He reached out in hope and desperation. He reached out with a plea, a simple plea for help.
Not for him, but for his loved ones.
He was past saving himself, he saw no hope for that. But while he could, he wanted to protect those he loved. He would exhaust all his strengths and more if it meant keeping them away and out of harm's way.
"Please," he whispered softly, so softly that one had to wonder if he had even spoken at all. "Please, help."
He lost track of time. He did not know how long he had been held prisoner in his own body. It was so easy to just power down and be done with it all, but the Fallen would not allow him. He was going to make his passing into death as painful as possible.
And with his death, the Primes would be no more.
The Matrix could not be offered to anyone else without the Fallen snatching it once it was out of his grasp. No, it was a stolen possession now, just as he was.
He knew the evil intent of the Fallen, he could sense it and he refused to sit back and allow it to happen.
"Please," he reached out again, trying to grasp that flicker of light, trying to touch that severed bond that had been broken by death.
The bond flickered as if in response before forming into a faint, fragile line. It reached out to him for a moment, answering him.
He felt her presence, her aura bringing memories and welcome feelings back. She knew what he needed, knew what he wanted. She responded to him with shocked feelings and an urge to help him.
"You could die," she said, her voice soft and concerned.
He closed his optics. "Please, help them."
She did not respond as he pulled back, but he could feel her reluctant determination. She would act, she would answer her brother's pleas of desperation. She would abandon him to fulfil his wishes.
"Solus," he breathed out, her name like a prayer as he was pulled back into his prison, the bond once again dead.
But she felt it, and she was ready to take action. Besides, it's not like she hadn't been keeping an eye on the one who held the Key to Vector Sigma.
Everyone was tense and wary, optics flickering around in anticipation. "What should we do?" Arcee asked, breaking the silence. It was just her, Bulkhead, Bumblebee and Ratchet. They were all gathered in the middle of the base, awaiting orders. It was night and the children were at home and the new arrival was powering down in his berth room while Optimus was still out.
No, now it was the Fallen. Such a thought sent shivers through everyone. Optimus was gone, how far gone, they still did not know.
Ratchet shrugged helplessly. "What can we do?" he asked.
"For starters," Arcee said. "Maybe it would be best to keep the children away from the base."
"For how long?" Bulkhead demanded. "And how do we even get rid of the Fallen in the first place? Do we perform some...spiritual ritual?"
Ratchet looked utterly helpless now. "I do not know, Bulkhead. I really don't."
"Didn't Wheeljack say that Starscream told him about the Decepticons working with the Primes?" Bumblebee asked. "Surely they are working to do something about it."
"And what's all this about Omega Keys?" Arcee demanded. "It can restore Cybertron? And now the Cons have them?"
"At least we know Screamers back with his buddies." Bulkhead scoffed. "And since when are the Cons up to doing good?"
"Well, they've been aware of this mess longer then we have been," Arcee stated. "Maybe they know something."
"Whatever it is, we need to be made aware of it as well," Ratchet said.
"Can you contact the Cons?" Bumblebee asked.
"Whoa, whoa," Bulkhead started, optics wide in panic. "We're just going to contact Megatron just like that?"
"You have a better option?" Arcee asked, though her tone suggested that she had mixed feelings about the situation as well.
"How do we even know if what they're going to give us is legit?" Bulkhead demanded. "Besides, didn't you hear what Smokescreen said? He kept claiming that it had been the Decepticons who had captured him first, not Sector 7. He was attacked by a blue and red mech, a description that now fits Knock Out because of his new paint job. And what did the Decepticons even want him for? Why would they even let him go?"
Ratchet sighed. "Upon examining him, it appeared that Smokescreen had gone through surgery. The cut and stitch in his abdomen clearly suggests that someone worked on him while he was captured. But for what reason, I am not sure. The more disturbing thought is, what did they do to him?"
"At least trying to contact the Decepticons won't hurt," Bumblebee said. "We will just be asking what they know and it'll be up to us to determine if what they have is solid information."
Ratchet sighed once more, striding to the consoles. "It is worth a try," he agreed.
"What of Optimus-the Fallen," Arcee corrected. "Has he...contacted the base yet?"
Ratchet looked back at the femme with grim optics. "No, he has not."
Uneasiness filled the room as they all watched Ratchet type on the console. The medic took in a deep breath, closing his optics as if bracing himself. "Autobot base to the Nemesis, Megatron, do you read me?"
