Fallen Angel

A Transformers: Armada Story

By William Rendfeld

Long Ago…

Sentinel Prime stood aghast as he stared up into the reddened skies above him, terror coursing through almost every circuit. He had hoped, in the depths of his spark, and that this day would never come, that he would never see the demon his Creator spoke of. Clearly, those hopes were unfounded.

Crisis was upon them, and Unicron had arrived.

Gathered about him were his siblings, their expressions showing equal terror to his. Even Terratoph, with her nonfunctioning optics, was afraid of the oncoming storm. Her massive arms and legs tensed uneasily, pile drivers twitching but whether out of battle anticipation or apprehension, Sentinel wasn't sure – it could very well be both. "Well, this is gonna be a fun day."

Bitter, saddened, but still slightly amusing. Sentinel smiled despite himself – even at the end of the world, he could count on Terratoph to crack a joke. She'd looked forward to this day as much as anyone – that was to say, not at all – but at the very least, it comforted him that she was both willing to step up and brave enough to find levity. He didn't need to glance back to know that many of his siblings were smiling…at least, the ones that had mouths.

Another of the Thirteen, his armor a glistening white and brilliant ivory and black wings cascading down his back, turned to his leader and asked, "What now, Sentinel?" Despite being of equal strength to his siblings, Nova Prime knew full well that he was nothing without them. As much light as he could cast to help point the way, it was useless without others to stand beside him.

Their leader grew stern. As much as he'd hoped that this day would never come, he knew exactly what needed to be done. "We do what we were created to do, Nova. We know our tasks. We fight."

An exhilarated whoop from Accellas was joined by a similar cry from Terratoph and Hydraqua. Their cries were interrupted as a scream rang out, many of the Thirteen feeling a strong blast of heat from behind them. They turned and stood in shock – before them was the limp and horrendously charred form of their sibling, Zephyra. Her angelic form was now horrifically burned, the once placid and friendly face now cracked and burned almost beyond recognition.

His sibling held tight by one arm, her killer looked upon them with fiery orange optics. "No, brother. We die."

July 26, 2006

"You look anxious."

Jetfire gave the Decepticon a sideways glance. "Is it that obvious?"

Skywarp smiled back. "You, Optimus, and Starscream are all brothers. Someone hangs around the three of you long enough and they can pick up on common body language. Plus, the blades or flaps on most of us fliers are a dead giveaway." He didn't bother trying to hide his snickers as the Autobot SIC quickly stilled said parts on his wings. "Relax. We heard from both teams – no casualties, a few body swaps and upgrades, and everyone's either coming home safe or staying behind to get a hang of themselves. Nothing to worry over."

"Not about them, anyway." Jetfire looked about the Hub, optic band paying close attention to the space bridge terminals linked to Velocitron and Animatros. It was where he had been waiting for the past several cycles after Communications had received incoming transmissions from the colony planets – he had immediately taken the express way, annoying and startling more than a couple air traffic controllers as well other fliers along his flight path. "I wish they'd hurry up. Prime and Starscream both need to hear what Wire's figured out."

A warning light coming online for the Animatros terminal, and the shuttle visibly relaxed, relief becoming clear in his optics as his commander passed through the event horizon, the rest of his team following. "Welcome home, Optimus. Good news?"

"Some, thankfully." The Autobot leader turned as the last of the group stepped through, Scourge and Draco Prime taking up the rear. "Omega Supreme will be following shortly. Make sure he can get in and out of here comfortably."

"Open the roof up, no problem." He looked about the group, quickly noticing the current state for Leobreaker and Repugnus. "Looks like you had quite the trip."

"And fortunately for all, a fruitful one." The elder Prime walked forward, the Key of Power tucked under one arm. "Jetfire, yes? I've been told good things about you."

Optics widened in awe at the elder Cybertronian, quickly saluting. "I hope most of 'em are true. Vector Prime's going to be glad to see you."

A distance away from them, a section of the roof opened via multiple segmented components receding into the ceiling. His way cleared by the landing officers and free of obstructions, Omega Supreme landed in a large area in the Hub designated for those capable of space-travel under their own power. Although the massive Autobot would have normally touched down outside where the heat from his rockets would not be contained and cause too much structural damage, he had taken into consideration the concerns of some of his more twitchy passengers. What those same passengers had not realized was that Omega had also taken a space bridge that was designed specifically for his size, its termini built in orbit of Cybertron and its colony worlds, saving him a great deal of time and energy.

"And I him, once he returns." Gesturing at the Key, he then asked, "Speaking of, where do you wish for this to be kept? I can hold on to it without any difficulties, but no doubt you would prefer it secured."

"Wing Saber can lead you to the secure wing once the group from Velocitron arrives." Instantly reminded that they needed to clear some room for that group, Optimus turned to those gathered. "Everyone, you know where you need to go."

As Predacon collected his reluctantly grumbling group and Repugnus heaved in resignation, the gathered group of humans that recently vacated the spaceship Autobot exchanged puzzled looks, having caught the tail end of what the younger Prime said. "Go?" Lennox echoed, stepping aside to let his teammates off the embarkation ramp.

"Safety protocols, captain," the T. rex answered, pausing near one of the hallways. "Techno-organics and full organic lifeforms are required to visit the main medical facility for decontamination, and the rest of us need to visit for standard examination."

"Makes perfect sense – we quarantine our astronauts whenever they return from space." General murmurs of agreement coming from the Rangers, Diana beckoned. "Lead on."

While the gathered party walked softly towards the Hub's exit, Omega Supreme took flight again to leave for his own maintenance check, sending several personnel staggering from the backwash. A second portal flashed online, followed quickly by Hot Shot, Starscream, and their assembled group.

"Welcome home… Hot Shot?" The Autobot leader shook his head, taking in the new form. "Not again."

An embarrassed laugh from the younger mech, sheepishly saluting. "Sorry, Optimus. It's not like I plan these."

"For what it's worth, they seem to be timed pretty well." Starscream looked to Optimus, immediately catching sight of the blue dragon among them before smiling. "And it looks like we aren't the only ones with surprises. Draco Prime, yes?"

"And you must be Starscream. Are my brother and sister safe?"

"Exhausted from their efforts, but online and lucky that Red Alert hasn't knocked them into stasis," the Decepticon leader assured him as the last few members of the group emerged from the portal. "Yes, the plural was intentional."

Draco's optics found her just as he found himself with his sibling's arms wrapped around him in a powerful hug. A smile grew as he laughed. "Accellas!"

"Miss me, Draco?" the femme asked, pulling back to look at him properly. "Don't bother denying it, you know you did."

More laughter. "Of course. Both of you." He looked into a pair of familiar, ancient optics. "Hello, brother. You look well."

Vector Prime smiled and laid an affectionate hand upon his sibling's shoulder. "As do you, brother. As do you."

"They destroyed the Dead Matrix, releasing its contents. The souls and sparks contained within are lost."

"Which makes restoring Nemesis Prime a foolish gesture. His effectiveness was increased as a result of the Doom Stone's contents. Without them, he has no intelligence, no direction, only rage and aggression."

"And our master's avatar was destroyed by one of the remaining First Ones. That makes two Keys retrieved."

Glances were exchanged between Dreadwing, Soundwave and Sideways, the three heralds all aware of their failure. While their master was a patient one and not likely to discard loyal followers, their current situation did not reflect well upon them.

Then a deep, almost melodious voice asked a question of them from the darkened shadows within their master, instantly commanding their attention. "Have you anything positive to report?"

A deep purple visor turned respectfully towards the voice. "I monitored Nemesis Prime's last battle, and made numerous scans of those who fought him. One of the Autobots was reformatted by the Key of Power and his current form is powerful. We could make use of it."

Ruby optics turned as well, a cold chill in the wraith's answer. "Both Draco and Accellas Prime were present on each world. They still exist…and are thus vulnerable."

"And both Keys will be brought to Primus to be reunited with the others. All of them will be vulnerable."

"They are indeed." The shadows faded from within as a brilliant red glow, like that of a powerful furnace, washed over the three heralds. Its source was a bulky, heavily armored Transformer, cannon barrels emerging from each arm and flames visible all over his frame. "We've little to waste on our master's behalf. The time for talk is over, and the time to strike is now."

First Sergeant Patrick Donnelly was not feeling comfortable. It didn't matter to him that he was anything but vulnerable – fully clothed and armed, his squad mates less than thirty feet away, standing in what was clearly a medical center – the fact remained, he was definitely not in his comfort zone. And he thought the curious scrutiny/looks from other Autobots they passed by was unnerving. In a way, it made him just a bit more appreciative of the hands-on checkups performed by doctors back on Earth, even if it brought up awkward and/or uncomfortable questions. Maybe it was the whole size issue between them… "You sure this thing's safe?"

A comforting smile from the white and red femme at the console, tapping away on the keyboard. "Perfectly, sergeant. Aside from a slight tingle in your fingers and toes, you shouldn't feel a thing. Now stand still and breathe normally." Satisfied with the startup checks being green, she checked over the new algorithms on level of sensitivity before activating the scanning programs, which in turn set the scanner in motion. Said piece of equipment resembled one of the new Millimeter Wave Scanners the TSA were considering on installing at the major airports that were said to be an alternative to metal detectors, if only somewhat larger. A light wave of energy swept around the soldier's body, followed by the sense of being in a highly charged room that had his neck hairs standing. A monitor screen down near human height flashed green, a similar message flashing on her console. "And you're clean. Next?"

Relieved, Donnelly tried not to eagerly hop off the scanner and allow another member of the squad to take his place. As he joined those who'd already passed through the scanner, Epps cracked, "You're worse than Fig, you know that?"

"Hey, it's an alien scanner thing. How can I be sure they don't have any bugs to work out?" the bespectacled man tossed back as he sat down.

"That problem's been taken care of for some time." A handheld unit running over Repugnus, Red Alert elaborated, "We had to set up scanners like this as a result of the creation of the techno-organics during the war. We've encountered purely organic races similar to humans since then and used them for the same purpose, so we can use them for you, thanks to Minerva providing exact information for our scanners. When we say that you're fit and able, we say so with certainty."

"And considering we've got a log of everything Animatros and Velocitron have put out that could cause you any form of illness or injury, we can make sure you haven't picked up a disease that you could accidentally send back to Earth." Ratchet gave them a quick glance as he scanned over Leobreaker's body a little further from the humans, his optic ridge rising slightly with interest as the results came in.

"No plagues on our conscience, no sir," sarcastically quipped the reptilian tech-org. "Don't feel too bad though – it means they don't have to pay nearly as much attention to you as they are to us."

Diana smirked when it came her turn to go into the scanner. "Don't feel bad yourselves. What happened to you doesn't exactly happen every day."

"Doctor Masters is correct. Reformatting as a result of one of the Artifacts of Primus is far from unheard of, but this is the only time on record that we've seen it with a techno-organic, and the first time we've seen one capable of activating a Cyber Key ability." His readout chirping excitedly, Red Alert amended, "Not to mention the other changes."

Standing beside the cleared members of Lennox's unit, Franklin crossed his arms and regarded the Autobot curiously. "Other changes?"

"All techno-organic Transformers have varying levels of organic components," Ratchet explained, scrolling through his datapad. "Most, like Cheetor or Predacon, have entirely mechanical alternate modes, but visible organic parts in their robotic forms. Repugnus used to be the exact opposite, with an organic beast mode as a sort of external carapace, connected with his armor but totally concealing his robotic nature."

"Aside from him being a cross between a mantis and Godzilla."

A nod to the Army captain. "Precisely. Others are more mixed – Frostbite and Reptilion both have a clear blend of organic and mechanical in both forms, while Crystal Widow, thanks to our desperate attempt at saving her via Vector Sigma, is a true hybrid. Now courtesy of the Key, Repugnus is effectively the same, no doubt a reaction to his organic components."

"Which is why the other tech-orgs just passed through the scanner instead of getting a full examination," Diana picked up, following the train of logic while letting Lori her turn at being checked over. "And everyone purely mechanical aside from Leobreaker got a scan, quick UV treatment and a good scrub down."

Lennox hummed in understanding, but glanced towards the larger Autobot among them. "No offense though, but Over... Leobreaker's still getting an examination."

"I still got reformatted," the brawler pointed out. "Organic parts or no, I've still got a reworked body."

"And we've learned the value of checking over anything like this thanks to Longs Peak. No telling what you'll find with a reformat like this." Ratchet shook his head as he looked over a seemingly extraneous component emerging from the lion's back, tapping it lightly with his stylus. "This thing here, for example. We've seen components like it before with the combiner teams – Barricade has interlock ports similar to this that allow him combine with the other Combaticons, and they were incorporated into Steamhammer and Storm Jet."

"So you're saying I could combine with someone?" Leobreaker instinctively reached behind his back and probed the component. "Who?"

"No idea. You'd need something specific to match up with that component, and so far, the computers haven't found a match for it. It's not that uncommon – there's one mech, Wingblade, similar story..."

"And we don't need to bore them, Ratchet." As Lori left the scanner module, Minerva declared, "You're done. Some soreness in a few of you, particularly the Animatros group, but nothing a hot shower can't cure. The embassy facilities should be able to take care of that. I'll still need to check over the results, but I don't foresee any problems. We can send your equipment over right now."

"And I can lead you there easy enough." Leobreaker got to his feet once Ratchet nodded his approval. "The embassy's not far away and it'll be a while before they're ready to add the two Keys to the Omega Lock."

"The longer the better for me, considering where I usually go after these things." Repugnus hopped from the diagnostic table. "Still, don't want to deny the humans their comfort, now do we?"

As the lion and the tech-org led the humans out, Red Alert gave a sigh as the doors slid shut behind them. "And here I was hoping he'd be more diplomatic."

"I think the only courtesy Repugnus knows how to give is a quick death." Ratchet typed several commands on his console, saving his scans of Leobreaker for later comparison and reference. "As unpleasant as that is, I can think of worse ways to die."

Marked surprise was clear on the faces of both Accellas and Draco as they gazed out over the cityscape of Iacon, their optics wide in awe as they watched the passerby below from a balcony on the Tower of Pion. When Vector Prime had joined up with the Autobots as things escalated, he had refused many of the officers' offers of staying in one of the spare rooms reserved for the higher ups, and thus Resources had made arrangements for him to be quartered at the Tower of Pion. Normally, he would've been staying at the embassy, but the Tower offered privacy and restricted access while not being completely isolated from its surroundings at the same time, as well being within easy distance of the Decagon.

"We talked about this so many times back then, but I never thought…" The femme turned around to face their remaining brother, gesturing widely. "You saw all of this, an empty world coming to life."

"It is nothing to envy, sister," Vector countered. "I've stood vigil over wars, insurrections, conflicts and battles numbering more than I care to count. While it is a full world, it is far from perfect."

"No world is." The ancient dragon looked at them both as he sadly agreed. "Our world was far from perfect, and there were only thirteen of us. Now we are all that remains."

The millennia of watching from afar had taken a long toll on both, keeping away from their descendants all the while protecting the precious cargo that they were charged with from so long ago. Strangely they found it somewhat surprising that they hadn't become bitter or jaded, just a bit weary and stoic (a little more in Draco's case). Yet at the same time, seeing the vibrancy of the new generation brought a little more light to themselves, and the Guardian of Time was glad to see his brother and sister brighten a bit.

A reassuring smile grew on Vector's face. "But we remain. We have survived, despite everything, and with luck, we can help this new generation to succeed where we failed so long ago."

The lone femme leaned against the balcony's railing, crossing her arms with a smug gesture. "Although I'd say they're off to an excellent start."

"And with any luck, we'll be witness to the finish." Two pairs of optics cast themselves towards Draco with neutral expressions. "Is something the matter?"

"You aren't the one who should be asking that question." Vector Prime looked at his brother tiredly, feeling more aged than ever. "We may have been divided by distance and time, brother, but we still know one another. You can tell without having been told that I have not fully recovered from my efforts on Velocitron, just as we can tell that something is very wrong with you."

An arm wrapping around the one ending with a dragon's head, Accellas deduced quietly, "You used your Artifact to heal yourself, didn't you?"

"And to heal Overhaul and Repugnus, changing them to their current forms. Topspin's powers were no option, and I had no assurance that they would survive long enough to return home." Draco expelled sadly, his hand patting Accellas'. "The treatments I'd been receiving were only delaying it – Topspin and I both knew as much. He knows what has happened, as does Breakaway and perhaps his brothers. None of them are pleased, but at least this way, I would be saving others."

The femme shook her head, trying to hold back her irritation and fear as she hugged her brother's arm. "How long?"

A shrug. "I'm uncertain. My spark is fading, albeit slowly. A stellar cycle, perhaps less, but no more than that."

She smiled, born of grim determination and the drive to keep going forward that was a trademark of most Velocitronians, no matter what. "Then we'll have to make every astrosecond count."

The distance between the Decagon's medical center and Iacon's embassy ward was thankfully short, giving the party from Earth more than enough time to quickly arrive and begin to refresh themselves. After a shower and a quick change into newly-cleaned duty uniforms, the Rangers and their charges were able to relax and take in their surroundings. Diana, Franklin, and Lennox were called away to attend a video conference with Defense Secretary Keller, Leobreaker relaying the message before leaving.

"Convenient that they had this set aside for us," Epps noted as he slid into a chair within a lounge area, several empty shelves and numerous pieces of furniture ranging from computer terminals to light fixtures and chairs arranged around him and his comrades. "No way was this set up for you guys though."

Mirage shook his head. "This is actually the embassy facility we had set up for the Nebulans. They're about your size, so there wasn't much trouble in adjusting things for your people."

"Wait… Nebulans?" Sam looked at the Mini-Con in surprise. "What's a Nebulan?"

"Nebulans were the inhabitants of a world on the distant edge of Cybertronian territory called Nebulos, about twenty light years or so from Earth. Pretty much the same as humans, but with plenty of quirks of their own." The Race Team leader accessed a computer terminal and quickly brought up a diagram for the soldiers. "Have a look for yourselves."

The image presented was that of a properly humanoid figure – a bipedal form, two arms and legs with a clear torso and head. The figure, however, had pale green skin, pointed ears which quickly made many of the soldiers think of a Vulcan and unusual black and yellow eyes with no discernable pupils.

"So that's an alien," Donnelly noted, tilting his head. "Kinda creepy, if you ask me."

