Hello, internet! I won't keep you for too long, promise! Just wanna let you know that this is just a little one-shot idea I had, no planning of continuing as of yet. Might, but not too sure. What's basically going on in this first chapter is that it's been almost one million years since Endgame and the team has returned to Cybertron since the Decepticons left Earth and Sari wants to get away from some painful memories (will be explained later). However, things have changed since then and Cybertron is as dead as Yoketron while war-no, war's child's play compared to what's happened.
All will be explained as this chapter goes on and more will probably be too if I decide to continue this. Just tell me in a review if you think I should continue this at all or not, but flames will be used to roast Sari's mellow-marshes!
I own nothing here except for my OCs, Aluri, Bombay, Hipontah, NetGear, Quick-Silver and anyone else you don't recognize! Enjoy!
0XX0
They say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.
-Andy Warhol-
Dedicated to Prowl and all the true heroes that have passed.
0XX0
It was hard to remember a time of peace and tranquillity, but they knew it had once been real for they had been part of it. It had been the Golden Age, oh so glorious and wonderful. Sure there had been times where patience, friendships and loyalties were tested, but they had come out fine in the end...Better than now anyway...
But, alas, times had turned dark on them and memories of no fighting or warfare were vague among them all. It was hard to keep going with such little hope and yet, so much despair...
He remembered Earth quite clearly though, the beauty of machines and organics together in harmony. It had amazed him so. Though the inhabitants were a primitive and violent race, they were young and only beginning to grow and learn about their world. They had so much to learn and there was goodness in them, though some refused to acknowledge it. They reminded the Autobots of themselves...back when being an Autobot or a Decepticon actually meant something.
He let out a small chuckle at the thought. It was difficult to process the fact that he and his team had once been either Autobots or Decepticons, but they knew it was true. They couldn't deny what they had once stood for, what they once represented in the big, wide universe.
The two opposing factions may have called it the Clone Revolution, but it was nothing like that. It was more like the Clone War (Bluestreak had named it that after remembering an Earth film he had watched).
The memory of its starting point was as clear as his master's passing, burnt in the core of his CPU to remain forever and a day. The Elite Guard had only been on Earth for a short while and they (well, actually, just Jazz) were just beginning to understand what it held. However, a Decepticon had transwarped to Detroit and had began destroying the downtown, demanding Megatron come out of hiding and face him, but the former Decepticon leader never did. However, he, his old teammates and the Elite Guard came instead.
What wasn't known at the time was that, somehow, two AllSpark fragments powered the Decepticon known as NetGear. How that was possible was unknown, but it didn't matter. What they needed to do was bring him down before he destroyed the whole of Michigan!
What also made him remember that solar cycle so well was not that it was the beginning of the end, but also that he had been reunited with Bluestreak, his own brother whom he took for offline after the attack on their home city-state of Praxus. But despite the silent joy that he had felt, horror swept through his systems when Bluestreak claimed to not remember anything before he was found.
The pain of losing his dear younger brother again was spark-breaking. The emptiness that had just been filled was there once again and it had taken all of his will not to break. However, he felt he had to feel glad for Bluestreak: while incognito during the war and centuries afterwards, he had found a femme, Aluri and they had become close as friends over the time they spent together, travelling the universe for her father and his memories before they ran into NetGear.
The two had followed him to Earth and helped the two teams of Autobots bring down NetGear, with Ultra Magnus serving the final blow.
Unfortunately, time with the two was cut short as they left for Cybertron with the Elite Guard and a captive NetGear and Starscream. The team's lives soon came back to normality, unaware of what was to happen once the first captured Decepticon stepped foot on Cybertron.
What happened afterwards was almost a blur to him. Everything changed so quickly for them, but they adapted and kept going on, battling the Decepticons until Earth held no value for them any longer. In the end, their enemies left, but so did they.
It wasn't until Sari had requested that they take up Ultra Magnus' offer of returning to Cybertron, taking her along that they actually did. The young techno-organic claimed that she had always wanted to see their home planet, but her robot friends knew that she was hiding the real reason behind her intentions.
It was Ratchet, the ol' red and white Med-bot, that had first found out. He knew that Sari couldn't stay on Earth: it was painful for her and there were too many memories that would have her broken within nanoclicks. Ratchet had felt the same way after the Great War, he understood and it was with that, that a ship was sent. Many goodbyes and farewells were expressed, but they still left.
For Sari's sake.
There were many things that he could've done to stop themselves from leaving. Then maybe they would still be online, still with him and Sari and ...Safe, away from the war. But how were they supposed to know? They couldn't see the future and what horrors it held for them as the war raged on like a burning wildfire of hate and greed for power.
"PROWL!" The black and gold cyber-ninja held in a gasp of surprise when the angered voice came through his . Shaking his head and then sighing, as he would, Prowl reached up to his master's helmet and activated his .
"Prowl here. What is it, Wheeljack?" Prowl asked, no emotion coming through his voice as he scanned the area around and below the building he stood in. Well, what was left of it anyway. He heard the engineer sigh and mutter, a clear sign that he was annoyed.
"I've been tryin' to contact you for the past cycle!" Yeah, he was annoyed and his accent showed it. The war had demanded so much from the entire team and it was getting to them. They just wanted it all to end. Prowl gave the area another scan. Nothing yet, but there was always a new platoon sent out on the breem, ready to battle to the end.
The building he stood in had once been part of a city-state that some could call a legendary sanctuary: Iacon. It didn't protect any one from war or the fighting any longer for it had been brought to ruin much like the rest of Cybertron, grand cities turned to wreckage. The large planet had long been consumed by death, but the Autobots and Decepticons never saw fit to leave as long as their home, if it could even be called that any more, was in orbit.
