Transformers: Energon DX

Episode 10: Secrets of Energon

Starscream emerged from the Space Bridge and he headed straight for Alpha Q. He knelt, displaying the Skyboom Shield.

"I have brought you the shield, my lord. Unfortunately, I failed to kill Optimus Prime. I did succeed in killing one other Autobot, one of Prime's elites, I would guess." Starscream said flatly.

Alpha Q grumbled. "Failure is a fast track to death, Starscream. You are fortunate that it is not a total failure." Alpha Q said. He thought for a time. "Perhaps we can mitigate this somehow. The Autobots will be distracted by the death of their comrade. The Decepticons will be your next target. Your assignment will be to kill Galvatron. We must move quickly after that if we are to restore Unicron. If Galvatron becomes an unassailable target, another Decepticon death will weaken them, as Galvatron's troops are extremely limited."

"But how will we retake Unicron's head? Scorponok is a Decepticon now. His fleet is now under Galvatron's control." Starscream asked.

"There is another hand to be played. And we have the right cards. Get moving." Alpha Q said.

Ravage watched the Energon Harvesters rip open the second mountain this week. Energon harvesting was one of the most boring jobs he could think of, but someone had to rebuild Alpha Q's armada. At the moment, it was close to where Scorponok had it before the Earth invasion. The planet had been almost completely drained of Energon, a large portion of which went towards reactivating Unicron.

Ravage wasn't stupid, which was why he had survived the invasion. He took time here to research improvements to the Terrorcons, including improved armor and weapons. Recently, he'd been developing a new type of Terrorcon; one that incorporated all of the prior improvements, as well as others, all in a new chassis. If only they'd work…

Galvatron sat on his throne, planning for his next attack. Someone chose that moment to contact him.

Galvatron glared at the comm.. He hated being interrupted while planning an attack. He looked at who was calling, then answered. "You'd better have a good reason for interrupting me, Scorponok." He snarled.

"Oh, I do. Recently, in fact, just a few minutes ago, someone attacked Ocean City on Earth. The Autobot Ironhide has been killed by the intruder, with the remaining Autobots having sustained heavy damage. The intruder made off with their Skyboom Shield. If there ever was a time to attack, it is now." Scorponok said.

Galvatron stared. There was no way he could be this lucky. "How did you attain this information?"

"I have Terrorcon spies, my lord, disguised as Omnicons." Scorponok replied.

Galvatron smiled. "Oh, luck seems to favor me today, yesss. Scorponok, what is the status of your fleet?"

"We stand ready with five heavy cruisers, and twenty light cruisers. Terrorcon numbers are in the tens of thousands."

"Excellent. Begin an attack on Ocean City. Do not destroy them outright. Merely aggravate their wounds."

Scorponok smiled. "As you wish, my lord. Scorponok out." He cut the transmission.

Galvatron stared out in the direction of Earth. "It won't be long, nooo. Soon, I will crush Optimus Prime. But first…" Galvatron withdrew his sword. "I require a sword better than the one my enemies can so easily replicate." Galvatron flung his blade into the ground, where wires immediately shot out from the walls to encase it. Galvatron worked his will on the sword, and the wires glowed acid green, forming a cocoon around their prize. Galvatron willed again, and a black tank, resembling his old body, burst forth from the cocoon and attached itself to Galvatron's arm. A blade appeared from the back end, and Galvatron gazed at his creation with adoring eyes. "Excellent."

Starscream watched Galvatron create his new sword. This was going to be interesting. A sword created from the elements of Unicron, against the might of the Skyboom Shield. His circuits quivered with anticipation. He readied his sword.

Galvatron caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of his optic. He turned to look, but didn't see anything. "I know someone's there." He said, marching at the spot where Starscream stood.

Starscream knew this was his chance. He decloaked, and lunged at Galvatron, slashing at him as he went. Galvatron backed away quickly, then readied. "Ha! I knew there was an intruder! Prepare to die!" he shouted as he swung his blade at Starscream.

Starscream dodged, then lunged again, and Galvatron deflected it contemptuously. "Is this the best you can do?" Galvatron noticed the Skyboom Shield. "Ah, you must be the one who almost destroyed the Autobots. A pity you didn't finish." Starscream growled and lunged again. Galvatron blocked. "You're way out of your league now!" he exclaimed, and flung Starscream away.

