Fic: Learning Curve, part 1
TITLE: Learning Curve, part 1
SERIES: Imperfection Deviation
AUTHOR: Macx
RATING: mild R
DISCLAIMER: None of the characters belong to me, sadly. They are owned by people with a lot more money :)
FEEDBACK: Loved
BETA: okami_myrrhibis
SUMMARY: There was a whine like a gun charging and Will reacted out of instinct. His body moved without a second thought, with his skin taking on a different hue - that of the Allspark - and the energy ball flew toward his attacker.
The unmarked road, only printed on the maps of the Geological Survey Bureau, was bumpy and rarely used by anyone but people from the GSB or the soldiers from the near-by Airforce base. A huge, black truck was bouncing over the potholes and dirt and stones. It was streaked with dirt, but it didn’t look old or rusted. It was a very new and impressive truck, a truck not of this world.
Lennox was at the wheel, but he wasn’t driving. He had a hand on the steering wheel, looking at the rather monotone world outside, but he wasn’t as bored as he appeared to be.
A rune crept over the back of his hand, sliding down his index finger and disappearing. He moved the finger, as if trying to chase the rune out of hiding, but instead a whole string wrapped itself around his palm.
A hum could be heard and Lennox smiled. “Feel it?” he asked lightly.
“No, but I can read it,” Ironhide replied. “You’re tired.”
Lennox raised his eyebrows. “I am?”
“We trained for hours. Your body needs rest.”
The human shrugged. Sure, they had really trained hard, but he didn’t feel as beaten up and groggy as he had a few years ago.
“You also haven't slept much lately.”
He sighed. Ironhide was way too perceptive sometimes. “You know I don’t need sleep like humans do.”
“But you do need it.”
Lennox frowned, but he tried not to rise to the bait.
“Will...”
“Bad dreams,” he answered cryptically.
Another pothole had him bounce and wince. Ironhide made an unhappy noise, but there was no other road and the shock absorbers could only keep so much from them.
The sun was setting, but it was an hour or more till sunset. They would make it back before nightfall. Tomorrow was solo training. There were a few things he wanted to try out. Mainly to get rid of some tension that had been creeping up on him through the nightmares. Bad dreams. Whatever. He could hardly launch all he had at his partner.
Lennox ran his fingers lightly over the steering wheel, grinning as he felt subtle vibrations running through the truck. It was something he had discovered just after a year of being a hybrid: he could somehow reach a part of Ironhide by just… letting the runes play. Right now they had coalesced around his fingers and were playfully dancing over his skin.
Ironhide hit a pothole particularly hard and Will laughed as he almost hit his head on the ceiling.
“If you think this will distract me,” the Autobot warned.
“It already did.”
A grumbled mutter was the only reply.
They arrived at Yuma base and Will got out, grinning at his partner as he transformed.
“You: get some rest,” Ironhide ordered.
“May I shower first?” Will asked pointedly.
Blue optics flared. “Just get your aft into your quarters and get some rest.”
“Yessir.” Will flipped a sloppy salute and walked inside, meeting the amused red optics of Scavenger.
Ironhide stomped into a different area.
“What got him?” Scavenger asked.
“Nothing particularly new. Being a nanny again. I’m off to get some shut-eye. See you later.”
Scavenger chuckled. “See you.”
As before, he didn’t really sleep. Even the long shower helped only marginally. The dreams kept him awake.
Will gave up after a while and just sat down with his laptop, catching up on his emails.
* * *
It hadn't rained in days and the ground was hard and dry. Dust rose as hot, dry winds brushed over it, dancing over the yellowish earth. The sun was rising over the horizon and the first rays of its light tickled the dead bushes and stones. The shadows grew shorter.
He was running faster than he had ever run before. He stumbled over protruding roots, stone and through little bushes, but he kept on running, aware that he was pursued by Ravage. The feline Decepticon symbiote was hot on his trail and if he didn't find a safe place, Ravage would get him.
