Transformers Version 2.0

Episode 11: Lords of the Pit

“We honor the cause of our fallen friends by recycling these shells that once housed their noble sparks, so that in death they can still serve the cause that they so honorably devoted, and gave, their lives for. We will always remember them while we remain in this existence, and look forward to seeing them again when it is our turn to pass on. ‘Til all are one.”

“‘Til all are one!” The assembled Autobots echoed the final statement of Prime’s eulogy for the seven Autobots slain by the Predacons. The only survivor of the attack, Streetwise, stood silently and watched as the shells of his former squad-mates were carried back into the Ark, to be stored and processed at a later time. His frame had been repaired, but the emotional damage caused by watching them all die would remain with him for the remainder of his life. Of course, he and all other Autobots had already had many vivid memories of watching dear friends die. But though the feeling was nothing new, it still stung.

As the assemblage began dispersing, Ratchet approached Optimus Prime. “Prime, now that everyone seems to be in fully functioning condition, and several of the other Autobots are competent to repair the base defenses. I would like the opportunity to study the severed leg of the Predacon with Wheeljack.”

Prime nodded. “That’s a good idea. The sooner we know how that technology works, the sooner we can develop an adequate method of detection. Or perhaps even utilize it for our own advantage.”

Ratchet nodded and walked over to Wheeljack. The two conversed briefly before walking back up the Ark’s entrance ramp and headed toward Wheeljack’s lab.


***


“Aren’t you finished yet!?!”

“Shut up! I tend to work faster without an idiot shouting over my shoulder.”

“Who are you calling idiot, you pit-stain!?!” The hulking gray and red robot stepped forward; ready to replace the verbal attacks with physical ones. The two electro-charge battering rams hummed with energy upon the ramming wedge positioned behind the top of his head, which rested thirty feet above the ground. The battering rams and the serrated ramming wedge were utilized in his tank mode, but they made his massive robot mode all the more intimidating.

The intended object of his verbal, and soon to be physical assault turned away from the consul that he had been working on and started toward his would-be attacker, seemingly just as eager to trade blows. Like his companion, this robot was also a staggering thirty feet in height, enormously built, and colored in gray and red. To either side of his shoulders were huge metal flails, more weapons primarily used for vehicle mode, but made for daunting features in robot mode as well.

Moments before the two enraged robots reached each other, a third robot stepped between them. “Stop!” This one had similar coloring and overall basic design scheme, but was three feet taller and even more hulking than these two. Bearing the treads of a battle tank and traits of a liquid-traversable attack craft, it was clear that this robot’s alternative mode was that of an amphibious assault vehicle. The two would-be combatants stopped momentarily to look at the uninvited peacemaker, unsure of whether to continue their advance on each other or to attack the robot trying to intervene.

“Yeah, stop!” Leaping down from the hole in the ceiling of the chamber was a fourth robot, one colored similarly to the others but whose build was significantly more slender. The light metal wings jutting out from his back, revealing his vehicular form to be that of an attack glider, slowed his descent. He walked toward the three larger robots. “I have no idea of what’s going on here, but I do know that we’re going to need all of us in tip-top shape. It appears nobody is aware of our revival, and for now that’s for the best. So that means no tearing each other apart. Is that understood?” The winged newcomer nodded toward the robot that had been working at the consul, an indication that he should return to his previous task. The flail-mounted robot nodded back and returned to the consul.

The originator of the ruckus stepped toward the winged robot. “Our revival is known. Somebody sent that runt here to do wake us up.” The menacing robot nodded to something behind the winged newcomer.

All four robots turned to look at the orange Minibot standing in the corner. The slender, winged robot, which was still more than two and a half times the size of the Minibot, smiled at the tiny robot. “I don’t know, I get the feeling he got down here and reawakened me by accident.”

“There were buttons on the display…for a game I thought I could play.” The orange Minibot chirped out.

“That’s it, I’m gonna kill him!” The battering ram adorned robot began marching toward the Minibot. The largest robot of the group ran in front of him, once again stopping him from a fight. “No! Swoop tell Sludge to protect Minibot! Sludge not let Slag kill him!”

Slag glared up at Sludge and gritted his metallic teeth. So infuriated was he that he didn’t hear the hissing sound coming from behind him. “So the big, mindless oil-wader feels like scrapping. Well then, big boy, LET’S GO!” A giant ‘whoosh’ echoed through the chamber as Slag ignited the plasma sword that he had snatched from a hip-mount in the blip of an optic.

“STAND DOWN!”

All optics turned toward the last of the stasis pods, one that had only a moment ago been sealed. Though slightly disoriented, the robot exiting it was the very definition of physical power. Standing thirty-two feet tall, and built more powerfully than any of the others, this newcomer exuded authority. The Minibot instantly realized that this was the leader of the group.

The robot responsible for awakening the leader stepped away from the consul. “Slag’s been feeling especially ornery. The forced stasis didn’t have much of a calming effect on him.”

Slag turned completely around and focused his optics on the speaker. “Why don’t you polish my chassis, Snarl!?!”

The leader stepped between them and held out his hand to stop the insults. “That enough Slag! Me Grimlock need to know what going on!”

The winged robot, whom the Minicon had determined to be Swoop as he had been the one to order the big one known as Sludge to protect him, stepped forward and addressed Grimlock. “Well, you remember where we’re at now, right?”

Grimlock nodded. “Anti-chamber beneath Tarn Battle-Pit.”

Swoop nodded. “Yes. The doors are still sealed, but the ceiling is torn.” Swoop pointed up at the rupture above them. “This hole leads to the Battle-Pit, but I don’t think we’re in Tarn anymore.”

Grimlock’s optic narrowed. “What Swoop mean?”

“Well, it appears that the Pit has been buried. REALLY BURRIED.”

“What mean REALLY BURRIED?”

“Where the sky used to be is metal. There were two passages dug into the metal, one large and one very large, and both looking like they were made recently. In fact, it appears that the larger one nearly caused a cave-in. We’re lucky that all the metal above us didn’t come crashing down. Anyway, I rocketed up through the very large one, which doesn’t appear to be very stabile, and after many miles I finally reached the surface. There was practically nothing there. No buildings, no energon silos, no smelting pools, no robots, no anything.”

Grimlock rubbed his head as he tried to make sense of this. “Swoop first to awaken?”

Swoop nodded.

“How you wake up?”

Swooped jerked his thumb at the Minibot. “This thing was at the controls when my pod door opened. There was no indication of anyone else with him.”

Grimlock turned his attention to the small, orange robot. “What Minibot’s name and what Quint does Minibot serve?” The booming voice nearly knocked the robot over.

Once the Minibot restored his balance, he smiled and replied. “Wheelie is my name, now let’s go and play a game.”

“NO! What Quint do you serve!?!”

A confused look came over Wheelie. “What is the meaning of ‘Quint’, please give Wheelie a hint.”

Grimlock was losing what little patience he had to begin with. “QUINT! QUINTESSON!?! Devious, tentacled scum-buckets that run planet?!?”

Wheelie just laughed. “I am not familiar with that word, its use seems so absurd.”

Slag had had enough. “Can I kill it now!?!”

This time Snarl found himself agreeing with his belligerent comrade. “Yeah, let him. Anything to stop that annoying rhyming.”

“SHUT UP!” Grimlock yelled out without turning around. “Me, Grimlock, trying to conduct interrogation!” Grimlock lowered his tone and focused on Wheelie. “Wheelie say he never hear of Quintessons?”

“HE’S LYING! He’s just one of those House-Bots that polishes Quint tentacles and thinks he’s better than the rest of us! They sent him here to trick us some way so that they can catch us off guard and kill us!” Slag couldn’t understand Grimlock entertaining the notion that this Wheelie might be telling the truth.

Grimlock whirled around and stared down his enraged subordinate. “If Quints want us dead, they could kill us while we in stasis! And me Grimlock not know any Quint that have patience to have annoying Minibot like Wheelie around. What Quint make such silly, rhyming Minibot anyway?”

“Wheelie used to be a very good speaker, until hit by a missile of a Decepticon Seeker.” The high-pitched voice announced.

Grimlock turned back toward Wheelie. A rare feeling of empathy washed over Grimlock. He too knew how it felt to have once been an eloquent speaker, only to have that eloquence forcibly removed. “Slag stand down. Wheelie not be harmed.”

“Grimlock…” Swoop hesitantly spoke up. “Just now I ran an internal diagnostic check, and came across two unusual items.”

“What unusual?”

“First of all, either my internal chronometer is way off or we’ve been in stasis for over one hundred twenty five thousand vorns.”

Grimlock, Slag, Snarl and Sludge all checked their internal chronometers as well, and all were shocked to realize that their results matched Swoop’s.

Grimlock shook his head. “What second unusual thing?”

Swoop frowned. “This is a bit larger of a problem.”


***


“You know, I was happily letting this simmer on the back burner…” Wheeljack noted Ratchet’s confused expression. “Human term. Anyway, until you expressed an interest in messing with this thing I was focusing on building those new frames that Prime had commissioned. Now this stinking, bloody mess is getting my attention and Prime’s air support is simmering on the back burner.”

Ratchet positioned his optics to view portions of Headstrong’s dismembered rhino leg through a powerful microscope. “Between the Insecticons and the Predacons, the damage to the ship alone justifies studying this. Add the seven slain Autobots to the equation, and I’d say that this takes precedence. The Predacons are just way too deadly to be able to sneak up on our positions.”

Wheeljack nodded. “Well then, let’s get to work.”

Ratchet, who’s optics remained fixed on the microscope’s lens, blurted out something he noticed. “Nanites!”

“What?”

“As much as I hate him, I have to admit that Shockwave is a very clever Decepticon.” Ratchet moved away from the microscope so that Wheeljack could peer through it. “He’s utilizing nano-technology in a way where it mimics the organic matter of the creature whose genetic material is scanned into it. Hair, flesh, blood…and that organic simulation somehow shields any trace of the mechanical being underneath it from our sensors.”

Wheeljack nodded as he caught sight of what Ratchet had observed. “That’s what we’ve got here all right. Plus, it looks like there’s some sort of energy conversion processes taking place here. I…could…very well be wrong here, but…it almost…looks like…the nanites…are converting actual organic matter into energon.”

Ratchet smiled at Wheeljacks observation. “Of course. Magnus told Prime that the Insecticons and Predacons were created to provide Shockwave with soldiers that didn’t rely on energon. Warriors that were famine proof.”

Wheeljack looked up at Ratchet. “We really need to figure out how this stuff works, sooner rather than later.”

Ratchet nodded. “Let’s get Jetfire involved. He’s becoming quite the exceptional scientist.”


***


The sleek, orange vehicle darted between the four heavily armored, treaded tanks. For Wheelie, it was a fun game weaving around his new companions. For the new companions, it was an annoyance. Even Sludge was losing patience with the Minibot. “Can I kill him now!?!” Slag’s question was aggressively, yet respectfully asked.

“No. Need Wheelie to locate and make contact with other Autobots.” The huge, gray war machine that was Grimlock replied.

