07/07/2005: Before reading below, I would like to tell you that there are some errors in my writing, but I assure you that the chapters after this one will not have any, so please don't stop reading just because of erros on my bart. I want to fix this, but I just don't have time for it at the moment. And I got no idea when I do have the time….
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AUTHOR: First of, major thanks to Ashana, author of the now finished A Broken Spirit, and who has just started on the sequell A Mending Heart. She also took some time to be my beta-reader and point out things in my work. If you like good Armada stories, I definadly recommend her.
Hope you'll like my stuff! Please R&R!
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Transformers characters, only the ones I created.
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Another eletric surge traveled from the cabels and into his spine, nearly frying his heart that was beating so hard it was on the verge of exploding. The body was in too much of a pain….
And there was too much of chaos in his mind.
….
The large Transformer grabbed clumsily at the tank's barrel and ripped it off, then threw it at the soldiers who were firing at him. Two more tanks rolled into the large docking bay, they're guns slowly charging up.
High above, behind the large windows, a different kind of chaos was erupting. Dozens of scientists and engineers either running around or typing madly at they're keyboards, while all the computer screens and monitors were blazing with alerts and error messages.
"Attempting to establish a link failed!"
"Christ, look at these readings! Tremendous stress on his heart and brainwaves are off the scale!"
"There's something wrong with the cables! They're sending eletric surges into his body and there's nothing we can do about!"
"What about his cybernatic implants!"
"Which ones? His arm, his eye or-"
"The ones in his brain you idiot!"
"They are NOT causing any damage nor show any signs of mailfunctioning! But a good surge into them and he'll end up braindead!"
"What about the failsafe! Is it still working?"
"It is. But sir, you're not actually considering to-"
"Damnit, yes I am! Just take a good look out that window and you can see why! I don't know what is going around in his head, but he has already killed severel soldiers and we're running out of options here, people! Save what data we've collected, we're about to pull the plug on this one! Dr. McNeill, charge up the-"
Whatever the one who was obviosly in charge, an elderly man in his late 60's wearing a small nametag that said 'Dr. Archeville, momenterily paused as severell of his colleges looked at him in horror. Or, to be more precise, what was behind him.
Had he been given two seconds, he would have turned towards the large windows and see one of the tanks sailing towards him. Had he been given three seconds, he would have seen that the tank was in the middle of a charge, and on that particularly model, once it started charging it could not cancell it.
The tank crashed through the windows. 2 seconds later, a huge explosion rocked the entire installations, and more sirens went on as everything started to shake. Between the noises of the sirens, the explosions and gunfire, a female computer voice started speaking.
"Warning. Hull Integitry compromised. Coolant sytems failing. Core overload iminant in. 3. Minutes and. 43. Seconds. Evacuation recommended."
….
Outside in the middle of an asteroid field, a large explosion came from the biggest rock, blowing away a good chunk.
He stayed still, observing. Waiting to see what would happen.
….
Wether it was a stray shot or some kind of error in the sytem, one of the energy tanks exploded, big enough to blow away a large hole that lead into space. Less then a microsecond later, the air inside the dock was sucked out and bodys and debrise got sucked away as well.
….
Warning sounds and errors filled his vision and mind. He did not even bother to try and understand. Couldn't. He didn't understand anything of what was going on, with the exception of one thing.
He. Had. To. Get. OUT!
And so, he did not resist as he too flew towards the large hole that lead into space.
When he was 'outside' he started spinning and twisting, while having the feeling of getting swalloved by all the pure darkness that was all around him. But somehow he managed to stop himself and saw just in time the large rock where he had been inside, explode in a huge mass of bright light and fire. Chunks of rocks hit his armor, but he barely noticed it.
He just stared where it had once been. Where just a few seconds ago he was going through immense….pain. So much pain. And confusion. So cold.
The ringing in his ears slowly ceased and his heart slowly calmed down, but he was still in much physical pain. He started to move his left hand to his head, but stopped dead cold when he saw a large metal hand in front of him. Not really thinking, he slowly turned his hand and the metal one made the precise moves. But when he curled it into a fist, he nearly flinched when he felt a warm flesh instead of metal.
