28.Jan.06
True Colours
Part One
By: Sapphire
"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." -Friedrich Nietzsche
He stood completely still, head tilted skyward. The rain was coming down less heavily now and the sky was gradually growing brighter. Above him, masses of cloud crawled slowly along in ranks of contrasting grey as they faded into the distance, interrupted now and again by sporadic flickers of lightning and a few deep resounding rumbles. The storm was in its final stages.
He closed his eyes and concentrated on the feeling of water sliding down his face, washing away the sticky mech fluid. Rivulets of cool, clean droplets dribbled in a hue of chemical silver once they'd passed over his body; some of this tainted liquid found its way into his mouth and he enjoyed its refreshing effect as it went down his throat, still tasting faintly of death.
Slowly he brought up his hands to touch his face. He pressed his fingers hard beneath his optics and pulled down gradually, trails of watery mech fluid dragging in their wake. Trembling as a ragged sigh escaped him, he opened his optics, and his fingers slipped off his chin. He lowered his head and his arms fell loosely at his sides; he was breathing in and out deeply, easing out of a trance. His body felt heavy, but the electricity he'd been feeling earlier had stopped tingling through every inch of his being. He was calm now, even peaceful.
His gaze settled on the ocean. It was not ten meters away, glistening white and silver under the dull skies. On the farthest edges of the horizon he could see a curtain of sunshine glowing warmly. His mind was clear now and as he gazed out at the dawn he knew it was time.
Rampage turned himself to face the ocean directly; the vast expanse was both inviting and daunting. He felt more at home in the water, but there was so much of it here that trying to find anything in its depths without knowing exactly where it was was near-impossible; he, however, had an advantage.
He took a step forward then stopped short, halted by a distant emotion tingling within him. Someone was coming. He sensed no anger, so it could not be any of the Maximals, nor Inferno. This left only two possibilities. He waited.
The emotion increased as the being drew nearer, leaving no doubt in his mind as to who it was. He soon heard footsteps on the firm, wet sand.
"Is it over, now?"
He closed his eyes again and sighed.
"Is… everyone dead?"
"Obviously not," he growled softly. He turned and glowered over his shoulder.
Myst stood several feet away, looking worn and anxious. Her shoulders drooped under his withering gaze.
"Tarantulas is alive, then. You...really are going after him, aren't you?"
"What difference does it make to you?" he sniggered and looked back at the ocean.
"I just want to know what's going on, Rampage."
He did not answer her but rather continued to stare, motionless, at the rippling surface of the water. There was a long pause, though he wasn't sure what he waiting for. He wanted to be in the water, but there was some invisible force holding him back. He was struggling against it when she spoke.
"Have you thought ahead? I mean, when all is said and done and there are no Maximals and Predacons left on this world, what will you do?"
"You presume that will be the final outcome?" he asked without looking at her.
He could feel her confusion. Behind him, Myst frowned and ruminated over his words, but before she could figure anything out, he started forward again.
"Rampage!" she called. Surprisingly, he stopped. He proceeded to turn around fully, giving her a weary, expectant look. There was impatience, but he also exuded a hint of curiosity. Myst realised that this curiosity towards her was what had kept her alive for so long. He'd been intrigued by her and evidently still was. She hesitated, suddenly very afraid of coming out and saying what she'd been meaning to say for far too long, longer than she would like to admit.
"This is going to sound immensely stupid, but...in spite of everything I...I, um, I care about you."
His expression did not change, which spurred her to continue. "I-I don't know when it happened, exactly, but...that's mostly why I came back. I guess I just...wanted you to know that." She blinked once, looking as if she were about to break down but instead she turned around swiftly and headed towards the trees that bordered the beach.
Rampage stared after her, absorbing the high emotion that she was emitting; this was not one he had felt before. No... no, that wasn't true, he realized. He had felt it last night when she had come for him, though it had remained nameless at the time. He hadn't been able to pin it.
Had Myst still been watching him, she might have detected a faint smile creeping into his eyes, though whether it was benevolent or not would have been impossible to tell.
Rampage turned himself around and entered the water, transforming as he did so.
Although the storm was diminishing now, the air was still quite turbulent, and so his flight to the mountains was a difficult one. When he was within short-distance comm. range, he tried his luck and was successful at making contact.
