Ep0 - Hanger 13 - 'The Eve of an Ending' - Closer

[Deleted]

The calibrations to fully integrate Fairwind's minute physical form and processor into the Phantom were completed, and the cassette was almost entirely comfortable in the ship's framework - as if she'd been sparked into it. After the power surges had blistered the ship's AI aside long enough for her to get in, everything going according to plan and exceeding Shockwave's expectations in terms of speed and efficiency, Fairwinds had been left alone to psychologically adjust.

The old but still deeply childish femme had gotten bored after ten minutes without access to the Nemesis or anyone on it. Soundwave had recommended that the Phantom not synch up with the warship's computer for risk of polluting his painstakingly-crafted systems with Ancient code. Megatron had approved of this restriction, and thus left Fairwinds-as-a-warship with nothing to read or watch and no one to talk to. Ten hours ago, Shockwave had informed her that the plan was accelerating and to prepare herself for battle, which had at least given her something to do. He'd still been taciturn, however, and given maddeningly little information as to why things were suddenly advancing so quickly.

But her new sensors were still enough to listen through the walls, and she'd picked up the latest news on the grapevine: Barricade was missing. Barricade wasn't coming back. And Megatron had lost another few sanity bolts over it.

Fairwinds had comm.ed her Master, fluttering with glyphs of anxiety, alarm and concern, seeking answers and any kind of reassurance. The murderous... thing, somewhere between a sound and a visceral feeling, had kept her from pinging him again, and she'd seriously wondered if Barricade was dead, that the spark bond had broken, and Megatron's spark had been sent the rest of the way down the nightmarish path that Nos's death had put it on all those centuries ago.

Her field was already alight with nervous energy when she detected someone approaching, feeling her spark flash eagerly despite that fact that it was Shockwave entering. She felt like she'd been trapped in a bubble for the last ten hours, a rattling experience for a spybot, and she was clamoring for any input now.

"Shockwave! What's going on?"

[shockwave]

The cassette was screeching. This was not unusual for her but it was somewhat different to be screeched at through the PA system of an ancient warship - the very sub-sonics of the pitch vibrating with power and lethality – than to be screeched at by a lunchbox-sized symbiote-build. The scientist had just finished clearing up the timeline with Lord Megatron and their master had made it quite clear that there was, indeed, a need to accelerate their efforts and perhaps more than Megatron knew. Barricade had carried the failsafe for the Phantom. If he’d fallen in battle the Autobots might have been too good to torture him for information but they might try to extract and rebuild the data in Barricade’s head post-humorously. Barricade was an infiltrator. At the moment of spark-loss their hardware was triggered to self-terminate, obliterating all neural-net activity and destroying all data… but hardlocked data could be extracted from the cranial case even after death.

“We are accelerating our efforts, Fairwinds.” The scientist moved to a nearby control panel pulling up the latest diagnostic on Fairwinds’ systems. “Ready yourself. We must be prepped for launch within the next few hours. Barricade will not be returning in time for the attack. Are you prepared to pilot the Phantom?”

[Deleted]

Multiple air flaps twitched irritably, impatiently, but otherwise the ship didn't move. Fairwinds had quickly discovered that its horizontal thrusters in a standard-gravity environment weren't particularly refined, and she had no wish to make any more dents in the Nemesis. Though putting a few dents in Shockwave was seriously starting to appeal.

"Yeah, I'm all set to go and burn the energon in Prime's lines, end the war, glorious victory, blah blah blah," she replied rapidly, systems thrumming as the roiling field now acting as her vision followed the scientist. "What's happened to Barricade? Why isn't he here? Is gonna be back after the attack? Is that why Master's so fragged off?"

[shockwave]

Shockwave regarded the giant sentient ship with a look that was less than non-responsive then went right back to running the ship diagnostics. “Megatron’s mood is likely a result of his pilot and infiltrator failing his duties and compromising the success of our coming assault.” Hmm, powerlevels were down .345% and there was a new energy flux in the drive core. Nothing ominous but it seemed more of the ship’s systems were coming online.

“Barricade was captured by the Autobot soldiers and likely tortured and hacked for data pertaining to the Phantom. If the infiltrator is not dead then he’s likely crawling to safety in some manner befitting a mechanism of Barricade’s tenacity. Either way, it is unlikely we can depend on him for the coming assault.”

[Deleted]

Stunned silence followed that announcement as Fairwinds absorbed and then waited for Shockwave to continue. He didn't, and it was obvious that he now considered the topic closed. "Is anyone looking for him?" she finally asked, quietly because she already knew the answer.

