I am very, very pleased with how this chapter turned out! I love how it contrasts with the first part!
Thanks Answerthecall and Megan666 for your reviews!
Remember to R&R!
The battered SUV trundled through the dusty desert, sticking to the old road built many years before, worn away by the sands of time and the sands of the desert.
Gerin Rahb sat alone in the front seat, chewing on a piece of gum as she pushed her foot to the accelerator. Her sunglasses protected her eyes against the glaring sun, the long-sleeved shirt protecting the skin. The radio blared like an alarm, her mind racing with each bit of news.
"Reports say the casualty list has reached that of over 300 people, both of North and South Korean descent. Despite this, South Korea stated they have not declared war, even with the recent assassination of North Korea's supreme leader Kim Jong-Ul. A spokesperson from Pyongyang has stated that cybertronian forces were involved; they claim they have a body of one of the aliens, although they are unsure of whether it is Autobot or Decepticon…"
Gerin bit her lip. This was bad. Very bad.
What happened there? Were the Autobots and Decepticons really clashing? Or is there a real war on across the sea? How will America react? How will HARP react? How will Optimus react…?
"Thank you Charlene, we'll continue to discuss this story as the facts roll in; until then, how about a blast from the past? This is for all you metal and rock lovers out there; 'Escape' by Metalli—"
Gerin slammed on the brakes. She took off her sunglasses and gazed into the distance.
Smoke. Smoke was rising from the location of HARP HQ.
Oh shit…
She put the pedal to the metal and roared further into the desert.
Episode 10: Ride the Lightning (Part 2)
I feel no pain, but my life ain't easy
I know that I'm my best friend
No-one cares, but I'm so much stronger
I'll fight until the end
—Escape
Marcus saw something glint in the sand. He moved his hand to his forehead, to shadow his eyes against the sun. Another glint.
He walked at a steady pace to it, but started to run when he recognised what it was.
"I don't believe it," he muttered and pulled the spear from the ground. He raised it to the sun and saw the end reflect light in all its glorious illumination.
Behind him, Optimus, Mirage, Bumblebee and most of the remaining HARP soldiers under Colonel Lennox walked purposefully across the sands and sun-dried rocks. Optimus looked dead; his remaining arm hanging loose, his remaining optic flickering, his remaining will pushing him on. He had suffered through defeats in the last few hours that would have broken anyone else… but his will and perseverance kept him going, not resting until Starscream was destroyed and Stacy was freed.
The other two Autobots weren't better off; despite having gone through the battles relatively unscathed, they looked like the vanguard of a defeated army. The dust roamed round their bodies, tumbleweed brushing over their feet, their downcast looks revealing how badly they had lost.
Even the plucky HARP personnel who stepped with them looked utterly beaten. Their weapons hung loose by their sides or slung over their shoulders, the sun mercilessly beating them down. With the death of their comrades, their hopes had been badly broken, but they continued on regardless; they wanted to rescue Stacy… and get vengeance for every lost soul.
In fact, the only one who looked even remotely happy was Ryder. He wasn't smiling, but he did walk with a stroll, ELLIPSIS on one shoulder. No-one had bothered to take the weapon off him; it seemed to have almost become a part of who he was, the huge rifle on his back.
Marcus went with them, still upset over Stacy's kidnapping, but determined to rescue her.
Which is strange, he thought, Yeah… something happened to me in North Korea… but I can't remember what it could have been…
Something's coming over me… I have no idea what, but whatever it is, it's changing me. Is it something to do with those visions? Something to do with what happened in the sewers…? The Allspark…
Why am I even out here? I don't need to be; Optimus and the rest of HARP could handle this themselves, rescuing Stacy and killing Starscream. So am I out here because of what's been happening recently? I'm pretty sure puberty doesn't consist of blackouts and hallucinations…
Is it for Stacy? Do I want to be there in person, for the battle? She might die during it… Stacy might die, my god, I've never thought of it like that! We could all die, out here in this damned desert; Starscream could have called for backup, called for help! And what would we fight them with?
He looked at the small, defeated army that trudged through the desert.
I could simply turn around now… never look back…
He caught Optimus's eye and the Autobot leader looked at him, that remaining optic containing vast pools of ancient knowledge. He nodded.
Marcus nodded back.
I am here for Stacy… and I will never leave her.
He walked with the defeated army, readying themselves for a long hunt.
His right optic flickered on.
Then his left.
He flicked them on and off, to see if they still worked.
His legs!
He gasped and looked down his body, to see his legs had been recently attached.
"Don't worry Blazemaster," Ratchet consoled from where he was tending to Sideswipe, "Just lie still and let the heat sink in; you shouldn't move for a few cycles."
"W-What happened here?" Blazemaster asked, stunned, staring around HARP HQ, whose fires were being put out by quick-thinking HARP personnel.
"That's exactly what I want to know," said Gerin, appearing on the gantry, observing the carnage, "What the hell did happen?"
"Starscream and his flunkies," came General Mason's voice, striding out of the command centre, exhausted, "That's what happened. They tore my base apart…"
He looked around with a sigh, his HQ in pieces, HARP shattered from one decisive blow.
Gerin then noticed something she should have noticed as soon as she walked in. "Where are the kids?" she asked, almost flying into a panic.
