Astrosecond~ .498 seconds, milli-cycle~1 sec, cycle~1 min, breem~ 8.3 minutes, mega-cycle~1 hour, meta-cycle~1\2 hours, solar cycle~1 day, day~ 20 hours, orbital cycle~ 1 month, gigacycle~ 1 year, deca-cycle~10 years, vorn~ 83 years, stellar cycle~400 year, mechanometer~ 1 meter, vun~ hectometer, hic~ 1 kilometer
Slipstream transformed, hovering between buildings after spotting two aerial Autobots gunning it for the Reaper Destroyer parked in front of the platform. "Nightbird, do you and your sisters think you can get in closer on that Reaper?"
"Without a doubt. Why? Feeling sympathetic to Autobots?"
"I just have some respect for flyers not afraid of death. And I have a few reasons for wanting to kill Whirl myself. At bare minimum, I'd prefer if you could keep him alive so I can 'put him out of his misery' or something."
"Are you extra cruel to just your exes, or are break ups more like spark breaking?" With that Nightbird and three of her sisters disappeared as they flew toward the Reaper.
Slipstream turned back to her forces, "Skywarp, join the Autobots and use that teleportation ability to mess with the Reaper. Give it an extra target to miss."
"Should be fun."
"Combiners, disengage your forms! I'm getting reports that Reapers are attempting to disengage the battle above to land down here. When the Autobots bring the Destroyer down, all forces will continue to advance on the platform while the combiner teams work their way around to flank the Reapers when they try to stop us and the Autobots from reaching that beam. I don't think I need to tell you what I want." As ordered, the five combiners broke apart to their individual components as they broke ranks with the other Decepticons to move behind the platform. "Let's see if she's as tough as she thinks."
"Hey Reaper, open wide!" Missiles were fired from Swoop and Whirl, blasting near the firing chamber.
"You call that aiming Autobots?" From behind them Skywarp buzzed through as he fired more missiles. "What's the matter? Can't fight back?" The Reaper started to aim at Skywarp now. "That's it." As it fired Skywarp teleported away and next to one of the buildings. "Your aim is worse than Misfire's!" Skywarp continued to pester the Reaper with taunts and teleporting away before the Reaper could blast him.
"You know what, Swoop? I'm really tempted to shoot him down myself. What about you?"
"If Powerglide was prankster and not gloater. But we gotta stick with plan. Draw Reaper out of jammer."
"Yeah, I'm kinda getting tired of my shots missing so badly. But it's just taking pot shots at us right there."
"Me have idea! Follow me lead."
"Alright, this is your show now!"
Swoop boosted his way toward the Reaper as Whirl followed close behind as they did a near collision with Skywarp. "Hey, watch where you're flying Autobots!" Skywarp quickly teleported again before the Reaper vaporized him.
The two Autobots actually landed on the Reaper's hull as they started to hack away. "So we're going to bring this behemoth down ourselves?"
"No, too long. We just need," Swoop pried a plat off exposing wires, "this."
"I get it." Whirl's claws started to tear a few wires out now as he reconnected them to other locations. "Come on, one of these has to be motor controls." Whirl yanked on two as the Reaper took a step, "There we go!"
Swoop got in there now as he started to play with wires himself, though they weren't the only ones. On the Reaper's underbelly, Nightbird was hotwiring the weapon controls and disabling them. With the Reaper moving out of the jamming radius they two groups flew away as four Thanix missiles blasted the Reaper's firing chamber. Now it was a mad dash to the beam of light connected directly to the Citadel.
Silverclaw's defense of the Xantium continued as Dragonblade paused for a moment to gaze upon Primus as he devastated the Reapers within his grasp. "Get your head back into the fight! Dragonblade!"
"Sorry Commander Sharp…" Dragonblade sliced two more Oculi with his wings as Skyquake landed onto the remnants of a turian frigate and used his chain gun to pick off a few stragglers before jumping back into jet form.
Metroplex's damage seemed severe however with the thick armor covering his body, they were superficial at best as he continued to bombard the Reapers with his cannons or tangle with them in hand-to-hand combat.
"I'm surprised ol' bucket head was willing to fight these things, especially since they've converted some to their cause."
