Chapter Text
Tailgate hated the feeling. He hated this part. But it was part of his cycle, it was who he was. He sat there inside the Horseman; the current flagship of a Decepticon fleet he resided inside. This fleet was unique from the others as it contained the Decepticon elite unit: the Crusadercons.
Their leader was Cyclonus, one who Tailgate had become close to. Every time they got back from a mission, the tall, horned transformer, would tell him the events in detail. Everything from the brutes he faced to the legions he saved. It was amazing to hear.
Yet now, Cyclonus and the others were infiltrating the planet below, and Tailgate had started to notice things, things he wished he could ignore.
It started when Cyclonus didn’t say goodbye to him before setting off. They’d always meet in the barracks before the Crusadercons would depart. Yet this time, Cyclonus was nowhere to be found, and when Tailgate had asked the other Decepticons where he was, they informed him that he had already set off. Tailgate had a communicator; he could call the purple stick-figure if he needed to. So, he did, though he did not mention that they had not met as usual, Cyclonus might find it odd. It’s not like they had to meet before a mission, it just happened so often that Tailgate had come to expect it.
Tailgate spoke into his communicator. Cyclonus gave him a report of how the planet looked, apparently, it was a volcano planet. However, soon afterwards, he got only silence. Tailgate kept pressing his communicator, asking for the Crusadercon leader to respond, but he got nothing. Eventually, he realised he had to stop, he didn’t want to come off as obsessive, he wasn’t that, just concerned.
He felt embarrassed, his life didn’t revolve around Cyclonus, but they’d become something. He didn’t know what, but he felt his anxiety lessen at the sight of him, mostly anyway.
Something else had been on his mind, Cyclonus’ demeanour. Usually, Cyclonus would sound calm and polite, yet today, he’d sounded anxious.
He remembered the conversation.
“This place sounds incompatible for any Autobot base.” Tailgate stated. “The constant volcanic eruptions would cause constant earthquakes and vibrations in the ground; it would be impossible for any compound to stand.”
“Y- yes. Quite right, Tailgate.” Cyclonus replied, awkwardly. “Anyway, we need to go.”
That was all that was said before the call cut off. It wasn’t right, Cyclonus was always willing to talk to him about his theories on what the planet could hold, or the reason for the Autobot activity there.
It was embarrassing, he hated feeling this way. Tailgate wrapped his arms around himself and began to rub his shoulders. It was then he began to breathe in and out, the breaths were slow but loud. Soon, they were rapid; the thought of what he might have done to upset the Crusadercon leader was pounding in his mind.
The world around him stopped existing, he could no longer hear the sounds of officers walking past, or the rumblings of the engines eradiating through the ship. No, all he could hear was his own voice speaking back to him.
“Idiot. What did you do?”
He panted, bringing his hands to his head. He smacked the sides of his face, but he couldn’t take the thoughts away. It was agonising.
Eventually, after what felt like a lifetime, he heard an officer call out.
“They’re back. I need medics to the bridge.”
Medics? He thought. What had happened, were they okay? Had Cyclonus injured himself?
On instinct, Tailgate sprinted through the halls and reached the bridge of the ship. Without thinking, the small transformer kicked opened the doors before seeing a damaged Megatron before him. Tailgate froze. It was one thing to worry about his friend, but now he had barged in on the entrance of the Decepticon leader and current ruler of Cybertron.
He didn’t know what to say, would it matter? There was no way he wouldn’t be shot for this.
“Cyclonus!” he heard Megatron call.
Tailgate then jumped as he noticed Cyclonus standing beside him.
“Yes, my lord.” Cyclonus replied, firmly.
“Take your assistant to the hanger, your scout ship is in dire need of improvements.”
Cyclonus nodded, quickly.
It was a silent trip to the hanger of the Horseman; Tailgate didn’t know what was worth saying. In his mind, he had clearly upset the Crusadercon, so there was no reason to make conversation.
Suddenly, Cyclonus stopped, he turned to the little one.
“Are you alright?” he asked.
Tailgate shivered, his visor staring back at the tall transformer looking down at him.
“I- I-” he stammered.
“Tailgate?” gently spoke Cyclonus as he widened an eye.
“Cyclonus…”
Cyclonus lowered his body. “Is everything alright?” he asked.
“Y- yes.” Tailgate lied. “Anyway. Let’s get your ship looked at.” He swiftly ran to the scout ship; he checked each part on the exterior while extending the tentacle-like wires from his arms. “Okay. I see. This bit could use more plating. Ooh! This hole would be perfect to add another turret, might as well.”
“Tailgate!” yelled Cyclonus, freezing the other in place.
Slowly, Cyclonus walked towards Tailgate, then, he sat down at the side of the ship before signalling his friend to sit beside him. Tailgate hesitated before sitting next to the much taller transformer.
“Tell me what’s wrong.” Cyclonus ordered, calmly. “I know you. I know what you’re like. If you don’t tell me what’s wrong, it will continue to affect you. Please. I don’t like seeing you like this”
Tailgate shivered, he looked up at his friend but quickly turned away, avoiding any eye contact.
“I- I’m sorry. You were gone for so long, and I worried-”
“We were gone for only a few cycles.”
“Your com was off! You weren’t speaking to me.”
Cyclonus scratched the back of his head. “Right. Sorry. I didn’t know I was meeting Megatron until we got there. I hope you understand.”