"Stacy was taken by Starscream," Irving replied, trying to recover the remains of the CVD from all the wreckage, "But he didn't get far; Optimus shot him down several miles to the north-east. Now he, Colonel Lennox, most of HARP and the two remaining kids went after them."
"The kids went with him?" Gerin almost screeched, turning to look at Mason, "And you let them?"
Mason shrugged. "They wanted to go and they've got Optimus protecting them… dammit I'm tired… but I need to call Charlotte and hope I don't get sacked."
"Pathetic," Gerin muttered under her breath, "I'm going with them."
"Miss Rahb," Ratchet argued politely, "I believe that would be a bad idea; your help would be much appreciated here."
"That didn't stop your chopper friend," Gerin replied.
Ratchet turned to look where she had indicated.
Blazemaster was gone.
"You don't have any water in that empty head of yours, do you?" Stacy asked.
Starscream ignored her and kept on walking.
The sun would have beaten Stacy long ago if it hadn't been for Starscream's shadow, but his pace was hard to match, so Stacy was always forced into a slow jog.
"I remember a documentary," Stacy rasped, "On TV about the Autobots and the Decepticons… your name cropped up a bit… you were supposed to be one of the big bad guys."
No answer. She continued her pace, her feet blistering with each step upon the sand.
"But up close… you're nothing special."
"Cease your whining," Starscream snapped, "It is annoying."
"Good," Stacy spat, "You've killed friends, humans, Autobots. If I can discomfort you in any way possible before you enter your grave, or mine, then good."
Starscream let out a low growl, which did unnerve Stacy.
Suddenly, she screamed and fell onto her backside.
Starscream turned, looking down on her.
A rattlesnake hissed at Stacy, drawing slowly closer.
"What's that?" Starscream asked, puzzled.
"A snake!" Stacy screeched, "Kill it!"
"Why?"
"It can kill me!"
The rattlesnake coiled for a strike.
Stacy covered her face.
And with a resounding thump, the reptile was crushed underneath Starscream's talons. He removed the foot, the snake just a tiny splatter on it.
"Disgusting," he muttered, "All of you organics are."
Stacy looked up at him. "Thanks," she said.
"What for?" Starscream asked, genuinely surprised.
"For killing it. It could have killed me and you decided to act."
"It is only because you are a bargaining chip in case Optimus catches up," Starscream dismissed, "That fool would do anything for you repulsive creatures."
He turned and continued, Stacy following in his shadow.
"What happened?" Stacy asked.
"What are you talking about?"
"On your homeworld. Cyberthingy."
"Cybertron," Starscream corrected, still annoyed, "And what do you mean 'what happened?'"
"The news only says that your race split into two factions and fought. It doesn't say why."
Starscream sniffed with disdain and kept walking.
Stacy, rather angry at this dismissal, followed his lead.
They passed a few cacti, a mesa appearing in the distance.
"Why don't you just tell me?" Stacy asked angrily, "You're not going to make it out of this desert alive; Optimus is coming and he won't spare you."
Starscream rounded on her then, dropping to all fours and staring her in the face. She fell back onto her rump.
"Well, if you can draw the straws on my fate," he snarled, "Why can't I draw yours? If I am not to survive, why shouldn't I just kill you now?"
Stacy looked up nervously. But then she frowned and stood up, staring right back at him.
"Fine then; kill me. But either way, you will never see another sunset."
Starscream glared with fury. But Stacy held her ground against the titanic transformer, unflinching under his withering stare. Eventually, he slowly turned to look at the sun.
He stared up at it.
"Long ago, we were united in harmony and peace… under a sun. It fuelled the long-dormant Allspark, gave us life and prosperity, and allowed us to grow like never before. It was Cybertron's golden age, without strife or war… it was paradise."
He looked down at his foot, the talons splayed and sharp.
"But like any paradise, it had its snake; Megatron, Lord High Protector of Cybertron found and colluded with a malignant force known as The Fallen. Under his misguided teachings, Megatron acted out of jealousy and a hunger for power against his oldest friend, Optimus Prime, and attempted to take over Cybertron by controlling the Allspark. Our world split into two factions; the Autobots and the Decepticons. The Autobots wanted to stop Megatron's wanton destruction and lust for power, while the Decepticons wanted to bask in the glory of tyranny and domination."
"You do realise you're not painting yourself in a pretty picture?" Stacy asked, "You're making yourself sound like a bad guy."
"I will not disguise the facts child," Starscream told her, "Back in those days, all those deca-cycles ago, I was young and ambitious. I merely wanted to be on the winning side… but as the war dragged on, I began to realise that I didn't especially care for the power, or for the destruction of the Autobots… I cared for Cybertron. My home. And I had to watch as it began to waste away, metal turning into slag, slag into new soldiers, the war never-ending. The lines between friend and foe began to blur real badly. I began to see Optimus in a new light; there was a leader who cared for his troops and wanted to protect his world as I did. Megatron just looked petty and manic compared to him."
"So why didn't you join him?" Stacy asked, enraptured with the story.
