Stick with You

Stick Beside You
G1
Warlord Megatron & Commander Shockwave {friendship}
Hand to hand combat

******
 Instinct and those tingling sensations in the back of the mind actually have a logical reason; the violet and ivory mech muses as he pulls the blanket back on his military berth.   Unlike most bots though, he likes to figure them out instead of blindly reacting to those ‘intuitive feelings’.  
    Over the past cyber-week that tingling in the back of his brain has been growing stronger and stronger, but since he couldn’t put his finger on it, he just continued shoving the thought aside to focus on current tangible projects.  Tonight though, the tingling has become more like sledgehammers bashing him to MOVE.   As much as he would like to shove it aside one last time, he knows that his brain is not going to let his frustrated body sleep.   The question still remains:  move where?
     With a chuff, the genius scientist throws the corner of his blanket back to the berth giving up on sleep and quietly exits his private room.  Striding casually out of the deck of the Deception Base containing Commanding Officers’ private quarters, he makes his way to the bowels where his well earned laboratory wisely sits.
     There are some days that having his private quarters so far from his work station is  very inconvenient.   This is one of the reasons why bots find him more often than not in the lab rather than anywhere else.   Yes the main reason is that science is his passion (next to his desire for his Lord) and he finds it a waste of valuable time commuting back and forth through the long corridors.   His droid genes also allow him to have a stamina that exceeds standard ‘pure oil bots’ thus he doesn’t need as much stasis time as others.   He has even suggested that his private quarters be made part of the lab thus freeing up the quarters for another officer.
     Even now, those violet cheeks of his warm again remembering that conversation with Lord Megatron.   Starscream and Soundwave had been in the room as they were discussing promotions and team reassignments when he made the suggestion.  
    Starscream had snarked back something to the effect of, “Yes, let the droid sleep among the jars, spare parts, and other specimens like his kind should.”
     As much as that slight caused the lilac hands to clench behind his proud back and if he’d had a jaw he would have been clenching twice as hard,  it all drained out by an ebony hand to his purple shoulder and a soft chuckle from that silver fanged mouth.   “Oh Commander, let me explain the purpose of private quarters.  It’s to rest.   You are not a slaved miner or a prisoner forced to sleep where you work.  A mind -even a brilliant one-that is always focused on a single task without being allowed to distract itself with a pleasurable change every once and awhile will soon stagnate or snap.   So no, you will not be allowed to bunk where you work.  In fact, I order you not to.  If I find out you have put a berth in there,” he gives Shockwave a narrowing glower that lays a silent threat of insubordination down.
     Shockwave lowers his head hoping that his Lord’s concern for a simple commander’s well being won’t flame his cheeks.  “Yes, my Liege, I understand,” he mutters.   A second pat to the shoulder and the discussion goes back to team assignments.

      That’s it!!  
    His pace quickens as he bypasses the elevator to take the stairs two at a time down to his laboratory.
   This simple replay makes his subconscious identify the tingling in the back of his mind.   It is a simple thing that he has over looked so easily, but yes something is wrong in his laboratory.  A couple subtle things are out of place.   Someone has been in his lab after hours digging.  If it was Starscream he would know the signs for when the mech begins snooping, there’s an ire about him that changes during meetings.   This is someone else:  a spy.
     Before he alerts anyone else though he wants to either catch them in the act or find out exactly what they have done.   Have they replaced chemicals that will blow up during his next experiment?   Have they copied his files?   Have they placed recording devices inside?   Is it an Autobot spy that has cloaked his way in or one of his own lab assistants turned traitor?  
    All these questions must be answered before sending clumsy guards bumping and bashing around in his area that is more personal to him than his personal quarters.  Besides, he sure as hell doesn’t want Starscream having one more reason to mock him before their Leader.  Shockwave would much rather produce results rather than more questions to Lord Megatron.
     
