Primeval

Chapter 4

In the halls of the Kaon command center, it was mostly quiet, save a few who were making their way out of the building. The one exception was a young Autobot running as fast as he could to the central command. He was venting hard as he tried to find it. He slowed down for a moment and stopped a nearby passerby.

"Excuse me…" he gasped, "Where do I find… central command?"

The passerby pointed in the direction where it was and the Autobot took off. When he finally made it, he heard voices talking.

"Very well, soldier. We shall begin assigning scouting units with those already at our disposal. And for that, we must strengthen the security around the city."

"Thank you, sir."

The Autobot waited for a moment, and then stepped into the room. Immediately, he recognized the Autobots Ultra Magnus, Arcee, Bulkhead, and Bumblebee. He knocked on the side of the doorframe, "Excuse me?"

They turned and saw him. He immediately stood at attention, "Sir."

"At ease, soldier," Ultra Magnus sais, "What news do you bring?"

The Autobot relaxed, "Sir… I believe… I believe that some of my friends have gone after the Predacons."

The entire room fell silent. Bumblebee stepped toward him, "What makes you say that?"

"Well, sir, ever since they attacked that home building, my friends were talking about going over and teaching them a lesson. I never thought they would actually go and do it. The last time I saw them was a few cycles ago. I was looking for them and starting to get worried. When I asked some others where they were, they told me that they went driving off somewhere, and hadn't yet returned. I assumed the worse, and came running here."

"What is your designation?"

"Bluestreak, sir."

"And you saw them when exactly?"

"Two cycles ago."

Bumblebee turned to Arcee, "Two cycles. We were at the medical bay at that time, right?"

Arcee nodded, "Kid, we need you to tell us everything you know. Your friends could be in real danger."

"Yeah, sure," Bluestreak said, "I tried to get them to scrap the idea. I kept telling them it was crazy. But they wouldn't listen to me. Are they gonna get in trouble?"

"That all amounts to what they're planning to do."

"If these Autobots took it upon themselves to engage the Predacons," Ultra Magnus said, "Then we must locate them immediately. There is no telling what damage they may have already caused."

"But, the Predacons attacked us first. Wouldn't it be more justified to send in backup for them?" Bluestreak asked.

Bumblebee Arcee, Ultra Magnus, and Bulkhead all looked at each other.

"Should we tell him?" asked Bulkhead. Ultra Magnus turned to Bluestreak, "The Predacons residing at Darkmount were not responsible for the attack."

Bluestreak's optics widened, "What? But… they attacked civilians. It was clear to everyone that it was the Predacons."

"Indeed it was Predacons, but we believe that new ones have emerged somehow, ones who are not aligned with Predaking."

"Oh, Primus. You have to find them, sir. They're gonna get themselves killed!"

"Take it easy, kid," Bulkhead reassured, "We'll find them."

Bluestreak nodded. At that moment, a transmission came through on the monitor.

"Bulk," it was Wheeljack, "I suggest you send shoulder pads and the others down to the courtyard, pronto."

"What is it?" Bulkhead asked.

"Predaking," said Wheeljack, "And it looks like he's brought us a welcoming present."

Everyone looked over at Bluestreak. His spark started to sink, "Oh, no."

In the courtyard, Wheeljack watched through a pair of binoculars as the three Predacons, Predaking leading in front, descended from the skies. He heard the other drive up behind him and transform. Each Predacon carried two crumpled Cybertronian forms in their claws. Before they landed, they dropped all six on the ground. They then backed up a few feet and landed on the ground. The six groaned and struggled to their pedes. Predaking transformed into his robot mode enraged.

"What is the meaning of this, Autobots?!" Predaking shouted, "We followed the pact you proposed, kept to our borders, and allowed you passage into our land for information! And this is how you repay us? By sending assassins to exterminate us?!"

Bluestreak went over to help his friends, but Skylynx and Darksteel shrieked at him. He jumped back in surprise.

"Predaking," said Ultra Magnus, "You must understand, these were their own actions. We did not instruct them to attack you."

"If what you are saying is the truth, then why did they attack us?"

"I believe it will be best if we discuss this inside."

Predaking growled and looked to Skylynx and Darksteel, then turned back to Ultra Magnus.

"Very well, Autobot. There had better be a justified explanation for this."

Predaking walked with Ultra Magnus into the capitol building. Darksteel and Skylynx trailed right behind them. Whilst they ventured inside, everyone else helped the six injured Autobots up. Bluestreak went right over to a young red bot with orange flames. As he helped him up, he said, "You glitch-heads, all of you. I told you that you shouldn't have gone."

The young bot looked at him, "What choice did we have, Bluestreak? It was us or them."

"Get them to the med bay," Bumblebee said, "Then I believe we need to have a talk."

After they treated his injuries, which weren't as serious as the others, they brought the young bot down to the detention center. He remained quiet most of the time, except to talk to his teammates to make sure they were okay. After a couple of cycles, they had him brought down to an interrogation room.

