Chapter Text
Dear Primus,
Thank you for another Cycle of existence!
This Cycle was an absolutely remarkable Cycle!!
Something amazing happened! Someone new finally talked to me, after seventy-four and Cycles of silence!
Well... perhaps not someone entirely new. I apologize for lying, Primus. It actually was Shockwave....again. He came to review my test results or whatever of that. As he usually does.
But he talked to me, didn't he? I think that counts.
I asked him if anything interesting had happened outside the lab lately, but he told me to remain still until he finished the examination.
Then I asked him again after he was done.
He told me my test results were within the expected range.
I know, I know. That wasn't exactly what I meant, but I think the conversation was a success anyway! We exchanged several complete sentences, which is more than what happened thelasttimei saw him.
Perhaps you'll answer me someday, too, Primus. You must be terribly busy, right? You have so many sons and daughters who need your care. I can't even imagine how you find the time for all of them.
But I'm sure you'll find some time for me eventually.
Anyway, who am I to complain about the wonderful blessings you've given me right? I have a perfectly functioning containment chamber, regular energon rations, and a highly knowledgeable scientist who visits me from time to time.
And I have you, of course.
I shouldn't complain. Really, I shouldn't.
But, Primus, if it wouldn't be too much trouble, could you send someone else for me to talk to? Anyone, really. I don't mind. Preferably not Shockwave this time, though.
I don't mean to insult any of your creations, of course! I'm sure Shockwave is excellent at what he does, and that he has many admirable qualities. But you know... talking to him isn't exactly entertaining. Most of the time, he talks about tests, radiation, and results, and if I ask him about anything else, he goes right back to talking about tests, radiation, and results.
Perhaps I'm the one asking the wrong questions?
No, I don't think so. I once asked him if he liked music, and he told me that music had no effect on the accuracy of radiation measurements, then asked me not to move.
I don't know what those two things have to do with each other, but I didn't want to embarrass him by asking again.
Anyway, thank you for listening to me, Primus. I know you have a lot of things to worry about, and I don't want to be an additional burden on you.
I'll talk to you again tomorrow.
I hope I'll have something more exciting to tell you then!
With love and gratitude,
Sunstorm
With that Sunstorm opened his optics.
And was greeted by the familiar sight of his home sweet home a cold, dark, silent laboratory.
Nothing had changed.
Of course nothing had changed.
He closed his optics again.
In his solitude, Sunstorm had discovered that imagining himself talking to someone, even if that someone wasn't really there, made that little hole in his spark ache a little less.
It didn't always work, but it was better than nothing.
After spending an indeterminate amount of time inside a containment chamber, one learned to appreciate the little things.
Like bubbles, for example.
Sunstorm slowly moved his servos through the surrounding fluid, watching the tiny bubbles form around his Digits before drifting lazily toward the surface of the chamber.
Well, perhaps bubbles weren't all that amazing in themselves. But when the only world you knew was a containment chamber, ever since... well, ever since you became aware that you existed in the first place, you had to find new ways to entertain yourself.
And bubbles were fun!
Who didn't like bubbles?
Besides, this game was perfectly entertaining, provided he didn't move his wings.
Ever.
He didn't want to think about the last time he'd made that mistake.
Well, he'd only moved them a little because he'd wanted to fly like the Rainmakers. He hadn't known the consequences would be so terrible. At first, it had been nothing more than a strange sensation. Then it had turned into an intense hunger, a hunger unlike anything he'd ever experienced before.
Sky hunger.
The mere thought of it made his wings involuntarily clench against his back.
No. No, no, no.
He didn't need to remember that.
He didn't need to remember the last time he'd slammed his helm against the glass, again and again, until cracks had appeared across its surface, or how Shockwave had been forced to intervene before he managed to shatter the entire chamber.
And Shockwave hadn't been happy about it at all.
Ughhh... I'd better not go through Shockwave's treatment for my sky hunger again... It was absolutely nothing I'd ever want to repeat. And, oh, now I'm thinking about the sky! Don't think about it, don't think about it, don't think about it!