"Inferno here."
"I'm in range, now. Let me know where exactly you are," Depth Charge requested.
A few moments later, he spotted a red flare coming from a cave. He veered towards it.
Inferno watched as the large Maximal transformed to robot mode and landed at the entrance to his hideout. His red eyes glowed brightly with violent intent as he strode towards him, but Inferno knew the intent was not aimed at himself.
"It is too soon for the weapon to have been completed, by your calculations," Inferno observed. Depth Charge nodded and stopped a few meters away.
"That's true. There's been an...incident."
Inferno subtly moved his hand closer to his flamethrower that was clipped at his side. "Elaborate," he said with a touch of suspicion.
Depth Charge shifted uncomfortably and looked away. He was silent for several seconds. "I left the base during the storm to pursue Myst. She'd abandoned us and I suspected that she was going to tell Rampage what we had planned for him."
"Why?" Inferno asked flatly, unable to comprehend why she would deliberately and pointlessly put her life in danger.
Depth Charge glanced at Inferno. "I don't know. I think she's always been in cahoots with him. Maybe she thought being on his side would ensure her survival. It's beside the point. When I found her, I found Rampage, too. I discovered that she hadn't leaked any information to him and we fought. Myst shot me in the back and I woke up in the Maximal base." He cleared his throat and folded his arms, looking down at the floor. "Rampage had been there, while I was unconscious. He'd killed most of the Maximals, including Rhinox, who was rebuilding the weapon."
Inferno regarded the manta thoughtfully. He could see in him the same despair that he had felt at seeing the Royalty die at the hands of the killer.
"Then it appears we have a problem. How are we to defeat him without the weapon?"
Depth Charge looked at Inferno and the grief was replaced with icy determination. "We can't. We need the weapon, and there's only one bot alive now who can repair it."
Inferno tilted his head in confusion. "Who is that?"
"Tarantulas," the raybot said gruffly. "I think he's still alive. He vanished some time back, before Rampage got free. I don't know where to start looking for him, but I figured you might."
Inferno frowned. "Why me?"
"Because you were closest to Megatron. I'm sure he kept tabs on that spider. Did he ever confide in you as to what he thought he might be up to, or where he could be hiding out?"
Inferno's frown deepened as he mulled over the question posed to him. Depth Charge waited patiently as the frown slowly dissipated. At last, Inferno nodded. "I recall the Royalty mentioning his suspicion over the lost energon cave, some time back. The spiders and Quickstrike were assigned to set up a base there, but they came back reporting it had been destroyed by Maximals. The Queen suspected Tarantulas was covering up for something."
"It's a clue," Depth Charge murmured thoughtfully. "Where exactly was this cave?"
"I could show you," Inferno offered, preferring to keep an eye on the manta ray's actions. He may be in an alliance with him, but that didn't mean he trusted him.
Depth Charge conceded to the ant’s suggestion and the two of them left the isolated safety of the cave. As they flew towards their destination, Inferno considered asking Depth Charge how exactly he planned on forcing Tarantulas to make the weapon, and then decided against it when he saw the ray was lost in deep thought. He'd wait until they were closer to their objective.
Rattrap heard the generators humming as they switched back on, and he closed his eyes with a relieved sigh. He'd finally managed to use an R-chamber and get the main power back online. He remained motionless, listening to the base come alive again with creaks and moans, but the many noises nevertheless rang hollow-- there was virtually no life left in this place.
Gathering his strength, he got to his feet and headed for the control room. Upon entering it, he saw that Optimus had not moved since they’d parted company two megacycles ago. The Maximal leader was still sitting hunched in a corner on the floor, eyes downcast.
"The main power's back," Rattrap said. His voice felt harsh and foreign as it cut the heavy silence.
Optimus did not respond. Rattrap sighed softly and moved to the computers, tuning their settings to display the visuals of the external cameras. The screens filled with scenes from every vantage point from the base. He put the sensors on maximum and the scanners on high-alert.
"He's gone."
Rattrap was a little startled by Optimus's voice; the maximal leader had not spoken in quite some time. His statement came out flat and quiet.
Rattrap turned and looked at him searchingly. Was he referring to Cheetor, or Rhinox? Then it dawned on him. "Depth Charge?"
