Episode 35: Grimlock's New...



An intensely bright light met the reactivated visual sensors; a fact that was not what caused surprise to the bearer of the visual sensors. The surprise was that instead of being greeted by the ethereal realm of the Matrix as described by the ancients, or the glorious battlefields of Silicon Valhalla that the legends claimed to be the reward for the greatest of warriors, the view was of the clearly recognizable ceiling of the Ark's Infirmary. The view of the ceiling slowly shifted as the metal slab that the patient was laid out upon began rotating upward.

The command to come out of stasis was one administered externally, though the patient's internal processes had no objections to the command. All but the slightest of damage had been healed, and the injuries that remained were being repaired with speeds that the host's frame had never before been capable of outside of a CR chamber. The newly awakened patient calmly allowed the rotating slab to bring him to an upright position, and took notice of the various Autobots standing before him. Optimus Prime, Ratchet and Ironhide were standing directly in front of the patient, all nodding in what seemed to be a genuine showing of amity and relief. Snarl, Sludge, Slag and Swoop were leaning against the wall off to the right, but unlike the other Autobots, they seemed extremely amused, looking as though they were doing all that they could to hold back laughter. Slag actually had to turn away and cover his mouth to keep from busting out in guffaws.

The slab completed its rotation upward, causing the patient to slide off of it and onto his feet as it finally became vertical. Prime stepped forward. "How do you feel Grimlock?"

The Dinobot Commander ran a self-diagnostic and was surprised by the results. "Better than ever. Me Grimlock not ever been strong or healthy like this before. Maybe due to new programming me Grimlock discover during diagnostic check?"

Some loud snickering came from the group of spectating Dinobots, snickering that was silenced by glares from Prime, Ironhide and Ratchet. Prime turned back to Grimlock, and readdressed the Dinobot Commander. "I'm glad to hear that, and I'll fill you in on that new programming in a moment." Prime looked down to the ground before looking back and continuing. "But first I want to thank you and commend you on your valor and selflessness in the battle with the Decepticons three days ago. You took a blow meant for me, one that by all rights should have killed the recipient. I owe you my life, and my gratitude."

"We even." Grimlock shook his head, and then sent an angry glare to his still giggling troops. "There problem here?" Each of the four Dinobots could barely shake their heads without giving in to the urge to burst out laughing. "What so funn..."

The Infirmary door opening and Sparkplug and two unknown humans entering interrupted the Dinobot’s heated question. Both of the other humans were attired in colorful battle armor and visor-equipped helmets, and each stood a tad over six feet tall; at least, they did as they entered the Infirmary. As they came to a stop next to Ironhide, one doubled in size and the other nearly quadrupled. The larger of the two giant humans looked directly at Grimlock's mid-section and made a comment in Jazz's voice. "I'd ask how it's hangin' Grimlock, but you're already making that abundantly clear." The statement caused the other Dinobots, Sparkplug and the twelve-foot human to lose control and break out in laughter. Even Ironhide and Ratchet couldn't help but look away and let loose with the chuckling. The situation was obviously amusing Prime as well, but unlike his troops he was able to control himself.

"What you tal...� The thoroughly confused Dinobot Commander followed Jazz's human eyes downward toward his own waist, and was stunned by what met his gaze; light tan flesh spattered with sporadic patterns of black hair sprouting from it. But as distressing as these traits would normally have been to him, another object on his new exterior took the focus of his angered confusion. "WHAT THE SLAG THAT!!!???!!!" The shouted question drove the laughing Autobots to levels of near hysteria, causing Slag and Snarl to lose control and fall to the ground. Even the controlled Optimus Prime was unable to resist any longer, and the great Autobot Commander, the very symbol of wisdom, compassion and honor, was forced to look away and double over as laughter poured out from behind his faceplate. "WHAT THIS SLAGGING THING!!!???!!!"

Slag looked up from the floor, reached for the handle of his deactivated plasma sword strapped to his waist, grabbed it and tossed it to his Commander, laughing uproariously the entire time. "Here!" Grimlock snatched the handle out of the air, ignited the blade, and raised it over his head in preparation to lop the offending object off.

"JEEZ, NO! GRIMLOCK, NOOO!" Sparkplug immediately ceased laughing and yelled out at Grimlock before turning to Slag. "You sick, twisted degenerate! What the hell's the matter with you!?!"

Grimlock looked to the objecting human and hesitated for a moment. "WHY? ME GRIMLOCK NO WANT THIS...THING!"

Ratchet finally got control of himself and walked up to the thirty-two foot naked man. "Hold on Grimlock." Ratchet raised his hand to keep Grimlock from swiping at himself. "This isn't necessary. Just access that new programming that you discovered and disengage the Pretender shell."

Grimlock's human face possessed an incredulous expression as he looked at the Autobot Medical Officer, but decided to follow the recommendation. A moment later millions of nanites peeled away from the surface of the Dinobot and disappeared within the crevices of his frame. Grimlock's now robotic face peered intently at Ratchet as his now robotic right hand still held Slag's plasma blade high over his head. "Ratchet do this to me Grimlock?"

Not taking the threatening posture seriously, Ratchet smirked, shook his head and turned away. "No, that's First Aid's handiwork." Stopping, the Medic turned back. "And you'd better thank Primus he did it because that's the only thing that kept you alive after being skewered by PredaKing."

Grimlock looked down at his mid-section, making sure that it was exactly as it was supposed to be before looking to Sparkplug. "How you humans fight, hunt...even walk with that…thing?"

Sparkplug laughed. "We make due."

Prime looked to the four other Dinobots. "Alright, you see that he's fine, so you need to leave now." The Autobot Commander then turned to Ironhide, Sparkplug and the two giant humans. "You too, guys; doctor/patient confidentiality and all."

The twelve-foot human looked to Prime and responded in Bumblebee's voice. "And which of those titles applies to you?" The large, human-looking Autobot smiled as Prime silently folded his arms in response to the joking remark. The flesh, cloth and armor covered Minibot nervously giggled as he turned and headed to the door.

The Infirmary quickly cleared out, leaving only Prime, Ratchet and Grimlock. Prime turned to Grimlock, who was still clearly angry. "I apologize for the audience, Grimlock, but your troops refused to leave your side until you were up and about."

Ratchet stood next to the Dinobot and began scanning him with a hand-held piece of equipment. "Their devotion to you was actually quite inspiring." The physician inspected some of the results of the scan closely as he continued. "Of course, once you were out of the woods, their jokes at your expense were more frequent and cruel than those of the other Autobots."

"Me Grimlock have to remember to thank them." The Dinobot ominously grumbled. "How many Autobots see me Grimlock like that?"

Ratchet looked to Prime and smiled. There was no way that he was going to be the bearer of this bit of news. Prime shrugged and answered. "Everyone present at the battlefield where you were injured, and all of the Autobots currently stationed at the Ark as well. You see Grimlock, along with various other medical supplies; First Aid was given a couple of the Pretender shell prototype mechanisms that Wheeljack had duplicated to keep in the secondary base. Upon determining the extent of your injury, First Aid decided to fit you with one of the prototypes. It was the right decision to make as your wound was so great, that without the restorative properties of the shell you'd have died in minutes." Prime's optics were brightly lit, but otherwise he showed no exterior sign of his amusement. "You were loaded onto Omega Supreme with the shell on, sped here, and carried off of Omega Supreme. All of the Autobots were worried for you at hearing of your injury, so they came out in a show of support and watched the Dinobots run into the rocket and carry you out...uhm...in all your glory."

Grimlock rubbed his cranial shell and groaned. "Why give me Grimlock naked human for shell?"

Ratchet walked around to the other side of the Dinobot and continued his scans. "Well, programming a shell design can be a lengthy process, and nobody was willing to use the existing ninja-snake design that the dead Decepticon was utilizing, so Wheeljack scanned a local cemetery for human DNA and used those samples as the specifications for the prototype shells for expediency's sake. You guys left for the secondary base before Wheeljack could program in clothing, so that's why your shell is a human in his birthday suit."

"When me Grimlock can get human nanites removed?"

Prime held up his hand. "Let's not be hasty Grimlock. Why not keep your shell for the time being? It doesn't adversely affect you, and I can have Wheeljack program some clothing into your Pretender nanites and enhance the size shifting technology of your frame as soon as possible."

Grimlock glared up at Prime. "Me Grimlock not wanna be pathetic human. At least T-rex powerful organic, human slow, small, weak and have no natural weapons."

"Come on Grimlock, you would only look, and come up on scanners, like a human. You yourself said that with the shell on you've never been more powerful." Prime countered.

Grimlock looked at Prime silently for nearly a minute before responding. "Fine. If Wheeljack program clothing, me Grimlock not have shell removed. But me Grimlock never activate it again."

Prime nodded, knowing that if the need arose, Grimlock would begrudgingly make use of the technology. "Fair enough." The Autobot Commander then straightened up and took on a more serious tone. "I also wish to speak to you about your performance in battle. In all of the battles that you've fought with us in general, but the last one in particular."

"Prime have problem with way me Grimlock fight?" Grimlock narrowed his optic as he awaited Prime's response.

"On the contrary, your valor is greater than even your legend depicts, your combat prowess and competence are without peer, your leadership skills are exceptional, and all that serve under you do so without hesitation or doubt. On the battlefield, you are without flaw." Prime's demeanor dimmed slightly. "Off of the battlefield, however, you have some issues. Your utter disdain for authority, your disregard for all but those that possess your values and a level of physical prowess that you deem worthy, your constant, and sometimes violent displays of dissatisfaction with other officers, and your inherent feelings of superiority make it difficult, if not impossible, to work with you. On two occasions you have shown a willingness to kill Autobot command figures in an archaic bid for leadership." Prime shook his head. "You have the makings of a top-level General, but your conduct, personal views and history of mutiny keep me from promoting you to such levels."

Grimlock shrugged. "Me Grimlock not care about getting approval of Prime. Me Grimlock command four most worthy warriors bearing Autobrands, warriors that answer only to me Grimlock. Me Grimlock not willing to go soft just so that Prime let me Grimlock help shepherd his many sheep."

Prime gently shook his head. "Look Grimlock, I don't want you to lose your edge, I just need you to expand your view of our cause. It isn't just about beating the Decepticons, it's about protecting the innocent, ensuring justice and providing a moral example in both word and action." Prime reached forward and gripped Grimlock by the shoulder. "I need you to evolve beyond being the head of a brutally effective strike force into a symbol of inspiration and integrity that all of our soldiers can look to. I need you to be an officer that I can count on in every facet and on every front of our struggle." Prime removed his hand and paused before continuing. "I present you with the rank of Lietenant Commander of the Autobot Armed Forces. Please accept the position, knowing that the battlefield excellence you have always displayed combined with a growing temperance and level of wisdom will ensure further advancement and responsibility."

