A/N: And now for another chapter that you all have probably suspected was coming. Hope you enjoy, and as always feedback is welcomed.
Opening his optics in the darkness, Skywarp couldn't see a thing. All he knew was that everything hurt like the Pit, he must have taken a nasty fall. Tilting his head, he began to check himself over, only to find that his body was back to normal, and he could see his body perfectly despite the inky blackness surrounding him.
"Woah, this is trippy…" he said, his voice echoing countless times through the darkness. He tried to stand, but found that he wasn't even on a solid surface, and began to float aimlessly in the void. The weightlessness wasn't too unfamiliar for Skywarp, as dreams such as these had become something that occurs far more frequently in recent weeks.
An eerie groan emminated from below him, pulling him out of his now relaxed state. Looking down, Skywarp saw cracks beginning to form in the dark, streaks of bright white pouring out of them. He tried again to fly away, but his efforts were foiled when he was overcome with an odd sense of peace, as a great, ancient figure broke through, countless times larger than any Titan. Blinded by the light, all he could comprehend of the being was the word they spoke in the familiar calming tone, one had heard in countless dreams before.
"Awaken…"
. . . . .
Skywarp slowly onlined his optics, quickly covering them with his arm once he realised that somebody was rude enough to have a light shining directly into his face. He rolled over on his side, desperate to hold on to the piece of serenity that his strange dreams always seemed to give him.
Bat alas for him, he was pulled upwards from his rest and into a hug.
"Oh Skywarp, we were so worried about you," a voice he recognized to be Starscream said. Finally opening his optics, he saw that it was Knockout who had been shining a light at him, and Thundercracker was just standing out of the way in the middle of the room.
"Ugh, can't a bot get a good night's recharge without being disturbed?"
"Blame Starscream," was all Thundercracker said.
"Well, excuse me for being the one concered enough to call for a doctor when our brother started to glow like a small star, and magically obtain a new paint job." Starscream said, finally letting go of Skywarp.
Now able to finally check himself over, he was surprised to see that he did have a new paint scheme, one he definitely didn't go to sleep with. Gone were his scuffed grays and silvers, now replaced with a bright white, much like Starscream, and much more vibrant paint on his magenta accents.
"I'm… still dreaming."
"I'm afraid not. Your medical complications just got a whole lot more complicated," Knockout said, tucking away the portable kit he had been monitoring him with. "Because bots don't just start to glow and get their body changed. Unless they are chosen by the Matrix, which you sure haven't been."
"So, I'm guessing you wanna drag my aft back to the lab for even more tests? I swear, I'm spending half my time there."
"I won't drag you in, per say. I'll just get Breakdown to come and collect you should you not show up," Knockout said.
"Ugh, fine, I guess. I'll be there in like an hour or so."
Standing up, Skywarp did a few stretches to limber himself up, and walked towards the door of their quarters. He placed a hand on Thundercracker's shoulder, sticking a thumb back at Starscream and said, "Make sure this clown doesn't have a spark attack over me while I'm having my morning cube, will ya?"
"Unfortunately, I can't promise that," Thundercracker said, slipping him a rare smile at his brother's jab.
Once he had gotten his morning refuel in, he spent roughly half an hour of purposely distracting himself, mostly by interacting with the kids and their guardians when he bumped into them at the rec-room.
Eventually, he wandered his way down to the med-bay, walking into a seemingly calm setting. No rushing around to save a wounded soldier, no panic to find any spare painkillers and medical-grade energon like he had become accustomed to in medical centers and triages during the war. Just a simple, early-morning quiet, reminiscent of hospitals before the war.
Knowing the drill by now, he hopped up onto a medical berth, and Hook walked over to him.
"Huh. You really are looking different now. Any idea if you can change it? He asked offhandedly as he went about his examination.
"Not sure I'd want to. I kinda like it."
After another ten minutes or so, Hook finished up with whatever work he needed to get done, and punched in some code to have the results sent to his datapad, watching as the data streamed onto the screen in front of him.
Doing a double-take at the sight of the results, Hook set down the datapad, and grabbed his communicator.
"Uh, who are you calling, doc?" Skywarp asked.
"Megatron. And your brothers. They are going to want to see this," Hook replied.
. . . . .
With Megatron and the rest of the elite trine gathered in the med-bay, Hook gently set down a small glass disc of ash and white crystals on the central table.
"This isn't all you called us in for, right?" Thundercracker asked.
