Chapter 55
The breeze scratched itself across his face. It was cold and lifeless; it almost seemed to suck the soul straight from his lungs. Its tapering fingers of chill meshed its way through his straight but wayward brown hair. The small boy had no idea how he'd come to be in a forest at night, in his 'jammies, his little teddy bear clutched firmly in his small hands. The red eyes of a near by owl flashed at him as it "whooed" at him loudly before swooping down from the tree to scratch at his head, its claws pulling out a generous chunk of hair, scratching him as it yanked upwards, blood ran down his face. He squealed and swiped at the bird with his little hands, he didn't connect and the nocturnal bird came in for round two. The boy threw his teddy, it missed, but it disturbed the owl's flight path and it veered away. The boy, lost in the dark, unable to see his teddy, turned and ran, hot tears pouring down his cheeks.
Up ahead he could see what looked like a clearing, perhaps he'd find a path way that would free him from this hell. As he was contemplating on this, watching his goal destination approach, he was aware of a snarling from behind him. He didn't want to look. It screamed and told it, whatever it was to go away. It didn't. It pounced on him. The wolf pushing the boy down to the ground where it proceeded to bite into the small child's shoulder, he cried out in pain and fear, tears pouring from his eyes, he clawed at the ground, wriggling his little dirty body in an attempt to find freedom.
A sudden heat blasted against his back and with the smell of singed fur and over cooked meat, he was aware that it was over, the beast was gone. It was dead.
"You okay kid?"
The boy spun himself over, crying pathetically, trepidation escaping with every exhale.
"Hey, hey, its okay now, wipe those tears and let's see if we can find a way out of this mean place".
Rodimus bent down and plucked the small boy up. The boy who looked a little too much like Daniel for his own liking, but there were subtle differences. The nose was a little wider at the bridge and a bit larger at the bottom, the chin was rounder and his forehead was slightly smaller. The eyes were a dead give away too, Daniel's were a soft hazel, whereas this boy possessed a deep blue.
"Spike?"
He stammered in shock.
The boy started screaming.
"Hey, hey, what's the matter?"
Rodimus said, realising that the boy couldn't possibly be Spike as Spike didn't have blue eyes.
"What's your name kiddo?"
"Please don't spike me!"
"Okay, I'm sorry, I know someone called Spike, I thought you looked like him, but I was never going to hurt you. Just wanna know you're name".
"My mummy told me never to talk to strangers or tell them my name".
"Yeah, your mummy's spot on with that. My name's Rodimus. I like fishing and hanging out with my friends watching TV. There, see, we're not strangers now".
The boy wiped a couple of his tears and sniffed loudly as he sat on the mech's shoulder.
"My name's Chip. And I wanna go home".
"You and me both, kiddo. So how bout we go find the way out of here".
"I think its that way!"
The child Chip pointed in the direction of the centre.
"Good eye for direction, kid".
And he turned towards the centre and began walking, ignoring the mess of twisted dead trees and the unfriendly looking owls.
The Autobot Commander had been walking towards the centre in the dark for some time when he had heard the boy's screams. He'd gone to help and then found as he approached the child the darkness began to give way. So 80's love songs and wanting to help kids lightened this place up a bit. That was a good spot of information, he thought.
"So, you go to school, Chip?"
Rodimus asked after a few moments.
"Yip".
"What's your favourite subject?"
"Maths!"
"Neato".
"I like doing trigonometry, and algebra!!"
"Wow, that's pretty hard stuff; you have to eat all your vegetables so your little brain can do all those tough questions".
"Heheh, yeah! But I hates Brussels sprouts, my mum makes me eat them all the time, though! But I throw them out the window!"
"Oh, that's naughty!!"
Rodimus replied, inwardly wondering if this boy was really Chip or if it was some kind of figment. Chip, he recalled, had been injured. And if Sparkplug could dwell on the outskirts of this place, perhaps Chip could have been sucked in a little deeper. The Autobot leader pondered on these things and then realised that it did seem a little brighter, and that brightness was coming from the child.
"Chip?"
"Yeah?"
"You know who I am, right?"
"Yeah, you're Rodimus, you like fishing and hanging out with your friends".
"Yeah… but you know who I am right? That we're friends?"
"Yeah, we're friends!"
Perhaps Chip was in some way a child in this place, perhaps to protect his own adult cynicism from the fact he was essentially inside a great big Decepticon debacle. There were other possibilities of course, but Rodimus didn't think he really wanted to wonder about it for very long.
