A/N: Just a short chapter this time as we begin a new act in Pariah. I've covered things somewhat lightly here, but will go into more detail in the next few chapters. Writer's block has had its effects on me these past couple months, as have real life issues, so I do apologize if the quality isn't quite up to snuff.
Responses to my anonymous reviewers for the last chapter: samson443 - Thank you much! While I'm setting Starscream up, I am in no way planning to leave him in the hands of the 'Cons. He knows where his loyalties lie, even if his life is proving difficult. Bi-beast King - I am trying. Not sure if this is my best one, but at the very least I broke out of the writer's block I have. To Grievous27, g. wings, and the Guest who reviewed on July 4, thank you much for the compliments. Getting encouragement does help me with getting things out, even if it takes longer than expected.
Warnings: Descriptions of destruction, nothing explicit.
Time units (as found on TFWiki):
Breem - 8.3 minutes
Orn - 1 Cybertronian day (2 Earth weeks)
Joor- 1 Cybertronian hour (6 to 6.5 hours)
Vorn - 1 Cybertronian year (83.3 Earth years)
Klik - 1 Cybertronian minute
"By the pricking of my thumbs, Something wicked this way comes." - William Shakespeare, "Macbeth, Act IV, Scene I"
Iacon - Autobot HQ - 10 vorns later
The lone mech walks through the shattered remains of the fallen buildings. Once they'd been built with a special alloy that came from off-world and lined with a crystalline like glaze that had reflected the lights of the city, giving it a brilliant sheen. The crunch of glass under his thrusters reminds him of the dome that is no longer there. Once it had surrounded the city and had added to the glistening appearance which gave the city its name. Like the buildings, it no longer remains, being little more than scattered piles of rubble. The silence of the place is deafening, and no life signs are to be seen.
He looks around the wasteland of destruction, hoping his optics are glitching, that he's imagining this. But the landscape remains the same, no matter how long he looks.
The mech falls to his knees and screams as the horrific truth slams home.
Crystal City is gone...
Starscream woke with a jolt.
That fragging nightmare again.
He got up from his berth and walked over to the window. For nearly every night cycle of the past eight orns, he'd been met with that nightmare when he'd dropped into recharge.
Ever since the news of Altihex's fall arrived.
That news had plunged much of the Autobot army into a state of shock. Altihex had been clinging to its Neutrality since the beginning of the war, and had made no comments for or against Megatron, nor had it made declarations in regards to whether or not they would align with the Autobots. Since Simfur's fall, the remaining Neutral city-states had become even more cautious about making a declaration regarding choosing a side or saying anything that could be misinterpreted.
When the city had missed one of the usual check-ins that were instituted shortly after Simfur, it hadn't been thought strange at first, until several attempts to contact it had met with static. Prime had sent out a small scout team to investigate, with orders to stay out of sight in case Decepticons were in the area.
When they reached Altihex's location, they found a massive pile of rubble and gray shells littering the ground. Recovery efforts had been going on ever since. So far, they had found maybe fifty survivors, and twenty had not made it. Those who were able to speak told the same story: the anti-grav engines had suddenly cut out. All survivors had either joined or expressed interest in joining the Autobots after their recovery. The only bit of "good" news was that the death toll was not quite as high as it could have been, as nearly half of the inhabitants had left the planet over the past twenty vorns. But even so, it was still far too high.
Starscream frowned, thinking about it. Anti-gravs did not just "suddenly cut out" for no reason. Plus, he knew from what Skyfire had told him that those engines had techicians monitoring it constantly just in case a glitch arose. That meant they could repair it before disaster hit, as it had now. While it was too early to know if it was either some type of unexpected malfunction that somehow avoided detection or if foul play was involved, Starscream knew there were rumors flying around, with many in the base feeling it was no simple accident. In fact, the Decepticons were being named as the ones responsible by several, even though there was no proof one way or the other.
But if it was a deliberate attack of some kind, then why? A message of some kind? Just because they could? Or was it something else?