Grimlock stared quietly at Prime for a moment. He had little use for melodramatic speeches and compliments mixed with constructive criticisms. Yet, an 'official' position as an Autobot officer would be a stepping stone in eventually legitimizing his claims to ultimate leadership of the Autobot Army. "Fine, me Grimlock accept."


***


Abundance. Safety. Equality. Knowledge. Justice. Freedom. Terms that had long ago been used to describe Cybertronian society, terms that according to the sight being beheld, seemed once again to apply. Alpha Trion walked through the bustling street, noting the health, happiness and carefree demeanor of the countless citizens going about their lives, cheerfully greeting and interacting with one another. It was golden age that may one day be; but for now, it was merely a dream. No, realized the ancient Autobot as he peered around at his ethereal surroundings, it was more than that. He had been in existence for so long, so vast was his experience, so in tune was he with his own mental processes, that he recognized that this vision was more than a mere dream. He had experienced others like it in the past. It was a message, a premonition. Suddenly the non-corporeal existence began shaking, crumbling; Alpha Trion immediately recognized this vision to be a warning.

The ancient Cybertronian looked to the sky with all of the now-worried citizens, and saw the image that had been haunting him his entire existence. High above, entering Cybertronian orbit, was the ringed form of the Chaos Bringer. Panic ran rampant through the Cybertronian streets, but Alpha Trion merely watched the events unfold in an attempt to ascertain the message being delivered to him.

Through the dust and debris of the destruction, a form emerged; a tall, athletic form that seemed to be in a constant state of flux. Just as Alpha Trion seemed to recognize the figure, its features changed. At any given moment the figure seemed to be composed of a mixture of traits from the Prime's of the past, as well as traits of the current Prime and unknown physical traits that Alpha Trion could only assume to be from Matrix-bearers yet to come. The elderly robot smiled as he even saw features that he recognized as his own on the constantly shifting body. Then the shared form of the various Matrix-bearers took a stand against the demon Unicron and wielded the Matrix to channel the power of creation. Alpha Trion was forced to shield his optics as the raw power swept over everything.

Unicron was gone. Cybertron remained. Though the outcome seemed ideal, Alpha Trion was worried about the meaning of this vision. The ancient prophecy ran through his head: "One day, an Autobot will rise from our ranks, and use the power of the Matrix to light our darkest hour." But the vision seemed to imply that the Prime, any Prime, could be the instrument by which Primus unleashed his great power to repel the ultimate force of destruction with.

Could it be that their darkest hour be a threat other than that posed by Unicron? A threat greater than that posed by the Chaos Bringer seem impossible to Alpha Trion, but as he made these contemplations, a dark shadow began to emerge from the sky, quickly covering all that Alpha Trion's optics could encompass. The shape-shifting conglomeration of Matrix bearers once again stood against the threat, looking to the Matrix to ward off the encroaching darkness.

Alpha Trion watched the multi-Prime do what it could to fight off the blackness, an entity that seemed to give off a sense of undeniable curiosity mixed with complete lack of morality. And though barely detectable to the voyeur, the essence of Unicron was present in the shapeless and growing form. It sought to create chaos, not because of any inherent cruelty or lust for destruction, but because it knew nothing else.

Watching the invading form overwhelm any and all defenses thrown against it, the ancient robot noticed that the fluctuating Prime figure seemed different from before. Certain traits that had been appearing as it fought off Unicron were no longer present in the shared form for its battle with this new threat; traits for whom Alpha Trion recognized. It became apparent that the attempts of all other Primes were nothing short of futile against this new being. The blackness enveloped all, devouring all life force and leaving only a dry husk where Cybertron had once been. Alpha Trion began coming out of the vision as he saw the darkness expand throughout the galaxy and then beyond, fruitlessly conducting its search and leaving only death in its wake.

Alpha Trion began to realize what at least part of the message of the vision had been as he returned to consciousness. Fate had selected the Autobot that could light the darkness, but it had also deemed that this chosen Autobot would not be there in their hour of need. The ancient Autobot rose from the metal slab that he had been resting on in his subterranean workshop and got to his feet. It was time to prove fate wrong.


***


Ratbat watched as the darkly colored attack craft lowered to the floor of the hangar. The open panels of the roof above him rotated to a closed position before the engines finally powered down and the exit ramp lowered. Shockwave stepped out of the Surgical Strike and confidently strode down the ramp and onto the floor, apparently indifferent to the presence of the winged Decepticon waiting for him. Though intimidated by the imposing Sub-Commander, Ratbat would not be ignored. "Sir, may I ask the purpose for these repeated tests of the Surgical Strike?"

Shockwave marched passed the perched mechanical bat and lifted a data pad off of a table. "Not that you have any business to be questioning me, but I am being thorough with the testing of the attack crafts because they will be playing a major combat role in the near future and will be carrying the most elite of the Decepticon leadership. I will not risk so much on equipment that I have even the slightest doubts about."

Ratbat was smart enough to detect that details were being withheld, but lacked adequate caution to keep that suspicion quiet. He pressed Shockwave further. "But sir, you yourself are Megatron's second. Wouldn't it be more appropriate for a Decepticon of less significance to be conducting tests that could potentially prove to be dangerous?"

The large, purple Decepticon whirled around and faced the smaller Ratbat, who shrunk back at seeing the intensity displayed by the purple war machine. "I wanted it done right, so I chose to conduct the tests myself. And you need not worry about my safety, as there were failsafe measures put into place should anything have gone wrong." Shockwave whirled back around and continued marching toward another part of the hangar, toward the attack ship Slagmaker.

"Failsafe measures?" Ratbat's voice was almost amused. "Sir, what possible measures could have gotten you back to Cybertron should the wormhole generator have malfunctioned while you were in one of the many regions that you had it transport you to? The fuel usage of the Surgical Strike indicates many long-range jumps."

Shockwave once again spun around to face Ratbat, this time lacking what little patience he had shown before. "One way or another, Ratbat, you will stop asking these questions. I am certain that your choosing to refrain from continuing this interrogation would be much preferable to the alternative method that would be used to silence you." Shockwave's hand cannon glowed as he intently stared at the small Decepticon for several seconds. He finally continued, now convinced that Ratbat had chosen to end his questioning. "You simply need know that in addition to being a warrior and Megatron's second, I am also a scientist. My use of the attack craft served the purposes of all three of my functions."

Some of the anger seemed to drain out of Shockwave as he continued. "The little information that you have gleaned regarding my activities would be viewed as too dangerous to allow you to have by Megatron and some of the other Decepticons involved, but I consider you to be too useful to the cause to eliminate, and trustworthy enough to allow you to continue existing with this parcel of knowledge. But tread lightly and never bring this matter up again, or even I may agree that we'd be better off without you."

"I apologize sir, and thank you for your patience and faith in me." Ratbat lightly replied.

Shockwave nodded. "Also, you no longer need concern yourself with the high fuel consumptions of these experiments. With this last flight I have gathered the data that I was after, and will no longer need to conduct these tests."

The small bat-like head nodded. "That's good to hear sir."

Shockwave looked toward the two attack ships for a moment before looking back to Ratbat. "I have a few more details to attend to here. Things that do not require your presence."

Ratbat took his cue and lifted into the air. "Of course sir." In seconds he was out of the hangar. Shockwave turned to the Slagmaker, walked up its boarding ramp, and once again set about making some alterations to Megatron's ship. Unlike the last time, however, Shockwave simply needed to enter some carefully chosen coordinates into equipment that he had already installed. All the pieces were nearly in place.


***


"This has got to be a joke."

Sideswipe shook his head and quietly replied to the whispered comment. "Shut up, Streaker."

But the predominantly yellow Autobot persisted. "Seriously, six Minibots, a lab rat, an inexperienced nobody, an old backfire, and a bunch of Femmes?" Sunstreaker shook his head as he stood in a long line of Autobots beginning with Hot Spot, Hoist, Streetwise, First Aid, Grapple, Hound, Groove, Bluestreak, Blades, Tracks, Trailbreaker, Windcharger, Sideswipe and ending with himself. They were lined up before the vehicular form of Sky Lynx, who had just landed and whose gangplank was lowering to the ground. A moment later the door to his lower section slid open and out came a procession of Autobot reinforcements. "Look at these guys."

Without taking his optic off of the newcomers, Trailbreaker hissed at Sunstreaker. "Be quiet Sunstreaker!"

"Short, stumpy, simplistic; now that I've seen first-hand the toys of organic toddlers, I can accept that there are those that actually like the design aesthetic of Minibots. But anyone not spewing waste into a diaper finds them to be lacking in any and all appeal." Sunstreaker continued, uncaring of the demands for silence from both his brother and Trailbreaker, as six Minibots made their way out of the craft. He did notice an extremely heated stare coming from Windcharger, who was standing just two robots to the left of him. "All except you Windcharger, you're actually quite stunning and distinguished. Pphhssst." Sunstreaker quietly chuckled.

"Jerk." Windcharger mumbled.

"Hell, I could handle their ugliness if there were a little creativity thrown into the design. Wheelie looks unique, ugly, but unique. Cosmos is a dumpy looking little blumpkin, but fortunately for everyone, he’s one of a kind. The rest of them, however, nothing but piles of slag stamped with all too frequently used cookie cutters!"

Sideswipe gently elbowed his brother. "Shut up."

"Outback looks like they took Brawn's old, ugly frame, removed most of the internal presses and slapped on even uglier coats of paint."

"Shhh!" Bluestreak could barely hear what was being said, but having known Sunstreaker as long as he did, he knew the general direction of the commentary.

The yellow Autobot ignored Bluestreak and continued. "Pipes looks like Huffer after a tar bath, Hubcap is just another carbon copy of the Minibots' most prominent design, and Swerve...� Sunstreaker hesitated as he realized that the red and white Minibot bore a striking resemblance to the recently departed Gears. "Well, enough about the Minibots."

"Good, now shut up!" Trailbreaker turned away from the newcomers and glared at Sunstreaker, who simply met the glare with an arrogant grin.

As another one of the reinforcements came off, Sunstreaker continued his belittling. "A yes, the absentminded professor.� Perceptor smiled and nodded at Sunstreaker, who smiled back as he ridiculed the scientist from a distance to far for him to hear. “I’ll give him that he certainly adds something to the cause, but he’s such a stiff, boring and unappealing Poindexter.�

The comments didn’t stop with Perceptor as more Autobots being transferred from Cybertron headed down the ramp. “Take a look at this slaggin' guy!" The yellow Autobot chuckled as Hot Rod stepped into the sunlight. "Nice flames." Sunstreaker leaned forward and looked to his left at the blue Autobot four spaces down. "He looks right up your alley, Tracks."

