Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC Siren and any alterations to the original storyline plot her presence creates to various readers amusement everywhere across the globe.
Transformers One: Siren Chapter 5
When one sets off on a quest, you'd think it would be filled with terrible ordeals and trials ahead.
They're just at the start of it and right now the only thing harrowing about it…is B-127's incessant chattering.
The bulk of them now understand why B-127's previous supervisors sent him down into no-mans land. B-127 can really talk a person's ear off and drive them insane as he constantly moves from one subject to another to keep the conversation going.
Elita-1's lived with Orion annoying her so she's better at ignoring it, but Orion has had to stop D-16 from jumping the younger bot a few times. Good thing B-127 is ahead of them or that really would've hurt the sensitive bots' feelings.
Siren's not paying attention to any of that. Her attentiveness is trained on more important things.
Ever since they first started walking on their trek, Siren's become so absorbed in the world around her. Marveling at every new object, sight, sound, and feeling that comes with it.
So distracted she is that D-16 and Orion have been required to backtrack a few times to make certain Siren doesn't accidentally become separated from them. They soon resort to Siren staying close to the front so they can keep a closer eye on her and urge her onward whenever she stops for too long to investigate.
Siren can't help it. She's loving this.
Every essence of nature they encounter doesn't weird her out like it does the others. She's utterly fascinated by it.
Their journey takes to what had once been a thriving energon river is now a stream that is barely a trickle.
A herd of Cybertronian deer is around it, peacefully grazing. As soon as they see the group coming they stop and stare. They then return to grazing.
Siren is contemplating whether or not to risk going over to one when a deep rumble is heard, setting them all on the alert.
The herd takes off leaving the stupefied group behind. Instinctively, they flee in the same direction into an old and rusty abandoned city for cover.
Much to their horror the sound is identified to be originating from a Quintesson ship.
Quintessons, who haven't been seen or heard from since the war ended in their defeat over 50 cycles ago.
It doesn't make sense. Why would the Quintessons be in that area? There's nothing out there.
They aren't provided much time to dwell on that. One of those deer crosses the ship's path and ends up being shot to smithereens. The ship scans for other lifeforms, forcing the five of them to run in order to stay off its radar.
D-16, Elita-1, and B-127 make it under a bridge for concealment. Orion and Siren are the last. The two of them almost make it, but a problem arises.
Siren ends up tripping and Orion catches her which slows them down. Orion resorts to a thin archway to keep out of the scanning perimeter. To steer clear of it, Orion keeps Siren between him, and the archway and presses close into it.
Siren's spark beats rapidly in her chassis, holding her breath.
The ship passes over the two, leaving them undetected.
Quintessons now hanging over them, this group can't stick around her, or else they risk being found.
The map takes them to a looming mountain surrounded and covered by trees, flora, and other vegetation.
A large opening on the outside takes them into a cave where only thick slivers of light touch the ground.
As they move further and further inside the five of them reach a horrified realization.
This isn't just a cave. It's a tomb.
Spread out all around are the bodies of the fallen 13 Primes.
They quickly surmise that this is where the legendary Primes had made their last stand before falling in battle.
It would explain why Alpha Trion's distress message had originated from here and not from anywhere else.
Siren hangs her head in sorrow and grief. She turns back into D-16's hold, leaning on his chest, but not before the others could see tears in her eyes.
Each disperse, going over to a different Prime to investigate.
Unsurprisingly, D-16 is drawn over to Megatronus. The one D-16 loves and admires above all the others.
"D, I'm so sorry," whispered Siren.
D-16 presses his head against the side of hers, optics livid.
Orion locates Zeta Prime, the last carrier of the Matrix. Upon closer inspection, it's discovered his chest is vacant.
The Matrix isn't there.
It has to be with one of the others, so they all make haste to look for it.
During the search, Siren stares in heartache at the fallen Primes and can't contain herself. They had died in this desolate tomb alone and unremembered for who knows how long.
No more.
Siren put all her spark into that lament, showing proper respect to the 13 Primes.
"That was beautiful, Siren," said D-16, appreciatively.
"He's right. You honor the Prime's sacrifice and Primus with your song," agreed Orion.
"I hope they liked it," said Siren, sniffling.
Orion is drawn over to an area where he can see a light blinking under some boulders. With everyone's help, they uncover what is underneath.
It's one of the 13, Alpha Trion.
And he's still alive. His spark is still beating, just powered down.
B-127 offers an energon cube he has on him. Orion slips it inside Alpha Trion's mouth and within a handful of seconds the elder one returns to life.
Alpha Trion snaps awake.
Alpha Trion's movements are erratic after being asleep for so long. He's disoriented, not knowing where he is.
