Author's note: Here we are again, another update. Thanks again for the reviews. Hope you enjoy the new chapter and the direction the story's taking!
Optimus' team had all piled into Bumblebee's room after being dismissed by Ultra Magnus. Sentinel, Jetstorm and Jetfire had followed; the room had become quite cramped.
Bumblebee hardly noticed. He was sitting on the floor, playing Ninja Gladiator on his console against Jetstorm. He was winning.
Jetfire sat impatiently next to his brother, "Hurry and lose, brother! I am to be going next!"
"Please to keep dreaming, space slug!" Jetstorm replied. An argument broke out immediately.
Ratchet tuned it out and turned to Sentinel Prime, who stood alone in a corner of the room, scowling.
"So, you bring those incinerator charges I asked for?"
Sentinel opened a compartment in his back-mounted pack and produced several small, bronze cylinders. He handed them over to Ratchet.
"Nice", Bulkhead said, leaning over Ratchet's shoulder, "But are we really gonna need that many charges, doc-bot? One should be enough to destroy an Omega clone".
"I had a thought when I contacted Cybertron Command this morning", Ratchet explained, "We're going to need to destroy what's left of Megatron's command ship on the moon. It's too dangerous to leave lying around: just look what Starscream and Megatron managed to do with the technology hidden away in it".
"Word", Jazz said, "The sooner we can kiss goodbye to that hunk of bad news, the better".
"Maybe", Sentinel growled, "Although I still say we should have sent a salvage team in to investigate first".
"A salvage team? Why?" Bulkhead asked.
"We might have found something useful. Unfortunately not everyone's processor is functioning as well as mine and Ultra Magnus overrode my request and ordered it destroyed immediately"
"Glad he did. We got all the protoforms out of there safely. What else is there to find?" Ratchet pointed out.
"There could still be a few juicy Decepticon secrets tucked away up there", Sentinel leaned back and smiled unpleasantly, "Who knows what we might have found".
"I don't like the sound of that", Jazz whispered to Arcee.
Ratchet looked away, "The sooner we vaporize that thing, the better".
"Yeah", Bulkhead nodded, "The thought of that thing lying up there gives me the creeps".
"Training, sir?" Optimus raised one eyebrow, "But I know nothing about training. Sentinel was always the one who wanted to be a drill sergeant".
"I'm positive you will excel at it", Ultra Magnus insisted, "And frankly, your level of combat experience is far too rare among the Autobots to remain unutilized. We must look at the bare facts".
"Sir?"
"If we learnt one thing from the recent Decepticon uprisings, it's that the average Autobot is unprepared for war. All across the outer rim of the galaxy entire Autobot platoons were crushed by the Decepticons, even some of our most promising Autobot cadets. Dozens were destroyed, many hundreds more were badly damaged. They were simply unprepared and not strong enough to meet the Decepticon threat".
Optimus noticed the Commander's grip on the Magnus Hammer had tightened, but his arms trembled ever so slightly and he looked ahead with a fixed, grim stare, as if recalling something deeply unsettling.
The Commander of the Elite Guard stood alone in the empty Council Chamber, admiring the great statues and engravings of the Cybertronians of legend adorning the walls. In his hand was the very same Magnus Hammer that was portrayed in many of the artworks.
The door retracted, and another Autobot walked in. Ultra Magnus turned to regard Longarm Prime, the genius head of Cybertron Intel. A cheerful, approachable yet somehow unassuming 'bot, stout and dependable.
"Greetings, Longarm Prime", Ultra Magnus said, "Have Sentinel and his crew made contact with Optimus' team on Earth?"
Longarm stopped just in front of his Commander and saluted, "Nothing to report, I'm afraid sir. Local weather interference has prevented us from reaching them".
"Ah", Ultra Magnus turned back to the statue display, "We'll know soon enough".
"Oh yes, soon all will be revealed".
Something in Longarm's voice made Ultra Magnus turn to face him, but when he did, he just caught sight of Longarm transforming, but not into a vehicle mode. The squat bot's limbs lengthened until he was nearly as tall as Ultra Magnus; claws extended from his hands and horns from his head; the very face of Longarm was replaced by a blank, dark plate of metal with a single red optic as its only feature.
Last of all, the Autobot insignia on his chest rotated out of sight and was replaced with a Decepticon symbol.
Before the shocked Ultra Magnus could react, the Decepticon fired his arm-mounted cannon. The blast slammed into the Commander's midsection and knocked him off balance, stumbling away. As he looked up the Decepticon fired again, this time sending him crashing to the floor.
