Since I have not updated this story in quite some time, allow me to give you a small refresher. In the previous chapter, Faultline harmed Arcee in ways I'd rather not directly mention and was saved by the spirit of Cliffjumper. The Autobots and Decepticons lured Faultline out of his ship and Soundwave confronted him, revealing his face to get Faultline to remember him.
In this chapter, we will see what was bothering Rudder in the previous one. This starts in Rudder's POV.
I don't own the Transformers. Legally, Hasbro does.
Here we go, the twentieth chapter of Tiny!
The young mech, Tripwire, or Steve, as he prefers to be called, expressed concern for my wellbeing. I told him not to worry himself about this old mech and to focus on his work. Of course, saying that does not mean I am 'fine'.
Eons ago, before the Great War, and when I was younger, I lived in the industrial city of Tagan Heights. I came into existence before the caste system that once bound Cybertronian society, before the Golden Age. I can clearly remember the slaves the Quintessons made of us, to serve their will. I served as a personal laborer for a particularly mean-spirited Quintesson. I rejoiced on the solar cycle I watched him, along with his brethren, leave Cybertron in shame.
I saw the defeat of the invading Quintessons and enjoyed the splendid, glowing time period that followed. Bots were free to do what they pleased with their lives, and led by the great Sentinel Prime. Young bots aspired to do great things, and bore their talents, many through music, art, science and architecture. I cannot count the number of advancements we made in science and space exploration. I can still recall the great colonies, linked to the home planet by the Space Bridges. There were four, though I can only name one at this very moment. It is called Velocitron. I remember wishing to travel to the planet upon hearing about the faraway place on the DataNet.
How I miss those days.
I was a doctor since the beginning of the Golden Age and it carried over when Cybertron was mutilated by the caste system. I worked in one of the more prestigious hospitals on the north side of Tagan Heights, shifting in medical positions, from emergency room staff leader to neural net surgeon.
I strived to become a doctor after I suffered from a disease that attacked my optics when I was a young mech, during the early vorns of the Golden Age. Because I never received treatment for it in time, I lost the natural color of my optics and was left with this sickly yellow and the near constant flickering. But what is worse than that is the partial loss of my vision, I suppose. Because of the disease, the visual input circuits in my optics cannot be repaired without inflicting more harm. I worked to prevent others from suffering from permanent scars like myself. I'm old now, and the disease is long gone, but I still work to prevent that suffering.
After the age of great art and culture ended, I was placed in the medical caste, and lived on the far north side of Tagan Heights. I suppose it was a swell life to live, up on the north side. The trials of life seem to have turned a blind eye to my existence.
Something I noticed while I was working was that lower caste bots received shoddy medical care in their sections of the city. Doctors were rarely in their area, due to the given dangers of the south side of Tagan Heights.
It saddened me to see occurrences like this, for it was not their fault that they were in the castes that were so overlooked. Because of the caste system, they were left with no choice but to take what they were given. After seeing the imbalance in medical care, I decided to work down in the south side of the city, where most of the lower caste bots lived.
I decided that I would change the negative image the lower caste bots had come to create of us medical caste bots. I would be there to aid them, not alienate them by exercising favoritism.
I left my large, comfortable residence and moved into one of the many small apartments near a major factory complex.
The early solar cycles there were particularly difficult. My residence was robbed and vandalized a multitude of times, simply because I was unfamiliar to the area, but I persevered, and remained where I was. I learned quickly how things operated on the south side of Tagan Heights and would say that I adapted well to the rough, dangerous environment.
The factory manager of the complex that I lived near was delighted to see that somebot of a high caste chose to come work on the south side. That area was avoided by skilled bots of high castes because it was perilous, and was considered a generally undesirable work location. Most were not courageous enough to stand up to the dangers of the south side.
I was soon working as the factory doctor. Though I suppose that 'medic' would be a more precise term for the job that I had there. I had never encountered more gruesome injuries before I worked at the factory complex. The pained cries of the young mech who had tripped over a piece of equipment and fallen onto an operating power saw he was stationed at will forever remain in my memory. The sight of the gash on the side his helm haunts me to this day.
At the factory for many vorns, I treated burn victims, those who had lost limbs to faulty equipment, bots that were blinded by being unfortunate enough to be near a furnace explosion. At first I did not believe that I had the ability to handle such wounds, despite my success on the north side. Thankfully I was able to trust myself and efficiently complete the many tasks at hand.
Many bots soon came to trust me as somebot who wished to help, and many of them came to me when they needed help. Because life was particularly difficult in the low castes, I made the choice to be especially kind and gentle with all of those who sought my aid. Though I asked for nothing in return, most workers expressed gratitude through gifts.
One worker, among the thousands, stood out to me. He kept to himself, and almost always carried a serious expression. I found out through the mech's close friend, Chisel, that the mech's name was Soundwave.
I noticed him working near Chisel, at his metal press while searching for a mech that was due for his physical. I saw that he was among the smaller of the factory workers; his friend Chisel was considerably taller than him. I thought that it was rather humorous that Chisel, one of the largest bots in the factory complex, on the south side, was close friends with one of the smaller mechs. If Chisel were here on this planet, he may be just as tall as Lord Megatron. The size difference between Soundwave and his friend was blaringly obvious.
Despite being a smaller worker, Soundwave carried a very strong aura. The mind could not forget that Soundwave was in the room once his presence is established. Soundwave was not to be trifled with, and I saw, more than once, that some mechs learned this the hard way.
The mech was also unusually quiet. I believe that part of the reason why I did not notice him immediately was that I could not hear him over the typical factory noise. In the factory complex, there was much singing, there was the sound of the massive furnaces melting ore for use and other great machines working constantly. There was quite a bit of loud cursing and there was the occasional fight among the workers. It is a very real possibility that I missed him because of the noise.
The first time I truly met the mech was after he suffered an injury while working in the factory. I, unfortunately, do not remember the circumstances that led to the incident. The mech never said a word beyond a polite greeting while I treated him and an equally polite farewell when I finished; there was no reason for him to.
This was when he did not wear his mask, but aspects of the young factory worker remained in the Decepticon third-in-command. I only began to truly know the mech after a young femme came to work in the same building as he.
I saw through draft identification files on my medical datapads that the femme's name was Halyard. She had a nickname. 'Halli'. Yes, 'Halli' was her nickname. She disliked her full name and preferred it if others called her by her nickname.