      He whips around the corner so focused on his building list of questions, that he nearly slams into the body that houses the sexiest commanding voice he‘s ever heard.
     Lord Megatron’s arms are fold over his broad chest with a slightly cocked thigh, daring him to even try passing, “I thought I warned you before Commander about --”  
      That proud throat of Shockwave’s tightly swallows down his rising personal side to stay completely professional. Immediate droid reaction would be to apologize to his Master for breaking orders, but the skilled warrior in him overrides that by swiftly bringing a one lilac tip to his ‘chin’ and the other palm up to silently warn the other Commander to hush.
      Instantly Megatron does seeing the snowy antenna perked high in alert status.  With just a look asks, ‘What is it?’
       Shockwave touches his audio switching from openly vocal to a secured com-to-com communication.   “I believe there has been an infiltrator in my laboratory.  They could be in there right now.”
      Quietly as possible Megatron brings his right arm cannon online in preparation to join his scientist in subduing the infiltrator.
       Shockwave lightly puts downward pressure on the black muzzle and shakes his head.  When the ruby optics and raised brows question not using his prized fusion weapon, the purple warrior pulls a blade from his boot cuff and explains, “There are a lot of chemicals and even some explosives laying out in my laboratory.   Any weapons discharge could set off a chain reaction that could potentially do more damage to the base structure than any infiltrator might.   I suggest hand to hand combat instead, My Lord.”
      Powering down the weapon and switching to a blade, a cruel smile parts the lips bringing those vicious canine to bear.  He can almost smell the oil about to spill.  “Even better.   Shall we?”
     Once more the soldier side of Shockwave nearly collapses when that dangerous sexy-gleam comes across the silver beast.  The darkening golden optic has to force itself to look to the laboratory entrance to cool that burn deep in his gut trying to rise up again.
       Fighting close quartered side by side with his Lord is either going to be the most exhilarating moment yet….or his worst hell.   His spine shivers in anticipation to either   With a soft shake of his head, Shockwave steps ahead of the Decepticon Leader zeroing his focus in on the clues his subconscious mind had put together.  
   What exactly was it that was out of place in the lab?  Was it a project or was it supplies?  One would mean a thief the other would mean a saboteur.  A thief would need to be interrogated, but a saboteur means immediate search and delay to any projects.  Either one could be one of their own ranks or one of the others.  The armory is heavily guarded, the laboratories not so much, but that will change as well after tonight’s events.

   Before Shockwave activates the door, he pings his fighting partner once more, “Please be careful what you strike.”
    Megatron spares him a scowl, “This is not the time to be picky, Soldier.”
    The antenna fold back in his own scowl to the rebuke.   If anyone else had said that, he would have shot back with the idiotic reminder that even the mixing spilled chemicals can still make bombs, but this is his Commanding Officer who he also sees as his Master thus decorum is paramount.  “Wasting valuable supplies in a scuffle not logical, My Liege.  Surgical strike advised.”
     If it anyone else had reminded him of such a thing, Megatron might backhand the mech.  Something about the respectful use of title, wise advice, and that poised accent drops rage to irritation that he will turn against the infiltrator instead.   “Tell that to the bastard inside.”
     Shockwave gives an angled dip of his helm in a nod-salute as he flips the knife around in his hand so the blade rests concealed against his wrist yet the hilt firmly in his palm.   Megatron crouches low and to the side of the door with his own blade at the ready.

       Using just hand motions and closed-com, they make their plan.   Shockwave is going to walk into the lab as if just checking over stuff.   Megatron is going to use his predatory stealth skills to slide in and behind the nearest work table.   The hope is that an infiltrator will be so surprised to see Shockwave walk into the lab at an odd time that they will not see a near silent low moving object the same color as the steel floor enter.   Megatron’s battle silver-grey coloring this time will camouflage well with the sterile steel lab cabinets and table.   From his crouched position and hunting skills he will be able to scan the lab for a second infiltrator as Shockwave surprises the main one.  One must be kept for interrogation the other not so much; that is certainly agreed upon.

