Optimus Prime and Spike walk side by side as they leave the Ark and head outside as they stroll to a new destination. Spike seems to be almost jogging next to Prime rather than walking, the robot's large legs give him great strides that many humans would find hard to keep up with. As the two step out beyond the ship, they notice Brawn and Windcharger standing together and snickering as they look down the rocky hill.
"Look at that fool...I swear Cliffjumper is just itching to head back home and kill some 'cons" Brawn snickers.
"What's going on here?" Optimus inquires.
"Hey Optimus, Spike..." Windcharger nods to both of them. "Well we're busy watching Cliffjumper show us his new weapon to defeat the Decepticons back home."
"HEADS UP!" Cliffjumper's voice echoes from the bottom of the hill.
A large blast of energy comes streaking by their heads and strikes the side of the mountain where Cliffjumper's target was. The debris falling causes Optimus to cover Spike from harm, Brawn and Windcharger shield their faces from the rock fragments that strike down at them. Brawn looks over to see if Spike is ok and looks over at smiling red the mini-Autobot as he runs up the hill with his massive gray weapon.
"What are ya stupid or something!!" Brawn yells. "Why don't you think before you fire a monstrosity like that?!"
The Autobot leader stands up after covering Spike; the young man is unharmed but rattled by Cliffjumper's blasting.
"Cliffjumper! What in the name of Primus do you think you are doing?! You could have nearly killed Spike here!"
"Oh...uh...sorry. Sorry Optimus...Sorry Spike." Cliffjumper apologizes like a child being caught doing something wrong. "But I was only giving my new energon weapon a try...that's all."
Prime walks over to him with anger and yanks the small robot's weapon away.
"Energon weapon?! Give me that thing...from now on you come to me for any new weapon you'd like to test out...preferably to ask for a more suited testing ground before using it! Is that understood soldier?!"
"But...but Optimus..." The mini-robot stutters.
Coming closer to his face, Prime stares him down and repeats his order. "I said...is that clear?!"
"Yes." Cliffjumper breathes defiantly.
"Good." The leader nods to him. "While I appreciate your enthusiasm for our return home, you must remember to think of the humans that tend to walk around the base of late. Especially Spike here."
"No harm done Prime." Spike says as he steps in as and wipes off his clothes of dust. "But next time Cliffjumper...give me a call if you need to have someone help adjust the settings."
A quick wink from the young man gives Cliffjumper his smile back and laughs at Spike's attempt of putting humor in a tense situation. Even Optimus Prime gives a little giggle as he soon shakes off his anger towards the trigger happy Autobot.
"Yeah...you bet, Spike!" Cliffjumper cheerfully replies.
"What are you using to power that thing anyway?" Spike inquires.
Cliffjumper realizes Prime isn't going to give him back the weapon as he soon tries to reach for it and watches the leader pull it away from his reach.
"Oh...uh...right. Well, I was making this thing while in Wheeljack's new laboratory...and well...since I saw a chunk of one of those ruby crystals from the Burma mines, I thought I'd test one out to see what it was like."
Prime's eyes squinted at him with curiosity. "Wait a minute...how did you get your hands on a ruby crystal?"
"Wheeljack has some. Not too big mind you...but ones that Ratchet managed to un-lodge out of Bumblebee and my chassis from the Burma explosion. He's studying them right now."
Optimus stroked his manifold chin with his free hand and remembered the incident at the ruby mine of Burma. The Decepticons were very keen on collecting those rubies, for what he could only assume meant that they produced a source of energy. The mine's destruction was very powerful and blast radius was unusually large for the amount of bombs Bumblebee and Cliffjumper used to stop the Decepticons. Now he had to go see Wheeljack to get an answer, as he began to walk away, he turned to Brawn and handed him Cliffjumper's dangerous new toy.
"Very well, I'm going to speak to Wheeljack about that, in the mean time no more fooling around guys, here...put this thing in storage and don't let him use it again."
Brawn chuckled as he took hold of the weapon and shook his index finger at Cliffjumper with sarcasm. "Tsk, tsk...looks like you don't get to play with this anymore."
