Autobot Outpost Omega One - Earth
Charlie POV...
While Ratchet works on figuring out the details of the intel that Miko managed to recover using her cell phone, I decided to watch over Agent Fowler and make sure his vitals remain fine. Luckily it seems the energon prod from Starscream didn't damage him very badly, he just needs time for his nervous system to recover. He's not in the same agency as me, but he is a good military agent, and he has his mind set on the right things.
"It can't be..."
At the sound of Ratchet's shocked murmuring, I look up.
"Optimus! These are engineering specs for a space-time vortex generator," Ratchet says.
"Megatron is building a Space Bridge. If he hasn't already," Optimus says grimly.
"Oh no..." I murmur to myself in worry.
"The sooner he leaves, the better!" Bulkhead exclaims eagerly.
Bulkhead, Bumblebee and Arcee were here as well, their charges still at home for the night. Elita opted to stay at Alexandra's house though, which is why she isn't currently here.
"He ain't leaving, Bulkhead. Space Bridge's run in two directions, remember?" Ironhide sighs.
Optimus turns around and nods in agreement. "Megatron may not be using it to leave Earth, but to bring through his conquering army."
"The main event Megatron referred to," Ratchet recalls.
"Where does he hope to find so many Cybertronian dead?" Ironhide asks with a confused frown. "The only place I can think of is..."
He then widens his optics in horrified realization and looks up at Optimus, who nods his head in confirmation.
"Precisely..." Optimus replies grimly, looking up at the ceiling. "Cybertron."
"Another alien invasion," I realize with subdued horror. "Something tells me this would be worse than the last one."
"Much worse, I'm afraid," he replies sadly, looking out at the Autobots. "We cannot allow Megatron to send Dark Energon through his Space Bridge. If we fail, the dead of Cybertron will rise. Swarm through its vortex and invade Earth. Bending humankind to Megatron's twisted rule."
I can see it in my mind. Armies of dead Cybertronian warriors rising from the surface of Cybertron and swarming through the massive Space Bridge portal. The image of them laying waste to massive cities, slaughtering countless civilians is something I can't even begin to fathom.
"I need to warn the Director. If you're unable to prevent Megatron from carrying out his plan, we'll have to be prepared," I inform them.
"Unfortunately, Charlie, I fear that your planet would be unable to assemble a force strong enough to repel a full-scale Cybertronian invasion, not with the loss of Earth's best defender," Optimus says, shaking his head.
"Maybe. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't try," I say determinedly.
Jasper, Nevada - Earth
Alex POV...
During the long drive through the desert to the Autobot's base I decided to pass the time with a game I downloaded on my iPhone, though to be honest I haven't really given much thought to it. I'm more just zoning out than anything. A thought then crosses my mind, however, and I close out of my game to ask about it. Since I'm literally sitting inside of an alien robot, why not ask a little bit about what it's like up in space? Especially since there seem to be other humans as well, if they were being truthful about it.
"Hey, Elita?" I ask her.
"Hm?" she responds.
"What's it like in space?" I ask her curiously. "I mean, you've been to a whole 'nother galaxy. Is it like Earth? Or is it all different?"
"I suppose that would depend on who you ask," Elita remarks thoughtfully. "They all have their societal structures, planetary governments, and so forth. Though, to be quite honest... they all feel relatively the same to me."
"Really?" I mutter skeptically. "I'm guessing because they're humans too?"
"Not at all, though I can see why you might think that," she replies. "My race is more unique than any other I know of, in the sense that we are mechanical beings. I've been around for a very long time, and with that perspective in mind I've encountered a vast number of different beings. And the one thing they all have in common is... imperfection."
I glance at the steering wheel with a raised eyebrow before crossing my arms with a dull expression.
"Are you sure you're not being obnoxious and arrogant too?" I can't help but scoff.
"Trust me, Alex, it's not personal. If Cybertronians were perfect beings then our war would have never even been conceived," she chuckles in good humor, and I lose some of my annoyance. "Imperfection is a trait that every form of life shares, regardless of what we look like, where we come from, or who we are. Thousands of planetary systems and people have evolved through this simple fact of life, which makes us not that much different from each other."
I take a minute to ponder her words, eventually finding myself stunned and even a little bit humbled by it.
"Wow... that's actually a really cool take," I finally say. "You should become a philosopher or something."
"I'm flattered, Alex. Thank you," she replies.
Autobot Outpost Omega One
Elita POV...
Entering the base, I come to a stop in the center and release Alex's seatbelt, opening the door for her. She climbs out, and I transform immediately afterwards, noticing that the others and their charges are already here as well. Ratchet also seems to be heavy at work on his computer console, more so than usual, and everyone else seems tense and waiting.
"What's wrong, Optimus?"
I ask him through our spark-bond.
In response he sends me a quick datafile, which I accept and download into my processor. Upon finding out what Megatron's plan with the dark energon is, I widen my optics in horror and look over at Optimus, who stares back with a grim expression.
"Where could he have even found the Dark Energon needed for that?" I ask him.
"I am uncertain. But what I do speculate is that retrieving the Dark Energon was the reason of his absence," he theorizes.
"Optimus, I've pinpointed the location of Megatron's Space Bridge!" Ratchet calls out. "High in Earth's orbit."
I look over at the monitor and take a few steps forwards, frowning.
"Out of our reach," Optimus grimly remarks.
"Ok, so you guys don't fly, but can't you just ground-bridge there?" Miko suggests.
Alex shrugs her shoulders in wary agreement, but I shake my head in response.
"I wish it were that simple," I tell them.
"That would be a miracle come true, all right," Ratchet scoffs, exasperated. "The Ground Bridge has limited range! Stretched all the way into Earth's orbit, its vortex could snap and scatter us to the stars."
"Oh... that doesn't sound fun," Alex meekly replies.
