Optimus part Twenty Five

The last of today's batch of archiving my ongoing story. Still not sure what the blue balls is up with Blogger and not allowing paragraphs even though they're visible as such in the message composer, but whatevs. There's an actual readable version on TFW2005 if anyone reading this really wants to see this story parsed properly. -------------------------------------------------------- Gravel spat out from under the eight massive tires that moved Soundwave’s vehicle mode up the road leading to the secure military facility. On top the case he was given by Megatron jostled slightly with the bumpy road. The base was located on a plateau overlooking a city, and was right where the optimum broadcast coordinates were. As Soundwave approached the base, a checkpoint led to the base. Soundwave spied at least one human manning the station. Unconcerned with their customs or regulations, Soundwave ignored the attempts by the human to stop him, instead ramming through the gate and into the courtyard. The soldiers were reacting quickly. Before they completely surrounded him, Soundwave transformed, an action which was not met with as much surprise as Soundwave anticipated. He let the case slide off to his side and drop to the ground. This decided lack of shock intrigued Soundwave, however, he was on a time limit. The humans closed in around him, and such musings were best left for other times. “Don’t shoot.” Soundwave held up his hands. “I mean you no harm!” The soldiers exchanged curious looks. Some were unfazed. Some, however, murmured amongst themselves. “I come in peace. In fact,” Soundwave continued. “as a show of good faith, I’m giving you all the rest of the day off.” Before the humans could even process the data Soundwave emitted a burst of high-frequency sonic waves. Said frequency was designed to specifically induced sleep in mammals, and the humans all dropped into unconsciousness. Satisfied they’d be out for at least twelve hours, Soundwave picked up the case a strolled unimpeded to the specific area to which he was to activate the mysterious transmitting device. Soundwave had estimated it was a transmitter, at least. This was an opportune area to broadcast, and if it was merely a bomb this was an unusual target. Soundwave found the exact spot and set the case down next to a fuel truck. Soundwave recalled the movies Starscream watched, where said trucks were very volatile when important things were next to them, and carefully picked up the truck and moved it away. “Now,” Soundwave knelt down to open the case. “Let’s see how I’m supposed to change… the…” Soundwave stared at the contents of the box. “What the hell is all this?” Inside was a bizarre contraption resembling, as best Soundwave could figure, Megatron’s own face. Diodes blinked and motors spun on the distorted monument to Megatron’s vanity. Next to it was a small luminescent data card with writing on it. Soundwave picked up the card and read the text aloud. “Dear Soundwave, you have the honour of being the volunteer for my new Transwarp rift generator.” Soundwave read in his best Megatron impression. “As you can see the brilliant, and if I may say so, quite attractive device in front of you is already beginning a power-up cycle activated upon your opening the case…” Soundwave saw the device was doing just that. Against a sinking feeling he had, Soundwave continued to read. “You may be wondering why I did not tell you this outright, and that is a very valid question. You see, the device requires massive power to create a trans-temporal gateway, and we don’t have any batteries that big, so I designed it to siphon spark energy from the nearest Cybertronian. Don’t worry, it should only hurt a little… then a lot. Ex-Oh-Ex-Oh, Megatron.” Soundwave dropped his arm. “He actually, said Ex-Oh-Ex-Oh… also what-” Soundwave felt a stabbing in his chest as a needle-like device implanted itself into his spark chamber, violently draining energy and feeding it into the machine. Soundwave shook violently as the life was literally sucked out of him and stored in the small case. When just enough power was gathered, Soundwave was released. He fell backwards, unconscious, as the device started to shake and glow. It exploded in a flash of blue light as it discharged it’s processed energy skyward. In the blink of an eye the energy pulse made it into Earth’s highest orbit, and almost unnaturally fast, a black, warped hole appeared. Virtually unnoticeable against the black of space, the temporal warp’s only sign of existence was a circular ripple, indicative of it’s warping of the fabric of space itself. All across this side of the world the warp appeared, looming, dangerous. What no one could possibly see, however, were the small , practically invisible specks that popped through. Deep within the dark, hidden chamber of the Decepticon base, the darkness was broken by two red slits as Megatron smiled, sensing his device’s activation. Next to the scorch mark