Starscream shook his head. There was no way to know for sure right now, but even he couldn't deny that he felt as some of the others did, that this was no accident. Perhaps it was his scientific experience that made him believe such. In any case, since that orn, the nightmare of walking through a destroyed Crystal City had been haunting him. He couldn't help but hope that it was just that, a nightmare.
A cold shudder went through the Seeker at the thought. Suspecting he wouldn't be able to get any more rest this night cycle, he turned and left his quarters. Maybe some energon would help him relax a bit.
Autobot Headquarters - 5 breems later
Commissary
Starscream sat sipping at his energon. The Commissary was dimly lit, and the last couple mechs had left about a little over four breems ago. Or more to the point, they'd left right after they'd seen him come in the room. He grimaced. Some things never change.
Unfortunately, he couldn't say he was too surprised. After all, everything since his arrival here had pretty much gone as he'd expected: Insults, threats, physical attempts at harm, pranks...That red fragger Sideswipe had been pretty prolific with that. One memorable one involved Starscream returning to his room to find his furniture welded to the ceiling. Between he, Wheeljack and Ratchet, it had taken half a joor to get everything taken down and put back in their proper places. Sideswipe had found himself singing Cybertronian love songs in a femme voice for about two orns after that. He'd been pretty quiet since and Starscream wasn't sure he wanted to know what the moron would do next.
Sure, there were a handful who treated him well, namely Prime, Perceptor, Wheeljack and Ratchet. Plus, there were a scattered few who treated him neutrally, but the majority of the attitudes were downright hostile. He faced them all head-on as best he could, but found that the lab was really the only place he could get any kind of peace.
Of course, working around Wheeljack doesn't make for many peaceful moments. The tri-color jet smiled slightly at the thought. It seemed like most of the time he spent in the labs was actually spent monitoring Wheeljack rather than working on his own projects. On the other hand, he couldn't deny the mech made his life interesting...He found himself sometimes wondering how Crystal City ever survived the green and white mech.
That thought brought the nightmare back to mind and Starscream sank back against the seat, frowning as he once more tried to figure out why this nightmare kept recurring.
The tetrajet was so deep in his musings that he was unaware he was no longer alone in the room until someone spoke.
"A credit for your thoughts." The unexpected words startled Starscream out of his thoughts, and he nearly spilled what was left of his ration.
He looked around and saw no one, the Commissary was completely deserted. Yet Starscream wasn't the type to believe in ghosts, and he knew he hadn't been imagining that voice.
"Who's there? Show yourself!"
A low, amused chuckle. "As you wish." A shimmer of the air, and a blue and white mech with yellow optics appeared on the couch in front of him, a small smile on his face.
Starscream raised a browridge in curiosity. How the Pit did he do that?
He must have voiced that thought aloud, for the mech responded by motioning to a large cone-shaped object on his left shoulder. "Electro-disruptor. Allows me to appear and disappear at will. Comes in handy sometimes."
Starscream nodded. "I can imagine." He paused, a thought occurring to him. He had heard of these, or at least the idea, a long time ago. Shortly after Starscream's graduation, a scientist named Ionic had been touting the notion of bending light particles to give the notion of invisibility. Many seemed to think the idea was a waste of time, mainly because the amount of energy he seemed to indicate would be required to do it was prohibitive. Apparently, Ionic had gotten someone to take him up on the notion eventually. He'd have to ask Perceptor about that later.
The mech's calm, cool voice broke into his thoughts. "I don't believe we have ever been properly introduced. I am called Mirage. And your designation?"
Starscream gave him a wary look. There was no way in Pit this "Mirage" didn't know his designation after twenty vorns, and while the appearance wasn't familiar (no surprise if he walked around invisible), his own was. Not only that, Wheeljack and Perceptor had added to his knowledge of the rank and file, so he knew that a "Mirage" worked for Special Operations, under Jazz. In fact, he was Jazz's second.
And over the past ten vorns, the jet had learned just how correct he was in his initial assessment of Jazz. Definitely one mech you didn't want to slag off. And if this mech was half as good as Jazz...
