Chapter Fifty- Return to Cybertron

Everyone was inside the Decepticon base, even the kids.

"You know, I might not be the first human on Cybertron, but I can still be the first human exchange student." Miko proposed.

"Why didn't you tell us about the Omega keys before?" Jack asked.

"You probably didn't notice, but things have been kind of intense around here lately." Airachnid answered.

"So you guys can really be going home soon, huh?" Raf asked.

"Don't worry, Raf. You'll come visit. Once we get our place set up, he can bunk with us, right Breaky?"

"Uh, Miko…" Breakdown started with a disappointed look.

"You are taking me with you, right?" She asked.

"Aren't we getting ahead of ourselves here?" Starscream started. "Not only do we lack any method of reaching Cybertron, but Grimlock now controls the sole means of our planet's restoration."

"As far as we know." Megatron finished.

"You think Grimlock has rejoined the Bots?" Kickback asked.

"He might have used the Omega keys to buy back Prime's favor." Flamewar deduced.

Knock Out scoffed. "Without first trying to sell them to the highest bidder, that wouldn't surprise me if he had the nerve to contact us and…"

Suddenly the computer beeped as the same way like when Grimlock sent his own messages.

"Okay, that's weird." Breakdown said.

"Is it Grimlock?" Starscream asked.

"Negative. It is Ultra Magnus." Soundwave answered.

"What?!" Everyone said in disbelief.

Shockwave read the remaining part of the message. "And he wants to meet."

The message's coordinates took the Decepticons to a mountain. They came out in vehicle form and immediately transformed with their weapons ready.

"Drop your weapon!" Starscream ordered.

"Hands where we can see them!" Flamewar added.

"And don't try any tricks!" Knock Out added.

Everyone aimed to Ultra Magnus, who emerged from a fog in front of him.

"I am not here to fight, but to give you this." He said as he pulled out his big hammer and placed it on the ground.

"The Forge of Solus Prime?" Airachnid saw.

"It could be rigged to blow." Breakdown deduced.

"Ultra Magnus, what do you ask in return?" Megatron asked.

"Only that you use it wisely." He replied.

"And the Omega keys?" Flamewar asked.

"In Prime's possession. Under heavy escort." Ultra Magnus answered.

"Grim did make a deal with the Bots." Knock Out said.

"Why?" Megatron asked deactivating his cannon.

"A shadow of disgrace has been cast upon the Autobots. It is a cause I no longer wish to be a part of." Ultra Magnus explained.

"Then I appeal to you again. Join us and help end this conflict once and for all." Megatron offered.

"Betraying my kind is not the same as accepting yours." Ultra Magnus responded with his head down as he turned back and transformed, driving away.

After the Decepticon saw the Autobot getting away, they took the forge back to their base. Megatron activated it as he hold it.

"It's not Star Saber, but I bet it can shatter Optimus Prime's blade, and put some dents into that ugly mug of his." Kickback said.

"It's not that kind of hammer." Airachnid corrected.

"With the Autobots in possession of all four Omega keys, a more appropriate use of the forge would be to use it replicate our own." Shockwave suggested.

"Even with such power their reconstruction would require a level of expertise I do not possess." Megatron said.

"I guess we better hope Prime doesn't destroy the keys to prevent anyone from never going home." Flamewar said.

"Optimus maybe evil, but I believe he will use the keys for their intended purpose." Megatron said.

"Well I say we let him keep them and do all the work for us." Breakdown suggested, making that everyone looked at him. "Well I mean, what difference does it make who restores Cybertron?"

"If Optimus revives Cybertron, he will no doubt use it to his Prime position advantage." Megatron pointed.

"Uh uh…you lost me." Breakdown said.

"In all likelihood, the last of the Primes will portray himself as our planet's savior and brand all Decepticons as war criminals." Megatron explained.

"The grand deception continues." Knock Out said.

"Optimus's so called achievement could influence Cybertron for eons to come: poisoning the sparks and minds of its returning citizens." Shockwave pointed.

