Obviously I don't own the Transformers, but this is the way of things.
Just a couple of notes before I begin: This story is based on the US Transformers cartoon from the beginning of the series up until the movie. I do not take the comic books, Beast Wars/Machines, or anything else into account other than what was shown in the TV series. I have taken a couple of minor liberties with how the technology works. As technical matters were mostly glossed over and inconsistent at best in the series I worked out what I think most logically works (and, of course, what works best for the story). I have done quite a bit of research for this story, so everything should be accurate.
This is a work in progress and it's very long (currently over 100 pages in MS Word at a 10pt font, and growing). I have many other chapters already written and if the story is liked, I'll post them too. If all goes well you should be able to read my story and then watch Transformers: The Movie and the transition should be seamless.hopefully. It's been slow going now for a while so I figure I'd post it where people could actually read it and give me some honest feedback. Perhaps it will give me the push I need in order to finish it. Now, on to the story.
Chapter 01
The explosion was utterly silent. The bright flashes of laser fire and blossoming spires of flame presented themselves with all the sound of a vacuum. A gray-winged fighter jet swooped briefly into the field of view and then vanished followed by several others. A retreat. The scene on the small monitor began to slow as it made its way jarringly to a halt.
Megatron, leader of the Decepticons, stood in front of a small viewscreen, his imposing, gleaming white and gray form was silhouetted by a large viewscreen behind him. The same frozen images emblazoned upon it as were on the smaller monitors embedded in the surrounding walls. Congregated in the Decepticon War Room inside their deep-sea command center was the rest of his pathetic army. Megatron had opted to make this presentation of his army's lack of skills without the aid of sound so that corrections and berating could take place. With a hiss a panel opened on a wall behind him and what appeared to be an audio cassette emerged, propelled through the air by an unseen force. The cassette, for an instant, seemed as though it began to fall apart, but then, as though correcting itself, pieces moved and servos spun and its form was altered from a recording device into that of a mechanical bird. Lazerbeak.
"Seven," Megatron said as Lazerbeak came to rest on his weaponless left arm. "Seven raids on the Autobot power station and every one a failure! Not a one of you even managed to return with one iota of energy!" Disgusted, he turned toward Soundwave, the Decepticon communications officer, and with a gesture, sent Lazerbeak back to his master. The robotic hawk traveled the short distance between the two and at the last moment transformed back to the cassette form and slid neatly into Soundwave's chest receptacle. "I'm surrounded by incompetence," Megatron said with a gesture toward the army at large.
The sound of a heavy, metallic footfall turned Megatron's attention to the left side of the room. Starscream stepped forward, every inch of him full of his usual arrogance. His swept back, red-striped gray wings added to his look of defiance. "If your strategy was sound, Megatron, we would have been successful on the first raid. You are the incompetent fool." He walked closer to his leader pointing to himself. "You only make excuses for your own ineptitude."
Calmly, Megatron said, "Starscream, the only incompetence I have displayed was placing you in command of the operation. I should have my neurons overhauled to have done such a thing." He walked back to the viewscreen and punched some keys. "Now I am in no mood for your traitorous behavior, so shut up." Apparently sensing the seriousness of the moment Starscream stood down. Satisfied that the incident had been quelled, at least for the moment, Megatron pressed a final switch on the panel beside him and a wire-frame image replaced the scene of defeat on the main screen.
After studying the monitor in silence for a time Megatron turned back to his forces. "There will be a training session tonight, whereupon we will work to remedy your collective idiocy. For now, get on with your duties and out of my sight until you are called upon." With that, the assembly dissipated, leaving Megatron to prepare the rest of his battle plans.
After the majority of the forces had fled, Megatron approached a large table in the center of the room upon which several holographic images hovered. The table projected images of the base of a volcano, which had what appeared to be the rear half of a large spacecraft protruding from it. It was this crashed starship that the Autobots used as their headquarters. Many of the Decepticons, including himself, had arrived on this miserable planet in that very same ship. When he thought of the enormous amount of time he and his warriors had spent on that ship completely dormant it made his fluids boil. Hundreds of thousands of Earth years wasted when he could have been draining this planet dry of energy, and not an Autobot to stop him. Pushing aside his frustration, Megatron activated a switch on the edge of the display and the hologram rotated and shifted. It now pictured the surrounding area, which most importantly contained the position of the power station, the current main focus of the Decepticons.
The power station had been constructed as an expression of gratitude to the Autobots. Megatron's enemies had been given the resources and permission to build such a source of power by the viruses that were indigenous to the Earth-humans. The humans seemed to coddle the blasted Autobots at every turn, looking to them for advice and even going so far as to revere them as heroes. In a bitter rage, Megatron slammed his metallic fist on the console and the hologram winked out. He turned to face the rest of the room, eager to proceed and crush his foes with finality.
A few trusted others had remained-by Megatron's own choosing-to revise attack plans. Soundwave, of course, was there to offer his ever-loyal services. Also, on hand was Onslaught, leader of the ruthless and overly militaristic Combaticons, and Scrapper who led the Constructicons. Starscream, however, was not present this time, Megatron noted with more than a little satisfaction. At least the arrogant fool was intelligent enough to realize he was no longer wanted on the strategies team without being told, especially after his outburst of mutinous behavior. Once enough of the commotion from the exodus had died down Megatron keyed the hologram on once again and indicated that they could begin.
Onslaught was the first to step forward and offer his brand of strategy. "From this vantage point," he said, pointing at the top of a large outcropping on the holographic map, "we can attack the fringes of the resistance." The Combaticon leader proudly took a step back from the display and looked around to insure everyone understood.
