Its a cold morning, farther away from the burning remains of what used to be there. Viper listened to the radio, hearing the reports of how the Los Palmos Observatory is no more. A sense of a guilty glee came to him. Its still murder, but Decepticons kill people anyways. Motormaster's run over a few baby carriages before, although the blood would be a pain to wash out. It'd cause everyone to gag. No one would eat anything after that for the rest of the day. Among those would be Viper too, more harder due to the secrecy of his face underneath. Yet, now he has the blood of humans splattered everywhere. Before Hook's evaluation, did everyone believe there's nothing special with pure robots? Its one of those thoughts of a stranger, unsure about the world around him. Unkind and empty except for the nature around them.
Still, that face, why did it bring him such feelings he's never felt before? No one in his memory banks met that match, Nightbird, Slipstream, none of the Autobots either. Why did he see Cybertron's past? Is he going insane? Did some old blood get stuck in his gears? This thoughtlessness drove him off to the sunlight, brightening the dark blue paint. In this glimmer, it brought the Rattler out of the emotions. These aren't his, no, its someone else's and he'll need to get evaluated by Hook. For now, he had to focus on the work ahead of him. Florida, from one coast to another. The home of Dr. Heath Blaisedale. A human who used the technology from the Cybertronian to find a oil free energy source, the Sun. Humans, they are too deep in their roots, but, what's the difference between him and the creators? They have flesh and blood, yet he and the others from Cybertron, they bear metal and Energon. What is the true difference? Both are free thinkers, lost to time in their dark worlds. If he did bear true emotions, pity would seethe from snarled lips. Did Hook give him a new face without telling him? No, why would he waste materials for such a worthless feature? He's never displayed many emotions, hidden behind the blood red mask. The one way is through his voice. Pure rage welled up within once finding Megatron speaking with that man. The one drenched in blue, hidden behind silver. The last memory before it all vanished. No one wanted to be friends with the snake, due to how often alone he is. Is it due to fear? Or that he's not a normal Cybertronian? Its quiet, except for the faint rumble of the wind feeding itself into his turbines. A faint rumble, which lead to more questions than he could answer.
Why did I come to life that day when I bore no soul?
The trip continued without anything new. States came and went, days and nights rotated. The sun and moon continued their estranged relationship. Such thoughts about the myths of how the world and its sun worked. The silly ideas of how the Earth is the center of the universe or how its flat like a pancake. It made him chuckle. To hear the crazy words from social media when watching videos about the stupidity of humans. They helped ease the pain for a short time, before that fear came back. Not mattering to anyone, a walking machine with no soul, how can they allow him to be among them? Unless, Megatron saw something in him that no one else could. But, he's not here now, its him and a Decepticon that left him unsure. Keep watching her, seeing for what tricks she'll present to him. He'd notice those glimmers of life twinkle when he provided something of use to her during the night. when they were near the coast. The ocean's beaches remaining bright. A nice break from flying and driving, to share information of what may exist. It felt nice to be with someone who may care. To accept in knowing that she will attack, it left a calm thought in him. Trust no one, keep them away from the empty husk where a Spark would've rested in.
Florida, land of oranges, amusement parks, and sun. Its nice to be at another destination after the nonstop flying. No more raiding for energy sources needed to fuel their trip. Viper could imagine the victory, melting down the crazy scientist will be such a breeze! Why not stay here for a while. Sneak into Universal Studios for their new attractions based on the popular show Challenge of the Go-Bots. He'd catch a few Cons watching that when it was on, laughing about the silliness and dumb names of the robots. The mech himself would catch a few scenes as well, including their movie. For some reason, the beetle Megatron stared at the Rock Lords. Seeming to notice something about them that resembled something. For what Viper could tell, it meant a few secrets. Nothing he can do about it, not when he's chain of command as well when the other two aren't around. Its strange to go from one Megatron to three, two bearing the same voice. They'd prank the others and lead to massive confusion. They're getting along better than with the Megatron that brought them together. Thinking of that does sound confusing, yet it made the mech wonder, are there others such as him in those worlds? Born from different origins other than Cybertronians. Its so strange, yet Viper knew not to explore in depth. After Barricade's mishap, the traveling device stopped functioning (Check name). Needs new parts to plan such a mission again. But, for now, its time to clear up more forgotten weeds.