"Leave me out of this, you rusty trailer hitch. And stop insulting others to compensate for you feelings of inadequacy." Tracks turned to the yellow Autobot. "It's not their fault that you're second fiddle as long as I'm around."

"Ughn." Sideswipe shook his head, knowing how his brother would likely react to this statement. "Let it go and shut the slag up Streaker." The red Autobot grabbed Sunstreaker by the arm and stared intently at him.

Sunstreaker looked to the grip on his arm, and then sent a threatening glare to his brother. "Side...� Something caught the corner of his optic, and Sunstreaker was once again focusing on the new arrivals. "LAAAADIES." The statement was made with the intention of being heard by all of the Autobots, most of who chuckled upon hearing it. Even Sideswipe, who had been preparing himself for a throw-down, released his brother's arm and started laughing at the comment.

Arcee, Firestar and a recently created black and gold colored Femme all looked to the speaker, with differing reactions. The newborn sighed as she looked at Sunstreaker. "Who is that?"

Firestar grumbled as she grabbed the new robot by the arm and pulled her down the ramp. "A pile of slag. I don't want you to have anything to do with him off of the battlefield, do you understand me Vixen?"

Kup followed the Femmes out of Sky Lynx. "On the battlefield he'd be a good one to stick to though. He knows what he's doing, and seeing as you're pretty, he'll look out for you."

Vixen kept looking at the other resident Autobots. "How about the red one next to him, is he OK? He makes my core temperature rise." She smiled at the brawny Sideswipe, but then shifted her gaze a couple of places to the left. "And that blue one is almost as beautiful as the yellow one. I'm really going to like it here."

Arcee looked to Firestar. "Was I ever like that?"

Firestar looked from Arcee to Hot Rod, and then back to Arcee. "What are you talking about? You're like that now." The semi-serious statement was met by a playfully sour look from the pink warrior.

"Enough yammering ladies." Kup growled impatiently from behind them. "Some of us would like to get off of this crate eventually."

They all finally stepped off of the ramp and Hot Spot walked up to Kup. "Welcome to Earth Kup." He looked at the elderly officer. "Decided to wait until you got here to adopt an Earth mode, huh?"

Kup shook his head. "I'm too old to be changing for the sake of appearance."

Hot Spot looked to the red robot standing next to Kup. "And you?"

Kup answered the question. "Arcee likes how Hot Rod looks and asked him not to change." Hot Rod shrugged as the other 'male' Autobots looked to him in wonder and envy. "As for the Femmes, neither Arcee or Firestar were willing to alter their appearance either, but Vixen here was built to transform into a civilian ground vehicle native to Earth. A...� Kup looked to the newborn Femme. "Saleen?"

Vixen smiled nervously as all optics turned toward her. "Saleen S7."

"Nice." Sunstreaker smiled and flickered his left optic as he looked at the young Femme. His smile broadened as he noticed the glare being sent at him from Firestar. Ahh, old flames. He couldn't understand the animosity that she seemed to bear him. After all, he had only been guilty of spending time with her friends. Females of all species want their mates to get along with their friends, don't they? So he had used his considerable anatomical knowledge to make them feel vast physical pleasure, and used Firestar's own personal quarters to administer that pleasure on them on numerous occasions. Big deal. Only the most selfish and uncaring of individuals didn't want nice things for their friends.

And friends are supposed to share, right? Hadn't Firestar been one of Chromia's friends while Sunstreaker was dating Chromia? And hadn't she enjoyed Sunstreaker's skills during that time? Yeah, Firestar was just a touchy and unstable Femme. Sunstreaker then marveled at how most of the Femmes he had known had turned out to be touchy and unstable in much the same manner. Ah, who needs them, especially now with scores of new Femmes being built and brought on line. Femmes like that cute little Vixen. Even that hot, pink Arcee was fresh steel for Sunstreaker, and judging by the flaming red clown she was currently with, she wouldn't be that difficult to land. Sunstreaker silently thanked Primus for the return of his favorite playthings.

"We've had quite enough of your outbursts, Sunstreaker." Sky Lynx said as he transformed into his combined bestial mode. "These are soldiers, comrades and a couple of them are your superiors, and you will treat them with respect and professionalism."

"Wow, I didn't know he turned into that! How beautiful."

Sky Lynx loved to be complimented, but Vixen's high-pitched outburst slightly diminished his admonishment to Sunstreaker, who was now chuckling at the giant quadruped. "Oh, do shut up Sunstreaker."


***

"You do realize that you have one in your dinosaur mode, don't you?"

The driver's lips pursed in annoyance at the question coming from the speaker mounted in the dashboard. The hulking human behind the wheel that was Grimlock's now fully clothed and armored Pretender shell grunted a reply. "Ratchet tell me Grimlock that, but in dinosaur mode me Grimlock not even notice. It under and out of way."

"Well regardless, it's good to see that you've calmed down about your new enhancement and have actually embraced it." Jazz chuckled back.

"Me Grimlock only in shell so that me Grimlock shrink to fit in car. Otherwise me Grimlock never wear ridiculous thing again."

The human-shelled Bumblebee sitting in the passenger seat of the Porsche nervously interrupted the conversation about the pros and cons of Grimlock's Pretender shell. "Are you sure that we should be doing this? I don't think that this is what Prime had in mind."

"Putting me Grimlock in charge what Prime had in mind. Now shut up and follow chain of command!" The heavily muscled human gripped the steering wheel in front of him tightly in reaction to Bumblebee's questioning.

"Ouch! Not so hard Grimlock!" Jazz's voice protested the mangling of his steering wheel. "And I have to side with Bumblebee on this one. Prime told us to conduct a field test utilizing our new Pretender shells, not wage an attack against what the Americans think is the Decepticon space bridge."

"Combat best field test. And me Grimlock know humans right. Location is desert, which fits with previous space bridge locations, and human aircraft of all kind shot down around area." Grimlock's Pretender shell smiled at the thought of a coming fight.

"Let's say that you're right, and that it is the space bridge. Don't you think that more than just the three of us should be going after this thing?" Bumblebee replied.

"No. We know Decepticons have wormhole generators, so space bridge no longer critical. Me Grimlock guess that number of Decepticon guards be small."

Jazz's voice came through a speaker on the dashboard. "He may be right."

"Of course me Grimlock right. That why me Grimlock officer."

Bumblebee huffed. "Oh, so that's why. Because for the life of me, I hadn't the foggiest idea of why Prime would promote someone like you."

"Shut up Bumblebee." Grimlock growled back. "We getting close. We should stop and let me Grimlock carry you two in beast mode to eliminate all signs of electronics."

But before Grimlock's suggestion could be put into action, a barrage of weapons fire rained down on them from above. "Too late for the stealth jive!" Jazz cut sharply and frantically attempted to avoid the incoming ordinance.

"Stop!" Grimlock barked at the steering column. The Porsche skidded to a halt, sending large clouds of dust shooting out ahead of it over the barren desert ground. Both of the human looking passengers leapt from the car and immediately pointed their rifles skyward. A moment later they were joined by Jazz in his Pretender shell.

It was nearly a minute before their assailant burst forth from the clouds to initiate another attack. "Where's your car, you filthy bags of organic sludge?" Instead of waiting for a response, the B-1B Lancer darted down toward the three disguised Autobots with its weapons blazing.

To the dismay of the aerial marauder, his ordinance seemed to have little effect on these humans, creatures that are usually incinerated by the most meager of weaponry. These three, however, had withstood a volley from his laser cannons and were now returning fire. "Make quick! Other Decepticons probably already calling for reinforcements! We not have much time to destroy space bridge!"

"Crankcase, this is Windsweeper. I've got three humans here who are trying to get to the bridge." The jet transmitted back to the other Decepticons at the space bridge.

"Humans!?! Why are you bothering me with this? Why haven't you just eradicated them by now? I want to finish assessing the current value of the space bridge to the Decepticon cause and get out of here. Can't you just handle this and let me...� The reply was cut short as Windsweeper severed the link.

But unlike with the vast majority his existence, this time Crankcase's whining was justified. Three humans should not be an issue for a Decepticon warrior. Weaving through the air, Windsweeper once again set upon his targets.

"I've got this guy, you two head for the space bridge!" Jazz called out to his comrades as he fired at the approaching jet. "It should only be three or four miles over there."

Grimlock looked in the direction that Jazz had nodded to. "Good. Bumblebee, let go!" Grimlock retracted his shell and transformed into dinosaur mode simultaneously, and then sprinted off toward the space bridge. Bumblebee did the same, and was soon driving past the T-rex.

"AUTOBOTS! You filthy junk heaps thought that you could trick me, didn't you?" Windsweeper screamed out as he fired on the departing enemies.

"Not so fast sucka!" Jazz unloaded on the speeding jet, managing to land a shot to its underside.

"Foul, despicable piece of wreckage!" The jet shot around to re-engage the remaining Autobot in a Pretender shell. "I will wipe your flesh-covered frame from the face of this planet!"

The sprinting dinosaur turned and caught a glimpse of Jazz pulling the jet's attention back toward him. "Jazz do good. Now up to us."

The yellow Volkswagen was already a mile ahead of the prehistoric beast, but was sent toppling end over end as a white Trans Am burst out from behind a mound of sand and slammed into it. Bumblebee transformed as quickly as he could, but the white car had transformed to robot mode in less than a second and had pounced upon him. "I'm gonna mangle you into a real masterpiece, runt!"

Bumblebee struggled against the savage Decepticon, but the yellow robot was clearly outmatched in terms of physical power. Fortunately for the Autobot, Grimlock came storming toward them. "Grimlock, I could use a hand."

A jet of flame erupted from the giant carnivore's mouth, catching against the side of the suddenly surprised Decepticon and forcing him off of Bumblebee. But despite the initial assistance, the Dinobot continued running past the two robots. "Me Grimlock need to complete objective. Bumblebee on own." The dinosaur did momentarily pause to look back at his beleaguered comrade. "This opportunity to conduct field test. Make most of it." The beast then turned back and started running toward the large construct that was just coming into view.

Bumblebee jumped to his feet and activated his Pretender shell. The scorched Decepticon displayed a confused look as he got to his feet to face the twelve-foot human. "Is that get-up supposed to make me have pity on you? HA!" The Decepticon dove at Bumblebee. "I'm gonna RUNAMUCK all over you!" The white Battlecharger tackled Bumblebee to the ground and the two enemies began tussling.