" I had my processor on other things." That was the half-truth. It was mega-rare that Prowl could get away from the underground base and not end up in the repair bay less than a megacycle later. The only way he could get away was by hiding from both Autobots and Decepticons, both of whom would certainly either offline him once he was seen or torture him for information. Maybe even processed...
" You need to get back to HQ. Rodimus needs to talk to you about the information you and Arcee got the other solar cycle." Wheeljack informed him. Prowl placed his optics on the ground in front of him before lifting them up to the dark, starless sky.
"I'll be there in a couple cycles. Prowl out." Wheeljack deactivated his with a similar farewell and Prowl could feel the ground vibrating, a warning of the new platoons arriving and fast. And so, with his ninja grace and agility, Prowl leapt down from the ruined and cragged structure of the building. He made no sound, even with his armour upgrades, and landed in a crouch position before standing straight and tall, careful not to attract any unwanted attention to himself.
The ground was now vibrating with a thunderous echo. The platoons were close, ready to battle it out for the unclaimed ground he stood on. Quite pointless to him and his team, but worth everything in Longarm and Shockwave's optics.
In a flash, Prowl transformed into his Cybertronian vehicle mode. It was similar to what it had been prior his Earth mode, but with the armour, most of the tints of blue were replaced with his trademark black and gold. It was also slightly bulkier than previously and his rear tyre was almost hidden from side view. Nevertheless, his vehicle mode was as sleek and fast as it had ever been before.
But there was a large difference in what he had once been and what he was. It wasn't in looks though, no, but rather with his condition: all over his vehicle mode were marks, scars, small dents, what looked like puncture holes and evidence. Evidence of long war and hard battles stood out on the mech as well as what looked like premature ageing from long orns of no recharge and preparing for the next solar cycle.
They were all like that now. Every one of them. They all held the burden, felt the stress and sorrow. They had lost so much, it was a miracle that they were stilling fighting with the little faith and hope for their far away fantasies that they still clung onto during the long solar cycles that they faced.
'Just be thankful for the things you have.'
They were thankful, maybe not as much as they would like to be or showed, but they were grateful that they at least had a small sanctuary, a place to hide from their enemies while their never-ending warfare continued to destroy the very being of themselves, those around and their home.
Despite their well hidden hiding place deep under the planet's scarred and torn surface, they were still at no peace. Sometimes, they refused to recharge out of fear of being found, fear of being killed or processed and concern for their friends. It gripped at their processors, tearing away at their sanity, slowly, but getting there. Cycle by cycle...
It was only the memories of the loved and lost that kept them from slipping over the edge. Ratchet had always said that no one would want to relive the events of the Great War. True, Prowl had been around during that time, but he had avoided it for as long as he could. He had seen the carnage and death at every possible corner, and it haunted him that he hadn't helped.
However, Ratchet had been wrong. Anyone would want to relive the Great War instead of their Clone War. Compared to this, the Great War was child's play. A mere child's game he had seen on Earth, played in the youngling's spare time. They didn't have that luxury.
It didn't take more than 3 cycles for Prowl to return to the entrance of the base. Transforming into robot mode, the ninja-bot could hear battle breaking out far behind, the screams, yells and cries of war, death that would echo through his chassis even after he was offlined. He silently crept toward a mound of rubble, debris and unrecognisable, rusting chassis' of both Autobots and Decepticons that had been swept to the sidelines for the next battle. They leant against other piles, creating a sort of landscape that some would only see through an artist's vision...
Or a psychotic bot's.
Prowl crept towards one certain pair of piles that leant against each other like ocean waves crashing onto the rocks near the beach on Earth. When he came into servo's distance of the junk, he knelt down and brushed his servo over the ground. A collection of muffled beeps came to his audio receptors before a hiss and the sound of scraping metal and stone against each over.
The sounds all stopped as a hidden trap door revealed itself to Prowl's right, leading into a dark pit. Nevertheless, the ninja-bot stood up, scanned around and then jumped through the gap before it closed up with the same scraping sound.
Prowl's landing echoed throughout the hidden tunnel, each step darker and louder than the last, travelling deeper and deeper under the crust and into the buried core. Though the tunnel was just as dark as the surface, Prowl could see the walls around him change as he walked deeper down. The metallic feel began to fade away into a substance he had seen before, but on a different planet.
Prowl brushed his digits on the wall of the blackened road ahead and could feel the substance almost crumble at his dense touch. Yes, it was very much like the rock and soil of Earth.
Rodimus and the founding members of the team had actually discovered it. No one had ever once thought that their home of Cybertron, the infamous planet of metal, had an organic core in which a being of legend and far off tales rested, holding onto dear life to keep the on-going war at bay. Since the AllSpark had been torn from his very self, it was draining every ounce of his life force to keep everything going.
Primus could only rest during such difficult times.
Prowl slowed as he neared the end of the path, a hard, jagged rock wall facing him and signifying his destination. Only a couple steps away from the vertical wall, the ninja-bot stopped and simply waited. Familiar clicks, beeps and whirs, all muffled, came to his audio receptors once more. He stood still as ever, even as he felt the scan swept over him: one of Wheeljack's few inventions that didn't blow up in his face (...literally...).
Before even half a cycle passed, the scan stopped and Prowl moved once more, but not in step, but rather reaching out as a rock face moved aside, showing a datapad. Prowl placed three of his digits onto the pad and waited with much hard-earned patience as they were scanned with more accuracy and precision than the last scan. He moved his servo away just as the datapad became hidden behind the small rock face again. In a fraction of a klick, the rock face flickered away into thin air, showing twin doors sliding open, but slowly and with jerks, like an ancient door that hadn't been opened for much time. Prowl slipped between the gap before the doors slammed shut behind him.
