Chapter 3: House Cleaning.
Central, 10 miles South.
The ground explodes as Thunderwing emerges from the center of the crater. "That went well." He said rubbing the back of his head & looking around he area before stepping out of the hole & began to walk away. "Hohenheim, Are you well?"
In the cockpit, Hohenheim was upside-down in his chair. "You know, I guess I should have asked to be outside if this was going to happen."
The giant chuckled at the human's minor plite before realizing he may be getting closer to a bitter truth, otherwise someone wouldn't have gone to the trouble of destroying the base. It was almost as though, this were a game of chess. Question is, what move should he make next? Even if he went to the Autobots, they might be reluctant to believe him. The Decepticons were definitely out of the question.
He turned & looked into the direction of Resembool. He looked down & noticed something shining in the sun. He knelt down to examine the object & discovered it was a pocket watch. He teleports it into the cockpit as Hohenhiem righted himself in his seat. "I think your son would like this back."
(Begin soundtrack: CCR - Green River.)
Resembool, 10:30
From a hill top, not far from the train station. Ed, Al, Lust, Mustang & Hawkeye watch Prime & the other Autobots drive down the road, away from the station. "Well, no military yet. Guess that's one positive thing we can look at." Ed said as he & the others hide behind the bushes in front of some trees on the hill top. "For how long, is a good question. I know Armstrong can keep them off your backs for at least forty-eight hours. After that, I can't guarantee anything." Mustang added.
"If the worst happens, we can at least call for help." Ed said looking at the watch looking device on his left wrist that had the red Autobot symbol on the face. "I wish they had something in a different color for me. I don't like having to make red work... It clashes with my dress." Everyone looks at her oddly, wondering if this is the biggest thing she has to worry about?
They were about to leave when the sound of sobbing grabbed their attention. Bloch walked along the dirt road, sobbing to himself like a child who lost a fight at school, or something to the affect. "What the hell is Bloch doing out here?" Ed asked. "And why is he crying like a little girl?" Lust asked as Ed & Al looked at her, not believing how her attitude had changed. However, the thought was short lived when she extended her blades & readied herself. "Lust, wait. It's okay, Bloch isn't after anyone. He's cool." Ed said nervously as he quickly grabbed her arm.
(End soundtrack.)
"Hey, Bloch." Ed said as he stepped out from the bushes. "Um, what's wrong with you?" he asked as Bloch continued to cry like a baby. A few minutes later, the team walks back to the house & hides behind a stone wall. They saw a dark blond haired man sitting at a table across from Lt. Ross on the back porch. "See, what'd I tell you. She's falling for it, hook, line & sinker." Bloch said as he bit his hat. "This is very touching & all, but I'm afraid we have bigger concerns at the moment." Lust stated. "There's something about that guy, he seem familiar. Doesn't he brother?... Brother?" Al said looking & noticing Ed was gone. They look on in shock as he sprinted across the lawn & onto the porch.
(Begin soundtrack: Stroke 9 - Kick some ass.)
"You asshole, what the hell do you think you're doing?!" Ed shouted as he punched the man & sent him over the railing. "Edward, what the hell?!" Ross shouted. "You've been gone for over ten years, then you decide to come home just to have me catch you pulling this shit. Damn you, old man." Ed shouted as the rush of memories came to Al, realizing the man Ed attacked was in reality their father. "I remember him, from the pictures... Dad! Dad's home!" Al said as he ran to the house. He arrives as the older man started to sit up & noticed the suit of armor standing before him.
"I-I know you may not be able to tell who I am, 'cause of he way I look." Al said sadly. "Alphonse... You certainly got taller." Hohenheim said. "How did you know it was me?" Al asked, somewhat shocked. "Edward... So, do you still hate drinking milk?" He asked calmly as the look of hate filled Ed's eyes. He jumps over the rail & drives his left foot into Hohenheim's stomach. "Who are you calling a micro-sized, half-pint who didn't get to grow up 'cause he didn't drink his milk!" Ed shouted. "That's not what he said, Edward." Lust & Riza embarrassingly said.
