Transformers Union:
The Psychic Wars
Author's Note: Hiya ! I've been a little low on 'normal' (?) ideas, so I decided to make a story that bases on the time five years after Energon. So it's the year 2025. And, um… Optimus isn't with them. Here in Finland we're going through the first episodes of Energon, so I'm not exactly sure is Optimus dead or alive. But I hope ya enjoy it ! And sorry 'bout that long prologue. And apologies to The-Crab, if I stole some of your ideas. Eh…including the psychic-thing (Nemesis Prime was scary), the good-bad-good and the last stand (Warhawk-style thing), and some other things…
PrologueIt's been five years since the Battle for Energon ceased. We lost Optimus during that war… Well, these years have been pretty tough on us all, now when Jetfire's gone as well. And there's something strange going on. We've been getting odd messages from a total stranger, saying: "Get out of your posts. You're in grave danger." And all sort of that. Even Sideswipe, who's a great hacker, doesn't seem to get no clues. But there's something familiar about that 'bot… Well, whatever. We even contacted some old friends to help us with this. Even now the two Space Trooper teams are on their way to Earth and Cybertron. The team that's coming here, to Earth, is leaded by Hot Shot's old friend, Bluejolt. The second one leaded by Ultimus is on its way to Cybertron. I just hope this is going to work out… And if something really does happen, I get the feeling that that something is not a very good thing. Who am I, you ask ? My name's Blurr, and I've once again teamed up with my old friends. Even Ironhide, Downshift and all the others have come to help us through this. Just hope Jetfire's brother isn't going to mess up with us as he usually does… Uh, did I just rhyme ? Oh boy…
Chapter 1: Trouble's Never Far
Ironhide was driving in the desert. It was a good morning for doing something like that. There was no one nearby and he had some time to think.
"Why'd someone send us those messages ? It's clear he's not an Autobot. If he was, he'd show himself. So that definitely does make him one of those Deceptibums… Or does it ?" he drove along as he saw something beneath the sand. "What's that ?"
He transformed and approached it silently to have a closer look. It was something he did not expect.
"Ironhide to base. Come in." he called through his communicator. There was a crackling noise.
"This is Downshift. What's up, buddy ?" the other junior Autobot asked. Ironhide replied.
"I'm coming back to base. There's something you must see. It's quite…strange…" Downshift caught the tenseness under his voice.
"Got it. Contact me if you need help. Downshift out."
Earth, Autobot HQ in Cliff City
Downshift sighed internally. He hoped it got nothing to do with Patrolfire, who was Jetfire's younger brother. Patrolfire, who was ten years before known as Scoutfire (according to Hot Shot), had joined the Decepticons probably a thousand years ago. He disappeared during the Unicron Battles, but came back ten years later. He had been upgraded, and Scoutfire was changed into Patrolfire. Downshift slammed his fist on the control panel.
"Darn that Patrolfire ! Why'd he kill his own bro ? Why'd he do something like that ?" he thought to himself. When he took his fist off the panel, he noticed the panel was dented. Then he heard an odd, muffled sound; like laughter. He turned around, just to see nobody.
"Who's there ?" Downshift called out with a watchful tone. Then he saw the shadows move…no, it was someone moving. A Transformer stepped forward, his black armor shining.
"Well, look here ! You're the one, who was under Hot Shot's command… Downshift's the name, right ?" the black Transformer asked, with his arms crossed over his chest. The young Autobot was on his guard, but there was something odd about this guy. He turned around, seeing an odd-colored, somewhat tall Transformer walk through the command center's door. He raised his gun.
The unknown Transformer started to laugh, his black optics gleaming. Then his voice softened.
"Haven't they told you about us, kiddo ? My name's Deathscream, and that guy's Alpha Nova, the freak of the Space Troopers."
"HEY !" Alpha objected. "You're the slagging freak yourself !"
Deathscream grinned, sending his fist right on his friends' face. Then he turned around and almost bumped into a blue-yellow Transformer. "Uh, hiya, skipper !"
"What by Primus has gotten into you, Deathscream ?" the new guy asked as Alpha stood up. The odd-colored guys face plate was dented. Deathscream tried hard not to laugh.
Downshift was looking at this with a baffled look on his face. What guys are these ? He heard some noise from outside, but didn't even bother to look that way. He was concentrating on the three… Autobots ? He shook his head trying to remember something Hot Shot had told him. Then he remembered that something and exclaimed. The three turned to look at him.
"What's wrong ?" the blue-yellow one asked. Deathscream was grinning broadly.
"Ah, it's nothing. I just remembered something. You guys are Delta's friends, right ?" Downshift asked, looking at the blue-yellow one. He nodded.
"Yep. I'm Bluejolt, their leader. Delta was the second in command, until he joined Optimus' troops and offered him his help. Sad, though. I never saw him again after that battle two years ago. What happened to him by the way ?" Bluejolt asked with a curious tone. Downshift flinched slightly.
"Uh, I'm not sure. I…er…he wasn't there, at all." he said, his voice shattering at the memory. He remembered how Jetfire's body was thrown aside by Patrolfire, his own brother. He remembered looking at his deceased body. And he remembered cursing Delta for not being there.
"Where could he be ? He hasn't been contacting us for two years now. Oh, and Downshift…" he said at the young Autobot, who looked at him. "I'm sorry for what happened to you."
"Wha ?" Downshift was totally zonked. Bluejolt looked at him, his mind confused.
"You mean you don't remember ? That when Patrolfire killed Jetfire and you stammered to his side and fell on your knees ? And when that damned blacko laughed at your concern ? When you rushed at him and he just sneered and hit you ? You were in stasis lock, when we found you. Jetfire's body was gone; I suppose Patrolfire took it with him."
Downshift stared at Bluejolt, not knowing what to say. He didn't remember, that was true. But Bluejolt and his men found and repaired him ? That was not… his thoughts were cut short, when it all came to him in a blinding flash. He saw a medibot looking at him; he looked like Red Alert, but there was something slightly different. And then he was stacked into a spaceship, which brought him back to Earth, along with some other Autobots… he shook his head.
"Yeah, I remember…" he muttered. He saw Bluejolt smiling at him. And then the Autobots arrived.
Earth, Deserted Base
"What the hell am I doing here ?" a white-silver-azure Autobot thought to himself. He was walking down a corridor, when he heard a muffled crash coming from somewhere to the left. He quickly turned, and saw a Transformer at his feet. He was a red-silver Decepticon, and definitely a jet. He was groaning. Delta Silver looked around him, but saw no one. He then kneeled beside the Decepticon jet and touched his back. The 'Con jerked his head up. Seeing an Autobot by his side, he started muttering some curses.
"Oh, stop that for Cybertron's sake ! Are you all right ?" Delta asked with a touchy sort of voice. The Decepticon looked at him with amazement.
"You're not trying to attack me ?" he asked and made Delta laugh out loud.
"Why, of course not ! I never had any grudges against you guys, I was just saving the Minicons, for goodness sake ! Still, are you all right ?" he asked again. The Decepticon nodded slightly.
"But not for long. There's a terrible Transformer out there, and he's not on either side. He's all black, and a jet. I think. Oh, by the way, my name's Sunstorm."