“I don’t understand why we need Autobots.” Sludge’s voice came from what appeared to be an alien gunboat resting on tank treads.

Grimlock, not wanting to take the time to describe a problem that Sludge probably wouldn’t understand anyway, gave a simple answer. “Me Grimlock have question for Autobot medic. Also, me Grimlock want to find out what going on here on Cybertron, and description from Wheelie take too long and give me Grimlock headache. Me Grimlock need questions answered by robot that talk right.”

Slag’s snicker emanated from a tank armed with the serrated, pointed wedge and the two electro-charge battering rams that had been visible in robot mode mounted to the front of it. “Yeah, Primus forbid that Grimlock deal with anyone that has poor grammar.”

“Slag lucky me conserving energon, otherwise me Grimlock put Slag back in stasis with fists.”

Up ahead Swoop could be seen returning to his comrades. The battle glider transformed and landed in robot mode in front of the car and four tanks. “I was seen by twelve Decepticons. They’re headed this way now.”

“Description?”

Swoop replied. “Three are aerial combatants, most likely these ‘Seekers’ that Wheelie tried describing earlier. The rest are treaded ground vehicles. All smaller and less armored than us, but heavily armed. The Seekers are faster than I am, but I have them on reflexes, maneuverability and durability. Normally I wouldn’t consider them to be more than a minor obstacle, but our current medical condition changes things.”

“Hmmm. Swoop suggest attempt to avoid them?” Swoop nodded. “Me Grimlock note Swoop’s suggestion, but me Grimlock disagree. Wheelie say Decepticons run planet. Only Swoop, maybe Wheelie, fast enough to avoid Decepticons. So Decepticons catch Sludge, Slag, Snarl and me Grimlock. When Decepticons attack and see Sludge, Slag, Snarl and me Grimlock take their ordinance without sustaining damage, they call for reinforcements. Maybe Sludge, Slag, Snarl and me Grimlock ignore reinforcements attacks, and maybe even reinforcements’ reinforcements, but soon too many reinforcements for even Sludge, Slag, Snarl and me Grimlock to ignore, or even defeat. No, Swoop, Sludge, Slag, Snarl and me Grimlock destroy these Decepticons quickly, before reinforcements called.”

Swoop nodded. Though he spoke like a cretin, Grimlock was actually fairly bright. Swoop remembered the charismatic pit-warrior that Grimlock used to be, the threat his words posed to the Quintisson overlords, and the compromise reached by the Quintisson governing body and the private Quintesson factory owner that had created and owned Grimlock, Swoop and the others. A compromise that left the sharp mind of a natural leader trapped behind the vocabulary and grammar of a simpleton. Even the simple-minded Sludge was more coherent than Grimlock. But those that could look past the poor syntax would find an inspiring leader.

“All agree?” Affirmative grunts were heard all around. “Good. Pit Lords, destroy Decepticons hard and fast. Me Grimlock not want single transmission get to other Deceptions. Understood!?!”

More affirmative grunting.


***


“Lord Shockwave.” Ratbat waited for the Military Commander to respond.

After several seconds Shockwave’s emotionless voice came through the communications consul. “What is it Ratbat?”

“Squad eighteen forty-seven failed to check in.”

A moment passed before Shockwave’s response. “They are patrolling the northern rim of the Medriac sector. There is less than a three point four percent chance that they ran into any hostilities. I assume that you have already sent an inquiry to the squad-leader, Heatwave?”

“Yes sir. There was no response.”

Another few moments passed before Shockwave’s response. “Though the likelihood of technical difficulties out-weighs the chances of conflict, I will still investigate. The realization of Optimus Prime’s continued existence has caused the Autobots to be much more daring. Perhaps they are amassing in the Medriac wasteland.”

“Yes sir.” Ratbat knew that the conversation was over, but left the communicator on nonetheless. He almost felt sorry for Shockwave. The Autobots had become more aggressive than they had been in tens of thousands of vorns, yet he no longer had his elite force of Predacons. Megatron had demanded that they be transferred to Earth, and without the Predacons, Shockwave was left with only himself as an image that could create a significant psychological advantage over the Autobots. And even he wasn’t as feared as he used to be after the image of him being handily defeated by Optimus Prime was broadcast all over Cybertron. Now Shockwave was flying from city-state to city-state, quelling endless Autobot uprisings. Yes, Ratbat would have felt sorry for Shockwave had he not wanted the Military Commander’s position for himself. But the Communications Officer would have to bide his time. He didn’t have a chance of killing Shockwave himself, and it was unlikely that whatever was going on in the Medriac sector would pose any threat the purple war machine. But he could always hope.

Four hours passed before duty called Ratbat back to the communications board. “Ratbat, come in.”

The voice was instantly recognized. “Yes Shockwave.”

“Squad eighteen forty-seven has been annihilated. There are no survivors. The evidence points to a very significant engagement. The fallen Decepticons fired off a great deal of ordinance, and the limited number of bomb craters and scorching on the surface would indicate that most of the ordinance connected with the intended targets, yet there are no enemy corpses and only the tiniest portion of the remains strewn about the battlefield do not belong to the Decepticon squad. The markings leading to, and away from the battle scene are of four large, treaded vehicles and one smaller, wheeled one. The attack patterns and much of the damage also indicates that at least one of the enemy combatants was a flier.”

Ratbat tried to follow the rapid-fire details that Shockwave was delivering to him. “So what does this mean?”

“The indications are that whatever squad eighteen forty-seven faced was able to sustain enormous punishment, were fairly small in number, and were extremely competent warriors. The tracks are leading north toward Iacon. Dispatch seven of the squads stationed there toward my position. Either they or I will intercept and destroy whatever caused this destruction. Shockwave out.”


***


“What now?” The gray tank emitted Grimlock’s clearly impatient voice.

Swoop looped down, transformed and landed in front of his comrades. “More Decepticons. Twenty Seekers and thirty-four ground vehicles. At your current rate of speed it will be fourteen minutes before we reach them.”

“Hmmm. Fifty-four Decepticons. That a lot, even for us. Any way to avoid them?”

Swoop shook his head. “Not that I could see.”

“PerhapsIcanbeofsomeassistance.”

The four tanks instantly transformed and aimed their weapons at the speaker who had appeared seemingly from nowhere. “HOLD FIRE!” Grimlock held his hand out. “It an Autobot.”

“He is Autobot for sure, an old friend named Blurr.” Wheelie walked out from the Pit Lords and approached his old friend.

“Wheelie,isthatreallyyou? Wethoughtyouhadbeenkilledseveraldozenvornsago! Wait’tilMagnusseesyou!”

Wheelie laughed. Grimlock watched the two lock hands to greet each other and groaned. “Why no Autobots talk normal anymore?”

Suddenly an explosion sounded out, sending Sludge’s frame skipping across the ground and knocking the other Autobots off their feet. The other four Pit Lords were instantly upright again and turning toward their rear, ready to face whatever had attacked them. Half a mile away a purple cannon hovered in the air, smoke curling from its hexagonal barrel opening. Grimlock cautiously twisted his head and looked over his left shoulder. He watched Sludge slowly stir, gingerly attempt to get to his feet, collapse, and attempt to stand a second time. He finally did recover, but the blast had obviously caused him a great deal of damage. “Cannon pack more firepower than anything we face before, even Guardians. Be cautious.”

Just as Grimlock uttered his warning a second blast shot forth. This time ready for it, the four Pit Lords easily leapt away in time to avoid it, displaying reflexes that Shockwave would have considered very unlikely for robots of such bulk. The blast created a huge crater and shook the ground, but caused no damage to the Autobots.

Grimlock, Slag and Snarl sprinted toward the hovering cannon as Swoop transformed and took to the air. Sludge, quickly recovering his composure, charged after them. Grimlock called out to Swoop. “Knock cannon out of sky! Leave rest to us!”

Swoop careened through the air, weaving between blasts meant to incinerate him. His reflexes allowed him to avoid the deadly barrage, and transformed to robot mode a moment before impacting with the cannon. Shockwave transformed as well, throwing a crushing punch at the smallest of the Pit Lords. The punch didn’t stop Swoop from colliding with him hard enough to knock him out of the air, but it did send the winged robot plummeting to the ground as well.

Shockwave fell to the ground behind and to the left of the charging Autobots, a situation which left Slag the closest to him. The two immediately started hammering away at each other, both seemingly evenly matched in terms of strength and durability. Normally Grimlock would have allowed the brawl to play itself out, but their medical issue and the advancing Decepticon forces didn’t allow them enough time for that. Grimlock sent a punch into Shockwave’s side, creating a large dent and sending the Decepticon Sub-Commander to the ground. “HE’S MINE!” Slag was infuriated by the interference.

“No time for Honor-Bout. Need to finish this now!” Grimlock lunged for the large Decepticon, but Shockwave leapt away and started flying toward his advancing forces.

Snarl stomped over, angry that he had not been involved in the fray at all. “You couldn’t let me have a piece of him, could you? What I wouldn’t give for a nice Guardian to tangle with right about now.”

Grimlock nodded. He understood the desire for a nice, violent challenge. “Yes, but me Grimlock think our days of Guardian fighting done. Wheelie say no Quints, and that mean no Guardians.”

Swoop, ignoring Snarl and staring at the retreating Shockwave, interrupted the current discussion. “Do you want me to follow him?” Swoop stood ready to transform and over-take the Decepticon.

“No, no time. Need fast-talking, blue Autobot to lead us to Autobot medic.”

In a split second Blurr had covered the distance and was standing before Grimlock. “Yes,yes, followme. I’lltakeyoutoourclosestsub-terrainianbase. It’sjustunderneathIacon. Butwe’vegottago,go,go. Now,now,now. Comeon,let’smoveit!”

Blurr waved for the Pit Lords to follow him as he sprinted away, almost too fast for Grimlock to follow with his optic. Grimlock groaned once again. “Follow strange blue-bot.” Blurr zipped ahead and slipped into a barely noticeable breach in the metallic ground.


***


“Wheelie!?!” Kup was amazed to see the little Autobot. “We thought that you had been killed with Chamois forty-six vorns ago. How are you?”

“Wheelie is good, but could sure use some food.”

Kup gave his old friend a strange look. “Uh-huh. Wheelie, did you suffer any damage since the last time I saw you?”

The orange Minibot smiled at the old soldier. “Missile hit from the air, but Chamois repair.”

First Aid, who had been trying unsuccessfully to examine Sludge, gave up on the newcomer and walked over to inspect Wheelie. “I’m glad that you didn’t share Chamois’s fate. We found his lifeless frame outside Iacon forty vorns ago.” The Autobot medic performed an initial inspection of Wheelie. “Chamois seems to have patched his frame back together alright, but it appears that he didn’t know how to repair any damage to the neural pathways that the missile might have caused.”

“Can you fix him?” Kup’s gravelly voice gently asked.

“Maybe, but he’s going to have to wait. There are Autobots with life-threatening injuries that need attention first."

Kup nodded, but a look of worry came over Wheelie’s face. “Please don’t dismember, Wheelie remember. Wheelie used to be scared and sad, now I’m fearless and glad. If Wheelie’s wishes count for much, then First Aid just won’t touch.”

