Mostly Predaking's POV (first half of 'Evolution' s3e9)
He was happy. Megatron had allowed him to go out by himself this time. It was mostly because Starscream was stuck in the med bay again. Something about aggravating recent injuries and apparently gaining new ones. He was slightly curious about what happened to them after he left with the bone but at the same time he didn't care. Right now, he was free.
With a heavy flap of his wings, he put on another burst of speed, the wind whistling over his armor. He was nearing the coordinates where the vehicons were supposed to be. He fell into a dive, letting gravity bring him down. He was almost to the top of the trees when he spread his wings to catch the air and slow himself. Beating the air with his wings to stay above the trees, he surveyed the area.
There were indeed mechs there. And they were wearing the right masks, but they looked nothing like vehicons. There were signs of a fight, but he saw no signs of the Decepticon troops that were supposed to be there.
Curiosity got the better of him. He wanted to know who these mechs were. Finding an open spot among the trees, he dropped to the ground. He landed a little heavier than he wanted to and froze. He stood there, listening and watching, waiting to see if he had alerted the strangers. It seemed that he had not. Good. He slunk forward, through the trees, until he was close enough to leap out and catch one of the mechs.
His target had his back to him. A red and white, boxy mech. Someone shouted a warning as he pounced and his target turned. The mech was slammed to the ground on his back, his armor creaking slightly under the weight that impacted with his chassis.
There was the noise of several transformations and whining of blasters charging up as the rest of the mechs surrounded him.
"Hold your fire!" commanded a black mech, the only one whose frame still slightly resembled a vehicon.
Growling, he assessed the situation. He had one of the mechs pinned to the ground under his claw. The rest of them, numbering seven, had him surrounded, their blasters pointed at him. They wore vehicon masks but they were definitely strangers to him. None of them wore a Decepticon insignia. They were uncertain of what to do, he could tell. He had their comrade in his clutches so they were hesitant to fire and provoke him.
"Hey!"
He turned toward the voice. It was a little femme, who measured barely seven feet tall, with armor of platinum, gray, and red. She stood on a small boulder in front of him. Well, it was small to him but it was taller than her. He wondered where she had come from. He hadn't seen her earlier.
"Let him go!" she demanded.
He stared at the femme. Unlike the rest of the mechs, she did not seem to be afraid of him. He could smell the fear on the others and the mech under him was quaking. Said mech barely suppressed a whimper when he tightened his claw around his chassis.
"Let him go," she repeated, a weapon of sorts transforming around her only servo, the red crescent blade humming with energy.
Was that supposed to be a threat? Did this tiny femme really think she could actually damage him with her tiny blade more than the larger mechs and their blasters? He lowered his helm and screamed at her. She didn't move but the rest of the mechs tensed up.
"Remove your claw from his chassis." Her voice was calmer and quieter than before and it put him a little on edge. "Or I will remove it for you."
The blade around her servo shaped into a point that extended rapidly downwards until it pierced the boulder. A flicker of red light caught his optic at the base of the boulder and he realized that the blade went all the way through the rock and into the ground. The blade remained for a few seconds before it returned to the crescent shape.
Dangerous! The femme was not afraid of him because she was dangerous and she knew she could actually hurt him. He finally understood that. Slowly, ever so slowly, he relaxed his grip and took a step back. The mech wasted no time scrambling away from him and over to his companions. The femme actually dared to look away from him to watch the mech retreat, her blade disappearing back into her arm. Was she letting her guard down even though she was still so close to him? She may be dangerous but so was he. He would make her regret that. It wouldn't be too hard. She was so small he could finish her off with a single bite of his powerful jaws.
He froze when she turned back to focus on him again. She was smiling. But it was unlike anything he had ever seen before. When Megatron or Starscream smiled, it made his plating crawl. Knock Out was just smug. Breakdown never smiled around him. Neither Shockwave nor Soundwave had a mouth to smile with. At least that he could see. And the vehicons always avoided him when they were off-duty. But this femme's smile was different. It was bright.
"Thank you for letting him go," she said, sincerely. "I really didn't want to have to hurt you."
He snarled at her. She chuckled.
"Yes, yes. I know, you don't trust me."
He drew back. What?
She was peering up at him now, her helm tilted with curiosity.
"I wonder…" she muttered.
Then she was gone. He swung his helm back and forth looking for her. Where did she go?
"Well, look-y there. You do have one."
He twisted. She was underneath him, staring up at his midsection. But before he could move, she was gone again.
"Here I am."
He whipped his helm back around. She was standing on the boulder again. Not only was she capable of causing him damage, but she could move faster than he could comprehend. A lethal combination. One that he did not want to mess with. He growled at her as he took a step back.
"You have a t-cog," she said, completely undeterred by his warning.