"I'm Delta Silver. But tell me, did he say anything when he threw you down here ?" Delta asked. Sunstorm frowned and shook his head. Then they were shaken out of balance. A black jet flew in through a hole on the roof. He transformed and it shocked Delta to see who it was.
"Patrolfire !" he gasped. Then he got a grip of himself and helped Sunstorm up. The two transformed and flew out, Patrolfire smirking at them. He then transformed too and set off in pursuit.
Sky Above Deserted Base
"You can't escape for ever, you know ? Wherever you go, I'll still catch you." Patrolfire's voice was carried by the wind and it was malicious. The two sped up a bit. They were flying at top speed, but the black jet was gaining on them. Then Delta came up with an idea.
"Hey, Sunstorm ? There's an Autobot headquarters just behind that cliff. Lets fly there. And don't worry, I'll try to convince them not to kill you or anything." Sunstorm laughed a bit at the statement, surprising Delta.
"A Decepticon who has a good sense of humor ? This is new. He's not so bad after all." he thought. He smiled behind his battle mask and noticed the base and the guards. He sighed.
"They must be recruits. No one else could be that inexperienced. They're more easily noticed than Unicron himself !" he would've shaken his head if he could've been able to do that.
Earth, Autobot HQ in Cliff City
The two recruits standing guard at the door looked at the sky. It was a while until the other spoke.
"Hey, Roadster, should we call for the sub-commander ? This doesn't look too good."
"I was thinking the same. You contact him, Grapnel. I'll watch those." the yellow-green tow car-Transformer pushed his communicator on, as the red-blue roadster-Transformer looked up. A minute later the sub-commander of the base appeared. He looked up and gasped.
"Get inside ! Now !" he growled at the two recruits, who backed up, scared by their elders behavior. The sub-commander, who was a blue-orange F-1 car-Transformer, looked up again. Then he swore and aimed his gun at the three jets. Then he looked again.
"What the…? Is that Delta I'm seeing ? Who's the other ? And behind them…Dear Primus, no !" the sub-commander then alerted all the Autobots under his command and told them to come out and be on their guard. Then he ran to meet the two and help them inside. He had almost gotten there, when he felt a sudden pain erupting throughout his chest. He looked down and swore again. That damn Patrolfire did it again. Then he felt another laser blast hitting his head. He took a few stammering steps, until he fell onto his back. He grasped his chest plate and groaned. He saw the two jets flying towards him and lowering their flight.
"Great." He thought. "I was going to help and I ended up being helped. Phew… That's ironic…"
Then he passed out.
Earth, The Cliffs/Autobot HQ
"Delta, that guy down there needs help !" Sunstorm reported. Delta looked down at the fallen Autobot and drew a sharp breath, recognizing his blue brother.
"Lets go down." Delta replied and the two started flying earthwards. They transformed before even hitting the ground and ran at the 'bot. Patrolfire had taken off as several Autobots had appeared.
"Blurr, can you hear me ? Please SAY something !" Delta shook the blue Autobot gently. Blurr groaned slightly and grasped his head with his both hands.
"Awww……Shut your mouth, Delta ! My head's going to burst !" Delta laughed and put his left arm around Blurr's shoulders and helped him up. Then he helped him inside, as Sunstorm walked behind them. They went to the medbay and asked for Red Alert to fix Blurr up. When the sub-commander woke up, he asked for Delta. Delta came in with Sunstorm and they explained the whole thing. Blurr looked at the Decepticon with interest. Why did he join Delta ? Blurr shrugged it off and decided to call for the other Autobots. In a few minutes they all were gathered in the command center, including Ironhide, who had just arrived. He had something to tell them, but he had decided to wait. Delta looked around him and tried to guess who was the commander.
"Who's the commander here ?" he asked straight out and got a few glares from the younger 'bots.
"I am." A familiar Autobot said. He was colored red, orange and silver. His chest had a flame design on it. Delta's optics narrowed. Then it hit him.
"Rodimus ! I could hardly recognize you !" Delta burst into laughter and grabbed his old friend into a bear hug. The red-orange commander grinned and did the Dutch rub on Delta's head.
"HEY ! You little…" Delta yelled and smashed his fist into Rodimus's face. Then they both laughed, surprising the younger and just making the older ones smile or roll on the floor laughing.
"It's been a while since we did this, right ? I've been missing it." Rodimus pointed out. Delta nodded with a broad grin under his battle mask. Then they heard one of the younger 'bots talk.
"Who are those guys ?" a complete silence fell on them as they looked at the nine newly arrived Transformers. You could've heard a pin drop. Then Scavenger folded his arms and puffed.
"You really don't know them ? Those are the Space Troopers. That blue-yellow one's Bluejolt, the black jet is Deathscream, the odd-colored's Alpha Nova, the Red Alert lookalike is Mediclarion, the jet with the screaming yellow paint job is Supersonic, the green sober-sides is Rapidswoop and the purple one with the long cannons is Sideways. That just arrived white 'bot, who's squeezing Rodimus, is Delta Silver, Blurr's brother. And…um…Delta, who's that with you ?" the burly Autobot asked, looking at Sunstorm. Then he noticed the Decepticon insignia on his left shoulder, and pushed himself off of the wall. He walked towards Sunstorm with a dangerous look on his face.
"No, Scavenger, leave him alone. He's not like the others. In fact he joined me of his own free will. You want to know what he said after he saw Blurr getting hit ? He said: 'Delta, that guy down there needs help'. A real Decepticon would've ignored that !" Delta was talking to the others as well as Scavenger. Sunstorm looked at Delta with a surprised look on his face, probably because he didn't expect an Autobot to stand up for him. Then he looked around himself. Every Autobot in the room was staring at the Decepticon with a strange look in their optics. Sunstorm didn't know what it was. It seemed like…respect ? Sunstorm breathed at this and his optics grew bigger.
"Why are you all staring at me like that ?" he finally snapped. Then a young Autobot spoke up.
"I've never seen a Decepticon caring for others before. You're new to me. Have you ever thought about switching sides ? You don't seem as bad as the most Decepticons I've seen."
Sunstorm looked at the mostly red-blue Autobot, when a strange feeling washed through him. It was a warm one. He knew it was the feeling of friendship.
"My name's Sunstorm. And who are you ?" he asked the red-blue Autobot.
"I'm Ironhide. Nice to meet you, Sunstorm." Ironhide answered with a smile on his face. They both knew this was a start of an unique friendship.
Author's Note: Now you must be wondering why Ironhide and Downshift are speaking the standard language. That's because they have grown up.
Chapter 2: Unbelievable Discoveries
It has been two weeks since the Space Troopers appeared. Sunstorm and Ironhide have been patrolling together, much like Ironhide and Jetfire did years before. When Jetfire died, Ironhide lost his only flying friend. Now, with Sunstorm, something that was lost had been recovered.
"Hey, Ironhide… You've many times told me about your discovery in the desert. Shouldn't we go and check it out ?" Sunstorm asked one day, while hovering above his young friend.
"Sure, why not ? But it was kind of strange… I've never seen anything like it." Ironhide replied. The two then set off and after a few hours they found the place. That something was even more covered up than before, mostly because of the strong winds and dunes in there. Ironhide transformed and wiped off the sand. Then he took a quick glance at the now-Autobot.
