Hi everyone, thanks again for waiting. So, now we are about 66% done with R1, and things are already starting to escalate pretty quickly. Let's look at where we are now in terms of the plot…
*Megatron is already suspecting Charles' own hidden agenda as he might have realized that Victor (AKA V.V.) is likely still alive and Charles is planning something behind his back. In addition, now that Mao is Shockwave's next experiment, Megatron will learn quite a bit more about Geass than anyone would have liked.
*Lelouch and Rai know Suzaku's secret: he killed his own father and has been doing what he can to try and atone for his own sins, by doing what he thinks is right, and will likely try to sacrifice his own life.
*C.C. has managed to sever her ties with Marianne, dealing a significant blow to Ragnarok. She won't tell Lelouch and the Autobots about that yet, because she's prioritizing the Decepticons right now as they are the greater threat. Charles' plan for Ragnarok is indeed a serious threat, but he needs C.C. in order to get it rolling, otherwise it won't work. The Decepticons however can destroy the planet anytime they want, so yeah, they're the bigger threat right now.
What's happening next for our heroes? Well there's no need to wait any longer, so let's get started.
T.M.I.
The Ark
It had been a full day since the incident with Mao at Ashford Academy. At the moment, Lelouch, donned in his Zero outfit, minus the mask, had arranged a meeting with the Autobots and his most trusted inner circle of Black Knights: Kallen, Shirley, Rai, and Kaguya. They were not only there to discuss what happened with Mao, but of what Lelouch and Rai learned from Suzaku that very same day.
"Suzaku did…. What?!" Kallen shouted at the top of her lungs as everyone else around them looked absolutely stunned.
"Killed his own father? Yeah. He did." Rai confirmed.
The other Autobots and Black Knights present had mixed reactions. Kallen's expression mixed between that of shock and anger, Shirley was so stunned she covered her mouth with both her hands. Even Optimus' own optics had widened in surprise, as well as Fixit, Bumblebee, Bulkhead, Cliffjumper, Arcee, and Wheeljack. Ratchet and Ironhide exchanged serious and concerning glances as well. Kaguya could only look down slightly as Lelouch couldn't help but recall his brief conversation with Suzaku after the incident.
Flashback
Lelouch and Rai helped the still-shocked Suzaku down onto a chair in the clubhouse. The young Honorary Britannian's eyes continued to shake, as if the patricidal act had just occurred all over again.
"Suzaku…" Rai tried to say to him, but he didn't seem to register it at first. "Suzaku!" Rai shook him by the shoulder to pull him out of his trance. "Are you alright?"
"I… I just… I never…"
"So, you did do it, didn't you?" Lelouch asked. "You really did kill your own father?"
"Lelouch… Rai… I…" Suzaku continued to stutter.
"Kirihara, I think that was the old man's name." Lelouch began. "He claimed that Prime Minister Genbu Kururugi killed himself in order to stop all those in his cabinet who called for a do-or-die resistance."
'So, Kyoto knows about this?' Rai wondered but chose to remain silent.
"The story was a necessary one." Lelouch continued. "For Japan and Britannia."
That seemed to calm Suzaku down a bit. "Thank you for that."
End Flashback
"That good-for-nothing, son of a…" To say Kallen was angry with Suzaku would be an understatement. "Was he with Britannia the entire time!? Did they pay him to kill his own dad?!"
"Kallen!" Lelouch exclaimed, getting her attention. "That's enough!"
Before Kallen was about to speak out in protest, Kaguya had already spoken. "He wasn't with Britannia at the time." She got everyone's attention, including that of the Autobots. "Suzaku's father did indeed call for do-or-die resistance. Suzaku tried to stop him, but Genbu… to say he was stubborn would have been an understatement. He refused to surrender, and with how much of an advantage Britannia had during the war…"
"Such an act would have undoubtedly resulted incalculable losses." Optimus understood. "I would even say that the entire population of Japan would have been exterminated."
"So, Kyoto knows about this?" Ironhide asked Kaguya who nodded in response. "Anyone else?"
"Tohdoh knows." Kaguya replied. "Other than that, only those gathered here."
"Damn… that's really gotta be rough." Bulkhead said in a sympathetic tone. "Killing your own dad…"
"Not to mention he's lived with that for years." Cliffjumper added in the same tone. "Can't imagine what something like that is like."
"Is… is there anything we can do?" Shirley asked in a hopeful tone. She was indeed shocked by something like this, but from Lelouch's own description, it sounded like Suzaku was torn up completely on the inside. "Is there anything we can do to help him?"
"Not without potentially exposing all of us, including Lelouch's identity, to him." Arcee said. "And given that he's still riding with the Cons, we can't afford that."
"But just because Suzaku is with the Decepticons doesn't mean he's like them!" Shirley exclaimed. "They're evil! But he's not! He's a good person! Lulu, Rai, Kallen, you've all seen him at school!"
"Suzaku is not evil." Lelouch said immediately. "You're right about that Shirley. But, his own perception of good and evil is completely skewered and that's the problem right now."
"What do you mean?" Shirley asked.
"Based on all our previous encounters with Suzaku up until this point, he believes that the path he is currently on is the right one, and that all other paths are wrong." Optimus began. "He believes he can change the system from within, while also seeking ways to avoid conflict. While such a path is noble, it also leaves him vulnerable to those who might take advantage of his mind-set."
"Megatron." Ironhide said.
"So what? King Con knows Suzaku's secret to?" Kallen asked.
"If that's true, maybe he's being blackmailed." Shirley said, sounding as though they might have found a solution. "If we tell him that, and maybe try to help him…"
"[Shirley, you have a good heart, but I don't think it's that simple.]" Bumblebee commented.
"I can't say for certain whether or not Megatron knows what Suzaku has done." Optimus continued. "But I will say that he has noticed Suzaku's stubborn and straight-forward mind-set. No doubt he is likely manipulating Suzaku into becoming the very thing he claims to fight against."
"Great, he's about half-way to being a Decepticon already." Kallen commented.
"But we can still help him, right?" Rai asked. "I mean, you guys did say that some Decepticons ended up switching sides before Cybertron was destroyed."
"That's true." Fixit put in. "There were a considerable many Decepticons who defected after Megatron poisoned Cybertron's core."
"But there was a great deal many more who stayed with him even after that." Ratchet added.
"Old bucket head does have a way of attracting the worst of the worst." Wheeljack put in as many of the Autobots and Black Knights present could at least think of one or two Decepticons that easily fit that category such as Airachnid, Starscream, Breakdown, Soundwave, and even Shockwave.
"We can work out the details with Suzaku later." Ironhide said. "I think we should focus more on the fact that crazy mind reader brought a Knightmare to your school and almost exposed us!"
"I was able to use my Geass to keep Mao from speaking anymore." Lelouch informed. "He'll never be able to tell the Decepticons about us or the Ark."
"Megatron however will no doubt subject Mao to his own experimentations." Ratchet said. "Which might give him a better insight towards Geass."
"Nothing we can do about that though." Cliffjumper replied.
"What about C.C.?" Rai asked. "Is she still okay?"
"We have her location." Fixit said as he held his own hand-held device. "She's still in the Chinese Federation. And the Ark will be able to detect any Decepticon signals near her, so if the enemy does indeed try to take her, we can bring her back with the Groundbinge… ridge… bridge!"
"Yeah, but still doesn't change the fact we two of our own soldiers spotted near a Britannian school." Ironhide glanced towards Arcee and Cliffjumper.
"Well what were we supposed to do? He had a Knightmare" Arcee argued. "Just let him kill everyone there?"
"Arcee and Cliffjumper made the right call in acting." Optimus granted. "However, this could also warrant an investigation into Ashford Academy which could potentially expose Lelouch and Nunnally's identities."
"Already had that covered." Lelouch said, getting everyone's attention. "I hacked into the school systems to erase mine, Nunnally, and even Rai's information until the investigation is concluded."
"But you still have three Knights of the Round at your school." Ratchet said. "And I'm pretty sure Cornelia will find it suspicious that two students from the Student Council are missing from the school's records."
"As I said, I already have that covered." Lelouch continued. "I used my Geass on the principle to gather all students and staff in the gymnasium together."
"After that, I used my Geass to alter their own memories and make them temporarily forget me, Nunnally, and Lelouch." Rai added. "Once the investigation is over, their memories should still come back."
Most of the Autobots were somewhat surprised at how quickly Lelouch and Rai were able to handle the situation, but quickly reminded that this is Lelouch they're talking about. To say they were impressed with such quick thinking was an understatement, even Ironhide smirked slightly.
"Wow, you think of everything, don't ya?" Bulkhead smirked.
"I'm too modest to boast." Lelouch had his own smirk.
"You? Modest? Yeah I don't think so." Kallen joked, resulting in some laughs and chuckles from most of the group.
"So, where are you guys staying?" Wheeljack asked.
"Nunnally and I are staying at Kallen's for the moment." Lelouch answered.
"After what you did for my mom back with that whole Refrain mess, it was the least I could do." Kallen said with an honest smile. "Besides, my mom is practically gushing over Nunnally right now. It's kinda cute actually."
"Aww, but I would have wanted you to stay with me, Lelouch?" Kaguya put on a pouty face, which Lelouch responded with a small grin and a head-pat.
"Sorry, maybe next time."
"What about you Rai?" Bulkhead asked his partner.
"Shirley's letting me stay with her for right now." Rai answered, "Thanks again for that, you didn't have to." He said to the brunette.
"Are you kidding? What kind of friend would I be if I didn't let you a place to stay?" Shirley said. "I'm just glad I can do something to help around here."
Cliffjumper had a knowing smirk on his face. "So, you boys are staying at girls' houses, eh? Be sure to be on your best behavior, and don't get any funny ideas."
All the young Black Knights caught on to Cliffjumper's less-than-subtle joke, resulting in Shirley and Rai blushing, Lelouch rubbed his hand down his face with an annoyed sigh, while Kallen's whole face turned red and she shot Cliffjumper a look of comic anger. "Arcee, can you punch him for me?!"
"Nah, sorry not this time." Arcee joked as Bulkhead and Wheeljack chuckled, Kaguya giggled a bit, and even Ironhide had a small smirk. Bumblebee would have laughed a bit to if he had his own voice box. Ratchet simply rolled his eyes, Fixit looked only confused on what Cliffjumper was referring to as human biology and customs alluded him. However, Optimus had a small smile on his face, despite the situation they were all facing, it was nice to see those he cared for, Autobot and human, interact so casually with one another.
