Chapter 17: Birth
Four hours later.
"Rejoice Cybertron, rejoice!"
Megatron looked down at the podium, and then up at the sea of faces beneath him.
Beneath the still damaged Citadel, as the sun shined down on them. He stood on the very balcony where he had slain Zeta Prime, and dropped Orion Pax.
"The reign of corrupt Primes has fallen! The senate has gone into hiding, and Cybertron finally belongs to the people!"
The crowd let out a round of applause, as the decepticon sympathizers were out in full force on this day
"The autobots are no more, the Primes are no more. The council has fled. It is our world now, my friends!" Megatron shouted. "It belongs to you! To each and every one of you! And as my first act, I am signing legislation to increase all wages, planetwide!"
The crowd's applause was louder this time, but there was a ripple of uncertainty to it.
Word of Altihex's destruction was spreading. And it was understandably not going over well.
"Of course, with all great change, comes resistance. And that is why all autobots are to be turned over immediately if discovered. These rebels are not to be trusted, and there will be consequences for any civilians found harboring them." Megatron continued, sternly.
The crowd seemed a bit more cautious now.
"I have installed a new chief of police, who will be charged with enforcing our new laws, and hunting down any remaining autobot rebels. I would like to introduce Barricade."
Barricade walked up beside Megatron, the decepticon badge proudly on his chest.
"Cooperate with him and all will be well." Megatron stated, looking down at them all, at the faces of his subjects. His expression softened.
"This day...I thought once that it would never come." He said, bowing his helm. "It is your world now. It belongs no longer to the elites, to the wealthy, the corrupt. It belongs to you! To us! To all of us! Celebrate, Cybertron! Our future is secure!"
The crowd erupted into applause, and Megatron felt pride swell within him.
All the sacrifice had been worth it. He had won.
Miles away, underneath the city, and beyond the sewer system, the battered, wounded autobots were making themselves at home.
It had taken hours of driving evasively, but they had been able to leave the Seekers behind, and reach the Primal bunker.
The bunker had metallic silver walls, a large monitor screen, a few side rooms, including a medibay, a modest armory, and more than a dozen recharge slabs. It was meant for an army. This wasn't exactly an army.
Hound was doing his best, as the closest thing to a medic, to fix the damaged autobots, who had all received various injuries during their escape from the Citadel.
Ultra Magnus let out a sigh as he stared at the speech on the monitor.
"He has enough public support. Not overwhelming. But enough." He said, letting out a long vent.
Prowl stood next to him, watching the screen with worry.
"Magnus, six autobots don't stand a chance against this. He's got an army, a weapon capable of wiping out cities, and he's got the public on his side. Perhaps our best options remain off world."
"Prowl, I really hope I don't hear you suggesting we leave Cybertron." Arcee called from one of the slabs.
"I'm suggesting we find a way to stay alive. Cybertron just became a very dangerous place for us." Prowl replied, turning to look at her.
"Especially for you." Arcee said, standing up and walking over. "Megatron has a personal hatred for you, doesn't he?"
Prowl frowned.
"He has a vendetta against me, yes, but I don't see how that...what are you suggesting?"
"I'm suggesting that fear is clouding your judgement." Arcee replied, optics narrowed. "You're afraid of Megatron finding you."
"I'm afraid of Megatron finding any of us." Prowl replied angrily. "Arcee, we're not a part of his sparkling future worldview, we're standing in front of it. He'll tear past us to bring about his 'golden age.'"
"Arcee, Prowl's right." Ultra Magnus said regretfully. "We don't have the manpower needed to mount even a weak resistance. He'll find us, it's only a matter of time."
Arcee shook her helm. "Magnus, there were over 5,000 autobots on Cybertron before this started. 3,000 we have to assume died with Altihex. Another couple hundred on the Citadel. Is it devastating, absolutely, but there have to still be autobots out there." She said, pointing at the monitor.
"We just need to find a way to reach them."
Sideswipe and Sunstreaker snuck down a side street, edging past civilians.
"How long before we take these things off?" Sunstreaker asked, pointing to his badge. "This is idiotic, cons are everywhere."
