Gaslight_Dreamer (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
wyntir_knight) wrote2007-07-02 04:07 am
wyntir_knight) wrote2007-07-02 04:07 am
Entry tags:
Metamorphosis, Chapter 14
Metamorphosis, Chapter 14.
This was originally intended to be Chapter 13, and in the final version it probably will be, just so that I can keep with my series of Decepticon, Autobot, Decepticon, Autobot, Unicronian. In the meantime, though, it's 14.
Starbolt tore through the halls of the Cybertonian underground, consumed by her fury, completely unaware of Ratbat’s presence.
“How dare he?!” she screamed. “How dare he dismiss me?! How dare he deny me!?”
She spun and slammed her fist into a wall panel. Sparks flew from a console and the lights within flickered and died.
“The flyer is mine! Soundwave will not keep him from me! He owes me everything! Without me he would be nowhere! He would be fodder for the Autobot patrols!” she screamed.
Ratbat watched the femme from a distance, chuckling quietly to himself. Her entire view on the situation was completely skewed; she was living in her own little world, and had no clue as to her true place in the grand scheme of things. She was a tool, a pawn to be used and discarded as Soundwave chose. It was a pity she held herself in such high esteem. She was useful to be sure, a skilled warrior, but she was certainly not indispensable.
“No one denies me! He owes me!” she screamed, slamming her fist into another wall. This time, it was not the wall that gave.
She screamed in pain as the delicate circuitry in her hand was crushed by the force of her blow. In her rage, she continued to punch and kick the walls, leaving a trail of blue-green mech fluid in her wake. Finally she collapsed against a door, sobbing cradling her injured hand, her tantrum spent.
As she gasped and sobbed out the rest of her anger, Ratbat came to rest nearby, being very careful to remain out of arm’s reach. He opened a direct link to Soundwave.
“Her tantrum is over. She is of no danger to us at the present moment,” he reported.
“Continue observation. Report any changes. Ensure she takes no action against us,” Soundwave ordered.
“Acknowledged,” Ratbat replied before cutting the connection.
He turned his attention back to Starbolt. She was still distraught, but was no longer crying. Instead, she sat on the floor, slowly banging the back of her head against the door. It was not hard enough to hurt herself, but it was creating a steady banging in the otherwise silent hall. Suddenly, as her head was moving back again, she stopped and looked around.
“Yes,” she whispered, “yes. I hear you.”
Ratbat extended his senses out. There was no one else here, and there certainly was no one speaking. There were only two possibilities; she had lost her mind or this was a ruse. He kept back and continued to watch the femme, gathering more information before informing Soundwave of this new development.
“I don’t understand … Who are you?” Starbolt asked the air.
Against his better judgement, Ratbat moved closer. He was still out of reach, but only barely so. Again, he extended his senses, and again, he found nothing. Starbolt, however, was scanning as undamaged.
“I … of course!” Starbolt whispered, understanding in her optics. “Of course I understand and I agree! I agree completely!”
Something was wrong. This was outside of Ratbat’s experience and he was not about to make a mistake, not now. He opened a channel to Soundwave and received nothing but static.
“I agree and I am yours!” Starbolt said, a look of pure ecstasy on her face.
She stood and turned to the door she had been leaning against.
“With what you are offering, I will do anything you ask!” she said.
As she spoke the door opened and a pale, blue light flooded the hall. Ratbat watched in silence as Starbolt entered the light. He shot forward to enter the room before the door closed. As he entered the light, a bolt of electricity shot out and wrapped itself around him. Ratbat’s body froze up and he let out an electronic shriek as he hit the ground. The last thing he saw before his systems offlined was Starbolt walking down a blue-lit corridor lined with whipping, writhing tentacles of living metal.
٭٭٭
Red Eye locked the door to his quarters behind him and leaned against it wearily. There was just something about that femme that petrified him. Even before he knew what she was, she had frightened him. There was a malevolence that radiated from her, like she was some kind of giant predator and he was her next meal. Considering her nature as a mechannibal, that fear was well placed. Red Eye had to wonder just how long Soundwave could keep her reigned in, and if he was truly so arrogant that he believed he could control her.
He moved to the berth and sat down heavily, burying his face in his hands. As much as he feared her, he couldn’t get Starbolt out of his thoughts. He could still feel her fingers on the leading edge of his wing, her body pressed against his.
“Come now, darling. I won’t hurt you. In fact, it will be quite pleasurable indeed”
Red Eye shuddered as he heard Starbolt’s voice whispering in his audials.
“No,” he whispered. “I dinnae want this … leave me alone!”
“Oh come now, you don’t mean that,” Starbolt said, her voice very real.
Red Eye looked up and was startled to see the mechannibal femme inside his room, leaning against the door.