"Since Megatron is likely already in transit, I'm afraid we must take that risk," Optimus states firmly. "Reaching the Space Bridge first is our only means of stopping him."
A familiar horn then sounds down the tunnel, and we look over to see Arcee driving through, surprisingly with Jack as well. I raise an optic ridge, a hint of a smile coming onto my face as I realize that Arcee must've sought him out. And apparently they came to an agreement, maybe even a mutual friendship with each other.
"Hey, guess who's back!" Jack says proudly, stepping off with a smile.
"Autobots, prepare for departure," Optimus states.
Alex snorts in laughter upon seeing Jack's face fall to disappointment.
"Tough luck Darby," she teases him.
Arcee transforms back into her bipedal mode, looking at us inquisitively.
"Where to?" she asks.
"The final frontier," Miko says dramatically.
"Space? I thought they didn't have any way to get there!" Jack says in surprise.
"They don't... really," Raf replies.
Bumblebee carefully lowers Raf to the ground, and he steps off with a smile.
"Be seeing you?" Jack tells Arcee, who shrugs with a small grin on her face.
As she starts making her way to the portal I place myself in her path with a smug grin plastered across my faceplates. She frowns in confusion for a moment before letting out a groaning of annoyance, looking away from me.
"Well look at you, little sister," I tease her.
"Don't even start, Elita," she sighs.
"Why? I'm just congratulating you on forming a friendship with your charge. That's a fantastic improvement!" I compliment her innocently.
"Your faceplates will need a fantastic improvement if you don't shut your tailpipe," she threatens.
I raise my servos placatingly, smiling at her as she walks past. I then notice Alex walking up to me and look down at her curiously.
"Don't die ok?" she says in concern. "I'd hate to come up with some stupid story for my parents about how I crashed my car."
"I thought you weren't a fan of a pink car?" I joke in response.
A faint smile flickers across her lips.
"Well, your pink is ok," she admits.
I smile back at her and then make my way towards the now activated Ground Bridge, standing between Optimus and Ironhide.
"Optimus, if you leave me stranded on a planet teaming with humans, I will never forgive you," Ratchet calls out.
"Better you than me, Ratch," Ironhide teases.
"Until we meet again, old friend," Optimus replies, a hint of a smile on his face. "Autobots, roll out!"
We all transform down into our vehicular modes and then speed down into the Ground Bridge tunnel.
"Maximum overdrive!" he says.
Speeding up faster, we break through the other side of the portal as it opens, suddenly finding ourselves soaring through the emptiness of space.
"Autobots, transform... and gravitize!" he orders.
We follow along with his order and come in for a landing on the Space Bridge, locking ourselves onto the Bridge's gravitational force to stand up properly. Bulkhead, however, flails around clumsily in his attempts to gain a solid grip on the metal surface.
"Don't look down. Or up. Or left," he tells himself uneasily.
"If you keep that up then I'll make sure you don't need to worry about your footing," Ironhide grumbles.
Bulkhead wisely shuts his mouth.
I then start to feel, rather than hear, a deep rumbling sensation and turn around to see the Nemesis on a steady approach for the Space Bridge, Earth hovering far behind it. It comes to a stop before the bridge and falls into silence, and we all tense up in preparation for a battle.
"So Megatron's packing enough Dark Energon to raise Cybertron's dead?" Arcee asks uneasily.
"It would seem so," I grimly respond.
"And since we don't possess a ready means of disabling the Space Bridge..." Optimus states, switching out his servos for his blaster cannons. "...nothing gets in or out!"
I follow his lead without a second thought, the others all doing the same thing themselves. I take my position beside Optimus and take aim at the Nemesis in anticipation of any enemy combatants that are inevitable to come.
The Nemesis - Earth's orbit
3rd person POV...
Onboard his ship's bridge, Megatron quietly gazes at the screen in front of him, which displays a clear visual of the Autobots currently standing on the metal surface of the Space Bridge. He focuses in more specifically on the forms of Optimus Prime and Elita One with an amused chuckle.
"Optimus Prime never disappoints," he murmurs, his grin vanishing as he glances over his shoulder with a glare. "Unlike you, Starscream!"
Starscream nervously chuckles while taking a few cautious steps backward, and Brawl looks at him with a judgmental sneer.
"Isn't that a shocker," he says mockingly.
The Seeker glares at him with a growl of irritation before focusing on Megatron with a submissive nod of his head.
"No need for concern, Master. Soundwave is locking on to Cybertron's coordinates per my instructions," he reassures him.
Megatron grunts in reply, scowling at the screen in front of him.
Autobot Outpost Omega One
Alex POV...
The rest of us are waiting back in the base, along with Agent Watson. For a little while now we've been expecting to hear some signs of action or battle, but it's remained silent. The silence is then finally broken by Arcee after a minute of nothing.
"Well, what are they waiting for?" she asks.
"It appears the Decepticons have sustained serious damage to their interstellar navigation system," Optimus explains.
"Huh, that's my handiwork," Bulkhead remarks.
"Really? Way to go Wrecker," Ironhide compliments.
The sound of a metal thwack gives me the impression that Ironhide smacked Bulkhead on the back.
"Great job, Bulkhead," Optimus also compliments. "Without the dish, Megatron would be unable to aim the Space Bridge at Cybertron.
"Don't the Decepticons know where their own planet is?" Raf asks.
"Naturally," Ratchet scoffs, and I roll my eyes. "But Cybertron is many light years away. To reach their target, their aim must be astronomically precise."
"This doesn't make sense though," Charlie says with a frown. "If Megatron couldn't operate the Space Bridge then he wouldn't have gone to the trouble of a rendezvous."
"Charlie is correct," Optimus says in agreement. "If Megatron is here now, then he must have an alternate targeting system. A remote one."
