rwVerse. Onboard the Miranda 2. Kith and Kin.
The disembodied spark trembled, feeling the unfamiliar circuits around it and singing softly with fear and uncertainty.
Something touched it gently, an awareness that was strong, yet soft with affection.
The spark stilled, comforted but still quizzical. Was someone mad at it?
Blackout and Prime were proud, Cyclonus thought he was terminally glitched.
All was right in the world. The spark settled to the bottom of its borrowed casing and slept.
* * *
Blackout sighed as she felt Demolisher fade into contented rest, then let her hand fall away from her spark compartment and continued on her way toward her quarters.
"Blackout? Blackout?" called a soft human voice, and she turned back to see the tiny femme, Misha, hurrying after her.
"Yes?" she asked gruffly, one hand on the door frame to hold it open.
Misha smiled up at her with shy concern. "How is Demolisher?"
"Sleeping," said Blackout, turning her head to look into her room and then looking back over her shoulder as she heard her team approaching.
"Hey, Boss." Cyclonus giggled nervously, though his pain and fear were plain in his posture and optics. "Mind if we come in for a little while?"
The big femme studied him, then shifted her gaze to Starscream, who looked like he was exhausted and holding in his emotions, and then to Tidal Wave, who just looked blank.
"Alright." She shoved at the door and walked inside. "You too, Misha."
"Oh?" The girl blinked, then squeaked as Cyclonus gently scooped her up and brought her along.
"You wanted to talk to me, didn't you?" Blackout walked over to the far wall of the small hold that had been set aside for her and sat down with her back to the wall.
"Erm... yes, I guess." Misha looked around as she was set down carefully on Blackout's leg, her eyes widening as she saw Cyclonus step over, lay down and put his head on the big femme's other leg, and then pass out and start snoring softly.
"Sit down," ordered Blackout as Tidal Wave and Starscream sat to either side of her. "I don't want you falling. I have to listen to too many of Kicker's tantrums already."
"He didn't mean it when he called you a useless rust bucket," said Misha quickly as she obeyed.
"I know. If I thought he had he would have been headfirst down the nearest waste chute." Blackout let Scorponok out of her cockpit and rumbled to him soothingly as he made his way up to her shoulder before sitting to survey his domain, then gently rubbed Starscream's back and watched as he let his chin fall against his chest and tried to relax.
"Oh...." Misha's large eyes went even rounder, but then she blinked as she saw the expression on the big femme's faceplate. "Are you worried about what Megatron will try next?"
It was Blackout's turn to blink, and she pulled her attention from her second in command to give the girl a blank look. "No."
"...About Demolisher?"
"No." She flexed her hand, remembering how she'd belted Megatron to get her lieutenant's spark away from him after Demolisher had gotten caught in the Miranda 2's energon grid while saving his former commander from the same fate.
"About Ironhide?"
"He's alright." Blackout smirked slightly.
"Did you kiss him??"
"Kiss who?" The big femme looked down at the human one innocently.
"Ironhide!"
"Ssnorghfl... tryin' to sleep, sheeeesh...." Cyclonus' snores resumed.
Blackout and Misha both stared at him, and then the one rumbled a chuckle as the other stifled a giggle.
"I'm surprised he woke up that much," noted Starscream, smiling. "He slept through battles in the control room when we were young."
Blackout reached out and gently poked the sleeping mech, her mouth twitching as he failed to respond.
Then she turned to Starscream. "How are you doing?"
Green optics blinked up at her with surprise and confusion. Since when did the commander ask such questions?
Then he shrugged. "I'm alright. It's Demolisher we should be concerned about. Hasn't he got a mate now?"
"Yes." Blackout sobered and leaned back against the wall. "I spoke with her. Let her know what had happened."
"She was angry?" asked Tidal Wave, turning his head to look at her.
"No..." said Blackout bemusedly. "She was too distracted by something else that had happened."
"What could be important enough to distract her from Demolisher's death?" Starscream frowned.
