[A/N]: Fair warning: Maybe this chapter should have its rating risen a little higher because things turn a bit graphic near the end.
Chapter 25: Lies
Tarantulas watched the control terminal in barely suppressed glee as his small cruiser made its way towards his destiny.
Unicron had warned him that the Requiem Blaster was one of the few things that could harm him, so, in order to ensure his victory, he needed to retrieve it. But to accomplish that task, he would need a human.
So, he had waited, biding his time. That was not an issue. He was a very patient mech. And while he waited, he listened.
Anything that happened to come across the Grid (the Cybertronian equivalent of the Internet) or airwaves on Cybertron was hardly a secret for him. And since their recent victory on Earth and their retirement to their home planet, the Decepticons had been cheerfully exchanging comments and data about the human race. Some of them had taken a liking to human entertainments. Others found them disgusting. Others just didn't care. But when word had reached him about the Air Commander's pet, it had perked up his interest, and he had begun to thread his strategy very carefully.
His plans had slowly started to come into fruition. And when the group of Autobots and Decepticons had crossed into his domain, he knew that it was the moment to go into action.
He didn't know exactly why that varied group had embarked on a trip to the depths of Cybertron, but one thing was evident. They were headed for Vector Sigma.
What a lovely coincidence.
It probably had something to do with Cybertron's poor performance, caused by the corruption of Unicron's essence. They probably wanted to fix it. Well, he gladly decided to help them get rid of the source of the problem. It wasn't like they were going to live to enjoy it much longer anyway.
But first things first.
And right now, he needed to take possession of the only thing that could pose an immediate threat to his plans. The destruction of the Universe could wait a while longer.
Smirking inwardly, he turned to glance at the human female, seeking a pastime to entertain himself before they reached their destination. She stood silently at the opposite end of the bridge. As far as she could manage without being out of his line of sight. She had been idly staring at the windows, her gaze lost, but she snapped into attention as he turned to look at her, her stance stiffening.
"You are not very talkative, are you?"
Eleonor shook her head, her gaze fixated on the spider.
Tarantulas chuckled for himself as he left the terminals and approached the human, stopping only when he was few centimeters from her. Eleonor pressed herself against the wall, a shiver running up her spine.
"I would like to tell you not to be afraid... but the fear radiating from you is just too enjoyable." He purred, caressing the side of her cheek with a pedipalp, gently moving her hair out of her face. "But don't worry, I don't wish to kill you... yet. I need your help with something first."
"And then you'll kill me." Eleonor whispered, more a statement than a question, as she looked away.
"Probably." He replied calmly. "Though I have not decided how I am going to do it yet." He replied, back to his mind games. "I accept suggestions... do you want it quick? Slow? Painless? Agonizing?" He purred, long sharp chelicera hovering over her exposed neck. Eleonor gulped hard, trying to control her panic. She knew his game. She knew he enjoyed to sow fear in other people's hearts. She didn't want to give him that pleasure.
"They'll find you." She whispered, plucking up enough courage to reply. "And when they do, they will stop you."
Tarantulas chuckled, not worried at all by that unlikely outcome.
"Still thinking of your Cybertronian friends, aren't you?" He recoiled slightly to look at her better. "Why do you even bother? It's not like they are going to risk their lives for a human. Come on, you are not even going to live more than a vorn, why go through all that trouble?" He laughed cruelly.
Eleonor bit back a whimper, her eyes shining with contained tears. 'He just wants to taunt you. Don't fall into his game.' She repeated to herself.
But Tarantulas caught sight of the gesture and her shining eyes.
"Oh, this is priceless. Don't tell me I managed to make you cry?" He laughed. "And here I was, disappointed because you weren't running in panic, screaming and trying to hide from me. I have found the weak spot in the calm and restrained little scientist."
"No!" She snapped back, willing her body to remain strong. But Tarantulas now had now the right ammunition and knew in what direction to shoot.
"Don't flatter yourself. You are just a replaceable, temporal pet." He continued, his voice cold. "And don't think I haven't noticed how you look at Starscream. You seem quite... attachedto him."
"Shut up!" She hissed, sliding to the floor and hugging her knees, tears finally escaping her eyes. "...Please."