"Continuing the dynasty of the evil Primes for the next generations." Soundwave added.

"Hardly the ideal way to begin a new age." Starscream said.

"But there is hope. For while Optimus may have the keys, he has yet to discover the existence of the Omega Lock itself." Megatron continued.

"Omega Lock?" Kickback asked.

"Wait, now you lost me." Airachnid said.

"That which the four relics were designed to activate. We must locate the device before Optimus does and secure it until we can recover the Omega keys." Megatron explained.

"There are no more Iacon entries to decode. This lock could be anywhere on Earth." Starscream said.

"Actually…it is on Cybertron." Megatron answered.

"What?" The whole team asked in disbelief.

"How do you know?" Knock Out asked.

"The Fallen reveled its location to me during the message convey by the Star Saber." Megatron responded while he hoped the forge on his shoulders.

"And you didn't think to tell us?" Starscream asked disappointed.

"The Fallen did not wish it so." Megatron answered as he walked to the ground bridge. "With the Forge of Solus Prime we now possess the means of reaching Cybertron. I must work quickly as our tactical advantage over Optimus will not last long."

Meanwhile, Ultra Magnus was already aboard the Ark. Now he was walking through the corridors, until someone called him from behind.

"Ultra Magnus, I have been searching for you."

Ultra Magnus was a little displeased, but decided to answer. "I am at your service, lord Optimus Prime."

"I recognize that Grimlock's return to our ranks might be… difficult for you. Given the loss of your sparkmate under his command, but your cooperation is essential. We Autobots will best be equipped to rule a restored Cybertron only if we are united."

"Understood. And if it pleases you, master, I intend to reach out to our comrade…personally." Ultra Magnus said.

Meanwhile, in the medical lab Grimlock was unconscious, but he was already waking up.

"Wake up, Grimlock." Ratchet called, waking him up. "Your T-Cog transplant was a success."

"Yes. Ratchet's just that good."

"Oh, don't be so exaggerated, Smokescreen."

"Oh yes, our Alpha Dinobot is back." Smokescreen congratulated.

"Finally, I can't wait to roar again to the sky and showing my power."

"Grimlock!" Ultra Magnus shouted from the entrance. "I regret to inform you that you'll not live to enjoy your jaws ever again." He said charging his shoulders' turrets.

Ultra Magnus fired at Grimlock, but the shot missed his head. Next the Dinobot ran to a corner while Ratchet and Smokescreen went near the exit.

"Ratchet, Smokescreen, help me!" Grimlock yelled.

"What's wrong with him? The commander is not acting normally." Smokescreen observed.

"Smokescreen, go and report Optimus Prime. I'll try to reason with him." Ratchet instructed.

Smokescreen ran outside the lab while Ultra Magnus advanced towards Grimlock with a replica very similar to the Forge of Solus Prime in hand.

"Ultra Magnus, what has gotten into you?!" Ratchet said pulling out his blades.

"Get out of my way, doctor. This is between him and me." Ultra Magnus said grabbing Ratchet and stepping him aside.

Ultra Magnus tried to hit Grimlock, but he pulled out his shield and managed to block him at time.

"No! Wait! This is about Causeway, isn't it? I thought we had put that behind us!" Grimlock realized.

"Did you really think it would be so easy for me to forget what made me lose my sparkmate? Never!" Ultra Magnus yelled as he took another swing, which Grimlock blocked it. However he was cornered.

"Casualties are an unfortunate consequence of war, but I assure you your sparkmate met her end with great honor!" Grimlock said trying to calm him down.

"Which you disgraced! By raising her from the dead!" Ultra Magnus shouted.

"Oh, you know about that." Grimlock groaned before he continue blocking Ultra Magnus attacks, but finally Ultra Magnus managed to force him to let go of his shield. "Please, wait! There must be something I can do! Some form of reparation I can offer to alleviate your anguish!"

