randomplaces | Bittybot 'verse. Decepticon Earth base. Base treachery and Shrinking the problems.

"No!!!" wailed the terrified chibi as he cowered behind the mainframe and flinched away from Skywarp's hand. "No! Someone help me, please!"

Then he gave a little shriek as something poked him from behind, and stumbled forward into grabbing range.

"Gotcha." Skywarp yanked him out and straightened to frown at him critically. "Crud, he's crying."

"How can you tell?" Thundercracker came over to consider their catch, the broom still in his hand. "He doesn't really have a face to cry with."

"Listen to him. Those are the same sounds Screamer makes when he's crying... and that's a tear."

"Slag." Thundercracker let the broom drop and leaned over with his hands on his thighs to get a closer look at their captive. "Y'know, I never thought old Cyclops face could wind up cute."

"You're mean!" Shockwave trembled and and gave the Seeker an accusing look through the film of fluid that covered his optic. "And you're hurting me...."

Okay, hurting him wasn't part of the plan. Skywarp quickly shifted his grip so that the tiny logician wasn't hanging by one arm anymore. "Come on, let's go put him with Megatron."

"Megatron?" Shockwave perked and struggled slightly. "What did you do to Megatron? Lemme go!"

"Knock it off." Skywarp gave him a bap to the skidplate that left the tiny purple mech rigid with shock.

And then he was wailing again, the sound of his overwhelmed sorrow echoing as the two Seekers bore him through the halls toward the control room. Skywarp considered giving him another bap, but wasn't sure if it was a good idea. There was no telling if Shockwave was holding back with the yelling, and he really didn't want to know if he was.

Soundwave looked away from the main screen as they came in, his optic visor flickering at the volume of sound coming from the tiny chibi. "Did you damage him?"

"Uh... no. He's just scared." Skywarp held Shockwave out at arm's length and gave him a little shake, which earned him a gasp and more wailing.

"I think he's overheating," said Thundercracker worriedly.

"NO!" roared an imperious little voice from the pen in the corner.

Skywarp scowled, and then walked over and dropped Shockwave into the enclosure.

Motor Master never stirred from his own little partitioned off section, but Megatron hurried over and glowered down at this new invader to his territory.

Shockwave gasped at the sight of him, then scrambled from his skid plate to his knees. "My lord Megatron... I... I'm sorry. I...."

He found himself unable to think of the words he needed, and succumbed to helpless weeping again.

Megatron scowled at him, then shot a venomous look toward the three big bots who were looking down at them. He knew this other little bot, but his chibi mind couldn't understand 'loyal minion'. Instead from the murk of his processor came the word 'friend', accompanied by just enough affection to make him hug Shockwave and tell him gently, "Mine."

"Wow... how can the stink eye be so cute?" wondered Thundercracker rhetorically.

"Who cares?" Skywarp turned away, his mind going toward the bitty that he was responsible for. "Let's go see what kind of slag Jazz has Screamer doing."

Thundercracker's attention shifted instantly. "He better not have dressed him up again."

Soundwave watched them go, then looked back down at the pair in the pen. "Do you want him to stay, Megatron?"

"MINE!" asserted the former tyrant angrily as Shockwave hid his face and snuggled fearfully.

"Very well." The dark blue mech dropped a handful of energon goodies into the enclosure and turned back to his work.