7 – Remorse
"Iseno!"
The tall silver and black android turned to his underling, and glared. "I do not like to be addressed by my name by worker's such as yourself."
"Forgive me sir!" The older mech said.
Iseno nodded and then turned to the huge cannon before him.
"How long until completion?"
"Not long sir." The worker replied. "Now that we have the Glittorus fuel needed to continue making the shells and components, our construction is proceeding rapidly. Completion should not be far off."
"Good." Iseno smiled and then said, "For that, perhaps you can call me Iseno, Dragos; my old friend."
"Sir!" It was clear his underling was happy.
"I think these Rebels in the meantime, deserve a good dose of torture."
***
Ducking behind the stormy grey and shadowy city of Delemon, Magnus and Optimus crouched behind the ruins of the once capital city of Cybertron. It was hard to come back after so long and to see it as nothing but a wasteland of rubble and debris. It was more so for Magnus than Optimus, because he had been around to see the city in its former glory, whist all Optimus remembered was the remains of the war. Now, the only thing that stood was a huge black fortress; lightning spewed from the clouds onto lightning rods on top of the building, presumably harnessing power. It seemed as if it was built from technology even more advanced than their own.
"Optimus!" Magnus hissed suddenly.
Optimus turned sharply and said, "What is it?"
"Time for you to learn to harness part of your element." Magnus said and nodded below him. An army of silver New Ones were making their way into the base though the double doors of the fortress. Some were injured.
So they must've been the army that attacked the rebel base. Magnus thought.
"Why?"
"You need to cloak us both! I'll fly us down there. That way, we can find out what the New Ones are up to and figure out where to go from then." Magnus said.
"I'll try." Optimus said and focused on the dark power that resided in him. Magnus jumped back a bit when his brother began to spark with black lightning.
Inside Optimus's mind, he was struggling to control his element. The dark power needed the light to cast it, but the light was not there to help, so the darkness was free to do as it pleased. Optimus restrained it and gripped his head; using all his mind power to keep his sanity intact.
A sparking black orb suddenly engulfed Optimus's body, and Magnus gasped and it covered him too. Inside, Optimus had been successful; he had created a cloak of darkness. He was standing up, but hunched over with his hands on his knees. Time was against them.
"Good stuff Optimus." Magnus commented as the dome became transparent; they could see out, but the enemy could not see in. "Grab hold."
Optimus grasped his brother's shoulders, and he ignited his jet engines with a roar only heard by them. Optimus groaned and Magnus knew it was using a lot of his power to keep himself from going insane. His colours started to darken again, and Magnus knew that he mustn't waste any time, for his sake as well as his brother's.
He took off. His optics glowed with his element as he made the bond he had created with Optimus become active. He felt Optimus's mind slipping, and sent him messages to keep him sane. He knew that if the darkness completely took over Optimus, it would be bad news for anyone who went near him.
He would become *Nemesis Prime.
***
Swords once again clashed in the training room. It was now morning on the Rebel side of the planet. Electrica had improved in the last 5 hours dramatically, and was matching up to her fellow transformers as an accomplished warrior. Although swords were not the greatest weapon around, they were still deadly. And Electrica had another power to back up her swift moves and sword strokes. It made her more or less equal to her teacher Starscream, the power to channel electricity.
Although she had nowhere near the power of a cloak, it still would give the New Ones CPU's a shock override. Starscream had found out when he had her pinned to the ground a few hours ago. Although the shock didn't affect him, the surprise hit his CPU just as much as the lightning would have on anyone else.
An enormous clang rang though the room like a metal bell. Starscream and Electrica had reached a test of metal as the pushed on their swords, their legs braced for the strain.
Starscream then smirked and slashed his word across Electrica's and leaped back and up, making her lose her balance for a split second. Starscream did a flip towards her, bringing his sword slashing down. In a swift move, she raised her blade across her face in a defensive posture, blocking the slash by her teacher. What she didn't expect was her teacher's optics to glow bright yellow, as a million volts of electricity charged though her form at the contact of metal. She knew she couldn't channel electricity at that magnitude, and she fell backwards, crashing into the floor with a very loud clang that echoed around the room.
