There was no need being angry at Arcee
Even autonomous beings from the planet Cybertron weren't from emotions.
He just happened to be in the line of fire, as the conversation had started between Arcee and Jack, in which they were exchanging a few words—Rockwell didn't try to understand what exactly they were saying, but he could guess. It was just coincidence that he walked up right at the moment when the dialogue reached its peak. And deciding to show respect for her state, he received a cold reception.
And although he held no grudge, her words had an effect.
There was a reason he didn't go out among people much, didn't smile, and didn't cherish human interaction like he used to.
When building a house of cards, we put in such effort, patience, skill, and hope that we'll succeed. Not everything works out at once; it takes several attempts, but after a while, no matter what, we finish the job. And when you're on the finish line, you're happy, you're a winner! Despite the failures and problems, you did it! And then. A gust of wind. And the house is gone.
Just like that, without warning, without preparation, without any chance to resist. It just happens.
And we give up. We can no longer pick up those cards; the edges of the cards give us a feeling of futility.
Such is Rockwell's situation too. Walking toward his dreams and goals, only to lose everything in an instant down to the smallest detail… It's hard to recover from that.
A reasonable person simply cannot abandon their entire life and instantly move into a new phase; this isn't books or anime. How can a self-respecting person throw into the trash what made them who they are? Desires, your environment, your connections, even the ground beneath your feet. How can someone take on another name and go by it?
Rockwell cannot do this, does not want to, and never will.
Situations vary, and he won't deny that not everyone thought as he did. For some, this abrupt transition into a new chapter of their story was exactly the push they needed.
It's hard to understand human psychology. But he knows his own well.
Becoming that "Big League" will be difficult. It will take time to start building the house of cards again.
"Right here."
Rockwell began his descent. Currently, he was in his Aerophibian form.
His Aerophibian form is mostly white, with black accents on its limbs, chest, and underbelly, giving it a sleek, biomechanical look. A prominent green Omnitrix symbol stands out on its chest.
Its head, or "sunward head," has a fierce, streamlined shape, featuring a red crest that runs from the snout over the top, sharp yellow horns curving backward, and glowing eyes. A notable feature is the "sundered forward right," suggesting a distinctive break or asymmetrical detail on the right side of its face or crest.
Large, expansive wings dominate its form. They are primarily white, with striking red membranes along the trailing edges, yellow leading edges, and black tips, suggesting powerful flight capabilities. The long tail ends in a fin-like structure, helping to stabilize it in the air.
In terms of scale, Aerophibian is around 8 feet tall and little more, but Rockwell is 15 feet tall and its wingspan around 50 feet.
His Aerophibian form can fly at speeds several times the speed of sound. He can maneuver through the air with little to no flapping and extreme precision (although this is a common feature of this race), as well as being able to accelerate to great speeds with ease. This form is also fast enough to create sonic booms and enter hyperspace.
He had time to test these things, boredom is a bitch.
He was descending from an altitude of 47,000 feet. He chose this altitude because passenger planes don't fly in this area, which gives him more freedom. However, the main reason for his current presence here, in the middle of nowhere, was one thing. Energon research.
In the cave that the Decepticons blew up hoping to get rid of the Autobots and where Cliffjumper's rescue had taken place.
The very second he stepped out of the GroundBridge that day, he set the coordinates. Just in case. Rockwell always worked by this system: better safe than sorry.
He was approximately somewhere in the Czech Republic. All that was left was to slowly descend.
---
Flying now between the destroyed mountain rocks. Rockwell only had to watch. Cracks and fissures from an explosion of such magnitude allowed his massive body to fly through without needing to change his form to Talpaedan.
Making his way deeper, he noticed a bright blue liquid that couldn't possibly be water.
Energon. Which meant…
"Here we are," Rockwell said aloud in his low, deep voice, rough in this form.
His plan was as follows:
1. Find Energon.
2. Find remnants of Decepticon technology; even the metal they use would do—he was curious to find out its composition, how it differed from Earth iron, or whether there was anything else of theirs from Cybertron.
3. Maybe even find Cliffjumper's remains. Here, it was more a matter of Rockwell's character. He simply wanted to bury him as a comrade, when he managed to free himself from the grip of the zombie virus of Cybertronian kind. This "Dark Energon" was worth studying more, asking the Autobots about it, but from personal observations, he'd noticed that it revives the dead and turns them into enhanced zombies.
4. If he managed to find the Dark Energon itself, that too would be for study. Though he wasn't hoping for that.
The last item would be to learn more about the GroundBridge. But that was more of a side objective.
His laboratory beneath his house, designed according to the principles of his Galvan and Cerebrocrustacean self, could to some extent record Energon surges, but only when it was "activated"—by "activated" he meant an explosion. And to search for veins of raw Energon, he needed some expertise.
"It's amazing what giant robots can do to a man," Rockwell said to himself. "HighTrix, begin full terrain scanning." And although the voice command wasn't necessary, this action drowned out the silence of the cave.
The dial on his chest was attached more to a mechanical cluster in the neck and shoulder area, fitting tightly like a second skin. After the command was given, the dial began to move across his chest and then his back, making an "orbital motion." No rays of light emerged from it; HighTrix didn't need that.
"Good." The scan was successful. Ten steps to his right, several dozen meters below, there was an Energon liquid, and at that same distance only to his left and slightly deeper.
"Hm?" Yes, Energon was a priority, so he paid attention to that first, however.
"Under me?" There was something else directly beneath him.
Rockwell carefully stepped back, mentally noting his landing point. Channeling energy into his eyes, trying to keep it at a calm level to avoid causing more damage. In this operation, precision was needed; his honor wouldn't allow him to further disfigure the body of a fallen warrior.
Yes, Cliffjumper was directly beneath him.
Aerophibian biology allowed him to fire powerful laser beams from his eyes and the tip of his tail.
*SMASH*
CRUNCH
And the sight was revealed to him. A broken, exploded, shattered, faded, burnt semi-corpse of a warrior who had once served a noble cause. This was definitely Cliffjumper; he had recognized his frame the first time. Carefully, as if holding an infant in his hands, Rockwell extended his bony hands downward.
Picking him up, he laid him on a stone next to himself. His eyes were open but had lost their spark long ago. Cybertronian anatomy was still a subject of study for him, but some Autobots had something like eyelids for their optics—he couldn't recall the exact term right now, but Cliffjumper had eyelids.
Rockwell extended his claws to Cliffjumper's face again and closed his eyes.
"Rest in peace, warrior. Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May the soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace."
For a proper grave and funeral, the fallen one's loved ones needed to be present. He should contact Optimus Prime.
"Hm?"
Danger. An ENORMOUS Dark Energon outburst. Such a surge was comparable to the emissions here. This was dangerous; he needed to move out. He needed to warn the Autobots.
Rockwell stood to his full height, preparing his muscles for a hyperspace jump. Casting one last glance at the Cybertronian's body and moving away from it a bit so that the gust of wind wouldn't disturb the body, he took a stance for takeoff. He would return here immediately.
"RAGH!" With a burst, he took off.
*BOOM*
With a sonic boom, he headed toward the Dark Energon activity site.
*
*
*
[A/N: Check the comments. And next chapter is with Megatron. And another question what system should I use. Metric of Ft? ]