"What in the name of…? Ironhide, do you know what you've just found ? That's the body of Quetzal Grinder, one of the few Autobot-Maximals ! …Wait a sec…" Sunstorm pressed his communicator on and informed Rodimus about an astounding discovery.
Earth, An Unknown Desert
"Where am I going ? What am I doing ? What happened to me ?" a black, jet-like Transformer thought as he flew over a canyon pass. Then he felt his head burst…
"AAAAHHHHHHH !" he shouted and his altitude started decreasing rapidly. Just before he hit the ground, a black shadow emerged out of him. The shadow then materialized, taking the form of a Decepticon jet. The jet was all black, except the red streaks going from his left hip to his right shoulder and from his right hip to his left shoulder, forming a kind of X-mark. The Decepticon laughed at the fallen form of the black jet, and charged his shoulder cannons.
"Goodbye, Patrolfire. And thanks for giving me a lift." the another jet chuckled, firing his cannons and sending the unconscious jet into stasis lock. Then he grabbed a sword out of subspace and thrust it into the jet. The X-streaked jet walked off, leaving the damaged jet lying on the ground.
"Bah… That stupid Decepticon was easily corrupted. And it was even easier to kill him. Now I've managed to get them both. It's time to take Rodimus Prime out of the picture. Hmm, where is he ? Ah, Cliff City… Watch your back, Prime. As sure as the sun rises tomorrow, I'll be there."
Earth, Decepticon HQ in Breeze City
"Where the heck is he ? He should have been here two weeks ago !" a blue-black-green copter-Decepticon muttered to himself. He had been waiting for Sunstorm to report, but for some reason his communicator had been offline for two weeks now. Then he almost jumped out of his armor, when he heard a quiet chuckle behind him. He turned to see a purple jet-Decepticon grinning at him. The purple jet had white and bright green panels decorating his frame, and on his shoulders he had missile launchers. Now he was holding his arm-placed cannon carelessly in his right hand.
"Now you've even started talking to yourself ? You definitely have some screws loose there, Hinder. Oh yeah, I just came back from Cybertron and things are looking bleak for us. Those dammit Autobots called for the Space Troopers. Now there's fifty of them, all fighting against us." The purple jets face grew grim, and he crossed his arms over his chest, leaning against the wall. Hinder sneered at the purple jet and turned to the controls. Suddenly the red alarm lights started flashing. Hinder reacted quickly and punched in a few keys. The monitor started flashing.
"What the heck's happening ? The controls aren't working !" he yelled out. The purple jet smirked and pointed his cannon at Hinders back. Then he pulled the trigger and a powerful stun blast emerged out of the cannons barrel. It hit, and then the purple jet turned and walked off, his color shifting and turning into black with a red X on his chest. Just as he stepped away from sight, two Decepticons stepped into the control room. They saw Hinder lying on the ground and the alarms gone wild. The giant, even bigger than Tidal Wave, grumbled. The smaller one of the two, with his blue optics gleaming slightly, walked to his fallen comrade and started to wake him up. He stretched out his hand and slapped Hinder across the face. He continued slapping, until:
"urh…ow…OW…HEY STOP IT !" he was full awake, looking at the screaming-red and black jet. The jet stood up and pulled Hinder to his feet. Then he waved his hand around the room.
"Now, tell me, what happened around here ? Why are the alarms still on ?" the jet asked.
"I don't know that. I just remember a purple jet talking to me. He looked like Nightfire, so I didn't even bother to do anything. Then the alarms went wild and the control panel didn't work. Then all went black. But what are you doing here, Twinjet ? And you too, Battle Matrix ?" Hinder answered.
"We heard the alarms and the shot, so we came here. But haven't you heard that Nightfire's still on Cybertron, not returning until…" he was cut short, when a cruel laughter filled the room. The three Decepticons turned to see a black, X-streaked jet walk towards them.
"Hah ! You, Hinder… you're so gullible." the jet shook his head with disdain. Hinder balled his fists and prepared for battle. But then Twinjet placed his hand on the copters shoulder.
"Wha-what're you doing here, Thunderbane ? Urhm…." Twinjet breathed sharply as Thunderbane looked at him and made his head hurt like hell. Twinjet fell on his knees, holding the sides of his head with his hands. He started screaming, his voice as high as Starscreams had been before Thunderbane had killed him. After a few, torturing minutes Thunderbane turned, warping away. The red-black Decepticon-jet was trembling violently, with his head still in his hands. Hinder and Battle Matrix gave each other a scared, worried look. Then Twinjet spoke up shakily.
"We have a weird Decepticon among us. I don't like this, but we have to warn the Autobots about him." He then stood up and led his two friends to the warp gate. While walking he thought:
"I don't think we're dealing with a normal Transformer here. Looks like we're going to face with another…Nemesis Prime. And I bet he's after the present Prime, that Rodimus."
Twinjet, always the coolest one of the three, shuddered at the thought of Nemesis coming again.
Earth, Autobot HQ
The three Decepticons were still on their way, when a familiar, black shadow warped just outside the base. He smirked, and using his stealth-ability, stepped in unnoticed. He recognized Rodimus Primes energy signature easily, but stopped just before entering the command center. There were three other energies in there, and one of them was so strong he could hardly bear feeling it. He peeked in and saw a white jet, a red-silver jet and a red-blue land-Autobot talking with Rodimus. Then, suddenly, the white jet jerked his head up and looked to where Thunderbane was located. The psychic got an unpleasant feeling of being noticed. He moved and the white jets look followed him everywhere he walked. Then he decided to move out of sight.
"Oh dammit ! That darn whitey can see me !" he thought fretfully. Then he heard him speaking.
"There's something terribly out of whack here, Rodimus. I think I just saw someone by the doorway. It was a black jet with a red X-mark on its chest. Does any of you know him ?"
Then, out of the blue, a brown-haired young man ran down the corridor. Suddenly he stopped dead in his tracks, staring right at Thunderbane.
"Ironhide ! There's a black jet here !" the man yelled and pointed at Thunderbane when the young red-blue Autobot came out. He started shooting at Thunderbane, and did really hit.
"ARGGHH ! You Autobots get on my nerves ! Stop shooting or I'll kill you, you brat !" Thunderbane shouted and became visible. He aimed his cannons at the young 'bot and shot him. Strangely it had no effect on him. Then the former Decepticon aimed his cannons at the man and shot a quick, stunning blast. He knew that a stun blast would be harmless to Transformers, but it'd kill a human. He did that completely on purpose. When the young Autobot rushed at the man, trying to protect him, and had his back turned on the former Decepticon, Thunderbane leaped. He landed on the Autobots back, shot a laser blast at his neck and leaped off quickly. As he had planned, the 'pain in the rear'-Autobot fell square on his face. Then the other Autobots rushed out of the command center, the red-silver jet kneeling beside the fallen Autobot.
"You OK, Ironhide ?" the jet asked, placing his hand on the Autobots back.