Kup put his hand on Wheelie’s shoulder. “Listen buddy, you’ll be much happier if you let us fix you up.”

The impact of Grimlock’s fist against the wall echoed throughout the small room. “Wheelie say no touch, so keep oily mitts off him!”

Kup straightened up and walked over to the unknown Autobot. “And just who in the inferno do you think you are?”

Grimlock lowered his head so that his uni-optic was level with Kup’s optics. “Me Grimlock.”

Kup’s optics fluttered for a moment. He shook his head as if to clear out any dust that might be interfering with his audio processors. “What did you say?”


*


“Look Sawbones, I could really use your help with this.” First Aid trotted after the elderly physician as he made the rounds of the large room being used as a makeshift infirmary.

Stopping to check on the status of one of the patients, Sawbones replied to his former pupil. “First Aid, you know more than enough to handle any medical problem that may come up. And as you can see, I’m busy.”

But First Aid didn’t give up. “All of these Autobots are stabile. You can spare a few hours, can’t you?”

Exasperated, Sawbones stopped his examination and looked at First Aid. “Alright, what is the problem?”

First Aid smiled. “Five patients, designs very unfamiliar to me, and all describing a common condition.”

“What do you mean ‘designs very unfamiliar’?” Exasperated, Sawbones sealed his optics and shook his head. “Actually, never mind, just describe the condition.”

“They are having problems with their energon ingestion systems.”

Sawbones’ rusted face scowled. “What do you mean?”

First Aid rubbed his cranium. “Well, they tell me that their energon ingestion systems have been tampered with, and they are unable to fuel up, and will remain unable to fuel up until this malady has been fixed.”

“Is this some sort of joke!?! Even Shockwave couldn’t, or wouldn’t do such a thing!”

“Well sir, I watched them try and ingest some energon, and then watched as their bodies violently rejected it, forcing it out in liquid form.”

Sawbones shrugged. “Fine, I’ll take a look at them. What are their names?”

First Aid furrowed his brow. “Well, I’d like to tell you, but Kup told me that you wouldn’t believe me if I did.”

Sawbones gave First Aid an icy glare.


*


“KUP! So help me Primus, if you’ve put First Aid up to this stupid joke I’m going to use my laser-scalpel to slice your rusty hide off of your rickety frame!” Sawbones stormed into the room ready to tear apart the only Autobot that he could call a contemporary.

Kup didn’t respond. He simply remained sitting with the same dumbfounded stare that he had had since learning the names of the five newcomers who were on the receiving end of his stare.

Sawbones looked at Kup, and then allowed his optics to drift toward the other end of the room. He took in the appearance of the newcomers and was impressed by the lengths that Kup was going to pass off this joke. It had to be a joke. The existence of Omega Supreme was one thing, but this, this was utterly impossible. “Kup, this isn’t funny.” The tone of the statement was absent of the anger that had been soaked into Sawbones’ voice only a moment ago.

“Look at them Sawbones.” Kup’s whisper tickled the old medic’s audio sensors. “They’re just as they were described in the old legends.”

“Kup, cut it out. You get an A for detail, but I just don’t have time for this joke.” Sawbones was losing his skepticism with each passing glance at the five hulking frames displayed in front of him. In a tone lower than Kup’s whisper he pleaded one last time. “Kup, please stop joking.”

Kup looked up at his old friend and smiled. “Sawbones old buddy, I swear I’m not joking.”


*


Ultra Magnus looked over the five legends that stood before him. Of course he was skeptical, but both Kup and Sawbones swore up and down that these were the genuine Pit Lords of Autobot myth. Magnus had sat through Kup’s telling of the ancient tale on more than one occasion, and had never once considered it more than fictional folklore. A story of an age long past, where the old gods ruled Cyberton. Where they created gladiatorial pits so that they could watch their creations destroy one another. Pits where Decepticons had the natural advantage, and where anything other than a Decepticon rarely lasted more than a few days before being slain.

The patron gods of the Decepticons reveled in the success of their creations, and mocked the patron gods of the other races of Cybertonians. That was until one of the patron gods of the Autobots could handle the mocking no more, and devoted all of the vast resources at his disposal to creating the most powerful warriors ever made. The god created five unstoppable killing machines, which had strength, reflexes, fighting skills and armor the likes of which had never been seen. These Autobots immediately slaughtered all opposition that the Pits had to offer them. As time went on, it seemed that no odds were too staggering for them to overcome. Their charismatic leader soon took to ridiculing not only his doomed opponents, but their patron gods as well.

Such insolence was not acceptable, so the gods dulled his sharp audio processors. But the Pit Lords, as they had come to be called, continued fighting, winning, and inspiring the Cybertronians that watched them. Legend had it that they even started fighting, and beating, the occasional Guardian that was ordered into the Pit. Their popularity grew to levels that made the old gods feel threatened, but their popularity was such that even the old gods dare not kill the Pit Lords for fear of uprising. So legend had it that the old gods sent them away, never to return.

It was a silly, ridiculous tale that couldn’t hold any truth. But Ultra Magnus had too much respect for Kup and Sawbones not to at least hear them out. And whether or not these were the Pit Lords, there was no question that they had a dire medical problem. “So you’re telling me that you are unable to reverse whatever is causing the problem with their energon ingestion systems?”

Sawbones shook his head worriedly. “Their internal anatomy is very unfamiliar. And the nature of the sabotage is even more unfamiliar. I wouldn’t even know where to begin.”

Ultra Magnus nodded his awareness of the problem, but didn’t accept the ramifications of what Sawbones was saying. “I understand that there will be a great deal of difficulty in dealing with this matter, but I can not accept that these five Autobots are just going to have to sit back and endure their own starvation with an ample energon supply at their fingertips. There has to be a solution!”

“Uhh, sir?” First Aid cautiously drew their attention to himself. “I may have an idea. It’s out there, and I’ll tell you now that it probably won’t work, but it’s a possibility.”

Ultra Magnus smiled and nodded at the medic. “What is your suggestion?”

“Well, I looked over some of the minutes from your status meeting with Optimus Prime from yesterday, and I noticed that our Earth-bound counterparts had acquired the beast leg of one of the Predacons.”

Ultra Magnus nodded, not sure of where First Aid was going with this.

“I was thinking that maybe if Ratchet or Wheeljack could figure out how the technology worked, we could maybe retro-fit the, uhm, patients with it. That way they could obtain sustenance from organic material.”

Magnus’s nodding quickened. “That’s not a bad idea, First Aid. But assuming we can do this, where would we obtain organic material for these Autobots to consume?”

First Aid smiled. “The Bio-Pod!”

Sawbones and Kup both slapped First Aid on the back and congratulated him in unison. “Good thinking kid!”

Ultra Magnus, however, did not share in their enthusiasm. “That IS good thinking First Aid, but unfortunately it won’t work.”

First Aid shook his head. “Actually, that should be the one aspect of this plan that will have no problem working. I doubt that the Bio-Pod has any security now that both the Insecticons and the Predacons are on Earth. Shockwave has no reason to think that we would be interested in the Bio-Pod. Why are you saying it won’t work?”

Magnus looked down on the medic and sadly shook his head. “I received word yesterday that Shockwave ordered the Bio-Pod to be delivered to the Ocalek Chasm and tossed inside. The order was executed twelve hours ago. I guess now that he has easy access to Earth, Shockwave no longer has a need for the Bio-Pod.”

The other Autobots were shocked silent, all save Grimlock. “Me Grimlock not understand. What technology you talk about? What this Bio-Pod? What Ocalek Chasm?”

Kup turned to Grimlock. “The purple Decepticon that you fought earlier is Shockwave, and until Megatron’s resurfacing, he was the leader of the Decepticons. To provide him warriors that would not consume energon in a time of famine, he developed a technology that would allow Cybertronians to consume organic matter and have it digested and converted to energy that the body would require. To keep these new warriors fed he imported several thousand acres of rainforest and several thousand species from an organic world that he was aware of, surrounded it in transparent armor, and called it the Bio-Pod.” Kup shook his head. “As for the Ocalek Chasm, well, roughly forty thousand vorns ago a very large meteor collided with Cybertron, tearing an enormous gash into the planet. Some claim that the newly formed chasm goes all the way down to the planet’s core.” Kup laughed. “So I guess our metallic world now has millions of tons of organic soil, vegetation and animal matter polluting it’s very center. Add littering to the list of war crimes we’ll charge Shockwave with if and when we ever win this war.”

Magnus failed to see any humor in Kup’s statement. “So what are we going to do now?”

Episode 12: Tyrant Lizard King

“I’m sorry sir, we’ve found the probable point of entry, but there are numerous tunnels, each branching into numerous other tunnels, which themselves branch into even more tunnels…well needless to say, even if it’s possible to track them, it will take an excessive amount of time to do so.” The raspy voice coming out of the communications consul stopped.

Shockwave nodded to Ratbat, who opened a channel to facilitate Shockwave’s reply. “Archforce, immortality is a tremendous asset, but one that comes with a price. Part of that price is that no amount of time to fulfil a task can be considered excessive. So, either pay the price, or I will happily remove the asset from you.”

There were a few moments of silence before Archforce’s penitent voice came through the speaker. “Of course sir, they will be found.”

Shockwave stormed out of the communications room. After escaping the unknown warriors he had encountered the seven squads of Decepticons from Iacon and led them back to scene of the skirmish. The Seekers covered hundreds of miles and found no trace of them. After an hour Shockwave left the most experienced squad Commander, Archforce, in charge of the search and returned to Darkmount. It took them another two hours before they even found what they believed to be the point at which the warriors and the two Autobots with them had gone underground. Shockwave realized that there was a ninety-seven point four percent chance that Archforce would not find the fugitives, but information gathered about the tunnels that they were searching in could be added to the ongoing subterranean map that Shockwave had started many vorns ago.

“Lord Shockwave, you may want to come back here!” Ratbat’s tone indicated that whatever the matter was, it urgently required Shockwave’s attention.

“What is it Ratbat?” Shockwave’s long strides carried him back into the communications room almost instantly.

“Sir, the Space Bridge is under attack!”


***


“Destroy them!” Blitzwing couldn’t understand what these Autobots were doing. There were four large tanks, a mid-sized mobile medical lab and an unusual battle glider all advancing toward their deaths. Blitzwing was only too happy to give them what they apparently wanted. He aimed his rifle at the lead tank and unloaded on it with a half-dozen rounds.

When the smoke cleared he noticed that his barrage did little more than scratch the gray armor of the Autobot. The lead tank, Grimlock, returned fire, perforating the unfortunate Decepticon that was standing behind the now airborne Blitzwing. The famine had forced Shockwave to shelve most of his scientific theories, but he had felt that the triple changing technology was promising enough to develop despite the critically low energon levels on the planet. Blitzwing was exceptionally grateful for Shockwave’s decision as he watched his flightless comrades meet the overwhelming advance of the newcomers. The one flier of the group was currently weaving it’s way through eight Seekers, not as fast as the Decepticon fliers, but possessing maneuverability that enabled it to avoid virtually all attacks and armor allowing the few attacks that connected to do so without any real effect. Blitzwing joined the aerial battle; confident that although the newcomer’s ground assault was impressive, it would not be enough to overwhelm the sixteen armored and heavily armed Decepticons still guarding the Space Bridge. At least not before reinforcements would arrive. After all, these were only Autobots.

