I must say, Megatron's got a slick way with words and how to present himself : ) Airachnid's inner thoughts were a GREAT DELIGHT to read too ! D17, Megatron, Megatronus, you've gotta love history : D All the while, I wonder if Megatron is aware of Megatronus' plan and vice versa......
Thanks for the kind words, guys! I've been having a lot of fun writing this when I'm not writing my thesis or working. It's quite entertaining and relaxing. I also didn't realize quite how much stuff I had plotted out -- with this chapter, it's up to 140 pages (more if properly formatted for a novel)! ---------------------------------------------------------- Chapter XIV: Quickening D-17 kept mulling over potential names. He had never given it any real thought before, but now it seemed prudent. One could not truly represent something without a name himself. And the name had to be representative of who he was. Look at Megatron: the leader of a new organization, with a name taken from one of the boldest Cybertronians ever known, who had shaped history. It suggested authority, power, and danger, exactly the kind of thing D-17 wanted to evoke. And why not? He was a proud Vehicon. Not to mention his upgrades changed his entire look. Thanks to Swindle, he could barely be called a Vehicon body type anymore: his entire chassis had been modified to fit the two massive twin barrel cannons now attached to a swivel on his top. Cruising down the Cybertronian lanes, he would doubtless have drawn plenty of attention in his fully armed Vehicon color scheme, so Megatron had seen fit to repaint him a forest green with silver detail. Not his favorite colors, but they were starting to grow on him, given it made him seem bigger and more intimidating, somehow. The Seeker Academy, the monstrous skyscraper of glass and metal, loomed before him. He drove up to it, and converted to robot mode, for now leaving his cannons on his back, pointing upward and giving him an intimidating backpack. If he needed the cannons, all he had to do was snap his arms to the side, and they would automatically peg into special slots Swindle had drilled. Quick, effective, and extremely powerful. He paused at the front gate, a monstrous wrought iron beast, thinking about what to name himself. Maybe Blast Off? Landquake? No, they're too strange sounding. One of the Seekers near the gate noticed him, and started watching his moves. Oh good, the party already knows I'm here. D-17 sighed. He had wanted to avoid combat if he could help it, not out of a desire to, but a preference to remain intact so Megatron could at least teach him to fight better. Even if they were cadets, the Seekers would no doubt put up an impressive fight. D-17 blinked, seeing the Seeker cadet guarding the gate come closer, his arm-mounted guns trained on the Vehicon. Well, if they're going to be rough from the get go, I might as well not disappoint. I mean, Megatron wants me to do well, right? He snapped his arms out and the cannons slid and pegged into his forearms. The Seeker stared, and D-17 blasted him full on with both cannons, leaving his upper half in two pieces, barely connected to his lower. "Oh yeah. I could get to like these," D-17 said, flexing his hands. Raw power. He understood in a moment how Megatron became so powerful: it wasn't from sitting around with a bunch of weaker bots like the Vehicons often did, or picking on easy targets. He went for the kill, on heavy enemies who could potentially destroy him. With every win, he became stronger. It was the gladiatorial style. He blasted the gate open, stomping inward. A barrage of neutron assault rifle fire painted the ground with bullet holes as two Seekers flew down and converted. Each smashed into the ground and D-17 took a step forward, preparing. Strangely, neither Seeker pressed the attack. He stared at them. One was black and purple, while the other was teal and black with gray detail. Both had cone-like heads. Is this supposed to be Skywarp and Thundercracker? They stayed still, just watching D-17. Well. This is awkward. He moved to raise an arm in greeting and the blue one converted back into jet mode and rammed him in the chest, and D-17 felt the sickening crunch of metal as he was thrust backward. The black one was above him in a fraction of a millicycle, an arm mounted gun pointed straight at his faceplate. "Um." The black one grinned. "Not a good place to pick a fight." The blue Seeker converted back and landed heavily. "I think he understands that, Treadshot." "Shut up, Ramjet." The black Seeker, evidently Treadshot, ground the gun into D-17's faceplate. "So, tough bot, what's the big idea scrappin' little old Stormjet over there? Got a grudge against the Seekers? Maybe, given all that armor and weaponry." "No, he's got an agenda. He didn't recognize us," Ramjet said. The blue jet analyzed D-17. "System's got nothin' on his body type, might be a custom. Wouldn't be surprised if he were a Vehicon or something, they've been uppity lately." "I'm looking for Starscream." Both the Seekers looked down at D-17 in surprise. "The Air Commander? The scrap you want him for?" Treadshot said, scratching his head. "Obviously, this is either Starscream's friend, or enemy. There hardly is room for anything in-between," Ramjet said. "I'll settle for Skywarp or Thundercracker. I need to talk to them," D-17 said. "Why?" "Orders. My commander has to get in contact with them urgently." Not a lie, but if I can get past these two, it should be smooth sailing. "Oh, well, in that case, we need to let you go. What, are you crazy!? You scrapped Stormjet, you lunatic!" Treadshot yelled, straight into D-17's aural receptors. "He's got a point. You're not high on our friends list," Ramjet said politely. Enough of this farce. D-17 converted to vehicle mode and hit his accelerator, knocking Treadshot off his body, and the Seeker collided with Ramjet, the two tangling as D-17 sped in a quick semicircle and returned to robot mode. He flipped his cannons out and aimed at the pile of Seeker in front of him. "Look. I don't have time to play. Either call them, or I'll scrap you and get the communication code myself." "Your commander didn't give it to you?" Ramjet asked. D-17 paused. This was a valid point. Megatron could have easily gotten him the communications codes for any of the trio of Seekers, and instead was fighting his way into the base. But then this is a training exercise. He can't expect me to take the easy way out. "Ramjet! Treadshot! Stand down!" Another blue Seeker came screaming out of the sky, landing heavily on the ground next to D-17. "Jeez. You sure know how to get into a brawl, kid. I take it Megs needs to talk to Screamy, huh?" "Thundercracker! Give us one good reason!" Treadshot said. Thundercracker sighed, aimed his cannon at Treadshot's chest, and shot him full on. The bolt didn't penetrate his armor fully, but it knocked him off his feet, and Thundercracker leaned over. "That sufficient? I don't have time to muck around with you." Ramjet stepped forward. "With all due respect..." "Go on," Thundercracker said amiably, his gun turning to point at Ramjet. "I think Treadshot is obviously mistaken and we should welcome our newfound ally." Thundercracker dropped his arm. "Noted and approved. Now then, introduce yourself. Megs radio'd to say someone would be coming, but that's all he mentioned." D-17 thought about the name. Thought back to what Thundercracker said. Oh yeah. "Call me Brawl." * * * Thundercracker closed his eyes. This was going to be difficult to deal with. The death of Stormjet alone was easy enough to cover up. Training exercises. Always the best excuse for everything, even if it made no sense. The public ate it up as if it was nothing, and only the paranoid conspiracy theorists thought anything other than the official explanation had occurred. But the bigger issue is the way Brawl went about it. Waltzing in the front door and blowing a hole in a Seeker was more difficult to cover up. With some creative effort, it would be possible, but the Primes would be aware of it, and it would lessen the populace's faith in the Seekers to have one of their own blasted apart. The front door's guard, no less. They could always go with the tried and true excuse: Skywarp was being an idiot. Again. He'd gotten into rough spots with other Seekers before, but his sheer brutality meant it was better to keep Skywarp leashed and on the side of relative good as opposed to whatever he'd find himself doing otherwise. It would be the best course of action, if only thanks to Skywarp's consistency. Brawl, sitting across from him in the meeting room, looked uncomfortable. Thundercracker could understand that. The room was covered with basic furniture, imported wooden tables and hundreds of trophies from Seeker-won competitions. The Academy was a school, after all, and prided itself on its students, however meaningless the achievements. He probably imagined he was going to get in serious trouble for his actions. As if anyone cared about a single Seeker cadet, Thundercracker thought. We're treated like cannon fodder half the time. Accursed caste system. "So, Brawl. What's Megatron need?" "He, uh. He didn't say. He said he needed to talk to Starscream and get a status update. He didn't specify. Or give me your communication codes." "Aha. So he wanted you to scrap somebody." Looks like Megs is smarter than I gave him credit for. Screamer's easy enough to predict due to his ambition, and Skywarp's too dumb to do anything but what he's told, but he must have known I'd be one of the ones Straxus wanted reporting to him. He's tying my hands somewhat. Wily. "Let's amend the communications problem right now." Thundercracker leaned over, transmitting the Seeker communication codes to Brawl. "You think I'll need these in the future?" "I imagine so. Megatron isn't stupid, and he expected you to survive this and prove your worth, or get scrapped and he'd just call up Screamer on a comm himself. Not like it would be difficult to do." "What do you think he intends for me?" Thundercracker frowned. Brawl was a difficult bot on which to get a fix. He seemed alternatively gruff and naive. There was Megatron idol worship here, though why, the Seeker couldn't say. Brawl seemed more to the point than his other conspirators, at least, which was refreshing given Megatron's plans within plans and Starscream's constant scheming to get ahead. "I couldn't say. Megatron is a strange bot, but a fine leader. He's not going to kill his own troops to make a point, if that's what you're asking. I imagine he probably intends you to be one of his lieutenants. He's been promoting as he's increasing the ranks." "Who are his other lieutenants?" "Good question. Shows your instincts. Anyway, Starscream is technically one of them but Screamer thinks they're probably equals. Rampage is another. He's even got the ear of a Spychanger named Soundwave." Brawl quirked his head. "Spychanger?" "Never mind. After today's shenanigans, I can't see him leaving you as a grunt." Thundercracker looked at Brawl's cannons. "And with that much firepower, I imagine he might make you an infantry commander." Brawl's silver faceplate glinted, as if the bot were smiling. "Works for me. So where's Starscream? And will Skywarp be coming?" "Skywarp's busy trashing something or other. He does that. Word to the wise, treat him without respect, or he'll think you're soft and probably try scrapping you. He's kind of a dull spark like that. As for Starscream..." "He's right here," Starscream said, entering the room. The red and blue Seeker sat down. "What's on the agenda?" "Air Commander," Brawl said, "I bring a message from Megatron. He requests a meeting and a status update on your project." Starscream glanced at Thundercracker, who suppressed the urge to sigh. Here it comes. "Megatron needn't check in on me as if I am a measly protoform. I am the grand Air Commander of the Iaconian sector!" "No disrespect meant, but he is my boss," Brawl said. "No, no, I understand. I must discuss things with him, clearly, if only to set right this assumption I am his subordinate." Thundercracker rubbed his forehead. "You are, you moron." "What!?" "He saved you from being scrapped by Thunderwing and Straxus, he's been keeping us out of the limelight and got you a direct promotion to Air Commander because of it, and all he asked in return was for scientific archival data collation." Brawl scratched his helm. "I don't know what that means." "Don't worry about it, kid." Thundercracker turned his gaze back to Starscream. "Surely by now we've got it all, right?" "Well, yes. Treadshot and Ramjet had the last of the data, and they're inputting it into the full data set now. In less than a cycle, Megatron will have all the information he needs from the archives." And it's going to be interesting to see what he does with it. All that lore about the Primes, the scientific feasibility of combining sparks. It's like he's anticipating something a lot bigger than some Autobots in this war of his. But what? All the old war machines are in stasis lock. Who's he planning to fight with all this firepower? "So I came for nothing?" Brawl said. "Not really. You proved you're going to be a decent enough subcommander. Cadet or not, you scrapped a Seeker, and could have probably taken down either Treadshot or Ramjet to boot. Glad you didn't, now that I know why they were here." Glad I didn't scrap Treadshot either. Guy's about as nice as Skywarp, but if he had data Megatron needed, he would have been sparkin' off at me, and that's the last thing I need from my new boss. "Brawl, you're dismissed," Starscream said, waving a hand at him. Brawl stood up, but didn't move. "Starscream, with all due respect, I will ram your cockpit so far up your aft you can't see straight if you keep treating me like that. I may not be a top tier fighter yet, but I won't tolerate being talked down to." Starscream eyed the cannons on Brawl's back. "Yes, I see that. My apologies. Give Megatron my...regards." Brawl nodded, and left the room. Now there's a bot with steel bearings. Faced down an Air Commander, and actually got an apology from Starscream. Granted, he's got cannons almost as big as my entire fuselage, but still. "So what's next?" Thundercracker said. "Straxus. Megatron told me he's almost ready for the assault on Darkmount." "And what about Megatronus's plan? You know, Decepticons, transform and rise up, and all that." "I fail to see how taking down Straxus won't be furthering Megatronus's plans. After all, he tried to scrap us. Us! Seekers! It wasn't Thunderwing alone, he sent Megatron to finish us, and instead Megatron helped us!" "So you feel taking down Straxus is payback, then." Thundercracker nodded. Typical Starscream. Grudges, alliances, and a whole lot of complicated contradictions. Skywarp's trademark shimmering effect appeared as the Seeker warped into the room. "Hello, ladies." Starscream ground his teeth. "Don't do that! Use the door like a normal Transformer for once!" "Not my fault you can't warp." "One of these days I ought to pull out the warp cog from your chassis and install it on myself," Starscream muttered. "I bet you'd like to try." Thundercracker interjected. "Did you finish setting up the extra generators by Autobot City? Whether we help deal with Straxus or not, we can't make the Prime angry." "Send the Prime to The Pit for all I care. To him, we're replaceable. Generators are done anyway," Skywarp said. Thundercracker watched him. The way he said it, he got the idea Skywarp was actually being somewhat intelligent and questioning the caste system too. And while Megatronus wouldn't ever offer a change in the system, Megatron clearly aimed for a more egalitarian Cybertron, albeit one he personally led. "Excellent. In that case we're all set to begin our part of the plan. We might as well participate in Megatron's strike at Darkmount," Starscream said. "Participate? We're Seekers, if it gets out we attacked a political installation..." Thundercracker bit his lip. "We could be hunted down by the entire Cybertron Defense Force." Starscream grinned. "No, we won't. I'm an Air Commander, for one, and I've ensured we have total loyalty and control over this entire sector. The Polyhex sector is no problem to deal with either; Jetfire is the Air Commander there and he's already agreed to turn a blind eye to what happens at Darkmount." "How did you get him to agree to that?" Skywarp crossed his arms. "You didn't think I spent all that time sitting out there working on generators, did you? Starscream had me pop in and say hello to the Polyhex Seekers. Was a lot of fun." I don't think they'll be agreeable forever if Skywarp was involved in the persuasion. Thundercracker glanced at his two comrades. If anything, they might be more inclined to help, rather than less. "Should we bring Treadshot and Ramjet with us, just in case?" "Why would we need to? Megatron will be bringing down the hammer on Straxus. In fact, I'd say he's going to have a much worse army than Straxus could expect. Not to mention us. After all, what can Straxus alone do against three Seekers?" More than you might think, Starscream. More than you might think.
