FINALLY AN UPDATE. I sincerely apologize for the agonizing wait my friends. In all honesty, the plot bunny got away from me for the longest time, and only just now faintly returned. Moving forward, I have a clearer image of where I want this story to go.
Thank-you for your patience and support over the past 2 FREAKING YEARS it's taken me to get my butt in gear. Moving forward, I will go back and tweak up the previous chapters (for my own sanity), as well as adding to the story's progress on the forward end of things.
AS ALWAYS, please let me know what you think. I love reading your comments and messages, and did so even while I was away for 2 years. I... I honestly can't believe it has been that long. From the bottom of my heart I am so so so so sorry.
Okay, enough blabbering from me, enjoy~
- AP
Blinding brilliant hues of aquamarine, jade, and violet burst forth just steps from the abandoned Ground Bridge; every electric strike crackling in the dead air, leaving small burns on the rusted workstation surrounding. Elita knelt down instinctively, blinking through the groggy haze that had begun to take slow hold of her systems. The Energon booster administered proved too little too late, and if her calculations served her correctly, she only had minutes to escape before falling into a manually-induced stasis.
Rendering her useless and at the full will of the approaching Decepticons.
A fate she would do everything in her power to prevent - lest die trying.
"You two! Scan the area for Shockwave. And you both, see what cubes you can find," a sudden voice ordered out. The tone was unmistakable; high, almost shrill in tone, yet at the same time low and gravelly. In the years having lived in solitude, the voice that had at one time been so prominent in her memory banks had melded together in a soup of memories. Elita knew better than to jump to conclusions-
"And make it fast, I have more important things to do than sparkling-sit you scroungers on this husk of a planet."
It was Starscream; all doubts subsided completely.
Dutiful pede-falls echoed dully in the decrepit laboratory, shuffling as the faceless workers searched for whatever few remaining Energon cubes lay hidden throughout the expanse, followed but muted groans and huffs from the heavy lifting.
CLACK, CLACK, CLACK, CLACK...
Audials perked at the short staccato steps pacing back and forth at the centre. She needn't wager any guess to know it was Starscream, ever watchful over the underlings. A glorified babysitter by Megatron's orders no doubt. But still, in her current condition even the small seeker proved a larger threat than normal - her strength had already began to falter as well as her senses. If push came to shove her size would be her only hope of overpowering the cluster, but with Starscream's speed... the chances of survival were low at best.
Nimble digits made quick and quiet work of readying ion canons, as the rims now glowed the soft cyan hues of heating plasma. Angling the side of the canon just at the corners edge she could catch the Decepticon group in the reflection, as processors whirred relentlessly in desperate efforts of devising an escape plan.
Audials tuned in to the echoes, discerning their every step and approximating their location. She knew this lab better than Shockwave himself, it was her one and only advantage. The shadows shrouded most of the open space, and the walls each had ridges and crevasses once used for displays and what she could only assume to be make-shift shields from explosions. Decepticon architecture remained a mystery to her, yet as of now, they were a blessing. With her rusted colours and dimming bio-lights, if she kept to the shadows until the last second, she could slip through the bridge with little resistance.
"On three: One... two... three," two rumbling huffs followed the countdown as Vehicons lifted large Energon cubes from a nearby vault, and carried them towards the bridge.
Another peek at the reflections: two mechs behind and to her left, and another couple opposite the others with Starscream at the front of the bridge. Cerulean hues glanced down at the weaponized canons nestled against her abdominal plates, the power bar still slowly charging. Two, maybe three blasts would be all she had, and she would make them count - Primus as her witness - there was going to be only one outcome of this fight:
Her passing through the bridge to whatever world or ship lay on the other side.
CLICK
Denta bit at her lower lip component, tugging it for what may be the last time. Blasters were now primed. It was now or never.
Slowly, the tall femme rose to her pedes, immediately pressing her struts into the cold wall for support as vision blurred from the higher altitude. More shuffles and heavy steps sounded from around the corner, there was no more time to wait - with what little Energon the vaults still held they would prepare to leave in minutes.
Slinking around a column, one canon remained at her hip, following the dark figures in the chrome reflection carefully. One step, then another, cerulean now peered around at the Seeker, assuring his immediate focus remained occupied. As of now, the crimson optics were transfixed on his talons, sharpening the razor edges against each other. Elita resisted every urge to roll her optics, instead forcing herself to leap across the exposed space between columns. Repeating the motion again and again she now stood a few bounds from the bridge, already she could feel the cool electrically-charged breeze radiating from the flurry of lights - and the anticipation of whatever lay on the other side swelled within her.
"Hurry up! Faster! I will not keep our Lord waiting because you rust-buckets refused to move your pedes!" Starscream commanded in a distinctive sneer only he could produce.
