CHAPTER 11
Am I one with the AllSpark? Starscream thought with his optics closed. No, I'm still here, aren't I? But that means…
The smoke and fire cleared from around him. He was still alive and whole…and not even a scratch had marked him! Dreadwing's mine had failed.
The Seeker laughed maniacally, having hard to believe he had actually survived. "That tickled! HAHAHAH! FOOLS! Not only am I intelligent, I – am – INVINCIBLE!"
"Yet you cannot fly!" Optimus pointed out.
"Nobody's perfect," Starscream replied, too good in a mood to let that one get him down. Who needs wings anyway when you've got the best armor in the universe? He walked over to Optimus, more confident than ever before. "Now, tell me of the three other relics. Are they as powerful as my shiny new armor?" He punched Optimus away, to show off his new power.
"They were hidden away precisely to be kept out of the hands of those like you!" he replied fiercely. He beat on the armor, but nothing made his foe even flinch.
"He is far too powerful, Prime!" Dreadwing shouted from behind. "Fall back!"
Optimus transformed and drove off, leaving Starscream mildly perplexed. Do my audio receptors deceive me? Did I just hear Dreadwing say I was 'far too powerful'? Oh, I hope he'll say it again! I need to know if I heard right!
"Cowards!" he shouted as Prime drove over to Dreadwing. "You will not escape my might!" He silenced when a sudden thought went through his mind. "Wait…you two are up to something!"
And right he was. Dreadwing activated his detonator once again. But this time the mine wasn't placed on Starscream's back; instead, there were several mines placed around him, beeping in choir before exploding. The explosion caused the ice beneath him to break apart and create a huge gap, leading to the ocean below.
"WAAHHHH-NOOOOOOOO!" he screamed as he fell through the hole, deep beneath the frozen sea, until he hit the bottom.
Starscream walked aimlessly around in the frozen ocean, still trapped in his Apex Armor. The reason why he was 'trapped' was because he learned he could not reach his GroundBridge remote in this armor, and he could not risk taking the armor off, in case the freezing water would instantly turn him to ice, also in case it would ruin the remote. The remote was his only way back to the Harbinger, and he wouldn't risk damaging it for anything. Besides, he didn't know how to take the armor off anyway.
He sighed as a school of fish swam by him. "Is this the end for me? Starving to death in this impenetrable armor? At least it will protect me from the cold. It won't do me any good if I can't receive energon though. I need to get out of this disgusting water! …Well, I'm glad that I at least got away from Prime and that damn Dreadwing."
He almost got a stroke when a bright light suddenly appeared, and a figure materialized in front of him. It was a mech. And Starscream recognized him as Creop Trivem.
"Hey! I remember you! You're the one who—"
"Phase one: The Black Sun, completed," Creop interrupted, almost robotically. He repeated the same lines he did last time they met, though this time they were slightly different.
"Accept the things that you least expect.
The fallen star shall leave a scar.
The dragon's roar will be heard.
And then the Dark Lord shall return…"
And before Starscream could say anything, Creop disappeared as quickly as he had appeared. Starscream stared at the spot where the mech had just been, as if he had never been there to begin with.
"Well…that was…weird…" he mumbled. "This cold must be playing tricks on me."
He suddenly remembered the solar eclipse from almost two months ago. It had appeared just before the calamities took place and Unicron's supposed awakening. Was that the 'black sun' that Creop was talking about? But Unicron had not completely awakened, nor had there been any 'fallen stars' or 'dragons roaring'…
"What are 'dragons' anyway?" he asked himself. "It sounds like something powerful…"
If that wasn't the time Creop meant when he said 'the Dark Lord shall return'…then does that mean…Unicron can STILL awaken…?
As Starscream continued his journey through the endless ocean, in search for land, he grew not only hungrier and hungrier, but also more and more exhausted. The cold and the recent events had drained him of both energon and energy. He needed to recharge. But it was too dangerous to do that out here, especially given how low he was on energon. He had to keep himself awake until he returned to the Harbinger…somehow.
He flinched when a group of sharks appeared out of nowhere. They seemed hostile – or perhaps just curious, but what did he know about organics. "No need to panic," he said to himself. "They're just fleshlings. This is the Apex Armor. If Decepticon landmines can't penetrate it, then neither will these pathetic Earthlings!"
When the sharks approached him, they pushed against the armor, and although they indeed couldn't penetrate it, they were still strong enough to give him quite a shaking, and that was enough to freak him out.
"Stay away you monsters!" he shouted and punched one of the sharks. This cued the other sharks to immediately attack him, seeing him as a threat. They still couldn't bite through the armor, but that didn't stop the Seeker from screaming in fear – he really hated Earth animals.
A missile slowly went through the water like a torpedo, scaring the sharks off the Seeker, and they disappeared into the darkness of the ocean. Starscream turned around to see who had fired that missile and sighed – partly of relief, partly of irritation – to see Thrust, the Herald of Unicron who hadn't participated in rescuing him from Nightbird some mega-cycles ago.
"Oh. It's you," Starscream said tired. "If it wasn't for my current state, I'd tell you to scram. But…I think I…need your…help…" he struggled to get the words out.
"I understand," Thrust said. "You still got your GroundBridge remote?"
"Yes, but I can't reach it in here."
"It can tolerate water, and so can you. I mean, look at me, I'm fine!" Thrust spun around as proof of his words.
"Easy for you to say. You're not depleted from energon. I'll freeze in nano-cycles out there."
"Just trust me, as much as my name is Thrust. By the way, don't you think there's a lot of…frost in this place?" Thrust laughed hysterically at his own joke. Starscream was not impressed by the pun. He was too tired to neither laugh nor snort.
"How do I get out of this thing?" he asked impatiently.
