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Deep beneath Earth’s Atlantic Ocean, lurking on the dark bottom, is hunger. For the native life it is flotsam from the surface finally sinking after death. But the alien invaders from Cybertron hungered not for mere whalefalls; they wanted – needed – all of the planet’s energy. And they would not wait patiently for its demise.
Inside a sunken spacecraft on the bottom, the Nemesis, dwelt said beings. They were not ravenous beasts but rather methodical conquerors. They were the species known as the Transformers. Built as domestic or military vehicles, and other devices, but capable of transforming into humanoid form several meters in height. They fought for their freedom, and won. But they lost the peace and turned on each other. Here dwelt the militant faction, the Decepticons.
Laserbeak returned from yet another successful reconnaissance mission. It dove into the ocean toward the Nemesis, entered through a modified airlock, and flew into the control center, perching on Megatron’s left arm.
“I don’t praise lightly,” Megatron said to Laserbeak, “but you are easily my most valuable minion.” He turned to glare at Starscream.
“And yet again with the passive-aggression,” Starscream said. “Had I know the Hero of Kaon would be reduced to sniveling-”
Megatron pointed his right arm, on which perched a cannon, at Starscream. “And what position are you in to accuse me of such?”
“I-I-I-I didn’t-”
“Exactly,” Megatron said. “Laserbeak, report.”
The raptor’s eyes projected a holographic image into the air, showing a summarized montage of scenes. Two military forces, with no matching uniforms, fought each other in a snowy mountain basin. Many times it displayed scenes with a large, high-tech vehicle mounting large panels.
“Why are we wasting cycles on those humans this time, Lord Megatron?”
“They’ve finally developed a prototype for broadcast energy. I would think a scientist such as yourself would appreciate that.”
“I could build it myself is the point-!”
That he didn’t get to make as they were interrupted by two humans appearing in through a gap in space.
The one in purple clothing, who was first out of the portal, looked around. “More robot people.”
“And they don’t look friendly,” said the one in black & white.
Megatron pointed at the duo. “Intruders! Seize them!”
Soundwave pressed a button on his shoulder. “Ravage, Rumble, eject. Operation: capture.”
The humans ran, not bothering to contemplate the synthed voice. They didn’t get far.
“You just got here,” Rumble sneered, “why don’cha siddown?” His arms morphed into piledrivers and slammed into the ground, tripping the two on their butts. They didn’t bother to get up with Ravage snarling at them in biting distance.
“Starscream, detain them,” Megatron ordered.
“Me?! I’m not some menial-”
Megatron simply fired a low-power warning shot at Starscream’s foot.
“O-of course, lord Megatron…” Starscream knelt down and scooped the two in his massive hand. He then put each of them in portable prison cells. Maribel and Renko looked to the Decepticons as rats would to humans.
“Good…” Megatron took the cage with Maribel. “Now go guard the other one.”
Starscream growled, but obeyed as he sulked off.
Megatron set his cage down by his throne. “Consider yourself fortunate, human; you’re more valuable alive than not. Best make sure you stay that way.”
Maribel took stock of her situation as she looked around her cell. It was about a 2-meter cube, and had a foam cot and chemical toilet installed. Her physical needs were tended to, but with no privacy.
At least she could look out into the large room where she was kept, presumably a command center. The people manning it were giant robots, humanoid and garishly colored. There were exceptions: the cassette robots were human-sized; some of those transformed into animals; and the leader of the whole operation – Megatron, she heard often – was a simple gunmetal gray.
Speaking of… “Excuse me, Mr. Megatron?” That got his attention. “Can you tell me about this war I got dragged into?”
“So you figured that out on your own,” Megatron said, “and you aren’t making futile demands. Good to see some of your species are astute.”
Good start I’m off to, Maribel thought.
“To answer your question,” Megatron continued, “we are in need of energy to defend ourselves in this dangerous universe.”
“So I’m guessing you want me to open a portal into a star?”
Megatron stiffened a bit at being interrupted, but kept his composure. “Indeed, though should that be infeasible then a C-type asteroid would suffice.”
“And what’s the foremost threat?”
“Our creators, who we were mere tools to. Though we drove them off they still function, and are surely rebuilding.”
So far, so vague, Maribel thought. “As a show of good faith, can you bring me and Renko together?”
“I’m afraid that’s against protocol. No offence, but you two could be spies for all we know. We can’t have you forming a story together.”
“Well…why should I help you? What’s in it for me?” Maribel noticed the other robots around her looking nervous.
“Your bargaining posture is highly dubious, but very well. How would rulership of Earth sound?”
