Ok so here is part two of the end of season 1 and I enjoyed working on this one.
Chapter 6
"Ok hold on. You mean that something is living down there, inside our planet?" Miko asked from Bulkhead's shoulder. Because of where she sat on her guardian's shoulder she was able to get a good look at Amber. She was confused why the older girl looked rather pal all the sudden but the conversation soon drew her attention.
"I fear that the earth's very core is not comprised of magma, as your science has suggested, but of Dark energon." Optimus said, his face grave.
"And if we're hearing a spark, than Unicron is the rising darkness that the prophecy for told." Ratchet surmised.
"So how do we stop this thing from rising?" Fowler asked.
"That I'm afraid was not foretold." Optimus informed them.
"How can something be in our earth core and be alive?" June asked Optimus.
"Such a thing is not unprecedented." Optimus paused before he began to tell them a tail. "Before the beginning there was Primus and there was Unicron. One the incarnation of creation, the other of destruction. For eons Primus and Unicron battled, the balance of power shifting between them more times than can be counted. Only by creating the 13, the original Primes that preceded me, was Primus finally able to defeat Unicron and cast him out. Primus became one with the very core of our planet, creating life through the well of Allsparks. Well Unicron was never to be heard from again, until now."
"Whoa." Amber muttered in awe of the story, no the legacy that Optimus was a part of but she also wondered about something. Could it have been Unicron that had taken Silas's place in her nightmare the night before and if so why?
"Maybe we can find the hole this uber con left when he dug himself down there and fill it full of explosives." Fowler said ready for decisive action.
"Agent Fowler, I do not believe the earth became Unicron's home. But rather that with time and gravitational force, debris collected around the slumbering titan." Optimus theorised.
"Forming your earth itself." Ratchet finished for their leader, shocking the special agent into silence, which had never happened before. "And hes only awaking now due to the magnetic pull created by the planetary aliment." Arcee surmised.
"Ok what happens now when Unicron wakes from his Billion year nap?" Jack asked.
"Yeah, does he stretch and Kapow! Earth puff's to dust?" Miko asked. Amber looked at her guardian, expecting some brilliant plan but he stood there, silent. That scared her more than any threat that Silas had ever used on her. Amber had come to expect Optimus to have all the answers and lead them through whatever the situation. In fact she had come to rely on it.
"You don't know do you?" June asked, having come to the same conclusion that Amber had.
"My guess is that Unicron has transcended physical from as we know it. None the less we must find a way to ensure that this force of nature never fully awakens." Optimus said well he removed Amber from his shoulder and had her join the other humans. "The fate of your world depends upon it."
Amber didn't like that Optimus had taken her off his shoulder but now she was able to see his face plating properly. He looked at her gravely before he turned away from them and asked Ratchet to run some scans on the planet. After that things moved quickly with Optimus going out into the field to find signs of the Chaos Bringer's rising. He had just confirmed that new ore deposits had surfaced at his location before Unicron made himself known to the last of the Primes.
"Do you know me follower of Primus?" a stone face of the ancient titan asked from where it had appeared in the rock wall in front of him.
"Unicron, the Chaos Bringer."
"Good." The stone face said before a body of rock emerged along with the face, towering over Optimus. "No know me as Unicron your destroyer!" the titan charged at the last of the Primes, who brought forth his swords, blocking his attack. The two battled, Optimus on the defence before there was a bit of distance between them and Optimus put his weapons away. "I humbly request your ear Lord Unicron."
The chaos bringer was surprised enough by this to halt his attack and ask. "And what would a Prime be so compelled to say to me?"
"I make this appeal not for myself but for this planet that you constitute and the beings that inhabit it. Human kind relies upon you, for life, for sustenance. Your resurrection will only result in the destruction of a species which evolved from the seeds of your very greatness." Optimus informed the titan, hoping to calm ancient evil down a bit by appealing to his pride.
Unicron looked somewhat intrigued to hear this as he asked. "So this human kind of which you speak, you consider them my progeny?"
"Indeed." Optimus confirmed, a sliver of hope filled his spark of a moment, to only have it crushed.
"Parasites!" Unicron's stone avatar bellowed in anger. "They too shell know my ruff hand, once I have finished with you and the other vessel of Primus's light." The stone avatar than shot bolts of pure energy at Optimus, which sent him flying into a small pile of rocks. 'Other vessel of Primus's light?' Optimus wondered to himself well he tried to pick himself up, hearing the stone avatar approaching him till it towered over the last of the Primes. "The line of Primes has grown weak in my absence and thus you shell fall"
Unicron charged another attack but Optimus was not afraid. "That outcome is inevitable but not on this day!" he said before firing on the stone avatar, swiftly getting to his feet, blasting the stone avatar and soon that was destroyed, crumbling at his feet. Optimus's victory was short lived as a dozen more stone avatars of the titan emerged around him moments later.
