Author's Notes: Well, I've been really excited to write this chapter since it's scary, sad, and heartwarming all in one. As it turns out though, I probably should've named this chapter Custody Battle: The Musical. Seriously, I put two songs in this chapter and didn't realize it until after the fact! That being said, I still think this turned out pretty well. Thank you for reading, and please review, favorite, and follow :)
Chapter 25
Power Is Murder
Cybertron seemed like a very solemn place now that Megatron had been removed and replaced. Starscream was readying himself for his coronation, and the Decepticon forces were all gathered to watch the event take place.
Soundwave was there with his cassettes young and old as well as Video Error. He felt this ceremony was a waste of time and resources. Megatron never needed this level of pomp in order to be respected. Starscream was turning the very idea of leadership into a circus, and it upset Soundwave even if he wouldn't let on.
While they were waiting for the ceremony to begin, Soundwave suddenly felt his spark contract in pain! It felt like a part of him was shifting and burning, and he had to use all of his willpower to not scream in front of the crowd! His cassettes and Video Error could all see his distress and feel it within their own sparks, and it caused Coward Error to emerge again and hide behind Soundwave's leg. As quickly as the pain came however, it was gone, leaving an emptiness in that part of his spark.
"Hey Boss, what happened?" Frenzy asked hesitantly.
"Megatron has been terminated," Soundwave replied; barely a hint of the pain he felt present in his voice, "Loyalty bond: severed."
"Oh, Dad...it took this long for him to die?" Solarflare whispered in horror.
"Affirmative," Soundwave replied without inflection.
"Dad, should we do something to honor Megatron's passing?" Freezeframe asked, "You know, before the coronation?"
Soundwave nodded at his youngest son, and then led his brood away from the crowd. Once they were at the edge of Darkmount's gate Soundwave sat down on the ledge with his creations gathered around him. He knew Starscream would not tolerate a public display of mourning, and frankly Soundwave wasn't the type to publicly grieve anyway, so he would make this quick.
Rather than say anything about Megatron himself, he would allow a song called The Polyhexian Carrier's Funeral Dirge to do the talking for him. It was an ancient song that was played when a carrier's master died, and it seemed appropriate to play it this day. The only surviving recording of the song was sung by a carrier femme named Zetabyte. Soundwave allowed the operatic music to fill the air, and allowed himself and his children to grieve for the loss of a mech that Soundwave considered not only a leader, but also a friend.
As I see your spark fade away
My spark go down with you
Though I survive, I have died
Without you, my core is empty
A piece of me left Cybertron when you did
I will enclose your others in my deck
Our family, but my spark is alone
My spark go down this day
My spark…
My spark…
My spark go down this day
My loyalty maker
My closest master
My spark go down this day
I see them scrap your body
I watch them break your processor
Your spark is gone, and so am I
My spark go down this day
Death is final, survival is temporary
I will pass my others along someday
My spark go down this day
My spark…
My spark…
My spark go down this day
My loyalty maker
My closest master
My spark go down this day!
As soon as the song was over, Soundwave deleted the piece from his memory banks. He knew he would never need to use it again. Even if he would have future leaders, none would truly be a master to him the way Megatron was.
With the makeshift funeral over, Soundwave led his symbiotes and Video Error back to the crowds to witness Starscream's coronation. It seemed he was just in time too, because Ramjet and Astrotrain had just appeared on the stage to announce their new leader.
Starscream walked onto the stage wearing a silk purple cape. He posed for his public and looked to be thoroughly enjoying himself. Astrotrain then placed a gold metal and red glass crown on Starscream's helm, and the Constructicons played trumpets for their new leader. It seemed, however, that the Constructicons were doing this under protest, because they wouldn't quit playing no matter how many times Starscream told them to stop. Finally Starscream grew tired of their ignoring him and he fired his null rays at the trumpets; destroying them!
The coronation seemed to be going off without a hitch (not counting the trumpets), but then, out of nowhere, a group of unusual looking Cybertronians flew onto the veranda, and they seemed intent on making a scene. Soundwave didn't know who these new mechs were, but he could tell already that trouble was brewing.
"Who disrupts my coronation!?" Starscream asked indignantly.
The supposedly leader of this group of troublemakers, a purple mech with three horns, approached Starscream with a look of contempt. He showed no fear of the Decepticons surrounding him, and even Soundwave had to admit to himself that such a level of confidence took ball bearings.
"Coronation, Starscream? This is bad comedy!" Soundwave heard the purple mech shout with a sneer.
