Chapter 10: Chicago

Megatron looked over the city. It would be the capital of his new empire. Of the new Cybertron. His Cybertron. He would finally receive all the glory he deserved. All the servants he wanted. There was only one small obstacle he had to overcome: the human will. Once he had beaten that out of them, they would obey him and do what ever he wanted. He had seen –several times now- how the humans could react while they still had their own will. And lived to it. Most of the time, men just attacked each other. But with him as their common enemy, they came together as one and fought. Not that it would have that much use this time! He smiled as he saw the city crawling with Decepticons. Without that human girl he would never had accomplished all this. He knew it, but he would never say it to anyone. Well, perhaps only that she brought him back. But nothing more! After all, she had been half their creation! She could be a powerful weapon. Or, she could lead a revolution. Just to be sure, Megatron decided she should be killed. Or kept as a pet? Discussions with yourself are ever so hard!

Cyberia loaded her M240 as she hid behind some burned pile of what used to be a car, but did not lock it. Of course she did not lock it! She was in the middle of a war zone! Everywhere around her were Decepticons. New breed, clearly. Older, more trained ones, would already have spotted and eliminated them. Luckily for them, these were like human toddlers. Only these 'toddlers' had lethal weapons and followed a maniac who wanted to take over the world. Cyberia looked around them. Her blue vision showed six soldiers nearby. She had already told them the Decepticons around them could not really hurt them, still they were tensed and alert. The Autobots were still outside the city, waiting for orders. Since there had been changed so much since their last 'visit' the troop had to take a look to see what was left of the city. Or more precise: where they still could move unnoticed in the ruin what used to be a city.
Chapman, who lead the troop, signaled that everything was OK. Cyberia still thought the sign was weird: pressing your thumb and index together so they made a circle, while the other three fingers pointed up. It just seemed weird to her! It neither looked like sign language nor looked like anything she associated with 'OK'! It would probably just be her, even though she knew some of the soldiers also thought it was a weird sign. If you think about it…

'Are you sure?' Lennox asked again, as Chapman pointed on the map. They were just outside the city, in an industrial area. They stood in a large factory which probably was a car factory. It was now almost completely empty, which meant –according to Cyberia- that Megatron had used the cars to make new Cybertronians. She refused to call them Decepticons immediately, because every Cybertronian has the choice to be either a Decepticon or an Autobot. Even though most of the time, the 'choice' went on in family: if your father was a Decepticon, you would probably be a Decepticon. Still, you could always choose to be something else. Only now, the choice had been made for them. They were forced to fight a battle they new barely anything about! Forced to fight, kill and die, for someone who did not even care for them. Just like Skyraid, they had never seen Cybertron. Still, they would long for it with everything in them. Dream of it, but never be able to remember what it looked like.
'Are you alright?' Sam asked, when he saw Cyberia had turned away from the group and stared to Chicago. Her M240 still loaded and unlocked in her hands.
'It's just not fair,' she said.
'What?'
'For the New Ones,' she said, still staring. Sam looked several times from Cyberia to the city.
'Sorry, the what?'
'The New Ones,' Cyberia said, she looked at him for a moment than gazed back to the city, 'The ones who were not originally 'born' on Cybertron and have never seen it. They don't know what they're fighting for. It's all a dream to them. They fight for an illusion and not even because they want to!'
'I thought every Cybetronian longed for Cybertron?' Sam said.
'True, and so do they, only different than we do. We've seen it. Some, like Prime and Rachett, have even seen it in His true peace and glory. Other have seen it in war time, but have seen it! The New Ones, can only dream about it.'
'We?' Sam replied.
'Sorry?' Cyberia asked and looked at him.
'You said; 'we've seen it'. You didn't say: 'they'.'
'Cause I've seen it too,' Cyberia said.
'No, you even included yourself with the 'we' who longed differently for Cybertron,' Sam went on. Cyberia now turned completely, facing Sam with her bright eyes. Even though he was far taller than she was!
'Look,' she said clear and threatening, 'I have seen Cybertron and I do long for it. But only because it is programmed in me!'
'I'm sorry!' Sam immediately said, raising his hands.
'No, I'm sorry,' Cyberia turned her face away, 'I overreacted.'
'So, everyone knows what to do?' Lennox suddenly said clear.
'Yes, sir,' Cyberia replied with the soldiers.
'We do?' Sam said, realizing he had missed the entire plan!
'Sure we do,' Cyberia smiled, 'Didn't go in there last time with a plan did you?'
'Actually-'
'A real plan, Sam,' Cyberia said.
'No,' Sam admitted, but it sure had been awesome!
'And that turned out pretty well, didn't it?'
'Yeah, but still-'
'We can always try!' Cyberia smiled as she handed Sam her bulletproof vest. He took one, but as they walked outside, he noticed she did not put one on.
'Where's your vest?'
'I won't be needing one,' she simply smiled.