There was silence and just as Ratchet was to try again, a voice came through. "Ratchet, I see that you are taking my message to spark," Starscream said.
Ratchet scowled. "Yes, Starscream, what you had to share got our attention. Now what is this about the Thirteen Primes?"
"I am so glad you asked," a different voice said. "Because as of now, medic, I am growing tired of this little team-up with the Primes and am eager to have things return to the way they were."
Ratchet clenched his servos at Megatron's voice. "And what do you plan to do?"
"First, I am going to need your assistance if what we have in store for the Fallen is to be successful," the warlord said.
"Yesh Jack," Miko started as they strolled down the street from school. "You look terrible."
Jack chuckled tiredly, clutching his backpack. "Just tired, Miko," he said, stretching his arms. "Didn't get much sleep last night." By not sleeping, he meant following a ghost Prime in a dreamlike state. Once he was outside his house, he had been told to walk through a ground bridge which brought him to what looked to be an excavation site. Once there, he had spent most of the night following the female Prime's instructions in searching for a hidden relic.
After that, he had held onto the Key to Vector Sigma, placing it in his backpack for safekeeping, wondering if the female Prime would contact him again.
Miko frowned as she adjusted her backpack. "Why? Was there a test I forgot to study for?"
Jack shook his head. "No, nothing like that. I was just busy with...other things."
"Like with news about...the Fallen?" Raf asked.
That caused the three children to grow silent, all filled with dread.
"So hey," Miko said with false cheer. "You guys want to come over to my hosts parents house? We could study, talk, play video games while listening to Slash Monkey."
"All of that sounds nice, except the last part," Raf agreed.
Jack would have added his own comment in when the sound of a horn blaring caught their attention. They all looked up to see a familiar, yet ominous semi truck driving toward them. They all froze, like deer in the headlights, torn between running and staying. Once, the sight of the truck would have filled them with joy, now it filled them with fear.
"Jack?" Raf asked, both younger teens looking up at the older one for guidance. Jack frowned, nervous and full of dread.
"Let's...not overreact," he started. "After all, he doesn't know that we're onto him."
The minute the words were out of his mouth, he wished to take them back. But it was too late now as the truck drove right up to them. The Key in his backpack grew warm to the point where he could feel it reacting to the presence of the tainted Prime.
No, it was never too late to act.
"Run!" he suddenly screamed, shoving his two friends forward and prompting them to break out into a run. Jack dropped his backpack as he ran, hearing the truck right behind them. "Scatter!" he shouted. "He can only chase after one of us."
"He can with help," Miko panted, pointing at the road. Jack turned to look with horror as the ground shifted and formed into that of a large being made of earth, its purple optics narrowing at them. It crawled out of the hole it had formed, reaching for them.
"Keep running," Jack ordered, grabbing their hands. But no sooner had he grabbed their hands did he feel Miko getting wrenched away from him. The girl let out a scream as the many forms of Unicron snatched her away.
"Miko!" Jack screamed. But he could do nothing but run with Raf. The two boys stumbled to a halt as the Fallen drove right in front of them, transforming and narrowing his tainted optics at them.
Jack shoved Raf out of the way just as he was snatched up. But his efforts to keep Raf safe were in vain as the younger boy was also grabbed.
"Put us down!" Jack screamed, kicking as the Fallen transformed back into his semi truck form. The seatbelts snapped into place, tightening like a prison. He struggled to breath for a moment as he looked around wildly. Surely someone had heard their screams? But no one came out to look for them. And if they did, they would only notice a truck driving by, nothing more. The Fallen drove down the road at incredible speed, unfamiliar sceneries flashing before them. The town faded from view to open land.
Jack tried to reach for his phone in his pocket, but his hands were stuck to his sides by the seatbelts. So instead, he looked around for any escape options.
"Optimus," Jack pleaded suddenly, looking at the dashboared. "Please, help us."
"Optimus can not help you anymore," a voice that faintly resembled the Prime he knew answered back. "Never again will he answer to your pleas."
"You monster!" Raf growled, kicking at anything he could reach as he struggled in the seat belts. "Let him go!"
"I do not think you will want him back after all of this," the Fallen sneered. "It is time to stop playing your game and finish what has begun. The Primes will no longer interfere and I will take back what was rightfully mine, starting with the Key to Vector Sigma."