He immediately shut his optics and began flapping his servos vigorously, trying to distract himself from the thought before it could take hold of his processor.
Bubbles!
Lots of bubbles!
Bubbles everywhere!
He kept moving his servos until he felt he'd regained control of his thoughts, then suddenly stopped.
He opened his optics.
And was greeted by a beautiful sight.
Bubbles filled his little world, dancing around him and reflecting the laboratory's dim lighting. For one brief moment, nothing else existed. No cold laboratory, no containment chamber, no sky hunger, no horrible Shockwave tests.
Just bubbles.
Sunstorm smiled.
Perhaps this wasn't so bad after all.
But, like everything beautiful in existence, the bubbles eventually came to an end.
The last one faded away, and the fluid returned to its usual stillness.
And with it came the bleak reality.
His smile slowly disappeared.
Well.
What now?
He turned his helm toward the door.
The corner opposite him was an excellent place to practice one of his favorite hobbies—or, more accurately, his favorite game: staring!
This hadn't been his own invention, by the way. He'd heard about the game from one of the Rainmakers during one of the occasions when they'd been assigned to guard the door leading to the laboratory he lived in. The security drones had been out of order, and Shockwave had been repairing them.
For his own safety.
Not really. The energon supply was hidden there, one of Shockwave's attempts to conceal the energon. Apparently, protecting the energon had been just as important a part of the assignment as protecting him. they were there just for the energon not me.
Unfortunately, the Rainmakers had been on the other side of the door, so he hadn't been able to join them or even talk to them. But he'd been able to hear their voices. And, apparently, they'd been playing a game called staring.
And that was how Sunstorm discovered the staring game.
As far as he could tell, judging from what he'd managed to guess about how it worked, the rules were quite simple: you picked something, then stared at it in silence for as long as possible without moving.
It might sound easy to some, but it actually required a great deal of concentration and discipline.
And not to brag, of course, but i was excellent at this game.
Really excellent, in fact.
My current record was four whole Cycles without moving.
Four Cycles!
And he intended to beat that record soon, just to maintain his exceptional performance.
Perhaps if he met the Rainmakers again, he could play with them this time.
Wouldn't that be wonderful?
For a moment, he imagined himself sitting with them, explaining his record, and then challenging them to a real match. Perhaps they would discover that he was a worthy opponent, and perhaps...
He stopped imagining.
It wasn't good to get excited about things that might never happen.
Still, his gaze remained fixed on the door.
Then he noticed something.
Or rather, he noticed that something was happening at the door.
There was movement outside, faint voices, and the sound of metal scraping against metal, as though someone was trying to open it.
Sunstorm blinked.
Then he moved as close to the glass as he could, trying to get a better look.
Did this mean he'd lost the staring game?
What a shame.
He'd only just started working on beating his previous record.
But wait!
There were people at the door!
New people!
Sunstorm straightened up inside his chamber, practically bursting with excitement!
And it wasn't Shockwave, because if it had been Shockwave, he would've opened the door and walked straight in instead of fumbling with it like this. The same went for the Rainmakers.
So...
New people!
Yay!
Thank you, Primus!
He was in the middle of a happy spin when he suddenly froze.
Wait.
Wait, wait, wait.
New people?
Actual people?
Would they talk to him?
He curled in on himself, clutching his helm with both servos.
What if they actually talked to him? What if they looked at him in disgust? What if they asked him something and he didn't know the answer? What if he said something strange? What if they didn't want to talk to him at all?
What if...
No, no, no, no.
He shook his helm, trying to shake the thoughts away.
Sunstorm began looking frantically from side to side inside his containment chamber, searching for somewhere to hide, even though there wasn't really anywhere suitable.
The chamber wasn't large enough to give him many options.
But after a few frantic moments of searching, he found the only solution available.
The bottom corner.
He curled up there, wrapping his arms around himself and trying to make himself as small as possible.
Maybe they wouldn't notice him.
Maybe they'd think the chamber was empty.
Maybe they'd come in, leave again, and he wouldn't have to say anything embarrassing.
And if they turned out to be nice, he'd say hello!
