Chapter 4

I looked around the room, surveying various mechs that sat around, enjoying their energon drinks. I had my earphones in and was tapping the glass of my drink to the beat. It was, of course, regular and not high grade. Chromedome made sure of that.

It'd been about two weeks since the sparkeater incident and everything had finally gone back to normal.

And a lot had already changed.

Rodimus had put me on what he called 'An Intern Coarse.' I was assigned to different bots all over the ship and was supposed to spend some time with them, pick up a few skills, learn some new thing. Basically it was just a way to see how I would be useful and what see I could do or was good at.

It'd been nice getting to shadow them. I'd already learnt some fighting techniques and how to shoot a gun (courtesy of Whirl much to some's disliking) yet I was still denied one when ever I asked.

Preceptors lessons were somewhat interesting except when he'd start getting all sciency and then loose me. Chromedome took me for studying the processor and Rewind taught me a lot of history about the war I either missed or wasn't around for.

I think my favorites were definitely Brainstorm's, not just because I liked his personality but also because I really enjoyed engineering. Turns out I had a real knack for building and repairing things.

Anyways, I was sitting in the bar because I supposed too be with Ratchet now, except he, Drift, and Pipes had just come back from Delphi and had now come back with three new mechs, First Aid, Ambulon and Fortress Maximus.

Apparently, there'd been some kind of plague, which they'd caught and Ratchet just wanted to make sure everyone was ok. So that meant I had a couple hours free.

Also, his hands were now blue for some reason. When I asked Drift about it he just sighed and said, 'Long story.'

So here I am, sitting with Domey, Skids and Rewind at Swerve's when a song called '21 Guns' started playing. It was somewhat calm so I laid my helm back and closed my eyes, listening to the music. I started lip syncing to the words, muttering them under my breath.

"Do you know what's worth fighting for

When it's not worth dying for?

Does it take your breath away?

And you feel yourself suffocating

Does the pain weigh out the pride?

And you look for a place to hide

Did someone break your heart inside?

You're in ruins

I loved the songs I was left with. They took my mind off of everything and just overall helped me relax. There were over 100 and I felt like I could relate to everyone of them. 

When you're at the end of the road

And you lost all sense of control

And your thoughts have taken their toll

When your mind breaks the spirit of your soul

Your faith walks on broken glass

And the hangover doesn't pass

Nothing's ever built to last

You're in ruins

I let a soft tear go down my faceplate. Maybe it was fate I found the Lost Light. Maybe my carrier was watching over, directing me towards my sire and bringing us close, like the gods want this to happen. Heh, starting to think like Drift there.

Did you try to live on your own?

When you burned down the house and home?

Did you stand too close to the fire

Like a liar looking for forgiveness, from a stone?

Maybe when I find my sire we could sing these together, as he did with my carrier. Maybe he could join us on the Lost Light. Maybe we could start a new life somewhere once we'd found the Knights of Cybertron.

When it's time to live and let die

And you can't get another try

Something inside this heart has died

You're in ruins

I could stay on this ship. I could introduce him to Chromedome, Rewind, Rung, all of them. Maybe then I'd finally feel like I had a complete family. It was a nice thought.

One, twenty-one guns

Lay down your arms

Give up the fight

One, twenty-one guns

Throw up your arms, into the sky

One, twenty-one guns

Lay down your arms

Give up the fight

One, twenty-one guns

Throw up your arm, into the sky

You and I

I sighed as the song ended, the silence pressing down on my audio receptors. It was so peaceful right now, this is how I liked it. Huh, kinda weird actually how quiet it was considering I was in a bar right now.

Wait...

My earphones weren't noise canceling...

And I was in a bar...

Packed with tons of mechs...

I shot up in my seat, ripping the earphones out and knocking my glass over, spilling the energon on the table but I didn't even notice. What I did notice however was the unusual silence that had desended.

And everyone was looking at me, intakes open wide.

