Forgotten Lullaby ~ Pt 3
"Yuuuuuupp. Little ball of cuteness you were." Kup puffed. "Not gonna lie..i was a little werided out by you at first; being all part…spacey… like your mother and all that. But I quickly got over it. Didn't take long for others to see either."
"Others? I thought you and Headshot where the only ones who knew." Phoenix asked.
"Uhhh…..I'll….tell ya another time." He waved a servo. "Anyway, after a while everything seemed pretty peaceful, war was over, everyone moved on to their own lives. But of course," he leaned back with a slight scowl. "There were still a few alarms here and there."
"Alarms?"
"There were still Decepticons running around." Rodimus shifted in his berth. "None to be taken likely."
"You apparently already met Megatron's…well I suppose 'used-to-be' second in command Starscream….served that fragger right getting kicked in the skidplate the way he did."
"And those of team Charr." Servos mercilessly clenched the wires around Rodimus' wrist. Turning away a snarl.
"Easy kid." Kup patted. "And a couple of rouges here and there. Anyway…reason why I bring this up is…a couple of Stellar cycles passed by this point and well…um...look kid why don't we leave this part for tomm-"
"No!" Phoenix leaned forward, gripping the arms of her seat and plead in her optics. "...Please. I need to know what happened. Tomorrow might be too late for me."
"I uh…" Kup rubbed the back of his neck "I dunno." He starred into the floor. "This is where the story…takes a bad turn."
"I….I can take it."
"Are you sure?" He looked up; his faded blue optics staring firmly into her own. "Are you absolutely sure? Don't get me wrong kid I will tell ya….but it's not going to be pleasant."
"Come on Kup you love telling past stories, no matter how gruesome or crazy they got." Rodimus punched the old mech's shoulder playfully.
"This….this is not one of them Rodimus." Kup replied. Shrugging off the gesture. "This one…holds a bit too much hurt…..for either of us." He took hold of Phoenix's servo. "Are you sure?"
Phoenix gave a questioning look. Even the red and gold mech seemed confused and concerned. The tone in his voice suddenly made her feel very uncomfortable. But if she wanted to know; now was as good time as any. She nodded.
It was uncertain if Kup's sigh was either of relief or regret. Leaning back into his seat once again with a 'thump', servos dangling lifeless over his knees. "Alright…but if you want me to stop; just say they word."
"I will."
"Fine. Again, this is when things...took a turn for the worst…."
The little purple femme giggled and squealed, her antennas wriggled being tickled by Eclipse's. "Teeehehehe!"
"Hehe you're just a little ball of giggles aren't you?" she smiled, watching Eternia wiggle and roll on her back inside the crib. "Cooochiecoochiecoochie!" her left antenna tickled the sparkling's stomach.
"Teeeaahhahaha!"
Chuckling, Eclipse carefully raised her infant out of the crib into her arms. "Oh! I almost forgot. Your Uncle Kup dropped this off for you." Reaching for a nearby table, she snatched up a small helmet, the same shade of purple as Eternia's plating. Laying her back onto her lap, she stroked back the little one's antennas and carefully placed the helmet over them. "There, now no one will judge you. You'll be able to live freely outside the house." With a quick peck on the cheek, she snuggled Eternia closer to her chest. "My little sweetheart."
Eternia gurgled, grabbing hold of the starry alien's chin.
"Hmm." A white and yellow tipped antenna swept over the table in front, picking up a blue pacifier and gently popping it into the infant's mouth. Eclipse watched with a smile while Eternia looked back up to her with large, glossy optics, sucking happily away.
The slam of the door raised Eclipse's attention. Antennas perked. "Headshot?"
"How are my lovely ladies?" the silver mech marched in arms wide open.
"And how my little femme eh?" he tickled the sparkling's olfactory sensor.
"Hhheeee." her little arms waved.
"Haha. That's what I like to hear." Walking along with his bondmate they placed Eternia back into the crib. There songbird.
"We never saw it coming…"
CRASH! Came a metal barrel through the front window.
Immediately Headshot shoved Eclipse under him to the ground. Covering her from the shards of broken glass. More crashing and explosions could be heard from outside, screams and shouts echoed in fear and panic. "The frag!?"
"What's going on?!"