The four treaded Autobots sped to within fifty feet of the oncoming Decepticon ground forces before transforming to robot mode and covering the rest of the distance on foot. The Decepticons did likewise and the thunderous crash of their collision was heard for miles as they met just a half-mile from the Space Bridge. These Decepticons were well-trained war-hardened, experienced troops who outnumbered the armored Autobots four to one. Within seconds of the start of the brawl it was clear that they wouldn’t stand a chance.

Grimlock sent a punishing sidekick through the purple mid-section of a hulking, treaded robot, and used his plasma sword to decapitate the orange Decepticon to his left. Tearing his embedded foot free, Grimlock spun around, swinging his sword in a wide ark, and sliced the torso of a third Decepticon into halves. An opportunistic red warrior leapt at the back of the Pit Lord leader, hoping to inflict a fatal blow undetected. The failure of the attack was obvious as Grimlock’s left leg tore through the air and caught the assailant’s chest, stopping the downward advance of the Decepticon. Grimlock’s leg snapped back to the ground, but before the Decepticon’s frame could even begin falling Grimlock’s left hand was wrapped around its throat. The last thing that the Decepticon would see was the metal ground of Cybertron rushing up to meet him as Grimlock slammed him face-first into it. The shoulders held the inverted body upright for a moment before gravity pulled it down, revealing the crushed cranium.

Slag charged in, thrusting his plasma sword into the throat of the closest Decepticon, leaving the sword and the victim behind as he locked up with the two warriors just ahead. The impaled Decepticon struggled to withdraw the sword from his neck, but felt his head and upper body begin to tear apart as the plasma ignited the energon flowing within him. Jets of flame burst through his optics a split second before his entire head melted away. By this time Slag had already twisted the head off of one of his opponents and was using the body of the other as a battering weapon against a fourth Decepticon foolish enough to try and battle the enraged Autobot. Slag knocked the newest enemy away with the Decepticon he currently clasped in his iron grip, but realized that his sword would make a better weapon. It was time to discard the Decepticon. Slag raised him high above his head, over the now-glowing twin battering rams housed behind his head, and with tremendous force brought the Decepticon straight down, impaling him on the rams. The energy began cooking the insides of the doomed warrior, and within a few seconds pieces of the Decepticons frame were sent flying in different directions.

Snarl dove into a group of three Decepticons with such force that they were scattered like bowling pins. The first disoriented Decepticon found himself lifted high into the air and being thrust into the body of one of his comrades. The armor of the Decepticon on the receiving end held, but he was sent stumbling back as his unconscious friend fell at his feet. His first glance was down at his fallen comrade, he never got a second glance as Snarl’s roundhouse knocked any sense of awareness out of him, which was a blessing as he didn’t have to feel his head being torn from his neck. Snarl tossed the dismembered head at the third Decepticon, who instinctively reached out to catch it. Just as his hands grasped the head of his comrade he heard a ‘whoosh’ sound and witnessed a red haze zip by in front of him. A moment later his arms fell to the ground, sliced off by the plasma-sword Snarl was now holding. His optics went from his detached arms resting on the ground up to Snarl, who gave him a smile before bringing the plasma blade down on the Decepticons head, splitting it, and the majority of his torso, in two.

Sludge had initiated his attack by throwing a left cross at the closest Decepticon’s chest, a punch which carried such power that his fist had punctured the armor and found itself stuck within the Decepticon’s chest cavity. For a moment Sludge considered tearing his hand free, but then decided to use the still conscious Decepticon as a shield and battering weapon. His right hand slashed away at another two Decepticons with his plasma-sword as his kicking and screaming ‘shield’ was used to keep another two Decepticons at bay. His sword sliced through one of the Decepticon’s chests, sending him to the ground. The other one unloaded a few rounds into Sludge’s chest armor, which did little more than annoy the Pit Lord. Sludge thrust forward and impaled his attacker, allowing the plasma from his blade to ignite some of the energon in the Decepticon’s torso, but he withdrew his sword before any major damage could occur to the skewered Decepticon. Sludge then turned on the two other Decepticons, who until this point had been trying to get past their screaming ally who was serving as a blockade. Sludge slashed away at them, but they quickly leapt back, trying to put a little space between themselves and this enormous Autobot.

While this fighting was happening First Aid had made his way to the Space Bridge. He had considered it a long shot that the Pit Lords would even get the attention of half of the Decepticons guarding the bridge, much less exterminate all of them. He got to the Space Bridge with no opposition whatsoever. Fortunately he had no problem understanding how it worked. Unfortunately there was no way to know whether or not there would be Decepticons present on the other side. But there really was no choice at this point. Not if he wanted to keep his new patients alive for much longer. So far everything was going better than he could have hoped, now it seemed that all was resting on whether or not Ultra Magnus could get word to Optimus Prime to have everything ready for them and the necessary procedures. Of course, there was also the issue of whether Ratchet and Wheeljack had figured out the biomechanical technology by now.

First Aid set the coordinates and turned to see how his fellow Autobots were doing. He watched as Grimlock came up behind the two remaining Decepticons that Sludge was battling and dispatched them in an extremely gruesome manner. All of the ground Decepticons had been slain. Swoop however still had many enemies to contend with. He had managed to shoot down three of the Seekers, but the remaining five, and the one non-Seeker jet were still blasting away at him. Almost in unison, four of the pursuing Seekers burst into flame. Grimlock and the other ground Pit Lords were blasting away at the Decepticons. The remaining two Decepticons returned fire, but had little to no effect on the Pit Lords. The last of the Seekers suddenly had a now-transformed Swoop land on his dorsal section, and felt the excruciating pain of a plasma-blade cut through him. With incredible speed, Swoop had withdrawn and re-plunged his sword into the Decepticon a dozen more times before leaping off of the doomed Seeker.

Blitzwing watched as the last of his troops plummeted to a painful death. He was amazed at how quickly everything had fallen apart. His troops were all either dead or terminally wounded, and he would be joining them if he didn’t bug-out now. He turned toward Darkmount, worried about how Shockwave would reward his failure.

“You want me to chase him down?” Swoop stood ready to give chase to the retreating Decepticon.

“We don’t have time! The last of your energon will be gone in a few hours, we’ve got to get you to the Ark immediately!” First Aid would have found the enthusiasm displayed by the Pit Lords admirable had it been directed in any way other than the destruction of life.

“Doc-bot right. We no have energy for more battles. We travel to Earth planet now.” Grimlock walked over to the Space Bridge, looking to First Aid for instruction on how to use it.


***


“What was the point of this? Neither the humans nor the Autobots knew where this thing was!” Mixmaster was irritated that he was being forced to do not only manual labor, but also manual labor that he considered pointless.

Scrapper was irritated with Mixmaster’s irritation. He had already explained the reasoning twice to Mixmaster, and swore that either this would be the last explanation or he would beat Mixmaster to an oily pulp. “The sensors on board the Nemesis detected that the Americans had begun doing satellite sweeps over the Space Bridge’s previous location. Megatron was just being proactive in ordering us to relocate it here.”

“Yeah, but why us?” Mixmaster obviously wasn’t letting the matter drop.

Scrapper was through dealing with Mixmaster. “Hook, would you mind fielding this one?”

Hook nodded as he, Bonecrusher and Long Haul finished placing the Space Bridge in its new location. “Despite being based on Earth vehicles, most of the other Decepticons will still attract a lot of attention as they’re military vehicles and rarely seen traveling through civilian locations. Also, we’re better suited for hauling a large object several hundred miles. So, as much as I hate doing this, I can see the logic behind it.”

“I just think Megatron hates us.”

Bonecrusher angrily stormed away from the Space Bridge. “Just shut up Mixmaster!”

Suddenly the Space Bridge hummed to life. “What did you idiots do to it!?!” Scrapper knew that Megatron would beat them senseless if any damage were to befall the Space Bridge.

Hook looked the Space Bridge over and responded. “We didn’t do anything. It looks like something is coming through.”

“Is Shockwave insane!?! He knows not to send anything through without alerting us!” Scrapper and the other Constructicons scrambled to the front of the Space Bridge to give whomever came out of it a severe reprimand.

A blocky red and white Autobot walked through, a little disoriented at first, but quickly catching sight of the six green Decepticons standing in front of him. “Constructicons!” Some confused chuckles were elicited from the Constructicons as they started ominously walking toward First Aid. Both the chuckles and the walking came to a halt as five more frames entered from Cybertron, five big, powerful frames.

For a moment Scrapper didn’t know what to make of these others, but the Autobrands that they bore made the decision on how to proceed very easy. “Destroy them!”

Snarl smiled. “Didn’t we just hear that?” He and the others ignited their plasma swords and raised their rifles.

The firefight was intense. First Aid dove for cover behind the Space Bridge, barely avoiding getting hit by one of Scavenger’s shots. But within seconds the Constructicons were being routed. The Pit Lords were fanning out, rounding the Constructicons together so to make for one large target as opposed to six smaller ones. First Aid stuck his head out. “Grimlock, no! Keep them separated, don’t let them get together!”

Bemused, Grimlock turned toward the medic and responded. “Me Grimlock no tell First Aid what to do on operating table! First Aid no tell me Grimlock what to do on battle field!”

“No, Grimlock wait! The Constructicons have the ability to…”

“MERGE!” Scrapper’s command could be heard over the rifle fire. The Constructicons released their weapons, which confused the Pit Lords, and began contorting their bodies into unusual forms, which confused the Pit Lords even more. A few seconds passed before the combination was complete, and another couple of seconds passed before the newly revived Autobots got even a preliminary understanding of what had just happened. “DEVASTATOR AWAKENED. DEVASTATOR DESTROY AUTOBOTS!” The giant green robot took a few steps to get its bearings.

Snarl stared up at the towering monstrosity. “Hey Grimlock, I thought you said our days of fighting Guardians were done.”

Grimlock glared at this ‘Devastator’, trying to determine exactly what it was, and if there were any obvious weaknesses. “This not Guardian.”

Swoop aimed his rifle at the giant’s head. “It’s about the same size as Theta Oblivion. He took us four hours to kill and landed Sludge in the repair bay for half a centi-vorn.”

“Me Grimlock say this not same as Theta Oblivion!” The words just escaped Grimlock’s vocals as a large purple fist plummeted down at him. Grimlock leapt away, barely avoiding the devastation that the punch caused. Devastator’s left hand withdrew from a twenty-foot deep crater.

Sludge looked at the crater. “Grimlock right. This thing not same as Theta Oblivion. This thing stronger than Theta Oblivion.”

A growl emanated from Grimlock’s vocal processors. “Pit Lords love challenge, right!?! Pit Lords, destroy green Decepticon giant!” With that the five gray warriors charged in and attacked Devastator.


