Forever Is a Long Time Coming
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Chapter 8: Stranded
Terrorvolt
Earth
Unknown time frame
I always knew Earth was going to be relevant one day, but I didn't expect to literally crash here. Then there is the fact that I barely have any energon right now.
The warnings of imminent stasis lock were not making this situation any better. It is not like it's any concern to my new "Neighbours". Big dinosaurs eating green crap and what not. They gave me nothing more than a small glance at best. I guess I was no more interesting to them than a shiny rock.
Not like I was doing anything to garner their attention. Since landing here, I've been laying on the ground and have basically set myself to low power mode. My brain module is the only thing drawing any energy right now.
After spending the last 3 hours rooted on the spot, I think I have something of a plan now. My audio sensors could detect the noise of rushing water nearby. Either a strong current or maybe even a waterfall.
Either way, it was a source of motion.
So, I eventually begin to lift myself from the ground, making sure to use as little energy in the process as possible. I eventually shift into my tank form and drive through the jungle until I arrive at my destination. To my luck, it was a river with water rushing through rather intensively.
Proper rapids, you could say.
I slowly drive towards the edge before shifting the form of my front leg and hanging it into the water. The shifting eventually stops and the joints are unlocked. Armour plating has been reconfigured to resemble fins and my foot has been turned into a rotor. I lock up the rest of my body to remain firm in the ground as the water begins turning the modified leg.
Have I turned my leg into a shitty waterwheel to prevent me from entering stasis lock? Maybe. Will I ever confess to it? Probably not.
Besides, it's not really a proper solution right now. Using conventional electricity works only for as long as I can get it. It doesn't charge my body or my reserves. But it should grant me the energy to fix that. I undo the rest of my tank form and have my gun arm shift to one of my multitools. My clawed hand tears into the ground next to me and pulls out a handful of dirt and stone.
I bring it to my other arms and begin the arduous task of converting it into Energon with my advanced formula I had developed while on Trypticon.
Is it efficient? No.
Has it fixed the issue that fucking basic laws of reality are broken and energy is somehow lost anyhow? Also no. And one should note. Energon is not really a normal form of matter. When it is used, there is no waste product. The mass is essentially destroyed…because it's not truly mass. It's in essence, pure Potential energy forced into physical form. Probably because it's considered the blood of our creator god. And with the existence of Unicron now being confirmed, it definitely changed my thoughts on the matter. If anything, it's an added reason why the substance is so valuable…and a reason why I wouldn't settle for less.
My process of Matter Conversion is a little more efficient than the original. The original was basically a means of stretching out your supplies to last just a bit longer. It was not a viable means of making Energon. My variant has a net gain at least. It's a means of production actually, even if the gain is incredibly small.
And it's all I have.
So, I activate the machinery in my arm and ponder with a watchful optic as the dirt and stone slowly morphs into the glowing blue liquid, One drop at a time. The power I get from my leg is what I'm using to fuel the entire process.
It's a minimal gain of energy, but the joy about having more Energon is the fact that it will allow me to do anything else….Like building a proper waterwheel to make more Energon….
The priority though is sending out an SOS back home to Cybertronian space. Can't just send it on its own though or it may be intercepted by Autobots and I get a kill squad instead. I need to encrypt the damn thing….and without a sliver of TE (Tesseract Energy) using quantum telecommunications to send it will be impossible as well. Not with anything I could build on the small scale at least. I could build an array for that purpose even without TE, but it would need time, Energy and resources that might not be native to earth. Not to mention, it would be big enough to be visible from space and any horizon on this hemisphere….
So, it would be very very big.
Now, I'm thinking back on an old argument. Was it bad to have so many things rely on the Tesseract? Of course, but when the Alternative requires a thousand times more resources, time and effort? Yeah, then it's kinda hard to implement redundancies.
Anyway, what was I doing….Right.
I look back at my chest and view as the small droplets of Energon drip into the ridges of my armour. I've opened up the necessary valves and seals to have it enter my current Energon stream. Watching my Energon levels rise, a mere fraction per minute, is a novel experience…And it's certainly fascinating because it means I have to wait here….for quite some time…
Yeah, I'm not that patient. I power down all my unnecessary functions and enter sleep mode. Once I'm fully charged, I will reawaken and be able to finally get to work.
Shockwave
Deep Space
16 days after Terrorvolt's disappearance
A sleek Decepticon scientist analysed the surrounding structure with his equipped scanners. Calling it a structure wasn't quite an accurate way to describe what they were inspecting, but it's the best way to describe it.
Looking towards the side, he sees their leader stare at the ground in front of him before charging his ion cannon. The sudden blast into the ground startled the nearby Decepticons, but no one sprung to action once they realised what had happened.
The hole in front of Megatron was scorched and blubbering with green molten brain matter. It was a rather vile sight for the mechanoid being. Generally speaking, Cybertronians disliked interacting with Organic lifeforms. While some interactions had been at the very least cordial, most were absolute disasters.
The first and greatest example being what happened with Old Antilla. One of the original colonies and where the Cybertronian race first encountered the Rust plague. It was probably the worst threat to life they had ever encountered…(Until Unicron at least)
Unlike Scraplets, you couldn't survive being infected with the Rust Plague. Anyone infected starts growing a rust-like substance all over their body. Eventually, the corrosion causes the Cybertronian to waste away to nothing.
The Jhiaxian Academy of Advanced Technology was eventually able to develop a cure to destroy the pathogen in one's body, but the damage was usually done. If the treatment didn't occur within a day, then they weren't worth saving any more. It was one of the greatest challenges that Shockwave faced in his early life. Just the memory feels incredibly foreign to him now
That was one of the first interactions with biological life, and it was bad. A lot of interaction later on had reinforced his building disdain for organic life. And the Tyrest Accords sealed the deal when it came to them. Unless someone tries to use organics in the war, or ally them in any way, they are a non entity to them.
So it came as quite the surprise to see that the great Celestials were among them. Legendary and god-like beings wielding weapons and technology beyond the understanding of all. For ages, Cybertronians believed them to possibly be further Creations by Primus, beings similar to the Titans.
