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Rewind stumbled into their hovel, streaked with oil and energon but carrying a cube of energon and a handful of candies. It wasn’t his best scavenging run, but they had to go farther from shelter to find fuel and that was becoming more and more dangerous--especially now that Ravage was gone.
The mechkin dropped the candies next to Frenzy, who was sitting next to their dying heating unit. “That’s it? That won’t fuel us for a cycle.”
Rewind clutched the cube to his chest and glared tiredly. “It’s better than starving again tonight. Has Soundwave come back yet?”
“Not yet.” Frenzy picked up one of the candies and put it into his mouth mechanically.
Rewind nodded, and then turned toward the offline form of Blaster in the corner of the room. “I’m going to fuel Blaster and Steeljaw, then.”
“Sure, whatever.” The former Decepticon picked up another of the candies and ate it before gathering the others into a pile. “You hear anything from Rumble or Eject while you were out? Maybe they had better luck.”
"No." Rewind knelt next to his carrier and levered blaster's chest plate open. "They were exploring near the detonation zone."
"Stupid glitches." There was something close to anger in Frenzy's voice. "They better not come back with radiation poisoning."
The former Autobot fed a feeding tube into Blaster's chest compartment, connecting it to his brother with the ease of too much practice. Then he carefully siphoned a small amount of fuel into the quadruped's tank through the line. "At least that would be quick."
Frenzy didn't reply, and the two mechkin fell into silence as Rewind moved the feeding line into Blaster's emergency intake. Speaking of the inevitable would change nothing and only make their depression worse.
Long joors after Rewind finished fueling his carrier, Frenzy retrieved the remaining energon and pressed two candies into the former Autobot’s hand. Then he crossed the room to fuel Buzzsaw and Ratbat. Rewind curled into Blaster's unresponsive side and dreamed of better times.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
Frenzy scrambled down the hall, rushing to deliver the message from his carrier to Megatron before the revolutionary could enter the senate hall. If he ran fast enough, he would catch the mech before he had even left the transport station and possibly even convince him to return to Kaon before anything happened. It was really a job for Laserbeak or Ravage, but his red plating would stand out better and attract Megatron’s attention more quickly.
It was a gamble that could cost them greatly, but it was better than betting that Megatron could face down a hired assassin.
The sight of one of Soundwave’s symbiotes dashing down a corridor was not unusual in the senate building, so larger mechs simply stepped out of his way or ignored him as Frenzy sprinted for the door. He was quietly grateful to not have to lose speed by dodging and weaving through the usual hall traffic.
The light was bright and overwhelmed his optical sensors when he stepped outside, but Frenzy kept moving. He had to get to Megatron in time to warn him about the assassin. He had to get to the transport terminal before it was too late.
He was so focused on his mission that he didn’t register the explosion until the sound caught up with the light. The ground trembled with the force of it and flames licked out into the street. Metal ran in molten rivulets down the buildings and into the street. The transport station was nothing but a smoking crater.
Frenzy dropped to his knees and screamed.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-
Frenzy jolted out of a memory-plagued recharge when Soundwave staggered into their shelter carrying the offline form of another carrier mech in his arms. Rumble and Eject were supporting another mechkin between them. The newcomers' colors were faded with lack of fuel, but both were clearly alive.
As Soundwave settled them near Blaster, Frenzy wondered how long they would manage to stay that way.
"Soundwave?" Rewind's voice was soft as the black mechkin crawled out of his resting place against his carrier's side. "Who is this? How will we take care of him?"
Soundwave shook his head. "Twincast, archivist from Iacon."
"We'll take care of ourselves!" The femmekin--and wasn't that a surprise--in Eject and Rumble's arms protested. "He's fine. He just needs to wake up."
Frenzy gave the newcomer a pitying look. He understood the other symbiote's insistence and belief, but Twincast might not be as okay as she wanted to believe. It wasn't hard for a mech to pick up the toxic or corrosive chemicals left behind by the weapons the senate had employed to wipe out the Decepticons and their cause.
It was no consolation at all to know that those same chemicals had destroyed the senators--and most of the rest of the ruling class--along with Megatron's followers.
