The electro-magnetic pulse rushed through the room, affecting three warriors within. A fourth stood behind an energy barrier, gripping lines that slowly leeched the energon from Sentinel Prime.
"Our deal, Soundwave," The dying Prime whispered to the CCO. Soundwave nodded slightly. The energy barrier flickered, and the three Autobot warriors raised their guns.
"Stand down, Decepticon. There is no place to go," Orion rumbled, fatigued.
Soundwave cackled, and then aimed his harvester at Sentinel. The energy barrier weakened. Orion took the Ion Cannon on his shoulder and pointed.
"This is Kaon prison. YOU have nowhere to go." Soundwave replied.
A hatch below him began to open. The Ion Cannon kicked back as a bullet shot out, slicing through the warm moisture, and exploding against the energy barrier. The force was enough to knock the CCO away, as the barrier gave its last flicker and died out. The damage to Soundwave was not critical, but was enough to get you into an emergency room. Soundwave turned to Sentinel.
He raised his Techvolt, and took the last of the energon from the fallen Prime. Soundwave stood, and ran, as the Autobots rushed to their leader. Orion removed his teacher from the lines. As the Prime lay dying in his student's arms, Sentinel reached out, and touched Orion's forehead. This was his dying act.
"What now, Orion?"Bumblebee asked.
Orion reached up to his communicator. "Air Raid, bring the team. Sentinel...Is gone."
"Copy. ETA sundown." Air Raid responded.
Orion turned on his heels, and carried the Prime in his arms. Autobots who were recently freed stopped their doings. They stopped and felt scared. Afraid. The fall of a Prime was no small thing. They stared. They had nowhere to go to for guidance. There were silent echoes of footsteps coming from the two soldiers behind Orion. Sideswipe led the way, parting crowds of allies as he went. Bumblebee brought the rear, assisting Orion where he can. Sparks flew from destroyed screens, and rained down on the red and gold body of Sentinel Prime.
Pink light soon reflected off spilt energon. Windows now visible to his eyes. Soundwave's throne stood in the center of the room, the light shining in a way to make it seem that sadness was in things that were not alive. And it is true. Orion stepped in a pool of energon, leaking from Decepticon bodies. Ships outside filled with Decepticon evacuees were gunned down. Some exploded in the air, some on the ground. With the Prime gone, revenge was on their minds. Out in the distance, three ships flew much faster than any other. The blue bodied ship in the centre rolled to avoid wreckage, and the other two broke off to intercept another ship. A grey and red Arialbot flew alongside the larger ship. Orion turned to the Autobots near him.
"Clear a landing bay." He said.
The Autobots followed his command, and finished in time. The ship hovered above the bay, and slowly lowered itself. Air Raid stood next to it.
"Anything else?" Air Raid asked.
"Nothing more, Air Raid. I believe the Air Force is having trouble wrapping up." Orion replied.
"If you'll care to join me, Bumblebee, the help is appreciated." Air Raid said as he took off.
With a hiss, the door on the right side opened. Orion stepped forward, closer to the entrance. Sideswipe stepped closer as well. His twin, Sunstreaker, leapt out, and jokingly slapped his brother across the face.
"You had too much fun, Swipe." Streaker said.
A large, grey and orange mech stepped to the edge, releasing the stairs. His form was similar to a Decepticon. Bulky and strong. He stepped down, and approached Orion. Megatron will pay.
"The loss of a hero fills us with grief, but we must not be blinded." Orion said, reading the mech's mind. Scattershot, a blue and white Wrecker, smashed a Decepticon flyer out of the Air with his hammer. The sudden explosion made Orion lose his grip on his mentor. The grey mech caught him.
"Sorry Beor. Got caught up in the action, but I'm here now." Scatterchot said, approaching him.
"It's fine. Give a warning before you do that again." Beor said, waiting for Orion to regain his hold on the body.
Groups of Autobots began to leave the area, to clean the region of Decepticons. A pair of optics began to search the crowds, looking for a warrior considerably smaller than majority of the Autobots. Searching in every direction from him.
"Has anyone seen the sparkling?" Beor asked the group around him.
All responded a form of 'no'. The mech walked calmly to the ship behind them. The cabin was clear. The cockpit was clear of sparklings. So was the rest of the ship. The grey mech began to feel the strings of panic shift. He walked faster. He ran. The sparkling was his duty. To bring to the council, now that there was no Prime. He ran, searching the vicinity as Orion loaded Sentinel Prime's body into the cabin of his ship. Another explosion. Bigger. And colorful. Many of the remaining Autobots saw it. Some ran to check for survivors. Beor was near the rear of the group.
Another explosion. Large chunks of twisted metal sliced through the air, and some crushed Autobots. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker stopped to help a trapped warrior. Most were in Vehicle form.
Another explosion. A building shook, and tipped. Now the group was racing. Beor
transformed, his hauler truck busting through wreckage. Autobots slipped behind him. He was breaking through what stood in his way. And they reached the site.