"…Y-yeah, I think so…" the dazed 'bot replied. Thunderbane was astounded. How could that Autobot still be conscious ? But then the black 'bot shrugged and aimed the gun at Rodimus
"Farewell, Rodimus Prime. This will be the end of your days." he said and was about to pull the trigger, when Ironhide shot up from his kneeling position and shouted. Then he started transforming in an odd way. The red-silver jet started to do the same thing. The two powerlinxed and Ironhide was the top part and the jet was the lower part. Rodimus whistled quietly.
"Ironhide and Sunstorm combined the old way ! Just like Optimus and Jetfire used to !" he said. Thunderbane didn't know what hit him, when the powerlinx 'bot thrust his fist on his face. He fell down onto his back and when trying to get up, he noticed he had three Autobots surrounding him.
"Rodimus, what're we going to do with him ?" Ironhide asked. Rodimus looked at the white jet.
"Maybe we should first hear who he is." The white jet answered to the unsaid question.
"Fine, Delta. Now, tell us. Who are you ?" Rodimus asked the black jet. The jet laughed cruelly.
"Thunderbane's the name. Are you going to finish me off or just stay standing there all day ?" Thunderbane spat at him. Rodimus frowned and sighed.
"Let him go, boys. I don't know what he has against me, and in this mood he surely isn't going to tell us anything." The two Autobots shrugged and stepped away from the former Decepticon.
"Hmh… You're too soft, Rodimus. Just like Optimus used to be. You should've killed me when you had the chance. You're going to regret this one day. Watch your back very closely…" the black jet said as he warped out of sight, leaving the echoes of his laughter behind him.
Chapter 3: Foe Out Of A Friend
Later that same day Red Alert was typing at the console, Rodimus standing by his side.
"Our database has no information on him. It's totally blank. And every place he's been to has been wiped out of all Transformers. And the survivors…there are only five of them !" Red Alert gasped with shock. Rodimus turned his look to the monitor and looked at the list.
"The first one…Quickbolt, a Decepticon, current residence…Planet Orca. Wait a minute… they all are on Planet Orca ! Quickbolt, Moonsweeper, Blitzkrieg, Dreadnought and… WHEELJACK ?" Rodimus' voice rose as he read the name of the ex-Autobot. Red Alert looked at the list as well.
"And Blitzkrieg's in there too. There are two Decepticons we know, one of our Autobot friends, one former Autobot and one we don't know. It would be best to get all information they have." He pointed out. Rodimus nodded briefly and walked out with nine other Autobots. There were always two of them for each of the to-be questioned Transformers. Rodimus explained it all.
"Blurr, you come with me. We'll take Moonsweeper. Ironhide, Delta, you take Quickbolt. Scavenger, Sideswipe, you go for Wheeljack. Downshift, Deathscream, you talk to Blitzkrieg. And Alpha and Supersonic, you go for Dreadnought. OK, everyone ready ?"
Receiving a nod from everyone, he asked for Red Alert to set the warp code. When the portal opened, they set off.
Unknown, Planet Orca
"Where are we going ?" Ironhide asked from Delta, who was soaring above him.
"I know a good place not too far from here. We'll find him there." Delta answered and sped up. The two 'bots soon found themselves in a somewhat big, decent-looking town. Delta walked down an alley Ironhide behind him and suddenly he stopped, looking both ways before entering a quiet side street. They walked a bit more, until they came to a normal door. Delta opened it and stepped in.
"Whoa ! What is this place ?" Ironhide asked. They had just walked into a base.
"This is the Space Troopers sub-base. We have one on every planet worth living. Come, I'm expecting to meet someone." Delta waved his hand and suddenly they heard a clear-voiced shout.
"Bro !" a young femme ran down the corridor and jumped at Delta, almost knocking him down. Ironhide looked at the two, confused.
"You have a sister ?" he asked. The white Autobot jet smiled apologetically.
"Sorry I haven't told you. This is Ariel, my little sister. Ariel, this is Ironhide, one of my comrades." He said, introducing them. The white-silver-crimson femme looked at Ironhide.
"Nice to meet you, Ironhide. My bro's been telling me about you all." she said. Ironhide answered back and the two Autobots set off again, this time accompanied by Ariel.
"He's been going to that pub, Delta. He's almost always there, sometimes drinking and sometimes just hanging around." she said, pointing at the door of a scruffy-looking bar. The three entered… And immediately the mechs stopped. There were Autobots and Decepticons side by side, talking to each other and laughing together. Then Delta spoke out loud.
"We're trying to find Quickbolt. Is he here ?"
Ironhide turned around, hearing some steps behind him. He almost bumped into a tall Transformer. His helmet was somehow angular, with spread hawk wings sticking out of its sides. He had a face plate that covered only the top of his face, and it was colored light blue. His body was colored gray, red and green. He had a shield on his right arm, and a sword attached to his left forearm. There were also two Wheeljack-styled guns on his both arms. The form of his visor was the same Blurr had. His optics were crimson. There was a much smaller Transformer standing beside him. This one had the same style face plate, and his colors were dark brown and blue. He hadn't got the wings, instead he had a sort of a curved bar on the front of his helmet. He had the same style guns, and his chest was quite burly. The smaller was styled like a modified Indy race car. But the taller looked like a fire truck, just an oddly colored one. The smaller one started to talk.
"Here I am. And this lamppost here is Brightblade." Quickbolt said with an unexpectedly low-pitched voice, grinning impudently at the tall Transformer. The 'lamppost' looked at Ironhide and took his face plate off. That made the young Autobot exclaim.
"I thought there was something familiar about you !" Ironhide looked at Brightblade, who seemed somehow tense. Then the two smiled at each other.
"I've heard about you, Ironhide. You've really been boosting your fighting skills. I think I know your friend too… You're Delta Silver, aren't you ?" he asked with a young voice. The white jet nodded at him and then he turned to face Quickbolt.
"We heard you've encountered Thunderbane and survived. We'd like to know something about him." Delta said. Quickbolts grin didn't fade, it just broadened.
"Well, if you want to know, he's a psychic. He can teleport all by himself, and he can travel inside other Transformers bodies. I heard that during the last fifteen years he has been controlling a Decepticon called Patrolfire. I think he was called Scoutfire before Thunderbane took him over. I know he can make a person's head hurt like hell. I've suffered that. He's a twisted-minded former Decepticon. They have been talking he attacked the Decepticon headquarters just recently. Those three over that table are Twinjet…" he was cut short when Delta said calmly:
"…Battle Matrix and Hinder. Yes, I know. I fought them during the Minicon search. And we fought side by side in the Unicron Battles." Quickbolt nodded.
"You might not remember, but I was there too. I was the one who had Sideways on my tail. But there's nothing more I can tell you about Thunderbane. He wasn't the kind of person I cared to talk to." Delta, Ironhide and Ariel thanked him and left the building. Then they turned, seeing Brightblade striding towards them, along with an Autobot. The Autobot was all orange, except the large, black panels forming his chest and shoulders. His legs were of darker shade than his other body. He seemed to be between sleek and burly, and seemed to be a fire truck as well.
"He reminds me of Inferno. Sigh… I still can't believe he's gone…" Ironhide thought as he saw the orange-colored Autobot with Brightblade.
