A/N: Sorry to all who I have dissapointed about not updating this story in a monkey's age. I blame the mondo writer's block that had landed on me caused by certain personal tragedies that happened this last year, so please forgive me. I hope you enjoy this chapter, cause I have tried me best with it. I do not own Transformers wich are owned by the wonderfull Hasbro company.
System ran down the halls of Autobot base, mentally running down the list of Hunters who should go out and greet the Decepticons outside with her. This was Thundercracker, who wasn't the most popular among the hunters, so not the older ones like Kup, and Soundwave was with him, so that means no Jazz or Blaster and his cassettes, and she couldn't bring the younglings into this, so that left only one comfortable option. Pit, she was pushing it with it being her that was bringing them in.
"Hey Wheeljack!" System swung into the engineer's lab, searching for the elusive white, red, and green form. When she didn't see him, she cursed and ran off to try and find him, but if she ran into one of the others, she wouldn't have a choice and would have to take them. She didn't have time to track down one mech, the Autobots were twitchy and that could lead to trouble, and very soon. Then she heard the sound of Ratchet yelling at someone. Thinking maybe it was the twins, she decided to ask Ratchet if he's seen Wheeljack. As she reached to doors to the med-bay, she was surprised to hear Wheeljack's voice.
"Please Ratch. If you'd just let me explain-" Wheeljack tried to say, distress tingeing his voice.
"Explain what! You kept this secret life of yours away from me!"
"Ratchet, you don't understand." Wheeljack tried to argue.
"You're right, I don't understand, and I don't want to." System didn't stand around to hear what else was going to be said, she burst the doors open and caught sight of the two mechs. Ratchet was standing ridged, glaring at whoever dared trespass on his territory, while Wheeljack looked like he was just about to burst into sobs, his hands up in a pleading gesture. Walking briskly, the femme gently grabbed Jack's hand and started to lead him outside.
"What? System what are you-" Wheeljack started to ask, completely caught off guard by the femme.
"Trouble outside. Need your help." Was all she said. If she understood what that argument was about, Ratchet didn't need to hear what they were going to do and why, and Wheeljack definitely didn't need to hear what the medic was about to say to him. Once out in the safety of the halls though, System felt safe enough to explain more to Wheeljack.
"But why me?" The engineer asked, his lights flashing in query.
"Because," The femme said, trying to hurry as fast as possible to get outside, but trying not to drag the poor mech behind her. "It's Thundercracker and Soundwave. You know what 'Cracker did. Kup still hasn't gotten over it, the old codger. And Soundwave, well, he's not the most comfortable around us," She gestured to herself. "Especially when he doesn't have his mate around. You, on the other servo, are safe to be around. You don't hold anything against the seeker and you don't threaten 'Wave, so that's why I grabbed you." Wheeljack nodded in understanding as they both approached the front entrance of the base.
"By the way," The femme said lowly, as the doors opened. "Back there with Ratchet. Is there anything that you need?" She asked, looking at the mech who was just as much a sparkling to her as the rest of the mechs in the hunters. Wheeljack dropped his gaze to the ground and shook his head. System felt her spark go out to the spark broken mech. She placed a reassuring servo on his shoulder and squeezed. "Hey." She said, getting his attention as she led him outside. "Anything you need. Anything at all, just ask." Wheeljack smiled behind his mask as the two approached the three Decepticons.
Inside the base…
Prowl sat at the table in the conference room, surrounded by his superiors, most of whom were giving him glares. The only one who wasn't was Optimus, who looked like he was trying to understand Prowl's position, he seemed to be the only officer who had actually been paying attention when the Hunters revealed themselves. But it wasn't Prime who spoke to him first.
"What I want to know Prowl, is just what is happening?" Ultra Magnus demanded, his optics hard on Prowl, Elita-1 right next to him giving him a similar look. The SIC sighed and rubbed his temples like how System did earlier in his quarters. He just knew Ratchet was going to have to overhaul his Battle Computer after this.
"Could you be a little more specific Ultra Magnus, sir?" Prowl grit out between his denta, oncoming processor ache making him temperamental.
