TFA: Deals with Our Devils
Chapter 14: An Investigation and a mother of A prime and a…. monster wolf?
…
"This is the place"? Sentinel Asked looking past the somewhat thick trees as he, Ultra Magnus, Prowl, Watchet, Jazz and Bumblebee arrived at the start of the trail with broken-down trees in front of them.
"This one has a slash on it like an animal marking its territory". Prowl said as he pointed at the tree off to the side.
Couldn't an animal or, "They", have done it" bumblebee replied nervously as he stared at the rather large slash in the tree that hollowed out the side of the trunk. This received curious looks from the Sentinel, Jazz and Ultra Magnus, as they didn't know what, "They", meant.
Not yet anyway.
Prowl examined it more closely, I don't think so", "it looks like it was made by someone that was close to sentinel's size". He stated.
This received some curious looks form them as Ultra Magnus spoke up.
"Let's just, keep moving
"What in the name of the allspark could do that much devastation bro"? Jazz whispered to himself as they followed the trees for a little while.
"….".
"Mabey these prints could give us a clue"? Prowl said kneeling down at the ground in front of him with recognition in his voice.
That drew everyone's attention as they walked over to prowl.
"Are those animal prints"? Jazz asked.
"No", Wratchet replied, "dinobot prints".
Now they knew what Bumblebee meant by, "They".
Ultra magnus and Sentinel narrowed their optics at this while bumblebee and jazz tensed up, the team already explained to them the origin of Grimmlock, Swoop and Snarl who were Isaac Sumdack's creations that were infused with energy from the allspark fragment that gave them life some time ago, which in all honesty they weren't the smartest bots around, however they were feral and had fire powers to boot which made them pretty dangerous given their size and strength.
"Be on your guard", Prowl said as they continued following the tracks and broken trees, "We're on their territory now".
"And hopefully we'll get some answers from them, though…, I wouldn't count on it". Prowl finished.
As they continued following the tree line, they all felt a chill run up their servos as they came across a clearing.
"What in the name of frag happened here"!? Sentinel croaked out.
There were broken trees and rocks, with fallen, busted branches for several meters around the clearing that looked like something scorched them with a raging inferno. The leaves in the trees were burned to a crisp with the thicker branches charred and black from whatever went on yesterday.
Also, on the ground was what looked like glass with something black and like a mineral covering it in a splatter pattern that extended in two patches for a little way in front of them. Amongst these things were two sets of tracks. Prowl examined them closely then spoke. "See these tracks", he said pointing at the ones on the ground, "one belongs to optimus". "The other… it was massive, whatever it was". "And heavy too".
Prowl leaned down and picked up a piece of glass on the ground that was next to the tracks it had some slag like substance on it. "This is really weird". Prowl said gaining everyone's attention. "This glass is dirt that melted at a high temperature and this slag on the glass, it has traces of D.N.A. that I don't recognize along with high concentrations of basic raw materials you would find in some lava on a world like this". He said scanning it with his optics. "And here". He stated picking up a sliver of bone next for everyone to see. According to the readings I'm picking up this belonged to an earth animal most commonly called, his blue optics slightly widened which was noticed by ultra magnus. "Wooly mammoth, he finished, "though it's only been dead and polished a few months ago". "And last I checked; they went extinct during the last ice-age". He stated.
Then he noticed two more things. There". He said as he pointed towards a boulder that was split down the middle with an impact crater with a face imprint among the cracks in the center of it. This boulder was split down the middle with incredible force, though whatever hit it didn't have any eyes on the front.
That's not the only thing he was looking at though. He walked over then picked up a white blood-soaked feather that looked like it had fuzz running down the spine. "This didn't come from a bird". Its fuzz looks like something you would find on an earth beetle. It even has spores like an earth moth coming off of it however small they are". He said bewildering the others with what he deduced so far.
"Who would have thought that Prowl was such an investigator". Bumblebee said aloud to no one in particular.
"Hold on", sentinel spoke up, I'm a bit new to this world but when I look at an organic's roaches, I don't see them have feathers, or even in that size, a bird yes maybe but not a bug"! He took a pause; would you look at the size of it". "That thing is huge"! "And also, when was the last time any of us saw a wooly mammoth walking around when according to this worlds history they died out during the ice age, much less in the past few months"!?
