Transformers Titan: Escalation

by kira444

Volume 2 of Transformers Titan. The War for Terra escalates as new allies and enemies enter the fray while existing ones push themselves to the limit to gain the upper hand. The stakes are raised as Autobots, Decepticons and humans are drawn deeper into this war of blood and energon. (Revision!)

35. Headmasters part 1

Chapter 35-Headmasters part 1

The legendary isle of Tir Na Og was a fabled realm believed to be home to the otherworldly creatures from Europian folklore and legend, mainly those hailing from the land of the ancient Celts. The fae folk they were called, and they once made the forests of Britannia their home. Even in modern times, these legends still captivated people, and some even worshipped these spirits, but the majority of mankind didn't believe in them anymore. Arthruian legends made many references to this place, but scholars simply believed these tales to be allegories for something vaguely religious. No physical proof of its existence could be found, and no one made any serious attempts to find this "mystical" realm.

Aries was one of these people. He was a busy man, being OZ's field commander in the western hemisphere and it was a job that required all his attention. Things were at a critical moment with the Chimera project making strides in development, so the last thing he wanted was to be trudging through a dark, damp forest in the middle of a downpour for no damn reason. Still, Thornment was unusually insistent on him coming along, and had Pieces brow-beat him into following her orders.

"Go on, Aries. Contrary to what you may think, your absence is going to have little impact on the project as a whole." Pisces said mockingly.

'That bastard has balls saying that after that colossal failure of his Inhuman Project.' Aries thought and looked up at Thornment, who was a few feet ahead of him. "Are you going to explain why the hell you dragged me out here, or am I going to have to play charades to get you to speak?"

Thornment stopped and gave Aries a teasing glance. "You'll know it when you see it, general. I thought someone well-versed in the way of war would know the value of patience."

"Only when it suits the mission and OZ as a whole. This field trip you dragged me along for is just a waste of time." He growled. "I'm busy enough without having to deal with your little games."

"Busy? We both know Pisces and Arkeville are the minds behind Chimera. You're just someone meant to stand there and look pretty." Thornment leaned her body to the side to avoid the energy beam Aries shot at her. The tree next to her was incinerated in one shot. "Now, now, all that stress is not good for your health."

"Tell me why we're here!" Aries shouted.

Thornment sighed and shook her head as if dealing with an unruly child. She slowed down so Aries could match her pace. "Tell me, Aries, do you know about a race of creatures called the dolems."

"…Can't say that I have."

The pause he gave before answering caught her attention, but she filed it away for a later date. "They're a powerful race of aliens made of stone. They've spread throughout the galaxy, hiding on primitive worlds and entrenching themselves into local folklore and religion. Terra is just one of many worlds touched by their influence, though their encounter with the cybertronians is an honest surprise." She explained. "I'm sure you've seen the strange phenomena that's been occurring all over the world since-"

"The Winter Solstice. Yes, I've noticed." Aries said.

"My companions have been…keeping a close eye on the dolems, studying their movements, their behavioral patterns and the impact they have on the worlds they influence. The dolem forces on this planet have been dormant for a long time after the loss of their queen, but signs of their involvement in human history are still there." She counted on her fingers as she listed off names. "Excalibur, Gungnir, Mjolnir, the Brahmastra, all weapons of incredible power that were wielded by warriors who have shaped human history. Some of them even made these people gods. And it just so happens that I've found just the place where one such weapon rests."

"I assume that you're looking to harbor one of these weapons with my help?"

"No, Aries, this is for you."

Thornment led Aries into a grove, where there was a small castle that sat in a thick cluster of trees, as if intentionally hidden away from the rest of the world. In this part of the forest, the trees were so thick that sunlight could not make it through, leaving the grove dark and silent.

The castle had seen better days. Once it was probably the secondary home to some noble lord or a knight, but now it was half destroyed and overgrown with plants. The only remaining structure that was just barely standing was the statue of a young man, a knight, holding a broadsword in his hands. Thornment walked up to the statue and tapped her knuckles on it with a chuckle.

"Good to see I was right about its location. The signal was a bit spotty there." She said.

"Where are we?" Aries asked.

"The resting place of a mythical figure from one of Britannia's oldest legends." Thornment said. "This castle is a tomb, home to the bod of the man who killed King Arthur Pendragon."

Aries looked up at her in shock. "Mordred."

"Buried here not long after Arthur's funeral, along with his sword Clarent." Thornment turned her gaze onto Aries. "How would you like to wield Clarent once again?"

A fire appeared in Aries' eyes as he grinned up at her, a rare and terrifying sight for those unlucky enough to be the source of his glee. "I would like that very much."

XXXXXX

"This is troubling." Optimus Prime muttered.

He, along with Prowl, Jazz and Ironhide, were studying a map of Terra in the command room with red dots scattered all over the world, with most of them collected in the western hemisphere. These were recorded energon deposits detected over the past year, and only a small margin had been mined and secured by the various factions. Each dot was color coded: red for Autobot, purple for Decepticon, and orange for OZ. and the number of orange dots was growing.

"We're ran into OZ mining teams on five different missions, and on two of them we've encountered the rogue cybertronian Thornment." Prowl said. "I've had some sky spies investigate some of these locations and apparently OZ is mining large amounts of energon. So far, they're mostly operating outside of osea to avoid running into us, working mainly in parts of Europa, Usea and Anea."

"You think they know we're onto them?" Ironhide asked.

"Knowing those nutjobs, they'll brag to us about it." Jazz said.