***


“I’ve got the signal!” Jetfire’s voice cut through the dreaded silence and gave the news that Optimus Prime had been praying to hear for several minutes now. Ever since Ultra Magnus’s emergency message about First Aid coming through with five Autobots whose only hope for survival rested in the Decepticon bio-mechanical nano-technology. Jetfire had been the one to figure out how the technology worked not more than two hours ago, and Wheeljack and Ratchet were currently working on a way to retrofit it to current frames. A lot of long shots were involved in this situation, but so far everything seemed to be working out. “I’m heading in on its location… I think I’ve got them on my scanners…” Jetfire’s enthusiastic tone suddenly changed. “Oh no. Something that can only be Devastator is there with them.”

Prime grabbed the speaker. “Omega Supreme is just seconds behind you. Engage Devastator from a distance and do everything you can to keep him distracted.”

“Yes sir. I’m coming to within visual range now…Wow, these guys aren’t doing too badly!” The surprise in Jetfire’s voice was very clear, and given what he was saying the other Autobots were surprised as well. “Prime, who are these guys?”

“I don’t know. Magnus was fairly close to Decepticon territory when he transmitted the message, and only had a few seconds before the Decepticons would track in on his signal. He only gave me the most abridged version possible of what was going on.”

“Well whoever they are, I’m glad that they’re on our side. Missiles away.” Jetfire launched two missiles that impacted and exploded against Devastator’s chest. The Pit Lords turned to see the most advanced aircraft that they had ever seen swoop in and launch a second pair of missiles at the Decepticon giant. The second set, like the first, caused Devastator to stumble back a step, but failed to cause any real damage.

Grimlock noted the Autobrands on the flying war machine, which further reminded him just how much things had changed since he had last been on-line. A jet fighter would certainly be classified as a Decepticon, but then again, thought Grimlock, so would the vehicular forms of the Pit Lords. He was happy that the Autobots had seemed to toughen up since his era, even if just a little. “This not spectator sport Pit Lords! We still fighting here!” Grimlock leapt up, grabbing the corner of Devastator’s chest crest, hoisted himself up and slashed away at Devastator’s head. Devastator swatted him away, sending Grimlock hurtling to the ground. The Pit Lord leader leapt back to his feet, hiding the damage that the blow had caused from his teammates. “He hit hard, but not hard enough to win! Keep up pressure!”

Just as Grimlock finished his pep-talk a bright light lanced through the sky and impacted hard against Devastator’s back, sending the Decepticon giant crashing to the ground. Breaking through the clouds above was the conical shape of Omega Supreme’s rocket. The rocket quickly made it’s landing nearby, and a hatch opened in its side. Hotspot poked his head out. “First Aid, get in here and bring your patients!”

First Aid smiled at Hotspot. He had served under the blue Autobot many vorns ago, and had enjoyed doing so as Hotspot had placed as much importance on search and rescue as he had on defeating Decepticons. First Aid turned toward Grimlock. “Into the rocket, now!”

“Fight not won yet!”

“NOW! I’m your physician and I’m giving you an order!”

“It not work that way!”

“It does now! Your soldiers won’t survive much longer without that procedure! Now board the rocket now!”

Grimlock glared at First Aid, but realized that he was right. He called out to the other Pit Lords. “Into the rocket now!”

Devastator had clumsily been making his way back to his feet, but Jetfire blasting away at the ground under his hands every time he attempted to lift himself, causing the giant Decepticon to collapse, had slowed his progress. First Aid and the Pit Lords had all boarded Omega Supreme by the time he finally got to his feet, and both Omega Supreme and Jetfire were en-route to the Ark a moment later.


***


“DEVASTATOR! Why am I talking to you!?!” Megatron’s confusion was only exceeded by his annoyance.

“Megatron call Devastator, that why.” Devastator’s deep voice boomed through a consul in the Nemesis’s Communications room. Frenzy, who was at another consul in the room, suddenly pulled out an audio plug that had been attached to his audio receptor and turned to say something to Megatron.

Megatron’s icy glare silenced the small Decepticon before he could relay his message. Frenzy would wait until Megatron got off the horn with the green imbecile. “NO, WHY…Oh never mind. Are there Autobots there?”

“No, not now.”

“Then disengage and have Scrapper talk to me!” Megatron was losing patience quickly.

Thirty seconds passed before Scrapper’s voice finally came through. “Yes lord Megatron.”

“Why was I speaking to Devastator!?!”

“Sir, Autobots came out from the Space Bridge just as we finished moving it. There were six of them, five of which were most formidable. We merged to better fight them, but Jetfire and Omega Supreme arrived and intervened. The new Autobots boarded Omega Supreme’s rocket and they all took off.”

“And why wasn’t I notified!?!”

“Sir, it all happened pretty fast. In fact, they just left about a minute ago.” Scrapper nervously scrambled. “Sir, we never got any word from Shockwave of an attack on the bridge.” The attempt to place the blame elsewhere was obvious, but also justified.

Megatron looked over to Frenzy, who gave his leader a nervous smile. “Sir, Shockwave on the other line.”

Megatron growled. He turned to Rumble, who had set up the call to the Constructicons. “Inform them of our plan and give them the coordinates to the rendezvous point!” Megatron then turned back to Frenzy and gave him a sickeningly sarcastic smile. “I will speak with Shockwave now.”


***


Sparkplug Witwicky directed the dump trucks up the Ark’s ramp and into one of the cargo bays. In one of the corners of the cargo bay Wheeljack and Ratchet had set up a makeshift infirmary with five surgical tables, and were conducting the last minute preparations for their soon-to-be patients. But the vast majority of the cargo bay remained empty. At least it remained empty until the dump trucks rolled in. “Alright, that’s far enough.” Sparkplug pointed at the driver in the first of the six trucks. “Dump your load now and then drive through the exit there and make your way out of the Ark.” The driver, a little confused by what was going on, did as he was told. He raised the bed of his truck, dumping out tons of raw, bloody meat that had been shipped from a nearby slaughterhouse. Once this truck had emptied it’s cargo and made its way out of the cargo bay, the second truck proceeded to dump out an equivalent amount of raw meat, and then the third. The final three trucks did the same, but their cargo was that of raw vegetable. Within a few minutes all six trucks were empty and had departed.

Sparkplug looked over the piles of uncooked food. “You two don’t know how lucky you are that you can turn off your olfactory receptors.”

The two Autobots laughed lightly and continued their work. “Hey Wheeljack, we should probably figure out what animals to assign these guys.”

Wheeljack shook his head. “Naw, I figure that we let them decide. It’s their bodies after all, and we should have just enough time to let them browse through what the planet has to offer. If our estimates are correct, the retrofitting should be a fairly quick process.”

Ratchet shook his head. “Only if we keep them conscious, which would be extremely painful for them. To conduct the retrofit while they’re off line would take several hours. But I guess we should have enough time for this even if we let them pick their own forms.”

Wheeljack shrugged. “Hey, if these guys are that malnourished they’ll probably be willing to endure a little pain to get some fuel in their tanks more quickly.”

Ratchet continued shaking his head as Prime’s voice came in through the intercom. “Omega Supreme is arriving. I hope you two are ready.”

Ratchet’s head shaking turned to a hesitant nod at Wheeljack. “Ready as we’ll ever be.”


*


Ironhide, Hoist, Huffer, Trailbreaker and Inferno waited for the rocket to fully land. There were other Autobots out there waiting, but these five had official business there. If need be, they were to transform and transport the new Autobots to the makeshift operating room in the cargo bay. But as they watched the hulking newcomers exit Omega Supreme, they realized that their services would not be required. Ironhide walked forward nonetheless. “Hey y’all, welcome to Earth. I’m Ironhide, and I trust Hotspot downloaded the English language into your memories. There are a bunch of other Earth languages, but we’ll get to those later, alright?”

Grimlock walked up to the red Autobot and stopped. “That transport, that Quintesson design. How you come by it?”

Ironhide stood open-mouthed. It had been six and a half million Earth years since he had last heard that word. Aside from Kup, Sawbones and Omega Supreme he wasn’t aware of any other Autobot being familiar with the term. He didn’t even think Ratchet was old enough to be familiar with that word. “Uhhhm, that transport is Omega Supreme.” Grimlock’s long optic narrowed. He looked back at the rocket, landing platform, track and tank. He gripped the hilt of his plasma-sword, but Ironhide’s hand quickly gripped his wrist before he could ignite it. “Hold up there buddy! Yeah, he is what you think he is, but he’s on our side. He’s not much for talking about old times, but from what I gather he’s not fond of the old gods, which is what we call them Quintessons now.”

Grimlock peered from Ironhide’s optics down to the hand that was gripping his own. Ironhide instantly released the grip and brought his hand back to his own side. The appearance of these newcomers dredged up old memories, memories of ancient legends, legends that he could not pinpoint at that moment. His attempts at trying to remember exactly why these newcomers seemed familiar were interrupted by Grimlock lowering his face to look Ironhide optic to optics. “Gods? Me Grimlock obliterate next Autobot who refer to Quintessons as gods. Understood?”

The normally fearless Ironhide stared in awe at the intimidating warrior in front of him. “Uh-huh.” It was another second before the name caught his attention. “Wait, what did ya call yerself?”


*


Ironhide led the Pit Lords into the Ark’s Command room as First Aid ran to the cargo bay to deliver the anatomical details of his patients to Ratchet and Wheeljack. Optimus Prime was peering up at the main screen, but turned as they entered. “Hello, welcome to the Ark. I am Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots. I apologize for not being present as you arrived, but a matter that demanded my attention came up just as Omega Supreme touched down.”

Grimlock stepped forward, sizing up the current Autobot leader. He was powerfully built, no question about that, but he wasn’t a Pit Lord. And he certainly wasn’t as equipped to lead as Grimlock. But Grimlock would have to wait until he was at his best before declaring his intention to take command from this Optimus Prime. “What matter demand your attention?”

Prime nodded toward the screen. “This is a recording of a transmission that we received less than a minute ago.” Prime hit a button to play the message.

Razorclaw appeared on the screen with Tantrum and a newly repaired Headstrong flanking him. “Greetings Autobots. My team and I enjoyed killing your comrades the other day, and would like an opportunity to kill a few more of you. But should you wish not to give us the opportunity…” The camera panned out, revealing the city of Seattle behind them, and specifically the Space Needle. The camera zoomed in on the mid-section of the Space Needle. On the screen were the distinct images of Divebomb in beast mode and Rampage in robot mode applying what appeared to be explosives to the Space Needle. “We will just have to take satisfaction in causing the deaths of hundreds, if not thousands of humans. We will direct the blast so that the Needle falls in the direction where it will cause the maximum damage. You have sixty human minutes to arrive.” The image went black.

“That was Razorclaw, leader of the Predacons, and this is obviously an attempt to separate our forces so that they can invade our under-manned base. Unfortunately we have to attend to this matter nonetheless. I will be sending Omega Supreme and Jetfire. Hopefully they should be able to handle the Predacons, and should the Space Needle fall, Omega Supreme is our best bet at keeping it from causing damage to the humans.” With that Prime nodded to Jetfire, who nodded back and ran out of the Ark.

