Last and Alone - Secret Part 11.2
Last and Alone - Secret
Title: Part 11.2 (Chapter was to large for one post dang it!)
Rating: T
Characters: Jazz, Perceptor, the Monolith Team,
Warnings: Mech x Mech hinted at/mentioned occasionally
Universe: G1-ish/Last and Alone/Monolith
Disclaimer: I, in no way, shape, or form, own the Transformers© franchise or the characters it contains. They belong to Has/Tak, No infringement intended. Any OC’s to my knowledge are solely mine.
Summary: Perceptor was once part of a gestalt, but the others were destroyed. Since he should never have survived the deaths of his teammates, it’s a secret he has kept for thousands of vorns. Now Jazz is tracking it down.
Part 11.1 - Secret
Part 11.2
*-*-*
“You all right Cav?”
Cavalier looked up as Tonic offered a cube of energon before taking a seat across from him in the Seeker’s small lounge area. “What, can’t tell?”
“You know I can’t, your shielding to well. Shutting us all out.”
“Ahhh!” Cavalier began in frustration. “I have spent what? More than seventy two hundred vorns, defending CCC command only to learn that of my entire team, I’m the blind glitch loyal to an entity that deserves no loyalty? An entity who actually had logged plans on how to dispose of us? An entity who can’t even tell us that one of their own destroyed our friends? I should have lumped associating and making friends of CCC High Command Officers in the same category as Foist’s playing and berth gambols with labbies. But no, I was too blinded by my martial training that taught me to respect the command structure. I lead an extremely specialized team. You’d think after all this time I could see beyond my training in regards to High Command.”
“As far as your loyalty to the High Command? I suspect in your deepest core programming and spark from good ol’ Vector Sigma is a line or two that emphasizes that respect. You were after all designed for CSF Command. If not for your chassis, processor and sparks predisposition to accept the gestalt process that is what you would have done.”
“And my respected High Command’s keeping the truth about Totality and Volatilus? You have a defense for that?”
“Cav, none of us, even in our glitchiest visions would have pictured a gestalt setting a trap and destroying another.
“Hmpf, sure, that’s not why Foist wanted to build that slagging rifle. Nor is it why I let him.”
“You may have Okayed the rifle, but you have always held doubts about that choice. Be glad we have Slider’s skills or we’d not have one quarter of the info we’ve now got.”
“Oh trust me, I fully appreciate Slider’s skills. That he snagged an entire copy of the CCC mainframe, I am more grateful than I can say. Hmpf, thankfully he already knows and I don’t have to.” And Cavalier tapped his chest armor where underneath lay his spark. “If not for him we wouldn’t know that the CCC had lifted those designs from Foist’s memory.” Cavalier paused then added dryly, “And, even better, that a copy of those specs along with an actual rifle was given to Volatilus.”
“Cav, what may or may not come of the GN Rifle will be. Do you really think that some labbie somewhere wouldn’t have figured it out eventually?”
“Oh Tonic… I don’t know what to believe in that, only… No you’re probably right, the potential weakness of the spark merge point would not have remained secret. And yet… I can’t not realize that it stayed that way up till we designed the rifle. That’s 6000 vorns that no one figured it out.”
“Beating yourself up over that which is out of your control will help none of us. Especially Monolith. The rifle plans were still secure at the time Totality’s team was taken out. And it is impossible to say what would have happened had we been told the truth of Totality’s destruction. All the actual reports Slider has dug up so far indicate that it was merely a hypothesis at the time. They didn’t break with the CCC for another 52 vorns. And even though we’re treating it as fact, it’s really still just a theory.”
“Tonic, whatever may come, I hope it is done quickly.”
“We all do. But they’ve had just over 100 vorns to prepare. This game is going to be played on their terms.”
*-*-*
“We’ve found them Cav.”
“Where?”
“One of the messages I stripped off the system message buoy was for us. Its origin is Colony CCOEM9. The message is for us specifically.”