*


Grimlock continued sprinting toward the space bridge, the device that had first brought him to this planet many months before, dead set on making sure that it was never used again. Of course, the three vehicles coming out to meet him would certainly do what they could to prevent that from happening. A black Lotus Esprit, a dark blue and yellow dune buggy and gray Jeep Wrangler all sped over the barren ground on an intercept course with the giant beast. Grimlock displayed a toothy grin as he witnessed the dune buggy and sports car dart out ahead of the jeep, apparently more eager to die than their comrade.

"Runabout, Ruckus, this isn't necessary. With worm hole generation technology in our possession, this space bridge is no longer worth the energon used in defending it." The Jeep called out both vocally and through a communications transmission.

"Quit yer' tank-achin' Crankcase! This isn't about defending anything, it's about lettin' off some steam!" The black car shouted.

The dune buggy also called out as it bore down on the charging dinosaur. "Besides, it's not like we're dealing with a Pit Lord here, ya sniveling little rust patch. PredaKing sent the real Grimlock to the Inferno! This is just big ugly imposter!"

Runabout and Ruckus both jumped into the air at top speed and collided into either side of the T-rex's muscle striated torso. Grimlock shuddered momentarily, but reacted an instant later by swiping his tail at the retreating cars, catching the tail end of the black Runabout. "Here, this knock out steam!" The dinosaur's head twisted and sent a stream of flame after the unkempt looking dune buggy. "And don't be surprised when you not see me Grimlock in the Inferno when me Grimlock send you there!"

Crankcase transformed and began firing away at Grimlock with twin laser blasters. "I'll kill it, whatever it is, but I'm not getting stuck cleaning up the mess its corpse is going to make!"

Despite tearing through the biomechanical nanites making up the dinosaur flesh, Grimlock barreled through the barrage. "You whine like wife of rich human! Out of warrior's way!" Lowering his head, Grimlock plowed over Crankcase and continued sprinting toward the space bridge.

"Crankcase, you're about as useful as a can of polish in Ruckus' storage locker!" The black sports car berated his fallen comrade as it sped past to intercept the charging dinosaur once again.

"Naw, I'm sure that given time I could find some use for polish. It's been fifty-two thousand vorns since I first met Crankcase, and I've yet to see any purpose for him!" The dune buggy loudly called out as he too charged after the prehistoric beast.

Crankcase got to his feet and tried to dust himself off. "Slag off! I hate you all!"

Both Runabout and Ruckus jumped and collided with the back of the sprinting T-rex, forcing it to tumble to the ground. "That it! Yappy Decepticons die now!" Grimlock transformed to robot mode and leapt to his feet to face his assailants.

"Hey Ruckus, how sure are you that Grimlock's dead? 'Cause this guy sure matches the images on his data files." The black car inquired as it sped between Grimlock and the spacebridge and transformed to robot mode in the flicker of an optic.

The dune buggy positioned itself next to Runabout and transformed as well, peering intently at the Dinobot as he took on a fighting stance. "I just know what the other guys told me, but they were pretty insistent that PredaKing ran that slag-pile through. This oil rag must just be some pretender."

Grimlock chuckled as he marched toward the two Decepticons. "Funny thing is you part right. But no point in giving long explanation to those that be dead in few seconds."

The Dinobot Commander had nearly reached the two Decepticons when he was struck from the back by Crankcase. "It's beyond me why I help you ungrateful bast...ugn." The speed by which Grimlock swung back against his attacker caught Crankcase off guard, and the power of it sent him flying back two-dozen feet. The other two Decepticons instantly set upon Grimlock.


*


Jazz wasn't the toughest guy in town, but he was clever enough to bait a slow-witted Decepticon into giving up an aerial advantage and facing him on the ground, and good enough with his hands to overcome a stronger opponent in a brawl. Not that he was walking away from the battle with Windsweeper dent free, but unlike his Decepticon opponent, he was walking away. The waist and legs of the flying Decepticon's non-functioning frame were jutting out of a sand dune a mile back.

Jazz rushed to assist Bumblebee. He wasn't worried about Grimlock, who could handle just about anything, but poor Bumblebee wasn't built for the rough stuff. Of course, the events unfolding before the worried Autobot said otherwise.

"Where do you think you're going?" The twelve-foot human called out after the white Decepticon as the larger robot managed to break free of Bumblebee's grasp and tried to back-peddle away from the human-looking Minibot. Runamuck stumbled frantically backwards, but was sent crashing to the ground as the armored human leapt after him and sent a right cross to the side of his head. "What were you saying about mangling me? Where's your tough talk now, Decepticon?" The human taunted the laid out robot that was twice his size.

Runamuck looked past Bumblebee and nodded toward Jazz. "Hey, your little friend's a psycho!" As soon as the twelve-foot human turned to look at Jazz, the sprawled out Decepticon transformed and sped away.

Bumblebee turned back around, angry at first to see the retreating white car zip away, but slowly a smile came over his human face. "He's running away." The whisper was quickly followed by an excited spin to face the approaching Jazz. "He's running away! FROM ME!" The disguised Minibot jumped excitedly up and down. "I kicked his bumper! I kicked the slag out of it!"

Jazz smiled and gently patted Bumblebee on the back. "Yeah man, well done."

Bumblebee peered intently at Jazz through the visor extending down from his Pretender helmet. "No, you don't understand, Jazz. I didn't need to be rescued or run away. I didn't need to trick him or be creative. It was a simple, all out brawl, and I won! I WON!" Bumblebee laughed loudly as Jazz looked on a little confused, and a tad bit worried. Bumblebee noted the worried look on his friend's face. "You don't understand. This is the first time I've ever won a fight. No weapons, no help. Just a one on one fight." The human face accurately depicted the wide array of emotions going through the Minibot. "For the first time ever, I carried my weight in battle."

Jazz sadly shook his head and smiled. "I'm glad you like your new enhancement buddy, and that you got to knock around a ‘Con, but you're wrong. Pretender shell or not, you've always been one hell of an asset to the cause. You're the only one that didn't see it." Jazz wrapped an arm around his little friend's shoulders. "Now, let's see if we can make use of this newfound aggression to help Grimlock." The suggestion was met by an excited smile.


*


As much as he would have liked to concentrate on destroying these Decepticons, Grimlock had a job to do. After tossing the three Decepticons blocking him from the space bridge aside, the Dinobot ran toward his target and began dismantling it. The problem was that it was fairly large, and the explosives that they had brought to take the transporter down were still in Jazz's trunk/feet. So Grimlock was forced to rely on his fists and feet in the demolition project.

The only problem with this was that the Decepticons were free to take pot shots at the preoccupied Dinobot. Grimlock was built to take a significant beating, but being the target of the combined and unrestrained firepower of three Decepticons was beginning to wear away at him. Especially when Crankcase and Ruckus seemed to be hammering away at him with more firepower than he would have expected from them. Grimlock rushed to finish his destruction of the space bridge, but even with his great strength the project was slow going. If only there were some way to make himself stronger and more impervious to the attacks from the Decepticons.

Grimlock hated himself for even considering the solution to his dilemma. He hated the shell. Even with clothes programmed into it, the shell made him look weak, pathetic and silly. Of course, being knocked to the ground by a pair of Ruckus' mercury-tipped rockets wasn't doing much to portray an image of power. Finally, reluctantly, Grimlock gave in and activated his Pretender shell. A swarm of multi-colored nanites washed over Grimlock, and a moment later a thirty-two foot mountain of a man climbed to his feet, glowered at the surprised Decepticons, and proceeded to tear apart the space bridge faster and more furiously than before.

The stunned Decepticons ceased fire for a moment. "So that's what Windsweeper meant by humans." Crankcase muttered before resuming fire on the Autobot. Unfortunately, this time their firepower had precious little effect, and the space bridge was soon crumbling to pieces before their optics.

Runabout maintained his fire, but was growing frustrated by its lack of results. "That armor's effective, but slag if it doesn't look slaggin' stupid!"

"You should have seen it without clothes!" The black Battlecharger turned toward the statement just as the fist of a human half his size shot up and leveled him to the ground. The twenty-three foot human looking Jazz decided to go after the other two Decepticons with his blaster, immediately unloading a half dozen rounds into each of their backs.

Both Ruckus and Crankcase turned around, hurt, but not severely damaged. The blue and yellow Ruckus cackled and ran at Jazz. "I'LL TEAR YA' TO SHREDS, YA' SLAGPILE!!!" Jazz dove to the side, sprang back to his feet, and resumed his fire on the savage Ruckus. "Your weapon can't even cut through my rust, you flesh-covered pansy!"

Suddenly everyone froze as the sounds of many tons of metal came crashing to the ground, accompanied by several small explosions. The combatants looked to the remains of the spacebridge, and saw the giant, muscle-bound human that surrounded Grimlock standing in the midst of it. The human smiled and called out. "Structure destroyed. Now we need blow up circuitry. Jazz, plant explosives; me Grimlock cut in with your dance partners."

Crankcase looked to the advancing Grimlock, then to the downed Runabout who appeared to be at the mercy of a Minibot, and then to the pile of debris that they were fighting to defend. "Decepticons fall back! There is nothing of value here!"

"I'm not going anywhere! I'm killing that thing claiming to be Grimlock, and there's nothing you can do to stop me!" Ruckus snapped back.

Unfortunately for him, Runabout was not so enthusiastic about continuing the fight. "Fine, but you're on your own Ruckus." The black Decepticon transformed and sped away, immediately followed by Crankcase.

"SLAGGIN' COWARDS! THERE'S ONLY THREE OF THEM!" Ruckus turned back to face the still advancing Grimlock, but noticed Bumblebee coming at him as well. "ANOTHER TIME WANNABE!" With that, Ruckus transformed and sped after his comrades.

Grimlock watched them speed away, and then turned toward the smiling Bumblebee. The big, goofy grin of the twelve-foot human annoyed Grimlock, who then looked down at his own armor-adorned human torso. "Me Grimlock still hate this slaggin' thing."


***


"This is the personal log of Kranix of Lithone...� The despondent Lithomech lowered the small, hand-held microphone away from his mouth and struggled not to let his feelings of grief overwhelm him. After staring out of the window into the blackness of space for nearly a minute, the robot finally raised the microphone back to his face and continued. "This is my first attempt at keeping a personal log. Many of my young, organic charges that I watched over long ago kept journals and diaries, but given my vast memory capacity, it seemed redundant for me to do so." There was a slight pause as Kranix fought off another wave of grief. "But now, with me being the last of my kind, it is imperative that some record be left of my people."