Starscream got up. His tactics needed to change. He cloaked again and darted around to Galvatron's back. "Hiding won't save you, you know!" Galvatron called out. Starscream jabbed and his blow pinged off of Galvatron's body.

Galvatron swiveled, slashing at the air behind him. It clashed against something hard, and Starscream decloaked. Galvatron swung again, knocking the shield from Starscream's grip. He seized Starscream by the throat. "You thought you could assault me, the mighty Galvatron!" He looked at Starscream's head. "Wait… You look familiar." He thought for a moment. "Ah, yes, now I remember you! Starscream, once my most trusted soldier, and now a treacherous rat! But no, you couldn't do something like this on your own. Tell me, who do you serve?"

Starscream glared. "That's no concern of yours." He spat.

Galvatron chuckled. "I will dictate what is my concern and what is not." He pointed his blade at Starscream. "Tell me. Who do you serve? Is it Alpha Q?"

Starscream remained silent,.

"It is Alpha Q, isn't it? You certainly don't work for the Autobots. You were the one who attacked Ocean City, weren't you? Sent to destroy Optimus Prime? And then Alpha Q sends their assassin after me. Well, you're well out of your league this time!" Galvatron shouted as he flung Starscream into the wall. He strode over to the Skyboom Shield and picked it up. "Oh, yes. I now possess one piece of the best way to resurrect Unicron. But, until then…" Galvatron turned to Starscream, who was now struggling to get up. "I think I'll take care of you first."

"I don't think so, Galvatron! If anyone's going to die, it's going to be you!" Starscream shouted, slashing at Galvatron's leg.

Galvatron stumbled. "Please, Starscream. Is that the best you've got? I've had femmes hit me harder!" he taunted.

Starscream growled and lunged again. Galvatron deflected it contemptuously and kicked Starscream across the room. He strode toward the recovering Starscream, laughing. "Not bad, not bad. Your skill has certainly increased since last we met. Do you remember it?"

Starscream stared up at Galvatron. Suddenly, the image of a blue robot, structurally the same as the red one from his memories, appeared. And he had something glowing blue sticking out from him. The image faded, to be replaced with the now. "I have no idea what you're babbling about. I only know that my purpose is to kill you, and I have no intention of failing." Starscream lunged at Galvatron and slashed Galvatron.

Galvatron recoiled. "You're not going to kill me, Starscream. Instead, I shall return you to the purpose you once held: my most trusted servant."

"No! I will not go back! I trusted you! I was loyal! And when I needed you most, you stabbed me in the back! I will not return!"

Galvatron laughed. "What makes you think you have any choice! You belonged to me once, and you shall belong to me once again!" Galvatron lunged and seized Starscream's throat. "You are mine." He whispered as he drew back his hand to bind Starscream to him.

Scorponok turned away from the comm. Galvatron had just finished giving him the orders to attack the Autobots. "Of course, my lord Galvatron. While I'm at it, would you like me to make you an Energon crown?" he growled sarcastically.

He looked up at the stars. Why? was all he could ask himself. Why did I surrender? Why did I turn my back on Alpha Q? Am I that cowardly?

Well, no more. I serve Alpha Q, and no other. My army belongs to him. If Galvatron wants Earth so bad, he can come and take it himself. Scorponok turned to his minions. "Step up the Energon harvesting! We will return to Alpha Q soon!"

Starscream was still not sure where his outburst came from, but it certainly answered why he felt so angry when thinking about Galvatron. His thoughts raced. There had to be a way to get out of this one. Wait. Galvatron doesn't know that I'm the only assassin. If I can make him think there are more, then I might be able get out of this yet. He thought.

"Now, Jhiaxus!" Starscream shouted, using a name he'd heard before.

"What!" Galvatron turned his head.

Starscream took that moment to kick Galvatron in the gut, loosening his grip. Statrscream dropped to the floor and grabbed the Skyboom Shield. He darted out of the room.

"Get back here, you coward!" Galvatron shouted, and gave chase.

Cyclonus and Demolishor walked down the hall. "I'm telling you, that's what happened!" Cyclonus shouted.

"And I'm telling you you're full of slag! The is no such thing as the undead!" Demolishor retorted.

"Then how were the Autobots dominated so easily, then? It's the undead!"

