TRANSFORMERS PRIME: MY WILD ADVENTURE. PART 6: STUDENTS AND MASTERS
INFO:
- "text"- regular speaking
- "text"- Sean (oc) thinking to himself
-"TEXT" - story transition
BEGIN STORY
Monday, November 28th, 2010
The last three days have been nothing but all forms of adventure for our fellow Autobots and their new human friends.
Well, the main theme of that adventure was danger. And I mean there was a lot of danger involved in the conflict. Jack, Rafael, Miko, and Sean had to risk their lives (unintentionally) to save the US government's contact to the Autobots. And for the first time, the kids considered attending the athletic club at Jasper High, thanks to Arcee's jogging and fighting skills on the Nemesis.
And then the next day, the kids had to form a second front against the Decepticons through digital warfare, while the Autobots fought in space to stop a robot zombie invasion of Earth. Even though Rafael was outsmarted by the scout known as Soundwave, the information gathered provided a tactical victory over the enemy. It was this that they saved the world from the Decepticons.
But it's not over yet...
When Sean and the others were little kids, they all looked up to those Superman or Spiderman cartoons and wanted to be like those superheroes. But they didn't expect fate to take their imagination seriously. Not like this.
But the Autobots and the humans can't change that. Given the death of Megatron, and the still uncovered value of Earth's Energon supplies, the Decepticons are not leaving this garden world anytime soon. So the humans and their robot guardians are stuck together, for now.
When the teenagers went to school, they were preparing for the next major assignment for the semester project. Mr. Richard, the science teacher, explained that, due to a conflicting schedule, that he will move the due date of the project presentation to Wednesday.
Later, during lunch, Sean and Jack met up on a lone table in the middle of the cafe. Jack wanted to sit close and have a chat with Sierra, but the sudden arrivals of Miko and Raf discouraged him.
Jack had a ham and cheese sandwich with mayonnaise, a banana, and a water bottle. Rafael had a PB&J, two small candies with peanut butter, an apple, and a Capri sun as a drink. Miko had only water with quick ramen and two sushi bars. And Sean had leftover chicken with rice along with a water bottle.
"Dude, did you hear that the math teacher's leaving after the semester?" Miko asked Jack.
"Which one?"
"Miss Lucy, y'know, the bossy and strict one?"
"Her homework was so hard," Rafael said as he ate his PB&J. "I hope we get someone who's easier."
"She made sense," Sean spoke before drinking his water. "I'll miss her."
The three stared at him. "What?!" Miko almost spit out her ramen.
"Yeah, I used to attend after-class tutoring to do extra studying for her tests and assignments. The more you understand, the better," he said, while tapping his head with his index finger.
MEANWHILE, ONBOARD THE NEMESIS
Starscream watched the camera footage of Megatron caught in the spacebridge explosion yesterday. The loss of his former leader dealt a great blow to the army's motivation. However, he is not upset, but rather, happy. At first, you'd be confused, but to Soundwave and many other troopers, this was nothing new. Starscream longed for this position for a long time, even sometimes betraying Megatron just to take over the Decepticons. He is power-hungry, but with the demise of the founder of the cause, no one's daring to take the position from him.
Not while the Autobots were found on Earth, by the way.
"Such a shame," the seeker almost sighed, "But I applaud you, Megatron. You certainly made a grand exit!"
The arriving footsteps caught his attention, along with a series of PINGs. "Ah, Soundwave! Cue the audiovisual, I wish to address the troops!"
Even though that's not why Soundwave wanted to meet with the leader, he fulfilled the order anyway, and began broadcasting his camera across the Nemesis.
"The loss of Megatron, the former leader of the great Decepticon uprising is certainly a blow to our cause. Yet, we musn't despair over his tragic demise, but instead we embrace his ultimate sacrifice, and build upon the foundation he laid with a mightier hand!"
Flameraider, one of the troopers, approached and raised his hand. "With all due respect commander- err, Lord Starscream?"
"Yes yes, what is it?"
"If we fail to conquer Earth under Lord Megatron's command, what hope do we have now while the Autobots still defend it?"
Starscream groaned, "Allow me to be crystal clear. I studied for millennia under our former master. Thus, I am acquit to lead you. I, Megatron's true heir, Lord Starscream, Emperor of Destruction!"
If there's anything Megatron taught the Decepticon army, it's that they must be truly obedient to his command. However, given Starscream's previous attempts at taking over the army, they have grown reluctant and concerned with his capabilities. So when Starscream gave off that dramatic, cringy speech, the troopers began quietly chatting amongst themselves.
"Yeah, we're not going to make it." spoke one trooper. "Starscream's losing his mind," spoke another. "Yeah, we need Soundwave or Shockwave as the leader." "I'd pick Shockwave over Starscream any day."
Starscream scoffed and walked off, muttering "What use are troops who can't rise to the task of inflicting unspeakable destruction in my name?!"
And then he remembered something- no, someone. "But wait, legend tells of a capable warrior, one who exists here, upon this very planet? One who can be student to my master?"