Femmes among the lower castes were extremely rare, and attention was drawn to her because she was a femme essentially doing a mech's job. The femmes of low castes were almost always servants of the high caste bots. Seeing one in a factory was certainly a novel sight.
The femme was a light-sparked bot, and a very small, dainty one. Because of her small stature, she appeared vulnerable, and in some aspects, was. Other mechs saw her as a femme who could not fight back and decided to act upon their desires to do what they pleased with her.
I was told that she was followed while she was walking home and was pulled into a dark alleyway by the three mechs that wished to do her harm. Soundwave told me much later that he had heard what was happening to her and rescued her. Despite her half-sparked protests after the incident, Soundwave set out to protect the young femme from the three mechs that attacked her.
I did not know this at the time, but the mech made a special effort to keep the femme safe. He had her move into his residence, and even lied to the factory manager in order to grant her indefinite leave from her work at the factory.
They had trouble with the mechs who initially attacked Halyard afterwards. I do not know the details of the situation, and I hesitate to ask Soundwave. Such a personal matter regarding his deceased sparkmate will reopen old wounds.
From what I know, the situation was eventually handled, and Soundwave and Halyard rapidly fell for one another. Their love for one another was more true than I had seen since the Golden Age, and I have yet to see a bond that surpasses its strength.
One solar cycle, seemingly for no reason, I was called by the factory manager to perform a physical on Halyard. The factory manager told me that the femme was at Soundwave's residence.
There had been rumors around the factory complex that something was occurring between Soundwave and the new femme. I was never one to listen to such rumors, they were, more likely than not, false, but I could not help but hear about it, because so many workers were discussing it. I would not have thought that some of the rumors about them were correct.
...Soundwave was a mech who did not express many emotions for others to see. I didn't know him well at the time, but I knew that a smile was a rare occurrence for him. When I arrived to his residence, I had never seen such a joyful expression on his normally steely faceplates. I can still clearly remember the elation on his faceplates when I confirmed for both of them that his sparkmate was with child.
From then on, I served as a family doctor for them, guiding them in the right direction as the child within Halyard grew. I also came to be close friends with Soundwave and Halyard, and they came to trust me, which was a feat in itself. Trust was not common among the factory workers, among the south side residents. I was one of the only that the bonded couple trusted. Chisel and a young femme who lived near Soundwave and Halyard named Clearout were others among the few.
Time passed rather quickly while Halyard was carrying, and the sparkling's development had gone relatively smoothly. The factory manager allowed Soundwave to remain at his residence, with his sparkmate, to wait for the sparkling to be born. Soundwave took full advantage of that extra time, staying by his femme's side at all times.
I was the doctor who delivered their child, a healthy, little mechling. Soon after the little suckling's birth, the new parents named the child Wingspar.
My spark warms even now, remembering how excited Chisel was. Soundwave would almost become annoyed when he saw his tall friend dote over Wingspar during his frequent visits. The little suckling had one of the largest, strongest bots in the area wrapped around his little digit.
The sparkling was a curious little one, and I often saw him exploring his creators' residence, seeking out a new object to play with. Though he was curious, he was shy, and greatly disliked strangers. He would often start to cry if he was left in the presence of somebot he didn't know particularly well.
Wingspar was also a born flyer. I can remember listening to Halyard laugh and tell me about the time he had flown up to the energon cabinet and refused to come down. He could maneuver the halls with great ease at a very early age. I hoped that Wingspar would eventually earn the rank of Seeker; I could see that he had the potential for it. Such an achievement would bring much pride to the south side of Tagan Heights, since Seekers often rose from the high castes. Sadly, my hopes never came to pass.
While the little suckling was... with us, I became, in human terms, something like a grandparent to him. I will readily confess that I spoiled the child a bit, with all the attention and gifts I had taken a liking to giving him when I came to visit them.
Though the job given to me by the factory manager was only to monitor Halyard while she was expecting, I remained with them, holding my position as their personal doctor. I still worked as the factory medic, but I made sure that Halyard was comfortable with contacting me the instant she needs anything.
I enjoyed working with Soundwave and his family. They were incredibly close, more so than most, and it warmed my spark to see the love and affection they shared with each other. Such a sight was sadly uncommon.
Unfortunately, the portrait of the loving family did not remain for as long as anyone would have liked.
Soon after Soundwave's sparkmate returned to work at the factory complex, she contracted Cosmic Rust from handling contaminated metals. It was an aggressive form and was beyond my resources in regards to effective treatments. To receive proper care, she needed to travel to the far north side, to the more prestigious of the medical centers.
Soundwave was, to put it lightly, distraught. I have never seen a look so sorrowful before on anyone's face. He barely left her side while she was ill and did everything he could to help her. I had the remind him at times to refuel, as well as recharge. I told him that he can't help Halyard if he did not care for himself. I am glad that he listened to me.
He made every preparation to begin the journey to the north side, planning to leave Wingspar under my care. I unfortunately could not care for the little suckling; one of the larger furnaces at the factory had malfunctioned and exploded, destroying a sizable portion of both the smelting and assembly sections in one of the buildings in the complex, injuring dozens of mechs. I was needed elsewhere.
Though I could not help in the manner that I would have liked, I secured Halyard a position for treatment at the best medical center on the north side. I had friends that worked there.
Wingspar was left in Clearout's care in her residence, under the protection of Chisel, keeping her and the child safe from harm.
On the very morning Soundwave planned on taking her to the north side, Halyard became too ill to be moved. By that time, I knew it was too late for the light-sparked femme. Soundwave, many vorns later, told me that her parting wish was for him to protect their sparkling. And though he grieved for a very long time, and perhaps still is, he did so very well.
It was disheartening to hear of her death. Only in recent vorns did Soundwave tell me they were planning to have a second child.
More misfortune was to befall Soundwave, after becoming a single father. And this was, as the last tragedy was, far beyond his control.
I heard on the DataNet that a psychotic murderer had escaped custody and that he was somewhere in Tagan Heights. The city was warned to be extremely cautious by the Tagan Heights Police Department, as the mech had killed many times before. The mech knew what he was doing when it came to remaining one step ahead of the THPD.
It was almost a lunar cycle after his escape that I heard from Chisel what happened to Soundwave's sparkling and friend. As he told me, I could sense that Chisel felt incredibly guilty, blaming himself for not protecting Clearout and the sparkling. He had arrived very late to Soundwave's residence, due to the factory manager extending his work day on a short notice. He wasn't able to (perhaps 'allowed to' would be a better term) get in contact with Clearout or Soundwave.
