Inverted Insignia Chapter 7 Slingshot

Inverted Insignia
Slingshot

As soon as the simulator gave Starscream the green light, he was off, wings swung back and running for cover. His head swivelled around as he took in the location of every mechanoid in the area. He mentally counted them and noted how many were missing. There were thirteen he could see and that meant seven was missing. 'Good.' he mused to himself as his weapons hummed to life. He slipped his hunting knife into his hand as well. If his emp weapons....he rumbled to himself He had to come up with a catchy quick term that made sense. 'Null rays... ' he thought. If his 'null says' were fated to have a critical fault because of one line of code altered, he could 'break the toys' by using other methods.

He crouched with his back to a building that had a over hang. He knew he was protected from behind and above. So his only concerns was from the front or flanks. His peripheral vision was not the best, as it wasn't in most of his kind. Seekers were designed as predators, not as prey. However he focused on what his wings could feel, and what sounds he could hear.

It reminded him of when he used to hunt the fields around Vos in his earliest days. He, surviving on his own from the time he broke from the pod, usually most would have a care giver to raise a hatchling to maturity, yet, he had, for some reason, been neglected. Hunger drove him to rely upon the predatory instincts that he had been sparked with. Things that moved could be eaten and energy drawn from their structures. Initially it was a messy affair, where he wrestled with retro-rats or petrol rabbits, relying upon his light weight and agility to chase them down. He had to rely upon opening them up with his hands and tiny, but sharp teeth. Like a can opener in a can, he would cut through the softer metals of the unprotected undersides find the creature's fuel tank then drink it down. After that he would consume anything else that he deemed edible.  As time went on, he figured out how to make basic weapons. His first being a simple shiv made out of a scrap of metal then a crude slingshot.  The slingshot proved useful for lobbing rocks or metallic objects at prey knocking them out. The shiv worked by killing it so he could eat with less struggle and stress. He was, by his very nature, an accomplished hunter and survivor. The officers were grossly underestimating his abilities considering him only a scientist... it was clear to him they did not know him all that well. He really only had issue with killing what he saw as an ally as opposed to a foe or prey.

The first machine appeared to his right; it was a flier. The Seeker grabbed a large pipe and swung it at the machine, smashing it across the optic lens, and sent it crashing to the ground.  He leapt out of his shelter to take the knife and drive it into the machine and twist it. Other machines having located him by sound and motion, homed in on his location.  The started to discharge their weapons. He dodged the rays as he could see them, but one tagged his shoulder sending him spiralling into a wall. His right arm was numb and not responsive. He grunted and used his left to aim and fire. The Machine dropped. Behind him was a light whir, small, delicate like a metallic mosquito. He realised that some of the attackers were small the size of insects. This would make sense. Transformers came in all shapes and sizes. Some as small as rats while others were enormous cities that could house thousands of averaged sized people. He smacked the tiny insect with his hand, closing his fingers and crushing the machine. Looked toward Riftwing unapologetically, this machine would not be repairable.

Several minutes had gone by as the Seeker had taken out three more fliers and one large ground pounding tank. He had been hit four times twice in the shoulder, once in a wing and once on his chest. Each time he brought an enemy down, he drove his hunting knife into the optic. It would become expensive for the Academy in repair bills, but he had to be sure they would not come after him when he thought he was safe.  The hunt continued until he had most of the grounders neutralised. The problem he had were the final insect sized target. It was tiny and darted quickly behind cover when he brought his weapon to bear. The knife it could track and evade. He huffed then dove under cover avoiding a volley of the more stinging shots from the insect. He pulled out his sling shot and smiled. Quickly he loaded it with the small crystal-like stones. He stood up and drew back on the band and tracked the insect. He released and the tiny crystals spread out in a scatter formation and those that hit the insect, they triggered a chain reaction and the remaining crystals exploded which vaporised the tiny machine.

“Game.” the computer intoned. “Starscream 58,  Game 42. Cadet Starscream  wins.”

“Barely won,” Starscream hissed in response to the computer. He disliked how 50 – 50 the results were.

Riftwing looked miffed. “You damaged each and every one of the drones...”

