TFP - Every Bit Of Misery

4. Challenge

        Ebony vented. She was far from being a rogue. Her spark was loyal to the Decepticons. However, she rather disliked some of her so-called ‘comrades’. On her way through the hallways, Ebony nearly collided with Soundwave, and she barely stopped in time to avoid the impact with the silent mech. “Sound!” She exclaimed, placing a hand over her spark. “Primus! You nearly made my spark seize!”

        He watched her a moment, merely nodding in that ever-quiet way of his. She vented, shaking her helm. “Sorry,” she muttered. “I’m just stressed. I’m not one to be cooped up. Not since Cybertron.” Subtly, his helm tilted, a silent question in his screen of a faceplate. “I’d rather not talk about it,” Ebony murmured. “Megatron knows what happened. he knows what this is to me. I suppose that’s why he’s doing it.” She looked from the wall to Soundwave’s hidden gaze again. “I apologize. You have no interest in the drama that is my life cycle unless it is something to report to Megatron. He already knows about the things I’ve told you thus far.” Ebony vented again, shaking her helm as she began to walk away from him. He was one of the few mechs that she got along with aboard the ship.

        Well, since her excursion, Soundwave was really the only one she got along with. Megatron didn’t trust her, more so, he hated her, and Shockwave wasn’t here. Ebony wasn’t certain where he was, but his presence was obviously missed from this place.

        Soundwave caught her elbow servo in his palm, preventing her from leaving. His helm tilted again as he faced her, a question lingering between them. He then played a tape of Knockout’s voice, stating: “What if I don’t tell?”

        She paused, watching him, contemplating the circumstances. Soundwave was the last mech aboard this ship that she trusted. But could she trust him with a matter that held so much weight when he was well known to be utterly loyal to Megatron.

        Ebony shook her helm gently. “Not today,” she murmured. “Maybe another day. I have things to attend to for now.”

        Soundwave merely gave a quiet nod, releasing Ebony to allow her to continue on her way. And she most certainly did. Ebony soon arrived at Megatron’s command center in the common area, her optics flicking around the space quickly. With a huff, she found it was void of the Decepticon leader. With a scowl, she strode from the room, slipping quietly, angrily, through the halls.

        She wanted to find Megatron. Find him and give him a piece of her processor for keeping her cooped up the past few months, ever since her arrival. Ebony was becoming volatile, and more than willing to lash out at any of the Decepticons if they aggravated her. If she wasn’t allowed more freedom soon, she would be causing deadly issues for the Decepticons rather than the Autobots like she should be. It was part of her nature to lash out at the Autobots. But with no Autobots around to strike out at, it was a bit more complicated.

        “Megatron!” She called out, looking for the warlord among the drab gray walls. “Megatron you coward! Get out here!”

        “Looking for someone?” Starscream asked, his voice dripping with the desire to lead Ebony astray. Ebony stopped in her tracks, turning to see the Seeker approaching her from down the hall. “You know, if we work together, we could easily overthrow Megatron, and we could rule the Decepticons together,” Starscream offered, planting the idea into her processor.

        It was an idea Ebony was far less than fond of. “Stupid mech,” she muttered, her fist promptly striking the center of his chassis, hitting right over his spark chamber, causing the spark itself to pulse erratically. Starscream grasped over the spot of impact, the shock resonating through the rest of his chassis as well.

        “You venomous piece of slag!” He cried out, waiting for his spark to return to it’s normal patterns.

        “Stupid mech,” Ebony repeated, glaring at him as she placed her hands on her hip servos. “Do not ever offer a loyal Decepticon the opportunity to overthrow the hierarchy, Starscream. Next time, I will rip out your spark rather than cause it to beat erratically. That is your final warning.”

        Starscream scowled before he began stalking away, hand over his spark chamber. “This is not the end of it, Femme . . .”

        “If you value your spark, it fragging better be!” She called back, watching him go with scorn in her optics. She still had to find Megatron, and while the Seeker had distracted her, and allowed her to relieve a bit of her stress on him with a single blow, it didn’t change her train of thought. Megatron was here. Somewhere. And she was determined to be allowed off this horrid ship if it was the last thing she ever got from him.

        This ship was turning into as much of a prison as Megatron had left her stranded in on Cybertron. The gray of these walls too easily resembled the gray of those bars.