Chapter 7
They all saw the explosion. This was a strange thing, since the rest of the time they could barely see a few metres far.
"He wants us to see this", Ultra Magnus commented.
"Yes, he wants us to know that we are trapped here", Optimus said. The explosion they had just seen, had come directly from the place where their shuttle had landed.
xxxxxxx
The two groups of Transformers were standing together, debating what to do next. Both sides had informed each other briefly about their experiences.
"You say this creature came from another dimension?" Optimus asked.
"Yes and a group of their scientists had accidentally brought it here", Megatron answered.
"And one of them is still working for this being and had told you the entire story?"
"Yes."
"We can try to fight", Jazz offered. "We analyse our enemy, search for weaknesses. With our combined knowledge, we certainly find a way. Optimus, you said yourself that the Matrix can be used as some sort of counter for it."
A few of the Autobots frowned, it was possibly not a good idea to mention this in front of the Decepticons.
"There is only one problem Jazz", Optimus answered. "At our last meeting, he already had shown an interest in the matrix. He had practically tried to trick me to hand it over to him."
"He is from another dimension", Megatron said. "Who knows where he came from? Who knows what kind of world that was? Look around", he continued", death, chaos, destruction, maybe this are his natural conditions. Maybe that is what gives him life."
"Are you implying that maybe he becomes more powerful through the destruction he causes?" Optimus asked curious.
"No, to be honest I have no idea Prime, I don´t know", he said grimly. "What I mean is, think about it, he is a being of pure energy, he doesn´t need fuel, land or an atmosphere, he had already destroyed this entire planet and now he simply stays here and waits. If he craves destruction so much, why has he not long left for other worlds?"
"For some reason, he can not", Optimus concluded. "Like you said, he is cut off from his natural environment. It is possible that he had simply not enough energy to leave for other worlds."
"Yes", Ultra Magnus replied, "and he had lured both of our groups here. With the Matrix, which is, said to be one of the greatest energy sources in the galaxy. Even if he can not leave this planet now, if what is told about the Matrix is true, with it, I am sure, he can."
Magnus looked around. He knew the most Autobots didn´t feel well with the idea of speaking in front of Decepticons about the Matrix. It´s existence wasn´t exactly a secret, even under Decepticons, but a lot of what they knew was based on myths and rumors.
Anyway, this creature getting his hands on the Matrix was far worse than any Decepticon finding out more about it.
"And then what happened here, will repeat on other worlds", Ultra Magnus continued.
"Could we find a way to send him back where he came from?" Kup offered.
"Autobots", Optimus addressed them, "yes, it is possible that we could do that. Maybe we could even destroy him. But that is the problem. It is not sure. We don´t know if we can win and the only thing that proved to be actually effective against this enemy, is exactly that what he wants to get. And should we lose, it could doom the entire galaxy. Fighting under this conditions is pure insanity."
"Our ship should still be intact", Megatron said. "We Decepticons can get off planet anyway when we transform. But you are right. Optimus, given the circumstances, I offer you and the Autobots a temporally truce. We will work together to get out of that creature´s reach. If our ship is still intact, we can all use it to get away from here."
Optimus saw that Kup and Jazz seemed more than sceptical about the idea, while Ultra Magnus seemed to have come to the same conclusion as he had.
What kind of alternative did they have? Trying to confront that monster and practically handing the energy source, he obviously wants over to him?
"I accept your offer Megatron", he answered.
"Good, first we need to find out about the ship. Skywarp", he called the seeker.
"Yes Megatron?"
"Can you teleport here?"
"In this environment? I don´t know. It could be dangerous, but I can try."
"Then try it. Teleport first to the Autobot shuttle and confirm that it is really destroyed like we think. Then go to our ship and warn them about an possible attack. Tell them to start and fly to us, but to hold themselves outside of the atmosphere. We will try to come closer to them too. Then they shall pick us up from here."
After a short moment of hesitation, Skywarp answered.
"Yes Megatron."
"Then do it. Give him the exact coordinates of the shuttle", Megatron said to the Autobots.
As Kup had transmitted it to him, Skywarp disappeared.
"If Skywarp has success, we will get away from here soon."
"If he has", Thundercracker said quietly. "What about Starscream?" He asked louder.
"We can not effort to search for anyone else, we will be lucky if we get away ourselves."
"But Starscream is…"
"Do you want to find him yourself? Alone you wouldn´t come 100 metres far and you know that too. He is probably long dead anyway."
"We are missing Ironhide too", Optimus said. "You are right, we can not risk everybody else."
"Optimus, you can not really…", Jazz called out.
