Disclaimer:Transformers belongs to Hasbro, Takara, etc. The only thing in this that belongs to me is Arcee's sister.
"Forgive me, Lord Megatron. While I do not question the wisdom of our tactical retreat, know that I am fully prepared to lead the troops in a counterattack against the Autobots," Dreadwing said as he stood behind Megatron on the bridge of the Nemesis as the Decepticon warship traveled through the skies of Earth.
"Counterattack?" Megatron repeated with disbelief as he looked at his first lieutenant with the corner of his optics before turning around towards him, "Perhaps you failed to notice Optimus Prime cleave an entire mountain with a single blow. With the Star Saber in his possession, my enemy can obliterate us all with a wave of his hand! I must find a way to tip the balance of power back in our favor."
"Do we not also possess a powerful relic of the ancients?" Dreadwing asked him.
"Indeed," Megatron answered, knowing which relic his first lieutenant was referring to, "The Forge of Solus Prime. But it is useless, except in the hand of a Prime." He then began to laugh, evilly as an idea came to his processor, "But I might wield that power if I were to control such a hand!"
"Optimus, what is Alpha Trion saying?" Optimus heard Ratchet ask as the Prime found himself in a realm that only contained himself and Alpha Trion.
"I wish I could meet you under better circumstances, Optimus Prime, but I fear that Iacon will not withstand the next Decepticon assault," Alpha Trion told Optimus.
"So you speak to me from across the ages," Optimus realized.
"If you are listening to this message, then I take solace that you now possess the Star Saber," Alpha Trion said, "I am certain that you have deduced how these Cybertronian relics and Decepticon weapons came to be found on such a remote world. Indeed, I transported them there, not so much to keep them far from Megatron's hands, but to ensure that they reach yours. As you may have long suspected, the Covenant of Primus records events of the future as well as the past. My imperfect understanding of its runes affords me a shadowy glimpse of what is to come. The Covenant's pages foretold that you, Optimus Prime, would journey to the small, but significant planet and there engage in a critical chapter in the war against the Decepticons. I know neither the nature of the battle nor its outcome. I only hope that these relics of the ancients will aid the Autobots in your time of need. Of utmost importance, in a few moments, I will launch the last of the relics, the most significant and powerful of them all."
The Star Saber stopped glowing as Optimus bent downwards and groaned as Ratchet walked over to him to check if he was alright.
"Easy, Optimus," Ratchet coaxed the Prime before he stood back up on his pedes.
"So, did Alpha Trion try and ask about me?" Smokescreen asked Optimus.
"I don't think he would ask or mention you in a message to Optimus, Smokescreen," Chromette told their new recruit.
"What was the message?" Bulkhead asked as he shoved Smokescreen out of the way as he approached Optimus.
"It is paramount that we recover the final four Iacon relics," Optimus stated, "The Omega Keys."
"Keys?" Both Arcee and Chromette asked at the same time in confusion.
"To what?" Ratchet Inquired, agreeing with the twins.
"To the regeneration of our home planet," Optimus answered.
The Nemesis was leaving Earth as both Megatron and Dreadwing stood on top of the Decepticon's warship as it was flying towards Earth's moon.
"Earth's moon is a barren rock, is it not?" Dreadwing asked the warlord.
"Indeed, Dreadwing," Megatron answered, agreeing with his first lieutenant, "But the moon is not our destination."
Dreadwing was confused at first as to why they were flying towards the moon if it wasn't their intended destination. Then he saw it, a Space Bridge, the same one but modified from being used on a planet's surface to space since the Autobots discovered it when they infiltrated it to go to Cybertron to restore Optimus' memories, behind the dark side of Earth's moon and hidden from prying eyes or optics.
"A Space Bridge?" Dreadwing said with surprise.
"Our very own, relocated here after the Autobots discovered its whereabouts on Earth. The dark side of the moon is hidden from prying human eyes and more importantly, well out of the Autobots' reach," Megatron explained, "Come, Dreadwing! We shall travel to the one place in the galaxy which may provide us with a means of defeating Optimus Prime."
