Mothra's Concerns
She had a purpose on this planet to guard it and keep it safe from dangers. But lately she had not been doing that job. She thought she did at least part of it by bringing Kiryuu here, sealing him in time and space where he would be resurrected by the humans. But even with the somewhat successful death of King Ghidorah, there was an ill wind that blew across Infant Island. Ghidorah planned his death to bring about Magic's return. And with Magic's return there would be much chaos, much destruction, and much turmoil. Mothra was deeply saddened by this. She knew in the years to come the humans out of fear will seek to harm each other more than they ever have been in the past. Magic--it seemed--would be the undoing of the planet. And it was her fault.
Mothra had been called a manipulative bitch by the Great Feathered Serpent Malcho. Malcho of all the beings in the world, had the gall to call her manipulative, conniving…controlling. She had a job to do. Despite the fact that her actions seemed sinister in nature, she was doing them with the knowledge that good would come of it. And she still held strong with her heart that good would come from it. But Malcho did not. Malcho--the Great Dragon who's goal now was to bring about Technomancy--the thing she feared the most because of what it has done in the past. She feared Technomancy. Manda, a good friend of hers was once a Technomancer himself. But she turned him against it. Malcho though was not so foolishly swayed by her attempts. Something else was guiding him. Mothra turned to the night sky, recalling something Manda had said.
"Only a Technomancer could teach another Technomancer," he told her. "But Malcho somehow learned it during the time where there were none to teach it to him. He must have learned it from someone. I do remember though, when the Horrors got to him, he was nearly dead. He should have died five thousand years ago."
Who taught Malcho so much Technomancy in such a short time? Mothra thought.
She shook her head and glanced away from the night sky. Manda did not teach Malcho. But someone did. Her eyes gazed back out into the night, watching the stars twinkle brightly. Then, her blue eyes focused on a peculiar star--oblong in shape that seemed to move. It did not twinkle like the others which suggested that it was a planet. The only star she knew of that did not twinkle and was oblong was Saturn. Saturn's star was oblong looking because of the light reflecting off of its beautiful, colorful rings. And it was the only planet who's rings were somewhat visible to the naked eye. What other planet out there could have rings visible and was moving? Mothra felt a tug at her mind and she flipped her antenna back. This thing, whatever it was, called to her. Planets were not supposed to call--at least not in a literal sense. This one actually called to her. With a deep breath and a heavy sigh, she decided to answer it. She was probably the only being on this planet who could travel through outer space without any protective garment. Taking off, Mothra angled herself skyward, gaining speed to break the Earth's gravity. Traveling in space was something she rarely did but it was not beyond her power. She had incredible speed, speed that was incomprehensible to even the humans. Though she did not look like she could break light speed, she was more than capable of doing that. She was, after all, a celestial being. Before coming to this world, space was her home and space is that which birthed her. So, it would not take her long to exit the atmosphere. She felt herself pass through the atmosphere and the protective ozone layer. She was now out among the stars again. The last time she did this she was fighting off the Simians from the Black Hole, who attempted to conquer Earth and exact revenge on the Utah Foundation. She continued to hear the voice call to her, bid her to come to it, bid her to speak to it. The planet spoke to her, and the voice of the planet concerned her more than ever. It could not be--him, could it? Not after all this time. Banking her body, she finally turned until the planet came into view. She slowly neared it, seeing its form grow more and more the closer she came to it. Her eyes now could focus on the features of the planet. It was metallic silver and black with a single, thick, metallic ring around it held in place by four pillars and it was turned laterally on its side, with its poles horizontally like Uranus instead of vertically or almost vertically like Earth. At its north pole was a terrible feature--a gaping hole with crushing jaws and two horn-like, grasping pincers. Blue lights etched their way around the plates and groves, valleys and hills and mountains of the planet. The planet itself was the size of Saturn and she was a speck compared to it. Four Earths could fit inside the mouth at the same time and there would be room to fit Mars in next. She knew this planet and she feared it. A cold shudder ran down her thorax as the solar wind brushed across her furred body. Her brilliantly patterned wings slowly flapped as she brought herself fearfully closer to the massive orifice at the north pole of the planet.