"Delta ! I just thought if you could take Sprinter with you. He belongs to the Autobot Army, to the 10. Battalion and has been ordered to join the Autobots on Earth. I would be coming with him, but I have this mission snapping at my heels, so I can't…Um, take care, Sprinter." Brightblade told them.
"Hey, what's wrong with him ? It was like he was walking on fire or something !" Ironhide pondered. Delta looked after the running Transformer.
"Who cares ? Now, Sprinter's the name, right ? Lets get going." Delta said, earning a nod from the three Autobots. You see, Ariel was going with them. She's a fighter-femme, and exceptional. The three mechs and the femme were walking down the street, when a group of Decepticons attacked them. Sprinter was the first to react, just like Inferno. He grabbed his sleek blaster out of subspace and started running towards the attackers. When the 'Cons turned to face him, he changed direction and started running in circles around them. He was almost as fast as Blurr, and kept circling and firing at the group. Then finally he stopped, raided and pushed a bigger Decepticon with his right shoulder. The Decepticon fell on his comrades and produced a chain reaction. When all the Decepticons were on the ground, Sprinter ran back at the other Autobots.
"Damn ! Now I know why that boy's called Sprinter. Dear Primus how fast the boy can move !" Delta thought as he saw the young Transformer coming. He was walking with rapid strides, completing twenty meters at one bound. He wasn't even getting out of breath after the assault. The four again continued their little trip and eventually came to the meeting-place. The others were there, but Alpha and Supersonic were missing. Rodimus called them with his communicator.
"Alpha, this is Rodimus. Alpha, come in." There was a rustling noise, and Alpha's voice appeared. "This is Alpha. It's nothing to worry about, we just ran into a bunch of Decepticons. But… CRASH …What by Primus… ? OOF !" And the communicator went silent. Rodimus tried again…but there was no response. He turned to face Deathscream. The black Autobot nodded and pushed the button that activated his radar.
"There's nothing. I can't find their energy signatures anywhere." he said after a while. Just then someone warped just in front of the ten Autobots. It was all black with a red X on its chest. He was holding the bodies of two figures in his both hands – Alpha and Supersonic. Both had several wounds and injuries on them, but the worst thing was that their chest plates had been ripped off and their sparks were gone. The jet leered at the horrified group.
"It was…quite easy. If you want to know, they died quickly. After I had torn off their chest plates and shot their sparks into oblivion." Then he gave a laugh, dropped the two deceased Autobots and warped away. Delta ran at the two members of his team, crying out with grief and rage.
"Arrhhhh… You're going to pay for this…" he said, kneeling beside Supersonic and taking the dead mech in his arms, and standing up. Deathscream had taken Alpha, and the two mechs carrying their comrades stepped in the warp portal, with the others just behind them. They all knew there was nothing they could do. Their sparks had been destroyed, so they were completely gone. Sorrow filled their sparks, as they looked at the two dead mechs and their two so shocked teammates.
Earth, Autobot HQ
They had returned just the other day. Ironhide was looking at the floor of the medbay, thinking what could have happened if Thunderbane had attacked Rodimus and Blurr instead of Alpha and Supersonic. He heard the door shifting, but didn't care. Then he noticed a soft voice.
"Ironhide… I have an ability like my bro, and it's sensing peoples feelings. You have been sort of down after that happened. What's wrong ?" Ariel asked with a worried tone. Ironhide was a little ill-tempered that day and his head twitched.
"Take a hike !" he shouted at her. Hearing that, Ariel jerked her head and turned around, walking away with a strange tensed carriage. Delta was there too, and he heard everything. Rushing at Ironhide, he punched him on his face. The younger Autobot was caught by surprise.
"You damn idiot ! Ariel's very easily offended, and now you've done it ! Look at her, she hardly ever cries when treated like that, but now…" Delta gave a hiss. Ironhide turned to look at the femme, and he noticed that her shoulders were really shaking. Ironhide started walking towards the young femme, with Delta's gaze settled on his back. When he had gotten to her, he grabbed her shoulder. The femmes shoulders stopped shaking.
"I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm sorry if I did that." he said, being careful with his words. Then he heard a quiet, but choked chuckle. Then Ariel turned to him and pushed her head against his shoulder and sighed. Ironhide twitched a little. But then he put his arms around the femme and, really, wiped her face. Ariel smiled at him, straightened up and embraced him.
"Thanks, Ironhide." she said quietly, pulled herself back and kissed the Autobot on the cheek. Well, as you can imagine, when the femme had walked out, Ironhide put his hand on his cheek and touched the place where she had kissed him.
"Well, well." Delta mused. Ironhide turned to look at him, his face blushing.
"I didn't know you were still here." he tried to say more, but stayed silent.
"She does truly like you. Well, catch you later !" Delta Silver walked after Ariel. Ironhide stared at the floor for a minute and then walked behind them.
"What did I do ?" he pondered as he entered the corridor. When he turned to the left, something hit hard at his head from the right. His optics were slightly dim, when he turned. He saw Brightblade looking at him with his optics flashing. Then Ironhide jumped and pressed the alarm button on the wall. Brightblade just sneered and took his guns. Rodimus, Ariel, Delta and Deathscream ran from the left side.
"Hmm…so you are here. Now, Rodimus, shall we fight ?" then Ironhide yelled and attacked Brightblade. The fire truck Transformer swung one of his guns and hit him straight on the head. Ironhide fell, shutting off his optics. Ariel shouted in fear and ran beside the fallen Autobot. Suddenly Rodimus stepped forward, gesturing at Deathscream and Delta to stay out of it.
"So, you're really doing it ? That's brave of you." the traitor said, readying for battle. When Rodimus tried to strike him, he showed his speed and jumped, firing his guns at Rodimus' chest. The shots did hit, and the present Prime stammered backwards, falling on his skidplate. Brightblade was ready for that, and he leaped in front of him and quickly ripped off Rodimus' chest plate. Then he grabbed the Matrix and pulled it out. Rodimus let out a horrific scream as his chest started to give off sparks. The four Autobots gasped, seeing Brightblade holding the Matrix. Then they shouted and ran at him. He just smiled and shot a laser blast at them. All four were thrown back, holding their faces. There was heard an odd sound as the warp drive kicked in, and as the smoke faded, Brightblade was gone.
Author's note: There was some romance in thispart as well, as you probably noticed. Well, there's going to be a good, 'last stand'-style scene in the next part.
Chapter 4: Last Stand Of An Autobot
All four were cursing at themselves for not being fast enough.
"Shut up, all four of you ! There was nothing we could do about it, and your cursing is certainly not bringing the Matrix back !" Rodimus shouted as he rose to his feet, pressing his left hand against his still sparking chest. He twitched slightly, took a few steps, twitched again, and then twitched for the third time, now violently. The static covered his body as he fell on the ground, motionless.
"Stasis lock." Deathscream said calmly. Then he walked over to Rodimus, lifted him up and continued walking towards the medbay. When Red Alert noticed Rodimus' injuries, he gasped. He started working on him immediately, and the others continued to the command center.
"Attention Autobots. There has been a terrible accident. Come to the command center. Quickly." Delta cut the transmission and waited for the others to arrive. When they were there, the four explained all that happened.
