XXVII - Keys II
I crash-landed among twisted steel bars that raked my wings like furious servos and transformed, ash swirling around me. I could barely make out the mound on on the ground below which marked where Starscream's chassis rested, spared from the blast.
Dreadwing and the drones probably thought I had managed to terminate myself, but my true intentions were far from that. I got to my pedes, more than ready to scour the burning wreckage for any sign of my allies, dead or alive. The blue Seeker would come down here at any moment to look for my chassis and theirs, so I worked at a fevered pace, stubbornly trying to turn stones and beams with my only working arm. But they still yielded nothing.
I lifted another massive beam, grunting under its weight and leaned it against my shoulder plate for support, letting it drop in a different direction. A black servo reached for nothing behind where it used to lay, connected to a red arm half-buried beneath rubble. Starting to tremble in fear of the worst, I moved some wreckage out of the way, piece by piece with excruciating slowness thanks to my bad arm. Finally, the majority of Optimus' chassis was exposed.
"It appears our job is finished," Dreadwing's voice spoke up from behind me.
I started and whirled around, chassis shaking with sobs. "I-I did this… this is my fault…" I looked back to what used to be the Prime, feeling utterly crushed. Here was our last hope, taken out by a few boulders and an airstrike he had no idea was coming. I dove back into the rubble, tearing the boulders apart looking for the rest of my fallen comrades. Dreadwing finally dragged me away, disgust in his optics as he looked me over. My hyper-sensitive wings were shredded from the steel beams I hadn't bothered worming around, my servo was leaking a little energon, and my entire chassis had scrapes and spots of char from the crash. Everything hurt like Pit, especially my wings.
"B-but the others, they're here, aren't they?" I whimpered, my voice as tremulous as my frame. If the blue Seeker took pity on me, he didn't show it. He let go of my shoulder plate and I stared at the Prime's chassis, feeling as if the very life was draining out of my frame.
Dreadwing didn't answer, instead, opened a comm. "My liege, the deed is done." A second later, ground bridge materialized in front of him and he motioned for me to go through first. Helm hung, I dragged my pedes towards the bridge and stumbled over rubble that cropped up in my path, ruined wings low. The other mech and drones followed behind me, I guessed, because I didn't look back.
This isn't how it's supposed to end! I thought, and stepped onto the bridge of the Nemesis.
Megatron came over and crouched right in front of me to get his helm level with mine, "Why, Seven, this is a cause for celebration! The Autobots have been eliminated, and with them, the war that has plagued our race for thousands of years! Vehicons are scouring the site of their base as we speak, confirming our long-awaited victory. Rest assured, if any Autobots remain alive they shall be taken as prisoners of war. But there remains one thing in order."
"What more?" I groaned, breaking his scarlet gaze to focus on my pedes.
He opened a comm to the entire warship, "Tonight, we Decepticons celebrate our victory over Optimus Prime and his Autobots, may they rust in peace!"
Earlier…
Will jogged through the ground bridge into the Autobots' base, followed by Agent Fowler and I. Optimus, Arcee, and Bumblebee were present, but Bulkhead and Smokescreen had yet to return from wherever they were.
Ratchet closed the bridge with a pull from the lever, grumbling, "Ever since Starscream slammed that thing it has been glitches at every turn…" his optics fell onto my friend and I, "did I not tell you two to stay behind! If the Decepticons are indeed coming, you are risking your very lives just by being here!"
"Hey, without me you wouldn't even know that they are!" I snapped. "Sev said we should go to the Harbinger, anyone else got a better idea?"
No one objected, not even Optimus.
"It'll be nice to have access to our own technology for a change, albeit Decepticon and no doubt dilapidated." Ratchet huffed.
"Hey, it's not too bad. Scream and Sev managed just fine as far as I could tell," Will broke in.
"Oh, and what do you know about Cybertronian technology?"
"Well…"
"What are the status of Bulkhead and Smokescreen?" Optimus asked, effectively ending our mild argument.
Ratchet located their signals on the screen, "En route here. I will activate the ground bridge."
A minute later, everyone was present and accounted for.
"Now what?" Smokescreen asked, looking at the screens.
"Now, we get the relics and hightail it outta here!" Miko exclaimed like it was obvious.
"Miko is correct." Optimus agreed, "Autobots, collect the relics and bring them back here. We will ground bridge to the Harbinger in precisely five minutes."
"Start your engines!" Miko began.
"Go!" Will and I shouted. The five of us watched as they all broke off, going to get the relics. Optimus joined them, the Star Saber already in its place on his back.
Bumblebee chirped something. "Polarity Gauntlet and shrink ray," Raf translated.
"I call dibs on the phase shifter and the Key!" Smokescreen exclaimed, racing off.