"…At the apex of the war, the Autobots staged a daring plan; to distract the main Decepticon force at Tyger Pax while another group stole the Allspark from right under our noses. On reflection, it was a plan I could understand. But there was one problem; if the Allspark was removed from its place at the sacred temple at Simfur, then its connection to our sun would be lost and so to would it be. But they went through with it and managed to take it. Our sun then vanished, the energy that fed us now gone forever. It was so… cold. But as much as I hated the Autobots, at least I understood why they did it. But what happened next changed everything.
"Optimus flung the Allspark into space, to stop Megatron from reclaiming it; the last hope for our wasting planet was in his hands and all he did was throw it away like a petulant child. Our world began to die and our suffering was allowed to continue. It was then that I realised it; Optimus was no better than Megatron, doing what he did for his own selfish reasons. He acted without thinking of what might befall us all, throwing away our only hope and only source of life. I realised that both Optimus and Megatron were the same, only Optimus was a hypocrite, and I hated them in equal measures. I still do. They killed our world without a second thought, killed our race with their ignorance and doomed us all to die without a care.
"And now Cybertron is destroyed. Utterly obliterated. All because of their selfish reasons. We wouldn't even be here, attempting to destroy your race as well if it weren't for those two. That is why, I hope, that before I inevitably die in this war, I kill them both for their war crimes against Cybertron. Even now, it is too late to choose a side; the Autobots want blood and the Decepticons want conquest. Because of our selfish and ignorant leaders, we will all burn in the Pit, while Primus laughs at us all."
Stacy looked up in astonishment, never having heard this side of the story.
"So now you see," Starscream spat, "Before Cybertron's death I survived, because I knew I was not part of either side's war. All I cared for was our world and our sun. And now, after my death… both are lost. And with it, any hope for our future."
They walked in silence after that, the sun watching their every move, the sweat breaking upon her skin and the light sparkling off Starscream's armour.
"How long do you guys live?" Stacy asked.
"Depends on the strength of one's spark," the Decepticon replied, "Some may not see past a hundred, while some, like the ancient Seekers, have lived for over a million of your years."
"I can't even imagine living for that long," Stacy muttered, "There must have been billions of you."
"When the sun was out, that seemed to be what was going to happen. But then the war started. In the end, through the death and flames, I bet the highest population count on Cybertron was only around five million."
"You guys really are endangered," Stacy murmured, "How do you even reproduce?"
"Hatcheries; powered by a lot of energon, those strange buildings produce cybertronians, who will take time to grow and learn. When I was only two hundred years old, I worked with the matrons of the hatcheries, protecting the young ones from the beasts that came from beneath Cybertron's fragile surface. That was a much simpler time… and a much more honourable one…"
Stacy looked up from her ragged shoes to see they were approaching the distant mesa.
"We'll climb that," Starscream pointed out, "To see if my communicator can contact Soundwave; he would be watching from above."
"Soundwave? I've heard that name before…"
"He's our spymaster," Starscream muttered with disdain, "He knows everything that happens on this chunk of rock; if he's up there, then he will be watching us even now."
Stacy looked up at the clear blue sky.
"What about that other one; the one that was in North Korea?"
"Korea? What are you talking about?"
"There was this Decepticon; he devastated every single Autobot—"
"That would be Shockwave," Starscream replied, "Deep down, I think he's more disgusting than both Optimus and Megatron… but he's open. You know what he wants and how he'll get it."
Starscream stopped suddenly. He turned to look down at Stacy.
"Why am I telling you all this?" he snarled.
"From the sounds of it, you don't like any of your fellow soldiers," Stacy replied, "So it must get quite lonely up there. That's why you're talking with me."
Starscream turned angrily and picked up the pace, forcing Stacy into a run.
"There's no need to be so self-righteous!" she shouted, "It's alright to be wrong!"
"I don't need sympathy from human scum!" Starscream roared back, "I am a proud warrior of Cybertron, with a vision of our race without Optimus or Megatron, Autobot or Decepticon, war and hate! I am the only one who realises what's at stake… the only one who can lead us to salvation…"
"You are very lonely," Stacy said sympathetically, "Isn't there anyone up on that moon who you like?"
Starscream slowed back down, his gaze downcast.
"I don't like anyone per say… but there are people loyal to me. Well, I believe Thundercracker is the only one who really is…"
"Thundercracker?" questioned Stacy in alarm, "He was the one who brought you all back!"
"He… he was, wasn't he?" Starscream muttered, "We're so quick to forget the real heroes of our race… if it wasn't for him, I would still be hanging up in your abattoir."
"So he's a friend?"
"Not really, no," Starscream replied truthfully, "He's just a soldier who I knew back from the ancient tribes, who quickly latched on to my idea of unification… and then the sun came out. But he still stuck by my side. He's always had a bit of a twisted mind, but his spark is always set on the Decepticon cause. Plus, he's one of our best fighters…"
"I heard even Optimus had trouble with him," Stacy muttered, "So he's not a friend?"
"…I don't really believe in friends," Starscream replied, "Because if you don't have friends, you can't be betrayed."
"So you can't be betrayed by subordinates then?" Stacy asked dryly.
Starscream didn't answer that.
"There was a wise man once, I forget his name," she continued, "Who said that the meaning of life was to have friends… and if you have none, then you may as well have not lived at all."
"When your 'wise men' have lived as long I have," Starscream retorted, "You begin to realise that friends are just tools that can refuse to work. I have no need for friends, because they would slow me down."
