The Intergalactic Highway

*pokes fingers together* I tried... Tell me if it's good? I kind of rushed...
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“Stop!”
The two mechs kept running in the dark hallway, ignoring the many shouts from the security guards. They had been chased from the streets to an alley-like area and into this abandoned building that, thankfully, was empty.
Upon coming to a dead end, the two mechs tried opening the only door visible and found it was locked.
“Don’t move!” The two were suddenly surrounded by five, heavily armed security mechs. The only mecha in the group stepped forward with her gun ready to fire, “On the ground, now!”
The two dropped to their knees, the one on the left with the face mask and cords on his head creating a dreadlock effect looked at the one beside him, “What now?”
“No talking!” The tallest security guard stepped in front with his two wrist cannons raised. His blue and white armor shining in the light when he moved, he spoke into the communicator attached to his shoulder, “Depth Charge, we got ‘em both.”
“On my way.” Came the response.
“Take their weapons!”
The other three came forward, the tall orange and blue mech kicking the guns out of their hands. The shortest one in purple forced stasis cuffs on the right bot, the short green one cuffing the one on the left.
Without any warning at all, the door at the dead end flew open and a third mech in dark red armor jumped out, shooting. The femme and the tallest mech in the group shot back, the blue and white one getting nailed in the shoulder with an energon bullet from the enemies’ gun.
“Poseidon!”
“I’m ok, Andromeda!”
A loud shot rang through the air and the third enemy fell to the floor, dead. Energon flowed from his head in a trail leading to his two friends.
Andromeda and Poseidon looked behind them, the femme smiling, “Depth Charge!”
Depth Charge made his way forward and stood in front of the two mechs the team had managed to catch, “Some bots never learn. Poseidon, you alright?”
“Fine, boss man!” He gave a smirk, wincing a bit from the pain in his shoulder. Ignoring the wound, he stepped forward and grabbed the villainous mech that was on the right, “Don’t worry, I got this one.”

Later, Depth Charge walked in to the medical bay to check up on his friend and partner. After stepping in, he nearly ran into Poseidon.
“You’re able to leave?”
“Yeeeah.” He took his face mask off, showing his more human than robot features. “Nothing bad.”
“I managed to get in touch with Athena-“
“Oh slag, really?” He sighed, “She’ll be worrying over nothing, Depth Charge.”
“She needed to know.”
“Now her and my daughter is going to go insane trying to come here.”
“You have a daughter?”
“Don’t even think about it, boss. She’s a youngling.” He walked past. “I refuse to let her go out with a player like you, no offense.”
“Aft.”
So Depth Charge was serious about his job as head of security but when off duty he was a ‘womanizer’ as the humans would say.
Poseidon wasn’t too much older than Depth Charge and they had become close friends. He was different but Depth Charge became used to it. Artsy and into human mythology and legends, him and his spark mate were both more human in looks, there daughter as well. His mate Athena, very beautiful with gorgeous and entrancing optics, had long flowing hair that was always braided and put up in a fancy ‘Greek’ style. The other normal femmes thought she was very strange for actually showing off her hair instead of having it tucked away in armor like the other femmes. The femmes never showed off their hair or bodies for they wanted to be just like the mechs.
Athena was stationed on Rugby with their daughter who he had never met before.
“Her name is Aphrodite.”
Depth Charge sighed, “That a human mythology name, too?”
“Yes, after one of the many goddesses.”
“Goddess of what? Happiness? Violence?”
“Aphrodite was the goddess of love and beauty.”
“Love and beauty? Your girl beautiful?”
His friend laughed, “She’s my daughter, of course she’s beautiful.”
Depth Charge wasn’t sure how a youngling could be considered pretty.
“Though she is so different and strange to the others, it…doesn’t seem to bother her that she doesn’t have any friends. I worry about her since she’s bullied a bit and is always shunned. The others claim she’s way too weird to even exist. But I’m proud of her no matter what happens.”
Poseidon also mentioned that he never found out what the science department had started doing. Depth Charge was unable to activate any of the security cameras inside, along with all communications. The scientists would leave and go in but never spoke a word of what was in there.
“I have a bad feeling about it…”
“Tomorrow, we will find a way to get in. I want to know what they are hiding and I want to know now.”
The two went their separate ways to their own personal quarters for rest. Though, when Depth Charge walked in he saw Andromeda was standing at the window in his room.
“Andromeda?”
She turned and gave a seductive smile before approaching him and tracing her hands over his chest, “Figured I’d pay you a visit, sexy. Got some news for you.”