"Why are there 'Cons outside the base, and just why are they here?" Elita snapped. Optimus decided enough was enough, he placed a servo on Magnus' shoulder, gaining the blue and white mech's attention.
"Alright, back off Magnus." Prime said gently, also giving Elita a look that said the same. "Prowl will tell us everything, but only if you allow him to speak. He is my second in command, not a prisoner, and this is not an interrogation." Prowl shot a grateful look at his leader before sighing.
"It is like I said in the Rec. Room. We are a guild of hunters, organized and trained, to hunt and dispose of death walkers." Ultra Magnus scoffed at that.
"Yeah right. I don't believe that Prowl." The SIC gave the larger mech a glare. "Death walkers do not exist. They are a story to scare younglings."
"Than how do you explain the battle earlier? Those Decepticons were not normal." Prowl shot back.
"A virus. There's probably an epidemic going on and Megatron doesn't want to seem week so he's sending his soldiers out, even if they're sick." The blue and white mech said. Prowl gave a grim laugh.
"Yeah a virus. That is exactly what it is." Magnus looked pleased the Prowl was finally making sense and agreeing with him. "That is what makes the Death Walkers." Prowl stood up and glared at his superior officer. "I do not care if you do not believe what is right in front of your faceplate, I do not care if you do not believe me, and I do not care what you think about it, the situation is this. There is a Death Walker epidemic going on and my guild is the only thing that will keep it from spreading." The black and white stomped passed his surprised superiors towered the door. "I do not know why those Decepticons are here, but when I find out, I will give you a report." He shot over his shoulder and left. A few moments of silence came, then Optimus went to follow him.
"That's why you shouldn't mess with my SIC Magnus."
Outside the base, System and Wheeljack approach the assembled Cons. System motioned for Wheeljack to take the lead, the scientist a little nervous to be around these specific Decepticons again.
"H-hey guys. Long time no see." Wheeljack waved at them. Thundercracker rolled his optics, Skywarp looked nervously between them all, and Soundwave didn't make a move. Yep, just like old times. System thought. "Why are you all here?" Jack' asked. Soundwave stepped forward as the seekers huddled closer together, his mask and visor glinting in the light of Cybertron's sun.
"Situation: Critical. Decepticon bases: Swarming with Death Walkers." System and Wheeljack exchanged worried looks.
"Yeah, we've kind've figured that out already." Wheeljack said, rubbing the back of his helm. Thundercracker looked angry.
"How could you have already found out. Have your little spies been keeping track of me?" He hissed, mostly at System.
"Hay hay hay!" Wheeljack waved his arms in front of the femme, trying to get the seekers attention back on him. "System and Jazz had nothing to do with it. Megatron and about a thousand newly Turned attacked the base recently. With the amount of soldiers he had with him, we kind've already guessed this spread to most if not all of your bases. Pit, we're surprised that you three are here right now. We thought that nothing would make you come here and that you were either turned or deactivated." Thundercracker calmed down some and scoffed.
"Who do you take us for, those idiotic twins of yours?"
"Silence Thundercracker." Soundwave ordered, noticing System tense at the seekers attitude. Soundwave didn't have the same problem with the rest of the hunters as Thundercracker did, but he was still edgy around them, System and Jazz specifically. The blue seeker snorted but didn't say anything more. Skywarp was seriously confused.
"Hey TC." He tugged on one of his mate's chest vents. "What's going on? You haven't said anything since we hightailed it from base to the Bots place." Thundercracker gently hushed his mate.
"It's alright Warp. I'll explain everything once we're safe." System decided it was time for her to speak.
"If you want asylum," The three Con's tensed as she spoke. "Then you're going to have to turn over all of your weapons and agree to an interrogation by Prowl." Soundwave and Thundercracker looked to each other, seeming to have a conversation over their comms. before turning back to the Autobots and nodding in agreement. Carefully they handed over all of their weapons, including Thundercracker's energy daggers and Soundwave's scythe. They were then led into the base, System in front so that Thundercracker and Soundwave could keep their optics on her. Wheeljack stayed close to Skywarp and offered comforting looks, but the seeker was still wary of the Autobots.