"Apparently, she and Demolisher have somehow created a new spark."
Two sets of optics and one set of human eyes stared at her blankly.
"Tidal Wave doesn't understand," said that mech at last.
"Neither do I." Blackout shook her head. "But he's there. I saw him behind her; a young mech that calls himself Bullseye."
More silence from the two wakeful members of her team, which was finally broken by Misha. "Do you work alone when you're at home?"
Blackout blinked at the little human femme, but felt inclined to answer this time. "No. I work with Scorponok and my minions."
"Your minions?" Starscream looked up at her quizzically.
"Yes." Blackout fiddled with internal commands and then succeeded in causing two small 3D holograms to stand on Cyclonus' face. "The grey one is Requiem, the orange one is his sister Hormah."
Misha gasped softly, her eyes enormous as she leaned to see the images more closely. "They look like you!"
Blackout nodded. "Half their specs come from me."
"You mean... they're your children?? You have a family?"
"Decepticons don't have families." The black femme scowled absently, wondering what the two young trouble causers were doing at that moment.
"I have family," said Starscream softly, his gaze resting on Requiem's image.
Blackout blinked, then remembered what Skywarp had to say about his cousin and made the holograms disappear.
"So if half their specs came from you, where did the other half come from?" asked Misha, grinning with innocent curiosity. "Do you have a mate?"
"In one reality, yes." Blackout felt Tidal Wave droop and looked at him with surprise. -Though I'm not sure that isn't just a dream.-
"I don't understand." Misha frowned.
"So... you go from reality to reality fairly often?" Starscream stirred and looked up at his commander, the thoughtful look on his faceplate increasing.
She nodded, but then scowled again as thoughts of Skywarp and her minions made her long for them. "No more questions. My men need to re... to sleep. And so do you, Misha. Go on, get out of my quarters, all of you. Tidal Wave, take this buzz bomb and put him on his berth."
They scrambled to do her bidding, and she watched them go, then lay back on the empty floor and stared at the ceiling for a few moments before she closed her silver optics and went offline. Scorponok vanished, and the hold was left in utter silence.
Something touched it gently, an awareness that was strong, yet soft with affection.
The spark stilled, comforted but still quizzical. Was someone mad at it?
Blackout and Prime were proud, Cyclonus thought he was terminally glitched.
All was right in the world. The spark settled to the bottom of its borrowed casing and slept.
* * *
Blackout sighed as she felt Demolisher fade into contented rest, then let her hand fall away from her spark compartment and continued on her way toward her quarters.
"Blackout? Blackout?" called a soft human voice, and she turned back to see the tiny femme, Misha, hurrying after her.
"Yes?" she asked gruffly, one hand on the door frame to hold it open.
Misha smiled up at her with shy concern. "How is Demolisher?"
"Sleeping," said Blackout, turning her head to look into her room and then looking back over her shoulder as she heard her team approaching.
"Hey, Boss." Cyclonus giggled nervously, though his pain and fear were plain in his posture and optics. "Mind if we come in for a little while?"
The big femme studied him, then shifted her gaze to Starscream, who looked like he was exhausted and holding in his emotions, and then to Tidal Wave, who just looked blank.
"Alright." She shoved at the door and walked inside. "You too, Misha."
"Oh?" The girl blinked, then squeaked as Cyclonus gently scooped her up and brought her along.
"You wanted to talk to me, didn't you?" Blackout walked over to the far wall of the small hold that had been set aside for her and sat down with her back to the wall.
"Erm... yes, I guess." Misha looked around as she was set down carefully on Blackout's leg, her eyes widening as she saw Cyclonus step over, lay down and put his head on the big femme's other leg, and then pass out and start snoring softly.
"Sit down," ordered Blackout as Tidal Wave and Starscream sat to either side of her. "I don't want you falling. I have to listen to too many of Kicker's tantrums already."
"He didn't mean it when he called you a useless rust bucket," said Misha quickly as she obeyed.