The two of them then transformed into their alternate modes and flew towards the Space Bridge as its portal activated, which Soundwave had done for them.
"Pack your gear. We're going back to Cybertron!" Bulkhead said, excitedly as he pounded his fist into his servo for a second before walking past Bumblebee as the scout beeped a response.
"Well, believe it now, Bumblebee," Ratchet laughed from the Cybertronian Computer systems, "Civilization at last."
"But I just got here," Smokescreen protested.
"Maybe some of us could stay here," Chromette suggested.
"Remember oil baths?" Arcee asked everyone, "First thing I'm gonna do planetside is soak for an entire solar cycle."
"I can't wait to tell Miko," Bulkhead laughed, causing everyone to remember who they would leave behind if they ended up returning to Cybertron unless they could turn them all into Cybertronians.
"And Jack," Arcee added, sadly, thinking about her boyfriend as Ratchet still hadn't found a way to turn him into a Cybertronian before Bumblebee beeped, sadly as he thought about Raf.
"Uh… Optimus, keys open doors," Smokescreen said, walking up to Optimus, who was at the Cybertronian Computer system, decoding the next set of Iacon coordinates with the Star Saber on his back plate, "Can they really revive an entire planet?"
"While I am unfamiliar with the lore of these Omega Keys, Alpha Trion knew many secrets, and the ancients possessed technology that has long been lost to what we call modern science," Optimus answered as he turned around to their new recruit.
When Megatron and Dreadwing exited the Space Bridge portal they flew through, they found themselves flying through the all too familiar skies of Cybertron. The ruins and homes of their fellow fallen Cybertronians littered the ground. There wasn't a flicker of light on the planet. Even though he had witnessed the destruction of his home planet due to Dark Energon contaminating Primus and the core of the planet, Dreadwing was still left in shock.
"The devastation of our home world is worse than I remember," Dreadwing told Megatron as they flew over one of the ruined cities of Cybertron before proclaiming, "Curse the Autobots to the Pit!"
"Whatever their function, this much is certain. We cannot restore Cybertron without all four Omega Keys in our possession," Optimus stated as every single Autobot stood around him.
"Which means we can't afford to lose a single one to Megatron," Arcee added.
"Agreed, Sis," Chromette said, agreeing with her sister.
"Four sets of coordinates from Alpha Trion remain encrypted," Optimus told them as he turned back around towards the Cybertronian Computer system, "It is logical to conclude that each corresponds to the location of one of the Omega Keys. I must not waver until I decode them all. The future of our home world depends on it."
When Megatron and Dreadwing arrived to where the warlord desired to go. It became clear to Dreadwing that they hadn't returned to Cybertron to survey the planet's damage once again with the darkness and brutality that the war had left behind. While Dreadwing stood behind him, holding a flashlight, Megatron pushed a door open. When he saw the contents of the room, he realized where Megatron had taken him.
"A tomb," Dreadwing said with disbelief and shock.
"One known to contain the remains of Primes," Megatron told him with a smirk, "Please, tell me you're not averse to desecration."
"It is just that being in such a place evokes powerful emotions, considering the fate of my twin," Dreadwing explained as he felt his split-spark hum with pain and grief.
"Then you should delight in our purpose here, to exact our revenge of Skyquake and of all our fallen brethren," Megatron shrugged with a smirk as they approached one of the tombs.
That was all the convincing that Dreadwing had needed. Immediately, he grabbed the lid of one of the tombs and began sliding it away from its casket. As the body of the Prime housed inside was slowly unveiled to be Liege Maximo.
Unsheathing his sword, Megatron raised his arm…and executed the swipe to cut off the right arm of Liege Maximo from the elbow below.
"You shall require a more practical means of carrying such a blade," Ratchet told Optimus as he began working on a sheath for the Star Saber with one of his servos transformed into his welding tool as he used it to work on the sheath that he was creating for Optimus as the Prime was working to decode the final four Iacon relics.
