Interlock

A Transformers: Armada Story

By William Rendfeld

Earth. A mostly harmless blue-green orb silently floating in space. Billions of years old, and home to billions of indigenous, sentient life forms. All alone in the night.

It is alone no longer. The Transformers have arrived, and everything has changed...

"Ladies and gentlemen, I don't care if this is going to be classified for an indefinite period of time," the President of the United States noted as he placed pen to paper. "Reagan talked about the possibility of extraterrestrial life. Truman was connected to that Roswell thing. Now, here I am, signing a treaty with an extraterrestrial agency. I only hope that this is the right thing, and that this will one day become public."

"I hope so as well, Mister President," said the yellow and crème form of the Mini-Con Sparkplug as he was handed the pen and carefully signed in both Cybertronian and Modern English. "Once the danger has passed, perhaps then we can reveal ourselves."

Sparkplug passed the pen to his Autobot partner, Optimus Prime, as long needle-like extensions emerged from the tip of his forefinger and took hold of the writing instrument. "One can only hope, my friends."

Anger. Pain. It festered within his Spark as Megatron emerged from the CR Chamber. He slammed a hand onto a communications panel and called, "Starscream. Report."

"Welcome back to us, Megatron," Starscream replied via the intercom. "There have been no sorties against the Autobots since our last battle. I've concentrated on minor Energon raids on Earth; no incident. Our stores are near capacity, even after repair work on you."

"I want a full report," Megatron ordered. "And any information of Autobot activity. Their apparent alliance with humanity has me interested."

"Understood," Starscream replied as the line was cut off.

With a manic half-grin, Megatron noted, "Prime, you haven't gotten the best of me yet, no."

"Colonel Franklin, I realize that you have a great deal of faith in these robots of yours," a white-uniformed officer noted. "However, we can't send out any submarines to check for some alien ship."

"I hardly see the problem, Commodore Ryan," Colonel Franklin replied. "We've already narrowed your search area; within ten miles of Seattle. It's in our territorial waters, at the ocean floor. Getting a sub out there to get an exact fix wouldn't be a problem; we don't even have to go down there ourselves."

Commodore Ryan sighed. "Colonel, I realize this is a fairly easy job at this point. However, unlike you, I don't trust these things. Hell, I don't even know why you trust them. Granted, they showed a degree of trustworthiness up in Alaska, but I don't think we should trust them this much."

"You do realize that treaty's been signed by now," Franklin reminded him. "We're obligated to help them out, and in this case it is at a very low cost. I don't see a good reason not to."

Commodore Ryan gave the Air Force officer a hard stare, then sighed. "The Bremerton and the Helena are in the area. I'll get word out to them as soon as I can."

"Thank you Commodore," Franklin said with a nod before exiting. With a formal salute, he exited.

Ryan sighed again. "Maybe he's onto something. What do I know?"

"With the treaty signed, our alliance with the United States government is official," Optimus Prime said to the gathered Autobots and Mini-Cons. "Thanks to this, we'll have a great deal more resources than we did. But this means we have even more problems."

"Megatron won't be happy after what happened in Alaska," Scavenger noted. "Even with this treaty, we're going to have to fortify our position, get that permanent base going."

"Agreed," Optimus noted. "Red Alert, Hoist, I want the two of you going over potential construction zones. Get a good list going; we'll need to clear a suitable space with the government. Make sure it's hard to detect, out of the way, and as distant from a human settlement as possible."

"I've already looked at a few places," Hoist replied. "Should have a list of candidates ready in a few hours."

"Excellent," Optimus noted. "That leaves the Mini-Con ship. Once Franklin sends us word that they've found the ship, we'll need to retrieve it."

"The flight pods can serve as underwater pods," Red Alert noted. "However, the hull can only stand up to depths of around a thousand feet. We could erect a shield, but it'd be weakened over time."

"See what you can do," Optimus replied. "Once we have word, I want a team down there; Scavenger, Hot Shot, Blurr, and as many Mini-Cons as willing. Get in, assess the ship's status, and retrieve what you can; computer logs, the Omega Lock, the Omega Sentinel, whatever you can get a hold of."

"Retrieving the computer records shouldn't be a problem," Liftor reported. "Won't take more than a few minutes, assuming we can find an uplink port. And assuming the place isn't flooded or something."

"We'll have to take that risk," Kingbolt declared.

"What about you, Optimus?" Hot Shot asked. "What will you be doing?"

