Transformers 2: Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla
Chapter 10: Aftermath
Earth Wars Trilogy
With Zo-Zla-Halawa destroyed and Godzilla, Anguirus, and the Autobots victorious, along with Skyquake's sacrifice, Dreadwing was taken back to the Autobot base in order for him to be repaired and recover, both from having his wing clipped and from the trauma he endured when Skyquake perished. Soon enough, the Decepticon Seeker woke up from his unconsciousness, where he was laid down on a platform in Ratchet's medical bay, where the Autobot medic had repaired him.
"Where…am I…?", Dreadwing asked in a dazed state.
"Easy, Dreadwing, you have endured a lot of trauma today…", Optimus Prime said as he placed his hand on Dreadwing's shoulder.
Realizing that he had regained consciousness, Dreadwing carefully rose from the platform and got back on his own two feet, still trying to comprehend everything that was going on around him.
"You took me to your base…", Dreadwing reacted as he realized where he was before examining his own physical health. "…And you have repaired me…?"
"It was…the least we could do, for all both you and your twin had done for us", Optimus Prime replied. "Regardless, I would never allow any one of us to leave behind any defenseless life form, be they Autobot or Decepticon".
"For what it is worth, while we are sworn enemies, you have my gratitude for that, Optimus Prime", Dreadwing said. "I take it that Godzilla was successful in vanquishing Zo-Zla-Halawa, if the device that Ratchet created performed as it should".
"Indeed. Thanks to both Ratchet's expertise and the sacrifice of your twin, Zo-Zla-Halawa is no more, meaning that balance can finally return to this planet, as it should", Optimus said.
"While I am glad that our contribution was responsible for succeeding in our goal, I only wish that my twin could be here to witness it with us…", Dreadwing said in a sad tone.
"As do we all, Dreadwing, but know this: the sacrifice of Skyquake will not be in vain, for it is because of him that we will all be able to continue living our lives, including you, Dreadwing", Optimus replied. "However, it is because of the sacrifice of your twin that I will attempt to appeal to you", he continued, piquing Dreadwing's attention. "While I am glad that Zo-Zla-Halawa is gone, we all regret the fact that Skyquake's own life had to be lost in the process, but it is because of that that I raise this question to you, Dreadwing. If any of us were to aid the Decepticons in defeating a shared enemy, do you believe that Megatron would feel the same way if one of us had perished while fighting alongside him?"
In response, Dreadwing was silent, as he did not quite know what to say to Optimus Prime in this instance, as this was a particular point of view that had never entered his mind until now.
Optimus Prime continued. "I believe that you know the answer as well as I do. While Megatron may have once held ideals that even rallied noble Cybertronians like you behind it, both the ravages of time and his obsessions with victory and conquest have led him down a dark path, one that has caused him to become a shell of his former self, where he no longer holds nor cares for the ideals that convinced you to join the Decepticons during the early days of the war, and, given our history, there is no one that knows that more than myself, as I have been forced to watch as Megatron became a slave to his own pride and lust for power. But…there is another path. Side with the Autobots and help us end this conflict forever".
"While it is no secret that Megatron may not be the same gladiatorial leader he was before, it does not change the fact, contrary to your beliefs, Prime, he still holds onto the same ideals he preached so long ago, and I would never go as far as to question his honor in such a way", Dreadwing replied, offended that Megatron was thought of that way. "While you will always have my thanks in saving my life and we will always remember my twin's sacrifice, that does not alter the fact, that as one of Megatron's most loyal lieutenants, I will never take it upon myself to side with the Autobot regime…", he said in an authoritative tone.
"So be it, then", Optimus Prime frowned. "Ratchet, activate the Ground Bridge".
After giving a nod, Ratchet activated the Ground Bridge, which materialized itself from within the Autobot base, and with the Bridge opened, Dreadwing promptly walked over to it in order to leave the Autobot base. Given that Dreadwing will have been transported to and from there via the Ground Bridge, he would have no way of communicating the Autobots' location to the rest of the Decepticons, an intentional decision made by Optimus Prime. As Dreadwing made his way to the Bridge, he exchanged a glance at Arcee, still remembering their interaction earlier, when he escorted her to the Decepticon prison complex and apologized for how Cliffjumper perished.
"For what is worth, it was an honor to fight alongside all of you", Dreadwing said before entering the Ground Bridge.
"As it was, with you Dreadwing", Optimus Prime replied.