"What I'm afraid of is their reason for mining so much energon." Optimus said. "It can't just be for the experiments."

"They're most likely planning some big operation," Ironhide suggested. "Or building some big fancy, weapon. Primus knows those bastards like to go big right out the door."

"Neither of those sound appealing." Jazz grumbled. "Anyone think we should risk sending the Minicons out for recon?"

"Undertone and the Air Defense Team might be up for the job, but with Thornment running around, I wouldn't risk it. She'll probably know they're watching her and try to shoot them down."

"Then we must be on guard. Prowl, Jazz, inform the others that no Autobot shall leave on missions outside of teams of two or three." Optimus said. "OZ is gearing up for a massive strike against their enemies, and I fear they're not taking prisoners.'

XXXXXX

"This is how it goes down. On the open road, maybe just within city limits somewhere, the target is isolated, immobilized and apprehended." Aries said to his team, a joint unit of two seven-man squads composed of men and women Aries personally trained in anti-cybertronian combat. "Of course, out there in the field, it might be very different. Which is why we have to be prepared for any eventuality and any given set of circumstances."

Aries looked at the team before him. Some of them were soldiers Aries trained himself, seasoned soldiers who lived and breathed combat. They were reserved for the really harrowing operations that required experienced troops, and this mission matched their qualifications. It had to be done quickly and quietly without alerting enemy reinforcements.

"Sir, if the target assumes robot form, should we call in the talos units to fight it?" Asked Drake, one of his oldest recruits.

"There will be no mechanized support for this mission. Our goal is to surprise and subdue the target before it has a chance to assume robot form to fight us. I doubt it'll risk transforming in full view of the public in a densely populated area. Our scramblers should disable it, but if it does come down to that," Aries' face darkened. "Leave him to me."

He dismissed them and walked over to the comm center where he had agents monitoring the data sent to them via satellite uplink. The cloaking capabilities of the cybertronians were light years above anything OZ has, but if they wanted to tag and bag a bot, they'd have to know where to find one, and soon.

"Creel, anything?" Aries asked.

"Nah, General Aries. Quiet as the proverbial grace." Agent Creel sighed. Aries patted his shoulder encouragingly.

"Well, stay tuned in. When this happen it'll happen fast." He said. "Dante, mobiles two and three?"

"Standing by."

"Good, we'll get one shot. That's it." Aries stared at the monitors, which showed videos from cameras mounted all over November City. "We don't have a lot of time to dally."

"Thing is, sir, we've not seen so much as an extraterrestrial hubcap for days now." Creed said.

"Trust me. In a situation like this, something's bound to come up." Aries muttered. "Activate the beacon and dispense the energon."

"Yes sir."

Aries crossed his arms and waited for the prey to take the bait. 'Come on out, aliens. I'll show you just how strong we humans can be compared to your battered warriors.'

XXXXXX

Darren didn't like Sunstreaker, he really didn't. This was the first time he could openly say that he disliked an Autobot, and he wasn't alone in that regard. Many of the other bots on the team, Rodimus included, kept some distance from Sunstreaker. The golden-yellow Autobot had a cruel sense of humor-berating Wheeljack, routinely calling Ratchet a fossil, making passing insults about Moonracer's intelligence, and constantly harping about working alongside the Minicons and humans. His hot shot attitude got on everyone's nerves (even Optimus to a small degree), but Darren hated most of all.

Which was why he regretted riding shotgun with Sunstreaker as they drove through the busy streets of November City. They, along with Ironhide and his partners Kevin and Penny, were searching the city for a significant energon source that appeared within the city. Kevin and Penny had already joined up with Ironhide before Darren even knew that Sunstreaker was on the team when he signed up.

This is insulting, I lose a bet and Prowl assigns me to play escort to a fleshy hat sheds his epidermis every millisecond." Sunstreaker complained. Darren sighed and glared at the steering wheel.

"Sunny, could you not? Just…don't. Not today. Can we get through this without bitching?"

"Don't test me human. I'm not in the mood." Sunstreaker warned.

"Or you'll do what?" Darren snapped. He took a deep breath and reigned his anger in. "Look, I don't want to fight, let's find the energon and call it a day, okay?"

Sunstreaker paused before turning his steering wheel in place of a nod. "…Fine. As long as you don't start any slag."

They drove down the street for a while before coming upon a large group of people standing in the middle of the road. "Oh what now?" Sunstreaker groaned.

Darren looked out the window and saw that the crowd was chanting, waving around signs that said things like "Equality for Espers!" and "Registration=Death!" These people were protesting for pro-esper rights. "Looks like this is a rally."

"During the lunch rush?"

"What better way to get some attention?"

Sunstreaker saw that some of the people in the crowd looked a little different from other humans. There was a young woman covered in white fur with feline features, some pink gelatinous blob with a human skeleton floating inside, and a little girl with gills and shark teeth. He never saw any other espers aside from Darren and Kevin, and now he could see how different they were from the regular bunch.

"What are they protesting?"

"Equal rights for espers. As you can see, some people can't easily hide their powers like me. It can lead to a lot of cases of discrimination and racism, and there aren't any concrete laws that protect espers from that." Darren explained. "For all the esper haters out there, there are people who support them too. Mainly family members and close friends of espers seeking to protect them."

Sunstreaker through back to the waning days of the Functionists' hold over Cybertron. He remembered the Decepticon rallies and protests that grew each day. Sunstreaker had almost joined the Cons once to stick it to the senate and Functionists, but Sideswipe stooped him-and he was grateful for that. Seeing the humans in the same position brought back some memories of the not-so good ole' days that he would rather forget.

