This is a remake of the Animated Series. While I did like the Animated Series, I thought I could add some things. Also, Optimus' role in the remake will change, along with Sari's. And while Megatron will make some appearances in the first season, Starscream will serve as the main antagonist. There will be OCs as well.
TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED - Remake Season 1
Episode 1: Transform and Roll Out Part 1 - Autobots! Decepticons!
Many millions of years ago, war raged between the forces of the heroic Autobots and the brutal Decepticons for control of the planet Cybertron.
The Autobots battled valiantly in the name of honor, their courageous exploits bringing hope and glory to a beleaguered, war torn planet and inspiring countless generations of robots yet to come online.
"What a load of scrap metal," Ratchet grunted as he walked to the bridge of the spaceship. "Why do you waste your time with those old history vids?"
Field Medic - Ratchet
"All the great Autobot Leaders learned from the past," Optimus responded.
Team Leader - Optimus Prime
"Look around, Prime. The Great War ended centuries ago."
"But you were there, Ratchet; you saw some action even from the Dynasty of the Primes. What were the Decepticons really like?"
"Trust me, kid. It's best you do not know."
"They're really that bad?"
"Yeah, and we lost a lot of friends in that war, and their founder was the reason the Dynasty of the Primes ended. Anyway, looks like the others need a hand," Ratchet said, pointing at the window.
"Bumblebee!" Bulkhead grunted. "My wrecking ball's stuck again!"
Optimus sighed, walking out of the ship with Ratchet. "Ratchet, there is another thing that bothers me."
"What is it?"
"It's about the Dynasty of the Primes. Is it related to the rank, 'Prime,' Autobots like me are given?"
"You've sure done your homework. As for the answer, they are, in a way, related, but the line ended when the Matrix of Leadership was lost like the Allspark."
"What ever happened to the Matrix of Leadership?" Optimus asked.
"This happened during the beginning of the Great War. As you are aware, the Matrix chooses the bearer; unfortunately, no one was chosen, thus the end of the Dynasty. The Decepticons feared the small possibility of the return of a Prime, thus the attempts to destroy or seize it. The sole surviving Prime, Alpha Trion, made the ultimate sacrifice by sending the Matrix away into space until its eventual return."
"And it hasn't returned yet?"
"Alpha Trion said it'll return, but didn't say when."
Optimus and Ratchet finally reached the airlock and pushed the green button to open it. They transformed into their vehicle modes and headed off toward the duo.
Meanwhile, with the stuck Bulkhead...
"I don't like heights, Bumblebee!" Bulkhead groaned, still dangling in the air.
Heavy Hitter - Bulkhead
"Cool your circuits, Bulkhead! I'm working as fast as I can, and you know there's no 'bot faster!" Bumblebee said, scrambling up the pile of rocks. He reached the area where Bulkhead's cable was stuck. Bumblebee fired his stingers and then started stomping the area around the wrecking ball. This made Bulkhead nauseous.
Scout - Bumblebee
"Oh! I think I'm gonna blow a gasket!"
"Keep your calm, Bulkhead. I'll have you down in two nano-clicks," Wheeljack called calmly, tinkering with what looked like a high-tech rifle.
Scientist - Wheeljack
"Um, Wheeljack?" Bulkhead groaned from above. "If it's ok, I'd rather just wait for Bumblebee to finish this."
"Nonsense," Wheeljack said as he cocked the weapon. "My new pulse-rifle should be perfect to jar loose the rocks your wrecking ball's stuck in."
"But you made that thing yourself, right?" Bumblebee asked nervously.
"Yeeeah. And?" Wheeljack inquired, raising an eyebrow.
"No offense, man…but nine times out of ten your contraptions backfire. Badly. And we don't want to be on the wrong end of it."
"I'll have you know, this 'contraption' is perfectly safe," Wheeljack grumbled as he mounted the rifle onto his shoulder. "Now, stay still. I don't want to jar loose any of your limbs if I can help it."
Both Bumblebee and Bulkhead covered their faces.
"Aaand, click." Wheeljack aimed and pressed the trigger.
A bird's eye view of the asteroid showed a localized explosion taking place. Both Optimus and Ratchet arrived at the scene.
"Alright," Optimus sighed, looking at the three 'bots lying in the crater. "What seems to be the problem?"
"Nothing, nothing," Wheeljack muttered as he rubbed his head, getting up. "Just looks like I need to go over some of my schematics again."
"Tch! Another backfire, huh?" Ratchet said, shaking his head. "Most 'bots would've gotten a clue by now."
"And what's THAT supposed to mean?" Wheeljack demanded, glaring.
"I'm saying that maybe – just MAYBE – you're simply not cut out to be a science-bot." Ratchet's tone made it clear that he thought no two ways about it.