Fire splattered across the broken terrain, the broken tower behind them in the center stood two Energon Seekers. Decepticons. And a red and chrome mech with green circuitry. The sparkling.
In the sparkling's hand was a wing, no doubt from the black Seeker. Energon dripped from it. In the other hand, a sword.
The Energon Seekers were twins. And they were grounded by a sparkling. Who was three-quarters their height. Both Seekers had their weapons drawn.
"ENOUGH!" Beor yelled. The Seekers turned to him, and spat. The sparkling shot forward, sword raised to kill. The turquoise Seeker blocked his face, preparing to die. The black one was held by other Autobots. A white arc shined in the air. The whistle of air being sliced. Then a clang as the sword collided. With an axe. The Seeker opened his optics. Beor's axe stopped the sparkling's blade, a fore arm away from his body.
The child softened.
"We have a job. We have to complete. This is good, but you pulled it too far again." Beor scolded. The child growled and threw the wing at the owner, who caught it. He turned around, and transformed. The racer form was sleek, compact, but as powerful as a jet. Maybe even more. The four headlights were sharp, even vicious. The tail was nothing less. The child boosted off, towards the ship.
"Council. I have returned with a fallen hero." Orion boomed in the chamber. Beor stood behind him to the left, the child on the right.
He looked up to the council, under the cover of shadows. Only their circuitry could be seen.
"Until all are one." One said. The twelve others nodded.
"With Sentinel gone, the Autobots crave your guidance." Orion laid his mentor on the metal slab before him.
"The High Council exists only to select a Prime. It is the Prime's directive to guide." Another said.
"There are no Primes!" Orion boomed again.
"Even now, after Sentinel has restored you, you still reject your calling, child? You know who you are and your place among us, Optimus Prime."
A Council member stepped forward to the light. "We have watched each and every Prime before you. We have watched them bend their knees to greed and power. In you, we see no impurity." He stepped back.
"Megatron has infected Primus with dark energon. You must take the child to the core, and shut it down. Failure will mean the end of this universe." The Council Member's voice was firm, and grave.
It sat in the new Prime's head. Countless Cybertronians, including his wife, were at risk. The beings outside of their planet. The innocent children and families. Like how he lost his, it will happen to the rest. Take the burden, or let the other die because he didn't. His optics glistened, with renewed hope. Hope that resided in his Autobots. Hope that lay on the edge of eternity. That can be lost in moments. Hope that they needed more than anything. Hope to survive.
And they had faith in the librarian. The librarian who twisted his friend, Megatron, and started the war. They believed his power. To end the war. To bring them home.
"I accept the burden, with all and who I am." Optimus Prime said, softer this time. He knew what the others though, yet he paid no mind to what it was then. Now it mattered. It mattered what he chose next. Because without him, the child behind him would carry all of them over.
"Step forth, child." Another member of the Council said.
And he did. The red and chrome child stepped forward into the light, his scratched paint reflecting the light in many directions.
"You are no Cybertronian. Yet you host the body and blood of one." A Council Member said, thinking.
"I sense Primus in his blood, brother." The one next to him argued.
"You are a child of Primus, are you not?" The first spoke.
"I am."
"You have a twisted fate, Sparkling. Of your first life, you bring cleansing. And you will accomplish. War will follow. The Prime will not live to see this, but another child will see to the eternal golden age with you. You know your mission, whether or not you choose it. Failure is not an option." The Member replied.
"I know. I don't need to be told twice."
The Council turned to the other two mechs. "Please, leave us."
They did. In privacy, The Council nodded again, and continued.
"We are not as people think of us." They said in unison, and each and every stepped forward. The aura in the room changed. Before the child, stood the thirteen Primes. The thirteen predecessors of Optimus Prime. In the centre of their half circle was Sentinel Prime. They emitted their own light, fainter than a dying Cybertonian's circuitry. The natural light from the surface reflected off their bodies.
"Live or not, you need to survive." The child grunted.
"And we will. Through a source." The said in unison again.
"Through a key the door will unlock. Through a twist, the door will open. In time, his soul will reside here." In unison they said once more. Each Prime stood closer to Sentinel with each word. They pulsed blue, and began to fade as a rhythm of pulses began. Above them, in the light of the sun, a cylinder began to materialize. The child, mesmerized by the creation of the cylinder, did not notice the souls of the thirteen fading into the cylinder. When it dropped, he caught it in his hand. The crystal cylinder was hollow, filled with a beating blue orb. A triple helix encased it.
The moment was thoughtful. He brought the item to his head, the tip touching his forehead. He turned on his heel, and stopped. The structure pulled itself to his spark, and he allowed it. It absorbed his colors, pulsated a strong green color, and phased through his armor. He sighed.
"And so the war begins."
A/N: If it's the next day for some of you, sorry. Had a busy day. This will replace The other two TF fics on my list, which will be deleted sometime soon. This fic, is one of the biggest I'll ever work on. It spans from The War for Cybertron series to post Age of extinction, and maybe further out. Thanks for the support of every one I've worked with, and I hope you all wish me luck here. For those from Elimination, Next chapter is out in two weeks!