The prison ship burned like a massive firework as it fell through the atmosphere. To the bots inside, frantically trying to keep the ship in one piece, it was life-threatening chaos. But to the inhabitants of Earth, it was merely a speck of light shooting across the sky. People pointed and ahhed as the white flash streaked through the atmosphere. They gasped as more tiny lights shot off from the main one, like fireflies emerging from their nest. The lights, large and small, petered out one by one as they neared the planet's surface, eventually landing near a gleaming city.
One of the lights arced a bit farther than the others. The wind rushing over it extinguished the flames, leaving only a dull cylinder of metal plummeting through the air. It slammed into the side of a mountain, dirt and rocks exploding in a shower around it. Its impact crumbled the rocky slope, sending a wave of debris over the object. When the dust settled, nothing was visible of the pod. It sat slowly cooling, completely hidden from view by the remains of the landslide. And so it remained until many weeks later, when the wind and the rain finally eroded enough of the detritus to expose a corner of the scorched metal.
An unfortunate happening—for some things are better left buried.
Steeljaw heaved another boulder aside. "Hurry up! Before the Autobots detect it!"
"Ah'm goin' as fast as Ah can!" Underbite growled, but he began clearing the debris with renewed vigor.
Clampdown watched them from the ground, scuttling from side to side in his excitement. "I done good, didn't I, Boss?" He asked eagerly. "Ain'tcha happy with me, huh?!"
"Yes, yes; well done, Clampdown." Steeljaw snapped. Normally, he'd be a bit more generous with his praise, but they were working on a time crunch. It was pure luck that Clampdown had discovered this pod. The landslide that had buried it had likely shielded its signal from the Autobots, but the longer they took to unearth it, the more likely it was that their enemies would discover them. And they could not afford to lose an ally. In the past weeks, several Autobots had arrived and joined forces with Bumblebee's team. If Steeljaw and his pack wanted to accomplish their goal of a Decepticon planet, they needed all the help they could get.
At last, the pod's door was cleared. Steeljaw studied the locking mechanism as Clampdown circled the pod curiously.
"This don't look like a normal stasis pod," he remarked, tapping the metal with a pincer. Steeljaw had to agree. Unlike the other pods on the Alchemor, this one lacked a window in the front—it was solid metal all the way around. The seams were reinforced with metal strips, and from the sound it made when Clampdown tapped it, the plating was much thicker than usual. If normal stasis pods were jail cells, this one was a bunker—built to withstand anything. The lock, unfortunately, was designed that way as well.
"Problem?" Clampdown asked as he saw Steeljaw scowling.
"This is a biometric lock. It requires a specific spark signature to open. Only the highest-risk prisoners get locked up like this."
"Can you crack it?"
"I don't need to." Steeljaw stepped back and snapped his finger at their resident Chompazoid. "Underbite, if you please—"
Underbite grinned. He chomped down on the pod with gusto. The metal creaked as it resisted the pressure, but few things could stand up to a Chompazoid's jaws. Within a few minutes, Underbite had torn a sizeable chunk out of the pod's door. Cryogenic gases bubbled out of the hole, dissipating as they met the outside air. Steeljaw waved the fog away and peered inside the pod. A grin spread across his face.
"Gentlemen," he announced. "We've found a sister."
"A femme? Really?!" Clampdown scuttled closer, pushing back Underbite's massive head as they both crowded around the pod.
It was, indeed, a femme. She lay unmoving in the pod. Gold and black armor fit over a purple protoform, the slim build suggesting an affinity for speed and grace. Everything about her was sharp—from the shape of her face to the many pointed edges of her armor, to the spikes that adorned her helm. Even the decorative triangles painted under her optics seemed sharp, like black blades spearing downwards. If her demeanor matched her appearance at all, she would make a fine addition to their pack.
"What are those stick things?" Clampdown asked, pointing.
"I believe they're extra arms. Or legs, perhaps—part of her alt-mode." The thin, jointed appendages sprouting from her back did resemble a spider's legs. Steeljaw began cutting the restraints that bound them. "And that pretty collar around her neck is a stasis inducer. They clearly weren't taking any chances with this one."
"You want I should get it off?" Clampdown asked, claws clicking in anticipation. He snipped through the silver metal as easily as cutting paper. A tremor ran through the femme's frame as he removed it. Her optics lit up with a dull violet glow.
"There we are," Steeljaw leaned in, smiled charmingly. "Hello, sister."
The femme's gaze flitted over them. She let out a low hiss. "Where… am…I?"
"You're among friends." Steeljaw purred, cutting the last of her restraints. "The ship we were imprisoned on crashed. We freed ourselves and have been gathering our Decepticon brethren."
The femme sat up slowly, rubbing her joints. She had a far-off look in her optics. "Decepticons…"
"Victims of the Autobots' tyranny. We plan to make this planet our own, a home where all Decepticons can live in peace." Steeljaw held out his hand. "We ask you now, sister—will you join our cause?"
The femme was silent. Suddenly in a blur of motion, her hand latched around Steeljaw's neck cables. He choked as she pulled him up to her face. She smiled wickedly, revealing pointed teeth.
"I hope there are lots of you here." She hissed, her optics flaring brighter. 'I'm hungry."
Behold! The long-awaited (by some...maybe) sequel to Hardened Sparks! I hope it lives up to expectations. I'll try to update every other week, so set your calendars. And leave a review-constructive criticism is helpful. :)
Also, thanks to my friend journal129 for beta-reading.