Will Lennox, former Army Ranger, hybrid by accident, Avatar Prime by Cybertronian name, and bonded to Ironhide, stood in a secure stance, legs braced for a blow, his whole body radiating tension. White-hot light reflected off his face, giving him an eerily pale appearance. Almost sickly. Eyes with a pinpoint of blue in their brown depths gazed at the almost perfectly round orb that hovered above the palm of his hand. No bigger than a golf ball, it seemed to pulse deep within, a white globe that should sizzle and crackle and still didn’t make a sound.
His breath was coming in gasps now. His muscles were burning, but he kept running. Branches slapped into his face, tore at his clothes. His foot suddenly caught in a larger root and he fell flat onto the ground, the wind knocked out of him. For several seconds he was only aware of the pain in his chest and the low oxygen supply, then he heard another thing beside the roaring in his ears. A snarl.
Carefully channeling more energy into the bubble, Will watched it grow to tennis ball size. Still it made no sound and he still had full control. Runes had collected around his hands, like intricate tattoos, and his whole body seemed to hum with energy.
He turned around and saw Ravage coming out of the undergrowth. He moved gracefully, soundlessly except for a whisper of leaves he brushed by. His red optics glowed with triumph and he revealed sharp teeth.
Curling his fingers, he seemed to grasp the ball, touching the energy-laden surface, but he felt no averse effects. It was almost like pushing into a gelatinous substance that soon didn’t give any more. Or like a very smooth balloon.
He grabbed a piece of branch that had been torn off a tree by the storm from some hours ago. It was still wet, just like the ground he lay on. He brandished the branch like a sword.
He fed it more energy.
The bubble grew in size once more, still white-hot, but now a crackle of energy licked over his fingers without causing pain. The runes were fixed now, a deep golden-bronze in color.
Ravage's jaws made short work of his weapon, snapping it in half, tearing it out of his hands. He got to his feet, trying to make another run for it, but the symbiote effortlessly overtook him, planting himself in his way. He growled, advancing slowly. He was playing with him and sooner or later he'd jump for the kill.
He wriggled his fingers and the bubble danced a little, but it wouldn’t push off or fly away.
Will raised his eyes and fixed them on a spot in the distance. He charged more energy into the bubble, then placed his other hand over it, like a Tai-Chi move, and released the ball.
It screamed across the desert and collided with the target, incinerating it. Nothing was left but smoking ruins.
Cool.
Will went through the same motions again, charging the energy bubble, but instead of releasing it, he tried to reabsorb the energy.
It felt like a blow to the stomach.
Lennox screwed his eyes shut as pain raced through his body and he gasped, digging his feet into the ground to keep himself from getting pushed back. A hiss escaped his clenched teeth, then everything tilted and he fell forward as if all strings had been cut. He caught himself haphazardly with outstretched hands.
Silence was around him as dust settled.
He coughed.
And cursed softly.
“I’d say it’s an improvement.”
Will cracked his eyes open and glared at the tall figure not far away. All he could see were gray and tan colored metal feet and a dot of red.
But Mixmaster was right. He had improved. The last time he had tried this particular stunt he had ended in a rock face once again, blown back by the reabsorbed energy. It had to go somewhere and whenever he took it into himself, he was propelled away. It seemed his body was adjusting to the sudden increase of energy and simply converted it into a flash of pain.
“Still sucks,” he groaned and got up, swaying a little on his feet.
A scan bounced off him and he was so tempted to hit Mixmaster with an energy blast because of it. The Constructicon just grinned.
“I’m fine,” Lennox grumbled. “Just in pain. Nothing new there.”
“Looking at your learning curve, you should be able to reabsorb your own energy without pain in the future.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
The massive mech grunted. “It’s a fact. When you first started out, you nearly took yourself apart. Now look at you.”
Will shrugged. Yes, he was learning. He just hoped that it would continue to be a positive learning effect without any negative surprises, because of those he had had enough.
The nightmares kept him coming back here, trying to improve his only defense. He needed to be able to take out mechs and symbiotes, and dreaming about Ravage chasing him sure gave him an incentive. He had defeated Soundwave before, and he had scared off the symbiotes, but Lennox knew that where there was a will, there was a way. If Soundwave wanted him, a way would be found to get him.
So he trained.