(End soundtrack.)
Resembool 11:00
Ed sat on the back porch steps, still seething after seeing his father return home. He couldn't help but reflect back on every moment of hell that he & Al went through. Their losses, the pain & suffering, having to burn their home & meeting a bunch of robotic alien lifeforms, kidnapped & attacked. Seeing his father romancing his way into Ross' pants, was the icing on the cake. His train of thought was interrupted when Lust opened & closed the sliding door while holding a cup of coffee. She calmly walked over & sat down next to him.
"This has been an, interesting morning thus far." Lust said with a sarcastic tone. "Do you think I'm a jerk for attacking him?" "No... If I were in your shoes, I might've done the same thing. But, the others may think different... However, don't take this badly. But, you really need, Anger Management." Lust said with a slight tone of humor. "I don't have anger issues." Ed snapped back as Lust only looked at him after having a sip of her coffee.
She sat her cup down next to her, crossed her legs, rested her arms on her legs & leaned forward. "February 14th, last year. You were in Dublith, you took Izumi Curtis out for lunch & shopping for Valentine's Day. Someone at the diner that you went to, made reference to your height. You took the wooden chair you were sitting in & smashed it over his head."
"So, he deserved it. He called me a carpet ant."
"December 19th, before the 'snowmobile incident'. You were looking at some wine bottles & a man shoved you over & called you "shorty". You then took an expensive bottle of wine & smashed it across his face." Ed just looked at the ground, knowing she may be right. "And word travels fast, in case you were wondering... Shall I continue?" Lust asked.
"No, I've heard enough... You think I should talk to somebody."
"Well, either that, or you can get into drugs & alcohol. Become a strung-out, burned-out druggy after doing tons & tons of drugs. You go through Re-hab for a year. Then you come back & start your search for the Stone all over again." Ed looked at her wondering if she was serious. "Anyway, what's this thing about you wanting to show something to everyone?"
"Like I said, it's on a need-to-know bases. I have my reasons not to trust anyone, even you."
"Say what? Why in the hell don't you trust me?"
"Simple, Bludgeon wasn't lying when he said, he was here two hundred years ago... And everything that has been happening for the past several years, has all been a load of crap. I think what I've seen in the past days is proof that some people are not what they seem to be." Ed looked at her in shock wondering what all this was suppose to mean. "I don't understand. What do you mean?" He asked.
"There are people that are not people. They're... like fake copies of people. I don't know how many there may be, which is why we have to tread softly." He looked to the ground trying to process what Lust revealed as she stood up & walked to the sliding door. "Alright, Edward. Lets get this over with." Lust said as she opened the door.
Ed got up & followed her into the house. Inside he was surprised to see everyone in the dining room. "Alright, Al called us in here. What's all this about?" Mustang asked. Lust walked to the center of the room & folded her arms under her chest. She new what she was going to ask was going to be difficult to accept, but if they want answers, they have little choice but to accept her demands. "What I want to do, is determine if all of you are, who you say you are." Lust said, grabbing everyone's attention.
"And why do you need to do this, are you afraid Envy might be in the room?" Ed asked as Hohenheim's eyes shot open. "No, not so much him. True, his shape shifting abilities do give him an edge on infiltration, but there are other creatures roaming the planet too. Some may be in the highest levels of many governments & their armed forces." Lust said. "Wait, are you saying, there are more homunculi, like yourself, running our government?" Riza asked nervously. "Not quite, but Bradley & Douglas are both homunculi." She said. Everyone was shocked except for Hohenheim, who just sat quietly at the table, sipping at a glass of wine. The man that the country looked up to, was really one of the creatures that stood before them.