Jack froze at those words. He knows about the Key.
His eyes locked with Raf, fear mirroring their expressions.
Jack swallowed past the lump in his throat. "I...I do not carry it with me. I never do."
"So you do possess it," the Fallen said thoughtfully and Jack froze at those words. "No matter," the Cybertronian said suddenly. "Now there is the simple chore of getting rid of you three."
The sudden, implied threat sent a chill down Jack's spine. He shot a look to Raf, hoping his eyes spoke what he wanted but could not say.
Run.
The Fallen came to a stop, right near a cliff and it was then that Jack and Raf felt the seat belts loosen. That was all they needed. Jack flung the door open, scrambling out. He could hear Raf's yelp as the younger boy hit the ground. Jack scrambled to break into a run, his breath coming in short, quick gasps. His mistake was looking back to see the Fallen transform and snatch them both up.
"Are you so eager to run that you would leave your fellow human behind?" the Fallen sneered, looking at Jack. "Humans are such disappointments."
"Let us go and we just might surprise you," Jack snapped, feeling a sudden surge of anger go through him. "And where is Miko?" he demanded. "What have you done with her?"
The Fallen did not answer as the ground behind them opened up, an incarnation of Unicron emerging. And in his hands, he held a dusty, dirty Miko. The girl coughed and sputtered, eyes looking around in panic as she shook the dirt from her vision.
"Miko!" Raf screamed when he saw his friend.
Miko looked up in response to her name, her eyes growing wide. "Raf! Jack!"
"Throw her over the edge," the Fallen said simply.
"What? No!" Jack screamed.
But the incarnation of Unicron strode forward, dropping Miko over the cliff without any hesitation. Jack and Raf's screams blended with Miko's as she fell, her screams cutting off as the wind carried the sound away. Jack could only stare at the ledge his friend had been thrown over, tears forming in his eyes. He glared at the Fallen who stared back with no emotion.
This was, without a doubt, not Optimus Prime. And if Optimus was even in there, he would have tried to do something to save Miko. Tears fell down Jack's face as he was struck with this realization.
"Now," the Fallen hissed, glaring down at him. "You are going to answer me. Vector Sigma, were you the one to wield the Key?"
Jack just glared, fire in his eyes as despair clung to his heart.
The Fallen frowned. "I see," he said. "Optimus's efforts to hide that memory from me was all in vain then."
Jack's eyes widened. Optimus had tried to protect him? For how long? What had it cost him?
"I can sense the Key's imprint on you," the Fallen continued. "But it is faint as you do not carry it with you. But no matter, I will follow its signature and find it once I have dealt with your Autobots."
Jack refused to look at Raf, should he break down at any moment. Instead, he stared right into the Fallen's optics, almost getting lost in the darkness they held.
"You are of no use to me," the Fallen said and before Jack could do anything, the Fallen flung Raf over the edge.
"No, wait!" Jack screamed as he watched his friend's small form plummet to the ground. Fear clenched his heart as he felt the Fallen drop him as well, the wind snagging at him as he fell. His horror increased and he closed his eyes, feeling tears fall and lose themselves to the wind.
The Fallen did not wait to hear the boy's dying screams as he fell to his death, joining his friends. At that moment, he pulled out the Dark Energon shard that Unicron had provided him with. He did not hesitate to plunge the shard into his spark chamber.
He felt the dark energy enter Optimus's spark, corrupting everything it touched. He could feel the young Prime recoil in horror as the darkness consumed him. The Fallen lurched forward as his body spasmed as the power of Unicron filled him. He fell to his knees, panting as the effects finished taking place.
He did not move for a while, testing out what had just taken place. Finally, he arose to his pedes, opening his optics that now gleamed with a corrupt purple.
His servos took on a sharper form, his red and blue armor was now chipped, revealing grey and black markings of the ancient Primes that once marked who he was. His battle mask slid out of place to reveal sharp fangs.
The dark energon danced in his veins, the blood of Unicron binding him to the Chaos Bringer.
Yet he still could not touch the Matrix.
"I will tear your soul apart, piece by piece," the Fallen snarled to Optimus, turning his back on the cliff.
His only answer was pained silence. The Fallen sneered as he transformed once more, his destination clear as he felt the Omega Key reach out to him in the ancient places of Egypt.
