Millions of years in the past, on a planet hundreds of solar systems away from the Earth, a planet called Cybertron, there has been a war. A never-ending civil war between the two races that share the planet. Two races of metallic masters, huge robotic lifeforms beyond all imagination. They could covert themselves in vehicles, animals or other objects. They called themselves the Transformers®.
Autobots versus Decepticons, Good against Evil, metal against metal, Titans clash with Earth's fate hanging in the balance.
The new Golden Age of Cybertron has ended the war… for a while. Today, in the year 2506 the battle wages on in the Transformers: Alternatives®!
In the Autobot ship, Thunderclash and the other Autobots are packing up. They seem like they are leaving the base.
"Explain this to me one more time: Why do we have to move away from here?", Ironfist asks.
"Megatron already knows our position. His forces are fierce and unfortunately our defenses aren't even noticeable. We need to set up our base in another area, where we will have the strategic advantage.", Thunderclash explains, picking up a few weapons and putting them in a big metallic box. Just like Prime would do, Thunderclash also helps to pack the supplies up. The lack of crew and time was forcing him to do so anyway. As soon as they are ready, the Autobot Commander transforms and his troopers load his trailer with their supplies in computers, weapons and raw material.
"Scorch, do we have the exact coordinates of our destination?", he asks.
"Yes sir. I have them loaded in my banks.", the tubomaster pickup truck replies.
"Ok then, lead us there. Inferno, Sideswipe and Ironfist cover the side areas. Axelorators cover our back. The rest just follow. Let's move out!" Obeying their commander's direct order, the Autobots transform and leave their old base.
-Underground Autobot Headquarters, Planet Cybertron.
"GET OUT OF THE WAY!", an ambulance transformer yells while speeding in the secret underground base. The leader of the Cybertronian front, Rodimus Major runs to it.
"What happened First Aid?" Rodimus asks the Protectobot ambulance, while some other troopers take care of the fallen autobot First Aid was transporting.
"The poor guy tried to resist the Decepticons invasion in his town.", First Aid replies while transforming into robot. "The attack has just ended. The other Protectobots stayed back to take care of the rest. Any news from Thunderclash?"
"We received a transmission a few hours back. It looks like Metroplex and the Autobot Colony on Earth have been totally decimated.", Rodimus replies.
"Uhh..", the Autobot medic can barely take an expression of disgust and desperation. "What about the situation here?"
"It's not good. The Constructicons are raiding throughout our cities and the Decepticons enjoy every single moment of the carnage. So far all our efforts to take Iacon back has been in vain. ", Rodimus replies concerned. Ultra Magnus runs to the two warriors, obviously tired and with minor damages on his shell.
"Rodimus…", he says terrified.
"Magnus! What happened? How are you?", the Cybertron autobot leader asks worried.
"I'm fine…", Magnus says in a low voice tone.
"You're hurt, let me take a look", First Aid suggests.
"I'm fine!", Ultra Magnus says annoyed and pushes him back. Rodimus nods to First Aid to step back and turns to Magnus. "Tell me what happened."
"It was an ambush. The very first minute we infiltrated Elysian City, we got heavy fire! We tried to escape but we couldn't! They were killing our soldiers in cold blood! They were cutting through us and we couldn't resist and…", Magnus says in shock.
"Magnus! Magnus! Calm down. Look at me. Where is Omega Supreme?", Rodimus asks with a very serious look in his face.
"They killed him, Rodimus! Just like the rest of the squad! They took them down one by one, scattering their dead corpses around the city! And I couldn't do anything to stop it!", Magnus replies trembling.
"Ok, Magnus, take it easy. At least you got back alive old friend. Look, you are hurt and tired. You can't provide us with any help at your current status. Go get some rest and calm down. I'll drop by later to discuss. Alright?", Rodimus tries to convince his comrade.
"But…"
"Please. Go, we will need your help later. We can't afford to have you like that." Magnus nods and walks slowly away.
"He's in shock.", First Aid says.
"I can see that. Out of all the war and pain he has seen, I bet it's not easy to watch your entire squad slaughtered, especially when you are the sole survivor."
"Rod, this mission was very well organized. There's no way the Decepticons could have known about it, unless somebody leaked the intel."
"True. You believe there are spies among us?"
"Hard to believe. What about our transmissions? We did report about that to Earth, didn't we? Couldn't they…?"
"No, we used a secure channel."
"So, what are we doing now?"
"Nothing. I'll go and have a look on Magnus. Tell Kup to withdraw all our active forces from the battlefields and have them return here. We'll need to come up with a plan to strike Shockwave and his goons harder than ever.", he says and walks away. Soon First Aid does the same.
- Planet Chaar, Command Tower.
The three Generals are having a meeting again.
"We have just received word from Cybertron. The Autobot squad that attacked Elysian City has been terminated."
"So, it seems that the message we picked was real."
"It is fortunate that we decided to decode it and send it to Shockwave."
"It's even more fortunate that we belong to the team that invented the new alphabet."
"Any news from Earth?"
"It appears that Calcar and the Predator jets have landed successfully on the organic planet. Megatron welcomed them"
"He has no idea whose orders they are really following."
"What about our… "blessed"?"
"He is awaiting for further orders."
"He will have them as soon as we need him. For the time we can wait to see what Megatron's next move will be."
- Decepticon's base, Australia, Earth.
Megatron fills in Calcar and the Predator Jets about the situation on Earth.
"We have totaled Metroplex and the Autobot Colony here on Earth. The Autobots that followed us all the way from Cybertron don't have any support here.", Megatron speaks.
"Metroplex? How did you take down the giant?", Snare, one of the jets asks.
