Lantern
Optimus dropped the Roadblock's laser rifle. As that bit of green energy broke apart, he crafted one of Bumblebee's stinger pistols in each hand. His fingers jerked the triggers back as quickly as he could, launching bolts of concentrated electricity into the Manhunters. The first three robots fell, their limbs contorted and their eyes blank. But the next two took a half-dozen shots each before they were disabled. One of the them managed to fire a particle beam, striking Prime in the chest. It failed to penetrate the additional layer of emerald armor the Autobot was maintaining, but it did knock him back. Optimus dismissing the handguns and generated a construct copy of Ironhide's rotary cannon.
"They are adapting faster," he informed Ganthet, as the Guardian sliced another enemy in three with planes of the Light of Will.
Prime had quickly abandoned melee combat, as it interfered with Ganthet's aim. Instead he manifested various guns his allies and enemies had used in battle. But as the siege continued, he found that the Manhunters could relay the damage they had taken to their comrades, allowing them to adapt their force-fields to that weapon. Their adaptation did not seem to apply to the Guardian's attacks of pure Will. Optimus attempted to duplicate Ganthet's slicing green ribbons, but for some reason his strikes were weaker than those of the organic immortal. Optimus chalked it up to their relative experience with the emerald energy. So he kept changing between weapons. At one point he tried switching his copied guns after every shot, but he found creating and dismissing the constructs that frequently was too draining.
"Their shields may only be able to counter two or three types of energy at a time," Ganthet deduced, "but they can still store patterns you have used before. So if you repeat they can adapt to a specific weapon more quickly each time."
Prime switched to Soundwave's sonic blaster, and shredded the next Manhunter to force its way through the increasingly debris clogged door. By his count they had destroyed just over half of the thousand Manhunters that were supposed to be at the base. But Ganthet was starting to gasp for breath with each sweep of his arms, and Optimus's Energon reserves were down to sixty percent.
The final piece of the green light mechanism clicked into place, as the wind started to shift. No longer concerned about losing their cover, the Guardians made no effort to remain within the retreating clouds. They maneuvered the titanic torus back into position over the Node 03 construction site. Half of the Guardians began to charge the device, while the others turned outwards to watch for any intrusion by the Manhunters.
Optimus cut down another of the robots with a green replica of the axe he had left behind when he attacked the Nemesis, on Cybertron's final day. Then he swept wreckage back into the entryway with an enlarged Will copy of his left hand. Ganthet assisted with the task of keeping the entrance mostly blocked. It was all he could manage, the immortal no longer had the energy or focus to even float.
He took a step back to observe the entirety of their makeshift barricade. Unlike the humanoid, Prime would not begin to show signs of exhaustion until his Energon supply was almost depleted. Despite appearing to be operating normally, the Autobot was down to forty percent power. At first shaping the light of Will had been a greater drain than moving, but the more he used the power, the more efficient he became. But even though he was getting better, he calculated his Energon reserves would be at critical levels by the time the Manhunters were destroyed. And that was assuming only the original complement of smaller robots were present. The Autobot had attempted to use the green energy to replace or regenerate his batteries, but it had not worked. Optimus was not sure if it was his own failing, or a limitation of the power of Will.
A row of lasers punched through the remains of their fallen comrades, and thirteen new Manhunters swarmed into the room. Prime cut down the first with ease. The remaining drones raised their arms and peppered him with orange and yellow lasers, and particle beams. He caught the majority of the rays by expanding the green shield over his left forearm, but one of the amber lasers punched through both layers of Will armoring and scorched Optimus's right side.
The Autobot leader charged forward, his blade bisecting one enemy at the waist. He swept the axe back, striking two Manhunters with the flat of the blade, sending them flying into another. He continued forward, his foot crushing the chest of the next robot in the line. The seven remain attackers opened fire again, before he could interpose his shield. Instead, he dismissed the shield, focusing the green light on protecting his head and torso. He endured the initial barrage, and caught one Manhunter on the point of his axe, using it to soak up the next volley. He flicked the remains at the furthest Manhunter, destroyed its right arm without fully disabling it. Optimus jumped as his arm reached full extension, his high arc carrying him over the heads of the Manhunters. He landed in their midst, his left leg clipping one as his axe beheaded the two still facing him. His left hand snapped back, crushing the torso of the undamaged Manhunter. Two more quick slashes finished off the damaged renegades. Prime push the new slag back into the opening, noticing anxiously that no other Manhunters were visible in the gap.
"Did they give up?" Ganthet asked slowly, "Did they determine it was not worth the losses they are taking, to finish us?