"So Brightblade took the Matrix. He has never done anything like that." Sprinter said with a disappointed tone. When all this was heard, Blurr was made the commander, at least until Rodimus would wake up. He ordered everyone to search for the traitor. But Ironhide had something else on his mind. He had taken care of finding him already. And he was going to go there.
"I'm going with you." A sudden sound startled him. He turned to see Ariel leaning against the doorframe. The red-blue Autobot shook his head. Then he felt a sudden pain jolt up from his stomach. He looked at Ariel with surprise. She had walked to him and punched.
"I'm going, Ironhide. I'm not going to let you go there alone." she hissed. Ironhide nodded and the two set out on their own – and found themselves on a desert.
Earth, Unknown Desert
Brightblade was standing right in front of them, smiling.
"I knew you'd get here." He said as he raised his guns.
"No, you don't have to do this. Why did you take the Matrix ?" Ironhide asked. Brightblade looked amazed. Then he laughed and shrugged, pointing his gun at the two.
"Lets just fight, OK ? I'm getting a headache out of your little 'peace offerings' and everything. Just shut up." He said and fired. Ironhide answered quickly, firing his cannon. The two blasts hit together, exploding at the impact. Ironhide looked at his side, but couldn't see Ariel anywhere. He looked ahead…and saw her behind Brightblade's back. The traitor grinned and turned, swinging his both guns. The other hit Ariel's head and the other hit her right side. Her optics flashed and shut off. She fell on her side, totally motionless. The gun had made a gash on her head and it was seeping quickly. Her side was also wounded, but not as badly.
"ARIEL !" Ironhide yelled and rushed at her. He kneeled beside her and tried to wake her up. There was no response and Ironhide hung his head. Then he took her to his arms and looked at Brightblade with a sad look on his face. Brightblade looked horrified.
"What have I done ? I never meant to hurt anyone…" he said and clasped his head and yelled out in pure pain. Suddenly his pain seemed to ease, and he took his hands off. When he looked at the two Autobots, he realized what had happened. A warping sound was heard in the distance. He jerked his head that way and saw a black figure walking their way. Then he ran to Ironhide and pulled him up. Then he gave him the Matrix.
"Go ! Go quickly and take her with you ! You haven't got much time !" he said. Then he turned to face the coming threat.
"Brightblade." He turned around to look at Ironhide, who had Ariel lying on his arms. The Matrix shone brightly. "Thank you."
Then he turned back. Ironhide dashed for the warp portal and stopped, looking at the scene. Thunderbane was almost there, his lasers brimming with charged blasts. Then he looked at Brightblade, who was holding his guns. The battle seemed unavoidable.
Earth, Unknown Desert
"So, Brightblade. You decided to protect them. That was not wise, my young friend." Thunderbane said. Brightblade gave a snort of contempt.
"I'm not your friend, you black pest." He spat. Thunderbane grunted and rushed at the young 'bot, his cannons firing shot after shot after shot, much like a machine gun. Some of them did hit, though Brightblade evaded the most of them. He clenched his teeth, feeling the shots tearing his armor apart. He raised his own guns, and shot them. The black jet smirked, drew a sword out of subspace and rushed at him again. Brightblade swore and evaded. But his both guns had their barrels sliced off. Then he reached for his own sword and took it. A terrifying sword battle endured, until Thunderbane hit his sword at Brightblade's head. As he had planned, the young Transformer raised his sword to block the coming blow. Then Thunderbane kicked him in the stomach. The battle endured, both taking hits, but Brightblade was taking them more as Thunderbane started warping. Then, finally, the last blow came. Thunderbane warped in front of him, hit his sword at Brightblade's arm, making him drop his sword.Thunderbane's face was an impassive mask, his optics only betraying the humor he saw in the situation. His vision blurring, Brightblade moaned softly as he sank to his knees. His energon and mech fluids poured from dozens of minor wounds and slashes to his body and he knew that his end was not far now. Looking up at Thunderbane, he raised his arms to cover his chest. Thunderbane grinned and thrust his sword forward. Brightblade screamed as the sword tore through his arms and his chest, eventually coming out of his back. His vision blurred even more, and looking down, he realized in shock where the sword had just hit. It was at the left side of his chest, at his spark chamber. Brightblade took the last glance at Thunderbane, who had just sealed the young 'bots fate. He thought about everything he had experienced during his life. And with his spark being destroyed, he fell on his right side. And then, with the last flicker, his optics closed…forever.
One shout from Ironhide echoed through the desert:
"BRIGHTBLADE !"
Many feet away he was looking at the scene. When he saw Brightblade fall, his optics dimmed. Then he let out a fierce cry of grief and pain. One of his friends had just died, protecting him, Ariel and the Matrix. Ariel woke up hearing the cry. She turned her optics towards the way Ironhide was looking and breathed sharply.
"No…" she said quietly, looking at Brightblade and Thunderbane. Thunderbane took his sword by the hilt and pulled it free. Then, looking at the body, he laughed. The ominous, dark laughter made both Autobots shudder. Thunderbane looked at them, laughed again and warped away. Ironhide looked around, making sure the psychic wasn't there anymore. Then he ran at Brightblade, kneeling down. Ariel kneeled by Ironhide, holding her side. The two looked at the fallen Transformer, sorrow filling them. They heard the warp drive kicking in and soon the other Autobots were gathered around them. Rodimus's optics softened when he saw what had happened. Ironhide gave him the Matrix and he placed it inside his chest. Then drew himself up to full height and saluted the fallen Autobot. The other Autobots, without a single word, followed their commanders lead.
"Your courage, and your sacrifice, shall never be forgotten, soldier." Rodimus said and after a while he turned away. Everyone looked at him, startled, as he was swearing. Then the present Prime titled his head upwards, facing the sky and let out a yell.
"You'll pay for this, you wretched slag ! You'll pay for all you've done !" his voice was filled with rage. Then he picked up Brightblade and carried him to the warp portal, going through it. The others followed him. Later that day they even buried him, much like humans do. They carved a memorial on a black stone slate, reading:
"This is the resting place of Brightblade, an Autobot who died sacrificing himself to save two of his comrades. The Autobots shall never forget you. May you rest in peace."
Author's note: This was my darkestwriting so far. It was kinda sad, losing Brightblade. He was a good character, but what's done is done….
Chapter 5: Autobot Headquarters Attacked !
It has been three days from Brightblade's fatal battle. All Autobots are strained, seeing three of their comrades dead. And all of them killed by one Transformer; Thunderbane. They all thought about the same thing: How can an enemy like that be defeated ? An enemy, who can torture his enemies by just looking at them ? Just yesterday they had three Autobot warriors appear there for reinforcement. Bluejolt was looking at the three with curiosity. Shalebreak, the strongest of them, was built as a road roller. When he was in robot mode, his roller was placed on his back, acting as a sort of 'tipper' when the Autobot would fall down. He can also shift the roller up, and bang it on his enemy. His colors were muddy brown and gray, his structure was much like Hoist's and his character was genial. In fact he and Hoist could've been brothers. Fireflash was the gloomiest of the three. He was built as a jet, and his structure was almost identical with Starscream's original form. But instead of red and black, the colors were azure and gold. And the third was a familiar mech; his whole armor and his optics were golden. He had a face plate, colored copper. He had deer horns on his head and huge, swept-back wings on his back. His name was Sagittarius Sunstreaker. He was usually called Sagittarius, or just Sag, but sometimes his formal name Sunstreaker was used. Bluejolt nodded at Sagittarius, who answered by saluting him.
