Starscream turns down the short hall leading away from the rotunda. He passes Thundercracker's future shrine--though oddly, there's an offering bowl at that one--and Dirge's, with its delightfully antique statue, unrecognizable to anyone who hadn't known him about three upgrades ago. He frowns at feel of rubble crunching underfoot. Doesn't someone take care of these shrines?
His own shrine, with the elegant classical sculpture commissioned from Cybertron's finest court sculptor shortly before the Nemesis' ill-fated flight, should be just about... here.
Starscream freezes in shock. His image, his beautiful statue, is gone. Only two shattered legs remain, one upright, one knocked over. The rest of it is rubble and scrap, tumbled behind the plinth still bearing his name. His name is curiously unmarred, as if whoever destroyed Starscream's image wanted everyone to know just who had been broken here.
Starscream's cry reverberates down the empty corridors and hallways of the Crypt, disturbing the turborats, sending them scurrying for cover. It also disturbs... something else.
"Commander?"
As if by magic, a black and silver tetrajet Seeker materializes, his approach totally unheard and unseen before he'd spoken.
Blackstar peers at Starscream with something akin to shock, head cocked to one side and confusion written in his widened crimson optics. Something is seriously... wrong here, and it's got nothing to do with Starscream's shattered sculpture.
The unmistakable burn of the Air Commander's living spark is as obvious as a solar flare to the ghost.
Starscream turns quickly, confronting the black and silver Seeker. His guns are already charging, and there's something wild in his ruby optics.
"Soldier, identify yourself! What are you doing down here sneaking up on me, and who is your superior?"
There was something not quite right about how the newcomer had just... appeared when Starscream's back was turned. He should have heard him coming--but this was a nightmare. Perhaps his senses were useless as well.
Blackstar doesn't look too concerned about the charging guns, doesn't give them the least glance, in fact.
"I'm... Blackstar," he replies slowly, with the careful, confused air of someone explaining something that should be obvious. "And... You are. Or, at least you were. Still are, I suppose, but..."
Blackstar shakes his head in confusion. Starscream is Starscream is Starscream, right? Except... this isn't even the other Starscream that had come to his aid at Auspex's temple. That much is very obviously clear to the ghost.
Other Starscream... Hmmm. On a hunch, he calls for his Commander across that other comm band.
// Starscream? //
After all, this wouldn't be the first time a mech has popped into this universe all unawares from another. The Nexus could sure screw up reality, even when it wasn't trying.
Skyfire considers that for a moment. // I know where we are. I visited here after I returned from space. After Unicron. // His voice is heavy.
// I don't know any part of Cybertron very well any more. Things have changed so much. And I can't follow him here the way I did in the Nexus. Air is too polluted. So we catch him here. Do you have a plan? My plans are a bit sketchy, to say the least. //
Skyfire tries to move carefully forward, out of the others' way; unfortunately, stealth is not one of his strong points. The sound of his footsteps echo through the tunnels.
// I am concerned, too. I don't know the layout of this place, beyond the tunnels lead generally to the hub in the one direction, and Starscream's own shrine is a short distance off the hub down a tunnel--that might be the place to look for him. I don't know what's at the other end of the tunnels, whether they just end, or connect with lateral corridors, or what. //
// Rodimus, do you know the layout of this place? //
// My appearance will shock him, period. I can't say whether he'll attack me or flee me. *A sound almost like a sigh* I strongly suspect if I were obviously incapacitated or trapped, he'd approach me, though probably not with benign intent. //
A brief hesitation. // There is one thing... I wish I'd thought of this when we were making preparations. If you could cover my Autobrand or replace it with the Decepticon sigil.... //
"A mirror. In the Nexus," Starscream repeats slowly. "All this--" he waves a hand at the scarred walls and still settling dust, "is because of some idiotic faerie prank?"
His voice rises, shrill and loud. "I TRIED TO KILL MY OWN FR--ALLIES BECAUSE OF THIS! I could have destroyed the Truce--the only thing keeping the Decepticons from oblivion! I said things..." Starscream looks at Skyfire again, and looks away quickly. "...I should not have said."
"You know the Nexus people better than I do. Is there any way of tracking down the idiot trickster who did this? I have a sudden urge to start sowing faerie mounds with powdered iron."
Well, at least his freakouts are reassuringly normal. Roddy tries to sit up again, stubborn patient that he is, and manages to prop himself up on his injured elbow. "Hey, take it easy. Everyone knows how powerful LOLs are, I doubt you would have broken the truce even if we hadn't gotten ahold of you. Anyway-" he smiles - "it's over now, and we won. Time for drinks!"