Demolishor laid his hand on Cyclonus' shoulder. "Listen, I've told you this too many times. Drugs are bad."

"Shut the frag up!" Cyclonus punched Demolisher in the face.

Starscream dashed down the hall and past the bickering pair. "Whoa! Who was that?" Cyclonus wondered.

"AFTER HIM, YOU FOOLS!" Galvatron bellowed, barreling down the hall. "THAT'S THE TRAITOR, STARSCREAM!"

"I thought he was dead!" Demolishor exclaimed.

"Apparently not! Now move, before we have to scrape you off the floor!" Cyclonus shouted, dragging Demolishor behind him.

Starscream rounded a corner and cloaked. He jumped up to the ceiling and waited.

"I saw him go this way!" Someone shouted. Hey. That sounds like Cyclonus. Starscream thought.

The trio rounded the corner. "All right, where are you hiding, you coward!" Galvatron called out. The three moved down the hall slowly.

When Galvatron passed under him, Starscream jumped down, driving his sword straight into Galvatron's back. He heard the sound of metal ripping, and briefly thought it was his sword breaking. When he turned, His sword was fine.

He had ripped a hole in Galvatron's back.

Starscream quickly took out all four of his plasma grenades and rammed them into the gash in Galvatron's back. He jumped back to watch.

Galvatron turned. "Why you little…" He didn't have time to finish the sentence, as the plasma grenades detonated, blasting open Galvatron's back and flinging shrapnel into the others.

Starscream watched as Galvatron sank to his knees, Energon spurting out of his mouth. As the titanic Decepticon leader fell flat on his face, Starscream walked up to him and pulled Galvatron's face to his. "Know this. You betray others, they will eventually come back to haunt you." He dropped Galvatron's face and stalked off, content that he had succeeded.

Cyclonus and Demolishor ran up to Galvatron's mangled body. "Galvatron, sir! Are you okay?" Cyclonus asked, earning only a glare from the wounded Decepticon.

"We have to get him to a CR chamber fast!" Demolisher urged.

Starscream… You will pay. Galvatron thought, before stasis lock silenced his thoughts.

Ravage analyzed the temple his men had found. It vaguely resembled old Roman structures from Earth. "Well? What have you found out?"

"Well, the few soldiers we've sent in have been lost. We don't dare send in any more. But there is Energon in there, and lots of it." The captain replied.

Ravage nodded. "Very well. What about weapons? Have you been able to blast it open?"

"Negative. It appears to be impervious to everything we've thrown at it."

Ravage thought for a moment. The temple seemed to call out to him. "I'm going in. Wait here."

"But, sir…"

"Don't argue. I'm going in." Ravage cut his captain off, and marched to the entrance of the temple. He paused, briefly questioning his decision. He shook the thought from his mind and proceeded in.

Starscream hovered outside the shattered body of Unicron. He knew Galvatron wasn't going to die, but, right now, he didn't care. During the battle, memories had come flooding back to him. Despite the fact that there were still gaps, they were now unimportant. He knew exactly who he was, who the Autobots and Decepticons were, and what he had died to do.

And failed.

Starscream shook his head. It seemed like peace was impossible for his people. The Autobots seemed to get it, but Galvatron didn't. As long as Galvatron existed, peace between the Transformers would be impossible. But he had the feeling that the Autobots had affected his troops more than he knew.

Starscream transformed and headed back to Alpha Q. His power base was stable. He was the future.

Ravage wandered the empty halls of the temple. He'd seen the corpses of his troops a while back, with wounds that still bled. Something was down here. Something bad.

Suddenly, Ravage no longer felt the wall beside him. His night vision showed only blackness beyond. Next thing he knew, he was blinded by light. He switched out of night vision and waited while his optics reset.

When they did, he stood in a chamber with liquid Energon flowing below. "So, that's the source of the Energon readings," he mused.

The Energon began to bubble as the torn and beaten wings of… something rose from the flow. The wings were the most normal part of the creature, which were followed closely by a pair of blood red eyestalks. More tentacles followed, forged out of Energon and the broken pieces of the assorted things that came down here. Ravage recognized some of the parts of his own troops.

"WHO DISTURBS MY SLUMBER?" the creature boomed.

Ravage looked the monstrosity in its eyestalks. "I am Ravage General of the Terrorcon Army. Who, or what, may I ask, are you?"