"Sneak attack! Get out now! Take her and go! Get to the passageway!" he climbed over her, running for the front door. The blasters on his writs glowing, ready to fire.
"Headshot wait!"
"They came out of now where….."
"Go!"
"Not without you! You need to come with us." She cried over the screeching sparkling.
"I need to help the others as well." He took hold of her shoulders. "I need you to keep safe. Go. Please."
The Eternal being's eyes dripped with tears. "Be careful." She clutched his servo.
"I will." He kissed her glowing white hand.
BANG! The couple jumped out of the way as the door came down. Eclipse tripping over a piece of broken wood frame. Not even a nanosec had Headshot knocked both Decepticons out; there frames laid out along the porch. But in the distance he could see another pair coming up the street, hitting anything…and anybody they could. "GO!" he rushed out the door in full fire.
With no argument Eclipse scrambled to her feet, grabbing hold of a screaming and weeping Eternia. "Shhh shhh it's alright baby. It's alright."
"WWHHAAAAA!"
"I should have gotten there sooner….I could have seen them coming. But I didn't…No one did."
"SShhhhh. Let's go." Quickly as possible she wrapped the sparkling tightly into a blanket. Pulling an isolated datapad along the shelf; exposing a staircase leading downward into a dark tunnel.
"It was installed for such occasions when they first moved in…
She looked outside the broken window, hoping for some glimpse of Headshot but was interrupted by grunts and the sound of breaking wood at the door. A pair of shadows casted over the hallway walls; in such panic she rushed to the passageway, almost tripping over the crib; knocking it over. Picking herself up she bolted down the metal stairs, Eternia still wailing at the top of her lungs. Eclipse ran; never stopping, clutching Eternia close to her chest.
Headshot flipped up the remains of a disregarded table, blocking whatever shots came at him. Thank Primus for whoever decided to throw this thing out. "Kup!" he called into commlink "Where's that back up huh?" in a quick moment he reached over the top of the table's edge, firing at the incoming Decepticons.
"I swear were getting there as fast as we can! Just hang on kid!" Kup cried back.
"Who knows how long that's going to be." He mumbled.
His audio censor suddenly twitched. Was it static from an incoming transmission? No. It sounded distant. No….wait. It's coming closer. He turned his back to the shielding table, blasters at the ready. Nothing, all that was heard or seen was the sounds of shots and shouts being called across the fields. Maybe it was nothing, probably from some sparking broken wires. Optics dashed across the burning fields once more before turning back around.
"HIISSSSAHAHAHAHAAA!"
"GNNAHH!" The mech grunted as some sort of purple flash pierced his shoulder plating, a heavy weight knocking over and pinning him to the ground. His shuttered optics finally opened in time to see a pair of large spear heads swooping down onto him. No second thoughts; he rolled his helm to the side, hearing the sound of one spear head piercing into the ground before lifting back into the air. Headshot rolled his head to the side again, avoiding the clash of the other. With the previous spear head in mid-air the silver mech wedged his legs under the figure and pushed upward, "Nngh..YAAA!" flipping whatever it was over his helm.
"Hisssss…long time no see 'ol'friend'." The black and purple mech snarled.
"You lost the right to call me that eons ago Khaos." Headshot glared, unblinking.
"Ahh that's right. It was MYSELF who left me in that trial. Betrayed my own friendship as I was persecuted mercilessly…"
"You slaughtered and ate a couple Khaos. ATE! Do you even realise how sick that is?!"
"And you were supposed to be my friend Headshot," the con hissed "I thought helping is what they do, but what did YOU do in my time of need? Sat there, like I was some disgusting creature. Saying nothing in my defense, after all the cycles we have known each other! "
The silver mech straightened himself, staring with blank optics and a snarl. "That was when I realised just how much of a sick fragger you were. I would have helped you, but when you smiled; explaining what you had done without a stutter…like it was a practical joke, like you did nothing wrong. I couldn't stand the thought of you loose and doing it again. Having no regret for what you had done. You needed help Khaos."