Scrapper stepped closer, all too eager to find flaws in any plans. "However, you seem to forget, Onslaught, that three raids prior we attempted a variation on that strategy and it accomplished little." Onslaught appeared slightly confused so Scrapper invited himself to elaborate. "The center of the Autobot defenses are based around their power station, protected doubly so on the fringes. I believe a full assault with all of our firepower focused here," he pointed to the map with a green-plated metallic finger, "will breach their defense system with the most efficiency."
Onslaught just looked away and muttered, "I was designed for combat, not fancy strategic stuff. Just call me back when you have something for me to shoot at." His pride damaged he walked out of the room. Megatron let him go, he hadn't been adding much to the plans and was quick to become confused, slowing them down when time was of the essence. They had to press forward. He was about to discuss Scrapper's plan further when Soundwave spoke.
"Megatron," Soundwave said in his multi-pitched voice, "there is a communiqué from Cybertron."
"On screen," Megatron commanded, irritation seeping into his voice. There was simply too much to do and he did not want or need any interruptions. Obediently, Soundwave keyed the screen and an image of Shockwave blazed into life. Shockwave had been left in command on Cybertron ever since the Decepticons had followed the Autobots to the miserable planet of Earth countless centuries ago. Fortunately, during Megatron's extended absence the Decepticons that remained on Cybertron, far more than the small faction that had pursued their enemies across the stars, were able to crush the Autobots on Cybertron and seize victory. Megatron often wished that he could have been present to watch Optimus Prime's reaction to the destruction of his friends and allies on their homeworld when the Autobots had made that first trip back to Cybertron.
The Autobot's victory on Earth had created a stalemate for them. They could not return home without vanquishing the Deceptions first, otherwise the people of Earth would be left unable to defend themselves against these alien invaders. Megatron felt a sadistic sense of glee rise within him each time he thought of this, knowing that the Autobots were as much prisoners on this planet as they were themselves. On the monitor, Shockwave waited patiently. "Go ahead, Shockwave."
"Lord Megatron," Shockwave began, "I have significant progress to report in our new technologies research." Ever since the Decepticon dominance of Cybertron they have had complete access to all its precious resources, and thus the ability to research new weapons with which to conquer other worlds in the galaxy-all the worlds-as was their purpose. However, the Autobot threat was still present as a rebellion and none of those resources or warriors can be sent to Earth to aid Megatron and his fight.
When nothing more was forthcoming Megatron demanded, "Well? Report it! We are extremely busy so make it brief!"
"My Lord, several areas of research that had been long abandoned because of the war have recently been reopened. It is in one of these areas that we have made the significant breakthrough. I firmly believe that this is something that you must witness for yourself, Lord." Shockwave stiffened a bit, stood slightly more straight, more official, "Lord Megatron, I request that you come to Cybertron to personally view this new insight."
"We do not have the energies to spare for frivolous trips to Cybertron just so I can see your new toys, Shockwave." Megatron turned away from the communications screen, "This no longer interests me. Contact me again when you have something consequential to report."
Shockwave became uncharacteristically insistent, "Forgive me my liege, but this is something that you will be able to bring back with you and use to crush the Autobots with finality."
Intrigued by Shockwave's insistence he agreed to hear more, but even more surprisingly he was reluctant to tell more over the communication. "You must see this in person, Megatron. I do not wish the Autobots to intercept this transmission."
"Bah! The Autobots do not even know the location of this fortress, let alone the minimal possibility that they are monitoring our communications. Don't be so paranoid, Shockwave."
"Lord, it is not the Autobots on your Earth with which I am concerned. I know factually that the Autobots here on Cybertron are very much able to intercept Decepticon transmissions. As of now we are not sure of the location of the interception, but it is being investigated currently."
Megatron watched the pulsing of Shockwave's voice chip and took in every word. Should he take this trip when it could turn out to be four nothing? Yet, Shockwave had never requested his presence before, nor could Megatron remember Shockwave sounding so unquestioningly confident about anything, let alone a new weapon. Shockwave was skeptical about everything, much as Megatron was himself. It was one of the reasons that he has left Shockwave in command. "Very well," Megatron conceded, "I will power the space bridge for transport and come to Cybertron. But know this: If this is a waste of my time and my energy you will regret it a thousand fold."
"Understood, Lord Megatron."
"Transmit the coordinates to Soundwave. I will arrive shortly. Megatron, out." The image of Shockwave was replaced by the sharp-angled Deception insignia on a black background-the Cybertronian symbol for war. He stalked out of the room, his feet resonating loudly on the floor plates. The amount of energy that the space bridge trip will cost will set back their next raid by weeks, perhaps months. It had best be worth his time.
He collected a small entourage for his journey and arrived in the transport room as Soundwave was finishing the space bridge's activation sequence. "All is ready Megatron," Soundwave announced.
"Excellent, Soundwave. You will be in command during my brief absence."
"As you command, Megatron."
Megatron turned to the two others he brought with him. "Thundercracker. Skywarp. You are going to accompany me on this journey. Come on, let's get this over with."
They stepped into the center of the waist-high, metal circle with Thundercracker and Skywarp in tow. Once all three of them were inside it's perimeter Soundwave closed the entrance, completely enclosing them inside the confines of the space bridge. Thundercracker mumbled something about feeling trapped, to which Skywarp said nothing.
