So who's been leading the last band of Autobots whilst Optimus has supposedly been in stasis for a hundred meta-cycles? Chapter 17: Dystopia – Part 2 I cannot believe it. "All the other Autobots…gone?" I utter disbelievingly. Ratchet indicates to Sideswipe with a hand. "And Sideswipe has been acting leader for us in your absence." Sideswipe crosses his arms and continues to stare at me coldly. I regard him calmly. Then I look over the other Autobots in the room: Ratchet, Arcee, Bumblebee, Elita-One… "Where is Ironhide?" I ask abruptly. There is a moment of tense silence. No-one seems to want to answer me. Uneasy glances pass between them. Then finally Bumblebee summons the courage to speak. "Ironhide had taken command initially when you went into stasis. But then he, Chromia and Jolt fell protecting you when we were moving your body to this safe location seventy meta-cycles ago…" He trails off. Muteness takes hold of my vocaliser again. My head drops to one side. My optics fall to the floor. "No… How could this have all happened?" The words fall uselessly out of my mouth. "If I had known… If I could have come back online sooner… I never intended or wanted to leave all of you to fight alone…" I do not blame Sideswipe for his response to my inadequate words. "Oh, hey, that makes everything 'much' better!" "Let it go, Sideswipe," I hear Elita telling him firmly but sympathetically, "What has happened has happened. We can't change any of it. But Optimus is back with us now. That's all that matters." "Better late than never I suppose," Sideswipe grudgingly rumbles. I cannot bring myself to look at him. Disbelief, confusion, grief, desperation, self-blame… All the emotions pass through me. Then Sideswipe's expression changes abruptly. "Wait, the Matrix of Leadership! You still have it don't you?" he quickly asks me. I nod. He draws closer to me, staring eagerly at my chest region. "It resurrected you once before!" he states enthusiastically, "We might be able to use it to revive some of our deactivated comrades if we can recover some of their bodies!" I shake my head negatively and raise a hand to cover my chest plates. "Too risky and unpredictable," I try to explain, "The Matrix is not simply a tool of power. It possesses knowledge and a will of its own. It drew me to it and powered my transformation. It gives me visions without warning and takes hold of me at any time. It will not simply work to our wishes. It operates by its own mysterious designs. It is not to be controlled. And its energies can be as dangerous as they are life-reviving. The power of the Matrix has only ever been wielded by the Primes and can be fatal to other Cybertronians." "We're in a desperate situation here, Optimus," Sideswipe argues, "We need back some of the Autobots we've lost in the past. What have we got to lose by trying it out?" I pause, considering, looking down at my chest. I feel the gentle heat emanating from the Matrix within me, reminding me of its ancient autonomous and incomprehensible power, a power that is only ever to be used carefully and wisely… I lift my head back up to look evenly at Sideswipe. "The answers lie not in trying to reverse the past, but in tackling the present," I tell him firmly, "We must find a way to topple Megatron from his throne of power." "Easier said then done, Optimus," Ratchet states dismally, stepping toward us. Suddenly there is a low beeping from the computer console and a voice crackles out from it. "Come in base!" Ratchet rushes over to the computer console and hurriedly studies it. "Sideswipe, the Twins are on comm!" he announces without looking up. "The Twins?" I murmur in surprise. Sideswipe strides over to Ratchet. "Bring them on screen." Ratchet's fingers skim over a couple of buttons on the console and an image of Skids and Mudflap appear on the computer screen. I note that their facial features have been refined somewhat. Their bodies look sleeker in design. "We've found it!" Skids declares triumphantly, "We've found the clone hatchery!" I turn to Elita beside me. "Clone hatchery?" I query her. "The Decepticons' new cloning program," she explains, "They are trying to expand their army. They have begun cloning their strongest and most resilient warriors." Arcee moves to stand next to Elita. "A solar cycle ago, we sent out the Twins undercover to infiltrate the Decepticon central citadel here in Iacon where the hatchery is," she further informs me, "They were to pinpoint the exact location of the site within the citadel for us." "Good work, Twins," I hear Sideswipe praise, "Transmit your coordinates to us." "Transmitting now." Skids' voice is unusually