"I feel funny saying this, but I'm not sure I want to go back till Jack becomes a Cybertronian," Arcee confessed.
"Who knew we'd ever get so used to our new home?" Bulkhead asked, rhetorically.
"I agree, I never thought that I would get used to being on Earth," Chromette said, agreeing with Bulkhead before Bumblebee beeped a response.
"Yeah. I don't think I'd ever want to leave Miko," Bulkhead stated.
"You love her, don't you, Bulk?" Chromette asked the former Wrecker.
"I think I do, Chromette," Bulkhead answered.
"We've made friends and I gained a boyfriend here. Family," Arcee added with sadness in her voice.
"We could always… text them till I figure out a way to turn Jack into a Cybertronian," Ratchet suggested with a shrug.
"Besides been fighting for so long, I don't know if I can do anything else," Bulkhead stated.
"You can go back into construction," Ratchet suggested as he stopped using his welding tool that he was using to create the sheath he was making for Optimus and turned to Bulkhead, Bumblebee, Arcee, Chromette and Smokescreen, "The power of the ancients may breathe life back into Cybertron's core, but our war-ravaged cities will surely require rebuilding."
"Me and Arcee could go back into espionage," Chromette stated, "We were spies for the High council after all, considering how stealthy we are."
"I wouldn't make any travel plans just yet. We still have to locate these Omega Keys and secure them before the 'Cons do," Arcee pointed out.
"Yeah, like that'll be a problem," Smokescreen scoffed, "Optimus has the Star Saber now. Megatron's end is in sight."
"Yes, I can do it, Lord Megatron, if you're certain that's what you really want," Knockout relented to Megatron after hearing his rather strange request as they were in the Nemesis' sickbay with the warlord laying on the medical slab.
"Like nothing I've ever desired before, Doctor," Megatron rumbled.
"I shall induce stasis," Knockout said as he went to type in the commands into the Cybertronian Computer system next to him.
"NO!" Megatron cried, causing Knockout to freeze, "I wish to bear witness as you attach my new appendage."
"Coming up," Knockout said as he transformed his servo into his rotating saw.
Megatron closed his optics and looked away as the sparks began to fly off his arm. Eventually, he did open his red optics. But not to watch the gruesome work of Knockout removing the bottom half of his current arm from the elbow below.
But to stare at the blood red hand of Liege Maximo that he had taken from the tomb of Liege Maximo within the tomb of the Primes on Cybertron that would soon become his new appendage.
"Autobots, I have decoded the first set of the final four coordinates," Optimus announced as he turned around from the Cybertronian Computer system to face Ratchet, Bumblebee, Smokescreen, Bulkhead, Arcee and Chromette, "Divide into teams in the event that I am able to decode another before the first team returns."
"I'm on team one," Smokescreen told everyone, "Who's with me?"
"I'll go," Arcee answered as she stepped forward with a slight smirk.
"Me too," Chromette said, agreeing with her sister as she also stepped forward.
"After the two of you, sirs… ma'ams… commanders?" Smokescreen stuttered, nervously.
"This should be interesting," Ratched muttered as he used one of his digits to choose the Ground Bridge's coordinates for the location of where the first of the four Omega Keys were located at with the Ground Bridge's controls before pulling the switch downwards.
The operation Knockout had performed on Megatron was nothing but short of a success. Glancing between the Forge of Solus Prime lying in the vault and his new appendage, Megatron smirked. Before, he was able to hand the Forge of Solus Prime in his hands; but was unable to utilize its powers due to not being a Prime. Now, with the hand of Liege Maximo attached to his arm, not only can he hold the Forge of Solus Prime, but could also utilize its power.
"Yes," Megatron chuckled, evilly as he lifted the Forge up from its small vault, watching as electricity began to flow through the Forge as it came to life as he touched it, "At long last, the Power of the Primes belongs to me!"
