Another reality. The brig at the Autobot base. A message from Primus
"Havoc," came Optimus Prime's voice over the intercom. "Report."
"Yes, sir?" The heavily armored bot looked up from where he'd been sitting and nursing his cube of energon while watching Bumblebee and Sam torment Ratchet about some mistake that had blown up harmlessly but loudly in the medic's face and left him with a black mask that would only fade with time.
"I need you to report to the brig. There's someone there who insists that she needs to talk to you."
Havoc frowned slightly with confusion even as he was getting to his feet and moving toward the door. "To talk to me?"
"Yes, that's all she'll say. Or at least all she'll say in any language we can understand."
Havoc's frown deepened as he hurried his pace. "I'm on my way."
"Thank you. Prime out."
When he reached the brig he found a bemused Ironhide scowling at the bouncy dance tune that was coming from the little (bright red-orange!) tank sitting in one of the cells. "Prime said that someone wanted to talk to me."
His friend pointed at the tank, then gave him a very slight smirk and stomped off.
Havoc watched him go, wondering at that smirk. Then he turned back to the tank and studied it as he said gruffly, "You have something to say?"
A cheery whistle-beep answered him as the tank unfolded to a smallish femme with unusual aspects to her construction and no faction symbol... unless it was under some of the multi-coloured paint splotches that her chest was decorated with. "I does, me son." Her grin widened as she saw him fold his arms across his chest, and then changed to avid interest as she saw what he was wearing on those arms and on his back. "T'at t'ere's some cannon, b'y! What's it after bein'? __ caliber? What sort 'o rounds she take?"
The enthusiasm made Havoc blink even as he took in the tank mortar on the little femme's right arm. He considered demanding that she get back on topic, but this was a subject that he enjoyed and barely got to speak on besides with Ironhide. Still, it was with his usual aloofness that he answered with precise detail, wondering if the strange youngster would understand.
She did, then waved the big gun on her arm and told him the rundown on it, showing remarkable knowledge and interest as she outlined the adaptations that had been made to the piece that had come with her alt mode.
"But that ain't not'in' again'st t'is, b'y!" she added suddenly as servos whirred and something on her chest shifted.
Havoc's optics widened as he watched the cannon fold out and listened to the stats on it. "Electromagnetic pulses, as well as the armor piercing rounds? Interesting."
"I thinks so, b'y." She gave a cheery deedlebeep. "'Course me big boss's against killin' Transformers, so I's never used it."
"Your 'big boss'?" He tilted his head at her quizzically, intrigued despite himself.
"Aye." She folded the chest cannon away. "Primus."
Quizzicalness changed to skepticism. "I see."
The orange femme deedlebeeped a chuckle at the change in his tone. "Tis alright, b'y. Ye's not after havin' t' believe in 'im. He believes in ye jes' fine."
"I see," he said again, then looked up as the alarms blared and forgot the strange little femme in his hurry to report to his post. It wasn't until the Decepticon threat had been dealt with and his jammed guns had been repaired and he'd recharged for the night that he remembered her again. The thought made him pause in the hallway on the way to the mess hall to consider, and then he continued to get two cubes of energon and bring them down to the brig.
Music greeted him, and he watched the little one dance around her cell for a few moments before he realized that she wasn't going to stop and made a throat clearing sort of beep.
"Yeah?" she paused and looked up at him brightly, her head tilted and her yellow optics dancing with laughter.
He frowned at her. "I thought you might be hungry."
"Right gutted, b'y." She grinned cheekily, but finally switched off the music. "I'd be after invitin' ye in, but I seems t've lost t' key."
"Impertinent," he said disapprovingly.
"Always." The cheekiness changed to open honesty.
He shook his head. "Have you a name, Miss Impertinence?"
"Aye, o' course I does." She deedled laughter. "I's Hormah."
That made him blink as he pulled up the word from an online dictionary. "Total destruction, often of a sacrificial nature?"
"Well, we usually jes' focuses on t' 'destruction' part." She shrugged. "Yers is Havoc; not t'at different."
He frowned down at her and she grinned back, her optics straying toward the energon that he held.
"How long have you been online?" he demanded at last.
She actually started, then looked up at him again. "Few mont's. T's hard t' keep track 'o time where I's from."
"Are you not from Cybertron?"
"No sir." She shook her head, sobering a little. "I was created in a nexus 'tween dimensions, from two bots 'o two different races."
That would explain the otherness of her construction, he supposed, as well as the strangeness of her readings. She didn't have a clearly Cybertronian signature because she wasn't fully Cybertronian. Still, the idea of a place between dimensions was hard to believe.
"So beings can cross from dimension to dimension?" His processor snapped to the practical. Would they need to watch for invasions from there as well as fighting off the Decepticons' idiocy?
