*Nightglider, Galatea, and pretty much every OC in the story appears fanning an almost fainted Calliope* Can't... keep... writing...

Galatea: *massaging the author's shoulders like some sort of coach* C'mon! You're halfway done! Just one last effort!

Nightglider: Yeah! One chapter and an epilogue! That's it! You're almost there!

*Calliope tries to incorporate* One... more... chaaaaapteer... *Falls down again* Too exhausted... No... Can't reach keyboard...

Millie: Please... You can't let down your readers. Look! 105 reviews! *Pulling from the author* You have to get up!

Sunscorch: *suddenly entering the room* Alright, girl. Here're the facts: you haven't writing my return yet, and I really hate to be the damsel in distress, lying down on a stretcher as some freaking Cybertronian version of the 'Sleeping Beauty'. So, you can either move your ass, and write the end of this story; or, I can write it for ya', which I'm sure you won't enjoy. Which one will be?

*Suddenly, Calliope gets on her feet in one jump* I'm good, I'm good. See? I'm fine. Thank you, Scorch, but your offer won't be necessary. I'm good. *Gets on the computer* Hello, everybody! Sorry you saw that... But I've been writing since the last time we talked and... I have good news, and bad news...

Bad news: I haven't wrote the end of the story yet. The last chapter turned out to be way longer than estimated, meaning that I had to take a decision: I could, either, upload the whole finished thing and let you suffer because of how much you were going to wait, plus the file's lenght; or, I could upload the first part now, so you had something to entertain yourselves with, while I finish the other half.

Which leads us to the good news: I'm uploading the first half today, reason why there will be one more chapter.

Seeker3:

Hahaha! I'm glad you're happy about the new bots on the fic! At some point I started to search for the G1 Autobots (since I never watched the show, I didn't know who were there, except for the ones I heard about on other shows, and/or in the movies), and I thought it would be a little more fair for the 'Bots to have flyers on their team... However, I decided that I wouldn't bring back all the Aerialbots; though I liked the description of the leader, reason why I brought him back! ^^

About Ambulon: I got to know about him by chance, through some quiz that a friend shared with me. At first I thought it wasn't a real Transformer, so I Googled him and learned about his alt-mode bad luck. The idea of combine him with the Stunticons came from the fact that Breakdown got terminated in the show, so they were needing a replacement; and, there you have a perfect spare leg walking around the clinic! But, yes, if the characters were real, this particular one would chase me 'till the End of Times... *Looks at Knock Out and Starscream* And he probably wouldn't be the only one...

Oh, and, Grimlock? Optimus already rode you like a horse in Age of Extinction, so your complains are invalid!

Sympathy Effect: (long comment, long answer XD)

There, there... I know, I know... I also had the bad idea of check out the comics. But I do rescue Drift!

Galatea: *reading the review* Why is he asking for my name? What's the matter about it?

Nightglider: He didn't found it Cybertronian enough... *glares at the author* And, yes, I still remember my name's origin...

Oh, boy... He'll never drop it. Look, I know that it's based on a Greek myth, but so is Dai Atlas, who is an actual Transformer, which I found on Drift's comic; so I didn't give it much of a thought! *Shrugs*

Trust me, Elita went to a very important place... *Evil grin*

Too bad you'll be gone for a while. Sorry it took me this long to update, but I really had this delusional idea of uploading the whole final chapter... Until last night I realized that I wrote twenty two pages and was nowhere close to the end. But, I hope that, whenever you return to the site, you'll enjoy these chapters.

And, please don't be so mean with the 'silly stories' because I used to write them too, when I was in high school. We all improve. I like to think I did.

I'm glad you opened my fic even when you didn't like the main character, it was funny to answer, and, sometimes, argue with you (like the first time you commented XD). As I told you many times, I like to receive constructive critisism, because it allows the person to improve; as much as I hate destructive criticism, because it tends to undermine your confidence. You weren't a bad reviewer, only one with a lot of opinions! Haha!

And, about Knock Out: I chose him because he was the only 'Con who openly claims to switch sides (even when it was just to save his own aft), and, because, there're little moments in the show in which you see that he's mean most of the time, because the people around him is mean to him. I'm referring to the scene in which Ratchet says 'thank you' to him, and, suddenly, Knock Out gives him an honest 'you're welcome'; also, to when Starscream yells at him when they were trying to recover the Nemesis in Predacons Rising. For a second there, you can see how it hurt him to be treated that way after he agreed to help the Seeker; which ends up with Knock Out double-crossing Starscream. Finally, there was that rare moment of humility when Optimus puts him at the same level of the Autobots, which finally convinced me that, if a human would've been kind enough to him, he might've betrayed the 'Cons sooner. So, I created him a past as a Neutral, gave him a reason to have ended where he did, being who he was; then, added some OCs, and decided to redeem the only character who chose to switch sides.

Though I understand now why you didn't like the Knock Out from the show... Yeah, there're lots of people like him. But! If you see it in the bright way, he was a comical relief, reason why he was created to be mocked on every episode; not to mention that he slowly became a drama queen... He wasn't actually a serious character... You can see a criticism hidden there somewhere ;)

Thanks for the good wishes! Good luck to you too!

DaHoboJoenME:

I can, and I did! Haha! No, speaking seriously, sorry about the delay; it wasn't my intention... But as I said, this chapter was simply growing longer, and longer, and, finally, I had to decide whether to keep torturing you, or give you something to entertain yourselves with, while I work in the fic's end.

Sorry for the delay. ;)

*Sees the other reviews* Ok, apparently all the Autobots decided to leave a message in here... Um... Let's see...

Bumblebee:

Yeah... I'm surprised that Megatron said 'thanks' too... Be careful, he might be up to something. By the way, I'm glad you're fine with the long chapters... let's see if you still feel the same way after this one...

And... Yeah... I kind of saw 'To Catch a Phrase'... You should probably leave the inspirational phrases to Optimus.

Megatron:

I can promise you one thing: you'll never find slash in my stories. Though, I'm surprised that I admitted my dislikes towards you, and yet, you decided to stick around... That's... Wow. *Thumbs up* Thanks!

Ultra Magnus:

Sorry, I thought you would know how to 'socialize' with people... Um... Guess I should've given you better instructions... But, you could always ask to Bumblebee and Smokescreen. They're the most sociable bots in the team (a.k.a. stay away from Wheeljack, we have enough with one of him already...).

And thanks for the good criticisms! I'm more an Autobot than a Decepticon, so, of course that I chose the good guys' side to write about! About the structure... well, it's the best I could do... -_-U

Wheeljack:

*Pulling him away from Ultra Magnus* The commander's gonna be fine without your 'advices', thank you! And thanks for saying that you like the humor in the story!

Knock Out:

... The chapters' titles? That's all you like about the story?

And also, c'mon! Stop whining about your finish already! I'm treating you quite fairly as a main character in here! Ugh... You officially earned your first sparkling if I ever write a future story.

Ratchet:

Hey, Ratch! Nice to see you! I like to answer the reviews! It's a good way to have a feedback from author to reader, and back! ^^

Smokescreen:

Tailgate?! I didn't decpited him like Tailgate, did I?! *OCs looks away awkwardly* Oops... I didn't notice. Sorry, Smokey... I hope my description of you improves from now on...

Alright... I think those are all, right? I didn't miss anybody, did I?

Good. Let's keep going.

Warning: English isn't my mother language, so there might be mistakes in here.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Transformers franchise, nor its characters. It is a registered trademark of Hasbro.

THIRTY SIX: Till All Are One part 1

There was some strange light that covered the images, but somehow, they were crystal clear all the same… He knew what was going on. Was it… him? Suddenly, it was hard to tell; it has been so long since the time of those memories…

But the light of the screens was always so familiar to him. Chuckling to himself, he remembered that he always thought of that place as his second home. How naïve he was back on those days… On the other hand, in those times he never imagined that he would travel out of the planet. Nor that he would made so peculiar friends…

Or did he?