'Tear her down, boys!' Jetfuel roared as he flew above the Second Presbyterian Church of Chicago. Several Decepticons loaded their Energon as they pointed their guns towards the church. It was one of the few buildings which still stood high and pride. Even the stones were still bright of color, as the church there stood lit by the sun. Jetfuel did not like the building, but he would not have wrecked it, if Megatron had not ordered it. Still, for some reason Megatron wanted every church destroyed.
Several shots and falling bricks later, Jetfuel had enough. Most of the church had come down and he had other things to do! He stopped the Decepticons and gave them other orders. He still did not know why Megatron had told him to do this! Perhaps he did not want any of the human buildings to remain. No, because he even used several of them. Perhaps it was to look for some humans? No, they had already killed everyone. Perhaps it was to destroy these Homes of the human God? Jetfuel thought that was is, and decided to focus on something else. He had sensed something going on down south. He would take a look later on, if he had time. He could hardly trust any of the New Ones to go do it. Amateurs.

'This is fresh,' Cyberia said, 'Quiet fresh, actually.'
'What do you mean?' Chapman asked as they walked to the ruins of what used to be a church. Chapman knew it. His grandparents got married there. His parents got married there. He got married there. Now there was nothing more than a memory of it.
'This was destroyed yesterday,' Cyberia said, 'Well aimed fire.'
'How do you know that?' Chapman said surprised.
'More important: why?' Lennox said. Cyberia walked into the church. You could still see the structure to clear. Some of the bows, of the hall on the right and left even survived. The dark chairs were all covered with dust and stone. Strangely, it touched Cyberia. Even though she had never really been in a church, or knew any church people. Or even had something with churches. Seeing this church as a ruin, touched her heart. The left wall was most intact, and the sun shone through the windows. Showing the dust flow through the air as the soldiers climbed over the fallen walls. Cyberia walked all the way to the altar and kneeled down. Beside her feet, laid an stone angel. Wings spread and blowing a trumpet. One arm was missing. The wings were incomplete. The stone dress damaged and, what struck Cyberia most, the angel face had scars all over her face. As she looked around, Cyberia saw a piece of stone wing from under a pile of stones. Probably an other angel. How many would have been there in this church?
'Four,' Chapman sighed, 'There used to be four angels.'
'All like this one?' Cyberia asked, afraid to talk to loud.
'Yes,' Chapman said, fighting for his tears. Cyberia looked at the angel.
'Here,' she said, giving it to Chapman, 'you should keep it.'
'Thank you,' he smiled and held the angel like a precious thing. Lennox walked up to them and quickly Chapman cleaned his eyes.
'Do you have any idea why they did this?' he said. Cyberia knew he believed her. The church had only been destroyed yesterday.
'There were no people here, no weapons, no secret information, no governmental things,' Lennox went on, 'And still, this church was almost completely destroyed, while other buildings just remained!'
'Perhaps we wants to show who's boss around,' Ethan said, as he walked up to them. Cyberia looked around. No humans. No slaves. No information. No handy things. Still, on purpose destroyed. Suddenly something struck her.
'I don't know,' she lied. At the same time hundreds of electric shocks went through her brain, forming her thoughts. For a moment Cyberia was afraid the soldiers would hear her bolts and bolts and screws. But she reminded herself that those were extremely tiny and she could not hear them. She always thought she could hear them, while she could actually feel them.
Quickly she blinked her eyes a few times and looked around. No one had noticed she had been lost in thoughts, luckily! Only Chad looked a bit doubting at her. But he always did that, so she did not worry.
One thing she knew for sure. She could do this. She could totally do this!