'Idiots.' He thought scathingly and turned a corner to make a detour.

"Sunstreaker, this is Ironhide, how are things on your end?" Ironhide called in.

"Dull and boring. No sign of Cons in the area, but I have to take the long way around to reach the coordinates."

"Lucky you. We're stuck in traffic behind some obnoxious truck driver," Ironhide grunted. "Penny, stop fiddling with my radio and choose a station!"

"Someone's having fun." Darren smiled.

They drove past a mobile home connected to a black van and, unknown to them, activated the hidden sensors in the truck's headlights. The alert was immediately picked up by Mobile-1.

"Sir, we've got a read on two mechs!" Cressler reported.

Aries grinned and tightened his body armor. "What are our targets?"

"Two Autobots, sir. Designations Ironhide and one unknown. They're harboring three human heat signatures as well; two for Ironhide and one for the unknown mech." He said. "Both are heading towards L2 where Rogue 1 is held up."

"Hmm, Ironhide is a tough cookie to keep down, and it'll take too much manpower to subdue him without talos, too much to spare. Have all units close in on the unknown and herd him in our direction."

"Yes sir, but what about the human with him?"

"Just focus on capturing the Autobot. The human can wait until we've pulled them over."

"Understood."

Aries slipped into the back of the transport and addressed his team. "Okay people, this is where all your training comes to the forefront. The simulations are nothing like actual battle. Gear up and get into your positions!"

"Yes sir!" They chanted and ran off to get their weapons and gear. Aries picked up his new sword and held it in his hands.

"Today is a good day, Clarent," Aries whispered. "Today, we hunt."

XXXXXX

"So what's your brother like?" Darren asked. "Your polar opposite, I'm hoping."

"We're not talking about my brother."

"Why not?"

"Just because. Now shut up." Sunstreaker grumbled.

"Hey, I'm just trying to start a conversation." Darren said. "Driving around the city all day doing nothing is boring."

"Then you should've hung out with Jazz or Arcee. They like screwing around with fleshies. I don't."

Darren groaned. "Would you stop with the macho man attitude? I can tell you don't have a lot of friends back in space, am I right?"

Sunstreaker's car mode visibly shook in anger. "Look you little bas-"

Their potential argument was cut short as, just as they crossed an intersection, a police car slammed into them from the driver's side. Darren was nearly thrown from his seat despite the seatbelt keeping him in place. The car didn't stop until he slammed Sunstreaker into a lamp post on the corner. Sunstreaker grunted as two more cars came in from the front and back, pinning him in place.

Darren rubbed the back of his head where he hit it and looked outside to see a bunch of men in black armor file out of a van and point their rifles at them. "Crap!"

He summoned a TK shield just as they and the "cops" opened fire on them with assault rifles. Sunstreaker saw that their bullets were hitting an invisible barrier that was being maintained by Darren, who was struggling to keep his concentration.

"Darren, who the hell are these guys?!" Sunstreaker demanded.

"No idea, but I don't think they're cops!" Darren said and waved his hand. The ground under the first two cop cars flipped over, sending both vehicles into the air and allowing Sunstreaker some clearance. A missile launcher rose up from Sunstreaker's front hood and swerved to fire a missile at the van, blowing it up and scattering the mysterious soldiers trying to gun them down. He used the commotion to drive forward and speed away as fast as he could.

"Slag," Sunstreaker hissed. "Ironhide, we're under attack by humans! I'm heading towards your position, but-ah!"

Sunstreaker nearly spun over when the ground near his rear wheels blew up. Darren looked back and saw four tiny vehicles no bigger than a motorcycle chasing them. Two had machine guns mounted on the top, while the other two had rocket launchers.

"Are those drones?" He asked.

"Well, they're scrap now!" Sunstreaker spun around and drove in reverse, firing two more rockets. The first one missed, but the other took out one of the drones. The two drones in the rear fired their machine guns and peppered his front with high velocity bullets that bit into his armor like stinging bees, but Sunstreaker continued picking them off one by one. Darren levitated a piece of the street and smashed the last one like a bug, quickly retreating into his seat before he got hit by a sign or something.

"That's right, don't frag with an Autobot!" Sunstreaker laughed. Darren looked forward and screamed.

"Sunny, eyes forward!"

Sunstreaker swerved around just as a black van came skidding around the corner in front of them. The two cars drifted around each other, inches away, and Darren saw the side of the van slide open to reveal a gun turret. The soldier opened fire on Sunstreaker before Darren had enough time to erect a barrier, and the Autobot continued to drive as fast as he could through the crowded street.

These guys are pissing me off!" He growled.

"We're not going to lose them." Darren said. "We need to call for a ground bridge."

"We can't do that in the middle of a street!"

"Sunstreaker, if we don't bridge out, we're done for!" Darren yelled. He cursed as more bullets pelted the window. He was luck Autobots were built tougher than normal cars or Sunstreaker would've been shredded metal by now.

The van that was pursuing them retracted its turret once it was clear they weren't getting past Darren's telekinetic protection. Instead, they opted for a more fast acting solution. The man in the driver's seat leaned out the window and raised a rocket launcher, firing a disk-shaped device at Sunstreaker's trunk. It attached itself to the Autobot and channeled a violent electrical surge throughout his alt mode that sent Sunstreaker for a loop.

"Ahhh!" Sunstreaker screamed as he swerved down the street uncontrollably, struggling not to crash into the sidewalk. He tried calling Ironhide or the Ark, but he couldn't find a signal. "Signal's…jammed…my motor…functions are…shot!"