Starscream muttered something, but Soundwave couldn't make out what it was. He then saw the new mech transform into a plasma cannon and shoot Starscream! The blast was so powerful that Starscream turned to ashes before he could even comprehend what was happening to him!
The new mech casually walked up to where Starscream's meager remains lay and crushed the crown under his pede! He looked back at the crowd with sharp optics, and everyone was frightened instantly at the darkness in that glare.
"Will anyone else attempt to fill his shoes?" The purple mech asked the crowd in a challenging tone of voice; as if daring them to step forward.
"What did he say his name was?" Rumble muttered.
The purple mech must have heard Rumble, because he quickly shouted "Galvatron!"
Not missing a beat, every Decepticon shouted "Long live Galvatron! Galvatron!"
Soundwave likewise joined the cheering for their new leader, because he knew that anyone that powerful was not a being to be trifled with. He also knew something else about this situation: he could not afford to keep his sparklings anywhere near such a tyrannical mech. This Galvatron person would likely have no use for sparklings, and Soundwave wasn't about to put them in danger by keeping them there.
The problem was Soundwave was the former third in command. If he left everyone would notice and he would be labeled a traitor. After seeing what happened to Starscream mere moments ago, Soundwave was in no mood to test this new mech's patience. He would have to find a way to sneak them to safety.
That was when Soundwave remembered a Decepticon that owed him a favor. There was a mech named Squalor that lived alone on a moon called Chog. Squalor's job was to monitor radio waves in a desolate part of space and report any Autobot activity back to Megatron. Galvatron likely wouldn't even know about Squalor, so that made his moon the perfect place for his sparklings to hide. Yes, he would send his sparklings to Chog until he could figure out a more permanent solution to their problem.
Meanwhile, on Chog, Squalor was returning to his small metal shack after mining some energon crystals from a nearby cave for his dinner. He hated his job and had been looking for a way to make a name for himself, but so far had found nothing that would make Megatron happy. It seemed that so long as Megatron was alive he was stuck all alone on this barren rock that only got daylight once every 5 vorns. He grunted at how unfair his life was as he opened the door to his house.
The sight he was greeted by was not what he was expecting. Sitting on his only armchair was a small white femme with fur growing out of her body! She only had one robotic hand (the left one had been severed long ago and welded over) but she also had two useless animal paws. Her yellow optics looked at him with a blank expression, and she slowly stood up to greet him; her face never changing from that expressionless stare. Her height was only about 9 feet tall; not even enough to reach beyond his hip joints. She was as small as a sparkling, but her spark signature read as an adult.
"Hey there, sweet spark," Squalor purred when he got close enough to the creepy femme, "What's a pretty thing like you doing out here in the middle of nowhere?"
"I am here because of you," The femme replied stoically, "If time remains unchanged, then you are going to be a powerful mech."
"Oh really?" Squalor asked; intrigued.
"Yes," The femme replied without moving anything other than her mouth, "Galvatron has just taken over the Decepticons. In several stellar cycles he will be replaced by a new leader named Scorponok. That's you, by the way."
"Yeah, I've always liked that name, but I can never get anyone to call me that," Squalor lamented.
"When Galvatron disappears in 8 solar cycles, you will use the opportunity to take over the Decepticons," The femme continued undeterred, "You performed many acts of cruelty during your reign of power. The most significant is when you will destroy Kloryl Colony, a peaceful commune run by retired Autobots. You kill all of the residents, including their leader Inferno and his guards Sunstreaker and Sideswipe. You steal Inferno's sparkling Phobia and upgrade her against her will; forcing her to be your bonded. You conquered many planets, and garnered the respect of Decepticons everywhere."
Squalor was confused by the way the femme kept switching from past tense to present tense to future tense. It seemed as if she was actually having trouble keeping up with what time period it was. Besides that though, he did enjoy her tale of his eventual success and leadership.
"That all sounds pretty good, if it's true," Squalor replied with a satisfied smile on his face plate.
"I'm not finished," The femme replied with muted irritation, "Your rule lasted for 8 vorns, and then you were killed. It all happened when you accused your femme of siphoning your troops in an effort to aid the Autobots. You accused her of treason, and cut off her servos; the only means she had to feed herself. You were then killed by your second in command, an unstable triple changer named System Error. It was actually quite brutal. He held you down and jammed his tentacles between your neck cables and down into your fuel tanks; punching you from the inside out until you eventually lost too much energon. He made everyone watch, and it took you a long time to finally offline. He ordered the medic to save your femme's life instead of yours, and then he took her for his own. His rule led to an era of cautious peace between Autobots and Decepticons, but then Maximals and Predacons became more numerous and accused larger models of wasting energon. System Error, rather than be reprogrammed, ran away with his followers and was never seen again."