"How can we tell, if he really is, like you?" Mustang asked. "His tattoo is behind his eye patch. He also goes by the name of Pride. Douglas, who also goes by the name of Sloth, has the ability to drown her victims with her power over the water in her body." She added. "Anyway as I was saying originally. From what me & Alphonse learned while in Liore, these other creatures are called, Facsimiles." She added. "Facsimiles?" Ed asked. "The Autobot's enemies, the Decepticons, employ Facsimile avatars, Bio-Technological organisms grown in Fusion Tubes." Lust explained.
"And these Facsimiles, they look like us?" Sciezka asked. "Look like you, think like you. Many are implanted with actual memory engrams, taken from the original subject. Until they're activated, they don't even know they're artificial. At least, that's what Ironhide told us." Lust answered. "Was Kimbly one of them?" Mustang asked. "Yes... He was always a loose cannon. Whether he was like that originally, I have no idea... Facsimiles are prone to 'malfunction' & when they do, the Decepticons grow another from the same source... Ironhide said, the originals would be held in a facility of some-kind..." Lust answered.
"That explains why you had me order my soldiers away. Because of fears of a Facsimile spy, perhaps?" Mustang asked. "Yes... that was one reason, but mostly because I wanted to narrow my search for a Facsimile that may be in this room... What I am going to show you will not leave this house, is that understood?" Lust asked as everyone nods their heads. "Good... Before I show you anything though, I am going to preform a blood test of sorts." She added. "Blood test, with what?" Ed asked. "My method is going to be simple, I'm going to prick you all in the hand & see what color your blood will be. If it's red, you're fine. If something else, you die. It's that simple."
"Don't you think this might be a bit extreme?" Riza asked as Lust extended her forefinger. "Wait, Lust... We've been through a lot over the past week. Granted, I don't know what happened to you or Al in Liore, but whatever it is that you & Al have to show, I'll take full responsibility if anything is leaked out." Ed said. Lust only looked at him wondering if she should trust his conviction, yet, the conversation from a few minutes ago was nice, but business is business. She looked at Al who stood next to the couch & say him nod. "Very well, but Edward, this will be on your head." Lust said as she retracts her blade.
"Alright, Alphonse, show them." Lust ordered. Al was about to unlock his chest plate when they heard a humming sound that seem to be all around them. Hohenheim stood up & walked to the front door while everyone else ran outside to the shock of a large ship hovering high in the air. Ed recognized the the shape & color scheme, the color in his face turned pale as the ship transformed in midair, revealing the monster he fought against. Thunderwing lands on the grassy landscape about one hundred yards from the house, leaving a slight rumbling sound & indentations as his feet touch the ground.
They look up in shock as Thunderwing kneels down & rests his arms on his bent knee & looks at their frighten faces. "Fear of me will be the least of your concerns." he said spooking everyone's nerves except for Hohenheim. "Brother, do you remember if he ever talked?" Al asked. "Um, in between his screaming. I don't think so." Ed answered nervously. "Do you intend to uphold our agreement?" Hohenheim said as he looked up waked towards Thunderwing. "I will continue to hold to the agreement. But as I said, I am not the concern."
Thunderwing eyes Edward, sending a chill down the young man's spine. "Where's your watch?" Edward was taken aback as his father revealed the pocket watch from his hand. "Lose a watch, son?" He asked as he walked back the group. Edward took it from his father, then looked back up at Thunderwing then his father. "Um, thanks... I guess."
Thunderwing stands back up & powers his engines down. "Okay, keep back. I'm sure this may have some fallout." Thunderwing said as yellow lightning cracks around his body as Roy put his gloves back on & Ed clapped his hands but Hohenheim stopped them both as they watched Thunderwing began to shrink in size. He stood there & looked himself over, to be sure everything was proportionate with the rest of him. "That went well." He said as he walked toward the group.
They were surprised how he went from nightmarishly big to fifteen foot tall. He stopped just ten feet shy of the group as Hohenheim walked to him & extended hand. Thunderwing grabbed his hand gently & shook. "To our agreement." Thunderwing said. "Indeed." Hohenheim added. "Wait, you two have been talking about this 'agreement' for the past five minutes. Care to fill the rest of us in?" Ed asked. "If you wish to know, I helped him & now he's helping me. I believe we can trust him on his word." Hohenheim answered.
