Chapter Forty One
24th December
0630hrs
Rodimus was cowering against the side of a large stack of crates with Decepticon logos stamped on them, which was propped up against a large upturned human crafted device used to carry whatever resources this mine yielded along tracks to the outside world. He was trying to order his thoughts, see how it was he'd come to this circumstance, alone and frightened.
He and Kup had had a general conversation as they had wandered through the underground maze of tunnels, some crafted by humans, others by Decepticons and others a combination of both as one had collapsed into another. During their conversation the topic of ghosts came up, Kup, in his usual rambling way, expressed that age brought with it all sorts of experiences which in his current youthful state, Rodimus could never hope to know. Rodimus pointed out that recent events had transpired in such a way that he did have knowledge.
At that point, just before Kup was about to add a lengthy rebuttal filled with ancient curse words and general slang, Springer came running up to meet them. It was about half past five. He'd told them how the twins had kidnapped him, how he was taken down here and shackled to a wall, and how Perceptor had gone totally nutso and had acted like a mech possessed cause a cave in, dropping all four of them down into the tunnels. On waking Springer found he was no where near the cave in, and the twins and the crazy scientist were gone.
Springer went on to say he wandered around, then found a Decepticon shuttle – he neglected any commentary about the dead within – then Springer expressed how a cackling Perceptor had shown up and he made the decision to try and find Perceptor and assist him to the surface. Well, that was what Springer had recounted.
After story time, they had a discussion about what to do next, Kup was a fan of continuing the search for the scientist and the twins, whereas himself and Springer were fans of returning to the surface and contacting back up. It was no sign of cowardice really, well; he justified it to himself that it wasn't as more could be done for the lost scientist and the twins with extra hands as opposed to three of them – not to mention the other two mechs down here with the human looking as well. AND the mech with no name, well, he had a name, Rodimus just hadn't taken the time to ask for it or learn it, Mr. I don't know his name was standing watch outside.
So yeah, democracy won, and Kup would rant and rave about it till, what was the human saying, till the cows came home, but it wouldn't matter because Rodimus had decided and had put his foot down. Not figuratively of course given how high the sludge might splatter.
How he came to be cowering at this exact moment – well, while they were returning to the surface they heard screams up ahead. They were not Autobot, so that was a plus, and they were not human, also good, what they were, well, that was not very nice. They came into a chamber where the screams directed them, and found the swirling masse of whit mist twisting and turning within the air they floated through, there was a glowing fire in the middle, a fire burning without fuel and they all stopped their screaming and their turning and their twisting and their floating and turned and faced the new comers, the interlopers and they came at them. Their chilled ethereal forms punching through their solid chassis, leaving no physical damage, but imprinting upon their sparks a chill that would accompany them till their dying days.
Kup had lost it first.
He screamed something about how he was sorry, that he didn't' mean to leave them behind, but what else could he do?
And he took off into the darkness, the dim lights he was projecting from his helmet bouncing off into the blackness.
Springer had looked at the new mighty leader of the Autobots and expressed with that title what the slag are they going to do?
Something tore through Springer's head and he went limp, no physical damage, so how was it possible a ghost could touch so violently? Rodimus lent over his friend, swatting with a level of irritation at the wraths, calling to Springer, yelling at Springer, begging Springer, to please, get up! And Springer got up, rather the form that was Springer got up and stood before him with blackened optics alive with their own death. He was speaking something, but Rodimus didn't want to hear what it was, he was able to realise that running the way Kup had, running towards the deeper bowels of this pit was probably not the smartest idea, so he reached inside him and pulled some of that courage he'd been saving for just such an occasion and ran through the centre. Passing through the flame he found it was not warm, it was not even there, as soon as he looked back, expecting to see scattered embers slowing burning out, he saw it was gone. The mist of those creatures still reached into the realm of the living and Springer was now walking towards him, walking with an intention that was much too dark for the young leader to contemplate upon.
Rodimus ran all the way back to the entrance. He made good time too. All the while the sloshing sound of the possessed behind him alerted him to his speed when it slowed.