On Rugby, mother and daughter were having time to themselves before leaving for the colony.
"Aphrodite, it's almost time for you to start looking for a mate."
"I don't want one. No one here exactly accepts me, you know. I'm way too odd to find someone to love me as a mate should." She didn't sound upset or angry, just merely stating a fact. "There is never a problem with waiting. Besides, most mechs are just after one thing."
Athena laughed and held Aphrodite close, "There is never a problem with waiting, love. You'll find someone, one day! I said ‘looking’ for one, not choose one as soon as possible. Don't be so negative. "
"Well, when you find someone who admires me for simply being me...tell me." Aphrodite sighed and looked up after her mother braided her long hair into a Greek mythological hairstyle that would be seen on the statues of the many goddesses.

"Why are we here at Rugby, anyway? Isn't this a military base?"

"Your father was going to meet us here sometime, but we’re leaving soon to go to Omicron and meeting him there soon. Now, get ready. Everything will be okay." Athena placed a kiss on her daughter's forehead before leaving the room.
"She really expects me to find someone worthy of being my mate?" She made her way to the bed and dive bombed it.

"Depth Charge!"
The head security officer jumped and turned, gun out, only to see his friend and partner.
"Sleeping on the job again? Really?"
"Yeah...uh...long night..."
"I think you and Andromeda need to be a bit quieter when the two of you are together."

Depth Charge smirked and looked back at the computers, checking the different areas of Omicron. Andromeda had told him the good news of her and him becoming parents. The two had been so happy that things became kind of loud.