"And you really are on life's fast lane, aren't you?"
Starscream stopped again and looked down at his feet, his weight shifting them into the sand. He sighed.
"Whatever you may think of me, whether I'm a monster or a lost cause, know this… Optimus and his Autobots are even worse off."
"I don't think the Decepticons could be worse off than us," Marcus told partly to Ryder and partly to himself, "I mean; look!"
Ryder looked back at the defeated army. He seemed to make some sort of calculation with his eyes.
"Starscream will survive; whether Stacy lives or not is up to Optimus."
"W-What? How can you even think that?"
"It's not a matter of thinking, it's a matter of probability. From what I know of Starscream (loud, arrogant, cowardly) and from what I know of our troops, that is the predicted outcome."
We picked the wrong child.
Indeed.
"Yeah, but, why not be optimistic?" Marcus asked, shaking his head from the dull headache, "You know, to raise spirits and all that?"
"Marcus, I am, what do you call it, a nihilist."
"Uh, aren't those guys supposed to be evil?" Marcus questioned.
"No. Just forgetful."
As Marcus pondered Ryder's cryptic conversation, he saw something glimmer in the distance.
"Uh, Optimus?" he called, "What's that?"
Optimus turned quickly, seeing the glimmer approaching from behind.
"Mirage, my remaining optic is failing," he said, "Please tell me that's not a Decepticon."
"It's Blazemaster, Optimus," Mirage replied, his optics far more powerful than any human eyes, "He isn't flying that well… he must still be injured."
"He shouldn't be flying at all," Optimus muttered, "But I know why he's out here."
They continued moving, not wasting any time, Starscream moving as much as they did.
Eventually, Blazemaster caught up and transformed, landing beside Optimus. He walked with shaky legs.
"Optimus, I know that I need attention, but I—"
"Don't worry yourself about it," Optimus replied in cybertronian, "Little Stacy has grown on you, hasn't she?"
"I… I now understand how you and Bee felt towards Sam," Blazemaster replied, "She has become a friend… I care about her and if anything were to happen…"
"I understand," Optimus said sympathetically, "And I know you want to get Starscream as much as any of us… and we will get him."
Blazemaster nodded.
Marcus turned to Ryder again.
"We now have better odds, don't we?"
Ryder shook his head. "The odds are the same; the audience is bigger."
Stacy feared for her life as she clung onto Starscream's shoulder, the Decepticon climbing up the mesa, his sharp claws raking into the rock.
"Almost at the top," he panted.
Stacy didn't look down, not wishing to face the sheer drop that might await her. She clung onto a nook in his armour, holding on for dear life. Starscream was silhouetted against the sun, his shadow like that of a deformed spider. It also didn't help Stacy that his armour was almost too hot to touch. A couple of minutes in the shade of the flat mountain had changed that for the better, but only slightly.
Eventually, the air commander got an arm over the top and managed to scramble his way onto the summit. Stacy fell off in a heap, yelping as her hands touched the even hotter rock, causing her to leap to her feet.
Starscream stood up, moving a hand over his face for the shade his optics welcomed.
He sighed.
"Optimus and your friends are around twenty miles from here," he muttered, "I'd best make this quick…"
He activated his communicator to try and contact Soundwave in the heavens above. Stacy watched with fascination.
"Don't you get hot?" she asked.
"Stars produce two things; heat and radiation. The heat I convert into energy while the radiation simply tickles my skin. It must affect organics differently."
"Tell me about it," Stacy huffed, sweat pouring down her face.
A minute passed.
Then two.
Eventually Starscream stomped the ground in frustration.
"Slag!" he roared, "Either Soundwave isn't up there, or he's ignoring me!"
"Why would he ignore you?" Stacy asked, confused.
"We don't exactly like each other," Starscream spat, "And he's left me out to die before."
"WHAT?" Stacy exclaimed, "BUT THAT'S WRONG!"
Starscream was surprised by this sudden outburst. "Uh… yes?"
"He can't do that!" Stacy argued, "Not to someone on your own side! That's like… betrayal! And since you're a commander that means it's like… I don't know, treason!
Suddenly, Starscream's eyes set ablaze. He looked down at her. "Treason?" he uttered with malevolence.
"Well, I think it might just be for presidents and kings, but it might apply to commanders," Stacy thought, "Or causes…"
"I… I never thought of it that way," Starscream uttered, "Treason… that means DEATH!"
"W-What? No!" Stacy cried, "Stop thinking that everything deserves the death penalty. Maybe, after all of this you could go up there and forgive him; then he might like you and you might be friends!"
Starscream stared at her, incredulous. Then, much to Stacy's chagrin, he burst out laughing.
"It was only a suggestion…" she muttered angrily.
"Soundwave? Friends?" Starscream hooted, "If you think I'm as social as a Driller, then you should meet him!"
"Why? What's wrong with him?"
"Although he isn't the most sadistic creep in our force," Starscream replied, "He certainly ranks among the top. I heard he likes preying on the weak with long, metal appendages…"
"Stop," Stacy said firmly, "I'd rather we left this big rock; it's quite windy up here."
Starscream watched her closely. "You know what's funny though?" he asked.
"What?"
