Chance

[niyazi-a.livejournal.com]

PG
DOTM, spoilers
Barricade, Starscream
warning: possible spoilers and yyyyyyeah buddy angst like whoa.
Note: Because, honestly, we ALL know who the good guys in Bayverse really are. :)

 

“You know,” Barricade muttered. “Fraggin’ reason I stayed over here while you command idiots squatted in the sand over there.” 

“It is called you cannot fly,” Starscream returned, tartly, dropping down to one foreknee. “Now.”  He popped the amber canopy of his cockpit, spilling out the load of hatchlings.  “Your mission.”

The hatchlings, silver and grey and dull bronze, tumbled over Starscream’s taloned hands, their own limbs clutching, squirming over the battered metal. 

“Yeah,” Barricade said, taking a step back. “You see, THAT was the reason I was talking about.  Not really…a good influence for the younger element.”  As the jet should fraggin’ know.  His lower set of optics watched the squirming mass warily.  “Look kinda…runty.”

Starscream gave a dissatisfied chuff. “Yes.  We can survive on this human fuel, but it is…unsuitable for their developing frames.” 

“Gonna all be stupid.” Unless the plan was to raise a bunch of dronelings who’d never develop out. It was a Fraggin’ Disturbing Idea, but, well, that file in Barricade’s cortex was full of things also tagged “Megatron”.  “Should kill half of ‘em, let the others have a chance.”  He twitched as one of the hatchlings rolled onto his foot, its little uneven claws grabbing on his toespike.

“They are our future,” Starscream said, severely.  “We cannot choose who lives and who dies.”  He rolled a few of the hatchlings—almost tenderly—between his hands.  “What if we chose poorly.  What if the only ones we chose were groundframes.”  His mouth calipers pinched.

“Oh yeah, wouldn’t that be a shame. No airframes.”  Barricade stared at the hatchling, who was struggling to its feet, standing on his toeplate, optics spinning to focus.

“My point is,” Starscream said, “That we might choose poorly.”

“So damning them to…this? A lot better?”

“Have we ‘damned’ ourselves to anything better?”

Barricade glared up at the jet. “You sound like you’re giving up.”

“Giving up?” An uneven cycle of air and a flash of something that wasn’t—quite—anger.  Barricade was unsettled. He expected anger. What had happened during the last years?  “No. I am simply acknowledging,” the jet paused again, mouthplates grating, “that the future of our kind may…not include me.” 

“Traitor, are you?” Another hatchling bumped against him, little hands clawing against his ankle.  His window-wings flicked.  Stupid helpless creatures.  Should all die.  Be a fraggin’ mercy.

“No. Never.”  Another strange flare in the optics.  “I have always been for a strong Cybertron, for our kind to know its power. Its strength.” His talons curled into fists, until a trapped hatchling squeaked. He released his hand, wingflaps twitching.  “But our numbers are dwindling, on both sides.  And without a future…what are any of us fighting for?”

Barricade looked away. “Give ‘em to the Autobots, then. Sure they could get them the right nutrients.”

“Ah, but then I would be a traitor,” Starscream said, mildly, a bitter amusement in his voice.  “And besides…have our Autobot enemies, in all of this, ever sought to continue our kind?” He shook his head. “They would destroy the hatchlings. All of them. Deny it.” The optics grew sharp, a talon pointed at Barricade’s worn chassis. “Deny any of it.”

Barricade…couldn’t.  His optics dropped to the squirming mass, giving soft bleats of hunger. “Pretty fraggin’ pitiful future.”

“Better than nothing,” Starscream said.  “And perhaps they shall do better than we did.”

Barricade grunted. “What do you want me to fraggin’ do about it?”

“Take them.  Put them someplace safe, where they have food and protection. Where they have a chance.” 

“What if we don’t come back?” The possibility dropped on Barricade. He’d been fighting for millennia. Death was never a surprise.  But looking at the little things, mewling, pathetic, theirs, he felt a sudden pinch of…fear?

“We give them a chance,” Starscream said, straightening, forcing himself upright, aloof. “What they make of it is theirs. It is all we can do.”

 

Comments

[mewsing.livejournal.com]

*sniff* ;^;

[oni-gil.livejournal.com]

*HUGE WIBBLES* f-fffffffff hatchlings ;___;

What's sad is that in Bayformers, the Autobots really WOULD kill the hatchlings.