It's only when Orion calms him down and reassures him that he's safe and the war with the Quintessons is over does Alpha Trion returns to full consciousness.
Spotting his fallen brethren, Alpha Trion stumbles on shaky legs over to the nearest one.
Zeta Prime.
Leaning over him, mournfully, grief-stricken, Alpha Trion said "I failed you, old friend. You deserved so much better than this end."
Slowly approaching so as not to startle Alpha Trion, Orion said "Sir, you didn't fail. We heard your message. We've come to find the Matrix."
Gesturing at their chests, alarmed, Alpha Trion said "Your transformation cogs. What happened to you? Who are you?"
"We're cogless miners. From Iacon," said D-16.
"Miners? Why," said Alpha Trion in puzzlement.
"Well, we've had to drill for energon ever since it stopped flowing," said Elita-1.
"Impossible," said Alpha Trion.
"That's why we came. To fix things. If we find the Matrix of Leadership and get it to Sentinel Prime, he can-."
"Sentinel is no Prime," bellowed Alpha Trion, furiously.
"What," yelled B-127.
"He's broken. Fantastic," said Elita-1.
"What are you talking about? Why would you say that," said Orion.
Stepping forward, D-16 said "Sentinel Prime is our protector. He's been saving us from the Quintessons."
"Alpha Trion, Sentinel is a Prime. He's been leading us ever since the rest of you disappeared," said Siren.
"You have not been saved. You have been living a lie. I saw the truth with my own eyes. Come. I will show you," directed Alpha Trion.
The five of them comply with equal amounts of skepticism.
Describing and showing everything that occurred on that ill-fated day with his magic to the last detail while showing the records in front of their very eyes, filled to the brim with torment, agony, misery, and suffering Alpha Trion said "For thousands of cycles, the war with the Quintessons had been a brutal conflict. Until Sentinel, the principal aide to the Primes intercepted an enemy transmission. There was going to be a secret gathering of Quintesson commanders. Their elimination could end the war. It was a mission so important, we Primes took it upon ourselves. We agreed to meet Sentinel for his sensitive intel in secret. Here, in this cave. But we were not alone. The Quintessons were waiting for us. We were outnumbered but stood as one. Our victory was near. Until we were betrayed. Sentinel had my comrades killed for all the power of Cybertron. But Sentinel never understood the true power of what he desired. The Matrix of Leadership can only be wielded by one that Primus himself deems worthy. And Sentinel most certainly was not."
The feed ends with the Matrix of Leader vanishing from Sentinel's hands.
Dropping to his knees, Orion said "Wait, wait, hold on, you're saying that the Matrix of Leadership just vanished?"
"No, no, no, no, no, that is impossible," said D-16, denying what they saw unfold. "I don't believe it."
The death of Megatronus by Sentinel's own sword hit D-16 hard.
Siren is whipping away the tears dripping from her optics.
"Why would Sentinel do that," said Elita-1.
"To make a bargain," answered Alpha Trion.
"A bargain? With who," asked B-127.
"With the new rulers of Cybertron," said Alpha Trion, solemnly.
The save chamber shakes as something large is approaching from outside.
A Quintesson War Command vessel is outside, surrounded by smaller ones outside the cave.
At first, the five of them are worried they've been found out but soon learn that's not the case.
Sentinel unexpectedly shows up with Arachnid and members of his fleet.
It's a serious blow to them when Sentinel and his entourage bow in submission to the Quintessons.
It gets even more disagreeable when Sentinel presents the Quintessons with thousands of crates filled with energon extracted from the mines. Energon that had been drilled and mined by their own hands. It's revealed that Sentinel had been working them so hard to fulfill a debt he had to the Quintessons when they'd allied to take out the 13 Primes.
It's true. Everything Alpha Trion told them is all true. This alone is confirmation.
Sentinel would be working the rest down there even harder now to make sure the contract is reached.
A prospect that infuriates D-16 to the core and he would've charged out to confront Sentinel if Siren and Orion didn't have the sense to hold him back.
Watching Sentinel bow before the Quintessons in submission and handing over their energon under the guise of waste control was worse than a kick to the stomach.
"Now you have seen the truth," said Alpha Trion, somberly.
The wool over their eyes has been removed, leaving them no longer blind in light of this recent development.
For the miners, it shocks them to their very core that all this time while they assumed they were mining to keep their fellow transformers fed and going they've been working for the Quintessons the entire time.
Sentinel's level of neglect toward all of them is insurmountable.
Out of the D-16, Orion, and Siren, D-16 had looked up to Sentinel the most so this was hitting him the hardest. Siren is doing her best to ease his pain, leaning against his side and laying her head on his shoulder.