"[Hey uh, speaking of helping, you guys seen the internet lately?]" Bumblebee asked. "[A couple of kids recorded Arcee and Cliff's fight with Mao and posted the thing online. 'Autobots save Ashford Academy from a terrorist'. That's really good PR for us.]"
"And considering how social media operates, it'll spread like wildfire, even with the military trying to stop it." Lelouch said. "This will undoubtedly bring us more support, not just from the Japanese population, but even Britannians as well."
"It'll also give the military quite a headache." Wheeljack smirked.
Kallen chuckled. "I know she's your sister and all Lelouch, but what I wouldn't give to see the look on Cornelia's face right now."
Area 11 – Royal Palace
"How in the hell did a terrorist hijack military-grade Knightmare and use it to attack a Britannian school without anybody noticing?!" Cornelia practically screamed, her face filled with ire and rage as not only were her personal Knights, Guilford and Darlton, present as well, but even the four Knights of the Round, and even Euphemia who sat on her own throne next to her enraged sister.
"Your majesty…" Guilford tried to speak as calmly as he could, not wanting to invoke the wrath of the second princess. "I understand how this seems, but you need to remain calm…"
"Calm….? Calm?! CALM!?" Cornelia shouted as she marched off her throne and looked into Guilford's startled eyes. "Not only did a terrorist openly attack a school on Britannian grounds, where three Knights of the Round also attend, but the attack was thwarted not by the military, but by those god damn AUTOBOTS!"
"And they were really cool." Gino said with a smile as he took out his phone and began to play the video on it. "I even got the thing recoded. Those guys…" Cornelia however snatched the phone from Gino's hands and chucked it at the wall, resulting in it shattering. "My phone!"
Cornelia grabbed Gino by the collar and looked him in the eye. "If you so much as utter one more word of praise to the enemy…. Let's just say facing Luciano Bradley would be a mercy! DO YOU UNDERSTAND WIENBERG!?"
"Yes Ma'am!" Gino muttered in a frightful squeak.
"You do realize that threatening a Knight of the Round is a serious crime, even among royalty, correct?" Any appointed out in an emotionless tone.
Cornelia was ready to direct her ire towards Anya, but Monica already stood in front of the younger girl protectively as Nonette put a firm hand on Cornelia's shoulder.
"Cornelia, you need to calm down!" The Knight of Nine spoke in a firm tone. "We're all concerned about this but lashing out like this is not going to help!"
"She is correct, your highness." Darlton also spoke up. "This is a very serious situation, and we can't afford to lose our composure. So please, try and calm yourself."
The eldest of the Li Britannian siblings seemed to get the message, and when she glanced up towards Euphemia who looked toward her older sister in grave concern, that was all she needed to see. Cornelia took a long and deep breath to calm herself before speaking professionally.
"What is the damage? How bad is it?" Cornelia asked.
Guilford winced slightly but answered the question. "As you stated, a terrorist attacked a Britannian school. Although there were no casualties, the ones who ultimately quelled the situation were the Autobots, not the police or the military."
"As a result, protests have spiked all across the area." Darlton added. "And if I'm being honest, there have been many Britannian civilians voicing their contempt towards the royal family ever since the death of Prince Clovis."
"Why is that?" Cornelia questioned.
"When the Autobots and Zero made their appearance, they claimed that Prince Clovis had attempted to massacre the Shinjuku ghetto." Darlton answered. "That and the Purebloods attempt to frame Suzaku Kururugi for the crime didn't help the situation."
"When we arrived in Area 11, we saw that there many Britannians who disapproved of the numbers system and wished it to be abolished." Monica added. "Even during our stay at Ashford, we've heard some students saying on how sorry they've felt towards the Elevens' impoverished conditions."
"It seems that the actions of Clovis and the Purebloods have stained the Royal Family's reputation, exposing some of their… less-than-stellar traits." Nonette added. "That's not to say I think everyone in the Royal Family is bad, but there are those who might not have… the best intentions." She said.
Cornelia didn't provide an argument as she knew Nonette was right. She had known for a long time that her family was broken, and even those among it that she had nothing but contempt for, including her father for what happened to Lelouch and Nunnally. She gave a sigh before she gave her next orders.
"Guilford, Darlton, I want you and the Knights to conduct a thorough investigation with Ashford Academy." Cornelia ordered. "Find out exactly how this happened. We need to show our people that their safety is, and always has been, our top priority."
"Yes, your majesty." Guilford and Darlton said at the same time as they, and even the four Knights of the Round bowed before leaving the throne room.
As Cornelia sunk into her throne, Euphemia stood up and walked toward her sister. "Cornelia, is there anything I can do?"
The Viceroy held out her hand for the pink-haired princess to take, which she did. "Euphie, for now, all I can think of is for you to keep your head down. We're in a very messy situation right now and I don't want you getting swept up in any of it."
Euphemia was somewhat saddened to hear that. While she appreciated Cornelia wanting to protect her, she wished there was more she could do. But sadly, there wasn't anything that could be done right now.
The Ark – The Next Day
While most of the Black Knights and Autobots wondered about the Ark, either making small-talk or tinkering with their weapons or Knightmares; Shirley, Rai, Tamaki, and even Fixit sat on the TV to watch a monster truck rally, with Bulkhead and Wheeljack standing behind them also watching it. Though Bulkhead, Tamaki, Wheeljack, and even Fixit seemed to be enjoying it; Shirley and Rai were there because there was nothing else to do.
"Oh yeah! Crunched!" Tamaki exclaimed at seeing a car get crushed by the monster truck.
"Oooh!" Bulkhead also said, while covering his eyes with a smirk.
"Like to see a Vehicon walk away from that." Wheeljack smirked.
"Yeah, we should have some Autobots who turn into monster trucks around here!" Tamaki agreed.
"Well I can't say for certain whether or not that would be effective in battle…" Fixit commented before a grin formed on his face. "But that would be so much fun to watch!"
"Here I'm surprised you actually like this kind of stuff, Fixit." Rai commented.
"Yeah, you don't seem like the type who'd be into that." Shirley added.
"I used to watch gladiatorial matches on Cybertron. They were my favorite pastime." Fixit said.
"Seriously!? Cybertron had gladiators?! Awesome!" Tamaki exclaimed.
However, Ratchet continued to work at the communications' console on the Ark's bridge, and he was getting rather annoyed with how loud the TV was. "Would you mind lowering the volume?"
"Hey Ratch, check out the monster truck rally Tamaki to me and Jacky to last week." Bulkhead said.
"Innocent vehicles battling for the pleasure of human spectators?" Ratchet shivered in disgust. "Blood sport!"
"Yeah!" Wheeljack, Tamaki, Fixit, and Bulkhead exclaimed as the Wreckers exchanged a high-five, and even Fixit and Tamaki shared one.
"Come on kids, you gotta admit this is freaking cool!" Tamaki said to Rai and Shirley.
"Thanks, but I already wreck plenty of stuff with my Gekka." Rai said.
"And monster truck rallies aren't really my thing." Shirley said.
"You know, you could be helping Optimus, Zero, and Bumblebee in the field right now." Ratchet said as he went back to work.
"Eh, they don't need a Wrecker's help to search for some ancient educational rod." Wheeljack dismissed.
Ratchet shook his head in minor annoyance. "This 'ancient educational rod' to which you refer happens to be a Cybertronian Data-Cylinder." The medic pressed a button on his console, resulting in television switching from the monster truck rally to a data-reading of the Data-Cylinder, much to most of the group's dismay.
"Hey! What the hell!?" Tamaki exclaimed. "We were watching that!"
"And there is no telling what vast intelligence it may hold." Ratchet said.
"Is this Data-Cylinder really all that?" Rai asked.
"Are you kidding!?" Fixit exclaimed. "This is nothing short of incredible! The Data-Cylinders each contained the sum-total of Cybertronian knowledge on nearly every possible subject you can think of. Stellar cartography, medicine, ancient mythology."
"So, these things were like computer hard drives?" Shirley asked.
"Yes, exactly. Well done Shirley." Fixit smiled, resulting in the brunette blushing slightly at the praise. All the Tamaki simply looked bored as Ratchet took over the explanation.
"When war broke out, the Cylinders were hidden throughout the galaxies, to keep them as far as possible from Decepticon reach." The Autobot medic explained. "Detecting one signal here, on Earth… is the opportunity of a…"
"Ugh! T.M.I. doc-bot!" Tamaki groaned.
"Switch it back, I wanna see the hoedown-showdown!" Bulkhead also added.
Suddenly, the Bridge received an immediate communication from Optimus, with the sounds of battle being heard in the background. "Ratchet, Decepticon ambush! The Cylinder is at risk! We require back-up!"
That got everyone's attention. Shirley and Fixit looked worried, Rai got serious, while Tamaki, Wheeljack, and Bulkhead looked more excited.
"Back up is what we're built for." Wheeljack smirked.
"Yeah, time to bend some fenders." Tamaki also smirked eagerly.
Fixit activated communications as his voice registered throughout the entire Ark. "All available Autobots and Black Knights! Ready your Knightmares and report to the Groundbridge immediately! This is not a drill! Repeat, this is not a drill!"
Within minutes, a Groundbridge portal opened as Ironhide, Bulkhead, Wheeljack, Arcee, and Cliffjumper all gathered together with a squad of Black Knights in their Burais, including Ohgi and Tamaki, along with Kallen and Rai in the Guren MK II and Gekka Pre-Production respectively. The Autobots all transformed and drove directly into the portal with the Knightmares rolling in behind them.
However, nobody appeared to notice Shirley had followed everyone to the bay. She wanted to wish them luck but had already seen them drive off into the swirling vortex. But as she saw the portal was still open, which probably won't be for long, an idea soon came to her. Maybe she could help? After all, she was able to help before when Mao had kidnapped Nunnally, and even turned the favor of her friends and classmates at Ashford toward the Autobots after driving Mao back. Maybe she could help here to.
Shirley had leapt out of the Groundbridge vortex just as the portal closed into a canyon-like setting. However, her jaw dropped in shock as she looked in awe at the sight of the Autobots and Black Knights duking it out with several Decepticons and Vehicon troopers. She had literally just walked into a warzone. Evident as Bulkhead had just punched down a Vehicon and it looked as if it was ready to fall down on top of her.
