat.
Will frowned, not liking where
his thoughts were heading as he answered his vibrating cell phone �Lennox.�
�Tell me you have something!�
Epps� voice sounded haggard and strained even though he was whispering.
�Quick!�
�Epps?� Will blinked, his eyebrows
shooting into his hairline as a terrified squeak sounded through the
connection. �Epps?!�
�Major Lennox,� The familiar
cultured tone made him freeze in place even as he mentally swore. �I trust that
the sudden trip to Pennsylvania I specifically told both you and your partner
not to take has been fruitful?�
�Optimus, hi!� Will winced, suddenly feeling
like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar. �Flight back to base go alright?�
�As well as can
be expected.�
Optimus replied smoothly. �Now, how is your unauthorized investigation going?�
Will�s brow furrowed, puzzled
over the Prime�s demeanor. The wording of the question implied that Optimus was
unhappy about their little trip but his dry tone said that he�d known all along
what they had been planning. It made Lennox wonder if another of Galloway�s
bureaucratic henchmen had stopped by the base without warning again. �Well, we
found the car but it�s already been repaired.�
Lennox raked a frustrated hand
through his hair, glaring at the picture perfect car with intense hatred. It
figured that the car would be taken to the one most efficient auto body repair
store in the U.S.! What, did they have a box of parts laying
around just in case the damn car fell apart�
�Ah,� Optimus murmured
thoughtfully, immediately gaining Will�s attention again. �That is
unfortunate.� The mech was silent but, in the background, Lennox could make out
a female voice speaking, though not the actual words, followed by a hum from
the Prime. �Would they give you the replaced parts if you asked for them?�
Lennox blinked then wanted to
kick himself in the ass for not already thinking of the request himself. Having
Ironhide around had spoiled Will completely. �Dunno
but I�ll give it a shot. I know it�s late but is Mikaela there? I want to know
exactly what I�m looking for.�
Ignoring the looks directed his
way, Will pinned the phone against his shoulder and got down on all fours, all
the while making encouraging noises to the young woman who suddenly began
speaking on the other end of the phone. He could hear in her voice that she�d
been crying again and it broke something inside Will that he would once again
be coming home with only bad news. First Sam and now
Bumblebee and Jolt. Jesus.
There was very little hope at Diego Garcia that any of them were still alive
after the Honduran fiasco given that the valley center was now a colossal hole
in the ground. All the mechs, both Autobot and Decepticon, had been right in
the middle of the blast zone when whatever weapon the
Decepticons had used activated, taking out everything within a twenty-foot
radius. What hadn�t been vaporized had been slagged when the Honduran military
had simultaneously carpet bombed the area from the sky and pelted it with missiles from its naval ships stationed in the port
nearby. It had been an extreme response by anyone�s standards and it had been a
flat-out miracle that the human members of N.E.S.T. had made it out alive at
all.
�Glancing up at the windshield, Will felt his
spirits sink even lower once he discovered that his new position made him all
but invisible to anyone driving the Jaguar.
Turning over and flattening
himself to the floor, Will shimmied on his back under the car, looking around,
searching for anything that could connect the vehicle to the missing teenager,
extending his fingers to trace the undercarriage machinery, investigating the crevices
he encountered among the joins of the machinery. He almost gave up, half
relieved, half disappointed but then his fingers brushed against something not
metal and Will felt a weight settle in his chest as he
carefully extracted the small stiff scrap of cloth.
�Ah fuck.� He said softly but with feeling, inadvertently interrupting
Mikaela. The scuff of footsteps nearby made Lennox turn his head and he frowned
at the pair of ratty tennis shoes and the pair of stiletto heels next to the
car. �Hold on a sec, Mikaela.�
�Hey, um, Will?� Squeaked the familiar voice of Sam�s roommate. �Can you, uh,
can you come out here?� Lennox watched the tennis shoes leave the ground
briefly followed by a strangled, �Please?!�
Tucking the piece of fabric into
a pocket, his heart pounding away, Will very carefully came out from the car,
keeping his hands as visible as possible as he lay on the stained concrete. From
his phone, he could hear Mikaela speaking, asking questions but Will�s focus
remained on the being holding Leo�s shirt collar in a strangle hold to ensure
the frightened teenager didn�t escape.
�I�m
not kidding! You couldn�t tell!�
Sam had said, glaring at Epps who looked incredulous as the teenager recounted
his escape from the university prior to the battle with the Fallen. �She looked like Alice from �Alice in
Wonderland�- blonde hair, blue eyes, pale skin. She looked human, acted human,
right up until she tried to kill me!�
And as much time as he spent with
the Autobots, Lennox remembered feeling a little put out by Sam�s description,
sure that there would have been some tell-tale sign that it was a machine no
matter how good the camouflage and that Sam, a Non-Com to the core, had simply
missed it. At the time, Will had laughed.
He wasn�t laughing now.
