Trick or Treat! - Ray of Light - Red Alert/Megatron (Soundwave) - Gish
Title: Ray of Light
Rating: G? I think?
Series: G1 with a LOT of IDW-ish history thrown in.
Pairings/Prompt: (G1) Red Alert/Megatron, treat - a ray of light breaks through
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: Characters are not mine, but I will put them back where I found them when they're done playing.
Author's Notes:This is the second part of a series started by Taking the Bullet. It's set oh, maybe a year or ten after Taking the Bullet. This also pulls heavily from IDW canon and attempts to be consistent with that. However, I've tried to make it clear what's being discussed for those who haven't read the comics and...hopefully I've succeeded? ^_^;; Many thanks to Darthneko, Dragovian Knight, and Toggs for the betas!
"--decryption of Autobot level alpha-9 security codes, proceeding. Estimated time to complete decryption, one decacycle."
Megatron looked impressed. "Good work, Soundwave. That is ahead of schedule."
Soundwave gestured to the mech to his right. "Credit, partially belongs to Red Alert. His knowledge of Autobot security encryption algorithms, invaluable."
"Indeed." Megatron looked at the branded Autobot in their midst and nodded with approval and no little smugness. "I am glad that you two have found each other useful. I have great hopes that better intelligence on the military's movements will prevent incidents like last week's."
Red Alert tried to hide his wince. The crackdown on Kaon's Sector 92 had been something he'd gotten hints of through the security 'net, but he'd not been able to determine the exact plan until much too late. Red Alert knew exactly how many mecha had been brought in, how many had been charged, how many were still held without charges, and how many had been executed either trying to escape or after being convicted. He held those numbers close to his spark, where they served as a reminder of his failure to protect the innocent from the Senate's tyranny.
He looked up as a heavy hand dropped on his shoulder plating. Megatron's optics were steady. "We will prevail."
Red Alert nodded. He believed it because he had to. Otherwise, he was living a lie for nothing.
He would just have to try harder.
------
----Run scridec.nt
----scridec.nt running...
----...
----...scridec.nt completed. Deceive the deceivers.
::DATANET CONNECT.::
::ACCESS CODE?::
----id_908763555483775644009873
::ACCESS GRANTED. HAVE A NICE DAY.::
::CHANNEL?::
----87645377444409874635337859
::CHANNEL CONNECTED. SET SECURITY PARAMETERS, Y/N?::
----y
----Param key 5493876
----Param key 8576395
----Param key unify_76
----Param key scrident0989
----Param key sw11123927
----Param key loc_unlock end
::PARAMETERS SET::
CHANNEL USERS: systemwarden, crimson
----crimson - I need a second opinion.
----systemwarden - ?
----crimson - I've found something. Something important.
----crimson - Packet incoming, check your drop.
----systemwarden - acknowledged.
----systemwarden - ...information, verified?
----crimson - Yes. Several conversations at different times, different mecha, all referencing the same event. The location IDs of the mecha involved match as well.
----systemwarden - switch channels. epsilon parameters. check your drop for channel ID.
----crimson - acknowledged.
Red Alert was surprised at the channel ident that Soundwave left for him. It was for an audible comm line caged with security parameters that meant that Soundwave was coding the channel's encryption on the fly. The only time that Red Alert had known him to do that was when fielding a live connection with Megatron himself.
::Red Alert,:: the Decepticon leader said, once Red Alert had connected. ::Good work. This makes sense.::
::Thank you, sir.::
::Information, confirms suspicions regarding Nominus Prime's death,:: Soundwave agreed.
::Indeed,:: Megatron's glyphs were thoughtful. ::However, it does reveal one piece out of place. A very important one that apparently has the Senate out of sorts. Have you found any indication that they know where the Matrix is?::
::There still appears to be some confusion on the matter, sir, at least in the channels I am monitoring. Most of the speculation is on whether Nova Prime took the Matrix with him when he disappeared. Some, though, seem to think that it is still on Cybertron.::
::Why would a Prime leave the Matrix behind?::
Red Alert sent a glyphed shrug of uncertainty, which was, thankfully, followed by Soundwave's more useful response. ::Possibility: because it was involved in a more important endeavor.::
::Hmm? Go on.::
There was a pause in the link, and Red Alert realized that he'd been temporarily dropped into an alternate security channel as something confidential was discussed. He waited patiently and was brought back into the main channel almost immediately. Evidently there hadn't been much debate.