Fortunately, Shirley was able to run out of the way just in time as she hid behind a rock for cover. She felt a strong sense of déjà vu hit her as this was almost like in Port Yokosuka where she was caught in the middle of a skirmish between the Black Knights and the Autobots against the Britannian military and the Decepticons. Though she was more than a little scared, she was able to peek out from behind her cover to see the battle that was occurring.
The closest to her was Optimus Prime against Dreadwing, both of them wielding their respective blades as they clashed with one another with a series of rapid swings that they both were able to block. After blocking one slice from Dreadwing, Optimus was able to deliver a fierce kick to knock Dreadwing back.
"Autobots, Black Knights, stand your ground!" Optimus stated to his soldiers. "The artifact must not fall into enemy hands!"
Shirley was able to spot the artifact she could only assume was the Data-Cylinder, and it was definitely a large artifact. She looked around to see every combatant occupied and unable to retrieve it.
Zero's own Burai rolled around the battlefield as he relayed orders. "Guren, Gekka, support the Autobots! Try and secure the relic! All other Black Knights provide covering fire, but do not engage in close-quarters combat!"
The leader of the Black Knights, as well as the entire squad of Black Knights he brought with him opened fire with their refiles, their magnesium bullets were able to burn through and melt five Vehicon troopers.
Starscream growled as he led remaining Vehicons. "Return fire!" He ordered as he and his troopers opened fire with their Energon blasters, forcing the Black Knights to scatter and shoot back as well.
Rai's Gekka shot right for the Data-Cylinder, only to be tackled out of the way by Knock Out before he transformed and gunned straight for it.
"Come to papa!" Knock Out said as he transformed and tried to grab the artifact, only to rammed on the side by the Guren MK II that tried to latch onto Knock Out's face with the Radiant Wave Surger, though Knock Out was able to pull away from it, the pulse was able to blast away the red Decepticon.
"Run to mommy!" Kallen's voice called to Knock Out. However, Breakdown came in to grab the Guren by its head.
"Say uncle! Say it!" Breakdown stated, only for Bulkhead to run and tackle the equally large Decepticon. Kallen landed the Guren on its feet and was ready to grab the Cylinder, only to be put on the defensive as Thundercracker flew down in his vehicle mode and opened fire with a series of missiles, forcing Kallen to drive the Guren out of the way.
Shirley looked around and saw all the others in a bit of a pickle themselves. Wheeljack was back-to-back with Bumblebee, lashing out with swords and fists respectively against a team of Vehicons; Arcee was in the middle of a fist-fight with Skywarp; Rai had recovered in his Gekka to provide Bulkhead some assistance against Breakdown; Ironhide and Cliffjumper were helping Zero and the Black Knights return fire against Starscream and his Vehicon squadron; and Optimus was still occupied with Dreadwing.
While it seemed like all the Autobots and Black Knights were busy, it also meant all the Decepticons were occupied as well, Shirley thought maybe she'd be able to get the Cylinder away without the bad guys noticing. She quickly made a break for the Cylinder and was able to hide behind it and nobody appeared to notice her yet. She quickly pulled out her phone and tried to call the Ark.
"Ratchet, Fixit, anybody? Please come in!"
She soon got a response from the Autobot medic "Shirley? This is an emergency channel, we need to keep it open for the… wait, where are you?" He asked as he could hear the sounds of battle around her.
"I'm with… the… the thing you were talking about!" Shirley stated. "That hard drive thing?"
"Hard drive…?" Fixit was also on the other end. "The Data-Cylinder?! Wait… that would mean… why are you on the battlefield!? You're supposed to be in the intelligence unit!"
"I know, yell at me later! But can you use the Groundbridge to get the Cylinder-thing out of here? Everyone else is busy!" Shirley said.
"I will reactivate arrival coordinates!" Ratchet informed. Less than a second later, a Groundbridge portal opened at the exact same spot she and everyone else arrived in. It was too far for Shirley, however.
"Um, maybe a bit closer please?"
"Supply coordinates!" Ratchet stated.
"Can't you just… track my phone's signal or something?" Shirley asked, starting to get a little impatient out of fear of being in the middle of a warzone.
"There's too much activity and interference!" Fixit replied. "And we don't have the data needed to isolate your phone' signal!"
Deciding to try and roll the Cylinder to the open Groundbridge portal herself. She tried to push it with her bare hands, but it was too heavy and wouldn't even budge. "Oh, come on!" She exclaimed. "Move already!" Still no budge, she instead ran a bit away to get some distance before running back to give it a powerful kick, thinking it might get it moving. However, it still didn't move, and she ended up falling on her back.
However, once her foot made contact with the device, it gave off an odd sound as it sounded like it was powering on. The red bulb at the end expanded with flaps around it as it began to glow. Shirley looked with wide eyes, clearly not expecting that.
Optimus had just punched down Dreadwing when he noticed the Cylinder's activity himself. Even Zero's Burai caught the signal as his screen zoomed in on it. However, Lelouch's eyes widened once he saw the girl next to it. "Shirley?!"
Bulkhead continued to wrestle with Breakdown as their scuffle appeared to be the closest to the Cylinder and he noticed the girl's presence as well. "What the… Kid!?" As the red bulb began to glow brighter and brighter, Bulkhead knocked Breakdown away as he tried to run and grab Shirley, however, Breakdown quickly recovered and slammed both his cupped hands onto the back of Bulkhead's head to knock him down right in front of Cylinder.
Right as that happened, a red beam shot out from the Cylinder and right into Bulkhead's forehead. Once it stopped, Bulkhead groaned slightly as he appeared to have fainted.
"Bulkhead!" Shirley ran to try and help him, only to look in shock and even fear as Starscream picked up the Cylinder with his hands.
"Excellent work, Bulkhead." The Decepticon second-in-command sneered. "I'm sure Lord Megatron will be most appreciative of your support." He transformed and flew off with his prize, followed by Thundercracker, Skywarp, and a few surviving Vehicons. At the same time, a Groundbridge portal opened, allowing Breakdown and Knock Out to escape.
All the Autobots and Black Knights ran and drove to their comrade as he pulled himself up. "Bulkhead, are you…?!"
"Fine." Bulkhead assured Optimus. "Didn't even smart."
The Guren rolled up behind the brunette girl that was near him. "Shirley?! What the hell are you doing here?!"
As Shirley glanced around at the Autobots who were giving her some questionable looks, as were likely some of the Black Knights from their Knightmares, she couldn't help but wince and giggle nervously.
"What were you thinking!?" Lelouch exclaimed as he was speaking to Shirley in his own private quarters. She sat in a chair as he expressed his disapproval. "Rushing head-first into a warzone, without even telling anybody?! What on Earth possessed you to do something so reckless and stupid?!"
Shirley winced upon hearing his yells, but she knew she had it coming. "Lelouch I… I'm sorry. I just… I thought I could help."
Lelouch sighed to lower his volume but kept a firm glare on the girl. "I appreciate that you want to help Shirley. But stunts like that will get you killed. I assigned you to intelligence when you joined for a reason; you're not a soldier, and even if you were, you don't run head-first into a fight without even coming up with a plan. You could have died out there."
"I know. I'm really, really sorry." Shirley apologized sincerely. "How's Bulkhead?"
"Ratchet's looking over him now." Lelouch answered before getting back on the subject. "Shirley, I need you to listen to me. You will not pull a stunt like this again. If you do, I might have to kick you out of the Black Knights."
Shirley gave an audible gasp as she heard that.
"I can't tolerate this kind of recklessness." Lelouch said. "Especially when it's someone I care about. You're my friend, and if something happened to you, I'd never forgive myself." He kneeled down to her level and firmly put his hands on her shoulders. "I am grateful that you want to help us, but I've already told you that this is war, life-and-death. If you're serious about all of this, I need you to promise me right here and now, that you will not do anything like that again. If you have an idea, ask me, or one of the Autobots or our friends. Can you promise me that?"
Shirley saw both the seriousness and desperation in Lelouch's eyes. The last thing she wanted was to make him worried like that. "Okay, Lulu. I promise."
The next thing she knew, Lelouch had wrapped his arms around her, much to her surprise. "You nearly gave me a heart-attack out there. Don't make me worry like that again."
Shirley returned the embrace. "I'm sorry I worried you like that. I promise I won't do it again." They soon separated. "Is it okay if I check in on Bulkhead? He was hurt because of me."
"I'm sure it's nothing serious but go ahead. He's in the medical center." Lelouch answered. Shirley gave a nod as she left. Lelouch fell back on his chair as he rubbed his hair. There was a part of him that regretted bringing Shirley into the Black Knights, he wasn't certain if she could handle the stress of war. But he also knew that Shirley was capable of learning from her mistakes, so he was certain that she wouldn't pull anything like that again. At the same time however, he knew that he had to take necessary measures, as he meant it when he said that he'd have to kick her out if she did anything that reckless again.
Shirley had just walked toward the Autobot med bay where Ratchet and Fixit were looking over Bulkhead. She spotted Rai present, who as well noticed her presence.
"Hey, you okay Shirley?" Rai asked her.
"Yeah. How is he?" She asked referring to the large Autobot.
"It's gonna take a lot more than a tiny laser to bring this Wrecker down." Rai smirked, much to Shirley's relief. "But seriously, you really scared me with that stunt you pulled."
"I know." Shirley replied. "Lelouch already drove that point home loud and clear. I'm really sorry."
"I'm just glad you're okay." Rai smiled as Shirley smiled back.
"I helped loose that thing, I wanna help find it!" Bulkhead's statement toward Ratchet and Fixit got Rai and Shirley's attention as the green Autobot had a wire attached to his head. "I need to get back in the field with Optimus!"
Ratchet however stopped him from leaving. "Ep, ep, you're under my watch now, Optimus' orders. And running a full scan of your neural net would be a wiser use of your time."
"Come on Doc, there's nothing up there to scan." Bulkhead commented as he unplugged the wire from his head.
"I'm not detecting any damage or anything to the brain, and Bulkhead does seem fully functional." Fixit reported, looking at the readings on his device.
"Yeah, he seems fine to me to." Rai added.
Ratchet gave something of an annoyed sigh. "Well, if you insist on making yourself useful, you can help Shirley tidy-up." He handed the surprised brunette a mop. "Don't act so surprised. Nobody may have gotten hurt, but your actions have cost us the Cylinder, so I'd say this is appropriate punishment."