Depth Charge informed Poseidon that he was going to be the child's god father and Poseidon's mate the child's god mother.
Poseidon looked at his friend wish an amused grin, "In that case, let’s hope he takes after Andromeda and not you!" He elbowed the blue mech in his side before walking out the door, giving a quick salute before he was out of sight.
“I was searching the galaxy for your mistake-“
“It’s the arc and this is earth-“
“You want my help?”
“X is not alone!”
Depth Charge opened his optics with a start, sitting up in his chair. ‘What kind of…dream was that?’
He had been on a planet with a bunch of random Maximals but he didn’t linger on it. Depth Charge couldn’t help but wonder what this X was. After realizing he wasn’t going back into recharge any time soon, he stood and walked over to the window in the office area. The lights and sounds on the dark colony that was Omicron filled his vision once he opened the window to get some fresh air.
It was then when looking down at the sights he remembered the science department and started to conjure up a plan to get in and find out what they were hiding. Surely they weren’t creating something that would be a danger to the colony.
Ok, what did he know?
He knew that they took a break at a certain time, all of them at the same time. He just couldn’t believe he had actually decided to sneak in. He was head of security! He didn’t have to sneak anywhere!
“What is it, Depth Charge?” Andromeda spoke from behind him. She saw Depth Charge was standing at the window looking out over the colony in deep thought.
The leader of security sighed, “Planning on getting into the science department somehow and reactivating the security cameras so I can see what the hell is going on in there.”
“Would you like me and your other lady friends to distract them?”
“What? No!”
“They’re mechs, they are easily distracted by femmes.” She said, sliding her hands over his shoulders and down his chest. Her long orange hair that was loose from her headpiece was like silk against his back, “You’d be surprised by how powerful we can be.”
Depth Charge shook his head to clear his mind as best he could. They could keep them busy while he reactivated the security cameras. It wouldn’t even take him that long.
“Just be careful, all of you. Especially you.”
“Promise!” She smiled before throwing her armor back on and leaving the room.
The plan worked. Once the scientists left, Andromeda and her femme friends ‘accidentally’ ran into them and charmed them. Depth Charge wasted no time in running into the lab before the door closed. He found the camera of choice and flipped the switch underneath it for it to work then was on his way out when he heard, “H…e…r…e….b…o…y…”
Depth Charge stopped and looked back, reaching for his gun.
“We’LL…hAvE sOoOoOoOo mUcH…f…u…n…..!” An evil but quiet cackle echoed throughout the area.
“Who’s there?!”
“Come closer…to the darkness….yeees! Play with me!”
This voice was disturbingly close yet so far away. Nothing ‘alive’ was anywhere to be seen. The room seemed to get darker the farther he crept but he was going to find out where this voice was coming from.
“Hmm… You smell to be a delicious one, hohoho!”
Starting to believe he was delirious from lack of sleep, he turned around but caught sight of something in a clear but solid cell.
“Yeees, here! Fresh meat, I want to eaaaat!”
“What the f-!”
“Hehehe! Come closer so I can have a tasssssste!”
“What the frag is this all about?! Who are you?”
A dark hand slammed against the side of the cell and smeared what seemed to be a type of green proto-blood on the glass, leading to a sign.
PROTOFORM X
SPECIMAN OF DARAGAN
Daragon, that was the scientist that always had an attitude when Depth Charge would confront him about entering the area of concern by everyone.
“Everything you love will be mine, soon enough, my dearest playmate!” The ‘Protoform’ licked the glass, leaving a trail of saliva behind.
Depth Charge backed away then turned and ran to get answers from Daragan.
Once outside locking the door and running to a different hallway, he contacted his partner.
“’Sei!” He tried to speak quietly into the comm-link, “I’m not sure…what I just saw in the lab but…”
“What was it, boss?”
“It…was a mech, I think. Chained up and psychotic as pit…”
The other end of the line was quiet for a few seconds, “Well… Is it dangerous?”
“I’m… Yes.”
The reddish colored nightmare of a mech stayed in his mind.
Andromeda ran up to him making him jump a bit, “Whoa, it’s just me. Jumpy are we?”
“That thing…in the lab has got to go.” He said, voice a bit shaky, “I don’t know what it is but it needs to go…”
“Depth Charge…” She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, “You’re ok, and everything is fine.”
“I don’t know for how long…”
He walked off leaving Andromeda behind. He had to think or something, he just knew that whatever that was in the science department needed to be destroyed.
Its words echoed through his head, almost making him feel as if he were losing his own mind. He had to confront the science team about this.
When he makes his way back to the lab area he managed to catch one of the scientists that was late returning from break. The security mech grabbed the other mech’s arm and jerked him to the side of the hallway, “What is that THING your group is hiding in there?!”
“How’d you-“
“I went in there and saw that monster in the cage! What is it?!”
“P-Project X… W-we were trying to recreate Starscream’s immortal, mutant spark. Optimus Primal asked Daragan to lead the project. It’s a success for the most part but-”
“That thing is dangerous and needs to be put down immediately! It’s a danger to the entire colony!” He shook the scientist by his shoulders, “What if it gets lose?!”
“Listen.” He said, looking a bit unsure, “He is not getting out. Everything is under control. Daragan has him locked up good.”
‘Under control?!’ He thought before pushing him away.
“Have no worries!” He yelled after him but Depth Charge was in too much of a rage to acknowledge what he said.
So many things were running through his head that he felt as if he were going insane then he remembered the dream from the night before…
“X…”
He had to tell Poseidon all of this. Everything including the dream.

