TFARCHIVE FORUMS

TRANSFORMERS LEGENDS CHAPTER ONE

**************UPDATE STATUS******************

MORE RECENT EDIT: EDITS ARE FINISHED! Added a scene to introduce the Dynobots properly, more 'moments' for Scrapper, the Fallen, Repugnus and Skystalker. Also, explained how the Decepticons create new troops. After all, they had to get new troops from somewhere...

EDIT: Wow, this feels like a million years ago. I'm going to touch up on this, adding more monologues and description (come on. This is a pain to read. Even for me.) and character moments. Also, I'll be working on chapters two to four, repolishing them and adding new scenes and character moments. For now, only the beginning Trailbreaker intro had been retouched (mainly due to the revamp of War), but the rest will be polished soon. HAZ BEEN POLISHED!!!

Introduction:

Well, I tried writing Transformers Destruction, but it gets way too long-winded and repetitive, so I ditched the plans and immediately jumped into an ongoing. Part one is Exodus. There will be multiple plot threads (Unicron, Decepticons conquering, the Earth saga, the Nebulos battles...) as I try and reinvent G1. Chapter one is still bumpy and haphazard, so bear with me...

Takes place a couple of Earthen months after War.
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MOON ALPHA AUTOBASE

In the beginning of the war, the Decepticons triumphed. From the bloody rampage that devastated of Kaon, Altihex, Polyhex and many other city-states, the marauding Decepticon rebels finally came to fight the Autobots in Iacon. After an extensive siege, the Autobots lost and were forced to retreat to the two Moons that orbit Cybertron. The Autobots thought they could push back. They were wrong. After the failure to wipe out the Autobots on Iacon, the Decepticons grew more wary with their schemes. After throwing the Autobots out of the planet, Megatron established himself as the Emperor of Cybertron.

Now, standing on one of the Autobot bases, Trailbreaker sighed, watching the silver sphere that used to be his home spiraling in the sky.

Home. His home. From the outside, the metallic planet looked beautiful. Metallic panels and continents arranged themselves like a gigantic jigsaw puzzle, with new layers replacing the ones on top. Some scientists even theorized that Cybertron is a living planet. Trailbreaker didn't buy that theory. After all, if the planet is alive, it would’ve done something long ago. Regardless of whether Cybertron is alive or not... it's now overrun by those blasted Decepticon scumbags. Many of the beautiful cities are ruined. Burned to the ground. Neutrals and civilians slaughtered, terminated, eradicated, mutilated...

Trailbreaker couldn't get images of innocent civilians massacred out of his mind. The defense strategist cursed himself. He felt so worthless. All the defenses he’d put up throughout Cybertron… gone. Useless. None of them held the Decepticons at bay for more than a few cycles.

They were broken, defeated. Yet somehow their new leader Optimus Prime was able to hold them together. Trailbreaker sincerely hopes it stays that way. With the deaths of many of their more influential leaders, like Star Saber and Sentinel Prime, the Autobots need someone to look up to. For the past few solar cycles, Optimus Prime had proven himself again and again as being capable. Trailbreaker’s mouth curled up in a smile. He had to do something, otherwise he’ll glitch. If he is useless in creating defense mechanisms, he’ll have to try something else.

The jet-black-coloured Autobot walked away from the window and into the Armoury. Morale was low, he reflected. Megatron had taken over their home, what else could be expected?

Trailbreaker sighed, and sat down on a chair in the armoury. Crosshairs was still working in this armoury, even at this unnatural time of the solar cycle. If anything, the old warhorse was resilient, burying himself in work. Racks and racks of weaponry sat on the armoury. Crosshairs sat crouched in the corner, silently assembling a bazooka that had been taken apart for maintenance. The silence was so thick that one could cut it with a vibro-blade.

"Tough day, huh?" Trailbreaker said, breaking the silence. "Mind if I sit here for a while?"

Crosshairs looked momentarily stunned as he regarded Trailbreaker, but soon said, “Sure.” Trailbreaker knew that the older Autobot’s spirits were down. Waaay down.

After taking a seat, Trailbreaker sighed, and began, "Look, Crosshairs. We haven't lost. We're just pushed back for a while, y'know? It’s a temporary setback. We’ll grab Cybertron back. I know how hard it is to lose your hometown. Praxus, isn't it? I understand your pain. I share your pain." Trailbreaker said, and his optics glowed in a scarlet hue, a departure from the normal azure optics Trailbreaker sported. "The deaths of the innocents will be avenged, Crosshairs. We’ll kill the Decepticons for what they’ve done. Those scums…"

"Yeah... but how many people must die, Trailbreaker?" Crosshairs lamented, as he placed the bazooka down. Picking up an inventory list, he marked off some items glumly.

"Look. People die everyday, Crosshairs. This is war. But if we put in more effort, if we truly believe in peace, it will happen." Trailbreaker said, lifting an ammo rack and tossing it from one hand to the other. "It's better than wallowing in sorrow. What you're doing now--cataloguing our weaponry--is a good start. But we need much more than that. We need to strike them. Get up, do something. Sprocket can handle all of this monotonous stuff. ‘Sides, you need a break. And busting Decepticons are actually relaxing."

Crosshairs’ lips pulled up in a sad smile. “How can you still joke in a time like this?”

“Laughter lightens the tensions, Crosshairs. After all, if we all cry and wallow in sorrow, none of us will be in any mood for fighting.” Trailbreaker said, placing the ammo rack back where it belonged. “And if that happens, no amount of repentance can save us. ‘Sides, someone had to make light of the situation. It’s the rule.”

“Who made that up?”

“Me. Trailbreaker. So, Crosshairs? Are you going to join me? Ironhide’s planning another raid on the Decep’s shuttles, drain them dry, you know what I mean?”

Crosshairs sighed, and smiled. His optics were full of life again, “Oh yeah… Trailbreaker, lead me. I’m going to beat something up.”

Trailbreaker grinned. Prime's little task for him is in progress... raising morale. Troop morale is down, and it's up to someone to bring it up. At least I can be useful in this way... Trailbreaker thought as he followed the newly-invigorated Crosshairs to the hangar bays. “Y’know… Perceptor says that beating Decepticons up is a good way of releasing stress.”
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THE FORMER FORUM OF ENLIGHTENMENT, IACON

Formerly the site of meetings for high ranking Autobots, the Forum of Enlightenment has been blown up, and only its ruins remain, a bitter reminder of a golden age that's gone. A single jet swooped in the war-torn area, powerful jet engines humming softly. Decepticon Air Commander Starscream transformed, landing slowly, the engines on his robot mode's feet enabling him to descend to the ground in his own sweet time. "Destroyed." he said, smiling dryly and without joy as he landed in what used to be the main Auditorium.

Starscream landed on an broken statue of former Autobot leader Nova Prime, deliberately crushing the statue's head in the process. Everything is proceeding as planned. Megatron is victorious, and the Autobots are near-vanquished. As tempting as it is to take over from Megatron now, Starscream knows better. He's playing a waiting game. He will wait until a suitable time before striking.

In the meantime, he'll just have to gather loyal followers. And be a loyal right hand to Megatron.

For now.
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GORLAM PRIME, DEEP SPACE

Scourge stood upon a cliff on the dead planet. For uncountable years, they have scoured the galaxy unseen, looking for artifacts that contained Lord Unicron's energies, in preparation for Unicron's resurrection. However, recently Scourge had just realized that Nemesis Prime and Galvatron, their current leaders, might be biding for time.

Scourge had confided in the Fallen, who shared his views. Both Unicron heralds agree that Nemesis Prime's unstable mentality and Galvatron's ego is getting in the way of the Master's return.

Scourge's optics twinkled as he imagined the glorious chaos that would ensue when Unicron returned in his full unholy glory. Everything would be destroyed, eaten, vanquished. Finally, everything returns to where it should--oblivion.

How long must they wait? Nemesis Prime's old persona--that of the Autobot Prima--seems to be resurfacing. This would really get in the way of things...

Long as it had taken, they have retrieved most of the artifacts from all corners of the galaxy. And if Nemesis or Galvatron tries anything funny, Scourge will stop them. For Unicron. Scourge's eyes glinted dangerously in the dark light.
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DECEPTICON ENERGON DELIVERY SHUTTLE LATTA

"As Imphactor used ta say... Wreck and Rule!" Ironhide roared, as he jumped out of Jetfire and slammed into the energon delivery shuttle, hanging on with magno-clamps.

The shuttle was set to land at what used to be Tarn. Five cycles before it's supposed to land, Jetfire flew in, and deposited a group of Autobot raiders.

Ironic, really. Ironhide thought. The Autobots, peacekeepers of Cybertron, are reduced to energon pirates against the new regime. And me... formerly Security Officer of Cybertron... reduced to a raiding party leader...

Sandstorm quipped, "We Wreckers still use that phrase, y'know, old-timer." The triplechanger transformed into helicopter mode and used his sandblaster gun to destroy the communication disk. The other Autobots jumped out and landed on the ship.

Ironhide shrugged, "Well, now's a good time ta use it again. And who ya callin' ol' timer?"

Windcharger forcibly tore apart the door with a magnetic blast, and the Autobots are in. Ironhide watched the soldiers move with pride. Just a few weeks ago, these Autobots are strangers to war, with some not knowing how to even change the ammo pack of a laser blaster. It had been a real pain in the afts to teach them from scratch. Now they are working like professionals. Well, professionals with little training, anyway.

Moving quickly, Ironhide felt a rush of excitement. As much as he wanted peace to return, he just can't help but enjoy the adrenaline rush as he delved into enemy territory, gun in hand, waiting for an ambush. Cliffjumper's gun fired twice, interrupting Ironhide's thoughts.

"YEAH!" the young Autobot shouted as his 'glass beams' found their marks. A Decepticon Seeker fell down, his chest and legs crystallized into glass, a surprised expression on the Decepticon's face. Windcharger pushed the broken corpse towards his other comrades.

Another wave of Decepticons burst out of the control room. "Fire!" Ironhide shouted. Crosshairs, Sandstorm and himself fired at the incoming wave of Decepticons. Ironhide enjoyed it.

It wasn't even a fair battle. The Autobots defeated every single Decepticon on board the Latta. Trailbreaker dumped all the unconscious Deceps, all painted pink, into an escape pod and launched it into Tarn, as a joke. Ironhide didn't like it, but if it boosts morale...

Soon, Jetfire, Broadside and Countdown's shuttle arrived, and used tractor beams to pull Energon Shuttle Latta out into orbit. Ironhide watched as they entered the nearly nonexistent gravity well of Moon Alpha. After emptying the ship's contents and tearing out the engines, they jettisoned the Latta back into Cybertron. No doubt the Decepticons had trackers all over it, but they needed the energon and engines. However, anything not required was thrown back into Cybertron.

Ironhide sighed as he looked at the stacks and stacks of purple energon cubes inside the cargo hold. Much as it is, it won't last them very long. Still, it's better than nothing at all.
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COMMAND ROOM, MOON ALPHA

Optimus Prime paced across the command room. It had been decided, although the decision is unpopular. After a very heated debate...

They have to leave Cybertron.

It was a hard decision, but it is a logical choice. By staying on Moon Alpha and Beta, they are at a strategic disadvantage. If (not if, actually. When) Megatron finds a way to finally bring his entire army to bear on the moons, the Autobots will be wiped out. Another reason is that they are running out of energon. Fast. Even now, scouts are already being dispatched to various other planets to find energy sources. Natural energon only exists in Cybertron, but other forms of energy--say, light or heat--could be converted with proper equipment.

They had to leave. Thank Primus they have the means to do so. Metroplex, for one, is being outfitted with Transwarp capabilities, while another larger ship is under construction nearby.

On the other hand, better news are coming. Other Autobots all over the galaxy are being recalled to stand ready against the Decepticons. They will not let the Decepticons win this war and kill everybody. Not while there's still a spark of life still residing in an Autobot.
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MONACUS

Monacus, otherwise known as the 'Gambling Heaven', is a planet three star systems away from Cybertron. A blue mechanical creature stalked across the neon lights, transformed, and sped off into space.

"This is Devcon. To anyone who receives, I heard the call. I'm coming."
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CHEYNE

A small rugged car tore across the desertlike terrain in Cheyne, away from the small town it came from. The organic creature -- or rather the hologram -- 'driving' the vehicle shimmered and disappeared. Speeding into a mountain crevice, the car transformed and entered the spaceship with an Autobot insignia plastered on the side.

"Autobots, this is Scorch. I am at Cheyne, astro-location 897-98HD8. Been there for a couple of giga-cycles now. This is a possible candidate for a base, lots of underground thermal resources... If agreed, I will talk to the local governments."
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NEBULOS

A jet flew through the airspace of Nebulos. "This is Brainstorm to Planet Cybertron. Is anyone receiving me? Nebulos is a planet rich in natural energy resources." Brainstorm reported, "Please, we must save this planet. Can't let the Decepticons arrive here first."
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EARTH

A nondescript Volkswagen Beetle rumbled through the town of Oregon, a hologram of a female human on its front seat. A transmission was sent by the Minibot into the deep reaches of space. "Bumblebee to Autobot high command. This planet is suitable for our needs, but it has a lot of sentient species. Request backup for negotiations."

Bumblebee felt a pang of guilt as he knew that he would probably be leading Decepticons to this mud-ball called Earth.
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VECTOR SIGMA, WITHIN

Megatron stood in front of the pulsating and rotating golden globe. Megatron watched as information poured out and appeared in front of him in form of holograms. Megatron watched as Cybertron's entire history poured out. Ancient wars against alien invaders. An earlier and shorter Civil War. So much history in Cybertron's past. Megatron grimaced, looking for something that would allow him to further his expansion of his empire.

Suddenly, an image of thirteen transformers appeared in front of him. Impossible. The original Thirteen? It is widely believed that if their powers could be transferred into a Cybertronian's body, granting him godlike powers. Or so the legends say. Megatron immediately called out all information about the Thirteen. Immortality is not high on the tyrant's wish list, but if it could be obtained...

Vector Sigma revealed that the Thirteen original Transformers, many of whom had been scattered across the galaxy in stasis lock after a certain great battle in the distant past, have powers beyond a normal Cybertronian's measure. Megatron grinned. If he could have immortality... The better for him to rule, and to expand the Cybertronian empire to all reaches of the galaxy.

I will purge all other inferior life forms after I become a god. Megatron solemnly thought. Cybertronians will finally live in peace.

Looking at the glowing, pulsating golden key-like object in his right hand, Megatron smiled. The Key to Vector Sigma. The Constructicons had been given a sample of the Key's energy pattern, and they have been able to duplicate it. With instructions from Vector Sigma, Megatron finally learnt how to 'mechaform', so to speak. "Victory is assured. It's just a matter of time." he whispered.

The list of the Thirteen's identities flashed across the holo-screens around Megatron. Alpha Trion was among them. Megatron grimaced. So much for ancient power. A fusion blast was able to kill him. But if this works...

Megatron looked at the ancient keeper's body, strewn in a heap, a hole in the chest, laid on a side of Vector Sigma. Megatron searched for clues. What if one of the Thirteen was killed? Is it possible for him to gain immortality? Yes, it turns out. As long as their bodies--or most of their bodies--are placed within the thirteen runes scattered around the circular chamber of Vector Sigma, it could be done. Megatron stood up, picked up Alpha Trion's corpse gently and laid him on the rune with the ancient writing that read Alpha Trion's name.

One down. Twelve to go.
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DARKMOUNT, POLYHEX

"Did you hear about the raid? The Latta has been raided." Slugslinger commented.

Blackjack replied, "Damn Autobots. Spray-painted Greasepit and his men pink, and dumping them back to Tarn. Got sick senses of humour, those Autobots. Almost like our Skywarp."

News travels fast, Garboil noted. Perched on a bundle of wires on the ceiling of the corridors, the Cassettecon watched as Slugslinger, Blackjack, Roadblock and Crankcase walked past, discussing the current raid and basically comparing notes. This is bad. The constant Autobot attacks are making the Autobots sound like a real threat instead of a small rabble.

Garboil's bloodred optics glowed omniously in the dark shadows of Darkmount. The Cobalt Sentry's aquamarine colours hid him well, letting him blend into the dark shadows around Darkmount. While not black, dark blue still does the job. However, comments about shuttle Latta is not what he's here for. Garboil is one of Soundwave's agents, looking for hints of mutiny or discontent against Megatron and his loyal generals. And to root out spies. Last time, the Decepticon named Counterpunch was discovered to be an Autobot. He's gone MIA now, but thankfully he's not found out anything remotely important. Some say he's gone crazy... apparently no one else knew that he's a double-agent, not even Optimus Prime. It's possible that this Counterpunch idiot acted on behalf of a Senator. Garboil shrugged. Not that he gave a damn about it.

Garboil watched the Decepticon troops go back and forth, running about their duties or just milling around. Garboil liked his role. He's a security camera, an intelligence agent, an alarm system and an automatic defense gun all rolled in one. Slugslinger and the others walked past. A few cycles later, a very familiar figure passed under him. His master, Soundwave. Ravage padded behind Soundwave, and Laserbeak perched on Soundwave's shoulder.

Soundwave looked up, locking his optics with Garboil's, and nodded. Garboil fluttered and landed on Soundwave's other shoulder, giving Laserbeak and Ravage friendly yet professional smiles. "Report, Garboil." Soundwave said.

"None of the Decepticons have shown anything much about rebelling. Well, except Storm Cloud of course." Garboil said. "Other than that, the troops are starting to think that the Autobots are a genuine threat."

"Of course." Soundwave said, his monotomic voice hinting at disgust and disappointment. Not on Garboil, however. The Cassettecon knew that he did his job very well. Soundwave gestured to his former perch. "Report to me in three deci-cycles. I'll be back."
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MOON ALPHA

The High Command were easier to talk to than the main army, Optimus Prime mused. Among the High Command, only Ironhide, Springer and Grimlock voiced strong objections against retreating. Prime had convinced them, but now came a more daunting task. Convincing the entire army.

Convincing them would be hard. Doing so without decreasing morale would be impossible.
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Searchlight shrugged. He is okay with leaving Cybertron and all its painful memories behind. It's his home, sure, but people do have to learn to let it go and to move on. Some, however, are harder to let go. Sitting in front of a large computer, the Throttlebot watched as a large group of protesters pestered Prime with questions.

"Leaving the moons? Are you crazy?" a youthful Autobot, Skram, said.

He was followed by an enraged ex-Senator Mirage, practically growling, "I joined this stint only because I need to take my hometown of Protihex back!"

"And Crystal City too! You're leaving it all behind?" Bluestreak said, anguish evident in his voice. "After all we did to maintain this base? Please, Prime. We can't just give up!"

Searchlight turned from the crowd as Prime, Prowl, Ultra Magnus and Fortress Maximus tried to calm the crowd down. Searchlight caught sight of Grimlock, leaning in a dark corner, arms folded, red, calculating optics observing what's fast becoming a riot intently. Searchlight gulped. If there's anyone brave enough to start a mutiny, it would be Grimlock. Powerful, popular, and generally in a bad mood if his orders are not followed, he could really be a problem.

Oh, no. Here comes his Dynobots. Searchlight cursed, as the four menacing figures stalked into the bridge. Swoop is a gangly, arrogant mech with flight capabilities. He's the friendliest of the Dynobots, and that says something. Behind Swoop, Sludge lumbered. Sludge is as stupid as he is big. Grunting, the metallic behemoth looked to the left and right for their leader. Snarl is more stable, but he's more of a loner, and had few friends other than the Dynobots. The solar-powered warrior was the first to spot Grimlock and pointed him out to his comrades. The fifth Dynobot, however, was the most foul-tempered one of them. With a trigger-finger temper and a 'nuclear reactor powered by hate', Slag literally hates everyone, himself included. And he never gets tired of spewing fireballs to people who annoy him.

The four Dynobots circled around Grimlock, who somehow had whipped them into one of the army's most effective fighting forces. It's a good thing they're on our side. Grimlock, however, is much more terrifying than the four other Dynobots. Urban legend placed him fighting off two Decepticon gestalts and a phalanx of Decepticon soldiers for two solar cycles straight before backup arrived. And he didn't even lose a limb.

Searchlight gulped as Grimlock said something in what sounded like an angry tone, occasionally jabbing a finger at Prime and the crowd around him. Searchlight couldn't hear what they are saying, but he was sure it's bad. The Throttlebot gulped as the five of them stalked towards Prime.

As they neared the crowd, other Autobots gave them a wide berth. "Optimus Prime." Grimlock said, acknowledging who he's talking to. He folded his hands, "I don't like us retreating from Cybertron."

"Yeah, you tell him, Grimmy!" Bluestreak shouted from the middle of the crowd. The ever-angry Slag shot the youthful Autobot an angry glare, and Bluestreak meekly shut up.

Grimlock continued. "I don't like it. But it's necessary. Do what you think is best."

Searchlight was dumbfounded. He was sure that Grimlock would actually challenge Prime to a fight then and there. Searchlight watched as the Dynobots stalked away, presumably to do some training. Optimus Prime cocked his head, and Searchlight could swear he heard a small "Thank you" escaping from Prime's vocalizers.
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THE ARK, MOON BETA

The Ark. Seventeen stellar cycles in the making, designed by Grapple, Hoist, Huffer and Pipes, and created by the Micromaster constructors Erector, Pipeline, Gusher, Hot House and Ironworks, the project took place in the depths of Moon Beta, not much people know about the Ark's existence, not even Megatron. Sentinel Prime and Chancellor Star Saber, long before they were both killed, had sanctioned the construction of the Ark just in case. Now, all that needs to be done are the final preparations before they move out into space.

Treadbolt knew why the evacuation needs to be rushed. The Autobot spy had been on a classified mission to spy on Decepticon plans, and discovered that they're building a giant cannon, with sufficient power to blow up Moon Alpha. Only the top brass had been notified of this development. It was one of the primary reasons why they decided to leave Cybertron.

Treadbolt watched, unseen in a corner, as Erector and Grapple placed anti-thermal shields onto the Ark's exostructure. The Ark was massive. Metroplex could fit inside with no problem at all, but Grapple, added a few additional quirks. Metroplex would be able to dock onto the Ark with special connectors, so if needed the Ark and Metroplex could separate quickly.

They needed a new base. But if word gets out that Megatron has a weapon that can destroy Moon Alpha, there might be a mass surrender. Treadbolt could understand that.

The Ark isn't just some battleship. It is at least seven times the size of the second-largest Autobot shuttle, and able to accommodate all of the Autobot troops and still have room for more. The Micromaster watched as dozens of troops trudged, hastily bringing supplies and equipment into the Ark. Hoist and Wheeljack are busy attaching engines salvaged from the Latta onto the Ark.

The Autobots would be spread into numerous teams, and a few 'main' groups would be taking expeditions to planets with sentient lives--namely, the Steelhaven, the Fire Convoy and the Teletraan. The Ark (and Metroplex) would function as the Autobots' temporary base in space until they can find something more permanent. The Impactor and the Xantium, now docked inside the Ark, would carry the Autobots' crack troops when Decepticons began their expansion of their empire.

Treadbolt chuckled as his fellow Micromaster Hot House walked past him without even noticing him. His small size, dark colouring and stealth systems made him invisible except to the most sophisticated sensors, or if someone tripped on him. Or if he jumped out and went 'BOOGA BOOGA' in front or behind his friends. Treadbolt didn't have many friends, and the war is slowly taking away the few that he has. Micromasters, while small and resolute, are fragile as well. Many of his Micromaster friends had been killed in various battles. Also, the double-agent Punch was found to have committed suicide in Metroplex. That doesn't count the numerous dead Autobots whom Treadbolt couldn't remember their names. Some had bodies which are destroyed, but surviving sparks and memory banks. The Autobots' condition is so pitiful right now that they couldn't get enough protoforms to accommodate the fallen ones. Treadbolt watched as Grapple pulled a rack of spark containment units into the shuttle. Lightfoot. Drift. Highjump. Road Rocket. Monocole... Treadbolt managed to read as the rack moved inside the Ark. Highjump's name screamed to him. A member of the Off Road Patrol, Highjump and his three comrades nearly died fighting against a large fleet of Decepticons. Heck, they practically died delivering the data required to build gestalt teams. However, being the resourceful being Powertrain is, he had downloaded the Off Road Patrol's sparks and memory patterns into safety in subspace. It was a simple matter for the medics to extract them and place them into Protoforms. It's such a shame they didn't have any protoforms currently.

No wonder we had to escape. If we didn't, we would've been massacred. Not even enough protoforms! Treadbolt thought. Protoforms require a long time to manufacture, and even then it would take a true spark for it to be a transformer, otherwise it would be only a drone. Sparks are very rare. While at times a protoform would become online with a spark, most of the time, they would have to use the Creation Matrix to 'goad' the spark into existence. Of course, it was just a myth that the Creation Matrix had such power. Creating new troops are mostly a game of chance.

And for some reasons, transformers never remember their origin. Mostly because their memory circuits are not active until their sparks are online. Treadbolt shrugged. All this metaphysical stuff is doing his head in.
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SOLAR NEEDLE

The giant needle-like weapon was designed by the Constructicons, and construction was soon underway. Fast builders by themselves, with the help of the Micromaster Constructor squad, the Constructicons managed to build the weapon in record time. Even now, the six Constructicons and six Constructor Squad Micromasters work feverishly to complete the superweapon. Scrapper was very proud of his Constructicon teams, and their Micromaster interns, so to speak.

"A giant gun?" Mixmaster wondered out loud as he churned up chemicals within his mixing drum. "A bit clichéd, don't you guys think?"

Scrapper sighed as he rolled up beside Mixmaster in his vehicle mode. They are builders. Whatever the guys on top tell them to build, they build it. However, Scrapper said nothing to Mixmaster's objection. After all, everyone's entitled an opinion.

"The fission reactors! Be careful with those, please!" Somewhere across the site, Hook snapped as Long Haul and Bonecrusher moved a silver tube-like structure into the main power armature of the Solar Needle. Bonecrusher retorted with something less polite.

Scrapper transformed into robot mode, and watched as a squad of Seekers swooped in. The leader of the group transformed and landed. "Air Commander Starscream." Scrapper said, saluting. Mixmaster did likewise.

The white-and-red Seeker shrugged, and said, "Megs wants to know when this weapon will be completed. But damn, you guys are fast. Frankly speaking-" Starscream leaned close to Scrapper and Mixmaster, "-you sure the work ain't sloppy? I mean, will it blow us to Kingdom Come?"

Mixmaster grunted at the blatant insult about their skills, but Scrapper understood the Seeker's intentions. Starscream's not very big on congratulations. Besides, with the speed in which they're constructing the weapon, it's easy to think that the Constructicons are fast but sloppy.

The truth is, Scrapper and his ilk are special. Hook. Mixmaster. Long Haul. Bonecrusher. Scavenger. The six of them are brilliant scientists and constructors in their own right. They are efficient workers. However, after a frame by a rival company, the Constructicons were shunned by the public. Bitter, Constructicons sought refuge with the Decepticons. Working with Shockwave, they pioneered the gestalt technology, creating Devastator. The process had a slight side-effect. The Constructicons' separate cooperation abilities were heightened dramatically, and they could work faster and more efficiently now.

Still, for all their speed, some people just don't trust speed would give good results. It's totally understandable, Scrapper thought. No reason to feel insulted. After all, pride leads to falls.

Also, the company board that had framed them? After Megatron's assassins killed them, Mixmaster and Bonecrusher melted their bodies down and used their materials to build part of Kolkular. Fitting.

Meanwhile, Scrapper still had Starscream to placate. Signalling for the other workers to continue, Scrapper said to Starscream, "With all due respect, Starscream, our speed is testament to the efficiency of the Constructicons and these new Micromaster Constructor Squad. And as functionality, yes. I am prepared to stake my entire career in this project. We followed Shockwave's schematics to the most minute detail. If Shockwave says it can blow planets, it can. Right, Mixmaster?" Scrapper said, nudging the chemist churning up random pieces of unused rock and metal in his drum.

"Haha. That we did. Even followed the golden finish that Needlenose added into the schematics." Mixmaster said, chuckling as he pointed to the golden-hued exterior of the large circular weapon. "Did you know that Empties' exostructure makes great paint material when properly acidified and reacted?"

Scrapper sighed under his breath. Mixmaster is a brilliant chemist. In fact, he's one of the best, if not the best. He can literally cook up any chemical you can name from the most mundane of raw materials. Take that time, for example, when he created a chemical weapon that induced joint rusting with nothing more than a few iron girders, a vial of energon, and the head of a dead mech. Scrapper still couldn't understand Mixmaster's fascination with using dead bodies. In fact, Scrapper thinks it's downright detestable. But if it gets results...

"It will work, Starscream." Scrapper said.

"It better."
_____________________________

Meanwhile, a short distance away, in the Decepticon fortress of Darkmount, Soundwave entered the meeting room with hardly a noise. Most of the Decepticons' leading scientists and strategists -- barring the Constructicons and the Constructor Squad -- are assembled in the auditorium-like meeting room, and are looking at a central figure standing in the middle of the room, preparing to give a speech.

Soundwave dryly noticed the irony that a few months ago, the Senate in Polyhex used to have meetings in this room, the attendees' attention focused on whatever bureaucrat was droning on about some insignificant problem. Traffic, perhaps. Or voting over the fate of a criminal -- most trials usually just dumped them into the Altihex prison and forget about them entirely. Or probably complaining about cleanliness and security.

That was the old rule. Now with the Decepticons in the ruling post, they discussed important, immediate concerns. No need for all those inefficient bureaucratic discussions. Whatever Megatron (and select members of the inner circle) says, goes. Of course, objections could be made, alternative rules could be suggested. But the planning was swift, short and conscise. Bottom line is- it was a far more efficient system.

Shockwave was explaining the mechanics of his Solar Needle cannon. Soundwave had analyzed the plans, ben found it capable of doing what Shockwave claims it can do. Still, he had to attend this meeting to find out alternative ways. Shockwave concluded his summary, "...I calculate a 66.98 per cent casualty rate, with a 21.54 injury rate. When our troops arrive to clean them up, the maximum percentage of casualty would be merely 1.54 per cent of our resources. Conclusion: efficient method."

"Hehehe... a giant solar-powered weapon. It's a shame it wasn't my idea." one of the scientists said. It was Deluge. Soundwave knew that the Decepticon was... unstable, but he heralded good results.

One of Soundwave's own Cassettecons, the chief medical officer Glit, hissed and said, "Not a particularly bad idea."

Another scientist, the Stormtrooper named Hydradread, nodded, and said, "Construction is underway, I trust?" Someone confirmed affirmative, and the Stormtrooper nodded in satisfaction.

Heavy Load, a chemist, said, "What if they catch wind of this plan?"

Hightower, a small ex-Constructicon (he and Scrapper had a falling-out early in their career), interjected, "If they do, Heavy Load, it will be too late for them. After all, it's not like they can run anywhere. They don't have enough energon stockpiles. Unless they keep one on the moon, which is highly unlikely."

Shockwave seized the opportunity to affirm his points. Having the perfect poker face, the single yellow optic flashed as he spoke, "Confirmation: I assure you, Heavy Load, that the Solar Needle has a 99.54 per cent chance that it will destroy moon alpha and beta within three deci-cycles. The plan is foolproof."

A rusty voice spoke from the edge of the room. "This is worthless. All this planning will all crumble and fall..." Soundwave stood up to see the speaker, and the Decepticons sitting around him did the same. Soundwave immediately identified the speaker as Dead End, one of the Stunticons. Who let this fool in the meeting? Soundwave thought, but didn't say anything. After all, every mech deserves their say. The best ideas might come from the most unexpected of sources.

By reading his mind, Soundwave knew Shockwave was unprepared for such a disapproval, but his monocular eye didn't so much as blink. "Elaborate." Shockwave boomed.

"Well... I didn't mean to interrupt or be rude or anything, but I think it's like this. Your theory is flawed in one major part. There's always a constant factor that cannot be calculated or computed." Dead End stopped speaking, fearing he had inadvertedly sealed his own fate. However, Shockwave motioned for him to continue, and the Stunticon did, saying, "Chaos. All of you have forgotten a fundamental constant. Chaos. It brings everything, all the best-laid plans, to waste. What I'm sayin' is, the Autobots might have something up their sleeves. An Ace in the hole. After all, we had Trypticon and they never knew what hit them."

"Irrelavant." Shockwave said. "Fact- the Solar Needle is able to blow up the entire Moon. Fact- Metroplex is unable to carry all the Autobots, even if they are crammed inside. Fact- they are unlikely to leave their own behind. Fact- they will stay on the moons. Fact- by destroying the moons, we will damage and cripple them at least. It's logic. It's simple logic."

"Fair enough. I won't raw anymore." but Soundwave could read Dead End's mind. And the Communications officer could see Dead End was thinking: Chaos is everywhere. We are all doomed for extinction. We are doomed...
______________________________________________________

METROPLEX, MOON ALPHA

"-Damn Prime and his pigheadedness." Mirage ranted, waving his crossbow in the air as he paced through one of the walkways in Metroplex.

"Not really his fault, Mirage." Ironfist said. The weapons specialist walked behind Mirage, getting ready to prep the Ark and Metroplex for takeoff. All the Autobots have gathered in Moon Alpha, and Metroplex have been squeezed into the Ark with every other Autobot in their base. "I, for one, have been anticipating this. No matter how many warriors we have, we're still hopelessly outnumbered, outmanoveured, herded into this small spot in the Moons. It's just a matter of time before Megatron blows us all to the Pit."

"Yeah, yeah. So why didn't we run in the first place? Did I defend Protihex for nothing, Ironfist?" Mirage lamented.

Ironfist sighed. The tale of Mirage singlehandedly stalling the Terrorcons and Predacons in order to protect his hometown of Protihex is legendary. He was mutilated afterwards, but he managed to hold the Decepticons off until backup arrives. However, Protihex was still torn down. Mirage's never been the same ever since. Ironfist watched as Mirage stormed down the corridors in rage. It's hard for him too. Ironfist's own hometown -- Altihex-- was also destroyed. He still couldn't forgive himself for not being there to defend his home.

But he didn't let it interfere with his job. If anything, the thirst for vengeance motivates Ironfist to blow up more Decepticons. "Ironfist to Kup. Everything's clear in sector Delta."

"Acknowledged. Get ready. We're lifting off in seven cycles."

"So soon?"

"Prime seems very anxious to get us out of here, so... yeah." Kup's voice said through the communicator. There's no missing the contempt in the old warhorse's words. Kup, like Mirage, objected very strongly to retreating.

Ironfist sighed. He felt so very tired and old, and he hadn't felt like that in a long, long time.
MOON ALPHA

Repugnus scuttled across the hangar bay in the Ark. One of them, anyway. Doublecross was busy being Doublecross, arguing with himself while doing a darn good job at cataloguing everything on board. Grotusque was on guard duty.

That gave Repugnus some alone time.

Of the three self-designated "Monsterbot" sub-unit, Repugnus was the most vile and unstable.

While Doublecross and Grotusque were not role models per se--those two have been imprisoned or suspended from duty several times--Repugnus was undisputably the worst. The Altihex maximum security detention center is like his second home. It's like there's a revolving door in Altihex Maximum Security Prison just for Repugnus.

But now, there's no going back. The prison is gone, anyway. A last-ditch effort by Red Alert to kill some of the killers imprisoned inside when the Combaticons attacked. But Repugnus, by some odd quirk of fate, managed to escape and 'rescue' Red Alert. Soon he fought alongside the Autobots once more.

However, it wasn't easy. Red Alert, paranoid as ever, wanted Repugnus locked down, or at least restricted. Many of the others feel the same. However, one mech stood up for him. Only one.

That mech was standing five foot in front of him. "Optimus Prime." Repugnus said, as he padded towards the red-and-blue Autobot leader. "I just... want to say thank you. For this second chance and everything. But... I have a question. Why? Why help me? Not that I'm ungrateful, but let's face it. I'm a murderer, a thief, an assassin, I blew up a good chunk of Tarn..." Repugnus said, transforming into his primary mode and counting his faults with his fingers.

Optimus looked down at the shorter Autobot and nodded, warm blue optics glinting in kindness. "Everyone deserves a second chance, Repugnus. The fact that you tried to save Red Alert--the very person who placed you in chains--speaks values about your character."

"Mebbe I just want to save him for myself." Repugnus hissed. He wanted to... test this new leader. To see how good he really is. Repugnus knew that this might land him back in detention, but he was truly curious what the reason was for Prime to give him this second chance. "Face it, Prime. You know I'm unstable. Yet you... recruited me for the army. Just wanna know why."

Prime looked at Repugnus, optics scanning the Monsterbot for a while. There was sadness in his optics, Repugnus could tell that much. "Because..." Prime began. "I know what I'm doing. You are not that vile and evil inside, despite what your exterior looks like. No offense intended. You have a spark that respects life. You have your own code of honour. You have... a willingness to change. While Red and the others see the bad things you have done, I see... goodness in you." Optimus shrugged. "Not a lot, certainly. But it's goodness nevertheless. It merits a second chance."

"I..." Repugnus began, not sure how to answer. "thank you, Optimus. For all this. I swear I won't let this chance go to waste."
_____________________________

SOLAR NEEDLE, TARN

Megatron transformed. A large portion of the Decepticon army had gathered to see the destruction of Moon Alpha. The Solar Needle stood tall, majestic. It consists of a giant needle-like cannon, with several smaller ones circling it, and it's all covered with solar collecting panels. Megatron walked onto a viewing platform overlooking the Needle. He could see the Constructicons working, fine-tuning the weapon. As the high commanders saluted him, Megatron turned to face Shockwave. "Estimated time of completion?"

The monocular Decepticon's single optic blinked before he answered, "Three point twenty seven cycles, including the time taken for the Needle to charge."

Megatron nodded, and turned to regard a jet-black Decepticon. "Rage. Security status?"

"The Autobots seem to be aware that we're building this, although they haven't done anything to intercept us yet. Pity." Rage said, optics burning with hate. There's no mistaking the disappointment in the Stormtrooper's voice.

Megatron pulled out a commlink and spoke into it. "Scrapper- fire when you're ready."

"As you command, Lord." Scrapper said.

Soon, the Solar Needle glowed so bright that Megatron had to switch on optical features just to look at the glowing weapon. A loud-pitched whine sounded all over the area, and Megatron could hear some of his officers curse. The burst of light was unleashed in a straight beam up, onto Moon Alpha.
_________________
MOON ALPHA

The Ark's six engines warmed up and it took off. Just in time. The beam of light from the Solar Needle tore into the core of the moon, unchallenged. Like a laser beam through butter.

The Ark paid the seemingly harmless beam no heed. Silverbolt, sitting at the control ship, gripped the control sticks. His expression was tense. Every last Autobot was stocked into the Ark.

Silverbolt's co-pilots were Topspin and Skyhammer. They wore tense expressions as well. The atmosphere was so thick you could cut it with a vibro-blade. Optimus Prime and the other bigshots were standing on the command deck. "What's wrong? Why aren't we taking off?" Huffer asked from another station, partially wailing. "We're doomed, I tell you! Doome-" at that moment, someone slapped their hands over Huffer's mouth. Whether it was Jazz or Hardhead or one of the Dynobots, Silverbolt couldn't tell. But the Aerialbot commander was grateful. The last thing he needed was a dose of desperation.

However, Silverbolt answered the question, if only to steel his nervousness. "The engines are warming up. It needs time for engines that large to lift this huge a ship. But it should be able to cover the distance." Silverbolt looked in panic at the shaft of light from Cybertron, boring into the Moon's core. Already cracks appeared on the surface of the moon. The distortion shields--the ones that stimulate invisibility while the Ark was under construction--fizzled out as one of the generators were swallowed by the fissures.

Beside him, Silverbolt heard Skyhammer speak into an intercom. "Jetfire, the Transwarp Drive?"

"Ready and operational." came the reply. "Not trying to be a backseat pilot here, but isn't it a good time to take off?"

Silverbolt didn't need telling twice. As soon as Jetfire gave the affirmation that the Drive was operational, Silverbolt pressed the ignition button, and with a powerful thrust, the Ark flew medio the deep, dark space.

The place where the Ark had just been before cracked as fissures appeared, which quickly filled with molten metal from the core of the moon.

The Ark entered a Transwarp portal, and the stars became elongated dots of light as the Ark entered lightspeed.

The Moon exploded.
_____________________________

TARN

Megatron was furious.

So that's why Skystalker kept a wise distance away from the angry Decepticon Emperor. "Will someone tell me how they built a city-state sized ship right under our noses?" Megatron pointed an accusing finger at Shockwave. "YOU! Your cannon worked brilliantly, but how did the Autobots do that without us knowing?"

Before Shockwave had a chance to answer, Megatron snapped around and pointed at the three Reflectors. "You, you and you! What kind of intel agents are you? The Autobots escaped! But you said they were stranded there!"

The three similar mechs spoke as one, their voices creepily layering over each other in synchronization. "<I/We are unaware of such a shuttle under construction. In fact it seems that the shuttle had began construction during the Senatorial Age, my/our Lord.>" Skystalker shivered at the Reflectors' odd speech mannerisms, the most odd one being the 'I/we' part. But if Megatron was bothered by the speech, he did not show it. He was more bothered about the results.

"Excuses!" Megatron said, slapping the central Reflector--Viewfinder--on the face. All three made sounds of pain. Megatron turned to Razorclaw, Hun-Grrr and Onslaught. "You three, get your squads to patrol Cybertron. I want every single Autobot sympathesizers brought to Darkmount for trial. I want every able-bodied mech to fight. Motormaster, you take the Stunticons to Moon Beta and inspect it. Go! Bludgeon, Overlord, I want any rebellions and uprisings in the cities quelled. Shoot to kill."

Skystalker stood behind Venom's leg while watching the four officers salute and move off. He didn't want to be seen by Megatron. He knew how violent the Decepticon leader could be in these moods- in fact, the Reflectors got off likely. Of course, fate works in strange ways. Megatron bellowed his name. "Skystalker! Where are you?"

The orange Micromaster scampered up and bowed from the waist. "I'm here, mighty Megatron. What do you wish of me?"

"Take Reflector and three patrols of Micromasters. Go up to the remains of the ruins. I want the area combed clean of survivors or resources. Go." Megatron said. Skystalker scampered off to do his task.
_____________________________

Megatron was fuming. He waved his hands aside to strike at something. That something was Bombshell, who fell down to the ground with a clang. "Now. All of you... once Onslaught and the others are done with their tasks, we begin the expansion of the Decepticon empire. Venom, as soon as Razorclaw gets back, tell him to prepare the Thanatos for take off. Scrapper and Hammer, I expect the drone facility productions to be ready in two weeks. Soundwave, track the Autobots. See where they've gone to. Shockwave, Starscream, Scorponok, divide up the troops into teams for invasion." Megatron's purple optics burned, as he addressed the massed army, who looked at him in expectation. "The war begins. The Autobots are nothing. With their departure, we have the thorn in our side removed. After all, they have done absolutely nothing other than raid small delivery shuttles. They are nothing more than a rabble. By leaving their fortress in Moon Alpha, their twisted code of honour would dictate that they defend all the lesser species in whose planets we will conquer. Meanwhile, our troops grow more everyday, as more new Decepticons are created with the help of the supercomputer Vector Sigma and drones are produced. In the end, the Autobots have not enough Protoforms to replenish their troops. We can. They can't. Little by little, we will wear their rebellion down. After all, time is on our side. And then, the Decepticons will reign supreme! Who's with me?"

Hands, claws and tentacles all rose up into the sky as the crowd chanted loudly and steadily, "ME-GA-TRON! ME-GA-TRON!"

Megatron smiled, as he turned around, transformed into tank mode and drove off back to Kolkular. His honour guard transformed and flanked him. The rest of the army, other than the ones dispatched to guard the Solar Needle, dissipated with disappointment. They expected to see their enemies die today. But no. Still, Megatron gave them a promise of an expansion, a new rise to power again as the masters of the universe.
_____________________________

ESHEMS ASTEROID FIELD

The Ark materialized right in the middle of the Asteroid Field. A lone green shuttle, insignificant in the face of the massive vehicle, was waiting for the Ark.

The tiny saucer zigzagged through the space and landed on an open hangar bay. He was greeted by the imposing figure of Ultra Magnus. "Good work, soldier, for finding this patch of free space amidst all the asteroids."

Cosmos shrugged as he transformed into robot mode. "We all have our roles to play, don't we? I've placed sensors all over the place. Any near Autobots would be aware that this is a safe zone. But Sir- this is a very, very big shuttle, if I say so myself."

Ultra Magnus led Cosmos into the Bridge, as the City Commander debriefed Cosmos about the Ark's capabilities. They arrived on the Bridge, where the Autobot forces were given tasks by the leaders. "Cosmos, you are assigned here in the Ark as chief space operations coordinator. You will answer directly to Sky Lynx, Jazz or myself. You will also assist Blaster and Hubcap in communications rerouting." Ultra Magnus said, as he ushered Cosmos into a seat.

So this is how it feels to be promoted... Cosmos thought dryly. Around him, the troops are divided up into planets. Apparently Jazz was among the group of Autobots sent to a mudball with life in the Sol System... Bumblebee thinks there is much potential in the planet. Fortress Maximus and another group is taking Nebulos... the list goes on and on.

Cosmos relaxed and began listening through the communication frequencies...
______________________________

Beachcomber looked out of the Ark's windows as the Ark followed Metroplex out of hyperspace. The pacifist sighed.

So here we are. We let the Decepticons take Cybertron in hopes that they'll come to their senses. If a planet will satisfy the Decepticons, in the name of peace, let them have it. Beachcomber, however, deep down know that that's not the case. They'll raze worlds without mercy. They'll hunt us down without mercy. Slag. Why must there be bad people in this world?

Still, Beachcomber had to admit, their evacuation worked fine. Beachcomber had been thrown into the conflict a long time after the original attack on Kaon. He was scripted into the Autobot forces a few megacycles after the first unsuccessful Decepticon strike on Iacon, and even then only as background support.

Beachcomber sighed again. Violence seems to be the only way for peace. He hated that, but his time with the Autobots had showed him what's important. Just demanding peace and hoping the Decepticons come to their senses won't work. Some people are just plain evil and live to see chaos scattered through the world. Beachcomber may be a pacifist, but at least he's doing something to help peace. Not like the now-deceased neutrals who complained and complained that the Autobots are using too much force, are too cruel, are murderers, but won't get their hands dirty. At least Beachcomber does.
_________________

SOMEWHERE OFF THE REMAINS OF MOON ALPHA

The Fallen observed the wreckage of the moon, as Skystalker and a groupd of Micromasters sifted through the remains. So. The War has finally spread throughout the reaches of space. Just as Jhiaxus predicted. The Fallen narrowed his optics. They must not be allowed to find the Dark Lord's body, or all is lost.

The Fallen, standing suspended by unholy flames, teleported away, the flames swirling around him like a shroud. He reappeared in the dead planet Gorlam Prime. The root of chaos. "Nemesis. The Transformers have gone and started their expansion."

TO BE CONTINUED.

Part One can be found here.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

THESSIN

The ice planet Thessin does not have much life in it. Several wild beasts and plants are the entire planet's population. Not that anyone can blame the planet, though. With constant snowstorms and an average temperature that could crack metal, the planet laying on the far side of Cybertron's star system is virtually uninhabitable, for transformers or otherwise.

The Decepticons have other uses for uninhabitable planets, however. Testing nuclear weapons, for one.

Decepticon shuttle Thanatos hovered above the planet's orbit, like a vast, predatory bird of prey. Megatron stood on the bridge of the shuttle.

Orbital barrage weapons are nothing new. Nuclear weapons that are able to demolish and burn an entire planet, stripping it bare of resources. Even Megatron is wary of using such deadly weaponry. However, the Constructicons have developed a new brand of orbital barrage bombs. Instead of just burning the surface of the planet, it also seeds the planet with mechaforming structures, which in time will turn the targeted planet into a miniature version of Cybertron.

Of course, the weapon is still a prototype version. Megatron, however, wants a test to see whether this new weapon can help to expand the Decepticons' empire in his image. "Time of arrival?" Megatron inquired.

Predacon leader Razorclaw instantly responded, "seven cycles. Weapons on-line. Rampage, Barrage, Triggerhappy--check your weapon energy levels."

Muffled sounds of affirmation and agreement rose from the gunners. They are all anticipating the destruction of the planet. Megatron smiled. He loved eager underlings. "The time for death of this planet is near. This is the first step in our conquest... truly a historical moment. Decepticons- fire on my mark. Three. Two. One. Fire!"

At Megatron's mark, the Decepticon gunners pressed their respective trigger buttons. Panels slid open in the exterior of the Thanatos, revealing a large number of missiles, bombs and other armaments. In short, the Thanatos seems like some sort of giant insect or amphibian with millions of spawnlings underneath, or a fungi with lots of spores under it. However, none of those comparisons could account for what happened next.

The orbital barrage missiles were launched simultaneously. As the Thanatos idly circled the small planet of Thessin, missiles streaked onto the ground like a sweeping rain, purging all signs of life from existence.

The ground itself cracked and broke apart when missiles blew the ground apart. Icy glaciers, undisturbed for centuries, were smashed into a million pieces when armour-piercing shells bored through them.

Soon, the previously icy planet had been destroyed utterly. Any signs of life and beauty it may have before has been purged. Yet there is more to come.

Warheads that the Thanatos ejected during the barrage moved into action, drilling into the core of the planet. There, it changed Thessin, injecting it with a mechaforming virus.

Megatron smiled above the planet as changes began to become visible. Rock and ice were shifted aside when a new surface made of metal rose up. A 'mechaforming virus'. Hah. That's what he told them. Megatron told the Constructicons that he had discovered an ancient strand of mechaforming virus. In reality...

Megatron remembered when Optimus Prime fought him in Vector Sigma. When the two of them were suddenly transported into the core of Cybertron. Megatron had killed Alpha Trion, the guardian. Later, when the Decepticons had conquered Cybertron, Megatron had revisited Vector Sigma alone. There, he found the legendary Key of Vector Sigma inside the supercomputer.

That's what is turning Thessin into metal right now. The essence of the Key had been placed in each of the warheads. Only Shockwave and the Constructicons know the truth...

Megatron smiled as Thessin is compacted and reduced into half its original size... and is now a perfect little replica of Cybertron. "It begins." he said.
_____________________

GRAND CENTRAL SPACE STATION

The Grand Central Space Station is the closest thing to an universal 'neutral' territory for the myriad of space-faring species in the galaxies. At least a hundred kinds of intelligent species could be found there at any given time.

Cybertronians (or Transformers, as they're popularly known outside their planet) seldom venture outside their planet of Cybertron. However, there are always exceptions. After all, being a highly advanced robotic species, Cybertronians make effective, if expensive, bounty hunters. Devcon. Axer. Doubledealer. Gutcruncher.

While Devcon's spark and loyalties lay with the Autobots, the other two are not so... heroic. Axer joined the Decepticons almost outright from the beginning of the revolution, and Gutcruncher was drafted soon after, but Doubledealer was more profit-minded. He stayed, still offering his services to the highest bidder, be it Transformer or organic.

Motormaster had no such tolerations. It's not that he truly believes Megatron's xenophobic propaganda, but the Stunticon leader just wanted any chance to wreck and murder something. "Predators, Skyscorchers, Trakkons, seal off the exits. No one without a Decepticon insignia gets out alive. Stunticons-" Motormaster gestured to his troops, "Wreck loose!"

The Stunticons, bar Dead End, don't need orders for them to further encourage them to blow stuff up. Wildrider let out a whoop of joy. The Stunticons had been parked in a corner of the Grand Space Station's parking lot (normally for shuttles and the like, but Motormaster managed to sneak his troops in) disguised as ground-bound vehicles while the newly recruited soldiers--the Skyscorchers and the Trakkons--seal off the exit. Even if any alien manage to escape the six new Decepticons, Skyquake, his Predators and a batallion of Drones are waiting. This extermination is more to test the new troops out. Motormaster and Skyquake are just there to supervise so that nothing goes wrong, and to make sure a particular mech doesn't escape their clutches. Doubledealer.

Wildrider and Drag Strip shot forward, racing to a large fuel depot, running down various aliens as they did so. The supervisor of the area, an insectoid alien from Garrus-2, screeched something incomprehensible--although the meaning was clear. Everyone was to stop the two runaway vehicles before they slam onto the fuel pumps. Had Motormaster been in robot mode, he would've smiled. They still thought they were mere vehicles.

Time to prove them wrong.

Motormaster's powerful engines hummed up noisily, as the massive truck charged forward, literally grinding the vile organics that were unfortunate enough to stand in front of him. Motormaster transformed, towering over the terrified aliens. Brandishing an impressively large energo-sword and a massive cyclone cannon, Motormaster roared, "The day of judgement is at hand, worms!"

Nearby, Breakdown and Dead End both have assumed their robot modes and are using their weaponry to set out explosions throughout the complex. Meanwhile, Drag Strip and Wildrider, still charging towards the fuel pump, cackled like madmechs. Large guns slid out of recessed compartments, and laser bolts slammed onto the fuel pump. As soon as they stopped the barrage, they swerved away, Drag Strip to the left and Wildrider to the right, before the fuel pump exploded in a fireball that engulfed the area. The aliens were screaming loudly as the five Stunticons began to systematically massacre them. Motormaster aimed at a duraglass window, and let loose a ball of compressed wind tunnel from his cyclone cannon. The window and the entire wall section burst apart, and the atmosphere in the place was sucked out. Many of the aliens were torn out along with it, and were cut down by Windrazor and his eager troops outside. Motormaster and the Stunticons didn't require air to breathe, and so they were fine.

As the other Stunticons continued their campaign of destruction, Motormaster stalked through the corridors, blowing holes through any walls, structures and creatures that he could shoot.

Soon, he reached a bar with chairs and drinks for creatures of any shapes and sizes. Motormaster shot through the bodies of two giant, tusked alien bouncers without so much as flinching. The third one charged him with a primitive metal axe raised over his his head and letting out growls in a language Motormaster didn't bother to translate. Motormaster subspaced his cyclone gun and gripped his energo-sword in a double-handed grip, and charged to meet the attacker. Both warriors swung their weapons. The alien's axe snapped off when it made contact with Motormaster's head, but the Stunticon's blade sliced the alien from side to side.

The barkeep and three burly aliens shambled out of the bar, brandishing laser weapons. They opened fire onto Motormaster. Thick as the Stunticon's skin could be, it still hurt. The laser bolts cut off small chips from his exostructure. The Stunticon roared, and threw his sword like a boomerang into the lead alien, slicing his gun and his body cleanly into two. Then Motormaster pulled out a shrapnel grenade, chucked it, and ducked for cover.

The grenade exploded noisily. When Motormaster looked up, his attackers and any other patrons in the area were all dead, or bleeding to death from the sharp pieces of metal that emerged from the explosion. Must thank Shrapnel some time for giving me a couple of these. Motormaster thought, smiling smugly as he admired the destruction. Motormaster reached down and pulled his sword from where it had impaled a table. An army-blue metallic figure slightly shorter and less bulkier than Motormaster sat on one of the still untouched tables, applauding softly.

"Doubledealer." Motormaster said icily. "The Decepticon Empire misses your services."

Doubledealer laughed, and finished off his drink as if he had not just witnessed a mass murder of the patrons in the bar. "My services are for sale, you know that very well, Motormaster. Still, it's nice for you to come around personally, these organic beings are smelly. Though they do pay good money."

"Your talents are wasted on these creatures." Motormaster said. "Lord Megatron requests your presence in our army."

"If I do, I want payment. Same rates as usual. Nothing personal, just business. Say, Gutcruncher an' Axer get special treatment too, no?"

"Gutcruncher gets his payment in free weapons and dead Autobot bodies to be sold to the Junkions. Axer is with us on his own free will." Motormaster said flatly. "We'll pay you, though your rates are outrageous."

"No pay, no service." Doubledealer said. "Although, I could use some of those new-fangled technology you Decepticons are developing... say, Powermasters?"

"How did you know-" Motormaster began. The Powermaster process was highly classified. But then, Doubledealer wasn't any mech. Motormaster grunted, and said, "We'll talk about it. For now, come with us. Payment I can guarantee you'll get. But the others..." Motormaster cracked his knuckles.

Doubledealer stretched lazily, and transformed into a odd winged creature with a large stinger tail, some sort of demonic vulture from hell. "Deal." he said. "Until I get my paycheck, however, no fights."

"Damned mercenaries." Motormaster cursed under his breath. Doubledealer flashed him a winning smile as the two Transformers made their way towards the landing bay.
_____________________________

YS'DEVIAN

Ys'Devian is a relatively large planet. The energy required to mechaform such a massive world is too much, and it's inefficient. Thus, the Decepticons decided to conquer it the old-fashioned way.

Which suits Rampage just fine. The Predacon growled as he waited for the order to attack. The crew of the Thanatos have been ordered to raze the planet. Along with the frigate Atropos, the Thanatos hovered over the capital city of Ys'Devian omniously. The inhabitants of the planet, green-skinned organic creatures the size of an average transformer, pointed up and gasped at the unfamiliar ship above them.

Rampage looked at Razorclaw, who was waiting for some of the Decepticons to finish their reformat. In stasis pods, Fangry, Horri-bull, Squeezeplay, Flamefeather, Cindersaur and Sparkstalker were being reformatted with alternate modes based on local animals. Rampage watched as the six Decepticons stepped out of the pods, transforming into their beast modes and growling at each other.

"Excellent." Razorclaw said. "By adapting the local lifeform, you will cause the Ys'Devian locals to associate us with beasts that would kill them horribly. On the other hand, it would let you test out the organic outer-covering reformatting."

Fangry, took the form of a giant, bat-winged wolf-like creature, to be more horrific and to spread more terror. Horri-bull was now a giant carnivorous bull creature, to suit his 'charge the enemy' tactics. Squeezeplay's alternate mode of choice was a Kreb, a crustacean monster living in the oceans of Ys'Devian, picked specially for its amphibious battle capabilities. The Firecons, however, picked any animal that looked as if it breathe fire. Cindersaur was a horned lizard thing, Flamefeather was a bipedal avian creature. Sparkstalker picked something utterly random, a giant bipedal insectoid creature.

Rampage shrugged, as the hatch opened. "Terrorize!" Razorclaw roared, as the Predacon leader jumped down, landing on a semi-crouch on a local Ys'Devian military jet. With a SHHNNNK! three long curved claws extended from Razorclaw's knuckles. The Predacon leader tore into the fuselage of the jet, before leaping nimbly onto another as the first jet blew up.

Rampage grunted, and transformed into his siege engine alternate mode, rumbling down the hatch. Like a catapult, Rampage began to launch bombs towards the capital city's walls, tearing apart the turrets that litter the perimeter of the city.

With a roar, the rest of the crew followed suit. The Firecons landed in front of the city gates and began burning anything they could set their sights upon. Horri-bull, Fangry and Squeezeplay utilized their new beast modes to tear apart the land-based military vehicles that are firing upon them.

The other Predacons--Divebomb, Tantrum and Headstrong--transformed and landed as well, opening fire onto the Ys'Devians.

Rampage let out a bloodthirsty roar and transformed back into his robot mode. Unsheathing his thermo-sword, literally a blade composed of energy, the Predacon sliced through a tank-like vehicle as he charged towards the siege walls of the city. Craters tore apart the rocky ground around him as autodefense turrets opened fire. The green-skinned creatures manning the weapons, all slightly shorter than Rampage, were in panic. A mortar shell slammed Rampage, engulfing him in flames. The Ys'Devians that were responsible for the shot cheered, praising their gods. Their cheers died when the flames parted, revealing a scorched but otherwise inert Rampage, who walked slowly, waving the thermo-sword threateningly. His left hand pulled out his lightning gun from its holster in his hip, and Rampage let loose six hundred volts of pure electricity towards the turrets responsible for burning his chassis. The entire assembly blew up, leaving behind smoking ruins. Two missiles streaked in from the sky as Divebomb flew past, tearing apart another turret.

Meanwhile, the crew of the Atropos poured out. Battletrap and Flywheels each split into two, their lower halves transforming into ground-based vehicles and landing on the rocks noisily, while their upper halves converted into airborne vehicles which joined Divebomb in strafing the jets. Roughstuff, in his assault jet, streaked down, opening fire onto the thick walls with proton bombs. Spittor landed beside Rampage in his All-Terrain Walker mode, his two jointed legs clanking noisily as he nimbly jumped onto a tank twice his size. From his mouth, tentacles poured out and tore the tank apart.

Rampage watched as a Ys'Devian tank charged towards him. The Ys'Devians being on par in terms of size with the Transformers, their vehicles were Transformer-sized as well. But could a vehicle stand on equal grounds with a Decepticon?

If Rampage had a proper mouth, he would've sported a sinister grin as his powerful legs launched him high into the sky. Shoulder-mounted machineguns aimed a staccato stream of bullets onto the cockpit portion of the tank as Rampage did an impressive backflip. As he landed on the top of the tank with his sharp feline claws, he used his thermo-sword to burn a makeshift entrance into the vehicle. The grotesque-looking green-skinned mammals inside shrieked, before Rampage's shoulder machineguns tore them apart. After killing the crew, Rampage magno-clamped his weapons onto his waist, and leaped into the control seat. The Predacon nimbly took control of the tank and opened fire on the other tanks, blowing them apart one by one.

Then, Rampage turned the vehicle around and opened fire onto the city gates.

It didn't take half the day for the Decepticons to breach the defenses, and even less for them to massacre every Ys'Devian in the capital city. At about that same time, the Solo Transformer Assault General, Sixshot, landed and single-handedly laid waste to the southern part of the planet. By the same time the next day, the planet belonged to the Decepticons.
_____________________________

HANGAR BAY 12, ARK

Rewind watched as the numerous Autobots are assigned planets and tasks. Mainly, there are two kinds of divisions. The Autobots that would protect other planets from Decepticons, such as the Wreckers and Dynobots, and the Autobots that would negotiate treaties with other races in order to obtain resources in exchange for protection. Rewind, meanwhile, was in neither group, but rather among the support crew in the Ark. Standing beside other support-duty Autobots like Mainframe, Toaster and Skyfall, Rewind watched alongside his twin unit Eject as Prowl's team entered the Teletraan. Rewind, being who he is, knew immediately that Prowl's group was going to go to a planet in the Sol System designated Earth. Rewind watched the Autobots entering the shuttle. He recognized all of them. High General Prowl and Special Operations Leader Jazz led the party, while Ironhide, Ratchet, Cliffjumper, Mirage, Hound, Wheeljack, Skids and Windcharger acted as crew and backup. After all, the Decepticons are after resources as well, and Earth would be high on their priority list.

"Did you know that the Teletraan had five Lambda-class engines, manufactured by Servo and Redline engineerings? Did you know that it has ten proton torpedoes, and a full-fledged repair bay? Did you know Wheeljack installed orbital bounce mechanisms in the Teletraan?" Rewind asked to no one in particular.

Skyfall chuckled. "You're a bloody trivia master, kid."

"Did you know that I have the greatest databank in any Cybertronian, barring illegal upgrades?" Rewind asked, before the larger Autobots around him burst into laughter.

"Teletraan, prepare for takeoff in five point three clicks." Powerflash's voice amplified through the speakers.

"Good luck, friends." Rewind said sadly as Teletraan's five engines started up and it took off into the deep dark space. Rewind watched the other ships. While Teletraan, being a Axalon-class shuttle, adopted the classic 'senatorial' style of ship--curved front, wide but short, numerous engines at the back--the other ships around the Ark are much more... interesting, and fascinating to such a knowledge-hungry Autobot like Rewind. The Impactor, for instance, is a refurbished frigate, with more weapons jutting out of its powerful bulk than deemed possible. Considering the Dynobots' track record, it suits them, actually. In contrast, the Steelhaven, Fortress Maximus' ship, held no sign that it might be actually armed. Instead, it looked like a segmented needle, sleek and diplomatic. Meanwhile, the Fire Convoy, Ultra Magnus' flagship, struck a delicate balance between being sleekness and bulkiness. Countdown's shuttle was the standard rocket/missile shape, while the Wreckers' battleship, the Xantium, resembled a naval troop carrier. Trivial facts and the like scrolled down through Rewind's optic band, and he marvelled at them, noting points of interest before sharing them with Mainframe and Skyfall.

Suddenly, the shadow of a towering figure passed them, and Rewind flinched as Fortress Maximus' gigantic form passed them. "Ooh. Big." Rewind squealed, watching as the rest of Maximus' crew walked towards the Steelhaven.

Rewind waved good-bye as the Steelhaven took off, but with a sad expression. When would he be able to see his friends again? Or, for that matter, if he ever will?
_____________________________

"They're off, Prime." Blaster said, looking up from one of the main consoles. Silverbolt and Searchlight manned two of the Magna-input series computers, developed by Chromedome and Mainframe, now put to good use as the Ark's main computers.

Optimus Prime nodded, seated at the command chair, watching numerous transmissions talking simultaneously. "May Primus be with them. They are capable soldiers, the best our race has to offer. If they can't get the job done, nobody else can."

Cosmos watched this all with fascination. Sitting in a cramped seat with monitors on three corners, Cosmos was actually bubbling with glee at the thought of being among friends, instead of being alone in space. Nevermind that Hubcap and him had a gazillion of frequencies to maintain. Nevermind that his finger joints are starting to creak. The sounds of the keyboards, the hum of computers and touch-screens, the sound of Hubcap's prattling... Cosmos had to resist the urge to giggle uncontrollably.

Cosmos watched as Optimus Prime conversed with Blaster and Silverbolt about wartime tactics, before turning back to his work. "Pincher and Mainframe, you're needed in the science section by Perceptor." Cosmos said into the speakers after reading the request.

"Thunderclash, your team's waitin' for you at the Hangar bays." Eject's youthful voice, with that ever-present excitement, sounded over the intercoms as well. "Y'gonna get there before they start ta play ball."

Cosmos watched the rows and rows of information scrolling through the screen, and grew more and more concerned with each line he read. "Prime!" he said, turning to the Autobot leader. "Sky Lynx says the Decepticons have burnt Ys'Devian, among others. There were no survivors. Electro and Roadhandler reports that the 'Cons are somehow, ah... mecha-forming the planets of Thessin and Mumu-Obscura, among others. Devcon said he flew past the Grand Space Station on his way here, and it's burning. Said he recognized Skyquake among others in the battle. Rotorstorm escaped from Cybertron... barely, but he said that the Decepticons are constructing massive factories for drone manufacturing." Cosmos' features creased into a frown. He might not be much into warfare, but he knew this is bad.

Optimus nodded, his azure optics glowing dark. Cosmos watched as the Prime held the bridge of his nose, tension apparent in his voice. "Megatron is making his move. We must stop him at all costs. Red Alert, Hurricane, Drench, Mainframe, try and formulate where the Decepticons would strike next. Slamdance, tell Powerglide to investigate the Grand Space Station. No firing, just a recon sweep. As for the Ys'Devian status... Searchlight-- get me the Wreckers." Optimus said, before turning to the increasing number of reports flowing on the numerous screens, replying quickly to a stream of queries all over the galaxies. "Bluestreak- do not engage them until you're absolutely sure they are Decepticons. No? Yes. Execute." switching channels quickly, his optics scrolled down the report and replied to the sender, "Jetfire, Ironfist, Swerve, you are authorized to test the new Guardian weapons. Please try and not blow up the lab. Again." he switched channels again, read the report and replied, "Landmine, take High Beam, Rollbar, Waverider, Quick Switch and Manta Ray with you. Yes. I know about that. Call Perceptor, have him upgrade your Pretender shell for the situation." and so it went on, report by report, each answered professionally, kindly, the compassion and determination never wavering from Prime's voice. Cosmos watched, dumbfounded. The time it took for Cosmos to understand a situation is the same time for Prime to formulate an attack plan or to choose the best available Autobots for the task. Cosmos shook his head in wonder. No wonder the Ancients chose him. His leadership skills, military training and Archivist background are all put into good use here...

Inspired by his persevering leader, Cosmos turned back to his console and began working feverishly.
_____________________________

TAGAN HEIGHTS, CYBERTRON

"Bombshell, you're an idiot, idiot." Shrapnel spoke as the Insecticon leader landed in a crouch in the middle of the industrial zone. "You're trying to usurp Megatron, Megatron?" Shrapnel could not believe what his fellow Insecticon is planning. Sure, Shrapnel could understand his partner's desire for control, but this is madness.

The original Insecticons--named as such due to their insectoid alternate modes--are Shrapnel, Kickback and Bombshell. The three of them had a lot of things in common. The same allegiance, the same colour scheme, the fact that they've been with Megatron from the beginning of the rebellion, and the fact that they desire control. Absolute control.

But Bombshell's taking this a bit too far. "Now?" Kickback asked from another corner. "You must be insane. Megs has two-thirds of Cybertron's population backing him, not counting a walking city, a super-weapon, a living sixchanging armageddon harbinger, at least seven operational gestalt units, an entire legion of Decepticon troops devoted to-"

"And I have my cerebro-shells." Bombshell cut in sharply. "Sixshot, Trypticon and all that... they are nothing. Nothing, once I control all their minds."

"Bombshell, you've lost your mind, mind." Shrapnel said, shaking his head, his massive antenna rocking as he did so. "Even if you could- hypothetically- if you could even kill Megatron, tron. Suppose you got lucky and killed him with an army of mind-controlled drones and Insecti-clones, clones. Then what? You think Soundwave and the rest of his loyal lapdogs are going to stay still, still?" Shrapnel waved his hands in the air. "Hopeless, I tell you! Hopeless! Venom was right, you're unstable, unstable."

Bombshell rose up indignantly at the mention of Venom, his primary rival in psychological warfare and the leader of the second Insecticon subgroup. "You dare say his name in front of me?" Bombshell pulled out his laser rifle, and his head-mounted mortar/cerebro shell launcher swiveled down and aimed at Shrapnel.

Shrapnel smiled. Bombshell could dish psychological pain out, but he sure can't take it. Truth is, Shrapnel is sick and tired of Bombshell's constant prattlings and tricks, and his thinly-veiled plans to usurp Shrapnel as leader. The Insecticons could be so much more effective if they could actually work together without bickering. "So that's how you want to play it, it? Pick a side, Kickback- this is going to get rough, rough." Shrapnel clenched his fist and waved them, electricity crackling through Shrapnel's fist, wrists and massive silver antennae. Wrist-mounted shrapnel launchers slid out and took aim at Bombshell. Kickback looked from Shrapnel to Bombshell and to Shrapnel again, and shrugged, pulling out his laser rifle and aiming it at Bombshell.

Bombshell's horn fired a mortar shell square in Shrapnel's chest, before peppering Kickback with laser shots. Shrapnel's sight was clouded by the explosion, but he hurled a ball of electricity at the general direction where Bombshell is, screaming loudly. His wrist cannons sprayed shrapnel bombs towards the general area.

When his vision cleared, Shrapnel could see Bombshell, fallen to the ground, his armour pierced with shrapnel and his laser pistol broken. Bombshell croaked pitifully, "Mercy, Shrapnel..."

"Mercy? You should think of that before condemning this entire unit to death by planning a rebellion, rebellion. And you're not prepared at all to fight, fight. One rumble with me and you're begging for mercy?" Shrapnel said, as he stalked towards Bombshell, fists crackling with electricity.

Bombshell's purple optic glinted, and he moved so fast that Shrapnel couldn't react. "As it happens, I am very well prepared, my once friend." Bombshell lobbed a handful of circular cerebro-shells towards Shrapnel.

Shrapnel immediately waved his hands to ward off the attack, electricity crackling as lightning bolts overloaded the circuits of the cerebro shells, making them explode. "Fool." Kickback commented.

Bombshell tilted his head, and laughed. "Always knew you would be a hard one, my friend. You were always... hard headed. Thank Primus the two of you are always too stupid to check whether your enemy is real... or a mere clone."

Shrapnel's optic band widened when he realized he's been fooled. "Spawn of a-" the fake Bombshell exploded, showering them with fast-hardening cement, similar to the type used by Mixmaster.

The real Bombshell advanced towards the two trapped Insecticons from the shadows, flanked by six identical clones of himself. "You see, Shrapnel. I've always known you and Kickback would never agree with my view for a brave new rule. So I'll have to impose it on you." Bombshell aimed his mortar launcher at the two trapped Insecticons and fired.

Shrapnel, the cement restricting his movements and his electrical powers, struggled and grunted helplessly as the circular shell embedded itself onto his temple, burrowing into his circuits. His last words were a loud, angry "BOMBSHEEEEEEEELL!!!", before the cerebro shell overtook Shrapnel's mind, and it was no longer his own.
_____________________________

SOL SYSTEM

Space rippled, like a stagnant pond when someone threw a stone into it.

From the center of the ripple, an Axalon-class Autobot shuttle rocketed out of it, its five engines operating at full capacity. Passing a stormy cobalt-hued gas giant, the golden hull of the Teletraan shimmered once before blending in with the dark, dark sky. Another ripple and the shuttle would be invisible to any of the visual tracking machines that the Earthlings are reported to have.

