Chapter 03
"The Aerialbots are back," Jazz said, a hint of worry in his voice. "Well, most of them at least," he added.
Concerned, Prime asked, "Most of them?"
Ironhide stepped in for Jazz. "Yeah, Air Raid, Slingshot, Fireflight, and Skydive are back. There's still no sign of Silverbolt or Skyfire. Fireflight said they were attacked."
"Attacked?" Prime had hoped only to find the Decepticon base without any trouble. He should have known better than to expect such a thing. Almost as soon as he had sent Skyfire and the Aerialbots away he had wanted to call them back. Some sort of instinct had told him this mission was exceptionally dangerous. Even more dangerous than it appeared on the surface, which was a direct reconnaissance mission deep into what was thought to be enemy territory. Prime was interrupted from his regretful reflection when Jazz continued with his report.
"They were attacked by nearly all of the Decepticons, according to what they're saying." Prime and Jazz and Ironhide made their way back to Teletraan One where Blaster was trying to establish communications with Skyfire and Silverbolt. Prime asked, "Anything yet?"
Blaster paused in his hailing attempts, "Not yet, Prime. I'll let you know." He continued his efforts, almost frantically, Prime thought.
Optimus went to the landing bay to meet and debrief the Aerialbots who were just arriving. They landed and immediately transformed. Air Raid was the first to reach Prime.
"I tried to talk them out of it, Optimus. But they insisted that I leave with them," he said as he jabbed a thumb back at his companions. Prime could tell from his voice he was more concerned than angry.
"Its okay, Air Raid. What happened?"
Skydive, always the rational one offered the story. He told of the rather uneventful search until a large group of Decepticons appeared, and how Skyfire and Silverbolt held them off while allowing the others to escape. Unfortunately, there had been no communication from either of them since.
Satisfied for the moment, Prime pondered what this could mean as he walked back to the main computer room with the Aerialbots in tow. "Well, one thing is obvious: you were very close to the Decepticon base. If you weren't they wouldn't have had time to mobilize such a large force against you." They all nodded in agreement. It was decided that they might be able to get the coordinates of battle's location if they used Teletraan One. Ironhide met them on the way from the landing bay to the bridge.
"Prime, Blaster says Skyfire and Silverbolt have just made contact. They'll be landing shortly. We'd better get back to the landing bay."
They all turned around and ran back down the corridor, arriving just as the two came in for a landing. Skyfire was on his feet an instant before Silverbolt, both rushing toward their commander.
"What happened out there? The others tell me you were attacked by a large force of Decepticons."
"More than a large force, Prime," Silverbolt said. "I think it was all of them."
"With a few extras," Skyfire added.
Prime did not like the sound of this, the news was getting darker and darker and nothing seemed to brighten it either as they relayed the details of their battle and the encounter with the new Decepticons. The idea of new enemies that reacted that quickly was frightening enough, but with the addition of the agility and adaptability it made them deadly. "So, they just broke off the attack when you reached land?"
"They did," Silverbolt said. "I suppose they figured they didn't stand a chance once we got back here. With the power plant at our disposal we have the advantage of firepower."
Optimus Prime did not agree with Silverbolt's deduction. "I think that they weren't ready to battle with us yet. They have new forces so they must have a plan to use them against us. I think you just stumbled upon it before they were ready to close the trap. We have to be on our guard at all times now, until the attack comes." He faced Jazz and Ironhide, "Go warn the others. Tell them to stand ready for attack. They must be prepared to take battle stations at a moments notice. This could be bad." They both went off to perform their duties and ready the others. The Aerialbots and Skydive followed to aid in preparations. Optimus stopped them before they got away. "By the way." They all stopped and faced their commander. "Good job. You have provided us with valuable information that could save our skins. And you did it without getting injured."
Swelling with pride the six of them only nodded to him in thanks and continued to the bridge. Optimus Prime stood a moment longer in the landing area and looked out toward the mountains, envisioning the sea beyond, and in it the Decepticons. "What do you have planned for us this time Megatron?" he said quietly. "And why do I have the feeling that this time its going to cost lives?" He turned away from the serene display before him and made his way back to the bridge to assist in preparations.
* * *
Starscream flew across the room and crashed into the wall, he slid to the floor with a thud and landed on his head. Back inside the War Room of the Decepticon complex Megatron stalked up to him and pointed his cannon directly at Starscream's head, light glistened menacingly off the end of the large barrel. "I should disintegrate you for that, you fool!"
"Megatron, please! It . . . It was an accident!" Starscream pleaded for his life. Over the years he had become quite good at it, but Megatron was not moved-or fooled by it-this time. Because of Starscream's premature attack, the Autobots had been alerted to their presence far too early, which had allowed them to create a plan of escape. They should have been in a complete panic, not having time to think of anything but their inevitable destruction. Starscream had cost them all of that with his overzealous attacks.
Starscream placed his hands in front of his face, as though that would shield him from Megatron's incredible firepower. "I thought you would be happy! Especially if I caught them by surprise and-"
"You did not think at all! You cost us the victory!" Megatron lowered his weapon and stalked to the opposite side of the room. The other Decepticons parted before him and continued back to the walls. None of them wanted to be in the presence of their leader's anger. They could all take comfort in that all of his rage was solely directed at Starscream. "I was not yet ready to fire upon them. We needed to wait until there was no chance that they would escape. But, you had to fire on them without orders! I should melt you to scrap and reconstruct you into something useful."
"They've gotten away before! What does it matter?" Starscream raised himself back to his feet. "Besides, we'll defeat them on the next raid with the help of Swarm." A slight smile crossed his face. "I must say, Megatron, that you were most wise in your decision to bring him to our ranks."
Megatron was not amused by Starscream's attempt at flattery. "Cease your compliments, you idiot." His optics narrowed. "Thanks to your blunder the Autobots now know about Swarm in advance. My hopes to catch them completely unprepared for this new attack have been dashed to pieces!" Megatron completed another circuit of the room, ending up in front of a computer console. He tapped at the controls for a moment before continuing. "Now, I will have to launch the attack earlier than planed. Today. I had hoped that there would be more time to prepare, but thanks to you," he thrust a metallic black finger at Starscream, "I cannot be afforded that luxury." He finished on the keyboard and an image of a revised battle plan appeared on all of the monitors. This new plan included Swarm as well as nearly all of the other Decepticon forces. "I can only hope that this plan is sound enough as it is. Perhaps if we attack immediately they will not have had enough time to sufficiently prepare for Swarm's type of attack." He faced Starscream once again. "For your sake you had better hope that this plan succeeds. If it does not." Megatron completed his sentence by firing his massive fusion cannon at Starscream relieving some of his pent up frustration. The blast missed him by inches and slammed into the wall in the back of the War Room with a violent explosion. The rest of the threat did not need to be spoken.
Meekly, Starscream said, "Y-Yes, of course, Mighty Megatron. I am but your humble servant."
"Quit your sniveling and stand up." Megatron addressed the troops at large. "Prepare all of your weapons and power to full. You need not worry about depleting our energy supplies, after today we will have all of the energon we need. We will strike the final blow to the Autobots in one hour! Then this planet, and all of its energy, will finally be mine for the taking!"