They hurried the 'Cons through the base, keeping away from frequently traveled hallways, until they made it to the interrogation rooms, or White Rooms, as Jazz affectionately called them. They were just blank white walls with only a table and two chairs inside. System decided to ignore proper procedure of keeping prisoners separated and allowed the seekers to be held in one room together and Soundwave with his creations in another. Wheeljack caught on and didn't say anything until the two were outside the rooms, alone.
"You know, you can get into major trouble by Prowl and Optimus when they find out what you did." He pointed out. He didn't want to make trouble for System, he just didn't want her to have anymore problems than she already did.
"I know Jack. But they were just through the Pit. Did you see the scratches on their armor?" She asked. Wheeljack nodded, he had suspicions about that, but didn't want to think too much into it. "They must've encountered the Death Walkers at some point, that's what they were running from if you have forgotten."
"No I haven't." Wheeljack didn't like the snippy tone System was using, but he attributed it with how tense the base was, so tried not to let it get to him.
"So they don't need to be anymore upset then they already are, besides, they came to us. The ones that said they'd never come back even if Unicron himself came to Cybertron to devour us all. They need us Jack, so they're not going to risk being thrown out there to be Death Walker bait. I suggest we don't do something to make their stay here anymore painful or awkward." Wheeljack nodded as Prowl came up to them. They reported everything that happened and Prowl agreed with System's logic about their prisoners, even though he didn't exactly agree with breaking procedures at anytime, this was a special case. Deciding to start with the seekers first, Prowl entered the room with Wheeljack standing by the door. System decided to go relieve some of her tension while the mechs talked, a stressed out Death Walker was not a good thing on a base with twitchy bots.
Inside the White Room…
Prowl looked the Decepticons over with a critical optic. Skywarp sat hunched over and shacking in one of the chairs, looking two clicks away from warping out of the room, while Thundercracker stood ramrod straight behind the purple mech, his arms crossed and glaring daggers, swords, spears, and various other sharp implements at the two Autobots. Prowl sighed, knowing that things were not going to be easy. He took the other chair and sat down, keeping his face a neutral as possible. After a few moments of silence, Thundercracker finally snapped. He slammed a hand on the table, making Skywarp and Wheeljack jump.
"Well what are you waiting for?! Get on with your interrogation. Ask us all those inane questions about our intentions, plans, and other scrap." Prowl just kept his cool gaze on the blue seeker, who growled at the lack of reaction from the mech. "Why are you even here right now. You have no idea what's really going on. Send in that femme or that saboteur of yours or somebody, don't just sit there like a drone!" Prowl's door-wings twitched, making Thundercracker slightly relieved.
"Actually Thundercracker, I do know what is going on. More than I care to." The blue seeker snorted in contempt and resumed his place behind Skywarp, who still looked completely confused.
"Um…" The purple seeker caught Prowl's attention. "I…I don't r-really know w-what's going on." He muttered, feeling like the complete idiot people always said he was. Prowl sighed again, but lowered his door-wings in a non-threatening way.
"I guess I will have to start at the beginning. What I am going to say may sound illogical, but it is all true." Skywarp blinked his optics while Thundercracker snorted, but looked interested in what the Praxian was going to say. "The creatures you encountered before coming to our base are known as Death Walkers. They are Cybertronians infected with a virus that allows them immortality of a sorts, but at the cost of their sense of self.
"They become beastly, with the only instinct being to hunt down fellow Cybertronians and consume their Energon." Skywarp could barley comprehend what he was told. He knew about Death Walkers, most of the Cybertron culture thought of them as just mere legends, like the Matrix of Leadership and the Fallen. But the 'stoic, logical, by the books second in command of the Autobots' was telling him that all those scary stories were true. It was nearly impossible to believe, if Skywarp hadn't encountered those things before, he would've thought the Praxian had finally lost it.