Kranix once again paused the recording and looked over to his left, where the Junkion Captain was piloting the ship they were in. The Junkion turned his head to meet the gaze, and the face of the previously jovial and light-hearted robot was etched with empathy and sorrow. Despite his quirks and odd behavior, Kranix had noticed over the past several days how truly sensitive and intelligent the Junkion was. The Lithomech weakly smiled at the pilot and returned to his task.

Kranix lifted the microphone back to his mouth, but held it silently for a moment before continuing. "Unfortunately, the wound is still too fresh for me to talk about the glory of Lithone and its people, or of its brutal destruction by the incarnation of evil known as Unicron." The Lithomech glanced back at the Junkion piloting the ship and his mood lightened slightly. "So I will discuss my miraculous rescue by a gracious and noble Junkion Captain named Wreck Gar."

Upon hearing his name, the Junkion looked at his passenger and giddily smiled. "Oh, you're not so bad yourself, Conkface. Where are you two from? Nose City?"

Kranix smiled back. "I assume that this is one of many ways for Wreck Gar to say hello. For those not familiar with Junkions, they are a good-natured and extremely inquisitive race that is fascinated by all forms of entertainment. The Junkion tribe that Wreck Gar belongs to recently came across many transmissions containing displays of entertainment, education and news originating from a planet called Earth. The language Wreck Gar just spoke is called English, and is one of many languages found on this planet. This particular dialect appears to be from the nation that originated the language, England. This Junkion ship has managed to download many of these languages and dialects into my neural net, so I have finally been able to achieve some degree of understanding from conversations with my new friend. But like with so much he and his kind have to say, this particular phrase carries little or no meaning pertinent to this discussion, it is merely a line from one of these Earthen entertainment sources."

Seeming to have momentarily forgotten his sorrows, Kranix continued. "How the Junkions came across these transmissions from Earth has had me baffled since boarding this craft nearly two weeks ago, and I've only today discovered how transmissions originating from a planet in the outer rim of the galaxy made their way this far this quickly. You see, none of the movies and shows that I've seen appear to be more than a vorn old, so there is no natural way for the Junkions to have come across them this quickly."

"Using this craft's communications console, I have questioned the Junkions that first encountered the transmissions. All of them explained in their own interesting, and often times confusing, way that they had been drawn to the region of the transmissions' discovery by spatial anomalies that had been occurring with great frequency in the last week or so. One ship even reported seeing a darkly colored attack craft bearing Deceptibrands, one that vanished into a strange 'breach' in space upon noticing the approaching Junkion craft. This particular account left me both worried and confused. How had the Decepticons managed to get a small attack craft this far from Cybertron, and why did it not engage and destroy the Junkion ship? According to the Junkion Captain's account, the Decepticon ship seemed to possess more than enough offensive and defensive capabilities to destroy his craft, but it fled as soon as it realized that it was not alone."

Kranix thought silently on that for a moment before moving on with his recording. "After examining the data that several of the Junkion ships recorded, I came to the conclusion that this 'breach' and all the other anomalies were artificial wormholes. I theorized that along with the ship, the alien transmissions passed through these wormholes to this region of space. After all, along with the transmissions from Earth, countless transmissions from Cybertron were received by the Junkions as well."

"But even Cybertron is too far from Earth for them to be receiving the organic world's recent broadcasts. That had me baffled until I actually took the time to study some of these transmissions, and discovered that the Autobots had allied themselves with these Earthlings, and had brought many of their movies, television shows and other such things back to Cybertron. These pieces of entertainment would then be broadcast all over the planet, usually book-ended with updates on the war, messages of hope, and other news."

Kranix sighed. "I was pleased to hear that not only were the Autobots still alive and resisting Megatron, but that they had recently begun gaining ground. Oddly enough, I also found myself enjoying many of the movies and shows from the world of their organic allies. Though I should not be surprised as organics typically have an emotional range and depth that surpass virtually all Cybertronians other than Lithomechs. I was particularly impressed by one of the older Earth movies, 'Citizen Kane', though the title character's voice was unsettlingly similar to the thunderous laughter that I hear emanating from that monster Unicron."

Kranix momentarily went back to dwelling on his lost world, but quickly snapped back. "It appears that I have once again gotten off track. With the arrival of the distant transmissions seemingly explained, that left only the issue of the Decepticon's ability to generate wormholes to plague us." The Lithomech let out a troubled laugh. "Of course, with Lithone gone, there is nothing of value left for me to lose. Nothing could possibly make my existence worse than it is."

"Always look on the bright side of life." Suddenly, in the distance ahead of the Junkion craft, an enormous, corkscrew-shaped ship appeared as it decelerated from its super-luminous velocity, forcing the Junkion Captain to stop singing. "You're gonna need a bigger boat."

Kranix gasped as he caught sight if it. "No, not them."

Wreck Gar instantly reached for the ship's communicator and switched open a frequency used by other Junkion Captains. "BREAKER, BREAKER! CRAZY COOTER COMIN' AT YA!" Like the vast majority of whatever Wreck Gar had to say these days, this was again in English, this time in a dialect that Kranix would have been able to identify as being from the southern part of the nation called the United States of America were he not so terrified by the image in front of him.

The response from a Junkion piloting a distant ship came quickly. “Crossing Lopez; All the fun without the filth!�

Another Junkion voice replied through the speaker. "Whatchu talkin' about, Willis?"

The Junkion ship suddenly jerked to a stop as a tractor beam from the Quitesson ship latched onto it. "Help, help, I'm bein' repressed, I'm bein' repressed!" Wreck Gar shouted into the speaker.

Utterly frantic, and sick of hearing alien movie and television dialogue, Kranix leaned toward the speaker and yelled into it. "IT'S THE QUINTESSONS! HELP US!"

Another voice yelled in reply. "THERE IS NO KEYSER SOZE!"

As his ship started being pulled toward the Quintesson vessel, Wreck Gar angrily yelled at it in protest. "Get your stinking paws off me, you damned, dirty ape!"

 

Another great chapter!!!

I loved the bit where Grimlock wakes up naked in his pretender shell and everyone is laughing at him and especially when he wonders what that 'thing' is. It was also great to see the 'classic' Pretenders in action. And Autobot city is getting some familiar staff. Sounds like you're starting to build up to the big one now, eh?

and last but not least

LOL

 

As usual, simply fantastic.

 

Another kickass chapter. Thyat part where Sunstreaker was rationalizing his being with other femmes was hilarious.

 

Ahhh, and Monty Python references, so delisciously appropriate for the Junlions and Wreck Gar

 

Kick ass. Again.

 

The first bit with Grimlock was hilarious! And did I misread, or does Grim still have an organic dino mode? Cause that's pretty cool if he does!

I like how Streaker was talking about the Mini-Bots. Sounded almost like a toy review. Though I don't like his attidude toward femmes, but that's personal more than anything.

Nice Orson Wells reference too.

Overall, I give this chapter:
:ROCK :ROCK :ROCK :ROCK :ROCK

 

Fantastic!

 

I love the inclusion of the Triggercons(at least I think thats their designation), however I am scared to read each new post for fear that it will include the death of Kranix. For a simple nobody you sure did a great job of making him a character you can really relate to. I hope the Triggerbots will be in here some time   you rock :ROCK

 

Phenomenal.

Oh and mine gets in the way too Grimlock.

 

Must have fix! Need more!  

Heh. Kick ass story, absolutly love it  ROCK), so how goes the next chapter?

 

awesome as usual. great Planet of The Apes references

 

Episode 36: The Calm Before The Storm


"Going by your description of the wound, I must say that survival would be highly unlikely, even with a Pretender shell." The skeletal face remarked to Megatron in the bridge of the submerged Nemesis. "But given that it's the Pit Lord Grimlock that we're talking about, I can't say that it's impossible that he remains alive."

Megatron's already frowning mouth twisted further before turning away from Bludgeon and back toward Runabout, Windsweeper, Ruckus, Runamuck and Crankcase. "Absurd is too small a word to describe what I think of your account, but the sliver of a possibility that Grimlock remains alive will keep me from annihilating you; at least until I know for sure that you are lying about the identity of those that you failed to keep from destroying the space bridge. But rest assured, if I find out that Grimlock is indeed dead, I would slowly peel you down to your spark. To fail in your very first assignment on this planet is bad enough, but to then lie to me about it deserves only the most painful of executions." The agitated Decepticon Commander turned toward the door and started out of the room.

"Lord Megatron, please hold for a moment." Bursting into the bridge from a door on the other side of the large room, Blast Off jogged toward the massive chrome robot. "I've got news."

Megatron turned to face the Combaticon, annoyed, but willing to listen. "What is it Blast Off?"

"Sir, remember that when we attempted to assassinate Sky Lynx, he and the Autobots that he was transporting appeared to be heading toward Washington D.C.?"

Though seemingly uninterested, the large Decepticon nodded for the darkly colored Combaticon to continue. "Of course I remember. That's the only destination of any significance that they could have been heading."

Blast Off shook his head. "Actually sir, I believe that they were going somewhere else. You see, while waiting for Astrotrain to relieve me from orbital monitoring duty, my scans detected readings that were consistent with Cybertronian technology coming from the eastern part of the United States. I did some investigating...� Blast Off walked over to one of the terminals laid out in front of the bridge's main screen and jacked into it using a wire extending out of his wrist. "And I came across this."

Megatron's red optics widened, as he looked upon the overhead view of the Autobot's secondary base on Earth, now many times larger than the Ark. "Well well well, Optimus Prime, what have you been up to?" The now-grinning Decepticon leader whispered to himself. Briefly turning away from the screen, Megatron issued an order to the nearby Communications Commander. "Soundwave, open a channel to Shockwave. It's time I test-drove the Slagmaker."

"As you command, Megatron."


***


"This is a touchy situation, Sparkplug." Optimus Prime strode to the large chair in the center of the Ark's bridge, sat, and turned to the human that had been walking with him. "The new base is on American land, and we have made use of materials and labor supplied for the most part by Americans, but I'm afraid that despite this assistance I can not grant them any further access to the base than I would with representatives of any other government. Geography has required us to work closely with your country, but we are, and must remain, completely impartial."

The human nodded. "I don't disagree, I'm just anticipating questions like these coming at me when I visit the Pentagon over the next few days, and I want to know how to answer them."

"I see. You know, you don't need to clear this trip with me. I understand your nation's interest in our activities and I have no problem with you informing them of what you know."

Sparkplug displayed a weak smile. "I know, and I'm not asking for your permission. It's just that I've discussed Autobot affairs without your knowledge before, and that compromised the trust that you had in me." The human lost the smile and looked intently at Prime. "I will repair that trust in time, and to do so means no more secrets."

