THE LOST CHILDREN OF CYBERTRON
Chapter 42: Learning to fly Like the Birds
--UNICRONIAN FLEET--
Galvatron watched pleased that the attacks were going so well. Every last city or village of the human race was attacked and he smiled in satisfaction at the destruction played out before him. Already in orbit he could see the clouds of smoke rising into the atmosphere just waiting for Unicron to consume them all. He smiled to himself as the planet below slowly rotated.
As he observed his master already in orbit around the planet he felt a sense of pride at the coming destruction. Unicron was not too sure of what was planned for him yet, but plans were forming in his head and he bowed to his master in respect. As he walked away he felt satisfaction in seeing the destruction of the very planet that nearly brought his own demise.
--AUTOBOT HEADQUARTERS--
"Ha! Take that!" said a happy Sideswipe as he threw down a pack of cards.
The others on the Cybertronian table moaned in displeasure as they collected their chips. Sam, Will, Epps, Mikaela, Miles and every human including a reluctant President of the United States and Secretary of Defense was playing Poker with the Autobots. There was a few Decepticons there including Skywarp, Ramjet, Soundwave, and Cyclonus. The rest were watching the match between the group and for now several were already out of the game. Those that watched and lost were taking bets on who is going to win. So far Sideswipe was winning while his twin brother Sunstreaker watched from the sidelines. So far the card game lasted for several hours with everyone watching.
For anyone there they can watch and laugh as many left the table. The humans were surprised that the President lasted this long though against some pretty straight faced people namely Soundwave and Sideswipe.
President Bush threw down his cards obviously he had lost also.
"Damn it I was going good too," he said as he got up to get a beer from one of the fridges that have been set up.
The others had been around to let the President down and the Cybertronians were still at the game. Sam, Mikaela, and Miles had to retire early since they had school the next day and that left Soundwave, Sideswipe, Ramjet, Skywarp, Jetfire, and surprisingly his brother Skyfire, Lennox and Keller.
It was several hours later when the game concluded in a tie between Soundwave and surprisingly Secretary Keller. The two shared a good portion of the bets and Soundwave admitted that he caught Skywarp cheating at one point that is why he lost.
"You know when you play I never knew that some bots have a hard time keeping a straight face," said Lennox as he took his third beer.
Soundwave only looked amused as he took a sip of his High Grade Energon. The Secretary of Defense shrugged as he took another. President Bush already had returned to his quarters for the night. Ever since the attack on Washington D.C. he was forced to come here and mingle with the 'Citizens' as he would put it.
Secretary Keller on the other hand seemed to enjoy his time with civilians to get away from the political cycles that drove him up the wall.
"So," he said
"So," was the reply from Soundwave as emotionless as always.
"Still waiting for Starscream to return?" asked Keller
"Starscream rightful leader former Second now first," Soundwave replied
"Ok, so how is it that he became the Leader? Shouldn't that fall under someone related to Megatron?" asked Lennox.
"Megatron had no offspring his sparkmate killed by Galvatron." Soundwave replied sadly.
All around the table other bots listened in to the conversation as well.
"Oh, sorry about that?" Lennox said
"It seems to me that this war has taken more then just your world from you guys," Keller said
"Yep," replied Epps agreeing with his boss.
"It has taken family units and bonded ones away," Soundwave said a hint of sadness in his tone.
"How?" asked Epps but he already knew the answer.
"Galvatron destroyed them," was the answer.
"Sorry man! So how is this going to help with Megatron's heir?" asked Lennox
"Starscream earned Megatron's trust even though he is a distant relation." Replied Soundwave as he gulped down the last of his energon.
"I see well then did Starscream have any 'Sparkmates'?" asked Epps with a sly grin on his face.
"They were just rumors and nothing was confirmed." Soundwave replied
"Oh like whom?" asked Lennox getting curious
Soundwave projected several forms in front of them of some femme bots and a few mechs. The men on the table looked astonished at the sights. Most of them were hideous to look at even Soundwave but some were getting whistles from the crowd.
"Damn talk about soap opera," Lennox said to buddies.
Keller agreed as he drank his last beer and retired for the night.
"Ok man what is the one that the rumors were worst with?" asked Epps.
Soundwave shrank them down to a very ugly femme and they all gagged at the sight.
"Hey Sound man get rid of that holo!" shouted Rumble as he poked his head out of the compartment.
"Ok man do you know who he really went with?" asked Lennox and Soundwave showed a smirk through his optics as he leaned closer and projected a smaller form of a very attractive femme.