"Please, Sagittarius, don't do that. I can't stand everyone saluting me and saying 'sir'. Why by the name of Cybertron did Starblaze choose me ?" Bluejolt groaned, his look pained. Sagittarius laughed with his hollow voice. The face plate distorted the echoes of his laughter, giving it a spooky sort of tone. Bluejolt had never liked Sagittarius' laughter. Sometimes when Sagittarius had laughed without a warning, it had scared the hell out of him. Bluejolt shrugged. Well, maybe his hollow voice is spooky even without that darned battle mask. Bluejolt had noticed that many masked Transformers had a strange voice. Delta was the only one who had a 'normal' sounding voice. Well, he was an abnormal 'bot, so it was expected. Bluejolt's thoughts were interrupted, when Rodimus, Delta, Deathscream, Blurr, Ironhide and Sunstorm walked from behind a corner. They were discussing about Thunderbane and those strange messages sent to them four months before.
"Well, there aren't going to be much problems with him. Not when Delta and Kicker are nearby." Deathscream said with a grin on his face. Delta smiled faintly.
"My powers are not unlimited, you know. And Kicker's sixth sense works only when something extremely dangerous is going to happen. My sixth sense works all the time, though. I can sense even the smallest thing and can read minds from an unlimited radius. But my powers run low quite rapidly." he replied with his optics turned off for some reason. Then suddenly he stopped dead on his tracks. The other five stopped as well.
"What's happening ?" Sunstorm asked curiously. Delta answered.
"I'm sensing something… BOOM …Thunderbane is attacking us just outside this building !" he shouted and rushed for the exit, ready to fight the black menace – only to find himself backing up, when the blacko appeared in front of him. He had a smaller Transformer with him. The new one was colored black, with a blue X-mark on his chest. Just then Bluejolt and Sagittarius joined in.
"Hmm…Well, I supposed I'd find you here ! Now you all are going to be destroyed. Thunderstrike, my little brother, is sure to keep you eight busy." Thunderbane said, pointing at the blue-X Transformer. Then he transformed, flying out of the headquarters' door. Thunderstrike grinned cruelly, looking just like his brother.
"You want to hear what I'm going to do to you ? Well, as you probably have noticed my brother can make your heads hurt. Well, my ability is a lot more deathly than his… Prepare to die !" he yelled.
"POWERLINX !" was heard, when four Transformers shouted at the same time. Ironhide and Sunstorm combined and so did Delta and Sagittarius. The two big powerlinx-Transformers approached Thunderstrike. He grinned, swung his arm towards Ironhide and…lifted him off the ground. He wasn't even touching Ironhide, but the young 'bot was hanging in midair, trying to struggle his way out of it. The blue-X psychic raised his arm, and Ironhide was raised as well. Then Thunderstrike grinned again, flipped his arm backwards and balled his fist. Ironhide followed, and slammed hard to the wall behind them. He slid down the wall, on his knees and on his stomach, not moving an inch. When Thunderstrike flung his arm towards Delta, he was surprised by the white-golden Autobot. Delta was immune to all physical and mental attacks, because he always created a shield of some kind around him. That shield could be penetrated, but only when Delta's energy was low or he was caught by surprise. When Thunderstrike was about to attack him again, a shrill shout was heard and Sideswipe ran down the corridor, shooting at him. The annoyed black jet swung his arm towards him and sent him flying backwards. He was motionless like Ironhide. Again Thunderstrike was attacked, now by Sprinter who had just appeared. But he was thrown back as well. Then he bumped into Sideswipe, tripped over him and fell on a metallic table, crushing it and falling down. Bluejolt and Deathscream nodded at each other and ran away. Bluejolt turned left and Deathscream right, taking the ways that led straight behind Thunderstrike. Their plan didn't succeed, and they were thrown amidst their comrades. Rodimus, seeing this, stepped forward. He aimed his blaster at Thunderstrike and shot a beam towards him. The darned blacko stretched his arm and put his hand in front him, his palm against the coming shot. The beam turned, hitting Rodimus instead of Thunderstrike. And then the blacko turned, facing Blurr. The blue Autobot was ready and quickly evaded. He kept on evading, trying to avoid Thunderstrike's gaze. Finally the gaze settled on him and Blurr stopped moving. He had an odd feeling in his chest, and he looked down. Then he opened his chest plate and looked at his spark. The beat of his spark was slowing down rapidly. Blurr's optics shut off, when the power maintaining them was fading. Blurr fell on his knees and trying to prevent collapsing, he hit his forearms on the ground. His head was drooping…his energy levels were low. He was panting heavily, not being able to do anything anymore. His colors dulled. Finally he fell on the floor, and Thunderstrike kept on slowing his sparks beat. When he was almost done, Blurr raised his head slowly.
"I think you're doing a bad job now." he said, standing up. His spark's beat started strengthening and it even glowed even brighter. Thunderstrike looked astonished. That was a bad time for him to lower his guard, as he soon noticed. Blurr raised his arm and closed his chest plate. Then his chest started glowing with a deep blue light. A beam of blue energy shot out of it, and hit Thunderstrike straight at the stomach. The black jet looked at Blurr with a surprised look. Then his optics flashed and shut off, and mech fluid started flowing from his mouth and the big hole in his stomach. He fell forward, seeming to be finally gone. Delta checked the jet, and noticed that he was really dead. He turned around, ready to ask Blurr if he was OK, and froze. Blurr was standing at the same spot, his crimson optics narrowed into slashes. Then, with a groan, he fell backwards. Delta rushed at his little brother, checking if everything was OK. Then he let out a sigh of relief.
"Should we take him to the medbay ?" Bluejolt asked worriedly.
"No. I know what's wrong with him. He used his powers, and his energy, for the first time in his life. He overreacted a bit and that drained him. I should know, because the same happened to me. It still happens sometimes, when I'm a little low on energy. But don't worry, he'll be all right after he has had some rest." Delta assured, putting his arm around Blurr's back and helping him on his feet.
"Ouch…I feel like driven over by a truck or something…" the blue 'bot wheezed. Then his optics shot wide open. "What just happened, Delta ?"
His question was a little shocked.
"You used your powers for the first time. I know you don't believe in this whole 'sparkbeam'-thing and the other things we can do, but it's been in our family for centuries and you should just believe it. And I know you're a matter-of-fact Transformer, but you'll have to learn to trust your spark as well as your head. You did that just now. You trusted your spark and believed that it's beat can get stronger. You really did abandon your reasonable ways. For once, at least." Delta answered with a vexing tone. Blurr looked at him, his whole profile seeming surly. The others started to laugh. Then Blurr finally had it, and snapped at them.
"It's not very funny to have your sparks beat slowing down, you know. And if I'm reasonable, then what can I do about it, you tell me that ! I was programmed that way !" he started coughing after it.