When the smoke cleared, Electrica found herself looking up into the smirking face of her teacher, and feeling the point of his sword against her neck. Alternate sparks of electricity ran over his body and hers and a side effect of his attack. He had won again.
"Dammit Starscream!" She yelled in frustration as he sat up, still sitting on top of her from the fall. She pushed herself up on her elbows and said, "How can I win against you if you use your cloak power against me? You know I can't channel that amount of electricity even if I tried!"
"Because," The red seeker replied, "If I do then you'll become slowly immune to it and then be able to channel that amount of power. It isn't hard. Besides, I need to learn to control this damn power that Vector gave me; I haven't had the chance to break it in since I got told to train you."
"Why are you training me?" Electrica asked, half curious and half wanting to catch him off guard. It worked.
Or so she thought.
"I felt like it." Starscream shrugged. "After all, who can say I don't have talent in this area?"
"Your arrogant." Electrica grumbled. "Do you mind getting off me now?"
"Hmm, "A devilish smirk crossed his face, "Why don't you make me get off?"
The black and blue femme growled and thrust her arms at the seeker's chest, saying, "get off me you jerk!"
"Consider this a test for hand-to-hand combat." Starscream announced, grabbing her hands and interlocking his fingers around her own and started pushing back.
"How can I do this, " Electrica muttered, pushing against the stronger arms, "when you have an advantage?"
"How so?" He asked.
"The cloaks make you stronger than before." She said, and then saw a way to throw him off her. She pushed her back forward, and hooked her knees around the seeker's waist. He gasped in surprise as she suddenly rocked backwards and to the side, throwing him to the ground and in the process, bringing her above the red seeker. She brought her own sword down to his throat, smirking her own smirk at the slightly impressed seeker.
"Clever." He acknowledged, "You've improved greatly, Electrica."
"Well, thankyou Starscream." She said, grinning; her green optics narrowed.
"Get off then." He said to her.
"Hmm, I don't think so." She mocked and folded her arms.
But Starscream's optics began to glow yellow again, and she hastily got off him. As he was getting to his feet, a blue-cloaked figure ran into the room.
"Starscream!" He said, "I've been looking for you everywhere!" His voice was a bit like Starscream's own …
"Huh?" Starscream said in confusion. "Why?"
The figure whipped off the hood of his cloak to reveal –
Starscream's optics widened as he gazed at his brother. "Thundercracker?!"
"In the metal, Screamer." Thundercracker smirked and made his cloak disappear in a flash of blue energy. He walked over to them, saying, "I was surprised you didn't come running over like you used to Starscream! You and Skywarp were always huggers when you were younger."
Starscream grinned as his brother stopped in front of him and said, "Things change." But they thumped their fists together in a show of affection.
Thundercracker scowled and said, "Not Skywarp. He still hugs me! But He's grown up a bit now. Silly bugger's gone off to Elementus to grab himself a cloak. Dunno if he'll be strong enough to wield one though. And this must be Electrica!"
Thundercracker had turned to the femme, who had stood back and watched the brothers interact. She started at her name. "Yeah that's me."
Thundercracker nodded to her and said, "Starscream hasn't permanently damaged something yet has he?" His voice held laughter in it.
She giggled and said "not yet!"
"Ha, ha, ha." Starscream said sarcastically. "I'm not that bad."
Suddenly, the alarm sounded though the base.
"Slag!" Thundercracker cursed, "Another attack! C'mon!"
The three jets ran out of the training room and down the corridor. They entered the command room to find the screens around the walls showing scenes of hundreds of identical silver jets. On the ground, there were many more silver tanks and cars coming towards them.
"Why are they coming back?!" Starscream shouted over the noise of everyone in the room.
"I don't know," His brother answered lowly, "but if they want to fight, then so be it!"
Hoist, Hotshot, Jetfire and a newly repaired Sideswipe ran into the room as Scavenger made the call over the PA system. The others in the room all silenced when their leader called for order.
"Okay everyone, I've sent for backup from across the planet, although there isn't many out there, we will need their help. Thanks to Flare and Poryon, we have been able to create a limited amount of acid to destroy these creatures. Whatever they are after, we must not let them get it!"