"You are beautiful when you cry." He purred sweetly. "I think I'll keep you alive a little longer. At least until I tear your friends apart and snuff out their sparks." He whispered, flattening his spider body to the floor to remain at her level, like a cat with a terrified mouse between his paws. "I can almost savour your pain, my dear. How delightful."
They were in silence for some minutes. Eleonor trying to regain her lost composure and dignity, while Tarantulas watched her closely, revelling in her broken state and her pitiful attempts to calm herself and focus.
"Why do you do this?" She asked after a while, when she had managed to calm down a little, looking back at him, sadness in her eyes. At least, she could try to understand his point of view.
"I have a penchant for psychological torture. You should be glad. I could be testing your bone's resistance to being crushed by now if I were some other kind of tasteless brute." He replied, with disinterest, making Eleonor cringe slightly.
"It's... good to know..." She said hesitantly. "...But I was referring to... all this. Siding with Unicron... those kind of things."
The spider chuckled quietly.
"I am going to be honest with you." He said, coming slightly closer, as if his next words were going to be a big secret. "Because I seek power. I want to be the most powerful being in this Universe. I didn't lie when I told you I was a scientist, but most of my experiments and researches were aimed at one single purpose: the improvement of my frame and weapons. That's how I ended up in this... hybrid body of mine." He gestured at himself. "How could I possibly turn down Unicron's offer? He offered me his very might and power. It was like a wish came true. Destroying everything in my path as the only requirement? It sounded fair to me. It's not like I am very fond of anything besides myself anyway. I despise this Universe as much as Unicron does, and I am going to enjoy its destruction too."
"But why?" She insisted, resolve shining briefly in her eyes. "Why choose to destroy instead of protect? There must be a reason."
"And why to protect instead of destroy? Doesn't that need a reason too?" He replied turning the table and the question back on her.
"Well... because it is the right thing to do." She replied, a little hesitantly.
"And who decides what is right and what is wrong?" He insisted further. Eleonor went silent. She didn't have an answer for that. "You know nothing of this Universe you live in, little dove. Right and wrong. Life and death. Light and darkness. Day and night. All of them are just different sides of the samecoin. When you have lived as long as I have, you come to understand that all those concepts are superfluous and meaningless."
"But..."
"But nothing." Tarantulas cut her off. "Do you know how many species became extinct before your petty kind seized your insignificant planet? Ninety-nine per cent of them. Do you know how many stars die every year out there? More than you can count." He continued, his voice turning harsher. "See? Destruction is a constant feature across this Universe. In fact, if you were to side with the predominant tendency, you should be helping me right now."
"That's what makes life rare and precious." Eleonor could understand the mech's reasoning, but she didn't agree with him. "Valuable in every way."
Tarantulas snorted.
"All I have ever seen in my life is people trying to kill each other. And now, you come here and tell me that every life is precious. Well, tell that to your Autobot and Decepticon friends. They have the highest scores in casualties. Currently, even higher than me. Why don't you ask your beloved Starscream how many mechs have died at his own servos?"
"I know everyone has done terrible things. But they have changed. They are trying to make the right decisions now, and to fix what they can. You can change too."
At that, the spider burst in cruel laughter.
"You are naive little thing." He cooed, stroking her cheek again with a pedipalp. "But make no mistake. Thisis exactly what I want. To be the most powerful entity in this Universe, and seat in a throne of destruction. I don't need your petty attempts to change my mind or your compassion." He hissed dangerously. "No matter how many second chances you could give me, I would turn all them down. Every single one of them." He rose from the floor, returning to the control terminals of the ship. "Don't ever forget that."
Eleonor looked at the spider with apprehension. She was terrified of him. She feared for her own life, and even more for the lives of her friends if that mad mech managed to succeed in his task. But despite of all that, she couldn't help but feel a small pang of sadness for him.
"Are you sure about this, Starscream?" Megatron asked, a very tiny hint of concern seeping into his otherwise stern tone. They were alone in one of the lower cargo bays of the Nemesis as it made its way through the outer layers of the atmosphere.
"I have higher probabilities to go in undetected if I go alone. It would be wise to have the surprise factor playing in my favor, at least in the beginning. With only one enemy, Tarantulas' attacks will target only on me, relieving me of the duty of protecting other people. And I am good at taking care of myself." Starscream said, his gaze fixated on the closed doors of the bay, wings twitching in anticipation.