* * *
Alarm klaxons sounded throughout the Autobot headquarters signaling an attack. It had been less than two Earth hours since the Aerialbots and Skyfire had returned, far too early for Optimus Prime's liking. It wasn't like Megatron to stagger attacks this close together. Prime ordered everyone to battle stations and quickly ran to his own post, which was at the power plant. That was most assuredly what the Decepticons were after; the only part that troubled him was the timing. Megatron was a lot of things, but he was not stupid. That meant that whatever it was Silverbolt and Skyfire fought was something powerful. Powerful enough that Megatron would risk another attack so soon.
All of the Autobots were ready in moments; most of them were concentrating on defending the power plant. No matter what happened they had to defend that plant. They could not allow the Decepticons to get their evil hands on its energy.
Jazz zoomed down the platform to the outskirts of the ship and came up next to Optimus Prime. The blue and white striped sports car transformed into Jazz's robot form. "Prime, everyone's in position. All that's left to do now is wait."
Ironhide drove up on Prime's other side and changed from a red van to a robot. "It doesn't look like we're going to have to wait that long. Look!" Ironhide pointed at the edge of the ridge where several jets could be seen rapidly approaching.
"Jazz, Ironhide, listen. This attack is much too soon since the last one. It probably means that Megatron has some kind of advantage."
"Yeah, tell me about it," Ironhide said while he pulled his gun.
"Just keep it in mind, and be careful. Keep those new Decepticons that the Aerialbots ran into in mind. There is no room for mistakes. We don't need anyone getting killed." Optimus freed his own weapon and started for his protective area. "Make sure your squads know about that and have them be doubly cautious." The Autobot commander transformed into the massive form of a red tractor-trailer and sped off to his defensive position at the center of the power plant. From there he would be able to get the best view of the battlefield and make quick decisions.
The area surrounding Autobot headquarters was a flat yellow expanse flanked by high rock walls with a volcanic mountain behind, into which the spacecraft was embedded. The only way to approach the base was either from the front or above.
Ironhide and his group positioned themselves in to the right of the plant while Jazz and his group took the left flank. Both groups were slightly forward, awaiting a frontal assault-a strategy that the Decepticons seemed to favor. Optimus Prime and his group stood in the center but slightly behind. He was the support unit, sending aid to either group that needed it at any given time.
Prime viewed the distance and saw the Decepticons' arrival. More and more of them flew toward the base. He counted more enemies than he was aware existed which meant that their new allies were with them. It also proved to him that the new Decepticons that gave a distinct advantage. Looking across the soon-to-be-battlefield, Optimus Prime saw Megatron himself leading the attack. The Decepticon leader's confidence frightened Prime more than he had anticipated. "This is going to be a very dangerous situation," he said to himself.
The rain of destruction began seconds later, from above. The entire force of Decepticon air power was making the first strike covering the ground with heavy laser and missile fire. The explosions blasted scorched holes in the ground, rained dust and dirt down upon the Autobots and obscured visibility.
Cars raced towards them from the front of the ridge, the Stunticons, driving wildly into the front line. They all transformed at the last moment and engaged Ironhide's squad who met their enemies in a flurry of weapons and hand-to-hand combat. The two factions clashed, but Ironhide's group was holding. In a blaze of laser-fire a purple and tan jet swooped low to the ground before transforming into a tank and landing. It was Blitzwing, the Decepticon triple-changer. He fired a volley of shots into Jazz's group before changing from his tank from to a robot. Blitzwing continued to run along toward Prime's group. "Time to die, Autobrats!" One blast from Prime's weapon landed on Blitzwing's chest and sent him sprawling across the battlefield.
A deep and hollow thud in the distance caught Optimus's attention, followed by another, and another. Each time he heard the noise rocks and dust skittered down the cliff face behind him and disturbed stones and sand all along the ground. Over the high ridge he saw the awesome green and purple form of Devastator looming, each step sending a cloud of dust into the air at his feet. Horribly, he was approaching the front line. Prime needed to take countermeasures, quickly. He radioed Blaster with his plan.
As terrible as the battle was the part that disturbed Prime the most was the new Decepticons. There were thirty-six of the small robots just standing in the middle of the battlefield, seemingly oblivious to the chaos surrounding them. They stood in a perfect six-by-six square nearly motionless except for their heads. All of the heads were turning in different directions, looking about as if lost, or it maybe they were examining all aspects of the battle. Prime had no idea what they were going to do yet but he knew he wasn't going to like it once it happened.
The Decepticon air force was being occupied by heavy ground fire from Jazz's team, as well as from the Aerialbots. Other Autobot air fighters were helping as well, Powerglide, Blades, Skyfire, and Swoop the Dinobot each redirected fire or attempted a counterattack.
Devastator reached the front lines. The gigantic robot pulled its purple fist back and hauled forward into a punch to crush the group of Cliffjumper, Hound, and Prowl that were all concentrating their fire on his head. At the last moment, Devastator's fist was caught in the huge orange claw of Omega Supreme who immediately followed up the block with a heavy blast of laser energy to the center of Devastator's chest. The huge Decepticon warrior went down, sprawling across the field of battle. Omega Supreme leaped onto the fallen form and began to pound mercilessly. Prime was glad that Blaster gotten the message to Omega Supreme in time.
At the front of Ironhide's area Optimus Prime could see that the Stunticons were in a retreat, but they stopped at the command from Motormaster, the Stunticons' leader. Prime knew what was to happen next, and at the same moment he thought it, the five Stunticons merged into Menasor. Prime fired several shots at the giant robot, distracting it in order to allow Bluestreak, Red Alert, Skids, and Sideswipe to escape being flattened. The Aerialbots must have spotted their arch-nemesis as they quickly regrouped. The five Autobot jets adjusted their course and flew high into the air, staying in a tight formation. Suddenly, they changed direction and streaked straight down, combining into Superion en route. Superion gained great speed in the decent and slammed into Menasor with earth-shattering force. The impact half-buried both of the immense robots in the ground, forming an impact crater near the area where Omega Supreme was still actively fighting Devastator.
Explosions heated the air all around Prime and his allies, but he kept one eye on the new mini Decepticons, who still had not moved. They had stopped looking around, however, and Prime did not take that as a good sign. Something was about to give. He called for Blaster to relay a message to Jazz and Ironhide to make sure they kept a watch on the thirty-six new Decepticons.
Then it happened.
In sudden unison the group of thirty-six lifted off of the ground and flew forward. They kept in a frighteningly perfect formation for a time, but soon broke off into six even groups of six. The members of the six groups all moved as one. Optimus Prime was reminded of a flock of birds, each turning at the same time. Then, just as he had watched the formation of Devastator and Menasor, the six groups began to combine simultaneously and amalgamated into six full-sized Decepticons. These new enemies looked identical to their smaller counterparts, size was the only visible difference.