"I'm no expert, but wouldn't that mean he'd be using some huge satellite here on Earth somewhere?" I suggest.
"He would, yes," Charlie confirms, brow creased in worry.
"From what I know of Earth's technology, I doubt there exists a single radio-telescope dish on this planet powerful enough to pinpoint Cybertron," Ratchet disagrees.
"What about a whole bunch of linked radio-telescope dishes?" Raf suggests hopefully, bringing a webpage up on his laptop. "Like the giant sized array in Texas?"
Ratchet furiously starts shushing him.
"This is not child's play!" he snaps.
"Cool your processor, Ratchet, he's got the right idea. That array is one of the best we've got on Earth, and it most certainly can pinpoint another planet in our galaxy," Charlie retorts in Raf's defense.
"I agree. That seems to be a likely spot," Elita adds, much to Ratchet's surprise.
"Ratchet, have Agent Fowler alert the array staff to the security hazard," Optimus says.
We all look over at Fowler, who suddenly decides to pop out of bed, seemingly delirious.
"You, soldier! You're out of uniform! Put on some pants!" he exclaims.
He then collapses back onto the bed, completely out cold. We all stare at him weirdly for a moment, and Charlie just sighs in exasperation.
"I don't even know what kind of dreams he gets at night," I mutter to Jack, who shivers in agreement.
"That may be a challenge," Ratchet dryly tells Optimus.
"I'll handle it," Charlie sighs. "There's an agent l there that I can contact."
She pulls out her phone and types in a number, raising it to her ear as she makes the call. After a few moments of silence, however, she furrows her brow.
"Agent 17, this is Agent Watson. Please respond," she orders firmly.
There's another few seconds of silence, and judging by the uneasy look on her face she must still be getting no answer.
"Agent 17, report your status now!" she demands.
After a few more moments she pulls her phone away, looking at us in concern.
"They're not responding. Something's gone wrong," she says worriedly.
"Maybe their phone died?" Miko suggests hopefully.
"We never fail to answer a call," Charlie responds with a resolute scowl. "Never."
I share a surprised and worried glance with the others, and Raf instantly moves over to his laptop. He furiously begins typing in some codes in an attempt to get through to the array, but slams his fist on the table in frustration.
"I can't get past the array's firewalls. They're too thick!" he explains.
"You actually think you could keep the Decepticons out?" Ratchet asks doubtfully.
"He fixed your monitors in like, two seconds. I'm sure he knows what he's doing," I point out.
I'm pleased that got him to shut up.
"If I could get in to the system, then I could shut it down," Raf says.
"Get in?" I repeat, a smile forming on my face. "Hey Raf, do you think you could do it if we got you all the way in?"
Jack's eyes light up and he nods eagerly, getting the same idea.
"Yeah! Like 'inside-the-building' in?" he says in agreement.
Raf perks up hopefully.
"I could log into their internal network on the other side of the firewall!" he excitedly replies.
"Uh, hello! You're planning a break-in with a government agent standing right there!" Miko hisses at us, gesturing to Charlie.
"In this case, I'll make an exception. I know my boss will understand," Charlie reassures us, much to our surprise. "Besides, you'll likely need a guide to get you through the building."
"The risk is too great, Charlie," Optimus says in disagreement. "The Decepticons will be there. Perhaps even on sight."
"Optimus, with all due respect you said it yourself, this is bigger than the safety of four humans," Jack says firmly.
"Yeah, if we let the 'Cons win, we're fragged, along with everyone else on our planet!" Miko adds in agreement.
"We can pull it off. All we need to do is find a computer so that Raf can work his magic," I say confidently.
"Raf?" Optimus asks.
"I wanna give it a shot," he finally decides.
"Alright, lets do this!" I say cheerfully.
The Nemesis - Earth's orbit
3rd person POV...
"Surely, Lord Megatron, the Autobots are up to something," Starscream says.
Growling, Megatron whips around and then stomps up to Starscream's face with a deep scowl on his face. Starscream backs up nervously at the sight of Megatron being so irritated with him.
"Reeeaally, Starscream?" Megatron growls sarcastically.
Starscream lets out a timid gasp before offering an uneasy smile in response. Megatron scoffs in disgust and then slams his fist down onto the main console, opening the comlink to his forces.
"Crush them!" he roars.
Space Bridge - Earth's orbit
Elita POV...
Our patience pays off when the Decepticons strike first. We look over and watch as what seems to be the entire armada departs from the Nemesis, moving in to attack.
"Here comes the welcoming committee," Bulkhead states.
"We're gonna be the ones welcoming them," Ironhide says determinedly.
He brings out his cannons and bashes his fists together in anticipation.
"I don't think you'll need to worry about a lack of action, Hide," I say in reply, before opening myself to Optimus
"Please be careful," I tell Optimus.
"You're asking me to be careful?" he rumbles in response, giving me a look.
I shrug innocently and offer him a small smile, before looking back at the Decepticon armada. They fly down at a fast pace in our direction, dozens of them opening fire. A heavy barrage of red colored energon blast assault our position, and we fire back with our own blasters.
Bumblebee, Arcee and I swiftly move to avoid being hit, while our resident 'tanks,' Bulkhead and Ironhide just stand there and let the blasts impact against their tough armor. Optimus does a little bit of both, shielding himself with his arm if necessary.
Spotting three Vehicons shooting in my direction, I tense up for a running start and then run right at them. Jumping up high, I switch my blasters for my wrist blades and then slash the first two apart, landing on the third. He swerves around violently, and I stab my blade directly into his armor, sending him crashing to the ground.
Arcee performs similar movements while Bulkhead bashes one flier that foolishly gets to close with his mace. Optimus shoots at the fliers with one arm while cutting apart closer targets with a sword on his other arm.
"Come and get it, scrap-heads!" Ironhide yells.
