Transformers Titan
Devastation
Chapter 1-The Day Terra Stood Still part 1
On March 21, 2008, President James Flagg gave a press conference pertaining to the mysterious events surrounding the appearance of giant robots in Fallon and Dallas.
"My fellow Republicans," The president noted calmly as he addressed the press on the patio of the White House. "I come before you today to explain the recent events in Fallon, Dallas, Texas and Dakote; on September 24, at 2:34 PM, unusual radio activity was found in the state of Dakote. This activity was caused by the activation of a distress beacon within an extraterrestrial escape craft, dormant on Terra for approximately five million years. This signal attracted the attention of two other extraterrestrial groups who were also hiding on our planet until a year ago. Since February 18 of this year, sightings of the warring extraterrestrials have been connected to recent sightings in Yuktobania, Fallon and Tampa. Since later that month, I and other select members of the Osean government and military have been in contact with one of these groups and they contributed to our defense against their malevolent counterparts, and managed to defeat them with minimal losses. It is at their recommendation that we now reveal the truth, and they reveal themselves to us."
The gathered members of the White House press corps turned in surprise as a large red and blue flat nose Peterbilt truck drove up next to the podium and suddenly broke apart and reshaped itself into a taller form. Parts reorganized to form arms, legs and finally a head. As cameras flashed, the robot spoke in a deep, resonating tone.
"People of Terra, I am Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots," Optimus Prime said to the world. "And I come in peace."
And so Terra was changed forever.
XXXXXX
It was a bright, sunny Friday morning in the town of Tranquility. The people of Tranquility went about their lives, enjoying everything life had to offer, not entirely free of worries, but just happy to have a wonderful day ahead of them. Even though it was almost the end of summer, the weather was still pleasantly warm and moderately hot. The perfect weather to go outside and have a nice day out, and the people knew they had to enjoy what the world had to offer, even though there was an otherworldly battle going on elsewhere on the planet.
The Radcliffe household was quiet for once, a welcome change for the family of three living there considering just how hectic their lives were in general after meeting their alien friends. Sitting in the dining room was Debbie Radcliffe, the eldest of the Radcliffe siblings, who were already taking advantage of the last days of their summer vacation by spending it lounging around the house doing what kids do-nothing.
It was nice not having to worry about some Decepticon attack or human terrorists kidnapping her brother or sister just for hanging out with the Autobots. She did her best to at least try to have some semblance of a normal life, and she thought she was doing quite well in that regard. At the moment, Debbie was sitting at the table reading the morning paper and drinking some orange juice (she avoided coffee like the plague unless she was really desperate for a power up). Just being able to do something as simple as this was a luxury she rarely had.
"What's this?" She muttered as she came across a particular article.
It was yet another news article about the Autobots. Ever since that fateful day, the media just couldn't get enough of them, jumping at any chance they could to snag a scoop on the Autobots. Debbie couldn't fault them for it, the Autobots were nowhere near what humanity thought alien life would be like.
"…in the six months since the ratification of the Cybercord Treaty with the Osean Republic, the Autobots have certainly made an impression on the people of Terra." The article read. "Working closely with the member nations of the treaty despite their alliance with Osea, the Autobots have, so far, stayed true to their promise to protect our world from their more hostile counterparts, the Decepticons. Following recent excursions in Xing, Egyptia and most recently Sapin, the Autobots have certainly proved their metal, so to speak."
Her brow furrowed as she continued reading silently. "However, public opinion on the Autobots remains painfully split. Though many look upon the Autobots as heroes, there are some who see them as "conquerors in disguise". The anti-esper group, The Human Front, are openly hostile towards the so-called alien menace. Even with growing public support, the Autobots-who work closely with government officials-are regarded with open suspicion by many figures within the military and government, most notably Senator Aisha Cordell, who has long argued passionately for stricter regulations on espers living on Osean soil. Still, regardless of opinion, most people will agree on one thing about the Autobots, they have their work cut out for them."
"I'll say." Debbie sighed.
The revealing of the cybertronians on Terra had a polarizing effect on the world. Many people, still in shock that aliens had been hiding right under their noses the whole time, didn't know what to think. Reactions varied, some welcomed the Autobots, some condemned them, others thought it was a hoax, and many criticized them for waging war on their planet. A sentiment Debbie secretly held, granted the Cons were on Terra before the Autobots in advance. And the Cons weren't exactly known for caring about what organics thought about them.
Speaking of the Decepticons, they've been quiet for the past few months. There were a few skirmishes over energon and two more stasis panels near two cities in Xing (earning the ire of the Xingese government for both sides), but lately they had become increasingly scarce. According to Sparkplug, since secret infiltration was their modus operandi, then they would try to keep that up as long as possible before switching to a more wasteful method of operating out in the open. Until there was another sighting, the Autobots would do their best to provide a positive face to the human race at large. No matter how things went with the Decepticons, there would be no returning to normal for humanity. For better or worse, they were now part of a much larger universe.
"Morning sis!"
Debbie smiled as Darren and Annie walked into the kitchen, dressed and ready to spend their vacation with their friends.
"Good morning, Darren, Annie. I see you two are excited for today." Debbie said.
"We are. We still have a couple more weeks of summer left before we head off to prison, so we're going to make the most of it!" Annie said, plopping her keister into a chair and quickly digging into her waffles with gutso. "I'm going to head out with Bulkhead and Wheeljack to see the giant koi fish in Weijing."
"Gina and I are going to check out Civ-Alpha with Penny and Kevin." Darren said.
"I take it this is Gina's version of a double-date?" Debbie asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Well, it's romantic in a sense, so yeah." Darren blushed.
"No surprise there. Exploring dusty old ruins that double as ancient death traps is always Gina's idea of a hot date." Annie joked.
Debbie smiled at seeing her brother and sister joke around and laugh. They were the only family she had left after their grandfather passed away. But her smile dimmed a bit when she focused on some of their…extra features.
Annie's new appearance was the most obvious-her right arm, severed at the shoulder in a near-fatal altercation against a trio of Insecticon alphas was now replaced with a smooth black mechanical arm, courtesy of the combined efforts of Ratchet and Wheeljack. It took Annie two and a half months to probably how to use her new appendage and had to wear a long, black glove to cover it when going outside. As for her missing eye, which she lost in the same battle, she wore a black eyepatch over it. She wasn't too comfortable with people, man or Bot, poking around in her eye socket.