Ratchet then walked off as Shirley held the mop and looked down in shame. "Please Do not take it personally, Shirley." Fixit told her. "Ratchet can be a bit… strict."
"And sometimes mad with power." Rai joked a bit to provide some humor.
Bulkhead chuckled. "Yeah, that's Ratchet. Null-vector-squared alright."
"What?" Rai questioned as he, Fixit, and Shirley looked to the large Autobot in surprise.
Bulkhead looked at the mop Shirley was holding. "Hey, we got any paint around her?"
"Yes, why do you ask?" Fixit asked in response.
The Nemesis
"What do you mean it's empty?" Megatron questioned the group consisting of Starscream, Knock Out, Thundercracker, Skywarp, Breakdown, and Dreadwing in the laboratory as they were analyzing the Data-Cylinder they had acquired.
"Lord Megatron, these Cylinders are not unlike batteries." Knock Out began to explain along with Thundercracker. "The data is stored within them as a form of energy."
"When we found it, it scanned fully charged, which was how we were able to locate it in the first place." Thundercracker reported. "But now…" He pressed a button on the side, but the red port at the top only expelled some dust and smoke.
"Dead battery." Breakdown commented.
"Did any of you imbeciles drop it?!" Megatron questioned with irritation.
"Hey, don't look me, Starscream was the one who was holding it!" Skywarp pointed to the commander of the Seekers.
"Do not take that tone with me, Skywarp! This is hardly my fault!" Starscream tried to defend himself.
"The energy was in the Cylinder when we located it, that much is certain." Dreadwing recalled. "Something clearly happened during our battle that resulted in the energy being lost."
"Well I wasn't going to touch it after it put the zap on Bulkhead!" Breakdown stated. Starscream, Dreadwing, Thundercracker, and Knock Out's optics all widened in realization.
"Do not tell me…" Starscream muttered.
"I know." Megatron realized it as well. "And I must find out what that vessel contained. When it comes to the secrets of the Ancients, knowledge can be power."
The Ark – Lelouch's quarters.
The former prince turned Revolutionary heard a knock on the door followed by a familiar voice. "Zero, it's me. May I come in?" Shirley asked from the other side.
"Come in." Lelouch said as the door opened to reveal his friend. "Shirley, listen I'm sorry I yelled at you. But you have to understand…"
"No, you were right to be angry with me." Shirley said. "What I did was stupid, but that's not why I'm here. Something's… off with Bulkhead?"
Lelouch's eyebrow raised with concern. "Off? What do you mean?"
"Well, maybe you should come see for yourself." Shirley said as she motioned for him to follow her, which he did.
Lelouch had already followed Shirley onto the bridge, where they were met by Rai and Fixit who were leading Ratchet in the same direction. "What's going on?" Lelouch asked the three of them.
"Bulkhead is… painting some weird symbols." Rai answered, in a tone indicating he was quite concerned.
"Yes, I'm sure one hasn't truly lived until one has beheld Bulkhead's take on still-life with lugnuts." Ratchet said sarcastically.
"I for one find the human concept of art to be quite fascinating." Fixit commented. "I'd be curious as to see what it is Bulkhead has been working on."
The group had made it to the hallway where they saw Bulkhead using the mop Shirley previously had to paint a series of odd symbols along the wall. "The differential of one third R cubed is R-D-R-R."
"What in…?" Lelouch was quite perplexed, not just with what Bulkhead was painting, but what he was saying. He sounded almost like when Nina talks aloud when she's working on her own stuff at the computer.
"That is not art… it's science!" Ratchet's optics widened in surprise.
All the Autobots and Black Knights were immediately called back from their mission after being told of Bulkhead's current condition. Team Prime, along with Lelouch, Kallen, Shirley, Rai, Ohgi, and even Tamaki gathered in the Autobot med bay as Ratchet and Fixit performed the necessary tests on the green Wrecker, though they all looked more than a little perplexed at the Cybertronian symbols that Bulkhead had painted on the walls of the med bay.
"This hotspot you see here?" Ratchet showed everyone an image of Bulkhead's neural net on a computer screen with Bulkhead himself lying on a pad and a data-tube connected to his head. Ratchet pointed to a red glowing dot on the image of Bulkhead's neural net. "It's information, data, living energy."
'Not too dissimilar from my Geass.' Lelouch noted to himself.
"Hold on a second." Tamaki questioned. "It's alive… it's on fire… and it's in Bulkhead's brain!?"
"Should we be worried about this?" Rai asked with concern.
"Chill guys, the data is only inhabiting a fraction of my brain." Bulkhead assured. "Infinitesimal by standard neural net densities."
Nearly everyone present, particularly Wheeljack, Rai, Tamaki, and Shirley looked toward Bulkhead as if he had just grown a second head.
"Wha…?" Tamaki sputtered.
"I have no idea what you just said, and it scares me." Rai commented.
"You guys wanna explain to me why this guy sounds like he's Preceptor's assistant?" Cliffjumper asked Ratchet and Fixit.
"Yeah, Bulkhead's many things but a scientist ain't one of them." Wheeljack added. "No offense Bulk."
"None taken." Bulkhead replied.
"The data from the Cylinder must have somehow transferred itself from the device straight into Bulkhead's brain." Fixit assumed.
"How is that possible?" Ohgi asked.
"Based on what we witnessed during our skirmish, the living data must have been programed to eject when it sensed unauthorized access." Optimus theorized.
"A security measure." Lelouch voiced in realization.
"It would have jettisoned heavenward, lost to the stars." Optimus continued.
"Except my fat engine block get in the way." Bulkhead said, knocking on his own head for emphasis as he sat up.
"Yeah well, you might wanna check on thing's warranty because it's got some pretty lame-ass security." Tamaki said.
"For once Tamaki actually makes sense." Kallen seemed to agree while sneaking in a jab.
"Hey!" Tamaki protested.
"Every Decepticon there made a grab for it, but the Cylinder doesn't go off until Shirley touches it?" Kallen continued.
"The Cylinders originated from Cybertron's Golden Age, long before the war broke out." Fixit explained. "Before the Autobot and Decepticon factions were created."
"Following that logic, it wouldn't consider any native of Cybertron to be threat." Lelouch said.
"Only alien lifeforms, such as humans." Ratchet said, referring to Shirley who simply looked away slightly, not sure what to think about all of this.
"[Okay, so we got the data, but what exactly is it?]" Bumblebee asked as they all directed their attention to some of the symbols Bulkhead appeared to have painted.
"It's definitely ancient Cybertronian, but I'm no historian or scientist so I can't exactly tell what it is." Ironhide also said.
"It appears to be some form of mathematics." Fixit reported as he observed the symbols. "As for what exactly it is however…" He began to input the data only for his own optics to widen in surprise as he saw the result. "By the Allspark…"
"What? What is it?" Lelouch questioned.
"Come on don't pause for suspense! Tell us!" Cliffjumper insisted.
"Ratchet, are you seeing this…?!" Fixit transferred the data from his own hand-held device to the console Ratchet was working on, while also comparing that to the symbols he's seen so far.
"I am, and while I do not wish to falsely rally anyone's hopes, but these equations appear to be the formula for a SyntheticEnergon." Ratchet revealed.
This revelation hit everyone by surprise, even Optimus had not seen this coming. Lelouch himself was more than a little stunned as well.
"Synthetic Energon?!" Kallen exclaimed.
"No freaking way!" Wheeljack stated.
"Hold on…are you serious?!" Cliffjumper also exclaimed.
"You better not be pulling on our tailpipe, Ratchet!" Ironhide stated.
"I assure you, that I am not." The Autobot medic assured.
"Hot damn! We hit the jackpot!" Tamaki cheered as even Ohgi had a grin.
Bumblebee bleeped a cheer of his own, which also caused Arcee to look in pleasant surprise. "We hit the motherload?!"
Rai looked toward the surprised Shirley with an excited look. "Shirley, do you know what this means?!"
"Um… I…" Shirley didn't quite seem to understand.
"Energon is Sakuradite, it's what powers Knightmares." Rai explained.
"But more than that, for Cybertronians it's our fuel, or ammo, or lifeforce!" Bulkhead also said looking at the pair. "With Britannia in control of most of the natural supply here on Earth, this could solve a whole lot of problems!"
"We would have a ready-made fuel supply, manufacturing all the energy we'll ever need!" Lelouch stated with a grin as this was likely the best news he could hear at the moment.
"This may provide us with the edge we need to turn the tide of this war." Optimus also said, though he kept his emotions in check, he couldn't hide a small smile of his own.
"Or handing us the key to revitalizing Cybertron." Ratchet said with a grin.
Arcee smirked. "We got the goods, and all Megatron got was an empty bucket!" She said as Bumblebee and Cliffjumper exchanged a high-five.
"Damn right! Suck it Cons!" Tamaki exclaimed with a wide grin.
"How often do I get to use my noggin to save the day?" Bulkhead asked with his own smile.
"You mean other than using it smash Cons? Not that much." Wheeljack cracked.
Kallen threw an arm over Shirley's shoulder, catching her by surprise. "Shirley, you might have just given us the key we need to win this war!"
"Really…? I did that?" Shirley asked in surprise.
"Heck yeah you did! Great work!" Rai complemented with a smile.
Shirley blushed as she had a smile herself, while receiving more praise from some of the other Black Knights and Autobots present, even Tamaki said, 'good job'. Lelouch smiled as well, he was glad that she had been able to contribute to their cause, even if it wasn't quite the way he intended for her.
From that point forward, Bulkhead continued to paint more equations for the Synthetic Energon formula. Only instead of the walls, he painted on metal boards that the Bots would take for Ratchet and Fixit to log. He had been doing this for hours and showed no signs of slowing down.
"Intersection of atomic coordinates, indicate conversion of tertiary structures…." Bulkhead muttered as he painted the next part of the formula. As he painted; Bumblebee, Cliffjumper, Arcee and Wheeljack observed him along with Kallen, Shirley, Rai, and Ohgi.
"I have no idea what he's saying." Cliffjumper said. "And… it's kinda making me nervous."
"Yeah, it's weird seeing Bulkhead in braniac mode." Arcee agreed.
"He sounds like Nina when she's working." Shirley observed.