Those days were so far away, he was so different from who he became…

The children were watching their friends gear up for the battle against the Combiners, wishing that this would be like any other mission before, and that the bots would return to base safe and sound with more stories to share with them. Fowler was the only human who wasn't in the control room with them, since he was locked up in his office talking with the military, preparing a counterattack in case something went wrong; though the bots told him that, if they weren't able to stop the 'Cons, then no human force would be capable of do it… Apparently, a Combiner was harder to defeat than anyone could imagine, and there were now three of them on their way. Jack could tell that even Ultra Magnus was worried this time…

With a sigh, the oldest teenager in the room walked closer to his partner, Arcee and asked her to be careful. He wouldn't dare to say it out loud, but given that the femme was the smallest bot in the team, the boy couldn't deny that he was worried sick for her. The two-wheeler wasn't as strong as her companions, because she was designed to be stealth and agile, not to use brute force ―unlike Ironhide or Bulkhead, whose armors were thicker and heavier.

The blue femme chuckled, and turned to look at him.

"Don't worry, Jack. I'll be back for supper, I promise." The warrior said with a smirk, placing a hand on the side of her hip.

"Just… hold onto the Apex Armor, 'Cee. You heard the others, this is gonna be tough." He asked.

"Can't be harder than fight a Predacon." She retorted with a shrug.

At that moment Wheeljack called back to base, asking for a ground-bridge, saying that everything was ready. Ratchet opened the portal, and the white mech crossed the vortex, saying that he installed all the mines and grenades that Ironhide asked. Those were booby-traps for the 'Cons, in case they bypassed the team and threatened the city. The explosions would buy the humans a couple more minutes to escape.

"Which reminds me…" Ratchet said, before turn to look at the four children who were standing next to him on the structure made of catwalks.

They immediately understood and frowned, while crossing their arms. A couple minutes ago, the bots suggested that they were meant to evacuate next to everyone else, but the four of them refused, saying that they haven't leave the team in worst situations than this one; so, they wouldn't leave now. Even Millie refused to go away, disregarding Knock Out's worries, to the red mech's distress.

"We already told you, guys: we're going nowhere." Jack hurried to remind the bots.

"Children, we're not asking." The older medic retorted.

"So? Hello! Since when do we do what you say?!" Miko shot back, rolling her eyes and shaking her head.

"Besides, what if you come to need us? We can't help you from afar." Rafael added.

Grunting, Ratchet massaged his temples. He had to admit that the Japanese girl had a point in one thing: this kids never listened a word he said in the past; why would they start now? Especially Jack who was eighteen already. He was already on the legal age, and three years away from being considered fully an adult; so, he was on his right of refuse. But the others weren't! And, to make it worse, Millie was following the other kids without even thinking! The other three… well, the medic had to admit that it wasn't a good idea to allow them to stay with them at the base, but, at least, they had past experiences in similar situations ―which talked poorly about their guardian skills…―; unlike this little girl, who hasn't seen a Cybertronian in two years, and this was her first experience with them!

"Millie." Knock Out started, walking up to the platform. "You have to evacuate, right now."

"But…" She tried to retort, but was promptly interrupted.

"No 'buts'! Shockwave, Screamer and their brainless minions are already on their way here, and none of us knows how this battle will end! We might win, but there're chances for us to lose as well; and, if that's the case, then I can't protect you!" He gestured to his wounded arm to stress this last part. "I'm a medic, not a soldier; my fighting skills are limited. I can hardly defeat a normal Cybertronian, leave alone a Combiner! So, considering that the only ones who will be left at the base are Ratchet, Sunscorch who is yet unconscious, and me, the four of you must evacuate, ASAP!"

The youngest child pondered the surgeon's words, looked at the team, and, then, at the other humans in the room. It was true that if the battle ended in defeat for the bots then they would be defenseless, but… Sighing, she looked back at her friend.

"I'm staying." That said, she walked up to Jack and the others. "You can't force me to leave."

Knock Out was about to retort that, but the others stopped him. They already went through this with their human companions, so they knew that it was pointless to try to reason with them. Reluctantly, the Velocitronian nodded, and let the child be.

Bumblebee smirked at it, knowing that the former 'Con would get used to it… eventually. Then, he looked at Ratchet.

"Open the bridge, Ratch. We're ready." He said, and the medic went to do as told. Once the portal whirled to life, the warriors started to walk towards it; but the former scout, was soon stopped by the red medic, who placed a hand on his shoulder to earn his attention. "What is it?" He asked, arching an eyebrow.

"I… Well, in case the worst happens, I wanted to thank you for… For everything you did for me, even when you didn't have to." Knock Out said, offering his hand to Bumblebee.

Smiling, the yellow warrior took the other mech's servo and shook hands with him. Their rivalry was finally behind them for good.

"You're welcome." The warrior said, receiving a nod.

"However, try to come back in one piece, though. I don't want to add your name to the list of people I lost in this fragged war." The medic added, letting go from the law enforcer.

"Oh, so we're friends now?" Bumblebee joked, receiving a chuckle.

"Oh, I so want to take back my comment now…" Knock Out teased, rolling his eyes and smirking.

Nevertheless, they simply nodded at each other one more time, before the warrior masked himself and walked towards the ground-bridge, following the rest of the team; but quickly walked up to Rafael who was at the platform's security riel.

"Please come back alive, 'Bee." The boy said.

"You know me, Raf. I'll be back soon enough." The warrior answered with a wink, before ran towards the vortex, disappearing inside of it.

Arcee did the same, and it was the Wrecker's turn, so Bulkhead prepared to go into the battlefield next to Wheeljack; but not before look back at Miko, who smirked at them.

"Go get 'em!" She said, cheerfully; only to, suddenly, become more serious. "And come back safely, ok?"

"You know we will, girl." The white mech chuckled, masking himself.

"If the worst happens, promise that you'll go back to Tokyo without trouble." The green Wrecker pleaded, receiving a pout. "Miko…"

"Ok, ok. I promise." The teenager gave in, averting her eyes and crossing her arms.

"Good." Bulkhead nodded, before turn to look at his partner.

He and Wheeljack bumped fists and ran into the vortex, followed closely by Ultra Magnus and the Triplets. Then, the three Elite Guards saluted the humans before follow the rest of the team; leaving only Ironhide, Chromia, and Nightglider behind.

The flyer said his goodbyes to Knock Out, who wished him luck and asked him the same he did to Bumblebee. The black mech nodded with a chuckle; then, glanced at the slumbering figure of his former partner, Sunscorch, before walk towards the ground-bridge. However, before going in, he turned to look at the humans and dedicated them a smirk. Surprised the kids shared a quizzical look before return the gesture.

Satisfied, the black bot crossed the portal.

Time for the two remaining warriors to do the same…

Ironhide walked up to Ratchet in the last minute to high five with the old bot who, sighing, did so. But, then, the medic closed his grip on the weapons specialist before he could walk away.

"Don't you dare to disappear for another half million years, 'Hide." The white and orange mech snarled, frowning.

"I can't make any promises, you know that, Ratch." The bulky bot chuckled, arching an eyebrow.

"Don't worry, I'll keep his aft safe… As usual." Chromia commented with a sly smirk, surprising both males who didn't see her approaching. "Oh, and, Ratchet, whenever you hear of Elita…"

"I'll contact you immediately." The medic interrupted the cerulean femme. "I know. Now go." He added, and both warriors disappeared into the vortex, next to everyone else. "Good luck…" Ratchet whispered once the ground-bridge closed.

The scene… He saw it so many times: all his friends running straight-forward into the danger, while he remained behind, at the base's safety. Rarely did he see the battlefield, even on Cybertron; but those few times were enough for him to understand the amount of danger his friends managed to live through day after day during the war.