Hound was responsible for the cosmetic change, while Mirage's invisibility field was amplified by one of Wheeljack's gadgets to extend and cover the entire ship. In fact, other than its heat emission, the shuttle was out of detection from the Earthlings.

Not Earthlings. Humans. Jazz reminded himself. The Special Ops Commander was grinning at the thought of learning a new culture. Bumblebee had forwarded the humans' network, the 'World Wide Web', aptly named by the humans. Earth is home to a very diverse range of living things, but the only truly sentient species is the homo sapiens, otherwise known as humans. Like most of the species around the galaxy, these humans are bipedal, carbon-based, fragile and had a short life-span. Jazz understood that like the Cybertronians, the humans are diverse in skin pigmentation, culture, language, and religion. Also, the humans' politics are divided up into numerous nations. To some extent, it was like their own species' separation into Autobot and Decepticon, but the human nations are much less aggressive to each other. Still, Jazz relished learning a new culture, and he was wearing a wide grin as he browsed through a selection of human movies, playing in three of the Teletraan's monitors. Of course, being an advanced mechanical species, Jazz was able to focus on three data inputs at the same time.

"What're you watching?" Cliffjumper asked, the little red Minibot walking up beside Jazz.

"In-flight movie service."

"Earthen movies? Frag, I knew the Earthlings have low quality mechanics, but these shows are like, so low quality! I mean, who would believe a space shuttle could explode like that in space? Even I can tell that the inertia vectors and plasma thrusters are all wrong." Cliffjumper said, laughing.

Jazz shrugged. "This movie, Star Wars was made a long time ago, even in Earth standards. Their CGI would've improved drastically by now. Still, they dream high, thinking of space travel years before they could actually begin creating vehicles this complex."

Cliffjumper shrugged. "What're the other films you're watching?"

"The Godfather and Jurassic Park. The first's a gangster movie. Awesome, lots of guns. Jurassic Park's a wonderful science fiction, though the humans haven't even came close to imagining the proper equipment for DNA extraction. Still, these extinct dinosaurs could be suitable beast forms for Grimlock and company, should they choose to adapt one."

"What? Are ya nuts? Grimmy would never adopt a beast mode..." Cliffjumper trailed off as both Jazz and him watched the on-screen Tyrannosaur attacking a herd of smaller dinosaurs, and the humans hiding. "Then again, that thing looks a lot like a smaller, more agile Trypticon. Might suit Grimmy."

Jazz merely shrugged as Cliffjumper walked away. The movies were played at five times their normal speed. Human optic modules are too slow to catch data scrolling at such high speeds, but Cybertronians are able, when in a relaxed state, to watch movies in that fast a rate. "Estimated Time of arrival, guys?" Jazz asked, as the credits began to scroll on two of the screens.

"Ten breems, give or take a few." Skids replied. "We have to slow down in order not to be detected by any radar or sonar systems on the planet."

"Bumblebee, this' Jazz, we're hot for arrival, about, say, eight breems or so till we make touchdown." Jazz broadcasted to the Autobot Espionage agent on Earth. "Yo, Prowl- it's your call."

The High General nodded, rising from his chair. Like Prime, Prowl had to contend with a constant stream of reports, although not as much as their leaders. On-site regular reports, weapon requests, data regarding other systems and species, supply requests, battle reports, and so on and so forth. Jazz didn't envy Prowl's duties. Being leader of Special Operations is tasking enough for him. "Autobots, prepare yourself for reformatting into Earthen disguises. Anyone have any ideas on what alternate modes to pick, speak up now."

Jazz grinned, pulling up an image of a sleek, white sports car with racing stripes, and a modified spoiler. "This. I want this for my new gig, a Porsche. 952, with added custom spoiler an' racing stripes. I'll upload it all to one of the stasis pods, dig?"

"Dig?" Prowl wondered out loud, but Jazz stepped into the stasis pod for reformat before Prowl could say anything. As the circular stasis pod began to envelop Jazz like a cocoon, Jazz couldn't help but grin at his superior's confused look.

Reformatting is easy and painless with the right equipment. First, all one needs to do is to scan a vehicle of approximately the same mass with the protoform specifications. Mass displacement might play a role in many transformations, but normally a Transformer picks an alternate mode of similar mass to their own so as to conserve energy. After that, with the aid of a simple stasis pod (or a full technician team, but the result's the same), a Transformer's parts and pigmentations are remolded and changed as necessary; this process is dubbed reformatting by many.

Of course, while Jazz picked the alternate mode as it's conveniently almost his size, some might opt for unique alternate modes. Mass displacement, used mainly by gestalts to increase their mass when they combine, or the Cassettes when they shrink into size, require much energy and a special set of hardware that could withstand such transformations. Jazz deactivated his system and fell into stasis nap as the reformat took place...
_____________________________

Varaxis' Estate, Cybertron

Varaxis is one of the wealthier Neutrals. Having a stockpile of assets and resources, this had helped him survive through the war without allying with the Decepticons, or even the Autobots.

The Decepticons have decided this must end. Varaxis owns a moderate company, large enough to make money, but small enough to be unnoticed by the Decepticon soldiers. Until now. Bomb-burst hissed, while Onslaught stood in the middle of the assault team, going through the meticulously-scripted battle plans with the troops. Bomb-Burst crouched in a corner. His role was simple. Sneak in, kill Varaxis before he runs away. Nothing too difficult, nothing complicated. And Cybertronians would surely taste better than those Esk Clones Motormaster had me attack some recently.

Bomb-Burst hissed as Onslaught gave the go-sign. The Combaticons charged the mansion and opened fire, aiming to destroy as much as the estate as possible. Onslaught, Brawl and Swindle took point on the ground, shelling the compound. Vortex took out the air support while Blast Off flew over the entire area, spying for any escapees. A group of Tankor drones and some other soldiers like Weirdwolf and Bulletbike were dispatched into the scene as well.

Bomb-Burst sub-spaced his shell, revealing his scarred inner robot. He remembered that battle with the mysterious Prime-lookalike many years ago, the battle which turned him into a hungry energy-vampire... Bomb-Burst shook the scene away, and transformed into his silent VTOL jet mode, gliding noiselessly through the air. Under him he could see Weirdwolf slashing into the local bodyguards with a sword, and Onslaught rumbling over mechs unfortunate enough to be caught under his unforgiving charge.

Bomb-Burst watched as carefully-aimed fire from Blast Off tore apart a section of the upper floors of the mansion. Bomb-Burst transformed and landed, his vampire-like shell popping out of subspace and merging with him as soon as he has landed. It would have been very simple to just nuke the place and move on, but Onslaught had orders to leave the mansion's remains standing, as there might be information concealed within, and the Intelligence section--Wingspan and the others--are very anxious to get their paws on the intel. That suited Bomb-Burst fine. He had an opportunity to exercise his tracking skills now...

Bomb-Burst stalked through the shadows. The encounter with that 'Nemesis Prime' had enabled him to sneak in the shadows without anyone else noticing, but at a price. He had this... insatiable hunger. For sparks.

Moving into a room unseen, he saw Varaxis, a mech obviously unfamiliar to warfare, trying to escape in an underground train. Bomb-Burst announced his presence by dimming all the light in the immediate area. It had instant effect, and the hired thugs which surrounded Varaxis all snapped into attention and covered their employer. Bomb-Burst smiled from the shadows. This was almost too easy... with a roar, he lunged over nearest mech, tearing his head off with his curved claws in mid-jump. As he touched down gracefully in front of Varaxis, Bomb-Burst growled in his face, tossing the decapacitated head aside. "I. Am here. To feed on you. Businessmech." Bomb-Burst said, deliberately speaking in that manner so to unnerve his victim even more. Varaxis screamed, and Bomb-Burst slashed across his chest with his four massive claws. Other than the pain of metal being torn apart, Bomb-Burst's shell had the additional effect of causing an irritating rash on any mech that came into contact with it. Not fatal, certainly, but it would distract an untrained mech, slowing their movements. And Varaxis was an inexperienced mech indeed. Struggling in pain, Bomb-Burst pulled his serrated energo-axe, slashing down, tearing out Varaxis' legs. As the businessmech collapsed to the ground in pain, Bomb-Burst spun to face the guards nearby, leaping at them, slashing with either claws, teeth or his axe, before drinking their spark.

Bomb-Burst drank the mech fluid of the last fallen bodyguard heartily, before turning to the handicapped and petrified Varaxis. "Spare me... I don' wanna die... I'll give you anything, anyth-" Varaxis' ramblings were cut short when Bomb-Burst slammed his fingers over his face and squeezed, crushing his cranial armour and effectively killing him.

"Bomb-Burssst to Onslaught, target iss sssecured." Bomb-Burst hissed into his comlink, speaking normally once more. He turned to the dead bodies around him. Reflector, Wingspan and the others won't be too concerned with the bodies, so Bomb-Burst crouched and began to feed...
_____________________________

NEBULOS

"The local Nebulans are mainly divided into two castes, the green-skinned upper caste, and the pale-skinned commoners. However, both castes work together in harmony, and their society is a very peaceful one..." Brainstorm's report filtered in through the speakers of the Steelhaven. It's not that the crew of the Steelhaven are so inept that the information must be said out loud in speakers when Cybertronians can simply download them. However, some members of the crew are too absent-minded (Slapdash) or too arrogant (Hardhead) to actually go through the information. So Fortress Maximus had to play the recordings over the intercom channels to ensure that everyone heard and understood the background of the planet.

Fortress Maximus sighed as Brainstorm's intellectual voice echoed through the intercom. He missed the scientist. Brainstorm, along with Perceptor, Wheeljack and Jetfire, had developed a project in which smaller Cybertronians could control a larger, non-sentient body, dubbed a Transector by them, by transforming into their central processing unit and joining with the nervous systems of the larger transector. While Wheeljack originally called the concept Brainmasters, the media representative Raindance dubbed it the 'Headmaster project', and the name stuck. However, because of limited funding and the outbreaks of the war, only a few Transformers underwent the Headmaster process. Fortress Maximus was one of them. Damaged in battle against Thunderwing all those vorns ago, the massive Maximus' spark and brain patterns were transferred into a smaller normal-sized body, while his larger body was rebuilt. By some reason or other, Brainstorm convinced him to be a candidate for the Headmaster project, and thus, Fortress Maximus is the first and only Headmaster currently in operation. Maximus' smaller robotic component was dubbed 'Cerebros' by Raindance, and the name stuck as well. Ah, the power of the media...

Maximus (or rather, in his smaller form of Cerebros) transformed into his head mode and combined with the larger transector, forming the full form of Fortress Maximus. Walking into the main deck, he saw the majority of his crew, after reformat, and are ready to land on Nebulos. Unlike the Teletraan, the Steelhaven had no cloaking device, so the Steelhaven parked on one of Nebulos' two moons.

Maximus looked at all his crew. Chromedome, Hardhead, Getaway, Highbrow, Joyride and Slapdash. Not much of a team, Maximus realized. Among the crew, only Hardhead, Getaway,and Maximus himself have the experience to fight properly. Highbrow and Chromedome are more support-inclined, Joyride's too impetuous while Slapdash... he's just plain clumsy and unlucky. Not such an ideal team, should a Decepticon assault force arrive. Fortress Maximus sighed, and composed himself. At least these Autobots know how to stand for the cause which they believe in. "Autobots, prepare the shuttle for launch to Nebulos. I'll follow soon."

Fortress Maximus looked out of the open hangar door, and transformed into his Cybertronian battle platform mode. Other than being durable and effective in combat (in the interests of keeping peace, of course), the battleplatform mode is capable of short interstellar travel. Of course, having such a large body allowed Maximus a tertiary mode, and he picked a Nebulon tank-like assault vehicle (really, it's about the only vehicle that would suit Maximus' mass, and the only other one is a garbage truck or a naval aircraft carrier. And Maximus gets seasick.) for disguise purposes.

The rest of Steelhaven's crew took off in a transport shuttle at about the same time as Fortress Maximus. Unlike the Steelhaven, the transport shuttle is equipped with a cloaking device against radar, sonar and most other detection devices, courtesy of Chromedome and Highbrow.

As the two metallic masses made planetfall, the plates that made Fortress Maximus shifted very noisily, and by the time he touched down on the ground (skidding, creating a small crater in the remote canyonlike area), he was rumbling in his new tank-like mode. The crew of the transport shuttle transformed and zipped out in their new local alternate modes. Maximus noted that aside from himself, only Hardhead adapted a military alternate mode. The others all took the alternate modes of various kinds of cars and buggies. Well, Highbrow did take the somewhat odd form of a jet-copter, but then Highbrow did have aristocratic tastes...

Maximus spied the Nebulans' capital city of Koraja in the distance, and smiled inwardly as a sleek fighter jet zoomed to meet them. "Brainstorm's here, Fort Max." Getaway said, stating the obvious.

"Alright." Maximus boomed. "What can you tell us about the leadership in this area, Brainstorm? After all, we need to meet their leaders."
_____________________________

EARTH

Theodore Allen, the current President of the United States, was suitably shocked and rather shaken when a transmission was sent to the White House, claiming that they are ambassadors of an alien race. Considering the fact that the so-called aliens are speaking in English, the President's agents had to discreetly confirm that it wasn't some hoax or television gag.

But then, while he was contemplating this, there was a soft tapping on his windows, and in the night skies, the President saw a thirty-something feet metallic figure appear out of nowhere, seemingly materializing out of nowhere. The night was uncharacteristically dark, and the giant robot looked like a car standing up. Looking down at the frightened president and his equally petrified bodyguards, the blue-and-white robot's face pulled into a smile and spoke, his tone deep, but calm and friendly. "The President of the United States, I presume?"

The President knew that he should've said something like 'Yes, I am. What organization or civilization do you represent?'. However, instead of that, the President blurted out, "You can speak English!"

The massive robot's shoulders moved in a shrug, "Of course I can. After all, it's only polite to learn the local languages before arriving. Having translating programs installed by our engineers make it all the more easier."

"Where do you come from? What- Who do you represent? What are you here for? Who are you?" the questions flowed from the President's mouth before he could help it. After all, the big blue robot does sound friendly.

"My name is Mirage. I represent my species, or at least one part of it. You see, there's a Civil War in our planet. Cybertron, it's called. I represent the Autobot faction..." the silver-blue features of the robot creased into a frown, and he sighed slowly. "Tell you what. Gather all the world leaders, and I'll get my commanding officers to come for a meeting here."

Just like that, the large Autobot disappeared once more into the night like a phantom, and the shroud of darkness that enveloped the area dissipated.

In three hours, a meeting had been arranged.
_____________________________

While the President probably assumed that the giant robot's instant disappearance and the dark shroud was by some sort of funky alien tech, the truth is more simple from that. Mirage's invisibility aura disappeared and he, now in his Formula One vehicle mode, hummed his engine and pulled up next to a green military jeep and a Volkswagen Beetle parked on the side of the street. Hound, the source of the dark holograms, and Bumblebee.

"Y'know, Mirage... you could've picked a less conspicious alternate mode." Bumblebee said in their communications frequency, his holomatter avatar, what could be described as a juvenile delinquent, patting the driving wheels of his alternate mode. "Ditto for you too, Hound. A military jeep's not a common sight, especially not with a machinegun strapped onto his back."

Hound's 'driver', a middle-aged man with a military uniform, shimmered. Seconds later, a more laid-back chubby man materialized, and the machinegun strapped onto Hound's back disappeared from sight. "Happy now?" the hologram-casting Autobot enquired. Most enlisted Autobots have an inbuilt hologram/holomatter emitter installed by Wheeljack, enough to create illusions of 'drivers' of the local species. However, their holograms are limited and weak. Only specialized Autobots, like Hound, can pull off larger holograms for a longer time.

Mirage, on the other hand, relied on very expensive nano-technology modifications from his Senatorial days to actually bend light and disappear from visible sight, radar and just about most other tracking devices, bar scent-trackers or if someone spills paint on him. Mirage replied indignantly, "Hey. It's my alternate mode. I happen to want to look stylish."

"It's a formula one racecar. You don't exactly those kind of cars waltz down streets." Bumblebee retorted. Before he could continue, Mirage shimmered, and he disappeared from sight, hood-first.

"There. Happy?" Mirage said, and Bumblebee could tell that Mirage would be grinning had he been in robot mode. As Bumblebee and Hound shared a chuckle, Mirage commed Prowl, "First contact has been made. The world leaders are coming. I sincerely hope you'll give them a diplomatic welcome."

"Understood." Prowl's voice, professional and seemingly devoid of emotion, replied. Bumblebee knew that Prowl acted like that during job hours, to make him feel like he's doing his job properly. "We're setting up our base in this... Mount St Hilary. Wheeljack's currently installing the experimental orbital bouncers, but I prefer to drive than teleport." though it goes unsaid, everybody knows that Wheeljack's experiments tend to blow up. Although if they work, they work marvelously, such as the holomatter projectors.

Bumblebee chipped in, "Gotcha, big guy. So what do we do in the meantime?"

"Stay alert."
_____________________________

FORT KOLKULAR, CYBERTRON

"Runabout, Runamuck, Iguanus, Ransack, report to the warehouse district. There's a supply convoy headed for Kalis. Your task is to protect it." Soundwave's monotone voice boomed across the corridors as Megatron walked into the Fortress' command room.

Heads turned and salutes given as the Megatron entered the hexagonal command room. The Decepticon Emperor acknowledged them with curt nods, "Soundwave. Send trusted members of the Decepticons to these planets for... retrieval at these coordinates."

"Only nine?" Soundwave wondered out loud, but he did not pursue the matter. Megatron was glad that the Communications Officer did not. The truth is, Megatron be given up trying to extract the final two locations of the Thirteen from Vector Sigma. Prima and an unpronounceable name. Their locations are unknown. Megatron shrugged. He's content with what he could get now. Besides, it's good exercise for his troops.

"Astrotrain, report. Any idea where the Autobots went?" Megatron said, turning to the triple-changer. There are, after all, more immediate concerns.

"Our trackers have been able to follow them up to the Eshems Asteroid Field, Lord Megatron." Astrotrain said, consulting a datapad. The triplechanger continued reading, "But our spies reported that the Autobots have sent ambassadorial crews to numerous other planets rich in resources, to prevent us from raiding those planets." Astrotrain shrugged. "Propaganda material, my Lord. The public could be make to believe that the Autobots went to these planets to claim them as their own."

Megatron nodded as he took the datapad from Astrotrain. "Wingthing, Buzzsaw, get on with it." he said, waving the two avian Decepticons away. Comparing the list with the ten locations of the Ancient Transformers, Megatron smiled. "Soundwave, Shockwave, you know what to do. Soundwave, you and Starscream will go to Earth. Motormaster is closest to this... 'Junk'. Tell Razorclaw to dig the target at Ys'Devian out. Scorponok, Nebulos' all yours. Tell Bludgeon to take the Mayhems to Hydrus Four..." Megatron stopped, counting who else he could trust. "Send Hun-Grrr to Gaea, and Snap Trap to Pz-Zazz. Skystalker, Skyhopper and Overlord can see to the remaining locations."
_____________________________

TYKOS

"Come on out, scum! Die properly on your feet!" Clench bellowed, his assault trailer opening fire onto the shallow trenches dug by the local fighters. Cybertronian refugees and aliens alike hid in the trenches, firing at Clench with pitiful laser pinpricks. The Obliterator's armour wasn't even dented by the constant fire. However, the locals are in the way of their target. A Rhemanium-producing factory. Rhemanium is a rare gas able to increase the density and strength of a metal, and is usually used to make starfighters. For the Decepticons, being metallic beings, the Rhemanium is a serious power-up that could be used to create invulnerable armour.

This poses a problem, though. The Tykosians have coated their stronghold with Rhemanium, making Clench's missiles ineffective against it. But Clench was not one to be denied. "Powerdive, Ransak, to me! Monstructor, breach their defences!" Six horrendous, seemingly organic creatures growled in delight. Each creature split open, and metallic images of the organic carapaces crept out, growling and hissing.

"Pretender Monsters- combine!" Icepick roared, waving his long, curved claws in the air as he transformed.

Clench watched in satisfaction as the six monstrous Decepticons combined and expanded into a massive four-armed behemoth. With a savage roar, Monstructor leapt into the fray, clinging into the stronghold-like walls of the compound, digging his massive claws in and trying to tear it apart.

The guards who ineffectively fired towards the unstoppable, raging gestalt were systematically cleaved into halves by the blade-throwing Rotor Force duo, or simply blasted by Clench.

Despite the Rhemanium reinforcing the strength of the metallic stronghold, Monstructor's circuits radiate a decaying aura which weakens the molecular bonds of the metal. Coupled with the gestalt's constant pounding and clawing, the section of the wall that Monstructor was attacking finally crumbled. As the metal collapsed, Monstructor stood there, looking at the sight, before turning to clench, talking with a hoarse, wispy voice that sounded like death itself, "Defences breacheeeed... Monstructor kill not-Decepticons?" the gestalt asked, his corpse-like face eager with anticipation, but some of its more... obedient minds not willing to disobey Clench.

However, in this case Clench would not deprive the gestalt of murdering the aliens and Neutral Cybertronians inside the facility. "Yes. Kill them. Just don't break anything important."

Monstructor gave a joyful growl, before stalking into the facility, followed by the semi-organic Pretender shells of his components. Soon, the shrieks of the dying and the injured filled the frigid night. Clench paid them no mind.

Turning to the two youthful Decepticons trotting up behind him, Clench acknowledged them with curt nods. "Good work for your first outing, Rotor Force. But you two lack finesse."

Powerdive shrugged as he pulled out one of his four-bladed circular throwing rotors from the gooey remains of a rogue Cybertronian cleaved into two, vertically from the head down to the stomach. "Sorry, boss... but firing prop'lers at rapid speed from the sky doesn't really give me time for finesse."

Clench considered beating the young upstart into obedience. That's what his former partner-turned-Stormtrooper Commander, Rage, would do. But then, he's not Rage. Instead, Clench growled, "I'll tolerate your sarcasms until so far, youngling. Else you'll learn that I can be as frightening as Monstruc- eh?" Clench stopped in his tracks as a transmission came in.

"Cybertron calling Obliterator Commander Clench, come in." an all-too familiar synthesized monotone crackled through the frequencies.

"Soundwave?" Clench said into his communicator in a deep, baritone voice. With a look that said their business now is finished, Clench waved Ransak and a suitably scared Powerdive away. "Go siphon the Rhemamium into transport shuttles. Octane'll be here soon." turning back to his communicator, Clench replied to the Communications Officer, "So, Soundwave. It isn't customary for you to call just to ask for an update in a retrieval mission, so... new orders, isn't it?"

Unexpectedly, Soundwave's voice was replaced by Megatron. "Correct, Clench. This is a classified mission, and its success is essential. Go to this coordinates in Tykos and you'll uncover an ancient Transformer. You must ensure that his retrieval to Cybertron is smooth-sailing. Nothing must destroy the body. Is it clear?"

"Um, yeah." Clench replied, and closed the comms. Glancing at Powerdive, Ransak and Slog's shell hauling copper canisters of Rhemanium into their shuttle, Clench asked again. "The troops? What about them, Lord? Are they supposed to know?"

"Let's keep it a secret for now, Clench. The only reason I selected you for this mission is that you're one of the few generals I have who are competent and loyal enough not to screw this up. Megatron out."

And the commlink was cut. Clench growled. True, he was among the better ones of Megatron's officers, certainly better than the hot-headed Rage or Motormaster. Clench shrugged and transformed into vehicle mode, combining with his battle platform. "Ransak, I'm going off on a little errand. You're in charge. Make sure Monstructor doesn't eat Powerdive while I'm gone." without waiting for a response, Clench drove off, powerful engines rumbling in the distance.
_____________________________

THE WHITE HOUSE, EARTH

Prowl grunted. Note to self- request for Crosscut in the backup request...

The humans were impossibly obstinate and ridiculously tight-minded. The numerous world leaders kept arguing amongst themselves what action is the correct one to take regarding the situation. It had been forty-eight Earth hours, or two Earthen solar cycles, since Mirage made first contact. Prowl, Jazz and Ratchet introduced themselves to the humans twelve hours after that. It was all downhill after that. While the humans were originally interested with the prospect of actually finding intelligent technological aliens, some of the hard-headed humans refuse to believe the fact. Government scam. Terrorist attacks. Invasion forces. Et cetera, et cetera.

While they put on a show, telling Prowl they'll be all smiles and friendliness, once the Autobots had left, the humans exploded into heated arguments whether to accept their story, thinking that the Autobots couldn't possibly hear them. Prowl would've smiled had he been in robot mode. Eavesdropping on a group of humans is a simple matter, nothing Bumblebee couldn't solve.

Now, Prowl cruised the streets of Washington D.C. in his new alternate mode, a local law enforcement patrolling vehicle. Otherwise known as a 'Police Car' by the humans. The alternate mode was chosen by Jazz, and Prowl had to admit it was quite fitting. Powerful engines hummed to a steady stop as Prowl received a transmission from Bumblebee. "I think they're coming to their senses, Prowl... though some still think we're part of a hoax or somesuch..."

"Gnn. Obstinate creatures, ain't they? No wonder the Decepticons tried to rebel against the Senate of Five Hundred..." Prowl said, the holomatter avatar of a middle-aged blonde policeman shimmering as Prowl sighed audibly. "En route there. The humans still unaware of our... terran disguises?"

"Nope. Hound's holograms of us in our Cybertronian gigs fooled them." an easygoing voice replied from Prowl's back.

"Jazz." Prowl acknowledged. "Well, it's ironic, really... But if the humans found out we've copied their vehicles, no doubt there will be a huge amount of complaints and insecurities."

"Not to mention lawsuits." Jazz quipped.

"That too." Prowl conceded. "Jazz, give me a sit-rep. Where's the rest of the crew?"

"Ratchet, Skids and Ironhide're at the base, fixing up security. Wheeljack's tinkering around. Naturally. Let's hope he doesn't blow the Teletraan up. Windy and Cliffy are driving around the perimeter of the base, checking out the terrain. 'Bee and Mirage are where we left 'em, back at the White House. Hound's checking out the exquisite scenery in this planet. Man, I could get used to this." Jazz sighed, the African-American holomatter avatar 'sitting' on his driver's seat reclining and grinning.

The duo arrived on the White House. It was night again. Like before, the White House was shrouded in a veil of holographic darkness. A Mitsubishi Jeep and a Volkswagen Beetle (and, Prowl knows, an invisible F1 race car somewhere nearby) waiting inside the veil.

Prowl and Jazz transformed into their robot modes, and Hound skillfully weaved holographic cloaks of their Cybertronian appearances over them. "Right-o. It's show time!" Jazz said, as the two of them walked towards the White House to meet yet again with the world leaders to discuss the fate of the planet.
_____________________________

VECTOR SIGMA, CYBERTRON

Megatron placed the Micromaster-sized body beside Alpha Trion's dead one.

"Moonradar." the Decepticon Emperor read from the datastream Vector Sigma showed him. "Tasked by Primus to be a spearheader of projects to build smaller Transformers." Micromasters seem to be the final product of this, Megatron reflected. Fitting, as the Ancient Mechanoid is the size of a normal Micromaster.

Clench had served me well. Megatron thought. Unlike some of my other officers, he followed my orders without any questions. But then... Megatron turned to look at the small group assembled before him. His most trusted and most capable officers.

"Starscream, Soundwave, Scrapper, Onslaught, Shockwave, Razorclaw, Overlord, Skystalker, Scorponok, Bludgeon." Megatron said, acknowledging each of them with a curt nod. Other than these, the only ones who knew about Vector Sigma's existence were intelligence officers like Soundwave's cassettes, Wingspan, Reflector and the Constructicons, who developed the Mechaforming orbital barrage bombs. Other than that, no one else knew of the existence of the supercomputer. Not even Clench, who had delivered Moonradar's comatose body to him. "You all know your tasks. Find the Thirteen's bodies on the coordinates I've given you. Most of them are on planets with valuable resources, so it's like killing two turbo-foxes with one dart."

The one-eyed Shockwave pointed with his gun arm at the star-chart that Vector Sigma provided for them. "Observe: some of the planets are those reported to be visited by Autobots. Suggestion: larger forces would be required for successful extraction and mechaforming."

"Don't forget that time is of the essence. We do not want the Autobots to stumble on any of the Thirteen's bodies." Onslaught said, tapping the inert body of Moonradar. "After all, if they're activated, there's no telling what they could do..."

Megatron nodded, and added, "and there's still the locations of the first and last members of the Thirteen. Prima and the Fallen. Vector Sigma had not been very... talkative about their locations, though it has revealed that the two of them are very much alive..."

"A very unexpected development, milord." the massive Overlord boomed, "Is there any way where we can track them?"

Megatron answered Overlord's questions instantly, "Not at the moment, no. Of course, our cryptologist Sparkstalker might be able to decrypt a thing or two, but the thought of sending the Firecon anywhere near Vector Sigma is very... unsettling, so to speak. We have to make do with what Wingspan can do with the code." sweeping his hands across the room, he bellowed, "If there aren't any more questions, you are dismissed to your tasks."
_____________________________

"Oh, sweet momma Primus..." Autobot advance scout Windbreaker cursed as the Decepticon warships rose from Cybertron. Three of the mechaformed mini-Cybertrons orbited the now free-flying planet. "Blurr, look at this." Windbreaker said, calling his hyperspeeding comrade. Their small surveillance shuttle, drifted like space debris near Cybertron, but they could see the Decepticons' warships and frigates moving into position and warping off into hyperspace one by one. Another mini-Cybertron warped in and orbited the planet.

"I know Windbreaker and it's not good not good not good not good!" Blurr spoke, speaking at a speed easily five times the normal speaking speed. He moved through the shuttle, leaving lingering images of himself as he moved. "Decepticons are launching warships making mini-Cybertron Warworlds and building drone armies and there's not a thing we can do to stop them nothing at all!"

Windbreaker looked in wonder as Blurr manned three surveillance equipment himself. The speedy Autobot's spark produces excess kinetic energy, and vibrates at a different timeframe compared to normal sparks. To him, everything moves slowly, a great asset in a fight. While Blurr chattered on, Windbreaker looked at the third member of their ragtag surveilance team, a young orange Minibot named Wheelie, who for some reason talks in verse. What did I ever do to deserve being stuck with two chatterboxes? Windbreaker thought good-naturedly, before asking Wheelie, "So, Wheelie, what do you think?"

"Not the best thing I've seen/but considering how things have been/it could've been forseen." Wheelie chanted, fiddling with a slingshot. "The essence of this is time/we must notify Prime."

"True, true." Windbreaker nodded, watching as Blurr tapped into a frequency hailing the Ark. "But our resident speedster is on the case."

"Hello hello hello this is Blurr from the Cybertron surveillence team roger me wilco me anything hello Cosmos Blaster Slamdance Hubcap Decibel are anyone of you awake we have important information to deliver-" Blurr blurted out into the communications.

Hubcap's cheery voice filled into the comms, "Heya Blurr. This' Hubcap. Learn how to speak with commas and full stops, kay? I'll patch y'all with Prime..."

The frequencies were filled with static for a while, and Blurr impatiently tapped his finger onto the console, the friction heating up that part of the metal. Prime's baritone voice replied soon, "This is Prime, Blurr. What do you have?"

"Decepticons Decepticons Decepticons they're building an armada of warships and frigates and they have three mini Cybertrons at their disposal and warpgates-"

Windbreaker nudged Blurr out of the way and said to the microphone, "What Blurr means to say, Big Red, is that the Decepticons have launched an armada of warships into hyperspace, and I don't think they're going to go sightseeing."

"Yes yes yes I've calculated their flight trajectories or rather Wheelie has they're going to Earth Junk Nebulos Hydrus-Four Bhul Monacus Cheyne Cameron Pz-Zazz among others many of them are inhabited with sentient species and some of our troops are stationed there Prowl's group on Earth and Fort Max on-"

"This is not a good development. Stay on your post and try not to get noticed. I will inform our troops stationed on those planets to be careful. In the meantime, you should change your position so as not to be detected. Prime out."

"Sounded stressful Optimus was/or is it just my audio senses?" Wheelie queried once the transmission was cut.

"A guy in Prime's position would need to handle numerous problems at once. It isn't surprising. What's surprising is that he has been able to endure the expectations and the job for so long." Windbreaker replied, as Blurr dashed towards the pilot seat, intending to move them away from their current position, which would no doubt be compromised after their transmission.
_____________________________

TRAINING GROUNDS, XANTIUM

Stepper watched as the six holomatter fascimiles crumpled down into the ground, neat holes burnt into their heads, chests, knees and shoulders. Stepper smirked. And he didn't even pulled the trigger finger more than twice.

Roadbuster, assembling his linear blaster rifle, nodded in approval from the edges of the training range, so did Topspin. Stepper grinned as the double-barrelled Blaze Cannon magno-clamped onto his shoulder disengaged and transformed into a Micromaster. "Good work, Nebulon." Stepper said.

"Yeah. This binary-bonding thing is really working out for the best. Never thought Wheeljack's inventions would be this good." Nebulon chirped.

Stepper approached Roadbuster and Topspin with a grin and asked, "So guys, who're the other... Target-masters other than me?"

Topspin consulted a datapad. "Crosshairs. That's a good choice... Pointblank. Not a bad one either. One of our Wreckers, Scoop. Quickmix. Landfill. Jackpot. Rad..." Topspin shrugged. "In short, just about most of the ones who likes to show off their shooting skills. Including Sureshot over there." Topspin said, jerking a thumb at the orange sniper arguing with his gun. "Primacron knows how the hell the two of them would manage to get along." Sureshot, Crosshairs and Pointblank somehow were lumped together with the Wreckers along with some support troops. Stepper doesn't mind them, but he's afraid they would become a liability later on.

"Both Sureshot and Spoilsport are good snipers. Exceptional, even." Roadbuster's baritone voice cut in as he placed the linear blaster rifle among his three other guns. He pulled out his grenade launcher out of the leg holster and began dismantling it for maintenance. "Too bad their egos don't allow for cooperation. At least the Wreckers' resident hothead knows how to work with a partner." Roadbuster said, nudging Stepper.

"Hey, come on... Give me some credit here! Just because I'm a junior Wrecker..." Stepper said, laughing. "But seriously, Roadbuster. Why didn't you sign up for the Targetmaster process? You're practically a walking armoury, and it wouldn't hurt to have an additional gun, would it?"

"I prefer a gun that won't talk back. No offense, Nebulon." Roadbuster said, placing his massive weapons on their respective holsters, before grabbing an ammo belt. "Besides, I've got you guys to watch my back. At the end of the day..." Roadbuster aimed his shoulder cannon at a fascimile that Sureshot's aiming at. "... my gun's always bigger."

To make his point, Sureshot and Spoilsport drilled a hole through the fascimile's head. Roadbuster's shot flew in a few seconds later, completely obliterating the upper body of the fascimile. "Show-off!" Sureshot shouted.

"Aww, Roadie, stop terrorizing the non-Wreckers." Rack 'n Ruin entered the training range, the twins joined on the shoulder speaking in unison. "Guys, we've new orders. Our old pals the Mayhems are headed for Hydrus Four. Prime wants them stopped. Jetfire and Wheeljack wants the Targetmasters on a field test."

"We're ready." Stepper said.
_____________________________

HYDRUS FOUR

The Decepticons' warship landed on the metallic ground of the metal-encrusted planet. Bludgeon's skeletal visage peered out of the window. Certainly we wouldn't need to mechaform this pitiful planetoid... he thought dryly.

"Mayhem Attack Squad, prepare to disembark." Bludgeon said, stalking down the corridors. Spinister and Banzaitron flanked him. The rest of the Mayhems soon poured out of the ship. Stranglehold, Octopunch, Triggerhappy, Slugslinger, Barrage, Chop Shop, Battletrap, Flywheels, Flattop, Needlenose, Carnivac, Snarler and Roadgrabber.

"Refresh my mind, Bludgeon. Why can't we have Bugly and Bomb-Burst on this team?" Banzaitron asked, the plates that make up his 'mouth' not moving when he spoke. "Or Sixshot, for that matter?"

"Where's the challenge in that? They may be powerful but they take away the fun in everything." Bludgeon said, grasping the handle of his two swords sheathed on his hips. One is a nano-thin katana enchanted by the dark Metallikato arts that Bludgeon practices. The other is his lightsaber, though now instead of a beam of energy, it projected a pillar of dancing hellfire like a sword. For more conventional battles, Bludgeon also has artillery shells in his inner robot's tank turret. He had been clumsy and arrogant in his first battle against the Autobots -- namely against Grimlock -- but he swore that he would not make such a mistake again. Turning to his troops, he hissed, his thin deep voice making the troops all pay attention to him. "Needlenose, Slugslinger, Triggerhappy, aerial support. Shoot and kill anything that's not us. Roadgrabber, Barrage Stranglehold, take point. The rest of you, follow me." Bludgeon's shell transformed -- a new upgrade with technology courtesy of Swindle -- into tank mode. Bludgeon appreciated his shell's new ability to transform now. It permitted him to stay in his shell for longer periods of time, which is something he considered an advantage. It's not that he's afraid of entering the battlefield without protection (though self-preservation is a massive bonus), but being in a Pretender shell gives him a conduit, so to speak, to channel his dark energies through. Also, it felt like an armour- nay, a second skin to him.

Having a creepy death-face and smoke generators in the shell didn't hurt either.

Rumbling along inside his tank-mode shell, he noted as Banzaitron loped along gracefully in robot mode, bounding across the terrain with powerful feet enhanced with Banzaitron's own modifications and his master of the Crystallocution art. Bludgeon was aware that unlike Bugly and himself, Banzaitron paid little mind to the rigid self-discipline that such martial disciplines require. Banzaitron's usage of one of his Crystallocution arts to run fast is a perfect example of his disrespect for the rigid self-discipline. Still, I can't complain. Banzaitron is a powerhouse in his own right and a master of his skills. He's also a decent being, otherwise I would've killed him long ago... Bludgeon reflected darkly.

The local pockets of resistance opened fire on them. Stranglehold, Octopunch and Roadgrabber, in their Pretender shells, charged forwards, roaring and tearing into the mixture of mechanical, organic and technoorganic creatures. "Needlenose, give me a sit-rep." Bludgeon hissed.

"A few pockets of Cybertronians, Chromites, Mecannibals, Skuxxoids and random groups of other aliens, boss. Also, lotsa towers and defense autoguns of sorts. Must'a have backers with big bucks." Needlenose quipped. Bludgeon reflected that the young Targetmaster showed little to almost no nervousness in talking to him, unlike most other mechs. But then, I must not underestimate him. He is an ex-Senator but readily murdered his comrades in cold blood... But then, his behaviour around me is probably because he's used to being around Spinister... As he contemplated his fellow Mayhems the cockpit of his tank-mode shell, Bludgeon couldn't help but smirk. His co-unit-commander, the Double Targetmaster Spinister, is a very capable officer and warrior, in addition to having a massive amount of self-control. Unlike Shockwave, who actually eliminated all traces of emotion from his mind, Spinister is actually able to control his emotions, not letting any of it show. Spinister also generates an aura that demanded fear and respect, which are good points in Bludgeon's book.

As a few laser shots pinged off his armour, Bludgeon screeched to a stop and in one swift fluid-like motion, transformed his shell into its robot mode, although perhaps 'robot' isn't as good as a term as 'metallic skeletal-faced hellfire-wielding demon'. His smoke generators flashed online and an aura of darkness which would surely disorient any foes enveloped him.

Also, he unsheathed out his katana with his right hand, slicing up from the stomach to the torso of the Skuxxoid who is unfortunate to stand in front of him. Clenching his left hand into a fist, Bludgeon's empty eye-holes in his skull flared with flame as unholy flames danced across his fingertips, and he hurled the burning fireball at a spherical Mecannibal, blowing it up spectacularly. Around him, mortar shells launched by Flattop in his battle platform provided Bludgeon with cover-fire.

"Too easy." Bludgeon said as he thrusted his katana into the throat of a lesser organic being, before twirling around and slicing vertically, lobbing what could be described as a floating head into two symmetrical halves. "Way too easy. None of you fools are worthy of a fight."

"Really? I was under the impression that they needed our firepower to conquer this planet. They say it's full of heavy hitters." Octopunch said, grinning as both his inner robot and outer alien shell tore into enemies. "Hey, Bludgeon, so is our crack group reduced to fighting mere mercenaries now? They could've just sent Menasor or Devastator here and it'll be clean."

"Maybe. But Bludgeon needs to test his new Pretender shell's upgrade." Needlenose quipped as he corkscrewed in the air, sending two beams of death into a ramshackle watchtower, tearing apart its foundations, "an' I need to field-test my new Targetmaster gigs!"

Bludgeon hissed in response. "Do not get too cocky, boys. Soundwave dispatched us here for a reason."

"Soundwave hates your guts, boss." Octopunch said, his shell impaling a Skuxxoid's face with his massive trident.

"Point." Bludgeon said, conceding to his old friend. Octopunch and him went back a long time, before he was interested in the dark arts. Now, with Octopunch being one of the best naval officers in the Decepticon army and Bludgeon being the leader of the Mayhem Attack Squad, he just had to include Octopunch in his killing crew. "But then, he usually has a justifying reason."

"HEADS UP!" Slugslinger's scream caught everyone's attention.

"Ah." Octopunch and Needlenose said in unison as a band of massive clawed technoorganic monsters rose out of platforms from the ground.

"Why must you be right everytime, Bludgeon?" Roadgrabber whined as he transformed into jet mode and flew in triangle formation with the other fliers.

Bludgeon's skeletal face curled up into a sinister grin as he charged into the fray, letting his katana scrape against the ground for a while before jumping into the air to face the monstrous creatures.

This is more like it.
_____________________________

KOLKULAR, CYBERTRON

Megatron watched as two massive gestalts fought each other some distance away from Trypticon.

Liokaiser, the combined form of the Breastforce (or the Destrons, as they love to refer themselves to) and Bruticus, the combined form of the Combaticons. Megatron smiled as Bruticus gun-whipped his massive gun onto Liokaiser's face, sending the Destron-combined gestalt stumbling backwards. With a deep throaty growl, Liokaiser twirled the bo-staff in his hand and slammed the edge of it deftly into Bruticus' stomach. The Combaticon gestalt reeled, and narrowed his optic band, opening fire with Onslaught, Brawl and Swindle's weapons while he backpedalled to avoid any further attack.

Liokaiser raised his arms to block the blasts from hitting his face, and the missiles tore into his arms and torso. With a savage roar, Liokaiser lunged at Bruticus, holding his bo-staff in a two-handed grip. With a slight flick of the hand, spikes extended from the edge of the staff and embedded themselves onto Bruticus' side. The Combaticon-comprised gestalt instinctively grabbed the staff with one hand and raised his other hand, the one holding a gun, and fired point-blank into Liokaiser's face. Liokaiser stumbled, but managed to raise the spiked staff into Bruticus' chin, sending both of them crashing down to the ground. Bruticus narrowed his optics, and raised his right arm, the one comprised of Vortex. The rotor blades started to spin and Bruticus aimed it towards Liokaiser. Liokaiser, meanwhile, locked onto Bruticus with his individual robot-mode weapons, getting ready to fire-

"Enough." Megatron said from the balcony he's watching the two gestalts testing Liokaiser's abilities. The Breastforce, a group of renegade soldiers-turned-murderers, have been outfitted with gestalt technology. Surprisingly adept, Breastforce is led by Leozak, an adept soldier and unit commander. However, signs of wanting to overthrow Megatron had shown in the Breastforce commander's behaviours, and it warranted watching. "Bruticus, Liokaiser, separate into your root modes. The training session is over."

The two behemoths stood still, before falling apart into their component parts. "Ooo... my achin' head..." Leozak groaned. "Slag, that point-blank blast really hurt!"

Onslaught, supported by Blast Off and Brawl, rubbed his torn side, "Your staff-thing has spikes?"

"New improv. Jalgar and Drillhorn like to tinker around. You okay?"

"I'll live."

Megatron stepped down from the balcony towards the training grounds, and noted with no small amount of satisfaction that all small talk among the Breastforce and Combaticons stopped and they saluted him. They know their place. Good. "Leozak, Onslaught, seek repairs with the Constructicons. It won't do to have two of my best warriors die from training. Scrapper will debrief your second.in-commands on your team's performance." The eleven Decepticons saluted Megatron and began to amble off, with various degrees of difficulty, to where the Constructicons are waiting.

Megatron watched as they left, before turning to see a red-and-white figure leaning on a pillar behind him. "Lord Megatron." Starscream proclaimed loudly, to attract his attention. "I need some clarifications about our mission, my lord."

"Indeed." Megatron said to the Aerospace Commander, letting the question hang in the air, prompting Starscream to reply.

"This... mysterious ancient mech of the so-called original Thirteen. What's her name... Elita-One. Do you want her functional or deactivated?" Starscream shrugged, "It would be much more convenient for us if we can kill her, y'know, Megatron?"

Megatron narrowed his red optics. "You know very well from the mission specifications that you are allowed to bring them alive to me offline if needed be. No. You're here for another reason." Megatron approached Starscream, towering over the smaller mech, "What is it?"

"You are indeed perceptive, my lord." Starscream marked snidely. "Okay. You know, Terrortread and his team have excavated Thunderwing's inert body from-"

"No."

"-but I haven't finished speaking!"

"No." Megatron said again, narrowing his optics. "You are not getting a Pretender shell. Neither are you having Powermaster or Targetmaster pets. At least, not now. The mission takes precedence over cosmetic designs. Soundwave and the rest of your team await you in the hangar bay. Go now."

Starscream stiffened, and nodded, exasperatedly, "Fine, my lord." Megatron watched as the Seeker transformed into his tetrajet mode and rocketed off into the sky, noting with disapproval the anger in Starscream's eyes. Megatron understood Starscream's hate. Even some foot soldiers have experimental Targetmaster partners, energy-enhancing Powermaster partners, combining abilities or a Pretender shell. Starscream, despite being an Aerospace Commander, had none of these luxuries. But that's because the Air Commander is capable enough to handle a fight without all the gimmicks. Tempting as it was, Megatron did not wish for his second-in-command to rely on such technologies and become rusty or insecure without them.

Megatron grunted, transformed into tank mode and rumbled off.
_____________________________

THE MOON, SOLAR SYSTEM

Space rippled and the distinctive alien curves of a Decepticon Gunship rippled into existence. Unseen by human eyes, the purple ship landed softly on the dark side of the moon. The crew of the Darkside stepped out of the spiked and curved ship, led by a reformated Starscream.

"Skywarp, Thundercracker, Dirge, Astrotrain, Blitzwing." Starscream said, extending his arms wide in a dramatic gesture at the blue-green orb floating nearby. "That planet is our target."

Thundercracker, as a memberod the Seeker Elite Guard, had adapted the same alternate mode as Starscream, a F-22 Raptor Fighter Jet. The aquamarine-hued Lieutenant crushed over an inert metallic object. "So that's Earth. Looks actually beautiful from space. Still, they do litter their satellites, don't they?" Thundercracker took aim at an abandoned terran vehicle of sorts and shot a drone cruise missile at it, and the strange object blew up spectacularly. "Fragile, though."

Soundwave said in his irritatingly monotonic voice, "There is little sense in wasting ammunition for trivial shoot-outs. Skywarp, ready the portal." Starscream watched as the black-and-indigo Seeker concentrated, and the empty space in front of Skywarp swirled with energy, forming a funnel. Starscream smiled, part admiration, part envy. For some reason, Skywarp is able to generate portals through space. Normally he could simply teleport himself and possibly an object or two through great distances (though supervision is usually required. Skywarp is a talented warrior, but he's awful in improvisation), and when Skywarp puts his mind into the job, he is able to create small worm-holes through space, though it requires a great deal of energy. Thundercracker, Dirge, Astrotrain, Blitzwing and Soundwave entered the unstable postal one by one, seemingly vanishing as they entered the swirling cloud crackling with energy. Starscream stilled himself and approached the cloud-

-and the dusty, rocky, desolate scenery at the Moon was replaced with white. It's all white. Winds howled beside Starscream's ears, and some sort of white liquid-like thing splattered against his optics. Starscream shook his head to clear it, and found that the other Decepticons are in the area as well. "Skywarp!" Starscream shouted as the exhausted black Seeker stepped out of seemingly nowhere, collapsing onto the ground in fatigue. "Are you sure this is the place?"

Skywarp mumbled. "Earth's southern part, right? I just followed the coordinates you gave me."

"Nnn... You are correct." Starscream hissed, cross-referencing his position from the plethora of primitive satellites the humans had. "What a dismal and frigid land... it's just like Thessin, an ice-encrusted wasteland. Only this one is warmer at some parts and inhabited with talking apes. I won't shed a tear even if I burn this entire planet into the ground."

"Astrotrain, Thundercracker. Set up our temporary base. Skywarp, stick around and help them retrieve materials from the Darkside when needed. Dirge, Blitzwing, you're with me." after snapping out orders, Starscream transformed into his F22 jet mode and shot off into the air, the purple Decepticon insignias glinting in the air.

Dirge transformed as well. His alternate mode is a heavily modified F22 Raptor, with completely different wings. Blitzwing adapted a Russian MiG Foxbat, in contrast to the Seekers. It would be necessary if they were to successfully infiltrate the numerous societies and nations around the Earth and destabilize their peace.

Soundwave transformed and shrunk into a Microcassette recorder, landing inside Starscream's cockpit. While a bit outdated, Soundwave took a liking to the alternate mode, mainly because it allowed his Cassettecons to be carried easily, it's small and can control communications.

Starscream's mind began downloading data supplied by Soundwave. Had he been in root mode, he would've smirked. As it was, he simply chuckled. It would be very easy to turn these inferior carbon based beings against each other. Very easy indeed...

TO BE CONTINUED...

PART 3- FRAGMENTATION

Prequel: http://www.tfarchive.com/community/show ... hp?t=46614
Part One: http://www.tfarchive.com/community/show ... hp?t=46389
Part Two: http://www.tfarchive.com/community/show ... hp?t=46530

Here's a short recap of what had happened-

With the war going on for several years, the Autobot forces, unprepared for the war, have been gradually worn thin, until they are forced to evacuate Cybertron to Moons Alpha and Beta. Megatron tasked Shockwave in finding a way to eliminate the Autobot resistance. Shockwave ordered the Constructicons to create a super weapon, a Solar Needle, to destroy Moon Alpha, but it's too late. By the time the moon exploded, the Autobots had escaped in their massive shuttle, the Ark and Metroplex.

Meanwhile, Megatron had secretly unlocked the secrets of Vector Sigma (after Galvatron revealed the location of the supercomputer to Megatron and Prime at the beginning of the War.) and had discovered the Key of Vector Sigma, able to turn any other matter into metal. Sharing this secret with a few trusted advisors, the Constructicons created orbital barrage bombs powered with the Key's power, able to mechaform planets into miniature Cybertrons. Thus, with the Autobots hunting desperately for energon and the Decepticons slowly mechaforming planets around them, the expansion has begun.

Meanwhile, the Unicron heralds, led by Nemesis Prime, are planning to resummon the Dark Lord Unicron again. Throughout the years, they have been collecting artifacts that contain Unicron's power, a.k.a. Angolmois, and are watching the Autobot-Decepticon conflict, so that the Cybertronians would spread in the galaxy in hopes of them finding sufficient energon to return Unicron's power.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

PROLOGUE: ARCHA SEVEN

Galvatron streaked down the atmosphere in freefall. Burning red-hot, the friction began tearing apart chunks of the transformer's armour. Galvatron landed in a canyon, creating a crater with a noisy boom. The herald looked around the area, his features locked into a perpetual scowl. Clenching his fist, the cracks and missing pieces of armour that resulted from the entry all glowed with dark power and instantly metal grew and covered the cracks and chips of missing armour. The metal that composed Galvatron is not exactly showroom material, but rather it is dirty and ragged. But it's all in one piece.

Baring his fang-like teeth, he began to stride purposefully towards a glowing green obelisk in the middle of the rocky canyon. The ground and area around the canyon seemed to be dying, breaking apart. With every step that Galvatron took, the rocks all crumbled and dissolved into dust.

Reaching out a clawed hand, Galvatron touched the obelisk, and ancient Cybertronian glyphs began to glow with a viridian-hued light. Galvatron narrowed his bright orange optics as his audio sensors detected something.

Turning around, Galvatron saw a few of the local beasts scuttling around. Eight-legged arachnids easily about the size of Galvatron, they regarded the transformer with segmented optics.

One of the arachnids leapt at Galvatron, baring its venomous fangs. Galvatron simply turned from the obelisk and raised his right arm. The massive glowing cannon on his arm hummed and shot off a pulse of orange energy that slammed squarely into the center of the arachnid in mid-leap, turning the beast's body into a burning fireball that emitted very unpleasant fumes.

The three other arachnids regarded Galvatron, hissing and clicking with rage. Two of them leapt at Galvatron from either side, while the third shot off sticky webbing at the herald. Ignoring the webbing that engulfed him, Galvatron turned towards one of the arachnids that leapt towards him, and with a swing, tore into the arachnid's head with his claw-like hand, and grabbed its legs with the other hand. With a savage pull, Galvatron tore the struggling arachnid into two messy pieces. The second arachnid slammed onto Galvatron, trying to pierce the herald's armour with its razor-tipped legs. However, all it succeeded in doing is to break its own claws off. Shrieking, the arachnid's eyes widened when Galvatron thrusted backwards and clamped his left hand on the arachnid's thorax. The organic material on the arachnid began to flake off, and soon the corruption spread through the arachnid's body, until it crumbled into dust. Getting up, Galvatron coldly shot off a laser pulse at the final arachnid, vaporizing it.

"Pitiful species." Galvatron growled. "All of you have been corrupted by the Dark Lord's Angolmois energy in this artifact, and yet you did not last a breem against me."

The Herald pressed his palm into the obelisk, and in an instant it began to shudder, and lifted off the ground and slowly shrunk until it was the size of Galvatron's palm. Galvatron carefully cupped the shrunken obelisk and growled into his comm unit, while the powerful rockets in his boots ignited and he shot off into space. "Nemesis. Mission accomplished. The artifact is ours. Only two more remain. The Dark Lord will live again."
_________________________________

THE ARK

In the Ark, Jetfire grinned, looking at the set of experimental armour. Using Wheeljack's experimental inertia-free thrusters and some odd experimental tech developed by the Autobots' resident scientific minds, stood the Guardian Armour. "Well, guys, are you ready to test it?"

Jetfire looked across the room, looking at the various scientists assembled in the testing range. Swerve leaned on a crate, holding a speedometer. Perceptor is in his science-station mode, his impressive rows of scanners ready and online. Pincher grasped some sensors, with a mischievous grin on his face. His Pretender shell stood nearby, moving sensitive equipments out of the test range along with weapon engineer Skyfall. Mainframe and the five Technobots poured over the schematics of the Guardian Armour, debating amongst themselves about how to improve it. Quickmix held a chemical spectrometer in his hand, his two Targetmaster partners sitting on his two shoulders. The last one, weapons officer Ironfist, held a datapad in his hands, taking down notes about the weaponry. Swerve inquired, "You sure we ought to do this with Brainstorm and Wheeljack out? I mean, it's their tech..."

"And Wheeljack tech tend to go kablooey." Quickmix quipped, nodding.

Jetfire looked at them and nodded. "I appreciate the concern, but if these weaponry can turn the tide of the war, well, it won't do not to test them. So while I appreciate you guys worrying over me-"

"We're not worrying over you. We're more worried that you'll blow a big hole in the Ark." Quickmix said.

Grinning, Jetfire entered the harness-shaped armour. "Do it." Quickmix pressed a button, cm armour pieces began latching onto Jetfire. The leg guards were first, followed by two massive armguards on his lower arms. The largest experimental weapon, he FAST-turbo thrusters with Wheeljack's inertialess gizmo, a giant backpack that ended with two distinctive jutting shoulder armour, was latched onto his back. Last but not the least, a command helmet with a visor and two side-mounted laser guns was lowered over Jetfire's head.

The visor's screen began filling up with datastreams from all other parts of the armour. "So far so good." Jetfire said, grinning under the armour. "Let's try to walk." Jetfire took a step, and another one, and another one. The armour was surprisingly light for him, like a second skin.

"It is working as expected. Jetfire: try to engage your weaponry, all of them." Perceptor spoke as readouts flashed on his screens.

Jetfire nodded. "Activate all weapons!" in an instant, Jetfire's body started to ripple and change. Swerve ducked for cover behind a crate, and Scattershot winced- when it is done, Jetfire stood in full Guardian Armour. "Head-mounted heat-seeking tracking lasers: operational. Fission Accelerator Smart-Tracking pulse cannons and thruster pack: operational. Arm-mounted plasma gatling guns: operational. Photon missile launcher: operational. Dual-barreled particle beam uzi: operational. And nothing had blown up yet. Good." Jetfire stood in full Guardian Battle Armour. The back-mounted FAST-pack has now transformed into two massive over-shoulder experimental cannons, his wrists armed with gatling guns, his head's four tracking lasers searched around the room for targets. And to top that off, Jetfire held two massive and chunky rifles on his hand.

"Don't point them at us." Scattershot snapped gruffly.

Ironfist, however, was grinning from ear-to-ear. "Afterburner, Mainframe, switch on the holomatter fascimiles. Let's try some shooting."

Soon, a simulated army of Decepticons (the Stunticons in this case) appeared in the training range. Jetfire stepped forward, and aimed first his two guns. The science department wisely took a step or two backwards. "Testing the particle beam uzi. The Technobots' design..." Jetfire pulled the trigger and staggered backwards due to the recoil. The particle beam demolished the fascimile of Dead End and blew up a crate. "Photon Beam Rifle..." Jetfire fired the jet-black weapon, and blew up the fascimile Motormaster with ease. "Head lasers..." Drag Strip's fascimile was soon filled with pinprick holes at fatal places. "Arm gatling guns..." the rest of the fascimiles soon fell into the ground under Jetfire's firepower.

"Right. Now the FAST-pack. Jet thrusters and fission cannons, all at the same time." Jetfire said, after a mostly impressive and fortunately uneventful test of the rest of the weaponry.

"T- T- That's W- Wheeljack's handiwork." Strafe stammered. "P- Perhaps you s- should try something simple f- first. Like f- flying."

"Good idea. Thrusters: engage! 5% power." Jetfire said. Immediately the two massive thrusters flared up in red flame, and Jetfire shot into the ceiling, denting the metal on top of the ceiling. "Oow..." Jetfire said as he clanged down into the floor.

"Why, Quickmix, our mixture of chemicals that we used to coat the armour worked! Not a dent on the FAST-pack!" Swerve said, giving his fellow chemist a high-five.

"Meanwhile, my head's dented." Jetfire grumbled. "Engage Fission cannons..." the shoulder mounted cannons hummed and seemed to draw energy from the surroundings, before letting loose with two massive outbursts, tearing into and through a wall of the weapons range. "Oops." Jetfire gulped, as bulkheads slammed down over the exits of the range, to contain any intruders that might've made the hull breach.

Cosmos' panicked voice filled their intercoms seconds later. "What happened down there? There's a hull breach! Is it Decepticons or Wheeljack's weapons?"

"Weapons." Jetfire said wearily into the intercom. "My bad, sorry. We'll patch it up." as the communications were terminated and the bulkheads retracted, Jetfire looked around the room and said jovially, "It's a success!"
_____________________________

HYDRUS FOUR

The Xantium appeared out of hyperspace in a bang of light, shooting straight into the explosions in the northern hemisphere of the planet. Springer roared over the howling winds, "Kill all the Decepticons and leave IDs for later! Wreck and Rule!" shouting the Wreckers' famous warcry, Springer crouched and launched himself into the conflict with powerful spring-like legs. Activating his lightsaber and pulling out his wind-tunnel cannon, he shot at the first Decepticon he could see. Around him, the rest of the Wreckers and the Targetmasters that are abroad the Xantium poured out, and laser blasts and missiles poured out of their weapons into the crowd below. Springer touched down in a crouch, powerful pistons in his knees creaking in protest at the impact. He took aim and fired a burst of wind tunnel at the nearest Decepticon, Roadgrabber, sending the Pretender falling out of the sky. The Decepticons have destroyed some kind of giant metallic beasts, possibly employed by the locals. Dead bodies of a variety of species litter the battlefield. Springer narrowed his blue optics in contorted anger. "Frag you Decepticons." he said, as he switched his gun setting from wind tunnels to plasma bolts, and fired towards the downed Decepticon jet.

Roadgrabber had his own tricks, however, and before the shots impacted, the Decepticon's Pretender shell materialized out of subspace and enveloped him, and the orange-hued plasma fizzled pitifully against the endurachrome that made the shell. Roadgrabber's cannons slid out and began exhuming flame even as the Pretender drove backwards in retreat. Springer grunted as the flames licked his exostructure, forcing him to stumble backwards. As he cleared his vision, he watched as the Wreckers, the Mayhems and the local aliens tangled in the skies. Missiles, plasma bolts laser beams, melee weapons and other more... exotic sorts of weaponry decorated the pale-blue sky with hues of red, orange and purple. Explosions, shots, cries and screams merged as one numbing constant noise around him. This is Springer's element. A battle. Above him, the airborne Autobots and Decepticons were dogfighting, twirling in and out of missile pathways, shooting deadly streams of laserfire at each other. It was beautiful, in some way.

Springer's thoughts were interrupted when a proton blast exploded near his foot. Springer looked at the direction where it came from and snapped a few shots as he rolled aside. Another Pretender... Submarauder. Springer mused as his optic sensors I.D.-ed the Decepticon.

In a battle like this, your targets change after a few shots. And it is true in this particular scuffle. As soon as Submarauder ducked away from Springer's shots, the Decepticon was met by Twin Twist and Crosshairs, who double-teamed him. Springer, meanwhile, was beset by a strafing Needlenose, who tore up the ground with electricity and solar-powered beams. "Stupid Targetmasters!" Springer roared, as he transformed into helicopter mode and shot into the air, snapping off a few shots at Needlenose. A laser shot hit the Decepticon's left flank, and he spun downwards into the thick mass of metallic debris below. Before Springer could deliver a finishing blow, a few missiles slammed onto him from the left flank, blowing up in an orange-hued fireball. "Hnk-" Springer managed, before transforming into his seldom-used rocket car mode, landing very painfully on his wheels. Springer had no idea who fired those missiles, nor did he care. A new foe was waiting for him.

"Bludgeon." Springer said, transforming into his robot mode and bringing out his lightsaber, as well as the sword made out of his rotor blades. "Y'know, undead samurai are so last cycle. Triplechangers like me are what's hip."

The scowl on Bludgeon skull-face deepened. "Useless inane prattle. I've heard of your skills. I want to face you alone in battle." the tone indicated that it was not a request. Bludgeon pulled out his katana and activated his hellfire lightsaber with a very uncomfortable hiss. "Which blade do you prefer?"

Springer narrowed his optics at the sight of the hellfire sword, and subspaced his lightsaber. Bludgeon smirked and deactivated his own, clamping it into his hip. Bludgeon charged forwards, bringing his katana slashing down towards Springer in a huge arc. Springer just managed to raise his own sword to block it, the momentum of Bludgeon's sword pushing both blades precariously close to Springer's face.

Bludgeon relentlessly sliced and swung his sword, alternating between vicious, long arcs and rapid strokes. Springer managed to block most of the Metallikato Master's strikes, but being untrained in any martial arts, gouges started to appear throughout his body. It would be practically impossible for him to beat Bludgeon in a swordfight. So Springer decided to improvise. Sidestepping from a slice that nearly cut off his left arm off, Springer launched high into the sky, pulling out his wind tunnel blaster and snapped off a few sounds, before transforming into helicopter mode. Belatedly, he realized that his rotor blades, which turn into the sword he used moments ago, were hacked at numerous places, and he limped away, circling the area where Bludgeon is.

However, a ball of fire flew out from the Decepticon's hands and slammed onto Springer's side. "Oh, sh-" the flame tore into energon storage tanks and blossomed with a brilliant red flame.

Trailing smoke and pain burning his side, Springer braced for impact as he crashed onto the ground, bits of his exostructure being torn off, his rotors bent at unnatural positions before finally coming to a grinding halt. Muttering curses about Pretenders, undead magic-wielding samurai, the Mayhems, poor hull construction and the Decepticons in general, Springer transformed into robot mode very painfully. However, the distinctive RAT-TAT-TAT-TAT of a machinegun soon filled the sky around him, and tore apart the ground around Springer. Plasma beams and machinegun fire slammed onto his side as a twin-cockpit Decepticon jet cartwheeled through the air whilst being hounded by Whirl and Sandstorm. Springer had to marvel at how the Decepticon could do such dogfighting while targeting him at he same time.

And the answer hit him, in the form of a plasma beam that tore into his open wound, causing him to lurch forwards with pain. Turning around and unsteadily aiming his wind tunnel gun, he watched as Banzaitron held a smoking bayonet, while a smaller crustacean-like unit scuttled beside him. Springer managed to hiss, "Damn, why the Pit am I so popular with you martial arty-types?"

"Bludgeon must've dealed that massive wound to you." Banzaitron observed. "Yet you survived. Impressive."

"Yeah, I'm kinda tough." Springer mumbled, though his vision is starting to blur. No, please not now... It can't end like this...

Banzaitron chuckled. "You might be able to survive hellfire and sword strikes, but can you survive this?" Springer cursed audibly as the crab-like Micromaster leaped into Banzaitron's hands and combined with his bayonet. "My Crystallocution would be enough to cause you to crumble into tiny pieces of glass with a single touch, Autobot. As it happens, I have a little toy I need to test out. Razor-sharp, fire!"

Springer felt the plasma bolt slam into his chest, sending him reeling backwards and into a blinding cloud of... sand? Not comprehending, Springer's vision blurred as powerful hands lifted him up. "You okay, boss?"

Sandstorm! "You're a live-saver, Sandy." Springer said as his fellow Wrecker deposited him onto the deck of the Xantium.

"What happened to you, boss?"

"Slaggin' samurai wannabes tried to kill me. They have Targetmasters too, be careful!" Springer said, as medical drones rushed up to repair his wounds.

"They have more Targetmaster units than us." Sandstorm said, before transforming back into helicopter mode. "At least two Double Targetmasters, and four regular ones. Not counting the Pretenders and other Decepticon killers. Gotta go, boss. 'Bye!" Sandstorm said, and he was gone.

Springer sat dumbly as the three medical drones worked on him. He looked around the Xantium. Pointblank and Scoop were on the deck too, their Targetmaster partnes sitting at consoles, all hurt and damaged. "Hey, 'Blanks. What happened to your arm?" Springer said, pointing to the stump where Pointblank's shoulder should be.

"Slaggin' Spinister." Pointblank muttered. "Guy's got some kind of nuclear blaster thing. Only escaped thanks to Roadbuster and Stepper."

"Bludgeon got you too?" Scoop asked, indicating a scorched side, distinctive burn marks from a fireball, similar to those on Springer's side.

"Hnn." Springer replied. "Skullface's got no understanding of a fair fight. Anyone new you see, Scoop?"

"Other than their Targetmater buddies? Roadgrabber, Submarauder and Flattop. Think I saw Treadshot down there too." Scoop replied.

"Great. Just... great." Springer muttered sarcastically under his breath as he endured the pain of his open wound, of circuits exposed into the air.
________________________________________

Bludgeon cartwheeled in the air, avoiding Twin Twist's onrushing charge. He sidestepped to avoid an inferno pellet from Stepper, and sent a fireball spinning towards the Targetmaster in kind. Bludgeon was enjoying himself wholeheartedly. This... is his element.

"Do not forget the main reason why we're here, Bludgeon." Spinister's monotonical voice snapped over their frequencies. "We must recover the mechanoid's body."

"Spoilsport." Bludgeon murmured under his breath, before replying a little louder. "I'm en route."

"En route where, Decepticon?" Stepper growled, laying onto him with fire blasts.

"None of your concern, ignorant fool." Bludgeon's smoke disruptors activated with a hiss and to the Wreckers, he must have teleported away. In reality, he merely ran. His speed and agility has been enhanced by the Pretender shell, and coupled with his Metallikato techmiques, it is child's play to 'blink' out of existence.

Running at full throttle, Bludgeon left the two stunned Wreckers behind. The scenery was a literal blur as he passed them, and the slowed down just under a waiting Spinister, hovering in the air. "Only the two of us?" Bludgeon queried. Usually Needlenose would tag along, and Bludgeon didn't mind that.

"Four, actually." one of the guns on Spinister's sise quipped.

"Singe and Hairsplitter will not have the chance to tell this information to anyone else." Spinister snapped, a hint of murder in his voice. "Four is all we need to secure this mechanoid. Needlenose will come later with a stasis pod if required. Unless you have someone specific you want to bring?"

"Not exactly." Bludgeon replied, his curiousity about Needlenose's role satisfied. He leaped onto Spinister, hanging on to the Targetmaster's underside with magnetic clamps. "Go."

Spinister's rotors whupped and the helicopter shot into the sky, headed for one particular coordinate in mind. Bludgeon's optics scanned the area for any curious Autobots. There were two.

One was Whirl. Easy enough to recognize the light-blue helicopter. The other one is... Bludgeon had to access his files to recognize him. Thunderclash. "Spinister, two bogeys on our six. One's Whirl. The other's ground-bound. What say we get rid of the junior first?"

"Fine." Spinister did a 360 degree spin and took aim at Whirl, opening fire with laserfire from his own systems as well as Hairsplitter. Whirl replied in kind with incendiary missiles and null-rays. Singe, meanwhile, aimed down and unleashed a massive nuclear blast at the unsuspecting Wrecker. Bludgeon flicked his wrist and added a blast of hellfire into the nuclear blast.

The resulting massive explosion rocked the area. Whirl screamed in terror as he was spun out of control, upside-down and sideways. Bludgeon fully expected the Wrecker to fall and crash, but the Wrecker continued to fly in the seemingly doomed manuever, mocking them. "Bloody hell, that Wrecker's damn good. Hey, Spinny, you can fly upside-down and sideways?"

"Silence." was the reply from the Targetmaster.

However, Whirl was more concerned in evacuating the pieces of melted circuits and burnt metal that used to be Thunderclash. After all, the Wrecker's thick armour had prevented the blast from extinguishing his spark. Meanwhile, Spinister shot off in their own direction. Hairsplitter did shot off a few more blasts at Whirl out of spite. The shots slammed into the Wrecker's left shoulder and knee. A vengeful Whirl snapped off a shot with his null-ray at Singe, hitting the still-cooling-down nuclear flamethrower squarely on its body. Singe squealed in terror as the null-ray disabled his locking and firing mechanisms, causing him to tumble off Spinister's side. Fortunately the ever-alert Bludgeon reached out his hand and snatched the falling Micromaster out of the sky. "Hang on." Bludgeon hissed, before tossing Singe into Spinister's open cockpit.

Spinister sped away from the Autobots, and entered a small groove in the middle of a metal-filled wasteland. Bludgeon disengaged from Spinister's underside and dropped onto the ground in a feline-like crouch, while Spinister transformed silently as he landed. "This is the place." Hairsplitter said unnecessarily, sitting on Spinister's shoulder and holding a tiny datapad. "So are we going to dig the stasis pod or whatever out?"

"Waste of time." Bludgeon growled. Raising his palm, Bludgeon , rocks and debris flew into the air omniously as if pulled by invisible fingers, revealing a silver oval-shaped stasis pod.

Hairsplitter and Singe both cursed, but Spinister, used to seeing such things happen around Bludgeon, strode forward and dragged the stasis pod out. As soon as Spinister secured the pod, the rocks all clattered down onto the ground.

"Cache is secured." Spinister hissed as he transformed, enveloping the pod inside his cabin bay. Bludgeon leapt up and clung onto the underside of the Targetmaster again. "It is time to leave."
_____________________________________

EARTH

Prowl watched as Bumblebee and Windcharger set up solar panels on the sides of Mount St. Hillary. "The Decepticons might be following us." Ironhide grunted behind him. "Decepticon fleet's going off to all over the galaxy."

"Damn." Prowl sighed. "We have enough problems already trying to work out the humans... and now this." the High General punched a button on his wrist. "Come in, Hound."

"Yes, Prowl?"

"I want you to go and locate any Decepticons that might've landed on Earth. We may be expecting company."

"On it."

"Ironhide, Cliffy, Mirage, I want the three of you to patrol the general area. If the Decepticons arrive, we'll be target number one for them." Prowl said, turning to the Autobots in the Teletraan. The High General turned to Jazz, "Call the human leaders. We must warn them."

"Um, Prowl?" Skids' voice said from the shuttle as the theoretician stumbled out with a datapad with a live-feed from a human channel. "We're too late."
___________________________________

Russia. Starscream swooped in above a dam, his F22's slick frame glinting under the blazing rays of the sun. His white-and-red paintscheme rippled and was replaced with the proper metallic brown colours of the Americans' jets.

Taking aim at the dam, Starscream let loose with a barrage of missiles onto the dam, tearing it apart. Elsewhwere, Skywarp and Thundercracker are bombing the nuclear reactors nearby.