There was mere silence between the two that would have continued if it was not for the slowly growing dark cackle. Headshot's optic twitched watching the energon covered decepticon snap his helm back in a deep dark laugh. "HAHAHAHAHHAAA! Oh Headshot…you really were a little slow in the processor. I think we both know that deep down…you knew what I was really like. What I really did in secret. You just never had the guts to admit it. Always had to be so fragging optimistic about your friends thinking nothing was wrong with them. Hehehe I guess you finally realized how wrong you were when I was sentenced to the pit-deep darkness of that good-for nothing slag hole of a prison you helped put me in."
A hissing grin made Headshot uneasy, throwing both blasters up and aiming for Khaos with his tails twitching. "It's been nice catching up…but it's about time I got back to what I am good at doing." He turned "Oh…don't worry. I will soon be back for you Headshot." The con crouched to all fours "That's a promise. But first…" Headshot's spark began to race as Khaos looked over the house with the smashed in front window with a disturbing, sharp toothed smile. "I think I'll make you suffer."
Before Headshot even had a chance to cry out the con was gone in a flash, disappearing into the house. "NOO!"
"W-wait…they KNEW each other?!" Rodimus gasped.
"Believe it or not. But that,s is a story best left for another time."
Eclipse flew down the last of the dimly lit stairs, Eternia still bawling in her arms. Her heart raced, balancing the infant in one arm and rubbing her face over the stone wall ahead. "Come on." She looked back franticly "It's here…I know it is here."
"This way!" a scowl echoed, followed by low growls and grunts.
Eclipse gasped, not realizing how close they really were rushing her white hand over the rocks.
"Whhaaaa! Whhhaaa!"
"Shhhhh! Shhhh! Please calm down baby."
"What the frag is that noise?" a shadow growled from above.
"This way!" another replied.
Antennas swayed from side to side, gazing over the rock wall. She panted seeing no hope of finding the hidden trigger and looked down to the bawling Eternia. "There must be something…" she glazed over the wall once more. "Well there is one way but…." She looked down to her infant; who had calmed down to weeping. "Will you be able to come with me?"
"Gotcha now." A cackle came from above.
"Only one way to find out." Hugging the little sparking close there was a flash of white; blinding the pair of armed mechs reaching the bottom of the stairs.
A flash of white light went unseen as Eclipse backed herself into the broken and burnt wall behind her. Smoke rose into the sky in the distance hills, the beautiful landscape she used to love to watch through the window…burnt….turned to nothing but ash and fire.
Eternia wiggled uncomfortably, lightly groaning. "We made it…haha." Eclipse chuckled nervously. "It's alright now my little star." She shifted the sparkling up her arm and kissed her forehead. "We'll find daddy Headshot and then we will be safe."
A dark chuckle came from above. "Not quite."
She gasped as the shadowed figure pounced into her path. "Leave us alone."
Headshot kicked his way through the rubble of the house, spark racing as fast as a petro-rabbit once he saw the knocked over crib. Voices echoed from the darkened secret passageway. His lip curled into a nasty snarl, jumping the crib remains and bolting down the stairs.
"Can't do that I'm afraid." The purple mech grinned, looking the alien over. "Well, aren't you of a different species?" Eclipse cautiously watched him as he slowly circled her, servos behind his back and tails twitching. "Headshot always did have strange tastes. Do tell me my dear….to what is your kind called?"
"Why do you care?" she held Eternia close, never taking he eyes off him.
"The frag you think that was?" one mech turned to his comrade, leaving the stairway.
"As if I know. Was probably just a gl-AAH!" Both mech's found themselves suddenly dangling in mid-air by their throats.
"Where…is…he?" the silver mech growled.
"W-where's w-who?" the Decepticon squirmed.
"Khaos."
"H-he went out the back way be-before *hack* before we even started down here."
"Squealer." The con's partner hissed.
"Thanks. Now get out of my house!" Headshot quickly grabbed both decepticons by their collar struts and tossed them out the broken window. "Eclipse?!" He called down the stairway. Taking silence as his answer he ran as fast as his pedes could muster out to the back of the now broken down home. The slice marks in the wood clearly indicated the con had come through. He hoped more than anything his hunch was wrong.
"Curiosity. I like to know some little tid-bits from my pray. Especially the..'different' ones." The twin tails slithered in different directions.
"If you must know I am an Eternal being."
"Ah! My my and here I thought you were only a made up story to scare protoforms! Or was it comfort? Nahh….scarring seems better." He hissed through a toothy grin. "Ah…and this must be the little offspring."
