Summery: The final battle is finally at hand. The Maximals vs. Apocalypse. The last hope lies in the possessor of the oldest spark. The future depends on it.
Author's Note: I've been dying to write this fanfic. Okay, I used a new character and I don't know much about him, so if I get something wrong, it's not my fault because I last saw him when I was six. Yeah, I'm only thirteen so I'm probably one of the youngest fanfic writers. Oh and there's a typo in Part. 8. They're traveling to the year 3,000 B.C., not 500 A.D. Enjoy it, you might not get Part 10 any time soon since I'm having surgery.
Drifted Sparks Series
Part 9. Blood-Red Sky
By: Kayla Anasazi (a.k.a. Silver Spider)
Prologue
"You said too much," the calm male voice said.
"I apologize," the Oracle replied, "I was not aware you desired to keep your identity a secret."
"It doesn't matter now," the man said, passing his hand through his graying hair, "the main purpose now is to defeat Apocalypse."
Chapter 1
The sun was low in the sky and colored it a blood-red color. Archangel knew it was the truth, that a great battle was upon them and that bloodshed would be inevitable. Much of it would take place in the air. As he flew over sleeping town, his fists were clenched at his sides. His anger and hatred towards Apocalypse rose as he got higher.
"I will follow him to the ends of the Earth," he vowed, "through perdition's fire. Till he breathes blood and roles over split broken, finished!" Archangel continued his journey.
* * * * * * * * * *
Morning,
"This is so cool!" Jamie clapped his hands, "I mean, time travel. Hey, think I'll get to meet any famous people?"
"We're going there to do a job," Eric reminded him, "right now, were waiting for Ian."
"No need to wait," Ian walked into the room, diverting all eyes in his direction, "let's go."
"Don't do anything foolish," Martin said, "you have a tendency to lose your temper. That can be dangerous in a battle."
"I have no time for these pity lectures," Ian snapped, "If you're not coming with me, I shall go by myself."
"No," Ariana said, "we're going," she looked at Isabelle and the younger girl nodded.
"This device," Isabelle held up her watch-like computer, "will allow us to travel 5,000 years back in time, but we can only remain there for 24 hours. If we don't return to this time by then, we'll be trapped in the past."
"Hold it," Chris objected, "you've been here for 4 days now. Does this mean you're stuck in this time?"
"No," Isabelle shook her head, "I only traveled 22 years into the past. We'll be going 5,000 years back so our stay is limited."
"That make's sense," Alex agreed, "so exactly who's going?"
"Well, we need at lest two people to stay here," Eric laid out the plan, "in case Apocalypse or the Predacons decide to try something in this time. Do I have any volunteers?"
"I'll stay," Martin got up, "someone has to."
"Me too," Chris nodded, "though time travel sounds fun, we need two capable fighters here."
"Agreed," Eric nodded, "so Ariana, Justin, Alex, Ian, and I are going back."
"Wait a sec," Isabelle objected, "what about me?"
"I'm sorry, Isabelle," Eric sighed, "but you're not a transformer. This is too dangerous. Besides…"
"What are you talking about," Ian interrupted.
Uh-Oh, Ariana and Justin thought at once.
"She's a transformer," Ian broke the ice.
Chapter 2
"How?" Eric demanded. Chris, Alex, Martin, and Jamie stared at her.
"I thought you knew," Ian said, "since I have a spark, so does my twin sister."
"But I was only able to rescue our sparks at the end of the Techno-Organic War," Eric objected, "I don't remember your sparks, unless…," he thought for a moment, "the two of you are from the future. So, in theory, you could be…" he shot a glance at Ariana and Justin."
He knows! Ariana thought.
We knew this would come out eventually, Justin told her telepathically.
"I want a word with the two of you," Eric looked at everyone else, "in privet." Ian, Isabelle, Martin, Alex, Chris, and Jamie filed out of the living room. When everyone was gone, Eric spoke, "if my theory is correct," he said, "the two of you know who Isabelle and Ian are."
"We do," Justin admitted.
"Do they know who you are?"
"Yes," Ariana nodded, "they know."
"All right," Eric sighed, "as long as there are no shocking revelations later. Although, you might want to say something to the others."
"We'll deal with that problem when it arises," Justin said, "right now, we have greater concerns."
"As you whish," Eric agreed, "then Isabelle must come with us."
"Eric, I have another suggestion," Justin said, "it may be a good idea to leave someone else here with Chris and Martin. With the rest of the team missing, the Predacons or Apocalypse might see this as an opportunity to attack. We need more man power back here."
"Good idea, I wasn't counting on Isabelle coming with us. Okay, Chris, Martin, and Alex will stay behind, and Jamie, the two of you, Ian, Isabelle, and I will go."
* * * * * * * * * *
"How come I'm stuck back here?" Alex demanded.
"You're needed here," Eric said, "this isn't open to discussion."
"But…"
"No buts."
"But I…"
"No but I's."
"Why do I bother?" Alex gave up.
"Everyone ready?" Eric looked around, "good, let's go."
Isabelle pressed a button on her watch, "Computer," she commanded, "set coordinates for the year 3,000 B.C."
"Acknowledged," the computer replied. Seconds later a familiar rift in space appeared. Eric took in a deep breath and jumped in, followed by Jamie, then Ian and Isabelle. Ariana and Justin exchanged glances. Ariana opened his palm and placed a cold, small object in it. Justin looked at it.