After a good week and a few days, Omicron’s lab had calmed down a bit after Depth Charge confronted Daragan about the freak Protoform in the ‘crazy house’ as he came to call it. He had plans to kill the creature but decided to just trash the idea after nothing happened bad seemed to happen. Knowing his luck, he’d go to kill it and things would get out of control.
Though his office area was only down the hallway from his quarters, it seemed to take forever with X on his mind. But when he opened his office door, he saw something he wasn’t expecting at all.
A slender and small femme with blue and pinkish-purple armor. Boot-like armor covered her legs that were crossed as she sat on his desk. Her long light white-pink hair had pastel blue streaks in it…
Hair? None of the femmes ever showed off their hair…
The femme turned her head and looked at him with her gold and blue optics, optics the same exact color as Poseidon’s. Her face was so beautiful, her long eyelashes and glittering lips. The armor on her head was over the sides, forming a cat-like ear effect. It was so cute!
“Depth Charge?”
“Yes?”
“Where’s my father?”
By her eyes and Poseidon’s description the other week night…
“Aphrodite?”
Her age was at the point that was equal to a 15, going on 16 year old human.
She smiled a sweet smile that he would always remember; reaching a hand out towards him in a very elegant manner, “Yes! Where’s my father?”
“I was just getting ready to call him.” Once his hand reached the holo-communicator, he hit the touch screen button and Poseidon appeared on the screen, “Sei!”
“Daddy!” Aphrodite jumped up onto Depth Charge’s lap; startling him a great deal, “Daddy!”
“Aphrodite?”
“Hey, hey!”
“Baby? What are you doing here?” He grinned on the screen.
She just smiled, now holding the communicator and sitting on Depth Charge’s lap. “Mother is talking to Andromeda, she wanted details about your accident. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, love.” He asked for Depth Charge and she stood, not really realizing she had been sitting on him. “Forgive me.”
“You’re okay.” He looked at the screen and spoke again, “’Sei, I need to talk to you about what I found in the lab. ASAP.”
“On my way.”
The connection was cut off and Depth Charge stood up; looking in Aphrodite’s general direction to see her standing at the window, swaying back and forth and singing quietly to herself.
It was then when Athena walked in, her long pastel purple swaying around her, reaching her knees. Her voice was gentle as she looked at her daughter, “Aphrodite, I told you not to bother Depth Charge.”
“I’m not!”
She walked up and hugged Depth Charge, commenting on how long it had been since they last seen each other. Her mate and Depth Charge had been partners for the longest time; it was almost like they were brothers to each other.
Athena smiled at her friend, “So glad you’re doing okay!”
“It will be a good while before Poseidon gets here, care to have a sit down?”