"Well, you'd be the alien to them, sergeant." Additional information scrolled onto the screen as Mirage added, "Besides, you've got more in common with them than you'd think. We ran into them right around the time they had their first serious experiment with faster-than-light travel about a hundred Earth years ago. Not a bad people – unified world government, good education system, advanced technology and medicines. Give your planet's culture a couple centuries, and your world could resemble how theirs' was quite a bit."

Epps looked sharply at the Mini-Con, catching the past tense term. "'Was'?"

"Nebulos doesn't exist anymore," Mirage grimly explained. At the soldiers' surprised stares, he elaborated, "Unicron."

"That planet-eating evil god you guys have?" Donnelly looked from the monitor back to the Mini-Con, trying to wrap his mind around the concept of a god the size of a planet without offending their hosts. From the faces of his squad mates, they were thinking the same thing. "He ate their world?"

"We think he did, anyway. That's the big reason why finding those Keys is so important – we're running out of time."

:"Colonel, captain, allow me to congratulate you both on a job well done. I don't expect any further missions like this in the future, but I see little reason for anyone in Congress to be disappointed.":

"Thank you, Mr. Secretary." Franklin relaxed to parade rest in front of the monitor screen, relieved that the difficult part was over and that everything had gone off without a hitch. "With any luck, this is a positive beginning."

:"Once the mission reports are made public, I suspect that most will agree with you.": Keller looked to the lone civilian among the trio. :"Although a few might question the decision to take civilians into a potentially hostile environment.":

"Risk hasn't stopped things like this before," Diana quickly pointed out. "And thanks to the precautions taken, no one got hurt. That's a good thing in my book."

:"I concur, but I see little chance of it recurring soon.": Switching subjects, he continued, :"Now, I assume you've been informed of the security problem that's cropped up.":

"That virus in the Autobot communications systems." Lennox nodded. "We've been informed, sir. Anything we need to worry about?"

:"For the time being, no, but the flash drive containing the virus source code should arrive there shortly. And the sooner it's taken care of, the sooner we'll all be able to rest easy.": The older man sighed, almost looking beyond his age. :"And that may be a while yet. For now, how long until you're able to come home?":

"We'll know that once the medical scans they took of us come back, sir," the colonel explained. "Roughly an hour at most. In the meantime, we'll be transmitting the data we've gathered involving the prototype and the ruins on Animatros for analysis on Earth."

:"I'm looking forward to discussing them with the President at the next briefing.": Keller leaned forward here, his tone brightening considerably. :"Speaking of, I've spoken with him and the Joint Chiefs. A few among them are of the opinion that a colonel may not have the seniority required for your position, Michael, and have made some suggestions to change that.":

More than a little surprised, Franklin unconsciously slipped into at attention. "Anything specific, sir?"

:"Only that there's already a star in your future.": A smile crossed the older man's face. :"The paperwork's going through right now. Once you return, you're getting a promotion.":

An acknowledging nod, changing back to at ease. "Thank you, sir."

:"Don't thank me until after it's official. Until then, you still have a full bird – just make sure you come back to get it. Out.":

The signal ended, and Diana turned to the colonel with a smile growing on her face. "Congratulations, colonel… or rather, brigadier general."

Despite his own smile, Franklin held up a hand. "Don't get too excited. It's not official yet."

"Still, it's something to be proud of, sir." Lennox rose to his feet along with his superior and his charge, and followed them out of the communications suite. "And it's definitely worth celebrating."

Misha took several deep breaths in amazement, still in some disbelief that she was standing on an alien world. She looked up into the sky from outside the embassy, freshly changed into something resembling an army field uniform and remarked in amazement, "It's so much like Earth."

"Not entirely," Kicker was similarly dressed, though far less amazed than the young woman. "Sure, similar atmosphere and similar weather patterns, but nowhere near as many plants. The few that are here on Cybertron are mostly for decorative purposes or as part of this embassy's facilities. We're just lucky they don't need as much oxygen as we do."

She gave him a playful nudge. "Come on, enjoy yourself a little. We aren't in any danger; we're safe and sound, what's to be glum about?"

The young man gave a small smile. "Sorry Misha. Just kind of in a rush to get back to Earth is all."

"Nothing wrong with that." She looked back up to the sky and wondered aloud, "I almost wish it was night. I could at least see the stars and get an idea of where we are in relation to Earth."

"Actually, we aren't that far away. Cybertron's in orbit around Alpha Centauri A, putting us a little under five light years from home. Not sure about Animatros or Velocitron, but I think they're both within ten light years, just in different directions." His eyes drifting skyward, barely making out the dot that was Alpha Centauri B, Kicker added, "Still, long way to travel."

A reassuring smile and a gentle hug. "Don't worry. We'll get home soon enough."

An uneasy feeling building up inside him, Kicker admitted softly, "The sooner the better."

"Fortunately, repair work is finished at the dockyards here on Cybertron and on Brasta, so Roadblock's unit is available to head off to Velocitron or Animatros, wherever they're needed most." Optimus looked among those gathered. "The question is, where do we send them?"

"That's an easy choice – Animatros." At Scourge's surprise, Override turned to her fellow governor and explained, "You have a carefully constructed temple hiding Lemuria. It'll take a lot more work and effort to move that out of the way than it will be to deal with the mountain range over Mu. I'll send word to Brakedown and have him start on excavation work right away."

A laugh from the Decepticon dragon. "Very well, though I suggest giving the ship a different name. Historical or not, the designation 'Mu' sounds a bit silly to me."

"Nothing wrong with asking Diana for a few alternatives, assuming Accellas doesn't mind." His thoughts returning to other matters, Starscream questioned, "Speaking of repair work, has any progress been made concerning the defenses for Vector Sigma?"

Jetfire shook his head. "Best we've been able to do is have the Wreckers and Checkpoint's unit serve as security. Now that the dockyards are fixed and the search teams are back, we can reassign them and Bumblebee's team to help out."

"And the Dinobots?" Scourge questioned, skimming through one of the datapads that mentioned Grimlock's group. "Wouldn't they be useful for security purposes?"

"Yes, but we need them here for when we reunite the Keys with the Omega Lock, just in case something happens that we aren't ready for." A thought occurred to Optimus as he checked over a report. "Speaking of, with Scattorshot assisting Wirejack and Flamewar with that virus, we'll need someone to monitor the sensors."

"Shockblast should be able to fill in easily enough," reasoned the Decepticon leader. "But the sooner it all gets taken care of, the better."

"So, what do you think?"

Oil Slick looked over the sculpture before him, trying his best to maintain a neutral expression. Before his optics stood what could easily be described as a molten pile of metal, warped and twisted about to resemble something between a mushroom cloud and a geyser, bright colors mixed with the sculpture's natural metallic hues. "It's… well, it's…"

"Eh, don't worry about it. I don't expect everyone to get my art." Runamuck turned to the purple Decepticon, hope visible in his deep red optics. "Still, you think there's a place for it in that exhibition?"

One of many initiatives that had been launched following the official first contact between Cybertronians and humanity was an effort towards cultural understanding through the arts. Thanks in large part to Earth's radio transmissions, the population of Cybertron and its colony worlds had received a healthy dose of human culture, albeit without context. Meanwhile, humanity had remained in the dark about Cybertronian music, artwork and theatre. And following his release from imprisonment and placement in parole, Oil Slick had been appointed to help set up a traveling exhibition of Cybertronian art for human consumption.

"Well, we are trying to cram in almost nine million Terran years of work into this. Still, there's so little modern art to go around…" He looked to the eager artist, a smile on his face. "I think we can find a place for it."

The artist gave an enthusiastic laugh. "Great. I'll pack it up and have it ready to be shipped out next mega-cycle." Turning towards his work, he added, "They ain't seen nothing until they've seen my work."

"Chill, dude." Perched on a nearby crate, Lugnutz contentedly leaned against the wall, a pleased grin on his face with foot tapping to some sort of rhythm. "Wait until the love starts being shared before you enjoy it, dig?"

Runamuck waved his friend off, still rightly pleased with himself. "Sharing your work is just as important as getting praised for it, Lugnutz. And it'll be good to show some culture."

Oil Slick diplomatically kept silent about the culture the black sedan hoped to show. "Well, I need to get the forms filled out and taken care of, so if you'll excuse me."

An enthusiastic nod from Runamuck, and the purple sedan was guided out of the compound and back onto the streets. Just glad that he'd been able to make his deal, Oil Slick made his way down the dingy alley he found himself on towards the main roads. With any luck, he'd make it back to Darkmount without incident.

"Hold, Child of Primus, and heed my warnings!"

Oil Slick halted, suppressing a groan as he was approached by a neon-orange Decepticon roughly his size, waving a copy of the Covenant of Primus about in his hands while juggling a small pile in the other (and no doubt carrying more within his subspace pocket).

"The end of days is upon us, Child! The Darkness is approaching, and threatens to consume us all!" the mech all but screamed right into Oil Slick's faceplates. "Seek salvation in Primus! Heed these words, and have faith in the Creator, lest ye be cast into the Pit!"

'Marvelous,' the former merchant thought, 'another Covenant-thumper.' They were bad enough before, but after the disappearance of Nebulos and the rumors flying about Unicron's increased activity despite very little from the press, they had gotten even worse. Best to pay them some credit and move along as quickly as possible. "I have faith," he answered dismissively. "Primus guide us."

As Oil Slick transformed and drove off, the evangelist continued calling out, "Primus guide us all, young one! Guide us all to the place where All Are One!" He turned and continued on his way for a few moments when his sensors registered another presence in the vicinity. He turned towards it and began to make his call once more… before a massive hole appeared in his chest, the edges glowing white hot before hearing the last words from his fading audio receptors.

"There is no salvation this day, fool. The end has come."

They were not expecting a betrayal such as this, especially not from one of their own. And even if they had, few deserved what had happened to Zephyra. Free-spirited and good-natured, she had never raised her voice against her siblings, meeting each with compassion and trust. Of them, she was most innocent, an artist and a dreamer. Were it any other among them, it would be a tragedy. Now, it was far worse, and promised to only continue to deteriorate.

Anger clear in her ashen optics, Terratoph charged forward, transforming to her earthmover alternate mode, intent upon avenging her sister and fully ignoring the identity of the one responsible for Zephyra's demise. Of all of them, the large femme had been closest to Zephyra, the two rarely squabbling despite their many differences. What joviality she'd expressed earlier was cast aside – now was the time for rage.

The traitor coldly watched her approach, and didn't bother to move away as the massive femme halted, seizures running through her body and forcing her back into her bipedal mode. She dropped her massive hammer as explosions flared out from within, her superstructure turning shades of grey and smoke billowing forth from her mouth as she fell.

A pulse of light pushed him back as Nova stood up, the others calling out their weapons. Despite two of his sisters being lost, he still hoped that he could reach his brother and dissuade him from his course of action. "Brother, do you not realize what you have done?"

A wave of fire and heat lanced out, melting the flying Prime's hands and disabling his pulse weapons. The betrayer kept silent as he generated a flaming whip and ensnared Nova, drawing him in as he screamed and then grabbing a hold of Nova's chest before tearing his head from his body. He then tossed the dead body at Dalvas as she shimmered back into view, a burst of flame causing the dead Nova to explode. The normally silent Dalvas Prime, still as the night, barely had time to scream as her body was torn apart and spark chamber penetrated. Aghast at what he was seeing and stumbling back from the blast, Gaeus was barely able to swing his mighty axe in time to both block the explosion and attack his traitorous brother. A steadfast worker, he knew full well what needed to be done.

The traitor dodged the massive weapon, then turned back as Hydraqua and Methius attacked, the former's trident pushing away one flaming hand as the latter's spear stood at the ready. One as placid as the waters her form had been adapted for and another a proponent of learning and wisdom, both were more than capable of defending themselves, the former now as unforgiving as a hurricane and the latter now smart enough to attack without delay. From behind, Accellas had charged and locked her arms around the betrayer's other hand, hoping to distract him as her siblings went to work. The traitor, however, was unfazed, tossing away his speedy sister before grabbing hold of his brother's spear. Spinning it about and pushing Methius away, he drove the weapon home through the water-user's chest, penetrating her spark chamber.

Hydraqua's body fell, her bright lantern-like optics going out as he pulled the spear from her chest. He turned as his target moved to retreat, Iunct carrying the Keys and Lock away at great speed, not daring to go into his vehicle mode. He could not see if the most balanced among them still had a neutral expression upon his face, or if it had given way to fear. Of no doubt was that he had clearly seen what happened to Terratoph, figured out the truth for himself, and was keen to avoid it.

His efforts would be in vain.

Within Autobase Central, numerous Cybertronians were gathered, a few parked at consoles monitoring sensor data, communications logs, and all manners of data coming in from throughout the Cybertron Alliance. Gathered together was the main leadership for the three factions, the leaders for their guests from Earth standing among the Mini-Cons at their feet. Before them on its podium, the Key of Wisdom softly glowing and connected to it was the Omega Lock.

"Sensors are primed and ready," Shockblast reported from one of the many terminals, his one clawed hand barely impeding him. "Monitor stations are on standby."

Optimus nodded. "Accellas Prime?"

The ancient femme nodded as she lifted up the softly illuminated Key of Velocity, deep red rimmed with gold and adorned by the symbol of a shifting speedometer needle, and then handed it to Override. Before the Velocitron governor could protest, she shook her head and smiled. "It may have been given to me, but you're the one we have to thank for it coming home. Go on."

Still shocked, Override carefully took hold of the key and approached the Lock. As she drew closer, the Lock began to glow a brilliant white, its connected Key in blue and the new Key in red. Just as the Key of Wisdom had done some days prior, the Key of Velocity rose from its guardian's hands, and then circled the combined artifacts before finding a slot and joining with them. The glow, on the other hand, continued.

"That's strange." Checkpoint turned to Vector Prime, surprise on his optics, "Last time, it pulsed three times before it fired off a massive wave of energy. What's different this time?"

The two military men looking at her, Diana glanced at Safeguard and Over-Run in turn. "No way was that a fake Key," the silver-and-blue Mini-Con said thoughtfully.

"It wasn't," answered Vector Prime's partner. "The Omega Lock grows more powerful with each Key that joins with it, strong enough to sense when another is nearby. It is waiting to accept it."

Passing the third Key to Scourge, Draco Prime encouraged the Decepticon dragon with a pat on the shoulder. "Go on then. 'Tis only fair."

At the cobalt dragon's urging, the Animatros governor stepped forward almost reverently, the green Key of Power forward, the face with its golden claw emblem up. As he approached, the green artifact did as its red companion had done, and rose from the dragon's hand towards the combined artifact. This time, it found its place opposite that of the Key of Velocity.

"You'll want to cover your eyes for this," Sparkplug warned the three humans, immediately prompting the trio to reach for waiting sunglasses in their jacket pockets.

The three just had enough time to slip the glasses on before the combined artifact let out a brilliant burst of light, prompting the three humans to shield their faces in reflex with startled yelps.

A momentary burst of static went over the communications screen, prompting Bud to stop in mid-sentence. :"Whoa… what was that?":

"I think that was something on our end," Coby assured his brother. "I think the 'Bots have got the Keys plugged into the Omega Lock."

:"Worth the static, then,": High Wire chimed in at the opposite end. :"It sounds as if everyone had an eventful time off-world.":

:"No kidding!": Rad pushed his head in. :"What you said about Hot Shot sounding like me now, how'd that happen? I mean, if he did it on purpose…!":

Alexis managed to pull her overeager classmate aside, allowing the younger Hansen sibling to continue. :"Listen, bro, you gotta give us the full scoop when you get back. Write down the details, record everything, do whatever you have to, just make sure you tell us everything when we see you come through that Stargate thing, you got that?":

"Hey, what about me?" Lori pushed herself against Coby as she made her protest. "Coby isn't out here by himself, Bud. And it's a space bridge, not a Stargate."

:"Same diff. And I'm not worried about you forgetting anything, Lori, just you distracting him from remembering all the cool stuff.":

Before Lori could protest or Bud could elaborate further, Carlos jumped in, :"What Bud means is, make sure you get back safely. No point having a story to hear if we don't have you two to tell it, eh hombres?":

A confident thumbs-up to emphasize his point, Coby assured the kids back on Earth, "No sweat. We'll be back before you know it."

Shockblast's lone optic swept over the sensor screens before him, methodically searching to make certain that he had missed nothing. The cyclopean Decepticon finally determined that nothing was in error before turning to the gathered leadership. "So far as I can ascertain, nothing is wrong with the sensors. We have not picked up any receiving signals as we did before."

Starscream raised an optic ridge at his siblings, and as one the three looked to the ancient Primes, the two governors and other authority figures doing likewise. "Any ideas?"

The three ancients glanced among themselves, seemingly without an answer, before Accellas reasoned out loud, "There was a reaction each time one of the Artifacts came in contact with one another, right?"

"Yes, first on Earth after the Omega Lock was recovered and in the presence of myself and Optimus. It reacted to the Matrix and the ChronoSaber…"

"Sparking a reaction with the individual Keys in Atlantis, Mu and Lemuria," Draco continued, picking up where Vector left off. "Each time, the reactions grew stronger. And the reason we aren't picking up the remaining Key…"

The realization hit them just as the humans among them spoke up. "Distance!"

Optics turned towards the gathered humans as Diana elaborated, "There were reactions on Earth, Velocitron and Animatros – we all saw them, but we only found out about the ones on the colony worlds because of the communications lines."

"Yes, we obviously reported on the energy spikes, but I fail to see how that relates to this," Scourge noted, impatience beginning to grow in his voice.

"But you could report it, that's the important thing." Lennox picked up on Diana's thought as he explained, "Wherever that last Key is, there's either no one there to tell us about it, or they don't have the means to talk to us."

"The communication relay satellites are equipped with sensors, and were programmed to pick up on the energy from the Artifacts." Shockblast nodded at the humans, beginning to understand their reasoning. "We accept that all seven Artifacts are required to defeat Unicron, and that Unicron is aware of this. We accept that if the remaining Artifact, the Key of Unity, was destroyed, Unicron would most likely not bother to attempt to destroy the Matrix, as has been done previously. This suggests that he does not know where the Key rests, because if so…"

"He would have targeted whatever was easiest." Realization dawning, Optimus declared, "We aren't picking it up because it isn't there – we're not picking it up because it's out of range!"