Oooh, nice concept for Brawl; an enhanced Vehicon upgraded into a mighty tank. And voila, he's just running around blasting Seekers to scrap and nattering to old Thundercracker. Nice scenes there, very good, particular Thundercracker promptly altering Ramjet's opinion with a cannon And now, seems there's a plan to remove Straxus, with much manipulation and 'persuasion' swinging around. Interesting. Nice one
Thanks. Brawl is actually kind of an interesting case, because he was a retooled character from another guy entirely in the first drafts. Most of the other characters either existed in original drafts or are newer additions for the final draft (such as Ramjet and Treadshot). And now, with this chapter, we return to another plot thread...and the first major fight sequence of Warhead! ---------------------------------------------------------- Chapter XV: Revival Dion wondered in an ocean of nothing why no light would ever come on. Cybertron was a wealth of light, of other bots and a society rigidly defined. To be in such an empty place, whatever this black void was, unnerved him. Where nothing was, Cybertron could not be. And he sensed great danger lurking somewhere close. He tried to move, again, only to feel something keeping him down. And then: light. Blinding, erupting, overloading his optic sensors suddenly and brutally, for the first time in who knew how long. A shadow loomed over his face, and he looked down and away from it, seeing he was strapped to a repair bay table, his wounds finally healed. "It seems you possess the potential to be a true Terrorcon," came a voice from somewhere else. The shadow looming over him retreated slightly, and he noticed it had spindly limbs, far too small to be the Terrorcon Shockwave Primal. The voice, though, the voice! It sounded so much like him. Something was wrong here. He wrenched his arms, trying to break the straps, and couldn't. "Do not struggle. You are safe. You will not be harmed. Yours is a greater purpose," the voice continued. Soft, mellifluous. Something about it calmed him down, something distorted and in its distortion, sounding less animal. He relaxed. A shard of Energon appeared in his field of vision, held by thin, spiny fingers. It seemed synthetic, based on its purplish hue, but something different pulsed within it. The shard was pressed to him and his chassis absorbed it through the Autobot logo on his chest, which as he watched, partly distorted and warped away into blankness. Dion convulsed, feeling the Energon go deeper into his systems, and his immune system fought it, even as it reached his spark, and he felt it warp somehow, change. He stopped convulsing almost the moment he started, his body slackening. He let it do so. He was content to do so. There would be time for answers. Play dead now. Life signal monitors registered flatlines. There was no other audio for his receptors to pick up. Dion felt the straps loosen, and his eyes opened wide. He leaped off the table, taking in the sights rapidly. Not the Terrorcon Shockwave Primal, but Soundwave, the Spychanger. No doubt playing Shockwave's voice on loop, trying to fool Dion in his less than lucid state. A number of operating tools. A laboratory, not a medical bay. Experimentation. "Scrap you all! I'll not be a Decepticon plaything!" Dion roared, and reeled his fist back, slamming Soundwave in the faceplate and sending the bot flying backward. He stopped, staring at his fist. No basic Autobot like he had been could produce such force with a bare hand. The fist was heavy. Augmented. He looked down. They had upgraded him, partly anyway. He resembled a more Autotrooper style design, perhaps even styled after a Great War veteran like Magnus. They had intended him a war machine. Megatron would use him. Megatron, he saw now, used them all. And why not? They were convenient. He stomped forward and grabbed Soundwave by the throat, picking the other bot up and raising him off his feet. "Answers. Now." "Under command of the Primes, you have been remodeled in part and Dark Energon injected into your spark." The bot offered no resistance, appropriately so. "Why? Why not just leave me for scrap!" Dion shook Soundwave, and then tossed him aside, and the Spychanger converted, blasting off through an escape hatch in the roof of the small utilitarian lab. "Well, that didn't answer much." Dion looked around. There wasn't much of value in the lab beyond some crates containing what was doubtless Dark Energon, though where they acquired such he couldn't know. But if the Primes were behind this, then couldn't they have acquired it? They were virtually omnipotent. But after this, they're asking for some skidplate to get kicked, Dion thought. Assuming Soundwave was telling the truth. He trumped up to the door leading out of the lab, which bleeped insistently he wasn't allowed out, didn't have clearance, or something along those lines. Dion didn't particularly care. He was, understandably, a little angry. He rammed his fingers into the hinges, his servos whining as he peeled the door from its frame, cracking it under the pressure and throwing it aside. He strode into the next area, seeing instantly the centerpiece: a massive cage with pink energy bars, locking in the Terrorcon he and the others tried to destroy: Shockwave Primal. Shockwave looked at him with a quizzical eye. "You have survived contact with Dark Energon." "I...yes." "Then you have no reason to fear me any longer. We are connected. Our cooperation in the future would be logical." "Go scrap yourself." Shockwave turned his head on an angle. "Such a statement is illogical. Our cooperation could further our respective causes. Nonetheless, you are not obligated to help me." "And I won't." Without another word, Dion turned, converted to his new alternate mode, a large heavy transport, and barreled out of the room, smashing through the wall. He wondered, now free in the Cybertronian air, why he didn't attempt to destroy Shockwave. He had no weapons, so one of his first aims would be to acquire weaponry. But even without them, he probably could have handled the similarly unarmed Terrorcon. Was it true? Was Dion now a Terrorcon too? He refused to believe it. He would not feed on another Cybertronian. There would be no sparkeating. He stopped, looking around to try and get his bearings. Somewhere in Kaon. Not much else to go on. He opened up his internal geosynchronous coordination mapping system, and observed the local news scenarios. Kaon arena recently investigated by Autobots for signs of foul play. Seeker Academy scuffles. Vehicons left and right. But nothing on the Primes. Nothing on Terrorcons. Wait. Something about a developing story at Polyhex. Seemed as good as anything else: Dion set his sights on the coordinates, and began driving. * * * "This is Air Commander Jetfire to Autobot Optimus! We request reinforcements at these coordinates!" Optimus's head snapped up. The Autobot group had been resting at the Autotrooper HQ, ready to ship out to a warehouse formerly owned by Cryotek the following morning. The facility had shown signs of life, unusually so. "Jetfire? Why is a Cybertron Defense Force signal coming through these channels?" "Don't worry about it! We need every last spark we can get, there's a force converging on Darkmount in Polyhex! We believe it's an attempt on Governor Straxus's life! There are all kinds of forces, from Seekers to Insecticons!" "On our way." Optimus cut the channel, and turned to the Constructicons, finally repaired to full. "Your services may be required. Are you willing to join us?" "You kiddin'? Say the word, you got us out of a tight spot. Not to mention it's going to be nice to finally crack some insect shells," Scrapper said, patting him on the back. Ratchet grunted. "Optimus, I don't feel I would be sufficient for frontline combat. I'm a medic, not a soldier." "And I will be bringing you with us nonetheless. Combat soldiers, including the Seekers under Jetfire's command, will doubtless require your expertise in medicine. Jazz, Ironhide. I need you both at your best." "Aces high, boss. You got one of the best sharpshooters there is, bet your bolts I'm gonna cover you." Jazz grinned. "Ironhide, go inform Magnus. He may wish to accompany us," Optimus said. "He already is planning to," Ultra Magnus said, stepping through the doorway, having to stoop slightly due to his large frame. "And we'll be bringing this one with us." He tugged Rewind after him, the smaller bot looking to each of them in turn. "For what purpose?" "His alternate mode. He's a portable groundbridge." The group all leered at Rewind, who cringed. Optimus nodded. "Then we are decided. Rewind, open the groundbridge. Are you capable of transporting yourself through the bridge?" "I-I am, Orion." "Optimus." "S-sorry!" Rewind fumbled with his chestpiece, and then converted, shrinking down considerably into a small scale groundbridge generator. Jazz whistled. "Pretty tiny." "We have no time to waste." Magnus picked up Rewind, who opened the groundbridge in the center of the room. Optimus strode forward, looking to them all in turn. "Autobots, transform and roll out!" * * * Carnage. The land was ravaged with dozens of Seeker corpses, Vehicons strewn everywhere intermittently. An Insecticon or two interspersed, the super soldier to the normal types. Optimus resisted the urge to cringe. This was brutal, overwhelming. There wasn't any battle to reinforce, only casualties. The fortress known as Darkmount lay in front of them, a gargantuan monolith of spines and teeth, blackened metal with melted refuse pooled around its base. "Inviting," Ironhide said. Jazz tuned his visor to thermal optics. "None of these bots are still active, boss, but the fighting's going strong on the north wall. We could probably do some damage to the enemy there." "Noted. Jazz, scout forward and find a sniping position. You will provide support." The bot nodded and converted to a slick supercar, his stripes painted as if he were a racer. He sped off, burning rubber. "Constructicons, now would be an excellent time to tell us if you have any particular abilities that would be of great use." Optimus turned, looking at the green and purple trio, their Decepticon logos sending a shiver of unease through him. "Abilities? Oh, we got one you'll probably love." Scrapper grinned, and converted halfway to his excavator scoop form. "Why did you stop transforming?" Ironhide asked. Magnus put a hand on his shoulder to quiet him. The other two Constructicons partially converted as well; Bonecrusher's bulldozer split in half and the other portion of his body ratcheted upward with a massive waist joint, to which Scrapper connected, the scoop forming one clawed hand. Mixmaster split himself in half at the mixer, flipping upward and revealing a large head inside of the mixer. Each half folded over the shoulders as Mixmaster's body folded into the waist jointing and formed a bulky chest. "Say hello to Devastator, boys," the large face said, speaking with all three of their voices. Devastator stepped forward, the ground thundering underfoot from the sheer size of the combiner. "It has been some time since I've seen a combiner, and never one who was able to combine so easily. You have practiced well," Magnus said. "Practiced? Combining? This is nuts!" Ironhide said, taking a step back. "Without Long Haul and Scavenger, it ain't as easy, but we've done it loads of times. Relax, you pint size Autobot. We're with you, not against you." Devastator raised a hand to his eyes, squinting off in the distance. "Jazz is already in place. Can we go?" Optimus nodded. "Destroy any hostiles and aid the Cybertron Defense Force however you are able." Devastator nodded, and took great strides forward, each step echoing on the metal of Cybertron. Ratchet and Rewind both stared at the combiner. Obviously, neither had seen one. But then, I haven't either. Optimus considered his remaining troops. "Ratchet, Rewind, you both will remain behind and assist the wounded. Ultra Magnus, Ironhide, we shall go and attempt to find the leader of this insurrection." The other bots nodded, and they all converted to vehicle mode, hitting their accelerators and zooming off. Optimus watched the flares of energy discharge get more clear. Numerous Seekers flew around in the air, and something Jetfire had said returned to the fore. Seekers as part of the enemy force. But not the local chapter, which means specific chapters have been swayed. He opened a comm. "Devastator, I am amending your orders: additionally target Seekers hostile toward you!" "Already scrapped one, Autobot. We're Constructicons: if we can build it, we can break it!" A sickening crunching noise, along with a scream, was heard over the comm. Optimus closed it, privately hoping Devastator was at least putting enemy combatants out of their misery quickly. The trio reached the battle site quickly, and devolved into chaos. Optimus lost sight of both Ultra Magnus and Ironhide as the Vehicons and Insecticons swarmed him. He converted and pulled out a heavy axe, slicing through a Vehicon in one sweep and leaving its two charred pieces behind from the Energon discharge. The axe, a gift from Sentinel as part of his reformatting, was supposedly Sentinel's own from ages prior, and held great power. "Optimus! Jazz here!" "Speak your piece!" Optimus dodged an Insecticon's whirling blade, tussling with the much larger insectoid Cybertronian. Its mandibles reared out at him and he mashed it away, managing to lodge the axe firmly in its skull. It stumbled backward, and as he yanked it forward, he pulled its entire internal spinal column with it, collapsing the waist from the inside. "Looks like I found the leaders. There's a group fighting inward, it's got a couple of real bright sparks!" "Details, Jazz!" Optimus dodged another Insecticon, shoving it into a Vehicon, and the beast hungrily punctured the Vehicon's armor, ripping it to pieces and feeding on it. "Silver bot, real big fusion cannon on one arm, directing everything. Red bot next to him. Slim Insecticon, nothin' like the others." Optimus hesitated, and converted to vehicle mode, ramming a Vehicon in his haste to progress. "I need a more detailed description of the silver one." "Bucket head helmet, beefy looking, that cannon's hard to miss. Thing's almost the size of the whole bot. Some kind of logo I've never seen on his chest," Jazz finished. Megatron. There's no other explanation. He has acquired an army, and he intends to overthrow things. But why him, why now? What does Straxus have to do with anything? Answers which are not forthcoming, and we need them quickly. "Devastator, open a path to the center of the citadel! Magnus, Ironhide, follow my lead!" Optimus revved his engine and sighted the large combiner in the center of the area, smashing apart enemies, and winced as he watched him snatch a Seeker out of the air and crush it into a fiery puff of exploding parts. True to his orders, the combiner began sweeping the entry road to Darkmount, and the three Autobots rejoined on the path; each darted through Devastator's legs and converted to robot mode once again just before the main gate. "Jazz, status update on the leaders." "They went inside a little while ago, unopposed. Looks like everybody playing defense's all out here." There was a pause and discharge of a sniper rifle. "A shame, too, cause I'm starting to need more targets at this rate." "Continue fighting, and keep an eye on Ratchet and Rewind." Optimus switched channels. "Jetfire! How is your end of the battle going?" "Great, now that whatever the heck that big green thing is started smashing the bad guys! Look, we've got this thanks to you guys: get inside and make sure they don't try anything with Straxus. He's no prize, but he's a governor, and without him Polyhex is going to fall into some heavy chaos," the Air Commander said, cutting the channel. "You heard Jetfire. Let's get in there." "Optimus, a moment. Before we charge in headfirst, I think it prudent to be prepared. Just because Jazz only saw three entering the citadel doesn't mean we won't be dueling multiple enemies." Magnus shifted his heavy bore rifle. "And frankly, while it is a return to form to destroy Decepticons, I am none too keen to have another war blossom." The commanding Autobot slapped Magnus's shoulder. "Not something I will allow, my friend." He turned. "Ironhide, you have been by my side since the beginning. We will see this through to the end." As Ironhide smiled, a heavy black transport wheeled around and hit a speed bump, flying through the air and breaking down the door, thundering straight on through inside Darkmount. Optimus stared at it dumbly as it retreated. Something familiar about its body type. But what? "That thing looked a lot like you, Optimus," Jazz radioed. "You boys want me to come with?" "No, Jazz. We're going to get to the bottom of this. No matter what." The trio entered Darkmount, weapons drawn. While the other Cybertronian transport had blown through easily and without apparent opposition, this was a Decepticon-controlled citadel, and the Decepticons enjoyed subterfuge. The interior of Darkmount was rich in unusual cyber-matter, with patterned metals resembling gold and platinum, and long red carpets below wrought-iron chandeliers. Tire tread marks led further inward, and the group jogged in robot mode rather than risk being caught off guard in vehicle mode. Mutterings were heard from the throne room, and then a final, climactic discharge of an Energon blast. The three bots came closer, only to find the black transport idling outside of the throne room, as if peeking inside. Optimus stepped forward. "Identify yourself now, or face the threat of Sentinel Prime's enforcers." The black transport converted into a robot not unlike Optimus, complete with a cream-white faceplate to match the smooth one Optimus bore. "I was known as Dion. But right now? Right now I'm something else entirely. And given Megatron's in the next room over, I think it's only fitting I start calling myself Nemesis."
Ooooh, this is cool! Devastator assisting the Autobots, Dion/Nemesis being a renegade Dark Energon wraith, so to speak, and our delightful trio taking down Insecticons and chasing after Megs and peeps. Awesome! First fight scene of the play, sure did make my day! Excellent fun
Yeah, pay attention to Nemesis. He's going to be fuuuuun throughout all of this. As for this chapter, which I crunched out unexpectedly today for fun, it's sort of the other half of the coin, so don't expect a whole lot of the "new" in this. It does, however, fill in the other half of the battle! Enjoy. While I had to trim it down for sheer lack of space, I should note for ARC that Inferno's small backstory got snuck in here too. Also, the pace will start getting a good deal faster: so expect things to shift up in tone periodically. Plans get accelerated in war, after all! ---------------------------------------------------------- Chapter XVI: Reunion Some cycles earlier. "I offer you an opportunity. I control virtually all the military power in the local area. I don't need you. But more troops are always good, and you all are fearsome warriors. Consider it: a chance to prove yourselves the ultimate warriors, and to make good money doing it." Megatron leaned back on the negotiating table, staring Wheeljack down. The other Cybertronian's Autobot emblem, with the slash through it, served as a wonderful image by which to remember him. "The royalty makes his own decisions, not based on the manipulations of someone so callous!" Inferno said. The other four Wreckers stood behind Wheeljack, who sat at the table across from Megatron, who was himself flanked by Airachnid and Rampage. Drag Strip rubbed his eyebrows, and smacked Inferno upside the head. "Enough with the outbursts! Your faulty programming is so uncouth!" "By royal command, it is." Inferno nonetheless quieted. "I must say, I am curious about your most loyal friend there. What exactly is his story, Wheeljack?" Megatron asked, a smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. "Like Drag said: faulty programming. We needed a fifth. I built him from scratch." Wheeljack scratched his cheek with one finger. "Didn't anticipate the loyalty programming would go so far. Kinda buggy." He grinned brokenly. "You built him? Interesting, and rather against Cybertronian convention, too. So then Inferno must go along with you no matter what. I'm sure the others will be ones with whom you deliberate regarding my offer?" Barricade leaned in. "It's all relative. Scrapping punks is what I'm all about. Whether they're in or not, count me in." Dead End shrugged. "Bot's gotta die somehow, some way. I'd rather stay on the winning team." Rampage waited for the others to speak, and when the room lapsed into silence, he dropped his fist on the table. "Come on! Two of you with us, what's the problem? What do you want?" he said, addressing Drag Strip. "Please, Rampage, settle down." Airachnid sidled over to him, resting a hand on his shoulder. He shrugged it off. Megatron shot the pair a warning look. I have no time to waste explaining your nonsense, Rampage. Simmer down. "While my colleague is excitable, I do wish to know what I might offer as incentive for you to join us. The entirety of the Wreckers on my side would be very useful indeed," he said. "I'm part of the team, so I suppose I'll go along with the group decision, but I do want to stress my paint apps and deco are important. I have to be recognizable and look good, you know?" Drag Strip said, posing for Megatron's benefit. "Er, noted." Is he serious? What an idiot. "Then it comes full circle to you, Wheeljack. What else might I offer you?" The leader of the Wreckers tapped a finger on the table. "I want a lab. Tinkering on stuff. Wreckin's great, but every now and then you want a break. I'm sure you want weird junk for inventions or whatever. New weapons. I'll make 'em, you provide the supplies. I don't care what I make, so long as I get to build and wreck." "How apt. As it turns out, I'll shortly be in possession of a rather large laboratory." "And where would that be?" "Darkmount." The Wreckers collectively were startled; only Inferno had the smallest reaction, simply turning toward Wheeljack to gauge his reaction and comically mimicking it a second later. "You got brass bearings, Megs." Wheeljack paused. "I'm in. You got yourself some Wreckers." "Excellent." In fact, I've just the project for him to tinker with. And when I'm done, I'll get an even bigger window of opportunity to use them. You think yourself in a lofty and untouchable position, Megatronus. Starscream told me much of Straxus's plot, but Straxus is no genius. It's obvious someone else is pulling the strings. And Soundwave...Soundwave is too valuable and not loyal enough to Straxus for that to be his true master. But I'll play my cards close to my chest. Megatron looked to Airachnid, who smiled, curling her legs around her body. Close indeed. "So what's first on the agenda?" Wheeljack cracked his knuckles. "I plan to let you tinker. I've got a side project. Its name is Dion." * * * A half cycle later, Megatron and Wheeljack entered the former's temporary base in the middle of Kaon. "The hell is that thing?" Wheeljack asked, pointing at Shockwave Primal. Shockwave paced on all fours in his prison, fixing Wheeljack with a focused stare. "Nothing you need concern yourself with for now," Megatron said. Wheeljack raised an eyebrow. Okay, Megs, I'll play along. You say you don't need us, but you seem to be doing an awful lot to keep us involved. The pair walked into the small scale lab, where the Autobot Dion lay strapped to the table, his body in dire need of upgrades. Brawl and Soundwave stood guard. "More friendlies?" "Lieutenants. Meet Soundwave and Brawl. My Spychanger and infantry commander." Soundwave took a bow and Brawl crunched his fists together. "Appropriate names." Bit of a freak show, but between Drag Strip and Inferno, I'm not one to talk. "I meant to ask, by the way. Why didn't you repair your Autobot sigil?" Megatron asked. Scrap, he's shrewd. "Didn't see a need. I'm not an Autobot or Decepticon, really. I imagine you probably have a group of your own now that we'd fall under, right?" Set him at ease and see what he thinks. "Ah, Wheeljack, you are smart. Yes, I do." Megatron turned, showcasing the Decepticon emblem in his chest. "Soundwave, I think it's time to drop the charade, yes?" The Spychanger bleeped an affirmative and input a code into his wrist, and Megatron's emblem shimmered before fading away, revealing another logo entirely. "Holograms. Fun, aren't they?" Wheeljack took a moment to stare at it. Pure red, like the Autobot logo, but with purple accents like the Decepticon one. The face at the top was blockier, angling downward in the more Kaonic style, but three flared stripes on either side suggested a hint of the Cybertron Defense Force having an influence on the design. "What do you think?" Brawl asked. He puffed himself up a bit, two of this new sigil emblazoned on his shoulders. "Certainly something. What do you call this new group?" "Tyrannicons. We long to throw off the chains of oppression, to remove the caste system and bring forth a new and more egalitarian Cybertron under my rule." "You aiming for the Prime seat?" "I'm not the type," Megatron said. Load of scrap that is. You want the seat, and you're gonna kick the Primes right out of it. If I were a betting bot, I'd say you wanted us on board just in case the Primes themselves got involved. The question is, do you know we combine too? Or are you gathering anything that has a gun? "So what's this Dion?" "An Autobot. Given your apparent skill, I'm wanting a retrofit. He's damaged, but his body type...he was never meant to be a soldier. Make him something more. And in the process, if he so happens to become loyal to me in the same way Inferno is to you, that's a necessary side effect." Megatron reached out a hand to Wheeljack, who shook it uneasily. This guy is putting a lot of faith in me, given I agreed to do this only a short while ago. Or is that why the other two are here? Insurance? "Shouldn't be a problem. I'll have to get more tools for the programming, but you've got everything I need here for the retrofit." "Good. I'll leave you to get acquainted with Brawl and Soundwave." Megatron exited the room, presumably to do more nefarious planning, Wheeljack fancied. And