He walked through the large, brightly lit dome of a planet core with no emotion still on his faceplates. His still posture was kept, even when the thick foliage reached out to grab and greet him with their stiff branches and soft leaves. The plant life had grown accustomed to the core of their home, turning it far more organic than it had ever been before.
Then, as he broke through the last layers of foliage around him, the light of the core became brighter, but also turned a dim, humming blue, acknowledging that he had arrived at the right place. Now, in front of him, was a large hologram projector surrounded by a ring of a hovering table that several of his teammates were either leaning against or standing by.
Prowl looked at each of his team mates around said table ring, most of whom had turned their helms and optics to him, but the rest kept their processors on the matter at hand, talking amongst themselves.
Rodimus was one of them, standing in the middle of it all, acting as team leader and holding the Magnus Hammer tight in his scarred right servo, not because he was the current Magnus, no. There hadn't been a Magnus since Ultra Magnus, but it was better than the Autobots having it in their possession. On Rodimus' left were Wheeljack, the team's scientist and engineer who kept their base hidden throughout all the stellar cycles. He wasn't a great tactician or strategist, but he was obviously adding in important notes that would be significant to any mission. Blitzwing stood at Rodimus' right. The former Decepticon currently held his Icy personality, most likely processing a plan of logic that would be sure to lead them to success.
It was still hard to believe that the mech whom he had once fought against on Earth was now his team mate and ally. When the triple-changer claimed that Shockwave had gone mad since Megatron's death and the introduction of processing, and wanted to join them, the infamous, rumoured Rebellion before he was processed, it had taken much time on what choices to make. It was difficult to recruit team members from either Autobot or Decepticon ranks, as there was always the danger of a spy, but in the end, the choice for him to stay was made. The same could be said for Quick-Silver and Dinobot as well.
The speeder was practically the evil counterpart of Blurr, but with many changes in alt mode and mould. If Blurr was the fastest Autobot, then Quick-Silver was the fastest Decepticon. Or had been anyway. Dinobot, however, had not been a Decepticon, but rather a Predacon. The Predacons had been formed to be a sub-group of Decepticons, like the Constructions. What was amazing what the Predacons was that three Originals were still online in their ranks. Dinobot had resigned after being left for dead by Shockwave, only for questioning his motives and lack of honour. Both disgusted him so.
Now, all three were valued members of the Rebellion, Cybertron's last chance of peace and the end of the Clone War. Or so they hoped.
Looking at Prowl as he entered was Bluestreak, who had regained his memories shortly before the war (though it had been painful for both of them); his now-sparkmate Aluri who was training under him in Circuit-Su and Metallikato; Red Alert, the team's medic; Arcee who had recovered a majority of her own memories, but using time rather than the procedure Bluestreak's medics had used on him and finally Sari, their little techno-organic team mate. It was only with her Cybertronian half and some tinkering from Wheeljack and Red Alert that she was even still with them. Luckily, she was also able to breath what was in Cybertron's atmosphere for her organic half to be able to stay alive. But, Prowl wasn't all too sure that it was just her Cybertronian half or any tinkering that was keeping her around, maybe something more powerful...
The two of them only wished that the rest of their 'family' were with them, but they were all long gone as well as many, many others they had once known. They had gone offline at the servos of Longarm, well, not the original, but he was all the same. It still hurt both Prowl and Sari deeply that they had been the only ones able to escape and join the Rebellion. But with Ultra Magnus offline, Longarm's clone had taken over; processing any available Autobot he could lay his servos on.
Optimus, Ratchet, Bulkhead and Bumblebee had been amongst the first 'bots to be processed, however, the technique and cycle was so raw and un-thought through that they didn't make it. They had failed in saving them and now, they had lost their team, the family that they fought so hard to keep together. It just couldn't be replaced.
Rodimus nodded to Prowl as the cyber-ninja took his place across from him before looking around and then turning his helm to Wheeljack. "Did you comm' Bombay and Swoop, Wheeljack?"
"About 12 cycles ago, Rodimus. I don't know where they could be." Rodimus sighed as he leaned against the table on one servo and rubbed his sore optics with the other. You could tell he was on the end of his tether, as humans would say, about the younger femme and the Dinobot medic (he was Red Alert's apprentice currently). Who's stupid idea was it to bring the Dinobots to Cybertron again?
"If she's after Bloodfire again, I swear to Primus I'll-" A familiar cry and thud cut Rodimus off. He removed his servo from his optics and glared over at the source of the interruption. A black, grey and mud-yellow femme and the infamous flying Dinobot known as Bombay and Swoop stood at the edge of the clearing around the them all. Rodimus, clearly annoyed by their lateness, sent a glare to each of them.
"You'd better have a good explanation for this, Bombay. You're almost 15 cycles late." The femme only rolled her optics in young arrogance at the leader who noticed that most of her explosive weapons were missing from her helm and wherever else she could hide them. Swoop had also suffered some damage on his underside and wings, but it was well hidden with the rest of his battle wounds. Rodimus, however, kept his silence on the matter.
"I got caught up in some business." Came the calm response as Bombay walked to her place next to Arcee as Swoop placed himself between Red Alert and Prowl. Rodimus kept his dark, glaring but tired optics on the lying femme. He knew exactly what 'business' she meant; it didn't take a Perceptor to know.
