[Fic] Beyond Silence - 05
Notes and warnings in chapter one.
Thanks to white_aster for beta-ing ^^
0
First chapter
< Chapter 04
0
0000000000
0
CHAPTER 05
0
The encounter between the cassettes and the other Autobots had been awkward.
After Hound, Optimus and Jazz entered the room, and there came the mandatory period of gun-pointing, name-calling, and threat-shouting present in every mid-war negotiation ever. It was a ritual more than anything, especially given that the Decepticon representatives where three Cassetticons vs. four Autobots, one of them far larger than the three symbiotes put together.
Even so, the twins hissed and spat static like angry cats and Laserbeak stood in front of Ravage, wings open in a threatening pose.
Optimus looked at the two fallen Decepticons. Ravage was a slumped form below a dent in the metal wall of the machines while Soundwave was making small keening noises and twisting jerkily, oblivious to everything around him. The leader of the Autobots asked Hound and Jazz to wait outside the room and then proceeded to sit on the floor. Insults and threats rained around him but he remained silent, simply looking at the cassettes.
Ratchet was familiar with this process, which most ‘bots called ‘The Stare’. It was Prime’s chief strategy for dealing with enraged mecha. It consisted of him staring at them with a look so full of understanding and calmness that his interlocutors rapidly became self-conscious and eventually shut up out of embarrassment.
Rumor on the Ark was Megatron had only been able to resist it because when Prime had tried to pull it the Decepticon leader had started shooting one klik into the pause.
Eventually the cassettes fell prey to The Stare and calmed down.
Optimus then turned to Ratchet and asked what was going on. The CMO filled him in with the events since Rumble infiltrated the Ark and then fell silent, too. It was a heavy silence, every mech looking between allies and foes, measuring each other.
During all this, the internal comm frequency of the Autobot officers had been buzzing with urgent conversation.
0
.:Just like that?:. Hound asked, horrified.
.:Hehehe, cyberkitty must have told him something he really didn’t wanna know...,:. Jazz replied with a smirk.
.:It’s not so simple, Jazz, he’s a Primus-damned carrier, they are built like that... do you have any idea how many core-deep protocols they have in place that make them protect their symbiotes?:. the medic replied.
.:I don’t, but I’m guessing a really big number of those are fried, by the looks of things.... Anyways, do you have any idea what’s wrong with the mech? He looks pretty damn nasty... more than usual, I mean.:.
There was a brief moment of silence as Ratchet reflected on the answer.
.:I’m pretty sure his current state is because of what I just said: a carrier frame-type simply cannot go around kicking his scraplets without consequences. Attacking Ravage probably triggered a cascade failure. It likely took a little while for that glitch to develop, but it’s not the real cause,:. said the medic.
.:What do you mean?:. Optimus voice rumbled through the frequency.
.:Well, to have that kind of mess in his priority tree to begin with... whatever caused it must have been going on for a while. Perhaps a virus. It could have been a hardware malfunction fixed in the wrong way, but it looks more like software damage.:. Ratchet emitted a burst of static, the internal equivalent to an annoyed sigh. .:Optimus, whatever it is, it’s really bad... the symbiotes were terrified. They were terrified before Soundwave glitched.:.
.:Hmmmmm,:. Prime considered thoughtfully
.:Are we really going to bring them to the Ark? Red Alert is going to have a fit.:. Hound squirmed a bit thinking what was waiting for them once they returned to the Security Director’s range.
.:This is our best chance to recover Bluestreak. Intensifying the internal security of the Ark and tending to wounded enemies is a rather small price to pay for having eyes inside the Decepticon headquarters,:. Prime said, and they all had to agree. As long as Mirage was out of the equation, they would have terrible difficulty retrieving the captive Autobot. Infiltration was one thing, but data gathering was essential for a compound as large as the Decepticon HQ.
.:There might be another problem...,:. Hound mused. .:Ratchet, do you know how long Soundwave would have to be on board?:.
.:Not yet. It’s impossible to tell until I fix his current glitch and scan for the root problem. What are you getting at?:.
.:Megatron is going to flip out when he finds out his TiC is on the Ark. He’ll want to negotiate for his return immediately. What are we going to tell him?:.asked the green mech.