"Sorry to be rude, but as I mentioned before, "trust" is rather difficult for me to accept at the moment." Lust stated. "I may have been a Decepticon long ago, but my word is as good as any... Besides, if I wanted to show you otherwise, I would not have bothered to come down to converse with you. In fact, you would all be dead right now." Thunderwing said noticing Lust was almost taken back by the statement.
"Now, shall we get to business at hand. Hohenheim asked as he rubbed his hands.
They return into the house with Thunderwing in tow. He stopped to contemplate on how to enter given his size. He wraps his wings around himself before entering but his attempt was to little avail as the door frame & much of the surrounding wall gave way. Everyone was rather reluctant to say anything to this until Hohenheim spoke up. "Maybe we should've done this on the porch."
"That would've been a good idea." Pinako shouted.
"Don't worry granny, I'll fix it." Edwards response was dwarfed, (no pun intended) by Pinako's anger as she continued. "You're damn right you'll fix it since this monster can't make himself as small as you."
Thunderwing seemed unphased by her anger but, Edward took exception to the "small" remark. "Who the hell are you calling so short, he can be crushed by an ant?!"
"That's not what I said, but not impossible to believe! "
"ENOUGH!" Thunderwing's booming voice made everyone heed to his command & making their nerves turn on edge. Except for Hohenheim, who just sat calmly, looking at Alphonse, waiting for the unveiling. "Alphonse, go ahead & show us what you have."
"Yes, please do. I'm growing impatient." Thunderwing's temper grew as Al was about to unlock his chest plate. "Hold on... how do we know we can trust him? He might be a friend of yours, Hohenheim. But he hasn't given us any real proof." Lust said as Ed started to cringe inside. "Let's not anger the planet destroyer, please." Ed said nervously.
"All of you can trust him. Besides, if he wanted to kill us, he would've done it the moment he set foot on the ground." Hohenheim added. "Well, he's done a nice job of wrecking my home." Pinako's remark only seemed to annoy the monster in the room.
"Okay Al, show us what you have. And it better not be another cougar again like last month." Ed said. "Brother, I said I was sorry about that." Al pleaded. "Forget it Al, let's see what you have." Ed asked as Al unlocked his chest plate & showed his interior. Everyone was in shock as they saw the glowing red light emanating from within Al's armor. "Congratulations Edward, you & your brother, have found the Philosopher's Stone. With my help, of course." Lust proudly said a she folded her arms as Thunderwing walks closer to examine the light. "So, all this for a light show? I'm somewhat disappointed." His comments seemed to suck all the excitement out of everyone present.
"Okay Al, close it up." Ed ordered. Al complied as Thunderwing walked to the sliding door & looked outside. "No point asking how it happened. What's done, is done... The problem now, is what will the Decepticons & the other homunculi do to get this..." He said as he folded his large arms. "How much info do you have about the Decepticons? And, what is Siege Mode?" Ed asked.
"The Decepticons are specialists in infiltration. They dig in & slowly destabilize the geopolitical infrastructure, fomenting global anarchy... Siege Mode is a protective military configuration, usually rooted during Phase Five... How do you know this?" Thunderwing asked as he peered over his shoulder. "A little birdy told me." Ed stated.
"Is there a Phase Six?" Riza asked. "Trust me, you don't want to know." Thunderwing replied. "Is it really that bad?" Al asked. "Phase Six, they call in their 'Exterminator' to burn what's left of the planet & to erase any trace of the Decepticon's presence." Thunderwing said, knowing they would be shocked by the answered.
"I could make a preemptive strike against them, but that might result in a Quagmire." Thunderwing said before everyone heard a voice from Ed's watch. "Edward, it's Ratchet. Are you there?"
"Um, yeah... Hi."