As he walked back to the mainframe's controls, where Knock Out and the kids were, the old Autobot prayed for this to be the last time he had to see his friends ran towards the battlefield.

Jazz was in a hand-to-hand battle with a Decepticon, covering for Crosshairs, who was dragging Moonracer back to the clinic, after the poor femme received a shot that incapacitated her. Thank the Matrix for Silverbolt's presence, otherwise Powerglide would've abandoned his position to help the mint green lass, who was quickly taken inside by some nurses when the black and green warrior called for help.

The fugitives made it further than anyone foresaw, reason why they were now fighting them at the very doors of the clinic; and some of those bastards went straight to the city's center. Jazz and Firestar knew themselves heavily outnumbered, but felt better when they saw that the Council finally decided to give a slag about their people, and sent their guards to fight the runaway Decepticons, while the civilians escaped with the sparklings.

Suddenly, the lieutenant's knee junctions gave in, reason why he fell and was about to be finished by his opponent, if it wasn't for the sudden intromission of a cerulean mech, who tackled the bot of red optics away from the Autobot. Then, the warrior that called himself Blades finished the 'Con. He ran out of ammunition a little while ago, reason why he was relying on his set of knifes and swords.

Jazz started to collect himself from the ground, receiving a little help from the cerulean speedster, Blurr. Once he was on his feet, the white mech took a look around. They were losing the fight…

"We can still turn the tables." Blurr commented, trying to cheer up the lieutenant. "We just need some luck." That said, he ran off, towards the next 'Con in line, helping Override with some drones that were pinning her legs.

"We don't need 'luck'… We need a slagging miracle…" The mech of the blue visor muttered, before scan the area for Firestar.

The tall femme was kicking some tailpipe with the help of her partner, Flareup, who was shooting at anything that had red optics or visor, and moved. Those two seemed unstoppable, but Jazz could see right through their façade: they were becoming exhausted. In fact, some femmes were already panting; not to mention that some of the mechs were about to break too… Only then he noticed that he lost complete track of Drift.

Alarmed, Jazz scanned the area, but he couldn't find it.

"Anyone has eyes on Drift?!" He asked through the commlink, while dodging a shot, and deploying his own blaster.

«I see him, sir! » Galatea's voice announced. «He's still fighting that tall and creepy guy from before… He doesn't seem very well… »

Drift's system was indicating a countless number of injuries on his body, as he got himself tossed against the nearest wall again; only to be picked up by the throat, and, then, squashed against the street light. Turmoil laughed at his pain, obviously elated for the situation; and the knight knew the why of this too: because he turned him in, back when he defected the Decepticons.

"I waited a long time for this, Deadlock…" The tall and black mech hissed, before punch him in the head with his cannon's muzzle. The poor white and orange Autobot yelped in pain, only to feel that his former commander plastered the weapons mouth to his waist. The cannon started to warm up. "Now, you're going to pay the price for your treason."

"The Decepticons betrayed themselves…" Drift whispered, tiredly, defenseless.

His swords slipped away from his hands two or three punches and shots ago; his lone weapon now was the ancient sword that Atlas entrusted him with, but it was clutched on his back, and, as soon as he reached for it, Turmoil would put an end to his life. He was trapped. Well… At least he would see Wing again, right? It wouldn't be that bad… he hoped. He did all he could to mend the way he lived since the day he got named Deadlock by Megatron; so, there was a chance that he put his life in order. Not completely, sure, but…

But it seemed that today was not his day, as someone shot Turmoil from behind, allowing the knight to break free. Surprised, he looked for his rescuer, but his optics couldn't see who freed him.

«You're welcome! » Galatea's voice chimed through his commlink.

"I owe you one, girl!" He happily told her, while jumping away from his former commander, who, seeing that his prey got away, decided to attack the sniper who forced him to let go from Drift.

Seeing this, the knight grabbed the sword that was pending on his back; and the blue crystal from the handle started to glow immediately, draining energy from its owner's spark, and calling the Decepticon's attention. Turmoil couldn't help but gasp at the sight of Drift leaping towards him; his ancient sword ready to fulfill its purpose, and finish the black mech who quickly covered his face with his cannon… which was cut like butter by the knight's sword.

In pain, the black mech couldn't shield himself when Drift kicked him in the middle of the chest, sending him backwards. Turmoil fell on his back, and the knight hurried to step onto him, pinning him down and pointed at him with his sword, ready to finish the fight… permanently.

"Go ahead." The 'Con said.

Drift clenched his teeth, and strengthened his grip around his sword's handle. His arms were shaking with indecision.

He wanted to do it, but…

"We both know you wanted to do it for a long time. So? Do it." Turmoil taunted the Autobot.

The things he did… The things they did…

It were beyond forgiveness…

The memory of an old monastery in a faraway planet came back to his processor.

He had to put an end to it.

"C'mon, finish me. It's the right thing to do, isn't it?" Turmoil kept going.

Drift extended his arms, readying himself for the final blow.

It was time to finish with all of it.

"Do it, Deadlock!"

«Drift, don't! » Jazz's voice echoed in the back of his head, through the commlink.

"There's always an option." The voice of a ghost suddenly ringed on his audio receptors.

And, suddenly, the ancient sword fell a few feet away from where the knight was, while the orange and white mech punched his former commander in the face, sending him to dreamland. Panting, exhausted for both, the fight and the power that the sword drained from him, the warrior stumbled a few steps away from the black mech.

It was done.

He was finally free…

"I'm… no longer… Deadlock…" He managed to say before collapsing, out of exhaustion.

If only Wing would've been there to see it. Then it would've been perfect.

He never felt so impotent until that night at the warehouses, when he found her lying on the cold floor… Up until that moment he never thought that someone who preached for peace and equality could be capable of commit such awful acts. Again, he was really naïve… If he would've only seen the hints, the small details that were alarming everyone around that guy…

But after that night…

Thinking about it, it was that what made him change, what started his slow transformation; because, before she got attacked, he would've never participated in a war. He never liked violence. He never believed in it…

Sighing, reminding those events, he had to admit one thing: nobody knows for sure what their reactions would be to extreme situations. His was to jump right to the danger, desperate to protect his beloved ones… Desperate to stop the war.

Little he knew where that would lead him…

The sky was covered with black, stormy clouds, and was filled by the roar of three different proppelants, as Starscream and his trine led the way, while the rest of the troops were following them from earth. The air commander had no doubt that this would be the end of the Autobot cause, and the beginning of a new era; one that Megatron discarded as a fool. But the silver grey mech knew better: their enemy faction was now weak and heavily outnumbered, not to mention unprepared. It was the right time to finish the war once and for all; but, this time, the victory would be for the Decepticons, and he would have his rightful place as Cybertron's king. All those who mistreated him and his trine brothers would pay the price… He would make sure of it.

Unknown to the commander, Thundercracker's thoughts were far away from the battlefield. He was confused, not knowing what to do, nor how to tell his companions ―his brothers― that he wasn't looking forward to this particular battle. Have been born on Vos City's hot spots, the cerulean flyer was a warrior; it was written on his CNA. He could still remember the thrill of his first combat, the joy he felt when being assigned to his trine, where he met Starscream and Skywarp. The three of them were so different back then… Skywarp was more intelligent ―whatever Shockwave did to him the day he gave him the ability to teleport, definitely broke some pieces form the purple flyer's processor…―, but it was Starscream the one who changed the most…

The silver grey mech was more… gentle. Yes. That's the right word. He was gentle. He cared about others, especially about his trine. The members of a trine becomes brothers, because their lives depends on each other when in battle.

However, after they, honorable soldiers trained in the great military city of Vos, got fired due to the corrupt system of Cyberton… something broke inside of their commander. At first, Thundercracker blamed the Senator for what they did to his brothers, and cheered the Decepticon cause as much as Starscream and Skywarp; he didn't give it too much of a thought when it led them to a war, believing that it was the logical outcome of the uprisings, and fought for Megatron as anybody else among the army. But now… What were they fighting for?