"Vector Prime and I will return to Cybertron," Optimus explained. "We need to meet with Autobot Command and the colonial governors; they need to be informed of everything that's happened. If Sideways really is in league with Unicron, then it confirms his existence, and his awareness. If he wasn't, then we still have a problem; another faction, with unknown resources and supernatural abilities. We need to be ready."

"Jetfire has already contacted the governments of Velocitron and Animatros," Vector Prime noted. "They will be sending delegations to Cybertron later today. Optimus and I will return to Cybertron, and give them all the information we have collected concerning Sideways and his abilities."

"While we're there, we'll arrange for a little support," Optimus added. "Megatron will raise the stakes; I intend to be ready."

"Reinforcements?" Blurr asked.

"Whether we like it or not, we need them," Optimus decided. "Watch your backs, bots."

The members of his team stood erect and saluted. "Sir!"

"Essays, papers, tests..." Rad counted off as he slipped his books into his locker. "I may have complained about Miss Masters' assignments, but at least they were kinda interesting."

"I still don't get why they had to go and force her out of the job," Carlos asked. "I mean, she didn't do anything, except make sure none of us were killed."

"People always try to find a scapegoat for something," Alexis noted somberly. "Someone they can blame for all their problems. Parents demanded to know why we were in danger, and the school board took the easy way out and went after the one who suggested and organized the trip. They didn't care that what happened wasn't her fault, they just wanted to take the easy way out. If she hadn't have quit, they would've fired her."

"You think?" Rad asked.

"My dad was forced to leave Soviet Russia, Rad," Alexis noted. "He knows a thing or two about being forced into a corner."

"I don't think you've quite got a proper grip on this, Alexis," Carlos argued. "Your dad would've died if he'd stayed; worst that would've happened to Miss Masters would've been a lawsuit, or losing her job."

"Same principle," Alexis replied. "What happened to her wasn't right, but there's little she can do. Except maybe get another job somewhere."

Diana Masters, meanwhile, was pouring over some of her notes concerning the Transformers. Franklin was right; she'd probably be the best support they'd have at this point on Earth, so the more information she had, the better.

"Primus and Unicron, the first thirteen, departure from Cybertron..." Diana listed off. "It's a good thing they have so many big periods of blank space in major history, otherwise I'd really be in trouble."

A light purr came from near her right ankle, catching her attention. Diana smiled, and reached down to pick up her cat. "Maybe I am spending a little too much time with this, huh Abby?"

Abby meowed as Diana silently scratched behind her ears. As hectic as her life was right now, she at least had her kitty. And that was enough for her.

A knock sounded on her door, diverting her attention. Diana set her cat down on the desk in front of her, then rose to answer the door. She walked towards it and opened it, half-expecting it to be her landlord.

It wasn't.

"Hey Di," came the greeting from one of her neighbors, a twenty-something man with dark gray hair.

"Hi Bob," Diana replied. "To what do I owe this honor?"

"Mail just came in," Bob answered, handing her a set of envelopes. "Figured I'd save you the trip down to the mailbox."

"Thanks," Diana replied. "How's your brother?"

"He's getting along, despite all the insanity that girlfriend of his is giving him," Bob replied with a shrug. "You okay?"

"I'll manage," Diana replied, spying the return address on one envelope. "Thanks again for getting the mail."

"No trouble," Bob replied as he walked off, leaving Diana to shut her door and open the prominent envelope.

Her eyes widened. Her mouth crept open slowly, a smile dancing across her lips.

"YES!"

"Vector Prime and I will be returning to Cybertron within a few megacycles," the voice of Optimus Prime noted via a secure communications line. "The colonial governors need to know about this; worst case scenario, we'll need their help."

"And Megatron won't be too happy about his recent defeat," Starscream noted, his voice as muted as possible. "As much as I hate the idea, I think we'd be better off finding the next pod without interference; it'll at least keep Megatron from going on a rampage."

"Unfortunately, I have to agree," Optimus replied. "Keep them safe my friend."

"Always do," Starscream said with a smirk. "Just to make certain of something Optimus; the artifact Vector Prime spoke of...is it the Omega Lock?"

"It is," Optimus replied. "He hid it aboard the Mini-Con ship. At the time, it seemed like an excellent idea."

"They always do," Starscream replied. "Keep whatever you're doing out of sight, Prime; the less Megatron knows about the Omega Lock and the Four Keys, the better."

"Agreed," Optimus responded. "Signing off. Watch your back, Starscream."

"Likewise," Starscream replied as the communication cut off. "Here's hoping things continue going so well."