"You are good at planning strategies. But this one is very risky. More than usual." Megatron crossed his powerful arms above his chest-plates.
"Don't tell me you are worried about me." Starscream snorted, dedicating his Leader a sideways glance.
"Of course not. You are a real pain in the aft." The Decepticon Leader frowned and glared at the seeker. "But looking for another Second in Command would be an undesirable nuisance." Megatron huffed, hot air coming out of his vents. "Not to mention that your failure would mean that the rest of our race and the fate of the Universe would be in imminent danger. Let's not forget that either."
"Well, it's not like I am going unarmed this time." Starscream turned to glare again at some distant point beyond the cargo bay's doors. Sending a wireless ping, they started to slide open, wind rushing in, creating turbulence inside the cargo hold. "And if things start to fall apart, you get to be plan B."
And with that, Starscream walked towards the exit, stopping at the border to glance at his Leader one last time, a confident smirk flashing across his features before letting himself fall into the void.
Megatron watched as Starscream transformed in mid-air and rocketed towards his destiny at impossible speeds.
"I hate plan B." He growled, closing the doors and heading back to the main bridge.
The small cruiser had landed right in front of the entrance to the golden cavern.
"Well, someone has saved me the trouble of unearthing this place." Tarantulas chuckled for himself as he transformed into mech form. He truly enjoyed spending most of the time in his alternate mode. This gave Eleonor a moment to study his form closer. He was approximately the same height as Ratchet. He had a visor and mandibles at each side of his mouth, similar to Shockwave. His body seemed balanced between strength and agility, he wasn't too sturdy or too slender. His servos ended in dangerous-looking claws and the transformation left the spider-legs on his back.
Then Eleonor noticed what he had just said, he was expecting to have to unearth the cave. He didn't know that she had been here before. That Megatron and his team knew this place too.
Tarantulas was very smart and had been listening keenly to the Grid and airwaves on Cybertron. He knew a lot of things. But this, he didn't know.
Eleonor thought briefly of Soundwave. All of Starscream's exploration missions were directly monitored by him and probably encrypted by him too. And Tarantulas was smart but he was not a skilled hacker. He didn't know that they knew.
She silently prayed to Primus (the only God she was currently willing to believe in) that Starscream had been able to find her pendant and now was on his way here. Tarantulas would probably be caught off-guard. He truly was not expecting anyone to know this place or follow him there after a space-warp.
The soft whirl of gears and metal plates shifting pulled Eleonor from her thoughts and she glanced at the mech just in time to see him bare his spark to open the door. He seemed to know exactly what to do. She wondered briefly if Unicron had provided him with that knowledge.
The second thing that attracted her attention was his spark. It glowed dark and purple, faint arcs of energy swirling around it. Very different from Starscream's, which was a vibrant pale blue.
"Let's go." He ordered without even raising his tone.
Eleonor decided to play dumb and try to slow him down as much as she could without raising suspicion.
"W-where are we going?" She said, hesitantly, as she entered the golden corridor, trying to look anxious, which wasn't very difficult.
"You'll see soon enough." He almost purred as he walked down the corridors. Eleonor walked deliberately slowly, pausing as if to look at the carvings across the walls. "Don't make me put a leash on you. You know I can." He warned, getting impatient.
The young woman gulped. Yes, Tarantulas certainly could do that very easily.
They continued walking until they arrived in the second room. The one that needed a human to be opened.
"Place your hand upon that mark." He instructed.
Eleonor hesitated. If she did as she was told, Tarantulas would win. But if she didn't comply...
"Go on. It is not going to harm you, I promise." He encouraged her, his tone falsely kind. "Ion the contrary..." He left the end of the sentence hanging in the air as he flickered his claws menacingly.
"I... I don't want to..."
"You have been a good and obedient little girl until now, and I have treated you kindly." Tarantulas crouched to lean closer. "I am sure you don't want to make things change now, do you?" He gave her a not-so-gentle shove with the back of a claw, to make her move towards the mark on the wall.
Eleonor bit her lower lip. It was useless. She either obeyed, or he made her obey.
"I am so sorry..." She whispered mainly for herself as she placed her hand upon the symbol.
As it had done the first two times she had visited that place, the lines and drawings carved on the wall glowed and pulsed, and after that, the panels shifted and changed positions, revealing the door to the corridor that led to the last chamber, where the Covenant of Primus was written across the walls.
