Transformers Prime: The Swift and Proud (Sequel to Echoes of the Past)

Chapter 6: Captured (Again)

Captured (Again)

The next morning was Saturday, so the kids were able to spend all day in the base with us.  Mico was so excited about my new look that Bulkhead had to take her for a drive to keep the poor girl from hyperventilating.  Raf was intrigued with the science behind what Shockwave had done (big surprise), and pestered me for about an hour on the details of what had been done to me.  Bumblebee ended up taking Raf for a ride as well to give me some peace, and I was glad when Jack only stopped to say he was glad I was home.  Under Ratchet’s instructions I spent most of the morning trying out my new body, testing the range of motion and using the target range to practice with my new weapons. 

My old weapons had been minimal at best, short blades for close quarters and blasters so weak I could barely scratch the armored targets.  Now, when I changed my servos into blades, twin swords almost as long as my forearms sprang into being, and as I practiced with them I realized they rivaled Optimus’ in size.  I switched over to my blasters, though when they formed they looked really odd.  Instead of the usual blasters, shaped like an Earth cannon in general form, these were more like pincers attached to the end of my arms.  I narrowed my optics for a second, not truly sure on how to use them, when all of a sudden a ball of yellow energy formed between the prongs and shot off downrange.  It impacted the target and melted the armor like it was made of butter.  Even after punching through the armor plating, the shot still had enough power to melt a sizable dent in the far wall, leaving thin streaks of molten metal streaming to the floor.

My optics widened at the raw power I now had at my disposal, and I quickly changed my blasters back into servos before I could damage the base any more than I had.  I walked back out to the main hangar and saw that most of the team had left on scouting missions.  No big surprise there, but what did take me off guard was that Thunderclap was nowhere to be seen.

I walked up to Ratchet and asked, “Have you seen Thunderclap or Soundwave?”

He shrugged without looking up from his work, “They were here last time I checked.  Now leave me alone.  These are very delicate calibrations.”

I rolled my optics, knowing that ‘the last time I checked’ could mean anything from two clicks to two days when Ratchet was working on something.  I turned around and strolled down another hallway, hoping the run into Thunderclap or Uncle Soundwave.  I knew that if I was ever going to get the hang of flying, I would need someone to teach me who already knew how.

I knew that Thunderclap wouldn’t be able to go with me on an actual flight, but if I couldn’t get Soundwave to go with me then maybe I could get some tips from my sibling to make flying a bit smoother at low speeds.  I had no trouble working my systems in fast flight, given the only added factor was the vertical one when compared to driving, but flying at low speeds or in rough weather made it hard for me to control my new forms, either in jet or beast mode.  I figured it would be best to learn the proper skills before I crashed into something.  Either that or I’d likely end up running into the side of a mountain or crashing into the ground because I couldn’t stay upright.

I had just passed the door to Ultra Magnus’ quarters when I suddenly felt a terrible sense of doom deep in the pit of my midsection.  I had no explanation for the sensation, but something in my new Predacon instincts told me danger was coming, and fast.  I sprinted back to the main hangar and spotted Ratchet frantically calling the scout teams on the coms system.  I looked over his shoulder plate to see what was the matter, but as soon as I saw the Decepticon signal flying directly for us, I knew what was going on.