AN ~ Okay, before we begin, I want to point out that the character intro-ed is not Overload. If you don't know who that is, then it is a guy who combines with Optimus to give him these massive shoulder guns. He appears later in the Armada series. If you haven't seen the entire Armada series, then you might not understand some parts. E-mail me or put it in a review if you have any questions :)

3 – Recognition 

Optimus groggily awoke.

He took a moment to reboot and bring all of his sensors online but managed it in short time. He looked around. It seemed he was in a cave of some sort; outside it was dark. Nighttime. How long had he been out?

"It's about time!"

He turned and came face to face with his brother. At the moment he was scowling at him; his face cast in shadow from the limited light, but Optimus knew it was he.

"Ultra Magnus … it's been awhile …" Optimus said softly.

"I'm just Magnus now, and don't you forget it." Magnus said harshly. He stood up from his crouch next to Optimus and got out some flammable energon. He lit it with a blast from his gun, filling the room with a yellow glow.

Optimus could now see his features more clearly. Under his indigo cloak, he was mostly red and blue like him; strong but sleek, he was younger than Optimus by one millisecond. He became a car carrier truck when he transformed, yet because he never went to Earth, he had kept his Cybertron form: he could also hover due to the hover conversion instead of wheels. His face was silver with no faceplate. Gold optics like his own, but his head was red and black. Otherwise, many would say they were identical in facial features.

"So you dispersed of your name too, Optimus Prime?" Magnus mocked.

"Yes." Optimus said, sitting up. "What do you want of me?"

"As much as I hate to admit it, I need you to come with me." Magnus said, his voice dripping with spite.

"To do what?" Optimus asked.

Magnus faced him fully. "I don't know where you have been these past 5 centuries, Optimus, but you have somehow acquired weapons that can defeat the New Ones. This is valuable to us."

"Whose us?" Optimus questioned.

Magnus turned, and walked the length of the cave and back again. "You don't know about it?"

"About what?" Optimus was getting impatient.

"About the Rebel side."

"No."

"That's who us is. And you are coming with me to find the New Ones base. That is my assignment from our base." Magnus said.

"And what if I don't want to get involved?" Optimus said, getting to his feet, his black cloak swishing.

Magnus gave him a devilish grin, one of bad intentions. "Then you will suffer my … influence."

"You didn't…" Optimus took a step backwards in spite of himself.

"Had to, big brother." Magnus said, shrugging. "Because I know you would've just run off and we didn't want that. Everyone thinks your either still in space or dead." His smile disappeared. "As I did."

"Magnus … "

He was angry now. "You are a bastard for making me wait so long."

He ran forward and punched his brother in the side of the head. Optimus didn't even fight back, he knew he deserved it.

"I want to kill you, and believe me; when this is all over I will!" Magnus snarled.

Optimus said nothing from his position leaning on the wall of the cave.

"We leave. Now."

***

Spending his days sitting in front of a computer was a common thing for Red Alert.

He was still a war veteran, but he now trained the young ones to defend themselves for their own safety. Even after the war, Cybertron was still sometimes a dangerous place. He was the manager for the base under Hexatron, and couldn't be happier about not being in with the fighting.

Some things never change.

"C'mon Hotshot don't tell me I'm winning!!!"

Red Alert looked around as his commander played his racing game against Hotshot, with Sideswipe laughing along with them if they made a mistake, and awed when they did well. He looked skyward and continued his work.

"Well Jet, you haven't changed much." Sideswipe said once the game ended with Hotshot just winning. Sideswipe had not seen Jetfire in over 50 years as he spent most of his time with the weapons designers.

"Ah we can't all change." Jetfire said happily as they all sat on the floor in front of the console. "But you seemed to have a lot, Hotshot as well!"

Hotshot shrugged. "Well, we are younger than you, so you probably don't have any changing left to do."
"Ha, ha." Jetfire said sarcastically. "I'm not that old. Scavenger is old."

Hotshot and sideswipe laughed, "Yeah too true! But it's because of him that I got to be much better at combat."

"We all have our talents." Jetfire stated.

"Yeah, and yours in pulling pranks." Sideswipe snickered.

Jetfire sighed and let the two of them laugh.

***

It was well into the night when Magnus and Optimus stopped to rest. They had come far across the planet now and were at the equator. There were only forests of junk that some made their homes into, and the nearest city was 100 miles away. Magnus said they needed to take cover in anything possible and to stay away from the cities. The New Ones could be there.

Sitting beside an Energon fire, Optimus looked over at his brother again. He was lying on the ground with his arms behind his head. He looked like he was dosing.

"Aren't you going to ask?" Optimus said, looking away and glaring at some rubble nearby.

"Ask what?" Was the reply.

"Where I have been. I thought that would be the first thing you would do."

"Nope." He heard Magnus sit up.

"Why?"

"I don't need to hear some sentimental slag and excuses, that's why." Magnus answered angrily. "You've got a lot to catch up on, but unlike your friends I wont listen to it. It'll just be as I said: sentimental slag."

"You've changed, Magnus…"

"We all have. At least most of us. You just don't know how much."

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Enjoy! I have exams tomorrow so I may not have the 4th chapter up then. Hope this sustains my loyal readers for now!! Also, a front cover has been added! See chapter 1 for the link.

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ST