Starscream watched in satisfaction as the humans' pathetic land-based vehicles tried to hit him with their attacks. Starscream's flying skills alone had allowed him to dodge plasma bolts and the like. Dodging bullets and missiles are protoform's play to him.

He shot off towards the sea, shedding his holographic disguise when he is away from their sensors. "It is done. Decepticons, status report."
_____________________________________

Blitzwing, meanwhile, adapted a Russian MiG Foxbat for his alternate mode. Tearing the serene sky over London, he randomly dropped concussion bombs all around populated sectors. The triplechanger cackled as he shot away from the scenes of destruction. No doubt England would blame Russia. These humans don't trust each other...

"Starscream, this is Blitzwing. I've delivered my packa-" the Decepticon's report was interrupted when a few explosions tore apart the air around him. "Ah, the local air force. This is going to be so deliciously simple."

Three enemy jets. Blitzwing spun around the air, sending two purple beams of light which slammed into two of the jets. Blitzwing's gryo-stabilizers are able to influence the gryoscopic balance of any being it hits. Blitzwing's latest victims spun out of control in the air, ultimately slamming into each other. Blitzwing shot off a missile at the lead jet, turning it into a burning flame of debris and flame, which was swept away by the wind as Blitzwing left the area.
_____________________________

In Beijing, Astrotrain adapted the colours of a Japanese space shuttle. Flying low, he dropped a cylindrical bomb in the middle of the 'Bird Nest Stadium', a stadium in the middle of Beijing built in 2008 for the Olympic games. The bomb blew up and vaporized the stadium and anything unfortunate enough to be around it. Astrotrain swept relatively close to the destruction, making sure that the Chinese media would blame Japan. "Astrotrain to Starscream. I've attacked this area, but I still think that we should attack openly."

"Why waste perfectly good ammo killing fleshlings when they could wipe themselves out? It's more efficient." Starscream's shrill voice replied. "But then again, you never understood effeciency, do you Astrotrain?"

Astrotrain's reply was a mere grunt as he shot off into space at a low orbit around Earth. There are lots of satellites around. Astrotrain began to blow up those nearest to him, wrecking havoc with communications down below...
_______________________________

Dirge flew over New York City and shot missiles to the Imperial State Building, tearing large holes in the building's side, before causing it to crumble slowly to the ground. Dirge's fear aura caused everyone in the area to see their worst fear come true. Some saw demons tearing the Tower apart. Some saw bombs, or terrorists, or whatever they think is capable of tearing the Tower apart. "Dirge to Starscream. All's successful at my end. The fleshbags are scared. So very scared. Petrified. Horrified. Terrorized. Rooted to the spot. It's delicious..."
_______________________________

While his comrades blew stuff up, a more subtle Soundwave hacked into the nuclear bomb controls of several countries and launched warheads into random countries. In no time at all, what is dubbed 'World War 3' by the media broke out.

And the beauty of it, the humans were either blaming each other or terrorists. No one expected a blue microcassette player tucked in a communications center. "Operation: Escalation is a success, Starscream. We can proceed to the next phase of the plan."
_________________________________

"Son of a... those 'Cons are tearin' the place apart!" Jazz swore. "Prowl, we gotta do somethin'!"

"Let me at 'em! I'll kill them for what they've done to the humans... they can't even protect themselves! Worse! The 'Cons picked on civvies!" Cliffjumper ranted, pulling out a bazooka that's too big for his frame from the weapons rack. "Come on, Windcharger! Let's show these Decepti-scum how to really blow things up!"

Prowl fixed Cliffjumper with a glare, but the Minibot ignored it. Not that Prowl expected Cliffjumper to actually stop his eagerness to attack the Decepticons, though. After all, the reason Prowl chose Cliffjumper is because of his ever-readiness. Windcharger is another battle-hungry Minibot, but he stood in the corner, looking at Prowl nervously. Prowl could see that Windcharger was deliberating whether doing so would cross Prowl's authority.

He's a good kid. Prowl noted. "We're taking the fight to the Decepticons, of course. Provided we can find out where they are."

"YES!" Cliffjumper said, punching the air. "You go, Prowl!"

"Um, anyone have any idea where their base is?" Bumblebee queried meekly.

"I have an invention-" Wheeljack said, which drew a lot of nervous glances. Prowl resisted the urge to chuckle. After all, Wheeljack's inventions tend to blow up in their inventor's face. Still, Wheeljack did develop some... exotic and useful devices which had helped turn the tide in their favour. Wheeljack coughed and continued. "A tested invention. It's called the Sky Spy, a small mobile surveillance satellite. Very fast and has a broad range. If we release a couple of them, we would find the Decepticons in no time at all."

"You sure it won't blow up a chunk of the planet?" Bumblebee said.

"Yup." Wheeljack nodded. "Hey, guys... Give me some credit. It's just a moving satellite! It's simple to make! I mean- come on, my inventions ain't that explosive..."

"You managed to blow up Protihex's Institute of Science by inventing a cleaning automaton." Jazz quipped, grinning. Wheeljack sighed. "However, it isn't that we have any other choices, so I think our only choice is usin' this 'Sky Spy' thingamajig, right, Prowl?"

Prowl nodded. "Provided it doesn't blow us all to the Pit, considering the track record of our master inventor." the High General's impassive expression cracked into a smile when his comment elicited an indignant "Hey!" from Wheeljack and a fit of chuckles from the other Autobots.

"C'mon, my inventions don't always blow up!" Wheeljack said while chuckling at himself. "Most of the time, not all of the time!"

"Good thing you built Metroplex under Grapple's supervision." Bumblebee chipped in.

Prowl's expression turned serious once more. "Wheeljack, launch the Sky Spy and prep the orbital launch technology. Skids, Mirage, monitor the Sky Spy's signals as well as local human channels. Jazz, hail the Ark and tell him of the developments here. Ironhide, check the security systems, make sure none of the tiny Decepticons sneak in. Bumblebee, hail the human leaders and... try to explain that the Decepticons are behind this. The rest of you, rearm, reload and refuel. We have a battle ahead of us."
_____________________________________

NEBULOS

Prowl's group on Earth managed to establish a tense alliance of sorts. Fortress Maximus' group on Nebulos have had no such luck.

At Koraja, the capital city of Nebulos, Fortress Maximus' transformed head and extended self, Cerebros, as well as his recon drone, Cog, are trying to negotiate with the Nebulons. Standing behind Cerebros are Hardhead and Chromedome. The Nebulan Council's spokesperson, Galen, spoke, "I am truly sorry, but an alliance with a warring race such as yours would only invite war to our peaceful society. Our world is open to anyone who wishes to enter. We do not wish to take favourites. After all, if we ally ourselves with you it is the same as declaring war with these Decepticons of yours."

"You think you can negotiate with the Decepticons? You might as well negotiate with a piece of rock." Hardhead snorted, his visor frowning in irritation.

"We are- I am truly sorry." Galen said, regret evident in the youthful pale-skinned Nebulon's eyes.

"Fine. Just don't come begging to us when the Decepticons come. We'll leave, if that is what you wish." Hardhead snapped.

Cerebros shot his subordinate a look, before talking to the Nebulons with a more soothing voice, "Please forgive my more... emotional comrade." Hardhead snorted, but said nothing. Cerebros continued, "If you wish for us to leave, we will go. However, I implore you... please consider our proposal. We do not wish for war to arrive on this peaceful planet."

A old yet attention-grabbing voice boomed in the Council chambers, "We are perfectly capable of defending ourselves. I am sorry, mister Cerebros, but I must respectfully ask you and your comrades to leave. Your presence will bring war. Rest assured, we will do our best for our beloved planet and we might ask for your services when we require of them. But our planet is open to you, Autobots, if you wish to be here for something other than war."

Cerebros nodded, and from the corners of his optic he could see Hardhead's features deepening. Chromedome placed a hand on the hot-headed Autobot's shoulder. "Thank you, we will leave now. Autobots- let's roll." Chromedome and Hardhead shifted and transformed into their alternate modes, a concept car and a four-treaded assault tank respectively. Cog split apart and transformed into its component parts, Gasket and Grommet, two tiny vehicle drones. Cerebros watched as the four vehicles moved out of Koraja's main chambers, before waving goodbye.

Outside Koraja's main chamber, the rest of the Autobots in their team assembled in their vehicle modes. Cerebros transformed and combined with the massive assault-battlestation waiting outside, his larger Fortress Maximus body. Maximus spoke to his troops through their frequency, "Autobots, the Nebulons have rejected our help. We need to leave."

Hardhead snorted as the convoy started to set off towards a pickup point for the Steelhaven to pick them up. "We should have shown them what the 'Cons could do. They'll agree for sure."

"It is unethical to impose our personal views towards the vile Decepticons into the minds of these peace-loving Nebulons. After all, we must respect their respective choices and decisions." Highbrow quipped from above, his rotors spinning silently in the air.

"If you spoke in normal Cybertronian, I might've agreed with you." Hardhead snapped back. "Elitist snob."

"Ignorant, obstinate, war-mongering, single-minded bufoon." Highbrow retorted.

"Oh, you think you're so smart, dont'cha? So you know a lot of big words. Why don't you come down here and fight it out like a mech?" Hardhead growled.

"Enough, you two!" Fortress Maximus bellowed. "You both are not supposed to be fighting each other. Instead-" Maximus' words were cut short what looked a group of meteors streaked noisily through the upper atmosphere, each of them slamming into Koraja and creating massive, smoking craters that obliterated whole buildings unfortunate enough to be in the way. However, it didn't end just there. In each crater, a massive metallic shape shifted and began to move. Inside each crater was a Transformer. A Decepticon.

The Decepticon that created the largest crater landed beside the Council of Elders, destroying one of the majestic spires during descent and turning the science research and development center into a burning pile of rubble. The monster that emerged from the inferno was as large as Maximus. It was someone Masimus knew very, very well. "Scorponok." the Autobot said, spitting the name out in disgust. "Autobots, transform and engage the Decepticons. No sense in keeping our a presence a secret, so-" Fortress Maximus transformed, massive plates shifting and clicking into their position, massive rifles locking and reloading. After the transformation, the grey-and-cobalt Autobot stood massive, almost triple the height of an average transformer. He charged back towards the city, swatting aside a reptilian Decepticon as he barrelled towards Scorponok. "No more innocent lives will be destroyed by you, traitor!"

Scorponok turned around, and the scowl that seemed to always decorate his face broke into a mocking, arrogant smile. "Ah, Maximus." Scorponok transformed, and landed as a massive eight-legged arachnid with two gigantic pincers. Cannons decorated any available space on the Decepticon's body, and the 'horns' on his robot-mode face turned into a pair of pincers. But the most striking feature was the monolithic tail that now aimed towards Maximus, and was humming, the tip glowing purple.

Without warning, Maximus was shot backwards as a thick pillar of pure, undiluted purple laser slammed into his midsection, causing him to slam through a few buildings. As he slowly stood up, Maximus saw that Scorponok had transformed back into robot mode, and was taunting him.

In an instant, all the composure and patience Fortress Maximus was known for disappeared, and he blindly charged his adversary, leaping at him with outstretched arms, roaring in rage. "TRAAAAITOR!"
______________________________

Scorponok smiled as Fortress Maximus charged him. The Decepticon general seldom smiled. Normally he would've a scowl on his face when he's not screaming at his troops or snapping orders. However, the smile on his face is not of happiness in the midst of chaos or of satisfaction for driving Maximus angry. The smile on Scorponok's face is a sad smile. He genuinely didn't want to have to fight Fort Max. Back before the war, they used to be very good friends. Fort Max was one of the strongest warriors in Cybertron but still fought for peace. Scorponok admired him for that. In return, Maximus admired Scorponok's unrelenting resolve to battle any threat to Cybertron and to cast away all chaos and darkness from his home planet.

Scorponok's views to bring peace are what led him to join the Decepticons.

He had a very tense relationship with the Senate back in the days before the war. The Senators were too... materialistic, and it's really galling to see them argue over something that has a simple answer. Why did they argue? Money. Their sparks are immersed in thoughts of money. But Scorponok loved his people and his planet, and endured everything, just to be able to protect his people. His skills earned him respect from the late chancellor Star Saber, who promoted him into a high-ranking general. However, during a raid against the Space Mafia (or is it someone else? Scorponok can't remember...) the troops commanded by Onslaught and him destroyed some... assets that are important to the Senators. As a result, the two of them were put on probation in a kangaroo court by the Senate. Scorponok ripped off his Autobot badge that day. Afterwards, along with Onslaught, he was recruited by one of Soundwave's minions under a promise of a single, unified Cybertron. The Decepticons did it, after a bloody rebellion. All other gangs and mafias are either wiped out or incorporated into the Decepticons. Cybertron is finally united, and Megatron is their Lord. Peace has arrived at last in Cybertron.

But the Autobots, steadfast under the leadership of the capable Optimus Prime, are trying to reclaim Cybertron as well as protect all other species. Megatron wishes for the others to be wiped out in order to expand their empire. Scorponok held little malice against the organic Nebulons that populate the planet and he did not find pleasure in killing them. But orders are orders.

It's not like these animals are Cybertronians...

Scorponok roared and bent down, letting his massive tail lash out at the incoming Maximus. The stinger caught Maximus in the chest, injecting cyber-venom and stopping him dead in his tracks. Smiling, Scorponok's claws reached out and slammed into Maximus' gut, tearing out pieces of the Autobot's exostructure with each savage swipe.

Maximus, his movements slowed down by the cyber-venom, gritted his teeth in evident pain and, hands shaking, tried to aim his massive cannon towards Scorponok's face. The Decepticon was not smiling as he watched his former friend squirm in pain. But he had to do this. He cannot waver from the task given to him. The cannons on his shoulder swiveled and fired towards Maximus' fists, tearing apart the guns that the Auttobot held.

"Traitor!" Maximus growled again as he backpedalled out of the grip, wrenching Scorponok's tail out of his chest. "You slaggin' traitor!" Maximus transformed into his Cybertronian battlestation mode and unleashed his firepower at Scorponok, trying to force the Decepticon back while he regained his bearings.

Maximus' aim was terrible; it was evident the venom is affecting him. But Scorponok did not wish to bear the brunt of Maximus' fire anymore than was necessary. It hurt. Scorponok knew it firsthand. Therefore, he dived behind a tower of the now-wrecked Council building, crushing a local vehicle in the process. "I am not a traitor. You are! I am always loyal to Cybertron and the people. The Senate was too corrupt, too ineffective. They did not care about the people anymore! Megatron's methods might be questionable, but he brought peace to the land. It's not too late for you to join us!" Scorponok said, pulling out the massive cannon clamped in his leg.

"You scum destroy all that we believe in! You destroy innocents! Worse, you brought these other species into our war!" Maximus replied, transforming back into robot mode and locking his weapons on Scorponok's position.

"These things are expendable." Scorponok growled. With a massive swing of his left claw, the Decepticon tore down the tower he was hiding behind, undoubtedly killing any Nebulons hiding inside.

"No!" Maximus roared, and in an instant, missiles, rockets, plasma and warheads were launched from the Autobot's body and streaked towards Scorponok.

"Frag. For a supposed peacebringer, you got lots of guns." the quad-lasers on Scorponok's legs and the turrets on his shoulder tried to shoot down as many missiles as they can, but a large amount of the Autobot's assault tore into Scorponok's body. Activating his arm guard, the Decepticon managed to block most of the plasma bolts, but the missiles and rockets that escaped his cover fire punched through.

Growling in pain, Scorponok tossed the spoilt arm-guard aside. "Last chance. You fight for these weak flesh-beings. That is why you'll lose." Scorponok said, crushing another vehicle with his massive toes.

"While you fight for nothing, Scorponok!" Maximus bellowed, launching another salvo.

"Wrong. I fight for Cybertron. I fight for the Empire." Scorponok hissed, charging forwards towards the incoming missiles. "For Cybertron!" Scorponok endured the pain as the fire burnt through his circuits, tearing out exostructural plating. Transforming into scorpion mode, he caught Maximus in a hug and slammed him down, Scorponok's inertia carrying both of them into the dome-shaped Council chamber.

"Fighting for our planet does not give you the right destroy others!" Maximus growled, sending a savage punch onto Scorponok's head.

"It does! The Emperor's will is my command." Scorponok said, reeling from the punch. He did not truly believe in Megatron's views, but it was better than anything the Autobots ever offered him. The Autobots never accepted him because of his... bloodlust. The Decepticons had. "I only give you one warning, Maximus. Leave now before you share Nebulos' fate." Scorponok's gun batteries on his shoulders swiveled and shot off a few pulses of energy into Fortress Maximus' chest, igniting explosions in the Autobot's body. Scorponok kept the assault going by headbutting Maximus' face, before proceeding to clamp his pincers onto the Autobot, tearing out plates from his face.

"Never surrender. If there is anything I picked up from you, it's that." Fortress Maximus hissed, and the massive mortar launchers on his legs swiveled up and opened fire on Scorponok's underside. As the point-blank blasts seared holes in his exostructure, Scorponok transformed into robot mode and leapt backwards, landing in a crouch. Maximus took the opportunity to pull out his twin-barrelled heat-seeking missile launcher as well as his gigantic photon BFG. "You see, scorpion, you are not the only one who has made some adjustments." Maximus pressed the trigger.

Scorponok used his claws to tear out chunks of the ground as well as a nearby building spire and hurl them towards the incoming fire. His makeshift rubble missiles slammed into the two missiles, causing them to explode prematurely mid-flight, although the photon blast slammed into Scorponok's side, tearing out a good chunk of circuity. "Frag! Aren't you supposed to be a peaceful fella? Ah, well. Makes it more fun for me to do this." Scorponok gritted his teeth at the burning pain in his exposed circuity, and summoned his anti-gravity gun from subspace. He fired off a blast, which slammed into Maximus, energy waves rippling through the massive Autobot's body.

"What is that supposed to-" Maximus began, but his words were cut off by a surprised "Whaaaa!" as he began floating in the air, alongside any debris near enough to get affected by the beam.

"Anti-gravity rifle. Don't ask me how it works. Got it from our 'supplier', Swindle." Scorponok said, as he slammed a catridge into the back of the massive rifle. "Also comes with an artillery configuration." Scorponok aimed the rifle at Fortress Maximus' chest and fired. His massive tail reared up above his head and joined in the assault by firing a massive bolt of charged plasma.

Maximus screamed as the continued assault tore through him, sending him flying backwards, crashing through homes and shops in Koraja, his massive frame causing massive amounts of collateral damage before finally screeching into a stop, creating a massive, burning crater. There was a large wound in his chest and side, and they were leaking freely.

Scorponok walked towards the fallen Autobot's form, crashing through some of Nebulos' military assault vehicles in the process. "I win, you lose, Maxie." he taunted, crushing Maximus' missile launcher under his pillar-like feet. "I would love to play twenty rounds with you, Max, but I have greater things to do. Still, you'll be a thorn in my side if I leave you awake. But I don't want to kill you just yet. Our old friendship earns you that much. But only this once. The next time we meet-" Scorponok's tail transformed into a sting and struck forward into Maximus' face "-only one of us will make it out alive."

Scorponok left the cyber-venom infected Maximus laying there, unconscious and twitching. Scorponok turned around, and he was greeted by a hail of explosive missiles, one of which blew up in his face. Roaring, the general took one look at the Nebulon tanks opening fire at him and growled. Scorponok transformed into scorpion mode, and using his tail-cannon, cut a swath of destruction through the Nebulon army, blowing up the vehicles and sending their owners fleeing unsuccessfully. As his eight jointed legs scuttled forward, Scorponok's claws lashed out to tear at any tank in grabbing range. Above and around him, Scorponok could see the rest of his team tearing into the Nebulons and Autobots.

"Wingspan, you're in charge until I return. I... have things to do." Scorponok said, transforming into robot mode. Massive jets attached to his legs activated and awkwardly lifted him up. Scorponok flew (or hovered) towards a forest nearby, casually knocking a Nebulon jet into doom in process.
__________________________________

TYREST, CYBERTRON

"This is crazy this is crazy this is crazy it'll never work we're all gonna die."

"Shut the Pit up, Motormouth." Roadhaulder hissed. Not all Autobots had made it off Cybertron. And some are still stuck on the planet as resistance cells, trying their best to sabotage Decepticon operations. One of these resistance cells is planning to attack a Drone production facility in Tyrest. Roadhauler looked at the rest of the resistance crew. Clampdown, Motormouth, Deep Cover, Vanguard, Moonracer, Big Daddy, Greaser, Hubs, Trip-Up, Metalhawk and a very damaged Windmill. Each of them had a determined expression on their faces (except for Vanguard, who doesn't have a face). "You boys ready? We're gonna blow this place up. Let's refresh the plans, okay? Clampdown and Vanguard, you guys'll create a diversion. Motormouth, Moonracer and myself, we'll snipe the guarding drones. Deep Cover, you lay the charges. Hot Rod Patrol, back him up. Windmill, Metalhawk, if you two can still transform-"

"No can do." Metalhawk said, his body concealed within a shabby-looking Pretender shell. "We're still recovering from our near-death experience in Kaon. Me, I'm only walking 'cause of this shell. Thank Primus you found us when you did." Windmill silently nodded affirmative, the valiant strategician not talking or transforming ever since Roadhauler's resistance pocket found them both. Roadhauler had patched them both up with the materials they were able to scavenge, but that wasn't enough. Metalhawk's Pretender shell helped somewhat, but Windmill was... worse.

"Okay, you two'll be lookout and laying cover fire." Roadhauler said, his left hand transforming into a missile launcher. "For Cybertron. Move!" Clampdown transformed into vehicle mode, and with Vanguard, shot off towards the opposite direction of the factory. Roadhauler looked at a chronometer on the side of his visor, and silently counted down. 3... 2... 1... and something exploded behind them. Either a fuel tank or a transport plane, depending on Clampdown's mood. "Go, go, go!" Deep Cover transformed and shrunk- way down- until he was a miniature car that could fit in a Micromaster's hand. It was a unique ability, really. From a car which seats can accomodate a Micromaster into the size of the same Micromaster's palm. Big Daddy was that Micromaster, and quickly scooped up the small Deep Cover in his palms.

"Hot Rod Patrol, let's roll!" the four rebellious Autobots were in their element, swerving like madmech, weaving between the legs of the larger, clumsier Tankor drones stationed around the factory. The drones (and the Obsidian, Seeker and Jetstream body type drones flying above them) are all distracted by the explosion. If left unchecked, Vanguard and Clampdown would be overwhelmed. That's what Roadhauler and the others are for.

Aiming at the head of a Tankor drone, Roadhauler let loose a missile, which tore the upper cranium of the lumbering drone off. Moonracer, Motormouth and Metalhawk peppered the swarm of aerial drones above with fire whilst moving in separate directions to avoid being spotted. Windmill pulled out a smoke grenade from subspace and lobbed it into the midst of the drones. "Mostly drones, Hauler. Three Hellhounds incoming onto your six, and a couple of sentient Seekers on Motormouth's tail. Need help?" Metalhawk asked over their encrypted frequency. Roadhauler grimaced. The Hellhounds were a nasty piece of work. He should know; he was among the bots who designed it.

Roadhauler turned around and transformed into his crane mode, and charged forward. Inwardly he flashed back to happier times, better times. With the Constructicons. Hook, Scrapper, Bonecrusher, Long Haul, Mixmaster, Scavenger, Hightower, Gravedigger, Heavy Load and himself. The first six had underwent the gestalt process, and all of them serve the Decepticons now. Roadhauler could sympathesize. After all, all their careers were destroyed by the Autobot Senate. While the Six joined up with the Decepticons even before the rebellion, Roadhauler managed to persuade the remaining few not to. But alas, one by one they joined the Decepticons. Gravedigger was lured by the prospect of easy money. Hightower wanted to be on the winning team. Heavy Load... he's insane, and wanted to blow things up.

This left Roadhauler the only one in their group that's an Autobot. Crashing into the Hellhound trio with his crane, Roadhauler transformed into robot mode and began to combat his creations by hand, pinning one Hellhound down to the ground and firing laser blasts to a second. A well-aimed shot from Moonracer shot through the third's head.

Roadhauler hoisted the Hellhound that he pinned and lobbed it at its comrade, before firing an explosive missile into the tangled mass of limbs and metal. The Hellhounds disappeared in a flashy explosion. Roadhauler checked his chronometer. They had two cycles until Deep Cover and the Hot Rod Patrol returns. Roadhauler grunted as Tankor Drones charged him, opening fire with laser blasts that tore apart the ground around him.

Moonracer, in car mode, sped into the carnage and with precise shots, tore into the drones at their vulnerable spots. The head, the tank treads, the energon fuel lines... Roadhauler pulled one of the dead Hellhounds' spiked tails, and using it as a makeshift mace, the ex-Constructicon slammed it into one of the Tankor drones, causing it to flip over above Roadhauler, a small flame burning where the mace has struck. The drone crashed into the ground upside down before exploding.

"One more cycle..." Roadhauler grunted as the rest of his team began to move backwards, pushed by the drones. Clampdown and Vanguard had returned, and opened fire into the airborne Obsidian Drones and Jetstream Drones, turning them into fireballs that spiral down towards the ground before exploding.

"Hauler!" came Moonracer's sweet, youthful voice. "I see Big Daddy!"

Roadhauler snapped around to see where the fembot is pointing, and smiled. They're out early. "Provide support fire! Windmill, prepare for our escape!" Saying so, Roadhauler launched a missile which tore apart two Cycle Drones which had been harassing the Hot Rod Patrol. Deep Cover, the tiny Deep Cover, shot out of Big Daddy's window and expanded into a transformer easily as tall as Roadhauler himself. Immediately after he transformed, he let loose a missile which turned a Tankor drone into a burning ball of flame. "Go go go! We need to vamoose now!" Deep Cover shouted to his comrades.

Roadhauler turned to Windmill, who nodded. The Actionmaster launched a wave of smoke grenades, followed by a weak EMP wave, scrambling the drones' tracking systems. It's weak enough to allow the Autobots (and, for the matter, any living Decepticons around) to move unhindered, but the drones would be blinded.

As the resistance regrouped and disappeared into the massive network of underground sewer systems, Roadhauler could feel and hear the massive explosion above them. "Yeah, we got them!" Moonracer whooped, and most of the team whooped with joy.

Roadhauler smiled as they made their way to their temporary base. It's ironic, considering that the Decepticons began their rebellion by hiding in the Underground city below Kaon. Now the Autobot resistance are fighting the Decepticon Empire through the same network of underground tunnels.

But there's a difference between the Decepticons' uprising and the Autobot resistance. The Decepticons aren't exactly stupid. Hubs made a sign for the Autobots to hang back as a patrol of Decepticons and drones passed through the corridor in front of them. "Damn. There's more of them in this patrol than those we've met before." Moonracer muttered. Tossing her energon-crossbow from one hand to the other, she looked at the more... senior members of the resistance cell. "Do we engage?"

"Negative." Clampdown said. "It's different if we take out the drone factory. If this patrol disappears, they know where to pinpoint us, and like animals, we'll be herded until they catch us."

Roadhauler watched as the last Decepticon walked out of sight. The underground levels of Cybertron hold many dangers. Mutants and rabid techno-organics. Hidden Decepticon mines and cameras. As well as the more 'natural' hazards like radioactivity, acid pools, molten rivers, bottomless drops and a generally confusing and ever-shifting patchwork of tunnels. Roadhauler and his crew never stayed in the same place for too long, for fear of being discovered by Decepticons or mutants. "Hauler? We're clear to go, those 'Cons are gone." Motormouth said, the shorter Autobot prodding Roadhauler's side.

"Hnn? Oh, yeah." Roadhauler mumbled, and the Autobot resistance continued their slow march into the hidden alcove which is their temporary base. Not much is there, really. Only a few tables, two busted CR chambers, some salvaged spare parts and weapons, and a little energon cubes and broken datapads. But to Roadhauler, it's home. At least for now.
___________________________________

TELETRAAN, EARTH

All the Autobots on Earth bar Skids, Mirage and Ratchet are prepared and ready for combat. Prowl watched as the crew, armed with guns and other more... exotic types of weapons, stepped into Wheeljack's orbital bounce mechanisms. "Sky-Spy has spotted the Decepticon's base on Antarctica. Wheeljack thinks they're building some sort of energy collector. We have to get there and defeat as many Decepticons as possible, and to drive them away from Earth, got that? And-" Jazz's briefing is interrupted suddenly when a klaxon blared. Turning to Skids, the Special Operations leader asked, "What the hell, man?"

Skids, a worried expression plastered on his face, turned to regard the rest of the team, "The Decepticons are attacking an oil rig nearby. Thank Primus it's currently unmanned by humans..."

Jazz sighed. The 'Cons are really getting on his nerves. "Ready for orbital jump. Skids, if you'll beam us down..."

Skids gave Jazz a thumbs-up, entered the coordinates and pressed a button. Soon, one by one the Autobots disappeared into streams of energy. Jazz watched as the Autobot standing beside him, Ironhide, seemingly disintegrated into a stream of bright lights. Soon, Jazz's vision blurred, and he felt as if he was going into stasis lock. Jazz thought he could see as they were beamed up into the SkySpy and beamed back down into the oil rig, but he knew actually seeing that was impossible, and had to be his imagination. After all, his optic nerves were streams of energy by this point.

Jazz materialized on a secluded groove in the oil rig. He felt like he was going to hurl as the atoms that made him up arranged themselves into their proper positions. "Urp. I feel like I've been through a blender." Jazz muttered.

"Be thankful it's just nausea, and not misplaced limbs." Bumblebee said, smiling. "Considering our resident scientist's track record..."

Jazz turned to see Wheeljack, who was elated, the inventor's 'ears' flashing jubilantly, and Jazz just had to smile at such childish yet natural outburst of joy. "It worked! It worked again! Oh, sweet sweet Primacron, it worked!"

Jazz turned to Prowl, the leader of this mission. "It's your call, boss."

Prowl nodded, clicking an ammunition pack into his acid pellet rifle. "Let's do this." he said, his voice betraying the grogginess evident in his optics.

Jazz sighed. Wheeljack's orbital bounce is an amazing gizmo to instantly transport between places, but it has a nasty side-effect of making one nauseous and disoriented during landing, making it unsuitable to teleport a bunch of killers into a Decepticon base. It also releases a massive amount of energy, making anyone nearby take notice of them, thus the reason they jumped in a distance away. "Incoming!" someone shouted. Jazz shook his head to clear his systems the best as he could and collapsed into his alternate mode and shot forwards, barely dodging a group of explosive missiles that tore apart the catwalk where he had just been in.

"I count three of the Seekers, at least, as well as another jet. Oh, and Laserbeak too." Hound shouted to his comrades over the din, as explosions tore apart the metallic catwalks and walkways around them. Pieces of metal sunk into the dark, unforgiving icy waters, crashing through the thin layer of ice that floated over the water.

"Evasive maneouvers!" Prowl shouted over the din, snapping off a couple of shots from his acid pellet gun, one of which slammed into Blitzwing's left flank, eating into the metal and forcing the Decepticon triple-changer to transform into robot mode. "Hit them when an opening presents itself!" Prowl said, sidestepping as Blitzwing charged at him, aiming unsuccessfully to slice him with his schmitar.

Jazz watched as the three Seekers transformed into robot mode and began strafing them with a variety of missiles and explosives. Skywarp, Thundercracker and Dirge. Not the brightest of Decepticons, but three of the more powerful ones. Jazz's normally shoulder-mounted cannon slid out of a recessed compartment on his hood. Switching ammunition from flamethrower to missile launcher, Jazz shot off a missile at Skywarp, before transforming into robot mode.

"Gnn!" Skywarp hissed, and disappeared with a swirl of energy, and the missile sailed harmlessly into the waters. Jazz turned around, knowing that Skywarp would reappear almost instantly somewhere behind him. Sure enough, the jet-black Seeker popped out of thin air, and kicked Jazz in the midsection. Jazz grunted, but went with the force and rolled back into a standing position, before firing a few laser blasts at Skywarp from his laser rifle. The larger Transformer grunted as one of the bolts pierced his chest-mounted cockpit and the other shots scored hits on his exostructure, before teleporting away again.

Jazz turned around and jumped away from the spot he had just been standing before, smiling as the spot was blown up by a missile from Skywarp. "Say hello to my little friends." Jazz said, opening fire with his sidearm and missile launcher, the attacks slamming accurately into the Seeker's center of mass.

As Skywarp reeled from the pain, massive metal beams rammed onto the Seeker, batting him away from the rig and sending him crashing into a floating iceberg. Jazz turned to Windcharger, the smaller Autobot's eyes and fists glowing dimly with purple magnetic energy, which levitated the beams. Jazz grinned. "Cool, dude! Keep the pressure on 'em!"

Windcharger nodded, and with a wave of his palm, the two metallic beams levitating above his shoulders shot towards Blitzwing. The triple-changer is too busy trying to slice Prowl into two and he did not see the beam slamming onto his back before it was too late, and the Decepticon skidded across the platform, crashing into a stop on a pile of crates.

Jazz grinned, but suddenly his back was on fire, and he realized too late that a mass of micromissiles have slammed onto his back, tearing the windshield and roof of his vehicle mode off. Snapping behind, Jazz saw the impassive form of Soundwave, who seemed to appear out of nowhere. Windcharger rushed the communications officer, but was knocked off his feet before he could lay a punch on the Communications officer. Windcharger crashed onto the platform, and a dark, feline shape landed gracefully, like a dancer, nearby. Ravage.

Jazz turned as Soundwave's chest compartment opened. "Frenzy, Rumble, Slugfest, Overkill, Squawktalk, Beastbox, Howlback: eject. Operation: extermination." a mass of cassettes flew out of Soundwave's chest compartment and transformed into their beast modes (barring Frenzy and Rumble) and began attacking the Autobots.

"I hate that glitchhead." Windcharger grumbled, trying to send an oil drum flying towards Soundwave with his magnetic powers. But his concentration was disturbed by Ravage, who slashed onto him with razor-sharp claws.

Jazz grunted as the lumbering Slugfest tore into his side with the horn mounted on the dinosaurian cassette's snout, and winced as the gorilla-mode Beastbox sent him a punch that belied his tiny stature, sending Jazz crashing on top of an abandoned control station for humans. "Damn you, why don't you just bug off?" Jazz said, the cannon mounted on his shoulder sending a tongue of flame towards Beastbox and Slugfest. The former was smart enough and grunted angrily as the flame torched his chassis. Slugfest, however, was too data-deficient to comprehend the attack and blindly charged forwards. Diving headlong into flame had the nasty unexpected side-effect of powering Slugfest's solar-powered weapons, which opened fire automatically, tearing holes in Jazz's polished paintjob. Despite his pain, Jazz noted with amusement that Slugfest seemed as surprised as himself that his weapon actually fired.

Panels on Jazz's side slid out, and Jazz grinned. "I have the urge to rock, yo!" his stereo system began to play a mixture of loud music, while strobe lights flashed from Jazz's systems. Confounding the dimwitted Slugfest and the unprepared Beastbox. Disoriented, Slugfest fell prey to a mean punch from Jazz, and fell down, unconscious. Beastbox gave in to his primal instincts and knuckled away from the confusing light show. Sighing, Jazz turned it off, and kicked Slugfest's prone form.

However, Jazz's job was far from done, when an avian form, perched and hidden on top of the oil rig, swooped down and launched deadly mortars towards the special operations director. "I break it..." Jazz said, ducking away from the mortars, which tore apart chunks of the platform behind the Autobot. Retracting his hand and replacing it with a grapple line, Jazz scooped the unconscious Slugfest and launched the green-and-purple Cassettecon towards his avian comrade. "You buy it!" Jazz grinned as Slugfest crashed onto Buzzsaw's side, sending both Decepticon spiralling down and crashing onto the sea.

But Jazz suddenly shudderred and slumped on his side. "N- Not fair..."

Behind Jazz, Laserbeak perched on the ground, his cannons smoking, having torn into the Autobot's systems from the wound inflicted earlier by Soundwave. Laserbeak was unable to express much emotion with his avian face, but it is easy for anyone to tell that he was smiling.
___________________________

It is easy for anyone to tell that Cliffjumper was also smiling. The minibot loved battle, unlike what is dictated of most Autobots.

Grinning, the shorter Autobot rammed Howlback, sending the Cassettecon crashing onto Rumble, before charging Thundercracker. From the edge of his vision, he could see Laserbeak sneaking up and attacking Jazz, and Bumblebee coming to Jazz's rescue. He could see Prowl fighting against the much larger Blitzwing, neither warrior wanting to give up. He could see Hound using holograms, fighting the fear-aura using Dirge. He could see Wheeljack and Ironhide, the former using a multitude of odd gadgets to fight off the Cassettecon swarm while the latter used the more old-fashioned way of 'beat-em-up' with some chemical attacks mixed in.

He could see a blue avian Cassettecon and a white feline Cassettecon operating a console which is siphoning the oil and is creating energon cubes.

As he caught Thundercracker in a bear hug on the waist, the Minibot slammed the Seeker down onto his back, before pounding Thundercracker's chassis.

The larger transformer looked at Cliffjumper with an expression that, surprisingly, bore no malice, but rather a strange mixture of determination and regret. Cliffjumper had no time to think about it, though, when Thundercracker's chest armours slid aside to reveal a missile rack. "Checkmate." the Seeker whispered, as two of the missiles launched and exploded on Cliffjumper's stomach.

As the Minibot reeled in pain, Thundercracker extended his arms, and suddenly a sonic boom extended like a sphere that grew, with Thundercracker at its centre. Cliffjumper and any debris unfortunate enough to be nearby were all forcibly thrown away, and the Minibot slammed down on Ironhide's feet.

"Y'eh okay, kid?" the gruff veteran queried, while retracting his wrists, sending a stream of liquid nitrogen from one and a stream of concentrated acid from the other. The Cassettecons around Ironhide scattered to get away from the chemicals, but that left them vulnerable to Wheeljack's fire. Wheeljack whooped as his magnetic dust shell exploded on Squawktalk's body. Instantly, dislodged pieces of metal that lay around the oil rig all floated up and slammed onto the talkative Decepticon.

"What is this, get it off right now, this instant, immediately! Please, I need help, assistance, backup...MAYDAY! MAYDAY!" the Cassettecon shrieked as a particularly large chunk of an I-beam floated up and knocked him out cold.

Cliffjumper smiled, but the smile disappeared when he saw Thundercracker flying at them with jet boots, opening fire with laser bolts. To make things worse, Skywarp had recovered, and while not at full power, had taken sniping position behind Thundercracker. Cliffjumper raised his 'glass-gas' gun and aimed it at Thundercracker, and fired off a shell, which exploded near the Seeker's legs, expelling its lethal gaseous contents. The glass gas seeped into the gaps between the metal that made up Thundercracker's feet and thrusters, weakening the metallic bonds and weakened them. The metal turned brittle and weak as glass, and it was unable to withstand the powerful exhaust from his jet thrusters on his boots. The force and the heat from the engines were too much for the glass to handle, and it shattered, sending a stunned Thundercracker spiralling out of control, crashing onto and through the platform, slamming into the network of support pillars below.

"Chalk one up for the Autobots!" Cliffjumper whooped, but his celebration was cut short when a deafening high-pitched noise slammed onto his face, overloading his audio input sensors.

It was Frenzy. The dimunitive Decepticon, while seemingly weak from the outside, is named such for a reason. Able to take on larger enemies single-handedly, Frenzy and his twin brother, Rumble, are equipped with special powers that allow them to sow mayhem and terror in the battlefield. Rumble preferred to use piledrivers or internal drums to create seismic tremors, which are rendered useless in this situation when said tremors would make the entire oil rig collapse. Frenzy had no such issues, as his powers are sonic-based. Similar to Thundercracker's sonic boom, Frenzy is able to emit sound at very high volumes and frequencies, as well as direct the sound as a pulse in one direction. The sonic scream itself is visible as a pulsing stream, even with the naked eye.

And that stream is slamming into Cliffjumper's head, the force of it tearing pieces of metal off the Minibot's face and making it hard for him to think. "S- Slaggin' bast-" Cliffjumper managed, trying to shut off the synapses to his audio sensors with little success. The storm of noise that swirled and screamed in his sensors threatened to tear his brain apart when suddenly- it stopped. "What th' frag?" Cliffjumper mumbled, still able to hear ringing noises in his audio sensors.

His optics were fine (albeit a little cracked due to the scream), though, and he could see that Wheeljack had trapped the Cassettecon in a floating purple sphere of sorts. Cliffjumper's sensors told him that it's an electromagnetic cage. The Minibot smiled when Frenzy tried screaming his way out of the transcluscent bubble, but the invention was strong enough to repel the scream, and the scream backfired into Frenzy, and the Cassettecon collapsed.

"N- Nice. I owe you a drink, Wheeljack." Cliffjumper muttered, before charging into battle, screaming expletives about sonic-based warriors and what cowards they are.

The Minibot threw a mean right hook to Beastbox's jaw, sending the purple Cassettecon tumbling into the hole from which Thundercracker had fallen through. Cliffjumper turned around and used his glass gas at an approaching black figure in the sky.

Laserbeak's left wing joint crystallized as brittle as glass, and a subsequent shot from Bumblebee's cannon shattered the metal, sending Laserbeak and his wing tumbling away separately. "Nice assist." Bumblebee said, giving Soundwave a thumbs-up.

"Don't mention it. You'd do the same for me." Cliffjumper said, grinning arrogantly, but the cocky expression disappeared when Bumblebee collapsed backwards, large, smoking holes torn apart in his chassis. "Bumblebee!" Cliffjumper shouted as he rushed to his friend's aid. Seconds later, Cliffjumper's back was torn apart by the same assailant.

Before he passed into unconsciousness, Cliffjumper managed to turn around and see Soundwave, his concussion cannon and micromissile launcher smoking. The Decepticon aimed his hand-held concussion cannon's at Cliffjumper's forehead, and the cannon's silver tip started to crackle with purple energy.

Oh, crap.

"Skids, recall 'Bee, Jazz and me right now!" Cliffjumper practically screamed into his commlink as he tried to roll away, a difficult task, considering the pain that racked his back. Soundwave fired and the charged shot tore a chunk off Cliffjumper's cranium as well as his right horn, and slammed into Bumblebee's left thigh.

But that was as far as Soundwave went, as Cliffjumper disappeared into a stream of orange-hued neutrons and protons, and the immobile bodies of Jazz and Bumblebee followed suit soon after.

"Decepticons, wrap this up. Garboil, eject. Operation: Retrieval." Soundwave said, as the blue condor transformed and flew above the battleground. Soon, he returned with Laserbeak's broken form before flying off again. Soundwave made a noise that sounded like disgust as Laserbeak painfully shrunk into cassette mode and returned to Soundwave's chest.
______________________________________

"What is your greatest fear, Autobot?" Dirge's deep, baritone voice echoed through Hound's mind as the blue Conehead approached him. Hound was beaten; his illusions were no good when he's so... scared.

And Dirge... he's the master of fear. A psychology expert excelling in fear, Dirge has the unique ability that allowed him to make others around him, save for the strongest-minded transformers, to see their minds' subconscious, hidden fear. Dirge's ability, coupled with modifications made to his engines to enhance the power of his 'aura', had made him a true force to be reckoned with in the battlefield. Dirge's illegal experiments with live test subjects had caused his incarceration in Altihex prison by the old government. It all changed when Megatron's forces broke the prisoners out and whipped them into an army. Dirge admired Megatron's steadfast 'Peace Through Tyranny' outlook. By causing everyone to fear him, Megatron would administer peace into Cybertron. His unique skills had allowed Dirge to climb up the ranks quickly enough to be included in the Elite Seekers, Megatron's 'Elite Guard'.

Dirge relished moments such as these, tormenting Autobots such as Hound, curled up, fear in his optics, shaking hands holding a gun which they could not aim.

The cone-headed Seeker leered at Hound, soaking in the Autobot's petrified looks. Repeating the question, Dirge growled, "What is your greatest fear?" the Seeker expected no coherent answer, but sometimes asking a petrified victim usually leads to him getting lucky and knowing the specifics.

"Dead... everyone... dead!" Hound stammered, much to Dirge's glee. He enjoyed knowing his foes' fears more than simply instilling it into them. "Prime... Ultra Magnus... Silverbolt... everyone's dead... because of... of me!"

Dirge smiled. A fear of loss of friends, due to one's wrong choices or actions. A common fear, especially rampant among Autobots, and is also specially prominent in members of close-knit teams like combiners. Sometimes this is combined with a fear of loneliness, a fear of death, a fear of having everything they know desteoyed, a fear of helplessness or simply a fear of being overwhelmed by the enemy. For Hound, apparently, it was a fear of seeing everything around him destroyed, as the Autobot started yammering about the terrain and innocents being torn apart.

Dirge decided to end this Autobot's suffering life. Dirge's shoulder-mounted concussion missiles retracted, and machineguns replaced them. The machinegun is a weapon that is more effective on a closer range, and less likely to have a backlash effect. Dirge took his time in aiming it at Hound's chest and let loose a hail of bullets, which tore into the Autobot's exo-structure, tearing out chunks of the engine block and apparently had the unwanted side-effect of snapping Hound out of his fear-induced haze. The Autobot did the only thing he could, which is to say he transformed and rammed Dirge. However, the Decepticon was larger, and had more mass, and used his powerful hands to dig into Hound's side. The two combatants were locked in an unmoving struggle for a while, before Dirge swung Hound aside, and the jeep crashed across the platform, skidding towards the edge, and tumbled down into the icy ocean below.

Dirge strode over to the edge and watched in satisfaction as the Autobot plummetted down into the icy waters and exploded in a burning ball of scarlet and orange flames.

A series of shots slammed onto his back, and Dirge spun around- to see the Autobot he just killed. "Impossible! You are dead..." the Seeker gasped in disbelief.

Hound sneered. "What's your greatest fear then, Dirge? Ghosts? The undead sparks of those you killed?" and in front of Dirge's optics, dead bodies of Autobots rose out of the ground.

"Frag!" Dirge shouted, for a moment believing that it was true, and his dead foes came back to haunt him. He quickly shook his head to clear his mind, however, and grunted. "Cheap hologram tricks, Autobot. It will not fool me." Hound must've used the hologram to fake his death; it's not a trick that would catch Dirge unawares twice. Grunting, Dirge transformed and took to the sky, his modified F22 Raptor's powerful engine emitting a frequency that boosted his fear aura to the maximum capacity.

Hound cursed, and opened fire with his rapid-fire machinegun, spent ammo casings pouring out of his gun's side as bullets scorched hit marks on Dirge's body and wings. Grunting in pain, Dirge strafed the area around Hound and the 'zombies', intending to force the Autobot into a cornered position.

"DIRGE! Quit toying with the Autobot, and destroy him!" a shrill voice literally exploded through the Decepticon frequencies.

"Yes, Starscream." Dirge replied, his scanners reading two Decepticons en-route to their position. Starscream and Astrotrain. The cavalry. Turning his attention back to Hound, Dirge let loose the two oval-shaped concussion missiles under his wings, which streaked down towards Hound's position. "Farewell, Autobot." the missiles impacted, causing the entire section of the platform where Hound was on to cave in, dragging the Autobot down into a fiery mass of molten metal, shrapnel and flame. Before he was consumed, however, Hound disappeared in a flash of light. "I hate it when they do that." Dirge hissed, as he transformed back into robot mode, nose-diving towards where Blitzwing was fighting Prowl.

Blitzwing is a powerful and durable Decepticon triple-changer, and should be more than a match to an Autobot like Prowl. But Prowl's superior strategies, as well as the Autobot's acid pellets are wearing Blitzwing down. Prowl did not escape Blitzwing's rage unscratched, though. The Autobot's entire left wing had been sliced off, and his bodywork was covered with dents and scorch marks. As Blitzwing advanced onto the Autobot High General, waving his schmitar, Prowl smiled.

"Blitzwing, look out-" Dirge's warning was cut short, and he had to shield his eyes as the explosives that Prowl had left in the area ignited and exploded, taking Blitzwing down. "Arrogant fool." Dirge hissed, as Blitzwing's charred and mangled form collapsed forwards, twitching uncontrollably.

Dirge would've helped Blitzwing up, but he had his own problems. An acid pellet missile was launched from Prowl's shoulders, and before Dirge could react, impacted on his fuselage. Screaming as the acid ate through his engine, Dirge transformed and landed, hitting Prowl's jaw with a punch as he did so. "You'll pay for that." the Seeker hissed.

"Don't think so." Prowl said, using his feet to sweep the Seeker's feet, sending Dirge tumbling backwards. "It's illogical."

As he scrambled back to his feet, Dirge could see that the remaining Cassettecons have diverted their efforts to collecting the energon. Overkill and Rumble were the only Cassettecons still tormenting Wheeljack, while Ironhide had his hands full with an angry Thundercracker. Skywarp lay injured, some distance away, mech fluid leaking out of his wounds, but the doctor among them, Glit, is tending to him.

Dirge raised his left hand, the concussion missile on his shoulder taking aim at Prowl. "Frag you, Autobot." he spat, trying to shoot the General's face, but Prowl was too fast for him. In a swift move of the hand, Prowl drew his acid-pellet rifle clamped to his waist and fired at the missile, causing it to explode while still attached to Dirge.

Dirge hissed in pain as he tried to move backwards, but Prowl's remaining shoulder-mounted missile took aim at Dirge and fired, tearing a hole in his waist. Dirge screamed.

"Now listen here, slagger." Prowl hissed, planting his foot in Dirge's chest, aiming his acid-pellet rifle at Dirge's head, and the Autobot made a show of pushing the setting to the max. "I'm a bot of facts. Fact: my last hit had immobilized your legs, as well as your ability to transform. Fact: the pain is distracting you from using your fear aura on me. Fact: my rifle is set to kill and it would easily melt through your cranial armour and terminate you. Fact: your chance of survival depends on you negotiating with me."

Dirge hissed, and spat mech fluid at Prowl's face. "Y- You're a fraggin' Autobot. You won't kill me."

Prowl remained unfazed, but brought his face closer to Dirge. Somehow, it would've been more calming had Prowl threatened him the conventional way. The calmness and the manner that he speaks... it was as if Prowl was willing to bet his life on his words. The stillness and confidence... was unnerving. "We are at war." the Autobot began softly, "You are a casualty of war. I could kill you-" Dirge, for once in his life, was truly afraid of his life.

Prowl suddenly whirled, snapping the rifle across Dirge's face, before planting a savage punch that sent the Seeker into unconsciousness.
__________________________________

"-but that won't make me any better than you." Letting the limp form slump down, Prowl surveyed the battlefield. Ironhide had coated himself with a dense metal plating, rendering himself practically invulnerable to Thundercracker's lasers and missiles. The armour, however, did not save Ironhide from Thundercracker's sonic booms, and the old Autobot was knocked backwards.

Wheeljack, meanwhile, had a lighter time in fighting Rumble and Overkill. Rumble is basically an obedient thug with earthquake-causing powers, while Overkill... despite his dinosaurian look, the Decepticon was spewing an endless stream of insults even as his cassette tracks played out a pre-recorded track of insults and threats. Wheeljack's shoulder missile launcher took aim at them and fired gryo-disruptor dust onto them, causing the two smallish Decepticons to lose their equilibrium and topple onto the ground.

Prowl smiled, noting the irony that Blitzwing had fought him with a weapon that had a similar effect on him. The general's smile disappeared, however, when a hail of missiles streaked down from the clouds above them, trailing smoke, and ripping apart the ground around Wheeljack, Ironhide and himself.

The clouds parted to reveal the massive space shuttle mode of Astrotrain, opening fire with lasers and missiles down at them. Nearby, Starscream's smaller but deadlier sleek form swooped in, blitzing the Autobots with missiles and null-rays.

Prowl went through a series of calculations through his mind as the world went up in flames around him. Nearby, Soundwave, Thundercracker and a hastily-patched-up Skywarp grabbed their broken comrades and rose out of the smoke and into the sky and piled into Astrotrain's open carriage.

Prowl knew that the three of them could not handle the regrouped Decepticons, especially not with them tired and low on ammo. So he looked for an alternative. Astrotrain slowly hovered down into where Ravage, Howlback and Garboil were waiting with the gathered energon.

Starscream landed, and amid the dancing flames, looked like a demon out of the Pit. "Surrender, Autobots. We'll take our energon and retreat to tend to our wounded. We'll leave you alone- there's no way you can take us all on, and blowing up the energon would take you with it."

Prowl calculated his chances. 86.52 per cent chance that the Decepticon would betray the deal. But he can't ignore the Decepticons' valid points. Frowning, he turned to Ironhide and Wheeljack. The latter, not having the thick armour that Ironhide has, was badly injured. It didn't take a strategist to calculate that they were badly outnumbered and outgunned. Thus, the only logical thing to do is to do as much damage to the Decepticons.

Prowl looked Starscream and smiled smugly. "Not really." he said to the Seeker. "It'll take YOU with it. Not us." Saying so, Wheeljack and Ironhide disappeared in an orbital bounce, and as Prowl began to shimmer, he launched the two missiles which had reloaded on his shoulder onto the energon, and emptied his ammunition pack on his acid rifle.

Prowl's vision of the Decepticons running away from the stockpile of energon disappeared, and he was blind for a while, until he materialized in Teletraan, the Autobots' base.

Prowl fell to his knees, his body racked with pain and nausea, and the sick feeling that they've lost. Beside him, he could see Ratchet tending to the broken forms of his fellow Autobots, with Mirage trying to assist the medic to the best of his abilities. Among the team who went to the Antarctic, only Ironhide and Prowl himself were still able to walk.

"Yah okay, Phrawl?" Ironhide queried, as the dinged-up red Autobot approached the general, concern in his weary face. "Need the 'doc to thake a look at'cha?"

"I'm fine, Ironhide." Prowl said, and out of politeness, added, "Thanks for asking." Prowl stood up, and along with Ironhide, staggered towards the bridge section. Prowl turned to Skids, who was feverishly manning a console that was monitoring the Decepticons, Prowl spoke in a voice that was all business. "Status report, Skids."

Skids nodded, and pointed at the large monitor, "Y'see, the SkySpy has visual of the oil rig you guys were on. I'll play back what happened." Skids said, and a video in slow motion started to play. Prowl disappeared from the battlefield in the scene, and his attacks slammed into the energon cubes. Ravage and Howlback immeddiately transformed into cassette modes and were picked up by Garboil, who shot into the sky. Astrotrain and Starscream had sense enough to fly out of the battlefield.

"Damn!" Ironhide cursed as the Decepticons escaped, slamming his clenched fist onto a console. "Didn't get any of 'em scumbags."

"They are here for something." Prowl noted, and both Ironhide and Skids turned to look at the strategician. "Not sure what, but with important officers like Starscream and Soundwave here, they must be searching for something important. The fact that they brought three Seekers and two triplechangers with them would be to prepare themselves for battling us. The only reason we won today is because of our orbital bounce technology." Prowl's brows furrowed. "Starscream, arrogant as he is, knows what he was doing. He just didn't expect us to use the orbital bounce to retreat."

"Should'a brought Grimlock wit' us." Ironhide grunted.

"Grimlock is busy, and so are the Wreckers." Prowl replied, and he turned to Skids. "But we still can have backup. Get me the Ark."
__________________________________

Meanwhile, all around them World War Three had erupted. While the leaders of the nations were hesitant to fight, the presence of Decepticons in the planet had pretty much became a catalyst for the war. Fake orders were sent by Soundwave, ordering the troops to open fire on other nations.

Starscream hated to admit it, but the monotonic jukebox was good with his stuff. Excellent, even.

Which means he had to be watched. Soundwave is loyal- unbelievably so- to Megatron and Megatron alone. But being loyal doesn't mean he doesn't watch out for the competition. Starscream is among the few Decepticons that outranked Soundwave, and people in Soundwave's position- intelligence officers- often stumble upon juicy secrets which could be used as blackmail. As the Leader of the Seekers sat like a king on the chair in the middle of their temporary base, he watched as Soundwave broadcasted signals that, simply put, caused chaos in the human worlds. Autobots would be able to intercept Soundwave's transmission easy enough. To track it? Maybe. To stop it? Never. As Starscream watched Soundwave, he mused about Soundwave's abilities.

Soundwave had a legion of (mostly) loyal Cassettecons, as well as a score of other intelligence agents all over the place. He's armed with a laser cannon and a micromissile launcher. Deadly weapons, but if a fight ever broke between Soundwave and him, Starscream'll have the upper hand. Undoubtedly. He knew that for sure. But... A supposed ability of Soundwave's is to read minds. Although Starscream doubted it is true.

"Do not doubt it." Soundwave suddenly spoke, his monotome voice carrying a smug undertone. The other Decepticons looked at the Communications Officer strangely, but Starscream frowned, fixing Soundwave with a glare.

"I'm convinced, Soundwave." Starscream said, his voice icily cold. "Return to your tasks."

Soundwave gazed lazily at Starscream, before nodding, "Affirmative, Aerospace Commander." Starscream looked across the room, his icy gaze indicating that he did not want their previous interaction to be questioned. The Decepticons did not dare pursue the matter, and Starscream leaned back on his chair.

"Patch me to Cybertron, communications officer." Starscream ordered Soundwave after a moment of unconfortable silence had passed. Soundwave immediately nodded, and soon a holo-screen shimmered into existence in the middle of the room. A three-dimensional image of one of the Reflectors (Starscream could never tell which was which).

The ghostly face spoke, the voice layered in the tripartite way Reflector speaks, as if three of them are speaking at the same time. "Lord Megatron will be with you shortly. I/We have informed him of it."

Starscream nodded, and impatiently drummed his fingers on his command chair. There was some background noise, and Reflector's face shimmered, and Megatron's face replaced him. "All hail! Megatron!" Starscream proclaimed, standing up from his chair and went down down on one knee, slamming the right fist down on the floor and crossing the left arm on his chest.

"All hail Megatron!" and across the room, Soundwave, Skywarp and everyone else assumed the same respective stance as Starscream. Megatron could only see Starscream and those immediately around him, but with Megatron, you never know what he's watching. Especially with the likes of Soundwave around...

"Rise, my loyal servants." Megatron said, his visage seemingly sweeping through the room's occupants. "Starscream. I trust you have something important to tell me?"

Starscream nodded, smiling genuinely, "Of course, my liege. I wouldn't waste your time on trivial matters." taking a more serious tune, the Aerospace Commander coughed, and continued, "As Shockwave predicted, the Autobots have arrived on this planet. Its inhabitants are diverse, the leading species the homo sapiens. Intelligent, but primitively tribal. They are divided into a myriad of nations, and we had easily catalysed war among them. The Autobots... well, I didn't expect such a high profilic group." Starscream let the question hang in the air.

"Elaborate." Megatron replied immediately, and Starscream nodded to Soundwave. The communications officer keyed in a few buttons, and a few video recordings and charts would appear on Megatron's end of the conversation.

"As you see, they have sent three of the Autobots' top brass. High General Prowl, Special Operations Commander Jazz and Security Director Ironhide. As well as infamous Autobots like Hound and Bumblebee. I fear the Autobots might be on to the... cache on this planet."

Megatron nodded. "This is something you should have been able to handle yourself. Regardless, I advise that you secure the cache as soon as possible. You have dealt a blow against the Autobots, but many of your troops are still alive. Go now. Do not fail me, Starscream."

"Have I ever?" Starscream asked, and Megatron harrumphed, before the holo-image shimmered out of existence. Turning to the Decepticons in the room, Starscream clapped his hands. "Okay, Decepticons. You guys heard the big boss. Soundwave, take care of the base and the wounded. Astrotrain, load up a stasis pod, and come with me. Thundercracker, Ravage, Rumble, I'll need you as well."

Soon, Starscream left the base with his little procession, and in a matter of human hours, the three Decepticons (and two more tucked inside Starscream's cockpit) are flying over the Himalayan mountains, one of the natural wonders in the planet still untouched by the humans. Starscream transformed, unfolding and twisting in the air, and landing in a crouch, scattering the thick layer of snow and spooking off some local animals. Starscream's thruster jets had melted the snow he stepped on, and left some scorch marks. Thundercracker and Astrotrain transformed and landed as well, the larger Astrotrain causing cracks across the rocks when he landed. Starscream opened the cockpit mounted on his chest, and two miniscule microcassettes expanded fifteen or so times it size until the feline form of Ravage and the humanoid form of Rumble landed in front of him. "Ravage, track any Cybertronian signals. Thundercracker, you're our eyes and ears. Track any fleshling that might be piqued by curiousity." the jet-black jaguar Decepticon hissed and bounded over through the snow, powerful pistons in his legs letting him bound many times above the organic design would've allowed in Earth's nature.

Thundercracker, meanwhile, reached out his fingers and gently touched the soft snow around him, a peaceful and content look in his face, before the hard lines of duty were etched back onto the Seeker's face, and he replied a sharp "Affirmative, Commander." before transforming into jet mode and shot up into the air.

Starscream looked as Thundercracker disappeared into a lazy stretch of cloud in the sky, the blue Seeker seeming non-threatening among the beautiful sky. Starscream smiled. Thundercracker had been his good friend from a long time ago, ever since Starscream's old stint as a scientist. Thundercracker hated to take a life. He was not averse to killing Autobots, but Thundercracker hated killing anyone who could not defend himself. Starscream knew his friend despised the notion of massacring other species, but for fear of Megatron, Thundercracker was smart enough to keep his mouth shut. He will kill an innocent, but only when ordered to. And as an Aerospace Lieutenant, Starscream try to avoid ordering his friend to kill, a gesture that Thundercracker appreciated.

Starscream looked down the slopes of the omnious mountains and studied his surroundings. It was secluded, even in a remote place like this. Ravage hissed, indicating that he had found the quarry. The professional tracker/scout circled a spot, hissing and growling as Starscream, Rumble and Astrotrain approached. "It's your call, Rumble." Starscream said, and the smaller Decepticon grinned (Rumble was barely two or three heads taller than a Micromaster).

"Right, Screamer." Rumble drawled, and his hands shifted and transformed into massive piledrivers. Rumble was able to focus his seismic vibrations through the drums within his core, but to focus it enough to crack the crust of a planet, Rumble had to use something to boost the seismic power he generates. Grinning, the thug stepped up towards Ravage, and the other Decepticons stood backwards. As Rumble's piledrivers repeatedly slam into the ground, breaking the rock under him, until the entire crust caved in, revealing an underground chamber. Rumble, of course, dropped down with the rocks that he broke apart, screaming.

Starscream shouted, "Rumble! You see anything?"

"Yea, yea!" Rumble replied, his voice echoing from beneath the ground. "I think we just hit da jackpot, boss!"

Starscream jumped in, sliding into the deep underground cavern, his optics taking into view the mass of staglamites and staglacites that grow like plants throughout the cavern, the product of years of natural interactions. Sitting in the middle of the chamber was something that was decidedly not natural. In fact, it's not even from this planet. A stasis pod. An ancient one, Starscream noted.

Rumble examined the pod and its content. Starscream looked at the stasis pod. "Not good. The systems failed years ago." the Seeker muttered, even as Ravage and Astrotrain entered the chamber. "Astrotrain-"

"On it." the triple changer said, pulling out the modern stasis pod/CR chamber unit he carried. Soon, the ancient female transformer was loaded inside the CR chamber unit, and Astrotrain took off into the sky.

Starscream turned to Rumble. "Leave no evidence that we're ever here. Torch this cave to the earth." Rumble grinned, and opened fire on the stasis pod, causing it to explode, before creating a seismic tremor which caved in the underground cavern. Starscream waited as Rumble shrunk and hopped into his cockpit, before joining Astrotrain and Thundercracker in the sky.

"Soundwave." Starscream radioed. "Contact Megatron. We have the cache."
______________________________________

FEMAX

Populated almost exclusively by females, Femax was an unstrategic place in an intergalactic war. But the planet is rich in lead sulfide crystals and energon seams.

Unfortunately for the locals, lead sulfide crystals are a delicacy for the transformers, and energon seams make the undefended planet an easy target for the Decepticons. The locals are agressive, sure, fighting the Decepticons with swords, gunpowder and riding on beak-toothed lizards to try and damage the Decepticons.

They never stood a chance. A single orange ship popped out of hyperspace, and looked ridiculously small compared to the Decepticon flagship Thunder Arrow, which was a giant version of Skystalker's Sky Shadow.

But sometimes, a small group would be enough to bring down a rampaging beast. Especially when the group in question is the Dynobots. Grimlock. Swoop. Snarl. Slag. Sludge. Also, they have support members Kick-Off and Gunrunner, though Grimlock reckoned that the Dynobots could do without any help whatsoever. The Dynobot commander sat in the pilot seat, and ordered, "Kick-Off, you security expert. Scan the 'Con warship, find weak points. Gunrunner, you spy on 'Cons, shoot if you find good opportunity."

"Uh... boss? What about us?" Sludge asked, the dimwitted Dynobot asked, childish joy in his optics.

"The usual, Sludge..." Grimlock said, clenching his rocket launcher and energo-sword. "We're Dynobots. We break stuff."

The Impactor swooped into the atmosphere of the planet, its reinforced hull and odd shape withstanding the friction of planetary entry. The hatch opened, and with a savage roar, Grimlock leapt out of the hatch, followed by his fellow Dynobots. The fighting have died out, and the villages of Femax were still burning. The stench of napalm and dead bodies filled the air. "Seems like they're not botherin' for infiltration protocols no more, boss!" Slag said, grinning. "Makes our job so much easier."

Grimlock landed in front of a tank-mode Decepticon. Grimlock grabbed the tank by the turret and swung as hard as he could sending the tank flying into the air, before crashing into the ground. "One down." Grimlock grunted.

Swoop, as usual, was grandstanding, dogfighting against a trio of airborne Decepticons. Snarl was tormenting a quartet of ground-bound Micromasters, chasing them while occassionally firing laser bolts into their midst. Sludge lumbered through the trees, swinging his sword and hacking through any Decepticon that was unfortunate enough to meet him. Slag, roaring transformed into tank mode and sent a plume of flame at the Decepticon Grimlock just threw to the ground.

Grimlock hissed when an infamous green, white and gray figure crashed through the forest. "Sixshot." Grimlock growled at the larger mech. "They say you most powerful Decepticon. Most powerful transformer. Me, I'm here to prove that wrong. Dynobots, take him!"

Sixshot snorted. "I will not be defeated by someone who couldn't even structure a simple sentence. I am Sixshot! I am death incarnate!"

"You a delusional, arrogant fool who needs to be put in his place." Grimlock roared, charging Sixshot and swinging his energo-blade, intending to slice the hexchanger's head off. Sixshot moved fast, faster than Grimlock's expectations, and faster than the optic could see, Sixshot's lightsaber hummed into existence and the Decepticon effortlessly blocked the strike. Sixshot's optics narrowed into slits and he pushed his sword forwards, pushing the bulky form of Grimlock backwards, crashing into some exotic vegetations.

The Dynobots don't take too kindly to a Decepticon attacking their leader, and moved as one. Swoop's powerful engines bought him into a steep drop and he shot off four missiles which slammed into Sixshot's chest, covering him in black smoke. Slag charged forwards, transforming into tank mode and unleashing a massive tongue of flame which engulfed the towering form of Sixshot. "Hey! No beating up the boss! Snarl, back me up!" Slag roared. Snarl charged in, the solar plates on his back collecting solar energy and supercharging his systems. Swinging his energo sword, Snarl sliced at the flame-covered figure shrouded in flames.

The massive, dimwitted Sludge did not comprehend how powerful Sixshot is supposed to be. All he knew was that this big Decepticon knocked down his leader, and his friends are fighting him. So, he's the enemy. "Sludge CRUSH ENEMY!" the lumbering Dynobot pulled out his blade and, taking advantage of his height and mass, rammed into Sixshot, hacking into the hexchanger with his sword.

By this time, Grimlock had gotten up again and is now firing onto Sixshot with his rocket launcher. But Sixshot was not one to be conquered so easily. Transforming into his armoured car mode, the Decepticon crashed into Sludge, sending the Dynobot stumbling backwards. Sixshot shifted, and in his tank mode, launched rockets onto Snarl, forcing the Dynobot to take cover. Next, he transformed into gun mode, and fired onto Slag, sending the tank-mode Dynobot flying into the air. Not stopping, Sixshot transformed into wolf mode and pounced down at Grimlock, tearing away part of his faceplate. Leaping off the Dynobot leader, Sixshot turned and transformed into jet mode, and rammed Swoop mid-air, causing the Dynobot to crash onto the ground below.

The Dynobots were defeated, and Sixshot transformed into robot mode and pulled out his lightsaber. "Pity. I thought you would be more of a challenge. I guess I was wrong. Damn, I'm better than I thought."

Grimlock slowly got up, pushing himself up with his hands, picking the rocket launcher from the ground and gripping the energo-sword. Around him, the other four Dynobots got up, anger in their eyes.

"I hate him." Slag said, rubbing his dented skull.

"You hate everybody." Snarl retorted, pulling up his claymore, and aiming it at Sixshot. "So, guys?"

"Kill him!" Grimlock roared, opening fire with his rocket launcher, before charging with his energo-sword blazing. Slag transformed into tank mode again and spewed plumes of 3000 Centigrade flame towards Sixshot. Sludge stomped the ground, sending fissures cracking towards the Decepticon, whilst Snarl launched solar-powered missiles from his claymore. Swoop took to the air and launched missiles towards Sixshot, before transforming into robot mode and coming down with his thermal sword. Powerful as he is, Sixshot began to reel after the continued assault. Grimlock smiled as the hexchanger lost his footing and crashed down into the fissure Sludge created, fires and missiles tearing apart his armour. Grimlock would have smiled if he had a face. Sixshot had underestimated him, like many before. His speech impediment and his 'charge first' battle tactics had let many others into believing that Grimlock is a simple-minded warrior. It is not true. Grimlock is intelligent and resourceful, and under all the silliness, he understands and thinks. He might not be a Perceptor or a Jetfire, but he's not stupid.

Sixshot grunted as Swoop sliced off part of his left shoulder, and as Slag's continued flames started to melt his armour, "Yes, this is more like it! More! More! Is that all you've got?" the hexchanger pulled out his hypersonic concussion cannons and opened fire, steams of white noise slamming onto Snarl, sending him crashing onto the side of a rocky mountain.

"Grimlock! 'Con reinforcements!" Swoop screeched from above, indicating a squad of Obsidian copter-drones whupping towards them.

"We have our own." Grimlock said, as the swift form of Gunrunner swooped in and tore the first Obsidian drone apart. Kick-Off, piloting the Impactor, began to expertly blowing the nonsentient Decepticons apart with gusto. Turning to the struggling Sixshot, Grimlock growled. "Now we kick dumb 'Con skidplate straight to Pit."

"Fool. Sixshot has no equal!" the Decepticon roared, transforming into tank mode, and opened fire into the sky, nicking Gunrunner's wing and slamming onto Kick-Off's stomach, sending both crash-landing into the forest. Local Femaxian warriors tried their best to attack the Decepticon with spears, catapults and primitive gunpowder, but all they managed to do is to annoy Sixshot. Grimlock scowled. Like it or not, the Dynobots are the only ones who could bring Sixshot down.

"True. We Dynobots are more than a match for you. Snarl, Slag, burn him! Swoop, Sludge, scorched earth!" Grimlock ordered launching a rocket to distract the Decepticon, and instantly the four other Dynobots obeyed. Swoop took to the air and carpet-bombed the area around Sixshot, while Sludge slammed his fist onto the ground, literally causing the weakened rocks to fly apart and collapse. Losing his footing, Sixshot's mass became his downfall, and the hexchanger fell into the fissure, and into an underground cave, with bubbling lakes of magma. Snarl, his systems fully charged by the local sun, unleashed a burning blast of concentrated energy onto Sixshot's back, tearing off armour. Slag continued the assault, lobbing fireballs onto the spot on his back. Grimlock leapt into the cave after Sixshot and was about deliver a mean punch onto the Decepticon's face, when the hexchanger transformed into car mode and went into reverse, before changing into wolf mode and pouncing at Grimlock.

Grimlock struggled under Sixshot's weight, cursing as pieces of armour were torn off by Sixshot's claws. Sixshot bared his teeth, inches from Grimlock's face. The Dynobot used his arm to try and keep the jaws away from his face, when something rammed onto Sixshot, causing the hexchanger to be forcibly torn away from Grimlock. "Nnn..." Grimlock said, as he watched Sixshot transform back into robot mode, and use his concussion blasters to tear a hole in Slag's shoulder. Seeing his surprised comrade collapse like a lifeless rag doll onto the cavern floor, Grimlock was filled with rage. "Nnn- SLAG! Hold on, I'm coming!" Consumed by anger, Grimlock held his energo-sword, a mass of flame, in a double handed grip and charged the Decepticon, attempting to bring him as far away from his friend as possible.