"I'll have you know my genius took part in creating the weapons project that helped the Autobots win the Great War!" he snarled, getting into Ratchet's face.
"I know! I was dragged into that project myself, remember? And you "took part" in it! If you hadn't had Perceptor ironing out the messes in your wake, the project would probably have been doomed from day one!" Ratchet snarled right back.
"Sheesh. Those two never let up, do they?" Bumblebee muttered, getting back up as the two older 'bots stood growling at each other, literally butting heads.
"What's the situation?" Optimus asked the two younger 'bots.
"I think the technical term is, 'bunch of big honking rocks jamming space bridge,'" Bumblebee explained, pointing to the magnificent orange pair of antennae that stood behind them.
"What I can't figure out is, why would anyone want to transwarp to this Allspark-forsaken sector?" Bulkhead asked, reeling in his wrecking ball. "I mean, this used to be a battlefield?"
"I have a better question," Prowl cut in, walking up to them. "If you two played such a big role in the war as you say you did, why are you stuck out here in the middle of nowhere on such a degrading mission as this?"
Ninja - Prowl
"Prowl…" Prime spoke up, seeing the ninja-bot.
"Of course, I have no question as to why these other two are here," Prowl commented casually, pointing at Bumblebee and Bulkhead.
"Hey! That's because Sentinel is a jerk!" Bumblebee ranted.
"Things happen…" Ratchet muttered, shaking his head. "However, the main reason is personal, I'm afraid."
Wheeljack silently nodded in agreement.
The other 'bots blinked as a silent depression seemed to hover over the two older 'bots. Optimus snapped back to reality when he noticed that the asteroid was shaking. Optimus looked behind him and realized the space bridge was powering up.
"EVERYONE, HIT THE DECK!" Optimus shouted in alarm.
The space bridge shot out blue light and released a powerful shockwave, blasting the Autobots and the pile of rocks away.
"I'm hitting it! Ow! I'm hitting it!" Bumblebee yelled as he tumbled across the asteroid's surface.
Optimus shot out a grappling hook from his arm and used it to grab another rock that was floating in midair. He swung from the hook, picked Bumblebee up, and moved him to safer ground. He swung away, drew out his axe, and chopped the rocks that Ratchet had been trapped underneath to pieces, freeing him. Prowl was using the jets on his back to fly away but, at that moment, they decided to stop working, and then Prowl was falling. Luckily, Optimus' axe was rocket-powered, so he flew himself up to catch Prowl. As he and Prowl were in the air, rocks were flying towards Bulkhead and Wheeljack, so Optimus shot a net out of a cannon and got all the rocks away from them. Optimus and Prowl got back on the ground and Prowl ran as far as he could away from danger. Then, Optimus extended the handle on his axe and used it to pole-vault himself closer to the space bridge so he could fire his grappling hook straight toward the controls, shutting it down.
The team was astonished at Optimus' skills, something beyond those of a maintenance-bot. Bulkhead's large jaw was even dropped.
"Impressive," Prowl said as he walked over to Bulkhead and pushed his jaw up.
"Where'd you learn moves like those?" Bulkhead asked.
"I trained at the Autobot Academy," Optimus answered sadly.
"So, what's an Academy 'bot doing with a broken-down maintenance crew?" Ratchet asked, finishing his patch-up on Bumblebee.
"Yeah, shouldn't you be leading the Cybertron Elite Guard, or something?" Bumblebee asked.
"Everyone! Come in! What happened out there?" Arcee called out through the 'bots' com-link.
"Everything's fine, Arcee," Ratchet responded, grumbling as he touched the side of his helmet to activate his own com-link. "Just a minor hiccup with the space bridge controls. And I doubt it was caused by Wheeljack's gizmo."
"Hey!" Wheeljack cried out in protest. "I'll have you know-"
Suddenly, a glow of bright blue light interrupted Wheeljack's protest. The glow was coming from underneath a pile of debris and rocks. Optimus walked over and carefully cleared away the rocks as the 'bots crowded around in a semicircle, staring at a strange, cube-like object.
"I don't believe it!" Wheeljack whispered in astonishment.
"What is it?" Bulkhead asked.
"I don't know," Bumblebee replied. "Maybe we should take it back to the ship so the doc-bot can check it out." He reached out to touch it when he was once again halted by none other than Ratchet.
"Leave it!" Ratchet barked, causing Bumblebee's hand to jerk back. "Or, better still, throw it back through the space bridge. This thing isn't meant to be found."
"What's gotten you so spooked all of a sudden?" Optimus asked. Before Ratchet could say another word, the Autobot symbols on their bodies started blinking as their com-links once again activated.
"Guys! Get back to the ship this nano-sec!" Arcee called out in distress.