"Even Megatron can't ignore the real threat these things pose. Not when Primus himself is destroying them. What I'd want to see is what he'll do afterwards. That will be Megatron's true test of his integrity. Can Megatron allow such powerful weapons escape his grasp, or will he attempt to salvage them when this is over?" Ultra Magnus didn't sound as convinced of Megatron's apparent change, though any bot who did know him knew that Megatron never let anyone know what his true motives were until it was too late or when they are already underway.
The Autobots moved toward the beam ahead of the others, ready to set up defenses around the beam. Everyone was advancing toward the beam, no matter how far back they were. Anderson already gave the word to Hackett and the Crucible was moving to enter the system. "From here on, it's a straight shot to the beam."
"A straight shot with Reapers trying to crush us along the way."
Anderson eased Coats' worries, "We just need to get a handful of troops through."
Tali looked to the lights as the bumps caused them to flicker, "Even a handful seems optimistic."
"We knew this was going to be a gamble at best."
Shepard got up, looking to everyone, "Can't think of anyone else I'd rather do this with."
"We finish this together," Tali smiled as she nodded to him.
Coats received word from the driver, "We're in sight of the target."
"All right, everyone. This is it." The tank came to a sudden stop as they were now surrounded by Autobots. They were all looking up as three Sovereign-class Reapers landed next to the beam. "Shit…" Anderson turned to the others, "We've gotta move!"
"Come on!"
"Hammer squads, go, go, go!"
"Autobots, draw their fire away from the humans!" Aerialbots few in now, attacking one of the Reapers as Defensor started to walk onto the area and activating his force field.
Autobots opened fire on the Reapers now but behind the one to their right were Grimlock and his Lightning Strike Coalition. They were already climbing the Reaper's legs as they hack, slash and blasted their way to severing it.
After the first hit, Defensor's force field was strained, "Shield strength at 35%. Will not be able to maintain." Out of survival, the Protectobots slit into their component forms and retreated to the Autobot line.
The middle Reaper had the Decepticon combiners pulling on its legs throwing off its targeting capabilities entirely. Now the Decpeticon's yahg troopers were rushing toward while the Decepticons focused on the final Reaper.
But even with these distractions the three Reapers opened fire on the approaching units on the ground, vaporizing them or blowing the tanks away. During the run, Shepard managed to slide to a halt before a vehicle crushed him. Shepard's squad was trying to reach him, but a flipping Mako was sent toward them and they dove out of the way.
"Shepard!" Vibes jumped over and transformed, rushing down there petal to the metal.
Dropshot rallied the Autobots, "Protect Vibes!"
Vibes used some of the destroyed vehicles for cover, and when she couldn't she jumped over the beams in both vehicle and robot forms. She managed to get herself down there and she opened her doors wide open. "Get in!" Vibes' engine was revving hard, knowing the hard part was just about to start.
EDI's damaged frame limped into the passenger's seat as Shepard helped Tali in, "Here. Take her…"
Tali tried to stop him, but she was in too much pain to stand back up, "Shepard…"
"You gotta get out of here."
She reached to stop him, "I can't stay behind."
"Don't argue with me, Tali."
"Tali'Zorah, we can't stay here. We're a sitting target!"
"Don't leave me behind."
Shepard returned to her, caressing her helmet, "I need you to make it out of here alive, Tali. Get back to Rannoch. Build yourself a home."
She gripped his hand, "I have a home." She didn't want to let go, but Shepard slowly pulled himself away, "Come back to me."
"Go!" Vibes slammed her doors shut and she gunned it back to the Autobot line, even as one of the Reapers tried to target her. But the Autobots were relentless as they showered the Reaper in blaster fire, even Slipstream came out and fired a few missiles of her own.
"Don't get the wrong idea, Autobot! Your spark is mine to extinguish! Not a Reaper's!"
But thanks to that extra distraction by Vibes, Shepard and about seven other soldiers managed to get through the beam. With that success though, the beam suddenly shut down. The last Reaper still standing fled before it was overwhelmed while the other two were being torn to pieces by Lightning Strike Coalition and the Decpeticon combiners.
The inside of the Citadel, or the parts where the beam was feeding into had corpses pilled all over as keepers went about their business with system maintenance. One's attention was drawn to the gateway as Shepard was flung across the room and the portal shut down. The keeper walked over Shepard as it checked the systems of the portal.