"Ian's locket," he said.
"Give it to him," Ariana nodded, "it'll remind him of what being part of a team means. And part of a family." Justin smiled and holding hands, they followed their teammates.
Chapter 3
"So they think they can defeat the mighty Apocalypse by a simple trick of time?" Apocalypse thought aloud, "the fools, they have much to learn. War."
"Yes, my lord?" War bowed.
"I need for you, Famine, and Pestilence to journey to the year 3,000 B.C.. I have a little surprise for the Maximals."
"At once, lord Apocalypse."
* * * * * * * * * *
3,000 B.C.
"This is just great," Jamie kicked a stone, "now what are we suppose to do? Look at this place, no computers, no telephones, not even a fast food place."
"You wouldn't survive one week on Gilagen's Island," Ariana smirked.
"Would too!"
"No you wouldn't," she shook her head.
"Stop it," Eric ordered, "we have to look for a clue as to which direction we move now," his attention shifted to a flat stone with markings on it. He walked over to it and touched the surface with his palm, "this looks like Native American writing."
"So what it say?" Jamie came up behind.
"Well," Eric frowned, "as far as I can tell, there's a temple up ahead. It's detected to…" he struggled to read the writing, "to the end of the world."
"Great, that makes just about as much sense as one of your speeches, which is not a lot," Ariana pointed out.
"Uh…I think I might have made a mistake in my translation," Eric admitted, "the temple is not detected to the end of the world. It's detected to Apocalypse!"
"Then it is where the Latherus Chamber is," Ian concluded, "let's move."
"Hold it," Eric held up his hand, "I'm still in command here. This could very well be a trap. Remember that Apocalypse can travel through time as well."
"It doesn't matter," Ian retorted, "I will see that monster destroyed. Archangel, MAXIMIZE!" He transformed and his sleek, metal wings burst open. Only Jamie was surprised.
"He's a Maximal?" he asked wide-eyed.
"Don't ask!" Isabelle, Eric, Ariana, and Justin replied in one voice. Jamie quieted down.
"Archangel, wait!" Justin yelled, "the temple might very well contain the Latherus Chamber, but we need to move in together if your plan to lure Apocalypse into the temple is to work."
"Alright," Archangel came back down and changed into Ian, "I'll stay with the group."
They started walking again. Ariana looked around and allowed Isabelle, Ian, Eric, and Jamie to walk ahead of her. She pulled Justin over to the side and whispered something in his ear. He nodded.
"I'll do that," he walked over to Ian and handed him the locket, "I think this is yours."
"You know?" Ian asked.
"Yes," Justin nodded, "I forgive you. Son, do me a favor: forgive yourself."
"That's what Isabelle told me," Ian sighed, "and I've been trying, but," he looked down at his hands, "I've killed so many."
"Think of it this way," Justin advised him, "if our mission is successful, none of that would have ever happened."
"You're right," Ian agreed, "thank you."
"Alright, people," came Eric's voice from the front of the group, "I think we're here."
Chapter 4
The temp was enormous, decorated in rich, gold paint. A large symbol was mounted in the front entrance.
W
"What's that?" Jamie asked.
"It's an ancient Greek letter," Eric replied, "it's…"
"Omega," Ian finished, "the last letter of the ancient Greek alphabet. The end. The symbol of Apocalypse."
"I guess we are at the right place," she pointed at the sky, "and here comes the welcoming comity." Everyone looked at what she was pointing, and their eyes widened. The four horsemen were charging at them at full speed.
"Friends of yours?" Jamie whispered to Ian.
"A different set of horsemen," Ian said, "Apocalypse knew we were coming."
"So do we fight them?" asked Isabelle.
"We can't defeat them," Ian replied, "but they're not here to kill us. I think we should fight them, pushing them closer to the temple. Once we're close enough, we can run it. They can't fight us inside; not enough open space for them."
"Good plan," Eric agreed, "Optimus Primal, MAXIMIZE!"
"Nightscream, MAXIMIZE!"
"Silverbolt, MAXIMIZE!"
"Blackarachnia, MAXIMIZE!"
"Archangel, MAXIMIZE!"
"Well, I guess since everyone knows, it's no use running from a fight," Isabelle took a deep breath, "Silver Spider, MAXIMIZE!"
Meanwhile, Archangel was wasting no time. He flew up into the air and came face to face with the head horseman: Death. The two transformers glared at each other with hated in their eyes.
"I had your job once," Archangel yelled at Death, "and I have a big problem with it." He fired a wave of knives at Death, who in turn, returned fire with the same weapon. Archangel flew an inch back. How am I suppose to fight a reflection? He thought. His eyes widened as he saw a rain of machine gun fire launch at Death. He looked around for the source and finally saw Silver Spider, who gave him a thumbs-up.
"Thank you," Archangel let out a breath of relief.
"Hey, what are siblings for?" she smiled, "so what do you say, bro? Ready to send this scrap heap into high stratosphere?"
"Ready and waiting," Archangel said and launched his wing knives. Silver Spider continued to blast her machine guns at Death, and together the twins pushed him closer and closer to the temple.
* * * * * * * * * *
Meantime, the other four Maximals were taking on War, Famine, and Pestilence. The two sides moved towards the temple. Once they were close enough, Optimus fired his two cannons at the giant clay door which exploded.
"Inside, now!" he ordered.