"So what, you're here to tell me not to try to become more powerful?" Squalor asked skeptically.
"No, I am here to kill you to prevent this future from happening," The femme replied ominously.
Squalor was at first terrified, but then angry at this femme that dared to threaten him in his own home! He took out a sword and held it firmly in front of him. He waited for the femme to make her next move, but instead all she did was tilt her helm and open her mouth. At first he thought she glitched or went offline, but then he felt his body begin to vibrate and expand, and before he fully understood what was happening he had busted apart and his remains scattered all over the floor!
"Joey, Stranglor: come out now," The femme ordered, "I need you to help me clean up this mess."
The symbiotes burst out of her pouch and transformed into their beast/robot modes. They looked at the energon coating the walls and floor as well as the little shards of what had once been Squalor, and Joey purged!
"Carrier...Did you really...?" Stranglor asked in a muted voice.
"Yes, I did," The femme replied quietly, "I have never killed before today. I do not like this feeling."
"Then why did you do it, Carrier?" Joey asked in confusion.
"Because it was personal," The femme replied, "I don't like our future, and now it will be different. You know, your sire dealt with a similar problem concerning the time stream. He was willing to give his life for a better future. Sometimes, I do not feel worthy of the life I live now."
"You mean you're not worthy of being a nomadic fugitive with goofy ears and a pouch?" Stranglor asked half-jokingly.
"Very funny," The femme deadpanned, "Just help me clean this up. It doesn't seem right to leave him like this."
The two egg-formers sighed in complaint, but did as they were asked anyway. They had never seen a body this mutilated before, and their carrier had never personally killed anyone before. It was a lot to get used to, and unbeknownst to them they were about to have company on the moon called Chog.
Video Error, Solarflare, and Freezeframe were riding inside Blitzwing's jet mode through the depths of space. Soundwave at first was going to take the sparklings to Chog himself, but his presence would be noticed, so he ordered Blitzwing to do it. Blitzwing wasn't mean to the sparklings, but he also didn't talk to them, so they spent most of the trip communicating over their comm systems about what they thought this Squalor guy would be like.
They all wondered when and if their father would return for them. They didn't understand why they couldn't just stay with Soundwave and serve their new leader. Galvatron might be tough, but they all knew they could be tough too. Anger Error was especially fragged off at being sent away instead of being allowed to fight, and he punched Blitzwing's controls a few times and nearly sent them off course.
After several joors they finally made it to Chog. Blitzwing let them off, but then the sparklings noticed he was about to take off and leave them without meeting their new caretaker.
"Wait! Where do you think you're going?" Solarflare demanded to know.
"Back to Cybertron," Blitzwing replied hurriedly, "I've been getting some weird radio chatter. Something about Unicron."
"What's Unicron?" Solarflare asked.
"That is the planet eater," Freezeframe supplemented, "He is considered to be the ultimate evil in most Cybertronian cultures."
Before Solarflare could ask any more questions Blitzwing flew away; leaving a cloud of smoke in his wake. Now the three sparklings were all alone and needed to find the cabin where Squalor lived.
They began walking north through the dark dusty landscape. They would see purple mountains in the distance and lots of stars in the sky, but the land itself was just dry lifeless purple soil. Solarflare complained because it was terrestrial and organic, and Freezeframe stuck close to Video Error since their brother's mood changed every few minutes and they needed to stick together no matter what. At least this way if Crazy Error or Playful Error showed up Freezeframe could keep him from getting lost.
After three joors of walking their energon was getting low and they needed to refuel. Fortunately by this time they could see the shack in the distance. The sparklings ran the rest of the way in hopes that Squalor would feed them something good. Maybe he would even have sparkling grade already mixed for them!
Just then Video Error's visor turned yellow, and Coward Error stopped running just before getting to the door! He found a boulder half as tall as he was and hid behind it; trembling as if something horrible was after him.
"Video Error, why did you stop?" Freezeframe asked while Solarflare continued to run toward the cabin.
"Don't you smell that, Freezeframe?" Video Error asked as he huddled further into himself.
"Smell what?" Freezeframe asked.