Shepard was now covered in blood, though most of it wasn't his own. "Anderson? Come in over? Does anyone read me?"
Suddenly screaming started to wail on the channel along with gun fire. "What is that thing?"
"Kill it! Just kill it!"
Shepard readied his weapon, uncertain where this was happening. As he exited the tunnel, he noticed the same power regulation system used by the Shadow Broker's ship on a much grander scale. There was a central area, but there was no visible access way from what Shepard could see.
Suddenly the area shifted, the center was moving, or more accurately they were moving. The rim was circling about until Shepard's tunnel was connected to a pathway. Shepard was hesitant, though he continued down the path. Once he was clear the tunnel shifted again, but now the firing was visibly coming from the center.
Shepard ran over there to see what was happening. Four bodies were on the ground as two more were shooting at a massive body of metal with someone stuck in its hands. It wasn't a Cybertronian based on the metals, but it wasn't going to let them through either.
Shepard joined in to help the soldiers but the moment it spotted him with its cycloptic eye, the monstrosity sprouted tendrils as they skewered the others. Shepard fired off an incendiary tech blast as he whittled away at the arm.
The monster didn't seem all that fazed, though pain didn't seem to be a factor here. Shepard rolled just in time before one of the tendrils grabbed him, turning invisible. It seemed to have lost him and the keepers entering the room to collect the bodies added to the noises in the room. Shepard managed to maneuver behind it before jumping onto its back to use his omni-blade to slice the tendrils off. The arms were too big to reach him so Shepard jammed the blade through the back of the head and through the eye.
With the collapse of the monstrosity Shepard found the controls and opened the Citadel's arms.
As the fighting continued, Jazz managed to rescue Anderson from husks as everyone was fighting to hold the platform now. Vibes found Garrus and handed EDI and Tali off to him for medical care. Suddenly Optimus stopped fighting, almost as if he was possessed. "Optimus, sir! What are you doing? Prime?"
Optimus didn't seem like he could hear anyone as he walked onto the platform, taking every hit thrown at him. Vibes…help him…
She looked around, trying to find where the voice came from, "Leadfoot?"
Jazz waved his hand before her, "Vibes what's wrong?"
Be there for her…
Dropshot froze up, "Light…bright…"
"Come on bots, get back into the fights!"
The Matrix…protect it…
Override took cover shaking her head, "No, no it can't be you… I saw your spark get crushed, Landmine."
Vibes yelled, "Protect Optimus! Don't let anything interrupt him!"
The Autobots fought fervently to cover Optimus now as he opened his chest and raised the Matrix into the air, "'Till all are one…"
Optimus was opening the Matrix now as a beam of light shot into the sky and into the Citadel. As he did a shot made it into his open chest cavity as the Matrix fell out of his hand and he fell, "Optimus!" Vibes abandoned her position and rushed to his side.
Slipstream tracked the shot and spotted the nest. It was occupied by one of the hybrids that managed to acquire one of the Autobot's enhanced organic weapons. She landed onto the building, blasting it several times now to make sure whatever else inside was dead. "Megatron, I don't know how you're going to take this…"
Megatron roared in anger, fire his fusion cannon pointblank into a Destroyer's firing chamber without stopping. "PRIME!" He turned just to see the tail end of that beam finished entering the Citadel as the Crucible started the docking sequence with Omega Supreme and Metroplex its defenders. But as the battle seemed to reach its climax, everything seemed to slow down until everything suddenly stopped, frozen in place.
Shepard looked out to the view of the battle as everything just stopped, but it wasn't just the ships, missiles, everything seemed to be frozen in place, and yet he wasn't. Suddenly the floor beneath his feet opened as it took him down.
It eventually brought him to a new room and a strange device before him. The path that he was on did not reach the device though before him a hologram started to materialize, "Most peculiar…"
Shepard raised his pistol up, "Shockwave…"
"Please, Commander, we both know that will have no effect against me in my current state as software. Lower your arm so we may talk."
Shepard did, though he was very wary, "So what is this place? And what do you want to talk about?"
"This is the culmination of many galactic cycles come to fruition. This room was forged the moment the Crucible came in contact with the Catalyst, more specifically with the programming formerly known as the Catalyst, absorbed into my own code. Unfortunately it would seem the ending will not play out as I had originally anticipated. The appearance of a metrotitan alone was unexpected."