All six Maximals ran inside. When everyone was in, Optimus aimed the two cannons at the top of the entrance and fired. Huge clay piece fell from the ceiling, blocking the door way.
"That should slow them down," he exhaled as he changed back to Eric. Everyone else were looking around the huge, new room they were in. Again, there was the symbol of the Omega on the wall. There were two other symbols, though. One was a flame, and the other was a drop of water. The room had six doorways. The far left and right were stairways leading down, the center two were just dark hallways, and the other two were stairways leading up.
Chapter 5
"Now what?" Jamie asked.
"We split up," Eric finally decided, "there are six doorways and six of us. Ariana, take the far left. Justin, second left. Ian, far right. Isabelle, second right. Jamie and I will take the two center hallways. Meet back here in 15 minutes to report."
* * * * * * * * * *
It got darker and colder as Ariana walked further down the unknown passage. She coughed slightly as she breathed in the dust.
"This place is so creepy," she said to herself. Just then the ground shook. The floor cracked under her feet and with a scream, she started falling into oblivion.
* * * * * * * * * *
Justin walked up his stairway. It was getting darker. As he walked further, Justin realized that he was no longer standing on the stairs. He stood in a room, who's walls were made of metal. He walked around the perimeter of the room, until he realized with horror that there was no door. He thought for a moment then got an idea. Justin looked up, hopping to see a sky-light.
"That won't save you," a familiar voice burst in with an evil laugh. Justin spun around and stared at a pair of red optics.
* * * * * * * * * *
Jamie looked around himself in awe. He stood in a city. All around him were bright, luminous signs. But he knew this wasn't Earth. Everything just seemed so inorganic, so…metallic. And yet, Jamie felt the presence of life all around him. He blinked, and saw transformers of all kinds moving around the city.
"Cybertron," Jamie whispered, "it's…it's Cybertron."
* * * * * * * * * *
Eric could feel no solid floor under his feet. He also saw that it wasn't completely dark. There were millions of tiny lights. Like stars. Eric realized that he was flying through space. In front of him, were two glowing balls. One was green and blue, while the other was a bluish gray color.
"Earth," Eric said, "and Cybertron."
* * * * * * * * * *
Ian was stunned to see that he was floating in the air without the use of his wings. He was even more surprised at what he saw when he looked down. It was a city, or rather it must have been. A long time ago.
There was smoke and dust everywhere. Buildings were collapsing. It looked like the sun hadn't come up for years. There was no sign of any life.
"No," Ian felt tears come to his eyes as he realized what it was, "this is my time."
* * * * * * * * * *
Isabelle stood at the bottom of a city which looked exactly like that.
"This has to be a nightmare," she shook her head. She looked up, and was even more horrified. The four horsemen soared over head.
Chapter 6
Ariana ground as she opened her eyes. The first thing she noticed was that she was laying on her back. The second, was that she couldn't move properly. She was in some sort of capsule, or a…
"A coffin!" she screamed out, "Oh my God, am I dead?" she felt around a little more and finally determined that it wasn't a coffin. The capsule was made of metal and there were computers everywhere, "if this isn't a coffin?" she said slowly, "it must be…a…a…oh no! It's a stasis pod!"
This is a nightmare, Ariana thought. Her slight fear now turned to full blown terror. All the memories came rushing back. A falling stasis pod, a screaming protoform, someone opened the pod, and what then? Nothing, she remembered, only darkens. Cold darkens.
"Help me!" she pounded her fists against the screened lid of the stasis pod. A second later, a shadow came into her view. The pod made a hissing noise and the lid cracked open.
"Please let this be someone else," Ariana prayed history wasn't repeating itself, "I can't face him again."
"You don't have a choice," said the all too familiar voice. Ariana realized that she was no longer in the stasis pod. Instead she was standing on solid ground, facing the one man she hated and feared most.
"Tarantulas!"
"Oh how very observant," the monster chuckled.
"I can fight you," Ariana informed him, "you're only a transmetal, while I'm Transmetal 2. I can defeat you easily. Blackarachnia, MAXIMIZE!"
Nothing happened.
"And it won't," Tarantulas shook his head and gave her a maniacal smile, "this is your nightmare. You can't transform."
Then Ariana realized something, "Yes," she agreed, "this is a nightmare. And nightmares aren't real. I'm not afraid of you, Tarantulas! Do you here me? I'm not afraid!"
Instantly, everything disappeared. Ariana found herself standing alone in the empty hallway. She smiled, knowing that she'd just won an endless battle over her fears. She knew she would still have to face Tarantulas before it was over, but now she no longer feared him. Suddenly, Ariana felt a different kind of fear wash over her. It wasn't her fear, it was…
"Justin!"
* * * * * * * * * *
"Jetstorm!" Justin's voice seeped with hatred, "you!"
"Actually, you," Jetstorm corrected in his obnoxious manner, "or rather you could have been me. You could have had everything!"
"I am not you!" Justin exploded.
"Really? Then how come you feel guilty?" Jetstorm demanded, "Because you did it! I'm a part of you, buddy. Somewhere, deep inside, beneath all that nobility and honor, you yearn for freedom. You want to be wild. Hey, you yourself said that you 'enjoyed it.' Hey, nothing wrong with a little fun. So what if a few other sparks are extinguished in the process."