professional. In the centre of the command room, a holographic 3-D image of an unusual step pyramid structure appears. It is surrounded on four sides by arching frames bending up from the ground to the highest point of the step pyramid. A giant Decepticon insignia decorates the front face of the architectural construct. At the bottom of the projection, a red blip blinks. Arcee goes to scan the image. "Their signal's coming from beneath the citadel!" she announces. On the computer screen, Mudflap looks around himself tensely at his surroundings. "Guys, there's gotta be thousands of them in here. A home-bred Decepticon army ready to pop at any time!" "Can you tell us how long we've got before hatching?" Sideswipe asks quickly. On the screen, Skids glances behind himself. "They're looking pretty ripe. It'll be soon for sure. A couple more solar cycles at most." Sideswipe nods at the screen. "Thanks for the info. Now you two get yourselves out of there pronto." "Right, we'll see you…AAAGGGHHH!" Skids is violently interrupted by a sudden explosion. His and Mudflap's combined cries ring out from the comm speakers before their image on the screen is abruptly cut off. The sound of empty static comes from the comm speakers. "Skids! Mudflap!" Sideswipe cries in alarm. There is no response. "Skids! Mudflap! Respond!" Sideswipe demands again louder. Ratchet raises his head from the console and looks at Sideswipe, his expression falling. "Sideswipe…their energy signatures have gone offline… We've lost them…" Sideswipe raises his hand to cover his face then suddenly slams his fists down on the rim of the computer console. "Blast them! Blast those Decepticons!" he roars. A terrible silence fills the rest of the room as the fate of Skids and Mudflap sink into our processors. Then Arcee's expression toughens and she points to the holographic layout of the citadel in the centre of the room. "They didn't die in vain. We have a fix on their coordinates," she declares determinedly, "We know where the Decepticon clone hatchery is now." Sideswipe turns around sharply and wheels over to citadel layout. "Then it's time to destroy it," he announces vengefully. "Destroy unborn protoform hatchlings?" I murmur uncertainly, my optics dropping to the rusty floor. "Decepticon protoforms, Prime," Sideswipe states sternly, "They are nothing more than clones that Megatron has programmed to serve as his new Decepticon army. If we don't destroy them now, then very soon it'll be the end of us." "And the Decepticons will have greater forces to deploy, allowing their tyranny to spread further across the galaxy," I add monotonously. Sideswipe nods solemnly. "Exactly." I turn my head to look blankly at a wall. "That is one thing that has not changed then I guess," I murmur, "In order to stop our enemies, we must sacrifice their young…" Elita walks up to me and lays her hand gently on my arm. "Optimus, we have no choice left." I look at her heavily. "I know. I've known since the solar cycle I was willing to condemn our race to extinction by destroying the Allspark and then the Fallen's Sun Harvester on Earth… New life for the Decepticons has always meant death for the Autobots and others. We have been forced to make a terrible choice of death for our race over life for our enemies time and again, because we cannot allow them to bring their destruction to other worlds and life. The slaughter of any young is never to be condoned, but it has become a necessary evil for us… We sacrifice new life for survival and freedom…" I shut my optics down momentarily and allow a brief darkness to smother me, imagining what it might be like to have never been born… Then I turn them back on. "We'll divide into two teams," Sideswipe announces, wasting no time, "one to attack and one to penetrate the citadel. Ratchet, Arcee," he turns to them, "you two will be the ones penetrating the citadel and heading for the hatchery coordinates underground." He turns back to the holographic projection of the citadel in the centre of the room and points to the bottom of it. "You'll have the most important task of destroying the clones." He faces the rest of us. "The rest of us will launch a distraction attack at the south side of the citadel which should hopefully leave the hatchery site minimally guarded." He points to one side of the citadel projection. He turns once again to Ratchet and Arcee. "It should be relatively easy then for you two to sneak in to accomplish your mission." Then Sideswipe looks back at me, considering me for a moment. "Still remember how to fly?" he asks flatly. I glance toward my back and consciously part my wing blades