He aims his cannon and shoots several missiles, causing a large and closely clustered group of fliers to explode. He then jumps into the air and punches one down with a single blow.
Very Large Array, Texas - Earth
Alex POV...
With Ratchet reluctantly convinced on the plan for Raf, he opens a Ground Bridge to the Texas Array, and we jump through, coming out on the other side in broad daylight. Once the portal closes however, I lean over with a groan as intense nausea overtakes me, giving me a massive, throbbing headache. Along with that, I also feel like throwing up.
Everyone else except Charlie seems to be experiencing the same issues, if the groaning and postures are anything to go by.
"That'll take some getting used to," Jack groans.
"You can say that again," I mumble.
"It passes by quickly, don't worry," Charlie reassures us. "Now let's move."
"Where exactly are we going?" I ask her.
"The control station has computers we can access," she answers in reply.
Following her lead, we make our way across the open field and towards one of the large buildings nearby, looking kind of like a warehouse. Then again, all of the buildings look the same. I can't help but take a few moments to gawk at the sheer size of the telescopes, just one of them being probably ten stories tall!
As we get closer to the entrance, Charlie holds a hand out for us to stop. She directs us to remain behind the corner for a moment, and observes the area with narrowed eyes.
"What's wrong?" Jack asks.
"It's quiet," she murmurs.
"Isn't that a good thing?" Miko asks.
"Not if it's too quiet," she replies in concern.
Jack and I share a worried look with each other, before Charlie waves us forwards again.
"Let's keep moving. Don't leave my sight, understand?" she says firmly.
"Crystal clear," I say with a nod, elbowing Miko when I notice her not paying attention.
"Ow!" she complains, before noticing Charlie's expression. "Oh yeah, of course!"
Charlie shakes her head with a sigh before leading us to the front door of the building. She pulls out some kind of security badge or whatever and swipes it across the scanner. There's a click, and the door opens, allowing us access inside.
If I thought it was quiet outside, then it's even creepier in here. Our footsteps echoing around to building are the only sound I can hear. I can see several areas where they should be people around, but like everything else, it's completely empty.
"Why is it so empty?" Raf asks uneasily.
"I don't know," Charlie replies tensely.
She then presses a button on her wristband, causing it to transform into some sort of gun, much to our surprise.
"Woah, that is awes—" Miko exclaims.
Charlie clamps a hand down on her mouth to shut her up, and then presses a warning finger to her lips.
"Be quiet!" she hisses sternly. "I don't have a good feeling about the main control room."
"Then where are we going to go?" I ask her.
I'm curious to know what could be wrong, aside from the obvious lack of people of course, but I'm perfectly fine with trusting along the instincts of a highly trained government agent instead of my own.
"We'll have to use a smaller office, away from the control room," she decides, looking to Raf. "Do you think you can tap into the telescopes from there?"
"I could do it from the base if the firewalls weren't so thick," Raf says with a smile.
Charlie nods and then leads us in a different direction. We make our way to one of the smaller, less impressive hallways of the building, and then enter a small office when Charlie deems it safe. Once inside, she transforms her gun back into a wristband, and Raf quickly gets onto the computer. Miko enters last, looking out at the hallway with a smirk before closing the door.
"Security sure is lax on this place," she comments.
"It shouldn't be," Charlie murmurs.
"I'm in," Raf says happily from the computer, before frowning in worry. "And so are the Decepticons."
"What?!" Jack asks incredulously.
"How can you tell?" Miko asks.
"Schematics. With the same alien math we saw on their ship," he explains, pulling out a flash drive. "But this time, I can download it. It's gotta be the Space Bridge. The Decepticons are syncing it to the dishes. But I can sync in to them."
"Will they be aware of it?" Charlie questions.
"Even if the Decepticons see that I'm in the system, they have no idea I'm in the house," he reassures us.
Just then a diagram of three different spheres starts to switch, selecting one sphere that blinks red. At the same time, I can hear the distant groan of all the telescopes moving their position.
"That doesn't sound good," I comment uneasily.
"They're locking on," Charlie states grimly.
"Not for long," Raf replies with a grin.
He presses a few keys, and then the image switches, along with the telescopes outside. I grin upon realizing how heavily Raf, one little human child, is punking the Decepticons.
"Nice job, Raf," I compliment, ruffling up his hair.
"If you weren't so young, you'd make for a good agent," Charlie remarks with a smile.
"Thanks guys," he mumbles sheepishly, face turning red.
Space Bridge - Earth's orbit
3rd person POV...
The Autobots continued the intense battle against the Decepticons, shooting energon blast after energon blast, before halting momentarily as the entire structure moves once again. Bumblebee cheers excitedly, bringing a small smile to Optimus's faceplates underneath his battle mask.
"Indeed, Bumblebee. This can only be Raf's doing," he says in agreement.
Onboard the Nemesis, however, Megatron is less than pleased.
"Starscream! What is happening?" he angrily demands.
Starscream stutters nervously in response before opening the commlink channel.
"Soundwave! What is happening?" he exclaims.
Very Large Array, Texas - Earth
Contrary to Raf's belief, and much to Charlie's concern, the Decepticons actually were aware of what was going on, and how it was being done.
Crouched low in the main control room of the array station, with his tentacles connected to the computer console, was Soundwave. He instantly notices the unexpected change of the telescope array, and receives Starscream's panicked question moments later.
Detecting a nearby signal messing with the telescopes, he begins searching through the buildings security footage, coming across the sight of five humans sitting at a computer. The oldest human he recognizes as Charlie Watson, the human who assisted Bumblebee in defeating Dropkick and Shatter years ago.
Disconnecting one of his tentacles from the computer, he watches it scurry through the door and down the hallways, headed for the group of interfering humans. He then pushes back digitally, locking the telescope dishes back onto Cybertron.
Back inside the office, Raf notices the change and moves to correct it.