"Holy shit man even my eyes bulge at that beauty," said Epps.
"Do you know her name?" asked Lennox
"Designation: Moonshadow," was the reply
"Damn she is quite the babe," said Epps.
"She is the daughter of an Autobot lord taboo pairing," was the reply
"Oh,"
--PAKELE RESIDENCE--
Obun watched as once again Starscream crashed into the hanger. Try as he might he relies too much on his thrusters to get him airborne and thus his failure at mastering the winds. He made some progress the other day but that quickly turned into a crash that sent him to the medical bay for nearly four hours.
The poor seeker was heartbroken to see that he is unable to leave because he can't fly.
It was dawn as the first rays of the sun came over the ocean Obun made her way up to the observatory garden where she knew the seeker was most likely to be found.
Like father, like daughter she thought as she remembered Radon used to use this to cry out her tears.
Obun walked up to him and gently placed a hand on his leg.
Starscream jumped at the sensation but calmed when he realized who it was.
"Why so upset Starscream?" she asked
"I've for once failed. For once I wanted to do something really bad for someone I cared for more then anything and I have failed." He said
Obun placed her hand on his leg once again.
"Sometimes you have to fail in order to succeed and sometimes you have to take heed like the birds to fly. The falcon is your spirit guide Starscream like the mongoose; weasel, snake, and wolf are to the others. They are learning how to harness the power of their animal guides just as you are learning how to cough learn from the falcon. Perhaps if you learn from a falcon itself then you can fly like one," she said smiling as she left Starscream alone.
Starscream stared at her retreating form as she climbed the stairs wondering if what he was doing was right. He then began to stare at the sky once again until his eyes began to slip into recharge.
--HIGH ABOVE THE CLOUDS--
Airazor was having fun soaring above the clouds just kicking back and playing with the wind. Even though she was on patrol she could not help but play for a bit with the wind against her wings. It felt good to fly as a bird in her beast mode. Her peregrine falcon form suited the skies of this planet well and the speed! Oh the raw speed that this organic form can do! She did a stoop just for the hell of it.
Diving at unbelievable speeds the Maximal relished the form of the island coming into view below her. It was then that her optics or her eyes as she is in beast mode picked up a form sitting in the high peaks of the mountain. Turning out of her stoop Airazor spotted the form to be that of Starscream.
He was in deep recharge when she landed flapping her wings to stop her decent and landing gracefully next to the seeker.
Starscream came out of recharge at the sound of someone landing and opened his optics to the sight of Airazor standing there on a rock in the garden.
"Good morning to you too my lord," she said amused
"What are you doing here Maximal?" he asked her.
"Oh nothing I was flying and decided to drop by… literally," she said.
"Now you are here you can go away," he said trying to hide the residue of the cleaning fluid from his optics.
"Have you been crying?" Airazor said
"What's it to you?" Starscream demanded.
Airazor turned and spotted the documentaries on birds on the video feed next to the seeker.
"I've noticed that you watch a lot of human documentaries on birds so I decided to give you some advice," she said
"Oh really and what is it?" Demanded Starscream
"Sometimes fledglings will test their muscles in order for them to fly. So why don't you test yours you know flap them around strengthen them and then fly see what will happen. When you take that first flight do so in the wind instead of using those thrusters. They are merely tools to us Maximals so we rely on our own beast mode to guide us. We Maximals and Predicons allow ourselves to absorb the animal instincts that come with the DNA so we can control the creature better. As for me I rather became one with my beast mode. It allows me to do what ever I want in the sky at such high speeds to.
Now for you fledgling you have to learn the hard way and that is to start like a chick and learn to fly again." She said with amusement as she flapped her wings and took off into the sky.
Starscream watched her go and looked down at himself.
Am I really just a fledgling again?
He asked himself that question as he watched the hallow again with the falcon chicks trying to fly.
Am I just like those chicks?
He thought to himself that question as well as he stared at those chicks trying to practice using their still stubby wings to learn how to fly.
Starscream stared at his clawed hands.
Have I been going to fast? He thought remembering the twins and what they said to him.
"It took us a while to fly we had to practice really hard to do it right?" Rodan's voice broke through his thoughts.
Starscream stared at his hands at the claws that they end with. Then turned his head to look at the small wings protruding from his back, and then down to the claws that had changed from his original feet. They now resembled the talons of a bird. Starscream turned to look at himself in one of the mirrors and found himself looking at a bird like face. It was far different then the face that he had learned to deal with. This face was far different it was only then that he come to realize that he had indeed been changing ever since he was reborn on this planet.