Before Video Error could answer him, the mechlings heard an audial-piercing scream coming from inside the shack! It was Solarflare! Freezeframe ran inside the shack, but Video Error was too scared so he stayed behind the rock.
Freezeframe ran inside expecting something horrible, and saw Solarflare standing at the threshold staring down at an energon stained floor with no sign of Squalor anywhere.
"Solarflare, are you alright?" Freezeframe asked as he put his hand on her shoulder to keep her steady.
"No, I'm not alright you fragger!" Solarflare snapped, "That's energon residue. It only happens when a dead frame leaks. Somebody was killed in here, and I can't find anyone, so it was probably Squalor! Ugh, and that decaying energon smell! Yuck! There's something dangerous around here, but Dad said there was nothing and nobody on this planet except Squalor! What's going on!?"
"It was probably a contract killing. Possibly an Autobot," Freezeframe reasoned, "We need to check for energon to sustain ourselves, and then we need to take inventory. This is the only structure on the planet, and until further notice it is our home."
"No! I'm not staying here!" Solarflare shouted; afraid for one of the first times in her young life, "We don't know what did this, and it could come back! It could still be in the area. Our dad isn't here to protect us, there are no Autobots or Decepticons or anything, and no one is coming to this moon base for a very long time! We're alone, and we have to look out for each other. I say we take whatever energon we can find and then find a new place to call shelter."
"And who precisely made you leader?" Freezeframe asked as he crossed his arms over his chassis.
"I did!" Solarflare proclaimed, "Of course if you want to challenge me, we'll just see how well ice does against flame cannons..."
"Um...I concede to your leadership," Freezeframe begrudgingly replied, "I'll grab some energon. You go check on Video Error."
"Fine, and you better get it all!" Solarflare ordered before running outside to find that Video Error had not left his spot.
The sparklings had eaten the few precious energon crystals they found in the shack quickly, and then took off heading west. They walked for 5 straight joors toward the mountains they saw on the horizon, and by the time the young Decepticons made it to where they were going they were all very tired and hungry again.
Video Error was in Normal mode at the moment, which was at least one blessing the twins were grateful for. Still, they both stuck close to him just in case he decided to turn on them, so to speak.
The mountains they had seen earlier were, in fact, flat spires that looked pointy on top and gave the illusion of a climbable surface, but in fact were just naturally occurring walls. Realizing this was not where Squalor found his energon, the sparklings sighed in weariness and defeat. They just wanted to rest, but if they tried to recharge now there was no telling whether or not they would wake up. Besides, there could still be a murderer out there. They had to keep moving.
They walked along the side of the rock wall for a few breems, and then Solarflare found something: a cave mouth! There was a cave, and a cave meant a possible energon deposit! The three sparklings wasted no time in running into the cave and hoping for the best.
It didn't take them long to find purple crystals of 53% pure energon. It wasn't much, but it was good enough for sparkling grade. As they stared at the beautiful crystals they realized something; none of them knew how to refine energon. Solarflare growled when she realized they would have to eat raw crystals again. The crystals didn't last nearly as long as refined energon, and they tasted like...well, like rocks.
"I can't believe Dad left us out here to starve…" Solarflare grumbled before she started crunching on a crystal.
"This isn't Dad's fault," Freezeframe reminded her, "How was he supposed to know Squalor had been murdered?"
"What are we going to do?" Solarflare wailed in despair.
"Shh!" Video Error harshly shushed her, "Be quiet. I hear something."
The sparklings stopped everything they were doing and listened. It sounded like a voice, but it was faint. Video Error transformed into tape deck mode so he could amplify the sound with his recording equipment. When he did, the sparklings heard a melodious feminine voice singing.
You came down slashing with your platinum claws
You sliced through the foe, you gnawed with your jaws
Protect the people of Helex
Protect the people of Helex
Protect us our sparklings, our femmes and our mechs
Protect the people of Helex
You sniffed at the air and located your prey
You found the intruder and you won the day
Protect the people of Helex
Protect the people of Helex
Protect us our sparklings, our femmes and our mechs
Protect the people of Helex
The song was sung with the solemn reverence of a hymn and the love of a lullaby. Video Error transformed back into robot mode and looked at his siblings. They had a choice to make; find the source of the singing or stay where they were.
"We should check it out," Solarflare declared, "That voice said Helex. Helex means the voice is Cybertronian."
"Cybertronian doesn't automatically mean friendly," Freezeframe pointed out, "It could be an Autobot come to snatch us away again, or the murderer of Squalor."