slightly. Swiftly, I perform an internal check on my reconfigured systems and energy levels also. I am fully operational. "That and more I believe," I answer. I have never had the chance to fully test the capacities of my new body before going into stasis. Having emerged from solar empowerment, I had been able instinctively to open a space bridge and teleport, but it is an ability that requires more practice. I had only used my telekinetic powers on a low level once to disarm some soldiers at Diego Garcia; concentration was needed at times to bring it under control. But flight was something I had taken to with a natural flair. I had brief prior practice in Egypt when combined with Jetfire's parts. "Then you can take Elita and approach from the air," Sideswipe states. He points at a specific ground spot on the chosen side for our attack on the holographic projection of the citadel. "Bumblebee and I will launch a ground attack here. Our first explosion will be your cue to move in." He turns around and looks across all of us. "We'll leave our tracking signals on so that we can monitor one another's movements and location and we'll contact one another when possible. If all goes well, we'll meet back here at base when it's safe." His optics rest on me coolly. "Any objections?" "None," I reply. Elita turns to me. "Optimus, can you still teleport?" she asks, "It might be easier for you to get into the hatchery…" "I am afraid that is not an option, Elita," I respond negatively, "I am unfamiliar with this citadel's internal structure. I would not know where to direct myself to until I have seen the target location." "Optimus will best serve as a distraction with us," Sideswipe reiterates, "His reappearance after all this time will hopefully surprise the Decepticons and grab their full attention. And his aerial support will be more useful to us in battle." I nod in agreement with his logic. I do not remember the last time I was not in the position of leader. It has always been my constant burden and responsibility. It is strange for once to be on the receiving end of orders, listening to someone else making battle plans… "Get ready to move in two cycles, Autobots," Sideswipe informs. A part of me welcomes the rare shift in command… It is so much easier…
So many horrible changes in 100 metacycles..Ironhide, Chromia and Jolt, long gone.. Even Skids and Mudflap, have matured, became capable spy bots, now gone And now all must risk their lives to stop an overwhelming army of Decepticon protoforms yet to come online.., a deeply sad and moving chapter.. I can only pray the Autobots will survive
I agree with MPL a very deeply moving chapter. I can't believe that Ironhide is now gone , even Chromia and Jolt there gone too! even the twins are gone too . I wonder what is going to happen next? I guess we have to wait the next installment.
(Starts crying) Ironhide, I will miss you. Goodbye! Another masterful chapter, Black Oracle. I really did shed a few tears when reading it. I'll say it again, you should look into writing as a career. This series of stories is like a breath of fresh air after too many "my own version of the third movie" and fan-character-based fan-fics. Not that there's anything wrong with those, but they get kinda old after a while.
Thanks as always for the comments, everyone. Apologies to those of you i've shocked. But there is an explanation for everything that's to come in the next few chapters. All i can say is: don't expect things to get much better... I'm terrible, i like to toture Prime. *Goes round handing out tissues to those who need one.*
reply to ff what can i say black orcale the pain,grief and heartache that optimus felt was insane. tales of the last prime was awesome of course there's still more to go. i was just thinking when optimus stepped thought that black hole hmmm. i think this is a nightmare he his having there can't be just a handful of autobots left. when he went in that portal(that's the correct saying i think) he was seeing into a possible future. like i've said before i can't wait for more and i should have read this earier. well BO excellent,awesome,incredible,insane and also i'm in awe totlp should be written into a movie it has kept us readers hooked from the start and i don't want it to end. please let me know what you think about my comments and let me know when you update.
Thank you very much for your encouraging comments, jgoss! I'm glad i've been able to take you on a deep journey with Optimus. In regards to the latest chapters, all i can say is, your suspicions may be well placed... I'm currently trying to update this once a week now. Check back on Fri.!