Ultra Magnus hit the floor hard, but he was an experienced combat veteran and wasn't about to let a surprise attack get the better of him. He climbed to his feet swiftly, but as he did he saw the Magnus Hammer lying on the floor between the two of them. He lunged for it, but the Decepticon's arms extended to an absurd length and seized it in its claws. The arms retracted and the attacker stared at Ultra Magnus, expressionless, Magnus Hammer held across its body.
In that moment the Autobot Commander recognized his attacker. A former member of Megatron's inner circle during the Great War, supposedly destroyed during the latter stellar cycles of that conflict.
"You're…you're Shockwave!" Ultra Magnus gasped.
"The very same", without a further moment's hesitation, Shockwave swung the Hammer high. It connected with Ultra Magnus' temple, cracking his helmet and exposing his circuitry.
Ultra Magnus' vision was fading and he nearly went into stasis from the force of the blow. He staggered away, but as he did he deployed his two shoulder-mounted missile launchers. He fired, blindly, but one missile exploded close enough to Shockwave to hurl him through the air.
The smoke from the exploding missiles was thick. Shakily, Ultra Magnus stood up straight and primed his missile launchers again, scanning through the smog for a target.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Shockwave leap forward. He turned to face the Decepticon, but his injuries slowed him. Shockwave struck hard with the Hammer and the Commander fell.
Ultra Magnus' internal systems were failing. His servos were barely operable and his armour on his left side was severely cracked. Out of the smoke loomed Shockwave, the shining optic steady and focused on his target.
For the first time, the magnitude of Longarm's true identity hit the stricken Autobot. Access codes, battle plans, fortification blueprints, the location of Autobots throughout the galaxy…all that information was in the servos of the Decepticons. And had been for centuries. .
"Don't worry", Shockwave said quietly, "History will thank you for your contribution to Lord Megatron's reclamation of Cybertron".
With that he swung the Hammer down with crushing force, pulverising plating and circuitry. He brought it down again, and again. And again.
Ultra Magnus had no concept of how long Shockwave had beaten him with the Hammer. Barely online, he could only just detect approaching voices from outside the Council Chamber. The blows stopped and Shockwave said nothing, and after a while Magnus realized he must have fled to avoid detection.
The voice called out, "Longarm! We know you're in there!"
Optimus watched Ultra Magnus quiver, his fingers curled tight around the Magnus Hammer and his stare distant and fixed.
"Sir? Are you alright?" Optimus asked.
Ultra Magnus relaxed and the tremble left him, "Yes. Yes, quite alright", he inhaled deeply and his composure returned, "As I was saying, our forces were no match for the Decepticons.
"And while the capture of Megatron may subdue the 'Cons, it will not end their menace. Soon they will regroup, and they are far more numerous and more organized than we had been led to believe by Cybertron Inte…by Shockwave".
"I realize that, sir", Optimus replied, "But my crew and I have little experience in training. We gained all of our combat skills the hard way".
"Maybe so, but I'm willing to bet you can still pass on a trick or two to our fresh recruits", Ultra Magnus said sternly, "And what's more, this planet is the number one hotspot for Autobot – Decepticon conflict as of late. If the rookies are going to encounter a real Decepticon anywhere, it's here".
Optimus considered this, "Well, that's certainly true. How many Autobots are you intending to send, sir?"
"Only small teams at first. When they've been trained to a satisfactory level, they will depart and pass on their training to other Autobots, and so on and so forth. If all goes well we'll have a combat-ready populace within a stellar cycle or two".
Optimus nodded, "Who will you send first, sir?"
"I will consult with Cybertron Command on that matter. At the moment our forces are spread throughout the galaxy repairing the damage done by the Decepticon attacks. You will probably not receive any new recruits for a few deca-cycles, so that will give you the time you need to prepare your team for the task at hand".
Optimus nodded thoughtfully, "Well sir, if it's an order, my team and I will do our best to train any Autobots you send out way to the level you require".
The older 'bot smiled slightly, "I knew I could count on you, Optimus Prime. I am positive you will excel at this task. I will update you on the project's status soon. And remember, if any Autobot volunteers present themselves before then, they are to be trained also. This is your duty to the Autobots and to Cybertron".
Optimus nodded, "Thank you sir. I'll do my very best", he hesitated as a thought came to mind, "Speaking of duty sir, about Sentinel…"
"Don't worry about Sentinel Prime. I'll see to it that he gets to keep his rank, despite one or two…questionable decisions taken during his time as Temporary Magnus".
"I'm glad to hear that, Commander".
"Although if I had to guess, I'd say it'll take more than maintaining his rank to heal the injuries to Sentinel's pride".