Alright, the Decepticons lost. Tough luck. But hasn't their planet seen enough war and slaughter for a lifetime? Why was Starscream so obsessed? Why couldn't they just… leave?

Suddenly, the silver grey jet chuckled.

"My, my… It seems that the Autobots prepared a welcome committee…" He mocked the 'Bots, who prepared a line of defense between the incoming 'Cons and the city. "Shockwave, tell your people to get on position. They are already waiting for us."

Seriously… Why?

The itches on her chest soon started to feel like something was burning inside of her. It was pulling from her, when it should be her the one pulling it back. That was why she had to return to Cybertron, right? This had to be the reason why she survived the war. "Our lives are meaningful, you said; we're all in here for a reason, because there's something that we must do, something that only we can fulfill. That's what you told me, you bastard." She thought, gritting her teeth in pain, while collapsing on her knees at the edge of the hole. "There's no way you left so easily." Forcing herself not to scream, the pink femme opened her chest-plates, revealing her spark-chamber.

"Nap's over." She hissed, opening her spark-chamber too.

A couple kliks passed…

And then, something reacted to her spark's presence in the depths of the Well.

He liked to believe that everything he did was for the greater good. That he remained as righteous as he could, but, truth be said, we all commit mistakes; in the end, nobody is perfect… Most of all when you're fighting in a war. In fact, sometimes he couldn't help but to feel that the very war was, in part, his fault. He should have known better… He should have sense that something was out of place, that… that it was all a trick… Maybe he should've listening to her, and stay out of it. But, after so many years of seeing how the world was crumbling around him… He felt like he had to do something about it, to speak up for those who couldn't…

Well…

At least he could say that he did the best he could.

After all, nobody was there to teach him how to be what he was supposed to after his entitlement. It was all a matter of practice and error, and lots of study.

Study?

Thinking it better, no. He didn't studied the subject… He kept being himself. Mostly.

"You can't remain like this forever, child. You must take a decision." The voice of his old friend and teacher echoed through the… What to call it? Eternity? Was there such thing as a time concept in there? He heard him chuckling at his silly doubts. "Are you afraid of join your brothers, and all those who preceded you?"

No.

Yes?

He wasn't sure anymore…

No, no, it wasn't fear; it was something else.

But, what? What could it be?

He left nothing behind.

His job was fulfilled…

Right?

The signals of twenty one Cybertronians approaching the team's coordinates popped up in the mainframe, reason why the four children and Fowler held their breaths; next to them, Ratchet was holding onto the keyboard, while telling the bots to get ready, that the enemy was at hand.

Knock Out wasn't with them at that very moment, but at the med-bay, checking on Sunscorch, whose biolights were now stabilized, and her vents were more regular. She would open her optics anytime now, and he wanted to be with her when that happened… However, he didn't want to leave the others alone either. So, as soon as the older medic announced the Decepticons' proximity, the surgeon ran back to the control room.

The battle was about to start. "You have to win, guys." The Velocitronian thought, looking at the Autobots' life signals. Their spark-beats were off the graphics, nervous for the idea of facing Combiners, something that nobody has ever done.

Ultra Magnus was leading the team, next to Ironhide. They all were ready, and waiting for the right time to come… What they didn't expect were the Seekers appearing all the sudden, and forcing them to scatter by shooting at sight. This wasn't the right time, but if they were planning to start sooner, then they didn't have much of a choice; they had to keep the Seekers at stake!

"They're yours, Nightglider!" The blue commander yelled, through the commlink.

Without an answer, a black jet appeared from between the clouds, and started to chase Starscream's trine away. None of them saw him coming, so they were all a little startled, and slow in their answer; until Skywarp disappeared from sight, and reappeared right behind the poor Autobot, who took evasive position, zigzagging his way out of the line of fire. Unfortunately, Seekers rarely fight alone, and soon enough Thundercracker joined his trine brother in the aerial battle. "Okay, I really miss my brother right now!" NIghtglider thought, while dodging shots in midair; only to make loops and answer the fire.

He was the only Autobot with wings, so he couldn't afford to be defeated!

With that in mind, Nightglider took his chances, and made an old maneuver that he used to perform with his twin: he gained altitude, and, once he was in position, dove at max speed… right on top of his opponents, transforming in the last nanoklik. It was both, risky and stupid, but it was also effective; so he ignored the curses he was getting from Ultra Magnus, and concentrated in catching Skywarp ―from the three Seekers, the purple one was the most dangerous one due his ability to teleport. Take him down was priority in the black jet's mind…

The rest of the team was trying to shoot down the other two 'Cons, so there was no problem if he concentrated his attacks in only one of the trine members.

«Incoming! » X-Brawn's voice drummed through his commlink.

It gave the Autobot flyer five seconds to transform and dodge Starscream's missile. Kind of panicking when it saw the bomb readjust its course towards him, the jet tried to maneuver away from it, but there was no time… It was going to hit him. "Not again!" He cursed his luck, preparing for impact; when, fortunately, a well-aimed shot made the projectile explode in midair, saving his aft.

The black mech saw that X-Brawn's blaster was still steaming, while the rest of the team was chasing away the Seekers the best they could.

"Thanks!" NIghtglider said to the oldest triplet.

«Keep your optics open, soldier! You're our only flyer! » And that was Ultra Magnus voice… scolding him…

Sighing, the jet resumed his assault against the trine.

From earth, Ironhide ordered everyone to hold fire; then, he told that only the ones with weaker firepower would try to shoot down the Seekers, the rest of them were supposed to save their strengths for the Combiners. Everyone nodded, reason why only Arcee, Bumblebee and Side Burn resumed their attack on the jets…

And then is when the ground trembled.

"Did you feel that?" Hot Rod asked, trying to regain his balance.

Ironhide and Ultra Magnus shared a look, before turn towards the road. Three huge shadows of red optics were approaching in the distance. "They're bigger than we thought…" Bumblebee thought, while his eyes were fixed at the three dark silhouettes that were growing closer to them.

Nobody needed to ask: those were the Combiners…

The Autobots' sparks missed several beats at the sight of their enemies. They were unprepared for this fight; they just could feel it… Relics or not, they were depending in one single plan of action; if it didn't work, they didn't have a plan B. "Oh, Elita… We could really use your help right now…" Chromia thought, gulping.

Starscream flew back towards the gargantuan bots, finding Shockwave behind them. Pleased for the results, so far, the silver grey jet landed and transformed next to the violet mech, who did the same. Solar Flare appeared not to long after, but remained in vehicle from, convinced that her wheels were going to be a need soon enough.

The other two Seekers overflew the three gestalts, before take their positions at their sides, protecting the assets from upside.

"Today, the Decepticons achieve their rightful victory!" Starscream celebrated.

Ironhide frowned and took a step forward.

"Not under my watch, Screamer!" The red mech said, warming up his cannons. "Autobots, take those bastards down!" He ordered.

In a blink of an eye, all the Autobots opened fire against the Combiners, who simply covered their optics with a hand, and watched the shots bounce off them; at the same time, Starscream jumped into the air, transforming, and ordered his Seekers to start the counterattack, while Shockwave did the same to the gestalts. However, he told Solar Flare to stay back.

"Why?" She asked, rudely.

"No matter how much they wish to protect the city, face three Combiners with their current firepower is illogical. They're up to something." The scientist explained.

"Nap's over."

That voice…

He knew that voice. Where did it come from? Where was she? She wasn't with the others, he couldn't feel her there; he tried to find her in that place, but there was no sign. Why wasn't she with the others?

"She was never here, lad." His old teacher answered. There was a soft and tender smile on his voice. To him, he was always going to be his pupil… The youngling he took in as an apprentice…

His confusion grew.

She wasn't? Then… She survived that day? She was fine?

