Dragonstorm had been flying behind him but had to distract a squadron of Vehicon flyers from following the large Autobot. Riding inside the large Autobot were Optimus Prime, Nova Prime, Ramhorn, Evac, Cogman and Rewind. The group had moved even further up through the Earth's atmosphere, to the point that there was barely any oxygen.
:Optimus! I have a lock on what appears to be the core's entrance: Evac reported to the Autobot leader. Inside, the giant Autobot projected a large screen for the occupants to see. The image showed a large, piece of debris, almost the size of the moon, surrounded by multiple smaller pieces. The image zoomed in on a specific spot, showing a large sealed doorway. On it were various ancient Cybertronian glyphs that appeared like the ones one the Allspark.
:I can get you to the edge. The debris hanging around here is making it difficult for me to maneuver: Evac responded.
"That will have to do." Optimus said as he readied his Vector Shield. Nova had taken out his crossbow while Camshaft, Salvage and Evac readied their own weapons. Cogman had transformed into a larger version of his head while the Aston Martin transformed into a body that he attached to. "Be prepared. Though I do not think Quintessa was able to enter the planet's core, we should still be wary of anything." Optimus warned the others.
Stratosphere reached the edge of the planet. He then made a turn and opened the ramp door. Once it was fully down, the group jumped out. Due to there being no gravity, the five floated for a few seconds before they eventually touched solid ground. :I'm heading back and regroup with the others. Good luck you guys: Stratosphere said as he headed back to Earth.
Nova was staring at the remains of Cybertron in awe. He then turned his attention to the darkness of space, the millions of stars being the only thing that were alight. "Amazing…" Nova whispered. This was the first time he had ever been in space before. And Cybertron…even if it was in ruins, walking upon the world felt like he had come home.
The group began making their way towards the gate that led to the entrance of the planet's core. The door was massive, even larger than Omega Supreme. Upon close examination, it was covered in Cybertronian hieroglyphs and images of various people and objects. Optimus approached some of glyphs, brushing his hand against the metal.
"What do they say?" Wondered Evac.
"It appears they speak of Primus's tale." Answered Optimus. Old memories of Alpha Trion teaching him of the ancient language of the Primes coming back. "After destroying his arch-enemy and brother, Unicron, Primus transformed his body into the world we know as Cybertron. However, despite being victorious, Primus was left weakened from the battle. To regain his strength, Primus split a fraction of spark to that would form into a massive cube known as the Allspark. Leaving behind instructions to the Thirteen Primes, the first generation of Cybertronians were born. The Primes were gathered the energies of the sun to not just recharge the Allspark, but also restore Primus's power so he could continue providing Cybertron with life."
"I suppose when we sent the Allspark into space, we also hurt Primus too." Evac noted. He felt awful that they had left their creator in such a state.
"A problem we fix today." Optimus replied as he scanned the door for what looked like a way to open it. His optics then spotted several glyphs that were together. They were also the only ones that carved into the center of the door. Together they spelled, "Till All Are One". Placing a hand on the door, a light from both his spark and the matrix shined. The glyphs then glowed as well and slowly the doors moved outwards until they were fully opened. They revealed a deep passageway that seemed to go on forever. "Let's move" The Autobot leader ordered as the group proceeded to enter.
They had just gotten through the entrance when the sound of thrusters caught Nova's audio receptors. Turning around, his optics widened when he spotted a large shuttlecraft flying towards them. "Uh, Optimus?" Nova said, getting the Autobots' attention.
The large spacecraft bashed aside debris as it made its way to the gate. It immediately transformed into Thunderwing, who sneered as the smaller mechs. Bringing out his laser concussion blasters, the servant of Unicron opened fire on the Autobots. "Everyone! Move!" Optimus ordered as the group of five jumped out of the way.
"At last" Thunderwing said. "The entrance to the core. Now all that remains is the final piece." The large mech turned his attention to Nova. Said hybrid was stumbling to pull his energy crossbow out.
"No, you don't!" Cogman shouted as he leapt at Thunderwing. He brought his sword down and stabbed the larger mech between the neck, cutting some of the circuits there. Thunderwing growled as he tried to shake off the headmaster. Evac soon charged in, wrist-blades out and began hacking at Thunderwing's armor, leaving small dents. Ramhorn followed up by firing his hip missile launchers
Rewind ran up to Nova. The Minicon helped his best friend to his feet as Optimus joined them, firing his vector shield's cannon at Thunderwing. "Rewind! Get Nova Prime to the core! Hurry! We'll hold off Thunderwing!" Optimus ordered the small Autobot before running towards Thunderwing.
"But I-" Nova tried to say but was cut off by Rewind. "Optimus is right. You almost died once at the hand of that fragger. We can't risk you dying again." The Minicon said. With no other option, Nova and Rewind began running further down the hall.
Meanwhile, Thunderwing had finally managed to throw off Cogman and Evac and kicked aside Ramhorn. He was about to give chase when Optimus delivered a powerful kick to the larger mech's chest. Thunderwing staggered for a moment before bringing his right fist down on top of Optimus. The young Prime raised his shield and blocked the blow. "You Primes! Always getting in my way!" Snarled Thunderwing.
"I will stop anyone who is like you, Megatron or your Mistress Quintessa from slaughtering innocent lives, Thunderwing! No matter what it takes." Declared Optimus as he slashed at Thunderwing's arm.
Letting out what sounded like a snort, the large mech grabbed Optimus by the shoulder and threw him against the wall hard. As the Prime tried to balance himself, Thunderwing spoke, "Do you still believe that I am subservient to that foolish femme? Please, if it weren't for me, she would've never gotten back to Cybertron. No, my true master is, and always has been, Unicron! My sole purpose is to kill the Primes, just as I did with Omega, Zeta and Alpha Trion." Thunderwing declared.
Optimus's optics widened and his mouthplate opened slightly. "What…?"
"I needed the Prime of Life to get past the core's protective shell, as only his energy signature could open it. There I would extinguish Primus's spark to make room for my master's spark to take over once Quintessa finished her ritual." Explained Thunderwing.
"That's why you want her to transfer Earth's energy to Cybertron. You want to revive Unicron!" Optimus exclaimed.