"Whoa-whoa, Arcee, calm down! What is it?"
"Teletran-1 has detected an unidentified spacecraft entering this sector! The energy signature is – you're not going to believe this – the energy signature is consistent with a Decepticon warship!"
"Decepticons? There must be a mistake! They were destroyed centuries ago," Optimus said in disbelief.
"Defeated does not necessarily mean destroyed, Prime," Wheeljack said, correcting Optimus. "But this is the first time they have entered our territory in stellar cycles! What do you think is going on, Ratchet?"
"I don't know, but I'm not staying to find out!" Ratchet said as he watched their ship hover closer. He then transformed into his vehicle mode. "What are you 'bots waiting for? Give me the object! Pronto!"
"Wait, Ratchet!" Optimus called as Prowl and Bulkhead loaded the object into his trunk. "What on Cybertron is this thing?"
"There's no time!" Ratchet yelled. "Let's move!" He took off for the ship with the rest of the team following.
The Autobot ship's cargo hatch retracted and closed, leaving the ship free to fly off.
"What on Cybertron took you so long?" Arcee snapped as Wheeljack came running onto the bridge and sat down at the controls. "This isn't exactly the best time, you know!"
Intel Officer - Arcee
"Sorry 'bout that, little lady. We kinda ran into complications."
"Complications? Like what?"
"Well…"
In the storage bay, the other Autobots carefully propped their cargo against the wall.
"You're the history-bot, Prime. Have you ever heard of the Allspark?" Ratchet asked.
"Yeah. The most powerful energy source in the universe. It gave the spark of life to all Cybertronians," Optimus answered.
"It's pretty much basic knowledge," Bulkhead pointed out. "Every'bot knows that."
"Well, here's another one for you," Ratchet said. "The only way we were able to win the Great War all those centuries ago was by keeping the Allspark out of the Decepticons' hands."
"So, the Autobot Council decided to send it through a space bridge in order to hide it in some far-flung corner of the galaxy where no one would ever find it."
"So, you're saying we found the Allspark? The real Allspark?" Bumblebee asked.
"No. I'm saying it found us!" Ratchet finished in a strict, ominous tone.
"People! You might want to get to the bridge," Wheeljack's voice sounded over the ship's intercom. "The other craft is approaching and shows no signs of slowing down!"
"It appears it's not the only one who found us," Prowl said flatly.
The Autobots left the Allspark in the cargo hold and scrambled to their positions in the ship. Prowl was at his computer trying to examine the Decepticon ship's flight path. "It's following us," he said.
"You wanted to see some action, kid?" Ratchet asked Optimus. "Be careful what you wish for."
"Hello. We're a repair crew. Please tell me you're not actually thinking of taking on Decepticons!" Bumblebee demanded in panic.
"Not without backup," Optimus said. "Patch me through to Cybertron Command Headquarters!"
"On the double," Wheeljack responded, somehow managing to give a thumbs-up amidst his furious typing on the console.
"Wow," Bulkhead exclaimed as he turned to look back at Optimus. "When you want backup, you go straight to the top."
Optimus managed a weak smile at the younger 'bot's amazement. That smile was wiped away in an instant, however, as he saw the face greeting him on the monitor. It was Sentinel Prime, Optimus' former best friend. He was now a jerk with a huge chin (although he'd always had a huge chin).
"Optimus Prime," Sentinel said with a mockingly surprised tone. "You mean they still let you command other Autobots?"
"Don't start, Sentinel. Just put me through to Ultra Magnus," Optimus said with urgency.
"Now, how come a third-rate Autobot would need the Autobot Supreme Commander's attention?" Sentinel teased.
"Display cargo hold visual," Optimus ordered. A picture of the Allspark's case appeared in the corner of the screen, shocking Sentinel.
"I'll... I'll put you through to Ultra Magnus right away," Sentinel said before his image disappeared.
Ratchet grinned at Optimus, clearly impressed with how he'd handled things.
A new image appeared on the main screen; this time it was Ultra Magnus. At the sight of him, Optimus and his crew all stood up and saluted respectfully.
"Ultra Magnus here, Optimus Prime," the commander started, speaking in a calm, no-nonsense tone. "We're tracking your Decepticon signal. Probably just a lost scout ship. Ever since we drove them off Cybertron, the 'Cons have been wandering the periphery. They'd never be so foolish as to invade Autobot space. Still, I'm sending out a strike force to intercept if necessary. Meantime, you and your 'bots just sit tight."
"Sir!" the crew responded, affirmative.
"And Prime, don't try to be a hero," Ultra Magnus added as an afterthought, his optics lingering on Optimus as he said this. "It's not in your programming."
With that, the Supreme Commander's image disappeared from the screen and the Autobots sat back down. They had no time to rest, however.