But now, seeing the literal mind of one of their own….It has left the Deception utterly disappointed. When he heard of Trypticon's fall and the entire event, he was more annoyed with the loss of one of their most prominent scientists and their research data.
His opinion of Terrorvolt was an odd one. One that has often garnered the dislike of Decepticon High command. He does not consider Terrorvolt a genius, nor is her intellect anything but slightly above average.
As one can assume, a lot of Decepticons didn't like that assessment. The femme in question however wasn't as disturbed by his assessment of her. It at least spoke to her character that her vanity wasn't as prominent in her behaviour towards others. Shockwave considered her nothing more than what she was, a devoted student with highly original ideas and imagination. Not to mention the cold pragmatism required to reach her goals. A rare combination that is certainly a main reason for her being in the position she is…or was in.
Her loss will certainly be one that is felt. Shockwave hoped that the salvage of a Celestials Brain Module might grant means to finish the war…But it was a failure. The Mind was not some neat array of Databanks and Quantum computing mainframes…It was Organic Gray matter. Useless flesh, even in his hands.
They were cybernetic lifeforms, to such a degree that they didn't appear to be organic from the outside…Yet they were. It irked him to no end.
His studies in some Organic life were certainly more advanced than anything that had come before him, but it would not suffice here. The only interesting Data he could truly collect were from the cybernetic implants of the dead Celestial's skull and his scans of them were practically done.
He was also left wanting of the data in that regard. Some of it could be used to perhaps augment telecommunications networks and data processing speeds. But that was more or less it. It also revealed to him that the Celestials' power was…. Cosmic to some degree as well. Stored either in the parts which Unicron devoured, or some other dimension.
Either way, there was nothing here. And so, he stated his findings to Lord Megatron, which then led to the previously aforementioned hole now located upon the Celestial's forehead. The Decepticon leader was still aiming his Ion Cannon towards the fleshy surface below him.
"Shockwave, there….THERE HAS TO BE SOMETHING!" he yelled as another blast dug into the flesh beneath him. "ANYTHING WE CAN USE!" He roared as he charged another shot. His head tears around to face the Chief scientist and slowly tones out," This cannot be a loss. This is the head of one of the strongest creatures in existence. There must be something we can take."
Shockwave, now glaringly aware that Megatron's anger might be turned to him, considers his options.
Defending himself will only end with him being deemed a traitor and either executed here, or hunted down by the Justice Division.
Taking the shot and faking an injury was also out of the Question. A fully charged shot of an Ion Cannon would tear his spark chamber to pieces and he was not nimble enough to dodge it.
Telling the Decepticon leader the truth that no victory could be found here would also do nothing to de-escalate.
So, his response for now will have to be an attempt at appeasing and distracting the Decepticon leader.
"I apologize, my liege. The circuitry and mechanics of the outer armour were, as mentioned, rudimentary compared to our own. Perhaps some armour could be stripped from the remains,... Though, my findings are not quite complete, as it seems the Celestial may yet function." He was certain this would distract Megatron's Hatred, at least for the time being.
His leader's optics glowed with interest as he asked," Well, he isn't moving nor did it react when it shot it. How functional is he?"
"Catatonic but still aware of its surroundings. Without a doubt, it's in incredible pain right now."
"Still alive as just a head and aware of what will happen…how ironic." One of his clawed hands rose to his chin in contemplation before he asked, "The Seekers mentioned Vessels belonging to organics heading here and arriving in 2 day's time. Do you have any idea as to their intentions for the Celestial?"
"The same as ours, probably. Study and excavation. And upon learning how useless it is, probably resource extraction."
"Something we will prevent by extracting the armour first, yes?"
"They aren't after the armour, Not necessarily at least…" Shockwave projects a hologram from his optic showing the Celestials skull and its inner structures.
"Bone Marrow, Spinal fluid, brain matter….These are often taken from exotic creatures and are known to be a commodity among some of the Stellar systems we have observed over the gigacycles. The material here might be useful for some medicinal research, but as most of these civilizations are capitalist Structures with hefty forms of corruption being a constant, I expect something less noble. One can expect for the Celestial everything from being devoured as a delicacy to being processed into stimulants and narcotics of some sort." He pauses for a moment before saying, "Organics have often shown themselves quite ingenious when it comes to their decadence."
To his interest, Megatron was now sporting a smile displaying his razor-like teeth, "This would be an apt Punishment for the creature….I want the armour stripped and transported back to Decepticon space as soon as possible!" He yells towards the surrounding ships and soldiers before turning back to Shockwave.
"And you, my dear Scientist. I want you to delve into this creature's skull and find its pain centres…I then want you to ensure that for the remainder of this Celestials Existence, it will know nothing else but constant suffering" The leader spoke with a low growl.
"Of course, Lord Megatron. It shall be done within the day." With a salute to Megatron, Shockwave stares at the Decepticon leader. He watches as he transforms and flies back to one of the Present World Sweeper ships.
As the small silhouette of his leader fades from view, he considered a few new pieces of Data. He always suspected mental inconsistencies or even detriments when it came to Megatron, but now he was struck by the phenomena of grief. Before he underwent Empurata, Shockwave was an avid reader of any new publishings and research made into mental health, but back then, his interest had laid elsewhere.
But his knowledge has become useful now. Megatron has grown erratic, the loss of one of the original Decepticons along with the loss of a vital military installation have presented a problem he cannot simply delegate to others…He can't ignore it.
Therefore, his erratic rage seems to have manifested in threats of violence, even against his own men, no matter how loyal they are. This should probably be curtailed before it can escalate further….However.
Shockwave considered his earlier interactions and thought of one small fact. When Megatron is angry, distracting him and even manipulating him…becomes a much more plausible method.
Perhaps….
No….
….More Data is needed…..