"Your spark will suffice!" Ultra Magnus said as he prepared his hammer to the final strike.

"MAGNUS!" A voice called from the entrance: it was Optimus, who arrived alongside Smokescreen. "Stand down!"

"This monster must pay for his actions!" Ultra Magnus protested.

"I do not want to intrude but you really call this loyalty, master?" Smokescreen asked.

"Urg, I certainly not." Ratchet said a little dizzy.

"Not me either." Grimlock added.

"Did not you listen to me when I explained all this? You must let go of the pain of the past, forget all that. Now stand down! That is an order." Optimus demanded.

"One which I cannot follow." Ultra Magnus answered.

He was going to strike Grimlock with the hammer, but before he could he felt an agonizing pain in his chest. He looked down to see that his spark chamber was destroyed, so he felt dead. Everyone saw that the responsible was the same Optimus Prime, holding a nucleon shock cannon that was fired.

"I'm okay?" Grimlock asked as he saw himself all unscathed, which cheered him up. "I'm okay! Lord Optimus Prime, you have my eternal thanks. And from today, I'll never doubt to obey your every will." He said bowing.

"Do not ever make me regret which one of you I've spared. Because of this I had to eliminate the best second in command I have had. And believe me, it's nothing I'm happy about. So you better start to improve and be as good as he was, or better if you want this chapter to stay behind." Optimus said coldly.

Meanwhile, there was a deep silence in the Decepticon base.

"Is it my imagination or has Megatron been acting differently since that message from The Fallen?" Airachnid noticed.

"(I noticed that something was being weird too.)" Stinger said.

"Yeah, he has been keeping things from us." Knock Out agreed.

"Even Soundwave, Shockwave and Starscream are out of the loop." Flamewar pointed.

"Well give me one good reason why Megatron couldn't trust his own teammates. Why he couldn't tell us of the Omega Lock?" Breakdown demanded.

"Because if he had, Prime would have pulled it out of my head with his patch." Kickback answered wisely.

"Like it matters. The Bots are holding the keys anyways." Knock Out said.

Meanwhile, in the Ark's laboratory, the Autobots were trying to figure out what other information the keys contained.

"Tick tock, guys. Tick tock! Optimus Prime's expecting results and given what Ratchet, Grimlock and I just witness, I would say that we cannot afford to disappoint our master. Or we'll end like the commander." Smokescreen told a little nervous.

"I guess you're right, Smokey. I would not want to be in the same situation." Cliffjumper agreed.

"Okay, but exactly how are we going to do it by ourselves? Ratchet is really busy right now." Arcee pointed.

"We will have to give the best of ourselves." Bee supported.

"We? Unless nagging counts, I haven't seen you lift a finger. And you were part of our boss demise." Bulkhead said, referring to Grimlock.

"I am the one who brought him the keys. Do I really need to prove myself further by deciphering on how they operate too? And about that, I was a victim! He looked for it." Grimlock responded.

"Well, perhaps if Ratchet's research hadn't been sideline by someone survival rumble, I might be further along right now!" Wheeljack said as he started examining a key.

"Oh, just give it here!" Grimlock said grabbing his key. He tried to pull it apart; next he began bashing it on the table.

"Ha, why didn't think of that?" Bulkhead teased.

"Then try you something!" Grimlock roared slashing Bulkhead's chest with the key, leaving a ridiculous mark.

"Grimlock, stop! You have already gone far." Arcee warned.

"Then do not stay there still and give me a hand!" Grimlock demanded, pushing her back with strength.

"Okay. That's it!" Cliff said grabbing another key.

"What are you going to do? A key battle?" Bee asked interested.

"Guys, please. We're pals, and there is no time to play. This is serious!"

But they ignored Smokescreen's advice, because both Autobots were going to attack with the keys. But when the keys clashed it mended together, what left the Autobots impressed.

"Whoa. Do you think?"

"Indeed, Smokey. Quick, grab the last one." Wheeljack instructed as he grabbed another.