"Decepticons still on our tail and closing in fast," Prowl reported from his monitor.
"Sooo, why don't we see them?" Bumblebee asked nervously as he looked back and forth between his monitor and the bridge window.
"Wheeljack, Arcee, set course for the nearest functional space bridge," Optimus ordered.
"Roger," the two replied without missing a beat and began typing away.
"Say what?" Bulkhead swiveled around in his chair. "But Ultra Magnus said to sit tight."
"With all due respect, Ultra Magnus isn't carrying the Allspark," Optimus pointed out as the ship changed course and increased its velocity. "We'll make a beeline for the nearest space bridge and blast through whatever debris is in our way."
Maneuvering easily through a sparse asteroid belt, the Autobots seemed to be in the clear until a gigantic shadow suddenly rose up ahead of them.
"Um…Boss-bot? I don't think we can blast through THAT," Bulkhead stated nervously, as the supposed Decepticon scout ship was now right in front of the Autobots, dwarfing their ship spectacularly.
"I… I've never seen a Decepticon ship up close," Bulkhead said in awe and fear.
"That's a scout ship?! It's huge!" Bumblebee exclaimed, slack-jawed.
"Worse," Arcee hissed as she examined the image of the ship on her console. "It's a command ship! And those markings…it's…"
"Megatron," Ratchet breathed in solemn realization.
"Megatron?" Bumblebee repeated loudly. "As in the cruel and vicious Decepticon leader – who eats Autobot protoforms for breakfast?"
Aboard the bridge of the Decepticon ship, the Nemesis, a group of shadowed figures stood gazing down on the Autobots' ship through the bridge window.
"Megatron is a fool who's been chasing a ghost for centuries!" Starscream haughtily spouted, causing the others to turn towards him. "I highly doubt we will find this…'Allspark' aboard such an insignificant vessel."
Air Commander - Starscream
"STARSCREAM!" Lugnut roared as he stomped over to Starscream. "HOW DARE YOU SPEAK SUCH TREACHEROUS WORDS ABOUT OUR ESTEEMED LEADER?"
Heavy Weapons - Lugnut
"Indoor voice, please," a Greek-armored Decepticon wearing a white cloak grumbled, covering his audio receptors.
Chief of Security - Geist
"Yes, your shouting is breaking my lenses," Scalpel said from atop Geist's shoulder, fixing his glasses.
Medic - Scalpel
"NO, GEIST. I WILL NOT STAND QUIET AND LISTEN WHILE THIS UPSTART SLANDERS THE NAME OF THE GLORIOUS MEGATRON."
"Oh, please," Starscream spat into Lugnut's cycloptic face. "Instead of destroying the Autobots for good, all our "glorious" leader has done for stellar cycles is scavenge the universe in search of a long-lost trinket. If I'D been in charge, however, the Decepticons would actually have seen some RESULTS."
"Negative," Soundwave butted in with his synthetic and monotonic voice. "If Megatron prioritizes retrieval of the Allspark, then it is 97 point 93 percent the best course of action. Your failure to see that speaks only of your incapability."
Communications - Soundwave
"What did you say?" Starscream exclaimed, glaring at the taller robot.
"Megatron: superior. Starscream: inferior."
"Who are you calling inferior?!"
"GROWWWL!"
"SQEAAA!"
"WAH!" Starscream…screamed as he stepped back from the two animal-like Decepticons snarling at him. "Soundwave! Keep those filthy pets of yours on a leash, do you hear?"
"Ravage. Laserbeak. Return."
"Groff."
"Sqeaa."
Grunting in affirmation, the two returned to their master's side, Laserbeak perching on Soundwave's shoulder while Ravage came to heel.
"Heh-hehe. Freaking out like that just because of the darling little ones. You have the cut of a true leader, Starscream," Blackarachnia gestured snidely as she crouched down and petted Ravage on the head. The feline-like robot leaned into her touch affectionately. Starscream could only growl in annoyance. "In any case, I'd place my bet with Megatron, for now."
Scientist - Blackarachnia
"YES! MEGATRON IS WISE. MEGATRON IS BOLD. MEGATRON WILL RETURN THE DECEPTICONS TO CYBERTRON AND-"
"Will you shut it?! That's the twentieth time you've repeated that speech Megatron made," Barricade groaned in annoyance. "Did you memorize that speech, Lugnut? Or is it just HARDWIRED into that THICK one-track processor of yours?"
Chief Enforcer - Barricade
"I should rewire some wires in your head," Blackarachnia said to Barricade, when suddenly a beam shot at her, covering her raised arm in a block of ice.
"Az usual, Blackarachnia, your demeanor is unpleazant az that accurzed organic mode of yourz," icy Blitzwing said as he stepped forward. Small shards of ice fell off the nozzles of his shoulder cannons as they returned from horizontal to an upright position.
