Just Burned and Healed Things

The Fallen (Part 2)

"I get the feeling just because,

Everything I touch isn't dark enough,

That this problem lies in me"

>><<

"Knock Out dropped from the map almost two hours ago," Agent Fowler reported to both Ultra Magnus and Megatron. "And, unfortunately . . . Kyra's spark signature followed him."

"That no good, slick-talking, pit-dam-" Ratchet bristled as Drift hushed him, the medic glaring at him before continuing his sentence. "I told her to not go out there, and she didn't listen! Now the two of them could be in front of the Fallen himself, and he will kill her!"

"You don't know that," Rodimus tried weakly, knowing it was a pathetic attempt to offer a silver lining. Megatron shot him a withering glare, and the Prime had to use his entire will to not flinch or back down. "You don't."

"Let's not sugar-coat this," Arcee crossed her arms, glaring at the young mech. "The Fallen, and any Decepticon will see her as some kind of perversion to the Cybertronian species. They won't allow her to live."

"Let's drop this," Ratchet said, venom coating his words. Arcee immediately shut her mouth, realizing her words, as true as they were, had probably offended him. "And instead focus on where they might be."

"Skywarp!" Soundwave played the recording of Starscream he had caught through the comlink Knock Out had wisely left open. The statement was obvious: they could be anywhere.

"That traitorous scum," Megatron growled softly, his optics glittering. "I should have ended his spark when I had the chance!"

"Our best course of action right now should be to continue what we are doing," Ultra Magnus interrupted. "So far, we have eliminated a few mines that are certainly not being used to fuel the Fallen's growing army. That means we have significantly narrowed our search, and may be able to find Knock Out and Kyra if we continue looking. Or, Knock Out may be able to reestablish communications."

The Autobots digested what he was saying, nodding slowly. Jack noticed his mother was pacing back and forth in agitation, worried for her adopted daughter. Kyra may not have been the perfect child - the terrible twos were horrific - but she still had been June's daughter.

Ratchet grit his denta in frustration, however he relented and nodded in understanding. Ultra Magnus was right; they had a better chance of finding Kyra if they kept looking. He was going to give that ridiculous excuse for a medic a piece of his mind the moment he laid his servos on him.

>><<

The Decepticon's base of operations looked very much like an American Civil War-era camp, with rudimentary shelters built up and tens of individuals packed into a limited space. Kyra could hear them greet or jeer at Knock Out, the medic receiving mixed feelings from his peers. The egotistical Decepticon just brushed them off, following Starscream as he was lead to the apex of the shelters, where what appeared to be a throne was settled.

Judging from the darkened sky, Knock Out assumed they had warped to the other side of the planet, into a vast desert that stretched for miles in either direction. He also recognized the shield generators scattered across the base, protected by guards, which most likely concealed their spark signatures. His red optics focused on the throne, and he wondered if Kyra could sense his spark nearly stopping in his chassis.

Seated upon it was a mech he had never seen before, but exhumed terrible power. Random objects appeared to float around him, his gaze dark and menacing when he looked upon the approaching mechs. His frame reminded him very much of Megatron, which made sense as the mech modeled himself strongly after the exiled Prime. Megatronus shifted in his throne and sat up a little taller, revealing a slender waist that was interrupted by jagged plates all across and down his body.