With Terrorvolt
Earth
50 days after the initial crash
The afternoon sun shines into the jungle, small leaves and branches obscuring its rays from reaching the ground. Within this jungle, one can see a cleared pathway, with unrooted trees and flora scattered at the sides. The noise emanating from a large black and purple tank had already scared away any of the nearby wildlife. Besides, the Dinosaurs in the area had already learned not to mess with the stranded Cybertronian, lest they be turned into another hide.
The Cargo sled trailing behind her, which were made of Furs and lizard skins, is a testament to that. It was being used to transport rocks and stones that had been ripped from the ground and a nearby cliff wall. To a human, they were boulder sized, the kind that could squash them with ease.
The purpose of this was rather simple. To forge and process metals for the sake of whatever she needed. She kept driving on her self-made road, Not caring for any wildlife that might come across or underneath her.
Eventually, She arrives back at her encampment. It wasn't anything special, But it provided her with a means to survive for the time being. A massive water wheel made of wood, stone and vines stood within the river, where she had powered her own body almost 2 months ago.
While rudimentary, the construction provided a constant power source, Which in turn was connected to what appeared to be an oversized boiler. It seemed to be covered in shoddy wiring and exposed housings.
Building this contraption required the cannibalization of her own circuits. Her leg and ankle wouldn't move in her robot form any more, but she still had her tank form. Besides, it was a sacrifice truly worth it
Especially if one considers the function. The lone Cybertronian unhooked the cargo sled behind her And reverted to her humanoid form. Before inspecting her haul, she limped towards the high Tech Looking boiler And unhooked the top hatch.
The sight that greets her is that of a container, filled with a dimly blue glowing Liquid. She removed the container and ingested the low grade Energon into her body with little hesitation.
Once her Energon levels were nominal once more, she started limping towards the sled, using her extended gun arm as a crutch. She began scanning the rocks until finding the two she had selected that were rich with suitable minerals.
They had large portions of lead and traces of other heavy metals. Suitable materials for the matter conversion process. The rocks are placed into a compartment on the "boiler's" back, where they are promptly crushed into gravel.
'That should do for now', she thought to herself, Before closing the apparatus and activating its system once more. With that now sorted, she begins moving to a nearby mound of raised earth with a large stone slab covering it.
Her clawed arm shoots forward to turn the slab to reveal a huge tunnel beneath. She transforms back into her tank form and keeps her arm unchanged in order to drag the sled along. The tunnel was rather small for her size, she would have to crouch if she was in her robot form, but it was suitable like this. The structure was steadied by literal tree trunks lining the sides.
The journey soon ends, and she arrives at her current place of shelter. A red hue lines the walls as her sensors indicate a rising heat around her.
The tunnel opens up to a large chamber lit up by a stream of lava right in the centre of it. Terrorvolt transforms back into her robot form before she grabs hold of the sled once more to bring it towards her lab…or workshop. She wasn't too specific with the function of this place.
She moves the boulders filled with ore towards a kiln she had made by chemically creating a synthetic tar. By Cold mixing some other ingredients, she was able to create a carbon substance with a melting point of 2800C.
It was needed as the kiln was connected to a rudimentary pulley system which would lower it into A trench system which would in turn be warmed up by redirecting the flow of lava.
It was what she was using to refine a lot of metals. Of course, there were some materials like bauxite that required chemical treatment first. But those could wait for now.
As she prepares the process, she stares over to a nearby project. Secured in a construction of wood and stone was a metal frame, with various parts and pieces still missing. It was her attempt at getting the help she needed. A lot of her current tasks were incredibly menial, so getting another person to handle them would really lighten the load.
Which has prompted her to create…a drone to be precise. This was something much more suited to Shockwave's specialisation, but she still had a lot of his research on the matter.
There was a lot of social stigma against the creation of Cybertronians for the sake of labour, hell, Terrorvolt herself was a prime example of this. Later use by Autobots of what were essentially child soldiers in the form of the MTO's was another. In Shockwave's case, he had some leeway due to the monstrous appearance of his Insecticons and their lack of true sapience with exception to a few. Though, Most didn't know about those.
Besides, she didn't really want to dip into that territory at the moment. This is why she wouldn't be giving them a spark. Hell, it would be better without it. No, she planned on making a simple AI to be run in a chassis handcrafted by her.
So far, she had the simple endoskeleton finished and would soon start with finer circuitry. She was also working on a transformation cog for the drone. It didn't necessarily need it, but it added extra mobility and the ability to travel longer distances.
It would certainly be a challenge, but Terrorvolt doesn't think she will be in need of extra time. As things stood, her main priority was gaining resources and the processing of them. With an extra pair of hands capable of various tasks, it freed up her workload. Especially as a lot of it was incredibly simplistic in nature.
And once the first Drone was finished, she could work on building a communications system and…To investigate the region she was in. After all, she had grown suspicious of this whole area, and even the animals here.
She made her way outside the cave in her tank form and turned her weapon turret towards the sky. She recorded the position of the sun lighting up the surrounding region. Inherently, there was nothing suspicious about this…. Except for the fact that it had not moved in more than a month.
For some reason, The sun was locked in place, as were the clouds and even the Stars above. One of her 1st Discoveries was essentially To inspect whether this phenomenon was isolated to this area or the planet itself.
After leaving her crash site and simply deciding to travel into a singular direction, she found something of a blurred barrier. It seems that her current habitat was covered in some kind of dome.
It didn't seem very durable and she found herself able to throw simple boulders through the barrier with ease. She eventually uprooted a nearby tree and held out one half through the barrier. To her relief, she couldn't observe any esoteric effect on the exposed tree half other than rapid Frost, probably from the surrounding environment.
So she took the opportunity to step out herself. Once she crossed the barrier, she was greeted with a dark frozen tundra that stretched to the horizon. Temperatures far below Zero Celsius, and the humidity that clung to her frame froze within an instant. When she turns back, she sees no sight of the dome, but rather more of the same frozen wasteland that was now behind her.
Before a sensation of panic could truly set in, she moved back to where the dome should be and to her relief, She found herself back in the tropical environment she had spent the last month in. So that was that.