Grimlock looked at Prime. “Why Autobot leader care about humans?”

Prime was taken aback by the question, but he answered it anyway. “We brought our war to Earth, therefore it falls upon us to keep the inhabitants of this planet safe.”

“Plus we make pretty good allies.” Spike walked into the Command room.

Grimlock looked down at the human child and only shook his head. He looked back at Prime. “Me Grimlock think it time to get to procedure. We discuss importance of fleshlings later.”

Prime nodded, not entirely sure if this Grimlock would not be more a liability than asset. “We need for you to select an indigenous specie.” With that a list of the various animal kingdoms were displayed, with the various phylum listed beneath the corresponding kingdoms. The class, order, family, genus and species would be revealed as the selections were narrowed down.

Grimlock looked at the options, and then shook his head. “What fleshling forms Decepticons choose?”

Prime touched some buttons on the consul and images of the insect and animal species chosen by the Insecticons and Predacons were displayed. “The Insecticons are, of course, these insects. The Predacons have selected these mammals and this falcon.”

Grimlock gazed at the images. “These the most powerful creatures that this planet has to offer?”

Spike piped up. “Well, they’re up there. I suppose elephants are tough, crocodiles are tough, heck, if you really want the planet’s best I suppose we could include the dinosaurs, though I really doubt that we can get our hands on some of their DNA.”

Having left Ratchet and First Aid to hammer out the pre-operation details, Wheeljack walked into the Command Room to retrieve the patients and wound up contributing to the conversation. “Actually, given enough information about the animal, Teletran One should be able to piece together the genetic code for just about any specie. Some of your more popular dinosaurs have had enough fossils discovered for the computer to create a genome with an accuracy percentage in the high nineties.”

Grimlock was suddenly intrigued by this new option. He turned his optic back to Spike. “What be dinosaur?”


***


Megatron had increased his speed several minutes ago, flying at his maximum speed toward the Autobot base ever since the sensor readings of the Decepticons had verified that Omega Supreme and Jetfire had left toward Seattle. Divebomb had done a fly-by of the Autobot base earlier in the day, and had noted that the base defenses had still, for the most part, not been repaired. With two of their most powerful warriors elsewhere, and their defenses severely damaged, it was time for a full-fledged onslaught. Unfortunately the Predacons would have to be in Seattle to keep Omega Supreme from returning, but otherwise he had all of his Earth forces, including Devastator. Which reminded him. “Decepticons, to the ground.” The Decepticons all landed. “Constructicons, merge now so that we don’t have a reenactment of what happened in New York. Skywarp and Thrust will transport Devastator to the Ark.” Audible groans came from the two Seekers, but a quick glance from Megatron silenced them.

A few moments later Devastator was towering over his comrades. Thrust and Skywarp took to the air and launched grappling hooks at Devastator. With the myriad of body parts jutting out, the hooks found no problem latching onto something. With a little straining, the gestalt lifted off of the ground and the Decepticons continued their trek to the Ark. Only Skywarp grumbling about how they should have waited until they were closer to the Ark to form Devastator could be heard. As it was, he and Thrust would have to haul Devastator across three states before reaching the Autobot base.


***


Sideswipe and Jazz were repairing the cannons on the underside of the Ark. They had gotten the cannons in operational condition, but they had not yet wired them to the ship, which meant that they could be fired manually, but not from the Control Room. Which made them all but useless in this condition given their size and weight. Only the strongest of Autobots would be able to effectively wield them. But wiring them to the ship would only take a half hour or so. Unfortunately the alarms going off indicated that a half hour was much more time than they actually had. Sideswipe jumped to the ground and picked up his rifle and shoulder-mounted rocket. Jazz followed suit.

Within seconds nearly all of the other Autobots had vacated the base and were awaiting the imminent attack. Then, over the horizon they saw it. Not sure what it was at first, but they soon recognized the form, an eighty-foot monster coming at them at several hundred miles an hour. Prime called out. “Blast away at the Seekers carrying him! If they get him close enough to use as a projectile we’ll be in a lot of trouble!” As one, the Autobots fired at the sky above Devastator, and within seconds were rewarded as the green Decepticon crashed to the ground. The impact did no damage to Devastator, but at least he wouldn’t be hurled at the Ark at break-neck speed.

The other Seekers began their assault on the Ark, and without Jetfire their attacks were met by very little resistance. Blades and Powerglide did what they could, but they were severely outnumbered and outmatched. Then the ground forces were seen, rolling, leaping or running up alongside Devastator. Megatron unloaded shot after shot upon the Autobots, who returned fire valiantly, but not quite matching the Decepticon leader’s firepower.

The Insecticons swooped in and started wrecking havoc on the Autobots, using their reflexes and organic weaponry to create disarray. Bombshell leapt on Hound, relishing in the fear displayed in the green robot’s optics as memories of their previous encounter traumatized the Autobot. This time however, Hound was neither outnumbered nor caught off guard, and the ensuing skirmish was very evenly matched.

Shrapnel made the mistake of selecting Sideswipe to attack, realizing too late that this was one of the few Cybertronians who could match his fast reflexes. With that usual advantage neutralized, Shrapnel had to rely on strength, durability and fighting skills, all areas in which he quickly found himself being Sideswipe’s lesser. The athletic red Autobot quickly had the Insecticon neutralized with an arm-bar and continued firing on the advancing Decepticons as he kept Shrapnel pinned to the ground.

Unlike his teammates, Kickback used his rifle during his charge on the Autobots, and managed to disable Smokescreen and Hoist before fire from Hotspot and Streetwise forced him to take cover. But despite the break in his initial momentum, Kickback kept up his attack by firing from behind the boulder that he had found cover behind.

Laserbeak and Buzzsaw soared over the Autobot positions, strafing them and beating a hasty retreat before the Autobot return fire could touch them. Bluestreak and Sunstreaker sped out after them in vehicle mode, firing on the weaving birds. They continued their pursuit until they realized how perilously close they were getting to the bulk of the advancing Decepticon force. The two sports cars executed U-turns and started speeding back toward the Ark, but deadly null-rays from Starscream stopped them in their tracks. The two Autobots quickly transformed to fight back, but fire from Thundercracker and Dirge tore through their arms and torsos. Sunstreaker and Bluestreak quickly hobbled and dove behind some boulders, narrowly avoiding a pair of Ramjet’s missiles.

Impatient to cause some carnage of his own, Devastator started to pick up the pace. His giant, green legs started pumping, and though it could hardly be considered a sprint, the enormous mechanical menace began running toward the Ark. His legs weren’t moving very quickly, but his long stride enabled him to cover a great deal of distance in a short time. Prime realized that the Decepticon monster would be upon them in seconds, and there was nothing that could stop Devastator’s charge. Well, maybe not nothing.

Prime ran over and grabbed two of the dual barreled cannons that Sideswipe and Jazz had been repairing, each being nearly as large as he was. A quick, visual inspection told him that they worked and were fully charged. Gripping them tightly, Prime charged out to meet the Decepticon gestalt head on, wielding weapons that were too large and ungainly for most Autobots to use, but which he manipulated with ease.

Midway to Devastator, Prime send a couple of rounds from the cannons toward the other Decepticon ground troops, narrowly missing an evasive Megatron in robot form, but scoring a direct hit on Soundwave, obliterating his right, lower torso and amputating his leg. Prime noted that there was one Decepticon no longer able to fight, and mentally updated the various combat scenarios that were running through his cranium. But planning would have to be put aside for now. Devastator was upon him, and this monstrosity would demand his utmost concentration.

Prime leapt into the air, cannons blazing. Explosions erupted all over the green giant’s upper torso, sending him stumbling back. Prime’s feet connected with the purple crest adorning Devastator’s broad chest, and the Autobot Commander immediately bent his knees, kicked off of the Decepticon, and back-flipped away from him, maintaining his fire upon the entire time. Devastator quickly began bracing himself against the cannon fire, and slowly started marching through it toward Prime.

The cement-mixer cab that constituted Devastator’s left foot shot forward at the Autobot leader. Prime hopped to his left and easily avoided Devastator’s kick, and then leapt forward, the large cannons leading Prime’s stretched out body, and tightly rolled upon hitting the ground behind Devastator. Prime instantly sprang to his feet and jumped at the giant one more time, planting his feet firmly upon the top of Long Haul’s receptacle section. He forcefully wedged the cannons into Devastator’s back, placing the mouths of the cannon barrels against the connection point between the Long Haul and Hook components.

“NO!” Megatron’s scream was pointless. He had arrogantly watched as Prime initiated a foolhardy charge on Devastator, and assumed that the Autobot Commander would be quickly squashed. Now Megatron could only watch as violent explosions began bursting from within Devastator. The gestalt maintained cohesion through the first six blasts, but began separating at the seventh, and was violently blown apart by the eighth.

Megatron could only stare at the unmoving chunks of green metal. Slowly, the four Constructicons that constituted the limbs began moving ever so slightly, but Hook and Long Haul remained motionless. In the midst of his frustrated disappointment, he finally saw the silver lining to this situation. Though not on the receiving end, Prime was only a few feet away from the impact and had undoubtedly withstood more punishment than he could possibly endure.

As the Decepticon Commander entertained this likely possibility something began stirring from underneath Hook’s mangled frame. Pushing the green and purple metal off of him, Prime rose to his feet. Still holding the cannons, whose barrels had been shredded, he looked over the remains of the giant that he had brought down. His arms and chest severely damaged, and his optics glazed over indicating the stunned state that the bombardment had left him in, a heavily damaged Prime never saw the fusion bolt that lanced off his head, splitting his helmet and bringing him to death’s door.

Megatron watched gleefully as the red framed collapsed to the ground, the formerly blue head of his old foe smoking after the incinerating blow. Devastator’s seeming destruction was worth it. Prime was dead, or if not dead, in no condition to stop Megatron from finishing the job. “YESSSSS!”

“PRAHME, NOOO!” Ironhide slipped out from Reflector’s grasp and began running to his leader, only to be intercepted by Megatron.

“NO! There will be no rescues today!” Megatron’s left fist sent the old Autobot to the ground. A powerful right kick sent him eighty feet back toward the Ark. Megatron’s maniacal laugh rang out as the Autobots helplessly looked on. “Watch as I destroy your leader once and for all!”

As Megatron turned back to Prime’s inert form, an oil-curdling roar erupted from within the Ark and pierced the air. Megatron turned back toward the ancient Autobot vessel and watched as a giant, bi-pedal flesh creature exited the craft. It’s enormous head displayed an open mouth full of six inch, curved, armor piercing teeth that were covered with blood, gore and had chunks of flesh wedged between many of these white blades. Saliva, blood and more gore slowly oozed out of the beast’s mouth and dripped onto the entrance ramp of the Ark, and then onto the dirt as the animal’s muscle covered legs carried the powerful body to the ground. The beast’s tail violently whipped the air behind it as it made it’s way into the battlefield, the former combatants now standing stock-still with curious discomfort at the appearance of the beast.