Prime nodded. "I appreciate your openness. And Sparkplug, I do trust you. I trust you as much as I do my own advisors, and consider you one of my closest friends."

Sparkplug smiled up at the giant robot. "Thanks Prime." Several sets of footsteps could be heard approaching from the hallway. "Sounds like the others are on their way."

The Autobot Commander looked to the doorway where the approaching Autobots would be entering through, but spoke to Sparkplug. "You're all packed?"

Sparkplug watched the doorway as well. "My bag's already in Sky Lynx. Should be enough to hold me over for the few days that I'm in D.C."

Prowl entered the bridge, followed closely by Blaster, Brawn and Ironhide. As he walked forward, Prowl's head was twisted to the side so that he faced Blaster's chest. "I realize that it's short notice Arcee, but these are very important humans, leaders of their respective countries, and as acting Commander of the Autobot Femme Military it would be proper for you to attend the meeting."

There was a brief pause before Arcee's voice replied through the speakers on Blaster's legs. "I understand, Prowl. It's just that I already made plans for this evening."

A frustrated look came over Prowl's face. "What plans could be important enough for you to abstain from meeting with the leaders of our most crucial allies? Many of whom have traveled thousands of miles to meet with us."

An even longer pause elapsed before the response. "I made plans to explore the mountains with Hot Rod."

A look of shock mixed in with the annoyance already etched on Prowl's face. "You can't possibly be serious."

Arcee quickly replied this time. "I realize how silly that sounds, but despite being stationed together, I've spent little to no time with Hot Rod. And I promised him when I was originally thrust into this position that I would always make time for him, no matter how busy things got." There were a few seconds of silence before she continued. "But you're right, I have a duty to my troops and to our allies. I apologize for not realizing this sooner. I will be pleased to meet with the human leaders in Washington."

Prowl nodded, was about to reply, hesitated and then shook his head as he reached for the mute button on Blaster's chest to block his next statement from being transmitted to Arcee. "I must be accumulating rust in my cerebral cortex." The Strategist released the button and once again spoke to the Autobot Femme. "Why don't you ask Hot Rod to accompany you? It won't be a romantic stroll through the budding forest, but at least you'll be together."

This time Blaster pressed down on his mute button. "You're so sweet, man."

"Shut up, Blaster." Prowl grumbled back. Blaster laughed and released the button.

"That would be perfect. Thank you Prowl." Arcee's grateful voice came back amid snickering from Brawn, Blaster and Ironhide.

"Don't mention it. I'll see you in about an hour; the two of you should be ready to go by the time we get there. Prowl out."

A playful but powerful slap from Brawn impacted heavily across Prowl's back. "You old softy!"

"Are you sure that's wise, Prowl? We're still very short-handed at the secondary base." Prime mentioned to his most valuable advisor.

Prowl nodded. "I know, but we'll be close enough to our base to get back within an hour if need be, and we should only be in Washington for a few hours anyway."

"Speak for yourself." Sparkplug cheerfully cut in. "You guys get to have a pleasant meet and greet while I have to stay on for a few days getting grilled on whether or not you Autobots can truly be trusted."

Ironhide's mouth twisted as he replied to the human. "Ahh don't git it. What else do we gotta do to prove we're the good guys?"

Prime stood up from his chair. "Human history shows repeatedly that today's allies often times become tomorrow's enemies. The American government is just being cautious, and given that we're building an enormous and heavily armed base on their territory, I'd say that they have a right to be."

Prowl walked toward the largest computer terminal in the front of the cavern/bridge and lifted a large metal box that was resting on the floor next to it. "Teletran One's memory banks have been copied onto this?"

Prime nodded. "Wheeljack verified that the duplication was complete an hour ago. Construction of Teletran Two should be complete within a few weeks, and ready to be brought up to speed with this information."

The Autobot Strategist then stood before Prime. "Well then, I think it's time we headed out." Prowl smiled at Prime.

Prime nodded. "Primus speed my friends." Though they would not be far apart by Cybertronian standards, and would be in frequent contact, there was an odd sense of finality in this farewell.

Prowl nodded. "Let's not keep Sky Lynx waiting Autobots." The predominantly white Autobot then started out of the bridge, Blaster, Ironhide, Brawn and Sparkplug following behind.

But just before he walked out of the bridge, Sparkplug turned back to the Autobot Commander. "Oh, Prime, could you do me a favor?"

"Of course. What is it?"

"Spike has a history test next week, and he could use a little help studying. He's a good student, but this past year..."

Prime nodded. "Yes, there have been a great many distractions for the lad. I'd be happy to help him."

Sparkplug nodded and smiled before turning back toward the hallway. "Thanks my friend."


***


"Why'd you bring the chump, chump, chump?" The giant stag beetle blurted out as it chomped its way through the thick wall of the Davis-Bessie Nuclear Power Plant.

The darkly colored grasshopper tearing through the same wall several dozen yards away laughed as he responded. "To get chummy. Friends share secrets, and secrets are my business." The laughing stopped as the grasshopper's head turned toward the other giant insect. "Now be quiet Shrapnel, he might hear your bellowing next time."

A barrage of large caliber bullets tore into the black and purple stag beetle's back. Shrapnel turned to see three U.S. Coast Guard patrol boats speeding toward the besieged facility. "Ah, the humans were quick to get here, here, here. And they're military, tary, tary."

A giant rhinoceros beetle leapt toward the other insects from the power plant's immense chimney. "It's a nuclear power plant up against a lake whose opposite shore lies within the borders of a foreign nation. Were you expecting a water cop with an outboard and a sidearm?" The sarcastic beetle reduced its size mid-air and fired off a cerebral shell that was nearly too small to be seen by a human's eye.

The shell impacted against the forehead of the sailor manning a machine gun on one of the boats, knocking him down and then burrowing into his head. "Murph, are you alright?" One of the struck sailor's comrades ran to him to see if he was injured.

"Yeah Frank...� The downed soldier groaned, shuddered, and then relaxed before climbing back to his feet. Setting his glazed eyes on the other sailor approaching him to help, Murph nodded and stepped toward him. "I'm fine."

Noting his friend's blank stare, Frank put his hand on Murph's shoulders. "Hey man, you don't look too good." He watched as the injured sailor's gaze lowered to look him over and then return to look into his eyes. Murph then raised his arms, grabbed his friend by the shirt, and started pushing him. "HEY, WHAT THE...� Frank's statement was left unfinished as he was thrust over the side and hit the waves.

Murph turned back to the mounted machine gun and once again manned it. This time however he directed it at one of the other gun boats and fired, sending a deadly spray of lead into the bridge of a second vessel.

"Ha! Well done Bombshell!" The grasshopper cried out. "The puppeteer still has his touch."

"Your flattery almost sounded genuine, Kickback." The rhinoceros beetle snickered. "I'm just pleased that you're enjoying the show."

Sprinting around the corner of the large complex, Chop Shop in robot mode looked upon the events taking place in Lake Erie. "Slag, and I thought the side facing land would be more exciting!" Dashing toward the shore, the reddish-brown Insecticon leapt, transformed and dove beneath the waves as a stag beetle.

"Your friend has issues, Kickback." Bombshell commented while mentally directing his human puppet's fire.

"No question about that, Bombshell. But he's our best bet at figuring out what the link is between the Predacons and our would-be replacements, so I'm going to keep inviting him to tag along on our little outings." The grasshopper replied before finally entering the plant to digest some nuclear energy, a capability granted by the nanites built into his frame. But while he could take in slight amounts of the vast energy, the very power of the raw nuclear material would put him into an inebriated state, a state which he and his comrades really did not mind being in.

At that moment the third Coast Guard Cutter, the one that had thus far remained unmolested by the Insecticons or Insecticon-controlled humans, was diced as Chop Shop came up from underneath it and tore into it with his pincers. In a matter of seconds the boat had been cut to pieces and was now slowly starting its descent beneath the waves. Chop Shop transformed to robot mode and started making his way back to the shore. "You guys wouldn't believe the number of wrecks I detected along the bottom of this lake. There must be tons of swag that I could pick through! I really could go for an aquatic mode right now."

"Oh, so you'd rather hang out with that knock-off Gnaw than with us?" Bombshell joked as he directed his pet human to point his mounted machine gun downward and back toward the deck of his own ship and open fire. In seconds the large caliber rounds were tearing large chunks out of the bottom of the craft, ensuring its scuttling.

The wall of the plant started buckling outward several yards off of the ground, and a few thudding seconds later chunks of thick cement burst forward to reveal Kickback in robotic mode standing just within. The Insecticon spy came stumbling out and grinned at his comrades. "What'd I misssss?"

"Ha! He's hammered, ammered, ammered!" Shrapnel released his grip of the wall that he was on and allowed himself to drop to the ground, transforming to robot mode as he did so. "My turn, turn, turn."

Nodding at his eager colleague, Kickback then stumbled toward Chop Shop, who was just emerging from the lake. "Say buddy, how're you likin' the picnic?"

"Havin' a blast, Kickback! Havin' a blast." Chop Shop replied as sent an internal command to increase his body temperature to expedite the evaporation process of the vast amounts of water pooling in his various crevices. "So, this stuff packs quite a kick, huh?"

Kickback widened his grin and clumsily plunked his hand on Chop Shop's shoulder. "Slaggin-A right it does!" The darkly colored Insecticon then leaned in close to his reddish-brown comrade. "So level with me; what's the deal with you 'deluxe'...� Kickback released his grip of Chop Shop's shoulder and made 'quote' signals with his fingers as he uttered word deluxe. "Insecticons and the Predacons? You guys are always whispering to each other and holding secret meetings." Noting Chop Shop starting to look away uneasily, Kickback stumbled up closer and continued his pressing. "Come on, you can trust me."

"Nobody trusts you Insecticon." The two robots looked up toward the voice and watched as a massive hawk gently settled onto the roof of the power plant.

Kickback sneered at the winged newcomer. "I don't remember inviting you to this party."

A giant cicada and locust followed quickly behind the hawk, but instead of taking perch on the roof they descended to the ground and transformed into Venom and Ransack. "Party's over. The Autobots are on their way."

Kickback stumbled as he turned to face Venom, twisting his mouth into that of a belligerent smile. "No, that's when the party starts, slaghead!"