"Long ago, when Death Walkers threatened the existence of all Cybertronians, a guild was formed. Mechs gathered and trained to hunt down this menace to extinction, and it was believed that Death Walkers ceased to exist many centuries ago, yet the guild still remains, but it would appear we were mistaken." Thundercracker sneered in contempt.
"Slag yeah you were. Wait…" He blinked his optics as what Prowl just said sank in. "We?" He turned and gave Prowl a confused look. Prowl, for his part, was still calm. He slowly brought his right hand forward, palm down, and with his left he peeled off a small piece of flexible metal to reveal a mark on the back of his hand. A blaster and sword crossed over a shield encompassed by a spark. Skywarp didn't understand, but Thundecracker did. He took a step back in shock before lunging forward and grabbing Prowl's hand. Wheeljack started to move to protect Prowl, but the door-winger held up his hand to stop the inventor. After a few minutes of disbelieving examination, the blue seeker finally released Prowl's hand, but he still held his shocked expression.
"I don't believe it. How can one not born into the guild be it's fragging leader!?" Prowl couldn't help the small smile that came at the normally unflappable seeker's stunned declaration.
"Well, if you would really like to know," Prowl began, schooling his faceplates back to his normal seriousness. "I will gladly offer you that information in exchange for a full explanation about what happened that would cause you to return to us. From what I understand, you left the guild with the declaration of 'Never coming back to the backwards fragging mechs with their helms up their exhaust ports.' if the information I was given is correct." Thundercracker snorted.
"That would be the abridged version, but yes. I vowed to never come near you slagging guild mechs ever again, just because I refused to go through with your stupid little ceremony."
"It is not stupid, Thundercracker." Prowl's lips thinned. "We were forced to reveal ourselves to our fellow Autobots after Megatron's attempted invasion not to long ago. Their reactions have shown us just why we have that specific rule in place." Thundercracker's optics narrowed at the SIC, but he didn't say anything else. Skywarp decided to take this opportunity to speak up.
"Um…what exactly are you guys talking about?" Thundercracker turned to his mate and sighed sadly.
"I'm sorry Warp. I didn't want to drag you into all this." He brought his hand up and rubbed his faceplates in exhaustion. "Primus, this is messed up."
"Allow me. Skywarp," Prowl spoke up. "As you have probably guessed by now, Thundercracker and myself are apart of that guild I spoke of earlier, as well as Wheeljack." He pointed toward the inventor, who cheerily waved at them. "And the reason Thundercracker has a problem with us isn't because we are Autobots and he a Decepticon. It's because he did not agree with and broke one of you most important rules." Skywarp looked alarmed as he looked back at Thundercracker, who seemed to of deflated into himself, his wings drooped and his posture was slumped.
"And what w-was that rule?" Skywarp was afraid to ask, but he wanted to know. Prowl sighed and shook his head before answering.
"He took you as a mate without inducting you into the guild." Skywarp was shocked and confused by that. Why was that such a big deal? Thankfully, Prowl explained.
Rec. Room…
Inside the Rec. Room, Bumblebee was at a table by himself. He sat hunched over his cube of energon as he tried to sort through his emotions. He felt betrayed that some of his closest friends, people he viewed as family kept such a huge secret from him. Sad that he wasn't trusted enough to know such a secret. Angry at how much slag most of the bots on base were giving the guild members, they were still Autobots. Guilty that he wasn't doing enough to help his friends. His emotions were all over the place, that he failed to notice the huge red mech that came up and sat beside him.
"Hey, Bee. How ya doin'?" Inferno asked, breaking Bumblebee out of his thoughts.
"Oh, hey Inferno." Bumblebee greeted awkwardly. Inferno noticed Bumblebee's discomfort and chuckled.
"I's alrigh' lil Bee. Ah know I's 'ard ta be 'round us, now tha' ya know 'bout our lil secret." Inferno patted Bumblebee's shoulder. "But ya gotta know that none a' us wanted ta keep this a secret from ya and tha others, 'specially Prime. It was 'ard on tha others, wha' with keepin' this whole thin' a secret. Ah don' rightly know how tha ones sparked into tha guild kept their traps shut 'bout it. But seein' how everyone else is treatin' us like slag, ah'm no longer doubtin' the rule." Bumblebee looked up at the huge mech with wide blue optics.