“You did not say I could not when I asked,” he replied. “That was why I asked, if I could.”

“You destroyed the Micro's,” the older Seeker hissed as he picked up fragments of the tiny fliers.

“They're too fragile to use in combat with a being my size. You want them kept around? Have them fight micro-raptors – not me,” the Seeker replied coolly.

“You were supposed to use your EMP's,” Riftwing pointed out, he was clearly frustrated with the young cadet.

“You said my null rays were unsafe. I used them as minimally as possible. I realised the more I used them the better the chance I would have for your penalty, therefore I thought outside the box and used a few things I had on me. And judging by my score, one “misfire” I would have lost.”

“Yes about that, what was that hand held thing you used?” Riftwing held his hand out.

“Only if I get it back.” Starscream replied cautiously. “I call it a slingshot.” He took the weapon out as well as a crystal. The weapon was modern,  unlike the weapon he used as a fledgling. Starscream watched Riftwing for an assurance of it's return. It was the closest thing he had to a fire-arm. He was worried it would be confiscated as a result.

“Fine, you will get it back,” the other assured.

Starscream handed the slingshot over and Riftwing turned it over in his hand looking at the simple, but effective design. “Where did you get this from?”

“It's not a firearm. And, I made it and don't...really remember how I came up on the idea. But its a good survivors tool. It has served me well,” the young flier explained.

The older Seeker  turned the crystal over in his hand. It shimmered, it glowed and it had a faint hum from the vibration of barely stable energon. “The ammunition you used, what were those?”

“Semi-stable crystallised Energon. I distilled them, then condensed them into crystalline form.”

“Now tell me, how does a scientist come to own these sorts of things?”

“How little you know of me, Sargent Riftwing, I was not always a scientist, I was a hunter. Believe it or not, I have killed things, many things hundreds of things. I am not new to taking a life but I do not usually take it out of malice or hate, but mostly to live another day. I'd explain it to you, but I am here to learn about the null rays. I was not expecting to run the gauntlet of stupid machines; using weapons I am already skilled with. As for the ammunition, science wins -  my knowledge of sciences is what created them, which so many consider a weakness has proven, in this case to be a benefit. But these do not have to be exploding crystals.” Starscream held his hand out for the weapon and Riftwing returned it. The young flier grabbed a few stones off the ground. He placed the stones in the pouch and aimed it at a glass globe lamp. Pulling back on the thong he released it. The glass globe shattered and rained down on the ground. “Now if you are done exploring my current skill set, please lets explore these new null rays.”

“Null rays is it?”

“I figured it was less of a mouthful than EMP weapon.”

“Hmmm. Sling shot created for survival, well necessity is the mother of all invention and they say if there is a will, there is a way, that's what I think anyway.” Riftwing rambled. “You return here with your trinemates tomorrow and you can continue your exercises. Keep in mind YOU are the one advanced to the next level not the whole group.”

The red Seeker rumbled and nodded, “is there a reason for this 'division'?”

“yes, Starscream, there is. To command, you need to have a superior and a subordinate. You consider yourself the leader of your group, yet you do not set yourself apart like you should. You need to consider that friendships will be the death of many good commanders. And you will find in time that it is lonely at the top for a reason -  a very good reason. Friendships can be a critical and exploitable weakness. To target your friends your enemy can weaken you and ultimately destroy you. This is why the greatest commanders never allowed themselves to be clouded by pointless emotions such as love. Though, this is not to say you can't or shouldn't have liaisons or allies, These can be useful and to your advantage, but its something you need to consider. You may need to sever these relationships and contacts if you want to truly advance. You think about this, Starscream. You are dismissed."

Starscream came to attention and then left the guard tower. He glanced at his feet pensively thinking of Riftwing's words, and thinking of the game. He barely passed that game and now they are driving a wedge between him and his friends -  putting him a head of Skywarp, a warrior who has done more kills in the past few weeks than Starscream had ever. And it all came down to three kills at once. He did not like the direction this was going. He also did not think Riftwing liked him much. He did wonder though, would friendships have to be severed in order to advance? He did not think it would be overly hard, after all he was generally an abnormality of the Seeker community – a loner.