Ransack started toward Kickback at hearing the insult to his leader, but a gesture from Venom kept him from following through with the assault. Venom looked from Kickback to Chop Shop, and then back to Kickback. "We've been ordered back to the Nemesis. Megatron's got something huge in the works and demands the presence of all Decepticons on Earth." The Insecticon leader then looked to the sky above the power plant, where Razorclaw, Rampage, Tantrum, Headstron and Barrage could be seen flying toward them in robot mode. "You were beaten the last time you refused a summons; refuse again and you will be pulverized."

Kickback looked at the approaching biomechanical Decepticons, and realized that his team of original Insecticons wouldn't stand a chance if they resisted. Perhaps if it were only the new Insecticons, things would be different. Yes, in their previous battle the Venom and his team had proved victorious, but that was before he had befriended Chop Shop, a friendship that could cause his loyalty to Venom to waver, thereby tipping the scales in the original Insecticon’s favor. But with the Predacons, there was no chance. Razorclaw's team was the most effective squad in the history of the Decepticon military. "Fine, be a party pooper." The intoxicated Insecticon looked up at Bombshell and called out. "Get Shrapnel, the Rear Admiral here says it's past curfew."

Razorclaw and the other Decepticons finally arrived and landed next to Venom, Kickback and Chop Shop. The Predacon Commander approached Kickback. "Congratulations, you've made it so that avoiding the Autobots will be impossible. We've detected the Aerialbots en-route, and they'll be here in seconds."

Kickback shook his head. "Who cares? It will take PredaKing all of ten seconds to make a paper clip out of Superion."

Razorclaw leaned in close to Kickback's face and hissed a reply. "True, but that leaves the problem of Omega Supreme being only nine seconds behind them. Now get your team and get out of here before I devour your irradiated carcass!"

Kickback smiled and nodded. "Sure thing Simba." The drunken Insecticon watched Bombshell and the slightly tipsy Shrapnel exiting the structure and started toward them, and then turned to Chop Shop as he stumbled forward. "Come on pal."

Venom shook his head. "No, Chop Shop's staying with us. We'll be dividing into separate teams to discourage the Autobots from giving chase."

Kickback shrugged, outwardly indifferent, but truly irritated that any more secrets possessed by Chop Shop would have to be revealed another day. "Fine, see you guys back at home." With that Kickback took to the air, followed by Bombshell and Shrapnel.

Once out of audio sensor range, Razorclaw turned to Chop Shop. "Shockwave has sent word that the time for action has nearly arrived. Soon Megatron will be removed, and the true Commander of the Decepticons will rise to power, leading us to a quick and glorious victory over the Autobots. Venom will fill you in on the details as you make your way back to the Nemesis." The powerful Predacon then turned to Venom. "Now go."

Venom was a little confused. "Aren't you coming with us?"

Razorclaw shook his head. "No. We can not outrun Omega Supreme, so we will need to give him incentive not to follow us." The Predacon Commander ominously gripped his sword and looked to the sky at the approaching Autobot fliers. "NOW GO!" A moment later the remaining four Insecticons were departing skyward, leaving the five Predacons to deal with the Aerialbots. "Combine."

*

Silverbolt cursed silently as he witnessed the five Predacons form the most powerful Decepticon Earth or Cybertron had to offer. "Alright team, let's just kill time until the big guy arrives to back us up."

Fully aware that stalling would be by far the best option available to the Aerialbots, PredaKing turned toward the nuclear power plant and proceeded to eliminate that option. Raising his left arm, the Decepticon gestalt pointed his cannon directly at the center of the facility and then looked back expectantly to the approaching Autobots.

"Slag!" Silverbolt yelled out in frustration. "Skydive, I could use some of your strategically thinking right now!"

"I don't know, Chief." The nervous Skydive replied. "He's fast enough to initiate a melt down and get out of here prior to any significant blast, and he's tough enough to easily shrug off any radiation that would be immediately given off. I'm afraid that he may have checkmate."

Silverbolt was forced to agree with his teammate's assessment as he watched the Predacon gestalt's arm cannon power up. "Alright team, no choice but to land and merge. Tens of thousands of human lives are at stake." The other Aerialbots all agreed in their own ways and headed toward the ground. Several seconds later, Superion was standing two hundred yards away from PredaKing.

In a flash, PredaKing had redirected his weapon from the facility to the Autobot giant and started peppering Superion's torso. Despite the power of his cannon, Superion's multi-spark enhanced armor held against the assault and he ignited his leg thrusters and took to the air. Hovering out over the water, the Autobot gestalt returned fire from a safe distance.

At least, he assumed that it was a safe distance, an assumption that proved wrong as PredaKing leapt toward the Autobot. A quick burst from his own thrusters and the Predacon easily covered the distance to Superion and swatted him into Lake Erie with a downward swipe of his sword. Superion's large frame crashed through the surface of the water, quickly followed by PredaKing's lower body.

PredaKing reached down with his left hand beneath the waves and brutally jerked Superion back above the surface. A quick series of right crosses had soon torn away most of the external features of Superion's face, and then a thunderous overhand right to the torso left massive denting and four savage slashes across the Aerialbot's chest armor. PredaKing released Superion with his left hand and let the battered Autobot fall once again through the murky waves. A moment later PredaKing's right knee broke through the waves but was instantly sent stomping downward again onto Superion's damaged torso. The Predacon remained motionless for another few moments, and then suddenly the water around him erupted in an explosion caused by the mortar launchers on his right foot firing point blank into the Autobot's already shredded chest.

A familiar noise from the heavens let PredaKing know that the Guardian was approaching, so he turned back to shore and strode out of the lake. The giant Decepticon reached dry land just as Omega Supreme's rocket was settling into the docking tower, and watched as the various components connected to form the massive Guardian. Omega Supreme sent an icy glare at the Decepticon and then started toward him.

PredaKing simply held up his hand and addressed the ancient giant. "Don't bother charging me, I'm leaving. You can either follow me, or attend to your friend, but know that if the pathetic gestalt does not receive attention soon, one or more of his component Aerialbots will likely go permanently off-line." The winged giant turned and took to the sky. "Personally, I hope you follow me. I'm in need of a challenge, and Superion fell far short of giving me one. And that way, six Autobot sparks fade into oblivion today."

Omega Supreme wanted nothing more than to tear the Decepticon's pompous head from his shoulders, but his duty lay with saving his friend. And a Guardian always does his duty.


***


"The Autobot leadership will tell you that their cause is one of freedom." Emirate Custodex looked over the small crowd of Cybertronians, all of who were weary of the never-ending conflict. "And that claim is by no means outlandish. I was there when the Decepticons first rose against us, I watched as they swept over city-state after city-state, I witnessed their brutality and unfettered aggression first hand. I am the first to admit that Megatron showed no hesitation in abolishing the rights, dignities, and very lives of the citizens of Cybertron. At best he was a dictator, at worst, a genocidal maniac. So I must begrudgingly concede that some level of armed resistance may have been justified and necessary in opposing him. But only enough to get his attention!"

The war-weary non-combatants all grunted their agreement. Custodex was pleased with their response, but was slightly disheartened by their small numbers. Only a few dozen had come out to listen to what he had to say. But despite his disappointment, he continued on. After all, even the greatest movements start small. "Megatron was emboldened by the ease of his early successes, and therefore had no reason to pay the Council of Elders any mind. But as Sentinel Prime began inflicting Decepticon casualties, I am certain that even the powerful Megatron would have been open to talks. I have no desire to defend Megatron in any way; to me he is a vile despot and brutal killer. But I have difficulty accepting the assertion that a mind capable of accomplishing so much would allow ambition to override reason! Aggressive and cruel, yes; devoid of rational thought, no."

Custodex paused to look over the attentive crowd, a crowd made primarily up of surviving members of the various minority lines of Cybertron, lines nearly driven to the point of extinction, though there were a few Autobots in their numbers. "No, Sentinel Prime had no desire for peace. In fact, he probably saw Megatron's advances as the answer to his prayers. You see, even before the start of the war the vast majority of Cybertronians were either Autobot or Decepticon. These two factions struggled to spread their influence throughout the planet, competing to shape the planet to mimic their own ideology and culture. The war was just an armed continuation of what had been going on for ages."

"And several false, yet widely accepted notions have allowed the Autobots to garner a level of acceptance and support from the neutral factions, and now apparently from an alien species as well. These notions are that the Autobots are peace-loving, defenders of freedom, and for those that buy into the legends of the old gods, descendants of a consumer line. Whereas the Decepticons are the aggressive warriors descended from products manufactured to fill military contracts. The Autobot leadership would have you believe that the Autobots are good while the Decepticons are evil, that the two factions lay on opposite ends of some ideological spectrum." Custodex shook his head. "No my friends, they fall on the same end of that spectrum, separated only by a few minor shades. Both factions are led by a military dictator, have frantically added advancements to their arsenals, have transformed Cybertron into a barren shell of what it once was, and are currently doing the same to a planet called Earth."

"No fellow citizens, the Autobot Army is not made up of peace-lovers forced to take up arms to stop Decepticon aggression. The Autobots wage their battle to DESTROY the evil forces of the Decepticons! These Transformers are more than meets the eye; these Transformers are robots in disguise! The Autobots are much more than a citizen militia forced to stand against a Decepticon onslaught. The Autobots are conquerors disguised as protectors and saviors! I have long known this truth, and it is now my mission to make all of Cybertron aware of it as well." Custodex smiled at the growing comments of support emanating from the crowd. "Our numbers are small and seemingly insignificant now, but in time the truth will spread, and we will be a force too powerful for the warriors to ignore! PEACE FOR CYBERTRON!" The final declaration made the few dozen Cybertronians cheer loudly in support. Custodex nodded in pleasure at what he had started.


***


"Are you sure it's him?" Prime asked as he marched into the bridge of the Ark.

Bluestreak met him at the entranceway and walked by his side to the communications console. "What can I say? It sure sounds like him, and our best attempts at tracing the transmission can only narrow it down to somewhere on Cybertron, which would seem to be consistent with what we know about him; i.e., a bot who likes his privacy. Of course, it would also be consistent with a Decepticon ploy, so really there's no way to say for sure. I suppose that we could ask a question that only he would know the answer to, but he wasn't here very long and I really didn't get to know him very well, so that sort of personal information isn't readily coming to mind. My opinion, if you don't mind me offering it, is that it's him. There are several reasons for why I think this..."

"Thank you Bluestreak, but I'll take it from here." Prime finally arrived at the console and reached out to take the incoming call off hold. "This is Optimus Prime."

"Ah Prime, it is good to hear your voice. I have had reason to fear for you safety of late. That is, more so than usual. The sound of you speaking lifts a great weight from my mind." The voice replied through the speaker.

"I'm glad to be able to put your mind at ease, Alpha Trion. What exactly are you talking about with your claim that you have reason to fear for my safety?" Prime asked.