Sixshot turned, and Grimlock hacked blindly, tearing gashes on Sixshot's abdomen and thigh, but the hexchanger was fast, and brought his lightsaber to parry Grimlock's savage strikes. One on one, Grimlock would undoubtedly lose. But Grimlock's not alone. Sludge's massive fist slammed down onto Sixshot's damaged back, and Swoop's lithe form ducked in and out, clipping Sixshot's joints with razor-sharp wings or with a strike from Swoop's own sword. Snarl rammed Sixshot's legs, solar-powered strength making up for his lack of mass. "Yes, that's it! Bring him down!" Grimlock roared.

Sixshot grunted as the wounds inflicted upon him began to take their toil. He may be down, however, but not out, and Snarl's head was nearly sliced off by a strike of Sixshot's sword. The Dynobot's chest was torn, however, and he stumbled backwards. Seeing this, the other three Dynobots continued their assault, and managed to cause the Decepticon to crash onto the ground, unconscious. Grimlock watched while Sludge picked the Decepticon up and tossed him into the bubbling magma. "We should finish him off." Swoop said, his body filled with damage, and he was missing his entire right hand from the elbow.

"Forget him. Slag and Snarl- and other two allies- need help. Urgent help." Grimlock said. "Sludge, take Snarl. I take Slag. Swoop, find Gunrunner and Kick-Off, take them to Impactor. We need repairs."

"Big Decepticon... dead?" Sludge looked at Grimlock with big, curious eyes while he picked up Snarl.

"I doubt it. He'll be back. But I won't make it easy for him." Grimlock said as they exited the cavern, and he fire a missile onto the rocks above the magma, sending debris covering where Sixshot had sunk. "Next time we meet, me Grimlock eat him." Grimlock said, before frowning. His vocalizers seem to be damaged during the fight. No time to repair them, now, however.
____________________________________

GARRUS-9

While Sixshot and Scorponok had opted to reveal themselves openly and blow everything up, most Decepticon units prefer the subterfuge of proper infiltration. Blackjack was one of those Decepticons.

In his jet-black coloured car mode, the Micromaster moved unnoticed through the traffic of the locals, circling a space-port. In alternate modes, transformers are generally unable to be detected by non-Cybertronian scanners, unless said scanners are really nearby. Blackjack was a Micromaster, so he should be only slightly taller than eight feet. However, despite their small sizes Micromasters have very dense mass packed into their small bodies, able to expand into full-sized their alternate modes. However, mass shifting requires much energy, and causes their armour to be thinner, so when not in disguise, most Micromasters do prefer to transform into small versions of their altmodes.

Blackjack, however, needed to see more of this planet's capabilities. Unlike the more primitive Femax, or the naive Nebulos, Garrus-9's inhabitants are perfectly capable of bringing down a Decepticon, and Blackjack is tasked to find out more about the capabilities of the inhabitants.

Blackjack's specialty is Advance Assault. Specifically, it's his team's task. While this generally meant going into Autobot lines, finding as much intel as possible and causing as much damage as possible, it could also mean stealth and advance scouting. Blackjack is a strategician, and he knows what risks he should take. That's why he had survived this long. The rest of his Sports Car Patrol drove nearby, and they keep constant communications, although they have been silent for a while, observing the stream of beings that move in and out of the spaceport.

Hyperdrive, the brute force of the team, parked like any other car in a sidestreet, piped up. "Boss, 'nother space ship's coming in."

"Affirmative." Road Hugger growled through the comms, the rebellious Decepticon stationed inside the spaceport itself. "BJ, I see that the local Garrusians have brought more weapons here. More mercs, too. I can make out a couple of Skuxxoids and a crate of nuclear warheads."

"Damn." Blackjack swore. "The news of our comrades attacking some of the uninhabited planets and the weaker ones must've spread quickly. Well, we did hit the Grand Space Station..."

Detour's sleek yellow form drove up beside Blackjack, the hologram Garrusian (green lizard-like creatures) waving at Blackjack's hologram. While Detour's hologram was a more laid-back and overweight species, Blackjack's hologram was a sophisticated one, dressed in a classic gambler outfit. "Boss, I've hacked into the holonet of this planet and they're bringing in more tanks into this planet."

"Damn." Blackjack said. They could just blow the nuclear bombs inside the spaceport, but that would alert the rest of Garrus-9 of the Decepticons' involvement. Instead, they need a plan to weaken them from the inside. "Hyperdrive, Road Hugger, pull out. Rendezvous with me in three cycles outside the local space observatory area."

Soon, the quartet of powerful-looking sports vehicles have arrived outside a space observatory station. Blackjack's bet was that this place was used to search the skies for any incoming invasion. "Detour, there should be a server nearby. Inject the virus into the holonet, cut down communications as much as possible." Blackjack ordered. "Road Hugger, Hyperdrive, we'll blow this place up."

"What? Are you sure we want to blow cover so soon?" Road Hugger asked. Blackjack would have smiled had he been in robot mode. But since he wasn't, the hologram avatar smiled instead.

"We aren't. At least, not directly. See the holograms we have? It'll be easy to pinpoint this sabotage to the work of local terrorists. Beside, there won't be any witnesses." Blackjack said, and his holomatter avatar stepped out of his vehicle mode, his attire morphing from a gambler into a ganster-type character, a splitting image of a picture of a wanted homicide maniac in the local news.

Road Hugger and Hyperdrive's holomatter avatars did likewise, and the trio of holomatter avatars moved into the building. Holomatters are disposable 'hard light' projections, but pain felt when one is destroyed would cause a mental backlash on the owner. Also, holomatters cannot do much damage. That's why Hyperdrive's and Road Hugger's holomatters carry explosives with them.

Five cycles was all it took. Masquerading as armed robbers, their holomatter avatars waved fake shotguns, before entering the main observation chamber. The holomatters dropped the explosives and disappeared from existence as the Decepticons disconnected themselves from their projections. Nanokliks later, the entire building was torn apart by flame. "Wicked sick." Road Hugger murmured, as the burning building collapsed.

"Virus transmitted, boss!" Detour said jovially. "It's a mean one, one of Sparkstalker's creations. It's shut down seventeen random servers across the holonet, corrupting data and causing communications to go haywire. Should give us enough cover for us to go to our next phase."

"Good work, all of you." Blackjack said, genuinely praising his troops. Unlike some other leaders, Blackjack did not believe in berating his troops even if they did good work. The Micromaster reviewed potential targets, and said, "A military ammo dump's next."

"Yes!" Hyperdrive said, the borderline-psychotic Decepticon hissing in delight. "Those make big explosions! There'll be many deaths..."

Blackjack suppressed a sigh at his comrade's psychopathic tendency. But Blackjack couldn't ask for any three better Micros to serve in his Patrol. Road Hugger, while rebellious, respects Blackjack as a good friend. Road Hugger's a capable mech, and well versed in combat, as well as being a good second in command for the team. Hyperdrive is a psychopath, pure and simple. But he's their psychopath, and he follows orders, and watches the backs of his friends. Detour is a coward, but he would not voice his opinions unless there's legitimate danger, making him Blackjack's pesonal danger detector. Detour also happens to be a good sniper. Blackjack wouldn't trade the four for anyone else in the Decepticon army.

The quartet sped off into the general direction of the ammo dump, ignoring the sirens blaring all around them...
__________________________________

GYGAX, CYBERTRON

A small delegate of dog-like creatures from the planet Menoia II arrived on Cybertron on a small shuttle. Wherever they look, they're constantly watched, either by Decepticons, drones, hellhounds or cameras. The purely metallic world seemed so unreal to them.

They were placed in a dark, uncomfortable room with one long table to negotiate with the Cybertronians, and on the other end of the table sat a Decepticon, slightly shorter than the average height, but much taller than Micromasters. Boxy, non-threatening purple optics gazed at them.

"Are you... the Decepticon Emperor Megatron?" the lead ambassador asked, confused at being confronted by such a non-threatening transformer, and without guards. Don't these tin cans know that negotiations like these could turn out ugly?

"Lord Megatron is busy." the Decepticon said in perfect Menonian, thanks to a translator. "You can call me an ambassador. My name is Swindle."

"We... were told we could meet Lord Megatron."

"And I said, Lord Megatron is busy. Frankly, he's too busy for peace delegates. Thankfully for you, Swindle is never too busy for anyone." the Decepticon said, stretching backwards lackadaisically. "Now, my organic friends, let's deal." Swindle said, cocking one of his big, friendly optics, goading the delegates to speak first.

The lead ambassador harrumphed. The Menoians were a proud race, and ambassador or not, he could not stand the idea of being dismissed by the Lord of these... these... walking metallic abominations. "My name is Kaz-Valdigus the Fifth." the dog-like creature said. "I represent the planet of Menoia and her people. We wish to make a deal with you Cybertronians."

"Decepticons." Swindle corrected, smiling warmly.

"Decepticons." Kaz-Valdigus said icily, not used to being interrupted. "As I was saying, we wish to have a partnership with you. As we've observed, you Decepticons have turned some planetoids and smaller planets into mini-Cybertrons, and have commenced attack on other more... primitive planets as well. The people of Menoia are fighters and scientists, and we offer a treaty. We are planning an expansion ourselves, and the more allies we have, the better. After it is done, you Decepticons will have a share of ruling the galaxy."

Swindle's wrist shifted, and a tiny datapad slid out. Still smiling, Swindle nonchalantly inputed something into the datapad while asking, "Why, exactly, must we help you? We could just wipe you out. Gimme a good reason why we shouldn't attack you."

"Why!" the Menonian behind Kaz-Valdigus roared. "We're a superior race, metallic buffoon! We will not tolerate this! We'll-"

Swindle sighed. "You ain't 'xactly trained in negotiations, eh, pal? Stick it in your exhaust port. Now, Vallie, why don't we talk figures? How much is the Menoian empire willing to share the universe?"

Kaz-Valdigus snorted. "Sixty-forty. The sixty being us, naturally. We'll also have first choice of planets to colonize and other precious spoils. Also, you can and will serve as war machines for us. Be thankful I did not order you executed for your insolence, machine."

"You know, I'd love to enter this deal, with a little modifications." Swindle sighed. "But then, Lord Megatron had set sights on your planet a long time ago. See, Menoia's full of resources and a strategic spot to three other star systems. This li'l conversation is just a test whether we'll keep such an advanced species as labour force, or to exterminate you." Swindle said, his friendly tone turning icy. "Guess you guys ticked me off." Swindle pressed a button on his datapad, and soon, doors slid open around the dark room. From behind Swindle, the hulking form of his fellow Combaticon, Brawl, holding guns, entered, growling. He was followed by the blade-wielding Vortex. From behind the delegates, two of the Stunticons, namely Drag Strip and Wildrider entered, malicious looks in their optics. Finally, four tiny Micromasters swooped down from the ceiling, landing on the table, all of them grinning.

"See, Valdy?" Swindle said, getting up from his chair and walking away as if he's strolling on a park, placing Brawl, Vortex and the Air Strike Patrol between him and the delegates. The other Decepticons stood motionless, training their weapons onto the surprised Menoians. "Your first mistake was thinking you're superior." As Swindle passed Brawl, the Combaticon whispered, "Kill them."

The Decepticons opened fire, and the laser bolts tore through duramesh armour, and into flesh. The Menoians tried to fight back, but they did not do much damage before the Decepticons slaughtered them.

"Boss? It's done." Swindle said, snapping out the communicator on his wrist open. Swindle's tone was cheerful, and was not something a normal being would be speaking in after massacring innocents.

"I'm surprised you did not try and make a deal with them, Swindle. Regardless, it's no big loss. I have dispatched Skystalker and a legion of Micromasters to Menoia." Megatron's steely voice hissed into Swindle's comm frequency.

"Sorry, boss. Ain't feeling well today. Fuel actuator's acting up again, and I've a little migraine. 'Sides, they were annoying me." Swindle said cheerily. "Hey, Big M, would you be interested in a weapon that shuts down all electronic equipment in a ten-mile radius? I saw a good deal on the black markets of Torkulon, and I thought-"

"Get the specifics, send them to Shockwave. If it's workable, send some of our men to appropriate it. On a reasonable price, of course. Or if it's not possible, there's always... alternatives."

"Okey-dokey, boss." Swindle replied, switching off the communicator. "Vortex, Brawl, nice work. Let's go, I think I hear Onslaught calling." the Combaticon stretched, causing some misaligned hydraulics to comfortably click back into position.

Swindle frowned. What Megatron said was true... he was losing his dealing touch. But then, the Menoians were... pig-headed, to say the least. Swindle did not grieve for their deaths, but the waste of a profiteering chance was regretable indeed.
_____________________________________

VECTOR SIGMA

The pieces were all clicking into place. As he switched off the commlink to Swindle, Megatron watched the thirteen runes in the chamber carefully. Alpha Trion and Moonradar's body, one alive and one unconscious, laid on two of the shrines. Bludgeon's team in Hydrus Four will be recovering Soundblaster. Starscream had found the stasis pod of Elita One. Skystalker is setting off to Menoia to find Grand. Hun-Grrr's detachment in Gaea had located a massive ancient transformer, Gadep, the Omega Sentinel. Scorponok's team on Nebulos were hunting for the ancient mech designated Gigatron. Teams have been dispatched to locate the bodies of Star Convoy, Blackzarak, Vector Prime, Nexus Prime and Galaxy Shuttle. Vector Sigma had revealed to him that at least two of the Thirteen, Prima and the Fallen Prime, are still alive, somewhere out there, at a location that would only be revealed once the other eleven transformers have been brought to Vector Sigma.

Megatron snorted as he left the chamber, maximum security blast doors clamping shut behind him as the hulking Decepticon crouched and moved into the newly-installed turbolift, which shot up into the surface. The journey was rather long, and Megatron busied himself by reading a stream of records from his subordinates, although his mind was elsewhere. Namely, power. Absolute power... Megatron smiled. The thought of controlling every single inch of this planet, bringing their race into a time of peace... was enticing. After years of turmoil and chaos, finally peace had come once again to Cybertron, thanks to Megatron. Sure, some may think his methods are vile and improper, but the history books would remember Megatron as a leader, a warlord, a peacebringer. All Megatron needed right now was more power.

Vector Sigma and the Thirteen original transformers are going to get him that power. Megatron's fist clenched as he smiled at the prospect of getting more and more power...

"Peace through tyranny at last." he murmured.
_________________________________________

EPILOGUE: BENZULI EXPANSE

The Benzuli expanse was a storm in space. Literally, it was a swirling mass of energy shaped like a nebula. Any probes sent by curious beings never returned.

Galvatron was no mere probe.

Galvatron frowned as he approached the tip of the swirling storm. They had sent one of their own heralds there, a long time ago, right after the Great Battle. Despite being empowered by darkness, any herald who entered the nebula was torn apart and destroyed.

The Fallen had later explained to them why. During the great battle, Primus' powers of light tore Unicron's spark and power out of his body. Encasing his spark and essence in a Chaos Matrix, Primus imprisoned Unicron, surrounded by powers that Unicron had lost control of, inside the nebula. Meanwhile, Unicron's energy and essence had been trapped in artifacts and spread across the galaxy. After that, Primus and the Ancient Thirteen went into a slumber, awaiting Unicron's return.

All of the Thirteen bar two, that is. The Fallen had ressurected Prima's dead body, infusing and corrupting him with Unicron's power, and the two of them led the remmants of the heralds into a search for all of the Angolmois, Unicron's lifesource.

Galvatron looked at the pulsating cube on his hand, pulsating with green energy, occassionally sparking and jolting, as if the pieces that made it up refused to be conjoined together. Such was chaos. It was constantly at war with itself, but it will always survive in some form. It may be defeated, but chaos is the only constant thing in the universe. Worlds are born and are extinguished. Species spark into life and would go extinct someday. But chaos remains.

Nemesis Prime and the Fallen had used their powers to extract all of the Angolmois in the artifacts into a simple, fist-sized cube. Galvatron squinted and his orange optics spotted a small, pulsating object just visible in the middle of the Benzuli Expanse, buffetted by the stormy winds. Ghostly whispers of 'free me, free me,' played on Galvatron's mind.

The Herald frowned, and with a powerful swing, threw the cube into the swirling mass of energy. The cube cracked and the streams of green Angolmois energy flowed out like tormented spirits, becoming one with the nebula. The nebula itself started to churn, black gases glowing in sick shades of yellow and green at places, even as the nebula began to implode. It was as if a black hole was forming, and everything was sucked into a single point. Soon, where once floated a tormented mass of energy and gases, only a small metallic bauble remained. The Chaos Matrix. Unicron's spark and essence. "GOOD WORK, MY SERVANT." Unicron's disembodied voice rang through Galvatron's mind, making him wince. "NOW BRING ME TO THE FALLEN AND THE OTHERS."

Galvatron obeyed, powerful thrusters in his boots and back enabling him to fly through the now-empty space, and with one swoop, grabbed one of the two handles that jutted on the side of the spiked centre of the Chaos Matrix. "Yes, my lord." Galvatron growled.

The herald's optics narrowed. Galvatron knew he was different from all the other heralds. The Fallen followed Unicron out of his own free will. Nemesis Prime is just a pale reflection of his former self. Cyclonus, Scourge, Jhiaxus, Straxus and Grindcore are too weak-minded to resist Unicron's influence. Hook, Line and Sinker are creations of Unicron himself. Sideways, Tidal Wave, Nightmare, Dark Walk and all the other minor heralds are either zombies, or otherwise extensions of Unicron's power.

That left Galvatron the only herald who had his own free will.

After being so close to Cybertron, to the purity inside the Creation Matrix, the fog of darkness that usually enveloped Galvatron had disappeared somewhat. He's not completely free from Unicron's influence, but he could resist. His strong willpower had helped too.

Unicron now controlled Galvatron like a puppet. A peon. Galvatron did not want to be used. His former life might be gone, but he can and he will become his own mech. Unicron and the Fallen will pay.

When the endgame arrives, Galvatron will make sure of that.

For now, however, Galvatron shielded his personal thoughts from Unicron's overwhelming influence (it was getting very hard to resist, Galvatron noted) and obeyed. The Chaos Matrix opened a rift in space, and Galvatron disappeared into it.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Next- Rise of the Thirteen!

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

-insert 'tune in next time' promotion in here-

Well, how's that? Yeah, I know the Thirteen's introduction was rather abrupt, but well, that's my way of introducing (among some) the Fembots, Rodimus Prime (not Hot Rod) and Grandus. Next issue would reveal more about the mythology around Primus, Unicron and the Thirteen. (Marvel fans should already know what will happen, though the identities of the Thirteen would be radically different, bar The Fallen and Prima/Nemesis.) I've managed to squeeze in more obscurities in this chapter (In the first draft, Kick-Off's role was originally intended for Tracks, but I wanted more Action Masters in.) and to explain Targetmasters. Well, why use organic weaponry when Micromasters work so much better? Expect to see fully mechanical Throttle and Pinpointer (among others) next issue. For those who read between the lines, another gimmick should be blatantly obvious. Hope you enjoy it!

Four: RISE OF THE THIRTEEN

The previous parts could be found here.

Prequel: http://www.tfarchive.com/community/s...ad.php?t=46614
Part One: http://www.tfarchive.com/community/s...ad.php?t=46389
Part Two: http://www.tfarchive.com/community/s...ad.php?t=46530
Part three can be found here: http://www.tfarchive.com/community/show ... hp?t=46645

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FORT KOLKULAR, CYBERTRON

Megatron stood grand on the hangar bay on top of Fort Kolkular's floating form. The fortress and its contents were tense. Megatron had never been defeated in battle, and something is definitely brewing up.

Apparently, there is a riot. Now under Megatron's dictatorial rule, riots were seldom, few and far in-between. Usually these were quelled by Megatron's subordinates, like Onslaught, Rage or Clench. Although, to be fair, most of Megatron's most feared lieutenants are offplanet. But those were usually discontented neutrals or Autobot resistance parties, desperate and disorganized rabbles, put down and incarcerated in a short while.

No, this was something more sinister. Something Megatron should have forseen. With his top intelligence agents gone on Earth with Soundwave, Wingspan on Nebulos and Reflector worked to the breaking point with espionage and deciphering Vector Sigma, the intelligence agents Megatron had among his ready roster were too little. Besides, what could one expect from the likes of Wingthing or Fistfight? The Decepticon Emperor would've kicked himself if he had the chance to.

This is something I could've put an end to before it began.

The aggressor was the Insecticon Bombshell. Able to control other mechs' minds with cerebro shells, Bombshell was part of the elite Insecticons, alongside the manipulating Kickback and the electrical-wielding Shrapnel. The three of them have the power to clone themselves with enough energon, so Megatron had to keep them in check.

Venom was supposed to do that. The leader of the other, 'deluxe' Insecticon unit, the ever-paranoid Insecticon leader should, in theory, be able to keep an iron grip on Bombshell and his comrades. It seems that Bombshell had used his cerebro shells to gain control of the minds of his fellow Insecticons (including Venom's group) and a few other soldiers as well.

Morale was low. No one was particularly keen to fight someone who could control minds. Rage's Stormtroopers tried to fight back, but they were soundly defeated. Clench had been mind-controlled by Bombshell, and Megatron dared not send out the remaining gestalt teams (and with the Stunticons and Seacons recently departed, the only gestalt team was the Constructicons, the Monstructor Six and Breastforce, all too valuable to risk) to fight the army, lest Bombshell gains control of a gestalt. One of the ultimate killing machines in the hands of an unstable Insecticon... Megatron wouldn't risk that.

"Onslaught, you're in charge while I'm gone. See that none of the gestalts -- or Trypticon -- falls under Bombshell's control." Megatron roared, and jumped from the top of the tower, and falling down. It was a high jump, and an ordinary mech would have been killed by that. But Megatron is no ordinary mech. He has the thickest armour, the most powerful upgrades. And above all, he's a Decepticon. He can fly.

Jet boots ignited and slowed his descent, but he was falling fast enough to send cracks through the metallic ground as he landed. Red eyes glinting, Megatron raised his right hand, and the massive fusion cannon unleashed a blast of purple energy into a group of Insecticon clones harassing his troops. The clones blew apart spectacularly.

"Look! It's Megatron..."

"Megatron's here..."

"It's him! It's really him!"

Whispers of his name moved across the Decepticon frontline. Megatron smiled. They were scared of him. They knew that Megatron could easily turn the battle in their favour. And they knew the price of failure. Megatron scanned the frontline to see the troops he recognized. He could see three of his elite Seekers -- Ramjet, Thrust and Acid Storm -- divebombing the swarm of Insecticon clones. He could see some of the Firecons working hand in hand with the Rotor Force in fighting the Insecticon clones. Bugly was leading a small vanguard of Pretenders and Micromasters who were decapacitating mind-controlled Decepticons without killing them.

But they were still outnumbered. "Shockwave!" Megatron barked for his majordomo, as he charged into the fight, hacking into Insecticons with his bare hands. "Status report!"

"Here, my liege." a flash of purple shot down from the sky, and Shockwave landed beside Megatron, firing into the mass of mind-controlled Decepticons. "Observation: Bombshell is trying to overwhelm us with numbers. He seems to know we're reluctant to kill this much of our troops. Conclusion: we must take the source -- namely Bombshell -- out if we are to win the battle."

"Try and find me a frequency that could disrupt the cerebro-shell signals. Supporting fire, Shockwave. Let us handle this." Megatron snapped as his hand changed into his energo-flail weapon, and he began swinging it around, sending clones shattering and tearing apart one or two mind-controlled neutrals. Gesturing to the trio of Seekers, Megatron barked, "Ramjet, Thrust, flanking positions on me. Acid Storm, bring the rain. Bugly, your squad'll hit them from the left flank. Shockwave and the others, take the right. We're going to squash this insignificant rabble. FORWARD, DECEPTICONS!"

Ramjet and Thrust landed beside Megatron, both having proud expressions on their faces. After all, you don't get asked to fight right beside your leader everyday. Acid Storm took to the sky, and moments later acid rained down on the Insecticons. Shockwave and Bugly nodded and moved in position as ordered.

Megatron attacked with his flail, his fists and his fusion cannon. Like an unstoppable force, the Decepticon leader knocked down literally everyone that he faced. Ramjet and Thrust picked off anyone who weren't as defeated as they seemed, although it's apparent Megatron could take care of himself. Megatron winced as Ramjet headbutted an Insecticon clone who tried to snipe him, and as Thrust blew up the head of another clone sneaking up behind Megatron.

Soon, one of the stronger Decepticons controlled by Bombshell charged Megatron. Clench, the Colossus. He was one of Megatron's fiercest warriors. But no match for Megatron himself, as proved in a gladiatorial match some time ago, before the war. Regardless, a rematch was overdue. The Decepticon emperor charged the Obliterator and caught him in a charge-hug on the stomach, sending them both crashing through Insecticons. Megatron kept on the assault by delivering a punch onto Clench's face, and kneeing him in the stomach. Clench is a useful Decepticon, and it'll be a waste to kill him. But still...

Megatron's mouth opened, and he took in a deep breath. While transformers have no need to actually breathe, taking in a gulp of air led to more dramatic effect to what he was going to do next. The Decepticon Leader unleashed a stream of nuclear fire into Clench's chest, before following with a series of punches. Clench tried to retaliate, but his movements were dull and sluggish due to the mind control, allthough the punches hurt when they connected to Megatron's body.

Megatron was dimly aware of Clench's battle trailer rolling up from his left flank. Narrowing his optics, he transformed and folded into his tank mode, grinding Clench's shattered chest panels with his tank treads, while his secondary mortar launchers swivelled and bombarded the trailer, tearing it apart. Megatron transformed back into robot mode and delivered another nuclear blast onto Clench's face, although this second blast was toned down compared to the first. Ramjet and Thrust caught up with the battle, but it was apparent that Megatron had won.

The black-and-green Decepticon collapsed at last, still alive but down. "Take him to Darkmount. Make sure he's... returned back to his original capabilities." Megatron gestured to a pair of Micromasters. Cement-Head and Terror-Tread hurriedly carried Megatron's orders out.

Turning around, Megatron could see Ramjet and Thrust fighting a mind-controlled Sunstorm. The Decepticon leader shrugged. Bombshell was losing his touch... Sunstorm is a walking nuclear reactor. The cerebro shell would not last long in Sunstorm's mind. What Megatron expected to happen did happen. The cerebro shell burst apart, and the Seeker collapsed to the ground. Megatron sighed, and swung around and caved in the skull of the Neutral who tried to sneak up behind him. The Decepticons were inspired and afraid of Megatron, and are fighting harder than ever. Most of the Insecticon clones were dead, and the mind-controlled Decepticons were all down and out.

Megatron walked like a king as he approached the figures huddled on the back of the Insecticon army, ignoring as laser blasts and mortars exploded harmlessly on his body. Kickback jumped at him, aiming to kick Megatron's face with his powerful legs. Megatron caught the Insecticon's outstretched leg with his hand, and squeezed hard, stopping Kickback mid-jump. Then, he sent the Insecticon crashing onto Ransack, before firing off a mortar shell at them from his back-mounted cannons. "No one defies Megatron, Bombshell. Not even if they have an army."

The Decepticon leader turned and found himself attacked with a wave of electricity, and a poison dart nearly pierced his left optic. Grunting, Megatron raised his fusion cannon and simultaneously blasted Shrapnel and Venom, before knocking them off with his ball and chain.

Transforming into his tank mode, Megatron opened fire on Ransack and Kickback again, sending him collapsing onto the ground. With Barrage and Chop Shop off with the Mayhems, that takes care of all the Insecticons bar one. Bombshell stood, alone, his army in tatters around him. The Insecticon stared at Megatron and spoke, his speech stunted and stammering. "Y- You w- won't take B- Bombshell down. Bombshell d- defeat Mega- Megatron! Bombshell..."

Megatron transformed into robot mode and frowned. Bombshell might not be exactly sane, but he was a being of great intellect. Yes, causing a rebellion was within his character, but... there is something amiss with Bombshell. Shrugging, Megatron's red optics crackled as his left hand snapped out and choked Bombshell's neck, causing the Insecticon to gag even as Megatron slammed his fusion cannon onto the Insecticon's stomach. "I am Megatron. I am the embodiment of the Decepticon cause. You are nothing. A disposable thug who couldn't see the horizon. Now die." Megatron fired.

The fusion blast was charged, and it tore through Bombshell's chest, stomach and left shoulder, sending the Insecticon's stammering body clattering onto the ground. His spark was beating very softly inside the spark chamber. Any mind-controlled Decepticons collapsed instantly, clutching their heads.

Ramjet, Thrust, Shockwave and the others approached Megatron slowly, watching in awe as those whose minds are controlled returned to their former selves. "That... was brilliant, boss." Ramjet said, looking at Bombshell's near-dead body while helping one of the Insecticons up. "Shall I finish off the traitor, lord?"

"No. Not yet, anyway." Megatron said, and turned to Shockwave. "I want you and the Constructicons to remove his cloning power and inspect his cranium. There seems to be an outside influence manipulating him..." as the othe Insecticons came to, Megatron pointed at Shrapnel. "You'll replace both Bombshell and Venom as overall Insecticon commander. That is all." Megatron turned, leaving a stunned Venom and an elated Shrapnel behind him. Hammer and his Constructor Team gathered Bombshell's pieces and carried them into Kolkular.

Megatron entered Kolkular as well, and revelled in the whispers and salutes given to him as he passed. Showing one's prowess in the battlefield was great for establishing your reputation. A battered figure strode up towards Megatron and knelt down. It was Rage, who failed to defeat the Insecticons. Fear and shame were evident in his expression. The Stormtrooper lowered his head, exposing his neck. "Mighty Lord Megatron. I have failed you. Do as you will with me, but leave my troops out of the punishment. It was solely my fault that they got into Kaon."

Megatron narrowed his optics. Any lesser Decepticons would have begged or tried to escape, but the fact that Rage had admitted his mistake and accepted any punishment made Megatron reconsider. "Rise." he finally boomed, after an unconfortable moment of silence. Rage did so. "You have failed me, but you have been a good and loyal soldier. As such, death is not forthcoming today." A glimmer of hope flashed through Rage's optics, and Megatron continued, "However, you do deserve punishment. Demotion. As of now, you report to Onslaught."

A little anger was evident in Rage's optics, but otherwise he was joyful. "A million thanks, oh wise and mighty Megatron. My life is forever in your debt..." the Stormtrooper continued the stream of thankfulness and assertion of loyalty before Megatron waved him off.

"Hammer, I want you to give me the results of Bombshell's check-up. Store his spark in the personality component storages." Megatron barked to the comms channel. "Shrapnel, Kickback, once you're done with repairs, report to me."

The Decepticon leader clicked off his communications and entered his massive throne room, situated inside the living portion of Kolkular, otherwise known as the Decepticon city, Trypticon. Onslaught and a few others were waiting on the court of Megatron's throneroom.

"Report to me." Megatron commanded as he made his way to his massive golden throne and sat down, looking down on his subjects.

"Reports are streaming all around the galaxy, Lord Megatron. Earth -- Starscream's detachment -- is being destabilized, and the Autobots there are starting to take a beating. Nebulos is really trashed, and Scorponok's team have excavated the body of Gigatron. Skystalker is en-route from Menoia with his cargo. Sixshot's detachment in Femax-" Onslaught frowned, before continuing, "Staxx says the Dynobots arrived and beat Sixshot out. He's MIA." Onslaught looked at Scrapper, Hook, Icepick and Leozak, exchanging troubled looks with his fellow Decepticons.

Megatron barked. "Sixshot might be powerful, but he's arrogant. Let this be a lesson to all of you-- brute power does not mean everything. Do not forget that under all that white noise, Grimlock has a brain. An intelligent one. And he had good troops. Serves the six-changer right for letting his guard down. Tell Staxx to get Dirtbag and Road Block to excavate the six-changer. He's to valuable to lose. Continue!"

Onslaught nodded and kept reading from his list, "The Mayhems are still butting heads with the Wreckers, as usual. Spinister and Bludgeon had unearthed the ancient mech, though. Meanwhile, the Seacons have landed on Pz-Zzazz, searching for this... 'Nexus Prime'. The Thanatos, with Razorclaw, is returning with another mini-Cybertron in tow. Hun-Grrr requests backup, he is meeting heavy resistance in Gaea, and he couldn't extract the large citybot himself. Motormaster had arrived on Junk, but haven't sent any reports yet. Skyquake's team's infiltration was a success. So's the Sports Car Patrol. The Cyberformed Tykos should arrive in seven solar cycles, while the two new gestalt teams are battle-ready." Onslaught handed the datapad to Megatron. "Nothing more significant to report, my lord."

"Hmm. Scrapper, how goes our technological advances?"

"We have installed more armour and weaponry on Trypticon, and the construction of the Nemesis is underway. The drones are grossly incompetent in the construction of our warships." Scrapper said, wincing. "Right now Hammer's Constructors and the other engineers still on Cybertron are overworked with the injured and rebuilding the damaged sectors in Kaon and Uraya."

Hook added, "And, like what Onslaught said, Battle Gaea and Dinoking are ready, although clones of Monstructor and Bruticus aren't really necessary..."

Megatron nodded slowly. "The usage of drones can't be helped, I suppose... As for the gestalts, leave them be. You can design new gestalts later, Hook. But anyway, keep up the good work, anyway. All of you." the Decepticon leader turned to Leozak and queried, "How are our troops' condition?"

Leozak replied, "We lost a couple squads of Seekers and Micros, but otherwise most of the casualties are disposable drones. Coupla 'Cons are heavily injured. Clench. Jetstorm. Hydradread. Ah, Squeezeplay, I think. Fangry and Cindersaur were nearly killed. It could've been worse if you had not arrived, Lord."

"Morale is an important factor in battle." Onslaught nodded, and turned as the doors opened, admitting Shockwave.

Megatron looked at his Operations Director and Head of Science, and nodded curtly, prompting the one-eyed Decepticon to elaborate his findings on Bombshell. Shockwave bowed slightly, and spoke. "Observation: Bombshell's motherboard and processors were severly damaged and there were traces of foreign energy in it. More disturbingly, remains of a cerebro shell -- ironically of Bombshell's own design -- had been found inside his cranium. Hypothesis: Subject had been mind-controlled by an outside source. Calculating probabilities. Autobot: 53.63 per cent. A Decepticon requiring a distraction: 32.21 per cent. A fake cerebro shell implanted by subject: 2.01 per cent. An outsider: 0.24 per cent. Conclusion: insufficient data to form a proper conclusion. Suggested course of action: Subject Bombshell's spark is to be held in containment until the facts have been made clear."

"It is a good suggestion." Megatron said, before his voice sank into a deep growl. "But make sure he suffers. Oh, as soon as you're done with forensics, hang his body on a spike to use him somewhere visible as a warning." Megatron settled back to his throne. "It appears we're too lax with security. Leozak, once Razorclaw gets back go with his team and enforce the law on the rebels. I want you to go harder on them. Send all the drones to find them." Megatron stood up and clenched his fist. "Perhaps I am not fearful enough? Very well, then. I will spread my reign of terror. Scrapper, I want the Dark Nova operational by three cycles. I'm leaving to Gaea, to help out Hun-Grrr. Onslaught and Shockwave, you two are in charge while I go."

With those words, the Decepticon Emperor walked down his throne, a glint of murder on his red optics.
_________________________________________

In the outskirts of Kaon, in the radioactive-laden area known as the Acid Wastes, a small nondescript vehicle sped through, and transformed into robot mode. Motormouth was quickly hustled into the Autobot resistance's underground bunker as soon as he said the password.

"What's the status?" Metalhawk said. The Pretender was much worse than before. In the internim between the raid on the drone factory and now, Metalhawk's shell had been destroyed as a decoy to avoid them being captured by the Decepticons. It was also the reason why they had to relocate into this hellhole so close to the enemy's main camp. After all, they won't think the Autobots are brazen enough to set up shop so near to them.

Motormouth shook his head. "The Insecticons revolted, but Megatron himself made an appearance and put a stop to all the rebellion. In the confusion I did snipe a couple of Decepticon lieutenants, though."

Roadhauler, the de facto leader of the ragtag group, sighed, "Good work, Motormouth. But the Decepticons are weakened for now, giving us a chance to slip through the cracks."

Windmill, still unable to speak, wrote on the air: But do we want to risk sticking our necks out so fast?

Roadhauler sighed, "True, true... but... we can't just sit here waiting to rust. At least we die fighting."

"We won't die." Big Daddy drawled, the tough-and-tumble Micromaster insisted from below Clampdown. "We're the good guys, ain't we? We'll win in the end, you guys see."

"Put it to a vote?" Clampdown turned to Windmill hopefully, and the mute Autobot nodded vigorously.

Roadhauler sighed, thankful for his second-in-command's help. "For attacking one of the Decepticon bases?" He saw that, along with his own hand, Clampdown, Deep Cover, Metalhawk, Moonracer and the four Micromasters had voted for it as well. Only Windmill and Motormouth did not vote. Roadhauler turned to Windmill and said a simple, "Sorry."

Windmill smiled and signed: No need to apologize, Hauler. Majority wins. We attack the Decepticons.
_________________________________________

NEBULOS

"H- He looks l- like O- O- Overlord." Wingspan stammered, as Skullcruncher and Misfire lifted Gigatron's inert body out of the massive canyon that Scorponok had hollowed out.

The large Decepticon general, meanwhile, frowned. He was not watching his subordinates excavate the ancient transformer. Instead, he was standing against them, watching the capital city of Koraja burn. Scorponok let out a deep sigh.

He used to be Cybertron's top general. He still is. But back then, he upheld a rule of peace, a rule of the people. Sadly, the rule was corrupt, and did not consider the people when they made decisions, but rather only their pocketbooks. In the same vein, military leader Sentinel Prime and Chancellor Star Saber had gone soft, not lifting a finger to help out those poor souls who had suffered injustice under the Senate's rule. Megatron changed all that. A rebellion. A war. Cybertron now ruled by a single mind, peaceful at last, with the Autobots driven off.

Scorponok watched as the flames and fires danced, embers flying up into the sky as if representing the souls of the millions of Nebulans killed by their hands.

By my hands, Scorponok corrected.

And that's not counting Fortress Maximus and his crew. While Scorponok had taunted him during their fight, part of him had to wonder how low they had stooped. After all, Maximus is not a stupid mech, and to think that he, who upheld peace over everything, would side with the Autobots... true, the Autobots want to protect all forms of life, but Scorponok knew that his own planet- his own people had to come first.

"Commander? Vat iz troubling you?" a heavily-layered voice sounded from below Scorponok. The general looked down to see Mindwipe, in bat mode, perching on a boulder near his leg, looking at the burning horizon. "Iz the deztruction too much, Zcorponok? Are you afraid of the spirits? The spirits of ze dead?" the mystic's red optics swirled oddly as he said this. Scorponok knew Mindwipe's reputation of hypnotic skills were reputable, and that was one of the reasons why he personally chose Mindwipe in his team. But that doesn't mean Mindwipe is allowed to do his hypnotism on him.

"Stop it." Scorponok snapped, and Mindwipe grudgingly looked away. After a moment of silence while the others lifted Gigatron's body out of the canyon, the Decepticon leader spoke, "So..."

"So?" Mindwipe prompted, transforming into robot mode, leathery bat wings moving in anticipation.

"You have religion, don't you, Mindwipe? You worship-" Scorponok halted at this. Religion was scarce among transformers, but those who did worshipped their creator, Primus. Some, however, are form cults that worship the Dark Lord, the Devourer, the demigod of darkness. Unicron. Scorponok had to wonder whether the likes of Bludgeon and Mindwipe, who are able to use dark powers, worship the dark demigod.

Mindwipe, however, seemed to be able to read Scorponok's mind and chuckled. "Unicron? Blezz my spark, no. I am able to utilize -- in a limited vay, of course -- the dark powerz that Unicron leakz, but I do not worship him. Don't believe in him. I'm a myztic, commander. I contact ze dead, ze fallen sparks. From the Well of All Zpark, or ze Pit. I am not a cultizt."

"Good to know." Scorponok grunted, uncertain. "As a mystic, though... what do you feel about this massacre?"

"Iz thiz zome zort of test, commander? Iz Wingzpan recording zis?" Mindwipe queried. Scorponok hurriedly shook his massive head. Satisfied, Mindwipe continued, "Az a myztic, I am fazcinated, simply fascinated by so many dead souls crying out in anguish and torment and despair and anger at ze same time..."

Scorponok felt a shiver run down his spine as he heard Mindwipe monologue about the dead souls and the like. "Very fascinating, I suppose." he said dryly. "Although I wonder... If you like death so much, why are you still alive now?"

"Everyone haz their own role to play in life, commander." Mindwipe replied. "Each of us are juzt one part of the universe's grand scheme of things. Everyone haz their own role, however small..."

Scorponok nodded glumly. "And the Decepticons. Why did you join us?"

"Ze Decepticons vill ensure that ve Cybertronians get our birthright that ve deserve, as the holy childrens of Primus ve deserve to rule the vorld." Mindwipe said, clenching his fist in determination. "And killing souls which are overdue for their death too."

Scorponok cocked his head to one side, "So you're a believer of Primus?"

"I am not a fanatic, but yes, I believe he exists. Existed. And I believe he intended for us to rule the world. I vas trained by my late teachers to be one of Primus' Deathbringers, so to speak." Mindwipe shrugged. "Never vas a fanatic, but it gave me a life. A purpose. A role."

Scorponok nodded slighty, looking at the dancing flames. Then what is my role? The Decepticon commander thought. To massacre, to murder innocent fleshlings? No! I was built to protect Cybertron and its people. But this...

Scorponok's thoughts were interrupted by a singsong voice. "Scorponok Commader excavated have we Gigatron's this body yes." Weirdwolf padded up beside Scorponok's pillar-like legs, and the lupine Decepticon looked up at Scorponok. "Wrong something?"

"Nothing's wrong, Weirdwolf." Scorponok said, mildly irritated by the other Decepticon's odd speech pattern, but moreso by having his rumination interrupted. Turning around to face his anticipating troops, Scorponok bellowed, "Darkwing, Dreadwind, Misfire, take a shuttle and bring Gigatron's body back to Cybertron. Get one with hyperspace capabilities. This mission is of uttermost importance, on pain of death your cargo should not be intercepted by Autobots. Bring the body to Megatron directly, or one of the inner circle." Scorponok gestured to the rest of his troops. "Skullcruncher, Weirdwolf, Mindwipe and you Clones, we're going to make sure the Autobots stay dead or out of our territory." barely with-holding his gall, Scorponok turned to one of the Clones, "Wingspan, you're all sure the Nebulons' miliary are disabled?"

"I'm Pounce, commander." the white, green and purple Decepticon said. Scorponok stifled an 'oh.' It was really hard to tell the Clones (or Twins, as some of the Decepticons affectionately called them) apart. Other than their alternate modes and Wingspan's slight stammer, it was virtually impossible to tell the two apart when they're not moving. Pounce smiled, and reported nevertheless, "But we've blown up most of the military bases and bunkers, and both Wolfy and I've driven off most of the Autobots." The Clone turned to his twin and shrugged, prompting Wingspan to speak.

"M- Misfire, Darkwing and D- D- Dreadwind and m- myself have bombarded m- most of t- the bases offshore. E- Even if they do rally against u- us we can take them." Wingspan added eagerly.

Scorponok nodded. "Good. Darkwing, Dreadwind, Misfire, go with your mission. The rest of you, you have a ten-decicycle break. Make repairs. Otherwise have fun." Scorponok turned around, seemingly oblivious to the cheers that went up from his bloodthirsty troops. Although his exterior showed an appearance of arrogant triumph, inside his spark was breaking. Is this what we Cybertronians have stooped to?
_________________________________________

ANTARCTICA, EARTH

Starscream watched as Astrotrain shot off into space with the stasis pod in tow. "We should've sent one of two of your gremlins with him, you know." the Aerospace commader said, nudging the silent figure beside him.

Soundwave made a noise that was akin to snorting. "Not a good suggestion. Astrotrain is a triple changer and more than able to take care of himself. He is also trustworthy, unlike some people I won't mention."

Starscream wondered for a nanoklik whether Soundwave meant that as a slight towards him, but he let it go. After all, picking a fight with someone who could easily blackmail you isn't exactly a wise decision. "We can proceed with the next phase in destroying this mudball."

Starscream and Soundwave turned from the icy tundra and entered their base. The tip of the smallish, compact base jutted out between cracks of the ice. Most of the Decepticons are away on missions, Starscream knew. Destablizing missions. Two of Soundwave's minions, the simian Beastbox and the avian Laserbeak, were perched in front of consoles and monitors, working to get them datafeeds from all around the planet. "Report." Soundwave said.

Beastbox answered gruffly, "What fleshies call World War Three is going more interesting. More kaboom. Other 'Cons helping to esc- escal- esc-"

"Escalate." Starscream offered.

"Yeh, that." Beastbox continued, bouncing around with excitement. "Fleshies killing each other good. Autobots no can stop them good."

Laserbeak nodded and added in his hoarse, animal voice which frankly sounded like nails being scraped through glass, "The Autobots' efforts to stop the fleshbags from killing each other up have been less than successful. Skywarp and the others aren't making it easier for the 'Bots. We should be able to begin phase three in a couple of days."

Starscream nodded, and moved towards the mass of interactive monitor/touchscreens that the Cassettes have cobbled up in their makeshift base. The Seeker saw sights of carnage and death, explosions and murder. While mostly taking place in non-populated areas, the humans are definitely bringing out their more powerful vehicles and tearing into each other. Their fighting are made even more violent by Decepticon aggressors. Disguised as local jets, the likes of Skywarp and Blitzwing literally mowed down human troops mercilessly, causing both sides to fight more agressively. Revenge and self-preservation, after all, are two of the best motivators.

However, they have to be careful not to let the scales tip to any side too much, lest the war ended too fast. The Decepticons wanted to exhaust every side of this global war, so that there would be little to no resistance at all when they began exterminating the humans. But something is wrong... other than a rally car with ridiculously oversized cannons strapped onto the hood zipping by the footage from the battlefields in Russia, no Autobots could be seen in the monitors. Turning to a comms channel, Starscream growled, "Decepticons, report any Autobot sightings immediately."

Almost immediately, a cheery voice replied over the comms, with sounds of explosions and gunfire in the background, "Skywarp here, Screamer. TC an' me are at the battleground over the Pacific Ocean. Can't see no Autobots, haven't detected no orbital bounces on my sensors."

Before Starscream could reply to Skywarp, another transmission arrived. "This is Blitzwing. I'm at the, ah, Russia-China war. Saw a couple of Autobots, but I can take them if you want me to. Haven't done much than rescuing humans, though."

"Continue with your mission, Skywarp. And Blitzwing, do it." Starscream said coldly. "Kill any Autobots you see, even if you have to break cover to do so."

"Copy that." Blitzwing replied, and Starscream heard two commlinks being simultaneously switched off.

"Dirge here. I'm currently turning the members of the United Nations against each other, their troops are fighting each other now. So much fear... I saw two Autobots, Screamer. Ironhide and, um, Cliffjumper."

"Kill them." Starscream said simply, and Dirge mumbled an affirmative before signing off.

Meanwhile, to spread panic and terror, the Cassettecons, with their myriad range of powers, have been unleashed to destabilize the humans' lives. Sudden earthquakes ripping through a city. A state-wide communications blackout with no explanation. Power plants and factories being burnt down to the ground. And the beauty of it, even without Soundwave's propaganda, the humans are already blaming each other, thus adding more tension to the shattered peace.

"This is Buzzsaw. Squawktalk and I have finished burning thirteen odd factories around this China part."

"Howlback reporting. Overkill, Slugfest and I have destroyed the military base in this 'middle east' quadrant of the planet."

"Yo, Screamer. This is Frenzy. Japan's under a nation-wide blackout right about now."

"Ravage reporting. Another oil rig up in flames, and still they are blaming another country. Garboil says he has used his weapons to bombard an office building in New York, but they're blaming another country for it."

"Excellent work, all of you." Starscream nodded, despite his normal loathing for the midgets that Soundwave carry. "Wait, Rumble? Where is Rumble?"
______________________________________

Rumble, in fact, was at the Hoover Dam, with a grin plastered over his face. The red-and-black Decepticon had been doing what he did best throughout the last few solar cycles, which is destruction.

First was a job to Beijing. Oh, how he laughed when he tore apart the city from under it! Their ancient monument, the 'Great Wall' (Rumble saw nothing great about the inferior structure. Sure, it was long, but it wasn't even made of metal!) split in four different places. Sadly, the humans blamed it on some freak weather. The next job was to a few odd islands in Indonesia, where his earthquakes had a side-effect of reactivating the dormant volcano Krakatoa. He had also been sent to create smaller quakes in England, Egypt and California, among others.

Transforming his hands into piledrivers, Rumble waded slowly underwater. The Hoover Dam was very thick, even though it was made out of not metal, but concrete. Nothing a good quake couldn't solve, though. Grinning, Rumble rammed his piledrivers down onto the ground again and again and again, creating massive fissures that spread across the dam-bed. Then, the smallish Decepticon moved towards the concrete that made up the dam itself and began to work there, using his piledrivers to create a massive crack that began to grow upwards. And all these done underwater, where the inferior squishies couldn't see him. Pity, really.

Just then, Starscream's annoyingly shrill voice screamed over the commlinks. "Yeah, I read ya, Screamer." Rumble replied, "Didn't catch the earlier transmission 'coz of the noise. Hoover Dam is coming down... watch me, 'kay?"

Rumble clicked the commlink off as he activated the in-built thrusters on the large cannons attached to his back. Moving at speeds matching a human submarine, Rumble resurfaced at a relatively remote spot, and shrunk into his cassette mode. Some people might have seen him, but Rumble couldn't care less. In any case, they were about to be startled by his masterpiece anyway.

Even Buzzsaw would be proud of this. Rumble thought, and hollered with mocking laughter as the four-football-fields-thick Dam was torn apart by the rushing tidal wave, which poured out hungrily onto the other side of the dam, completely obliterating everything in a swift, painful moment.

"Ohoho, that was awesome!" Rumble cackled as the monsoon began to ram into a nearby town, crushing buildings in its wake. "All that power! Pity we didn't have a hydroelectric-thingy to collect the energon..."
________________________________________

Mirage watched helplessly as the forces of Russia traded fire with Chinese troops, the dead and wounded piling up. The acrid smell of gunpowder filled the air. It had been two, three weeks since those filthy Decepticons had ignited the spark for World War Three, and the bodycount had reached millions. Cities lay destroyed, ravaged.

And these stupid humans... these temperamental apes still kept fighting each other.

Mirage grunted as, his cloaked self weaved in and out, trying his best to snipe mortar shells with the energon crossbow that now perched on top of his Formula One's spoiler before they landed on the other side. Typical... a senator like me, one of the high echelon of Cybertron, reduced to damage mitigation among lesser species.

"When the frag are we getting backup?" Wheeljack shouted over the commlink. The scientist used a wavelength-distorting web to make himself invisible, while his back-mounted cannons sprayed some kind of beam into the jets above, disabling their targetting and firing mechanisms, and forcing them to retreat. The wave-distortion, unlike Mirage's more sophisticated nanomite-skins, made Wheeljack look more like a ripple moving through the snowy battleground, while Mirage moved like a ghost, truly invisible.

"Trailbreaker's taking a group down to this Primusforsaken mudball, Skids says." Mirage replied, as he sent a prick of energon straight into the barrel of a tank, which blew up mid-way, leaving the tank turretless. "We can't keep doing this, 'Jack! We got to knock some sense into the CPUs of the leaders of this world!"

"True, you try to argue with Grimlock. I bet it's easier than making these stubborn humans work together. Who could blame them? It'll be the same if someone tried and force us and the 'Cons to shake hands and act as if nothing had happened."

Mirage was about to reply, when a mortar scream towards them, as if aimed straight at the Autobot duo. "Break left!" Mirage shouted, and he jerked towards the left, followed by Wheeljack. The mortar tore up the ground where the duo had just been in moments ago, sending charred soil and rock flying into freshly-molten snow. Another mortar shell impacted again. "That's too precise to be accidental crossfire." Mirage growled, transforming into his robot mode, still invisible. "Gotta be one of our adversaries. Cover me." The Scout clicked a catridge of energon darts into his crossbow, before moving like a hunter he is towards the source of the mortars.

The ex-senator jumped into the air and sent out three energon darts towards a tank that was giving out radiation. If Mirage hadn't been scanning actively for Cybertronians, he wouldn't know Blitzwing was there -- there was just too much interference from the surrounding noise. The darts impacted on Blitzwing's turret, creating small explosions. Wheeljack launched some sort of mine which stuck onto Blitzwing's side, and suddenly the Decepticon transformed, seemingly involuntarily, into robot mode.

Naturally, a Russian tank changing into a massive robot which shouldn't exist outside science fiction caused most of the combatants to halt their fighting. Especially when Blitzwing drew his schmitar and blaster from where they were clamped on his fists. "Inferior creatures! You do not deserve to live! All of you!" the triple changer roared.

A few daredevil Chinese pilots opened fire onto Blitzwing. The triplechanger grunted as the blasts, coupled with a few more energon darts and laser blasts from the Autobots tore apart his armour. Mirage watched in horror as the triplechanger raised his blaster, and opened fire onto the squadron of jets. Any jet hit by Blitzwing's gryo-blaster lost control and all spiralled down onto the land, exploding in fireballs.

Wheeljack abandoned his cloaking, and transformed into robot mode. "Humans of the planet Earth! You have been tricked by the vile Decepticons! Hurry and return to what homes you have. NOW!" Mirage marvelled at the inventor's tone. The humans, while not exactly retreating, are no longer firing at each other, but watching dumbfoundedly at the two robots having a deathmatch in the middle of the snowy grounds.

Missile launchers on Wheeljack's back opened fire on Blitzwing. Mirage liked Wheeljack; there's no telling what kind of bizarre weapon the inventor had up his sleeves. In this case, one of the missiles exploded and showered a surprised Blitzwing with razor-sharp shrapnel, while the second one exploded in a cloud of liquid (Mirage suspected unstable energon) which seeped into the gashes cut by the shrapnel. Not waiting to see what effect the liquid had on Blitzwing, a still-invisible Mirage loaded a titanium-tipped arrow into his crossbow, and sent it flying onto Blitzwing.

The triple changer roared as the unstable energon messed up his systems, and the arrow ripped through his shoulder, sending pain racking through his systems. "Enh... double teaming me, Autobots? Doesn't seem very fair of you. Of course, I am a triple changer, so..." Blitzwing grunted as he pulled out the arrow out of his body and tossed it aside like garbage. Then, he transformed into his MiG jet mode and began tearing apart the ground around Wheeljack. Before Mirage could react, Blitzwing shifted into tank mode faster than the optic could see, and Mirage was bowled over when a missile blew up in his face, sending him crashing onto the side of a human Stryker, which crumpled under his momentum. Mirage wasn't feeling any good either.

"You Decepticons... so full of yourself that you can fly..." Wheeljack grunted, as his hands changed into rocket pods, which ignited. The inventor shot into the air, missile launchers on his shoulder tracking the now jet-mode Blitzwing before unleashing two explosive missiles.

Mirage watched as Blitzwing was thrown down onto the ground, but the triple-changer transformed into root mode, landing with a roll which minimized damage. But as Blitzwing stood up, Mirage delivered a mean uppercut to the triple-changer's chin, before disappearing from view.

"So you think you're invincible just because you can't be seen, puny Autobot?" Blitzwing transformed into tank mode and began spraying laser fire in a wide range. "I can play with that."

Mirage smiled. Such a simpletoon. Making good of his name, an illusion of his form, caused by bent light, appeared a few meters on his right. Seeing a more conventional target, Blitzwing abandoned his wide-spread attack, and transformed back into robot mode, roaring as he slashed down with his schmitar, aiming to cut the Autobot into two from head down.

As the blade slashed through thin air, Mirage rammed his crossbow into Blitzwing's stomach and fired, sending the five energon darts loaded inside blowing up inside Blitzwing's systems. Wheeljack swooped in and dropped two missiles onto Blitzwing's back, causing the massive triplechanger to collapse on the ground.

As Blitzwing tried to get up, Mirage de-cloaked, and clenched his fist. "Fighting equals are one thing. Massacring inferiors are another. This is for the humans." Mirage slammed the fist onto Blitzwing's face, smashing the Decepticon's optic-band and breaking his nose. Blitzwing's head plopped down, offline.
________________________________________

HYDRUS FOUR

Spinister's rotors whipped noiselessly as he soared over the broken battleground. The Wreckers and the Mayhems have been fighting almost non-stop for about two days now. Injured members being repaired in their bases and returning with fresh ammunition. With all the chaos, no Autobot had noticed Spinister, Bludgeon and Needlenose sneaking off to recover the stasis pod of one of the Thirteen.

Inwardly, Spinister scowled at Megatron's master plan. According to legend, the powers of the Thirteen, if they were all gathered in Vector Sigma, would give what remained of their dead creator, Primus, into a single transformer. Spinister didn't believe in legends. He didn't believe that Primus and Unicron clashed so long ago, and he certainly didn't believe that such power existed. But if it did, then it would be of utmost importance to secure it. Still, the mission was a good trial run for the Mayhems, although Spinister had a good mind to replace some of the rosters in his troops.

Although Spinister hated to admit it, they found the stasis pod that contained Soundblaster's body inside a volcano in Hydrus Four. After a hasty excavation, they are bringing it back to their currently-nameless warship (ships loaned to the Mayhems tend to be blown apart fast enough anyway). "Incoming." Needlenose said, as two flying Autobots shot towards them.

Topspin and Whirl. Two of the Wreckers' elite. Needlenose transformed and his two Targetmaster partners transformed and landed on his hands. With expert marksmanship, Needlenose opened fire on the approaching Autobots. As much as Spinister wanted to help his protege, he knew the stasis pod inside him had to take precedence. Fortunately for Needlenose, though, help would come in a more sinister form.

Magno-clamped under Spinister, Bludgeon slipped out of the clamps and dived down towards Whirl, unsheathing his katana and lightsaber in a swift movement, activating the latter in a pillar of burning flame. Whirl somehow did the aerial equivalent of drifting while rotating ending up upside-down and avoiding Bludgeon completely. Spinister had to admit that he was impressed. But such a trick would not deter Bludgeon.

The Metalikato master turned around and threw his katana like a boomerang at Whirl's form, while trying to find a way to leap back up. Spinister opened fire on Whirl with his own Targetmaster partners, engulfing the Wrecker in a ball of flame. He knew that it would not hold the crazy flier for long, but it would slow the Autobot down for Spinister to get away.

He did so, and, leaving the explosions behind him, landed on the docking bay of their warship. "Mayhem Attack Squad, this is Spinister. Our mission was a success. Return to the ship now."

Without waiting for the others, Spinister transformed, and the stasis pod containing Soundblaster clanged noisily on the ground. Spinister hefted it up with one hand as he made his way towards the bridge, seeing an injured Roadgrabber solely operating communications. Turning, the Pretender gave Spinister a curt nod. Not bothering with pleasantaries, Roadgrabber said, "Troops are beginning their retreat. Submarauder and Stranglehold are already on-board. So's Flattop, as of now..." the Pretender frowned. "Remarkably, no one from either side had died yet, but then, this wasn't much of a battle."

Spinister looked at Roadgrabber up and down. The Pretender's vehicle shell had been literally atomized, and he recalled seeing Roadgrabber being stepped on by Broadside at least twice. Roadgrabber's entire exostructure had been filled with carbon scoring and dents, and he looked for all the world that he would collapse anytime soon. But he didn't. Now Spinister knew why Bludgeon recommended the stubborn Pretender as a Mayhem.

Spinister turned to see more and more of his troops enter the warship. The last one to enter was Bludgeon, riding on a wingless Needlenose, and pursued by a relentless Topspin. But as the chase grew nearer to the warship, Topspin was forced to retreat when the rest of the Mayhems opened fire on him.

"Prepare for takeoff." Spinister commanded as soon as he saw Bludgeon and Needlenose crash-land into the docking bays.

"Boss, Banzaitron's not here!" came a shout from one of his troops.

"Where is he?" Spinister snapped, irritatedly. "Can't wait for him. Roadgrabber, Slugslinger, take off! Barrage, Triggerhappy, man the gunning stations and take down anyone who follows. Submarauder, first aid. Octopunch, scan the planet for Banzaitron." Spinister held on to the back of a chair as their warship lifted off, making a mental note to berate Banzaitron if he gets back.
__________________________________

Banzaitron was convulsing in pain next to the pool of silvery liquid nearby. His Targetmaster partner, Razor-sharp, scuttled around his master in anguish and panic, unsure what to do.

Banzaitron felt the mysterious energy source seep into his systems, overpowering him, making him stronger, faster, more alive. But it was very painful. Banzaitron noted that his concentration had been heightened, and he felt near invulnerable. Painfully, he clenched his fingers (which were twitching as they adjusted to the energy surges). "So this is the legendary fuel source of Nucleon." Banzaitron said, with difficulty. "It hurts like hell, but..."

Banzaitron slammed his clenched fist onto the rock wall, sending it crashing into debris. Something he couldn't do a few cycles ago. "... it does have its benefits." Banzaitron watched as his exoform was strengthened, and power coursed through his circuits.

Striding arrogantly out of the small cave, Banzaitron waited for Razor-Sharp to scuttle up and latch onto his back, before attempting to transform into his gunship mode... to find that he could not. "What on Unicron?" he swore. "Ah, it appears the fabled Nucleon has an unfortunate side-effect. I am no longer able to transform. Ah well."

The Decepticon warship flew above him, and Banzaitron ran after it, his speed enhanced greatly by both nucleon and his own 'wind walk' skill. The martial artist expert crouched, and nucleon-empowered sinews and pistons enabled him to jump into the warship's docking bays, before it lifted off the planet's atmosphere.

Banzaitron flexed his fingers as they cleared the planet. He didn't even notice when the stars outside turned into streams of light as their warship entered hyperspace. Banzaitron knew he was going to have so much fun with his newfound powers...
_________________________________________

Vector Sigma

Alpha Trion. Moonradar. Two out of the Thirteen they were supposed to collect.

Shockwave led the small procession out of the turbolift. Misfire, Darkwing and Dreadwind had to struggle to push Gigatron's body down on the shrine. Astrotrain had it much more easier, dropping Elita-One's limp form on the shrine beside Alpha Trion. "Two more for the collection." the triple-changer callously remarked.

"Correction: five more." Shockwave said, consulting a datapad. "Including your own acquisations, Razorclaw is en-route with subject: Vector Prime. Skystalker is en-route with subject: Grand. Overlord has recently acquired subject: Star Convoy as well."

Shockwave turned from the quartet of Decepticons to the second turbolift opened with a noisy grating sound, admitting Overlord, Skystalker and Razorclaw. Razorclaw dragged an unconscious mech that seemed to be made out of clockwork and tossed him degradingly on a shrine. "This is your Vector Prime. No one told me he could slow the fragging time. Damn, but when he woke up my Preds couldn't do slag. Thank the source the Thanatos has orbital barrage bombs. Put him out cold."

Shockwave nodded curtly, "Your efforts are appreciated." Overlord set two bodies, one was Grand Maximus's small form, while the other was Star Convoy. Shockwave noted with interest that Star Convoy resembled Optimus Prime, while the ancient Gigatron was a splitting image of Overlord.

It seems the others had taken note of this as well, and Skystalker asked, "Yo, big guy! You look kind of like him over there, no?" the Micromaster asked, jerking a thumb at Gigatron's prone body.

Overlord growled, "I was modelled after him, yes. But do not mistake us as the same being. I am Overlord, knight of destruction, lord of chaos and carnage, god and master of all in front of me. He is but an outdated model."

Shockwave's yellow optic blinked in fascination. Curious. The general seemed to have something from his past he did not share with us. I'll have to see to this...

The Operations Director waved his hands at the Decepticons, "Hypothesis: you are all exhausted after your respective campaigns. Conclusion: it is only logical for all of us to celebrate your respective success with rewards and recreation." Noises of agreement rose from those around the room.

As the Decepticons all entered the turbolift, Shockwave pulled a datapad from subspace, examining cross-sections of Bombshell's exostructure, wondering what had gotten into the Insecticon...
_______________________________________

GAEA

Hun-Grrr transformed into beast mode and roared, twin draconic heads snapping and launching makeshift shrapnel grenades into the fleeing locals. The place was literally ruled by animals. Tribes of pathetically weak (and lean) beast-like creatures attacked the Terrorcons with sticks and stones, spears and catapults. Hun-Grrr and his Terrorcons had taken the forms of the locals' most feared demons and monsters, and in Hun-Grrr's case, it was a two-headed dragon. Albeit a mechanical one -- Hun-Grrr had no taste for coating himself in synthflesh.

One of Hun-Grrr's head chomped down on top of a hut, while the other snapped down on a batlike local and spat the unfortunate, mangled thing away. They had found the Ancient Transformer, Gadep, but they needed to clear these primitives using Gadep as home. Snarling and growling, his Terrorcons were more than happy to do so.

Rippersnapper took the form of something that looked like a cross between a lizard and a shark. The Terrorcon lived up to his name, tearing and snapping bones and wooden catapults apart. Beside Rippersnapper, Sinnertwin (taking the form of a two-headed dog-beast) attacked the catapults that were launching pathetically ineffective metal-tipped arrows at them. Hun-Grrr noted that Sinnertwin was... unnerved by the small creatures. Phobias can't be helped, he suppose.

Blot, meanwhile, was in his element. Literally a monster with two massive claws, Blot slammed his claws down above huts and unfortunate Beest locals, while spitting noxious acid-like liquids towards the locals. Flying above them, the vulture-like Cutthroat single-handedly tore through the flying beasts.

The only non-Terrorcon member of Hun-Grrr's unit was Road Pig. Hun-Grrr grunted in disgust at the Laser Cycle. Hun-Grrr hated having units on his team that he did not trust. The Terrorcons had something in common. They were all misfits with their own quirks and personality defects. All of them also loved destruction. The quintet had forged a very strong and close friendship, which would later extend for them to be reformatted into a combiner. Road Pig, however, was a literal bastard who loved to pick on fellow Decepticons. His function was to torment Autobots. Hun-Grrr hated him from the cycle they first met. And now that they had cleared out the locals... the Laser Cycle was tormenting his troops. His friends.

"Hey, Sinnertwin! What's the matter? Afraid of these puny squishies? And you, Rippersnapper- what, afraid your small size would mess this up again?" Road Pig said, before making a derisive snort.

Sinnertwin's two heads growled with anger, while Rippersnapper transformed into robot mode. "What d'you care? Just because you're one head taller than me doesn't give you permission to call me a shorty!"

Sinnertwin transformed and stood behind his verically-challenged comrade, cracking his knuckles. "Damn right. No one picks on 'Snapper but me. So bug off!"

Road Pig laughed, "So, you want to make this go the hard way, eh? Fine. Two against one? I don't mind. A midget and a guy who's phobic of small stuff..." Road Pig, however, was soon slammed towards the ground by a massive purple claw.

"You laugh at Terrorcons?" Blot growled, as he lifted his claw again, ready to slam it at the face-down Road Pig. "Blot crush you! No insult Sinnertwin and Rippersnapper!"

Road Pig grunted as he turned around, only to have his face caved in by another strike from Blot. Sinnertwin and Rippersnapper cheered the brutish Terrorcon on, and clapped Blot on the back. The normally reviled Blot was ecstatic when he saw that his friends were happy with him, and the simple-minded Terrorcon was encouraged to deliver another blow to Road Pig.

Hun-Grrr transformed into robot mode and strode over to the conflict, and Cutthroat fell in behind him. "Boss, you want me to gut Piggy-boy?" Cutthroat asked.

Before Hun-Grrr had a chance to answer, a transmission reached him that made his oil go cold. Megatron is coming. Hun-Grrr gulped. He did request backup against Magnus' crew, but he never expected Megatron himself to come. Had he shown himself to be incompetent? Hun-Grrr scowled as he approached the conflict. "Dnn...Not now, Cutthroat. Blot... that's enough." The brutish Terrorcon reluctantly moved back, and Hun-Grrr reached out and throttled Road Pig. Moving his face inches from the other Decepticon's, Hun-Grrr growled. "Listen here, creep. You're not going to insult any of my Terrorcons, or else I'll personally demonstrate to you how I got my name. Grrr... the only reason you're still alive right now is because Megatron's coming, and it wouldn't do for him to see good and faithful Blot beating you up. Personally I couldn't care less about you, but we Terrorcons, vile as we are, have a reputation to uphold." Saying those words, Hun-Grrr flung Road Pig away into the forest, and turned to his troops, "Okay, boys. Clear out the area, the boss's coming to fetch Gadep. Rrr... We gotta look good. Cutthroat, be on the lookout for Autobots before they-"

A resounding snap and crash sounded from the forest where Hun-Grrr tossed Road Pig into, and the five Terrorcons turned to look at the trees. A white-and-blue assault truck charged out, driving over a screaming Road Pig before transforming into a well-known figure.

"Ultra Magnus." Hun-Grrr growled venomously as the Autobot commander was joined by eight other Autobots. "and company, it seems."

"Hun-Grrr, you and the Terrorcons are now under arrest for mass murder, attempted genocide and for rebelling against the Autobot rule." Ultra Magnus said, his voice all business. "We can do this my way, or the hard way." Hun-Grrr's only answer was to transform into dragon mode and spew out twin balls of molten slag, which slammed onto Magnus' side. The Autobot narrowed his optics. "The hard way it is then. Hot Spot..."

The five Protectobots stood together and in fluid motion, metallic panels shifted, joints and sinews locked, neural links meshed as the Protectobots combined, forming the Autobot gestalt Defensor. Roaring, he charged Hun-Grrr, knocking the gray-and-white dragon aside. The Terrorcons all flew, flapped and rolled away from the giant. Hun-Grrr shook his head and transformed back into robot mode. "Gnnn.... Terrorcons, combine!"

Soon, the quintet of Terrorcons latched onto one another, wires and systems synchronizing with each other, bodies expanding and minds meshing as they formed the hulking monster Abominus. As Abominus' head clicked into place among claws and horns, the gestalt roared savagely with a voice that seemed as if a beast was speaking instead of a sentient being. Although it is appropriate for a soulless killing machine like Abominus. "RRRRRAAAAAH! Abominus SMASH Defensor!"

"Not today, Decepticon." Defensor growled in return, his voice deep and authoritive, layered as if all five Protectobots were talking at the same time. "I will defeat you."

The two titanic transformers moved at each other with ear-splitting bellows whilst their every step tears the ground apart. Abominus caught Defensor in a charge-hug that caused the two powerhouses to tumble together into the forest.

Meanwhile, Road Pig slowly regained his footing, just as the two gigantic gestalts crashed towards him. "Primus!" he swore, as he ducked down, and the two gestalts tumbled above him in a tangle of limbs, weapons and claws. When Road Pig looked up, he saw the large barrel of Ultra Magnus' BFG, as well as the activated weapons of the three Triggerbots, all aimed at his body. "Umm... I surrender?" Road Pig asked meekly.

"Smart 'Con. Override, Backstreet, tag him and bag him. Dogfight, fly around and search for any Decepticon backup." Ultra Magnus said. Road Pig could only sigh as stasis cuffs were placed over his hands, forcing him to fall into stasis lock, oblivious to the battle raging all around him.
_____________________________

Ultra Magnus watched as Defensor delivered a blow to Abominus' face, sending the Decepticon reeling. Blades' helicopter rotors on Defensor's arm spun, tearing apart chunks out of Abominus' armour. With each blow, the earth shook.

Ultra Magnus winced as Backstreet and Override tossed the downed Road Pig aside, weapons drawn and looked at Abominus, at a loss what to do. "Magnus?" Override asked uncertainly.

"This is out of our league." Magnus said as he ducked to avoid a tree that was brutally flung from the clash of the titans. "Autobots, fall back. Investigate what the Decepticons were after..." Ultra Magnus transformed into car carrier mode. Backstreet and Override both piled into the commander's trailer, and the Commander shot off, trudging into the canyon-like clearing. All three were stunned speechless when they saw a decidedly Cybertronian battlestation smack dab in the middle of the ruins.

"It's like... Omega Supreme. Only bluer and more ancient." Backstreet stammered as the three Autobots transformed.

"What would the Decepticons want with this... stuff, in the middle of a primitive planet like Gaea?" Ultra Magnus asked, but instead of an answer, a rain of grenades engulfed the three Autobots in flames. Grunting, Ultra Magnus was immediately greeted by the massive form of Megatron's personal warship. The Dark Nova. "Slag." the Autobot commander cursed as the weapons on the crescent-shaped ship trained down towards them.

However, instead of firing, the hatch on the side of the Dark Nova opened and a single mech flew out. Megatron. The Decepticon leader transformed into tank mode and launched fusion blasts into the Autobots, tearing their armour apart. As the tank free-falled towards them, Ultra Magnus launched the missiles on his shoulders, and both shot towards Megatron's underside, exploding spectacularly. Override's particle beam cannons and Backstreet's proton missile launchers swung down on their hands and shoulders, respectively, and both of them opened fire on Megatron. A cloud of shrapnel and fire hung above them. And then-

Megatron burst out of the flames, a dark demon shrouded by dancing scarlet light. Optics blazing in a crimson light and fusion cannon glowing in a dark violet shade, Megatron didn't even say a word as his outstretched hands transformed into claws, and crackled with electricity. Aiming them towards Ultra Magnus, he unleashed the balls of pure energy.