Tarantulas laughed cruelly, and stepped in.
"Let's go inside." He said casually, and she knew it was an order.
The huge chamber was exactly as she remembered. Spacious and golden. Empty, except for the carvings.
Tarantulas walked towards the center of the room. There was another circular drawing on the floor. This one had two smaller marks at opposite sides, one of them significantly smaller than the other. Eleonor had not noticed that drawing during her previous visit.
"Stand here." He ordered, his raspy voice edged with anticipation as he tapped the smaller mark with a claw.
Eleonor hated herself, but she had no option. Slowly, she stepped inside the symbol, and Tarantulas did the same on the opposite side. As soon as they were in place, the big circular drawing started to glow. Eleonor could only imagine what it guarded.
Heavy metal panels on the floor shifted and retracted, leaving room for a new structure that rose slowly, also shifting and opening in a mesmerizing way, halfway between a camera shutter and an earth flower.
But what the metallic 'petals' revealed was nothing beautiful or harmless. It was...
"The Requiem Blaster!" Tarantulas exclaimed gleefully.
He reached with his right servo, and picked up the huge weapon that seemed to be made from the same indestructible and golden material as the chambers. The cannon shifted in his grasp, changing its shape and size slightly until it fused elegantly with his own armor-plates.
"Ah, a perfect fit." He purred, weighting his new weapon as he chuckled. Eleonor felt pure dread seizing her heart, realizing in sheer terror that Tarantulas needed her no longer.
Suddenly, a brief flash of orange light crossed the room and impacted right into the spider-like mech's chest, cutting off his laughter and making him recoil, rising his free arm to cover his chest..
"I think it makes you look fat." A very familiar voice could be heard coming from the entrance.
"Starscream!" Eleonor whispered, turning in time to see the beige seeker shooting a second blast with his null-ray gun straight at the spider-mech's chest.
Tarantulas let out another cruel laugh and dusted himself off, moving his free arm and revealing his intact chest-plates.
"I am sorry to disappoint, but the power of Unicron has grown stronger since we last met. It runs through my lines and protects me. I am invincible now." He said, with confidence.
"I had to try." Starscream shrugged, and his optics drifted briefly to Eleonor, who was paralysed by fear, looking back and forth between the two adversaries. Fortunately, she seemed to take the hint, and carefully retreated to hide as best as she could under the open 'petals' of the central structure in the room.
"My turn then." Tarantulas purred, and turned his weapon to aim at the seeker. The muzzle glowed golden for a brief second before shooting a searing-white blast to his enemy.
Starscream moved incredibly fast for a mech of his size and build, using the thrusters on his back to give him an extra boost of speed.
"Has anyone told you that your aim is crap, Tarantulas?" The seeker even had the gall to mock him.
"Has anyone told you how much of a nuisance you are, Starscream?" Tarantulas sneered, aiming his new weapon and shooting again.
"Oh, you have no idea. Almost every day. Megatron usually describes me as a 'pain in the aft', actually." Starscream replied, shooting another useless series of blasts.
"Then he won't mind it if I use you as target practice, right? He rids himself of a nuisance and I get to improve my aim with my brand new Requiem Blaster." He shot again, and this time he managed to grace one of the seeker's wings. "Oh, look at that. I am already getting better."
"The Requiem Blaster?" The seeker decided to play dumb. "Are you telling me that that slingshotis the Requiem Blaster, the legendary weapon that could level mountains with a single shot?"
"Don't be a fool, Starscream. I am not using it at full power. This room is too small to unleash such power and I have no desire of annihilating myself with you."
"Frag. There goes my plan B." Starscream grunted, as he barely dodged another shot. He kept himself near the walls of the chamber, putting the maximum distance between him and Tarantulas, to gain some brief astro-seconds to dodge.
"Besides, what would be the fun in killing you so quickly, when I can do it excruciatingly slowly and painfully?"
Tarantulas shot again, and this time, Starscream fell to the floor with a loud crash, holding his right side with his left arm. The last shot had pierced cleanly through his flank and wing.
Eleonor let out a terrified scream when she saw the seeker fall.
"Scrap, that hurt." Starscream whispered, wincing in pain as his damaged wiring sparkled, energon pouring onto the floor.
