Disclaimer: This story is still going so strong it's not even funny. Okay, it's a little funny! It can also be shocking.

Enjoy the next chapter and remember that I own nothing and claim nothing.

Chapter XIV

Still trapped in the dark recesses of limbo, the Fallen watched the most recent events from planet Earth with marked interest. First, he watched the exchange between Galvatron at the human man he'd abducted and listened. But the Fallen was far, far more interested in the Autobot's recovery of their lost leader, Optimus Prime. The Fallen knew of this particular Autobot. It was Alpha Trion who sired him from the remains of the Cybertronian called Orion Pax. Alpha Trion; the Fallen hated him most out of all the Original Thirteen. It was Alpha Trion who cast the Fallen into the abyss, to be forced to exist outside of the physical plane. So by definition of despising his former brother, the Fallen in turn hated Optimus Prime and every Prime that was to succeed him.

The Autobots had found him and had placed him in some form of intensive care, comatose after seemingly dying in battle. But perhaps the Fallen had nothing to fear. As long as Optimus Prime remained as he was, he wouldn't get in his way. There was still the matter of Rodimus Prime. Optimus Prime's successor seemed strong, but the Fallen knew better. He knew that Rodimus Prime was steadily buckling under the immense pressure of leadership. He would snap and soon. The Fallen also knew that Rodimus held the Matrix of Leadership; the one source of power that could free him from his prison.

That was where his servant would come in; a disgraced warrior from the Great War that ravaged Cybertron, exiled for his crimes just as the Fallen was. That same warrior was now the instrument of his will, to act as his agent. The beauty of it was this; the Fallen gave him no choice. It was either submission or oblivion. The disgraced warrior chose submission…

(("I grow weary of this prison, Cybertronian. It is such as you grow weary of your exile."

"My exile is a fate I deserve after the atrocities I committed," said the warrior. "You deserve far worse than exile for betraying and murdering the Thirteen Original Primes; your own brothers."

"THEY BETRAYED ME," the Fallen bellowed. "They chose to stand against their one true sovereign lord, Unicron the Chaos Bringer. They banished the Quintessons, their creators. Your creators."

"Do not speak as if you are the victim here, Fallen." the warrior said.

"Do not speak as if you are any different from me," the Fallen countered. "It was during the Great War when, in you infinite lust of battle, you brutally massacred both Decepticon and Autobot alike. You speak as though you are without fault, but you are nothing more than a mere hypocrite compared to me."

The nameless warrior fell silent for a long moment before stating, "Yes; I have killed both Autobot and Decepticon. My lust for war overtook me and that is why I deserved to be exiled."

"You long for battle; you crave it," the Fallen stated. "Yet in my presence, you feel nothing but fear and that is why you will serve me."

"Shut up!" the warrior whispered.

"You fear me because I can obliterate you with only a thought. As much as you still crave the lore of combat," the Fallen paused for a moment before continuing. "Your own self-preservation takes utmost precedence. You are weak before me and that is why you will retrieve the Matrix of Leadership and wield its power to release me from my prison."

"I… will not."

"You will… Sentinel Prime," the Fallen growled. "And the universe will know my rage is infinite. Before the Fallen, the universe… will… BURN!"))

The flashback ended harshly for the lone traveler as was approaching the fourth planet from the Sun of the Sol System. In several decca cycles, he'd be landing on the planet Earth and his mission was all too clear; retrieve the Matrix of Leadership. But he never really stopped thinking about that moment stellar cycles ago when he first encountered the Fallen through a tear in the fabric of space and time. He never allowed himself to forget what he did in the Great War; the lives he'd taken from Autobot and Decepticon that led to his exile. He accepted it until the Fallen appeared and threatened him with death, leaving him fearful for his own life. He questioned if he was simply being selfish or if it was that he too afraid of the Fallen to stand against him. Maybe both. One thing was certain though; his name was Sentinel Prime, disgraced Cybertronian war hero. Servant to the Fallen. Murderer. Traitor.

