Cybertron, the home world of the Transformers, a glimmering silver orb hanging in the sky among the stars, crisp blue lights shone from its crevices as moon sized skyscrapers peeked from the planet's depths. The galaxy marveled it with awe. However, on one very average day, a war broke out on the planet's surface between two factions, the Autobots, and the Decepticons. An entire year passed and out of all the nations in the galaxy, nobody blinked.

Decades passed and everything went to hell. Cybertron's once silver plating had turned a sickening black from rust, its molten skyscrapers now toppled and a new musty orange light replaced its pure blue while a large chunk of the Cybertron itself could be seen slowly floating away from its source. With the planet's core shut down, Cybertron's veins ran dry; its life giving properties ceased to function forcing its inhabitants to find another means of survival.

The solution turned out to be rather simple, leave the planet, and find a new home.
Nearly thousands of miles away from Cybertron's surface were the last of its inhabitants. The Ark, a massive spaceship made to carry the rest of the Autobot army through the spacebridge portal, they hoped to leave the war and find peace, however when it came to war for the Autobots, for some odd reason, the enemy always seemed to have the bigger guns. The Nemesis, a warship nearly ten times the size of the Ark had intercepted them, a slaughter broke out. This is where we are now.

A Decepticon drop ship was shot down, its crew scrambling around within, grabbing at whatever equipment they could to save themselves. The ship crashed into a pillar exploding on impact. In the middle of the Ark's port stood the defense Hub, an armored base of operations atop of the ship. Armed to the teeth with gun emplacements and heavy turrets, the hub almost begged to be a target for the Decepticons.

Ironhide

'That last blast took a toll on Optimus, you want to help? The time is now!'

Ironhide slammed the speaker back down and attached himself back onto the turret.
The barrel peeked through a small window near the top of the hub as other turrets were manned symmetrically along the sides of the hub. Ironhide was a veteran, an Autobot who had fought in smaller wars before this one, the red and black bot had the scars to prove it. But despite every scar, every medal he had earned fighting in those lesser wars, none of them had prepared him for this battle, this slaughter.

The old Autobot's flaky hands trembled, he hated this feeling, it was a feeling he hadn't had in ages. He was scared. With a pull of the trigger he resumed mowing down Decepticons from the left side of the hub to the right.
It still wasn't enough; the Decepticons scavenged themselves up and continued to unload their weapons on the hub, each blast creating a bigger dent in its armored plating.

'Perceptor!' he called 'The Decepticons are about to burst through the hub's walls, we need to find a new way to flush them out!'

Among the Autobots scurrying around the hub trying to find a frag grenade or a rifle to hold off a Decepticon with, a meek red Autobot scientist was manually working some of the Ark's guns from a computer terminal across the room. His fingers moving as quickly as his processor burned the information that was sent through.

'My apologies Ironhide,' said the scientist calmly 'but I'm afraid that leaving our current position to fight heavily armed Decepticons at this point in time would be considered "suicide"'

Perceptor turned his head and spotted a trembling Autobot cough up oil. The Autobot muttered a pass phrase under his breath and in mere moments, his entire upper half had self-destructed.
Perceptor's cold demeanor flickered as he turned back to the computer terminal.

'It barely matters at this point of time' he said grimly

'Why's that?' asked Ironhide who couldn't help but feel that he already knew the answer.

'The Ark will not stand much longer given the ongoing attack of the Decepticons; add that to the instability of the portal and the damage it may cause, our probability of survival is under-'

'Incoming!'

A rocket hit Ironhide's turret causing it to explode on impact. Ironhide was thrown back from the explosion, hitting hard on the floor as he landed.

'Never mind Perceptor, I think I got the just of it.' He said weakly

However, all Ironhide could hear was a low muffling sound in his audio receptors as he spoke; the blast appeared to have taken out his hearing.
The damaged bot tried to get back up but his legs wouldn't allow it. He soon realized that his hearing wasn't the only thing he had lost from the explosion, he lowered his head to face where his legs were and quickly turned away, his legs weren't malfunctioning or even damaged to begin with, they were just gone, torn off from the explosion.