Triple Changer - Blitzwing
"Oh, blow it out your actuator, three-face," Blackarachnia deadpanned and, with a hiss, flexed the ice off her arm.
"The name is Blitzwing, inzect!" Blitzwing barked as his face literally changed into a different, angrier one with an eyeshield. "Remember it! 'Cause it's the lazt thing you're going to hear before I—" The face changed yet again, "…express my feelings in SONG."
"How come you're fine? You went through the same process as Mister Split-Personality," Geist asked the larger 'bot next to him.
"Mine was perfected," Astrotrain answered.
Supply Master/Triple Changer - Astrotrain
This third, jack-o-lantern-looking persona of Blitzwing then proceeded to sing "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" while he danced in front of his gobsmacked fellow officers. Their silence didn't last long, though, as they all proceeded to rant at each other simultaneously, filling the bridge with an incomprehensible noise. The odd 'bot out, Soundwave, was left to shake his head in annoyance.
The shouting match screeched to a sudden stop, however, as the door to the bridge slid open and Megatron walked in. As Megatron walked by the now utterly quiet and saluting officers, one could see he towered over almost all of them.
"Soundwave, report," he ordered calmly, his eyes fixed on the Autobot ship outside.
"Yes, Lord Megatron," Soundwave answered respectfully. "Energy readings are off-scale. Do we open fire?"
"Cripple their ship, but do not destroy it. Yet."
"As you command."
"Yes, yes, yes! Brilliant strategy, oh wise and great leader," Starscream came up, brownnosing like a true professional.
Megatron didn't even dignify him with a look as Geist and Barricade manned the firing controls.
"Teletran-1, evasive maneuvers!" Optimus shouted as the Nemesis opened fire.
"Acknowledged," the female voice of the ship's computer replied. The Autobots' ship narrowly avoided the first blast, but more were obviously coming.
"Activate emergency defense systems, codename Omega!" Ratchet ordered, knowing that they'd need firepower to fight back.
"Um, no can do, Ratchet," Wheeljack replied, scratching his head awkwardly. "That function has been, well, disabled."
"WHAT?"
Ratchet immediately reached over and shook Wheeljack by the shoulders.
"What in Primus' name do you mean, 'disabled'?"
"Disabled, as in deactivated. Non-available. A-"
"I KNOW what the word means!" Ratchet snarled and began shaking him harder. "I meant, why is it deactivated, you slagging idiot?!"
"It was in compliance with Cybertron's ongoing efforts to conserve energon. It was a direct order; I couldn't help it," Wheeljack responded normally despite being shaken like a ragdoll.
"What? Then why didn't you tell me?"
"I thought I did!"
"Ratchet! Wheeljack! Please get back to your consoles!" Arcee cut in, trying to break the two up.
Staring blankly at the display, Bumblebee exchanged looks with Prowl and Bulkhead.
"…We're all gonna die, aren't we?" he stated flatly.
"Yep," the other two 'bots said grimly.
"Not if I can help it!" Optimus said as the Autobots' ship made its way along the length of the Nemesis, avoiding the lasers by a fraction each time. As it passed clear, its jets revved and it shot forward into space. The next obstacle came immediately, however.
"Warning. Asteroid field," Teletran-1 reported. "Initiating alternate route."
"No! Override!" Optimus ordered, trying to keep himself stable.
The ship continued forward into the asteroid field, narrowly avoiding the next laser shot from the Nemesis by using one of the larger asteroids for a shield.
The large ship would not be deterred, however, and ploughed its way after them, disregarding the rocks entirely.
On the bridge of the Nemesis, Megatron sat on a throne overlooking his officers manning their consoles.
"Whoever's piloting that ship knows what he's doing," Barricade commented, firing another shot.
"Call me crazy, but doesn't that ship almost look like the vehicle modes of those Omega Sentinels?" Geist asked, getting a good look at the ship.
"Yeah, but it can't be. I mean, they're all destroyed," Barricade pointed out.
"I've got a match on the energy reading," Blackarachnia stated as she looked up from her monitor. "If it's not the Allspark, it's something just as powerful."
"I volunteer myself to deploy and breach the Autobot ship," Starscream offered greasily as he bowed in front of the Decepticon overlord.
Megatron's fist clenched in annoyance.
"I didn't spend the last four million stellar cycles searching the galaxy just so you could lay your greasy wings on the Allspark," he sneered and reached out to grab the wing protruding from Starscream's back. "I will harness its energy into the ultimate weapon, and crush the Autobots for good." Megatron then let go and left for the outer port.
"Well, I'll just get this fixed, then," Starscream muttered as he looked at the dents his wing had received from Megatron's harsh grip.