Moving his fingers, he watched energy flow between them like tendrils of light. The runes were clearly visible and would remain there for at least the next twenty-four hours after the training. For whatever reason. Creating a new bubble, he playfully rolled it around his palm, then transferred it to his other palm.
There was a whine like a gun charging and Will reacted out of instinct. His body moved without a second thought, with his skin taking on a different hue - that of the Allspark - and the energy ball flew toward his attacker. Mixmaster ducked and grinned more.
“Good reflexes, Prime.”
Will growled, eyes white-blue, and barely took a second to become his protoform alternate shape. Mixmaster’s shot went wide when he grabbed the gun arm and pushed it away, and then quickly moved out of the reach of the second hand.
“Not playing fair,” he shot at the Constructicon.
“Just testing.” Mixmaster rotated one wrist, nodding his approval. “Good instincts, very good reaction time.”
Will mock-bowed.
“Try reabsorbtion now,” Mixmaster suddenly told him.
“What?” The suggestions caught him as off guard as the blast nearly had.
“In protoform. All prior attempts were with you in human shape. You've never used your protoform.”
The hybrid’s optics narrowed, then he shrugged and created the energy bubble, charging it. Bracing himself, Will went through the same motions - and got nothing but a slight sizzle over his exterior shell this time.
Gaping, he stared at the Constructicon, who looked smug and amused and fascinated all in one.
“How did you know?!”
“I didn’t. It was as good an assumption as anything else. You usually train in human form. You only take on your other shape when you battle one of us or in a real fight against an enemy.”
“Huh.”
Mixmaster was right. He had never tried this any other way. Why, was anyone’s guess.
“Hot damn,” he murmured.
Mixmaster chuckled. “Glad to be of help.”
Will was too stunned to say anything else. Even if he could never fully control the reabsorption in human mode, he would be able to handle it in protoform. And since his battle mode was the protoform, there shouldn’t be any trouble.
Cool.
“This just came to you?” Lennox asked again.
“Actually, yes.”
“So much for more advanced computing power.” Will flexed his fingers and watched the lethal energy flicker once more. “At least now I know there’s a way, even if it means I have to change shape. I’ll still try and see if I can manage the other way, too.”
Mixmaster nodded his acceptance. Will knew that the others would know about this soon, too. All five were his ‘personal trainers’. Each had different abilities and each tested and challenged him differently. It was good to know that he had so many different styles to fall back on when he needed to train. He had made fast progress.
His abilities helped Hook and Scavenger in turn, too. They were the chief developers for the Ark’s shields and weapons. Hook was the chief engineer and spent a lot of his up on the space station together with Perceptor, always improving the systems. Scavenger mainly worked as a liaison to the Autobots and Stark Industries, and he would ask for Will’s help in testing a new addition. So far Lennox had managed to scrap every new shield if he just threw enough at it, though the last time he had nearly keeled over from exhaustion.
Hook had declared the test a success.
Scavenger had agreed.
Will had just wanted to sleep for a week.
“Ready for more?” Mixmaster interrupted his thoughts.
“I was thinking about trying out a few ideas,” Lennox nodded. “If you want to watch…”
“Got nothing planned. Go ahead.”
“No unexpected moves,” Will requested. “I don’t want to blow you up, Mixmaster.”
The Constructicon nodded. “Understood. I’ll monitor.”
So the hybrid went back to experimenting with the energy at his disposal.
Somewhere throughout that time Mixmaster moved against him again nevertheless.
Never trust a Con, ran through Will’s head as he acted and reacted. Never trust one of your teachers, he added, negating the ‘Con’ part. Mixmaster had never willingly been a Decepticon and the time he had served Megatron had been enslavement.
Will nearly blew him up as he launched his counterattack, but Mixmaster was fast. A lot faster than his massive frame suggested, and like all of them he knew some very dirty tricks. That he also liked to throw his own concoctions of chemical bombs at him had Lennox move even faster and be a lot more alert. That stuff stung!
In the end Mixmaster looked like someone had pelted him really good and thoroughly, and there were some deep welts in his armor from head to feet, and Will felt every bruise.
But he was getting better.