After a hundred meta-cycles of stasis, Optimus wakes up to a desperate future where the Decepticons rule Cybertron and the last band of Autobots, led by an embittered Sideswipe, are in hiding. With the recent loss of the Twins and the threat of Decepticon clone protoforms soon to expand the Decepticon army arising, can things possibly get any worse for the Autobots? Can Optimus' return at this point possibly make any difference to an already bleak future? Or did the chances the Autobots had to stop their foes go down long ago with their loss of the war? For anyone who is familiar with the Japanese Beast Wars series, i've made a little fan reference to the Beast Wars II show in this chapter. I'm sure you'll spot it. Chapter 18: Dystopia – Part 3 Elita leads me to an armoury room. A multitude of weapons line the shelves on the metal walls. She begins to select her choice of arms. I watch her pick up a rapid-fire blaster gun, check its ammunition load and attach it to her hip. "You must forgive Sideswipe," she says calmly without looking back at me, "He has been through a lot in your absence." Her slender fingers move onto the handle of a laser blade. Holding it firmly in her grasp, she activates it and watches a long blue energy blade emerge. Then she turns it off and places it into a compartment in her left arm. "I do not blame him for being angry," I reply quietly, "You have all been through terrible times…and I was no help…" Elita stops and turns around to look at me. "Optimus, don't blame…," she begins. "My feelings are the least of our concerns now," I interrupt. I pause, regarding her different body, wondering what experiences she has been through during my time offline. "What about you, Elita?" I ask, "What have you been through?" She gazes at me softly and a small smile appears on her purple tinted lips. She approaches me and takes hold of my hand in both of hers. "I have waited a hundred meta-cycles for you to awaken, my love," she utters tenderly, "That has been my sole reason to keep on going this long." She raises her hand for my face and I lean down to allow her to touch my cheek. She begins to stroke it. I place my hand over hers, holding it to my face, cherishing the meaningful contact. The azure glow of her optics dim. Her voice is melancholy. "When we lost our sister, Chromia, Arcee and I were not only grief-stricken… It literally felt like we had lost a third of our sparks." My spark sinks empathetically with hers. "Our link had been broken. A third of us was missing. We became more dependent on one another and others. Arcee grew close to Ratchet, as you may have noticed just now in the command room." I recall their earlier tender holding of hands. "Yes," I reply, "They did seem to be…very attached." Elita nods in confirmation, still gazing lovingly at me as she continues her story. "Arcee's relationship with Ratchet helped fill the void in her spark left by Chromia's departure. In a way, he became an emotional substitute for Chromia to Arcee." Elita's fingers press onto my cheek beneath my palm. "My love for you kept me going in a similar way. I dreamt so often of your revival over the meta-cycles. I was doubted at times that you would ever return to us, but I never lost faith." Her azure optics seem to sparkle. "I would have waited an eternity for you, my love," she declares softly. I tighten my fingers around hers and I bring her hand down from my cheek into my encompassing grasp. I bring myself down further onto one knee to match my height with hers, staring deep into her beautiful optics. "Elita…," I murmur, "you have been so strong and infinitely patient…" She presses herself into my body, leaning her head into my lowered shoulder. "A century of dreaming…," she whispers dreamily, "But now my dreams have finally come true. I am back in your arms. And there is a glimmer of hope once more." I bring my arms around her smaller body and hold her close to me. "I will do everything in my power to set things right, Elita," I murmur into her audios, "I promise." She draws her head back from my shoulder and looks at me seriously now. "My love, are you sure we could not attempt to use the Matrix like Sideswipe suggests?" she asks in an almost requesting manner. She reaches to touch my chest plates. "If you would allow us, we could…" I stop her hand from making contact with my chest, catching it in my own. "No, Elita." I shake my head. "The Matrix is not the solution to our problems." She does not seem entirely convinced. Her gaze falls subtly to my chest. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It is worse than I could have imagined. Iacon has been drastically changed under the rule of Decepticons. My spark becomes heavy in my chest. I am flying over the rooftops of the city now. My illuminated wing blades are spread wide from my back, propelling me through the air with invisible forces. I carry Elita in my arms. She observes me sympathetically as I look down solemnly at what was once my jewel of a home city. Buildings have lost their gleam and beauty, the exteriors neglected, apparently valued only for their interior functions. Streets are lined uniformly with grey factories, obviously serving the same manufacturing purposes. Everything seems cold, lifeless, geared toward functional outputs and promotion of conquest. Decepticon emblems are everywhere. Visual war propaganda in the form of large holographic projections are the only colourful decorations around. The marks of dictatorship, war and stifling order have deformed Iacon. A giant holographic screen hovering in the air ahead of me attracts my attention. Megatron's cold and imposing face appears suddenly in it. He begins to speak, his voice broadcasting out to the entire city. "My proud Decepticons, our victories have been numerous over the meta-cycles. The Autobots no longer pose an obstacle to us and Cybertron is our stronghold. We have successfully conquered three other worlds to date, including Earth, and the energy sources of those worlds are now at our disposal. The spread of our empire across the universe continues…" I turn my head away from Megatron's depressing holographic broadcast and focus my attention back down on Elita in my arms. "Ever since the Decepticons took control of Iacon, everything has been converted to support their pursuit of galaxy-wide conquest," Elita explains glumly, "Most of the old research facilities are now factories for weapons manufacture, and the former temples and memorial halls are now galleries boasting of the merits of the highest ranked Decepticon warriors." She nods back at Megatron's broadcast on the giant holographic screen which I am now passing. "Megatron runs regular broadcasts to his Decepticons of their victories on Cybertron and beyond. He's recently talked about plans to invade a new organic world called Gaia that's supposedly rich in a new energy source known as Angolmois energy." As Elita's voice stops, Megatron's seeps back into my awareness from the broadcast. "The Decepticons are unstoppable. Our expansion is inevitable…" My optics dim. My head drops. "If there was anything I could do to change all this…," I murmur regretfully. Elita offers me another look of shared pain. Then something draws her optics forward. She points ahead. "There's the citadel," she announces. It looms large before us. A vast step pyramid structure surrounded by four arching frames bending up from the ground with a giant Decepticon insignia carved into one face of it, the life-sized original of the holographic projection I saw back at base. It stands hundreds of feet in height and length, vaguely reminding me of the Fallen's Sun Harvester I destroyed so long ago in Egypt. The sound of an explosion suddenly travels up from the ground then. We look down to see the flaming aftermath of an attack on the citadel's bottom tier. "And there's our cue," I inform Elita, "Let's roll." I soar toward the citadel's upper tiers. Transferring Elita to the hold of my left arm, I engage my ion blaster in my right and hold it forward. I fire off two untargeted shots at the citadel. They explode noisily upon contact and send loose metal fragments falling down to the lower levels. "I believe that should get their attention," I remark. "Better drop me off on the ground," Elita advises, pointing down, "I work better with my feet under me." I nod obligingly. Narrowing my wing blades behind me, I send us into a descending dive down toward the main road leading to the citadel. I spot Sideswipe and Bumblebee transforming out of their alternate modes down on the ground. Elita draws her rapid-fire blaster gun from her hip as I near our comrades on the ground. For a moment, she holds me in an intense gaze. "I'll see you later, my love." Then before I can respond, she jumps with amazing agility from my arms and lands gracefully on the ground below near Sideswipe and Bumblebee. "Ratchet and Arcee are on their way in," I hear Bumblebee report over our com-links. As I swerve upwards, I see the citadel's large doors opening ahead of us. "Get ready, Autobots!" Sideswipe announces, his Cybertanium swords extending from his arms. Bumblebee produces his plasma arm canon. Elita charges her blaster gun. I rise higher up in the air to get a broader view of the opposition we face. From the open citadel doors, a small army of Decepticon drones, all of the same design, march out. They carry standard blaster weapons. Just above them, a familiar Cybertronian jet with black markings on his wings emerges and transforms: Starscream. He flies ahead of the drone troops and comes to hover above Sideswipe, Elita and Bumblebee. "I knew you'd be along soon enough after I offlined those processor-challenged