The holo-book she was reading had already been read four times. She had already read about the mythological goddess she was named after but she just couldn’t see it. After a while the femme decided to confront her mother about it.
“Aphrodite, we named you after a beautiful celestial-like being for a reason.”
“But I’m not beautiful…”
“Says who?”
Aphrodite gave a pout, “Everyone, mech and femme that are my age and even a lot of the adults back at Rugby. Even that mech Daddy is friends with, even he looked at me weird…like I was some kind of-”
Athena grabbed her daughter by her cheeks in a very gentle grip, “Listen and you listen good.” She had a gentle smile on her face, “You are very beautiful. A lot of people say you aren’t because they simply do not understand you. My child, you are beautiful in your own unique way and for that no one else can even be compare to you!” Her mother embraced her against her chest, “I love you, my child.”
“I love you too, Mommy.”
Depth Charge smiled behind his face mask, “I was staring because I was in shock at how beautiful you are, young one.”
The adult femme pulled away from the younger one, “See? Now. Don’t be afraid to be yourself. Promise me you will never change and become something you aren’t just to impress those who do not matter.”
“I promise.”
Aphrodite had never thought of herself as beautiful, “Now, love. Have you studied about the demigods as well?”
The young mecha nodded, looking back down at her book.
“I’m not too fond of Hades, though.”
“Not many people are.” The mother laughed.
“Persephone deserved to be happy, not dragged to the underworld and forced to wed Hades.”
Depth Charge smiled a bit, while controlling the security cameras. He could only imagine how it would be when Andromeda had their sparkling.
Aphrodite looked up at her mother, “Uncle Hades and Aunt Persephone were named after them? Was auntie forced into it as well?”
“No, love.” Athena’s family and Poseidon’s family had been very good friends so they all grew up together, learning of the many gods and goddesses in Earth’s mythology. Athena’s sister Persephone had bonded with Poseidon’s brother Hades at a young age before becoming Predacons.
“She dances-“
“We’re not going to talk about her occupation, ok Aphrodite?” Athena patted her daughter’s head. “Promise me something else… Promise me you won’t end up finding a job at one of those horrible places.”
“I don’t want to ‘spend the night’ with mechs for money and dance on a stage.” The femme sat her book down. “I don’t want to end up getting a virus of sorts!”
Depth Charge forced back a laugh after listening to the two behind him. He had been to the ‘club’ where Persephone entertained people but he didn’t really want to tell them that.
The head of security switched to the screen in the lab and watched as Daragan began to take the creature known as X out of the cell he had been locked in.
That was when the door opened and Poseidon walked in with a look of worry written across his face. Red optics gazed at the slightly shaken mech asking a silent question.
“Daddy!” The little femme shot across the room and nearly tackled her father. He managed to catch her and hug her back, “Aphrodite! I missed you!” Within a few seconds the worry melted into laughter and smiles from seeing his youngling and spark mate. “Athena, my love.” With Aphrodite in one hugging arm, Poseidon reached over with the other and stroked his fingers through Athena’s hair before placing a gentle kiss on her lips.
Suddenly feeling uncomfortable, Depth Charge coughed a bit to catch Poseidon’s attention.
“Ah, will you two excuse me for a moment?” The two nodded and started to walk out, “No! N-not… Not out there. Just stand over there okay?”
The two gave an odd look but just engaged in their own conversation on the other side of the rather large room.
“Depth Charge… In the hallway, in front of the lab… Coming from the lab. I’m not sure what-“ A tremor interrupted his words, “What was that?”
“I think I have an idea.” Depth Charge turned on the comm-link, nearly screaming in it, “Andromeda! What’s your status?!”
“Major accident at the science department-!“ After those words all he heard was static.
“Andromeda?! Slag! Poseidon, stay with these two!”

“How did this happen?!”
“Andromeda, calm down.”
“No! You created that thing; I need details on it so I can hunt it down! It’s already killed two of its creators and four of our security guards!” As soon as those words escaped her mouth, a figure seemed to just fall from the ceiling and tackled the remaining scientist to the floor creating an energonic bloody mess.
“Depth Charge!” Andromeda screamed into the comm-link as she shot her gun, “I need back up!”
“I’m coming! Andromeda, please retreat!”
Down the hall from all of the action, he could see thick smoke and sparks from the major damage. Turning the corner he could see his lover at the other end of the long hallway, “Andromeda, please! Don’t-“ That was when he saw the monster leap out of the smoke filled room, tearing into Andromeda’s neck and spark chamber.
“E-evacuate-!” Her body stopped fighting back and went limp after X tore a chunk of her neck out. Anger filling his entire being, the head of security began shooting. He could plainly see he was hitting his target but said target wasn’t even phased by the hits.
“Ah! I remember you!” X cackled and stepped towards him, “Our time will come, oh yes!”
Saying a quick prayer to Primus, he shot again. This time he aimed for the spark chamber. He pulled the trigger and managed a direct hit but nothing happened.
“I can taste your fear, mech! I looove it!”
“Poseidon!” He screamed once more through the comm-link, “This thing is lose! I need you to evacuate everyone!” Depth Charge was still shooting but had no luck. X looked up with his evil optics and, while cackling, jumped forward and knocked Depth Charge off his feet.
Depth Charge was quick to recover, seeing that the monster was gone. “SLAG!”
Without thinking, his first reaction was to get up and sound the alarms. Once hit, the switch triggered an air raid siren that was loud enough for the entire colony of Omicron to hear.
No one saw the evil being coming. Nothing but smoke, flames and screams filled the hallways.