"We didn't let him become giant. We attacked during maintenance procedure. All the gates to Metroplex's internal were open.", Ramjet said.
"So, we removed this.", Megatron concludes showing to his troopers a shiny cog.
"Metroplex's transformation cog!", Calcar exclaims.
"It appears that the Autobot colony didn't know we were here. Otherwise they would have taken precautions and we couldn't even go near them. That means that they didn't receive any notifications from Cybertron.", Megatron explains his thinking.
"We speculate that the Autobot resistance of Cybertron does not have the necessary equipment to contact Earth.", Soundwave says.
"So, the remaining Autobot forces here don't have any support from Cybertron either.", Falcon, another Predator jet realizes.
"Precisely. Their supplies are limited and as soon as they run out of Energon and ammo, we can corner them and eliminate them."
"How many of them are they?", the Trakkon asks.
"Seventeen. Thunderclash, his Turbomasters, the Minibots, the Axelorators and the so-called "Heroics", Blitzwing replies.
"I presume they will move their base, since we now know its former location. We have one of our Skyscorchers spying on them. He has stealth technology and with their radars dismantled, they won't track their signal.", Megatron continues. "Soon enough we will know where they are heading to. We will ambush them and erase them from existence. Then I'll have the Matrix sent back to Cybertron and destroyed. I'll notify you all as soon as we receive intel from our spy. Dismissed.", he concludes and everyone leave the room except for Megatron and Soundwave who turn their attention to the monitor.
"We are in no much better condition than the Autobots, Soundwave. We're also running out of ammo.", Megatron says concerned.
"Already?"
"The ship was an explorer's ship. It has loads of Energon supplies, but nothing considering weaponry."
"Shall we communicate with our Cybertron Headquarters and ask for re-supplies?"
"Yes. In the meantime, make sure somebody installs this cog and applies the modifications."
"As you command Megatron."
The Decepticons leader hands the cog to Soundwave and leaves the command room.
-Underground Autobot Headquarters, Planet Cybertron.- Ultra Magnus' quarters.
Rodimus Major walks through the rusty automatic door of Magnus' quarters. Magnus is just sitting there, alone. Rodimus walks slowly closer to him.
"How are you holding up?", he asks the Autobot officer. He doesn't reply. Rodimus takes a seat next to him. "Magnus, I know you're in shock but…"
"It's not just that", Magnus interrupts him. "It's also desperation. How are we supposed to fight back Rodimus? How could the Decepticons take the upper hand so quickly? Ok, I understand that the revolt caught us by surprise, but we had enough resources to take Cybertron back. How can this be?". Rodimus doesn't have an answer for that. "It's getting worse day after day. For every Decepticon we shoot down, we lose ten of our people. This is no war Rodimus. It's lost cause."
"No, don't say that. The last thing we need right now is panic.", the Cybertron Commander says.
"It's not panic Rodimus!", Magnus replies and stands up. He makes a few steps forward. "It's confusion. Yes, the Decepticons have been upgraded into Generation 2 soldiers, yes they are powerful. But the planet was well prepared for such incident. Unicron himself couldn't penetrate our defenses and all of a sudden a few Decepticons took over the entire planet? We're missing something here.", Magnus explains.
"What?"
"It seems that somebody is leaking information."
"Don't be ridiculous."
"Yeah, like this thought never crossed your mind. Our mission was security level red. Only you, me, my squad and First Aid knew about this."
"It wasn't you who leaked the information, it was certainly not me, it couldn't have been your squad…"
"Rod, why do you trust First Aid so much?"
"He's our best medic. We would have been gone without him. What, you think…? No, no. He's been working with Optimus for millions of years. Why change sides now?"
"I got no idea. But I don't know what else to think." They both stay silent.
- Earth Autobase
Thunderclash and his team have established a new base somewhere in north Canada, in a mountainous area. They still haven't completed repairs. The Autobots are working around the clock on finishing their work in their new base when they hear a loud sound.
"Thunderclash, come look at this!", Skram yells. He and Turbofire were on guard duty, to make sure nobody would interrupt their establishment. The Autobot leader runs outside along with the Turbomasters, Smokescreen and Ironfist. When they look at the sky they notice a big ship flying toward their base.
"What's this ship?", Boss asks. Hurricane uses his implanted scope to zoom in and have a better view of the strange visitor.
"It's an Autobot ship", he says. The ship is almost above them when it stops accelerating. It leans its forward toward the ground.
"Look out!", Thunderclash yells as he notices the barrel guns ready to fire. The Autobots are dodging the shots and run for cover.
"Why would an Autobot ship attack against us?", Boss asks taking cover behind a rock with Thunderclash.
"It's not Autobots in this ship. It's the ship the Decepticons stole and used to come all the way here.", the Autobot commander replies, grabbing his rifle. "They must have been spying on us to find out our new location." He nods to his troopers and explains his strategy. "Go!" The Autobots run away from their cover and fire at the ship. The big ship is unable to maneuver and dodge all the shots, but still they don't do any significant damage. The ship starts accelerating again and flies high, out of the Autobots range.
'They're fleeing!?", Turbofire asks confused.
"No. They are positioning for clear view. Get in position. I don't know why they brought the entire ship to attack, but it's not going to be good.", Thunderclash warns his men.
The ship lowers it's forward again. It looks like it's ready to fire but its next move isn't the one the Autobot warriors were expecting. Instead of shooting at them the big ship starts transforming into a colossal robot. The Autobots stare at the giant transformer.