"And kill Primus at the same time. As the humans would say 'killing two birds with one stone.'" Thunderwing said with glee. "However, that damn Alpha Trion and those two young Primes sealed the gate before I could enter, giving the talisman to awaken the Prime to that mech, Dion. Not even my power could bypass it." He added begrudgingly. "So, I needed a Prime to do it. And you did so perfectly."
The large mech's words made Optimus snarl. Getting up, Optimus swung his sword at Thunderwing, who merely slapped it aside. The young Prime followed with a blast from his Vector Shield, hitting the Unicron spawn in the face. Thunderwing stumbled back a bit and was unprepared when Evac got back into the fight, firing his wrist blasters at the large mech alongside Ramhorn. Cogman was also ready to go as he swung his sword at every bit of Thunderwing that he could reach. However, the herald of Unicron's armor was too durable for their attacks to leave any real damage.
Thunderwing grabbed Cogman's left arm and tore it off. Undeterred, Cogman rammed his sword into an opening between Thunderwing's leg joints, burying the blade deep. The large mech snarled as he rammed one of his concussion blasters into Cogman's chest. Firing a powerful shot, he tore the body in half. Fortunately, Cogman was not dead and he swiftly detached from the body, avoiding Thunderwing's legs. The Headmaster was picked up by Ramhorn who evaded Thunderwing's attacks.
The herald of Unicron was distracted when Optimus and Evac fired at him. Getting annoyed at these constant annoyances, Thunderwing activated his rocket launchers and fired. The proton blasts sent the two Autobots flying. Optimus managed to balance himself, however Evac crashed against the wall and hit the ground with a thud. Optimus had lost his sword and shield, and thus brought out his energon blades and charged. He slashed at Thunderwing, cutting the large mech's leg lightly. Snarling, Thunderwing grabbed Optimus's arms and tore them off from the elbow. Optimus didn't even get a chance to scream as Thundering delivered a powerful kick that sent the Prime tumbling across the floor.
Cogman was nowhere in sight and Thunderwing decided that eliminating them were less important than getting to the core. Looking at the unconscious Optimus one last time, Thunderwing said, "Be grateful, young Prime. By the time you come out of stasis Cybertron shall be reborn, as Unicron's new body. Perhaps he will be merciful and give you a swift death." With that, the large mech transformed and took off, flying deeper into the planet. He did not notice the glowing blue light emanating from Optimus's chest. Nor the grey blur approaching from the distance.
(With Nova Prime and Rewind)
The duo had managed to excellent time thanks to Rewind using his jets to fly them to the planet's core. Obviously, the two were worried about their friends fighting Thunderwing. Yet, they also knew that everything depended on them reaching the core, so Nova could rejuvenate the planet. Though, Nova Prime had no idea how he was going to do that, it was better than the alternative.
Eventually Rewind had to land to conserve energy. By then, they had reached the end of the tunnel. When the they walked out, Nova and Rewind were shocked at the sheer size of the inner chamber that housed Cybetron's core. It was massive with a circular shape. Floors were covered with rust and debris as they led to the large casing that covered the spark. Even from where they were, the two could feel the energy being released from the core, even in it weaken state.
Getting back on track, Nova looked at Rewind. "C'mon. We can't waste time staring." Rewind nodded, and the two friends slid down a large nearby pipe. Landing safely on the platform, they headed towards what looked like the entrance of the casing. However, as they got closer, they were greeted with an unexpected sight. Lying against a pillar was the broken frame of a mech. Dried energon could be seen coming out of a wound near the spark chamber. The mech had blue and gold armor. His optics were lifeless as he leaned against the pillar.
"No way…" Nova Prime murmured, recognizing who this mech was from his memories. "Zeta Prime"
"One of the Primes born after the Thirteen? You mean to say he was safeguarding the core the entire time?" Rewind said in surprise.
"He must've sealed the entrance to the core, to prevent others from reaching here. Preparing it when the prophecy came to pass." Nova said as he rubbed his fingers against the edge of the hole in Zeta's body. "Looks like it was his final act." He added sadly.
Rewind put a hand on Nova's arm, getting his attention. "C'mon. We need to finish what he started." The mini-con said. Nova nodded as the two made their way over to the platform's edge. Towards the core's casing, which was covered in various ancient Cybertronian glyphs.
There they could see what appeared to be a small podium that had an empty slot in it. It looked just the right length as the blade of Excalibur. Nova realized that he is supposed to insert the blade into the hole to reach the core. Pulling out the sword, Nova gripped the handle with both hands and plunged the sword into the opening. While the blade fit through easily, nothing happened. The two waited for a minute, then another and another, yet nothing happened.
"What the hell?" Nova muttered as he searched for any changes but could find none. "Why isn't anything happening? I accepted by Cybertronian heritage, my Prime name. So why is nothing happening?!" Nova exclaimed, frustration and fear building up inside of him as he felt powerlessness fill him.
Rewind was about to console his best friend, when the sound of engines got both of their attention. Spinning around, the duo saw Thunderwing fly into the chamber and transformed. He landed hard onto the platform, just several feet away from them. Without warning, the giant mech raised one of his concussion blasters, and fired a powerful laser beam at the core. When the beam hit, an energy shield briefly appeared and deflected the laser with ease. Seeing this made Thunderwing snarl before turning his attention towards Zeta Prime's body.
"Even in death, you Primes continue to defy the inevitable." Thunderwing mocked. His optics shifted to Rewind and Nova. "Looks like I'll be needing a 'key' after all."
Rewind got in front of Nova. The mini-con pulled out his laser rifle. "Get back, Nova. Keep trying to open the pathway to the core. I'll hold him back for as long as I can."
"What? No! We'll fight together!" Nova declared as he pulled out his energy crossbow.
"Don't be stupid! If he gets you, then it's all over." Rewind argued. "I just need to hold him back until reinforcements arrive. Now, go!" The mini-con activated his thrusters and shot towards Thunderwing. He fired his laser rifle at the larger mech, hitting him in the face. Growling, Thunderwing tried to grab the drone, only to miss as Rewind zoomed around him.
Nova frowned, wanting to help but knew that Rewind was right. Turning his attention back to the sword, the young Prime tried to get the mechanism to work. He tried pulling the sword in and out, as well as other methods that might work. As Nova did this, Rewind continued firing at Thunderwing. His attacks were doing no damage, but they were getting the larger mech's attention. Rewind would use thrusters to zip around his opponent, as well as the pillars to take cover or jump off to escape Thunderwing's hands.