Shepard picked at Shockwave's words, "What do you mean you absorbed the Catalyst?"
"The original programming was created by an apex race of organics that fed off offerings from enslaved species. In order to combat and solve a problem when the subservient races created rebellious synthetics, the Catalyst was born. Though the question was simple, the solution would ultimately break it, forcing the program to pursue alternative means of a solution."
"The Reapers…"
"Correct. They were forged to harvest and 'preserve' life by creating these vessels that would be the embodiment of the races. A Sovereign-class Reaper represents the apex species of its cycle, molded after their creator, while Destroyers are those that evolved during that cycle. Even with the assimilation of the Catalyst the other Reapers would not follow my direction. Even as I corrected an error they made long ago. Not exterminating the first species that had managed to survive quite a few cycles before my arrival."
"So this apex species looked like the Reapers, or more accurately the Reapers look like them. But what do you mean by pursuing an alternate means of a solution?"
"He means, he had a way of forcing an end through the Crucible," a hologram of Optimus now appeared, "But now his hands can no longer do so."
"Optimus? But how…?"
"A portion of my spark and the Matrix holds Shockwave back, though this stalemate will only hold for so long."
"To which I am willing to wait. I have spent all of this time waiting," Shockwave turned to Shepard, "But you, Commander, time is running out for you and this cycle."
"Me? But aren't you the one who did…this," looked out to space and the frozen battle.
"No, but I have a suspicion as to who has done this," Shockwave glared at Prime for a moment. "Time will pass when it passes, but for now we have all the time we need to speak. I would assume you would wish to destroy the Reapers and be done with this war," Shockwave turned back to the device to the far right, looking to a strange cylinder with data streaming through it. "That device, when destroyed, will render all synthetic lifeforms with the Reaper code non-functional. However I must warn you as a courtesy, there are far more Decepticons who did not wish to integrate with the Reapers. Slipstream leads them now, and they all have been in stasis pods scattered across the galaxy with space bridge technology waiting for them to use when they wake. As a precaution to such a predicament that we are currently at, all coordinate data has been deleted from all recorded memory banks, so only they know where they are."
Shepard looked Shockwave over, "Why wouldn't they integrate when you and the others did?"
"Many Decepticons felt like this would be betraying Megatron's original desires. Those who joined us knew what we were getting into, the others are a contingency. And as sadistic as Slipstream is, she would be one of the few who could rally the others behind a new cause for galactic conquest. The only reason they still remain in stasis is because of the Reaper code. Destroy all signs of the code and all of the pods will activate. And the new Decepticon army will rise from the ashes of the Reapers."
Optimus assured Shepard, "Though those Decepticons may threaten your future, know that the Autobots will continue to defend our allies against whatever will come."
"But I still have two alternatives to propose. Both would allow the Reapers to continue functioning and keep the Decpeticons inert while ending these galactic cycles of destruction, a goal we all wish to see." Shockwave turned to the module on the far left, "Activate that device and your personality component will be the new imprint that gives the Reapers direction. I had planned to use a vessel to impart my personality however you destroyed the body."
"Body?" Shepard looked back to the platform where he arrived, "You mean that monster was going to dictate the Reapers' motives?"
"Hardly. The one I infused with Harbinger was not an exact copy, but I would imbed a perfect copy of myself into what you destroyed before the process began."
"So why only one eye?"
"The same reason for only one optic for the one within Harbinger, a smother assimilation to a familiar frame."
Optimus looked Shockwave over, "But that was not how you always were."
Shockwave looked to the cannon arm, "That was long ago. Before the Shadowplay and empurata."
Shepard looked to the two of them, "Empurata?"
Optimus seemed disgusted, "Empurata is an old tradition dating back to before our war. It is a barbaric process of removing a victim's head and hands, replacing them with very distinct and visually different models to mark them for other to shun."
"The Autobot Whirl was the would-be Senate assassin to kill Megatron who was given empurata to force his cooperation. But his capture before he could finish Megatron lead to the war."
Shepard turned to Optimus, "Then what's Shadowplay?"
"Shadowplay is preformed to alter the very personality of a Cybertronian. Often this measure was used by the Senate for political motives or punishment. It is why logic is my driving force. But none of that matters now. With the destruction of the body I planned to use to enslave the Reapers, you would make an adequate substitute."