"Soldiers, snap out of it. We can freeze later. Now we have to save our hides. Take cover and shoot this thing down!". The Autobots responding to their commander's call, they transform and roll for cover. The huge Decepticon goes after Thunderclash. Despite his incredible speed, the Turbomaster cannot escape. He transforms back into his robot mode and fires a few shots at the monster. Not bothered at all the Decepticon aims at Thunderclash. It doesn't get a chance to fire though. Somebody else shoots at its back. It's Smokescreen.
"Fall overgrown gorilla!", he yells as he keeps shooting. The enormous robot not hurt but obviously annoyed charges at the Autobot. Smokescreen's scream echoes in the mountains as he collapses pieces flying left and right, the remains of him falling on the ground. Thunderclash watches the entire scene, trying to stay calm.
"SCORCH, run to Smokescreen now!", he yells. Scorch obeying the command leaves his post and runs to the fallen Smokescreen, while the others cover him. Thunderclash follows.
"He's still alive. Not for long though." Scorch says. "We've got to get him back inside."
"Ok, load him in my trailer."
"You'll leave the battle?"
"What choices do we have? My trailer will shield his body well. The others will take care of him.", he explains. Then he turns to Boss. "Boss, take force command."
"Yes sir!", Boss yells from the other side. Thunderclash transforms. Scorch carefully carries Smokescreen's body and puts it inside the trailer. Thunderclash rolls away and inside the base and Scorch runs back in battle.
Sideswipe and Inferno, aware of the situation, run and take Smokescreen from Thunderclash's trailer. With the help of the Axelorators they put him in a CR Chamber. Thunderclash runs to the control room. The Minibots monitor the battle.
"Are the shields up?", he asks.
"Yes sir. Should we activate the defensive weapons and charge against the Decepticon?", Bumblebee asks.
"No way. The last thing we need is to draw his attention to the base.". He stays silent for a second. "What's this? Computer, freeze the image and magnify top center". The computer does so. The magnified image is the robot's head. "Clear it". The image is now clearer inside the visor of this Decepticon another can be seen. It's Calcar. "I'll be damned…", the Autobot Commander says under his voice. "Boss, do you copy?"
"Yes sir.", the Force leader replies.
"The enemy isn't a Transformer. It's a transforming vehicle. Calcar is piloting it. Take advantage of the situation", he instructs.
"Got it", Boss replies.
Outside on the battlefield the Autobots run once again for cover.
"Autobots, Thunderclash has just informed me that our enemy doesn't have a mind of his own. Calcar is piloting this Godzilla. You know what that means?"
"He's got no more than 1.5/4 of our reflexes", Hurricane says.
"Exactly. He won't be able to maneuver as fast as we do. Calcar is piloting from inside the visor. Skram, Flash, transform and keep that thing busy. Hurricane, we could use that scope of yours. Turbofire, Scorch and I will split up and provide cover fire. Go!", the force leader commands. Flash and Skram, the two fast daredevils of the team, transform and roll toward the robot. Boss, Scorch and Turbofire cover from three points. Hurricane stays low and uses his scope to zoom in to the visor.
"Can't get a clear view", he says.
"Don't worry Hurricane. We'll give you one", Flash says as he and Skram accelerate toward the big 'con. "Now split up!", Flash says and turns left while Skram turns right. They make circles around the Decepticon. Calcar and his walking toy turn their attention to the two cars and try to shoot them or step on them. In the meantime Boss, Scorch and Turbofire charge at the gigantic transformer from three sides. Calcar is having a hard time coordinating the controls of the machine. Eventually the robot kneels.
"Slag! This program is full of bugs.", Calcar growls trying to regain control.
"A little lower…", Hurricane whispers trying to get a clear view of Calcar. "That's it." He fires a missile from his turbine cannon. The missile finds its target and although it's unable to penetrate the visor, it causes significant damage. Calcar is surprised and shocked as he watches the energon levels dropping.
"Aagr. Test passed, but not easily. Returning home now", he says as he regains control, transforms the robot back to its ship mode and flies away.
The Autobots regroup.
"What the heck was that?", Flash asks in awe.
"Our ticket to hell", Boss replies. "Let's go check how Smokescreen is doing". The Autobot warriors get back inside the base.
- Decepticon Base, Australia, Earth- Half an hour later
Megatron is watching a recorded video of the battle with Autobots earlier. Calcar and Soundwave are standing next to him.
"Good. The Autobots didn't know what hit them. This beast's power is incredible. This was only a test and we already have an Autobot dead.", Megatron says satisfied.
"It still has technical problems Megatron. It's big, heavy and cannot maneuver, while the control of it can beeasily lost.", Calcar reports.
"No reason to worry Calcar. Soon the Constructicons will be here to install a new personality program and this killing machine will be alive.", the Decepticon leader explains. "Now go recharge. We're soon to strike again." Calcar nods and leaves the control room.
"Did you send the message to Cybertron?", Megatron asks.
"Not yet Megatron.", Soundwave replies.
"What are you waiting for? We need those re-supplies. Do it now."
"But…"
"Now." Megatron leaves the room as Soundwave watches him.
"It appears that Megatron's thinking is clouded.", Soundwave says. Some kind of figure can be noticed in a dark corner.
"That's why I have come to you Soundwave", the figure replies.
"I am loyal to Megatron. I'm not going to betray him"
"Megatron is gone and you know it. This guy is Galvatron's remains under a different name.". Soundwave doesn't reply. "The almighty Megatron would never send a message of that importance right now. He would know that would be a mistake.", the figure concludes.
"I shall send the message as he commanded, but you should leave now. He will be back soon.", Soundwave says.
"Ok, I'm leaving. Remember that coming with me is now in your best interest."
-Autobot Base, Canada, Earth.
In the medical center of the base, Scorch is taking care of Smokescreen. Thunderclash and a few others are standing next to them.
