Quiet visit on the front step.
Bob leaned back against the warm wall and stretched his legs out so that his heels rested on a lower step.
"I'm glad, Galvatron," he said softly, giving his small smile to the other purple and grey mech who shared his seat next to the sanctuary door. "It's good to hear that things are looking up for your people."
The young Prime nodded and let air out of his helmet intakes softly as he rubbed Deathscream's back. "Now we just need to find Ratchet and First Aid and let them know."
"They're still missing?" Bob's smile faded into concern as the ever-present fear sparked in his optics. "You haven't found any clues as to where they could have gone?"
"Not yet. Though now that Scourge finally has time, she should be able to track them easily if they're still on Cybertron." Galvatron absently glanced at the femme who was snuggled against his side, then turned back to his friend in time to see Bob hold out a hand to something that he couldn't see. "Who are you talking to? I've noticed you interacting with someone for some time now, but I can't see who it is."
"It's Cloudtrader," said the Primus servant quietly, watching as the small Seeker free spark snuggled against him, and smiling slightly at the thread of soft, wondering thought that he detected from him at the contact. "One of my brothers who wasn't able to maintain his physical form."
"Your brothers?" Galvatron's browplates drew together quizzically. "One of the other Primus servants?"
"No. One of the other Starscream clones." Bob looked over at his friend. "As I've mentioned before we all represented different aspects of Starscream's personality. I was his cowardly nature, and the brother I was created with was his groveling one."
Galvatron nodded, but now Deathscream spoke up in her shrill, cold raptor voice.
"And what is Cloudtrader?"
Bob sighed. "Starscream's innocence."
"Ah," said the black femme after a moment's silence. "No wonder he's dead. I don't know about the Starscream of your reality, but from what I've heard any innocence that ours had died very early in her life."
Bob nodded soberly, but then perked as Galvatron reached over and gently hit him on the shoulder. "He's happy. And free from the struggles that the others are going through."
The Prime nodded as well, but then paused and put up a hand as he spoke over his com.
Bob's smile returned as he saw the relief in his friend's face. "They're alright."
"Yes." Galvatron looked up with a rueful smile. "Sleeping off a new bond down in the old tunnels. I should have known First Aid would keep him safe."
"I'm glad," said Bob softly, then turned his head as he sensed a slight alert from Primus and raised his brow plates at sight of a familiar blue and grey Autobot. "Databurst. Is something wrong, friend?"
The young mech blinked and tore his startled optics away from Galvatron to look at the servant with slight amazement. "Uh...."
Bob understood the other's fear and confusion, and stood to walk over and put a hand on his shoulder as he greeted him. "Have you met my friend Galvatron Prime?"
Databurst's optics brightened with surprise. "Galvatron Prime?"
"Yes." Bob nodded. "He bears his reality's Matrix of Leadership."
"But... Galvatron? How?" Databurst's browplate furrowed.
"Primus gave it to me," said Galvatron gravely, his hand on the back of Deathscream's helm so that she couldn't scowl at the young Autobot. "And asked me to lead his people."
"Primus... you serve Primus?" asked Databurst slowly, and Bob could see him wrestling with the idea.
"I do," said Galvatron firmly. "Though I can't hear him as well as I would like."
Bob murmured a soft mental thanks as he saw the last shreds of disbelief fade from Databurst's face and realized that the blue and grey mech's doubts about Primus' existence had been answered.
"Databurst?" he said softly, lifting his browplates.
The Autobot looked up at him and blinked, then managed a shaky grin. "I... forgot something at home that I'd better go take care of. I'll... I'll come by another time, alright?"
"Go and think." Bob smiled and squeezed his shoulder, then watched as he hurried away across the plain.
"Bob?" asked Galvatron uncertainly, his expression saying that he thought he might have frightened the other mech away.
"He was having trouble believing in Primus' ability to actually do things and influence people." The purple and grey Seeker turned back and settled into his place next to his invisible brother. "Seeing you and understanding that Primus had actually managed to get through to a Galvatron helped to wash away his doubts."
The young Prime frowned as he thought this over. Then he looked up. "Do you think that's why I felt I had to come here today?"
"It could have been," Bob admitted. "Or it could have been Primus using situations as they came. His processor is much more complex than ours are, and I've learned not to try and follow his line of thought."
Galvatron rumbled a slight chuckle at that. "Like Kup, only even wiser and without the cursing."
Bob blinked, but then gave a small laugh of his own. "Yes. I suppose so."
Galvatron smiled down at Deathscream, pleased at his understanding of events, then kissed her on the brow and turned back to Bob. "Do you know anyone who would like to buy a blanket big enough to cover one of us?"
"Big enough to cover one of us? I might." Bob leaned forward with interest. "Hormah was mentioning that one of her charges has a sparklet...."
The two mechs fell into discussing blankets and the oddities of other realities, both content in their friendship and the company that they had at their sides. It was many hours before the visit ended.