"If you've risked our safety again, I'll have no choice but to let Longarm have you back." Rodimus threatened in the best way he could, but like many young 'bots, she didn't take it in. When she had first joined with her sister, Hipontah, she was the only member who was able to keep a smile for long mega-cycles during the battles. However, since the...incident, she no longer smiled, messed around or laughed, but rather clawed out at her team mates like they were her enemies and sunny jibes had turned into sarcastic wisecracks at any possible moment.
"Roddy," Rodimus kept his cool at the nickname, but the growling rev of his engine was loud enough and his tightened grip on the Magnus Hammer was noticeable. "You've said it before and you'll say it again. I'm too valuable to be handed over and you don't have the tech' to wipe my memory clean forever. Just look at Arcee."
Rodimus glanced over to the oldest femme in the team with softer optics. Her optics glared also at the arrogant femme next to her, but there was a hidden sorrow behind them. Like an old memory. Unknowingly, she reached up to where her Autobot symbol once was and brushed her digits along the cracks and slashes that covered the insignia: a sign of recognition from the faction. All their insignias were in such condition now...
"Just be careful, Bombay. I'm not willing to have you jeopardize everyone just for a chance of revenge." He knew the femme would not take his words to her spark, but it was better than nothing. He turned to the rest of his team. "Now, let's begin."
Bombay rolled her optics again, but dipped her helm to hide her own sadness. She had loved Hipontah more than she ever let on and she seeked to avenge her death by offlining Bloodfire, the very Decepticon who had done the job in the first place. The area calmed down as several holograms popped up in front of them.
Prowl watched Rodimus explain the reasoning of their gathering as well as their newest task involving information Arcee had downloaded after the two of them had infiltrated the Autobot base. What lay in front of them were early development plans for a prototype that apparently had the ability to travel up to 2 cycles in either the past or future, something that could give the Autobots a large advantage against them and the Decepticons.
"Apparently, the plans have been useless up until recently when a powerful energy source was discovered outside of Gygax. We have reason to believe that it could be an AllSpark fragment, but since the AllSpark was lost, it's highly unlikely." Rodimus finished and stepped back, allowing everyone to process the new information. Wheeljack then stepped up and changed the hologram to a collection of diagrams and science mumbo-jumbo.
"The plans Arcee downloaded were incomplete, but if I were ta receive more updated schematics and maybe the prototype itself, I could work on it for our own advantage. We could possibly end this war forever." The engineer explained in the simplest terms he could. Blitzwing's optic widened in realization of the plan.
"By sending somevone back to ven it started so zat it never may." Blitzwing mused, placing his servo on his chin, something that had become somewhat of a trademark for his Icy personality. Hothead would often pop up from time to time, but Random was a rare slice that everyone actually enjoyed seeing as he could put some sort of smile on everyone's faceplates. Be it either a laughing smile, a smile for his efforts or just a smile that he was with them.
"Wouldn't that cause a paradox or something?" Aluri asked, concerned about the safety of the plan. It wasn't that other plans had been more dangerous than this, but it was still a big risk to take. She looked over to Rodimus with a forever-lasting sad look in her optics. The mech seemed to return the look to her, but with a more loving feel to it. Family love that is.
"If we're careful, there won't be any disastrous results from the time trip. As long as we don't meet our past selves or reveal too much, it should be fine." Rodimus answered. Aluri smiled up at him and seemed to calm slightly from the comforting words of her father. Well, he wasn't her father-father, but Prowl only knew that Aluri was one of the first clones to be created and that it had been from Rodimus who, at first, didn't take much of a liking to her, but over time, they grew to be much like a father and daughter.
"And I can make modifications to the machine so that it can repair possible paradoxes or rips in the time stream." Wheeljack added. A couple mutters and whispers arose, knowing full well that Wheeljack wasn't known for his success at repairing or 'inventing'. "It won't blow up, for Primus' sake!"
The area became silent, but, as always, the quiet was broken by a single question, this time, from Sari: "Who's gonna go then?"
"Arcee will obviously need to go as will Prowl to get into the base, download the plans and get the prototype, but two of us will be needed for back up." Rodimus answered as he looked around for such back up. He avoided Bombay's gaze and kept going around until...
"Dinobot," The blue, silver and brown mech looked over to Rodimus. "And Bluestreak will go as back up." The silver and navy blue mech also looked over, mindlessly brushing his servos over his weapons that hung on his sides. Dinobot pulled his mouth plates into a grin of sorts. Though he didn't say a word, it was easy to know what he was thinking.
As the small team began to elaborate on a plan, Sari looked on from below on the table. Her blue eyes glanced at each individual 'bot until they came upon Rodimus. She had seen the look in his optics when he was picking the back up group. He knew that she would do very well on such a mission, but it was best not to raise an argument with Prowl at that time. The cyber-ninja was very against Sari doing missions he thought too dangerous for her, concerned for her vulnerability as a techno-organic out in the battlefield. Sari knew he was thinking best for her, but she'd just wish he'd stop acting so much like...like a dad to her sometimes.
But it was also the fact that she was the only original member of the team he still had with him. The two had been through so much together during the long years of war and they didn't want to lose any more of their family. They were all they had left.
Sari trusted Prowl, though they would disagree on a lot of things. And like she trusted Prowl, she trusted Rodimus on the plan, but why did she have a pit-burning feeling in the wells of her spark that she was going to lose someone, but yet, not...at the same time?
She guessed that she would just have to wait.
0XX0
Getting inside the base unnoticed?
Simple.
Getting around the base, downloading plans, stealing the prototype and getting out, all unseen?
Not so simple.