"You're wrong," Justin shook his head, "we can't both exist at the same time. I know I'm real, and I also know that you're an illusion." Justin made a fist and punched in Jetstorm's direction. Instead of hitting metal, his fist went right through Jetstorm. The evil transformer disappeared, like a puff of hot air. Justin exhaled a breath of relief.
Chapter 7
Jamie's smile widened, "It's all just like it used to be," he recalled, "just like it used to be before Megatron and the drones. Before the virus."
Just as he said it, a green wave of light passed over the city. Jamie was startled, and blinked. When he opened his eyes it all changed. It was empty. He stood alone on the empty streets, jazzing in amazement. Suddenly Jamie understood what had happened.
"No," he whispered to himself, "no, it isn't happening again. Not again. Everyone's gone and I'm alone. I'm all alone," Jamie sat down on the bare street and buried his face in his hands, "everyone's gone just like last time when the virus was released. I didn't know what happened. Everyone just disappeared and I was the only one left. Why did I get to live? Why?" Jamie cried. Hot tears of pain were streaming down his face.
"Who knows," answered a familiar voice. Jamie looked up and saw that he was no longer on the streets of Cybertron. He was in a hospital room and saw Devon and Ryan standing in front of him. Their skin was unnaturally pail, and they had dark circles around their eyes. Like…like dead corpses.
"No!" Jamie shouted in terror.
"Who knows why you survived and we didn't," Ryan said, "but the point is, you did."
"But hey," Devon shrugged, "maybe if you were thinking of someone else, rather then yourself, maybe we'' still be here along with the entire planet of Cybertron."
"No," Jamie cried, "I didn't mean it! I'm so sorry!" He broke down crying.
* * * * * * * * * *
Eric watched as the two balls, representing Earth and Cybertron began spinning faster and faster.
"What's happening?" he said out loud, but no answer came. The balls just kept spinning faster and faster. Suddenly, the globe representing Earth started to shake. Eric frowned and watched it with interest. The sphere started to crack and bright light escaped from the cracks. The presser built, until Eric finally realized what was about to happen.
"It's going to explode!" he shouted. Shielding his face with his arm, Eric turned away as the sphere exploded from within. When he looked back, there was nothing but ashes in the place where the globe of Earth was.
"Gone," Eric whispered, "Earth has been destroyed and I did nothing to stop it." He looked at the orb representing Cybertron and saw that it, too, had changed. Instead of shining with the light of Cybertronian cities, the orb was pitch black. Lifeless.
"Both worlds are gone," Eric closed his eyes and felt moisture behind his closed lids, "and I did nothing to stop it," Eric opened his eyes and looked up into space, "but I can still prevent this. It's not over. All is not lost. I must have hope."
When he opened his eyes again, Eric stood in the hallway, facing the entrance to the central room of the temple.
Chapter 8
Ian looked down at the dying city and then at his hands. They were covered with blood. The blood of the billions of people he had killed as Death.
Focus, he ordered himself and looked away from his hands, listen to what Father and Isabelle said: it wasn't me. Apocalypse forced my hand. I am Archangel, not Death. But no, those are just excuses. Everyone says they forgive me, but how could they? How could they forgive me if I can't forgive myself? Ian looked back down at the city. This can all be prevented, if our mission succeeds. I can fight it. I'm not evil.
"I'm not!" he shouted out loud.
"Yes, you are," a voice thundered through the air.
Ian recognized it, "Apocalypse!"
"Yes, my Angel of Death," Apocalypse appeared in front of him, "you are evil. Because you- mind, body, and spark- are mine!" Apocalypse let out a defining evil laugh.
"No!" Ian shouted, but he couldn't here his own voice over Apocalypse's laugh, "I don't belong to you! In any case," he realized, "this isn't happening. It can't be. This isn't real!"
As soon as Ian said that, everything disappeared. The city, Apocalypse, and the four horsemen were gone. Instead, he was standing in front of a door leading out of the hallway.
* * * * * * * * * *
All around her, people were dying and Isabelle was helpless to do anything. This was her greatest nightmare come true: she was reliving Apocalypse's arrival, watching so many people get slaughtered, and she couldn't do anything about it.
"Stop!" she shouted, "please stop it!" Isabelle fell on her knees and placed her hands over her ears to drown the sound of the bombs. But she couldn't stop the deafening sounds of war. All around her, machine guns, missiles, chain guns, and bombs went off. She knew they were aimed at Apocalypse and the four horsemen, but when the weapons missed their target, they exploded over the city killing innocent people.
This is his plan, Isabelle realized, the legend of Apocalypse said that the people would destroy themselves with fire and water. That's why there was a symbol of fire and a symbol of water in the temple.
"But this can't be real," Isabelle realized, "I was in the year 3,000 B.C., in the temple of Apocalypse. I couldn't have been transported back to the future. This is an illusion, just a trick."
She stood up, "It's just a trick!" she yelled up at the sky. Suddenly, everything shattered around her. The city disappeared and instead, Isabelle found herself standing in the hallway, she was walking through before the nightmare appeared. It was over. For now.
Chapter 9
Isabelle, Ian, Eric, Justin, and Ariana stepped into the central room of the temple. It was huge. The walls were painted with gold and all around them were symbols like the Omega, fire, water, and others. In the center of the room, there was a huge coffin, painted with the same symbols.
"That's the sarcophagus," Ian whispered, pointing at it, "Apocalypse enters it every 500 years to get re-energized. He's in there now. If we can find a way to seal it, he'll be trapped forever."