He doesn't think he has to add 'and be more careful next time you're in the Nexus.' Starscream, smart lad that he is, has probably learned his lesson. He hopes.
"Rodimus, thank you for warning us that you were moving suddenly. You almost got your spoiler welded to your helmet," Skyfire says drily. "Judging from the look on Frostbite's face, you are in genuine danger of getting welded to the floor until she's done patching you up. The ability to move around while wounded does not make it advisable to do so. My partner here persisted in trying to climb out of his repair berth to deal with Steadfast and Strata after we brought him back from the Yukon in much smaller pieces than when he left. The only thing stopping Ratchet from welding him to the berth was the fact that I could lean on Starscream and keep him from moving.."
Skyfire looks down at Rodimus. "I don't need to lean on you, do I?"
Comments 139
His own shrine, with the elegant classical sculpture commissioned from Cybertron's finest court sculptor shortly before the Nemesis' ill-fated flight, should be just about... here.
Starscream freezes in shock. His image, his beautiful statue, is gone. Only two shattered legs remain, one upright, one knocked over. The rest of it is rubble and scrap, tumbled behind the plinth still bearing his name. His name is curiously unmarred, as if whoever destroyed Starscream's image wanted everyone to know just who had been broken here.
Even here, the nightmare won't let him go.
"WHY??"
Reply
"Commander?"
As if by magic, a black and silver tetrajet Seeker materializes, his approach totally unheard and unseen before he'd spoken.
Blackstar peers at Starscream with something akin to shock, head cocked to one side and confusion written in his widened crimson optics. Something is seriously... wrong here, and it's got nothing to do with Starscream's shattered sculpture.
The unmistakable burn of the Air Commander's living spark is as obvious as a solar flare to the ghost.
Reply
"Soldier, identify yourself! What are you doing down here sneaking up on me, and who is your superior?"
There was something not quite right about how the newcomer had just... appeared when Starscream's back was turned. He should have heard him coming--but this was a nightmare. Perhaps his senses were useless as well.
Reply
"I'm... Blackstar," he replies slowly, with the careful, confused air of someone explaining something that should be obvious. "And... You are. Or, at least you were. Still are, I suppose, but..."
Blackstar shakes his head in confusion. Starscream is Starscream is Starscream, right? Except... this isn't even the other Starscream that had come to his aid at Auspex's temple. That much is very obviously clear to the ghost.
Other Starscream... Hmmm. On a hunch, he calls for his Commander across that other comm band.
// Starscream? //
After all, this wouldn't be the first time a mech has popped into this universe all unawares from another. The Nexus could sure screw up reality, even when it wasn't trying.
Reply
(The comment has been removed)
// I don't know any part of Cybertron very well any more. Things have changed so much. And I can't follow him here the way I did in the Nexus. Air is too polluted. So we catch him here. Do you have a plan? My plans are a bit sketchy, to say the least. //
Reply
(The comment has been removed)
// I am concerned, too. I don't know the layout of this place, beyond the tunnels lead generally to the hub in the one direction, and Starscream's own shrine is a short distance off the hub down a tunnel--that might be the place to look for him. I don't know what's at the other end of the tunnels, whether they just end, or connect with lateral corridors, or what. //
// Rodimus, do you know the layout of this place? //
// My appearance will shock him, period. I can't say whether he'll attack me or flee me. *A sound almost like a sigh* I strongly suspect if I were obviously incapacitated or trapped, he'd approach me, though probably not with benign intent. //
A brief hesitation. // There is one thing... I wish I'd thought of this when we were making preparations. If you could cover my Autobrand or replace it with the Decepticon sigil.... //
Reply
"A mirror. In the Nexus," Starscream repeats slowly. "All this--" he waves a hand at the scarred walls and still settling dust, "is because of some idiotic faerie prank?"
His voice rises, shrill and loud. "I TRIED TO KILL MY OWN FR--ALLIES BECAUSE OF THIS! I could have destroyed the Truce--the only thing keeping the Decepticons from oblivion! I said things..." Starscream looks at Skyfire again, and looks away quickly. "...I should not have said."
"You know the Nexus people better than I do. Is there any way of tracking down the idiot trickster who did this? I have a sudden urge to start sowing faerie mounds with powdered iron."
Reply
He doesn't think he has to add 'and be more careful next time you're in the Nexus.' Starscream, smart lad that he is, has probably learned his lesson. He hopes.
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Skyfire looks down at Rodimus. "I don't need to lean on you, do I?"
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"I'll be good."
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