“How did ye get in here?!” Red Eye demanded.
“Oh come now. You don’t honestly think that a little door could keep us apart, do you?” she asked.
“Get out! Yer nae wanted here!” Red Eye yelled, standing up to confront the femme.
“You know that’s not true,” she replied silkily. “After all, if it was you wouldn’t have been thinking about me.”
“I wasnna thinkin’ about ye,” Red Eye whispered.
“That’s not true and you know it,” Starbolt replied coming further into the room. “Don’t deny that you were imaging my hands on your wings. We both know that you were thinking about what I can do for you, what I can give to you.”
“I wasn’t! And I want you out!” Red Eye ordered. His tone was determined, but he continued to back away, until he was against the far wall.
Starbolt advanced, moving seductively across the room until there was no space between her and the seeker. She placed her hands on his chest and traced his canopy. Red Eye shuddered and tried to push her away ineffectually. Starbolt laughed and traced her finger along his jaw.
“Soundwave and his little minions aren’t here to help you,” she whispered. “And let’s face it; you don’t want them to be.”
“Go … away …,” Red Eye whispered hoarsely, but his body was responding. He found himself leaning in as her energy field began to meld with his.
“That’s better,” Starbolt whispered, her lips brushing the seeker’s cheek. “That’s it. Give in to me. Give me everything. Don’t fight it. You know you don’t want to.”
As their lips met a blue light flared between them. Out in the hall a scream shattered the silence, almost masking the electronic shriek that came from further down the hall.
٭٭٭
Soundwave left his makeshift quarters and headed toward one of the control rooms. On their way into the underground complex they had passed a room containing a single console and a platform. The appearance was reminiscent of a theoretical matter transfer device that the Decepticons had once researched. The end result of that research was the Space Bridge, a thoroughly effective, and yet deeply flawed device.
The Space Bridge was powerful, there was no doubt about that, but its fuel consumption made it almost cost prohibitive, and it was only accurate seventy five percent of the time. Without a cognitive mind to guide it, the accuracy rate dropped to less than five percent. Decepticon folklorists, however, told stories that in the old days, in the days before the Golden Age, there had been technology on Cybertron that had allowed for instant trans-material teleportation. According to the stories, the device was accurate, safe, and used minimal power to operate. It was these legends that had led scientists to create the Space Bridge, but they had never succeeded in getting anything even remotely close to the alleged original device.
He entered the platform chamber and approached the console. It was primitive, to be sure, using dials and clockwork, but there was a quiet power radiating from it. An indefinable energy field emanated from the entire room, creating a gentle, warming buzz. It was a pleasant feeling, but there was something about it that bothered Soundwave. It was as if the room was trying to lull him into a false sense of security. There were scientific secrets here that had been lost to the Decepticons, secrets that would give him unimaginable power. It would take time to decipher the ancient writing, to understand the clockwork mechanisms, but the information gleaned would be more than worth the time. There was a faint warning in his processor, however. There was something about this that was just too perfect. And as the humans said; if it looked too good to be true, it probably was. For such a primitive and flawed species, they had amazing insight sometimes.
Soundwave’s thoughts were interrupted by a communiqué from Ratbat.
“Her tantrum is over. She is of no danger to us at the present moment,” he reported.
“Continue observation. Report any changes. Ensure she takes no action against us,” Soundwave ordered.
“Acknowledged,” Ratbat replied before cutting the connection.
Soundwave offlined his optics for a moment. When he reactivated them he looked around the room unemotionally, looking to see it for what it really was. As he observed he saw a faint blue light surrounding the instrumentation panel and the platform.
“It’s what you want, isn’t it?” a voice said from somewhere in the room. The voice was everywhere and nowhere, in his processor and in the room.
Soundwave did not respond to the question. Instead he cocked his head to the side and continued to observe, extending his vast array of senses to the task. The blue glow continued to emanate from the console, the platform, and the room itself, but did not extend out into the hallway proper.
“You need not fear this. I can give you everything you desire. You wish control and power? It is yours. You wish knowledge? I can provide you with the knowledge of a God,” the voice said.
Again, Soundwave ignored the voice. As he watched, the room began to change subtly. On the surface the control room remained, but below it the walls were a writhing mass of black. The room was nothing more than a finely crafted trap, one that was baited with the desires of the victim. The crafters of the trap had not counted on a passionless victim, however, and Soundwave was not to be easily swayed.
He backed out of the room slowly, ignoring the voice as it continued to make offers. Just as he crossed the threshold he felt a sharp pain in his chest as two screams rang out and shattered the silence.