Soundwave continued. ::Background: previous research project involved investigating the differences between cold-constructed vs. forged mecha. Difference, obviously of great importance to caste system. Soundwave, also interested in details of spark-splitting procedure.::
Forging vs. cold construction was not supposed to be an issue any more, but it reared its head in many a dismissive condemnation about the lower castes. The very roots of the distinction, though, were largely unknown. Everyone knew that forged mechas' sparks came from the energy waves of Vector Sigma and that cold-constructed mechas' sparks came from the mysterious "spark-splitting" process that forged sparks could undergo. However, the details of this process were not public knowledge. Red Alert had never known or heard of anyone who had actually seen or participated in the process, but then, he was cold-constructed himself.
A carrier, Red Alert realized, especially a carrier who had been denied repeatedly for a sparking license, might well be interested in the process...for multiple reasons.
::Soundwave's discovery: spark-splitting procedure is a hoax. Sparks for cold-constructed frames, come from a warehouse on the outskirts of Iacon. Sparks, transported to construction facilities when needed for cold-constructed frames.::
Red Alert for a nanoklik thought that he'd heard wrong. ::That...that's outrageous! But...why?::
::Unknown. Source of sparks, also unknown. However...per your report: "We must find it. the life-giving powers of the Matrix are too important." Other quotes, also suggest connection between Matrix, sparks, and population maintenance.::
Red Alert found himself very aware of the cycling of his own spark. ::You think the Matrix was involved in producing those sparks? But how?::
::Unknown.::
::I find myself suddenly very interested in the whereabouts of our most cherished religious relic,:: Megatron said, wryly. ::The future of our race should clearly not be in the hands of the Senate.::
::Symbolism of the Matrix and divine right to rule, of unparallelled importance in the minds of significant portion of Cybertronian population,:: Soundwave pointed out...a vast understatement, in Red Alert's opinion.
::That as well. The re-emergence of the Matrix could be the sign that so many are waiting for. This warrants further investigation.::
Red Alert thought back to the databases he had access to. ::There are certainly many research project archives under heavy encryption. Perhaps there is some trace of this spark-generation project left.::
::That is what I like about you, Red Alert: you never shirk from what needs doing. What are your chances of accessing and decrypting these archives without being detected?::
Red Alert considered. ::On my own, reasonable. With Soundwave's help....::
::Excellent,:: Soundwave pronounced, his glyphs modified with markers for staunch certainty.
Megatron sounded pleased. ::I leave it in your hands, then.::
------
Time blurred for Red Alert. He carefully kept up his official work, of course. A change in behavior or efficiency would invite scrutiny, and that was the absolute last thing he needed. However, he lost track of the cycles, once even coming in to work on his day off. Concentration enhancements and long joors of searching, copying, and analyzing replaced his already sparse recharge schedule.
His spark nearly stopped, one shift, when he was called into his superior's office. However, ironically, Triplecheck only congratulated him on his excellent work on the new security rotation schedule and SOP updates and gave him a promotion.
Red Alert hadn't had to fake his gratitude at all. The upgraded security clearance made his work afterhours that much easier.
Not that said work was pleasant. Far from it. He learned more about the twisted ambitions of Nova Prime than he had ever wanted to know. A few times the locked files that bloomed under his and Soundwave's decryption algorithms made his tank churn and his servos shake.
Such MONSTERS with such POWER over the people they were sworn to protect! Such abuses of that power! It was heinous. Incomprehensible. Unconscionable.
His outrage drove him through his own recharge cycles, covering their unauthorized access to the security databases, crafting dummy accounts with privileges far above his own, uploading and integrating decryption protocols notated in Soundwave's meticulous, gratifyingly thorough script. Soundwave himself worked just as hard. The only time that Red Alert could not reach him or did not recognize his touch upon the hidden backdoors into the security 'net was when Soundwave himself was scheduled to fight in the arena.
And even then he caught Soundwave multitasking, if it was a particularly mismatched fight.
::I know too much,:: Red Alert said, one late night as he methodically crawled through an jumbled archive of unlabeled project reports. ::You are much too important to have frequent contact with someone as potentially dangerous as me. I'm the first person they'll come looking for if we are discovered.::
::Our combined knowledge, required for such endeavors,:: Soundwave pointed out. ::Contingency plans, prepared and in place.::
::I find that reassuring. Honestly, I d--:: Red Alert stopped cold, rereading the report synopsis in front of him.