I told Chisel not to blame himself, since this situation was far beyond his control. I was glad to see that the younger mech took comfort in my words to him, albeit a small amount.
I cannot imagine the pain Soundwave felt, nor do I want to. The suffering after losing a child in such a gruesome way is something that is unknown to me. Having three of my own, the closest I have come to losing my child was when he ran off upon seeing his favorite kind of candy while I was buying more nutrient rich energon for the youngest of the three, who was a sparkling at the time.
I found my child again, and I watched all three of my children grow into mature bots. Soundwave will never see his child alive again. He will never witness his child grow before him. So, I know that the thought pains him, though I'd rather not think how much.
I also know that such pain doesn't simply fade over the vorns.
After their deaths, Wingspar and Clearout's, Soundwave led his own investigation in order to find the bot who killed his sparkling. Soon, his journey led him out of Tagan Heights, and, I found out via transmissions the mech sent me, eventually landed him in the gladiator pits of Kaon. He never found the mech back on Cybertron...
Parvolus, I know, reminds Soundwave very much of his own little one, who was killed so long ago. He cares deeply for the sparkling, a fact that became very clear for us on the warship when he returned the sparkling to the Autobots.
Now that the little suckling has been taken, Soundwave is no doubt searching for him. From what Tripwire has told me, the one who took the little suckling successfully evaded Autobot detection. This mech managed a feat that even our leader, Lord Megatron, could not accomplish.
I could not help but think of another situation that took place many vorns ago when I think of the kidnapping of the little suckling. My mind has wandered back to what happened to Soundwave's family more than once as I think of what is happening with Parvolus. I cannot help but connect a multitude of uncanny parallels in the two situations.
If I remember correctly, Soundwave told me one day while on the warship that the one who killed his child and his friend was named Faultline. If my suspicions are correct, and from what I know of what has happened, Faultline may very well be the same one who took Parvolus.
...Now that I have given the scenario more thought, I have become more confident in my conclusion that it is indeed Faultline, the psychotic murderer from so long ago. Of course, I cannot be too certain. I would much rather think that he is not here.
But if it truly is Faultine… If Soundwave is out there in the very same area…
Soundwave is a very controlled mech, and for the long years that I've known him, I've seen him react calmly to a host of situations that other bots could not handle. But… I have seen first-hand that his wrath is, though not as legendary as his self-control, the equivalent of a gamma ray burst.
The fuse leading to the explosion, I fear, has already been lit.
...Breakdown's POV...
Primus, this is boring, I thought as I glanced over at Starscream. He sounded like he was having trouble ventilating while he sat at the base of the tree, leaning on it. I wouldn't be surprised, especially after watching Ratchet kick him out of the sky. That was one heck of a landing. It left him looking really beat up.
I'm kind of upset the show didn't last too long.
Lord Megatron picked me to keep an eye on Starscream, but I don't think he's going anywhere. The most I saw him move was a wing twitch.
Everybody else is out hunting down what's-his-face, and I bet there'll be nothing left of the freak by the time I can get over there.
I crossed my arms over my chest and looked up at the clouds, keeping my armed cannon aimed at Starscream.
I heard some thunder earlier; it boomed right over my head. Nearly jumped out of my plating. I don't know too much about Earth's weather, but I think we're in for a big thunderstorm.
Knockout'll throw a fit if he gets caught in the rain, and the mud will just make his complaining worse.
Well, at least Knockout is gonna be there to see the guy who took the little mech get his face ripped off by that Seeker medic.
I smiled a bit to myself as I glanced down at Starscream. I'm gonna want to hear all about this later.
…Wheeljack's POV…
"Whoa." Yeah, that's all I could come up with. I'm sure that's all anyone around here can come up with after seeing somethin' like that.
I bet those kids didn't think Soundwave even had a face.
I was standing there in the woods, next to a pair of cyber animals and two humans, just staring out into the clearing. Soundwave just walked off after the guy who took the kid showed up. Next thing I know, he took his mask off.
Would've never thought Sounders had those bright, sapphire-blue optics.
While I was staring, I heard the kids whispering to each other. I glanced down and saw Jack holding Optimus's stuffed animal real tight, looking at Miko with a shocked expression on his face. "What do you think made him do that?"
Miko had her hands over her mouth from when she gasped earlier, and shook her head. "I don't know. "
I took a step and leaned a bit forward, moving the bush's leafy branches away, and a bit of red light leaked through. I poked my head through the opening and looked up at the clouds. They were swirling around above us. I frowned when I heard a loud roll of thunder.
It was getting hard to see, with all these black clouds in the sky. The weather's getting real bad; high winds whipping around, and the thunder. I looked back down and saw the two of them standing there near that huge ship, looking at each other. The other bot had to be the creep who took the kid. Something's up between those two. Whatever it is...
It has to be real serious to make him take his mask off.
While I was busy holding that branch out the way so I can see, I heard a low, rumbling noise, and instinctively took a small step away from the noise. I looked down to see that the cat was still lying down with his chin on his front paws a good twenty feet away. His tail was beating against the ground, making a thumping noise, sending some dirt flying towards Halli while he was giving her the evil eye. He was lying there, looking evil and growling impatiently. Like he had better places to be.
You know what? I guess that cat 'Con is right. No point in standing around here when we could be doing something useful.
I lifted my pede and gave the cyberdog near me a nudge on the foreleg. Her head whipped around with this eager light in her optics. I laughed a bit to myself as I got ready to talk to the dog. She's ready to do something too.
"Hey, you wanna help me get the kid outta there?" Her tail started wagging hard, shaking her whole body, and her golden optics started burning bright as she looked up at me. I smiled and stroked her head, right between the ears. The dog started getting restless, tail still wagging like mad, and showed all those sharp teeth.
She was a Decepticon. She knows how to fight with those teeth.
I'm 'bout to do something real dumb, and but sometimes 'dumb' is what a Wrecker's gotta do to complete the mission.
...Soundwave's POV...
I so badly wish to become an Autobot.
I want to tear the Decepticon insignias from the plating on my arms. To rip them off and melt them into slag. And watch the silver paint on them smolder and burn to ashes.
The mech standing before me is a Decepticon. Like me.
No, this mech is nothing like me. He killed sparkings, mine among the many.
And yet, there is a similarity between this mech and myself, and I cannot deny this. We both voluntarily chose to become loyal to the Decepticon cause, and we both chose to wear the same sigil on our frames.
This realization only forces me to wonder what other similarities we share.