Spike giggles as he watches the small robot's reaction to Brawn taunting him and follows the Autobot leader walking away from the three mini-Autobots. Cliffjumper folded his arms in frustration and stuck out his lip in disappointment.
As Spike and Prime came around the mountainside and to a newly cleared area at the base of it, the young man finally got to see Wheeljack's new temporary lab that the Autobot's created for him. It was made from the same metal as the ship, possibly from ripping down a few panels from inside the Ark and was about the size of a three-story building. The path was carved down around the mountain and leading straight to the doors of the massive structure. It was impressive to Spike to see such a unique building that probably wasn't much more then a tool shack to the Autobots, but very cool to his eyes nevertheless. The two entered the lab as the massive orange metal doors slid open and instantly saw Wheeljack sitting over at a large computer with a laser scanner. The scanner was built into the Telatran One-like facsimile, as it pulsated a large green laser beam down to a ruby crystal fragment that sat inside of it.
"Telatran One...link up with this computer and verify findings on exhibit Alpha Three One." The relaxed looking white and gray colored Autobot said as sat in his chair.
"Scanning object." Telatran One spoke. "Verified...crystal is authentic, data shows a sixty five percent purity ratio within the crystal matrix."
Wheeljack rubs his chin as he listens to the information, not even noticing Optimus Prime and Spike standing just behind him.
"I thought so..." He utters under his breath.
"I thought you were supposed to be designing the new ship for our return home." Optimus finally says to Wheeljack.
The robot spins around quickly and rises out of his seat to salute the leader. Startled by his presence, the scientist Autobot stumbles on his words from the surprise.
"Yes sir...I mean...no sir...I mean...."
"At ease Wheeljack, I'm curious about what you've discovered so far. The rubies...are they capable of producing energy?" The leader asks him.
Wheeljack relaxes again and takes the ruby out of the scanning port to show the leader.
"Actually Optimus...this is no ordinary crystal. This is pure Energon Crystal...well...maybe not pure...but still the same kind that our ancestors use to mine for themselves long ago."
"Impossible." Prime states in disbelief. "Raw Energon Crystals has long been mined out since the days of the Third Cybertronian war. Not to mention...only indigenous to our planet and other worlds around our system. You must be mistaken."
"I wish I were Optimus." Wheeljack sighs as he places the ruby back into the scanner. "But this is a form of Energon. Probably a mutated variety...but it still has the same energy matrix needed to power our systems without conversion."
Spike looks at the two robots with great confusion, he almost feels that he's being left out of the conversation and tries to join in.
"Are you saying that there's Cybertronian Energon Crystals here on Earth? That doesn't make any sense...does it?"
Wheeljack kneels down to him and explains. "I dunno. Quite frankly, I'm a bit puzzled by it myself. You see our ancestors always believed that Energon was the power core of our constructed planet, and that it was only used on our world and on those that were populated by other Transformers."
"But there are other myths Wheeljack." Prime interrupts. "I remember hearing about the first Cybertronians telling the younger generations of other worlds with Energon cores. That the universe was created by the first spark of life and that Energon was the result of it's beginning, thus creating new worlds out of the clusters of Crystal Energon and awaiting the time when all energy is formed back into the very spark from which it was dispersed from."
Wheeljack sits back in his chair and laughs at Prime's theory. "I've heard that far fetched myth too. I never really believed in all that nonsense...after all I'm a scientist, I deal in facts, not the ramblings of old robots fabricated stories that have no merit to their theories."
"Then how do explain that ruby crystal then Wheeljack?" Spike points out to him. "I think Prime might have the most logical explanation of how it got here."
"Nuts to that Spike." Wheeljack scoffs. "It's more likely that this was a meteor chunk or a comet that hit the Earth millions of years ago. Energon Crystals are generally green in color, that's the pure form they come in...this...I don't know what this is. It's similar in structure and in energy signature...but I highly doubt that it's the Energon Crystal we all know."
Optimus Prime folds his arms together and gives a look of a robot deep in thought. His glowing faint blue eyes dim down a shade and narrow themselves as he ponders this puzzling revelation.
"Another form of Energon? I wonder. Somehow I'm not so sure you're theory is all that better either Wheeljack."