He shut his optics and thought to himself, this can't be how it all ends is it? Lying on the floor of the defense hub, slowly bleeding Energon while deaf, paralyzed, and surrounded by dead people? That is not how his last moments were supposed to be. He opened his optics and turned to where Perceptor was. Perceptor was nowhere to be seen, figures. The terminal the scientist was working on was crumpled up with a fountain of sparks pouring out of the monitor like a waterfall of light. He scanned the room for the scientist only to learn that he wasn't the only one gone. The Autobot's that were just moment ago running around the Hub or mounting turrets, were now either lying dead on the ground, or missing from their posts, mostly the former.

How long were his optics shut for? He could still hear some low rumbles in what was left of his crumpled audio receptors and concluded that the battle was still ongoing. As he crawled to the nearest surveillance monitor, he began to wonder how many of them were still alive, Perceptor, Warpath, Bumblebee, Optimus… he began to feel the lack of Energon affect his processor. He reached the monitor and booted up system.

Several images popped up on the screen that Ironhide has only then realized was riddled with cracks. He was right, the battle was still ongoing, Autobots and Decepticons from all different sub groups and commando units were in forms of combat from snipers blowing off the heads of others to the brutes that tore apart the little ones with swords and hammers. Ironhide recognized some of the Autobots –both dead and alive- on the monitor, he thought of each one of them fondly.

That young one, Tune-up, Tulip, he couldn't remember the name, used him as an inspiration to fight with his fists. Now he's dead. That one got in a fight with him at Maccadam's before the war, dead. That one bot used to make great jokes to lighten the mood and Oh! Now Tulip's fist is being forced down his throat. Among the Autobots and Decepticons on the monitor being shot, stabbed and blown apart, he spotted Optimus. He was at the far end of the ship, right above where the rear thrusters were. The flaming wreckage of a Decepticon drop ship was mere meters away, its fumes bellowing from its source and drifting off at Cybertron.

The Autobot leader was on his knees, standing above him was Megatron, mocking him with his mere presence alone. That brief moment, all of Ironhide's motivation was drained away, he tried looking away but his head wouldn't budge. He stared at the screen as the light it produced reflected off his face, while Megatron wandered over to the crashed wreckage and unhooked a nucleon shock cannon.

Ironhide's optic caught movement in the corner of the screen; he squinted to see a small yellow Autobot steadily crawling towards Optimus.

Ironhide couldn't mistake the bot for anyone else, it was Bumblebee.

What does that kid think he' doing? Ironhide thought to himself as the mini bot's figure slowly moved across the screen.

Megatron bared his canines as he aimed the shock cannon at Prime's helm, Ironhide couldn't hear what they were saying, but from the look on Megatron's face he could tell that the Decepticon leader was happy about it. Prime stared down the barrel of the cannon with the same confident expression he had always used; he was ready to accept his fate.

Just as Megatron pulled the trigger, Bumblebee had put all his energy into his leg servos and leaped in front of Optimus, the nucleon blast struck Bumblebee's chest tearing a deep dark hole into his spark casing. The yellow bot fell to the charred metal ground, sparks dancing around his chest wound, his body moving in a spasm from the energy of the blast before finally settling down. Following it all, Bumblebee's optics dimmed from a flickering blue to a murky grey.

'No!" Ironhide shouted. He still couldn't hear himself, hell he couldn't even feel himself, the only thing he could feel was his life force slowly slipping away

'No…'

Ironhide accepted the outcome and his optics darkened

Optimus will be next, those were his last thoughts before shutting down.

Optimus Prime

Optimus screamed Bumblebee's name, his vocalizer cracking from the shock. He held the collapsed bot and felt for a life sign. With a quick, painful realization, he learned that Bumblebee was no more. Optimus had learned to mourn soldiers long before the war began, he learned to mourn for Prime's, those who lost too much, and even the enemy at times, but this was the first time he would have to mourn a friend. This was far different from anything else he had experienced in this war; it was by far the worst.

'What a waste of Energon' Megatron snarled as he threw the overloaded shock cannon to the ground.

Prime's mind became flooded with memories of the young scout. Back when they first met during the attack on Iacon, the battle with Trypticon, he remembered Bumblebee's enthusiasm and when it was taken away when Megatron ripped out his voice box. All that was left of the little yellow Autobot was a burnt corpse and an extinguished spark.

Optimus did not know why but for once he didn't feel sorrow, he felt something else, something he never truly felt before, something he never wanted to feel before, he knew of it too well though, and he knew only too many words for it.
Anger, Rage, Bloodlust- the urge to rip Megatron's throat out, he finally knew it, he finally understood.