"Which helps us how?" Scourge asked, trying to maintain measured tones. "Assuming it is indeed still in existence, how are we supposed to find something when we have no idea where it is?"

"We know where it isn't," Override pointed out. "It isn't inside of the Cybertron Alliance's borders, or the network would've picked it up."

"But the borders only extend two parsecs outwards from a given star system containing a Cybertronian-settled world or a protectorate system. That only covers so much territory, and even if we assume that it's still inside this galaxy, that leaves a great deal of space to cover." Starscream turned back from his fellow Transformers to the trio of humans. "As you say on Earth, it's a needle in a haystack."

"It's better than…"

Franklin's response was interrupted as several of the surrounding sensor screens started flashing out of control. Shockblast turned back to his monitors as many of the assorted Autobots at their workstations furiously attempted to figure out what was going on.

Warning klaxons blared within the command center for Autobase Earth, Sideswipe frantically checking over his terminal as a comm.-line came in. :"Scavenger, Sideswipe, what's going on?! We were talking with Coby and Lori, and then the screen suddenly went black!":

"We're working on it, Rad," the bulldozer assured. "For now, all of you need to stick to the lounge – you're safest there until we can figure out what's going on." The line ending there, he then barked, "Sit rep!"

"We're cut off from Cybertron," the sedan explained. "Communications lines have gone dead – they aren't sending out any messages, and it doesn't look like anything's getting through. I've checked and there's nothing wrong here so whatever's going on, it's at their end."

Keying in his own communicator, Scavenger asked, "Smokescreen, what about the space bridge?"

:"No luck, it's down too. Rhinox is checking it over, but it doesn't look like a mechanical or program failure.":

"Run a full diagnostic just in case." That line closed, he turned to his fellow commanders. "Anyone else feeling a little uneasy at all this?"

"It's hard not to," Thundercracker admitted. "You don't suppose it's that virus they were checking for going active?"

Before Scavenger could answer one way or another, Sideswipe called out, "We've got word in from the Axalon! Same problems as us! I'm getting similar reports in from nearby outposts!"

"Then whatever's going on is only affecting Cybertron." Before he could get back in touch with his staff, Scavenger was interrupted as the command center's doors slid open. "Mr. Secretary. I thought you were leaving."

"The President's going to want to remain informed about this, Scavenger." A familiar pair of computer specialists coming in behind him, Keller added, "Also, I thought you'd need to speak with these two."

Relief clear on his face, Scavenger nodded. "Ms. Madsen, Mr. Whitmann, welcome to Autobase Earth."

Awe remained on Glen's bespectacled face as he looked around like a kid in a candy store. "Man, two secret bases in one day… I must have some real good karma."

"We'll give you the guided tour later," Thundercracker assured the hacker. "Our communications problem and the space bridge being disconnected. Is this that virus or what?"

"No way." Maggie took several quick glances around before turning serious. "The way that virus worked, it took down all your communications. You've still got contact with the ship in orbit, so whatever's going on isn't connected to it. Besides, if what happened at Sector 7's any indication, you'd have exploding communications terminals right now."

"If it's not the virus, then the signals coming out from Cybertron are being jammed somehow." Eyes and optics turning to Sideswipe, he explained, "It's the only thing that makes sense to me, anyway."

"They may both have the same cause." All turned as Sentinel Maximus gravely added, "The teams on Velocitron and Animatros have just successfully retrieved the two Keys on those worlds. Six of the seven artifacts have been gathered in one place. Who has a motive to make certain they don't get put into play?"

"The primary planetary communications grid is down," Shockblast reported, his one hand dancing over the console while the part of him that was connected to the virtual portion dealt out other commands. "I'm switching to secondary systems so as to allow our internal radios and the relay grid to still function, but we will be without interstellar communications for the interim."

"We'll worry about that later." Optimus quickly keyed in his own communicator. "Scattorshot, has that virus gone active?"

:"Negative, Optimus – the virus is still dormant. Whatever's causin' this mess, that ain't the culprit. Chances are the primary grid's bein' jammed.":

"Can we identify whatever's jamming it?"

:"Wire's workin' on… hang on, he's got it.":

Scattorshot's slightly nervous drawl was quickly replaced by his junior's firm, if somewhat worried, voice. :"Sir, we've got a lock on the jamming signal. We can't cancel it out, but it's in the databanks – part of the sensor logs salvaged from the Exodus.":

"Understood. Keep us posted just in case." That signal closed, Optimus quickly got to business. "Issue a planetary alert – I want all civilians inside shelters and all security forces on high alert! Magnus, Swerve, Checkpoint, Bumblebee, Jazz, Roadblock, with your units, immediately! Hot Shot, Wheeljack, get our guests back to the embassy, now! Planetary sensors online and–!" Shockblast's console blared off a warning once more. "What now?"

"Warp gates forming over Iacon, the Tagon Heights, the Hydrax Plateau, Polyhex and Kaon," the purple Decepticon answered, already sorting out the incoming messages according to priority level. "We have visuals."

On several consoles, live footage began streaming in as massive fiery rings of energy formed in the skies above the Cybertronian states, familiar forms pouring out from them in hordes.

Diana's eyes widened in recognition. "Scrapmetals."

The Autobot leader's optics narrowed. "Unicron."

Over the skies of Polyhex, numerous red, yellow and blue spider tanks descended upon the city even as defense grids went active, many of the drones being destroyed in the attack while others landed and began tearing apart whatever was closest.

Just seconds after the Scrapmetals began to land, Sideways shifted into view above the city and surveyed it. "Well, this is an excellent start. How long until they send out the welcome wagon, do you suppose?"

:"Too long,": Dreadwing answered back. :"But it is not our place to watch the carnage. We must participate.":

"Yeah, yeah." The herald shifted to his vehicle mode and began darting through the air. "Don't let our new pet out just yet. I'm on my way."

As warning klaxons blared within the command center, Starscream narrowed his optics uneasily as he looked upon the sensor readings. "Optimus, we need to get more forces into play. As uneasy as I am to suggest it, we need the Wreckers and the Security Forces on the field."

Despite not being happy about that option, the Autobot leader nodded. "Redirect the Wreckers to Polyhex and Checkpoint's team to the Tagon Heights."

As the modern Prime and his brothers began directing troops, the three ancients looked amongst themselves. "A full scale attack now? No way is this a coincidence."

"I agree, sister, but something about this bothers me." Vector looked to the Omega Lock. "While destroying one of the Artifacts is possible, it would take far more than these Scrapmetals to do so. They are a distraction."

"A distraction for what? A strike on the Omega Lock or the Keys would be disastrous, but they're hardly vulnerable." His optics widening, Draco immediately realized the answer to his own question. "No. Its defenses…"

"Its defenses are weakened, and not made to withstand anything we could unleash. And he remains unaccounted for." Grim determination clear in his optics, he turned to leave. "We cannot risk anyone else in this matter. This is old business, and we must be the ones to settle things."

Draco and Accellas shared a quick look between themselves before following their second-oldest brother. Just before the doors could slide shut behind them, however, a deep blue hand kept the doors open.

"And where do the three of you think you're going?"

The doors slid back open as the trio turned, Optimus looking upon them with Jetfire and Starscream at his sides, their assorted Mini-Con partners and Safeguard at their feet.

"Where none of you should follow," Vector replied. "This is…"

"Important, if you're leaving us to deal with a full scale invasion." The ancient's Mini-Con partner looked up, optics searching his partner. "You don't do things without a reason, Vector Prime."

Exchanged looks among themselves, and the second-eldest Prime relented. "Vector Sigma is in danger."

"And you're letting us redirect troops away from its defense? What kind of–?"

"Were they to have remained, they would have been massacred." Jetfire halted his protest as Draco continued, "As you all know, you cannot warp directly into the Vector Sigma chamber – you have to follow the tunnels to enter it. This attack is little more than a distraction to allow for attention to be drawn away from the tunnel entrances leading to it, enabling an agent to enter and destroy it."

"But all of Unicron's heralds are without sparks – if they approached Vector Sigma, they'd be given life by it."

"Only if they don't already have a spark themselves, Starscream," Accellas corrected the Decepticon Seeker.

Realization dawned upon the younger three siblings and their partners. Determination growing on his face, Optimus nodded. "Fine. But you aren't going alone." Pausing near his fellow Primes, the Autobot leader turned back to the remaining commanding officers. "Jetfire, Starscream, Sparkplug, stay here and coordinate the defense. Make certain the Omega Lock is protected, no matter what."

A nod from the Decepticon flier. "Understood. Good luck."

The doors slid shut between them, and the two leaders and the gathered partners turned back to their own problems. They all had a role to play if the day was to be won.

Explosions rang out as several Scrapmetals exploded, Lugnutz continuing to open fire upon them. "And here Dutch and I were getting into a real mellow!"

"Less jiving, more shooting!" Runamuck aided his old friend with shots from his own gun, blowing away several Scrapmetals as Oil Slick sped back to them in relative safety. "You alright?!"

"Slagging lucky is more like it, and that's more than I can say for that Covenant fundie back there!" Transforming and whipping out his own gun, he added to the fire. "We need to get out of here and get to Darkmount! That's the safest place!"

"And leave my art to these scraplets?!" the black sedan protested. "No fragging way!"

"Dude, I don't think your art is on their menu!" A few more shots as the Scrapmetals approached. "'Sides, if we get to riding, we can lure 'em away and get help!"

"Unless you can think of a better option!"

Runamuck thought for a moment before releasing an aggravated sound, and with one final shot took out an incoming Scrapmetal before peeling off. Oil Slick and Lugnutz quickly followed as the Scrapmetals continued after them.

Within Polyhex, the Scrapmetals continued their march, crawling up the sides of buildings and tearing away at communications arrays and scanners. Already hampered thanks to jamming, the planet's communications grid grew ever weaker as the drones continued their attack. One managed to tear through a transmitter before a quick laser burst turned it into a smoldering pile.

"Roulette, Shadow Stalker, keep those Scrapmetals away from the transmission towers! Sunstreaker, Swerve, Roadhandler, keep with them and provide cover! Whirl, Air Raid, Fireflight, stay low to the ground and stick close! Stockade, Knock Out, with me!" His own guns already letting loose, Ultra Magnus roared, "Wreck and Rule!"

As one, the gathered unit opened fire, several Scrapmetals falling in the initial volley. Several drones began to notice their comrades' destruction and en masse, began directing their attention towards the strike team.

"Looks like we've gotten their attention." The yellow Lamborghini gave his now smaller comrade a sidelong glance. "Think that new body of yours is up to this?"

Swerve activated his Cyber Key system for the first time and his gun changed modes, letting loose a more powerful shot into the oncoming masses. "Just point me in the right direction."

"Shame this party came when it did – Springer and Roadbuster would've loved this!" Air Raid's missiles screamed out as the oncoming hordes approached, the small F-117 continuing with bursts from his arm-mounted guns.

A rare grin found itself on Stockade's face, the old warrior more than comfortable in the thick of things. "We'll just have to win it without them, now won't we?"

A Scrapmetal exploded and fell to the ground with legs twitching for a moment, its grip lost when it had attempted to scale a solar tower, and the gathered hordes progressed towards their newfound attackers.

"I think they've noticed us!" Inferno noted as he continued taking careful aim at his team's distant opponents.

"Duly noted!" His weapon firing hot, Checkpoint quickly snapped out orders. "Our first priority is taking these things down! Keep an optic open for civilians – they should be in the shelters, but you know how these situations go! Prowl, on our flank!"

The police racer fired off twin bursts with his long guns, downing two Scrapmetals as additional ones began marching on their position. His lone cannon firing off salvo after salvo against the incoming hordes, Landquake took a quick glance down at the Mini-Con team supporting them. "You all good to go here?"

Divebomb answered the Autobot with a proud look in his optics, Strongarm and Firebot adding fire beside him. "After missing out on your recent trip to Vector Sigma? No way are we putting this aside! We're with you!"

"Speaking of, shouldn't we be Powerlinked with all of you?"

"The more single troops we've got out here, the better!" Quickstrike unleashed a massive burst against oncoming drones as he answered the Mini-Con fire engine's question. "And the way I figure it, you three are just as valuable as any of us!"

"Yeah, like they say – size doesn't matter!" A flash of blue and silver energy, and missiles were revealed and fired off from within Armorhide's chest, leaving their attackers as little more than piles of scrap. "And we'll need all the help we can get!"

Each explosion heralded the destruction of another Scrapmetal, many more crawling over the corpse to get to their targets. Along with the rest of the Autobot Corps of Engineers, Grimlock found himself in the Hydrax Plateau, working to stem the tide. "Look out, here comes trouble!"

"I'm starting to really hate these things!" Longrack's right arm shot out, grabbing hard onto an approaching drone and crushing its head before tossing it into the oncoming hordes. "Bad enough they're trying to scrap us, but you just know we're going to be stuck cleaning up this mess!"

"Better cleaning it up than being a part of it!" Fully Powerlinked with the Exploration Team, Treadbolt laid down fire from his cannon even as he smashed into approaching Scrapmetals. Although they had considered remaining separated, the yellow bulldozer and the three Mini-Cons were able to cover a much larger range when they were linked up.

As much as he appreciated his team's determination, Roadblock couldn't help but be a little uneasy. His unit was made up of architects and engineers, not soldiers – they could fight, no argument, but they weren't anywhere near the same level of skill or practice as some of the other units in the Autobot military. Still, they had a job that needed doing, and they were going to do it.

"I'm sick of this! Landfill should be able to stomp these guys into scrap!"

"And give them a bigger target!" the crane almost waspishly reprimanded the younger Autobot as he continued firing into their approaching enemies. "I'll give you points for enthusiasm, Wedge, but right now, Mini-Cons excluded, we need numbers, not a combiner! Once these things thin down, THEN we can combine, but not before!"

"Okay," the young bulldozer said disappointedly.

Heavy Load laughed as he tore aside several drones with his claw weapon. "Cheer up, kid – we've got plenty of time!"

Both guns firing into the approaching hordes, Hightower pointed out, "Let's not waste any, shall we? Less talking, more working!"

:"We can get everyone onto the ship in a few cycles. Getting to Cybertron–":

"Negative, Rodimus. We aren't going anywhere."

The cavalier boggled at Scavenger's words. :"You're kidding, right? Cybertron's in danger – we can't just abandon it!":

"We aren't. But there's more at stake here than just Cybertron." The old bulldozer gravely studied the communications screen before looking back to the young starship commander's image. "Whatever it is, Unicron or not, if Cybertron falls, someone needs to be here to protect Earth. We need to think as much about tomorrow as we do today. That's our job, Rodimus."

Rodimus looked as if he were about to protest his superior's words, and then bowed his head in acceptance. :"I hope you're making the right choice, old mech. Axalon out.":

The screen flashed off as Thundercracker asked, "Are we sure that it is Unicron? We don't exactly have an easy way to confirm it."

"I doubt that it's Unicron himself." Heads turned as Sentinel Maximus chimed in. "As of now, the Chaos Bringer has only acted through his heralds or other agents. The closest we've come to encountering him personally is the avatar that appeared on Velocitron."

"That doesn't exactly inspire confidence, Sentinel. What's stopping him from attacking us himself?"

"Without implementing that virus?" Scavenger shook his head. "As fond as I am of strategic thinking, I prefer my enemies to be straightforward. If Unicron was attacking directly, I'd go ahead with Rodimus's plan. But so far as we know, he isn't."

"Which leaves standing orders." The time-displaced Autobot looked to the bulldozer and assured him, "This is all we can do for now, Scavenger."

With a huff, the bulldozer crossed his arms. A thought coming to him, he added, "We might not be able to do much, but others can. Sideswipe, get me Aegis and Brasta."

"You've fought these Scrapmetal things before, right?" the Army captain asked, gritting his teeth to avoid biting his tongue when they ran over a newly created pothole.

"Where do you think Coby got the parts for that prototype mech of his?" A quick swerve to avoid incoming cannon fire forced an uncharacteristic swear out of Diana when her head knocked against the window. "Watch the driving, Wheeljack!"

"Sorry, not used to traveling with passengers. And yeah, we've fought these things before back on Earth months ago."

"The Scrapmetals formed the majority of the forces launched against the Autobots during the Battle of Longs Peak last December," Franklin quickly summarized, bracing himself when Wheeljack hit a small jump. "Unfortunately, there's a lot more of them this time."

:"And there's gonna be a lot more at this rate!": Firing blasts up ahead, Hot Shot skidded to avoid a returning shot, Wheeljack following suit in an opposite direction and jostling his passengers again. :"Unless those warp gates close up, they'll overwhelm us!":

"There's gotta be some way we can help!" Lennox protested, also bracing but making sure he didn't interfere with any of the Decepticon's pedals or wheel. "We're stuck here, we may as well lend a hand, right?!"

"Unless you can suddenly replenish all the ammo you spent on Animatros, I think you're better off sticking to the sidelines this time."

"He's right," Diana quickly pointed out, wanting to forestall an argument between the two military personnel. "I doubt we're going to find an armory inside that embassy. And even if we do, there's no guarantee we'll find weapons we know how to use."

As Wheeljack screeched to a halt, Lennox countered, "You'd be surprised how resourceful my team can be. Hell, we'll MacGyver something if we have to."

They scrambled out to find the embassy doors opening and quickly rushed inside to find Epps sprinting towards them in full gear with a large, block-like rifle in hand. Outside, the two mechs immediately got to work on shooting at the Scrapmetals. "Got good news and bad news – Mirage pointed us at an armory and Kicker gave us a crash-course on the weapons there. But I don't think they're gonna be much use against whatever the hell's attacking us in the long run."

A quick look as the archaeologist gave a surprised chuckle, and the captain nodded. "We'll have to make do then. Tell the men to take up defensive positions – find a balcony, make sure there's cover, and use it. Anything that the 'Bots shoot at, join in and hope we can help. Where are the other kids?"

"Taking shelter deeper inside. We gave Kicker what we had left of the sabot rounds and two launchers for 'em."

"The doctor and I'll get in there with them and try to maintain contact." Leading Diana away, Franklin turned to Lennox. "Good luck captain. Hopefully, I won't be the only one seeing a promotion after today."