where the device used to be, Soundwave lay with a thumb-sized hole in his chest. He groggily rose, his colours faded and his blue eye-protecting visor was lit at only half intensity. He looked up at the anomaly in the sky and the black circle in front of him. Then thought of Megatron. “Jerk.” ------ Optimus carried logs in his arms, careful not to drop them, to the pile he’d created in a clearing. Optimus didn’t know much about survival, but he knew how to make fire, and he figured he could use a smoke signal to gather his comrades. He dumped the logs into the pile he’d created inside a dug out trench to avoid the flames spreading. He picked up two rocks he deemed suitable and started knocking them together to create sparks. His first attempt caused one of the rocks to bounce right out of his hand. He cursed, then tried again. Once more the rock went airborne. He cursed again. Another attempt yielded the same results. Frustrated, Optimus started furiously banging the rocks together, hitting his hands. Sparks leaped off his metal knuckles at impact and began a flame. “Or that works.” Optimus cupped his hands around the small flame. He blew as gently as the filter pumps in his chest could without blowing the flame out. Eventually the fire spread and the entire pile was alight. Optimus watched with satisfaction as the fire produced a nice plume of smoke that climbed up through the tree branches. He gazed at the fire, watching the orange waves wash over the blackened logs. Optimus felt his eyes close, then snapped to. He remembered the last time he had any sort of energy, and felt the capacitors in his gut groan. He’d murder an energy conductor if he had one, but alas as he felt in his back compartment he found only a twig, no doubt lodged during his fall, and a funny-shaped rock he and Ironhide found outside their new base. He held the rock, really a pebble, and recalled their last debate on it’s resemblance to persons living or dead. Optimus’ gaze slowly drifted past the rock and back to the flame. He sighed deeply as he became lost in the inverted stream. His eyes closed as he asked himself. “Why?” He heard. “Why?” He said, but not with his voice. “Why would you do something so stupid?” Orion said. “Because I couldn’t stand the thought of you in here alone.” Optimus said from the other side of the energy barrier separating him and his friend inside the correctional facility. They were in a small room, divided by an energy barrier. Orion sat, hands bound on one side. A guard cloaked in shadow behind him. “Besides, I didn’t hurt anyone. Just knocked off a few pubs. Just enough to get arrested and hopefully get tossed in here, but apparently that‘s not good enough. Or bad enough….” “Optimus, man.” Orion shook his head, smiling. “You can’t-” “I mean, you’re like a dad to me, you know? I can’t just let you rot.” “Optimus-” “And it’s not right! You didn’t do anything wrong! Those big shots, those fatcabs up top don’t know what it’s like for us, the things we have to do to survive-” “OPTIMUS.” Orion Pax shouted. The guard behind him took a step forward, but Orion nodded him back. “Kiddo, you need to listen to me. You can’t undo what’s done, and you can’t go getting yourself arrested to get in here. Prison’s not the kind of place for you.” “What am I supposed to do, just forget about you?” Optimus crossed his arms. “Yes.” Orion said. Optimus dropped his arms. “I don’t want you making the same mistakes I did, kid. You need to move-” “No.” Optimus said. “Don’t say that. I won’t.” “You have to.” Orion smiled that smile. The kind of smile that meant the world to whoever saw it. “Listen, I. I don’t have much time.” “What are you saying?” “I…” Orion Pax was cut off by the guards hand on his shoulder. Optimus could see now that the guard had a protective facemask on. “Orion…” Optimus asked. “What’s going on?” Orion looked to the guard, his expression sombre. The guard nodded sympathetically. “Don’t waste your life, Optimus. Move on.” The guard took his hand of Orion’s shoulder, nodding towards the door. “I gotta go now.” “Orion? Orion, wait!” Optimus put his hands on the barrier, it shocked him back. He looked at his smouldering palms, then to his friend being led from the room. Optimus slammed his hands on the barrier again, ignoring the pain of the shock, he pushed on the barrier. Smoke came from his hands as he finally gave in and was tossed back. He watched the door close. From the floor he looked up to the ceiling, which was suddenly gone. Instead he saw the looking arrow-shape tower that was the capital building of the Autobot military headquarters. He looked at the fortress that houses all that was the military, until his gaze landed on the red and white face of freedom. Optimus stood up from the ground and looked down at the smouldering pile of ash, a thin trail of smoke being the only sign of the fire that was once there. He looked up to the rays of light the pooled in from the branches above. “I hate this forest.”