The coordinates Optimus had decoded led Arcee, Chromette and Smokescreen to one of the many deserts of Egypt. All three Autobots were in their alternate modes as they exited the Ground Bridge, they reached Egypt from. The twins were able to recognize they were in Egypt due to the Pyramids and the Great Sphinx of Giza surrounding them and they both knew for a fact that the Valley of the Kings wouldn't be far from where they were as they along with Smokescreen transformed back into their robot forms before Smokescreen transformed his servo into his blaster and aimed it around.
"First one's here," Smokescreen said as he lowered his arm after using his blaster to check the area to see if there weren't any Decepticons around and found that they were alone.
"No locator beacon, which means the relic's still buried right about… There," Arcee proclaimed as she pointed at one of the nearby pyramids.
"Right inside one of the Pyramids of Giza," Chromette added.
Megatron was quick to take advantage of his newfound power. He was at work using the Forge of Solus Prime to transform a simple clump of Dark Energon into a powerful weapon. Knockout and Dreadwing watched on with interest.
"The Forge of Solus Prime possesses the ability to create anything from raw material," Dreadwing stated.
"And in this case, said raw material would be a big hunk of Dark Energon," Knockout added.
While Megatron was busy utilizing an Iacon relic, Arcee, Chromette and Smokescreen were hunting around the pyramids of Egypt for one that belonged to a set of four. Slowly, they found themselves being led to a series of tunnels underneath the pyramids. Taking the opportunity, Smokescreen decided that he should try and make things right with Arcee.
"Uh, Arcee, I-I owe you an apology. I never meant to endanger Jack. Humans squish easily. I get that now," Smokescreen promised.
"This isn't just about Jack! Team Prime can't afford any casualties! Human or bot!" Arcee snapped before continuing to walk forward, "I've already lost two partners. I don't want my boyfriend on my scorecard."
"Not gonna happen. Elite Guardsman honor," Smokescreen promised before remembering what Arcee just told him as he went to follow her and Chromette, "Wait. You've lost two partners?"
"She did, Smoke," Chromette confirmed, "One during the War for Cybertron named Tailgate by an Arachnicon named Airachnid and another named Cliffjumper by Starscream."
"Oh, I see," Smokescreen muttered, "But I assure you, Arcee, that till we find a way to turn Jack into a Cybertronian, I will keep him safe from harm."
As Megatron came close to completing his weapon, Soundwave came in. Despite the lack of sound coming from the Decepticons' surveillance chief, his presence didn't go unnoticed. Megatron immediately stopped working to see what Soundwave needed him to know.
He saw a map take up the black spaces of Soundwave's visor. Immediately, Megatron knew what it meant.
"You have decoded the next set of Iacon coordinates. Excellent work, Soundwave," Megatron complimented his surveillance chief.
"Ha. Nice of the humans to pile all of these rocks on top of our relic, huh?" Smokescreen joked, dryly as he, Chromette and Arcee walked through the tunnels of one of the pyramids in a crouched position.
The deeper the three Autobots walked into the ancient pyramid's tunnel network, the louder and faster the beeping from Arcee's detector became. Eventually, it changed from a series of quiet, fast beeps to one shrill long beep. Arcee, Chromette and Smokescreen observed hieroglyphics that were written on the walls of the tunnel. They didn't need to know how to study the hieroglyphics to know what they were saying.
"Pretty much spells things out, doesn't it?" Smokescreen remarked.
"Yeah, I agree, Smoke," Chromette said, agreeing with their new recruit.
"Come on, you two. Help me move this," Arcee requested.
Smokescreen didn't bother to object as Chromette immediately went to help her sister. And it wasn't just because Smokescreen wanted to get on the blue femme's good side after unintenionally endangering her boyfriend. Together, the three of them removed a block of clay from the wall structure. Fortunately, for them, the removal of a stable block didn't bring the entire place down on top of them. Due to the tunnels being thousands of years old, Arcee, Chromette and Smokescreen didn't know just how fragile time had made them.
When the cavern was revealed, all of their worrying was rewarded with relief. One of the Omega Keys they desperately needed to find was lying on the floor. Waiting for any Cybertronian to find where it was buried and take it away.
"The ancient humans must have thought the Omega Key was a gift from the Gods," Smokescreen surmised as they began to leave the tunnel.
"And in a sense, they weren't wrong," Arcee smirked, slightly.
"Yeah, compared to them, we do look like Gods, considering how much more advanced we are than humans are," Chromette said, agreeing with her twin sister as they began to approach the tunnel's exit.
As they left the tunnel, they saw Megatron standing there a few feet away from them as they saw that he had something over his back plate and they knew why he would be there as there would only be one reason why he would be standing there.
"The relic… Now!" Megatron ordered the three Autobots.
"Three against one. We can take him," Smokescreen told both femmes as they prepared to fight the Decepticon warlord.
That was before, with his newly acquired servo, he unveiled his new weapon from his back plate. Using the Forge of Solus Prime, Megatron had transformed a single chunk of Dark Energon crystals into a glowing, powerful, dangerous purple sword. Smokescreen, Chromette and Arcee looked on in horror at the site of Megatron's new weapon. Before their optics, they saw their chances of succeeding at defeating Megatron decrease.
"Ratchet, Ground Bridge, now!" Arcee said, contacting the Autobot medic with her comlink.
No Ground Bridge was sent to their location, causing Arcee, Chromette and Smokescreen to face the Decepticon warlord alone. And they knew surviving Megatron like this was severely slim. Megatron smirked as he swung his sword like how Optimus did with his. A wave of dark energy was emitted from the sword. Unable to move, Arcee, Chromette and Smokescreen were hit in the chassis by the force of the dark energy from Megatron's sword. The force was strong enough to send them flying.
The three of them landed roughly in the desert sand, a few hundred feet away from the Pyramid of Giza and separated from one another as the Omega Key that they had just acquired landed a few feet away from them.
Despite the odds that were mounting against them, Smokescreen wouldn't give up as he stood up and began running towards Megatron and transformed his servo into his blaster as he began firing it at the Decepticon warlord. Amused, Megatron used his new sword to deflect Smokescreen's firepower away from him. The twins both groaned as they sat up and transformed their servos into their blasters and began firing them at Megatron as well before Megatron deflected their firepower away from him as well.
The Decepticon warlord swung his new sword again as another wave of dark energy was emitted from the sword as it hit Smokescreen, sending him backwards and flying again as he flew towards one of the Pyramids of Giza, which both Arcee and Chromette noticed as they turned to him and as the wave of energy dissipated, it seemed to the twins that Smokescreen had simply disintegrated to dust.
"SMOKESCREEN!" Both Arcee and Chromette cried out in horror at the same time.
"What manner of treasure did Iacon send us this time?" Megatron mused as he picked up the Omega Key with his left servo before using the tip of his sword to make both the saddened Arcee and Chromette to face him after they transformed their servos back into servos, "I would slice you both in two right now… But I need you both to deliver a message. Tell Optimus Prime that if he wants this relic, he must come and claim it himself!"
With those words exchanged, Megatron threw the relic to the ground.
"And then Smokescreen was just… gone…" Arcee recalled sadly as she and Chromette told everyone back at base what happened in Egypt as they sat next to each other and in front of Ratchet and the others.
"Like he turned to dust," Chromette added, sadly.
"Poor kid," Bulkhead muttered, sadly.
"Arcee, Chromette, do not blame yourselves. It could just as easily have been either of you," Ratchet reminded the twins.
"I say we go claim a piece of Megatron's metal hide," Bulkhead proclaimed as he transformed his servo into his blaster with Bumblebee beeping a response as he deployed his blasters from his arms as they began walking towards the Ground Bridge.
"No," Optimus protested, "We have already lost another one of our own today. I will not risk more lives. Given what Arcee and Chromette witnessed, it stands to reason that Megatron now possesses might equal to the Star Saber, which means only I have a chance of recovering the Omega Key."
