Partners

This time was different. Once the news hit the airwaves, Catilla knew Cybertron would never be the same again. Sentinel Prime was dead, and Kaon was lost to this movement of insurgents.

Being a Private Optic meant keeping aware of political machinations, both aboveground and under. The ascension of the Decepticons was no surprise, but the murder of Sentinel shocked Catilla utterly. He deactivated the newsfeed. He and his partner Carnivac had a neutrality policy unless paid to intervene. They had enough enemies; they didn't need to go actively seeking more. And this… was just way beyond them.

What he needed was a leggy, mysterious femmebot to barge in with a case. Or at least for Carnivac actually come in to work today. He hadn't shown up for work in over two mega-cycles now.

No, he decided, what he needed was a cy-gar. Since he was fresh out, he decided to help himself to Carnivac's stockpile. He wouldn't mind. He trudged over to Carnivac's desk, opened the drawer… and found something else.

*****

Carnivac clenched the gaping wound in his arm. He was lucky he had been stopped only once – with pandemonium erupting across the planet, the Autobots were cracking down. Fortunately, the Autobot who found him had been one they had worked with before – an eager mech by the name of Nightbeat – and assumed Carnivac had been shot as per his usual line of work. Nightbeat had even been courteous enough to escort him back to his home, how about that!

Thankfully the office was dark. Good. He didn't want to have to explain himself to his partner. He pushed the door open with his weight and staggered inside, heading straight for the repair kit. "Lights," he ordered the automated systems.

As the room illuminated, Carnivac froze when he noticed something in the corner of his vision. Wincing, he slowly turned to face Catilla – sitting on his desk, clutching a certain purple badge in his hands.

"Don't suppose you care to explain?" Catilla asked.

Carnivac only shrugged. "Why bother? You've figured it out already."

"Were you there? When they killed Sentinel?"

He didn't answer. He could hide nothing from Catilla, but he would not patronize him by spelling it out.

Catilla tossed the badge onto the desk. Its resonating clatter expressed his disgust for him. He stalked over to Carnivac… and clutched his arm, taking the repair kit.

"I really have only one question left," he said as he began dressing Carnivac's wound. "Why?"

Carnivac had known this conversation was inevitable. He had rehearsed the answer, but still needed a moment to gather himself. "Come on, Cat. You and I have seen the lowest common denominators of every echelon of our society. You know as well as I that the old ways gotta die."

"So you thought assassinating the Prime would spark reform?" he asked as he soldered on a repair patch.

"This goes beyond Sentinel!" Carnivac snapped. He had to calm down before elaborating, "I'm talking revolution, my friend."

Catilla was silent as he put everything back into the repair kit and returned it to its cupboard.

"Join us," Carnivac offered. Somehow that didn't come out as enticing as he desired.

Catilla shot daggers out of his optics. "We've seen Megatron in action, 'Vac. He's insane. How you even thought about following him in the first place is beyond me."

"Because he's better than the alternative. You wonder why business has been so good lately? It's because our society is degenerating. Megatron may be brutal, but he's the only one providing the reboot Cybertron needs." Finally he stood and grasped his partner by the shoulders. "My friend. I know you don't approve, but the Decepticons need good mechs like you. Please. You've stood by my side our whole lives. Stand by me now."

Catilla said nothing… but his gaze shifted to the violet badge lying on Carnivac's desk.