then he couldn't stop. His hands twitched with glee as his faceplate started shimmering with his excitement. A new project. A new bot on which to experiment. This was far from the first time he'd had such an opportunity, and this was the real reason he joined up with these Tyrannicons: to have a ready supply of guinea pigs, of cyber-matter, the ability and expectation to produce whatever he could. Perversely, he hoped he could personally wreck some of his creations thereafter. "You okay, Wheeljack?" Brawl stepped forward, staring at the Wrecker's lighting. "Yeah. I'm psyched, that's all." Wheeljack kept focused on the bot, Dion, before him. Blue paint had to go. Out of style, out of fashion. Cream white with black, red running lights. Classy, a bit like Dead End but with less red. He began gutting the bot from the ground up, only sparing a second to ensure the stasis lock was secure and the bot wouldn't be waking up anytime soon. No doubt the other two Tyrannicons watched him with interest. Nobody ever got to see him work, but these bots probably never saw a total retrofit, either. Not the easiest thing to manage, and certainly one for the record books. A chirping noise interrupted his concentration. "Shut up that racket, will ya?" He looked up to see Brawl and Soundwave both listening to a comm to which he wasn't privy. He scratched the back of his head. "I have to go, the strike team is ready. Soundwave, you'll finish up here?" Brawl asked. The Spychanger nodded, silent. Brawl made a grunt of affirmation and left the room, and Wheeljack breathed a sigh of relief. At least they don't mean to scrap me when I'm done. "So what was that about?" Soundwave didn't respond. "Hey, you can talk to me, you know. I might not be one of the big guys on the team yet, but mark my words, it'll be hard for you boys to shake the Wreckers." Soundwave pointed to Dion's body. "Alright, alright, I get the message." * * * Megatron smashed another Decepticon defender of Darkmount into pieces, Brawl and Rampage blowing apart any others getting inside his zone. "Brawl! Instruct the Vehicons to sweep left, the Seekers are returning fire on the inward rim! Starscream, what is the status of your reinforcements?" The Air Commander's scratchy voice echoed into the channel. "Treadshot and Ramjet are bringing another squadron; we've got the air mostly locked down, but Jetfire keeps pulling out new bots from somewhere!" "See to it we are the victors, Starscream!" Megatron charged his cannon and blasted apart an Autobot defender, its chassis left with a gaping hole not unlike the one he recalled Shockwave leaving in Orion. We have little time. Straxus and Jetfire will have called for reinforcements. I must take Darkmount quickly, and hold it only as long as I need. The Wreckers will soon be on their way, and if all goes well, Shockwave Primal will soon be swayed by the addition of a new Terrorcon to my ranks...assuming Soundwave implants Dion properly. Rampage leaped on an enemy Seeker's back as it flew low, ripping out its rear thruster and sending it careening to the ground. He pummeled it a few times more, even ripping out its robot mode head. "Finally. This has been the most fun battle so far, Megatron! You ought to take more pleasure in it!" Airachnid skittered forward and ducked between the corpse and Rampage, stabbing her legs upward and into an enemy Decepticon who was attempting to stab Rampage from behind. "Fun or not, watch your back, little one. I take it my mate is in no mood to lose lieutenants." "Airachnid is right, Rampage." Megatron paused to fire a few shots in succession at Jetfire himself, the Seeker commander hitting afterburner instead of returning fire. "I want one thing: Straxus's head mounted on a pike, and Darkmount under my heel! Tyrannicons...transform and take control!" The trio converted to vehicle mode. "Brawl, you stay and coordinate the Vehicons; without you, they will be worthless." Megatron sped forward, funneling cannon fire through the defenders to help open up the path. Rampage began launching missiles, Airachnid's spider mode clambering along the ground at a fast enough pace to keep up with the other two. In the distance, a gargantuan green and purple bot, presumably a combiner due to its sheer size and style, began stomping toward the fortress. "Um, that could be a problem. My Insecticon elites are feeding and can't combine." "And the Wreckers are otherwise occupied. Wonderful. Starscream! Instruct Ramjet and Treadshot to fire upon the new titan!" Megatron ordered. "As you wish," came the reply. "I'd rather rip it to pieces bot by bot," Rampage grumbled, but as the combiner stomped an Insecticon underfoot, he gunned his engine. "Or maybe it would be better to get inside, quickly." The trio converted back, close to the doors: here the fighting was lessened if not vacant outright, and Megatron strode up to the doors of Darkmount, pushing them inward with ease. "Ah, homecoming. One could savor such an opportunity, but I have no time for games. Come! Straxus awaits his doom." The throne room lay before them, and Megatron rushed inside eagerly. Sitting on the throne itself was the governor of Polyhex, Straxus, his battle mace by his side. "At last, you've come." "You aren't surprised." Megatron charged his cannon, wanting to be ready for any sneak attack. "Of course not, you impudent pup. I raised you into the warrior you are from nothing but raw instinct. I'm surprised Rampage survived this long. And is that Airachnid? Priceless. You've amassed a motley crew. Vehicons, Insecticons, what's next? You'll show up with Primes serving you?" Megatron fired a blast at Straxus, who didn't move; one of his servant cloakers took the hit instead, crumbling to the ground. Straxus scoffed. "No respect at all." He grabbed the mace. "Well, come on, then! You want to fight? I'll teach you how this citadel got its name: from smelting my enemies!" Straxus rushed at the trio, and each dodged while Megatron raised his own battle mace to meet Straxus's. "Airachnid, handle the cloakers! Rampage, the consoles!" Megatron struggled with Straxus. The larger Decepticon held great brute force, that much Megatron had known, but his strength was uncanny, and threatened to overwhelm his once-disciple. Airachnid began twirling, her legs a deadly wind of razors as each began clipping into the cloaked servant bots, splitting them into pieces. Rampage, by contrast, rushed to the small bank of terminals in the corner, putting in commands as fast as he could type. "What's the plan, then? Take Darkmount, kill me, then what? You'll be stuck in a fortress, sure, but with no way out, no chance of defense. There will be reinforcements, Jetfire saw to that. And what then? Your Vehicons and Insecticons will be nothing but cogs in a useless war machine too inept for its own good!" Straxus flung Megatron backward, and let loose with a punch that sent the smaller bot reeling. "You're too concerned with the small picture, Straxus. You want to know the plan? Revenge. Sending a message. Broadcasting to all of Cybertron that it is vulnerable, and it has a choice: to join me or to be reformatted in the wake of the revolution!" Megatron swung wide and pivoted on both legs, smacking Straxus in the chest with his mace, making him stumble. "And the best part? My Tyrannicons are all loyal to me because I promise them things in earnest! I don't deceive and destroy like the Decepticons, or crush free will underfoot like the Autobots! You could learn a lesson from my cult of personality, Straxus: I am Cybertron!" Megatron bellowed, grabbing the other bot's mouthpiece and ripping it clear off his face. Airachnid watched in awe, her own task complete, and Rampage finished downloading the Cybertronian data net codes, allowing Megatron total access to the communications network. Straxus coughed, a number of servomotors exposed and whirring in his face. "You arrogant fool. You're nothing but a pretender, playing at kings. Playing at Prime!" Straxus raised his mace high to smash Megatron beneath it, and when Airachnid moved to intercept, Rampage stopped her. "No! It's his fight. Let him win." Megatron sidestepped the mace as it cratered the floor, and he swung his own into Straxus's back, making the governor crumple to his knees, wheezing through his facial servos. "Playing at Prime? Why would I ever want to do that? What have the Primes done, but horribly mismanage this entire planet? Sentinel, the would-be guardian. Nothing more than a control freak. And Megatronus? The Fallen? Need I go on? If one starts a revolution, it must be for the right reasons, and not to shackle others!" Megatron smashed Straxus again in the back, denting the metal inward. He grabbed the governor by the neck, charging his fusion cannon. "And what would you know of freedom anyway, Straxus? You act as Megatronus's pet. You think I'm blind? You think all I do is in service of some greater rebellion and I have no personal stake? Hardly. Revenge is a great deal of this too. Revenge on the Primes who made this world an accursed pit!" He paused, looking down on Straxus with a disgusted glance. The governor weakly grabbed at Megatron's hand. "Rust in peace." Megatron discharged the cannon, and Straxus's body fell lifeless to the ground.
And so we return with the next chapter! Consider the war officially started, though it might not seem quite so openly warfare-ridden just yet. The Siege of Darkmount is just the beginning... Also, for Shockwave fans, there's a bit of him in this too. Enjoy. ---------------------------------------------------------- Chapter XVII: Resolve Optimus burst into the chamber after Nemesis thundered through the doors, and took in the scene in a heartbeat: Megatron, his fusion cannon still smoking. The lifeless body of the governor on the floor, headless. An unknown red bot, vehicle wings on his back, and an Insecticon, different from the others as Jazz said. A female. "Megatron, what have you done?" Optimus said, taking a step forward. The leader of the Tyrannicons turned to face the incoming group, glancing between each of them. "Ultra Magnus, the commander of the Autotroopers. The former Dion. Ironhide, one of the Autotroopers. But you," he said, pointing at Optimus, "You I don't recognize." "You don't need to, because I'm going to break you to pieces, Megatron!" Nemesis lunged at the Tyrannicon leader, who didn't move. Rampage jumped in the way and shouldered Nemesis aside, and he watched the bot warily. "As I said, I don't recognize you," Megatron said, ignoring Nemesis. The black bot restrained himself, but only barely, his gaze smoldering. "I am the emissary of Sentinel Prime known as Optimus. And I was reformatted from someone you knew, Megatron. Orion Pax." Megatron's eyes widened. "By The Pit. Orion Pax lives!" He relaxed. "Of course, that would affect me if I had actually had anything to do with your apparent demise. That was Shockwave Primal's doing, as you remember." As the pair spoke, Airachnid moved closer, keeping her body low and ready to pounce on Ultra Magnus. "Nonetheless, you know of Dion's fate. Both you and this new Cybertronian have confirmed his original identity was that of my comrade Dion. So you," Optimus said, taking another step, "are responsible for having abducted him." "My, my, it seems you're capable of deductive reasoning. Astute of you. Yes, of course I took Dion. I left you for dead because you had a hole no bot could repair. How you survived, I don't know. His wounds, on the other hand, were far less grievous." "And the Terrorcon?" Optimus asked. "You can't believe what he says, Optimus!" Ironhide flipped his blasters out, taking a battle-ready stance as his eyes flicked from target to target. "I believe Megatron intends to further his own agenda, no matter the cost. He has committed murder, and of a public official." Optimus ground the gears in his hand into a fist. "It is clear his plans have been in motion for some time." Megatron sighed. "Of course. Do you take me for a fool, chasing after the tailgates of other Cybertronians? No, I forge my own path: one with necessary bloodshed, yes, and that's an unfortunate price. The caste system must be toppled, and the Primes with it!" Is he mad? The removal of the Primes, and the caste system, would completely destabilize the Cybertronian social and economic hierarchy overnight. If there is to be change, it needs to be peaceful, not through revolution! Optimus closed his eyes, took a deep breath. "You did not mention the Terrorcon." "Shockwave Primal?" Megatron paused, looking at Nemesis for a moment. "Captured. For now." "For now? You should have executed that cannibal a long time ago," Magnus said. "You'd be wise to watch your tone, Autobot. Cannibalism is a necessary way of life in certain parts of Cybertron," Airachnid shot back. "Shut up! All of you are nothing but scrap as far as I'm concerned." Nemesis paced back and forth, his black frame large and glinting in the light. "Orion, dead before he could save me. Magnus and Ironhide, the ineffective. Some Insecticon schemer. Rampage, the tirebrained brawler. And the master planner who thinks he's so slick, Megatron. Why should I listen to any of this any longer instead of beating you to a bunch of screws?" he finished. "Because I can destroy you in a heartbeat. I destroyed Straxus, a subordinate of the Primes, a soldier elite. What gives you the right to even talk to me, boy?" Megatron charged his cannon, aiming it at Nemesis's head. Nemesis took a step, and Optimus saw Megatron's eyes waver. He doesn't want to shoot him for some reason. Because he reformatted him? Nemesis strode forward, knocking the cannon out of the way, and landed a heavy blow on Megatron's face, sending the Tyrannicon sprawling. "You dare?!" Megatron tried to say, but Nemesis picked him up by the throat. Rampage stared dumbly. Airachnid made no move to help. Nemesis lifted him up off the floor, and shook him as if he were a rag doll. "I dare? Well, it's about time someone did! Who do you think you are, Megatron, king of the universe? You're nothing but a petty tyrant! I should rip out your optics, let you stumble around the real dregs for a while. That'll teach you some manners, at the very least!" Nemesis slammed Megatron down into the ground. The room was deathly quiet. Then Rampage roared, and the battle erupted in chaos. Optimus immediately went for Nemesis, attempting to restrain him; he saw Ironhide roll into a jump, knocking Rampage off a crash course with Nemesis. Ultra Magnus blasted Airachnid back but she deflected most of the energy, the pair diverting away from the main scuffle with the Tyrannicons. Optimus grabbed at Nemesis's grille, pulling the other bot away from Megatron and Rampage. He struggled, and eventually rammed an elbow into Optimus's face, dizzying the Autobot. Through a brief optic haze, he saw Rampage punching Ironhide in the face repeatedly, nonstop, as if relishing the sound of knuckle on metal. Optimus flipped out his blaster, but Nemesis kicked him away. The dark bot jumped on Rampage an instant later to pull him backward by the neck, dragging him off Ironhide and smashing him into the throne room's wall. Optimus caught a glimpse of Ultra Magnus tackling Airachnid into a side room, and put the two from his mind. The leader of the Autotroopers and a Great War veteran, he was sure Magnus could take care of himself. His bigger concern was Nemesis, Rampage, and Megatron: he still wasn't even sure whose side Nemesis was on. "Enough!" Megatron stood in the center of the maelstrom, his normally chiseled features contorted in rage. "You want proof of power, proof of leadership? I'll give that to you, Nemesis. I'll take you all on!" Megatron discharged the cannon from his arm, but he threw a punch at the same time, sending the cannon's barrel straight into Ironhide's head. The Autotrooper took it full on, getting knocked over and out by the sheer weight of the fusion cannon. It narrowly avoided discharging into Ironhide himself, instead sending the purple bolt through the wall. Megatron grabbed Rampage by one of his wings, tossing him onto the throne, and he proceeded to land a blow on Nemesis's gut in turn. He used the forward momentum to skid on his feet, sparks erupting from the floor, to loop around the back of the black bot and pick him up from behind, throwing him into the wall. Magnus and Airachnid crashed back through the wall, Airachnid finally downed as a result. Ultra Magnus charged Megatron, who didn't spare the veteran a look, simply shoving his fist out in a punch that connected with Magnus's jaw, stumbling him. "You all think you're noble. And he thinks he's the righteous fighter. But you don't ever see what happens in the real world. I've been among the dregs of Cybertron, remember? I know what real horror looks like. You've probably never even laid eyes on The Pit." Optimus was lost in the malevolent red glow of Megatron's eyes. The bot was mad with rage, but all this from a mockery of his pride? It seems too much. This has been building. Megatron's self-control is not as ideal as he makes out. Optimus readied himself, and blocked the first punch Megatron sent his way. The Tyrannicon almost tripped over himself, his fury near palpable. "Optimus!" He lunged at the Autobot, only for Magnus, now recovered, to leap in and restrain him. "Get off me!" "Megatron, your tyranny ends here, before it begins. Your spark may be in the right place, but murder can never be condoned." Optimus raised a fist to knock out Megatron, and the roof rumbled. All present raised their eyes to see Soundwave burst through the ceiling, converting to robot mode in the center of the brawl. Soundwave turned to each of the combatants, his blank faceplate showing nothing of his emotions. Optimus watched as a grin began forming on Megatron's lips. He tried to warn the others, knowing something coming, but not what. Soundwave slammed his fists into the ground, the large thruster folded into his back from his vehicle mode unfolding and splitting. It formed some kind of amplifier, and as Optimus watched, the Tyrannicons all turned off their facial sensors. Oh no. No. A burst of amplified cyberstun feedback erupted from the Spychanger's speakers, the thunderous sound knocking the Autobots out cold. * * * "You were delayed, I take it." Megatron brushed off Soundwave's hand, standing of his own accord. The Spychanger nodded. "Brawl has already instructed the Vehicons to flee in accordance with your plans. The Insecticons left as well." "The Seekers?" "En route to Polyhex's Seeker Academy, to disable Jetfire and eliminate the remaining threats there." "Belay that. There's no need to hunt them. We'll want them on our side, any unnecessary bloodshed will just give the enemy more to use against us." Megatron walked over to Airachnid, tapping her forehead. "Nngh...He's a rather big bruiser." She rubbed her faceplate, casting a glance at Magnus. "No doubt. He was one of the original Autobot leaders. Are you still functional?" "Of course." She rose to her spider legs, shaking herself off. "What did Soundwave even do?" "A precisely tuned sonic boom which knocks out any Cybertronian with aural sensors tuned on. Unfortunately, it only works in smaller, enclosed spaces like this." Megatron walked over to Nemesis, kicking him in the side. "Junker. You'd be dead without me, and you're barely a fighter even now." "Oh, relax already. You could have scrapped him, you can scrap him now, who cares." Rampage fluttered his door wings, wincing as one ground on the gear slightly. "Shut up, Rampage." Megatron balled his hands into fists. "What, now you're mad at me? Get over yourself." "I said shut up!" Megatron raised a fist to smash in Rampage's face, and the other bot leered at him. After a second, Megatron lowered the fist. "It's not about killing everyone. It's about sending messages. Making statements." He turned from Nemesis. "Not making enemies." "He's an enemy nonetheless, now." Airachnid slunk closer, clambering partly onto Megatron's frame. "He obviously blames you for everything." "As well he should. We'll leave him. You implanted him with Dark Energon, as I instructed?" Soundwave nodded. "Then he will come to us at some point anyway, I'm sure. We need to get out of here before the Autobots retake Darkmount. The Wreckers will no doubt have acquired what I need, and I must speak with Shockwave." We are so close to open revolt. This will be played off by the political pundits, but true revolution comes soon. Soon, my banner shall wave, and all shall hail Megatron. He watched his Tyrannicons grouping up for transit. Airachnid did not seem suspicious of anything. Insurance. Rampage would have had to say that. * * * "So you constructed for yourself a Terrorcon. To what end?" Shockwave stared, his single eye boring a hole into Megatron. Ah, this will be easy. "For what other purpose? To terrorize. And as another incentive for you to join us. More of your kind." Megatron crossed his arms. "Surely now you can believe I desire your assistance?" "You assume a single Terrorcon ally will sway me to work with you. For what purpose do you expect me to join you? Your battle is of no concern to me." "Your research, of course." Megatron stood alone in front of the cage, the other Tyrannicons dispersed on their own personal businesses. He wanted this encounter to be solo, at least for now. "Completion of it, a full understanding of Dark Energon, and the chance to put your power to good use. You'd be free for experimentation on subjects I would gift you." "You seek a scientist, not a soldier." Well, I'll give him that he's intelligent. "Yes, I do. A warrior is easy to come by. A thinker is harder. A creator even more so." Shockwave's eye whirred. "What would you suggest?" "You don't intend to question me further as to why you'd help me?" "You did create a Terrorcon, and after all of this, you have not executed me. Your behavior thus far has not been in accordance with the other Cybertronians I have encountered." I knew Dion would come in handy, even if he's no longer with us as a potential soldier. "Are you familiar with the Targetmasters?" Megatron paced in front of the cage. Shockwave accessed his internal drives, making clunking noises for a moment. Evidently he needed some retrofitting. "The Targetmasters were veterans of the skirmishes before the Great War. Autobot and Decepticon alike, transforming and partnering with allies to create more accurate and powerful weapon systems. An intriguing notion." "What if I told you I wanted you to become a different kind of Targetmaster?" "That is illogical. I am not capable of transforming into the kind of alternate weaponized mode you would require without significant retrofitting, to which I will not agree." "No, Shockwave. I suggest something else entirely." Here comes the ultimate bait. Let's see if he bites. "I know Airachnid plots her own agenda, and holds no true allegiance to me, supposed mate or otherwise. But she controls the Insecticon hive." Shockwave Primal clicked his fingers together. "Continue." "You desire the knowledge to complete your research, but you've shown a willingness to experiment upon yourself, given your dalliance with Dark Energon. Why should I not offer Airachnid to you? Work with her, and glean from her processors the keys to your formulas. In exchange, working with her, you will become a Targetmaster, in that you will coordinate the hive's efforts through your considerable excess processing power. Insecticon foot soldiers, wielding heavy weapons!" Megatron held up a fist. "An iron army capable of bestial might and militaristic precision. Your vision is impressive." Shockwave flexed his claws. "My agreement will be contingent on one item." And thus, I soon will be in total control. "That being?" "Freedom. Release me from these power bonds, and allow me to come and go as I please." "And how am I to trust you? After all, I have put great faith in your cooperation even thus far. Other Cybertronians would have killed you on sight." "This is correct. Nonetheless, freedom I will have. My word is not a material bond, but to go against it suggests a duplicity of which I am incapable." Megatron mused. After a moment, he waved a hand, his fingers miming a sequence of keystrokes, and the bars retracted at his command. Shockwave Primal stepped out, Blackarachnia's spider legs on his chest giving him a more imposing build. The Terrorcon's relatively light frame seemed thicker than most, and with the addition of his cannon, which Megatron had in storage, he would have been on par with the Tyrannicon leader himself. As Megatron watched, Shockwave knelt, but never removed his single eye from staring at him. "I hereby serve Lord Megatron of the Tyrannicons." His eye whirred. "Though I maintain that should he betray me or his promises ring false, I will succeed in tearing him limb from limb with extreme prejudice." "Good. Then your faith in me shall be rewarded. Arise, Shockwave Primal. Arise." Megatron grinned. Soon, I will have my Terrorcon Targetmaster. The Insecticons will reign as proper soldiers. Airachnid's scheming will fall by the wayside. Straxus has already fallen. And what else can challenge me now? His thoughts turned to the Primes, and he realized what needed to be done. There was only one thing which could be done, in essence. And it would require the further acceleration of his plans. "Wait. What did you call me?" "Lord Megatron." Lord. The title of the master of the Decepticons during the Great War. But the goal was not to be master of one race, but of all. A fitting enough title. "Very well. I am nothing like The Fallen, but I will take the title regardless." "I will require a laboratory." "You shall have it. While I left Darkmount in possession of the Autobots for the moment, attacking Polyhex's weakened infrastructure to draw the defenses elsewhere will allow us to occupy and fortify it easily. We may even be capable of doing that without firing a single shot, assuming you can work stealthily enough with the Insecticons." "That will not be an issue." "Then go and begin your preparations. I am trusting in you, Shockwave. Know that your threat goes both ways: should you betray your promise to serve me, I will have you hunted like nothing on Cybertron before, and I will ensure your swift and utter destruction." Shockwave Primal seemed to smile, his eye angling downward. "To do otherwise would be highly...illogical."