Abruptly, all of the other Decepticons ended their respective attacks and pulled back to the top of the ridge where Megatron was standing. Only the six new ones that had been advancing remained. Megatron was banking far too much on these seemingly generic Decepticons. Fear and dread filled Prime's circuits as he opened a communications channel. "Blaster, get a message out, general broadcast. Tell everyone to get back. Whatever Megatron has planned it's big. Get Omega Supreme, Superion, and Defensor ready to work the front lines, have the Dinobots standing by as backup. Everyone else be ready to act, but as far behind as possible. Gather them around the power plant for maximum defense. Anything can happen at this point. Be on your guard."
Blaster acknowledged and sent the message. The Autobot forces mobilized into the positions their commander indicated. Superion and Defensor stood on the front line with Omega supreme slightly behind; all readied their massive weapons. Still the six Decepticons approached, completely unconcerned by their massive opposition.
At the last moment the six flew together and combined yet again into one massive robot. The action was so quick and fluid that no one realized it had happened until it was done-and by then it was too late. An instant after it had formed the giant Decepticon struck Omega Supreme in the head with a double fisted blow, knocking him down. Superion attempted to fire at the thing, but it had already separated into its thirty-six original units. The blasts missed completely as the small robots attached themselves to various parts of Superion. The tiny assailants pulled with a strength that defied their size and actually managed to divide the giant Autobot warrior into its primary components. As the Aerialbots fell to the ground the Decepticons merged into their secondary form and all-except for one-grabbed a floundering Aerialbot and threw them into Defensor with such force that the giant robot was knocked down.
Optimus Prime watched with horror as his three most powerful warriors were felled with such little effort. "Blaster, have Ironhide ready the Dinobots. They can take more punishment than any of us."
"Already way ahead of you, Optimus," Blaster returned. Prime looked out to the battlefield and saw the Dinobots already moving into position. He thanked the Matrix that his army was well prepared.
Meantime, Omega Supreme was back on his feet again and lumbered toward the new Decepticons. As one, the six evil robots leaped at him and dividing into its thirty-six parts, attempting to use the same tactic that was used on Superion. Being only one robot and not of gestalt composition this proved futile, however it did not seem to daunt the Decepticons in the least and they simply continued to attempt to pry the giant Autobot apart. "Get them off of me! Get them off!" Omega Supreme yelled as he swung around and around trying to reach the tiny attackers with his claw.
Defensor was back on his feet and he made his way to Omega Supreme. Defensor began to pick the small robots off of him, tossing them like insects in all directions. With a surprising grace every Decepticon that was thrown landed on its feet and was already moved immediately into a new attack. Optimus Prime gave the order for all available forces to attack while the enemy was disorganized.
The Dinobots were already in the best position for attack and exceedingly eager to be in a brawl, moved as quickly as possible to the closest area where the mini Decepticons were landing. Just as one of them was making an agile landing Grimlock smashed it with his heavy tail an moment before it placed its feet on the ground. "Me, Grimlock smash stupid new Decepticons!" It was the first clean hit that any of the Autobots had gotten on any of these new adversaries. Having no time to compensate the small Decepticon slammed into the ground, carving a rut in the rocky earth in its wake. The creature came to rest at the feet of Warpath, the small but strong Autobot tank.
Warpath wasted no time and transformed into his vehicular form, and rolled his powerful, treads onto the legs of the momentarily helpless foe, crushing them. "Pow! You're toast, Decepticon!"
A high-pitched painful whine erupted seemingly from everywhere. Optimus Prime noticed that Autobots and Decepticons alike held their hands over their auditory sensors-this clearly was not part of the plan. All across the battlefield the tiny Decepticons fell where they were fighting and began to convulse and spasm. They lay helpless on the ground.
In what seemed like microseconds Prime saw the Decepticons approaching rapidly from the ridge in the distance, Megatron leading the force personally. The whine still filled the air making it agony to do anything but try to filter it out. Prime managed to order an attack regardless of the pain. "Everyone! We must take out those Decepticons now! While they're helpless!" The forces moved out, staggering against the high- pitched noise. It was too late, though. Megatron and the rest of his army arrived sending deadly blasts across the field. The Autobots scattered, trying to find cover.
The Decepticons did a neat job of routing the Autobots away from their fallen comrades. Oddly, though, none of them went for the power plant. They were all exclusively trying to gather up the fallen newcomers or actively keep Autobots away from their fellows, showing more concern for another life than Optimus Prime had ever known a Decepticon to show. Through the din of the renewed battle it took a moment to realize the shrill noise had stopped. The thirty-six Decepticons were no longer having convulsions and now simply lay motionless on the ground.
Megatron landed in the center of the conflict. "Constructicons, gather Swarm and get him back to base! Combaticons, cover them!" Bruticus formed from his composite Combaticon parts and stood between the attacking Autobots and the retreating Decepticons. Megatron turned his malevolent glare on Optimus Prime. "You have gotten lucky again, Optimus Prime, but be warned. I will return to finish what I have begun here today. Then, you will be exterminated and this planet will be mine."
Prime stepped forward, every inch of his impressive form an epitome of righteousness. "We'll be waiting for you to try, Megatron, but you'll never succeed. You've already lost."
Megatron gave his forces the order to pull back. He looked to the Autobot leader over his shoulder. His red eyes flashed. "We'll see, Prime. We'll see." He launched himself into the air and led the Decepticons into the distance, toward the ocean.
When it became clear to everyone that the Decepticons were retreating a rousing cheer erupted throughout the ranks of the Autobots. Prime had a dreadful feeling that their revelry was premature. Blaster and Perceptor came running out from within the ship to his side. Jazz and Ironhide arrived a moment later. "What do you think that was, Prime?" Jazz asked.
Prime waited a long moment before answering. "It was unlike anything I have ever seen. I hate to admit it, but this time Megatron may have the means to defeat us."
"What do you mean? We beat them up real good," Ironhide said. "If they come back we'll just do it again."
Jazz was less than convinced. "That didn't look like a clean victory to me, Ironhide."
"I agree, Jazz," Prime placed a hand on Ironhide's shoulder. "Whatever it was that brought us this victory, it was exactly as Megatron said . . . luck."
Blaster approached Warpath. "Well, one things for sure, it's because of this guy," he placed his hand on Warpath's shoulder, "that were still alive."
"Yes, that was some quick thinking, Warpath," Prime commended.
The red Autobot looked filled to bursting with pride. "Aw, thanks you guys. It was nothing really. I just squashed him, that's all. Kabam!"
Perceptor, the Autobot scientist and sometime tactician came running down the landing ramp of the Ark. "Optimus Prime, I have the preliminary analysis of the melee and it seems that the Decepticons were beginning to-" He stopped mid-sentence, which was very unusual for Preceptor to do. He usually liked to prattle on and on about his tactical and scientific findings to anyone who listen-and he always assumed that everyone knew what he was talking about. Although he preferred to stay out of the fighting whenever possible he had proven an invaluable asset to the Autobot army in matters of insight and intellect. His attention was currently focused on Warpath's forearm, which, while he was in his tank mode, had been his tread. He pointed to a small patch of silver-gray that stood out against his dull red color. "What is this?"