"Ironhide is one of my best friends Jazz, but if we would try to save him, we risk all of us and if this creature gets his hands on the Matrix, it will possible become unstoppable. Then what happened here could repeat itself everywhere else in the galaxy."
xxxxxxx
One wave of pain after the other went through the body of the captured robot. Electricity ripped through his circuits. More slings with razor sharp edges grew out of the ground and started to cut slowly into his armour. All he could see was blackness and the face of the female who was talking to him.
Ironhide was an experienced soldier. He always thought of himself that he could resist any kind of torture, but this was slowly bringing him to his limit.
Even worse was it that this thing, that looked like his former superior officer was executing the torture.
"And, how are you holding out so far little robot?" The woman asked. "I am curious how high he pain tolerance of your kind is. Something my master could surely find good use for, I´m sure", she said. "It has been a long time since I could perform such an interesting experiment. And on a living subject on top of that."
"You", he yelled at the much smaller female native in front of him, "when I get out of here, I will smash you into organic mud."
"But you won´t get out of there", she said sweetly to him and smiled.
"What do you want from me?" Ironhide screamed.
"Only your pain."
xxxxxxx
Skywarp appeared in the valley where the shuttle of the Autobots had been landed. He was again all to deeply reminded how terrifying this planet really was, especially if you were alone.
And this time was not even Thundercracker with him. The for, that was hanging over this entire area was still there and made it impossible to see anything over greater distances.
Yes, but strangly only a few minutes ago, they could perfectly clearly see the explosion.
It was as if this fog only existed when this creature didn´t wanted them to see anything, as if he was controlling the things around them.
Could betray their senses, let them see whatever they wanted.
Where the things around him even real? Could he trust anything he saw?
Despite everything he had already seen, this thought scared him.
No, he had already seen what the enemy could do. There was no reason to believe that this creature could do more than it had already shown. It had no sense to drive himself crazy. If the monster had greater power than it had shown, it would have already used it against him. At least he hoped so.
But some doubt staid, what if everything that he saw around him wasn´t real but only an illusion. Could he even tell the difference.
After a minute, he saw the remains of the shuttle. It looked s if somebody had blown the engines up and of course destroyed the entire ship in the process.
Close to it, he found the dead bodies of three Autobots. One had been too close to the shuttle as it exploded. He had literally been ripped to pieces. The two others looked as if they had killed each other. It reminded him all too much of the dead Decepticons that Optimus and his group had found.
It was as if he could hear the voices around him. Like before.
He was hearing them in the mist that was surrounding him.
And one was coming closer, coming for him.
xxxxxxx
The other Transformers had started to move in the direction where they would meet up with the ship. Like the last time, they could barely see a few metres far. This was especially remarkable since the optical sensors of the Transformers were far more effective than the organic eyes of the natives of this planet.
Now it actually seemed to be worse than before. The fog was thicker than before, the weather was getting worse. It was as if a force that was controlling this planet didn´t want them to go.
And they knew this was the truth.
They all were depressed and in a bad shape, physically and mentally. Several of their comrades had been killed and they hadn´t been able to do anything about it. And they were fighting an enemy with no idea how and if they could defeat him.
But all of them tried not to show it.
Soundwave wasn´t an exception. With him it was literally vivible that something had shaken him and that while Soundwave barely talked usually and even less showed emotion.
For him, it wasn´t just what the creature had shown him, it was what was about to happen, what he was forced to do. It was the meaning behind his personal illusion.
What the creature had shown him was his greatest fear.
None of them had spoken about what they had seen, neither the Autobots or the Decepticons. Maybe they would later, when they were back home. If there was a later for them. But not as long as there was still danger, not as long as the mission was still going on. They were all warriors after all.
Kup was walking close to Optimus. He used the chance to talk to his leader "in private", as good as this was possible under this circumstances.
"I personally think it wasn´t a good idea to let the Decepticons know more about the Matrix", he said to him.
"What other choice did we have? If this creature would had the Matrix, it would be worse than with any Decepticons."
"You don´t have to tell me, but I still don´t like the thought", Kup replied.
Yes, in one point was Kup right, Optimus thought. Giving the Decepticons more knowledge about the Matrix and it´s supposed powers, was something that could lead to bad consequences later. Even if it was only the fact that this creature had showed interest in it. Every bit of knowledge however that the Matrix and it´s abilities are more than an old myth could raise their interest in it and give the Decepticons another strategically target and another reason for this war.
But Optimus had an image in his mind. Whatever it was, what was holding this being on this world so far, Optimus was sure, if it was able to use the power of the Matrix, it would be able to leave to the stars. And then would the nightmare that had happened here repeat itself everywhere else. Every planet that crosses the way of this monster would fall first into chaos and would then be destroyed.
