A/N: Phew, that was a long one to write, but here it is! Hope you all enjoy, have a good long weekend(Cuz its the long weekend in Canada right now of this chapter's release) and LET US BEGIN!
Chapter 21-New Leaders, Birthing of a Faction
Chaos, it's the only word to describe what was playing out before Elita. She was currently engaged in battle with Cascade while the other Autobots dealt with Soundwave and the rest of the Decepticons he had brought with him.
And Cascade was not an easy opponent, her style was fast and ruthless.
Elita blocked again with her sword, having changed it when Cascade had launched herself at her. Cascade kept thrusting and slashing with her Punching Daggers with Elita blocking them to her best, receiving cut marks up and down her arms.
Cascade kicked the femme away, trying to throw her off balance, but Elita held firm.
This time the Pink femme charged the Decepticon, slashing across her chest before being blocked and thrown away by Cascade.
The dark femme laughed, "You never give up, don't you Elita?"
She stared back at Cascade, "I thought you liked that about me?" She said with a sarcastic tone.
"Ha, if only." Cascade roared as she went into a flurry of attacks, Elita being taken flat footed could only take the hits, cuts and dents were put into her before one roundhouse kick made her crumple into the ground.
Cascade stood over her enemy as one of her punching daggers transformed into a blaster, the red light shone on the beaten face of Elita-One.
"You lose, pretty femme." She smirked as the blaster powered up only for Elita to look into the red optics of the Decepticon with a smirk.
"No, you've lost." Cascade was confused, only when she looked around did she understand why, the Autobots had destroyed the Eradicons and had pushed Soundwave back, he himself was dented and leaking Energon with his visor cracked and chipped.
Elita took the moment to push the blaster out of her face grabbing it and pulling Cascade down before kicking her away. The dark femme vented heavily, as her wounds finally caught up with her.
"Then it seems we should take our leave then, but know this Elita-One, only I will be victories in this war of ours, One shall stand….." Elita glared, knowing the next words.
"One shall fall…." Elita growled, Cascade smirked before running around and in between the Autobots, none of them being able to hold their ground against Cascade as pushed and knocked them out of way, Soundwave quickly opened a bridge and the pair disappeared from the hot sun of the Sahara Desert.
There was a silence as a wind blew across the plain whipping up sand briefly.
"So….where's Optimus?" Elita finally asked, the others looked to each other with frowns, something was wrong Elita thought.
"What is it? What's wrong?" She asked, her voice becoming dark.
Arcee stepped forward, "Optimus...has betrayed the Autobot cause…"
The world seemed to stop for the pink femme, in the quietest voice anyone had ever heard she asked one question.
"...What….?"
Far north of the Sahara Desert in the country of France in it's capital city of Paris, a car chase was in pursuit. A red semi truck with no trailer was being tailed by four black SUV's and several police cars behind them.
Gunshots bounced off the cab of the semi as it did it's best to weave and dodge through the narrow streets of Paris, which was not easy for such a big vehicle such as this one.
Optimus was regretting his alt mode now.
"Who the hell are the Embrace and what do they want?!" Megatron yelled out as they took another tight turn, next to him was Eleanor holding the Lightbringer Staff, but she looked a bit different.
Her red hair now had streaks of white running through it and her metallic arms and legs which were silver and black were now a pure white making them almost look doll like. She wore a white and gold dress with her necklace and ring as always and her eyes had returned to normal but her emerald green eyes having specks of white in them now.
Eleanor stared out the front window like a statue, it seemed like her mind was somewhere else as she didn't react to the bullets or the tight turns, yet she answered her lover's question almost robotically.
"They are from America, their full name is the Order of the Embrace and they are the ones that took me." Megatron's widened.
"You mean the men in the masks?" She sighed, keeping her eyes forward but going on.
"Yes, when I activated the staff memories started coming back, but their jumbled right now, I have to sort through them and even then it's not the full picture, the only thing I got out of this mess was who they were and why they are after me, or well partly."
"Partly? What do you mean by that?" Megatron asked, she looked him dead in the eye.
"It's only a name, but they want me because I have something to do with something called Project Superior." They took another tight turn before straightening out.
"How long until you have your memory restored?" Optimus asked as he started to make his way to the countryside.
"I...don't know." Now out in the countryside without the police presence had they had shook them off in the city it was just the trio and the the four black SUV's.
Bullets stopped suddenly, Optimus looked in his rear view seeing someone leaning out of the car with a rocket launcher. It fired, he quickly swerved but wasn't unable to dodge it completely, as the explosion hit it forced him to take robot mode again, with Megatron and Eleanor landing in his palm.
The cars stopped and men in black combat gear and masked rushed out with two at the head of the group that now surrounded the trio. They were twins of darker complexion, one bald the other with black hair tied back, the man and the women looked impressed upon Optimus.
"Now that is impressive, isn't it brother?" The women asked the man who smirked.
"Indeed sister, we may just hit the jackpot." Optimus narrowed his optics down at the pair.
"Who are you two and what do you want, we know you are of the Order of the Embrace." Optimus growled, Eleanor shifted in his hand but he ignored it.