The space bridge was the only way to get back to Cybertron without a starship. While the space bridge used a great deal of energy, taking a starship back to Cybertron would have used all of what little resources the Decepticons possessed. The most frustrating part of the space bridge, however, was its inability to transport energy. Any energies that are sent through are dissipated en route. All of Cybertron's energy at the other end of the bridge and none of it was at their disposal. Moreover, the activation of the space bridge consumed large amounts of energy on both ends so that it was impossible for Cybertron to send aid in the form of either reinforcements or weapons or even equipment to with which the Decepticons could build their own power station. The entire endeavor reminded Megatron bitterly of what he had yet to accomplish and what the trip was costing the Decepticons.
"Activating space bridge now, Megatron," Soundwave announced.
Space-time around the three Decepticons warped and spun in on itself for a moment. For a human it would have been harmfully disorienting, more proof of their inferiority, more reason that the Decepticons should rule them and their planet. A virtual tunnel formed above of the three of them and then they were pulled through-or perhaps the tunnel fell onto them-and then they were falling upward, seemingly defying the laws of physics. The tunnel was only an impression; there was nothing physical to it, almost as though they were in the center of a focus of energy. If they were to leave the confines of its "walls" they would be thrown into oblivion. They came upon the halfway point of their trip, which was marked by a feeling of falling replacing the feeling of rising. Moments later there was a swirl of purple light that dispersed quickly and they were on Cybertron, their homeworld.
They were standing in the middle of a structure similar to the one they left from Earth. A door slid open and admitted Shockwave who keyed a release giving Megatron and his companions an exit from the ring of the space bridge and admittance to the room at large. Shockwave approached the trio. "Welcome home, Lord, to your rightful-"
"Spare the pleasantries and show me why you dragged me away from my important work, Shockwave," Megatron said irritably.
"Very well," Shockwave said without the slightest hint that he had been put off. "If you will follow me," and he led them out of the room.
The design of the installation was much the same as his own complex on Earth. Here, however, the labyrinthine corridors wove on endlessly, or so it seemed to Megatron who was impatient to get this over with. Finally, Shockwave stopped in front of a large security door and punched in a code. The door split down the middle and slid back to either side, revealing another door about five paces behind it. Shockwave performed a similar ritual at this door and it opened in much the same way, only this time access to the research lab was beyond.
The research facility was quite impressive and Megatron found himself longing for a similar complex on Earth. There were Decepticon scientists just about everywhere performing myriad tasks, most were too absorbed in their work to notice his passing, those that did notice him stood aside and gave him the respect that the Decepticon commander warranted. Under other circumstances Megatron would have been angered that so many in the room were ignoring him, but right now, eager to be gone, he did not care. Shockwave led the three of them to yet another door, which required a key card as well as an access code to get through. The room on the other side of the door was dark, but this was quickly remedied as Shockwave activated the lights. The room was divided in half by a wall of glass; it seemed to be a tank of some sort. On the other side of the wall there was a formless metallic-colored mass.
"Megatron," Shockwave began, "we have discovered a technology with infinite possibilities." He gestured toward the metallic blob on the opposite side of the glass. "This is our breakthrough."
"This mass of disgust?" Megatron said bitterly. "I warned you about wasting my time, Shockwave." In response Thundercracker and Skywarp focused their respective weapon sights on Shockwave.
Calm as ever, Shockwave proceeded. "You misunderstand, Lord. This is nanotechnology, an area of research that was abandoned during the war because of the its unpredictability and difficulty to control."
"And I suppose you have managed to correct that and have learned to control it, Shockwave?"
"Yes, Lord Megatron. If you would allow me to explain."
Megatron studied the shifting gray accumulation. It seemed that he could see forms shift in and out of being within the writhing mass. He found himself wondering what the material was made of, what its properties were. It may be a substance that was indestructible or equally powerful, if only he could mold it into what he wished. He was lost in the possibilities and he discovered that he wanted to know more and Shockwave was the one to provide him with that information. "Very well, Shockwave. Proceed." His eyes never left the nanotechnology.
"Excellent, my liege. First, I believe it would be best if I were to inform you of the past surrounding this particular technology." When Megatron offered no further argument he began.
"Before the war and into its early stages nanotechnology was being researched by top Decepticon weapons developers and scientists. This branch of research was abandoned due to energy constraints as well as the greater need to create weapons that would more directly deal with the elimination of the Autobots as well as more practical methods of defense. Now that the Autobots have been beaten back we have been able to resurrect some of the old areas of research.
"When the Decepticons first returned to this facility the nanotechnology was rediscovered. It had not been touched since the complex was abandoned. When the project records were evaluated it was discovered that the nanotechnology was far more advanced than it had been at the time when the facility was closed. This was found to mean that the technology was, in a sense, researching and developing itself.
"Once brought back online, the super-intelligent microcomputers that comprise the nanotechnology began to take control of the computer systems on their own, not only in this laboratory but all over the planet. After a painstaking battle the scientists were finally able to purge the nanotechs and take them offline. The reason of the loss of control was soon found.
"Nanotechs were able to evolve to a point, even before power was restored to them. However, this was proven to be a finite evolution. Once they had power again, they began to advance and evolve exponentially, gaining intelligence at an incredible rate. They learned more about our own computer systems and networks than we knew ourselves in but a fraction of the time. Although dangerous, our scientists recognized the potential for a devastating weapon. The question remained on how to control them for our needs.
"After a some time one of our scientists was able to accomplish this. Through experiments in a controlled environment it was learned that a terminator could be programmed into the nanotechs' systems that would be assimilated without their knowledge. This termination program allowed our scientists to choose how far the nanotechs could evolve and how intelligent they became. This was very important to ensure that they did not grow to overthrow us. Control was key.