While Siren is sitting with D-16, Elita-1 and B-127 are sitting in separate spots and Orion is pacing back and forth in the cave trying to process everything they'd just seen and heard.
The whole group is left extremely nonplussed.
Cybertron deserved a true and noble leader to guide them, and they got a piece of scum like Sentinel instead. All the consistent lies he dealt to them were just too much.
"Every day, every single day of my life has been a lie," said D-16, beyond disconcerted.
Immediately disenchanted, Orion said "Oh my god, I knew it. Deep down, I've always felt that something was off."
"I never liked his eyes. Every time I looked into them, it always made me feel uncomfortable," admits Siren. "I never mentioned it because I thought I was imagining things."
Quietly, D-16 said "He deceived everyone."
Revolted, Elita-1 said "Sentinel bought himself power and then put us to work, paying off his debt."
B-127 bemoaned "I can't believe it. I mean, obviously, I can believe it. I just saw it, but still…I can't believe it."
Seething, D-16 growled "Sentinel lied to my face."
A revelation hitting her, optics wide, Siren said "Guys…I don't think us going down to sublevel 50 was an accident."
With the truth now laid out in front of them it all makes sense. Sentinel had placed the three of them down there to get them out of the way. He'd never meant to help them at all. Sentinel had viewed them as troublemakers and gotten rid of the problem. Sentinel hadn't wanted D-16 and Orion in the picture because they'd upset the balance of the unfair working system he'd built and posed a threat to his energon production. Siren had simply been collateral damage for interfering.
Shaking his head, disappointed with himself for not seeing it sooner, Orion said "It was all a sham. How could we have been so gullible?"
"Without the other Primes around to contradict Sentinel's story there was no one else for Cybertron to look to," reasoned Siren, gently.
"With Alpha Trion back and running, they will now. Oh this, this is going to change everything," said Orion.
D-16 doesn't share in Orion's positivity, too much rage coursing through him.
Optics hardened considerably, taking his anger out on a piece of rock by stomping on it repeatedly, sarcastically, D-16 said "You just had to do it, didn't you?"
"Me? What did I do," said Orion in exasperation.
Incredulously, D-16 said "You just had to go to the surface, had to enter the Iacon 5000. You just had to break protocol."
"Who cares about protocol," said Orion, indignantly.
Rising from his seated position and rounding on Orion despite Siren's attempts to keep him still, D-16 shouted "I do! I care! Because nothing bad happens when you stay on protocol."
"Sentinel Prime has been forcing us to work in the mines until our gears strip. And all the while, he's been giving the energon away to our greatest enemies."
"And what do you think he's going to do to us when he finds out that we know," demanded D-16.
"I'm not thinking about what he's going to do. I'm thinking about what we're going to do," countered Orion.
"Well, that's the whole thing. You're never thinking about anything else. Just yourself. Fantastic," said D-16, facepalming in frustration, wrly. "Another Orion Pax Master plan. I can't wait to hear this."
"Don't you want to stop him," said Orion, perplexed by D-16's negative reaction to taking action.
Facial features contorting in uncontainable rage, D-16 exclaimed "No, I want to kill him! I want to put Sentinel in chains and march him through the mines so that everyone can see him for the false Prime that he is! I want him to suffer and then to die in darkness! But we all know that it doesn't matter what I want, right Pax?"
All stare at D-16 with stunned, wide eyes.
Even the wise Alpha Trion appears uneasy although he conceals it better than the rest do as he scrutinizes D-16 closely with narrowed optics carrying concern.
Siren is left shocked, taken aback by D-16's switch in behavior.
Just before those gentle hands she knew were comforting her in consolation and now they very much looked like they wanted to kill someone.
This is not the gentle, kind, and forgiving bot Siren or Orion have always known him to be.
Orion and Siren exchange a glance, realizing this conclusion at the same time.
Sentinel's betrayal has hit D-16 the hardest of them all and is causing their friend to think and behave irrationally.
D-16 cannot act this way. Not now when Orion needs him to have his back the most.
Everyone in this group has been enlightened to the truth of what's really going on and they cannot let this go.
But there's a right way to do it and then there's a wrong way to do it.
Siren needs to remind D-16 that there is a better way. Together and not alone. They can't tear themselves into division because they disagree on how to handle this situation now.
Not with so much more that might be depending on them.
Siren must calm D-16's mind. Clear it off the cloud of anger and hatred that has risen in it from Sentinel's actions of impudence toward them and insolent toward the Primes all of Cybertron loved and respected.
Showing no fear, Siren places her hand on D-16's shaking fist in order to draw his attention over to her. To make sure he does, Siren cups his cheek in a feather touch and turns his stubborn head to look her directly in the face. The two of them lock optics, his filled with hurt, anger, and hatred, and Siren's with understanding, compassion, and infinite caring.