"Yes, there has been quite some time since I last saw you. Though I have heard about you, from transmissions sent to me by other bots I know. You've been the Decepticon third-in-command for quite some time, and I congratulate you for that," The mech smiled, causing his bright red optics to narrow to slits. "I hope life has been treating you well."
I despise the smile on his face. I wanted to pierce him through the spark, as he did Clearout. We are not on the same terms, like a pair of old friends meeting one another. We are not friends, and it enrages me to hear him speak as if we are.
Life has not been treating me well. I suffer every moment of every solar cycle, knowing that I will never see my Wingspar alive again. The guilt at times seems almost too much to bear, and I sometimes wish he had shot me in the head as well, so I could at least be with my child, joined with the AllSpark.
In a sense, I died a long time ago, but not joined with the AllSpark. I was comparable to an Earth-bound spirit, searching for another purpose in that second life. I believed vorns ago that the Decepticon cause would fill the hole in my spark, but it did not, and I remained empty. That is, until I found the little one. I had found a true purpose in Parvolus, after Faultline shattered my life. It was not the Decepticon cause, but the opportunity to hold a sparkling again, to love a sparkling again, that revived me.
I will not allow him to shatter another life again.
If it happens, not only will one more sparkling never have the opportunity to grown up, to learn how to transform, to make new friends, the little one's father will suffer the same pain I endured. Ratchet does not deserve such pain. I cannot allow the mech whom I've come to consider a friend to endure the guilt of knowing that he had not been there for his sparkling, that he had not been able to protect him. I cannot allow that to happen. Not again.
I attempted to root myself to the ground as I stood there, listening to the deafening boom of thunder over our helms as the black clouds swirled ominously above us. I must remain vigilant. I must maintain composure...
Glowering at the mech who is responsible for causing me so much pain and guilt over the long vorns, I spoke, knowing that there were mechs in the surrounding woods hanging onto every word said here in this clearing. They would hear my voice. They all would. And I did not care.
"Why did you do it?" I barely recognized my own voice; it was so full of venom. A puzzled expression consumed his face as he gazed at me. He casually shifted his weight from one pede to the other, and placed a servo on his hip as he arched an optic ridge.
"Now, you're going to have to be a bit more specific than that. I've done quite a few things in my life, you know." His statement ended with a sarcastic edge, hidden underneath his calm chuckle.
I cycled air through my systems. He still does not know why I am confronting him, yet his tone is taunting me. It is growing ever harder to not follow my instincts. I would never receive answers from him if he were a mangled corpse.
"Why did you take him from me?" I ground out as lightning flashed within the black clouds, illuminating the sky and the clearing we stand in for an instant with a hard, blue-white light. The wind had begun increase in speed, causing it to howl and send dry leaves flying through the clearing from the surrounding woods. For the first time in a long time, I squinted slightly against the wind on my exposed faceplates.
"I'm sorry; it's getting hard to hear you over this wind. Could you speak up?" Faultline said over the wind, stepping further away from his ship, closer to me.
The still grieving father within me screamed for his death, and part of me wished to follow that instinct.
Regardless of that fact, I remained steadfast, allowing the demon to draw closer to me. I watched his movements, remaining ever so casual. It infuriated me to see his leisurely pace. He moved as if time was on his side.
And it was.
As he came closer, I sighted a white mass moving behind him. No creature in this area is that color, so I am certain that it is not an organic animal. It was difficult to see, because of the clouds covering the moon, and the shadow of Faultline's ship, but I could obviously see that the white mass was a bipedal creature.
It was the white Wrecker, and he was moving towards the open exit hatch.
I refused to look directly at him. I would give away his position if I looked past Faultline.
I knew what the Wrecker was doing even before I saw the cyberdog by his side, moving just as quietly as the white bot next to her, behind Faultline.
I ignored the Wrecker and I focused on the smiling demon, spark burning with rage and grief.
Because of this demon, this fellow Decepticon, I won't see my little one again. Not until I join him within the AllSpark.
I want to weep.
I want to become an Autobot.
...
I want to die.
...Ratchet's POV: Just Beyond Treeline...
I stood there, shocked.
I would have never thought that Soundwave would reveal his face, for any reason. This had to be major to force my friend to do such a thing...
Why did you take him from me?" I heard my normally silent friend say, prompting a chorus of shocked whispers and astonished gasps from the mechs around me. Bumblebee had recovered from his astonished daze and was furrowing his eyebrows, refocusing his optics, ignoring me. He was most likely wondering what made Soundwave reveal his face and voice. Further away from our young leader I could see Dreadwing and Knockout, even more shocked than before upon hearing Soundwave's voice. Megatron glared in irritation, showing at bit of his shark-like denta, likely because he couldn't figure out why Soundwave confronted the mech.
I myself narrowed my blood-red optics, unsurprised. I am among the few that have heard Soundwave's voice (Megatron being among the few as well) and I am not nearly as amazed as the others by the deep, clear sound of his voice. What I am surprised by is the mech's face.
Soundwave possessed what many would call beautiful optics, being a rich sapphire-blue and almond shaped. It is almost unsettling how they are of such a sharp contrast to my own currently blood-red optics. It looked like the two of us switched factions.
Now, his optics were narrowed as he glowered, projecting a very menacing aura toward the mech who took my son from me. Soundwave had black optic ridges, that cast a shadow over his optics, and his faceplates were a dull silver, similar to that of worn stainless steel. Despite the distance I am standing from him, I can see the details of his face.
The mech's face was marred with long, black scars that seemed to be glowing, illuminated by his bright, blue optics, as he ignored all of us gazing at him hidden in the surrounding woods.
The first one started just above his left optic, cutting through his black optic ridge, made its way down at an angle, and crossed over his right optic. The second one, the scar below the first, began right between his optics and passed directly underneath his right optic, running parallel to the scar above it. The scar continued over his faceplates and ended on his cheek plating.
The scars bent slightly in different places, like whatever made them had difficulty cutting through his faceplates, or what made them move in that way for the sole purpose of increasing pain.
As I took in the sight of the long scars on Soundwave's faceplates, I noticed something else.
I unconsciously reached up, and gently touched the scar over my own right optic. Despite having received it from Starscream a while ago, the mark was still tender to the touch, and sometimes ached. Even with the sensitivity of the plating, I traced the mark over my optic with a single digit, never looking away from Soundwave's scarred face.
Soundwave and I both bore slanted scars over our right optics.
...However, Soundwave possessed more than one, and they appeared to be rough, almost jagged. Mine was straighter; a slash wound.
