"Your decision was most illogical."
Shockwave's words echoed around the dark prison chamber. Its only recipient lay shackled against the far wall, bound by old but strong iron chains.
The other bot was clearly not a Decepticon, the bright red insignia on his torso confirmed that. The Autobot wasn't very large but strongly built, similar in size and shape to the likes of Smokescreen and Bumblebee. He turned his red crested head to look at Shockwave, blue optics staring into the singular cold void of crimson.
"My decision to join the Autobots had worked out well so far, which is more than I can say for your affiliation." The black and white bot retorted. "It looks as if you've lost the war, even Megatron seems to have given up. So tell me Shockwave, what's the logic in prolonging your defeat from the bowels of a now shattered empire?"
Shockwave's 'face' betrayed no emotion, his single red eye simply stared back. "Prowl, I still have plans for this world, and with Megatron now factored out of the equation, I can execute my vision of a improved Cybertron. The Autobots simply stand in the way of my goal, they are nothing more than an obstacle to eliminate." He conveyed with little hint of feeling.
"Yet they've forced you to crawl into a hole back in Kaon."
"A temporary setback, I can assure you."
Prowl scoffed.
Shockwave studied him, if he had a face he would've smirked at the Autobot. "You are an interesting specimen, you will make a fine template for my new soldiers."
Prowl hid his fear of becoming Shockwave's latest experiment with more sarcasm. "What's the matter? Vehicons not cutting it for you anymore?"
"The Vehicons were more cannon fodder to the Autobots than anything else. Most of them have either joined the Autobots or been destroyed. I'm proposing something far more effective."
Prowl's stare did not falter.
"You shall see." Shockwave continued. "Your Autobot friends won't be a problem for much longer." His conversation finished, the Decepticon scientist turned and exited the chamber through a steel grey door.
Once he was gone, Prowl chuckled slightly to himself. "We shall see Shockwave." He had planned for this, and knew that the Autobots would be coming. Soon.
The groundbridge portal swirled open in the outskirts of Kaon, a small army of Autobots pouring out of it. Most of them were there, apart from Ratchet, Springer and a few others who had stayed behind either voluntarily or were not considered fit for battle at the current time.
Ultra Magnus stood in front of the squad of Autobots. "I do not need to remind you of the importance of our mission. We must dissolve Decepticon command, capture them alive if possible, but if deadly force is necessary, then it is authorised. We will covertly make our way towards Darkmount, do not use your vehicle modes unless you have to, we can't risk giving the Decepticons time to properly prepare. Autobots, roll out!"
They spent almost half a cycle in silence, not wanting to alert the Decepticons to their presence. Soon the Autobots reached their destination: Darkmount.
The squad hunched behind the various structures and debris surrounding the fortress, so far unseen by the nearby Decepticons.
Ultra Magnus frowned, the Decepticon force here was much larger than he anticipated. "Perhaps our only option is to surprise then with a full-frontal assault." He told the others as quietly as possible.
"Maybe not." Arcee mused, eyeing up a small balcony jutting from the side of the fortress. "Say Bulk, do you think that you could give me a lift up there?" She asked, pointing.
Bulkhead followed her servo to the point of interest. "Sure Cee. But I don't see what difference that's gonna make."
"If I can get inside, then I can sabotage the security system. Without those defences, the 'cons will be a lot easier to take down."
Bulkhead looked to Magnus, who nodded in agreement. He glanced at Arcee worryingly. "Okay, but just be careful."
Arcee playfully rolled her optics. "Seriously, Bulk? I'm always careful." She smirked, extending her wrist blades.
Bulkhead responded with a brief chuckle before lowering his servo to the ground. Arcee stepped on the giant hand, narrowing her eyes at her target.
"You sure you can make this shot Bulk?" She asked him humorously.
Bulkhead chuckled again. "Sure I can Cee. I wasn't the lobbing champion three stellar cycles in a row for my good looks!"
"Two stellar cycles." Wheeljack corrected his friend from behind.
Bulkhead shrugged, and before any more questions could be asked, sent Arcee soaring through the air. She was moving so fast that she went unseen by the Decepticon guards below. The Autobot femme straightened herself as she came to silently land on the balcony, in a crouched position.
She got to get feet and turned to look at the hidden Autobots below, giving them a thumbs up, to which they responded to in a similar fashion.
Arcee quickly got to work, looking for a way to unlock the sealed door that would lead her inside the fortress. It would seem that she wouldn't need to however, as the door seemed to slide open of its own accord. She peered into the dark interior to see Thundercracker emerge from within.
He instantly froze when he saw her. The two remained like that, staring at each other for a few moments before their minds began to fully process the situation.