A warm feeling appeared inside of him, pulling him away from his old friend's voice.

Yes.

It was her! After so long, he found her!

"It appears that you've finally taken a decision." His friend chuckled. "It's alright. They'll let you leave. Your job wasn't finished anyway." As he talked, his voice started to fade away.

Something was pulling him further and further, in the opposite direction of where he was going, where his old friend was waiting for him...

He was going... back...

Jazz was dodging and shooting as many 'Cons as he could, while opening way towards Drift's body. The knight fell unconscious after using that weird sword of his, and a horde of enemies started to gather around him to finish him off; all of them surely remembered him as a cold blooded Decepticon killer who betrayed his army to join the Autobots, so leave him there wasn't an option. While doing so, Galatea started to shoot way further than before; thanks to this, the lieutenant saw the new wave that was approaching. At the same time there were shootings and explosions coming from the city. Good. At least the Council's guards were moving their afts to save their people…

"Someone please try to hold on the new wave while I take Drift's aft back to the clinic!" Jazz pleaded through the commlink, and, in two seconds, the three trains transformed and rolled over anyone on their way. The newcomers, seeing this, either jumped aside or started to run away. "Thanks!"

He reached the knight's side on time. Turmoil was coming to, and, undoubtedly, he would try to kill the white and orange mech. Jazz jumped onto him and started to beat the scrap out of him, saving ammo for the way back.

Across the street, Firestar and Flareup were crouched behind one of the makeshift barricades, taking heavy fire from some really pissed 'Cons, when the older femme noticed the lieutenant's position, and that a very large violet mech was aiming at the white bot's head. "Mechs… They never look around…" She thought while picking up her long gun, and aiming at the aggressor. The only thing that made Jazz look up was the detonation, followed by the Decepticon falling unconscious onto the ground.

"Stay alert." Firestar told the lieutenant through the commlink.

«And you try to recover them alive. » He retorted, before turn to grab Drift.

"If I wanted him dead, I would've aimed for the head. He's just wounded." She retorted, while reloading for another round; but, before being able to, a 'Con pounced onto her, pinning the femme against the ground, forcing her to wrestle. Flareup tried to peel him off her superior officer, but it was useless… Until a green and black blur tackled the aggressor, shoving him off her frame. "What?"

Looking to the side, Firestar saw Crosshairs struggling with her previous attacker; and, in her opinion, he wasn't doing it very well… And she was right, the green mech always preferred to fight with his guns, but he lost one of his handguns, the other one was about to run out of ammo, and he was saving the long rifle for extreme necessities… Of course that, a fragging massive attack to the city should count like one, but, still… The idea of run out of weapons in the middle of this fight wasn't an option.

But the 'Con shoved him off and started to run away.

"Oh, no you w-! Ah! Scrap!" As soon as he tried to stand up, Crosshairs noticed that one of his ankle junctions was damaged. When he tackled the guy he had the feeling that he fell wrongly, now he could say it for sure. "Slag, dammit! Jazz! I'm hurt!" He informed through the commlink, while Flareup dragged him towards the barricade. However, the green mech was looking at the runaway.

«Stay down! You're more useful alive, Crosshairs! » Jazz answered, gasping. It wasn't a surprise, since he was carrying Drift over his shoulders at the time.

"The son of a glitch is getting away!"

"Not for long. Override!" Firestar commed.

The Velocitronian femme transformed into her vehicle mode and zoomed after the 'Con; and, once she was on position, transformed again, jumping over the guy's head, only to land in front of him with her guns aiming at his chest. Growling, the bot of red optics rose his hands in defeat.

… … …

At the same time Pharma was running one way to the other, giving orders to the nurses, telling everyone where to put the wounded ones they already had, and the ones that were coming from the battle. It was then when Jazz entered, carrying an unconscious Drift over his shoulders. The medic of the blue protoform called for his apprentice, First Aid, and ordered him to take care of the knight; but the youngling was busy with some soldier that came from downtown.

An explosion made everyone duck and cover, while Pharma started to tremble. The memories of Delphi were coming back to his mind, cutting through all the barriers he put to keep them buried in the depths of his conscience. This battle was bringing back the worst side of him, like he was in a war again…

"Sir! You can't…!" Some nurse yelled, addressing an Autobot veteran who was literally running off his room.

Overcoming his fears, Pharma got on his feet and grabbed the patient by the shoulders.

"Sir, I'm going to ask you to go back to your bed, now." He said, pushing the grey mech towards the door he exited.

"Nonsense! I can help those kids!" The soldier struggled, ignoring the Energon that started to leak through the patches that were recently welded to his frame. "It sounds like a fragging war out there!" He kept saying, while wrestling with the medic.

"Nurse! Sedatives, now!" Pharma ordered to a nearby femme, while holding back the veteran.

"Ya not gonna keep me here, doc! Not after what those bastards did to me and Hound!" The old bot finally pushed the medic off the way; only to be caught by Jazz, who quickly cut his path.

But, before the lieutenant could say anything to stop him, a series of beastly roars deafened everyone on the area.

The Autobots were concentrating their fire on the Combiners' junctions, hoping to break them apart, but, despite that those areas didn't seem to be armored, they weren't capable of break their formation. And, to make it worst, Nightglider was starting to have trouble with the Seekers, especially after Starscream noticed that he was aiming for Skywarp; reason why, the air commander ordered Thundercracker to take him down, while he and the purple flyer engaged the 'Bots.

The constant harassment from those two was enough to force the Autobots to break their formation and scatter, just to prevent getting shot; thing that made them worry, considering that the fragging gestalts weren't yet on position, meaning that they had to call their attention longer. Ironhide was already considering how detrimental would it be for their plan to back off a few feet, seeing that the 'Cons were fighting with a vigor they didn't show in the war. Fortunately for the weapons specialist, not even the greatest pressures could make Ultra Magnus miss the small details, such as the way Skywarp tended to dive recklessly towards them whenever he prepared to shoot. It was a mistake that left him vulnerable to anyone with good aim; and, since they weren't supposed to reveal the relics yet, the commander decided to trust in the red bulky mech's firepower. And so, as soon as the Seekers positioned for another round, Ironhide warmed up his cannons…

Meanwhile, Nightglider gave his chaser a hard time by hiding among the stormy clouds, where Thundercracker lost him.

"Scrap!" Turning on his commlink, he called for his commander. "Sir, I lost him!"

"Looking for me?" A joyful voice said from above of him, right before something crashed on top of the cerulean airship.

… … …

From the distance, Shockwave saw how Daybreak's twin got himself in collision course towards Thundercracker, only to transform in the last possible instant, tackling the Seeker, and sending both of them towards the ground. When they hit, a huge cloud of dust arouse at the impact zone. Such a risky move… None of this plan was making sense to the scientist. Why were the Autobots putting themselves on the line so much? This plan was beyond suicidal; after all, they knew that his creations were immune to their weapons, and that the Seekers were nothing more but mere distractions whose job was to make them even more vulnerable to the Combiners' attacks.

The chief scientist was trying to decide whether his enemies were very brave, or incredibly stupid, when Skywarp was taken down by the Autobot weapons specialist, known as Ironhide.

"The Seekers are losing." Solar Flare commented, now transformed in her bipedal mode, with her arms crossed. She obviously wanted to fight.

"It's an irrelevant loss. They are expendable." Shockwave said, seeing how Starscream started to shoot towards Ironhide and the others, trying to push them away from his unconscious trine brother. It was a sad attempt to rescue the fallen Seeker.

But it would no matter. The three Combiners were finally steps away from Ultra Magnus and the others… However, he soon cocked his head when, taking a better look, he noticed something they missed to see sooner: there was an Autobot absent.

… … …

Bumblebee jumped out of the way when Starscream started to shoot at them, making room for him to land next to his fallen trine brother; but it was thanks to it that he noticed that the three monstrosities that Shockwave brought to life were now aiming at them. "Scrap…" He mentally cursed, when he saw that none of those things was in range for their strategy. He had to change that.