"What about you?" Rewind moved to take Rumble's place under the new femmekin’s arm as the blue mechkin slipped away to sit down near the heating unit. "You are running hot. Are you hurt?"
"No. I just... I thought we were going to offline out there. There were so many empties and..."
"Hey," Eject gave the pale colored femmekin a comforting squeeze. "It’s all right now. Soundwave sent them running. You're safe here."
She nodded weakly.
Frenzy watched the exchange warily as his twin reached fort his meager energon ration. If there were empties close by, they likely weren't safe within a thousand mechanometers. They would be moving on soon, whether they wanted to or not. Soundwave didn't have the fuel to power his weapons for long--none of them did.
Rewind continued cooing at the new arrival in that overly sensitive way of his, soothing the other mechkin as Eject steered them toward Twincast's immobile form. It should have been irritating to listen to, but Frenzy was just glad that it actually seemed to be calming her down.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
"Soundwave." Rewind crept up next to the blue carrier as he stood watch over their recharging companions. The Decepticon glanced down at him briefly, indicating that he was listening. "Do you think bringing Twincast and Flipsides here was a good idea? Our resources are already stretched thin and I don't have the knowledge to care for another injured mech."
The was silence for a long moment, as they both felt the pain of Rewind's inability to care for their wounded. Ramhorn, Buzzsaw and Ravage's deactivations still weighed heavily on all of them.
"Assistance required. Soundwave and symbiotes cannot leave badlands in current condition." Soundwave finally replied. "Twincast in good repair but lacking fuel."
"But until he wakes, he is a drain on our resources."
"A necessary risk."
"You have a plan then?" Rewind knew he sounded skeptical, but it was hard to believe that they had any chance of survival beyond this place. It was highly likely that all of Cybertron was a poisoned as the remains of Kaon and Iacon.
"Affirmative. Soundwave has detected communication signals on open frequency, originating from Yuss."
"There are more survivors?" Something that felt like hope flared in the mechkin's spark. "How many, can you tell? Did you hear anything about medical facilities? Do they have energon?"
"Pure energon, almost guaranteed. Cities cannot survive without energon." The carrier shook his head. "Soundwave received no other reliable data. Traveling toward Yuss preferable to starving in Badlands."
"Yes," Rewind agreed. "Better to die on our feet, if we must. Have you thought of a way to transport Blaster?"
"Rumble discovered remains of ground transport. Hover cells still functional."
"Then we can carry supplies, too."
"Affirmative." Soundwave reached down and laid his hand on Rewind's head, attempting to convey comfort and hope the way he would with Rumble or Frenzy. "Blaster will not be a burden. Will not be left behind."
"I know." The mechkin leaned slightly into the touch. It wasn’t' the hug or rub on the back Blaster would have given him, but it was comforting. "If you were going to leave him behind, you would have already. You wouldn't have even saved him in Kaon."
The mech nodded in agreement. He would have left Blaster then, if it had ever been his intent. "Rewind should rest. Tomorrow, extra fuel will be needed to feed Twincast's systems."
"I recharged while you were still out," the symbiote replied. "I can stand the watch for you. Your scanners are better at finding pure energon than mine, anyway."
Soundwave regarded him for a moment. "Understood. Frenzy will scavenge tomorrow, Rewind guard shelter."
"And stand the watch so you can rest." The mechkin wasn't prone to being argumentative, but he would stand up for Soundwave so that the larger mech recharged. He was no good to any of them undercharged and unrested.
"And stand watch." Soundwave lifted him up to the lookout station the symbiotes preferred, gave him another soothing head pat and re-entered their shelter.
Rewind checked the charge on his pistol and turned his gaze out toward the open courtyard outside their shelter, scanning for empties. He wouldn't have been able to recharge knowing how likely they were to attack, anyway.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
Soundwave moved through the halls of the Iacon senate hall numbly, spark and processor still refusing to accept that his Lord was dead. Even after ten cycles, he still expected a new communiqué or Megatron making a public declaration that he still functioned. It wasn't hope, he knew; Soundwave was living in a state of denial that could not last.