The room yelled assent and took the shells of acid for the various guns they wielded. They ran out to the elevators and shafts to head up to the topside.
The New Ones waited …
***
Landing inside the base, Optimus collapsed on the floor. Even after many years of trying to tame his element, it took a lot of power out of him to keep it under control. At least he could manage it slightly more that when he first got it. Magnus pulled him against the wall of the dark corridor they had come into, and watched as Optimus slowly regained his energy.
"You should have trained a bit more, Optimus!" He whispered angrily.
"I … did." Optimus whispered back, his colours returning to normal. He summoned his cloak and sat up next to his brother. "What now?"
"We need to find the construction area." Magnus replied and stood up, also summoning his cloak. The cloaks were dark enough to keep them hidden if they treaded carefully.
They made their way along the deserted corridor. The walls were high in this part, and coloured a shade of black that put charcoal to shame. There were many doors along this particular one. Up ahead, there were the sounds of construction: Welding, banging of hammers on metal, a drill. The place seemed too quiet for their liking.
"That army …" Optimus whispered thoughtfully. Magnus turned to him and said, "What?"
"Remember how that army came into the base, as another left it?" Optimus replied.
"What if the base is getting attacked again?"
"Well, if it is then I'll have been told." Magnus said as they flattened themselves against the wall. They were next to the entrance to the work area.
"Look!"
Both mech's optics widened. Inside the huge chamber of mechanical equipment and many computers was a giant cannon of some sort. Over to the left of the room there were many silver androids creating what looked like the weapons shells. Whatever it was, it couldn't be good for the Rebels – or Cybertron in general.
"…to see that they are destroyed." They heard one of the mechs talking to what looked like an inspector of some sort. It was hard to hear from the noise that the machines made, but the caught probably the most vital information that the could've heard at all;
"Once the sphere is found and contained, we will destroy this planet and move on." The inspector said. "Just like we have for many million-"
An alarm suddenly sounded though the New Ones base. The cameras in the base suddenly caught onto Optimus and Magnus, and they knew it.
"Lets get out of here!" Optimus shouted and the two brothers ran as lasers flew all around them.
"We can't just outrun them!" Magnus shouted. "Optimus, I'll go to that com station over on the wall and try and contact our base. You try and hold off these guys!"
"Alright!" Optimus said and spun around, Magnus passing behind him. Whipping out his rifle from subspace, he fired at the New Ones with deadly accuracy. The bullets; designed to beat these androids, slashed though them, but they kept firing at Optimus.
The cloaked transformer then thought of something. He had done it once before, and could do it again!
Summoning up as much dark power as he could in the palm of his hand, he shot it out in bolts of needle sharp shrapnel. The bolts slashed though the New One's armour even more so than the bullets did.
Hurry Magnus! Optimus cried in his mind, I can only hold them for so long!
Suddenly, Optimus felt hands on his shoulders. As he turned, he found Magnus behind him and just had time to register what he was going to do – before he did.
"TELEPORT!"
Optimus then felt as if his whole body was made molten. His head span as he felt the effects of the teleport suddenly end. He stumbled and fell down onto the ground, his head spinning and his limbs weak.
"Get up Optimus! We have to get to the warp gate!" Magnus's voice drifted to Optimus's dazed head. He shook his head to clear it, and the world stopped spinning under him. He opened his optics and found himself outside the New Ones base, flat on his back and staring into the face of his brother, who was standing over him.
"A … warp gate?" Optimus muttered, while sitting up.
"Yes." Magnus said impatiently. "I contacted the base – which is under heavy attack – and told them to set up a warp point about 50 metres from here, now come on!"
Heaving himself to his feat, Optimus followed his brother to the warp gate.
***
"We're not gonna hold out much longer!" Hotshot shouted though the com link to the base below.
"You'll have to until Magnus arrives!" Came the voice of Soundwave. "He'll be here soon!"
"I sure hope your right!" Hotshot replied and screamed as a huge blast of laserfire narrowly missed him.
The topside was in chaos. The New Ones had recovered at an alarming rate to be able to stage an attack so soon after their first, and the Rebels had barely recovered. It was a one-sided battle for sure, but it seemed as if the New Ones were also getting taken down rather rapidly because of the new bullets that had been created. Elemental energies flew around the battle zone, and there seemed to be no end to the New Ones army!