Darren hung on for dear life as Sunstreaker flickered in and out of consciousness as he had a strong EMP wave drive him out of control. By chance, he looked up and saw someone in the middle of the street walking towards them. "Sunstreaker…up ahead."

Sunstreaker was still coherent enough to notice the man too. He was wearing a black bodysuit but his head was uncovered, revealing the features of a strong man with black hair and…three eyes? Sunstreaker didn't recognize him, but Darren did.

"Aries!" He exclaimed.

"Who?"

Aries smiled and reached back, drawing his sword. Clarent, the kingslayer, was truly a mighty sword; its blade was so dark that it looked like it was carved from stone, rough in appearance, dull grey in color, and three feet in length. It glowed with a dark orange aura that grew in intensity as Aries prepared to attack.

"So he's the asshole behind this!" Sunstreaker growled. "Hang on, kid. This guy's gonna be road kill!"

"No, Sunstreaker, transform! You can't just ram this guy!" Darren pleaded.

"Watch me!"

Aries waited until he could see the green in Darren's eyes before spinning his sword in a dramatic flair before stabbing it into the ground. The blade gave a high pitched whine like a wail, before a bolt of energy surged through the ground and under Sunstreaker's undercarriage. The ground under him exploded and Sunstreaker was sent flying over Aries onto his hood, skidding across the ground and crashing onto the sidewalk.

Aries grinned at the power of Clarent and placed it back in his sheath on his back and walked towards the fallen Autobot. "And they called Clarent a coward's blade."

Aries pulled out his assault rifle and slowly approached Sunstreaker, waiting to see where his human occupant was, if they were still conscious from that. Just as Aries was a foot from the Autobot, a piece of concrete was uprooted and thrown at his face. He ducked under it, but was pushed back by a force blast that sent him skidding back. Growling, Aries looked up and saw a slightly bruised Darren getting to his feet.

"Oh, a fighter." Aries grinned. "Wasn't expecting to see you again, boy. I hear you've been very busy over the past year since our last meeting."

"Go to hell." Darren growled and wrapped his body in a silver aura, forming an armor of telekinetic energy around himself to better enhance his physical abilities.

Aries opened fire on him with his rifle, but Darren drew a manhole cover to him to use as a shield to block the bullets. When he got close enough he threw the cover at Aries, smacking the rifle from his hands and charged at him. Darren attacked Aries with a barrage of punches and kicks that the general easily deflected before the man punched him in the chest. He stumbled back from the punch and Aries grabbed his arm before throwing him into the ground. Three large pieces of concrete burst from the ground at Aries' head, but he kicked those away and fired a concussion beam at Darren.

Darren jumped back, but the explosion knocked him off balance, allowing Aries to throw another punch to his face that sent him crashing into a car. When Aries lunged at him, he rolled away to avoid the powerful kick that dented a car hood before coming at Aries with a punch of his own. Aries tilted his head to the side to allow the punch to fly right over his ear before firing another beam into Darren's chest.

Darren wasn't expecting Aries to fire his beam at such close range and the explosion it caused nearly shattered his armor, blasting him back down the street before he crashed hard on his back. Aries gave him no time to recover as he charged at the boy and leapt up with a kick to the side of his head that almost threw him to the ground again. Aries got three more punches off his face before Darren shot a force blast into his chest that knocked him back.

"You're a skilled esper, boy, but you're hardly the first telekinetic I've faced. I've fought and killed telekines who could part the seas and turn stone into dust with a wave of a hand. You're hardly as much of a challenge as they were." Aries taunted him. Darren broke apart the ground at his feet, but Aries leapt forward and kneed Darren in the chest. "Fighting me was the biggest mistake you could've made, boy. Even an esper is no match for an evolved being such as myself."

"Shut up!" Darren ran forward and thrust a palm up towards Aries face, shooting a drill-shaped blast of psionic energy at him.

Aries somehow dodged the attack, despite being only seconds away from drilling into his skull, and spun around, reaching back to draw Clarent. Darren saw this and jumped back, but he wasn't quick enough as Aries fully drew his sword and slashed the blade down on him in a single movement.

Darren wasn't touched by the blade, but he didn't need to be; the sword's aura had tore right through his telekinetic aura, shredding it apart like paper, and the energy coating the blade slashed him diagonally across his chest, from shoulder to hip and left a bloody gash behind. Pain erupted through Darren's senses, but he didn't have to worry about that for long as Aries grabbed his arm and threw him to the ground, right on top of his shoulder. The boy screamed as his right shoulder was dislocated on impact, but a punch to the face from Aries knocked him out.

"Nice try, boy, but you should have run." Aries said, feeling a little out of breath from that fight. That boy certainly knew how to use his abilities to its fullest. It really got his blood pumping.

Two minutes later, the other team arrived, and the tact unit filed out of the vans, pausing slightly at Aries' glare. "You're late. Get the Autobot into the transport and retreat from the area before the authorities get here."

"Sir, what about the boy?" Drake asked.

"He's coming with us. Just be careful with him." Aries warned. "Espers are a nasty bunch, even in chains."

XXXXXX

"Can't you go any faster, Ironhide?" Kevin yelled.

"Don't go backseat driving, kid! I can't go any faster without alterin' the cops!" Ironhide said.

"Stop yapping and drive!" Penny shouted.