LATER, AT AUTOBOT BASE OMEGA ONE.
[REDACTED] MILES FROM JASPER, NEVADA
The base was rather quiet to say the least. Sean sighed as stepped out of the truck and pulled out his backpack and wood pieces. As he walked away, Optimus transformed and walked over to Ratchet, who stood near the monitors.
Sean and Raf debated who would have control over the only outlet on the bottom floor. When the former said there was one upstairs near the computers, the blonde walked upstairs to assemble his windmill.
He stopped near the wooden table between a TV set and a green couch. He placed his backpack down before unzipping the back end and pulling out a set of wooden pieces. There were four big pieces for the base, in this case, the surrounding landscape for the windmill. Sean inserted the pieces together before-
"Whirr-Beep-durrr-beep-beep-beep?"
Sean turned around to notice Bumblebee kneeling down close to Raf, who was setting up his volcano. The yellow Autobot was pulling out white crates to help lift the volcano up to Raf's height. "Oh, thanks Bumblebee!"
"Beeep-Bruooor!"
Sean smirked and continued his work. While he did so, his guardian was lost in thought. The Prime looked down at the groundbridge tunnel, recounting the reunion between him and Megatron. It has been three years since the Decepticons have made their move
"Optimus, why so glum? This planet, all planets are finally free from Megatron's tyranny!"
The Prime mentally sighed, "I do not disagree, Ratchet. It's just, a small part of me hoped to change Megatron's mind. Not extinguish his spark."
"Optimus," Ratchet assured his leader, "his vileness was not slain by your hand, but by his own twisted arrogance!"
The Prime almost groaned, but kept it low enough to send a mental message. "I'm sorry, I know the two of you had quite a history."
"But the Megatron whom I once fought beside perished eons ago, the day he chose to become a Decepticon. The Decepticons may be in disarray, but they aren't without leadership. And while Starscream is no Megatron," he turned to face the medic, "he is far from predictable."
A loud explosion ruptured the room. "Decepticons!" Ratchet immediately shouted, "We're under attack!"
The two ran over to inspect the explosion on the other side of the room, only to notice-
There were no Decepticons in sight. But a small hill on a pile of crates.
"It's no attack, Ratchet," Raf explained as he coughed some smoke, "it's my volcano, or was." he said as his model slumped over.
Sean watched as the two stared at the kid, before looking around at everyone else with their projects. He was mentally prepared to explain himself as he plugged in the wire to his makeshift windmill.
"Hold still Bulkhead!" Sean heard Miko exclaim, "Jupiter needs its red spot!"*
"What, in the Allspark, is going on in here?" Ratchet shouted.
"Our projects are due Wednesday," Jack explained as he and Arcee went over a second motorcycle. Just why he chose to do that, Sean wouldn't know until later. "Maybe it needs one of one of these doohickies?" Arcee asked.
As Sean watched and readjusted his windmill, he overheard the two talk. "You're a motorcycle, Arcee. Shouldn't you know how to build a motorcycle engine?"
"You're a human, Jack. Can you build me a small intestine?"
'Ouch, right back at ya, Jack,' Sean smirked.
"Woah, you can't work on these projects in here, you're...making a mess!"
"But the science fair's a big part of our grade!" Raf complained.
"Yeah, if Bulkhead doesn't help me make this model of our solar system-"
"Oh? And what does Bulkhead know of your Solar System? Or Bumblebee of your volcano? Or-"
"Arcee of our motorcycles?" Jack finished for him.
"Precisely! We're not earthlings! And they're not scientists!" Ratchet explained.
"But the Autobots are their guardians, Ratchet. Would it hurt to learn more about Earth by helping their friends with their schoolwork?" Optimus asked his friend.
"Well, maybe our friends should try to learn more about Cybertron!" Ratchet replied.
Sean decided to join in on the fray. "Did...Cybertron ever have windmills?" He asked Ratchet, who, along with Optimus, turned to look at the blonde-haired human.
"A wind mill? Is that what your 'project' is?" The medic asked in return, who emphasized the word "project."
"Yeah, my project here," he gestured to his small two-and-a-half wooden windmill, "is based on actual historical windmills, which we were built to use the power of wind to convert into energy. The mill also uses the energy to raise water for irrigation and grind crops such as grain for food."
Optimus, and pretty much the rest of the Autobots were impressed with Sean's explanation of "windmills" and how humans used wind technology for the past five-hundred years, for the most part without using electricity as energy.
However, Ratchet was not amused.
LATER, WITHIN A LONE CANYON
"During the Great War," Starscream stood on the edge of a cliff overlooking a canyon in the desert, with Soundwave behind him listening, "so much Energon was hidden on this forsaken rock, that our departed master sent some of Cybertron's greatest to guard it. True warriors, now lying in stasis, waiting to be reawakened."
Soundwave during the talk was monitoring for any Energon signals within this dry landscape. So far, nothing has come up. But he is still determined to get the mission done.
Starscream snorted, "Such folly that late in life, Megatron searched distant space for warriors, rather than here, beneath his feet!"