Eclipse stepped back from his extended claw. "Stay away from her." A shiver crawled up her back over his lowly cackle.
"Oh…I don't think you will be saying that for long. Hiiiisss!"
"KEE-YA!" Headshot's pede smashed through the debris and kicked anything that was in his way. She couldn't have travelled far. At least, he hoped so. "Eclipse! Eclipse!"
"Headshot come in." his audio frequency buzzed.
"Kup! Where the frag is that backup!?"
"We're here! We're rounding up all remaining civilians. Where the frag are you?"
"Eclipse and Eternia.." he panted. "I'm trying to find them….Khaos…"
"..Enough said. Keep looking I'll catch up with you. You find that family of yours and give that freak a beat-down."
"Way ahead of you." The frequency ended.
Eclipse took her stance, starring down the con; stepping closer and closer.
"I wonder just what you and that little winged bundle taste like."
"You will never find out."
"Oh I beg to differ."
Her antennas twitched at the sound of movement jumping high I to the air, wings spread before the blackened spear head smashed I to the ground. "Daww see now that's just not fair." Tounge grossly licking his lip components. "So I guess I'll make it fair." And in one quick movement, he vanished.
Eclipse gasped, searching around, hovering in the air. Eternia quietly whined, she was getting hungry but safety was going to come first for her sparkling. 'Where are you you no g-AAHH!" a splitting pain in her back left her free falling to the ground. Another shadow zipped past behind her in mid-fall scraping across a wing, drawing glowing yellow liquid. "NNNAHH!" The ground was coming closer, wincing she covered and held Eternia close, smashing into the dirt.
The sound of crashing caught a hold of headshot's hearing frequency. Turning to a nearby hill; a small cloud of rising and disappearing as soon as it came. "No"
"Primus did he try to get there in time…."
"Hahahaha now," a tail slithered over Eclipse;s shuddering body. "Where were we?" with no effort did Khaos' tail simply wriggle under her weak arms, wrapped around the crying infant and pulled it away.
"N-no…" she weakly reached, but the rest of her body refused to move. Pain coarsening through it.
"Oh don't worry…you'll be with your freak sparkling in time."
The silver mech panted, even as he transformed; putting all his might into his fuel tanks.
"No…NOO!"
Khaos covered his optics with an arm; blocking the light blue flame engulfing Eclipse's body. A white hand grasped his throat. "You…" She pulled his faceplate into her. "Will NOT touch my child!" An antenna quickly yet softly took Eternia out of the purple mech's entined tail. "Now leave!" she threw him to the ground. "Before I change my mind. My species is a peaceful race. But if you do not leave with the rest of your comrades…" she glared down as he snarled back. "I will change my ways." Dust swirled in a thick cloud in a large gust of wind as her wings spread. Yellow liquid flowing from her open wound along the left wing side.
The Decepticon said nothing but snarl, baring his numerous sharp denta and vanishing into the dust cloud.
Eclipse watched, the flames around her body disappearing. Convinced the creature had gone; she smiled down to Eternia, placing her whimpering infant into her arms. "Hey my little star." She kissed her forehead. "Sshh…it's alright. Mama is here." Eternia wiped her optics, staring into her mother's pupil-less eyes.
"M-naaa." Her little arms waved, smiling.
"She is always here."
"Eclipse!" cried a voice "Eclipse! Eternia!"
"Headshot?" she gasped.
"They were so close…."
A silver and violet vehicle zoomed around the corner of a burnt down wall. At first sight of the glowing, star covered alien the mech transformed. Never had he been so happy, laughing in relief; running to his bondmate and sparkling. Then…the world felt as if time had slowed down. Pupils dilated, his smile fading into panicked yelling.
In the thickness of the dust storm, a black spear head raised into view behind a happily waving Eclipse….
"So close…"
Headshot cried out for her to 'Look out!' but it was as if his words moved o slowly for her them to reach her. His spark stopped….Eclipse's face of happiness suddenly changed to surprised pain. The tip of the spear head, peeking through her chest…glowing yellow liquid staining it, dripping to the ground. "Time's up."
"NNNNOOOOO!"
Quickly as it pierced through her the tail end pulled out and disappeared. But not before its' twin caught the wailing sparkling and followed. Leaving Eclipse to fall to her knees then to her side limply.