"I don't know. I probably got a little dirty, I was just in a battle, you know," Warpath offered with a perplexed look.
"Don't move," Preceptor commanded as he transformed into the form of a large microscope and focused his lens on the anomaly. "Hmmm, this is most interesting. Optimus Prime, you had best investigate this."
Intrigued, Prime stepped behind Perceptor and peered through the optic port. At first the view only showed what appeared to be silver metal, but as the magnification increased, over several thousand times, the image became clearer. This was something the Autobot Commander had never seen before. The metal looked like it was one piece that was sectioned into many smaller pieces. As the resolution increased more and more the smaller pieces were comprised of even more miniscule portions. This process continued until finally he was able to see what looked like machines. They were moving across the surface within clearly defined sections of a microscopic grid with extraordinary slowness. Each mechanism operated individually, but not independently it seemed.
The Autobot commander stepped back from the lens. "What do you make of this, Perceptor?"
Perceptor maintained his microscope form a moment longer-studying, learning- before returning to his robot mode. "I believe that this is nanotechnology, Optimus Prime. I also believe that this was dislodged from one of our new Decepticon friends when Warpath pulverized its legs."
"What exactly is nanotechnology?" Prime asked.
A look of excitement settled over Perceptor's features as a chance to use his scientific expertise was presented. "Nanotechnology is the creation of microscopic machines. Originally, their purpose was to create exact duplicates of themselves. Thus, those duplicates have the ability create duplicates, thus the technology grows exponentially. On higher levels, the nanotechs are able to convert any available materials into whatever resources they need to maintain their goal. However, it would seem they could be put to even more complex purposes. Up until now the area of study was only theoretical."
"It would seem that Megatron has discovered the ability to change hypothesis into reality," Prime said.
"Megatron does not have the resources for something like this. Most likely it was sent to him by Shockwave and the other Decepticon scientists from Cybertron," Preceptor mused. "From what I can discern from this sample, the nanotechnology has a very static pattern to it. It appears the nanotechs strive for nothing short of perfect, static order. The only reason that I am able to hypothesize, at least at this early stage, as to why the nanotechnology would be striving for order is due to the inability to arrange complex programming in such a small and simple vessel."
"Those suckers didn't look all that simple to me," Ironhide said.
"That is true," acceded Perceptor. "It would seem that the Decepticon scientists have devised a way to increase the amount of programming that can be accepted as the mass increases. Theoretically, of course they should take on whichever form they evolve into, which, I assume, would be ever changing as the technology is ever evolving." Perceptor paused for a moment, considering something. "Apparently the Decepticons have found a way to force the nanotechs into whichever form the Decepticons desire. Either that or they have contrived a means to control the nanotechs' evolution. Both prospects are disturbing."
Ironhide spread his arms wide. "Okay, so what? They managed to create a new robot out of this nanostuff. Then what makes them so tough to fight? I mean, they weren't acting like your everyday Decepticreeps."
Prime nodded. "Ironhide has a point, Perceptor. They worked together in a cooperative effort and with an accuracy that was unbelievable."
"I agree with him, Optimus Prime. Unfortunately, I have no solution to that problem at the moment. I'm sorry . . . I've failed you."
Optimus shook his head and patted the scientist on his back. "Don't be ridiculous, you've provided us with invaluable information."
"Hey, Prime," Called Blaster, who had been silent the entire time. "Do you think Teletraan One would have any information on these nanoguys?"
"It would be worth a try." The Autobot Commander looked around the area and saw that it was bustling with post-battle clean up. "Jazz, supervise the operations and see to it that any wounded are taken to Wheeljack or Ratchet. And don't let them argue. If they are hurt in the slightest I want them checked. We can't settle for anything less than a full power now that Megatron has these new weapons. This . . . Swarm." Jazz acknowledged the seriousness of the matter. "After you have seen to the details here meet us on the bridge. There's lots of work to be done."
"No problem, Prime. Consider it done." Jazz transformed and drove away to the aid with the casualties.
Prime, Perceptor, Ironhide, Blaster, and Warpath all proceeded up the ramp and into the Ark. When the arrived at the bridge, they found it had been converted into a makeshift infirmary. Several of their fallen friends were lying about. Most had minor injuries-laser burns, torn plating, short circuits, and the like. Ratchet was working on repairs to Brawn's left shoulder.
"Hold still, will you! I can't get to your servo when you fidget like that!" Ratchet struggled to hold the smaller Autobot down.
"I'm telling you it's fine," Brawn argued. "You checked it twice already and didn't find anything wrong! Now let go of me so I can help with the others who may actually be injured and you maybe repair them!" The tough little green and yellow jeep transformed and drove out of the bridge.
Ratchet made a move to go after him when Prime stopped him. "Let him go." He gestured over to the others. "Help them out. He's obviously too stubborn right now. You'll be able to check him later."
Reluctantly, Ratchet agreed. He went over to Hoist and began to weld the ripped orange plating on his leg back together. Prime did not like to contradict himself. By allowing Brawn to go he was doing just what he had told Jazz not to, but Prime knew that there were more serious injuries to be handled immediately. He would order Brawn to get that shoulder checked when things calmed down and the more severe injuries were dealt with. Brawn was tough enough-and stubborn enough-to deal with a little joint trouble.
Preceptor went to Teletraan One and began to type at the controls. "Let's see what Teletraan One knows about nanotechnology." He continued to work the console for a few moments more and suddenly, there was a three- dimensional gridline diagram of a small asymmetrical machine rotating slowly on the viewscreen.
Teletraan One began to explain the image in its monotone computer voice. "Nanotechnology is a machine that replicates itself, requiring very little energy to do so."
"Yes, yes we know that," Perceptor responded, arguing with the computer. He tapped a few more keys before he found what he was looking for.
Teletraan One's voice began again. "Early Cybertronian experiments with nanotechnology were never completed. Once the nanotechs evolved to a particular point the machines became dangerous. The nanotechnology attempted to perfect its environment, freezing its surroundings in static quintessence. Several experiments were still in process when this spacecraft left Cybertron. No data on the results of these experiments is available."
"Well, there you have it." Blaster stood up tall, proud of himself. "I knew my idea would tell us something."
Ironhide apparently disagreed. "What do you mean? That didn't tell us anything! All we know now is that there were some experiments with the stuff and nobody knows what happened with them."
"That's not true, Ironhide." Optimus Prime stepped to the front of the small group of Autobots that surrounded Teletraan One. "Someone does indeed know how those experiments turned out: the Decepticon scientists on Cybertron. I think it's time they shared their knowledge with us."
Perceptor looked to his commander with a concerned look. "Just a moment, Optimus Prime. Are you proposing . . . ?" The question trailed off.
Prime waited a moment, surveying the bridge, thinking of his options and what must be done. Wounded friends from a difficult battle against a powerful new foe lay all around. There was much to consider, such as the power plant that would give his enemies limitless energy. All of his soldiers were looking at him, waiting for his next words. He decided on the best way to deal with this problem, the only way, no matter what the cost. "Prepare the shuttle for launch. We're going to Cybertron."