He still spied on the senators, covertly gathering data and storing it for future use. Megatron would need it, if he made the triumphant return that Soundwave envisioned.
The news reported the destruction of the transport station as a Decepticon attack, a cowardly terrorist move, and edited out any mention of the faction's leader. The senate had wanted Megatron dead, but they did not seem to want the public aware of it. Rumble speculated that they were afraid of the public outcry when they found d out the senate had murdered so many civilians in order to get to him. Soundwave was unsurprised by the spin tactic, but being accused of such an act enrage him--and many of the other Decepticons he was in communication with.
They were demoralized, but the senate had not yet destroyed them. Even as they mourned, Soundwave was assisting their Air Commander with planning a retaliatory strike.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
Twincast woke the second day after Soundwave brought him to the shelter.
Rewind was fueling him with the same gentle care he used with Blaster when the mech jerked upright with a shout. The mechkin managed to avoid spilling the energon in his hands as Twincast scrambled away in fear. He did his best to look small and non-threatening as the carrier looked around the hovel with panicked optics.
"Who are you?" Twincast demanded. "Where am I? What have you done with Flipsides?"
"My name is Rewind," the symbiote replied calmly. "Twin to Eject and bonded to Blaster. You're in our shelter, safe. Soundwave rescued you and Flipsides two cycles ago."
Twincast still looked frightened, but also immeasurably relieved. "She's all right?"
"She is terribly worried about you, but unharmed. She's out scavenging with Soundwave, right now. They'll be back soon." Carefully, Rewind shuffled forward, holding out the remainder of the energon cube. "You should finish this. Your systems are starving and you were in stasis lock when Soundwave found you."
"I was giving most of my share to Stripes." the carrier took the cube and sipped carefully. "I'm no medic, so his self repair system needs everything I can give it."
"You have another symbiote?" Flipsides hadn't said anything about that.
Twincast nodded. "He's not really mine, I suppose, but he was sharing our shelter and helping us find fuel. He was damaged defending Flipsides against a pack of empties. I've been carrying him, until his self-repair finishes or..."
Rewind could fill in that blank quite well. Blaster had been doing the same for Steeljaw, before he had been shot by the thieves. "I know some first aid and minor repair techniques. I could look at him and see if I can help?"
"No!" the carrier immediately curled in on himself, clutching his chest plate protectively. Rewind steadied the energon cube in the mech's hand before the precious fuel could spill.
"It's all right," the mechkin told him. "It's all right. I understand."
Twincast keened in anguish and Rewind wondered who else he and Flipsides had lost.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
Twincast huddled inside an abandoned building on the outskirts of Praxus, praying the Decepticon scouts wouldn't did him. He was unarmed and wore minimal armor; he was a non-combatant and wouldn't stand a chance against any of them. He curled around his chest compartment, trying to ignore the explosions he could hear in the distance and convey a sense of safety to the three femmekin resting inside.
Three femmekin, possibly all that remained of the exceptionally rare symbiote class.
Twincast rocked back and forth, doing his best not to give voice to the terrified sounds threatening to spill from his vocalizer. The explosions were drawing closer, the blasts sending tremors through the floors and vibrating the window panes. They were going to die in this place, he knew now. There was no running and no hiding for them.
At least they symbiotes were in a resting state. They would never know what happened.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
"They pulled back," Twincast said softly, cradling Flipsides close to his chest plates. "I don't know why, but they pulled back just short of decimating the edges of the city. We wandered for cycles before the rescue crews arrived, looking for survivors and fuel. I thought nothing could be worse than that."
"Decepticons were enraged, grief stricken," Soundwave replied softly. "Assault not executed to plan. Too much death without Megatron to rein in Seekers. Soundwave, should have seen possibility."
"You couldn't have known, Soundwave. The Seekers were impossible to predict before they threw in their lot with Megatron." The blue and yellow carrier frowned at the remains of the purple shield on the other carrier's chest plate. "Even if you were one of them, you couldn't have known what Starscream would do."