"Eternia!" Headshot reached blindly to where he last saw his daughter vanish but to no avail did he feel anything. The dust cleared; no Khaos or Eternia n site. Feeling with no other choice he ran to Eclipse, collapsing to his knees. "Eclipse?..." he gently lifted her head, "Eclipse…please…"
"H…Hea..Headshot."
"Eclipse?!" he held her close, looking over hr wound; he could feel her blood flow down his knees and only watch the rest flow down her chest. "Please just…stay with me."
"W-…we both know I-I can't." she weakly replied. "Headshot…" tears streaked down her cheeks. "Go…f-find eternia…..keep her safe."
"I…I will." His spark…how it ached, even more so when she looked up to him with that beautiful smile.
"You are a wo-wonderful father Headshot." Her grey hand shook, trying to touch his cheekplate. He grabbed and held it for her, his optics becoming blurry. "Now go prove it….and protect our s-sparkling. Love her as much as you can…as much as I do for y…..you."
The pounding of his spark was immense, he could feel it bashing against the inside of his chestplate while he helplessly watched the glow from the tips of her antennas were slowly consumed by a lifeless grey.
"Eclipse…you and Eternia are the best things that have ever happened to me. You made me feel like I actually had something to live for after the war. Heh….I…I kn-know it's cheesy but…that's the absolute truth. I love you."
"I…love you t…to…"
He held her close, touching their foreheads together. Eclipse's body…fading to grey.
"Headshot!" Kup raced forward. Around the bend he skidded to a stop. The silence…it was...overwhelming. No words could he think of seeing the pair in the distance. Headshot was just…sitting there on knees, shoulder shaking and holding tightly to a grey corpse with strange yellow puddle beneath i- no. It couldn't be. It just couldn't! Eclipse….lying limply in the mech's arms. The teal mech was frozen in place, he didn't believe it. He couldn't believe it.
"Whhaaa! W-w-whhaaa!"
Kup gasped and turned. Did he just hear crying? "Wait…" he looked back. No. Eternia was not there or anywhere. "Primus let her be alright." Without a second thought he ran towards the distant cry. He ducked behind debris and walls with blaster at the ready.
"WWhhaaa!"
He was close…he knew it, with as much as a whisper or crunching the dirt under his pedes the old veteran peeked over the boulders edge. A sudden burst of burning anger rose from his engines.
"SShhh now now little one. No need to cry." Khaos smirked, cradling the purple femme with an entwined tail.
"Whaaaa! Wha!"
"You'll be with you carrier soon enough my little morsel and then…so will Headshot."
He gripped his gun tighter in his servo. Digit twitching at the trigger.
"Let's see," the decepticon picked up Eternia by her wings. "Just how well you taste." His jaw widened showing off rows of sharpened denta, dangling the wailing sparkling above it.
One blast to the shoulder was all it took. Khaos hissed grasping his burning plate, mindlessly tossing Eternia to the side. Kup took his chance with his running start. Khaos had taken notice and whipped the twin tails into Kup's direction but missed; Kup diving under the duo and catching the sparkling before she collided with the ground. "Gotcha!"
"HIIISSSSS! You old fool! I'll slice you b-GAHH!" another fire to the chest sent Khoas flying into a scrap heap.
"This old fool still has fight in him. You slagging sc-" he paused. Looking down at Eternia wriggling and moaning in his arm, her plating slightly scratched. The thought of Eclipse came rushing back to him. He barley even noticed the arriving autobots, scourging Khaos out of the pile and slapping on stasis cuffs.
'Cuff him or better yet cage that monster." Kup lowly growled through his denta without even turing to see the troopers drag the unconscious Decepticon away. "Permanently."
A familiar voice called out to him "Kup!" Kup…" Headshot stopped. Starring. Kup glanced at him for only a klick before turning back to Eternia. Carefully he held her out for the silver mech to hold; his arms outstretched, pulling her gently into a hug. 'Sweetspark…..Thank you."
A calm servo rubbed his shoulder "I'm sorry….you have no idea how sorry I am."
Headshot looked tohim with broken optics. He needed no words for Kup to understand; gently tapping their helms together. "Come on," he lead them away. "Let's give her final peace…."
To be continued…
Think me evil yet?