Soundwave, before their arrival near this lone canyon, searched for any caskets of sleeping Decepticons within the garden planet, upon Starscream's command, of course. Upon learning about Megatron's encounter with Optimus Prime in the southwestern deserts of "America," he downloaded any knowledge about previous battles within that region, and discovered there in fact was a faint Energon signal, one who was far away from the recent Dark Energon incursion two days ago. Starscream, believing that it truly is the warrior known as Skyquake, led Soundwave to this area.
However, the Energon signal was, and still is, very faint. The casket containing the seeker ensured that tracking his life signal would be very difficult for any foreigner. Soundwave couldn't even find it either, as he showed his tracking systems on his visor.
"What do you mean you can't pinpoint his signal? I know we are close!" Starscream complained, "Boost the power to your sensors!"
Upon Soundwave doing so, the casket was discovered, buried inside the canyon walls. "Yes, there!" the seeker smirked, before both transformed and flew over to the location.
MEANWHILE, INSIDE THE AUTOBOT BASE
It was eventually discovered that Cybertronians had not harnessed wind technology for energy production at all, as Ratchet explained to Sean. "We only had Energon-powered generators to produce energy, we never had wind turbines or mills to begin with!"
"I was a construction worker before the Decepticon uprising," Bulkhead walked over, "We did have wind turbines, but not windmills. But the turbines weren't used for energy production, but rather as a filtration system for Energon and fresh air."
Sean almost stroked his chin in interest, but Miko interrupted him. "Fresh air? Wait, you robots can breathe?"
"Err, no. We needed them to clear any dust off our bodies, or to prevent ourselves from being burned alive. Like your...air conditioning systems."
'Huh, that's interesting,' Sean thought.
Raf and the other humans went back to work on their projects. Sean basically had his finished, all he needed to do was rehearse his lines for the presentation. He quietly muttered them to himself, as he was very shy and nervous to interrupt the Autobots from working. While he whispered his words, Sean watched Raf and Bumblebee rebuild their volcano. Bumblebee explained to the boy that he was very good at fighting, but was not labeled as "warrior class."
"But I've seen you in action, you're awesome!"
The scout was about to continue when Optimus laid his hand on his shoulder. "I second your opinion Raf, but Autobot life signals are much longer than those of humans. And though it may be hard to believe, our young scout still has much to experience."
The same can be applied to Raf, he's the youngest out of all of us, Sean mentally continued.
Just then a soft alarm blared from the monitors. Ratchet walked over to diagnose the alert. "Exposed Energon, and it's on the move!"
"And since we ain't moving it, guess who it must be?" Bulkhead replied. Arcee exclaimed, "Decepticons!"
Miko walked onto the main platform near the monitors, and asked "Without Megatron?"
"Unfortunately," Optimus explained, "Megatron's legacy will live on, as others rise to take his place." And the others knew exactly who would do just that. "Autobots, you have projects to complete. Ratchet, I may require aid."
The medic turned to observe the humans. "Hmm, the Science fair is a big part of their grade...perhaps I'm better suited to remain behind and advise!"
The Prime understood the medic's courage. "Very well. Bumblebee, let's see about this Energon in transit!"
The scout nodded before joining the leader. Ratchet punched in the coordinates and activated the ground bridge. The two walked into the emerald light and soon disappeared in a flash.
'I hope this doesn't go bad,' Sean thought, before looking down at Rafael, who now is alone. "Hey Raf, do you need help with that?"
"Hmm, sure, I guess," the kid shrugged.
The two quickly got to work, though Sean realized that the volcano's eruption would fry the newspaper cover. "You sure the newspapers won't catch on fire?"
"I don't...no, it wouldn't, because it needs a chemical reaction to "erupt" the volcano," Raf scratched his head, "the covers won't burn."
"Raf, maybe I can help," Ratchet stepped in after watching him for a while, "These newspapers are nothing short of a good cover. If your volcano needs to erupt, we'll need stronger materials. Sean, are you done with your project?" He shifted his blue eyes towards Sean.
"Yeah, I think I'm good."
"Good, then I suggest you help Jack and Arcee with their motorcycle."
Sean Rodriguez opened his mouth to protest, but Ratchet raised his hand. Containing his attitude, he said "good luck" to Raf before walking over to Jack and Arcee, who watched him with a small smirk. Either she liked how Ratchet forced him to work with them, or she's happy to see another helping hand, Sean can only guess who the only sarcastic Autobot in the army is thinking.
'I'm no mechanic, but here I am helping Jack and a robot build a motorcycle,' he mentally groaned.
MEANWHILE, IN THE CANYON
The walls appear to move to the side as the massive casket repositioned itself forward. It easily towered over Starscream and Soundwave, the latter who activated the casket's systems.
"Excellent, Soundwave!" Starscream exclaimed, before demanding the cube. Without hesitation the tech expert pulled out the box containing an Energon cube. Pulling it out of the box, Starscream carefully inserted it into the outlet in the middle of the coffin, which then absorbed the Energon.