"Ah so you do know who we work for, well then, I am Dawn and this is my twin brother Dusk, pleasure." Her twin picked it up.
"Now hand her over, if you know who we are then you know we are here for her alone." Dusk huffed, their grey eyes trying to find purchase on Eleanor who had shifted closer to Optimus chassis.
"That is not happening." Megatron growled as he jumped from the Prime's palm transforming back into his cybertronian form, now both glared down at the humans assembled before them, hushed voices murmured through the men before Dawn held her hand up silencing them.
"Wow, that is something alright, hm, take them all, I am sure the Overseer and the Doctor will want to study them further." The more heavy duty weapons were now pointed at the Cybertronians, as both stood their ground Optimus felt a pulse of power.
He looked down at Eleanor who looked back up with white eyes once more, she turned and walked off his hand only to float there, the men and twins looked up in shock as a myriad of voices echoed through her lips.
"Leave us at once, or face my wrath!" Dawn and Dusk smirked.
"You have your orders, FIRE!" The heavy weapons all fired at once only for an explosion of white hot burning light to engulf the three as the artillery burned away.
They back away from the scorching heat and white light before it vanished.
Each of the trio stood there with Eleanor remaining unfazed and unchanged by the light but now both Megatron and Optimus stood by her side, changed.
Optimus now was painted black and purple with the Crown of Shadows on his helm, the crown seemed to extend down on his faceplate and the red and blue substance glowed in the low light, he wore a clasp over his shoulders and chest that was intricate in design made of deep grey metal, hanging from it was a black cloak that shifted at the bottom like swirling shadows, his armor was more refined and slender making him more agile and his deep blue eyes were pure black.
Megatron didn't change as much as Optimus as him being without his blade still like Eleanor and her crown. His crown now covered his entire helm and seemed to glow with more power, his red optics had turned grey with smoke rising off of them, his steel color was more grey with blue highlights.
On all three of them was a symbol emblazoned onto them, where the factions symbols rested and on Eleanor's top palm was a black filled circle with with the corona of a sun shining around it and grey and blue wings extending out from it.
Eleanor's voice boomed a thousand voices once more.
"We are not yours to take, and we will not stand idle by while you try to take what you believe is yours. We are your enemies," She paused as she narrowed her white eyes.
"WE. ARE. THE PEACEMAKERS!"
Optimus lifted the Black Judgement and slammed it onto the ground, the shadows the clung everywhere shooted to were the Peacemakers stood before engulfing them completely and shooting off millions of miles per hour East leaving the Embrace soldiers along with Dawn and Dusk in a relative shocked silence.
Elita-One sat on a medical berth in the Autobot base, healing like the others from their wounds, they all surrounded her with Agent Fowler to the side having met the new femme. She was trying to absorb all the information giving to her, and trying to speak but the words failed her.
"I know this is a lot to take in, but I have one more question to ask and I know this is a bad time but…." Arcee trailed off looking down, Elita frowned.
"What is it?" She asked softly, Arcee looked up then to everyone else who nodded at her before she asked the pink femme.
"Without a leader we are directionless, I know back on Cybertron you were one of the greatest Leaders besides Optimus, so we are asking if you will lead us against the Decepticons." Elita's blue optics were wide.
"You want me to lead...this team?" They all nodded, Ratchet saying.
"We need someone like you Elita, without Optimus we have lost ground against the Decepticons, we need someone to fill the vacuum and you are our best option."
She thought for a moment, this team did need a leader. But was she right for such a task, and after everything, what about Optimus? Was there a reason behind his actions, of course there was the mech thought of everything. It was a honor to lead the Prime's team, and she could guide them to victory and answers.
She looked up back at the anxious bots and human.
"I'll do it." For now, the words silent in her mind.
"HE DID WHAT?!" The scream echoed throughout the Nemesis as Cascade punched the nearest poor Vechicon, Starscream shook in fear while Knockout and Breakdown were on the opposite end of the room with Soundwave standing nearest to the raging femme, both had been mostly healed from their wounds.
"You mean to tell me, that my BROTHER, MEGATRON, of all mechs, BETRAYED the CAUSE!?" She screamed into Starscream's face as she towered over the cowering seeker.
"...Y-Yes..?" He said quietly, he waited for the punch that was to come but it never came as suddenly laughter bubbled up from Cascade, it was a laughter only Megatron could hope to recreate.
"So, he's finally gone. Well not dead gone but close enough, finally. Soundwave, broadcast this message across the ship then to the stars." He nodded, a satisfied smirk under his visor.
He began to record. "To all Decepticon's, on this day I have learned of my Brother's betrayal, Megatron has abandoned the cause but it will go on without him. Thusly, from this day forward I, Lady Cascade, am the sole ruler of the Decepticons, if any think I am unfit then come and face me in battle, and trust me you will lose," She looked to Starscream with a deadly smirk, "Soundwave has now become my Second in Command and thusly has complete authority on all matters, anything and everything goes through him then me.'
'We may have lost our founder on this day, but the cause he built is something much bigger than could hope to control, we are Decepticons, and we will have our VICTORY! Glory to the NEW DECEPTICON EMPIRE, ALL HAIL LADY CASCADE!"
Then the video cuts to black.