�So,� Will said neutrally,
swallowing down his fear and wishing that he hadn�t left his gun in Ironhide�s
cab. �Can I call you Alice or is there something else you would prefer to go
by?�
The blonde cocked her head at the
question, studying Will before simply nodding. �Alice will be fine. My master
sends greetings, Major William Lennox.�
Beside her, Leo whimpered.

Well, at least he didn�t have to
ask Scavenger about those human lawn ornaments anymore.
Megatron had forgotten how slagging
heavy Seekers could be despite their lighter armor and he stifled the reflex to
wince as Thundercracker�s unconscious form hit the berth with a tad too much
force. The sound of the impact made Grindor jump away from his place by the
wall and leapt into action, practically making a nuisance of himself as he
helped Hook arrange the Seeker�s limbs properly, spreading them out from the
main torso in preparation for the rest of the Trine that would also occupy the
berth. Megatron remained in the room to help them settle Starscream, the silver
Seeker remaining in blissful recharge as they lay him next to his trine-mate,
making sure that as much of the two touched one another as possible. Last moved
was Skywarp, the Seeker considerably lighter than the other two, whom they laid
carefully atop Thundercracker, ever mindful of the glass canopies the three
sported as part of their design.
With Grindor in tow holding the
leads, Hook descended on the trio, connecting them all to the various
monitoring equipment nearby, the Constructicon�s obsession with perfection
making the process intolerably longer than Megatron thought necessary. However,
Hook was the closest they had to a medic and arguing with him about it would
only be pointless, so Megatron simply left the small back room and moved out of
the way into the main room of the facility to let the other fuss, the doors swishing shut behind him softly.
�Of course, that meant that Megatron had to
deal with a gaggle of agitated Constructicons which was almost as bad and the
Decepticon leader manually triggered a ventilation cycle to keep his irritation
in check. What remained of the gestalt was gathered near Hook�s work space in
front of the berth the medic had made into a desk, silently watching something
on the shelves that lined the wall behind the desk anxiously, their hands
constantly in motion as they pet each other for comfort. Though Hook�s report
stated that none of them were badly injured, they all bore dents and scratches,
and at least one of them had had a hydraulic line sliced if the puddle on the
floor beneath the cluster of mechs was anything to go by.
�My Lord.� Hightower, the tallest of the
bunch, spotted him first and bent awkwardly over the group in a bow. �Do you
require anything of us?�
It was an interesting question
and an even more interesting greeting, a subtle enough hint that they were busy
phrased in such a way that it couldn�t be deemed as an act of insubordination.
There wasn�t a hint of gratitude either which almost roused Megatron�s temper
until he realized that it could be interpreted as an admission of weakness and
that the Decepticon Army was a very bad place for the weak.
What
a legacy I have created for myself,
he thought bitterly, fighting to keep his expression benign as he answered the
Constructicon, gesturing to the floor below the group with a pointed look, unsubspacing a container of adhesive and throwing it
lightly to the tall mech. �No, but one of you needs to have a line patched
before their joints seize.��
Catching the bottle of silver
fluid, Hightower took the hint then began murmuring quietly to the others,
shifting them so that he could hunt for the injured individual. Megatron left
him to the task, confident that the large mech would be able to handle it, and
instead moved behind the desk and over to the shelves that the gestalt seemed
so enamored of, easily finding the target of their collective fascination.
A quick scan revealed that the
organic was alive as she lay on her left side, breathing but otherwise unmoving
, both her fuel pump�s rhythm and that of her offspring�s steady, but Megatron
had to admit that it was strange to see her so still. During every other
interaction between them, she was always moving or talking, animated in some
way or another, only pausing long enough for her to bow respectfully to
Megatron and greet him as the superior being he was. She did it every single
time she saw him without exception, speaking to him respectfully when she had
to address him, and her behavior had helped encourage the Constructicons to act
in a similar manner though whether it was due to sincerity or out of fear was
another question entirely. Alicia was small and fragile and required both a
breathable and pressurized atmosphere to exist, both of which Megatron
generously provided within the base for her comfort. A simple command to the
environmental controls, however, could easily take them away and she seemed to
understand that the life of all the organics in the base depended solely on her
behavior.
She had yet to give him anything
to complain about but the Constructicons seemed to think that that wasn�t enough
to safeguard her from Megatron�s wrath and the group kept her primarily within
the confines of the Med Bay, one of the few sections of the base that could be
sealed off entirely from the rest of the base during an emergency. Consequently,
the Med Bay had become the gestalt�s hang out when not on duty, another benefit
of the human since, corralled, the boisterous lot weren�t under his pedes
fighting with one another.