"Why you think I'll make it out alive."
"I never said you would!"
"What was that about me going to forgive him then?" Starscream goaded, "That sounded like you wanted me to get out."
Stacy frowned. "I still think what you've done in your life is horrible, but I don't want you to die; no-one deserves that, no matter the crime."
"How naïve you are," Starscream uttered, "Believe what you wish, but in future you may be forced to take a life… what then?"
"So are you going to wait for Optimus to rescue me then?" Stacy asked impatiently, "Or am I your hostage and we're leaving?"
Starscream huffed and opened his hand so that she could climb on. He began to walk to the other side of the mesa, to begin the journey down.
"And I don't hate you," Stacy added, "No-one should ever hate another; it's too petty."
"We're all petty," Starscream muttered, "And your views on me may change in future… just to warn you."
"Optimus," Mirage muttered, "I think I see him; he's ten miles out."
Optimus focused his eye. "Are you sure?"
"No. But I do see something, Starscream or not."
"It must be him then," Optimus muttered, "Which means he's seen us; we'd better pick up the pace."
They eventually passed the huge mesa, Marcus wondering at its size.
"The Autobots are small compared to those," Marcus muttered, "Which makes us really small."
"What have the worlds scientists done without you intellectual mind?" Ryder asked.
"Can it."
They continued over the flats, nothing but sharp brushes and cacti in the way of life. A couple of turkey vultures gathered overhead and followed them. Marcus had no doubt in what they were thinking of, even with the metal titans nearby.
As they continued on, Mirage confirmed it before Blazemaster or Bumblebee could.
"It's Starscream."
The HARP soldiers shuffled themselves and readied their weapons for one last battle. Bumblebee and Blazemaster checked their systems.
"This sun…" Optimus muttered, "It's so strong…"
"Optimus?" Blazemaster asked.
"I'm tired, Blazemaster," Optimus replied, hefting the cannon off his back, "I've fought for too long in so little time… and lost so much. But Starscream must pay."
"At what price?" Blazemaster asked, frowning, "Isn't Stacy's life more important than Starscream's death?"
Optimus didn't answer.
As they continued on, Marcus realised how thirsty he was. He had been walking for miles in these badlands with no relief, the water running out hours ago. He looked up at the sky, his neck cracking with fatigue as he cast his gaze up. The clear blue sky only seemed to make him thirstier.
He turned his gaze back down to the desert, the heat waves playing with his perception of distance. It all looked like water, so clear, so cool… so close.
He thought back to the mesa… even that was small compared to the size of the country… and the country was small compared to the Earth… and the Earth was small compared to the sun… and the sun was so hot…
"Mesas are rocks. And even the largest rocks turn to sand…"
Marcus looked at Ryder, who must have been the one to speak. But Ryder moved on, oblivious. And the voice had come from Marcus's right, out in the desert.
He looked to his right.
A coyote walked beside him, his matted fur dirty and dusted, and his jaw line filled with rotting teeth. His eyes were like opals, filled with wondrous knowledge and hidden truths. Even his very stride spoke of a creature beyond his origin and legacy, a stride of purpose and mystery, a stride that could be painted a thousand times and yet each would still be uniquely different from every other interpretation of it.
Marcus looked at it with vague curiosity, his mind null.
"Tonight it's gonna freeze," the coyote spoke, his voice haughty and old, "Six lanes of traffic… three lanes moving slow…"
"…what…?" Marcus whispered, his vision swimming. But already the coyote was disappearing before his eyes, this ghost of the desert coming back from whence it came. Even if it was the recesses of Marcus's own mind.
Wh-What's going on?
We don't know… we don't know…
Stacy suddenly found herself in the air, a sensation she found most unwelcome.
"Oi!" she yelled, "Put me down!"
"For such a little creature, you do whine something awful," Starscream muttered, placing her on his shoulder.
"Why am I suddenly getting a trip without having to walk?" she asked.
"Because this trip's coming to an end," Starscream sighed, "Optimus is approaching and I don't have the energy or will to move any further."
He looked around him, tumbleweed and cacti the only things of note on the blistering sand.
"So it's here," Starscream muttered, "Here, after these thousands of years, that my life starts to fade away; this shall be my last stand… heh. I imagined it would be much grander than this…"
"It doesn't have to be!" Stacy argued, "You could just hand me over and walk away!"
"You think Optimus would let me?" he sighed, "No… I killed Sam Witwicky. There is no way I will leave this dust bowl alive."
Stacy said no more, unsure of what exactly to say to someone awaiting his death. She looked to the distance and made out the reflecting glimmers of her salvation. She looked back to Starscream's head at her side, his strange mouth a tight line.
"Do you eat?" she asked.
"What?"
"Do you transformers eat?" Stacy questioned, "For fuel."
Starscream shrugged, a movement that almost threw Stacy off him.
"We can consume scrap and junk for our spark to work slightly better; but it's energon that's the real foodstuff… shame it's such a rarity nowadays. In fact, since the war started, everything is now rare…"
They stood in silence, the Autobots coming into full view. Stacy could make out the pinpricks of the soldiers by them, coming out of the heat wave. She felt herself growing more nervous for what was to come.
"You know…" she gulped, "We're not so different, humans and transformers."