Jazz snorted. .:When that happens, we trade the mech for a cube of high-grade and call it an orn. Let Megs take care of his glitch-ridden crew. Actually, we could make something good come of all this. We have a really high-quality bargaining chip on our hands...:.
.:No.:. The medic’s negative snapped sharply through the frequency.
.:Given how the cassettes were acting, Soundwave was receiving no help at all at his base. Whatever treatment can be given, he will likely abandon it once he gets back to Megatron.:. He huffed in irritation once more. .:If the slagger is going to be my patient, then I’ll make damn sure that neither him nor that psychopath they have for a physician are able to frag up his recovery.:.
The medic’s annoyance ebbed away when he remembered the terrified faces of the twins when Soundwave kicked Ravage. .:Primus, they practically told me they trusted me more with their carrier than Hook.... How fragged up is that?:.
.:Not so fragged up, m’ mech. Have you seen the Constructicons deal with their patients? I’d prefer being treated by Starscream with a headache over those sadistic scrap-heaps,:. Jazz said with a shudder.
.:Hmmm, point taken.:.
0
Bluestreak was alone once again, albeit completely bewildered.
That afternoon (or at least he thought it was the afternoon) Dirge had poked his ugly cone head around the corner. After some punching, the seeker had gone away (presumably called through his internal comm) and immediately after that, Buzzsaw had appeared.
Bluestreak had watched him land gracefully and near the opposite wall. The cassette had stared at him intensely, guns glowing faintly. The Autobot had thought the behaviour fitted the Recordicon’s vulture-like shape and also, as the cassette had stood there almost unmoving, Bluestreak was reminded of its carrier’s visit. This one was lasting for a long while, though, much more than the few kliks Soundwave had stayed at a time.
“Well, hello there, pocket bird, I don’t think I’ve seen you around here much. But really, what can I expect from the highest bunch of cowards the mighty Bucket-head faction has to offer. Oh, wait! I’ve always wanted to ask: is it true you have only Abba songs recorded in your tape? At the Ark we have this bet running: half votes Abba, half votes Aqua. Be a good glorified chicken and help a mech win a cube of high grade. Come on, spill the beans. Oh, and before you squawk, don’t get mad at me, I didn’t invent that one, you know. It was one hundred percent Sideswipe humor, that one. Actually, I think I heard him use it that day you and Ravage were poking at the-”
Bluestreak’s vocalizer stuttered in surprise when a piercing shriek rang through the brig. He watched, puzzled, as Buzzsaw flapped his wings once and stood shivering and clicking small noises against the wall. After a klik or so, the strange seizure ended, and the symbiote became quiet once more.
Eventually Buzzsaw went away, leaving Bluestreak alone.
The sharpshooter’s impression that there wasn’t a single sane Decepticon on Earth cemented itself just a bit more firmly.
0
At the same time Optimus Prime and his accompanying group of Autobots returned to the Ark with a handful of wary cassettes (and a very unconscious Communications Officer), Ratbat pinged Buzzsaw.
He had been working diligently at Soundwave’s console to cover up for him and make his supposed work-related absence barely noticeable. Ratbat’s nitpicky nature made him the best-suited for the job when Soundwave was out of commission, although the lack of patience made him more irritable than usual.
.:I am assuming they bit. Primus-damned Stunticons went haywire in the third deck’s hallway, so I couldn’t keep up with the conversation,:. Ratbat said.
.:Of course they did. I thought you had endless confidence in your plans, Ratbat. I am surprised.:. Somehow, Buzzsaw managed to rise an optic ridge with his voice.
.:I do, but tactics and statistical response-predictions are all well and good until they aren’t. Ravage is proof enough.:.
Ratbat shivered in front of Soundwave’s workstation, and Buzzsaw echoed his worry on the other side of the bond.
.:Yes... that was certainly unexpected. I- I never thought he would....:. Buzzsaw’s channel wavered with the remembered sensation: Ravage’s anguished yowling and then silence.
.:Now is not the time for this,:. snapped Ratbat. .:The Autobots will want to establish contact as soon as they arrive at the Ark, maybe sooner. We need to prepare.:.
.:Fine... Pit, If anyone had told me ten orns ago we would be helping those Prime aft-kissers into the base I would have pecked their optics out. I am still having trouble believing it was that easy to get them to move Soundwave to their base.:.
