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randomplaces2008-10-13 12:56 pm
random_xtras) wrote in randomplaces2008-10-13 12:56 pm
Entry tags:
Fusion-'verse. Various locations. Reformat ((Warnings: character death))
Megatron frowned deeply as he listened to Rodimus Prime's report, his arms crossed over his chest where he and Oriana Pax's combined sparks ached at the words of the young Autobot leader.
"Soundwave and his recorders were found dead, with no marks on them. Skywarp and Thundercracker are missing." Rodimus' jaw clenched. "The bodies were left where they lay, and the security footage was wiped. It's the same MO as for the attack at the rebel base, except that no one disappeared there."
Megatron glanced at where Ultra-Magnus sat with bowed head next to him at the table, then looked over at Jazz, who was leaning against the door frame and staring blankly out into the Cybertronian dawn.
Rumbling, he bowed his own head, fists clenching. Soundwave... faithful retainer. And Starscream... I carried her through the bowels of Unicron to save her life, and then carried her through the bowels of Primus to try and get her life restored... and she's gone too now.... I will never be able to right the wrongs that I did to her.
-Primus has her.- Oriana's thought was a soft caress.
His optics flickered, and then he nodded. -That... doesn't ease the pain, Optimus.-
-I know.-
He shut his optics off, trying to lose himself in her spark snuggle, but then leaped to his feet and sent the table crashing onto its side as Jazz fell with a strangled cry.
"No!" Rodimus vaulted the fallen furniture and rushed the figure who stepped inside over the black and white mech's body.
As Megatron, Oriana, and Ultra-Magnus watched in startled horror the intruder punched a hand through the young Prime's chest, then shot him at point blank range as she wrenched the Matrix free and held it up with a triumphant cackle.
It was a Seeker, yet not a Seeker. Slender. Black as the death of hope. She swept the room with a crimson gaze that was pitiless, scornful, and mad.
"What... Starscream?" Megatron took a step toward her, but then stopped as she pointed that fatal weapon at his chest.
"Starscream was a weak fool," she said, her voice cold as the void of space. "She threw her life away for naught. Look on me and despair, for I am Deathscream!"
He frowned at the feeling of wrongness that came from her. "What do you want?"
She smirked and kicked Hot-Rod aside, then sauntered closer, not looking around at the two other Transformers who followed her inside. "It's not a matter of what I want. You want this trinket, and Unicron wants a word with you. You know what to do."
Her smirk widened as she pointed her gun at Ultra-Magnus' head without taking those fiery cold optics from Megatron's.
"My lady," said the femme who had followed her. "There's a squadron of Seekers coming."
"Oh really?" Deathscream stood poised for a moment, but then transformed and shot skyward, going through the ceiling and roof as though they had been paper. "Cyclonus! Scourge! To me as we hunt!"
"No!" shouted Megatron, launching himself after her, only to fall with a clatter and a grunt as Ultra-Magnus flying tackled him to the ground.
"Seeker squadron, abandon attack!" shouted the Autobot over his communicator. "I repeat, abandon attack and disperse! Get the slag out of here NOW!"
"Let go of me!" Megatron wrenched an arm free, only to sputter and see static as Ultra-Magnus punched him in the face.
"You go out there now, and you die! Just like Jazz and Rodimus did...."
Oriana's rage, which had been as hot as his own, faltered and tumbled toward grief. Megatron winced and stopped fighting. "Let me go."
"No stupid stuff?" Ultra-Magnus looked at him, wincing slightly as the sound of a fuselage hitting the ground came from outside.
"No... stupid stuff." Megatron's voice was resigned. "Let go."
The Autobot did so, eying him warily the whole way. "They're gone. Some kind of warp gate."
"That explains how they came and went at the other sites," said Oriana as her mate pushed himself up and turned toward Hot Rod's crumpled shell. "Though, if that was Starscream... she must have been changed days ago. And Soundwave...."
"I don't want to think about it." Megatron hunkered down and gently turned Hot Rod over, his optics switching off for a moment as he saw the peace on the young mech's dead face. "Primus...."
-He's with Arcee, and Springer,- murmured Oriana brokenly, her affection and grief for the two murdered mechs flooding her senses.
Megatron stared, trying to understand the feelings and how to deal with them, then just cradled Hot Rod's broken shell and wept.
"Soundwave and his recorders were found dead, with no marks on them. Skywarp and Thundercracker are missing." Rodimus' jaw clenched. "The bodies were left where they lay, and the security footage was wiped. It's the same MO as for the attack at the rebel base, except that no one disappeared there."
Megatron glanced at where Ultra-Magnus sat with bowed head next to him at the table, then looked over at Jazz, who was leaning against the door frame and staring blankly out into the Cybertronian dawn.
Rumbling, he bowed his own head, fists clenching. Soundwave... faithful retainer. And Starscream... I carried her through the bowels of Unicron to save her life, and then carried her through the bowels of Primus to try and get her life restored... and she's gone too now.... I will never be able to right the wrongs that I did to her.
-Primus has her.- Oriana's thought was a soft caress.
His optics flickered, and then he nodded. -That... doesn't ease the pain, Optimus.-
-I know.-
He shut his optics off, trying to lose himself in her spark snuggle, but then leaped to his feet and sent the table crashing onto its side as Jazz fell with a strangled cry.
"No!" Rodimus vaulted the fallen furniture and rushed the figure who stepped inside over the black and white mech's body.
