Shadowfire

Chapter 37

"Looks like you guys'll be heading off soon" I said, settled in to the hushed conversations around the fire, eyes on Lennox, surrounded by his men, Epps an ever present silhouette by his shoulder "take care of my dad will you?" Jason looked at me sharply.
"You want us gone?" I shook my head, gesturing helplessly to the desert landscape around us, the area divided into separate camps for each faction, filled with a mix of cybertronians lounging around in either their true forms of their alt form. It was an awe inspiring sight, to have been able to bring such a variety of mechs together, and must be doubly so for a human. Cogar caught my look "you don't think we can hold our own in the face of such amazing machines" he drawled sarcastically, not even looking around to see if he was overheard- brave move, considering at least 90% of the cybertronians here would squish him for the insult "you have ancients here, and Autobots, two random humans you picked up, and frickin' Decepticons. We're just another faction, a faction that knows how to work with you"
"In fairness" I admitted "a lot of us- those that can be bothered giving a slag about fleshlings, myself included, want the Yagers gone" Jason snorted, but pressed on.
"We've still got weapons caches around the place, areas we couldn't get to before- not without brining the whole world down on us, but that the government didn't know we're there" Jason added "we can help you"
"But-" I stalled, unable to verbalise my arguments, how had I just assumed that our allies wouldn't want to stick around once we were reunited? They'd lost everything too "It's not your fight" I said finally. Jason laughed, he actually laughed.
"Like hell it ain't. Y'all're part of NEST aren't you? That's as close of family as most of us have left. Besides, the boys'd have my head if we didn't stay to help" he shuddered "not to mention what the Major would do if I told him we weren't sticking around" I smiled
"And Epps"
"And Epps" he agreed.
"Alright fair enough" I conceded, shaking my head. Of course they wanted to stay "you do make some very good points"

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We assembled the leaders of each faction: Starscream, Optimus and I, an ancient femme called Brittleburst, and her sparkmate Shatterhelm- both of whom were much older than even the decrepit mech Jetfire I had met in the desert so long ago, Hound, Crosshairs and Drift- for they refused to pick a leader, Lennox and Jason- who had more than earned it, Sam, Epps and the two Yagers- all of whom refused to be left out. It was time to ready ourselves, to prepare for the final offensive that will end this, one way of another.

We would wipe the human KSI facilities out of existence, leaving nothing but smouldering craters where they once were, the humans could not be allowed to continue to mutilate our dead for their own sick and twisted reasons. We would engage the as many military forces as we had to, nothing would stop us from getting our vengeance, and finding a way to survive.

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"I'm going back Jazz. The KSI building- they're building frames there- not out of that lifeless human metal, but salvaged scrap. There's a chance I could get my sparkmate back"
"Even if you find a body based off of Ironhide it won't be him, you know that" Jazz told me gently "'Hide's gone Shad, and he's never coming back"

"It can be him" I murmured, unaffected by his words as emotionally charged as I was. I pried at my chest and the armour plating opened, still slightly surprised that Jazz simply averted his optics, instead of disengaging his visual input and physically turning away. I gently withdrew 'Hide's memory board from where it was stored, nestled deep amongst my innermost circuitry.

"Is that-?" Jazz trailed off, staring at the piece of circuitry, of Ironhide's memories given physical form.
"Yeah, it is"
"Even still" the mech said softly "the frame'll just be dead metal, there's no life there"
"I have his spark" Jazz looked up at me sharply.
"What?!" I nodded, prying back further protective layers until I revealed the dual blue embers glowing side by side in my chassis.
"Primus" he whispered, disgusted "Shad that's not... It's unnatural, you shouldn't... Would Ironhide even want to be brought back?"
"He gave me his spark, tore his circuits from his own chassis while he still lived" I said, almost savagely
"Shadowfire this is not... You're going to turn him into some experiment of the humans', an abomination. He wouldn't want that"
"Shut up, you don't know what he would want because he's dead! He's dead and he left me alone and I'm getting him back!" I screeched
"How do you even know this could work?!" He demanded, moved to anger.
"Because of my sire!"
"Megatron's dead"
"He was there, the humans were dissecting his helm but he was inside what they called Galvatron. They built a body for him"
"So you're going to attempt this insane mutant science experiment because your power mad sire, our enemy, was being downloaded into a human project" I hit him. My servo connecting with his faceplate in a startling blow that knocked him backwards.
"Don't you ever talk about my sire like that"
"Like what? Like he's the enemy, who's deactivated countless Autobots? Who-" I hit him again, launching myself into him and forcing him to the ground, hitting him again and again until I felt metal dent under the impact. Jazz cried out in pain and I halted, realising what I was doing. Scrap. Shaking, I took a step back, looking down at what I'd done to Jazz. I couldn't have- but I did. I shook my head, denying the evidence of my optics as I slid into my alt form, tearing away from the scene.