"Soundwave knew. Assault plan was Soundwave's." Soundwave stood and walked to the entrance of the shelter. He peered into the darkness, acting as a second watch while processing the old guilt. "Assault on Praxus intended to be small surgical strike. Assassinate Senators Decimus and Proteus while attending gallery show. Vengeance desired, for Megatron's murder."
"It didn't help though. All it did was kill ten thousand civilians."
"The Senate, no better."
Twincast sighed. "No. They weren't."
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
Eject raced Steeljaw to the exit of their apartment building. He knew he could never beat his brother in a race, but the fun was in the competition and Steelie was always such a good sport about it. He loved being able to take the time to just play like this, without having to worry about jeopardizing his job as a courier.
There was too much to worry about in their lives, without having to fret over where the fuel was coming from if Eject lost his job because they were playing games. Blaster's job in the communication center barely covered their rent; any other necessities would be just a distant dream.
The mechkin slammed into his felinoid brother's side as Blaster's voice suddenly crackled over their internal communication systems. "All of you, get underground now. I don't care where you hide, but get off the surface. I'll find you soon."
Blaster's communication cut off in a burst of static then faded to dead air. Eject clung to Steeljaw, all earlier sense of happiness evaporated. "Steelie, what's going on?"
"I don't know." Steeljaw nudged at the mechkin until Eject clambered up onto his back. "But we need to do as Blaster said."
Eject held onto his brother's frame tightly as the quadruped sprinted off down the hall, heading for the doorway. There was an underground transport tube station nearby and they would be able to leave the surface there easily.
There was panic in the streets as they stepped outside. Mechs and femmes were packing the roadways so tightly that it was impossible to move down them. Some were screaming and wailing, and as they raced toward the transport station, Eject caught sight of two mechs holding each other tightly as they shot themselves through the processors. He whimpered, more confused than ever.
As they ducked into the station, he saw the first of the heavy war bombers flying overhead. Eject tried to block out the screaming as they ducked out of sight.
Steeljaw ran until the transport tube stopped collapsing behind them.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
The ground transport that Rumble had found was actually the remains of a cargo hauler, the kind designed to be towed behind a larger transport unit or cargo carrying Cybertronian. It moved easily once he and the other mechkin dug it out of the debris holding it in place, and it responded readily when Rewind entered the commands for it to engage in energy conservation mode. It would take more mech power to pull it along in conservation mode, but they were all easier to recharge than cargo sled batteries.
It took three of them to pull it back to the shelter, even after rigging a harness to the front that made it easier to move. It wasn't easy for them to navigate while pulling it but they were capable, which meant that Soundwave and Twincast would not have to do all the work.
The mech loaded the sled quickly and efficiently after the symbiotes returned with it, giving the mechkin a much needed break. Blaster took up the bulk of the space, with Laserbeak a semi-aware presence nestled next to the red carrier and Ratbat perched carefully on the side rail, watching over both of them despite his own injury. Buzzsaw circled high overhead, acing as lookout while they prepared to finally leave the Badlands.
Soundwave took up the harness after the last of their supplies was loaded. "Symbiotes will ride, watch over Blaster and Laserbeak. Will trade off after leaving city."
"You got it, boss." Rumble didn't give his carrier a chance to change his mind and hopped into the cargo sled. He settled in next to Laserbeak, who crooned softly and rested his head on the mechkin's shoulder. Frenzy boosted Flipsides up before climbing in himself and Eject and Rewind settled in last.
Twincast checked the charge on the pulse rifle one last time, ensuring that their primary defense against the empties was prepared. Then he nodded to Soundwave and they set off.
Rumble looked back, just once, at the place where they had spent over a stellar cycle squeezing out a meager existence nodded firmly. He wouldn't miss that place a bit.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
"So how do you know the boss?" Frenzy asked quietly, not wanting to disturb the rest of their party as they recharged.
"Most carriers know one another, at least by sight and reputation," Twincast replied. "But Soundwave and I were educated together, when we trained for our specialties."
"So you do communications and stuff too?" The symbiote checked the charge on their portable heater, just to have something to do in the quiet night.