There was an uncomfortable silence, between them and around them. The darkness was nipping at his heels and while there was some dim visibility it was still eerie and struck Rodimus as something frightening and down right annoying. That's what this was, a pain in the aft, everything that had happened, everything that was going on now, it wasn't nice, it wasn't fun, it was a nuisance, and if Rodimus ever found himself in arm's reach of the Decepticon arse hole who thought it a good idea to create such a Matrix then he'd be having words.
"Rodimus?"
The little boy whimpered suddenly.
"What is it, Chip?"
"I hear someone!"
Rodimus stopped and listened, and after a few moments he was sure he too heard the all to familiar sound of something in this awful place, following them.
"I'm scared".
"There's no need to be, it can't hurt us".
Rodimus was sure that was a lie. The Autobot Commander then realised he'd have to just keep moving, and stopping was probably not the best idea.
"You're the only one who can stop it, you know".
Little Chip said, almost absentmindedly.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, you're supposed to stop the bad things, you know?"
"Not really, no, I don't know".
Rodimus didn't know if he wanted to have this conversation with a child, even if it was Chip.
"Sometimes we have to do things we don't want to know about, and sometimes we do them because we feel others are making us, and sometimes, sometimes we do it for both those reasons".
"You're not making any sense, kiddo".
"I don't have to. I'm not the one who has to stop it".
"Well, that's extremely unhelpful, little dude".
"Sorry if you don't find the truth palatable".
"Palatable?"
"You know, appetising, editable, acceptable".
"I know what it means, kiddo, I just…"
"Didn't think a little kid could know?"
"Ah… yeah. Hehe. Sorry kid".
"That's okay, apology accepted".
It got a bit brighter.
"What…"
Rodimus whispered to himself as his more delicately tuned optics picked up on the change.
The young Autobot leader then changed the subject again, this time talking about his second favourite cartoon – he certainly couldn't discuss with a child, even if it was Chip, that his first favourite cartoon was Family Guy, they talked about sports like dodgeball, and finger painting and Santa, the Easter bunny was a logical follow through and Rodimus quickly changed the subject from Halloween over to school outings and where had the little chap been and what was his favourite. It didn't surprise him when the boy replied that it was some computer museum that detailed the passage of technological advance in the modern era and his second favourite was the Space Museum, but Chip had no interest in being an astronaught, he said he'd rather be one of the people who built the shuttle, worked in the computer room or invented new computers. Chip started telling Rodimus about some programme he was working on. Rodimus had never really paid much attention to adult Chip's work so could not say if perhaps this programme was recent to Chip's work and was simply coming through in some memory into this little version of Chip and as they walked Rodimus took note that the surroundings seemed to lighten ever so slightly. The view was not pleasant, as on the sides of the "road" they traversed lay bodies and gore and an emptiness in their optics which chilled him to his core. The boy didn't seem bothered by it, or he just couldn't give an identification to the shapes he saw.
The laughing started then.
It was very quiet at first, almost to the point that you could argue you imagined it. Well, that's what Rodimus told himself; inwardly while outwardly chatting with the boy about what Smurf was the best. Honestly, though, Rodimus added, he was always a fan of that mean ole cat.
The laughing got a little louder, and the boy then noticed it, stopping mid sentence as he said the best Smurf ever was Brainy. He whimpered and buried his face into Rodimus' helmet, the Autobot aware of the warm tears that now flowed. Poor kid, he mused. Poor me, a voice inside added.
As if that ghastly chuckling wasn't enough strikes of dark red lightening tore across the sky above. More and more forks joined in, and so quickly they started to merge until they had formed a rather disturbing face.
"I know what your plan is, Autobot, you will fail!!"
It scoured outwards.
"Not likely".
Rodimus wanted to throw in a few extra descriptives but given he was in the company of a child, he thought better of it.
"I'm scared, Rodimus".
"There's no need to be, just tell me more about your friend's fluffy dog, the one that pooped on your driveway and your dad stepped in it".
The boy started giggling at the memory and began to retell the story, Rodimus noticed a few extra add ons, it was amazing humans could remember anything correctly given their habit of exaggeration. The face glared down at him and the laughing continued, but as Chip's little giggles continued the face seemed to shrink.
"I know your weakness, Decepticon, and I'm coming".
Rodimus whispered as Chip got to the part about how his father slid down the road for 100 miles on the dog poop that was as big as an elephant's house.
Do you just? Well, I have something for you.
The voice was in his head that time.
But the screams that rung out weren't.
It was Sideswipe, and his cries were the most macabre he'd ever heard. And they really, really upset the boy.
"HELP ME RODIMUS! PLEASE! GET ME OUT OF HERE!! PLEASEEEEEE!"