"Can you save him?", the Matrix keeper asks.
"With this equipment? No way. It's a miracle I can still keep him alive. Thunderclash, unless we send him back to Cybertron, we will lose him.", Scorch explains.
"Send him then" Windbreaker says.
"I wish it were that simple. The Decepticon radars are powerful. If we send an object at his size the Decepticons will definitely track its signal.", Thunderclash replies.
"So what?", Windbreaker asks kind of irritated.
" They'll shoot it down.", Sideswipe says.
"But if we do nothing, Smokescreen will die anyway! Sending him will give him a chance!"
" And will leave our defences down. Our automatic defence mechanism is designed to shoot down all unidentified Cybertronian flying objects in this area. Emergency vessels cannot be identified as Autobot ships and we cannot change that program now. We will have to shut our defences down. We're endangering our own base.", Thunderclash explains.
"So you're just going to let him die?", Windbreaker yells.
"I'd rather not. However our options are limited right now." Thunderclash walks out of the room.
" Don't blame him Windbreaker. It's a decision he had to take. He couldn't endanger us and our base for one soldier.", Inferno says. Windbreaker slams his fist on the wall.
"That's just…"
"Cruel? Insensitive? Yes it is. But this is war. War is cruel. You're young, you'll understand soon enough.", Inferno explains.
"Yeah, besides I highly doubt that Thunderclash will let Smokey go down without a fight.", Sideswipe exclaims attempting to cheer his friends up.
Thunderclash walks into the control room. He seems desperate. He can't risk the base and his soldiers but he cannot let Smokescreen die either. The one question that tortures his mind is: would Optimus or Rodimus make the same choice. And when everything looks lost for Smokescreen, Hubcap gives the solution.
"Thunderclash, look what we have just traced.", he says nodding to his commander. Thunderclash walks to the monitor next to the Autobots communication specialist.
"What is it?", he asks.
"We picked up a signal. A Decepticon signal. It's message to Cybertron asking for supplies.", Hubcap explains.
"So, the Decepticons also have a shortage of ammo and supplies. But why didn't Megatron sent this via a secure channel?", Thunderclash wonders. "How long can you hold it without changing the source's information?"
"Not very long."
"Ok, delete the message. Jazz, Bumblebee, prepare an escape vessel and put Smokescreen and a life support unit in it. We're sending it to Cybertron.", Thunderclash says happy.
"But the Decepticon's radars…", Hubcap hesitates but Thunderclash proves why he's the leader.
"They are down Hubcap! I don't know why, but they are down! The exploration ship the Decepticons stole uses an advanced communications technology. Those secure channels they use, the ones even we cannot decode and read, as well as these powerful radars are part of this advanced technology! There's only one fault in this program. If one of these features is down, then all of them are.", Thunderclash exclaims almost jumping in happiness and relief. The other Autobots start sharing his happiness and run to prepare the vessel.
-Outside the Autobot Base
The vessel with Smokescreen is ready to blast off. Inferno completes the adjustments in the system.
"It's ready for blast off.", Inferno reports.
"Commence countdown", Thunderclash orders.
"10, 9, 8, 7 ,6 ,5 ,4 3, 2, 1, ignition!", Beachcomber yells. The vessel blasts off and heads high into space and toward Cybertron. Thunderclash looks satisfied. So does Windbreaker.
- Autobot Underground Headquarters, Planet Cybertron, hours later.
Rodimus walks into the medical center. First Aid, Perceptor and paramedics take care of Smokescreen.
"How's he doing?", Rodimus asks.
"I'm glad Thunderclash sent him here.", First Aid replies. " We can save him now, but I don't know if he will regain full consciousness again."
"He's in a comma?"
"Yes. But supporting him requires big portion of our energy. We have many to support. Adding more will drain our energy reserves. Plus I don't know if we will ever be able to put him into a body. He's in critical status.", First Aid explains.
"Is there any other base that can support him?"
"I think Paradon Town's base doesn't have many to support. I've had Streetwise talk to them. They say they can take care of him. They are also developing a new program that might reawaken him."
"Ok then. Have a team to escort him there. I'll be in my quarters.", Rodimus commands and leaves. First Aid and Perceptor get back to work.
- Autobot Base, Canada, Earth.
Thunderclash is offline, recharging. Inside his chest the Matrix starts glowing. A scream can be heard. Thunderclash immediately jumps on his feet.
"What in the Matrix was that? A dream…? Or…", Thunderclash is left standing in the middle of his quarters in the ship, wondering what was that scream he heard
Notes:
The Protectobot First Aid, as well as the other Protectobots, were scheduled to be released in the G2 toyline. They were basically repaints of the G1 Protectobots but they never reached the market. You can find pics of them http:rapido-online.net
Rodimus Major is the Japanese name for Hot Rod. Like pointed out in the 1st episode, Hot Rod is a name that doesn't fit the former Matrix keeper anymore. So, I changed it into Rodimus Major.
In the scene where First Aid transports the Autobot, guess that the wounded Autobot is at the size of a minibot.
The "new alphabet" is nothing more than an encoded language written after the Great War for use in top-secret situations. Only a small selection of Autobots knows how to read it.
If you read the Turbomasters Tech Specs, Hurricane is described as the brilliant member of the team, however he's got only 5 in intelligence meter (Hasblow's work). Scorch on the other hand has 10 in intelligence and considering his shape and alt mode it's safer to name him as the brilliant member of team. Scorch isn't a medic, but had training to support the Earth team.
Perceptor, Rodimus, Ultra Magnus are the G1 Characters in the very same bodies and alt modes we know from the G1 cartoon. They haven't changed. Same goes for poor Smokescreen and Jazz (Jazz has slight modifications as in his G2 release)
Remember that all episodes are connected. If I had to write episodes with beginning-middle-end, the eps would twice this size.