"Hey Wheeljack, Bulkhead told me he was in construction before joining the Wreckers, but he's never done anything like this before?" Rai asked the white Wrecker.
"Nope." Wheeljack confirmed. "He might know a few basic physics, like where to a throw a grenade to make a tower topple, but nothing like this."
"So how long is he gonna keep this up?" Ohgi asked.
"Best guess, when he finishes the formula." Kallen said.
"But he's been doing this for hours. I'm starting to get a little worried." Rai observed.
"[Yeah well when you're making something that's basically lifeforce, it's not a simple as two plus two equals four.]" Bumblebee commented.
Bulkhead appeared to be finished with one equation, Arcee pulled it away as Rai quickly ran to Bulkhead's side. "Hey partner, maybe you could use a break. How about a movie?"
However, Bulkhead went straight back to his work. "Energon temperatures and volume proportions on a triangular angle…." This only caused Rai to look in greater concern.
But while the production of the formula for Synthetic Energon could certainly help the Autobot-Black-Knight cause, Ratchet and Fixit had discovered something most disturbing that required the attention of Optimus, Ironhide, and Lelouch as they met the scientific Autobots in their laboratory.
"Lelouch, when you compared the living data inhabiting Bulkhead's brain to your Geass, you might have been more right than you think." Ratchet told the young revolutionary.
"What do you mean?" Lelouch asked as he noticed the tone in Ratchet's voice, indicating that this wasn't good news.
Fixit pressed a few buttons on the Mini-Con console he was at and projected an image of Bulkhead's neural net from before, with the red dot to indicate where the living data was dwelling. "This is Bulkhead's neural scan from earlier. However, this scan was only taken a few moments ago…"
Lelouch, Ironhide, and Optimus looked in concern to see the red energy began to spread throughout the rest of Bulkhead's neural net.
"It is as I feared." Ratchet began. "The data seems to be actively, and aggressively, rewriting Bulkhead's neural net. I had hopped he was purging the data, but he seems to be merely transcribing it as it…"
"Consumes his mind." Optimus said with grave realization.
"You're right, this does sound all too familiar." Lelouch commented. This was almost exactly like with Mao, his Geass went out of control and consumed his own mind. Lelouch had feared the same thing happening to himself as well as Rai, but at the moment, he was more concerned with Bulkhead. "How long until the damage becomes permanent?"
"From all indication, by the time he completes the formula." Fixit reported. "And when that happens, his own thoughts, his memories, could be wiped clean."
"But if we stop him, goodbye Synthetic Energon." Ironhide pointed out.
"You assume we possess a means of stopping him." Ratchet said. "I don't exactly have instant access to the wisdom of the ancients."
"I will not allow more of our own to be sacrificed, no matter the cost." Optimus stated.
"Agreed." Lelouch said. "If the living data is capable of being transferred, perhaps we can create our own device for it to be contained. This way we'd still have access to the information and can complete the formula without endangering our own."
"A good idea in theory, but without knowing how exactly the data was contained, we run the risk of creating a device that can't contain the energy properly and risking its damage." Fixit informed.
"So, we need the original device then." Lelouch commented with narrowed eyes as there was only one way that can be possible.
"How in the heck are we supposed to get it back from the Cons?" Ironhide questioned.
"Megatron will bring it to us." Optimus answered.
Optimus and Lelouch had shared this information with the rest of Team Prime, as well as a majority of the Black Knights present, with the exception of Shirley and Rai, as they didn't want those two to worry; Rai being the closest to Bulkhead, and Shirley to blame herself for the possibility of Bulkhead losing his mind. However, telling them might have been a mistake as Bulkhead continued to paint and Shirley helped Rai bring in a speaker and an electric guitar he borrowed from Tamaki, apparently the hothead knew how to play, but Rai wasn't too concerned about that right now.
"You sure about this?" Shirley asked as they continued to hear Bulkhead mutter more mathematic and scientific terms that they couldn't hope to understand.
"If at the very least, it'll get his attention." Rai said as he plugged the guitar into the speaker. He turned the volume up to maximum as he strung the guitar, creating a loud sound that not only forced Shirley to cover her ears but also finally got Bulkhead's attention.
"Ugh! What is that?!" Bulkhead exclaimed in irritation.
"Heavy metal. You and Tamaki like that stuff. Sorry Bulk, but you really could use a break." Rai said.
"Rai's right, you've been at this thing for hours straight. Just a few minutes away from it won't hurt." Shirley added.
"I'm trying to concentrate!" Bulkhead stated in a tone that Rai didn't like.
"You know, you're starting to sound a lot like Ratchet!" The white-haired youth argued.
"Who?" Bulkhead asked, causing Rai and Shirley to look in surprise, the later giving a surprised gasp as they looked to each other with worry, even more so as Bulkhead went right back to his equations as if the two humans in front of him weren't even there.
Rai and Shirley both ran into the hallways where they found Ironhide and Wheeljack discussing the plan Lelouch and Optimus came up with.
"Guys, guys, something's wrong with Bulkhead!" Shirley exclaimed as the two looked in surprise, but it wasn't the kind of surprise that the teenagers had expected.
Rai saw the look in their optics and realized that this was something they knew already. "Wait… you guys… you knew?!"
"We didn't want you to worry." Ironhide confessed.
"I'm Bulkhead's damn partner! Of course, I'm gonna be worried!" Rai exclaimed.
"Hey, you're not the only one, you know!" Wheeljack reminded. "Bulkhead's my partner to!"
"What… exactly is happening to Bulkhead…?" Shirley asked with worry.
The two Autobots exchanged glances as they decided it was best to tell them. "Remember Mao? How he lost his mind when his Geass went wild?" Ironhide reminded. "Well, it's something like that."
Shirley gasped as Rai's own eyes widened.
Wheeljack winced as this reaction wasn't unexpected. "But hey, Optimus and Zero got a plan, and you know how good those guys are when it comes to plans." The Wrecker tried to add a bit of optimism.
"Where are they now?" Rai asked.
"They took the rest of the Bots and a small squad of Knights to try and get the Cylinder back from Megatron." Ironhide answered. "We'll figure this out, I promise."
"I trust you guys it's just… just…" Rai stuttered as he couldn't contain his own worry.
"it's okay, we get it." Wheeljack assured as he was really worried for his partner as well. All the while Shirley looked down, thinking to herself.
'I'm the one who put that data into Bulkhead's brain… if something happens to him… is it… is it my fault…?'
The Nemesis
Starscream and Knock Out had just walked onto the bridge where their master continued to stand. "Lord Megatron, we've detected a familiar energy profile." Knock Out reported.
"The data?" Megatron assumed.
"it would seem the enemy was foolish enough to allow Bulkhead to leave the shielded radius of their base." Starscream said with a cocky grin. "I shall assemble my strike team and…"
"Fail me again?" Megatron finished, turning to the two Decepticons with an irritated look in his eyes.
Megatron had decided to see to this matter personally as he flew in his vehicle mode alongside Starscream, Thundercracker, Skywarp, Dreadwing, and a squad of Vehicon Troopers. They all transformed and landed on a canyon-like area only to find a large squad of the enemy waiting for them consisting of Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Arcee, Cliffjumper, with Zero in his Burai, Kallen in her Guren MK II, and a small squad of Black Knights as well.
"Optimus, and even the illusive Zero, you two are certainly not who I'd expected to find out here." Megatron acknowledged. "Let me guess, you rigged a transponder to mimic the frequency of the data we seek."
"And you fell for it." Zero's voice rang through his Burai, resulting in a scowl forming on Starscream's face.
"Insolent human! How dare you insult us with such a cheap tactic!" Starscream was ready to open fire.
"Cool your jets, we're not here to fight." Cliffjumper said.
"If this was indeed an ambush, you would already be dead." Zero said.
"If this were an ambush, you'd already be dead." Thundercracker replied.
"Well nobody here is dead, so it's obviously not an ambush." Cliffjumper replied back.
"Hmm, that… actually makes sense." Skywarp pointed out.
"Megatron, I have a proposal." Optimus stepped forward, only for all the Decepticons present to point their Energon blasters at him, including Dreadwing with his massive cannon, but Megatron held up his hand to keep his soldiers from doing anything rash.
"I'm listening."
"Surrender the Cylinder, and I will return it to you fully restored." Optimus said.
"This trinket right here?" Megatron held the Cylinder in his hand. "And pray tell, what trifles did it hold that you are so anxious to give away."
"Accept my terms, and you will find out." Optimus stated, indicating that was all the information he was going to tell Megatron.
Lelouch kept his face hidden behind his Zero mask, even with his Burai. He allowed Optimus to handle this because he knew Megatron better than he did. And while he had complete trust in the Autobot leader, it didn't make him any less nervous as a lot was riding on this.
"Hey, Zero." Ohgi contacted him on a restricted frequency that could only allow the Knightmare pilots to speak with each other and not out loud on the speakers. "Are you sure about this? This whole thing feels like we're making a deal with the Devil."
"That's because we are." Zero replied. "If we pull this off, we can use the Cylinder to create our own device that can store the energy while giving a false one to Megatron in the Cylinder once were done."
"But that all depends on Megatron actually giving us the thing." Kallen communicated.
"I know…" Zero said as the only thing they can do was hope that Megatron accepted Optimus' terms. A deal with the Devil indeed.
The Ark
Bulkhead continued to paint more equations onto the large metal boards while Fixit, Rai, Shirley, Wheeljack, and Ironhide kept an eye on him.
"Hey, remember when you, me, and Seaspray got lost in the Sea of Rust?" Wheeljack asked Bulkhead in an attempt to jog his memory and hopefully halt the data's process.
"Who?" Bulkhead asked.
"Seaspray. You know, old barnacle butt?" Wheeljack reminded.
Bulkhead looked only more confused, which only caused the group to look further concerned. "Do you even know who we are? Who I am?" Rai asked.
"Of course, your…" Bulkhead narrowed his eyes as he tried to remember, which only caused Rai to look hurt before Bulkhead resumed his equations. "…Equivalent to the flattening of oblate spheroid to the nth power."
Rai could only look down, while Shirley looked towards Rai with both concern and shame, feeling responsible for this. "Hey, you he's going to be fine." Ironhide said to Rai to try and cheer him up. "You gotta trust Optimus and Zero, they're gonna find a way to save him."