Starscream opened his mouth to argue, but slowly shut it. For he looked at the cybertronians and alien insects of HARP, walking side-by-side, outlined in the desert heat. He wondered to himself.
"…Yeah. I guess we're not."
They all could see Starscream. They could even make out Stacy on his shoulder.
Marcus's heart swelled. She's alive! Thank God… she's alive!
They were a quarter-mile away, but that was when Optimus stopped. Everyone understood why; they needed to survey the area.
"He seems to be alone… my shot must have wrecked his communicator," Optimus said, "Or Soundwave's toying with him. Maybe no-one knows he's here… all the better. Stacy seems to be fine, though scared… but her position would make a fire-fight a bad option."
"It's not even an option," Blazemaster replied through gritted teeth.
Optimus nodded. "I'm sorry; you're right…"
He sighed. On that note, everyone steeled themselves.
"Reinforcements could drop out of the sky at any moment Optimus," Lennox said wisely.
Optimus nodded. He was a sorry sight; missing a limb, caked in dried mud from the other side of the world and his cannon was languidly held in his drooping arm. His remaining eye had almost completely gone.
"Then it is time… let us see where this takes us."
They all walked towards Starscream.
They stood off in the desert.
The showdown had begun.
On one side, Optimus put all effort into making his back straight, flexing his fingers round the cannon. Mirage and Blazemaster stood on either side, weapons drawn, missiles and lasers ready to be sent at incredible speeds across the sandy floor. Bumblebee stood to Mirage's left, his arm cannon ready to fire whenever he felt like it. And around them, taking positions on the rises and shingles in the near-flat desert were the soldiers of HARP under Colonel William Lennox. They all had launchers of some sort, the rounds and missiles also ready to smash into their target at a single word. And with them, Marcus and Ryder stood, determined, the spear with one and ELLIPSIS with the other.
On the other side, an injured Starscream stood with Stacy on his shoulder.
"It seems," Optimus spoke across the sandy plain, "That we have the upper hand, Starscream."
"I am always in the strongest position, Optimus," Starscream replied, taking Stacy off his shoulder with his hand, "You wouldn't dare open fire on me."
"Maybe," Optimus said, "Maybe your right. Maybe each soldier will walk away without a shot being fired. Maybe this valley will be filled with corpses by the moon's rising, when the vultures come to feast. Maybe you'll die."
Tumbleweed rolled between them, Starscream's eyes narrowing.
"You're saying that if I hand her over, you'll just simply let me go?" he asked.
"Starscream, this has gone on for too long," Optimus replied tersely, "There will be other battles in future and it is there that we will finally settle matters. But today, I'd rather everyone just walk away alive. So yes; hand her over and we'll let you go."
A few members of HARP (including a couple of the Autobots) shifted uncomfortably at that, but there was no denying what Optimus was offering.
But Starscream was having none of it.
"And then what, Optimus?" he roared, "I just return to Megatron and say all I did was attack HARP and lose soldiers; where's the intelligence behind that? I have the hostage, I have the demands! Get me a Pillar from your HQ and then I'll let her go!"
"You must think us mad!" Mirage cried, "To just give you a Pillar and watch you walk away with it! There's no way we would agree to that!"
There was deathly silence. The wind blew strong, spreading the ground, kicking it up. Ryder's duster flapped in a quite dramatic way.
"Well then," Starscream muttered with a slight smile, "Let's see who breaks first."
"Just accept the deal!" Stacy whispered urgently to Starscream, "You can just leave and never look back!"
"Just accept the deal!" Marcus whispered urgently to Optimus, "Stacy's life is priceless!"
"And you could just shoot him in the back as he walks away," Ryder added, "Then collect the prize."
Optimus knew he couldn't wait Starscream out; it was only thanks to sheer willpower he hadn't passed out into stasis lock.
"How many Pillars do we have?" he asked Mirage.
"Twelve, boss," replied the red Autobot, "And we only need four to get us through easily."
Optimus sighed, his remaining optic having now completely failed. He was blind and knew that he was useless in a fight. And deep down, he also knew that even the three remaining Autobots and all the HARP troops probably wouldn't beat Starscream, even in his state.
"Fine then," he muttered, "Mirage; get the Pillar from HARP HQ."
Mirage turned with surprise.
"Don't worry," Optimus told him, "I'll take the fall for it… you just get that Pillar."
Mirage transformed and took off, while a triumphant smirk played on Starscream's face. If Optimus had seen it, he may have changed his mind.
"So this is how it's going to end, Optimus?" Bumblebee said, unable to keep the anger out of his voice, "With Starscream walking away with a victory? Sam weeps in his grave…"
"Really?" Optimus asked with surprise, "Do you really think Sam would care about being avenged? Or do you believe he'd be happy knowing that we had saved just one more life?"
Bumblebee looked down then, ashamed. "I-I'm sorry… I spoke out of turn."
"And I'm sorry too… for everything."
The sun beat down upon their skin, even as it lowered itself towards the west. Optimus started swaying, the heat blistering his metal and cooking the complicated machinations that lay inside. The other members of HARP were also feeling the strain, with Marcus and Ryder moving into Optimus's shadow. Time passed.
Starscream fell onto his backside, the heat beginning to take its toll. But Stacy was still in his grasp, keeping the situation exactly the same as it just was.