Yes! That's what normal people did!
It was an excellent plan.
Almost.
Fortunately, the fluid surrounding him was yellow, almost the same color as his armor, which helped conceal the outline of his frame inside the chamber. As for his optics, which had once glowed a brilliant red, their light had faded long ago until all that remained was a dull red glow that barely illuminated the darkness.
He rarely got any exposure to light, and the laboratory didn't provide much of it in the first place.
So, if the newcomers didn't look too closely...
They wouldn't see him.
Probably.
Maybe.
He closed his optics and hugged himself tighter.
"Please, Primus," he whispered. "Make them kind."
Then, after a moment's thought, he added,
"And make me leavea goodfirstimpression, too."
He wasn't entirely sure he'd remember how to talk to others anymore.
Moonracer was trying to pick the door's lock for what must have been the fifth time, muttering under her breath.
"Open, you stupid door! Why won't you open?!"
Behind her, Chromia tapped her pede against the floor impatiently. She didn't have much time to waste watching Moonracer argue with a piece of metal. They were on a tight schedule.
Meanwhile, Arcee leaned forward slightly and let out an irritated groan.
"Ugh, move over. I'll just blast the door open, and that'll be the end of it."
She started reaching for her blaster, but Chromia grabbed her arm before she could raise it.
"Do you really want to summon those , bloodthirsty Decepticons straight to us?" Chromia whispered sharply, glaring at her. "I don't think so."
Arcee lowered her blaster with an annoyed groan.
At the same moment, Moonracer turned toward her, stuck out her glossa mockingly, and went back to fiddling with the lock.
Arcee stared at her in disbelief for a second.
"You little—!"
Chromia dragged a servo down her faceplate and let out a long vent.
Primus. Childish antics between children.
Then came a small click.
Moonracer froze for a moment before her optics widened.
She'd done it!
She raised her fist into the air, almost cheering in triumph.
"Yeyy--!"
But Arcee quickly clapped a servo over her mouth, while Chromia leaned toward them and whispered sternly,
"Shhhhh!"
"Shhhhh!" Arcee repeated.
"Mmmph!" Moonracer protested behind Arcee's servo.
But after the angry look that Chromia gives her.
Moonracer gave an embarrassed little laugh, then waved an apologetic servo.
Chromia shook her helm, looking as though she was beginning to question the wisdom of bringing either of them along in the first place. Then she pushed the door open and stepped inside without wasting another moment.
Moonracer and Arcee followed her. When the door closed behind them, they both jumped slightly at the sound.
Chromia turned to face them, her serious expression returning.
"Shockwave has hidden energon in this laboratory before. Our last few raids came up empty at the usual locations, so we're really counting on finding it here. Otherwise, we'll be in a difficult position."
She paused, then gave them both a sidelong look.
"Do you actually understand how serious our situation is?"
The two femmes nodded solemnly.
"Good." Chromia gestured toward the branching corridors ahead of them. "We'll split up now. I'll check that side, and the two of you stay together. Cover as much ground as you can, but be careful. There could be traps everywhere, and we have no idea what Shockwave has left behind in here."
This time, neither of them argued.
Chromia headed in another direction, leaving Moonracer and Arcee alone.
Moonracer stood still for a few moments, surveying the laboratory around her.
The place was dark and terrifying.
Strange tools and devices whose functions she couldn't identify were scattered throughout the room. Other things looked... well, were those parts of Cybertronian bodies?
She didn't want to know the answer.
Shockwave had always been terrifying, with his obsession with living body parts and unethical experiments. Moonracer had heard horrifying stories about him from the older commanders, and they certainly hadn't spared any details when telling them.
In fact, just thinking about some of those stories was enough to make her wonder whether she might end up becoming part of one someday.
Moonracer shuddered.
“What's wrong?” Arcee asked, having noticed her movement.
“Nothing.”
“Scared?”
“I'm not scared!”
Moonracer said it a little too quickly.
Arcee gave her a taunting grin before striding inside with unmistakable confidence.
“Then come on. I don't want to spend the whole Cycle in here.”