"Ready? Go." Bumblebee said.

When the four keys mended they showed a hologram. It showed a map of Cybertron and it also had coordinates along with it.

That made Grimlock laugh. "And that is why Ultra Magnus is pushing up lugnuts."

"Oh please, a little respect for the commander." Wheeljack asked.

In that moment Ratchet arrived.

"Okay, let's see what progress have you made. By the Allspark." He said when he saw the hologram.

"Ratchet, hurry. Tell Optimus that we have discovered the secret of the keys." Bee said.

Ratchet went to look for his liege, and moments after he was seeing the hologram.

"Of course! Keys are useless without something to unlock. Target the space bridge to Cybertron." He ordered to Blaster.

Meanwhile in the Decepticon base, everyone was contemplating what Megatron did to the ground bridge.

"Yet another astonishing convergence of magic and science. Courtesy of the ancients." Shockwave said checking the ground bridge monitor.

"And our leader." Knock Out added.

"It's hard to believe, a few swings with that hammer and BAM!" Breakdown said.

"Our ground bridge is now a space bridge." Airachnid said.

Then the computer started to beep loudly.

"Our sensors are detecting a massive energon burst recording outside Earth's atmosphere." Soundwave reported.

"A surge of that kind can mean only one thing: activation of another space bridge." Shockwave deduced.

"Optimus has discovered that the Omega Lock is on Cybertron." Megatron said.

"It appears we have lost our advantage." Starscream realized.

"But with Optimus unaware that we now possess the means of interstellar travel the element of surprise remains in our favor. We must embark on this mission with every resource at our disposal." Megatron instructed.

The Decepticons went to the vault where all the relics were being held. Airachnid grabbed the Immobilizer, Stinger grabbed the polarity gauntlet, Breakdown took the energon harvester, Knock Out took the force field generator, Flamewar took the Apex Armor, Kickback grabbed the spark extractor and Soundwave took a small shard of red energon. At the same time, the Ark approached to the already open space bridge. On the top Optimus walked near the other Autobots and an entire battalion of Autobot soldiers and Aerobots.

"We'll be waiting for you if you need us." Elita reminded.

"Thank you, dear. Grimlock, assume command in me and Elita's absence." Optimus instructed.

That let everyone without words.

"What?! Are you serious, master?" Bumblebee asked in disbelief.

"Why are you going to put Grimlock in the same place he was before?" Arcee asked.

"Because he's the only one who had experienced leadership beside us." Optimus answered.

Grimlock could not believe what he heard. "I would be honored, master."

Optimus changed to his alt mode with the entire battalion following him and jumped to the portal, heading to Cybertron. At the same time, the Decepticons activated their new space bridge. The team was ready for departure when they heard a hammering noise.

"What he's forging now?" Breakdown asked.

Then Megatron joined them with a complete restored Star Saber.

"Everyone ready for your command, lord Megatron." Starscream said.

"Starscream, I want you to remain here in our base." Megatron said.

"What?!" He asked in disbelief.

"I know how much you want to join this fight for our world, my friend. But in case it could happen any setbacks, I can only trust you to keep everything under control here while we secure the Omega Lock. And don't worry, we'll keep you informed." Megatron explained.

"I…I understand, sir. Good luck on Cybertron." Starscream accepted as he went to the space bridge's controls.

"Optimus Prime must be stopped, no matter the cost." Megatron proclaimed.

The team transformed and went through the portal. Meanwhile, Optimus was leading the battalion across the ruins of a city on Cybertron. Four of the soldiers were holding the keys.

"According to the landmarks displayed by the keys, the object we seek is located deep within the sea of rust." Optimus observed.

Meanwhile, Starscream was pacing the floor, expecting to hear any word from the others. Then the monitor received a call, so he rushed to the controls.

"Megatron?"