"Through much work we managed to coerce the nanotechnology into developing into the form of robots, much like ourselves. Thirty-six robots to be exact, my Lord. All of which posses a collective intelligence, as it the nature of nanotechnology. What one of the robots sees, they all see. What one of them knows, they all know. It is this new warrior, who we have named 'Swarm,' that will definitely be key to the destruction of the Autobots," Shockwave said proudly. "Observe, Lord Megatron." He turned to the side and activated a panel release, revealing an antechamber. "Swarm, come forward for Commander Megatron."
Out of the antechamber came thirty-six a small robots, each about the size of a human. Megatron viewed the robots with disgust. They were barely higher than his knees and they all looked identical. Their steel gray forms were striped with deep blue on their arms from shoulder to wrist and from thigh to ankle. Their hands and feet were black and they wore what appeared to be armor on their shoulders and bracers on their forearms, these too were black. The heads were framed by a thick, black helmet-like adornment. On their square, barrel chests the hard and angular symbol of the Decepticon army was emblazoned. They were pitiful. "This is all you have to show me, Shockwave? All of your research and development of 'lost technologies' and you present me with this? They hardly look formidable. Why not give me an army of humans with which to fight the Autobots?" Thundercracker and Skywarp muttered and chuckled amongst themselves at the appearance the new forces.
"Yes, my Lord, I agree. Compared to some of our forces like Menasor or Bruticus these appear fragile. Although, Lord, who better than us knows that looks can be deceiving." This was a logic with which Megatron was forced to agree. He reevaluated Shockwave's new creations. "Observe, Megatron."
The thirty-six robots began to transform. Dividing into groups of six, the robots combined-it did not seem to matter which ones combined with which-and when they had finished only six robots stood before the Decepticon commander. Each of the new robots stood as tall as any of the Decepticons in his command and each were comprised of six of the smaller. Strangely, their appearance did not change, they looked exactly like the smaller originals-the only visible difference was in size.
Then, after a final command from Shockwave, the six began to transform and combine once again-shifting and connecting in various ways-until the final product was yielded, one gigantic robot, several times taller than any of those present. It still looked the same as the original form and the size of this new robot was comparable to Devastator. Skywarp took an awed step backwards and Thundercracker nearly bolted from the room, but was restrained by his partner before he managed to get halfway to the door.
Megatron now saw a formidable weapon before him. A new gestalt soldier would even the odds against the Autobots who had warriors the likes of Superion, Defensor, and Omega Supreme. Up until now his forces were matched evenly in the gestalt arena; even outmatched when the Autobots added the brute force of the infernal Dinobots to the mix. He felt his anger rise as he thought about this, but it quickly subsided as he viewed Swarm in his full and final form; his thoughts of rage were replaced with vengeance. If this new creation held as half as much firepower as Shockwave boasted and was a formidable in battle as it appeared . . . perhaps this trip was not a wasted after all.
Shockwave must have noticed his leader's approving demeanor and said, "As I mentioned, Swarm has a collective intelligence, which makes him extremely adaptable to all situations. He has also been programmed to obey you explicitly, the ability to accept commands from me will be wiped from his memory before you bring him back to Earth. Furthermore, Swarm's very nature is that of the nanotechnology that he was derived from, thus he strives for perfection in everything he does. This was the reason thirty- six members must be used to comprise his being. Thirty-six is, after all, a perfect square. We could not allow him to get any smaller, for functional and practical reasons as well as the main reason of his ability to advance, which I'm sure you have concluded in your wisdom, Lord. If we had allowed him to be broken down any further it is probable that he would figure out on its own how to bypass the termination program. If that were to happen . . . well the results would be disastrous."
"Enough of this, Shockwave," Megatron broke in. He was all too eager to use his new soldier in combat. "When will Swarm be ready for battle?"
Shockwave said, "He is ready as you see him now, my Lord. He is yours to take with you whenever you wish. We will simply delete my ability to order him out of his memory, making you his sole commander." Shockwave busied himself with a keyboard.
Megatron turned to Thundercracker and Skywarp, "What do you two think of this creation?"
Uncertain on how to answer Thundercracker blurted, "He scares me, Megatron. Something about him is creepy."
"Yeah," Skywarp chimed, "He just stands there like he's waiting for something. He has no expression or anything. He hasn't even said anything yet."
Shockwave finished with his work at the computer terminal returned the group and faced the two Decepticon jets. "Of course he is waiting for something, you fools. He is waiting for orders, waiting for information. Swarm lives for gathering information-any information. The reason he has not spoken as of yet is because he will not unless it is necessary. If Megatron orders Swarm to speak, then he will. If Megatron demands an answer from Swarm it will be forthcoming." He turned to Megatron. "Lord Megatron, Swarm is now ready for transport to the Earth."
Megatron looked over his prize greedily as it deconstructed itself into six units, as Megatron commanded for simpler traveling. It would take less energy on the Earth end or the bridge to transport nine, including- Megatron, Thundercracker and Skywarp-as opposed to thirty-nine. Sadistically, he thought about how the Autobots would be crushed and the Earth would then be his for the taking, and all of its resources and energy. "You have done well, Shockwave. I will be taking Swarm back to Earth immediately. I regret that I cannot stay longer and evaluate your other projects, but I have a planet to conquer." Commanding Swarm to follow him back to the space bridge he began to laugh the maniacal laughter that came with assured victory.