Starscream, not having noticed Optimus's blindness, turned towards the sun.
"Glorious, isn't it?" he asked in cybertronian, the electronic chatter impossible to be heard by human ears.
"What?" Optimus replied.
"The star. It's strength… it's power…"
"It's always been about power, hasn't it?" Optimus muttered, "And never about need…"
"People need power, Prime," Starscream argued, "It sates their hunger, quenches their thirst… and just delays them until their next meal. It is the way of life… eat up the meek, defecate their corpses, claim their land; and if you stand in the way, then you will just join them."
"Power must be shared if it is to be of any worth," Optimus replied, "If one person has all the power, then no matter what, someone else will take it; it needs to be shared if life is to continue its natural course."
Starscream sighed. The sky turned red with the coming of dusk.
"Either way, power does not save," he concluded, "In a hundred years, you won't tell the sands of this desert from the dust of our bones. We are on the road to extinction… and it's all thanks to you."
Optimus said nothing, not rising to the bait.
"What might have been, eh?" Starscream continued, the fading heat meaning fading energy, "We could have been so much more…"
"Well, look at yourself!" Blazemaster interrupted, "Holding a defenceless human hostage! It's your decisions that decide what you could be! So what are you doing here?"
"Waiting," Starscream replied with spite, "For victory to be delivered on your friend's back."
Blazemaster frowned at that, but could say nothing that could dispute his knowledge.
But they then heard a roaring in the distance, coming from where Mirage had went. Eventually, his slick Ferrari form could be seen hurtling across the sand dunes before skidding to a halt beside the members of HARP. A Pillar rested on top of him.
Even more depressingly, General Mason stepped out of the passenger seat, angry from not just the bumpy ride.
"I've brought the Pillar," Mirage told Optimus, transforming, before shifting his tone of voice to something more spiteful, "And the General."
"Oh."
"Sorry boss; the revolting insect said he would evict us unless I took him with me."
"Don't worry, I understand," Optimus replied before turning to where he thought Mason was, "General, I'm glad you could join us."
"Now listen carefully Optimus," Mason growled with no hesitation, "I'm leaving this in your hands, but understand this; whatever happens here will decide your future on our planet."
The way he said 'our' sent shivers down Optimus's spine, but he didn't show it. He converted all auxiliary power into giving life back to his remaining optic. A red sky loomed over them all.
"Alright then," he said, loud enough so that everyone could hear, "Blazemaster will take the Pillar and leave it in-between us both; then you let Stacy go so that she can return to us. When she passes the Pillar, you can retrieve it."
Starscream nodded. "Fine then."
Mirage handed the Pillar over to Blazemaster in an almost reverent fashion, while Blazemaster prepared to walk out.
"Hang on!" Starscream cried suddenly, "How do I know you haven't sabotaged it?"
The deal halted immediately. Optimus sighed.
"Mirage, please say that the Pillar isn't sabotaged," he said.
"It isn't, boss," Mirage replied loyally, "I thought about doing it, but realised that this situation would occur."
"Starscream!" Optimus called, "On my word, the Pillar isn't sabotaged in any way."
"Your word means nothing!" Starscream spat, "How many promises have you kept, promises of vengeance and of debts not repaid… how many times have you lied?"
"Starscream, look at me!" Optimus gasped, "I have no time for this… just take it…"
Starscream glared but didn't speak.
When no more was said, Blazemaster continued to walk to the midway point. He carefully lowered the Pillar to the ground and carefully walked back.
Starscream frowned but also gently lowered Stacy to the sandy ground, who walked towards the Pillar.
Everyone waited with baited breath as she made her way across a darkling plain, the sand shifting at her feet, blowing the decayed rocks around her ankles.
When she reached the Pillar, she broke into a run. As did Starscream.
As she ran into Blazemaster's waiting hands, her eyes stained with tears of the ordeal, Starscream picked up the Pillar with his clawed digits.
He stared at HARP's maximum strength. They stared right back.
"This isn't over…" he murmured, before turning and walking back, the Pillar in his arms.
They watched him walk over the sands, the sun almost completely gone.
"You alright?" Blazemaster asked Stacy and she nodded, though tearful.
"Stacy!" Marcus called up. She looked down and smiled, and he smiled back. But then they looked at Optimus.
Optimus raised his cannon, his remaining eye almost permanently dead. He aimed at Starscream's back.
"Optimus?" Blazemaster asked, "Are you sure?"
"I can't let him walk away with something he does not deserve," Optimus said grimly, "I can't let him…"
He cocked it. Even with one eye, it was a sure shot.
"No!" Stacy cried.
Everyone turned to look at her in surprise.
"No-one needs to die today…" she said mournfully, "Everyone has lost so much… and no matter what experiences you've had with him… his heart's in the right place. If it wasn't for all that he's done… I would say he's a hero on the wrong side…"
They turned with a small amount of shock. They watched Starscream walk away.
Eventually, he was lost to the dark.
"Optimus," Mason said, with no anger, "Because of your actions over the past few hours, you will be transferred to HARP Africa and you will be unaccompanied. Ratchet will fill the role of Autobot leader here. And if the next battle we fight is not a victory… then I highly doubt that the Autobots will remain on Earth.
