Battle intro: “Show me what you’ve learned.”
Victory: “Heh. Again.”
Defeat: “Very good. I underestimated you.”
Assist: “Run! I’ll cover you!”
Taunt: “Are you trying to be gentle?”
Reacting to Taunt: “Ha! I’ll get you for that!”
Flee: “Enough. We should rest.”
Reacting to Flee: “…We can stop if you prefer.”
Tie: “Much better!”
Perfect Victory: “You let your guard down again! Use your size and speed to your advantage, but never take your eyes off of me.”
Finishing Move: “No you don’t-!”
Battle intro: “Finally.”
Victory: “No God can conquer me!”
Defeat: “…So be it.”
Assist: “Defend yourself!”
Taunt: “Come, then! Come and reclaim your failed creation!”
Reacting to Taunt: ENRAGED SHOUTING
Flee: “This is not the end!”
Reacting to Flee: “COWARD!”
Tie: “…What now? What more is there?”
Perfect Victory: “I will not be denied!”
Finishing Move: “Let it end, at last!!”
Battle intro:
Victory:
Defeat:
Assist:
Taunt:
Reacting to Taunt:
Flee:
Reacting to Flee:
Tie:
Perfect Victory:
Finishing Move:
He stood patiently when the answer was given, unsure what to do with himself otherwise. The cloak was gathered from his frame and folded neatly so as not to damage the fabric, and that was when the Warlord’s voice came to him, and then he saw the behemoth of a mech that stood imposingly only a few mechanometers away. Despite this, and the aura of uncertainty that clouded them, Sabri offered a smile.
“I try to keep things interesting,” He commented, placing his stave at his back and addressing the Decepticon with open hands. “And as far as lessons are concerned… I was hoping you’d tell me. Knowledge I can spare. This is a troubled time in our lives – I know.”
His smile faltered when he ran out of more to add, instead daring to let his optics wander over the scarred frame and terrible, eerie field that emanated from the Warlord’s spark.
…This was new.
“You mean to say that you haven’t been sent here to speak to me? Convince me of some truth I’ve rejected, like all the others? Reveal some grave consequence of a future action I am to avoid?”
The offered servos get a stare. He can’t get a read on this Rigel, why he’s so open and comfortable. The wandering optics are more familiar.
“Tell me one thing, Rigel. Have you taken the Matrix?”
Despite the agitated Megatron, Smokescreen’s keeping a grin, though his doorwings did droop some. “This sure doesn’t look completely wiped to me, Megs. I don’t think me being here restored data, either… You think Alpha Trion would’ve tried that?” Smokescreen’s staring at his own insignia now. Maybe he should really get himself checked out, in case Alpha Trion did do anything else besides put the Omega Key in him.
It could take a little while for the download to finish, since he’s downloading everything that Megatron took a look at in the past few minutes, but it should manage in no time. Plus, having the historical texts could be helpful for getting things back up and running! Plus, with those coordinates, they probably lead somewhere helpful- maybe more stuff to get everything back up and running! That’s probably what Megatron’s trying to find, he reasons.
Smokescreen’s nodding along, before he processes what Megatron says, and is staring at Megatron here.
“Wait, we’re what now?” Smokescreen’s turning to look at Megatron, doorwings perking up, “We are?! I’m coming along too, right? In case there’s anything else like this out there?” He’s gesturing at the terminal again
This time he does roll his optics. He hadn’t meant right this minute, or even that he would be the one leaving the planet… though it would make for an interesting trip.
“We will send scouts, first. If they are able to detect or locate any anomalies, we can use the space bridge to send extraction teams. These relics may have been buried in asteroids upon impact, or sent into volatile regions to dissuade others from discovering them.”
That wasn’t a no, not just yet. If he were being honest, the idea of flying off into space and returning with the Allspark sounded like a perfect juxtaposition to doing the same with a giant crystal of Dark Energon. He wants to go too, and understands Smoksescreen’s enthusiasm.
“If there is some form of Autobot security measure, you may join the extraction. Otherwise, your services are still most required on Cybertron. Remember, we still don’t know which of these coordinates leads to the planet’s core.”
A secret compartment with maybe a few miscellaneous items, he was expecting. The console suddenly turning on? Not so much. Smokescreen’s optics brighten some as the console begins to recognize him, before looking back at Megatron in confusion, “You guys tried the console, didn’t you?” He might be tensing up some as Megatron stands right behind him, still looking through the files shown on the screen.
“Hold on- I didn’t really use this console, but there’s a bunch of different things that are showing up.” Smokescreen’s going to give a few taps to the keyboard, making sure there isn’t some other effect that’s supposed to happen, before opening everything he can to quickly search through.