A vibrant dark blue plane landed onto a beach underneath the blanket of night. Armor transformed with the lack of people nearby. Behind broken glass, blue optics saw a location. A usual air hanger, yet with the reports, it appears to be something top secret that no one can understand. Left in silent for on this small part of Florida unaccessible to most. Nightbird should be nearby, unless the traffic got up to her. Means less risks of her getting injured, which helped ease him a bit. He moved about, taking care to detect any traps for alerting any trespassers. Quite a few, meaning this must be important. Good, it means this Doctor Heath Blaisedale is around here somewhere. Would've been good to rest, but he's spent enough time doing so. This place is further from anywhere else, help shouldn't come for miles.
Blue glowed brighter, seeing the interior; planes, of course. It shouldn't be this obvious, a mask of false images. Viper walked past them, heading over to a part which his scanners caught. A door, hidden underneath the thick metal of the interior. It moved away, pulled aside as a curtain for whoever comes in with the secret code. A large door, perfect height for mechs such as him. Strange, but fitting for the developing mystery. A numerical pad present, shouldn't be too difficult to hack into. The mech opened his finger, finding a few cables functioning the joint and connecting them in. Soon a few buttons lit up, unlocking the door. Returning the metal back in, the mech entered inside and looked around. The ground rumbled as the door closed behind him. Elevator, lifting him down to the underground. Wings tensed, knowing that fliers such as him cannot do well in cavernous locations. But, for his mission, it needs to continue. He took a deep vent, staring at the polished metal as it kept going down.
The door opened, remaining silent as the mech stepped in. No one around, what did he expect coming in at midnight or this other time. Perfect timing to come in and watch the sky turn dark. Wings flickered, soon detecting something that rang unknown alarms in his helm. Its a door, heavy steel and locked underneath many. Secrets they want to hide, as deep as the locks are, nothing should tear him away from the chances to sneak a peek. He passed by a variety of doors, far too small for him to crawl through. Yet, why is this one huge and his size?
As before, the locks came undone, letting him into a room. Viper came into darkness. Alert, something screamed in his helm. Armor tensing, wings stuck firm upon the cold aura creeping in. Something's wrong, yet the mech couldn't know what. Soon, lights came on, to a sight he couldn't believe.
Rows, rows of robots bearing the Cybertronian forms. Armor and colorations of the Joe weapons. All mixed in with the copies of mechs such as Sideswipe. Primus, they're all here, including a robot that's still under construction. Optimus Prime, a copy, much like Nemesis, yet, more hollow than even him, even of Sentius Magnus. A demigod they've disgraced with their twisted intentions stood here. A room of fakes, like him. Viper clenched his chest, sensing something ringing in his helm. No, he can't have these wounds, only those who bear Sparks can. The room began spinning, as visions of those dreams came back. Copies, fakes, doppelgängers, how many other words can bear this room? Blue optics closed, listening for anything other than the screaming in his helm. Humanity, they are repeating the same mistakes as Cobra did. The scars of the past are coming back, the seed has grown into a tree of danger.
As fast did it begin, the pain stopped, being like a bad dream that never happened. The mech got up, servo still clenching his worn armor. Taking a better look to these puppets. Sadness and pity prominent, wishing he could pretend this as a nightmare. Does this mean there are others beyond the rows? Viper navigated through the rows, recording as much as he could through the lens of his optics. Primus, they looked dead, but propped up to act alive. Walking corpses, never born, awoken without a soul. "Will you awaken like me? Will you be your own? Or are empty toys for their wars?" He poked one, which didn't react. "How will the Autobots feel? To know that the people they needed to trust, does this to them. I wished I could spare you of it. If you were never born, then why should I expect you to know pain, or sadness, why am I not like you? Even after what happened, I still feel life in me, that Cobra couldn't tear my mind apart. What am I doing? Speaking to those who should be like me, or I should bear strings as well?" Yet, among them all, one escaped duplication. It'd make sense for Hound and Skyfire, yet there's a copy of Ultra Magnus here! The one who bears a bright fire, how could he have escaped getting faked?