"Well..." The white robot scientist pauses as he rubs his domed head. "Geology really isn't my specialty...that's more along the lines of Perceptor's field. It's too bad he's not rebuilt from the crash yet...I could use his input."
"That reminds me..." The leader says as Wheeljack add another thought to him. "How is the recovery of the others coming along? I know Ratchet has been busy with repairing the few that weren't on the bridge...."
Wheeljack sighs and leans back in his chair again looking tired. "They managed to borough through a few decks, so far we've recovered Blaster, Inferno, Red Alert and Steeljaw. The rest are really in need of repairs maybe even some new parts that we can't manufacture here. And we found something else blocking our drilling efforts..."
He stands up and walks over to a table that has a set of large bones laid out on top. He picks one up and shows it to both Prime and Spike, both eyeing them with interest.
"What are those?" Prime asks.
"Not sure" Wheeljack replies. "They might have once belonged to organic beings that were larger then the humans and other variety of life right now."
"Hey..." Spike realizes out loud. "Those might be the fossilized bones of dinosaurs."
"What are...dinosaurs Spike?" Optimus inquires.
"Dinosaurs were giant lizard-like creatures that roamed the Earth millions of years ago. They were wiped out by some big disaster long ago and might have been a link to our evolutionary chain...at least...that's what some scientists believe."
"Huh." Wheeljack utters in amazement. "I've got to admit they sound interesting. Maybe I'll research those beings a bit more from Telatran One's files..."
"Well if you really want to study them, why not go to the nearest museum and have a look at the exhibits." Spike smirks at him.
"I'd like too...but..." Wheeljack snickers. "I'm afraid I might be the wrong size to fit into such a place, if you get my meaning."
Spike laughs as he realizes that the white robot is correct. "Oh ya...I almost forgot. Boy hanging around with you guys so much I tend to forget you're not able to go where most humans do. My bad Wheeljack."
"No Problem, Spike." Wheeljack cheerfully replies.
Optimus Prime rubs one of the bones sitting on the massive table, the bones almost shape the body of a T-rex dinosaur and makes him curious about how they might have died.
"Millions of years ago huh? I hope we are not to blame for their destruction...I'd hate to think that our quest for energy resulted in their demise upon crashing on this planet."
"Hard to say Optimus...but then...if we didn't, we wouldn't have met Spike or any other human for that matter." Wheeljack says to the concerned leader.
Prime nods in agreement and looks down at Spike grinning at him. "Very true...fate it seems has thrust us together, those humans we call friends...and others...we've come to know as new enemies."
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On the bridge of Archeville's submarine, the old man stands in front of an electronic see-through map of the Pacific Ocean and studies one area in the middle. His finger taps a large region that simply shows a deep canyon and the estimated depth numbers displayed beside it. The crew behind him continues to do their jobs, steering, communicating with the other two subs behind them and scanning the deep waters for any sign of the Decepticon debris.
"I don't understand." The old man grumbles. "The ship must have shattered to pieces during its impact with the surface water. The force of the impact alone should have crushed it's hull like a tin can...and yet...nothing. I just don't understand how this is possible."
Tapping the map one last time, the doctor wandered back to his command chair in the center and stood beside it deep in thought. Looking over to the female pilot, he raised his head and gave her a new order.
"Helm! Bring us down the canyon...all the way if need be. If the ship managed to delve this far...then we need to investigate the rate of speed it took to travel down here."
The black woman looked around at him and nodded. "Aye sir. Should I inform the other subs of our new course?"
"Yes Ms. Delmar, but instruct them to remain behind us in a single column. Just in case the bottom of this valley bottlenecks at the end."
"Aye Sir."
The specialized subs lowered down deeper into the dark waters, their shapes no longer visible to the naked eye, only a few lights along their hulls peer out of the darkness and give an eerie look as they descend. Suddenly, the black female notices a flashing icon on her right side display monitor. She studies the information as it warns her and she quickly turns around to Archeville with a delighted smile.
"Sir! Something has been detected ahead! Read outs show a Decepticon signature!"
The doctor sits in his chair grinning with pride. "Excellent! Well done helm...proceed to the coordinates and turn on the outer floodlights as soon as we reach the target."