[shockwave]

Shockwave didn't look up. "No."

[Deleted]

There was a high, sharp whine as the war-ending weaponry for which Fairwinds had been integrated into the Phantom to activate came online. A swivel-point barrel clicked down from the 'nose' of the ship and fixed on Shockwave.

Fairwinds had never felt, never been this powerful before, and it was with a giddy sense of satisfication and anticipation that she held the charged weapon targetted on Shockwave. Her voice, so befitting of a tiny frame with big optics and a childish disposition, fell into a pitch closer to her Master's harsh tones. "Not good enough, Blinky."

[shockwave]

Shockwave persisted in not looking up. “It is sufficient for now. Inquire after Commander Starscream if you want for details. He was assigned to the air support unit providing back up for Barricade. Megatron is not divulging details beyond Barricade’s unavailability and the fact he was likely taken offline by the Autobots. Taking into account the hatred Ironhide has for the infiltrator and his previous behavioral profile there is a 98.456% chance – provided Barricade was captured alone – that he has been brutalized and killed in action.”

He tapped a few more controls on the console, before looking up. “If you persist in unproductive behavior and fail your object then you have wasted the infiltrator’s last efforts and will be the cause of Megatron’s failure to end the war. Your prioritization programs are clearly faulty.”

[Deleted]

Fairwinds held the bluff a few more seconds before collapsing under Shockwave's unflappable countenance. Of course she wouldn't fire the weapon on-board the ship - the force of the blast would put a hole out to open space for a start. And Shockwave was right - only logically, of course. Emotion didn't factor in anywhere.

She powered down the weapon and retracted the barrel, sinking dejectedly on her landing props. "I'm ready to go into high orbit and await Lord Megatron's command."

[shockwave]

“Remain where you are. I will finish running diagnostics then you will deploy immediately to the coordinates I give you. You will use the full stealth and shielding systems and remain fully cloaked until the target location is given to you at which time you will be expected to eradicate the Autobot insurgents.”

He did not acknowledge the cassette’s miserable EMF nor bother to parse the eons long familiarity between the little Decepticon and Megatron’s sardonic infiltrator. Long enough time in the same circles created almost familial linkages between troops. Barricade’s lost cassette in the war might account for his attachment to Fairwinds, illogical as it was to substitute such a surrogate. He was similarly baffled by the nature and intensity of Megatron’s ire which, to him, had been inconsistent with the warlord’s habit of blaming failure on the failed. If Barricade got himself captured (again) and this time for good then it seemed to Shockwave Megatron should have labeled the infiltrator a weakling and a moron (as he was wont to do) and behaved differently.

He did not follow the logic behind Megatron’s emotional subroutines nor did he follow Fairwinds’, but the cassette at least was under his command. He finished his scans in silence.

[Deleted]

Fairwinds waited paying very little attention to the scientist, her thoughts turned inwards. Barricade had already been captured once, and gotten away from being executed by some fluke break in the Prime's attention. There was absolutely no evidence to support the hope that if he had survived an Autobot attack that he wouldn't have been quickly terminated (possibly before he had the chance to verbally goad them into it).

It was so outside the scope of Autobot behaviour and values that it made her processor ache. The simpering and soft-sparked, not weak but certainly merciful Autobots were conducting torture and execution like Cons. Of course they would murder Barricade if they had him within range again.

And there was some evidence to support the theory that Barricade had, in fact, been murdered. No search and retrieval mission ordered by Lord Megatron for his own sparkmate, who in living-agony absence would inflict a corrosive pain on the warlord's own spark and psyche. Megatron's response to her concerned comm. - not even words, but fissures of rage and grief and emotions she hadn't known existed.

Perhaps is had been what insanity sounded like.

For everything he had become, Megatron was still a mech, and there was a limit to what a psyche could remain intact afterwards. Perhaps this was finally it, a dark voice murmured in the cassette's mind. The wicked, easy banter; the comforting familiarity and charade posturing; the private games and the pleasure of being a part of an exclusive microcosm, a dark but loyal family - gone. All gone. And this thing that everyone feared, even the Decepticons who had watched Cybertron burn standing behind Megatron, was all that was left.

Shockwave gave a minimalist indication that his scans were concluded, and at Fairwind's acknowledgeing chirp he triggered the hanger doors to sweep slowly open. She warmed the massive engines, feeling her surrogate frame rattle, and turned her sensors out to the planet below. Wait at the co-ordinates under all the stealth tech. Sure. But she'd take her sweet time getting there, and scan under every rock she flew over in the passing.

"Permission to disembark."