But, first, he had to make sure to dodge their attack.

All the Autobots jumped out of the way right on time, only to see that the Combiners' blasters made craters wherever they hit; and, since they missed, the three of them were furious now. And, for so, before the bots could fully recover from the blast, the gestalts attacked again, forcing their enemies to transform and drive as far as they could to get to safety. All but one…

To the Decepticons' surprise, Bumblebee stepped on the brakes and made a U-turn, reason why he was now running towards the gestalts. The others saw this and stopped on their tracks, transforming, trying to make him go back with the team; but the yellow warrior wasn't listening to his friends at the moment. His mind was focused in only one thing: if they failed, then, who knows what these 'Cons would do to Earth and Cybertron? No… He couldn't allow them to win.

"He's trying to take them back to the trap…" Arcee muttered, surprised for her friend's courage… And then is when an orange and golden muscle car went after the Camaro. "What the…?!"

"Roddy! What're you doing?!" Side Burn asked through the commlink.

«Giving those freak shows one more target to follow! » The Elite Guard's answered, as he zoomed towards the battlefield.

Appreciating the help, the Camaro started to zigzag between the Combiners' legs, until he got the full attention of the one called Menasor, who turned around, following him and Hot Rod, who taunted the gestalt by briefly transforming to shoot at its face, before sped off again. Finally, the huge bot chased after the two warriors who made their stand, waiting for the right moment.

At base, the children were biting their fingernails as they saw Menasor's huge signal approaching the ones of Bumblebee and Hot Rod. Especially because nor Shockwave, nor Solar Flare had moved ever since the battle started, as if they were suspecting something; which could mean that their plan wouldn't work…

But there wasn't time to give their strategy any second thoughts. All they had was plan A, so it had to work. They would make it work, one way or another. And so, following their only plan, Ratchet waited until the gestalt was in position, and…

"Smokescreen, move now!" He ordered.

Bumblebee and Hot Rod were facing a ginormous blaster, while uselessly shooting at Menasor, when something sprinted out of the wall of stone that was next to the Combiner. "About time, Smokey!" Both warriors thought, when the electric blue Viper exited its hiding, quickly transforming into the Elite Guard who phased through the bot's body. Seconds later, he came out through the other side, dragging the regulator with him. Finally, he gracefully landed on his feet, next to the damaged device.

From afar, both, Shockwave and Starscream, couldn't believe it: the Autobots retrieved the Phase Shifter! It had to be Knock Out's doing… That bastard saw the project data from up close, so he must've come with the plan to stop them. And the worst part was that they had no way to know if that was the only relic they brought back from Cybertron.

"Solar Flare, destroy the Phase Shifter, and kill the Autobot." The chief scientist ordered to his assistance, who immediately transformed and stormed towards her preys. Meanwhile, the one-eyed Decepticon saw how his creation fell apart, since the Stunticons started to run out of Energon in nanokliks.

Smiling in content, the three warriors transformed and drove back to their team; however, Hot Rod suddenly stopped, recognizing one of the 'Cons who broke formation. He has seen him before! It was one of Iacon's Clinic's medics! He couldn't remember his name, but he was sure that he wasn't a Stunticon! Making a U-turn, the orange and golden car decided to rescue the poor bot, only to almost get rolled over by a Velocitronian champagne colored vehicle, who bypassed him. Transforming, Hot Rod noticed that this person was after Smokescreen.

"Scrap… Smoke! You have a tail!" He informed through the commlink.

Bumblebee watched their rears with his mirrors, realizing who it was; so, groaning, he told the blue vehicle to keep going, while he entertained the femme. Then, he transformed into his bipedal form, facing the incoming car.

«May I be curious and wonder: what do you think you're doing?! » Knock Out's voice appeared through his commlink.

"They already know we have the relics, meaning that I can use mine." Bumblebee said, pulling the polarity gauntlet forward, and using it to push away the Velocitronian femme.

Solar Flare managed to transform and fall on her feet.

"Didn't you have enough at the desert, Autobot?" She snarled.

"The only reason you got away was because of your partner. You're not such a great warrior on your own." He taunted her.

«Huh… Do you want to get terminated? » Knock Out wondered through the commlink.

Ignoring the medic, Bumblebee engaged the femme in battle, keeping her away from Smokescreen and the Phase Shifter, who were getting away, as the Elite Guard drove towards the next Combiner.

However, there was a little matter that was keeping him away from his target: how was he supposed to get all the way up there?!

"'Glider! I could use a lift over here!" The blue car told his partner.

Powerglide and Fireflight were helping their superior, Silverbolt with some flyers that were headed towards the Council's tower, when a loud roar startled them three. Fortunately, it had the same effect on the 'Cons they were fighting; so, as soon as they came back to reality, the three Aerialbots managed to take down their opponents by shooting their thrusters. Once they hit the ground, the Council's guards took care of them.

"I wasn't the only one who heard that, right?" Powerglide wondered out loud.

"Glad to know that I didn't imagined it." Fireflight commented with a relieved sigh, noticing how oddly silent Silverbolt was. "Uh… Sir? Is everything ok?"

He was older than this two, and he had memories of battles that would've made his companions run for the hills. He has witnessed some savage things; and, that roar, brought him remembrances of a long lost team that took an undercover mission that went wrong. Utterly wrong. Those guys disappeared for many quartex, and, when they managed to return, they weren't the same. They were wilder, beastlier; those men started to fight in ways that only the Decepticons has used until that point. They were in rage… And, when he had the chance to see them transform, he realized why.

"We have to regroup." Silverbolt mumbled, while turning around to go back to the clinic, back to the main team. "Come on, Aerialbots! We must return!"

Not really understanding, his companions hurried after him.

If they were here… If they were back, Jazz was going to need all the help he could find to keep them in check…

Nightglider was wrestling with Thundercracker, who was amazingly pissed for have been taken down by the black jet; right when Smokescreen called, asking for help to reach the next Combiner's regulator. "Bad timing, dude! Very bad!" The flyer thought while pushing the cerulean mech out of his way to transform. But, as soon as he jumped in the air to fly away, a well-aimed shot hurt one of his wings, sending him back to the ground, where the Seeker pinned him.

Kicking him off, the black 'Bot hurried to take cover behind a boulder.

"Guys! I'm hurt, grounded, and cornered! I need help with 'Cracker!" He informed through the commlink.

«We can't reach your position! Skywarp came to, and the gestalts are not exactly happy for losing their friend! » Wheeljack answered, shooting noises filling the back of the call.

«I'm have my hands full too! » Hot Rod reported, as he dodged the Stunticons shots, trying to reach for the medic.

«Same here! » That was Bumblebee.

«It seems I'm free. I can try to reach your position. » Smokescreen said, calmer than the others.

«No! » That was Ratchet's voice. «Smokescreen possesses the only weapon that has proven effective against the Combiners! We can't risk ourselves to lose it! » He said.

Right at that moment, Thundercracker destroyed Nightglider's cover with a missile, sending the black bot flying several feet. With no other choice, the Autobot turned to fight, deploying his blasters and opening fire against the Seeker, who dodged the attack almost effortlessly. When he prepared to answer, the black jet hurried to hide behind a large stone. He needed to come up with something to get rid of that guy, and he needed to do it fast. The Elite Guard needed to get his hands on the next gestalt ASAP.

«I might have something for you. » Knock Out suddenly appeared through the commlink.

"Listening!" Nightglider said, while leaning out of his hiding to shoot.

«When I was at their base I noticed that Thundercracker was acting differently from his companions. I think he doesn't want to fight this fight. » The surgeon said.

Another missile exploded really close to Nightglider's face.

"Well, I can tell ya' he's not giving me that impression…" He tried to joke, while answering the fire.