"The Energon infusion, it's working!" He exclaimed, before a massive glow erupted from the coffin. It was so bright the seeker had to cover his face, but Soundwave stared at it, his visor darkening the glow for his vision.
Nearby, the ground bridge light emerged, and Optimus and Bumblebee walked out into the desert canyon. They quickly spotted the two Decepticons on their left, but they didn't notice them yet.
"Beep-Bop-Bruoor!"
"No Bumblebee, it does not. Hold your position, and await my command," he quietly ordered the scout. The Prime crept towards the seeker and the spy while Bumblebee watched with curiosity.
The massive coffin opened its doors, and a massive figure was revealed inside. Its eyes flared red as the gears inside cranked to life from the absorbed Energon.
"Awaken, warrior; rise and serve your new master!" Starscream exclaimed.
The figure walked out before stretching his neck. Upon setting his eyes upon the small seeker, he was almost surprised. Of all the Decepticons, this one nobody has woken him up. And he calls himself a master?
"Skyquake only serves one master. And that is Megatron."
Starscream was tempted to scowl at the name, but contained it inside his neurological systems. "Yes, him. Sadly Megatron is no longer with us."
"Impossible," Skyquake said, "he's gone?"
"Why is this so difficult for everyone to accept?!" The seeker complained to himself, before readjusting himself. "Skyquake, I have located you. I, have awakened you. Thus, I, Lord Starscream, am now your master!"
The giant did not like the way this 'lord' spoke to him, so he growled in return: "Megatron would never allow an imp such as you to lead the Decepticons! You only demand loyalty, but I'm not hearing any promises!"
Starscream almost snapped, and was about to barrage him with an order-
"It has been a while, Skyquake."
The giant seeker turned around to notice someone he has not seen since the fall of Cybertron. The leader of the Autobots stood firm before him, ready to fight at a moment's notice, yet his eyes spoke a different language.
Shoving the 'leader' aside, he stood to face Optimus. "I haven't seen you since the battle of Technaar. Megatron ordered me to annihilate you."
"That was a long time ago. And Megatron has recently perished."
"Indeed. But this pathetic seeker now calls himself the leader of the Decepticons and has shown nothing but weakness. Therefore my order still stands!"
Starscream snarled at the insult. Soundwave, who has experienced Starscream's betrayals from the army many times, knew that the second-in-command is on the verge of lashing out, so he stepped up next to him to
"Is this ancient war still worth fighting, when ancient comrades have been lost, and worlds destroyed? If you want to be a true leader, Starscream," Optimus spoke to both Starscream and Skyquake, before fixing his focus to the seeker, "then stray from Megatron's path, and lead the Decepticons toward peace!"
Starscream during the whole speech was preparing himself. Even though he wanted to feel menacing, mentally he was scared of Optimus. Millennia's worth of battles proved that he has an unbreakable will of determination. Unlike his subordinates, of course.
"Err, I would be willing to...consider a truce. That is, if you would be willing to bow before me, Optimus Prime!" The leader stammered while giving off a visible smirk.
And that was quickly smacked away when a giant fist smashed into his face, causing him to fly away and crash back first into the canyon wall. Skyquake listened to the whole talk between the two, and his fists clenched. Upon hearing Starscream's third attempt at putting himself into power, he snapped. "Again? Bow to this!"
Starscream smashed into the canyon, nearly breaking his wings. Small cyber metal pieces fell onto the desert floor as the seeker struggled to get himself up. Starscream groaned as he limped from the wall, before transforming into his jet mode and flying up to the top of the cliff.
"Skyquake," Optimus strode towards him, "this is a new era, on another world! Side with the Autobots and help me end this conflict forever!"
"I will never side with a prime!" was the response.
Skyquake stormed toward Optimus, whose defenses did not prepare him for the powerful punch to the chest. Perhaps the last three years on this planet made him slightly soft? We may never know.
What we do know is that the Prime will have to get used to his attacks.
MEANWHILE, AT THE AUTOBOT BASE
While Ratchet busily worked on Raf's volcano project, Miko and Bulkhead have finished the planet project. Miko helped explain the different planets in the solar system, such as Jupiter, the biggest planet, and the one she chose for her presentation.
Bulkhead watched Ratchet rebuild Raf's volcano shell into the standard Cybertronian metal, before turning to watch Sean and Jack build a motorcycle with Arcee.
"Sean, did you get the tube in?"
"I'm trying, Jack. But I'm not a mechanic," Sean squinted his eyes while searching for the ignition tube plug-in. He soon found that hole and tried to fix the tube into place, only to find the wrench needed to harden the grip was slightly smaller than the tube. Sean looked at it to find the wrench was manufactured by Spike's Toolshop Foundation in 1985.**
"Just great." He softly grunted to himself. But he didn't realize that Arcee heard it. "What's wrong?" she asked.
"Well, it's this wrench. It's not big enough to cover the tube, and it's very old as well. It was made back in 1985, so that's," Sean counted with his fingers, "25 years ago. You know what a wrench is, right?"