Darren looked mostly the same, physically at least, with small silver circles visible along his exposed arms. They were remnants of his headmaster implants from that terrible situation the Autobots are calling the Headmaster War. The mental bond between Darren and Sunstreaker was severed by Ratchet, but the implants still remain, as the doctor couldn't risk messing with technology he didn't understand. Mentally, however, Darren still carried scars of those times. He would have night terrors of memories belonging to Sunstreaker…even the Autobot's dismemberment at OZ's hands and the horrible experiments done to him. Debbie could never forget hearing Darren's terrified screams in the middle of the night, wailing and crying like a child afraid of monsters. That would haunt her for the rest of her days.
Darren, Annie and Gina had gone through so much since meeting the Minicons inside that cave. They experienced things no child should ever have seen and done things that would forever impact their lives…all because of this alien war. A war that shouldn't be involved in. but at this point, it was pointless to worry about that now, as the damage was already done. They weren't children anymore. They were, in Annie's words, warriors.
'Soldiers,' Debbie thought. 'Just like dad.'
"Debbie, something wrong?" Darren asked. Debbie forced a smile onto her face.
"Nothing's wrong, Darren." She said. "Everything's fine."
XXXXXX
No matter how many times he walked through its halls, Armorhide (Energon Ironhide) still could not believe he was actually inside the Ark. A ship he only saw from a distance if he was lucky enough to get guard duty in the Hall of Records or in holo-vids. He spent much of his early career, and life, doing security detail in the Decagon, and later in the Kimia Facility. He had dreamed of serving aboard the Ark, but his low rank kept him back. However, that all changed today!
Armorhide was a strong, stocky Autobot with red and blue armor who had an armored jeep for an alt mode. He was around Bumblebee's age, forged along with the scout and a dozen others from the last recorded hot spot before Vector Sigma stopped producing Sparks. They were technically the same rank, so it stung that Bumblebee got the lucky draw and was able to get a taste of the action alongside Optimus Prime. He told himself it was only because the little scout had more field experience (which was true) and not because Bumblebee was good friends with most of High Command, even Optimus himself, but who was he kidding?
But it seemed that Primus was smiling down upon him when the call was made for some more reinforcements on a planet called Terra by Prime himself. Armorhide was one of the first to volunteer, his expertise in engineering earning him a place alongside trigger-happy brutes like Cliffjumper, Mirage and Sideswipe. He needed to remember to send Firestar a thank-you card.
He was sick of slumming it out on Kimia counting stars to avoid getting caught up in Brainstorm's crazy shenanigans. He joined the Autobots to make a difference and prove himself as a soldier, like Jazz and, Primus forbid, Rodimus. This was his chance to learn from the pros and get a taste of real combat.
This would be his first deployment to an alien world-a world already exposed to the conflict going on in their atmosphere. It was amazing and confusing seeing so many organics, so many cultures and nations living together. How could the all live on such a tiny world?
A day after he arrived on Terra, Armorhide was personally debriefed by Optimus Prime himself (Armorhide patted himself on the back for not squealing in Prime's presence) on Terran culture and its people.
"They are a young species, full of potential but prone to great violence." Optimus said. "They fear what they do not understand, s we must tread lightly so we do not provoke confrontation with them."
"They…sound like animals." Armorhide frowned. "They fight each other over petty reasons, squandering their resources, and discriminate each other for practically no reason at all. Forgive me, sir, but these humans…they're violent and barbaric."
"Were we any different?" Optimus replied. Armorhide had no reply for that. "Yes, humans are fickle creatures, it is within their nature. They do not understand how to use their resources wisely, and for the benefit of all. We can teach them, but we must progress slowly. They are overly sensitive and have a tendency to take offense at any perceived slightly, no matter how well meaning the commentary. Some of them are wary of us, some are suspicious, and others are openly fearful."
"Fearful? After you all risked your Sparks to defend them and their world?" Armorhide growled.
Optimus placed a calming hand on the cadet's shoulder. "I told you they are overly sensitive. This tendency sometimes borders on paranoid. Interestingly, the reverse is also true, as the youngest of the species are less afraid of us. My team and I have seen this personally with the children I told you about. They have went above and beyond for us, and have saved our lives numerous times, myself included."
"Really?" He blinked. "But…they're so small."
"Do underestimate the organics of this or any world. They have achieved much in decades and their ability to adapt quickly to situations has helped them survive…evolve. This has proven to be a formidable trait when used against us."
Armorhide was trying to understand, he really was, but it was hard to see a species as small as a Minicon but physically weaker than them could be threatening. If they had advanced technology, then yes, he could understand, but they were rather primitive-just a few steps under the Nebulans in that regard. Then again…they were the same species that captured and tortured poor Sunstreaker. The mech was a mess, even though he looked normal on the outside. He was like a ticking time bomb just waiting to happen.
"Why are they even involved?" Armorhide asked. "I thought protocol dictated that we avoid contact with aliens. This is not their war."
"But this is their world, and by aiding us against the Decepticons, humanity has become their enemy by default. As it is, things haven't been going in a straight line since we landed on this world." Optimus said. "Considering how many people already despite our kind, I am glad to have at least one plant that doesn't completely hate us."
When the war left a dying Cybertron and spread to the outer reaches of space, thousands of worlds were dragged into the conflict. Hundreds of planets were conquered and destroyed by Decepticon infiltration teams destabilizing the natives of those worlds, while open fighting between them and the Autobots left some planets as inhospitable wastelands. Others were, to Optimus' great guilt, ceded to Decepticon control in order to obtain some fleeting advantage in another part of the galaxy. Thousands of races, many of them either space-faring or pre-industrial, were annihilated by the overall fighting. The Galactic Coalition, a united government of worlds formed in response to the Quintesson invasions, had black listed the cybertronian race, wiping their hands clean of any relation to them, save for a few individuals like Ultra Magnus, Xaaron and Tyrest. Even now there were still frequent skirmishes between neutral colonies and GC space vessels "accidentally" firing on them unprovoked. Only a small number of worlds had really accepted Autobot assistance and protection against the Decepticons, and even those races rarely wanted to get too involved in the war unless it was for retribution. Aliens were barred from taking part in their war as per the rules dictated in the Code of Interplanetary Conflict.
"Sir, are you alright?"
Armorhide's question brought Prime out of his reverie and he nodded. "Yes, Armorhide, sorry. I got lost in my thoughts." He turned to the young mech and patted his shoulder. "Go and get to know more about your new team. When you get the chance, be sure to introduce yourself to the children as well. New faces are always welcome aboard the Ark."
Armorhide smiled. "I will, sir! Thank you very much! You can count on me!"
This was a brand new chapter in Armorhide's life and he planned on making the most of it.
XXXXXX
"...it's been announced that the join human/Autobot solar project in Mexica is moving forward despite opposition from not only political circles but also assorted religious groups. Several evangelical ministries in the Magisterium protested the presence of the cybertronians, claiming that they are an "affront towards Gaia" and an "attack on religion-"
Grindor changed the channel and tossed the remote away with a snort. "Affront towards Gaia my ass!"