"I? I AM THE MONUMENT OF DEATH. MANY CAME HERE SEEKING THE ENERGON OF THIS TEMPLE. NONE HAVE BEEN WORTHY."

"And how, exactly, does one prove themselves worthy?" Ravage queried, noticing the exit had sealed itself.

"IT IS EASY TO DO, BUT DIFFICULT TO SUCCEED IN. DO YOU SEE THE ENERGON BELOW YOU?"

"Yes."

"YOU MUST ENTER IT. THERE ARE MURALS DOWN THERE. IF YOU SURVIVE, YOU WILL SEE THE FORM OF WHAT YOU WILL BECOME ON THE BOTTOM."

"That sounds too easy. What's the catch?"

"SURVIVE. IT DOES NOT MATTER HOW GREAT YOUR DEEDS IF THE ENERGON CONSUMES YOUR PHYSICAL FORM. THE GREATEST BEINGS FROM ACROSS TIME AND SPACE HAVE COME HERE SEEKING POWER, AND ALL HAVE BEEN CONSUMED BY IT. I STILL AWAIT THE ONE WHO WILL SURVIVE."

"What do you get out of it?" Ravage prodded.

"FREEDOM. IT WILL PRESENT ITSELF WHEN THERE IS A SURVIVOR."

Ravage looked down into the flow. "Have any others like me arrived?"

"YES. THOSE WHO FAIL ARE ABSORBED INTO ME."

Ravage looked at the monster seeing the remnants of a few of his troops. Now paying attention, he saw many bodies of hundreds of beings, not all of them Transformers. He recognized a few Quintesson soldiers, the old style Sharkticons, and a few old Seeker parts. He looked back down into the Energon, then dove in.

Almost immediately, Ravage felt the burn of the purest Energon he'd ever seen. His Energon collectors began to overload, so he shut them down and activated his vents. The Energon flowed into and through him working its way into every system in his body.

Ravage looked to the bottom to see his new form. As he drifted closer, the form of a dragon revealed itself. It didn't look like any dragon he'd ever seen though. Its wings looked torn, its head appeared as a skull. He couldn't make out more details than that, as the Energon had shown him his new body, and set to work.

It started with his right arm, which began to glow and bulge in places. His claw resolved itself into a solid form, which began to shape itself into the dragon's skull. His torso began to grow with it, expanding rapidly.

The rest of his body followed his arm, glowing, bulging, collapsing. His feet resolved themselves into massive claws, his legs becoming thick and muscular. His left arm followed, bulging into a muscular arm with a five-fingered claw. The wings erupted from his back, stretching behind him. His head finally mutated, the dragon's tail growing from the back.

The Energon Well guardian floated, waiting. The little robot hadn't been absorbed into him yet, unlike the others. Perhaps there was hope.

The Energon began to bubble in a spot, and the guardian turned to face it. The form of a new creature emerged, and the guardian knew he had finally found his liberator.

"WELL DONE. BEFORE YOU MAY LEAVE, THERE IS ONE MORE THING THAT MUST BE DONE," the guardian said.

"And that is?" Ravage growled.

The guardian struck Ravage. "YOU MUST NOW DESTROY ME. IT IS THE ONLY WAY TO BE WORTHY OF YOUR BODY."

Ravage floated up to the guardian. Energy collected in Ravage's dragon hand. "That won't take long."

The Terrorcon lieutenant had been waiting for hours. Ravage was most certainly dead, but he didn't want to send anyone else in to confirm.

"Sir! Something's coming out of the temple!" one of the Terrorcons reported frantically.

The lieutenant ran down to the entrance to see… Ravage. The face was easily recognizable as him, but the body wasn't. It was easily two and a half times the size of the old Ravage. "General Ravage? Is that you, sir?"

Ravage looked at his lieutenant. "Yes. Prepare the transports. We're going back to Alpha Q."

Author's notes:

A few questions to answer:

Ravage: A cross between the Warcraft III Frost Wyrm and TM2 Megatron. Robot mode head is Ravage's normal head.

Wingdecker/dagger: A few people have told me that Wingsaber's name before his reformatting was Wingdagger. I kept hearing it as Wingdecker, so that's who he his. It's the same character, though, so don't worry. ;P