Some Data she took back then placed her current location to the South Pole, which made sense in a manner of speaking. It also solidified the idea that she was in the savage land. It gave her hope at first that the Earth might already have achieved some levels of Technology, but her scans left her disappointed. No Man made signals, EM waves or Emissions of any kind could be detected to her scanners. The main and only notable source of earth's pollution right now came from open Gas rifts and Volcanoes.
Humanity was nowhere near the tech-level that they could be of use. So she needed to get by on her own. And if she got lucky, she'll be retrieved by the Decepticons sooner, rather than later.
Ever since she landed here she's tried sending an SOS every second day. But her personal signal range was not the best. If Prorex were with her, building the right equipment or sending the right signal would be far easier. She could only hope that when he finally came around, that their reunion would come soon.
But for now, it was back to the daily grind.
Decepticon space, Planet Archon, Elyrion city
200 days after Terrorvolt's disappearance
Elyrion was one of the colonies on the far reaches of Decepticon space. It was suitable as a resupply point and also a location ideal for shore leave. Within one of the many oil houses of the city, the peace that permeated the rest of the city was sadly absent.
"Will you calm down already! It's been almost a stellar cycle since she died! Fucking get over it!" A Decepticon soldier yelled as he aided two others in restraining an unhinged mech.
"GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME." The mech roared as he pulled against the other Decepticons. His words were slurred and oil stains were clear on his neck and head. It didn't deter his savagery as he ripped against their grip.
What made him stand out compared to the others was the fact that he was clearly another victim of the old Empurata procedure. His lone optic flickered with a red glare as he resisted.
"THOSE BASTARDS KILLED HER AND GOT AWAY WITH IT!" He yelled as he managed to pull free from the group and promptly smashed his fist into one of the other Cons. He managed to crack his faceplate before he himself received a blow to the back of the head. His sensors frizzled out for a moment as he tried to regain his bearings.
"What is going on here!" The group is stunned by the noise of a new arrival. Standing in the entrance of the oil house was a lone Decepticon mech. The engravings of his emblem betrayed the fact that he was of higher rank than anyone else in the building.
The other Decepticons push the drunk Empurata mech to the ground before stepping away from him. They all give a quick salute before one of them states, "Sir, our fellow lieutenant here, started an altercation after getting too intoxicated sir."
The major standing in front of them approached the group and asked, "An Altercation? Caused by what?"
The Empurata mech in question speaks up, "These Scrap Heaps were getting angry cause I wanted to kill those pit damned Wreckers! An-" His words are interrupted by a quick kick to his optics by the Con next to him.
"Will you shut your voice box! You've done enough already!" he yelled at the downed Decepticon.
The Major meanwhile had a frown on his face, "You four… I believe you were the ones I'm looking for." He now focuses his attention on the downed Decepticon, "And that must mean you are Nitro Zeus."
The now named Nitro stares up at the major and grunts out, "I've had enough of bureaucracy for the day. Buzz off!"
The major stares back at him with an annoyed expression. "You stand accused of executing a prisoner in cold blood. I believe you should plead your case wisely" The major commands him.
Nitro Zeus instead rips himself from the ground and angrily stomps towards him," What? You think I give a scrap about that. It was a Wrecker! They fucking deserve it! The bastard surrendered before we could get him in the fight! They don't deserve to get away like that!" As he moves too close to the major, he is shot with a blast from an E.D.K Techvolt which promptly shuts down his servos.
The smoking barrel of the major's arm is the last thing he can clearly see. "A poor choice of words, lieutenant. By the Authority of the Archon bureau of internal security, I place you under arrest for violating numerous articles of the Tyrest accords."
With Rage and a tinge of regret pounding in his spark, Nitro Zeus finally loses consciousness.
Back on Earth.
234 days after the initial crash
Looking at the metal frame in front of me, I can't help but internally smile. The first Drone was ready for activation. A Cybertronian framework with a functioning Transformation cog and brain module. It wasn't quite on par of a standard Cybertronian one, I really didn't have the resources for that. But I'm still proud of what I managed here.
I finish fuelling the chassis with Energon and disconnect the tube from the chassis before booting up the operating system I created for it. Systems slowly come online and the optics flicker on. The bot starts observing its surroundings before focusing on me. This is the moment where all the loyalty subroutines should kick in.
In the clearest terms, this drone has a proper sapient AI. One that has the potential to learn and act independently. With the Lack of a Datanet for it to access, I can essentially define its first formative experiences. This is definitely a benefit here. Furthermore, the core of the AI held me in the highest regard. Loyalty to me, my orders and wishes were followed without question.
Couldn't have them turning against me one day after all. Not like I'm planning on mistreating them, but one can't help but to be cautious.
"Want…More" My thoughts are stopped by the raspy voice from the drone in front of me. I wasn't sure what it was referring to until it pointed towards the translucent tubing pumping Energon into him.
It fumbles for the Energon tube and slowly lifts it towards its mouth. He tries to get the last drops of Energon from the tube and begins whispering, "Hun…Gurr….Hun-Gurr…..Hunger."
I activate a nearby switch and activate the Energon flow once more. The Drone gobbles up the life giving substance with glee and I can't help but stare with interest. My calculations were accurate, but the drone needs more Energon than expected. Interesting.
"So… I know you haven't been online for long, but time waits for no one. I'm not the best at giving names, but having one is always vital…." I pause for a moment as he truly focuses on my words. He looks from the tube in his hands to my own face.
"hun-Gurr…Hun-Gurr…" he repeated to me, making me slightly worried as to his cognitive function. Scans don't indicate anything wrong but…
"So you…..Do you want that to be your name because they were your first words?"
The Drone seems rather confused, but nods his head after a while. He slowly gets the metal wires and frames off of his body before standing up. As he looks at me with a questioning eye, I can't help but wonder how this will turn out.
I slowly reach out with my hand and gently place it on his shoulder, "Well then, Hun-Gurr. From this day forth, you are the very first Terrorcon to live. I want your help in finding a way off this planet and back to Cybertron…You know of Cybertron, yes?" I receive a nod from the small drone.