"He's in there now?" Isabelle repeated, "and you're not worried he'll wake up and try to kill us?"
"If Ian's right," Eric replied, "he can't."
"So how do we contain something like him?" Ariana asked.
"We need a better view of this," Eric decided, "Jamie, fly and…Jamie?"
"Where is he?" Ariana looked around in concern.
"He must be back in the passage," Justin pointed in the direction they came. Ariana didn't wait. She ran back in after her brother. The others followed.
"Jamie?" she called into the darkness of the passage, "Jamie, where are you?" Finally, she spotted him, sitting on the floor and leaning against the wall. He was crying, "Jamie, what's wring?" Ariana leaned down to his level, "what happened? What did you see?"
"Gone," Jamie whispered, "they're all gone. I'm the only one left."
"Who's gone, Jamie?" Ariana lifted his face, so that his tear-filled eyes looked into her dark ones.
"Ryan, Devon, and…and everyone on Cybertron," he whispered, "because of the virus. Because I didn't do anything to stop it."
"I see," Eric said. He and the others were standing behind Ariana, "he has survivor's guilt. He feels bad that he survived all those catastrophes and they didn't. Jamie, listen to me," Eric leaned on his knees, "it's not just an accident that you survived. You survived because you can still help save the Earth from Apocalypse. Think of how many lives you will save then."
"And if we lose?" Jamie looked up, "if we lose, all of Earth will be gone."
"We won't," Eric promised, " remember: 'in the darkest hour, there will be a light.' It might seem hopeless now but we'll make it. What do you say, Jamie? Deal?" Eric held out his hand to the youngest Maximal.
Jamie said nothing. He simply got up and took Eric's extended hand. Eric smiled and picking up Jamie, walked back to the exit of the hall.
"We all have fears," he whispered into the ten-year-olds ear, "it's hard facing them, but when we do, we come out stronger then when we came in. Just like these halls."
"So this was like a defense system," Ian concluded, "when we walked through those tunnels, we were forced to face our greatest fears. Only when we over came them, could we go further."
"I think we've all earned that right," Justin said, "I, for one, won't miss this place."
Chapter 10
"What now?" Ariana asked, as the six surrounded Apocalypse's sarcophagus, "how do we trap him inside? Some sort of code? A chant? Super-glue?" She flashed a lopsided smile.
"There's a code to open, close, or permanently seal it," Ian explained, "Apocalypse only gave it to his head horseman to resurrect him when it was time."
"But you were the head horseman," Isabelle realized.
"Exactly," Ian nodded. He walked over to the side of the coffin and leaned on his knees, "although this may seem like a mess of Native American writing," he pointed at a square with pictures and symbols, "it's actually a code board. Right now it's…open!" Ian's eyes widened, "but that means…"
"…this was a trap!" Eric was ready to fight. Everyone was startled as a deep, evil laugh rumbled through the room.
"Ah, foolish Maximals," Apocalypse's evil voice echoed, "you think you can defeat He-Who-Can-Never-Die this easily? Oh, how many have dreamed of my end! You are no closer then the Indians with their rocks and fire sticks. Know this, only the one with the oldest spark can raise a hand against me!"
"I posses the oldest spark!" Eric yelled, placing a hand over his chest.
Apocalypse continued laughing. The Maximals felt, the ground shake under their feet. The ceiling cracked and started caving in. The walls also became brittle.
"He's destroying his own temple!" Ian looked around, wildly.
"It appears you've overestimated it's importance to Apocalypse," Justin said over the noise.
"Everyone, out. NOW!" Eric ordered. They ran for the exit, but the wall and sealing collapsed, blocking their way out.
"We're trapped!" Jamie cried.
"No, we're not," Isabelle pulled out her watch, "we can still get back to the year 2000." She pressed a button and the luminous tear in space appeared, "hurry!" she yelled before she jumped in. The others did not hesitate to follow her.
* * * * * * * * * *
2000,
"It didn't work!" Eric slammed his fist on the table, "I don't understand; both the Oracle and Apocalypse himself said that the one with the oldest spark could defeat him. So what went wrong?"
"Don't know Boss Monkey," Alex shrugged, "but I'll tell you what I do know; while you guys were on your little joy ride, exploring history, we've been having problems with a capital P."
"You mean Preds?" Jamie raised an eyebrow.
"Do I mean Preds?!" Alex tapped his forehead, "No! I mean Power Rangers! Of COURSE I MEAN PREDS! Here's the thing, that fem Pred, Saber…"
"What about her?" Eric asked.
"Well, turns out she's not really a Pred," Alex saw their perplexed expressions and continued, "she said she had the spark of one of the protoforms left on prehistoric Earth after we left. This explanation would do, if Tarantulas was totally stupid, which he's not. He knew that all the protoforms would be off line by that time. So, he dug around until he found out that Saber was not a Pred at all. She was working for Apocalypse and he sent her to spy on the Preds and to spread the virus…"
"Wait," Justin held up his hand, "the virus?"
"Remember when the outbreak first started," Martin said, "no one, not even the Predacons, knew where it came from or where it was bread. But then, Saber came in and seemed to know everything about it."
"Because she worked for Apocalypse," Eric put it together.
"Right," Chris finished, "what happened was Pestilence, one of the four horsemen, created the virus and then Apocalypse released it into this time."