Optimus nodded faintly. Rattrap bit back a colourful string of curses, saying instead: "Forget him, Optimus. He's a lost cause. He's been one since we came here."
Optimus remained unresponsive. Rattrap hesitated on what to do, his own mind clouded by the aching grief and cold desolation. Somehow, he knew he couldn't give in, that he had to keep going as long as there was something worth fighting for. It was something Optimus had taught him over the course of this war, and he wasn't about to refute that lesson now. The Ark still needed protection from the likes of Rampage and Tarantulas.
"I know it seems hopeless," Rattrap began quietly. "I know dat we've lost a lot. But...you and I are still here, and we have as much a responsibility to each other as we have a responsibility to keep this place safe. It would," he paused before he used the word as a pang of sadness hit him, "dishonour our friends if we gave up now. All their sacrifices would be fer nothin'. So ya gotta pull yerself together, Pop Op. Yah gotta stay strong."
Optimus was motionless, still staring despondently at the ground. Rattrap looked away as he wrestled with his own feelings; it pained him deeply to see his once strong and proud leader so broken. Finally, he turned down the passageway to the exit. He needed to repair those doors properly and get their mechanisms re-connected; after all, if he didn't, no one else would.
Waspinator watched the dark femme approach the base from his safe vantage-point, nestled in Megatron's old 'throne', observing the camera feed. When he'd spotted movement on the horizon, he'd started forward in fright, but then Myst had transformed to robot mode and he'd relaxed. He was so on edge. He knew she had gone after him, slipping out of the base whilst he was asleep. Upon waking only a megacycle ago he’d found himself alone. Since then, he'd been watching and waiting; more than anything he wanted to know what Rampage had planned. If anyone could find out and live, it was Myst.
He turned to the hallway entrance and listened to her approaching footsteps. A few moments later she entered and Waspinator was immediately confused by the look on her face. She appeared shocked and ill.
"Fuzor-femme all right?" he asked tentatively.
Myst stopped her walk to a nearby chair and looked at him bemusedly for a few seconds, then the dazed expression cleared somewhat and she shook her head. "No, no...no I'm fine."
"Fuzor-femme being contradictory."
She glanced up at him again and smiled mirthlessly. "I suppose I am."
"Tell Waszzpinator what's happening!"
The sudden, panicked demand broke whatever cloud her head was in and Myst blinked, startled. "All right, Waspinator, calm down."
"Calm?! Wazzpinator been sitting here in terror for megacycles! Want to know what crabbot going to do!"
"I don't know! No one can predict his movements, not really," Myst cried out. She frowned and went over to the chair, slumping into it with a tired groan. She turned her face towards the distraught Predacon. "He's definitely going after Tarantulas, though. I'm quite sure he's going to make him fuse his spark back together. After that is anyone's guess."
"What fuzor-femme's guess?" Waspinator asked a touch bitterly. He was not getting the answers he so desperately desired.
Myst lowered her gaze and a peculiar expression came onto her face. "I really, truly don't know. Although..."
She could see Waspinator sitting up with interest from the corner of her vision. "He did say something which might be of some hope."
"What?" Waspinator pressed.
"I asked him what he was going to do once he'd destroyed all Transformer life on this planet. He then asked me if I thought that was really going to be the final outcome. Maybe you can interpret that better than I."
Waspinator remained sitting, his posture intently alert for several more seconds before he sank back into a slump. "Wazzpinator thinks we're slagged."
Myst let out a short, sardonic laugh and leaned back in her chair, gazing up at the ceiling. "I think everyone who landed on this Primus-forsaken planet was doomed."
There was a long, thoughtful silence between the two. "We have another problem, Waspinator," Myst said eventually. Waspinator buzzed once in response.
"Depth Charge. I'm sure he's concentrating his efforts on Rampage for now, but he was definitely out to get me last night. He knows you too were in an alliance with Rampage. He's a threat to be reckoned with."
"Fuzor-femme really screwed this up," Waspinator muttered irritably. Myst looked across at him and saw the dark, brooding expression on his face. He spun his chair around and pulled up closer to the monitors. Myst continued to gaze at him, then quietly let her head fall into her hands. She just wanted the next few days to hurry up and happen. More than anything she needed a resolution to all this, to know if she had made the right decision.