The red Autobot had been almost half way to the coordinates when they got Sunstreaker's distress signal-a garbled message about an ambush. They weren't able to do much thanks to the traffic jam, and they couldn't just call for a ground bridge in the middle of a crowded city. Penny went into overtime in finding short cuts for Ironhide to take when they lose contact with Sunstreaker. After that, all they got was jumbled mess they couldn't even understand. The sudden loss of Sunstreaker and Darren made Kevin and Penny panic.

"We're nearing the intersection now," Ironhide said. "We should be able to get a visual on Darren and Sunstreaker…"

Penny's voice died out as Ironhide pulled to a stop in front of a street roped off by police tape. Police cars and emergency vehicles were gathered all along the street where a high speed chase took place, leaving behind carnage as far as five blocks. But the lone Autobot and children paid that no mind as they focused on the flaming wreck of Sunstreaker's vehicle mode.

Even Ironhide couldn't keep the despair out of his voice. "No…"

XXXXXX

Ironhide wasn't looking forward to reporting the death of two of their own to Optimus, but it was his duty to inform his comrades of the tragic event. The Autobots and children were waiting for him upon arrival to the Ark and he tried to ignore the saddened expressions of Kevin and Penny as he followed Optimus to speak in private with Prowl and Jazz.

"Once again, Ironhide," Optimus said softly. "From the top."

"Prime? I'm…I'm not sure I have much to add to my original report, but if you think it will help…"

"I do."

Ironhide sighed. "I don't know what else to say, Prime. I was stuck in the midday rush when I heard Sunstreaker calling for an immediate assist. Something about an ambush. He was stuck in a high speed chase with some humans pursuing him down the intersection. I tried to reach them, but…I was too late."

Optimus closed his eyes and inhaled sharply. "Any chance at all that he was still functional, or if Darren had survived?"

"None. Whatever they hit them with, it was hardcore. There…wasn't much left of either of them."

Jazz gave a tired sigh. "The remains?"

"In a police compound, Jazz, in November City. The human emergency services arrived at the scene before I could secure the area. Kevin and Penny were with me…I had to back off."

"We get it, big red. No one thinks otherwise." Jazz said. "How are they?"

"Safe, but upset. They're telling the others about what happened. Darren was inside Sunstreaker when he was hit. He must've perished instantly."

The four Autobots were silent at this grim news. Annie and Debbie won't take this with dry eyes, not to mention Gina and High Wire. Two members of their own team were dead and no one could save them in time. This brought another issue to the table.

"You said Sunstreaker was attacked by humans," Prowl said. "I don't know about you three, but I have a pretty good idea who had initiated this attack."

"OZ," Ironhide snarled, his battle scarred face pulling back like a feral cat that's been angered. "They're the only ones who'd have the bearings to go this in a city. Those savages know we can't transform in a populated area! The bastards torched Sunstreaker and Darren! I'll tear them apart!"

"You will do no such thing, Ironhide. A knee-jerk response may be exactly what they want." Optimus said.

"But, Prime-"

"Wheeljack, Jazz and I will secure Sunstreaker's remains. That's our first priority. It's only a matter of time before the authorities realize he's something more than meets the eye. You remain here until further notice." Optimus commanded, staring Ironhide in the eyes. "Is that understood?"

"Yes." Ironhide spat through clenched teeth and left the office without another word. He only made it a few steps down the hall before cursing and punching the wall. "Damn and blast!"

He heard muffled crying coming from the room next to him and looked inside. Debbie and Annie were crying together with their Minicon friends trying to comfort them. Gina also had tears running down her face, but she was struggling to stay strong for the sisters. Arcee was in the corner trying to speak to a silent High Wire, who had yet to say anything.

Ironhide scowled and walked away from the gloomy scene. They were all going to pay, even if he had to fight those monsters himself!

XXXXXX

"There's our glorious hero!" Pisces laughed, throwing an arm around Aries' shoulders as he entered the private lounge reserved for the generals. "Well done, Aries. You've outdone yourself."

"Pah! He didn't do much." Aquarius snorted.

Aries smirked and walked over to the bar to pour himself a drink. "Now, now, Aquarius. Jealousy isn't good for your skin. Be glad that we have a live specimen to work on."

"Indeed, and thanks to you, Aries, Project Chimera can now commence." Pisces nodded. "Now we can get started on working out our plan of attack."

"Hold up, there's one thing you two are forgetting." Aquarius said.

The two men shared a confused look before Aries asked, "Forgetting what?"

"The boy, Aries. That brat that you dragged back home with you like a stray dog." Scorpio said from his spot on the couch.

"What about him? He can rot in a cell for all I care." Aries grumbled. "He'll cause us less trouble that way. That or we kill him."

"That's a bit extreme, Aries. I believe the boy can still be useful to us." Pisces said, earning looks from his fellow Zodiac. "We need someone to test the headmaster program, and he just volunteered for us."

He got varying reactions for that statement, but Pisces didn't care. He wasn't afraid to admit that he was a little biased, given that the boy and his friends had derailed three years' worth of hard work in the Inhuman project.

"I want to try something new. Out past failures on getting the subjects to accept the implants have been very valuable lessons on what I was doing wrong." He said. "If nothing else, then I've never experimented on an esper before."

Scorpio cleared his throat. "Are we forgetting something here? I distinctly recall Ophiuchus ordering us not to touch the children."

"We're not harming the boy. I'm positive my next operation will not have any detrimental effects on him."