I knew it…
"Hello, Mothra," began a deep and monstrous voice emanating from the planet's maw. "It has been eons."
Unicron…Mothra finally brought herself to say the planet's name.
"Yes, it is I…" the planet replied. "I have summoned you here. We must--chat for a while."
What in the universe's existence are you doing here? She asked. You--you were locked up. You--were defeated.
"Yes, I know," Unicron replied in a breathy rumbling tone. "But as you can see, I have been released. I have served my time and must now do my duty."
Mothra looked fearfully back where Earth was. The spinning blue ball--the only place where life resided in the Sol System, Earth was the reason why Unicron was here. He was going to eat it, devour it, like he has done to many other planets--billions of planets all across the universe. Unicron was the Lord of Chaos, the Destroyer, the Planet Eater. The word 'god' came to her mind, but she knew that was not what truly described Unicron. He and his brother Primus were above the gods that ruled in the Outer Planes. They were special beings with powers that surpassed gods. Some called them Seraphim, others powerful archons. But Unicron and his brother were just known simply as Watchers.
The great maw she now hovered over was the very orifice that he used to devour many planets, killed billions of lives. He had no remorse for what he did, he had no pity. She was afraid of him and she was afraid that his coming here might spell out Total Existence Failure for Earth. Though she would fight to keep that from happening she knew that she had no power over the monstrous being that floated before her. She did not have the power to stop something like Unicron.
No, please, please! She pleaded, hoping that he would hear her cries--how utterly fruitless it seemed. A part of her knew that she could not plea to the massive, metallic planet not to eat Earth, but the other part knew that she had to try to reason with Unicron. Please, Unicron! I beg of you, don't devour Earth!
"I have no intentions of destroying my precious Earth," the defensive and rather possessive statement from the planet rolled out. "It is mine. It has always been mine. Why would I destroy it?
It isn't yours! Mothra called. It belongs to those who live on it.
"Those who live on it have a purpose now," Unicron said. "The experiment must be successful. Its purpose must be fulfilled. Until then, Earth shall remain whole."
Earth must remain whole even after your horrible experiment is done! Mothra called out. Why? Why Earth? Why did you choose the planet I guarded? This planet has a purpose, and its purpose is not to repair your failed experiment! You tried and failed 40 thousand years ago. Why start it up again?
"Because I know it'll work," Unicron replied. "Technomancy will work. You have no faith."
You're a horrible, heartless monster! You care nothing but destruction.
Despite her insults, Unicron remained cool and calm. He allowed the remarks about his failures roll off his sides. She was, after all, just a speck.
"You above all else, know that creation and destruction go hand and hand," Unicron replied coolly. "Without one, there is no other. I am the counter weight on the balance of the universe. But there is something out there that has threatened to tip the scales. My new goal is to fix the balance. Do you know what it is that seeks to disrupt the balance?"
King Ghidorah…she replied.
"Precisely," the planet said flatly.
But you've tried, Mothra said. And look what happened? It happened again, three times, it happened. Three times you failed.
"When at first you don't succeed, try, try, try again," Unicron riddled out.
And how many lives will be sacrificed until you do, Unicron?
"As many as deemed necessary until the project is successful," he replied. "But right now, I have repaired that one flaw. Lives will not be sacrificed as much as you think--now that I have my trump card in play."
Malcho…Mothra's blue eyes lit up. Five thousand years ago, he fought the Horrors and nearly died. You…
"Malcho," Unicron gave a vocal nod. "Yes, he is my trump card. I have learned my lesson, Mothra. I will not side with the likes of the Hand and Eye again. And I do care. But when you have lived as long as I have, lives of mortals are but a glimmer to you. Yes, Mothra, I was the one who taught Malcho Technomancy five thousand years ago. And I can sense he has done well with it."
Mothra shook her head and glanced away from the maw of the planet. Her faceted eyes rested upon Earth again and her fears and worries for her beloved planet grew.
Why are you here, Unicron? She asked him. Why come here?