"Rodimus! I'm so scared!"
"Its okay Chip. Its okay, just try to stay calm, think of the funniest jokes you've heard and tell me later, okay".
Rodimus transformed, finding it rather strange that he hadn't really thought to do it before, might have saved time. He sped along towards the centre, towards the cries of his fellow Autobot, and then the ground split open.
The huge crevice ripped itself into existence right in front. Rodimus managed to transform with just enough acceleration behind him to grab the cliff of the other side, the small boy cradled within his other hand, weeping, and peeing. Rodimus was then aware of a weight pulling him down. He shook his foot to get the creature free.
"RODIMUS! NO! ITS ME!!"
He looked down and saw the red twin hanging on for dear life.
"Sideswipe!"
"Please! RODIMUS! FOR PRIMUS' SAKE HELP ME!"
The twin screamed, the child started howling.
"Everyone, just calm down!"
"RODIMUS!! LOOK!"
Rodimus looked up to see the face from the sky now standing in the form of a genderless transformer standing over him. It placed its foot out and placed it on his forehead.
"You will die here".
It pushed down. The force, the power it had, Rodimus felt the weight and realised he wouldn't be able to hold on for much longer.
"Rodimus, we'll be okay, you'll be okay, to fight the darkness, you must first accept it".
The boy had stopped sobbing. His eyes were now glowing a soft aura of white.
"What?"
"Rodimus. We'll be okay. Have hope. Let go".
"No! We'll fall to our deaths!"
Rodimus growled to the twin.
"Fear is what will kill us. Either accept it and die or conquer it and find your freedom".
Chip whispered.
"I'll see you on the outside".
Sideswipe let go, and fell silently, with dignity, into the pitch below.
"SIDESWIPE! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
"What silly fools you lead, Autobot, that they will happily fall to their own demise, and you couldn't even save him. You've probably killed more Autobots then most Decepticons!"
"SHUT UP!"
Rodimus screamed.
The Autobot placed the boy from his hand onto his shoulder.
"Hold on tight, Chip".
He then sent that hand around as quickly and as forcefully as possible and gripped the ankle of the creature. A pain spread through him that was both excruciating and depressing, but he had no time to whinge, he flung the creature backwards. The Autobot then hauled himself up over the edge and sat the child down.
"Chip, get to safety".
"There is no safety in this place".
"Well, then stay here then, and don't' fall in".
Rodimus ran towards the still downed creature and body slammed him. A move he'd always wanted to try out, but most of the Decepticons had seen wrestling shows. He grabbed its neck and then began hammering its face. Holding it sent even more searing pain through his form, but he had to ignore it.
"I am happy. I am a good leader. I am not responsible for Optimus' death. Megatron killed Optimus. I am happy. I am a good leader. I can not be faulted for anyone's death. You are responsible. This is YOUR mess!"
Rodimus screamed as he began pounding with both fists, ploughing them into both sides of it's head.
"You can't defeat me! I am everywhere".
The Autobot then received a swift blow to the back of the head. He fell forward on the creature which then pushed him off. Rolling over he saw an identical creature, the one responsible for the sneak attack.
"Rodimus! Keep going! These things, they're just a distraction!"
The small child called to him.
The creatures then turned on the boy. They pounced and very quickly began tearing into his soft form.
"NO! CHIP!"
Rodimus ran towards the bloody mess and tackled the monsters from the human. But he miscalculated both his speed, force, and who he needed. The four of them went spiralling out of control over the cliff and down into the darkness below.
--
The Autobot leader wasn't sure if he was awake.
Everywhere he looked, or he thought he was looking, was black.
"CHIP!"
He managed to stand.
"CHIP! WHERE ARE YOU KID?"
"I'm here. Rodimus".
Chip said softly, weakly, the injuries taking their toll.
"I can no longer continue with you. You must go and finish this. You will find your destination still lies ahead".
"But, but I'm underground, Chip, we're at the bottom of a damn ravine".
"The ravine doesn't exist, Rodimus".
"What?"
"It doesn't exist. None of this does".
"Well, what does exist?"
"It exists and You".
"So, you're saying, all this, this whole environment, its just a figment?"
"Good bye, Rodimus".
"Chip, wait! I need…"
Rodimus realised, well, he could feel that Chip was no longer there. Not physically. He hoped that Chip had woken up somewhere, on the outside, and was safe. He then turned his attention to the fact that it wasn't just him and Chip that went over the ledge. Feeling around on the ground he was unable to feel any bodies or any parts of bodies. Groaning, he slumped down onto a cross legged position.
"Well, frag me".
He grumbled, rather good-naturedly.
--