Rampage glanced upwards, noting the growing calm of the water’s surface and the bold rays of sun. He had travelled away from the lingering storm; he preferred to be in stillness of these lighter waters while he searched for his quarry.
He continued for half a megacycle until he was well away from land. He needed to put distance between himself and everyone else in order to achieve his objective. Finally, he stopped and held still, only swaying a little in the ocean current. He shut off his optics and concentrated on sensing emotion. Though he was always vaguely aware of Depth Charge, he'd managed to block him out for the meantime.
At first he felt nothing but tiny tingles he couldn't quite decipher, but that he knew were from the bots on land. Then, as he fell into a deep trance wherein every inch of his being was seeking out the shadowy impulses of another, he caught the faintest trace of an emotion he knew all too well. His eyes opened.
"So you are beneath the waves, spider."
He turned to his left and stared out into the blue gloom for several moments, before breaking into a steady scuttle over the ocean floor.
"There it is," Inferno said, pointing towards a cliff face. "That was where the cavern was."
Depth Charge landed a few meters shy of what definitely looked like the site of an explosion. Inferno was already on the ground and investigating the area. "So apparently the Maximals blew this place up?" Depth Charge queried.
Inferno nodded absently. "I never heard anything about that," he muttered as he began walking through rubble.
"If the spider is here, he is behind this wall of rocks," Inferno said, gesturing towards the cascaded rock face.
"I don't want to waste time digging," Depth Charge said as he backed away and loaded his weapon with twin missiles. Inferno caught on and did the same. "On three."
The earth trembled and debris went flying as the wall of the cavern was blown to pieces. The pair waited for the dust to clear with bated breath. A wicked smile lit up in Depth Charge's eyes. "Spot on, Inferno."
Inferno regarded the hole they'd just made. Through it, he could make out the blue glow of energon stalactites and a computer on the far wall.
"Keep your weapons ready. If he's home, he's definitely aware that he has company," Depth Charge said as he strode forward. The two entered the cavern and observed an entire laboratory. There were computers, vials and pipes, electric cables running along the floor and, in the corner, an open manhole. Inferno exchanged a glance with the raybot and then they cautiously approached it. Depth Charge peered down. "There's light at the bottom."
"Let us proceed, then."
Both Maximal and Predacon were amazed at what they discovered. The floor of the enormous underground cavern, beneath the one they'd originally entered, was almost level with the water table. Dotted along the surface of the water were anchored lights that brightened as they walked closer to the single computer station. "What the hell was he doing down here?" Depth Charge murmured as he clicked a button on the console to bring up the most recent application. He frowned at the images that came onto the screen and then gasped. "The Nemesis!"
"The what?" Inferno asked, confused.
Depth Charge did not answer him straight away, being too much in shock. Finally, he turned his head slowly to him as he spoke. "It was a Decepticon warship. The most powerful Decepticon warship. It crash-landed here along with the Ark. Tarantulas has found it."
"Treacherous spider! Where is it located?"
Depth Charge turned to the water. "Under that."
"He must have a submersible," Inferno stated. His optics widened as he spotted something. "And those must be its tracks!"
Depth Charge followed his gaze to a platform far across the cavern that led down into the water via a series of tracks.
"Then they will lead me straight to him," Depth Charge growled as he headed over to them.
"Wait! I cannot swim!" Inferno cried. Depth Charge wheeled around, walking backwards as he talked. "Follow my signal and fly above. This will eventually lead to the ocean. I'll try and bring him to the surface and you can take him to the Ark."
"But what about this mighty warship?" Inferno asked irritably. He did not approve of the Maximal making all the decisions.
"We can only hope it's not functional, yet," the manta said before turning around and diving into the water. Inferno stared at where he'd been, contemplating all that he'd said. Depth Charge had simply set off, without discussing a plan or strategy, or at least not much of one. It was not something the Royalty would have done. But then...
"This is all to avenge you, my Queen," Inferno murmured quietly. He turned away and made his way to the exit. He would do as Depth Charge instructed. There really was nothing else for it.