"What rule?" Bee asked, his misgivings evaporating at his curiosity and the comfort the big mech was giving.
"Oh, well ya see, ah wasn't sparked into tha guild." Inferno said, taking a gulp of his Energon as he got comfortable in his chair. "Ah came inta tha guild through ma sparkbonin' with Red. As such, there's a rule sayin' tha anyone wantin' to sparkbond outside'a tha guild has ta inducte em into tha guild."
"How?" Bee asked. "And why?" Inferno smiled.
"Let ma tell ya a lil story, Bee."
Inferno's systems started up slowly as he woke from recharge. He couldn't help the slag eating grin that appeared on his face as the memories of last night came back to him. Who knew someone like Red Alert could ride his spark like that? A flash of pleasure bloomed in his spark at the thought of his new bondmate. He flexed his arms, trying to find the lithe body of the security director. Only finding cold hard metal forced Inferno to finish his startup quicker than he wanted to, to search for Red, but what he found surprised him to say the least.
He was on the floor in a dark, spacious room, filled with many of the mechs he interacted with on base, all grinning at him, some giggling. He frowned. If this was a prank from those blasted twins, he was gonna have a set of armor decorations for Red Alert's wall. Then he caught sight of his bondmate on his right. Red Alert was standing with the mechs, twitching and alternating between looking at Inferno with a look filled with distress and sorrow and looking to the floor. Inferno was now completely confused. Red Alert couldn't be a part of this prank, it wasn't like him.
A figure stepped out from the group in front of him, revealing System, behind her was both Jazz and Prowl. Inferno was starting to feel the beginnings of a processor crash coming.
"Inferno." System said, gaining the red mech's attention. "You have been brought before us as a prospective member." Red Alert started twitching more erratically, looking guiltily around, not meeting Inferno's optics.
"Member? Member fer wha?" Inferno asked, his accent twanging. System's mouth pressed into a firm line.
"A member of the Hunters." Then she started explaining what the Hunters were. At the end Inferno could only stare at her, this was taking the joke to a whole new level.
"Are ya serious?" Inferno asked incredulously. "Am I bein' taped? Where's tha camras? Do ya really 'xpect ma ta believe ya silly story? This is jus' a cruel joke that yer palyin, 'specially since ya got Red in on it." He glared at the femme, who just sighed and kneeled down to the still sitting mech.
"This is no joke Inferno. This is real." She said it so seriously that Inferno didn't dare try to interrupt her. "What we do - did - was and is real. Now we're just a secret society if you will, a big family that we keep secret from anyone else who isn't a part of it. Red is a member, he was sparked into it, and by bonding to him, you are being initiated into it." Inferno turned to look at Red Alert, who was back to looking at the ground. System leaned into Inferno's audio so as not to be heard by anyone else. "He didn't want this to happen, he wanted to tell you so you could have a choice, but this is the way things are done in the hunters, please understand." Looking up at the femme, Inferno saw that she was giving Red a reassuring smile, trying to tell the twitching mech everything was alright. She then stepped back and started speaking aloud again.
"Inferno, as Red Alert's bondmate, you are now allowed access into the Hunters. As such you must pledge that you will not speak of this moment or of the Hunters to anyone who is not a Hunter themselves. Do you swear this?" Inferno looked from System to Red Alert, surprised to see that Red had an energon knife and was using it to slash his hand open. Inferno's first instinct was to run over to the SD and stop him from hurting himself, but System's servo on his shoulder stopped him, he was surprised at how strong she was. Red then gave the knife to the mech next to him, who did the same thing, using the knife to slash his hand open.
"Inferno." System was at his audio again. "You must swear this, on the Allspark and the spark of Primus," She was asking him to swear his silence on the most holy objects and names known to any Cybertonian, this was serious. "Otherwise Red Alert will be forced to take his spark," He whirled his helm and looked shocked at the femme, she couldn't be serious! "And indirectly your spark as well." Inferno kept looking at her with wide optics. She sighed.