"That's not the point." Scorpio growled. They were disobeying Ophiuchus's orders, and that was a big no-no among their kind. Ophiuchus had no tolerance for disobedience, and her punishments were swift and painful. "She said for us to not lay a finger on those children's heads. Do you realize what she'll do to us if she learns-"

"She won't do a thing to us, because none of us in this room is going to breath a word about it!" Aries hissed. "Know that there are casualties in war, and we can just say that he was killed in a little skirmish with the Decepticons when we were capturing the Autobot. It's a solid story, so long as none of you blab about it!"

Aries meant this for everyone, but he was staring right at Scorpio as he said this. They glared at each other for a few minutes, gold on gold, before Scorpio said his piece.

"If that boy dies, and Ophiuchus learns the truth, it will be on your heads." He said calmly, making sure that they got the message. "I'm not standing up for any of you."

"Only it won't come to that. Because the boy is going to play a key part in the elimination of the Autobots and Decepticons." Aries grinned and raised his glass. "We are on the road to victory, comrades. Let's not falter so close to the finish line, yes?"

Scorpio scoffed, but looked back at his dwindling wine. He hoped that karma didn't come for Aries for his backroom actions. Not even a Zodiac was immune to fate's machinations.

XXXXXX

Ironhide felt like a caged animal. He couldn't handle sitting around while still seething with rage at his inability to save his two friends. He wasn't usually too personal in losing soldiers on the field, but knowing that Sunstreaker and Darren could've been saved if he was just a bit faster made the situation hurt more than it did. So after putting another hole in his wall, Ironhide decided to vent his frustrations outside on a few trees.

It was sunset, and the disgustingly sunny day carried into the evening, with the forest now a bright orange from the fading sunlight that leaked through the treetops. Ironhide wasn't one for pretty landscapes and such, that was Jazz's thing, but the scenery was surprisingly calming to him. Losing the need to torch a few trees with his arm cannons, he stood amongst the trees with the sunlight gleaming on his armor, slightly warming him. He remembered Optimus taking some time off to explore the forest in private, mostly to think alone for a while. Ironhide could now see why.

'If Jazz or Skyfire heard my thoughts, they'd give me a lot of slag.' Ironhide thought. 'But…this isn't so bad to enjoy every once in a while.'

He spent a few more minutes walking toward the lake before he heard crying nearby. Ironhide winced as he recognized the voices and walked toward the lake, where Gina and Debbie were sitting. They sat by the still waters, holding each other and softly crying. Ironhide knew this was a private moment and made to leave, but Annie caught sight of him.

"Ironhide?" She called out. He silently curse and cleared his throat.

"Gina, Debbie, uh," Ironhide paused. This was rather difficult. "How…are you feeling?"

"What do you think?" Debbie spat, her shoulders shaking with each sob. "My baby brother's dead!"

Ironhide flinched from her tone. She barely reached past his ankle, and yet her words hurt more than any laser blast or sword wound. "I'm…I'm so sorry. If I was faster, I could've…"

"It's okay, Ironhide. You did your best, but you were taken off guard." Gina said softly, rubbing her red, puffy eyes behind her glasses. "We don't blame you."

"Where's Annie?"

"With Bulkhead and Grindor. She's… coping, I think," Gina sighed. "She thinks Darren isn't dead. I don't know what she's going on about, if she's in denial or what, but that's what she thinks."

Ironhide frowned. Annie had already been through enough as it is, and he wondered if she had finally reached her breaking point. "Gina, Debbie, I promise, I'll get the fragheads who did this. I swear upon-"

"Shut up! Just shut up!" Debbie shouted, spinning around to glare at him. "Just leave us the hell alone! You monsters caused us enough trouble already!"

"Debbie, its not-"

"Don't try to defend them, Gina!" Debbie snarled. "They've been nothing but trouble since we've met them. Everything from my kidnapping, to you dying, to Annie losing an arm…and Darren's…" She heaved another sob. "I've already lost my parents and now I've lost my brother. Are you freaks going to kill Annie too before you're satisfied?"

"None of that was our fault! Don't blame us for what the Cons or OZ did to you, because we've had our fair share of pain as well!" Ironhide yelled.

"I know. High Wire told me all about your god forsaken war. How many planets were destroyed, bullions of people killed. You people won't stop until everything burns!"

"Debbie, that's enough!" Gina yelled, standing over the hysterical young woman.

"NO! I won't lose you too!" Debbie was breaking down again. "I'm not going to lose my only family to those war mongering-"

Gina's slap was quick and sharp. Debbie stumbled back and fell, clutching her red cheek, teary eyes wide in surprise. Ironhide was also shocked, but wisely stayed quiet.

"Stop losing your damn mind! Putting the blame on the Autobots for something out of their power. That kind of talk won't bring Darren back, no matter how much we cry and scream!" Gina sniffled and wiped her eyes. "You can sit there and cry all you want, but I'm going to find those bastards myself and kill all of them!"

"Gina…" Debbie whispered.

"I can't keep going on knowing that my boyfriend's killers are running around. I don't care if I die again and don't come back, they'll all pay!" She continued. "And when each and every one of those freaks is dead, then I'll cry. I'll cry for every one of my friends who've died, human or Autobot!"

Gina's face was soaked with tears as she said all this, and after she recovered, Debbie stood up and took the blond into a tight hug. Ironhide stood over them in silence, sharing their grief and letting it fuel his growing vengeance.

'Don't worry, girls. I'll make sure to give you the revenge you deserve. I swear on my Spark.' He told himself.

XXXXXX

It was the middle of the night in November City, and Wheeljack and Jazz just arrived at the impound lot. With it being so late at night, there weren't any human bystanders to witness the alien auto-theft.