"And will you aid me in this endeavour?" I question further. I don't get a nod from him, but rather, he holds a hand up to his voice box and says," Yes… I would like that"
It seems that this might work out after all.
Decepticon space, Military Port of Archon
278 days after Terrorvolt's disappearance
The port bustled with activity, numerous shipments and vessels were constantly moving around the structure, transporting vital goods for military operations and supply lines. Especially now, as Trypticon was no longer around and the supply of TE was indefinitely halted. The port's activities were therefore at capacity, with the staff of the structure barely able to keep up.
Within this structure was a small ship which was currently being retrofitted for a long term mission. One where the crew was not expected to return alive. A group of Decepticons were being led towards the loading ramp by shock collars and ununtrium handcuffs.
Among them was Nitro Zeus, who had been found guilty for breaking the Tyrest Accords. Though, His sentence was a bit unorthodox.
"So what did you do?" He was suddenly nudged from behind. Nitro turns his head to look at the mech behind him. He seemed like a completely average seeker with a purple and white colour scheme. Nothing that really made him stand out.
"Oho! An Empurata mech! Haven't seen one of you get locked up like this in ages! So what did you do?" The mech grins with a welcoming smile. Something that honestly confused Nitro. But he was certain it would be fake. So he may as well impress him enough to make sure he knows not to mess with Nitro.
"Oh you know. Robbed a Bank, killed a bunch of Autobots and then got my head ripped off" His optic flickers with a low hum and his leans towards the other Decepticon."…Oh you mean you want to know why I'm here? I decided that some Wreckers didn't have the right to live even if they didn't want to fight any more…You have a problem with that?"
To his surprise, the other Decepticon smiled instead. "Oh really? Ain't that something. Well, Nice to meet you One-eye! They call me Misfire. Long story…" He pauses for a moment and his grin widens further.
"You know what? It isn't. It's a very short story involving a Scatter Blaster, A Misunderstanding and a dozen dead Decepticons….So, what's your name?"
"…..My name is Nitro Zeus" he slowly states.
The newly named Misfire's smile remains as he expectantly states, "Huh. Sounds pretty cool. Is it based on something?"
"Yes…. It was gi-"
"THAT'S ENOUGH CHIT-CHAT YOU SCRAPLETS!" Their attention is quickly grabbed by loud yelling coming from the front of their group. They hadn't even realised that they had come to a stop.
Looking forward, they see a Decepticon wearing the insignia of a Corporal from the Decepticon Justice Division. Seeing the DJD was never a good sign, and the fact that they were involved just made things worse. Nitro was thankful for small mercies it wasn't one of the First Five, he'd resolved to never find his way onto The List after seeing the pictures of what they'd done to some of Scorponok's loyalists. He'd rather rip out his own spark.
It was ironic to him though. The bot currently ordering him was just a Corporal. Nitro technically outranked the mech.
"You are assigned to the penal installation of Garrus-8 until a court of law will formally decide upon your Sentence. Any further acts of insubordination or resistance will end in a heightened sentence or Termination. Am I understood!"
Nitro wanted to scoff, but he kept it to himself for the time being. Some described him as unhinged, but he knew when to shut up. He needed to bide his time with the other prisoners as well. Misfire definitely seemed like someone he wanted to cross…He would be proven wrong soon enough, but he couldn't predict that.
He didn't have any kind of clue just what would befall him on Garrus-8.
Back on Earth
436 days after the initial crash
Where once was a lush jungle filled with wildlife, there now stood a large road network spanning the landscape. Tree Stumps littered the sections in between. And the Roads were now frequented, not by vehicles, but by mechanical Abnormalities.
The Drones that Terrorvolt created weren't perfect, and they weren't quite like the average Cybertronian. Their Alt forms were flawed if one was being honest. They weren't really blending in with the environment or properly resembled the local wildlife. Hun-Gurr's alt form for instance resembled a two-headed dinosaur that spits fire…and that obviously doesn't exist.
It's not like their Alt forms would have been able to blend in that well anyway. Their metallic bodies were beyond obvious. Like most Transformation Cogs, even the natural ones, theirs couldn't replicate a flesh like substance to truly mimic organic life. With the unnatural body shapes as well, they are bound to spook the local wildlife…and maybe start some Legends down the line.
Terrorvolt herself was currently leading a little excavation, with Hun-gurr taking command of the other Terrorcons at the base. The Cave structure had been drastically expanded in recent months. Now, the inside was actually lined with metal panels. The Areas were lit up, rooms could be air sealed, and even the magma flow was now properly controlled. A Geothermal Power Plant was created with the nearby river. Energy Production was going well. Though, it won't last. A lot of Heavy Metals were used for the Energon production. Sooner or later, those resources are going to be depleted.
Which is why the Communications array has once again been pushed down the production queue. Figuring out Matter conversion was back as the priority. And for this sake, Terrovolt was delving into the jungle.
Taking a break is more accurate, but she considered it time to figure out the source of this area. How this section of the planet was somehow stuck in the past.
Extra excursions out of the effect's radius allowed her to triangulate the epicentre of the anomaly. Some Seeker drones she was able to build scouted ahead. A large structure stood at the centre. And that structure would now be analysed.
With an ensemble of three Terrorcons following behind, she made her way through the jungle, pushing aside trees and uprooting them from the ground with every step. The drones behind her were Following with weapons ready. They were equipped with modified scatter blasters that could use pieces of the environment for a shotgun blast rather than metal.
As they continued towards the centre of the jungle, the sounds of nearby life began to cease. Birds, dinosaurs, whatever small critters were around all grew silent. Either from their absence, or their fear.
Before long, the Jungle opens up and reveals a large temple. Seemingly carved into the side of a mountain. But, where once this would have appeared most beautiful, now was just a decrepit ruin.
The structure was heavily eroded. An entrance seemed to once exist at the mid section of the buildings, something that led to even more questions. Was there some sort of wooden structure once there like an elevator or staircase? Or was it expected for visitors to fly towards the entrance?
Terrorvolt considered both options for a moment. This structure was at the centre of some odd esoteric effect that preserved long extinct creatures. Its creators could be anything then.
