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The base was dark and no doubt abandoned.
Not that anyone would have rushed to help the lumbering shape anyway.

Seems the Decepticons really did take to his orders when he told them to run and they fled from everything.

Of course they would, he’s a monster, he attacked them, some are dead because of him….

A soft ‘thwak’ brought Galvatron’s processor back to the moment.
Cyclonus’s arm had come loose and flopped over his torn chest giving the ex-leader a nudge back to reality.
With a soft grumble he shifted the two unconscious bodies a little more and continued on his way.

His steps were loud and echoing, each door opened with a sound like claws trying to shred concrete, did they always sound like this?
A few lights flickered dimly as if deciding if it was worth turning on just for them, probably not.

The med bay had been messed with, while fleeing it seemed some of the Decepticons had saw fit to raid the place for some supplies.

With a sigh like a old steam train finally choking out it’s last, Galvatron dropped his cargo onto two available berths and his systems screamed in relief.
Normally this wouldn’t be a problem for him, just two mecha? But his injuries were still rife from the battle they had just went through.

It didn’t matter. They would heal. They always did.

Applying some gentle percussive maintenance to the med bays systems Galvatron got the place humming with some weak attempt at life once more.

He approached Scourge first, the mecha was undoubtedly lighter than himself and Cyclonus despite being the same size and the larger wing struts were just bigger targets, certainly during the fight they were.
Galvatron shook his helm trying to rid himself of vague echoing memories of himself swinging wildly at Scourge, overtook in the desperate moment, and landing a few blows on the wings as he picked them up.
His unconscious form didn’t move at the sensation of his wings being touched but Galvatron faltered, they bent and sagged in places they weren’t meant to.

He did that.
Just like Unicron said.
Unicron was right about him.

Galvatron dropped the wing and let it flop, as throbbing thoughts pounded at his processor making him stagger back and sink to the floor.
His new spot was not much better either, just above him Cyclonus lay, bent and crooked.

He did that.
The monster.

Pain called to him a sweet siren song, a delicate lullaby riding on waves of throbbing agony.

Galvatron could feel the still slightly-wet cuts along his back, paint a small arc against the berth he leant on as his body lacked the energy, or the will, to fight much longer and it sagged over to the side, before collapsing the final distance down to the floor.
Exhausted, wounded and tired in far too many ways there was nothing that could’ve kept Galvatron conscious for much longer.

A weepy voice in the back of his helm hoped he wouldn’t wake up again and this would be over.


==


Waking up was a different matter.

It felt as though cement had been poured into every available opening, every minute gap within his systems. Feeling almost literally dusty did not aid him in the slightest either.
A breathy, dry groan escaped his vocal unit as Galvatron rolled to his front a little more.

One hand, two hand, move, repeat.

Galvatron almost crawled his way forwards a staggering, full, inch.

By the AllSpark he was pathetic.

Maybe he should repair some of his injuries…

With slow and careful movements Galvatron pulled himself over to an adjacent room, the doorway providing him with a hold on either side to hoist himself up with.
Sparks flew and energy crackled as his systems revolted at having such pressure and work put on them.

Before his self-repair systems were second to none and these kind of injuries probably would have already been healed to a decent, manageable amount, but who was he kidding, that was all Unicron too, Unicron made him who he was, Unicron did it all, who was he without Unicron? Pathetic? Mistake? Aimless? Directionless? Nothing.

Galvatron cringed and his systems groaned, no, no, not now, he should push the thoughts of that thing out of his processor.

He wasn’t nothing without Unicron! He… he hadn’t even had the chance to try yet! That’s all! He can do it!

He can do it…

He can… try…

Looking at the systems Galvatron had the dawning realisation he knew nothing about them, and absolutely nothing about what he could do to fix himself.

The Auto-repair systems were shot, barely able to manage the most basic of repairs at best, everything here was a joke.

No wonder it was his home.

With a sigh, he decided it’d have to do.


Letting the system hum to life, Galvatron slid himself onto the berth and allowed it to work.
Mostly superficial damages were being fixed, holes and bleeds in his external systems getting patched, his support structure also got a very basic once over, with cracks and breaks being welded back together and his cuts wiped and covered over. It tried to engage in a more thorough system repair, parts requesting access to his internal systems but the machine itself didn’t even have the capability to finish it’s own request.

Galvatron decided it was adequate at what it was.

He could move better and looked like nothing happened, that’s all he needed.
It had handled the worst of it, and as long as he doesn’t over-stress it his self-repair system should be able to finish it off now.