Outside the early morning rays were fighting with the night's pitch and were apparently winning. It saw Mr. I don't' know his name and felt a level of relief greater then when Arcee told him she wasn't pregnant. His relief was quickly washed away in a flood of anguish and appalled emotion when he saw Mr. I don't know his name was being held up by someone whose name he did know – Magnus. And Ultra Magnus, as he was to his sub-ordinates, and to Optimus and Rodimus, was the one holding that poor bastard by the throat. The life was gone from Mr. I don't know his name and that life was dribbling down his still form and dripping onto the ground, the glistening pool of energon spreading out and sinking into the polluted soil he'd spent so long trying to escape from.
Mr. I don't know his name was then thrown by Ultra Magnus, the flailing of dead limbs, the emptiness of shattered optics, the non existence of thoughts so quickly erased came flying at him. He ducked, but wasn't quick enough. Mr. I don't' know his name smashed into him and the two tumbled back into the caves. Magnus was running at them now, Rodimus hurried to get the dead Mr. I don't know his name off from his form. He had no concern for the respect of the dead or any dignity that might be afforded to such and he clambered out from under, and then over the Mr. I don't know his name. Magnus was nearing him with a speed that was unnatural for such a large Autobot. His optics were black. His mouth curved in an awfully cold sneer, and his entire body structure was tensed with a level of motivation that was more common on the face of Megatron when, what he perceived as a bloody good idea gnawed away at his CPU. Rodimus wasn't going to face Magnus, he wasn't going to see if he could "talk him out of it", and he was sure "it" wasn't going to be pleasant, especially if "it" looked like what the not so stable City Commander had dolled out on the Mr. I don't know his name.
So, with all the words spoken and thought, with all the descriptive given and expressed, after everything that had to be written was written, Rodimus ran.
And Magnus, though he wasn't really Magnus, followed.
Eventually, and Rodimus wasn't sure when or how or where that eventually had taken place, he'd found himself alone. Alone in another part of the mine. Another part of the mine that was at the bottom of a hole, down a tunnel, to the left of a tunnel, through another hole that was quite deep that he had created after he tripped and caught a piece of metal which just so happened to be a piece of metal that was holding a load bearing wooden plank, which collapsed and took Rodimus deeper into the midst of fear. Rodimus had gotten himself up, he'd run some more, down a tunnel, into a chamber, across the camber, he lost balance, fell and roll down a declining tunnel, pulled himself up, left, tunnel, right, right, chamber, chamber, fall… and then he lost his concept of navigation and at some point, he found himself where he was now.
Cowering.
Pulling in air and forcing it out again with the mechanical intention of cooling down his systems.
His radios barked at him nothing but static.
His navigation systems were offline.
His lighting wasn't working.
He couldn't access his infrared.
He was alone.
It was dark.
And he'd never been so scared in his life.
If he was human he would of messed his pants so bad his great great great grandchildren would be born covered in faeces.
He found himself nibbling on the tip of his thumb.
His left arm wrapped around him, his right tucked up under his chin.
His legs pulled up.
His back to the entrance, the entrance Magnus would come through if he found him.
It was still around him.
It was quiet.
There was no sound externally.
His breathing had slowed now and stopped, no longer required by over heated systems.
He couldn't find comfort.
He didn't know if he had any.
He tried to think of Arcee, that didn't work; all he felt was guilt that she belonged to someone else now.
He tried to think of his friends, but that didn't work either, as all his old friends had basically abandoned him after his "promotion", and those who didn't he just didn't have time for. He did have people who weren't really his friends hang around with him, stroking his ego, offering opinions that were just reinforcing his own. People who were friends with power, not with Rodimus Prime.
He tried to think of his creator, that didn't work, his creator was a bastard.
He tried to think of all the good times he'd had with Daniel, that didn't work as Daniel wasn't his and he felt almost bad for thinking of someone else's son to calm his own nerves.
He really got the short end of the stick on this Matrix thing.
His body started to relax.
Who would miss him if he died down here?
Would they come down here for the Matrix?
He might be studied vorns from now, after the war ended maybe, by children in history classes, his name listed under titles such as "shortest rule ever" and "dumbest leader ever" and "the biggest Autobot pansy".