Something, or someone, was trying to stop him from reviving Megatron; that much was clear. They had attacked Syntax Forth and now they were taking his people. Such a direct and bold action meant that not only were they close to reviving Megatron and his lieutenants, but this fact had someone very, very frightened.
This was originally intended to be Chapter 13, and in the final version it probably will be, just so that I can keep with my series of Decepticon, Autobot, Decepticon, Autobot, Unicronian. In the meantime, though, it's 14.
Starbolt tore through the halls of the Cybertonian underground, consumed by her fury, completely unaware of Ratbat’s presence.
“How dare he?!” she screamed. “How dare he dismiss me?! How dare he deny me!?”
She spun and slammed her fist into a wall panel. Sparks flew from a console and the lights within flickered and died.
“The flyer is mine! Soundwave will not keep him from me! He owes me everything! Without me he would be nowhere! He would be fodder for the Autobot patrols!” she screamed.
Ratbat watched the femme from a distance, chuckling quietly to himself. Her entire view on the situation was completely skewed; she was living in her own little world, and had no clue as to her true place in the grand scheme of things. She was a tool, a pawn to be used and discarded as Soundwave chose. It was a pity she held herself in such high esteem. She was useful to be sure, a skilled warrior, but she was certainly not indispensable.
“No one denies me! He owes me!” she screamed, slamming her fist into another wall. This time, it was not the wall that gave.
She screamed in pain as the delicate circuitry in her hand was crushed by the force of her blow. In her rage, she continued to punch and kick the walls, leaving a trail of blue-green mech fluid in her wake. Finally she collapsed against a door, sobbing cradling her injured hand, her tantrum spent.
As she gasped and sobbed out the rest of her anger, Ratbat came to rest nearby, being very careful to remain out of arm’s reach. He opened a direct link to Soundwave.
“Her tantrum is over. She is of no danger to us at the present moment,” he reported.
“Continue observation. Report any changes. Ensure she takes no action against us,” Soundwave ordered.
“Acknowledged,” Ratbat replied before cutting the connection.
He turned his attention back to Starbolt. She was still distraught, but was no longer crying. Instead, she sat on the floor, slowly banging the back of her head against the door. It was not hard enough to hurt herself, but it was creating a steady banging in the otherwise silent hall. Suddenly, as her head was moving back again, she stopped and looked around.
“Yes,” she whispered, “yes. I hear you.”
Ratbat extended his senses out. There was no one else here, and there certainly was no one speaking. There were only two possibilities; she had lost her mind or this was a ruse. He kept back and continued to watch the femme, gathering more information before informing Soundwave of this new development.
“I don’t understand … Who are you?” Starbolt asked the air.
Against his better judgement, Ratbat moved closer. He was still out of reach, but only barely so. Again, he extended his senses, and again, he found nothing. Starbolt, however, was scanning as undamaged.
“I … of course!” Starbolt whispered, understanding in her optics. “Of course I understand and I agree! I agree completely!”
Something was wrong. This was outside of Ratbat’s experience and he was not about to make a mistake, not now. He opened a channel to Soundwave and received nothing but static.
“I agree and I am yours!” Starbolt said, a look of pure ecstasy on her face.
She stood and turned to the door she had been leaning against.
“With what you are offering, I will do anything you ask!” she said.
As she spoke the door opened and a pale, blue light flooded the hall. Ratbat watched in silence as Starbolt entered the light. He shot forward to enter the room before the door closed. As he entered the light, a bolt of electricity shot out and wrapped itself around him. Ratbat’s body froze up and he let out an electronic shriek as he hit the ground. The last thing he saw before his systems offlined was Starbolt walking down a blue-lit corridor lined with whipping, writhing tentacles of living metal.
٭٭٭
Red Eye locked the door to his quarters behind him and leaned against it wearily. There was just something about that femme that petrified him. Even before he knew what she was, she had frightened him. There was a malevolence that radiated from her, like she was some kind of giant predator and he was her next meal. Considering her nature as a mechannibal, that fear was well placed. Red Eye had to wonder just how long Soundwave could keep her reigned in, and if he was truly so arrogant that he believed he could control her.
He moved to the berth and sat down heavily, burying his face in his hands. As much as he feared her, he couldn’t get Starbolt out of his thoughts. He could still feel her fingers on the leading edge of his wing, her body pressed against his.
“Come now, darling. I won’t hurt you. In fact, it will be quite pleasurable indeed”
Red Eye shuddered as he heard Starbolt’s voice whispering in his audials.
“No,” he whispered. “I dinnae want this … leave me alone!”
“Oh come now, you don’t mean that,” Starbolt said, her voice very real.
Red Eye looked up and was startled to see the mechannibal femme inside his room, leaning against the door.
“How did ye get in here?!” Red Eye demanded.