Just a couple of notes before I begin: This story is based on the US Transformers cartoon from the beginning of the series up until the movie. I do not take the comic books, Beast Wars/Machines, or anything else into account other than what was shown in the TV series. I have taken a couple of minor liberties with how the technology works. As technical matters were mostly glossed over and inconsistent at best in the series I worked out what I think most logically works (and, of course, what works best for the story). I have done quite a bit of research for this story, so everything should be accurate.
This is a work in progress and it's very long (currently over 100 pages in MS Word at a 10pt font, and growing). I have many other chapters already written and if the story is liked, I'll post them too. If all goes well you should be able to read my story and then watch Transformers: The Movie and the transition should be seamless.hopefully. It's been slow going now for a while so I figure I'd post it where people could actually read it and give me some honest feedback. Perhaps it will give me the push I need in order to finish it. Now, on to the story.
Chapter 01
The explosion was utterly silent. The bright flashes of laser fire and blossoming spires of flame presented themselves with all the sound of a vacuum. A gray-winged fighter jet swooped briefly into the field of view and then vanished followed by several others. A retreat. The scene on the small monitor began to slow as it made its way jarringly to a halt.
Megatron, leader of the Decepticons, stood in front of a small viewscreen, his imposing, gleaming white and gray form was silhouetted by a large viewscreen behind him. The same frozen images emblazoned upon it as were on the smaller monitors embedded in the surrounding walls. Congregated in the Decepticon War Room inside their deep-sea command center was the rest of his pathetic army. Megatron had opted to make this presentation of his army's lack of skills without the aid of sound so that corrections and berating could take place. With a hiss a panel opened on a wall behind him and what appeared to be an audio cassette emerged, propelled through the air by an unseen force. The cassette, for an instant, seemed as though it began to fall apart, but then, as though correcting itself, pieces moved and servos spun and its form was altered from a recording device into that of a mechanical bird. Lazerbeak.
"Seven," Megatron said as Lazerbeak came to rest on his weaponless left arm. "Seven raids on the Autobot power station and every one a failure! Not a one of you even managed to return with one iota of energy!" Disgusted, he turned toward Soundwave, the Decepticon communications officer, and with a gesture, sent Lazerbeak back to his master. The robotic hawk traveled the short distance between the two and at the last moment transformed back to the cassette form and slid neatly into Soundwave's chest receptacle. "I'm surrounded by incompetence," Megatron said with a gesture toward the army at large.
The sound of a heavy, metallic footfall turned Megatron's attention to the left side of the room. Starscream stepped forward, every inch of him full of his usual arrogance. His swept back, red-striped gray wings added to his look of defiance. "If your strategy was sound, Megatron, we would have been successful on the first raid. You are the incompetent fool." He walked closer to his leader pointing to himself. "You only make excuses for your own ineptitude."
Calmly, Megatron said, "Starscream, the only incompetence I have displayed was placing you in command of the operation. I should have my neurons overhauled to have done such a thing." He walked back to the viewscreen and punched some keys. "Now I am in no mood for your traitorous behavior, so shut up." Apparently sensing the seriousness of the moment Starscream stood down. Satisfied that the incident had been quelled, at least for the moment, Megatron pressed a final switch on the panel beside him and a wire-frame image replaced the scene of defeat on the main screen.
After studying the monitor in silence for a time Megatron turned back to his forces. "There will be a training session tonight, whereupon we will work to remedy your collective idiocy. For now, get on with your duties and out of my sight until you are called upon." With that, the assembly dissipated, leaving Megatron to prepare the rest of his battle plans.
After the majority of the forces had fled, Megatron approached a large table in the center of the room upon which several holographic images hovered. The table projected images of the base of a volcano, which had what appeared to be the rear half of a large spacecraft protruding from it. It was this crashed starship that the Autobots used as their headquarters. Many of the Decepticons, including himself, had arrived on this miserable planet in that very same ship. When he thought of the enormous amount of time he and his warriors had spent on that ship completely dormant it made his fluids boil. Hundreds of thousands of Earth years wasted when he could have been draining this planet dry of energy, and not an Autobot to stop him. Pushing aside his frustration, Megatron activated a switch on the edge of the display and the hologram rotated and shifted. It now pictured the surrounding area, which most importantly contained the position of the power station, the current main focus of the Decepticons.
The power station had been constructed as an expression of gratitude to the Autobots. Megatron's enemies had been given the resources and permission to build such a source of power by the viruses that were indigenous to the Earth-humans. The humans seemed to coddle the blasted Autobots at every turn, looking to them for advice and even going so far as to revere them as heroes. In a bitter rage, Megatron slammed his metallic fist on the console and the hologram winked out. He turned to face the rest of the room, eager to proceed and crush his foes with finality.
A few trusted others had remained-by Megatron's own choosing-to revise attack plans. Soundwave, of course, was there to offer his ever-loyal services. Also, on hand was Onslaught, leader of the ruthless and overly militaristic Combaticons, and Scrapper who led the Constructicons. Starscream, however, was not present this time, Megatron noted with more than a little satisfaction. At least the arrogant fool was intelligent enough to realize he was no longer wanted on the strategies team without being told, especially after his outburst of mutinous behavior. Once enough of the commotion from the exodus had died down Megatron keyed the hologram on once again and indicated that they could begin.
Onslaught was the first to step forward and offer his brand of strategy. "From this vantage point," he said, pointing at the top of a large outcropping on the holographic map, "we can attack the fringes of the resistance." The Combaticon leader proudly took a step back from the display and looked around to insure everyone understood.