As Terrorvolt moved closer, she noticed that the trees seemed to grow progressively thinner as she moved towards the structure. It wasn't that they weren't getting enough nutrients or sunlight, but rather that they were younger than the rest. Slicing one of them in half with her clawed hand showed as much.
Once she arrived at the structure, she decided to test her hypothesis. Her gun arm reconfigures into the form of the Electro Bolter.
The weapon is essentially a glorified railgun that could shoot out an electrified Bolt of a highly strengthened alloy. It effectively harpooned enemies and could be used to lock them in place…other than killing them off course.
She loaded the weapon and shot a bolt into the temple's outer wall. The piece of metal impales itself into the metal with a ridiculous speed, leaving cracks tracing the wall around the impact point.
But what happened after is what truly interested the stranded cybertronian. The metal rod began to rust almost instantaneously. The rod completely corroded into specks of rust as the remaining damage aged. And all this had happened within 10 seconds.
And with that, Terrorvolt finally realised the nature of this structure. It caused an imbalance to the local time continuance. The region existed because it was essentially frozen in time, or at the very least heavily slowed.
Yet time continued normally for all the beings in the field, including the recent Cybertronian additions. They didn't age, that was the trick. Instead, the effects of time were concentrated on the temple.
Whatever civilization could focus the effects of time from an entire valley onto a singular structure was leagues ahead of what Cybertronians could manage…. Well, except maybe Shockwave. Who knows how many projects he was actually working on.
But as Terrovolt kept analysing the structure, her scanners caught something very unexpected. A heat signature suddenly appeared behind her. Her arm quickly loaded another bolt as she whirled around only to see… A human?
A dark skinned man dressed in…traditional Asian clothing? With a straw hat and everything. The sight was certainly confusing to the Cybertronian scientist, nearly as much as the fact that he had a really wide grin on his face.
"Hello There!" he spoke….In English. A language That TV hasn't heard in ages, and wasn't supposed to hear anytime soon either. On account of Human civilization not really having kicked off yet… Unless the time bubble messed with that as well.
This was one of the many thoughts going through her head in the millisecond that had passed since he spoke. One of her other Processes was to retrieve her old memories and quickly format a new language pack, so she can send it to the other drones.
It's funny how in that time, she was unable to come up with a better answer other than "G̷̰͝r̸̰̄é̴̙ë̷̼́ṭ̷̓i̸̗͂n̸͍̽g̶̳̐ś̶̞". Her voice was scratchy, not unlike the speaker of a radio. It goes without saying that human languages are very different to Cybertronian, so her voice box would need some recalibrating.
"You know English? That's certainly a surprise!" The man paused as he took a few steps closer to the towering robot. "Especially as the language shouldn't exist for another 6000 years or so"
"A̵n̶d̷ ̸y̷e̶t̵ ̵y̶o̶u̷ ̸u̵s̵e̸d̸ ̴i̵t̷ ̵a̵s̷ ̵w̵e̶l̵l̴" her voice box sounded out. As she scanned the human and got readings of a very specific radioactive frequency, she lowered her weapon.
The man's smile remained and he gave the machines a quick bow, "My Name is O'Beng,...May I have your name, should you have one?" he questioned them.
The name didn't sound familiar to Terrorvolt, but her mind was not human. Any knowledge from her old life could be accessed with the accuracy of a machine. And she could narrow down her search anyway. As she started the process of searching her memories for his identity, she continued to analyse his body. The radiation was centred around a necklace on his neck. A necklace known as the eye of Agamotto. In some iterations, it contained the time stone.
And that would explain how this place was made. The question as to how still remained. For now, the best bet was to open a dialogue. Attempting to steal the necklace without knowing his true intentions was far too risky.
She slowly vocalised her name, "Terror…Volt. The drones do not have names yet." Her voice was much clearer now and the pronunciation didn't falter. She made a quick move to stare at the structure before focusing on the human once more.
"Your name…It's not your true name is it…." She paused as her optic lit up further, "You are Cagliostro."
The human's eyes widened as his face lost its smile. He's visibly taken aback before saying, "I must admit. I'm used to always being the smartest man in the room. You've caught me quite off guard. Can I assume you to be a fellow traveller of time?"
She considered lying here, but making enemies with the Sorcerers of Earth was just not a good idea right now. Especially as not much could be gained from it.
"I know a few things. Time Travel itself is beyond me…" She stares back at the temple with more interest,"Can I assume you constructed this structure then?"
He nodded with a smile, "It is my "Lost Library"" he addressed TV with a smirk, "I might have to rename it now, considering that someone did actually "find" it."
She scoffs in return, gesturing at the decrepit ruins "Considering its sorry state, I don't really have any use for it, so there's no meaning to me having found it... Why have you designed it to decay like this?" She questions him.
He gestures down to the necklace around his neck. It opens up to reveal the green glow of the Time Stone, "To ensure only Travellers of time like myself can access it at its prime…. The lack of stairs also helps to vet out the wrong people."
She raises a hand to her optics as if to hold her non-existent chin, "Strange thing to add…But technically effective. One has to know the location of this place as well… It's a fairly decent means of keeping unwanted visitors away… It doesn't explain why you would greet me though?"
"Ah, very true. You pose no threat to my library…" He pauses for a moment as his eyes sharpen, "You do however present the possibility of Extinction to all Humanity."
Terrovolt didn't hesitate in raising her weapon towards the human and instantly commanded her drones to do the same.
The time it took for them to take aim allowed just enough movement for Cagliostro to raise his hands in apparent surrender, "Please, I mean you no harm. I only wish to enter an accord"
TV doesn't lower her arm and simply states, "If you want me to leave the planet, I would be happy to do so if I had a way home. But unless you will help with that, I promise nothing."
"I am not here to banish you from this world. I am only here to pass along some knowledge." He states as a portal opens in front of him. To Terrorvolt's surprise, three books came floating through it.
He waved his hands along the books and they began floating towards the towering femme. "What knowledge do you offer me?"