He stopped and tilted his helm, mirroring her earlier curiosity. He has a what?
"A t-cog is the organ that allows Cybertronians to transform. You have one, so you should be able to transform like the rest of us," she explained. "I know that you are an intelligent being because you obviously understand my words. So think about it and maybe give it a try." She turned to leave, smiling at him over her shoulder. "I would love to see it. I'm sure your other form is just as majestic as your current one."
The little femme jumped off the boulder and walked toward the other mechs that had gathered together. He watched her go. He noticed the mechs relaxed as she approached them. They even deactivated their blasters.
"Let's go home," he heard her say. A ground bridge opened beyond them. The mechs went through first. The femme stopped to look back at him one last time and smile again. His helm dipped slightly in response. She had given him some valuable information. That was his way of showing his gratitude. Then she was gone and the portal vanished, leaving him with many things to think about.
Megatron wasn't particularly angry that he had returned without the bone. The Autobots had probably already taken it and Shockwave assured him that they had enough bones for the project he was working on.
He was currently curled up in a corner of the flight deck, letting the sun warm his armor. He had his optics closed, trying to take a nap. However, his processor kept going back to the little femme, her smile, and, most importantly, her words. She said he could transform like the others. He wondered if it was really possible as he looked up to watch a squad of eradicons returning from patrol. They came gliding in before transforming to land with their peds on the deck. They seemed to flinch slightly when they realized he was watching them and they gave him a wide berth as they entered the Nemesis.
He snorted. All the vehicons were afraid of him. Even the ones that brought him his energon. Some were a little bolder than others. Like the one silver eradicon that bossed all the other vehicons around. But even they would flinch slightly in fear if he got too close.
Even those other mechs, the strangers with vehicon masks... That brought his thoughts back to the little femme and the idea of transformation. Perhaps he should try it. He looked around the flight deck. Not here, he wasn't going to try it here. He wanted to be alone the first time he did it so he could get used to it.
All attempts to nap now abandoned, he got to his peds and stretched leisurely. He wandered to the end of the deck and looked out at the planet surface below. He knew he probably shouldn't leave without permission but… He coiled back like a spring and then leapt, spreading his wings to let the air carry him away from the ship.
He flew for a while, making sure no one was following him before he finally set down in a secluded little valley. The sun was getting low and the trees cast long shadows over the area. He stood still for several minutes, unsure of how to begin. How does one transform? The little femme said it required a t-cog. And that he had one. Perhaps if he sent a signal to it-
The reaction was instantaneous. His helm and neck, even his tail were pulled inside his chassis as he stood up on his hind legs. He felt like he was somersaulting inside himself until everything came to a jerking halt and he opened his optics.
He was significantly smaller than before, that was for certain. By how much, he wasn't sure until he could compare himself to a bot he's met before. He looked down. His front legs and claws had become arms and servos. He turned his servos over and watched in fascination as he curled and uncurled his sharpened digits.
"Well, well, well. Looks like I was right," said a voice.
Startled, he spun to face the voice and nearly overbalanced. A servo caught his arm to keep him upright.
"Easy there, killer. You're not used to that form yet."
He quickly got his balance back and pulled away from the servo. Finally focusing, he saw that it was the black mech from before, the one that commanded the others. And the little femme sitting on their shoulder, smirking, amused.
Upset, he growled at them.
The little femme frowned. "Is there something wrong with your voicebox? You seem to be in perfect condition to me."
He frowned as well, concentrating. A variety of sounds emerged from his mouth until they finally formed some words.
"This is hard," he said.
"Well, I suppose it is a bit different from your beast form." She smiled again. "But I know that you can get the hang of it."
"How did you find me?" he asked slowly.
She pointed at his chassis. "We tracked your spark signature, just like we track everyone else. I was curious about why you left the Nemesis alone." She looked him up and down. "And I'm very glad I came."
"I must thank you for informing me of this ability. Now I can converse properly with Lord Megatron."
"Yes. Of course. By the way, do you have a name?"
He shook his helm. "No. They never gave me one."
"That won't do. Someone like you needs a name. And good one. Hmmm…" She stared at him thoughtfully. "Your beast mode is a dragon. And in human mythology and legends, the dragon is often considered the king of the beasts. Coincidentally, their concept of dragons is based off your predecessors that died out on this planet long ago. Anyway, the title of 'king' fits you not only because you are a dragon but also, now, the top of your helm looks like a crown."
"A crown?" he asked, confused.
She knocked on the side of the black mech's helm. They turned slightly and projected a mirror image of him so that he could see himself.
"That is me?" He moved and the image moved with him. He touched the horn on his forehelm. "This is a crown?"