"Uh, no, Starscream. It's Jack. Is something wrong? Because school's been out for almost an hour and no one showed to pick us up." Jack said as he, Miko and Raf waited at the school's exit.

"That is because the entire team is rather indisposed at the moment." Starscream explained. "I suggest you obtain an alternate method of transport."

"What he's saying?" Miko asked.

"The…Cons are busy." Jack answered.

"Then tell Starscream to come get us! It's not like he has anything else to do!" Miko suggested.

"Yes, like I'm going to let you ride aboard a plane. Just go home! I will be in touch later!" Starscream said before he hung up.

"Hello? He hung up." Jack said.

"What crawled up his tailpipe and died?" Miko asked.

"Did Starscream tell you what's going on?" Raf asked.

"No. They seem to be keeping us in the dark a lot lately."

Meanwhile on Cybertron, Optimus and his battalion continued following the coordinates across the sea of rust. But the back of the battalion did not realize that Kickback slowly phased from the floor. Once he was on the floor he fired all his guns at the Autobots, catching them by surprise.

"What? What just happened?" Optimus asked.

Kickback ran to the left before he transformed into his bug form and flew towards a wall and disappeared. At the same time, something started to hit the Autobots very hard, like a ghost. But once an entire line was down, Optimus saw that it was Soundwave, moving at hyper speed.

"Kickback? Soundwave? But that's impossible. The Decepticons do not possess the means to…" Optimus started.

But suddenly they saw a massive pile being levitated high in the air, and then it was dropped on top of some soldiers. Optimus saw that Stinger was the responsible of that, which ran on the top of a wall.

"Crush them!" Optimus commanded.

All the Autobots fired at Stinger, who changed to his vehicle form and drove off. While they were focused on him, Airachnid fired the Immobilizer from another wall, freezing some of the Autobots. At the other side of the wall, Breakdown came out and fired the energon harvester, which sucked the energon of a lot of Autobots, while Shockwave fired his cannon in vehicle form in the center of the top of the wall. Next Shockwave changed to his robot form, jumped down the wall and joined with the other present Decepticons as they charged against their foes. Meanwhile, Flamewar was firing from a tower above; next she jumped and activated the Apex Armor, joining the assault. Then Kickback and Knock Out came out of nowhere and joined them, while Soundwave continued smashing Autobots by his own.

"Defend the keys!" Optimus ordered.

Some of the Autobots circled around the four that held the keys, while the rest charged against the Decepticons. It was then when Knock Out pulled out the force field generator and used it, creating an energy barrier that blocked all the Autobots' attacks, he even used the barrier to push them back. Once they reached their enemies, Flamewar smashed them with the Apex Armor help; Stinger fired eliminating them one by one with his laser guns; Knock Out used a combination of his electric staff to stun the Autobots and slice them after with his buzz saws while he used the energy shield to push others against solid objects and crushing them in the process; Breakdown smashed them with his hammers and fired his turret continually; Airachnid battled with her spider claws the ones closer to her as she fired at the ones which were far, with both lasers and webs; Soundwave continued hitting the Autobots at hyper speed mode while Shockwave made use of his strength and his shock cannon's firepower; Kickback phased again in the ground and phased behind some Autobots and tackled them from behind in his alt form, roaring too. Then Optimus had had enough, so he pulled out his Dark Star Saber and joined the Autobot soldiers charging at the Decepticons. The Decepticons charged too, but this time Megatron joined too, who used the Star Saber to slice the Autobots and block their shots as he fired his fusion cannon too. He and Optimus ended clashing their swords once again.

"I once demonstrated that you were not worthy to forge the power of that blade and I shall do it again!" Optimus declared.

"Not this time." Megatron responded.

