The Day We Hailed The Heavens

Chapter 31

Chapter Thirty-One

Boadicea

He had done it.

This was the thought pounding through Starscream's central processor as he launched himself out into the vacuum of space, dragging Prime behind him like a canine with one hand as the two of them smashed through the crimson glass that must have formed part of Unicron's optic when he was in bipedal mode, Red shards blasted forward before the two Cybertronians and immediately floated out into the nothingness as Starscream gritted his teeth, preparing to transform.

He could feel Alexis bundled in his cockpit, and knew that she had virtually nothing to secure her in her place, but it was possible for her to survive this... if he centred the protoform conversion around that part of his body, then she would be safe and protected from the heat and pressure of the return to Earth. He had come this far... he would save her...

/Prime - transform, now, and set course for Mission City!/ he barked at Optimus.

Without waiting to see whether the dazed Autobot would obey the sharp command - a command which he, as a mere soldier, had no right to give - Starscream proceeded to open the appropriate files in his data banks, bringing up a visual schematic of the pod-like shape that he was about to fold down into. Adjusting several of the schematic's details and editing the pivot centre of the alteration,

Protoform transformation instigated, his CPU responded. User edit - cockpit central. Stage one: appendage compression. Appendage compression for lower and upper extremities beginning in five, four, three, two, one.

Hissing suddenly came from the mechanisms that made up Starscream's lengthy arms and legs, though the vacuum made it impossible for Starscream's audio receptors to pick up on it, and they began to double back on themselves - his forearms bent back, folding securely against his upper arms and shoulders, and all of his four knee joints followed suite into his limbs were locked against his torso, tight as a butterfly's chrysalis. Shuttering his optics, he confirmed that the initial stage had gone as planned.

His computer-like brain responded within milliseconds. Stage one confirmed. Stage two: cranial and wing compression.

The countdown came quickly before Starscream's streamlined wings pressed down hard against his back, packed together tightly before they were bound to the rest of his body, with nothing whatsoever protruding from his smooth, meteorological form. His head drew back into its protective casing a moment later, and he found himself essentially blind to the world around him as his optical sensors switched themselves off for energon conservation.

Stage two confirmed, came the impassive voice. Destination input essential.

"Earth," Starscream growled painfully, hating the feel of being so constricted. "Mission City, Earth."

There was a pause as his central processor scanned every location that was logged in his databanks; a moment later, he heard the affirmative that the place name had been recognised. Destination confirmed, was the response. Destination: Mission City; Northern Los Angeles; United States of America. Planet: Earth. Engaging autopilot... autopilot engaged.

Though he could not hear it, Starscream knew from the intense heat that was beginning to build up behind him that something was starting to happen to Unicron. Activating his thermal sensors, he saw that the giant mass of colour on the black radar - which had previously been made up of greens, blues and black spaces where there had been no heat - was now starting to burn with fiery oranges, reds and yellows, originating from the very centre... where Unicron's spark chamber was.