Then, the door locked behind him, and a powerful light came on, causing the puppets to activate. Viper turned as the locks finished clicking. A television screen came on, showing a woman with a firm glare. "So you're the one who sneaked around. A Decepticon, you shouldn't be here."
"Then why did you create these abominations?!" He yelled, yet the human laughed back at him.
"Its time to test them out. We're not going to let you live with these facts." Came a reply.
Then, they sprung to attack, tackling into Viper and trying to tear him apart. The acid gun seemed to be the best weapon in this large room. It helped tear through a few of the weaker mechs, but others were stronger than Viper expected. Those of much more war torn mechs who live for fighting. Viper yelled, feeling their fingers grasping at his limbs and wings. Bodies melted beneath their feet. A blur of colors and explosions with how exposed the weaponry is for some of the drones. It got harder to think of anything but survival. They're not real...they should all die together...
Another women walked in, seeing the excitement on her college's face. "Dr. Heath Blaisedale?"
"This is so exciting! Look at our hard work Mrs. Cee! A real Cybertronian fighting our creations. Isn't this exciting?!"
"Oh...But aren't you worried that the Autobots will know?"
"They won't, no one except top official knows of this. Once this one dies, we can resume our research." The two women continued to watch, hearing Viper's screams as he kept fighting. Refusing to surrender an undying will, even if he bore the same skin as these duplications. A dying breed continued to fight, shattering mirrors, wanting honesty in dead trust.
Outside, the world is quiet, in a soft slumber which no one nearby awoke in. Nightbird transformed once reaching the entrance to the base. Optics inspecting for anything of danger. Yes, traps nearby in both the grounds and the forest which encircle the area. A part of her computer knew something is wrong, but is it a true fear? She's not like the others, no matter how many times she tries to be one. Although no one judged her much compared to Viper, and soon Skywarp. Although it could rank based such as Soundwave. Everyone knew never to speak against the great communications officer. One who can hear every whisper from miles away.
It didn't take long for her to enter inside the building. Yellow optics examined the interior. Nothing out of the ordinary, but something is wrong here. The ninja femme noticed sand heading over to a wall. Clumsy, but effective to get to where she needs to be. Nightbird kneel down, hacking into the system and entering inside.
Once the elevator door opened, a loud sound of metal screeching behind a locked door. She tried to hack into it, but nothing seemed to work. Under critical lockdown, or damaged. Nightbird hid the snarl from behind her mouth plate, kicking the wall a few times, yet nothing came of it. Yellow optics glowed against the darkness before transforming. Conjuring a hologram on the other side.
An illusion arose, taking a look around in the shadows. Soon finding Viper struggling to fight back against the copies. He's yelling, continuing to tear apart the drones while fighting for his life. Blue optics glistened as oil splattered everywhere. There's no end to them! So many right now, the bigger ones taking a longer time to take care of. Wings flared, acid gun still firm in grip as he transformed. Right then, a fake Ironhide rammed right where he stood. Then tearing through a wall to the hallway before returning to the battlefield.
In the air, Viper maneuvered past a few of the Aerialbots, trying to avoid their enemy fire as a few hit his armor. A stinging sensation pulsated across dark blue armor. Keep fighting, let loose a stream of acid and continuing to lace the floor in his toxic inferno. Parts melted off, before he noticed two figures joining into the fight.
The real Nightbird leaped onto a replicated Sky Lynx's neck. Twirling to avoid capture or fire, kicking its head before shooting at it. Damaging the glass on his optics. The beast roared, stomping on any poor creations underneath. One of the women screamed in the loud stereos. Nightbird didn't reply, turning over to the mech's torso and finding powerful missiles. Should be enough to stop this! She gripped her weapon, stabbing into one of these explosives and letting out a liquid. It began to splatter everywhere. Nightbird leaped off before steel jaws could ensnare her. The hologram duplicate slammed her arms into any nearby. EMP effects causing them to freeze as the acid kept working through them. Its like wax, lighting a candle to let a sweet scent escape or to light the darkness. Except, the scent reeks of death, bringing no light to them as they rotted away.
:: Viper, we need to get out of here now! :: So, she did come! Took enough time to do so! Viper swooped down, letting her grab onto his torso as they flew through the hallways. With help from both their acid spray and her gun, they tore through the elevator and rose up towards freedom. Right then, the electrified duplicate leaped into the liquid. A massive explosion tore through the entire complex on that single touch. It tore everything apart, every clone, and among them, the two women. Nothing remained, as a deafening silence took over.