Optimus swung at Megatron, who blocked it. Then he kicked Megatron and swung his sword again, but Megatron returned with sidekick. After the Decepticons finished all the scattered foes, Flamewar and Soundwave charged at the main Autobot defense line and crossed. The remaining Autobots were the ones who had the keys. Airachnid quickly froze them with the Immobilizer, next Stinger used the polarity gauntlet to take the keys from them while Knock Out covered them with his energy shield. After Stinger attracted them, he, Airachnid, Flamewar and Breakdown grabbed the keys. Optimus noticed that, but Megatron took advantage and pushed him back before he unleashed a wave of light energy at him. Optimus did not have time to react, so the wave sent him flying to the top of a tower. The Decepticons retired in their vehicle forms, although the Autobots tried to catch them without success, especially because Shockwave continued firing to them with his cannon. Optimus recovered quickly and looked down at his battalion.

"I will have those keys or I will have your sparks!" He threatened.

Then Kickback phased through a big piece of metal and walked to the center of the battalion.

"I can help with the last part." He said revealing what he was carrying.

"The spark extractor!" Optimus said with horror.

Kickback punched one Autobot against three others before he phased down the floor, leaving the spark extractor activated. It unleashed a sphere of energy that wiped out every single Autobot. Even some of them tried to transform and fly away, but the sphere advanced too fast that it caught all of them. Noticing that the sphere was coming closer, Optimus roared as he threw the Dark Star Saber at the spark extractor, destroying it and eliminating the action radius. Next he went down to recover his blade, but the entire battalion was dead.

"Elita, the Decepticons have ceased the Omega keys! Send reinforcements, immediately!" Optimus demanded by com-link.

In the Ark…

"Calm down dear, do not take this so hard. Blaster has been briefing me on recent developments and we might have a more effective solution. But I need to be there, on Cybertron." She explained.

"All right dear, I leave it in your hands." Optimus accepted before he hung up.

"Arcee, Bumblebee, Bulkhead, you know what to do. Blaster, open me the space bridge. Smokescreen, get ready a lot of reinforcements for when I need them." Elita instructed as she changed to her alt mode.

Back to Cybertron, the Decepticons drove deep in the sea of rust. They transformed back to their robot form once they arrived to their destination.

"Our head start won't last long." Airachnid said.

"This is where The Fallen said we would find it, right?" Knock Out asked.

"These are the coordinates." Soundwave confirmed.

They arrived to a nondescript object.

"Doesn't look like much." Breakdown observed.

Megatron cleared some dust and saw the symbol of the ancient cybertronians. Starscream was still waiting in the base.

"Starscream, we have located the Omega Lock." Shockwave reported by the com-link.

Starscream let out a sigh of relief. "At last."

Back to Cybertron…

"According to The Fallen, the Omega Lock is a conduit to the very Allspark itself." Megatron said.

"Lord Megatron, an honor like this shouldn't belong to me or any of us." Flamewar said handing him the key.

Suddenly the four keys started to glow simultaneously. Then the lock began to glow too, following the rusted floor. Next the whole area began to transform into a huge ring above them. It generated a mystical energy, revealing that it was a portal to the Allspark. But before they could do anything, they saw Elita One coming in her alt mode, so they got their weapons ready. Elita transformed and landed in front of them and walked towards them quietly, as the Decepticon prepared themselves to fight.

"Decepticons, I would suggest that you put a halt to your task and hand over those keys." Elita advised.

"And why would we do that?" Kickback challenged.

In that moment, a space bridge appeared behind Elita One. From it emerged three figures: Arcee, Bumblebee and Bulkhead. And each one of them was carrying a pod. And to the Decepticons horror, they saw that the pods contained each one of their human friends Both Jack and Raf were nervous and scared, while Miko looked more like mad and annoyed.

"So that I might hand over the humans." Elita replied.

The Decepticons started to get scared, fearing for the safety of his friends.

"And if we refuse?" Shockwave asked.

"Then I will have no choice but to open the pods, exposing your pets to Cybertron's toxic atmosphere. And then we can all watch them instantly perish, together." Elita menaced as she approached Megatron, until they were face to face while the three Autobots examined the humans.

Although Megatron stood firm, he was actually nervous inside by the ultimatum.