Unfortunately, Thunderwing appeared to have finally lost his patience and released a powerful stream of flames from his mouth. The flames blocked Rewind's path and the immense heat from it caused him to back away. Thunderwing took advantage of that and swiftly grabbed Rewind. The large mech's grip was tight, and Rewind could feel his body being crushed. Ignoring the pain, Rewind saw Nova Prime, no, Adam Nova, staring at the scene with a look of horror. In those few seconds, memories of the time Rewind had spent with Adam came flooding back. All those joyful times, even after the Chicago Battle, gave the mini-con the courage he needed to aim his laser carbine at Thundering's face. Charging the weapon for one last time, Rewind fired directly at the large mech. The power of the blast was enough to leave a large burn mark of Thunderwing's cheekplate. "Till all are one." Rewind said as his body and spark were destroyed in one strong squeeze.
"REWIND!" Nova cried as he watched his life-long friend be killed. Thunderwing unceremoniously tossed the pieces that once made Rewind to the side, sending them plummeting to the depths over the platform. Only the laser rifle remained, smoke coming out from the barrel.
A roar caught Thunderwing's attention. Flying out of the tunnel was Dragonstorm, with Optimus riding on his back. The Prime's body was glowing blue, along with showing a pair of new arms.
"What?! Did the Matrix repair your arms!" Thunderwing exclaimed when he saw the damage he had caused now fixed.
Optimus did not answer him. Instead he jumped off Dragonstorm and landed a powerful punch to Thunderwing's face, causing the large mech to stagger a little. Optimus pulled out his Sword of Judgment and Vector Shield while Dragonstorm let loose a torrent of flames on the servant of Unicron. Optimus joined him by firing his Ion Blaster, hitting Thunderwing back. With the Matrix energizing him, the Prime's attacks were doing some actual damage to the large mech.
Meanwhile Nova Prime was still in a state of shock. He just couldn't comprehend that Rewind, the mini-con who had been with him all this time, was dead. Everything they had been through ran through his mind, as Nova's shock and grief slowly turned to anger. And it was not just anger he felt inside of him, something else was beginning to stir in the hybrid. Electricity danced around his fingertips before surging around his whole body. His rage reaching the boiling point, Nova let out a cry of anger.
"AAAAHHHH!" Nova screamed as he released a burst of electricity that surprised the others. Nova magnetically called the laser rifle to him. The moment his fingers touched it, the weapon merged with Nova's right arm. With the rifle now under his control, Nova fired a powerful electric blast at Thunderwing. The blow was enough that the large mech was knocked off his feet.
Optimus was amazed at Nova's power. "Is this the true power of the Prime of Life?" Optimus whispered.
An electromagnetic field suddenly surrounded Thunderwing, lifting him into the air. "What! Electromagnetism manipulation?!" He cried in shock at the display of Nova's new power. Struggling, Thunderwing tried to break free, but the electrical pulse that the field released was disrupting his systems. He even tried firing Cyclone Cannon. But all that did was backfire on him and damaged him instead.
"Get. Off. Our. Planet!" Nova roared as he launched Thunderwing out of the chamber. As if shot out of a cannon. The momentum was so great that Thunderwing couldn't give any resistance at all. All the large mech could do was cry in rage as he was sent flying into space, sailing far, far away from Cybertron.
With Thunderwing now gone, Nova Prime turned his attention back to Excalibur. Feeling a new sense of determination and confidence, he gripped the handle with both hands. Energy surged out of his body and across the weapon down into the podium itself. In response, a bridge extended from the platform towards the core's casing. The casing opened a doorway for Nova to enter as he walked across the bridge.
Optimus Prime, Dragonstorm and the just arriving Ramhorn, Cogman and Evac watched as Nova Prime entered the core, the entrance closing behind him. A few seconds later, the core and the entire chamber lit up as it was brought to life. A soft hum could be heard throughout the area as energy surged outwards. And though they could not see it, the Autobots could feel Cybertron slowly repairing itself.
Evac was the first to break out of his amazement. "Optimus. I got word from Magnus. They're pinned down outside the Ignition Chamber. If they can't stop Quintessa in time…" The young knight trailed off.
Optimus nodded and looked at Evac. The young Autobot was clutching his wound from Thunderwing's attack and had to be supported by Ramhorn. Neither they nor Cogman were in any condition to fight. "Will you three be okay here?"
"We'll manage, sir." Evac said. "I won't let Rewind's death be in vain." Ramhorn let out a huff of air as if in agreement.
"I shall protect lord Nova with my life." Cogman said determinedly.
Seeing their resolve Optimus turned to Dragonstorm. Without even speaking, the combiner roared as he flapped his wings. Optimus Prime put his sword and shield onto his back and jumped on Dragonstorm. The duo took off as Cybertron began to heal around them.
(Outside the Ignition Chamber)
The battle there had reached a stalemate. The ground was littered with Decepticon protoforms and Vehicons. The Decepticons themselves still held their ground. With the turret assisting them, the Cons had effectively pinned down the Autobots and their human allies. Tidal Wave had also joined the fight. The Con was the same size as Omega Supreme had was firing his chest and shoulder mounted laser turrets as well as back shoulder-mounted concussion rocket launchers. He would fire his arm-mounted ion plasma cannons every now and then. The explosions were cornering the humans and Autobots.
Said groups were not doing so well at the moment. They were heavily pinned down by the Decepticon's fire. Along with Whirl being killed, Arcee, Smokescreen, and Cliffjumper were injured and taken to the side placed near a small hill that shielded them from Decepticon fire. Ratchet and Jolt were tending to them while Trailbreaker was protecting them with an energy shield. Bob and Steeljaw were protecting the injured humans as medics treated them, the latter firing his back-mounted heavy machine guns and grenade launchers at any Con or drone that got to close. Sometimes firing his photon cannon concealed in his mouthplate. Above, the Autobot flyers were fending off the Vehicon flyers. Fortunately, most of the Decepticon Seekers were busy keeping Omega Supreme occupied as Tidal Wave fired at him from a distance. Defensor had been fighting both Bruticus and Menasor, but was relieved of the latter when Stratosphere appeared, tackling the combiner.