"The dishes are heading back towards Cybertron. I'll just undo that again," he says.
"What happens when the 'Cons realize they're being punked?" Jack asks.
"It's only virtual combat, you know, like online gaming," Raf says reassuringly.
"Yeah, Jack, what are the 'Cons gonna do? They're probably like a thousand miles away," Miko says dismissively.
"Don't you dare jinx it, Miko," Alex sighs.
As they were talking though, the door opens quietly, allowing Soundwave's tentacle to slither through. None of the kids notice, but Charlie picks up on the sound and slowly looks over, widening her eyes in alarm.
"Watch out!" she yells.
Charlie dashes forwards and shoves Jack, Miko and Alex to the side just as the tentacle lunges at the . She grabs onto it as it goes by, but is yanked along and slammed against the wall.
"Oh mother—!" Miko shrieks in surprise.
Part of the tentacle jerked to the side to hit Alex, Jack and Miko, throwing them against the wall. Charlie quickly takes out her Cybertronian blaster, and jabs it against the tentacle before pulling the trigger. The tentacle jerks away from the point of impact, dropping her.
Landing in a crouch, Charlie quickly moves forwards and begins firing her blaster at the tentacle's head, scoring several hits. It seems to hiss and lashes out at Charlie again, slamming into her stomach and sending her crashing against a bookshelf. She groans in pain as she smashes through the furniture, her blaster skidding across the ground.
Alex tries to grab the tentacle and force it down, Jack doing the same thing, but it tosses them aside. Meanwhile, Raf remains at the computer, typing furiously while trying to ignore the chaos.
"I won't let them lock on again," he mutters to himself.
Just then the tentacle focuses on Raf, hovering menacingly over his shoulder, and he glances behind him with a bit of fear. Realizing it was about to strike he grabs the flash drive and hops up onto the desk, barely missing the tentacle as it smacks the chair aside before targeting him again, destroying the computer when he jumps away.
Miko then enters the fray herself, pulling an emergency fire axe off of the wall. She jumps into the air with a ferocious yell and attempts to chop the tentacle in half, but it moves out of the way. It then slams her against the wall as well, and she loses her grip on the axe.
Everyone looks up in horror as the tentacle picks the axe off of the ground.
"You handed it an axe?!" Jack screams.
"Not good," Raf whimpers.
"What did I say about jinxing us?!" Alex exclaims.
The tentacle raises the axe as if to strike at them just while Charlie retrieves her blaster. However, it suddenly pulls back and out of the room with the axe, leaving the group stunned.
"What the—" Jack stutters.
"I don't care because we're not dead!" Alex breathes out, half laughing in shock and relief.
"Come on!" Charlie says.
She grimaces in pain for a moment and then gets to her feet, rushing out the door. The kids all glance at each other before following after her. The five humans reach the end of the hallway and enter the main control room, stopping at the sight that greets them.
Standing on top of the open roof is the looming form of Soundwave. Upon noticing their entrance, Soundwaves looks down at them, remaining silent. Miko quickly flips up her phone and snaps a picture, unable to help herself. In response, Soundwave takes a picture of his own, which appears on his face monitor.
It's a picture of all five of them looking up at him. Charlie is in the center, a fierce expression on her face as she holds her blaster. Jack and Alex flank her, looking alarmed, and Miko is behind Jack with an excited look on her face, while Raf is behind Alex, looking meek and nervous.
Soundwave then jumps into the air, transforming into his jet mode and blasting off back to the Nemesis. With the Decepticon gone, everyone breathes out a sigh of relief, and Charlie transformers her blaster back into her wristband.
"Why is he leaving?" Miko asks in confusion.
Noticing a sparking wire, Raf walks over to it and crouches down, seeing the axe stuck in the ground after cutting straight through it.
"He cut the hard-line. The dishes are locked on to Cybertron. For good," he explains grimly.
Everyone is silent at the horrific realization, as they now know the only thing stopping Megatron from bringing an undead army to ransack Earth are the seven Autobots still fighting on the Space Bridge.
"Who was that anyways?" Jack asks Charlie.
"Soundwave," she answers. "The Decepticons communications officer."
"So if he was in here, then where is… everybody else?" Alex trails off, not sure if she wants to know.
Charlie widens her eyes momentarily with a hint of panic before hardening her gaze, looking at the four kids.
"You four get back to base," she orders, raising a hand to her ear. "Ratchet, we need a Ground Bridge at my location."
A green portal then opens up in the room right next to them, making Miko jump in momentary surprise.
"You're not coming with us?" Raf asks.
"Later. I need to inform my superiors of what happened here, and investigate how much... damage... Soundwave caused," she explains quietly.
Alex and Jack are old enough to understand the hidden message behind her words.
She needs to see how many people Soundwave killed.
The Nemesis - Earth's orbit
3rd person POV...
"Now, Starscream?" Megatron asks
"Now," Starscream replies with a smirk.
He presses a button on the control console, and the massive Space Bridge hums to life.
A bright glow of green and blue energy opens up, bubbling on the surface of the portal as it connects to the other side. On top of the Nemesis, Megatron rises on a platform carrying the massive chunk of dark energon over his back, with a gleeful smirk on his face.
"At last!" he exclaims triumphantly.
With a shout, Megatron hurls the dark energon as hard as he can, sensing it hurtling through space.
Optimus cuts down an attacking vehicon and then looks up, widening his optics in alarm upon seeing the dark energon.
"Ironhide!" he calls out.
Together, Optimus and Ironhide both turn their weapons towards the chunk of dark energon and begin firing, attempting to destroy before it reaches the portal. However, it was sailing through space too quickly for them to hit, passing through the portal and disappearing on the other side.
Helplessly, they watch it pass through the portal and out the other side, where Cybertron was just barely visible to them. The Autobots all gather around each other and watch as the dark energon shoots down to the surface of their wield like a meteor.
