Shadowfire

Chapter 46

I stepped out of the space bridge and onto the hard ground. I was on Earth no longer. I could feel the difference, in the air, in the gravity, in my very spark.

I looked around, studying the ruins, gaping at the horror of the destruction around me.

I was overwhelmed. What should I do? My people were expecting leadership, needed leadership, we needed to find a safe place to live, start removing the trappings of war, hunker down in the lee of ancient destruction– Barricade dropped a servo onto my shoulder. I startled, snapping out of my panic.
"It's not all on you Shadow, we're here to help"
"Whatever you need, in any way we can" an unexpected feeling of love and warmth blossomed in the jagged remains of my spark. I hadn't thought I could ever feel this again, in the wake of 'Hide and my sire and leaving all I had ever know, all I had suffered– but they'd suffered too, and we were here together, a family. The unease inside me settled. As much as Earth had been my home this was my planet and I would rebuild Cybertron from the ground up if I had to, just enough to eek out a living, a way of life for me and my people. It may not ever be what it was, we may be scavengers scratching out a meagre existence but we would be alive, we would be safe, we would be together.

___________________________

The lights sweeping the cavern intermittently lit the tunnel. I paused, hearing something shifting beneath the rubble.
"Hold up" I called. Up ahead Smokescreen paused, our search to remove dangerous war relics and provide a safe means of escape or hiding for people in need temporarily halted. The process of clearing the tunnels we'd discovered under the ruins of Iacon had been a slow one, the first tunnel discovered by accident had been full of the husks of dead scraplets, and Barrage had lit the whole place up rather than step foot inside. We had decided to investigate, wary of the flame singed cave, and discovered a network of tunnels stretching underneath the city. The further we went the less damage or signs of habitation there were, I knew Howler and Quarrel at least hoped we'd be able to live down here and avoid all the trouble the war had left on the surface, Barrage and Barricade thought at best the tunnels could provide a refuge whereas Smokescreen was terrified of them, having heard of horrible things being done to mechs under the ground of Iacon even in the days preceding the war. He was here though, despite all that; he would follow anywhere his family led, even if it was to the edge of the universe or to disturb the resting of Unicron himself.

"What's wrong?"
"I can hear something moving around. Howler, run a structural scan" we waited with baited breath until eventually Howl swore. I could hear Smokescreen behind me cursing.
"Not scraplets, not scraplets" he whispered to himself, almost a prayer. 
"There's a chamber under this one, the ceiling- what's holding up our floor, is rusted though. Shad you're right on top of it"
"Alright, all of you, get out now"
"We can't-"
"How far down is it?"
"Too far, it may take us days to find a safe way to the floor of the cavern, if one exists"
"If I move, will it collapse?"
"It's likely to, come on Shadow you can't just stay here forever"
"You all get out, then I'll make a break for it"

Grudgingly my friends retreated.
"Just wait, we'll throw you a cable, winch you out if the floor gives way"

The ominous creaking sound came again, along with the sound of rocks falling.
"Hurry!"
"Shad it's giving way! Jump!" I turned, seeing the end of the tunnel, the bright sunlit streaming in outlining the silhouettes of the 'Cons reaching for me. I leapt into the air, trying to grab something, anything to slow my fall. Someone threw a line, and I reached for it desperately, feeling my legs getting caught up in the cascade of rocks dragging me down. The cable whipped through my servos helplessly and I crashed to the ground. The sound of tearing metal and cracking stone echoed around the cavern, for a moment everything hung still.

And then I fell into darkness.

___________________________

Two Cybertronians faced me, something familiar in their stance though I had never seen them before. Previous Primes maybe? I didn't know, all I could see was the silhouettes of their frames, backlit by flickering light. I turned to get a better look at the one on the right, and blue light flared behind it. The figure took a step forward, and began to speak-
"In the end of the golden age, there was a clerk in the Iacon Hall of Records named Orion Pax- who became convinced by the words of a gladiator, daring to call himself Megatronus, stylising himself as the saviour of Cybertron. This gladiator turned revolutionary rapidly gathered a loyal following, revealing his true colours- proclaiming the need to overthrow the old guard with force, and arrogantly demanding to be named the next Prime. But Orion did not believe in violence as a means of achieving justice, the sparks and minds of the Council were moved by Orion's words. For the first time since Cybertron's golden age there was someone worthy of being a Prime, but that honour could only truly be achieved by earning the mantle. Ambitions thwarted Megatronus severed all ties with Orion and the council, shortening his name and denying that he ever knew the champion of peace, waging war on all who opposed him with his growing army of followers, vowing to claim the matrix for himself. Orion journeyed to the planetary core and found himself before the spark of our life giver, Primus himself- who sensed the innate nobility within Orion, and bestowed the mantle of Prime upon him. It was thus that a surprised and humbled Orion Pax, came to be Optimus" as the shadowy figure spoke, it began to solidify, and I could all but see the scene it described. But something seemed off about the story, and I turned my head away, instantly the blue flame surrounding the shadowed Prime faded, and a red wreath appeared around the second mech. It too began to speak.

"During the final years of the last age, citizens of Cybertron became increasingly concerned with the corruption and inequality they suffered. A record clerk named Orion became inspired by the ideas of a gladiator, named after one of the thirteen original Primes- Megatronus. Megatronus took his concerns to the High Council, trying to get them to help turn the tide against the decay eating into the very heart of Cybertronian society, but the corruption had spread to even them. They took Orion, Megatronus' closest confidant, and turned him on the older mech- erasing his memories and downloading a new personality into his systems, forcing him deep into the caverns in the planetary core, where an ancient device, activated by the presence of the Matrix of Leadership, transformed him into Optimus forever; determined to defend the corrupt society of the current Cybertron for all eternity"
Now this seemed more likely, yet I didn't like being forced into a choice. Making up my mind I took a bold step forward, ignoring the two figures as they reached out for me, trying to grasp my frame with servos that became more insubstantial the less attention I paid to them. Purple flames leapt around me, and then everything faded.