Autobots versus Decepticons, Good against Evil, metal against metal, Titans clash with Earth's fate hanging in the balance.
The new Golden Age of Cybertron has ended the war… for a while. Today, in the year 2506 the battle wages on in the Transformers: Alternatives®!
In the Autobot ship, Thunderclash and the other Autobots are packing up. They seem like they are leaving the base.
"Explain this to me one more time: Why do we have to move away from here?", Ironfist asks.
"Megatron already knows our position. His forces are fierce and unfortunately our defenses aren't even noticeable. We need to set up our base in another area, where we will have the strategic advantage.", Thunderclash explains, picking up a few weapons and putting them in a big metallic box. Just like Prime would do, Thunderclash also helps to pack the supplies up. The lack of crew and time was forcing him to do so anyway. As soon as they are ready, the Autobot Commander transforms and his troopers load his trailer with their supplies in computers, weapons and raw material.
"Scorch, do we have the exact coordinates of our destination?", he asks.
"Yes sir. I have them loaded in my banks.", the tubomaster pickup truck replies.
"Ok then, lead us there. Inferno, Sideswipe and Ironfist cover the side areas. Axelorators cover our back. The rest just follow. Let's move out!" Obeying their commander's direct order, the Autobots transform and leave their old base.
-Underground Autobot Headquarters, Planet Cybertron.
"GET OUT OF THE WAY!", an ambulance transformer yells while speeding in the secret underground base. The leader of the Cybertronian front, Rodimus Major runs to it.
"What happened First Aid?" Rodimus asks the Protectobot ambulance, while some other troopers take care of the fallen autobot First Aid was transporting.
"The poor guy tried to resist the Decepticons invasion in his town.", First Aid replies while transforming into robot. "The attack has just ended. The other Protectobots stayed back to take care of the rest. Any news from Thunderclash?"
"We received a transmission a few hours back. It looks like Metroplex and the Autobot Colony on Earth have been totally decimated.", Rodimus replies.
"Uhh..", the Autobot medic can barely take an expression of disgust and desperation. "What about the situation here?"
"It's not good. The Constructicons are raiding throughout our cities and the Decepticons enjoy every single moment of the carnage. So far all our efforts to take Iacon back has been in vain. ", Rodimus replies concerned. Ultra Magnus runs to the two warriors, obviously tired and with minor damages on his shell.
"Rodimus…", he says terrified.
"Magnus! What happened? How are you?", the Cybertron autobot leader asks worried.
"I'm fine…", Magnus says in a low voice tone.
"You're hurt, let me take a look", First Aid suggests.
"I'm fine!", Ultra Magnus says annoyed and pushes him back. Rodimus nods to First Aid to step back and turns to Magnus. "Tell me what happened."
"It was an ambush. The very first minute we infiltrated Elysian City, we got heavy fire! We tried to escape but we couldn't! They were killing our soldiers in cold blood! They were cutting through us and we couldn't resist and…", Magnus says in shock.
"Magnus! Magnus! Calm down. Look at me. Where is Omega Supreme?", Rodimus asks with a very serious look in his face.
"They killed him, Rodimus! Just like the rest of the squad! They took them down one by one, scattering their dead corpses around the city! And I couldn't do anything to stop it!", Magnus replies trembling.
"Ok, Magnus, take it easy. At least you got back alive old friend. Look, you are hurt and tired. You can't provide us with any help at your current status. Go get some rest and calm down. I'll drop by later to discuss. Alright?", Rodimus tries to convince his comrade.
"But…"
"Please. Go, we will need your help later. We can't afford to have you like that." Magnus nods and walks slowly away.
"He's in shock.", First Aid says.
"I can see that. Out of all the war and pain he has seen, I bet it's not easy to watch your entire squad slaughtered, especially when you are the sole survivor."
"Rod, this mission was very well organized. There's no way the Decepticons could have known about it, unless somebody leaked the intel."
"True. You believe there are spies among us?"
"Hard to believe. What about our transmissions? We did report about that to Earth, didn't we? Couldn't they…?"
"No, we used a secure channel."
"So, what are we doing now?"
"Nothing. I'll go and have a look on Magnus. Tell Kup to withdraw all our active forces from the battlefields and have them return here. We'll need to come up with a plan to strike Shockwave and his goons harder than ever.", he says and walks away. Soon First Aid does the same.
- Planet Chaar, Command Tower.
The three Generals are having a meeting again.
"We have just received word from Cybertron. The Autobot squad that attacked Elysian City has been terminated."
"So, it seems that the message we picked was real."
"It is fortunate that we decided to decode it and send it to Shockwave."
"It's even more fortunate that we belong to the team that invented the new alphabet."
"Any news from Earth?"
"It appears that Calcar and the Predator jets have landed successfully on the organic planet. Megatron welcomed them"
"He has no idea whose orders they are really following."
"What about our… "blessed"?"
"He is awaiting for further orders."
"He will have them as soon as we need him. For the time we can wait to see what Megatron's next move will be."
- Decepticon's base, Australia, Earth.
Megatron fills in Calcar and the Predator Jets about the situation on Earth.
"We have totaled Metroplex and the Autobot Colony here on Earth. The Autobots that followed us all the way from Cybertron don't have any support here.", Megatron speaks.
"Metroplex? How did you take down the giant?", Snare, one of the jets asks.
"We didn't let him become giant. We attacked during maintenance procedure. All the gates to Metroplex's internal were open.", Ramjet said.
"So, we removed this.", Megatron concludes showing to his troopers a shiny cog.