Scrapper stepped closer, all too eager to find flaws in any plans. "However, you seem to forget, Onslaught, that three raids prior we attempted a variation on that strategy and it accomplished little." Onslaught appeared slightly confused so Scrapper invited himself to elaborate. "The center of the Autobot defenses are based around their power station, protected doubly so on the fringes. I believe a full assault with all of our firepower focused here," he pointed to the map with a green-plated metallic finger, "will breach their defense system with the most efficiency."
Onslaught just looked away and muttered, "I was designed for combat, not fancy strategic stuff. Just call me back when you have something for me to shoot at." His pride damaged he walked out of the room. Megatron let him go, he hadn't been adding much to the plans and was quick to become confused, slowing them down when time was of the essence. They had to press forward. He was about to discuss Scrapper's plan further when Soundwave spoke.
"Megatron," Soundwave said in his multi-pitched voice, "there is a communiqué from Cybertron."
"On screen," Megatron commanded, irritation seeping into his voice. There was simply too much to do and he did not want or need any interruptions. Obediently, Soundwave keyed the screen and an image of Shockwave blazed into life. Shockwave had been left in command on Cybertron ever since the Decepticons had followed the Autobots to the miserable planet of Earth countless centuries ago. Fortunately, during Megatron's extended absence the Decepticons that remained on Cybertron, far more than the small faction that had pursued their enemies across the stars, were able to crush the Autobots on Cybertron and seize victory. Megatron often wished that he could have been present to watch Optimus Prime's reaction to the destruction of his friends and allies on their homeworld when the Autobots had made that first trip back to Cybertron.
The Autobot's victory on Earth had created a stalemate for them. They could not return home without vanquishing the Deceptions first, otherwise the people of Earth would be left unable to defend themselves against these alien invaders. Megatron felt a sadistic sense of glee rise within him each time he thought of this, knowing that the Autobots were as much prisoners on this planet as they were themselves. On the monitor, Shockwave waited patiently. "Go ahead, Shockwave."
"Lord Megatron," Shockwave began, "I have significant progress to report in our new technologies research." Ever since the Decepticon dominance of Cybertron they have had complete access to all its precious resources, and thus the ability to research new weapons with which to conquer other worlds in the galaxy-all the worlds-as was their purpose. However, the Autobot threat was still present as a rebellion and none of those resources or warriors can be sent to Earth to aid Megatron and his fight.
When nothing more was forthcoming Megatron demanded, "Well? Report it! We are extremely busy so make it brief!"
"My Lord, several areas of research that had been long abandoned because of the war have recently been reopened. It is in one of these areas that we have made the significant breakthrough. I firmly believe that this is something that you must witness for yourself, Lord." Shockwave stiffened a bit, stood slightly more straight, more official, "Lord Megatron, I request that you come to Cybertron to personally view this new insight."
"We do not have the energies to spare for frivolous trips to Cybertron just so I can see your new toys, Shockwave." Megatron turned away from the communications screen, "This no longer interests me. Contact me again when you have something consequential to report."
Shockwave became uncharacteristically insistent, "Forgive me my liege, but this is something that you will be able to bring back with you and use to crush the Autobots with finality."
Intrigued by Shockwave's insistence he agreed to hear more, but even more surprisingly he was reluctant to tell more over the communication. "You must see this in person, Megatron. I do not wish the Autobots to intercept this transmission."
"Bah! The Autobots do not even know the location of this fortress, let alone the minimal possibility that they are monitoring our communications. Don't be so paranoid, Shockwave."
"Lord, it is not the Autobots on your Earth with which I am concerned. I know factually that the Autobots here on Cybertron are very much able to intercept Decepticon transmissions. As of now we are not sure of the location of the interception, but it is being investigated currently."
Megatron watched the pulsing of Shockwave's voice chip and took in every word. Should he take this trip when it could turn out to be four nothing? Yet, Shockwave had never requested his presence before, nor could Megatron remember Shockwave sounding so unquestioningly confident about anything, let alone a new weapon. Shockwave was skeptical about everything, much as Megatron was himself. It was one of the reasons that he has left Shockwave in command. "Very well," Megatron conceded, "I will power the space bridge for transport and come to Cybertron. But know this: If this is a waste of my time and my energy you will regret it a thousand fold."
"Understood, Lord Megatron."
"Transmit the coordinates to Soundwave. I will arrive shortly. Megatron, out." The image of Shockwave was replaced by the sharp-angled Deception insignia on a black background-the Cybertronian symbol for war. He stalked out of the room, his feet resonating loudly on the floor plates. The amount of energy that the space bridge trip will cost will set back their next raid by weeks, perhaps months. It had best be worth his time.
He collected a small entourage for his journey and arrived in the transport room as Soundwave was finishing the space bridge's activation sequence. "All is ready Megatron," Soundwave announced.
"Excellent, Soundwave. You will be in command during my brief absence."
"As you command, Megatron."
Megatron turned to the two others he brought with him. "Thundercracker. Skywarp. You are going to accompany me on this journey. Come on, let's get this over with."
They stepped into the center of the waist-high, metal circle with Thundercracker and Skywarp in tow. Once all three of them were inside it's perimeter Soundwave closed the entrance, completely enclosing them inside the confines of the space bridge. Thundercracker mumbled something about feeling trapped, to which Skywarp said nothing.