Gina gave the Minicon a sympathetic smile. "It'll take some time to get used to you, Grindor. You need to be patient."
"Awfully hard to be patient when you see something so predictable." Grindor flopped onto her bed. "There are hundreds of worlds with their own religions and Terra is no different from any of them. Too many people caught up in too many religious beliefs."
"You think religion is a bad thing: Annie asked, playing around with her prosthetic arm's rotation.
"No, blind faith and devotion is. Wars fought over belief systems, gods used as excuses to commit atrocities, people needlessly persecuted for not following the majority, and now these yahoos trying to press their religion onto us because we apparently worship the wrong god." Grindor ranted. "Prime should've never mentioned Primus in the first place."
"You sound very strongly about this, Grindor." Sureshock observed.
"I had some friends who got caught up in separate religious cults back on Cybertron. They split apart because of differences in how they thought our race was born. One thought we naturally evolved from machines and the other believed that our world and race were created by Primus. It got to the point where violence was involved and they never talked to each other, or me, ever again."
"Where are they now?" High Wire asked softly. He rarely got to here Grindor speak about his old life.
"One joined the Autobots and is either dead or lights years away from here. The other…" Grindor shrugged. "No idea. Never heard from him again."
Annie patted his hand and Grindor gave her an unseen smile. Though it still stung a bit to talk about his old friends, that was all in the past now. He had new friends and that was all he needed.
"While we're on the subject, have you see all these groups who believe the cybertronians to be saviors of humanity? I can't help but think they're starting to be as bad as the originals." As if to support her statement, Gina pulled out a slightly crumpled brochure that one of the cybertronian-worshipping group members had shoved into her hand on the street. The cover's image was juxtaposed the Autobot and Minicon symbols next to each other.
"Join the Followers?" Sureshock read. "Who are they?"
"They're this cybertronian info group that popped up almost three months ago, though I think it might've started farther back. They might've sprouted up because Wheeljack was answering questions related to cybertronian culture and society online. These guys are pretty much made up of people ranging from divine-worshipping fanaticals to scientists and fans." Darren explained.
"Yeah, I heard about those yahoos. I think some of them go to our school." Annie said.
"They allow teachers and children into the Followers?" High Wire blinked.
"So long as you're not preaching "kill the aliens" or "destroy all espers", you're welcome to join." Darren shrugged. "Honestly, I think they're just a bunch of glorified groupies with an obsession for the Autobots."
"Amen to that, brother." Annie quipped. Her phone rang and she checked it to see that her friend had texted her. "Looks like it's time for me to go."
"Where are you heading off to in such a hurry?" Sureshock asked.
"To see her girlfriend, Brittany." Darren grinned.
"Shut it." Annie blushed.
"Brittany?" Gina raised a brow at her best friend. "As in the girl who just moved in a month ago?"
"The very same girl. Annie's absolutely smitten with her and they're almost always together. They even go shopping at the mall together!" Darren laughed. "Run along sis, we don't want you to be late for your date."
"It's not a date and she's not my girlfriend, you ass!" Annie growled, her cheeks rosy red as she stomped out of the room. "Come on, Grindor!"
The others watched them go with big smiles and the minute the door slammed shut everyone started laughing.
"She's totally smitten!" Gina giggled.
"I know. They even have an online chat in evening. You should see her, Gina. She looks like a love-struck teenager." Darren said.
"I think it's sweet." Sureshock said. "Annie deserves someone to love like you two. It might give her something positive to do now that we all have some free time on our hands."
"Yeah…" Gina and Darren didn't look as pleased about that as they should've been.
The past six months had been peaceful for the children, which was a blessing after what they went through, but following the announcement Optimus made to the world, their activities with the Autobots had been greatly limited. Prime thought it best that the children remain out of the picture for the time being until everything calmed down. Only a few government officials, the president and Colonel Barnett included, knew about their involvement with the Autobots, but no one knew about their talos. The last thing anyone wanted was for the military to learn of the three super advanced mecha the Autobots were harboring.
Sadly, this left the children sitting on the sidelines most of the time, with no Minicons to be found or need to assist their friends, this left the kids trying to adjust to a somewhat normal life again. Which was harder than they thought.
"You know, for all the stuff I say about not wanting to put everyone in danger, not being able to help the Bots makes me…restless. I'm so used to piloting Prometheus I can't sit still anymore." Darren sighed. "As it is I can barely sleep properly after all the excitement,"
"That's an unfortunate side effect of fighting in a war. You fight for so long, it's hard to get used to the quiet life you had before it all went down. Returning to normalcy becomes next to impossible." High Wire said.
"Well, it's that or risk our talos being seen with the Autobots and causing a scandal. I'm so sick of that pompous asshole Senator Cordell talk smack about the Autobots." Gina huffed. "It's bad enough she's trying to practically dump espers in internment camps, but she's practically funding the ERD to murder espers."
"We can't change everything by shooting at it. The world will still keep spinning whether we fight or not." Darren sighed.
"Just enjoy the end of your vacation, you two. This could be the last time we get some peace for a while." Sureshock told them.
'That's the thing. I can't even fully enjoy it.' Darren thought, resting his chin on his knees. 'My mind wants to rest, but my body wants to keep fighting. I don't think I'll ever be fully normal after that nightmare with OZ. I just hope that's the only thing wrong with me.'
XXXXXX
The plains of Anea was a land where man had no place in its ecosystem. It was dominated by all kinds of beasts, predators and prey. Animals with sharp claws, vicious horns, astounding strength and speed, they called this place home, and it was no place for the likes of man…but nonhumans were definitely the exception. For even though the Savanna was home to all kinds of savage predators like lions and crocodiles, the most dangerous predator was the metal monster that came from the stars.
A gunmetal gray tank rolled through the vast grasslands of what is called the Arcadian Steppe, its large treads kicking up dust in its wake. It plowed through the plains like a literal force of nature, rumbling about like a hungry predator on the prowl as sunlight gleaned off its armor.
When the tank encountered a group of lions prowling in its wake, it swung its long black cannon around and fired a purple beam that completely vaporized the pride leader. The other lions scattered from the devastating attack, but the tank pursued, blasting them apart one by one. It showed no mercy to the hunters, not even sparing the adolescent males.
This carnage was the first thing the Decepticon Lieutenant Nightshade witnessed as she descended upon the plains. The ground was littered with the smoking carcasses of the lion pride and show her narrow, bird-like head. Megatron must really not be in the mood if he was playing shooting gallery in Anea's wilderness.
"Megatron!" She called out to him. She dived toward the ground, fluidly shifting form to her darkly beautiful bipedal mode before her feet even touched the ground.