"Good, the communicators are working properly... First off, I'd like to note, that this is far from a social call. We discovered there are two distinct command bunkers. One is in Dublith & the other is just North of Central. But it seems to be abandoned... It is curious for sure, but inconclusive. If I'm to convince Prime & the others of the immanency of the threat. I need more information."
"Okay, so why are you calling me?" Ed asked. "I need your help... To determine the threat. Will you help us again?" Ed looks around the room, searching for an opinion. He noticed Winry held a worried look & new she'd make herself sick if she knew it was going to be dangerous. He was about to answer when Mustang stood up from his chair. "I'll go... Besides, I might be able to buy you some more time, while you formulate a plan." He said.
Ed was surprised by his offer, but an extra day or two would be helpful. "Okay, watch yourself." Ed said as Mustang walked outside along with Hawkeye & saw Ratchet & Bumblebee standing in the driveway. "Isn't Edward coming?" Ratchet asked. "We'll be more then happy to help you with your task. Besides, we're heading back to Central anyway." Mustang said as Ratchet & Bumblebee transformed. As they were about to enter Ratchet's front seats, Lust walks out to join them. "I thought you were staying here?" Mustang said as he was about to enter the passenger seat. "I have my reasons..." Lust answered as she pushed Riza to the center seat. "Hey!"
"Move over, Blondy."
As the group leaves, Thunderwing opens the sliding door to the back porch & carefully walks outside, trying not to damage anything else on the house. He walks to the handrail & leans his arms against it. It gives way, causing him to fall foreword & land on his face. "Such weak construction." He said as he got up & looked at the damage. Shaking his head, he turns & walks towards the stone wall. Yellow lightning cracks around his body as he returns to his original size. His engines start up as he transforms to his jet mode & flies away, heading West.
North Sea, 100 miles Northwest of Central, Ark-19, 13:30.
"Optimus Prime, Thunderwing is on the move... He's heading towards our location." Prowl said as he stood in front of a large monitor. Prime walks over to see for himself. "He seems to be slowing down." Prime said. "Seems like he's stopping at the coastline." Prowl added as he & Prime watch Thunderwing transform & carefully land at the coastline next to some large rocks. "Hmm, I've never seen Thunderwing act like this... It would have to be the one controlling him that is keeping him in check." Prime said. "Thunderwing, to Optimus Prime..." Prime & Prowl stood in shock at the thundering voice that came through the comm. channel.
"I want to speak with you. I have some questions & I need answers. Come alone or with your band of freedom fighters." Thunderwing said as Prime held a hand to his chin in curiosity. "You're not really thinking of going out there?" Prowl asked. "It may provide some insight as to who or what is controlling Thunderwing this time. The reward, may be worth the risk... Where's my gun?" Prime asked.
Thunderwing sat on a large rock, staring out at the open water. A pillar of green light appears about fifty yards from him to his right. When the light dies, Thunderwing sees Prime standing before him, holding his rifle. "At ease, Prime. I'm not here to start a fight." Thunderwing stated. "Sorry, but we a somewhat of a bitter relationship." Prime added. "Yes, I am well aware of this. My memories are still scattered, but they are coming to me little by little... But this is far from why I am here." Thunderwing added. "You said you had questions for me?" Prime asked.
"For so long we as Cybertronians have been at each other's throats. We neglect or choose to ignore the greater danger that is on the horizon. Some saw it coming in the distance. Prepared for what may be coming." Thunderwing stated as Prime kept his rifle ready but also seemed curious at what the giant may be talking about.
"I can't help but agree with some of what you said. But I don't understand what you mean by the danger in the horizon. Are you saying that you did this to yourself because of this danger that is coming?" Prime asked.
"Long ago, I saw what was coming from what we did to our home world. I wanted us to survive & evolve. Shockwave, decided to generate more energon. Not the synthetic garbage that we subjected ourselves to. He wanted to grow the real stuff." The giant answered.
"Cosmic Seeding." Even-though Prime muttered out, it did not go unnoticed.
"So, you know of it... Then you must know why my former compatriots are here as well?"