Ploughing its way through the asteroid field, the Nemesis had caught up with the Autobots' ship and began to position itself above it.
Meanwhile, Megatron stood waiting while one of the ship's outer ports opened before him.
At the sound of footsteps behind him, Megatron addressed his company without turning.
"What do you want now, Starscream?"
"Only to wish you luck, my liege," Starscream said as he patted him on the back and then bowed.
"I do not believe in luck," Megatron sneered and transformed into an alien fighter as he exited the Nemesis and flew into space.
Unbeknownst to him, a small, blinking device had been attached to Megatron when Starscream had "encouragingly" patted him on the back.
Starscream grinned sinisterly as he watched his leader fly off.
"For once we agree on something. Neither do I."
Flying through the space cleared by the Nemesis, Megatron made a beeline towards the Autobots' ship, transforming back to robot mode as he came close.
The Autobot saw the menacing figure approach on the bridge's main monitor.
"Is that…Megatron?" Optimus breathed.
Ratchet nodded solemnly.
"You never said he was so big," Bulkhead said.
"You never said he could fly," Bumblebee said.
Megatron sailed past the Autobots' ship, and suddenly…he was gone.
The Autobots sat, bracing for impact, blinking in surprise when none came.
"Huh," Bulkhead blinked. "Maybe he wasn't coming for us."
The very next second, the 'bots had to hold on tightly as something impacted with the ship.
On top of the ship stood Megatron, his fusion cannon projecting a continuous beam in order to melt a hole through the ship's hull.
Looking at the ceiling of the bridge, it was apparent to the Autobots that he'd be through in just a matter of seconds.
"Ah! Wheeljack! Seal the hull breach!" Optimus shouted as he began giving orders.
"Already on it," he replied, his hands a blur on the console.
"Arcee, hold the ship steady!"
"Roger that," the femme replied, her actions mirroring Wheeljack's.
"Bulkhead, Bumblebee, guard the Allspark! I'll hold off Megatron!" Optimus said, and his console opened to reveal two handlebars as the other two youngsters made their way towards the cargo bay.
"B-but…we're repair-bots!" Bumblebee halted in the door leading off the bridge. "We're not programmed for this kind of action!"
"Then consider this an upgrade!" Optimus said as he grabbed onto the handlebars.
Atop the ship, two hatches opened to release a huge grapple-crane each. They extended out to their full length and, as Optimus manipulated the handlebars, the cranes moved to grab Megatron, catching him off guard. Megatron immediately attempted to wrestle free of the grapplers' hold on him. His strength was so intense that Optimus had to use all the force he could muster just keeping the handlebars in place.
"It's times like these I wish we had the Matrix," Wheeljack muttered.
During the struggle Megatron noticed something on his back, and its beeping and blinking got him to realize what it was. Unfortunately, it exploded before he could do anything. The explosion caused the ship to rock hard, tossing the Autobots inside around. All that could be seen of Megatron was his severed right hand, still clinging onto the ship.
Aboard the Nemesis, still standing at the port Megatron had exited, Starscream saw the Autobots' ship spiral downwards in a trail of smoke.
"Yyyess!" Starscream cheered with glee. He quickly regained his composure, however, as he turned and began walking towards the bridge.
"Right-right... Solemn face. Solemn face," he muttered to himself with poorly repressed glee.
The Autobots' ship kept losing altitude as the smoke still streamed thickly from it.
"Warning. Warning. Hull breach. Sealing hatches Alpha, Omega and Epsilon," Teletran-1 reported as several damaged areas were sealed off with metal doors.
On the bridge, turrets extended from the walls and began blowing foam at the ceiling to snuff out the fire caused by the explosion.
"Warning: planetary impact imminent," Teletran-1 announced, as the ship was now on a collision course towards one of the larger asteroids.
Struggling to get back to his console, Optimus barked at the computer, "Go to manual override."
"Can you even do that?" Prowl asked from his position on the floor, raising a figurative eyebrow.
"There's more to this ship than meets the eye," Ratchet said, maintaining his balance.
A manual steering tiller appeared on the main console and Optimus grabbed hold, using all his might to divert the ship's trajectory from its direct collision course.
Even so, the ship was unable to clear the asteroid completely and went skimming across its surface until it ran off its edge, flying towards a space bridge mounted on a lone, stationary asteroid.
In the cargo bay, Bumblebee and Bulkhead were doing their best to secure the Allspark, but they backed away nervously when the Allspark container suddenly began glowing brighter and brighter with each passing second.
"Hey! What's that thing doing?"
Bumblebee's question went unanswered as blue light exploded from the Allspark, enveloping the entirety of the ship.
Its light then shot forward through space and into the space bridge, activating it just in time for the Autobots' ship to enter and disappear through a sphere of dark blue energy.