Answering to his commands, the pilot eased the vessel down towards her sonar reading and turned on the outer camera as she simultaneously flicked on the high beams of the front running lights. Archeville perched himself on the edge of his seat as he activated a larger screen that sprung up from the floor and witnessed the lights piercing the darkness ahead of them. The deafening silence in the bridge gave an air of tension as the crew waited to see what lied in wait for them. The subs behind Archeville's ship also turned on their outer lights and helped to increase the illumination and give the Project N leader a better view of the area they were approaching. Sea creatures that live in the deep murky depths of that level scattered out of the vessel's way, it was like visiting another planet at the bottom of our own ocean as the various types of fish and predator would make any oceanographer jealous of the team's discovery. But Archeville wasn't interested in the life forms already inhabiting our own waters; it was only the Decepticons he craved. More importantly, he sought after the main prize he had wanted all along...Megatron.
"There!" He rose out of his chair in excitement. "There it is!!"
On the large viewer in front of him came the image of a massive sized Decepticon emblem, it was still in good condition and proudly displayed on the side of the huge ship's hull. The subs were still rather small compared to the sheer size to which the vessel was built, Cybertronians never seem to build anything small scale, but perhaps to them, this is economy sized as it gets. The doctor raised his fists in joy as he gave a cry of delight, a small jump up and down signaled his enthusiasm of the discovery and sight of it made the crew relax for the time being.
"What now sir?" The pilot asked him.
"Time for all things to come to those who wait." He replied in a cryptic manner. "Move us closer to its hull and prepare the boarding team. I will join them in the expedition and lead the mission."
A tanned looking gentleman came over to him and gave a voice of concern. "Sir, I strongly recommend you re-consider that. If anything should go wrong we might not be able to secure your safety."
"Calm yourself Lieutenant Becker." Archeville demanded. "These robots are deactivated from the crash. The speed and pressure alone would have surely switched off their systems like an electromagnetic pulse. That is why we took our time to lowering the subs deeper into the ocean depths, to allow their structures to ease into each level of pressure. Now stop your fussing and take command in my leave. Megatron...at long last...is mine!"
The old man cackles away like a lunatic and hurries down to meet with the boarding party. In a special airlock room, six crewmen suit up in special futuristic looking space suits and clasp their helmets on tight. The suits are obviously designed to shield them from the crushing pressure of the water's depth, oxygen tanks and special unmarked canisters attached to their backs are there to prevent them from being killed by the deadly level of the ocean. Archeville soon joins them as he steps through the door and seals up the inner room. He gabs one of the suits awaiting him and chuckles like a child on Christmas morning, as he cannot wait to step inside the silent alien craft.
"History gentlemen...history will be made!" He giggles to them as he finishes up putting on his pressure suit. "The greatest technology in the universe will be ours at long last...and not even those cursed Autobots will be able to stop me now!"
The sub finally attaches to the side of the Decepticon's ship and creates a vacuum seal around the area doorway where the boarding party will step out. The quick clanging of metal and the sound of the tight rubber seal forming around the hull, gives Archeville the signal to begin opening the large door in front of them all. With a simple nod to the two men waiting by the controls, they press a button on either side and the panel slides up slowly to reveal the Decepticon's ship hull before them. The next two officers step up to the wet metal and begin using a large laser cutting device that both have to hold up as it makes the slice. Making a circular path, the cutter manages to melt the metal with relative ease and soon creates a hole big enough for them to all to step through. With the final pass of the laser, the chunk of hot steel crashes down to the floor and the smoke from the hot metal fills the room their in. Archeville rubs his hands greedily and walks towards the entrance they just created. Peering in with his head, the doctor switches on his over head light that's built into the helmet and observes the inside of the giant vessel.
"This is what I have waited for all my life." The old man grins. "Destiny is mine at last...I, doctor Emmett Archeville, am now to become the greatest scientist in the history of mankind...and the next ruler of the world!"
As he takes his steps into the alien ship, he continues to laugh like a madman at his own evil intent, the rest of his men follow closely behind him and all are carrying large black weapons that are nearly the length of their arms. The echo of Archeville's laugh travels down the corridors of the ship and creates an almost frightening sound that would send chill down anyone's spine.