Mirage chuckled inwardly. He could well understand why Starscream was suspicious of him. Not only was the noble's reputation as a spy well-known, even if he wasn't known by sight, Starscream hadn't exactly been made to feel welcome these past ten vorns at HQ. As he had predicted, Gears had wasted no time in telling Cliffjumper the news about the Seeker at the base. The moment the mini red hovercar had returned, he'd begun his reign of terror towards the "Decepticon" Seeker, picking fights with him every other orn, or insulting him loudly as soon as Starscream walked into hearing range. And that wasn't to mention what the frontliners had tried. Sideswipe had "jet-judoed" him at least once while out on patrol, and he'd also broken into the Seeker's room a number of times to prank him or leave threatening messages signed by both he and his brother. Starscream had returned the favor to Sideswipe any number of times, usually through pranks of his own, but still they went on, as did the insults. To his credit, Starscream tried to ignore those, but you could sometimes tell by looking at his optics that it was far from easy.
It also didn't help that most of the rest avoided the Seeker, giving him a wide berth or walking away when he was around. Often, they shot glares in his direction every chance they got, including Hound. Mirage had never been quite able to convince him that Starscream wasn't to blame for his humiliation either at Ratchet or Prowl's hands. Trailbreaker, for his own part, seemed a bit unwilling to help him talk to Hound. Not surprising, considering he was Hound's friend, and didn't want to risk losing that, but still, Mirage couldn't deny he was a bit disappointed by their behavior.
However, Jazz had made it clear to his subordinates that this particular Seeker was an ally, and if any of his team mistreated the mech, Jazz could and would make their lives Pit before giving them over to Prime.
With this in mind, he tried again, extending his hand. "Whatever you heard of me, I promise I won't bite. Now, again, I am known as Mirage. And you are?" The noble gave a small smile.
Starscream took the hand warily, still not quite trusting the mech, but very few spoke civilly to him here. If this one was, no point in wasting the chance he'd been given. "Starscream."
"Pleased to meet you finally, Starscream. Heard and seen much about you."
Another wary look, this time lined with even more suspicion. "I imagine you have," he replied coldly.
Mirage held up his hands in defense as if realizing he should have chosen his phrasing a bit more carefully. "I didn't mean it like that."
"Then what exactly did you mean?" The tone was frigid, but Mirage could hear the undertone of anger there.
Mirage weighed his answer carefully. "I meant only I'd heard what everyone else has, but I watched to see whether or not any of it was true."
Starscream glared. "And were you satisfied by what you found?"
He nodded. "I was. I saw a mech who didn't quite fit what rumor stated about him, and who seems to take everything and keep going no matter what happens to him."
A startled look this time, then: "I see."
Silence fell between the two for a few moments, Starscream sipping his energon and Mirage just watching. Finally, the noble spoke again. "It's not a habit of yours to come down here during night cycle unless you're on shift. May I ask what brought you down here?"
Starscream didn't respond for several kliks, weighing the risks of telling this mech. After all, Special Ops mechs were well-known for using whatever information they could in order to find a weakness. On the other hand, very few seemed willing to approach him with even half-friendly intentions. Finally Starscream inwardly shrugged. Ah, what the Pit. "I was thinking about Altihex...and Crystal City."
"Ah." Mirage had been a part of that scout team sent to investigate. He remembered Hound's descriptions of Simfur well, and they hadn't done what Mirage had seen justice. If anything, the carnage seemed worse at Altihex, if only because it was unexpected. Remembering that fliers came from there as well as Vos, he asked, "Did you know anyone from Altihex?"
Starscream hesitated. It wasn't as though he didn't want to talk about it, but he'd actually have preferred speaking to Wheeljack or Percy about this, as they were his friends and knew the reputation of his partner enough to be willing to listen. Mirage, on the other hand...
Perhaps sensing his hesitation and guessing why, Mirage smiled. "Just between us, I give my word."
