Chapter 67: Where Is Steel Cable?
"I never imagined it! I never thought the legend was true! When these demons return to Earth, the dragons will be the first to awaken ... and they will protect all of humanity!"
Upon seeing the two robotic dinosaurs appear, the young man named General Rylen left Starscream's side, his eyes wide with disbelief as he approached them. But just as he drew near, the humans around him suddenly knelt down, bowing to the two robotic beasts and murmuring sacred chants.
"Hey, hey, hey! What's going on here?" Starscream muttered, confused. "Everyone here bears the Autobot insignia ... so why isn't anyone worshiping me?!"
Aside from General Rylen, none of the others seemed to pay Starscream any attention at all.
How could there be such a difference between Autobots?
"You… you're part of the race?"
The limping Thunder Dragon, Mud, squinted at the black-haired, yellow-skinned humans before him as if recognizing something. Could it be that these humans were once servants of the Autobots on this planet?
"That's right, Muddy," replied the mechanical pterosaur, Dart. "These people are descendants of the Huaxia race. I saw some when I first awakened. No matter what state they're in now, it proves that what we did back then wasn't in vain."
The two Dinobots clearly recognized the humans ... and they seemed to treat them differently than they did other species. The Huns, for instance, hadn't been so lucky; nearly five thousand of them had been wiped out by Dart alone.
"What's going on here?" Starscream asked. "What connection do you have with these humans? Don't tell me you Dinobots have been hiding on this planet all these years instead of returning to Cybertron ... playing guardian angels to these creatures? Doesn't that bore you to death?"
Even without direct evidence, Starscream could piece together what was happening from the humans' behavior. In every primitive civilization across the universe, when an advanced alien lifeform appeared, the natives would inevitably revere them as gods.
But to Starscream, that kind of devotion was meaningless. Unless this planet held treasures unknown even to Cybertron, all of this was a waste of time.
"Starscream, don't mock what you don't understand," Dart retorted coldly. "You have no idea what lies hidden within this world. Even your Decepticon ancestors were drawn to it. Why do you think that is?"
The comment made Starscream pause.
What did he mean, "our Decepticon ancestors"? That couldn't be right ... the original Decepticons had long vanished from Cybertron's history. Not even Megatron knew their full origins, let alone him!
Yet, the Dinobot's words were troubling.
If what he said was true, and the original Decepticons had left traces on this planet, then the Earth must have a far deeper connection to Cybertron than anyone realized.
Starscream himself had already found an ancient outpost built by Jetfire, and even encountered the veteran Decepticon Lockdown. Ancient relics like those were rare even on Cybertron.
If there were even older Decepticons sealed beneath this planet's surface… that could change everything.
"All right then," Starscream said finally, his optics glinting. "Based on what I've seen so far, this planet is becoming more and more interesting. Tell me everything you know ... maybe I can help you locate your comrades. If I recall correctly, your Dinobot team wasn't just the two of you, right? Where is your captain ... Grimlock?"
In Cybertronian history, the Dinobot team was legendary not just for their unmatched strength, but for their leader, Grimlock ... a super-soldier whose combat power was said to exceed even that of Optimus Prime.
Grimlock could transform into a massive mechanical Tyrannosaurus Rex, and his might was so great that even Megatron preferred not to face him directly. When Megatron launched his rebellion, he made sure Grimlock was absent from Cybertron before making his move.
Given everything that had happened, Starscream couldn't help but suspect ... could the missing Grimlock be here, on this very planet?
But the moment he mentioned the name, both Dinobots tensed up. Their bodies shifted into defensive stances, while the human leaders ... General Rylen among them ... rose to their feet and unsheathed the alloy sword Starscream had given them, mirroring the Dinobots' hostility.
"Starscream!" Dart barked. "Watch what you say! You're asking too many questions! Sludge, transform!"
"What's with you guys?" Starscream said in disbelief. "I just asked where your captain is ... why are you acting like scared cats? We were fighting side by side just moments ago!"
"Sludge, transform!" Dart repeated, his voice sharp.
"Please, everyone, calm down!" Sludge intervened, transforming from beast mode to robot mode and stepping between them. "Dart, we can't treat our allies like this!"
It was clear that something had happened to Grimlock ... something serious enough to make even his loyal comrades react with panic at the mere mention of his name.
"Yuni, old friend," Dart said gravely, "I didn't want things to turn out this way. But you must understand ... this concerns the deepest secrets of the Dinobot army. Starscream here is a Decepticon one moment and an Autobot the next. Who knows which side he's really on? Say what you will, but I don't trust him!"
There was no denying it ... despite the Autobot insignia on his chest, Starscream still radiated the unmistakable aura of a Decepticon.
That, more than anything, was what the Dinobots couldn't ignore.
(End of Chapter)