First, The Reunion chapter was awesome, slight filler, but did well in moving the plot. I enjoyed Inferno's backstory, though I was kinda disappointed at how easy Straxus was killed. Resolve is intense, or getting intense. Nemesis, Megatron so reminiscent of BM Megatron, Shockwave pledging allegiance in a way that comes second to IDW Shockwave. Just wow. I wonder if Wheeljack will fight Shockwave over a lab room : D
Just a quick bump, to make some announcements and respond to ARC: --Warhead is getting longer than anticipated, so please do bear with me. I have a lot of interesting stuff coming up, but it will take time to cover everything. --Targetmasters are only the beginning. As I mentioned before, tons of stuff is getting integrated, from the ground up: this is my mythos, though, so things will continue to get pretty complex. Did I just potentially give a hint toward the future events? Maaaybe... --Okay, I can't resist giving tidbits! For one, Straxus's story isn't over (wait, but isn't he dead, Vai?!). For another, the cast is going to get even bigger as time goes on...but we're going to start murdering a lot more. Get ready for that, as I'd rather not alienate people by having them think characters will last the entire story, haha. @ARC: Inferno's backstory was meant to be longer, but yeah, got trimmed down. I just liked the mad scientist type Wheeljack producing him in the same way G1 Wheeljack kept rolling nutty stuff out all the time that didn't QUITE work as intended. I actually haven't read the IDW comics at all, so I'll maybe need to check them out, could be a good source of interesting ideas. As for Wheeljack and Shockwave, oooh boy are they going to have fun together.
And thus we return after a short hiatus. Unfortunately, not the most thrilling chapter, but it is setup for later stuff. Here we also introduce a character I've been interested in throwing in for a little while, and hint at more things to come... In terms of update times, don't expect a lot of consistency, guys -- I've got my thesis work in full swing now, hence the bigger delays between stuff. It sucks, but it is what it is. ---------------------------------------------------------- Chapter XVIII: Storm Jetfire took some deep breaths, trying to calm his nerves. Here he was, about to ask Sentinel Prime for one of the most insane requests anyone possibly could. The doors to Vector Sigma's inner sanctum opened, and as Jetfire turned, the Energon drained from his face lights. Megatronus Prime stood before him, stooping down to look at the Seeker. "You need something from us, I take it?" "Yes sir, begging your pardon. Would you be willing to listen to a request?" Jetfire tried to appear calm. Collected. An Air Commander had to remain in control, or else everything went straight down the drain. Megatronus beckoned him enter the chamber, and Jetfire followed. The Prime sat in one of the twin thrones there, his servos creaking with age. The room's opening to the stars looked gorgeous, and put Jetfire somewhat at ease. Sentinel was nowhere to be seen. "Now that we are more comfortable, please go on. I imagine you wished to speak to Sentinel, but he is preoccupied." "Sir, I'd like to request the admittance of the Blitzwings to my Seeker Armada, to allow Polyhex to continue defensive operations and recover from the Siege of Darkmount." "Ah yes, the Siege. Funny, they named it already. And you want to release the Blitzwings for this?" Jetfire tensed, standing with his feet closer, more militaristic. As if that's going to impress a Prime. "With all due respect, while they are loose cannons, they are also highly trained warriors capable of incredible feats. Given the power of the invading force and the almost total lack of reinforcements, I would use them to bolster our weakened defenses." "Request denied." Megatronus stood up abruptly. "Those four are nothing but trouble. You would bring back some of the most dangerous criminals we've had of late just to engage in a skirmish. Sentinel and I are working to solve the problem already. These upstart Tyrannicons will not be a problem for long." Jetfire detected a note of annoyance in the Prime's voice. So much for not making him mad. And upstarts? These Tyrannicons killed one of the governors of Cybertron! "I appreciate your candidness, sir." "You honestly think they're your solution? Killing begets killing. There's only one real way to stop the war, and that's a surrender. Cybertronians have always fought over one thing, and one thing only: ideology. It doesn't matter who has the guns, or the Energon, or anything else. We as a species do not kill unless we feel our core processing is threatened. How can it be, short of total annihilation? Ideology. The lack of understanding between robots." Megatronus turned away from Jetfire, looking up to the sky. Ideology? In a fantasy land, maybe. Nowadays, robots are more practical. The Prime seemed lost in thought, and Jetfire waited politely. After several moments passed, Jetfire began shifting his weight, and coughed, trying to gain the Prime's attention without making him angry. Megatronus turned around. "There is one other problem with your request." "And that is?" "The Blitzwings, among other Cybertronian prisoners, have been loaded onto a specialized survey vessel. A small crew known as the Protectobots are going to be transporting them to a remote planet, where they will be exiled. Think of it as a prison planet." "Won't they be able to escape?" Jetfire asked. "No. They are stored in stasis pods. They will not be freed from the pods until well after the craft reaches its destination." Jetfire thought he saw a smile cross Megatronus's face, but couldn't tell what the Prime would be pleased about. After all, he had just blundered in and asked for the release of military prisoners. "What do you call this ship?" Megatronus paused, looking up to the stars. He stared at them, something undecipherable going on in the workings of his mind. "Sentinel and I both agreed upon the name. It's being christened as the Ark." * * * Straxus's body lay prone and lifeless in the center of Darkmount's throne room, the bot's head mangled and blown apart. A single Cybertronian stepped into the room, cloaked in a fabric, shimmering and partially cloaked. Its size was much smaller than that of most Cybertronians, standing less than half of Straxus's original height. "Ah, Straxus, how we knew ye." The cloaked bot picked up Straxus's head. A finger extended from its other hand, soldering some of the connections within the head. "Well, I can't fix death. Still, you can be of use." The cloaker turned to the body, throwing off its heavy hood. He tossed the head aside, striding toward the body, and ripped out some of the circuitry still sizzling, leaving an open peg port on Straxus's neck. Standing short, the bot was painted a bronzed hue with tan secondary, its head for no apparent reason a chromed silver. The telltale sound of conversion played as the Cybertronian transformed, plugging into Straxus's neck, the remainder of his bulk distributed into a backpack and shoulder augmentation set. Straxus's body rose with its new head, shifting and adjusting its servos. The new face of Straxus held a silvery faceplate and visor with a navy sheen. "Not an altogether unpleasant feeling. But then he is a corpse. Usually the living are more the annoyance with which to combine." The newly empowered Cybertronian opened a holographic link over comms to Megatronus. "For now, the body's taken care of. Is there anything else you need?" The Prime smiled on the other end of the feed. "You are an impressive sight indeed when you act as your title suggests, Headmaster." "Yes, yes, I'm aware. Please answer my question, if you will." "Jetfire, you remember him? He was asking to let loose the Blitzwings. The idea had to come from somewhere, and I haven't seen Sentinel for some time. He's the real problem." "So an assassination, then." "No, Chromedome. Just because Sentinel is elsewhere doesn't mean I demand his immediate execution." Chromedome rubbed his forehead using Straxus's arm. "So what, then? Jetfire needs to go down?" "No, he's Autobot aligned, and I may need him in the future. For now, I want you to focus on the Autobots. Sentinel produced a minion of some sort out of a young bot I knew called Orion Pax. The new one fights known as Optimus and participated in the defense of Darkmount." Megatronus clasped his hands, the picture fuzzing slightly as he leaned in. "I want to know what he's up to at all times. Megatron is no issue, but Optimus is more the wild card here." Chromedome nodded. "Anything else? Pseudonym, maybe?" "At your discretion. The Autobots have been working with the petty criminal Rewind, the latter trying to redeem himself. A possible opportunity for you." "Fine. I take it the original directive to protect the Ark still exists." "Of course. The Ark is the key to everything." Megatronus's face darkened. "I don't have to tell you why. You're smart enough you ought to have figured it out by now." "Yeah. The quantum surge is getting closer, so you're bailing on the planet. Nonetheless, I find myself a little at odds with the idea of abandoning the planet. I mean, what's going to be left?" "Ashes to ashes, rust to rust, for all I care." Chromedome wished he could have frowned disapprovingly at the Prime, but his faceplate didn't permit such. Giving up in the face of a surge that strong is understandable, but how could he be so callous about this? The planet is our home world. We've got colonies, sure, but who even cares? It's not Cybertron. It's not home. To sacrifice it and so much of the population in the evacuation is questionable at best. And it's just a surge. A massive one, but just a surge nonetheless. What's got the Primes so spooked they'd be willing to dump an entire planet because of it? "You think I'm insane, stupid, or have reverted to being The Fallen, don't you?" "Hardly. I know better." "I should hope so. There's also the issue of the unknown black Transformer seen at the battle." Megatronus paced on the other end of the comm. "Reports suggested it was kin to Optimus. Find out what it is, and on whose side it is." Chromedome sighed. For a Prime, he's not just bossy, it's like he's scared of what's going on. Doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. "Aye aye. You're going to keep your end of the bargain?" "Of course, Chromedome. Your...spawn will be released soon enough." Spawn? Don't talk about Arcee and Elita-1 like that. Prime or no, I'll use this body to rip out your head and then you're the next body I'll jack into. Chromedome picked up Straxus's battle mace, hefting it in his hand. "Let's remember, Decepticon or no, promises by Primes are promises." "I have yet to do anything to them beyond confine them for their own safety. I sheltered them for your benefit." "Benefit my tailpipe. You wanted me to do some of your dirty work, so you kidnapped them. I don't care what Rewind was up to. Elita-1 can take care of herself, and Arcee was a fast tracker in the cadet program." "All the more reason to protect your investment." Oh, I'll protect them, alright. There's nothing I want more than to bash your optics in with this mace. But I'll play your game. Chromedome is nothing if not consistent. Or inconsistent. However I mean that. Stupid bodies always try and make a gestalt mind even without a head. "Whatever." "Now then, Headmaster. I leave you to your work." * * * Starscream paced. "You know, we had so many opportunities, Megatron. We could have taken Darkmount and held it, we could have destroyed Jetfire and led the rise in Polyhex...why did you stop?" The two commanders sat in the Kaon base's meeting room, Megatron examining the codes Rampage extracted from Darkmount's consoles. "Starscream, your expectations betray your ambition." "Excuse me? We're partners, you and I. Surely you realize I have no further ambition other than to see the Tyrannicons succeed." "Hardly partners. I lead the Tyrannicons, Starscream. You lead my Seekers. One dwarfs the other, and command of both is the more appealing position." Megatron stood, stretching his shoulder servos. "So you assume me nothing more than a peon, like the others. I'll have you know, Megatron, I was a prodigy among the Seekers, one of the greatest commanders known, and I've had more successful sorties than every other contemporary commander!" "And yet you followed my orders during the Siege of Darkmount without a shred of hesitation. Skywarp and Thundercracker are mine, and can replace you if need be. But I would not relish losing one of my most trusted lieutenants," Megatron said, emphasizing the words. Starscream nodded. Well, I am no fool either, Megatron. You speak of lieutenants, but we will be nothing but lackeys in a self-aggrandizing order. Which, of course, is ideal for you, given you'll lead the order. "I retract my comments about leadership, but I will still ask for clarification. Why didn't we continue?" "For all your tactical knowledge, you do not possess much of an ever-watchful eye, my friend." Megatron brought up a holographic view of the map. "We had a distinct advantage on the ground, but without your Seekers, air support would have destroyed many of the troops. As it stood, only a small contingent of Vehicons and a handful of Insecticons were scrapped, and almost the entire Darkmount Defense Force was destroyed. "Look also here: Jetfire did manage to acquire reinforcements, as I predicted, but faster than anyone could have assumed they'd come. And led by Orion Pax, no less." "Optimus." "Whatever. Their combiner served to sully the forces more and was responsible for most of the devastation, but the Insecticons were falling into disarray anyway. They can only go so long before falling victim to their own bestial urges, and snipers were picking off the supply lines at the back end of the battle anyway." "With no Energon, they'd kill anything nearby to get some." "Precisely." Starscream tapped his chin. Perhaps his tactical knowledge is worth gleaning information from. Still, there is no reason ambitions need be put on hold. I can certainly become a leader of Decepticon, Tyrannicon, and Autobot alike. "So why not allow me to scrap Jetfire?" "Ah, that. A stroke of genius, if I do say so myself. Think about it. Jetfire will be consumed by his battle preparations and little else. The other quadrants will be on high alert, expecting us to attack, but to go for Darkmount again will confuse them and also render Jetfire ineffective." Shockwave Primal entered the room, bending over due to his height to pass through the doorframe. "Preparations for Targetmaster conversion are underway, Lord Megatron." Starscream blinked, and looked at Megatron. "I was not aware you'd given yourself a new title." "It's somewhat new." Megatron waved a hand. "Shockwave, I will attend to such business later. I leave you to your own devices. If you need anything, contact Wheeljack and his Wreckers. He is skilled in engineering, and will understand what equipment you may need to procure." "Very well." Shockwave left the room. "I still can't believe you've given that brute free rein. Don't you think he'd rather slit our throats in our sleep and suck our precious fluids right out from our reactors?" Starscream shuddered. The thought of such a death makes the Energon run cold. "Shockwave Primal will be most useful in the coming times. His interests in the sciences create opportunities for me to tamper with creation. And to make it my own." "Your ambition is limitless...my liege." Starscream grinned. That title ought to make him think, at the very least. A sudden crash was heard, and both Tyrannicons looked up. Outside, Airachnid pinned Shockwave to the wall, his single eye staring down malevolently at her. She hung her body low between her spider legs. "This mockery of an Insecticon thinks it can feed on me when it likes!" Starscream sat back behind Megatron, watching. Oh, this will be quite the show. "Feed on you? Shockwave, explain yourself." Megatron crossed his arms. "First, instruct Airachnid to release me." "Airachnid." She looked at Megatron incredulously. "Do it. My patience wears thin." She slunk off Shockwave, agitated and tittering to herself. "I merely instructed Airachnid to release a small dosage of excess Energon in her refinement process. I intend to test a connection with the hive by feeding upon that refined Energon." "You think such an act is key enough to your research?" Megatron said. His finger tapped on his arm. Starscream watched him, curious. This is not quite agitation due to a lover, no. Anyone can see he does not wait on the harpy hand and foot. But why does he question Shockwave? Why does he seem so perturbed by this? "It is a possible solution. There are other potential options." Shockwave shifted on his feet. "Apologies, Airachnid. I did not mean...offense. I am blunt by nature. Emotions are not a useful drive for me." "Accepted." Airachnid skittered off to a corner of the room. "I will not, however, be subject to horrific tests if that's what it means to get your Insecticon army out of my hive." She glanced at Megatron, her lips downturned. Starscream watched him relax. The conflict between Shockwave and Airachnid. Something about it specifically...I shall have to watch this with great interest indeed. Megatron pulled Starscream aside a second later, almost cuffing him around the head as he did so. "My dearest Starscream, do remember something as you watch with such a grin on your face. I am a leader of the Tyrannicons, and while I am lenient on my followers for the most part, trying to figure out what I'm up to will gain you no allies." "Ah, I understand. I meant no offense, I was merely observing." Starscream paused, then chanced a second line. "After all, I'm no fan of that Insecticon female." "Fan or not, I don't care. You will speak respectfully, and if you decide to formulate plans, by all means...so long as they benefit me or the Tyrannicons directly as a result. Am I clear, Starscream?" "Crystal clear, Lord Megatron." Satisfied, Megatron strode off to speak to Airachnid, leaving Starscream to ponder. He stared at them for a time, mulling over the day's events. Things still didn't add up. He had attacked Darkmount for no apparent purpose other than some transmission codes, allowing him to broadcast across the planet. Propaganda was too simple an answer. And why not wait to engage in open assault after the Insecticons had been turned into Targetmaster drones? It made no sense. Unless what he intends is to lull all of Cybertron into a false sense of security, and steal it out from under its own mother's gaze. Starscream resisted the urge to shudder. The only parents Cybertron had remaining were, of course, the twin Primes. The only answer the Seeker could come up with was open warfare.