"Not usually." She tilted her head, that openness in her face again. "I's gotta special ticket right now."
"Hrrm." He frowned. "So what do you call yourself?"
"I calls meself a Decepticon."
Havoc tensed, his hands tightening on the energon cubes as his mind went to his weapons.
"'N I also calls meself a Minicon," Hormah continued. "'N a servant 'o Primus 'n t' Greater Creator. Where I comes from t' rules is different. I ain'tcher enemy, b'y."
The taller tank bot only eyed her coldly, then slipped one of the energon cubes through the feeding slot on the cell before turning and walking away.
He found his mind going back to the cheeky little stranger several times that night as he chewed on her words about Primus and the 'nexus'. It was all utter nonsense. But something seemed to be urging him to believe her.
The next morning started early with news of a Decepticon raid in progress, and all hands were called to go and break it up. Far from being the easy rout that the Autobots had become accustomed to lately, this skirmish turned into a dug in battle that involved organic civilian children. As much as Havoc wanted to charge forward and rend Decepticons asunder, his hands were tied as long as that huddle of frightened tiny beings cowered in front of the mechs who were pounding the Autobots to slag.
"Autobots, fall back!" called Optimus.
"If you leave, they die!" cackled Starscream, still whaling away with his guns.
The Prime froze, his expression over his battle mask full of horror and uncertainty.
"If we stay we die," growled Ironhide, tossing his last missile in one hand.
Bumblebee just blasted enemy lines with mocking lyrics.
"This is the end, Prime!" howled Starscream gleefully. "I have triumphed! Earth is mine!"
Havoc gave the Decepticon leader a look of frustrated rage, then squealed in agony as something hit right next to him and detonated deafeningly. He had a hazy glimpse of the smoke filled sky and wondered fleetingly if this was it, but then was distracted by a shout of surprise from the Decepticons. "Wha... what?"
"Get them!" bellowed Ironhide, sounding strangely gleeful.
"Decepticons, retreat!" howled Starscream, his voice crackling with terror as he leaped into the air and was gone even before he'd finished shifting.
The battle ended quickly, and Havoc found himself blinking as Ratchet knelt over him and worked swiftly to keep him online. "What happened?"
"A little orange bot grabbed the kids!" said Bumblebee, his round optics bright with relief and excitement, though his armor was spattered with energon and coolant.
Havoc frowned at him. "What?"
"As he said." Ratchet described the rescuer, too focused to notice Ironhide and Havoc's looks of surprise.
"The children are safe." Optimus' voice crackled with relief. "Autobots, lets go home."
* * *
It was a few days before Ratchet would let Havoc out of the repair bay with the usual dire warnings about undoing repairs. The tank former listened to him politely, and then made his way down to the brig.
Hormah looked up at him upside down from where she lay on her back on the floor in the middle of her cell and gave him a cheery deedlebeep of greeting, then switched off the 'Wakka Lakka'.
"How did you get out of here?" he asked, frowning down at her.
Her mouth quirked. "Teleported."
"These cells are shielded against such technology."
"Not t'is, b'y. Ye can't be after shieldin' 'gainst somet'in' ye's never met afore," she replied gently. "Like I says, I ain't frm 'round here."
His frown deepened, but then turned to surprise as she scrambled to her feet and then was suddenly standing next to him.
"What?" His machine gun pointed at her face.
She looked at it thoughtfully, then checked to see if her finger would fit into the muzzle of it.
Havoc sputtered slightly at the sheer cheek of the move, then frowned and lowered the gun. "What do you want?"
She looked up. "T' deliver me message 'n go home. Me boss's gonna be some worried wit' me bein' gone so long."
"You mean Primus."
"Naw, b'y. I means me creator. She's some protective." A soft deedle of laughter accompanied the words.
The Autobot found himself frowning yet again. "So what is this message?"
Strong arms suddenly wrapped around his waist.
"I know you won't believe it," said Hormah softly in Cybertronian. "But Primus says it wasn't your fault, and that he loves you anyway."
She stepped back to smile up at him, and then was gone with a slight flash of light and swish of misplaced air.
Havoc stared at the place where she'd been, then turned and went to report her departure to the Prime.
* * *
Bumblebee looked up from where he was watching TV, and grinned at Havoc. "Hey, Ratch finally let you out, huh?"
"What is this?" The older mech frowned at the television.
"'Touched by an Angel'. It's about messengers from God coming and telling people stuff." Bumblebee sat up. "Do you want to watch?"
Havoc hrmphed and turned away. "Nonsense."
Bumblebee watched as he walked over and got himself some energon, and then sat in the far corner of the room, then sighed and settled back to resume his perusal of the program.
Over at the table Havoc watched the program as well, his face creased in a frown as he wondered.