"And stuff," the mech replied with a light chuckle. "I worked with the military, mostly archiving old reports. But they always need mechs who are good with comms and better with keeping their vocalizers off. Well, needed."
Frenzy was quiet for a long moment. "Military huh? Any idea why they bombed us into slag then?"
"The Senate was terrified after Praxus. And when terrified mechs are powerful, they use that power to remove the source of that fear."
"Yeah, but them mechs in Kaon didn't do nuthin'! They were just gettin' by, same as everywhere!" The mechkin couldn't help his shout of anger. "What made it okay to kill them all? Megatron would never have!"
"It wasn't okay." Twincast laid a hand over the Autobrand on his chest plates. "That kind of collateral damage is never okay, no matter how they try to spin it. That it happened at all is proof that your Megatron was not wrong about the corruption or how far it had spread."
"Yeah. But what made this," Frenzy gestured to the dead and decaying landscape around them, "Seem like a good idea? They deliberately poisoned everything."
"I wish I had the answer for that, Frenzy. Every time i think about they symbiotes i lost, i wish i had an answer."
Twincast turned away from the mechkin, shoulders slumped with sadness. Frenzy frowned deeply and fell silent.
The night grew deeply uncomfortable.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
Flipsides ran.
She couldn't hear her sisters behind her anymore, though they had been keeping up until the second group of empties converged on them. She wanted to turn and look, but she didn't dare. If they had been caught, there was nothing she could do for them--she'd dropped her pistol in the initial attack--and if they were still behind her, she would have only slowed herself down needlessly.
Unarmed, her only chance was to return to Twincast and hope he could fight them off.
A scream echoed behind her and Flipsides cried out in response, though she didn't allow herself to stop. There was nothing she could do for her sister now, and Rosanna would be angry if she turned back instead of surviving. Twincast would be sparkbroken and devastated if he lost them all, too.
Flipsides kept running, and never noticed the orange and black shape that slipped into her wake.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-
None of the group truly noticed when they left the Badlands of Kaon, except for the lessening of chemical particulates in the air as they traveled. the symbiotes noted that their systems began running better as there was less pollution to filter out when they docked in Soundwave and Twincast, but that seemed to be the only real change. The landscape continued on ahead of them in the same dead and broken fashion as the remains of Kaon.
Their planet was a corpse, but they hadn’t yet had the sense to die with it.
Once on the main highway, they fell into a simple routine and the days passed in a blur. They traveled, they fueled and recharged, they traveled again. There were fewer empties on the road--the best potential fuel sources were in the ruined cities, after all--but they were more likely to attract the attention of other survivors who had also decided to move on.
They had a firefight with one group, and had rested an extra day while Rewind tended Soundwave's damage and Twincast and the others looted the dead. Even with the supplies, it would be a very long way to Yuss.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
Glit and Howlback developed chemical poisoning at the same time as Zeta Prime, and it disturbed the entire carrier community. Normally, a carrier prevented such occurrences by using their own bodies to filter impurities out of their symbiotes, but doing so had only spread the infection to Soundblaster and Garboil. Rumble watched them waste away with no small amount of fear; if their carrier couldn't filter out the poisons in their systems, it was a real possibility that Soundwave wouldn't be able too either. Soundblaster and his symbiotes all deactivated ten cycles after the bombing of Kaon, Zeta Prime twelve and most of the population of Iacon within the next five. It was easy for Soundwave to slip away from the capital in the turmoil and make his way to Kaon to search for any other survivors.
They found none of their Decepticon friends, but they had found one lone symbiote carrier and his four symbiotes.
Rumble was leery of Blaster, but Rewind and Eject were okay. Rewind was smart, but didn't use it to make him feel dumb and Eject was fun to just hang out with. They probably could have been best friends and pulled the best pranks, if the world was dying around them. Steeljaw was a lot like Ravage, except that he talked a little more. Ramhorn was grumpy and liked to fight--though he never picked fights with any of them.