With a large majority of the clone army out battling and dying for a once noble cause, the small group of rebels had easily sneaked into the Autobot base and were currently creeping around the hallways, silent as ever. The four of them said not a word as blood-curling screams and yells echoed around them from mechs and femmes being processed and then sent out to battle: Their punishment for voicing their pain. Prowl's own scarred servo sent out a burst of pain with each new scream.
The cyber-ninja looked back on his brother, Arcee and Dinobot behind him as they stood at a junction in the hallway. He nodded and they nodded back, saying they were ready as ever. Prowl pointed to a corner down the hall to their right, but before anyone could move, a voice came in through their private .
'Isn't the lab around the left corner?'
All 'bots, sans Prowl, froze at the sound of the younger voice. (Slag, why couldn't she stay quiet?) Prowl turned around fully to face his teammates with a look of mild surprise and a hint of anger, something that rarely came from the cyber-ninja. Wasn't that voice meant to stay at the base?
"Sari!" Prowl almost shouted, but remembering the mission, kept his vocaliser on whispered anger. The techno-organic that had become his charge over the stellar-cycles popped up from her hiding place under Dinobot's brown and silver shoulder plating: perfect for someone her size. The mech she had been hiding in looked down at her on his shoulder, almost glaring.
It wasn't that he didn't like the younger femme, no. From what he had learnt about humans from those who had visited Earth, they were very much a different species, but they showed great courage and honour, something he could always admire. Sari was younger than the rest of them by a large number of stellar cycles though and she still showed signs of such youth, despite the fact that she had matured and grown wiser as an outcome of war. Though he was not a team player, Dinobot could honestly say that he would give his life if it meant it could protect someone. Be it Sari, Rodimus...maybe Swoop if he thought hard enough on it.
' Dinobot?' Said mech came out of his own reality when he heard Prowl's voice come through the private . With everyone looking at him for an answer, it was evident that they had tried to get his attention with no dice...Whatever a dice was. Sari was now on Prowl's shoulder plates, having moved from her spot on Dinobot's own, where he was still staring.
' Have you tried reasoning with her?' Dinobot asked Prowl, taking a wild guess on what the subject at servo had been. He had been lucky as Prowl turned his helm away to glare down at Sari who was hiding a nervous smile under her mouth plate and gave the mech a pair of pleading blue eyes.
' What were you thinking?' Came the obvious question through her own installed private . Sari placed her hands on her hips and stared up at Prowl, eyes pleading no more. They weren't going to work anyway; she had tried and failed before.
' I was thinking that I would have to save your skid plates. Again.' Sari now crossed her arms, but still kept her stare up at the cyber-ninja. A small sigh escaped from him before he went on with the usual speech that she had been given over a million times since joining the Rebellion.
' I appreciate your concern, Sari, but you should worry about yourself. We'll be fine.' Okay, not the usual speech she had expected. Sari let out a sigh of annoyance as she looked towards the ground, let her arms drop and then snapped her head back up to look at Prowl.
' But it's not just that! Something bad's gonna happen, I just know it.' A hint of sadness came to Sari's eyes, a kind of sadness Prowl had only seen when his charge had overcome her feeling of disbelief and denial over Bumblebee and Bulkhead's deaths. Was someone going to be caught during the mission? Were they to succeed?
' Prowl, I'm picking up two energy signatures coming up close. It's too late to take Sari back now, she'll have to stay.' Bluestreak's voice came through the link, interrupting their conversation. Prowl moved his gaze from Sari to his brother who held a look of slight worry in his optics, one of his servos holding the rim of his hand held weapons at his side. Arcee and Dinobot gave Prowl similar looks and he held a servo to his aching processor. Primus, he hadn't felt such an ache since he was found by Bumblebee and Bulkhead long, long ago.
' Fine, but I'll have a word with two somebodies when we get back. Sari, hide under my armour.' The young techno-organic seemed to beam at the news of her staying, but was forced to celebrate under Prowl's large shoulder armour as he led the team down the left hallway silently. However, twin shadows appeared to them, forcing their halt.
And nowhere to hide.
0XX0
The owners of the two shadows, Jetfire and Jetstorm, turned the corner with scanners of high alert and optics peering at every possible place around them, every wall and every tile. The twin brothers, now older, but not that much wiser, had been upgraded much during the war and somewhat resembled their Decepticon counterparts (but, then again, it was hard to make out any differences between the two factions) but still held their own individuality as they often showed with their combined mode, Safeguard. And, now, they sported fresh scars on their right servos as well as deep, gaping punctured holes that covered their left forearms.
The twins were also unique for another reason, aside from their ability to combine, fly and elemental powers. They weren't like most of the other Autobots, for they were clones, copies of the originals with barely a single difference. The brothers were unique because they were a couple of the few Originals left in the Autobot base; the rest had either perished in battle or they had been processed...and didn't make it.
Both Jetfire and Jetstorm had never been processed before (thus explaining their new scars), but they had seen and heard it enough before to know the damage. They knew mechs and femmes who had passed onto the Well of Allsparks because of processing, but they were forced to stand aside and keep their silence. They couldn't stop it lest they be sent on a suicide run, deep in Decepticon territory. Maybe even in the rumoured Rebellion lands.
They had heard much about the Rebellion, that they were criminals against the Autobot cause, allies of the Decepticons and vicious murderers. They didn't wish for this war to end, they only wanted more death. The Autobots would've stopped them long ago, but they eluded them. It was impossible to track them back to their base, wherever it was. The Rebellion also twisted the processors of Autobots, manipulating them and making them turn against their own faction.
That had become the sad end for Optimus Prime and his team.