"This planet and the other eight of the Sol System are safe," Unicron said. "However, King Ghidorah has found Earth to be his plaything. How many times has he returned?"
Too numerous to count.
"And even you cannot do away with him."
He--he is a being who defies all the physical laws that binds even you, Unicron.
"He is a creature not from this universe, or any of its many dimensions," Unicron said. "Nor is he a creature from the Outer Planes nor the Inner Planes. He is a creature from the Far Realm--and so, the rules set down by God and Her/His infinite wisdom does not apply to King Ghidorah. You can't hope to kill him with what you had planned."
What makes you think Technomancy can do it?
"When used properly, Technomancy can bend the rules enough to push King Ghidorah through the rift he brought himself in and seal him up permanently," he replied. "Though, within time, perhaps they'll figure out how to use it to even bend the rules enough to destroy him."
It's a fool's hope, a fool's errand, Unicron.
"But I care enough about it to keep going even after failures," the planet rumbled solemnly. "As to what I'm here for--someone has made a mistake--someone has overlooked something. I'm here to correct that anomaly."
And what is that?
"You allowed Cybertronians to set foot on Earth," Unicron growled.
They aren't causing any real trouble so far…and one faction is fighting for Earth.
"No, it goes deeper than that," Unicron growled again, the light emanating from his maw grew brighter. "Why do I see a being that could use Technomancy against everything I had hoped to achieve--against life and death itself holding a piece of the Life Force Crystal in the palm of his metallic hand? Who is this being--this Megatron?"
I didn't allow this to happen. The Decepticons have been raiding Malcho's warehouses.
"What have they taken, Mothra?" Unicron asked.
I don't know, the majestic moth replied. She glanced up when she heard a deep sigh come from the gigantic planet. Then, she heard the sound of an enormous generator power up as the 'flood gates' of the great maw of Unicron closed. Mothra spun backwards as she felt the force around her began to whirl faster and faster. Using her wings, she managed to correct herself, and angled her body out away from the massive planet--which started to look less and less like a planet. The metallic ring around the equator separated and folded out, pivoting on the two pillars at the sides of the hemispheres. The surface of the planet itself began to come apart at the seams, revealing a folded, black body underneath. Legs unfolded and twisted and turned, shifting into place below the form as bird-like feet wiggled themselves loose. Shoulders straightened out and metallic sleeved pushed back to revealed silvery metallic hands that wiggled their fingers free with new life. The 'ring' that was around the planet now looked like dracolich wings on this new form. The surface that was the planet folded back onto the back of the massive metallic body and an electric, lengthy, bundle of blue, glowing cords whipped out, free from their constraints. Then, the head folded out, its neck reconnecting with the shoulders and it wagged to test the connection. The head was mostly covered by a black horned helm that only left the face uncovered. And the face--was very human looking, handsome, charismatic, despite its obvious metallic texture. On the man's chin was a silvery goatee and his cheeks had three triangular stripes. Blue optics opened up and glowed. The 'man' within the planet was in fact a robot--a Transformer--the first Transformer. He was Unicron. Unicron gave his head a shake, which caused the Connection cord at the back of his neck to whip about his knees. He spread his 'wings' wide and stretched his arms as if he was doing so for the first time in centuries. She took note that he was wearing a part of his ceremonial garb, the red collar with gold trimming and leaves lining it. The collar itself tapered down his back like a split tabard. Holding the collar in place were two golden, spherical broaches and ornate, long purple and green tags dangling down from them. This style of garment was something that the Atlanteans wore as well. Mothra was just aghast at what she had seen--disturbed by watching the god-like Transformer transform right before her eyes. When Unicron transformed, it was on a planetary scale and he was even more deadly in his robot mode than in his planet mode. Mothra could not help but to look down at his silvery hands, taking note Earth could fit and even be crushed by either one. Earth was nothing more than a baseball compared to the celestial Transformer.
"It seems I must rectify that which you have created…" Unicron rumbled as he lifted a poignant fist up. "Repair your mistakes and that of Leviathan's and Malcho's."