She walked steadily between the equipment, pretending the laboratory didn't bother her in the slightest.
But if anyone had looked closely, they might have noticed her Digits trembling ever so slightly.
Fortunately, Moonracer was far too distracted to notice.
She followed Arcee in silence, trying not to stare for too long at anything that might be part of a Cybertronian body.
Somewhere inside the laboratory, behind a glass wall and yellow fluid, a Cybertronian watched it all with growing terror.
He had spent a long time wishing he could meet someone other than Shockwave.
And now, after Primus had finally answered his prayers, he wasn't so sure he was ready for it.
Chromia had left the other two femmes several minutes ago and was carefully making her way between the laboratory tables and enormous pieces of equipment.
She didn't like this place.
And she didn't mean that in the usual sense, as though the place were ugly or poorly organized. No, everything here suggested that someone had spent a very long time thinking up new ways to make life worse for everyone.
Which, in Chromia's opinion, was exactly what one would expect from Shockwave.
She stopped in front of a long table covered in scattered papers and electronic schematics. After giving them a quick glance, she began examining them one by one, searching for any information that might help them locate the energon supplies.
Then one of the schematics caught her attention.
She stepped closer and began reading the data displayed on the screen beside it.
The more she read, the more serious her expression became.
It was a weapon design.
The data indicated that it was still under development, but not for much longer. It had been designed at Megatron's direct request, specifically for use on Earth.
“Oh, Elita One is not going to like this.”
Chromia didn't need to guess how her commander would react if she learned that Shockwave was developing a weapon like this, especially if Megatron intended to use it on Earth, where their comrades were stationed.
She needed to take this information with her.
If she'd learned anything from her previous attempts to deal with Shockwave's inventions, it was that copying the data was much better than trying to steal the device itself.
Last time, she'd nearly triggered an alarm system she hadn't even known existed, simply because she'd touched something she thought was an ordinary piece of metal.
She had no desire to repeat that experience.
She began transferring a copy of the schematic to her storage unit, taking care not to touch anything else.
The progress bar crept forward.
Seventy-five percent.
Eighty.
Eighty-five.
“Come on, come on...”
Ninety percent.
Ninety-five.
Transfer complete.
Chromia breathed a sigh of relief and carefully closed the screen.
“Good. That'll do.”
She took a step back, ready to leave and rejoin the other two.
She had barely moved her foot when a sudden scream rang through the laboratory.
“AAAAAAAAAAAH!!”
Chromia jolted violently, nearly crashing into the enormous machine behind her before managing to catch herself at the last second.
What just happened?!
Then came a second scream.
“AAAAAAAAAAAH!!”
She froze.
Immediately afterward, a third scream followed.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAH!!”
Chromia blinked.
Wait.
Three screams?
Three people?!
“By Unicron pit!!”
She charged toward the source of the noise at full speed, trying to figure out which of the two idiots had caused the disaster before she got there.
(5 MINUTES BEFORE THAT)
On the other side of the laboratory, Arcee was leaning against the glass, having decided to take a short break from inspecting the creepy equipment.
She had picked what appeared to be an empty containment chamber at first glance.
“I'm bored. I thought there'd be something scary in here, but it's just junk,” she muttered.
What caught her attention, however, was Moonracer's reaction. Her optics had gone wide, and she was frantically pointing at me—no, not at me, but at the chamber?
What was wrong with her?
Arcee began examining the supposedly empty containment chamber.
She blinked.
She hadn't expected the chamber to be not empty after all.
And she certainly hadn't expected to find someone waving at her.
Behind the glass, suspended in the yellow fluid, was a face staring intently at her.
Faint red optics.
A black helmet.
And two servos raised hesitantly, waving at her in a strange little gesture.
And...
Oh.
Was that... a Seeker?
“...”
“...”
“AAAAAAAAAAAH!!”
Arcee stumbled backward from the glass, nearly tripping over her own feet and crashing into Moonracer.
She raised her weapon on instinct.
Inside the chamber, Sunstorm let out a muffled gasp and curled up in his corner.