The Autobot Commander collapsed into car carrier mode and shot forwards, causing the lightning balls to miss him by inches. They were outgunned, if not outnumberred. Momentum carried him towards Megatron, who had just landed, and the Autobot rammed onto the Decepticon Emperor. Transforming into robot mode, Magnus delivered a mean punch to Megatron's face, denting the Decepticon's helmet. "See, Autobots? He can be hurt! He can be killed!" Dogfight's youthful voice cried out from above as the Triggerbot landed behind Megatron and doused the Decepticon with tongues of fire from his arm-mounted flamethrowers.

Megatron grunted, and opened his mouth. It was too late when Magnus realized that it was an attack, and his optics were nearly fried when the blast of nuclear fire slammed into Magnus' upper chassis and face, burning into his exostructure, causing him to stumble backwards. While Magnus was blinded, he heard Override's battle cry as he charged Megatron, and the distinctive humming of his weapons as he pounded onto the Decepticon leader with particle beams.

Ultra Magnus' vision cleared, and he saw Megatron being attacked by the three Triggerbots, weaving in and out, dodging Megatron's shots and attacks. "If that's the best you fools got, I'm disappointed." Megatron remarked, as he stretched out his hand, fingers like claws, and in one fluid motion caught Override by the neck. The red-and-blue Triggerbot struggled in Megatron's grip, even as Dogfight and Backstreet refocused their attacks on the hand choking their comrade.

Seeing his fellow Autobot on the brink of death, Magnus was spurred and picked up the nearest thing he could use -- namely, Road Pig's unconscious body -- and threw it with all his might at Megatron, hoping to distract the Decepticon. Without waiting to see the effect of his actions, he pulled out his BFG and opened fire onto Megatron's face.

The Decepticon leader grunted as Magnus' blast burned his face, and as Road Pig's body clanged onto his side. But the attacks didn't stop Megatron from crushing Override's necks, breaking hydraulics and pistons. Override made a gagging sound, and Megatron dug his left hand into the Triggerbot's lower body. To Ultra Magnus' horror, Megatron tore the red and blue Autobot into two pieces.

"NOOOOOOO!" Dogfight roared, transforming into robot mode, shoulder-mounted missile rack and gatling gun emptying their ammunition on Megatron, while flamethrowers slammed onto the Decepticon leader.

"You'll pay for that." Ultra Magnus said.

Meanwhile, Road Pig's stasis cuffs had been broken by the impact, and the Decepticon took in the sight as Megatron tore Override into two. "Yeah! You Autobot suckers don't stand no fraggin' chance against-" Road Pig did not finish his sentence as Ultra Magnus shot off Road Pig's head, leaving a bleeding stump where the head used to be.

"Show some respect for the dead." Magnus said coldly as he trained his BFG onto Megatron and opened fire. From the edge of his vision, Magnus could see the Dark Nova pulling the Cybertronian base into its hangar bay with a tractor beam. There's not much to do about it, but they could avenge Override by killing Megatron. Turning to regard the Decepticon Emperor, Magnus growled and opened fire with his BFG and shoulder missiles.

Megatron saw Magnus' attack coming and transformed into tank mode, charging forward and running over Backstreet and the corpse of Road Pig while the attacks from Magnus went over his turret. Megatron's fusion cannon opened fire on Magnus, but the Autobot rolled aside to dodge it.

However, fate was not shining in Magnus' direction, as Defensor and Abominus, caught in a death lock, tumbled towards the canyon they were fighting in. Abominus was like a rabid animal, rapidly punching Defensor, even though the Autobot's force field blocked many of the punches. However, the two tumbled down, sending trees and rock being crushed by their mass, and Ultra Magnus found himself pinned under Defensor's left leg. A few more savage punches from Abominus, and the already-damaged Defensor separated into his component parts. Magnus stood up with difficulty. Grunting, Magnus took aim at Abominus' most damaged part, in this case the joint on the left shoulder. Opening fire on the joint, Magnus caused Rippersnapper to be disconnected from Abominus. Their mental link interrupted, the Terrorcon quintet was forced to separate as well. "Autobots... we cannot stay here and die! We must retreat... back to the Fire Convoy!" Magnus said, glowering with anger and shame.

Transforming into car carrier mode, Backstreet, Groove and Stretwise piled into the trailer while Magnus barrelled through the groggy Terrorcons. Hot Spot and First Aid, with a rotor-less Blades riding on the former, followed Magnus. Dogfight flew overhead them as they retreated.

However, the Decepticons were not done with them. "Terrorcons, attack!" Megatron said as he transformed into tank mode and charged. The Terrorcons followed suit, transformingg into their beast modes and were hot in Megatron's tracks.
_______________________________________

Dogfight knew that his ground-bound partners would never make it. They were damaged, and the Decepticons could fly. Override's death still played out in his mind, fresh as ever, and the Triggerbot berated himself for not being able to help his comrade. His friend.

Seeing the injured Backstreet riding on Magnus, something inside Dogfight snapped and he corkscrewed, sending missiles streaking towards the Decepticons. "Magnus, I'm gonna buy y'all some time! If I don't make it... well, just tell my biographer I died a hero, 'kay?"

"Get back here, soldier! You can't take them all on!" Magnus snapped.

"Gnn... just do it! Get the slaggin' Pit out of here! Don't let this... go to waste. Ain't gonna let none of you end up like Override." Dogfight spinned around, charging the airborne Cutthroat in his trademark 'dance of doom'. Surprised by the recklessness of the Autobot, Dogfight opened fire, sending three missiles impacting and exploding across Cutthroat's chest. The airborne Terrorcon fell down, crashing on top of the damaged Rippersnapper.

Transforming into robot mode, Dogfight swooped down, gatling gun and missile rack strafing the beast-mode Blot, Sinnertwin and Hun-Grrr, causing them to trash in pain. Megatron, however, charged forwards in tank mode. Feeling that Megatron is the main threat, Dogfight transformed into robot mode, and with a bloody yell, streaked down towards Megatron's back while the Terrorcon's fire whistled around him.

As he landed on Megatron's turret, flamethrowers snapped back under his arms and he began to attack Megatron, pulling on the main turret with all his force. "PULL OVER!" He roared.

Megatron transformed, and swatted Dogfight aside. "You want to die so much? Then die!" Megatron said, aiming his fusion cannon at Dogfight.

As the cannon hummed up, Dogfight sent two tongues of flame onto the barrel of the weapon. "You first." The weapon on Megatron's wrist exploded into pieces. Megatron roared, and Dogfight took the opportunity to send a missile right onto Megatron's face. "For Override! I'll bring you all down!" Dogfight charged Megatron, but he was slammed onto the ground by the massive Blot.

"No hurt Megatron!" Blot roared, and slammed a claw onto Dogfight's head.

Dogfight squirmed but could not get free. Megatron walked over slowly to Dogfight, kneeled down and pulled his face up so that Megatron's was inches from Dogfight's shattered faceplate.

"You have spirit, Autobot, I'll grant you that. I would offer you a place among my Seeker army, but I doubt you would be interested." Dogfight's reply was to spit on Megatron's optic, and to unleash everything on his shoulder weapons onto Megatron, hell-bent on killing this monster who murdered his friend. But Megatron still stood, although he did look hurt by Dogfight's attack. "Die well, then."
_______________________________________

Magnus knew that Dogfight had been killed. He heard the crack as Megatron crushed his skull. Holding back all the sorrow and pain, Magnus screeched to a stop next to the Fire Convoy. "This is all my fault! I shouldn't have- couldn't save-"

"Lemme get back there and I'll gut Megatron for you." Blades offered, unsheathing his twisted rotors, but with a hint of murder in his optics. The already-damaged Protectobot was scowling, eager to pay back Megatron for what the Decepticon had done to his fellow Autobots.

"No." Magnus said, partially not wanting Blades to do something stupid, and partially out of not wanting to lose part of a gestalt team. "We retreat. The Decepticons seem to be..." Ultra Magnus' words were interrupted as the crescent-shaped Dark Nova swallowed up the Omega Supreme look-alike, followed by the Decepticons. Then, the Decepticon starship opened fire onto the planet with some sort of beam as well as bombarding the planet with orbital barrage missiles. "MOVE!" the Autobots piled into the Fire Convoy and the ship awkwardly took off even as the rocky ground on which it had perched on before crumbled and was replaced by rising spikes and layers of metal.

The Autobots looked at the sight in horror. Groove whispered, "So it's true... the Decepticons have the power to Cyberform planets..."

"Damn it all to the Pit! Magnus, jus' say the word and I'll open fire with all we got to that Decepticon ship!" Blades exclaimed as the triggerhappy Autobot made his way to the gun controls.

"No, Blades... they outgun us. That's not counting tractor beams and other nasty stuff." Groove countered.

"Then what? We wait and watch while the 'Cons destroy an entire motherboard-fraggin' planet?" Blades shot back, but there was an angry look in his optics, angry for being so helpless.

"Slag. In-coming!" Streetwise shouted, breaking the argument between his teammates, pointing instead on the crescent-shaped warship looming towards them.

Ultra Magnus leaped into the pilot seat, taking over the controls from the autopilot. "Blades, open fire on the ship. Give them everything we got. Groove, Hot Spot, prepare the hyperdrive for a jump. Backstreet and Streetwise, scan the Decepticon warship for any useful information. I'll try and-" the distinctive hum and jolt as the Fire Convoy was helplessly caught in a tractor beam interrupted Magnus. "Blades, now!"

The Protectobot nodded. "Submachine turrets, opening fire. Proton torpedoes, opening fire. Laser guns, opening fire." he shouted back to Magnus, and said weapons trained towards the Dark Nova and created craters on the ship's exostructure. Blades looked into the targetting system and launched a group of proton torpedoes at the tractor beam generator, blowing it up. As soon as the hold was broken, Magnus pressed down on the throttle and the Fire Convoy's afterburners moved on maximum speed as they shot out of the stratosphere, leaving the dying planet of Gaea behind as they entered lightspeed.
_________________________________________

NEBULOS

Fortress Maximus (or rather his smaller form of Cerebros) was tending to his broken transector, repairing the damage done to it during the battle with Scorponok. They were at their shuttle, the Steelhaven, and their condition wasn't so good. Brainstorm and Chromedome had been knocked out, while Joyride, Slapdash and Highbrow had missing limbs. Only Hardhead and Getaway were remotely close to being in fighting form.

"Dammit, boss." Hardhead growled. "I'm goin' down there. Those Nebulon- Nebulan- squishies are bein' massacred en masse. Gotta at least slow those 'Cons down."

"Hardhead, save your strength-" Cerebros began, but Hardhead looked at the Autobot leader with so much determination. Cerebros sighed. He knew Hardhead for a long time -- when he's dead set on doing something, there's no turning him back. "Give them hell, Hardhead." Cerebros nodded. "Save as many Nebulons as you can."

"Thanks, chief." Hardhead said as he stepped into a shuttle.

"Don't you worry, Maxie. I'll keep an eye on him." Getaway called out as he rushed into the shuttle beside Hardhead. "Ta-ta for now." The doors slid shut noiselessly and the shuttle rocketed off towards Nebulos.

Cerebros sighed as he turned around and began to tinker with the exposed servo linkages of Fortress Maximus' side. There was a massive gash, exposing burnt circuits and severed wires. Cerebros mused at the fact that he was, in fact, repairing himself. As he tossed melted circuit boards and slashed wirings, he pulled out a welder and began to graft replacement parts into his larger self. When he was done, Cerebros patched the open wound up with a rather unsightly piece of scrap metal which did not match Maximus' paintjob at all. But with the resources they had at hand, it was the best they could lay their hands on. With a sigh, Cerebros moved back, admiring his latest patch-up job. That's one scar less for him. The Headmaster let loose another tired sigh as his face-plate retracted, before massaging the bridge of his nose. "It's not going to work... Scorponok is going to destroy Nebulos... if only I had been stronger, been better. For the good of all, the Decepticons must fall."

Cerebros' face sank into a visage of determination as the faceplate and visor slid back into place, and he transformed into the large head of Fortress Maximus. As he did so, Maximus' larger form picked his smaller body up and attached, wires and energon linkages joining together in the neck through a complicated series of connections. Soon, Fortress Maximus was whole again, his mind feeling at home in his larger transector body.

Flexing his fingers and joints, the massive Autobot strode towards the open shuttlebay hatch and entered a small shuttle, determined to take down the Decepticons.
_________________________________________

FEMAX

"Bottom line, Jazz, I want a beast mode, and these sickly mammallian furballs in this planet isn't that impressive." Grimlock growled into the transwarp commlink in the shuttle Impactor. "Beast mode gave Sixshot advantage over us, and it's not gonna happen again."

"Right-o, Big Grims. Sadly Earth's a little too short on massive animals, unless you really have an urge to turn into an aquatic creature, and since you don't fancy techno-organics, I've researched extinct stuff. Ever watch Jurassic Park before?" Jazz's cheerful voice sounded over the comms. "I'd say the raptors would be great for you, but they're just too damn small. A Rex would be perfect! Oh, and they're called dinosaurs, about the same with your unit. Transmitting data to you."

"Hnn... I have no idea what you're talking about. Just send over the schematics and I'll decide." Grimlock grunted, but his annoyance turned into a smug expression when the holograms of 3-D beasts appeared on the console.

"Impressed yet?" Jazz's voice queried.

"Yes." Grimlock said, his red optic band glinting when the holographic Tyrannosaur transformed into Grimlock's robot mode. "Well... these better than I hoped. Dynobots, prepare for reformat. Sixshot's good as dead."
________________________________________

SAN FRANCISCO, EARTH

The city of San Francisco was burning. The Decepticons hit it hard. First Garboil and Soundwave unleashed a communications blackout, while Astrotrain, Skywarp and Dirge carpet-bombed the city seemingly at random. The Americans' military, already weakened severely by the World War, were slaughtered by the Decepticons.

Trailbreaker's crew drove into the burning city with grim resolute. Ironhide, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker engaged the Decepticons almost immediately, while Tracks, Skids and Jackpot ferried the humans to safety. Trailbreaker put up his forcefield in order to block the missiles from hurting any more humans.

The local Autobots under Prowl's jurisdiction are moving in various cities and helping out in damage mitigation. Trailbreaker and his crew -- Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, Tracks and Jackpot -- only arrived recently as part of backup, and the situation looked grim. Wheeljack's voice sounded over their intercoms. "Tracks, Skids, there's a collapsing medical ground on the western part of the city. Jackpot, there's another accident in the roads near your position. 'Breaker, incoming missiles on your six. Twins, heads-up, the Decepticon bombing squads' flying down for another bombing run." Wheeljack was back in the Teletraan, watching the on-goings through the Sky Spy as well as local satellites he had... borrowed, to use a better phrase.

"Copy that, Wheeljack." Trailbreaker said, as the forcefield generator on his back swivelled around and a transcluscent dome materialized in the air, and the missiles exploded on the dome-shaped force field, sending energy ripples spreading through the energy. Once he's sure that the debris won't hurt anyone, Trailbreaker switched off the forcefield and retracted the metallic generator. He rumbled through the street in his campe van mode. Most of the humans were too busy running away from the explosions and the massive robots fighting to care about a black van with weird alien attachments popping out on top of it driving in the middle of the street.

The fact that the Decepticons were actually revealing their true nature in public means that they're almost ready for a mass-scale genocide. Trailbreaker saw no need to keep his disguise when a building teetered and threatened to collapse on top of a hysterical crowd of humans. Transforming, Trailbreaker lunged towards the crowd under the collapsing building. Naturally, the humans were petrified at the sight of the metallic monster moving towards them with hands outstretched, but instead of attacking the humans, Trailbreaker planted his legs onto the tarmac as he braced himself, allowing the full weight of the building to rest on him. "Heh. This thing's heavier than it looks, so please move, 'kay?" Trailbreaker said, smiling and showing his teeth. The humans, although scared, quickly obeyed and literally ran out of the area. Once he was sure there were no one nearby, Trailbreaker transformed into vehicle mode and shot off, even as the building began to groan and creak as it collapsed on the spot where Trailbreaker had been in minutes ago.

From the edge of his vision, Trailbreaker could see Sideswipe and Sunstreaker darting along the street, rolling and using cars as covers (and impromptu projectiles) while the larger Decepticons dive-bombed them. The sounds of laserfire and missiles from both sides filled the air. Nearby, Ironhide tangled with Soundwave and his cassettecon legion whilst Skids zipped away in his sports car mode, with humans in his trunk.

Trailbreaker transformed back into robot mode, making use of the inertia gained from speeding into good use as he delivered a kick onto the back of the Cassettecon combiner Squawkbox, splitting the humanoid Decepticon into his component parts -- Beastbox and Squawktalk. Trailbreaker continued the assault, delivering a haymaker to a yellow humanoid Cassettecon. Ironhide, seeing Trailbreaker's arrival, finished the Cassette off with a stream of corrosive acid. "Nice shot, old timer!" Trailbreaker grinned.

"Who ya callin' old?" Ironhide snapped, as the security officer headbutted Soundwave in the face, sending a spiderweb of cracks on the Decepticon's eyeband. "Ah'm still in my prime age!" However, as he said this, Ironhide immediately reeled from a knee to the gut from Soundwave. "Uhrn. Not so prime. But close enough-" Ironhide's words were cut short as Soundwave unleashed six micromissiles from his shoulder missile launcher, all of which impacted on Ironhide's chest and face.

"Hey!" Trailbreaker shouted, and retracted his hand, replacing it with a missile, which promptly launched at Soundwave. "That's rude, bolts-for-brains!"

Soundwave grunted as the large missile streaked towards him, but Trailbreaker could've sworn the communications officer was sneering at him as twin beams of red laser light bisected the missile longitudinaly, sending two harmless halves of the missile clattering down to the ground harmlessly. Perched mockingly on a streetlight like some grotesque gargoyle was Buzzsaw eyes glowing red and a proud expression on the avian Decepticon's face at the perfect bisection he had made. "Damned birds." Trailbreaker muttered, and cursed when a pair of surgical laser beams slammed onto his back. Thankfully, it's heavily armoured, but the laser beams burned anyway. Trailbreaker snapped around just in time to see Buzzsaw's lookalike, Laserbeak, pull up. "Hey! Come back here and fight like a fraggin' mech!" Trailbreaker cursed, flicking off the avian with a rude finger gesture.

Trailbreaker turned around to see all the Cassettecons being recalled into Soundwave save Buzzsaw and Laserbeak. Ironhide, still reeling from the earlier attack, staggered backwards. Trailbreaker narrowed his optic bands and with a flick of his fingers, a small force field bubble enveloped Ironhide and himself, separating them from the three Decepticons. "Time out." he growled, before turning to Ironhide. "Are you-"

"Ah'll live. But ah'm damn angry!" Ironhide said, as his fingers transformed into chemical launchers. "Fire on Soundwave. Field down on count of three. One, two-" The forcefield melted away, and Ironhide lobbed a ball of corrosive acid and a stream of liquid nitrogen, while Trailbreaker launched two missiles at Soundwave.

Soundwave cocked his head to one side and lifted his hands. At once, an agonizing explosion of the audiotary sensors filled Trailbreaker's head. Soundwave had unleashed a literal sound wave of his own, as powerful as Garboil or Frenzy's sonic screams, but on a wider range. Any electronic equipment nearby shorted out, and anything brittle enough simply shattered. Trailbreaker's windshield and optic band were among those which shattered. "Force field- force field-" the Autobot said, trying to focus on creating the barrier, but the noise prevented him from focusing enough to do so. Soundwave sidestepped the chemical attacks and both Buzzsaw and Laserbeak accurately blew the missiles apart again.

"Blow that smug smile out of 'is f-" Ironhide began, raising his left hand, transforming it into a nozzle and launching a chemical pellet. Soundwave grunted as the small object landed a few meters from the Decepticon's feet, where it stayed. Trailbreaker thought Ironhide was really going senile until the small blob-like pellet exploded, spraying glue-like material onto Soundwave. The communications officer certainly wasn't damaged by the glue, but was stunned enough for his sonic assault to end.

"Yeah!" Trailbreaker said, picking up the dead yellow Cassettecon's body and pitching it at Soundwave, knocking the Decepticon on the chest. Ironhide followed suit, delivering an uppercut to Soundwave's chest, shattering the cassette door.

"Laserbeak; Buzzsaw: Retreat. Next time, Autobots." Soundwave transformed and shrunk into cassette player mode, dropping into the ground as Ironhide's next punch, not hitting a target, caused the Autobot to stumble and fall. Buzzsaw peppered Trailbreaker with mortar shells while Laserbeak swooped in and caught the damaged Soundwave in his beak.

"Cowards." Trailbreaker grunted as he fell on one knee. "Whooo... that divebomb must've done a number..." Trailbreaker said, turning his head to inspect the torn armour on his back. Silently he cursed his energon consumption rate. His force fields may be useful but they burn energon faster than Cliffjumper could pull a gun... and that's pretty darn fast.

"You oh'kay, Trailbreaker? Don't look so good." Ironhide said, sauntering over.

" 'm fine." Trailbreaker croaked, snapping up into his full height, before collapsing down again, falling on his back. "Okay, not that fine. Think they got me on my motor synapses. Or stuff."

"You need t' rest." Ironhide said, patting Trailbreaker on the shoulder. "We drove th' Cons out, you jus' do good wit' those force field a' yours." with those words, the red Autobot transformed and was gone.

Trailbreaker sighed as he painfully transformed into vehicle mode. The transformation was slow and painful, and pieces of glass from Soundwave's earlier attack trinkled as they fell off Trailbreaker's form. The Autobot rolled down the street where he met up with a family trapped inside a broken car, with a streetlamp having crashed on top of the sedan, trapping the family inside. Trailbreaker sighed as he transformed again (oh, the pain!) into robot mode, no doubt spooking the humans trapped in the car. Trailbreaker walked towards the humans and lifted the streetlamp with ease off them, before ripping the dented roof of the car away from them. "Well, you guys are free. No need to thank me." Trailbreaker said cheerfully before transforming back into vehicle mode. As he did so, a hologram (or rather, holomatter) projection of a young, strongly-built middle-aged man flared up on his driver's seat and he drove off.
________________________________________

TOKYO

Thundercracker sat alone on top of Tokyo Tower, silently watching as the city burned. The other Decepticons had been here and gone, but Thundercracker stayed. What is the purpose of all this? The Seeker let out a long and weary sigh as he watched the humans run away from fires and try to help each other.

Pitiful.

Thundercracker hated this massacre, this slaughter, this senseless genocide. 'Mecrykilling', Starscream had described to him. How could he not understand? These were still intelligent life, albeit disgustingly primitive and organic. Thundercracker had no qualms killing those on near-equal terms with him. Autobots, neutral Cybertronians, even those humans' fighter jets. But killing civilians, forcing them to fight one another, bombarding and napalming their cities...

Sure, they are lesser groundpounders who couldn't fly, but simply killing them all...

Has it come to this? The Decepticons were supposed to be a force to purge corruption from Cybertron. It quickly grew into conquest of all Cybertron and the expulsion of the Autobots. Thundercracker could live with that. But this... this just doesn't feel right. Thundercracker watched as a Volkswagen Beetle transformed into the yellow form of the Autobot Bumblebee, who tried to help humans trapped under rubble. Thundercracker narrowed his optics. Bumblebee was a much smaller Autobot, and he couldn't fly. That doesn't make up for much of a match, but it would entertain Thundercracker for a while.

The Seeker slowly, lazily, hovered up on his afterburners, attracting the attention of anyone observing him. Apparently, Bumblebee is one of them, and the yellow Minibot pulled out a large, chunky blaster from his hips and opened fire at Thundercracker. Thundercracker snorted arrogantly as he did an aerial trick, dodging the two orange blasts of plasma easily. What made the ground-bound Autobot think he could take on him?

Thundercracker swooped down, idly launching two ceramic-tipped missiles onto the ground around Bumblebee, mainly to dissuade the Autobot from further attacking him than to actually damage Bumblebee. Thundercracker then engaged his afterburners and shot away from the burning visage of Tokyo and away, back towards the Decepticon base...
_________________________________________

THE ARK/METROPLEX

The Ark and Metroplex, connected together and drifting along the Eshems Asteroid Field. Seeing it from outside, one would think that the city/shuttle was static, but in reality, endless streams of activity were going on inside the Autobots' main base. Nightbeat sighed as he investigated the report from Ultra Magnus' crew in Gaea.

He looked at his helpers -- the loud and noisy Siren and the bumbling Hosehead. Not much of helpers, but those two and him had been through a lot and Nightbeat wouldn't trust any other Autobots more than them. Except, maybe, his twin unit Minerva. A sighting of a mech resembling an Omega Sentinel, albeit painted blue and looked old-fashioned, had been reported by Ultra Magnus. "Anything yet, boys?" Nightbeat asked, rubbing his brow as the seven monitor screens in front of him whirred with different search engines moving through the massive databases, searching for different clues.

"NOTHING ON MY PART, NIGHTBEAT!" Siren shouted. Nightbeat winced, but said nothing. After all, Siren used to live in the Sonic Canyons, which accounted for his voice, that sounded like shouting all the time. "HOW ABOUT YOU, HOSEHEAD?"

"Umm... nope. Nothing about blue Omega Sentinels." Hosehead replied, leafing through datapads and ancient tomes. "Unless you count old legends as proof, that is."

"What?" Nightbeat asked, swiveling on his chair to regard Hosehead. "Show me." the detective said, and with a hit of a button, Hosehead brought up an ancient picture of the Thirteen. The drawing was terrible, but there was the unmistakable blue silhouette of what looked like an Omega Sentinel among them. "Hosehead, my boy, I never thought I'd say this but you did it!" Nightbeat said, a grin plastered on his face. "Download all data on this big boy."

"Gotcha, Nightbeat." Hosehead replied. "His name's Gadep, the Guardian. He was THE original Omega Sentinel, and according to legend he was Prima's right hand in the battle against Unicron's forces. Like the rest of the Thirteen, he went to stasis lock after Unicron's defeat and was buried somewhere in the universe by the Ancient transformers."

"I KNOW THAT STORY. OLD LEGEND. BUT I NEVER THOUGHT THAT IT'S TRUE... AFTER ALL, THE SPIRITUAL ASPECT OF IT IS... TOO WEIRD FOR ME. XAARON AND THE OTHERS SHOULD KNOW IF THEY WERE STILL AROUND." Siren commented, walking over to Hosehead to read the inscriptions on the ancient tome. He frowned before asking Nightbeat, "THEY DID FOLLOW US DURING THE EVACUATION, RIGHT? NOT THAT IT'S EASY TO KEEP TRACK OF WHO JOINED US WITH SO MANY ABROAD..."

"Righty-o. They might be aboard this massive ship." Nightbeat answered jovially. "Xaaron, Gravitas and Safeguard... the Ancient council. What's left of them, anyway..." the detective clicked open the communicator on his wrist and smiled as Blaster's face appeared on it. "Hey, Blaster. This is Nightbeat. I'm wondering if you could help me find a cerain mech that could be on-board?"

"Sure, 'Beat. Who you have in mind, eh? Some suspect fer a crime?" Blaster's cheery voice buzzed in Nightbeat's commlink, betraying the daunting task that the Communications Director faced in routing almost every single communications around the Autobots' army.

"You busy?"

"If I ain't busy, I ain't doin' my job. What can I do fer you?"

"Are Xaaron and the other Ancients on board?" Nightbeat queried, grinning at knowing that he would be one step closer to finding out the identity of the mysterious Omega Sentinel.

"Lesse... Xaaron an' Gravitas an' Safeguard? Those ol' bots? Sure, sure... been quiet from them lately since Sentinel's death. Their rooms're on Troops' Quarters 56, level 7. Why're you looking fer 'em?"

"Old people are wise, Blaster. Never hurts to ask them for advice. Thanks a bunch." Nightbeat said, before clicking off the commlink. Nightbeat cracked a smug smile. He was a detective, concerned on uncovering the truth, no matter how twisted and concealed it may be. The larger the mystery, the better it is. Nightbeat gestured for Hosehead and Siren to follow him, and the trio shuffled out of their little 'office', which used to be their quarters until Nightbeat had re-vamped their it into a de facto investigation bureau with state-of-the-art computer programs (Chromedome owed Nightbeat a favour). Soon the trio approached quarter 56, and Nightbeat knocked on the door while his partners stood anxiously behind him.

"No one's picking up." Hosehead whispered.

"YEAH. WE BETTER GO BEFORE-" Siren continued. To be fair, it wasn't his normal shouting, but it was still very loud. Nightbeat swiftly raised a finger to his lips, and Siren immediately shut up, an expression of shame on his face. "Didn't mean to-" he said in a normal volume (which, to Siren, was like whispering), before the door slid open.

Three heads turned as one and were greeted by the sight of a small winged mechanoid, hovering in front of the door. "You must be the Ancient Safeguard." Nightbeat began, trying to recollect everything he knew about the Ancients. "See, we thought we might ask an audience with you?"

Safeguard didn't reply outright. Rather, the Micromaster made a series of bleeps and bloops, and gestured for Nightbeat to enter. Nightbeat confidently stepped into the darkly lit room, while Hosehead and Siren cowered behind Nightbeat, moving less certainly.

The room was dark, and was bare of all furniture, other than the basic recharge chamber. The other objects that showed that it was occupied were three chairs, one a tall, curved chair, one a squat hoverchair while the final one was an adorable little platform. Safeguard flew towards the platform and stood on it, bleeping frantically. In synch, the two other chairs rotated. On the taller chair sat Emirate Xaaron, who looked nondescript other than the characteristic kind face. The squat hoverchair bore a hooded figure, as short and small as the chair. He looked featureless other than two stubby arms councealed in the metallic cape which covered his body. This was Gravitas, who greeted the trio with a clicking voice. "Welcome, young Autobots. We do not receive many visitors these days, not since the flames of war were ignited. So pray tell, why have you seeked us?"

Nightbeat smiled. He liked it when people were direct and straight with him, although it does take away the fun in figuring out the hidden meanings behind what a vague mech might be saying. "Well, Ancient Ones, my name is Nightbeat. These are my... aides Hosehead and Siren. We are investigators, and we would like to ask you about a mech. Perhaps you could identify him?"

"Identify?" Gravitas asked, amused by the question. "We might be able to help you, although why would you ask us old ones for identification?"

"Siren, show him." Nightbeat gestured, and the gray-and-blue Autobot stepped up and played the fuzzy recording from Ultra Magnus' team showing the Omega Sentinel being captured by the Decepticons. Nightbeat produced from subspace the old tome which contained the story about the Thirteen. "Our men encountered a blue Omega Sentinel unit, and oddly it doesn't show up in any of our records other than this old tome about the Thirteen. So we're asking... could it be possible that the Decepticons have uncovered Gadep?"

The three Ancients exchanged worried looks, before turning to Nightbeat and his companions. Xaaron locked Nightbeat with baleful optics. "You are a sharp one, child. I suppose it would be useless to try and cover up the truth from you, so I will reveal everything. Allright. Although many doubted it, the legend of the Thirteen did happen, many millenia ago. As you know, the Dark Lord Unicron fought against the Light Lord Primus. Their battle reached this universe, where they took the physical forms of planets. After a long battle, Primus created thirteen mechanical beings from his spark -- his deepest essence -- and gave them the ability to transform. To one of them he gave the Creation Matrix, and that transformer, Prima, used the Matrix to create the race that we are now. After a lengthy battle, Unicron corrupted many transformers, turning them into his heralds. The battle raged through space, and Primus was struck down and defeated by one of the Thirteen he created, by the one who is now known as the Fallen." at this, Xaaron trembled, as if he had witnessed the battle he had just described. Considering Xaaron's age, Nightbeat didn't find it hard to believe.

Gravitas continued, picking up from Xaaron, "After the battle, a dying Primus used all his power to shut destroy Unicron's body and trap his power -- the chaotic energy Angolmois -- inside artifacts scattered all over the galaxy, and trapped Unicron's spark into a Chaos Matrix. Prima sacrificed himself by plunging the Chaos Matrix into a cloud of Unicron's death-bringing essence, trapping the Chaos Matrix, as well as Unicron's spark, in a prison his heralds could not free. After the great battle, those who drew their power from Primus ground to a halt, and were forced into stasis lock after the Light Lord's death. Yes, the Thirteen original creations by Primus all were deactivated, and as time goes by, they were buried in different planets. The remaining transformers, created by the Creation Matrix, lived on and will continue to do so even if the Matrix is by some way destroyed. And the transformers reproduced by constructing new protoforms and benequeathing them sparks from the Matrix."

Nightbeat nodded, struggling to take in all the facts. It didn't make sense to him, but somehow in his spark it felt so right. Hosehead mumbled as he asked a question, "So, umm... you're saying the Decepticons found the resting place of Gadep."

"If it were that simple, then we have nothing to worry about. Well, nothing other than the Decepticons replicating Gadep's technology, anyway." Xaaron lamented, a melancholic look on the ancient mechanoid's face. "But if they had discovered the supercomputer Vector Sigma, then they might be trying to locate every single one of the Thirteen..."

Nightbeat's expression went sour. There had been an old legend, that the Thirteen original mechs, despite their old bodies being in stasis lock, if one were to place all their bodies in Vector Sigma, it would turn Cybertron into a dreadnaught. But what would Megatron want with a dreadnaugt? He had Cyberformed smaller planets, which meant about the same to him. Unless... "There's more to meets the optic sensors than the old legend about the dreadnaught." Nightbeat concluded.

Xaaron's weak expression grew into a faint smile. "You are truly a talented detective, child. It is correct. What remained of Lord Primus' power is contained in the Matrix and in the bodies of the Thirteen. This Decepticon Emperor wishes to use Vector Sigma to harness the energy trapped inside the Thirteen's bodies.

"But Gadep's kind of dead... isn't he?" Hosehead asked uncertainly.

Xaaron shook his head. "Even in death, the Thirteen's body would still radiate energy from Primus. They only need the bodies for the ritual. Dead or alive do not matter much."

Nightbeat nodded. "So... let's see. The reason you haven't told this to anybody is?"

"Blunt, child. You're blunt." Gravitas chuckled. "We do not wish to see a panic among our Autobot allies. Optimus Prime knows of this, of course. However, we are outnumbered and morale is low. With each passing day, more Autobots wish they were on the other side, where they wouldn't be hunted down. If we leak these news..."

"The backlash would be unimaginable." Nightbeat concluded, and turned to his comrades. "Siren, Hosehead, keep this secret." turning back to the Ancients, Nightbeat bowed slightly and said, "I'll talk to Optimus Prime about sending teams to intercept the resting bodies of the Thirteen, if possible convert some of them to our side. Thank you all for your help, Ancient Ones. You have been helpful."

"No, we thank you." Xaaron replied, rising up from his chair. "Your spirit in quest for knowledge has inspired me to join in this battle of yours. Warriors we may not be, but we could still help the war effort in our own way. For Cybertron."

Nightbeat smiled as he strode proudly out of the room, followed by Hosehead and Siren, looking at Nightbeat with newfound awe.
_________________________________________

JUNK

"Bah-weep-gragnah-wheep-ni-ni-bong!"

The Junkions greeted Motormaster in that way. Motormaster nearly puked. The Universal Greeting. The slaggin' Universal Greeting. It appears that the Junkions have been watching too much broadcasts from other planets. Now the Junkions were a tribe of transformers which covet garbage, and were literally made up of garbage themselves. Merchants do make their way to Cybertron at times, trading junk for more junk. The Junkions are respected among their transformers peers for their ability to make anything out of garbage (although sane mechs would never set foot in a Junkion-built ship) and their ability to heal themselves and patch up wounds with garbage.

It's kind of morbid, really.

Motormaster is here on this literal planet of garbage and junk to find a massive shuttle, the inert form of one of the Thirteen. However, the Junkions kept bothering him. "Have you heard of our three-month premium package? Fifteen percent discount for early buyers!"

Primus, they talk through the radio. Motormaster cursed his luck. Dead End and Drag Strip were diligently sifting through garbage for massive shuttles, but the other two, Breakdown and Wildrider, were not liking the situation they were in. Wildrider, uncontrollable at best, is at the edge of a breaking point because of the babbling from the Junkions. Breakdown, meanwhile, just can't stand all those curious optics looking at him. Finally, the two Stunticons couldn't take it and exploded. Breakdown leapt into a Junkion which got too close and ripped off his arm, before using it as a makeshift bludgeon to attack him. Once he is reduced to a pulp, a hysterical Breakdown opened fire at the other Junkions peering at them from the mountains of garbage with his concussion blaster. The vibrations from his engine caused the Junkions nearest to him to shudder. Wildrider, meanwhile, transformed into his vehicle mode, opening fire on the Junkions with his plasma cannons and his scattershot guns.

"Dead End, Drag Strip, join in the fun!" Motormaster roared. "These Junkions are of no use to us!" the two Stunticons grinned as they opened fire, the former attacking with laser bolts and the other sending Junkions scattering with gravito-guns.

"These things break easily." Wildrider whined, as he sliced the hand of a Junkion off... only to see it pull a mismatched limb from the piles of refuse around him and attach it back. "Oh-kaaaaay...."

"Say hello to my little friend!" a bearded Junkion, seemingly the leader of the race, leapt out of the tallest mountain heap and sliced down at Motormaster with an axe-like contraption. Only, instead of a blade, it ended in what looked like a cross. Attached to the bizarre Junkion's elbow was a spiked wheel which doubled as a shield and a spinning weapon. Motormaster effortlessly lifted his own blade to parry Wreck-Gar's axe strike, and with a slight flick of the wrist, sliced the head of the axe off.

"Awww... looks like your widdle weapon's bwoken." Motormaster mocked. "Too bad. You're dead, idiot."

"Twenty-four month global warranty includes spare parts at any available outlet!" the Junkion garbled, as his left hand pulled out a spiked ball from the piles of garbage and attached it to the stump on his axe. "New and improved! Sure to kill off the most persistent of pests!"

"Blah-blah-blah." Motormaster said, lunging at the Junkion leader, aiming to hack off his left hand with his sword. Ready for the attack, the Junkion parried the strike with his makeshift mace, before headbutting Motormaster in the face. "Gnn. I'll kill you for that!"

The Junkion smiled, a mean glint in his optics as he threw the wheel-shield towards Motormaster like a frisbee. The spikes on the wheels pierced Motormaster's midsection, causing him to recoil at the attack. "Oh, you made me mad, Junkion-"

"I am the Wreck-Gar." the Junkion delivered in a deep baritone.

"Fine. Wreck-Gar... you made me very angry. Stunticons, kill him!" the four weapons of the Stunticons swivelled and opened fire on Wreck-Gar. Durable as he is, the Junkion was unprepared for the attack and crumbled into a pile of rubbish. Motormaster laughed in an evil way as the rest of the Junkions scampered in fear. "The Decepticons win again."
_________________________________________

Wreck-Gar noticed the large shuttle, in reality the ancient transformer Galaxy Shuttle, take off with the Stunticons in it. The other Junkions approached his pile of parts and assembled him back, and the Junkion leader spoke in a singsong way, "Who's bad? They're bad!"

"The Decepticons are better, faster, stronger and more alive!" a Junkion wailed.

"Over to Detritus in the six a.m. news..." Wreck-Gar gestured to a Junkion with a jeep alternate mode.

"You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious." Detritus said in an old man's voice. The Junkion pointed to a pile of dead Junkions beyound repair. "See how they murdered our friends," before he shrieked in a woman's voice, "Off with their heads!"

Wreck-Gar shook his head, "Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to the dark side." Wreck-Gar waved a finger in front of Detritus' nose.

Detritus slapped his face comically, "Not. This. Speech. Again."

"Heal the world. Make it a better place." Wreck-Gar retorted. "Fighting is not something kids nowadays should do!"

"Exterminate! Exterminate!" Detritus shouted, moving his thumb across his neck. "Do or do not. There is no try."

"Violence does not solve all our problems." Wreck-Gar counterred.

"Fight! Fight! Fight!" Detritus chanted, hopping around and shouting as if he's watching a wrestling competition, before switching into another voice. "I'm taking over as captain of the Enterprise. You're unfit for duty."

"This is treason." Wreck-Gar growled, as he unsheathed his armour axe and waved it around, while the spiked shield on his elbow spun dangerously. His other hand reached for the massive gun strapped on his back. The Junkion tribes around Wreck-Gar made ululating sounds as the closed in menancingly on Detritus.

"Your powers are weak, old man." Detritus snapped as he moved backwards. "You're unfit to rule!"

"Go to hell!" Wreck-Gar lifted his hands angrily in the air. "The elders sentence you to permanent exile." the Junkion leader cried melodramatically, before turning around violently at Detritus and speaking in a deep, angry tone, as the Junkion pointed in a direction away from Junk. "You are terminated."

"Thanks for the memories, thanks for the memories, even though they weren't so great..." Detritus mocked as he transformed and drove off, he sung, "I will survive!" before adding in a sombre tone, "Soon you will see the truth behind my words."

As the now-exiled Detritus drove off from the Junkions, Wreck-Gar lifted his fist and made a rude gesture, before turning back and heading off into the garbage heaps, to repair those objects ransacked by the evil Stunticons. But in the kind Junkion leader's simple mind, one thought formed: the outsiders are evil.
_________________________________________

PZ-ZAZZ

The planet was named Pz-Zazz. Or Pz-Zzazz. Or Pz-Zazzzz. Or some close approximate thereof. The downtrodden planet was filled with scum from all reaches of the galaxy, and a large variety of bizarre alien beings. Thus, it was particularly easy for six monstrous thirty-feet metallic aquatic monsters to wander around without attracting too much attention.

Seawing knew that the Seacons would've been put to better use in the entirely-aquatic planet of Pequod nearby, or the local system's capital planet of Cameron.

But nevertheless here they are anyway. To retrieve some cache or other. Seawing wasn't told much about the mission -- it was top classified. The only way he knew of it is only because he was in the Seacon unit. The ambitious Seacon sighed inwardly, noting another aspect he must change when he ultimately deposed Megatron as ruler of the Decepticons. But for now, he was content to follow orders and do what he was told to.

Seawing looked at Snaptrap, trotting along the streets and into a particular building in his tortoise mode, his teeth-filled maw snapping at anyone who even looked at him the wrong way. Bottom line is, between the Seacons' outward antisociality as well as their freakish appearance, everyone gave them a wide berth. "Seacons, our target is inside -- underground this power plant." Snaptrap growled. "Our mission is to secure the gestalt, and our warships would come in and drain the energon seam below dry."

"Energon seam?" Seawing asked the Seacon leader, not remembering such a thing in the short briefings he had.

"Yes. An energon seam." Snaptrap hissed, glaring at Seawing with cold, rage-filled optics. "You have a problem with that?"

"N-no, sir." Seawing stammered, and he silently cursed for his stammer. But he couldn't help it; after all, it was a stupid idea to question a direct order from the 'Butcher of the Bogs'. And Seawing hated it. How was he to be leader if a mere field commander scared him?

Seawing glided more than walked as he followed the rest of his team into the power plant facility. After all, his alternate mode was modelled after a variety of similar aquatic species throughout the galaxy, and his alternate mode is a composite of them all. With long, wing-like fins that encompassed most of his body, sharp fangs, poison-tipped tails and claws which could retract into his form, Seawing chose to glide with his 'wings' as he hovered behind Snaptrap. The power plant was seedy, filled with bulky, threatening guards. All of them organics, and of a variety of species. "Direct approach or-" Skalor began to query the Seacon leader, but Snaptrap interrupted the obnoxious Seacon with a boisterous war cry as he transformed, brandishing his blade and harpoon gun and charged into the fray, slicing the nearest guard and opening fire into the phalanx of workers and guards nearby. After a stunned moment of silence, the Seacons roared into life as they attacked. Claws, teeth, tentacles, swords, jaws, laserfire and simple fists did the talking as the massacred the local guards en masse.

The slaughter took twenty five deci-cycles. The kill ratio to time count was below average for the Seacons, but then, they aren't underwater. Seawing transformed into robot mode and brushed off bits of body fluid which had gotten onto his shoulder during the attack. "Okay, boss. Grunts are dead. What now?"

Snaptrap pulled out a remote and pressed a few buttons. "Take cover." the Seacon leader said simply, before jumping onto the back of a now-smoking generator. Knowing what's to come next, the rest of the Seacons followed suit.

Soon afterwards, what could be described as a large pillar of light tore through the factory building, to a pre-determined spot marked by Snaptrap. Their warship, the Poseidon, was equipped with a massive laser cannon which could be remote-controlled by Snaptrap. It's too large to be used against transformers without them noticing, but it's good to drill a path through solid rock. Once the floor of the power plant had been removed, Snaptrap leapt in. Seawing and the rest of the Seacons had little choice but to follow suit.

The sight that greeted Seawing rendered him speechless, so to speak. It was a reservoir of energon. Pure energon, collected into a lagoon of sorts. So that must be why these obnoxious fleshlings built the power plant here. They must've tapped into a small vein of this energon reservoir. "Keep your eyes sharp. He might be- ah." Snaptrap pointed at a massive gestalt, which looked very old and outdated. But it didn't make sense to Seawing.

"That's a combiner!" Nautilator blurted out what the entire team was thinking. "But they weren't- isn't- can't-"

"Scrapper and Shockwave made the gestalt technology not so long ago." Tentakill butted in. "This thing looked as if it came from the time of Alpha Prime."

"Unless..." Seawing continued, "This is the original combiner of old legends, the-"

"Nexus Prime. Or Nexus Maximus, whichever you prefer." Snaptrap growled, but his eyes showed as much surprise as the rest of the team. "the guardian of rarified energon from the original Thirteen. And I thought Megatron was sending us on a stupid mission..."

"Um, so how are we supposed to carry him back to Cybertron?" Nautilator asked, breaking the tension. Seawing chuckled, trading snide glances with Overbite and Skalor. Sometimes Nautilator is just too stupid to realize the obvious.

"Piranacon, silly." Skalor hissed.

Snaptrap growled. "Enough! Seacons- commence combination! Nautilator- weapon duty!"

Seawing leapt up and every plate in him shifted as he ignored Nautilator's grumblings. Metallic tendrils and gears shot out and latched onto their proper posts on Snaptrap's side even as the Seacon leader transformed. Soon, Piranacon stood grand, comprised of the five Seacons and bearing down upon the slightly shorter Nexus Prime. Nautilator scuttled beside Piranacon in lobster mode, since the need of a weapon is not apparent for the moment.

Piranacon grunted as he hefted the inert form of Nexus Prime onto his shoulder, as he ignited the jet boosters on his legs (Overbite and Skalor, for this combination) and rose up steadily. Nautilator transformed into robot mode and hung on to a piece of kibble on Piranacon's back as the gestalt rose out of the rooftops of the factory and into the waiting warship above.

The Poseidon's hangar bay slid open to admit Piranacon, who deposited Nexus Prime inside without much care.

It was not because Piranacon didn't care about the mission, it was because attackers are incoming. The aquatic hunter watched as a swarm of local starships arrived, no doubt intent on bombarding their ship. Pz-Zazz is a rather advanced planet, and they could wreck havoc on the Poseidon if left unchecked. Thankfully, there are alternate methods. "Poseidon, return to Cybertron via hyperspace." Piranacon boomed, and the shuttle's autopilot obeyed. "Nautilator will escort Nexus Prime to Cybertron, then join us here."

The oddball Seacon started to protest, but seeing Piranacon's glare made him shut up, and he entered the warship. Soon, it blasted out of Pz-Zazz's atmosphere, leaving Piranacon facing the incoming swarm of jets. "Come!" Piranacon roared as with a swipe of his hand, he sent one of the local vehicles plummeting towards a building. "This is just the beginning!" Piranacon roared, as the carnage continued.
_________________________________________

GORLAM PRIME

Gorlam Prime was a dead world. It had been cold and lifeless for millions of years ever since its star went out. However, life -- of sorts -- mill on its surface. If the tormented existence of Unicron's heralds could be described as life, that is. Only some were still living, the others were simply shells remained in a semi-animated state. They had a mind, but it was not much more than a drone's.

The Fallen was certainly alive and self-aware. He's probably the only one there on his free will. Galvatron, Cyclonus, Scourge, Jhiaxus and Straxus were alive. However, their minds have been so clouded with Unicron's dark powers that they had no choice but to obey him.

Except for Galvatron.

He always knew he was different, and he hated being another being's puppet. But before, he couldn't resist; how could he, when he couldn't even form a single thought for himself? But now, ever since he arrived on Cybertron and came into relatively close contact with the Creation Matrix, the fog covering Galvatron's mind have been lifted somewhat. He knew, deep down, that it was his rebellious nature as well as his destiny that caused him to be freed from this slavery, this subdugation. Yet Unicron seemed unaware yet of his newfound independence. It was a fact that irked Galvatron even more -- disobeying Unicron's orders would guarantee him a swift and painful death, yet bowing to the whims of another being, even a demigod... Galvatron swore that it would never happen again to him ever again. Unicron will die, for the simple crime of using Galvatron as a tool.

But for now, the herald was content to scheme and plot against his 'Master', while biding his time to rid himself of Unicron once and for all. Galvatron watched as the Chaos Matrix, which now contained the essence, power and spark of Unicron himself, floated among them.

"YOU HAVE DONE WELL IN MY ABSENCE, MY MINDLESS MINIONS AND ACOLYTES. YOU HAVE RETRIEVED MY ESSENCE AT THE CORRECT TIME TOO. THIS CIVIL WAR AMONG PRIMUS' SPAWNS WOULD GIVE US A PERFECT OPPORTUNITY TO STRIKE AND HAVE OUR REVENGE AT THE TRANSFORMERS BEFORE WE PLUNGE THE UNIVERSE INTO A GLORIOUS MASS OF SWIRLING CHAOS!"

"Hail Unicron!" the Fallen chanted, the flames which permanently shrouded the obsidian mech dancing as he rose his hands. "Hail Unicron, the Dark Lord, the Devourer of Worlds and the Zenith of Chaos!"

"Hail Unicron!" came chants from the mass of heralds. Galvatron joined in the cheering; it had became almost automatic to him that he almost didn't mind doing it.

"I REQUIRE A TEMPORARY PHYSICAL BODY UNTIL MY REAL ONE COULD BE RECREATED." Unicron boomed. "YOU!"

A meek purple herald with a motorcycle alternate mode, Sideways, stepped up and asked meekly, "Me, Lord Unicron? Your humble servant only ask for his death to be swift. It is an honour to serve!" Galvatron watched in disgust at Sideways' ramblings, even as tendrils of dark-green energy snapped out from the Chaos Matrix's core and tore into Sideways' spark chamber, pulling what's left of the long-suffering herald's spark and ingesting it. Sideways' former body spasmed as Unicron's essence poured into it, filling it with life and corrupting it, turning it into something new. Massive horns grew and the face was distorted, and its entire bodyframe transformed into the visage of Unicron, and the Chaos Matrix lowered itself into its new body. "THIS WILL DO." Unicron spoke, his new body bearing no indication it had belonged to anyone else before. "HERALDS, I WANT YOU TO ATTACK THE TRANSFORMERS. NEMESIS PRIME AND THE FALLEN WILL LEAD A DETACHMENT TO CYBERTRON AND BRING FORTH A WARNING TO THOSE LIVING THERE. HUMBLE THEM, STRIKE FEAR TO THEM. GALVATRON, LEAD A TEAM TO ASSASSINATE THE MATRIX BEARER AND THE ANCIENTS. JHIAXUS WILL STAY WITH ME WHILE I CREATE MY NEW BODY."

Galvatron narrowed his orange optics, but bowed down, "by... your... will, my lord Unicron." Galvatron was aware that his mission had the least chance of succes, but at least, he would get the task which would bring him closer to the Matrix. And to freedom. And Unicron was too ignorant- or arrogant- to care about what he could do.

Galvatron would make sure Unicron would regret that. "Cyclonus, Scourge, with me." Galvatron indicated, trusting those two whose sparks are still strong to be able to be redeemed from Unicron's influence.

Nemesis Prime, likewise, barked orders. "Grindcore, Rhinox, Cheetor, Terrorsaur, Airazor, Frostbite, Ravenus, with me!" Galvatron frowned. Nemesis Prime, if the Fallen is to be believed, was created by Unicron from the catatonic body of Prima, pumped to the brim with Angolmois and corruption as a sick symbol that chaos would triumph over order. Galvatron couldn't help but wonder: might he have been like that in the past? Some ancient mech championing justice who have been erased and having another personality recorded over?

With those thoughts bothering him, Galvatron's rocket boots ignited as he shot off into the unforgiving darkness of space...

TO BE CONTINUED...

Transformers Legends Part 5- Eternity's End

CYBERTRON

A ball of flame shot through the obsidian sky above the city-state of Altihex, screaming through the air. The Decepticons' attempts to shoot it down with their autoturrets and drones failed, and the flaming ball crash-landed on Nova Avenue, creating a sizable crater.

As an irate Windrazor led a squad of drones towards the crash site, the young Skyscorcher was surprised to find that it was not a meteorite, but rather what looked like a mass of metal, still burning even after the impact. "Drones, hose it down. The science-bots might learn where this hunk a' junk came from."

The drones hovering and standing around Windrazor instantly obeyed, and sprayed a constant stream flame-retardant foam onto the meteor-like objects. Windrazor watched this with boredom when suddenly the flames that shrouded the metallic meteor shot up through the streams of foam and simply ignited when they came into contact with the drones which were hosing the meteor. Windrazor had to shield his face with his arms to avoid getting hit by shrapnel as two motorcycle drones exploded in front of him. "Sweet zombie Primus!" the Skyscorcher swore.

As the young Decepticon lowered his hands, he saw that the metallic meteor was transforming... Into a Cybertronian form, easily twice as tall as Windrazor. He was strongly built, and very bulky, with what looked like ancient armour and tank kibble potruding around his body. His entire body was carved from cinerous and obsidian coloured metal, with vague hints of dark purple on his armour. His optics looked hollow, but flames danced in them. The faceplate had grooves which glow as if a furnace was inside. The most striking feature about this figure, however, was the shroud of flames that envelopped his back and head, like some sort of sick crown and cape.

Windrazor was stunned for a second, before his professional pride kicked in. "In the name of the Decepticon empire, stand down!" the youthful Skyscorcher said out loud. The burning figure looked up at Windrazor and the Decepticon's spark froze in terror as the figure stared at him.

"Cybertron. It's good to be back." The burning figure raised his hands, which crackled with fires and lightning. Instinctively, Windrazor transformed and shot off, just before a ball of hellfire shot out of the figure's hands, burning a gaping hole on a tank drone's side.

"Drones, engage him! Shoot to kill!" instantly, the jet drones and tank drones in the vicinity opened fire at the burning figure, but Windrazor knew that it was helpless, and he could hear as the drones exploded. It's a good thing they weren't sentient. Windrazor shot out of the battlezone as fast as he could, and he opened a commlink, "Stalker? Yeah, it's me, Windrazor. Get me Onslaught or Shockwave. No, no, I don't care- we are under attack!"
_________________________________________

CYBERTRON ORBIT

Galaxy Shuttle, hijacked by Motormaster, appeared out of hyperspace almost as the same instant as Megatron's gigantic warship, the Dark Nova. Megatron watched as the two massive shuttles docked at Iacon's massive spaceport. The Autobots' former capital city, Iacon still stood grand and saw a lot of traffic, although it was certainly a shadow of its former glory. Still, there are some things that Iacon had but no other cities on Cybertron had.

Vector Sigma, for one. The supercomputer which was one of the few ways to give birth of sparks to new protoforms. Vector Sigma also held almost all information about Cybertron, as well has having a powerful key with radiation able to mechaform organic planets into miniature Cybertrons, a method the Decepticons use to expand their empire.

It was also the site of Megatron's growing collection of the Thirteen original transformers. Or their bodies, at least. Only five more remain, and two were with them -- Gadep, who was stashed inside the Dark Nova's cargo bay, as well as Galaxy Shuttle. The Seacons would be arriving with Nexus Prime shortly after. Three more pieces of the puzzle. It left the two final, elusive transformers, which were still alive and eluded Vector Sigma's sensors by some unknown manner.

The Dark Nova's hatch opened, and Megatron leapt out of the cinerous-coloured warship. Abominus, the combined form of the Terrorcons, struggled as the gestalt tried to slowly bring the base-mode Gadep down onto the ground. Megatron looked at the gestalt and shook his head. Turning to the Stunticons who exited Galaxy Shuttle, Megatron let out a another exasperated sigh, "Motormaster, I suppose you'd better-"

"Say no more, boss." Motormaster said. Turning to his troops, the Stunticon leader growled, "Stunticons unite!" the quintet transformed, and a complex series of transformations later, the five Stunticons combined into the massive behemoth Menasor.

Menasor's mind was very simple. One of Shockwave's earlier (second, to be exact) products, the Stunticon combiner suffers from a mismatch of minds. While most of the other special teams work well together, the Stunticons' chaotic minds and negative feelings towards each other resulted in a hulking monstrosity, albeit with the intelligence of a brick. Still, the Stunticons' instincts are still there, and the gestalt slowly flew up, helping Abominus in slowing down the descent of Gadep.

Megatron, meanwhile, strode towards a console and typed in a few commands, and a part of the spaceport shifted, revealing a platform. "Abominus, Menasor, place him there." Megatron growled, before pulling Galaxy Shuttle, placing him on the platform almost simultaneously as the combiners placed Gadep on the elevator platform.

As the two combiners broke apart into their component Decepticons, Megatron sent a command to the elevator platform, and it immediately shot downwards, descending at a speed alarming to those who were not trained for it.

Megatron made use of the wait to catch up on the status reports. "Patch me to Shockwave." the Decepticon emperor snarled as a holographic head-render of the current communications officer -- the Predator Stalker -- appeared on his wrist comm unit.

Stalker stared, dumbfounded, before replying, "At once. Hail Megatron!"

The Decepticon leader shook his head a little. Stalker, now a Predator among Skyquake's squad, was among the few Decepticons created during the war, thanks to Vector Sigma and a few blank protoforms. These new Decepticons were conditioned to learn Decepticon ideals, and as such, many of the newer blood worshipped Megatron as an idol, an example.

Even as a god.

Megatron knew that the Thirteen would be a key to unlock that power which would make him one.

"Megatron!" Shockwave's hexagonal face replaced Stalker's. Megatron knew something was deathly wrong. Shockwave was never one for emotions. He always took any news, no matter how bad, in stride. But Megatron could swear he heard an undertone of panic in Shockwave's voice. "We are under attack. Unknown force. Our attacks so far have met with a zero point three seven degree of success."

"I'll be topside momentarily." Megatron replied, frowning. The elevator shudderred to a stop a short distance from the circular room with the glowing golden orb in the middle. While the Terrorcons and Stunticons moved Gadep's and Galaxy Shuttle's massive inert forms into the large chamber, Megatron replied to Shockwave, "Status report?"

"Observation: the drones' firepower, be it laserfire, plasma nor ballistic weapons have damaged the enemy. Observation: the enemy seems to be shrouded in what eyewitnesses describe as a veil of flames. Observation: the enemy seems to be of ancient make. Hypothesis: the enemy is an ancient transformer."

"Casualties on our side?"

"Four squadrons of drones. Two officers. A few blocks of buildings in Altihex."

Megatron looked at Vector Sigma, and reached out with his left hand and caressed the segmented surface of the supercomputer. Responding to Megatron's touch, holo-monitors and keyboards sprang out in front of Megatron. "Identify the transformer attacking my planet." Megatron growled, and was beset with a stream of data. The more and more he read, a smile appeared on Megatron's face. "Shockwave, throw everything we have on our attacker. I want him, dead or alive."

"Query: why?"

"He is the Fallen, the traitor to the Thirteen. One of the two I could not locate. How convenient for him to come into our lap." Megatron switched off his commlink and growled at his troops, "Well? What are you waiting for? Transform and fly up!"
________________________________________

MEDBAY, THE ARK

Medbays were never quiet as far as the Autobots are concerned. Which is a bad thing. The only proper qualified medics in the force amounts to four people, namely Ratchet, First Aid, Fixit and Minerva. With only the latter two left in the Ark, life was hectic for them.

Sure, the engineers like Grapple or Huffer or Hoist try and help out in repairing shallow and cosmetic wounds, and CR chambers are a big help. But considering the amount of wounded that came every cycle, it's a wonder Fixit is still online.

The Micromaster hopped out of an open hatch on Windbreaker's side, smiling weakly. "That's your motor systems fixed. Try walking now."

Windbreaker obediently did as he was told, and Fixit smiled as the previously damaged Autobot was able to move again. The Micromaster flashed Windbreaker a cheerful smile. Despite the exhaustion he felt, Fixit knew that those he fixed had gone through worse than he did. Windbreaker, for example, had gone into enemy lines and lived to tell the tale. Along with Blurr (now stabilized and stashed inside a CR chamber) and Wheelie, their small group was sent to monitor Decepticon movement in Cybertron when they were discovered and had to pull out. Wheelie, a survivalist, had thankfully managed to save his two comrades, bringing them to the Ark. All this while the orange Minibot had been sitting in a corner, twiddling his fingers, while Fixit worked on his friends. Seeing Windbreaker up and running again brought a smile to Wheelie, and the minibot joyfully chanted, "Thanks for fixing Windbreaker/I thought he'd never get better!"

Fixit gave both Windbreaker and Wheelie smiles and nods, before trotting off to his next patient, only to find none. "Well, this is unexpected!" Fixit jovially said.

"Don't be too ecstatic, Fixit." Minerva said, while attaching Jetfire's right limb onto the scientist. "Word from Blaster is that the Xantium's just landed, and we know what that means."

Fixit sighed, and mumbled, "the Wreckers." The Wreckers, also known as the Autobot's crack crew of the best soldiers, best known for the high number of casualties they inflict upon the enemey in battle, as well as the high number of casualties they suffer. Fixit did not sigh because of the additional workload, but rather because he expected the sombre news that someone had been... terminated. "Okay, Wheelie, Windbreaker, and the rest of you who aren't medics- make way for the Wreckers." Fixit shouted out loud. "Minerva as well as any engineers, get ready to do a triage division as soon as the wounded arrive."

Soon, the Wreckers arrived, as well as the Targetmasters who had tagged along. Fixit worked as hard as he could, attaching limbs, welding servos, mending joints, fusing wires... it all became a surreal drill. As long as it meant someone's life could be saved, Fixit would never give up. He kept on doing it, working as fast but as good as his abilities allow him. After what felt like an endless cycle, the wounded Wreckers finally were all repaired, the worst damaged of them stashed inside CR chambers.

"We really need a field medic." Roadbuster scowled, as the bulky Wrecker sat on a stool next to the CR chamber containing Springer. "A medic and a roster revision." Roadbuster said, pulling out a datapad. "Whirl, Broadside, Stepper, Topspin, Sandstorm- gather 'round, all of you. We're gonna make up a new list of potential recruits and whatnot, so Springer could get in those application forms in before we go on our next crusade."

As the Wreckers gathered around their de facto second-in-command, Fixit couldn't help but overhear. Whirl's boisterous voice was the loudest as he read out the current list of Wreckers, "Springer, Roadbuster, Sandstorm, Broadside, Topspin, Twin Twist, Scoop, Rack'n'Ruin, Stepper, Inferno, Artfire and my humble self."

"I think we gotta incorporate more new blood, mixed with some veterans." Topspin suggested.

The gruff Inferno nodded. "Yeah. Wouldn't hurt to get a combiner team in our ranks too."

"Don't forget those new fangled Targetmasters. We've got three of our own, but then, the more the merrier!" Whirl said, waving his claws in the air. "Oh, and a medic!" Whirl's single eye snapped around and looked at Fixit, "you wanna hook up with us, doc? We promise not to let you die and all that."

Fixit felt his jaw drop. He, a mere medic, a mere Micromaster, was being offered a spot at the Wreckers? It would be nice, having large, strong friends like them, but...

"Stop it, slaghead. You're scaring him." Sandstorm chided, giving Whirl a slap on the shoulder. The triple-changer crouched down on his knees, and asked gently, "I know I'm speaking for all the Wreckers when I'm inviting you. We've all benefitted from your excellent medical services, and I'm sure none of us would object if you're a full fledged member." Murmurs of agreement rose from the assembled Wreckers.

"I'm- I'm flattered... honoured..." Fixit babbled as soon as he found his voice. "But- but all due respect, I'm afraid I'm already committed to my Rescue Patrol."

Roadbuster was the next one to reply. Fixit was expecting an outrageous or furious reply, but the Wrecker was rather calm, "Stakeout and Red Hot are good fighters, while Seawatch would be a good naval specialist. Your team are welcome to join up."

"I'm honoured, Roadbuster, but..." Fixit scratched the back of his head as he complementated his next decision, "It's just that if I leave, there won't be any senior medics around, and Minerva's not a surgeon. Sorry." Fixit sighed, before making a suggestion. "Why don't you guys take her?"

Minerva was sterilizing her medical tools, and she subsequently dropped them onto the floor with a loud, "What?"

Roadbuster looked at the other members of the Wreckers, and then again at Fixit and then Minerva. "Well, we ain't gonna force none of you to join us, so... what d'ya say, Minerva?"

"I'm honoured... but- but- you guys gotta be crazy if you think I could even amount to anything on the field." Minerva stammered, but Fixit could tell that the young Autobot was very interested in this offer.

Whirl stood up and spread his claws wide, "Hey, sometimes crazy works! Look at us, sister... we're not perfect ourselves. We've got madmen, agrophobics, hotheads, twins-joined-at-the-shoulder, Targetmasters... why not?"

The young medic smiled, a glint in her optics. "I'll join, if- if the head medic allows me to, that is."

Fixit laughed. Minerva was young and deserved adventures. Besides, she would be better handled fighting alongside the Wreckers than being strapped onto the medbay day in and day out. "Of course. I'll talk to Ratchet, but I'm sure he'll understand. Just don't lose her, Roadbuster."

"We'll take good care of her." Roadbuster said, before turning to the rest of the team, "Allright! That's our medic problem sorted. What's next?"

"The Omnibots! We gotta have them. This guy Guzzle too. Ooh, ooh, and Ironfist! We need a weapons specialist." Broadside said enthusiastically as he flipped through the duty rosters, "Thunderclash was good during our little outing as well... the Monsterbots- oh, wait. They're out of bounds..."

Fixit smiled as the Wreckers finalized their new roll call and made announcements over the intercom to summon those new Wreckers to the medbay. The Micromaster stretched and walked up as another injured Autobot staggered in, and pulled out his ever-present laser scalpel...
_________________________________________

FEMAX

Dirtbag, Roadblock, Staxx and Bulletbike watched as Sixshot rose up from the rubble, red optics glinting as lava dripped down his armour. "You- you're alive."

"Of course, simpletoon. I am Sixshot, a solo trooper assault group. I sow destruction. I sow death." Sixshot clenched his fist, gripping the handle of his sword tightly, "Do you honestly think five numb-skulled Autobots could kill me?"

Sixshot saw that no reply was forthcoming from the terrified Decepticons. The hexchanger sighed. "In any case, the Autobots must have destroyed our structures in my absence, am I correct?"

"Y- Yes, master Sixshot... w- we- we tried our b- best..." Dirtbag began, and Sixshot's raised an optic when the Autoroller addressed him as master.

So fear truly instills respect onto these troops. Interesting. "Incompetence is not your mistake to make. In any case, return to the warship. We retreat." at the uncomfortable glances his troops threw each other, Sixshot raised his hands in fury. "They destroyed our ship?!"

"Um- we have salvaged a shuttle..."

Sixshot's crimson optics narrowed into slits as the hexchanger transformed into jet mode, "then get into your shuttle and return to Cybertron. I will handle these primitive Dynobots myself."
_________________________________________

EARTH

"Oh, look at me! The perfection which is my bodyframe... ruined!" Tracks moaned melodramatically, waving his hands in the air.

"Shut up, will ya?" Ironhide drawled as he slammed his fist onto the wall in frustration. "We're faghtin' a losin' battle! All this... and all we managed to do was to blow some things up and kill Blitzwing."

"He's not dead yet. I didn't shoot him that hard." Mirage replied modestly.

"You shot him with an arrow, point blank to the face! He won't come back until they get him to the Matrix itself." Wheeljack replied.

"Or they might've rebuilt him in a stronger body." Sideswipe suggested.

"Or simply dump in the ocean? These are Decepticons, you know." Sunstreaker sighed, flexing his cadmium bodyframe. "At any rate, my exostructure looks better than Tracks'."

"You are flawed, my yellow friend."

"Nah, let's put this to a vote. Who votes for me?"

Prowl listened to his troops' camaraderie whilst sitting on the command chair. True, in the past week, there had been no Decepticon incident, and the humans' World War Three had been... quelled into a cold war. But at least it's better than having the humans blow each other up. The High General steepled his fingers and sighed. Had Optimus Prime made the wrong decision when they left Cybertron? They should have stayed there and fought to the bitter end... but it's illogical.

Prowl frowned. The situation they were in was illogical as well. They were led by Optimus Prime, who coordinated everything through the Ark. Their forces were spread thin across the galaxy, trying to stop the Decepticons. With them creating drones and cyberforming planets at an almost daily basis, and them having the higher number of troops and technology, it didn't take brains to see who had the upper hand. So why hadn't Prowl defected to the Decepticons yet? It seemed the logical choice. But Prowl did not worship logic alone. If he did so, he would've defected to the Decepticons long ago.

But he was an Autobot. The scarlet insignia he wore proudly on his chest meant something to him. A cause to believe in. A cause to uphold. It was there because it felt right, and he knew that he was doing the right thing. Prowl watched as his crew (including the new arrivals that came in time to stop the Decepticons' assaults on Earth) talked and joked among themselves. Let them, it's good for morale. If it mattered, anyway. The Decepticons were holed up in their Antarctic fortress, and were biding time. For reinforcements, Prowl knew. The Decepticons knew that if Prowl ordered an attack on the Decepticon base, it would be akin to suicide, as even with an orbital jump, the Decepticons would be waiting. They were making use of Prowl's logic to wait for reinforcements. It would be an endless cycle of destruction.

Prowl opened a comm channel to the Ark, figuring he would use the downtime for something useful, like reporting to Optimus Prime. But he knew he had that dilemma of his own that Prime might help him with. After all, his troops were happy to stay and fight, and it would be hard to explain the concept of retreat to Cliffjumper or Ironhide. He was greeted by the ever-friendly face of Blaster, who routed him to Optimus.

"Greetings, Prowl. How can I offer assistance?" Optimus Prime said, his famous voice gentle yet authoritive at the same time.

Prowl smiled. It's all part of Prime's charisma, to be friendly yet to sound like a strong leader at the same time. Prowl had no doubts at Optimus' leadership capabilities. He had turned their situation from boxed in and waiting for extermination into a rebel force. "Optimus Prime. I... think I need to talk to you."

"Certainly, my friend." Optimus Prime said, nodding. "What do you want to talk about?"

"It's about Earth. Every fibre of my being wants to fight to liberate this planet from the Decepticon, but at the same time my processor screams that it's a lost cause. Even if we drive the Decepticons off this planet, the humans would only kill each other in the end... when we could be doing the war effort a favour by going into other frontlines..." Prowl sighed. "I'm sorry for harbouring such thoughts, Optimus, but there are times when-"

"When your processor disagrees with your spark." Optimus Prime said not unkindly. "Believe me, it happens to everyone. Even me. Do I surrender to the Decepticons? They outnumber us eleven to one. At least. Do I let go of this planet or the other? Is it ethical to kill, say, Deszaras as I did when we left Cybertron behind? Stuff like that." the image of Optimus Prime on the monitor then pointed to the autobrand on his shoulder. "But ever since I joined in the military, even when I served under Ironhide and yourself, I was committed to the cause. Bottom line is, it's either right or wrong. There cannot be ambiguity. It is wrong to sacrifice a planet full of sentients by leaving it behind. It is right to let the Decepticons gain territory to save a few lives. No matter how much it hurts the cause. Freedom is the right of all sentient beings, and the Decepticons wish to see that destroyed."

"To cure an organism of a disease, sometimes we have to amputate limbs." Prowl nodded.

"Exactly. We cannot let Earth- or any other planet- fall into Decepticon hands. It's not about territory, it's about life." Optimus Prime said, clenching his fist. "While in an ideal world I would love to convert Megatron into an Autobot, we know it won't happen."

"Yeah."

"So... this is where we stand. Fighting against our own people to protect those who could not protect themselves." Optimus Prime continued. "There is no greater cause than that."

"Those are the words I needed, Prime. Thank you. Thank you so much." Prowl replied, the fog of doubts plaguing his mind mostly clear. "We'll keep fighting until the very end."

"That's the spirit. Now if you'll excuse me..."

"Oh, sure. Go ahead." Prowl said, as Optimus Prime terminated the conversation. Prowl stood up from his chair and barked orders. "Alright, Autobots! Ready your weapons. We're heading out to assault the Decepticon base in twenty earth minutes. Reload, rearm and refuel." a cheer went up from the more action oriented Autobots as Prowl eased back onto his chair. Jazz walked up to him and smiled.