"Yeah, we had a lot of tools like hammers and wrenches back on Cybertron. Bulkhead was in construction before the war broke out, so he knows about handling tools. Here, maybe I can help," she lowered herself to check on the bike.
Sean nodded and immediately stepped aside to allow Arcee to get closer. "Jack, didn't you bring any other wrenches?" He asked Jack.
"No, I didn't have enough time. That wrench is all I got, Sean." Jack replied, before walking over to see what he and Arcee were doing.
She held the tube with her fingers, and Sean helped her squeeze it inside the hole with his hands. "Alright, let's see if this works," Jack said as he climbed onto the bike seat and inserted the keys. The engine made a low rumbling before it suddenly roared to life. Some smoke puffed out of the exhaust pipe.
Jack smiled, before Sean broke his train of thought: "Jack, why did you choose a motorcycle for the science fair anyway?"
He scratched his head before answering, "Well, I'm really good at fixing bikes, so..."
"Don't tell me, you're planning on checking out Sierra again aren't you?"
Jack Darby was surprised at the assumption but caught himself. However, Sean almost caught a glimpse of a soft red appearing on his cheeks. "No! Of course not, erm...school is more important than relationships, so...yeah."
'You son of a-'
"Jack, I take it your project is done?" Ratchet called out before Sean can accuse Jack of blushing.
"Yes, we're done with my project!" He replied. Miko said she was done with hers as well- so the kids walked over to watch Ratchet, who was now pulling out a pair of metal sheets and a giant wielder.
Good freakin' grief, Sean squeezed his nose bridge, knowing Jack is still thinking about Sierra, especially the fact that the last time he did that, everyone got introduced to the great war.
MEANWHILE, IN THE CANYON.
Bumblebee watched from behind a rock as the battle between Optimus and Skyquake continued.
The Prime, shifting his right arm into a cannon, fired a low charge at Skyquake's chest area, which the impact barely fazed him. However, the Decepticon pulled out a machine gun from his back and fired back at Optimus. The rapid gunfire nearly pushed him at least two dozen feet away, and Optimus groaned.
However, his eyes widened when he looked up to see his scout break from his cover and launch himself onto Skyquake. "Bumblebee, no!" Optimus cried.
Bumblebee fired his laser cannons on Skyquake's back, who in turn swung around to fire his machine gun right back at the second attacker. The scout was quick to dodge, but not before being smacked onto the canyon wall back-first.
Skyquake prepared his gun, but before he could pull the trigger and end the Autobot's spark, Optimus pushed his gun upward to stop him.
Bumblebee, seeing the opportunity, rushed forward, but Skyquake grabbed his leg and threw the yellow robot onto the ground back-first, knocking him out for a while.
"Do not miss a single moment, Soundwave!" Starscream ordered the agent. "We shall need visual documentation of Optimus Prime's demise, for the historical record!"
Optimus and Skyquake threw punches at each other, with the Prime now getting used to the attacker's fury. Bumblebee, having gotten himself up, asked if he knew this seeker well.
"As far as I know, Bumblebee, he has not yet acquired a vehicle mode. He is at a tactical disadvantage," Optimus replied.
Skyquake ran towards the Autobots with murderous intent. However, the Prime ordered a retreat, and they transformed and drove away, leaving the seeker behind covered in dust.
"So time has made you a coward, Prime?!" Skyquake shouted as he fired his machine gun through the dust cloud.
MEANWHILE, AT THE AUTOBOT BASE
It's been at least fifteen minutes since Jack and Miko finished their projects. Since then, they watched Ratchet helping Rafael on his volcano. Only instead of clay and chemicals with electrical wiring, the volcano will be made of metal sheets, like those forged in steel factories. Not only that, the medic has been wielding the sheets together with his hand, which was shifted into a wielder. Every now and then Sean and the others had to cover their eyes from the brightness emitted by the wielding, but their guardians didn't seem to care that much.
"Uhh, Ratchet, what is it?" Raf, who stood underneath Ratchet, asked the medic.
"You'll find out!" the medic replied as he resumed wielding the volcano together.
"But Ratchet, shouldn't I be the one doing the work?" the kid asked as he approached the project.
"Eh-kep-dip-dep! Don't touch, just watch and learn!" Ratchet stammered with confidence.
"So...uh, we're just gonna go work on Jack and Miko's projects-"
"Without my supervision?" Ratchet stood up interrupting Bulkhead. "Jack, didn't you say you finished your project?" He turned to ask the teenager, who nodded in reply.
"Where is it? Go bring it here then! You want to get good grades, right?"
Jack and Miko sighed as they walked downstairs to retrieve their projects, leaving Sean by himself on the railing. Ratchet continued his wielding as Miko uttered to herself "Such a control freak."
"Sean, where's your project?" the medic asked him without looking up. The blonde walked over to his windmill near the TV and brought it over for him to see. Ratchet told him to bring it down near the volcano and the other projects so he can take a look at them later.
'How the hell am I going to explain my parents when I get home why I have a metal windmill? In fact, how would I explain that to Mr. Richard?' Sean thought to himself as he carried his wood work down the metal stairs.