"No, this is just an example. These are the remaining particulites of light energon that came from the scraplet monster a few months ago. And what we assume to be what caused it to, ya know, do all the stuff it did," Mixmaster said.
Hook then brought out another, larger test tube of light energon, "This is roughly the amount of the stuff we found in Skywarp's system when we first discovered it," he said as he placed it down, the crystals giving off a faint glow.
Mixmaster then brought out a very large oil drum, placing it down, then bringing over yet another. "And this is the amount of stuff we pulled from Skywarp's systems this morning."
"Primus below… How long has this been building up for?" Starscream asked.
"We're not sure," said Hook. "But we do know how. From what we have monitored, the light energon is being created whenever he ingests normal energon. Most of it being processed and flowing throughout his system, but part of it becomes, no, tainted isn't the right word… mutated, into the alien substance."
"And do you know what might have happened had you not removed the light energon from him?" Megatron asked.
"Our best guess is that his powers would become further enhanced, seeing how it cured his original ailments, but we aren't sure about his mental state," Knockout said. "The strange dreams, and the recent development of visual and auditory hallucinations, might have gotten worse. But again, just a theory. We haven't seen any sign of the stuff corroding his processor."
Megatron stood there for a time, soaking in his medical staff's report. Such a thing having happened from such a small dosage of light energon, it was peculiar. Then again, in the few times Skywarp had been cleared to go on missions, he had performed exceptionally well, given how he had been so ill in recent times.
A risky idea came to mind.
"Remind me again, how small a percentage did you believe slipped into his medical IV?"
"Just enough to be indistinguishable from normal energon… Oh no, whatever it is Megatron, the answer is no!" Hook said.
"Oh, come now. I have yet to even explain my plan."
"You don't have to sir, I know that look in your optics. Whatever it is, it's a risk, and a big one at that."
"Let… the buckethead… speak, it sure won't be his worst idea ever," Skywarp said sleepily from where he had been resting after the small operation.
"I propose that I be exposed to the effects of light energon, at full force." Megatron said.
"Ex-fragging-SCUSE you?" Hook screamed, pointing a finger up to his leader's face. "As your physician, I refuse to allow you to undergo such a, quite frankly, stupid proceedure."
"Hook, my old friend, please," Megatron said, placing his hands on his CMO's shoulders. "I know that I've been trying to tone back the risk taking, but I have an idea on what must be done. If such newfound strength and agility came to a mech who, only a few months beforehand, was slowly dying, imagine what it could do to help us win against the Autobots. This might also be just what we need to wake up our fallen comrades," he said with a gesture to the three Decepticons in stasis the next room over.
Hook stood silent, face held in both his hands, mulling over the insanity that he has had to endure whilst on this planet.
"Why do I even try to argue with you, when you just bring out that old grand orator charm. Fine, I'll ready a medical tank for maximum infusion. But I sure hope to Primus you know what exactly you are up to," Hook said, going off into the room to prepare.
"Believe me, I am doing this myself because I would rather not risk it on anyone else."
. . . . .
He wasn't sure how long he had been in the tank for, but as Megatron opened his optics, he saw that he was no longer in the medbay, or anywhere familiar to him. He was laid down, staring up into eternal nothingness, the world around him was nothing but blackness.
Standing himself up, he watched as the world began to form around him as he stepped forwards, rocky canyonlands rising out of the ground, dead trees dotted about the landscape. Pressing onwards, he came to an outcropping of the cliff he was on, overhanging the vast opening in the ground, stretching out for miles everywhere he looked.
Stood at the very edge, a figure began to form out of nothing, indescribable, yet hauntingly familiar. They turned to face Megatron, and he saw that this strange being had bright white eyes, leaving him with an uneasy feeling…
. . . . .
Megatron woke up as he hit the floor of the med-bay, keeping himself up with his hands and knees, feeling drained from the experiment. Staring down at his hands, he saw just how shiny the metal was. As Hook rushed over to help him to his feet, he saw that his entire frame was spotless, managing to gleam in the dull light of the med-bay's back room.
"C'mon, speak to me Megatron," Hook said, grabbing his shoulder and shaking him. "How do you feel?"
"Tired, yet refreshed." Megatron said after a moment of pause, as his thoughts and attention finally returned to his surroundings. He began to walk towards the door into the rest of the medbay, the last of the light energon dripping off and leaving a trail, and headed for the exit.