"Just that for the sake of much more than just the Autobots and Cybertron, it is critical that you take every conceivable precaution to avoid dangerous situations."

Prime's brow furrowed beneath his helmet and he sent an almost humorous glance to Bluestreak. "That is a very tall request, Alpha Trion, and unfortunately one that an Autobot in my position can not possibly honor. I am the Commander of the Autobot Military Forces, and at the risk of sounding arrogant, one of its more capable warriors. We can not afford for me to sit on the sidelines." Prime leaned in toward the mouthpiece. "Perhaps if you could offer specifics into what possible threat I face, then I can prepare for it to some degree."

"I am afraid that I can not offer specifics, as there truly are none to offer. I can only tell you that I am convinced that a legitimate, and seemingly probable, threat to you fulfilling your destiny exists. I realize that it runs contrary to your programming to sit back as your soldiers fight for the cause, but it is something that I am afraid that you must do." Alpha Trion's voice came back with a slight tinge of worry in it.

Prime crossed his arms. "I appreciate your concern, and I promise you that I will be as cautious as I can be. But you know I cannot simply sit by and issue commands from a safe distance. As you already pointed out, you know that my programming will not allow me to take such action."

There were several moments of silence before Alpha Trion's voice came through. "Bluestreak, please ask your comrades to devote extreme vigilance to your leader's safety. The threat to him, though unknown, is very real."

"That's enough, Alpha Trion." Prime cut the ancient robot's plea to Bluestreak short. "I will not allow you to issue orders to my soldiers, especially ones that can, and undoubtedly will, get in the way of the ones I issue. I understand that you are worried for me, but you of all beings should know that I am more than capable of taking care of myself, and that I can take quite a bit of punishment." Prime paused, a degree of warmth then coming over his demeanor and words. "My creator did an admirable job."

Alpha Trion's voice quietly replied after a few seconds. "You are an engineering marvel, the pinnacle of Cybertronian technology. But everything, no matter how well built, has its limitations. You are in danger, and if you fall before you have had a chance to fulfill your destiny, then the universe is lost. Please remain out of the line of fire. There is far too much at stake."

Prime looked away from the console and noticed the fear etched onto Bluestreak's face. The Autobot Commander turned back to the communications array slightly irritated. This nonsense simply would not do. "It has been good to talk with you again, Alpha Trion, and I look forward to speaking with you in the future, so long as we are discussing some other subject matter. However, this discussion has run its course. Farewell my friend. Prime out." Prime severed the link before the ancient Cybertronian could respond, and stood pensively before the array for a moment. "Bluestreak, you are to disregard Alpha Trion's request. He is a friend and an ally, but on this issue, he is to be ignored. Is that understood?"

Bluestreak's optics widened, and his demeanor remained apprehensive, but he eventually uttered the words Prime wanted to hear. "Yes Prime." His tone was less than convincing.


***


Despite the illumination given off by the crescent moon, very little could be seen through the endless cluster of trees that ran along the river. Of course, endless was not an accurate description, as several hundred yards off of the bank of the river the forest had been stripped away to make room for the vast construction project rising out of the valley. Dark shapes silently made their way through the forest toward the growing, but now dormant, complex.

Moving with the grace and agility of Olympic athletes, the seven humans in black garb cut through the forest and arrived at the outskirts of the developing city. The apparent leader of the group quickly displayed a series of hand gestures that caused the other six men to halt and silently drop to their bellies on the ground, each focusing on a different direction. The leader then followed his team to the ground and faced forward toward the heart of the complex. He deftly reached back into a pouch that was strapped to his lower back and pulled out a pair of night-vision binoculars, which he brought to his eyes as he removed his current night-vision goggles.

Both the silence and the darkness were instantly interrupted as searchlights shooting up from the burgeoning metal city met the sound of thrusters from high above. The lights illuminated the underside of a large space shuttle carrying an equally large blue ground transport. The enormous craft lowered to the ground in the middle of the city, but still within the line of sight of the darkly clad humans on the outskirts. The leader of the group of men peered through the binoculars and watched as the shuttle came to a rest on the landing pad and the engines powered down.

Nearly a minute passed before the side door opened and a ramp lowered to the ground, and a few seconds later the forms of several Autobots emerged and made their way to the ground. The human viewing them through the binoculars was able to instantly identify the robots exiting the craft, as he and his entire team had been thoroughly educated on every detail known to the United States government regarding the metal aliens currently on the planet Earth. Prowl and Blaster were well known to his superiors as they had been on American soil for many months. The pink 'female' known as Arcee and the red Hot Rod however were fairly recent arrivals and little was known of them, other than that Arcee was the acting military commander of the Autobot 'females'. Prowl, Blaster and Arcee held prominent positions in the Autobot military hierarchy, and were returning from a meeting hosted at the Pentagon. Hot Rod's function was unknown, as was his purpose for attending the meeting.

Despite the unknowns regarding the red newcomer, the Autobots seemed to be on the up-and-up regarding their plans. All four Autobots that had been at the meeting, along with their transport Sky Lynx, had returned to the West Virginian base, just as they had claimed they would. The Autobot troop numbers and locations appeared to be accurate so far, but Washington was still skeptical of their agenda. Optimus Prime's doctrine of preserving lives and ensuring freedom and justice for all was just too squeaky clean to be believed. There must be some ulterior motive; the Autobot Commander was FAR too old and experienced to be such a naive idealist.

But determining any Autobot schemes would have to be a task for another mission. The objective for this team was simply to verify that the itinerary given by the Autobots that had been in Washington earlier in the evening proved to be accurate. It apparently had, so it was time for the team of human soldiers to disembark and return to base. The leader of the group issued another series of hand gestures and moments later his team had gotten back to their feet and had disappeared once again into the forest.

All seven returned to the small raft that they had hidden along the banks of the river, and six boarded it as the seventh pushed it fully into the water before hoisting himself in as well. The muffled sound of the quiet-running outboard engine could barely be heard as it was brought to life and the small watercraft quickly made its way upstream against the current. The soldiers rode silently through the blackness of night for several minutes before an enormous object from underneath them sent the raft and its occupants into the air.

The human plummeted into the water and struggled to break through the surface, but the warriors quickly regained their composure and brought their weapons to bear against the giant shape that was emerging from the water. Though the silencers on their rifles kept the sounds of weapons fire to a minimum, the ricocheting of their rounds off of their target's metal hide could be clearly heard for nearly one hundred yards. "Big and metal, it's gotta be a Transformer!" The leader called out to his team.

"Can anyone identify this guy?" A human voice called out in the dark over the sounds of the bullets harmlessly bouncing off of metal hide.

"Looks like a Canadian Walleye!" Another soldier called back, utilizing a nickname for what was possibly a non-Cybertronian breed of Transformer. The unofficial moniker had been invented by other soldiers due to the resemblance in one mode to a terrestrial predatory fish, and the fact that the Canadian Military had discovered dozens of corpses of these creatures outside of Edmonton.

"Great, Quintessons have joined the game." The leader of the team grumbled as he squeezed off a few more rounds at the stationary form. "Everyone, back off!" The bullets weren't causing any damage, so explosives would be required to destroy this thing. The blasts would certainly alert the Autobots to their presence, provided that they had not already alerted them, but at this point it seemed the lesser of two evils.

But before any of the soldiers could get out of the water, the metal beast jerked to life. A spiked, metal ball that was on the end of the beast's tail tore one man in half and flattened another soldier's head as it swung back. "I have shed myself of my allegiance to the Quintessons. I am Gnaw, Decepticon warrior, and I am the last thing you will ever see humans!" The Sharkticon savagely tore into the remaining five humans, continuing his frenzy until little more than small chunks of flesh and bone remained of the soldiers.

The metal creature walked onto the shore with its stunted bestial legs and transformed to robot mode. Gnaw stood slightly taller than most of the trees, and was able to look upon the large Autobot complex in the distance. His intent optics were able to clearly make out the four-legged form of Sky Lynx walking off of the landing pad. Smiling, the Sharkticon opened a channel to the Nemesis. "Lord Megatron, this is Gnaw. I have confirmed with my own optics that the Autobots have indeed been constructing a base as the coordinates Blast Off provided."

Megatron's raspy voice replied a moment later. "Well done Gnaw, you might prove to be an asset after all. Return to the ocean and rest off the coastline until you receive orders to commence the attack. You should not be waiting long."

The round robot smiled as he stood in the dark. "I await the opportunity to slay your enemies." The robot allowed himself a light chuckle before transforming and returning to the water.

 

Your title pretty much defines this chapter. Though from the looks of things there's more than one storm brewing. Another good chapter even though it was more low key and more of a set up for future chapters. It's nice to see you're continuing some plot lines like the Deluxe Insecticons and Predacons plan to overthrow Megs as well as Custodex whose agenda is further etched out. This bastard is like Nader to Kerry. He wants the war to end but he's going the wrong way about it. Another good chapter, but I'm really looking forward to the next one now. You've built up too much  

 

excellent as always!

 

Shouldn't there be someway to get the images from their brains as to if Grimlock was really there?

I almost wonder if Custodex found that thing I can't spell but Sludge said meant prophet. Someone should point out to him that a genocidal maniac isn't likely to care about losses. I'd love to see a debate. And hasn't info about the Quints gotten to Cybertron? He talks like the knowledge of the Pit Lords and Omega Supreme and Gnaw hasn't reached them.

I wonder if the US government will ever get a clue about Prime?

I was a little nervous about when Gnaw showed up. I thought it might be the Pirahnacons.

 

I never thought about it, but the Garbonocyple or what ever the heck his name is might be Custodex.

 

Hadn’t really thought about the ability for Megs to download memories from his troops, but I guess I can spin it by saying that he figured that if Grimlock was really alive, he’d certainly make his presence known soon enough.

As for Custodex and the Garbolicanopsil (why the hell I came up with that stupid name I’ll never know), there’s no connection between them…yet.

Knowledge of the Quints has been spread throughout the Autobot leadership, and is slowly being disseminated through the Autobot rank and file (the next episode will have a brief scene involving a class of Autobots being brought up to speed about Quints and their anatomical features). Civilians will be informed once more is known about the Quints, their capabilities, and the threat they pose. But yes, I’m sure that word of a Guardian and the Pit Lords has gotten out and speculation is flying, but the possible existence of the old gods must not have fit into Custodex’s agenda at the time of his speech.

 

Peteynorth, i have to say, this story is extremly well done. I always find myself waiting in anticipation for a new chapter.

 

Fretburn nailed it, this story rocks. Awesome as usual.