“Tyrannical?”
“Would it necessarily be so were you in control? I’ve studied a bit of your history and found that some of your most lauded presidents were considered tyrants in their time.”
“Pres-?” Maribel figured out he thought she was American. It’s the hair.. . “I’m Japanese.”
“Then my point stands on firmer ground.”
“Well…I may be no tyrant, but what of you? Your default was to put us in cages, and I saw how you treated…Starscream, was it?” Even Soundwave was looking toward her, wondering how long Megatron’s infamous temper would last.
“Spend enough time around him and you’d do the same. Always naysaying me…” Megatron’s voice lowered to a growl, more so than usual. “Much like yourself. I’ll get to the point: you’ll be the main component in my intraspace gateway, or your friend suffers worse than you will.”
Maribel stiffened, but didn’t panic. “You know she’ll tell me not to go along with it while she’s screaming in pain.”
“And I know your mammalian instincts will force you to go along with it anyway. People don’t rise to the occasion; they sink to their level of training.”
“...Then I don’t have anything more to say.”
“A pity. Our repartee was most stimulating.”
“Is that why you keep Starscream around?” Maribel hoped that impulse wouldn’t be the end of her.
Megatron seemed to…slump a bit? “I have as many answers to that question as occasions it’s been asked over the eons…” Megatron saw the Decepticons staring at him. He straightened up and pointed with his cannon. “What are all you looking at?! Get back to work!”
Wonder how Renko’s doing? Maribel thought.
Wonder how Maribel’s doing, Renko thought.
“-dare that Megatron! Relegating me , Starscream! Scientist of many Disciplines! Pride of the Cybertron War Acade-”
It had been like this ever since she was taken to said captor’s workshop.
“-nd in command of the Decepticons! Relegated to being a mere lackey! ”
Probably your attitude problem, Renko thought. But why’d he give you any command? That’s a Merry-Berry question.
“-’ll make that intraspace gateway for you, oh almighty Megatron. I won’t even have to sabotage it as it’s sur-”
And there’s our current problem. Renko would’ve liked to think up how to escape, except-
“-owered by a human no less! Even if she survives she’ll just use it to leave, or even call the Autobots.”
“Do you ever shut up?!” She regretted her impulse, but figured they still needed her alive for now, if only to coerce Maribel.
Starscream paused his work, stalking towards Renko. “Oh, I’m sorry, does the prisoner want luxury accommodations? ”
“Yes; you got any?” Was that witty, or stupid?
“Was that supposed to be witty, or just stupid?”
“I could say the same for your constant whining!”
“Whining?!” Starscream picked up Renko’s cell by the handle and gave it a gentle shake, banging Renko against the walls a bit. “I would’ve thought you at least noticed the Decepticon way of handling disrespect. And when I’m leader-”
He likes to talk, Renko thought, and I know what about, but how do I use that? What would Maribel d- Huh, might be worth a try.
“I’ve seen this before,” Renko said, “you’ve been abused, you feel powerless, but the only way you know to have agency is to abuse others. I actually pity you.”
Starscream stood still. Quiet. He calmly placed the cell back on the table. “Spare me your obvious trickery.” He turned to resume his work.
“Don’t you want to talk science? I’m a physics student.”
“Your world’s graduates couldn’t understand the rudiments of Cybertronian science.”
“If you’re treated so poorly here then why don’t you join the Autobots-?”
Renko found herself looking right into the barrel of Starscream’s arm cannon.
“Because they’re weak! Like you! We didn’t free ourselves just to simper like slaves. I, however, got what I wanted just now with a threat. All Transformers did, even the Autobots. That is the Decepticon way, and the way of the universe.” Starscream then abruptly stalked back to his workstation.
Renko silently watched him for a few minutes before daring even to think. Well, as long as he’s avoiding me…
One of the first things she noticed about her cell were the widely-spaced bars. It would take time to squeeze out, but that only discouraged escape.
The hard part was getting down. She looked for something to slide down, but seeing nothing she carefully climbed off a corner and made do with a table leg. Like a fire pole, or a tree.
The sparks from Starscream’s…whatever that tool was were loud enough Renko could’ve ran, but she opted to be safe and conserve her energy with a steady walk. Quieter too.
Out of the workshop she focused the scope of her location sense to the Nemesis. It was thankfully understaffed, and the occasional Decepticon she hid from couldn’t hear her over their own footfalls. Which was good because Renko had no map and needed trial-and-error to find the comms room.