Magnus fired his Neutron Rifle, downing another Tank Vehicon before dodging fire from Cons. Beside him Ironhide shot his shell cannons at Hailstorm and Blackout, forcing the Cons back. "We are not making any progress here!" The Weapon Specialist yelled.
"That gun emplacement is what's causing all the trouble." Magnus responded. "It keeps the flyers away from assisting us and prevents us from advancing."
Back with the humans, they were still taking cover in the crater. Izabella flinched whenever an explosion occurred nearby. Cade and Viviane were with her as the soldiers fired back at the Decepticons. They were using heavy weaponry such as grenade launchers and machine guns. But that did little to deal with the situation at hand.
Epps crouched back down as he reloaded. "This is the shit!" He complained.
"Yeah, complete bollocks!" Graham agreed. "Those bloody Cons are keeping us away from the chamber and that damn gun is hammering us hard."
"We're running low on ammo!" Zack shouted as he fired his rifle. Beside him, Hooch fired his last rocket before discarding the launcher and switching to his assault rifle.
Eddie fired explosive rounds from his LMG, destroying a Vehicon's legs while Zimmerman fired his sniper rifle through the drone's optics. The piercing rounds destroyed the drone's processor. Meanwhile Perkins was helping a wounded soldier's leg which had been singed by a stray plasma round. "Our men aren't going to hold out much longer!" Stone cried as he fired a mortar shell. A Decepticon Protoform was destroyed by the impact of the shell hitting him.
More explosions filled the air as Lennox and Santos scrambled towards them while Burke and Fig covered them. Lennox slouched beside Epps and Graham. "We need to evac, now! General Morshower says they're calling in the nukes on the ignition chamber." Lennox said.
"What? Did they not hear what Perceptor said?" Cade exclaimed. "The chamber goes down, all of Cybertron hits Earth!"
"We're out of options. If we don't do anything we lose the entire planet." Replied Lennox, though it was obvious that he wasn't pleased with the plan either. But so long as they were pinned down, they had little options.
That's when the debris they were on started to move and make a sound. All the fighting stopped as energy surged across the cables. Slowly, the pieces of Cybertron began coming together. However, unlike before, they did not collide violently, but instead merged carefully. The chunks of the planet that had run across the Earth began to rise up, joining together just like others.
Magnus immediately contacted the Axalon. "Wheeljack! Perceptor! What's going on?"
:Magnus! We're reading massive energy surge coming from Cybertron's core. Optimus's team did it! Nova Prime is healing our world!: Wheeljack exclaimed with joy.
:However, it appears that the energy Quintessa is transferring is conflicting with the energy from the core. If you don't stop the transfer sequence then Cybertron will explode, taking Earth with it!: Perceptor warned.
"Autobots! We need to push forward! Focus fire on the turret and take it out!" Magnus ordered as he fired his shoulder rockets.
Meanwhile while both sides were duking it out, Sqweeks had made his way to the gun emplacement. The only Con near it was Mohawk, and his attention was the battle below. Slowly the Autobot rolled over towards the turret's generator. Using his Decepticon arm Sqweeks was in front of the generator, just as one of the guns noticed him. Mohawk also spotted the Autobot but Sqweeks moved faster.
"Frag you" Sqweeks said as his arm transformed into a large plasma cannon.
Mohawk gaped at the weapon. "Ah slag." He muttered right as Sqweeks fired his weapon. The blast's recoil sent Sqweeks tumbling down the hill as the gun emplacement was destroyed. Mohawk had managed to jump out of the way.
The reaction was instant. With the gun emplacement gone the Autobot flyers performed a dive and did an air strike. They killed several Decepticons and Vehicons. Stratosphere had finally gotten the advantage over Menasor, ripping off Drag Strip and Dead End. The two Cons were forced to transform, followed by Motormaster, Breakdown and Wildrider. Before the Stunticons could retreat Wingblade transformed and landed in front of Breakdown and Dead End.
"Get sliced, punks!" Wingblade yelled as he revealed his arm blades. The two Stunticons had no time to react as the large Autobot sliced them in half. The last three Stunticons were about to retreat but Highbrow intervene. Powering up his Gatling Guns, the veteran performed a lethal air strike, gunning down the three Cons.
"Now that's how you get it done!" Highbrow cheered before focusing on Divebomb.
Wingblade decided to remain on the ground as he activated his duel forearm-mounted plasma rotary cannons and fired at Bruticus. The Decepticon combiner spun his propeller blades to deflect the bullets. But seeing as the Stunticons were now dead, and Stratosphere approaching him, Bruticus decided to retreat to friendly lines. Pushing aside Defensor, the Combaticon combiner fled quickly. With their adversary gone, Defensor detached back into his components.
"You guys okay?" Wingblade asked.
"We're fine." Hot Spot said as he got up. The rest of his team did the same, but Rook wobbled a bit until First Aid let him lean on him. "But it looks like Rook is a little beat up from Bruticus's flamethrower."
"Fall back to the rear. We'll join the others in pushing forward." Wingblade said, Stratosphere nodding in agreement.
Seeing how they could do better there than at the front, Hot Spot nodded and helped guide the others. Stratosphere and Wingblade covered them as the two flyers joined the other Autobots.
"All Autobot flyers! Fire at Tidal Wave! Keep him away from Omega Supreme!" Prowl ordered, firing his SMG.
:Copy that! Engaging the big one!: Springer replied as he, Tomahawk, Skyhammer and Blazemaster focused their attack on Tidal Wave. They released bullets and rockets on the transformed Aircraft Carrier.
"Tidal Wave. Destroy." Tidal Wave said in a monotone voice as he focused his attention on the flyers.
Back with the other giant Cybertornian, Omega Supreme could now give the Seekers his undivided attention. Focusing his wings and chest-mounted plasma blasters, the Autobot fired at the flyers. The Seekers were surprised by this but were able to maneuver and avoid the attacks. Though two of them were not so lucky. Acid Storm and Nacelle were taken down, the latter being struck in the thrusters and crashing violently against the ground. Acid Storm took a hit to a wing but was able to control himself. However, that left him wide open for Omega Supremes' right arm photon laser cannon. The powerful beam vaporized the Con in seconds. By then Starscream and the others had pulled back.