"TC! Shoot your power when I do!" Starscream yelled to his brother as five new ones approached.
"Right!" Concentrating on his element, Thundercracker glowed blue as his brother glowed yellow.
"FIRE!"
An attack of lightning and water energy shot out of the two seekers hands as their energies combined. The water propelled the lightning and intensified the voltage; shocking the New Ones that came within the range of the attack. Once the energies subsided, Starscream and Thundercracker thumped fists in a show of victory, and went off to scorch more of the silver mechanoids.
The other elemental transformers were doing just as well. Vortex, the wielder of the Wind Cloak of Power, used his powers to propel attacks made by the others, as his element wasn't really effective against the New Ones alone. All in all, the battle was starting to turn in the New Ones favour as the Rebels began to tire. The New Ones seemed not to run on energy, but they knew this wasn't so. But the were so strong!
This battle is too much for us, Scavenger realised suddenly, as the New Ones began to take down the mechs in hand-to-hand combat. Magnus! Optimus! I wish you were here!
And as if to answer his silent plea, a warp gate suddenly opened to their right. The battle seemed to freeze as two figures materialised out of the gate and into the forms of their former leader, and their leader of today.
"O – Optimus?!" Jetfire whispered as the black cloaked figure of Optimus got out his old rifle, but it was different now.
Suddenly, everything clicked into place. Optimus was the one who destroyed the New Ones at Polyhex. Optimus was the reason Magnus had been acting so odd throughout the week that he had gone on his mission. And in his own subconscious way, Optimus had somehow brought together all of the former warriors simply by defeating the New Ones at the great city. He had done it all, and Jetfire had not even noticed that his spirit, in a weird way of his own, had united all of his old friends. To see Optimus again had such an impact on the Vice Commander, that he wanted to fly over and greet him with a hug.
But there was no time for that now.
***
Hoist, Hotshot and Sideswipe all stared at Optimus from behind their barricade. He was back, back … and none of them had realised it at all. After all the signs, and they didn't realise it. But they would have to give him a proper welcome later on. There was a battle to be fought.
***
Optimus is back?! Starscream thought in shock. He looked over to the unmistakable form of the ex-commander of the Autobots. He didn't know what had happened to Optimus when he had left 500 years ago, but he knew that he was in dept to him in a way still.
He intended to fic that, and then figure out more of his emotions that had surfaced later on.
For now, he had a fight to tend to.
***
The New Ones didn't know who this 'Optimus' character was, but they wanted to exterminate him as much as everyone on the rebel side. It was what they had been ordered to do, and so they would do it!
"Magnus …" Optimus mumbled as he fired on the new ones with his rifle. It took them down in mere seconds as the acid in the bullets melted them from the inside out.
"What?!" Magnus shouted but gasped as his brother fell to his knees, his colours were dark again, and getting darker rapidly.
"The darkness …" He muttered. "I … cant …"
Everything went black.
***
"Optimus is down!" Hotshot cried as he shot a path to his ex-commander. Magnus was busy shooting at the New Ones with Optimus's rifle, and couldn't concentrate on much else at that point in time.
"We have to get him outta he - what the?!" Hoist said and started as he saw Optimus stand up, but he wasn't normal.
He was now Nemesis Prime.
***
Magnus whipped around, sensing though his bond that Optimus's mind was now gone. His optics widened when he saw the black form of his brother standing tall. A gloomy silence suddenly swept over the battlefield as Nemesis Prime's optics glowed red with power, destruction and hate.
He attacked. A blast of invisible force blowing up the New Ones with the supersonic waves over the field. At least thirty or forty New Ones were destroyed in the blast, and the rest were blown back several feet more.
"Lets get out of here!" One of them said, and they took of. Mission or no mission, they didn't want to die. About seventy of the New Ones had been destroyed in the battle and also left most of the rebels in bad shape. Dealing with an evil Optimus was not their idea of a victory party.
"Optimus!" Jetfire landed next to the other mechs, plus the many more that didn't know Optimus the way they did. "Can't you recognise me?"