Tarantulas watched the doors shut with an overwhelming sense of impending doom. The hiss they made and the short, muffled suction noise was so final that he felt as if he were being sealed in a coffin. He stared at the grey, seamless entrance and exit to his shuttle for several seconds, before forcing himself out of his fearful daze to wheel his chair around to face the screens. The sight ahead of him was the dark, hulking form of the Nemesis's left wing, a shadow in the blue haze of the waters. He pressed the ignition button and directed the submersible along the tracks to where he needed to start working. He'd have to reach a point where the thrusters were visible in the sand and then he’d use the boom (which he'd attached to the vessel when building the tracks) to dig his way to them.
The light faded considerably as he dipped down below the bank and into the shadow of the ship; after a short time he reached his destination and as soon as he was there, he began digging. For a little while he forgot all else as he engrossed himself in the final stage of his project. Finally, the thrusters were exposed. To his great relief, they weren't as damaged as he'd first presumed, meaning he wouldn't have to do much repair work on them.
It was a gruelling process all the same. Two extendable arms with several tools attached were remotely controlled by a series of buttons and touch-sensitive ball pads. He had high-def cameras filming their every move and as such, his optics were focussed entirely on the computer screens as he manoeuvred the arms. Time slipped by but he was largely unaware of it as he concentrated on patching up the worst areas of damage. Gradually, the thrusters were restored to a safe level of operation. Tarantulas finally leaned back in his chair with a satisfied grunt. Mission complete. The significance of this took a few moments to sink in; he was as good as free of Earth. All he had to do was get the Nemesis off the ocean’s floor and steer it through the time portal that it had passed through so many years ago.
The submersible bleeped quietly as he put it into reverse...
Rampage could feel his target more and more strongly as he travelled across the sea floor in an eastern direction. The arachnid was obviously nervous, and with reason; Rampage fully intended on making Tarantulas suffer when he'd attained what he wanted from him.
It was still quite a trek and so, before long, he had drifted off into thought. The past twelve hours had been...interesting.
Exhilarating, sensational, utterly sickening.
He had not expected that turn of events in the forest. He'd been aware of the Maximals coming for Depth Charge but he hadn't felt like getting into conflict with so many of them. Optimus was a powerful bot and backed up with his troops, probably too much for him to take on. However, something had separated and damaged them. Rampage had guessed lightning, but he hadn’t thought overmuch about what had caused their breaking up. The fact was, they were apart and isolated in the forest, aching all over and terrified for their lives--too delicious to resist. Such a long aching while had elapsed since he’d gone on a proper hunt. The rush of fear, the stumbling and struggling as they tried to escape him, the pent up screams of desperation... And he played them, yes, like puppets on strings. He could anticipate their every clumsy move as they tried in vain to flee their oncoming doom. He made sure he was in the corner of their vision, on the edge of their hearing range, stalking, watching as they grew increasingly panicked until they lost all sense of reasoning and ran straight into an obvious trap. The build-up to the kill was almost as good, if not better at times, than the kill itself.
The fuzor was the first to fall. He'd tried sprinting away from him when he'd come up from behind. Really, hiding in a thicket! Did he truly believe I wouldn't find him there? Well, he had seen fear change composed, proud bots into trembling wrecks enough times to know logic went out the window. He'd taken special delight in tearing Silverbolt to pieces. That meddling fool had been the main reason he'd lost Transmutate. If he hadn't interfered, she might still be alive today. His howls and screams had seemed to mock him and so his voice box was one of the first things he'd destroyed in him. He usually left it 'til last, but he couldn't stand how pathetic he sounded. For a bot who claimed to be so brave and noble, he certainly came apart when tortured.
Rampage snickered unconsciously as he recalled how the wolf-eagle had looked when one of his beast back legs had been shoved down his throat and his wings were split asunder while still attached to his body. Rampage’s only letdown in that murder was that the victim had died too quickly.
His thoughts changed to the rat and he immediately felt irritated. Rattrap had been one of the only bots he'd encountered who knew how to elude a killer. He'd pursued him right up to the Ark, counting on him making the mistake of letting his guard down as he approached it. He'd anticipated correctly; for all of the rodent's cunning at keeping out of reach of the hunter, he had the same amount of arrogance to match. Rattrap honestly believed he'd outsmarted and outrun the larger, more deadly bot. His failure to fully destroy him (he'd somehow lost him in all the frenzy) seemed less disappointing when he realized that the rat would have to live with the consequences of his actions for the rest of his days, however long they might be. He hadn't really decided, yet.