"The Aerialbots are back," Jazz said, a hint of worry in his voice. "Well, most of them at least," he added.
Concerned, Prime asked, "Most of them?"
Ironhide stepped in for Jazz. "Yeah, Air Raid, Slingshot, Fireflight, and Skydive are back. There's still no sign of Silverbolt or Skyfire. Fireflight said they were attacked."
"Attacked?" Prime had hoped only to find the Decepticon base without any trouble. He should have known better than to expect such a thing. Almost as soon as he had sent Skyfire and the Aerialbots away he had wanted to call them back. Some sort of instinct had told him this mission was exceptionally dangerous. Even more dangerous than it appeared on the surface, which was a direct reconnaissance mission deep into what was thought to be enemy territory. Prime was interrupted from his regretful reflection when Jazz continued with his report.
"They were attacked by nearly all of the Decepticons, according to what they're saying." Prime and Jazz and Ironhide made their way back to Teletraan One where Blaster was trying to establish communications with Skyfire and Silverbolt. Prime asked, "Anything yet?"
Blaster paused in his hailing attempts, "Not yet, Prime. I'll let you know." He continued his efforts, almost frantically, Prime thought.
Optimus went to the landing bay to meet and debrief the Aerialbots who were just arriving. They landed and immediately transformed. Air Raid was the first to reach Prime.
"I tried to talk them out of it, Optimus. But they insisted that I leave with them," he said as he jabbed a thumb back at his companions. Prime could tell from his voice he was more concerned than angry.
"Its okay, Air Raid. What happened?"
Skydive, always the rational one offered the story. He told of the rather uneventful search until a large group of Decepticons appeared, and how Skyfire and Silverbolt held them off while allowing the others to escape. Unfortunately, there had been no communication from either of them since.
Satisfied for the moment, Prime pondered what this could mean as he walked back to the main computer room with the Aerialbots in tow. "Well, one thing is obvious: you were very close to the Decepticon base. If you weren't they wouldn't have had time to mobilize such a large force against you." They all nodded in agreement. It was decided that they might be able to get the coordinates of battle's location if they used Teletraan One. Ironhide met them on the way from the landing bay to the bridge.
"Prime, Blaster says Skyfire and Silverbolt have just made contact. They'll be landing shortly. We'd better get back to the landing bay."
They all turned around and ran back down the corridor, arriving just as the two came in for a landing. Skyfire was on his feet an instant before Silverbolt, both rushing toward their commander.
"What happened out there? The others tell me you were attacked by a large force of Decepticons."
"More than a large force, Prime," Silverbolt said. "I think it was all of them."
"With a few extras," Skyfire added.
Prime did not like the sound of this, the news was getting darker and darker and nothing seemed to brighten it either as they relayed the details of their battle and the encounter with the new Decepticons. The idea of new enemies that reacted that quickly was frightening enough, but with the addition of the agility and adaptability it made them deadly. "So, they just broke off the attack when you reached land?"
"They did," Silverbolt said. "I suppose they figured they didn't stand a chance once we got back here. With the power plant at our disposal we have the advantage of firepower."
Optimus Prime did not agree with Silverbolt's deduction. "I think that they weren't ready to battle with us yet. They have new forces so they must have a plan to use them against us. I think you just stumbled upon it before they were ready to close the trap. We have to be on our guard at all times now, until the attack comes." He faced Jazz and Ironhide, "Go warn the others. Tell them to stand ready for attack. They must be prepared to take battle stations at a moments notice. This could be bad." They both went off to perform their duties and ready the others. The Aerialbots and Skydive followed to aid in preparations. Optimus stopped them before they got away. "By the way." They all stopped and faced their commander. "Good job. You have provided us with valuable information that could save our skins. And you did it without getting injured."
Swelling with pride the six of them only nodded to him in thanks and continued to the bridge. Optimus Prime stood a moment longer in the landing area and looked out toward the mountains, envisioning the sea beyond, and in it the Decepticons. "What do you have planned for us this time Megatron?" he said quietly. "And why do I have the feeling that this time its going to cost lives?" He turned away from the serene display before him and made his way back to the bridge to assist in preparations.
* * *
Starscream flew across the room and crashed into the wall, he slid to the floor with a thud and landed on his head. Back inside the War Room of the Decepticon complex Megatron stalked up to him and pointed his cannon directly at Starscream's head, light glistened menacingly off the end of the large barrel. "I should disintegrate you for that, you fool!"
"Megatron, please! It . . . It was an accident!" Starscream pleaded for his life. Over the years he had become quite good at it, but Megatron was not moved-or fooled by it-this time. Because of Starscream's premature attack, the Autobots had been alerted to their presence far too early, which had allowed them to create a plan of escape. They should have been in a complete panic, not having time to think of anything but their inevitable destruction. Starscream had cost them all of that with his overzealous attacks.
Starscream placed his hands in front of his face, as though that would shield him from Megatron's incredible firepower. "I thought you would be happy! Especially if I caught them by surprise and-"
"You did not think at all! You cost us the victory!" Megatron lowered his weapon and stalked to the opposite side of the room. The other Decepticons parted before him and continued back to the walls. None of them wanted to be in the presence of their leader's anger. They could all take comfort in that all of his rage was solely directed at Starscream. "I was not yet ready to fire upon them. We needed to wait until there was no chance that they would escape. But, you had to fire on them without orders! I should melt you to scrap and reconstruct you into something useful."
"They've gotten away before! What does it matter?" Starscream raised himself back to his feet. "Besides, we'll defeat them on the next raid with the help of Swarm." A slight smile crossed his face. "I must say, Megatron, that you were most wise in your decision to bring him to our ranks."
Megatron was not amused by Starscream's attempt at flattery. "Cease your compliments, you idiot." His optics narrowed. "Thanks to your blunder the Autobots now know about Swarm in advance. My hopes to catch them completely unprepared for this new attack have been dashed to pieces!" Megatron completed another circuit of the room, ending up in front of a computer console. He tapped at the controls for a moment before continuing. "Now, I will have to launch the attack earlier than planed. Today. I had hoped that there would be more time to prepare, but thanks to you," he thrust a metallic black finger at Starscream, "I cannot be afforded that luxury." He finished on the keyboard and an image of a revised battle plan appeared on all of the monitors. This new plan included Swarm as well as nearly all of the other Decepticon forces. "I can only hope that this plan is sound enough as it is. Perhaps if we attack immediately they will not have had enough time to sufficiently prepare for Swarm's type of attack." He faced Starscream once again. "For your sake you had better hope that this plan succeeds. If it does not." Megatron completed his sentence by firing his massive fusion cannon at Starscream relieving some of his pent up frustration. The blast missed him by inches and slammed into the wall in the back of the War Room with a violent explosion. The rest of the threat did not need to be spoken.
Meekly, Starscream said, "Y-Yes, of course, Mighty Megatron. I am but your humble servant."
"Quit your sniveling and stand up." Megatron addressed the troops at large. "Prepare all of your weapons and power to full. You need not worry about depleting our energy supplies, after today we will have all of the energon we need. We will strike the final blow to the Autobots in one hour! Then this planet, and all of its energy, will finally be mine for the taking!"
