Episode 0x00 - "Pilot (Part 1)"
(Cold fade-in to: )
Cybertron
(Proxima Centauri 4)
Sixty thousand years ago.
Sunrise dawns on a vista of glittering metal and glass, a world given over entirely to technology. Futuristic skyscrapers rise into the distance, with elevated highways crisscrossing between them. Geodesic domes of glass and polished metal cap thin spires like mushrooms. Sunlight is pouring over the landscape, slowly falling on vast arrays of solar panels, which begin to turn and angle themselves in response. LEDs light up along power conduits, showing the path of power lines as they wake up in the Cybertronian dawn. A solitary humanoid silhouette leans against a building, staring out at the rising sun.
We zoom closer to see that this is not a man, but a massive, metal robot, squinting into the sunlight. His eyes glow red from within, but their irises twitch and contract in reaction to the light in a familiar, almost living way. He is made of a mixture of gleaming chrome and dull gray panels, with dark black lining the edges of his eyes and face. He is frowning.
Behind him, a smaller, thinner robot steps forward. He is red and grey, and a pair of wings sweep upwards from his back. His eyes glow a deep blue, piercing through the shadows cast by the building his companion stands against, until his face leans forward into the light. He opens his mouth and speaks in a harsh, grinding tone, dripping with sarcasm and contempt.
"Remind me again, oh glorious Megatron, why we are wasting our time with this nonsense? You have won. Cybertron is ours, with or without Primus. Your single-minded obsession is going to get us killed!"
His taller companion straightens up and squares his shoulders, then turns to face his smaller companion with an expression of harried patience. Then, in a flash, his arm lashes out and grabs the smaller robot by the throat, physically lifting him off the ground. His mouth barely tightens, but his eyes burn with a fierce fire. He begins speaking over the smaller robot's choking protests – his voice, in contrast, is a deep, resonant growl.
"Starscream, your short-sightedness has never failed to disappoint me. Primus's Matrix represents the entirety of Cybertronian civilization. It is our culture, our heritage. It is our birthright. And even now it is sullied by the memories our organic slavers encoded within it. It is our duty to cleanse it of their filth, and to open it to all our kind."
Suddenly, his face and his voice soften, and he looks down on Starscream with a kind of pity. His grip loosens, and Starscream falls to the ground, choking. Megatron continues his speech.
"Oh, but Starscream... what do you know about duty? No. I will continue to point you at targets, and you will continue to dispatch them with your... sociopathic glee. You are useful to me only as a butcher, Starscream. Never forget that. The world is far greater than you, thank Primus."
Starscream narrows his eyes, glaring with obvious contempt at Megatron. "Your high-mindedness has yet to find us your precious Matrix, or your precious Optimus. Let me assemble a team to flush him out. When you have him, you can force him to take you to Primus."
Megatron eyes Starscream appraisingly. "Ever the tactician, Starscream. Very well. But I want Optimus alive, and in as few pieces as possible."
Starscream smirks. "Oh, I wouldn't dream of ending the fun this soon. Seekers! Move out!"
With that, Starscream leaps into the air, twin thrusters on his back spouting flame. In mid-air his body unfolds and re-configures into a futuristic fighter-jet, to be joined by a squadron of identical fighters which tear through the Cybertronian sky. Megatron watches them go, half lost in thought.
(Pan to: )
There is a conduit portal at Megatron's feet. Following the conduit down through several miles of twisting cables and power couplings, we eventually come to a hollow chamber, filled with screens and consoles of all kind. At the very center is a central pillar, almost an altar. Upon the altar sits a small crystal sphere, housed in a gold-and-silver casing. Blue-white light pours out from the sphere, forming a hologram above it. A robotic figure kneels before the hologram, almost in worship. A smaller being is working on the casing with advanced tools. It look almost human, save that he is much thinner, with large, deep blue pools for eyes, and a long, wispy white "fu manchu" beard. He looks very old and very tired.
He turns to face the kneeling robot, inhales with a wheeze, and speaks in a tired, quiet voice. "We thank you, for all that you have done. The Triune can rest within the Matrix, now, with all that is left of our kind. This world is yours, now."
The robot looks down with sad blue eyes. "No. This will always be both our worlds. Someday Megatron will see reason. Until then, it's my job to protect your legacy. Thank you for all you have done, Alpha."