"Seriously, Starscream." Tarantulas said, savouring the impending victory. "How could you step so low as to risk your life for a lowly human?"
"I am not doing this for her, you eight-legged idiot." Starscream huffed, pain evident in his tone as much as he tried to hide it. His wings trembled slightly, a clear symptom that he was in a lot of pain. "I do this for everyone. Because we need to stop you at all costs."
"And Megatron lets you go alone and without a proper strategy to hunt me down?" Tarantulas sneered. Now that the seeker was on the floor, he seemed more keen in verbally mocking him and prolong his agony before finishing him off.
"Well, as you may know, I have some discipline issues." The seeker managed to flash him a pained smirk. "Besides, Megatron's alt-mode is agonizinglyslow."
"Poor stupid seeker." Tarantulas said with mock pity. "This is going to be a merciful kill." He said calmly, as he rose the Requiem Blaster to point at the damaged mech.
"NO!" Eleonor screamed, tears running down her cheeks.
"Ah, are you still there, little dove? Do not go too far." Tarantulas purred, and then he focused his attention back to the seeker. "I am going to make her watch as I extinguish every single one of her friends." He said, his voice as sweet as cruel. Starscream growled and narrowed his optics defiantly. "Starting with you, her heroic knight in shining armor." He chuckled.
At that instant, several things happened almost simultaneously, as if in slow motion.
Tarantulas aimed the Requiem Blaster, shooting a blast straight at the seeker's chest.
Eleonor screamed in terror, feeling helpless.
And Starscream rose his left arm in the last possible moment, the plates in his forearm shifting and expanding to morph into some kind of shield.
The energy blast from the Requiem Blaster hit the shield and ricocheted back without even leaving a scorch mark.
After bouncing back, the blast flew straight into Tarantulas chest, who couldn't dodge in time.
The searing-white blast impacted with the spider-like mech, and he collapsed onto the floor, howling in agony. He could feel the burning heat of the shot, spreading through his circuits, cauterizing and purging his systems from the unholy power of Unicron.
The Requiem Blaster was, indeed, designed to destroy the Unmaker and any trace of his tainted essence.
Eleonor stared in disbelief at the seeker, who was now raising shakily to his feet. He held a huge golden shield with bright blue edges firmly in front of himself.
"No... No!" Tarantulas howled in disbelief, his frame convulsing on the floor, energon gushing from the fatal wound and from his mouth-pieces. He felt the power of Unicron disappearing, leaving him weakened and dying. "This... is notover yet!" He managed to say, and with his last strength he pointed the Blaster in Eleonor's direction.
But he didn't get the chance to shoot, because a quick blast from Starscream's null-ray severed his arm completely.
"I can agree with you in that point." The seeker said approaching to the other mech. "This is farfrom over." He added, his voice lowered to a menacing hiss. He arrived next to the fallen mech, and placed a foot above his chest, talons sinking into the already damaged metal and wires. He diverted his attention briefly to Eleonor, who was in shock, kneeling on the floor. "Eleonor, are you alright?"
"I... I... yes." She stuttered, barely coming out of her shock.
"Good. Wait for me in the previous chamber." He ordered, his voice stern and dangerous. "And do notcome back." He added slowly, in a tone that made her blood freeze.
Eleonor nodded quickly and stood, her legs trembling slightly as she made her way towards the exit.
"Now..." Starscream murmured, turning his attention back to the mech beneath him. "...I think you and I have unfinished business..." He said, as he turned the other mech around so that he was facing the floor. Unsheathing the combat claws he carried in his forearm, Starscream pierced through Tarantulas remaining arm , twisting the blades slowly.
"I... thought that you were above... these things now, Starscream..." Tarantulas managed to say, biting back the cries of agony that threatened to escape his vocalizer.
"If I recall it correctly, I promised to you that I would pull out your limbs one by one... All of them. And I keep my promises." Starscream placed a foot on the spider-like mech's shoulder to keep it in place, and grabbed hold of the arm, slowly pulling back until the metal started to give away and the cables snapped with a sickening sound. This time, Tarantulas couldn't help the agonizing cry that tore through his throat. Starscream growled with satisfaction.
"You... you are doing this... for a lowly human?"