"Most likely, the usual. Resources, extermination of life." Prime answered disdainfully. "Well, I think they're here for something else... Have you heard of a substance called Ore-13?" Thunderwing asked.
"Ore-13?"
"Ore-13, at least from what I know, is the highest energy enriched substance on the planet. Far more powerful than any other energy producing mineral that man can harness... The end result of Cosmic Seeding." Thunderwing's answer seed to not surprise the Autobot leader. "I'm sure the Decepticons know of this... The Ultra-Energon & Ore-13 are one in the same." Prime added.
"There is another substance called 'Red Water'. It's very powerful & unstable... In a facility called Laboratory five, it was used to help create partial Philosopher's Stones. But the Red Water was nothing more than a byproduct of Ore-13... Even though, bits of a true Philosopher's Stone helped to stabilize the Red Water, it was still a short lived process." The giant added.
"How is one of these, Philosopher's Stones made exactly?"
"If you must know, it requires human sacrifice. Essentially, human lives. The more lives, the bigger the stone." Thunderwing answered.
This was the moment Prime became unnerved. "Th-that is just madness... How can they destroy themselves in such a manor?"
"Because, it is in their nature to destroy themselves... Makes you wonder who they remind you of?"
"I suppose you're right... How did you manage to re-activate yourself?"
"I had some help. I was running on fumes when I found a suitable power source..."
"The next thing I want to ask, why did you return here?"
"Because, I have reason to believe that Bludgeon, isn't dead."
"That's impossible. We saw him & you must have as well... Edward & his compatriots, saw him enter the pod & saw him transform into that mess we found."
"All you found was a copy he made, if there is still someone on Cybertron, examine his chest You'll find there is no Spark Housing." Thunderwing said as he stood up & began to walk away. He stopped & turned back to face Prime once again. "One more thing, what do you know about one who calls himself, Galvatron?" Thunderwing asked. "Galvatron? Sorry, I don't know what you mean... But I'll look into it." Prime answered.
"Do so, please. Something or someone is coming & It feels troublesome. It's as though the past wants to come for us." Thunderwing said with a worrisome tone as he transformed & flew off to the East. Prime lowers his head knowing deep within himself, he could feel it. A sense of dread filled him.
100 miles North of Central, 16:00.
Lust & Mustang kneel over a large ventilation grate & watch Lt. Hawkeye as she lowers herself down the shaft by a rope that was tied off to a neighboring tree. "Are you alright, Lieutenant?" Mustang asked. "Fine. Yeah. Dandy... I just was prepared for this." Riza answered. "Lust, Col. Mustang, listen up. The first sign of trouble, above or below ground, the mission is over. Understood?"
"Yes, but-"
"Listen to Ratchet, you guys. The Command Bunker may well be abandoned, but the Decepticons are prone to booby-trap their cast offs. Pint-sized & organic you may be, but they may have set mousetraps!" Bumblebee said.
"Look, we know this "snap-happy" mystery man got in & out okay..." Mustang stated before he began to climb his way down. "Well, all before he was killed... Bottom line, if you want to find out why your enemies switched locations & broke protocol, we need to see the bigger picture." Lust added.
Down below, Riza lights a flare & drops it on the floor. She stood in "awe" of the size of the room. Three corridors connect to the room from the point they entered. Lust jumps down & lands gracefully on the floor below. Riza removes her military coat & leaves it near the end of the rope as Mustang puts his gloves on. "Okay, equipment check, flares." Mustang said.
"Check." Riza & Lust said.
"Scanners."
"Check."
"Comm. Watches."
"Check."
"Right, look, this place is probably huge. We'll cover a lot more ground if we split up... Well, stay in touch & good luck." Mustang said before they went their separate ways.
Meanwhile, Ratchet & Bumblebee remain topside in their vehicle forms. "I hate this, Bumblebee."
"I know Doc, but Prowl wants hard evidence, something that will warrant a whole Alert-status upgrade. Harsh as it sounds & balanced against what else we know could be happening right now, these three, ultimately are acceptable losses."