"No sign of Sunstreaker's remains." Wheeljack said via their internal comm. "He must be inside the building."

"Security?"

"Minimal. The perimeter fence is alarmed and there's CCTV. I can take out both with a localized EMP."

"Do it. There's an observation blind spot forty meters along the west perimeter. I'll go in there."

"Roger that. I'll see you inside."

Jazz slowly drove to the rear of the lot and transformed, taking out his blaster and setting it to low power output. He burned through the fence in a few seconds and pushed the ruined metal aside as he entered the lot. "I'm in."

"Me too, but we may have a problem." Wheeljack knelt over two bodies, a man and his dog. Both weren't moving. "I have one guard down, trauma to the head. His dog is dead, shot at close range."

Jazz frowned and set his blaster to stun. "Which means company."

Inside the building, three agents from Aries' Mars unit were loading Sunstreaker's still transformed body onto a flatbed truck. Agent Kressler was driving the escape vehicle while Kamen and Drake loaded the dead robot onto the dock.

"C'mon people, hustle!" drake whispered. "Is it clear, Kamen?"

"Yup. Not a soul in sight." Kamen nodded. "We're in the clear."

"Good, Goss, Creel, tie that wreck up. Schinidt, get the doors."

The two men grabbed the chains and began pulling the garage door up to give them an escape route, but to their surprise, they found two Autobots standing right in their path, guns pointed at them.

"This a private part or can anyone crash?" Jazz grinned.

"You bozos aren't going anywhere!" Wheeljack growled.

Drake hissed a curse and turned to his men. "Scramblers, now!"

Creel and Goss fired two shells from their launchers, which exploded and revealed two discs that latched onto Jazz and Wheeljack. The scramblers were devices designed with cybertronians in mind, made to subdue a bot by sending strong electrical charges through their neural pathways to restrict movement and paralyze them, akin to the effects of an electrical jolt to the human body. Jazz and Wheeljack were taken by surprise by the power of the little devices and quickly succumbed to its effects.

"Agh!" Jazz groaned, his body stuck in place and paralyzed. "Wh-hhh…"

"It's some k-k-kind of nuh-neural agitator." Wheeljack grunted. "Can't m-m-move!"

"Put 'em down, Drake!" Kressler yelled.

Drake dropped his case and opened it to pull out a rocket launcher, arming it with a kinetic shell. Acting quickly, Wheeljack swerved his shoulder cannon to fire a shell at the scrambler on Jazz's chest, destroying it.

"Nice shootin,' Jacki!" Jazz said. "Let me repay the favor."

"J-Jazz, l-look out…"

Drake fired the rocket and it hit Jazz in the chest. The explosion knocked the weakened Jazz into Wheeljack after crushed the scrambler and both Autobots toppled over. Kressler used his opening to speed past tem in the truck. Drake and his team dropped a couple of smoke bombs to cover their escape and scattered.

"Jazz?" Wheeljack helped his partner up.

"Wow, that stung." Jazz hissed at the nasty burn on his chest. "Even the grunts are annoying as hell."

"Wait," Wheeljack strained his receptors and their eyes widened when they heard a beeping noise. "Move!"

They switched to alt mode and drove out of the lot and onto the street. They were a block away when the entire building exploded. The force of the explosion was enough to knock Jazz and Wheeljack down into a nearby waterway.

"I forgot how much these guys love explosions." Jazz sighed.

"Prime, it's Wheeljack. You have one hostile inbound."

Outside the city, Kressler was taking an empty road away from the impound lot after avoiding the main highway. He heard the shape charges detonate and saw the orange glow in the distance.

"Call me immature, but I do love fireworks!" He laughed. "With any luck, those giant tin cans were caught in the blas-ah!"

He jumped when he saw a giant blue leg in front of him and pushed on the brakes. Too late. The truck crashed into Optimus's leg and nearly caused the vehicle to fold in on itself. Kressler was knocked out on impact with a severe concussion and several lacerations caused by broken glass in his face. For the first time since he awoken on this planet, Optimus could care less if this terrorist died.

He walked around the truck to Sunstreaker's remains just as Jazz and Wheeljack drove down the street to him. "Teletran, send us a bridge. Mission accomplished."

XXXXXX

The team brought Sunstreaker's corpse back to the Ark, where Ratchet looked over the wreckage with Lifeline and Longarm to oversee the cause of death. The two medics said nothing as they performed an in-depth autopsy of their fallen comrade with professional efficiency-from scannings to inspections of the warped armor material as Optimus, Jazz, Prowl and Ironhide looked on with grim expressions. Once they were done almost an hour later, they gave the results to their peers.

"Full diagnosis," Ratchet said, frowning at the wreckage. "This is not Sunstreaker."

Even Prowl couldn't hide his shock at that. "What?"

Lifeline tapped her deactivated laser scalpel against the not-Sunstreaker corpse. "Some make/model, same stylings, someone's gone to great lengths to make it look like Sunstreaker, and done a passable job of it. But in the end…it's just a car."

The Autobots took a moment to process this and Ironhide was the first to voice everyone's concerns. "Then, the whole thing in November City…was staged?!"

"It would seem so," Prowl rubbed his chin. "But…why? Why bother with this elaborate interception and cover-up? OZ doesn't usually act this cloak and dagger with us."

"Because, Prowl, they knew that the only way we'd stop looking for Sunstreaker," Optimus said, eyes narrowed. "Is if we thought he was already dead. There's a chance he's alive, and Darren as well, by extension."