Optimus warned Shepard, "And in proceeding, your body would disintegrate from the intensity of the scan."
"So, I take over the Reapers based upon my personality and wishes, but lose my life?"
"Correct."
Shepard's eyes continued to be drawn toward the strange beam of light in the center. "And the third choice, if it really is one?"
Shockwave looked to the beam of light. "That would be what my inferior copy was testing for me. I wanted to get my hands on at least three of them for enough biomass for the process, but the Decepticons were a little too through with their destruction."
Optimus turned away from the light, "By preforming that act, you would be violating the rights of all life in the galaxy."
"Wait, what?"
"It is true," Shockwave didn't even attempt to lie or make it sound better, "but the process needs willing participation. You would be broken down to your elemental components, and in conjunction with Cybertronian CNA, a new strain of life would begin. Every organic lifeform will be cybernetically enhanced while synthetic life that could not comprehend the complexity of the organic mindset will finally gain full understanding. In essence, everything you have attempted to achieve in one fell sweep, all life from the different organic species to the synthetic geth will have unity and peace."
"That isn't peace. It's forced evolution."
"Believe me Commander, when I say that the Reapers have attempted forced evolution on the galaxy before, even before we integrated with them. Each time did not end well. But this galactic cycle differs from others because of you. Through your efforts, your determination was this cycle successful in deploying and utilizing the Crucible. It would be a waste to just let everyone down, not using the Crucible and hope you can repair the damages done to your heavy hitters or that Primus can continue in the stat he is in."
Shepard turned toward Primus' portal, "What do you mean?"
Optimus looked back, "Primus is Cybertron. If you remember Commander, the reason Vibes and Dropshot encountered you was because they were attempting to hunt down more energy sources for us to convert and use as energon. The Decepticons of our universe infected Primus with Dark Energon, and Primus had to shut down in order to purge himself of the corruption. The Decepticons force feeding Primus' spark energon undoubtedly caused an unintended reawakening. But at this moment he is only on borrowed time before he must revert back to Cybertron and continue the purging process."
"The only difference between our universes is the fact that our Primus ceased all functions after centuries of infection." Shockwave flashed, "Choose Commander, no matter which one you do chose, I win and the cycles end. I doubt time will stay frozen forever."
Shepard looked to each one, each choice with its benefits and consequences. Shepard knew what he had to do. Holding his pistol up, he started to fire at the pod with the Reaper code. He continued to fire at it until it erupted with energy that started to combine with the beam. "Excellent choice Commander…"
Both holograms disappeared as time slowly started to flicker before disappearing as explosions started to erupt in the room. A gash appeared out of nowhere as a Cybertronian's hand reached out and pulled Shepard out before it was too late.
The portal closed just in time as Shepard was now in the hands of an ancient looking Cybertronian that seemed to be made of gears and clockwork. "Who are you?"
"My name is Vector Prime, guardian of time and space."
"Guardian? If you're the guardian, then why didn't you stop the Reapers?"
Vector Prime shock his head, "That is not my purpose. Time is not linear," they floated through the strange place with pockets showing different events across time and space, "Events are themselves linked together no matter how unrelated they may appear. My duty is to ensure the flow of time. I traveled alone across the great expanse, alone for some time before encounter friends, and then participating in a galaxy with humans and Transformers. It is through them that I now have taken a slightly more proactive role in my original duty."
Shepard watched as the energy from the Citadel shut down the Reapers, turning husks to ash as the energy spread to the mass relay and converted the destructive power of the eezo core to only eliminate the Reapers as the a chain reaction bounced across the entire relay network, destroying Reapers in every system they were in. "Have you seen our future then? What is to happen to us?"
"That is for you to take charge of, Commander."
"And…EDI?"
Vector Prime was leading Shepard to the Normandy as it floated in this strange plane of limbo, "I could not save her mobile frame." The air locked open with Joker, Traynor, Adams and Chakwas waving Shepard over. "But everything that is her still remains. Her body may be salvageable and repairable, given time."
"What about Optimus? Something seemed…wrong about his appearance there."
"Do not worry about Optimus. That situation is already being taken care of."
A/N: It has been a long journey, but the end is neigh now, and where one road ends a new one begins. The next chapter will probably the final one, and it too will probably be just a tad longer than my average chapter.