"Possibly," the Cybertronian sounded doubtful, "But the Manhunters do not care about losing troops, if they can fulfill their mission. And right now they might be able to salvage part of the Node. If they leave us alone, we can finish dismantling it. No, more likely they are waiting for reinforcements, or..."
His speculation was cut off as the remains of Node bulged outwards and then exploded into the room. Optimus was barely able to conjure a green version of Bulkhead to shield them from the shrapnel. As the Autobot construct faded, Manhunters flooded both the original opening and the newly cleared entrance.
A burst of electricity began withto circle in the Guardians creation. All ten of the immortals used their Wills to steady it, as a rumble echoed upwards from the surface. Seconds later, Node 03 shot through the linear accelerator, having been ripped off the planet by the immense Gauss. It flew away from them at nearly the speed of light, rocketing towards the system's star. The Guardians followed, to make sure none of the Manhunters, either free or plastered to the sphere by the magnetism, could divert its course. As it grew closer to the sun, the metal started to glow red, then white. Only once the Node entered the photosphere did the humanoids break off pursuit.
Prime swung both his blades wide, clearing some space and buying himself a few nanoseconds to think. In addition to the construct copy electrified axe, he had recreated one of Prowl's broad bladed vibro-daggers in his left hand. The knife helped in dealing with Manhunters which got too close for his primary weapon.
Ganthet was tucked in a corner of the room under a bubble of Will. The Guardian was trying to recover enough to help the Autobot, but the Manhunters continually assaulted his barricade. Optimus frequently glanced back to verify that his ally was still safe. And it was just after he created the gap in the automatons attacking him, that he saw a bolt of focused yellow energy punch through Ganthet's shield and narrowly miss him.
Optimus bounded across the room, gingerly picked up the exhausted immortal, and transformed around him. The APC hit the ground roughly, and Prime tried to accelerate into the Manhunters. But the fragments of armor plates and pools of lubricant limited his traction. And though the space was large enough for his more nimble robot mode, the Autobot's wider and longer vehicle mode did not have room to build up speed.
He formed a bubble of green energy around them, and tried to manifest guns outside the field. But the free floating weapons were less accurate than when he held them, and the constant rain of energy made it difficult for Optimus to track his opponents.
"We are in trouble, aren't we?" Ganthet took a deep breath, trying to recover his mental energies.
"I've been in worse spots," the Cybertronian answered.
"I am of no use to you now," the Guardian countered, "And while you are protecting me like this, you cannot effectively fight back."
"At this juncture, even if I were to transform, I would run out of Energon before I ran out of opponents. But we have the advantage. Every moment you can rest, is a moment that you can defend us later. And we only have to hold out for the team attacking Node 03 to finish. We will be fine, as long as we don't give up hope."
As Optimus finished his speech, his force-field suddenly bulged outward, throwing the closest Manhunters back. The distended sections of the wall of Will broke off, and took on forms familiar to the leader of the Autobots.
Prowl darted past the front line of Manhunters, and began cutting them down from behind. Though he was not much larger than them, the two-wheeled cyber-ninja was significantly faster. Each robot he stopped next to fell into six to eight pieces, sliced apart by the Autobot's blades.
Ironhide stayed next to Optimus's force field, his heavy forearm cannons blasting through the renegade androids. Unlike when Prime had created one of the weapons, the construct's guns fired bolt of pure Will. And like Ganthet's more subtle attacks, the Manhunter's shields did not appear to be able to adapt to the pure form of the emerald energy. He mowed down the back row, and then started taking out any new Manhunter that dared to try to enter the dome.
Bumblebee stayed between Prowl and Ironhide, his stinger pistols taking out any Manhunters that slipped past Prowl or tried to stay outside the melee Autobot's reach. Bumblebee seemed to know exactly where Ironhide was going to shoot, and ducked and weaved to stay outside his larger ally's line of fire.
"Very well done, Optimus Prime," Ganthet noted with a hint of awe, "Though you could have done this earlier and saved both of us some minor injuries."
"I am not doing this," Prime sounded confused as he watched the duplicates of his fallen friends fight.
"Well, I certainly am not," Ganthet confirmed thoughtfully, "Perhaps you are doing it subconsciously."
"I don't have a subconscious. And if I did I do not think it could have all three of them move so seamlessly, nor do I have the processor speed or subroutines to mimic Prowl's ninjutsu."
Ganthet looked dubious, but accepted his friend's words.
"Maybe it is the Matrix. You said to contains a part of the Sparks of each of your deceased comrades. Maybe they are tapping into your Light of Will from within the Matrix, to fight with you one last time."
"It isn't impossible," Optimus said uncertainly.