The Maximals who'd emerged from the base had been an unexpected bonus. He hadn't thought them so stupid as to openly present themselves to attack. They'd put up a decent stand, though, to give them their due. That rhino kept picking himself up, right up until he had no more limbs with which to punch or kick. He'd been so desperate to defend the catbot that he'd crawled over to him and tried to pull him away as the young Maximal was being stripped of his outer-plating. One savage kick through the abdomen had finally finished him off. By that stage the kitten had been screeching in terror and misery; the sounds had grown exceptionally annoying, and mildly alarming. He both loved and hated the screams he provoked from his victims. He achieved a certain, indescribable thrill in hearing them but at the same time felt distressed and anxious, because the screams distantly echoed his own and reminded him of his own pain. Only nothing he could do to them would ever match that agony… And this realisation, the depth of his old wound, was what turned all the vague alarm he experienced into contempt and then to hatred. How DARE they insult him--They didn't know what true suffering was! Cheetor had intensified the utter disdain he felt towards what he considered to be lower life. There had been little bitterness in Quickstrike's killing, whereas Cheetor's had been full of anger.
Poor kitten got the worst of me.
Blackarachnia's death had been the most unsatisfactory of the lot. She'd seen him coming to finish her and had put herself in stasis lock, which had aggravated him, and so he'd torn her apart rapidly and without much thought.
But it doesn't matter. Depth Charge won't know that.
That had been the cherry on top. He knew the ray had been in the base, unconscious, and that it was only a matter of time before he woke up to discover the carnage on his doorstep. Rampage had quivered when he'd sensed the peak of anguish coming from the ex-Guardian, even though he'd been miles away by that stage. How awfully acute his pain had been, how utter his devastation. Depth Charge was his finest piece to date, for he alone had come closest to understanding how terrible living life could be, except in an entirely different way. Emotions were the ray's weak spot and he kept attacking it over and over again. The only real solution to Depth Charge's perpetual predicament was his own death, or to grow so overwhelmed that he stopped feeling altogether beyond a deadened aching lust for destruction. He was confident that, given enough time, he could warp the raybot to this state of being. He had brought him a step closer with Myst. Depth Charge was going to kill her, that he was certain of.
Yes, old friend. You feel too much at this stage, but you came close to being dominated by just one emotion last night. How long until all other emotions fade away and all that is left is an insatiable rage? How long until taking it out just on me isn't enough?
Then, they'd be alike. Brothers in spirit, propelled through life with one single desire: to kill.
Rampage stopped abruptly, suddenly feeling a flurry of confusion. Was that it? Was that his ultimate goal? To kill and bend another to kill like him? Or did he want more from this existence? What else was there for him to achieve?
There was Myst, he realized. She had admitted something that he had not expected. He could not deny he'd felt some strange comfort in her company in the earlier stages of their relationship. She'd satisfied a deeply embedded and previously unacknowledged desire in him, to escape the total loneliness he felt in his plight… To be with someone who did not abhor or fear him had been so alien, so different that he'd felt inescapably intrigued, almost drawn to explore the feeling. This had confused him greatly, because never before had he felt even vaguely protective over anything other than himself and, for a short time, Transmutate. And yet, when Tarantulas had tried to take Myst away from him he'd been desperate to retain this newfound thing which he felt he had to have, that he somehow needed. But like Transmutate, it had all gone to the Pit and he'd been left once again in bitter disappointment. Only, unlike Transmutate, Myst had returned and offered herself to him again. She'd expressed both verbally and emotionally that she cared for him.
Care. Even the word sounded strange. He couldn't understand it. He had tried, albeit begrudgingly, yet he still couldn't comprehend the notion of caring for someone. Had he cared for Myst? Truly? Had his desire to keep her to himself been out of something more than just a lust for some company?
Before Rampage could ponder those questions, he became distracted by the distinct smell of fear in the area. Tarantulas was close. Very close now, in fact....
He
squinted into the gloom and could just make out a massive shadow in the
distance. There was something else there, along with his prey. But
what on earth could it be?