"We haven't run into one yet." Sideswipe replied. "And we have the safehouse in the Acrolight district. We get there, we'll be golden."
"Okay but why wear it?!" Sunstreaker demanded.
Sideswipe turned to him angrily. He let out a quick vent.
"Because it means something. Because they gave us a chance."
"Sides, they gave us brooms, this badge is a walking death sentence." Sunstreaker protested, eyeing the other commuters nervously.
"That's how I know it means something." Sideswipe replied, touching the badge. "People have died for this, Sunny."
They continued on, reaching a roadway, and transformed, driving at a modest speed down the road, so as not to draw too much attention to themselves.
From above, a small black metal bird watched them.
Laserbeak scanned their frames, then sent a pulse back to the Citadel.
Bumblebee's optics onlined, and he let out a gasp of terror.
He was surrounded by debris. And darkness.
But he was uninjured. He tried to stand, and found that the area he was in was too small.
He had fallen into a cave, in Cybertron's surface. It looked artificial, like it had been drilled, for mining.
It had saved him from the rust. He looked up, seeing sunlight peeking through a hole above him.
He began to climb, his hands grabbing hold of the pieces of debris with relative ease. The light got closer and closer, and Bumblebee stopped to vent halfway, his frame aching as he stared up at the alpha Centauri sun.
It seemed so close. But it also seemed to be concealed. A layer of brownish orange blocked it out partially.
He continued climbing up pieces of fallen building, determination building the higher he got.
Was Outback okay? How bad had the city been hit? He wasn't even sure what had hit it. It had all happened so fast.
He burst through the cave entrance, and found himself in a giant rusty wonderland.
As far as he could see, there was nothing but rust.
Fallen buildings, rusted, and on their sides, the streets gone, and the air filled with rust particles, that swirled, and clouded over the entire area.
Bumblebee covered his mouth, as he stared out at what had been Altihex.
And it occurred to him at this moment that nothing could have survived this. Everyone, everything was dead.
Altihex had been wiped off the face of Cybertron. Replaced by a giant rusty patch.
Bumblebee began to shake, as the gravity of it all hit him.
He felt the urge to cough, and collapsed to his knees, hacking up bits of rust.
Then he purged, stale energon spilling onto the floor.
The air. The ground. Had once been millions of people. Now it was just dust in the wind.
Entire lives reduced to particles.
The energon river finally ended in a large, yet surprisingly shallow reservoir.
It was a massive chamber, with ornate walls, and pure, clear energon.
It was here that Orion Pax was dumped, washing up on the shallow metals, his optics still flickering.
It was cool. The energon felt so pure.
A good place to die.
But his dying was interrupted.
"It is time to wake up." A female voice called.
It was gentle. Ancient. Dreamlike.
Orion stirred. His battered frame slow to react to the call.
His autobot badge, soiled, but still visible.
"Orion Pax." The voice called out.
Orion's optics onlined, and he tilted his helm.
"This is...the afterspark?" He asked weakly.
"No." The voice replied.
Orion let out a groan of pain, as he tried to sit up. He gripped his side, and the memories flowed back to him. The realization of what had happened on the Citadel.
"I failed. I failed everyone." He groaned, regret wracking his weak spark. "My autobots...They're in danger...because of me."
"Your world is in danger." The voice replied. "Cybertron cries out in pain. It's future is dark and uncertain. But destiny has sent us a champion."
Orion turned and tried to stand up, but collapsed back into the energon, his leg ruined.
"Orion Pax. You have been chosen." The voice called.
In the center of the room, a metal orb lowered. Orion squinted to see it through his damaged optics.
Then, it slid open, and Pax put up his hand.
Blinded by a bright blue light.
Sideswipe and Sunstreaker screamed past a side street, as sirens wailed behind them.
"I told you not losing the badges was a bad idea!" Sunstreaker shouted.
Runamuck was bearing down on them, with Breakdown and Runabout on either side of him.
"Yeah in retrospect..." Sideswipe began.
"Shut up! I'll get us out of this." Sunstreaker snarled, turning and skidding off the road, and plunging straight down, transforming as he fell.