Bringing his right arm up as well, it too was metal. But when he made a fist, he felt nothing. No flesh. No warmth. Nothing. Hesitandly, he brought the hands together, but when his left hand felt cold metal he flinched away startled. Holding his right hand in front of him, his left almost shakily touched it. There was no mistake. It was flesh touching cold metal. Metal that was roughly shaped like a hand he discovered, as he slowly traiced his right with his left.
He suddenly stopped, and slowly moved his left hand towards his face. In front of him he saw the large metal hand, but he could feel his hand touching his chin, wich was made out of flesh too. But when he moved up, his hand touched something else. Something that felt like…plastic or some kind? It seemed to cover his eyes. Acting without thinking, he grabbed it and started to pull, but when he did he felt it was around his head like some type of helmet, so he started pushing it up.
It took some pushing, but he managed to remove whatever it was, only to have his environment change. All of a sudden he was in what looked like to be a small…room of some kind, but then his left eye suddenly hurt, as if it had been under some stress and was now only relaxing. He closed it, but for some reason his right eye did not cause any pain. In fact, he could see very clearly with it.
The only source of light in the small room were severel screens around him, nearly all of them showing nothing but statics, while 2 or 3 flickered on and off, showing some readings. There was also a large panel under all the screens, filled with buttons and sticks. Leaning closer, he managed to read some of them.
Energy Levels.
Energy Reserves.
Damage Controls.
Weapons.
Thrust Controls.
Transformation.
Communications.
Oxygen Levels.
…..'Transformation'?
The room vibrates a bit as a small explosion is heard. Putting back the headset on him, he sees it was coming from what remained of the place he was at. Once an impressive large rock, it had exploded into two parts, who were now slowly crumbling away. The only signs of what had been inside, was some burned equipmend floating in space and some metal.
Slowly turning his head around, he see's severel rocks all around him, but are either moving around very slow or not at all. But when he turns around a bit more, he see's him.
And just freezes.
There, not too close but not far away was….It? Him? Just…standing/floating among the rocks, looking straight at him.
It was just something about him….his 'stance', how he just stood there among the rocks, the way he was build, the silver-grey armor, how he carried himself radiated so much of….power. And the…blue horns on his head, his crimson eyes, the large wings on his back gaved him a…majestic look.
And the long green sword in his metal hand alone spoke volumes of beeing someone not to be messed with.
….
He didn't know how long they just…looked at each other. Whoever….he was, his crimson eyes looked hard at him, almost into his soul…..
Suddenly, a snort came from his…lips?
"Typical. The humans see something that is not theyres and they try to get they're hands on it and change it to suit they're own needs. Someday it will be they who will destroy they're own race and not us."
His voice was a mixture of arrogance and intelligence. A bit hard to tell which of it was more.
Without even the thought of the possibility the stranger might not hear him, he opened his mouth and spoke.
Well, tried to, anyway.
"…what…" His voice sounded more like a squek or something. His throat was dry and sore from all the screaming just minutes ago. Gathering what salive he could, he swalloved and tried again.
"…what did just h-happen?"
Even though he had no eyebrows, he somehow managed to look like he had one raised.
"So, you do posses some AI in you. Not bad. For humans." He said, then looked towards the smoldering ruins of the former 'secret' installation, momenterily ignoring the 'robot.'
"Are you….like me?"
He looked back at the robot. There was something off about the way it spoke, how it sounded and the way it talked.
"'Like me'? Just what kind of a question is that? Of course you're……unless…." A very unpleasent thought emerged from his logic banks. A thought that needed to be confirmed.
….
SCANNING TARGET.
SCANNING….
SCANNING….
SCAN COMPLETE.
ORGANIC LIFEFORM DETECTED.
….