"Yes disciple of Primus on this very day. For Unicron maybe one, but we all are Unicron." they all said at once, from all around him.
Back at base everyone else was waiting for any news about what Optimus was encountering at his location. They could still hear a bit of what was going on but they were not sure what it was they were hearing. "Optimus have you uncover any further signs of Unicron's emergence?" Ratchet asked worried about his long-time friend.
Prime didn't answer but the Chaos bringer did in his stead. (("Unicron is power incarnate and you, the last of the Primes shell parish.")) Amber felt the blood leave her face at hearing the titan's voice, realising that she had heard it before. From her nightmare the night before, confirming her suspicions and that frightened her. She was vaguely aware that the others were about to head out and help fight the titan but Optimus ordered them to stay out of it.
"Amber are you ok?" Miko asked noticing how pale the other girl had become and remembering earlier but now she was worried.
"It can't be." Amber muttered to herself before suddenly bolting to the sitting area and pulling out her notebook she began to sketch furiously. Everyone was confused by her suddenly strange behaver but hearing Optimus continued fight from the comms the bots grew concerned for their leader.
Back at the gorge, Optimus fought and destroyed many of the stone avatar's more than he could count but it seemed for every one he destroyed more would take its place. Soon he found himself pinned by the avatars, unable to get free, just when one jumped up and began to fall towards him. Suddenly the familiar sound of a ground bridge opening filled the area right before the avatar could land a blow on Optimus. Arcee, Bulkhead and Bumblebee charged in, blasters firing at any avatars that were between them and their leader. Optimus was soon free, and fighting alongside his team.
"Did Ratchet not relay my command? Return to base." Optimus ordered, not pleased that they had come to aid him. Unicron wasn't impressed by his team members showing up, more avatars appeared around them and attacked.
"Optimus, your Unicron's target. Maybe you should consider returning to base." Arcee told him.
Back at base, Amber was just finishing her sketch when Raf approached her. "What you doing Amber?"
"Last night I had one of my nightmares about the training Silas had put me through but when I was forced to look at him he wasn't there. Instead this strange, tall and very terrifying mech was in his place." She told him, showing him and everyone the picture she had done. Miko whistled when she saw it, June looked horrified well Ratchet could only stare in surprise. "I'm now sure that it was Unicron."
"How can you be sure?" the medic asked confused, noting the fear on her face.
"Because when he spoke it was the same voice we heard a few moments ago." Amber informed him
"What exactly did the big con say to you?" Fowler asked a bit unsure of what she was telling them.
"That he would strike down the taint of Primus, right before he went to hit me and I woke up." Amber explained to Fowler who looked very surprised. "At the time I thought it was weird but this morning I figured it had to do with what Optimus had told me about the prophecy coinciding with the planetary alignment. Now I'm just confused."
"As am I." Ratchet said frowning at her and her drawing but his attention was brought back to the conversation in the field. After he and the other had finally convincing Optimus to let them help him in this fight. The medic than turned his attention back to Amber. "When Optimus and the others return to base we will be addressing this. Hopefully we will find the answers than."
Amber nodded in understanding but began to pace, intently listening to the battle sounds coming into the base. She didn't noticed when Fowler excused himself, saying he was going back to his helicopter to get somethings he had forgotten about. Amber however did take notice when he came back and saw the long locked gun case he was carrying and he caught her eye well he put the case down. "Fowler what is that?" she asked becoming angry.
"If you recall when we first met you gave me a flash drive with MECH files on it. It took some digging but the techs going through it sent me your file. I have to say I am impressed by what I know of your capabilities. However I am also disgusted with your father and some of his men's means of teaching you those skills." Fowler said opening the case, showing them all the sniper rifle that lay inside.
"That's an ArmaLite AR-50, but it looks modified." Amber said walking over to the case looking down at the rifle, all of them seeing her flexing and un-flexing her hands at her sides' well she glared at Fowler. "Why did you bring this here?"