The tank rolled to a stop, its fusion cannon still smoking. Then it began to change. His metamorphosis was almost painfully slow, and just watching him looked painful. It was like watching an Olympic sprinter wracked with arthritis trying to navigate a flight of stairs. In fact, it took a full minute for the mass of twisting metal to assume the dreaded form of Megatron, and even than he was almost unrecognizable.
He looked rather haggard, like he hadn't slept in months, and he swayed bit on his feet like a tree in the wind. Nightshade gaped at him as he actually almost tripped over a rock when he took a step toward her.
"Megatron, are you…are you drunk?" She asked in pure disbelief.
"No, of course not." Megatron chuckled and took a swig from a silver flask he swiped from his subspace compartment.
Nightshade snatched the flask from him and sniffed it. Her olfactory sensors alerted her to nucleon grade energon mixed with a foreign substance.
"What the hell are you drinking?"
"I am, what of it?" Megatron said with an uncaring wave. "You think a little alcohol can dull my senses? I am Megatron! No creature alive can best me, not even the accursed animals of this damned planet!"
To emphasize his power, Megatron fired his fusion into the distant and blew off the head of an elephant grazing without a care. Nightshade shook her head at his attitude.
'Though I can't really blame him with how things are going for us.' She thought.
With the entire world now aware of their existence, the Decepticons found their jobs harder than ever. They had to be even more careful with how they conduct their operations, using their facsimile agents to leave blind spots in various territories so they could operate without interference. There were active satellites searching for energon signals, which was made obsolete thanks to Shockblast's efforts in orbit, but the fact that the nations of Terra were now on high alert for any and all Decepticon activity made it all the more frustrating.
Just last month, Dreadwing led a team to a province in Xing, where they were ambushed by the Xingese military who had discovered energon in the area and used it to lure them there. Of course they got away, but Dreadwing took a kinetic shell to his eye and Starscream was almost blown out of the sky by a fighter squadron. Similarly, Demolishor's team encountered fierce resistance from Yuktobanian military forces at an oil refinery they were raiding. Terra was no longer blind to their actions and it made dealing with the humans more precarious than ever.
"Come on. Let's head back to the island and see if anything's new." Nightshade suggested. Megatron gave her a look before nodding and tossing his flask away. Wouldn't do to drink on the job in front of the troops after all.
Taking a ground bridge back to Decepticon Island, Megatron and Nightshade headed to Soundwave's quarters, which consisted of nothing but a recharge slab and a wall of television monitors. A cable was attached to the back of his head leading from the main console, connecting him to the monitors where he could change the channels with a single thought. This was Soundwave's way of learning about the world and any new developments to further explore.
"He's been at it for almost two hours." Ravage said at his place near Soundwave's feat. "I think he forget to take an energon break too, so he's probably running on fumes."
"Knockout tried to watch TV in here, but we chased him off." Buzzsaw said.
"Filthy ingrate tried to watch a car show. Ha!" Laserbeak laughed. "Blood sports, the lot of them."
Megatron paid them no mind as he focused on a news broadcast in the center screen. It showed Optimus, Jazz and Armorhide at some public event. Soundwave noticed this and turned up the volume.
"At the request of Emperor Jingu II of Nippon, Optimus Prime and his Autobots have agreed to attend a public event in Nippon's capital city, Edo, for the Nipponese public. It has been confirmed that they will also be staying for the annual Hanabi fireworks festival later that night…"
A grin slowly spread across Megatron's face as he got an idea. "Nightshade, put any plans I have on hold. I'm taking a little trip to the Far East."
XXXXXX
The streets of Edo were always backed from building to building with people. Day and night its streets were alive with people, while the buildings were luminous 24/7 without rest. The land of the rising sun's capital was always alive, earning this ancient city its nickname "the second city that never sleeps." But tonight, it was crowded with twice as many people from all over the district who wanted a live glimpse at the Autobot leader.
Being in the heart of all this social chaos reminded Optimus of Tarn. Aside from the lack of smog and crisscrossing cat walks and bridges between buildings, Edo had that same suffocating feeling that made Tarn so unbearable. He wasn't comfortable being the center of attention like this (ironic for a military commander who was the basis of a medical condition in those who idolized him), but he knew it was necessary to help the Autobots improve their relationship with humanity. The people of Nippon especially seemed to have a soft spot for them. Perhaps this spawned from their pop culture depicting giant robots Gina often watches at home.
At the quest of Barnett, their government liaison, Optimus, Jazz and Armorhide went to Edo as part of a public relations act by the Alien Relations Agency (ARA). Once the Autobots traded greetings with the Nipponese emperor and his imperial officers, Jazz and Armorhide put on a simple dog and pony show. A "Q and A" with the press, with a variety of questions ranging from cybertronian culture, history, a bit about themselves and the ever controversial topic about gender among an asexual race of robots. Jazz, who was doing most of the talking, answered that question as eloquently as he could without confusing or angering his audience. The people ate it up like kids at a birthday party.
Armorhide was a bit camera shy for much of the event. He had no experience in dealing with aliens, especially ones that treated him with such awe and praise. Jazz, however, was having the time of his life. He spent much of the event talking with various Anean celebrities, the highlight of his night being meeting his idol, Lucy Chan.
Optimus spent sometime in the limelight too, as was required, but he felt largely uncomfortable in the spotlight of fame, notoriety and symbolism-a living metallic symbol of all that is good and just in a largely violent, unforgiving universe. Public support was crucial to the Autobots' continued operations on Terra, and he knew as a Prime it was his duty to represent his people. But…he never did public events very well.
"Yu look like you're having fun." Jazz remarked as he went to stand next to his friend.
"You could say that." Optimus said.
Jazz shook his head. "You need to relax, boss bot. You aren't going get brownie points for imitating Ultra Magnus."
"I'm…trying, Jazz, really. But something has been plaguing my mind lately." He lightly touched his chest plate and Jazz knew that it wasn't just party jitters that kept Optimus from loosening up. "The Matrix has been acting up for a while now, and that means something is coming."
"I really hope it isn't what I think it is." Jazz grumbled.
"I do too." Optimus replied.
As if to prove their worries right, an explosion rang down the street, putting the festivities on hold.
The first floor of a parking lot was completely engulfed in flames, followed by another explosion that caused the next two floors to cave in. A shower of raining glass and stone fell onto a street, killing anyone unfortunate enough to be near the area. Optimus rushed forward, not even needing to give the order to evacuate the humans as Jazz and Armorhide got to work.
Then he saw him.
Megatron, in tank mode, rolled out of the burning rubble, crushing a car underneath his durable treads. He swerved his fusion canon at a building and fired a blast straight into a café, killing dozens in seconds. Then he turned to Optimus.