The space bridge continued powering up, however, and within seconds it exploded from the overload, enveloping the surrounding area in a slowly expanding explosion.
"This is a dark day in Decepticon history," Starscream said as he watched the explosion from the bridge of the Nemesis. "May the legacy of our fallen leader, Megatron, live in our memory cores…for all eternity. As I appoint myself new leader, I solemnly pledge to…"
Starscream's speech came to a halt as he turned away from the window to address his fellow officers, only to find himself the sole occupant of the bridge.
"Hey…where's everybody gone?"
At that moment, three smaller ships shot out from the stern of the Nemesis, racing away as fast as they could, leaving behind the less fortunate officers.
"How could a big ship like this have only three escape pods?!" Barricade yelled in frustration. "And Lugnut, Blitzwing, and Blackarachnia got to them first!"
Back on the bridge, Starscream looked back out the window and realized, all too late, that the explosion from the space bridge was still growing and was now overtaking the ship. Starscream could do naught but scream futilely as he and the Nemesis disappeared in a sea of light.
In an area of space a long, long distance away, a sphere of dark blue energy appeared and dispersed, leaving behind the Autobots' ship. It drifted onward on its slow momentum, heading towards a blue and green planet in the distance.
On the ship's bridge, everything was a mess, with plumes of smoke rising from several short-circuited consoles and the Autobots themselves strewn haphazardly.
The first to make it to her feet was Arcee, rubbing her head in pain before she took in the situation.
"Ratchet! Prowl! Optimus! Are you alright?" she called as she went over to them.
"Grmm. I've been better," Ratchet groaned bitterly, but softened as he was helped up by Arcee. "Thanks."
"Yes…thank you," Prowl mumbled softly as he was helped up as well.
"Bulkhead! Bumblebee! Report! Is the Allspark alright?" Optimus called as he activated the com-link on the main console.
Ratchet looked around the bridge in bewilderment. "And where the scrapheap is Wheeljack?"
Neither question was answered because in the next instant, a large shadow rose in the smoke behind Optimus, sharp red eyes glowing ominously.
"Optimus, look out!"
"Huh? AGH!"
Optimus was grabbed by the neck and thrust against a wall. As his optics regained focus, he saw a towering figure holding him with its left arm, the other arm naught but a metallic skeleton that ended at the wrist.
"The Allspark. Where is it?" Megatron demanded menacingly.
"Let go of him!" Arcee shouted as she, Ratchet and Prowl dashed forward to assist. They all grabbed onto Megatron, but he easily swatted them aside by using Optimus as a battering ram and pinned Prowl helplessly beneath his foot before banging Optimus against another wall.
"I grow impatient," the large Decepticon threatened in a calm, sinister voice.
The thick atmosphere shattered as Wheeljack suddenly climbed into view from behind a console on the other side of the bridge.
"Urgh, is everyone alright? What's the status?" he asked, while rubbing his head. He then blinked and took in the situation.
"Oh…" he stated slowly as he saw Megatron and Optimus staring back at him. "That bad, huh?"
"…." Megatron and Optimus blinked.
"Well, then… I guess it can't get any worse if I were to suddenly do this." Wheeljack smiled and cheerfully flipped a lever on the console he was leaning over.
"Artificial gravity disabled," Teletran-1 reported, and the next moment the robots suddenly started to float off of the floor.
Optimus took the opportunity to brace his back against the wall and kick Megatron in the chest, freeing himself from the overlord's grasp.
"Good thinking, Wheeljack!" Ratchet said as he floated upwards. "This puts us on even footing, so to speak."
"Heh-heh, well, what do you know? You can compliment people." Wheeljack smirked as he floated, spinning lazily.
"Don't think it'll become a habit," Ratchet snorted as he twisted around. Ratchet's feet began to crackle with electricity as he activated a magnetic field, enabling him to stick to the ceiling.
Across the room, Megatron regained some traction by jamming his skeletonized wrist into a small gap in the ceiling structure.
Before anyone could make a move, the bridge door opened, allowing Bumblebee to float in. The yellow 'bot flailed in the air as if he were trying to swim through water.
"Hey! Who turned off the…oufh!" he managed before something knocked into him and sent him tumbling forward.
"Sorry. My bad," Bulkhead called from the other side of the door.
Bumblebee came to a stop as he clanged into a larger figure. He backed up slowly, finding himself looking up at the imposing Decepticon overlord.
"You know what? You're even uglier from this angle."
Megatron sneered, unamused, and reached onto his back to produce a double-edged sword.
"Yow! Scarier, too," Bumblebee exclaimed as he narrowly dodged the sword swings in his weightless state.