The glowing optics of the black mech turned towards the white one. They had stayed an exceptional distance away from Nemesis Prime, but he seemed not to know them at all now. Suddenly, a red blur shot in front of Nemesis, and belted him in the head, sending the surprised mech skidding a considerable distance towards the others. The red blur turned out to be Magnus, who looked so angry that if looks could kill, the entire army would be dead at that moment.
"Op – ti –MUS!" He screamed and tackled his brother, using his psychic power to block all of the attacks.
Pinning his brother on his back, Magnus punched him in the side of the head, ignoring Nemesis when he whispered his name until Magnus had thumped him four times in concession.
"MAGNUS!" He finally screamed and his arm shot up to defend himself.
"YOU'RE AN IDIOT!" Magnus screamed, tears of frustration and fury welling up in the corners of his optics, "YOU ARE SUCH A SLAGGING IDIOT TO GO AND LEAVE!"
The mech below him seemed to brighten his colours up, as if Optimus was gaining control of his mind again. The two were oblivious to the others that were silently watching. All the time he had spent alone, all the fury of being left so empty welled up to the point of exploding in Magnus's mind. He felt so much hatred towards his brother, yet why did he want to help him regain control of his body and mind?
"I … am?" Nemesis whispered and his colours went back to normal. He was Optimus again. Magnus stared at him as he looked up at him with sorrow in his optics.
"I'm … sorry …" He went offline.
Anger suddenly regained in Magnus's processor, he was about to punch him when he heard Scavenger call out.
"Magnus don't!" He shouted.
Magnus's fist shook as he glared at his brother's prone form.
"Just … just take him into the repair bay until he wakes up." Scavenger said, a little shaky to see Magnus in such a rage.
Magnus was shaking slightly. He was starting to feel guilty for all the dents he had put on his brothers face in his brief spell of being his evil alternate ego, but then, he didn't care.
Or did he?
Suddenly he got up. The group around him recoiled, but they needn't of have, for Magnus merely said, "Hoist, take him to the repair bay." His voice was flat and monotonous. "The rest of you, go and get Red Alert and some of the other repairers to fix any injuries you have sustained."
"And you?" Scavenger asked, his voice shielding emotion like usual.
Magnus turned slightly, "I will be down later on."
With that, Magnus left.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
* And yes, if you are confused about the whole Nemesis Prime thing, I made it so that when Optimus's element (darkness) takes complete control of him, he becomes Nemesis Prime to a sense. So basically, he looks exactly like him, so why not call him it? Sorry if that confused you.
Phew! That was one of the harder chaps to write!
Well, I was at a friends place on Monday and Tuesday so I didn't have much time for writing then, but now its done I hope you like it. BTW, I NEED REVIEWS! I'm not the one that begs for then, but I need some so I know people want to see the next chapter of this story or not. So far, only 'Wicked Woman', 'Amity-Star' and 'Blue eyed broken winged angel' have been active reviewers (and I thank you both very much!) So please, if you can be stuffed reading this, be stuffed to review too! Even if you're not a member you can review, you know. Either way, I thank ALL of those who have reviewed my story! Thankyou! Thankyou! Thankyou!
Oh yeah, and my exams went good! I got 76% on English, 89% on SOSE, 78% on Foods, 58% on Maths (which is an improvement as I'm lousy at math) but I bombed out on Science with 36% =.=. But oh well! They were practice exams anyway, but I'm proud with the way I went.
Other than that, I must say I am having a ball writing this story! I can't believe how much fun I'm having writing it (no joke) so I'll probably do the next chap within a few days. There is a bit more to add plus the last of the original team appears 'in the metal!' and more Red Alert and Tidalwave next chapter too!
So, without further ado, a preview for the next chapter!
8 – Renewal
Magnus muses over his relationship with his brother. Just what happened in the past to make him miss Optimus so much? And what's up with the nightmares he always seems to have? And another transformer makes his appearance known, and Hotshot is ecstatic! But will the looming threat of the New Ones weapon unhinge the celebration? And Optimus isn't recovering!
Also Gekisou asked me why there are 500 years difference. There are many reasons, some which have been covered, but the main one will make itself known in the future, as will what the New Ones really want and what they actually are.
'Till then folks!
ST