«Well, of course! His trine is there! » The Velocitronian pointed, and the flyer could swear that he rolled his eyes at the comment. «Energon Seekers are trained in groups of three! Their trines are the closest thing to a family; so, of course that he would follow Star-Cream and Sky-Jerk to battle, even if he doesn't want to! » The red mech explained, exasperation on his voice. «But the doubts are there! It's his weakness! »

Nightglider went back to cover, not truly understanding his friend's words; or, better said, seeing where this conversation was going, but doubting the medic actually advised him to do such thing.

"You want me to talk him out of it?! I could not even convince you to stay away from the 'Cons!"

… … …

At the base, Knock Out grunted, pinching the platting between his optics. It was true… The flyer didn't know how to be persuasive. Time to pass to plan B. If no Autobot was going to talk down the Seeker, then a Decepticon would have to. Without asking for permission, the red medic disenabled the communication firewalls, in order to allow enemy's communication channels to send and receive signals.

Ratchet, alarmed by it, quickly grabbed his hand, trying to stop him, saying that he was risking the base's location.

"All the 'Cons are at the battlefield, nobody is available to track us down, and Nightglider needs my help. He might not know how to be persuasive, but I do." The Velocitronian stated, breaking free from the other medic's grip. Then, he activade his commlink… on the same frequency he did when he worked for the other team.

Chromia, who was shooting at Devastator's legs' junctions, felt something heavy suddenly pushing her off her feet; and, when she was able to open her optics, the cerulean femme noticed that she was on the ground, while her bondmate, Ironhide, was on top of her. A huge crater marked the place where she was standing nanoseconds ago.

"Thanks." She said, to the weapons specialist.

"Don't thank me yet, sweetspark. Our afts are still on the line." He retorted, while helping her up.

Yeah, the situation didn't seem to improve… They managed to break apart one Combiner, but the other two had them pinned between them and the mines they hid not too far ahead; and, if she had to guess, those bombs wouldn't slow them down for long either. Sighing, the warrior femme grabbed pulled out her blaster once more, though she didn't see how to get out of this one…

But… She did see an opening!

Realizing that Hot Rod was in need of urgent help, and that the Stunticons were already charging towards them, Chromia smirked at the chance. And, so, according to Ultra Magnus's plan, she quickly focused on another target: the Seekers, who quickly took off. It took some weigh off the Triplets who were now free to go.

"Now's your chance! Roll out!" She ordered, pointing at the Stunticons who were starting to bypass Hot Rod, who was helplessly pinned against the ground by Motormaster.

Nodding, seeing the opening, the three brothers transformed and sped up towards the Decepticon unit, passing by both, Smokescreen and Bumblebee.

"Hey, remember that thing we used to do in our first fights? The maneuver that all our superior officers hated?" Side Burn implied, while looking at the tall black mech who was wrestling with his comrade Elite Guard.

"Now ya're talking, Side!" X-Brawn cheered, lining up with his youngest brother; seeing Prowl do the same. "Ready, Prowl?"

"We haven't done this in eons. I'll never be readier than now…" The law enforcer retorted.

… … …

Motormaster told his team to go and kill the Elite Guard who did this to them, while he took care of the orange colored one. Honestly, considering how well-trained these guys were, he expected a longer fight, but… Well. Seems that he stumbled upon the rookie, as Hot Rod soon found himself being crushed by the black mech's foot; meanwhile, the others were charging towards his friend. In a desperate move, the Autobot shoot at the leader Stunticon's face, but the result was the same of when he shot at his body: zero damage.

And the Energon sword that the 'Con dragged out of his sub-space seemed really, really sharp…

However, as Motormaster prepared to finish off his opponent, a blue vehicle impacted right onto his midsection. The strength of the hit multiplied several times thanks to the speed of the car, and the total force was enough to make the towering mech stumble a couple steps back, freeing the Elite Guard, who quickly got out of the danger zone. And right on time, since, moments after Side Burn's crash, Prowl swept the 'Con off his feet with a precision hit to the pedes. And, then, as Motormaster found himself falling to the ground, X-Brawn appeared; transforming in a swift move, the green Triplet activated his shields, impacting the Decepticon's face will full strength.

And the black mech was left unconscious.

"Alright! The 'Triple Strike'!" Side Burn celebrated, excitedly. "It never fails!" He kept going; thing that earned him a smack on the back of the head from the middle triplet. "Hey! What was that for?!" He asked, massaging the area.

"The job is not over! So get your head off the clouds, and start chasing the other Stunticons!" The law enforcer ordered, masked, and with his blaster deployed already. Then, he turned to look at Hot Rod. "You take that medic out of here! X-Brawn, Side Burn, let's go!"

"Ya' just sounded like Sentinel Prime's reincarnation or something…" The oldest triplet mocked his brother, while readying his weapons for battle; however, as he saw the orange and golden mech reaching out for the unconscious medic, X-Brawn noticed something growing closer in the distance. "Oh, scrap. And now that guy…"

Jazz outed the clinic, only to find a barrier of fire, and the 'Cons screaming as they couldn't find a way out. The Autobots, on the other hand, seemed to be alright; in fact, there were three strange Cybertronians helping his men to get to a safe distance from that inferno. In a state of complete and utter confusion, the lieutenant ran up to Firestar to ask what was going on to the femme; but was quickly intercepted by the tallest of these strange characters of yellow eyes.

It was then when he saw the insignias they were bearing, and he couldn't believe his optics.

"The Predacons?" He questioned out loud, as if trying to believe it himself. "What're you doing in Iacon?"

"Ultra Magnus came to us, saying that you needed help." Predaking answered. Then, he glanced at the Decepticons who were trapped by the fire they caused. "We never imagined that your situation was so desperate." He admitted.

"So… you're the backup the commander promised me?" The short white mech wondered, cocking his head and arching an eyebrow below his visor.

"Not only us." Darksteel muttered, from behind his leader.

Before being able to ask what he meant by that, Jazz's commlink pinged. It was Galatea, saying that she could see something approaching in the horizon, but that she wasn't sure whether it was a friend or a foe; only that the newcomers didn't look like Cybertronians at all. In fact, she said that they resembled the Predacons more than the Autobots or the Decepticons.

Kind of suspecting what it meant, the lieutenant ran inside the clinic, and took the staircase towards the roof, where he found the light grey femme gazing upon the battlefield with her magenta visor, which enhanced her vision. Jazz ignored her surprise and walked up to the roof's brim, from where he saw the five shadows that were racing towards them.

"Son of a glitch…" The mech cursed under his breath. "That bastard knew where they were all along!"

… … …

Some Decepticons were starting to retreat, trying to find some way to dodge the fire barrier that those beasts created at their arrival, but, as soon as they turned around, they saw that the Predacons were the last of their troubles.

Five new warriors of silver grey, golden armor and red optics were right at the city's entrance. The major part of the 'Cons that were trapped in there knew who they were, and couldn't help but start trembling in fear; because, while the Autobots fought to take prisoners, these guys fought as Decepticons… No prisoners. Knowing that fight could mean termination, many surrendered and threw their weapons away; the ones who didn't taunted the newcomers.

"C'mon, beasts! You want some of this!" One of the dumbest soldiers shouted at them, while throwing some piece of rubble that hit the team's leader on the middle of the chest, before fall to the ground.

The mech of the red visor and golden mask looked at the rock, before concentrate his attention into the guy that threw it. Growling under his breath, the warrior drew an Energon sword from his subspace.

"That one is mine." He warned his team with his hoarse voice. "Dinobots, chew their heads off!" He ordered, at the same time that all of them charged into the battle.

Hot Rod grabbed the unconscious figure of Ambulon, while asking for an emergency ground-bridge, claiming that there was a civilian Cybertronian wounded. In a split second a green vortex opened right next to him, and Ratchet appeared to deliver the poor mech to safety; however, he couldn't hide his surprise when he saw the stranger's face… It was no stranger to him.

