Chapter 130: Starscream's True Form
"Heh, I already warned you. You stupid mechanical bird, have you no memory? I think you should replace it, but the Fallen probably doesn't have any extras, right? An idiot like you can only be used as a low-level laborer on Cybertron!"
Starscream was speaking the truth. On Cybertron, besides many Transformers, there were countless mechanical behemoths performing daily chores. But to this country bumpkin Chimera, who had never been to Cybertron, it felt like an insult.
"Are you mocking me? Don't think I'm afraid of you just because you can do some fancy tricks. Since you've revealed your true skills, I won't hold back anymore. Behold my super flames! I'll melt every part of your body into molten iron!"
Perhaps out of embarrassment and anger, the slightly injured Chimera didn't immediately leave. Instead, it unleashed scorching flames from its mouth, sweeping them toward the saber-toothed tiger on the ground. While primitive, the attack was undeniably effective.
The saber-toothed tiger on the ground couldn't outrun the Chimera's flight speed, and if it got caught, Starscream would face intense heat.
But who said Starscream was staying in this form? He was the renowned Decepticon Air Force commander on Cybertron! How could a mechanical monster that couldn't even transform possibly destroy him?
"Starscream, transform!"
At this critical moment, Starscream no longer intended to hide. He immediately activated his fighter jet mode. Just as the flames behind him were about to reach the tiger's rear, the mechanical saber-toothed tiger underwent a series of dazzling transformations. A supersonic jet fighter took off, performing a horizontal somersault in mid-air, allowing Starscream to follow the Chimera and quickly lock on using his infrared guidance system.
"What… what is happening? You… you have wings too? Impossible, right? Are you not a prehistoric beast?"
Starscream, of course, didn't answer. He aimed at the opponent's body, and a super machine gun extended from each of his wings, firing laser beams at the Chimera's broad back without hesitation.
"Zas, zas, zas!"
"Boom, boom!"
Explosions mixed with fragments of unknown metal from the mechanical Chimera soared into the air along with dense smoke and dust.
Although this aerial colossus had been reinforced by the Fallen with a strong outer shell, it still seemed insufficient against Starscream's overwhelming firepower! Moreover, even after returning to his original form, Starscream, not satisfied with firing continuous laser bursts, quickly launched two laser-guided air-to-air missiles from his arsenal.
"What's going on? You bastard, what are you trying to do to me? Damn it, the Fallen… Lord Fallen will not let you get away with this!"
The foolish machine Chimera was already near death, yet it still didn't know how to beg for mercy. Starscream had revealed his true form; did it think he wasn't prepared to completely defy the Fallen? In his current form, trying to escape from under the Fallen's nose who could possibly catch him?
Although still some distance from the African pyramids, and without any tokens to prove his identity, if pushed too far, Starscream was capable of anything.
"Boom!"
Soon, the two air-to-air infrared-guided missiles hit their target. But a machine Chimera of this size should have been able to endure, right?
After withstanding two devastating attacks, the once-arrogant aerial monster emitted a plume of smoke from its rear, then its entire body collapsed uncontrollably from the sky. It rolled and slid for over five kilometers through the nearest semicircular valley before finally coming to a stop, motionless and battered.
"Zas!"
"Starscream, transform! Robot mode!"
After confirming the threat was neutralized, Starscream triumphantly transformed into robot mode and approached the giant, even delivering a kick to its massive forehead with his left foot.
Although its body had suffered devastating damage, the Chimera's eyes still studied the unknown robot before it with a complex expression.
"Pio, pio, pio!"
The system had likely suffered serious damage; even if the Chimera had wanted to curse Starscream with its last breath, it was unlikely.
However, just as Starscream raised his laser gun to strike the giant on the head, an incredible suggestion emerged from the Transformers system, indirectly saving the creature's life.
"Host, according to my reconnaissance and analysis, we completely evaded all of the bird's surveillance systems during our battle, so the Fallen didn't discover our true identities. I have a suggestion: perhaps we can integrate this mechanical Chimera into our cause. I recall you still have some compressed parts in your toolbox!"
This Transformers system was bold; it suggested that Starscream repair the mechanical Chimera and use the incomplete spark previously obtained to control it. Because this spark had been refined by the system and infused with Starscream's own spark, it essentially became an extension of Starscream's essence.
If the modified spark were forcibly injected into the Chimera's body, this machine apparently powerful but internally weak would become a puppet controlled by Starscream. If both returned to the Fallen simultaneously, they could prove each other's innocence and even cover for each other; it would be fantastic.
"System chief, do you really think we have to serve that Decepticon progenitor again? I'm tired of seeing his face every day. Several times I wanted to grab my laser gun and end the Fallen wouldn't that be the end of everything?"
Starscream grumbled; in reality, he knew the best course was to remain hidden.
(End of Chapter)