"Calm down. I didn't mean it that way. I know you can't do anything about being so reasonable. But you should sometimes take it a little easier." Delta answered again, this time putting his hand on Blurr's shoulder, when a particularly unpleasant cough had made him double over. All of them were shocked when mech fluid spurted out of the joints of his battle mask. With every single cough more of the fluid spurted out, and Delta grabbed Blurr's shoulders and turned him around. He put his other hand on Blurr's forehead and the other on his own chest and closed his optics.
"Inner damages: 40 percent. Outer damages: 0,01 percent. Hmm… Oh boy… The most of the inner injuries are serious." Delta's optics shot wide open and he shouted two words in his communicator:
"Red Alert !"
The medibot rushed down the corridor a few minutes after and looking at Blurr, he nodded.
"I'll take care of him. But the battle is still going on outside. You might be needed there." The remaining Autobots nodded at him and left.
Earth, The Cliffs/The Desert
Rodimus, Ironhide, Downshift, Delta, Scavenger, Fireflash, Mediclarion, Sprinter, Sideswipe and Hoist made for the desert. Their mission was to defeat all remaining units of Thunderbanes' troops. Ironhide and Sunstorm divided and all ten Autobots split up, with Ironhide, Sprinter and Sideswipe going to the east. When they were just above the same canyon pass, where Patrolfire had been shot, the ground suddenly trembled. They were too close to the cliff, and being unable to prevent their wheels from sliding, they fell and fell and fell, until three loud crashes were heard. The 4x4 vehicle transformed, revealing Ironhide's true form. He wasn't hurt at all, and he started walking towards Sprinter and Sideswipe. They were both lying on the ground. They looked fine, but it was a miracle. Sprinter was lying in the wreckage of their portable radar. Sideswipe, lying spread-eagled on the ground moaned.
"I think I'm going to be sore for the rest of the week."
Sprinter was still nestled in the wreckage he had fallen on.
"That's funny. It felt like we fell forever… Well, whatever. Better get looking for a way out, or we'll be in trouble."
They started looking for a way out, when suddenly thrusters were heard just above them. They looked up and saw a white jet, approximately Delta, speeding just above them. Suddenly a purple laser shot hit his right tail wing, and Delta started going into a spin. He crash-landed just behind them. A transforming sound occurred and after that the air was blue with oaths. The younger Autobots turned around (again; I seem to be using this phrase too much), and saw Delta sitting on the ground, his right wing almost crushed.
"Listen, do you know a way out ? I was just a minute ago helping Scavenger with some pests, when that idiot shot my wing into a scrap heap. I think Scavenger might be in trouble; when Downshift's fighting side by side with him, any accidents can happen." Delta puffed with a sarcastic tone. The younger 'bots laughed with strained tones. Delta looked at them with a broad grin, standing up and opening a panel on his left wrist and ripping some wires off.
"Why did you do that ?" Ironhide asked with a tone filled with wonder.
"My arm-cannon's mechanism was getting overheated. If it would've continued, sooner or later an explosion would've followed." Delta answered. Then he spoke again.
"Where's your radar ?" Delta asked, surprising Ironhide. Delta grinned again. "Forgot already that I can read minds ? You're more preoccupied than I thought."
When he heard what had happened, or Sprinter had crushed it, he started laughing his head off. When the three got to the radar with Delta, the white jets optics flashed. Then he strolled towards a huge boulder and disappeared behind it. The three younger Autobots followed him and stopped dead on their tracks. In front of them was lying a totally black jet. Ironhide walked to him. He almost shot the jet, when he remembered something.
"Oh yeah, he was controlled… Hey, Delta, is he OK ?" he asked, knocking the back of the black jets helmet. Suddenly the jet groaned and slowly opened up his optics. What the…? How can he be conscious ? He was in stasis lock a minute ago ! Ironhide wondered.
"What… am I doing here ?" then Patrolfire looked up at Ironhide. "You… you're Jetfire's friend, aren't you ?" Ironhide nodded, but didn't quite manage to hide the angry flash of his optics. Patrolfire seemed a little guilty. The young Autobot didn't know what to say.
"I know I'm the one who killed Jetfire. I was holding the gun, and Thunderbane just directed my hand to the right place and that happened to be Jetfire's chest plate. Sigh… I wish I would've fought against that creepy shadow when I had the chance. But no, I was so confident I didn't. Confident that I could resist him… but in the end I couldn't. And finally his control ended up…..here." the black jet memorized, taking a deep breath and standing up. He looked at the four and transformed, flying away. Delta looked after him, his optics looking strangely dull. Then he transformed and started shakily flying upwards. His other wing was almost crushed, so his flight looked like one of a drunken pilot. The three decided to follow him and finally they ended up in a good place for getting out. The three started driving up the slope, sometimes sliding, but fortunately getting up. Then the four continued towards the Autobot headquarters.
Earth: The Autobot HQ
The four Autobots had just gotten back, when suddenly they bumped into a Decepticon. The three didn't recognize him, but Delta apparently did. His optics narrowed.
"Nightfire ? What are you doing here ?" Delta asked peevishly. Ironhide had heard that Nightfire was Delta's personal villain, for some reason. Nightfire was a purple, white and bright green jet. He had some sort of missile launchers on his shoulders – and a cannon placed on his arm.
"I've come to offer you my help. I…um…I'm not trying to brag or anything, but I'm the only one who can defeat Thunderbane." his words startled Delta. He looked at Nightfire, his optics dull, and then he nodded.
"I believe you. Your mind's not being twisted, and you've definitely mended your ways. Come with us, the command center is that way." the white jet said and led the others.
Later that day Nightfire's offer had been accepted. But then one of the younger 'bots started acting towards Nightfire like Hot Shot had acted towards Starscream.
"Why should we trust him ? He's a Decepticon !" the 'bot's voice was annoyed. When the others started to be suspicious of him as well, a quiet voice started singing from the corner. They all turned to look at Delta, who was singing his heart (or spark) out. He sang quite often, and it wasn't unpleasant to hear him doing that. In fact his voice sounded like a soft wind or running water.
Here's the song:
Brother... My brother!
Tell me what are we fighting for?
We got to end this war!
We should love one... another!
Oh! Can't we just pretend?
This war never began!
We can try...
Brother my brother...
We face each other, from different sides!
The anger burns! Can't remember why!
It's kinda crazy, to cause such pain!
Our foolish pride, makes us hate this way!
We watch our world fall apart!
Tell me what good is winnin'?
When you lose your heart!
Brother... My brother!
Tell me what are we fighting for?
Isn't life worth so much more?
We should love one... another!
Oh! Can't we just pretend?
This war never began!
Tell me why...
Brother my brother...
We can try...
Brother my brother...
Let's take a moment, and look deep inside!
And say we're willin', to give love a try!
We're not as different, as we seem to be!
There's so much more to me than what you see!
You don't have to be this way!
Think 'bout the consequences...
Turn around, and walk away!
Then Delta's optics opened up and he sighed.
"That's a song I made when I was fighting against the Decepticons during the Minicon search. It's quite exact, because some Autobots and Decepticons are related. Nightfire is Bluejolt's brother." he said, surprising the Autobots, except Bluejolt and Delta, of course.