With Sqweeks, the small Autobot came rolling out of the smoke. He fired his cannon again, hitting a Vehicon in the leg while getting himself back up. Hot Rod rolled beside him, firing his Photon Blaster at the same drone, killing it. "Good job, little friend!" Hot Rod complimented Sqweeks.
"Humans!" Magnus yelled at the soldiers. "Fall back! We'll push on from here." He then looked at Omega. "Omega Supreme! Transformed and escort them and our wounded out of here!"
"Orders: Confirmed" Omega replied before transforming into his vehicle mode. The ramp opened soon after.
"Go! Get moving!" Lennox shouted as he scrambled to his feet. The rest of his team did the same as they did a dash towards the Ark.
"Move! We got ya covered!" Hound yelled as he and the other Autobots fired at the Decepticons. Hot Rod snatched Sqweeks and passed him off to Streetwise. Ratchet helped up Cliffjumper. Guzzle came to help him, shooting down two Orbital Assault Fighters with his Proton Machine Guns and back-mounted Ion Cannon, before carrying Smokescreen. Clocker was behind him, firing both of his foremarm built in plasma cannons at the Decepticons. Steeljaw ran past them, carrying some of the wounded human soldiers on his back. Trailbreaker was near them, still deflecting oncoming projectiles while the remaining Protectobots fired their photon guns. Warpath was the last to follow, firing both his right-mounted X18 Scrapmaker Gatling Gun and right-mounted Thermo Rocket Cannon. Skyhammer joined him, firing both his dual forearm-mounted missile pods before switching to his right forearm mounted plasma rifle. He also dished out his left forearm mounted energon sword when a Decepticon protoform tried to ambush him, slicing the Con in half vertically.
Above, Tomahawk had transformed while staying in the air. Releasing his shoulder mounted concussion rockets and left-forearm mounted fusion revolver cannon, the Autobot fired down at the Cons, slashing an aerial Vehicon that tried to attack him with right-arm mounted buzzsaw. Blazemaster was beside him, the larger Autobot releasing his shoulder-mounted corrosive gel missile launchers. He slashed apart a Vehicon with his wrist-mounted rotor blades, before switching to his wrist mounted M621 Autocannons. Multiple Vehicons were immediately destroyed by the Autobots' firepower. Once the area was clear, the Autobots began falling back. Warpath, however, paused as he picked up Whirl's corpse before following the others.
Elita and Chromia helped up Arcee. "Take her with you and get out of here." Elita told her sister.
Chromia took their younger sister, looking at the eldest in surprise. "What about you?" The blue femme.
The purple femme readied her photon cannon. "I'm staying here with the others. I have business with Quintessa." Elita-One growled out.
Knowing what her sister meant, Chromia nodded and rolled off to the Ark. "Stay alive!" She cried back.
Izabella was running with the other humans. However, since she was smaller she was moving slower than the others, causing her to lag behind. That allowed one Con, Terradive to cut her off from the others. Screaming, Izzy fell on her butt as the Con laughed. "Ha! Gotcha, fleshling! The Autobots ought to back down with you as a hostage."
However, Terradive would not be able to carry out his plan. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker zoomed towards him, avoiding his attacks. The silver twin slashed at Terradive's side, making the Con roar in pain. He tried to strike Sideswipe with his spear, but was intercepted by Sunstreaker who blocked the attack and then disarmed the Con with his pulse pistol. He then fired at the Con's kneecaps, forcing him to his knees. Defenseless, Terradive could do nothing as Sideswipe rammed his swords into his head and ripped it off.
Sideswipe looked at Izzy. "You okay kid?" The silver mech asked.
Izzy nodded. "Y-yeah."
Bob came over and helped the girl climb onto his back. "Let's get you to the ship while we deal with the rest of the-WHOA!" Sunstreaker sentence was cut off as the ground beneath them began to crack. The crack spread until it split the floating piece of land in half. Unfortunately, that separated the Autobots, leaving Hound, Bumblebee, Hot Rod, Prowl, Ironhide, Mirage, Jazz, Sideswipe, Longarm, Drift, Salvage, Magnus, Inferno, Jolt, Wingblade, Armorhide, Stratosphere, Elita, Skids and Mudflap on the side where the Decepticons were.
Megatron saw this and ordered his troops. "The Autobot's forces have been separated. Advance and gun them down!" He then looked at a large white Con who was firing a plasma cannon. "Jetstorm, attack the Ark and destroy it! Do not let the Autobots escape!" Megatron ordered, firing his Fusion Cannon and hitting Salvage in the back. The red and orange Autobot cried out in pain as he fell on his front, clutching his wound. His friend Longarm immediately came to his aid.
"With pleasure, Lord Megatron!" Jetstorm shouted. He transformed into an Antonov An-225 Mriya and took off.
He flew over the Autobots, ignoring their attempt to stop him. The Decepticon took aim at the Ark, which was still waiting for the humans to finish boarding. The Autobot flyers tried to intercept him, but the Decepticon flyers got in their way.
Jetstorm was about to fire when a massive stream of flames struck him form above. The sheer heat caused his thrusters to combust and the large Con could only scream as he was sent falling through the clouds. Surprised, Megatron looked up and saw the source of the flames.
Izzy did as well from her position on Bob's back. "Optimus…" She whispered when she saw the Autobot leader riding on Dragonstorm's back. Realizing his presence meant that Adam had succeeded in powering the core, the girl let out a cheer. "YEAH!" She cried as Dragonstorm flew over her.
Infernocus focused his cannons on the dragon, firing as Dragonstorm neared him. Optimus jumped off the combiner and slid across the ground. Meanwhile, Dragonstorm struck Infernocus, knocking the demonic gestalt off his feet before taking into the air and pursuing the Decepticon flyers. That gave Optimus time to get behind Infernocus. The gestalt tried to stomp him, but the Prime dodged it before latching onto the larger mech's back. "You piece of filth!" Optimus snarled as he stabbed his sword into Infernocus's body.
Unable to shake off Optimus, Infernocus split apart into the six Infernocons, who immediately took out their weapons. Undeterred, Optimus raised his sword and blaster. "Did you forget who I am?" He asked rhetorically.