As Diana walked into the command center of the Ark, she found Sparkplug, Safeguard and Over-Run going over a holographic display of the underwater terrain near Seattle. "I take it we haven't gotten word yet."

"Franklin's promised that a pair of small submarines is patrolling the area looking for our ship, but nothing's popped up yet," Sparkplug noted. "You look like you're in a good mood."

"I am," Diana replied, a grin crossing her face. "For the last few years, between my work as a schoolteacher and an online course, I've been working towards getting an advanced degree in archaeology. Today, the diploma came in the mail. I'm now officially a Doctor of Philosophy."

"A PhD?" Sparkplug asked. "Congratulations; this is a big accomplishment."

"Thank you, but it's no big deal," Diana assured him. "Just gives me more means to help you guys out is all." Casting her eyes to the monitor, she added, "Speaking of, once you retrieve the Omega Lock, how are you supposed to find the four keys?"

"Each of the Artifacts of Primus is linked to one another," Safeguard noted. "With luck, once the Omega Lock is in proximity to the Matrix or the ChronoSaber, we should have an energy reaction between them, which will be echoed in the four keys, thus giving us an idea of where they are. We won't get an exact location, but we will be able to identify what planet they're on."

"Hmm..." Diana noted. "Just out of curiosity, how many extraterrestrial species have the Transformers encountered? Excluding humanity, of course."

"Hundreds, probably," Over-Run replied. "Why?"

"Well, it might be a good idea to look over local myths and legends to see about any possible connections to them," Diana suggested. "Archaeologists have occasionally found myths and legends to be very useful in locating ancient sites, and something as big and impressive as a Cybertronian ship has got to stand out somewhere. Something like that could very well explain a lot of the old myths of ancient hidden lands here on Earth."

"Ancient hidden lands?" Sparkplug asked.

"Through the ages, people have talked about the possibilities of ancient continents, long submerged beneath the sea or otherwise hidden from humanity, existing throughout the world," Diana noted. "No archeological evidence has been found directly linked to any of them, but the myths still persist. Atlantis, for instance; the Nazis were nuts about..."

"Wait, hold it," Safeguard said. "Did you say 'Atlantis'?"

"Yes...why?" Diana asked. "Wait...I just unintentionally figured something out, didn't I?"

"Maybe," Safeguard replied. "Excuse me; I need to see Vector Prime before he leaves."

As Safeguard exited the room, a communications signal came online. "Autobot base, this is Colonel Franklin."

"This is Sparkplug, Colonel, we read you."

"I just received word from the captain of the Bremerton," Franklin reported. "They think they've found it."

Jetfire stood within the central spacebridge nexus on Cybertron, trying his best not to look...bored. Politics. He hated politics.

"So...you ever spoken with 'em in person?" Scattorshot asked. "Override and Scourge, I mean."

"A few times, here and there," Jetfire noted. "Scourge is one of the strongest Decepticons ever given form. He's proud, stubborn, a fierce warrior...but he follows a code of honor. Prime's known him for a long time, and he trusts him. Override, meanwhile, is fairly young. She's a good kid, but a little irresponsible. Primus only knows if she actually makes a good leader or not." One of the circular portals came alive, he stood erect and said, "Here we go. Smiles, everyone."

From the portal emerged three massive shapes. The first was a large Decepticon, his angular armor giving the impression of both flames and wings. The second was smaller, an Autobot with armor of white and varying shades of blue, a mechanized wolf's head mounted as his right arm. The third was a smaller Decepticon, a large angular crossbow-like weapon mounted on one arm.

"Governor Scourge," Jetfire said in greeting. "Welcome back to Cybertron."

"Air Commander Jetfire," Scourge said in greeting. "You remember my aides, Snarl and Wreckloose. I'm assuming our other guests are on their way."

Another portal came to life, and Jetfire answered, "You assume correctly."

Three shapes once more stepped into view, each sleek and light. The first was a slight feminine Autobot, her armor colored in white and bright red. The second was a smaller Autobot, with gold and brown armor that suggested an ancient origin. The third was a bulky purple and green Decepticon, his face displaying little emotion.

"Hey Jetfire," the female Autobot noted with an easy grin.

"Governor Override," Jetfire noted. "Brakedown and Dirt Boss. Welcome back to Cybertron."

"Not much different than the last time we were here," Dirt Boss noted with a bitter tone. "Where's Prime?"

As if in response to his question, a green burst of light took form, cutting into the air. Those gathered instinctively took a step back as the light widened into a circular portal. Two familiar Transformers stepped through, and the portal closed behind them.