Audio receptors damaged, optics injured, frame weak. Nightbird awoke, staring at a thick cloud of smoke. It worked too well than she would've admitted. The ninja robot took time to adjust her sight, before noticing Viper laying on top of her. His wings flared in a way to act as a shield. Did he do this because of a sense of caring? No, he was flying above when they were fleeing from the place. She hoisted him back to his pedes, seeing how broken he became from the fighting. Much like when she found him in the aftermath of Cobra's Final Stand. His visor still remained alongside mouthplate. Must be hiding that face except for one optic, dimmed, and his jaw must be agape. "Viper, can you hear me?" Came a whisper, trying not to harm her damaged vocals.
No reply, this isn't good, not so soon! The femme conjured up a hologram, letting it move ahead to scout for any oncoming humans. So many copies, what were they doing here? Why is this one place displaying so much fear? "Viper, I hope you'll wake up soon, its too far for me to drag you back to bury you." Came a sigh, continuing to flee before anymore trouble can come.
Golden optics glowed in the darkness of the golden Ark. Sentius Magnus got up from his resting place. Is something amiss? No, the Prime Cores are here. The demi god frowned, its best to go somewhere unrestricted to ease his thoughts. There's a nagging feeling within golden armor that couldn't show itself. A disturbance echoed from within the Balance. What it could be, there must be a reason.
Its nice to be outside from the stuffy interior of the Ark. Sometimes he'd bang his flags onto the walls due to his height. A bit silly, but would make him understand how difficult it can be to navigate around. It must be a message from Primus, but why so late at night while the others are still resting from the busy day? No, he must heed the call.
Meditation is difficult to break from with a bearer of judgement. Needing to continue hearing for voices that'd tell the truths of what shifted the balance. The Sword of Balance, such a powerful weapon. Now it bore half its normal power due to the clash within the sacred achieves. To think about it led to a sigh, wishing it never happened. Yet, it did, and Primus left them split for so long. Is it right to remain apart? To be himself, its...a strange and comforting experience. To enjoy a life away from the duties. Still, those powers came at such a time. The human they trusted, turned against them under orders. Why work with them if they harmed fellow Cybertronians? Those of the past wanted to convert other species into their kind. To discover the ways of transforming planets into safe habitable colonies for themselves. They existed for so long, until the fall of the Primes, and Nobilius' death. Why can't this uneasiness go away? That a piece of his old life is crying out, but cannot speak in a way for the future to hear.
"I can tell you're not out here to stargaze." Came a recognizable voice to the brother.
"Malus? Why are you here?!" The Relic Guardian of Light got up, aiming his bow at the brother, light arrow tight in grip.
"At ease, its me. You can trust me tonight, no one else came. Although I wished they did, too busy snoring away after what that one mech did."
"What happened that we aren't made aware of?" Magnus remained high on his guard. Malus came a bit closer, showing carelessness in prideful movements.
"Did the humans of those C'yor Joe not tell you? Of course not, they want you still under their grip. A human made Cybertronian destroyed Cobra by himself. Isn't that something? A creation of theirs turning against them. What fun I wished to have seen."
"How come I didn't sense it then?"
"Because balance came to life, easing the tension from the judgement of Primus. Revenge is my territory, while you are more for petty things such as affection or ugh, love. Right, wrong, they're opposites, but I like it that way. We're so used to being apart, can we ever be one again?"
The brother couldn't reply to such words, watching the smirk on his brother's face grow. "Will we inflict judgement upon those who've disturbed the balance?"
"Why do you think I came over? Wasn't for a cup tea or sleeping parties. I'm rather interested in keeping a few things up, so don't make it too boring. You're too used to being among the mortal ones. I'm sure Vector Prime will keep your processor updated, change that lightbulb on it. Your optics are rather dull."
"Malus, this isn't a game!"
"Oh look at the time, I must be off, you look better when you're angry. One last thing to hear, do not forget our past, no matter how much you crave being this so called Relic Guardian of Light. Toodle pip." He leaped away right as the twin fired a few arrows.