By all accounts, Spike felt betrayed. He needed to confront Chip wherever he might have been hiding in the city since they never had a chance to do that on the flight back. In his frantic search, Spike inquired about Chip's current whereabouts by asking any of the Autobots he might have ran into. Eventually, Rattletrap in his near limitless sarcasm, directed Spike to the hanger bay. When Spike arrived there, he only saw Sky Lynx, the Wreckers, Override and Chromedome. But no Chip. Spike was getting absolutely frustrated because he knew it wasn't like Chip to avoid him like this. It wasn't like Chip to withhold important information from Spike either. Desperate times called for desperate measures.

"Metroplex!" Spike said, speaking directly to the city itself. A large monitor appeared with a static line in the middle.

"Metroplex heeds the call of Spike Witwicky," boomed the voice of Metroplex. "How may I be of assistance?"

"I need to find Chip Chase," Spike stated. "Do you know his current whereabouts?"

"Chip Chase, ally of the Autobots, is currently located within the communications tower with Autobot Cerebros and Carly Witwicky." Metroplex said.

"Thanks, Metroplex." Spike said.

"Spike," Metroplex said, stopping Spike from walking off. "I am aware of the presence of Optimus Prime in the infirmary. His vitals; they are faint."

Spike simply muttered. "Yeah! He's… not well."

"I am… sorry." Metroplex said.

"Me too." Spike said and walked off.

"It isn't like I had a choice, Carly," Chip said to a clearly unhappy Carly. "I was trying to keep it quiet so the Decepticons wouldn't cause a mess."

"In the end, that's exactly what happened, Chip," Carly snapped. "Rodimus and his team were barely able to get Optimus to safety."

"What do you what from me, Carly?" Chip snapped.

At the moment, Spike stormed into the tower and said, "How about the truth," Spike approached Chip looking about ready to slug him, but he held back while Carly and Cerebros elected to leave the room. "Let's hear it, Chip; let's hear you try to justify lying to the Autobots. To me."

"It wasn't a lie, Spike," Chip said in his defense. "I was taking every precaution I possibly could to at least keep the Decepticons from figuring out about the cargo. I took careful steps to keep you in the loop by warning you about an ambush."

"You didn't tell us that it was Optimus Prime," Spike said. "Why hide that, huh? What else have you not told us?"

"If I'd leaked information about Optimus before setting up the convoy, the Decepticons likely would've hit Langley first. That was where Optimus was being kept before," Chip explained. "Gregory Swafford wanted to take Optimus apart piece by piece. I did what I thought was right to protect him."

"Yeah and in the end, the 'Cons found out about him anyway," Spike pointedly snapped. Chip could only turn away. "What happened to you, Chip? We've been friends for years. I never believed in my heart of hearts that you'd ever go behind my back like this."

"I did what I had to do for the sake of… National Security." Chip said with a hint of reluctance.

"Nation Security, my ass," Spike snapped. "You and I; we we're like brothers. You were the best man at my wedding. You were with me and Carly the day Daniel was born. Hell, we mourned my father together at his funeral. I trusted you, damn it."

"I'm sorry, Spike. Okay. I'm sorry!" Chip snapped back.

"Hell no, sorry is not going to cut it this time, Chip," Spike said. "I'd knock you on your ass if I thought it'd make a difference. But I'd be no better than the Decepticons."

Spike stormed off after that, leaving Chip to lament to himself over everything that'd happened. It was in an almost masochistic sort of way that he wished Spike had decked him. But Spike obviously had more pressing concerns, namely, the wellbeing of his son and that teenage girl he'd brought with him. Chip though was more concerned about the psyche of two of particular Autobots. Elita One hadn't left Optimus Prime's bedside since he arrived at the city. The other Autobot, Rodimus Prime, had been unusually distant even before. Both cases left Chip with a sense of doubt that anyone would forgive him for his actions. Quite frankly, he couldn't blame them at all.

Springer and Breakaway were on patrol several dozen kilometers away from Autobot City in their respective vehicle form scanning for any Decepticon activity. They had yet to hear about Optimus Prime but it was likely that they'd find out soon enough. The Aerialbots were also on patrol a few clicks from them. So far, they too hadn't heard the big news. It was likely that alerting them would leave the surrounding area vulnerable to a Decepticon attack, something the Autobots could scarcely afford even with Metroplex backing them up. It was during their patrol that Springer detected something unusual a long distance from his and Breakaway current position. The Aerialbots must've detected it too, because Silverbolt suddenly contact the duo.