twins of yours," he taunts toward Sideswipe. His voice takes on a smirking tone. "It's not pleasant to learn of 'brothers' being offlined is it Sideswipe?" Sideswipe takes Starscream's verbal bait explosively. "Come down here and face me, coward!" he bellows, raising his swords threateningly at Starscream, "So help me I'll cut out that smirk of yours!" "And lose my aerial advantage?" Starscream responds casually, "I don't think so, Autobot. Unlike you, I have intelligence instead of a temper." Retracting my ion blaster back up my right arm, I position myself above Starscream in the air and reach down to him with my telekinetic energies. Starscream jerks in the air as I suddenly pull him up toward me with unseen forces. I halt him right in front of me. His red optics widen in shock. I look at him evenly. "If you will not answer to him, you will answer to me," I rumble authoritatively. Beneath me, I notice the drones advancing forward. Sideswipe, Bumblebee and Elita aim their firearm weapons at them. "This one's for Skids and Mudflap," Sideswipe declares. He leans forward and fires three shots from his back-mounted blasters. They accurately hit the chests of three drones on the front line, knocking them backwards into others behind them. Bumblebee and Elita open fire as well. More drones fall. I return my full attention to the captive Decepticon I am holding in front of me when he begins to say something. "Op…Optimus Prime?" Starscream stutters, "Impossible! You disappeared a hundred meta-cycles ago!" "And now I'm back," I declare in a low tone. Heat travels down my body as my internal systems draw power from the Matrix. Starscream looks at me anxiously, still paralysed by the grip of my powers. "What…what happened to you?" he gasps, glancing down my form. I realise he is the first Decepticon to see me in my new body since my solar empowerment. I throw an energised hand out and grab Starscream by an arm. He cries out in pain as the heat of my energy burns his armour. "I had an upgrade," I answer monotonously, tightening my grip on his arm and easily denting his plating. "I don't know where you've come from after all this time, Prime," Starscream manages to boldly vocalise, "but it no longer matters! The Autobots were defeated long ago! Megatron was victorious! Your return at this point is insignificant!" I feel heat burning through my optics. I narrow my gaze at him. "Then I demand justice for the slaughter of my comrades," I utter coldly. With a forceful pull, I tear Starscream's arm right out of its socket. He screams in agony as sparks pour out violently from his disarmed shoulder. I toss his detached arm down to the ground. Then with a short burst of telekinetic energy from my other hand, I send him hurtling into the citadel wall some distance away. He crashes, leaving an indentation in the wall. His body seems to go limp. I return my gaze down to the battle below. I see Sideswipe, Bumblebee and Elita inundated by the firing drones. Elita has discarded her rapid-fire blaster gun and is shooting bolts of high voltage electricity at the drones from a blaster attached to her left arm. Bumblebee is standing back to back with her and still firing with his arm-mounted plasma canon. Sideswipe is a blurred streak of red and silver wheeling between lines of enemies. His arm blades are slicing smoothly through each torso he passes. I drop down to aid them. Snapping my energon blades out from my arms, I direct myself to pass over the heads the drones engaging closest to my comrades. Swooping over them, I decapitate several drones with my lowered blades. Their heads drop to the ground, followed closely by their headless bodies. I bring myself to hover just above the other Autobots and holding out my hands, I summon an energy shield over us to deflect the incoming shots from the rest of the Decepticon drone army. "Stand back!" I order to my Autobots. Internally, I draw energy from the Matrix and build up a charge. Then, arching backwards, I release an explosive invisible wave from my body across the rows of drones in front of us. They are instantly thrown back, sent sliding roughly across the ground. They do not get up again. Gradually reducing the energy output from my wing blades, I lower myself down to the ground to join my Autobots. They all display minor battle damage, scratches, burns and dents on their armour. Elita makes her way over to me. "Nice work, Optimus," she praises, "You just took out the remaining drones." "Don't relax your guard yet, Elita," Sideswipe warns, "There may be more on the way." "I'll check on Ratchet and Arcee's status," Bumblebee announces. He lowers his head as he checks his internal monitors. A troubled expression appears on his face. Sideswipe looks at him impatiently. "Well?" Bumblebee hesitantly looks back up at us. "Their…their energy signatures are gone…"