   3, 2, 1... The door opens.   Shockwave stands in the doorway allowing it to open almost fully before he enters.   A breath behind Shockwave’s first step, Megatron slinks in right to where Shockwave had previously directed.   The door shuts and then Shockwave locks it.   Knowing that his back is secretly covered, he changes the password to the one he told Megatron.   Only they two will be able to get the door open now.
    Slowly he turns back around to search for the caged victim.  He can feel it in the air:  there are three of them.  The first is one of his own lab assistance out in the open.
    “What are you doing here after curfew?” he curtly orders.
    Her chin trembles, “Please, Commander, you have to understand-!”
    “You coward!”   A second voice steps out from behind a cabinet door where he was hiding.  In three steps he raises his pistol to execute her.
    “HALT!”   Shockwave barks.  He is not close enough to strike before the other can fire.   All he needs though to stall long enough for Megatron to strike.  On top of that, he has figured out who is going to be kept for interrogation.   “What is going on here?”
    “You stupid droid, what does it look like?”   The dusty brown mech snarls.
    From an enemy the ‘droid’ comment doesn’t even phase him.
    “He’s not stupid!”  She tries to warn her partner in crime but he just snorts in reply.
     Shockwave doesn’t move but does loosen his grip on the hilt preparing to flip it to either strike or fly.  Out of the corner of his optic he can see Megatron is three strides from ideal striking position.   That still leaves the third assailant.  He can not move his head or it could alert the others to Megatron’s movements so he has to use his mind to figure out what they are still up to.
    “You would be wise to listen to her.   After all, I do have a rather focused frame of mind and currently it is on stopping you.”
    When the mech moves his pistol from being directed at the lab tech to the Decepticon Genius, Megatron strikes.  So does the invisibly cloaked one who had snuck up behind Shockwave.
      From behind, Megatron wraps his right hand around the gripped pistol forcing it down against a dusty leg while wrapping his left arm around the mech‘s neck.  His dusty assailant is a skilled fighter too and doesn‘t plan on going down easily.  He wriggles and lashes a spiked heal back.   It takes him three strikes on the silver knee cap, but then he gets the lucky hit into a chink.  
      The ex-gladiator snarls into the pained hit tightening his grip on the throat.  That only makes it more difficult for the mech to get his next strike in, but he does sink it.   In his wriggling, pulls a small dagger from his hip-plate sinking it into the soft spot of Megatron’s right hand between the thumb and forefinger.  The black grip does not completely release, but is forced to loosen causing the skirmish to continue.

     Shockwave felt the crack against the back of his neck making his vision blur for a second.  He whirls around but sees nothing.   Worse, his fine tuned hearing doesn’t pick up the sound of breathing either.  That means the cloaked assailant is out of reach.  He flicks the knife to blade out and slowly turns round looking for any sign of his foe.   Just as he makes a full turn, there’s a strike to the back of his knee making it buckle.
     Gladiators and some others may use words to taunt their foes into weakness, but the Operations Commander knows this one is above that.   He will have to out think an invisible sparring partner.   If the situation wasn’t so dire he might smirk to the challenge.  
     Another hit to his lower back and Shockwave instantly lashes his foot out this time.   It hits something so he strikes again only to miss this time.   That makes him give off a growl.  Time to up the ante!
     Shoving himself up, boldly strides right to the cabinet before him.  This time he could hear the whistle of a blade giving him time to raise a shoulder and arm to protect his head from being cleaved off.  It might cut a little bit through his thicker gauntlet drawing oil from the soft parts underneath but he will live.   More importantly, the blade is stuck so with a twist of his arm he has his foe at a disadvantage this time.   Either the mech releases the blade or Shockwave turns his body further breaking an arm.  
     The mech chooses to lose the blade and keep his body hidden.   The sword’s cable is disconnected from it’s host making it’s cloaking abilities drop.  
   Shockwave takes a moment to glance at the visible weapon.   A warrior’s choice of weapon says a lot about them.   This carefully crafted weapon shows this is no random mech, this one is skilled in stealth.   It is not going to be easy to out smart him.  Better get this cabinet open quickly before he strikes again.
    Doors are yanked open and Shockwave scoops and armful of small canisters into his grip just as someone jabs something sharp into his shoulder.   With a hiss his pointed elbow guard slams back hitting nothing but thin air again.   That just makes him more determined and whirls throwing the first canister hitting nothing just popping open and spilling it’s power on the floor.
    Okay so the invisible mech might know what Shockwave’s plan is now, but he doesn’t know where the next canister will be launched.   It will only take a little powder though to reveal his location and then the advantage will be Shockwave‘s.   They are on his turf now!  
    Over and over Shockwave throws the colored canisters of powder.

