TITLE: Bruises
SERIES: Imperfection Deviation – Off Balance
AUTHOR: Macx
RATING: PG-13
DISCLAIMER: None of the characters belong to me, sadly. They are owned by people with a lot more money :)
FEEDBACK: Loved
SUMMARY: Scavenger makes a mistake and gets a technopathic blow to the processor for his troubles.

When Sam had brought up the idea, which had originated not in his own head but someone else’s, Hook had been fascinated and had immediately taken to it. Within a day he had created a computer model that he had then fine-tuned and put under severe stress tests before he even had allowed Long Haul to build small scale. Within a week Scavenger had been pulled into the project and the three Constructicons had thrown themselves at the idea and made it work.

Scrapper had joined them to look at the finished product and was impressed.

“And it was Barricade’s idea?” he asked Sam, who was sitting next to him on a low work bench.

The technopath shrugged. “He thought I should up the ante. Cybertronian minds I can handle, in small numbers, but he believes that exposing me to something slowly going toward the scale of a whole machine world might fry my brain.”

“Possible. Your shields are not used to such massive input. You said before that the Ark sometimes gives you headaches.”

Sam nodded slowly. “Migraines. Lots of them. If I have to work technopathically on top of that, with a lot of mechs around me, it’s hellish. So this might help.”

Scrapper had to agree.

“Not that I’m likely to ever visit your home,” Sam added.

“You never know. And should more of our kind arrive…”

“…some of them may be Decepticons or Soundwave trying something…” Sam continued.

Scrapper nodded. “It is a good idea. You have a very dedicated guardian-teacher.”

Sam laughed. “Oh, don’t let him hear that.”

The Constructicon’s visor optics flared with amusement. “He knows where he stands, Sam. Beside you and behind you. He will always protect you, now more that you are one of the Primes.”

The human grimaced.

“But he still thinks ahead, too. The emitter we built shows that.”

The device that was close to being finished would be able to put Sam under pressure without sending him into a coma, and it would mimic different situations, up to the pressure of an artificial world made of machines. That would be the final setting. Right now they would start slow.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x  x x x x x

A part of the honey-combed lab section at the Yuma base had been cleared to function as what Sam jokingly called the ‘holo-deck’. Sam would come here whenever he wanted, set up the scenario he wanted to train, and one of the Constructicons would always be close by in case something went bad. Bumblebee accompanied him the first two times to be his anchor if he needed it. Sam did both times, but it wasn’t as bad as expected.

Two weeks into trying out the emitter Scrapper was pleased with the results, even though they had had to stock up in technopath comfort food. Sam tended to overestimate himself, wanted too much, and it resulted in severe pain.

Barricade had accompanied the young Prime several times and Scrapper had witnessed a harsh lecture from the shock-trooper to Sam once. Barricade’s words had been clear and to the point, telling Sam he was an idiot – which was the nice version of the words Barricade had used – and that he had to take it slow. He had nothing to prove.

Scrapper had had to smile at that.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x  x x x x x

Two months after the ‘holo-deck’ had been set up, it was Scavenger’s turn to keep an eye on their human Prime. It was his third training run and Sam had set up a specific scenario today, one that had Barricade reappear like a dark shadow and hover close by.

The shock-trooper usually stood in front of the monitoring station, red optics fixed on whatever was going on, and sometimes Scavenger thought he caught signs of the anchor bond that existed between the former Decepticon and their young Prime. He was as always fascinated by it, but he had never acted on that fascination. He valued his core processor.

Today Barricade appeared tense and he seemed to flinch once or twice. Rumbling to himself he flexed his clawed hands.

And then something went wrong.

Some kind of loop that Sam suddenly found himself in that had him strike out with more force than necessary and Scavenger immediately powered down the emitter.

His mistake was to try and help after that.

He knew what Sam could do, had already encountered that strong technopathic mind when Sam had helped him through the separation from the combiner mind.

But he acted without thinking.

He got a full blow to his processor for his troubles and something seemed to try and erase his spark with the force that followed. It washed over him like a tidal wave of laser-sharp, slicing shards.

Something shrieked through him like a panicking drone, then the world went dark.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x  x x x x x 

He came on-line to an angry argument between Barricade and Hook that penetrated into his woozy processor.

“…had no business interfering,” Barricade stated coldly. “The human defended himself against a perceived threat.”

“Stop it, both of you!” Scrapper’s voice silenced whatever Hook was about to say and Scavenger powered up his optics.

“Welcome back on-line,” Long Haul muttered gruffly and Scavenger gave him a nod.

He sat up, feeling his systems protest, and his spark had a raw feeling to it.

“Sam okay?” he asked calmly, ignoring the discomfort he felt.

“Fine,” Barricade growled. “Asleep.”

With that he turned and left the medical lab, probably to go to the technopath in question and keep an optic on him.

Hook glared after him. “The nerve!” the architect muttered. “Arrogant trooper!!"

“He was right, Hook. I shouldn’t have approached Sam. He was defensive,” Scavenger told his team mate. “Barricade is much better suited to handle Sam when he is like that.”

“He should have better control of his responses,” was all Hook said, then he left.

And Hook should remember what he had felt when Sam had been with him throughout the combiner separation. They all knew the human. They knew he was dangerous.

Scrapper shook his head, clapped Scavenger on one shoulder, and told him to take the rest of the day to recharge. It was good advice, but Scavenger decided to rebalance his systems by leaving the base for a while. He didn’t feel like needing a recharge.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x  x x x x x

When he returned he found that Sideswipe had arrived.