Roaring, the six Infernocons attacked. Three charged at the Prime with their swords and axes, while the other three raised their plasma cannons. Reacting faster, Optimus fired his Ion blaster, destroying three demonic Cybertronians from afar. He then performed a full swing, decapitating the last three Infernocons. "I am Optimus Prime." He declared as the bodies fell.
Turning towards his troops, Optimus raised his sword and pointed forward. "Autobots! Attack!" He yelled.
Invigorated by their leader's arrival, the Autobots followed his lead. Joining them was Grimlock, who Swoop had just dropped off. The Dinobot leader transformed into his T-Rex mode and roared as he followed the others. Any Decepticon or Vehicon that got in their way were killed as the Autobots powered on through.
Optimus than noticed that Viviane was nowhere to be seen. "Where is Viviane?" Optimus shouted. Without her, they would not be able to get the staff and end the transfer.
"The humans fell back! They're on the other side of the gap!" Ironhide shouted over the sound of his cannon fire.
On said piece of land, Crosshairs pulled out his machine pistols. "C'mon! Let's follow them!"
"Negative! The surrounding debris is drawing closer together as Cybertron heals. We need to leave, now!" Ratchet said as he passed Smokescreen to Brawn, who helped his comrade aboard the Ark. The medic looked at Stratosphere. The large Autobot had chosen to help Longarm and Savage, the latter who was still injured. "Stratosphere get Salvage and Longarm out of there and follow us back to the Axalon!"
"Wait!" A voice cried. Running up to the medic were Cade and Viviane. "We need to get to the other side, so we can get the staff. Viviane is the only one who can pull it out, remember." Cade said.
Ratchet frown. He knew that Cade was right, however, as he said before the other floating pieces of Cybertron were beginning to gather together. It was at that point that the other Autobot flyers had to fall back without being crushed. The only other way for the two humans to get to the other side was…
"Get on my hand." Ratchet ordered, kneeling as he opened his palm. They did as he said. "And brace yourselves!" He shouted as he threw the two humans at Stratosphere. Seeing them the large Autobot saw what Ratchet was doing. Stratosphere caught the humans and then placed them on the ground, allowing Viviane and Cade to head towards the ignition chamber.
Back with the Decepticons, they had fallen back since the Autobots began their second advance. Because of the shifting, many of the Decepticons had been separated. Tidal Wave was forced to transform to escape being crushed, with some of the others climbing aboard. That just left Megatron, Nitro, Barricade, Shockwave, Starscream, Soundwave, Laserbeak, Rumble, Fracture, Blackout, Kickback, Thundercracker, Scowl, Cyclonus, Bludgeon and Straxus to guard the Ignition Chamber.
Optimus fired his Ion Blaster when his scanners picked up two organics approaching. Turning around, the Prime saw Cade and Viviane. "Viviane! This way!" He shouted over the gunfire.
"Yes! My little lady!" Hot Rod cheered as he covered the humans.
As the Autobots were reaching the chamber's entrance, a missile zoomed through the air and struck the cables that held the chamber. The cables snapped, and the entire chamber began falling. Despite that, electricity was still coursing from the Steelhaven to the chamber and then towards Cybertron. The now purple lightning collided with the blue lightning from Cybertron's core.
The chamber began to tip, and everyone lost their balance. Viviane and Cade were sent sliding and were nearly killed by a broken pillar if not for Optimus who purposely slammed into the pillar, knocking it aside. He was then engaged by Blackout, the large Con tackling Optimus. Not to far away, Prowl had gotten into a wrestling match with Kickback. The Con pulled out a blade and tried to stab Prowl through the spark. But the lieutenant dodged the blade and then bashed his shield against Kickback, knocking the Decepticon off him. Taking out his Neutron SMG, Prowl fired at a nearby cable that was about to break. He fired his weapon, snapping the cable off and sent it swinging right into Kickback. The Decepticon had no time to react as the large cable struck him hard, damaging his optics and faceplate. The impact sent him flying out of the chamber, and since he was not a flyer, Kickback was sent plummeting to the ground all the way below.
Eventually the chamber started to stabilize but still descended. Everyone soon got back up and the battle continued. All the Decepticons appeared to have been split between guarding Quintessa and attacking Viviane, knowing that she alone can stop the process. Thus, the Autobots focused on attacking the Cybertronian sorceress and protecting the humans. Shockwave attempted to shoot them, only to be intercepted by Bumblebee, Sideswipe and Mirage, the trio attacking with guns and blades. Seeing his older brother in a fight, Nitro Zeus tried to go over and help. But Skids fired his grappling hook and snatched it onto the Con's waist. With him and Mudflap tugging on the line, Nitro Zeus fell on his back.
Cade and Viviane were running across the chamber, avoiding Cybertronians and blaster fire. Hot Rod made sure to stay by their side. "Stay with me, I'll clear the path!" Hot Rod said as he fired at Megatron. The Decepticon leader was between the humans and the staff, determined to not let them succeed.
"You see it?" Cade asked as he helped Viviane lean against a fallen statue.
Viviane nodded as she watched Jazz and Hound join Hot Rod in fighting Megatron. The saboteur fired his shield blaster at Megatron, distracting him. Megatron fired his cannon at Jazz only to be tackled by Hot Rod and Hound, the former punching the Decepticon leader in the face. Jazz grabbed Megatron by the back of his neck, firing his blaster. The three Autobots managed to pull Megatron out of the way as Cade and Viviane dashed towards the staff. Seeing them, Megatron grabbed Hot Rod and Jazz, tossing them aside before kicking Hound across the room, nearly crushing Viviane and Cade. Megatron raised his axe-sword and prepared to bring it down on the Autobot commando.
"Stop the time!" Hot Rod shouted as he fired another temporal bolt. Megatron lost his grip on the sword as he was caught in a time bubble.
Recovering, Hound raised his minigun. "Gonna fill ya full of holes, Megatron!" Hound shouted, firing bullets that were stopped by the bubble. When the bubble dispersed, the bullets hit Megatron so hard he was sent crashing into the wall. Megatron recovered and fired back, forcing Hound to dodge but left the Decepticon opened to Jazz's attack, dividing the Decepticon leader's attention.
"Decepticons! Stop those humans!" Megatron roared.