"Oh. Just press the button on the disc."
Starscream did as he said, and as quickly as it had come on, it came off again, transforming back into its original state. Starscream cringed when he felt the freezing-cold water enter his own armor. He shuddered as he fetched the remote and opened the GroundBridge back to the Harbinger. Thrust picked up the Apex Armor and held an arm around Starscream's shoulder, helping him through the portal in silence. At the moment, Starscream didn't really care that he was going to see his hideout – after all, Sideways had already established that the Heralds of Unicron, minus Nightbird, already knew of his location at all times, so what was the point of pretending he still had secrets from them any longer?
All he wanted right now was to go home.
"Feeling better now?" Thrust asked, as Starscream took a large sip of the energon tank with shaking servos.
"Somewhat," the Seeker replied and wiped a stain off his mouth. "But I think I want to be left alone now, so I can recharge."
"I'd offer to stay and help clean up, but with that note, I suppose I should just leave." The floor had become wet from the ocean water that had followed them through the portal. Without waiting for an answer, Thrust turned around and went towards the exit. He stopped, just as he was almost out, and looked back at the Seeker.
"Look, Starscream," he said in a serious tone. "I know the Blendtrons more or less told you to replace your T-cog by yourself…but even I know that's a terrible idea. Even the most experienced, legendary of medics can't perform self surgery. You'd have to be awake to do that, so anesthetics are out of the question. Therefore, you'd have to go through massive pain, which will ultimately make you react and cause lethal mistakes."
"What's your point?" Starscream hissed in irritation.
"It's not so much a point. It's more like an advice. Don't try to perform self surgery. That's a doctor's job, if you get what I'm saying. You'll transform again someday, I know."
"Because you're from the future?"
Thrust silenced. "So he told you, huh? Guess there's no point in pretending anymore then. Yes, I know you'll transform again someday. But whether it is thanks to the Autobots, the Decepticons, yourself or humans…I can't say for sure. Rules."
I'm beginning to grow tired of your 'rules', the Seeker thought irritated.
"But what I really want to tell you…" Thrust continued, making the Seeker look up at him. "Stay out of trouble. Take care of yourself. And stay away from Nightbird. The armor will protect you for now, but who can say for how long you will have it? If you lose that armor, you're back to being a helpless piece of scrap. So don't do anything foolish, okay?"
Starscream felt highly offended by his words, but before he could give an answer, Thrust had already left the ship and taken off.
Starscream shook his head, too exhausted to even throw a tantrum. He had drunken the whole tank, keeping his fuel tank full for now, but his energy level was very low. He needed to rest. He looked longing at the tape recorder and sighed.
"I'll just record it tomorrow," he decided.
He went over to the recharging table and laid down on it. Come to think of it, he had never actually slept inside the ship before. It was the first time as a rogue that he now had a berth to sleep on. He closed his optics and went into stasis.
He'd take care of things the following morning.
Starscream's log
Entry #27
I survived.
I know it may sound like a weird thing to say, but given yesterday's events, I really am glad to say that I live.
It feels like several solar cycles since my last log, even though it was only half a solar-cycle ago.
My surgery was interrupted by Decepticon signals in the Antarctic – an interruption that I gladly accepted. Probably because I didn't know what was in store for me.
I was captured by Dreadwing, Skyquake's twin brother and Megatron's new second-in-command. I'm deeply hurt by my replacement.
They were looking for a relic called the Apex Armor, a relic which I am in possession of right now.
How did I end up possessing it, you ask?
Well, since you insist, I'll tell you.
Optimus Prime showed up and saved me from my captors…although afterwards, he took me captive! He must be in a grim mood lately to treat a defenseless captive rogue like me that way.
We found the Apex Armor, but then Dreadwing showed up again, and the two of them fought. In the meantime, I managed to cleverly snatch it and freed myself at the same time!
Although the armor is as incredible as the rumors say – they didn't even dent it, those weaklings – they did manage to lure me into a trap which sent me to the deep, frozen ocean, deeming me to mega-cycles of aimless wandering about!
It was pure luck that I ran into Thrust, as I had become both tired and hungry, and also a bit cold. He helped me out of the armor and back to the Harbinger, where I, for the first time, strangely enough, slept on my recharging table. The portal also caused some water to pass through, but I've cleaned up to a more or less acceptable state in here now.
My energon supplies are gone now though, and I feel the hunger tinge my interior. I will leave soon to raid one of the energon mines – this time with my Apex Armor on. It will certainly make everything easier now! I can't wait to have instant energon supplies now!
Oh, I almost forget! I should probably mention one more thing before I leave…
While I was walking around in the ocean…I may just have been seeing things, but I swear that I saw Creop Trivem. You know, that bot who gave me those weird 'energon pellets' several months ago. I wonder if those pellets have anything to do with my constant hunger and chest pain? I mean, it all started after he had given me those pellets. Then again, it was only my very first day as a rogue, so I can't say for sure if it's the pellets or my status.
Anyway, so I met that creep, Creop…heheh, sounds kinda funny when you say it that way…regardless!
Last time we met, he was fully aware and everything, and he seemed more or less like a normal bot. This time, however, he didn't even seem to be aware that he was there, as if he was a mere hologram or something. He spoke in an almost drone-like state.
He talked about something like a 'phase one', a 'black sun' and then more or less the same lines he told me last time. Something with 'accepting what you don't expect', and a 'falling star that leaves a scar', and then something about 'dragons roaring'. And finally, of course, about 'the Dark Lord returning'.
And then he just disappeared, like heated energon. Minus the explosion.
I'm not sure if I really did see Creop Trivem, or if it was merely a hallucination, but something about that mech really creeps me out…
I'd wish I knew what his deal is.
Well, I guess I'd better get going. My energon is waiting for me…