The space bridge was the only way to get back to Cybertron without a starship. While the space bridge used a great deal of energy, taking a starship back to Cybertron would have used all of what little resources the Decepticons possessed. The most frustrating part of the space bridge, however, was its inability to transport energy. Any energies that are sent through are dissipated en route. All of Cybertron's energy at the other end of the bridge and none of it was at their disposal. Moreover, the activation of the space bridge consumed large amounts of energy on both ends so that it was impossible for Cybertron to send aid in the form of either reinforcements or weapons or even equipment to with which the Decepticons could build their own power station. The entire endeavor reminded Megatron bitterly of what he had yet to accomplish and what the trip was costing the Decepticons.
"Activating space bridge now, Megatron," Soundwave announced.
Space-time around the three Decepticons warped and spun in on itself for a moment. For a human it would have been harmfully disorienting, more proof of their inferiority, more reason that the Decepticons should rule them and their planet. A virtual tunnel formed above of the three of them and then they were pulled through-or perhaps the tunnel fell onto them-and then they were falling upward, seemingly defying the laws of physics. The tunnel was only an impression; there was nothing physical to it, almost as though they were in the center of a focus of energy. If they were to leave the confines of its "walls" they would be thrown into oblivion. They came upon the halfway point of their trip, which was marked by a feeling of falling replacing the feeling of rising. Moments later there was a swirl of purple light that dispersed quickly and they were on Cybertron, their homeworld.
They were standing in the middle of a structure similar to the one they left from Earth. A door slid open and admitted Shockwave who keyed a release giving Megatron and his companions an exit from the ring of the space bridge and admittance to the room at large. Shockwave approached the trio. "Welcome home, Lord, to your rightful-"
"Spare the pleasantries and show me why you dragged me away from my important work, Shockwave," Megatron said irritably.
"Very well," Shockwave said without the slightest hint that he had been put off. "If you will follow me," and he led them out of the room.
The design of the installation was much the same as his own complex on Earth. Here, however, the labyrinthine corridors wove on endlessly, or so it seemed to Megatron who was impatient to get this over with. Finally, Shockwave stopped in front of a large security door and punched in a code. The door split down the middle and slid back to either side, revealing another door about five paces behind it. Shockwave performed a similar ritual at this door and it opened in much the same way, only this time access to the research lab was beyond.
The research facility was quite impressive and Megatron found himself longing for a similar complex on Earth. There were Decepticon scientists just about everywhere performing myriad tasks, most were too absorbed in their work to notice his passing, those that did notice him stood aside and gave him the respect that the Decepticon commander warranted. Under other circumstances Megatron would have been angered that so many in the room were ignoring him, but right now, eager to be gone, he did not care. Shockwave led the three of them to yet another door, which required a key card as well as an access code to get through. The room on the other side of the door was dark, but this was quickly remedied as Shockwave activated the lights. The room was divided in half by a wall of glass; it seemed to be a tank of some sort. On the other side of the wall there was a formless metallic-colored mass.
"Megatron," Shockwave began, "we have discovered a technology with infinite possibilities." He gestured toward the metallic blob on the opposite side of the glass. "This is our breakthrough."
"This mass of disgust?" Megatron said bitterly. "I warned you about wasting my time, Shockwave." In response Thundercracker and Skywarp focused their respective weapon sights on Shockwave.
Calm as ever, Shockwave proceeded. "You misunderstand, Lord. This is nanotechnology, an area of research that was abandoned during the war because of the its unpredictability and difficulty to control."
"And I suppose you have managed to correct that and have learned to control it, Shockwave?"
"Yes, Lord Megatron. If you would allow me to explain."
Megatron studied the shifting gray accumulation. It seemed that he could see forms shift in and out of being within the writhing mass. He found himself wondering what the material was made of, what its properties were. It may be a substance that was indestructible or equally powerful, if only he could mold it into what he wished. He was lost in the possibilities and he discovered that he wanted to know more and Shockwave was the one to provide him with that information. "Very well, Shockwave. Proceed." His eyes never left the nanotechnology.
"Excellent, my liege. First, I believe it would be best if I were to inform you of the past surrounding this particular technology." When Megatron offered no further argument he began.
"Before the war and into its early stages nanotechnology was being researched by top Decepticon weapons developers and scientists. This branch of research was abandoned due to energy constraints as well as the greater need to create weapons that would more directly deal with the elimination of the Autobots as well as more practical methods of defense. Now that the Autobots have been beaten back we have been able to resurrect some of the old areas of research.
"When the Decepticons first returned to this facility the nanotechnology was rediscovered. It had not been touched since the complex was abandoned. When the project records were evaluated it was discovered that the nanotechnology was far more advanced than it had been at the time when the facility was closed. This was found to mean that the technology was, in a sense, researching and developing itself.
"Once brought back online, the super-intelligent microcomputers that comprise the nanotechnology began to take control of the computer systems on their own, not only in this laboratory but all over the planet. After a painstaking battle the scientists were finally able to purge the nanotechs and take them offline. The reason of the loss of control was soon found.
"Nanotechs were able to evolve to a point, even before power was restored to them. However, this was proven to be a finite evolution. Once they had power again, they began to advance and evolve exponentially, gaining intelligence at an incredible rate. They learned more about our own computer systems and networks than we knew ourselves in but a fraction of the time. Although dangerous, our scientists recognized the potential for a devastating weapon. The question remained on how to control them for our needs.
"After a some time one of our scientists was able to accomplish this. Through experiments in a controlled environment it was learned that a terminator could be programmed into the nanotechs' systems that would be assimilated without their knowledge. This termination program allowed our scientists to choose how far the nanotechs could evolve and how intelligent they became. This was very important to ensure that they did not grow to overthrow us. Control was key.