"I trust him it's just… just…" Rai couldn't express his worry for Bulkhead. He knew all too well what it was like to lose your memories. He had absolutely no idea who he was before, aside from the fact he got his Geass from the twin brother of Britannian Emperor, and that was just from information C.C. provided, and not his own memories.
Shirley soon got an idea. "Hey, maybe if we take Bulkhead somewhere that he's been to before. I mean, that has helped people to remember some things before."
"It's true." Fixit added. "Studies have shown that being taken to a place of familiarity has helped to restore calories… batteries… memories!"
"But that could also expose us to the Decepticons!" Ironhide pointed out.
"Yeah well, if they had a Wrecker and an old soldier like us there, I'd say we'd make pretty decent bodyguards." Wheeljack said, as Ironhide looked to the white Autobot in surprise at how he seemed on-board as well. "Look, I get the guys in charge have a plan, but if there's even a chance that I can help my friend, I want to take it."
"Look, just a quick in-and-out." Rai was also on-board. "if it doesn't work, or the Cons show up, we just use a Groundbridge to get back here. No fighting. Ironhide, please!" He was practically begging the old Autobot.
Ironhide saw the pleading with both Rai and Shirley, and a look from Wheeljack indicating that they would likely go with or without his permission. The veteran gave a sigh before he smiled. "Where do you have in mind?"
Meanwhile; the Autobots and Black Knights awaited Megatron's response. The tension was more than a little thick, so much so that one could only cut it with a Cybertronian blade. Even Zero nervously gripped his own controls as the Autobots maintained their cool.
"Do you accept my proposal?" Optimus questioned his nemesis.
"Lord Megatron." Knock Out contacted his leader.
"Give me a moment." Megatron said as he turned around and walked to the back of his squadron, while Lelouch narrowed his eyes wondering what the Decepticon leader was planning.
"Did you find what you were looking for?" Knock Out asked.
"It's complicated." Megatron spoke in a hush tone so that his enemies couldn't hear him.
"Well, Breakdown and I may have located the bogey, fully-charged."
"Proceed." Megatron gave them the go-ahead.
"Just one hitch. We don't have the Cylinder." Knock Out said.
"Then bring me the head of Bulkhead." Megatron ordered them with an evil sneer.
Using a Groundbridge; Ironhide and Wheeljack had taken Bulkhead, Rai, and Shirley to a monster-truck arena. Fixit remained behind at the Ark as Ironhide had already told Ratchet what they were doing, while also informing the medic that they would contact him immediately if things were to go wrong. Ratchet wasn't pleased with the idea at first, but Ironhide was able to convince him to let them go, on the condition that if he didn't hear from them soon, he would contact Optimus and Zero.
"Come on Bulk, you loved monster trucks!" Rai told him as the green Autobot actually continued to paint more equations on the walls of the empty arena. "You, Wheeljack, and Tamaki practically dragged me here. I wouldn't say I hate monster truck rallies, but I like spending time with my friends."
However, Bulkhead was still focused more on his equations. "Mass times the fusion rate squared is constant." This only made the group more worried.
"You remember how we snuck in here? Practiced some new moves in our vehicle modes?" Wheeljack tried to remind his friend. "Any of that ringing a bell?"
"Bell curve? No, no, no that wouldn't factor in." Bulkhead replied.
"Well, what about me in my Gekka?" Rai tried. "You, me, and Jacky smashing Cons and Knightmares left, and right? Like in Narita? That was cool! Wasn't it?" However, Bulkhead didn't appear to be listening. "Alright, alright, forget the past. We'll start over, make new memories. I mean, look at me, I don't have a clue about my past…!" Rai was now sounding desperate, which only made Ironhide, Wheeljack, and especially Shirley more concerned.
"The cubed-root of the exo-thermic-Energon yield, delta-e-violet's law of Energon conservation…" Bulkhead continued to ramble on as Rai appeared the most emotionally hurt by this.
Ironhide kneeled down to the amnesiac Black Knight's level. "Hey, it was a good try."
However, the three of them heard a sob and looked to see it was Shirley, holding a hand over her mouth and tears already forming in her eyes. "Guys I… I am so sorry! This is my fault! If I hadn't kicked that stupid Cylinder…!"
"Kid, no don't do that to yourself." Wheeljack said immediately as he also kneeled down. "Bulkhead wouldn't have wanted that either. You had no idea what was going to happen, none of us did."
"But I just… I just wanted to help!" Shirley sobbed. "I never meant to… hurt anyone…"
"You didn't…" Rai said as he looked more than a little upset himself. "I don't blame you Shirley, it's not your fault. It's just… I… I know how it feels to lose your memories, to have no idea who you are or your family or friends from before…" He slowly walked to the large green Autobot as he continued to paint. "Bulkhead… you and the others… you accepted me without hesitation, even though I had no idea who I was before… and even if you don't remember me… I want you to know right here and now…" He placed a hand on Bulkhead's foot. "I will never forget you."
Shirley seemed truly touched by how much Rai valued his friendship with Bulkhead, and it almost drove her to tears even more. Even Wheeljack and Ironhide silently offered their sympathies to both Rai and Bulkhead as well. Both of them were part of their family, their band of brothers and sisters, and no matter what, that would never change.
"Boohoo!" The two Autobots and teenage Black Knights looked in surprise to see Knock Out and Breakdown at the stands, the largest Decepticon mocking the sincere moment. "I'm shedding lubricant!"
"Well, can't say we didn't see this coming." Wheeljack said as he already drew his dual swords.
"Ratchet, come in, we need a Groundbridge asap!" Ironhide tried to contact the Ark, but only got static. "Ratchet?!" Still no response. "Scrap, they're jamming us!" He readied his Energon cannons as he stood alongside Wheeljack. "Rai, Shirley, get Bulkhead out of here! We'll take care of these clowns!"
No time to argue, Rai spoke to Bulkhead. "Come with us right now or these guys are gonna… steal the formula!"
That successfully got his attention. "My equations!" Bulkhead wasted no time in following Rai and Shirley as they ran for the exit.
"Not like Bulkhead to run from a fight." Breakdown observed before the ground below them exploded, causing both him and Knock Out to fall and stumble into the arena, where Ironhide pointed his smoking right Energon cannon at them with Wheeljack twirling his swords.
"You losers wanna fight, you got one!" Wheeljack said seriously as his facemask went up.
"Before you get to them, you have to go through us!" Ironhide stated.
Knock Out however smirked as he pulled himself up along with Breakdown. "No, we won't. Actually, you Bots are gonna have to go through him." He pointed straight upward, directing the Autobot pair's attention toward a flying drone, which transformed to reveal none other than Soundwave himself, who had already deployed Ravage, Frenzy, and Rumble from his back and sides respectively.
"Scrap!" Wheeljack cursed.
"Got that right, Autobots!" Frenzy stated as Rumble already used his pile-drivers to cause a small tremor to shake up the ground underneath Ironhide and Wheeljack. Frenzy and Ravage had already rushed towards Ironhide while they were distracted, with the red Mini-Con already leaping up to Ironhide's chest to deal multiple plasma-strikes from his palms as Ravage pelted Ironhide in the back with Energon blasts from his tail.
Wheeljack tried to rush and help Ironhide by swinging his blade toward Ravage, but Soundwave himself immediately appeared in front of him to block Wheeljack's blade with one of arms before lashing out with one of his tentacles to knock the Wrecker back.
"You fellas get acquainted, we'll help ourselves to the data, and those two little humans while we're at it." Knock Out said as he and Breakdown casually walked past the small battle scene before he contacted his leader. "Lord Megatron, we're good."
"Optimus." Megatron turned back to this arch-enemy and his allies. "Upon careful consideration, if you want the Cylinder, you'll have to take it." That was all the Vehicons, along with Seekers, needed for them to open fire with their Energon blasters.
"Take cover!" Zero ordered as the Black Knight Knightmares and Autobots returned fire with their rifles and Energon blasters respectively while also finding cover to hide behind in the form of large rocks.
Starscream spotted Zero's Burai and fired one of his missiles, fortunately, Kallen shot her Guren out as activated the Radiant Wave Surger right before the missile made contact. Though the missile exploded, the opposing charge from the surge sent the explosive force back toward Starscream to send him flying and crashing back as the firefight continued.
Back at the monster truck arena, Wheeljack hacked and slashed both his swords at Soundwave, who was able to dodge and block each attack with his own arms. Soundwave however was able to catch one swing in-between his arm and side before lashing out another tentacle to knock Wheeljack back slightly, forcing him to let go of the same blade while Soundwave held it and took a brief glace at the weapon before turning back to the Wrecker.
Wheeljack charged forward again as Soundwave threw the blade at him, which Wheeljack batted away with his remaining sword. However, Soundwave caught Wheeljack with both his tentacles and threw him toward the wall.
At the same time, Ironhide was having a rather difficult time dealing with Soundwave's Mini-Con trio. Ravage kept attacking from long-ranged and Frenzy was quick enough to rush up to Ironhide and deal plasma-bladed strikes to his side. Though it didn't cut deep enough to be fatal, it hurt Ironhide quite a bit as he tried to ready his cannons, only for Rumble to shake the ground under him, causing Ironhide to trip and fall down.
"Awe, is the mighty Ironhide too old to even stand?" Rumble laughed.
"Bet it's time for you to retire, old-bot!" Frenzy mocked as he, Rumble, and Ravage leapt at him, Ravage was the first. However, Ironhide quickly grabbed Ravage by his tail and used him as a make-shift weapon to smack and knock down Rumble and Frenzy. Ravage bit down on Ironhide's hand to try and get him to let go, but Ironhide chucked him at the two recovering Mini-Cons.
"You twerps need to respect your elders." Ironhide cracked his knuckles as he fired his Energon cannons. Though Ravage and Frenzy were fast enough to avoid most of the blasts, Rumble used his own pile-drivers to propel him into the air and avoid the blasts as well. The Autobot veteran then glanced toward the exit as all he could do was hope Rai and Shirley would hold out with Bulkhead long enough for Ratchet to call in back-up.
Knock Out and Breakdown had entered the parking lot where all the monster trucks were stored. They couldn't see Bulkhead or the two humans that he was with. "Oh, are we playing a human game now?" Knock Out called to them. "Because I'd be more than happy to teach you the Decepticon version: Hide-And-Go-Shriek!" He and Breakdown spread out to find their quarry "Come out, come out wherever you are." Knock Out sang, enjoying every minute of this.