“Specifically?”
“Yeah, here. Listen.”
“CCC Team Monolith, or should we just say Team Monolith now? Yes, we know all about your little disagreement with those fools. We think that you and us need to have a chat now that you’ve had a few vorns to yourselves. Why don’t you all make your way here? If you don’t I’m afraid of what might happen to the good little colonists out here. My mechs are eager for some target practice. Oh and you better get a reply to us quickly. Wouldn’t want an accident happening due to a…misunderstanding.”
“That was Scythe.”
“Yeah, the voice print matches what CCC had on file.”
“Gazer, what’s the location of CCOEM9?”
“It’s up on the starboard screen Cav. They’re the furthest out established colony. Pretty small actually. Only one settlement. Never really developed as hoped. Too far out to be practical for exporting. And while we’re pretty far out ourselves at the moment, we are luckily in the right direction. Though we are still looking at several orns at top speed, so they may have destroyed the colony by the time we get there. And that’s assuming it hasn’t already been done. Time is against us.”
“Oh it gets better than that Gazer,” Slider added before looking at Cavalier. “They obviously have at least one inside source, plus I don’t think its coincidence that the message was left specifically on this individual system buoy for us, rather than the colonial wide buoy system. And they can obviously still access CCC equipment the same as us, because this message was buried so as to not be noticed during routine maintenance by the buoy. Primus only knows what other resources they have.”
“I know, but it’s the best lead we’ve had in meta-cycles. Send our reply. Tell them we’re coming.”
*-*-*
::Slider, in all the vorns we’ve been on the team, I never have told you I’m sorry::
Slider tilted his head to look up at Perceptor from where he lay on the berth. ::Sorry for what?::
::For getting you involved in all this. For messing up your life.::
Confusion filtered between them ::when did you mess up my life?::
::You once told me that the last thing you wanted was to be stuck on some stupid remote outpost guarding a bunch of low life colonists and yet that’s what you ended up doing essentially.::
::What I have is greater than anything I could have imagined. You know I had no real plans for my life except to frag off my creator. And I’m old enough I can admit I never would have made it in the artistic profession. Slag, as much as I hate to admit it, the CCC probably saved me. And I in no way resent you or the team. How could I? You must know this, we have no secrets amongst us. Besides, we may have guarded low life colonists, but I was never stuck anywhere.:: Slider finished and sent the equivalent of a smile through the bond.
Perceptor in turn sent a mental sigh ::True, we have had a very mobile life haven’t we?::
::What’s really wrong Cep?::
::Do you think we can beat them?::
::Them? Volatilus? We don’t even know for sure if they’re there.::
::Slider, that’s a bunch of slag and you know it. Now please answer the question.::
::Fine. In a fair fight? Without a doubt. But I don’t think this is going to be a fair fight. I don’t know what their planning, but it won’t be fair.::
::No, I don’t think it will be either.::
*-*-*
“Well there it is, colony CCOEM9. What are your orders Cav?”
“Establish orbit, get a message capsule ready to send back to the CCC and put in the call.”
*-*-*
“The message buoy is away with the packet, but I don’t know if it escaped undamaged!”
“Let's hope so, it’s our only chance that anyone will ever know what happened to us!”
“Dorsal and aft shields are at 18 percent and weakening, power transfer protocols not responding!”
“Rotate us on the center axis and get those ventral shields in play.”
“Frag it, we just lost stabilizers, all controls have gone sluggish, correction there gone and A-Grav is at fifty percent, not that that’s going to matter momentarily, were entering the atmosphere! And we need our ventral shielding for that. We’re landing whether we want to or not! Foist, I need power to the surviving engine and I need some helm controls or we’re going to be cooking here in a moment!”
“I’m re-routing helm to my controls, get you’re aft over here!”
“Where are they Cep?”
“I have nothing! Sensors and scanners and exterior cameras are all down!”
“Foist!”