MEANWHILE, IN THE CANYON.
Optimus and Bumblebee drove away from Skyquake, who soon after followed suit, leaving behind a dust cloud that, when cleared, showed no sign of either one of them. Even Soundwave had difficulty finding the three with his vision.
Starscream was on the bridge of impatience when he exclaimed, "We have lost sight of them! Soundwave, why aren't you tracking them?!"
However, Soundwave was also remotely searching for any signal from their destroyed spacebridge. While searching the canyon he found something...interesting.
"What is it?"
Soundwave showed on his visor what he found.
"A second Decepticon life signal? But Skyquake is the only sleeper buried in this area!"
The visor showed specifically where the life signal was.
"The site of our destroyed spacebridge," Starscream was internally taken aback, though his voice revealed his disbelief, "you're not telling me, that life signal belongs...to Megatron?"
The commander thought better and exclaimed: "B-but he was microns from the detonation point! Nothing could have survived that blast! Your sensors must be faulty! Ignore the contact! Delete the coordinates!"
But Soundwave stood still and continuously displayed the life signal. If Soundwave could speak more often, he would probably say "He was our leader before you took charge, don't you think we should check on him just to be sure?"
In fact, that's what he's probably saying right now.
Starscream thought the same thing, and stammered, "Pft, what am I saying? Of course, this must be investigated! If Lord Megatron is up there, I shall bring him home! Remain here and monitor the outcome of this battle. When Skyquake snuffs Prime's spark, I must bear witness!"
And with that he jumped off of the cliff before transforming into his jet mode and blasting off to the spacebridge's location.
While Soundwave watched Starscream fly away, he repeated the last few words of the seeker, before deploying Laserbeak to follow him.
MEANWHILE,
"Tango-6 Alpha to Central Command, we're picking up transmissions originating from unidentified technology, possibly hostile. We are moving to investigate."
"Negative Tango-6 Alpha, this is special agent William Fowler here intercepting. Strike your report from the records, and provide origin coordinates. I'll take it from here," spoke William Fowler on the radio comm. He was flying an F-22 over the remote deserts of northern Nevada. Apparently, the "signal" the others found was none other than the awakening of Skyquake from his coffin.
"Solid copy, returning to base, over," The first speaker relayed before closing the channel. The F-15's chosen to investigate killed their engines on the runway back at the base.
Meanwhile, Bumblebee in his car form drove fast as Skyquake ran after him with murderous intent. He continued driving until he came upon a dead end.
"It will be a shame to crush you, bug," Skyquake spoke, "but it is my duty-" before being interrupted by a series of horns. Turning around, he spotted Optimus driving towards him.
Pulling out his machine gun, he fired at the truck, who then transformed to deliver a powerful punch that crashed the seeker into the canyon wall. Straightening himself up, Optimus complimented the scout's strategy, even though Bumblebee never thought of one.
Skyquake collapsed to the ground, before regaining his conscious and swiping at Optimus again. "Skyquake, stay down!" he ordered, before landing a face-breaking punch to the seeker, causing him to fall from exhaustion.
However, Bumblebee heard the noise of jet engines. Turning around, he saw an Earth-made jet, and if there's only one explanation as to who may be flying over to them-
"Fowler?" Optimus asked, not knowing that Skyquake has gotten up again. He watched the jet before realizing something. Smirking, he began scanning the jet.
"Agent Fowler, fall back!" The Prime contacted him via radio.
"Prime? Is that you- ow! What the?!" was the response.
Skyquake got up and ran before shifting his gears and body to fit his new alt-mode. He flew up before eventually zooming back to the canyon exclaiming "Air Superiority, achieved!"
"Well, I'll be a bald eagle!" Fowler spoke as he watched the commotion begin again.
Optimus Prine and Bumblebee shifted into their vehicle modes and began driving away to avoid the blaster fire. However, Skyquake had another idea, and opened up his missile launchers, locking onto Bumblebee.
Folwer intercepted and began firing at Skyquake, turning the battle into a dogfight.
"Stealing plans for a classified military aircraft will not be tolerated under my watch!"
He chased Skyquake out of the canyon before the enemy decreased his speed to fly behind Fowler, now putting him as a target.
Skyquake launched his missiles at Fowler's jet, which forced him to go under the canyon walls yet again. The agent's radar indicated five heat seekers were following him, much to his shock. He swung his plane around some rocks, before coming upon another dead end. He flew up just before hitting the wall, and the missiles couldn't keep up, therefore crashing into the wall.
"I still got it," Fowler smirked before flying back to the fight.
MEANWHILE, IN OUTER SPACE. THE SPACEBRIDGE RUINS.
Starscream flew endlessly into the dark reaches of space, before landing on a giant piece of the spacebridge. He looked around at the destruction floating around him, and said "No one could've survived this."
He sighed before continuing "As I suspected, faulty sensors. The last thing I need right now are rumors that Megatron is still-"
A long gasp is heard within the wreckage, silencing Starscream completely. He followed the direction of the voice before finding a floating body.