Bulkhead had already transformed into his vehicle mode and appeared to blend in with all the monster trucks. Rai and Shirley crouched down by the side of the green SUV; the girl holding onto Rai's arm as she was more than a little scared right now, while Rai was trying to call for back-up.
"Damn it." Rai muttered. "The Cons are scrambling the signal."
"If the tri-sector of the polygon is an integral subset…" Bulkhead muttered.
"Ssshh!" Shirley tried to quiet him down. "Rai, what are we gonna do?" She asked him.
'Of all the times not to bring the Gekka.' Rai thought to himself in frustration. "I got an idea, stay close to me." He told her as Rai looked out to check if the coast was clear, once it was, he grabbed Shirley's hand and made a bolt across to the next line of monster trucks.
As the two Decepticons continued to search, Knock Out peeking underneath a few monster trucks, while Breakdown just casually smacked his hammer alongside the trucks he passed, the later made Shirley even more nervous as Rai opened the driver's door to one monster truck and quickly pulled Shirley inside.
"Rai, what are you doing?" She asked him in a hushed tone.
"They're gonna find Bulkhead, no question." Rai came to that conclusion as he looked underneath the steering wheel and tore open the bottom to expose some wires. "But there's more than one way to wreck a Con than just with a Knightmare." He actually began to hot-wire the truck.
"Since when could you hot-wire?" Shirley asked in surprise.
"Kallen taught me." Rai answered as he tried to press the wires together. "Come on, come on…"
Meanwhile, Breakdown lifted one monster truck and threw it away. "Stupid kids, where'd the go?"
"Breakdown." Knock Out called to him. "Forget the humans. Games are only fun to play…" He took out his own scanner and turned it on. "…When you're winning."
Shirley saw from inside the truck that the Decepticon pair was getting close to Bulkhead. "Rai…"
"Almost got it…" Rai muttered as he pressed two wires together and had actually managed to start up the monster truck.
However, Knock Out had managed to successfully locate Bulkhead's vehicle mode, evident by his scanner beeping rapidly. "I think I'm warm."
Bulkhead suddenly transformed in front of the surprised Knock Out. "E-N-3 divided by the square root of the propulsion factor equals…" He used his brush to paint the equation on Knock Out's chest, much to his surprise, and fury.
"You… painted my paintjob!" Knock Out exclaimed in anger. "Prepare for surgery!"
Breakdown came charging in before slamming his hammer down onto Bulkhead's face, knocking the green Autobot unconscious as he fell to the ground. Knock Out then produced his buzz-saw in his right hand. "Heads, you loose…!"
However, before he or Breakdown knew it, Rai's hotwired monster truck shot at the Decepticon pair. Knock Out was rammed first as he rolled over the fast-moving large vehicle before Rai turned the steering wheel to swerve the truck and trip the surprised Breakdown, causing him to fall flat on his back. But Rai wasn't done as he drove straight over Knock Out before he could recover. Rai pressed on the gas pedal as the right-rear wheel grinded against Knock Out's chest before the monster truck drove off and came to a stop before Rai revved its engines in the form of a challenge against the two recovering Decepticons.
Knock Out gasped as he saw the tread-marks on his chest before he scowled at the pair of Black Knights in the monster truck. "Oh… you've just signed your death warrants!"
Breakdown fired a missile from his shoulder-cannon. Shirley screamed, but Rai had pulled the monster truck back in full reverse. The explosion shook it up, but the vehicle remained mostly intact. Rai drove around the parking lot to try and divert the Decepticons attention, however, Breakdown also transformed and drove at a speed twice as fast as Rai's own truck and rammed into the side to send the monster truck crashing into several other trucks.
Rai kicked open the side door as he tried to pull Shirley out, both of them slightly shaken, but otherwise okay. However, both of them looked up in fear as they saw an angry Knock Out and Breakdown standing over them.
"Sorry, but this playground is for big-kids only." Breakdown sneered as he readied his hammer. Shirley looked ready to scream as Rai tried to defend her.
However, an explosion suddenly went off from the monster truck arena as Wheeljack and Ironhide's vehicle modes shot out of the dust. Wheeljack drove out faster before transforming and using the momentum he gained to deliver a flying double kick to Breakdown's chest and send him crashing into several other monster trucks, just as Ironhide transformed and delivered a punch to Knock Out's face for a similar result.
"You kids okay?" Ironhide as the two urgently.
"We're fine. Thank you." Rai nodded as Shirley looked beyond happy to see the Autobots come to their rescue.
Knock Out and Breakdown quickly recovered however as Wheeljack and Ironhide ran along with Shirley and Rai to stand protectively around the unconscious Bulkhead.
"How did you escape from Soundwave?!" Knock Out demanded.
"We didn't." Wheeljack replied as Soundwave's reaper drone flew over them before transforming and landing in-between the two Decepticons as his Mini-Con trio consisting of Ravage, Frenzy, and Rumble ran out of the hole the two Autobots made and joined him.
"You two stay behind us and stay close to Bulkhead!" Ironhide ordered the kids as he and Wheeljack opened fire with their Energon blasters and cannons at the enemy.
Meanwhile; thanks to the combined efforts of the Black Knights and the Autobots, all the Vehicon troopers had been dealt with as Dreadwing fell back to protect Megatron, along with Thundercracker and Skywarp. Starscream was also present but was more-so hiding behind the larger Decepticons than anything else.
Megatron scowled at his enemies. "Well in that case, no one gets it!" He crushed the Data Cylinder in his hand to render it useless before he transformed and flew away, followed by the four Seekers.
"Hey! Get back here you yellow-platted cowards!" Kallen exclaimed as they saw them fly off.
"The Cylinder is useless. Now what?!" Zero questioned.
However, before anyone could respond, they got an emergency communication from Ratchet. "Optimus; Bulkhead has left the base along with Wheeljack, Ironhide, Rai, and Shirley. I have their Groundbridge coordinates!"
'What?!' Lelouch's eyes widened in terror as he had an idea what was already happening.
"Bridge us back, immediately!" Optimus ordered.
Wheeljack and Ironhide continued to cover the unconscious Bulkhead, along with Rai and Shirley taking cover behind Bulkhead's massive body. They shot rapid Energon blasts to keep Soundwave, Knock Out, Breakdown, Rumble, Frenzy, and Ravage at bay. Though some of them tried to return fire with their Energon blasts, they had to be careful not to damage Bulkhead's head and risk losing the data he still had in his brain.
Shirley kept her head down as she pressed her hands against her head, her face filled with fear as Rai kept a hand on her back to keep her relatively calm despite the obviously stressful and terrifying situation she was experiencing. Rai glanced at Bulkhead, greatly worried for his partner. However, as he did, he recalled what had happened when this whole mess started. When Shirley kicked the Data Cylinder, the data ejected from it because of the 'unauthorized access'. That gave him an idea, one that might be bad for Bulkhead, but it would also keep the Synthetic Energon formula from falling into Decepticon hands.
Shirley saw Rai walk up to Bulkhead's head and looked in confusion. "Rai…?"
Rai had a conflicted look on his face, but he knew what he had to do, and he also knew that Bulkhead wouldn't hesitate to do it himself if he could. "Bulkhead…. I'm sorry!" Rai raised both his fists and slammed them as hard as he could onto Bulkhead's head.
The second he did, a familiar sound was heard as Bulkhead's eyes suddenly shot open to blast a pair of red beams from his eyes straight into the sky. This surprised everyone present, Bot and Con as they all looked in shock.
"Get down!" Ironhide pulled Rai and Shirley away as he and Wheeljack took cover, and the Decepticons stopped their fighting as they glanced at the red beams being shot into the night sky.
Once it stopped, the two Autobots and their Black Knight companions glanced at their unresponsive. "Bulkhead…?" Wheeljack appeared the most worried next to Rai.
Knock Out took out his scanner and it came up empty. "Dead battery." He told Breakdown, Soundwave, and the three Mini-Cons.
"Oh, come on! Are you kidding me?!" Frenzy exclaimed as even Ravage growled in frustration.
"Megatron is gonna peel our paint for loosing that data." Rumble glared at the Autobots and the young Black Knights, along with Breakdown, Frenzy, and Knock Out, even Soundwave gave a glance of his own as Ravage gritted his teeth.
"So, we're gonna have to peel you." Breakdown gave a death-glare.
"Do your worst, Cons!" Ironhide stated as he and Wheeljack were more than ready to fight back.
However, a Groundbridge suddenly opened in the parking lot as Optimus, Bumblebee, Arcee, Cliffjumper, Kallen in her Guren, Zero in his Burai, and several other Black Knight Knightmares pulled out and opened fire on the Decepticons.
"Or peel out of here." Knock Out said as he and Breakdown broke through the wall and transformed before driving off. Soundwave's Mini-Cons returned to their master before he also transformed and flew away.
The Autobots and Black Knights halted their fire as they all gathered around the unresponsive Bulkhead.
It took some time, but they were able to transfer Bulkhead back to the Ark and bring him to the Autobot med bay. Ratchet and Fixit conducted a thorough examination of Bulkhead's neural net as the rest of Team Prime gathered around them, along with Lelouch, Kallen, Ohgi, and Tamaki; Rai and Shirley both sat off to the side as they each felt the same amount of guilt for Bulkhead's current condition.
"The data has been completely expelled." Fixit reported brightly.
"But Bulkhead remains completely unresponsive." Ratchet added in a grimmer tone.
"Because the energy took Bulkhead's mind with it… heavenward… lost to the stars…" Rai muttered as he seemed almost completely torn up.
"You don't know that." Kallen tried to say.
"This is all my fault!" Shirley cried into her hands. "I shouldn't have gone off on my own, I shouldn't have taken Bulkhead out of the Ark I…"
"No, we're all to blame for that." Ironhide stated, referring to himself and Wheeljack. "We were supposed to watch over you guys, it's just as much our fault as it is yours."
"Shirley, Rai, both your actions prevented from the formula from falling into Decepticon hands." Optimus tried to console them both.
"If anyone would have backed that play, it would be Bulkhead." Wheeljack said. He didn't blame anyone for what had happened, except for maybe himself as he couldn't protect his partner.
"It's too early to tell." Lelouch said as he walked to the pair. "Bulkhead could wake up at any moment, he's not gone for good. Right?" He looked towards Ratchet hopefully.