"And just where do you think you're going? We still have to check you over, make sure you are in a stable enough condition, that sort of thing." Knockout said, trying to keep up with his leader as he walked on past him, and out into the rest of the ship.
"I shall return for examination, Knockout. For now, there is something that I must attend to." Megatron said, as he began to run towards the bridge, leaving the medic behind in confusion.
Once he reached the bridge, he ran for the nearest terminal, and began his search for that place in his dream- no, his vision, he corrected himself. And that figure, who had appeared from nothing, was just how Skywarp described his own visions. It all had to mean something, and he had to find out what.
Then, he found it. The unfathomably large opening in the desert, just as he remembered it. He recorded the coordinates, and asked Soundwave to open a ground bridge there. The masked mech hesitated a moment, curious as to why his leader was in such a rush. He pushed it aside however, and opened the bridge to the given coordinates, Megatron not wasting time plunging himself through the swirling vortex.
. . . . .
He appeared in an area of great familiarity, a rocky desert region, with dead trees scattered around, as if he was back in his vision all over again.
"Come closer…"
Megatron turned around, looking for where the voice had come from, the faint whisper that seemed so deafening.
"Whoever you are, show yourself! Hiding is unbecoming of a being with such powers as your own."
And before his very optics, the ground began to crack and sway, boulders rising up from the ground and forming into a large being, twice the size of Megatron, veins of glowing light energon running up and down their body, spikes and horns growing from the rocky construct.
"Please, there is no need for such aggressive introductions," they said in an ancient voice, one filled with calm and wisdom.
"Who are you? I can feel from being in your presence, that you are the one who is behind what ailment has befallen one of my Decepticons."
"Who I am is a long story, perhaps it would be best to show you," they said, a hand outstretched towards Megatron. Cautiously, he stepped forwards, and the moment he took hold of the being's hand, he felt himself falling through time, optics transfixed on the events unfolding before him.
He watched reality come into existence, feeling the scorching heat of the birth of the universe. He saw innumerable galaxies stretched out before him, disappearing into the horizon, and all the time was side-by-side with another being of immense power, one he recognized from tales and murals of the ancients, to be Primus. He kept going, watching these two ancient ones traverse the universe, and eventually come to a planet he knew all too well.
On the surface of Cybertron, it was unclear who struck the first blow, whether it was the natural instincts of creation and destruction to come out on top, or something far more sinister, but the two brothers were locked in combat for countless millions, and eventually billions of years, the surface of the planet being melted down and molded time and time again, made shiny and clean just to be broken down to dust and scrap eons later, the twin moons of Cybertron slowly forming from the debris.
Megatron then beared witness to the light of Primus himself, as he brought forth into the world, The Thirteen. It was then when the stalemate was broken, the chaos bringer beaten into submission, cast out from Cybertron. Most of the Primes glared at him in disgust and good riddance as his defeated remains drifted off into the depths of space, but some, even Primus himself, hung their heads low, a wave of unhidden guilt filling their EM fields.
Drifting in and out of consciousness, he bore witness to his immobile state, feeling the debris of the universe gathering upon his alternate mode as he orbited a small yellow star…
Megatron managed to pull himself from the vision, dropping on one knee to catch his breath from the unexpectedly exhausting experience.
"You… are the chaos bringer," he said through laboured vents. "You are Unicron." He looked up to see him, but the imposing figure was not gone, only reduced. On the ground, the dust settled around an elderly human male, in a simple white shirt, oddly bright red waistcoat, and black dress pants, skin the same color as the sandy red rock his previous avatar was made from.
"I hope you do not mind the more imposing form I took on, I was not sure about you before, but now I know, Megatron."
"You looked inside my head as well, didn't you?" Megatron asked indignantly.
"How very observant, yes I have. However, I did not delve deep, it would ruin getting to know you in person," Unicron said. "It might be too much of an ask, but would you mind if I accompanied you back to your ship for further discussions? As you can see, I do not receive many visitors, and lack the proper accommodations."
"Very well then, but should you try anything-"
"You'll do what, exactly? As much as I would like to see you try and fight a planet, I'd rather you didn't destroy the life that calls my dormant shell home," The ancient one said jokingly.
Megatron knew he should be afraid, given that this was the very mech of legends that caused Primus to be too weak to exist outside of The Well, but he couldn't help but give a small chuckle at the god of destruction's comment.