"Governors, thank you for coming," Optimus Prime said, Vector Prime beside him. "We've urgent business to discuss."

"We're ready to go," Hot Shot reported. "Prepped for launch."

"Good," Scavenger declared. "Lock down, 'bots. We're in for rough weather."

Blurr and Hot Shot locked themselves into their seats, monitors coming to life around them. Secured via magnetic locks were Rollbar, Jolt, Incinerator, and the members of the Race, Adventure and Hazard Teams. Scavenger took hold of a secure rail above his head, steadying his footing as his magnetic locks came online.

"Pod 1, you are clear for launch," Hoist's voice reported over the radio. "Happy hunting."

"Roger that, Hoist," Hot Shot said as the pod lifted off. With a light thrust, he declared, "We're clear of the Ark. Cloak online. ETA twenty minutes to Seattle."

"And hopefully, they managed to find that ship," Blurr noted. "So, you okay?"

"Sorry?" Hot Shot asked.

"You've been through a lot lately, Hot Shot," Blurr explained. "Just asking how you were holding up."

Hot Shot smiled. "I'm fine. Thanks for asking."

"You came within a hair of rejoining the Allspark, Hot Shot," Blurr noted. "Last time I checked, close brushes with death didn't leave you quite the same."

"Who says I'm the same?" Hot Shot asked. "I just picked up a few bits of wisdom."

"Such as?" Blurr asked.

"Dying shocks," Hot Shot noted with a grin.

"We'll take your word for it," Scavenger replied, his face neutral but his voice indicating slight mirth.

"Sorry," Safeguard noted as he returned to the map room. "Needed to check with Vector Prime before he left."

"And?" Diana asked. "I'm assuming my mentioning of Atlantis actually meant something."

"It did," Safeguard replied. "You remember that ages ago, the four Keys left Cybertron aboard four ships."

"Yes, it was after the Thirteen were betrayed by one of their own," Diana replied. "What does that have to do with Atlantis?"

"One of the ships was named Atlantis," Safeguard explained.

"Wait, one of the ships from ancient Cybertron came here, to Earth?" Sparkplug asked. "That's a big coincidence."

"You could almost call it divine intervention," Over-Run noted.

"It's certainly a start," Diana added. "Safeguard, was it the lone ship, or one of the trio?"

"It was one of the three," Safeguard replied. "Two other ships came with it, but I doubt they remained on Earth."

"Well, any bit of information helps," Diana said. "What were the names of the other three ships?"

"Pangaea, Lemuria, and Mu," Safeguard elaborated. "Any of them sound familiar?"

"The first one's a general name given to the super-continent that existed back during the time of the dinosaurs," Diana explained. "Lemuria and Mu are two other 'lost continents' that have popped up in myth and legend for a while, though they're nowhere near as famous as Atlantis."

"Lemuria and Mu accompanied Atlantis on part of the journey," Safeguard replied. "It's possible that all three were briefly on Earth, then two left, leaving Atlantis here. The question remains; where did they go, and where is Atlantis now?"

Diana sighed. "There's our problem. People have placed Atlantis everywhere from the middle of the Mediterranean to Antarctica. I'll do some digging, but don't expect any results."

"We'll at least have a place to start," Sparkplug assured her.

"This is preposterous," Scourge noted, placing a hand firmly on the table for emphasis. "So you were attacked by a lone Transformer with unique abilities; that hardly means he's connected to Unicron."

"You saw the footage yourself, Scourge; normal weapons fire did little if any damage against him," Vector Prime explained. "The ChronoSaber did some damage, but it took a massive attack just to defeat him for a few short seconds. And it took a direct burst of fire from the Matrix to destroy him."

"Which may not have been the wisest course," Brakedown noted. "Unicron or no, this 'Sideways' feller's a dangerous individual, and there's probably more of him where he came from. Keeping him alive would've gotten us some intel."

"Doesn't sound like they had much choice," Override replied. "I mean, the guy was trying to slag them."

"Not saying they didn't have a right to defend themselves, just saying a little restraint may have been a good idea is all," Brakedown clarified. "Assuming it was possible."

"We can safely assume it wasn't, given the footage," Snarl said. "Wherever that thing came from, he's a potential threat with a great deal of power at his disposal."

"Agreed," Optimus Prime noted. "While I don't have any evidence, I fear there may be a connection to our lack of communications with Nebulos."

"The Ravager hasn't responded to communications for the last few megacycles," Wreckloose volunteered. "No word yet either way."