"Metroplex's transformation cog!", Calcar exclaims.
"It appears that the Autobot colony didn't know we were here. Otherwise they would have taken precautions and we couldn't even go near them. That means that they didn't receive any notifications from Cybertron.", Megatron explains his thinking.
"We speculate that the Autobot resistance of Cybertron does not have the necessary equipment to contact Earth.", Soundwave says.
"So, the remaining Autobot forces here don't have any support from Cybertron either.", Falcon, another Predator jet realizes.
"Precisely. Their supplies are limited and as soon as they run out of Energon and ammo, we can corner them and eliminate them."
"How many of them are they?", the Trakkon asks.
"Seventeen. Thunderclash, his Turbomasters, the Minibots, the Axelorators and the so-called "Heroics", Blitzwing replies.
"I presume they will move their base, since we now know its former location. We have one of our Skyscorchers spying on them. He has stealth technology and with their radars dismantled, they won't track their signal.", Megatron continues. "Soon enough we will know where they are heading to. We will ambush them and erase them from existence. Then I'll have the Matrix sent back to Cybertron and destroyed. I'll notify you all as soon as we receive intel from our spy. Dismissed.", he concludes and everyone leave the room except for Megatron and Soundwave who turn their attention to the monitor.
"We are in no much better condition than the Autobots, Soundwave. We're also running out of ammo.", Megatron says concerned.
"Already?"
"The ship was an explorer's ship. It has loads of Energon supplies, but nothing considering weaponry."
"Shall we communicate with our Cybertron Headquarters and ask for re-supplies?"
"Yes. In the meantime, make sure somebody installs this cog and applies the modifications."
"As you command Megatron."
The Decepticons leader hands the cog to Soundwave and leaves the command room.
-Underground Autobot Headquarters, Planet Cybertron.- Ultra Magnus' quarters.
Rodimus Major walks through the rusty automatic door of Magnus' quarters. Magnus is just sitting there, alone. Rodimus walks slowly closer to him.
"How are you holding up?", he asks the Autobot officer. He doesn't reply. Rodimus takes a seat next to him. "Magnus, I know you're in shock but…"
"It's not just that", Magnus interrupts him. "It's also desperation. How are we supposed to fight back Rodimus? How could the Decepticons take the upper hand so quickly? Ok, I understand that the revolt caught us by surprise, but we had enough resources to take Cybertron back. How can this be?". Rodimus doesn't have an answer for that. "It's getting worse day after day. For every Decepticon we shoot down, we lose ten of our people. This is no war Rodimus. It's lost cause."
"No, don't say that. The last thing we need right now is panic.", the Cybertron Commander says.
"It's not panic Rodimus!", Magnus replies and stands up. He makes a few steps forward. "It's confusion. Yes, the Decepticons have been upgraded into Generation 2 soldiers, yes they are powerful. But the planet was well prepared for such incident. Unicron himself couldn't penetrate our defenses and all of a sudden a few Decepticons took over the entire planet? We're missing something here.", Magnus explains.
"What?"
"It seems that somebody is leaking information."
"Don't be ridiculous."
"Yeah, like this thought never crossed your mind. Our mission was security level red. Only you, me, my squad and First Aid knew about this."
"It wasn't you who leaked the information, it was certainly not me, it couldn't have been your squad…"
"Rod, why do you trust First Aid so much?"
"He's our best medic. We would have been gone without him. What, you think…? No, no. He's been working with Optimus for millions of years. Why change sides now?"
"I got no idea. But I don't know what else to think." They both stay silent.
- Earth Autobase
Thunderclash and his team have established a new base somewhere in north Canada, in a mountainous area. They still haven't completed repairs. The Autobots are working around the clock on finishing their work in their new base when they hear a loud sound.
"Thunderclash, come look at this!", Skram yells. He and Turbofire were on guard duty, to make sure nobody would interrupt their establishment. The Autobot leader runs outside along with the Turbomasters, Smokescreen and Ironfist. When they look at the sky they notice a big ship flying toward their base.
"What's this ship?", Boss asks. Hurricane uses his implanted scope to zoom in and have a better view of the strange visitor.
"It's an Autobot ship", he says. The ship is almost above them when it stops accelerating. It leans its forward toward the ground.
"Look out!", Thunderclash yells as he notices the barrel guns ready to fire. The Autobots are dodging the shots and run for cover.
"Why would an Autobot ship attack against us?", Boss asks taking cover behind a rock with Thunderclash.
"It's not Autobots in this ship. It's the ship the Decepticons stole and used to come all the way here.", the Autobot commander replies, grabbing his rifle. "They must have been spying on us to find out our new location." He nods to his troopers and explains his strategy. "Go!" The Autobots run away from their cover and fire at the ship. The big ship is unable to maneuver and dodge all the shots, but still they don't do any significant damage. The ship starts accelerating again and flies high, out of the Autobots range.
'They're fleeing!?", Turbofire asks confused.
"No. They are positioning for clear view. Get in position. I don't know why they brought the entire ship to attack, but it's not going to be good.", Thunderclash warns his men.
The ship lowers it's forward again. It looks like it's ready to fire but its next move isn't the one the Autobot warriors were expecting. Instead of shooting at them the big ship starts transforming into a colossal robot. The Autobots stare at the giant transformer.
"Soldiers, snap out of it. We can freeze later. Now we have to save our hides. Take cover and shoot this thing down!". The Autobots responding to their commander's call, they transform and roll for cover. The huge Decepticon goes after Thunderclash. Despite his incredible speed, the Turbomaster cannot escape. He transforms back into his robot mode and fires a few shots at the monster. Not bothered at all the Decepticon aims at Thunderclash. It doesn't get a chance to fire though. Somebody else shoots at its back. It's Smokescreen.