With this, Dreadwing exited the Ground Bridge on the other side, where he was now in the same location on the rocky mountains where he and Skyquake met and made a pact with the Autobots earlier. After taking a few moments to think about everything he had just been through, defying Starscream, aligning with the Autobots, witnessing and feeling his twin perish, and even being repaired by the Autobots, Dreadwing transformed into his jet mode and flew into the sky, where he would make his way back to the Decepticon warship.
Back at the Autobot base, with him having arrived in his ship to Earth at some point, along with the threat of the Decepticons now holding less prominence with Megatron out of the picture, Wheeljack deemed that it was time for him to take some time to leave Earth and search the stars. Before doing so, however, he made sure to approach Optimus Prime and the others about the matter.
"Commander, I just wanted to say, it was an honor watching you work", Wheeljack said to Optimus with upmost respect. "But I was thinking that, since I've got my ship, the Jackhammer, repaired, I was thinking I'd see if I could find some of the old Wrecker crew, maybe get our band of brothers back together", he said with some enthusiasm.
"Wheeljack, know that your services here will always be appreciated and most welcomed, and with that, know that you will always have a safe haven here", Optimus Prime smiled at the Wrecker.
"Jackie never stays…but he always comes back", Bulkhead smiled as he patted Wheeljack on the back.
"You know, there's room for one more, Bulk", Wheeljack suggested. "Who knows who we might find out there…Bots to save, Cons to scrap…"
"Sounds like fun…", Bulkhead smiled, "but my place is here now, with them, with Optimus", he said in a respectful manner.
Even though he would have loved to have had Bulkhead teaming up with him to journey through the cosmos to find and reunite with their old Wrecker friends, at the same time, he understood and respected Bulkhead's decision to remain with Team Prime on Earth.
"With all due respect, Prime, if anything happens to my favorite Wrecker, I'm gonna be coming after you…", Wheeljack joked.
"I would expect nothing different, Wheeljack", Optimus Prime smiled back.
"Take care, Jackie", Bulkhead said.
"See you on the other side, Bulk", Wheeljack said before he and Bulkhead high-fived each other.
With this, Wheeljack transformed into his car mode and drove out of the Autobot base, and soon enough, he reached the outside of it, where his ship, the Jackhammer, was parked. After transforming back into his robot mode, Wheeljack boarded his ship, got in the pilot's seat, and after inputting some commands on the control panel, flew the Jackhammer into the sky, out of Earth's atmosphere, and into the far reaches of space, where hopefully, one day, he would return to Earth and fight alongside Team Prime once again.
Meanwhile, as for Dreadwing, the Captain of the Seekers returned to the Decepticon warship, in which he landed on the ship's upper deck, where Starscream and Knockout were waiting for him. It's also worth pointing out that the Nemesis had never left Earth, as the warship was still cruising the sky.
"Dreadwing…I will say, despite our previous…disagreement, it does both of our sparks good that you have returned to us, which reminds me…I am so very sorry for your loss…", Starscream said in a tone that could not help but make Dreadwing feel irritated.
"Speak to me not of my twin, Starscream…", Dreadwing sneered.
"Very well, but as a final reminder, you will address me as 'Lord Starscream', given that our master's fate is still yet to be determined", Starscream replied. "Furthermore, you will also address Knockout here as 'Commander Knockout', for he will serve as my first lieutenant in my glorious reign…", he said as Knockout smirked. "I am sorry if that is a disappointment to you, but because you defied my orders earlier, I would not feel comfortable if you were appointed as my second in command. I hope you understand that, Dreadwing".
"Very well…", Dreadwing said, clearly growing more annoyed.
"Excellent, but with Zo-Zla-Halawa having been destroyed, I plan to address the troops on the matter, and I intend for all Decepticon officers to be present during my speech, including yourself…", Starscream said to Dreadwing.
"Affirmative, Lord Starscream…", Dreadwing replied with less annoyance, as he could not help but have his hopes that Starscream was going to give him his credit for helping defeat Zo-Zla-Halawa, as well as pay respects to Skyquake's demise.
Soon enough, the three Decepticons reached the bridge of the Nemesis warship, where Soundwave was waiting for them at the front of it, along with an army of Vehicon soldiers behind them. After taking some more steps forward, the group reached Soundwave, where Starscream would make his speech to the Decepticon troops.
"Soundwave, if you please…", Starscream addressed the communications chief.