If Mothra had tear ducts, she would have been weeping right now. She certainly sobbed in anguish as the mighty juggernaut sped towards the pretty blue ball that was her home. She came in close to his hip plates and latched on to a crevasse between them--a crevasse that looked more like the Grand Canyon to her than a space between his armored plates. Though, as Unicron came closer and closer to Earth, Mothra took note that he began to shrink. Obviously if he was to fix her mistakes, he could not do it in his present size. He must enter Earth's atmosphere in a much smaller size. Unicron recalled Malcho's own warnings about Earth's sensors and cloaked his mighty form from sight as he dipped down below the atmosphere. Unicron finally stopped shrinking, feeling the size he was in now suited him. He was still an imposing figure to behold, as tall as a mountain. In height, he stood well over 3 kilometers. Mothra was still rather diminutive compared to the Transformer. She was more used to being larger than the objects around her. Her eyes focused on where Unicron's great speed was taking her--right back to Infant Island. The sun peeked its way over the Eastern horizon, casting a soft, golden glow over the island.
0
Manda glanced around, scratching his head. He had sensed a strange presence and he needed to tell Mothra about it. He managed to sneak out of the trailer while Jo was still sleeping and escaped to the island to tell Mothra.
"Mothra?" he asked. "Mothra?"
Manda glanced over to the little pagoda temple that housed various sacred objects and even Mothra's avatar the two Fairies. He could not sense them either, nor could he sense Mothra. But he did sense that strange presence. The Great Eastern Dragon glanced back at the shore.
"Mothra," Manda began again. "Look, I just came to tell you that I sensed…something…oh--holy fucking Christ!"
He saw it, he saw what he sensed and it came flying at super sonic speeds towards him and the island. Manda became hysterical at the sight, dropping to his now weakened knees and bowing both in fear and reverence to the black, humanoid, gigantic form as it slowed its speed.
"Oh, Jesus…" he breathed. "Oh, Jesus! It's him! It's him!" Manda glanced up as two enormous feet landed near him, causing his eyes to cross. "Who let him out?!"
Manda, called a voice into his mind and through his watered eyes he managed to spot Mothra floating down to the shore near him. Manda, calm down.
"Why?" Manda asked. "Why? Why? Why is he here? I swear, I swear to you, Atlantis wasn't my fault. I didn't sink it! I swear! I swear to you--Great Unicron. It was Kraken! He betrayed me. He betrayed you! He joined King Ghidorah! He forsook you!"
"Enough, Leviathan," rumbled a voice that sent a tremor through Manda and the whole island. Though the voice did not shout its statement. Unicron said it quite softly, but because of his size, it seemed louder than it was intended to be. "Atlantis was not ready yet. The experiment failed."
Manda was weeping, wiping his eyes as a flood of tears streamed down his cheeks. He was so frightened that he was crying. This being that stood before him was like a god to him. He remembered statues of Unicron dotting around the great city of Atlantis. Though Atlanteans revered and respected Unicron, they did not worship him. But in his presence, worship could not be helped. And Manda felt like worshipping if only it would quell what fury Unicron had towards his people and to the planet he lived on and loved.
"I--I haven't even popped the Question to Jo yet…" he sobbed. "Why? Why? Please, please spare Earth. Please!"
"Of everyone who I have managed to contact, Malcho is the only one who kept his cool," Unicron rolled his optics.
He's here--because we've made a mistake, Mothra informed, her voice nearly cracking. We've--disappointed him.
"Oh, God!" Manda cried. "That's the worse thing to do to Unicron! No! We can't disappoint the big planet-bot that devours other planets! No! He gets disappointed we get eaten!"
He won't eat us--at least not yet, Mothra said solemnly.
"Oh, well, that's different," Manda sighed. "Wait…what? Yet? What do you mean 'yet'?"
"When the experiment succeeds and this planet has used its life force," Unicron informed coldly. "I shall return to devour it and any living creature left on it. By that time, most of the sentient beings on this planet would have the means to escape my coming."
"I hate to burst your bubble, but these guys have barely even gone past the Moon!" Manda called.
"Technomancy will rectify that."