"You're probably right there, sir".
"What's more, I won't interfere with the reassignment of Jazz and Agent Arcee to your team. They can serve you better than they can anyone else right now.
"And on that note I think I'd better be leaving", with a slight groan of pain Ultra Magnus slowly got to his feet, using the Magnus Hammer to prop himself up, "I have to officially announce my return to office to all of Cybertron, and hold a Council meeting".
Optimus stood up and waited patiently as Ultra Magnus called to Sentinel. After a few seconds Sentinel Prime, Jetfire and Jetstorm marched in.
"Sir!" Sentinel snapped off a salute.
"We're returning to Cybertron."
"Already?" Jetfire asked, "But us and the geeky yellow 'bot have not finished tournament!"
"Shut your mouthplate, soldier!" Sentinel snapped.
"Farewell, Optimus Prime", Ultra Magnus said, and saluted. Optimus returned the gesture.
"I won't keep you. You have work to do", the Commander strode away, followed by his troops.
Optimus and Sentinel exchanged a final glance, and then the Elite Guard were gone.
A few megacycles later, Optimus led the way through the dense forest of Dinobot Island. Following him were Bulkhead, Jazz and Arcee. They had come to destroy the dormant Omega Supreme clone that had crashed onto Dinobot Island, while Ratchet, Bumblebee and Sari had headed off to deal with the one that still lay in the streets of Detroit.
Optimus had brought Bulkhead with him because, with Prowl gone, Bulkhead knew the island and the Dinobots better than anyone else on the team. He had chosen Arcee and Jazz to accompany them because they were both unfamiliar with the island and its inhabitants, and if they were going to remain on Earth…well, the sooner they got used to them, the better.
"So…these um…Dinodudes", Jazz began, as brushed his way through the dense foliage, "What's the deal with them anyway?"
"They're robot Dinosaurs that were given sparks by Sari's key", Bulkhead answered, "At first they kinda went on a rampage, so me and Prowl moved 'em here where they could get some peace".
"Without my knowledge", Optimus added, a little sourly.
"Hur-hur, yeah", Bulkhead grinned sheepishly, "Anyway, it worked. Kinda. They've caused us a few problems now and again, but overall they're decent 'bots".
"What is a…'Di-noh-saw-r'?" wondered Arcee, as they continued their trek underneath the towering trunks of huge trees.
"I can field that one", Jazz replied, "Back in the late 20th Century, 'The Dinosaur' was a funky dance the humans did. But to do it, apparently first you had to open a door and get on a floor. I caught 'the Dinosaur's' sweet tunes back when I was looking up Earth music history. Sweet stuff".
Optimus and Bulkhead exchanged baffled looks.
"So…what's a 'robot Dinosaur' then?" Arcee asked, equally confused, "A robot drone designed to perform this dance?"
Up in front, Optimus tried not to laugh, "Actually, that's not what a Dinosaur is. Or was, I guess. A real Dinosaur looks kinda like…"
"Me, Grimlock!"
The four Autobots wheeled about to face a thick tangle of bushes and vines to their right. After a moment the undergrowth erupted and out charged a massive shape.
It was a bipedal robotic giant with a barrel-like body and a long tail. Powerful hind legs ended with monstrous talons, while the two forelimbs were tiny and equipped with two hook-like digits. At the end of the strong neck was a boxy head with robust, powerful jaws and fearsome teeth. Two blue optics were locked onto the Autobots with predator-like focus. The beast was armoured with dark silver plating, with golden and red ornamentation.
Arcee and Jazz recoiled with fear.
"Wait a nanoklik", Optimus said.
Optimus and Bulkhead stood firm, shoulder-to-shoulder. The mechanical Tyrannosaurus rex stormed towards them, roaring angrily.
At the last second however, the stopped in its tracks. It loomed over Optimus and Bulkhead, glaring at them.
"Me Grimlock not like intruders!" the Dinobot growled in a thunderous voice.
"We're not intruding", Bulkhead said pleasantly, "We've come here to get rid of all that Decepticon wreckage that crashed here a few solar cycles ago".
"Rarrg!" Grimlock shook his head and snorted, "Me not care! Me Grimlock want to know what happen to Spider Lady", he thrust forward and leaned down to stare Optimus in the optic, "What have you done with Spider Lady?"
"I haven't done anything. But she's gone, at least for now", Optimus replied as calmly as he could, "She left".
"Urrragh! Autobot lies! Autobot bad! What you done with Spider Lady?!"
Optimus remained patient. Everything he and the rest of his team had learned about dealing with the Dinobots, they'd learned from Prowl. He'd always emphasized gentle, quiet answers, simple explanations, and above all else, patience. It was not advisable to start a shouting match with Grimlock.