"Don' worry, chief. We're all right behind ya." the special ops agent said, before saluting Prowl. The offhanded manner made it look more like a greeting than a salute. "We'll win this thing, chief. Just y'see."

The assurance from the laid-back special operations commander brought a smile to Prowl's face.
_________________________________________

CYBERTRON

Shrapnel grunted as the massive streets were torn apart. The Fallen, apparently, did not come alone. He had lots of friends.

The Insecticon cared not who the enemy was. He only knew how to sow destruction. But this was definitely out of his league. As the heralds mowed down their troops, Shrapnel tried to count how many adversaries they faced. There was the Fallen, the burning guy who tore through Decepticons like the were glitch mice. There was a massive winged guy who really looked like an evil, upsized version of Optimus Prime. There was a very... Onslaught-esque mechanoid too, but he was bulkier and had none of Onslaught's grace. Also, four beasts riding on demonic horses flew around the city, tearing airborne units apart. The situation was worsened when more of these heralds arrived.

Shrapnel jumped aside as a canine beast, sharp horns of ice decorating his whole frame, lunged at him. Shrapnel grunted as he shot off a blast of pure electricity onto the enemy's face, burning off the armour-like ice encasing his face.

"You will pay for that! No one attacks Frostbite and-"

"Yeah, yeah. Shut up and die already." Shrapnel said, launching another ball of electricity which tore apart Frostbite's icy armour. A series of laser blast slammed onto the herald's other flank as Decepticon reinforcements arrived. Shrapnel smiled as the Combaticons and the Breastforce (chuckle) arrived, opening fire with all their weaponry.

"Insecticon! Don't let him escape!" Leozack shouted as the Breastforce leader swooped down and unleashed two sidewinder missiles onto the trashing herald. Shrapnel grunted in reply as he opened fire with his shrapnel launcher, instantly peppering Frostbite with a rain of razor-sharp shrapnel. The whining herald looked at the approaching Decepticons and opened its maw, unleashing a blizzard that froze Onslaught, Swindle, Brawl, Jalgar, Drillhorn and Killbison on their tracks.

But that gave Shrapnel an opening. As the herald prepared to attack again, Shrapnel tranformed and shrunk into insect mode, then buzzed slowly towards the canine's mouth, before transforming swiftly and ramming his grenade launcher into Frostbite's maw.

"Burn in the Pit, icicle breath, breath." Shrapnel said, as he pressed the trigger. Frostbite's head exploded violently as pieces of shrapnel were unleashed inside it. Shrapnel jumped backwards as his airborne comrades opened fire and finished the herald off.

"Not the cleanest play I've seen, but it did the job." Leozack said, as the Breastforce commander transformed and landed. "Gaihawk, Hellbat, and you Combaticons, free our comrades from their icy tombs."

Shrapnel gave Leozack a quick salute before flying off on his own. He watched and winced as a squad of Seekers dogfighted with one of the legendary Horsemen. Airazor, the avatar of Death. They were four of Cybertron's more famous military generals, each taking on a title next to their names. However, they disappeared off the surface of Cybertron a few eons back. It seemed that whatever force that the Fallen had assembled, it included them.

Death's mount was gone, and she was in her beast mode, flying nosecone to nosecone with the leader of the Seekers, a female named Starfall. With her razor sharp wings, Death cleanly bisected the purple Seeker into two equal pieces, before opening fire on the rest of the squadron.

Shrapnel pulled out his grenade launcher and was about to open fire on Death when something rammed onto him from behind, pulling him down onto the ground. It was a feline herald, namely Cheetor, or Pestilence. The stygian-coloured beast hissed and bit down on Shrapnel's left horn, causing the Insecticon to reflexively send electricity to the metallic part. Both transformers cried in pain, and as Pestilence fell off Shrapnel, the Insecticon tumbled down, a chunk of his grand horns missing. No sooner after Pestilence had disengaged from Shrapnel, two massive hands clapped onto the feline, like someone clapping a fly.

Shrapnel cringed as he slammed back-first onto a building, but smiled when he saw Bruticus and Liokaiser -- the combined forms of the Combaticons and the Breastforce respectively -- standing above him. Liokaiser had Pestilence trapped between his palms, and he squeezed. However, a blast of energy struck the gestalt from behind, causing him to stumble forwards and release the feline herald, which scampered off. Bruticus turned around to see the source of the energy, and opened fire with his massive sonic stun gun, as well as the missile cannons on his shoulders. Brawl's turret and Swindle's scatter blaster, both situated on Bruticus' legs, swivelled and opened fire at the being who attacked Liokaiser.

Shrapnel watched as the attacks shot towards the burning figure, but he merely smiled, as he raised his hands, palms outstretched, and abruptly balled his fists. As if hit by some kind of gale-force wind, the missiles were shaken off their course and exploded harmlessly behind the Fallen. The scatter blaster and the sonic attack hit him, but it didn't show any kind of pain nor damage.

The Fallen stretched out his hands and a staff, as long as he is tall, appeared in his hands. Holding it in a two-handed grip, the Fallen sprang forwards with speed and agility that belied his bulk. Both Bruticus and Shrapnel fired at the Fallen, but the herald merely dodged or absorbed those attacks, leaving a trail of flame as he closed the distance between him and Bruticus. Once near enough, the Fallen rammed the staff onto Bruticus' chest panel, causing it to cave in slightly. The Fallen struck once more, slamming Bruticus on the side of his face, causing him to reel from the attack and collapse spectacularly onto a mass of abandoned shops.

Liokaiser sprang to his feet with a roar, and pulled his own bo-staff and extended it. Whirling it expertly with his right hand, the gestalt let out a massive war cry as he charged the Fallen, each step shaking the ground.

Shrapnel wasn't the smartest cog in the Decepticon forces, but he knew this was going to end badly. Anyone who could bring Bruticus to his knees with two attacks... Shrapnel did not want to rate his odds against something like that. The Insecticon watched as the two staves collided again and again, the massive herald spinning with an agility of a dancer, while the Fallen seemed to exert no effort as he parried and blocked each strike. As the battle continued, it dawned on the Insecticon that the Fallen was toying with Liokaiser.

The Insecticon grunted and outstretched his own hand, and bolts of electricity streamed out of his fingers, slamming onto the Fallen's side. The attack did not damage him, certainly, but it did startle him enough for Liokaiser to slam the bo-staff across the Fallen's form, sending him crashing onto an office building. Bruticus, still laying on his back, opened fire with his shoulder missile launchers, and blew up the office building.

Shrapnel landed near Liokaiser's left leg, weapons at the ready in case the Fallen was not destroyed yet. The Insecticon cursed as the fireball that resulted from the explosion was sucked in like a vortex. As the flames dissipated, the Fallen stood, arrogant, while demonic flames danced around his body. "Oh. Crap, crap." Shrapnel cursed.

The Fallen threw his staff like a javelin, and before any Decepticon could react, it had embedded itself into Liokaiser's left shoulder, at the connection where Leozack was bonded to Hellbat. The gestalt screamed as the Fallen's staff conflangrated into a plume of flame, which burnt through the connection between the Breastforce members. With a painful moan, the six components of Liokaiser disengaged and collapsed on the ground, most unconscious. Drillhorn, Gaihawk and Jalgar stumbled up and tried to open fire, but with a wave of his hand, the Fallen sent three fireballs which shot towards them and exploded, causing them to slip into stasis lock.

Shrapnel could not believe his optics. One of the Decepticons' best gestalts defeated in the timespan of less than ten deci-cycles. They were going to need backup. Lots of backup.

The Combaticons, seemingly unwilling to follow their compatriot, disengaged into their component forms and the five transformed. "Formation Beta-Seven!" Onslaught barked.

Blast Off and Vortex transformed and took to the air, while Onslaught, Swindle and Brawl opened fire in their robot modes at the Fallen. Shrapnel knew that Onslaught was a master of strategies, and this one might just have worked against a normal transformer. But as it is, the Fallen is no normal transformer.

The Fallen laughed as the flames around him rose up, engulfing Vortex and Blast Off. The Fallen then made a gesture with his hands, and massive pieces of debris pummelled onto the airborne Combaticons, tearing into their armour. As the two plummetted down onto the heap of Breastforce members, Brawl roared as he charged the Fallen, attempting to grab the burning form in a bear hug. The Fallen lazily stretched out his hand and caught Brawl's face inside his vice-like grip. As Brawl's face began to burn from the contact, Onslaught charged forwards to save his subordinate, opening fire at the Fallen with his sonic stun gun and missile launchers.

The Fallen laughed as he pitched the immobile form of Brawl at Swindle, causing the latter to slip into stasis lock due to the impact. Then, the Fallen summoned his staff again, and caught Onslaught in the gut, before headbutting the Combaticon leader.

Shrapnel watched in horror as Onslaught fell backwards, the normally imposing Combaticon's optic band dark. With stark clarity Shrapnel realized that he was the last Decepticon in that area, facing off against the Fallen, a monster that just defeated two of the Decepticons' mightiest soldiers. Shrapnel pulled out his communicator and broadcasted Megatron, "This is Shrapnel, calling all Decepticons. We need backup, backup. The Fallen's just knocked Liokaiser and Bruticus down like a pair of ragdolls. I'm currently engaging him. I suggest we call backup, backup." Shutting off the communicator, Shrapnel watched as the Fallen turned around and looked at him squarely in the optics, and the Insecticon scowled. The two massive silvery horns on Shrapnel's horns crackled with electricity as the Insecticon retracted his hands. The left one was replaced by a drill while the right one unleashed razor-sharp pieces of shrapnel at the Fallen. Shrapnel shrieked a war cry which could be heard even from cities away as he charged the Fallen, opening fire with all his weaponry, sending streams of lightning at the burning figure...
________________________________________

Megatron roared as he slammed his fist onto his foe, a bulky half-flesh monster who calls itself Hellscream. Beside him, Shockwave, Ramjet, Thrust and Clench all fired onto the creature, and Megatron delivered the coup de grace, namely a fusion blast to its head. "Begone." he said, as he fired, the resulting explosion ripping Hellscream's head off. The lifeless body collapsed onto its knees in a pool of sick green liquid.

"Eeeyush." Ramjet scowled. "Not your basic mech fluid."

"Probably the energy source these creatures use. Move! There's still more of them." Megatron roared. Just then, Shrapnel's commlink came in, and Megatron scowled. Liokaiser and Bruticus, down? It was almost unbelievable. Even from Polyhex, Megatron could hear the faint echoes of Shrapnel's cry, as well as a faint explosion afterwards. Flicking a commlink, the Decepticon emperor growled, "Stalker, this is Megatron. Get all Decepticons throughout the galaxy back on Cybertron now. We need all the help we could get." Switching the commlink off, Megatron called out, "Decepticons, scramble! We must take down these creatures before they take us down!"

Around them, purple bolts of laserfire lighted up the normally dark sky, while explosions were everywhere Megatron looked. The Decepticon leader stifled a smile when the Poseidon appeared in orbit. "Shockwave, ensure that its cargo reaches Vector Sigma."

"Acknowledged, Megatron." the cyclopean Decepticon replied as he flew up. "Shockwave to Poseidon, respond, Poseidon."

Megatron turned away from the ship as he transformed into tank mode and rolled off. Those around him did likewise, following him as the Decepticon leader's multiple turrets swiveled in search for enemies. "Cyberjets, Ramjet, Thrust, air support. Be alert for anything that does not wear a Decepticon insignia. Clench, Bugly and Skullgrin, roll with me."

Megatron did not have to wait long until the next adversary showed himself. It was a bulky, ancient transformer which looks a lot like Onslaught from a distance. His armour was faded green, and the red optics were dark. He was fighting alongside another one of the fable horsemen, namely Rhinox, the avatar of War. "No one can match the sheer force of Grindcore!" the green transformer announced, slamming the Firecons with his fists and ignoring the inferno which they had cooked up.

Megatron watched as Cindersaur and Sparkstalker tried their best to attack the duo of heralds. The Decepticon emperor noted with slight satisfaction that the unruly Flamefeather's skull had caved in and his body was filled with bullet holes. War sliced down upon Cindersaur with the schyte mounted on his wrists, slicing off the Firecon's beast head before throwing him into the burning mass of flames.

"That will be the last Decepticon you kill today, monster." Megatron said, as his fusion cannon shot off a ball of antimatter at War. "You did Cybertron a great service back in the days, General Rhinox. But I'm afraid that does not entitle you to randomly kill my men."

"Rhinox is gone! I AM WAR!" with those words, War transformed into his beast mode and charged Megatron, the silver jagged horn on his snout glinting in the light. Megatron smiled, as the weaponsfire of the Decepticons around him slammed into War's bulky form.

"You want war? I'll give you war!" Megatron declared. Transforming his right hand into its energon-flail configuration, Megatron slammed it into War's face, tearing out chunks of the beast's hide.

Meanwhile, Skullgrin stabbed War's side with an energo-axe, tearing a gash across the herald's form. "Raaaaaurgh! Unicron will burn all of you!" War roared, opening fire on Skullgrin, sending the Pretender crashing onto Cindersaur's corpse.

Unicron? Megatron frowned at the name and cursed his own stupidity. If one legend is true, that those connected to it are likely true as well. Megatron swung his flail weapon again, tearing into War's stomach and forcing him to transform into robot mode. "Decepticons-" Megatron shouted as his fusion cannon fired onto War's chest. "-obliterate this abomination!"

Weaponsfire tore up the air as more and more attacks impacted on War's side. "No- it can't end like- this..." War shouted, but his words were cut short when Megatron reached out with his left hand, the claw-like fingers tearing out the sensitive cables and pistons on War's throat joint. The herald's optics flickered, once, twice, then died out. Megatron let War's body drop down, before planting a foot on its chest.

"Unicron will not be pleased." Grindcore roared, as the large herald charged Megatron. Instantly, Clench and Sparkstalker tried to stop him, but Grindcore batted them off with a few punches. Megatron's optics burned as his jaws clicked into place, and a nuclear blast shot out of his mouth. Grindcore was taken by surprise as the attack burnt off part of his face and chest. However, Unicron's children proved to be more resilient, and he kept on coming, until he planted a solid punch on Megatron's face, before following up with a kick to Megatron's gut. "War was weak. He had doubts about Lord Unicron's powers. But me, I would never doubt that chaos will triumph!"

Megatron stood up and growled, before firing off a blast from his fusion cannon, causing Grindcore to stumble backwards. Thrust, Ramjet, Bugly and the Cyberjets took this opportunity to unleash their own firepowers at Grindcore, tearing into the herald's dense armour. Bugly swooped in, launching his electro stingers which embedded themselves on Grindcore's shoulder, sending a stream of pain through the herald's nervous systems. Bugly followed up the attack with a stream of mystical electricity. As soon as Bugy broke off the attack, Ramjet swooped in, transformed into robot mode and headbutted Grindcore on the face, cracking the latter's optic band. It didn't do much damage, but it did annoy the herald.

"Die! For Unicron!" Grindcore roared as the two massive turrets on his wrists opened fire, tearing chunks of armour off Ramjet, before tossing the unconscious Seeker aside.

Megatron narrowed his optics as he charged his fusion cannon for another blast. But before he could do so, Grindcore's chest suddenly burst apart, startling everyone on the battlefield. Bugly landed next to Megatron and said with a hiss, "Master, it's the vampire..."

Grindcore's hands tried to reach for the tip of the energo axe, but Bomb-Burst materialized, seemingly from the shadows, and hissed slowly, "This. Is payback." the Pretender twisted the axe slowly in Grindcore's chest "For what. You have. Done. To me."

"W- What are you?" Grindcore stammered.

"Your. Worst nightmare." Bomb-Burst's shell split apart and disappeared to subspace as Bomb-Burst's seldom-seen inner robot mode snarled behind Grindcore's face. "The. Ultimate Hunter." The large herald screamed in pain as the batlike Pretender donned his shell again, and plunged his teeth into Grindcore's systems, pulling out his spark, before consuming it.
_________________________________________

EARTH

"But- but the Autobots!" Skywarp whined. "And the energon!"

"They can wait." Starscream snapped. "Or do you want to argue with an express order from Megatron himself?"

Skywarp grudgingly shut up. Laserbeak perched on Soundwave's shoulder while he observed the Decepticons getting ready to leave the mudball behind. Truth be told, while the avian Decepticon detested the planet and its inhabitants, he had grown to like his new beast mode, modelled after a bird of prey which the locals call a 'condor'. Laserbeak observed as Dirge and Thundercracker laid the explosives, and then Skywarp created a portal.

"Hurry, I can't keep this up for too long." Skywarp muttered. Thundercracker, Dirge and Starscream dragged Blitzwing's stasis pod as they entered the portal. Soundwave moved in, and after a slightly disorienting moment, Laserbeak found that they have teleported onto Earth's orbit.

Skywarp was the last one to materialize, looking exhausted as always after teleporting others. "Kaboom." he said, giving a weak thumbs-up. The Decepticons all transformed into their jet modes and shot of towards Mars, where their shuttle, the Darkside, lay. Skywarp, however, still had strength to make a rude gesture at the Autobots' satellite orbitting nearby, before destroying it with a barrage of laser blasts.

Laserbeak, for his part, carried his tape-deck-mode master in his beak as he landed on the ship's exterior, regretting the fact that he wouldn't be there to witness their base exploding with the Autobots in it...
_________________________________________

Near them, on ground level, the convoy of Autobots drove through the snow towards the Decepticon bunker. For a human observer, the sight would've looked so bizarre indeed. Police cars driving alongside beat-up minivans as well as shiny corvettes and lamborginis, smack dab in the middle of Antarctica.

As soon as they reached the Decepticon bunker, however, the Autobots transformed. Hidden weapon emplacements and turrets slid out from under the snow and opened fire on the Autobots, spewing deadly laser as well as more standard ammunition strips. "Spread out! Fan out for targets, do not engage any Decepticon alone!" Prowl shouted out, before breaking into a run, firing acid pellet guns which blew up turrets with quick succession.

Around him, the Autobots engaged their own weapons. Between black beam lights, mortar launchers, flamethrowers, missiles, force fields, arrows, cryo-beams and chemical bombs, the turrets and weapon emplacements were scrap in minutes. "Lemme at them, boss!" Cliffjumper said enthusiastically, holding two large guns, while ammunition strips dressed over his shoulders in an 'X' design. "I wanna give 'em what they deserve!"

Prowl looked at Cliffjumper and nodded. "Windcharger, Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, tear their doors down. It seems that the Decepticons are not responding." the High General had sensed that something was amiss, but couldn't place his finger on it. "I figure there's a trap."

"Then... let's spring it, shall we?" Windcharger said, the smallish Autobot's palms glowing with purple energy as the metallic wreckage of the Decepticons' autodefences levitated up in rapid succession, meshing up together to form a large ball-like projectile. "Jazz!" Windcharger called out. The special ops director flashed a grin as he activated his flamethrower and doused the crude metallic orb with flame. Satisfied that it was burning, Windcharger nodded to the twins.

Sunstreaker launched two rockets from his shoulders, which flew straight towards the bit of the Decepticon bunker poking above the ground, while Sideswipe rammed his powerful fists to the ground, causing a fissure akin to what the Decepticon Rumble could do. Soon, between the two's attacks, they caused a large enough crack in the Decepticon bunker, and Windcharger launched the burning projectile into it with a flick of his fingers.

Prowl gestured to Trailbreaker, and in an instant a forcefield flared up around the Autobots present. The High General had to shield his optics as the area where the Decepticon base was simply... erupted, a majestic ball of flame tearing the ground apart as the 'presents' Starscream had left behind made contact with the flame.

"Bloody slag!" Jackpot cursed. "And to think we nearly went down there!"

"Which goes to show: never take things at face value." Prowl said to the group of ten or so Autobots with him. The explosion had torn the entire Decepticon base into a smoking crater, no doubt without any evidence that the Decepticons were ever there. Prowl snorted in disgust as he said, "They must have slipped away from the base. Wheeljack, Ratchet, report!"

"The Sky Spy saw them leave orbit just before you began your attack... well, until Skywarp trashed it, at least. Tried calling you but it appears there was a communications jamming signal, lifted only after the kaboom. A parting gift Soundwave I assume."

Prowl made a throaty growl. As several of the more curious Autobots inspected the crater, Jazz had overheard the conversation and theorized, "A distraction? Pretending to leave Earth?"

"No. They won't bother to do such a thing, not when they knew they only needed to wait for reinforcements to... win..." Prowl stood still, as he processed the situation. "Of course! Cybertron needs them. But for what purpose?"

"Under attack perhaps?" Jazz suggested. "Thunderwing came online again? A riot? Those funky tendril-bug aliens?"

"Thunderwing's a vegetable after what Whirl did to him." Prowl shook his head, trying to sort through Jazz's suggestions. "Unless someone reprogrammed him or repaired him, no. Not even the Decepticons are stupid enough to let it happen. A riot? Perhaps, but again, with Trypticon and an army of gestalts Megatron could quell any mere riot. Unless Trypticon instigated it. And no, we burnt down the Violenjiegers, up to their last spawn."

"Gotta call this in." Jazz said. "Might be important."
_________________________________________

CYBERTRON

"Mayhem Attack Squad, destroy them all!" Bludgeon roared, wielding his katana in his right hand, his lightsaber in his left. The Pretender and his elite squad held the ground in the outskirts of Polyhex, while his Mayhems were fighting the army of heralds.

Bludgeon and his sparring partner circled each other slowly. His enemy also wielded a melee weapon. Specifically, a ball-and-chain weapon similar to Megatron's, as well as an ebony-dark blade. The herald had taken down Roadgrabber, Needlenose, Stranglehold and Flattop, but Bludgeon had intercepted the creature before he could deal the finishing blow.

"Your move." Bludgeon taunted, deactivating his burning lightsaber and arrogantly strapping it back onto his waist.

Baited, the horrendous creature lunged at Bludgeon, writhing loudly. "I aaaam Raaaavenus! Prepaaaare to feel my wraaaath!"

Bludgeon stood still as a stone for a few nano-kliks, before striking out like lightning, blocking Ravenus' initial strikes deftly with his katana, gracefully sidestepping a savage blow from the ball and chain weapon. Bludgeon balled his free hand into a fist and launched a ball of hellfire at Ravenus' face, causing the herald to grow even more beserk. "You are abominations created by a Dark Lord who refuses to show his face in battle. You represent a coward!" Bludgeon mocked, as he launched himself into the air to avoid another savage strike. Despite his arrogant taunts, the Pretender knew that Ravenus is more skilled than him, if not more. Bludgeon didn't exactly rate his chances high in a one-on-one combat, although he would certainly relish it. Ah, well. "Banzai-tron! Octopunch! Hurt him!"

Banzai-tron swooped in with inhuman speed, slamming into Ravenus' pressure points with his fingers, the art of Crystallocution causing them to shatter like crystal. Nucleon-enhanced strength allowed Banzai-tron to deliver a mean roundhouse kick to Ravenus' neck, causing the herald to fall into the waiting Octopunch, who impaled the winged herald with his trident.

"Ohh, this is too good to pass up." Octopunch said. The four tentacles in his Pretender shell lashed onto Ravenus, while the trident streamed electricit onto the herald. Octopunch's inner form burst out of the ground nearby in his crustacean beast mode and sliced at the herald's wings with claws. Banzai-tron, Chop Shop and Ruckus moved in, opening fire at the herald with their weapons, causing the body to convulse and spasm.

"This- this is n- not over! The Master will-" Ravenus' mumblings were soon cut short as Bludgeon sliced down at the herald's head, splitting the cranium into two.

"Done an' dusted, Bludgeon." Octopunch said, as he let the limp form fall off to the ground. "Who's next?"

Bludgeon took stock of his Mayhems. Many were still injured from the mission to that blasted planet -- Hydrus Four, was it? -- and only a few were still in working condition. Banzai-tron, Spinister, Octopunch and himself were still up and running. So is Chop Shop, the Insecticon somehow avoiding being injured too much. Barrage and Ruckus are too stubborn to fall down, but that's about it. Every other Mayhem is either in the medbay, or had been defeated. "We need to have a change in our troops." Bludgeon muttered.

Stalking, his shell transformed into his tank mode and he led his men towards the next source of explosions, and was met with what could only be described as a dark version of Optimus Prime, only scarier. This being looked ancient, and his armour was mainly sombre grays and blacks, with a few hints of blood-red. The most distinct feature about him was his massive demonic wings, which doubled as artillery ports. The creature's outstretched hand unleashed an endless stream of lightning at Devastator and Monstructor in front of him, forcing the two gestalts to stumble backwards. Squadrons of Decepticons lay dead or defeated around the battlefield. Bludgeon couldn't help but marvel at the power -- it was akin to the mystical lightning Bugly weidled with his mastery of circuit-su, or the more... science-based powers of the Insecticon Shrapnel. But this... this was a whole new level of power. It was like Thunderwing, only that this thing could control the power. "Mayhem Attack Squad, engage that Prime knockoff." Bludgeon whispered, shaking thoughts of fascination out of his mind. "Hurt him. Do not be intimidated. We cannot defeat such a powerhouse with the combiners otherwise engaged, but we want to attract his attention enough for Monstructor and Devastator to get their bearings. Spread out, hit him and run into cover, lest you catch his attention and he decides to vaporize you."

"Feh. All the dirty jobs..." Chop Shop mumbled. As the Mayhem Attack Squad split up, Bludgeon engaged his smoke cloak, and moved like a predatory beast as he lunged from debris to debris, closing as much distance as he could with the Prime lookalike. He was within arm's reach from 'Prime', and reached for his katana, ready to amputate 'Prime' at the wrist.

Before he could attack, however, Ruckus screamed like a madman as the Triggercon launched mercury-tipped rockets from his shoulders at the Prime lookalike. From the opposite direction, amid the ruins of a building, Barrage joined suit with his own sonic cannons. The cry, and the savage attacks slamming onto him, distracted 'Prime' enough to break the stream of lightning streaming towards the gestalts. Monstructor soon make his presence known by slamming a fist larger than 'Prime' himself onto the herald.

No sooner than Monstructor's left hand had slammed onto 'Prime', what could only be described as a wave of destruction spread through the gestalt's fist and ran up to Bristleback, who made up the arm. The surprised gestalt roared in pain as he stumbled backwards and crashed onto the ground. Bludgeon was both intrigued and surprised. He never saw anyone other than... well, Monstructor himself sap the life-force of the enemy, causing them to be weak and slower. Although, in this case, both Monstructor and 'Prime' appear to be suffering, the former because of 'Prime's attack on Bristleback, and the latter because of the death-dealing aura from Monstructor. Bludgeon watched with a rather disturbed fascination as pieces of Bristleback began to rust and fall off, much to Monstructor's dismay and rage.

Devastator, seeing what happened to his comrade due to physical touch, decided to try other means. The laser on Devastator's head as well as the heat seeking missiles on his hips all launched on 'Prime', while Devastator's hands retracted and were replaced with drill bits, one of which was launched like a projectile at 'Prime'. Ruckus and Barrage joined in the attack as well.

'Prime' grunted as the heat seeking missiles tore of part of his side, exposing the inner workings of his chest and side. The drill bit slammed onto his other side, crushing 'Prime's arm and wings. But as Bludgeon and the others watched, 'Prime' stood back up, and the broken pieces of himself began to straighten out and repair themselves. "You will need more than that to stop... Nemesis Prime." the figure rumbled, his wounds having almost completely healed. Monstructor, Devastator, Barrage and Ruckus looked, dumbfounded, before gaining their composure and continued firing at Nemesis Prime.

"So? You can be blown apart. You can be hurt- you can be killed." Ruckus snorted derisively. "C'mon! I've seen frikkin' Autobots with more backbone than you."

While his comrade attacked Nemesis, Bludgeon struck out from his hiding place, slashing sideways at Nemesis Prime's arm with his katana, before darting back into cover. His trained vision allowed him to glimpse Octopunch and Banzaitron as they hit Nemesis Prime with their melee weapons, before doing the same thing that Bludgeon did. Namely, to duck away from the monster.

Bludgeon leapt into the air and spun around, lobbing fireballs from his palms towards Nemesis Prime's form whilst the other Decepticons continued the attack on the herald. "Push the attack! Don't give him an opening!" Spinister called out as the Targetmaster swooped in, unleashing a large nuclear-powered plume of flame from Singe, which, upon contact with Bludgeon's fireballs and Ruckus' mercury shells, caused a chain reaction which envelopped Nemesis in flames.

"Pitiful. Don't you understand? Resistance is futile! The world will be submerged in chaos! Master Unicron will reign supreme!" Nemesis Prime roared as he floated, wraithlike, out of the pyre. Nemesis' wings clicking into place on his sides and opening fire rapidly, sending plasma onto the attacking Decepticons. Meanwhile, his palms lobbed spinning balls of dark matter.

"Yeah, yeah. Back up your words with- GHAAAA!" Ruckus screamed in pain and shock as a blast from Nemesis Prime tore off part of his stomach, and another narrowly missed cutting off his face. Bludgeon watched grimly as his normally unstoppable subordinate collapsed onto the ground.

Bludgeon's skull-shaped visage frowned as he separated from his shell. Certainly brute force and his mystical tricks could not stop this raging monster. His fireballs were absorbed, and his sword slashes could not take down this thing. There's a safe debt that the rest of his Metallikato tricks would bring the same effect. As much as he hated it, he had to try alternative methods. The shell immediately cloaked itself with the smoke generators, and Bludgeon's inner form shivered. Ever since he was upgraded into a Pretender, he could not remember the last time he left the security of his shell. But this is as good as any time to perfect his skills.

Bludgeon transformed into his tank mode, the seldom-used turret clicking into place. With a pang of regret, Bludgeon berated himself silently for not perfecting combat with his inner tank mode. The turret hummed as it launched electric fireballs (instead of the more supernatural hellfire balls he usually summoned) at Nemesis Prime. "Banzaitron, Spinister, get his attention! Fire fast, don't give him time to rest!" Bludgeon shouted.

"Got it." Banzaitron replied, leaping with unnatural easiness and grace as Razor-Sharp transformed into plasma cannon mode and connected to the Crystallocution master's bayonets. Spinister hovered silently as Singe and Hairsplitter hummed up and opened fire, spewing nuclear flame and laser bolts. The rest of the remaining Mayhems, as well as Devastator, joined in the fracas, sending sonic pulses, lightning bolts and plasma flying at Nemesis Prime.

Nemesis Prime grunted as the repeated attacks slammed into him. "What do you propose to do, ignorant fool? Don't you know that your efforts are worthless?" the herald growled, as the Mayhems' attacks rammed onto his torso and back, tearing gouges so fast that the armour had no time to regenerate.

"Biding time- for this. Monstructor, now!" Bludgeon shouted.

The gestalt, whilst shaken, pulled out his solar fission rifle. "You... hurt Monstructor. Monstructor hurt you!" a blinding flash of light struck Nemesis Prime, before the effect of the blast plunged the area around Nemesis Prime into darkness.

"Gnu- aaah! What are you playing at?" Nemesis' roars of rage could be heard from the shadow-encrusted area in which Monstructor's attack had taken effect.

"This." Bludgeon said simply as he transformed into robot mode, and grinned. Near Nemesis, Bludgeon's shell decloaked and sliced both the katana and the lightsaber sideways, the burning blade of his lightsaber illuminating the otherwise pitch-black darkness. Bludgeon sensed more than saw as his shell sliced off Nemesis' left arm at the shoulder, and created another gouge on the already-battered chest.

Bludgeon could sense/see from his shell when Nemesis Prime fixed him with a point-blank glare, pale crimson optics burning angrily. "You fool. You are prolonging your own suffering. I could regenerate any limb lost, any damage."

At this point, Bludgeon's shell drew up to a sinister smile, the skull-face illuminated like a demon by the scarlet glow from his lightsaber. "If you still have that ability, that is." Bludgeon struck again with his two swords, tearing out wires and pistons out of Nemesis' left thigh. "Unfortunately, the reason that Monstructor had not been fighting you all this while is because he, despite his near-insignificant brain module, is apparently smart enough to focus his life-leeching aura onto you and you alone. Your regeneration powers? They've been... neutralized." Bludgeon narrowed his optics as Nemesis Prime ineffectively launched more shadow-like balls towards him, and Bludgeon cloaked himself, seemingly melting into the shadows. His voice still rang out and echoed in the darkness as he continued to speak. "You have lost, Nemesis Prime."

"Arrogant." Nemesis Prime retorted, as he lashed out with his good right hand, grabbing slamming Bludgeon's face onto the ground as he sent out lightning into the shell. "Even without regeneration, I can still-"

Nemesis Prime didn't have a chance to finish his sentence as more firepower from the surrounding Decepticons slammed onto him. The Prime lookalike roared, aiming his wing cannons randomly. Bludgeon's shell took the opportunity to cloak himself and move away, before unsheathing his katana again and stabbing Nemesis Prime in the gut. Nemesis Prime's attacks were soon halted as Devastator, satisfied that Nemesis Prime could not fight back, slammed his fist onto Nemesis Prime. The herald tried to push back, but the gestalt's attack had taken him unawares (after all, Nemesis Prime still couldn't see past the darkness caused by Monstructor's earlier attack). Nemesis Prime grunted as the fist transformed into a drill, which spun noisily as it drilled through Nemesis Prime's back. "Nuh... Never! I am Nemesis Prime! You cannot- do this to me!"
_________________________________________

Struggling on his back, Nemesis Prime knew that resisting was futile. He had miscalculated this battle, been too arrogant, underestimating these children of Primus. As Devastator's drill spun faster, snapping off Nemesis' left horn in the process, the herald pushed Devastator's wrist with one hand, and he could feel servos and pistons beginning to buckle. The small part of him that was still Prima was glad for this. Prima hated to see himself used to kill and murder.

After all, Nemesis Prime was nothing but a glorified attack dog. Prima's essence, whatever left of it since his death, was shunted to one corner of his mind as Unicron's corruption took over. Prima laughed bitterly while Nemesis Prime roared in rage and despair.

Prima watched through Nemesis Prime's optics -- through his optics -- as Bludgeon's shell decloaked beside him, katana lifted up and ready to hack at the hand trying to prevent his death, even as the Decepticon's inner body drove by and enterred it. "It was a good fight." Bludgeon hissed, voice cold as the grave. "Thus, I will give you a quick death."

Prima wrestled control of the body for the first time ever since his construction... into... this. He was determined that the Decepticon end this shambling mockery of who he used to be. Prima watched as Bludgeon swung down with his katana, praying for a swift death, only to recoil in shock as something tore through his chest and stomach, tearing a massive hole through him. "No. He. Is mine. To kill." A raspy voice growled as Bludgeon's katana was blocked with an energo-axe.

"Bomb-Burst?" Bludgeon replied, before narrowing his optics. "What do you want?"

"Merely. To exact. Revenge. Upon this. Sparkless creature. Who made me. Like this." Bomb-Burst said, indicating with thick, curved claws at his Pretender shell, as his toothy fang pulled up to a sinister grin. "I am. Sure. You'll understand. I wish. To deliver the. Killing blow."

Bludgeon grimaced, but he sheathed his katana anyway. "Do it. Make it quick. He fought like a warrior and deserve a quick death."

"Yessss." Bomb-Burst replied, as he lifted one claw above Nemesis Prime's face, while the herald was still trapped under Devastator's drill. Before he delivered the blow, however, the Pretender shell split apart in the middle, revealing a cobalt-coloured robot.

"You." Nemesis Prime/Prima said in unison, the former in dread, the later in joy. They/He recognized this Decepticon. Eons ago, Nemesis Prime had corrupted his spark, gifting him with a hunting talent but in exchange making him hunger for sparks, like a vampire. This was in the hopes of spreading more chaos across Cybertron. Prima laughed. "Such... irony." he chuckled, talking in Nemesis' voice. "Do it. Kill me."

Prima watched as Bomb-Burst's clawed fingers struck, tearing the linkages on his throat, ending his tormented life, living inside a body acting not under his will. The last sight he saw was Bomb-Burst tearing into his spark core, and everything else... was darkness.
_________________________________________

FEMAX

"Now? Really? Megatron? Are you sure? Damn it to the Pit. Well, it's been fun, Dinobots, but it's time for me to fly." with those words, the brooding Sixchanger was gone, flying into space.

Grimlock howled in rage in his new tyrannosaurus beast mode as his fellow Dinobots looked at him. "Well, look at the bright side, boss." Snarl offered. "At least this planet's safe. And whatever lackluster life it has to offer."

"Yes! And... Sixshot afraid of us!" Sludge mumbled, the child-like Dinobot trying his best to cheer his leader up.

"Hnn. Maybe so." Grimlock said, transforming into his robot mode. "In any case, our new beast modes are better than what our vehicle modes had to offer. It feels right... somehow. Even if this does look degrading."

"Could be worse." Snarl growled. "Y'could make us wear fake synth-fleshy bits. Like those idiots in bipedal squishie costumes." looking at the dinosaurian kibble hanging off him, Snarl made a sound of disgust and continued, "Damn, but these things are ugly! How did you talk me into this again?"

"Something about overcoming the terrain problems was his argument, I believe." Swoop chipped in. "But I do think we need to get back to base. Primus knows what else we've missed."

Grimlock nodded glumly at his fellow Dinobot's suggestion. But at least in their new beast modes, they had drawn blood from Sixshot, unlike their previous encounter with the Sixchanger. There will not be a third, Grimlock swore. "Gunrunner, Kick-Off, prepare the shuttle. We're leaving." Grimlock snarled. Perhaps it's for the greater good... the Autobots, especially Prime, would not stand a chance if something unexpected shiuld befall them. In fact, Grimlock knows that without his counsel and brute strength, there would never be an Autobot rebellion now. Primus knows what trouble they've gotten into in their absence.
________________________________________

METROPLEX/THE ARK

"What now?" Topspin asked, as klaxons blared and alarm lights flashed.

"Isn't it obvious? We're under attack, stupid!" Broadside shot back as the larger Wrecker reloaded his weapon ammos on the run.

"Decepticons?" Topspin queried as he performed a similar check-up on his weapon.

"No idea. Kill first, ask questions later." Broadside replied, before shouting into the comms, "RB! What the frak's going on?"

Roadbuster's reply came over the commlink encrusted in static and explosions. "-der attack b- -kkzt- -ntruders. Power levels are off the sc- -vrzz- -need assistance, all guns blazing. You get the idea -fzzzt-"

"Same old, same old." Broadside replied, shaking his head as the two Wreckers exited Metroplex, weapons at the ready. Broadside's optic band widened. "What the frak?"

An army of winged, bearded blue mechanoids swooped in and out, attacking the Autobots defending the area. Broadside could make out his fellow Wreckers Whirl and Sandstorm, as well as new recruit Overdrive, dogfighting with these enemies. Some other Autobots had taken to the air as well, and it was filled with explosions. Metroplex's and the Ark's massive weaponry came online, and they began firing on the winged assailants en masse.

Broadside saw, to his amazement, that Optimus Prime himself was in the thick of the battle, fighting with all his might against the enroaching enemy. Springer and Roadbuster were near the Autobot leader. After the campaign on Hydrus Four, the two leaders of the Wreckers were not fit for duty yet... not that it had stopped them before, though. "Topspin, you go on and help the other flyboys. I'm going to lend our bosses a helping hand. Wreck and rule!" Broadside roared, as he opened fire with his cannon, before transforming into his jet mode and taking into the air, firing missiles into the enemies. While normally Broadside loved to complain about... well, just about everything, really, but in battles he couldn't help but enjoy himself. Broadside transformed and landed beside Springer, crushing one of the winged enemies in the process. "Who're these guys?" Broadside asked out loud as his vibro axe hummed to life and he began slicing the enemies attacking him. He did not particularly care who answered him, as long as he got some answers.

"Doesn't really matter, does it, 'Sides?" Roadbuster replied, opening fire with his linear blaster cannon, shrapnel launcher, his laser cannon, his automatic rifle and a phletora of other weapons Broadside couldn't be bothered to memorize the names. As long as it tears up the enemy...

Springer's answer, meanwhile, was more to the point. "Not Decepticons, that's for sure." the Wrecker leader replied, plunging his helicopter-blades/lightsaber into the head of one of the bearded assailants, cleaving it into two. "No way are the 'Cons this stupid, sending drones like this to attack us." Springer remarked, as he planted his foot on his now-dead attacker's chest, pushing him away.

"We are the Sweeps, mortal! Tremble before our might! We are Un-" one of the bearded transformers declared, right before Broadside delivered a haymaker which tore off his head.

"Oh, butterfingers!" Broadside cursed his over-eagerness. That 'Sweep', if it's what they're called, had nearly spilled out the questions they had wanted the answers to. And he had knocked off his head. With a shrug, Broadside placed the thought out of his mind as he continued the pummeling of the Sweeps.

"Gha!" Springer's cry tore Broadside out of his distracted state, and the massive Wrecker spun around to see his unit commander with a spear lanced through his shoulder.

"SPRINGER!" Broadside shouted in rage. Pulling his vibro axe out of subspace, Broadside charged like a mech possessed, and began to hack at the Sweeps surrounding Springer. Roadbuster saw his fellow Wrecker's predicament, and joined in the battle, unleashing payloads of shrapnel and laserfire towards the Sweeps.

"Get him to Minerva or one of the medics, fast!" Roadbuster commanded, his voice not leaving any room for debate. Of course, Springer did argue, even as Broadside picked him up and cradled the Wrecker leader protectively like a baby.

"Can... still fight..." Springer croaked.

"Save the macho posturing for later, eh, Springer?" Roadbuster snapped. "We can't afford to lose you. Not here. Not now. Not-" Roadbuster paused to blow off the head of a Sweep in the process of lunging at Optimus Prime. "-to these bearded devil wannabes. Now go!"

Broadside's massive pillar-like legs carried him towards away from the conflict and into the Autobot lines, where the rest of the troops, led by the Aerialbots, had drawn a line and are refusing to let any Sweep pass through it into Metroplex and the Ark. Broadside barged into the outer medbay of the Metroplex, screaming, "Minerva!" once he saw the white-and-red medic. The Wrecker tried to find Fixit as well, but the hardy Micromaster was nowhere to be seen. The newly-christened Wrecker turned around, slightly startled at the sight of the massive form of Broadside charging towards her. "It's Springer. He needs help." Broadside said, as he knelt down and, surprisingly gentle for his size, laid Springer down on the ground. "It's time to earn your payroll, kid!"

"We get paid?" Minerva queried quizzically, raising an eyebrow.

"That's beside the point." Broadside shrugged, as he watched the femme work on Springer. "He gonna be allright?"

"He's strong. He'll pull out." Minerva said as she pulled out some medical gizmo Broadside had no clue to what the name is, and began to work on Springer. "The lance missed his spark, but it impaled some of his fuel lines. Looks like he's gonna be out of action for a while."

"Told you... I'll be fine..." Springer croaked. "Thanks... new guy. You ain't half bad..."

Broadside turned around, giving a melodramatic sigh before quipping, "Well, you two take care, okay? I'd hate to lose another Wrecker..." Broadside transformed into jet mode, and shot out of Metroplex.
_________________________________________

The Steelhaven's arrival turned the tide onto the Autobots' favour, as the Sweeps were now trapped between two fronts. "Autobots- take down every single one of these Seeker impersonators!" Hardhead roared, as the tank-mode Autobot shot out of the Steelhaven's hatch, followed by the rest of the crew.

Fortress Maximus slammed down onto the Sweep forces, destroying at least three upon landing on them. All this killing felt wrong. But... it was necessary. Fortress Maximus knew something went wrong when Scorponok abruptly ordered for a retreat when victory was within his grasp. Maximus and his team immediately rushed back to the Eshems Asteroid Field, where the Metroplex and the Ark were, suspecting a backhanded attack from the Decepticons. "Prowl, this is Fortress Maximus." the Headmaster spoke to his communicator. "The Ark is under attack."

"Understood. We're going to blast off right now. Prowl out."

As Prowl terminated the transmission, Fortress Maximus transformed into his massive base mode as he dropped, falling like a brick and crushing a portion of the attacking Sweeps in the process. "Surrender now!" Maximus roared above the noise. "Surrender and your lives shall be spared!"

"N-uh!" Chromedome cursed as a laser bolt exploded on his left shoulder. "Don't think they're much for talking, Max!"

Fortress Maximus shifted as he transformed, looming omniously over the Sweeps now circling him. "They have been warned." Maximus boomed, with a slight hint of regret. Maximus pulled out two massive cannons from subspace and opened fire on the Sweeps, and he was soon joined by the rest of his crew, who fired into the Sweeps.

As the enemy numbers dwindled, a dark voice boomed through the battlefield. "ENOUGH." Fortress Maximus had cut his way to Optimus Prime's and Roadbuster's position, and turned to see three figures appearing from portals which tore the fabric of space apart. The first was just like the Sweeps they had destroyed, only this one had larger wings, sharper claws, and looked more menancing and dangerous. The second was a strong yet sleek figure, with two distinctive horns on his head and two thin wings on his shoulders. The third was the most imposing, with a gigantic orange cannon on his right hand and a crown-like design on his head. He was the one who addressed the Autobots. "I am Galvatron. I am the harbinger of death, emissary of Unicron, the Dark Lord of Chaos. And he has marked you Autobots for extinction." Galvatron pointed one claw at Optimus Prime, while reddish-orange optics burnts like flames. "You! The Prime. I will crush you with my bare hands. Cyclonus, Scourge, hunt the Ancients down."

Fortress Maximus began to aim his cannons at the three figures when Roadbuster attacked. "Yeah, yeah. You are antsy and you want to kill Prime. Not gonna happen, pal!" Roadbuster transformed into his vehicle mode, and artillery ports stationed around his body hummed out and spewed laser blasts, shrapnel and other projectiles at Galvatron.

At the same time, Jetfire, Whirl, Sandstorm, Broadside, Powerglide and a group of other airborne Autobots swooped past, disgorging missiles and laser blasts at the three figures.

Fortress Maximus watched, amazed, as Galvatron raised his clawed hands, and any missiles or bullets launched at him simply crumbled into dust which faded away. He didn't budge a micron as the laser bolts and plasma slammed onto him, burning scorch marks on his armour. "I am not as weak as you think. For I am Unicron's hand of judgement himself!" Galvatron and his two lieutenants landed softly on the ground, even as the Autobots opened fire on him.

Maximus tranformed into battlestation mode, laying suppression fire at Galvatron. "Hardhead, Joyride, Chromedome, Getaway, take point. Brainstorm and Higbrow, join the air support. Slapdash, stick with Prime." Maximus shouted, giving commands to his troops.

Galvatron leapt out of the barrage of weaponsfire, not flinching even as his armour was blown apart by the Autobots' firepower. Stretching out a claw, Galvatron caught Chromedome's neck with a choke and tossed him at the airborne Sandstorm, sending the two of them crashing down onto the ground. Galvatron, meanwhile, delivered a swift kick at Hardhead's gut, before opening fire with his massive laser cannon at Joyride and Getaway, sending the two Autobots sprawling on the ground. "You don't understand. Our victory is pre-ordained." Galvatron growled, as he tranformed into cannon mode, and unleashed a massive blast of energy at the thing preventing him from reaching Optimus Prime. Namely, Fortress Maximus' body.

The Headmaster thanked his maker that he had ultra-dense duraluminum armour, and that the powerful blast didn't do much other than shear off a few gun emplacements and dent his main towers. But it still hurt like the Pit. A second blast struck him, ripping into the injury Scorponok had inflicted earlier and tearing into his main fuel pump. "Fraaaaag-" Maximus began, before his vision blacked out.
_________________________________________

"Here they come." Searchlight warned, as the air on a corner of the room heated up. "Ready your weapons!"

"I don't need no fraggin' weapons to grind 'em into dust." Brawn said, wearing a large loony grin on his face.

"Us, Mini-bots against those guys who took down Maximus' group? Didn't you see them taking down Max? Are your optics faulty?" Huffer whined.

"Ah, do shut up, kid." Scattershot snapped. "Looks like they can teleport. Protect Metroplex's spark core at all costs! If 'Plex goes boom, so do us!" Scattershot looked around at their final line of defense against the attackers. It was meaningless to have a strong wall outside when two of the attackers had simply teleported into their base. Scattershot looked at the motley crew: his Technobots, a bunch of Minibots, the Clones, a few odd Micromasters, a Cassettebot and a wayward Pretender. This would end well. Omega Supreme was out there, and wouldn't get here in time. "Aim!" Scattershot barked, and the twenty or so Autobots armed their weaponry and pointed it at the door. "Fire at my-" Scattershot's words were interrupted as Elder Safeguard's tiny body smashed a hole through the door, the minute white and purple mechanoid torn up and otherwise damaged. "Motherboard-fragger!" Scattershot cursed. "Huffer, Chainclaw, check on him! The rest of you- open fire!" Scattershot let loose with a barrage of acid pellets, which melted the metal door in front of him. It was soon followed with a few bursts of laserfire, which tore into the two demonic figures in front.

The one with the rabbit-ears was choking the squat hooded form of Gravitas, but the winged one was unoccupied. "Ooh, this looks like it's going to be fun, Cyclonus."

"Ehrn. Do what you want, Scourge, just remember what we're here for." the one named Cyclonus hissed. "The rest are negligible."

"Negligible this!" Brawn roared, as the powerful Minibot charged forwards, slamming a massive punch at Scourge's face. "Bring it on, sucker!"

"What he said!" Fastlane roared, as the Clone followed suit, delivering a punch towards Cyclonus' midsection. Cyclonus' optics narrowed, as his powerful claws hefted Gravitas over his head and slammed the Ancient down onto Fastlane, knocking the Clone out.

"Fools. We're not here for you." Cyclonus said, as he gave Gravitas a final squeeze, ending the gentle Ancient's long life, before pitching his corpse at the attacking Autobots. "Resist, and we will punish you."

Scattershot tried to remain calm even as Brawn was rammed to the wall by Scourge. Cyclonus stalked towards them, darkness seemingly enveloping the demonic spectre, solidifying and forming schytes in his claws. "We weild power you could not surpass, nor defeat." he said, as without warning, he leapt forwards, slicing the shadow schytes at Cloudraker, before headbutting the red-and-white Autobot. Scattershot lunged forwards, attempting to pin him to the ground, but Cyclonus shoved Cloudraker's stunned form onto his path, causing Scattershot to topple backwards.

"Hey! Scatter' may not be a friendly guy, but that's no excuse to beat him up!" Afterburner said, as the Technobot transformed into cycle mode and launched two rockets pointblank onto Cyclonus' face. "There. Got him... what? No way!" the Technobot's pride turned into stark horror when the smokes cleared out, revealing that Cyclonus' head was not destroyed.

"Fool." Cyclonus growled, as he threw one of his schytes like a boomerang, and it sliced off a deep wound on Afterburner's neck linkages before returning to its master's hands. Afterburner collapsed to the ground, clutching his wounded neck.

The sight of his troop wounded like that spurred Scattershot into action. "You'll pay for that, rabbit-face!" Scattershot roared, as he transformed into cannon mode and opened fire repeatedly at Cyclonus.

Cyclonus grunted as he reached out and grabbed Scattershot's gunbarrel. "I tire of this, Autobot!" Cyclonus roared. With a mighty swing, Cyclonus spun Scattershot, using him like to bludgeon the Technobots and Minibots who tried to attack him. "Time to sleep." Cyclonus said, as he slammed Scattershot onto a wall.
_________________________________________

Scourge tossed Brawn's limb and battered form aside, as he moved to join his comrade. "Wow." Scourge mocked, "Seems like someone's real insulted at being called a rabbit-head." Scourge stalked towards where Huffer and Chainclaw were working on Safeguard. The latter let out a feral growled, and pounced at Scourge. The winged herald chuckled as his claws swung and tore the Pretender's synthflesh apart, before blasting him with his head-mounted laser gun. Scourge let Chainclaw drop to the ground, before stepping over him. "Move." he said to the small, orange-and-purple Autobot crouching between him and Safeguard's body.

"Look here." Huffer growled. "I ain't letting you butcher this guy here, no matter who you may think you-" Scourge struck out with his claws, tearing Huffer's face. The Minibot stumbled backwards at the pain, and Scourge picked him up by the neck, and tossed him to the pile of unconscious Autobots.

"Fool." Scourge said, as he fingers crackled with energy, and he approached Safeguard's limp body. "Well, any last words?"

"Spawn of Unicron... turn back now, before it's too late." Safeguard snapped. Scourge shook his head and tossed the ball of dark matter as if he didn't have a care in the world. It exploded, taking Safeguard's body -- and life -- with it.

"Our mission is done." Scourge said.

"What about Xaaron?" Cyclonus queried. "For the matter, why don't we kill this citybot now?"

"Galvatron specified to leave as little casualties as possible." Scourge said, shrugging as he stretched his arms. "He says Master Unicron wants to eat the Autobots himself. We're here to spread terror and all that."

Cyclonus harrumphed, but stalked away from the heap of fallen Autobots. "Fine. Let's kill Xaaron and get the frag out of here."
_________________________________________

Outside, however, the fight had drawn to a standstill. Galvatron and Optimus Prime circled each other, while the other Autobots watched. "I gotta go help Prime-" Hot Rod began, but an injured Roadbuster placed a hand on the brash Autobot's shoulder.

"Don't do something you'll regret, youngster. Prime's tough enough to handle that brute. Don't need him to divide his attention by baby-sitting you. Your 'help' might doom him." Roadbuster said, while clutching the gaping wound on his side with his other hand.

Hot Rod cursed as he watched whilst Optimus Prime and Galvatron... negotiated?

"You don't have to do this, Galvatron." Optimus Prime said, shoulder cannons and laser rifle aimed at Galvatron but not firing. Galvatron, likewise, aimed his massive cannon at Prime but did not fire either. "Freedom is the right of all sentient beings. You need not be another being's slave."

Galvatron laughed. "That is something I appreciate, Autobot." spreading his clawed hands wide, Galvatron added, "Look at this. I am merely a herald. A servant, albeit an unwilling one. And yet none of your warriors lasted two rounds against me. Even your mighy Fortress Maximus and Omega Supreme fell under my firepower." narrowing his crimson-orange optics, Galvatron added with a chilling tone, "And I'm merely a messenger for the Dark Lord."

Optimus Prime scowled, and replied, "You have a choice. Why not use it? Why attack my troops?" Prime's azure optics narrowed. "Explain."

"Gladly. The accursed Unicron controls me, as if I am a mere tool. Galvatron is no mech's pawn, and I want to kill Unicron for that one reason: controlling me. Your Matrix, Primus' last essence, would be enough to purge Unicron's influence over me." Galvatron stretched his hands at the battlefield, where nearly all of the corpses were Sweeps. "That is why I chose the assigment to strike the Ark. That is why I sent the Sweeps in an uncoordinated attack. That is why I instructed Scourge and Cyclonus not to kill any Autobot bar their targets."

"Targets?" Optimus Prime asked sceptically.

"Safeguard, Gravitas and Xaaron." Galvatron declared. "But before you shoot me down, let me explain. The Ancients are too old, and they are past their primes. Alive or dead doesn't really matter for them. What matters is to- release me- from- Unicron's..." at this point, Galvatron screamed, clutching his head in pain.

As soon as Galvatron made the abrupt movement, Hot Rod's swung his hands up, the wrist-mounted lasers opening fire. It was more of impulse than anything, but it did knock Galvatron off his footing. Optimus Prime followed with a barrage of blasts from his twin laser rifles. "Unicron is trying to establish control over him." Prime declared, as his chest panels opened, and the sacred Creation Matrix slid out. "By the power of the Creation Matrix: be cleansed!"

Hot Rod watched, amazed, as a stream of blinding light so white and pure that it hurt the optics shot out of the Matrix, tearing into Galvatron's body. For a moment, Hot Rod thought that the attack would completely disintegrate Galvatron, but it merely passed through him, the energy unleashed from the Matrix counteracting Unicron's dark influences, purging the Dark Lord's hold over him.

For the first time in his long, suffering life, Galvatron was truly free.

"YESSSSS!" the once-herald roared, as the light from the Matrix subsided, leaving Galvatron's exostructure charred, but otherwise still alive. "My mind is my own again, Optimus Prime. I thank you. Now-" Galvatron transformed into cannon mode, swinging his turret towards Optimus Prime. Before Hot Rod could react, however, a burst of laserfire erupted out of Galvatron's orange cannon, sailed over Prime's left shoulder, and impacted on Cyclonus' chest. The horned herald of Unicron was knocked off the sky, and crashed onto the ground.

"He has betrayed us. The Master will know." Scourge hissed, as he materialized beside Cyclonus like a wraith. "We have to go. The ancients are dead."

As the two heralds transformed and shot away, the return fire from the Autobots filled the dark sky as they tried to avenge their dead. Optimus Prime narrowed his optics, and growled, "You caused three of our own to be murdered. And you expect us to help you?"

"I expect you to help save all life in the universe." Galvatron snapped back. "It cannot be helped, not giving those two these orders would have tipped them off to my designs. For now, we must all work together in order to defeat Unicron."

Optimus Prime was about to reply to that remark when a weak, soft voice called out his name. "Prime!" Everyone in the battlefield turned around at the sound of the familiar, wise voice of Emirate Xaaron, who was clutching a gaping wound on his side. "Prime, those heralds had killed Safeguard and Gravitas, but didn't finish the job on me. Do not hold Galvatron responsible for this -- cooperation is needed for Unicron to be defeated. Quickly- rally your Autobots and head to Cybertron. Unicron is bound to strike there in order to exterminate Primus' last children."

"Xaaron, you are hurt." Prime said as the Autobot commander rushed to Xaaron's side, supporting the wounded Ancient with his powerful hands. "We need a medic!" Prime called out to the crowd.

"N- No. My time here is... over. Must... D- Defeat Unicron..." Xaaron murmured, and with those words, his head lolled to one side, optics dark.

Prime watched as Xaaron's golden form slowly turned gray, indicating that the spark had faded. Optimus shook his head, and turned to face Galvatron, and asked icily, "What do you have in mind?"
_________________________________________

CYBERTRON

"Where are the rest of my troops?" Megatron roared as he fired fusion blasts after fusion blasts at the heralds in front of him. "Skyquake, where are the others?"

"The rest of the Seacons are on their way, Lord Megatron." the heavily-built Decepticon replied, opening fire at the airborne herald Famine (once the general Terrorsaur) with deadly missiles. "Scorponok's and Starscream's crews are both en-route to Cybertron, while Sixshot and his team is inbound."

Megatron grunted as the massive forms of Abominus and Predaking fell to the ground one after the other, after battling a herald wreathed in flames. "And the others? The Mayhems, the Breastforce, the Constructicons?" Megatron roared.

"Bludgeon, Devastator and what's left of the Mayhems are currently battling a Prime knockoff, according to Stalker." Skyquake replied, as he transformed into jet mode and launched missiles at Famine. The jet-mode herald transformed into his beast mode and let loose a sonic scream which caused the missiles to explode. Turrets in his mouth opened fire, slamming onto Skyquake's underbelly. The Predator leader growled as he jack-knived to one side to avoid the follow-up shots. "The rest of them are either dead or knocked out."

"Hnn." Megatron grunted as he transformed into tank mode, the fusion cannon clicking into place as his main turret. While his exostructure normally had a silvery-gray look to it, the battles and carbon scoring had rendered it dull and dented in many places. Megatron roared as he aimed his turret up, and after a few seconds of warming up, unleashed a blast of anti-matter straight at Famine. The swirling ball slammed into the pterodactyl's chest, enveloping the herald with what could be described as green lightning. Megatron smiled inwardly as explosions tore Famine's exostructure apart as antimatter reacted violently with matter. "Now, Skyquake. Now!" Megatron's mortar cannons and railguns opened fire at the convulsing Famine. Skyquake and his airborne Predators opened fire as well. Missiles and laser blasts tore into Famine's form.

The herald screeched in pain as he began to plummet towards the ground, flames trailing from his body. Megatron took aim and opened fire again, sending a fusion blast straight at Famine. The herald's body exploded spectacularly, leaving nothing but a burning crater where he landed.

Megatron turned around to see the Fallen, having defeated Abominus and Predaking, applauding softly and chuckling. "Such power!" the flame-wreathed figure crooned. "I am impressed. You killed both War and Famine, as well as some of the lesser heralds. No wonder you are able to command the Decepticons. Ah, if only I were younger, you might be a deserving disciple for me."

Megatron narrowed his red optics. This was the Fallen, the traitor to his own race. Seeing that this transformer had defeated four of his gestalts, Megatron knew that he could not let his guard down, not for a second. "Predators, attack!" Megatron roared. "Ramjet, Thrust, Clench, open fire!"

The Fallen made a 'tsk-tsk' sound, before pulling his obsidian staff from subspace. "How rude." the Fallen waved the staff around him, and the projectiles and laser beams all went haywire. A second wave, and the rubble and metal in the area floated up, and began pummeling the Decepticons.

Megatron grunted as a sizable chunk of metal slammed onto his left flank, and cringed as Skyquake's airborne Predators were all knocked off the sky and onto the ground. Skyquake himself, however, swooped down towards the Fallen, sending missiles streaming towards the burning figure. The Fallen laughed as he launched his staff like a lance, which pierced Skyquake's nosecone, sending the large Decepticon spiralling down and slamming onto a large chunk of floating debris, before crashing onto the ground. Megatron transformed into robot mode, catching a wayward Falcon with his hand. "Out of the way." Megatron growled as he tossed the small Predator lightly to the ground.

Megatron launched a barrage of fusion blasts and mortar shells at the Fallen. The burning figure laughed heartily as he raised up his hands, causing the floating chunks of debris to intercept the projectiles and blow up instead of him. The Fallen then lunged towards the ground-based Decepticons, slamming his staff towards the ground, causing a flaming shockwave which knocked Stalker and Clench onto the ground. The Fallen raised up his left hand and launched a wave fireballs at Clench, causing the large colossus to be knocked into stasis lock. The Fallen grabbed Stalker's turret, and threw the massive Predator towards Megatron.

The Decepticon rolled to one side to avoid the unwilling projectile, before snapping off another fusion blast, this one impacting squarely on Fallen's side. But instead of reacting in pain to it like most transformers usually do, Fallen merely laughed. The laughter was soon drowned as Thrust's noisy engine sounds filled the air. "Fear me!" the red-and-black Seeker roared, launching two concussion missiles which exploded on the Fallen's chest.

"Lucky shot." The Fallen growled, but instead of counter-attacking, he pointed at the ground under Thrust with his staff. The ground instantly shifted under the Fallen's influence, forming a massive spike which rose up and lanced Thrust dead center.

As the impaled Seeker struggled to break free, his wingmate swooped down, opening fire like a madman with little regard for his own safety. Megatron had to grin a little as a startled Fallen grunted in surprise when Ramjet slammed onto the burning figure. The Conehead transformed into robot mode, and proceeded to ram his thick head onto the Fallen's face, cracking the latter's furnace-like mouthplate. "Impude-" the Fallen began, but Ramjet interrupted the herald by headbutting him again. The Fallen roared in rage as he struck out, digging his fingers into Ramjet's face. "Don't you understand? None of you ever stood a chance against the Fallen! Not you lowbreeds of Primus-" The Fallen tossed Ramjet away, before twirling his staff, pointing its sharp-edged tip at Megatron, "-And especially not a wannabe warlord like you!"

"Wannabe warlord?" Megatron harrumphed. "I am Megatron! Leader of the Decepticons, champion of the Underworld, ruler of Cybertron! And you are a spineless creature- betraying your own race." The Decepticon pulled two tritonium swords out of subspace as he said this, "Let's see why they call you 'the Fallen', shall we?"

With a roar from both sides, swords clashed with staff. Megatron could see that the Fallen, already hurt by the attacks from the other Decepticons, was struggling. Megatron's swords creaked as they tried to parry the long staff which was trapped between them, while the Fallen's staff burst into flames. "Only a Prime can defeat me, little warlord." the Fallen mocked, furnace-like faceplate moving as he speak, "You are nothing but a deluded fool!"

"Gnn... want to bet?" Megatron said through clenched teeth, as his optics glowed wildly with a familiar black and green glow...
_________________________________________

The Darkside zipped into Cybertron airspace, and Starscream was immediately greeted by the sight of burning flames rising from the planet. Clearly they were under attack by very powerful enemies... after all, who could do so much damage when gestalts and Citycons litter the planet? The next thing that greeted him was a quip from Skywarp, who apparently didn't get the gravity of the situation. "Okaaaay. We leave Cybertron to trash a organic planet, and we come back to see that someone's left the stove open."

Starscream ignored his fellow Seeker as the Darkside's cockpit bay opened. The Aerospace Commander considere giving some sort of inspirational speech, something to assure his troops that they'll be fine. Finding no words to say (not even a catchy battle cry), Starscream simply roared, "Decepticons, attack!" before transforming into his Earthen jet mode and swooping down into the chaos, followed by his troops. The catatonic Blitzwing, barely able to walk, remained on-board to land the ship.

Starscream glimpsed Piranacon's large form coming out of his own ship, brandishing his large sword. In the horizon, Starscream could make out Scorponok's flagship appearing out of hyperspace. "Guess we ain't the latest ones to join the party, eh, boss?" Skywarp quipped again.

"Skywarp? Shut up." Thundercracker snapped.

"Thank Primus." Dirge muttered under his breath.

Starscream would've shook his head at the camaraderie were he in robot mode. Instead, he settled for ordering his troops around. "Seekers, wedge formation. Skywarp, since you like to shoot that mouth of yours off, take point. Soundwave, get your tin soldiers out and fight, for goodness' sake."

"Acknowledged." Soundwave responded, as his chest door opened, and his little swarm of metallic midgets transformed and flew into battle. "Cassettecons, eject. Operation: warfare."

"That one!" Starscream shouted, as he banked left towards a vaguely feline-like shape attacking a phalanx of Decepticon troops. "Open fire!" Missiles mounted under Starscream's wings launched, trailing smoke, as the white-and-red Seeker moved closer to the herald.

"He is injured, Starscream!" Buzzsaw hissed as the Cassettecon flew past the enemy, dropping two mortar shells in his wake. "Looks like he got away from a battle."

Starscream transformed into robot mode, aiming his null rays at the feline herald. "The better for us to kill him with, then." the Seeker commander said as his weapons spat laserfire and null rays at the herald. "What manner of creature are you?"

"I am Pestilence! Horseman of Unicron, harbinger of death!" the obsidian-coloured herald declared proudly, as he transformed into his root mode, brandishing a whip. Pestilence snapped the whip at Skywarp, and gasped in shock when the Seeker simply vanished into thin air. His shock turned into pain as missiles tore into his back, ripping out panels and wires.

Starscream smirked as he added his own firepower to Skywarp's onslaught. The herald slashed wildly with his claws and whips, rupturing a nearby fuel line. Starscream's optics widened as he raised his hands in front of his face and braced himself. The fuel line erupted, engulfing Pestilence in flames. The herald's scream of agony rang through the area as his burnt corpse collapsed to its knees, and literally crumbled into dust. "That's one down." Starscream sneered, contemptously spitting on the corpse. "Soundwave, make yourself useful and contact the local garrison. Find where the rest of his pals are at, so we can kill them-"

Starscream was interrupted when something slammed onto the ground at high speed, creating a sizable crater when it landed. When the smoke cleared, Starscream grimaced when he recognized the mech in the crater. Megatron. Oh, how tempting it was for him to raise his gun and shoot Megatron in the head! Then, Cybertron would belong to him and him alone. This was a golden chance... when else would Megatron be helpless, under his boot? Starscream then considered his chances against whoever did this to Megatron.

Well, that isn't exactly the brightest thought I could think of... the Decepticon second-in-command thought. If something could do this amount of damage to Megatron, what chance do any of them have? No, the only way to defeat these heralds is to work together. Scowling, Starscream snapped orders; as with Megatron down, he was the highest in rank. "Soundwave, see to our 'glorious leader'. Get Bludgeon and Trypticon and anyone else worth fighting and tell them to get here once they're done with their foes. I think we're seeing the big bad of these invaders. The rest of you, with me."
_________________________________________

The Fallen chuckled when a group of ragtag jets and miscellaneous beasts charged him from where Megatron had fallen. Megatron's antimatter trick was impressive and it certainly did manage to hurt him a little, but it was still energy. And the Fallen was able to control it -- albeit with difficulty -- and turn a large amount of it back onto Megatron. It's sheer luck that had prevented the petty warlord from dying.

"You ignorant fools! Can't you see your time is at an end? The light of the sparks of Primus' children will be extinguished forever!" the Fallen roared, and jumped towards the incoming Decepticons, flames trailing behind him and his long, jagged staff gripped in two hands. "Defeating Nemesis Prime and the Horsemen were merely luck. You will all fall. This is the end of the road for you infidels."

The Fallen swung his staff sideways, piercing a yellow avian Decepticon on the wing. He twisted the staff and spun it around his body, ramming the bird-like Decepticon onto a purple-and-green Decepticon. When their bodies connected, the Fallen sent a surge of energy which rippled through Buzzsaw's and Squawkbox's bodies, causing the latter to split into his component parts. The Fallen pulled his staff out of his victims, sending the three Decepticons tumbling down towards the ground.

"Hopeless!" The Fallen roared as another avian Decepticon, this time red in colour, sent streams of laser beams at him. He blocked the attack with his left hand, before sending flying debris towards the bird-like transformer, putting him out of the count. Missiles and laser blasts tore onto the Fallen's armour, and still he charged, swinging his staff left and right. The larger jets were more nimble and experienced, weaving in and out of his line of fire. The Fallen grunted as a black-and-purple jet literally vanished as his staff pierced through the air where the Decepticon had been moments earlier.

Suddenly, the Fallen was struck to the ground by a massive wave from his back. His ancient audio sensors shut down from the amount of sound energy directed at him. A sonic boom, the herald realized belatedly. A jaguar-esque Decepticon seemingly leapt out of the shadows, slicing his face with his curved claws. The Fallen roared again. "Worthless!" he said, as his optics glowed, and the jaguar-like Decepticon was seemingly picked off the ground and slammed onto a nearby building by an invisible force.

"Ravage! You will pay for that, monster!" one of the Decepticon jets said, as he swooped down, unleashing another sonic boom as he passed above the Fallen's body, pinning him to the ground once more.

"You are noisy. Undisciplined. Weak." the Fallen said, as his body conflangrated into even more flames, and he rose up into the sky. "Let the wrath of Unicron fall upon you!" What could be described as storm clouds gathered above the Fallen's outstretched hand, and lightning shot out, striking the blue Seeker, causing him to spin out of control and crash onto the ground. More lightning flew out towards the other Decepticons, who tried their best to avoid it. "Yes! Yes! Fear the dark powe-" the Fallen's optics grew large when a blade suddenly ripped through the center of his chest. The flames around him melted the weapon's metal, but the damage had been done. With a scream of rage, the Fallen struck out at the figure behind him, before unleashing his dark powers to repulse any Decepticon who got too near to him. In moments, a large shockwave erupted from the Fallen's body, slamming onto Bludgeon, throwing the Pretender away onto the ground. But before the Fallen could gather his bearings, more firepower slammed into him. And it hurt.

Not liking the sensation of pain, the Fallen turned around to see that he was surrounded by the Decepticons' merge teams and a massive bipedal, reptillian shape the size of a small city. "So... the insects decided to fight back, didn't they?" the Fallen roare, as fireballs formed around him. Debris rose up and circled him like shields as the Decepticons' firepower raged around.
_________________________________________

Starscream watched as Shockwave led Trypticon and a group of gestalts into the battle, followed by Sixshot, Scorponok and whatever was left of the Mayhem Attack Squad. "Finally. What took you?" the Aerospace Commander said as he waved his hand, indicating that his squad should retrieve their injured ones. "What, Trypticon sprung a fuel leak?"

"Your snide remarks are illogical and redundant." Shockwave's single yellow optic glowed as he spoke, "Trypticon and myself were battling a trio of half-organic heralds, who resemble a patchwork of lesser beasts. Observation: they are empowered with some sort of corrupt variant of energy."

"Yeah, yeah. Spare me the bland report, computer-brain." Starscream snapped. Of course Trypticon had been fighting other heralds. What else could be the explanation for his delay? But the cyclopaean Decepticon took everything too literally. "Instead, focus your brainpower on finding a way to defeat that- thing!"

"Observation: target is resistant towards all firepower we throw at it." Shockwave answered dryly, even as he transformed into gun mode and fired a bizarre series of waves at the Fallen. "Conclusion: alternate means of damaging target is required."

Starscream frowned. "You work on that, Shockers. I'll buy us some time." Starscream winced as the Fallen struck Monstructor's chest with his staff, forcibly, causing the gestalt to separate to his component pieces. Piranacon lumbered after the Fallen, using Nautilator in gun mode to fire on the herald to no avail, as the Fallen turned around and unleashed a plume of flame at the Seacon gestalt, forcing him to topple backwards and crash onto the ground, obliterating a block of buildings. Starscream growled as he swooped away from Shockwave. "I hope I can, anyway."