* * *
Alarm klaxons sounded throughout the Autobot headquarters signaling an attack. It had been less than two Earth hours since the Aerialbots and Skyfire had returned, far too early for Optimus Prime's liking. It wasn't like Megatron to stagger attacks this close together. Prime ordered everyone to battle stations and quickly ran to his own post, which was at the power plant. That was most assuredly what the Decepticons were after; the only part that troubled him was the timing. Megatron was a lot of things, but he was not stupid. That meant that whatever it was Silverbolt and Skyfire fought was something powerful. Powerful enough that Megatron would risk another attack so soon.
All of the Autobots were ready in moments; most of them were concentrating on defending the power plant. No matter what happened they had to defend that plant. They could not allow the Decepticons to get their evil hands on its energy.
Jazz zoomed down the platform to the outskirts of the ship and came up next to Optimus Prime. The blue and white striped sports car transformed into Jazz's robot form. "Prime, everyone's in position. All that's left to do now is wait."
Ironhide drove up on Prime's other side and changed from a red van to a robot. "It doesn't look like we're going to have to wait that long. Look!" Ironhide pointed at the edge of the ridge where several jets could be seen rapidly approaching.
"Jazz, Ironhide, listen. This attack is much too soon since the last one. It probably means that Megatron has some kind of advantage."
"Yeah, tell me about it," Ironhide said while he pulled his gun.
"Just keep it in mind, and be careful. Keep those new Decepticons that the Aerialbots ran into in mind. There is no room for mistakes. We don't need anyone getting killed." Optimus freed his own weapon and started for his protective area. "Make sure your squads know about that and have them be doubly cautious." The Autobot commander transformed into the massive form of a red tractor-trailer and sped off to his defensive position at the center of the power plant. From there he would be able to get the best view of the battlefield and make quick decisions.
The area surrounding Autobot headquarters was a flat yellow expanse flanked by high rock walls with a volcanic mountain behind, into which the spacecraft was embedded. The only way to approach the base was either from the front or above.
Ironhide and his group positioned themselves in to the right of the plant while Jazz and his group took the left flank. Both groups were slightly forward, awaiting a frontal assault-a strategy that the Decepticons seemed to favor. Optimus Prime and his group stood in the center but slightly behind. He was the support unit, sending aid to either group that needed it at any given time.
Prime viewed the distance and saw the Decepticons' arrival. More and more of them flew toward the base. He counted more enemies than he was aware existed which meant that their new allies were with them. It also proved to him that the new Decepticons that gave a distinct advantage. Looking across the soon-to-be-battlefield, Optimus Prime saw Megatron himself leading the attack. The Decepticon leader's confidence frightened Prime more than he had anticipated. "This is going to be a very dangerous situation," he said to himself.
The rain of destruction began seconds later, from above. The entire force of Decepticon air power was making the first strike covering the ground with heavy laser and missile fire. The explosions blasted scorched holes in the ground, rained dust and dirt down upon the Autobots and obscured visibility.
Cars raced towards them from the front of the ridge, the Stunticons, driving wildly into the front line. They all transformed at the last moment and engaged Ironhide's squad who met their enemies in a flurry of weapons and hand-to-hand combat. The two factions clashed, but Ironhide's group was holding. In a blaze of laser-fire a purple and tan jet swooped low to the ground before transforming into a tank and landing. It was Blitzwing, the Decepticon triple-changer. He fired a volley of shots into Jazz's group before changing from his tank from to a robot. Blitzwing continued to run along toward Prime's group. "Time to die, Autobrats!" One blast from Prime's weapon landed on Blitzwing's chest and sent him sprawling across the battlefield.
A deep and hollow thud in the distance caught Optimus's attention, followed by another, and another. Each time he heard the noise rocks and dust skittered down the cliff face behind him and disturbed stones and sand all along the ground. Over the high ridge he saw the awesome green and purple form of Devastator looming, each step sending a cloud of dust into the air at his feet. Horribly, he was approaching the front line. Prime needed to take countermeasures, quickly. He radioed Blaster with his plan.
As terrible as the battle was the part that disturbed Prime the most was the new Decepticons. There were thirty-six of the small robots just standing in the middle of the battlefield, seemingly oblivious to the chaos surrounding them. They stood in a perfect six-by-six square nearly motionless except for their heads. All of the heads were turning in different directions, looking about as if lost, or it maybe they were examining all aspects of the battle. Prime had no idea what they were going to do yet but he knew he wasn't going to like it once it happened.
The Decepticon air force was being occupied by heavy ground fire from Jazz's team, as well as from the Aerialbots. Other Autobot air fighters were helping as well, Powerglide, Blades, Skyfire, and Swoop the Dinobot each redirected fire or attempted a counterattack.
Devastator reached the front lines. The gigantic robot pulled its purple fist back and hauled forward into a punch to crush the group of Cliffjumper, Hound, and Prowl that were all concentrating their fire on his head. At the last moment, Devastator's fist was caught in the huge orange claw of Omega Supreme who immediately followed up the block with a heavy blast of laser energy to the center of Devastator's chest. The huge Decepticon warrior went down, sprawling across the field of battle. Omega Supreme leaped onto the fallen form and began to pound mercilessly. Prime was glad that Blaster gotten the message to Omega Supreme in time.
At the front of Ironhide's area Optimus Prime could see that the Stunticons were in a retreat, but they stopped at the command from Motormaster, the Stunticons' leader. Prime knew what was to happen next, and at the same moment he thought it, the five Stunticons merged into Menasor. Prime fired several shots at the giant robot, distracting it in order to allow Bluestreak, Red Alert, Skids, and Sideswipe to escape being flattened. The Aerialbots must have spotted their arch-nemesis as they quickly regrouped. The five Autobot jets adjusted their course and flew high into the air, staying in a tight formation. Suddenly, they changed direction and streaked straight down, combining into Superion en route. Superion gained great speed in the decent and slammed into Menasor with earth-shattering force. The impact half-buried both of the immense robots in the ground, forming an impact crater near the area where Omega Supreme was still actively fighting Devastator.
Explosions heated the air all around Prime and his allies, but he kept one eye on the new mini Decepticons, who still had not moved. They had stopped looking around, however, and Prime did not take that as a good sign. Something was about to give. He called for Blaster to relay a message to Jazz and Ironhide to make sure they kept a watch on the thirty-six new Decepticons.
Then it happened.
In sudden unison the group of thirty-six lifted off of the ground and flew forward. They kept in a frighteningly perfect formation for a time, but soon broke off into six even groups of six. The members of the six groups all moved as one. Optimus Prime was reminded of a flock of birds, each turning at the same time. Then, just as he had watched the formation of Devastator and Menasor, the six groups began to combine simultaneously and amalgamated into six full-sized Decepticons. These new enemies looked identical to their smaller counterparts, size was the only visible difference.
