The Spark in the Cellar

Ch. 2; "Touchy Triggers"

ALL RIGHTS ARE RESERVED TO THEIR RIGHTFUL OWNERS!!! DO. NOT. FLAG ME!

"-& done. What do you think?" the suave racer asks me as I examine my reflection or better yet, silhouette. My mech like build is now incased by the dark material & accentuated in a soft curvy lilac line pattern trailing from the base of my neck, over my shoulder, down my arm, & stops at my cuff. My servos, face plate, grille plate, joints, & rings around my extensions were also a soft lilac. Everywhere that wasn't black was coated in a sort of smoldering lilac that shimmered like fresh ambers. "I have never loved a paint job more in my whole life! How'd You learn about this stuff? It's gorgeous!" I merrily trill while turning in different poses to see my newest look I was now sporting. Hearing the happy approving sounds from the duo made me happier & drew my attention to them as I took note of their smiles. In spite of my attitude & fresh look, I love cheering everyone up. Laughter always seemed to be the third most important thing to me. My loves in life are dark places, being their for a friend, & helping someone smile, not in that order.

"Well," Knockout confidently began "I was planning on using it on myself but Starscream didn't like that idea. Something about 'It doesn't fit the role you're in' or something like that." "To be fair, it is pretty intimidating & I, for one, don't want you to seem unapproachable." Breakdown adds. I chuckle "Intimidating? Unapproachable? Perfect." The duo exchange a confused look "I want to seem scary so I can open some minds past the stereotypes. Am I intimidating to you two?" Breakdown chuckles while shaking his helm "Nah, you've already proven to be too polite to me. I think the only way for you to be threatening to me is if you had a bucket of pollen & ran after me with it." He joked as Knockout shifted silently. I wanted to ask him the question again, but it seems I have already gotten my answer. "Now that I'm presentable, may I see my friend?" "I forgot about that." Breakdown says "Sure. Knockout, would you like to lead CC here to the right room while I clean up here?" Knockout nods & makes his way to one of the two doors that lead out of the custom room to lead me to the destination before my attention was called to by Breakdown suggesting to meet back up later for any possible decorative additions. I wave back giving a brisk "Maybe!" before I cantered after the coolly colored mech ahead of me.

Keeping my guide in my peripheral, I turn my optic to my servos & smile. What were those idiots thinking back then? Me? In neon & poppy? They must have been malfunctioning! No matter. I look fabulous! My optic turns once again to the reflective windows to my sides as I get a better look at myself. As aforementioned, my mech like body is jet black with touches of lilac daintily swirling down my limbs as if I were a piece of modern art. My solid lilac segments smoldered in the dark backdrop of space behind the ship's window. My helm shape is like a mix of Knockout & Breakdown's but softer &, dare I say it, feminine, if that makes any since. That & the stumps where my grand horns used to wind & curve gracefully before I was dragged to that lab were polished & filed well. Turning back to my servos, admire how I was able to smooth the squared edges from my fingers & make them rounded. Hm, I wonder if I can still summon my 'talon's' like this? I flex my servos inquisitively as the sharp conical digits unsheathe themselves from their scabbards with a resonating metallic clunk. Good. I can still defend myself if needed. My horns, my wings, my fangs, I miss them so much. Above all else, I miss my grand tail trailing behind me. 

Clutching my fist after retracting my lone surviving innate weaponry, I sigh heavily resting my fist into my other servo. "Are you alright, CC? Uh! I- I mean-!" Knockout stammers over his words realizing that he had inadvertently called me "Cellar Creature" & thought he had insulted me. How sweet. "I'm fine, doc. You can call me CC if its easier for you to identify me, I've been called much worse in my life. I'm just trying to think of what to say to my friend. How long was I unconscious? A cycle? Two?" "Thank you, CC. You were out for a good few cycles, miss. We weren't allowed to let anyone but medical staff near you. Starscream's orders." By now I have trotted up to his side to walk beside him for the last stretch of the way. He flinched after seeing that I was beside him causing me to put slight distance between us so that he could be a bit more comfortable. "Who's this 'Starscream' I keep hearing about? He seems to be pretty important." I ask in an attempt to show that I'm not plotting to attack him. "Oh, we never really told you about the rankings here, have we. Well, he is Lord Megatron's right hand mech. He always checks with Megatron if he has an order he wants to carry out. Orders like refusing visitations to specific patients." I hum understandingly as we come to a stop. "If you need a little more time to plan your interactions, I can go in first & warm them up for you." "Thank you, but no. Enough time has passed & I have many things to get off my chest plate. That being said, is she the only one in this room?" "The elder femme? No. That young seeker, two younger femme's, & a tanker mech are there with her. They refused to be separated from her while stating something along the lines of 'We may not have weapons like any of you crew members but we'll defend that femme's friend until she gets back' & so on while the elder one laid on her cot." "She's hurt!? How bad is she!?" I ask before attempting to shoot ahead of him. A dainty, lean hand grasps my shoulder swiftly causing me to halt harshly. His thin digits barely fit in between my shoulder's guard spikes that faced outwards.

"I know you want to see her now, but you can't burst through the door like that. You need to think for a moment. She's never seen you in this color before, has she?" "Yes, she has. She has known me & I her since I was just grown enough to no longer be deemed as a bitling. She is my mentor. She would recognize me even If I was molten scrap." I gnashed the words from between capped denta, a habitual response to both the shoulder grab & the implication of my mentor's recognition skills. I catch a glimpse of fear show dimly in his cyan optics as my own remaining one widen then close as his servo retreats from my shoulder. He must have heard about me by now & has already made his own ideas about me before he even had a chance to really know me. "My apologies, doctor." I vent as we stood for a moment in silence "Many a foe has threatened to mutilate me to the point that not even she would recognize me & called her insane for associating herself with me. What you said & your physical movement threw me back into the arena, so to speak." Silence. "Bots actually said that to you?" he asked meekly while tilting his helm empathetically. "All that & more. May we please be on the move now? I'd like to see my friend before I get swept up into something." I answer coldly while turning my helm from him & down the hall once again. He is quiet for a moment but breezes past me, ushering me forwards. Way to go, CC. You've another poor, skittish spark to mope over. Why am I so fragging standoffish!? Is it in my code to be like that? Scary & alone? No. There will be time to brood over this later. I need to focus on my dear mentor & her health. Hold on, Appala. I'll be with you soon.