"I don't like this," Bumblebee said, "He's just a kid. He's younger than me, and we're treating him like a criminal."

"In a sense, he is," Bulkhead said.

"Bulkhead's right," Arcee said, "He was the first to violate the treaty and consciously led an attack against the Predacons. But you're right. It' doesn't seem right to treat him like that."

Bumblebee looked at the security footage of the young bot in the interrogation room. He looked alone and small. He vented, "Let's get this over with."

They went into the room. The young bot looked up and shifted in his seat. He was nervous, and everyone could easily tell. Arcee sat down in front of him and looked at him straight in the optics. The young bot look down at the table.

"You got in quite a bit of scrap today, didn't you?" said Arcee.

"Yes, ma'am," said the young bot.

"What's your name?"

"Hot Rod, ma'am."

"More like Hot Head, based on what I've seen. Are you aware of the kind of trouble you've caused? Not just for us, but for every Cybertronian that is presently here?"

Hot Rod looked up, "I didn't mean for anyone to get hurt. It's just… we can't let the Predacons do that to anyone again! If we don't show them we mean business, then they're gonna keep attacking us and grow stronger and stronger! They're gonna over run us someday, when we least expect it because we put our trust into them."

"We're only talking about three Predacons."

"You saw what two of them did! Yes, we attacked them, but they attacked first! If you're gonna blame someone, blame me, not my friends. It was my idea, and they just came along."

"I do blame you," Arcee said flatly, "I think you're driven by your blind ambition and stupidity to do what you think is right before talking to others. I think you sometimes have trouble controlling your anger, and that motivates your patriotism and will to fight for your race. You don't have the capacity to think. All you know how to do is act. And I think it's a miracle that Predaking didn't chew you up and spit you out, as he should have."

Arcee nodded, "It's a wonder why your name isn't Hot Head."

Hot Rod frowned and looked down again. Bumblebee intervened, "How long ago did you plan this?"

"Uh, a little after the attack."

"Did you see the footage beforehand?"

"…No. One of my friends was in that building. He told me what happened."

"So, you carried this out without any other source of information?"

Hot Rod nodded. Bumblebee vented, "We want to help you out, Hot Rod, but you're making it harder on our part."

"I'm sorry, I am. How much trouble am I in, exactly?"

"I'd say… a lot," said Bulkhead, "We'll go through it with Ultra Magnus, but disrupting the peace is kinda a big deal."

"Disrupting the peace?" Hot Rod's brow rose, "What do you mean? I didn't attack first, they did!"

"We haven't told a lot of people this, except your friend, Bluestreak," Arcee said, "But we think that the Predacons that attacked us were not under Predaking's command. Meaning, that the treaty wasn't broken until you attacked Darkmount."

Hot Rod's jaw dropped. He sat back in his chair, completely stunned.

"Holy Primus," he whispered, "Geez, I didn't- if I had known- oh, Primus. I am so sorry. I'm… I'm so stupid!"

"There's nothing your can do about it now, kid," Bumblebee told him, "We'll handle it from here."

Arcee stood up and they started to leave. Hot Rod stood up, "Wait, what happens now? With the Predacons? With me?"

Bumblebee turned to him, "Sit tight. You're gonna have to stay here for a while, but you'll want to. Most who ignite Predaking's anger get the bitter end of the deal."

Hot Rod's optics widened as they left the interrogation room.

"What is it that you are saying?" Predaking asked Ultra Magnus.

"So to be clear," Ultra Magnus said, "You and the other Predacons were at Darkmount during the attack?"

"We were attending to a… personal agenda during the time you spoke of. So, yes. We were at Darkmount."

"Then it is possible that the attackers were other Predacons, possibly more of Shockwave's creations."

"Other Predacons," Predaking mused. The thought of more of his species lifted his spark. He had to find them, bring them under his rule so that they could live their lives the best way Predacons could. He looked over at Skylynx and Darksteel. They were wide-eyed with excitement. He remembered that feeling when he heard that he was no longer the only Predacon. He turned back to Ultra Magnus, "What else do you know about them?"

"No one has spotted them since the attack, so we don't have much to offer."

"Then what do you have to offer?" Skylynx snapped. Predaking held out his servo in front of him, and Skylynx fell silent.

"You must tell us everything you know about these Predacons," Predaking said, "It is my duty to find stray Predacons and bring them under my care. And it is your duty, Autobot, to keep your citizens safe from harm. Given what these Predacons have done, I believe we can find some sort of agreement, don't you think?"

"That was just my thinking," Ultra Magnus said, "But first, you must forget the actions brought on by these Autobots. These are the actions of boys, treat them as such."

Predaking thought for a moment, "Very well. I pardon their actions against me. But know that if they or anyone else crosses my path again in such a way, I will shred them into scrap metal."

Ultra Magnus clenched his denta, "Duly noted. Now, from what we know, there were only two Predacons that attacked. We believe that one might be a femme."

"Femme?" Darksteel chimed in. he started to giggle and Skylynx slapped the back of his helm.