He did feel grateful to have the gashes on his face patched up however. They felt the worst.

The only bit of outdoor light that graced the room had slithered along the wall and Galvatron frowned. The auto-repair system had shut off a while ago.

He blacked out again, didn’t he?

Galvatron heaved himself off the berth, grunting painfully as it still felt like a knife was wedged in his lower abdomen, if only the repair system fixed that.

He had a mission.

He had to repair his friends, he had to free them… he had to… save them…

Quick Stepping into the adjacent room he came to a spluttering halt.

Both Scourge and Cyclonus were fixed.
Not a dent or a smudge on them.
A analytical panel hanging from the ceiling was hooked up to both of them, it’s screen split as it displayed both of their vitals, but, the most curious aspect of all, both of them were strapped down, clamped to the berth. It’d be a miracle if they could even turn their heads with bonds so tight.

A few attempts at a word formed in Galvatrons mouth but only escaped as the most faintest of sounds.
Swinging around the berths Galvatron strode down between them, hand on the monitor he looked over the results it showed.

“Finally woke up, eh?”

Galvatron froze.
He did not recognise that voice… no, wait… he did… deep in his systems… it was so long ago now…
He could feel his spinal strut try to bunch up, fear overtook his spark, panic embedding itself in like a burrowing Scraplet.

Another person.
He’d have to talk! He’d have to do something!

“Face me.”

They were cold and commanding, yet a edge of curiosity peaked in their tone.
Galvatron relaxed his systems and un-hunched himself.
One hand refused to leave the monitor however, like a small safety blanket, with a twist of his pede’s he turned to face the voice.

“Down here.”

Nearer the end of the berths a small figure stood.
Human.
No, not quite.

His memory circuits buzzed as a fresh load of static blared through them, but there were images to the static, sound too, he could just make it out.

“S… s… sssssss… Sari?” How could he forget her name.

The small hybrid had not grown an Earth-inch from the last time they’d met, when he was a different person.
Her colours were dull however, greyed and a few streaks of dirt covered her.
She had a scar over half of her face, optics cold and wary, her organic body was hard to see under layers of battle-grade armour forced upon her during cycles of battle.

“So, you remember me huh? Your friends here didn’t seem to” Her eyes thinned as she glared at him, an icy glare probing him for answers.

“O… oh… oh… I…” Galvatron’s words died in his vocal unit, his head pounding as he struggled to say something, anything.

It didn’t help, not in the slightest, when Sari relaxed.
The sudden, almost wrong, motion send Galvatron into a minor panic.

“I’M SORRY!” He squealed.

“Hey, hey, calm down” Sari held her hands up, but it did not help at all.

“I’M SORRY!” He squealed again and the monitor was released from his grip. Galvatron sunk to his knees, his forehelm touching the ground as he practically tried to force himself into it, “I’M SORRY! I’M SORRY! I’M SORRY!” He continued to shriek.

“ENOUGH!” Sari yelled, silencing him, “I’m not here to fight”

Sari paused, waiting for an answer, but Galvatron just looked at her with wet optics and let out a quiet sniffle.

“I mean, if I was, wouldn’t I have brought all the Autobots with me?” She tried again, Galvatron merely looked around the room, although his view was hampered by him keeping his face pressed to the ground, “Will you sit up?” Sari hissed a little annoyed.

Galvatron obeyed.

“I came here because I saw what happened. You fought these two, didn’t you?” She gestured to Cyclonus and Scourge on the berths.

Galvatron nodded weakly, unable to look at the two motionless figures.

“I saw you crying” She added as if it answered everything.

Galvatron nodded again, the very mention of it practically provoking his systems to begin weeping once more, but a hasty sniffle managed to stop him from full-blown tears.

“I’ve never seen a Decepticon do that… I’ve never heard you beg for forgiveness as you fight… My curiosity was peaked” She added.

“Ah” Galvatron quietly choked out.

“What’s going on?” Her voice turned stern and demanding again and she stepped forwards.

“I’m sorry!” Galvatron whimpered quickly, “I deserve it! Whatever it is!”

“What?” Sari backed up again, “Look, I’m… I…” She cocked her head and looked him over, “I won’t hurt you, I just want to know why the most feared monst… ah, Decepticons ever known were fighting amongst themselves while their leader bawled his optics out!”

“It doesn’t matter… It was all for nothing… I couldn’t help them… I couldn’t save them…” Galvatron covered his head with his arms and curled up.

“Save… them…? You’re talking about that planet-eating monster aren’t you?”