“Oh come now. You don’t honestly think that a little door could keep us apart, do you?” she asked.
“Get out! Yer nae wanted here!” Red Eye yelled, standing up to confront the femme.
“You know that’s not true,” she replied silkily. “After all, if it was you wouldn’t have been thinking about me.”
“I wasnna thinkin’ about ye,” Red Eye whispered.
“That’s not true and you know it,” Starbolt replied coming further into the room. “Don’t deny that you were imaging my hands on your wings. We both know that you were thinking about what I can do for you, what I can give to you.”
“I wasn’t! And I want you out!” Red Eye ordered. His tone was determined, but he continued to back away, until he was against the far wall.
Starbolt advanced, moving seductively across the room until there was no space between her and the seeker. She placed her hands on his chest and traced his canopy. Red Eye shuddered and tried to push her away ineffectually. Starbolt laughed and traced her finger along his jaw.
“Soundwave and his little minions aren’t here to help you,” she whispered. “And let’s face it; you don’t want them to be.”
“Go … away …,” Red Eye whispered hoarsely, but his body was responding. He found himself leaning in as her energy field began to meld with his.
“That’s better,” Starbolt whispered, her lips brushing the seeker’s cheek. “That’s it. Give in to me. Give me everything. Don’t fight it. You know you don’t want to.”
As their lips met a blue light flared between them. Out in the hall a scream shattered the silence, almost masking the electronic shriek that came from further down the hall.
٭٭٭
Soundwave left his makeshift quarters and headed toward one of the control rooms. On their way into the underground complex they had passed a room containing a single console and a platform. The appearance was reminiscent of a theoretical matter transfer device that the Decepticons had once researched. The end result of that research was the Space Bridge, a thoroughly effective, and yet deeply flawed device.
The Space Bridge was powerful, there was no doubt about that, but its fuel consumption made it almost cost prohibitive, and it was only accurate seventy five percent of the time. Without a cognitive mind to guide it, the accuracy rate dropped to less than five percent. Decepticon folklorists, however, told stories that in the old days, in the days before the Golden Age, there had been technology on Cybertron that had allowed for instant trans-material teleportation. According to the stories, the device was accurate, safe, and used minimal power to operate. It was these legends that had led scientists to create the Space Bridge, but they had never succeeded in getting anything even remotely close to the alleged original device.
He entered the platform chamber and approached the console. It was primitive, to be sure, using dials and clockwork, but there was a quiet power radiating from it. An indefinable energy field emanated from the entire room, creating a gentle, warming buzz. It was a pleasant feeling, but there was something about it that bothered Soundwave. It was as if the room was trying to lull him into a false sense of security. There were scientific secrets here that had been lost to the Decepticons, secrets that would give him unimaginable power. It would take time to decipher the ancient writing, to understand the clockwork mechanisms, but the information gleaned would be more than worth the time. There was a faint warning in his processor, however. There was something about this that was just too perfect. And as the humans said; if it looked too good to be true, it probably was. For such a primitive and flawed species, they had amazing insight sometimes.
Soundwave’s thoughts were interrupted by a communiqué from Ratbat.
“Her tantrum is over. She is of no danger to us at the present moment,” he reported.
“Continue observation. Report any changes. Ensure she takes no action against us,” Soundwave ordered.
“Acknowledged,” Ratbat replied before cutting the connection.
Soundwave offlined his optics for a moment. When he reactivated them he looked around the room unemotionally, looking to see it for what it really was. As he observed he saw a faint blue light surrounding the instrumentation panel and the platform.
“It’s what you want, isn’t it?” a voice said from somewhere in the room. The voice was everywhere and nowhere, in his processor and in the room.
Soundwave did not respond to the question. Instead he cocked his head to the side and continued to observe, extending his vast array of senses to the task. The blue glow continued to emanate from the console, the platform, and the room itself, but did not extend out into the hallway proper.
“You need not fear this. I can give you everything you desire. You wish control and power? It is yours. You wish knowledge? I can provide you with the knowledge of a God,” the voice said.
Again, Soundwave ignored the voice. As he watched, the room began to change subtly. On the surface the control room remained, but below it the walls were a writhing mass of black. The room was nothing more than a finely crafted trap, one that was baited with the desires of the victim. The crafters of the trap had not counted on a passionless victim, however, and Soundwave was not to be easily swayed.
He backed out of the room slowly, ignoring the voice as it continued to make offers. Just as he crossed the threshold he felt a sharp pain in his chest as two screams rang out and shattered the silence.
Something, or someone, was trying to stop him from reviving Megatron; that much was clear. They had attacked Syntax Forth and now they were taking his people. Such a direct and bold action meant that not only were they close to reviving Megatron and his lieutenants, but this fact had someone very, very frightened.