Anxiety: Chapter 5, a Transformers fic

Anxiety, Chapter 5. In which they are reunited.

The busy city at the center of the Enkian capital was almost completely ruined.

While not directly causing death to any civilians, eyewitnesses stated that the alien robots that had mysteriously arrived on their planet had destroyed several buildings and monuments, the debris injuring and killing hundreds. They had last been seen, much to everyone's relief, leaving the planet – no doubt to return to wherever they had come from. But grief and sorrow was rife amongst the Enkians, as most had never seen such destruction in their long lives.

No-one knew why those robots had landed on the planet, or how they had been able to do so in the first place. All the Enkians knew that the Peacemaker, the name given to the large shield that hovered over their planet, honing in on and incapacitating anyone and anything that drifted too close, would have prevented anyone from getting in. Some were beginning to question whether the scientists in charge of the machine were capable of operating it correctly and whether they did in fact need a military service. Others were too concerned with their own wellbeing to ponder such cynical thoughts.

The scientists, however, had realised. The horrible truth was that they were incompetent. Having been so excited about having captured a live, rare specimen, no one had taken any notice of the fact that he had slammed himself roughly into the Peacemaker's control panel, disabling it. And as for why they were here, it was obvious. They were his loyal comrades, the one the Decepticon had talked about when he was cornered.

They scurried about what had once been their haven, full of knowledge and data about the strange things they had encountered. But it was gone now, most of it charred and inaccessible. But most importantly to them at that moment, the console that controlled the Peacemaker has been completely destroyed. It was marked now by a hole that had been melted around the edges, no doubt the result of a high-energy beam being at it. The scientists stared at it as despair began to set in. But of course, there was one solution left...

Somewhere else in the capital, Foll sat at his workbench, head buried in his hands.

---

Without a doubt, the successful locating and rescuing of Cyclonus had given the Decepticon a considerable boost in morale. Everyone was much more jovial and lively than they had previously been, but Cyclonus remained quiet, having barely said two words since they had left Enk. Scourge noticed this and fell back to fly beside him, meaning to have a quick word. “Are you alright?”

Cyclonus smirked slightly. “It's not like you to ask that kind of thing.”

“I'm just concerned. Concerned for a friend.” Scourge shrugged, as though his words were the most casual in the galaxy. Yet deep inside he had meant this sincerely, and was relieved when something flashed in Cyclonus's optics. Somehow, he knew that this meant he was truly grateful.

“Lord Galvatron!” Someone exclaimed, and the group stopped, assembling themselves around Cyclonus as though they were presenting him. Cyclonus saluted as Galvatron stood before him, accompanied by the Constructicons. He opened his mouth, trying to find the right words to use to greet the leader with, but was cut short by a crude bark.

“You FOOL! You thought you could take your time!?”

Cyclonus winced, expecting a painful blow. Yet it never came, and he could suddenly see something about Galvatron's manner that he would never expect anyone else to. It wasn't like Galvatron to pass up the opportunity to inflict a violent blow upon his troops, let alone meet up with one who had gone missing for a few cycles upon his rescue. He himself could scarcely believe it, but there was only one logical conclusion he was able to draw from this: Galvatron had missed him. And there was something about this that made Cyclonus indescribably happy, that made the corners of his mouth twitch into a small smile. He had meant for it to be a very quick smile, one that no-one else would be able to catch, but Galvatron certainly did, for he shouted: “What are you grinning about?!”

“N-nothing of course, Lord Galvatron!”

“Laughing at the inconvenience you put me through?!”

Galvatron looks as though he's about to bust a gear, thought Scourge, but was relieved at the reunion between the two. He knew it was something that everyone would welcome, something that would mean an improvement in Galvatron's mood, no matter how slight. But then at that moment, he saw something approaching them at a high speed. Adjusting his optics, he realised what it was.

“Autobot troops!” He shouted, immediately scrambling to draw his blaster.

“What?! How did they know of our position?” Galvatron fired a few shots into the advancing convoy, before giving a yell and charging into them headfirst. The remainder of the Decepticons glanced at each other for a moment, the same thought passing through all of them: He's slaggin' crazy. They turned to Cyclonus, seeking guidance from someone with sanity hardcoded into him.

Perhaps he was still somewhat shaken from his experience with the Enkians, but there was something odd about the way his comrades looked at him, as though his absence had made them appreciate him so much more. So when he raised his arm, pointing them towards their enemies, he felt proud, mighty, and most of all, like he could do anything. “Decepticons, charge!”

And as they did so, rushing forward, weapons and fists at ready, Scourge eyed his fellow Lieutenant as he jetted by, as though trying to say Yeah... I'm really glad you're back.