Shadowfire

Chapter 38

I couldn't stay in the camp that night, couldn't bear to see 'bots recoil from the sight of me, knew I wouldn't be welcome with the NEST men, didn't want to see the marks of the earlier scuffle on the Decepticons. I tried to block out the memory of Mikaela's reaction, for once wanting my damaged circuits to claim the experience. She had flinched away from me, curled in on herself, arms out in front of her, hands wrapped protectively around her abdomen; Sam had drawn her to him, put his body in between us, and whispered soothing platitudes into her ear, and then Bee we there, blocking both humans from view, and I was retreating, knowing better than to pick a fight when I wasn't wanted.

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"How dare you?!" I demanded, striding into the Autobot camp full of righteous fury "you destroyed a KSI facility without telling me!" Optimus looked down at me, faceplate unreadable.
"It was Autobots only"
"I am an Autobot Primus frag it!" but Optimus simply turned away, I ground my gears in frustration "look at me! Optimus look at me! I am your sister's sparkling, you know me!" But the elder mech's optics simply ghosted over me, unseeing.
"All you are is proof of Megatron's nature, and to think I had thought he'd changed at the end" he scoffed "but no, he was fighting for you, his precious heir, not the greater good"
"Take a look around you Optimus" I snapped "no one is here for the greater good, we're all here for revenge, even you" I spun on my heel and stalked off, anger pulsing in my spark. I was the same as I had always been, why couldn't they see it, who my sire was didn't change me.

'Hide hadn't recoiled at the knowledge of my parentage, granted it had taken him some time to reconcile himself with the idea but ultimately he had accepted me, for the first time I felt that maybe I hadn't deserved Ironhide, had Jazz been right so long ago? Had I really, truly loved Ironhide? Or was I simply that selfish? Was my, crazy, insane, impossible plan really the best thing? Would 'Hide even want to be brought back into some new, wrong body?

Regardless I knew my next move, I couldn't stay here, not with everyone against me, it was time I was reunited with my sire.

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Sneaking into the facility was child's play, after the hit on the last one the place had been evacuated and locked down, it was a simple matter of busting a very large hole in a convenient wall and making my way down to the basement research levels. I felt a servo on my shoulder and spun wildly, fist in motion almost before I could stop myself. Starscream batted the strike away with a laugh.
"What in Primus are you doing here?" I demanded, shocked.
"I heard about the Autobot strike, and about your argument with Optimus, when I saw you go streaking away from camp I wanted to see if you were alright, imaging my surprise when you headed to this horrifying place?"
"When I was here last I thought I felt Megatron's energy signature, but it felt off, I wanted to investigate"

Starscream gave me a sympathetic look.
"Listen, Shadow, I understand that you miss your sire, we both do, and with Optimus acting like a seized up afthole I understand why you would miss your sire more than ever, but he's gone and there's nothing either of us can do about it"

I shook my head, not willing to believe him.
"I know what I felt and I recognise my sire" I said, setting off with renewed determination for the research levels, Starscream trailing me dutifully, growing more and more uneasy as we descended and became able to feel a familiar presence.

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We faced the frame the humans had created, I could hear the energon racing though my systems as I watched the frame jerk as it activated, my sire's new body standing, optics coming online.