“I thought you were at Australia base.”

Sideswipe shrugged. “Back again. Just a brief stint. Heard what happened.”

Scavenger nodded. “I’m fine.”

“I know Sam can hit hard. Looks like he hit you rather bad.”

“Nothing permanently damaged, Sideswipe.”

Blue optics scanned over him.

“You haven’t recharged yet.”

“I didn’t need it. I’m okay, Sideswipe.”

Sideswipe appeared indecisive, as if he wanted to dig deeper but wasn’t sure he had the right to. His fingers twitched and finally he raised one hand. Scavenger caught it, pulling Sideswipe closer.

“I’m fine,” he said.

Sideswipe’s fingers brushed over the closed panels, once-twice, then sunk into the interface nodes when the panels opened. Scavenger winced a little at the energy pushing closer to his spark, aware that he was not as strong as he usually was.

Sideswipe moved back, then approached in a much smoother, softer way, brushing over the bruised spark. He wrapped gentle tendrils around the rougher edges, let Scavenger get accustomed to the touch, then pulled him in closer. Aware that he could truly hurt the other if he made a wrong move, Sideswipe did nothing to stress the other spark, kept the energy levels even, and for the first time in their partnership the rush didn’t happen. It was a time of being together, drawing strength from each other.

Scavenger seemed to relax, systems powering down that weren’t needed, and Sideswipe hummed softly, sending the vibrations through the connection they shared. They were very close now, close enough that usually a pulse of energy sent them both spiraling into pleasure, but this time it was more about a different kind of comfort.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x  x x x x x

Sideswipe stayed for the whole time it took Scavenger’s systems to recover from the technopathic blow. The Constructicon didn’t slip into recharge, but he was out like a light, as humans liked to put it. Regarding the spark so close to him, Scavenger couldn’t but marvel at the strength. Lesser mechs would have bruised and maybe cracked, btu Scavenger had almost shaken off the technopathic blow. Sure, he was sore and needed rest, but it could have been worse.

The connection stayed, even though Sideswipe had removed several interface nodes. It was a thin but strong line between them, giving him access into the other’s systems without having to interface completely. Sideswipe looked at the silent spark next to him, took in the quiet echoes of their connection, felt the eddies of calm, and wondered about it all, what it meant, what it said about them.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x  x x x x x

When he returned to the Yuma base, Sam was already waiting for him. Sideswipe had disappeared to go on patrol, which would take him a while – probably more than two weeks. He liked the extensive patrols.

Scavenger had enjoyed the recovery time with his partner.

Now he met the dark eyes of the human Prime, noticed how tired Sam looked. He didn’t need to scan to know that the technopath would have to take a few days off to rebalance himself, too.

“Sorry,” Sam said, embarrassment in his voice.

“You did nothing wrong.”

“I overestimated myself. Again.”

“That’s why we built the machine. I should have known not to approach you, let Barricade handle this. I should apologize, Sam.”

It got him a shrug.

Despite the exhaustion, Sam’s eyes were intense. Scavenger shifted, feeling a little like an open book right now.

“Scavenger… I’m sorry, but I wanted to know you’re all right and I scanned you,” Sam suddenly blurted. “When you were in med bay.”

“It’s okay. I know you did it to help.”

“I… noticed something, though.”

He tilted his head. “What?”

“I’m not really sure. I checked your spark, in case I did damage, and it was… different.”

Scavenger felt his systems fizzle a little. “Different?”

“I can’t compare it to anything. I mean, you’re not bonded. I know what that feels like. But it’s… like there is resonance. An echo of something I can’t define or follow. A bond I could follow, so I know it’s definitely not that. And it’s not what the connection to the other former combiners felt like.” Sam ran a hand through his hair. “And the…scars, for lack of a better word, of Bonecrusher’s dead link are… getting better.”

Scavenger whirred, unable to say anything. Sam just met the red optics, quizzical, unsure. He finally knelt down to look into Sam’s eyes.

“How extensive are the changes?”

“I wouldn’t call them changes, Scavenger. It’s more like… something is helping you heal. And it didn’t feel permanent. Only an addition.”

The Constructicon was silent, then gave an electronic sigh. “An addition.”

“What did you do?” Sam asked openly.

He chuckled. “I’m surprised the grapevine hasn’t picked up on it already.”

Sam frowned. “Picked up what?”

“Sideswipe.”

The dark eyes widened and Scavenger was sure he was being scanned, though he didn’t feel anything. “You and Sideswipe share?”

“Yes.”

“Uh. Okay. But sharing doesn’t… create such… attachments.”

“No, it doesn’t.”

Sam looked mystified. “You might wanna let Ratchet take a look at things, you know.”

“I’d rather not. Not right now anyway, but thank you for your concern, Sam.”

The technopath silently studied him, then shrugged. “Okay. You’re a grown mech.”

Scavenger chuckled, catching the reference. “I am. I promise, should something change, I’ll talk to you or Ratchet.”

“Good.”

Scavenger rose. “And you should get some sleep.”

“I will. Bumblebee is already waiting.” Sam smiled. “Take care, Scavenger. Whatever this is, whatever you two share, it is good for you, for your spark.”

Scavenger was slightly stunned, then just nodded and accompanied their young Prime to his partner.

He watched the yellow Camaro drive off, deep in thought.