Taiwhanga pūtaiao
(Laboratory)
Chapter One
Day 200
Much of the planet now lay barren, devoid of life and scrubbed clean of any evidence of humanity having had habituated there. A once small rural town, which would have fitted into any state in America, was now just a blackened spot of earth inlaid within a charred valley. The smelly and well cooked carcasses of bovines lay strewn about what were once lush green plains. Other domesticated animals were also massacred in various ways while the occasional human body or bits of it also messed upon the ground. The highest point in the surrounds was a giant pile of human corpses, most of which were burnt beyond even DNA identification.
Once were…
So many parts of this planet could now be described as "once were", "once were green pastures", "once were bustling cities", "once were beautiful forests", "once were pristine lakes", "once were crystal oceans", "once were blest with human individuality and life"…
Astrotrain sat and inwardly mourned the true horror of what the Autobots had bought to this planet. Of course earth, like all worlds he'd seen, had their own domestic squabbles, wars and other skirmishes, but no matter their sins, they did not warrant a visit from the Autobot Empire.
Essentially all fires had burnt themselves out or had been extinguished by rain fall… of course, that rain fall was now polluted with the ashen remains of humanity and it's constructs. In some parts of the world, fires still burned, oil wells and other fuel storage facilities, if not completely raped by Autobot marauders did continue to smoulder. Occasionally a stray car or gas tank would explode given some incentive via an AUtobot's laser. Astrotrain hated what this world had suffered, what had been done to this beautifully inspiring world. The poet hadn't seen earth pre-Autobot invasion, but the images he'd discovered, paintings, DVD footage displayed a world of contrasts and seduction, the entire spectrum of colours stained every aspect of this world, from the multitude of colouring the humans carried in their genotypes to the deep blues of the oceans and the insanely uncountable shades of green that stretched across the globe in plant life.
At day 150 the Autobots intensified their attacks on earth, humans were ingenious beings and it hadn't taken them long for survivors to structure resistant cells. This had aggravated Prime beyond measure and while he cursed and tortured those stupid enough to cross him, the likes of Prowl organised the second wave, with the intent to crush the human spirit before it could do any more damage to their pillaging of earthen resources. So here was Astrotrain sitting on a cliff face looking out over a large section of America waiting to see when a large group of Autobot forces would pass by. According to Decepticon intelligence they would be using this area as a motorway to a new barracks they were constructing to house reinforcements that were heading here from Cybertron. Of course, the little humans that lived in this valley didn't feature in this plan and were slaughter. Prowl, in his chillingly merciless logic had concluded that humans must not be used as slave labour in areas where they were naturalised, as they would be an asset to local cells of resistance with their knowledge of the geography. So, humans would be moved about the planet, so those that slaved on the new barracks did know this region. In fact, some intelligence informed them that these humans were from parts of Eastern Europe.
Megatron had requested that Astrotrain sit and watch, (and on the side, write). The Decepticon leader hadn't wanted to bother Astrotrain or put him in harms way, but with Autobot attacks increasing in savagery he had no choice but to use Astrotrain as most other Decepticons were engaged in their usual style of guerrilla war fare. The triple changer had been watching this area for the past 42 days and in that time had only seen two convoys too large for the current Decepticon force to attack, and the occasional pair of Autobots driving through. He wondered inwardly if he had been detected, but given he still functioned he doubted that. Soundwave had tinkled away and come up with a cloaking device, but it had very limited use, and only lasted 3 earth minutes, so was used when the Autobot senses would be at their closest to his location. It also didn't help matters that the device was horribly wasteful to create, and so Megatron had only commissioned one, the very one Astrotrain had sitting on his shoulder. So far the only device was externally fixed, Megatron, caring too much for his troops wasn't willing to have it installed internally in anyone of them until it was evidenced as effective without disaster – so far the external one had proven safe.
According to the human calendar he'd sat here for over a month. Megatron had also selected Astrotrain knowing that he was always aching to get out of the cramped base and the quiet might go some way towards curing his insufferable writer's block. Given such a small amount of Autobot activity within the region he did pass thought as to whether Megatron had sent him here for his own good, and not to keep an optic on the Autobots. Of course there was a barracks near by, that much had been discovered by Laserbeak and Ravage on their scouting movements. But with all the time he'd had, he only ended up feeling worse, having nothing to look at but a constant reminder of Autobot cruelty and disdain for life didn't strike a match in his imagination. Having tired, and a tad frustrated with the environment he looked out over he retreated backwards into the cave behind him. At least the rocky walls and the occasional bug would be a relief from what lay outside…