There were some documents that looked like they were just there as reference to anyone just beginning at the hall, probably saved here because information could get lost so easily, that he’s guessing is not what Megatron’s looking for. Some floor plans, articles that had been saved beforehand…
Smokescreen’s continuing on, taking a quick glance through some personal notes from Alpha Trion, before finding a coordinates list that should look familiar to both of them.
Very familiar.
But this time, the coordinates seemed to have a normally encrypted descriptor of what the item is, automatically decrypted for mecha authorized to view the document, which currently meant Smokescreen.
Smokescreen’s trying to be careful to hold his position, in case the console is still scanning for a sudden loss of an Autobot presence and encodes the document again, but is turning slightly to try to see Megatron’s reaction. Was this what Megatron was looking for?
“Of course we did!” he snapped. “Even with restored power, this hard drive had been completely wiped!” Soundwave had recovered a few referential files himself, but even he had run into too much damage to continue safely. Clearly that damage was merely an elaborate defense protocol… He had to applaud the ancient mech, for creating something that could fool Soundwave.
Megatron’s optics remained fixed to the screen as files flash into view: blueprints, historical texts.. and a complete list of relics sent to Earth, along with their coordinates and the cadet’s image. How many weeks had it taken them to decrypt, when all they needed to do was bring Smokescreen here? He was given an Omega key, after all. All that and it had been right in front of this optics, hidden by by a thin layer of symbolism. He almost rolled his optics. How like Alpha Trion.
And there, at the bottom of the list, another coordinate list added in later, with no labels on any of the fifteen entries. None of them were on Earth, though a few were just as far or farther. Some of them were even on Cybertron. Megatron recorded the image of it to memory with a triumphant laugh. What else would an old Prime help to hide but that most precious?
“This is it… Smokescreen! Download the contents of these files onto secure datapads.”
“We’re going to find the Allspark.”
@mightymegatron from here
::Do not mistake my refusal for ignorance! Of course I carry a grudge, of course I’m wary of this choice! Should I instead hurry to my likely death, when there could only be a slim chance that it may work to our betterment?::
::After all, the last few times I acted on such an impulse, it worked so incredibly well.::
[[Your likely death should have been the space bridge explosion. All of your time since then has been stolen, and you only grow weaker with age. You may survive now. Delay will sentence you.]]
A long pause. Soundwave does not feel loyalty toward this mech, nor toward his former leader, but he still remembers who they once were and what he used to admire about them.
[[…Your alternate let no mech own his spark in the pits of Kaon. Why do you not fight to reclaim yours? When did Megatron become afraid to die in battle?]]
There are very few in the world who understand how Megatron thinks as well as Soundwave does. This is apparently true of even those from other universes, and it both pleases and irks Megatron like nothing else can.
He’s right about one thing. If there is no other way to remove the Dark Energon, he will succumb to Unicron upon his death, no matter how far into the future that may be. He’s seen it happen to his alternates. However…
::What I have always done is take my life into my own hands. Giving it over to a being whose existence I repeatedly attempted to end would be a sentence in and of itself! What you speak of is no battle, it is surrender.::
He’d made it to the Space Bridge and entered the coordinates that had been given to him the night before with little fuss; Only minor bending of wills and realities used with extreme care. The mech on the other side of his portal needed him, and he was determined to get to the heart of his bizarre mission sooner rather than later.
The golden clad bot strode through the bridge with conviction, peering through the swirling light cautiously to see if the coast was clear before hurriedly closing the portal. It was like stepping out of one ship and into another… Which is exactly what had happened. Only rather than above a planet, this one was stationary and at a port, and was far less inhabited than the previous.
Drawing in a breath, he opened the communications line once more:
:: @mightymegatron, if you have a moment, sir. ::
::Lord Megatron, an unregistered space bridge-::
::Pay it no mind. This is a guest of mine, and the first to fire upon him will answer to me.:: Megatron allowed his plating to untense a bit, taking comfort in the fact that others could detect and see his visitor. This may be only be a trick of the multiverse, after all. He switched channels, responding to Rigel.
::A moment, perhaps.::
Now certain that this mech was not a product of his own mind, the warlord’s confidence bled into his stride as he went to see what lay in store… and was greeted by an enshrouded mech covered in ancient glyphs. Megatron towered over the future mech, reminded purely of the little yellow mechling and for the first time, neither of his creators.
“… Heh. You are not what I expected, at least. Tell me, what knowledge do you plan to impart upon me, Rigel? What lesson have you been sent here to teach me?”
::By all means, Rigel. Take all the time you need.::
Megatron's back up 