Sideswipe jumped off as well, both mechs landing on an off ramp, and sliding downward, before breaking into a full sprint.
Runamuck slammed on his brakes, then turned and continued pursuit.
The twins sprinted down a side street, as fast as their frames could take them.
"Autobots." A voice called. "This alleyway. Quickly."
Sunstreaker and Sideswipe froze mid sprint.
"Who said that?!" Sunstreaker demanded, pulling out a gun.
From the alleyway, a blue and white mech materialized, causing both twins to jump back. He hung onto the fire exit of the building, and looked down at the two.
"I am Mirage." He said, beckoning to them. "This way brothers. To salvation."
"It's a trap." Sunstreaker stated. "Too convenient. Let's keep going sides."
Mirage rolled his optics, already irritated with the yellow twin.
"Wait here for the decepticons then." He said, turning to walk away
"Hey hold up!" Sideswipe called, running after the mech. "He just says stupid things sometimes, we're still coming with you!"
Sunstreaker let out a growl, looking back at the approaching decepticons.
"Frag it." He muttered, running after Sideswipe.
"What...is this?" Orion asked, staring through cracked optics at the blue orb.
"It is the key to saving Cybertron." The voice replied. "It has been held by few over the eons, but today, it is your turn to claim it."
Orion shook his helm, lowering it to the energon.
"I am not worthy." He replied, purging some energon, as his tanks began to shut down. "I am a fool. I have failed...I cannot carry this burden."
"Perhaps." The voice replied. "But none of what has happened to you today happens by accident, Orion Pax. You are only alive now because Primus has ordained it."
Orion frowned.
"Primus...?"
"Your world is dying, Orion Pax. Your friend is destroying it. You must make it right. Fulfill your destiny."
Orion's optics focused, and he looked at the blue light.
And realized it was contained inside a small sphere, with two handles.
"Take the matrix of leadership, Orion." The voice called.
"It...cannot be." Orion's optics widened as he gazed upon it.
"Destiny is calling you Orion. But you must reach it. You are dangerously close to death."
Orion began to crawl, his optics narrowing, determination in his ruined frame.
"I can reach it..." He muttered.
"If you do not, Cybertron will fall, and your friends will die. Primus is calling upon you, Orion. Answer him."
Orion gritted his teeth, as he struggled towards it.
Dragging his own failing body across the shallow energon, dripping as he held out his hand.
Reaching for the matrix.
"Closer, Orion. Closer..."
Pax could feel his spark seizing. He was losing feeling in his legs. The pain was fading. A feeling of terrifying numbness filling his frame.
Death was taking hold.
He let out a groan of desperation.
And he heaved himself forward.
Grabbing the handle of the ancient relic in his slippery, damaged hand.
First there was nothing.
Then he felt a surge of energy course through his body, a jolt, as his entire frame began to vibrate with power. More power than he had ever known.
And it caused his body to repair itself.
And reshape.
He was being repaired and unmade at the same time. He let out a groan of pain as it tore through his circuits, remaking every fiber of his frame.
He could feel his metals expanding, his grip on the matrix tightening as he felt his weak, damaged body not only fix itself, but improve.
He felt himself steadied, he felt death's grip on him ripped away, as he was filled with new life.
A second chance. A chance he might not have deserved. But a chance he had been given.
He was being rebuilt. It was painful. But he felt the strength to endure the pain now.
His legs, thicker, stronger now. He could stand again.
The red and blue mech rose up, his body much larger, and more powerful than it had been.
As the energy began to wane, the final touch, a metal faceplate slid over his mouth. It felt like it had been fitted for him. It felt right. He reached up and touched it.
He held the matrix in his other hand. Staring at it through what almost felt like new optics.
"You are now one of the 13. Protector of Cybertron, leader of the autobots. And only you can save our world." The voice called out.
He looked down as his new chest opened, and the matrix levitated inside, his chest windows sealing it inside of him.
Then he looked up, at the source of the voice in front of him.
"Arise, Optimus Prime." She called.
Music: Stay and Fight by Steve Jablonsky