'After eons of conflict, I finally see truth in your words Megatron.'

Megatron casually approached the Autobot leader while unsheathing an Energon blade.

'And what might that be, Optimus?'

Uncaring for an answer, Megatron brought the sword down only for it to be caught by Optimus, the blade cutting wounds into the palm of the Prime's hand.

'That this Universe, no matter how vast, will never be big enough for you and I to coexist!'

Optimus punched Megatron in the gut sending the Decepticon flying onto the higher decks. Megatron managed to dodge just in time as Optimus leapt at him with his own blade, Cybertron's blazing core shining behind his silhouette.

The two bots clashed like they have done many times in the past, only this time was different, with every stab, every punch every gunshot that was made, both leaders felt their rage growing stronger and stronger.

After one last stab at Megatron, the portal began to tear the Ark apart; all of their work as well as their future were being taken away from them in one long grab and pull. As Optimus was sucked through the portal, there was only one thing on his mind, something Megatron said.

"This is what you chose Prime when you defied me, all of this is your doing" Megatron was right.

Ironhide

Ironhide's optics sprang open. He immediately sat up and observed his surroundings; he was in the Ark's medical bay. The damage had taken its toll on the place, the lighting in the room was dim and piles of debris littered every corner. He soon realized he wasn't the only injured bot in the room, several other wounded Autobots were lying on recharge slabs, to Ironhide most of them didn't look like they were going to make it.

Hound appeared to be hooked up to a sort of life support machine while Scattershot had a hole in his chest exposing several wires and bolts, Arcee was in the center in the room with her helmet split open. It appeared that either Ratchet or First Aid was doing some sort of surgery on her earlier. He sat up and stared at his lap, his legs had been reattached, but what happened after he went in to stasis?

The memories of what happened to Bumblebee came back to him with a flash. Ironhide moaned and brought a hand to his face, the poor kid didn't deserve it, he was the one that should have been out there protecting Prime, not the kid, it was his job as his bodyguard after all, not a scout's.

His thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice.

'It's about time you woke up old timer.'

Ironhide recognized the bellowing voice immediately and a smile crept upon his face.

'Warpath, don't you have anything better to do than watch a bot while he naps?'

Leaning in the doorway, with his arms crossed stood a bulky red Autobot with a blue visor, a red faceplate, and a case of tank turret syndrome.

'Heh, what can I say, I wanted to make sure you were still online, after all an old man like you is bound to die at any moment.'

Ironhide tried to stand but teetered before catching his balance. He was glad he didn't fall otherwise he wouldn't hear the last of it from Warpath.

'Hah I knew I would survive in the end.' he lied.

'Besides you aren't all shiny an' new yourself either' he said motioning at Warpath's torso.

Warpath looked down at his body, his cannon was missing. It had been ripped out by a Decepticon while he was in tank mode (what's worse is that the Bastard got away with it). His visor was cracked and his arms had several cuts in them leaking tiny drops of Energon.

'You think this is bad?' He replied looking back up again 'Some of the guys who survived are barely recognizable anymore'
Ironhide's expression lowered

'So how many of the "guys" are still functional' he asked unsure if he wanted to know the answer or not.

Warpath let out a sigh and sat down on a nearby bench.

'Less than a hundred of us are still alive, fewer are up and about. Perceptor is still okay just to let you know, he said he bailed on you and wanted to apologize, he's been up the past couple of nights working on finding our location on the map though so I wouldn't hold it against him.'

Ironhide was surprised that he hadn't consider it before.

'Warpath where are we?'

Warpath looked confused

'We are eh… in the med bay, maybe you need some more rest after a-'

'No not that, I mean did we win the battle? Did we make it to our destination? …Is the Ark functional?'

Warpath scratched the side of his head 'Er, maybe you should ask Perceptor, I'm not too good at explaining the…stuff'

'Then what are we waiting for? Let's go see him.'
Ironhide stumbled as he walked forward catching the side of his repair bay for support.

'Easy now' said Warpath as he helped Ironhide back up.

Ironhide gently pushed him away before regaining his balance.

'I'm fine, let's just go'

The two of them transformed to vehicle modes, Ironhide in his old beat up truck mode that he had used since before the war had begun, and Warpath, a barrel-less tank that lacked its signature deafening cannon. For Ironhide conversion was terribly painful but compared to what he experienced in the previous battle, this was nothing. Despite his wounds Warpath didn't even let out a grunt. The two of them proceeded to speed down the viscera stained corridors of the Ark's halls, passing by broken off limbs and thrown data pads as they did so.