"Blackarach…I mean, 'Spider Lady' had to go. But I'm sure she'll be back", Optimus replied, unsure whether or not he hoped that was true.
Grimlock blinked stupidly a few times. Apparently this explanation had satisfied him for the moment. Eventually he reared up to his full height and looked over Optimus' shoulder, noticing Jazz and Arcee for the first time.
"Who they?"
"Fellow Autobots", extending an arm slowly, Optimus gestured to the bewildered pair, "Our friends. Good friends".
"Hrng. More Autobots? Me Grimlock think…" he stopped in mid-sentence and stared at something.
Optimus followed his gaze. He was looking at Arcee. An unwelcome thought crept into Optimus' mind.
"Who that?" Grimlock said.
"Me?" Arcee pointed to herself, "I'm Arcee".
The Dinobot began wagging his tail like a happy dog; a rather destructive act for an eighty-foot long metal Tyrannosaurus that uprooted a large tree and cracked the trunk of another.
"Me Grimlock like her!" he exclaimed, "Her pretty".
"Oh…um…" Arcee was stunned, "Well…erm…thank you".
Optimus clasped his hand to his forehead. On reflection, bringing Arcee had been a rather poor idea.
On the other hand, Bulkhead saw an opportunity, "So…you mind if we get to work, buddy?"
"Urrh?" Grimlock did not take his optics off Arcee, "Me Grimlock say okay. You go do work. Oh, better! Me Grimlock help! Maybe Pretty Girl 'Bot like Grimlock then!"
"Oh, well…" Optimus looked over at Arcee, who looked somewhat alarmed, "That's…really not necessary, Grimlock, but…"
The 'bot threw his head back and roared, rattling the trees and scattering a nearby flock of birds. The Autobots covered their audio receptors with their hands and winced.
After a moment there came two answering bellows. A few seconds later a great shape swooped down and perched on a tree next to Grimlock – a winged, clawed robotic Pteranodon by the name of Swoop. Its long golden beak and red head crest swivelled in the direction of Arcee.
From the bushes crashed the third member of the Dinobots – a squat, quadruple mechanical beast almost as large as Grimlock, with a wide shield around the neck, a pointed head with a sharp beak and three great, red horns; two long curving ones above each optic, and a smaller one above the beak. Snarl, the Triceratops.
"Swoop, Snarl", Grimlock growled, "You help me Grimlock help Autobots!"
The other two Dinobots didn't respond. They were both staring at Arcee with slack-jawed expressions of utter amazement.
"Rrrrarrrgh!" Grimlock span to face them, "You keep away from Pretty Lady Bot! Me Grimlock saw her first!"
Snarl turned to look at Grimlock and snorted contemptuously. Grimlock responded by lowering his head and butting his fellow Dinobot. As he turned to face Snarl his tail knocked Swoop off his perch and the angry flier hurled himself into what had become a melee.
Optimus looked back at his followers, "Let's just go".
Jazz nodded, "Sounds like a plan".
They crept away quietly, following their sensors which indicated an enormous Cybertronian reading up ahead. Soon they stumbled upon the giant remains of the Decepticon copy of Omega Supreme; a purple and teal titan with a face similar to Lugnut; but the optics were dimmed and lifeless, the clone's systems utterly destroyed in a devastating attack Optimus had performed with the Magnus Hammer.
"Let's get to work", Optimus said, holding up the small cylinder that was an Autobot incinerator charge.
"Remember, Ratchet said to plant it in the 'bots spark chamber", said Bulkhead.
"Right", Optimus fired up his jet pack, took Jazz by the arm, and rose over the giant mountain of metal, heading towards the spark chamber.
Bulkhead and Arcee waited for them off to one side. Bulkhead fiddled awkwardly. Having been raised on an energon farm before being sent to an all-male Autobot academy class, then transferred to Optimus' all-male space bridge repair team, he didn't have a lot of experience talking to femmebots.
"So", he stuttered, "Um…you like Earth so far?"
"Oh yes, it's wonderful", Arcee replied eagerly, "I had a brilliant time yesterday. Humans sure are an interesting species. And there's so much to see and to do in the city!"
"Yeah, humans are pretty cool", Bulkhead nodded, "You should see their artwork! I've been having a go at it myself. It's kinda hard to understand, but…"
"I'd love to see it sometime", Arcee said.
"Really?" Bulkhead's jaw dropped.
"Yes, really".