And that was the whole point of the voluntary masochistic game.
tbc...
SERIES: Imperfection Deviation
AUTHOR: Macx
RATING: mild R
DISCLAIMER: None of the characters belong to me, sadly. They are owned by people with a lot more money :)
FEEDBACK: Loved
BETA: okami_myrrhibis
SUMMARY: There was a whine like a gun charging and Will reacted out of instinct. His body moved without a second thought, with his skin taking on a different hue - that of the Allspark - and the energy ball flew toward his attacker.
The unmarked road, only printed on the maps of the Geological Survey Bureau, was bumpy and rarely used by anyone but people from the GSB or the soldiers from the near-by Airforce base. A huge, black truck was bouncing over the potholes and dirt and stones. It was streaked with dirt, but it didn’t look old or rusted. It was a very new and impressive truck, a truck not of this world.
Lennox was at the wheel, but he wasn’t driving. He had a hand on the steering wheel, looking at the rather monotone world outside, but he wasn’t as bored as he appeared to be.
A rune crept over the back of his hand, sliding down his index finger and disappearing. He moved the finger, as if trying to chase the rune out of hiding, but instead a whole string wrapped itself around his palm.
A hum could be heard and Lennox smiled. “Feel it?” he asked lightly.
“No, but I can read it,” Ironhide replied. “You’re tired.”
Lennox raised his eyebrows. “I am?”
“We trained for hours. Your body needs rest.”
The human shrugged. Sure, they had really trained hard, but he didn’t feel as beaten up and groggy as he had a few years ago.
“You also haven't slept much lately.”
He sighed. Ironhide was way too perceptive sometimes. “You know I don’t need sleep like humans do.”
“But you do need it.”
Lennox frowned, but he tried not to rise to the bait.
“Will...”
“Bad dreams,” he answered cryptically.
Another pothole had him bounce and wince. Ironhide made an unhappy noise, but there was no other road and the shock absorbers could only keep so much from them.
The sun was setting, but it was an hour or more till sunset. They would make it back before nightfall. Tomorrow was solo training. There were a few things he wanted to try out. Mainly to get rid of some tension that had been creeping up on him through the nightmares. Bad dreams. Whatever. He could hardly launch all he had at his partner.
Lennox ran his fingers lightly over the steering wheel, grinning as he felt subtle vibrations running through the truck. It was something he had discovered just after a year of being a hybrid: he could somehow reach a part of Ironhide by just… letting the runes play. Right now they had coalesced around his fingers and were playfully dancing over his skin.
Ironhide hit a pothole particularly hard and Will laughed as he almost hit his head on the ceiling.
“If you think this will distract me,” the Autobot warned.
“It already did.”
A grumbled mutter was the only reply.
They arrived at Yuma base and Will got out, grinning at his partner as he transformed.
“You: get some rest,” Ironhide ordered.
“May I shower first?” Will asked pointedly.
Blue optics flared. “Just get your aft into your quarters and get some rest.”
“Yessir.” Will flipped a sloppy salute and walked inside, meeting the amused red optics of Scavenger.
Ironhide stomped into a different area.
“What got him?” Scavenger asked.
“Nothing particularly new. Being a nanny again. I’m off to get some shut-eye. See you later.”
Scavenger chuckled. “See you.”
As before, he didn’t really sleep. Even the long shower helped only marginally. The dreams kept him awake.
Will gave up after a while and just sat down with his laptop, catching up on his emails.
* * *
It hadn't rained in days and the ground was hard and dry. Dust rose as hot, dry winds brushed over it, dancing over the yellowish earth. The sun was rising over the horizon and the first rays of its light tickled the dead bushes and stones. The shadows grew shorter.
He was running faster than he had ever run before. He stumbled over protruding roots, stone and through little bushes, but he kept on running, aware that he was pursued by Ravage. The feline Decepticon symbiote was hot on his trail and if he didn't find a safe place, Ravage would get him.