It seemed to be the corner closest to Moonracer, so he'd waved at her hesitantly, trying to show that he meant no harm.
Unfortunately, that only earned him another scream from her.
“AAAAAAAAAAAH!!”
He hadn't expected her to scream!
He'd only waved!
That was what normal people did, wasn't it? They waved when they saw someone!
Unless waving was inappropriate in situations like this. In which case, he really wished someone had told him that before he'd made such a terrible mistake.
“AAAAAAAAAAAH!!”
He joined in the screaming after turning around and seeing the pink femme waving a weapon and aiming it at his containment chamber!
Where was he supposed to recharge if the chamber got destroyed?!
Arcee shouted in a panic.
“What the heck is that thing?!”
“I'm not a thing!” Sunstorm's muffled voice came from inside the chamber.
A brief silence fell.
Then Moonracer's optics widened.
“It talks?!”
“Of course I can talk!” Sunstorm snapped, sounding deeply offended.
“I mean... I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you! I only wanted to say hello!”
He punctuated his words with another quick wave.
“But I guess I did it wrong, didn't I? I'm really sorry!”
Arcee and Moonracer exchanged a quick glance.
Then they looked back at him.
Sunstorm was still huddled in his corner, his servos clasped against his chest as though he expected them to shoot him at any moment.
“You... actually talk,” Moonracer said slowly.
Okay, this is starting to get annoying.
“Oh, of course not. My robotic parrot is talking on my behalf,” Sunstorm replied sarcastically.
When neither femme responded to his sarcasm, Sunstorm began to wonder.
What? Wasn't that funny?
He was sure Novastorm had used that joke before and gotten a laugh out of it...
Maybe jokes have an expiration date?
like single-use items?
Sunstorm drifted off into his thoughts until he heard the femme speak to him again.
“And you're locked inside a chamber?”
Sunstorm took a moment to look around his chamber, turning to inspect every corner before answering with a smile.
“Ummm, no. I live here.”
“In Shockwave's laboratory?”
“Yes...”
Moonracer paused for a moment, then turned to Arcee.
“Do you think he's an experiment?”
“I don't know! Do I look like an expert on Shockwave's experiments?!”
“We should tell Chromia.”
“Ughhh, she's going to punish us if she finds out we got caught by a Decepticreep who's infiltrated the place!”
“She'll punish us either way. There's no way she didn't hear all that screaming earlier.”
“Who knows? Maybe she's far away or something—”
“We're doomed.”
Before Arcee could reply, a sharp tapping sound suddenly broke the laboratory's silence.
Sunstorm was knocking on the glass.
The two femmes screamed again.
“AAAAAAAAAH!!”
Sunstorm painfully covered his audio receptors.
“Please, stop screaming!” he shouted from inside.
“You're scaring me!”
Seriously, since when were people this loud?
“We're scaring you?!” Arcee yelled.
He glanced at the blaster in her servo for a moment before looking back at her.
“I mean... a little?”
Before any of them could say anything else, Chromia finally arrived.
She stopped at the entrance to the corridor and stared at the scene before her.
Arcee was holding her weapon.
Moonracer stood behind her, apparently ready to flee at any moment.
And inside a containment chamber, a yellow Cybertronian was curled up in the corner, looking at them as though they were the most terrifying things he'd ever seen in his life.
Chromia closed her optics for a moment.
“I want an explanation.”
“There's something in the chamber!” Moonracer blurted out.
“That's a little rude, don't you think?” Sunstorm objected.
The moment he moved out of his curled-up position, his wings became visible.
Chromia opened her optics again and looked at Sunstorm.
She didn't seem so much afraid of him as exhausted by the entire situation.
“You. Can you understand what I'm saying?”
Sunstorm nodded quickly.
“Yes! Of course! I understand you perfectly!”
“Good. Do you know where the energon is stored in this laboratory?”
Sunstorm hesitated for a moment.
Primus, what do I do? Are You trying to guide me toward something? Is this some kind of test? I've never met anyone other than Shockwave and the Rainmakers before. And now these people?
Sunstorm made up his mind.
Then he pointed toward a side corridor.