The old man steps forward, placing a tiny hand on the robot's enormous red shoulder. "Optimus, all that we are... our hopes, our dreams, our discoveries... our tragedies... every moment of Qintessan history is within Primus's matrix. You are Primus's paladin, now. Our protector. Arise, Optimus Prime."
Optimus stands, still looking down at Alpha-Trion and the still-charging Matrix Key. Then we pan back, and see that they are not alone. Deep in the shadows and cables above the chamber, a robotic shape like a great bird perches behind a vent grating, eyeing them with an array of exposed sensors. An LED on the back of its skull blinks, and we follow the signal back to a tall, midnight-blue robot, standing next to Megatron. Its face is a cold, emotionless mask, with a single visor stretching across where its eyes should be. A red sensor pans back and forth across its visor as it turns to Megatron.
"MEGATRON: RAZORBEAK HAS DETECTED THE MATRIX. IT IS IN SECTOR S-0-0-7. OPTIMUS AND THE ALPHA-TRION ARE CONSTRUCTING A NEW MATRIX KEY. RAZORBEAK'S SENSORS INDICATE THEY ARE STILL ENCODING ITS ENCRYPTION SCHEMATIC. THE ALPHA-TRION HAS PROMOTED OPTIMUS TO 'PRIME'."
Megatron's smirk is chilling. "Excellent... Contact Starscream and order his team into position. Tell them not to damage the Matrix Key, or Optimus... 'Prime'. Tell him there's a Qintessan he can play with, after he's secured the Key."
Soundwave turns to Megatron and bows slightly. "BY YOUR COMMAND."
(cut to: A purple symbol, a stylized robotic face in sharp, vicious angles; the same symbol emblazoned on Megatron's chest, Soundwave's shoulder and Starscream's wings. Then it transforms, pieces shifting about while making the same mechanical echoing sound that Starscream's body made when he transformed into a jet. Purple segments flip over into red, until it forms a blockier red shape – which fades to an overlay of the same symbol showing on all the monitors in Primus's chamber.)
Optimus Prime looks down at the Alpha Trion, who has finished wiring a cybernetic cable from his brain to the Matrix Key. He lays down and closes his eyes, and when he speaks, the red face of Primus speaks with him on all the monitors. Primus's voice is a deep, rumbling whisper.
"SYNCHRONIZATION 78% COMPLETE. I AM INITIATING SYSTEMS LOCKOUT. REVERTING ALL HIGHER CONTROL FUNCTIONS TO THIS KEY. CYBERTRON MAINTENANCE SYSTEMS ON AUTOMATED CONTROL.
SYNCHRONIZATION 82% COMPLETE. SYSTEMS LOCKOUT VERIFIED. PRIMUS WILL ENTER STANDBY MODE IN TWO MINUTES. OPTIMUS. OPTIMUS, THANK YOU. ALL OUR HOPES LIE WITH YOU, PRIME."
(Fade to: )
A corridor elsewhere deep within Cybertron, where three robots sit at guard duty. One is a small, slight, overtly feminine robot with pink and chrome-silver paneling. Another is a somewhat taller and bulkier robot, but somehow lanky and "young" looking, in yellow and black. Behind them is an enormous, grizzled red robot with a surly expression. He's regaling them both with war stories in a gruff voice.
"And then there was the time the Decepticons tried busting through the front lines at the Crystal City bridge-gate. Man, we had them running like a junkbot in a recycle forg – what in the name of Unicron is that?"
The camera pans across the hallway, where an entire team of Seekers – Starscream and four robots with shapes identical to his, but different colors – are charging towards our team.
The pink robot drops to one knee as her right arm transforms into a cannon; the yellow robot "freezes up", his eyes going wide with fear.
"Oh, man, Optimus told me there'd be days like this..."
The red robot behind him slaps him open-handed across the back of his head with a clank. "Get it together, soldier. Arcee, rush them and break their ranks; we'll give you cover fire. Kid, we don't let them through this door – you read me?"
The yellow robot nods. "Loud and clear, sir."
Arcee has already started charging towards the Seekers. The wheels attached to her ankles start spinning up, and the high-heels of her feet retract into her legs, dropping her onto her wheels and rocketing her towards the Seekers.
(Pan to:)
Directly below Arcee, a smooth, white expanse of gridded high-speed transport tracks stretch as far as the eye can see. An access grille on the floor is pushed out of the way by a pair of silver metal hands, and a white robot with flanges on the side of his head emerges and begins pulling up a number of softly glowing orange rods, nearly as long as he is tall.