::...?::
::I found it.:: Red Alert didn't even finish reading the report, simply hashed it and sent it winging to Soundwave's secure dropbox. He didn't even bother to notify Soundwave that it was there. He received the answering ping that the communications mech had opened it nanoseconds after it was finished uploading. ::Primus. Cross-referencing project number...report author's name is Stormsight...::
Red Alert's security monitors noted Soundwave's access to the security 'net, Soundwave's search spiders unfurling over the personnel databases so that Red Alert could focus on what he was doing. ::Stormsight, medic, spark technician, graduated Iacon Medical Academy with honors.::
::Makes sense. This project is coming up with hundreds of reports, spanning exactly the timeframe we'd expect. It WAS done after Nova left the planet....::
::Security sweep, incoming.::
::Frag. Frag, frag, frag...got it all.:: Red Alert downloaded everything he'd found and closed his connection. ::Clear.::
The silence of his quarters was disconcerting after the background hum of frantically running processes and data searches. Red Alert onlined his optics, the room oddly empty without Soundwave's virtual presence beside him.
::Clear. Security sweep, routine. No anomalous activity.::
::Wonderful.:: Red Alert finished uploading what he'd found and eagerly downloaded the hashed archives that Soundwave had placed in his own dropbox. The thrill of discovery made the long, meticulous work worth it. They were finally going to KNOW. ::Where should we start?::
::Soundwave, will read through technical reports. Red Alert, should concentrate on whereabouts and activities of Stormsight, timeframe of interest and afterwards.::
::Got it.::
::Red Alert?::
::Yes?::
::Excellent work.::
Red Alert smiled at his bare wall. ::Thank you. I could not have done it without you.::
::Likewise.::
------
Red Alert stared at the grainy security footage flowing over his screen.
Stormsight, looking over his shoulder constantly. Stormsight, entering the Undergrid through an old access tunnel once, then twice.
Stormsight, going to work the next day and the day after and the day after, looking inexplicably relieved.
As if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.
Red Alert closed his connection and shut off his console. His quarters plunged into darkness, lit only by his optics. Then he offlined those, slumping back in his chair. He was so tired. But knowledge burned in his processor.
There were no security cameras in the Undergrid. The place was no doubt immense. But surely not too immense? Stormsight left and came out again within two joors. That was surely a workable search radius.
::Soundwave.::
::??::
::I know where he put it.::
Red Alert onlined his optics again, his smile small but triumphant. ::I know where the Matrix is.::
Rating: G? I think?
Series: G1 with a LOT of IDW-ish history thrown in.
Pairings/Prompt: (G1) Red Alert/Megatron, treat - a ray of light breaks through
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: Characters are not mine, but I will put them back where I found them when they're done playing.
Author's Notes:This is the second part of a series started by Taking the Bullet. It's set oh, maybe a year or ten after Taking the Bullet. This also pulls heavily from IDW canon and attempts to be consistent with that. However, I've tried to make it clear what's being discussed for those who haven't read the comics and...hopefully I've succeeded? ^_^;; Many thanks to Darthneko, Dragovian Knight, and Toggs for the betas!
"--decryption of Autobot level alpha-9 security codes, proceeding. Estimated time to complete decryption, one decacycle."
Megatron looked impressed. "Good work, Soundwave. That is ahead of schedule."
Soundwave gestured to the mech to his right. "Credit, partially belongs to Red Alert. His knowledge of Autobot security encryption algorithms, invaluable."
"Indeed." Megatron looked at the branded Autobot in their midst and nodded with approval and no little smugness. "I am glad that you two have found each other useful. I have great hopes that better intelligence on the military's movements will prevent incidents like last week's."
Red Alert tried to hide his wince. The crackdown on Kaon's Sector 92 had been something he'd gotten hints of through the security 'net, but he'd not been able to determine the exact plan until much too late. Red Alert knew exactly how many mecha had been brought in, how many had been charged, how many were still held without charges, and how many had been executed either trying to escape or after being convicted. He held those numbers close to his spark, where they served as a reminder of his failure to protect the innocent from the Senate's tyranny.
He looked up as a heavy hand dropped on his shoulder plating. Megatron's optics were steady. "We will prevail."
Red Alert nodded. He believed it because he had to. Otherwise, he was living a lie for nothing.
He would just have to try harder.
------
----Run scridec.nt
----scridec.nt running...
----...
----...scridec.nt completed. Deceive the deceivers.