As they walked down with no words said, careful of watching optics and listening audios hidden, they came across a large console attached to the wall, nothing out of the norm. Just as he passed the console, Jetstorm stopped and turned his helm around. That sound was not of the norm...
"Brother?" The visor-wearing twin asked as he looked around. His orange armoured brother stopped also and turned around to face Jetstorm, feeling a worrying beat through their twin bond. Jetfire followed Jetstorm's gaze to the console and then gave him a confused look.
"What is being the matter, brother?" Jetstorm slowly took his optics away from the large console a step behind him and, though his visor hid it, gave Jetfire a more comforting look.
"It be nothing, brother. Just processor tricks." The two shared a smile before Jetfire started walking ahead, beckoning Jetstorm to follow. Said twin quickly caught up with Jetfire before they ran side by side down the hallway.
"Hurry, brother! We must report to Longarm sir!" Their voices echoed, as did their footsteps until they too came to be one with the silence. Several sighs of relief broke in as the console flickered away, revealing Dinobot, Arcee and Bluestreak hiding behind Prowl and his own hologram projector that sat on the ground in front of them.
The four spread out as Sari came up from under Prowl's armour and peeked around, curious as to what was going on, but regretted it when she almost slipped out of her hiding place as Prowl picked up his old hologram projector. Thankfully, she didn't let loose a squeal of surprise.
' Be careful. Sari. We're almost there.' Sari nodded slightly as she slipped back into her hiding place. She felt each step and tremor as Prowl moved closer to their destination with the rest of the group. She looked up through the gap she almost fell through and watched the passing ceiling, lights and spots of energon, old and new. Now that she thought about it, maybe it wasn't such a good idea to come back to the Autobot base. Only bad memories and haunting nightmares were gained with each visit, each time she remembered.
Sari could still see their faces, hear their vein yelling and screaming; calling for help that was never to come. It was all pointless, but they didn't give up. They voiced their pain loud and clear, so much so that it still echoed through her head every day and every night. She remembered their motionless bodies as Prowl took her further and further away from them.
Sari wished she could've saved them, she knew that if she had the chance, she could have. The AllSpark's power coursed through her small body and she could use it. She had done it before with Prowl, not long after the team had returned to Earth following Ultra Magnus' recovery and return to leadership. She was still certain that she could've done it again.
Sari still didn't understand why Optimus had Prowl brought back. He had only told them that it was for "the greater good", but she thought it was only because the ninja-bot was being missed greatly. Of course, Prowl had been...more than mad when he was online again, but once he had a private word with Optimus, he seemed to calm down. They had tried talking to him, however, he kept his silence and his words to himself. It was quite disturbing actually...
But whatever Optimus had told him, Sari was somewhat grateful for it. Those words had let them escape the Autobot base and join the Rebellion. They had stopped her from slipping into insanity, anger, hate and all things that were wrong. She had already suffered enough from her father's death as well as her best friend's. She didn't know if she could cope with what could've been if not for Optimus' words.
Those thoughts brought certain scars to mind. Prowl and Rodimus both shared similar scars on their servos and forearms, matching those of processed 'bots she had encountered on the battlefield. Sari knew that Aluri had been the result of Rodimus' scars but she never recalled seeing or hearing of a mech or femme similar to Prowl at all. Processing was not the greatest memory to bring up, she knew that, but she was his charge, he was her guardian: they were close.
It wasn't long until Sari popped up from Prowl's armour again, not by accident this time. Pushing herself out of the gap, she slid down the cyber-ninja's arm till she came to his servo. From there, she jumped off and landed in a smaller servo belonging to Arcee.
'You're with me, Sari.' Said techno-organic smiled up at the pink femme as she was carried away to a large console concealed in the shadows, apart from the glowing screens and blinking buttons. It was all that could hide them for the time being. Meanwhile, Dinobot and Bluestreak placed themselves at either side of the entrance, keeping guard and out of sight from those who would pass by, holding their weapons close in case of attack. Prowl nestled himself at another console, one next to a column of an electromagnetic force shield, protecting the machine, the prototype inside. The one he was to take.
He could barely see the technology through the bright blue shield, but, from what he could make out, it looked similar to a gas cylinder from Earth, though wider and shorter in size, silver and grey in colour as well as a selection of buttons and a panel he could only guess could be for the power source. Could it really be an AllSpark fragment? A fraction of what he had gone offline to complete?
Bluestreak glanced at his brother every few klicks at his place, watching him type various strings of code to power down the shield around the prototype that could possibly end the Clone War as he had dubbed it. The navy blue and silver mech shifted slightly in his position as he pulled his favoured hand weapon closer to himself, ready for anything that would come in his way.
' Bluestreak!' Dinobot's snarling voice came through Bluestreak's private making the mech turn his helm toward the prehistoric organic based 'bot opposite him. Dinobot jerked his head to the ground and Bluestreak followed his gaze only for his dull blue optics to suddenly brighten and widen.
His foot was in the doorway.
Bluestreak snapped his helm back up at Dinobot, optics pleading for help. With his free servo, Dinobot began to instruct him to slowly move his foot back into place, but then a pair of voices came to their audios, halting their actions. The two mechs looked at each other before moving their helms towards Prowl who was hidden in the left side of the room at the console.
"What's that?" The first voice asked. Prowl slowly turned to Bluestreak and Dinobot, hiding in the shadows, and saw the looks on their faces that explained everything: they were slagged. Prowl looked over to Arcee who was still downloading with help from Sari, but the young girl had noticed what had happened. Maybe she had been right...