"Don't drop it, kid." Arcee cautioned. "I'll get the Apex Armor and the Immobilizer."
"I've got the Spark Extractor and energon harvester then," Bulkhead said last. "Optimus?" But the Prime had vanished.
The present
I wasn't in the mood to celebrate, or do much of anything at all, really. I laid on my ruined wings—which hurt quite a bit—on my berth in my quarters, staring blankly at the ceiling. Memories of the Autobots and my all-too-brief span of a handful of months spent there swirled around my helm. Lost in thought, I laid there for what felt like quite some time, on the verge of tears. I saw Optimus' chassis and could process the thought that he was gone, but the others? It was just too much too fast. Arcee and Ratchet's sarcastic quips? Smokescreen's banter? Bumblebee's humor? Bulkhead's… well… strength?
A thought sprung into my helm, a faint glimmer of hope in the void. I sat up and opened my comm to the Harbinger's frequency, "Hello?"
Static.
"Hello? Any-anyone there?"
More static.
"Is anyone reading me?" I shuddered, despairing. Lubricant began to slip down my cheek plates. "P-please… I can't be alone…"
Optimus dragged Nemesis Prime's chassis into the main atrium of their base, the last to return.
"You are late by six seconds," Ratchet declared. The Prime gave him a look.
"What's that for?" Jack asked, looking at the robot chassis he dragged. "I mean, I thought we got rid of it."
"The base is lost, and this shall be our decoy for when the Decepticon air raid comes, because they will undoubtedly search the rubble for our chassis." Optimus said grimly.
"Good thinking!" Bulkhead agreed.
"That'll throw 'em off our scent for sure!" Smokescreen chimed in, grinning.
"Hate to rain on the parade," Arcee cut in, "but what about the rest of us?"
Bulkhead shrugged, raising his servos, "Who knows? With any luck, they'll do some more digging and figure we're buried too deep."
Arcee looked dubious, but didn't press him further. She looked around, "We're all here, what's the wait?"
"Ratchet, activate the ground bridge to the Harbinger," the Prime instructed.
The medic dragged his finger across the screen and pulled the lever down, ushering the humans off the platform and through to safety first. Smokescreen followed, then Arcee, Bumblebee, Bulkhead, bearing their relics.
Ratchet turned to the Prime, shuttering his optics for a moment. "I wish it didn't have to end like this." he sighed.
"Likewise, old friend." Optimus said, and pushed Nemesis Prime's chassis over the Autobot insignia on the floor of their base. They both looked up abruptly at the sound of jet engines close above. The proximity alarm went off, flashing a green light.
"Hurry!" Ratchet urged. Without a backward glance, they transformed and drove through the bridge side by side, just as the first explosion shook the base.
Ratchet pounded a servo on the console, causing its purple screens to flicker. "And I thought Earth technology was unreliable; this is ready for the scrap yard!"
"Easy, doc. Sev and Scream worked it just fine–"
"They had full knowledge of Decepticon operating systems, their secret codes, etcetera. Knowledge I do not possess."
"Past tense might be fine for Starscream," Oliver broke in, "but Seven is still alive."
"I know," Ratchet replied curtly, clearly only half-listening. "I'm making do with the available equipment. And the first thing we need to get online is the main comm, working with these Decepticon frequencies was bad enough with Starscream and Seven's personal comms frequencies and life signals, now I have an entire ship to deal with! Then there's the shielding to take down… this may take a few minutes."
"Airachnid got what she deserved," Arcee growled after a moment of silence. She had still been trapped in the Insecticon stasis pod when the Decepticon airstrike hit.
"Those pods are pretty resilient," Bulkhead frowned, "who knows? She could have survived."
"However probable, I find that circumstance unlikely due to the sheer devastation of the attack." Optimus said somberly. "No one, no matter their affiliation, state of mind, or past deeds deserves to perish, but in war, that outcome is inevitable for some."
"Even Megatron?" Smokescreen asked quietly. "The things he's done…"
"We are all well aware of." Optimus said, turning to face the white mech. "I will never defend his abominable actions. But in this war, if the only way we Autobots will be victorious is through Megatron's termination," his optics became steely and his mouth plates curved into a slight frown, "so be it."
Silence fell after that heavy statement, and everyone watched Ratchet struggle with the unfamiliar technology until he managed to pull the radio shields down and bring the comm link up again.
A voice immediately rang out, and Ratchet hurriedly adjusted the volume so it wasn't as loud. "Hello? Any–anyone there?" It was unmistakably Seven.
"Seven, do you read?" Optimus said.
Ratchet looked at the screen, "Oh, the microphone is muted, here, why would they have done that…" the medic dissolved himself into grumbles.