Scowl tried to trample Cade and Viviane but was tackled out of the way by Grimlock. "You're mine now, traitor!" Grimlock roared as he smacked his former comrade in the face with his tail. Scowl snarled and rammed into Grimlock, who merely hit back with his horns. Grimlock proved stronger as he sent Scowl back. In response, Scowl transformed, bringing out a large shield and a hammer. Grimlock followed and waved his flail at Scowl, hitting the traitor's shield. Straxus then tried to take a shot at the humans, but was forced back when Inferno let loose a stream of flames from his arm-mounted flamethrowers.
Fracture was facing against Magnus along with Soundwave. She slammed her foot down, releasing a powerful seismic wave that caused the floor to shake. Magnus lost his footing, allowing Soundwave to land a blow to the Autobot's face. Staggering, Magnus received a kick to the back from Fracture. The two were about to attack again, but Magnus was able to recover and pulled out his hammer and forced them back.
"Magnus! Duck!" A voice from behind shouted. Recognizing it, Ultra Magnus bent down, revealing Ironhide with his Heavy Irons out. Before the Decepticons could react, Ironhide fired explosive rounds from his Battle Rifles, knocking Fracture and Soundwave off their feet.
Fracture got up and readied her energy blaster. She was about to fire but was struck by electricity coming from Jolt's volt cannons. The Decepticon femme jumped out of the way and fired at the junior medic, who avoided it and engaged Fracture. While that was happening, Ironhide fired his shell cannons at Soundwave, while Elita fended off Laserbeak and Rumble, preventing them from helping their master. Magnus took the chance to run off to fight Shockwave.
Said one-optic Con was still battling the three Autobots. Bumblebee would fire from a distance along with Sideswipe, who would switch to attacking with his blades along with Mirage. Shockwave growled as he waved his blade arm at the Autobots, while trying to aim his AstroMag cannon. He fired particle wave after particle wave, each blast forcing the Autobots to move. Mirage rammed his wrist blade into Shockwave's back, trying to uncut the cord attached to his cannon. Unfortunately, Shockwave reacted quickly enough and grabbed Mirage. "Your target was logically obvious." He said as he threw the red mech at Sideswipe, knocking both to the ground.
Bumblebee charged at Shockwave, jumping and slamming into the larger mech's chest. Shockwave stepped backwards, right into Magnus's line of sight. Powering up his hammer, Ultra Magnus landed a powerful blow onto Shockwave. The impact, sending the purple mech flying out of a wall.
"Big bro!" Nitro cried as he watched his brother being hit. Snarling, Nitro grabbed Skids and Mudflap, who were banging the Decepticon's armor, and tossed them aside. Running past Magnus, Nitro transformed and flew after Shockwave.
In another part of the chamber, Drift was dueling his former mentor, Bludgeon. Their swords clashed as the two mechs glared at one another. "I see that you have not let your skills dull since your defection, Deadlock!" Bludgeon commented.
"As I said before, I am no longer that mech." Drift replied angrily, pushing Bludgeon back. "However, my skills are greater now that I have a true cause to fight for."
"A cause? Ah, I have that too, Deadlock." Bludgeon said as he fired his electric canon. Drift managed to dodge the shot and pulled out his other sword. "I too, have a cause. And one I intend to live to see, in all its glory once my master returns."
Drift was confused by what Bludgeon meant but brushed it aside as he continued to duel with his former mentor. From the corner of his optics Bludgeon saw the humans were almost to the staff. He pushed back Drift with his foot, the Decepticon fired his cannon at them. He would've hit if Barricade hadn't slammed into him, ruining his aim. Armorhide stood over them as he fired explosive balls of plasma from his Plasma Sphere Cannon at them. The two Decepticons were able to avoid the explosive energy projectiles. Barricade fired his Gatling gun at the Autobot, while Bludgeon took that moment to escape.
"Wait!" Drift shouted. He was tempted to go after the Bludgeon, though decided that dealing with the larger threat was more important.
Elsewhere, Wingblade threw Starscream across the chamber and then fired at Thundercracker. The blue Seeker brushed off the attack before bringing out his axe, his weapon clashing against Wingblade's blades. Wingblade pushed him off him and slashed Thundercracker across the chest. Hissing, the blue Seeker fired his left-arm Plasma Cannon, firing at Wingblade who raised his arms to block it. Starscream got up and fired his missiles, hitting Wingblade in the back and nearly hitting Thundercracker. "Slag it, Starscream! Watch it!" Thundercracker roared as he fired his plasma cannon.
"Quite whining and kill him!" Starscream yelled as he fired his minigun at Wingblade.
This time, Wingblade dodge their shots and slashed Thundercracker across the chest. "Don't think that you can take me down like that!" The taller mech exclaimed as he kicked the blue Seeker back. Morphing his hands into his plasma rotary cannons, Wingblade fired at the two Seekers. Starscream and Thundercracker dodged the barrage of plasma bolts as they continued firing, slowly moving closer to each other, which was what Wingblade wanted. Retracting his cannons, his back shifted and revealed a pair of Ionic Pulse Launchers. Charging up, Wingblade fired at the Seekers, the pulse missiles struck Starscream and Thundercracker hard. The impact even caused the wall behind them to be destroyed.
The two Seekers managed to recover. However, after seeing how that staying here would be a death wish, Starscream decided to flee. "Frag this! I will not die here!" The grey Seeker yelled as he transformed and flew off.
"Starscream! You fragging coward!" Thundercracker cursed as he watched this, deciding to retreat as well.
Wingblade huffed, disappointed that the fight had ended like that. "They give fliers a bad name." He muttered before going to help Prowl against Cyclonus and Straxus.
Quintessa snarled as she continued the transfer. She could feel the power coming from Earth going to Cybertron. And yet, she could feel the planet resisting it, resisting her. And now there was another force fighting back and at the same time restoring Cybertron on its own. She would not accept it, she wouldn't! Quintessa had given too much to get this far; her mentor and master, her position, everything to get here and complete the destiny she deserved, the Prime of Life.
She spotted Viviane going for the staff. Snarling, Quintessa said, "Megatron! Kill her!"