And then some fragger started a round of applaude in the back, so everyone joined in.

'Now that's a voice!' Swerve called from behind the bar. 'How come you never told us you could sing like that?' Skids asked across from me. My servos nervously gripped the table. True, I had sung in my room before but I'd always closed the door. And now, everyone had heard.

My faceplates burned with embarrassment when people started complimenting my singing and j was suddenly glad I wore the mask. I just nodded my helm but after a while, a timer on my arm beeped to my relief, signaling I had to get down to the shuttle bay to meet up with Whirl and Brainstorm.

'I gotta go.' I muttered, gathering up my things and nodding to Chromedome in thanks as he stood up to let me out the booth. What made it worse though was that they started clapping again when I walked out.

And there were even more mechs in the hall. A stream of swears floated around my processor as I had to walk through them while everyone stared at me. I picked up the pace and speed walked down the hall.

When I reached the shuttle bay, all two mechs were waiting there for me. Rodimus concluded they were the best to teach me, both having flying alt-modes. 

Yup, you guessed it. It's flying lessons for me.

A couple days ago we figured out my vehicle mode. I turned into a sleek, blue plane, similar to the design of an earth jet called a Harrier Jet. So far, I'd gotten the hang of taking off and flying around but still ended up tumbling when I landed.

And boy did Whirl not hold back on the mockery.

The one eyed mech turned and looked at me as I entered, 'Well if it isn't our little songbird.' He said. I stopped and stared at him, 'You- you heard?' 'Listen Wave, Swerve's bar has some great acoustics so I don't think there wasn't a single bot on this ship who didn't hear.'

I groaned loudly and clutched my helm, not attempting to hide how embarrassed I was. 'This is why I close my door when I play.' I grumbled and walked closer. 'Yeah, that doesn't stop mechs from hearing it.' Whirl said

'Wait what?' I yelled. 'I hear you sometimes when I got to Rung for my therapy sessions.' He said, rapping my helm with his claws, 'You've got quite a gift with that guitar.' I slumped my frame and dragged a servo down my face.

'You know I hate praise so please stop.' I pleaded and then turned to Brainstorm, 'Any chance you have anything so I can now soundproof my walls?' 'Not in my immediate possession but I do have some leftover material from one of my recent projects-'

'Forget I asked.' I said, cutting him off as I remembered walking past his office earlier when black smoke was pouring out.

'Alright.' I said and stretched my arms, 'Let's do this.'

In other words, prepare to be rained in Whirl's farce.

——————

I yawned as I walked down the corridors toward my room. Today's lesson really took it out of me but hey, I could land now. If only I could be proud of that and not have the fact I could barely transform and land perfectly on my pedes overshadow it.

Bots whispered and pointed at me as I walked but I was beyond caring at this point, wanting nothing more than to go lie down. I trudged down the hall, briefly waving to Domey, Rewind and the others before reaching my room.

I punched in the code and went through, the doors closing immediately behind me. My mask and visor both retracted, allowing me to properly rub my optics and yawn. I walked over to my desk and rubbed some dust that was collecting on my animals off.

I straightened and groaned when my back clicked as I did. I think I'd taken one too many tumbles today. 

My pedes then felt heavy and a took a few steps before falling onto my berth face down, my legs and arms hanging off.

I stayed like that for a while, just lying there and listening to the sound of my breathing. I slowly felt myself start to drift into a light recharge and pulled my entire frame onto the berth before curling up and falling asleep...

Just to be woken up about an hour later by some mechs outside, yelling and banging around. I moaned and put my servos over my audio receptors, trying unsuccessfully to block out the noise.

I gave up after a while and was about to go tell them to keep it down when I heard Rung's door open. 'Excuse me but you've been very loud.' A deep voice said, silencing the other mechs.

I heard them briefly say something before running away. I walked over to the door and opened it to find a large blue and black mech looking down the hall, watching the mechs go.

