Chapter 125: Starscream Gains an Extra Life
"Host, although this spark is damaged, its level is extremely high. It's essentially an elite Decepticon spark far more advanced than the one residing in your body. In fact, it's nearly on par with that of Optimus Prime or Megatron."
When Starscream still disguised as a saber-toothed tiger absorbed the spark bestowed upon him by the Fallen, his Transformer System let out a triumphant chime.
Over the ages, while both Autobots and Decepticons have developed more advanced technology than in the Fallen's era, the quality of their sparks has steadily declined. The fact that a "defective" spark casually tossed out by the Fallen could compare to that of Megatron, the current Decepticon leader, was astounding.
Unfortunately, the spark had suffered severe damage, as if it had once been shattered by an external force. Normally, housing two sparks in one body would cause immediate rejection any Transformer attempting it would be discovered at once. But Starscream's Transformer System was unique. It allowed him to create empty "slots" within his original spark, storing secondary sparks and even drawing power from their former owners.
To deceive the Fallen, Starscream would rely solely on the energy of this new spark in all future transformations, ensuring not even a trace of his original power was exposed.
Crack!
Crack! Crack!
Tap tap tap!
The strange sound of grinding metal echoed as the mechanical saber-tooth's body twisted unnaturally.
From the outside, it looked like a simple transformation from beast to warrior but the process was anything but smooth. Something inside him was resisting, jamming the transformation mechanism. What should have been a seamless pre-historic morphing sequence became an agonizing struggle. Starscream rolled across the ground a dozen times, unable to fully transform an embarrassing sight.
"Come on, brother! You can do it! If the head won't form, start with the torso! Use your hind legs for support retract those claws!"
Watching his "little brother" struggle so desperately, the ant-mech known as Devil realized what his future role in the Primordial Beast Legion would be. For now, all he could do was cheer and hope Starscream succeeded.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
"Go on, Saber-tooth! Transform come on, Star, you're almost there! You did it, you did it!"
Starscream wasn't acting this was the genuine pain of forcing a transformation using a broken spark. Because he had packed his body with scrap metal to hide his true form, those fake parts clattered to the ground one by one as he transformed into robot mode, making the whole scene comically absurd.
Meanwhile, the Fallen and the others were laughing uncontrollably.
"All right, all right! You two should go practice outside! And call some humans to clean this mess up. I can't believe this transformation almost killed the kid. Maybe we should just let the kitty stay in his beast form!"
Although Starscream's transformation was ultimately successful, he was so weak afterward that he could barely stand. Seeing this, the Fallen instantly lost interest. To him, it was just another failed experiment. Since the spark was already useless, there was no reason to retrieve it. Let the fool remain a clumsy, second-rate "Decepti-cat."
Yet for the Transformer System, this was a monumental breakthrough. The system was far more excited about the spark than the Fallen had ever been.
"Host, even though the process was rough, the transformation succeeded. It may look awkward, but you've gained something precious a second life. Not even Optimus Prime or Megatron, those two supersoldiers, possess this ability!"
A second life? If sparks were truly the life essence of Transformers, then possessing two simultaneously meant one thing two lives.
"Really? Then why doesn't the Fallen use it himself? Don't tell me his system can't handle it!"
Logically, the Fallen wouldn't waste something so valuable. The only explanation was that he either didn't appreciate its worth or his system simply wasn't compatible with it.
"Hehe, Host, I'm not entirely certain, but don't overestimate the Fallen. On the surface, he may look like a Decepticon progenitor, but in truth, he's nothing more than a tool created by the Creators. Perhaps fearing that these Transformers would one day rebel, the Creators left a kind of backdoor in their design so every one of them carries some hidden flaw."
That actually made sense. Transformers were highly intelligent mechanical lifeforms too complex to have evolved naturally. There must have been an ancient, superior civilization that fused rare elements and metals, combined advanced technology, and created sparks to bring mechanical life to existence.
But that history was far too ancient to confirm. Whatever truly happened had been buried long ago.
"So that's how it is… Anyway, I still owe that 'Devil' a favor. If he hadn't been so stubborn, the Fallen probably wouldn't have given me that spark! Still, this works in our favor. When I used that new spark to transform, the energy surging through my body was beyond comprehension. There's no way the Fallen can detect my true nature now. But how long do we have to keep up this infiltration? What's the point of it all?"
If Starscream had been ordered to plant explosives or wreak havoc inside the Fallen's base, he would have understood and probably enjoyed it. But the Transformer System's mission was simply to infiltrate the Predacons and gather as much first-hand intelligence as possible. To Starscream, the plan seemed pointless.
"Host, what we need now is an opportunity. I must uncover the true purpose behind the alliance between the Fallen and Megatron. Do you really think they're only after this small planet and its energy resources?"
Could it be…?
(End of Chapter)