"You still think this is for her?" The seeker hissed with amusement, releasing the useless limb and taking hold of two of the spider legs in Tarantulas' back. "Don't be a fool. If she were here she would probably be begging me to stop. Imploring me to have mercy on you. She is a kind and compassionate little creature. Unlike me." He gave a low chuckle. "No, Tarantulas. I am doing this for me." He said, his voice cold, and for the first time in many eons, Tarantulas felt fear seeping into his faltering spark.
Starscream pulled slowly on the spider-legs he had grabbed, making his victim howl in pain. He smirked wickedly, realizing that those appendages were particularly sensitive. The seeker moved his foot from the shoulder to the spider-like mech's back, sinking his talons deeper, gouging the already damaged spark-casing of the other mech. Tarantulas' HUD fading into static from the sensory disarray, the damage reports turning less and less coherent, the pain becoming unbearable.
"S-shouldn't you be t-tending to that w-wound?" The spider-like mech managed to ask, wishing for a quick end. He was going to die soon because of the energon loss, and his spark-containment was failing.
"Your concern is very much appreciated." Starscream replied. "But I still have some breems before the energon loss reaches dangerous levels. And I intend to enjoy them as much as I can." He grabbed another pair of legs and crouched until he was practically whispering into the other mech's audio receptors. "So, I suggest you to get comfortable and... scream for me."
"W-when did it.. all go so wrong?" Tarantulas asked, his voice barely audible as he was choking in his own energon.
"The moment you thought you could outsmart me."
Eleonor was sitting on the floor, hugging her knees to her chest, her back against the wall, waiting for Starscream to come back for her. Tarantulas blood-curling screams had stopped a while ago, but the seeker had not arrived yet.
She wondered briefly if he was mad at her. When he had ordered her to wait for him, his voice had been so... cold. It had been enough to send shivers down her spine, and she had never been afraid of the seeker. At least, not in a long time.
She had been in mortal danger two times in a row. Maybe he had gotten tired of rescuing her. Maybe he had decided that it was best for everyone that she remained on Earth.
And she wouldn't contradict him if he decided to do that, because she could perfectly understand the logic. As Tarantulas had said, she was a liability.
"Eleonor?" Starscream voice pulled her from her thoughts.
Eleonor looked back at the seeker, taking in his injuries and the energon splashed across his frame, a lot of which wasn't his.
Starscream, for his part, was looking back at her with honest concern written on his face-plates.
They remained in silence for several long seconds, studying each other, trying to mutually decipher the others thoughts.
"You are not tired of having to rescue me, are you?" She finally asked, her voice quivering.
Starscream's gaze softened, realizing why his human was upset.
"No." He replied simply, slowly lowering a servo for her. She climbed on without hesitation. "And you, are you tired of following me around and been in danger?"
"No." She shook her head.
Starscream held her close to his chest with one servo. In the other one he carried the Requiem Blaster. He limped slightly, and his damaged flank still leaked precious fluids that streaked down his armor.
"You are hurt." She whispered.
"It's nothing. I'll be fine. It doesn't even hurt any longer." He said reassuringly.
"You are a horrible liar."
Starscream smirked, and tried not to pay attention to his screaming pain receptors and the warnings flooding his HUD. Primus, he was so relieved to see her safe. He focused in her soft and warm presence, leaning against his chest-plates, her body trembling slightly.
"You are crying." He said, more a statement than a question.
"No. I am a tough woman. I do not cry." She breathed against his armor.
"You lie worse than me."
[A/N]: Tarantulas, you had it coming. And sorry if his demise was a little bit explicit (Should I put a warning? Rise the rating for torture? ...Do I worry too much?) but you must understand the Starscream was royally pissed off. And he may have changed, but he is still a Decepticon and capable of cruel things. The only difference is that now he directs his killer instincts towards something a little more correct.
And about the shield that Starscream used, and what happened with Vector Sigma, Primus, etc. All will be explained in the next chapter. This one has been shorter than usual, but if I started with the explanations it would had been too long. So, I decided to split them, and leave this one with only the rescue part.
And I hated Eleonor in the 'damsel in distress' role, it seemed like a kind of a mary-sue thing to do. But, oh well. She has already had her moments of scientific badassery, and there will be more in the future. She can be useful.
PD: Thanks to RevieWriter for beta-reading this :)