Will Lennox, former Army Ranger, hybrid by accident, Avatar Prime by Cybertronian name, and bonded to Ironhide, stood in a secure stance, legs braced for a blow, his whole body radiating tension. White-hot light reflected off his face, giving him an eerily pale appearance. Almost sickly. Eyes with a pinpoint of blue in their brown depths gazed at the almost perfectly round orb that hovered above the palm of his hand. No bigger than a golf ball, it seemed to pulse deep within, a white globe that should sizzle and crackle and still didn’t make a sound.
His breath was coming in gasps now. His muscles were burning, but he kept running. Branches slapped into his face, tore at his clothes. His foot suddenly caught in a larger root and he fell flat onto the ground, the wind knocked out of him. For several seconds he was only aware of the pain in his chest and the low oxygen supply, then he heard another thing beside the roaring in his ears. A snarl.
Carefully channeling more energy into the bubble, Will watched it grow to tennis ball size. Still it made no sound and he still had full control. Runes had collected around his hands, like intricate tattoos, and his whole body seemed to hum with energy.
He turned around and saw Ravage coming out of the undergrowth. He moved gracefully, soundlessly except for a whisper of leaves he brushed by. His red optics glowed with triumph and he revealed sharp teeth.
Curling his fingers, he seemed to grasp the ball, touching the energy-laden surface, but he felt no averse effects. It was almost like pushing into a gelatinous substance that soon didn’t give any more. Or like a very smooth balloon.
He grabbed a piece of branch that had been torn off a tree by the storm from some hours ago. It was still wet, just like the ground he lay on. He brandished the branch like a sword.
He fed it more energy.
The bubble grew in size once more, still white-hot, but now a crackle of energy licked over his fingers without causing pain. The runes were fixed now, a deep golden-bronze in color.
Ravage's jaws made short work of his weapon, snapping it in half, tearing it out of his hands. He got to his feet, trying to make another run for it, but the symbiote effortlessly overtook him, planting himself in his way. He growled, advancing slowly. He was playing with him and sooner or later he'd jump for the kill.
He wriggled his fingers and the bubble danced a little, but it wouldn’t push off or fly away.
Will raised his eyes and fixed them on a spot in the distance. He charged more energy into the bubble, then placed his other hand over it, like a Tai-Chi move, and released the ball.
It screamed across the desert and collided with the target, incinerating it. Nothing was left but smoking ruins.
Cool.
Will went through the same motions again, charging the energy bubble, but instead of releasing it, he tried to reabsorb the energy.
It felt like a blow to the stomach.
Lennox screwed his eyes shut as pain raced through his body and he gasped, digging his feet into the ground to keep himself from getting pushed back. A hiss escaped his clenched teeth, then everything tilted and he fell forward as if all strings had been cut. He caught himself haphazardly with outstretched hands.
Silence was around him as dust settled.
He coughed.
And cursed softly.
“I’d say it’s an improvement.”
Will cracked his eyes open and glared at the tall figure not far away. All he could see were gray and tan colored metal feet and a dot of red.
But Mixmaster was right. He had improved. The last time he had tried this particular stunt he had ended in a rock face once again, blown back by the reabsorbed energy. It had to go somewhere and whenever he took it into himself, he was propelled away. It seemed his body was adjusting to the sudden increase of energy and simply converted it into a flash of pain.
“Still sucks,” he groaned and got up, swaying a little on his feet.
A scan bounced off him and he was so tempted to hit Mixmaster with an energy blast because of it. The Constructicon just grinned.
“I’m fine,” Lennox grumbled. “Just in pain. Nothing new there.”
“Looking at your learning curve, you should be able to reabsorb your own energy without pain in the future.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
The massive mech grunted. “It’s a fact. When you first started out, you nearly took yourself apart. Now look at you.”
Will shrugged. Yes, he was learning. He just hoped that it would continue to be a positive learning effect without any negative surprises, because of those he had had enough.
The nightmares kept him coming back here, trying to improve his only defense. He needed to be able to take out mechs and symbiotes, and dreaming about Ravage chasing him sure gave him an incentive. He had defeated Soundwave before, and he had scared off the symbiotes, but Lennox knew that where there was a will, there was a way. If Soundwave wanted him, a way would be found to get him.
So he trained.
