Devil in Disguise

{5} - Messenger

"...and then he said I seemed wise beyond my years! Can you believe it?"

Ratchet only hummed in response, having been only half-listening to Orion's ramblings about his encounter with Megatronus. He was more interested in the datapad that he held in his servo.

On the other hand, Alpha Trion was intrigued by Orion's experience with the gladiator. It had gone better than he had expected. "That is quite the compliment for someone so young." He said, smiling softly. "Are you satisfied with your experience?"

"Yeah! I wasn't even sure if he would talk to me, but he did!" Orion exclaimed. His digits drummed excitedly against the glass of energon he was holding. "And before I left, he asked if he could come study Cybertronian history with me in the Archives!"

Ratchet nearly spat out his energon.

"Well did you say yes?" Alpha Trion inquired, one optic ridge raised.

Orion chuckled and sheepishly took a sip from his glass. "I told him I would ask for your permission first. That is okay with you, right?"

Alpha Trion's smile grew. His aging optics were warm with happiness for his young friend. "Of course, Orion. Any chance to teach someone about our rich history is a chance worth taking. There should be plenty of material for you to cite your sources from. If you are still planning on writing those speeches you mentioned earlier, that is."

Orion nodded vigorously. "Thank you so much! I'm going to find someone to send Megatronus a message!" He said, getting up from his chair and leaving the room in a rush.

***

"Orion!" Ratchet called, trying his best to catch up with the archivist.

"Not now, Ratchet! I gotta find someone to send this message before it's too late!" Orion was too busy searching the crowded streets to really pay attention to anything else. He only stopped when Ratchet snatched his shoulder and forced him to.

Ratchet's gaze was firm upon young Orion, his dermas tightly pressed together in a slight scowl. "Orion, can I please just talk to you? It will only take a moment."

Orion seemed antsy, but reluctantly agreed. "Fine... but make it quick."

Ratchet let out a small sigh of relief. "Over here." He said, motioning with his servo. The medic led Orion over to a quiet spot that was fairly vacant compared to the bustling streets. Once they were away from that chaos, he allowed himself to relax. "Are you sure you want to do this? What would the Council think of you bringing a gladiator, of all people, into a place as important as the Archives!"

Orion huffed. Not this again. "Alpha Trion is a Councilman, remember? You heard what he said! He said it was okay for Megatronus to come!" He retorted, crossing his arms. "Why are you so against what I'm doing?"

"I just... I just don't want you to get hurt. And I don't trust this... this Megatronus enough to be around you. If something bad happens, you could get in serious trouble!" Ratchet chose his words carefully, not wanting to offend Orion.

"Nothing is going to happen! He's actually more of a gentlemech than you give him credit for."

"I highly doubt that. It's probably just some facade to trick you."

"Well at least he's not trying to stop me from achieving my dreams!" Orion spat bitterly.

That stung. Ratchet stood there with wide optics, shocked that Orion had even said such a thing. "Orion, I didn't mean it like tha-" He tried to do damage control, but it was already too late.

"Whatever. You're just afraid that I'll have another friend besides you. Maybe Megatronus will be an even better friend." Orion mumbled, glaring at Ratchet. Without a second thought, he sharply turned around and headed back toward the street.

***

It had been a few hours since the argument. After having time to think about what he said, Orion felt really bad. Ratchet probably hated him, but he couldn't worry about that now. He was trying find a certain someone that could pass his message on to Megatronus.

Just as he began to lose hope, the mech he was looking for came into view.

"Soundwave!" Orion called out to the slender mech, darting across the street to catch him before he disappeared. "Soundwave! Can you take a message to Megatronus?"

Soundwave stared down at Orion, his visor blank as usual. Orion could see his reflection in the glass.

"I... take that as a yes." Orion said after a few moments of silence. He grinned and rocked back on his pedes. "Okay, tell Megatronus that Alpha Trion said it was okay for him to come to the Archives. He can meet me there tomorrow morning since I'll be heading into work!"

A couple seconds passed before Soundwave silently nodded his head.

Orion grinned up at the faceless mech. "Thanks, Soundwave! I'll see you around!" With that, he hurried off towards his habsuite. He couldn't wait for tomorrow to come.

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I LIIIIIIIIVE!

Yeah, sorry about being dead for a while. But at least I've finally updated this book! Hope you guys are enjoying it so far!