As Megatron, Oriana, and Ultra-Magnus watched in startled horror the intruder punched a hand through the young Prime's chest, then shot him at point blank range as she wrenched the Matrix free and held it up with a triumphant cackle.
It was a Seeker, yet not a Seeker. Slender. Black as the death of hope. She swept the room with a crimson gaze that was pitiless, scornful, and mad.
"What... Starscream?" Megatron took a step toward her, but then stopped as she pointed that fatal weapon at his chest.
"Starscream was a weak fool," she said, her voice cold as the void of space. "She threw her life away for naught. Look on me and despair, for I am Deathscream!"
He frowned at the feeling of wrongness that came from her. "What do you want?"
She smirked and kicked Hot-Rod aside, then sauntered closer, not looking around at the two other Transformers who followed her inside. "It's not a matter of what I want. You want this trinket, and Unicron wants a word with you. You know what to do."
Her smirk widened as she pointed her gun at Ultra-Magnus' head without taking those fiery cold optics from Megatron's.
"My lady," said the femme who had followed her. "There's a squadron of Seekers coming."
"Oh really?" Deathscream stood poised for a moment, but then transformed and shot skyward, going through the ceiling and roof as though they had been paper. "Cyclonus! Scourge! To me as we hunt!"
"No!" shouted Megatron, launching himself after her, only to fall with a clatter and a grunt as Ultra-Magnus flying tackled him to the ground.
"Seeker squadron, abandon attack!" shouted the Autobot over his communicator. "I repeat, abandon attack and disperse! Get the slag out of here NOW!"
"Let go of me!" Megatron wrenched an arm free, only to sputter and see static as Ultra-Magnus punched him in the face.
"You go out there now, and you die! Just like Jazz and Rodimus did...."
Oriana's rage, which had been as hot as his own, faltered and tumbled toward grief. Megatron winced and stopped fighting. "Let me go."
"No stupid stuff?" Ultra-Magnus looked at him, wincing slightly as the sound of a fuselage hitting the ground came from outside.
"No... stupid stuff." Megatron's voice was resigned. "Let go."
The Autobot did so, eying him warily the whole way. "They're gone. Some kind of warp gate."
"That explains how they came and went at the other sites," said Oriana as her mate pushed himself up and turned toward Hot Rod's crumpled shell. "Though, if that was Starscream... she must have been changed days ago. And Soundwave...."
"I don't want to think about it." Megatron hunkered down and gently turned Hot Rod over, his optics switching off for a moment as he saw the peace on the young mech's dead face. "Primus...."
-He's with Arcee, and Springer,- murmured Oriana brokenly, her affection and grief for the two murdered mechs flooding her senses.
Megatron stared, trying to understand the feelings and how to deal with them, then just cradled Hot Rod's broken shell and wept.
Chapter 5
Cyclonus gave his weaker sister a crimson glare as she looked at their leader sadly. "Did you get them?"
"Yes." She turned and quickly walked to the corner where the two globes lay resting on a pad of fabric that looked like it had been a human flag. "Do you want them now?"
"Get them installed," said Galvatron shortly without turning away from his course plotting.
"Yes, sir!" Scourge scooped them up and flew up toward where Unicron's empty sockets let in the cold light of the stars, two of her Sweeps trailed her.
Deathscream scowled at the last one, which was wrapped in his wings and looking slightly unfocused, then turned away from him with a sneer to watch Galvatron. Galvatron, for his part, ignored her with hunched shoulder.
"Are you damaged?" Cyclonus inquired of the Sweep.
"Yes, sir." The minion lifted his chin in an attempt at courage.
"How badly?"
"Scourge says that I'll be recovered by tomorrow." Ruby optics darted about fearfully behind their glass as the Sweep shivered slightly.
Cyclonus eyed him, then decided it would be a waste of resources to terminate him and turned on his heel to head toward a door behind the computer console.
"Where are you going?" came the sharp demand from in front of the terminal.
Cyclonus paused, watching the ailing Sweep scurry for cover. "To check the spare sparks."
"Waste of space," grumbled Galvatron, then frowned through his scowl as something seemed to perk within him. "We don't need anymore bumbling, brainless minions fumbling their missions and bringing shame to the name of Unicron."
Cyclonus lifted a brow as a blast from his commander's gun vaporised the damaged Sweep. "Should I terminate them?"
"No. Unicron wants them." Galvatron returned to his work.
"Yes, sir." Cyclonus left the room.
"My lord?" said Deathscream softly as she felt the floor beneath them begin to move.
"What?" growled Galvatron without looking at her.
She quailed, confused and hurt by his response, but continued. "Where are we going?"
"To Cybertron to get our master a body." He absently scratched at a spot of mech fluid he'd found on his chest, then resumed sending commands to the drone that had been Trypticon as it pushed Unicron's head toward their destination.
"Of course!" breathed Deathscream, her face lighting with understanding. "That will work perfectly! And then the Autobots won't have anywhere to hide."
Part of Galvatron wanted so badly to be pleased as the control room echoed with her delighted laughter, but the part that had twice noticed the wrongness only glowered irritably and turned his back to the black femme.
-You are not pleased with your mate, Galvatron?-
He started, spark fluttering in a slight fear that he didn't fully understand. -She hasn't done anything to displease me. I'm just eager to get you restored. Everything else grates on my patience.-
-She can be replaced.-
-No, Unicron. Deathscream does her job well, and she's loyal.-
-Very well.- The awareness of his master's presence faded, leaving him scowling at the screen in wrathful confusion.