"Silverbolt to Springer, we're picking up a strange energon signature several kilometers from our current position. We're already on our way to investigate."

"We're picking up the same thing from here, Silverbolt." Springer said.

"Maybe it's just Depth Charge out for an airborne stroll. You know how he is; all brooding and angry." Breakaway quipped.

"I doubt it, Breakaway," Silverbolt chuckled. "We're sending the following coordinates to you now. We'll secure the area until get there."

"Copy that, Silverbolt. Don't celebrate until we get there." Springer quipped.

"No promises. Silverbolt out."

"What'd you think, Springer? 'Cons again?" Breakaway said.

"I doubt it," Springer said. "Let's just go check it out before the Decepticons get suspicion."

Breakaway was already gunning his thruster. "Last one there has to sit through a Rattletrap rant." Then Breakaway jetted off.

"Always on the move." Springer mused before moving to catch up with Breakaway.

The object that had only just entered Earth atmosphere was coming down toward the valley of the Oregon Mountains in a fiery blaze. Some distance away from the object's trajectory, the Aerialbots were flying into range to intercept it. There was so far no sign of the Decepticons anywhere within range of the object, which was a good sign overall. Then it appeared that the object was listing to the right, as if it was being directed that way. That meant one thing; the object was very likely to be a vessel of some kind. It also meant that whoever was piloting the vessel was in serious trouble. The Aerialbots gunned their engine hit either Mack Two or Three and they ended up breaking the sound barrier.

The vessel was by that point enflamed as it was making a barely controlled descent, leaving a smoldering contrail behind as it went. The descent angle was steadily becoming steeper and the front of the vessel was yawing to the left. Then the vessel impacted the ground with a loud crash, skidding across the ground and slamming into random outcroppings in its path. Soon after, the vessel came to a sudden halt with its hull battered and several small patches of fire around it. The Aerialbots approached the wreckage of the vessel and all assumed proto form one by one, taking flanking positions around it. Once he was certain that the area was clearly, Silverbolt turned to his fellow Aerialbots.

"Okay, we've got a couple cycles before Springer and Breakaway get here. Fireflight, Slingshot and Air Raid; you three secure the parameter," he said and the three chosen Aerialbots did as commanded. Silverbolt turned to Sky Dive and said, "You and I will check the ship for any life signs."

"You know, I was kind of hoping the Decepticons would be on us by now." Fireflight said.

"Maybe they're getting drunk off red energon." Air Raid quipped.

"Stow it, you two." said Silverbolt.

"Silverbolt, you'd better take a look at this," Sky Dive said while he was already atop the hull of the vessel. He pointed to a set of marking when Silverbolt approached. "What that look like to you, boss?"

Silverbolt had to take a closer look and he mused, "That looks like Cybertronian writing. It's old but still readable. While I'm not exactly adept at reading this kind of writing, I think it roughly translates as 'Exile'."

"'Exile?' Wait a nanosecond; you're saying this vessel is Cybertronian," said Slingshot. "Don't get me wrong; I mean, we did go back in time at one point, but I don't remember Cybertronian ships looking like that."

"That makes two of us." Silverbolt said.

"Silverbolt," Air Raid said. "We've got Breakaway and Springer inbound."

The familiar sound of a helicopter rotor was gradually growing louder when Springer eventually appeared in the sky. Then there was the sound of a jet engine and the F-35 C Fighter alt form of Breakaway appeared. Breakaway assumed proto form and landed gracefully beside his friend Slingshot, both greeting each other with fist bumps. Springer assumed proto form before landing on the ground just across from the strange crashed ship and he was just as confused by it as Silverbolt, whom he hastily approached.

"So what's the situation, Silverbolt?" he asked the Aerialbot leader.

"About a few cycles, this ship came through Earth's atmosphere and made a wicked crash landing. Note the debris," Silverbolt explained. "Check out these markings," he pointed to the scripture on the hull of the ship. "What's that look like to you?"