"I dunno. Doesn't look like anybot's I know." Everyone was looking at each other with impending doom written across their faces and shining in their optics. They were done for, and they had been so close as well. Sari brought her hands to her head and gripped hard, wanting to pull out her organic hair, but her helm stopping her. She had been right and it wasn't always a good thing.
Footsteps were heard, coming closer and closer, bringing their doomed fate to them. They all kept their optics on the doorway, ready to fight whatever came and get away to their base, their home. The mission would've been done in vain, but it was better than one of them being left behind and captured by the Autobots. Like Rodimus always said, "No 'bot gets left behind"
However, a sly grin came to Dinobot's face as he looked at each individual 'bot. They all knew what he was thinking and what he was about to do. Shouts of "Don't do it!" and "Do you want us to get slagged!" came through their private , but the blue-faced mech ignored them all and readied his blade for battle.
The footsteps suddenly stopped when Dinobot let loose a roar, burst out from his hiding place and pounced on one of the bot's, stabbing him right through his spark chamber. Dinobot jumped off the fallen mech and swung his sword at the second mech, but the 'bot jumped to the floor, dodging the weapon and letting his battle computer take over.
Bluestreak came from his hiding place, but remained at the doorway, firing his twin blasters at the swamp-green Autobot that had avoided Dinobot's attack. He was only slightly smaller than them both, but looked ready to put up a worthy fight. Dinobot also fired at the bot, but with beams from his optics, turning them electric green.
The Autobot began to make noise with each dodge and hit he gained, clanging the base walls loudly. They all knew it was a way to bring notice to the intruders and possible captives, but didn't delay in attacking and getting away.
"I've got the plans!" Arcee shouted as she pulled herself away from the console, placed Sari on her shoulder and took out her twin blades, ready to fight off the coming Autobots as well. Prowl nodded to her, allowing her to fight. He reached out his servo, letting his young charge jump onto it and then lowered it to the ground. Sari jumped off and looked up at him, listening to the thundering footsteps of more Autobots coming to their comrade's aid.
"Tell the others to get back to the base! I'll hold them off." Prowl ordered, but from the look of shock in Sari's eyes, he knew she wasn't going to accept it. He stood straight and glanced back at the console screen holding the string of codes to unlock the shield around the prototype.
"What about you?" Sari asked, almost demanding like a young, impatient child. They both knew that it was possible for Prowl to be captured and killed if left behind to fend for himself, but Sari wasn't going to let anything happen to her guardian at her watch.
"I'll meet you back at the base. I promise." Prowl looked down at Sari, giving her a small smile, telling her that everything was going to be okay and he would be all right. She trusted Prowl with her whole spark, but it wasn't everyday that Prowl's promises this big were kept. The young girl turned around, but kept her look on the mech before running towards the door and letting Prowl continue with his job.
There was now more Autobots coming and attacking, all of them most likely clones. Dinobot, Bluestreak and Arcee fought with their chosen weapons, firing, swiping and hitting each Autobot with some strikes hitting them or others around. Bluestreak noticed Sari enter the scene and quickly stood over her.
"We need to head back to base! Prowl's orders!" Sari shouted up at her three team mates, all of them hearing her clearly. Bluestreak stopped firing for a klick, snapping his helm down to Sari and then into the lab where Prowl still was. He grabbed Sari off the floor, placed her on his shoulder before firing again.
"We're not leaving my brother behind!" Bluestreak shouted, but not too loud, to the girl on his shoulder. The techno-organic knew how close the two brothers were and knew of his pain, but she also knew Prowl. He could easily evade the Autobots and get back to the base safe and sound with the prototype in hand.
' Get back to base, NOW!' Prowl's voice echoed through the just as Dinobot threw a clone at two others, knocking them into the wall opposite and Arcee sliced a 'bot's two arms off. Offlining was not one of their intentions during battle (no could be sure of Dinobot though...), but that didn't mean they couldn't damage Autobots or Decepticons. Bluestreak stepped backwards and glanced into the room, at the black and gold cyber-ninja with sad optics before they closed and opened again, but with more force and determination in them.
"Fall back!" He shouted as he blasted at a couple 'bots in front of him. They staggered back slightly, but came back, their own weapons hitting at the gunner. The group began to move away from the battle and down to their escape route, all the while still firing and hitting their enemies. Being so distracted, none noticed one Autobot slip into the lab, weapon burning bright and ready to offline.
In the lab, Prowl was trying to shut down the shield with no luck. He had tried every code in his processor, but none had gotten him anywhere closer to his goal. He didn't give up though and kept typing in new strings and commands, all failing and flashing warnings at him. He needed to get through!
Behind him, the Autobot who had slipped in now had his weapon right above Prowl, ready to offline the Rebellion member and bring their number's down by one. The larger white and blue Autobot then silently began to throw down his weapon, but Prowl's optic's brightened and his legs were lifted into the air and pushed themselves with much force and power square in the surprised 'bot's chest plating. The 'bot dropped his weapon as he flew across the lab and smashed through the very console Arcee had been at cycles ago, making it spark and small explosions erupt from the machinery and Autobot that had crashed into it.
Prowl turned away from the console and looked at the shield protecting the prototype, and then down at his own servos. The back noise of battle in the hallway quieted slightly as they took notice of the damage done to the lab. What Prowl was going to do next was going to hurt, a lot. He knew it.
Only two klicks later, alarms started blaring across the entire base and everyone, Autobot and Rebellion alike, looked around, only distracted for that moment before a crash was heard as well as yells. Now where a large, clean wall once stood was a large dented and scarred wall that had a large black and green Autobot stuck to it with someone holding him there with his shoulder: Prowl!