'Warpath, back on topic- besides you me and Perceptor, who else made it? I didn't see Ratchet in there, is he..?'

'Ratchet's fine, thank Primus for that. Without him I don't think many of us would still be around, the reason you didn't see him is because- well-'

Warpath slowed himself as he tried to form the words

'After what happened to Bumblebee- He was killed by Megatron. I'm sorry Ironhide; Jazz went to gather his body inside before the portal tore up the Ark, but the portal… it sucked what was left of the little guy away.'

'I know Warpath, I saw what happened'

He didn't want to ask about Optimus knowing that if he wasn't killed by Megatron he would have greeted him by now. Deep inside he knew that he just didn't want to hear it.

'I'm gonna miss the little squirt Ironhide'

'Same here Warpath… Same here'

Cybertron: Shockwave's lair

Starscream

Starscream woke up under a pile of metal; everything was a blur and his head felt as though it were pounded by one of Rumble's pile drivers. He picked himself up and gathered his thoughts. One moment he was trying to make a deal with the leader of the Lightning strike Coalition, next thing he knew he was thrown across the room and forced to undergo stasis lock.

He scanned the room, charging his rifle in the process. Grimlock was nowhere to be seen.

He cursed under his breath. How am I supposed to gather my army when my first employee runs off?

Starscream transformed into his sleek red and white jet mode and flew out of the purple cylindrical room into the bright city of Kaon. From above, Starscream could see the thousands of street lamps lighting the city up as if it were a nebula.

As he flew around the tall purple and green lit skyscrapers, he came to realize that he was the only one in the city, besides him the place was completely devoid of life. He felt a wave of uneasiness as he saw that not a single living Decepticon patrolled the skies or drove around on the streets. Were they all fighting on Megatron's behalf? Or did the Autobots wipe them all out while he was in stasis. No, he couldn't have been out that long, but something strange was happening and he intended to find out what. Wherever he flew, the more fear had overcome him.

He began to think aloud as the questions flooded his mind.

'What if I'm the only one left?'

'What if Megatron chased after Shockwave's stupid idea of visiting other worlds to drain them of Energon?'

'… What if Megatron took everyone else with him? That would mean I would be left alone, and with no Energon for myself…'

Starscream's scanner began to beep,

'Finally a life signal'

His GPS showed a red dot a few kliks away from his position.

There was someone else still here; he didn't care if it was Megatron or Optimus Prime. All he wanted was to find someone who may be able to help him, just so that he wasn't alone. But then again, whoever they are, they should have enough Energon to last him a little longer to live.

As he flew closer to his destination, he noticed that the signal was coming from Shockwave's old power tower, or what's left of base of the tower was gone and the energy that surrounded it was gone with it. Did this mean Megatron was still somewhere on the planet? Or was this a part of Shockwaves plan to leave him here to die.

His thought was interrupted as he located a second energy reading. The second red dot on his GPS was speeding right towards his position on the map. It was heading straight for him.

'Hah, he flew right over us, what an idiot'

Swoop chuckled to himself while he sat on a piece of debris within the deep trench, the other two Dinobots sat adjacent to him

'Quiet Swoop, he can't seem to track our life signals, but that doesn't mean he can't hear us' said an angry Slug.

'Oh come on, you got to admit seeing that weirdo freak-out gives a sort of satisfaction no?'

Slug rubbed his optic lenses

'We are stranded on a dying planet with no Energon and more importantly, no friends, if this isn't the time to be solemn then I don't know what is' said the Tricera-bot gruffly

The Stego-bot, Snarl stepped up to speak, something he was never good at.

'Slug is right; Grimlock gave his life for us, we need to-'

'Us?' interrupted Slug who stood up and jabbed a finger at Snarl's face

'He deserted us! All he wanted was to keep the Autobots from leaving so that we could all die fighting the Decepticons in what he calls an "honourable and glorious way"' He sat down and rested his head in his hands.

'If he was smart he would have stayed here with us, then we could have had Prime pick us up and be up on the Ark in no time!'

Snarl remained silent, not knowing how to respond.

'Aw lay off the kid would yah Slug? He was just trying to defend you is all'

'Shut up Swoop.' Slug leaned in 'it's about time we begin the operation as planned.'