Down below, some time has past. Lust walks into a room with a tall metal tree like object with coffin like pods hanging from branches. "I found something." Lust said as she took the digital recorder & captured the entire tech-tree. "Can you describe it?" Mustang asked over the comm. "Well, it's a big tree. All metal. Trunk, branches... And coffin like containers hanging off of them." Lust answered. "Anything in them?" Mustang asked. "Not that I can see. But, I'd say they were used as storage... I found one that's closed. There might be something in it. Hold on..." Lust said as she felt around the side for a latch.
"Wait, Ratchet said not to touch anything." Mustang said. "The whole point of this is to find hard evidence as to why they moved..." Lust said as she found the latch to the lid. A freezing mist spills out of the container as the lid lifts up. When it clears, Lust was surprised by a corpse that was held down by a control arm that that was connected from the head of the coffin & rested on its chest. "Well, this is rather disturbing." Lust said quietly. "Lust, where are you? Are you alright?" Riza asked over the comm. "I'm fine. The both of you keep moving." Lust ordered.
Topside
"Bored now..." Bumblebee said. "What's taking them so long? Isolated this area may be, but all of a sudden I'm feeling mighty exposed!... GO!" Ratchet shouted as a thunderous explosion occurs behind them. They quickly drive away from the blast as Blitzwing & Skywarp fly overhead. "What now?" Bumblebee asked. "We have to get them out. Much as it looks like they're responding to a tripped alarm, I don't think that's the case. We weren't the primary target of that strike, the base was! Mustang, Hawkeye, Lust, ABORT!" Ratchet shouted through the comm. "Say again?" Mustang asked. "Get out of there, NOW! Make for the exit point. All of you!." Ratchet exclaimed. "But-" "NOW!"
Below
"Okay. Lieutenant, Lust. Did you get that?" Mustang asked. "Yes, Sir. I'm on my way. Lust?" Riza said as she ran down a hallway, leading back to the entrance point. "I found something I'm going to check it out. I'll only be a moment." Lust said as she came up to foot wide spacing between two walls with a dim light emanating from the other side. "Lust, the mission is over. We have to get out!" Riza shouted, but Lust only ignored her pleas.
Topside
Bumblebee shoots wildly, hoping to connect with the elusive Skywarp as Ratchet looks to deal with Blitzwing. "Blitzwing, Blitzwing... What do I know about you? Triple-Changer, fast, durable, but just a touch on the paranoid side. I'd bet, right now, every sensor is at optimum sensitivity, eyes wide open..." Ratchet said as the gun from his fires a ball of bright energy that explodes into a blinding flash, causing Blitzwing to crash hard to the ground, destroying numerous trees in his path.
Ratchet quickly follows the path & comes up to a large cloud of dust. "Down. But out? I gotta be sure." Ratchet said as he transformed to his robot form. His right forearm opens to reveal a gun barrel. "This is the bit where I wish I had a really big gu-NUUUGH!" Ratchet's speech was cut short when a heavy blast of energy hit him square in the chest, forcing him to fall backwards to the ground hard & out like a light. As the dust clears, Blitzwing sits in his tank form with smoke flowing from his barrel. "Lock & load." Blitzwing said amusingly.
Below
Lust walks out from between the two walls & looks up in surprisement & sees a large robot standing in front of a computer work station. His armor's color scheme was white & black, tank treads mounted to his upper back & lower legs, a large cannon mounted on his right arm & a purple badge printed on the center of his chest. He stares down at her with his glowing red eyes, but does nothing, focusing his attention back at the monitor in front of him.
Lust raises the camera like scanner in front of her & captures the machine's image. Suddenly, the ceiling begins to give way, he does very little still brush away the small debris from his shoulder. Lust a large boulder that almost landed on her, she decides to cut her losses & heads for the exit.
Decepticon Command Bunker, Dibluth.