"By the AllSpark! What…?! Why is he here?!" The medic asked to the Elite Guard.

"He was Menasor's right leg, I think. Why? You know him?" The young warrior asked, confused.

"Yes… We met under terrible circumstances…" The old mech admitted, remembering the one night he spent at Delphi's medical outpost, patching both, warriors and civilians, next to his friend Pharma.

He could yet hear the blasts from the explosives in the bottom of his processor, and see the tired face of his friend, as both of them were running on fumes, having been unable to refuel in days. And, then, the door opened, and a 'Con appeared dragging himself through the floor, begging for help; he was about to suffer a massive malfunction that would've turned him off for good. Instinctively, Ratchet ran to his side and started to attend him, while Pharma preferred to ignore the newcomer, disregarding him for being a Decepticon; but the orange and white mech couldn't just leave an agonizing bot lying on the floor like a piece of scrap. So, without any help, he dragged the patient to the nearest stretcher, and managed to save his life by making him a transfusion.

A couple joors later, the 'Con regained consciousness, but was yet too weak to explain what happened. All he said was that his name was Ambulon, and that he escaped to join the Autobots. Cycles later, Pharma would commed him to inform that he took the guy under his wing, as an apprentice. Apparently, he had talent to be a good medic, and was completely satisfy with serving the Autobot cause… though his attitude was yet a little troublesome.

After Delphi was taken down and the personal evacuated, Ratchet never saw his old friends again, nor heard of them. This was the first time he saw Ambulon in eons.

"He escaped the Decepticon army because of Project Combiner... How comes he was part of it now?" Ratchet mumbled for himself.

Hot Rod looked at the medic, arching an eyebrow. It was as if this old mech just saw a ghost; and, what did he just say about this guy and the Project Combiner?

But he didn't have time to ask, as he saw Shockwave zooming towards them.

Grunting, the orange and golden mech deployed his blasters.

"Quickly, doctor, evacuate the place!" He ordered, opening fire at the chief scientist's figure.

Snapping out of it, the old medic grabbed a hold onto his unconscious comrade's body and dragged him through the ground-bridge, which closed once he passed through. Meanwhile, Hot Rod opened fire against the tank that was speeding towards him, with no signs of even attempt to slow down any time soon. "Scrap!" The Elite Guard Thought, while jumping out of the way, to prevent being car crashed. Unfortunately, by doing so, he allowed Shockwave to have a perfect view of his target: Bumblebee.

Thundercracker had Nightglider pinned below his weight, unable to fight back. It was time to finish the bot, just like he did innumerous times before, and yet… It didn't feel right. Why? Why was he doubting now?

In the background, all he could hear were the cries of the warriors, and the thundering noises of the blasters. It was just another battle, like the billion battles he already fought, both, before and during the war. This was just one more fight. He couldn't fail his trine… He couldn't abandon his brothers…

«Thundercracker! » Knock Out's voice barked through his commlink, making the Seeker stumble back, a little startled. How did this guy get his communication channel's frequency?! «I know you can hear me, so say something! »

"How did you…?!" was the first thing that came out of his mouth, but his question was abruptly interrupted.

«It doesn't matter! Listen…! »

"If you're trying to distract me to save your friend, then you're wasting your breath, traitor!" The cerulean Seeker snarled, while tightening his hold onto the black mech's throat.

«I'm not trying to save his aft, but rather yours, slagging idiot! » Knock Out yelled through the commlink in a desperate move, knowing that try to appeal to a Decepticon's kindness was both useless and stupid. Besides, considering the silence on the commlink, the surgeon guessed that he got the flyer's attention.

And it was true: Thundercracker was paralyzed, with a hand around Nightglider's throat and the other one transformed into a blaster, aimed to the Autobot's head; but the Seeker's mind was in a paradox that he couldn't overcome. He had to do it, because he had to protect his trine, and not obey Starscream command would mean to betray his brothers; but, on the other hand, he didn't want to do it, because he couldn't see why he should do it. The war was over, and all this plan would do nothing but start a new one; and he didn't want to see Cybertron ravaged again…

«We both know you're here for Screamer, not for you. But you owe nothing to him; you can look for yourself, put down the weapon, and surrender. You'll be treated fairly… more than the other two morons… » The Velocitronian kept saying through the commlink.

"I don't surrender to anybody!" Thundercracker roared, while strengthening his hold onto the black jet's throat.

"Bad call, K-Out! Really bad!" The flyer chocked, desperately trying to shake off the 'Con from on top of him.

«Fine! Don't surrender to us! Just transform and get your aft out of there! You're already a fugitive from justice anyway! But, use your processor: do you honestly want to add the death of an innocent veteran of war to the list of crimes of which you're accused already? » The medic tried to reason, while, in the background of the call, the whirling noise of a ground-bridge could be heard. A green gleam appeared and disappeared on the distance. The 'Bots just evacuated someone.

Thundercracker's vents became erratic, next to his pulse and his hold onto his prey.

"But… my trine…"

«They aren't the mechs you remember anymore. Or are they? » The surgeon got a point. These people… they weren't his brothers. He already noticed. But… Maybe, in the bottom… «Please, don't make a fool of yourself, and walk away now that you still can; though, it doesn't mean the 'Bots are not going to chase you, after all, you are a fugitive. »

… … …

Starscream was keeping Arcee from helping Chromia, Ironhide, and Ultra Magnus, who were being used as target practice by Bruticus, Devastator and Skywarp, when the sound of a propellant called his attention, and a very familiar aircraft of cerulean coloration took off from a wall of stone, only to disappear into the horizon. It made the air commander's spark froze. Was Thundercracker abandoning them? No! It couldn't be! They were a trine! Brothers! He couldn't just fly away from them just like that! Trying to find a probable reason for his brother and friend to do such dishonorable thing, he called him… Only to realize that he blocked all possible incoming communications through the commlink.

And that's when realization hit him: Thundercracker not only abandoned them… He betrayed them. In rage, he shot the two-wheeler on the middle of the chest, and took off, right on time, before the cerulean femme ―who saw the whole thing― appeared wielding her axe, ready to chop his head off.

From up high, Starscream saw Shockwave shooting Bumblebee, who was too concentrated in keeping Solar Flare away from Smokescreen to notice that the chief scientist joined the battle. Because of the impact, the yellow bot dropped the Polarity Guantlet, which turned off, freeing the Velocitronian femme, who started to run towards her true target. Also, he could see that Shockwave had full intention of engaging Bumblebee, while Hot Rod was running towards the cyclops. The Stunticons were too busy with the Triplets.

Growling, the Seeker decided to take care of the orange and golden Elite Guard. He wouldn't reach Thundercracker on time anyway… But there was someone who could.

"Skywarp, Thundercracker just betrayed us! Take him down!" He ordered, while opening fire against Hot Rod, who answered the attack.

… … …

A little dumbfounded by such order, the purple Seeker transformed and warped until he was right in front of his former trine brother. The cerulean flyer came to full stop at the sight of the portal right in front of him; but quickly bended to the side, when a pair of blaster shots came out of it, before Skywarp appeared. "Please, Warp… I don't want to fight you…" He mentally pleaded while dodging everything his friend threw at him. But, when a lucky shot got him on the wing, Thundercracker knew that there was no other choice. Apologizing with his brother, he turned around and opened fire…

In no time, Skywarp fell off the sky.

Thundercracker was lost in the distance.

The bond between the Seekers' trine was broken forever.

Yet, the victory was far too distant in the eyes of the Autobots…

Well, this is what I have, so far...

I'll be back as soon as I write the rest. Thanks for your patience.

Also, I thought that I should warn you, about the one-shots I mentioned before: they're funny stories that came to my mind whenever the drama in this fic became just too overwhelming for me, and needed a break. Just saying.

Please, don't forget to tell me what you think of this!

See ya!