Upon receiving the order, Soundwave used his visor to broadcast Starscream so that he would both be seen and heard from all of the computer terminals scattered across the Nemesis. With this, Starscream began his speech…
"Greetings, fellow Decepticons. I know that this may be a difficult time for all of us, with the fate of Megatron, our glorious lord and master now in jeopardy, and to be perfectly honest, even with Commander Knockout's medical expertise, it is unknown if our Lord will survive the extent of his injuries… As unfortunate as it may be, even though we do not know if Lord Megatron will perish, we must prepare for the possibility, nonetheless. So, it is with a heavy spark that, as the one who was appointed as Megatron's first lieutenant, I name myself as Lord Starscream, your new lord and master and leader of the Decepticons in Megatron's absence!"
Already, Dreadwing was beginning to grow annoyed with Starscream's speech, as it was obvious he was just using this as an opportunity to take even more power for himself and bask in its glory after doing so.
Starscream continued. "I should also be the one to point out, despite Dreadwing and Skyquake's foolish mistake of choosing to engage Zo-Zla-Halawa, resulting in the former's demise, that with the Titan's defeat at the hands of Godzilla, I, Lord Starscream, intend to finish what our master started in conquering this planet in the great name of the Decepticons!", he shouted as loud as he could so as to revel in his glory. "All hail Starscream!"
Hearing their new leader call this out, all the Vehicons present chanted together as they praised Starscream's new role as leader. "All hail Starscream! All hail Starscream! All hail Starscream!"
As the Vehicons chanted, however, and Starscream and Knockout both basked in their glory, Dreadwing could not help but feel like he had been dishonored and disgraced by this speech Starscream just gave, for not only did Starscream use it as an opportunity to flaunt his power, but even though the defeat of Zo-Zla-Halawa would not have been possible without Skyquake's sacrifice, Starscream still painted him and Dreadwing in a bad light, no doubt due to his personal vendettas against both of them. What annoyed Dreadwing the most was the fact that Starscream basically just made a mockery of Skyquake's noble sacrifice just so he could show himself off as the new leader of the Decepticons. Because of this, even while all the rest of the Decepticons chanted Starscream's name in hailing him, Dreadwing could not help but grit his teeth in frustration as he knew he would be forced to serve under Starscream's dishonorable and idiotic leadership for an undetermined period of time.
On the roof of the Autobots' base, it was now sunrise, and Arcee stood there in a state of solidarity as she allowed her mind to rest after everything had just happened, along with taking in the beautiful sunrise before her. Eventually, however, she was approached by Bumblebee, who walked up from behind her.
"Oh, hey, Bumblebee…", Arcee stammered as she saw him.
Bumblebee gave some questioning bleeps in response, asking her if she'd rather be left alone, at the moment.
"No, I'm fine", Arcee replied, her response a genuine one.
Hearing this, Bumblebee chose to stand next to her as they both looked at the sunrise together.
"Hey, Bee, I've been meaning to say…I'm sorry…for what I said…and…how I acted earlier…", Arcee said in a sheepish tone of voice, regretting how she harshly criticized Bumblebee for his actions three years ago, as well as how she acted during their confrontation with Starscream.
Bumblebee gave some more bleeping as a reply as he placed his hand on her shoulder, accepting her apology and indicating he understood how she felt due to him having to deal with losing his voice box during the War for Cybertron. Additionally, Bumblebee also communicated to her that, with her having to cope with the loss of Cliffjumper and fighting her demons trying to convince her to take revenge, that he would be there for her through it, whenever she needed the support.
"Thanks…you know, I'm…really glad to have that kind of support, Bee…", Arcee replied with a smile. "And I think that, as time goes on, I'll…I'll get better… Just gotta take it one day at a time…"
Bumblebee let out a couple more bleeps as a sign of him agreeing with and believing in her.
"There was something that was on my mind, though…", Arcee said. "I still remember, when Optimus told me that us not letting our enemies suffer when killing them was one of the things that separated us from the Decepticons…I couldn't help but think about how Skyquake and Dreadwing saved me back on the Cons' warship…how it just made me think that…maybe…they're not like the other Decepticons… I know it might sound crazy, but I just couldn't help but think about it…"
Bumblebee let out a couple more bleeps, these indicating that he could not help but agree with her in thinking this, as well as expressing hope that maybe, just maybe, Dreadwing would realize the Decepticon cause was not what it once was so long ago.
"Yeah…hopefully, because honestly, after everything that just happened, I'd much rather have Dreadwing as an ally than an enemy here", Arcee replied. "But, for now, all we can do…is just do our best…", she said as she smiled at Bumblebee.