"It's a femme," Solarflare rolled her optics, "How dangerous can a femme be?"
"You are a femme, and you are quite dangerous," Freezeframe pointed out.
"Oh, right. Never mind," Solarflare replied with a sheepish smile.
Before they could argue the point further, however, Video Error was already walking in the direction of the singing. The cassette twins, not wanting to be left behind, followed Video Error.
When they made it to the source of the femme's voice, they found a large enclosure of the cave that had very few energon crystals and a hole that looked like it had once contained a liquid substance eons ago. That made the area look darkened but not completely black. There was a small white femme sitting on the ground with two even smaller mechs resting comfortably in her lap as she rocked them soothingly.
"Don't go any closer to her," Freezeframe whispered to his siblings, "I detect traces of dead energon on her frame. I believe this is Squalor's killer."
"That? Seriously?" Solarflare scoffed as she pointed to the femme, "She's only as big as Video Error. How much of a threat could she be?"
"Rumble and Frenzy are-" Freezeframe started to say.
"Oh, alright I get it!" Solarflare yelled, but then realized too late that the femme heard them.
The femme turned her helm toward the three sparklings, but made no attempt to get up. Video Error, still in Normal mode, realized that he had seen this femme before.
"You tried to contact Laserbeak," Video Error said to her, "Why?"
"It does not matter now," The femme replied without inflection, "Optimus Prime and his closest allies have died. I failed to stop it. How is Laserbeak?"
"He's fine," Video Error replied as he walked over to where the femme was sitting and sat down with her; much to his siblings' horror, "If I may ask, did you kill Squalor?"
"Yes, I did," The femme replied without remorse, "Please speak quietly. My symbiotes are recharging. They've had a long day, though it looks like you have fared even worse."
"We can't refine energon," Video Error admitted, "The crystals won't last long."
"I can help you," The femme replied, "You will need to wait until I can get the boys in egg-mode, but then I will make sparkling grade for you and your siblings. Make sure they recharge in your tape deck tonight so they don't get sick out in the elements."
"Yes, ma'am," Video Error replied politely, "So, why did you kill Squalor."
"If I did not kill him, you would have," The femme replied evasively, "Trust me young one, I did you a favor. Now, why are you here on Chog? I knew nothing about this."
"Our father doesn't want us near the new Decepticon leader," Video Error explained.
"That is quite foolish," The femme replied, "You need your father. Every little sparkling should be with their parents as long as they possibly can be. When you grow up, you will cherish the times you spent with him as well as with your siblings."
"What was that song?" Video Error asked; changing the subject, "We heard you singing a song about Helex, but I've never heard it before."
"It is a Predacon folk song," The femme explained, "My bondmate taught it to me. He was from Helex. You've never heard it because it hasn't been written yet. My bondmate came from the future."
"Do you come from the future too?" Video Error asked curiously.
"No," The femme replied, "Although I have been through so many different periods of time the very concept has lost all meaning for me. I tend to measure time in what I've lost and what I've gained. I have gained my symbiotes. I have lost everything else. I must admit, you are a very nice sparkling. I expected you to be mean, but I don't think you are."
"Only in my Anger mode," Video Error replied with a shrug, "So, what is your name?"
"Call me Bitten," The femme replied stoically.
"Bitten?" Solarflare suddenly interjected from behind a stalagmite, "What kind of a name is Bitten?"
"It comes from an adage," Bitten replied, "Once bitten, twice shy."
"Humph! It's still a stupid name," Solarflare groused as she and Freezeframe walked closer to Video Error and the strange femme.
"Careful young lady," Bitten chided in a monotone voice, "I'm your only protector until we can get you and your siblings back to Soundwave. Don't worry though, I will take you back to him."
"Why would you help us?" Freezeframe inquired.
"Because I have a soft spot for sparklings," Bitten replied, "Even mean ones."
"So where do you live?" Solarflare asked.
"On earth's moon," Bitten told them, "I was asleep there for 3 million years. I have seen a lot in my time. Enough to realize I was safer away from other life forms. My only regret is that my symbiotes have no friends. Other than that, we live a contented and simple life. Maybe someday, I will return to the land of the living."
Suddenly a sharp wind blew through the cave mouth from a storm above ground, and the sparklings huddled together for warmth. Bitten placed her symbiotes with them, and then prepared some refined energon for them. Bitten knew she had to wait at least another 2 orns before they could travel. Unicron wouldn't be defeated until then, and the belly of a monster was no place for sparklings.