"I'm glad, Galvatron," he said softly, giving his small smile to the other purple and grey mech who shared his seat next to the sanctuary door. "It's good to hear that things are looking up for your people."
The young Prime nodded and let air out of his helmet intakes softly as he rubbed Deathscream's back. "Now we just need to find Ratchet and First Aid and let them know."
"They're still missing?" Bob's smile faded into concern as the ever-present fear sparked in his optics. "You haven't found any clues as to where they could have gone?"
"Not yet. Though now that Scourge finally has time, she should be able to track them easily if they're still on Cybertron." Galvatron absently glanced at the femme who was snuggled against his side, then turned back to his friend in time to see Bob hold out a hand to something that he couldn't see. "Who are you talking to? I've noticed you interacting with someone for some time now, but I can't see who it is."
"It's Cloudtrader," said the Primus servant quietly, watching as the small Seeker free spark snuggled against him, and smiling slightly at the thread of soft, wondering thought that he detected from him at the contact. "One of my brothers who wasn't able to maintain his physical form."
"Your brothers?" Galvatron's browplates drew together quizzically. "One of the other Primus servants?"
"No. One of the other Starscream clones." Bob looked over at his friend. "As I've mentioned before we all represented different aspects of Starscream's personality. I was his cowardly nature, and the brother I was created with was his groveling one."
Galvatron nodded, but now Deathscream spoke up in her shrill, cold raptor voice.
"And what is Cloudtrader?"
Bob sighed. "Starscream's innocence."
"Ah," said the black femme after a moment's silence. "No wonder he's dead. I don't know about the Starscream of your reality, but from what I've heard any innocence that ours had died very early in her life."
Bob nodded soberly, but then perked as Galvatron reached over and gently hit him on the shoulder. "He's happy. And free from the struggles that the others are going through."
The Prime nodded as well, but then paused and put up a hand as he spoke over his com.
Bob's smile returned as he saw the relief in his friend's face. "They're alright."
"Yes." Galvatron looked up with a rueful smile. "Sleeping off a new bond down in the old tunnels. I should have known First Aid would keep him safe."
"I'm glad," said Bob softly, then turned his head as he sensed a slight alert from Primus and raised his brow plates at sight of a familiar blue and grey Autobot. "Databurst. Is something wrong, friend?"
The young mech blinked and tore his startled optics away from Galvatron to look at the servant with slight amazement. "Uh...."
Bob understood the other's fear and confusion, and stood to walk over and put a hand on his shoulder as he greeted him. "Have you met my friend Galvatron Prime?"
Databurst's optics brightened with surprise. "Galvatron Prime?"
"Yes." Bob nodded. "He bears his reality's Matrix of Leadership."
"But... Galvatron? How?" Databurst's browplate furrowed.
"Primus gave it to me," said Galvatron gravely, his hand on the back of Deathscream's helm so that she couldn't scowl at the young Autobot. "And asked me to lead his people."
"Primus... you serve Primus?" asked Databurst slowly, and Bob could see him wrestling with the idea.
"I do," said Galvatron firmly. "Though I can't hear him as well as I would like."
Bob murmured a soft mental thanks as he saw the last shreds of disbelief fade from Databurst's face and realized that the blue and grey mech's doubts about Primus' existence had been answered.
"Databurst?" he said softly, lifting his browplates.
The Autobot looked up at him and blinked, then managed a shaky grin. "I... forgot something at home that I'd better go take care of. I'll... I'll come by another time, alright?"
"Go and think." Bob smiled and squeezed his shoulder, then watched as he hurried away across the plain.
"Bob?" asked Galvatron uncertainly, his expression saying that he thought he might have frightened the other mech away.
"He was having trouble believing in Primus' ability to actually do things and influence people." The purple and grey Seeker turned back and settled into his place next to his invisible brother. "Seeing you and understanding that Primus had actually managed to get through to a Galvatron helped to wash away his doubts."
The young Prime frowned as he thought this over. Then he looked up. "Do you think that's why I felt I had to come here today?"
"It could have been," Bob admitted. "Or it could have been Primus using situations as they came. His processor is much more complex than ours are, and I've learned not to try and follow his line of thought."
Galvatron rumbled a slight chuckle at that. "Like Kup, only even wiser and without the cursing."
Bob blinked, but then gave a small laugh of his own. "Yes. I suppose so."
Galvatron smiled down at Deathscream, pleased at his understanding of events, then kissed her on the brow and turned back to Bob. "Do you know anyone who would like to buy a blanket big enough to cover one of us?"
"Big enough to cover one of us? I might." Bob leaned forward with interest. "Hormah was mentioning that one of her charges has a sparklet...."
The two mechs fell into discussing blankets and the oddities of other realities, both content in their friendship and the company that they had at their sides. It was many hours before the visit ended.