Somehow, for many reasons that defy logic, Megatron's body survived the blast with lots of damage and rust.
"Megatron..."
The lifeless body suddenly lurched as an angry face stared down at him, before he shut down from exhaustion.
"...but how?" the seeker was dumbfounded, before realizing there was a giant hole in his chest. Inside was a small familiar crystal.
"Oh, Dark Energon." His eyes flashed back to when Megatron pulled out a small chunk of the massive crystal in the storage room and thrusted it inside of his spark-chamber, hereby making a connection to the blood of Unicron.
"Everyone believes you are deceased," he smiled as he looked upon his barely-living master, "who am I to disappoint them, master?"
Starscream reached his hand inside Megatron's chest before pulling out the Dark Energon crystal. The warmonger's body surged to life once more, with a face squirming in pain, before again going back to slumber.
"And this time, stay dead!" Starscream muttered as he kicked Megatron away.
However, the sound of a small engine alerted the seeker to his surroundings. Somehow Soundwave has decided to follow him through the eyes of Laserbeak, his partner-in-crime.
"Soundwave, if you're listening, I have found Lord Megatron, and he is unwell!" he quickly hid his crystal. "We should take him to the medbay, immediately!"
MEANWHILE, ON EARTH. INSIDE THE CANYON
Optimus and Bumblebee continued their evacuation from Skyquake, who began firing his minigun at them from behind. However, the seeker managed to strike Optimus with a missile, knocking himself off balance. The Prime, now in his robot form, watched on as the seeker began barraging Bumblebee with bullets.
The scout drifted side to side, avoiding the gunfire, before driving up to a ramp that led to the top of the canyon cliff. He shifted into his robot form and ran to the edge as Skyquake swung around back into the canyon below, before jumping down onto the seeker's wing!
Skyquake slammed Bumblebee against the wall, before flying upwards so to make him fall to his death. Optimus watched on, but already formed a plan.
"Agent Fowler, we require immediate assistance!"
Bumblebee latched onto the seeker as he tried to make the scout fall off. The scout quickly punched into the cockpit and pulled out wires, before repeating on the other side. Skyquake, who is now partially on fire, lost control of himself and began diving down.
"Curse you, yellow bug!" shouted Skyquake.
Bumblebee beeped nervously before catching sight of William Fowler, who was flying his jet nearby. "Any time now, the ground is coming up!" he spoke through the radio.
Seeing his chance, the yellow scout jumped onto Fowler's jet, avoiding his spark's demise. As for Skyquake, he flew down into the canyon before ultimately crashing onto the hard surface, breaking his alt-mode in half.
"Happy landings, Con!" William smirked.
Bumblebee jumped down onto the cliff before sliding down to join Optimus Prime, who unmasked himself after seeing Skyquake's eyes go dark.
"Had Skyquake chosen to stray from his master's path, we might not be burying him today," he contemplated out loud. Ironically, Skyquake crashed near his opened coffin, meaning he will be buried with it again, lost to the darkness forever.
Unbeknownst to the two, Soundwave watched on with silence, before turning around and flying back to the Nemesis in his alt-mode.
BACK AT THE AUTOBOT BASE, LATER THAT NIGHT
When Optimus and Bumblebee finally arrived back at the base, they saw Ratchet has modified not just Rafael's volcano, but also the others as well. Miko now has a miniature Cybertron model, instead of Jupiter. The medic copied off of Jack's motorcycle design and ended up with a strange-looking engine rudder. Now he's inspecting Sean's windmill, while trying to build a replica with metal sheets.
While Bumblebee went into an Energon bath to heal his injuries from the fight, Optimus Prime talked to Ratchet.
"How goes the work, old friend?"
"Almost done, though Sean's wind machine is hard to replicate."
'Well, it's hard to replicate something that barely exists on Cybertron anyway,' Sean thought as he watched the two talk to each other.
Optimus nodded before explaining how the mission went. Everyone was surprised, even the medic, at the revelation of another Decepticon buried in the Earth, especially Skyquake. He was a dangerous fighter, and the twin brother of another honorable warrior. He was strong, but thanks to Bumblebee's quick thinking, they took him down for good.
"Starscream copying Megatron's plans, where have I heard that before?" Arcee sarcastically asked with her arms crossed.
"Optimus, you have scratches!" Ratchet finally discovered the injuries he sustained. He set down Sean's project, before letting Prime sit down for repairs.
Optimus turned to look at the monitors, before saying "It's starting to get late Autobots. I suggest you get your friends ready for home." as Ratchet began inspecting the damage.
"Optimus, I'm almost done with Sean's project, just give me a few more minutes," Ratchet quickly explained while wielding some more metal together.
"Bumblebee," Optimus spoke sternly, "putting yourself at risk was perhaps not the wisest of strategies. But you performed admirably."
He turned toward Sean, who was inspecting Ratchet's windmill over his own project, before eventually saying to the medic: "I appreciate all the work you did for the humans, but it's getting late, and we don't want their parents to be concerned about them after dark. Besides, we don't even know how to build a wind turbine- let Sean do the rest."