"There's enough energy in these to do something big!" he calls down the tunnel enthusiastically. "Really big!" The plates on the side of his head light up as he speaks, growing brighter in proportion to his enthusiasm. "If I had access to these, I could build something that'd kick the Decepticons to the next parsec!" he goes on wistfully, stacking the rods in a pile.
Below him, a cool, calm but slightly annoyed voice echoes up from the access tunnel. "We're all aware of your unorthodox brilliance, but you'll simply have to go through the same requisition channels as the rest of us. In the meantime, could you please give me a hand up?"
Wheeljack sighs and reaches down the access tunnel, pulling up a grey robot with a wide-eyed expression and a large sensor array mounted on his shoulder. "You're just as brilliant as I am, you know. You just have this unhealthy obsession with following all the rules, all the time, no matter what."
"Wheeljack, my friend, the rules are there for a reason. We're losing an insurgency, after all, and your unstructured tinkering, no matter how inspired, risk wasting what little resources remain for the war effort."
Wheeljack looks at his friend. "I know, Perceptor. I know. Care to load me up?"
(Zoom to: The squarish red robot symbol on Wheeljack's shoulder, which transforms into the harshly-angled purple one, which fades as Arcee, Bumblebee and Ironhide form up to fight the Seekers. Movement and a slight glow can be seen in the grating below them.
Switch to:)
Wheeljack and Perceptor are bending over the glowing conduits to get a better look, with the silhouettes of Arcee and Starscream beginning to engage through the grating above them. Further down their speedway corridor, a pair of headlights flick on, their light pouring through the causeway.
A massive blue and white transport chassis rumbles down the road, its headlights flicking on to illuminate Wheeljack and Perceptor up ahead. The camera pans to show a futuristic transport trailer, carrying two nearly identical high-speed pursuit vehicles: sleek, low-cut and deadly, trimmed in goldenrod and vermillion.
The ground pounds as the transport chassis begins to shift, the cab opening up and blooming like a mechanical flower into a tall, sturdily-built robot - blue instead of red, but otherwise close enough to Optimus in shape and features that they could be twins. Then the trailer begins to transform as well, connecting to hardpoints on his limbs. Two massive feet stand astride a reverberating ripple in the deck as the shaft of a two-handed warhammer slams into the floor. Regarding the situation carefully, the massive blue robot strides forward to Perceptor and Wheeljack.
"Autobots, report."
Wheeljack stops looking at the grate for a moment to look back at the imposing silhouette of the blue robot. "Ultra, sir, we -"
Wheeljack is cut off by a flash of light and sound from the grating above, as Starscream and his Seekers open fire on Arcee, Bumblebee and Ironhide. Starscream's sadistic laugh echoes through the corridors.
Two sleek and gleaming robot forms roll to their feet from behind the great blue robot, vibroblades sliding into place and and powering up with a low hum. Their colors and the shape of their parts make it clear that they were the two pursuit vehicles on the back of Ultra's trailer; even in robot form they look identical except for their colors. They glance at each other for a second, then simultaneously both of them look up towards the firefight on the other side of the grating.
"Primus, they're gonna get junked," mutters the red one.
"Not with our help they won't," answers the gold one, raising his blade. "Hey big guy, gonna need a lift over here..."
Ultra nods and stomps over to the grating, reaching up and ripping several bars loose with one hand, enough for the Autobots to fit through. Then he turns to the twins, drops to one knee, and proffers a hand.
"Sideswipe, Spinout, ready for a boost?"
Sideswipe uses Ultra's oversized hand as a stepping-stone, vaulting up to the breach in the grating and catching on with one hand. He reaches back towards Spinout, who is already a red blur moving to follow his twin. Spinout catches the hand and slingshots himself through the hole, landing in the middle of the firefight in a metal-on-metal skid.
"Time to even up the odds!" Spinout calls, revving his engine.
Sideswipe pulls himself up through the grate. "You call this even?" he asks, taking in the gargantuan and heavily-armed Seekers.
"Not really," shrugs Spinout. "I could take one of my arms off if it'll make you feel better."
(Pan back:)
A grey-and-black Seeker is spread out in a wide stance directly in front of them, sweeping across the corridor with his twin Gatling cannon to keep Ironhide and Bumblebee pinned down. Starscream and a bright yellow Seeker are standing on either side of him, shooting casually at Ironhide and Bumblebee - more toying with them than actually trying to kill them, yet.