Churned this out when I got off work early. We're introducing another new character, and getting some different perspectives. Say hello to Warhead Hound! Enjoy. ---------------------------------------------------------- Chapter XIX: Doppelganger He is a danger to himself and everyone around him. Optimus is blind to it. He is young. Naive. He thinks himself powerful because of the upgrades, but they can only do so much. Skill is earned through experience. I failed him. Sentinel shook his head. And Dion is so full of rage now, too. Implanted with Dark Energon, a loathsome abomination, but I cannot execute him for heresy he didn't commit. The Prime sat in the control room of the Ark, touching the central panels of the computer bank. "Hound, estimated time of completion?" Sentinel watched the dials carefully. A forest green Cybertronian poked his head out of the guts of the computer. "Don't know too well right now, Sentinel. It could be a few cycles, could be a decacycle." "Make it faster. I'll be more comfortable when the scum are off planet." Of course, that's just the surface reason, isn't it, Sentinel? You want to make it look like you're jettisoning garbage, nothing but filth. But the Blitzwings did your dirty work during the war. So much Energon spilled, and all of it on your hands. And after all, the Ark is far too large for a prison transport. Room for a thousand Cybertronians, a star harvester, even cyberforming gear? You lie to everyone even as you lie to yourself, Sentinel. Everything is for the good of your people, that's how you're protecting your delicate ego, but what you're doing is making the largest colony everywhere, and stamping out any terrestrial life there. How pathetic. "Sir?" Hound stared at the Prime, and Sentinel shook off the spectre of his thoughts. "What?" "I wanted to ask if I could be transferred when I'm done here." "For what purpose?" Hound lifted a wrench out of the machine, leaning over the side. "Well, the way I figure, the war's going to start up. Tyrannicons or whatever versus Autobot and Decepticon alike. Or maybe the Decepticons are pretending to be something different. But I was a kid back when the first war rolled around. I've seen a lot." "Get to the point." Sentinel ground his fingers, causing sparks to erupt. "Point is, most of what I've seen isn't pretty. Lots of neutrals getting scrapped, partnerships destroyed. I want to stop that from happening." Sentinel snickered, and then laughed, the sound booming in the small control chamber. "You young ones, so idealistic. I remember when I was like you, the moment I met Solus Prime. I thought myself capable of changing the world, of being able to do anything, go anywhere, solve any problem. And look at us, Hound: we're repeating the same mistakes, again and again. Megatronus started the last war, Unicron's influence or no." Hound shuddered at the mention of Unicron's name. The planetoidal nightmare had ushered in the darkest age of Cybertron during the end of the Great War, before his eventual defeat by the combined might of the twin Primes. Sentinel ignored Hound's discomfort. "And then I met Legion Maximus. Or, as he preferred to call himself, and what every Decepticon probably thinks of him as: the Liege Maximo. Such silver words! You have been blessed and cursed, Hound, that your kin have never heard his manipulations. It was he who shattered the web of dreams that kept me from understanding the world." "What did he say to you?" Sentinel shook his head. "I will never repeat those words. I could never do them justice." Not to mention you distrusted him at first. Go on, Sentinel. Tell the boy of how you tried to attack Legion. How Prima himself was ready to cut you down for your impudence. How Megatronus laughed and laughed. "So are you saying no?" "I don't have control of you, Hound. The caste system might as well be in shambles. The Tyrannicons are already succeeding, whether or not we Primes want to admit it. No one enjoys the caste system but it served a purpose. Now? Now I question whether it had a purpose in the first place." Sentinel turned a mournful gaze toward the Autobot, and felt a pang of sorrow when he saw Hound was in awe. Of course he would be. No one has ever heard the inner woes of a Prime. No one has ever seen the admittance of failure. Oh, Sentinel. If Solus could see you now, how disappointed would she be? He sighed, and blinked when he noticed Hound was saluting him with the wrench. "Stop that. I'm not interested in such displays of submission." "Sir, it's not submission. It's pride. For so long, we all thought you Primes were impossible to figure out. Devious but kind, way ahead of the curve. But you're just like us, aren't you? And to have done this for so long, to have tried to keep the world on course, it has to have taken a toll on you. And for that, you deserve it." He straightened himself even further. Sentinel smiled, trying to control his emotions. So young. They're all so young. They don't understand what I'm going to do to them. What Megatronus and I have planned for the Ark. I wish I could tell them, even one, and ease my conscience, but if I did, the Tyrannicons might end our entire race by accident. I wish I could tell them. * * * Nemesis glared at Optimus, the two of them uncannily alike, as if clones. Optimus suppressed a shiver. This was his best friend, the one who'd been so close they'd shared a body type. But now, he seemed to want nothing more than outright murder. "Dion, you must speak to us. Tell us what they did to you." Optimus knelt down, trying to get the other Transformer to empathize with him. "Hah. All you want is peace. Goody two-shoes. I was so weak before, and you stopped me from stomping Megatron out and finishing this all in one go. You don't know how to fight a war." "The Dion I knew wasn't this aggressive." "Things change. Like my name. I'm Nemesis now." Ironhide stepped forward, smacking Nemesis upside the head. "Really? Get a grip. We're all Autobots here. There's no reason you shouldn't cooperate with us." Nemesis raised his hands, showcasing the power bonds around his wrists. "Very trustworthy." Optimus waved Jazz forward, who unlocked the bonds. "Better?" Nemesis rubbed his wrists. "A little. Anyway, I know where their base is. I think." Ultra Magnus, sitting back in the corner, perked up. "Then you are obligated to tell us, at the very least. We can end this before it begins, and bring Megatron to justice." Nemesis stood up, and his chest cracked in two, opening wide to reveal his spark chamber. Intimate. Blackened by Shockwave's creation, Dark Energon. "You think I want to bring him to justice after he's done this? Look at my spark. Look at it! I'm no cannibal, but they made me a Terrorcon. Why? Who cares? My goal is simple. Crush them. No mercy. Relentless assault. Endless retribution. I'd tear his spark out and put it in an Energon crusher for all eternity if I could," Nemesis spat, slamming a hand on the table so hard the metal bent downward. The room went silent. Optimus regarded his once-friend with a cautious eye. So much anger. I didn't expect it to have done this to him. He's barely Dion anymore. How am I supposed to remind him of what he once was? The answer hit Optimus in a second. "And how do you expect to present yourself to Elita-1 if you're so violent? Do you think she'd like this side of you?" Nemesis put a hand on the table and went to respond, but stopped short, thinking. "I...I guess not. But what am I supposed to do? There's so much power in this body and so much darkness. It's like I've got the blood of Unicron pulsing through my circuits." "You can be better than you ever thought you could be," Magnus said quietly, quoting an old recruitment video from the Great War. "And you can be yourself. Remember who you were, instead of hurtin' about what you are now," Jazz chimed in. "Nemesis, I respect you are a different person than you once were. Our experiences can change us. Make us grow into the people we are meant to be. But this anger is a growing pain, and it will stifle you if you let it control you. Join us, as you once joined us before, and become part of my circle of friends again." Optimus offered Nemesis a hand. Nemesis eyed it askance, but after a moment, he extended his own and shook it. All is as it should be. But why do I sense Dion...no, Nemesis. Why do I sense he is still unconvinced? There remains some unspoken part of his spark. I must find out how I can help him more. I was turned into a weapon as well. The least I can do is help him cope. "The facility they experimented on me in was here, just inside the Kaonic border." Nemesis pointed at the map on the wall. "Inside Kaon? What are they, nuts?" Ironhide said. "What do you mean?" Optimus crossed his arms. "Well, the 'Cons are bound to be less than thrilled with the Tyrannicons, given Polyhex was 'Con territory, Straxus was one of them, and on top of all that, they're spouting some of the same stuff that The Fallen did when the Great War started." Ultra Magnus snorted. "Their leadership is inept compared to that of a Prime. Any true Cybertronian army has a Prime at its head. This has always been the standard. Whether or not one can be effectively led by a regular isn't in question, but to get the people to follow you, you need a symbol." "Especially given they've got a lot of beasties and baddies with 'em. Nobody I know would like to hang out with the Tyrannicons based on the company they keep," Jazz said, tapping his visor. "It's also where we were going for an investigation before the Siege of Darkmount," Optimus said, examining the map. "So Rewind's information panned out. Where are he and Ratchet, anyway?" "Tending to the Constructicons. Devastator did not suffer much damage, but the combination cannot be performed without some issues physically. It was a problem with every combiner during the Great War." Magnus shrugged. Alarm sirens began blaring in Autotrooper headquarters as automated shutters rolled down on the windows. All present looked up in surprise, and Magnus gritted his teeth. "Evidently, Megatron has seen fit to try and remove his previous problem to an unopposed rule of Darkmount." Optimus flipped out his blaster. "I think not." He looked to Nemesis, who nodded. "Let's kick some tailpipe, Optimus." Nemesis hesitated. "For Orion and Dion." Something unspoken passed between the two. * * * Scrapper stared out at the night sky of Cybertron. His fellow Constructicons were still being worked on, but would be out soon from the repair bay, once Ratchet and Rewind were finished with repairs. Their time as Devastator had taken somewhat of a toll on them. Thoughts merged and flowed but broke apart too easily among the group. Arguments often broke out and settled too quickly. "Stargazing?" It was Bonecrusher, he knew, without having to turn around. Their thoughts still clung to one another, an interconnected network. "Something like that. You think we're on the right side?" Mixmaster walked in the room, but Scrapper knew from the gestalt's fading meld that Ratchet and Rewind were still behind in the lab, finishing a discussion. "And you think we're not?" "Not exactly. We crushed all those Tyrannicons like punks." "Awesome, I'd say." Mixmaster grinned. "But Scrapper thinks we killed too much. And that we enjoyed it like the Tyrannicons seem to." "A bit, yeah." "Take those thoughts and turn 'em to exhaust, Scrapper. We nearly got scrapped ourselves by Insecticons. You want to help Megatron after all that? We can't. There's no chance." "Of course there isn't!" Scrapper snapped. This was the problem with combining. You never got a word in edgewise, because they knew what you thought before you thought it, or as you thought it. No, really? Of course we do. No, that's Mixmaster. Out of my head, Mix. "It's just that we don't know if we can trust the Autobots. They fixed us up..." "But there's no guarantee they think of us as allies, or..." "Anything but stinkin' Decepticons," finished Bonecrusher, interjecting again for the first time. The alarms went off, and the three Constructicons reacted as one. Rewind and Ratchet bolted into the room. "You three, on your feet. We're under attack by Tyrannicons." Ratchet began checking their Energon reserves. "You expect us to fight?" Mixmaster scoffed. "We did a lot in the Siege." "But we're not saying no," Scrapper said, shooting a look at Mixmaster. Rewind turned his head on an angle, staring at them. "Are you all insane, or has this debacle all been a hallucination of mine?" Ratchet looked up. "I don't think so. If you're hallucinating, then I might as well sign up as certifiably insane. I studied for hospital work, not to be a field medic in the middle of a war zone." "You bots hate gettin' dirty," Bonecrusher grunted. "It smacks of weak sparks." "Weak sparks my skidplate, Constructicon. We didn't all start at the peak of our study." Ratchet finished everyone's checks. "Clean bill of health across the board. You're ready to go smash, if you're so inclined." "We think we will. Right, boys?" Scrapper grinned as the other two smashed their fists together in unison, even before he finished speaking. The door opened and the quintet all focused their guns on it at once, and Jazz poked his head in. "Um." They lowered them. "Yeah. Bad guys. You coming?" * * * In the courtyard of the Autotrooper headquarters, a battle raged. The Tyrannicons fielded primarily Vehicons, matched equally with the Autotroopers. Brawl watched the combat carefully. Directing forces was all about equal measure. A careful blow struck here, a shield blotting out an assault there, and the result was total victory. He watched as the Autobot command forces exited the building and began targeting Vehicons, literally turning the tide in seconds. He turned. "Rampage, do we have anything we can use against them?" The red bot scowled at him. "Me! I'm a walking artillery platform! You're a tank! Are you an idiot?" "No, but giving away our individual positions isn't ideal for combat. We're the troop leaders." "You're a troop leader! Let me kill something already!" "Fine. Target the Autobot commanders. I'll see if Shockwave's trinket works." Brawl looked down to a shard of Dark Energon. It had been a stroke of genius on the part of Megatron. Information gleaned from archives, Shockwave's engineering notes and later the assistance of Shockwave, to create a handheld Energon cage which would cause localized interference in sparks. Dangerous, but it only affected the sparks of those whose systems contained the specific Energon inside the cage. Coincidentally, it contained the same Dark Energon which had infected Dion's spark. "Finally!" Rampage converted to vehicle mode, his artillery form revving off to a distance far enough the Autobots wouldn't pinpoint Brawl, and began firing his missiles. At first, it seemed he directed them at random, and Brawl shook his head as he watched explosions rock the field, in more than one case scoring Vehicons and Autobots alike. But the missiles gradually grew closer to the commanders, and Brawl decided to give them two things to worry about. He began squeezing the Energon cage, and focused his optics on Nemesis. Like clockwork, the bot collapsed to his knees, a telltale surge running through his body as the Energon paralysis hit him. He grabbed at his spark, and Brawl let up a little. I don't want to kill him. Just incapacitate him. He's ours. We can take him any time. But we want him to come willingly. Nemesis, he called himself. We'll turn him into a nemesis for Optimus and the Primes. A sharpshooter blast narrowly missed his head and he dropped the cage on the ground, scrabbling to retrieve it. Jazz, no doubt. He'd done his research on the enemy Autobots. The slick sniper was one of them who had little information published on the nets. Whether or not he was a veteran or a novice was irrelevant: he now knew Brawl's location, so there was no point in hiding anymore. Brawl converted to vehicle mode, his hover tank pushing into the crowd, weaving through Vehicons as he fired his cannons. Each round took out an Autobot, and he enjoyed his perfect accuracy before a sniper round intersected one of the shells, exploding it in front of his cannon barrel. Brawl was blown backward, staggered for a moment, but thanks to the Vehicons, his body was sheltered. Definitely a pro sniper. One I'll have to warn Lord Megatron about. He turned to look at Rampage, seeing a missile get blown up while still on his tracking. The force of the blow converted Rampage to robot mode as he stumbled around, falling flat on his face and slipping down an incline into the midst of a Vehicon squad. And this definitely isn't good. That sniper can turn the tide by himself in a close quarters open battle. But we've already accomplished our goal. By now, Lord Megatron's inside Darkmount, and no wretched Constructicons, snipers, or Autobots can stop his plans.
Update: Okay, guys, my apologies for taking so long with this, but I have to ask you to be patient a little longer. Thesis work is going in full, and I need to get that all rolled out before I can start churning out chapters of Warhead again. A few tidbits to whet your appetites: 1. Soundwave will be featured as a primary character in the next chapter, and it will reveal much of Soundwave's motivations. 2. A major battle will occur as part of Chapter XX, partly to thank my readers who have remained with me for what will be 200 pages worth of Warhead. When I say major battle, I don't mean a heavy war scene like the Siege of Darkmount, but rather, important characters...and ones who haven't fought directly before. 3. Due to the sheer scale of Warhead, we are getting closer and closer to the end of the Cybertron arc. Notably, we'll soon be seeing nonstop warfare pretty much everywhere, and soon, very soon...there will be some scrappin'.