A large four-legged, drilling machine bores its way into the ground behind Astrotrain, who stood in front of a computer console. "Astrotrain, I'm waiting." Starscream bellowed. "Any moment now, Starscream. The first batch is refining as we speak... The last seam was nothing compared to this. The yield is up seven hundred percent & we've barely scratched the surface. All that remains is to metabolize the Ore-13 resin & power up." Astortrain answered. "Good, good... I'm ready for my medicine!" Starscream said as he rubbed his hands together in anticipation.
Central
Ratchet & Bumblebee race to meet with the others at the exit point as the ground begins to crack & cave-in. "Its going!" Ratchet shouted. "And taking us with it!" Bumblebee added as the made a hard stop in front of Mustang who was helping Riza up. "Mustang, Hawkeye. Let's move out!" Ratchet said. "Lust is still down there! We should give her more time!" Riza shouted as numerous trees started to fall around them. "We're out of time. The command bunker superstructure has given way... This whole area is now one big, sucking pit. We can't stay any longer." Ratchet pleaded.
Suddenly, Lust jumps out of the hole & lands on Ratchet's roof, just a it was beginning to fill with dirt & debris. "Just relax, I'm here. Now lets leave." Lust said as she opened he back doors. "Everyone in! Hurry!" Ratchet shouted. "All I can say is, whatever we got in there, it better be worth all the grief." Riza said closing t back doors as Ratchet & Bumblebee quickly drove away & clearing the area.
A few moments later, as the dust begins to clear, Skywarp & Blitzwing hover over the now, newly made crater, where the bunker once was, before they leave. "Yes! Call me shallow, but that is just so satisfying. Right, Blitzwing?"
"Mm. Not too shabby. Let's call this in & go home Skywarp. I still say, this should have been our first port of call, not our last! What we did here, well, it deserves to be buried. I dunno we, stopped being Decepticons, I guess."
"Ahh, you worry too much. Starscream's right, the prize is worth the-Hey!"
Skywarp quickly turns around & looks at the crater again. "What?"
"Dunno. Thought I saw-" Skywarp was cut off when he saw a fist punch out of the ground, followed by the rest of the body with a furious scream. He stood there as Skywarp began to close-in. "Megatron! Look, we weren't-"
"Traitor." Megatron said in his gravelly voice as aimed his cannon & fired a blast of purple energy at Skywarp, punching through the underbelly & out the other side. He screams in pain before violently crashing to the ground.
Ratchet & Bumblebee stop & turn to face the commotion behind them. "Is that?" Bumblebee asked. "Oh, yeah." Ratchet answered. "MEGATRON!" They both said. "Who?" Lust asked. "Trust me, you're better off not knowing. Certainly no one we're in any hurry to engage." Ratchet said. "Thankfully, he seems to have more pressing matters to attend to!" Bumblebee added.
"Megatron, wait! Don't make me..." Blitzwing said as he transformed from his jet form to his tank form & faced down his leader. "Oh, well." he said as he fired a shot into the center of Megatron's chest. "How quickly they forget." Megatron said as he walked to Blitzwing. He takes another shot at Megatron's chest, but shows no sign of slowing his advance.
"And so, I must remind them... " Out of the smoke, Megatron grabs blitzwing by the end of his gun barrel with his left hand, he picks him up & slams him hard onto his left side, causing pieces of tread & guide wheels to break loose. He picks him up again & slams him hard on his right side & causing more bits of tread, wheels & armor to break away. "All of them."
"This is out of our league." Bumblebee stated. "Way out of our league." Ratchet added. "So... What do we do?" Bumblebee asked. "We alert the others. Even Prowl or Prime can't fail to classify this as a crisis situation. Bumblebee, you get rolling I think we can guess where Megatron's headed next. As for me, I'll analyze whatever data Lust & the others got from the bunker. We need to understand what's going on here, because right now, it doesn't seem to involve us at all!" Ratchet answered as they watch Megatron make his way out of the crater & stares out to the horizon. "Star... Scream..."