"Hasn't anyone considered that maybe this thing was sent out by the Quintessons?" Dirt Boss asked. "We haven't exactly heard much from 'em."

"I'll admit, that's a possibility," Optimus noted. "But they don't tend to go for anything this subtle. Whatever the case, I recommend a heightened state of alert on Cybertron and the colonies."

"Agreed, given this information," Scourge said. "However, until further information presents itself, I feel we should keep this out of the public eye."

"Sounds fair to me," Override noted. "No use going public until we have all the facts, right?"

"Fair enough," Optimus decided.

"There it is," Blurr noted. "The Mini-Con ship."

As lights from the flight pod cast out over the ship, the three Autobots gained a good view of the massive ship. The ship itself was a massive, semicircular vessel, numerous depressions dotting its hull, indicating where numerous escape pods had been deployed.

"Looks like it landed head-first," Dune Runner noted. "That may make docking problematic."

"As if this wasn't hard enough," Iceberg cracked. "We've got a thick layer of coral over this thing."

"That thing has a cargo bay," Scavenger said. "Can we open it via remote?"

"We just might be able to," Kingbolt said, keying in commands to a console. "Next question is getting what we need out of there; the Omega Lock's contained within the Sentinel's storage block, so that's the easy part. But someone still has to access the ship's computers and initiate a download. We can't do that from here."

"Then that means we're going in," Ransack decided. "Dune Runner, Iceberg, get ready. Check magnetic locks and cables, make sure everything's working."

"Air lock's ready," Blurr reported. "Watch yourselves out there."

"Will do," Ransack said as he led his team towards the pod's airlock.

"So?" Jetfire asked. "How'd it go?"

"We've agreed to a general heightened state of alert," Optimus explained as he and Vector Prime entered Autobase Command. "Beyond that, however, I can't promise anything."

"Fair enough," Jetfire replied. "Now, what about Earth?"

"We're set," Optimus assured his second. "The treaty's been signed, and we've begun work on locating a suitable site for base construction. Meanwhile, Megatron's going to be more active than ever. Just to get this base constructed before anyone who isn't supposed to know about it finds it, we're going to need help."

"I was hoping you'd say that," Jetfire replied. "How many do you need?"

"Seven," Optimus ordered. "I have three in particular that I want coming with us, but the rest are your discretion, Jetfire. Choose wisely."

"Will do, Optimus," Jetfire assured him. "Will do."

The ship shook. Sand deposits were shaken loose as the doors to the ship's main bay opened, allowing the three members of the Adventure team to enter. Ransack signaled to Dune Runner, indicating a panel nearby, then to Iceberg, indicating their quarry; the Omega Sentinel.

The Sentinel was immense, easily as long as the flight pod they'd arrived in, with deep blue armor punctuated with red, black and silver. Iceberg kicked in his boosters and slid towards it in the water, linking up with one of its rearmost Powerlinx ports. Ransack followed, attaching his winch and then darting towards Dune Runner and the console.

Dune Runner had already linked up with an access port, and the screen, long dormant, began flashing data. After a couple short minutes, the screen went blank again, and Dune Runner disconnected and transformed to robot mode. With a nod, he confirmed; he'd retrieved the data.

Ransack took his hand, then returned to the Sentinel via his winch with Dune Runner in tow. The two reached the massive Transformer, and Dune Runner connected to a front-most port. A light thrum of power took form, and the Sentinel slowly lurched out of the bay towards the flight pod.

"They got it," Hot Shot said. "Readying magnetic ports."

"Sealing the ship," Kingbolt reported. "Air lock ready."

The Sentinel disconnected at its middle, forming two distinct machines, then linked up with the flight pod, allowing the Adventure Team to disconnect and head for the air lock. They entered, and the outer hatch closed behind them.

Water was pumped out of the airlock, allowing the inner hatch to open. Dripping with water, Dune Runner reported, "I downloaded the ship's computer database. Got the projected locations for the Mini-Con pods and everything."

"And I checked the Sentinel's storage unit," Iceberg reported. "The Omega Lock is secure."

"Then let's head for home," Scavenger ordered. "Engines maximum thrust, cloak online once we reach the surface. Job well done, 'Bots."

"Didn't even get our gears wet," Hot Shot joked.

"Speak for yourself," Dune Runner replied. "Next time, we dock with the ship."

"Fine, next time," Hot Shot replied with a smile as the flight pod broke surface and cloaked. "Flight Pod 1 to Ark; we've got the Sentinel. Heading home."

The End