"Just as long as none of 'em are posthumous, sir." The captain then went off with his second to retrieve his gear, the colonel leading Diana towards the inner chambers of the embassy, all of them hoping that Lennox's fears – and subsequently their own – would go unrealized.

Outside the embassy, Hot Shot opened fire against the incoming Scrapmetals, Wheeljack blocking fire from their attackers with a new pair of stun batons. From a pair of balconies, the members of Lennox's squad provided support, joined by the Street Speed and Sky Defense teams as well as the bulks' partners.

"Out of one fire and into another," the Decepticon remarked. "It's a good thing you learn a new body fast!"

"I should, all the times I change up!" A quick laugh between the two before Hot Shot sent a grenade flying at an oncoming Scrapmetal. "I thought the Dinobots were still here in Iacon! Where are they?!"

A loud explosion caught their attention as Jolt chimed in from their feet, "I'd say that answered your question!"

In the distance, Scrapmetals were being plowed aside as Triceratron rammed his way through the oncoming hordes, the rest of the Dinobots following in his wake. The Triceratops transformed as they reached the thick of the swarm and unleashed a massive amount of flame upon the gathered masses, his unit quickly joining in to support him.

"Scrapmetals – apt name!" Grimlock skewered one upon the bayonet on his cannon before violently shaking it off and opening fire. "They be scrap metal when we done!"

"Assuming we can hold them off!" Slapper batted one aside with the end of his club as he shot at others. "Times like this, I think we could use a recruitment drive!"

"Seven Dinobots are more than a match for a mess of scrap heaps like these, proto!" Snarl brushed a couple aside with his tail weapon before opening it and letting loose a massive laser burst. "Besides, odds like this make the job more fun!"

"Still no luck – we can't penetrate those warp gates." Chromia tried her best to keep calm, but the situation was anything but pleasant. She sorely wanted to jump right into the action, so much that it grated on her neural circuits, but without any full knowledge of what was happening, she knew it would be suicide. "Sorry, Scavenger. We can't do much to help on our end."

:"Relax. Getting frustrated isn't going to help.": As calming as the bulldozer's voice was as it came over the monitor screens in Aegis' control center, it was only so useful in maintaining calm. :"Anything on the sensor data?":

"Not much – as near as we can figure, these things work like space bridges. Good news is they're being projected out here from a fixed point in space, and with no return portal, they're one way. Bad news is they're a lot more powerful than any space bridge connection we've ever used in the past, and putting out a lot of background radiation – that's what's killing communications to and from Cybertron."

:"Can we neutralize the portals?": the bulldozer posed the question hopefully.

"Possibly, but we'd need a similar broadcast frequency, and a lot of power behind it. We might be able to provide the power, but without that frequency we have nothing."

A fleeting glimpse of disappointment before he hid it behind professionalism. :"Send us what data you have – we'll try to narrow it down for you. In the meantime, call up as many troops as you can. The instant those warp gates are taken out, they need to dispatch to Cybertron.":

"Understood - streaming data now. Good luck."

A confirming nod from Scavenger, and the signal cut off.

"That's it? We're supposed to wait on our skidplates and hope those portals go away?" Hightail could barely restrain a growl as he looked at the status screens. "Sitting back and waiting isn't gonna help."

"Unless you can come up with another option, I can't think of much else to do beyond what Scavenger ordered." Moving to one side of her console, the femme noted, "And that's exactly what I'm going to do. Someone will find something that can get rid of those warp gates, and when that happens, we're sending everyone we can in to help."

The Earth-born Autobot watched her for a moment, and then pulled out his rifle to make sure it was in working order. "Here's hoping you're right."

"You really think that thing's gonna be safe in here?"

"You got any other options?" Jetfire set the Omega Lock in Scattorshot's surprised arms, and looked to Wirejack and Flamewar as they quickly went over sensor data. Most of the other computer techs and engineers had either left to help out on the evacuations or to join in the defenses when the alarm came through. "Any luck?"

"Sorry, no." The young hacker looked over the readouts, listing their attempts so far. "Boosting signals won't work; using a countersignal against the jam's doing little good, trying to work around it gets me nothing… I think we've done all we can from the technical end."

"Then unless you can come up with something else, keep the Omega Lock safe."

The small blue Autobot tank was practically aghast. "Us, protectin' this?!"

"The Dinobots are out on the field, everyone inside the command center's trying to coordinate the defense, and you three have done all you can for now about that virus. Besides, between the three of you, I think it'll be okay. Hang tight." The Autobot Vice Commander patted Scattorshot before rushing out, leaving the trio looking at each other and the Lock.

"Three of us, guardin' this…" Scattorshot nervously shook as he considered the item in his arms. "We're…"

"…A walking arsenal techie, a skilled flier and fairly capable swordfighter who is even more of a computer techie, and one of the most canny and experienced Decepticons to ever fight on any side of this war." Pulling her weapon from storage, Flamewar gave a confident smirk. "I'd say it's in good hands."

Automatic turrets sent laser bursts firing skywards all around Darkmount as Scrapmetals continued to descend, Sharkticon joining in alongside the Land Military Team. "Here I was hoping we'd seen the last of these things on Earth."

"I think we can take 'em!" Knock-Out bellowed proudly.

"You always think we can take them!" Wreckage countered exasperatedly.

Despite himself, the Decepticon shark couldn't help but enjoy the Mini-Cons' banter. "Glad you three are so confident, but if banter was all we needed, we'd already…" He caught sight of something in the distance. "Brawl, we got incoming!"

The heavy Abrams tank marched forward, taking the opportunity to fire a few stray shots from his missile banks upon the descending Scrapmetals before quickly noticing the oncoming sedans and motorcycle. "Marvelous. Oil Slick couldn't have led them here a few cycles earlier?" He raised his right arm, long cannon taking aim, and blew away several drones in the trio's path. "Sixshot, we have arrivals. We letting them in?"

:"What makes you think we aren't?":

A shrug. "Just checking. Open it up!"

The fortress's central entrance slid open, a section of the force fields fading out of existence just seconds before the trio entered and fading back in with their entrance. The three transformed and Oil Slick waved to the tank. "Perfect timing!"

"Don't make us regret letting you in!" Brawl called back before firing off another salvo. "Sixshot, any help coming?"

"Wish I could say for certain one way or another, but communications are choppy at best right now." Sixshot's single green optic swept over his screen as he went over his console, a small part of him glad to be deep within Darkmount's confines. "The 'Bots still have troops going out, but don't expect us to be getting any assistance for a while."

A growl over the comm.-line. :"Perfect. Keep me informed.":

"Copy that." His lone claw danced over the controls as he shook his head. "Autoguns are still active, but they don't seem to be doing much good against these things."

"The civilian population is safe, yes?"

"That's the good news, thankfully – they made it to the shelters just fine." He tilted his head, antennae swiveling thoughtfully. "Wreckage, do you think we might want to try asking some of the prisoners for assistance? Terrablast obviously isn't an option…"

"We're already acting on that idea." The Decepticon troop carrier narrowed his optics as he looked over several monitor screens of the siege. "I wouldn't expect any miracles, however. The few prisoners we have left don't have much in the way of patriotism to call on, and I doubt they'd be willing to give us much help."

"You expect us to help you pathetic scrap heaps?" Dreadwing laughed, unimpressed with his fellow Mini-Con's arguments. "Why help you?"

"Because our world is in danger. Because the lives of yourselves and your fellow Mini-Cons are at stake. Because you are needed."

"And because you cowards clearly don't have what it takes to defend yourselves," Sledge mocked, prompting his teammates to snicker to themselves.

Inferno made to lunge at the mech, only to be stopped by Terradive physically holding him in check. Noticing them out of the corner of his optic, Gunbarrel quietly chose to ignore the derision from the Demolition Team and continue his argument. Under normal circumstances, the enemy Mini-Cons would be held in stasis, communicating with the outside world via holo-avatars, but no such devices scaled for Mini-Con use had ever been made, forcing their jailers to make do with minimum-security cells. "You've been imprisoned since your capture on Cobra Island. Megatron has no interest in helping you or anyone but himself, and Dualor has been dead for some time. Why continue to follow a leader who cares nothing for your wellbeing?"

"Why continue to follow cowards and fools who accomplish nothing that they promise?" The leader of the Dirt Digger Team examined his counterpart from the Air Military Team closely, his optics sweeping over the cargo jet's many self-performed decorations. "You carry the marks of a brave warrior, Gunbarrel. Why waste your time and effort aiding one who would betray his brothers, or one who would willingly send his people into exile? We have nothing to gain from supporting them."

The red Mini-Con jet didn't answer, and simply motioned for his associates to follow as he departed. Inferno was the last to exit the holding cells, his oversized missile launcher pointed at the imprisoned Cybertronians in proud defiance.

"Forgive my forwardness, sir, but I don't think that accomplished anything." Thunderwing walked beside his leader, trying his best to sound respectful despite his complaints. "I doubt they'll ever care about anything other than themselves."

"Unfortunately, that's a fair assessment. I hoped we'd at least have the Predator Attack Team to aid us in this battle…"

"We're better off, considering how much trouble we'd have keeping them down once this mess ends." Bitterness was clear in both Inferno's normal optic as well as his monocle-like targeting sight. "Those three are worse than Repugnus – at least he has some warped loyalty to the 'Bots."

"Indeed. Still, they are not the only prisoners here." The quartet quickly entered another chamber, its walls lined with bulk-sized stasis chambers, and the Air Military Team's leader looked up towards where the projections of their occupants would be shortly. "Decepticon prisoners. I'd like a word with you."

Six projections came online, the faces of what remained of Galvatron's forces on Cybertron looking down upon the gathered Mini-Cons. Swindle's gaze was one of a thug sizing up an easy target, but his expression was the only one with clear intent against them. Wind Sheer looked at them with some slight fear, his fellow Cyberjet doing likewise with little intelligence in his projected optics. Dreadwind's face was that of his constant gloom, while his partner Smokejumper looked upon them with some eagerness. Hardtop's expression was neutral, suggesting nothing.

"You've no doubt noticed that the news feeds going into your chambers are disabled. The reason is simple – Cybertron is under attack, and communications are being jammed. Decepticons, I ask you to forget about past allegiances and focus upon the needs of the present. Your world needs you – will you defend it?"

The six remained silent before Dreadwind rolled his optics. "What's our world done for us lately? We have no reason to help–"

"I'm in."

Optics turned in surprise towards Hardtop.

"You're helping them? How the slag can you help them?! They'll just throw you back in here when this is done!"

The sniper didn't answer as Gunbarrel produced a key to the stasis chamber and unlocked the hatch. The chamber opened, and he began to test his systems even as his optics slowly came online. "Where's Stalker?"

The Mini-Con couldn't help but give the closest thing he had to a smile. "Aiding the Wreckers in Polyhex. She's fine, so far as we know, but we can't worry about that right now – defending Kaon's our first priority."

"Any ideas concerning the communications blackout?"

"Some kind of interference, most likely caused by the warp gates spitting out those Scrapmetals. It's not gonna go away any time soon."

"Then we'd better make sure we're around to talk to once it does go away. Take me where I need to go."

The Mini-Cons led the Decepticon out as Swindle continued calling out, "Worthless slagheap traitor! When I get out of this, I'll find you and–!"

"I shot down Ultra Magnus," came the cool response, Hardtop not even looking back at his cousin as he paused at the threshold. "I regret that, and I'm not doing it again, but I still did it. Don't think I can't do it to you too."

For once in his lifetime, the Decepticon berserker was stunned into silence.

His optic band sweeping over several monitor screens, Jetfire couldn't help but feel uneasy, despite the confidence he had shown earlier to the computer techs. "Please tell me you've got something."

"Unfortunately, what I have does not bode well." Smaller screens flashed onto Shockblast's monitor, displaying the five active warp gates above Cybertron. "The gates show no sign of ending, and I know of no way to close them. And the longer they remain open, the more Scrapmetals will be released upon Cybertron."

"And asking them to leave obviously isn't an option." The Autobot Vice Commander quickly posited, "I don't suppose the sensor grid can tell the difference between a Scrapmetal and one of the Heralds."

"To the sensors, one mechanoid without a spark is the same as any other, Jetfire." Recent experiences still fresh in his processor, Starscream added, "Clearly, they don't know everything."

"Obviously." Activating his comm.-line, he added, "All units, keep your optics online and active – Nemesis Prime and that avatar might be gone, but we've still got three known Heralds worth worrying about. You see Sideways, Dreadwing, or any mech that doesn't register as a friendly, you take them out." He turned back to the Decepticon logician and asked, "Think we can manage another orbital jump?"

"Doubtful. Also unwise, given the heavy concentration of attackers here. We will need as many mechs defending this position and the Omega Lock as possible."

"The Omega Sentinels – we have contingents in each city…!"

"But no reliable means to coordinate them this effectively outside of Iacon, and hundreds of Scrapmetals smaller than us attacking would leave them overwhelmed sooner or later." Override looked glumly upon her fellow governor, his protest dying down on realizing that bit of logic. "Good idea, but no way to use it properly, not to mention maximizing their full efficiency, if those reports I read are right."

And she was right. Not long after the creation of the Omega Sentinels and following the Quintessons' expulsion from Cybertron, someone had questioned about the Sentinels' effectiveness against smaller but numerous targets. Even though the test runs were mostly battle simulations with as many varied input from the strategists and tacticians, the results were extremely less than favorable. The commands that would require successful elimination of their targets while keeping friendly fire to a minimal was nearly impossible to pull off without having the Sentinels' programming parameters come to any sort of conflict, especially if any of the Mini-Cons were out in the field. In short, the Sentinels' cannon beams were simply just too large to narrow down into something more focused to suit their needs and sheer size was already limiting on their mobility, especially if the small targets could just slip into narrow gaps. Another difficulty was planet-wide coordination on such a large scale, even if they did find enough time to parcel out who the Omega Sentinels should respond to as field commanders.

"Which means Roadblock, Magnus and Checkpoint's teams are on their own, along with the mechs in Kaon. And if we can't close those gates…"

The Seeker held up a hand – his brother didn't need to say any more.

Accellas landed with a hard thud, moving aside to allow the others to join her without hitting her. "And here I was hoping we'd avoid this particular reunion."

"We are tied together, sister, in more ways than one." Draco joined her, the remaining Primes following shortly thereafter. "Besides, I doubt anything would dissuade him."

"Which makes our journey all the more important." Vector quickly transformed and kicked his engines to the max, flying down the tunnel as fast as possible.

The two siblings did likewise, Draco taking on his familiar cobalt dragon form and Accellas that of a sleek race car. Optimus was the last to transform, keeping up with the four despite the added weight of his trailer assembly. The dragon looked at the semi in surprise. "No questions, young one?"

"I've had millions of stellar cycles to commune with the Matrix. I know what we're up against."

Without another word, the spear was thrown. It flew fast and true, its tip heading towards the center of Iunct's back, only to be stopped part of the way.

Sentinel cried out in pain as the spear tip pierced his arm, tearing through armor and circuitry. As he slid to a halt upon the ground, he pulled the weapon out, using it to stand back up. In retaliation, he opened fire with his weapons, bombarding his sibling with laser shots and mortar fire.

The traitor buckled for a second before releasing massive flames from his hands and feet, surging upwards over his sibling and towards his intended target. He crashed hard onto Iunct's back, causing the bridge builder to lose the artifacts he carried.

The clattering sounds of the four Keys and the Lock clear in his audio receptors, Iunct looked up into his sibling's eyes. "Brother, please!"

White hot flames seared on the traitor's hand, his fingers burning brighter than a thousand suns. He saw his brother's face, the pleading in his optics…and felt no remorse as he drove his open hand into Iunct's back, burning clean through his body and into his spark chamber.

The guardian slain, he looked upon the Artifacts. His hand still glowed a brilliant white, beckoning him to attack and destroy them. But that wasn't needed – only one of them needed to go in order that all would be useless.

He reached back to strike, only to be tossed aside by a beam of green energy. Rising to his feet, he saw his attacker to be Vector, supporting Sentinel. "You did not anticipate this, brother? In your gazing into the time stream, you did not see this outcome?"

To the others, it was but a brief moment. For the Keeper of Time, it was almost an eternity. He could choose to reveal what he had seen while monitoring the time stream and further devastate his siblings, or he could choose to remain silent on what will/could be and let events play out in the ways he had been able to see.

For all his scrying and desire to interfere, such meddling would result in a loss of balance that more often than not caused more harm than good. Being able to glimpse the future was enough, one of many burdens he has, and will, bear for the vorns to come.

"I see only betrayal, Iskaros." The ChronoSaber was drawn, and the Matrix took on a brilliant glow at the same time. "And I cast it from my sight, now and forever!"

A swipe of the sword just as a blast of flame and energy surged towards the duo. The blast tore into Sentinel's abdomen as a portal formed and engulfed the traitor, the former's cry of pain mixing with the latter's screams of rage.

The survivors gathered around their fallen brother, now prone upon his back. "Sentinel, you…!"

"I am not the main concern now," he weakly gasped, pointing upwards.

As they had fought their traitorous brother, Unicron had continued his approach almost unnoticed. Already, they could feel the effects of his coming, the ground beginning to shake with his approach towards Cybertron being one of them.

Methius looked up at the Chaos Bringer in fear. "We are too late. We cannot install everything in time."

"Then we must buy ourselves more time."

Gaeus turned to the oldest, shock upon his face. "Sentinel, you cannot–!"

"I am dying, brother – and if we cannot do as Primus requires now, then at least we can make sure of Primus' continued existence, and that of those to come." With his Spark already teetering on the brink, Sentinel had been briefly able to see what would happen after, and he knew that Vector knew, if not had an idea of things that'll pass. The light of the Matrix grew stronger as he looked up into the face of death, accepting his time was ending. "Creator, do not forget your children. Know that we will always honor and cherish You, and be thankful for your wisdom."

With those words, a powerful burst of bright blue light surged forth from the Matrix of Leadership, rocketing into the heavens towards their Creator's diametric opposite. The beam met its target… and a god knew pain.

The battle in Polyhex continued, further Scrapmetals dropping from the sky as the Wreckers continued to hold them off. "You know, not that this isn't fun, but shouldn't we be getting some help?"

"From who exactly?" Stockade paused, answering Swerve's question to take a few more shots at the approaching hordes. "The Dinobots are protecting Iacon, Checkpoint and Roadblock are busy with their ends, and Bumblebee's team's split between here and Brasta. Who's left to give us a hand?"

Several rounds of machinegun fire and missile salvos quickly answered the veteran's question as their cavalry arrived. Soaring in from the east, the Aerialbots swooped down, tearing through the approaching hordes with the more rambunctious ones among them shouting gleefully. The quintet circled the Wreckers for a moment before transforming and landing among them, adding their firepower in support.

Sunstreaker gave a begrudging snort. "Show offs."

"Sounding a touch ungrateful there, aren't we?" Storm Jet gave a cocky grin as he sent laser bursts flying into the oncoming hordes. "Hope you all don't mind us dropping in like this."

"Not at all – just keep low and keep close."

"And waste us being able to fly?" Sky Shadow spared a moment to shoot the Wreckers' commander a disbelieving look. "What good is us staying on the ground gonna do?"

"It keeps us away from whatever's putting those things out, for one thing!" Windrazor punctuated his argument by bashing hard against an approaching Scrapmetal with one end of his tonfa, and then opening fire upon the approaching ones for good measure. "And it wouldn't surprise me one bit if those portals went two ways!"

"My thoughts exactly – I don't want to risk losing anyone through that thing!" Keeping up the fire, Magnus ordered, "Now unless someone has a good suggestion otherwise, keep firing!"

Back in Iacon, the odds hadn't shifted all that much. While the gathered fighters were able to hold off the oncoming Scrapmetals, the horde's numbers showed little signs of dwindling. Despite that, many kept up their efforts… a few quite eagerly.

His mace swinging as he tore his way through the oncoming drones, Repugnus sang a bit to himself. "Ohhhh… one little, two little, three little scrap-heaps! Four little, five little, six little scrap-heaps! Seven little, eight little, nine little scrap heaps!" Kicking away another one, he added, "It's just no fun when they're mindless!"

His sword going through one Scrapmetal even while the wolf's head upon his opposite arm dug its teeth into a second one, Frostbite managed an amused bark. "Fun, he says!" The second drone falling apart after being bitten clean through, he then opened fire with it. "Is anyone else getting a sense of déjà vu?!"

"Yes, but consider that a good thing!" Energy pulses firing from his tail weapon, Predacon elaborated, "We survived last time, after all!"

Just as the Decepticon Tyrannosaur finished that statement, a massive silver and black form began leaping about through the crowds of Scrapmetals, charging headlong upon them. Skid-Z was the first to notice. "Look out!"

The gathered tech-orgs noticed it just as it was about to smash headlong into Predacon. It looked like Leobreaker, though with a noticeably darker color scheme, the varying shades of brown, grey, green and white replaced with silver, grey, turquoise and black. Just as Predacon moved to avoid being hit, the beast shifted targets, twin claws flipping into position as it attacked a quick-to-dodge Reptilion, and then a retaliating Cheetor.

"Where the slag did this thing come from?!" the feline Autobot yelled in shock as he fired upon it, barely dodging the black lion's claws.

Just as the beast began another charge, it found itself with another problem as Repugnus's Cyber Key weapon found itself lodged in its rear leg. "Don't know, don't care," the berserker replied. "Keep me covered, mechs – I've got some neutering to do!"

Sideways laughed as he watched the spectacle below. "Looks like they're enjoying our little Nemesis Breaker."

It had been easy to create the black lion copy, courtesy of the data obtained during the mission on Animatros and parts "provided" from the numerous Scrapmetals.

"Such is not our concern." His weapons deploying, Dreadwing reminded his fellow herald, "Our mission is."

With those words, the wraith opened fire upon a section of wall outside of the Decagon, one salvo followed by another, tearing through metal and stone with each shot from his combined weapons. After several rounds, they were through.

"Perfect – readings are getting clearer for the Omega Lock." A sinister look on his blank face, Sideways beckoned, "That way."

"We are much the same, you and I."

Soundwave remained silent. No doubt someone had figured out that the assaults on Cybertron's surface were meant as mere distraction, thus they were most likely being pursued. Granted, there was only one place of importance that they could go, but speaking would only make his presence and that of his compatriot easier to find.

Besides, he knew full well the foolishness of interrupting his comrade when he spoke.

"Long ago, the Quintessons created many hundreds of those like you, your drone partner, Sideways, and the Scrapmetals. You were made with but a simple purpose – to fight on their behalf. You were too well-suited for your purpose, and now your creators are no more. Even longer, I and my siblings were created with a simple purpose – to fight on behalf of our creator." As he studied the doors to Vector Sigma's chamber, his pose suggested one of reminiscing, but his thoughts were anything but that of wistful nostalgia. "But what was to come of us when our creator's purpose was done, when his enemy was defeated? I alone wondered over that question, and only one answer came to me… nothing."

His hands glowing white-hot, Iskaros Prime placed them upon the door, melting it with his very touch.

"We were both intended to be little more than cannon fodder, sent against the enemy and quickly dispatched. And should we survive, we would be dismantled, our lives meaningless." A contemptuous snort. "'Till all are one indeed."

The molten remnants of the door flowed down onto the floor of the chamber, the ancient Transformer drawing away the heat and rapidly cooling the slag at his feet. He stepped in, the visored blue mech following.

"What point is there in serving a master if he will send you to die? What sense is there in risking one's life, only for it to be ended by the one who gave it to you? There is none. I have not fallen in grace, but risen in awareness."

His burning optics at last looked upon the resting and inactive golden sphere that was Vector Sigma, just as he remembered it from long ago. There it stood, vulnerable, almost inviting him to end its miserable existence as the lights within the chamber slowly brightened.

"And now, in thanks to the one who opened my optics to the truth, I will end the existence of my creator, the fabricator of lies."

Before the betrayer could complete his mission, however, a powerful burst of energy tore into his back. He turned away from the spherical computer, Soundwave now missing from view, to who had attacked him. "Of course."

His forward cannons still firing, Vector Prime transformed and drew his sword, crying out as he charged upon his brother. Faster than the optics could follow, Accellas transformed and dashed towards him, even as Draco spewed forth arctic gusts from his maw.

Undeterred, Iskaros parried the ChronoSaber with the barrel to one of his arm-mounted cannons before following with a kick to Vector's abdomen. A quick side-stepping had his sister creating skid marks to avoid running into anything important, much less Vector Sigma. Lastly, a burst of heat cancelled out his remaining brother's attack creating a cloud of steam that shrouded the room before it was dissipated by a massive burst of energy that followed his counterattacks in a controlled explosion, sending the trio slamming against the chamber's walls.

"It has been a long time, brothers, sister. I'm surprised to see you all still function."

Anger was clear in the optics of the time-keeping Prime, using his sword to stand up. "We have unfinished business."

A dark laugh. "You waste my–"

The sound of gears shifting and metal moving against metal shifted their attention back to the traitor's target. As they watched, the floor beneath Vector Sigma unexpectedly opened like an iris diaphragm, and the ancient computer dropped into it. Iskaros immediately shot off a blast of plasma with an angry "NO!" before it could fully retreat, but he was too late – the computer was safely out of harm's way, and the floor closed once more. The accompanying sounds of layer upon layer of shielding snapping closed indicated that it wouldn't be as easy to reach Vector Sigma as it once was.

Close to letting loose a roar of frustration, he turned to face his siblings just as a massive diamond-hard drill slammed into his faceplate, viciously grinding into him. His hands glowing red hot, he moved to grab hold of the arm, but suddenly felt a blast of icy cold water on his right knee as the drill swung to one side, causing him to fumble back before quickly recovering. Barely even scratched by the attack, he looked upon his opponent and laughed. "I should have known. The sparkling."

"Iskaros Prime!" Defiant before him, interlocked with the drones forming his Super Mode armor, Optimus continued his offensive, numerous cannons along his assorted parts of drone armor firing off salvos against his opponent.

A dark laugh, and Iskaros retaliated, tossing the youngest Prime aside and burning away some of the armor on releasing another burst of super-heated flames. "The foolishness of youth continues to amuse me. There is more than one way to cripple one's enemy, sparkling."

Before he could continue, Iskaros was beset again by his siblings, Accellas sprinting towards him and throwing the full force of her dash behind a powerful punch, following shortly with a kick aided by momentum. As he prepared to strike back, a searing discharge of energy went over him courtesy of Draco, briefly aided by a blast from Vector. Fighting the injuries he had taken, Optimus staggered back to his feet and opened fire with his rifle.

The combined assault did little to dissuade the traitor, who laughed softly as their attacks connected. Given enough time, they would hurt him… but time was not something they had. "Fools."

A cyberhawk-like cry rang out in the chamber as a black-and-red avian-shaped drone transformed and swooped down upon the four Primes, striking hard at Accellas and tearing at her chest. That brief distraction was enough to allow Soundwave to step out of the shadows, shoulder-mounted pulse cannon firing in sync with his twin-barreled handgun to disable the remaining three. Within a few short seconds, the last bits of resistance had fallen.

"You had the sense to come here together, not one of you alone. Did you not think I had the sense to do likewise?" A mocking gaze at Optimus, followed by a slightly grandiose gesture that seemed almost negligent. "I believe you're already familiar with Soundwave, sparkling."

The herald barely regarded the Autobot leader as he looked upon his drone, the small bird jumping from Accellas' chest back in flight before transforming to a compact form and sliding into his chest cavity. "I recommend that we end them now. They're too much trouble otherwise."

"Correct… but there is something that needs to be done beforehand."

With those words, Iskaros slammed a foot on the youngest Prime's abdomen, fiery orange optics centered upon the Autobot's chest before striking hard with a burning fist. Optimus could barely stop himself from howling out in pain as his armor buckled with the blow, already weakened by the skirmish and now being pried open. After a few seconds of probing within the semi's chest, the betrayer found what he sought, dug hard, and tore it out. He had waited millennia of vorns to reach Vector Sigma – several more breems spent tying up loose threads would be but a blink of optic shutters.

Another shriek, and winces from the others, was what greeted Iskaros Prime as he held aloft the Matrix of Leadership. "Watch, siblings and sparkling, as I end your resistance once and for all."

"Are you ready?"

Maggie nodded as she slipped on her headphones. Ah, a comfort of familiarity in all the midst of craziness that had descended on her ever since her encounter with Agent Graves. "All set."

Astroscope quickly keyed in a few commands as the sensor data from Aegis came streaming in. "I'm uncertain how this will assist, Ms. Madsen."

Key clacked away as she called up the necessary programs, thoughtfully installed by the Mini-Cons. No doubt Banachek had sent the information to the Cybertronians to be prepared for anything a human computer analyst might need just in case, hacker friends or no hacker friends. "My main job with the NSA is signal processing and analysis. I know I'm an amateur compared to all of you, but…"

"But nothing – we don't turn down volunteers, especially when our home's in danger." Data streaming in, Payload quickly sent them over the shared network they were currently using. "There! Here's the data for those warp gates over Cybertron!"

His eyes going wide under his glasses, Glen began going over the signal visually, pushing up his glasses intermittently. "Man, this thing's practically through the roof! You getting anything, Maggie?"

Pressing one of the headphone pieces closer with one hand, the young woman furrowed her brows as her other hand fiddled the keyboard on amplifying and isolating what she was listening to. "Yeah, I'm definitely getting something. Astroscope, you have speakers in here, right?"

Puzzlement on the Mini-Con's face. "Yes, why?"

"Because, and I know it sounds crazy, I'm hearing something."

"Hold it, here we go…" Skyblast quickly keyed in a set of speakers.

Glen immediately sat up and took notice of the sound coming out – a low, booming noise that made him think of the fog and ship horns he occasionally heard during the few times he was visiting Coney Island or passing by the docks. "Whoa… That's definitely something." The three members of the Space Team exchanged bemused looks with each other, seemingly oblivious to the sound which prompted the hacker to ask when he noticed their confusion. "Don't tell me you guys can't hear that."

"We can't," Astroscope replied in amazement, mentally berating himself at the same moment. He had almost forgotten that certain organics had different levels of hearing and depending on the species or individual, most were able to hear sounds that would be below regular Cybertronian auditory reception, short of those that practically specialized in sound and those were rare. "However, the computers can still register it. With any luck, we can find a frequency which can counter… Well, well…" Before the two hackers could ask, he pulled up a different recording. "We don't need to find it – we already have it. There is a perfect source for an alternate frequency available, and it's already on Cybertron. It's the Omega Lock!"

At the puzzled expressions of the humans, Payload explained, "Holy artifact, long story." He keyed in his communicator. "Scavenger, we've got news. The Omega Lock can counter those warp gates. Now the problem is letting them know."

Deep inside of the embassy, the sounds of battle were barely audible. That did little to keep spirits up for those present, however. All four teens had read about sieges but never thought of having to go through it, although the time-displaced Jones had the slight advantage of experience on having been pinned down with the Autobots by enemy fire more than once.

"Two sieges in one day." Diana leaned against one wall with arms crossed, head tilted back. "There's a record I'd rather not boast about."

"Believe me, there's worse things to live through." Kicker slumped against one wall, the weaponry he'd been given put aside but kept close at hand. "Here I was hoping we'd be able to avoid something like this."

"Aren't you guys being a little negative? I mean, I've seen these Scrapmetal things, they aren't that powerful."

"We're facing an unknown number of them, Lori. With enough numbers and enough time, any battle can be won." Franklin was the only one standing, rifle in hand as he placed his radio onto a chair. "Believe me, I'm in no way comfortable with this. Unfortunately, there's not much we can do. Without any better weapons or a way of stemming the tide, we'd be more of a hindrance than a help."

Lori made a strangled sound. "What about that piloted Scrapmetal of Coby's? Doesn't it have weapon systems?"

"Yeah, but the ones on mine are disconnected – I was more worried about making sure it could move and transform than fight." Out of habit, and probably something to keep his mind occupied other than the outside battle, Coby had taken to arranging and rearranging his tool kit. Kicker had offered him one of the rifles but the young mechanic turned it down, on the basis that he was more liable to shoot someone by accident. "And the weapons these things use are pretty much the same as the Transformers – neutralizing them would just leave the 'Bots in a worse position than before, assuming we could."

Misha looked to Kicker and Diana, hoping that one of them could assure her. "Then, there's nothing we can do?"

The eldest female raised her hands helplessly. "Nothing for the time being, save hope."

Nemesis Breaker roared as it charged once more upon Repugnus. The berserker, in turn, stood his ground, jumping just before the beast hit him and clawing deep into its optics, a pained yowl rewarding his efforts. He was shaken off and rolled to the ground as the beast tried to recover its visual reception.

"For all the talk I've heard of these heralds, I can't help but be unimpressed!" The feline swiped, prompting another dodge. "All talk, no action!" A Scrapmetal slamming into his opponent from one side, he added, "And no peripheral vision!"

"I wouldn't talk too loudly!" Webbing up another drone to send it flying into the feline herald, Crystal Widow continued, "You're tempting fate as it is!" When not tangling the Scrapmetals around her, the tech-org hybrid had taken to practically dancing with her webbing, streams of the purple material snaking through the air with precision that avoided her allies while making the drones into easier targets for them to take down.

A laugh from the tech-org. "I've been doing it for vorns! It knows to keep its distance!"

Another strike from his Cyber Key weapon reminding it of Repugnus' presence, Nemesis Breaker ignored the femme in favor of the saurian mech and continued against him. The spider, somewhat assured, returned her attention to the Scrapmetals, and hoped that the others were holding the line as well as they were.

A random shot from one of the Scrapmetals grazing his shoulder, Hot Shot winced and continued to return fire. "I'm getting sick of these things!"

"You and the rest of us!" Windsheer called back, his arm cannons blowing away at exposed joints on the approaching drones even as more approached.

From within the embassy itself, parked on one of the balconies, Lennox managed one quick shot with his borrowed Nebulan cannon-like energy rifle before ducking back to cover and coming away with singed hair. Fortunately for him and his team, the weapon was effective and easily figured out, so long as they aimed right at where the cockpit would be or at least the joints and braced for the recoil – an important reminder coming when the kickback from his first salvo nearly took out the captain's shoulder, the rifle having a kick harder than his uncle's S&W Model 500 hunting pistol. Unfortunately, it wasn't effective enough to fully help out as Scrapmetals continued to drop from the portal in the sky. The drones numbers had barely been whittled down, between the Ranger team's allotment of grenades having already been spent and the fact that the alien weapons requiring a bit of cooling down if they fired in full-auto mode too long – who knew Nebulan rifles also had selective firing that included single shot and three-round burst. He didn't like it one bit – getting himself and his troops trapped in a fight against increasingly poor odds with little chance of support or their enemies letting up was the last thing he wanted to do in his career, especially on literally foreign ground. The fact that they were dropping from the sky immediately discouraged air support, and in a skirmish like this, you'd need all you could get on the ground. "Please tell me we can expect some support!" Lennox yelled, barely heard over the din of thundering weapons even through the radio.

"In this mess, we'd be lucky to–!" Hot Shot's answer was cut short as numerous approaching Scrapmetals were blasted apart from above. "It's about time!"

High above, Wing Saber maneuvered and swooped about in the air, his guns allowing him to blast away Scrapmetals before they hit the ground and dodge what few he didn't hit. Below, Longarm and the Emergency Team at his side with his Cyber Key weapons firing, Red Alert charged towards the embassy, transforming and opening fire at the approaching drones.

Several drones down in his attack, the black and orange Mini-Con cheekily grinned at his partner. "Thought you gave this up a long time ago!"

"Some things never go away!" the medic answered. "Training under the CDF is one of them!"

Just within sight, the Dinobots continued tearing through the approaching hordes just as a burst of fire tore through Triceratron's shoulder, sending the bulky Dinobot to the ground. Before another weapons discharge could hit him, several Scrapmetals were blasted away, the femme among the Autobot medics arriving upon their position with Evac following closely behind.

"And here I thought you guys could survive anything!" Minerva quickly began tending to the fallen warrior.

A snort. "Doesn't mean we don't get a few hits! Best way to prove we can take 'em!"

Grimlock gave an approving grunt, and then called out, "Dinobots, close in and provide cover!" A quick glance to the rescue helicopter. "Me hope you can carry your weight!"

Slicing clean through a trio of drones before ensnaring and slinging around a fourth like an improvised flail, Evac called back to the Dinobot commander, "Not a problem!"