His smile returns as he states, "Advanced books of Alchemy and Transmutation. Means of shaping the very elements"
She considers the books for a moment before shaking her head, "I cannot use Magic, Dark Science or whatever you may refer to it as. And I'm in no mood to learn its entirety any time soon. How could these be of use to me?"
He gives a nod to her question "I admit, I do not know…I do however know this. If you do not receive these, you and your machines will strip mine this planet to its core and leave nothing but desolation to my kind"
"And with the Books?" She questions
"You limit your constructions to this continent, and humanity gets to live" he states, clearing up the picture. She now realised his motivation now to some degree…and gained some respect for the way he wanted to handle this.
She slowly gives him her answer as she gently outstretches her hand to grab the books. "... I see… If these contain what I think they do…then I….and my entire species might owe you a considerable debt"
"I would only ask of you not to unleash any wrath upon my kind…That is all" A simple request. And one she would easily honour.
She could tell that the conversation was coming to an end, but she did wish to make a comment towards him, "You know…for a first encounter. You handled this exceptionally well."
A light chuckle followed, "Well, this is the first time I meet someone of your kind. But you are certainly not the first visitor from the stars."
"Delightful" She muttered with a sarcastic tone.
"Well, I will certainly not involve myself with that. I bid you farewell!" He yelled out. A portal opened behind him and quickly flew forward, enveloping his body before disappearing in yellow motes of light.
"Well….that was something. I guess I ought to give these a proper look then" She states as she gently held the books in her hand.
Terrorvolt
Earth
497 days after the initial crash
As much as I didn't want to tempt fate, I can't help but state things were going well.
The base here in the Savage land (Might as well call it that) has come along far better than expected. It's a proper fortress now if anything. Fully stocked, manned and still improving. Things have certainly gotten better now that I have a proper supply of Energon.
To think it was such a dumb issue all this time. The books that the human had given me were truly invaluable. One might not think so at first, but just seeing the process described and explained in different terms gave a new perspective on things.
This in turn led me to dismantle the original device I had set up and went through every piece's function manually. And then one part finally stood out. A discrepancy in the comparison between what I had and the Transmutation described in the books.
And that's when I learned of a little surprise left by the ancient Cybertronians. Matter to Energy conversion was deliberately undermined because they were missing certain technologies back then…So they came up with a temporary solution that was never resolved.
You see, when turning mass into energy, even the smallest amount will create absurd amounts of energy. And the ancient Cybertronians simply couldn't harvest or even safely withstand all that energy. So certain aspects were added to the equation, both literally and figuratively. 99,9% of the produced energy would be shunted off into unspace, while the remaining ,1% was actually used.
It was so humiliating to learn that the issue with the formula was an outdated safety precaution. We now had the technology to safely harness at least 80% and adjustments could be made for the rest. Either way, I think I would be keeping the nature of this discovery a secret once I make contact with the Decepticons once more. Shockwave would certainly praise me for my work but if he figured out that I was stuck on something like this for well over a millennium, even he might burst out laughing… Goddammit.
He has no room to complain though. I just solved virtually every Energon Crisis that could ever arise. Seriously, as long as we have dirt beneath our feet, we will never run out now. This technology was just that busted. If I recall, the strongest Nuclear bomb ever used by Mankind, The "Tsar Bomba" had an explosion equivalent to 50 Megatons of TNT. That amounts to about 209,200,000,000 Megajoules. Now. by turning Mass to energy, converting a small amount of 10Kg of Mass gives you 898,755,178,737 Megajoules worth of energy..
If Cybertron still gave out scientific rewards, I would get all of them….actually, we should reinstate that once I get back. I really hope my position is still around for me to take up and they dont think I'm dead….Though, if I died and they gave me the standard rank promotion upon dying on the battlefield, I would then technically outrank Megatron….Now that is a funny thought.
And now, I was casually standing on top of a cliff overlooking my territory with a sense of pride. The Terrorcons were hard at work building a proper communications array. Once that was done, I could send a signal probe into deep space and slowly open communications with Cybertron again. Certain precautions will have to be made to prevent Autobot interception. But that can wait until the structure is actually up.
The remainder of my spare time has been used on other scientific endeavours. After being unable to tinker on my own projects for such a long time, it was nice to relax again. Especially as I now had a nigh limitless supply of energon, it allowed me room to experiment with the substance as well. Turning around and entering my lab, the purple glow of Dark energon grew more prevalent.
This stuff…it has potential. And I don't just mean as a means of making zombies and bringing back the dead on occasion. Not that I'm interested in that anyway.
As I personally experienced during my unfortunate dip in the evil Kool-Aid when I was on Trypticon, Dark Energon can corrupt smaller quantities of regular Energon and the same can be done the other way around. (Note to self. Divert a function later to deduce just what exactly Kool-Aid was even made of)
Well, I experimented a bit with this and eventually tried mixing them together in perfect proportionality. The resulting mixture…didn't last long on account of exploding and shattering a good portion of my armour. This came as quite the surprise, as my armour was still made of Adamantium.
My endoframe was still ok and no vitals were damaged, but it was still a shock. Hun-gurr was certainly worried after the event. He barely lets me out of his sight, if he didn't have other duties to tend to. It was rather adorable if I was being honest.
He would follow me in his dino-form and tried to blend in with his surroundings or pretended he wasnt following me. It was comically bad, but I didn't have the heart to tell him that.
Anyway, after my armour was repaired, I got back to work…and tried the exact same experiment again, but this time in the middle of a clearing, with myself about a kilometre away from it. And what I gleaned from that was certainly fascinating. The first thing happening was an explosion probably caused by the two forms of energon somehow igniting each other, but what happened after that was fascinating.
For just a moment, a moment a biological being probably would have missed, a white sphere with a red hue was visible. When I inspected the blast site up close, I noticed that there was a slight curve to the ground.
That intrigued me. Another test with a larger payload created a deeper curve. It's perfectly circular, as if it was cut into the ground. So I tried something different with the next test.
I dug a hole. A very deep hole. And placed the bomb deep underground. The detonation shook the earth like an earthquake, but it didn't destroy the area completely. I then used a miniscule probe the size of my finger to dig down and analyse the blast site.