And thus, the origins of Megatron are finally fully revealed. Soundwave here is unveiled bare. And the first of the greatest fights of Cybertron begins. ---------------------------------------------------------- Chapter XX: Insurance Megatron strode into the throne room of Darkmount, dragging a once-hostile Seeker corpse by the head. Soundwave and Airachnid flanked him on either side. He stopped, seeing Megatronus Prime himself standing with his back to the doors, the Prime's hands clasped behind his back. "So. You've come at last, then." Megatronus turned. Megatron tossed the Seeker's corpse in front of him. "The surprises never cease. First Orion Pax, then the Nemesis. Now you. But it does save me the trouble of hunting you down." Megatronus laughed, a harsh, grating sound. "Hunting me down? Oh, my little prodigy. You do think so much of yourself." He shifted on his feet, standing in front of Megatron and drawing himself up to his full height, and here Megatron could not help but notice the alien geometry of the Prime. So different from the portraits of Sentinel, and even of the other Primes. Megatronus, The Fallen, the anomaly. But now, thanks to so much data, he had all the answers he needed. And he had the Seekers to thank for it. "Soundwave. I take it you, then, have betrayed Straxus. But have your loyalties shifted away from me, as well?" Megatronus craned his head down, the frills on the side of his face rippling. Soundwave did not reply. Megatron smirked. The Spychanger is mine, Megatronus. You are ancient compared to him, and have yet to prove yourself the way I have. There is nothing you can do to sway Soundwave. "I see you think this amusing, Lord Megatron," Megatronus remarked. "But what do you know of Soundwave? What, truly?" The Prime seemed to smile. Soundwave's hands began twitching. Megatron frowned. "And you would assume you know something I do not. Out with it, then, and dispense with your arrogance." This time the Prime shook with laughter, and after a moment, guffawed, the sound echoing throughout Darkmount. "You presume so much! You call one of the Thirteen arrogant! Nothing but a protoform compared to me, and with every string pulled along the lines I weave, your very core my masterpiece." Megatron's fist clenched. I am his masterpiece? What is this absurdity? Prime or no Prime, I refuse to stand for this nonsense. "I said explain." "As you wish. You may be less than thrilled with what I unveil, Megatron." Behind his back, Megatron clicked a relay device. "In the beginning, there was Primus, and there was Unicron. Primus created the Thirteen to battle with Unicron. But there was only so much we could do, at least at the beginning. It took some time before, at long last, we managed to have our own lives. Our own wants, needs. Putting ourselves in the places of the normal beings inhabiting the universe, rather than as the supreme powers of Cybertron, the descendants of the planet itself." "Ancient history," Airachnid muttered. "Quite right, Insecticon. History you're none too keen to remember, given the Insecticon hives, Predacons, and all the other beasts were beaten back as we created more and more on the surface. Ruthless expansion. That was the key, we wanted a base for the civilization. Each Prime offered a gift to that civilization we built, with the exception of two. Sentinel Prime, created by my dear Solus, was not a Prime like us. So he had no gift to give, no divine power. I, on the other hand, refused. I was not unlike you, Megatron: headstrong and anxious, ambitious, wanting to prove myself." Megatron put a hand on his hip. The relay would be transmitting in full by now. Let the Prime talk. "As you know, I fell. But I rose again. And in doing so, I came to realize my gift could be greater than all the others combined. Better than Cybertronix, our language, the gift of the deftly tongued Liege Maximo. Better than the transformation cog, or anything else. No, I offered something new, though it took me so many eons. I offered you." "What?" Megatron narrowed his eyes. "You see, Megatron, I was the first to undergo what you could call reproduction. We Transformers do not undergo it in the biological sense, like many species. We rely on the Well of All Sparks. But the Well is fading and we cannot rely on it forever. But the fruit of my labor, the fruit of my spark... that was you, Designation 16. A name stemming purely out of desire to hide your lineage, of course." "And how is that different from Insecticon breeding, or from a Cybertronian building another?" Airachnid scoffed. "You offer no gift at all, only lies." "False, I am afraid. When I mention my spark, I mean it literally. I divided part of my spark, and poured it into the mold. That mold was you. You, Megatron, are my direct successor. But I made you in my image not for the reason Solus made Sentinel, as a vanguard protector. No, I made you to fulfill a plan." The Prime began pacing back and forth. "It seemed madness at first. Especially so soon after having purged the influence of Unicron from my systems." "By ripping half of them out by force and gutting your own architecture." Megatron scowled. I cannot believe any of this. I am a construct made by a Prime? To what end? His plan smacks of lunacy. "So you read the old databases? I thought the data clerks locked most of them down in Iacon before Alpha Trion left. No matter. Yes, I was once bigger than Sentinel, bigger than all the Primes but Prima himself. Unicron's influence tainted too much, so, as you say, I gutted myself. Thus..." The Prime indicated his alien appearance, so full of strange angles and even in a few spots, empty spaces. "But it was that endeavor which made me realize the possibility. I did not have to fall to lead once more. I could lead patiently, by example, peacefully." "No self-respecting Decepticon desires peace if it means sacrificing freedom." "Semantics. There is no freedom in war. Not the kind of war you wage, the kind for total freedoms. The caste system is a shackle, but a farcical one," Megatronus said. Airachnid quirked her head at the Prime's use of the word, as if she didn't understand. "Never mind. The important part is this: I made you to rule." "So then why are you here? To stop me? To caution me? Or to help?" "To destroy you. You see, Megatron, as someone like me, you hold the same ambition, but the same weakness. You want it all. Power, control. But you've already seen the best Cybertron has to offer. There is nothing here for the likes of you. So you will turn your gaze to the stars, and you will want them all. You will want to conquer, to enslave, to become a living legend." "No!" I must ensure I do not appear as if I am lying here. There is some measure of the Prime's ambition in me, no doubt, but I will not fall like he did. I cannot. "You, Megatronus, speak of deceit and treachery where there is none. Your slander will not go unpunished." "Punishment? You idiot. You speak of punishment to someone who has suffered the ultimate punishment." Megatronus looked melancholy, his hand gently touching his chest, doubtless where his spark chamber lay. "You may assume you know how I feel when the cold touch of Unicron enters your very being." "That does not explain why you claim you must destroy me." "Ah, a stroke of genius on my part. Let me ask you, Megatron. You have dispatched troops to the Autotrooper headquarters, to engage Sentinel's own counterpart force. But your Insecticon combiners and Seekers were not present. And why? I can tell you quite plainly: you dispatched them to deal with Sentinel. You came here to zero in on my location, but now that I am here, you will attempt to dispatch me as well." "Your tyranny has to end." "Tyranny, you say? What a wonderful fantasy world you must live in. Your own faction is called the Tyrannicons. You speak before you think. But eliminating you serves a purpose. In allowing you to kill Sentinel, to wage such war...I will serve as the ultimate victor. Removing the head of the Predacon leaves the body to wither and die, so the saying goes." "So a gambit, then. Let us scrap your enemies, and you in turn scrap us. All problems gone at once, allowing you total control of the planet. And without having to truly lift a finger at all," Megatron said. Oh, it was devious indeed. And all he had to do was spawn a successor. He clenched his hands, his expression contorted with anger. Am I such a tool? Am I nothing more than his plaything? I cannot believe it. I refuse to allow myself to believe it. I am Megatron. I am the will of the Tyrannicons. I am the might which shall move Cybertron to the future! "Oh, and one last thing, before I forget." Megatronus turned to Soundwave. "You should tell your new lord of your true nature." Soundwave shrank back, and Megatron turned his head. "Speak, Soundwave. Explain to me what he means, or proclaim him a liar." Soundwave cannot be false. Not one of my most trusted lieutenants. "Lord Megatron, I..." Soundwave hesitated. "Oh, stop with the voice changer already. Use your real voice. It should speak to the truth." Megatronus's grin grew wide. Soundwave cleared his throat. "Lord Megatron, he tells the truth. I am not what I seem." Soundwave's vocals here were free of distortion at last, and the bare voice of the Tyrannicon Spychanger was that of a fembot. In a flash, Megatron saw the truth: the spy, a female the entire time, hidden in plain sight. The delicate contours of Soundwave's frame and uniqueness of the alt form were made more apparent. "And I worship you." Soundwave knelt, her visor flashing a cloudy Tyrannicon logo. Airachnid roared in anger. "What is this affront? Toward what madness do you strive? Megatron is my mate!" She whirled, and Megatronus leered at her. "And you! What convinces a Prime to engage in this in the first place? To instruct this charlatan to play up the ruse?" She stabbed a spindly finger at Soundwave. "Charlatan? Is she? Soundwave is loyal, if nothing else. Swaying her takes great power, but once done, it cannot be undone. Isn't that right?" Megatronus laughed. Soundwave's frame trembled in fury and shame. The Spychanger seemed on the verge of emotional breakdown. Here, then, was something she did not want to reveal. Something she had longed to keep hidden. And Megatronus broke that privacy, merely to divide us. I cannot allow it. I will process the significance later. I cannot lose her. "Soundwave. Arise." Megatron was surprised by the timbre of his own voice, unwavering, confident. Soundwave seemed surprised too, her head snapping up and fixing Megatron with a blank stare. He put out a hand, and she took it, standing. "So you see, Megatronus, Tyrannicons are bound by more than word or deed. We are bound by honor. Loyalty. Respect. And yes, if it can exist in such a fashion, the partner bond." Megatron glared at the Prime, who seemed taken aback. "Most unexpected. But I daresay you have infuriated someone else entirely with this revelation," he said gleefully. Megatron quirked his head, then turned to see Airachnid writhing with fury, and ducked as the Insecticon queen lunged at him, instead tackling Soundwave. "You miserable liar! You cared nothing for me or the Insecticons! And what will you do without them? What can you do without an army of beast machines!?" she roared in fury, slashing at Soundwave's face while the other fembot blocked. "Airachnid, enough!" "No!" she ignored him, and Megatron moved to stop her by force until Megatronus stepped closer. "I don't think so." The Prime surprised Megatron by punching him, sending the Tyrannicon leader flying backward into the throne room's doors, shattering them to pieces as he impacted them. He slid to the floor, dazed. What might. What fury. And how can I combat this? He shook off the daze. With intelligence. With acts the Prime cannot expect. "Tell me, Megatronus! What of Cybertron if you conquer it without a single blaster?" The Prime stopped short as he was winding up another punch, the two others still scrabbling in the background, for now, forgotten. "What else? To remake it in my image. To bring forth the Dark Age of Cybertron under its rightful ruler. To show the universe my power. And to lay waste if need be, under the new banner of the grand Decepticon battle fleet!" "And if I tell you your plan can no longer be put into action?" Here comes the moment of truth. "Airachnid! Stop your squabble long enough for Soundwave to assist me!" "I will hear your explanation, even if it is only a ruse to prevent me from annihilating you right now," Megatronus said, stepping back. He plucked the still-livid Airachnid from Soundwave, tossing her casually into the wall. Like Megatron, she too was dazed, though likely worse than him. "Soundwave." Megatron tossed her the relay transponder he'd been using. "If you would. Shame the Prime." He narrowed his eyes. Go on. Reclaim your honor. Bury the fool under the weight of his own words. She tapped into the transponder relay, and used her inboard displays to project the frequencies. Megatronus gaped. Every Cybertronian frequency, from the weakest radio signals to the strongest and most encrypted channels, political and military, here showed. All of them were tuned forcibly to the transponder. Soundwave adjusted her readings to show the feedback loops, revealing every single channel had commentary on it, and none of it positive. Every line was active, every Cybertronian tuned in, whether friend or enemy, Autobot or Decepticon. "So that was why you assaulted Darkmount, and why you pulled back. You didn't want the throne. You wanted the comm frequencies!" "Precisely. What will you do now, Megatronus Prime? What will you do with a planet which will never listen to your rule, which cannot be stayed under the caste system, whose will is too great for the likes of you to master?!" Megatron stood up, and pulled out his mace, charging his fusion cannon in preparation. "How can you rule a people you cannot even understand?" "So many centuries. Thousands, no, millions of stellar cycles. And lost. For what? For the delusions of my own ambition given form. I should have known this would backfire. It has been my lot in life. Prima hated me, Solus would have nothing to do with me, Sentinel tolerates me only just after the Great War, and indeed, after having been the slave of Unicron, no objection seems fair." Megatronus paused, glowering at Megatron. "But you have crossed a line. My spark. That is what you have taken from me. Not in existing, for I made you. But you have taken my people. Everything I have done was for the good of Cybertron. And now it will have naught to do with me." The Prime fell silent, and Airachnid stood up shakily. Megatron watched him. He did not move to attack. Soundwave closed the displays, but left the transponder open. She understood correctly that Megatron would wish everything here known to the people, given here was the first true fall of a Prime from grace since the Great War. A low sound emanated from Megatronus Prime's chestplate, and it turned into a monstrous howl of anguish, directed upward at the skies. He bellowed his grief, and abruptly it turned to a roar of pain and rage as he lowered his head and raced at Megatron full speed, his lanky legs carrying him faster than most Cybertronians could dream of in robot mode. Megatron flung the mace up as protection and it broke under the force of the impact, the Prime tossing him aside and sending him skidding backward on the floor. He fired the cannon at Megatronus, who took the fully charged shot in the arm, a melting hole of steaming sludge dripping from it. What little I can do to this monster. I am doomed. But at least with or without me, Cybertron will be free. That much I can hope for. The Prime was on him in a second, fist raised high. Ravage howled and leaped on the back of Megatronus, the turbofox's cannon firing as rapidly as it could manage into the back of the Prime's head. It did little, and he flung it off, whirling in rage to stare at Soundwave. The fembot Spychanger stood in a battle ready stance, hands flipped out into blasters. "Oh, rest assured, Soundwave, I will tear you limb from limb just as I will him. I will make it so much worse, however. Only your expertise in communications could have enabled him to pull this off in the first place." Megatronus backhanded Soundwave across the faceplate, cracking it and sending her reeling into the throne, which collapsed under the force of the blow. "Soundwave!" "Be quiet, Megatron. I have been more than patient with your little insurrection. I have permitted so much, and you have taken it all from me. And all because you think yourself a Prime. But you've no connection to Primus. You don't know the truth," Megatronus spat, his face distended in fury. "And what truth is that?" Megatron asked desperately. "You will never know." Megatronus raised a hand, converting it into a battle hammer, and here Megatron felt a quiver of fear in his spark itself. The legendary hammer of The Fallen had sparked so many stories. It had ended more than one world on its own, and was rumored to have rivaled the power of the Forge of Solus Prime in combat. "He means it was Primus's will he create you, not his own." Airachnid tested her balance as she moved forward. "The Primes are connected to Primus. It is how they know his will. It is why they profess to know better than anyone how the planet should be governed." "Silence, Insecticon witch! You are nothing but a once-slave of the Primal Prime! I need not suffer your impudence any longer!" "You can and will. Everything that happens now is the will of Primus, Megatron. He only fears that it is Primus's will he is defeated, and you raised to the head of Cybertron." Megatronus pounced on Airachnid, and began pummeling her, not even bothering to convert his hammer back into a fist, simply smashing her again and again. Megatron winced at the sight, and then felt an overload in his optical sensors. No Cybertronian deserved this much fury. When Megatronus stood up, the dead husk of Airachnid lay in pieces behind him, and he turned back to Soundwave and Megatron. "Now then. I might as well don the mantle again, given you have made it accurate. Who shall be next to fall before The Fallen?"
Heh, I figured somebody would be all RUINED FOREVER about Soundwave. Guess not. New chapter go! ---------------------------------------------------------- Chapter XXI: Vanguard Skywarp grinned. Finally, the worthiest challenge. The ultimate fight. He was not, strictly speaking, the smartest of the Seekers. It had been hammered into him from the start that he was destined for the scrap heap, too dumb to live. So he proved he was dumb enough to win, and thus became one of the most decorated Iacon Seekers there was, though every decoration was accompanied by demerits. Insubordinate. Vicious. Brutal. All in all, appropriate titling. But this assignment from Megatron would prove to be the ultimate fun. Starscream, in all his usual bluster, quaked like a little protoform till Megatron provoked him into accepting the job. Thundercracker, surprisingly, didn't seem to care a whole lot. Skywarp imagined the guy figured he was just too deep for his own good. The opportunity to kill a Prime. And on top of that, one of the Thirteen! High treason, heresy, absolute fraggin' lunacy. Prime! Skywarp gunned his thrusters a bit harder, breaking ahead of formation. "Skywarp, return to formation, we have to maintain our heading." Thundercracker, logical as always. "Blow it out your exhaust, 'cracker. This is gonna be fun." "Listen to him, Skywarp. I've no patience for insubordination now. We need to make sure these Insecticons are able to follow us," Starscream said. The Air Commander followed at the back of the formation, leading the trio of Insecticons, each of which buzzed along on mechanical wings. "I sense they would be lost without us." "Kick Back wouldn't get lost, lost, lost!" the grasshopper bleated. Skywarp would have rolled his eyes if he hadn't been in vehicle mode. They're too dumb to use pronouns. "There! The target platform. Sentinel Prime is supposed to be working on a secret project there. Convert and land!" Starscream ordered, pointing out a fuel depot. It was arrayed around a heavy transport of some kind, so large only the tip emerged from the ground, the remainder buried beneath the landing platform. The entire structure was extended over an Energon lake, massive drill derricks pulling the substance into the ship. The trio of jets converted and landed heavily on the ground, quaking it slightly beneath the support struts. The Insecticons stayed in beast mode and landed behind them, skittering around as if confused as to where to go next. Skywarp scratched his helm. "So that's a big ship. Think it's got anything fun inside?" "Never mind the ship. We want Sentinel. Seek him out and destroy him." Thundercracker kept his scanners on tight beam, trying to find the high spikes of Energon the Prime would emit. A few workers saw them and scattered, assuming official business, no doubt. How wrong they are. We're the exact opposite of official business. Skywarp fired off a shot at an Autobot worker, scattering his innards across the tarmac. Starscream whipped around. "What the scrap are you doing? Leave the civilians alone!" "Scrap the civilians. I want Sentinel. Besides, killing them will bring him out faster, don't you think?" "As distasteful as he's being, Skywarp does have a point for once," Thundercracker muttered. Starscream seemed about ready to explode. How unlike him! Or so I'd like to say, but the guy thinks everybody should be under his thumb. A second later, a missile smacked into Starscream as he went to speak, blasting the bot backward and almost off the platform entirely. "I'd say we've got military forces on our hands." Thundercracker readied his guns. "Autotroopers are punks. Where's the Prime?" Skywarp grunted, casually firing a pair of missiles that wiped out two Autotroopers who failed to dodge in time. The remainder converted to vehicle mode to close the gap and reach the Seekers. "They do realize we have jet alt modes, right? I mean, it's not like we're gonna get cornered." "Not the point, Sky." "For spark's sake," Starscream said, rubbing his chestplate. "I've had it! Skywarp, you're off the leash! Go at them!" Finally! "Aye aye, boss!" The purple and black Seeker warped out and reappeared on top of an Autotrooper, ripping out its engine block and firing a few blasts inside of it. The bot exploded in a shrapnel mess, but not before Skywarp teleported to safety. "Does he live for anything but killing?" Thundercracker shrugged. "Might as well help him." The two remaining Seekers converted, ignoring the Insecticons. They could handle themselves, and began running at breakneck pace to intersect with the Autotroopers. A few instants later, it was over. A total massacre, partly due to the highly trained Seekers, partly due to the bestial Insecticons. "That was disappointing." Skywarp brushed off his arms. "They're bottom of the barrel troops or conscripts. Only explanation." Thundercracker kept scanning for Energon readings from the Prime. "I don't get it." "Of course you don't, you're too stupid. He means the real Autotroopers are all elsewhere. Besides, Brawl and Rampage are attacking the main group of enforcers, and they would be the real trouble." Starscream looked back at the Insecticons. Bombshell, the beetle, kept ripping at one of the Autotrooper corpses, trying to get at the refined Energon inside of its spark chamber. He shuddered. Bet you're just a scaredy cat deep down, Screamer. But that's unimportant. "I say we go in the ship. Prime's gotta be inside, right? Let's scrap his skidplate already." "Or potentially get scrapped ourselves. We don't know what's inside," chided Thundercracker. "No, Skywarp's right this time too. We don't have another option. Enter the ship!" * * * The inside of the gargantuan vessel was pristine. They didn't encounter any crews this time, and the bulk of the ship seemed intact and ready to launch. Here and there wires crisscrossed and suggested full conduits hadn't yet been established, but that didn't mean much. It even had a golden orange-yellow polished color to the metallic plating on the walls. "Pretty. Can I blow it up?" "No." Starscream examined a wall computer. "Thundercracker, get into the system and figure out where he is." "Hold on, then." Thundercracker knelt down and jacked into the system. Skywarp tapped his fingers impatiently. Too slow. I want to fight now. "Uh, according to the schematics, he'll be at the bridge, and that's the next room over." "So close? Why can't we pick him up?" "Who cares! Let's fly!" Skywarp ran down the corridor, practically smashing through the double doors leading to the bridge of the massive ship. Sentinel Prime stood there, speaking to a smaller green Autobot. The Prime looked up at the intrusion, a sad expression fading from his face. "A Seeker. No, several. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Skywarp paused. This was unexpected. "Uh. Um." "A very erudite individual, I see." Sentinel smirked. Starscream and Thundercracker rolled around the corner into the bridge, seeing the Prime. "Ah, you did find him." "An Air Commander." Sentinel narrowed his eyes, scanning. "Starscream. Tyrannicons, then." "You bet. Now get scrapped!" Skywarp yelled, lunging at Sentinel and firing his blaster. Sentinel merely raised a shield he pulled from behind his back, absorbing the beams into it. When Skywarp was close enough, he smacked the shield into the Seeker, sending him reeling back. Ouch. Okay, direct approach does not work. "Screamer, a little help?" "My, my, Skywarp. So eager to rush into battle, and yet you forget your place and even ask me to assist you when you've blundered into something you can't handle?" "Pipe down, I didn't say I couldn't handle it!" Skywarp teleported behind the Prime, converting to jet mode and firing a salvo of missiles into Sentinel's back. He stumbled forward, and Starscream and Thundercracker began firing blasts at him while he was downed. "Impudent pests." Sentinel reached behind him, grabbing Skywarp by the wing, and used him to block several of the incoming blasts. Oh, holy spark that hurts! Skywarp converted back, kicking at Sentinel's face before the Prime threw him at the other two Seekers. "Fight fair, Prime!" Sentinel blinked. "Fair? Three Seekers are ambushing me on the bridge of an Autobot ship. How is that fair?" "Yeah, but you're a Prime!" "And you are trying to kill me. Enough." Sentinel pulled out a shotgun, long-barreled and featuring a greenish hued cylindrical chamber. By Primus, that's a Cosmic Rust shotgun! "I see you recognize my weapon, Skywarp. One of the few weapons banned by the Pax Cybertronia Megatronus and I signed all those stellar cycles ago. But he and I have never been especially concerned with treaties." Sentinel lowered the gun, and fired off a round, nearly hitting Skywarp in the face. "Make sure it doesn't hit you! The rust will eat away at your metal!" Thundercracker began firing salvos, and Sentinel blocked them all. "He won't fire in here, not at his precious ship!" Starscream strode forward, then dropped to the ground when Sentinel swung the shotgun his way and blasted at him. "What?! But what about your newly minted vessel!?" "The Ark was designed to handle heavy battle damage. It can handle Cosmic Rust without an issue." "What the scrap kind of material did you build this thing out of!?" Starscream scrabbled out of the way of another shot, and Skywarp took the opportunity to fire a missile into the Prime's optics. Instead of exploding, it flashed the optics with a booming, blinding light, and sent the Prime stumbling back. "Accursed Decepticon tricks!" Even temporarily blinded, Sentinel's accuracy was uncannily good, and the Seeker trio found themselves performing advanced acrobatics just to avoid the Prime's dangerous weapon. Then Skywarp got a brilliant idea. He teleported, grabbing the green Autobot, and held a blaster right to the optics. "Oy, Sentinel! Got your little buddy right here. Quit firing and make it easy." Sentinel stopped, looking around for the source of Skywarp's voice. "Hound, is it true?" "Y-yes, Sentinel." The Autobot struggled in Skywarp's grip, and the Seeker whipped him with the blaster. "Then I am sorry, but you will be destroyed as well." "What?" Skywarp shoved Hound away and dodged as the Prime, evidently regaining his optical clarity, fired a shot directly where they stood. He really is nuts! "Rip and tear, rip and tear!" Shrapnel bellowed, the Insecticons finally stumbling into the room as a group. As Hound stumbled up to him, Starscream knocked him out with a backhand. "What heresy is this? Beasts dare walk the Ark?" Sentinel scowled, and lowered his shotgun, only for the Insecticons to flee in different directions. He hesitated only for a moment, then fired instead at Starscream, who had been lining up a shot with his null ray. The Air Commander squealed and leaped out of the way before the bolt sizzled through his cockpit. "Insecticonzzz, combine!" Bombshell grunted, and the trio smashed into a huddle. Bombshell's beetle form split into two large feet and a waist segment, jointed at the top with Kick Back's form. Shrapnel separated into a longer piece, each mantis arm forming a Seeker-esque cannon mounted to each of the combined form's arms. "Tripredacus rises to council the elder!" Sentinel took a step back. "Insecticons combining? This is unheard of, even the Primal Prime didn't create such monsters." He grunted when Tripredacus blasted a shot into his shield which overloaded it, blowing feedback Energon into Sentinel's chest. Tripredacus buzzed with pleasure and trudged forward, its colossal feet quaking the Ark's floor. Its combined form's head had antennae, which scraped the ceiling as it walked forward. What a beast. Wish I had that much firepower. But I won't let any bugs get my kill! Skywarp rolled forward and fired a few shots into Sentinel's leg, causing the Prime to stumble to his knees. Sentinel fired a blast of the shotgun straight into Tripredacus's chest, and the colossal Insecticon shrank back, pawing at the hole rapidly forming. It spat some strange substance onto the hole, and it sealed. Tiny repair drones, looking like organic flies, began swarming the wound, actually repairing the metal at an incredible rate. "So you can even survive Cosmic Rust. But your friends can't, and without them, you are nothing but a helpless beast!" Sentinel grabbed Skywarp and flung him across the room once more, but this time Skywarp felt his wing stress and crack under the sheer force, and he roared in pain. Forget this! I'm going to kill him no matter what it takes! "You're mine, Prime!" Skywarp stood up, and reached back, grabbing the tip of his wing. He gritted his teeth, yanking it straight out of the socket and cracking it along the length. "Skywarp, have you gone mad?" Starscream moved next to him, and Skywarp shoved him back. "No, I haven't." Hurts so bad, but it's worth it. It'll keep me focused. Skywarp ran at the Prime, teleporting around the shield when Sentinel moved to block. He stabbed Sentinel in the shin, ripping up the servos there. Tripredacus looked down at him, confused, and took a step back as Skywarp kept slashing at the Prime's leg with the wing. Sentinel moved to grab him again, but he teleported through his grasp and reappeared on the Prime's shoulder, slashing at the servos there; Sentinel's arm began to slacken and the shield drooped. "Agh!" "How does it feel to get taken apart piece by piece, Sentinel? You're not gonna survive this! And even if I go down, you're coming with me!" The other two Seekers began unloading their missiles on Sentinel, beating the Prime off his feet by sheer explosive power. Tripredacus hissed and leaned forward, but stopped and sniffed the air, as if confused. It bellowed, confused, and flailed around as if drunk on Energon. It at last collapsed backward, the combiner joints slackening. The room went quiet. "Your beasts have fallen," Sentinel said. His voice was calm, and he stood even as Skywarp kept ripping at him with the wing. "I am afraid, however, that this means the tide is once again turned in my favor. The element of surprise is gone, and your greatest weapon lies fallen here, though why I care not." He grabbed Skywarp before he could teleport away, pointing the Cosmic Rust shotgun in his face. No. No no no no no! "I hereby discharge you from duty." Sentinel fired, blowing off Skywarp's head, the Rust eating away at it until only scraps remained. He dropped the body of the Seeker to the ground, and looked to the remaining two. * * * The Insecticons rose as individuals, slavering and bestial, and skittered out of the room as rapidly as they'd entered, leaving no trace they'd ever been in there in the first place. "Thundercracker, cover fire!" I have to retrieve Skywarp's corpse. If nothing else, his warp cog will be invaluable, but he was my subordinate, and I at least owe him the honor of a decent funeral. Starscream converted to vehicle mode, using his robot mode arms to grab Skywarp and blast out of the room. Thundercracker followed a moment later, and the two emerged from the Ark intact, though shaken. "Megatron wanted us dead! There was no way we could have defeated that monster!" Thundercracker bleeped a negative. "Doubtful. Insecticons had him on the down low, even the Rust didn't stop them. But we didn't capitalize enough. I don't know what happened, but whatever it was, Skywarp died because of it." "He will be given a warrior's funeral." "You hated him." "As much as I hate you. But you are allies. I do not take your allegiances so lightly, not when I have kept you both at my sides through so many other betrayals." Thundercracker didn't reply, just coasting along the thermals. "I am surprised the Prime isn't coming after us." "He doesn't have a flight mode. And we did kill just about everything else with a gun there." Thundercracker did a half-dip of his wings for emphasis. "Poor Skywarp. No one, even someone as stupid as he was, deserves a death by Rust." "Do you really have to call him stupid while you're holding his corpse?" "Er, perhaps you're right. I will miss him, I think. He was brutal, but he was effective. And while we never saw eye to eye, well...I admired him." "You, Starscream? I thought you were supposed to be perfect." Starscream would have dipped his wings and tried to clip Thundercracker if he hadn't been carrying what remained of Skywarp. "He had something I never have been able to perfect." "And that is?" "Honesty."
Hey folks. Like I said, sporadic updates due to thesis work. Unfortunate, but a necessity. The next chapter should be up fairly soon as I'm burning through my current allotment of work faster than expected, but I don't have a definitive date. Teasers for those who hate waiting: -more Megatronus -more Wreckers -more Shockwave! Also, on an unrelated note, I will say I do like to hear feedback from people, whether positive or negative, because it helps me gauge if something is well or ill received. I'm a little worried people really didn't like Soundwave being a fembot or the death of Skywarp in the last chapters because of the total silence afterward.
Soundwave being a chick is a bit unexpected. Is that a reference to the TFP episode when Jack thought it was Arcee when he saw Soundwave's legs ? Skywarp was fun to read, extremely brutish personality. His death was cool. And Megatronus, lol, the Master gets pwned by the student (ish).
And thus we return at last! Apologies for the super long delay, folks. Real life and all that. To briefly respond to ARC: 1. Soundwave being female is actually something I came up with on my own. Her design in this is reminiscent of the Prime design. I was thinking about reasons why Soundwave is so unfailingly loyal to Megatron, and I liked the idea of Soundwave falling for him and hero worshipping him, in a similar way to how Brawl looks up to him but gender reversed. 2. Skywarp was actually nicking the first draft of Warhead's Thundercracker personality. Thundy this time got the more methodical and lightly snarky personality. It's funny because I wanted them to be swapped, and when I wrote it, they fitted better the way I have them in canon. So...ironically, because they are palette swaps, it works! 3. Heehee. No comment~ ---------------------------------------------------------- Chapter XXII: Fallen Megatron tried to gain his composure. This was not the worst possible outcome, but the Prime would not be denied. The Fallen would kill him. So he had to think of who would come next. Who would rule in his stead. He cast a glance over to Soundwave's prone body, seeing the Spychanger tapping a sequence into her comm panel. Airachnid next, the husk of the once-Insecticon queen lying battered and broken. That was a true loss, whatever he felt about Airachnid personally, because the spider was the key to the Insecticon hordes. Nothing could restrain them now, and they might even swarm the Tyrannicons who still fought alongside them. "I see your little army is unraveling as we speak, my young prodigy. Did you think you could actually rule a planet with so little?" The Fallen laughed, taking a step forward. "Use your processor, Megatron! To win Cybertron, you must win their ideals. You may have foiled me, but I will never permit you to take my place and rule. Never." "So then Sentinel and the Autobots will rule all by themselves?" The question made the Prime pause. "Perhaps. But who is to say I will not pursue them next? You have seen my might. I have bested Sentinel before, during the Great War. Or have you forgotten history?" "But without supporters, you are a target. You cannot hide anywhere." Megatron smiled. "And truly, Megatronus, that is the victory here. Denying you everything." The Fallen stared at him. "You goad me now, even having seen me slaughter the Insecticon witch and crush your feeble attempts to stop me. You are plotting." He turned, and Soundwave went limp before he saw her. "Hm." He turned back to Megatron. "What are you up to now?" "Nothing." The Tyrannicon leader was being truthful. Whatever Soundwave had done, he hoped it had been calling reinforcements, for they would be sorely needed. Ironically, he found himself wondering if he couldn't have used the infantry force led by Brawl and Rampage as strikers against the Prime as well. But the past could not be changed. And then all hell broke loose. A thunderous boom echoed in the chamber, and all present were staggered under the sheer force of the sound. Even Megatronus stumbled, shaking his head. Thundercracker crashed through the roof, converting to robot mode and slamming down next to Megatron, who knelt from the sonic blast. "How's it going?" The blue Seeker paused, took in the scene. "Oh. It's one of those days." "Thundercracker. The once-loyal. I see you've taken lessons in loyalty from Starscream," Megatronus scoffed, raising himself upright. Thundercracker scratched his nose. "Eh, maybe. Your plan didn't have a lot going for it, in terms of logic. And, you know, there was the whole war thing on top of it." "You knew his plan?" Megatron stared at the Seeker. "No, but you did broadcast it to literally everyone. I probably knew more than most because of Straxus, though. Speaking of, where's his corpse? I wouldn't have thought the 'Cons who ran this place had the brass bearings to smelt him down." Megatronus stayed quiet, saying nothing. Thundercracker smiled. "So the body is missing, then. That's interesting. Oh, and one other thing." He paused, turning to the shattered door, which burst inward as Shockwave Primal and the Wreckers erupted onto the scene, Shockwave leading the charge and converting from a mammoth tank mode. "Starscream went back to base, but we radio'd ahead. Wanted to bring some company." "You all have come at an opportune time." Megatron stood up, and grinned at Megatronus. "The tides have turned, Fallen." "Have they, now?" Megatronus seemed poised to laugh, then noticed Shockwave's presence. "Accursed Terrorcon! You dare show your face to me now!" "You two are acquainted?" Thundercracker asked amiably. "Affirmative. During the war, The Fallen commissioned multiple weapons from my laboratory. The original research into Dark Energon began partly as a result of his influence on our practices." Shockwave's eye whirred, highlighting Megatronus. Megatron noted he still wore his trademark cannon clasped to his arm, but his Minicon Blackarachnia was absent. "Well, even I didn't expect it would result in heretical cannibals with no spark to speak of! Nothing but accursed embers burning in spark chambers," Megatronus spat, sending his first hammer blow toward Shockwave. The Terrorcon rolled out of the way, and then as the hammer fell, rammed his shoulder into the head of the hammer. It went off on a separate course and Megatronus was pulled forward by the momentum. "Wreckers, now! Use the opportunity!" Wheeljack commanded. Megatron watched them for a split second, and realizing they were trying to combine, he immediately sprang into action, firing several volleys at Megatronus while he was stunned. Shockwave followed his lead, the pair circling the Prime. Soundwave, recovered at last, rose to her feet and moved forward. Yes, yes! We can win! Between all of these Tyrannicons, the Prime will finally fall! Megatron could not help but grin madly, his glee overtaking him. From the point closest to defeat, and now, a victory! The presence of the Wreckers alone made it viable, but the addition of Thundercracker and Shockwave further tipped the scales in his favor. "You impudent fools!" Megatronus roared in rage and flung the hammer out, catching Shockwave dead in the chest. The Terrorcon flew backward into the same wall by which Airachnid lay dead, and twitched for a few moments before scrabbling to his feet. Megatron blinked. Such resilience in his armor. Something to be copied, perhaps. Thundercracker darted in front of him, jumping onto the Prime's hammer on the subsequent smash, flashing an EMP grenade into his optics. Megatronus flailed, and in doing so knocked the Seeker backward into the wall. "Incessant pests! I will massacre you! I will destroy you all! By Primus and Unicron, you all will fall to The Pit!" As Megatron charged his next shot, he saw Soundwave deploy Bridgeback, and use the Minicon to open a groundbridge, sending the Prime's next blow through to some unknown dimension before it was closed abruptly. Megatronus managed to pull his hand back through before the bridge closed completely, but the tips of the fingers on that hand were severed, and the Prime howled. "Trickery instead of battle! Befitting Decepticons..." He rumbled a throaty tone of anger through his chestplate. "But I am done playing around." With one fell motion, The Fallen kicked out both legs at opposing angles, catching Soundwave and Shockwave in their respective heads, sending them reeling; at the same time he shunted his hammer forward, catching Thundercracker mid-leap and sending the Seeker crashing to the ground. He turned to face Megatron. "Now then. Where were we?" "In the middle of a world of pain!" came the reply from the monstrous gestalt behind Megatron, who punched Megatronus in the face with a fist the size of a Cybertronian. The Prime staggered backward, dazed. Megatron turned. By Primus...the size! These Wreckers are quite the investment. Before him stood the combined form of the Wreckers, a colossal five-man bot. Wheeljack's sheer bulk logically constructed him as the torso, his vehicle mode's tracking serving as connection points for the other Wreckers. Inferno served as the right arm, Drag Strip the left, their bright red and yellow colors lending an almost cartoonish effect to the bot. By contrast, Dead End and Barricade's more traditional decos layered out the legs. "I wish you had told me more of this form. I might have been able to use it to greater effect," Megatron said. He stared at the behemoth. "Pipe down, pipsqueak. Ruination isn't a tool. Ruination is an artist: specializing in pain!" The combiner stormed toward Megatronus, ignoring the Tyrannicon leader, and tackled Megatronus full-on. Due to its significantly larger size, the Prime crashed to the ground and cried out in pain as the combiner smashed another fist into his face. Megatron took the opportunity to tend to Soundwave. The last blow had harmed her extensively, some of her armor plating cracked and her faceplate still spiderwebbed. He examined her. "You need to escape. Ruination, I think, can handle this. Bridgeback will follow my commands, yes? So we can use him for our escape route." Soundwave shook her head weakly. "Must...stay. The army can't lose the head," she muttered, trying to touch his faceplate with her spindly fingers. Megatron frowned. "Return to base, Soundwave. That's an order." He left her without another word, knowing such a stern rebuke would force her hand. Unfortunate, but necessary. I cannot lose her at this juncture, especially not after her role in usurping this Prime. He converted to vehicle mode, crossing the throne room slowly while trying to get a bead on Megatronus, who struggled with the combiner, but no opportunity came. He converted back when he reached Shockwave. Across the room, Soundwave disappeared through a groundbridge. "I see you remembered how to fight." He smirked at Shockwave. "I may be a scientist, but logic would dictate all Cybertronians should know how to fight." His eye whirred. "More importantly, the Insecticons are rampaging. I was already on my way before the Wreckers picked up the signal with Thundercracker." "What?" "The Insecticons. They're rampaging. The logical assumption is that the death of Airachnid sent the hives into a frenzy." Shockwave looked at her body. "This does, however, present an ideal situation." "That being?" "Permit me to consume her Energon refinement processes, and I would logically become the new Insecticon hive commander." Shockwave stared at Megatron. This is dangerous. In the midst of battle he proposes something which could shift the balance of power. In addition, while he has pledged himself to me, he is a creature of logic, and thus can be swayed. To give the entirety of the Insecticons to his power could be a problem. But I do not see much of a choice. Without the Insecticons, we are a broken army. Reluctantly, Megatron nodded, and Shockwave's mouthpiece split open as he turned to feed upon Airachnid's corpse. "Get off!" The Fallen put both feet underneath Ruination and kicked the combiner off him, sending it crashing into the wall and shattering some of the structure of Darkmount. Megatron fired a few shots at The Fallen, pockmarking his armor with more holes. Ruination recovered and pounced on the Prime again, and Megatron went to check on his final companion, the wayward Seeker. Thundercracker tried to smile when he saw Megatron, but only winced in pain. "Looks like I might be out of the running till I get repaired, boss." He raised a hand from his cockpit to reveal a heavy Energon leak. "Not exactly ideal fighting condition." "Go, then. This can be handled." "Are you sure?" "I hope to Primus so." Thundercracker eyed him. "Whatever you say." The Seeker converted, shooting off into the sky, Energon splattering on the ground as he darted off. Megatron turned, seeing Shockwave having finished his meal. "The assessment I made appears to be a correct one. I have gained direct control of the Insecticons," Shockwave said. "Do you wish them to assist?" Megatron narrowed his eyes. "Bring a swarm. Flood Darkmount. I want everything in this sector razed to the accursed ground." "Acknowledged." Shockwave hummed with power, his eye glowing as he relayed the command, Dark Energon seething through him. Ruination went hand to hand with Megatronus, the combiner's hands clasped with the Prime's, a titanic struggle ensuing. Megatron strode forward. "Megatronus! Cease and disarm yourself, and you may yet live." "You dare try to take one of the Thirteen prisoner?" The Fallen grunted and skidded back on his heels as Ruination took another step, sparks erupting from his heels. A low rumble began echoing into the chamber. "Try? Megatronus, your only choice is to become a prisoner or die. You will either be stasis locked as an artifact, or you will be completely eliminated. It is your decision." Megatron's face contorted in anger. "That is all I permit you to have now." Megatronus headbutted Ruination, sending the gestalt back a few paces, and he converted one of his hands into a fusion cannon, aiming at Megatron. The Tyrannicon leader gaped at the sudden and massive energy buildup in the Prime's arm, and dived out of the way as the blast scorched its way through several layers of Darkmount's soil. Only an instant later, the first of the Insecticon swarm burst into the room, several coming out of the tunnel Megatronus just formed out of the ground; the mass produced drones converted from their beetle-like modes to larger than average robot modes, leaping upon The Fallen and biting and scratching his armor. A few evidently were equipped with Cosmic Rust dispersion units, as their jaws sizzled when they touched the metal. "Argh! I killed the queen, why?!" Megatronus swatted at the Insecticons, forgetting to cover himself as Ruination angled his body low. He tackled The Fallen, piledriving a fist into his chest, cracking the metal so thickly that the Prime's spark chamber was in evidence. The Fallen screeched in pain and fury, flailing madly. Megatron charged his fusion cannon to its full capacity. "Megatronus Prime, The Fallen, whatever you want to call yourself now: what is your choice? Will you have me remove my forces? Will you submit to my rule? Or will you die?" "I will never be coddled by any childish pretender! You don't know all of my plans. Even if you did, you cannot control your own army. Remove any individual cog, and you destroy the machine called Tyrannicon!" "Then I will simply rebuild it and make its components unstoppable!" Megatron watched as Ruination yanked Megatronus's chestplate off entirely. Shockwave directed the Insecticons to pin him underneath their sheer weight. Ruination went to pull out the Prime's spark. "No!" Megatron strode forward. "He is mine." In contrast to the arrogant behavior the gestalt displayed before, it nodded and backed off, stepping back and letting Megatron take center stage, jumping onto the abdomen of the Prime. "So, here we are. The pupil, the teacher. The would be master. The would be slave," he hissed." The Insecticons deigned to hold on instead of actively attack the Prime. "And what would you be satisfied with, Megatron?" "At least you can remember my name now." "Is all of this about ego?" The Fallen snickered. "Even if I am to be scrapped here, at least I can have a good laugh at the irony. In my own hubris, I fell, and further, created you in my plots. And now you are heading down what will be the same path." Megatron felt the Energon in his systems chill. "I will not turn like you have. Certainly not to be a slave of a dark master." "You understand so little. Unicron never gives you a choice." "You speak as if Unicron still functions." The Fallen's alien features contorted in a distorted grin. "Oh, Unicron still functions. You will put it together soon enough. I imagine you have been trying to destroy Sentinel as well. When you realize what is going to happen, Cybertron will be plunged into far worse than civil war. My attempt is not just to rule, but to unify." "Excuses." Megatron couldn't help but believe the words of the Prime. If he speaks truth then we have an issue. Unicron alive? But what form would he inhabit? His body was destroyed, or so the old legends go. "I demand the truth." "You will gain nothing from me. Go ahead. Destroy me. The end will come sooner than you think, and there is nothing you can do about it." "May you rust in peace, then. Goodbye, Megatronus Prime." The Tyrannicon leader overcharged his fusion cannon to ensure it would exterminate the supernatural spark. He aimed at its shimmering, translucent blue, and fired. The spark shattered into an explosion of effusive color, the polygonal shards composing it flying outward. The moment of death was beautiful, and brought a pang of something like shared grief or reminiscence to Megatron's own spark. Megatronus's eyes seemed to bulge, and then his head lolled, The Fallen's existence ended at last. "And now I must decide what to do next." Megatron stood on the leader's corpse. "You are now the leader of Cybertron, or will be when the other Prime is gone. Move on to the next chance to grace the planet with your art!" Ruination exclaimed. "Silence. This is a moment of quiet. Or should be." Megatron looked down to The Fallen's darkened optics. "He did what he thought was right, and it is him I must thank for my very existence. Having to extinguish his spark was my plan, but knowing what I do now, I wish I had been able to take him prisoner instead." Shockwave let the Insecticons disperse, and trudged forward. "Controlling that many simultaneously is more exhausting than is ideal. In the future, experimentation with drone commanders leading some of the contingents may be a good solution. What is your next command?" "We need to broadcast. Well, I suppose we already are. To all of Cybertron, I say this. Megatronus Prime is no more. Sentinel Prime, his fellow, is no doubt as stained with blood as his brother. You have a choice. Stand with the Autobots, or stand with the Tyrannicons. The Decepticons have no leader any longer. They chafed under the rule of Primes. But all will be treated fairly, equally, under the might of Megatron. The end of the caste system is here." Ruination looked at Shockwave, and the two spoke in unison. "All hail Megatron!"