Breakaway took a closer look at the scripture and said, "I'm no historian, but these markings look Cybertronian. Except, I don't remember our ship looking anything like this."

"That's probably because this ship is a lot older than the current generation of vessels. I'd say before the Great War." Silverbolt said.

"Maybe Kup would know," Air Raid said. "He's pretty much a walking relic anyway," Then he got looks from the trio of Autobots. "What?"

Suddenly, the hatch of the ship began to open slowly with a whiff of vapor spewing from inside. The startled Autobots deployed their weapons and took defensive positions around the ship in the event the exiting party was hostile. Once the canopy was clear, a large metal hand with blue and gold coloring appeared grabbing the edge of the opening. It didn't stop the Aerialbots, Springer or Breakaway from staying defense nor did it really fill them with confidence. Whoever was emerging from the ship was… large. As the mysterious occupant rose from the ship's cockpit, the seven Autobots began to study him; he was considerably large with mostly blue and gold armor. His helmet resembled a three pronged crown, similar to the one worn by Galvatron. That alone was a bad omen. As he struggled to climb out of the ship, the new arrival tumbled to the ground where he landed almost face first.

Springer, unsure of what to make of the occupant, cautiously lowered his gun and approached him. Breakaway and the Aerialbots kept their weapons trained. The arrival rose to his knees but still needed his hands to stay level. That was when Springer noticed the Autobot insignia on his chassis. Though he remained cautious, Springer knelt down beside the new arrival, who then his face for the first time. Scars lined his face, none of them fresh or recent. His optics shimmered a brilliant blue hue as he gaze at the Autobot beside him.

"Where… where am I?" he asked with marked exhaustion and confusion.

"You on a planet called Earth," Springer stated. "You ship made a crash landing and we found you inside it."

The new arrival sounded almost too winded to speak clearly but he managed to say, "The war… the Great War. I remember fighting in the Great War. What happened; did we win?"

"That hard to say," Silverbolt said. "You mind telling your name?"

The new arrival started to stand up with Springer's help and eventually made it to his feet. He was still holding his side. "You first…"

The two Autobots exchanged wary gazes before one of them said, "My name is Springer and this is Silverbolt, leader of the Aerialbots."

"Aerialbots?" the newcomer repeated.

"We're an Autobot subgroup consisting of myself…" Silverbolt said before introducing his team one by one. "…Sky Dive, Fireflight, Slingshot and Air Raid."

The newcomer was startled when a seventh Autobot approached. "I'm Breakaway," he said and held out his hand, which the newcomer didn't accept.

"Who's in command of the Autobots on this planet?" he asked plain.

Again, Springer and Silverbolt were more than a little wary and Silverbolt said, "Our current commander is Rodimus Prime. If you want to meet him, you might want give us you name."

"My name is of no consequence," the newcomer stated. "I need to speak to your Commander right now. It's a matter of great urgency."

Now Springer was getting very concerned; something was not right. "Look, whoever you are, I give my word that we'll take you to see Rodimus, but first we need a name."

The newcomer tensed up and eventually introduced himself. "My name is Sentinel Prime. Now, it is extremely imperative that I speak to your Commander. Now!"

"Wait; did you say your name was Sentinel Prime," Silverbolt asked out loud to which the newcomer nodded. Silverbolt glanced at Springer who had the same increasingly wary look on his face. "Give us a nanosecond."

The two Autobots turned away from Sentinel Prime, huddled together and started whispering to each other. "Sentinel Prime is supposed to be dead. How could he standing right in from of us?" Springer said.

"It might be a Decepticon trick," Silverbolt whispered back. "Maybe we should just play along for now."

"I don't like it," Springer whispered. "Something's not right."

As the two Autobots silently conversed, Sentinel Prime tensed up drastically. Then he heard the voice. "Destroy them, Sentinel. Destroy them all!"

"No, I won't!"

"Do it, NOW!"

"No…" Sentinel fell to his knees holding his head in agony. The Autobots that were present had no idea was to make his bizarre behavior.

Springer approached Sentinel, kneeling beside him. "Hey, hey! You okay here?"