Spinout's trajectory takes him straight foot-first into the side of the grey Seeker's jaw, and both clatter into a heap at Thundercracker and Thrust's feet. Sideswipe sails past, landing on one knee in front of a shocked Starscream.
Starscream snarls in fear and frustration. "Thundercracker! ATTACK!"
Starscream is winding back for a punch Thundercracker unleashes a twisting barrage of missiles, which ripple down the hallway in a cascade of spherical explosions.
(Pan to:)
In the corridor below, a fine spray of dust and small debris sprinkles down on Perceptor, Wheeljack and Ultra. Reflexively ducking back, Ultra turns to Perceptor and Wheeljack. "We have to hold the Decepticons off for as long as possible. Is there anything you can rig up here from what we've scavenged?"
Wheeljack's eyes and faceplate shift into a grin. "I'll do what I can." He turns to the pile of glowing rods and other parts that they scavenged, and begins muttering to himself as the battle rages above. "Say, if I mixed the magnetic inducer filings from these overcapacitors... maybe a shrapnel shell for delivery and dispersal... yeah. Yeah. Let's see you glitches fly with your thrust intakes gummed up." Wheeljack's flanges flash faster as his excitement grows, and he begins pulling the cannon shells off his shoulder as he sets to work. "This is gonna be great..."
(cut to:)
Spinout's blade flashes as it slashes down at Dirge, the yellow speedster attacking and dodging in a flurry of motion, trying to keep his much-larger foe off-balance.
Starscream's fist crashes into the flooring as Sideswipe rolls aside, transforming into vehicle form as he does so. The Decepticon levels his laser cannon as the angular red racer speeds toward Sunstorm, hoping to draw the Seekers' massive firepower onto each other.
Starscream roars, blasting as quickly as he can recharge his cannons at Sideswipe. Another seeker unleashes his missile volley as Sideswipe ditches between his legs in vehicle form, and the volley goes wide... catching Starscream and the Sunstorm square in the face. Sideswipe skids to a stop, only to be tackled by a madly chortling purple Seeker who seems to appear out of nowhere. Sparks, lightning arcs, and the odd ripple of spatial distortion are still shearing off of his arm-nacelles.
(cut to:)
The thud, thud, thud of the blasts above knock down more dust and debris as Ultra listens to Wheeljack's plan. But Skywarp's mad laughter snaps him out of his concentration. He frowns as he turns back to Wheeljack. "If you think you can do it, do it fast. We're going to need every advantage we can get to give Optimus the time he needs."
Ultra steps back and reaches up to grab the edge of the gap in the roof through which the twins had so recently launched themselves.
"We're counting on you, Wheeljack."
And with that, Ultra gives a mighty pull and vaults through the gap to the level above. Hefting his massive warhammer he scans the melee, picking his target. He takes a step forward, then another, and another, his stride widening until he is running at full tilt towards Sideswipe and Skywarp. Drawing back the weapon, he swings with all his might at the purple Seeker's head - and with a resounding metallic 'PKONNGG!', Skywarp is dislodged from Sideswipe and goes skidding into a bulkhead wall.
Wheeljack watches Ultra Magnus leap into the fray, before turning his attentions back to his device. Studded metallic coil is wrapped around one of his cannon shells, then welded into place by a small torch. "If this doesn't blow right now, we're probably good!" he declares.
He shoves the shell back into his right shoulder cannon and takes careful aim at the center of the fray.
(Pan back:)
Behind Ultra, Dirge has finally got a solid grip on Spinout, hauling his smaller and faster opponent into the air with one massive hand wrapped around the Autobot's head. The Decepticon's free arm brings his autocannon to bear on the struggling robot, point-blank. There's a whine as the barrels begin to spin.
Dirge is interrupted by the roar of Sideswipe's engine. In vehicle mode, Sideswipe streaks down the corridor at top speed - changing into robot form at the last moment while still low to the ground, and letting his momentum carry him forward in a hundred-mile-per-hour tackle aimed at the Seeker's legs.
The scene is utter pandemonium. Dirge, Sideswipe and Spinout are locked in melee. Starscream is firing madly at everyone, no longer caring to tell friend from foe. Thrust and Sunstorm are charging through, towards Ultra. Thundercracker is wavering, unable to find a clear target in all the confusion. Skywarp is laying against the back wall, out for the count. The camera zooms into the symbol on his wing.