The impact of the hard ground never came for Jack, but the fear of death was still there. The breath was knocked out of him as he fell into something cold and hard though. He scrambled up, only to slip on whatever it was he was standing in.
He looked up, blinking his eyes as he noticed a lone, masked mech standing before him, draped in a green aura that seemed to be coming from the surroundings.
The mech turned to look at Jack and it was in that moment that he recognized who was his rescuer.
Soundwave.
He let out a choked gasp as he scrambled back, only for his back to bump into the orb he was now contained in with the Decepticon. His breathing came out sharp and quick as he noticed that they were floating a good ways up.
He was pretty sure that if he wasn't afraid of heights then, he was now.
"Jack!" a sudden, relieved voice exclaimed.
Jack looked up sharply to see Miko and Raf trying to scramble towards him, but Soundwave was blocking their way. They looked alright aside from the tears trailing down Raf's cheeks and the dirt and grime clinging to Miko's clothes and hair. But they were alive, that was what mattered to him.
The relief he felt at seeing his friends alive and well was unimaginable as he tried to make his way toward them. But the round, floating orb made travel impossible, yet Soundwave seemed to have no trouble as he seemed to be hovering where he was placed, his pedes touching nothing.
The green orb suddenly sparked with energy that sent a shocked feeling through Jack, causing him to yelp. They started to descend downward and Jack's heart leaped into his throat. He braced himself as the ground came into quick view, yet the orb stopped a good few feet from touching the ground.
Jack felt the solid placement of the orb drop him and he fell to the ground with a yelp. He hit the dusty ground before scrambling up, noticing Raf and Miko in the same position as him. He looked upward to notice Soundwave still in the green orb, floating yet doing nothing.
Jack was frozen, wondering if the faceless Decepticon was going to kill them. But if he were, why not just let the them continue falling?
Or worse. What if they were to be brought to Megatron?
But Soundwave only extended a servo, a ground bridge opening up right behind the children. Jack looked back in confusion at the green portal, glancing back at Soundwave who still did nothing.
"Should we go through?" Miko asked, coming up beside him.
"Maybe we should call the Autobots," Raf suggested, already pulling out his phone.
"My phone is fried," Miko said as she glared in frustration at the pink device.
"The energy from that strange...ball that Soundwave is in must have damaged them," Jack said with a frustrated frown as he too, looked at his phone. He pocketed it in for later, looking back at the ground bridge. "Well, we can't stay here as we don't even know where we are."
"What if that ground bridge takes us to Megatron?" Raf asked.
"Honestly," Miko said. "The Decepticons seemed to be the safest bet. We really don't want the Fallen to find us and squish us next time."
Jack took in a breath. "So, we go through?" he asked, holding out his hand.
Raf and Miko hesitated for a short bit before taking his offered hands and running through, not looking back at the floating Decepticon. Jack half-expected to see the halls of the Nemesis as they emerged from the other side. But instead, they stood on the outskirts of Jasper Nevada.
"Dude," Miko breathed. "You think he knows where we live?"
The thought, though unsettling, was a possibility.
"We should move," Jack said, starting forward.
"So what was with that glowing green ball that Soundwave was in?" Miko asked, ending the small silence. "You think it's a new weapon?"
Raf adjusted his glasses. "Most likely. But it could be the Chimera Stone that the Autobots were trying to retrieve at that gala. The description seemed to match, based on what Ratchet and Bumblebee told me."
Jack frowned. "You meant the stone that was at the gala my mom and Agent Fowler attended?" That had been a nerve-racking, unpleasant night for Jack who had been pacing the base floor that time, nerves in his stomach as he worried for his mom. It had been decided to send the two adult humans in as lookouts and for whatever reason, his mother had gotten involved.
She had done her part well as a lookout, which had surprised him. But his mother was starting to surprise him with many other things once giant robots got involved in their now hectic lives.
That, and she had danced with someone who was only known as 'Classified' in an effort to buy Fowler time to snoop around. Jack hadn't wanted his mother to be placed in danger, but Decepticons had shown up and they lost the Stone anyway.
But based in todays events, it was a good thing the Autobots didn't get the Chimera Stone. An object that could use other living beings energies for its own, the Fallen would put it to good use.
"Come on," he said, starting forward. "I need to get my backpack, then we have to find some way to contact the Bots without drawing the Fallen's attention."
"What's in your backpack?" Miko asked, keeping up with his pace with Raf next to her.