Thundercracker broke the silence first. "Hey, your not supposed to be here-"
He never managed to finish his sentence before Arcee's fist met with his face. The Decepticon Seeker staggered for a moment before falling to the ground with a clang, unconscious. Arcee winced at the surprisingly loud noise of his body hitting the floor.
She spared one last glance to her Autobot comrades (some of whom were snickering at the events that has just unfolded above them), before heading inside of the gloomy Decepticon fortress.
After an intense couple of minutes sneaking through the dim corridors of Darkmount Arcee finally found a computer console she could use. Unfortunately for her however, it was currently occupied by a Decepticon that she clearly recognised; Skywarp.
Arcee hid just around the corner from the Seeker, deciphering the best way to take him out. Before she could act, an all too familiar voice filled the corridor.
"Ah, Skywarp. There you are. You haven't happened to see Thundercracker around anywhere have you?"
Arcee peered round the corner to see Starscream approach his comrade. She gritted her denta in frustration. There was no way she could take out one without the other raising the alarm.
"No I haven't Starscream." Skywarp sounded annoyed, as if he had been interrupted when in the middle of something. "What do you need him for? You don't usually care for what he's doing."
Arcee could hear Starscream becoming irritated now. "I do not, but Shockwave needs someone with 'scientific expertise' to help him with some project of his."
"So you offered to help, why?"
"Not so much offered, more like forced. Shockwave can be very...persuasive when he wants to be."
"Uh huh."
Starscream growled in frustration slightly. "So are you going to help me or not? I doubt you have anything better to be doing."
Skywarp let out an exasperated sigh. "Fine. But I can tell you where Shockwave can stick his stupid experiments…"
The two Decepticons moved away from the console and down the corridor, though luckily not through the same one that Arcee resided in, much to her relief.
Once she was certain they had gone the blue Autobot snuck over to the now vacant computer terminal. She sifted through the files, ignoring the suspiciously large amount of videos that Skywarp had of other Decepticons falling down flights of stairs.
She eventually found what she was looking for: the controls for Darkmount's defence systems. Although it seemed that she did not have the necessary permissions to disable them. Fortunately, the software was old and had not yet been updated so it didn't take long for her to find a way to exploit the system's weaknesses. She was no expert, but had picked up a thing or two from Ratchet and Rafael during her time on earth.
Arcee activated her comlink. "Commander Magnus, I've disabled the automated defences."
Ultra Magnus' stern tone crackled through the radio. "Good work, and what of the prisoners?"
After a few clicks Arcee managed to bring up the schematics of the fortress. "There seems to be an occupied cell on the lower levels, by Shockwave's lab."
"Understood. We will cause a distraction to give you enough time to free them."
"Copy that sir, I'm making my way there now."
Back outside, Ultra Magnus finished his call with Arcee and turned to the other Autobots.
"Autobots..." He began, cocking his heavy rifle. "Begin our assault!"
With that command, the Autobots charged out from behind their cover and towards the Decepticon fortress, guns blazing.
Hearing the gunfire and surprised yells coming from outside Arcee knew that it was her cue to move. Narrowly missing several groups of Decepticons rushing to join the battle, she quickly made her way down to Shockwave's detention cells. Knowing full well what the cold scientist was capable of, Arcee prayed that she would find Prowl in one piece.
The blue Autobot soon found herself in front of the thick steel door that led to Shockwave's laboratory. Before she could look for a way in, the door hissed open, forcing her to hide behind its frame.
Out of the gloomy room stepped Shockwave. His heavy footfalls were calm and measured, repeating the same rhythmic beat, seemingly unaffected by the battle raging outside.
Suddenly he stopped, footfalls falling silent. As if sensing that he wasn't alone, the cyclops turned to face Arcee's hiding place, single red optic boring into...nothing. Somewhat assured that no one was there, Shockwave continued his slow walk to the battlefield as the door slid shut behind him.
Once she was certain the Decepticon scientist was gone, Arcee slid off her new hiding spot on the ceiling, landing silently in the dim corridor.
"Phew, that was a close one." She said to herself, relieved that the ordeal was over.
Not having the patience nor the time to hack the door controls (though Arcee doubted she could override Shockwave's complex programming), Arcee instead slammed her fist into the panel. Sparks flew, and a few moments later, the door sluggishly slid open.
Impressed with her handiwork, Arcee cautiously entered the lab, not knowing who or what could be inside.
Back in Iacon, Springer, Ratchet, Knock Out and a few other Autobots listened in anxiously to the battlefield updates.
"We've engaged the enemy! Have the med bay prepared Ratchet, just in case!" Ultra Magnus' stern voice crackled over the comms. "Though I hope that-oh no..."