The cyber-ninja held the prototype under his arm, the forearm of it smoking and some plates of armour melted off. His three teammates took notice of the new injury, but didn't question it. They were just glad that they had succeeded and could easily get back to base. Arcee then knocked a 'bot to the side, creating a getaway for them.
Quickly, the mechs knocked their opponents away and made their escape, maybe firing a shot or two back at the Autobots to secure that no one followed them. Arcee and Dinobot led the way while Bluestreak ran in the middle with Sari stood on his shoulder and Prowl behind him, protecting them from behind.
' Success!' Came through their and they all made small celebration mentally. There was no reason to celebrate though: they still weren't out of the enemy field and needed to return to base. Shouts could be heard from behind, all heard before, along the lines of "Get them!" or " Don't let them escape!".
But, in sudden action, Prowl came to a stop and lifted the machine he was carrying to optic level, seemingly studying it. An ominous blue glow came from the panel on the machine as he stared down at it, ignoring the shouts from those around him, telling him to move and that the Autobots were catching up. He ignored it all as the glow continued to shine through the gaps of the panel.
The moment was ruined when Prowl felt a burst of white hot pain come from his back, resulting in him almost dropping the prototype and turning his helm around to see a small group of armed Autobots firing at him. Optics widened, he tucked the machine under his arm again and ran as fast as he could down the hall with the Autobots following and firing.
His comrades ran ahead of him, knowing full well that he would catch up and they would escape with as few injuries as possible, but none of them noticed the glow from the machine brighten or a single shot come upon the machine.
A series of beeps and a high-pitched squeal came from the machine as it began to glow more and more brightly until it itself was a bright white. More shots came and hit the machine as Prowl stopped running and looked down at the machine, not knowing what was happening. The others watched in horror as Prowl's optics widened in realization and he snapped his helm to them. Bluestreak felt the shock and fear through their brotherly bond and stepped forward before it broke into a run toward Prowl.
The cyber-ninja then reached out to his brother just a fraction of a klick before the squeal became a full-fledged roar and a bright blue and white energy engulfed Prowl, forcing Bluestreak, Sari and the firing Autobots to stop and shield their optics from the brightness.
"PROWL!" Sari screamed, like it was all she needed to do to save her guardian and friend, but yells, screams and shouts came from everyone around as the bright energy expanded and shrunk back suddenly before it imploded. Bluestreak and Sari were sent back into Dinobot and Arcee as the Autobots were sent down further away from them.
Looking back to where Prowl once stood, all four of them saw nothing but an invisible sphere of unstable energy that was to blow any moment. Dinobot pulled Bluestreak and Arcee up off the floor before taking Sari into his own servos. They all glared up at him.
"This base is going to blow any cycle! We need to get out!" Dinobot warned them, though he knew that it would be near impossible to extract Bluestreak and Sari from the grounds without Prowl. But he wasn't there, they saw it themselves.
He was gone.
"What about Prowl?" Bluestreak demanded, obviously worried about his brother's fate. A servo clutched both his weapon and the plating that covered his spark. Anger, sorrow and pain coursed through his chassis and floated through his optics as they glared at the former Predacon. Arcee didn't hold as much emotion as Bluestreak or Sari did, but she made her fury known.
"He'll be fine! We need to get back to base!" Dinobot shouted over the loud explosions, crashes, shouts of Autobots and all other background noise to the mech and femmes. More Autobot shouts became clearer and Longarm's was among them. He was furious about the intruders! The four looked back to where the unstable energy was once again brightening, ready to destroy everything in its radius. Dinobot growled before he dropped Sari into Arcee's servos, grabbed her and Bluestreak, and pulled them through the crumbling hallways and out through a hole in a wall leading to the open outdoors of their home.
With panic rushing through their systems, they transformed into their and drove at top speed with Dinobot holding onto Bluestreak whilst riding on top of him and Sari residing in Arcee's vehicle mode, processing everything that had just happened. It had all just gone by so quickly, all too fast for her to take in...
The two vehicles sped away from the Autobot base, the entire east wing of which was falling apart and crumbling to rubble, before a large gust came from behind them, pushing them forward so hard that they all came out of and into robot mode, crashed into the ground and from there watched a large sphere of pure energy, the same that had taken Prowl, disperse and spread the debris and rubble around the area.
Sudden silence fell upon them, with the exception of distant sirens and cries of fury from Longarm, and they gaped open mouthed at the scene in front of them, replaying the recent events through their processors. Slowly, they came to their feet and just stared, not caring if they were seen. He was gone...
He was really gone...
And I have finished it! FINALLY! After 4 weeks and 16 pages of writing, I am done! Was meant to be finished before "This is Why I hate Machines" aired, but I got sidetracked (as always) and decided to wait until Endgame aired so I could change whatever I needed to to make this an AU.
Yes, tis an AU because I brought Prowl back! I CRIED when he died during Endgame Part 2. I swear I haven't been so sad or cried so much since I watched Dinobot's death for the first time on YouTube. But, hopefully, this story will bring hope to the fandom and give you guys the opportunity to be imaginative and bring Prowl back!
I am now planning to continue this story, just to fill up some plot holes dug up in this chapter as well as explain my little universe to you which I can do via PM or email between chapters. I have created a very complex story line here in which there are many twists and turns.
I also plan to create a side-story to this which could be a prequel, I'm not too sure, but it would explain certain events leading up to this story in full detail and give you guys a proper idea of what's going on.
One last thing to say: Prowl is not dead, he was simply taken somewhere else. The machine just did what it was built to do. Go back and read again if you can't remember.
I'VE RUINED TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED!