a/n: Well... This was a bit of a hassle. You have no idea how much I decided to cut. Regardless, this is a chapter I've been looking forward to writing for ages. Also, ssj-Sega has been editing the TV Tropes page all on his own, and could REALLY use some help there.
Chapter 11: Patch-127
Winter dried off her hands for the third time that night, before stepping into her office and pressing a number of buttons on her desk.
"General Ironwood, I'm calling to give my status report on the mission," Winter announced.
"Proceed," Ironwood said through the holographic screen.
"With help from the Decepticon security agents known as Shatter and Dropkick, I was able to track down and apprehend B-127 in the Forever Fall Forest," Winter opened, "He was encountered with two human accomplices. Though I sustained injuries during the battle, the three of us were able to subdue B-127 and his two accomplices."
"That's excellent news!" Ironwood replied, "So what's bothering you?" Winter sighed.
"During the battle, I… Attacked both of B-127's accomplices after they had run out of Aura," Winter explained, "The younger of the two, a girl named 'Ruby Rose', recovered quickly once her Aura returned to her. But the elder of the two…" Winter pinched the bridge of her nose. "I… Failed to keep my reflexes in check, and ran Ms. Xiao Long through with my saber when she startled me. As she was already out of Aura, she quickly lost consciousness, and my paramedics had to transport her while also keeping the blade from causing any more internal damage than it already had." Winter made eye-contact with the General. "My carelessness almost cost her her life."
"She's the one who was aiding a fugitive," General Ironwood reminded her, "What did you do with them?"
"After the surgeons safely removed my saber from Ms. Xiao Long's body, we sent them back home with the understanding that the children had been abducted and I had rescued them," Winter answered, "I already made it clear that nobody would believe them if they tried to refute the story."
"I suppose that's the best you could do outside our borders," General Ironwood replied, "Winter, I understand that harming a child can be distressing, but look at it like this: Now Miss Rose and Miss Xiao Long know what could happen if they recklessly break the law, and they're less likely to try again in the future. Some may call it cruel, but I'd say that you did those kids a favor."
"Sir, I almost killed one of them," Winter replied.
"Legally speaking, you were defending yourself," General Ironwood replied, "Look, regardless of how you feel, what's done is done, and you can't change the past. Now, what of the Autobot?"
"He's currently chained up in the hangar while the Decepticons set up something they call a 'Cortical Psychic Patch'," Winter answered, "It can apparently be used to manually access the data in his processor through force."
"... Is there any chance it could be used on an organic lifeform?" General Ironwood asked, "Because that could make tracking down the White Fang's HQ trivial!"
"I already asked, and the answer is 'no'," Winter explained, "It apparently exploits a quirk in their 'biology' to link up two Transformers' nervous systems, rendering both users comatose for the duration of the link. Which means that the Cortical Psychic Patch needs to be connected to a display of sorts so an outside observer can break the link once the necessary intel has been extracted."
"I see…"
"I also connected the Cortical Psychic Patch to the base's surveillance system," Winter revealed, "That way, we can keep tabs on our 'friends' and make sure that we know what to expect from both the Decepticons and their enemies."
"Good idea," Ironwood replied, "And what of your other assignment?"
"... I've learned a lot about Cybertron's culture and history," Winter replied, "But so far, all I know about their tech and biology is what I've already told you." She sighed. "Sir, they… Unnerve me…"
"We don't need to make friends with them," Ironwood replied, "While ideally, I'd like them to view us as valuable allies, I'll settle for appeasing the alien armada and giving them a reason not to go to war with us, which Ozpin's handling of the situation would have no doubt kicked off." He rose from his chair. "Remember Winter, this isn't some fairy tale with clear cut heroes and villains, this is the real world! And I refuse to leave the fate of this world in the hands of idealistic cowards who don't have the nerve to do what needs to be done. Emotions topple strategy, Winter. Do not forget that. Ironwood out." Winter sighed as the projection faded.
"This is what you signed up for, Winter," she told herself, "You need to face this storm so she will never have to." She rose from her seat, and marched out of her office to begin the interrogation.
.
Winter did her best to ignore the harsh glare B-127 shot her as she stepped out onto the catwalk to survey the set-up in the hangar. Shatter and Dropkick stood before B-127, the Autobot's arms were tied together by a thick, metal chain that dangled from the rafters, keeping him a couple of feet off the ground. One end of the cortical psychic patch was connected to the back of his head, the cord winding down to a large holo-screen projector that Shatter had crudely connected the "patch" to, with the rest of the cord curled up on the floor next to it.
"I'll be honest, I didn't peg you as the type to attack Protoforms," the Autobot growled.
"The children you tried to drag into this war are fine," Winter replied, refusing to meet his glare.
"Who exactly are you trying to fool?" B-127 asked.
"Specialist Schnee, the set up is complete," Shatter explained, "If there's nothing urgent you need to do, we can begin immediately."
"There's nothing too urgent…" Winter replied, "I just… There's this one question that's been bothering me."
"Oh?" Shatter replied, "Well, we've been answering your questions all day. So long as it doesn't involve any sensitive information we need to keep out of the Autobots' hands, I'll be more than happy to answer." Winter took a deep breath.
"Why do you call yourselves 'Decepticons'?" she asked. The Autobot chuckled.
"Because Megatron thinks he real clever for conning a bunch of bots into thinking he actually gave a flying frag about their wel-"
CLANG!
"She wasn't asking you, traitor!" Dropkick shouted as the Autobot's Aura gave out from both the punch and the beating he had received after waking up.
Or would "rebooting" be the proper term? Winter wandered, trying to think of the Autobot as anything but a person.
"But to answer your question," Shatter opened, "It was originally an insult, used by our enemies to discredit us. But if telling the truth is 'deception' then it is a vice we will proudly indulge in."
"I see…" Winter replied, "But, wait, what did you call yourself before taking that name as your own?"
"Ascenticons…" the Autobot forced out, "Because we were going to ascend by rising up agai-"
"I said QUIET!'
Winter closed her eyes-
CLANG!
-but still winced when she heard the impact.
"Now, we should probably begin the procedure," Shatter replied as she sat down in a meditative stance, "Don't you have a deadline to meet?"
"Oh! Right…" Winter replied.
"Getting ready to patch you in-" Dropkick remarked as he picked up the end of the cord that wasn't plugged into the back of the Autobot's head, "Now, what do you say we get this party started?"
"Just… Patch me in already," Shatter groaned.
"As soon as our guest steps out," Dropkick replied.
"But-"
"Come now Winter, we only met today, and some… 'Sensitive' information could be revealed here," Shatter replied.
"I… I understand," Winter replied, "Good luck." As soon as Winter was out of the room, Dropkick plugged the device into the back of Shatter's head, and the Cortical Psychic Patch lit up. The half connected to Shatter emitted a yellow glow, as the half connected to B-127 emitted a blue one.
Bumblebee cried out as he plummeted into the darkness, before coming to a sudden halt. He tried to hold a hand up to his head, only to realize that he didn't appear to have a hand. Or a head. Or a body, for that matter. It was almost as if his body had evaporated, leaving his Spark behind in an empty void.
"What did they do to me?" he asked, noticing that he could just barely make out familiar silhouettes in the darkness. Be it Iacon's skyline, the treeline in Patch, Optimus Prime, Megatron, Apha Trion, Yang, Wasp, Sideways, "Thunderwing", Jetfire, Wreckage, Elita-1, Devestator, Impactor, Ruby, Taiyang, the Ursa Major, Starscream, Cybertron and its four moons, Jhiaxus, Tarantulus, Shockwave, Lio Convoy, and various other friends and enemies from other the years, both living and dead.
"Oh good, the procedure worked properly!"
"Shatter! Where are you?" Bumblebee snarled.
The Decepticon merely cackled as the feint silhouettes melted and merged together, shifting into a singular shape.
"I'm in your processor, B-127," Shatter's voice replied, as her yellow optics opened on the silhouette of her face, somehow failing to light the darkness, "Everything you think, every lesson you've experienced, every thought that crosses your mind, every last bit of data that makes you B-127, is nothing more than another brick in the road that leads to the Ark." Bumblebee smirked.
"Well, good thing I'm not B-127." And the darkness shifted and flickered.
"Looks like everything is working as intended," Winter remarked as she sat at her desk, the memory playback beginning before her eyes, "Let's see if we can't get some context…"
Mirage will never, ever, let me live this down, B-127 realized as the young female blond from the previous day stepped into the garage.
"Okay, time to check the air pressure on your tires!" Yang remarked as she walked over to the workbench, "Gotta keep you in tip-top shape when I show you off to my friends."
Oh forget Mirage, Jetfire's never gonna let me live this down either! B-127 thought as the human checked his tires with an instrument, Seriously, leave this work to a medic!
"Hmm… You could probably use a bit more air…" Yang remarked.
Gee, thanks for noticing! B-127 thought, If you hadn't kidnapped me, I could've had Ratchet and Fixit perform this check-up instead of letting a protoform play doctor!
"Alright, better make sure I don't fill these tires up with too much air," Yang commented as she hooked up an air pump to the back tire, "The last thing I need is to pop one of these babies! … I don't think Zippy's spare tire will fit this."
This is it, this is how I die, B-127 thought as the human started pumping, Where Megatron, Razorclaw, the Quintessons, Lockdown, the DJD, and the fragging Chaos Bringer himself tried, this one random protoform will blow my tires out while playing back-alley doctor! Just my luck!
"And… Stop!" Yang disconnected the pump and moved on to the back tire, "My friends are gonna be so jealous when they see you!"
I'd rather not be seen at all, B-127 thought.
"And now that your tires aren't in danger of deflating, I can arrange a meeting!" the girl giggled, "I can see it now: Yang Xiao Long and her Burning Bumblebee on the road, traveling from village to village to battle bandits and the Creatures of Grimm! It'll be amazing!"
… The Pit's a 'bumblebee'? B-127 thought.
"Oh just you wait and see, Bee, we're going to make an amazing team!"
… How do you know my nickname? B-127 wanted to ask, Is this one an agent of the Quintessons, has my cover been blown?
"Time to hit the road!" Yang stated as she put on her helmet, "I've got places to go and we're burning daylight!"
"That's strange," Yang commented as she stepped out of the building she'd called "Signal" that morning, Taiyang and Ruby climbing into another vehicle, "I could've sworn I had parked closer to the door…"
If it hadn't been for all the open windows, I would've made more distance, B-127 thought bitterly, And what was with all those explosions anyway anyway?
"Maybe I'm going crazy," Yang mused to herself as she put on her helmet and mounted the alien robot motorcycle, "I mean, it's not like Bumblebee can stand up and walk!"
Oh how easily I could blow your mind, little one, B-127 thought, But alas, I have to hide from those "Atlesian Military" nutcases. So I can't afford to blow my cover for anything!
B-127 groaned as he shifted back into robot mode.
"Okay, Projected Spark Field's still up, but I don't think I can maintain cover and save that kid at the same time," he remarked, "Still, I'll be quicker in vehicle-"
"RUBY!" Yang shouted.
"Better not cause a panic," he muttered as he shifted back into vehicle mode. Yang burst from the trees, eyes still blue with worry.
"Ruby!" she noticed the path of fallen trees and discarded bullet casings, "Oh God…" She immediately dashed through the foliage.
"Yang! Augh…" Taiyang winced, supporting himself on the standing trees as he limped for his car, "Oh God why… Please don't take my daughters from me, I already lost Summer, I can't afford to lose either of them too" He was caught off guard when he heard Bumblebee's engines revving.
"What the…" He watched, dumbfounded, as his daughter's motorcycle retracted its kickstand and sped off into the woods without a rider.
B-127 mentally cursed as he weaved between the trees, following the trail of munition shells.
"Okay, the gunfire just got quiet, but judging by the screams, it's probably not because the monster's dead," he muttered to himself, "Hopefully I'm not too late…" He spotted the Grimm towering over two motionless forms. Without another word, he whirled around, drove up a downed tree like a ramp, and flew straight through the air towards the Grimm. He collided with the creature's head.
"Yang," Ruby remarked as B-127 landed a couple of feet away from them, "Is that…"
"I'm just as lost as you-" whatever Yang was about to say was cut off when the panels on her Bumblebee loosened, and soon the entire motorcycle unfolded into a more humanoid form. The wheels were now in the robot's lower legs, the front of the motorcycle had become the chest, and the backpanels with the red-orange-yellow gradients were now shield-like plates on the robot's forearms. "Bumblebee?"
"It's as good a name as any," B-127 replied, shocking Yang and Ruby further. It, or rather he turned to face the two, a comforting smile on his surprisingly human (if not metallic) face. "Mind if I tag in?"
"So that's why they trusted him…" Winter mused as the memory playback ended.
"Do not waste my time, B-127!" Shatter's voice growled.
"Or else what?" Bumblebee taunted, "In case you've forgotten, I have nothing left to lose!"
"Don't think that I won't break you, Autobot!" Shatter insisted, the shadows shifting to instead depict Bumblebee's body getting pulled apart, piece by piece, "Everyone has their breaking point! And I will find yours! Now, show me to the Ark!"
And again, the shadows shifted.
"Seriously! We're abandoning Cybertron?" Sideways shouted as the tremor died down.
"We do not have a choice," Optimus replied as he stared out the window, refusing to meet Sideways' gaze, "Whatever Megatron did with the Omega Lock and his 'Matrix of Chaos' is altering the planet."
"Well, why not just use the Matrix to heal it?" Sideways asked.
"I… Already tried," Optimus answered, "But Cybertron… Isn't responding to the Matrix anymore." The tremors began anew, and another building crumbled as B-127 and Sideways exchanged a glance.
"You don't mean.." B-127's voice trailed off.
"While it's too early to say, I believe that Megatron may have used the Omega Lock to key Cybertron to his Matrix, and has already begun to reshape the planet to his liking," Optimus explained, before turning to face the two Autobots, "I've… Declared Martial Law and ordered Omega Supreme and Iaconus to begin evacuations. Carcer and Lodestar have volunteered to lend whatever aid they can as well, and I'll be asking Lio Convoy if he can send Chela and Gaea to help with the stragglers. We already have bases on all four of Cybertron's moons, and good political standing with Velocitron, Eukarys, Caminus, and Carcer. We can evacuate the civilian populations to their territories, and form a new plan for the future. We cannot hope to stop Megatron while he's still reformatting our planet."
"You mean… You're just giving up?" Sideways asked.
"Once Megatron is done reshaping Cybertron, we can-"
"Once he's done, it'll be too late!" Sideways interrupted, "We need to track down that fragger and slag him while we have the chance!"
"All of our troops are busy evacuating the civilians," Optimus replied, "We don't have the botpower to do both!"
"Then call off the evacuation and go for a full-on assault on the Decepticon headquarters!'
"If I do that, the civilians we're sworn to protect will die," Optimus explained.
"Then let them die!" Sideways shouted, "In war, you have to make sacrifices!"
"... It is the soldier's job to fight and die so civilians don't have to," Optimus replied, "The second we start sacrificing civilian lives, is the second we become no better than the Decepticons."
"Then maybe it's time to stop trying to prove a point and start doing what we need to to survive!" Sideways insisted, "It's how the Decepticons have bea-"
"WE ARE NOT THE DECEPTICONS!" Optimus shouted as he slammed his fist into his desk.
Sideways shrank back as B-127 jumped. Optimus took a second to steady himself, before standing up straight and folding his hands behind his back.
"Is… Is there anything I can do, sir?" B-127 asked.
"... Wildwheel is helping Wheeljack and Jetfire pack up their lab equipment," Optimus explained, "You should be fast enough to make it there, and provide both an extra pair of hands, and some much-needed security."
"Understood sir!" B-127 replied, before folding into motorcycle mode and driving away.
"Thanks for the hand, B," Wildwheel remarked as he and B-127 loaded the last few crates into Jetfire's alt-mode, "Hey Jackie, was that the last of it?"
"That was all that needed to be transported by air!" Wheeljack shouted as he rolled up to the three other Autobots, "The last few doohickeys aren't anywhere near as unstable!" He transformed into robot mode. "Kind of a shame we gotta leave the Energon isotopes behind though…"
"They're far too unstable for the speeds I'll be flying at," Jetfire remarked, "And I'd much rather not explode in midair!"
"Right, you go on ahead, the data-stick should be done downloading all the formulas," Wheeljack said, the prongs on the side of his face lighting up with every syllable, "I should be able to fit that data-stick, our remaining equipment, and B-127 into my vehicle mode for the drive back."
"Well… Good luck," Jetfire stated before engaging his thrusters and taking flight.
"So uh… Where's the rest of this equipment?" Wildwheel asked.
"Oh! Just follow me!" Wheeljack stated as he walked back into the lab, "And hurry it up! I'm not sure if this building can take another tremor."
.
"And that should be it," B-127 commented as he placed a toolbox into the back of Wheeljack's altmode, right next to an adaptor cord, "You got the data-stick stored away?"
"Of course I do!" Wheeljack replied, an edge to his voice, "But it feels a little light… Did you two remember to load up the Energon Synthesizer?" He asked.
"Oh scrap, where is it?" B-127 asked.
"It should be over there, by the Energon Isotopes," Wheeljack replied, "We used it to make those isotopes, after all. Well, not that exact one… A lot of the Isotopes just blew up the second we tried to mix them!"
"I see it," Wildwheel replied glancing over at a device next to a stack of multi-colored Energon cubes, "I'll have it back in a jiffy!" The Autobot sharpshooter dashed over to the device and wrapped his arms around it, just in time for the ground to start shaking again, and the stack of Energon cubes to start to tip over..
"Wildwheel look out!" B-127 shouted as he sprinted towards the larger Autobot. The first cube cracked on the floor, and the second landed on top.
BOOM!
B-127 was knocked off his feet as the cubes erupted.
"Scrap, scrap, scrap," Wheeljack's voice chanted as B-127 shifted in and out of consciousness in the back of his vehicle mode. "Damn it B! Hang in there! We're almost at the Ark!"
Everything went black.
"Dammit B-127, I'm not a miracle worker!" Ratchet shouted. He was standing over B-127's hospital berth, in an unfamiliar, orange infirmary, as the injured Autobot's legs hung on the wall.
"... Stinger's voicebox says otherwise," B-127 rasped.
"Do you KNOW how long you were offline?" Ratchet shouted.
"No… I was in stasis lock, remember?" B-127 replied, "Hey, could you reattach my legs?"
"Not until your repairs are done!" Ratchet snapped back, "Honestly, at least you can't run off into danger without them!"
"Watch me," B-127 boasted, "How's… Wildwheel holding up?" Ratchet's expression immediately softened.
"... Wheeljack sent a rescue party to dig through the rubble after carrying your largest pieces back to the Ark," he explained, "If there's anything left of him… It's indistinguishable from the rest of the debris."
"Oh…" B-127 remarked.
"Now… I'm going to need to check your voicebox," Ratchet stated, "I can ready the EMP generator but it's still going to sting. So, try not to move too much, okay?"
"... Just… Get it over with…" B-127 replied.
"That's… A weird spot to jump from," Winter commented, "Maybe the EMP made the memory a little fuz- Wait… Something's fading into view?"
"Thanks for filling in at the last click," Hot Rod's voice came over B-127's comms, "I really owe you one!"
"Don't mention it!" B-127 replied as he drove along the outer wall of Tyger Pax, "We can't have our patrol slowed down by a flat tire. You just focus on getting your tire change, and I'll call Ultra Magnus if I see anything suspicious!"
"... Why does his voice sound different?" Winter asked, "It's… A little higher… More youthful…"
"Alright, nothing by the gates, time to check the overgrowth," B-127 remarked as he approached a metallic forest with blue panels for leaves, "Gotta keep an optic open for danger…" He sped right into the forest, swerved and weaved past several roots, before striking the side of some metallic structure and tumbling across the ground.
"Okay, ow?" B-127 groaned as he shifted back into robot mode, "Seriously, who just leaves… This…"
The structure was a white tank with a black cannon.
"Oh no…" B-127 engaged his comm as the tank shifted into robot mode, and two piercing, red optics starred right back down at him.
"Why, B-127, I don't think I've seen you since the battle of Iacon."
"Megatron…"
"Now, is that anyway to greet your old teacher?" Megatron asked as more shifting revealed several Eradicon troopers waiting in the wings, "Why, I was hoping the two of us could have a little… 'Chat', mostly about where Optimus Prime disappeared to."
B-127 took a second to steady his ventilation, before deploying his battle mask and opening fire on the Decepticon warlord. Megatron rolled his optics and caught each blast with his right hand.
"Come now, B-127, you just couldn't keep your mouth shut back at Darkmount, why the muted voicebox all of a sudden?" Megatron taunted as he lowered his hand, "Don't you have anything to say to the bot who treated you like his own creation?"
"B-127 what's your situation?" Ultra Magnus asked over the commlink. Megatron grinned as B-127 tensed.
"Don't," Megatron warned as he raised his Fusion Cannon. B-127 glanced between Megatron, his comm, and the palm of his right hand, his ventilation kicking into overdrive. He closed his optics, raised his hands, and dashed forward to jab a Stinger into Megatron's knee, before shifting into vehicle mode and driving between his legs.
"Megatron is outside the Southeastern border of the city with an unknown number of troops! Attack is imminent! Rally the troops before it's too-" A spiked ball of Energon slammed into B-127's side, smashing him against one of the arborous structures. B-127 shifted into robot mode and deployed an Energon blade to swing it at Megatron, only for the warlord to grab ahold of his left forearm and hoist him into the air. With a roar, Megatron slammed B-127 into the ground, before releasing the scout's arm and firing at him, point-blank, with his Fusion Cannon, shattering his Projected Spark Field immediately.
"B-127, are you alright?"
"He's…" B-127 coughed up a pink liquid, "Distracted, but he won't be for much-" Megatron ripped B-127 off the ground and stabbed the points of his right thumb and index and pointer fingers into the left side of B-127's neck.
"You talk too much…" he growled.
Winter's hands flew up to her mouth as B-127's past self cried out in agony.
He's just a machine! He's just a machine! He's just a machine!
B-127 dropped to the ground, the device that had just been torn out of his neck resting in Megatron's hand, several cables dangling from the device.
"Considering that you started the war with this voicebox, the Autobots should really thank me for this," Megatron stated as he dropped the device.
B-127 desperately reached for the voicebox-
CRUNCH!
-only for Megatron to crush it underfoot right as his fingers reached the nearest cable.
"Decepticons, ATTACK!"
And then everything went dark.
B-127 tried to ignore how much his absent voice-box burned as he walked down the halls of the Titan. There was a horrible absence
He tried to scream to alleviate his pain, only to grip his neck and cough up smoke instead.
"Do you need anything B?" a familiar voice asked.
B-127 shot a glare over his shoulder at Hot Rod.
"That… Looks and sounds pretty painful," the other Autobot remarked as he reached down to offer the smaller-yet-older Autobot a hand, "Do you need some coolant, or-"
B-127 wordlessly swatted Hot Rod's hand away and shifted into vehicle mode to rush down the hall, only skidding to a halt and changing back upon reaching a window. B-127 walked up to the view glass and placed his hand on the pane as his optics drank in the view. The Titan he was on was orbiting Cybertron's fourth moon, with the first moon peeking out from behind Cybertron. While parts of the planet were blotted out from patches of smoke, the mechanical sphere still shined.
This is what we're fighting for… B-127 thought, Megatron may have taken my voice, but I swear to the AllSpark, he will not take my home!
B-127 limped through the halls of the Ark as he rubbed his neck.
"That never gets any less painful," he muttered. His thoughts went back to Wildwheel, back to Stinger, to Alpha Trion, to all the brave Autobots and Maximals who'd laid down their lives to protect the universe from Megatron and Razorclaw. He noticed a window in the corner of his optic, and felt his Spark skip a pulse as he laid optics on Cybertron.
The entire planet was bathed in an orange glow from the countless fires across the surface. Two pincers on opposite ends of a gaping maw reached from the surface of the planet. A ring seemed to be forming around the planet, connected to the surface by several spires.
"Megatron… What have you done?"
Winter sat in silence.
"Strange how those memories all bled together," she muttered, "But… The Decepticons turned their own homeworld into a weapon?" The Specialist felt a chill run down her spine. "Could it be… What could the Autobots have done to justify such drastic measures?"
Could anything justify such drastic measures?
"... The General knows best," Winter reminded herself.
"Oh sure… Blame the great Megatron for what you Autobots brought onto yourselves," Shatter's voice echoed, "You've shown all the maturity of the disobedient little protoform you truly are!"
"I didn't poison our planet's core!" B-127 shouted, "I didn't twist our homeworld into a weapon!'
"No, but if you had just done what Megatron asked of you, this war would be over, and your human pet wouldn't have been dragged into this conflict!" Shatter shouted, "But keep telling yourself whatever you need to believe that you're the hero of this story."
"... Please… I'm not afraid to admit that I've made mistakes…"
And the void shifted…
"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!" Orion Pax shouted.
"Kaon's city guards are corrupt," Megatron dismissed with a wave of his hand, "They would've opened fire on those protesters even if I had done nothing!"
"That's not the point!" Orion protested, "I understand that there's a time and a place for violence, but what you did goes beyond self defence and put all of our Ascenticons' lives in danger!"
"You don't know these bots like I do," B-127 interjected, "At the very least, we gave the pede-polishers some dents!"
"Dents that they'll buff out, while several of our Ascenticons were arrested, maimed, or killed in the resulting panic!" Orion Pax pointed out, "The entire reason I brought us those magnets was to disable their Energon rifles so that anyone who opened fire would only succeed in injuring themself! We don't have the means to topple the Functionists through force!"
"Not with that attitude we won't," Megatron replied, "But we can inspire others to join us, and their numbers will give us the strength we need to take down the High Council! There can be no peace until my… Our dreams are realized!"
"That's enough!" an elderly voice called out. All optics turned to face the doorway to the room.
"Alpha Trion?" Megatron questioned.
"Sir, what are you doing here?" Orion asked.
"Just checking on my creation," Alpha Trion answered as he stepped over the threshold, "I've only got one optic left, figured I'd keep it on the one I poured my Spark into."
"I'm fine," Orion replied, "I was patching up a protoform when Megatron decided to swing his Energon mace at the Security Chief."
"One can never be too careful now," Alpha Trion remarked, "Well… Not unless it keeps you from taking the action you need."
"Hah!"
"However, I've fought in four separate wars," Alpha Trion continued, before turning his one, functional optic on Megatron, "I would much rather not have to dust off my weapons for a FIFTH unless it was absolutely necessary."
Megatron snarled wordlessly.
"It might not seem like it now, but all of Cybertron is watching us," Alpha Trion continued, "Whether we shall be seen as the heroic rebels rising up against a corrupt regime, or the dangerous renegades who need to be put down for the good of all depends entirely on who ends up 'winning' this conflict. At least as far as the historians are concerned. However, as far as the present goes, Nominus Prime controls the news media, so it is absolutely important to know that he will do everything in his power to twist everything you do into some sort of grievous sin against life itself. If we are to succeed in changing Cybertron for the better, we must do everything in our power to make that as hard for them to pull off as possible, lest the bots we're trying to uplift come to view us as the villains holding them back. Is that clear?"
"Of course," Orion Pax remarked, "Strength alone will not bring victory. We'll need to win over the Sparks of Cybertron's populace if we wish to pull this off, regardless of whether we settle this on the political battlefield, or the literal one. We will have to continue this battle 'til all are one!"
"... I suppose you have a point…" Megatron muttered as his face turned contemplative, "Perhaps we could use a bit more subtlety…"
Winter felt her blood run cold as the implications of what she just saw sank in. She wordlessly took out her Scroll and selected her first contact.
"Pick up, pick up, pick up…" She chanted as it rang.
"Specialist Schnee," the General greeted, "Have you located B-127's spaceship?"
"Sir, we may have made a horrible mistake," Winter started as the memory playback continued.
B-127 approached Orion Pax and Megatron.
"Come on Orion, I saved your life," Megatron began, "I saved your life, and you repay me by abandoning our cause?"
"I am not abandoning the cause," Orion replied, "I simply believe that this is the point our paths diverge."
"So what's your plan for gaining equality, politely asking Nominus to abolish the caste system?" Megatron asked.
"Alpha Trion still has a lot of supporters throughout Cybertron," Orion Pax answered, "I'm hoping to earn enough support to place allies on the High Council, in order to limit Nominus Prime's power."
"Do you seriously think that would work?" Megatron asked.
"Even with superior numbers, we can't hope to outgun the Functionists," Orion Pax opened, "I'm being pragmatic. If the time to bear arms to fight for our freedom comes, I will not hesitate to join the battle. This is my home, and I do not intend to give it up without a fight."
"If you say so…" Megatron replied as he turned and walked away.
"So long Megatron," Orion replied, "Hopefully our next meeting will be on better terms…" Orion turned away and transformed into vehicle mode, driving off into the sunset.
"What's the plan now, Megatron?" B-127 asked.
"Now? We gather followers," Megatron replied, "We must uplift the downtrodden, win their Sparks, and arm the outcasts. Are you with me?"
"Of course, sir!" B-127 answered, "Without you, I am nothing."
Megatron smirked.
"Then it's time to turn the tables on who's tyrannized."
"Congratulations on getting the Matrix!" B-127 opened as he and Orion Pax rode up the elevator, "What are your plans for Cybertron?"
"For one, I think the Functionists are going to be unpleasantly surprised," Orion Pax replied with a grin, "They apparently believed that I would be passive enough for them to control… And I look forward to proving them wrong." B-127 asked.
"Honestly, I think the fact that you're even dropping by to give Megatron a visit must be having them regretting their life choices," he replied.
"Unlike Nominus, I rose to power legally," Orion remarked, "They don't have any room to complain."
DING!
"I'll go let Megatron know you're here," B-127 said as the elevator doors opened, "Follow me! I'm sure he'll be ecstatic to see you!"
"... And it would appear as though the Autobots took power through the proper legal channels!" Winter continued.
"Then why did B-127 introduce himself as the leader of the Autobot Resistance?" General Ironwood asked.
"I don't know! I'm still watching the part of his memories where he was working with the Decepticons!" Winter replied, "The Autobot's leader, someone named 'Orion Pax', is meeting with Megatron at the moment, apparently he wants him to be his adviser?"
"Winter, remember, what you're seeing has already happened," Ironwood reminded her, "He wanted him to be his adviser."
"With all due respect, sir, that might be a mute point," Winter stated, "Megatron's rising from his throne… He… Oh gods we've made a horrible mistake…"
"Winter, you keep saying that but you're not explaining-
BANG!
"... Specialist… What was that?"
"... Megatron took power… Through a coup…"
"What?!"
"... That's why the Autobots are a resistance, they're rebelling against the usurpers who toppled their own government!" Winter stated, "Sir, we need to alert the Vale Council, I don't think I could take either Decepticon in a fight!"
"Take it easy, Winter, I have an ally in Vale I can contact, and he can sort this entire misunderstanding out."
"You do?"
"Don't worry, everything is completely under control," Ironwood promised, "Just call me back when you have the location of the Ark."
"Of course… Thank you sir," Winter replied, "I don't know what I'd do without you."
"The feeling is mutual, Winter," Ironwood replied, "Over and out."
.
Ironwood stared down at his Scroll and sighed.
"Ozpin is going to try to blame me for this, I just know it…"
B-127 sat down in the cargo hold of Jetfire's alt mode, staring at Orion's lifeless husk.
"What am I going to tell Alpha Trion?" he wondered.
"B! We're about to land!" Jetfire shouted, "The Elite Guard and the Autobots have secured a safe zone!"
B-127 didn't respond.
"Hey, if you hadn't warned them, this could've been a lot worse," Jetfire tried to assure him, "Don't forget, Megatron fooled me too, and the Wreckers as well."
B-127 remained silent, even as Jetfire landed and paramedics boarded to take Orion's corpse away and examine both former Ascenticons for injuries. B-127 waved them off as he descended the ramp to exit Jetfire's alt mode, several Autobots and guards staring in shock at Orion's remains.
"Out of my way! Out of my way!" an elderly voice shouted. The present Transformers shuffled out of the way, clearing a path for a small vehicle to tow a larger one through, the smaller vehicle hoisted the larger one up, unfolding into a wheelchair as the larger vehicle unfolded into an aging robot. Only one optic was till functioning, and most of the robot's body was a lifeless gray.
"Alpha Trion, I-"
"This is not your fault," Alpha Trion interrupted, "You are not responsible for Megatron's choices. No… I had my misgivings about Megatron from the start, but kept them to myself out of the belief that I was simply being paranoid." He placed his still functioning hand on Orion's chest, right next to the hole that had been burned in it. "Perhaps, if I had shared my concerns with Orion, this would not have happened…" He turned to Ultra Magnus. "Tell me, is Vector Sigma still secure?"
"It should still be in your workshop," the large security officer answered, "I don't see how that…"
"Contact my assistant, we have work to do," Alpha Trion interrupted as sat Orion Pax's body onto his lap, "I will need an escort if this is going to work…"
"Alpha Trion… Sir, what are you planning?" Ultra Magnus asked.
Alpha Trion opened his mouth to answer, but immediately started coughing up smoke, his Projected Spark Field flaring, but it only covered the parts of his body that were still functioning.
"Alpha Trion! What happened to your Projected Spark Field?" B-127 asked.
"Did you honestly believe that Vector Sigma could create new Sparks from nothing?" Alpha Trion questioned.
"... So that's why he treasures her so much…" Winter remarked.
B-127 struggled to pull himself out of the rubble of Iacon Tower, the Nemesis floating in the sky above, taking potshots at the Autobot Seekers and occasionally raining laserfire on entire districts of the city at a time.
"This is your doing, B-127!" Megatron shouted as he approached his former student, "Had you done as I said, we could have taken the damned Functionist down before anyone had time to react! I could have taken the Matrix and guided Cybertron into a new golden age as it's rightful ruler!" He deployed his Energon mace, letting the spiked ball hit the ground. "But now, you will not even get to live to see my glorious utopia! You share burn and die alongside all of the other fools and cowards you selfishly sold me out for!" Megatron lifted his arm, throwing the spiked Energon ball back. "Farewell, traitor!" He tried to pull it forward to strike B-127 down, only to realize that the chain was caught on something.
"The only traitor I see here is you, Megatron!" Jetfire snarled as he yanked the chain, pulling Megatron into the air. He lifted the warlord over his head by the chain-
CLANG!
-before slamming him into the nearest piece of rubble he could find.
CLANG!
Followed swiftly by another piece.
CLANG!
And then another piece.
He lifted Megatron up once more, failing to notice the red glow in his Fusion Cannon.
BANG!
Jetfire cried out and lost his grip, losing consciousness as he dropped to the ground.
"Hypocrite," Megatron spat, "You're just as much of a traitor as B-127 is!" In a flash of light, a purple seeker with yellow optics materialized, holding a golden object with a blue crystal in its core.
"Lord Megatron, I have successfully retrieved the Matrix," she stated.
"Excellent work Skywarp," Megatron said as he retracted his melee weapon and took the Matrix from her hands, "Watch and learn B-127, you are about to witness a hero become a god!"
"No…"
Megatron took the Matrix in both hands and opened his chest compartment.
"Face it, traitors, you were powerless against the hand of fate!" he gloated.
"Fortunately, I was never one to believe in fate!" a deep voice shouted.
"Who dares?" Megatron shouted, lowering the Matrix of Leadership and pointing his Fusion Cannon in the direction of the voice, the sound of a roaring engine growing closer. Suddenly, a red and blue truck ramped off a nearby piece of rubble, and landed directly on top of Megatron.
"This doesn't belong to you…" the truck growled as it unfolded into a large Autobot. He knelt down and took the Matrix from Megatron's hands, before opening up his own chest compartment and placing it in there.
"Orion?" B-127 questioned as the Autobot stepped off of Megatron and walked over to him.
"But… That's impossible… You're dead!" Megatron shouted as he pushed himself to his feet, "I watched the light fade from your optics! How are you still alive?" Orion wordlessly shifted one of his hands into an Energon Pistol and shot Megatron in the still open chest compartment.
"I don't owe you any answers, Megatron," he began as Megatron closed his chest compartment and growled in pain, "But I will say this, Orion Pax did die. But I was reforged in my new form. And now, no force in the universe will stop me!"
"JUST WHO THE PIT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!" Megatron screamed as he pointed his Fusion Cannon at Orion Pax, "The Matrix is my Forgeright! IT IS MY DESTINY! I REFUSE TO LET SOME FILE CLERK TAKE MY DESTINY FROM ME!"
"My name is Optimus Prime," the Autobot leader answered calmly as he shifted his other hand into an Energon Ax, "And like I told you so long ago, I will not give up my home without a fight!"
And the battle began.
"You know B-127, I'm growing tired of these pointless diversions, and I'm certain Dropkick is as well," Shatter's voice warned.
"Well, there's not really anything you can do about it," Bumblebee remarked, "In case you forgot, this is still my mind."
"Perhaps, but minds tend to wander," Shatter replied, "And right now, I just realized something."
"Oh?" B-127 smugly responded.
"You're trying to protect those humans from something," Shatter continued, "And I wonder what that is…"
And the darkness shifted again.
B-127 rolled onto the bridge of the Ark and shifted into robot mode.
"Optimus, you were right about the Omega Key's location!" B-127 replied.
"Then the dark essence has truly been purged from everything Megatron infected with it," Optimus remarked, "The Matrix was able to detect them as well as the Omega Lock."
"Too bad Cybertron was destroyed in the process," B-127 remarked.
"Perhaps," Optimus sighed in resignation, "But once the others have returned with their keys, we can begin tracking the AllSpark's location. Then, we can use the Omega Lock to cyberform an uninhabited world, give that world life with the AllSpark, and liberate the galaxy from the Decepticon Empire."
"Does it really matter who uses the Omega Lock?" B-127 asked.
"Megatron has already shown that he isn't above using the Omega Lock as a weapon," Optimus replied, "If it's used on an inhabited world… There's no telling how much damage would be done. And given Megatron's disdain for organic life…"
"He'd use it to instantly wipe out every organic race he encounters," B-127 finished.
"That is why the Decepticons must never again control the Omega Lock," Optimus continued, "And also why we must ensure that we aren't followed once we begin our search for the AllSpark."
"Good thing none of the Decepticons wanted to hang around the Cybertronian debris field," B-127 replied, "Even with the angolmois radiation dissipated into the cosmos, the electromagnetic residue from Cybertron's detonation is seriously giving me a headache."
"Fortunately, we will not need to linger here much longer," Optimus replied, "As soon as the others return, we can pick up the remainder of our crew from Carcer, and begin the search for our new home."
"'Til all are one," B-127 said with a salute.
"'Til all are one."
"... Oh… Oh gods..." Winter felt her blood run cold and took out her Scroll once more.
"I cannot believe that we got into two fights with the White Fang this week," Yang remarked.
"Honestly, I can't believe I accidentally contacted Sienna Khan," Ruby remarked "Seriously, could you have been a bit more specific about what your homing beacon looks like?"
"I have no idea what you mistook for my homing beacon, so I honestly don't see what I could've done differently," Bumblebee said as he examined his homing beacon, "Now, let's see, where's that port? Ah! There it is!" He deployed a plug from his pointer finger. "See you in a bit!" He plugged into the homing beacon, and suddenly his vision was covered by a map of Remnant. Suddenly, the image zoomed in on the continent of Saunus, the rest of the world disappearing, then on Eastern Saunus, then the territory of the Kingdom of Vale, then on the island of Vytal, where an Autobot symbol appeared in the wilderness well outside of Vytal City's borders, alongside a set of coordinates pin-pointing is latitude, longitude, and elevation.
"Heh, there we go," Dropkick said as he logged the coordinates into his computer and disconnected Shatter from the Patch, "So, what's the plan now?"
"Well, first thing's first," Shatter stated, "Before we even began, Winter contacted the General and revealed that she had hooked up the Patch to the base's surveillance system. Unfortunately, I had no way of shutting her out without revealing our hand too early, so if you could tie that loose end…"
"With pleasure," Dropkick chuckled as he shifted his forearm into an Energon cannon.
"... And that's the gist of the problem," Ironwood finished.
"... You do realize that we're going to have to explain all of this to both the Vale Council and the Atlas Council if you want to send Winter reinforcements to deal with the Decepticons I warned you about!"
"B-127 hadn't really given me much reason to trust him!" Ironwood defended, "And… Hang on, Winter's calling me with further intel on the Decepticons' interrogation."
"Well, why not turn this emergency meeting into a group call?" Ozpin asked, "I'm certain she'd like to get as far away from the genocidal alien warmongers as quickly as possible."
"Winter, what is it you wanted to-"
"The Autobots captured a weapon that could be used to destroy all of Remnant with ease in order to keep the Decepticons from using it!" Winter interrupted, "The crash site is in the wilderness of Vytal, just a few miles north of the Southern coast! I'm sending the coordinates now! The Decepticons have already ended their interrogation, and are probably already heading their as we speAUGH-"
The transition abruptly ended.
"Specialist Schnee?" Ironwood questioned, "Winter, respond!"
Dropkick lowered his weapon as he admired the smoking pile of debris that used to be Winter's office.
"Perhaps you could also do something about this door?" Shatter suggested.
BOOM!
The shutter door was torn from the threshold and landed on the ground with a resounding CLANG! Shatter smirked as she stepped through the threshold and into the airfield outside the base.
"Hey, what the hell are you-"
"It has been a pleasure doing business with you," Shatter interrupted as she shifted her hands into Energon pistols and pointed them at the soldiers, "Send Mortilus my regards." And she opened fire, not noticing that Bumblebee was struggling against his chains as Dropkick stepped out.
"You didn't leave any for me?" he whined.
"You need to save your ammo for the Autobots," Shatter replied.
Bumblebee remembered Yang talking to what she thought was an inanimate motorcycle as she tinkered with Ember Celica.
Bumblebee remembered Ruby playing with the family pet.
Bumblebee remembered Taiyang's horror at being unable to be there for his daughters.
The Autobot broke his chains and dropped to the ground, hissing in pain as the drop aggravated his wounds.
"Ah, B-127, I almost forgot about you," Shatter said as she and Dropkick turned to face him.
"I didn't," Dropkick said as he raised and primed his Energon cannon.
BOOM!
a/n: You guys have no idea how much I cut. Someone pointed out to me that it would be pretty stupid of the Decepticons to let Winter watch the "interrogation" so I ended up rewriting parts of the introduction in order to have Winter do something else. There's also a few scenes I decided to save for the prequel, but this is mostly meant to... Well... Do some world building, set the stakes, and further develop the cast. After this, there's only four chapters left (not counting the epilogue).
Now for reviews.
Dungeon Wyrm: Kinda amazing that you said this right before the chapter where Winter is one of the viewpoint characters.
MadTitan9: Okay so, let me clarify something: Blake is one of my favorite characters. Everything that Adam does to her here is something he's implied to have done to her in canon, if he hasn't outright done it onscreen. Domestic abuse is a horrible thing that NOBODY deserves to go through, and that is why Adam's scenes were pretty hard for me to write. As for the Bayformers? I'd like to take some elements from the movies that I enjoyed (i.e. the Fallen being Megatron's mentor), but we'll see if I can fit any of them into this fic. Though one of those two characters does have interesting potential... I'd recommend you read the prequel if you want to see more on the Cybertron side of things. Especially given that I intend to write a couple more once I've finished the first one.
TheReckless1One: Like I've said before, writing pretty much any of Adam's scenes make me deeply uncomfortable. I actually SHUDDERED when I wrote his scene with Blake in the previous chapter.
barrera2009: Let me clarify where you went wrong: when you compliment a fanfic by insulting the source material, when the fanfic isn't EXPLICITLY stated to have been written to spite poor writing or address something the writer hated, you basically insult the writer for LOVING the source material enough to write fanfiction about it.
Mobian: ... Well... Something tells me this isn't what you were expecting.
Z-King: I mean, things were already pretty awkward in canon. Winter certainly hasn't helped that.
merendinoemiliano: Glad to see I left an impression.
The wielder of the blue flames: And you were right on the nose!
Yeah hi sorry: You're making me wish I knew more about Micronauts so I could write a crossover between THAT and RWBY, because I TOTALLY would've played those similarities up even more if I was aware of them.
I'll see you all next time, where we see what the Rose/Xiao Longs were up to in the mean time! Until then!
Update 1/20/2021: Renamed "Gaia" and "Lio Prime" to "Gaea" and "Lio Convoy". The former because "Gaea" is the name of the Classicsverse character I based the Titan off of, and the latter because I kept mentally calling him "Lio Convoy" in my head and realized that I'd NEVER remember "Lio Prime".
Update 1/22/2021: Corrected the formatting of Wildwheel's name. Acorrding to TFWiki, it's one word and not 2. Who would've guessed?