As Bumblebee did his best not to get sliced into pieces, Prowl suddenly shot through the air with his jetpack, flying towards Megatron.
"Prowl, no!" Optimus called, grabbing at his leg, only for his hand to go through as Megatron turned and sliced cleanly through Prowl's body. Prowl's image instantly dissolved, revealing itself to have been a holographic distraction which had allowed the real Prowl to sneak behind Megatron. Wielding one of his shuriken in his hand – its alternate form being a chakram – Prowl slashed forward, slicing off Megatron's skeletonized arm at the shoulder. Electricity sparked from the amputated limb, and Megatron growled in agony. Now that his "footing" had been severed, he was once again drifting weightlessly through the bridge.
"Okay, the decoy was a nice touch. But once again, a little warning would've helped," Optimus said.
"Ratchet, you think all of us could take him?" Wheeljack asked the doc-bot.
"No, he may be injured and outnumbered, but he isn't leader of the Decepticons for no reason," Ratchet said grimly. "But who said anything about beating him with force?"
Ratchet used his magnets to throw Megatron's severed arm straight towards the owner, resulting in him crashing into the controls.
All of the control screens lit up and the ship's rocket-turbines roared to life, causing the ship to roar forward through space, rapidly heading towards the blue and green little planet.
Even though the artificial gravity had returned, the sudden increase in speed caused everyone to fly against the back of the bridge. While everyone but Optimus crashed into the wall, Optimus went sailing through the bridge door, careering through the ship until he crashed into the cargo bay.
As Prime gingerly tried to get up from where he'd crashed into a stack of containers, something large came down upon him and crushed him against the floor.
"Now, bring me the Allspark and I may spare your miserable Autobot lives," Megatron threatened as he stood over him, pinning him down beneath his left foot. Optimus gave his answer by staying quiet, so Megatron raised his sword and swung it down. Optimus blocked the blow with his axe and struggled to keep the sword away.
During the struggle, Megatron noticed a faint glow in the corner of his optic; he turned towards a wall where a blue light was shining, its source obscured by the various stacks of containers spread across the room. There he saw his prize, the Allspark. Mesmerized by it, Megatron failed to notice Optimus' axe handle extending, hitting the switch by the door.
"Warning: Docking tunnel deployed," Teletran-1 announced, the ship now roaring through the stratosphere of the blue planet. As the docking tunnel extended out of the ship, its corresponding door in the cargo bay opened, causing everything that wasn't fastened down to instantly begin being sucked out by the vacuum.
Megatron snapped out of his awe as he and Optimus were sucked toward the portal. Optimus grabbed his axe and Megatron's dropped sword and used them to halt his movement by jabbing them into the wall. Megatron attempted to grab Optimus to halt his ejection, but Optimus kicked the overlord out of the ship and watched as his body ignited in the stratosphere, screaming all the way.
Down on the blue planet, some distance outside the city called Detroit, a young human boy of Indian descent sat in a satellite dish- and telescope-adorned barn, tinkering with electronic equipment.
Suddenly, he spotted a streak of light flashing across the night sky and crashing just a short distance away from his home. Running out with a flashlight, the boy headed towards the crash site and followed a deep furrow in the ground leading across the field.
When he finally came to the furrow's end, he adjusted his flashlight and gasped as he stared at the head of an unresponsive Megatron, failing to notice another streak of light behind him.
The Autobots' ship was hurtling through the night sky, ablaze like a proverbial fireball and descending at alarming speeds.
Inside, the bridge door opened and Optimus came running in.
"Everyone to their stasis pods!" he ordered as he walked to the controls.
"What about you?" Bumblebee asked before leaving.
"Not until I steer us clear of this populated sector," Optimus said, grunting in effort as he finally managed to pull the steering back, causing the ship's nose to rise. The ship was still going down, but now it would at least get clear of the city and hit the water instead.
Locking the steering, Optimus ran back through the ship and entered a room with several giant capsules propped up against the wall. Through the capsules' transparent doors, the other Autobots could be seen inside in what could be described as a sleeping state. Optimus wasted no time and hurried to climb inside a stasis pod himself.
"Initiating Emergency Stasis Lock," Teletran-1 sounded and the pods activated fully, the robots disappearing from view as the insides of the pods frosted over.
Seconds later, the Autobots' ship crashed violently into the water and sank like a stone, disappearing into the dark, dark depths.
50 Years Later...
Inside a skyscraper in the shape of a spark plug, a teenage girl with red hair puts on a blue suit with a dress skirt.
"Another day, another time with Mister Jerk-Face," the girl says, putting on her glasses. "Well, better being his secretary than living on the streets."
Before she leaves she notices a sphere, with a blue glowing crystal inside it and two handles coming out of the sides, glowing brightly.
"That's strange, what's up with the Matrix?"