“Is- is that why you didn’t see me before you left.”
Cyclonus’ eyes widened. “No- scrap! I’m sorry, it got busy up there. My crew was screaming at me to get a move on… I forgot. I’m really sorry.”
Tailgate soon felt relaxation. If there was one thing that made his plating crawl, it was not knowing. The unknown was a scary thing, and nothing made the small one more anxious.
“It’s fine.” Tailgate then spoke in a more casual tone. “I should have been keeping tabs on departures from the hanger. No need to worry about it.”
There was a pause, then Tailgate could hear his friend grunt.
“I should have seen you. I should have kept you informed.”
“Why?” protested the little one. “I’m not a part of your crew. I don’t go on missions with you… I’m just your mechanic.” He lowered his head as his voice became soft. “I make you weapons, and I upgrade your tools. It’s all I need to do.”
“That’s not all you do!” said Cyclonus, a bit louder that he had meant. He quieted himself and continued. “You are a valued member of my crew, Tailgate. Whether or not it’s official, you are a Crusadercon to me.”
If Tailgate had a mouth, he’d have smiled. Slowly, he budged himself closer to the transformer by his side.
“Thank you.”
Cyclonus nodded. “It is the truth.” Then he began to stand. “Now, I need you make a quick modification to our rooms. I need you to add another.”
Tailgate tilted his head. “That’s not a modification then, it’s an add-on.”
Cyclonus grinned. “Alright, let’s not get pedantic. I’m a warrior, not a designer. But I need another room on our part of the ship. It seems Megatron has another Decepticon heading in our direction. Another participant.
Tailgate stood; his visor wobbled. “A what?!”
“We’re going to have another member of our crew, another Crusadercon. We need to make sure we have everything prepared; she arrives tomorrow.
Earlier, when Cyclonus and his squad walked upon the volcanic planet, they were confronted by the Decepticon leader.
“Cyclonus, my old friend.” Megatron spoke as he opened his arms. “It is good to see the life-spark of my army, on his feet.
Cyclonus walked towards Megatron, he kept his hands by his side. Last time he had been in contact with the ruler of Cybertron, Megatron had pinned him to the ground for refusing to destroy a city on a planet he had been tasked to overthrow. Cyclonus silently made sure the machinegun inside his wrist was ready to eject in case things went south.
“What’s the situation, my lord?” he spoke, trying to avoid showing the strain in his voice.
“It seems the Autobot base on this planet has been completely deserted. They knew we were coming.” Megatron explained, now folding his arms
“I see. Then what is the reason you have summoned us?”
“Cyclonus. There is much we have learned from what has been salvaged here.” Megatron began to walk, and Cyclonus followed. “It would seem that the contraptions found in this base, match those found in the other strongholds discovered within the outer regions of the galaxy. If my experts are correct, this base belonged to the same Autobot who took down the Titans on Athenia and was responsible for the destruction of our medical ship: the Revival.”
Cyclonus’ fists clenched. He heard the crew make their own sounds of stress behind him. The Revival was traveling to Cybertron with medical appliances that could not only treat injuries that other medicine had found impossible, but it also was carrying the cure for Cosmic Rust: the disease that caused a transformer to slowly disintegrate away.
“You mean?”
“Yes, Cyclonus. Windblade. She is still hiding within this part of the known universe, biding her time, gathering allies. It’s only a matter of time before she returns with an army. Many Autobots have denounced her actions, but she has gained support in other Autobot regions. Behind Sentinel and Optimus, she is a priority target.”
Megatron stopped he gave Cyclonus a pat on the shoulder before placing his arms behind his back.
“Cyclonus. I know we’ve had our disagreements in recent years… but today, I need you to put that behind yourself. Today, I need the Crusadercons, and I need them to bring me her head. Can it be done?”
“Hell yeah!”
The two turned at the yell from one of the other Crusadercons: Classic.
“Classic!” yelled Cyclonus. “Do not disrupt our conversation. This is important!”
Classic folded her arms and rolled her eyes. Cyclonus shook his head then turned to his superior.
“I promise you, Megatron. We’ll get it done.”
Megatron nodded. “I believe you will. But I am sending you some assistance.”
Cyclonus widened an eye. “Assistance, sir?”
“Indeed, Cyclonus. For you see, Windblade was not always an Autobot. She was once a Decepticon, but she betrayed us a long time ago. Before her defection, she developed a close relationship with an officer of ours. Her name is Attic.”
“Attic?” they both heard the teal, Megatron-resembling Crusadercon from the back question. “You can’t trust her!”
Cyclonus took a step forward, he made his face stay serious, despite the fear inside. “Something to say, Teal Bolt?”
“Forgive me, sir.” Teal Bolt replied. “But I must give my thoughts on this. Attic is known to be an untrustworthy character. When she botched the attack on The Sea of Rust, she denied all involvement; refused to admit she led it until Shockwave arrived to get his report.”
“Your companion is correct.” Megatron stated. “But I believe she will be of great use. If anyone can help you find this Autobot traitor, it’s her.”
Cyclonus turned back to Megatron an nodded. “Very well. We’ll make sure everything is prepared for her arrival.”
At that moment, their conversation was cut short by the expansion of the ground beneath them. As smoke erupted, a four-legged beast of rock appeared before them.