Like it usually does, Siren's voice and eyes affect D-16 in a very prominent manner. Her natural relative sweetness did the trick and swept it all away. While he'd stubbornly attempted to hold onto his burning outrage and resentment, slowly it ebbed away from roaring flames to embers. Therefore, making it much more contained and manageable to work with.
Engulfing her much smaller hand in his, D-16 said "Alright, fine. You win. I'm in, but I don't know how much we can do. No matter what we say or do, we are still cogless bots, right? We had limited options. And now, we have none."
"Don't say that," pleaded Siren, softly.
But there's no denying the truth to what D-16 is saying. Without cogs, there's very little they can do to defend themselves against those that do possess.
Fortunately, Alpha Trion knows differently.
Telling them to the contrary, rising to his peds to address them, Alpha Trion said "No son or daughter of Cybertron is born without a cog."
Scoffing, tapping the empty hole in his chassis, and swinging his arm for emphasis, D-16 said "Oh, yeah. I've been with myself since I came online, and this slot has always been empty."
"D, please," admonished Siren, wrapping both hands around his wrist.
"So, what are you saying? Are you saying…," said Elita-1, trailing off as the horrors of what Alpha Trion is implying set in.
Shaking his head in downright denial, B-127 said "No, no way. Nobody could be that evil. Not even Sentinel."
"He removed your cogs before you came online," confirmed Alpha Trion, gravely.
Appalled, voice cracking, Orion said "We were born with transformation cogs, but…"
"He took them from us," finished D-16, teeth gritted, jaw clenched.
Speaking with infinite wisdom of the ages, Alpha Trion said "What defines a transformer is not the cog is not the cog in his chest, but the spark that resides in their core. A spark that gives you the will to make your world better. My fellow Primes had that spark and I see their strength in you. Take their cogs and access your full potential." The whole time he was talking, Alpha Trion led them into the center of the tomb, the center of the circle of deceased Primes. He kneels down and activates his power, drawing forth the working t-cogs from his fallen comrades and presenting them to the five young and promising mechs and femmes standing before him. "Prima. Onyx. Alchemist. Microns. Zeta. Warriors of noble spirit. Loyalty. Strength. Their uniqueness enhanced by these." As soon as the five donned the offered t-cogs they calibrated with their systems and began to morph them. The t-cogs made each of them grow in size, enhancing their features and adding new ones to alternate vehicular modes that are now one with their very sparks along with weapons they would need for the fight ahead. By the end of the transformation, the five of them looked marvelous. "They were one. You are one. All are one."
The five are new improved and formidable.
Grinning in astonished and flabbergasted disbelief, Orion said "We have…You…You gave us the…"
Affirmably, Alpha Trion said "The ability to change your world. How you choose to use that power is up to you."
Orion and D-16 laugh bumping fists.
Siren giggles, twirling on her heels, admiring her newly enhanced form.
Elita-1 and B-127 are pointing out notable changes in themselves.
The joy and celebration of these new gifts is short-lived. Cut short when explosions suddenly sound from above them, making the cave's foundations quake.
"They found us," stated Alpha Trion.
Looks like they're going to be thrown into it sooner than they thought.
Authors Note:
What weapons do you think Siren should have?
I just realized we are already passed the halfway point in the movie. Man we are getting through this one fast! I haven't been this pumped up since I did my Planet of the Apes series.
What beast mode does Alpha Trion have so I know what to put down?
The songs that would've been here are the English translation of Song chord from Avatar The Ways of Water and Knowing What I Know Now from Wish with little changes here and there to make them fit better for the characters. I'm not sure about the rest of you, but I think they would've fit perfectly here.
I hope you all like this one! I certainly did while writing it for your vast enjoyment! ;D
For those of you just starting out with my stuff there are other works on my profile that may catch your interest. I highly recommend you take a look as soon as the opportunity presents itself to you. Who knows, you may be pleasantly surprised by what you discover.
Stay safe everyone. Especially with all of these crazy natural disasters occurring a lot lately due to global warming and climate change everywhere for sure. I swear it's like they're getting worse and worse all the time and it's like officials are simply just ignoring it or pretending it doesn't exist entirely just to go on with their daily lives. Especially those in multi-million dollar companies that rely on certain elements of our planet that we rely on to naturally keep us safe instead of adapting and finding new safer ways to keep in business. There are so many options out there where they can adapt, but they just refuse to see it because all they care about is money. Climate change is altering so much faster than anyone can really keep track of.
So, in light of all this, it is important to live life to the fullest as much as anyone can.
I know I am. ;) See you guys next time.