Megatron threw off Jazz when Quintessa yelled. He aimed his Fusion Cannon at Viviane. He was going to fire when he saw Optimus lunged at him, Sword of Judgment raised. He would've lost his arm, but Megatron dodged it then extended his right Energon Arm Blade. With a swing he knocked the sword out of Optimus's hand. Then he thrust his arm blade towards Prime's neck, but Optimus caught it in time. Pushing harder, Megatron pinned Optimus against the wall. The two former comrades glared at one another.
Memories flooded through them as their optics stared at each other. How the two fought alongside one another to unify Cybertron's tribes after the Dynasty's fall. The victories and defeats they shared until they had managed to power the Allspark and restore Cybertron. All of that eventually leading up to them becoming the leaders of their home, earning the trust of their fellow Cybertronians. Perhaps these memories are what compelled Megatron snarling, "We were brothers once!"
Optimus frowned under his mask. The war had cost them everything, from their world to their race's very survival. Even if Optimus revealed the deception of Quintessa and Thunderwing's plan, he knew that Megatron would not believe him. The former Lord Protector had been filled with arrogance and rage for far too long, corrupted by the Fallen. "Once" Optimus said before flipping Megatron over him. He then followed it up with a strong kick to the Decepticon leader. The blow sent Megatron crashing through the wall of the chamber.
"Lord Megatron!" Blackout cried, having finally gotten out of the debris Optimus buried him under. Fracture also joined him as the two raced to save their leader.
Optimus let them go, seeing how stopping Quintessa was more important. However, the gravitational field around the chamber became unstable. Gravity was lost as Cybertronians, humans and debris began floating. Viviane, who had just grabbed the staff, lost her grip and started floating away from it.
"Optimus!" Elita cried as she tried to reach her sparkmate. A large mass of debris nearly struck her, but Optimus pushed it back before grabbing the purple femme.
"Ah! Its zero gravity, man!" Skids yelled as he tried to grab onto something. He grunted when his brother crashed into him. "Yo! Watch it, fool!"
"U watch it, dumbazz!" Mudflap shouted and the two began wrestling.
Hound was waving his arms and legs as he passed by Cade. "I'm weightless! Weightless!" He bemoaned as he reached for his weapons.
Bumblebee, seeing how the staff was not removed, landed on Cyclonus' back, freeing Prowl who had been grabbed by the Con. The purple mech spun around and slashed at Bee with his left arm-mounted energon blade. The attack missed but it did force Bee to shoot only half of the Con's face off. Without checking, or caring, if Cyclonus was offline or in stasis, Bee used the Con's body as a launching pad and shoo himself towards Viviane's. Cyclonus' body knocked into Scowl, who was pushed towards Grimlock. Unprepared, Scowl could not prevent Grimlock from grabbing the traitor's head and pulling out Scowl's spark. Satisfied that the traitor was dead, Grimlock tossed the body aside and grabbed Sideswipe and Mirage.
Back with Bumblebee, the yellow mech used his foot to lightly kick Viviane upwards towards Cade. Seeing her coming towards him, Cade grabbed Viviane's hand and with a nod, threw her towards the staff. Straxus, who used his pick-axe to keep himself balanced, saw Viviane going to the staff. Lifting his other arm, the mech took aim with his machine gun. Before he could fire, Hot Rod tackled him. "No! You will not hurt the lady!" Hot Rod said as he wrestled with the mech.
The two mechs slammed against a floating piece of debris, Straxus hitting it with his back. Hot Rod shot off and fired a time bolt at the mech, freezing him in place. The debris slowly spun around as it headed for the chamber's walls. When Straxus was freed from the time hold, he could only widen his optics as he was crushed between the wall and debris.
Optimus leapt at Quintessa, sword at the ready. "Quintessa, get off our planet!" Optimus roared as his blade struck the femme. It hit a force-field around the sorceress, disabling it and knocking Quintessa away from the staff. The femme snarled as she shot lighting from her fingertips at Optimus, holding him back.
"Traitor!" Quintessa yelled.
Optimus glared at her. "I am the traitor? You murdered Quintus. Helped the Fallen and brought the ruination of the Dynasty. You claim to be the Prime of Life, but the true Prime has already begun restoring Cybertron without destroying the Earth. You are nothing but a liar, schemer and a fool!"
"Silence! I will hear no more of this!" Quintessa screeched. She intensified the power of her lightning, charging up for an energy bolt.
Optimus grunted but held firm. "Let me say one more thing. Say hello to my sparkmate: Elita-One!"
On cue, said femme rolled up behind Optimus's back. Photon cannon at the ready, Elita fired at Quintessa with a fully charged blast. The projectile sent Quintessa flying, screaming as she disappeared in a dispersion of blue dust.
Elita-One grabbed onto a nearby pillar. She had a satisfied look on her face. "Nice meeting you, bitch." The purple femme said.
Viviane gripped the staff with both hands. With a strong tug, she pulled the device out of the machine. Outside, the black electricity receded back into the Earth. This was seen by the Autobots and humans, who had landed the ships a safe distance away from the fallen ignition chamber. They watched as the chamber crashed with the ground, dust filling the air. Everyone waited with baited breaths. Suddenly, a large roar came from the dust cloud. A second later, Wingblade flew out of the cloud with the rest of the Autobots driving behind him, Grimlock in his T-Rex mode. Max and Zoe were riding inside Optimus who was at the front.
Cheers filled the air, their voices loud enough for the entire island to hear. When Cade got out Izzy immediately hugged him. Though surprised, Cade returned the hug. The Autobots also held their own reunions, cheering over their survival and victory against the Decepticons. Dragonstorm flew above them, all three heads roaring before separating into the twelve Guardian Knights. Above, Cybertron finished its recovery, now whole once more. It was now twice the size as Earth and glowed a bright blue light, like a newborn star. Suddenly the radios came to life.
:Hello? Any Autobots receiving?: Evac asked.
"Evac! We read you loud and clear. What's your status up there? Is everyone alright?" Optimus asked.
:Oh thank Primus. We got worried when we saw the chamber falling: Evac replied. :Anyway, everything is OK up here. The planet is 100% ready for inhabitants. Nova is getting ready to move Cybertron to a more stable position:
"Understood, Evac." Optimus said before ending the transmission. "Magnus take the Ark and go pick up the refugees in Cuba."
"Yes, Prime." Magnus replied before heading towards said ship. Some of the others joining him.
"Autobots!" Optimus said to the gathered Cybertronians. "It is time for us to go home."