Abruptly, all of the other Decepticons ended their respective attacks and pulled back to the top of the ridge where Megatron was standing. Only the six new ones that had been advancing remained. Megatron was banking far too much on these seemingly generic Decepticons. Fear and dread filled Prime's circuits as he opened a communications channel. "Blaster, get a message out, general broadcast. Tell everyone to get back. Whatever Megatron has planned it's big. Get Omega Supreme, Superion, and Defensor ready to work the front lines, have the Dinobots standing by as backup. Everyone else be ready to act, but as far behind as possible. Gather them around the power plant for maximum defense. Anything can happen at this point. Be on your guard."
Blaster acknowledged and sent the message. The Autobot forces mobilized into the positions their commander indicated. Superion and Defensor stood on the front line with Omega supreme slightly behind; all readied their massive weapons. Still the six Decepticons approached, completely unconcerned by their massive opposition.
At the last moment the six flew together and combined yet again into one massive robot. The action was so quick and fluid that no one realized it had happened until it was done-and by then it was too late. An instant after it had formed the giant Decepticon struck Omega Supreme in the head with a double fisted blow, knocking him down. Superion attempted to fire at the thing, but it had already separated into its thirty-six original units. The blasts missed completely as the small robots attached themselves to various parts of Superion. The tiny assailants pulled with a strength that defied their size and actually managed to divide the giant Autobot warrior into its primary components. As the Aerialbots fell to the ground the Decepticons merged into their secondary form and all-except for one-grabbed a floundering Aerialbot and threw them into Defensor with such force that the giant robot was knocked down.
Optimus Prime watched with horror as his three most powerful warriors were felled with such little effort. "Blaster, have Ironhide ready the Dinobots. They can take more punishment than any of us."
"Already way ahead of you, Optimus," Blaster returned. Prime looked out to the battlefield and saw the Dinobots already moving into position. He thanked the Matrix that his army was well prepared.
Meantime, Omega Supreme was back on his feet again and lumbered toward the new Decepticons. As one, the six evil robots leaped at him and dividing into its thirty-six parts, attempting to use the same tactic that was used on Superion. Being only one robot and not of gestalt composition this proved futile, however it did not seem to daunt the Decepticons in the least and they simply continued to attempt to pry the giant Autobot apart. "Get them off of me! Get them off!" Omega Supreme yelled as he swung around and around trying to reach the tiny attackers with his claw.
Defensor was back on his feet and he made his way to Omega Supreme. Defensor began to pick the small robots off of him, tossing them like insects in all directions. With a surprising grace every Decepticon that was thrown landed on its feet and was already moved immediately into a new attack. Optimus Prime gave the order for all available forces to attack while the enemy was disorganized.
The Dinobots were already in the best position for attack and exceedingly eager to be in a brawl, moved as quickly as possible to the closest area where the mini Decepticons were landing. Just as one of them was making an agile landing Grimlock smashed it with his heavy tail an moment before it placed its feet on the ground. "Me, Grimlock smash stupid new Decepticons!" It was the first clean hit that any of the Autobots had gotten on any of these new adversaries. Having no time to compensate the small Decepticon slammed into the ground, carving a rut in the rocky earth in its wake. The creature came to rest at the feet of Warpath, the small but strong Autobot tank.
Warpath wasted no time and transformed into his vehicular form, and rolled his powerful, treads onto the legs of the momentarily helpless foe, crushing them. "Pow! You're toast, Decepticon!"
A high-pitched painful whine erupted seemingly from everywhere. Optimus Prime noticed that Autobots and Decepticons alike held their hands over their auditory sensors-this clearly was not part of the plan. All across the battlefield the tiny Decepticons fell where they were fighting and began to convulse and spasm. They lay helpless on the ground.
In what seemed like microseconds Prime saw the Decepticons approaching rapidly from the ridge in the distance, Megatron leading the force personally. The whine still filled the air making it agony to do anything but try to filter it out. Prime managed to order an attack regardless of the pain. "Everyone! We must take out those Decepticons now! While they're helpless!" The forces moved out, staggering against the high- pitched noise. It was too late, though. Megatron and the rest of his army arrived sending deadly blasts across the field. The Autobots scattered, trying to find cover.
The Decepticons did a neat job of routing the Autobots away from their fallen comrades. Oddly, though, none of them went for the power plant. They were all exclusively trying to gather up the fallen newcomers or actively keep Autobots away from their fellows, showing more concern for another life than Optimus Prime had ever known a Decepticon to show. Through the din of the renewed battle it took a moment to realize the shrill noise had stopped. The thirty-six Decepticons were no longer having convulsions and now simply lay motionless on the ground.
Megatron landed in the center of the conflict. "Constructicons, gather Swarm and get him back to base! Combaticons, cover them!" Bruticus formed from his composite Combaticon parts and stood between the attacking Autobots and the retreating Decepticons. Megatron turned his malevolent glare on Optimus Prime. "You have gotten lucky again, Optimus Prime, but be warned. I will return to finish what I have begun here today. Then, you will be exterminated and this planet will be mine."
Prime stepped forward, every inch of his impressive form an epitome of righteousness. "We'll be waiting for you to try, Megatron, but you'll never succeed. You've already lost."
Megatron gave his forces the order to pull back. He looked to the Autobot leader over his shoulder. His red eyes flashed. "We'll see, Prime. We'll see." He launched himself into the air and led the Decepticons into the distance, toward the ocean.
When it became clear to everyone that the Decepticons were retreating a rousing cheer erupted throughout the ranks of the Autobots. Prime had a dreadful feeling that their revelry was premature. Blaster and Perceptor came running out from within the ship to his side. Jazz and Ironhide arrived a moment later. "What do you think that was, Prime?" Jazz asked.
Prime waited a long moment before answering. "It was unlike anything I have ever seen. I hate to admit it, but this time Megatron may have the means to defeat us."
"What do you mean? We beat them up real good," Ironhide said. "If they come back we'll just do it again."
Jazz was less than convinced. "That didn't look like a clean victory to me, Ironhide."
"I agree, Jazz," Prime placed a hand on Ironhide's shoulder. "Whatever it was that brought us this victory, it was exactly as Megatron said . . . luck."
Blaster approached Warpath. "Well, one things for sure, it's because of this guy," he placed his hand on Warpath's shoulder, "that were still alive."
"Yes, that was some quick thinking, Warpath," Prime commended.
The red Autobot looked filled to bursting with pride. "Aw, thanks you guys. It was nothing really. I just squashed him, that's all. Kabam!"
Perceptor, the Autobot scientist and sometime tactician came running down the landing ramp of the Ark. "Optimus Prime, I have the preliminary analysis of the melee and it seems that the Decepticons were beginning to-" He stopped mid-sentence, which was very unusual for Preceptor to do. He usually liked to prattle on and on about his tactical and scientific findings to anyone who listen-and he always assumed that everyone knew what he was talking about. Although he preferred to stay out of the fighting whenever possible he had proven an invaluable asset to the Autobot army in matters of insight and intellect. His attention was currently focused on Warpath's forearm, which, while he was in his tank mode, had been his tread. He pointed to a small patch of silver-gray that stood out against his dull red color. "What is this?"