"Technomancy has caused this planet enough trouble," said Manda. "You want to know what sank Atlantis. We did! It was an accident. We were trying to do what you asked of us, we tried building the Grand Weapon that would destroy King Ghidorah completely. And it happened again! Only without the space zombies and the rings and the need to wipe all biological life capable of sustaining the space zombies. We blew ourselves up! All that's left down there are shattered ruins of the once great continent of Atlantis. And then we tried again, with the thought that third time was the charm. Babel happened! End of story. The experiment failed. We're just not meant to use the Array. We get the knowledge but lack the wisdom to use it."
"And that is where we need to start fixing," Unicron said, swinging his head around. For a rather big deity-like machine, he was very fluid and swift in his motions. Before Manda could even scream he was staring now at the glowing blue optics of the Planet Eater. "You have the knowledge but lack the wisdom. Perhaps Eo was wrong when it comes to Technomancy, perhaps you need divine interference to help guide you in its progress."
Erestem wrong? Mothra asked. So far, lack of divine influence worked. It worked for over 10 billion years.
"And yet it was divine influence that destroyed almost all of the Multiverse," Unicron sighed heavily in sadness. "I was a fool then. I'm not so much now."
"You were a fool three thousand years ago, and you're not now?" Manda asked. "Three thousand years is what--2 weeks for you? You spent basically a fortnight in jail and now you say you're better than you were before the two weeks? Yeah, that makes as much sense as Malcho cloaking a town that is responsible for America's nuclear weapons refurbishing stockade and thinking no one would notice said town missing."
Unicron glared at him.
"Don't get me wrong, I'm sure you did some growing in those two weeks," said Manda averting his eyes away from the Gaze of Pure Death and Destruction. "But what, you're like how old?" He paused for a moment and snapped his fingers allowing the Connection to the Array take over. His blue scales turned white and two black triangles appeared on his cheeks. Like Unicron, Manda also had a blue cord bundle running down from the back of his head. With the Connection came the Download. "9,890,345,001 years old…"
"Feels good doesn't it?" Unicron asked. "To be Connected to my computer again."
"Heh…" Manda blinked. "Disconnect." His scales returned to their normal color and he sighed, leaning back.
"Malcho has the Tower of Babel," said Unicron. "And the Tower of Atlantis after your little bet with him, as well as a new tower called the Tower of Lexington."
"Heh, downloaded all of that from my head that quick, huh?" Manda asked. "Wow…you really are the Keeper of the Array."
"And he has helped in the construction of a 'living Tower' known as Kiryuu Knight," Unicron continued.
"Yeah, the crystals inside Kiryuu to keep him going make him a walking Tower," Manda said. "But he doesn't know much on Technomancy. At the most he can create the Light Sword. But--he will. Malcho has BIG plans for the guy. And I'm scared to even think what they are."
"Why did you tell him Technomancy was evil, Mothra?"
Mothra's head perked up when she heard the Transformer pose the question to her.
I thought--because it was using Life Force and the Demon fed off of Life Force, that it would bring him here, Mothra said.
"But this planet is where he returns often," Unicron said. "Why is that?"
"Mana," said Manda. "Mana. He created it. If it weren't for the Atlanteans for mutating me, my need for Mana like all other dragons would have caused my body to reject Technomana and kill me. Still--Malcho, how was he?"
You're looking at the guy who taught him, said Mothra.
"You taught Malcho Technomancy?"
"I deemed it necessary," rumbled Unicron. "He has within him a piece of my own essence. This is why he can use it and not be killed by it. Soon, the humans will too."
"No, not all of them," said Manda. "So much mingling went on when you were gone. When the Sixth World Awakens people through Mana, only those who have not Awakened, and cannot be mutated by Mana will be able to use Technomancy."
"That too can be rectified," said Unicron. "Technomancy is the combined knowledge of both Magic and Technology. Before, one could not coexist with the other, now, through me, both can. This world even without Technomancy will show in the Sixth World that Magic and Technology will have to work together. Technomancy is the means to bridge the gap. There will be those who were mutated by Ghidorah's Mana who will welcome such unions. Malcho is one of them."