Starscream gave him a cautious look, but nodded. "Yes, I did know someone who came from there at one time. He left there a long time ago, and came to see Crystal City as his home. Not that he didn't miss Altihex, he told me so much about it, I could tell it meant a lot to him at one time. But when you don't return to your home city-state for a while, a lot changes, and you don't seem to feel a part of it anymore. That's how he felt each time he went back and eventually he just stopped entirely."
Starscream paused. Should I say the rest? Pit, may as well. I've already confided this much..."It's also how I've come to feel about Vos."
Mirage didn't answer. For once, the self-assured noble wasn't sure what he could say. "You don't believe you will ever go back to your native city-state?" he said finally.
A snort. "It's long been known to the Seekers that I'm with the Autobots. I'll be lucky if they don't shoot me on sight should I turn up at the borders of Vos."
That...actually seemed to have been hinted by Punch in some of the reports he'd turned in shortly after Simfur, mused Mirage. He suspected that Starscream's words might be all too correct.
"Who was this acquaintance of yours?" he asked in an effort to change the subject slightly.
Starscream shook his head. "Doesn't matter now. He's been gone for quite some time."
A niggling suspicion took root. "Skyfire, by any chance?"
There was a brief look of surprise on the jet's face, which quickly melted back into the earlier suspicious one. Mirage once more held up his hands in defense. "I meant nothing by it. You see, I am from Crystal City myself, and your partnership was known there."
A slow, wary nod. "Understood." He finished the last of his energon and set the empty container on the table. "Yes, he was from Altihex. He felt towards it as I said, though. But still...Should I ever see him again, I'm not sure how I'll tell him about this. Any of this."
Mirage raised a browridge. That was the last thing he'd expected to hear. On the other hand, Jazz had told him that he'd managed to find some old records from the trial. He hadn't gone into too many details, but had said the records were interesting alone for what wasn't said, as well as that last comment of the judge's. "You believe he's alive, then?"
Starscream said in a low voice, "I don't know. Under the circumstances, the chances were slim even then. Now, after so long has passed..." He shook his head. "They may well be non-existent."
Neither spoke for a long moment, then Starscream went on. "In any case, I've been having nightmares ever since Altihex fell. About Crystal City."
Mirage felt a cold chill run through him and grip his Spark. "And those nightmares are about?"
Starscream's optics dulled. "It lays in ruins. Levelled to the ground."
The room seemed to grow colder. Neither spoke again, and when the Seeker finally got up to go back to his room, Mirage continued to sit there for a very long time.
When he finally got up to return to his quarters, the noble found himself hoping that Starscream's nightmare was just that, a nightmare.
But given the unexplained fall of Altihex and the destruction of Simfur, he couldn't be sure that it would remain simply a nightmare.
Mirage did not sleep the rest of the night cycle.
The Decepticon stronghold at Kolkular
Control Room
"So the virus was a success?"
"Yes, my Lord Megatron. Buzzsaw was able to slip through the blind spot in their defenses and plant it. Altihex fell in a matter of kliks."
"Well done, Shockwave."
The dark purple mech bowed.
Megatron turned his gaze to the blue mech at Shockwave's side. "Your new symbiont has proven his worth. I am quite pleased."
Soundwave's visor glowed briefly, but he said nothing in reply.
The Tyrant became thoughtful for a moment. "Will there be any traces left for the Autobots to find?"
"No. The virus was tailored to replicate only to the anti-grav engines. The virus destroyed itself the moment the engines failed."
Megatron nodded. "Good. Still, there is always the danger that something will remain. Just in case, keep the antidote ready, Shockwave. I do not need my own mechs infected."
"Yes, my Lord."
"Dismissed!"
As both mechs began to leave, Megatron spoke once more.
"Soundwave..."
The silent mech stopped and turned to his leader.
"If you would, get in touch with Scrapper." An evil grin crossed his face plates. "I have a special job for him." He transmitted the instructions to Soundwave.
Soundwave scanned them. His visor began to glow brightly. "Affirmative."
As he left, a dark laugh filled the room.
We are coming for you, Starscream.