At this point Sentinel was freaking out, and for good reason, this was getting weirder by the minute, but besides that, he didn't like how this was delaying their mission too bring in megatron for a trial back on cybertron in the first place.
Then there was the fact that he didn't like organics period! Then there's the fact that the last time they saw his former friend he had this look in his well, "Eyes", not optics, "Eyes", that had a sickening organic texture to them. "He hated organic lifeforms ever since that whole incident on Arachna-7! And if he was honest, he hated Optimus over the years for leaving Elita-1 behind that only grew as time went on!
"Especially after that incident"!
"But still", he didn't want him to die at the hands of megatron like that for frags sakes!
"Still though".
He thought to himself as he looked down in scorn at the planet he was standing on.
This was noticed by Ultra Magnus who eyed his successor in worry in his optics of his mental state, when his mind got pulled back to a time before, a time when a young sparkling known as Orion-Pax at the time was was found wondering down the streets of cybertron scrounging for energon in the dumps after a particularly bloody incident and the investigation that followed. "I wonder if we should have told him"? He thought as he remembered.
…
Ultra magnus just got done looking over the report that a young autobot investigator rookie named cliff-jumper handed him a few Solar hours ago as he starred at the slightly shaken sparkling in the playground who was kneeling against the ground with his head berried in his knees while the other sparkling's played.
"What did your investigation uncover"? He asked cliff jumper who had a grim look on his faceplate.
His activation process was pretty normal, he stated looking at Ultra-Magnus then back at the young, sad sparkling with pity on his features.
The femme that conceived his spark is named, … or should I say was Orion-Star-2". Alpha-Trion will give you the rest since he's the one who helped bring him online when she made arrangements after she found out she would have a sparkling"
"Was"? Ultra magnus asked noticing that detail. Wondering what she must have been going through raising a sparkling while working late shifts.
Cliff-Jumper nodded his head, "She was found with signs of severe torture in her bar a solar cycle ago with her spark ripped out….". Along with some footprints indicating that her child found her afterword's and tried waking her up. There wasn't much signs of a fight with only a spilled oil cannister. We're still investigating".
This surprised Ultra Magnus; he knew that femme. "She was a femme who was one of my lieutenants during the wars against megatron". He stated in shock to cliff jumper as he viewed the file showing a beautiful, blue and red femme that turned into a medical truck with sirens on the top and sides. She also had a jetpack on her back with a few compartments that could come off if it was ever needed. Her frame was slender that screamed beauty but she was one tough bot in the time she was part of his squad. Her professions during the war were being a combat medic and an intelligence officer, who took a job at as a bartender in one of the districts serving drinks and being the muscle if need be.
Now it was cliff jumper's time to be surprised.
"Any news on her bandmate"? Ultra Magnus asked.
At this Cliff jumper shook his head, "No, and our leads were a dead end". "Apparently she never spoke of it to anyone before and after she learned she would have him". Cliff jumper stated.
Ultra Magnus rubbed his optics with his hand.
At this point a young femme was helping up an energon-tear eyed Optimus to his feet with her hand and said something to him as she did which seemed to brighten his mood.
Ultra Magnus recognized her. Her name was Elita-1 and she was from a rich family who decided to rase her with other middle-class sparkling's so she could be social in life.
They then walked over to another young bot who had a piece of energon candy in his hands as Elita-1 introduced the shy Optimus to him. After a moment he handed optimus a piece which optimus gulped down hastily surprising the two.
"He won't have to face this alone". He whispered to himself as he decided then and there what he would do. "I will raise him under my wing". He stated gaining a nod from Cliff jumper who was then dismissed and escorted himself out of the room looking forward to a long day of work ahead of him.
Ultra magnus sent an email the next morning stating that those three would be put in a special class now and in the academy for the future ahead of them.
…
Ultra Magnus looked down in worry at the devastation before him and back at sentinel.
"If only things would have turned out differently". He stated shaking his head as they were being watched by a…. Giant black wolf in the bushes and trees who had bright green eyes that shown in the darkness. And a set of runes that lined his fur amongst the tree-line. Before disappearing into the darkness hearing the call of his younger sister on the other side of the island.