"Why you….ABOMANATION!" He roared and charged, raising his long blade. But instead of hacking, he twisted his hand so his fist slammed into the robot's chest. The force knocked him backwards and was slammed into a rock that nearly broke into pieces. Before he could gather his senses, a long blade was nearly jabbed into his face. Slowly trailing it upwards, was the attacker in all his glory, looking down at him with fire in his crimson eyes. The strange purple insignia on his chest seemed to glow along with his rage.
"I should have known you weak humans would attempt something like this! It was only a matter of time before you would realise the fact that Optimus PRIME couldn't protect your weak hides forever!" He then raised his long blade up in a striking position.
Instead of begging for mercy, crying out for help or simply scream like his mind was telling him to, his mouth had another idea.
"Who is Optimus Prime?"
For a moment or two, it didn't look like he had heard the question, he still had that furios look on his face and still held his blade high, but he didn't strike either. Nor did he move at all, for that matter.
That is, untill he 'blinked'.
"……what did you just say?"
"Who is Optimus Prime?"
For what felt like a long time, he said nor moved at all. His eyes, however, did look less furios and more like he was repeating the question to himself severel times, before finally feeling satisfied to answer.
"….he is the leader of the Autobots."
'Autobots…..'
'….a new word….'
'Autobots….'
'Autobots….'
'……Autobots?'
"Who are the Autobots?"
It was…difficult to descripe his expression. Surprise. Bewilderment. Annoyence…? Probably since the human was completly ignoring the deadly-situation he was in. Or he didn't simply know who it was that was standing before him.
Hmm, probably the latter.
He slowly lowered his blade to his side, but made it clear he was still considering to slash him, as he looked down at him, his logic circuits going over the new data. His curiosity had been slightly poked.
"Tell me your earlies memorys, human." He commanded/sneered, his contempt for him obvios.
"My earliest memorys?"
Cold….
So cold….
And….
!PAIN!
OHMYGODWHATISHAPPENINGWHAT'SGOINGONOHGODTHEPAINTHECOLDSOCOLDINSIDEMELIKEFROZENINSIDEI'MBURNINGINSIDEAMONFIRECAN'TBREATHEMUSTBREATHECAN'TGETOUTMUSTGETOUTMUSTGETOUTMUSTGETOUTOUTOUTOUTOUT
He snapped back to reality, breathing deeply as cold sweat covered his face and his heart beated fast and strong.
"Well?" He snapped impatiendly. Slowly, the human looked up to him.
"…pain. I remember…pain. I was so…cold. I had to get out." Slowly, he turned his head to the right and watched the remaining burning debris that had scattered across the asteroid field.
"What did they do to me? What have I….become?" He half talked to himself half mumbled, but if he had expected sympathi from the large Transformer, he received none.
"Hmph. A weapon, from the looks of it." His gaze turned back towards him.
"A weapon?"
"Yes. And no doubt you were a soldier selected to control they're first….robotic war-machine." His last words dribbed in venom, but it went unoticed by the human, as a new word in that sentance had caught his attention.
'soldier…'
'I know that word….'
"Soldier." He said aloud, not looking up to the large Transformer.
"Hm?" Slowly, he lifted his head towards him again.
"Soldier. Someone who has been trained in combat, whose sole's purpose is to follow orders given to him by his commanding officer." Again he had that raised-eyebrow expression, but it quickly left when he opened his mouth.
"Why yes, that is correct. My, aren't you a clever one." Again with the heavy sarcasm, except this time he looked like he wanted to pat him on the head just for kicks.
But then, the human gathered what little he knew. To try and find out what to do next.
….
'A weapon, made to fight, to win wars.'
'I am a soldier. Except there is no-one to give me orders. I need orders, otherwise I can not fullfill my purpose.'
'My purpose.'
'Is to fight. Yes. I am to cause death, or become dead. And that's it.'
'That is all I am suppose to do.'
'Follow orders, no matter what they may be.'
'After all, I am only….'
'….a soldier.'
….
"Am I….your soldier?"
"………………I beg your pardon?" His tone held a certain edge. An edge that said 'you'd better explain quickly before I kill you.'