"Fall overgrown gorilla!", he yells as he keeps shooting. The enormous robot not hurt but obviously annoyed charges at the Autobot. Smokescreen's scream echoes in the mountains as he collapses pieces flying left and right, the remains of him falling on the ground. Thunderclash watches the entire scene, trying to stay calm.
"SCORCH, run to Smokescreen now!", he yells. Scorch obeying the command leaves his post and runs to the fallen Smokescreen, while the others cover him. Thunderclash follows.
"He's still alive. Not for long though." Scorch says. "We've got to get him back inside."
"Ok, load him in my trailer."
"You'll leave the battle?"
"What choices do we have? My trailer will shield his body well. The others will take care of him.", he explains. Then he turns to Boss. "Boss, take force command."
"Yes sir!", Boss yells from the other side. Thunderclash transforms. Scorch carefully carries Smokescreen's body and puts it inside the trailer. Thunderclash rolls away and inside the base and Scorch runs back in battle.
Sideswipe and Inferno, aware of the situation, run and take Smokescreen from Thunderclash's trailer. With the help of the Axelorators they put him in a CR Chamber. Thunderclash runs to the control room. The Minibots monitor the battle.
"Are the shields up?", he asks.
"Yes sir. Should we activate the defensive weapons and charge against the Decepticon?", Bumblebee asks.
"No way. The last thing we need is to draw his attention to the base.". He stays silent for a second. "What's this? Computer, freeze the image and magnify top center". The computer does so. The magnified image is the robot's head. "Clear it". The image is now clearer inside the visor of this Decepticon another can be seen. It's Calcar. "I'll be damned…", the Autobot Commander says under his voice. "Boss, do you copy?"
"Yes sir.", the Force leader replies.
"The enemy isn't a Transformer. It's a transforming vehicle. Calcar is piloting it. Take advantage of the situation", he instructs.
"Got it", Boss replies.
Outside on the battlefield the Autobots run once again for cover.
"Autobots, Thunderclash has just informed me that our enemy doesn't have a mind of his own. Calcar is piloting this Godzilla. You know what that means?"
"He's got no more than 1.5/4 of our reflexes", Hurricane says.
"Exactly. He won't be able to maneuver as fast as we do. Calcar is piloting from inside the visor. Skram, Flash, transform and keep that thing busy. Hurricane, we could use that scope of yours. Turbofire, Scorch and I will split up and provide cover fire. Go!", the force leader commands. Flash and Skram, the two fast daredevils of the team, transform and roll toward the robot. Boss, Scorch and Turbofire cover from three points. Hurricane stays low and uses his scope to zoom in to the visor.
"Can't get a clear view", he says.
"Don't worry Hurricane. We'll give you one", Flash says as he and Skram accelerate toward the big 'con. "Now split up!", Flash says and turns left while Skram turns right. They make circles around the Decepticon. Calcar and his walking toy turn their attention to the two cars and try to shoot them or step on them. In the meantime Boss, Scorch and Turbofire charge at the gigantic transformer from three sides. Calcar is having a hard time coordinating the controls of the machine. Eventually the robot kneels.
"Slag! This program is full of bugs.", Calcar growls trying to regain control.
"A little lower…", Hurricane whispers trying to get a clear view of Calcar. "That's it." He fires a missile from his turbine cannon. The missile finds its target and although it's unable to penetrate the visor, it causes significant damage. Calcar is surprised and shocked as he watches the energon levels dropping.
"Aagr. Test passed, but not easily. Returning home now", he says as he regains control, transforms the robot back to its ship mode and flies away.
The Autobots regroup.
"What the heck was that?", Flash asks in awe.
"Our ticket to hell", Boss replies. "Let's go check how Smokescreen is doing". The Autobot warriors get back inside the base.
- Decepticon Base, Australia, Earth- Half an hour later
Megatron is watching a recorded video of the battle with Autobots earlier. Calcar and Soundwave are standing next to him.
"Good. The Autobots didn't know what hit them. This beast's power is incredible. This was only a test and we already have an Autobot dead.", Megatron says satisfied.
"It still has technical problems Megatron. It's big, heavy and cannot maneuver, while the control of it can beeasily lost.", Calcar reports.
"No reason to worry Calcar. Soon the Constructicons will be here to install a new personality program and this killing machine will be alive.", the Decepticon leader explains. "Now go recharge. We're soon to strike again." Calcar nods and leaves the control room.
"Did you send the message to Cybertron?", Megatron asks.
"Not yet Megatron.", Soundwave replies.
"What are you waiting for? We need those re-supplies. Do it now."
"But…"
"Now." Megatron leaves the room as Soundwave watches him.
"It appears that Megatron's thinking is clouded.", Soundwave says. Some kind of figure can be noticed in a dark corner.
"That's why I have come to you Soundwave", the figure replies.
"I am loyal to Megatron. I'm not going to betray him"
"Megatron is gone and you know it. This guy is Galvatron's remains under a different name.". Soundwave doesn't reply. "The almighty Megatron would never send a message of that importance right now. He would know that would be a mistake.", the figure concludes.
"I shall send the message as he commanded, but you should leave now. He will be back soon.", Soundwave says.
"Ok, I'm leaving. Remember that coming with me is now in your best interest."
-Autobot Base, Canada, Earth.
In the medical center of the base, Scorch is taking care of Smokescreen. Thunderclash and a few others are standing next to them.
"Can you save him?", the Matrix keeper asks.
"With this equipment? No way. It's a miracle I can still keep him alive. Thunderclash, unless we send him back to Cybertron, we will lose him.", Scorch explains.