"Yes… a femme," said Ultra Magnus confused, "Witnesses state that the mech was black and red and the femme was brown and blue. There's nothing more we have, except that they seem to like to play with fire a lot. We were planning to send out scouts to find them."

"That is more than enough for us," Predaking said, "If the Autobots should find them before we do, then I take comfort in knowing that you will hand them over into our custody, so that they might be properly trained."

Ultra Magnus nodded, "Agreed. Thank you for listening, Predaking."

Predaking nodded and he turned and left the command center. Darksteel and Skylynx trailed after him, and soon they were gone. Ultra Magnus sat down in front of one of the monitors and vented. It was a little hard to believe that he was doing politics with the mech who deprived him of a servo and tried to kill him far more than once. He smiled to himself. Perhaps this is what progress in a new age looked like.

After mulling on that for a few moments, he contacted Bumblebee, "Bumblebee, begin assigning scouting units and send them out as soon as possible."

"Yes, sir," Bumblebee responded.

"I will begin sending out public notices about what is going on and warn the citizens not to attack the Predacons. With our luck, we'll stop any others from launching their own campaign."

"Yes, sir. Good luck."

After a few cycles, the scouting units were en route to their designated areas. Smokescreen was paired with Prowl, an Autobot who was one of Arcee's old teammates. He was mostly quiet, so they must have been good friends. They were assigned to scout the demolished city of Tyger Pax. The city was huge and looked like a ghost town as they drove through it. Smokescreen remembered watching old horror movies with Miko back on Earth, and if zombies were about to jump out on them, he was not going to be happy.

"So," he said to Prowl, "When did you get back to Cybertron?"

"Yesterday," said Prowl, "I had to travel all the way from the Vexus star cluster to get here. Long trip."

"I've never been."

"It is a sight to behold, except for all the plasma storms."

"Must be nice to be home then?"

"Yes. I am patient, but the wait has been long indeed."

Smokescreen wasn't quite sure what else to say. If they were going to be in a patrol together, then it would make sense for them to actually get to know each other.

They came up to a cluster of buildings. There was no flat ground for them to drive on, so they transformed into their robot modes. Prowl led the way through all the rubble and chunks of building that had fallen. In the midst of the rubble, Smokescreen saw the old, rusted forms of fallen Autobots and Decepticons, probably never to return to their homes. Prowl led them into a large building with giant holes in the walls. He walked through without a word. Smokescreen followed him with uncertainty.

"What makes you think Predacons might be in here?" he asked.

"It's just a guess," Prowl told him, "But if they were looking for old Predacon bones, which would make sense in order to make more Predacons, this would be the perfect place."

"Why?"

"It's a museum." Prowl pointed to old artifacts that were scattered across the floor.

"Oh," said Smokescreen. They passed through the chambers of the museum until they found the prehistory section. There was broken glass everywhere, but no fossils.

"Three guesses who," Smokescreen said. As they walked further through the building, they heard thumping and clanking coming from the far end of the hall. They approached closer and could hear voices.

"I'm tired of looking for all these bones," grumbled a deep mech's voice, "'Go get this bone. Go get that bone. This is the wrong bone. I've already got that bone.' Every other word I hear from his mouth is bone. Why can't we go and do something else?"

"Because the last time we tried something new," said a rich feminine voice, "You nearly burned me and yourself to a crisp. Don't you remember that?"

"Oh, yeah. I forgot."

The femme's voice scoffed, "You are a hopeless scrap-for-brains, Dreadfire. Do you know that?"

"Yes, Terraclaw."

Smokescreen and Prowl followed the voices to the end of the hall. There was a room at the very end with the doors half blown off. As they came closer, the voices kept talking.

"How come you're so smart, Terraclaw?"

"Because I was bred with reason and logic, while all you got was muscle and the sense to embarrass everything Predacon."

Smokescreen's pede caught on a metal pole and he tripped fell flat on the ground. Prowl yanked him up and they ran to either side of the open doors.

"What was that?" said the femme voice.

"Was it scraplets? Please say it's not scraplets!"

"It's not scraplets, glitch-head," the femme whispered, "Someone's listening."

There was silence except for the sound of one of them transforming. Smokescreen and Prowl looked at each other with wide optics. They flattened themselves against the wall as one of them emerged from the room. Smokescreen's spark was pounding madly. The Predacon was gigantic, nearly taking up the size of the hall, and was red and black all over, just like the descriptions they were given. His tail swayed back and forth, but he didn't seem to notice them. He growled and started to sniff the air. Smokescreen and Prowl transformed their servos into blasters and the Predacons whipped around and roared. Soon, the entire room burst into flames.

Finally, Predacons! Woohoo!

Okay, so a round of applause to Fanatic97 who guess correctly who the idiot boy was! When I saw that, I just started laughing so hard! So, the next chapter should be coming out here soon now that I get to use my Preds. I'm excited for that. Until then, review, follow, and favorite!

Oh, and Energon cookies for whoever points out the Thor line :)