"I am a soldier. It is obvios to me now. But there is no-one here to tell me what to do, to give me orders, to give me a purpose. That is, with the exception of you." The Transformer said nothing, but had a hard look on his face that told him wordlessly to continue.
"And I do not know how or why, but you strike me as…an authority. Someone who has fought and knows how to use soldiers. Soldiers like me."
His face remained unchanged, though his crimson eyes slowly narrowed.
"And just what makes you want to be under my command? Because your life is in my hands!" He shouted, striking his blade towards the human, but at the last second the blade took a slight turn and sank into the rock itself, right next to his head. His tone was far, far more different. He was, in every sense of the word, dead serios. And he expected a dead serios answer.
"You order your men to attack the enemy. Your enemy fights back and sends soldiers to attack you in return. I see no difference here. No 'good side' nor 'bad side'. Just two sides. Nothing more, nothing less."
Slowly, the horned Transformer leaned closer, his face looking even more harder.
"And what if I order you to kill humans, you're own species? What will you do then?" Give him the wrong answer and he would kill the human. Both of them knew that, in a way.
"Back at that place, there were soldiers who tried to stop me. I can not recall exactly how many I killed before the hull-breach, but I would guess around 20. Bottom line is, they too were soldiers, and like any other soldier, we are faced with the possibility that when we enter a battle, it may well be our last. If we try to ignore that fact, then we are nothing but pretenders."
There was no reaction to his words. No change in his face or even a twinkle in his eyes as he loomed over him. But slowly, he pulled out his blade from the rock, pointed it at his face and slowly trailed it down the chest, untill it stoped in front of long oranged-colored windows like it was for some sort of a cokpit.
And somehow, he knew that's where the small room was, with all the screens and buttons. Where he was.
He slowly looked back up to him, waiting to see what he would do. Waiting…unafraid.
Suddenly, his head bent backwards and he started laughing.
"MWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA! To think of all the trouble they must have gone through, only to have they're precios weapon destroy the place and ask to join the very side he's suppose to fight against!" He started laughing again, though it was not nearly as powerfull as the first. But when he stopped, he withdrew his long blade and offered his large hand to him.
"Welcome aboard, soldier." He said mockingly. The human looked at the offered hand, but when he reached for it, it moved at lightning speed, grabbed his throat and yanked him up close, they're noses nearly touching.
Even though his real body was in the robot's chest area and not the head, thanks to the headset he was wearing it felt like they were truly face-to-face. He could nearly feel the heat coming from his eyes as he growled out his words.
"With the exception of Optimus Prime and his precios Autobots, there are two things I despise the most: Insoburdination and betrayel. In that order. For you see, it has been my experience on plenty ocasions that when someone under my command starts mis-behaving, questioning my orders, betrayel is more closer then some would want to belive." His large fingers tightened around the robot's neck, the metal squeeking as it slowly got bend.
"Understand this, soldier: I expect you to do exactly as I tell you to. I order you to kill, you ask how many. I order you to take over enemy position, you ask how much time you have. And if I'll have even just the slightest suspicion of you going behind my back or so much as give me a disrespectfull glance, I. Will. Kill. You. Understand?"
His reply already felt automatic.
"Yes, sir."
"Good."
He released his grib and pushed him away, holding his head high as he still somehow managed to 'look down' at his newest recruit.
"Now, I belive some introductions are in order. I am Megatron, leader of the Decepticon army and soon to be the ruler of the universe!" He raised his voice at the last part, if only for dramatics. And when he frowned at the human some seconds later, he realised he too was to give his name.
"My name is…."
Blank.
Nothing.
"Well?" His Commanding Officer snapped at him, his crimson eyes slowly narrowing.
"I…have no name."
A slight groan came from him, he started massaging his temple.
"Well then, I suggest you find one quickly. Before Cyclonus starts with the old 'Squishy' thing again." He mumbled, but it didn't look like the human had heard him.
He gazed off somewhere, his mind taking in the scenary, searching for words and what little he knew about names.
But then, the word just suddenly appeared in his thoughts. Wether if it was just a word, a name he had before or someone else's, he decided to take it.
"Call me Spike."