"Prime!" He bellowed, his voice roaring over the screams of terrified humans running for their lives.
'What is he doing here?' Optimus thought as he ran at Megatron. How could he have gotten into the city without anyone noticing? There were satellites designed to detect energon signals!
Seeing Optimus approach him, Megatron transformed to his bipedal form, standing tall amongst the carnage and gave his nemesis a mocking grin.
"What are you doing, Megatron?" Optimus demanded, displaying a rare amount
"So glad you still remember me, Optimus/ I thought all the bright lights, cameras and dumbfounded savages had blinded you to you real purpose!" Megatron grinned, ignoring the question.
"And what is that?"
"To die by my hand in this war!"
Megatron charged forward to punch Optimus, but the Prime smacked his fist aside and slammed his own fist into Megatron's face. The Decepticon leader stumbled back, but threw a kick to Prime's leg to stagger him before punching him in the chest. Optimus staggered back, stumbling on a (thankfully) empty truck underfoot. The two titans brawled in the middle of Ginza, their clashing blows booming like thunder.
Jazz and Armorhide were helping navigate the civilians away from the dueling leaders. Jazz, much closer to the disaster zone, was helping the humans who were injured or trapped under the rubble. Armorhide was making sure no stray laser blasts hit the fleeing crowed. But he was only half focused on his task and half focused on the battle. Should he go and help Optimus? Surely, two mechs taking on Megatron would end the battle quicker.
"Don't even think about it." Jazz said, helping two schoolgirls out of an overturned bus. "Boss bot has this under control."
"But Optimus-"
"Has fought Megatron many times before, with far less people than us two hanging around him. Trust me, more soldiers only means more people for buckethead to scrap." Jazz said. "You just focus on your job-getting the people out of harm's way."
Back at the intersection, Optimus and Megatron continued fighting like lions battling for dominance, each blow being dealt with a rare fury emanating both of them. Optimus was angry at how lightly Megatron was taking this. To attack a city, bring himself out in the open and instigate a fight on a drunken whim; he thought Megatron was more disciplined than that, but it wasn't the first time Megatron disappointed him.
Megatron, seeking to push Optimus's buttons more, pointed his fusion canon at Jazz and Armorhide. Optimus kicked his arm upwards just as it fired, directing the beam into the sky and thankfully not hitting any buildings. Still holding Megatron's arm, Optimus drew his battle axe and slammed the blade into the cannon, cutting into its fusion core and rendering it inoperable.
Megatron brought out his new weapon in retaliation-his hand folded into his arm and in its place emerged an energo-morning star. Megatron brought the weapon, which sported long, sharp spikes, and buried it in the side of Prime's shoulder. Pain surged through Optimus's living metal frame as the spikes tore into his steel skin and severed connections under his armor. This pain allowed Optimus to react faster than normal, raising his axe and burying it into Megatron's collar, eliciting a pain howl in return.
This marked their most vicious battle yet since their duel in the snow covered lands of Yuktobania. Back then, Megatron had been in a mad power craze that led to them fighting in full view of two human armies. Optimus came dangerously close to death there, and it was only by chance that he survived in addition to Ore-13's limitations. But this was different. Megatron had not been empowered by Ore-13 or any other power source, he was simply fighting in a drunken rage. And that somehow enraged Optimus even more.
The two leaders glared furiously at each other. The pain only served to increase their growing aggression towards each other and their eyes burned with a fury unusual even for Megatron. This wasn't just some battle, they were fighting to kill.
Optimus kicked Megatron back, tearing the axe from his shoulder and ripping the morning star from his neck. Both leaders stumbled back, growling at each other, their minds clouded with pain, sparks and fluids shooting from their wounds. They waited for the pain to lessen to a dull throb and raised their weapons for another round. Behind him, Jazz and Armorhide ran at Megatron, having done what they could and were now ready to help Optimus.
Before they could reach him, however, a brilliant blue and crimson lattice of spiraling energy burst in the stormy night sky. Autobots and Decepticon were equally perplexed and disturbed.
Then a huge net expanded and descended, dropping rapidly as humans screamed and cybertronians readied their weapons that could never fire in time-and would not help even if they tried. The huge blue and crimson net covered five city blocks, passing harmlessly through buildings and vehicles, sparkling just a little brighter when it touched organic or living metallic matter.
Then, just as quickly as it came, it was gone.
And so was everyone it had touched.
XXXXXX
Walter Barnett, former Air Force Colonel, now government liaison for the Autobots, took a sip of his orange juice with a sigh as the cool drink cleared his sense and prepared him for the chaos the day had in store for him. Just a few minutes ago, he got an urgent phone call from General Abernathy about the incident in Edo. Not that Barnett really needed the head's up, as he was already on the move to get some answers. All around him, the Hexagon was on full alert with political and military officials gearing up to combat a threat they have absolutely no idea about.
His phone was still ringing with the ever so pleasant General Anthony Leonard on the Caller ID, but he didn't pick up. Barnett was already in his car driving to the Ark and he had time to listen to that man's anti-alien bull crap. Lord knows he had enough of that from Senator Cordell.
Making a sharp turn into an alleyway, Barnett called the Minicon base, Omega One for a ground bridge. "Sparkplug, I'm ready to go. Have a bridge ready for me."
He wanted to talk to them in person, not really trusting his nation's digital defenses anymore after Soundwave damn near caused the stock market to crash. He gave a lot of programmers and technicians in the Army bad dreams that day.
The ground bridge appeared before his car and he drive right into it, traveling hundreds of miles across the country in just a few seconds. It was disorienting at first, but over time he learned to get used to the feeling of being teleported through a spatial wormhole.
His car exited the ground bridge into the entrance tunnel of Omega One and he slowly parked the car in the base's main command center. Minicons were running all over the place, maintaining contact with the Ark. Sparkplug was the only one there to greet him.
"Agent Barnett." Sparkplug greeted him. "I take it you heard about the incident yesterday?"
"Of course. I had half a dozen military generals breathing down my neck as to what happened." Barnett sighed. He got out of his car and walked over to the Minicon. "I'd go to the Ark, but I heard that it's pretty chaotic over there too. You got anyone on call?"
"Just Ratchet. He's giving us updates while Prowl directs the team."
Sparkplug and Barnett walked up the stairs to the upper catwalk where they had an advanced computer system set up that looked totally out of place inside the old missile silo. Ratchet was on the screen looking stressed and visibly weathered.
"Ratchet, what's going on?"
"That's what we're trying to figure out, Agent Barnett. It all happened so fast and out of nowhere." Ratchet said.
