Nexus. A bench near a stone arch. A different take on things

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Threnody is unaware of the symphony of bird song occurring over her head and all around her. She's paying no mind to the local rodent population, though there's a squirrel sitting on her foot right at this moment. She has no attention to spare for the bright forms of the flowers that are scattered throughout the undergrowth and the grass of the little forest glade she's found. Most of her attention is focused on the tiny construction of paper and various colouring chemicals that she holds between her fingertips.

Cyclonus would be non-plussed, and Scourge would be quietly and uncomprehendingly supportive if they found her now, but she's used to those reactions when her friends find her with a book.

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[corruptedhope.livejournal.com]

A tall dark form comes slouching through the trees behind her, muttering quietly to itself. He's gotten lost before, but never in trees. If these actually are trees. It's all extremely confusing.

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She tenses at sound of the voice and flips her book into subspace as she turns to see who it might be. No one that she knows mutters like that. Astrotrain is louder after a Cassette attack.

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"No," she says, looking bewildered despite herself. "You're not.... But you're Cyclonus's lieutenant in some reality... aren't you?"

[corruptedhope.livejournal.com]

"Lieutenant?" It takes a moment for Scourge to work that one through his head. "Oh, um. I think so," he replies awkwardly.

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"What is it?" she asks him.

[corruptedhope.livejournal.com]

"N-nothing. Different universes are different. Nothing wrong with that." But dealing with a stronger version of himself is strange enough. Genderswapped is just strange, and he fears to ask what else is different. It's hard for him to think about what might have been.

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Threnody draws back sharply, her brows drawn together with confusion and concern. "Scourge... what's wrong? I know you aren't the Scourge I know, but...."

But his distress is obvious, and mech or not, he's still Scourge.

[corruptedhope.livejournal.com]

"It's nothing, really." Scourge tries to stand up and falls again, finding his leg caught in a small hole in the ground. He winces, looking away from her and trying to stop panicking. "I'm not much of a Scourge anyway."

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Her frown deepens further. "May I come close and look? I give my word that I won't touch you."

[corruptedhope.livejournal.com]

Scourge hunches and looks at her suspiciously, but nods. He keeps one hand behind him, ready to draw his gun if needed.

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Unconsciously, responding to the uncertainty she's seen in him, she offers approval. "Good. I knew that you could do it if I found the weak spot."

Then she looks at him, her grin fading. "You're going now?"

[corruptedhope.livejournal.com]

Scourge looks down at her again, seeming almost as if he's trying to crouch down so he can look up at her, inferior to superior. "Well...I mean, I interrupted your work, I should go back..."

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"Tell me more? Cyclonus and Scourge won't speak to me of our Galvatron." She's calm again on the outside, though she folds her arms over her chest with slight restlessness.

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"I'm not quite sure how to describe him." Scourge's fingers run over each other nervously. "He is...raw power incarnate, his smile would bring you to your knees."

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"As well as a shell without a spark can heal." She looks toward the clearing, thinking that she'd like to get out of this crowded green space where squishy things sit on you and occasionally drop droppings on you. "With a new spark it functions, but it's not the same mech."

[corruptedhope.livejournal.com]

Again he nods, curling his arms a bit closer around himself. "We do what we can, and we do it for Galvatron's memory." He frowns, hands curling closed. "He's practically idolized by some Decepticons. Why would your Decepticons hide him away?"

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She realizes that she's confused him and winces.

"I don't," she says firmly, but gently so as not to frighten him. "I'm only the small bit she left behind. What I meant was that we had been talking about her, and that mention of myself was only incidental to the conversation."

[corruptedhope.livejournal.com]

Now Scourge is quite lost.

"What bit? You're nothing like Galvatron."

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She pushes off from the tree and saunters toward him, her presence seeming to fill the space between the trees.

"No, I know the feel of my own spark. That's the scraplet I left baking in the CR tank before Unicron's treachery finally caught up with me and sent me to be nattered at by Starscream for all eternity. What earns your disapproval?"

Her journey stops in front of him, and those crimson optics measure him curiously.

[corruptedhope.livejournal.com]

Scourge can't meet her optics. He's not sure whether to offer the deference he would to his Galvatron, or to treat her as less than the one he considers the 'real' Galvatron. For now he simply keeps his head down, almost bowing but not quite.

"It seems...to lack your fire. Someone is keeping your memory hidden away and it does not seek to uncover it, nor to assume leadership as your heir might."

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She stops abruptly and turns the scowl to him. "Did she say anything about Cyclonus and Scourge?"

[corruptedhope.livejournal.com]

Again he turns his face away from the scowl. "She says they try to hide from the pain of Galvatron's loss and focus on her instead. Cyclonus conceals evidence of your very existence from her." Scourge's optics narrow in confusion for a moment. "And Scourge is female. I'm not sure what that's supposed to mean."

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"And I am dead." Her voice shakes with fury at the admission as she shoots a blast at his chest which only leaves him with a slight chill. "No longer physical...."

For a moment all she can do is radiate thwarted rage, though that in itself is frightening. She doesn't seem helpless. She seems to fill the space under the trees.

[corruptedhope.livejournal.com]

Scourge doubles over as if the shot had been real, clutching at his chest and cowering so that he's even lower than the false Galvatron. "Galvatron was dead too. For a while, I mean."