Further klaxons blaring, Shockblast quickly reported, "We have intruders – two energy signatures have entered the Decagon, one identifying as Sideways, the other similar but unknown."

Glancing over the security monitor, Scourge rumbled darkly. "Dreadwing."

"Three guesses what they're after." Jetfire activated his comm. "Scattorshot, you reading me? Keep your optics open – you're about to have some unwelcome guests."

:"Why am I not surprised?": Worry clear in his voice, the small Autobot asked, :"Mind sending in some support?":

A twinkle growing in his optics, the jet promised, "We'll send who we can spare."

"Better make it fast." The line cutting off, Scattorshot quickly moved to one wall, his sensors heightened as fingers danced about the various seams and panels. "Come on, where the slag is that thing?"

The lone Decepticon among them watched the Autobot search, more than unimpressed, while the Seeker among them held the Omega Lock tight in his arms. "And what are you doing?"

"When this place was built, we made slagging sure there'd be more than one way out of any room. The nano-klik those heralds come bustin' in here after the Omega Lock, we can book it through there. Not exactly the bravest option available, but…"

"But it'll keep us alive and the Omega Lock safe. Sane plan." Hefting her Energon crossbow, Flamewar scanned her surroundings with an almost paranoid intensity. "However, running is something I've been tired of for a long time."

Just as the small Autobot managed to find what he sought, the wall exploded inwards, sending him flying and then leaving him sprawled upon the ground. As he struggled to recover, the three heard a voice chuckle, "Good to hear – it's much more fun when you don't run."

His face putting off a brilliant glow, charges of electric current began to build between his horns. At the same time as lightning lanced off from them, Wirejack dashed into the path of the lightning and activated his Cyber Key ability, his secondary thrusters flipping over his shoulders. Before the lightning could make contact, the Autobot Seeker was able to gain a sense of control by drawing in the very elements that made up lighting and redirecting it straight back at Sideways, sending the herald plowing back into the room he had just entered from.

As the F-14 frantically checked to make sure the artifact was intact from the stunt, Scattorshot looked on in amazement as he braced against a console for support. "How the slag–?"

The hacker answered with a sheepish grin, cannons returning to their original positions on his back. "I fire off electricity – thought I might be able to at least redirect or influence it." In truth, it was a risky gamble he thought that had little chance of even working, and it would've been more in line with what Special Ops or the Wreckers would pull off. He didn't even want to think about what could happen if he attempted such a stunt with real lightning.

Flamewar smirked. "Cute. Might want to work on the aim, however."

She whipped her bow around and opened fire just as Dreadwing entered the chamber, the wraith seemingly unaffected by her counterattack. Seconds later, a massive salvo of missile fire from a Cyber Key-aided Scattorshot as Wirejack scrambled to the main door and worked to open it. The wraith buckled slightly under the attack, but was undeterred.

"Your attacks are pathetic. Surrender."

The door slid open, and the herald soon found himself at the receiving end of a flurry of blaster shots from Skywarp, Ratchet and Jazz. "Move it, mechs – we've got your backs!" the silver Autobot hollered.

The three quickly left the computer center, Flamewar the last to leave as she continued shooting upon the two heralds and tossed a grenade their way for good measure, much to the dismay of the two computer techies. The counterattack did little to slow them down, but it bought the six time to escape.

Recovering himself and nonchalantly flicking off a piece of shrapnel, Sideways chuckled. "They're running."

"They cannot do so forever. Eliminate their leadership – leave the pawns to me."

Frustration became increasingly evident in Iskaros' demeanor as he attempted to crush the artifact in his hands. Yet no matter what amount pressure he applied from whichever angle, the Matrix refused to shatter – some cracks had formed on the outer casing, but beyond that, nothing had happened.

"This has been done before," the ancient declared. "It shall be done again!"

His hands turned white hot and he held the artifact aloft. A single glance at his associate, and Soundwave wordlessly raised his weapon and fired upon the item. Between the intense heat and the shots, the cracks began to widen. Finally, a sound not unlike that of shattering glass rang throughout the Vector Sigma chamber.

Optimus' optics widened as he watched helplessly, those of his fellow Primes doing likewise. Thanks to the glare from Iskaros' hands, none could adequately tell if the Matrix was destroyed.

"Is it done?" Soundwave asked, moving to examine the artifact in his ally's hands. "Is the Matrix no more?"

Before the ancient could answer, the herald barely touched the Matrix, but was unexpectedly blown away in a burst of light. He crumpled into a lifeless pile on the opposite wall, his purple optic bar going out, as Iskaros dropped the artifact to the ground. Most of the Matrix's outer casing had been fractured, revealing an internal framework of silver – the glowing crystalline form at its heart, normally a bright and brilliant blue, was now all but out with barely a stubborn flicker.

Iskaros merely shook his head. "Fool." One foot was raised, preparing to bring it down upon the artifact and crush it once and for all. Just before he could make contact, the Matrix was knocked aside by a piece of thrown debris, Optimus standing back to his feet and regaining his initiative. The ancient gazed upon his younger with condescension. "Another fool."

Despite his injuries, Optimus fought to stay on his feet. His brief act, however, was enough to spur his allies to act, Accellas springing back to her feet and scooping up the damaged Matrix. A blast of searing plasma prompted her to toss it to Draco, who caught it in his claws before firing off an intense burst of icy energies against his sibling. Even with a thick layer of ice forming over Iskaros, freezing him in place for all of a few seconds, he freed himself with a burst of heat, steam rising from his body as he fired off streams of flame against both Accellas and Draco, the former slamming hard against one wall just as the latter tossed the damaged Matrix away before being blown off his feet.

Iskaros watched as the Matrix landed with one of its handles caught around the tip of the ChronoSaber, its owner aiding the Autobot leader to stand.

"You've failed, Iskaros. You will not leave this world alive," the Guardian of Time rasped.

The traitor betrayed no emotion, simply fired one of his cannons. The shot went clean through his sibling's chest, immediately destroying his spark chamber which barely allowed him anytime to react.

"Neither shall you."

Optimus could feel it as his old friend's hold slackened. He watched aghast as his mentor collapsed beside him, his body turning grey and the light in his optics going out at long last. Before he could react further, however, he heard the floor hatch open underneath him, and barely had time to respond as the trailer that carried his drones was thrown towards him, slamming hard into his body and causing him to fall. Vector Prime's lifeless body was tossed to the side in the process, head rolling away to face the wall as if not wanting to see anymore. Faintly, he could hear Accellas screaming her brother's name in horror alongside Draco's anguished bellow, but their voices faded as he fell further into the darkness.

The young Prime dealt with, Iskaros moved again but was only in time to see the Matrix slide from its place at the end of his sibling's sword and follow its current guardian down below.

Safeguard's optics widened sharply and he suddenly stiffened, turning to look toward Vector Sigma's direction unerringly. His pause in attention made the Mini-Con leader notice while in the middle of checking his rifle. "What's wrong?"

"Vector Prime…" Safeguard spoke, almost as if he was in a trance. "He's gone."

Before Sparkplug could ask him to clarify, an explosion shook the floor, nearly causing the gathered Mini-Cons to stumble.

"The intruders have split up – Dreadwing is still pursuing the Omega Lock, but Sideways is on his way to the command center!" one of the scouts reported.

"Not surprised." Jetfire drew his cannon and declared, "Arm up, mechs!"

The gathered Transformers quickly readied their weapons, Shockblast keying in a few commands before joining the others. A cannon that was twice as long as he was tall slung over one shoulder, Bumblebee looked at the Decepticon in surprise. "Didn't expect you to chip in."

"I can easily monitor the situation without the console. Also, there is no logic in keeping one's back to the enemy, and less in deserting one's allies." Even though Shockblast only had a single optic for his face, there was certainly a sense of grim determination coming from him.

The small yellow Autobot smiled. "No argument from me."

Further explosions shook the floor until the door was blown open from the outside. The group scrambled aside as arcs of lightning streaked through the air before they returned fire. Yet mere moments later, both Jetfire and Starscream began convulsing without warning, surges going through their bodies and causing them to collapse in pain when another burst of high voltage electricity was let loose.

Sideways shimmered into view while snickering maniacally, sparks of electricity dancing around him. "Knock, knock."

A shot tore through one of Wing Saber's engines, causing him to yelp and crash among the gathered Dinobots. He quickly transformed as Minerva rushed to him, her work on Triceratron complete. "Well, that was embarrassing."

The medic gave a smirk as her previous patient unleashed a gout of flame upon the approaching Scrapmetals, the other Dinobots tightening in as the horde approached.

Just on the edge of their vision, a drone exploded as Mirage shifted back into view, the members of his team as well as the other Mini-Cons present continuing to contribute fire. "Keep it up, mechs!"

"Are you kidding?! We aren't putting a dent in these things!" An explosion going off just behind him prompted Dirt Boss to roll to one side. "At this rate, we'll lose by attrition!"

"Then we lose!" Rockets firing, Tankor gave the Mini-Con scientist a determined smirk. "But we make slagging sure they don't get an easy win!"

"My thoughts exactly!" Hot Shot continued firing his grenade launcher into the approaching hordes, Wheeljack and Red Alert supporting him. "Win or lose, we don't go down without a fight!"

Shots rang out, tearing through Hot Shot's shoulder and sending the Autobot sprawling to the ground. Following blasts sent Red Alert bending backwards, but both mechs quickly regained their footing and continued the fight. Even as he fought the Scrapmetals that got too close, Wheeljack couldn't help but notice how well the medic was fighting – it was almost scary, seeing one of the foremost medical officers on Cybertron fighting with that much ferocity. The approaching drones, however, were slightly more frightening, and far more daunting.

A roar rang out, forcing the attention of the three bulks as Nemesis Breaker leapt over the marching drones and attacked them, Repugnus still with his claws dug into its back. A flash of orange and silver light, and twin claws deployed on its forelegs as it landed, digging hard into Hot Shot's chest and causing the young Autobot to cry out in pain.

Optics narrowed, Wheeljack kicked away one Scrapmetal and lashed out against the feline's muzzle with a fully charged baton after running over to Hot Shot's side. "Get off him, you cheap knockoff!"

"Don't think he heard ya, kid!" His own mace slamming hard against the beast's head, Repugnus viciously attempted to regain the herald's attention. "Red, you mind?!"

"Not a problem!" The medic's Cyber Key went active, and twin cannons deployed from his back and flipped over his shoulders before firing. Two holes were torn through Nemesis Breaker's side, diverting his attention from Hot Shot towards the medic.

With an angry growl, the beast shook off his attacker and shifted targets. Red Alert dodged to one side, having one of the doors mounted on his shoulders torn off instead of his head being mauled. Nemesis Breaker spat the door out of his mouth, and then continued with picking someone new to maul.

As Repugnus moved to intercept, Wheeljack hovered over his sibling, fear clear on his face based on Hot Shot's many injuries as he was roughly nudged aside by the medic to seal off as many leaks as possible despite his own wounds. "Not again! Stay with me, bro! Stay with me!"

A salvo of missiles flew from Scattorshot's weapons pack alongside fire from the rest of the group. Dreadwing took damage, but what little he was taking was healing as quickly as it was incurred.

"Your resistance is pointless. I will not be deterred."

"Yeah, well, we ain't exactly the types to cut and run ourselves!" Scattorshot fired both of his missiles upon the herald, a Cyber Key-boosted shot from Skywarp and sustained fire from Jazz, Flamewar and Ratchet aiding his counterattack. "So pack up and beat it!"

Growing bored with the resistance before him, the wraith deployed all his weapons and opened fire with everything he had. He did more damage to the structure around him than the opponents he faced, but managed to send several of the mechs against a far wall. Scattorshot, however, took the brunt of the attack, suffering severe damage as a result. As he struggled to get back to his feet, the herald took hold of him and held him above his head.

"Now you learn the price of insolence." Optics glowing a brilliant red, Dreadwing tightened his grip upon the Autobot. "Proceed… on your way to oblivion."

It felt as if he had been falling forever, further and further down into a never-ending darkness. As he continued, Optimus began to wonder if he'd ever stop… and worse, what would happen when he did. They had never thought of sending out any expeditions to explore anything further past four kils below surface, and most Cybertronians that made their homes underground usually lived within at least two kils of topside. Dealing with invading outsiders had been a higher priority, as well the stronger thoughts of expanding beyond their home planet.

There wasn't much he could do to stop his descent. The flight systems in his Super Mode armor had been damaged in the fight along with everything else. And even if they were working, he stood little chance against Iskaros, especially with a damaged Matrix. He had faced many seemingly hopeless situations before and carried the day, but now… With Vector Prime dead and his allies being overrun, it looked as if this was indeed the end.

'No!'

That was no way to think – he wouldn't let any of his troops believe that, and he wasn't about to believe it himself. Not now, not ever. And even if it really was the end, where should this fall mean his death, then he would at least meet it with dignity.

"Jetfire, Starscream, Sparkplug, Safeguard, Comettor, Leader-1… I know none of you can hear me, but I have no regrets. We've stood together for countless eons, literally brothers in arms, and know that I am proud of all of you. Jhiaxus, if I happen to see you on the way, know that you were never forgotten." Optics shuttered slightly, barely feeling the air rushing past him that was overshadowed by the pain from his injuries. From his memories, three shades of red with silver and a smile meant only for him when they were alone by themselves. "Elita… I'll see you again one day, where all are one."

"You speak as if the journey is over, Optimus Prime."

Shutters shot back open.

Bright light began to fill the darkness surrounding him, silver-blue at first before gradually shifting to an almost white-gold that illuminated the walls and finally gave Optimus a glimpse of where he was falling through. Turning slightly, he saw both his battered trailer and the Matrix being caught by what could be described as cables of white light tinged with blue stretching out as if from nowhere, yet at the same time everywhere. Feeling something warm touching him, he realized in surprise that more cables were gently wrapping around his body and limbs, not just slowing down his descent but more of lowering him.

As the shaft finally opened up to a room far larger than what he had anticipated, Prime all but stared at the source of his salvation. Even with its enormous size and the occasional wisps that seemed to flare out like a stellar flare, the Autobot leader knew that before him was the unmistakable form of a spark, and not just any normal one. Unconsciously he felt his own resonate briefly, as if responding to a long forgotten memory buried deep somewhere within. As he gradually came to a stop, a section of the spark's surface began to shift, soon forming a face that while displaying weariness, still had a sense of kindness and gentleness in its gaze. Had Diana been present, she would have no doubt called it grandfatherly.

To the Autobot leader, however, he only had one possible name.

"Primus…"

A wistful smile. "I had wondered when there would be a time that we could speak with one another, young one. I regret that it is now, in what may be the darkest hour yet, but I am glad to see you at last."

He would have been lying if he said that he was not captivated with sparkling-like wonder. Right in front of him was Primus, the single greatest source for all Cybertronian life. Nevertheless, he tried his hardest to put that aside and quickly got to the matter at hand. "Primus, Iskaros Prime…"

"I know, young one." His tone became downcast, mixed with grieving. "I know. My first ones have returned home, and my greatest disappointment now seeks to finish what he had started so very long ago. Even now, I feel many sparks on the precipice of rejoining me. I take no joy in seeing my children fight amongst themselves… and no matter how many times it has happened, I still am disheartened by it." The gaze of the massive spark now looked directly at the comparatively tiny Autobot. Optimus couldn't help but feel the comparison on how humans usually felt around him and most average-sized mechs – often, if not subconsciously, aware of being so small that a simple misstep or mishandling from their larger friends' part could easily end their already relatively short lives. The Mini-Cons at least had the advantage of emitting an energy signature that allowed the larger Cybertronians to sense and move around them without having to constantly watching where to put their feet. "All of this has happened long before and will happen again. Falling from grace, the expulsion of the Thirteen, the Great Wars… All have come to pass many times. The details are often different, the names and the players, but the story is rarely changed. But as often as I have seen things which sadden me, I have seen many more things which have given me joy. And one of them is before me." Another smile, this one that of a creator's pride in their creation. "With few exceptions, Optimus, you have stood as a beacon of hope in the darkness. I cannot think of any better to carry my legacy, or be the bearer of my wisdom."

Despite the praise, he was reluctant to accept it and shook his head, even if he was hanging upside-down. "I'm no different from the others, Creator. All I've done is what I can, and I owe as much to my allies and friends as I do to Your guidance."

"Yet your thoughts did not rest with either I or yourself on the eve of each battle, but on the lives of your subordinates. You trust and value them greatly, but worry for them as any good leader does. You knew they would be safe, and believed in that, never asking for my aid. I see little reason to not take pride in that. Even now, you do not ask for it… but are gladly given it." Energy flowed through the tendril holding the Matrix that was still stubbornly flickering, causing the artifact to glow a brilliant white. "Despite the circumstances, you are fortunate for the actions of Sentinel Maximus and the elder Chad Jones. Had the Matrix been destroyed on Earth, as it was in their timeline, it would have truly been lost. In my presence, however, it is given greater resilience, and thus is able to be repaired."

The Autobot leader watched in awe as his Creator worked, every passing moment leaving the Matrix further changed. Its outer casing seemed to melt away, leaving a silver frame that, despite looking far less complete than its original form, appeared much sturdier than before. The familiar blue gem tightly nestled within the frame at its center, now fully restored, pulsated and illuminated more brightly than ever.

"You were granted this long ago, Optimus Prime. Accept this once again, with my blessing, and do what you have always done – stand against the darkness, and know that you do not do so alone."

The repaired Matrix was extended towards him, and Optimus stretched out his arms to take hold of the artifact once more. Immediately, its glow spread down his fingers and over his body, the unexpected warmth almost surprising him into letting go. As he felt it spread over him, he began to catch glimpses of images both familiar and not – visages of many worlds and many timelines, as well many forms of life.

"All of this has happened before, and it shall happen again. This time, however, is your time. Make the most of it. You have rightfully earned it."

A brilliant flash of light emerged from the Matrix, enveloping its startled guardian and his trailer. As the cables released them and retreated, the three rocketed back up the way they came.

Satisfied that one of his children had visited after so long, Primus slipped back into slumber, and the shaft became dark once again.

Draco groaned as Iskaros pressed hard upon his chest. With his last brother pinned beneath his heel, the traitor slammed his remaining sibling upon the wall, his fingers tight around her neck.

"All hope is lost for you. Vector Prime is dead, and the sparkling will soon follow. This is the end, and my master's victory is assured."