Sentinel was trembling, as if he was being violently attacked from within. Then he became still and said very clearly, "I'm fine, nothing to worry about," Sentinel raised his head to face Springer. "I've got everything under control."

By the time Springer began to realize that something was absolutely not right about Sentinel, he heard the sound of a transformation from Sentinel's right. Then came the swift and sickening sound of steel scraping against steel. It only took Springer a nanosecond to realize that he had a single edged blade impaling into his chassis. The Aerialbots and Breakaway barely had a microsecond to process what had just happened; Springer was just mortally wounded by Sentinel Prime. Sentinel Prime threw Springer down and focused on the Aerialbots, deploying a large rifle from his right arm.

He quickly fired on the bemused combiner team and immediately struck the nearest of them, Fireflight. The shot produced a hail of laser fire that ripped through the hapless Aerialbot before he fell lifelessly to the ground. The same hail of laser fire caught Slingshot and Sky Dive before they had time to react. Silverbolt, Air Raid and Breakaway attempted to fire back but Sentinel Prime simply and almost effortlessly sidestepped the ensuing laser fire from their weapon. Then he fired back and managed to strike down Air Raid as he attempted to take off. Silverbolt deployed a vibroblade and charged Sentinel, who deployed his own melee weapon and blocked the first overhead swipe from Silverbolt.

"Breakaway, get out of here now," Silverbolt shouted. "Get back to the city!"

Breakaway didn't like to argue nor did he wish to leave. But knowing that he was no match for Sentinel Prime, he jumped into the air and took off toward the sky. He stopped and hovered in place, watching as Silverbolt fought Sentinel. But it was already a losing battle. Silverbolt attempted to fight off Sentinel for as long as he could, but he was clearly and hopelessly outmatched. He wasn't a close range fighter and it showed, but he still kept fight Sentinel as Breakaway watched from above. Eventually, Silverbolt was twisted around so his back was to Sentinel, and then Sentinel ran him through from behind with his blade. Sentinel then sent an electrical charge through the blade into Silverbolt and then put Silverbolt out of his misery. Disposing of the now dead Aerialbot, Sentinel turned his attention to the still airborne Breakaway.

Breakaway was seemingly frozen in place watching the sudden deaths of the Aerialbots but he had no time to mourn. Sentinel again deployed his ranged rifle and fired on him. Breakaway was able to dodge the blast before assuming alt form and flying off. Sentinel still took one final shot and managed to clip Breakaway on his underside. Despite the injury, Breakaway got away. Sentinel remained and took in the devastation he caused, looking around at the bodies of the dead Aerialbots. He dropped his rifle and fell to his knees.

"No, not again," he said. Then he heard something from behind him. He turned and noticed the first he'd wounded, Springer was his name, trying to crawl toward him. Picking up his rifle, Sentinel approached Springer until he was standing above him. "Stay down, Autobot. Please, don't make me kill you."

Springer struggled until he was to grab hold of Sentinel's leg. "Why," he asked. "Why did you do this?"

"I…" Sentinel was struggling to give an answer. "…I have no choice."

"Finish him!"

Sentinel aimed his rifle and pulled the trigger. One moment and a blinding white flash later, there was nothing left of Springer. Sentinel Prime mused to himself, "Primus, forgive me!"

In the back of his mind, the voice of the Fallen mused, "Such heroic nonsense."

Author's note: That ends yet another chapter and, we've finally seen the debut of Sentinel Prime. It's interesting that I originally wanted to portray Sentinel as a sociopathic Autobot obsessed with claiming the Matrix, kind of akin to the character Thunderwing. Go look him up if you're confused. I instead chose to make him a more conflicted character, make him regret his actions while also serving the Fallen out of a sense of fear and self-preservation.

Or we can just call it selfishness. Either way, Sentinel made his debut by outright killing Springer and the Aerialbots. I'm sorry to any Springer or Aerialbot fans, but if it draws emotional responses then I've done my job.

Spike and Chip had their little chat. I originally wanted Spike to slug Chip but decided against it sense I wanted Spike to still have some integrity while being upset. I've also hinted at the fate of Sparkplug and I should add more background to that at a later time. So, tell me what you think so far.