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She steps forward, easily slipping into his shell and then shuddering at the feedback from it. She herself feels of power, and a curious mixture of restless energy and the peace of the Allspark.

"I'd... forgotten." She flexes his hand and looks at it, distracted for a moment by the feeling of being in a body. "Strange."

[corruptedhope.livejournal.com]

Something stirs in the back of her CPU. Scourge watches, but he doesn't try to seize control.

Galvatron did this. It still feels so strange to see myself moving.

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She gives him a boot, then pauses and focuses outward again as someone starts explaining the workings of PINpoints, her anger fading into interest. "We need to find those little machines, do you think you could get those two away from those organics?"

Since she still hasn't been able to find his gun....

[corruptedhope.livejournal.com]

Gun's in his subspace compartment, although it's a tiny little thing. Scourge himself cowers more, his 'voice' softening meekly.

Not sure. I just wander, I come here.

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She's ready for mayhem when a glimpse outside has her suddenly go dead silent and still as she tucks herself behind his spark.

And a white mech with a black chevron on his forehead pauses to frown at Scourge. "You alright, buddy?"

[corruptedhope.livejournal.com]

Scourge, who by now is on the ground cowering from absolutely nothing, looks up at him in wary confusion. "Y...yes," he answers, creeping back again, systems still surging with fear.

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-You're bringing me home.- The longing flares up again, and this time she lets it. She's been away too long, and gave up too tamely before. Ratchet will have a fight on his hands if he insists on her going back now. -I won't need you once I get there.-

Because there's another shell she'll be inside the moment she sees it.

[corruptedhope.livejournal.com]

Don't want to bring them something bad... But he tries to comfort himself with the idea that something is clearly wrong anyway--perhaps bringing in this creature will break apart the conspiracy.

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There's a clatter from the entrance then, and Scourge is suddenly facing the gun alone as Cyclonus staggers back with a look of shock on his face that swiftly turns to wonder. He puts a hand to his chest, expression distracted as he turns and walks back inside, nearly running into the slender femme who'd followed him out.

[corruptedhope.livejournal.com]

Scourge keeps cowering, now bereft of the person who dragged him here in the first place. He doesn't have a good excuse for invading their territory--and since he doesn't know how to work the device, he's stuck here.

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"Drink," she repeats firmly, picking it up and returning it to him.

Then her head turns as something sings along her circuits with a very slight feeling of difference and her gun reappears. Scourge too is armed, optics searching.

"Put them away," says Ratchet's voice as he hoves into sight. "You can't kill a dead guy with those."

[corruptedhope.livejournal.com]

Scourge takes the cube, but doesn't drink it once her face is turned away. He looks up at the strange hovering Autobot and feels a vague sense of security. "Ratchet?"

Ratchet made the thing be quiet once before. Maybe he can help him.

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"Neither of them will hurt you." Ratchet follows him, his optics on the pair as the altercation escalates. "They're just testing each other's measure."

//Hush,// says Scourge absently, then frowns and looks around quizzically.

[corruptedhope.livejournal.com]

Scourge falls quiet again, avoiding her gaze. No help there, she's either actually loyal or something worse has happened.

"But I'm the one who brought her here, if Threnody wins she'll blame me for it. And if the other one wins..." He trails off, having no real clue what the other one even wants. Possibly just to take over.

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As the native Scourge watches Ratchet takes the little gadget and sticks his hand through it, then frowns a little. "There. Now when you want to go home you press the green button. When you want to go to Auspex's you press it again. If you're in the Nexus you might wind up at either place."

He chuckles and hands it back, then presses the button and takes him here.

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Scourge blinks at the spot where the two mechs had crouched, then gets to her feet and walks out to where Cyclonus is stumbling to his feet with a hand on an equally shaky Threnody's shoulder as he asks her in his normal deep voice if she's alright.

"Of course I am." She frowns and gives Scourge a quick glance, then looks around. "Where is the other Scourge?"

"Ratchet took him," says Scourge, eying Cyclonus a little wistfully. "Is she...?"

"Right here," says Galvatron from her sparkmate's mouth, smiling. "I'm here."

Scourge sighs and smiles slightly herself, then drops to her knees. "Lady. I'm still yours."

"And hers." Galvatron chuckles, then looks around before looking back at Threnody. "I guess you'll do. But you have a lot to learn."

"Of course." One slender brow rises in Cyclonus's manner. There's still a slight challenge to the words, and a stiffness in the shoulder under Cyclonus's hand.

Galvatron frowns at this, then shakes the younger femme slightly. "Let me in."

"Galvatron?" Threnody's optics widen slightly.

"You heard me," says her creator impatiently.

"But... why are you asking?"

"What?" She gets a dark scowl, but then Galvatron understands. "Eh... Allspark wearing off on me."

"Oh."

Cyclonus shudders then as he finds himself suddenly alone in his shell, though his spark no longer feels empty and sore. He blinks and stretches his shoulders, then looks curiously toward Threnody, who is very still, her optics staring thoughtfully at the ground. As he watches she turns slowly toward her favorite bench by the fountain.

"I don't need you right now," says Galvatron's voice. "Go back to your reports."

"Yes, Lady." He salutes and turns, Scourge flanking him as always.

"Now then," murmurs Galvatron, setting her creation down on the bench and starting to talk.