"I don't know. I probably got a little dirty, I was just in a battle, you know," Warpath offered with a perplexed look.
"Don't move," Preceptor commanded as he transformed into the form of a large microscope and focused his lens on the anomaly. "Hmmm, this is most interesting. Optimus Prime, you had best investigate this."
Intrigued, Prime stepped behind Perceptor and peered through the optic port. At first the view only showed what appeared to be silver metal, but as the magnification increased, over several thousand times, the image became clearer. This was something the Autobot Commander had never seen before. The metal looked like it was one piece that was sectioned into many smaller pieces. As the resolution increased more and more the smaller pieces were comprised of even more miniscule portions. This process continued until finally he was able to see what looked like machines. They were moving across the surface within clearly defined sections of a microscopic grid with extraordinary slowness. Each mechanism operated individually, but not independently it seemed.
The Autobot commander stepped back from the lens. "What do you make of this, Perceptor?"
Perceptor maintained his microscope form a moment longer-studying, learning- before returning to his robot mode. "I believe that this is nanotechnology, Optimus Prime. I also believe that this was dislodged from one of our new Decepticon friends when Warpath pulverized its legs."
"What exactly is nanotechnology?" Prime asked.
A look of excitement settled over Perceptor's features as a chance to use his scientific expertise was presented. "Nanotechnology is the creation of microscopic machines. Originally, their purpose was to create exact duplicates of themselves. Thus, those duplicates have the ability create duplicates, thus the technology grows exponentially. On higher levels, the nanotechs are able to convert any available materials into whatever resources they need to maintain their goal. However, it would seem they could be put to even more complex purposes. Up until now the area of study was only theoretical."
"It would seem that Megatron has discovered the ability to change hypothesis into reality," Prime said.
"Megatron does not have the resources for something like this. Most likely it was sent to him by Shockwave and the other Decepticon scientists from Cybertron," Preceptor mused. "From what I can discern from this sample, the nanotechnology has a very static pattern to it. It appears the nanotechs strive for nothing short of perfect, static order. The only reason that I am able to hypothesize, at least at this early stage, as to why the nanotechnology would be striving for order is due to the inability to arrange complex programming in such a small and simple vessel."
"Those suckers didn't look all that simple to me," Ironhide said.
"That is true," acceded Perceptor. "It would seem that the Decepticon scientists have devised a way to increase the amount of programming that can be accepted as the mass increases. Theoretically, of course they should take on whichever form they evolve into, which, I assume, would be ever changing as the technology is ever evolving." Perceptor paused for a moment, considering something. "Apparently the Decepticons have found a way to force the nanotechs into whichever form the Decepticons desire. Either that or they have contrived a means to control the nanotechs' evolution. Both prospects are disturbing."
Ironhide spread his arms wide. "Okay, so what? They managed to create a new robot out of this nanostuff. Then what makes them so tough to fight? I mean, they weren't acting like your everyday Decepticreeps."
Prime nodded. "Ironhide has a point, Perceptor. They worked together in a cooperative effort and with an accuracy that was unbelievable."
"I agree with him, Optimus Prime. Unfortunately, I have no solution to that problem at the moment. I'm sorry . . . I've failed you."
Optimus shook his head and patted the scientist on his back. "Don't be ridiculous, you've provided us with invaluable information."
"Hey, Prime," Called Blaster, who had been silent the entire time. "Do you think Teletraan One would have any information on these nanoguys?"
"It would be worth a try." The Autobot Commander looked around the area and saw that it was bustling with post-battle clean up. "Jazz, supervise the operations and see to it that any wounded are taken to Wheeljack or Ratchet. And don't let them argue. If they are hurt in the slightest I want them checked. We can't settle for anything less than a full power now that Megatron has these new weapons. This . . . Swarm." Jazz acknowledged the seriousness of the matter. "After you have seen to the details here meet us on the bridge. There's lots of work to be done."
"No problem, Prime. Consider it done." Jazz transformed and drove away to the aid with the casualties.
Prime, Perceptor, Ironhide, Blaster, and Warpath all proceeded up the ramp and into the Ark. When the arrived at the bridge, they found it had been converted into a makeshift infirmary. Several of their fallen friends were lying about. Most had minor injuries-laser burns, torn plating, short circuits, and the like. Ratchet was working on repairs to Brawn's left shoulder.
"Hold still, will you! I can't get to your servo when you fidget like that!" Ratchet struggled to hold the smaller Autobot down.
"I'm telling you it's fine," Brawn argued. "You checked it twice already and didn't find anything wrong! Now let go of me so I can help with the others who may actually be injured and you maybe repair them!" The tough little green and yellow jeep transformed and drove out of the bridge.
Ratchet made a move to go after him when Prime stopped him. "Let him go." He gestured over to the others. "Help them out. He's obviously too stubborn right now. You'll be able to check him later."
Reluctantly, Ratchet agreed. He went over to Hoist and began to weld the ripped orange plating on his leg back together. Prime did not like to contradict himself. By allowing Brawn to go he was doing just what he had told Jazz not to, but Prime knew that there were more serious injuries to be handled immediately. He would order Brawn to get that shoulder checked when things calmed down and the more severe injuries were dealt with. Brawn was tough enough-and stubborn enough-to deal with a little joint trouble.
Preceptor went to Teletraan One and began to type at the controls. "Let's see what Teletraan One knows about nanotechnology." He continued to work the console for a few moments more and suddenly, there was a three- dimensional gridline diagram of a small asymmetrical machine rotating slowly on the viewscreen.
Teletraan One began to explain the image in its monotone computer voice. "Nanotechnology is a machine that replicates itself, requiring very little energy to do so."
"Yes, yes we know that," Perceptor responded, arguing with the computer. He tapped a few more keys before he found what he was looking for.
Teletraan One's voice began again. "Early Cybertronian experiments with nanotechnology were never completed. Once the nanotechs evolved to a particular point the machines became dangerous. The nanotechnology attempted to perfect its environment, freezing its surroundings in static quintessence. Several experiments were still in process when this spacecraft left Cybertron. No data on the results of these experiments is available."
"Well, there you have it." Blaster stood up tall, proud of himself. "I knew my idea would tell us something."
Ironhide apparently disagreed. "What do you mean? That didn't tell us anything! All we know now is that there were some experiments with the stuff and nobody knows what happened with them."
"That's not true, Ironhide." Optimus Prime stepped to the front of the small group of Autobots that surrounded Teletraan One. "Someone does indeed know how those experiments turned out: the Decepticon scientists on Cybertron. I think it's time they shared their knowledge with us."
Perceptor looked to his commander with a concerned look. "Just a moment, Optimus Prime. Are you proposing . . . ?" The question trailed off.
Prime waited a moment, surveying the bridge, thinking of his options and what must be done. Wounded friends from a difficult battle against a powerful new foe lay all around. There was much to consider, such as the power plant that would give his enemies limitless energy. All of his soldiers were looking at him, waiting for his next words. He decided on the best way to deal with this problem, the only way, no matter what the cost. "Prepare the shuttle for launch. We're going to Cybertron."