Night had fallen, engulfing the city in a blanket of darkness. Few Cybertronians roamed the streets at this time, preferring instead to tuck themselves away in the safety of their quarters while chatting with long lost friends over the comm. system. And for those who did choose to brave the outside world, there was still the threat of structurally unsound buildings toppling over if hit in the wrong way, small swarms of Scraplets which had yet to be exterminated and the planet's resident Predacons who could occasionally be spotted stalking an innocent refugee for the sake of having some fun.
For these reasons, the Autobots had sent out security teams to patrol the streets in search of potential dangers. They did not force any kind of curfew, as had once ruled them in the caste system, but simply stated the facts and advised citizens to be wary of whatever might lurk in the shadows.
"YOW!"
First Aid spun around with wide optics. "What? Where is it?"
The grey-green mech shoved him out of the way with a scoff. "Cool it, kid. I just stepped in a puddle of acid from todays storm."
First Aid sighed. "Be more careful of where you step, Kup. You could easily injure yourself out here and I can't imagine how you would get along if you were berth ridden for a few orns."
Kup shot him a glare. "Oh, excuse me for not having the perfect optics of a Sparkling on my corroded carcass."
"I'm not a Sparkling," the Protectobot responded with the slightest hint annoyance. "I am simply concerned for your well being."
"My well being? Kid, I've been disassembled and reassembled by a bunch of Junkions, eaten and regurgitated by a space slug, and babysat a Dinobot for a couple centuries."
"You?" First Aid said with a smirk. "And a Dinobot? I can't imagine that being a good idea."
Kup smirked back. "Reckless as a wrecker, too."
First Aid paused. "Sorry, Kup. I just have a hard time-"
"You accusing me of lying, kid?" Kup shoved his arm in the younger's face. "See those scars? Teeth of a Dinobot." He reached down to his right knee and popped the joint out of place. "That happened when he decided to sit on me."
First Aid suppressed the urge to roll his optics. "Right."
The green mech frowned. "Fine. Don't wanna believe me?" He turned around and pointed to his rear. "Take a gander at that."
The Protectobot yelped and jumped back, immediately covering his optics. "Okay, okay! I believe you! I believe you!"
Kup turned back, laughing heartily.
First Aid glanced at the old mech, shuddered and turned away. "I can never unsee that."
"Are you two done yet?" Arcee asked as she approached. "I could hear you all the way back at the old emergency outpost."
"Don't get your gears wound up, femme-bot. It's not like there's anybody recharging tonight. We got enough of that in the stasis pods on the way here." The tow truck rose to his pedes with a groan, popping several joints back into place.
"I realize you've seen and been through a lot, Kup," Arcee started, "But I'm not sure you fully comprehend how serious this situation is. The Predacons are perhaps one of the biggest threats posed to returning Cybertronians at the moment. We need to be on the alert at all times."
"On the alert for Preds and hunting Scraplets," First Aid stated. "We'd cover more ground if we split up."
Arcee thought to herself for a moment. Nodded. "Take Kup with you. He probably knows more about dealing with Scraplets than anyone else on this planet."
The older mech's optics sparkled. "Do I know about Scraplets?" He laughed, transformed, trailed along beside the ambulance. "Have I ever told you about the time at the start of the war when the Cons dropped a Scraplet trap on my squadron?"
Arcee smiled to herself as she watched her team fade into the night. It was good to be back on Cybertron, though she did find herself missing Earth pretty regularly. Her spark now belonged to two worlds and, oddly enough, she found that she was okay with the constant sense of longing for home. She would visit Earth soon enough, but for now she had a job to do.
Transforming back to vehicle mode she began her trek down the long, empty streets of New Kaon. It was hard to believe that this had once been the capitol of the Decepticon army. Filled with life and a new sense of hope, it was shining and growing more and more every day.
She was pulled from her thought by an odd scraping sound to her right up ahead. She slowed and transformed to bipedal, preparing her weapons as she approached a narrow alley.
Careful. Careful. Careful.
She turned the corner and charged her blasters. "Who's there?"
Silence.
Arcee forced herself to relax. "Just my imagination," she mumbled. "Better safe than sorry." She took a few more steps into the alleyway, feeling an alarming sense of paranoia settling over her. Something was here. And it was watching her.
She froze. Backed away. Maybe calling for backup was a good idea.
Another scraping sound reached her audials from farther up the road. Her spark raced. What was that?
She quietly made her way to the next alley, steeling her nerves. "It's nothing," she told herself. After a pause she stepped into the darkness, searching for whatever had made the noise.
Nothing.
She spun around toward the road just in time to see a figure duck behind the corner of the building.
"Hey," she called. "Who's there?"