Starscream grunted as he opened fire with his null rays and cluster bombs, causing near-negligible damage to the Fallen. Starscream watched as another Decepticon was shafted, another one impaled, and a rage began to build up in the Aerospace Commander's spark. The Fallen, who betrayed his- their- own kind, now is trying to destroy them? There was absolutely no way Starscream was going to allow that to happen. Cybertron being overtaken by Megatron or the Senate or the Autobots or some random transformer... that's one thing. Being overtaken by a traitor, by a deserter to transformer-kind, it disgusts Starscream to the core. Turning to the massed Decepticons opening fire, Starscream barked orders, sounding as if he knew he was doing. "Don't just stand there, Decepticons! We can't let this little piece of tin walk over us! Constructicons, get our wounded out of the area. Mixmaster, try any combination of chemicals, find something which can burn through this sucker's armour. Trypticon, activate your hypno-beams. Frenzy, Rumble, disorient him. Give him no moment to rest. Sixshot, Bludgeon, well, just try any tricks you know on him. He's not getting out of this alive!" Starscream roared, as he transformed into jet mode and shot towards the Fallen, launching missiles and cluster bombs which exploded on the burning figure's chest. "Come on, old man! I'm taking you on!"

"Infernal-" The Fallen began, but a sonic shriek on the part of Frenzy slammed onto the burning herald's head. This was followed up by the full force of a 6-Ritcher-scale earthquake slamming through two piledrivers onto the Fallen's back as Rumble attacked. Starscream followed the Fallen as he plummetted down to the ground, watching with glee as Sixshot and Bludgeon met the Fallen with swords brandished, and began attacking the herald, slicing and dicing with their respective swords. One on one the Fallen would surely prevail against them. However, when they all attack together, they overwhelm the more powerful herald. The Fallen spun his staff, parrying as many blows as he could. But not even he could block that many blows, not when laser blasts and sonic screams are disturbing his concentration. But that's still not enough to defeat him. Not yet.

"Shockwave, I've bought us some time... any chance you found out a way to defeat ol' burning face here?" Starscream called out over the commlinks.

"Affirmative. I have talked to the wounded Megatron about this, and he claims that we should bring the Fallen to Vector Sigma's chamber. Hypothesis: Skywarp is well equipped for this. Declaration: Megatron himself is en-route there as we speak." Shockwave's tinny voice came over the static.

"Right. So we need to find a way for 'Warp to get close to him." Starscream muttered, before turning to one of the Decepticons that went to Earth with him. "Dirge! Help Frenzy and Rumble. We need a distraction, big time!"

Starscream launched a fully charged null ray, impacting on the Fallen and slowing down the herald's systems. Bludgeon continued with the barrage of sword strikes, while Sixshot tried to use his six modes to bring the Fallen down. Trypticon and the other Decepticons opened suppressing fire from afar, hoping that a lucky shot might damage the Fallen. Frenzy and Rumble used their powers to slow the Fallen whenever he tried to get up. Dirge joined in the fray and increased the volume of his fear aura to the best of his abilities. Starscream could only imagine what the Fallen saw through the fog of fear which Dirge has cast over him, but he isn't waiting to find out.

"Skywarp, now!" Starscream shrieked over the noise.

The jet-black Seeker nodded once, before swooping in, arms outstretched as he muttered some vulgar joke under his breath. Ramming the Fallen and hugging the larger Decepticon on the stomach. Starscream could hear the Fallen shrieking about someone called Primus, no doubt the work of Dirge's fear aura. The Seeker shielded his optics as the two figures were engulfed in a blinding light, and when it was gone, only a smoking crater was left...
_________________________________________

Skywarp knew he was, at some point in his life, going to be deactivated.

He just never expected it to be so soon.

As he engaged his teleportation systems, he felt every part of his body in contact with the Fallen burn. His hands and chest were literally melting when the two of them dropped into Cybertron's core, near Vector Sigma. Needless to say, teleporting two transformers at the same time across such a large distance was a huge drain to his systems. As soon as they landed, Skywarp's vision began to blur. "Guh!" the jet-black Seeker grunted as the Fallen kneed him in the gut, sending him sprawling on the ground. Groggily, the black Seeker opened fire with his laser rifles, before teleporting a short distance away, to the Fallen's back, and fired there as well. When the burning figure turned around, Skywarp teleported again-

-to find himself impaled on the stomach by the Fallen's staff, who had been waiting for him there. The Fallen chuckled as he slowly approached Skywarp. "Predictable. Inexperienced." the Fallen shifted his grip on the staff, and sliced down hard, literally slicing Skywarp into two pieces at the stomach.

The Seeker gurgled, spitting mech fluid out of his mouth as pain, burning pain, shot up his systems. But when he saw a familiar silver figure descend down a silent lift, Skywarp instantly knew his death wouldn't be in vain. Shutting off the corresponding pain nerves, Skywarp grinned, despite his pain and the vertigo. The Seeker suddenly burst out laughing, much to the Fallen's surprise.

"So you find your own death hilarious. Pathetic fool. Well, give my regards to Primus." The Fallen growled, spinning his staff. The tip of the black weapon transformed into a lance, and the Fallen reared the weapon up, ready to lance Skywarp through the spark, when something tore into his already wounded back.

Skywarp continued laughing with glee when Megatron strode into the room, his fusion cannon smoking. "Tell me, oh great Fallen. Ever been had before?"
_________________________________________

Megatron tossed Nemesis Prime's burnt corpse into the corresponding shrine on the circle as he approached the downed Fallen. The Fallen whirled around, and for the first time saw where he was. "The Vector Sigma chamber! And... you've killed Nemesis Prime? And collected all the other twelve? You Decepticons are more powerful than I gave you credit for." the Fallen growled, his furnace-like face no longer displaying that smug amusement when he fought the Decepticon army. "But Megatron, you are a fool. I defeated you once, and I'll do so again."

"Maybe." Megatron said, allowing a smirk to grow on his face as he pulled out a little spherical object. "But do you honestly think I'd tell my troops to bring you here without an ace up my sleeve?" the Decepticon leader nonchalantly tossed the sphere towards the Fallen's feet, where it exploded. Not a normal explosion of flame, but rather an explosion of force. Of gravity. The Fallen, surprised, was thrown backwards, back towards the shrine beside Nemesis Prime's body. Powerful metallic wires zipped out and pulled the Fallen's limbs onto the ground. Megatron strode towards the center of the room, where the golden orb of Vector Sigma spun. "Gravito-mines. A useful experimental tool used by Drag Strip. Since your lackeys took out Menasor, I borrowed these from my unconscious soldier. Doesn't damage the enemy much, but it is useful when I want you to be on that spot."

"These puny contraptions cannot even hope to hold me!" the Fallen roared, as the flames around his body began to burn through the wires.

"It isn't meant to. Not for long, anyway." Megatron replied, as he interfaced with Vector Sigma. Meanwhile, Cycle Drones, Tank Drones and ragtag groups of Decepticons marched in from the numerous entrances to the chamber, opening fire at the Fallen, aiming to pin the burning figure to the shrine. Megatron typed and worked as fast as he could, ignoring the cries and death screams of his troops while the Fallen massacred them. As a gray-and-green conehead Seeker with cannons for arms exploded beside him, Megatron gritted his teeth as he made the final adjustments. "Your name is the Fallen. FALL!" the Decepticon emperor roared as he pressed a button in the Vector Sigma computer.

The glowing orb of Vector Sigma crackled with power as lightning shot out towards the Thirteen shrines. As Primus had given the Thirteen their power in a similar manner eons ago, now Megatron uses the same process to forcibly take back the same power given to the Thirteen, and feed it to a single body; namely Megatron himself.

Nemesis Prime's body disintegrated and dissolved into dust which was swept away by the galeforce winds and lightning generated by Vector Sigma. The Decepticons in the chamber wisely scampered for safety, while the wreckage of their fallen ones were mercilessly picked up and hurled around by the wind. Megatron stood in the center of the chamber, his hands placed on the surface of Vector Sigma, whilst one by one the bodies of the Thirteen dissolved into pure energy which seeped into Megatron's body.

The Fallen growled in rage and terror as one by one the bodies Thirteen were dissolved. Desperately he tried to escape, but the winds from Vector Sigma held him in place. "You can't do this! I am a Prime!" the Fallen cursed vehemently.

"Wrong. You are the Fallen. Meet your end with dignity at least." Megatron growled, as he watched the Fallen's exostructure torn apart, piece by piece. The flames wreathing the Fallen's body dissipated, and the herald's optics flickered once before the furnace-like face lolled to one side, and was swept away into oblivion. Megatron, meanwhile, roared in joyous pain as power like he had never experienced before coursed through him. "Yes, yes, YESSSSS!" Megatron cackled as his circuits flowed with power. Even while warning alarms roared through his systems, Megatron continued absorbing the power, until he himself glowed as bright and as golden as Vector Sigma was.

The Decepticons nearby were transfixed as Megatron glowed, all of them rooted into the spot with fear. When the winds finally died down, only Megatron and Vector Sigma remained, both glowing at the center of the chamber. Megatron slowly turned around to regard his troops, all of which cowered under his gaze. Megatron outstretched his hand, and in an instant a Cycle Drone blew up, falling to its component parts. The sentient Decepticons were unsurprisingly mollified by this display of power, and began to slowly back away from their leader. Skywarp was the only one not to budge, mostly due to his injury from the waist down. The Seeker, did, however, croak out a weak "All hail Megatron."

The Decepticon leader glowered at this pitiful thing, this insignificant, puny mongrel... then shook his head. No. The power's getting to his head, making him arrogant. Looking down on one of his most loyal soldiers, Megatron smiled, "You have served me well, Lieutenant Skywarp." the Decepticon leader outstretched his hands. Skywarp winced, expecting his fate to be similar to the hapless Cycle Drone, but golden tendrils of power shot out of Megatron's hands and tore through Skywarp's circuits, healing the Seeker.

"Guh?" Skywarp mumbled as he felt all his injuries disappear. Looking at his repaired body and up at the glowing Megatron, the Seeker straightened himself into a saluting position. "All hail, Mighty Megatron, the Lord of Cybertron!"

The nearby Decepticons immediately joined in the saluting and praising. Megatron smiled, even as he made his way topside. So this is what it was like to be worshipped.
_________________________________________

THE ARK

It took an instant for all the Autobots to leave the planets they were stationed on and return to the Ark. In the confusion which followed the wake of the Decepticons' mass recall to Cybertron, the Autobots had received orders from Optimus Prime to return themselves.

They were less than pleased. Some of them even angry. Gunrunner, however, was furious.

He had been stuck with Grimlock's Dynobots (now rechristened Dinobots) as backup. The quintet wasn't all friendly to Gunrunner, but it suited the Pretender fine. He didn't want any friends. The other non-Dinobot in their squad was Kick-Off, and he was a brooder as well.

It was not retreating from Sixshot that galled him, nor was the fact that the Autobots are headed for enemy territory. Neither was it the fact that they had made an alliance with an ex-Herald of Unicron. No, it was the fact that he missed the battle against Cyclonus.

Cyclonus. Oh, how that name brought back memories. Nitrostreak and all the others... they died, eons ago, before the war. Cyclonus massacred them all for no rhyme or reason. All that saved Gunrunner was his experimental Pretender shell, but all the same he felt guilt. Had it been his men inside the shell instead of him, it would've saved them. Instead, he rushed in like an idiot, leading his entire team to their graves.

It was so long ago that the others have all forgotten the incident. But the screams of his friends as he died had haunted him ever since. He had became insecure, fearful and distant. He hated exitting his Pretender shell, and despised attachment for his fellow Autobots, in case the reaper decided to take his friends away from him.

Gunrunner wanted to avenge his friends by killing Cyclonus, or die trying.

He had searched long for information on the mysterious transformer to no avail. Just when he went away to battle the Decepticons, who reared his head to kill the Ancients and beat up a large chunk of the Autobots? Cyclonus, that's who.

Gunrunner clenched his fist. He knew Cyclonus was still alive. And by the looks of it, he knew that their two forces are set to battle each other. The Autobot armada are now headed to Cybertron, where Galvatron claimed Unicron would strike next. Gunrunner couldn't wait, he was practically beaming with anticipation of death.

Whether it was Cyclonus' death or his own remains to be seen.
_________________________________________

"No." Optimus Prime growled. He felt the power of Primus enterring a body he never expected to hold that brand of purity.

"Megatron." Prime growled.

"Say what?" Fortress Maximus queried. Most of the Autobots damaged in the battle had been repaired, including the massive Headmaster. Now all the Autobot leaders were assembled, discussing their strategy to take down Megatron.

"Megatron. He has ingested the power of Primus. Somehow..." Optimus Prime muttered. "This is bad. This is very, very bad."

"Good thing we're headed to Cybertron. We bash Unicron and Megatron all at the same time." Grimlock growled, clenching his fist. "All our enemies... dead in one stroke!"

"I must concur." Prowl added, sitting on Prime's right hand side, holding a datapad. "It would be most logical to have Unicron and the Decepticons battle each other, and pick off the remaining party."

"No. If Unicron is anything like how this Galvatron described him, then the Decepticons don't stand a chance. We must warn them." Ultra Magnus said, although anyone could see that the City Commander's face was twisted in disgust at the thought of working with the Decepticons.

Optimus Prime sighed. "While this would be against all we stand for, we must work hand-in-hand with our mortal enemies. It's more of the lesser evil situation. We stand no chance alone against a demigod like Unicron, but together we could defeat him."

Fortress Maximus sighed. "We're all going to die anyway. What difference if it's sooner? At least this way we get to preserve our species."

"We blow Unicron's big skidplate off galaxy, we slap Megatron's face with wet towel and we retake Cybertron. Simple strategy." Grimlock said, folding his arms. "It's your call, Prime."

Optimus Prime narrowed his optics. "All of us are gathered here and have agreed to battle. Good. Blaster, Silverbolt, prepare for jump to lightspeed. We're headed for Cybertron. Our cause is just and we will prevail. For Cybertron!"
_________________________________________

LITHONE

The planet of Lithone was populated by mechanoid creatures similar to Transformers, only they are unable to transform, and they all look alike. Lithone itself was a medium-sized planet, larger than the likes of Hydrus Four or Earth, but smaller than Cybertron.

For Unicron, however, it was merely the appetizer.

The planet of Gorlam Prime had slowly drifted off its orbit and through space. Unicron's spark exited its small, temporary body and entered the core of Gorlam Prime. Slowly, the crust of the dead planet flaked off as two massive horns jutted out of the planet's side, followed by a skeletal ring. The area between the horns seemingly imploded, revealing a massive maw.

"JHIAXUS, I AM PLEASED WITH THE ANGOLMOIS YOU HAVE GATHERED. IT SUITS MY PROPER BODY JUST FINE." Unicron boomed as his remaining heralds stood on what could be described as a small ziggurat at one end of Unicron. "UNLIKE SOME OF MY HERALDS, YOU DO NOT FAIL ME."

Cyclonus and Scourge cowered meekly, but Unicron paid them no mind. The demigod had felt Galvatron's betrayal, as well as the deaths of both Nemesis Prime and the Fallen. The last one shocked him the most. His star pupil, his greatest apprentice, defeated by mere children of Primus? It was... unsettling. But of little consequence. He was going to destroy Cybertron no matter the cost.

Lithone happened to be in the way and Unicron required raw power for his systems. The Devourer opened his mouth as his horn-like appendages pierced Lithone, tearing through the planet's crust into its core. Unicron began to feast, literally eating the planet. Like a vortex, everything was sucked up into Unicron's maw. His heralds kept any spaceships from escaping oblivion.

Soon, thirty million years' worth of evolution and civilization, some three million lives, was wiped out, torn into oblivion, in a matter of hours.

Unicron moved on, sucking Lithone's moon with little more than a gulp, before heading towards his destination -- Cybertron.
_________________________________________

TELETRAAN

The Teletraan docked in the repaired Ark. Prowl, Jazz and Ironhide were quickly hustled off to help Optimus Prime in planning, while Ratchet was half-dragged to the medbay by First Aid. Wheeljack immediately dived into the important duty of reinforcing and repairing his largest creation, Metroplex. Galvatron might have restored his spark, but structural damage still remains. Erector and Hoist might be able to repair most of it, but there's only so much they could do without Metroplex's inventor.

The rest of the crew were quickly drafted off into groups. That left Skids alone. Even Crosscut, the ambassador, was needed to talk with Galvatron and negotiate terms. Skids felt unneeded. Who needs a theoritician against this large a threat?

Skids watched forlornly as the Xantium, the Wreckers' flagship, landed on a docking bay. Skids sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. For some reason he wanted to do something useful. Hell, even try to shoot this Unicron thing. Any damage had to be good, right? But he's just useless. No one could find any use for him.

"I'm worthless." he grumbled. "Even Beachcomber could muster up courage to fight."

"Nobody's worthless."

Skids, surprised, turned around at whoever said it. A trio of Autobots, with dents and scratches enough to kill a small squadron of Autobots.

But not these three. The three of them are three of the Wreckers. Three of the best fighters the Autobots had.

Broadside. Whirl. Topspin.

"If you're so keen on proving yourself, you could hang around us. We tend to be neck-deep in trouble." Whirl said. The gangly, one-eyed Autobot waved a claw, indicating the Wreckers as a whole. Whirl looked thin, almost fragile. Here in the Autobot base, he was soft-spoken, and polite. Skids knew appearances could be deceiving, though. In the battlefield, Whirl is one of the toughest Wrecker to take down, with lots of tricks and wacky weapons up his sleeves. Whirl's ungainly form made him even more dangerous in combat, as nobody expects what he could do. The Wrecker had been called insane by many, and it seemed to be true--in a battle, Whirl became the self-appointed mech that drew fire from the enemy. On purpose. He made himself a visible target, shouting like a madman. Skids knew it was a trick so that the others would be able to attack the Decepticons, but the theoritician knew that there must be a reason to that behaviour. Some kind of past experience, perhaps?

"You don't have a neck." Broadside said, poking Whirl's back with a massive finger. Broadside, in contrast to Whirl, is a mammoth form. In fact, Broadside is nearly large enough to go toe-to-toe with the gestalts. Broadside liked to complain and tease others, but inside he had a kind spark.

The third mech, meanwhile, extended his hand to Skids. "Now- Skids, isn't it? In my book, there ain't no boundary too hard to cross. Sign up with us... the Wreckers are overdue for a proper strategist. Roadbuster is great, but he needs help. Not surprising, considering our suicidal missions." Topspin looked just like the average Transformer, but, like Whirl, in the field he's different. Bar rumours said that there's no terrain -- anywhere in the galaxy -- that Topspin couldn't cross. And he's determined to prove it. Skids smiled at the Wreckers' warmth, before his optics widened at the gravity of the situation.

"Wait- wait. You- you're actually asking for me to join you? The Wreckers?"

Topspin nodded. "A-yup. But seriously, with Thunderclash badly injured, we need some new help. Especially against this."

"We're doomed." Broadside interjected, but the tone indicated it's a joke.

Topspin elbowed Broadside's side, before continuing. "Now, Skids. You didn't think all those times you hooked up to the combat simulator went unnoticed, didn't you?" Skids didn't say anything. He had been playing around with the simulator, and sure enough, he had one of the highest scores in the army. Topspin, meanwhile, gave a knowing grin before continuing, "We're officially asking you to join us."

Whirl waved a claw in front of Topspin's face and interrupted. "But be warned, though. The working hours are horrible, the office facilities are worse than the dead end, and more likely than not, we're going to get killed some time or other. And the pay-"

"We don't get paid, eyes." Broadside boomed.

"Oh, right. We don't get paid. And we always get surrounded by people who try and kill us." Whirl added. "Don't say I didn't warn ya."

Skids pondered it for a while. "Who else are in the Wreckers?"

Topspin shrugged. "Let's see. There's the original group... Springer, Roadbuster, Twin Twist, Sandstorm, Inferno, Rack'n'Ruin and us three. Some new blood are being thrown into the mix. Scoop. Splashdown. Maybe Getaway or Sureshot, we haven't asked. And you."

"I'm in." Skids said, grinning. This is going to be fun. It's always nice to see the world from someone else's perspective.
_____________________________

Ratchet hated the medbay.

Oh, sure. He's Cybertron's best medic. He's the Autobot army's top surgeon. He could turn a dying mech into a living mech.

But he hated the medbay. Sure, he could do wonders in it, but to see so much suffering, so much... death... Ratchet steeled himself. Get a grip of yourself, Ratchet. This is just the start. We're going to a larger battle. More casualties are coming. Ratchet's optics narrowed as his arms transformed into an array of medical tools.

First Aid and Fixit -- even a slightly miffed Grapple -- have their hands full with the incoming wave patients from the battle against Galvatron and his troops, as well as patients from other places. Ratchet passed a half-patched-up Thunderclash and moved beside one of the worst injuries. Gunrunner.

"You okay? How are you feeling?" Ratchet asked. Despite the pain, Gunrunner was still standing. Standing. Not sitting. The fire burning in the young mech's eyes... it's admirable.

"Been better, doc." Gunrunner said gruffly. "Just make it fast. I have a score to settle."

Ratchet sighed and sat down beside Gunrunner and opened his chest panel. "You fight for revenge, then, Gunrunner?"

"My own reasons are private."

"Bullshit." Ratchet said, using a term he picked up from Jazz. "I was there when I found you alone. From Nebulos. I understand something traumatic happened there." Gunrunner grunted. Ratchet took that as a yes. "One of them did this, didn't they? Killed Nitrostreak and everyone else?" another grunt.

Then, Ratchet slapped Gunrunner's face.

It was a loud noise, metal slamming against metal. The people in the medbay all turned around to see what happened, and gasped at Ratchet's sudden ferocity. "Do you think vengeance and revenge would get you anywhere? Is that why you throw yourself recklessly into battle, hoping to die and therefore repay your previous debts? Do you seriously think that would work? That your old team would approve?" Gunrunner said nothing. Ratchet held the Pretender by the shoulder. "If you want to find a motivation, don't do it just for revenge. Don't do it for you. Do it for everyone else. Think how many more people would die if you didn't finish the job. If you focus on your weaknesses and shortcomings, you would fail."

Gunrunner growled, "You don't know how painful it is to see your friends killed in front of you. When you are unable to save them."

"Frag." Ratchet growled, his tone being dangerously low. "Everytime I lose a life, everytime I had to repair someone to find them slipping away under my fingers, I blame myself. It's my fault. Yes. I let many people die. I cannot save everybody. But I don't let it influence my work. Learn from your failures, and perhaps you would do something worth remembering. I have failed numerous times myself. Does that make me a vengeance-ridden fool that barges into Decepticon HQ with a nuclear bomb? No! I keep working, healing, with the faint glimmer of hope that someday I would be able to atone for the lives I lost."

Gunrunner was repaired. His body was repaired, but he didn't leave the medbay for a long, long time.
________________________________

ARK

The Ark and Metroplex headed towards Cybertron, flanked by smaller ships like the Impactor, the Xantium, the Steelhaven, the Teletraan, the Fire Convoy and other ships that had arrived from far reaches of space. The unlikely Autobot armada was made up of a giant Ark, a city, a few mismatched ships and a few individual transformers that could fly in space.

Cosmos zipped around the ships, watching as they moved closer to Cybertron. The little Minibot watched as Galvatron flew silently on the front of the armada of starships.

Cosmos decided to avoid the herald, and instead zipped and hovered beside Brainstorm. "Illogical." the scientist muttered. "A transforming planet. The power requirements... the energy consumption ratio... it just doesn't add up."

"Cheer up, Brainstorm. We can take him down. I mean, look. Everybody's here. Even the Junkions and Monsterbots." Cosmos gestured towards an odd ship, the Rustbucket. It's more junk than metal, with pieces flaking off and popping at random intervals. That's the flagship of the Junkions, a nomadic race of Autobots made of junk. Beside them was a small, squat and broken-down golden ship, the Rogue Schyte. That's Repugnus' ship. Its condition reflects the personas of its inhabitants.

"We barely have enough firepower to destroy a planet as big as Cybertron. Let alone one that fights back." Brainstorm muttered.

"Hey, that's why we're gonna let the Decepticons soften Unicron up first. Then we join in."

Brainstorm sighed. "Kinda barbaric, dontcha think?"

Cosmos sighed. "We're pitting two enemies against each other. Let's just hope they kill each other, so we can go back to peace."
_____________________________

"Arm the weapons, Doublecross!" Grotusque growled. "both of you!"

"Yeah, yeah. Don't get your tusks tied up in a bunch." Doublecross said, working in robot mode. The Rogue Schyte, ship of the Monsterbots, carried additional members that day. The Hotrod Patrol. Repugnus, for once, didn't mind sharing.

In his opinion, it would be better to have a larger number. More people on the guns. Repugnus sat on the command chair. He was the de-facto Monsterbot commander, and even then only because of unanimous voting. Doublecross refused to be leader (one of him refused, the other one actually wanted the position. Sometimes Doublecross gave Repugnus a migraine.) while Grotusque joked that the Monsterbots can't go any lower, so Repugnus became leader.

Not that he had to do anything, though. The Monsterbot team are well-equipped enough to defeat enemies without leadership.

"Torpedoes, laser pulse cannons, nuclear bombs..." Doublecross transformed into his two-headed beast mode, and his split persona appeared. The two heads spoke and argued with each other. But at the same time, the job of cataloguing gets done faster. Repugnus, himself in robot mode, smiled. They were ready for Unicron. "Autobots, be prepared for a harsh battle. Above all- watch my back, and don't get killed. Fight dirty if you have to."
_____________________________

Just as Megatron reached the surface, Unicron's demonic visage appeared out of hyperspace, followed by a swarm of Sweeps, literally filling the entire sky. Looming over Cybertron, Unicron moved to the planet's remaining moon (the other moon had been destroyed by the Decepticons) and with a swift move, pierced the moon and began ingesting it.

On the ground, Megatron roared in fury and ordered full assault on this large creature that dare intrude on the Decepticon Empire's territory. The mechaformed planets opened up and blasted Unicron with large pulse cannons enough to tear a continent apart. Squadrons of mindless, sparkless drones were sent to crash and burn against the Sweeps. However, the Decepticons themselves were frozen in fear at the sight of their moon being destroyed. Even Megatron was speechless as Unicron turned to face the automated drones and ingest a large portion of them.

Meanwhile, nearby, the Autobot armada also appeared out of hyperspace. "Holy frag. It's so big..." Kup swore aboard the Ark. "In all my years I ain't never seen a thing like that."

Beside him, Perceptor's delicate mind teeters on the brink of insanity, unable to comprehend the vastness of the Dark Lord. Cliffjumper and Sideswipe, normally eager to jump into any conflict, swore and were agape with their mouths open. Even Freeway was shut up. No sarcastic comments from him. Huffer, standing on the bridge of the Metroplex performing last-minute repairs, swore and nearly fainted. Gears moaned, "We're doomed." this time, no one commented on it. They were too busy staring at the enormous enemy looming in front of them.

Even diehard fighters like Grimlock are speechless in front of an enemy that warped space itself.

Unicron's voice boomed into all their minds. "SO. EVERYBODY IS HERE. IT IS TIME FOR ALL OF YOU TO DIE."

The final battle has begun.

TO BE CONCLUDED!

And the finale is here! I had a lot of fun writing this. I know there's a few backreading, so here are the links to the main parts of the story. Sometime down the line, there will be a sequel, but for now I'm working my way back into chapter one (and the spotlights) to make them not drag so much and to improve them. I'm not happy with the first three chapters, and want to redo them a bit... Done halfway through chapter one.

War: http://www.tfarchive.com/community/show ... hp?t=46614
Chapter one: http://www.tfarchive.com/community/show ... hp?t=46389
Chapter two: http://www.tfarchive.com/community/show ... hp?t=46530
Chapter three: http://www.tfarchive.com/community/show ... hp?t=46645
Chapter four: http://www.tfarchive.com/community/show ... hp?t=46946
Chapter five: http://www.tfarchive.com/community/show ... hp?t=47126

*********************

Transformers Legends Chapter Six: When Legends Die

CYBERTRON

The Longshot was the first Autobot casualty in the battle. It was a frigate, able to contain enough weaponry to level a small Decepticon outpost. Commandered by the Autobot Obliterator Sure Shot, it could last in a siege against the army of Decepticons. However, it didn't last a minute against Unicron.

As soon as the Autobot armada exited hyperspace, they fired upon the Dark Lord from the distance, letting the Decepticons do the dirty work first. The Longshot veered slightly too close to Unicron, and was caught in the vortex that swallowed the Decepticon forces and parts of the mini-Cybertrons that orbit the planet. The crew of the Longshot knew they were doomed, and ignited the seven plutonium nuclear bombs they had onboard. The explosion was spectacular, but it did little to slow, let alone stop the Dark Lord. Unicron sucked the fireball and the debris of what's left of the Longshot into his maw.

The only apparent damage of five nuclear bombs was only a few panels blasted loose on Unicron's mouth and horns.

To say Detour was scared was an underestimation.

The Decepticon Micromaster never made a secret that he's cowardly, although he preferred the term 'self-preservative'. However, it's due to an uncanny sense of his to spot trouble. His fellow Sports Car Patrol members -- Blackjack, Road Hugger and Hyperdrive -- know this and appreciate it, though it does irritate them that he always makes his reluctance to fight known.

Autobots... even full-sized ones... Detour could handle. When the elemental manipulating heralds attacked recently, he kept his calm, and fought like a good soldier. This was too much. This Unicron thing had eaten the second moon, two of the mechaformed planets, destroyed three-fourths of what's left of the Decepticon drone legions, killed countless Decepticons, destroyed two Decepticon gunships, and blew up an Autobot frigate. And it still hadn't took any damage (other than cosmetic ones) yet.

Detour did the sensible thing. He transformed and ran away. As far as he could.

Detour saw that he's not alone in thinking of retreat. Most- scratch that, all of the Decepticons in the area are fleeing. Even if they had stayed, it wouldn't make any difference. Even stauch warriors like Bludgeon or Barrage are escaping. They couldn't fight a thing like this. It's so big, it's so... massive. The Micromaster cringed in horror as large legs began their retreat to somewhere safer. Preferably the other hemisphere.

"Blackjack! What do we do?" he exclaimed when he recognized the black vehicle rumbling beside him. Hyperdrive and Road Hugger are following close behind.

"There's no way we can win this. No sense continuing a game where losing is inevitable." Blackjack hissed, before adding, "But I don't like this. We can't do slag against this monster."

Detour gulped. Running would save them now... but where else could they run to? Cybertron will be destroyed sooner or later. They are doomed.
_____________________________

In the Autobot shuttle Impactor, the Dinobots watched as the Longshot was torn apart in the explosion. Grimlock growled, and turned to the other Autobots which were hanging out in their ship. "Hot Rod, talk to me."

"Our shields are holding, fuel at maximum power." the cavalier shouted amid the noise. "But swarms of those winged Sweeps are coming out of that planet, Grimlock! They're attacking-" an explosion interrupted Hot Rod's words, and caused the shuttle to rattle.

"Damage report!" Grimlock snapped.

Slag scowled as he replied to his commander, "The Sweeps hit our aft. Shields are at seventy-five point somethin' percent."

"Hnn. Sludge, Snarl, man the weapon stations. Swoop, steer us closer to Unicron. The rest of us, prepare for drop-off." Grimlock said, as he got up from his captain's chair and reached for the pile of weaponry at the back of the shuttle.

"We're attacking that thing?" Hot Rod squeaked in disbelief.

"Heh. The bigger they are, the harder they topple. Big as he is, he's still a transformer. He could be hurt, and killed. Blow a few fuel lines, and he'll be disabled. At the very least, we won't be sitting ducks down there." Grimlock replied as he slung an ammo pack around his shoulder. "Let's show this big buffoon what bacteria can do."
_____________________________

Galvatron swooped down into the fray. Unicron may freak everyone out, but not Galvatron. Never Galvatron.

He hovered mere inches in front of the event horizon of Unicron's vortex. The Devourer's maw was churning, spinning at such a great speed that it created a giant suction vortex, like a black hole that sucked only in one direction. The Decepticons are retreating. Those unsuccessful enough were lifted off the ground and sucked, screaming, into Unicron's churning maw. Galvatron didn't so much as blink as a tank-mode Decepticon was sucked up beside him alongside the ground, screaming as he tumbled upwards into oblivion.

"UNICRON!" Galvatron roared, placing himself in a position that would make him visible to all the Decepticons and Autobots. "I DEFY YOU!" Galvatron transformed into cannon mode and fired a barrage of laser bolts, which slammed onto the edges of Unicron's maw. It would do nothing much than irritate Unicron. Still, it's flashy, which served its purpose, that is to needed to rally the demoralized Autobot and Decepticon forces.

Galvatron then transformed back into robot mode and flew up, and felt the powerful vortex pulling him into Unicron's mouth.

Unicron's voice bellowed. "YOUR TREACHERY WILL COST YOU, PEON. IT WILL COST YOU YOUR MISERABLE, MISBEGOTTEN LIFE!"

Nobody calls me peon, thought Galvatron, clenching his fists in a gesture of defiant pride. Focusing all his rage and thoughts into this insult, Galvatron turned around to face his former master, and opened fire randomly into the churning vortex. Even so near to death, he roared, "Nobody controls Galvatron! Not even you!"

"THEN YOU DIE." Unicron said simply, as a squadron of Sweeps -- somehow uneffected by Unicron's suction -- swooped down to attack the struggling Galvatron and drag him into Unicron's maw. Galvatron raised his laser rifle, but before he could fire a shot, a large blast slammed onto the side of a Sweep, sending the burning corpse careening down onto Cybertron, before being sucked into Unicron's maw. The other Sweeps transformed into robot modes, but they too, one by one, are torn apart. Galvatron turned around to see who saved him. The Autobot warship Impactor loomed behind him. Standing outside the hatch were Autobots. The sniper Sureshot, the air guardian Jetfire, the cavalier Hot Rod and the Dinobots.

"Nice speech. Now we kill Unicron." Slag quipped, a loony smile on his face.
_____________________________

Unicron's suction vortex stopped. The insects had fought back against him! How dare they. How dare they try and stop his revenge on Primus' accursed spawn! Didn't they understand that their destruction is inevitable? They needed a sharp lesson in what's to happen, it seems.

Throughout Unicron's surface, panels shifted and moved, as numerous turrets slid into their proper places. Unicron opened fire on both Autobot and Decepticon. Even more Sweeps and heralds swooped out of nooks and crannies. Lesser heralds like Straxus, Hook, Line and Sinker led the vanguard in to eliminate those annoying transformers.

Unicron laughed. Considering the fact that he's not at full power yet, these things were not much of a challenge.

"SEE, PRIMUS! YOUR CHILDREN ARE WEAK! NOW WATCH, IN YOUR GRAVE, AS I OBLITERATE YOUR SPAWN AND ERASE ALL THAT YOU'VE DONE!"
_____________________________

"What can we do, General?" Sparkstalker asked the massive scorpion scuttling next to him. "I hate running away, but it's just delaying the inevitable!"

"Yeah, you're the ranking one, tell us what to do! Make an attack plan- something, anything!" Deluge said, driving in his vehicle mode close behind the Firecon.

Scorponok scowled. The troops were looking up to him for direction, and all he could think about was retreating. This wasn't conductive to the war effort. The Decepticon general transformed into robot mode and turned around, "We stand and fight, Decepticons! Open fire on his heralds! First we crush his troops, then we crush the big guy! Do not fear-"

Scorponok's words were rudely interrupted when a tendril of green and black energy shot out from Unicron's horns and struck Sparkstalker. The Firecon convulsed, before starting to mutate. Pretty soon, Sparkstalker charged Scorponok, snapping his beak. "By the will of Unicron, you will die!" the Firecon growled in a deep, guttural voice that was not his own.

"N- Nuh!" Scorponok hissed, slapping the smaller Decepticon away. "Shrapnel, Deluge, Rage- open fire! Sparkstalker has been lost to the other side!"

After a quick and swift death, Scorponok walked up and investigated Sparkstalker's corpse. After sifting through the remains (which were still glowing green), Scorponok turned to the troops waiting expectantly behind him. "Deluge, get this corpse to Mixmaster and identify what energy it is. Looks like energon but it's not. Go!" As the scientist scuttled about his task, Scorponok turned to the rest of the Decepticons with him. "Bring it on! Let us take the fight to the enemy! We will never surrender!"
_____________________________

It was a short matter for Megatron and Optimus Prime to forge a temporary truce. Amidst the chaos, the two forces must rally together to face the greater enemy. None of them liked this, but it's the best bet they have to destroying Unicron.

Even with his new-found godlike powers which he absorbed from the Thirteen, Megatron could not damage the Devourer. Swooping up with a squadron of Decepticons onto Unicron's surface, Megatron began blasting turrets off the giant's body with bursts of light. This power couldn't have come at a better time, Megatron thought.

A frustrated Megatron watched as ships and shuttles of every size tried to bomb and damage Unicron. One of his Decepticons -- Bullhorn -- jumped off a burning frigate and landed on Unicron's surface. The Decepticon slammed a turret and began charging one of Unicron's giant horns. Bullhorn rammed it once, then he fell apart when a tendril of green energy slammed onto him.

Megatron growled in disgust as what's left of Bullhorn was swept away in the chaos. Megatron's optics burned -- literally -- as he swooped near Unicron's maw and unleashed a stream of anti-matter, boosted by the powers of Primus granted to him. "I am Megatron! I am Cybertron's ruler. None shall defy me!" Megatron roared. "You dared to attack my planet. You may have torn my troops apart. But for daring to do so, you have invited the wrath of Megatron! Now feel pain, courtesy of my antimatter abilities." Megatron activated seldom-used power, to atomize neutrons into antimatter that would destroy any matter on sight. This situation, clearly, calls for all the most powerful weaponry.

Megatron's eyes burned as his fusion cannon glowed. Megatron's internal reactors built up energy and he let it loose in one giant blast. So powerful was the energy unleashed that his fusion cannon blew up. Megatron himself was thrown back due to the recoil, slamming into an Autobot shuttle. The Decepticon leader smiled. This is a successful field test for his antimatter abilities. He fired a second time, this time from his optics.

Unicron screamed.
_____________________________

Once he had made sure that there was no more Autobots aboard him, Metroplex moved in on Unicron's posterior section, away from the jaws. Gigantic MASER cannons took aim and fired. The semi-sentient drone Slammer joined in Metroplex's other weapons and sent mortar blasts onto Unicron's seemingly unprotected backside.

Metroplex did not fear death anymore. In fact, he hoped that this battle would kill him. When Galvatron 'revived' Metroplex -- if this state could be referred to as a new life -- he did not completely give back Metroplex's spark to him. On the contrary, Galvatron inserted a small dose of his dark energy. Little by little, Metroplex would fall under Galvatron's control. Metroplex might not be the greatest thinker on Cybertron, but he's resolute.

Already he had evacuated everybody other than the loyal crew in him. Scamper, Six-Gun and Slammer, semi-sentient Transformers sharing the mind of Metroplex himself.

Metroplex transformed into robot mode and slammed onto Unicron, tearing out a large city-sized chunk of the planet god. Metroplex tore pieces and pieces off Metroplex, while Six-Gun, in his gun modes, peppered the ground around him with fire. Metroplex is a city-sized warrior. He is able to bring great devastation in short order.

It might not stop Unicron, it might not slow Unicron down. But it. Will. Hurt.

Apparently Unicron do feel pain. A wry smile spread across Metroplex's face as more turrets slid out -- and were subsequently torn apart by Slammer and Six-Gun. Three hovering mechanisms swooped in.

"I'm Hook. These two are Line and Sinker. You dare to strike the Master. You will die." the first of them said, before opening fire onto Metroplex. The citybot could've laughed had he been in the mood. After fighting Galvatron and his pals, these guys were peanuts.

"Bring it on! I'll take all of you on!" the Citybot boomed, pulling out one of his gigantic MASER guns, and fired. The shot, aimed by Six-Gun (who, true to his name, is comprised of six of Metroplex's guns), struck home, slamming squarely onto Hook's chest. Slammer shot a mortar shell which blew Hook into oblivion, crashing onto the ground.

Metroplex sent another barrage of shots, tearing into Line and Sinker, but not before the heralds tore into Metroplex's body with their weaponry. Metroplex, hurt, swung his fist, crushing Line into an unrecognizable pulp.

The third herald, Sinker, meanwhile, had torn the little tank Slammer into shreds. However, Slammer had, in the process, blown a hole right through Sinker's spark. The two dead bodies lay in a heap nearby. Metroplex looked at Slammer's dead body. "We'll avenge you, little buddy. Or die trying." Metroplex growled, as he stomped down, crushing Sinker's head. It won't bring Slammer back, but it felt good.

Scamper was next, the tiny Minibot blown apart by Unicron's turrets. All the time, there had been debates whether Scamper was a true Autobot or just an extension of Metroplex. Now, they won't ever know...

Metroplex and Six-Gun advanced towards Unicron's center, mowing down turrets, a murderous glint in Metroplex's eyes.
_____________________________

Optimus Prime must admit that he is outmatched.

Fighting against the Decepticons, he could take it in stride. The likes of Prowl and Kup had helped him and showed him what to do. Despite his initial reluctance, he had accepted the role, and grew into it. But this... it's just so big. He didn't know what to do. Usually the Matrix would guide him in some way, but now it remained silent.

Optimus' main weapon is a laser ion blaster, shoulder-mounted barrage cannons, and a battlestation. And an energon axe. Weapons that could destroy entire cities had been unleashed onto the planet-sized Transformer, and he hadn't shown any signs of defeat.

The gestalt teams' combined forms, which used to be the most feared thing in a battlefield, were useless. They had long since separated into their respective Transformer forms, which proved more effective due to the gestalts' limited intelligence.

The Wreckers. The Dinobots. The Mayhem Attack Squad. The Seekers. None of them had inflicted anything; dead heralds and cosmetic damage at most.

The thing that had hurt Unicron is only the Decepticon drones' first assault (which ended horribly, with none of the drones operational, the remaining few scrapped by the medics for precious spare parts), Megatron's Antimatter blasts (which, by now, had nearly run out of juice), and Galvatron's suicidal attack. Oh, and Metroplex and Trypticon too. The two of them are giving it their all, but they are like Micromasters to Unicron. Maybe even smaller.

Optimus Prime felt insignificant. The only thing that made him leader was the Matrix. Why? Why had the Matrix chosen him above warriors like Ultra Magnus or Prowl? These must be a reason.

Prime looked at the glowing object on his chest. Why him?

There must be a reason that he had been chosen over everyone else.

Optimus Prime's optics narrowed into slits. "It doesn't matter now. The reason can wait until later. If I am to be leader then so be it. Freedom is the right of all sentient beings. Transformers or not. And I intend to reinforce that right. Unicron will fall, by my hand or someone else. May Primus' light guide me!"

Optimus Prime transformed into his vehicle mode, leaving his combat deck aboard the Ark (where it kept firing at Unicron) and jumped down off the Ark into the dark space.

He transformed just in front of Unicron's maw.

The Devourer had opened his mouth again and is sucking in entire buildings off the face of Cybertrons. Buildings, cities, objects, and Transformers.

The Decepticons that are on Cybertron are in a state of disarray. Whatever cooperation they had exhibited elsewhere was absent. Each are running for their own lives. And who could blame them? This enemy is beyond good, beyond evil, beyond anyone's imagination.

Not that the Autobots are faring any better. The armada had been broken, ships fleeing or regrouping, all the while being harassed by Unicron's turrets and heralds. Optimus watched with equal bouts of anger and fear as what he recognized as the Monsterbots' shuttle blown up by a few laser bolts.

The sight was whisked away as Optimus Prime landed on a piece of ground that was torn apart and lifted off Cybertron. Optimus Prime jumped onto a piece of debris, then another, then another, until he clung on to a jutting piece of metal, possibly a piece of building foundation, that was stable enough for him to hold. It began to bent, however, and Optimus cursed.

Around him, Decepticons, Autobots, empties, buildings, drones, weapon emplacements and whatever was on that particular patch of Cybertron's surface are being sucked up through the vortex tunnel. The metal snapped, and Optimus Prime let himself be carried away into Unicron's open maw.

But he didn't let himself be sucked completely into the yawning chasm. That would be suicide. Instead Optimus reached out and grabbed one of the jutting metal around Unicron's mouth, some sort of teeth, hanging on with all his strength.

Beside him a Seeker tumbled and was shredded into pieces of metal by the churning mass of razors and gears in Unicron's mouth. He was followed by an Empty, then an abandoned shuttle.

A large chunk of concrete and an abandoned gun emplacement was next, crumbling into dust and shredded metal as the large piece of debris was torn apart by Unicron's grinding mouth, before being sucked down a deep, yawning hole in the middle of Unicron's mouth.

Optimus Prime winced, and used his other hand to clench the outcropping and to provide additional support. Already tiny pieces were torn off his legs and spun into the grinding mass of blades. One of Optimus Prime's wheels was wrenched off by the suction, and Prime watched with dread as it was shredded and consumed.

To make things worse, a squadron of Sweeps swooped in, firing at the location where Prime was hanging on.

Prime grunted, and his barrage cannons slid from hidden compartments into place on his shoulders. Prime fired, large bullets of explosive metal slamming onto the lead Sweep, vaporizing him. What's left of the blue bearded mech tumbled out of control and was completely shredded when he slammed onto a wall of spinning blades inside Unicron's mouth. The Sweep on his right slammed head on into an explosion created by Prime's missiles, tumbling and spinning out of control into Unicron's yawning mouth. The Sweep, like everything else that disappeared into that mouth, was shredded, mutilated and torn apart before being consumed.

One of the Sweeps blasted Prime's left barrage cannon, tearing the weapon off Prime's shoulder, and the burning husk tumbled away, another casualty of Unicron's greedy mouth. Prime growled, as his right hand reached for his chest. He won't make it-

Suddenly the three Sweeps nearest to him was torn apart by blinding flashes of purple light, while beams of energy slammed onto the rest of the Sweeps. Optimus Prime looked at his saviour, and was surprised. "Megatron?"

The Primus-empowered Decepticon floated with visible strain as he fought against the pull of the vortex, hands still glowing. Outside the vortex, Starscream and Soundwave, not able to withstand the suction, hovered with smoking guns, the former scowling. Megatron growled, "I know you are planning something, Prime. Do it. If it will hurt this abomination of nature, do it!"

Prime nodded, and opened his chest. The Matrix of Leadership slid out onto his hands, glowing. "You are correct. This probably would hurt him. A lot. May it light our darkest hour."

Prime let go of the horn-like structure he was holding on to, tumbling into the maw whilst holding the Matrix in his right hand.
_____________________________

Megatron's scowl twisted into a sinister grin. The temptation to blast Prime into Unicron's grinding whirlpool of teeth is so very tempting. Right now, by sheer stubbornness, the Autobot leader managed to be in the middle of the vortex, avoiding the grinding blades and saws that lined the circumference of Unicron's circular maw.

But not now. As Prime tumbled into what seemed to be his death, Megatron transformed into tank mode mid-air, still hovering due to Primus's power. "Rot in hell, Unicron!" Megatron roared, unleashing the powers of light he had absorbed in one large pulse towards Unicron's maw.

Nearer to the Demigod's mouth, Prime opened the Matrix, and a bright pulse of light and energy burst out, streaming into Unicron's circuits, overloading it. Unicron screamed as twin bolts of light energy tore into his mouth. The Demigod never felt such pain ever since Primus' children first defeated him.
_____________________________

Kup and Blackjack watched in awe from the surface of Cybertron as light slammed onto Unicron's mouth and actually knocking the planet-sized Transformer backwards. Pieces of the churning buzzsaws in Unicron's mouth flew out.

"Spawn of a glitch, they did it. Whatever Prime and Megs did, it worked. They hurt Unicron. This is something I've never seen before... Slaggin' Pit..." Kup said, marveling as parts of Unicron started to come apart. It's like a puzzle coming loose. Giant plates the size of continents slid apart, and pieces broke off. "I'll be damned." On Kup's shoulder, Recoil made bleeping sounds of agreement.

"He's falling apart." Blackjack said to Kup. The old Autobot was shot down from his ship and landed around where Blackjack and the troops he rallied were. Against the Micromaster's instincts, he decided to keep the old warhorse around. More targets for Unicron's pawns at worst, and an additional pair of hands at best. It had worked out for the best. And now that Unicron seemingly falling into pieces, it's time that this alliance ended...

"No. Wait. Something is wrong." Detour whined, before cursing at recognizing the process. "We're gonna die!"

"Oh. Slag. That ain't his death thores. He's transforming!" Kup muttered. Above them, the sight was terrifying yet awesome. Entire pieces the size of continents slid into place. Clawed hands that could hold a moon slid out from recessed compartments, flexing the giant fingers. The ring that encircled the planet rearranged itself into giant skeletal demonic wings. Giant panels slid apart, revealing Unicron's monolithic robot mode. The giant curved horns beside Unicron's maw turned out to be horns for his root mode's head, a bearded, skull-like visage. Unicron roared, showing a mouth full of teeth. The Dark Lord stretched out one of his hands and tore into one of the remaining mechaformed planets around Cybertron, and brought it into his mouth, taking a bite out of it like a fleshling would bite an apple.

"Damn." Blackjack cursed. He was programmed to avoid illogical risks, and this is beyond illogical. Turning to the visibly scared troops with him, he cursed. He was responsible for them. Detour, Hyperdrive and Road Hugger looked at him. The Micromasters, Blackjack knew, would stand by any decision he made. The other troops -- the Insecticon Ransack, the Actionmaster Charger, the airborne warrior Misfire and maniacal murderers Staxx and Bulletbike looked at him with expressions of fear and terror. And who wouldn't? Unicron swallowed the metallic mini-planet before laughing. They are on a verge of a panic situation. In a situation like this, someone must take charge. Blackjack stiffled back a gulp and said in an authoritative voice, maintaining a calm voice as much as he could. Panic would only drug them into madness. "Fall back. Find me a working starship. On the ground we don't stand a chance. We might damage him better if we could get on board Unicron and sabotage his systems."

Ransack nodded. "So we'll tear him from inside out."

" 'Xactly. After all, despite the funky dark energies and the sucking breath, at the end of the cycle he's just a big Transformer." Blackjack said, smiling, although he didn't believe it himself, it should motivate the less-intelligent Decepticons. "And you know what they say about size and falls." Blackjack stopped, looking at each Decepticon. The fear was still there, of course, but reduced. Good enough for Blackjack.

Blackjack continued. "Listen to me. Whatever the risks, whatever happens to me or you, do what you must to bring down this monster. We cannot fail. Unicron must be stopped here and now, demigod or no demigod. If we run, we might survive, but this planet will not. One soldier, no matter how small or insignificant, can make all the difference. Whatever the history books may say about us, or look at us, we are- and always will be- proud soldiers of the Decepticon Empire. Gentlemechs- if I don't make it... it has been an honour serving with you all."

The Decepticons all nodded, mumbling with newly-found enthusiasm. Even the Autobot Kup smiled in approval.

Not unsurprisingly, the normally cowardly Detour stepped forward, and spoke for all of them. "Let's do this." the Decepticons-- and Autobot-- transformed, the Micromasters riding on the larger mechs in order not to slow them down.

Out of the troops' earshot, Kup said to Blackjack (who rode on Kup's back), "Lad, that was an impressive speech. You sure broke down an ages-old impression of this old warhorse that the Decepticons are just a bunch a' street goons."

Blackjack snorted and forced a smile. "We are an army... pardon my impoliteness, but you have much to learn about the Decepticons. But thanks, anyway."

"Lad... you're good. But you've chosen the wrong side. The Decepticons' way will bring nothing but destruction and death."

"And the Autobot way would only lead to a politically infested nest of vipers. It all comes full circle, when you think about it. Myself, I don't believe in all the carnage, but it's required to keep the subjects under control." Blackjack retorted. "But philosophical arguments can wait until after we kill Unicron."

Kup sighed. "Young whippersnappers nowadays just refuse to listen to advice." Blackjack couldn't help but grin.
_____________________________

Grimlock clashed with one of Unicron's heralds, Straxus. Straxus transformed into a giant flying cannon and sent giant bolts of green-black Angolmois energy at Grimlock. Grimlock parried one with his energoblade, wincing as the red sword frazzled during impact. "Watch out. This is not normal-"

One of the Angolmois bolts slammed onto the Decepticon named Flamefeather. The Decepticon roared, and soon mutated into a hideous creature that looked like a demon from the Pit. Grimlock was visibly stunned. "Whatever you do, don't let him hit you!" he shouted at the Dinobots. "Whoa-!" Grimlock was rudely interrupted when the plates he was standing on shifted, and Grimlock watched in dread as he found himself standing like an insignificant tick on a Transformer. "Oh. Slag."

Grimlock turned to face Straxus, who had transformed into robot mode and wielded an energon pick-axe. "Look! Bow in the presence of the Mighty Dark Lord Unicron-" Straxus was interrupted just as Sludge's massive frame rammed him, the Dinobot ramming his broadsword into Straxus' shoulder. Sludge was soon followed by his other comrades.

Swoop flew past, dropping two missiles which impacted onto Straxus' chest. Snarl charged in, a scowl in his face and daggers in his hand. Snarl's solar panels were at maximum length, and he sliced into Straxus' midsection with the daggers, empowered by the boost from the solar energy. Slag transformed into beast mode and began spewing flame onto Straxus' back. Grimlock would've grinned had he a proper mouth.

Instead, he settled on delivering a roundhouse kick onto the corrupted Flamefeather's head, before shoving him into a nearby joint. As luck would have it, Unicron moved that particular joint. Plates shifted closer, and Flamefeather was crushed into a pulp. Grimlock considered it a bonus -- he hated Flamefeather. The Firecon is a big ball of pyromania and hatred. Grimlock suspected that Flamefeather's fellow Decepticons wouldn't miss him either.

Grimlock turned his attention to Straxus, and saw that the herald had again assumed his cannon mode. Snarl was hanging on by the barrel of the cannon, whilst Sludge gripped Straxus' main body. Slag and Swoop tried to keep away from Straxus' line of fire, but Grimlock knew the situation won't last long. Straxus does, too, and the herald was gloating. "Sooner or later you will all be corrupted by Unicron! And Unicron does not care much of your people! Mercy is not-"

His words were left unspoken as Grimlock threw his energo-blade, spinning in an arc as it sliced Straxus' cannon clean off. Sludge and Snarl's weight brought them crashing down onto the ground. Swoop shouted a hideous warcry as he swooped down sideways, transformed mid-air, slicing Straxus' body into two with his energon sword held in a two-armed grip. The sword sliced nicely through Straxus' body, red-hot energy severing metallic wires and circuits.

"Oh yeah! Chalk another one up for Swoop!" the bombardier said as he screeched to a stop, twirled his sword and deactivated it. "Who's bad? I'm bad!"

Grimlock nodded in approval. "Good work."
_____________________________

Repugnus watched in terror as Unicron transformed before their optics. The Rustbucket had been shot down, and Repugnus' crew had been picked up by the Ark.

The Monsterbot, in his insectoid mode, waved four sickle-shaped or knife-edged claws in anger. Someone must do something. Repugnus stalked off to the bridge, and found Mirage, holding the seat which was rightfully Prowl's. "Where's Prowl?" he hissed at the nearest Autobot, which happened to be Brawn. Repugnus immediately expected the worst. It would've been a pity for a talented mech like Prowl to expire. "Did he-"

"Nope. He's out there, fighting." Brawn said gruffly. "You okay?"

"My ship's down and my pride's hurt. Oh, and there's an itch at my back." Repugnus said. "But anyway, I need a ship."

Brawn grinned, and gestured to a few other Autobots, armed to the teeth. Flak, Big Shot, Sunrunner, Sidetrack, Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, Cliffjumper, Rad, Turbofire and himself, among numerous others. "We're waiting for our ride to come."

"Oh?" Repugnus said, as Doublecross and Grotusque caught up with him. Soon enough, a white shuttle landed. Repugnus cursed. Aw, no. Not him.

"Sky Lynx?" Doublecross said in unison.

Repugnus sighed as they boarded the ego-bird, as Sky Lynx is known to his friends. Sky Lynx began monologuing, "All aboard the Sky Lynx express! My superior flying skills will get us down to this demigod. And remember, if you ever find yourself in a tight corner, think- 'What would Sky Lynx do?' That would be the best answer to any predicament you have."

"Sky Lynx would boast about how good his flying skills are." Grotusque said from behind Repugnts, grinning from ear to ear. "And bore the enemy to death. Come to think of it, it's a good idea."

Sky Lynx scowled, but didn't say anything as everyone boarded him. Possibly for the last time.
_____________________________

By now, Autobots and Decepticons are working together and landing on Unicron's body to tear him apart from inside.

Galvatron swooped down and carpet-bombed an area filled with turrets. "I defy you, Unicron!" Galvatron flew up in front of Unicron's face and sent a barrage of laserfire onto the Dark Lord's face.

"YOU ARE A FOOL. I GAVE YOU UNLIMITED POWER, AND YOU BETRAY ME? YOU WILL DIE." A blast of white-hot fire from Unicron's eyes slammed Galvatron square on his chest. The ex-herald was thrown onto Cybertron's surface, creating a huge crater in the middle of Stanix.

He lay there, unmoving.
_____________________________

On the ground, laser turrets and AA barrage cannons are being used to attack Unicron. Drawing energy from the depths of Cybertron itself, it was a gambit to hurt Unicron.

A shuttle filled with energon and explosives, flown by a group of fanatics, slammed onto Unicron's shoulder, creating a gigantic explosion.

The Combaticons, in their robot modes, fired ineffectively at Unicron's left knee.

Ultra Pretender Skyhammer swooped in and unleashed all his armaments onto the back of Unicron's neck.

The Stunticons managed to land on Unicron's shoulder and are fighting off a swarm of Sweeps.

Springer led a suicide team of Wreckers towards Unicron's head. Inspired by their bravery, the Mayhems followed suit.

Megatron flew in. Filled with rage at the thought of being humiliated like this, he unleashed all that he had onto Unicron's head. Unicron used a blast of fire from his mouth to knock Megatron away. Only the Primus-enhanced power kept him from expiring.

Starscream, Skywarp and Thundercracker swooped in Unicron's left shoulder, sending null rays, missiles and sonic booms onto the armour plating with little effect.

Soundwave ejected Rumble and Frenzy, who landed on a part of Unicron's hip. The former began to create a fissure, while the latter blew up systems with his sonic screams. They are soon accompanied by Hot Rod and Ironhide, blasting the joint with all they had. Soundwave unleashed the rest of his Cassettecon army, and along with them, began blasting the dark lord's hip.

Hubcap was useless against something this large. He stood on the bridge of the Ark whilst the science techies in the Ark worked feverishly on weaponry and analyzation.

Razorclaw, aboard the Thanatos warship, led a fleet of Decepticon warships and began carpet-bombing Unicron.

Bomb-Burst hissed as he watched, helpless, while people died all around him.

Shrapnel led what's left of the Insecticons in, and unleashed a million volts of electricity onto Unicron's left elbow. This was followed by Calcar and Fearswoop strafing the joint.

Hardhead, driven by stubbornness more than anything, survived the optic blast that killed most of his team. He kept firing everything he had onto Unicron's toe.

Landmine led his group of Pretenders onto Unicron's left ring finger and began attacking it, tearing apart the joint.

The Autobot Highbrow swooped in with Darkwing and a reluctant Dreadwind. Highbrow was scared that he would mess up. The intellectual Autobot fired every weapon onto the demigod's neck, screaming like a mech possessed. A fiery blast from Unicron's optics engulfed Highbrow, burning him into a puddle of metal. Darkwing and Dreadwind were knocked aside, their wings melted, and the two of them spiralled down onto Cybertron.

Weirdwolf, finding himself caught by turrets and Sweeps, reached out into his own spark and blew it up, causing a large explosion that tore out a small chunk of Unicron's armour. The Decepticon was blown apart with a grin on his face.

The Predator named Sky Dive swooped in and opened fire onto Unicron's face. Unicron opened his mouth and with a quick motion, inhaled Sky Dive into his robot mode mouth.

Sixshot faced defeat again for the second time, swatted away by Unicron's left thumb.

Trypticon opened fire on Unicron's chest, and fire was returned in full. The Citycon roared as towers were torn off, blocks were leveled and energon depots detonated. The Citycon rolled slowly backwards in retreat.
_____________________________

On a deserted place on Cybertron, Shockwave ran awkwardly into a clearing, stumbling. All these deaths, all the destruction... The logic-based Decepticon's mind couldn't take it. When he thought he was safe, he turned around and looked at the vast form of Unicron, roaring as the attacks slammed onto him. Whilst valiant, the Autobots and Decepticons were hopeless, like cyberbees fighting, say, a gestalt.

"Hypothesis: I- I- I have no hypothesis." he blabbered. "Analysis- this is beyond logic. I... cannot comprehend..."

"Slagheap." A guttural voice said from the shadows. Scorponok's massive form revealed himself, scowling as always. Shockwave wasn't sure what to think. Not that he's trying. Most of his mind has shut down. But he was aware enough when Scorponok spoke. "Are you a Decepticon? We Decepticons live on a strict code of honour! They attack us, we kill them. Simple. No need for too much analysis, Shockwave. Just- do."

"Query: why have you fled the battlefield as well?"

"That." Scorponok said as the Constructicons appeared behind him, pointing to a dusty, giant needle-like thing. "The Solar Needle. You built it, Shockwave. We could use it to bring down Unicron."

"The distance is too great. It wouldn't effect him."

"You could make it move, right?"

"I... I suppose with the help of the Constructicons I can but-" Shockwave's brain put two and two together. "Hypothesis- you want to commander the Needle and strike Unicron at pointblank range. Declaration- this is illogical. There is a 95.8653 per cent chance that you will be terminated by the meltdown of the needle." Shockwave cocked his head. "Declaration: you're insane." Turning to Scrapper, he said, "I request that you explain to him that this plan is insane."

Before Scrapper could say anything, Scorponok's scowl turned into a sad smile. "You didn't see what this 'Angolmois' energy did to Sparkstalker. If we fight with conventional means, we're all dead. All this while I've never done anything remotely worthwhile, to Cybertron or to the Decepticon cause. At least let me strike this blow against Unicron. Let me be a hero."

Shockwave was rendered speechless. Never before had he seen anyone who would sacrifice his spark to fight an enemy that wouldn't be killed. At last he said, "I will help you modify the Needle. Constructicons-- to me." Shockwave never felt emotion, save that one time when he felt a surge of triumph as he tore Ratbat's spark out of his body. Now... he felt shame and admiration. The yellow optic blinked. He would do anything in his power to bring down Unicron.
_____________________________

"Go, Omega!" Prowl cried out as the giant Autobot slammed onto an equally large Herald with his clawed arm. Prowl, Bluestreak, Blurr, Outback, Kick-Off and Omega Supreme had been dispatched somewhere around what is Unicron's stomach section.

They had been confronted by a giant herald, with the designation Tidal Wave. Tidal Wave sent a powerful punch onto Omega Supreme's face, smashing the Autobot's thin crystal-like face-protector. Omega grunted in pain, but did not give up.

Prowl shouted like a madman as he emptied an entire magazine, sending acid pellets from his rifle onto Tidal Wave's shoulder and face. Metal started to melt, and the herald bellowed in pain. Outback transformed in vehicle mode and started peppering Tidal Wave's leg with mortar launchers, while Bluestreak, Blurr and Kick-Off tore apart the turrets that continually rose from the ground and attack the Autobots.

"Assistance: appreciated. Termination: imminent." Omega Supreme grunted, as he bent his cannon arm and rammed it into Tidal Wave's gut. The powerful weapon fired, and Tidal Wave staggered backwards, a gaping hole in his stomach.

The giant herald stumbled backwards. Blurr sped in and snapped a few shots from Haywire into the hole on Tidal Wave's stomach. The herald roared, and slammed his fists the ground, tearing it apart. Bluestreak and Blurr stumbled and lost their footing. Outback skidded out of control and slammed onto Kick-Off. However, Omega Supreme remained undauunted.

Tidal Wave transformed and separated into three warships (one with a big hole), before flying off. "Coward: return." Omega Supreme boomed, firing off bolts of plasma energy at the retreating herald. The Guardian Robot hit the damaged portion of Tidal Wave, and it exploded in a massive fireball. With the destruction of one of his parts, Tidal Wave's remaining portions halted and drifted in space, dead.

Prowl stood up and began to check the area out, and the General was surprised when he found a figure crouched beside the ruins of a turret. "You okay?" Prowl said, nudging the figure with the butt of his rifle.

"How can I be okay? Or for that matter, how can any of us? Blah, ve are as good as dead here!" the winged figure rose up, and Prowl recognized him as the Decepticon hypnotist Mindwipe. "Soon ve vill all join the sparks of the dead, those who I hav been trying to contact for years."

Prowl looked at Mindwipe for two seconds before pistol-whipping him. Mindwipe's head was knocked ninety degrees sideways. Had Mindwipe been a Headmaster, his head would've fallen clean off. Prowl knocked him down to the floor and rammed his rifle onto his face. "Decepticon, we made a truce with you scum to help us in the battle. If you're not going to help, it would be easier for you to just die now. In fact, let me do the honours."

"You're bluffing."

"Really?" Prowl asked, cocking his head, a sinister smile on his face, a smile that gave the impression that Prowl was beyond caring for anything. I'll have to thank Jazz for teaching me this trick. The General mused in his mind.

"Er..."

Prowl growled. "If you're not going to make use of your life, I'm going to pull this trigger. It is logical that you would join the spirits of the dead you desire to contact so much."

Mindwipe gulped, and spat. "Damn you, Autobot. I'll fight."
_____________________________

Spinister knew this was suicide.

Here they are, unleashing every weapon they had onto Unicron's face. The Mayhems and the Wreckers. Working side by side. Who would've thought? Spinister was convinced all they were doing is hurting the god and distracting it from anything others might try.

Not that it would do them any good, though. Many of the hastily-drafted Wreckers and Mayhems were torn apart. They had little experience, and were massacred. The Decepticon Turbo Master was first. The jet-mode Mayhem swooped too close to Unicron's optics and was promptly atomized by a stray optic beam. To be fair, Turbo Master did deliver his payload of two fusion bombs onto Unicron's mouth, dislodging a massive teeth out of the Demigod.

The young Decepticon's death only caused Spinister to double his efforts. The Decepticon tried to keep a stoic feel, but with all the pain, all the death... he didn't know how long he could keep this up.

The next one to fall was Flattop, surprisingly. The naval Decepticon commandered a jet, his transformed warship. The Micromaster tore apart a huge chunk off Unicron's forehead plating before his ship was blown apart by a blast of optic beams. Flattop himself transformed and shot out, but he was soon torn apart by Unicron's Sweeps.

The new Wrecker named Spark was also killed. The shuttle he was piloting got hit and he careened out of control, slamming into Unicron's cheek.

Spinister narrowly dodged a tongue of fire. The same pillar of flame slammed the Wrecker Topspin head-on, tearing the lower half of his body apart. Without thinking, Spinister transformed and grabbed the Wrecker's hand, keeping Topspin from being pulled by the flame's updraft and into certain death in space. Topspin, surprised by the save, babbled out, "You- saved me? Why?"

"We are comrades in battle, Wrecker. For now. We might be Decepticons but we honour a truce, no matter how distasteful it may be." Spinister said flatly, before swooping away to bring Topspin to the relative safety of the Wrecker warship Xantium. Decepticon medics Hightower and Tinker were there, and they quickly brought Topspin into the ship.

Spinister turned just to see the Autobot Thunderclash charge into the battle, flying with the aid of a jetpack. Spinister transformed and flew in on Thunderclash's left flank. "Focus your fire on his optics." Thunderclash called out to him. Spinister grunted a response, and the two flew in onto Unicron's gigantic left optic. Needlenose and Sandstorm joined them, and the four of them opened fire onto the optic. That apparently got Unicron's attention, and the optic started to burn.

"Pull out, pull out!" Spinister wailed. He spun around, not bothering to transform. His helicopter mode is useless n space anyway, and he's only flying only because of his inbuilt rockets. Needlenose's alternate mode, however, was useful enough to zoom ahead of Spinister. Sandstorm had the sense to hang on to Needlenose's underside, and they barely made it out of the event horizon before Unicron's eye erupted, a gigantic pillar of death rising up from his optic. Spinister, Sandstorm and Needlenose were thrown forwards by the force.

"Thunderclash!" Sandstorm wailed, his voice lost in the void of space. The Turbomaster was gone, no doubt vaporised by Unicron's attack. Just a few days ago, Spinister had nearly killed the Autobot. Now, it seems, the damage was permanent.

Spinister pulled out Singe, and realized with a pang that he had one sole reason to kill Unicron. Hairsplitter had been torn off him by the explosion, and Spinister could see that the tiny Decepticon had been fried into crisp. The Mayhem commander growled in anger at remembering his comrade's fate. If nothing, he'll avenge his fallen partner.
_____________________________

"This is as good as suicide, lad. But as long as it will save lives, let's do this." Kup said.

Blackjack's group had hotwired a small serviceable shuttle and flew up onto Unicron's chest section before they were shot down. They are now tearing Unicron's chest apart, trying to breach Unicron's spark containment unit. "Well, while Spinister and the others are busy distracting Unicron... can we do any less?" Ransack is eating his way, creating a tunnel for them to enter. Suprisingly, after a few dense layers, Unicron's interior is spacious, like a giant space station.

The small group entered. Charger and Staxx took point. Blackjack said, "Here's the plan. We try find anything critical. Anything that looks important. A hydraulic line, an energon pipe... chances are, since Unicron is so big, the disruption of a few wires won't do anything much than give him a numb feeling, but it's better than doing nothing. Oh, and anything that doesn't have a Decepticon insignia-- or an Autobrand-- shoot first. To kill."

Blackjack's little party went no further than twenty paces when the ceiling above them rumbled in as laser bolts tore into Unicron's body outside. Bulletbike muttered, "Big badda boom. We die."

The journey was smooth after that, and no incident happened, until they reached a huge mass of pipes ferrying dark-coloured liquid and what looked to be energy cables. Each cable could easily be as large as a normal transformer. Kup grinned, pulling out his musket rifle. "There we go. It's sabotation time, lads. In all my days, the one sure way of killing a Transformer is to blow their circuits with guns."

Staxx rumbled, "Bet in your day there ain't planet-formers."

"Quiet. And- fire." Blackjack said. Charger was the first to open fire, his targetmaster partner (Firebeast) transforming into gun mode. Misfire, Kup, Staxx, Ransack and the Micromasters followed suit, shooting at the cables and fuel lines with gusto.

Bulletbike, taking a more direct route, transformed into motorcycle mode and sped down, weapons opening fire onto energy cables, tearing into one and out the other. Blackjack grunted when he saw Bulletbike rose out of the dark liquid, covered from head to toe with Angolmois.

After the little attack was finished, a pool of energon and Angolmois (and possibly some other forms of energy too, Blackjack couldn't tell) rose in the area. "Bulletbike- get yourself cleaned off the Angolmois before it does something unpleasant to you. The rest of you- get back." Kup said. Once the Decepticons did their best to clean Bulletbike and stepped back, Kup pulled out a grenade from subspace and threw it into the pooling energon.

As Kup transformed and retreated with the Decepticons, the corridor went up in flames.
_____________________________

"My superior flying and evasion skills will get you out of here when needed." Sky Lynx said, before flying up and disappearing into the explosions that filled the dark sky.

Repugnus touched down beside a group of Autobots and Decepticons. The Monsterbot watched as Unicron ate another ship. "Alright, people! Time to send this piece of rusty scrapmetal back into the pit he crawled out of!" Repugnus said, transforming into beast mode. "Doublecross, Grotusque, it's showtime."

As the three monstrous Autobots padded (scuttled in Repugnus' case) amidst the chaos, they were followed by a dark shape. Repugnus said without turning, "Ravage, what are you doing here, you flea-infested Decepticon?"

"If you go in without a plan, you'll all die." Ravage said.

The Double part of Doublecross snapped his head at Ravage's direction while the Cross part said, "Our plan is to blow him up. Simple."

"Not really. If you think brute force will solve everything, then you are horribly mistaken. This thing... if brute force is enough, then our forces would've killed him by now. The fact remains that we all must try something else."

"Why must we trust you, Decepticon?" Repugnus asked, just before an explosion tore apart the lower left part of Unicron's chest piece. "Slaggin'. What's that?"

"A second." Ravage said, apparently tuning in to the surrounding radio signals, before responding. "It appears that some of our comrades have infiltrated Unicron's body and are blowing what passes as power lines and wires up. I think it's a wise plan."

Repugnus grinned from ear to ear. "Then we're going to show them what we're made out of." Repugnus said, before sinking his four claws into a nearby turret and disappearing into the shaft. Ravage bounded in after him, and so did Doublecross and Grotusque. Soon, the group nearby all followed the Monsterbot's example.