A perfect sphere was cut in the centre of the explosion, about the size of three cars lined up. And here was the interesting part. There was no rubble, no dust or gas filling that pocket. Whatever that explosion destroyed the sphere….It made it invisible. Or erased it. I'm unsure if this has any use in the future, but it ignored armour.
That has a lot of potential. Last I recalled, Some Autobots had been using better Metals for their armour, as well and killing them sometimes required brute force by ripping them apart by the joints. With this, we could ignore that advantage.
The main issue I see is the explosion itself. It's powerful, but not quite the best part of the effect. It might knock away combatants before the sphere could eat at their armour. Either way, more testing would be required. As I was preparing another canister segmented into Light and Dark Energon, the alarm system of the Fortress started blaring.
The Data was promptly transmitted from one of the Drones handling communications for my drone. A large vessel was hiring towards the earth at breakneck speed. It was somewhat shaped like an asteroid, not too dissimilar to Cybertronian Alt forms used when infiltrating another planet.
We can't wait and see what happens here. The need to determine if this is a friend or foe was the first priority this instant.
I couldn't just drop what I was doing, so I connected the canister to my fuel supply for the time being and shifted some armour plates around it. I'm not leaving a dangerous bomb lying around the base where a tremor or stray shot could blow everything apart. It might be a bit dangerous for myself to do this...But it wouldn't be the first time I went into a potential firefight with a bomb on my body ready to blow.
Chuckling at the memory, I exit the base and command some of the drones to arm artillery installations and missile defence systems. The Seeker drones won't be accompanying me. Their Altforms were unique, based on flying dinosaurs of all kinds, but none could catch up to me in my own bomber Altform.
That's why I will act as a lookout to discern what this is… before the Fortress defences blow it out of the sky.
I promptly jump from the ground and transform. My thrusters have me rushing above the treetops and I promptly break the sound barrier. As my speed continues to increase, I reach the dome of the time dilation effect and am greeted by the cold Tundra of Antarctica.
The speed increases as I pull up towards the stratosphere. My trajectory has me getting a visual of the object of alarm within minutes. Its shape wasn't quite Cybertronian, or at least any kind I knew. It was also far larger than a Standard Cybertronian pod, more akin to the size of a Titan.
It was covered with thinner wires twisted together like some sort of cocoon. I try opening up a comms channel and am greeted with nothing but static. There's no return signal. No answer. The only noticeable change occurs when it breaches the planet's atmosphere and forms a drill-like structure at its front.
I decide that I've done all I can and promptly give the orders back to base.
As I continue to follow the strange vessel from a distance, I get the answer that multiple missiles have been launched. Two cluster rockets come up on my radar and rush towards the vessel. It was now heating up from reentry. Strangely enough, it seemed some kind of cooling mechanism was spraying a liquid around the midsection of the vessel.
Precious cargo maybe? Then where are the defences? This was so strange.
It didn't even attempt evasive manoeuvres as the cluster rockets split apart and embedded themselves into the backside, promptly exploding and taking down the propulsion systems. The vessel was now in free-fall and would soon crash into the ground below.
To my surprise, there was a sizable landmass beneath us. Based on what I could see and my travel log, this was the middle of Africa…Let's hope nothing goes extinct when this thing crashes down.
The Vessel was fracturing now that its cooling system was apparently defective. Bits and pieces broke apart and turned the singular ship into a mini meteor shower. With now hints of slowing down, the vessel crashes into a valley with incredible speed. Leaving a large line of broken foliage and earth. To my surprise, some systems still seemed to be working and the drill activated.
Before I could react, it somehow turned itself towards the ground and began digging through the earth with haste. Its size definitely hindered its progress, but considering it almost tunnelled underneath a mountain once I got into firing range was rather impressive. Too bad that my missiles were locked and loaded with high quality energon payloads. The resulting explosion managed to singe my paint job with the heat, it was amazing.
I didn't wait until the dust cleared and switched To radiation based sight to fly into the crater tunnel that the vessel dug. Once I arrive at the now stranded ship, I'm beholden to something even more interesting. I transformed into my robot form and held The ship was somehow…dissolving into some kind of liquid.
The liquid was seeping into the ground and changing it into some kind of metallic liquid…Was this a Terraforming vessel? Would that mean there are more to come?
My thoughts were promptly interrupted by an ungodly sound. It was a blubbering scream or screech like nails on a chalkboard. With my weapons raised, I moved sideways, circling the ship. I came across the side where something seemed to be clawing its way through the segments of the middle compartment.
The segment gives way and breaks apart like springs under too much pressure. The being that I witnessed was revolting to look at. If I could describe it…It was like a protoform…A big one, covered with malformed flesh.
…Oh wait, those were injuries, the flesh was ripped off. As it clawed itself among the ground, I noticed that its shape was meant to be humanoid to some degree, and that everything beneath its torso had actually been torn away. The amount of fluids pouring out of that injury was testament of that.
It didn't have a mouth, but the face seemed to be covered by some kind of segmented mask leaving 4 slots for eyesight, apparently. The shoulders were also an oddity, with some kind of spikes growing upwards from them. I was unsure if they were bone or metal, and by this point, I'm not sure I want to know.
But yeah, this was some kind of odd Cybernetic Organic Monstrosity and I didn't want it here. I change the weapon on my arm to an older model of an Ion Cannon and charge it's first shot. The creature that was about the size of an average seeker began screaming. The frequencies were frying my auditory receptors, and I promptly triggered my weapon.
Its skull was blown apart by the blast, causing the cavern dug by its ship to finally grow silent. I take the time to recover from the sonic attack and grow surprised when a subroutine informs me that I had a match for the sound.
I only heard it once, but it was memorable enough to be immediately recognizable. When I compared the audio files, I couldn't help but audibly state
"How the fuck was this a Celestial?"
And there you have it. Chapter done… And I have an Exam in two days.
Wish me luck. Good luck And Enjoy the chapter! Please leave a review!
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