"He cost Ryan and Devon their lives," Jamie clenched his small fists.
"And he shall pay," Ian breathed through his teeth, "we just have to find a new way to contain him."
"That's it!" Eric snapped his fingers, "now I know what to do!"
Chapter 11
There was an odd silence in the room. All eyes were focused on Eric, waiting for an explanation. Rafe stood behind the group, his arms were crossed over his chest, his age was apparent from the stress lines across his forehead.
What's your plan, Optimus Primal? he thought.
"Look," Eric said, "I'm sure most of you remember Rampage, otherwise known as Protoform X."
"My half-brother by spark," Martin said grimily, "what about him?"
"He was nearly indestructible," Eric progressed his thought, "yet, we found a way to contain him, without destroying him. I believe Ian was right; we could do a similar thing to Apocalypse. But now that the Latherus Chamber has been destroyed, we only have one option for a containment unit."
"And that is?" Ian asked curiously.
"There exists a force field containment unit that takes the power of the prisoner and uses it against him to create the force field. In other words, Apocalypse's own great power will build his prison. Then the force field and the person inside, are surrounded with a iron container, and blasted into space."
By Primus, Rafe's eyes widened as he realized what Eric was getting at, I know of this weapon. It's in…
"Where is this weapon?" Justin echoed everyone else's thoughts.
"It's…it's in the Ark," Eric replied.
"The Ark," Isabelle repeated, "THE Ark? It still exists in this time?"
Eric nodded, "And we have axes to it. All we have to do is trap Apocalypse there."
"That sounds promising," Ian agreed.
"Alright then," Eric got up and looked at his watch, "right now it's 4:34 p.m., still light out. Which means we can't travel as transformers. I suggest we go right now, since it takes two hours to get there, and take two cars. Justin, Ian, Chris, and Alex, you're coming with me. Ariana, Isabelle, Martin, and Jamie go with Mr. Carter. Would you drive them?" Eric turned to Rafe.
"Of course," the older man obliged, "in fact, I'll be joining you inside the Ark as well. I worked there with the Autobots, I could help."
"Very well," Eric nodded, "but when the time comes for battle, please be careful."
"I will be."
"Okay, let's go."
* * * * * * * * * *
The Eric's red sports car and Rafe's dark blue van pulled up near the volcanic mountain. It was sealed off, since the last incident, four month ago. Ariana remembered it very well. That single earthquake brought out the truth about there Maximal identities. It was only four month ago, but to her, it felt like a life time.
Next to her, Isabelle, Ian, and Jamie looked at the mountain with amazement. This was a historic site to them. To Ian and Isabelle, because they were from the future and to Jamie, because he'd never seen the Ark before, only heard stories back on Cybertron.
Rafe, too, looked at the mountain with a sense of remembrance.
"It's been a long time," he whispered.
Chapter 12
After a long walk, they finally stood in the largest chamber of the mountain. The floor wasn't solid under their feet. Islands of rock floated in the many rivers of lava created in the previous earthquake. Struggling to get across, the team finally made it to the other side of the lava rivers.
"Whoa," was all that Isabelle could say as she stared at the enormous Autobot ship, "so this is the Ark."
"It's just like I remember it," Rafe looked over the ship.
"You saw it before?" Ian asked.
"Of course," Rafe smiled, "I worked with the Autobots, remember?"
"Wait," Jamie realized something, "you knew Optimus Prime?"
"Yes," Rafe nodded, a bit amused that the younger children didn't know.
"Cool, whish I could meet him," Jamie clapped his hands.
"It was a long time ago," Rafe sighed.
* * * * * * * * * *
Inside, it was as unchanged as the outside. The Maximals walked through the hollow halls of the Ark, there every step echoing off the walls. As they exited the main hall, they got to a looked door.
"So what now?" Alex shrugged.
Suddenly, the systems came to life, "Identification," a voice requested.
"What's that?" Chris looked around.
"That's the Ark's automatic internal defense system," Rafe explained, "it'll only let certain people in."
"Identification," the voce repeated.
"Optimus Primal," Eric said, "requesting permission to enter."
"Permission granted," the doors slid open, "welcome back, Optimus."
"How did the Ark recognize your human voice?" Martin asked.
"It didn't recognize my voice, but my spark," Eric explained.
Not your spark, Rafe thought, how could it, if you weren't even born when the Great War accrued. But you're right, Optimus Primal; it did respond to a spark. Just…not your spark.
Inside the new room, there were computers on both walls to the right and left of them. Next to the third wall in front of them, there was a large circular platform. Eric ran to one of the computers and turned on the systems.
"Alex," he said, "please stand right over there." He pointed at the platform.
"Cool," Alex grinned, "but I ain't saying 'cheese'."
"Computer," Eric directed his attention towards the computer systems, "activate force field."
"Acknowledged," there was a buzzing sound as the force field turned on.
"Okay," Eric turned back to Alex, "now walk towards me. Slowly at first."
Alex nodded and started walking. When he got to the edge, he was electrocuted by a slight shock of voltage.
"Yes, it's working," Eric smiled.
"Ah…no offence Big Bot," Chris said, "but how is a little electric shock suppose to hold back Apocalypse?"
"Because the force field takes the captive's energy and uses it back on him," Eric repeated the explanation, "Alex was walking slowly and didn't expend much energy, so it was weak. But Apocalypse, no doubt, will struggle. By doing so, he'll use up a lot of energy therefore making the force field impenetrable."