When King Ghidorah's physical form died, his energies began to raise Mana, said Mothra. Kiryuu has informed us. The Sixth World will indeed begin at the end of the Mayan Calendar. December 24th, 2011. That is the date, Unicron.
"Four years," Unicron breahed. "And I suspect this world is not ready."
No, she replied. Evil will be done in the name of--fear and misunderstanding--ignorance.
"That can't be helped," he said. Unicron rose up and stared out over the shore. "I have business to attend to. I will--visit the ruins of Atlantis and see what Malcho has done with the Tower of Babel."
"Uh, the Tower of Atlantis is still down at the bottom of the ocean," said Manda. "Malcho, though he has won it, has not moved it. He said he'll send for it when he needs it."
"He may need it now," said Unicron. "The Array has told me that the Cybertronian invaders have stolen crystals."
"Just the Decepticons," said Manda.
"They will be made to pay for such thievery," Unicron growled, his hands balling into great fists. "I did not make Technomancy for the Children of Primus nor will they attempt to use it. The damage has been done, I shall take over now. I shall--repair these mistakes."
With that, Unicron took off, leaving dust behind in his wake. Manda coughed and gagged at the dust clogging his nostrils and sneezed to clear them. He glanced back at Mothra.
"Yeah, he still hates his brother Primus," he told her. "You can tell."
Woe to anyone who stands in Unicron's way, said Mothra. He's just as vengeful and unforgiving as Erestem--maybe even more.
"No, Erestem's got him beat," said Manda. "Or they might be equals. It's funny though, she would favor kind and sweet Primus over Unicron while the kind, benevolent, and rather dopey father favored the ole Viking-helmet wearing Lord of Chaos."
It is to keep the balance between them, said Mothra. As it should be.
0
The water was cool down below near the floor of the ocean. He could sense the change in the currents as the water rushed across his metallic plates. Despite being a Transformer that mostly traveled through space, Unicron could survive in any planetary location, even under the sea. He allowed his thrusters to slowly guide him along the bottom his blue optics providing the light. Unicron paused when he heard the sound of a submarine slowly near him. His keen sensors could pick up the ping of the sub's sonar and he quickly froze. His metallic body began to morph and reshape as the submarine came closer to him. The metallic armor of the celestial Transformer became like the barnacle-covered rocks that littered the seafloor below him. The sub's sensors, as they washed over his cold body, only detected rocks and veered away, loosing interest. Unicron's metallic body return and he turned his head, giving a mischievous grin at the sub that passed him. With one kick off from the floor he was once more on his way. His optics picked up several strange rock formations on the floor itself and he swam close to inspect them. The rocks were white in color and smooth. They looked like they were carved by the tools of humans and not the force of nature. His processors began to calculate what he was looking at and his smile grew. He saw the road--the first sign of the remains of what used to be Atlantis. His great metallic hand came down and touched the road with solemn remembrance as he slowly followed it. The deeper he came the more evidence of the ancient city he found. He found great pillars of concrete and stone jutting out of the seafloor, and various statues and carvings, broken against the rocks. Schools of fish swam about the pillars, feeding off of the seaweed that grew upon them. Unicron reached into a compartment inside his body and took out a blue crystal that glowed brightly. His eyes scanned for something that he could place the crystal in among the ruins of Atlantis. Then, at last he found it and swam down to a stone cube with a depression in its top. Gently, he placed the crystal into the slot and watched it come alive. His head glanced up and he felt the seafloor shift and tremble as a massive blue crystalline structure rose out from the center of the city. The Tower of Atlantis.
"There you are…" he breathed. "I will not let those trespassing invaders get to you."
With a kick, Unicron swam towards the Tower, which was nothing more than a small pole compared to him. Still, the Tower of Atlantis was the largest Technomantic Tower in the world. He slowed as he neared the Tower and gently picked it up, disconnecting it from the base that held it up.