Elita's helm lolled to the side, catching sight of the last few Vehicons ferrying cubes towards the exit. She needed a diversion... optics glanced about for inspiration and if by chance - or the divine grace of Primus himself - found a leaking pipe on the other side of the lab. Hot fumes billowed from the crack, leaking into the upper workings of the laboratory. Olfactory sensors kicked in almost immediately; chemical fumes. The piping linked to the dormant ground bridge Shockwave had attempted to build, still carrying the sickly toxins after all these years. One plasma blast and the whole laboratory could ignite...
Freedom.
Without further hesitation she raised her canon, arm quivering and shaking from depleting energy reserves.
Come on, Lita - focus...
"Commander Starscream," a monotone voice disrupted her thoughts, jolting her from position to slip back behind the column.
"What is it?!"
"There are no other lifeforms in this laboratory, Sir."
Optical ridges narrowed into a mixture of anger and confusion, as the Air Commander's upper lip plate curled into a trademark sneer.
"You must have not searched thoroughly enough. Shockwave only just contacted us moments ago, he couldn't have gotten far. Check again!"
The pair skirted away like cowering dogs, heading straight towards Elita's current position. There was no time for further targeting and in a quick and half-blinded effort shot a single plasma round in the general direction of the leaking pipework.
BOOM
The shot made contact with the pipes, quickly setting the corner ablaze into a miniature inferno.
"What was that?!" Starscream shrieked, shielding his helm from metallic shards exploding from the damage. Vehicons quickyl stepped into action, readying their own weaponry in case of a fight as they approached the flames.
As if on queue Elita disengaged her cloaking device, relaying the subsequent energy boost to her main outputs as she pounced into action. Elita fired another shot into the flames, resulting in a larger explosion - taking two Vehicons with it. Only this time Starscream took note of the blasts origin, and for the first time in over thousands of years crimson met cerulean.
His jaw slacked as optics widened, fascia contorting into an expression of pure disbelief, as if seeing a ghost apparate before him. Elita smirked firing another shot directly at him, but the plasma hurled way right, burning a deep hole into the sleeping console she had used to contact the Decepticons. Starscream's stunned state had already been replaced with that of pride and devilish glee.
"Canons not firing quite up to standard are they, Elita?" he sneered mockingly, her name dripped from his glossa like poison, eliciting a chill to run up her spinal column.
No banter followed from her only a mad dash to the bridge as she thrust herself forwards in a footrace to the one and only escape. The Seeker's missiles uncocked and hurled through the air, just missing her pedes and helm. Elita just reached the lip of the bridge when plasma rounds from the remaining Vehicons made sharp and swift contact with her long cumbersome legs.
"Aaarrrrggghhhhhh!" she screamed, vocoder crackling and hitching from the intensity as her frame slammed into the ground, but still she persisted.
Digits dug into the ground as she feebly pulled herself into the cool breeze and bright lights, but it was in vain, the Air Commander stomped a stiletto'd heel into her servo, pinning her underneath. Vehicons followed suit all at once, each descending on her like a pack of ravenous Insecticons on their prey. Cerulean optics blurred in and out of focus, as warning alerts filled her HUD, this is how her spark would be snuffed... by the hands of Starscream.
The thought itself was enough to kill her.
"The great Elita-1! Incredible, after all these years you still manage to exist - like a common pest," he dug the end of his heel further into her servo, drawing old deep-navy Energon from the point. "Or should I say plague?"
The extent of her pathetic existence became all the more clear to him, and an amused chuckle rumbled from his vocoder. The shrill voice rang through her audials as her vision devolved into a permanent blur. Elita fought to raise her helm, only to then be beat back down by a Vehicon, sprawling her back onto her front helplessly.
"Y-Youu..." she breathed hoarsely, vents hitching and whining with every second that passed.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, save your strength my dear, Elita..." Starscream scolded, prying his heel from her now pierced servo with a slight kick.
"Aaaaghh!" she cried again, watching as the dying Energon seeped from the wound and coagulated at her digit-tips - a sickly, thick pool of black blood. Elita needn't move her helm to know a similar fate had been met with her legs. Even now every bead of the lifeblood trickling down exposed wiring and rusted plating could be felt as clearly as ever.
Warning: System shut-down eminent.
Warning: System shut-down eminent.
The bridge now only appeared as infinite white, a void of bright nothingness adding further insult to her inabilities. The great Elita-1, lying helplessly at the hand of Starscream... how far she had fallen from grace.
Warning: System shut-down eminent.
Warning: System shut-down eminent.
A booming blast from the growing fires erupted from behind, their light casting long shadows on the neighbouring columns, silhouetting the Decepticon hoard surrounding her.
:: Starscream! Answer me! ::
Audials perked one final time as the haunting gravelly tone of the warlord faintly filled the air from the Seeker's comm.
"Apologies, Lord Megatron, we were a bit..." Starscream laughed with a tone reminiscent of the devil, giving her wounded servo another swift stomp.
Elita's vision now filled completely with white as her systems shut-down, leaving only the Air Commander's voice her last memory of the world.
"... Preoccupied..."