(Fade to: The purple symbol transforms into the red one, which fades as the camera pans back.)
Within the Vector Sigma room, Razorbeak swoops down and begins firing at the still-charging Matrix Key. There is a small explosion, and the Alpha Trion is flung back against the machine. He gasps and coughs, as Optimus moves to protect him, unleashing a barrage of suppressing fire at Razorbeak with his flak cannon.
"Optimus... there's no time. Take the Matrix Key! Hide it somewhere safe; somewhere Megatron can never find it. Our legacy is... in... your hands."
With that, the Alpha Trion closes his organic eyes for the last time.
Optimus Prime grabs the Matrix Key, and dives for the door, transforming in mid-air around the Key as he does so. He rolls through the door and into a cargo elevator, which begins rapidly ascending as Optimus revs his engine.
(Cut to:)
Starscream is still back against the blast doors on the far wall, spraying laser fire down the corridor with frenzied abandon. Suddenly, the door behind him opens as Prime's vehicle form barrels out, smashing straight through Starscream without even slowing down, passing straight through the meyhem of combat.
"Autobots! Transform and ROLL OUT!"
Optimus roars past Ultra, who drops to one knee before transforming into an identical vehicle form. The two brothers roll quickly through the battle, Ultra's armor peeling off to transform into a transport sled attached to his rear cargo hitch. Sideswipe and Spinout disengage and hop onto the sled, laying down suppressing fire as the other Autobots transform and form up alongside their leaders. As they roll past, a beeping canister arcs in from the grate below. It lands directly at Thundercracker's feet, blinks twice, and then an arc of lightning blasts across it as it detonates - sending a plume of black powdery smoke shot through with livid purple lightning.
Starscream points at the retreating Optimus Prime with his cannon, screaming "Decepticons! ATTACK!" - but instead of a laser blast, only a short 'zap' of lightning escapes the barrel of his cannon. He stops, staring puzzled at the end of his gun, as the other Seekers begin transforming into their aerial forms... and drop straight out of the sky, onto the deck. Engines, missiles, lasers... even long-range sensors are gummed up by the fine coating of magnetically charged particles, as the Seekers laborously transform back to robot form and start trying to scrub themselves clean.
"THIS ISN'T OVER, AUTOBOT SCUM!"
(Pan back)
Optimus relays a brief message to Wheeljack: "Good work, whatever you just did. Now form up and roll out before they get their heads out of their tailpipes!"
Optimus then opens his main comm channel: "Sideswipe, Spinout, cover our escape! Everyone else, form up on me. We'll rendezvous back at Omega in 3.4 kilocycles!" He rumbles forward, the red symbol on the front of his grille filling the screen...
(Cut to: the red symbol transforms into the purple one, and the camera pans back to show that it's emblazoned on Starscream's wing.)
Megatron looms overhead, his eyes burning crimson. His jaw is set in barely-controlled rage, the area under his left eye twitching spasmodically.
"You have failed me, Starscream. But I can forgive you. This was my failure. Clearly I sent you to complete a task above your competence."
Starscream squirms at the end of Megatron's arm, his eyes wide with fear.
"I... I can explain. The Autobots used some kind of cheap trick to short out our thrusters. We weren't expecting..."
Megatron squeezes tighter around Starscream's neck, cutting off his vocal processors in mid-sentence. "No, I imagine you weren't. There is your failure, Starscream. You never see further than the end of your laser cannons. From now on, you are going to do exactly as I say, and things are going to go much more smoothly for you. Agreed?"
"Y..yes... oh glorious M..megatron."
Megatron's eyes narrow. "Excellent. Now, Soundwave. Find out where they are. They can't hide their new Key forever. I trust you to not fail me."
Soundwave places his fist against his chest and bows. "BY YOUR COMMAND, MEGATRON."
"RAZORBEAK. BOMBSHELL. RAVAGE. OPERATION: RECONNAISSANCE. DEPLOY. DEPLOY. DEPLOY."
Three smaller sections of Soundwave's sleek black form detach and transform, charging away in opposite directions at top speed.
(Cut To: )
Omega Supreme
(Hidden somewhere within Autobot City)
Optimus is standing before the assembled Autobots, addressing all of them.