"Fine, you made your point," Alex panted while trying to get out. Eric pressed a button and the force field disintegrated. Alex, who was now leaning back against the force field, fell on the floor with a thump. Chris, Ariana, Jamie, and Isabelle couldn't contain a chuckle.
Alex got up and dusted himself off, "What now?" he asked.
"We need to find a way to draw Apocalypse here," Eric replied.
"And how do you plan to do that?" Ian crossed his arms over his chest.
"Ask and you shall receive, my Angel of Death," Apocalypse's voice thundered through the room.
Chapter 13
The wall behind the circular platform ripped apart and Apocalypse himself stepped inside. This was the first time many of them had seen him. He was much bigger then they expected, the size of the largest Autobot, Superion.
"So is this another foolish attempt to destroy me?" Apocalypse laughed, "know this! I am the rocks of the eternal shore! Crash against me and be broken! So beware what you ask, for it may come to pass."
"Beware yourself!" Ian yelled, "Archangel, MAXIMIZE!" He fired a wave of wing knives at Apocalypse. Apocalypse only laughed harder. His hands transformed into a giant shield and mirrored Archangel's wing knives back at him. Archangel didn't expect this. He got out of the way of the first five knives but the last three hit him and he fell to the floor.
"You can't do that to my brother!" that was Isabelle's voice, "Silver Spider, MAXIMIZE!" she also rose into the air and fired her machine guns.
"Foolish little girl," Apocalypse completely ignored the fire. He opened his palm and fired a laser, located in the middle of it. It hit Silver Spider and she fell on the floor next to her brother.
"Who will be next to perish?" Apocalypse looked around the room.
By this time everyone transformed. The attacked Apocalypse with everything they had, but pretty soon, most of the team was down with sever wounds and unable to hold on to their robot modes. Only Optimus was left standing.
I have to get him to stand on the platform, he thought, or else all is lost. Optimus fired several shots from his cannons. They hit Apocalypse and for a moment, it looked like he was injured. When the smoke cleared, Optimus was surprised to see Apocalypse standing just as tall as ever.
"That's impossible!" he exclaimed, "it didn't even phase him!" Apocalypse laughed again and fired both palm lasers. Optimus fell and changed back into Eric. He struggled to get up and wiped the blood from his lips. Apocalypse picked him up and held him tightly in his fist.
"It's over," he said, "you've lost, Optimus Primal."
"Wait," came a different voice from the other side of the room. Apocalypse turned and looked at the speaker. His evil eyes widened as he realized who it was. Apocalypse released his hold on Eric, and watched as the speaker came into view.
He was tall, with gray eyes with hints of blue in them. He was in his late forties with graying hair, that once, must have been brown.
"Rafe Carter," Apocalypse breathed, "at last, my worthy opponent."
"What does he mean?" Martin breathed heavily and coughed, "Rafe is only human. How could he be Apocalypse's worthy opponent?"
"I'll tell you what he means," Rafe said calmly, "he means that you interpreted the Oracle's vision incorrectly. Eric wasn't the one with the oldest spark…it was me."
"How?" Chris looked up.
"I'll show you," Rafe closed his eyes, "Optimus Prime, TRANSFORM!"
Chapter 14
If anyone had heard this story, they wouldn't believe it. The Maximals themselves could barely believe their own eyes. Optimus Prime, the greatest transformer that ever lived, the leader of the Autobots, the legend himself was standing right there in front of them. He was colored in red, white, and blue and only a head shorter then Apocalypse.
"An impressive entrance, Optimus Prime," Apocalypse admitted.
Prime was far from amused, "Apocalypse," he said in a deep voice, "you tried to destroy Earth. In doing so, you endangered the past, present, and future and made life miserable for humans and transformers alike. How can you justify yourself?"
"I do not need to explain myself to you," Apocalypse retorted, "it is my destiny to rule the universe."
"If that's what you think," Optimus Prime said calmly, "then let me teach you something about your true destiny." Prime fired his weapon. Apocalypse backed away. He wasn't watching where he was going and stepped onto the platform. Prime took the opportunity.
"Good riddance, Apocalypse," he said as he hit the controls and activated the force field.
"No!" Apocalypse's cries could be heard everywhere. He struggled, but it was no use. Soon, the electric force field was surrounded in a metal capsule. Apocalypse kept screaming inside, but it was only heard as an echo. There was a great fountain of fire as the pod was launched into space.
"I shall return," Apocalypse vowed. The capsule flew further up, until it disappeared in the blood-red sunset sky.
Optimus Prime exhaled, "It's over," he whispered, "It's finally over."
* * * * * * * * * *
"I…I don't know what to say," Eric was at a loss for words as Rafe helped him back on his feet, "so it was you. You possessed the oldest spark. Prime's spark."
"Yes," Rafe was smiling.
"I don't get it," Alex frowned, "you said that you worked with Prime."
"I did," Rafe said, "but I never said I wasn't Prime."
"The history books never mentioned this," Chris shook his head.
"I'll tell you why," Rafe explained, "back then, Optimus Prime and I were indeed two different people. But at the end of the Great War, his spark merged into me. He and I became one. See," he turned to Jamie, Ian, and Isabelle who were standing with their moths open, "you wanted to meet Prime. Bet you didn't know you had a famous grandfather," he told the twins.