And Optimus remembered very good that the next planet from here was right now Cybertron. Everything the Autobots had ever fought for would be lost and then, the entire galaxy would be under threat.
He couldn´t, under no circumstances, let this happen.
"Heh what is that?" Kup suddenly called out.
He was right, they realised. Before them, something was shaping out from the shadows. They heard screams haling through the mist.
As they came closer, they saw what it was.
Slings were growing out of the ground, forming something that looked like a cage and a robot was trapped inside. It was Ironhide.
Next to the cage stood someone else. The Autobots recognised to their horror, the damaged and mutilated form of the former squad leader Def Charger. His body was full of open wounds and was looking as if it was about to fall apart.
It was a scene like out of a nightmare, but after everything they had already seen in the last days, this seemed quiet normal for them.
The robot inside was constantly tortured by electroshock's that were sent through his body. They saw that next to the cage stood a much smaller figure, a female of the native species of humanoids.
"It is you", Megatron said.
"Yes and I fear I can not let you continue your way", Xaaras told him.
She looked from one Transformer to the next. Finally her gaze fell on Optimus Prime.
"As you can see, I have your friend. If you go any farther, he will die."
xxxxxxx
Skywarp heard the voice coming closer, someone was coming from beside him. Slowly, he recognised the voice and saw the figure appearing, a seeker pretty much like he himself. He could barely believe that he was seeing him here alive.
"Starscream", he greeted him.
The other seeker just starred at him for a few moments, then he smiled.
"Ah Skywarp, he had told me that somebody would come, but I didn´t know it would be you", Starscream looked for a moment as if he was thinking about something, then he showed a knowing smile. "What had led you to this place brother?"
"Who has told you?" Skywarp asked carefully. Starscream acted strange, even by his standards and he had actually a very good idea who `had told him´.
Starscream was looking to the side, as if he was seeing something.
"Starscream", Skywarp tried to talk to him, "Megatron has send me. We will try to get away from this planet. It is good that I have found you. We had already thought you were lost."
Starscream was still starring at an empty place, a few metres from them.
"Don´t listen to him. All he wants to keep you from doing what you have to do. To keep you from the power that I have promised you, that you deserve", the phantom of the former air commander told him.
"Yes, yes you are right", Starscream murmured.
"Starscream, who are you talking to?" Skywarp asked nervously.
"No, you won´t stop me", the other seeker yelled and aimed his guns at Skywarp.
Starscream fired, but Skywarp dodged the shot, even if it was barely.
"Damn, have you lost your mind", the black seeker yelled.
"I can not allow you to leave this planet."
"Why not?" Skywarp asked angrily. He brought a greater distance between himself and Starscream.
"On this world is a key to power, my way to prove myself worthy. He has promised me. When we will all stay here, we will receive the power. The Decepticons will reign supreme and I will be the greatest of them all. For that reason I have to destroy the ship, to make sure that nobody leaves this planet." Starscream smiled.
"Starscream, listen to me. This planet is under the control of a dangerous creature. Megatron had ordered to evacuate."
"Megatron has?" Starscream looked bewildered for a moment. "No, no", he murmured.
"Starscream, this creature can deceive our senses, you are manipulated."
For a moment Starscream looked Skywarp in the eyes, with an mixed expression of confusion and anger.
Then he started to laugh.
"Skywarp, Skywarp, do you really think I, Starscream, could be manipulated by some creature", he said to him with something between compassion and pity.
He turned around and looked away from Skywarp.
"Yes, my friend, it is obvious that you can not understand what is happening here. Something like that is far beyond you. But that is no surprise right? Since I was always by far the superior model of us." Starscream smiled.
One moment later, he raised his guns up again and fired, but in exactly that moment, Skywarp teleported again.
Starscream´s blasts went through empty air.
xxxxxxx
Skywarp realised that he had made it, he was by the ship and it was still intact.
One of the other seekers, who staid behind as guards opened the lock.
"Skywarp, what had happened?" He asked. "We had lost contact to you and you can believe me a few strange things happened here."
"I will explain everything to you. First we have to start the ship. We have to pick up Megatron and the others. And stay over the atmosphere", he added.
"I understand", the seeker answered him.
"And something else. Look out for Starscream. He has gone insane, he is completely out of his mind", Skywarp told him.
"He has been lost out there for an entire week." Skywarp pointed at the dead wasteland.
The other seeker looked at him uneasy. He remembered the things he had seen in the short time he was here and he didn´t even went far away from the ship.
He could only imagine what had happened to the air commander.
xxxxxxx
Over the surface of the planet, all through the atmosphere, the creature that was ruling this planet was laughing.