“Sorry Cav, either I give Gaze the power to keep us from becoming a flaming meteorite or I give Cep some eyes to locate the fraggers! And based on the continued pounding from their laser batteries against our hull and shields, I think we can guess where they are!”
*-*-*
“Gazer, you got us down and we’re all functioning and on line so, it was a good landing, but you’ve done better.”
“Yeah Gaze, I think the Seeker has flown its last flight.”
“Alright enough. Cep, I need you out. Go get us some info.”
“Right, Gazer or Slider with me?”
“Not yet. For now, just figure out our situation in regards to terrain. After that, I’ll send you and Slider in, if they haven’t come to pay us a visit by then.”
*-*-*
“There’re ours Cavalier. This entire colony. They want nothing to do with the CCC or Cybertron.”
The two gestalt teams stood spread out behind their leaders, who stood paces apart on the wide plains before the colony where it lay nestled against the mountains. Beyond Volatilus’ team though, a number of mechs from the small local militia had arrayed themselves.
“Well that’s just fine Scythe, we want nothing to do with the CCC either and the CCC doesn’t care about this colony anymore.”
“Then why won’t you and your team join us? You have no place to go, we’ve taken out your ship.”
“Join you? You’re the very thing we’ve spent the last seventy-two hundred vorns fighting.”
“Cavalier, my team, we’re all warriors. Battle models. You can’t beat us. We can destroy you just like Totality, or you can join us. You might find this hard to believe, but I’d much rather have you with us.”
“Totality is why we’re here.”
“Totality was weak.”
“You were lucky.”
“It wasn’t luck. It was planning. Just like the events leading up to today.” And Scythe waved his hand towards one of his team, and Cavalier absently noted that it was Mace who stepped forward, a familiar looking weapon appearing in hand.
::Don’t. We already knew they possessed the knowledge::
“Your team can’t win Cavalier. Are you willing to consign them to deactivation?”
“I see no advantage to you yet. We may be at risk if we form Monolith, but you’re at risk if you form Volatilus. And if it’s a gestalt fight you really want, your colony and supporters are very likely to take some damage.
“Collateral damage is the risk you take when gestalts fight Cav.”
*-*-*
Jazz was confused now, this ‘rifle’ had been mentioned plenty of times and yet he had found no information on it within any memory. And how could such a small weapon be a threat to a gestalt? He was unclear about that as well. Yet unease and worry and a bit of fear were the definite emotions present whenever it was mentioned. And those emotions felt amplified as Preceptors team faced the other gestalt.
*-*-*
“Ah slag Cav, they’re going for their own people.”
And it was true, the team was taking the moment to rest on and behind a formation of hills while the Volatilus team had fallen back, the few mechs from the local militia who had backed Scythe and his team and were still on their feet had dropped back as well. Now though, Volatilus had formed and was turning his attention not on them, but on the primary colony. And sure enough, the com channels quickly filled with multiple pleas for assistance and offering pretty much everything they had in an attempt to entice the Monolith team to help.
“They chose they’re side Cep, I say let them reap the rewards.”
“Slider, you know we can’t do that.”
Slider turned on Gazer and stared. “Why the frag not? We aren’t part of the CCC anymore. They aren’t part of the CCC anymore. For all we know this is some kind of trap. In fact, I’m sure it’s a trap to force our merging. We already know they don’t play fair, or else we’d still have a ship and not be trapped here!”
“He’s right Slider.” And Slider whipped around to face Cavalier in frustration as his leader continued. “Even if the colonists chose Volatilus, I can’t believe they knew that this fate awaited them. We have to come to their defense.”
“The only way to do that is to merge! Two gestalts going at it on their front door is just as likely to destroy that colony. Only a whole lot quicker than if we just let Volatilus do it. And who’s going to cover us when we do merge? In fact, I’m sure they have some glitch just waiting for us to do that. Then bam! Bye bye Monolith.”