Suddenly, the last five Manhunters in the room slumped. The three construct Autobots ceased their assault, but watched the other mechanoids carefully.
"Strike force one, this is Oa," the voice of the Manhunter's creator emerged from Prime's ring, "We have sent to shutdown signal to the Manhunters. But Ganthet has been out of telepathic contact for seventeen minutes. Please respond."
Prime's comrades saluted him, and then faded from existence.
"Gentleman." The Guardians generally opened their meetings with the word 'Brothers' but changed it this time to include Optimus Prime. The Autobot stood amidst the immortals, his normal red and blue coloring restored after returning the ring which had linked him to the Light of Will. In the center of the chamber was a heavy stone table, with a giant parchment tome surrounded by thousands of rings.
"We have come through a great crisis. And in so doing, we have discovered the new path to the future. Diversity can be strength, and other beings can prove worthy of our trust. So, let us now commemorate the inauguration of our Green Lantern Corps."
Ganthet floated forward.
"The universe has been divided into three thousand six hundred sectors." Everyone present already knew what the named Guardian was going to tell them. The Oans had even included Optimus in their discussions of how their new police force should be structured. However, the formal announcement was not only pomp and circumstance, it also served to enter their decision into the official record.
"A ring and a lantern battery has been crafted for each sector. The ring will store a Green Lantern's portion of the Light of Will, and the battery will recharge the ring once its power is spent. For both our protection and the protection of the Lantern, the ring itself will not provide a direct connection to the Central Battery, and the lantern battery will not be able to shape the Light of Will."
"In addition," the creator of the Manhunters took up the discourse, "Twenty five special rings have been created, rings for Lanterns with a purpose not tied to any one sector."
"Twenty of these rings will belong to the Honor Guard. The Honor Guard will live on Oa and assist in the protection of the Central Battery. They will also provide assistance in the face of a threat too great for a single Lantern. Or should a Lantern require a respite, the Honor Guard can protect that person's sector for a brief time as well."
"The final five power rings will be for five Lanterns who will each fulfill a unique role," the bearded Guardian moved closer to the table as he spoke, "The Recruiter, who will find those worthy of bearing the rings. The Instructor, who will train new Lanterns how to control the Light of Will. The Chronicler, who will record the greatest successes and failures of the Corps into the Book of Oa. The Seneschal who shall serve as intermediary between the Green Lanterns and the Guardians. And the Inquisitor who shall investigate charges of wrongdoing made against a Lantern, and if necessary, bring Lanterns to justice."
"Our Corps will need time to grow, and will almost certainly change. But that is for the future. Now, we induct our first Lantern."
Ganthet drifted over to the the table, and placed his hand over the first of the Honor Guard rings. Though he did not touch it, the band seemed to adhere to his palm, hovering over it as the Guardian floated over to the Autobot.
"Optimus Prime of Cyberton, you have a strong Will, a just heart, and the ability to overcome great Fear. Welcome to the Green Lantern Corps."
"It is a great honor," the robot rumbled. Upon his agreement, the ring moved away from Ganthet, hovering before Prime's eyes.
The original ring Optimus had been given was an unmarked band of emerald. This ring was made of a green metal. It broadened in the front, and had smaller emerald in the shape of the symbol of Will embedded in the face.
Prime caught the ring, and slipped it onto the middle finger of his right hand. As with the first ring, it expanded to fit his massive digit, and as it clicked into place, his coloring changed. In addition, this time a large, stylized green lantern appeared before his left hand. Optimus gripped the battery as well.
"To charge the ring, you must speak your Lantern's Oath. How will you pledge to use this power?"
The Guardians all seemed to slow in anticipation. They had told Optimus about requiring each member of the Corps to create an oath, to remind the Lanterns of their duty. But they had not asked Optimus what his oath would be.
Freedom's every sentient's right.
I'll guard them all with my Will's Light.
Let evil's followers know doubt;
Green Lantern Corps, transform and roll out!
It was an unremarkable nebula in an unremarkable galaxy, over five billion light years way from the center of the universe. It was a single asteroid, on the surface no different than its millions of brothers in the cloud of stellar debris. But the unobtrusive rock began to emit a steady signal. And if anyone had been looking, and if they had had the requisite knowledge, that being might have seen the Oan numerals '04' glowing under the surface...
"Our counter types have begun to move."
"As we knew they would."
"The light of Will spreads forth again."
"And so we prepare to meet it."
"The vessel must be prepared."
"The vessel must be repaired."
An agreement reached, the Weaponers of Qward began to slice away the warped and scorched slag around Megatron's Spark chamber...