"I wanted to test your knowledge on the weapon you seem to have the most training on and you so far have-"
"Close that case and put it somewhere else Fowler. It is hardly the time for this." Amber snapped before she turned away and heading back to the terminals, staying close to Ratchet. June was more than happy to go along with that request, slamming the case lid shut, also glaring at the special agent before she and the others went back to Ratchet. Fowler left the case where it was and joining them all when Arcee contacted base directly again.
"What is it, what happened?" the old medic demanded.
(("I happened.")) They all heard and knew who it was talking.
"King cons there too?" Miko asked surprised.
"He has aligned himself with Unicron." Ratchet growled in disgust.
They all received the shock of a life time when Arcee told them that Megatron had just saved Optimus and it seemed it was the day of never ending surprises. Megatron purposed a temporary alliance with them, to use the Matrix of Leadership that Optimus carries with in him, to put Unicron back into stasis. None of them wanted to trust the leader of the Decepticons but he did point out some good points in them working together to stop this ancient evil. This however meant that he would have to be in the base for a short period of time to give them co-ordinance to bridge them deep into the searth. Ratchet was not pleased by this, saying as much but in the end Optimus and the others bridge back, Megatron keeping the chaos bringer busy.
The moment Amber saw Optimus she knew he was more than thinking about doing as Megatron purposed. She turned away from him not really happy with the situation and that she could lose the mech she had come so close to. "I know desperate time calls for desperate measures but bring Megatron here." Ratchat snapped angry.
"How can you even think of letting that monster near the children after what he did to Raf?" June demanded just as upset.
"He will be closely monitored, and only allowed to linger long enough to send us on our journey." Optimus assured them. "Not one moment more."
"What's going to stop the con from calling in an air strike if he knows where you live?" Fowler asked hotly.
"By ground bridging Megatron here, he will be unable to get a fix on our co-ordinance." Optimus explained.
"Optimus what's going to happen to you, when all your Matrix energy is released?" Jack asked worried about the leader, sparing the frowning Amber a glance. She was staring at the floor intently well she listened, her hands gripping the rail till her knuckles where white.
Optimus also looked down at her, seeing her demeanor and hope that before leaving to have a chance to speak with her, if only for a moment. "The power within the matrix has not previously been utilized in this particular manor."
"But you have an idea don't you?" Amber asked looking up and meeting her guardian's optics with her hard gaze. Just like many times before there was power in her gaze that gave Optimus pause well he looked at her. It was then he recalled what Unicron had said about another vessel for Primus's light. 'Could she be?' he wondered before she looked away and walked over to the sitting area, where he noticed a case of some kind was resting.
He turned his attention back to the other members of his team and their remaining human friends. "Autobots, if human kind is to be saved I have no choice but to proceed. But you do."
There was only a short pause before Bulkhead spoke up, braking the deep and tense silence. "Well I don't know about human kind but I'm willing to do it… for Miko."
"For Jack." was Arcee's reply well Bee beeped, and they all knew he was saying the same for Raf. Optimus looked at Amber again this time when their eyes/optics meet, no words were needed to be said. Well Optimus contacted Megatron and informed him of their decision, they all heard the click of a gun clip being loaded and they all looked at Amber. She had the rifle in her hands, fully loaded and at rest in her arms with long practice. "Well let's get this show on the road." she said stepping forward.
"Amber I do not think-" Optimus began but she cut him off.
"Optimus, despite all the shit and things I have been through in my life, for the first time I'm holding a rifle for what I feel is the right reason and you will not be taking that from me." Amber looked at him well standing at the rail, direct line of sight of both the ground bridge and the main area. The rest of the humans were ushered out of the main room, out of sight, Amber turned the safety off and waited for the con to arrive.
Once he was in their base, Amber kept the rifle's sights on the con's optic, noting it was a vulnerable spot that her simple armor piercing rounds would do the most damage. "So this is where the magic happens? Quaint." he said spotting Amber, scoffing at her unimpressed. "Is your base security so terrible that a human child must take up arms?"
A round nicked the side of his face plating just shy of his optic, everyone turned to look at Amber in surprise. "Call me child again and that next round takes out an eye." she snapped, glaring. Any retort the con leader could have given her was forgotten when Raf ran forward, looking up at Megatron in anger. "You-"
"Ah you're looking much better than the last time we met little one." Megatron said looking down at all of the human's there, noting the girl on up on the upper level tensing, her finger on the trigger. "Humans, resilient."
"Come on Raf." Jack said pulling Raf over to his mom who steered the younger boy out of the room.
"And you." Megatron said, his voice making Jack stop. "I never forget a face, even that of a human."