"Why did you take him from me?"
I could hardly hear him over the wind and the sound of the leaves rustling around in the forest, but thank Primus I have exceptional sensitivity to audio input.
Suddenly, I was reminded of when I allowed Soundwave into the base, after my son's birthday celebration. While the mech was holding my son, he told me of what had become of his son. He said that his son was killed long ago, and that he never found the killer.
For whatever reason, I felt that he had finally tracked down the missing piece to that puzzle.
I briefly shut my optics and shook my helm while I crouched behind the bush next our young leader, attempting to debunk the thought. Of all the reasons I came up with in regards to why this could not be the same mech, none of them could withstand logic.
But before I could delve deeper into my thoughts, I was distracted by something creeping slowly behind Soundwave and Faultline.
I furrowed my optic ridges as I looked slightly away from the confrontation and focused on what was moving. As my optics adjusted and changed focus, I noted that the movement was much larger than an organic.
"What is Jackie doing here?" I heard Bulkhead whisper from somewhere nearby. I glared, knowing Wheeljack couldn't see me. That insubordinate Wrecker was out here, most likely searching for us. The mech did say that he would drag all of us back to the base if we did not contact him within the desired amount of time. What I find mildly concerning is exactly how the sword wielding mech was able to travel to these coordinates in the first place.
The only possible way that could have happened is if he first entered the Decepticon warship. Only the Decepticons could access these coordinates, and I highly doubt that any Decepticon would aid him...
I glanced briefly at Soundwave's statue-like form, and I was quick to reconsider my last thought. Recently, I have become very unsure of what the Decepticons will and will not do. I would have never thought that Soundwave would return Optimus to me. Nor did I ever think Soundwave would withhold the location of the Autobot base from Megatron. I would have never believed that Megatron, the merciless leader of the Decepticons, was even capable of being gentle. I never considered the thought that a Vehicon trooper would be willing to give up his beloved pet, knowing that the cyberdog would be given to the opposite faction.
But, I do know that Vehicons are not likely to help him if they think he'll do anything against their superiors. They only know that the high ranking Decepticons are not on the warship, if that. If they believed that only their superiors were out here alone, they would have overrun the white Wrecker and held him prisoner to be dealt with at a later time.
They either were not able to catch him, or chose not to. The Vehicons choosing not to seems to be the most probable explanation.
The Vehicons must have somehow found out that we Autobots are working with the Decepticons temporarily. The only reason why the Decepticons - why Megatron - would even entertain the idea of working with us at this very moment is because my son is in peril. The Vehicons must know of this.
From what I have heard, my son touched the hearts of so many Decepticons, so it made logical sense to conclude that they would do what they could to help my son upon hearing that he is in danger. Evidently, sending Wheeljack to our coordinates was what they believed was best.
I silently followed Wheeljack with my red optics as he edged his way closer to Faultline's ship, towards the open hatch. Bumblebee stared alongside me, doorwings stiff, as we watched him keep a close optic on Faultline as he crept behind him. The white Wrecker walked with his knees slightly bent and arms slightly out, fully prepared to leap out of the way if Faultline turned and fired on him.
My view of the mech was blocked momentarily by the confrontation occurring in the clear, but only for a number of seconds. Wheeljack reached the shadow of the massive ship and ducked quickly into it. All I could see of Wheeljack now were his bright, cautious optics as he stood under the ship, in the shadows.
I heard a twig snap underneath Wheeljack's pede, and felt Bumblebee tense beside me. I glanced at him and saw that his doorwings were rigid and stood out of his yellow plated back at a downwards angle. The young mech is concerned for Wheeljack's safety, while I'm not. Wheeljack usually emerges from such dangerous missions unharmed.
Wheeljack crept closer to the open hatch of Faultline's ship I saw that he was flanked by Halli. I blinked when I saw the white Wrecker place one pede onto the hatch and into the light being emitted from the interior of the ship. He cast a cautious glance towards Faultline, frame illuminated by the ship's light and ready for battle, before looking up into the open ship.
Faultline was preoccupied with what Soundwave was saying to him, so he remained focused on my usually silent friend. I could no longer hear what was being said because of the rustling leaves above me in the howling wind. The thunder was growing more frequent and lightning was flashing in the black clouds overhead. The weather works in Wheeljack's favor; he would not have been able to get past Faultline if it were not in its current condition.
The white Wrecker furrowed his optic ridges and focused hard up into the ship. The dog padded to his left side, looking up at him with blazing golden optics. The white Wrecker jerked his helm up towards the inside of the ship after looking down at the dog. In response, Halli crouched and leaped. She nearly lost her footing and slipped, hanging half out the ship, but Wheeljack moved so that the dog could push off his upward held hands.
Wheeljack looked back at Faultline, who still hadn't noticed them entering his ship, and focused back the ledge above him. He took a step back and jumped into the ship, just barely making it.
I smiled warmly once the two of them were inside of the vessel, knowing what Wheeljack planned on doing, and hoped they emerge from the ship unharmed.
...Wheeljack's POV: A Few Seconds Later...
Halli looked up at me after walking further into the ship next to me. We had both gotten in fine. The dog slipped, but I helped her out a bit. I wasn't too sure I could make that high of a jump without a running start, but now I know I can.
The inside of this place isn't what I expected. There were soft white lights along the ceiling, lighting the hexagonal hallways. I see a number of doors further down the hallway, all of them were closed. This place looked like the inside of the run-of-the-mill residence back on Cybertron, only a lot nicer.
I felt something nudge the back of my left knee, and I looked down to see Halli walking back in front of my legs and move a few steps ahead of me. She stopped and turned her head around, ears perked and tail swaying, looking right at me.
She's right. We don't have all day.
I reached back and slid my swords out of their sheathes, looked down the length of the hallway and engaged my battle mask. I gestured down the hall with one of my swords and looked down at Halli again. Her tail started to wag.
"Lead the way." Let's go find that kid.
...
We were walking in this ship for a good two or three minutes before the dog suddenly stopped sniffing the floor and lifted her head. I stopped behind her, swords up and ready. I don't know what's up, but I can tell the dog doesn't like it. She might've caught somebot's scent.
Her hackles lifted and she started to growl while she was facing away from me. Then the dog raced towards a door near the end of the hallway we had come down. I don't know what the heck is behind that door, but I'm not about to let Halli find out. Don't want her getting hurt like she did last time.
"Heel!" I said, not really expecting her to know what that meant. She stopped dead in her tracks as soon as she heard me, about four steps away from the door. Huh. I guess she does know a few human commands.
