Twist

Chapter 14: Bad Day

Although the war had started with Temptest and Megatron working together, the two of them had not been inseparable throughout. She spent some time hunting wreckers with a ragtag team of Airachnid, an empurata, and a few angry pleasure bots before the exodus, and before that, she guarded some of those in the science division.

That particular assignment had always been meant to keep her away from the front lines, which Temptest eventually figured out, but that didn't mean she didn't learn anything important. If there was anything the science division hated, it was brutes telling them how to live. Temptest learned a lot from them, partially to satisfy their needs and partially to satisfy her own.

Ultra Magnus was currently experiencing the benefits of that assignment.

"Frag," the tall rogue bristled under her digits, his optic glitching out for a moment. "Do you have to be so rough?"

Temptest scowled, twisting the wires between his shoulder plate and his chassis purposefully. He winced, but held his glossa. It was a smart move. Temptest wasn't happy and she wasn't in the mood for games.

Optimus confined her to his room while he was out and about today, so she was running short on patience. Luckily for Ultra Magnus, confinement meant he was able to sneak aboard the ship and receive his payment in full. He couldn't just barge into the bridge and ask for it. Even if the Prime was acting like he didn't care, Optimus was surely furious that Megatron escaped.

As for their deal, Ultra Magnus managed to get in a fight with a tree, and his shoulder was full of leaves in hard-to-reach places. Temptest's thin digits were perfect to help pluck them out. Even with the filed tips.

It didn't seem very fair for her to ask him to commit treason, especially for such a simple favor, but Temptest guessed that Ultra Magnus must have wanted to do something scandalous for his own reasons. The rogue Autobot was always undermining Optimus. He was, without a doubt, the most vexing traitor that the false Prime dealt with.

"I heard you're getting hitched," Ultra Magnus looked over at her and smirked. "I wouldn't want to be present for that spark ceremony."

She scowled. Clearly, Ultra Magnus was vexing to more than just the Autobots.

Ultra Magnus hummed. "I heard you tattled on me. I'm half-surprised nobody blew up my old landing dock."

Temptest pulled out a leaf and dropped it, her face twisting with frustration. There was so much she needed to say. Of course she was angry. Anger was one of her predominant emotions and Ultra Magnus's lack of a filter was spewing out news of the obsessed warlord breathing down her neck... but then again, Ultra Magnus was her only ally here. He wasn't trustworthy, but he was the closest she would get to escaping.

If he was willing to bust Megatron out, then what wouldn't he do?

How did he even get on this ship? Landing dock? Ultra Magnus couldn't fly. Whatever his methods were, they must be solid.

Temptest wanted to grab his face and demand that he take her with him, but she wasn't quite sure how that would work. She couldn't exactly speak anymore. His job would be easy, really. She didn't need whatever mechanisms helped him escape the warship. She could fly. She just needed to see the sky and then she'd be set.

Wait.

Why hadn't she tried to escape on her own?

Oh, yeah, locked doors.

Temptest stood up and grabbed his arm. Surely he had a blaster or something that she could shoot at the door.

"I'm starting to think Ratchet pulled some weird experiment and made you go crazy," Ultra Magnus yanked his arm away and stood up. "First you're not talking, then you're not attacking, and now you're trying to read my servo."