"As you said, it is simply too early to know the extent of his condition." Ratchet replied. "Something as simple as a familiar sight, smell, perhaps even a sound, could trigger Bulkhead's awakening." That 'sound' suggestion got Rai's attention as he and Shirley looked towards each other almost as if they just had an epiphany.
In the timespan of a few minutes, Tamaki had brought out his electric guitar and amp and plugged them in. He handed it Rai and silently told him that he should do the honors. Shirley put a hopeful hand on his shoulder as Rai strung a single note which seemed to echo throughout the entire med bay.
Everyone present, human and Autobot, waited in silent anticipation for any kind of response from Bulkhead. It didn't appear to work however, resulting in Wheeljack, Rai, and Shirley looking down in sorrow. Fortunately, their sorrows were ill-founded as Bulkhead's eyes slowly fluttered open.
His groan got everyone's attention. "Bulkhead…?" Rai's voice echoed, hope beginning to form in his chest.
"Gyaauh! Braamm!" Bulkhead motioned as if he was strumming his own guitar as he sat up, fully conscious. "I love that song!" He glanced at the human who strung the guitar. "Rai!" He said with a smile.
Rai couldn't contain his own smile, or the tears of joy that fell from his eyes as he saw one of his best friends was alright. Shirley wasted no time in hugging Rai with all her might, openly crying tears of joy as well. Bulkhead walked toward the pair as he extended his hand, and both Rai and Shirley ended up hugging his own fingers. All the other Autobots and Black Knights present could barely contain their own joy as they bid Bulkhead a hearty welcome back.
Though Lelouch was more in control of his emotions than anyone else, he smiled as he glanced up to Optimus who shared a smile of his own.
Meanwhile, in a completely separate location, Charles Zi Britannia stood in the middle of what appeared to be a floating set of ancient ruins when his older twin brother walked onto the scene.
"Charles, you wanted to speak to me?" V.V. asked.
"C.C. has practically declared war on us." Charles got straight to the point.
"What?" V.V. questioned.
"She intends to tell Lelouch and the Autobots everything regarding the Ragnarok Connection, declaring that they will destroy it." Charles stated as a look of anger and fear filled his eyes, while the rest of his body remained somewhat stoic.
V.V.'s expression was completely stunned before it became deathly serious. "Well, if that's the case, we need to get C.C. back as soon as possible, maybe even eliminate Lelouch. I could send Rolo to Area 11, maybe even take Nunnally with him to, it could help at least keep Cornelia and Euphemia in line."
"No!" Charles said immediately. "You will do no such thing."
"Why not?" V.V. questioned. "You yourself said C.C. intends to tell the Autobots about us. If they learn what we're trying to do, they could destroy everything we've worked so hard on!"
"And if we're not careful, we could alert Megatron to our plan as well!" Charles argued, turning around to fully face his brother. "Anything Lelouch or Optimus Prime could do is child's play compared to what Megatron would do with us! We cannot afford any missteps!"
V.V. scoffed "So what do you intend to do, then?"
"For now, C.C., Lelouch, and the Autobots seem more-so-focused on the Decepticons." Charles replied. "We need to ensure that their focus remains on Megatron, at least until we have an opportunity to capture C.C."
"How do we know she hasn't told them already?" V.V. questioned.
"The fact that the Thought Elevators have remained undisturbed is proof enough that she hasn't spoken to them yet." Charles answered.
"That could change at any minute though!" V.V. exclaimed. "It's best for us to kill Lelouch now and bring in C.C. If we do this immediately, we could begin Ragnarok right now even!"
"We're not ready and you know it!" Charles yelled back. "C.C. has to be willing to merge her code with yours, it cannot be forced! If we act recklessly, we could bring the wrath of both the Autobots and Decepticons upon us! We wouldn't stand a chance!"
V.V. gave another scoff. "Since when have you become a coward, Charles? You weren't afraid to send Lelouch and Nunnally to japan to draw out C.C., why should you be afraid now?"
"Have you forgotten what Megatron is capable of? Or what he told us of Optimus Prime?" Charles questioned. "You call me a coward, but I fear that your immortality has made you reckless. Must be easy to act without regard to consequences when you can't die, which is more than I can say for myself."
"You know I would never allow that to happen!" V.V. stated.
"Do I? Do I, Victor?!" Charles questioned.
"That's not my name anymore!" V.V. exclaimed.
"It is the name of my big brother!" Charles yelled back. "But… maybe he truly did die that day, when he gave his life away to become immortal."
V.V.'s eyes narrowed. "That hurts, for you to think that of me. After everything we've been through together, at the hands of our father, through Megatron's teachings, his constant attempts to pit us against each other just to see which of us stronger… after all that who was it that stuck by your side? Who was it that helped you when you felt alone?! Who was it that discovered this place?! Me! It was all me! Me! Me! ME! Don't you dare question my contributions to our dream! Our contract!"
"And what of our promise?" Charles questioned. "Our promise to never lie to each other."
"What of it?" V.V. questioned back. "I haven't lied to you."
Neither of them said anything after that, both brothers glaring at one another, silently daring the other to make the next move. Finally, after a few uncomfortable moments Charles spoke.
"My decision is final, brother. You will not go to Area 11, you will not send any of your agents to Area 11. You will not make any attempts on Lelouch, Nunnally, or even Kaizaren. You still stay with the Geass Order, and you will remain out of sight. We cannot and will not risk exposure to the Autobots or Decepticons. Promise me you will do that."
V.V. glared at his younger brother for a moment before he spoke. "I promise."
"Good, that is all." Charles turned around to face the clouds in the sky once more. V.V. then swiftly turned around to leave. Once it appeared, he had gone, Charles heard a familiar voice in his mind, one that he could only hear in this realm.
"Charles, you know how much I have faith in you, but we are on very thing ice here. C.C. has severed her connection with me, I cannot locate her anymore. And if she does indeed decide to tell Lelouch and the Autobots…"
"So long as they are focused on Megatron, we are safe. And he doesn't know the first thing about our plan, I've taken all the necessary precautions, you know that Marianne." Charles replied.
"It's not just that, Lelouch is starting to change, I can see it." Marianne replied. "He's not that same spiteful boy anymore."
"Optimus Prime's influence no doubt." Charles spoke with a hint of envy in his voice. "He thinks he knows my son; he couldn't be more wrong. He's mine, not his!"
"He's our son, Charles. And that's why you sent me to Japan, to keep an eye on him." Marianne said.
"Have you located Kaizaren as well?" Charles asked.
"He's with Lelouch and Nunnally. But why send Nonette? You know I could bring him here." Marianne suggested.
"Just as I've told Victor, we can't run the risk of the Autobots or the Decepticons becoming aware of our plans." Charles replied. "Nonette will reveal who he is, and that will shatter whatever false confidence Lelouch and the Autobots have placed in him, and once he is an empty shell again, then you will bring him to me."
"Of course. I must go now, remember darling, I love you."
"I love you to, Marianne." Charles replied with a smile.
However, while it was true that Charles and Marianne were apparently alone in that mysterious realm, there was someone else listening to their conversation. V.V. had placed his hand on the wall which had some strange hieroglyphics and ancient markings on it, and by focusing his Code through the Thought Elevator, he heard every word that was spoken between the two, and a look of rage formed on his face.
'Charles, you're still thinking about her?!' V.V. practically screamed in his thoughts. 'How dare you Marianne… I was his partner long before you! I may not know where to find you, but I promise to make you ever regret coming near Charles! No matter what it takes!'
Done.
So, how was that? Quite a bit has happened. The Autobots now have the formula for Synthetic Energon, albeit incomplete, but it's a start. And we are seeing the Autobots and Black Knights grow closer with each mission; and what's more, all the Autobots, along with a certain few Black Knights (Kallen, Kaguya, and Shirley) now know Suzaku's secret. Though they will keep that information from leaking for Suzaku's sake, it puts some question on whether or not he can be redeemed, and it's a whole lot harder to save someone who doesn't want to be saved. We'll explore more about this as the story continues, particularly after they rescue Tohdoh.
So, while Cornelia and the Knights of the Round investigate Ashford; Lelouch and Rai have taken all the precautions to see to it that they and Nunnally aren't found out thanks to some Geass and hacking (which will work, they will not be discovered just yet, so don't worry about them).
Lelouch and Nunnally are staying with Kallen, while Rai is with Shirley until the investigation into Ashford is concluded. Which is all but confirming the ships I'm planning on bringing into this fic. (Yes, I will be using the LelouchXKallen and RaiXShirley pairings. Sorry for those who don't ship them, but I REALLY like the dynamic and chemistry Lelouch and Kallen share, and it seems Rai and Shirley are developing their own chemistry as well)
One thing I want to say to my readers, I'm not sure if I said this before, but I am NOT going to put any human characters from TFP or any of the other Transformers media (such as the movies and shows) into this fic, Code Geass already has PLENTY of human characters for me to use.
And I do intend to bring in other Autobots and Decepticons into this story as well (which includes the Dinobots (FOC versions), but don't expect to see them in R1, and not even until later into R2. But don't worry they WILL show up, along with some other fan favorites).
One important thing to note from this chapter; it seems a wedge is starting to form between Charles and V.V. I know in the cannon series they were about as thick as thieves, until Charles took V.V.'s code in R2, but here's the thing, Charles knew the whole time V.V. killed Marianne out of jealousy but made no attempt to retaliate or anything until he got closer to completing Ragnarok, maybe plot convivence or something? But in any case, there is now a rift forming between the two brothers. Charles wants to be careful because he is rightfully afraid of what Megatron will do if he finds out (though King Con is already becoming suspicious), but V.V. is a bit more impatient, probably due to his own immaturity and arrogance from becoming immortal as even Cybertronians can't kill him (he thinks if even Megatron can't kill him, he's invincible). But now it seems V.V. knows that Marianne is still active, and is NOT happy about it. He does NOT know however that she's inside Anya, but knowing that Marianne is active is going to lead to V.V. acting out on his own, which will have some BIG impacts on my story. Don't worry, he's not going to go charging in and attacking the Autobots and the Black Knights (he can't get into the Ark and he won't blow up all of Japan either, he's not THAT reckless), but he is going to do something pretty ballsy in my story that will leave a huge impact. What will be? You'll just have to wait and see, until then, I'll see you next time on Code Prime.