"The fate of Cybertron rests upon its retrieval," Ratchet told them.
"Whether Megatron knows it or not," Bulkhead added.
Knowing what he had to do, Optimus left the confines of their base. Armed and ready, he made his way to the coordinates that Arcee and Chromette had just left as a Ground Bridge portal appeared in its location as Optimus walked through it before it disappeared. As though his next step would be his last. Eventually, he reached the relic that was sticking out in the sand…and Megatron himself.
"Claim your prize, Optimus…if you can," Megatron tormented the Prime with a smirk as he approached him.
It was then that Optimus had a good look at the Decepticon warlord. When he did, he looked on in horror at the sight he was presented with. Megatron looked like his usual self, but there were some adjustments. The new dark appendage from Liege Maximo stood out against the gunmetal gray of his paint. But Optimus wasn't sure of what sight horrified him the most, Megatron's new arm or his new weapon.
"By the Allspark, Megatron, what have you done?!" Optimus demanded Megatron in horror.
"This. I find it affords me certain advantages, such as the use of the Force of Solus Prime," Megatron explained as he smirked before he unsheathed the glowing purple sword that he used on Arcee, Chromette and Smokescreen moments before, "My first creation, fashioned from the very blood of unicron. I call it the Dark Star Saber. Slayer of Primes, if you will."
Megatron then screamed a battle cry as he rushed towards Optimus as Optimus activated his battle mask and unsheathed the Star Saber from his back plate as he rushed towards Megatron as the warlord sent a wave of dark energy towards Optimus with his sword, only for the Autobot to jump over the wave of dark energy. He continued rushing towards the Decepticon warlord as the wave of dark energy dissipated as it sent rocks flying backwards, Optimus then rotated around as he sent a wave of energy from his sword towards Megatron, only for him to slice the energy in half as it came towards him as passed by him as the wave of energy from the Star Saber sent rocks behind Megatron were sent flying backwards.
Megatron yelled out another battle cry as he swung his sword towards Optimus, sending another wave of dark energy out towards Optimus, only for Optimus to slice the wave of dark energy in half before Megatron sent out yet another wave of dark energy towards the Autobot leader, only for him to jump over the wave of dark energy and landed on top of one of the building stones that were used to create the pyramids and ran across it as the wave of dark energy destroyed the building stones as Optimus jumped over the wave of dark energy as he landed in front of Megatron as their swords locked against one another as a wave of energy encompassed them for a second before they backed away from each other before charging at each other and locked their swords against each other again as more waves of energy from their swords surrounded them before moving their sword from each other and locked them against each other a few more times.
"At last we take our rightful places, Optimus, as Gods, wielding the power of the cosmos!" Megatron growled before grabbing Optimus by the neck and held him at one of the building stones that were used to build the Pyramids.
"I am but a soldier, Megatron, and you are a prisoner of your own twisted delusions!" Optimus told the Decepticon warlord before knocking him onto his back plate before standing back up and sending a wave of dark energy out towards him with the Dark Star Saber, only for Optimus to evade and destroy the building stones instead.
Both Optimus and Megatron charged at one another and locked their swords against each other again as the energies from their swords surrounded them as they began clashing their swords against each other a few times before Optimus groaned.
"My Dark Star Saber has tasted one spark tonight. It still thirsts for that of a Prime!" Megatron sneered before they locked their swords against one another again before Megatron pinched the Prime, knocking Optimus backwards a bit and landed on his chassis and grunted as Megatron walked towards the Prime before he stood back up and clashed their swords against each other again as Megatron cried out another battle cry before the Dark Star Saber shattered the Star Saber's blade as the shattered remnants of the blade disintegrated before Optimus collapsed to his knees as Megatron placed the Dark Star Saber's blade over Optimus' shoulder pads and the Prime knew what was going to happen.
"And so it ends, just as I envisioned, with your head beside my new trophy," Megatron told Optimus.