Signalling for a groundbridge, he knelt down and picked up Unicron, and the two returned to Trypticon.
. . . . .
Having to explain to the bridge crew why he needed an emergency ground bridge to the middle of nowhere, only to come back mere minutes later was one thing. Having to explain to the three members of his medical staff why the frag he ran off like that was another. But having to explain the strange human with glowing white eyes and powerful EM field? Megatron was just glad he didn't have a headache from this mess.
"Backup backup backup," Skywarp quickly butted in, barging past Hook and Knockout. "So you're telling me, the stuff that's been slowly mutating me and practically brought me back to life, is the lifeblood of, and stop me if I'm wrong here, the life blood of FRAGGING UNICRON?" he said with an exasperated scream.
"I am sorry about those dreams, I tried to make them more substantial than the cryptic nonsense they turned out to be," Unicron said from where he had been on the human's platform. "And for what it's worth, I didnt realise my lifeblood could cause such drastic mutations."
"So… are you God?" a meek voice spoke up. Turning around, Unicron saw the three human children that he assumed had been sitting there the whole time, soaking in the situation. He could tell that the question came from the youngest of the trio, eyes wide in wonder behind their glasses.
"If by that you mean the creator of this planet, and the life upon it, then yes. However, since the dawn of the universe, there have been many great beings like myself and my brother who could be considered as gods of sorts."
"Ok, but how did you create organic life? You're all, well, robots. I'd think you wouldn't be able do that." Jack asked.
"I suppose the idea spanned from my delirious state after my final battle with the Primes. In truth, I was on some level envious of my brother, and his ability to forge life in his image from the fabric of Cybertron. So, during one of my brief moments of consciousness, I scanned my new planetary shell, and found the necessary components I thought would work. I released my lifeblood, light energon as you know it, into the Earth, and left it to take its course as I slipped back into my seemingly endless sleep."
"Well, it clearly wasn't that endless," Knockout quipped.
"A few disturbances caused me to stir, yes. Firstly was when I was struck by a large object, and part of me was torn off and became the Earth's moon. The most recent one however, wasn't all too long ago, maybe a few hundred thousand years. I sensed a similar presence to that of the Primes and Primus, but significantly less powerful, but now I know it to be modern Cybertronians, as you all give off the same feeling. And with both of you connected to my light energon," he said, gesturing at Megatron and Skywarp, "I was once again anchored to the real world, and able to finally awaken, as it were."
"That's what you meant, isn't it?" Skywarp said, having finally calmed down. "Not to wake up from my dreams, but to help you instead."
"Precisely, and now I have fully regained my senses, I feel another great power near to here, that of Primus himself." Unicron said, eyes staring off into nothing.
"Well, I suppose that makes some sense, considering both sons of the current Prime are nearby, but I don't see how they could have Primus' signature, unless they have also wielded the Matrix." Hook said.
"No, not a bearer of any trinket that holds a mere sliver of my brother's power, I mean that he is here, but I am unsure as to what brings him here, or how."
"Observation;" Soundwave spoke from where he had stood in silence, "another ship of Cybertronian origin lies on the moon. If you are not feeling Primus here, then he is up there."
"Oh, real great, our god and creator has sided with the enemy."
"Calm yourself, Skywarp. We have no confirmation of that. However, should that eventually come to be true-"
"It wont, Megatron." Unicron spoke up with a power not yet heard from him. "If my brother cannot save his creations from starting a war that sends them spiraling towards extinction, then he has fallen farther than I could have imagined."
"Then what will you do?" Megatron asked.
"I will find him, and prevent him from doing to this world what he allowed to happen on Cybertron, but promise me this; You will continue fighting against these Autobots and their Prime until they are no longer a threat," the ancient figure said as their form began to shift again, returning to the rocks and dust it was made from, disappearing into nothingness.
Rung jolted up from his desk as if a gun had been fired right through his spark chamber, a wave of odd emotions and memories overcoming him, brought on by a simple message over an old and forgotten bond.
Hello, brother. I would like a word with you.
His mind was sent reeling as the memories of billions of years long past came flooding back to him, as he dropped to the floor as he couldn't muster the strength to stand.
He wasn't sure how long he had passed out for, but he did know this much; Rung was gone. In a sense, he never really was Rung.
There was only Primus.
A/N: And here we are, at the penultimate chapter of Season 1 of the story Next chapter wont take a month to get out, I promise. :^]