Barely able to think given her sibling's grip, Accellas quickly considered her options – anything to buy a little more time. Ultimately, however, she could only think of one thing. "Why?" Her sibling's attention caught, she continued, staring at him with so many emotions she had kept under a lid for so long. "Why do all of this, Iskaros? Why betray us?"

"We were all betrayed, sister. I was the only one to realize it." Maintaining his grip, he tilted his head. "What did any of you think would happen to us once the battle with Unicron was finished? We were created from Primus, our bodies literally spawned from his surface, our sparks direct fragments of his own. What being would willingly give of himself – give of his power – to create life simply to aid him against his enemy? We were a temporary measure, Accellas – once Unicron was destroyed, the survivors would be destroyed as well."

"So you side with the being that would destroy our Creator, and doom the universe in the process?" Pained due to the pressure, Draco glared his brother in the optics, still struggling to remove Iskaros' foot. "For what, brother? Survival?"

A contemptuous snort, flames flaring out briefly. "Each of you blindly served our creator. Asking you to do differently would be pointless."

"But once Primus was gone, Unicron would have destroyed you!" she all but spat.

"Yes, sister, but at least I knew my outcome. Just as both of you now know yours."

Iskaros' grip tightened upon Accellas' throat, preventing her from crying out even as pain went through her circuits.

"You know nothing, brother."

His grip relaxed slightly as he heard the voice speak. He couldn't tell where it came from, but he recognized the voice easily. The only problem there, however, was the one whose voice he heard had been dead for eons. "Which of you spoke?"

"Neither of them, Iskaros."

Another voice, from a mech more recently dead. His optics briefly darting to Vector's dead form, he called out, "Show yourself, whoever you are."

"Why am I not surprised you don't remember us?" A third, this time of a femme. "You didn't care much for any of us. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been in such a rush to kill us."

An ethereal blue glow began to form within the chamber. Iskaros turned to face it, only to be confronted with a familiar form from long ago. She hovered without a sound above the floor, twin golden down-swept wings emerging from her shoulders and reaching down her form, wing-like protrusions of the same color emerging from her temples, and no clear legs on her long, gunmetal body. Were a human present, she would have reminded them of the mythical Valkyrie. The trio of ancient Cybertronians present, however, knew exactly who they saw – while the face's expression was clear with uncharacteristic anger and ancient rage, the femme was unmistakable.

"Zephyra…" the speedster barely got out in shock.

With his free hand, Iskaros lashed out with a stream of flame. However, the attack went harmlessly through the ghost, her expression remaining unchanged.

"Nice try, hot stuff, but you're wasting your efforts. You already killed us a long time ago."

Beside the first apparition appeared a second one, larger and more imposing but still clearly a femme. The familiar twin pile drivers upon her deep emerald arms confirmed her identity, her ashen gaze fixed upon the betrayer within an earthy brown helm.

Others appeared following Terratoph, their forms familiar even if their colors were not. First came Nova, the wings upon his back still hanging down like a majestic ebon cape. Almost unrecognizable at first until her obsidian colors came clear was Dalvas, her face coming more focused as her form appeared. Hydraqua's brilliant blue and gold form came next, the trident she'd wielded once more in her possession. Next appeared Iunct, lacking his artifact but unmistakable with his orange and black armor.

As his form gradually took shape, red and gold as well as bristling with weapons, Sentinel Prime was a far cry from the injuries he had taken so long ago. "You were mistaken in this case, brother. Had we all died together, we would have all returned to Primus. But we didn't."

"Your betrayal has left us as little more than ghosts, barely able to interact with the physical world and only visible under certain conditions." A massive emerald and purple form came into being, an equally-massive axe held in one hand. A smirk appeared upon the giant ancient's face as he continued, "But a few of us accomplished more than enough before we passed on."

"What could you accomplish, Gaeus?" Harshly dropping his sister to the ground and removing his foot from his brother's chest, the traitor boldly marched up to the spirits of his deceased siblings. "Sentinel died after driving away the Chaos Bringer, and you, Methius, and these two fled with the four Keys in exile."

As if bid to appear, Methius Prime took form, his ancient spear returned to him. "But we were alive, Iskaros. Where life exists, hope exists. While Draco and Accellas were content to keep themselves secret, hide and slumber, I and Gaeus followed in Primus' example." An ethereal finger pointing towards the still-offline Soundwave, he added, "Ask your friend once he wakes – he can attest to that."

A quick glance towards his fellow herald, before a dismissive snort. "It matters not. You can do nothing now."

"We have already played our parts, Iskaros." Vector Prime's image appeared at last. "Now, our successors carry on."

"A pity your spark will be wasted… but at least I shall savor its passing."

Helpless in Dreadwing's grasp, Scattorshot had little option left to him. He saw no way out of this, no means of saving himself – this was the end. Now he knew how he would die… but he'd at least face it with dignity. "Just shut up and get it over with, would ya?"

The wraith's optics seemed to glimmer with sadistic joy, until his facial plates shifted in alarm, optics widening as he turned to look. "No!"

Still in Wirejack's arms, the Omega Lock glowed brilliantly before unleashing what could be considered an explosion of energy, surprising all those present and sending a faint tingle through their systems, leaving nothing more than a fading quiet sense of warmth. In contrast, Dreadwing was forced to release his prisoner while stumbling back as pain coursed through his entire body when the marginally visible gold wave passed right through him.

Shaking off the strange sensation that felt as if his spark was echoing with something, Jazz got back to his feet with impressed optics. "Nice thinking, Wire! Whatever that was, it worked!"

"It wasn't me!" the shaken hacker protested before beams of energy shot from the artifact. Several careened through the hallway and out of sight, but one made contact with Scattorshot, enveloping him in brilliant white light.

It took Dreadwing a few seconds to recover, the pain coursing through his systems dying down as he turned and stared upon the spectacle. Just as he began to realize what had happened, the glow faded from Scattorshot, and the Autobot landed with a heavy thud. The wraith stepped back, however – this was not the same mech he had been fighting. He was larger, with heavy armor and heavier armaments, the two missiles mounted on his back that would've been his main weapons were now replaced with massive missile batteries on his arms. From what Ratchet could deduce with his stronger scanners (and barely cutting through the amount of interference), the energy had pulled a total overhaul on the computer programmer, completely reformatting his frame and most of his systems.

With the lightshow finally dissipated, Scattorshot gave an almost uncharacteristic cheeky grin at his opponent. "Alright… round two!"

A salvo of missiles flying from his shoulders, Crosswise followed up by continuing to shoot at Sideways. The herald, however, continued to weave and dodge in the air, disappearing and reappearing at different places throughout the chamber.

The herald cackled maniacally as he easily dodged further missiles from Demolishor on teleporting to the side. "Come on! You could do better than that!"

Being picked up by Scourge, Jetfire quipped, "You aren't fighting that thing?"

"There is no honor in allowing one's allies to die pointlessly," the dragon returned dryly. "Besides, I prefer to fight a target I can actually hit."

"No argument from me." One of Starscream's arms slung over her shoulder and her gun in her left hand, Override beckoned, "Dragons first. I'll cover–"

The wave of energy from the Omega Lock suddenly came into view, passing through Sideways and causing him to halt and convulse in place for a second, allowing several stray blasts to hit him as he spasmed. Twin beams of energy lanced through in the wave's wake and hit the two injured fliers, causing the two governors to jump back in surprise as Jetfire and Starscream both took on a brilliant white glow.

The light show subsided from both Jetfire and Starscream, leaving the two to recover from the aftereffects and regain their bearings. Glancing over their reformatted bodies, the Autobot Vice Commander noted, "No idea what the slag that was, but I'm not complaining."

The herald's systems quickly recovered as the wave front passed. "Well, whatever that was won't do you much good. I'm still–"

Sideways was interrupted as Safeguard grabbed hold of his back, hanging on valiantly despite his twisting and warping in the air. "Shoot him!"

Override complied by activating her Cyber Key, hitting Sideways just as he came into view. The shot had the effect of changing his flight path, sending him flying directly into the path of Scourge's axe as it came hammering down upon his head, Safeguard letting go just in time.

As the others kept up the barrage, Starscream looked both himself and his brother over, doing a quick self-diagnostic in the process. "Cyber Key ports. The third one on my back is dead, but the other two appear active."

"Looks like someone wants us to survive this." Pulling out his two new pulse rifles, Jetfire gave his sibling a determined look. "Think we should put it to use?"

A long cannon popped into place on Starscream's left arm. "Why waste the upgrade?"

Deep inside the embassy, the five civilians and lone soldier took notice of a chiming noise that was barely audible over the outside explosions. Both adults glanced about, trying to figure out what the new sound was. Where Franklin looked as if debating on whether to find a safer location, Diana had that investigative look on her face. "You guys hear that?"

Recognition dawned on Kicker's face when he cupped his ears before the noise grew loud enough. It was a sound that he hadn't heard since fleeing his timeline and one he welcomed gladly. "The Omega Frequency… the Lock's active!"

As the wave front continued and made contact with the approaching Scrapmetals, the drones immediately stopped in their tracks and rattled in place as if something was electrocuting them. Pausing only for a moment at the sight of the halted drones, Grimlock and Evac shared a quick shrug before going back to work.

From the embassy balcony, Lennox and his team members' ears had picked up on the same chime-like noise that the other humans had. Before the Army captain could figure out what the sound was, he was interrupted by a pained growl from Nemesis Breaker. As he watched in surprise, the massive beast staggered back, shaking its head like it was disoriented.

"Well, that's disappointing." His sensors catching his attention, Repugnus turned and watched as the remaining beams from the Omega Lock made contact with Wing Saber, Hot Shot and Red Alert. "Hey kid, any idea what this is?"

Wheeljack nodded sadly. "A reminder of my bad karma."

As the Scrapmetals began to start up again, the glow subsided from Hot Shot's body. He stumbled for a bit, disoriented, and then quickly regained his center of gravity. A quick systems check later, he all but facepalmed with an exasperated sound. "Oh, come ON! I hadn't even broken that one in!"

A snarl shifted his attention, prompting him to turn and punch just as Nemesis Breaker was snatched in mid-leap by a multi-pronged claw and held aloft, to a few Cybertronians' surprise. "I wouldn't complain too much, Hot Shot." His own massive new form standing over the three of them, Red Alert looked up and pointed as the portals above seemed to distort and fade, several of those nearby wondering how he was even able to stand with that large a cannon mounted on his shoulder. Despite the overhaul of his frame and systems, the medic didn't let that slow him down after running diagnostics on himself and Hot Shot at the same time, grateful that he was able to get the medical data-burst Ratchet had just sent out. "In fact, I'd say we've gotten exactly what we needed most."

As the wave front made contact, the warp gate above Iacon disappeared in a burst of light, the Scrapmetals still exiting exploding as it went and those that had escaped it now tumbling downwards even faster.

"Best thing I've seen all day." Repugnus gestured at the struggling Nemesis Breaker. "So what about kitty? I can play with him all mega-cycle if you want, but even I get bored."

"Not a problem." Raising his left arm high towards the horizon as Red Alert accessed his revamped Cyber Key system, the medic opened the prongs on his new multi-tool shield and shot the beast away with a blast from a concealed gun. As the feline drone rocketed upward, the large cannon split open down the middle, energy crackling within the gap before a massive burst of energy shot out from it. The discharge met the herald, and Nemesis Prime disintegrated with a final yowl. The medic glanced over at some of the gawking mechs, giving the sense of having arched an optic ridge. "Now, those drones won't stay still forever!"

Nods coming from the other three, the quartet returned their attention to the rest of the drones. Longarm affixed himself to a port on his partner's left leg, Firebot converting to a missile launcher and doing likewise on the opposite. Jolt transformed and linked up on his partner's right arm, Prowl and Makeshift converting to their weapon modes and ending up in Hot Shot's left hand and on his left arm respectively. The Race Team, meanwhile, transformed and linked up into the Skyboom Shield, landing in Wheeljack's waiting hand as his own partner linked up.

The Scrapmetals, however, were soon back on the move. As one jumped towards Minerva, however, it soon found itself riddled with bullets, exploding in a hail of gunfire. The femme, more than a little surprised, turned to look upon her patient after lowering her arms to protect from the shrapnel. "Wing Saber?"

"I think Hot Shot's luck's rubbing off on us!" declared the Autobot flier, now reformatted and back on his feet, the aircraft parts on his frame suggesting an A-10 Thunderbolt II and his wings packed with weaponry. Offering his hand, he grinned. "You good to keep going?"

The femme accepted with a wide smile, getting to her feet and grabbing her flare gun. "Never better."

Sensors flaring, Chromia moved to the communications console and quickly opened a channel. "Decagon, this is Aegis – the warp gates are down! Are you reading me?!"

:"We're reading you, Aegis! Any assistance in Polyhex, Tagon or Hydrax would be appreciated!":

"Copy that, Jetfire – we're on our way!"

The line cut out, and the femme shot Hightail a satisfied smirk. The motorcycle gave a grin in reply as he hoisted his rifle. "Don't be too proud of yourself."

At the words of his brother, Iskaros laughed harshly. "Successors. Have you not seen them, brother? These successors are weaklings, sparklings, easily dispatched and easily destroyed!"

"Have you even seen them?" Accellas helped Draco as she rose to her feet, face showing pain but nonetheless recovering. "I have. I've seen their drive, their willingness to carry on, their capacity for courage and self-sacrifice. They aren't about to give up, even against you – and neither will we."

The betrayer said nothing for a moment, and then his hands became white hot as he coldly spoke. "Then the two of you shall die before them. Once they have seen your charred remnants, none shall dare to stand against me." He still couldn't understand why they continued to defy him and his true master, why they refused to see things the way he did.

The scraping of metal upon metal caught their attention, and the ancients turned to look as the iris blocking the path down to Vector Sigma opened, a massive burst of light pouring out from within, blinding all three. Nano-kliks later, a form casting a brilliant golden glow emerged from the hole and landed before them, the gathered ghosts vanishing upon his arrival and revealing a familiar body of grey, red, and blue. Twin cannons rested at the sides of his legs, another pair connected to a backpack and pointed upward, ready to be swung down and fired at a moment's notice. Optics shining a brilliant yellow, he replaced the reformed Matrix within his chest, armor closing over it.

"Speak of a sparkling and one shall appear. You fared poorly against me before, young one. A change of bodies will do you no good against me." The traitor tilted his head mockingly. "No words for me? No defiant cry, no gallant speech to counter my arguments?"

All four cannons found themselves pointed at the fallen one, firing simultaneously in one massive blast. The blow was barely enough to physically move Iskaros back, but more than enough to catch his notice.

If anyone could see beneath the faceplate, they would see a smirking Optimus. "Speech that."

Iskaros' optic ridge furrowed and he let loose a massive amount of energy forming in his hands with an angry roar. Despite being with Sideways and the other heralds, none had ever been able to get much reaction out of him. For the first time since killing most of his brothers and sisters, and being banished all those vorns ago, he was actually feeling anger. "Pathetic sparkling! You will die at my hands for your impudence!" he bellowed before firing off twin streams of fire against his foe.

The Autobot leader responded by grabbing his mentor's sword as he dodge-rolled and braced hard, taking the flames head-on. As they subsided, he remained standing with several scorch marks, and stowed the sword away. "My name is Optimus Prime! And you'll have to catch me first!"

Engines firing from his backpack, he jumped up and over the betrayer, transforming as he did so into a massive fire engine and landing just behind Iskaros with a heavy thud and a slight bounce of his suspension system. Tires squealing and engine pounding, he shot out of the chamber at an amazing speed.

With a grim laugh, Iskaros shifted forms himself, taking on a heavy tank mode before following after the young Prime.

Watching them go, Draco smiled weakly. "Accellas, I do believe our Creator has just proven our brother wrong."

"Yeah, no kidding." She gave her sibling a quick once-over, wincing slightly while rubbing her throat. "Can you stand on your own?"

With a slightly pained grunt, the ancient dragon slipped his arm off of his sibling's shoulders and tested himself. "I'll survive for the time being. For now, we'd best follow." He transformed as he declared, "We may not be able to contribute, but at least we can stand witness to how this battle ends."

With a smile, the speedster transformed. "Then let's roll for it!"

Several Scrapmetals were destroyed in one shot from Hardtop's rifle as the flash of explosions caught his attention. He looked up as the last of the portals disappeared from view, the wave front from the Omega Lock reaching Kaon at long last. "Anyone else seeing what I'm seeing?"

"I'm catching the same vibes, bro – it's a thing of beauty." Blasting a drone without even looking, Lugnutz smiled wide. While not understanding the odd sensation going through him when it reached their area, he couldn't help but feel a bit giddy when the Scrapmetals faltered in their onslaught. A quick glance at his compatriots indicated that they had also felt the strange sensation through their neural relays, but most had brushed it aside. "No idea what's causing this crazy bit of good news, but I ain't complaining."

:"Good news coming in, mechs – we have word from Iacon. They're sending in backup to help mop up.":

Before any of the gathered Decepticons could ask Sixshot to clarify, an orbital bounce produced their "backup". Landing with a heavy crunch on top of numerous active and deactivated Scrapmetals, Omega Supreme quickly reoriented himself before taking aim with his many cannons and opening fire. His presence of additional fire support was more than enough to spur the other fighting Decepticons into regaining a second wind.

:"Omega Supreme has safely arrived in Kaon. I am also receiving reports of additional arrivals – Astrotrain, Strika and Cannonball in the Tagon Heights, Chromia, Flareup, Hightail and Mirage at the Hydrax Plateau with the Combaticons moving to support. Scrapmetal forces are being stopped.":

Jetfire gave a loud whoop as he let off a salvo of missiles at Sideways, the herald continuing to dodge and weave through the halls of the Decagon and out into the Iacon skyline. The Autobot second-in-command followed close behind, Starscream at his tail and already firing his new cannon at Sideways. While it was against regulations for any flight capable Cybertronians to fly indoors for obvious reasons, it only applied when in their alt-modes – activating the flight systems when in their bipedal forms was acceptable within reason. Thus, both fliers considered this as an emergency and a trial run for their upgraded thrusters. The two commanders were lucky they knew the hallways so well – they had nearly lost track of Sideways from almost crashing into each other upon realizing how much more sensitive their systems had become.