"Through much work we managed to coerce the nanotechnology into developing into the form of robots, much like ourselves. Thirty-six robots to be exact, my Lord. All of which posses a collective intelligence, as it the nature of nanotechnology. What one of the robots sees, they all see. What one of them knows, they all know. It is this new warrior, who we have named 'Swarm,' that will definitely be key to the destruction of the Autobots," Shockwave said proudly. "Observe, Lord Megatron." He turned to the side and activated a panel release, revealing an antechamber. "Swarm, come forward for Commander Megatron."
Out of the antechamber came thirty-six a small robots, each about the size of a human. Megatron viewed the robots with disgust. They were barely higher than his knees and they all looked identical. Their steel gray forms were striped with deep blue on their arms from shoulder to wrist and from thigh to ankle. Their hands and feet were black and they wore what appeared to be armor on their shoulders and bracers on their forearms, these too were black. The heads were framed by a thick, black helmet-like adornment. On their square, barrel chests the hard and angular symbol of the Decepticon army was emblazoned. They were pitiful. "This is all you have to show me, Shockwave? All of your research and development of 'lost technologies' and you present me with this? They hardly look formidable. Why not give me an army of humans with which to fight the Autobots?" Thundercracker and Skywarp muttered and chuckled amongst themselves at the appearance the new forces.
"Yes, my Lord, I agree. Compared to some of our forces like Menasor or Bruticus these appear fragile. Although, Lord, who better than us knows that looks can be deceiving." This was a logic with which Megatron was forced to agree. He reevaluated Shockwave's new creations. "Observe, Megatron."
The thirty-six robots began to transform. Dividing into groups of six, the robots combined-it did not seem to matter which ones combined with which-and when they had finished only six robots stood before the Decepticon commander. Each of the new robots stood as tall as any of the Decepticons in his command and each were comprised of six of the smaller. Strangely, their appearance did not change, they looked exactly like the smaller originals-the only visible difference was in size.
Then, after a final command from Shockwave, the six began to transform and combine once again-shifting and connecting in various ways-until the final product was yielded, one gigantic robot, several times taller than any of those present. It still looked the same as the original form and the size of this new robot was comparable to Devastator. Skywarp took an awed step backwards and Thundercracker nearly bolted from the room, but was restrained by his partner before he managed to get halfway to the door.
Megatron now saw a formidable weapon before him. A new gestalt soldier would even the odds against the Autobots who had warriors the likes of Superion, Defensor, and Omega Supreme. Up until now his forces were matched evenly in the gestalt arena; even outmatched when the Autobots added the brute force of the infernal Dinobots to the mix. He felt his anger rise as he thought about this, but it quickly subsided as he viewed Swarm in his full and final form; his thoughts of rage were replaced with vengeance. If this new creation held as half as much firepower as Shockwave boasted and was a formidable in battle as it appeared . . . perhaps this trip was not a wasted after all.
Shockwave must have noticed his leader's approving demeanor and said, "As I mentioned, Swarm has a collective intelligence, which makes him extremely adaptable to all situations. He has also been programmed to obey you explicitly, the ability to accept commands from me will be wiped from his memory before you bring him back to Earth. Furthermore, Swarm's very nature is that of the nanotechnology that he was derived from, thus he strives for perfection in everything he does. This was the reason thirty- six members must be used to comprise his being. Thirty-six is, after all, a perfect square. We could not allow him to get any smaller, for functional and practical reasons as well as the main reason of his ability to advance, which I'm sure you have concluded in your wisdom, Lord. If we had allowed him to be broken down any further it is probable that he would figure out on its own how to bypass the termination program. If that were to happen . . . well the results would be disastrous."
"Enough of this, Shockwave," Megatron broke in. He was all too eager to use his new soldier in combat. "When will Swarm be ready for battle?"
Shockwave said, "He is ready as you see him now, my Lord. He is yours to take with you whenever you wish. We will simply delete my ability to order him out of his memory, making you his sole commander." Shockwave busied himself with a keyboard.
Megatron turned to Thundercracker and Skywarp, "What do you two think of this creation?"
Uncertain on how to answer Thundercracker blurted, "He scares me, Megatron. Something about him is creepy."
"Yeah," Skywarp chimed, "He just stands there like he's waiting for something. He has no expression or anything. He hasn't even said anything yet."
Shockwave finished with his work at the computer terminal returned the group and faced the two Decepticon jets. "Of course he is waiting for something, you fools. He is waiting for orders, waiting for information. Swarm lives for gathering information-any information. The reason he has not spoken as of yet is because he will not unless it is necessary. If Megatron orders Swarm to speak, then he will. If Megatron demands an answer from Swarm it will be forthcoming." He turned to Megatron. "Lord Megatron, Swarm is now ready for transport to the Earth."
Megatron looked over his prize greedily as it deconstructed itself into six units, as Megatron commanded for simpler traveling. It would take less energy on the Earth end or the bridge to transport nine, including- Megatron, Thundercracker and Skywarp-as opposed to thirty-nine. Sadistically, he thought about how the Autobots would be crushed and the Earth would then be his for the taking, and all of its resources and energy. "You have done well, Shockwave. I will be taking Swarm back to Earth immediately. I regret that I cannot stay longer and evaluate your other projects, but I have a planet to conquer." Commanding Swarm to follow him back to the space bridge he began to laugh the maniacal laughter that came with assured victory.