[FoF] Scars of Yesterday 7/24

Scars of Yesterday
Chapter Seven

Soundwave had a headache.

Laserbreak had brought him a pouch of salica, and he’d washed it down with water, but the headache persisted. He blamed the stress of the past twenty-four hours, combined with the miasma of high emotions lingering around the aerie.

Even now, in this very room, emotions were high. Anger. Confusion. Concern. Fear. It spiked and thrummed from every harpy sat around the table. The only source of calm he found was Laserbeak on his shoulder. She vibrated with delight, ready to welcome the new arrivals to their nest.

The swinging doors flung open with a bang, and Soundwave startled as a great mass of relative calm burst into the room.

“It’s Ratchet,” Laserbeak said.

“Am I the last to arrive?” the gruff medic asked with a grunt. “Figures.” He dropped down into a chair with a loud thump. “Let’s get this started. I don’t want to leave my patients alone for too long. Those brothers especially are a flight risk.”

“Ravage is watching them,” Soundwave offered.

Ratchet snorted. “That’s a start, but I already told them they’re free to go if they want. Best not suggest otherwise.”

“Thank you, Ratchet,” said Liege Megatron, and the last of the murmurs and chatter died to nothing, leaving only the simmering tension cloaking the air. “How is their health?”

“About as well as you’d expect for a couple of harpies we rescued from the humans.” Ratchet’s tone turned dour, and the grey cast of anger turned into a rolling storm cloud. “Evidence of battle with other harpies, whipmarks, slash marks, talon marks. They’re malnourished, and don’t speak any one language with any fluency, but from what I can gather, they are intelligent.” He paused, the chair creaked, before he added. “And they’re twins.”

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