"Yes. And every king wears a crown." The image disappeared and he looked at her again. "You are a king. You are the king. King of all predacons… Predaking."
"Predaking…?" he repeated.
"Hm? Was it too bold of me to name you? If so, I apolo-"
"No! It is a good name. I will keep it!"
She smiled, that smile that he was slowly beginning to enjoy seeing. "I'm glad you like it."
"But how can I be the king of the predacons if I am the only one?"
"Ah. What do you think Shockwave has been collecting all those bones for? He is cloning more of your kind."
"I had heard rumors but I did not know if they were true."
"Indeed. Well, it has gotten late. You should probably return to the Nemesis before someone gets upset."
He just realized that night had almost completely fallen. "You are right." He turned to go, then paused, looking back at her. "Will I get to see you again?"
"I certainly hope so. I would like to be your friend."
"My friend…" He considered the thought, the corners of his mouth moving upward slightly. "Yes. I would also like that."
Her smile grew as he transformed. "Stay well, Predaking."
He dipped his massive helm to her with a farewell growl before leaping into the air and letting his wings carry him away.
"That went well," Leecher said as they watched Predaking disappear into the night sky.
"Yes," Liliy replied. "But I have this bad feeling that we may not be friends for long."
The mask popped open to allow Liliy to climb inside.
"Worrying about it is bad for your health, you know," Leech commented as Liliy plopped down in her seat and let them attach to her shoulder.
"Yeah… We'll just face whatever comes. As long as I don't have to kill him, it will be ok."
Curious, Predaking watched the retractable lift descend from the ship into the mountain below. He wondered if this was where Shockwave had been disappearing to for the last several solar cycles. Was this where the cloning the little one had mentioned was happening? He had seen Megatron and the loathsome Starscream fly down earlier. There must be a cave entrance nearby. He flew down himself to look. It was there. He entered without hesitation. He wanted to know. He wanted to see with his own optics if there were more of his kind.
Predaking entered the enormous cavern. Twenty-four large pods, each containing yellow liquid and a nearly, fully developed predacon form, were lined up in two rows of twelve. At the far end was Shockwave's work area. Shockwave himself stood among the pods with Megatron, Starscream, and Knock Out. They had heard him coming but he screamed at them anyway to announce his presence.
Starscream produced a metal rod from his subspace and approached him. "Unruly beast! You dare to roam freely without permission!" And smacked him twice across the helm with the rod.
Predaking suddenly screamed in his face. Startled, Starscream stumbled back with a cry, tripping on his own peds and landing on his aft, the rod falling from his servo. Predaking advanced on him menacingly. Starscream cried out in fear and curled into a ball on his side, protecting his helm with his arms. However, just as Predaking reached him, the beast transformed and glared down at him.
Starscream sat up in surprise. "Wha-?!"
"Strike me again," Predaking warned as he loomed over the seeker, "and I will bury that rod in your spark."
"I-" Starscream scooted backward across the cave floor to get away from him. "I did not realize that the beast was capable of transformation."
"Nor did I," added Megatron, glancing over his shoulder at Shockwave for an explanation.
"I am no beast!" Predaking growled.
Starscream had to quickly scoot to the side to avoid being stepped on as Predaking moved to the nearest pod to observe it.
"The ability to transform is a fundamental part of Cybertronian biology," Shockwave offered in explanation. "We simply possessed no evidence that the predacon species ever reached that evolutionary stage since they became extinct in the Great Cataclysm."
"And now we know," Starscream growled after finally picking himself up off the floor.
"So… the rumors are true," Predaking spoke. "I will no longer be alone."
"And I see you've been keeping secrets," Megatron replied, approaching him.
Predaking turned to meet him. He found it interesting that he was at least a helm taller than the warlord. "It was not my intention to deceive you, Lord Megatron. I only recently became aware of my abilities. All I remember of my beginning is hunting. And battle. And the wounding of my pride. Thus I begun to burn with questions. 'Who am I?' 'Where did I come from?' The warship's data banks provided historical fact. But still I possessed no memory of my own past so I begun to reconsider my place in the present and wondered 'could I be like the others?'. That's when I met the little one and she told me that I was like them. And here I am."
"Wait. What 'little one'?" Starscream asked.
"Now that I think about it, she never told me her name. But she was about this tall," he showed her height with his servos, "and had only one arm that wielded a blade that could change shape. She could also move faster than I could comprehend. Several unfamiliar mechs with vehicon masks accompanied her."
"The Laserblade and the CRC," Megatron growled while Starscream flinched, wings twitching.
"Are they our enemies, Lord Megaton?" Predaking asked.
"Yes they are! And if you ever come across them again, you are to kill them on sight," he ordered.
Predaking scowled at the thought but replied, "I understand."
To be continued...