"Is anyone reading me?" Seven asked again, his tone so agonized and and thick with grief that Optimus stepped forwards out of instinct, looking wounded. "P-please… I can't be alone…" the Seeker started sobbing, his hitching intakes feeling like a physical blow to the team.
"Jeez," Will whispered. "What did the 'Cons do to him?"
"I fear this is our doing." the Prime stated, his voice pained.
Ratchet looked to Optimus, "Do the honors," he unmuted the mic on their end.
"Seven, do you copy?"
The Seeker cut himself off mid-sob, gasping in disbelief. "Optimus?"
"We are all safe and intact, and have relocated to the Harbinger. We have all the relics in our possession."
The silver mech sighed in weak relief on the other side of the comm, "Oh, thank Primus, just thank Primus… but how? I–" he sniffed, "I saw your chassis, Optimus, you couldn't have looked worse…"
"Seven, we took Nemesis Prime's chassis and left it as a decoy." he placated.
Seven moaned quietly, "I-I was the one leading the charge, Optimus. M-Megatron was going to terminate me if I didn't… and I'd rather go kamikaze then do the same to all of you!" he keened, "I nearly did…"
The Prime's expression was agonized, "Seven, it deeply grieves me to be responsible for what you have been through, but you must be strong. Rest easy with the knowledge that we are safe and unharmed, including the humans. I wish I could be there for you, but you must seize the Omega Keys from Megatron's grasp on your own. The future of Cybertron depends upon it. And I can think of no other bot whom I would rather have for the task."
The Seeker sighed again, his voice still shaky but a glimmer of hope inflected his tone, and he sounded more in control of his emotions. "I will… thank you."
"You are welcome, Seven." The Prime smiled.
I shut off my comm and shuttered my optics, relaxing against the berth, feeling dry lubricant trails on my faceplates but smiling nonetheless. They were alive, safe to boot, and that's all that mattered. Stealing the Omega Keys' coordinates could wait until morning. I was exhausted in what had to be every way possible, aching to boot, and didn't want to partake in the celebrations. High grade was certainly flowing tonight, and as far as I was concerned, I would never have another drop of it as long as I functioned.
"Ha!" I exclaimed, chuckling quietly to myself, my voice still quavering, "Imagine when Megatron finds out the Autobots are still very much online!" In a much better mood, I drifted off into the welcome folds of recharge.
Starscream was waiting for me in my dream. He looked to me, concern in his scarlet optics. "How are you holding up?"
"I've been better," I admitted.
He smirked bemusedly, "Well, haven't we all been there?"
"Only fair. Did you really mean what you said?"
He gave me a sideways glance, "I've said many things."
"Don't be like that, you know what I mean." I frowned.
His wings fluttered, "Yes, I meant it. You will be fine, one way or another. You'll make do without me, hear me?"
"To quote you: I'm not deaf."
Starscream walked over, closer to me. "Listen," he said gently, "you're it. There are no more clones, and no rewinds." He poked the center of my chest plate with a talon, his tone almost chiding. "Take care of yourself."
I winced, thinking back to my ruined wings and broken arm. At least they were whole in this dream, but that would only amount to a more rude awakening. "I will. It's just been–"
"I know. But don't get yourself terminated, it's nearly happened already." he cautioned. Of course, I knew what he was referring to. Merely a couple hours ago, when I recklessly challenged Dreadwing, then crashed into the Autobot base. I knew Starscream was telling me that if I kept placing myself in unnecessary danger—if it became a pattern—eventually my luck would run out. I could see in his optics that I was right, and he knew it. "What are you waiting for? He said finally. "There won't be some…" he waved a servo to move the words along, "… magical lightning bolt to set things right."
I sighed, looking around at our surroundings. It was a park on Earth, vaguely resembling the courtyard outside Oliver and Will's school, but was much larger and completely devoid of tall, claustrophobic hedges. A stream trickled by somewhere off to my left, hidden behind well-groomed bushes. The grass had been left to grow however it pleased, crowding the cobblestone path that wove through strands of trees and other lush plant life. A few clumps of wildflowers fought to add a splash of color to the otherwise static greenery. The park was too pristine to not have been man-made, but complemented the nature around it, adding to the natural scenery instead of stealing the spotlight altogether.
"I don't know," I finally said. "Ratchet was right, after all, we are like twins." I added absentmindedly. "And right before you—you called me your brother? Did you–do you really view me that way?"
"Is your dreamscape always this beautiful?" Starscream replied, sitting on a boulder that resembled a bench like it were a throne, watching me with the ghost of a smile that was all the answer I needed. I grabbed a fragile, white blossom off of a tree and crushed it in my servo, letting the crushed and torn petals fall to the ground. "Seven," his tone had suddenly turned serious, "I meant it. But you need to stop living in the past. If you want to make a dream a reality, especially this one, you need to stop dreaming."