"Wow. That's not what the guys usually say", Bulkhead grinned, "They usually say art's a big waste of…"
The ground trembled. Bulkhead and Arcee turned to see Grimlock galloping towards them in his Dinosaur form. Evidently he had shaken off Swoop and Snarl.
He was carrying something in his fanged mouth. As he drew nearer Bulkhead could see it was a rose bush. Grimlock halted before the two Autobots and transformed into his robot mode, a hulking giant of a robot, as large as some of the largest Decepticons, with brawny arms, clawed hands and a fearsome visage.
He gripped the mangled rose bush in one claw and thrust it towards Arcee, "Me Grimlock pick these for you!"
"Oh!" Arcee looked at the red-flowered plant, "Erm…uh….thank you".
"You take it! Me Grimlock pick so you can keep it!"
Arcee gingerly reached out and took the bush from Grimlock's mighty hand, "Um…err…"
"You like?"
"…Oh…yes, I do".
"Hurhurhur!" Grimlock chuckled to himself, "She like it!" he began to hop up and down on the spot in a childish dance.
Arcee leaned over and whispered to Bulkhead, "What are they?"
"They're roses", Bulkhead answered, "Humans use them to, like, be romantic. And stuff".
"Oh. Right", she sniffed at them dubiously, "But what are they, exactly?"
"It's a kinda plant, an organic lifeform. I think I heard Prowl say that flowers are the reproductive bits of plants".
Arcee suddenly looked distinctly ill, but to her credit she did not drop Grimlock's gift.
Snarl and Swoop crashed down the path through the trees Grimlock had created, transforming into their robot modes as they came; Snarl was stout and broad, Swoop slender and elegant.
"You stay away from Pretty Lady Bot!" Grimlock growled, "Or me Grimlock…"
He was cut off by the roar of Optimus' jets as he flew towards them, carrying Jazz. A few seconds later the Omega Supreme clone began to glow a bright yellow, then it began to disintegrate, fragmenting and imploding with a crackling noise until eventually every last centimetre of the carcass was consumed by the yellow incendiary light. The light faded with a flash, leaving no trace of the clone, but also causing no damage to the surrounding forest.
"Man, no matter how many times I see one of those babies at work", Jazz said as he hit the ground and sprang to his feet, "It's always as funky as the first time".
The Dinobots stared at the spot the clone had occupied only a few moments previously, utterly baffled.
Optimus dusted his hands off, "Looks like Ratchet was right about those charges. They really did the trick".
"We should get back ta' the others, Prime", Bulkhead said, subtly gesturing towards an increasingly unnerved Arcee, "Better get back to work on fixing up the city and…"
"Where cycle robot?" Grimlock asked suddenly, "Nice cycle robot usually comes with car robots. Where is cycle robot?"
No-one answered.
"Where is cycle robot?" Grimlock demanded to know.
"He's…gone, Grimlock", Optimus said quietly.
Grimlock leaned forward, "What you say?"
"He's offline. He's with the AllSpark now", Jazz looked away, lost in thought.
"Huh?" Grimlock looked from Optimus to Jazz, and back again, "Me Grimlock not understand. Where is nice cycle robot?"
"Gone", Bulkhead repeated.
For a long while the three Dinobots stared at the four Autobots, sensing their mood. Then eventually it seemed to sink into their processors.
"Huuurorggh!" Grimlock cried, in a bellow that almost sounded like a moan, "No! Cycle robot was Dinobot's friend! Cycle robot was good!"
"We know. He was too good for this world", Optimus answered quietly.
All three of the Dinobots bellowed and whined pitifully, groaning in distress. It was an upsetting sight.
Grimlock's optics flared, and he drew his black sword that burst into flames, "Who do this to cycle robot?!" he roared furiously.
Optimus considered his answer. Technically it was a choice Prowl had made himself, but it had been the direct result of Decepticon action. He decided to keep things simple for the Dinobots.
"The Decepticons".
"Rrrrrargh! Me Grimlock destroy Decepticons! Dinobots destroy Decepticons!"
Snarl and Swoop howled in agreement.
Optimus blinked. The Dinobots had never shown any interest in fighting the Decepticons before. In fact they had aided Blackarachnia and one of them, Snarl, had been the pseudo-pet of the Constructicon Scrapper for a while.
"You guys wanna fight the Decepticons?" Bulkhead asked incredulously, voicing Optimus' thoughts.
Grimlock glared at them, "You Autobots fight Decepticons? Then Dinobots help Autobots fight!"
Optimus listened in disbelief as the words of Ultra Magnus echoed in his processor:
If any Autobot volunteers present themselves, they are to be trained. This is your duty to the Autobots and to Cybertron.