Repugnus' sickles clacked as he scuttled along the metal floor. Unlike Blackjack's crew who are in corridors, Repugnus and the Transformers with him found themselves in something that resembles a smelting pool. The remains of the transformers and other races are deposited here, melted down in rows of what looked like large cauldrons. Mechanisms mounted on the ceiling, seemingly automated, pulled dead bodies from a pile and dropped them into the smelting pools. Pipes carry the molten metal away. The area was red hot with embers. "Bloody hell, it's hot down here." Cliffjumper said, balling his fists and grinning. "Let me at them. Hey 'Pug, you're in charge here. What do we do?"

Repugnus thought for a while. The smelting pools seem to be providing Unicron with fresh material to repair his damaged exostructure. It would, then, be logical to attack them. "Destroy these things, Transformers! Doublecross, Grotusque, let's do some roasting!" Repugnus jumped down, landing beside a cauldron. His claws swiped a few times and the cauldron tipped over, spilling its red-hot contents like a flood onto the floor.

Cliffjumper blasted another cauldron with his glass gun, and Sideswipe blew it apart with a missile. Doublecross and Grotusque, mouths burning with flame, sent fireballs that tore apart the pipes that transported the metal elsewhere. Ravage, Stepper and Brawn opened fire on the mechanisms taking the bodies and blew them apart. Brainstorm said, "This might explain why Unicron is able to shrug off all our attacks. To an extent, Galvatron might use similar tactics. By using fresh metal, dark Angolmois energy and advanced nanotechnology, they could seemingly regenerate any lost parts they lost." Perceptor said, before transforming into cannon mode and surgically slicing apart the pipes. "The logical cause of action now would be eliminating these pipes."

Repugnus nodded, but cursed when a platoon of Sweeps swooped in. Repugnus jumped up, short insectoid wings buzzing as he sliced the lead Sweep sideways through the hips with his upper claws. His lower claws impaled two other Sweeps, dropping them into smelting pools. Repugnus landed a short distance away, and from his enhanced compound vision, he could see Doublecross grabbing hold of two Sweeps and tearing them apart. Grotusque used a tongue of flame to burn another Sweep into a puddle of metal. The remaining Sweeps tried to escape, but Stepper flung an inferno shell at the first Sweep. The Sweep blew apart spectacularly, and the other Sweep was mercilessly gunned down by Sunstreaker.

Repugnus grinned. "Now, that's how pros do it."

A shot rang out behind his ears, and Repugnus spun around to see the body of a Sweep with a big hole in his head clatter into the floor, gun pointed squarely to the back of his head. Brainstorm was holding a smoking gun. "Funny. I was under the impression pros knew how to watch their backs."

"Har-har. Just finish blowing this place up already."
_____________________________

Scorponok watched as Shockwave and the Constructicons worked feverishly to attach a patchwork of wheels, caterpillar treads and a few other extras into the Solar Needle. Soon, it looked more like a juggernaut with solar collectors and a giant needle on top. Scorponok grinned as he hopped up onto the weapon and saluted Shockwave and the Constructicons with one claw. "It has been an honour, my friends."

Without any further words, Scorponok took the wheel and the Solar Needle thundered down the road to where Unicron is. In the distance, Scorponok could see Unicron using his optic lasers to burn chasms onto Cybertron's surface, melting Transformer troops by the dozen.

Tiny explosions rang out around Unicron's face, and some internal explosions, courtesy of Blackjack and Repugnus' teams, tore his superstructure up as well. Scorponok roared, standing with his claws outstretched and one feet in front. "Decepticons forever!" the Decepticon roared, before transforming into scorpion mode. His giant stinger and back-mounted artillery cannons warmed up and opened fire onto Unicron's leg. Fasttrack, his loyal drone, opened fire as well.

Behind him, the Solar Needle warmed up and began to glow.

Scorponok continued firing, before jumping out at the last moment, ensuring that the Solar Needle would hit its intended target. The Solar Needle unleased a blinding pillar of pure, undiluted energy up towards Unicron's chest. The machine itself blew up from inside after the shot was fired, tearing Fasttrack into atoms, and flinging Scorponok away.

The Decepticon Subcommander crashed down onto the ground, his body torn apart by the explosion, half his face melted.

The explosion attracted much attention. An Autobot squad arrived. What remained of Scorponok's mind cursed defiantly. Even in times like this, he would not accept help from the Autobots. For one reason, he doesn't deserve it, not for abandoning them. For another reason, he had sworn an oath to the Decepticons and will never break it, no matter how it hurts. Scorponok tried to move, tried to speak, but all that came out was a gurgling sound.

Scorponok recognized Ultra Magnus, Nightbeat and Ratchet as they arrive. Also, Scorponok noted that a couple Decepticons-- he recognized Buzzsaw-- crowded around him as well. Magnus and Nightbeat took protective position as Ratchet began field repairs. Scorponok drifted into unconsciousness. At least, even as a Decepticon, he had done something to save his planet. His home
_____________________________

"Slaggin' scrapmetal, that darned idiot actually did it..." Kup said, as the Solar Needle burnt a big hole across Unicron's shoulder, close to the demigod's neck. The Autobot remembered a time, a long time ago before the war.

Scorponok had been his best student. His pride and joy. But Kup, being a wise teacher and a good judgement of character, constantly reprimanded Scorponok that he had a lot of hate and darkness inside him. Kup tried to teach him about loyalty, about honour. At least Scorponok got those two parts correct-- however, loyalty means that Scorponok wouldn't betray the Decepticons, even though that would put him at odds with his old teacher. During a confrontation early in the war, Kup had, in anger, said that Scorponok would never do anything useful to Cybertron.

Now it seems that he has done something right, however. Kup said, smiling. His blue optics narrowed with determination. His old student, no matter where his allegiances may lie, had inspired him with a new hope, a symbol of determination and loyalty. "You are truly a hero, Scorponok. If only you wouldn't blind yourself to that, you could be a wonderful Autobot."

Along with the Decepticon party, they had blown apart another pipeline of energon. But they were stuck there, when the corridors suddenly were blocked with bulkheads. Ransack and Charger are trying to break a way through, but it would take some time.

The rest of the crew are milling around. Misfire and Staxx worked together to mend any broken weaponry and reloaded ammunition. Detour and Road Hugger performed emergency field medic on Hyperdrive-- this gesture thoroughly surprised Kup. The Autobot had thought that Decepticons left their wounded for dead. Meanwhile, Kup and Blackjack are analyzing a sample of Angolmois.

And Bulletbike... Bulletbike had been silent ever since he fell into the pool of Angolmois energy... The Power Master had been acting jumpy, and shifty. When he thought no one was looking at him, he lifted his gun and aimed it at Charger and Ransack, the two busy excavating a tunnel.

Kup silently drew his musket rifle, suspecting that the Angolmois had done something to the Decepticon. But all of a sudden, Bulletbike's left arm was sliced off by something very sharp. The arm, still clutching a gun, clattered onto the ground.

Kup turned to see Blackjack, holding a few razor-thin plates of metal, resembling playing cards at a casino. Only these are as thin as a microblade, and adorned with a stylized Decepticon insignia on both sides. "Bulletbike-- stand down."

Bulletbike turned to regard Blackjack, optics burning with corruption. Kup knew that the Decepticon was lost. Bulletbike, or what's left of Bulletbike, growled, "You will all die here. No one can get off Unicron alive. Die, in the name of Unicron!" Part of Bulletbike's forehead sunk in, turning into a caricature of Unicron's face.

Bulletbike raised his gun and aimed it at Blackjack. Kup was faster, however, and shot a nice hole on Bulletbike's knee, aiming to disable him, if not showing the Decepticons that Autobots try to find other ways to end conflict. The Decepticons, however, were more direct. Two seconds and Bulletbike's body was filled with holes from the other Decepticons. The dead shell clattered to the floor.

"He ain't Bulletbike no more." Bulletbike's former partner Staxx, said, his voice cracking. Misfire placed a comforting hand on his fellow Decepticon's shoulder, while Staxx continued, "He is consumed. My pal Bulletbike is dead the moment he slammed the Angolmois. Damn you, Unicron."

Blackjack clenched his fist. Another one dead. "Let's get moving." he said quietly. "and blow this hunk of junk out of the sky." Bulletbike's death might have motivated them in the form of revenge, but it made them realize how exposed they are, how easy they are to kill...
_____________________________

Optimus blinked. He felt no pain.

So this is what the Well of AllSparks looks like... Odd. I thought it would be more... peaceful. He saw blurry images and heard some background noises from afar, like a buzzing. "Where-" he began to say.

His vision cleared, and so did his hearing. He found himself in a deep cavern, with distant explosions somewhere in all directions. He looked around. It appears that he is inside Unicron.

Prime looked around for his weaponry. His shoulder cannons were gone, torn apart from him. His Ion Rifle was still folded in his shoulder compartment, though. Optimus reached out his right hand onto his back and pulled out the collapsed rifle, which unfolded into its full length. His left hand transformed into an orange battleaxe.

The Matrix's shell was beside him, the light in the shell nearly gone. It was pulsating weakly. Apparently not even the power of the Matrix could defeat Unicron. Prime snorted and sub-spaced the Matrix, although he doubted it would ever be in full power anymore. He tried his communicator but all is static.

Prime started walking, and after some oddly-angled corridors found himself in some sort of energy reactor, sending out some kind of red-hot beam--so hot that Prime couldn't get too near--onto a gigantic prism. Optimus looked out through the prism. While the beam did not allow his optics to personally see where the beam led to, Prime called out for his Combat Deck component. The mind link was weak, but Prime was able to see from the Combat Deck's sensors.

It appears that he is in Unicron's optic laser generators.

Prime could 'see' the Wreckers and Mayhems fighting valiantly against the force of nature. A Decepticon Mayhem designated Drench was melted by the optic beam, and a transport ship was blown up.

Prime, angered by the casualty with which Unicron treated life, growled. "This ends here, Unicron. We, the Transformers, will rise, while you fall." Prime took aim with his ion rifle and fired at the generator making the laser rifle. The plasma bolt, charged with ions, shot out of Prime's rifle and impacted onto the cylindrical generator with an explosion. Prime fired again and again, emptying half of his clip into the generator. Finally, the generator exploded. Unicron's roar filled the chamber, and Prime was shaken physically onto the ground. "MY OPTIC! FOOLISH MORTAL, YOU WILL DIE FOR THAT!"

No sooner than Unicron had said that, red-coloured tendrils shot out from the walls and attacked Prime. Apparently Unicron had now devoted itself to fighting the threats within. Prime growled, slicing a bunch of wires with his axe. He subspaced his rifle to avoid the tendrils from stealing it, but there's just too much... "Combat deck, fire." Prime said. Soon, a mortar slammed onto the non-functional prism of the optic. It took two lobs to shatter the optic, and soon Prime was greeted with the sight of the massive form of Broadside slamming down and slicing off tendrils with his vibro-axe. Whilst Prime's own axe was made up of pure energy and some nanotechnology, Broadside's vibro-axe is solid metal, but vibrating at such a speed that it would shatter or cut anything it touches, which includes Unicron's tendrils.

Broadside was soon followed by a battered Skids and Sandstorm, the former attacking with liquid nitrogen, whilst the latter used streams of eroding sand to tear the tendrils apart. The rest of the Wreckers followed suit, and within seconds, the tendrils were all destroyed.

"Where are the Mayhems?" Broadside boomed. "Did they escape?"

Springer pointed to the space outside of the eye, "They, true to their name, are causing mayhem. By flying around Unicron's head and bombbarding it with bombs. Let's hope they succeed."

"While us?" Inferno asked.

"Prime?" Springer turned to look at their leader. Prime was slightly taken aback. These people, they trust him. They trust every decision he makes, they are sure that it would be a wise one. Prime nodded. He does not actually hate this responsibility, but it does prove to be a burden most of the time.

"Alright. Let me do a headcount." Prime said. Springer, torn apart in many places, stood in front of the Wreckers, holding his lightsaber and windtunnel blaster. Broadside, his massive frame filling half the room, gripped his vibro-blade. On closer inspection, Broadside's left arm had been burnt off. Sandstorm, Skids, Scoop, Twin Twist and Inferno stood side-by-side, each looking much better in earlier days. Sureshot gripped his targetmaster partner with one hand, whilst his other hand and a good chunk of his midsection was burnt off. Roadbuster, armed to the teeth and having enough dents to kill a small squad, watched Prime expectantly. Whirl, missing the good part of his left leg, leant on Roadbuster, his single optic flickering. "The rest of you?" Prime asked with a heavy heart.

Springer sighed and said, "Thunderclash got fried by this optic. Topspin got sliced into two, but for some reason Spinister saved him."

"He's going to obsess about this for weeks." Twin Twist cut in, somehow still able to grin.

Springer continued, "Rack'n'Ruin caught some flak, but their binary spark kept them alive. Barely. Gobots is another casualty. Unicron blew up a ship. Gobots was inside, trying to rescue a group of Micros trapped inside. They didn't make it. The rest of us got narrow misses, or limb damage."

Prime sighed, weary. Too many deaths. "We will stop this creature at any cost. Even if it means our lives."

"Heads up!" Twin Twist said as more tendrils slid towards them.
_____________________________

Slugslinger always acted tough. He is the Decepticons' best sharpshooter, but he is alone in thinking so. The truth is, if Slugslinger shoots his guns as good as he shoots his mouth, he could rise up to the ranks of Treadshot. But now is not the time to debate.

Caliburst stationed on his back, Slugslinger swooped in, opening fire on Unicron's neck along with the other Mayhems. The Autobot Micromaster base commandered by Full-Barrel and Overflow, in the form of a bulky jet, swooped in alongside him. The two Micromasters haven't stopped bickering. Full-Barrel was rough, wanting to charge the enemy headlong. Overflow was more restrained. Much more restrained.

Besides the Micros, Slugslinger could make out his fellow Mayhems. Barrage, missing half his face and half his chest, was still firing into Unicron's neck beside Stranglehold. Needlenose and Spinister flew wing-to-wing, bombing Unicron's neck. Bugly attacked with his electrical powers. Bludgeon, with his energon sword ineffective against such a large foe, used arcane methods to summon fireballs and fling them at the exposed neck joints, along with more conventional laser bolts. The Targetmasters Banzaitron, Triggerhappy and Treadshot took up sniping positions and fired into the neck joints. The rest of the Mayhems-- if they are still alive-- are elsewhere.

Slugslinger stiffled a cry as an explosion threw Barrage and Stranglehold off Unicron. Stranglehold was still alive due to his rock-hard shell, but Barrage, badly damaged during the suicide run on Unicron's head, was ripped apart. But somehow, Slugslinger noted, Barrage's spark was still online, although without medical attention attention, he would expire.

"Pull up, pull up!" Caliburst shouted, and Slugslinger heeded his partner's advice, banking straight up. He narrowly avoided colliding with a stream of laserfire from a turret.

"Kill 'em, Caliburst." Slugslinger growled, as he swooped in dangerously, spinning as wing-mounted lasers and Caliburst spat out purple lights of death, which slammed into the circular turret that rose from a nearby panel.

Slugslinger flew into the burning flame that resulted from his handiwork, and swooped right through the ball of flame and debris, swinging out, glowing red from the flames like a demon. Just as he finished that, a blast from a turret slammed onto his engines, and he grunted in pain. "Gotta get away for repairs."

Slugslinger pathetically fled away from the area, trying to get away from the battle and take a breather. On his back, Caliburst spun around like a turret and firing like a maniac into Unicron's exostructure. "Fyeh." Slugslinger grunted as a laser bolt from Unicron's remaining left optic clipped his wing, before blowing up the Tormentor, a Decepticon frigate. Slugslinger would've shouted an expletive if he had transformed, but he settled for watching the two escape pods flew away from the explosion into Cybertron's atmosphere, thankful that the crew in that ship didn't die. He changed course and headed for Razorclaw's flagship, the Thanatos, and crash-landed into the landing bay, bending his left cockpit into a twisted heap, dislodging Caliburst from his perch and screeching noisily into a stop. The on-board technician, Hammer and Sledge, scrambled up and began performing emergency repairs on Slugslinger, replacing his broken parts with spare parts salvaged from Jet Drones. And to think that Slugslinger had thought the drones were a waste of resources!

Slugslinger watched from outside the window as the Thanatos sent two fusion bombs towards Unicron's back, followed by a carpet bomb ensemble. Slugslinger watched as the explosions blew up colourfully on the demigod's back and wings. Unicron's left hand reached out behind him and tried to swat the Thanatos, but Razorclaw and Divebomb on the helm are too agile for the Devourer. Slugslinger noted with no small measure of relief that Barrage, Thrust, Blast Off, Dreadwind and Darkwing-- all in very battered condition-- had been salvaged as well. Slugslinger looked out of the window again and cursed.

The Autobot Micromaster Combiners with him-- Full-Barrel and Overflow-- had separated their jets into two smaller jets and are flying around Unicron's head. One of the jets, most probably Full-Barrel, blew up when Unicron chomped with his teeth. Overflow's jet opened fire onto Unicron's eye, but was vaporized for his troubles.

"Do something! Nothing we're doing are hurting him!" Caliburst squealed from the tiny CR chamber he was in.

Slugslinger gritted his teeth as Hammer patched up his broken engine. It wasn't because of pain, but rather of disgust. Every battle Slugslinger had been in, he had always been able to kill, or at least distract the enemy with his shooting. This... this is prospesterous. How does one fight against so vast an enemy?
_____________________________

Metroplex hung on with one hand onto the root of Unicron's wing, and smiled as the Decepticons' nuclear bombs tore pieces of Unicron's armour out. Metroplex was so very alone. Six-Gun had been killed, killed by a group of Sweeps.

Metroplex raised his left hand and three grapple lines shot out of his wrist. The Citybot used them as anchors to haul himself towards Unicron's head, but it was slow going. As soon as he reached Unicron's shoulder blades, he transformed into battlestation mode and opened fire with everything on his arsenal. This is going to be the last time he will do this. Metroplex had no intention of living through this battle. Unicron apparently knew pain, and reached out with his right hand to get rid of the annoying insect on his back.

Metroplex grinned, an angry grin, and jumped onto Unicron's outstretched hand. Pulling hard at Unicron's thumb, he pulled with all his might and broke the entire digit off. Unicron growled, but Metroplex did not stop. Soon, Metroplex had torn off Unicron's index and middle fingers. This brought Unicron's wrath on the Citybot. The Devourer slowly turned his head and fixed Metroplex in his sight. Unicron's eyes blazed and he unleashed his optic beam and burning breath on Metroplex's body.

Metroplex did not flinch, did not run, but stood on Unicron's hand, defiantly roaring, firing what's left of his weapons at a storm he couldn't possibly defeat. Soon, the flames reached Metroplex, and the Citybot was no more.
_____________________________

Megatron watched as Metroplex was killed, and smiled as Unicron's entire right hand and lower arm is completely blown apart. He sincerely hoped that none of his troops were crawling on that part of Unicron, but placed the matter out of his mind as he watched Unicron.

Megatron growled. His Primus-empowered power is running dry, but Unicron is starting to be showing signs of pain. "Burn in the Pit, abomination!" Megatron roared, flying down, onto Unicron's surface. Soon, he was joined by Starscream and the remaining Seekers, as well as Sixshot and Shockwave.

"Shockwave, Sixshot, assume weapon modes!" Megatron commanded. The two said Decepticons transformed into gun modes and fired pulses of radiation onto Unicron's chest, causing scorched metal wherever they hit. Unicron's left hand reached down, crackling with energy. Megatron watched as Downpour, Stormhawk and Thunderhead were vaporized.

Megatron narrowed his optics and fired a gigantic pulse of Primus-empowered energy onto Unicron's chest, blowing a hole through his chest and out his back. "His defences have been broken! Decepticons! Let the slaughter begin!" bravely leading the remnants of his army, Megatron jumped into the gaping hole, and transformed into tank mode, firing at any spot that looked vulnerable. He was followed by Starscream, sending bolts of null rays that disrupted Unicron's systems. Shockwave led the rest of the nearby Decepticons and Autobots into the gaping breach in Unicron's armour, and they began opening fire into the Dark God's systems.
_____________________________

On the surface of Cybertron, the Autobot resistance there, led by Roadhauler, got into an Autobot shuttle and was escorted into the Ark. For them, at least, they did not have to stay in enemy territory any longer.
_____________________________

Prowl, with Grimlock's help, had rounded up a group of survivors and fighters, and are making a charge towards the exposed hole in Unicron's chest. Many people were there. The Dinobots, the Aerialbots, the Combaticons, Wheeljack, Warpath, Bumblebee, Arcee, the Terrorcons Gunrunner, Jetfire, Sprocket, Krok, Ruckus, Blitzwing, Dirge, Trypticon, Omega Supreme. And still more.

"Charge!" Grimlock growled, and the assembled Transformers made their way towards the hole on Unicron's back.

Prowl had to admire his people's determination. The Cybertronians' greatest asset is their ability to adapt into any given situation. Whilst this generally meant in terms of their transformation abilities, this also extended to their ability to adapt literally into any difficult that their commanders placed them in. This suicidal charge to protect their planet would count as one of their more... illogical stunts.

Prowl had long since stopped trying to figure the x and y of this situation, and instead focused on blasting acid pellets and missiles into Unicron's superstructure beside the unlikeliest of partners, Grimlock. Prowl had never considered Grimlock as much of anything but an effective, yet uncontrollable trooper, but he had grown to grudgingly respect the Dinobot commander's 'never-say-die' attitude, and now, Prowl was roaring as he rushed beside Grimlock, chanting "Never surrender" as the Autobots and Decepticons charged Unicron's chest. The charge grew larger as it attracted the likes of Soundwave and Ironhide, who swarmed in numbers from other directions like insects to attack Unicron. They were all afraid, but anyone who's too afraid had left the battlefield long ago, or helping out the medics. Prowl grunted as he blew apart the head of a Sweep terrorizing Wheelie, before sending a missile into some exposed circuity in Unicron's chest.
_____________________________

Unicron's face looked down at his chest, to see the swarms of Transformers moving into his chest. He knew that they would be able to hurt him-- even bring him down-- if they damage enough circuity. He cursed himself. He had not expected this much resistance. He had thought his displays of power, eating the moons and using the black hole vortex would be enough to scare the Transformers.

Oh well. Live and learn...

His optic lasers warmed up, but a sharp, surging spike of pain shot up his optic nerves as the Wreckers and Optimus blew up his other eye.

Unicron roared, and his mouth was filled with flame. Enough games. Drawing on his deepest powers, Unicron prepared to unleash a blast that would destroy the main bulk of Transformers on his body, who were all conveniently gathered on the hole in his chest.
_____________________________

On the surface of Cybertron, a damaged Buzzsaw, perching beside the half-dead Scorponok, with Ratchet, Red Alert and Kickback surrounding the larger Decepticon's massive frame, watched in dread as Unicron's mouth warned up and prepared to annihilate ve main bulk of their force.

"No. This can't be happening..." he cursed, as Unicron's breath intensified. Yet salvation would come in the unlikeliest of Transformers.

Mindwipe flew up and hovered in front of Unicron's face, scowling. The Decepticon could see the flames of death dancing inside Unicron's mouth. Mindwipe knew he was crazy for doing this, but he had to try something. All these time he had been obsessed with trying to contact the spirits of the dead. Now it's time to do something for the living. Like Prowl told him.

Mindwipe let out an unearthly scream, before opening his mind wide and trying to control Unicron. Unicron's mind was vast, infinite. He could not-

Could not-

For a fleeting moment, Mindwipe established contact. The arcane Decepticon stopped Unicron from unleashing his devastating breath on the armies. For a moment, anyway. Unicron stared down at him, focused on his insignificant body. No optic blasts, no turrets. Angered by someone defiling his mind, Unicron focused his dark powers on Mindwipe, and the Decepticon simply... disintegrated into dust. But he died happy, knowing he'll soon enter the Well of Allsparks, the place he had been trying to contact for years.
_____________________________

Starscream watched as the armies charged. The majority of them wouldn't survive. Unicron began focusing his powers on individual Transformers, disintegrating them as he did Mindwipe.

The reckless Autobot Pretender Vroom was atomized, torn into dust as he was flipping in a stunt aiming to dislodge Unicron's head.

The next one to be destroyed was a massive Decepticon Starscream recognized Colossus, imploded into dust. The Seeker Commander felt with a pang of regret that he had never spoken to Colossus more than once or twice.

Soon, massive disintegrations took place. It appears that the Transformers had entered Unicron were undefeated, but those outside were in grave danger. Starscream couldn't bear to watch as more of his allies and enemies were killed one by one, like insignificant specks of dust. Being killed by turrets and optic blasts was one thing. This is another. This is completely dishonouring the Transformers, not even taking the effort to raise a finger to kill them.

But a question entered Starscream's mind. If Unicron had the power to vaporize Transformers, why didn't he do so early in the battle?

Starscream expected that this was a last-ditch power that would require a large amount of power that he wouldn't choose to use unless there is an emergency. Like now.

Starscream smiled. It meant that they have hurt Unicron very hard. "It's high time to show this demigod what conquest means."

Starscream flew up, towards Unicron's face.
_____________________________

Perceptor looked as the main weapons on the Ark were primed. With the help of Cybertron's greatest minds, they created a large cannon that would be able to replicate the Solar Needle's effects.

Perceptor had always been a curious soul. A mech of science, he had never envisioned himself as being an active player in a war. But he couldn't just sit tight while people die around him. Mirage's voice, "We need a distraction! Big time!" rang out when they saw Mindwipe vaporized. "Hound!"

The Autobot scout transformed. "Dirge, it is imperative that you help him out!" Perceptor said to the Decepticon, who boarded the shis some time ago. Perceptor noted with no small amount of fascination the cooperation that comes between enemies during a life-or-death situation. With the help of Blaster (and a few of Wheeljack's inventions), Dirge's fear-aura is cranked to such a high degree. Perceptor could see the Conehead aiming everything at Unicron, but the aura was so intense that Perceptor felt a tingle of fear himself. How... interesting.

Hound created a gigantic hologram of Primus, or his best impression, anyway. Chromedome helped out in making a suitable CG model based on ancient markings. Hound visibly strained, his hologram gun glowing hot as he controlled the movements of the fake Primus. Perceptor could see Unicron's shock at seeing his old nemesis, and smiled a little as Unicron reached out with tendrils of Angolmois which passed through 'Primus' harmlessly.

Unicron was visibly stunned by the display, and shaken, thanks to Dirge's fear aura. The visage of Primus stood as large as Unicron himself, but Hound is starting to tire. But a moment's hesitation is what Perceptor needed. Waving his hand at Trailbreaker, he nodded. Trailbreaker was hooked up to a giant circular machine that was designed by Wheeljack, but only built just now. The jovial Autobot grinned. "What, Perceptor? No 'it's an honour to serve with you' speech, no 'you've done your people a service' eulogy? Aww... I'm hurt." Trailbreaker grinned, before focusing all his power into the machine.

Perceptor watched as Trailbreaker's signature orange forcefield flared up, engulfing Unicron's head. The demigod screamed, and Perceptor theorized that it's because Unicron thought it was Primus' doing. Trailbreaker actually aimed to cut off Unicron's line of fire onto the Transformers, giving them the time to swarm into Unicron's chest.
_____________________________

Within Unicron's body, Repugnus cackled. Other than the smelting pools they encountered (and destroyed) previously, after a short bout of exploring, they found what looked to be a pool- no, a sea- of Angolmois. A literal sea of black and green

"Holy scrap." Grotusque said. "That's a big swimming pool. Ol' Unicron draws his power from this?"

Repugnus growled, "Most likely. After all, this is the energy that destroyed many of our friends. Don't get too near." Repugnus cautioned. The atmosphere in the room was heavy, and there was a reeking scent of death around them. "How do you destroy something like this? Let's try something. Cliffjumper- glass gas. Air Raid, Streetwise, Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, Brainstorm, fire at will."

Cliffjumper fired onto the pool, and some of the Angolmois did freeze up and became encrusted with glass. The other Autobots' blasts tore apart the liquid, but did no visible damage. The missiles blew up, igniting the Angolmois for a while, before dying out. "No good." Ravage padded up beside Grotusque and Repugnus. "There's too much Angolmois here. Don't think any of us could do any difference. We need something that could go all kablooey."

"Nuclear bombs." Grotusque suggested.

"Something available." Ravage sighed. "And no more suicides. We've lost too many mech as it is."

"Aww... Is the little kitty worried about his Autocot allies?" Grotusque cooed.

Ravage looked Grotusque in the eye with hard feline optics. "It is more profitable for you to live and be converted into Decepticon cause later on than for you to die here. But if any of you want to volunteer, I won't refuse. But since we're all in one piece, it's not very logical."

"Geez." Repugnus cursed. "What now?" he looked at Ravage. The Monsterbot was sorely tempted to jump the Cassettecon and blow him up. That's what he would've done several days ago. But after seeing so many sacrifices and deaths... Repugnus sighed. "Brainstorm, this is your department. Any suggestions?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. Blow my body up." Brainstorm said.

"You're crazy. You heard the Con. No stupid sacrifices." Grotusque said, baring his teeth.

Stepper placed a hand on Brainstorm's shoulder. "He did say volunteers, Stormy, but don't throw away your spark so offhandedly."

Brainstorm laughed. "Who said anything about my spark? I said my body. I'll live." After saying that, Brainstorm's head detached, and transformed into a Micromaster-sized Autobot.

Grotusque cursed while grinning, "Sweet zombie Primus. Brainstorm's noggin has taken a life of his own!"

"You idiot. This body is my transector." the tiny Brainstorm indicated the large, immobile and headless body. "Took a leaf out of Scorponok's playbook. While separating the Nebulans from the Decepticon Headmasters, I got an idea. Using my own head, Wheeljack, Chromedome, Perceptor and I created this. A transector body. Turns out it's going to be useful after all."

"Yer forgetting one thing. We need to blow up a spark. Your spark is in your walking noggin. Blowing up this body won't make any difference." Repugnus growled.

"True. But the energon fuel cells still in this transector would make a big difference. We haven't had time to remove all the original features of this body. Galvatron attacked us before we could do that." Brainstorm said.

"You sure this is safe?" Double said. Cross continued, "You might cause major brain damage to yourself, you know."

Sunstreaker sighed, "If he wants to do it, do it. Stop arguing. He's the smart one. It'll be safe." Repugnus could've sworn that Sunstreaker had a murderous glint in his optics.

"Do it." Brainstorm said. "All of you, transform and prepare to go. I've set the times for my transector to blow up in seven deci-cycles." as soon as he said that, the Autobots transformed. Ravage shrunk into cassette mode and jumped into Stepper. Tiny Brainstorm scrambled into Stepper's body and sat beside Nebulon, Stepper's Targetmaster partner. "Oh, and another thing. I'll have to shut my mind down for a while to prevent mental backlash. So don't drop me behind."
____________________________

Blackjack and Kup's party came into a fork in the corridors. Ever since Bulletbike's death, the group had been silent, especially Staxx. The Powered Master had been hit the hardest.

When they reached the fork, they heard a rumble from the corridor on the left. The entire corridor caved in, and Optimus Prime of all mechs slammed down in front of them. Kup immediately went to help ve Autobot leader, whilst the Decepticons took firing positions. The Wreckers crashed down into the corridor as well. "Move!" Whirl blurted, pulling a damaged Scoop along. "They're after us! We blew up Unicron's other eye and some other stuff, but the red things won't stop!"

Red coloured metallic tendrils-- Blackjack figured it was some kind of antibody, so to speak-- reached out and attacked the Wreckers. "Charger, Ransack, Misfire, attack!" Blackjack shouted. "Sports Car Patrol, move in!" Large as Unicron was, he was built in a time before Micromasters were invented. And the death-tendrils fully ignored Blackjack and his little group. Even when the four tiny vehicles began slicing the plant-like tendrils, they kept on reaching for the larger Autobots and Decepticons. "Little guys, MOVE!" Roadbuster boomed, before opening fire with five guns at least. Blackjack and company obliged.

Soon, they retreated to a relatively secure place. Optimus Prime grunted, "Damage report."

"Twin Twist, Scoop, Camshaft, Inferno, Sandstorm and Overdrive are dinged up pretty bad." Whirl said, clutching the stub where his left arm used to be. "In fact, all of us are in a very sorry state right now."

Kup sighed. "What now? We can't just leave the injured like this, and Unicron would be looking for us, after what our respective groups have done to him." Blackjack hated to admit that the old mech was correct. Chances are, Unicron's heralds are stalking the corridors near them. Most of the more powerful heralds have been killed. Nemesis Prime. The Fallen. Hook, Line and Sinker. Straxus. But... there are more. There must be more. After seeing what Nemesis and the Fallen could do, Blackjack knew that Unicron could do much, much more than that. Blackjack wondered how the battle outside was going. The Comm lines are dead. Road Hugger had been trying to dial somebody- anybody all the while. For all Blackjack knew, the fleet- even Cybertron- might already have been eradicated. Thank Primacron that Optimus Prime's group proved otherwise.

Blackjack sighed, and looked at Optimus Prime. "What now, sir?" he asked, happy to be around a leader. There is more chance that if they were attacked, Prime would be shot at first, giving Blackjack and his Decepticons time to escape.

Or to mount a counter-attack if the situation permits, Blackjack's honour told him.
_____________________________

Cyclonus had been forged in the Pits of Unicron himself, gifted with a fraction of the Dark Lord's power. Wielding two long and curved schytes, and his dark beam gun magno-clamped to his waist, it dawned upon Cyclonus that he is the last and now highest-ranking Herald. Galvatron had defected. The Fallen and Nemesis Prime are dead. Straxus, Hook, Line and Sinker are dead. Tidal Wave and Jhiaxus have fled, the latter fleeing recently.

So it all boils down to Cyclonus, and only Cyclonus. Two lesser heralds-- Whiplash and Noise Maze-- stood behind him. Whiplash is a small step up from a Sweep, with limited intelligence, while Noise Maze is a trained assassin.

Cyclonus watched as his two allies stalked in front of him. Truth to be told, Cyclonus didn't feel an affinity towards Unicron. He's not a fanatic like The Fallen or Straxus (despite what he might've said over the years) but he's not a rebel like Galvatron. After all, Unicron gave him a new life and a new body, so Cyclonus served his master alongside Scourge.

The herald still remembered all those years ago. He was a simple courier, shot down and destroyed in the battle against Unicron. The Fallen resurrected his shell and his spark, and used him as a tool. For a long time, Cyclonus followed orders. However, following the Fallen's death and possibly his close proximity to the Creation Matrix, Cyclonus' mind has gone clearer. But he had no real desire to rebel. He is, after all, an ordered and intellectual individual, so bestial impulses-- like Galvatron's-- are below him. Although Cyclonus did feel a pang of respect at his ex-comrade.

Cyclonus' hunting sensors detected a group of sparks, some nearly, nearby. With a hand gesture he ordered Noise Maze to take point and Whiplash to hang back. Noise Maze's Angolmois crossbow unsheathed silently and he pulled out twin swords, as he advanced towards the corner.

Cyclonus didn't flinch when a massive Autobot thundered out, swinging down with a primitive vibrating battleaxe and sliced down onto Noise Maze. The herald barely blocked with his swords. Shots rang out from nearby and Noise Maze's head was blown cleanly off.

Cyclonus took the time to aim and throw his shadow-schytes at the Autobot, and as soon as Noise Maze dropped, the weapons dug themselves deep into the Autobot's side.

Whiplash took point and used a long whip and began attacking the Autobots and Decepticons that appeared. Cyclonus noted with a hint of interest that these included the Wreckers. He really wanted to see how good they are. After all, fighting the Autobot Gunrunner all the time was... tiresome.

Cyclonus' vampire-like mouth pulled up into a sinister grin as he recounted Gunrunner. To be honest, Cyclonus' twisted sense of humour was intrigued when Gunrunner showed up during his assault on the Ark. The Autobot had impressed him, and that's probably the reason why Cyclonus hesitated when he was about to deliver the killing blow to the Autobot. That's why Gunrunner's still alive now.

Cyclonus pulled out his oxidizing laser and his dark beam gun and fired onto the Transformers.
_____________________________

Outside, Omega Supreme charged towards Unicron's chest, noting with slight satisfaction when Trailbreaker's forcefield flashed into life. Firing with all his mighty weaponry towards the demigod's face. "Defeat- imminent. Surrender- suggested."

Beside him, the Autobot designated Deluge was blasted by a breath of hellfire from somewhere inside Unicron. "FOOLS! DO YOU HONESTLY THINK THAT A MERE FORCE FIELD COULD HOLD UNICRON?"

The demigod let out a mighty roar, and the hologram of Primus and the forcefield shattered spectacularly. The shockwave slammed onto the Ark and the Thanatos. The two massive ships, crackling with electricity, spun around haplessly and tumbled towards Cybertron. The Ark is large enough to crash-land on the ruins of Iacon, skidding through the ruins, crushing buildings and breaking into two pieces but otherwise intact. The Thanatos wasn't so fortunate. Unicron roared, raising his half-broken left arm up, and the fuel tanks in the Decepticon warship erupted, and Omega Supreme watched as the skeleton of the Thanatos plummetted down and blew up in a large explosion.

"No!" Thundercracker swore. "Many of our troops are in there!"

Omega Supreme looked down at the Decepticon and said, "Observation: incorrect. Escape pods: launched. Crews: mostly safe. Casualties: forty three per cent." the massive Autobot bit back a pang of pain when he realized how aloof he sounded, but it's not a time to let deaths affect his operating conditions.

Omega Supreme is the last of his kind. The final Omega Sentinel. The final Guardian of Cybertron. The Last Line of Defense. He had became somewhat obsolete with the introduction of Metroplex, but now with the citybot's death, Omega found himself as the strongest Autobot around.

Omega had no emotion. The Senate, upon knowing that he's sentient, exorcised all emotion off his brain module to increase his combat prowess. Brainstorm headed the operation, but he never felt good about it. Rumours say that the scientist had conducted a series of experiments upon other unsuspecting Empties, eliminating their personalities. But there had been, so far, no proof. Omega was, as far as he knew, the only sentient mech without emotion. Unless the likes of Shockwave, who deleted emotion from his mind, or Soundwave, who could control and dampen his emotions. Omega Supreme clenched his claw and charged.

Omega Supreme found himself at the edge of a large void in the middle of Unicron's body. Smack in the middle of the void was a pulsating spark, surrounded by a cloud of Angolmois and a network of wires. The dark power in the void was so intense that pieces of Omega's exostructure began flaking off.

Unicron's spark, no doubt, had been powering the entire body. The dead bodies and materials that Unicron ate would no doubt be ingested into raw metal to heal Unicron's physical body, while the energy he absorbed would be converted into Angolmois or Energon. If ve battle goes on for too long, Unicron might've a chance to replenish his energy reserves.

Without hesitation, Omega Supreme fired a barrage of blasterfire into the network of wires surrounding the pulsating orb of a spark. The blasts of laserfire sped towards the network, and, without warning, were bent out of their trajectory and pulled towards Unicron's spark. And the energy bolts were absorbed into the pulsating spark.

"Results: dissatisfactory. Secondary weapon: deploy." Omega growled. His head rotated and the turret behind his head launched a mortar shell towards Unicron's spark. Like the laser bolts, the mortar was pulled towards the swirling spark. Omega wasn't surprised. If Unicron's mouth could generate a black hole, why not the spark? But Omega's normally static visage cranked up a slight smile as the mortar detonated a few nano-kliks before Unicron's spark could consume it.

"EAT: EXPLOSION!" Omega boomed as the mortar shell blew up in a vermilion flame and tore apart the mass of cables around Unicron's spark. The demigod roared in fury and pain. Omega Supreme watched in satisfaction as the Angolmois cloud around the spark dissipated ever so slightly.

But only slightly. In pain, Unicron sent his Angolmois fog towards Omega Supreme. "Situation: unsalvageable. Retreat: in process." Omega Supreme turned and thundered away, large strides taking him away from the spark chamber. However, he's not fast enough. The Angolmois cloud tore into the back of his body, tearing a large hole on his back, completely disintegrating his wing-like shields, reducing them to dust.

Omega winced in pain, and turned around, roaring demonically in rage and pain. From both his hands he shot out giant bolts of plasma as well as more standard missiles.

The plasma exploded in the Angolmois, disrupting their flow ever so slightly. But only a slight disruption was needed for the missiles to pass through the fog and tear apart more of Unicron's wirings. Omega smiled. "Pain: dealt."

The dark clouds swirled like a tornado and formed the visage of Unicron in front of Omega Supreme. "I CAN MAKE YOU A GOD, OMEGA SENTINEL. YOU WILL BE ABLE TO RULE BESIDE ME. DON'T THROW AWAY YOUR POWERS SO RECKLESSLY."

"Desperation: detected. Offer: rejected. Unicron: go to the Pit." Omega Supreme growled, firing more missiles which impacted in and around Unicron's spark.

"VERY WELL. IT'S YOUR DEATH."

Omega felt as tiny explosions tore apart his exostructure, as explosions tore apart his shoulder, chest and legs. Omega Supreme transformed into his three components. The base component was almost immediately blown apart by Unicron. The tank and rocket modes charged the fog, through Unicron's silhouette. The tank mode, firing mortar shells, slowly crumbled as it plunged into the fog. Since Omega's spark, CPU and motherboard are located in that component, the Autobot's life functions have been terminated. The rocket mode, without Omega's mind to guide it, spiralled out of control, and exploded in a crimson flame under Unicron's spark.
_____________________________

Optimus Prime winced as Ransack's body, riddled with holes, hit the floor. The Insecticon had been torn apart by Whiplash and Cyclonus. Though the former now lay dead courtesy of the Wreckers, Cyclonus still remained a threat. Optimus Prime clutched his ion rifle and charged the herald. "You've taken enough lives, monster!"

"I am only doing my job. It's not like I have a choice." Cyclonus said in a matter-of-fact way. The mere manner in which it was spoken told Prime that Cyclonus didn't care much about the lives he took. Prime's optics narrowed, and he swung a mean right hook onto Cyclonus' face, and kneed the herald's stomach.

That gave Springer the opportunity to slice the herald's oxidizing laser into two.

Cyclonus grimly regarded Optimus and hissed, "You don't understand, do you? You may be a Prime, but not even you can stop the destruction. Not you, not me. Death will befall all of us-"

"SHUT UP!" Prime roared, transforming his right hand into a battle axe and hacking down onto Cyclonus' left shoulder, slicing off the exposed parts of Cyclonus' wing. "SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT! UP!" Prime shrieked, slamming down his battleaxe repeatedly onto Cyclonus' body, tearing off chunks off Cyclonus' exostructure.

The herald shrieked in pain, and in desperation activated the jets on his boots, sending flames licking onto Prime's side, before reaching out and stabbing the Autobot's back with a schyte. He crouched, using Prime's stunned body as a means to jump and kicking himself out of Prime's grip. Optimus fell to the floor, clutching his torched side.

Cyclonus transformed into his supersonic jet mode, his left wing and fuselages burning after the contact with Prime earlier. Cyclonus flew out into an open void, and the Transformers followed on what could be described as a catwalk. "Wreckers, Decepticons, shoot to destroy!" Springer shouted, before opening fire with his wind tunnel rifle.

The burst of spinning fumarole slammed Cyclonus right in his center of mass, and subsequent shots from the massed Transformers tore into him. The herald spun downwards, trailing flame. He tried to pull up, but it's clear that the course of action is impossible. He plummetted down deeper into Unicron's body, before losing consciousness.

Prime watched from the platform where he stood, watching as the burning husk of Cyclonus spun deeper. Prime sighed. "He deserved better. He should not have died. None of us should have died. It's all that blasted Unicron's fault."
_____________________________

Repugnus' crew met with more success than the main armada or Prime's group. The Monsterbot, escaping the Angolmois pool with his comrades, reflected on who's left. Of his group, Brainstorm's the only casualty. The Headmaster was brain-dead, and without a proper laboratory, he might never recover.

Aside from that, the worst damages are lost limbs, the least cosmetic damages. Repugnus clicked his claws, and surveyed his surroundings. "It appears that we are in some sort of command hub."

Ravage transformed into his primary mode and padded, "We could destroy the entire place. After all, this is Unicron. Nothing good would come of leaving it intact."

"Point." Sideswipe said, and Repugnus smiled as the Autobot's fist glowed and he slammed it onto a computer panel, the metal platings groaning and creaking under the force of Sideswipe's punch.

Repugnus was not sure if anyone else had survived, or whether they are the final survivors of their race. In any case, they have to persevere and continue to fight on. Repugnus sliced down onto a computer panel, tearing it apart with his sickle-like claws, cackling while he does so.
_____________________________

Starscream flew up Unicron's neck onto his face. The demigod is visibly straining after all the damage dished out onto his body and spark by all the Transformers. Metroplex. Omega Supreme. Mindwipe.

Starscream hated thinking this, but he won't allow anymore good Decepticons or even Autobots to die because of this monster. The so-called demigod not worth all of the lives lost. "Hey. Ugly." Starscream said, transforming from his terran alternate mode into his primary mode. "This is for Cybertron." Starscream let loose a bloodcurlding scream and opened fire with null rays and cluster bombs as he closed the distance between him and Unicron's face. In his final charge, he barely saw another burning husk of an Autobot shuttle plummeting down towards Cybertron. Enough good people have died today.

Starscream felt parts of his body being eaten away by Unicron's aura, but he didn't care. If he had to die, then so be it.
_____________________________

Megatron fired with another antimatter blast into Unicron's delicate systems. He may be large, but with all the damage they had done to him, the Dark Lord's movements and attacks were getting more sluggish. "Onward!" Megatron screamed, seeing from a crack in the debris Starscream's heroic charge. Megatron felt a surge of pride at the Aerospace Commander. All this while, Starscream, while capable, was always a coward that would run as soon as the tide turned. Now he's facing the ultimate threat.

"Trypticon, open fire!" Megatron flew up with jet boosters and landed on the City-con's head, like an Earthen medieval knight in a catapult. Only this is in a much larger scale.

Trypticon responded with a deep throaty growl. Beside (or under, it's hard to tell) Trypticon, the Autobot generals Prowl, Grimlock and Fortress Maximus are leading their troops in a final charge into Unicron's systems. "DECEPTICONS FOREVER!!!" Megatron screamed, as Trypticon roared and opened fire with blasts that could level a mountain.

Soon, they reached Unicron's spark chamber, where Omega Supreme had been heroically destroyed. Megatron let out another roar and the assembled forces opened fire with everything they had.
_____________________________

Optimus Prime's group had arrived outside a circular platform with a treacherous gap surrounding it. The superstructure of Unicron began to buckle and shatter. Optimus suspected that whatever the rest of the army is doing, it's working.

In the distance, Optimus could see the last remaining heralds bowing down in fear onto an image of Unicron in the center of the circular platform. "PROTECT MY SPARK AT ALL COSTS!" The image bellowed. It seemed that it had not noticed Prime's group yet.

"Master, the Angolmois clouds could take care of them." a Sweep-like herald, whom Optimus recognized as Scourge from their earlier encounter, spoke cowardily. "We should ready a transwarp gate if needed."

As if struck by an invisible palm, Scourge was sent crashing down onto the floor, his face as if slapped by some unseen hand. "IMBECILE. DO AS I ORDER."

Scourge rose and curtly nodded. The remaining heralds -- a badly damaged Tidal Wave, a tiny floating planet-like orb, what looked to be a Micromaster and a mech looked like Cyclonus, but smaller, nodded to Unicron. Optimus Prime wondered why the demigod hadn't used the Angolmois cloud yet. Perhaps he run out? Perhaps some other group had blown up his supply? Whatever the reason, he felt as if he should attack now. "Springer?" he asked, wanting the Wrecker's opinion. After all, this could be a trap.

"Ready as we would possibly ever be. Just give the word."

"Blackjack?" Prime turned to the small Micromaster.

"Bring it on."

Twin orange swords slid from Optimus Prime's wrists, and he shouted, "We will never surrender! Autobots, Decepticons, attack!"

The assembled troops opened fire onto the heralds. Unicron's voice boomed with what sounded like fear, "SCOURGE, ARMADA, TIDAL WAVE, BUG, LEADER ONE- DEFEND ME!"

Springer shot a blast of compressed wind onto Bug -- the tiny planet-like orb -- sending him whirling out of control and transforming into robot mode. Sandstorm and Inferno hit him hard with laser blasts. The Sports Car Patrol sped forwards, transformed and started beating the crap out of Leader One, the Micromaster-like herald.

Broadside, despite missing a lot of armour and missing a good part of his left arm, slammed head on onto Tidal Wave, the ground cracking under the impact. Scoop, Roadbuster and Whirl opened fire onto the massive herald.

Optimus charged Armada, the Cyclonus clone, and sliced his side with his swords. The herald stumbled backwards, and laser blasts from Kup and Charger tore his back apart. Apparently he's weaker than Cyclonus. Charger took the advantage, and true to his name, charged the rabbit-eared herald, pinning Armada into the ground. Charger's Targetmaster pet, Firebeast, leapt towards Scourge and began harassing the tracker.

Scourge grunted, gripped Firebeast's tail with one hand and the squirming Decepticon's head with another and pulled- hard. The lesser Decepticon's was torn into two clean pieces, and Scourge tossed the pieces away onto nearby Transformers. Charger, seeing his partner killed, roared in rage and charged Scourge, letting go of Armada. Scourge pulled out a gun, and snapped off a few shots with a smile on his bearded face. Charger's chest was torn apart with holes, and the Decepticon's charge faltered. He stopped short approximately three steps from Scourge, collapsing into the ground, his back and front riddled with holes. His optics flashed red once before going dark.

"NO!" Staxx growled, and transformed into vehicle mode, opening fire and intent on running Scourge down. The herald looked at the Decepticon, smiled, and promptly vanished. Staxx, carried by inertia, overshot and tumbled down the gap, screaming. There was an explosion, and Optimus Prime knew the Powered Master was dead, by some trick done by Unicron. A hidden laser grid, perhaps. Or invisible floating mines. Prime is convinced that similar traps lay around every corner of this chamber.

Which is why they had to end this battle quickly. Blackjack and Detour ducked as Leader One transformed into his artillery vehicle mode and opened fire. Road Hugger crept from behind, and plunged a piece of debris onto the Micromaster's body. The psychotic Hyperdrive went for a more direct route, and jumped above the artillery ports, and pulled hard, wrenching the gun barrels clean off, before shoving a grenade into the exposed circuits. Hyperdrive scrambled into relative safety before Leader One exploded in a ball of scarlet flame.

Optimus Prime rushed towards Armada, and swung his blade in a deadly arc, tearing apart a hole in Armada's side, Armada screamed in pain, and for a moment Optimus was half-prepared to spare the helpless herald. No. Be strong. If you hesitate, they will go on and massacre hundreds more.

Optimus Prime stabbed Armada square in the chest, and twisted the blade. Armada gave a startled gasp, before his lavender optics shimmered and deactivated. Optimus Prime pulled out his sword from the corpse's chest with a shhhkkk, and looked at the dead husk, which faded onto gray, as deactivated Transformers do. Leader One, Charger and Firebeast, or rather their dead bodies, had all turned gray.

Roadbuster and Kup, standing near Optimus, opened fire on the hovering Bug, obliterating the hapless little herald before turning to face Tidal Wave and letting rip with their weaponry.

Optimus looked at his troops, and stifled a cry as Scourge materialized above Twin Twist. The Jumpstarter was in vehicle mode, drilling into Tidal Wave's leg with delight as usual. Thus, he didn't notice the winged demon materializing above him.

Scourge pulled out a thin metallic dagger and launched it towards Twin Twist. It plummeted down and slammed into the gap between Twin Twist's two drills. Scourge jumped down, sent a few blasts of laser onto the surprised Wrecker, before landing on the white-and-blue Autobot. "Hey! Get your own ride!" Twin Twist said, his voice betraying the pain he must've been feeling. Scourge laughed, and pulled the blade along Twin Twist's length, intending to slice the Wrecker into two.

Optimus, knowing that Scourge had Twin Twist at a disadvantage, unsheathed the only weapon he had at hand --his wrist-mounted blade/sword and ejected it towards Scourge at high speed. The blade stabbed Scourge's left shoulder and went right through, making a decent-sized gap on the herald's left wing. Scourge grunted, stopped at the mid-point, but before he could do anything, laser bolts from Kup and the Sports Car Patrol tore onto his body. "Damn. Unicron- I need help!" he wailed, but no response came.

In anger, Scourge teleported away, leaving behind a badly mangled Twin Twist. Meanwhile, nearby, Tidal Wave lifted up a leg and completely obliterated Twin Twist by stepping on him.

"TWIN TWIST!" Skids cried, before Tidal Wave slammed the ground, sending Skids and Sandstorm thrown off their footing. Then, the herald swung his fist, hitting Broadside's face and tearing onto the Autobot with laser fire.

As Misfire and an ululating Whirl swooped in to provide support fire, Tidal Wave roared and opened fire on both Transformers, knocking them down onto the ground level, the worse-for-wear Whirl crashing down onto a surprised Roadbuster.

Tidal Wave claimed its second kill when in brought its fist down onto Camshaft. The Omnibot tried to escape, but Tidal Wave threw him onto a wall and vaporized his midsection with a laser burst. Camshaft's legs and upper body clattered down onto the ground.

"No!" Broadside howled upon seeing Camshaft's and Twin Twist's deaths. As the other Transformers opened fire valiantly, Broadside charged the Herald face-to-face. Rage fueled his actions and with a savage strike, used his vibro-axe to cleave down upon Tidal Wave, slicing diagonally through the right shoulder and out through the left side. Tidal Wave's stunned expression, filled with hate was forever etched to the face. Broadside watched as the two halves of the heralds clattered down onto the ground. The massive Wrecker nudged the herald's remains over the edge, and they erupted. Optimus could see that the void was in fact filled with tiny floating mines. Tidal Wave's body was torn apart like Staxx's was moments ago.

"So, is that it? It's over?" Skids asked.

Optimus replied with a weary sigh, "from my experience, my friend, it's never over. Let's get out of here. It seems like our other friends are doing a better job than we are- wait. Look!" Optimus said, pointing to an array of cylinders surrounding a giant chip. "A transwarp drive! That must be Unicron's emergency plan! Fire at will!"

Soon, guns were reloaded and fired onto the complex, which erupted in a turqoise eruption of energy. There was a horrendous, booming shriek that echoed through the room, and Optimus Prime knew he had done it right. But he might have doomed them all-- a cornered beast fights harder due to desperation. He turned to his injured, tattered troops, "Transformers! Transform and retreat!"
_____________________________

The Decepticon medical shuttle Electrum IV, modelled after an insectoid creature, sped like a bat out of hell, zipping through debris and laser beams. Hightower and Tinker, the resident medics, worked frantically on their injured patients. Hightower silently nursed the Wrecker Topspin's upper body, the Wrecker groaning in pain. The shuttle jostled and shook with every turn, making repairs nearly impossible. Heck, had it not been for magnetic clamps, it would've meant standing is impossible. But it still proved more than a challenge to do sensitive surgery when the shuttle is rocking around.

"Hn. Try to keep in a straight line, will ya?" Hightower shouted towards the pilot's chair.

The youthful Decepticon pilot, Sizzle, screamed to be heard over the sound of the engines, "You think it's easy to drive in all this mess?"

"Well, at least try to-" Hightower's words went unfinished, when a stray bolt of pure energy slammed onto the shuttle, blowing up the entire aft section. Hightower ducked, and avoided getting himself vaporized. When he stood up, he saw that Tinker had been torn apart into pieces, and that the ship was wobbling. "Get this thing back into control!" he barked at Sizzle. When no reply came, he stumbled forward to see the Laser Rod with a huge piece of debris stabbing through his chest, his face an expression of horror. Hightower looked away, and at the rest of his patients. Topspin was still alive... barely. Walking with a pair of legs 'donated' from a drone, he staggered towards Hightower. "Come on. We can't give up that easily."

Shoving Sizzle's body to the floor, the Wrecker grabbed the control yoke- and to Hightower's horror, turned the ship around back towards Unicron. "Are you crazy? You'll kill us all!" Hightower screamed, and moved towards Topspin, convinced that the Wrecker is insane from his injuries.

Topspin stretched out one hand and slammed Hightower's shoulder onto the wall. "Look." Topspin said, looking into Hightower with square, determined optics. "This ship is doomed. You're still alive. Get into the escape pod and save yourself. I'm dying, and this ship is dead anyway. At least if I die I'll die as a matyr, not in a retreat." Topspin shoved Hightower away, and barked, "GO!"

From the corner of his optics, Topspin saw Hightower salute shakily. Topspin nodded, and the Constructicon cadet scrambled away. Topspin saw from one of the still-functioning panels that the escape pod had launched. Satisfied, Topspin began deftly steering the Electrum IV through the debris. He was Topspin. There's no terrain he can't cross. Topspin steered the shuttle at maximum speed towards Unicron's face. The second engine died out and fell off. Topspin grimaced, as the remaining three engines sputtered, working beyond their capacities to obey Topspin's orders.

Topspin smiled. This is going to be his last journey and he knew it. At least... he had passed the ultimate terrain. The barrier between life and death. In this final charge he passed space, debris and towards the demigod's face. At least, he died like a Wrecker. Had Hightower turned the shuttle around, they'll crash into Cybertron and Topspin would be grounded. He will never live with that.

Just as he will never live with his legs, Topspin thought, looking at the on-field replacements stuck onto his midsection. The Wrecker's optics burned with cold determination and his lips, clenched in concentration all this while, parted and whispered, "Wreck and rule." As the shuttle neared the demigod's face, he shouted the Wrecker mantra with gusto. "WRECK AND RULEEEEEE!!!"

The shuttle impacted, and Topspin, still screaming in rabid joy, was engulfed in the explosion that ensued.
_____________________________

Finback grunted as a tendril of dark energy pierced his chest. The Mayhems, following Megatron's charge, had been fighting valiantly, but how can you damage shadows which kill on touch?

Spinister sighed as he unleashed a nuclear missile onto another mass of tendrils, which dissipated when the missile exploded. No more turrets, no more death-or-insanity-bringing Angolmois, simply dark tendrils of pure energy that overloaded circuits. Spinister watched as Finback's body teettered in pain, before collapsing onto the ground. Spinister only hoped the old sailor's death would bring him a final release from the pain of the corrosion disease he experienced every second of his life. He deserved that much.

Spinister cursed as Hairsplitter exploded from a dark tendril, noting with vengeful fury that both his Targetmaster partners are dead. A lesser commander would have shouted some sort of rallying cry upon seeing the deaths of their comrades, but Spinister, being who he is, simply subspaced the dead body and frowned, vowing once more to avenge his partners' death.

Spinister transformed into helicopter mode and launched his remaining arsenal of nuclear bombs onto Unicron's spark, before turning and fleeing for his life. Not that he's cowardly, no, but it's because he ran out of weapons to shoot with.
_____________________________

Courageous is never an adjective that one would use to describe Aerospace Commander Starscream.

Neither was 'risk-taker', or 'suicidal'. The Decepticon was very intelligent, smart and had a brilliant tactican's mind. It never escaped Megatron's attention that if any of his generals might be successful in usurping his power, it would be Starscream. However, if the Seeker had planned anything, nothing had shown to prove it. So far Starscream had proved loyal. Cowardly, maybe, but very loyal.

What Starscream is doing right now is decidedly un-cowardly, and very clearly suicidal. Once reaching Unicron's face, Starscream transformed. The wise voice at the back of his head told him this is madness. Even if he could actually do anything that the others hadn't tried...

But Starscream had seen so many deaths. Too many...

Starscream told himself. This is just like another Transformer, just like him. Or everyone else. Doesn't matter if he could kill by sight, doesn't matter if he is as big as a planet. Damn... If they could blow Unicron's brain or spark out to the Pit... the main bulk of the alliance is targeting the spark. The spark maintains the brain module and vice versa. Eliminating one would mortally injure the transformer, possibly kill them. But to kill a strong-willed Transformer, you have to destroy both. Prime and the Wreckers are around Unicron's head, Starscream knew. But they haven't managed to destroy Unicron's brain yet. So it would do them good if he added his considerable skill to the mix.

Starscream spun in the air and transformed, dropping a nuclear bomb straight into Unicron's left optic as he flew past. Starscream knew that Optimus and the Wreckers had blinded Unicron in both eyes. And Starscream knew how painful a sharp jab through a blind eye can be.

The nuclear bomb exploded with a mushroom cloud on Unicron's left eye. The demigod screamed. Starscream immediately sped away. He had no desire to be atomized.

Starscream dropped a bunch cluster bombs onto a cracked spot on Unicron's forehead, blowing it apart, making a makeshift way in. Starscream flew in, seeing the Optimus Prime and the Wreckers blasting the brain module. Dangerous tongues of electricity tore across the room. One vaporized the Wrecker Omnibot Downshift, who fell to the ground, eyes agape. Downshift's body started to crumble into dust and the dust disappeared. It was as if Downshift never existed.

In fear, Starscream launched all his arsenal--cluster bombs, nuclear bombs, everything--before turning tail and speeding off. From the edge of his vision he could see the Wreckers retreating, running away.

This isn't right. This is stupid. I'm gonna die I'm gonna die I'm gonna die. Starscream thought. Instead of controlling his flight, he sped forward like a madmech, desperate to get the hell out of here-

In his haste, he didn't see a large piece of debris flying towards him, slamming his right flank. He spun out of control, and crashed onto Unicron's nose. A bolt of lightning hit Starscream's center, pushing him clear out of Unicron's body, and he screamed, tumbling away into the deep dark space. "I don't wanna die! Not like this- I'm a heroooooo-"

Starscream's body froze in a position, his face frozen mid-scream in terror and anguish. It crumbled like a statue made of dust. His final wretched expression the final thing to disappear.
_____________________________

Galvatron watched as the Transformers piled on their various powers onto Unicron, tearing his master... correction, his former master... apart.

Galvatron smiled. The demigod had learnt the price of using Galvatron. It is death.

As Unicron convulsed in pain, explosions started to tear apart the demigod's very being. Out of Angolmois, unable to draw on smelted metal to repair himself and having ran out of armaments. His brain and spark under attack... No more escape route... the Dark Lord's master stroke had failed. Unicron screamed.

Galvatron turned and activated his boot jets, flying off into the dark void of space. His work here is done. He is free. He will find his destiny.
_____________________________

"Sky Lynx, we need pickup ASAP!" Repugnus hissed. They had blown up the Angolmois pool, preventing Unicron from healing himself anymore. However, their team is in a pretty sorry state.

Shuffling across Unicron's surface, collecting any other stragglers they could find, Repugnus' party was finally visited by a sleek yet large shuttle covered with carbon scoring. The shuttle shifted into a four-legged Dinobird creature that was Sky Lynx. "All aboard!"

"What? No more ego-boosting commentary?" Grotusque asked cynically. "No superior being schtick?"

"I think it's safe to say your Lieutenant Commander has been... humbled." Ravage said, before loping onto Sky Lynx's cabin, followed by the rest of the Transformers with them. Sky Lynx took off.
_____________________________

"Trypticon!" Megatron bellowed. "Transform into city mode- it's time to retreat!"

Any Transformer sensible enough clambered on top of the city-con, and they sped out of the gaping hole in Unicron's chest, even as giant explosions shook the chamber.
_____________________________

"We need to get an escape ship!" Roadbuster roared, as he transformed into vehicle mode and thundered down the corridors, and transformed, and floated up to the hole that Starscream blew. "Never knew you had that kind of courage in you, Decepticon." Roadbuster muttered. Prime, the other Wreckers and the Decepticons followed suit.

"We still require an escape ship." Skids said, as he floated beside Roadbuster. "The Decepticons- HEY!"

Misfire, with the Sport Car Patrol tucked in safetly inside his cockpit, sped away. "Hasta la vista, Autobots! It was fun while it lasted." and they were gone.

"Cowards." Roadbuster growled, his newfound respect for Decepticons gone as soon as it surfaced.

"Don't worry. We still have Broadside." Optimus Prime said. The massive Wrecker nodded, and transformed into his jet mode. Optimus, Springer and Roadbuster helped the wounded get in before Broadside shot off to rendezvous with the others.

Behind them, Unicron blew up.
_____________________________

Screaming, Unicron lifted his good right hand and clenched his skull in pain. Burning green energy shot out of his broken optics, and massive explosions tore apart his spark chamber. Unicron growled, "NO! IT CAN'T END- CAN'T END LIKE THIS! I AM UNICRON- UNICRON!"

As Unicron's spark and life support systems started to short out, the lights on Unicron's body started to flicker, once, twice before going out. The demigod's body floated still, even as smaller explosions tore apart huge chunks of Unicron.

The Demigod was dead. His inert body was still to everyone outside.

Deep within Unicron, however, it was a different story. A battered Cyclonus scrambled up to his feet. His master was dead, and everything inside the Demigod's body started to warp and dematerialize, as if being suck into a central singularity deep within Unicron's body. A black hole. Cyclonus didn't care about his master anymore. He just wanted to live. "No! Not like this-" he croaked, even as the severed wing that he got in battle against Prime was torn off and swallowed by whatever it is that's imploding. It seems that without Unicron's spark to sustain it, the body could not exist. No wonder, Cyclonus thought. Light and darkness must exist in balance. With Primus dead millions of years ago, Unicron needed to be destroyed to fill out the balance. His defeat was inevitable. But Cyclonus didn't wanna die!

"Help me- help me-" Cyclonus screamed in desperation, his eyes filled with pure, undiluted horror. He didn't dare look behind him. However, suddenly, a figure swooped in, and he disappeared in a flash of light.

Cyclonus was saved, but the same can't be said about Unicron. Suddenly, the inert body imploded, collapsing upon itself. The planet sized body was sucked by a hungry void, which defied the laws of matter. Unicron's head was the last to disappear into the void, before the void collapsed.

The great evil was dead.

After a painful moment of anticipation, waiting for Unicron to burst out, more powerful than before, nothing happened. "It's over." Megatron finally said, breaking the silence.
_____________________________

EPILOGUE

Soon, it was agreed unanimously that the Autobots would be allowed to leave Cybertron in peace. For the sacrifices they've made, they deserved it.

As the Ark, hastily patched up by the remaining Autobot technicians, sped off into the distance, followed by any remaining shuttles, Megatron watched the repair work going on in Cybertron.

There was a new monument of war in the center of Iacon. A clenched fist, with colourings like a patchwork, jutting out of the ground, holding Unicron's planetary mode in his fingers, seemingly crushing it. Upon closer inspection, it would reveal that the patchwork was words and paintings, made to reflect their battle against Unicron. While mostly focusing on Decepticons, there are some unavoidable Autobot scenes, like Omega Supreme's doomed charge or Repugnus' team blowing up the Angolmois pool. Designed by Buzzsaw, the monument represented their sacrifices, their lost comrades and enemies in the battle. Carved on the base of the monuments was a list of dead soldiers -- both Decepticon and Autobot. Although Megatron hated to admit it, it was only by working together that they succeeded.

Still, the costs were high. The Thanatos and at least a dozen other warships were destroyed in the battle. The Solar Needle, all but two of the mini-Cybertrons and nearly all of their drones have been obliterated. And that's not counting the dead and missing Decepticons.

A small statue stood in front of the monument. A statue of Starscream, in a heroic pose, his fist clenched, raised in determination, his face with that ever-present cocky smirk.

The scores of remaining Seekers and members of the fleet stood in respect of their lost leader, saluting. Skywarp and Thundercracker stood on either side as Dirge finished delivering the eulogy. "... but Starscream was the best of us. He might be cocky and arrogant and cowardly, but he was the first Aerospace Commander of the Decepticon Army. He was the best of us. May his spark rest peacefully in the Well of Allsparks for all eternity, knowing he helped destroy Unicron." Dirge nodded, and the Seekers all fired a shot into the air in a gesture of respect for all their fallen comrades, before marching away to their duties.

Megatron watched all the procession solemnly. They never found Starscream's body, and there were no witnesses of his death. Blackjack and those with him claimed they were blinded by the explosion. They said that it was Starscream's cluster bombs that saved the day, destroying Unicron's brain.

Megatron sincerely hoped Starscream escaped destruction. The Aerospace commander might have been irritating, but at least he's loyal. Megatron had appointed Spinister as the new Aerospace Commander, but he declined the position, claiming he is concentrating on training the Mayhems. Thus, a surprised Thundercracker is elected by Megatron.

Megatron sighed. Immortality... he experienced it, just for a fleeting moment. All those power... he used them to save his home planet. The power of the Thirteen is gone. Which makes my goal all the more clearer. Universal domination.

Megatron clenched his fist. Many able soldiers have been killed, many more mortally injured. But soldiers are replacable. They could always create new Decepticons. And Megatron still had the power of Vector Sigma's Key. He could still mechaform planets. Sure, it would take time to repair and recover from all the damage Unicron had done. But at least the Autobots are in worse shape than them, mainly due to the Decepticons having legions of nonsentient drones to use in the battle.

"The Empire will extend to the far reaches of space." Megatron said, a promise to himself.

"Wise words." a deep, guttural voice spoke from behind Megatron. The Decepticon Emperor spun around, fusion cannon pointed at the other figure's chest. Megatron's optics widened in curiosity as he recognized the former herald. "Yeah. It's me. Galvatron. Me, I'm looking for a place in your cause. As are these two." Galvatron gestured to two smaller, shorter figures that materialized out of nowhere. One is bat-winged, and looked like he had been through a meat grinder. The other one is worse. Megatron knew if it isn't for the durability of these heralds, the rabbit-eared herald would've died already.

Megatron nodded, chin squared. However, he was still leery. After all, these three- two, minus Galvatron- had just tried to kill them all a few cycles ago. But they could be... useful tools. "What do you have in mind?"
_____________________________

Prime stood upon the massed troops of the Autobots on the bridge of the Ark. Slightly less than half of the troops that set off to fight Unicron survived. The Matrix is gone. Metroplex is dead. Omega Supreme is dead. Many of their strongest warriors are in the medbay.

"We are here." Optimus Prime began, a lump in his throat. The destruction of the Matrix had symbolized an end of an era. The lineage of Primes have ended. Prime was shaken into silence by that thought for a while, before continuing, "to remember those who valiantly gave their lives in the battle against Unicron. They will not be forgotten. They will not be cast aside." Optimus Prime motioned to a small sculpture with a flame on top, with all the fallen ones' names engraved lovingly. Grapple crafted it. While not as majestic as the Decepticons' war memorial, they have lesser resources.

"Omega Supreme. Metroplex. Sureshot the Second. Topspin. Overdrive. Downshift. Twin Twist. Thunderclash. Higharow...." the reading of the list took a very long time. However, at each name, the Autobots all applauded in their honour. No name received a louder clap than the other. It's the Autobot way.

Optimus Prime looked down. For a second, he felt like curling up into a ball and cry for Primus knows how long. After all, with the Matrix gone, the responsibility shouldered onto him is no more. Prowl or Ultra Magnus could easily take over. But...

That would be the easy way out. Prime clenched his fists. That would be dishonouring those that are dead. They gave their lives selflessly so that the Autobots may live. He will not give up. He will keep fighting, Matrix or no Matrix. "We must continue, to finish what these brave souls started. Even if only for the sake of their memory. We cannot just give up in the face of an overwhelming adversary. Omega Supreme did not. Highbrow did not. Topspin did not. Sentinel Prime did not. None of these brave souls that we now remember faced their death in cowardice and fear. They all died fighting. That is the Autobot way, placing our lives second and others' first. That is why we will prevail."

This has been polished, now that everything up to chapter six is completed, I feel that the earlier chapters need... revision, sort of. Chapters two through four will be polished (the scenes are basically the same, but with better monologue and less plot holes.) Going to re-do some of the Earth scenes, in preparation for when I make a Earth-centric miniseries.

Anyway, redid this the same way I did War. Critics and comments welcome.

For those new readers: This is a reboot of Generation one. This feeds off from Transformers: War, and leads into chapters two through six. The spotlights are in the same continuity (sort of) with this.

And this is revised as well! Made the plot points gel together more (so as to tie in better with War and the later chapters), and yes, Shrapnel and Kickback being mind-controlled happens earlier now.

Clench and Motormaster get some love, too...

And this one is revised as well.

As you can see, many has been changed compared to the first two chapters, which are just simple restructuring. Some absurd scenes (Grimlock bringing a mini-Cybertron like a bomb) and some too-wordy and unnecessary scenes have been replaced.

Also, more explanations for Targetmasters and Headmasters. Also, the Dinobots now face off against Sixshot, and the Sports Car Patrol gets a short section for themselves. (I can't resist) Also, Grandus has been replaced with Gadep, and Sky Garry's no longer among the Thirteen. Why? Because I like them and I want to use them in later stories. Yeh, I'm a bastard.

The third chapter has been condensed, now there's only two more! (I'm happy with chapter six, although I suspect when I'm done, it'll need a few rewordings)

The fourth chapter is rewritten and proofed, with less monotomy. Not the best that I could've done, but I'm happy with it.

Now to finish rewriting chapter five, and spit-shining chapter 6 and War mark II, and I'm done!

Here's Part Five revised! Now all that's left is to spit-shine part six and the War miniseries.

Such a great legends of transformers with best battel training done a great monotony in chapter 5. Hope for the best company we got it.