Then more noises came from the Ark, as a line of quadri-pedal beasts began marching out. The first bore an extremely long neck, with a comparatively tiny head attached to the end of it. Its massive legs carried the monstrous body and long tail out of the spacecraft, and to the further amazement of all that were watching, this beast began significantly increasing its already extraordinary size.

Though also a giant quadri-ped, the third beast seemed much more agile than the one before it. And though not nearly as large, it’s three horns and thick head-crest made it just as intimidating. It marched out of the Ark and trotted past the beast in front of it, stopping just behind the first beast.

The fourth animal was roughly the same size as the third, but had thick plates running across the length of it’s back, and four deadly spikes at the end of it’s flexible tail. This beast also trotted out, seemingly ready for anything.

Then came a gray blur of motion, as something swooped out of the Ark. High into the air it glided before finally coming down and resting on the back of the large quadri-ped with the long neck. It’s red eyes glared down on the Decepticons.

The first, and deadliest looking creature, roared once more, causing all but Megatron to flinch. Then, amazing all present save the Insecticons, it spoke. “Prime not leader of Autobots.”

Confused, yet slightly amused, Megatron addressed the creature. “Oh, and who is?”

“Me, Grimlock, leader of Autobots!”

Megatron paused for a moment, then smiled and then chuckled. “The ancient Autobot gladiator?” Megatron looked over the Autobots, then spying Ironhide, the one he felt had to be responsible for this hoax, his smile got even wider. “Very nice old timer. First the Guardian, now this. And the organics are an especially nice, if a little confusing, touch. Autobot legends…adorned in Decepticon technology.” Megatron took a step in the direction of the toothy beast and looked it over. “Yes, nicely done indeed. An obscure reference, yet vaguely familiar to those of us who bothered to seek out an education. Who would have thought that the Autobots would be so competent at psychological warfare?” Turning back to Grimlock, the powerful Decepticon lost his smile. “Give me your real name! Though it would please me to no end to exterminate an Autobot legend, the Pit Lords were nothing but pieces of fiction created to give an inferior race some feelings of worth. I want to know the real names of those I…” Megatron looked over the organic form. “Butcher.”

“Come see how fictitious and inferior me, Grimlock, am!”

Megatron watched as the creature, which his databanks was identifying as a Tyrannosaurus Rex, began walking toward him. He considered the importance of finishing off Prime, but decided that Prime was probably already dead, and that he could always finish Prime off after he made short work of this creature.

The other gray creatures began attacking the other Decepticons, immediately putting the previously dominant Decepticon forces on the defensive. Swoop easily wove through the fire of the Seekers, sending deadly return fire from lasers hidden from within the fleshed wings. Slag, Snarl and Sludge charged after the ground forces, tearing through them as if they were nothing.

The Tyrannosaurus’s pace picked up to that of a full-fledged sprint at the Decepticon leader. Megatron charged out to meet the beast, and the two adversaries collided with incredible force, Megatron pummeling the prehistoric beast with his fists and Grimlock latching onto Megatron’s chest with his enormous jaws. Grimlock clamped down with such force that the organic tooth enamel on his fangs shattered, revealing serrated, razor-sharp metal blades underneath, metal blades that easily sliced through Megatron’s thick armor. “AAARRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!” Megatron growled out in pain, and reacted by clubbing the dinosaur’s head with a right roundhouse.

Grimlock’s head snapped back. It was the most powerful blow he had ever sustained from anything other than a Guardian or Devastator. He stumbled back, but quickly turned his enormous head toward Megatron. “Nice punch. This good challenge.” Suddenly the dinosaur’s head flipped back, tearing the gray flesh that had been connecting it to the front and sides of the torso. The chest of the animal splitting open and revealing a black robot head within the chest cavity immediately followed this act. As this happened the tip of the tail split in two as well, and then the top of the tail flipped out. The golden-hued lower body and gray legs of the beast then swung up and locked into place just below the robotic head, forming a powerful chest and arms. The flipped out tail formed the legs, and what was once the Tyrannosaurus Rex was now a robot larger than even Megatron.

Megatron smiled at the newly formed robot. “Yes, this will be fun.” Megatron shot a left cross to Grimlock’s head, sending the Autobot stumbling back once again. The left was followed by a right cross, which connected hard as well, sending Grimlock to the ground. Megatron kept up the pressure, but found the bottom of a flesh-covered foot being planted into his midsection and carrying him over the downed Autobot and to the ground just past him.

The two warriors bounced to their feet, but it was Grimlock who took the offensive this time. A right uppercut to the robotic equivalent of a solar plexus doubled Megatron over, a position that Grimlock took full advantage of by grabbing the back of the Decepticon leader’s head and forcing it further downward to meet his knee which was violently being thrust upward to connect. The shot from Grimlock’s knee forced Megatron’s head and torso to snap back. Grimlock followed will a left cross of his own, which now had Megatron stumbling back, but only for a couple of steps.

Megatron quickly regained his composure and launched a quick left jab into Grimlock’s jaw, immediately followed by a right cross, then by a left hook and then by a right uppercut that knocked Grimlock off of his feet and onto his back. Megatron tried to capitalize on his momentum by throwing a stomping kick to Grimlock’s midsection, but the Pit Lord rolled to his right and sprang to his feet. Grimlock initiated a crescent kick before being fully upright, one that connected with the side of Megatron’s head and sent him spinning. Grimlock leapt after Megatron and delivered a mid-air snap-kick to the Decepticon’s chest, knocking him forcefully to the ground.

Megatron hit the rocky ground hard, cursing himself for underestimating this foe. He was quickly considering the possibility that this was in fact THE Grimlock, leader of the legendary Pit Lords, after all. Time to step things up. Megatron swung his left leg, sweeping Grimlock’s legs out from under him and forcing him to the ground as well. Megatron’s left leg continued its motion and arced upward and over Grimlock’s body, coming down hard on his midsection. Grimlock’s upper torso and head jerked upward in response to the kick, only to be met by Megatron’s right foot as the Decepticon leader had twisted his body to deliver a cross-body snap-kick to Grimlock’s head.

Megatron leapt on top of Grimlock and began hammering away at him. Grimlock clasped his hands above his head and sent a pounding hammer-strike to Megatron’s chest, a blow that knocked the Decepticon leader off of him. Megatron had an evil grin as they got back to their feet. He was truly enjoying this fight. Very few creatures in the universe could offer such a challenge for him. But at that moment he spied some of the Autobots getting to Prime’s body and had preparing to transport it back to the Ark. He had to stop them! This brawl had to end now!

The shot from Megatron’s fusion cannon darted out toward Grimlock. The Pit Lord ducked, and the shot missed anything vital, but incinerated the beast arm that was jutting out of Grimlock’s back. “So, we using weapons now?” In a fluid motion, Grimlock grasped the hilt of his plasma sword and brought the deadly flame to life. It hissed through the air and sliced through the barrel of Megatron’s fusion cannon. As the chuck of metal crashed to the ground, the enraged Megatron accepted that the legendary Autobot would not be dispatched so quickly or easily; certainly not quickly enough for him to stop the Autobots from getting their leader to safe haven.

Megatron decided to ignore Prime until after he had killed this new Autobot warrior. This Grimlock now had Megatron’s undivided attention. But only for that moment, as the battle was interrupted by Starscream and Soundwave calling out in unison for retreat. Megatron glanced at the battlefield, and witnessed his routed troops running from the Autobots and the three quadri-peds. The four barely-functioning Constructicons carried the jumbled frames of Hook and Long Haul with them as they ran. His optics darted skywards, and he saw the three Seekers that had managed to remain airborne flying away from the battle as well. He cursed the ineptitude of his troops, and swore to inflict the most brutal disciplines upon them once they were back at the Nemesis.

His head turned back toward Grimlock, and Megatron displayed a sinister scowl. “This isn’t over… Dinobot! We will meet again, and when we do, I will finish this once and for all.” Megatron engaged his foot thrusters and took to the air, following after his departing soldiers.

Grimlock watched him leave, and was soon joined by Ironhide. “Dang, Grimlock! Prahme’s been the only one ever to tangle with Megatron that well.”

Without taking his optic off of Megatron, Grimlock replied. “What Optimus Prime’s condition?”

Ironhide sadly shook his head. “Not good, not good at all. His head’s as fried as a fifty watt circuit after a thousand watt surge.”

Grimlock didn’t care for Ironhide’s colorful, yet detail-lacking description. “Make sure he live. He capable warrior, and make good advisor to me Grimlock.”

Skepticism crept into Ironhide’s face and voice. “Advisor?”

Grimlock turned to the red Autobot and fixed his gaze upon him. “Yes. Prime or no Prime, me Grimlock leader of Autobots now.”

Episode 13: Challengers to the Throne


Nothing could be seen through the pitch black, and next to nothing could be heard over the torrential rain beating down upon the ground and the quickly growing ponds that it had spawned. That was until another bolt of lightning seared the night sky and the booming thunder that immediately followed it rendered all other noise virtually non-existent. Despite the fact that being a thirty-foot robot made him an excellent lightning rod, Razorclaw stood unflinching through the storm, and seemed completely unconcerned about the rising water level in the formerly dried riverbed that he was currently standing in. He remained motionless, patiently watching the space bridge.

The blackness of the night was once again breached, this time by the dim glow emanating from the space bridge. One by one, ten figures made their way through it from Cybertron and took their first muddy steps on the planet Earth. The robot taking the lead, Shockwave, glanced skyward into the oncoming barrage of raindrops. “I had forgotten how much I detested organic worlds. At least the rain in the Bio Pod could be kept to a schedule.”

Razorclaw walked forward to greet his creator. “I apologize for the weather, but it is good to see you again.”

Shockwave acknowledged the Predacon leader, but saw no use for pleasantries. “Please direct us to our base of operations on the planet.” With that, one of the robots behind Shockwave leapt out of the riverbed and transformed, increasing in size as he did so. In a matter of a second, a full sized space shuttle was parked on the bank, and six of the other new arrivals climbed out of the riverbed and into it. Shockwave watched them board, and then turned back to Razorclaw. “You are to board Astrotrain as well. Neither Blitzwing or Octane are large enough to accommodate you.” Razorclaw nodded and leapt to Astrotrain’s side. In moments, two jets, a space shuttle, and a Cybertronian assault cannon were flying through the storm.

The weather began clearing up as the four flying Decepticons neared the coastline. Razorclaw looked over the six other passengers on board Astrotrain. “So why did Shockwave bring you here?”

A large, darkly colored robot responded. “From the little he told us, he’s worried about Megatron building new Decepticons and bringing new empty fuel tanks into existence. Even with the energon shipments that are sent from Earth, Cybertron is still critically low on energon. He’s offering us as substitutes to whatever warriors Megatron is set on building.”

Razorclaw nodded. He too had felt that Megatron’s desire to create new soldiers was a mistake. There were hundreds of Decepticons on Cybertron that could be stationed on Earth, and thousands more that were currently in stasis. The energon sent from Earth was certainly helpful, but not nearly enough to be bringing new life into the energy-starved empire. “So Shockwave modified you to mimic Earth vehicles already?”