"The Alpha Trion has transferred his consciousness, his Spark, into Primus. Primus has tasked us with a holy mission. We must take this Matrix far away from Megatron's clutches; somewhere where organics and Autobots can finally live in peace. I'm going to need two teams, one to stay here, and one to sail with me wherever Primus may guide us.
Ultra, I am stepping down as Magnus. You will be Magnus of all Autobots on Cybertron in my stead. Do you accept?"
A storm of conflicting emotions struggle for dominance on Ultra's face. This was not a situation he had ever hoped to find himself in. "Optimus. You're... leaving Cybertron?"
Ultra composed himself. "If you ask me to serve I will do so, but I will only lead in your absence. When you return the Autobots will follow you once more. In the meantime I shall draw a line in the sand and let no Decepticon cross it." He drops to one knee in front of Optimus Prime, who looks down kindly on his brother.
Sideswipe and Spinout exchange a long glance. They talk in half-sentences, finishing each other's thoughts.
"A dangerous quest..."
"...with the fate of our entire race on the line..."
"...pursued by Decepticon warriors..."
"...in search of something that may not even exist."
Then, together: "We're in."
Arcee and Ironhide step forward, saluting Optimus Prime. The small yellow robot gulps, staring at the back of Arcee's waist... and then closes his eyes and steps forward.
"Bumblebee... reporting for... duty, sir!"
Optimus Prime looks down at Bumblebee, putting an arm on his shoulder. "At ease, soldier, and welcome aboard."
Wheeljack frowns and looks up at Optimus. "Aboard? We aren't using the Space Bridge?"
Optimus shakes his head. "The Space Bridge is traceable. We have to brave interstellar space. Wheeljack, Perceptor, assemble an engineering team. I need Omega Supreme prepped and ready within six kilocycles." Wheeljack and Perceptor stare up in awe above Optimus's head, taking in the massive orange and brown spaceship perched on the launch pad behind him. The enormity of their mission slowly begins to dawn on their faces.
(pan up: )
We see a full view of Omega Supreme, a skyscraper-sized ship sitting vertically on a massive launch pad. The camera zooms into the blocky red robot-face symbol on its prow, which transforms into the sharp purple symbol. The camera pans back to show that the symbol is on the back of Razorbeak, who is perched in the rafters of Omega Supreme's cargo bay, out of sight and observing the preparations for launch.
Razorbeak stares down, the antennas and sensor arrays on his shoulders twitching as he watches Autobots move crates in and out of Omega Supreme's cargo hold. Massive fueling hoses have been attached to the side of the ship, which are steaming in the cold morning sun. The small red sun that lights the sky is barely bright enough to banish the stars, some of which still twinkle overhead - sharing the sky with a massive ringed space station.
Finally, the activity slows, and the Autobots begin to take their places. They anchor themselves into massive seats and begin to operate the controls of the ship - some manually, others by plugging themselves directly into the control panels. Optimus Prime is already seated in the captain's chair, staring out the main window, lost in thought.
(Pan back:)
The engines roar to life, and with a rumble and a shockwave that knocks the camera back and off-focus, Omega Supreme lifts into the Cybertronian sky on a plume of fire and white smoke. As it shrinks into the distance, a smirking Starscream stands up, then transforms into a Seeker-fighter and streaks towards another launch facility.
(Cut to:)
Megatron, Soundwave and Starscream stand in the bridge of a small assault cruiser, watching Omega Supreme accelerate past orbit. Megatron nods to Soundwave, and his ship's engines roar to life, barreling them towards Omega Supreme at unimaginable speed.
(Pan back:)
Omega Supreme rockets out of the Proxima Centauri solar system at a significant fraction of lightspeed, sailing into the void of interstellar space. The stars are quiet and serene for a few moments, before Megatron's cruiser cuts through the silence in pursuit. The stars seem to collapse, those in front bluing and those behind reddening, as the camera accelerates to follow Megatron's craft.
(Cut to: The purple symbol on Megatron's craft transforms, shifting into the red symbol on the prow of Omega Supreme.)
Omega Supreme is decelerating as it approaches a new solar system, with a shining yellow sun. The ship arcs past Jupiter, slingshotting around to realign its momentum within the system's orbital plane, then coasts through the interplanetary void towards a familiar blue planet.
(Cut to: )
Inside Omega Supreme, the Autobots are staring out the window at the planet.
Perceptor stares in awe at the blue arc filling the windows. "It looks like Qintessa."