::DATANET CONNECT.::
::ACCESS CODE?::
----id_908763555483775644009873
::ACCESS GRANTED. HAVE A NICE DAY.::
::CHANNEL?::
----87645377444409874635337859
::CHANNEL CONNECTED. SET SECURITY PARAMETERS, Y/N?::
----y
----Param key 5493876
----Param key 8576395
----Param key unify_76
----Param key scrident0989
----Param key sw11123927
----Param key loc_unlock end
::PARAMETERS SET::
CHANNEL USERS: systemwarden, crimson
----crimson - I need a second opinion.
----systemwarden - ?
----crimson - I've found something. Something important.
----crimson - Packet incoming, check your drop.
----systemwarden - acknowledged.
----systemwarden - ...information, verified?
----crimson - Yes. Several conversations at different times, different mecha, all referencing the same event. The location IDs of the mecha involved match as well.
----systemwarden - switch channels. epsilon parameters. check your drop for channel ID.
----crimson - acknowledged.
Red Alert was surprised at the channel ident that Soundwave left for him. It was for an audible comm line caged with security parameters that meant that Soundwave was coding the channel's encryption on the fly. The only time that Red Alert had known him to do that was when fielding a live connection with Megatron himself.
::Red Alert,:: the Decepticon leader said, once Red Alert had connected. ::Good work. This makes sense.::
::Thank you, sir.::
::Information, confirms suspicions regarding Nominus Prime's death,:: Soundwave agreed.
::Indeed,:: Megatron's glyphs were thoughtful. ::However, it does reveal one piece out of place. A very important one that apparently has the Senate out of sorts. Have you found any indication that they know where the Matrix is?::
::There still appears to be some confusion on the matter, sir, at least in the channels I am monitoring. Most of the speculation is on whether Nova Prime took the Matrix with him when he disappeared. Some, though, seem to think that it is still on Cybertron.::
::Why would a Prime leave the Matrix behind?::
Red Alert sent a glyphed shrug of uncertainty, which was, thankfully, followed by Soundwave's more useful response. ::Possibility: because it was involved in a more important endeavor.::
::Hmm? Go on.::
There was a pause in the link, and Red Alert realized that he'd been temporarily dropped into an alternate security channel as something confidential was discussed. He waited patiently and was brought back into the main channel almost immediately. Evidently there hadn't been much debate.
Soundwave continued. ::Background: previous research project involved investigating the differences between cold-constructed vs. forged mecha. Difference, obviously of great importance to caste system. Soundwave, also interested in details of spark-splitting procedure.::
Forging vs. cold construction was not supposed to be an issue any more, but it reared its head in many a dismissive condemnation about the lower castes. The very roots of the distinction, though, were largely unknown. Everyone knew that forged mechas' sparks came from the energy waves of Vector Sigma and that cold-constructed mechas' sparks came from the mysterious "spark-splitting" process that forged sparks could undergo. However, the details of this process were not public knowledge. Red Alert had never known or heard of anyone who had actually seen or participated in the process, but then, he was cold-constructed himself.
A carrier, Red Alert realized, especially a carrier who had been denied repeatedly for a sparking license, might well be interested in the process...for multiple reasons.
::Soundwave's discovery: spark-splitting procedure is a hoax. Sparks for cold-constructed frames, come from a warehouse on the outskirts of Iacon. Sparks, transported to construction facilities when needed for cold-constructed frames.::
Red Alert for a nanoklik thought that he'd heard wrong. ::That...that's outrageous! But...why?::
::Unknown. Source of sparks, also unknown. However...per your report: "We must find it. the life-giving powers of the Matrix are too important." Other quotes, also suggest connection between Matrix, sparks, and population maintenance.::
Red Alert found himself very aware of the cycling of his own spark. ::You think the Matrix was involved in producing those sparks? But how?::
::Unknown.::
::I find myself suddenly very interested in the whereabouts of our most cherished religious relic,:: Megatron said, wryly. ::The future of our race should clearly not be in the hands of the Senate.::
::Symbolism of the Matrix and divine right to rule, of unparallelled importance in the minds of significant portion of Cybertronian population,:: Soundwave pointed out...a vast understatement, in Red Alert's opinion.
::That as well. The re-emergence of the Matrix could be the sign that so many are waiting for. This warrants further investigation.::
Red Alert thought back to the databases he had access to. ::There are certainly many research project archives under heavy encryption. Perhaps there is some trace of this spark-generation project left.::
::That is what I like about you, Red Alert: you never shirk from what needs doing. What are your chances of accessing and decrypting these archives without being detected?::
Red Alert considered. ::On my own, reasonable. With Soundwave's help....::
::Excellent,:: Soundwave pronounced, his glyphs modified with markers for staunch certainty.