"Please do, because I've got quite a few top dogs back at the Hexagon demanding answers." Barnett shook his head. "Two thousand people, three Autobots and the Decepticon leader. This is a disaster."
"We don't even know if it was the Cons." Sparkplug said.
"What?" Barnett looked at him. "Are you sure-"
"Megatron was just as surprised as everyone else, Barnett. In fact, I believe Optimus, Megatron and the others were the intended targets. The humans were just caught up in the mess." Sparkplug surmised.
"Prowl and Bumblebee are on site with Wheeljack trying to see what they can find."
"Just those three?"
"We need most of the team on standby in case the Cons try to do anything funny. With Megatron gone, I imagine there's some dissent among the ranks." Ratchet sighed. "I wouldn't put it past them not to try anything now that we're three mechs short."
'So the bots are just as lost as we are.' Barnett thought in dismay. Unlike most people, he knew the Autobots were not invincible or immortal. Death was a common thing for their kind. But that didn't mean it wasn't unsettling to see these highly advanced aliens look just as confused as he was in just trying to find basic answers. What in the world could be more powerful than the cybertronians?
XXXXXX
The roped off section in Edo was eerily quiet. Usually, with it being early morning, this part of the city would be bustling with early risers, school students and businessmen and women riding or walking to their jobs, but the streets and sidewalks were quiet…empty. Even the outside quarantined zone was avoided like the plague in fear of another attack. But none came. The only signs of life there were three Autobots and emergency crews on the scene.
Prowl projected an almost demonic air, no doubt because of his impassive gray face and long scarlet sensor array projected from his forehead like devil horns. He scanned the area for any clue to the alien energy that washed over the Ginza district just a few hours ago.
Bumblebee shifted through the wreckage for any leftover civilians wounded in the battle, but could find nothing. Wheeljack was flitting all over the place, running his scanner along anything he could find to get some sort of reading.
Seemingly oblivious to the presence of these mechanical giants, a host of rescue workers and emergency talos units dug through the ruins. Some wadded through knee-deep drifts of broken glass and shattered masonry in an effort to find those still beneath the wreckage. A huge, bowl-shaped blast area several blocks long and five blocks wide marked the boundaries of last night's combat. Inside the battle zone, the streets were all but impassable-not even heavy equipment could be brought in to help the talos clear the thoroughfares. Nearer to the scorched areas of that ruined zone, the streets were mostly clear. There were several dozen ambulances waiting, motors idling and emergency lights flashing, to rush survivors to nearby trauma centers. In numerous areas, firefighters still poured water on scattered flames that smoldered beneath the ruins, sending up thick black smoke that hovered over the rest of Edo.
"This is a disaster." Bumblebee grumbled as he helped lift heavy debris for the rescue workers to crawl under. "Optimus goes to his first public event in six months and this happens. So much for an after party."
"I'd say this is Murphy's Laws at work, but I'm a firm believer in the man." Prowl gathered some asphalt and put it in a vial for examination later. "Wheeljack, you find anything on your end?"
"Nothing we can physically touch, but I'm getting some faint readings." Wheeljack said.
"How faint?"
"As in fading by the second. I'm surprised I found anything at all." Wheeljack tapped his device to run more of an intensive scan of the area. "Come on, I'm running this thing on infrared and ultraviolet, do I have to electromagnetic too?"
"Just find what you can, Wheeljack. We can analyze it at the Ark." Bumblebee said.
They continued their investigation for the next ten minutes, but were quickly interrupted when a news crew appeared before them. Prowl quickly hid his annoyance at the interruption and went to help address the invasive press. He wondered who they paid off to get this close to the scene.
"This is Chris Killah reporting live from the site of last night's mysterious event in Edo. Joining me now are the two Autobots Bumblebee and Prowl. Bumblebee, would you tell us your opinion on what happened here?"
The nervous Autobot pointed at the camera. "Um, I…wow, we're really live?"
"Really." Chris confirmed.
Bumblebee's eyes widened. He wasn't ignorant of Terran culture in any way, shape of form. He had been with Gina and the twins after all. But that didn't meant he was immune to camera shyness. Of course, the reporter picked up on this like a shark on blood in the water and honed in on it, knowing how media attention could turn even the most brilliant scientist into a shy five year old.
"Gee, uh, I don't know what really happened. That's what we're here to find out." Bumblebee answered honestly. He was praying for Prowl to take the reigns soon. "Hopefully, we can find out what caused this and bring them all back."
The reporter nodded thoughtfully. "Everyone one of us in the media is very well aware of the good the Autobots have done for this planet. We've lost one of our own, and Isolde has been a champion during even your earliest days."
"Your concern would be touching if it weren't laced with honey and sugar to cover up the saltiness." Prowl said calmly, brutally tearing into the reporter without so much as a scathing word. "Ask your questions so we can go back to doing our jobs, please."
Chris swallowed his nervousness and put on a strained smile. "Are you aware of the rumors? And the avenues of speculation that the leading analysts have thus far suggested?"
Bumblebee shifted his weight from one foot to another and cleared his throat. "No, I'm not."
"Theories fall into two distinct categories. In the first, Prime, Megatron, Jazz and Armorhide were taken along with several hundred innocent humans-from this very spot-to parts unknown. By who? By what? There are quite a few theories on that as well." He said. "The second category suggests the Autobots, Decepticon and all these people are now dead, that they were reduced to or transformed to nothingness. So let's start with that, alive or dead, Bumblebee? What's your feeling?"
Bumblebee drew back flustered. "Well, um…I'm not sure-"
Prowl stomped into view, causing the cameramen and reporter to nearly lose their balance from the thumping vibrations of his feet.
"The buildings are still standing." Prowl said. "We know no force that could target both organic and cybernetic life forms, destroy or carrying, and leave everything else standing. No, If they had been destroyed, this place would be a smoking pit."
Chris was unconvinced. "But some force did target only the cybertronians and humans in this area. The question is whether it destroyed them or took them somewhere. Suggestions have been made that the Cybertronians themselves caused this to happen."
"Ridiculous." Prowl said.
"What about Megatron?" He went on, not relenting in his journalist assault. "He was here with only his second in command, up to something. Authorities are baffled as to how they got here undetected. Aren't you mildly curious? Is it beyond all reason, in your experience, to consider Megatron may have lured the others into some kind of trap?" Then his eyes twinkled. "Or are you suggesting that there is yet another alien race to be factored into this equation?"
"I didn't suggest anything, since you continue throwing words out and hope they hit their mark." Prowl replied. "Obviously we don't have any answers-we've come here looking for them just like everyone else. We pray that everyone is safe. For right now, until we learn more, that is all we can do."