Galvatron shrieked like he’d been shot, tears escaped from him freely.
Did everyone know?
No, everyone shouldn’t know, why should they?
No one deserves this?
No one deserves him!
No one deserves that!
Was Unicron common knowledge?
Who was he hurting now?
Oh, come on Galvatron, you know the answer to that!
Everyone!
Unicron’s hurting everyone!
It’s all his fault!
He left Unicron!
He left and now Unicron has no toys!

The room was empty when he looked back at it, no Cyclonus, no Scourge, no Sari.
But there was a shadow, grinning as it seeped in through the ceiling.

Unicron was hurting everyone!
It’s all his fault!
He should never have left!

Galvatron was vaguely aware of himself shrieking.

Sorry Unicron.
Sorry.
Sorry sorry!
I don’t…
Please don’t…

Galvatron lunged at the shadow seeping in.

Are you happy now Unicron?
Yes, of course you are.
He loved watching them fight.
Are you happy now Unicron?
Will you stop hurting them?
I’ll be good.
I’ll be good.
Please.

The shadow was gone and instead something blue and burning hit him in the head.
Feeling like all his energy was gone anyway, Galvatron collapsed with a whimper.

The room seemed a bit more normal now.

Something was cycling air through it’s vents, hard.

“Uuugh,” He groaned, “Ow”

“Get up” The cold commanding tone jabbed into him like a dagger.

“Yes Unicr-!” Galvatron blurted out with a harsh obedient tone, but that name tasted like vile, bitter poison and he gagged himself before completing it, but still stood up.
Looking around the room once more, he found the source of the noise and the blue burning thing.

Sari floated an arms length away, her own arm stretched out and in weapon-mode as she panted heavily. The floor where she once stood was suspiciously dented and new scratches littered the place, her and Galvatron.

“Yes?” Galvatron croaked, notifications pinging in his processor that he’d obtained a few new lacerations and dents himself.

Sari squinted back at him, she must have attacked him for screaming rather than answering, yes, that’s it, he deserved it anyway.

“It is… that ‘planet-eating monster’, he… he controls us… well… he sort of made us too… he owns us...” Galvatron felt the words tumble out of his mouth freely now, no point in trying to bury the memory she knew of him anyway.

“Is he still controlling you?” Sari refused to move, seemingly ready for a fight.

“N...no! I don’t think so! He left me! I think so… W...wh… when I… I touched the AllSpark!” Galvatron felt his spark race and energon pump burn as words spilled from him, “I touched it and then I saw how bad everything was! It’s awful! I hate it! I… I hate him! He laughed at us! This is all funny to him! Like a game! He… he hurt me! He hurt US! He… Unicron did it, I was so stupid, I believed him, he said it was all going to…” Galvatron sunk back to the floor, hands sticking themselves to his helm as he groaned “I… just want all this pain to go… It’s… consuming… I… He… We...”

Sari landing back on the ground sounded like two buildings falling over as the noise shattered the eerie silence left when Galvatron gave up the fight with his stuttering vocaliser and shut up.

Her weapon was largely deactivated but the low-level glow from her palm betrayed it.
She approached.
Her hand touched his pede.
A short blast from her jetpack and she was up on his knee guard, sat there, staring at him, like an Osmium Owl.
Although Galvatron could only see her feet, he didn’t want to look at her he didn’t want to face her.

Sari didn’t like that and hovered over until she took up his field of vision.
She was angry.
There was searing fury that would have sent the very stars cowering.

“Unicron ate Earth” She snarled.

Galvatron felt the panic rise again, his faceplates twitched uncontrollably, he tired glancing around, anything to avoid her, to avoid the boiling, squirming feel of empty horror, but she was not having it and followed his gaze.

“My Father was on that planet. MY DAD!, and your ‘BOSS’ ate him AND my planet!” She shrieked, “That was CYCLES ago! SO MANY that my dad was still alive! Oh yeah, he’d be dead by now, it’s been too long for a ordinary human to live, but NO, that thing took him while he still breathed!”

Sari reared back and punched him, her powered-up form decorating his forehelm with a hefty dent.

“I tried approaching this calmly… nicely but… but you will show me EVERYTHING! THEN I will decide on what YOU THREE deserve!” Her fist crackled with a familiar blue energy prompting an equally familiar scene to play out in his head again.

Drifting through space, angry, bitter, alone.
Until that green light bathed the very void itself as he came to you.
Only now, an angry girl stood by watching, waiting, judging...