I turned my helm to see the terror twins and a couple more bots running away. 'I should've known.' I sighed as they disappeared around a corner. I then faced back to the blue mech to find him already looking at me.

'Thanks.' I said, 'It was hard to recharge with them around.' 'No problem.' He said, coming over and holding out a servo, 'The names Fortress Maximus.' 'Cool.' I said and shook it, 'I'm Radiowave.'

'Rung told me a lot about you.' He said and leaned back against the door, 'From what I've heard, you seem like a pretty nice kid.' I blushed under my mask as rubbed the back of my head, 'Oh well-thanks, he didn't-I mean, he...'

Fortress Maximus laughed at my flusteredness and waved his hand dismissively, 'No problem kid, it's nice to meet someone like you.' He then looked over my shoulder into my room, 'Pretty empty, don't have much stuff?' He asked.

I looked back and then walked over to my desk where my few belongings stood. 'Sadly no.' I said, picking up the small whale, 'Just a few things my parents left me. The rest was destroyed with my home.'

'Oh...' He said, 'I'm sorry.' 'It's fine,' I said, 'I have the Lost Light now, don't I?' He nodded and his optics drifted from the cassette player to a framed photo next to my computer. He picked it up and looked at it.

I'd found it wedged in a little hidden compartment in the box all my other stuff was in. It was a picture of my carrier holding a sparkling version of me. At our pedes, just could just see the head and optics of what looks like a black cat. Unfortunately and very irritably, it seems my sire had been the one who took it, giving me no further hints as to what he looks like.

Cause why the frag would I get this?

'This your family?' He asked. 'Yeah,' I said, 'That's my carrier. My sire's left when I was little so he's still alive. I'm on a mission to find him.'

'I'm sure he'd be proud of his little femmling if he saw you right now.' Maximus said. He then looked between the photo and me. 'Wow,' He said, 'You really look a lot like your carrier.' 'Thanks, I get that a lot.' I chuckled.

He then raised his optic ridge and started back at it, 'So you do have a face?' He asked, 'Then why do you wear your mask now? I heard no one's seen you without it before.' 'Only Chromedome and Rewind have but that was a long time ago.' I sighed, sitting on my berth.

'So, why now?' He asked, sitting next to me. 'I don't know. I guess it gives me some false sense of security.' I replied. 'Just that?' Maximus asked skeptically. I shook my helm, 'I also want my sire to be the first to see it.' I admitted, 'It somehow makes seeing him feel more special.'

'Well don't worry,' He said, patting my back, 'You've done a well enough job of hiding it till now, 'I'm sure you can hold out till then. I will be one of the first to see it after he does though.' I laughed and nodded, 'Sure thing Maximus.' 'Please,' He said, 'Call me Max.'

We sat in silence for a while until I felt him shift next to me, 'Hey, I wanted to ask.' He said, 'That singing I heard earlier... Was that you?' I sighed, 'Yup. Didn't even know I was singing aloud until I finished and by then, everyone had heard it.'

'Well, I think you have a nice voice.' He said. I felt my face plates heat up, 'Thanks. I'm just not that comfortable being the center of attention so that was quite nerve-racking for me.'

I looked over to see him fiddling with his digits. 'You ok?' I asked

'You think you could...? He asked nervously. I smiled at him under my mask and gazed out the window. I guess I could... I took a deep breath before starting. 

At the end of the line, 

there's no more time,

And you're going alone, 

you can never come home,

At the end of the line,

At the end of the line

I didn't sing the whole song, just the end.

I looked back over to see him staring, wide-mouthed at me. I quickly hunched my shoulders and looked down, making him close it and grin, 'That was beautiful.' He said.

'My carrier said I get it from my sire.' I said nervously. 'Well thank you.' He said, 'I've had quite a horrible past myself. Hearing you sing brings a sort of light into it. It clears my processor.' 

'Glad to help.' I said and leaned on his arm. He smiled down at me and then lifting it up, putting it around me while we watched the stars outside the window gently drift by.