     “Hey!   I thought you said don’t waste the supplies!”   Megatron is actually laughing arching his back lifting the dusty choking mech off the floor by just his throat.  He is enjoying this fight!
     Shockwave spares only one snarling retort, “You want the invisible mech, My Lord, be my guest!”
    That piques the Warlord’s brow.   Not at the challenge to switch foes but that his pristine commander is slipping to snapping.
    “Let him go!”   The femme lab tech launches scratches and kicks at her former leader.
    That only makes Megatron hoist the mech up further and snarl down on the evil traitorous femme.   “And why pray tell should I do that?”
     “He-he’s the only one who knows where my family is being held hostage,” she pleads for compassion.   If only she knew his thoughts on traitorous femmes that plead she wouldn‘t have said that.
     “Well, they are dead and you will soon be, too.   You know the punishment for traitors.”  Megatron kicks the femme away making her slide stopping only when she meets a solid object breaking her lower spine in the process.  The anger he holds towards femmes, intensified by traitorous behavior fueled his kick to be harder than need be.   She doesn’t pass out, but probably wishes she could with what he does next.
     “Watch.”   It’s almost a whisper punctuated with a smarry glare at her.
      The mech in his grasp is shorter than he so he lowers him only enough that his toe tips touch the floor.  Not enough to get any kind of purchase to spring-launch or even to take all the weight off his straining neck column.   It’s a tease and the dusty one knows it too.
      The torture expert brings the blade tip up the central line of his victim never breaking his gaze with the paralyzed femme.  His voice might speak to the one he physically has under his control, but his optics speak the one he has trapped emotionally.   “Now then, are you a rouge Neutral trying to stop both sides or are you a loyal Autobot?”
       “Screw you!”   The mech wriggles.
       The strength in the forearms and biceps of this mech who enjoys the controlled power his dangerous body can wield makes his blade puncture just the armor.  He holds back some of his power in lieu of information making the blade only cut lightly into the softer delicate pieces below.   If the mech or femme is not so cooperative he can always cut deeper on the next pass.   It will be fun to find out how much information he can get right now with the added bonus of watching a femme writhe away in agony.
       “Bomb?  Is there a bomb?”  Shockwave fires off his own question sailing another canister only for it to smack into the wall near Megatron’s head.
       But Megatron is so focused on these two that the explosion next to him and the question aren’t even heard.

        Shockwave doesn’t even see that his Leader’s lack of response because he is struck again in the hip.  This damned foe is more of a pest than anything.  Yes he should be frustrated that he isn’t making very many hits, but it pisses him off more that he is being played with and losing material trying to get his foe revealed.  
    A foot print lands into some of the spilled powder confirming the unseen fighter’s tactics.  He leaps, strikes, then leaps back out of the way so Shockwave can’t land a blow.
     Pretty slick the trainer must admit!  So this guy wants to fight like he has springs on his pedes.   Well, there is something this bulky violet armor conceals:   a lithe flexible form with a cunning skill for calculations.
      Shockwave curls his head down making it look like the blow knocked him down more than it actually did.  Gripping and wincing his hip, he watches the powder be picked up by the bottom of the pede and then side step leaving a new impression on the floor.  He lets the canister of yellow powder roll out of his hand as if serious agony is effecting his fighting abilities.  The loose cap comes off and due to the cylindrical shape of the canister, it spills it’s contents in an arch around the crouched purple mech‘s behind just as he calculated it to do.   Shockwave will know when the mech makes a step in that half moon pattern.
      He doesn’t have to wait long.  A good size pede prints in making a small puff to the fine silt followed by another.  Instantly Shockwave rolls to his back.  Since his legs are already crouched like springs,  all he needs is to calculate the average pelvic placement of a mech of this pede size and launch.  Both of the Operations Commander’s pedes land solidly on his foe for the first time.
    Wasting not a second, he rips the lid off a red canister flinging the power where he suspects his foe to be.   Cloaking may hide the sight of a mech, but physical properties are still in effect.  Now the real fight is on with a splotch of red for him to follow!   Shockwave may only be able to see the torso at the moment but that’s all he needs.   A sit up move flicks him completely over bringing the knife to jab at the red coated side.
      According to his research on cloaking armor, it has to be thin and light weight.  Not much protection against pointed penetration.  Therefore, Shockwave’s knife is paying back all those strikes the other guy had gotten on him and then some more for messing up his precious lab.
      The semi-invisible foe knows that his only advantage is to remain unseen.  If he can’t hide himself, maybe he can make it so the mono-optic one can’t see him.  He kicks and scrambles away trying to find anything he can to wound Shockwave’s one and only optic with.  Anything he can find he throws.   Shockwave bats away the objects he can see coming his way now as he stalks his foe into a back corner.
      “ENOUGH!”  He snarls coughing in the burning mix of chemicals effecting his optic and throat.  By the time the lilac hand grips a yellow dusted ankle getting the upper hand,  there is a scream and life oil is sprayed over both of them.
       It makes Shockwave flinch for a moment, but uses the other’s shock to his advantage by sinking his knife blade into the spark chamber of his foe, ending the fight.  He knows the mech is truly dead when the death-grey body is fully revealed.   He takes a moment to get a full look at the mech through his blurred vision before looking up to see how his Warlord is fairing.