She sent me an anxious look as she walked back to stand at my left side. I moved carefully over to the black door and stood to the side of it, by the wall, just in case someone tries to ambush me. Before I pressed the button to open the door on that keypad, I put one of my blades back into its sheath so I'd have a free hand to open the door.
"Guard the door," I whispered to her. Halli moved to stand on the other side of the door, facing me and showing all her sharp teeth. I can trust her to stay out here.
I looked over at the keypad and smirked behind my battle mask. Here goes nothin'.
The door quietly slid open after I pressed the button on the keypad. I couldn't see inside from where I was next to the door frame, but I can see a soft white light coming from the room. I waited a few nanokliks, tightening my grip on my sword and shifting my servo into my blaster.
I glanced over back after I stepped all the way into the room. She had poked her head in the room, ears perked and forward. She was watching in case someone tried to do anything dumb and attack me. She'll kill 'em if that happens.
I turned back to face the room and looked around. The place was real simple. There was a small berth at the back wall, a small table next to it and a small, red tinted window just above that berth. And there was a closed supply closet on the right wall. There was nothing else on the walls, no pictures or anything.
I arched an optic ridge. There's no way this is Faultline's room. If he has such a nice ship, I bet he'd have a much nicer room than this. It's gotta be someone else's.
I was about to turn and leave when I heard a little noise coming from that supply closet. It sounded like moving around. I guess there is something else in here.
Halli snarled behind me as I got closer to the door in the room. I put my other blade back and powered up my blaster before shooting the cyberdog a look. Her hackles were up, her head was held high, and she was showing all her teeth while she stood at the door. The dog looked ready to kill something. Didn't think a cyberdog could look this aggressive.
I nodded to her and turned back to the supply closet. I moved to the side of it, like I did the other door, and reached over to the activation panel. Once I opened that door, I quickly shifted my free servo into my blaster and swerved around the doorframe to stand facing the inside of the closet. I tensed up, with my blasters charging up, ready for a fight.
What I saw in there was the last I'd expect to see in this place.
Well, it wasn't a 'what'. It was a 'who'.
From the light coming into the closet from the berthroom, I could see a light purple, slender femme crouched at the back of the supply closet next to a pile of cleaning rags and cans of window cleaner. She let out a whimper as soon as she saw my blasters aimed at her. She covered her face with her servos and was shaking real hard.
A strange feeling came over me as I looked at her, but I ignored it. I glared and said behind my mask, "Who are you?"
I didn't get an answer at first, but she did say in the littlest voice I had ever heard, "P-Please, don't hurt m-me."
I rolled my optics. That wasn't the answer to my question. I held my blasters where they were and said "I'm gonna ask ya one more time. Who are you?"
She managed to stutter out an answer as she moved her servos slightly away from her face to look at me. I still couldn't see much of her face because of my own shadow on her. "L-Lackluster."
I gave her a disbelieving look. There is no way that is her name. "No carrier would ever name their sparkling that, especially one that's as..." While I responded to her, I shifted on my pedes and the light from the room came a bit more into the closet. I got a pretty good look at her and that strange feeling kicked back in, even stronger than before. I shook it off before talking to her again.
"Ugh, what're you doin' here, anyway?" She just whimpered and shrank further into the closet, shaking so hard I can hear her plating rattling.
You know what? Scaring to hell out of this femme isn't going to get me anywhere. And I guess I don't need my weapons. If she's cowering like that, I don't think she can fight back. She would've already tried if she could. I'll have to try another way.
I offlined my weapons system, disengaged my battle mask and moved forward a bit. I crouched down to her level and gently put a hand on her arm. As soon as I touched her, she flinched. Geez, just trying to be friendly.
"Listen, I'm sorry I scared ya. Things have been tense on my end lately, and I'm on a mission. A mission that involves rescuing a couple bots from an evil glitch."
At least she relaxed a little and wasn't shaking as hard. She lowered her servos a bit (she's wearing a black visor) and tilted her helm towards me when I said 'evil glitch'.
"How about this, I need ya to tell me everything you know, and in return, I can get ya outta this place. Deal?" I took my hand off her arm, since it looked like it was making her nervous.
At this point the femme just looked real unsure of herself. And I could tell that she didn't trust me much. She moved her helm slightly away from me and retracted her visor so she could see me a bit better in the dark. She had a doubting look in her soft, sky-blue eyes as she stayed crouched in the dark.
"I promise I won't hurt ya." I still didn't get much of a response. After a second, I remembered something important. She jolted again when I gave a little chuckle.
"Oh, right. Knew I was forgetting something. Guess you wanna know my name, huh?" She looked caught between fear and insecurity, but I kept going.
"Well, the name's Wheeljack, one of the Wreckers, and proud member of the Autobots," I said, pointing to the Autobot insignia on my chest. Her helm snapped around to fully face me, and her eyes got bigger in shock.
She said in a little voice, "A-An Autobot?!"
"Yep." For a moment there was silence between us. I stayed there, crouched in front of her waiting from some kind of reaction. The reaction I got wasn't what I expected.
Tears welled up in her eyes and streamed down her face as she threw herself at me, wrapping her arms around my chassis. She started to break down, crying and sobbing, as she buried her face into my chest.
I had to sit all the way down after she threw herself at me, so I wouldn't lose my balance. Now she's practically in my lap.
I had my arms lifted above her as I looked down at her. Well, this is awkward.
Slowly I lowered my arms, and started to rub her back as she cried. "Hey, it's okay. It'll be okay." I tried to comfort her, even though I don't really know why she broke down in the first place. Anyway, she looked like she'd been holding that in for a while. She must've been here a while, to get to the way she is now.
I just sat there, holding the little femme to my chassis and rubbing her back, letting her let it out. I wonder what the freak did to her to get her like this... On second thought, I don't think I really wanna know. I've never heard quiet sobs sound so sad. Reminded me of the cries of a lost kitten. Things hardly ever get to me, (gotta be tough to be a Wrecker) but the sight of her crying like that bothers me.
She calmed down after a few minutes and I asked if she felt any better. She lifted her head a bit and looked up at me as she nodded. Then she said in that little voice of hers, "I used to live on Velocitron with my carrier and brother. He came to my planet and killed my family." Her voice cracked at the last sentence and she tried to hide her sob. I turned my helm so she wouldn't see the angry look on my face. This guy killed this poor femme's family and held her hostage.