The dark energon crashes against Cybertron's surface with a massive purple explosion. Streams of sickly purple light slowly cover the entire surface of Cybertron, giving the tell-tale warning signs of the undead rising from its long slumber.
"ARISE MY LEGION!" Megatron roars, now glowing purple as the dark energon takes affect.
"This is a nightmare," Elita murmurs sadly.
"So, how do we beat a whole planet of the undead?" Bulkhead asks.
"Optimus, I'm registering a rapidly expanding mass in their Space Bridge vortex," Ratchet informs them. "One with a peculiar energy signature."
"Dark Energon," Optimus confirms grimly. "Ratchet, we must destroy the Space Bridge. There's enough live energon cursing through it to achieve detonation. But we lack the firepower to ignite it."
"If I knew how the Space Bridge was engineered, I might find a tactical way of accomplishing that feat," Ratchet replies.
"Would schematics help?" they hear Raf ask.
There's silence for a few moments before Ratchet speaks again.
"Optimus, I must say the Space Bridge is our sole hope of ever returning to Cybertron. Are you certain it's destruction is the only option?"
"I am afraid so," he responds grimly.
"Then by all means let us light our darkest hour," Ratchet declares determinedly.
Optimus then looks over in the direction of the Nemesis, spotting Megatron flying straight towards them.
"Autobots, take your positions, and follow Ratchet's lead," he orders. "While I make my stand."
They nod in acceptance, and Elita gives him a concerned look before rushing off, leading the Autobots away. Optimus then turns around to face Megatron as he comes in for a landing. Transforming, the Decepticon leader lands on the Space Bridge with a heavy stomp, and smirks at Optimus.
"Your fellow Autobots are wise, Optimus. They know when to retreat," he remarks.
"I hold no illusions about engaging your army, Megatron. But I might derail it's objective by removing it's head," Optimus declares, whipping out his sword.
Megatron laughs in pure, mocking amusement.
"Highly unlikely, Optimus, as I am infused with their very might!" he states fiercely. "After I'm finished with Earth, I might just pay the Andromedans a visit! I'm curious to see how well Elita's 'savior' has been since our last encounter."
Optimus narrows his optics coldly at Megatron, who smirks back at him with a glimmer of cruel delight in his gleaming purple optics.
"You will never achieve your goals, Megatron," he states determinedly.
"As if you can stop me, Optimus," he retorts.
"One shall stand, one shall fall," Optimus declares.
The two opposing warriors state each other down for a few long seconds, narrowing their optics at each other. Then with a loud warcry, Megatron brings out his sword and charges at Optimus.
Optimus swiftly moves forwards to meet him head on. Megatron flips through the air and slashes his sword down on Optimus. The two exchange blows with each other, skillfully dueling with their swords until Optimus gets the upperhand by hitting Megatron in the face.
Megatron is sending skidding backwards a good distance, jabbing his sword into the ground to stop himself. Optimus dashed forwards and brings his blade down heavily on him. Raising his blade in time, Megatron blocks his strike and pushes back with an angry glare on his face.
The two continue to battle it out with each other, while he sight of an entire planet-full of Terracons slowly draws closer to the portal above them, echoing roars audible through the vortex.
Autobot Outpost Omega One - Earth
Alex POV...
Agent Fowler is now wide awake again, albeit still a little loose in the head, and is currently watching a monitor displaying dark energon signatures, which are growing more numerous.
"These things are getting closer," he says uneasily, looking back at us. "That's bad, right?"
"End-of-the-world bad. Yup," I confirm with a nod.
"Ratchet, we're in position," Elita says.
"Elita, pay close attention," he replies.
On his screen was a schematic of the Space Bridge, highlighting a valve.
Space Bridge - Earth's orbit
3rd person POV...
Optimus stumbles backwards as Megatron bashes him in the face. He then reaches down to his abdomen with a pained groan as he's slashed there, and raises his sword.
Megatron lashes out with his sword, and cuts Optimus's blade in half like it was made of paper. The broken sword flips through the air and stabs itself into the floor far away. Bringing his arm back with a grin, Megatron then delivers a fierce uppercut, which sends Optimus flying into the air.
Time seemed to pass by slowly while Optimus lingered in the air, gazing at the other side of the Space Bridge, but he's brought back to real time when Megatron grabs his ankle and slams him against the ground before throwing him away.
Optimus groans in pain, his chassis sparking as he gets to his hands and knees. Megatron stalks up towards him triumphantly, raising his sword to deliver the killing blow.
"Master?"
Megatron pauses mid swing, startled, and then snarls with fury at the interruption.
"Starscream, what is it?!" he demands.
"I do not wish to question your all-seeing wisdom, but I believe the Autobots are up to something again. Beneath your bridge this time," Starscream informs him.
A smile spreads across Megatron's face and he chuckles in realization.
"Ah, misdirection, Optimus!" he sneers in amusement. "You would have made a fine Decepticon!"
Megatron brings his sword up again and swings down at Optimus's head, but the Autobot leader brings his damaged blade up just in time to block the strike. He groans in exertion but pushes back enough to glare at his foe.
"I chose my side," he unwaveringly declares.
Shoving their swords aside, Optimus switches out his blade for his cannon and aims it directly into Megatron's abdomen. He unleashes a powerful shot that blows Megatron far away. Scowling in frustration, the Decepticon leader evades a few more shots and then transforms into his jet mode, blasting off in the direction of the other Autobots.
"Starscream, my army approaches. Rendezvous with the Space Bridge for pick-up," he orders through his comlink.
Meanwhile, Bulkhead and Ironhide remain on the lookout for any approaching Decepticons while the others focus on the engineering, listening to Ratchet's instructions.
"Now follow the line from the flow regulator to the energon pump. There should be a valve," he tells them.
"I see it," Elita replies.
"Good. To turn all that power against itself, all you need to do is reverse the current," he says.
Elita presses a button to bring up the valvue, the handlebars extending. Grabbing them with both hands, she grunts in exertion and then turns the valve all the way around.
"Current reversed," she reports.
"Yes!" Fowler exclaims. "...Right?"
"I'll ready the Ground Bridge," Ratchet says.
Ironhide continues to look around with narrowed optics, alarm filling him when he spots Megatron approaching.
"Watch your six!" he warns the others.
Ironhide fires his cannons at Megatron and the rest of the 'Bots quickly follow his lead, unleashing their payload of blue energon blasts. Unfortumately, Megatron easily evades their blasts before turning towards them in a strafing run. With a yell, he unleashes a swift barrage of purple energon blasts at the Autobots. He misses most of them, most of his focus being on Elita.
One particular shot is sent directly at Elita's chest, and time seems to slow down before it hit while she stares at it with wide optics. However, Arcee dashes forwards and shoves her out of the way to take the hit instead. She cries out in pain and is slammed into the ground by the force of the impact before floating off lifelessly into space.
"Arcee!" Elita cries out in horror.
The Space Bridge then begins to come apart as the energon within begins to implode. Massive sections of the structure come apart, wild and erratic blue lines of energy surging out from the damaged areas. Optimus covers his face for a moment and then takes off at a sprint, running away from the pieces that are coming apart. Megatron completely disregards this as he flies back up to the center of the portal, transforming to gaze at his approaching army.
Glancing behind him, Megatron widens his optics in outrage upon seeing the Nemesis is nowhere to be found.
"Starscream, where is my ship?!" he roars.
"We would never make it, Lord Megatron. Don't be a fool! Take flight and retreat!" Starscream urges.
Back on the exploding Space Bridge portal, Optimus continues to outrun the destruction, heading towards the very edge of the structure when he receives a transmission from Ratchet.
"Optimus, the Ground Bridge is ready and waiting," Ratchet reports.
"Autobots, jump!" Optimus exclaims.
He leaps off the side of the Space Bridge, allowing the gravitational pull coming from the other side of the Ground Bridge to pull him in. The rest of the Autobots quickly follow him, although Elita and Bumblebee set their sights on Arcee. Bumblebee jumps off of a spiring rock in her direction and then catches Arcee, much to Elita's relief. Together, the team of Autobots fall safely through the Ground Bridge, which closes behind them.
Megatron remains hovering in front of the Space Bridge portal, disregarding all of the damage happening to it as he watches the terracons surging forth.
"My legion…" he murmurs, a small smile on his face.
A massive explosion from the portal above him gets Megatron's attention, and he widens his eyes in alarm, looking back at his army.
"No!" he growls determinedly.
Megatron moves closer to the portal and reaches his hand out. The terracon in front also reaches its arm out, trying to make contact with its master in a sense of desperation. The two are mere moments away from touching each others hands when the Space Bridge explodes.
The entire structure collapses in on itself and explodes in a massive burst of Space Bridge energy, blowing outwards like a miniature supernova. The blast wave reaches the back engines of the Nemesis as it moves further away, but doesn't do any damage.
Having watched the explosion from his position on the bridge, Starscream smirks to himself triumphantly, but covers it up, adopting a look of sadness as he addresses the ship.
"Decepticons! It is with deep sorrow, that I note for the log... Megatron's spark has been extinguished," he says with a grim shake of his head, only to smile moments later. "All hail Starscream!"
Brawl regards Starscream with a scathing glare of fury and disgust, then glances at Soundwave. The silent Decepticon doesn't give any indication to his thoughts, but they both share the same idea.
With Starscream proclaiming himself leader of the Decepticons now, it would be wise to keep a close eye on him.
Autobot Outpost Omega One
Alex POV...
The Ground Bridge tunnel has been open now for some time, but nobody has gotten through yet. I'm not afraid to admit that I'm worried for them, particularly Elita. Raf turns to Ratchet, a nervous look on his face.
"Do you think they're...?" he asks slowly.
Ratchet looks down at his arm, observing some sort of screen.
"Six life signals," he cautiously reports. "One very faint."
The statement has us all worried, and we watch the portal anxiously. Eventually though, a large shape appears out of the portal, revealing Optimus Prime standing there in all of his glory, standing in a pretty heroic pose. Ironhide lumbers through next, his cannons going away as he stands beside Optimus. The two move out of the way to allow room for the rest to exit as well. Miko grins happily when Bulkhead walks through, appearing unharmed.
"Bulkhead!" she exclaims.
She runs down the stairs to Bulkhead, who crouches down and quietly offers her a hand so she could hug it. Jack, Raf and I look up when our guardians enter the base next, worry and concern filling us. Bumblebee is carrying a limp and lifeless Arcee in his arms, Elita standing right beside him and look down worriedly. Jack takes a few steps forwards, his eyes growing watery, and I lay a supportive arm on his shoulder, looking at him sympathetically. Miko and Raf do the same, and the Ground Bridge closes.
"We lost one this week, by the Allspark, don't let it be two," Ratchet says anxiously.
Jack takes a few steps forwards and lightly touches Arcee's hand, which manages to spur some motion from her as she opens her optics to gaze down at him.
"Arcee..." he says quietly.
"Jack, really? There are other motorcycles in the world," she murmurs.
"But you're my first," he smiles in reply.
Bumblebee and Elita help Arcee stand on her feet, and she seems to have recovered somewhat, smiling down at Jack herself. I look over at Elita with a big smile, and she gives one of her own
"And Megatron?" Ratchet asks.
"He's a tough fragger, but I don't think even he could've survived that," Ironhide remarks.
"Prime!" Fowler suddenly exclaims, and we look over as he steps into the elevator. "I didn't get to thank you 'Bots, for the save. I owe you one. We all do."
The elevator doors closes in front of him, leaving us in silence.
It finally starts to hit on me the fact that we just saved the Earth from yet another alien invasion. Me, a high school teenager, actually helped somewhat in the takedown of a planetary conquerer and his army of robot zombies.
"Geez..." I whisper to myself, eyes wide.
Miko scurries over towards Optimus, getting out attention.
"So is this the part where you say good-bye and and tell us we need to forget we ever saw you?" she asks, slightly disappointed.
I look up at Elita with a frown.
"Yeah, I gotta agree with Miko on this one," I admit, and she throws me a smug grin, which I pointedly ignore. "I don't now if I'm ready to say adios to a new friend just yet."
Elita chuckles good-naturedly in response and looks at Optimus with a raised brow, expecting a response. Ironhide let's out a dismissive scoff, though he has a hint of a smile on his face.
"As long as you don't bring any rodents here," he grumbles.
Jasper, Nevada - Earth
3rd person POV...
'Without a means of leaving this world we Autobots take strength in the bonds we have forged with our four young friends.'
Miko was sitting on the steps of the school building, waving excitedly to Raf as she spots him approaching.
The door behind them opens up, allowing Jack and Alex to walk out of the building. Miko stands up and offers her an exaggerated fist bump. Alex hesitates with narrowed eyes before sighing, returning it softly.
'Much like Earth's defenders, they have shown themselves to be true warriors. If not in body, then in spirit.'
The four kids look over at the parking lot, where Elita, Bumblebee, Bulkhead, and Arcee were all parked. The Autobots open their doors and flash their lights in greeting, and they eagerly rush for their respective guardian.
'My name is Optimus Prime, and I send this message: though we did not choose to be of Earth, it would seem that we are here to stay.'
Elita, Arcee, Bumblebee and Bulkhead all drive down the road through the middle of the desert at a fast speed, heading to their charge's houses with the orange sunset gleaming in the sky.
'If you approach this planet with hostile intent, know this: we will defend ourselves. We will defend humanity. We will defend our home.'
Autobots Outpost Omega One
Charlie POV…
With the kids having been taken back to their homes by their respective guardians, the only Autobots currently in the base are Optimus, Ironhide, and Ratchet. I'm preparing to depart myself, since there's a lot I need to report back to the higher ups, and the three are seeing me off.
"Have fun with your boss," Ironhide says.
"Hmph, yeah," I reply with an exasperated shake of my head. "I'm sure he'll be just as thrilled as he was when Metropolis happened."
Ironhide scoffs in amusement while Ratchet quietly grumbles to the World Security Council hounding them all the time. Understandable, but I think I deserve the sentiment more than he does, considering I'm the one who actually has to talk to the higher ups.
"We will always be indebted to you for your support," Optimus says.
"After everything you've done, and are willing to do, in defense of humankind... this is the least I could do," I tell him sincerely.
"And we are grateful," he replies, smiling in a rare expression of emotion. "Good luck on your report, Charlie."
"Well, it'll certainly be a good one," I joke in response.
"One that I am eager to hear," a familiar voice suddenly says.
I stiffen up in surprise at the sound of the voice and swiftly turn around in his direction. Likewise, the Autobots are also surprised and do the same as me, though Ironhide takes it a step further by bringing out one of his cannons. The speaker in question is a dark skinned man wearing a black trench coat, standing in front of the monitors—facing away from us.
"When I first learned about an alien race of transforming robots, I had to expect only the worst," he starts off slowly. "But it's good to know that I can count on those like you to defend our planet when needed."
"First things first, human," Ironhide interrupts with a hard glare of suspicion. "Who the frag are you?"
Knowing who he is I grimace at Ironhide's disrespectful tone, Optimus seeming to realize the same thing as me.
"Easy," he raises a servo to placate him.
The man turns around and takes a few steps forwards into the light, revealing an African-American man with no hair, wearing an eye patch across one eye.
"Nick Fury. Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.," he states calmly.
Ironhide blinks his optics in surprise, lowering his weapon and putting it away. Ratchet is just as stunned, but more so confused.
"Huh," Ironhide remarks.
"I know you like keeping tabs on everything, sir," I start to say with a cautious expression. "But I wasn't expecting to see you out here."
"That's because I make it a point to have meetings on my own terms, Agent," Fury reminds me.
"To what do we owe the pleasure, Director Fury?" Optimus greets him politely.
"Due to recent events that have occurred over the last few months, your skirmish in space included, S.H.I.E.L.D. has started to notice a pattern that warrants a response greater than we seem able to provide," Fury explains.
"As long as the Decepticons maintain a presence here, Director Fury, you be assured that we will do everything in our power to defend your planet from the threat they pose," Optimus tells him.
"Maybe so, but they aren't the only threat to us out there," he replies sternly.
"It is a big universe," Ironhide grunts in acknowledgement. "What's this about?"
I'm starting to get a pretty good idea of what Fury is implying, and it's leaving me even more surprised than before. He wouldn't be this direct about the initiative unless he suspects that something else is coming soon.
"There is an idea, several years in the making, to bring together a group of remarkable people, to see if they can become something more than what they would ever be alone," Fury explains, looking around at all of them. "So that when we need them, they can fight the battles that we never could."
"Do you believe this is the best move, sir?" I cautiously ask him.
" I wouldn't be here if I didn't think so," he replies.
"I can't help but believe that we're already doing what you're suggesting," Ratchet comments with some skepticism.
"The Avengers Initiative is about more than just your war with the Decepticons," Fury states in disagreement. "I'm here to see if you're willing to become a part of it."
I look at the Autobots to observe their reactions, though Optimus is my main focus. His facial expression is stern and impassive, as always, though I believe I can make out a faint look of contemplation in his optics, mixed in with uncertainty.