"When the time comes, I'll let Malcho have the Tower," Unicron rumbled as he shrank the Tower of Atlantis down in order to place it into his compartment in his chest. Then, he touched the base itself and watched it come alive with the same blue glow as the Tower. His head lifted up as he peered off into the east towards Africa. "The Tower is safe, but I hope the Ark is too. The lost technology of the human's ancestors must only be found by humans and no other. But already another race is trying to piece together the puzzle. They're just doing it the wrong way. When I am through here, I shall hide the seven installations as well--hide them until it is time for them to be found. The same goes for the Ark. There will be no mistakes this time even if I have to constantly interfere to make sure."
He pushed his way up through the ocean and towards the surface, leaving the ruined Atlantis as it slowly fell back into its slumber. The Tower was with him and for now that was all he cared about. He knew he would have to handle the Ark another day. Now, it was time to handle the invading Cybertronian--the Children of Primus and Malcho.
0
Chip rolled out towards the guard station. He just recently called a cab since he heard that Wheeljack was rather busy studying that crystal Hound and Skyfire found at Malcho's warehouse. He hoped that one of the Autobots would pick him up, but unfortunately, they could not. So, he had to call a cab. The yellow painted, checker-striped Buick sedan honked its horn as the driver poked his head out. Chip paused for a moment noticing the odd-looking 'hat' this man was wearing. It looked like a black Viking helmet with silvery curved horns. The man's face was also rather striking too, silvery in color with what appeared to be Transformer blue optics instead of human eyes. The driver smiled at Chip and the young scientist paused, feeling something inside his head that prevented him from saying anything about the driver's looks.
"Hey, you call a cab?" the driver asked.
"Yeah," Chip replied. "I did. Uh, could you help me with my wheelchair and with getting into the car?"
"Sure!" the driver replied cheerfully. As he stepped out, Chip's eyes grew wide noticing how rather unnaturally tall this man was. On the man's back were two strange, silvery appendages. They looked like skeletal bat wings. The man's big hands were also a strange sight as well. They were robotic, as robotic as perhaps Bumblebee's hands or even Optimus Prime's hands. This man was a Transformer, it was obvious to Chip--but still that unseen force once more prevented him from even mentioning it. Though, the 'Transformer' was rather oddly dressed. In fact no Transformer Chip had ever met ever wore clothes. He wore a red and black plaid shirt with dark blue jeans and leather boots. He looked more like a Transformer trying to pass himself off as a lumberjack. The clothes hid any sort of marking that Chip could even identify him with. He could not tell if the driver was Autobot or Decepticon. But he knew he has never seen this guy back at the base. So he had a feeling that this driver was not an Autobot.
"Where you heading?" the driver asked.
"The Autobot base," Chip replied.
"Ah, tough ride back there," he said. "My little cab isn't made to travel long on dirt roads."
"It is urgent," said Chip. "I'll make it worth your while."
The driver smiled as he popped the trunk opened: "Well, kid, that's all I needed to hear."
0
Mothra glanced back up at the stars. She sensed Unicron's movements as he headed towards the Autobot base. She knew that he was heading for that crystal the Autobots had. She sensed that tricked a boy into taking him there by offering him a ride up to the base. She hoped that he would not do anything horrible to anyone, even the Autobots. Despite them being descendants of Primus, they were kind and benevolent beings only trying to help their world and Earth. Though, to Unicron, that did not matter. They were Children of Primus and that was all he needed to care about. They were trespassers on his planet. More and more, Mothra cringed when she allowed that statement to roll around in her head. His planet, Earth was his planet. She did not like his possessive manner. If she could, and if he became hostile towards the Autobots, she would protect them because they were protecting Earth. But she knew that to go against Unicron would be suicide. Even she was afraid for her life. He had plans and at this time she was not a part of them. She could sense that Unicron regarded Mothra as an expendable asset to him. That thought brought a chill to her. She did not like being thought of as expendable. Though, she began to recall that she once thought the same way about Kiryuu Knight. To her, he was expendable--necessary, but expendable in order to rid the world of King Ghidorah. As much as she hated it, she was more like Unicron than she thought. For now, all she could do was watch and wait and see what would happen next. She agreed with Unicron, the Decepticons must never use Technomancy.