“Yes, I think so. There are energon containers in the next room, behind the metal door. Shockwave moves them there sometimes, but I don't know if he's moved them recently. Are you looking for them?”
The three femmes exchanged glances.
“Yes,” Chromia answered cautiously. “We are.”
“Oh! Okay! I can help you!”
The words came out of Sunstorm with such sudden enthusiasm that, for a moment, he forgot that one of them had nearly shot him just a little while ago.
“I mean, if you want me to. You don't have to let me help, of course, and I don't want to brag, but I know the layout of the laboratory really well because I live here, and I can show you the way if—”
He stopped abruptly, as though realizing he was talking more than he should.
He offered a small smile.
“sorry. I've been talking too much, haven't I?”
None of them answered immediately.
That was enough to make his little smile fade.
“It's okay,” he said quickly. “You don't have to answer. I'm just...”
He lowered his helm.
“Happy to see new faces.”
Chromia's expression softened a little.
She didn't know who this Cybertronian was, or why he was being kept in Shockwave's laboratory, but...
“Alright,” she said at last. “You can show us where the energon is.”
Sunstorm lifted his helm immediately.
“Really?”
“Really. But we need to move quickly.”
“Of course! Absolutely! I'll help you!”
Then, after a moment, he added,
“Thank you.”
He smiled gratefully.
Chromia wasn't entirely sure why he was thanking them, but she didn't have time to ask.
Sunstorm guided them to the next room, pointing out which containers held energon and which ones they shouldn't touch because of the security systems Shockwave had installed.
His knowledge proved surprisingly useful.
While Arcee and Moonracer began gathering as much as they could carry, Sunstorm watched them from behind the glass, trying to think of something else to say.
Anything at all.
He had finally met some new people, and he didn't want the conversation to end so soon.
“C-can I... can I ask you something?”
Moonracer turned toward him.
“What?”
“Are you Autobots?”
“Yes,” Arcee answered as she secured one of the containers in place.
“Oh.”
He fell silent for a moment.
Then he forced a small, stiff smile.
“Okay.”
Okay, this is bad. They're Autobots!! Primus, no! This must be some kind of joke or punishment for my recent ingratitude.
That was all he said, but something in his tone made Chromia shoot him a quick glance.
Before she could ask him his name, a sharp alarm blared throughout the laboratory.
Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!
All three femmes froze.
They looked at one another.
Then at the door.
Then at Sunstorm.
“Did you do something?!” Moonracer demanded of Arcee.
“Me?! You're the one who was messing with the containers!”
“I was following his instructions!”
“Enough!” Chromia cut off their argument. “The alarm's going off. We need to leave. Now!”
She hurried toward the corridor, followed by Moonracer and Arcee, each carrying as much energon as she could manage.
Meanwhile, Sunstorm remained inside the containment chamber, watching them prepare to leave.
“Wait!” he called before he could think better of it.
Chromia stopped and turned toward him.
Sunstorm hesitated.
There were so many things he wanted to say. He wanted to ask if they would come back. He wanted to know their names. He wanted to tell them about the bubbles, about the staring game, and about all the other things he had no one to talk to about.
But he didn't know where to begin.
So he settled for the only question he could manage to get out.
“Will... will you come back again?”
Chromia hesitated for a moment as the alarm continued to fill the room.
“If we get the chance, maybe.”
It wasn't a promise.
But it wasn't a rejection, either.
And for Sunstorm, that was enough to make him smile.
“Okay! I'll be here!”
Arcee gave him a strange look before hurrying after Chromia and Moonracer.
A few moments later, the door closed behind them.
The laboratory returned to darkness, save for the red alarm lights flashing across the walls and the sound of blasters from the outside door.
Sunstorm continued staring at the door.
He'd talked to three new people today.
Three!
Well, they'd screamed at him more than they'd actually talked to him, but the little details didn't matter, right?
He smiled to himself, then lifted his gaze toward the ceiling of his containment chamber.
“Thank you, Primus.”
For the first time since waking up in the laboratory, he finally had people he could look forward to talking to again!!
Best day ever.