"The Key," Jack confessed. "It has helped me with...other stuff."
Miko frowned while Raf stared at him. "What other stuff?" he asked.
Jack hesitated for a brief moment. He hated carrying secrets around, the results were never pleasant. Besides, hiding a secret alien war from his mother did not work out, nor did delaying telling the rest of the team about the Fallen.
He trusted Raf and Miko, they deserved to know. Besides, it was always helpful to have a second or third opinion on the situation since he had no idea what to do.
"Instructions on what to do with the Omega Key that the Primes had me hide." He was pretty sure that he was going to have some explaining to do, based on the startled looks his friends shot him.
"What are Omega Keys?" Miko asked.
"Relics to restore Cybertron," Jack answered softly.
"What?" Raf said. "How do you know this?"
Jack swallowed. "Um, a ghost Prime told me." Based on everything they went through, ghostly Primes did not strike them as odd anymore. "She said that she didn't want the Decepticons finding all four Keys, so she told me where to find one and she had me...hide it."
"Do the Autobots know?" Raf asked.
"About the ghost Prime? No," he answered. "But I think they know about the Omega Keys, or if they don't we should tell them."
"So where'd you hide it?" Miko asked, looking up at him.
Jack shook his head. "I can't talk out here," he said quickly. He glanced around nervously. "After all, the ground has...ears and optics."
At the memory of Unicron's incarnations, the kids picked up the pace towards the small town, trying to ignore the swirling dust and dirt in the wind.
Soundwave watched through the Chimera Stone as the children vanished through the ground bridge he had provided. He then followed Micronus Prime's silent nudges and navigated the suddenly electrified orb downward and through a ground bridge he had provided for himself.
To receive an order from his Prime that he was to bridge himself with the Chimera Stone to an unknown location on earth had been startling enough. But to have three humans fall into the Stone was equally startling. Not to mention that these three humans were currently on the Decepticons most wanted list.
But he was not to harm them, according to Micronus Prime. He was to keep them away from the Fallen and get them to safety. Soundwave already had a vague idea of where the children lived from all the reports and sightings Laserbeak had brought in. And if he managed to bridge the children to the wrong town, well, they could always phone the Autobots.
Point was, they were not his problem now. His problem now was how to move the Chimera Stone back into the weapons vault. That was something he would leave the troopers to do.
"Soundwave," Megatron said suddenly, stepping into the room where the masked mech was hard at work. The warlord eyed the five troopers who were struggling with the Chimera Stone, his optic ridge raised. "Set course for Egypt," was all he said, looking back at who he was addressing. "That is where the next Omega Key lays in wait for our taking."
Soundwave did as he was instructed, pulling up the coordinates.
"I assume the Wave Brothers have yielded some useful information from Cybertron?" Knock Out asked, entering the room.
Soundwave bristled at the nickname he now apparently shared with Shockwave, but he said nothing.
"If you mean, the crypt of the Fallen, then yes," Megatron said. "They have been successful in their findings."
Knock Out hummed. "Let us hope that the rest of the plan is successful."
"Everything is in place," Megatron said. "We are drawing the Fallen out."
Knock Out blinked and Soundwave grew still for just a second. "Now?" the medic asked. "My Liege, are you sure we are ready-?"
"We are ending this," Megatron snapped. "We have the upper hand with countless weapons on our side, along with the Autobots willing to assist us. We will end this and the outcomes will be in our favor." He directed his gaze to Soundwave. "Pull up Project Damocles," he ordered. "We will put Silas's gift to good use." He turned to stride out of the room. "We are to find the Key and engage the Fallen here and now."
"Thank you," Solus said to Micronus once they were alone in the dark halls.
Her brother frowned. "For what?"
"For answering my call," she said.
He nodded in understanding. "Oh. Well, the Chimera Stone needed to be used at some point. I am just glad it was used to save the bearer of the Key and his companions."
"Optimus wanted me to step in," she said softly. "He caught on to the Fallen's intent and he wanted them safe." She closed her optics. "He is weakening, Micronus. I fear that this attack Megatron has planned will leave him defenseless."
"He is pouring all his strength into protecting the Matrix," Micronus said. "If it costs him his life, it is a noble sacrifice."
The words stung and were a hard blow, but she knew they were true. But it didn't mean she wanted to hear it. Down below, she could hear the Decepticons readying for battle. Readying for the fight against the Fallen.