The large robot nodded. “Yeah, all but Counter-Punch over there.” He pointed to the blue, mid-sized robot sitting down several seats to the left of him. Counter-Punch nodded to Razorclaw as the speaker continued. “Mister boot-licker decided to impress Shockwave by taking the initiative to rebuild himself.”

Counter-Punch huffed. “I don’t like others touching me. I’ll do my own modifications.”

Razorclaw had grown weary of the discussion. “That’s enough talking for now. We should be arriving at the Nemesis within the half-hour.” With that Razorclaw stretched himself out and switched off to his dormant state.

Twenty minutes of traveling over the dark ocean passed before they finally reached their destination. An enormous metal tube exploded through the surface of the water, the same one that had originally been used to board the Autobot’s ship four million years before. The four flying Decepticons flew into an opening near the top and landed inside. Shockwave, Blitzwing and Octane transformed the moment after landing, Astrotrain allowed his passengers to disembark before following suit.

The eleven Decepticons patiently waited as the tube descended back into the depths of the Pacific and finally came to a stop within the hull of the Nemesis. The doors opened, and Shockwave led the group through the empty metal hallway, and into the lab of the Constructicons. Upon entering the large room Shockwave saw Hook, Scrapper and Mixmaster working on six human vehicles that were on the floor. Scrapper saw the group enter and immediately sprang to attention. “Shockwave, sir…we did not receive word that you were actually going to come to Earth.”

Annoyed, Shockwave casually walked through the room and looked over the vehicles that were spread out around the floor. “I forwarded my intention to come.”

“Yes, but Megatron told everyone that he would talk you out of it. He said that he knew what you were going to say, and that he would explain that his mind was made up and that your trip would be pointless...Sir.”

Shockwave nodded as he inspected the smaller of the two semi trucks on the floor, the one that was not connected to a trailer. “He did speak with me and inform me of his intentions. And he did explain that nothing could change his mind. But I feel that the negotiations are not yet complete. I have brought more to the table this time.”

“And what more, pray tell, have you brought to the table?” Megatron’s booming voice echoed through the room.

Shockwave turned to face his commander, who had just entered the lab. “Lord Megatron, I offer you six existing Decepticon ground warriors to replace the ones that you are building, already modified to blend in with other human vehicles.”

Megatron looked over the six Decepticons that Shockwave was offering. “Is that all?”

“No, Megatron, I have also brought the triple-changers to bolster your Earth forces further. Please accept these existing nine warriors instead of creating six new ones.”

Megatron took on an evil grin before replying. “So what you are offering me, Shockwave, is that which is already mine, is that correct?” Shockwave took a moment to think before replying, but Megatron continued speaking before the purple Decepticon could get that reply out. “I will accept the triple-changers, but when we return to Cybertron to bring these new warriors to life, these six offerings will remain there with you.” Megatron leaned forward, an attempt to add insult to injury. “Is there anything else that you would like to bring to the table?”

Shockwave nodded. “One last compromise.” With that Shockwave aimed his left-arm laser at the small semi-truck that he had been inspecting earlier. To the disbelief of all that were present, Shockwave fired a steady pulse of yellow energy, which melted through the roof of the vehicle. The energy pulse was quickly followed by a blue charge that blasted the vehicle to pieces.

Megatron’s grin remained in place. “Immortality must have become more than you can bear, for you to so recklessly throw your life away.”

Shockwave held his hand to keep Megatron from firing on him. “No lord Megatron, I have every intention of keeping my life. I merely disposed of what was unnecessary.”

Hook jumped toward the destroyed frame. “Unnecessary? We needed this Decepticon to achieve our end goal!”

Shockwave turned his head toward the Constructicon. “Silence you idiot! Only your corrupted version of my technology requires a sixth.”

Megatron lost his smile and set a fixed stare upon his second in command. “Explain yourself Shockwave, and do it quickly!”

Shockwave turned his gaze back to Megatron, but proceeded to walk over to the lab’s main computer terminal. He positioned his laser arm so that it jacked into the terminal. “The level of power that you wish to achieve with six, I can achieve with five.”

Megatron’s glare intensified. “How?”

“I am downloading all of the details now, it will take me quite some time for me to verbally explain the process to you.”

“Summarize it for me!”

Shockwave withdrew his cannon from the terminal and walked toward his commander. “You are aware that the true power of my gestalt technology is the creation of the combined multi-spark from the spark energy of the individual members.”

“Yes.”

“And you know that there are a total of five connection points linking the six Constructicons when they form Devastator.”

“Of course.”

“And you know that all but two of these connection points are artificial attachments that are not part of the body of the Constructicon that they originate from.”

“So?”

Shockwave walked over and looked down on the five remaining vehicles that the Constructicons had put together. “The artificial constructs that are used to connect the Constructicons dampen the spark energy that passes through them. The hip connector filters much of Scrapper and Mixmaster’s spark energy out before reaching Long Haul, and the connection linking Long Haul and Hook filters even more out. Devastator’s design keeps him from utilizing a great deal of spark energy.”

Megatron snarled at his arrogant second. “Even if this is true, wouldn’t it still be more beneficial to have six as opposed to five?”

Shockwave nodded. “Perhaps, but while the level of power and durability increases with the number of components, the level of intelligence, agility, speed and fighting skill are hindered. It’s a trade-off, but I feel the maximum benefit can be gained from a quintro-combination.” Shockwave noted that Megatron was still agitated. “We still have a great many Decepticons, and plenty of time to experiment with this combiner technology. If you are unsatisfied with the changes I have made…” Shockwave used his hand to wave over the three Constructicons present in the room. “Then we can always return to the previous, more archaic method.”

No longer wishing to inflict damage on Shockwave, but unwilling to concede the debate, Megatron turned and stormed out of the room, issuing one last command as he did so. “As it will take too long to rebuild the frame that you thoughtlessly destroyed, we may as well proceed with your plan. Just see that it’s done right!”


***

"Why Ratchet operating on Jetfire if Jetfire not injured by Predacons?"

Ratchet twisted his head and looked to First Aid. "I'm sitting right here, why doesn't he just ask me directly?"

Without taking his optics off of the Sludge's exposed circuitry, First Aid responded. "I'm pretty sure he is asking you directly."

Ratchet looked up at Sludge and noted that the Dinobot was looking straight at him. "Oh. Well, Sludge, I'm using Jetfire's cerebral cir...err, brain, I'm using his brain as a type of roadmap to help in repairing Optimus Prime's brain."

"Why?"

"Well, Optimus Prime has a brain that is very different from most Transformers, and Jetfire's brain is the only one that I've encountered that's laid out anything like it. So by inspecting Jetfire's brain, I get a better idea of how to repair Optimus Prime's brain."

"And stuff you take out of Jetfire's head?"

Ratchet nodded. "Well, Sludge, some of the components in Jetfire's head can be used in Prime's head as well. Jetfire is very healthy, and his repair systems will have no problem rebuilding anything that I remove. Prime on the other hand is severely injured, and his systems are so damaged and overwhelmed that he needs these transplants. It's something that Jetfire agreed to have done." With that the Autobot physician removed a small circuit from Jetfire's exposed cranium and brought it to another table, one that had Prime's unconscious form on it. Ratchet then proceeded to plant the circuit into Prime's scorched and damaged head. Ratchet had never seen anyone survive after sustaining even half the damage that Prime had sustained, but if anyone could survive this, it would be Prime. The fact that he was still alive was a testament to the power of his spark.

From down the hall Ratchet could hear the discussion between Wheeljack and Grimlock getting more heated.

*

“Look, I’m working as fast as I can!” Wheeljack never appreciated the level of autonomy that Prime had given him until it, and Prime, were gone. He could understand Grimlock’s desire to get these five fliers operational, but the self-proclaimed Autobot Commander needed to realize that certain things could not be rushed. “Even with First Aid doing the neural-circuitry, this is going to take time.”

“Me Grimlock no see anything that should be taking this much time!” The Dinobot waved his hand over the five inert jets. “Fliers impressive, but me Grimlock think you can do better.”

“Grimlock, I would love nothing more than to build a squadron of Jetfires, but unfortunately the designs were destroyed and the Autobot who did ninety percent of the design work has gone AWOL. These are the best I can do, and they should be as effective as the Seekers.”

The hulking Autobot started out of the cargo bay. “Just make sure they done quickly! Me Grimlock short on effective warriors.”

Snarl popped his head into the cargo bay before Grimlock made it to the doorway. "Grimlock, Omega Supreme is returning."

Grimlock glared at Snarl. "Returning? Me Grimlock not aware he go anywhere!" Snarl just shrugged and walked back outside. Grimlock quickly followed, seemingly to have completely forgotten his discussion with Wheeljack.

The gray rocket was just setting down as Grimlock exited the Ark. Prowl and Jazz were standing just outside Omega Supreme's tracks, awaiting the landing. Grimlock suddenly knew that whatever trip Omega Supreme had made, had been per their instruction. Grimlock would not tolerate such insubordination. "Prowl! Jazz! Explain what going on!"

Prowl turned toward the quickly advancing Dinobot. "There are other matters that demand your attention, Grimlock." Prowl nodded his head toward the top of an outcropping of rock several hundred feet away, where Swoop, in Pterodactyl mode, was devouring a cow. "We've already received a half dozen complaints from local ranchers concerning this, and you've only been here a few days. You need to keep your troops in line."

Grimlock's optic narrowed. "Prowl right! Me, Grimlock need to keep troops in line. But me, Grimlock not have problem with Swoop taking livestock from insignificant humans. Me, Grimlock have problem with subordinates sending Guardian robot on mission without me, Grimlock’s permission."

Jazz lashed out. "You're not our leader! Jetfire’s the only Autobot that Prime has ever trusted to bear the Matrix, and while he's under the laser-scalpel, Prowl's in charge. That is until Magnus appoints someone else, and to the best of my knowledge, he hasn't appointed you!"

Grimlock ominously stepped up to the smaller Autobot, his fury barely contained. In a growl, he addressed Jazz. "There open invitation to anyone willing to forcibly take power from me, Grimlock. Until that happens, Jazz..." Grimlock turned to look at Prowl. "Prowl, and all Autobots do as me, Grimlock say."

"I'll take you up on that invitation!" The orange and yellow robot exiting Omega Supreme was instantly greeted by a deadly glare from Grimlock. The newcomer was as tall as Grimlock, and though not as powerfully built, was still extremely intimidating. He met the Dinobot's gaze unflinchingly, and confidently walked down the gangplank and onto the ground, never breaking optic lock with Grimlock.

"Good to see you again Blaster." Prowl walked over and greeted the large Autobot.

Blaster lowered his optics and took in the military strategist. "It's been a long time Prowl. I can't tell you how the return of you guys has reinvigorated the cause." Blaster looked past Prowl and smiled at the Autobot just behind him. "What's up, Jazz? I really appreciate the human music that you've sent to me over the past couple of weeks. Righteous stuff. So when are we going to be hitting