Infected

Chapter 22

Eclipse POV.

The harsh winds blew fragments of metal against my wings. The sea of rust was never known for its vacation opportunities. Switching thruster gears, I fly faster. A storm was brewing and I was farther than I liked from my current hide out. Dipping and spinning down I move closer to the ragged ground beneath me. The howling of violent winds caught my attention. I kicked into high gear. Another tornado was forming. I remember Uncle Thundercracker telling me about those. They were common on Earth. Much more common there than on Cybertron. In fact there's an entire region named after them. Tornados here however, are only found deep within the Sea of Rust. There's one at least every week here. Sometimes a few in the same storm. But even then, that's not the worst of the weather here. Massive rust storms that could tear a bot apart. All of the exposed metal absorbs the sun a little too effectively here. A bot could melt if they weren't careful. Or acid rain full of so many toxins one will melt from that instead.

The light tower at my base could be seen up ahead. Behind me the tornado meet the metal surface. Those were the easiest to deal with in my opinion. Even if you were sucked in, all one has to do is adjust your wings until the tornado throws you off to the side somewhere. They're more of an inconvenience in my book. Transforming I land. It seems the heart of the storm wasn't even headed my direction. Walking down into the ancient tunnels I turn on my bio lights. These tunnels were used a lot in the Great War. Many however have caved in and exposed themselves to the surface, much like my own hideout's entrance. Pushing open the door I grunt.  It was rusted beyond repair, but where it once slid was fine. My campsite was small, humble even. A padded cot in the corner with a few lamps strung up. The back wall had a small energon pile. The datapad I brought with me for my logs was on my berth. The maps I drew were rolled and tucked into the crumbling wall by the door.

Sire was the one who taught us to draw. He meet a lot of bots who enjoyed doing it. Two of them were Autobots. A gold one apparently. The other was a seeker femme from a colony planet. Sire liked her, she was kind and did what she could for everyone she could. I remember he didn't like the gold one though. Pulling out a map I don't bother to push the door closed. Adding a few more landmarks I look at my work satisfied and update the map copy I downloaded. As the storm continued, wind started pushing its way down into the tunnels. A familiar smell caught my attention. Tox-En. There were several pits of it near by. Stepping out of my room I look up the rumble and into the cloudy sky. Tox-En fog rolled down and into the tunnels, curling around my ankles. Walking back into my camp I grab an open energy shield. Normally one should avoid Tox-En at all costs. The affects it had were nasty on the spark, slowly and efficiently killing it.

Then again, I defiantly wasn't expecting the affect it had on me. My multiple trips to the Sea of Rust lead me to discovering the pits, and their effects. Being stuck within my campsite for a few weeks wasn't ever fun. Taking in a deep breath I let the fumes enter my systems. Those several weeks however led to something exciting. Eventually, the fumes stopped affecting me whatsoever. Small crystal fragments stopped making my servos numb or my processor dizzy. Servo sized chucks could soon be played with as if they were sports equipment. One day, the pits of Tox-En weren't even showing up as a threat in my databanks. Stepping out of my hideout I hold the shield above my helm, the acid rain pouring straight down. The green atmosphere was beautiful. Jagged, sharp metal rose from the ground and fog, giving them the look of distant mountains. The lightning above zipped and rippled through the clouds. The rain and fog around me warped their color, given them a yellow glow instead of white.

I would need to leave soon however. My final year of schooling was closing in. Thoughts of the future came to mind. I didn't want to leave my adventures. But I knew Flare wanted to attend a college. He had his optics on the city of New Vos. There were multiple universities there, so none of them were the same nor taught the same subjects. Siege wasn't sure yet. But he loved the idea of commanding a ship, just like Uncle Thundcracker. I could admit the same! Becoming skilled and respected. I could use that sort of sway to help so many bots. Give them resources! Homes! Just like- I pause and frown. We never met our Uncle Starscream. He's never been around. Siege thinks he's in prison. Flare thinks he's somewhere in the galaxy. I remember when I brought an article about him to Sire. I was so excited. My uncle. Commander Starscream of the Decepticons and Seekers. Sire didn't exactly turn me down, but he did try to redirect me. I remember trying to replicate how my uncle flew. At that point neither could stop me. But I toned down how often I spoke of him. They miss him. My brothers and I can tell them do.

My attention was caught by the growing storm. Tox-En fumes grew thicker, making it impossible to see. Sighing I turn back. Final year of school. And then my life could change forever.