"I know. If I thought he had he would have been headfirst down the nearest waste chute." Blackout let Scorponok out of her cockpit and rumbled to him soothingly as he made his way up to her shoulder before sitting to survey his domain, then gently rubbed Starscream's back and watched as he let his chin fall against his chest and tried to relax.
"Oh...." Misha's large eyes went even rounder, but then she blinked as she saw the expression on the big femme's faceplate. "Are you worried about what Megatron will try next?"
It was Blackout's turn to blink, and she pulled her attention from her second in command to give the girl a blank look. "No."
"...About Demolisher?"
"No." She flexed her hand, remembering how she'd belted Megatron to get her lieutenant's spark away from him after Demolisher had gotten caught in the Miranda 2's energon grid while saving his former commander from the same fate.
"About Ironhide?"
"He's alright." Blackout smirked slightly.
"Did you kiss him??"
"Kiss who?" The big femme looked down at the human one innocently.
"Ironhide!"
"Ssnorghfl... tryin' to sleep, sheeeesh...." Cyclonus' snores resumed.
Blackout and Misha both stared at him, and then the one rumbled a chuckle as the other stifled a giggle.
"I'm surprised he woke up that much," noted Starscream, smiling. "He slept through battles in the control room when we were young."
Blackout reached out and gently poked the sleeping mech, her mouth twitching as he failed to respond.
Then she turned to Starscream. "How are you doing?"
Green optics blinked up at her with surprise and confusion. Since when did the commander ask such questions?
Then he shrugged. "I'm alright. It's Demolisher we should be concerned about. Hasn't he got a mate now?"
"Yes." Blackout sobered and leaned back against the wall. "I spoke with her. Let her know what had happened."
"She was angry?" asked Tidal Wave, turning his head to look at her.
"No..." said Blackout bemusedly. "She was too distracted by something else that had happened."
"What could be important enough to distract her from Demolisher's death?" Starscream frowned.
"Apparently, she and Demolisher have somehow created a new spark."
Two sets of optics and one set of human eyes stared at her blankly.
"Tidal Wave doesn't understand," said that mech at last.
"Neither do I." Blackout shook her head. "But he's there. I saw him behind her; a young mech that calls himself Bullseye."
More silence from the two wakeful members of her team, which was finally broken by Misha. "Do you work alone when you're at home?"
Blackout blinked at the little human femme, but felt inclined to answer this time. "No. I work with Scorponok and my minions."
"Your minions?" Starscream looked up at her quizzically.
"Yes." Blackout fiddled with internal commands and then succeeded in causing two small 3D holograms to stand on Cyclonus' face. "The grey one is Requiem, the orange one is his sister Hormah."
Misha gasped softly, her eyes enormous as she leaned to see the images more closely. "They look like you!"
Blackout nodded. "Half their specs come from me."
"You mean... they're your children?? You have a family?"
"Decepticons don't have families." The black femme scowled absently, wondering what the two young trouble causers were doing at that moment.
"I have family," said Starscream softly, his gaze resting on Requiem's image.
Blackout blinked, then remembered what Skywarp had to say about his cousin and made the holograms disappear.
"So if half their specs came from you, where did the other half come from?" asked Misha, grinning with innocent curiosity. "Do you have a mate?"
"In one reality, yes." Blackout felt Tidal Wave droop and looked at him with surprise. -Though I'm not sure that isn't just a dream.-
"I don't understand." Misha frowned.
"So... you go from reality to reality fairly often?" Starscream stirred and looked up at his commander, the thoughtful look on his faceplate increasing.
She nodded, but then scowled again as thoughts of Skywarp and her minions made her long for them. "No more questions. My men need to re... to sleep. And so do you, Misha. Go on, get out of my quarters, all of you. Tidal Wave, take this buzz bomb and put him on his berth."
They scrambled to do her bidding, and she watched them go, then lay back on the empty floor and stared at the ceiling for a few moments before she closed her silver optics and went offline. Scorponok vanished, and the hold was left in utter silence.