"Primus," Jazz came to a troubling realization. "If that's true, then it means that Sunny and Darren were captured by OZ, and they're at their mercy. Who knows what they're doing to our boys."

"Let's not worry about that, now. We must focus on finding any clues on their whereabouts." Optimus glared down at the misshapen car. "Their survival depends upon it."

XXXXXX

High Wire and Grindor watched Annie and Debbie sitting in front of the TV monitor installed in the Minicons' quarters. The girls barely said a word since they came back and had only been watching TV blankly. It was starting to freak Grindor out.

"I hate seeing them like this, High Wire. I don't know what to say or do to help them." Grindor said. He looked at his team leader. "Well? Aren't you going to say anything?"

"What is there to say? What can you say to two sisters who just lost their brother and a girl who lost her boyfriend all in the same day?" High Wire sighed.

Grindor shook his head. High Wire had been in a deep slump since he got the bad news, and his depression was steadily getting worse. It was starting to effect Sureshock too, who spent her time comforting Gina with Sara. Or that was the plan, except…

"Guys!" Gina came speeding down the hall, leaving indents in the metal floor where her feet were as she sprinted into the room and nearly ran Peppercat over in her haste and startling the sisters. "Debbie, Annie, it's not true!"

"Calm down, Gina, what's not true?" Annie asked.

"The Autobots just learned that the November City interception was some kind of sleight of hand." Gina panted. "There's a chance that Darren and Sunstreaker are alive!"

Annie, Debbie and High Wire looked at her with wide eyes, unable to say anything. Debbie, no longer able to take another surprise like this, fell off her chair and fainted.

XXXXXX

"Kevin? Penny?" Ratchet blinked as he walked into the med bay and found the two kids inspecting the fake Sunstreaker car.

"Oh, hey Ratchet. Don't mind me takin' a look-see, do you?" Penny asked as she poked her head in and around the warped piece of metal that used to be a car.

"I-I'm not sure what exactly is it you're looking for." Ratchet said as he walked over to them. "I've been over the decoy in minute detail with Flashpoint. There's nothing."

"Eh, you'd be surprised. My dad has this collection of vintage cars from the mid-1900s and older. He would let me help him restore those old scrapheaps and taught me a lot about them." Penny said. "To me, vehicles are like archaeological digs…they have history, a lineage-a whole life story just waiting to be unlocked."

She peeled off some of the metal casing from its chassis. "For example, this cassis is built from an ultra-light alloy, probably to ensure maximum decimation. To my knowledge…there are only three domestic manufacturers."

"And they'd have records of clients, customers and so forth." Kevin chimed in. "I'm betting you've got all sorts of super-duper software on this boat. Invasive programs that could dip right in and out of our "primitive" systems."

Penny took the reins. "Now, suppose someone-me, for example-was given unlimited access to your mainframe. There's no telling what they could shake loose."

Ratchet couldn't dispute their solid deductions, though he was a bit reluctant to let anyone but Gina fool around with the Ark's more…offensive cyber programs. "I should take this to Prowl…but let's face it; he'd probably either dismiss it or sit on it. Prime wouldn't go for it without enough proof."

"Then let's run our own covert investigation." Penny smirked. She was loving this. "Time is of the essence. Who knows what OZ is doing to them!"

"Ok, ok, you've convinced me." Ratchet sighed. "You kids are a bad influence on old mechs like me."

Kevin and Penny grinned.

XXXXXX

Sunstreaker was no stranger to pain. Even before the war, when he and Sideswipe would move from city to city doing odd jobs for shanix, swindling money through borderline illegal activities, there were times when he had to get physical. Swords, knives, guns, blasters, rockets, missiles, the list goes on and on the longer Sunstreaker's list of enemies grew. But he could deal with anything those second-rate posers could dish out.

But this…this was a different form of pain. This…was torture.

"AAHHHHHH!"

The golden-yellow Autobot's agonized screams filled the underground chamber as multiple saws and drills slowly tore into his body. He was restrained to a metal slab, arms and legs held in place by titanium metal braces, with nearly two dozen humans sawing and drilling into various points of his body. Energon stained the floor, leaking from the various power lines and conduits ruptured during the dissection. Large cords were connected to his cranial unit, plugged into his exposed bran module and leeching information directly from his mind. And throughout this horrific process…he was conscious.

"Well there's got to be some way to shut it up!" Dr. Henry Arkeville, creator of the ERD's anti-esper weapons and technology yelled. As one of the leading scientists behind the Chimera Project, he was ordered to oversee the dissection of their captured alien by Pisces. Between that, and meeting the quota for the new shipment of Paladin mecha for the ERD, the not good doctor was at his wits end with stress. "The noise is unbearable!"

On the computer, Doctor Sidney Biggles Jones scoffed at the scientist as if he were an angry child. "What do you suggest? Anesthetics?" She sneered. "It's a machine!"

"Ugh," Arkeville rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Why don't we take it offline somehow?"

"And miss out on all this data? I don't think so." Jones replied. "I want all the readings we can get on these things!"

"Jones…" Arkeville growled.

"It's a machine, Henry, a piece of metal. It's not as though it can feel pain like we do." Jones said coldly. "It's an automated response."

"I don't care about that, it's distracting!" Arkeville said.

"Then get yourself some earplugs and get on with it!"

Sunstreaker couldn't hear a thing; he was only blinded by the pain of these…creatures tearing him apart. The scientists never found a way to quiet him down or make him go to sleep, and he screamed all the way through the morbid decapitation.