Obun was right I was reborn! He thought and remembered the differences between Rodan and Radon.
Rodan had some resemblance of a bird as well while Radon looked more like a lizard. He was astonished to find that about the twins now that the thought about it.
He climbed to the top of the observation garden and this time faced the cliff into the wind. As the wind blew he spread his arms out like wings. Starscream looked at the ground far below him but he was not going to jump. Instead he spread his arms and extended his small wings behind his back and began to flap them.
He waved them indeed like a bird and began to jump in the air and flap his arms as if they are wings.
While he was doing this Obun watched from the entranceway a smile graced her features. She looked up into the sky to see the form of Airazor soaring above as she turned towards the north towards the main Cybertronian city.
As she watched Starscream was leaping away. To many he may look like an idiot, but to Obun he has finally learned to master his spirit and learn how to fly.
As the days gone Starscream kept flapping like this for hours on end even skipping martial arts lessons as he did this mimicking the birds. As he practiced he felt himself get stronger. As he gained strength he was being watched by both Rodan and Radon and occasionally Goliath. The three watched as Starscream finally learned how to practice like they did.
The days finally turned into weeks and then into months. As the others progressed further in their training Starscream just kept on practicing how to fly.
"Are you still doing that flapping thing?" Barricade asked over the evening energon one day.
"Yes, because I will fly and that is all I care about more then anything," Starscream said proudly
"While you all have been training and mastering your guides far ahead of me I have been lagging behind because my spirit is not a ground based predator. It is a predator of the sky and even then flying is not by instinct it has to be learned and mastered just like you Barricade when you had to learn the differences in smells." Starscream pointed out to him as he guzzled down another cube of energon.
It was already June by the time Starscream felt he was ready to fly.
As the summer solstice came to an end and summer season began Barricade watched as Starscream stood at the runway facing outwards towards the rising sun. As he stared at the star rising in the Northeast and tested his wings or his arms rather. Bumblebee, Jazz and Frenzy came to watch as well observing the Decepticon lord with curiosity.
"I hope he does not make an aft of himself," said Frenzy to Barricade and the cop car nodded. He already took on a more wolfish appearance but remained the same. Frenzy still looks the same except that when his mandibles are closed he resembles a snake more. Before departure Scorponok scurried onto the runway and made signal flags while eating an energon treat.
The flag for the runway was on his tail and he waved it as he wagged it like a dog.
"Scorponok get over here!" shouted Sonic as he rushed over and yanked at the leash. The drone followed happily as he sucked on his treat. Starscream had to laugh as he prepared himself for flight. He had watched how the albatross did it so that might help him a bit for his first flight. He carefully walked over to the runway and spread his arms out.
The Deceptibots watched as his wings folded out from his back and became part of his arms. Rodan and Radon joined in along with Goliath. As they prepared to fly Kekoa gave the signal with two flags in his hand. He hand signaled the other fliers into position. He then signaled the twins to make the first run followed by Goliath.
When it came Starscream's turn he simply spread his wings out and felt the rush of the wind coming from the entrance. He wanted this freedom and he wanted to feel the winds again. He pressed his now taloned feet into the ground and felt the rush begin to warm his systems. He felt his arms stretch out as he began his run.
As he ran he felt the wind feeling the arms on his sides lengthen into longer limbs. As he flapped them he felt like he was freeing himself as his new wings filled with the wind from outside. He continued to flap them feeling the wind grow stronger with each flap and his body began to lift. He kept pushing himself faster and faster. Finally he felt himself lift into the sky as the wind from the cliffs touched his face plates.
At last he was free from the cliffs and airborne as the wind rushed to him and he felt himself fall. Instead of panicking he let instinct guide him as he spread his new wings again and felt the wind pick him up. His feet became his tail and rudder as he lifted himself into the sky again. The excited cries of the fliers as they circled and dove at him in their play had Starscream screeching for joy.
This lasted for hours on end with Starscream in his joy of flight playing with the sparklings. As the sun reached its peak and began its descent he managed to transform and use the same skills to fly in alt mode. It worked, as he circled the cliffs without fear any longer and practiced landing and rising with the winds. Indeed Obun saw a smile on her withered face as a coughing fit took over.
So now they can prepare for tomorrow Starscream will be alone.
Tbc
A/n: Sorry I took so long my dad moved in with me and it has been hectic. Well I managed to finish this chapter after rewriting it six times. Hope you enjoy.