Ramhorn died when the first wave of empties tried to overrun their shelter. Rumble did his best to be strong for the others and not let how much it hurt show on the outside.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
Flipsides lost track of the number of cycles they traveled. Rewind could, and would, tell her if she asked but it wasn’t vital information and she wasn’t sure she wanted to know. All that mattered was that they had traveled from the Badlands to Ankmor Park, or what was left of it, and were finally seeing signs of life again. She had seen a gyrofalcon earlier--and mistaken it for Buzzsaw at first, to her chagrin--and later a turbofox leading its young. It was almost enough to break through the depression she had been mired in since her sisters deactivated.
It gave her hope that they might find a way to really live again, even if they didn’t find this city of survivors Soundwave hoped for in Yuss.
The femmekin allowed her thoughts to wander, daydreaming about what it would be like to live without having to search for days on end to find a bit of fuel and to have a real shelter that was safe from empties. She wondered if Soundwave would stay close or if he and his symbiotes would move on, continuing to search for a medic who could treat Blaster. She had grown close to the mechkin in their group, and hoped they might stay.
She was so wrapped up in her daydreaming that she almost missed hearing Buzzsaw’s warning cry. She did not, however, miss the warning shot fired over the top of the cargo sled. Flipsides jerked her head around so quickly that the wires in her neck twinged.
Four mechs, all armed and wearing the bright red brand of the military, were staring them down. A black and white mech who was probably the team leader took a single step toward them. He pinned them with a cool gaze and never lowered his weapon.
“You have entered the Prime’s territory. Thieves and looters are not welcome here. State your purpose or turn back the way you came.”
Twincast lowered the pulse rifle to the ground and spread his arms wide. “I am Twincast, formerly of Iacon. My party and I seek shelter and medical assistance.”
The black and white mech looked from Twincast to Soundwave and back before glancing toward the cargo sled. “You have wounded in there?”
“We do. Our injured number five, though none of us are in good repair.” Twincast took a step away from the sled to allow the black and white mech to see inside more clearly.
Flipsides flinched involuntarily when the team leader stepped closer and stared at her. He frowned at the action and lowered his weapon. “I mean you no harm, little one. You and your team will be safe here.”
“Thank you,” she whispered as he turned back toward his troops.
“I am granting these mechanisms asylum until the Prime decrees otherwise. Ironhide, escort them to the city and then rejoin us. I will call ahead so that Ratchet will meet you at the gates.”
“Aye sir.” A red mech stepped forward and gestured toward Soundwave. “C’mon. Let’s get that thing movin’ so your friends get some help.”
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
Blaster thought they were dead for cycles, even though he could still feel his symbiotes’ connections to him. Rewind had been in his chest compartment when the alert to move into the long-unused bomb shelters had flashed across Kaon’s communication networks, but the other three had been enjoying a rare day off. He called, aloud and over their comm systems, until he burned out his own relays. Then he wandered the ruins with his locator beacon active, simply hoping.
His spark had burned so fiercely with joy upon seeing Steeljaw and Eject stagger out of a transport station that he felt actual pain. He barely noticed it, as he pulled them close to his chest plate and held them. He felt that same joy again, when Ramhorn rejoined them two cycles later.
Even in the face of so much damage and devastation, nothing could dampen that happiness.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
There were actual medics in Yuss. Not just mechs who knew a little bit of field repair like Rewind, but two actual medics. Eject and Rewind had turned Blaster and Steeljaw over to their care with almost giddy relief and settled in to wait. They would have the rest of their family back, and soon!
Ratchet, the medic who had repaired Blaster, would only let one of them wait in the room with their carrier at a time. The twins didn’t mind, as long as they knew Blaster wouldn’t wake alone. As a result, Eject was sitting with him when the carrier’s optics finally flickered back to life.
“Eject?” The red mech’s smooth voice soothed away any remaining fears as the mechkin climbed up onto the medical berth with him. “Where are we?”
“Yuss,” Eject replied. “Soundwave brought us.”
“Yuss?” Blaster’s tone was disbelieving. “There’s nothing in Yuss. Cybertron is dead.”
“It’s not! Wait til you see it! There are mechanimals! And fuel!” The mechkin wrapped his arms around his carrier and hugged tightly. “And a Prime, a good one! We’re safe here, Blaster. Really and truly safe.”