One of the Decepticon leader's shots finally connected, and the herald's left arm was vaporized in the blast. As he attempted to reorient himself, the Seeker charged and deployed a crystalline blade from his right arm as he struck, leaving a large gash in the herald's armor.

Sideways snarled, finally feeling the injuries even with his rapid regeneration. Compounding that was Safeguard jumping back onto him like stubborn cosmic rust, constantly shooting in-between the joints and gaps of his limbs, the Mini-Con's smaller size making it hard to be rid of. "Don't be so overconfident in yourselves! You've won a small skirmish, not the war! Besides, I'm not the only one here you should–!"

The herald's defiant words were interrupted as Dreadwing was blown out of the Decagon, armor slowly regenerating but seriously damaged regardless, evident by the lack of his left arm, loss of shoulder cannons, and missing portions of his hip-wings. Standing in the hole he had emerged from was Scattorshot, a large amount of ordnance launching after the wraith with supporting fire coming from Flamewar, Skywarp and Jazz.

"The war is far from over, but this battle is clearly done!" the aquatic-based mech screeched, clutching at where his left elbow once was.

Deciding he had had enough of the speedboat's words, Starscream shot Dreadwing with his fully charged cannon. The herald, having already taken more damage than his regeneration could handle, finally died in the discharge with a fading shriek.

A pair of cannons that might've doubled as additional thrusters extended from an emplacement on Jetfire's back and locked onto Sideways just as Safeguard flew out of the way. "In that case, bye-bye!" Twin blasts lanced out, vaporizing the herald within nano-kliks. Starscream landed next to him as the Autobot second-in-command tapped back into the communication lines. "All units, sitrep!"

:"We've still got Scrapmetals on the ground, but we're going through 'em as we speak!": The sounds of metal being sliced through punctuated Evac's report, a very satisfactory roar from Grimlock echoing in the background. :"Triceratron's a bit beat up, but he's good!":

:"The Omega Lock and Keys are safe and secure.": Ratchet's voice was clear, if a bit pained. :"Several others and I have taken some damage, but we're good for now.":

:"I am receiving reports from across the planet – Scrapmetal attacks are being halted as we speak. No word yet from Vector Sigma.":

Shockblast's report wasn't the best piece of news he'd heard all day, but it wasn't the worst either. "Alright – until we get word from Optimus, we keep at the Scrapmetals out here!" Jetfire's optic band glittered brilliantly, feeling all the more invigorated. "What do you say, Screamer? Ready to show 'em how it's done?"

A confident grin on the Seeker's face. "More than ready." He then took to the air again, declaring over the radio, "All units – transform and rise up!"

Beneath the surface, Optimus continued at maximum speed along the tunnels leading from Vector Sigma, his pursuer advancing upon him every second. Blasts of mortar fire reminded him of Iskaros' approach with each passing moment. He knew that he could only stick to the ground for so long before the betrayer would catch up.

"End this foolishness now, and your end will be swift! Keep up this pointless attempt at heroics, and it will be long and painful!"

Not bothering to respond, Optimus instead ran a quick systems check – right now he needed as many tricks as he could muster with this new body, and time was against him. Another thing was that even though Primus had granted him a new body, not all of his earlier injuries had been fully taken care of; while the more critical ones had been dealt with, the younger Prime could still feel the rest reminding him. Mention of liquid storage tanks and flight systems in his new schematics catching his attention and an extremely-close shot turning it elsewhere, he decided that maybe it'd be a smart idea to try one or two of them out.

Just as Iskaros was within a few yards of him, the Autobot leader underwent a partial transformation, the cannons mounted atop his frame shifting to his sides as parts of his rear trailer shifted into wings. With a loud rev from his engines, he took off and flew, quickly regaining the lead. The traitor caught up by transforming and simply expelling flame from his feet to act as boosters.

The effort was unnecessary as they reached the end of the tunnel. Hatches opening even as they approached, Optimus shifted course slightly and flew up through the opening that led to the outside, the dimensional portals no longer visible on the horizon and the sun beginning to set. He was right on the edge of Kalis, the Rust Sea in view. So named for its periodically drained concentrations of metal, detritus, and chemicals, the sea was nonetheless liquid water, fed by channels cut into Cybertron's surface to aid in the flow of the occasional rainwater, and the Autobot leader hoped that it may allow him a secret weapon in the fight ahead. Just as Iskaros emerged from the tunnels, Optimus decided to transform, the winged trailer disconnecting as he changed into his bipedal-mode at the height of his momentum. Transformation completed, the winged trailer split into three segments – the two smaller cannons mounted on top linked up with his legs as they again changed, while the remaining part formed a massive backpack. The antennae on the sides of his head flipped into place and began receiving what he could at such short notice from the satellites and frequencies as his battle mask slid over his mouth, the Autobot leader more or less ready as his opponent landed before him.

"What was the point to that little chase? Leading me to the surface, away from Vector Sigma and my siblings? My strength is not in proportion to my proximity to the Creator, young one, and you do not have the will or the power needed to end me."

It was never to keep their equivalent of Judas – an apt naming, although the human traitor had different reasons for his betrayal – away from Vector Sigma or his predecessors. Yet the younger Prime wouldn't deny the additional sense of giving his soldiers – allies and friends – more time on handling the remaining Scrapmetals. "Doesn't mean I won't try."

A stream of fire from Iskaros, and the battle was once more rejoined. One jet-assisted jump allowed for Optimus to dodge, landing with a heavy thud behind the ancient one. As the betrayer turned to attack with a heavy sweep of his arm, the Autobot leader blocked, taking hold of the arm before pushing it away, then following it up with a heavy kick.

Iskaros hopped back a bit, but quickly regained his footing. What could be amounted to black and red electricity arced and gathered in one hand before it formed into a long sword, the blade immediately being enveloped by flames as he charged at his younger opponent. Optimus countered by blocking the sword on whipping out the ChronoSaber from his pack, sparks flying upon contact while ignoring the waves of heat emanating from the ancient mech.

"I have heard of you, sparkling. The hero of the Great Wars, the one credited for expelling the Quintessons from this world. Tell me, how does it feel to know that the Quintessons are now extinct, that the last of them was slain by one of your own subordinates? Does it pain you to think of how your inaction in the Second War reduced the Mini-Cons to mere hundreds, and that it is your fault that they were forced into exile from their homeworld, their ship crashing into Earth?" Weight pressing against his sword, the fallen Prime gave the sense of looming over the Autobot leader, voice in such a cold fashion that belied his fiery physiology. "Does it gnaw at you to know that Nebulos and its population, untold numbers of natives and Cybertronians, were devoured by my master, their sparks and souls cut off for all eternity? It must pain you to think of these things, deep within your spark."

For a few kliks, Optimus spoke nothing. When he answered, it was in a low voice. "Is that the best you've got?" The cannons mounted on his legs aimed down and fired upon the ancient's feet, forcing Iskaros to step back and allowing the younger Prime to attempt a slash. Optimus subconsciously had to marvel at how well he was handling the ChronoSaber, being much longer than what he was used to and so much more heavier than what its appearance inferred. "The extinction of the Quintessons was their fault – what Rodimus did was to save the lives of his crew, and I refuse to fault him for his actions! The tragedy of the Mini-Con slaughter was brought about by Megatron, and I have done everything in my power to end his reign! As for Nebulos, I know there are survivors, and I will find them!" Swords clashed several times, each combatant dancing around the other before both locked their blades against one another again. If anything, that weight was most likely a reminder of what Vector Prime had carried – unable to interfere with events that could be or will be, loyal to their Creator and his duty, alone from his siblings yet cherishing the times he spent with them, and guiding the new generations with hope. Deep in his spark, the young Prime hoped that he was truly worthy to carry that burden. "The only thing I wonder about is whether you question your actions so long ago, Iskaros. Fratricide is not something one decides to do simply for the thrill. But then again, from your perspective, their lives were a waste anyway. What use would Primus have for you and your siblings once the battle was finished? You didn't think beyond that, being blinded by fear and anger, but I did. Primus didn't just give us life to die for him in the battle against Unicron.

"We were created to carry on!"

:"Wreckers and Aerialbots reporting in – Scrapmetals destroyed!":

:"ASF and supporting forces here – drones are defeated!":

:"ACE, Combaticons and support forces – enemy combatants defeated!":

:"Darkmount forces online – remnants being routed as we speak.":

Shockblast's optic narrowed as he processed reports from Ultra Magnus, Checkpoint, Roadblock and Sixshot, as well additional incoming transmissions from groups created by numerous civilians that had stood their ground. "Iacon reporting likewise, remaining Scrapmetals being destroyed and sighted heralds having been defeated. We have no word from…" Another line came in. "Jetfire, we are receiving a transmission from Accellas Prime."

:"Patch me in!": called out the Autobot Vice Commander, still at work on the remaining Scrapmetals in Iacon. :"Accellas, please tell me we've got good news! I'm in no rush to see an end to this winning streak!":

:"Sorry, Jetfire – the streak's over! Vector Sigma was attacked by Iskaros Prime and the herald you know as Soundwave! Vector Sigma hasn't suffered any damages, but Vector Prime is gone!": Horrified gasps rang throughout the frequency bands and around Shockblast, some of those who had met the Keeper of Time sounding out in denial but they immediately quieted at the wave of his hand. :"Optimus has been upgraded, but he's engaging Iskaros as we speak! Draco and I are following their trail, but neither of us have any idea where they're heading to!":

"Performing satellite scanning now – we have them. Optimus Prime is in Kalis, near the Rust Sea," the mono-optic Decepticon answered, shooting a look at those that hadn't turned back to their consoles on keeping communications going. There was reluctance in most of the postures but they understood that grieving would have to be saved for later, and now was the time to make sure that they weren't going to lose anymore people.

:"Understood! All units nearby Kalis, mobilize immediately! Whatever happens, Optimus is gonna need us there when that fight's over!":

Another burst of plasma, another round of missiles, a headbutt in return for a roundhouse kick. Where one back-stepped to avoid an overhead slash, the other countered with cannon fire. Blades that were beyond mortal comprehension sang through the air as both fighters left their mark near the edge of the Rust Sea, stray ordnance creating numerous fountains or impact zones.

"You are fool enough to believe that you understand the machinations of our creator? I have existed since the dawn of time, have stood vigil over the birth and death of countless suns, and watched as civilizations have risen and fallen throughout the cosmos. I understand the workings of the spark better than any of your ilk, sparkling." Iskaros fired another plasma burst that sent his opponent to the ground, letting him brutally kick Optimus in the face. "For instance, I know the darkness that lurks within your spark, the secret truth which you deny. You enjoy the thrill of combat, the rush of confrontation between two enemies. For all your talk of seeking the end of conflict, you lust for warfare. You cannot deny your reaction during the Cobra incident – you were more than prepared to send overwhelming force to annihilate that organization. Why else fight on the front lines – you do so because you enjoy it!" The ancient punched hard just as the younger Prime stood up, his fist slamming into Optimus' battle mask, knocking him back a few steps. "Admit it, sparkling. Admit to your hate, and submit to it!"

Red warnings flashed through his HUD, but he ignored them, even fighting against the subroutines that struggled to divert power to his more critical repair systems. "For someone who understands the workings of the spark, you know little about the workings of the mind." Defiance grew in his optics. "Anyone is capable of anger or hate, Iskaros. Anyone is capable of desiring the end to their enemies. Why they desire those things is what you ignore." A flicker of blue and gold, his Cyber Key system activating, and the two cannons pointing straight up the Autobot's back came down and flipped into position, one splitting at its end and charging with deep red energies, the other deploying two secondary cannons in addition to its primary one. Together with the two cannons mounted on his legs, the weapons opened fire, plowing hard into the ancient. "I have existed for over one hundred-thousand vorns. I have seen untold numbers of young lives, soldiers and civilians alike, end at the hands of tyrants and monsters. I don't fight for the sake of fighting, but prevent greater numbers of lives being lost. Freedom is the right of all sentient beings, and I will not stand idly by as that right is taken away by cowards. My reaction in the Cobra incident was sparked by righteous indignation, tempered by the words and faith of my allies and friends. I would not have ended the life of the leader of Cobra – that is for the people on Earth to decide. But to stand against him and prevent his organization from inflicting terror and pain upon an entire world using technology from my own was my choice. History has proven time and again that evil triumphs when those of good morals do nothing, and I will do everything in my power to hold it in check."

Visions of planets taken by the Devourer of Worlds came to mind as they circled each other this time, assessing defenses and injuries. While the fallen Prime hadn't taken as many damages, those he sustained were close enough to hamper his fighting capabilities from full capacity. "And should that power of yours prove not as determined as you believe? That the future you seek to protect could become hopeless?"

"When each part of me has become resolute with everything, it will. And even if the future you claim turns into despair, that's why I'll race down the path I believe in." For all the pretensions of their race being so much more advanced by various parts of their society over other species, Optimus had to admit that in a sense, they were still "primitive".

Time and history, such things that he felt were fickle, tangling these pathetic sparklings together with the even lower fleshlings that were so insignificant, even compared to other organic worlds that had accomplished space travel. "Then you are willing to take to arms if your words or your belief in that path fails? Even despite your denial to the call of battle?"

"If it means taking up sword and cannon, where all other options fail, then I will."

"You will fall, sparkling," the elder Prime rumbled ominously. "Who will take up your sword when you have fallen?"

"They will."

Iskaros' sensors pinged, and for the first time since they've been fighting near the Rust Sea, he finally took notice of his surroundings. Just at the edge of his vision, they gathered – Autobots, Decepticons, Mini-Cons – Cybertronians of each faction stood just within his vision, their scars and fresh injuries speaking of the sacrifice of war but their faces telling of their determination.

"You betrayed your brothers and sisters, Iskaros, and you stand alone. I have fought beside mine, trained and shepherded generation after generation of my people. They do not stand with me because I order them to or because they fear me. They do so because they choose to, and should I fall, they will stand to take my place and finish the work I set out to do. They stand with me."

Optimus almost suspected that Iskaros was thinking over what he'd said, and almost hoped that he was affected by it. But to quote the humans, he wasn't going to hold his breath.

And truthfully, the fallen Prime still couldn't comprehend the fallacy behind the younger mech's thinking. Nor would he ever admit to even wanting to try. "Then they shall fall with you!" Almost faster than most optics could see, the ancient unleashed a much more powerful burst of fire at the Autobot leader with a swing of his sword, bathing him in searing heat and scorching flames. Upping the intensity, Iskaros didn't worry as much on being attacked, knowing his proximity to the Autobot prevented all the others from opening fire. How noble of them, holding back for fear of injuring their precious leader. "You and your siblings do not have the strength to stand against the Chaos Bringer! You do not have the power to stem his tide! You, sparkling, are not worthy of the title 'Prime'!!"

Already battered by the long combat he'd fought as he struggled to block with the ChronoSaber, Optimus was weakened. But he refused to fall.

So instead, he flew.

Flight engines firing to their limits and the glow of the Matrix suddenly enveloping his frame, the younger Prime bodily tackled his opponent, grabbing hold of the burning body (as well forcing Iskaros to drop his weapon) and flying forward into one of the many channels leading into the Rust Sea. Despite the fact that his reformatted body was designed to withstand extreme temperatures, it was almost nothing to flames that were from someone who was created from a time long forgotten, and the Autobot leader ignored the screaming warnings from his sensory matrices. Submerging with a large splash, steam rising from their point of entry as the cold liquid reacted to Iskaros' superheated body. While their home planet had an atmosphere, the Rust Sea was situated in just a way where temperatures at its location would be constantly freezing and certain solvents had gradually turned it into Cybertron's version of the polar waters on Earth. Not soon after, Optimus shot out of the sea to avoid being punched, heating systems fighting against the after-affects of his quick freezing dip all the while hoping that this gambit would work.

The ancient immediately pulled himself out at the sea's edge as he wasn't able to seal all of his vents in time, not quite believing that Optimus would pull off such a sparkling-like move – in the middle of combat, no less! As if prompted by an unknown signal, he was showered with numerous long range attacks, multiple ordnances from all sides causing him to stagger about and furthering the cracks that had formed from the thermal shock. And to think, a simple thing such as physics on the extreme changes of temperature having such an effect on one like him, giving them an edge! It seemed that Draco's previous ice-based attacks did have an affect on Iskaros, from the multiple times rapid cooling and heating of his body during their earlier skirmish.

It was practically inconceivable in his mind. Yet, there it was.

Just as the fallen Prime furiously let loose a large wave of plasma that sent those too close scurrying for cover, he almost didn't notice their weapons ceasing the assault until it was too late.

Mere nano-kliks before the roaring reason literally struck him, Iskaros instinctively lashed out with his fist at the oncoming presence, shattering the battle mask of his attacker.

An almost tranquil silence, save the faint crackle of sparks shooting off and liquid lapping against the shore.

It was strangely… beautiful, dare he admit it, how the shards of the facial armor seemed to slowly float around them. As if mingling with stars that had yet to vanish to whatever destinies laid ahead, their light glinting off the weapon that once belonged to one of the very brothers he had killed earlier. Now, that same blade pierced right through his spark chamber in the hands of one of their descendants, nearly buried all the way to the guard. Any normal sword would've been a minor and annoying hindrance, the injury something he could recover from with minor difficulty. But the ChronoSaber was a weapon forged from that which dealt with creation and had understood its new master's wishes.

"Well… done… Optimus…"

Blue and gray fingers still gripped the turquoise sword's handle, not budging an iota even as the dark armor and flames began to gradually disintegrate back to whence they came in a spectacular flare. The gold aura that had surrounded the younger mech began fading as its purposes was fulfilled, leaving him to stand only on sheer willpower.

"Perhaps… you are truly worthy… of the title… 'Prime'… "

Amidst the fire and particles of power far beyond his knowledge, Optimus would later debate whether he had truly seen a smile – a strangely wistful one, at that – behind the Fallen's faceguard, or it was just a figment of his exhausted mind.

When the sun finally set, nary a trace of the ancient's life remained, only his corpse and traces of what his attacks had left behind. All the warnings and injuries he had ignored throughout the battle finally crashed onto the Autobot commander, forcing him to drop the ChronoSaber and to his knees. A static-laced image of his comrades rushing towards him with worry on their faces was the last thing he saw and a faint warmth through his spark the last thing he felt before being claimed by the gentle blackness of stasis lock.

The End