“Yes, and I’m sure that’s why they’re going after the colony. It’s an attempt to draw us out. Being unable to beat us in hand to hand even with the numbers in their favor, they’re calling in the big guns now, so to speak. However, if Monolith closes with Volatilus quick enough, they may not have a chance to get a clear shot.”
“Ah Frag.” And Slider capitulated, his tone, his body, his presence in the bond were clear. He knew in his spark it was the correct thing to do, but it didn’t mean he had to like it. The team would go to the defense of the colonists.
“Fine. Now Slider, you need to activate that program of yours. We know they’re getting ready to take us out.”
Resigned to what was coming Slider answered Cavalier. “You know The Reckoning may fail. Probably will fail actually. It’s not exactly something I could test before hand. And I don’t think any programming I can do can alter the consequences of what we are.”
“Slider, you’ve never failed, I’m sure this will work as you planned it to. Who is it?”
“I chose who I believe has the best chance of pulling it off. It’s not me, but I won’t say who I chose either. I’m one hundred percent positive it’s going to be excruciatingly painful physically, and knowing the bonds; painful there as well. If you know before hand, you might be able to intentionally or unintentionally fight off the program, and it needs to be well integrated and working by the time the survivor realizes it. I…I’m actually deleting right now who I chose from my files. Even I won’t know, so the merge will affect nothing. I just pray to Primus I chose well and I’m sorry, truly sorry.”
“It’s been and honor and a privilege to have been your gestalt mate. Now, merge and form Monolith.”
*-*-*
Nothing was working, optics, audios, HUD, vocalizer, motor function, stabilizing gyros were all off and he was falling, he was spinning, yet he felt ground underneath him, he really didn’t know what he was doing actually. He struggled through the disorientation to remember. Monolith, they had merged and Monolith had been fighting Volatilus. Yes that was it. Perceptor struggled some more, frantic to overcome the disorientation…And then his world shattered.
His spark, the bonds, databases everything that he was gone in countless pieces. He was screaming in an agony that was absolute, flailing scrambling in confusion for his other parts. Offline, offline, he wanted offline; this much input should have overloaded him by now and sent him into stasis. He couldn’t take it, he attempted to offline his systems to seek peace, to escape and found the commands disabled, something else was taking over. Then he realized he was The Reckoning. He was the one Slider had chosen. He was the instrument of Monolith’s revenge and while he wouldn’t have thought he could scream anymore physically, or within his CPU, or within his spark or the bonds, he found an anger equal to the pain as Slider’s program entangled to deeply in his systems denied him oblivion and began to pull some parts of him back together. He thrashed physically and mentally in denial before painful acceptance came. He was Monolith’s final ultimate weapon, and he had a job to do.
*-*-*
Jazz was screaming. In the physical world, in his processor, in his spark, in his bond. Pain as he’d never felt ripped through his very being. And suddenly, amidst it all his own systems were being attacked forcing him to retreat from Perceptor. And when in pain he failed to retreat quick enough, Perceptor increased pace and level of the attack casting Jazz out of his systems.
Jazz staggered, falling from the chair to his knees as he was flung from the memories and smashed forcefully back into his own processor. His body shaking as he and Perceptor both crashed to the floor.
Jazz was disoriented. He was falling and floating at the same time, both mentally and physically. Then Jazz was looking up through hazy blurred and dim optics into a worried and panicked face. Who the face belonged to he could not register. The bot was speaking, saying something but Jazz couldn’t hear anything over the screaming in his processor and the buzzing, hissing static in his audios. He shook his head and tried to speak. Nothing. Another shake of his head jarred everything into pain once again and then he knew no more.
+-+-+-
Part 12 - Secret
Some Notes:
First, if anyone is intersted in my working notes for this story AU, they can be found here: G1 Timeline altered Monolith AU Working Notes After this Chapter 11, I think the notes are free from spoilers, but be warned I might have missed something.
Quick line work for the Monolith team here: http://cmdrtekk.deviantart.com/ or Pics here also