"What the slag is that supposed to mean?" I growled. The sky seemed to turn several degrees darker and a cold wind blew through the park.
"Seven…" he said warningly. "I'm sorry. I did not mean to speak in riddles, but I'm still figuring things out, and just need a bit more time. I didn't mean to reach you yet… I-I'm sorry, for everything. I caused you so much grief, I feel it in your processor, your spark, forgive me–"
I snapped awake, feeling a fresh wave of loss crash over me. Forgive me, it's my fault you're offline, Star.
"Ah, very good, Soundwave. I see you have decoded the next set of coordinates." Megatron congratulated, standing behind the communications chief as he worked at the console.
"Way to step things up, Soundwave," Knock Out congratulated, striding into the room, "I do hope this relic is something less sacred, and more profane. Like an electro-disruptor cannon; we could use one of those."
Megatron glanced at the red mech behind him, "Indeed, Knock Out." He opened a comm, "Dreadwing! Report to the bridge immediately."
"Actually, Lord Megatron," Knock Out spoke up, "please, allow me the honor of retrieving this relic for you. Seven and I can handle it."
"Do not repair his wings yet, we do not want him escaping with the Autobots."
"Understood, my liege." The red mech smirked deviously.
"Optimus, look." Ratchet said, pointing to the screen he was working at. "It appears the Decepticons have decoded another set of coordinates."
"Autobots, we must not wait." The Prime said, "Arcee, Bumblebee, remain vigilant."
"What about me?" Smokescreen protested.
"C'mon, Bee. Destiny awaits." Arcee smirked, transforming, and drove through the bridge. The yellow scout transformed behind her and followed, Optimus trailing in his wake. The trio exited the ground bridge, and transformed, blasters out and at the ready. They were in Canada, on a deserted beach walking along a dock piercing a large glacial lake surrounded by a thick coniferous forest. A lone pair of icebergs studded the lake's glassy surface like worn teeth ready to tear into the sky.
[Beautiful,] Bumblebee whistled.
"You said it, Bee."
Knock Out walked out from behind a large boulder, the Omega Key resting in its open container on top of it. "Indeed, some parts of this planet are just picture-perfect, aren't they?" The red mech clucked his glossa, shaking his helm.
"Knock Out! What are you doing here?" Arcee exclaimed, sounding more shocked than angry.
He jerked his helm at the Key, "What does it look like?" He turned, looking behind him. "Sev, it's safe. You can come out now."
"Excuse me, was I hiding?" The Seeker asked innocently. But then he saw the Autobots and his optics stretched wide in disbelief.
The Prime's optics widened, then narrowed as they fell onto Seven's arm and wings. "Seven… did Megatron do this?" he asked in a tone cold with anger.
They fluttered and the Seeker looked sheepish, "Well, ah… somewhat. I was knocked out in the battle between us after you all departed, and when I came around, my arm was like this." he swung its sling for good measure.
"And your wings?" Arcee inquired. "Don't tell me you were playing with the shrink ray and fell into a blender."
Seven ignored that last remark, but Knock Out had to hold the boulder to keep from falling over laughing. "I was digging through the wreckage of our base and wasn't paying attention. But you're-you're alive!" He looked elated, like he couldn't believe his own optics.
[So… do we fight over the Key or not?] Bumblebee asked, raising his servos.
"Pff, of course not!" Knock Out exclaimed. Seven grabbed it and tossed it to Optimus, and the latter caught it with a twist of his servo.
"Will you remain with the Decepticons?" He asked, looking to the mechs.
"We don't exactly have an alternative if we are to get you the Keys," Seven shrugged. "I personally am willing to do whatever it takes. I owe it to you all, and would loathe for a debt to go unpaid."
"He's actually good on his word for once, that's a first." Arcee muttered.
The Seeker's ruined wings snapped up behind his shoulder plates, "I heard that!"
"That was the intention," she quipped.
"Now, if you will let us leave, I need to come up with a viable excuse to tell Lord Megatron," Knock Out drawled.
"Must we leave so soon?" Seven whined, looking to the Prime.
"I am afraid it is for the best," Optimus said sadly. "Ratchet, we need a bridge," He requested, pressing two fingers to the comm unit on the side of his helm.
"Wait!" Seven exclaimed, reaching out with a servo. A ground bridge opened, but the Prime stopped, turning to face the Seeker. "I-I'm sorry for what I… after Starscream had—I didn't mean what I said months ago."
Optimus smiled at him sadly, "I know." He strode through the bridge after the others, the Omega Key gone with them.