By early evening, they reached the peak, short of breath and exhausted. Without saying a word, the two collapsed near a cairn of rocks, falling instantly asleep.

 

 

“So now what?�

Boom sat gazing at the mountainous expanse spread before them. He hadn’t thought about the possibility of the range being so vast. He hadn’t thought they would have to continue traversing such rocky and dangerous terrain. The mountains had symbolized a hurdle, an obstacle to overcome and be done with. Last night he had thought it was over; their story’s end was on the other side. In the dim light that filtered down through the overcast sky, his surroundings took on a vaguely funereal tone.

“Did you here me Boom? I asked you what we’re going to do now.�

Boom snapped his head around, angry with the kid’s tone, and was greeted by the golden eyes he had grown to loathe. Fang’s head hung low, close to Boom’s own, less than four inches away. He quickly scrambled to his feet and backed away, bumping into the cairn of rocks they had slept by.

“I heard you kid,� he said nervously.

“So?�

Like flakes of flint captured in resin, though Boom. He found himself more agitated than he liked. He needed to transform, get the beast out of his head, out of his spark. He looked to his right where a large deposit of raw energon had formed. He couldn’t risk so much exposure with out access to a c-chamber.

“We keep moving,� he said finally. “Keep up our pace, and, uh, keep our heads… I mean heading.�

Fang blinked. “I’ve been thinking, you know?�

“Oh yeah?� Boom stuttered.

Fang began to move toward the cairn where Boom was standing.

“Yeah. I’ve been wondering who could have stacked these rocks here.� He turned to face Boom. “They can’t be natural.�

Boom looked away. He had thought just as much, and decided it had been the occupant of the downed stasis pod. It had to have been a Cybertronian. The rocks used would have been too heavy to lift for whatever sentient life inhabited this world. “You’re right,� he said. “Someone did this intentionally. It’s a marker. It means we’re on the right path.�

“You think whoever was in that stasis pod did this.�

“Yes.�

Fang trotted around to the other side. “There’s some sort of pale residue on it. Over here.�

Boom joined his companion, moving slowly, careful to keep his eyes on Fang as he moved. He positioned himself behind Fang and looked at what the kid had found. There was indeed a thin, pale but almost luminescent film on the rocks, and had there been direct light, they wouldn’t have seen it.

“Slag, I know what this is.�

“What?�

“Our friend from the pod is operating without core containment.�

“Meaning…�

Boom looked to the west. “His spark is ‘leaking’. He’s going to die, and before he does that, he’ll go insane. It must have happened when his… pod… crashed…� Boom backed away from Fang, tripped on a rock behind him, and fell backwards, turning over to land on his stomach. Something sharp poked at his side. He reached for it, and found it to be oddly smooth and cool. Metal. He pulled it to his face, and to his astonishment, found he was holding piece of manufactured alloy. A Cybertronian alloy. It had come from a stasis pod.

Quickly, Boom jumped up, holding the alloy in his paw. “Only, it wasn’t his pod we found on the plains, it was yours.�

Fang shook his shaggy head. “First mistake I’ve made since landing.� He chuckled to himself, a joke only he knew. “Maximize.�

Boom shook his head. “So what, you’re a Predacon? A plant? Changed your activation code and made up some story about hitching a ride on the Axalon?�

“It did have some truth to it.� His voice rang with a clarity and steadiness it had been lacking previously. “But I’m no Pred. Don’t much care for them. No, I’m a Maximal, like yourself. Not too proud of it, also like yourself.�

Boom took a step back, a little shocked.

“What do you mean?�

“Come on, Boom! You fought in the Fourth Conflict! For the Maximals! I know what you did in the name of the Council. I was there too.�

Revenge. It was all about revenge. Boom looked down at the piece of metal. “So who was in the other pod?� He tossed the scrap to Fang. Fang made no effort to catch it, and the alloy hit his chest with a flat ‘tink’.

“A friend of yours by the name of Crusher. His pod came down in the mountains, three days ago. I saw it from the plains, and hurried to find him just as he was emerging from stasis. Shot his pod to the pit and back, though he survived.� Fang nodded to the Cairn. “Big brute of a guy. That hit he took would have slagged any other bot, it sure slagged his pod, but he came after me with a determination I haven’t seen since, well, the Fourth Conflict.�

Boom’s fists shook with anger. “Is that what this is all about? Some doomed military action?�

Fang snorted. “Now that would be telling. Can’t give away the end of the story, can I?�

Boom clenched his teeth, his fury growing.

Good, he could use that anger. This kid had lied to him, had played him, and worst of all, he written Crusher his death sentence.

“Don’t mock me, kid!� he bellowed. “Don’t you stand there and slagging mock me!�

“And don’t you get righteous on me, old ape!� Fang shot back. “You have no room for that! Not after what you’ve done! You have no idea what you did to us!�

Rage now ran through Boom, coursed through his circuits like a dark energy. His one time fear of the kid had turned to anger. He now had reason to do what the beast had told him to do. It’s what he should have done in the first place.

“Maximize,� he whispered. Internal systems informed him of the probability of stasis lock. “Override.�

“What did you say?� Fang asked, but it was too late. A blue flash pounced on him, knocking him back against the cairn. He fumbled for his blaster, and dropped it as Boom shoved him to the ground.

“I knew there was something wrong with you,� Boom growled. “I knew it from the moment I met you. The beast told me, but I ignored it, and now I’m going to put out your optics!� He brought his hands up to Fang’s head.

Fang struggled beneath him, in vain. “Just like back in the day, eh Boom?� he said giving a laugh.

Boom forced his thumbs through Fang’s left optic, shattering the sensors and exposing the working beneath.

Fang screamed.

“I’ve heard it all before kid.� And suddenly Fang went stiff beneath him. Stasis lock. And then Boom felt it too. A spasming surge of energy forced his hands away from Fang. He fell against the cairn, shivering and jerking, trying to will himself out of it. He watched as Fang reverted to beast form, saw his amber eyes roll back in his head and close. He too lost consciousness, darkness sweeping over him. Internal systems took over, and he reverted to beast mode as well. The two lay as they had during the previous night, close to the cairn, as if for protection.

 

When Boom came to, Fang was gone. There was no sign of him having left, but etched into the largest rock of the cairn was a message. Into the West, it said. The piece of scrap lay near its base. Boom eased himself to his feet, picked up the piece of metal, and looked out over the mountain range. Crusher was out there, dying, somewhere. And Fang was out there too. Soon, both would be dead.

Alright, I don't know if anyone cares, but that's the end of the first part of my story arc. The second part is already underway, and will focus on Boom's past and his search for the dying Crusher. It's called "The Perfection of Faith", and I hope to have the first part up sometime next week. Comments, as always, are welcom.