Prowl nodded to Bumblebee and Wheeljack to pack up and leave while calling for a ground bridge. But Killah wasn't done with his interrogation.
"Wait, you still need to answer some questions!" He yelled. "The Osean public deserves to have some answers."
As the ground bridge opened before him, Prowl gave his final piece. "I'll answer your question when you answer one of mine."
"Fine, what is it?"
"How much did your boss have to pay to get you inside a roped off crime scene?"
Killah stood there shocked as Prowl walked away, signaling the interview wa s over and having the emergency officials escort them off the site.
"That was fun." Bumblebee said sarcastically.
"You need to watch what you say around the press, Bumblebee." Prowl cautioned. "Some of them are gold diggers like that man who will make everything you say out of proportions for ratings."
"Says the guy roasting a reporter on his own channel."
"I was getting tired of him playing twenty questions. I have better things to do than cater to the press." Prowl thought back to one of Killah's suggestions. "And he did give me an idea."
"What do you mean?"
"Something else might have kidnapped everyone last night. In fact, the humans were probably just collateral." Prowl said. "I think I have an idea on what took them."
XXXXXX
"Prowl, stop being cryptic and just tell us so we can plan our next move already." Arcee sighed. "You're the last person to withhold information for dramatic effect."
"Not until we get Wheeljack's results." Prowl said.
The Autobots, along with Agent Barnett, were waiting for Ratchet and Wheeljack to get the results back on the tests they did with the energy found at the disaster site. It was a long and frustrating day for everyone and they were not in the mood for Prowl's secret Santa routine, but the tactician was adamant on waiting for the results.
"Prowl, if you have answers, tell us now." Barnett said. "Every second we waste puts your friends and those people in danger."
Prowl ignored him and called the medibay on the ship's intercom. "Wheeljack, Ratchet, did you learn anything from your scans?"
"We did, and it's nothing good." The engineer said. "I cross-referenced the energy we found in Ginza with those in Teletran's database and got back only one match with a 90 percent similarity."
"What is it, then?" Ironhide demanded impatiently. "We don't have all day!"
"It matches the energy pattern emanating from the stargate in Airlann, the one Megatron tried to use." Ratchet said.
Barnett felt the atmosphere in the room drop dramatically as the Autobots made the connection. Prowl exhaled sharply and shook his head. "What does that mean?" Barnett asked.
"It means that Optimus, Megatron and the others were all taken by the aliens that we've previously informed you about." Tomahawk said. "The aliens who were lying dormant on your planet for centuries."
"The dolems." Bulkhead growled.
"Dolems?" Barnett blinked. The Autobots had warned both him and the president about the race of stone beings who had lived on Terra in the distant past but had been in hibernation until modern times. It was hard to believe, though they had shown footage of Temperantia unleashing hell on the Canadian landscape during the Winter Solstice. Three towns were destroyed in a single day, within a minute of each other. And now one of those beings was involved in this mess? "I thought you said you beat them!"
"We said we fought them off. Even after killing three Cardinals, we still had some encounters with the lesser dolems." Ratchet said.
"So the dolems took our friends and the humans." Cliffjumper grunted, crossing his arms. "Why do it in the middle of a city? I thought you guys said they were discreet about taking over the world or whatever the hell it is."
"I honestly think they couldn't give a damn, Cliffjumper." Prowl said. "But that's not the worst of it."
"Here we go." Skyfire sighed.
"What happened last night must've required a lot of power to perform." Wheeljack said. "Too much for a single dolem soldier. We have good reason to assume that a Cardinal might be behind this event. It's the only possible conclusion."
"Great, so now we know who snatched up our boys and the humans. So how do we get them back? How do we find them?" Cliffjumper asked impatiently.
No one had an answer to that. The Cardinals had always taken the offensive in the past, attacking the cybertronians in fits of rage. This was the forth and possibly final Cardinal, but they knew nothing about its power, its appearance or even its name. All it did was take what it wanted and left. They were at a dead end.
"Alert! Alert!"
Bumblebee slammed his head against the wall. "What now?!"
Prowl pressed a button on the computer and brought up a global map. "Decepticons sighted in the Arctic."
Ironhide looked at the screen. "Don't tell me those yahoos are actually trying to mine S-17."
"S-17?" Barnett inquired.
"One of the largest untapped energon deposits in the world. Neither side has really tried to get it because it was buried deep inside a glacier." Bulkhead explained.
"And judging from the satellite readings, they're using a new method to get to the energon. Temperatures are steadily rising over the glacier as we speak." Tomahawk reported.
"Prowl, if a glacier of that size melts, sea levels will rise and demolish coastal cities!" Barnett exclaimed.
"Say no more, Barnett, we got this. Bulkhead, Mirage, Skyfire, Arcee, Tomahawk, go handle the Cons." Prowl ordered. "The rest of you, keep your eyes open. We need to figure out how to get the others back and fast!"
XXXXXX
Darkshadow, commander of the Razors, watched alongside the rest of her team as Shockblast burrowed through the glacier with a solar powered particle beam from his satellite alt mode, using energy gathered from the solar panels along his alt mode's fins. Shockblast may have sucked at recon, but he was very versatile in how he used his alt mode in other ways.
"Maybe we should've had the Nemesis come hover and help him out." Wreckage said, playing around with his arm blade. "If I knew this was going to take this log, we should've had Knockout along to melt the ice with his smile."
"Shut up, Wreckage." Darkshadow said. It was an odd time to start hunting for energon, but with the disappearance of Megatron and Optimus Prime in the same night, they needed to stake their claim before the Autobots recovered and regrouped. Unlike some Cons, Darkshadow knew the Autobots could operate without Prime provided they had adequate leadership. They needed to make their move before their enemies had a chance to realize what was going on.
Nightshade was quick to make sure there were no power plays when news of Megatron's disappearance reached the Nemesis. Soundwave and Dreadwing enforced order on the ship, and the latter made sure that Starscream behaved himself, though the former Seeker commander wasn't even trying to take over.
"We all know Megatron isn't dead." Starscream said in disgust. "He's been through hell and back in the past and returned even stronger. Don't be surprised when he turns up sporting a new paint job or something equally stupid like that."
'Leave it to Starscream to keep morale up without even trying.' Darkshadow thought with a chuckle. "Fracture, how far down are we?"
"We're just over half way to the energon." Fracture said, looking over the scans of the glacier. "But once we reach it, we'll have to move quickly. The heat from Shockblast's beam will cause the glacier to break apart."
"Understood." Darkshadow said and turned back to Shockblast. "Shockblast, speed it up. The Autobots could be on us at any-"
"Autobots spotted! They're coming from the canyon north of our position!" Guncannon (Movie Gunbarrel) reported over the comm.