"Also, we'll be moving headquarters; high command is sorting out a new place right now, so prepare to move out in a few days."
They stood in silence, the sand blowing in the night. No-one spoke, no-one moved. They all considered what had come to pass, the anti-climax, the defeat, the results.
"Let's go home," Ryder muttered, "It's freezing."
Out in the desert, coyotes howled.
Hours later, and Starscream was still walking, the Pillar being dragged in his wake. He looked up at the stars, so far away.
Their energy… how I miss it already…
He fell to his knees. He looked about him.
He was alone.
Utterly alone.
Although he would never have admitted it, he missed the human's company.
"Stacy…" he muttered. What a foolish little creature… yet so innocent, so naïve…
"Starscream, I have returned."
Soundwave's voice couldn't have been more comforting at that moment, but Starscream still leapt up with anger.
"Soundwave!" he roared, "Where have you been?"
"The infirmary," came the distant reply, "You do seem quite pathetic down there…"
"Cease your petty insults! Teleport me at once; I have a Pillar!"
"I know; I see it. Lord Megatron will be surprised."
Starscream smiled satisfyingly to himself.
"Pray tell… how did you acquire it?"
At this, he became much more nervous; had Soundwave really just returned, or had he been watching his journey all along? Starscream decided to bluff it.
"In fearless battle!" he cried, "How else would I have gotten it?"
He could almost hear the cogs turning in Soundwave's head. But it still left him only one choice.
"Alright Starscream; you will return."
Starscream spat on the ground in sheer arrogance for his triumph, already making up a speech about how he had faced off against Optimus Prime—
He turned blue.
And along with the Pillar, vanished from the darkness.
When he opened his eyes, nothing had changed much. It was still cold and it was still dark; there were just familiar faces.
"Commander Starscream," Thundercracker acknowledged, "Welcome home."
Welcome home.
Those torrid, disgusting words echoed around Starscream's brain. He was home. And it was the most hateful thing he had ever known.
Thundercracker nodded at the Pillar in his commander's hand. "I see sir, that you have yet again snatched victory from the jaws of defeat."
Starscream just walked past, anger building.
"And this is where I return for my celebration?" Starscream spat, "For a derogatory speech by our fearless leader? For a sleep in a cold, dark place, empty of nothing but the lives of sadists? Thundercracker, there is nothing victorious about this; victory implies a result that improves your position in life."
Thundercracker nodded sagely. "But sir… would it have been less of a victory if you had returned without that Pillar?"
Starscream sighed. He had to admit, Thundercracker knew where to have his frame of mind. And it wasn't in bitterness.
"Lord Megatron is waiting," Thundercracker added.
Starscream nodded back and continued, towards the bridge of the ancient ship.
When he arrived, he wasn't surprised that his lord remained in the elevated captain's chair, while Soundwave stood by it like a loyal hound. However, what was surprising was that Shockwave was nowhere to be seen.
Starscream knew the drill. It was time to grovel.
"Lord Megatron," he said, gracefully lowering himself to the floor in a cross between a bow and a sudden case of broken spine, "I have returned."
"So you have Starscream," Megatron muttered, his eyes dancing with madness, "And I see you have brought a Pillar."
Starscream gave a chilling smile. "I promised I would not return without one; here it is, robbed straight from the Autobot base itself."
Megatron frowned. He was obviously finding it hard to believe. But then he relaxed in his chair.
"What about the Autobots? How many did you kill?"
Starscream shook slightly. "It… was a tough battle… and as they are a cowardly lot, they turned tail at the first sign of my arrival—"
"You failed to slay even one?" Megatron pitilessly asked, anger rising, "How utterly pathetic."
"No-one should ever hate another; it's too petty."
Starscream frowned. Megatron always seemed to find fault, even where there was none.
"But still…" Megatron muttered reluctantly, "You did reclaim a Pillar; so it was not all a wasted effort."
"We're all petty."
"You may stay on the Ark, Starscream. But do not fail me again, or I will chain you up and leave you on that planet to rust."
Starscream bowed so low that his face almost touched the floor. "You are most gracious, my lord."
"Now get out of my sight."
Starscream turned away and left the room, Pillar in hand.
Afterwards, after handing the Pillar over to Flatline who rambled on about 'splicing energon and dark matter' and getting his engines fixed, he boosted up onto the roof of the wrecked Ark.
"You know… we're not so different, humans and transformers."
"…Yeah. I guess we're not."
Being on the dark side, Starscream only had a view of the stars. But what stars they were, so bright and so many. Each one had planets, and those planets had moons like the one he was on and each had a story to tell, their own conflicts and their own troubles. He had visited most of them all before, one planet after another.
But none had contained something like the insects.
The humans.
And that one particular one, with her soul untainted by the horrors of the cosmos.
"There was a wise man once, I forget his name, who said that the meaning of life was to have friends… and if you have none, then you may as well have not lived at all."
Starscream sat on the Ark and thought about all those he had known.
He thought about Megatron. He thought about Soundwave. He thought about Shockwave. He thought about Dreadwing. He thought about Wreckage. He thought about Earth. He thought about the insects.
He thought about the child.
He thought about the sun.
He thought about home.
And he wondered at what might have been.