Once there she looked for a human-sized console. They have small guys so- there! She was thankful again that language was no barrier in her travels, somehow. The computer was on and -even space alien robots are too lazy for cybersecurity. She searched for, then found, the Autobots’ frequency and sent an alert. She waited for a rep-
rrrrawrlllrl!
She was face-to-muzzle with that damn robot panther pinning her down!
“Soundwave to Megatron: the trap has been sprung.”
Half a world away at another crashed spaceship, Optimus Prime, heroic leader of the Autobots…sat slouched in front of Teletran 1.
He sighed. “With the others getting started constructing Autobot City, and me on…” he chose his next words carefully, “monitoring duty, there isn’t much leadership I can do. At least they can manage by themselves.”
A robot T-Rex clomped in. “Me, Grimlock and Dinobots can manage ourselves.”
Optimus turned around. “Someone has to guard the base, and I can’t think of any better than you.”
Grimlock crossed his arms. “Hmph. Me, Grimlock know Autobots not trust Dinobots. Make great leader into babysitter.”
Optimus ruefully chuckled. “I’ll have to remind the others never to question your intelligence again.”
“At least Optimus respect me, Grimlock.”
The awkward conversation was thankfully interrupted by an alert. Optimus turned back to the monitor.
“A transmission from the Decepticons? And no message…?”
“Call for help?”
“Maybe… Grimlock, tell the others to transform and roll out.”
“Who guard base?”
“We finally got our defences online. Besides, you know every Decepticon’s going to be waiting for us.”
Hours later, water rushed in the hole blasted in by the Autobots. A bulkhead closed behind it, and another opened in front of them.
Megatron ordered the attack with a blast from his cannon. The Decepticons followed suit.
Undeterred, and unharmed, the Dinobots charged into their attackers. Several were down; many more were right behind them.
“Me, Grimlock love good fight!”
Optimus and Megatron were already dueling with their energy weapons; ax and flail, respectively.
Further in, Starscream kept his distance as he aimed his null ray. One of you stand still… The triceratops paused a moment to breath fire at a Decepticon. Good… Starscream fired, striking the Dinobot in the eye. Any autobot would’ve been visibly damaged; Slag only got angry. And charged.
Starscream yelped and ran, but Slag was too practiced and knocked the Decepticon down, pinning him.
Optimus not focus on rescue, Grimlock thought. Slag have better idea. Inspired, Grimlock charged and pinned Megatron.
“No! This is our fight!”
Grimlock ignored Megatron. “Optimus, do hero stuff!”
Recognizing a good idea, Optimus transformed and rolled through some Decepticons. This conveniently took him to the captive humans; one in a cage, the other manacled by her limbs to some energy-emitting device. Soundwave pointed his gun right at her.
Optimus transformed again. He couldn’t endanger the humans, but if he knew his enemy… “Let them go and we leave. Harm them and you’ll have no leverage. And very angry Autobots.”
Soundwave saw the rampant Dinobots, losing Decepticons, and grim logic. Megatron?
“Play along,” Megatron said; “this new tactic intrigues me.”
Optimus walked towards the humans as Soundwave stepped aside. “We’re getting you out. You’ll be okay.” He didn’t know how to deactivate… whatever the blonde was in, but knew who did and turned to Starscream. “Did you build this?”
“What of it?”
Optimus took that as a ‘yes.’ “How about letting her out; or would you rather be Slag’s new bed?”
“I see right through your bluff! You wouldn’t give up victor-”
Now it was Starscream’s turn to look down a gun barrel.
“You wouldn’t dare!”
Starscream was right. “You wouldn’t risk it.”
Optimus was right. “I yield!” Slag walked off Starscream, who quickly deactivated the device Maribel was in. “Now take them and go!”
Optimus transformed and opened up for the humans. “I always honor my agreements. C’mon, Dinobots; let’s roll out!”
Soon later…
“WHAT IN THE PIT WAS THAT?! ”
“Optimus being a better Decepticon than you,” Megatron said. “Perhaps he should be second in command.”
“Or perhaps we’d have a transdimensional portal if it weren’t for your convoluted plans and… flirting! ”
“You dare accuse me of treason?”
“I accuse you of incompetence!”
And so on the bickering went.
Days later, back at Autobot HQ, the two human visitors portaled to parts unknown. The farewell was heartfelt, especially from the Dinobots.
“Please come back and tell me, Grimlock, more stories.”
Renko and Maribel nodded, then finally left.
The Dinobots slumped.
Optimus patted Grimlock. “Not to worry, big fellas; I know an old-timer with no end of stories. In fact, he’s helping build Autobot city right now…”
There would be other stories: more of other robotic species and other universes, even ones of other Transformers. But for now it was time for well-earned rest.