Moving his fingers, he watched energy flow between them like tendrils of light. The runes were clearly visible and would remain there for at least the next twenty-four hours after the training. For whatever reason. Creating a new bubble, he playfully rolled it around his palm, then transferred it to his other palm.
There was a whine like a gun charging and Will reacted out of instinct. His body moved without a second thought, with his skin taking on a different hue - that of the Allspark - and the energy ball flew toward his attacker. Mixmaster ducked and grinned more.
“Good reflexes, Prime.”
Will growled, eyes white-blue, and barely took a second to become his protoform alternate shape. Mixmaster’s shot went wide when he grabbed the gun arm and pushed it away, and then quickly moved out of the reach of the second hand.
“Not playing fair,” he shot at the Constructicon.
“Just testing.” Mixmaster rotated one wrist, nodding his approval. “Good instincts, very good reaction time.”
Will mock-bowed.
“Try reabsorbtion now,” Mixmaster suddenly told him.
“What?” The suggestions caught him as off guard as the blast nearly had.
“In protoform. All prior attempts were with you in human shape. You've never used your protoform.”
The hybrid’s optics narrowed, then he shrugged and created the energy bubble, charging it. Bracing himself, Will went through the same motions - and got nothing but a slight sizzle over his exterior shell this time.
Gaping, he stared at the Constructicon, who looked smug and amused and fascinated all in one.
“How did you know?!”
“I didn’t. It was as good an assumption as anything else. You usually train in human form. You only take on your other shape when you battle one of us or in a real fight against an enemy.”
“Huh.”
Mixmaster was right. He had never tried this any other way. Why, was anyone’s guess.
“Hot damn,” he murmured.
Mixmaster chuckled. “Glad to be of help.”
Will was too stunned to say anything else. Even if he could never fully control the reabsorption in human mode, he would be able to handle it in protoform. And since his battle mode was the protoform, there shouldn’t be any trouble.
Cool.
“This just came to you?” Lennox asked again.
“Actually, yes.”
“So much for more advanced computing power.” Will flexed his fingers and watched the lethal energy flicker once more. “At least now I know there’s a way, even if it means I have to change shape. I’ll still try and see if I can manage the other way, too.”
Mixmaster nodded his acceptance. Will knew that the others would know about this soon, too. All five were his ‘personal trainers’. Each had different abilities and each tested and challenged him differently. It was good to know that he had so many different styles to fall back on when he needed to train. He had made fast progress.
His abilities helped Hook and Scavenger in turn, too. They were the chief developers for the Ark’s shields and weapons. Hook was the chief engineer and spent a lot of his up on the space station together with Perceptor, always improving the systems. Scavenger mainly worked as a liaison to the Autobots and Stark Industries, and he would ask for Will’s help in testing a new addition. So far Lennox had managed to scrap every new shield if he just threw enough at it, though the last time he had nearly keeled over from exhaustion.
Hook had declared the test a success.
Scavenger had agreed.
Will had just wanted to sleep for a week.
“Ready for more?” Mixmaster interrupted his thoughts.
“I was thinking about trying out a few ideas,” Lennox nodded. “If you want to watch…”
“Got nothing planned. Go ahead.”
“No unexpected moves,” Will requested. “I don’t want to blow you up, Mixmaster.”
The Constructicon nodded. “Understood. I’ll monitor.”
So the hybrid went back to experimenting with the energy at his disposal.
Somewhere throughout that time Mixmaster moved against him again nevertheless.
Never trust a Con, ran through Will’s head as he acted and reacted. Never trust one of your teachers, he added, negating the ‘Con’ part. Mixmaster had never willingly been a Decepticon and the time he had served Megatron had been enslavement.
Will nearly blew him up as he launched his counterattack, but Mixmaster was fast. A lot faster than his massive frame suggested, and like all of them he knew some very dirty tricks. That he also liked to throw his own concoctions of chemical bombs at him had Lennox move even faster and be a lot more alert. That stuff stung!
In the end Mixmaster looked like someone had pelted him really good and thoroughly, and there were some deep welts in his armor from head to feet, and Will felt every bruise.
But he was getting better.
And that was the whole point of the voluntary masochistic game.
tbc...