Prime then called out, "Bulkhead, have Sean come with you and Miko, would you?"
Later that night, Sean came home to his parents watching a football game between the Tennessee Titans and the Houston Texans, which was nearly over. When asked about his metal object, Sean explained, "Well, I...uh...helped my friends with their projects, and they helped me with mine. They thought that my project would look cool with a metal design, so I brought it home just in case my windmill breaks."
Both mom and dad were okay with that, with Tyler saying, "I like it, Sean. But you shouldn't bring both to school, you should bring the one you're proud of the most."
Sean agreed, before getting his dinner and watching the game. Later he took his shower and went to bed.
THE NEXT MORNING...
Tuesday, November 29, 2010.
Tyler left for work early in the morning, as per usual. So it was the mother, Charlotte Rodriguez, that took Sean to school. He rehearsed his lines over and over again both at home and school while preparing for his presentation. The school day went quick, much to his dismay, but one of the highlights was seeing Vince, the school bully, teasing Raf's giant volcano, before touching it and screaming in pain. Apparently Raf told him later that Vince was slightly electrocuted by the volcano, and his hand was numb for the rest of the day.
'Oh Ratchet, wait until you hear about this,' Sean snickered under his chin.
But what tensed him up was when science class finally rolled around, and Mr. Richard announced that he changed his mind, and presentations will begin today through tomorrow. Sean was listed as #12, which Raf, who attends the same class, was at #10.
However, when the Mr. Richard looked at Raf's project, he muttered something before squeezing the bridge of his nose.
Sean rehearsed his lines mentally while watching the other classmates present their projects. One had a glass jar with a mix of plants growing inside it, another had a display of the dwarf planet Pluto, with a small model of the moon right next to it for size comparison. A third had a biology presentation of the human cell.
And then came Rafael Esquivel's giant volcano. When he turned it on, some small electricity covered the top, making the class feel uneasy. Sean was both curious and worried.
"Mr. Esquivel, I feel hesitant to ask, but is it active?" Mr. Richard asked the kid.
"It's a...volcano?" he replied, before pulling out a switch. Upon pressing the button-
BOOM!
Within an instant, a huge beam shot through the ceiling, spreading debris into the room. Smoke covered the room instantly, before the fire alarm went off along with the sprinkler system. Mr. Richard coughed as he ordered the students to line up and leave the school. Rafael was completely shocked, and so was everyone else. When all the other classes got out of the building, the principal along with the other teachers and staff were not happy.
Sean wiped his hair before saying to Jack, who stood next to him from the Math class, "Ratchet's not gonna like this."
"Neither will our families."
"Let's...not tell them that."
And so later on, when the kids were picked up by the Autobots, they explained everything about their projects' results to them. And when they arrived at base, Ratchet was the first to greet them. "Well, how were my...er...our projects received?"
"My model of Cybertron was...poorly received. They saw it as part of my imagination, and not real, so I got a poor grade," Miko went first.
"The engine you made me, it went out of control and smashed the door down. All of the kids were screaming. But I got ah...74% for my grade?" Jack spoke next.
Ratchet grew a little frustrated as he then shifted eyes to Sean. "I didn't go, or well I was about to after Raf's project, but..." he nervously wiped the back of his head.
"I kinda blew up the school," Raf concluded.
Bumblebee appeared in view with a worrisome beep. "Not literally cause the school to explode! The volcano shot a hole into our roof, which set off the school alarms for us to evacuate!"
"And we got drenched as a result," Sean continued, showing his wet sweater.
"What was your grade then?" Optimus joined in.
"I didn't get one, but I think the teachers would be angry at me for setting off the fire alarm."
Ratchet was angry, but contained it inside of himself. "Well, on our planet you would've received the highest honors!" and he stormed off while muttering something under his breath.
Bumblebee beeped at Optimus, who then replied, almost laughing, "Indeed Bumblebee, our friends would've been wise to stray from Ratchet's path!"
Sean was confused at first, but when Jack started chuckling, he found out why and snorted as well.
MEANWHILE, ONBOARD THE NEMESIS
Starscream and Soundwave stood in the medical ward of their warship.
"The troops would be pleased to hear of our success of rushing Lord Megatron into stasis," the seeker spoke as he internally cursed at himself. "Let us hope our master pulls through."
While Soundwave was pleased to see Megatron recovering, he did not show his emotions. But he could tell just with the tone of voice that Starscream thought otherwise. He wishes Megatron out of the picture to lead the Decepticons his way, and now he will recover and take away his dream once more.
But the warmonger is hooked up to life support, and his recovery would take many cycles to complete. So while Starscream is still in command of the Decepticon forces, his regime is starting to see its end.
He cursed under his breath, before greeting the medic and leaving the room with Soundwave. Skyquake lost to Optimus and his boy scout, so now he must make a new plan for victory, and fast.
*My homage to the original G1 Transformers cartoon. Over the past year, I started watching the series on Hasbro Pulse's Youtube Channel, and so far I think season 2 (1985) is better than the first.