To earn her keep- her words not
his- she�d been helping Hook repair Skywarp, much to Starscream�s loud
disapproval. Her considerably small size gave her an unparalleled advantage for
getting into the tighter spaces of the Seeker�s frame and she was intelligent
enough to do only what she was directed to do by Hook. Because of her fragile
body however, she needed protection and Megatron had overheard the Constructicons
talking amongst themselves, the gestalt both impressed and proud of how the
little human had created her own crude armor from the scraps of stiff cloth
Hook had given her.
The normally white uniform
sported a puzzling splash of red on the chassis and, feeling his curiosity stir
despite himself, Megatron leaned closer to the little organic so that he could
find the injury. The move earned a hiss of warning from Scavenger which made
the Decepticon leader turn his head in the excavator�s direction though the
former High Lord Protector did not move away from the defenseless human.
�Do you have something to say?�
Megatron asked. His voice was mild, mainly because he was more amused than
angry, but the way the Constructicons were regarding him one would have thought
he had just stated his intent to tear their little pet limb from limb in a
violent rage.
��Hook says not to touch her.�
Scavenger said and behind him both Scrapmetal and Long
Haul nodded in affirmation of his words while behind them Hightower, applying
adhesive to Scrapper�s leaking underarm cabling, watched them silently. �
�Her fluid pressure�s low,�
Overload explained when Megatron merely looked at them expectantly. The
Constructicon shifted slightly, fluttering his armor as he made a vague gesture
to his olfactory sensor. �Thundercracker�s assault made her spring a leak.�
It was amazing that the Seeker
hadn�t reduced her to paste as he
manhandled her in all honesty but Megatron kept that comment to himself and merely
leaned away from where Alicia lay even as his pride seethed that he was giving
ground to the underlings. To distract himself from the situation, he opened the
report Onslaught had sent him upon his return to the base and, after breezing
through the file long enough to confirm his suspicions about the mess, shifted
his attention to the hatchling data logs, checking their progress as he pulled
Hook�s desk chair over with his foot.
�His fight with Thundercracker was finally
catching up to him and Megatron sat down, stifling the urge to groan as a flood
of error reports cluttered his HUD. Once Hook wasn�t so busy, Megatron would
have to have the medic check out some of the deeper problems but thankfully
most of the damage was only superficial and nothing a trip to the washracks, a good buffing and some polish wouldn�t take
care of.
��My Lord!� Hook
called anxiously from the other room, voice muffled by the doors until they
opened to reveal the Constructicon who looked disturbed as he motioned for Megatron
to follow him into the room, speaking. �My Lord, I need you. Here! Now!�
The other Constructicons looked
back and forth between where Hook had disappeared and Megatron, the group clicking
and chirring with anxiety, armor panels clinching tight to their frames as they
shifted from pede to pede. They moved closer together, the mechs with thicker
armor taking point while the smaller moved to the back, forming a phalanx with weapons
out and ready to face the threat. They could no longer form Devastator but at
that moment they were moving with one mind, as one entity braced to face what
they seemed sure would be a violent encounter. It was both interesting and a
bit depressing, Megatron decided as he stood and irritably stomped after Hook.
�Something I can do for you
Hook?� The Decepticon leader asked when he arrived, making sure his clipped
words and tone of voice reflected exactly how he felt about being ordered about
by a subordinate. He watched Grindor jump as he entered, rotors flaring in
surprise, as the helicopter executed a hasty bow at Megatron, optics flickering
between his lord and the scene coming from the Seeker�s berth. Following the mech�s gaze, the Decepticon leader felt his labial plate
curl in disgust, feeling like a voyeur suddenly as he realized that the whole
Trine was spark-merging.
�Are you missing a sparkling?�
Hook asked abruptly, punching commands into the datapad
he held as he moved about the room in a frantic manner, peering at the machines
the trine-mates were connected to, the light of the merge reflecting off the
Constructicon�s armor.
There were few things sacred
during war, Megatron was well aware, but such an intimate act with a bonded
should not be a public show and the Decepticon leader glared at Grindor until
the gawking helicopter fled the room. Shifting unhappily, folding his arms over
his chassis and trying to force down his general discomfort with the situation,
Megatron answered the medic. �No.� ��
Hook�s movements became more
agitated, something the Decepticon hadn�t thought possible. �Did you misplace
one, then? Prematurely entomb one? Leave one in a lab, maybe?�
Megatron stared at the other,
wondering if Hook had been damaged in some manner that Megatron wasn�t aware
of. One didn�t misplace a hatchling-
they were their children not a trinket to be subspaced-
and the mere insinuation was obscene.
�What is your point, Hook?�
Supraorbital ridges drawing down as he officially lost patience with the medic,
Megatron strode over to the Constructicon and grabbed him by the shoulder
assembly, spinning the mech around and holding him there to keep him still. �I
have better things to do then answer stupid questions or watch pornography!�
Hook�s mouth moved fluidly into
several almost-but-not-quite expressions before settling into a straight line.
Glaring up at his leader, the Constructicon stated flatly, �Your Command Trine
has officially become a Quartet.�
�

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