"He took me and I was his servant for a long time. He... tormented me since and took advantage of my lack of strength. He stayed on Velocitron for a while, and I heard about the Autobots' arrival to my planet. For a long time I dreamed that one of them would find me and take me away from him.
"But it never happened, and I gave up on that dream. He gave me that terrible name to put me down and after a while I didn't even want to try and escape. I was scared he was going to find me and kill me. Once he left Velocitron, I truly had nowhere to go. " She wiped the blue tinted tears from her eyes, and they started to well up again.
"I never thought that an Autobot really would come and take me away from this place." The tears started to stream down her face again as I looked down at her.
"Hey, don't start crying on me again. It's all gonna be fine," I said, patting her gently on the back. She nodded as she stared up at me with her large optics.
She let go of me and leaned back to sit in front of me. I blinked at the slender femme. "You gonna be okay?"
She wiped her eyes with the back of her servo again and nodded a bit. It least she'll be okay for now. I know she'll feel a heck of a lot better if I got her out of this ship.
I thought about something she said earlier and I scoffed. "Callin' a femme like you 'Lackluster'... You wanna rename yourself? I know ya don't like that name he gave you."
She stared at me for a second before answering. "No, I still remember my real name."
I raised my optic ridges and waited for her to tell me. She didn't have me wait for too long.
"My name is Cinderblade." That's a tough name for a femme who jumped outta her plating when I just touched her. I half expected her to say 'Fluttershy'. Tells ya just how much Faultline changed her.
"Alright, Cinderblade, you mind taking me and the dog to where the freak's got our two friends?"
She shook her helm. "No, I'll do that right away."
I nodded and stood to my pedes. She stood along with me, though not to her pedes. I never noticed 'til now that she had wheels for pedes.
We both left the dark closet and I was able to finally get a good look at her, now that we had more light to see. Cinderblade had covered her sky-blue optics with her black visor once she skated out to stand next to me. She was Velocitronian alright; I can see the femme was built for speed. She was slender and her frame was real easy on the eyes, to say the very least.
Some of the other mechs outside are gonna have a real hard time not staring at certain parts of her.
Suddenly, we both heard loud, aggressive barking. My helm whipped around to see Halli still at the door. The dog's tail was up high, her hackles were up, ears perked and her legs were stiff. She was making herself look bigger than she already is, with her lips pulled back into a vicious snarl, and looked like she was ready to jump Cinderblade. The dog was barking up a storm and glaring real hard at Cinderblade.
I looked down to the left to comfort the femme when I saw that she wasn't there. I heard a whimper come from behind me and realized that she was pressed against my back and was shaking again. Well that was fast. Halli's scared the Pit outta her.
"Hey, Halli, calm it down. She's on our side," I said to the dog, gesturing behind me, towards Cinderblade. Good thing she understood me. I could see that the hackles started to go down and her lips started to cover her sharp teeth. She made sure that Cinderblade knew that she didn't trust her by glaring at her, and sat down on her haunches by the door in the room.
"It's alright, Cinder. She's not gonna hurt you." I turned helm back as far as I could so I could get a good look at her. I saw her nod a little and she skated out from behind me.
I turned to face her and gestured towards the door. "Lead the way."
She nodded obediently and quickly skated past Halli and out the room.
I stared after her for a second and shook my head as I followed her out. I'm gonna have to do something about that servant side she developed.
...Arcee's POV: Five Minutes Later...
Cliff left as quickly as he came, and I'm still stuck in this dark place. But at least Faultline isn't hurting me anymore.
...
The painful throbbing wasn't letting me fall into recharge, so I just lay there, restrained on this berth. This darkness was beginning to bother me. There nothing for me to do except worry. Worry about Optimus. His safety was still a huge concern for me, even after what I went through.
I'm glad that I didn't have to worry long.
I squinted as the bright light from the hallway shot into my optics. After my eyes adjusted, I saw that the door to the berthroom had opened and that there was the silhouette of a mech standing in the doorway.
The anger that pierced me quickly passed when I realized who the silhouette belonged to.
I gave a small smile of relief and relaxed a bit. It was Wheeljack.
I guess a little faith goes a long way.
...Optimus's POV: The Death Room - Two Minutes Later...
My horned guardian had left briefly, but soon returned. I did not ask him where he had gone; he would not have answered had I done so.
While I lay enveloped in divine warmth, I realized that I was being gently put down on the floor on my side. I stirred and turned my helm to look up at the red spirit, to see a comforting, yet sorrowful smile on his shining faceplates. Concerned, I moved to stand to my pedes, but the red spirit gently placed a servo on my back.
"Be strong."
With that, the red spirit lifted a servo and waved his farewell. I felt a pang of sorrow as the now familiar sight of the mech blowing away as though he were made of red sand came.
The moment the red spirit faded away, the door to this death room opened. Light flooded into the dark room and illuminated the inside, nearly blinding me. After a moment I saw a silhouette that was much larger than my frame.
Instinctively, I whined and attempted to hide myself from the black figure. But, the fear of the child within paralyzed me, causing my gears to lock. I lay there on the floor, curled into the fetal position hoping that the strange person would not inflict any harm on me.
I shut my optics and gathered the courage to move, pulling my blanket that I was wrapped in over my little helm. I quivered and shook, using what little strength I possessed to restrain the loud wail that was in the back of my throat.
Then I felt myself being gently nudged by something larger than myself. I did not wish to look, but the child within me had a curiosity regarding the unknown nudge that temporarily overpowered my own will. I slowly opened my large optics and gazed in the direction of the nudge. Blazing, golden optics stared back down at me.
A small relieved yap met my audio receptors, and I instantly recognized the voice.
It was Halli, my beloved cyberdog.
She lowered herself down, pressing her belly against the floor, and curled slightly around me. I instinctively shifted closer to her, as a pup would to its mother. Tears stung my optics as I listened to her strong sparkbeat.
I was overwhelmed with joy and relief. Not only was she alive, she had come to take me from this terrible place.
After hearing wheels softly rolling towards me, I was lifted from the floor by a pair of small servos and placed onto the back of the cyberdog, remaining wrapped in my blanket. Now in the comforting presence of the cyber animal, I grew bold enough to look directly at the silhouette.
As I took in the details, I saw that it was not one bot, but two. I recognized who the bots were immediately. It was Wheeljack, and he was carrying Arcee, with one arm bracing her shoulders and the other securing her legs. He was holding her bridal style.
I grew concerned for Arcee's wellbeing, as I saw that her optics were closed, but was eased slightly when I witnessed her servo move to rest on her abdominal plating.