"GRANDFATHER!?!" Martin, Alex, Chris, and Jamie shouted the word.
"But that means that…"Chris trailed off.
"…they are our children," Justin said as he and Ariana walked over and stood behind Ian and Isabelle.
"Great," Alex threw his hands up, "any other surprises?"
"Just one," Rafe snapped his fingers and they were instantly surrounded by darkens.
Chapter 15
"Congratulations, Maximals…" the Oracle started.
"Ahem," Rafe cleared his throat.
"…and Autobot," the Oracle corrected itself, "you have triumphed over the impossible."
Even though they were exhausted from the battle, everyone had broad grins on their faces. Chris, Alex, and Martin gave each other high-fives and clapped each other on the back. Jamie, Ariana, Justin, Isabelle, and Ian hugged each other. Eric and Rafe exchanged a knowing look of the satisfaction of triumph.
"So what happens now?" Alex asked.
"Ian and Isabelle need to return to their own time," the Oracle replied.
"Will we remember anything of what happened?" Ian asked.
"Yes," the Oracle nodded, "you will posses two sets of memories, one to fit the new timeline and another for the old one."
"So I guess it's time to say good-bye," Ariana hugged her son and daughter.
"Hey, it's not like we'll never see each other again," Isabelle smiled through her tears of joy, "we'll see you when we get back to our own time. And you'll see us in…oh 7 or 8 years."
"That's a long time," Justin sighed, "but never the less, I am thankful for the preview. You're both great."
"Thanks," Ian said, "and for helping me realize who I really am."
"Hey," Ariana smiled, "we all went through that."
"It's time," the Oracle said. The bright rift in space opened again. This time, however, it didn't represent danger. It was the way home. Isabelle and Ian turned towards the portal. They looked at each other, joined hands, and stepped back into the future. Everyone else's eyes followed them as they disappeared into the light.
"You said you had another surprise for us," Martin finally turned to Rafe, "what is that?"
"See for yourself," the older man pointed into the light. Eric brought his hand in front of his face, to protect his eyes from the light. As he watched he saw two figures immerge from the opening. At first he thought that something went wrong, that it was Ian and Isabelle. Soon he realized that it couldn't be them. The figures were much taller. As they got closer, it became apparent who they were.
Eric's hand flew over his moth in disbelief. Justin held Ariana's hand tightly. Jamie was surprised most of all. He ran forward, and stopped once he was between the group and the two figures.
"It can't be," Jamie shook his head in disbelief, but his face wore a broad grin, "I don't believe it."
"Believe it, kid," said the first figure. He stepped forward and revealed to be a teenage boy, tall, with black hair, and ocean-blue eyes. Jamie reached out to him and the teenager scooped him into a great hug,
"Devon!"
"Yeah, it's me," he stood up, with Jamie in his arms.
"And me," said the second teenage boy, with greed eyes and rich brown hair, "you guys thought you'd never see us again, did you?"
"Ryan!" Chris couldn't believe it, "but how?"
"The virus that killed us was released by Apocalypse, remember?" Ryan said, "now that he's gone, it's like nothing's ever happened."
"So you're alive?" Alex cleared up, "you're really alive?"
"Thanks to Optimus Prime," Ryan turned to Rafe, "thank you."
"Yeah, I hate to admit it," said Devon, "but you're not too bad for a bossy old Autobot leader."
"Thanks a lot," Rafe smirked.
"So," Ryan turned to Ariana and Justin, "can I call you both proud parents?"
"You do that," Ariana promised, "and you'll find yourself dead all over again. Experience tells me, I'm not ready to be a mother." Everyone laughed, thankful that everything was back to normal.
* * * * * * * * *
"So, Ian and Isabelle are Archangel and Silver Spider," the young man with the long black hair thought for a moment, "Blackarachnia and Silverbolt's children. This should prove very interesting."
Epilogue
Year 2022,
Ian and Isabelle looked at their city with amazement. It was just like they remembered it before Apocalypse. The streets were clean, the buildings were standing as tall as ever, and the sky…The sky was once again bright blue.
They stood on the front lawn of one of the houses. The front door opened and two people steeped out. They were each about thirty five years old. The woman wore a tight black shirt and jeans, with black boots. Her eyes were like a pair of black wholes, endless and deep. Her hair reached her waist and was a rich dark chocolate color. The man was tall and broad shouldered. His hair was a platinum blond color and his eyes were grey.
"Mom! Dad!" Isabelle and Ian ran and hugged their parents, "you're okay! You're alive!"
"Thanks to you," the older Ariana said and smiled down at her children, "you did a great job."
"That was very brave," Justin said, "welcome back, kids. Welcome home."
Author's End Note: OPTIMUS PRIME RULES!!! Okay, I'd like to thank everyone who gave me support. Thanks to my friends Flyby, Firebird, Megan Cole, John Able, Louis, Ina, Helen, Becky, A.J., and others. A special thanks to John Peel, the author of the Diadem and 2099 book series for the inspiration to write. To my favorite characters Ariana and Justin. May your sparks shine forever and may you never be apart. Yeah, I know I'm a hopeless romantic. Whish me luck on my surgery. Happy Hanukah and Marry Christmas!
Don't worry, I'll be back. Not even the entire Decepticon army can keep me down! I shall rise again! Next spot, double digits! See you later, Silver Spider out.