New Warhead chapter! More battling! And also, more cast member introductions. This is going to be a bigger and longer fic, so I needed a larger cast or else I'd sacrifice a few elements. One big character introduced in this one. ---------------------------------------------------------- Chapter XXIII: Eruption Bumblebee was afraid. An artillery strike sounded above his head, left his aural receptors ringing. Bumblebee had always been afraid. The small yellow bot had been told he would experience combat, but never like this. This was something straight out of the history books, out of the Great War. He huddled closer to the damaged form of his commanding officer, Kup. The two hid in a trench in the middle of the once prosperous commercial district Tyger Pax. A veteran of the original conflict, and an excellent teacher, Kup had stuck with Bumblebee even though the bot had shown little potential to become a front line warrior. And now, he was damaged, and it was all Bumblebee's fault. Kup's internal mechanisms wheezed and ground. "Ugh. Kid, this isn't going to get any better. You've got to get us help. Sentinel shut down the power grids to keep the 'Con supply lines down but that doesn't mean we're still using 'em. We're just as cut off." A power surge shunted through the nearby buildings, and Kup cursed. "Scratch that. They have backups. Must have anticipated it. So they have an advantage." Bumblebee bleeped out of habit. "So what do you need me to do?" Kup winced as an enemy Seeker's missile blew apart a skyscraper behind them, sending glass raining down on Autobot troops. "You've got to get us help. These Decepticons, Tyrannicons, whatever they are, they're scrapping us by the boltload. Either somebody needs to turn the lights on so we can get Energon flowing to the heavy weapons, or we're gonna need a lot more reinforcements." Bumblebee whirred. "I can't just leave you here. I mean..." He couldn't bring himself to say it was his fault. Technically, it wasn't: Kup had thrown himself in front of a shell for the little guy. But if Bumblebee hadn't frozen, had been able to mow down the enemy Vehicon, they wouldn't be in this predicament. "Look, kid, I don't know who you think I am, but I did my time in the war and I'll do it again. Ain't nobody's gonna be taking me out." He reached into a side compartment, pulling out a cy-gar, an imported inhalant cycler from another world. He lit it with an Energon flame, and breathed deep. "Besides, having to watch you means I can't be as vicious as I'd like." He smiled. It hurt. Kup didn't mean for it to, of course. But Bumblebee felt the sting of the words nonetheless. He was politely being told he was useless. And he was. First battle out of boot and he'd nearly been scrapped several times now. Another sonic boom of a missile echoed overhead, and as Bumblebee checked his allies readouts, he saw two more flickered and died. But I don't have time to play games anymore. Bumblebee nodded at Kup, and converted to his boxy roadster mode, black windows highlighting the yellow. He sped out of the trench, careening into a Vehicon who was about to look down into it, his tires skidding on the 'Con's faceplate so roughly it scraped his face clear off. He burned rubber on the asphalt, speeding past what was left of the Vehicon, and barreled his way into the skirmish. Tyger Pax had been beautiful once, though the oldsters thought it an eyesore. So flashy, so well lit, so commercial. It had been the closest thing Bumblebee ever had to a home, given his role as a courier: he traveled everywhere, but he was based in the city for the simple fact that it was where most products were shipped to and from. And now it lay in ruins. Decepticons and Tyrannicons alike formed the assault force, destroying things in their wake while trying to gain supremacy over the automated defense units that still functioned. Autobots and Autotroopers held the line as best they could. Anyone could see it was a losing battle. Bumblebee knew at least where he would go. The top of Hedron Tower had a transmitter array, so he'd be able to send a wide band communication to Autotrooper HQ and maybe to the Seekers. Whichever Seekers hadn't betrayed the Cybertronian Defense Force, anyway. He swerved as an Autotrooper's husk was thrown in his path by some colossal green bot, converting to dive into a pile of rubble and hide until the brute was preoccupied with something else. After the bot scanned the area and moved on, he breathed a sigh of relief and rolled en route once more. He reached Hedron in only another moment or so, or the coordinates where it was supposed to be. The tower was gutted down to some of the most skeletal support structures, a colossal spinal column to the skies. Several Tyrannicon-aligned support posts were staggered alongside it, and Bumblebee resisted the urge to curse and beep in frustration. He looked up, and saw two Seekers overlooking the battle from the top of the tower. I guess I've got no choice. He sped through the posts, which were strangely deserted except for unmanned maintenance bots. He converted to robot mode and checked around, and when he was convinced the coast was clear he began tiptoeing around the wreckage of the building, plugging into one of the command posts. The Tyrannicon strategic line was instantly brought up on his internal mapping. No encryption? What are they, idiots? He uploaded the schematics on tight wave frequency to Kup, hoping it wouldn't be intercepted, only to be yanked from the plug by one of the two Seekers he'd just spotted. He was one of the conehead types, with a black and purple scheme, and glared at him. "Well, well, a little Autobot spy. Time for a readjustment of your internal processors." The Seeker pulled back a fist, and Bumblebee kicked out, booting the Seeker in the chest and stopping him cold. The scout flailed and got free of the Seeker's grip. "I'm not going to get scrapped here, Tyrannicon!" Bumblebee pulled out his sidearm. The Seeker recovered, looked up, and laughed. "That pea shooter isn't going to do much. So, time to explain to you why they call me Treadshot." Treadshot rotated his arms in their sockets, causing a popping noise, and loaded up his guns. Bumblebee made a squeaking sound. And then he was dodging and running away, the Seeker's heavy fire blasting through the rubble and the occasional command post, strong enough he knew his armor wouldn't be able to stand up to it for long, if at all. He took the occasional potshot over his shoulder, and then slammed straight into something thick and heavy in front of him. Dazed, Bumblebee stopped and looked up. Another conehead, this one blue with a friendly smile. "Hi. Name's Ramjet. Can I help you?" "Uh..." I'm not sure what to think about this guy. "I'm being chased by a Seeker." "Oh. Probably Treadshot, right?" "Er, yes. I think so." "Sorry to disappoint, then. I can't help you." Ramjet lunged, headbutting the smaller bot with the elongated cone, and Bumblebee was knocked backward by the sheer force, his optics fuzzed with the impact. "Aw, Ramjet, he was mine!" Treadshot lumbered into a blurred view. "That's not important. The Autobots sent a scout here, of all places. That means we either have gaps in the defenses, or they're desperate enough to send out an ace scout." Ace scout? Yeah, right! I barely made it out of boot camp! Bumblebee made a whinnying beep as he tried to stand and sat right back down on his back skidplate. "Take it easy, you aren't going anywhere," Ramjet said amiably. "Now, Treadshot, what's our main goal here?" "Uh, you sure we should say it in front of the bug?" "Not that goal." "Oh! Scrap the Autobots. But what does that have to do with anything?" "We're keeping the pressure up, obviously. Look at the scout. He got through that." Ramjet pointed at the scene of carnage unfolding in the heart of Tyger Pax, corpses littering the ground. "So he's valuable as a prisoner or something?" "Something like--hey!" Bumblebee was already running, and converted to vehicle mode, driving right up the inner stairs of the Hedron Tower itself. The structure had been blown apart, so it wasn't difficult to try and get into the building itself. The two Seekers were hot on his tail, having converted and now in jet mode using their nose guns to try and shred him to shrapnel. Get to the top. Get to the top. Get to the top. "This is Bumblebee, I need air support on top of Hedron Tower! Any allied Seeker in the vicinity, please respond!" A desperate plea, but he had no other option. A wide band transmission could be picked up by hostiles, too, but he was banking on the fact he didn't identify his faction symbol. "Help's here, kiddo." A strangely accented voice came through the line and an Air Commander he knew only from the newsnet blazed through the sky, launching a missile into Treadshot and sending the Seeker careening to the ground. Jetfire! "I'll engage these two, Bumblebee. Proceed to the top and get the call out!" Jetfire blitzed forward and Ramjet intercepted him, the crash-prone jet slamming his nose into the Air Commander. Bumblebee tuned it all out, and reached the top of the stairs. He frantically started dialing in the correct frequencies to send a message for help. Only a few cycles prior, the world had been at relative peace. Then a Prime had fallen, in more than one way, and it had devolved into chaos. "This is Autobot scout Bumblebee requesting reinforcements at Tyger Pax! The Tyrannicons are here in force, and numerous Decepticon squads are assisting them! We need urgent assistance!" * * * Hound heard the call, and saw another Autobot nearby with a dark blue body and strangely heavy cream and chrome upper body perk up too. "You going? We have to support them somehow." The other bot nodded. "Have to, they need help. You are?" "Hound." "Chromedome." The two bots stood around awkwardly in the middle of the burning metal which was left in the wake of the attack on Sentinel Prime. Chromedome had seemed to simply appear, but Hound didn't question how or why given a bunch of rescue bots had come in to help out and prepare the Ark. The fires were being extinguished gradually and provided a scenic backdrop, while the Ark stood monolithic in the background, its sheer size dwarfing everything else on the platform. "Where exactly are you from?" Hound asked. Chromedome shook his head. "Not important right now. We've got to get moving. I don't have an alt mode, so can I ride with you?" Hound blinked in surprise. "Sure, I guess." Hound converted to his Cybertronian light transport mode, and Chromedome gingerly got on top of him. The two sped off. Moments later, they emerged into the carnage at Tyger Pax. They hadn't been the only bots to respond to Bumblebee's distress signal; dozens of other Autobots had entered the fray. The sheer size of the area prevented them from seeing where they might help most, so the pair split up, diverting off to random pockets of warfare. Hound lost sight of Chromedome anyway shortly thereafter. Questions popped in his head about the bot. He was so strange. But every question was interrupted by a Decepticon or Tyrannicon fighter blazing in and occupying his attention. Hound was not a warrior, not like some of the others. This was some of the best fun he'd ever had anyway. Let's see what they think of this! He flipped his shoulder gun around, and projected a hologram of himself elsewhere while disappearing to cloak himself. The Vehicon he was fighting tried to tackle the hologram, and when he fell straight through it and to the ground, Hound jumped on top of him and shot a hole right through his spark chamber. "One down." He looked up at the rest of Tyger Pax. "I guess a million to go. We're going to need more bots." An unfamiliar white and blue tank rolled up behind him, and Hound prepared to fight. After a moment, he spotted Autobot logos on the tank. "And you are?" The tank transformed, revealing the imposing body of Ultra Magnus, shoulders staggered high. "The leader of the Autotroopers." Magnus narrowed his eyes. "Give me a situation report, soldier." "I'm not a soldier," Hound tried to say, but withered beneath the glare of the commander. "There's tons of Tyrannicons and a bunch of 'Cons in general working with them. Now that Megatronus is, er, gone, I guess they're all one team. We're getting kicked to the curb, and we need reinforcements, but that's pretty obvious." "Why are the defense grid fusion cannons offline?" "I...I don't know." Hound flipped out a panel on his torso and began analyzing the power structure. Ultra Magnus furrowed his brow. "You're a technician?" "Sort of. I was working on a special project with Sentinel Prime." Hound checked the readings for the cannons. "No power. The whole grid's been shut down. The Tyrannicons have been using those command posts as temporary power converters and routing their own stuff through. The Seekers installed them a while back under Thundercracker, but I guess nobody thought anything of it because it was before the rebellion." "Hm, noted." Magnus touched his chestplate, activating a wide band communication. "Autobots, reinforcements have arrived. Jetfire is surrounding Decepticon positions utilizing his Seeker armada, and I have come with ground troops. Redouble your defense, and prevent the Tyrannicons from achieving victory here!" "Very inspiring, sir." "It is meant to be," Magnus said, missing Hound's dry sarcasm. "There is only one way to win wars, and that is ideology or total annihilation. I would prefer to avoid the latter." "Um, where's your other troops?" Magnus turned around, and a groundbridge opened. Jazz, Rewind, Ratchet, Optimus, Nemesis, and lastly Ironhide rolled through. "The Constructicons stayed behind?" Optimus nodded. "They saw fit to try and repair the damage done to the Autotrooper headquarters, and clean up the dead. The Tyrannicons who attacked have been dealt with, though their commanders escaped to fight another day. The lack of Insecticon troops there suggest it was never a primary target." "Well, we have more urgent business." Magnus opened another line of communication. "Bumblebee, do you read me? This is Ultra Magnus." No response. Hound shifted from side to side. "So how do we plan to do this? And who are you guys?" The red and blue bot who spoke to Magnus as an equal stepped forward. "I am Optimus, but full introductions must come later." He looked to the skies. "We must divide into teams and conquer the Tyrannicons here. I fear their plans for Tyger Pax are more sinister than mere anti-capitalist sentiment." The sports car with the blue visor came up. "Just divvy us up, Op. No sweat." "Very well. Magnus, you will take Jazz and Ironhide. Your goal will be to assist Autobot survivors in any way possible. Ensure that any Tyrannicon command posts you encounter are destroyed en route. Ratchet, Rewind, you two are with me and Hound. We're going to cut to the heart of the matter: dismantling the army by removing its head." Optimus pointed at the top of Hedron Tower, where three Seekers buzzed at one another. "None of us can fly, it looks like, unless something changed in the last few minutes, Optimus," Ratchet scoffed. "Why not take Jazz with us? He at least has long range weaponry." "And what about me?" Nemesis chimed in. "I'm not gonna sit around and be cannon fodder. I want to rip some Tyrannicons apart. Especially after...whatever it was they did to me." Nemesis touched his spark chamber, rubbing it as if remembering the pain that had crippled him before. "Jetfire is engaging the enemy commanders. There is no need for Jazz and the others to accompany us. Roll out!" Hound couldn't see what the big guy was planning. Ratchet was right: none of them were flying types. Jetfire and his Seekers were some of the only ones who could fly in this whole battlefield. So why have land units engage air? It was suicide. And Hound couldn't trust a commander who he'd just met who asked him to go on a suicide mission. That would be excessive. Something possessed him to go anyway. He drove along with the group, and watched as they blasted through a number of barely fortified positions. It was as if the Tyrannicons were pouring everything they had into the assault, too busy even to defend their own positions. It wasn't a lasting strategy, only a delaying one. "Optimus, I think we're going to have company soon." "What makes you say that, Hound?" "Their style of fighting. It's like they're trying to get us to expose ourselves, as if something big is coming to help them out." And knowing my luck, I'll be smack dab in the middle of it right when we find that Bumblebee guy. Rewind chimed in, his voice strangely lilting and informational. "There's a good probability that the green guy is right." Hound bristled briefly before realizing Rewind meant no offense. "There is a significant offensive push from the Tyrannicon forces but little to no support incoming for them, whereas we have had a steady trickle of allied forces. Once the power comes back on, there will be virtually no escape for them." Optimus made a "hm" noise. Nemesis drove in silence next to him. If Ratchet thought anything now, he deigned not to open his mouth. Hound drove in silence with them as they skirted small skirmishes and wondered what would happen. Jetfire's voice bleated suddenly in their comms. "This is Air Commander Jetfire! The Tyrannicon commanders Treadshot and Ramjet have been subdued. The Autobots have won!" Nemesis snorted. "I don't think we have just yet." The power came back on at last, probably courtesy of Ultra Magnus's team, and spotlights began roving the skies. A small fleet of Seekers were revealed, each running the darker colors and angular logo of the Tyrannicons. The forwardmost jet converted and landed right in front of them, with two coneheads behind him. The Seeker was red and white, with blue deco. "Dirge, Thrust, please ensure you relieve Treadshot and Ramjet. I, the glorious Starscream, will handle battle command from here." He grinned at the Autobots.