"What is it?" Ratchet asked, concerned with the commander's sudden change in tone.
"Blitzwing's here." That was the last thing the Autobots heard before a ferocious roar filled the comms and the line went dead.
"Scrap!" Ratchet slammed his fist on the console. Almost every Autobot knew how dangerous Blitzwing was, some more than others. His presence could definitely cause...complications.
"Let me through, Doc." Springer told Ratchet, his expression deadly serious.
"No." The medic refused. "Ultra Magnus gave you strict orders to stay behind."
Springer gritted his denta, becoming impatient. "Step aside Ratchet." The larger bot pushed the doctor aside and activated the ground bridge portal, charging through it moments after.
Ratchet got to his feet, just as shocked as the other Autobots. He spoke into the comms again. "Ultra Magnus, if you can hear me, we may have a slight problem..."
Arcee cautiously walked through Shockwave's lab, blaster rifle activated. The tables were full of various different tools and unfinished projects, some of which Arcee did not want to know the intention of, but knew that it couldn't be good.
She quickly made her way to the dull steel door located at the far end of the laboratory. This had to be where the prisoners were. Arcee blasted the lock, destroying the opening mechanism and carefully moved into the dark cell.
The clinking of chains could be heard from the end wall, as the figure tied there awoke to see their visitor. "Ar-Arcee?" The restrained Autobot asked, unbelieving of his rescue.
Arcee's optics widened when she saw the prisoner. "Prowl?!"
Prowl's voice became stronger, and a smirk now permeated his faceplate. "Heh. I know you'd come and rescue me."
"Oh really?" Arcee replied, drawing nearer to the captive.
"I'd calculated it."
"Sure you did." Arcee blasted the thick chains away from Prowl's body, allowing the Autobot to be free once more.
Prowl stroked his wrists and stretched his joints. "Of course I did. I knew you'd never outright attack the Decepticons at such a fragile time, not unless there were other lives at stake. But now we can defeat the Decepticons once and for all."
"And what about Drift? Is he in on this plan of yours too?"
"Oh he's mostly backup. I promised him an opportunity to take down Bludgeon if he allowed himself to be captured."
"That...doesn't sound very ethical."
Prowl shrugged. "I needed results." The Autobot then reached for a small hidden radio transmitter hidden within his chassis. "Luckily the cons who caught me weren't too bothered about checking me over properly. I figured as much. I'll send a signal to Drift to let him know that he's free to leave."
Within the darkness of the Empiron's brig, Drift heard a soft beeping coming from his comlink receiver. Smirking, the warrior knew that Prowl's plan was well underway, and began his escape.
"Oh, Autobots! I knew you'd come and help me escape!" He said, loud enough for the guard outside to hear.
The cell door slid open, and the Decepticon guard entered, blaster rifle raised. "What's going on in here?" He asked, having fallen for Drift's trick. The Autobot remained silent as the guard approached. "How'd your little friends get in here?" He pressed the muzzle of his rifle against Drift's face, the purple glow of the barrel illuminating the Autobot.
Drift said nothing, but instead looked past the Decepticon as if there were someone behind him. Taking the bait, the guard swung round and aimed his rifle into the dark.
Seeing his chance, Drift quickly wrapped his legs around the Decepticon's head, causing the panicked guard to shoot wildly. A couple of shots hit the chains that bound Drift to the wall, allowing the Autobot to break free.
Drift released his hold on the Decepticon guard as he walked free. The disoriented guard soon recovered his senses, pointing his rifle at Drift yet again.
"Hey!" He shouted at the Autobot, only to be met with a swift punch to the jaw, knocking him unconscious instantly.
Drift dusted his servos, admiring his handiwork. "Decepticon guards...never the brightest bots in the bunch."
Ultra Magnus ducked to avoid the ferocious swing of Blitzwing's energon scitmar. The Autobot commander quickly countered with a swift kick to the Decepticon's abdomen, to which Blitzwing grunted.
"Ah. That was good." He cackled, knocking Magnus back with a swift uppercut. "Again!"
The Autobot got to his feet, taking a quick look around the battlefield. He could see the Wreckers taking on the Combaticons, with Bulkhead and Onslaught locked in a fierce duel. The rest of the Autobot team were engaging Starscream's Seekers along with Bludgeon's troops. Magnus gritted his denta, hoping that they'd bought enough time before raising his weapons.
"Again."
"Come on Prowl, we need to get out of here." Arcee impatiently told her comrade, who was busy trying to hack into Shockwave's lab computer.
"Wait! If I can get into Shockwave's files then this war will be as good as over. No more unpleasant surprises for us!"
