I couldn't leave it like that.
This is, I think, the last in the time line. I still have a few scenes planned, though, tying up loose ends and such.
The sparkling they had been calling Shockwave was probably the only one who didn't see anything wrong with the mech who stepped out of the spacebridge, or the femmes that came with him. The femmes spread themselves in a loose semi-circle around the adult Shockwave, facing the Autobots and smiling. Megatron was likely the only person surprised when Soundwave and the command Trine stepped up to meet Shockwave, Trailbreaker and Mirage trailing along and barely reacting when Tracks joined them.
It was a rather noisy meeting, what with a total of eight sparklings and the cassettes. Mirage was holding the two he'd carried from Skywarp and Thundercracker, Trailbraker was carrying Mirage and Skywarp's other winglet, and looking rather poleaxed, Thundercracker had Pizzaz while Soundwave held Nighthowl, Starscream was holding the newly named Suncry, and Skywarp was holding on to the one they'd called Shockwave as though the sparkling would vanish. The dinobot's bitlet was there, and Grimlock was watching very carefully as it tugged on a remarkably patient Ravage's tail. And yet the adults were silent, shifting and watching each other uneasily.
Skywarp took another step closer to Shockwave, reaching out with his free arm to shakingly touch the guardian. "H- how...?" he asked, sounding more than a little lost, wings twitching nervously.
The red Autobot femme, Firestar, reached up to touch the sparkling Skywarp held, but Shockwave reached between them, shaking his head. "The armor it carries is merely a shell, a disguise. Removal of the armor should be easy, now that you know it is there," the guardian answered, the only one who knew exactly what was going on.
"You've been busy," Firestar remarked, going to Mirage instead and smiling at the winglets, though she didn't try to touch them this time. "Who are all the happy creators?"
"Sparkling Shockwave... not Shockwave?" Soundwave asked, the emphasis coming through even with his harmonics.
Shockwave nodded, watching as Firestar conversed with Mirage and Trailbraker and Tracks took the dark blue winglet from Mirage. "That is correct. I could no longer allow the war to continue, the damage to Cybertron was nearing irreversible levels. This was... the route with the highest chance of success."
"Success?" Optimus asked, Elita-one under his arm. "You... planned this?"
"Are you- going to take him back?" Skywarp choked out, clearly fighting between clutching the sparkling closer and giving him, it, back to Shockwave. "I- You're the... c- creator, I mean, so..." Starscream and Thundercracker stepped closer, rubbing the twitching wings and humming softly.
"Oh, no!" Firestar said, looking up from Stormsweep. "No, never! We planned for you to have it from the beginning!"
Noticing every optic was suddenly on her, the red femme cycled her vents and glanced at Shockwave, who nodded. A glance at Elita-one had the same result, and so she nodded to herself and continued. "We thought he was nuts, when he approached us. Finally lost it after being alone too long. But... well, Shocks wants Cybertron strong. Taking the Seekers out of the fight was the best way to achieve an end to the war, and giving them a sparkling was the only way to do that without... well, really horrendous loss of life."
Clutching the sparkling, Skywarp asked, "You... You and Shockwave... sparked just to... to..."
"Well... yeah." Firestar's embarrassment was clear. "It's... I mean, I love it, I really do, but... And I know you'll be great creators for it! Better than I would be, probably, and... I know it seems heartless but... The war's been going on so long, and now look at you, you're all standing here and not even fighting and- and you've even made your own sparklings together and... and..."
Inferno and Red Alert broke from the crowd to hug Firestar, murmuring words the others couldn't catch. Optimus looked at Megatron, and the two leaders sighed. It looked as thought Shockwave's plan had worked.
The sparkling they had been calling Shockwave was probably the only one who didn't see anything wrong with the mech who stepped out of the spacebridge, or the femmes that came with him. The femmes spread themselves in a loose semi-circle around the adult Shockwave, facing the Autobots and smiling. Megatron was likely the only person surprised when Soundwave and the command Trine stepped up to meet Shockwave, Trailbreaker and Mirage trailing along and barely reacting when Tracks joined them.
It was a rather noisy meeting, what with a total of eight sparklings and the cassettes. Mirage was holding the two he'd carried from Skywarp and Thundercracker, Trailbraker was carrying Mirage and Skywarp's other winglet, and looking rather poleaxed, Thundercracker had Pizzaz while Soundwave held Nighthowl, Starscream was holding the newly named Suncry, and Skywarp was holding on to the one they'd called Shockwave as though the sparkling would vanish. The dinobot's bitlet was there, and Grimlock was watching very carefully as it tugged on a remarkably patient Ravage's tail. And yet the adults were silent, shifting and watching each other uneasily.
Skywarp took another step closer to Shockwave, reaching out with his free arm to shakingly touch the guardian. "H- how...?" he asked, sounding more than a little lost, wings twitching nervously.
The red Autobot femme, Firestar, reached up to touch the sparkling Skywarp held, but Shockwave reached between them, shaking his head. "The armor it carries is merely a shell, a disguise. Removal of the armor should be easy, now that you know it is there," the guardian answered, the only one who knew exactly what was going on.
"You've been busy," Firestar remarked, going to Mirage instead and smiling at the winglets, though she didn't try to touch them this time. "Who are all the happy creators?"
"Sparkling Shockwave... not Shockwave?" Soundwave asked, the emphasis coming through even with his harmonics.
Shockwave nodded, watching as Firestar conversed with Mirage and Trailbraker and Tracks took the dark blue winglet from Mirage. "That is correct. I could no longer allow the war to continue, the damage to Cybertron was nearing irreversible levels. This was... the route with the highest chance of success."
"Success?" Optimus asked, Elita-one under his arm. "You... planned this?"
"Are you- going to take him back?" Skywarp choked out, clearly fighting between clutching the sparkling closer and giving him, it, back to Shockwave. "I- You're the... c- creator, I mean, so..." Starscream and Thundercracker stepped closer, rubbing the twitching wings and humming softly.
"Oh, no!" Firestar said, looking up from Stormsweep. "No, never! We planned for you to have it from the beginning!"
Noticing every optic was suddenly on her, the red femme cycled her vents and glanced at Shockwave, who nodded. A glance at Elita-one had the same result, and so she nodded to herself and continued. "We thought he was nuts, when he approached us. Finally lost it after being alone too long. But... well, Shocks wants Cybertron strong. Taking the Seekers out of the fight was the best way to achieve an end to the war, and giving them a sparkling was the only way to do that without... well, really horrendous loss of life."
Clutching the sparkling, Skywarp asked, "You... You and Shockwave... sparked just to... to..."
"Well... yeah." Firestar's embarrassment was clear. "It's... I mean, I love it, I really do, but... And I know you'll be great creators for it! Better than I would be, probably, and... I know it seems heartless but... The war's been going on so long, and now look at you, you're all standing here and not even fighting and- and you've even made your own sparklings together and... and..."
Inferno and Red Alert broke from the crowd to hug Firestar, murmuring words the others couldn't catch. Optimus looked at Megatron, and the two leaders sighed. It looked as thought Shockwave's plan had worked.