[femme4jack.livejournal.com]

I love this, but where do you get that the Autobots would kill the hatchlings? I must admit that really can't see that. Killing those who have been in active combat, yes, but innocents? Just not seeing it.

Also, I really need someone to explain the hatchlings to me some time. I haven't read the RotF tie in, so I'm not clear on how they are created, etc.

[swordage]

;A; Bawwwwww Starscream and Barricade, I just want to hug them and hide them away and make it all better. And oh, the practicality of killing half so that the others might thrive, and yet going for sheer numbers in the hope that some will make it - very r/K there. And it fits. Oh, Starscream. :c

[wicked3659.livejournal.com]

This was rather heart breaking given what happens in the film, but I do prefer your portrayal of these two than Bay's. But that goes for a lot of things.

In my head canon, and probably everyone elses too, the Autobots wouldn't kill innocents just because. The book is more true to how I see the Autobots being too, war weary but not murderers. But Bay's Autobots, well if the ending of the film is anything to go by, they seriously lost that shine off that Autobot symbol, because there's just so much unnecessary killing. I feel like Bay's Autobots would stop at nothing to win and protect the humans. whereas the 'cons just want to save their world. We only don't like them because they want to use humans to do it - how very dare they :p

Tell me we wouldn't and havent done the same throughout history?

Anyway, i liked this fic and I do like that you, like me, don't paint the evil label on the 'cons and the good guys on the bots because it's just not that clear cut.

[mieka-writes.livejournal.com]

*wibbles* ohh Star...

[darthneko.livejournal.com]

AWWWWWW. [sniffle] That's a Starscream I can totally get behind.

[playswithworms.livejournal.com]

*wibble*
Barricade's gonna make such a good mom :P
And I add Starscream to my reincarnation list. Can't let 'Cade have all the fun, now!

Fascinating comment debate! I'd two cents but I'm typing on my phone before movie starts. I've become one of those people, lol

[akufu.livejournal.com]

So love ya for this...
I mean after Optimus killed Megatron - who actually asked for a ceasefire - and Sam slagged Starscream... my first questions was: who cares for the babies now ;___;?
I mean... seriously Megs was... half dead the whole time and still brought them food and even Q would not have died by 'Con hands if that stupid human would not have provoked... :C Autobots got scary.... a bit SG-ish...

[karanseraph]

Happy to see you being in touch with the Barricade muse, recently.

Yay for "fix it with fic"!

Also, overall nice, awesomely-written fic, that plausibly fits into the existing canon and feels in-character.

Since the movie, I've been tempted to write something for Bayverse about battle-damaged, road warrior, lord of the elephants Megatron. I'm still not well-informed about Bayverse, but in my head!canon, I'd like to think Megatron has some kind of character growth from being Lord Protector, then a fearsome faction leader waging a war and possibly quite arrogant, to being captive of an insect species, minion to an ancient Cybertronian, and maybe at the end, gaining some kind of wisdom in his old age and just wanting to give his people a chance to survive (and not under Sentinel's rule).

[tainry.livejournal.com]

It is called you cannot fly...
Snerk! :D
Your mission, should you choose to ac-::brick'd::
I agree with Swordage's r/K comment, too.
Fantastic!

And also hat's off to you and femme and the debate.

[kyme.livejournal.com]

;A; It's so saaaaaaaaad *wails*

...I might just watch the movie to look at the hatchlings. ....Though not in the cinema. >>

[zea-taylor.livejournal.com]

This was lovely, and so, so sad. I've been wibbling about the film since I saw it last night, and it was so lovely to see this thoughtful, sad and in-character story for the poor Decepticons. Reading the debate in your comments was interesting too. There's so much in DotM to change the way you look at the characters and the whole situation... and I agree with you - very little of it is good.

Kudos on a well-written and touching story.

[xxsomeoneelsexx.livejournal.com]

And suddenly, I am a Decepticon. O:

[eerian_sadow]

*wibbles*

[kamiraptor.livejournal.com]

*rolls in this because I love it*

[sp4z01d.livejournal.com]

.. and suddenly I have images in my mind of Barricade arriving at June's garage in the middle of the night, and June the next morning, coffee in hand, the mother of all O_O on her face at the sight of 'Cade covered in resting hatchlings..

"Uhh, babe? we gotta' talk.."