"Come on, Cinder. Let's get outta this place. Giving me the creeps," Wheeljack said before turning and leaving with Arcee in his arms. He has seen the horrors of this death room.
I heard a very small, timid 'yes' somewhere above me and watched a familiar slender figure with wheels for pedes follow Wheeljack out. With that, Halli rose to her paws and padded out of the darkness and into the white light of the hallway, with my arms hugging her neck.
I turned back slightly as the dog left the death room, and saw, just before the death room door closed, the curled body of the light orange sparkling lying still and abandoned on the floor.
I looked ahead once more, and rested my helm against Halli's strong neck, feeling a stab of guilt in my spark. I am leaving my orange friend behind in the death room.
...Megatron's POV: Five Minutes Later...
That Wrecker truly is a fool for pulling such a stunt. Entering a strange vessel with no knowledge of what or who is inside of the ship could very well be a suicide mission.
But that is not significant anymore.
What is significant is the fact that the imbecile made it out of the ship alive and unharmed! Not only that, but he leaped out of the ship carrying the Autobot femme, a slender femme at his side and the dog carrying the little runt on her back.
I arched an optic ridge and grinned slightly at the sight of the slender, light purple femme. She is very beautiful indeed.
Suddenly, thunder cracked over my helm and I glanced up at the tree branches above me in irritation. This infuriating weather has kept me from tuning my audio receptor properly in order to hear the conversation commencing between Faultline and my third-in-command. I can see Soundwave's expression changing between shocked, furious and bereaved all at the same time, but this was not helping me.
I wanted to know why my third-in-command revealed his face and I wanted to know why he spoke before all of us here in the woods. And I can tell by the look on Soundwave's faceplates that whatever this mech was saying was clearly upsetting to my third-in-command.
There is too much here that I do not know, and needless to say, I do not like this fact.
I snarled under my breath as lightning illuminated the clearing in front of me. But that very bolt of lightning allowed me to clearly see the white Wrecker and his group was attempting to sneak past Faultline, moving quietly through the ship's dark shadow, around the vessel's rear landing gear and towards the treeline. The beautiful femme could not stop glancing over her shoulder at Faultline. Even from this distance, I can see the terror on her faceplates, despite the visor over her optics. That terror is the sort I have only seen in slaves that fear being caught by their masters after running away, seeking freedom.
The black clouds swirled over our helms as I turned my attention over to the sparkling on the back of the cyberdog. The little runt looked frightened, of the storm, most likely. A warm sensation washed over my spark as I gazed at the little runt, seeing that he is unharmed. My expression softened, and before I could gain control of myself, I gave a small relieved smile.
Thankfully I was able to snap out of it and stamp that sensation back into the hole it came from.
There was a chuckle after the thunder came again. The sound was becoming increasingly louder. I blinked and gazed back at Faultline and Soundwave. Faultline was giving a grin that would have unnerved a weaker mech than I.
"Oh, and Soundwave? I should thank your white friend behind me. He makes my job so much easier." Before I could even comprehend what that meant, I saw the mech reach back and pull a large blaster from his back. He smiled, still facing Soundwave, aiming the gun behind him and firing.
The sparkling's side exploded, his energon flying everywhere.
My optics widened in absolute shock as I watched him fall from the cyberdog's back and hit the dirt below. I cannot believe that any mech in this universe would do such a thing!
Once it registered to the others what had happened, thunder cracked again and the clouds let loose a flurry of lightning bolts. Now the swirling black clouds were fully lit with electricity. Along with the thunder was an incredibly loud, mournful howl.
Bumblebee stood by the Autobot medic, with a hard, unreadable expression on his face. The green Wrecker glared menacingly. Further down, I saw my mechs; Knockout looked even more shocked than he had before, if the feat was even possible. Dreadwing guarded his expression, clenching his fists tightly. Out in the clearing, Soundwave stood there, motionless and blue optics wide.
I looked to see where that howl was coming from, and it came from where I expect it to. The Autobot medic fell to his knees, blood-red optics huge in shock, letting loose a howl that sounded like a soul dying.
Before anyone could react any further, there was a loud, triumphant chuckle coming from the clearing. The mech responsible for this horrible act stood there grinning on the open hatch of his ship and said as it rose to close, "Toodles."
With that, the mech was inside his vessel. The ship retracted its landing gear, fired off its lift-off thrusters and levitated into the air. I could feel the heat from the engines on my faceplates as I attempted to held my footing against the power of the engines.
Three panels on each side of the red, circuit board ship opened, revealing a small thruster. Blue flames shot from the thrusters, proving to be more powerful than they appeared. These side thrusters spun the ship around sharply and in the blink of an optic, the ship was flying away into the storm.
This mech clearly has a death wish.
Rage pumped through my fuel lines as I raced forward into the clearing and transformed. "You will not escape," I snarled as I fired off my own thrusters and shot after the ship, leaving the others behind.
Before I took off, I saw Dreadwing come forward from the trees and transform into his human jet, carrying the same intentions I had of bringing this disgrace down to suffer the consepuences.
I turned my attention back to the clouds ahead of me and spotted Soundwave in his surveillance drone alternate mode far in front of me, pushing his engines to the limit. He was dead set on catching this mech.
I locked onto the ship's location and tracked it through the black clouds, careful not to be struck by the many bolts of lightning splitting the sky. I could hear Dreadwing's engines slightly behind me and I saw Soundwave in front of me.
Faultline will be caught. It is only a matter of how.
No, Optimus isn't dead.
Yes, Faultline knew that Wheeljack was in his ship.
Rudder mentioned a gamma ray burst in his little narrative. To those of you who don't know what a gamma ray burst is; it is the most powerful explosion known in the universe, coming from a massive star no longer able to maintain a sufficient level of nuclear fusion, a process in which generates pressure to counteract gravity. Once it can no longer counteract gravity, the massive star begins to collapse to form a neutron star or black hole, and releases into two energy jets of gamma rays. These are known to outshine galaxies and be seen clearly on Earth from, on average, seven billion light years away.
This should have been out two weeks ago, but I had to fight with this chapter. Thankfully WingedWolfAlari helped me out. She even named 'Lackluster' for me. :)
If you have any question, comments or ideas for me, just let me know in a review.
The next chapter will contain a chase scene.
Update: Thank you very much, MissCHSparkles, for letting me know about that huge mistake. I fixed it and it should be okay.
Till next time! :)
P.S. There's a reason why I did Soundwave's scars like that. Can you figure out why?