Megatron sounded pleased. ::I leave it in your hands, then.::
------
Time blurred for Red Alert. He carefully kept up his official work, of course. A change in behavior or efficiency would invite scrutiny, and that was the absolute last thing he needed. However, he lost track of the cycles, once even coming in to work on his day off. Concentration enhancements and long joors of searching, copying, and analyzing replaced his already sparse recharge schedule.
His spark nearly stopped, one shift, when he was called into his superior's office. However, ironically, Triplecheck only congratulated him on his excellent work on the new security rotation schedule and SOP updates and gave him a promotion.
Red Alert hadn't had to fake his gratitude at all. The upgraded security clearance made his work afterhours that much easier.
Not that said work was pleasant. Far from it. He learned more about the twisted ambitions of Nova Prime than he had ever wanted to know. A few times the locked files that bloomed under his and Soundwave's decryption algorithms made his tank churn and his servos shake.
Such MONSTERS with such POWER over the people they were sworn to protect! Such abuses of that power! It was heinous. Incomprehensible. Unconscionable.
His outrage drove him through his own recharge cycles, covering their unauthorized access to the security databases, crafting dummy accounts with privileges far above his own, uploading and integrating decryption protocols notated in Soundwave's meticulous, gratifyingly thorough script. Soundwave himself worked just as hard. The only time that Red Alert could not reach him or did not recognize his touch upon the hidden backdoors into the security 'net was when Soundwave himself was scheduled to fight in the arena.
And even then he caught Soundwave multitasking, if it was a particularly mismatched fight.
::I know too much,:: Red Alert said, one late night as he methodically crawled through an jumbled archive of unlabeled project reports. ::You are much too important to have frequent contact with someone as potentially dangerous as me. I'm the first person they'll come looking for if we are discovered.::
::Our combined knowledge, required for such endeavors,:: Soundwave pointed out. ::Contingency plans, prepared and in place.::
::I find that reassuring. Honestly, I d--:: Red Alert stopped cold, rereading the report synopsis in front of him.
::...?::
::I found it.:: Red Alert didn't even finish reading the report, simply hashed it and sent it winging to Soundwave's secure dropbox. He didn't even bother to notify Soundwave that it was there. He received the answering ping that the communications mech had opened it nanoseconds after it was finished uploading. ::Primus. Cross-referencing project number...report author's name is Stormsight...::
Red Alert's security monitors noted Soundwave's access to the security 'net, Soundwave's search spiders unfurling over the personnel databases so that Red Alert could focus on what he was doing. ::Stormsight, medic, spark technician, graduated Iacon Medical Academy with honors.::
::Makes sense. This project is coming up with hundreds of reports, spanning exactly the timeframe we'd expect. It WAS done after Nova left the planet....::
::Security sweep, incoming.::
::Frag. Frag, frag, frag...got it all.:: Red Alert downloaded everything he'd found and closed his connection. ::Clear.::
The silence of his quarters was disconcerting after the background hum of frantically running processes and data searches. Red Alert onlined his optics, the room oddly empty without Soundwave's virtual presence beside him.
::Clear. Security sweep, routine. No anomalous activity.::
::Wonderful.:: Red Alert finished uploading what he'd found and eagerly downloaded the hashed archives that Soundwave had placed in his own dropbox. The thrill of discovery made the long, meticulous work worth it. They were finally going to KNOW. ::Where should we start?::
::Soundwave, will read through technical reports. Red Alert, should concentrate on whereabouts and activities of Stormsight, timeframe of interest and afterwards.::
::Got it.::
::Red Alert?::
::Yes?::
::Excellent work.::
Red Alert smiled at his bare wall. ::Thank you. I could not have done it without you.::
::Likewise.::
------
Red Alert stared at the grainy security footage flowing over his screen.
Stormsight, looking over his shoulder constantly. Stormsight, entering the Undergrid through an old access tunnel once, then twice.
Stormsight, going to work the next day and the day after and the day after, looking inexplicably relieved.
As if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.
Red Alert closed his connection and shut off his console. His quarters plunged into darkness, lit only by his optics. Then he offlined those, slumping back in his chair. He was so tired. But knowledge burned in his processor.
There were no security cameras in the Undergrid. The place was no doubt immense. But surely not too immense? Stormsight left and came out again within two joors. That was surely a workable search radius.
::Soundwave.::
::??::
::I know where he put it.::
Red Alert onlined his optics again, his smile small but triumphant. ::I know where the Matrix is.::