It was kind of pathetic really. Rodimus didn't want that, he didn't want to be remembered as pathetic or sad or just a "temp" until the real leader could step forward. He found himself standing and he found himself walking across the chamber to an alternative exit, he had some night vision, but it was poor quality and he found himself relying on which way the stink was blowing and how the earth slopped and what his fingers caressed on the walls.
Rodimus came to the tunnel's alternative exit and bumped his head on something. His hands reached for it and felt it. A lamp. He tried to remember how these things worked. He ground his finger tips until a spark flicked out and lit the still flammable cloth that sat within the chamber. It offered a small glow, but it was better then his "night vision" and much better then nothing. He found a few old rags that he subspaced to use as extra fuel – if worse came to worse he could always just rip a few clumps of upholstery from his seats.
--
All roads lead to Rome.
He didn't understand what that human saying meant. He didn't understand why they'd reference a city known for a particular ancient empire and a particular religion in a somewhat modern and secular human society. But humans were funny creatures with funny terms and a funny language. Especially the one they called "English", how in the hell could a word pronounced "here" have so many spellings and so many meanings? And was it you could grabbed a hook and rammed it through a dead animal it was "I hung the meat" but if you were an executioner it was "I hanged the criminal". Or Sheep having no plural, it was a group of sheep I saw a sheep I had twenty sheep. He'd heard it'd caused Prowl's logic circuits an overload a few times, especially when Spike told him about some "I before E except after C" so explain ancient??
But that's what Kup had said to him when he found himself in the large chamber, part of it occupied by the old Decepticon shuttle Springer had half told them about.
"Why are we standing around out here?"
"I ain't going back in there".
Springer replied to Rodimus' question.
"Why the slag not?"
"Its filled with the dead, lad".
"And not just any dead, Decepticon dead".
Springer added.
"That's quite a point to miss out of your previous story, Spring".
"Yeah, well, you're welcome to go educate yourself".
Springer bit back.
"Magnus is here".
He changed the subject.
"What? Are you sure, lad?"
"Yip, he tore Mr. I don't know his name's throat out, the guy I put out on watch".
Kup looked down sadly and then perked up when he saw two mechs enter the chamber.
Rodimus still wound a little too tightly spun around and pulled his rifle on the new comers.
"Wooooh nelly! Subspace that rifle man, I ain't in no mood to get this face scuffed".
Jazz.
"Perceptor!"
Springer gasped as he looked at the still unconscious mech.
"Yeah, these two put him down after he came at us screaming and what not".
Spike chirped.
"Well, now what?"
"Its just the twins now".
There was a silence amongst them for a moment, as if expecting the brothers to suddenly show up and complete the party. They didn't arrive.
Spike relayed their experience and it was chilling and concerning and was more pieces to a puzzle Rodimus didn't want to see the final image of.
"Wow, check that out!"
Spike began walking to the Decepticon ship.
"What is that thing?"
He stopped and ran his fingers over the large indented insignia.
"A Decepticon vessel?"
He answered his own question with a question.
"Stay away from it, Spike, its more of a tomb then a vessel".
Springer cringed.
"There's bodies inside?"
"Yeah, and quite a few and all in a less then satisfactory standard".
Springer added.
"Looks pretty old… well, I mean older then the style of the Nemesis".
"It is, lad, it is".
Kup responded.
"You've seen it before?"
"Aye".
"Who, what, where, when, why, how?"
Rodimus asked, some of his cheeky humour sneaking back into his conversation.
"It's a ship I never thought I'd see again. A ship I wanted to never see again. Its called the Empty".
"It certainly wasn't empty when I went in there".
"True, lad. It carried something I hoped would be completely destroyed by now, something that might explain a few of the recent happenings".
"That ship is responsible for all this slag?"
Rodimus barked.
"Perhaps".
"Well, for Primus' sake, Kup, start talking!!"
Springer grabbed the old mech and shook him slightly. Kup sighed and told them.
He told them what it carried.
What it was.
What it meant.
And how, chances were, it was the cause of all this.