"Yes I know it's a slag eating rule, but it's how we keep our secrecy and ultimately our safety, by making sure no risk to our existence exists. I wish there wasn't a need for this rule, but there have been instances in the past, so you need to swear this exactly as I have told you. I don't want to see Red take his spark any more than you do, so please, for his sake if not your own." She stepped back and took the energon knife from Prowl, who had slashed his servo as well. System quickly slashed her own, as if doing so didn't bother her at all.
"So Inferno, do you swear to keep our existence a secret and accept the responsibility that comes with being a Hunter?" Inferno looked at Red Alert again, who was looking sorrowfully at him. Inferno then made his decision. He kneeled in front of System and bowed his helm.
"Ah' swear on tha spark a' Primus 'imself and the Allspark tha ah will not tell a spark 'bout tha Hunters, and accept full respons'bility of a Hunter." His accent becoming thicker. He heard a collective sigh of relief, it seemed none of them wanted Red Alert to take his spark either. System gently grabbed his servo and brought it up to her, quickly sliding the blade of the energon knife across his palm. Inferno hissed, but didn't say anything.
"Then may this mark you admittance. Welcome to the guild Hunter Blazer." Cheers rose in the room and Inferno was bowled over by Red Alert, the SD clinging onto the larger mech for dear life. System chuckled.
"Siren." Red turned his helm to look at Prowl who stepped closer to them, still not releasing his hold on Inferno, actually clinging harder onto the red armor. "You will apprentice Hunter Blazer." Red nodded and burrowed his helm into Inferno's chest plate. Inferno and System both chuckled. Even now, newly bonded, Red Alert acted like a sparkling sometimes. "I wish you both the best." System said, and walked away. The two mechs were swarmed by the rest of the Hunters, each offering congratulations on their bonding and Inferno's admittance into the Hunters.
Inferno showed Bumblebee his hand, that still held the scar from the energon knife.
"Ah keep this as a memory of wha' ah promised, and wha' ah gained." Bumblebee gave the red mech a confused look. Inferno chuckled. "Ya already know wha' ah promised, wha' ah gained was a brotherhood. All'a tha Hunters are brothers, not jus' in arms, but brothers in tha sense a' family. We're all one big family, lookin' out fer one'a other. We stick together, support one'o other, and we remind each other we ain't alone." Bumblebee looked thoughtful at that. Who knew Inferno of all mechs could be deep and insightful? A chuckle broke him out of his thoughts. Standing behind Inferno was Red Alert.
"Telling stories again Inferno?" Red Alert asked as he slid into a the chair next to Inferno, nodding his helm at Bumblebee in greeting.
"Na'. Jus' tellin' Bee 'ere why tha Hunters needed ta be a secret." Red nodded his helm in understanding.
"Yes. Most viewed the rule to be very extreme, but it was needed, and a part of guild life." Red shrugged his shoulder strut. He was sparked into the guild, so none of their rules were strange to him. Bumblebee nodded, now beginning to understand.
Inside the White Room…
Skywarp sat in silence as he tried to process what Prowl jus told him. "So you're saying that 'Cracker didn't want me to be a part of your little club, so he dropped you and took off?" Prowl sighed and rubbed his helm, trying to will the processor ache away, he had already been over this with the purple seeker four times, with Wheeljack helping.
"Yes, because he bonded to you and refused to make you a guild member, he was viewed as a danger and so he as you said, 'took off'."
"Alright, I think I got it." Skywarp nodded and Prowl silently sighed in relief.
"Alright, now that you've explained that for Warp," Thundercracker spoke up, frowning more, with Wheeljack didn't think was even possible. "How about you explain to me how someone not sparked into the guild, yes I know that much Prowl, became it's leader." Prowl smiled and folded his hands on the table.
"Alright, then. But a deal is a deal. Once I've told you my story, I want yours." The Praxian leveled his gaze on the blue seeker, who nodded in agreement. "Alright, but to tell you how I became guild leader, I must first tell you how System and Jazz came to be with the Autobots."
A/N: I hope you enjoyed this. Please, read, review, flame, whatever...