"We don't have time. That's 6400 bit encryption, it'll take you ages to crack that. Time we don't have."
Prowl grunted in frustration at the computer.
Arcee placed a hand on his shoulder. "We need to go."
It would seem that Arcee wouldn't have to convince Prowl further, because at that moment a small squad of Decepticons entered the room.
"Autobot intruders!" Yelled one, causing the rest to open fire on them.
The two Autobots quickly ducked behind a table to avoid getting hit.
"Well, it looks like we'll be leaving anyway Arcee." Prowl told her.
"Yep. Lucky for us, I came prepared." The femme detached a flash grenade from her hip, and lobbed it over the table at the Decepticons. It detonated, causing their enemies to be temporarily blinded by a bright flash of white light.
Using this distraction to their advantage, the two Autobots transformed and raced out of Shockwave's lab, blaster fire hot on their wheels.
Ultra Magnus grunted as he was once again thrown to the ground by Blitzwing. Out of the corner of his optic he could see that Drift had somehow joined the battle, and was busy carving a path to Bludgeon with his deadly blade. Ironhide was now locked in a duel with Shockwave, who had recently appeared from within the fortress and was dangerously close to turning the tide with his unrivalled firepower.
The Autobot commander tried to get to his feet but was beaten back down by a strong blow from his opponent.
"You're making this too easy for me Magnus." Blitzwing lamented. "Looks like I'll have to find a better dance partner."
As he prepared to drive his sword into the commander's spark chamber, the Decepticon suddenly became distracted by something in the sky. The clap of rotor blades could be heard as a green Cybertronian helicopter descend upon the battle.
"BLITZWING!!!" Springer roared as he transformed and slammed into the Decepticon, sending him stumbling back.
Blitzwing wiped a small stream of energon from his mouth, eyeing his opponent with clear interest. "Ah. The Wrecker."
Springer only stared back, gripping his long steel sword firmly.
"Prepare to die!" Blitzwing told the Autobot, charging him with his scitmar.
The Decepticon stabbed and slashed at Springer, only for every blow to be parried. Blitzwing grunted in frustration as his opponent struck back with a flurry of his own strikes, pushing the Decepticon back.
As the two warriors battled it out, Ultra Magnus managed to pick himself up off the ground and steadily rose to his feet. While he was grateful that the Wrecker had shown up and saved his life, Magnus still planned on berating him for his recklessness later on.
The commander was distracted from his thoughts by the sound of two engines approaching. He recognised the vehicles as they transformed in front of him.
"Arcee. Prowl." The white Autobot gave the commander a brief nod. "It is good to see that our mission is complete. Now I hope that we can still win this battle."
As if on cue, Ironhide's body fell at their feet. The red Autobot did not look in good shape either, dents and laser burns covered his chassis, and a thick column of smoke rose from his torso.
The three Autobots looked up to see Shockwave lower his cannon, and readied their own weapons.
It was becoming increasingly clear to Ultra Magnus that they weren't going to win this battle. Looking around he could see the other Autobots becoming tired, while the Decepticons continued their onslaught. As much as he hated it, he made his decision.
"Autobots, retreat!" He called for all of the Autobots to fall back while Arcee radioed Ratchet for a ground bridge.
Prowl looked as if he was about to argue, before also coming to the conclusion that the battle was lost. Even Drift followed the stream of Autobots making their way to the swirling portal, having restrained himself from recklessly duelling Bludgeon despite his desire for revenge (or justice as he would call it). Bulkhead helped Magnus pull Ironhide through the portal, ready for the medical bay.
As the last of the Autobots withdrew from the battlefield Ultra Magnus called out to Springer, who was still fighting Blitzwing. "Springer! Fall back now! That is an order!"
Springer gritted his denta in frustration. He hated Magnus giving him orders, and he also hated Blitzwing. But he knew that if he stayed he was as good as dead.
Before he could make his decision a torrent of blaster fire hit Blitzwing, causing the giant Decepticon to fall backwards. Springer looked back to see Ultra Magnus by the portal, blasters raised. The green Autobot dashed through the vortex, through the sea of Decepticon laser fire, disappearing in a flash of white.
Ultra Magnus spared one last look at Shockwave, who stared back, unmoving as his troops marched up beside him. The Autobot commander turned and fled through the now closing portal, following his comrades as the sound of Starscream's laughter filled the empty battlefield.
Their war was not over. In fact, the war for Cybertron had only just begun.
Whoa. Looks like there's still more fighting to come. There was so much to write here that I left out a few bits like Drift and Bludgeon's brief duel. There were just too many characters to focus on! Anyway, I hope that you enjoyed this longer read. The journey has only just begun! Until next time! ;)