"…Moment. For frag's sake." Darkshadow sighed and looked toward the direction the Autobots were coming from. "Can you see who's coming?"
"I got three Bots coming from the canyon: Autobots Bulkhead, Arcee and Tomahawk." Guncannon paused a bit before continuing. "And I think I see Skyfire head right for you, commander."
"Let's take out the trash." Darkshadow grinned. "Wreckage, Guncannon, get rid of them. Fracture, you stay here and guard Shockblast. I'll handle Skyfire. Shockblast, hurry the hell up!"
"I'm moving!" Shockblast shouted. "Firing this beam fragging hurts!"
"Just shut up and keeping that beam running!" Darkshadow jumped off the cliff she stood on and changed into her jet mode, shooting into the sky towards Skyfire.
"Bout damn time we got some action!" Wreckage jumped off the cliff and descended towards the Autobots.
From his vantage point on his own little ledge, Guncannon, who's alt mode was a missile tank, spun his missile rack around to target the Autobots and locked on. He shot one missile at the approaching Autobots, which they noticed almost immediately.
"Incoming!" Tomahawk called out.
The three Autobots broke apart as the missile blew a large crater in the ground. Tomahawk flew up to fire rockets at Guncannon's position, while Bulkhead and Arcee continued driving out of the canyon. Up ahead they saw Wreckage and Fracture driving at them at full speed.
"I got this bozo!" Bulkhead increased his speed, as did Wreckage and the two mechs drove as fast as they could at each other.
Just before they were close enough to see their reflections in each other's grills, Bulkhead and Wreckage transformed and leapt at each other. The metallic clang of their firsts meeting in the air rang throughout the snowy valley and made the air between them vibrate as they jumped back and brought out their weapons, a wrecking ball for Bulkhead and a serrated arm blade for Wreckage.
"You should've stayed in bed, Autobot." Wreckage growled.
"And you should've stayed in whatever hole you crawled out of to get here!" Bulkhead retorted.
The two mechs charged at each other and swung their weapons, creating another metallic screech that rang through the air.
Tomahawk was busy dodging the laser blasts Gunbarrel fired at her from his twin cannons. His alt mode was an anti-aircraft tank designed to handle aircraft just like her, so it was hard sitting in one place while he peppered her location with laser blasts and rockets. Still, Gunbarrel was getting frustrated with his lack of hits on her.
"Stay still, you flighty bastard!" He grunted, shooting blast after blast at her.
"Yelling that at your enemies won't make them stand still!" Tomahawk shot a missile at the ledge Gunbarrel was standing on and destroyed it.
Gunbarrel cursed as the ground crumbled underneath him. He changed forms and jumped off the crumbling ledge, rammed into Tomahawk, dragging them both down to the ground. They tumbled down the canyon wall hitting each other before Tomahawk kicked him away and landed on the ground on her feet. Gunbarrel landed on his back right beside her, but he pointed one of his cannons at her face and grinned.
"Light's out!" He said and fired his cannon.
XXXXXX
"Tomahawk's unit should be able to handle the Cons for now." Prowl said to the other Autobots. "Barnett, are there any naval units close by?"
"Not that far up into the Arctic, no, but the rise in temperature will attract attention." Barnett sighed.
"Tell them to keep their distance until we can handle the Cons. The last thing we need is Shockblast unleashing that beam on a battleship." Prowl turned to the others. "Right now, we need all hands ready for what might come next."
"Next?" Barnett echoed. "What, you think the Cons have another target in mind?"
"Not the Cons, the dolems. They don't just cut and run after a stunt like that in Edo. They've made it very clear that they want all cybertronians dead and rusting in the dirt, no matter what." Prowl replied. Barnett just sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"Prowl, we need to find those missing people. The Imperial Court in Nippon is on a war path right now, and the higher ups at the Hexagon will want some answers as well!"
"Unless your superiors have experience in quasi-mystical quantum mechanics, I don't want to hear anything from them." The tactician said. "We're operating on two fronts and I don't want outside influences telling us how to do our jobs."
There was another alert from Teletran-1, which Ironhide answered. "What is it, Teletran?"
"An unknown object has just appeared in the city square of November City." Teletran-1 reported. "Displaying image now."
On the main monitor, video footage of the object appeared on the screen, being shown live on emergency news broadcasts, and the Autobots went silent at it.
"What the hell is that thing?" Rodimus breathed.
XXXXXX
The "thing" in question had crashed into the middle of November City, smashing into a couple of buildings until it finally landed in the middle of an intersection. At first, the civilians thought it was a meteor, but its odd appearance quickly killed that believe. In fact, its appearance was anything but natural.
It was a giant sphere, sea green in color, made of a stone similar to jade, and looked untouched despite crashing through multiple buildings. It just sat there smoking and hissing, not looking too dangerous, but no one was willing to take any chances. Police and emergency crews evacuated the area as an Autobot team consisting of Rodimus, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker arrived on the scene.
"Careful guys, we don't know what we're dealing with here when it comes to these things." Rodimus warned the twins. "Watch yourselves."
"Hot Rod, unless it's a bomb, I don't see how this thing's gonna cause us any problems." Sideswipe said. He picked up a rock and chucked it at the sphere, smirking as it bounced off harmlessly. "See? Nothing."
"And people call me reckless." Rodimus sighed. He then noticed that the sphere was shaking a bit and raised his arm blasters. "Sideswipe!"
The sphere suddenly broke apart, its stone hide peeling back to reveal a golden orb at its center for just a few seconds before reshaping itself into a cannon barrel pointed directly at Sideswipe. Channeling energy from its core, it fired a blast that hit Sideswipe in his chest and sent him crashing down the street for almost three blocks before he landed on a car.
"Bro!" Sunstreaker exclaimed and glared at the creature. Rodimus saw the dolem adjust its aim at them to attack again, charging up for another shot.
"Prowl, this thing's hostile!"
This dolem was called Radiance, and it spared no expense at attacking the two Autobots. It changed its spherical body into stone sword and sickle before charging at them. It only had one task to complete and that was to eliminate any cybertronians it encountered. Anyone who got in its way was to be eliminated too.
All to reclaim their beautiful world in the name of the Cardinals.
Finally, we're here at book 3! It's great to give you guys some new stuff. As expected, lots of things have changed on Terra, but many things have stayed the same. Now that the Autobots are getting help from the world's nations, the children won't have as big as a role as they did before, but they'll be facing their own problems as they adjust to regular lives after everything they've experienced (Darren especially). The human/esper conflict will also take center stage in later chapters and things get really crazy before we even reach the double digits. Thank you all for staying with me for this long and I hope you enjoy Transformers Titan: Devastation! Thanks for reading and please leave a review.