"Send him then" Windbreaker says.
"I wish it were that simple. The Decepticon radars are powerful. If we send an object at his size the Decepticons will definitely track its signal.", Thunderclash replies.
"So what?", Windbreaker asks kind of irritated.
" They'll shoot it down.", Sideswipe says.
"But if we do nothing, Smokescreen will die anyway! Sending him will give him a chance!"
" And will leave our defences down. Our automatic defence mechanism is designed to shoot down all unidentified Cybertronian flying objects in this area. Emergency vessels cannot be identified as Autobot ships and we cannot change that program now. We will have to shut our defences down. We're endangering our own base.", Thunderclash explains.
"So you're just going to let him die?", Windbreaker yells.
"I'd rather not. However our options are limited right now." Thunderclash walks out of the room.
" Don't blame him Windbreaker. It's a decision he had to take. He couldn't endanger us and our base for one soldier.", Inferno says. Windbreaker slams his fist on the wall.
"That's just…"
"Cruel? Insensitive? Yes it is. But this is war. War is cruel. You're young, you'll understand soon enough.", Inferno explains.
"Yeah, besides I highly doubt that Thunderclash will let Smokey go down without a fight.", Sideswipe exclaims attempting to cheer his friends up.
Thunderclash walks into the control room. He seems desperate. He can't risk the base and his soldiers but he cannot let Smokescreen die either. The one question that tortures his mind is: would Optimus or Rodimus make the same choice. And when everything looks lost for Smokescreen, Hubcap gives the solution.
"Thunderclash, look what we have just traced.", he says nodding to his commander. Thunderclash walks to the monitor next to the Autobots communication specialist.
"What is it?", he asks.
"We picked up a signal. A Decepticon signal. It's message to Cybertron asking for supplies.", Hubcap explains.
"So, the Decepticons also have a shortage of ammo and supplies. But why didn't Megatron sent this via a secure channel?", Thunderclash wonders. "How long can you hold it without changing the source's information?"
"Not very long."
"Ok, delete the message. Jazz, Bumblebee, prepare an escape vessel and put Smokescreen and a life support unit in it. We're sending it to Cybertron.", Thunderclash says happy.
"But the Decepticon's radars…", Hubcap hesitates but Thunderclash proves why he's the leader.
"They are down Hubcap! I don't know why, but they are down! The exploration ship the Decepticons stole uses an advanced communications technology. Those secure channels they use, the ones even we cannot decode and read, as well as these powerful radars are part of this advanced technology! There's only one fault in this program. If one of these features is down, then all of them are.", Thunderclash exclaims almost jumping in happiness and relief. The other Autobots start sharing his happiness and run to prepare the vessel.
-Outside the Autobot Base
The vessel with Smokescreen is ready to blast off. Inferno completes the adjustments in the system.
"It's ready for blast off.", Inferno reports.
"Commence countdown", Thunderclash orders.
"10, 9, 8, 7 ,6 ,5 ,4 3, 2, 1, ignition!", Beachcomber yells. The vessel blasts off and heads high into space and toward Cybertron. Thunderclash looks satisfied. So does Windbreaker.
- Autobot Underground Headquarters, Planet Cybertron, hours later.
Rodimus walks into the medical center. First Aid, Perceptor and paramedics take care of Smokescreen.
"How's he doing?", Rodimus asks.
"I'm glad Thunderclash sent him here.", First Aid replies. " We can save him now, but I don't know if he will regain full consciousness again."
"He's in a comma?"
"Yes. But supporting him requires big portion of our energy. We have many to support. Adding more will drain our energy reserves. Plus I don't know if we will ever be able to put him into a body. He's in critical status.", First Aid explains.
"Is there any other base that can support him?"
"I think Paradon Town's base doesn't have many to support. I've had Streetwise talk to them. They say they can take care of him. They are also developing a new program that might reawaken him."
"Ok then. Have a team to escort him there. I'll be in my quarters.", Rodimus commands and leaves. First Aid and Perceptor get back to work.
- Autobot Base, Canada, Earth.
Thunderclash is offline, recharging. Inside his chest the Matrix starts glowing. A scream can be heard. Thunderclash immediately jumps on his feet.
"What in the Matrix was that? A dream…? Or…", Thunderclash is left standing in the middle of his quarters in the ship, wondering what was that scream he heard
Notes:
The Protectobot First Aid, as well as the other Protectobots, were scheduled to be released in the G2 toyline. They were basically repaints of the G1 Protectobots but they never reached the market. You can find pics of them http:rapido-online.net
Rodimus Major is the Japanese name for Hot Rod. Like pointed out in the 1st episode, Hot Rod is a name that doesn't fit the former Matrix keeper anymore. So, I changed it into Rodimus Major.
In the scene where First Aid transports the Autobot, guess that the wounded Autobot is at the size of a minibot.
The "new alphabet" is nothing more than an encoded language written after the Great War for use in top-secret situations. Only a small selection of Autobots knows how to read it.
If you read the Turbomasters Tech Specs, Hurricane is described as the brilliant member of the team, however he's got only 5 in intelligence meter (Hasblow's work). Scorch on the other hand has 10 in intelligence and considering his shape and alt mode it's safer to name him as the brilliant member of team. Scorch isn't a medic, but had training to support the Earth team.
Perceptor, Rodimus, Ultra Magnus are the G1 Characters in the very same bodies and alt modes we know from the G1 cartoon. They haven't changed. Same goes for poor Smokescreen and Jazz (Jazz has slight modifications as in his G2 release)
Remember that all episodes are connected. If I had to write episodes with beginning-middle-end, the eps would twice this size.