I felt my body melt away; the acid I manipulated is now turning against me. Its supposed to be painful, yet I couldn't scream, my dreams are dwindling into this madness. Yet, I liked it. I wanted to vanish from time, because that's what clones are. They aren't meant to exist. I remembered a movie I saw with a few others. Humans, cloned to die for the real ones as they grew older. That their lives meant nothing anymore to those who harvested their organs. Even as they grew up with their own personalities. I'm sick, I'm tired; will I wake up? Is Hook going to give Bludgeon new spare parts? My parts? Or will they rot away because of their human construction? Why did I do this? Its a few people, yet more than those handful know. My strength is gone, I can't hear or see anything. I want to be lost in my fantasy, of being real...
It seems my prayer came true, by her beautiful face returning to me. I'm back here, I hope I can stay here forever, away from my dark dreams called reality.
"Are you okay?" She whispered to me, moving back to let me stand up. I'm taller than her, I didn't realize how bigger I am in these mech's memories. It makes me feel like I'm Megatron, a powerful warrior, its a rush, but I cannot cry, nor express myself. This body checked for damage before focusing on her. I am not in pain, I am happy to be back here.
The machine's voice is inaudible to me, coming out as shots of static that harmed my audio receptors. The femme expressed concern, before holding onto my arm. "I've never seen a mech like you before, are you lost? This is quite a huge city, and I often come here on my breaks. Polyhex is a growing city state, I've lived here my whole life, so I often help those who need it. I'm..." Static hit, breaking up the concentration. Breaking before I could hear her speak that word I wanted. A hint of who these two figures are. Lost to me. Anger welled up in my outdated programming, but I couldn't do anything to express that. Still, she looked so beautiful, with a warm smile as she took my hand, its such a warm touch, like Nightbird's own. Wait, Nightbird? Oh yes, she was there for me. Did she make it? I hope so, I didn't want her to die because of my sins. But, Primus, if you do believe her to be good, take care of her.
We walked across the city, seeing the construction happening around us. It amazes me how influential Cybertron used to be, before they devoted that knowledge to war. I wished I could say something, try to change the future, but these are a poor one's memories. He may have died during the fighting. Still, this mech continued to follow the smaller femme. Both passing by other faces, full of surprise and fear. Why are they so scared of a big mech? We walked, I wished I could do this, but it seemed I am a prisoner, and this body is my cage.
Today, we had fun exploring the city. Its so big, I cannot cover a quarter of it if I tried to. I had too much fun, I didn't want guilt to consume me, please Primus, let me stay...I want to be here, forever with her. Exhaustion soon caught me, making me rest within her room. What will the creators think? No, I shouldn't think of such things. She cares for this body, in a way, me. Why can't I hear her name once? Why can't I hear this body's name?
Everything blurred, before I'd soon open my optics to the sight of dead Cybertronians in front of me. Laying on a pile torn apart. Their Energon soaking my body's servos and the floor. Horror on everyone's optics. A sense of fear overcame me, before I heard screaming, and an immense pain overcoming me... I ran, I couldn't stop as the stars turned red, they wanted me dead. How could I have done so to those mechs? My host transformed, driving through the streets as they chased after this creature. Its like I'm sitting in a seat, watching the action unfold in front of me. That femme, she must hate me now... No one should love an artificial life.
Its blank, a ragged torn countryside away from the city and other optics. Large frame managing to hide from the mob, making them believe he ran away to another direction. The mech soon wandered, I watched the sorrow drenching my processor. It was so bright and cheery, now dark and left me alone. How much time passed? There isn't anything that allows me to know, but I could imagine a few months, or a few years have passed since we met her. Why couldn't I stay in those memories instead?
After drifting with no aim, we soon stumbled onto a secret component of the rusty floor. Its soaked in a strange fluid that stained this body's armor. Firm servos grabbed onto a part, lifting it open to find a tunnel. Must be a way to somewhere safe, but there aren't any lights. Soon, the mech leaped down, watching the light from above vanish. Then, that feeling intensified, making me wish to purge everything. A sharp pain tore into my chest, yet I could still hear the robot move. This awful feeling, its difficult to stay awake. The darkness is consuming me, is this my fate? I'm drifting...away...
...
I can't wake up...