        During the scuffle, what Shockwave missed seeing is Megatron continuing to torture both of his captures with one knife.   The first pass cut away enough of the armor to let the second pass do even more damage.  In the end, Megatron only needs to make three passes.  Sure the third one is a bit more difficult because now he is through cybernetic muscles and hitting organs.
       With each pass, his voice gets more gleeful to the increased spilling of precious oil and the increasing wails and pleas of the femme.  
        Megatron finally gets enough information from his foe to inform Soundwave later and halt the enemies further plans.  Now he is making back and forth passes over the weakening mech’s throat with his playfully sharp blade.  
     “So you are an Autobot.  I thought you guys never sink to actually keeping hostages for blackmail  Which leads me to one of two conclusions:   Either that Prime of yours doesn’t know what his Black Ops are doing or…,” now he looks into the optics of the dying mech, “…She lied to you, too.  Playing both sides is she?  You are dying, I am not, who is the real fool?”
        Her pleas stop instantly bringing Megatron’s optics back to her.   “You are one hell of a bitch.   You want to betray an Autobot fine.   You want to betray me, fine.   You want to think you have enough power to play us both, I think not!”
          Megatron drags the mech to the immobile femme.   There he crouches down before her.   “Now you will see what I really think of traitors.”
         He shoves the dying mech all over the top of her smearing his oil on to her.   “His death is upon you,” and then flicks him aside.   “So is your own!”
         Ripping her chest armor aside, he plunges his black oil coated hand into her chest cavity, and rips her spark chamber out so she and the dusty oil covered mech can see it.  Oil sprays out from where arteries have been torn from her organs.   “One less femme on this planet!”   And crushes it in his hand.  
       The dusty mech screams in horror.   Megatron bares his fangs at the mech, “Don’t worry, I will return you to your precious Autobots.  You shall be alive long enough to be a message barer for the next one who tries to send spies in.”   The mech gets one whimper out before he is released to slump to the floor.
         With a chuckle, the sliver and oil coated mech wipes the heel of his left hand (still holding the knife) across his perspiring brow to look for Shockwave.   “So, how did you fair, Commander?”
          Shockwave sags his rump to the floor beside the his foe’s corpse.   With a deep sigh, leans back against the wall surveying the damage to his normally pristine work area.   “I might have won but I think the lab lost,” grumbles out.
      Megatron spots him sitting in a pile of multi colored power, and oils with even more upon himself.   He laughs again striding over to join sitting down beside his multi-colored officer.   His oil coated hand gives a pat of approval to the purple thigh.   “I never doubted you would win but is sure was a colorful fight, eh?”
     The golden optic is still a bit blurry from the airborne irritant it came in contact with, but he does turn his helm curiously up to the almost giddy mech.   A good bloody fight always make Megatron more than happy.  If he didn’t know better, Megatron almost looked aroused.  To see his Master happy along with getting a physical touch of approval more than makes up for the mess made in his lab.   Projects will be set back with materials being lost or contaminated but damnit he too feels a bit aroused right now.  
      He spark sags though knowing that Megatron will never use that burly beast side with him other than as a fellow soldier fighting for the same cause.

        “Shit Shockwave, looks like a bomb went of in here or something.”   Megatron can’t help but tease wiping the blood of the enemy off his prize blade on his own muscular thigh before slipping it back to it’s boot sheath.
      That’s when they both hear it.   First is a click and they look over to the almost dead mech who has managed to flick his gauntlet open to activate a button.   Second is the high pitched and rapidly increasing beeps.
      Shockwave jerks his head from the beeping across the room to the open cabinet next to him.   “DUCK!” He cries yanking on the open doors.
       No sooner had he given the order, the beeps become one single tone and the falling cabinet comes down over them.   Megatron ducks his head between his splayed knees covering with his hands knowing there is no time to run for the door all the way across the lab.  Shockwave follows suit as containers break and spill on them.   The cabinet makes it down just as the bomb goes off shaking the rest of the contents loose on them both.  
        From the safety under his shield with audios still ringing, Megatron chuckles, “Well so much for sticking to the plan to keep the lab safe.”
        Any arousal he had in touching his Master in protection just died as something awful gooey slides under his collar and stops.  Shockwave vents heavily knowing that he is covered in not only colored powder, oil, but now the contents of his adhesive cabinet as well.
       “I think I’m stuck, Shockwave.”   Megatron chuckles once more.  
       “Yes…. My Liege,” the English accent sighs.  Audios ringing, stabbed in a few places, and burning optic as well as being a sticky colorful mess… he inwardly smiles.   He wouldn’t change anything to be here right now beside Megatron.