A shuffling noise and then the sound of pedes clanging along the metal road in a sprint seemed awfully suspicious to the two-wheeler. Against her better judgment, she pursued.
"Stop! I just want to know your name!"
The figure pause up ahead to look back at her, then darted down another street.
He was fast.
Arcee transformed in an attempt to keep up. She chased him for several minutes, taking random turns and switching from vehicle to bipedal and back again several times in order to navigate the maze of dilapidated buildings.
She came to a screeching halt after clearing the edge of the city. She stood and once again readied her blasters.
Far ahead the figure had come to a stop. He stood still as a statue, a dark shadow in the distance with two glowing optics staring directly at her. She felt her spark race once more.
"Who are you?" she called.
The figure glanced to his left, raising a servo to point at some sort of mass beside him then turned and walked away.
Arcee waited until she couldn't see the figure anymore before making her way to the object pointed out to her. She scanned the area and, finding no other life signatures near her, bent down to get a better look.
"I really should call for backup," she told herself.
Taking the mass in both servos, she gave a few good pulls and popped the top off of-
"Scrap."
Hundreds of blue orbs sparked to life as a swarm of Scraplets fixed their sights on the two-wheeler. They dropped their jaws and bolted from their stasis pod and onto the frame of their prey.
Arcee screamed and fired randomly in an attempt to scare the little pests away, but to no avail. They clamped down on her arms, legs and torso, pushing her to the ground.
Arcee kicked and shrieked as she felt her leg slowly being chewed through. To her horror, a couple of Scraplets flew at her faceplate and sunk their teeth into the side of her helm.
She could feel her frame being engulfed in a pool of her own energon. Her vision blurred and her body felt heavy. This was it. This was the end.
The sky was suddenly illuminated with a bright, orange light as an unnerving warmth flooded Arcee's body. A warmth that quickly became unbearably hot.
The Scraplets abandoned their meal and flew into the sky. They looped around and came careening back toward the injured Autobot, engulfed in a blast of bright light.
Arcee blinked. It wasn't light. It was fire. And the Scraplets weren't flying; they were falling.
One by one they rained down to the ground around her, some making impact with her bruised frame.
She groaned, fighting to stay alert. Someone shrieked behind her.
No. It was a roar.
She forced her optics to focus as a massive head appeared above her. Two yellow orbs peered down at her with such fierce animosity that she couldn't still the tremble that shook her.
Her vision blurred again and then her world turned black.
Megatron found himself pacing on occasion. Not because he was worried, no. He simply was letting his mind wander and that made him restless. He had always loathed the feeling of being confined to one area as he was now. It reminded him of his days spent in the mines of Kaon.
He needed to release some frustration.
"Hold him down!" Knock Out demanded. Cauterizing wounds was much more difficult without anesthetics to keep an already hysteric patient still.
Starscream thrashed about from the pain that came with being prodded, a look of sheer terror in his fading optics. His mouth opened in protest, though his vocalizer refused any sound from escaping.
Soundwave moved to pin the Seeker with his remaining tentacles, careful not to cause anymore damage to his frame.
Megatron watched on in rueful silence. He had once sought to free Cybertron from the oppression of the elite cast, yet now that his eyes had been opened, all he found was destruction and agony in his wake.
He did not pity Starscream, per se. The wounded flier was an opportunist from the beginning. He cared only for himself, took too much pride in his own accomplishments, failed to recognize his shortcomings and did not take the time to consider how his actions might affect the bigger picture.
He was not so unlike Megatron himself and could easily be considered the embodiment of the chaos and corruptions the warlord had brought upon the citizens of his world.
He did not pity Starscream. He pitied Cybertron. And perhaps, even more so, himself.
Knock Out gripped the remains of what had once been Starscream's wings and forced him down. "Starscream, you have to listen to me. You're losing energon too fast. I can't help you unless you stay still!"
Megatron was pulled from his thoughts by swooshing sound outside. His optics narrowed. "Who's out there?"
He opened his optics, still humming the tune in his head. It was time. He had been given one mission. One purpose. And now he could finally see it through.
Hurry, hurry, little mechs and femmes
You've not much time to learn our plans
Be ready to fight a war from within
Trust your enemies and kill your friends
He had already started putting the game into motion. He did not know why he was so anxious to accomplish his task, but every moment spent waiting for the next move had become agony to him.
You thought you were safe, but see you were wrong
You shall fall and perish at our song
There is no hope, no Prime to save
We shall laugh as we dance upon your grave
His frame shook in anticipation. The command would come. He just had to wait.
The time is soon. You all will see
The enemy was never who you thought it to be
Now Newspark and old alike will fall
Enslaved you will be to your master's call
What is happening here?