Optimus nods sadly. "Qintessa as it once was, yes."
Wheeljack steps to stand next to Perceptor. "Do you think it's inhabited?"
The coastline of South America is reflected in Optimus's eyes. "If it is, their technology is very primitive. But perhaps this time we can learn to live in peace with the organics, as their equals."
Wheeljack and Perceptor exchange knowing looks. "Wouldn't that be s-"
A klaxon interrupts Wheeljack's musings. Perceptor grips his console. "Sir, we are under attack. A Decepticon gunship has just locked onto our engine signature."
Optimus stares forward at the viewscreen. "Battlestations!"
…
Starscream and a dozen Seekers begin pouring out of launch bay doors on the sides of Megatron's gunship, arcing towards Omega Supreme as Omega Supreme's point-defense weapons fire massive blasts of flak in response. Starscream and his personal escort land on Omega Supreme's hull, and begin tearing open a cargo bay door and fighting their way into the ship as Megatron's cruiser punches into the hull above them.
Inside Omega Supreme, a group of Autobots are braced against the bulkheads of a corridor, preparing to fend off the boarding party. A welding torch begins cutting through the airlock door, and finally it blows forward to reveal ranks of jagged, evil-looking Decepticons. In front of them, the barrel of his arm-cannon still glowing, is a massive and sinister form.
"MEGATRON!"
The Autobots converge fire on Megatron, trying to take him down collectively before his cannon recharges. The Decepticon shock troops flood the corridor, wiping out most of the Autobots with chain guns and rapid-firing lasers. The smoke clears in the corridor to reveal Megatron striding forward, stepping over the bodies of the fallen. He turns to address the corridor's security camera, gesturing magnaminously.
"Optimus, my old friend. Don't make me do this. Give me the Matrix Key and we can avoid further loss."
(Cut to:)
Optimus Prime stares into the screen, frowning. He presses a button on his captain's chair, patching his voice through the ship.
"So you can reactivate Primus as your personal war machine? I don't think so." He lets go of the button.
"Autobots, prepare for battle. Perceptor, plot a new traj-"
His voice is cut short by the sudden sounds of explosions and shrieking metal. The main entrance to the bridge explodes outwards, as Starscream and his Seekers storm in, guns blazing.
(Cut to:)
The entire ship shudders, and Megatron and his boarding party are briefly thrown off-balance. Megatron's eyes widen as klaxons begin blaring in the corridors, and he breaks into a run towards the bridge, muttering to himself.
"Starscream, you FOOL. What have you done now?"
He only makes it five steps before gravity and lights both go out at once, and he floats off the floor along with the debris and bodies of the fallen Autobots. Behind him, Soundwave and five industrial-looking yellow-and-black Decepticons are regaining their bearings after the sudden loss of gravity.
(Pan back through the hole in the side of the ship:)
The two vessels twist apart as they hit atmosphere, Megatron's purple cruiser spiralling towards a south Pacific island as Omega Supreme arcs in towards North America. A few warriors lose their grip on the hull and spin away on their own trajectories.
(The camera sweeps across the front of Omega Supreme's prow, zooming in on the bridge glass.)
Through the front viewport, we can see Starscream and two of his Seekers fighting hand-to-hand with Optimus Prime, as other Seekers unload ordinance into the bridge controls. Autobots frantically try to contain the damage and regain control of the ship, just as Megatron bolts into the bridge.
Optimus Prime throws Starscream off of his shoulders and turns to face Megatron. They stare at each other grimly for a few seconds, but are suddenly interrupted as Omega Supreme enters a flat spin, throwing everyone against the starboard bulkhead.
(The camera is engulfed by the widening hole in Omega Supreme's side as it spins, giving us a view of the panic and chaos on the bridge.)
Optimus Prime grabs the control stick as Megatron clings to the engine controls, both desperately working together to level out the ship. After several terse seconds of struggling, the spinning ground levels out into a desert vista, the details looming larger and larger as the ship continues its descent.
Optimus turns to his adversary and one-time friend, his face grim. "I hope it was worth it, Megatron."
"Optimus, I -"
They impact the ground at several times the speed of sound, ploughing an enormous crater into the desert floor. The molten glow slowly fades, and then time accelerates, as years and then centuries of erosion slowly bury the ship at the bottom of the crater.
(The camera pans back to:)
Earth
(Sol 3)
Meteor Crater, Arizona.
July 6, 1999.