.:Oh, please! Manipulating Prime’s pack of morons is easier than scaring Breakdown into stasis. As terrible as his reputation might be, the medic is no exception... provided the right incentive.:.
.:Bargaining with a prisoner in the brig would have worked with any of them.:.
.:That is not what I was referring to.:.
.:Oh?:.
.:It was Soundwave himself,:. Ratbat said. He paused for a moment, feeling so uncomfortable he started swaying in the large seat designed for his carrier. .:I was quite sure that once the medic saw Soundwave’s... state, he would agree to treat him.:.
.:Odd... that was quite a gamble.:.
.:No, it wasn’t, I was positive he would. It’s in his medical core programming as much as his nature. The fact that he chose to take Soundwave to the Ark was just a bonus.:.
Buzzsaw remained silent for almost a klik.
.:Ratbat, is this really the best course of action? I mean... it’s the Primus-damned Ark! If they decide to do anything to him, we won’t be able to do much, even if the glitch-twins are there.:.
.:It is. They are Autobots. They will keep their word and heal Soundwave out of honour, pity, or another of those senseless reasons that make them fix enemies on a regular basis. The way things are right now, I believe Soundwave is better off there that in Constructicon hands.:. Ratbat smirked knowingly. .:Also, I’d like to see what happens to them when they try to get in his processor... I hope their CMO isn’t as incompetent on the code-level as ours is.:.
Buzzsaw shook with silent laughter. .:I do remember the last time Hook hard-lined with the boss while he was unconscious... those were some really nasty hacks. Soundwave's autonomic defenses were really inspired that day.:.
.:Indeed.:. Ratbat mumbled. The pink cassette felt unaccountably tired.
As he filled in for Soundwave’s absence, he felt sick with the emotions from the other symbionts and from Soundwave. As much as the plan had panned out -just as he had predicted- the anxiety was eating at him. No matter how much confidence he had shown to Buzzsaw, the truth was their carrier was in enemy territory, with almost non-existent backup and an unknown health condition.... And this was still the course of action with the best survival odds for all of them.
Things just didn’t get much worse than that.
.:Ratbat? Still there?:.
.:Yes, yes. Where were we?:.
.:Finding the best way to sneak enemies into the base and get them to take their slagged chattering ‘bot with them. What are we going to give up, airshaft B-63? Ravage will miss it but it’s the closest to the brig.:.
.:No, I’m telling the twins that the soonest viable time for extraction will be in two joors. R-112 will be closest to the Autobot by then.:.
.:Two joors? I thought there would also be a window in a cycle or so with the shift cha-:. Ratbat could almost see Buzzsaw's optics flicker when the rest of the information slotted into place. .:Oh, R-112... I see. I didn’t know he’d arrive so soon. Wasn’t the ETA sometime tomorrow night?:.
.:Yes, but it seems they were really eager to return home. Blast Off pushed it quite a lot.:.
.:Did you have something to do with it?:.
.:I might have mentioned our illustrious leader’s impatience regarding the next mission they had scheduled once they arrived on Earth.... Throwing Megatron’s name here and there seems to work pretty well with the Combaticons.:.
.:Go figure. So, R-112, huh? Are you sure the sniper will be alive by the time they get there? Vortex gets frisky after too much time away.:.
.:He also makes sure it lasts.:.
.:Couldn’t this come back to bite us in the aft? I am pretty sure the Autobots won’t be that cooperative if they find their little sniper torn to pieces... even less so if they find out it could have been avoided.:.
.:They won’t take it out on Soundwave. At least not now that he is in the Ark. Prime wouldn’t allow it. As far as they know, we are almost betraying our evil faction for the sake of protecting our beloved carrier. Even if some of them believe it’s not such a selfless act, they still like that kind of soppy things. If they find nothing but a scrap-heap on Vortex’s table when they arrive... well, wouldn’t that be a matter of ill timing? How could we have known that Vortex would, just this time, come back home early? Such a case of bad luck...:.
Buzzsaw’s chuckle echoed through the bond softly. .:And mecha say I am the evil glitch of the group.:.
.:I am not evil. They are just enemies. No matter how many favors we get from the Autobots today, next orn they will be shooting at us again. If they have one less soldier to do so, all the better.:.
0
0000000000
0
Chapter 06 >
Cheers 0w0