"Oh, you mean this?" They suddenly heard Smokescreen's voice say as Megatron went to strike Optimus down before they turned to see Smokescreen alive with the Phase Shifter over his wrist and the Omega Key in his servos, "Finders keepers."
"You!" Megatron yelled in horror as Optimus turned around and grabbed Megatron's servo holding the Dark Star Saber and used what was left of the Star Saber to strike Megatron in the chassis, forcing him to stumble backwards before Smokescreen immediately ran forward to join the fight.
"SMOKESCREEN, FALL BACK!" Optimus ordered, not wanting to lose his life after thinking that Megatron killed him with the Dark Saber Saber earlier.
Smokescreen didn't listen as the Autobots' new recruit kept running towards them. Even as Megatron sent a wave of dark energy hurtling towards him, he was able to avoid it. Optimus soon knocked Megatron onto his back plate, destroying a building stone, causing Megatron to growl before he punched the Prime in the helm, sending Optimus backwards a bit before the Decepticon warlord sent out another wave of dark energy towards Optimus when Smokescreen suddenly ran in front of him and grabbed Optimus and to their surprise, the wave of dark energy phased right through them.
"Ratchet, Ground Bridge!" Optimus said, contacting Ratchet with his comlink.
"NO!" Megatron roared with anger.
"Missed us," Smokescreen told the Decepticon warlord as a Ground Bridge portal appeared behind them.
As the two Autobots began running towards the Ground Bridge portal, Megatron screamed a battle cry as he ran after them and swung his sword at them, sending out another wave of dark energy towards Optimus and Smokescreen, only for the wave of dark energy to miss them as they entered the Ground Bridge portal with it disappearing before it could reach them.
"Run, Optimus, run! Those trinkets from Iacon will not save you, not when I now possess the power TO TEAR THIS WORLD APART!" Megatron vowed after laughing evilly as he held the Dark Star Saber in the air with its dark energy emanating from its blade with lightning also surrounding it.
As Optimus and Smokescreen walked through the Ground Bridge, Optimus was in front of their new recruit as Ratchet guided Optimus away from the Ground Bridge portal
"Smokescreen?!" Bulkhead said in surprise as the Ground Bridge powered down.
"And Omega Key number one," Smokescreen told them as he held up the Omega Key to prove his point that he had the first Omega Key in his servos.
"But…how?" Arcee asked him, "I mean, both me and Chrome saw you."
"Yeah, how did you survive?" Chromette said, agreeing with her twin.
"I, uh, decided to borrow the Phase Shifter," Smokescreen explained, showing them the relic over his wrist.
"Again?!" Ratchet exclaimed as he finished scanning Optimus' latest scratch from his battle with Megatron.
"Good thing, too. The wave from the blast hit me like a wrecking ball. The impact must have activated the Shifter," Smokescreen said as he began to tell everyone of how he survived, "I don't know how long I was unconscious, but when I made my way back outside, Optimus and Megatron were deep in an epic throwdown. I waited for the right moment to make my move."
"You're learning," Arcee complemented their new recruit.
"Yeah, I agree, you are learning, Smoke," Chromette said, agreeing with her sister with a smirk as she began to realize that she had feelings for him.
"So, can I keep it?" Smokescreen asked Ratchet, "I mean, it is really working out for me."
"Fine, fine," Ratchet answered.
"Yes! Signature weapon!" Smokescreen cried, happily as he looked at it before staring at the remnants of the Star Saber on a metal box below him as everyone but Optimus walked up to him.
"You got yours. Optimus Lost his," Bulkhead told him, sadly.
"The balance of power shifted again," Arcee added.
"How many times does the balance of power have to shift to favor the Decepticons over us?" Chromette muttered.
"While he may have wielded the power of the ancients for only one day, Optimus does not require it to be the mightiest of warriors," Ratchet stated as they all looked at Optimus as he was decoding the Iacon Database.
Next is Hard Knocks and please favorite, follow and review. I also want suggestions on what Jack's color scheme should be when he becomes a Cybertronian and what he should look like as I already have some ideas of it narrowed down.