With this, the two Autobots took in the moment to look at the beautiful sunrise together before Arcee chose to pop a question to Bumblebee.
"Bee, I've been meaning to ask you…", she said, getting Bumblebee's attention. "How were you able to beat all of Megatron's Triple Changers all on your own?", she couldn't help but ask.
The two Autobots then shared joy in each other's company as they both talked back and forth to each other during the sunrise, with Bumblebee being a pillar of support for Arcee in her plight to cope with the loss of Cliffjumper's death and to live a good and peaceful life, leaning and relying on her friends and teammates rather than revenge.
At the same time, back in Rio de Janeiro, Optimus Prime and Ironhide were standing next to the "Christ the Redeemer" statue atop the hill as they watched Godzilla lay waste to the city around him, making haste in destroying both buildings and the Dark Energon around him. Even though Godzilla was doing the humans a service in ridding of the Dark Energon, it did not change the fact that, even now, he was still angry at the species for doing what they did to him so long ago, which was why he intended for Rio de Janeiro to be nothing but a pile of rubble when he was finished with it.
"You alright, Optimus?", Ironhide asked his friend, noticing that the scene of Godzilla destroying the city was an awful sight for him.
"It's just…I cannot help but feel that, despite our best efforts these past three years, the war between Godzilla and the humans has far from ceased, and if anything, it has only gotten worse since when we arrived", Optimus Prime replied in a shameful tone. "And while Godzilla's anger towards mankind is not without reason, I do not know how much longer we can afford to try to find a solution to this conflict as more and more innocent humans perish for a crime they had no part in committing…"
"Well, I know this might be a bit of a general question here, but…do you know if there's any way we might be able to stop Godzilla, or would we be reaching too far in thinking of that?", Ironhide asked.
"Actually, there is one glimmer of hope remaining", Optimus Prime replied. "Shortly after we all arrived here on Earth, Ratchet and I made it our mission to begin searching for an ancient island used by Prima himself during the Godzilla Civil War, known as Infant Island. On that island, is said to reside one special Titan, while not as powerful as Godzilla, is the only Titan that he views as an equal in ruling over the Earth, as well as being the one who aided him in imprisoning Zo-Zla-Halawa all those millennia ago… My hope is that, if we can find Infant Island, and therefore, this Titan, then maybe she will be able to convince Godzilla to see the light once again…", he said as he and Ironhide returned their attention to Godzilla laying waste to the city. "It is with that, that hopefully, Godzilla will learn to forgive the humans for what they have done…"
Before either of them could continue speaking to each other, however, both of them received a com link transmission from Ratchet.
"Optimus, I have just made a discovery that you need to see", Ratchet said over the com link.
"Understood, Ratchet. Ironhide and I will return to base immediately", Optimus replied before a Ground Bridge materialized in front of them.
Immediately after, Optimus Prime and Ironhide arrived back at the Autobot base via the Ground Bridge, where Ratchet was there, accessing one of his terminals upon his discovery.
"Have you succeeded in locating Infant Island?", Optimus Prime asked as the Ground Bridge closed.
"No, Optimus, but I have discovered some strange readings residing from the Galapagos Islands…", Ratchet replied as he zoomed into an image of the ever-growing plant life on one of the islands. "My scanners have been detecting some rather strange energy signatures coming from the plant life scattered across this island. There appears to be some source of nuclear radiation here, which is causing an alarmingly massive overgrowth of the plant life in this area".
"With all due respect Ratchet, while we'll always be here to protect this here planet, it was from my understanding that we did that by fighting Decepticons, not by being climate activists or something", Ironhide said.
"My point, Ironhide, is that we know of the dangers radiation can cause, and we know that the only Titan, or any other living being we know of to feed on radiation on this planet, is Godzilla", Ratchet said back. "I mean, I for one find it rather peculiar that these plants, also, somehow feeding on radiation is contributing to their overgrowth. All I am saying is it may be something that we should keep a close eye on…"
"Ratchet, while I am no expert on Earth's botanical life forms, I did not believe that plants were capable of feeding on radiation", Optimus Prime said.
"They aren't", Ratchet replied. "At least, I thought that they weren't. It defies everything the humans have studied with their biology, which is why that, combined with the fact that it is causing them to rapidly overgrow, is why there may be more to this…freak of nature…than we might initially believe…", he said with concern as he looked at the plants overgrowing to incredibly large sizes and taking up more space on the Galapagos Island.
"I am inclined to agree, old friend, for there may be more to these botanical life forms…than meets the eye…"