Jack turned briefly to look back at Megatron before he walked away but Miko felt she had to add something. "You double cross anyone, mine is the face you'll never forget. Never!" Miko shouted till Fowler grabbed and pulled her out of the room. Amber rolled her eyes, briefly taking her eyes off Megatron but when she looked back she was met with Prime's chest. He suddenly scooped her up and carried her over to the doorway, ignoring her protests.
"Optimus what are you doing?" she asked well he pulled the rifle out of her hands and put her down next to Jack who he had stopped. She looked up at him confused well Jack did the same, sensing something was off when he checked that none of the others were watching.
"Will you keep something for me?" Optimus asked Jack.
"Sure." Optimus then held out a huge key card, it slowly shrunk in size until it was small enough for Jack to hold. Jack took it, looking at the strange object asking Prime what it was, believing him when he was told it was to the ground bridge power supply. Amber knew that to be a lie, since Ratchet had explained how the ground bridge worked to her in great detail. "Shouldn't Ratchet have this, or maybe even Amber?"
"Perhaps." Optimus conceded looking at Amber with a small smile. "But I have been impressed by how much you have matured since we first met. As such I feel you have earned the responsibility of safe guarding this device. Just as I know that Amber will help to guard all of you, until my return."
"I won't let you down." Jack said with determination. Optimus than asked to have a moment alone with Amber.
Once Jack was gone Amber spoke up. "You lied to him about what that was, why?"
"It is only a contingency." Optimus admitted to her, not surprised that she had seen through his deception but that was not what he wanted to talk to her about in this moment. "Amber, Ratchet informed me that there was something urgent that you had to show me."
"Oh yeah." Amber pulled out her notebook from where she had put it in her back pants pocket unrolling it, telling him the same thing she had told the others about her nightmare. Seeing the sketch, Optimus knew right away that it was indeed Unicron she had seen, furthering his suspicion. "Well I was fighting Unicron he mentioned of another vessel that held Primus's light. I cannot be sure but I now suspect that it maybe you he spoke of. But I do not know how or why this could be so."
Amber stared at him, for the first time ever at a loss for words. "You're kidding right? One appearance in my nightmare right after you tell me about the prophecy can't mean that I am this other vessel."
"On that we agree. But I cannot ignore the possibility either." he told her seeing panic growing her in her eyes.
"Even if your right and it is me it has to be by default because I've been around you so much. It can't be otherwise." Amber was almost pleading with him.
"Why would you think that?" Optimus believe he knew why she thought this but he had to hear her say it.
"Because there's blood on my hands." She said well looking away from him.
Optimus gently picked her up and held her to his face plating, so she could not look away from his gaze. "The blood that you speak of is not on your hands but Silas's as he forced you to do the act. This much I know, your soul is more that you believe it to be. I have come to see it in the short time you have been with us and it is my hope that one day soon you will see it for yourself." Saying this Amber felt something draped around her neck before an object hit her chest. Looking down she spotted a set of red and blue dog tags now resting on her chest. Picking them up she saw the blue one had her vital statistics on it well the red had the Autobot insignia. Flipping that one over she saw Cybertronian glyphs engraved on it. She wanted to ask what this meant but they both heard Megatron's voice and they knew their time was up. Optimus set her down, looking at her sadly before he turned and walked away making sure to leave the rifle he had taken from her by its case.
Amber stood there and watched him, Arcee, Bee and Bulk follow Megatron through the ground bridge into the heart of the planet. With the bots and their "guest" gone, Amber and the others walked back to the main area of the base. Amber was sure to put the rifle away after giving it a quick go over, being sure to remove the ammo before locking the case. (("More than sixty volcanos are erupting worldwide and down town Honolulu is under six inches of snow."))
'It would seem the others had turned the news back on.' Amber thought noting that this time it was on Ratchet's work station. Putting the case under the couch, where it was out of the way, she joined them. (("Scientists continue devise theories connecting this under presented natural disasters with the planetary alignment that-")) The news feed suddenly cut, leaving a deep silence behind.
"So… who wants to play a game?" June suddenly asked cheerfully.
The kids all looked at her. "Really June?" Amber asked her sourly but that seemed to be the breaking point for Fowler's patience. He was stating that he wanted to go and see if there was anything humans could do, snapping at Ratchet about the bots working with Megatron.
"No one is thrilled about this arrangement Agent Fowler, myself included." Ratchet told him before he went on to say. "But with Optimus and Megatron together again-"
"Whoa, whoa… again?" Jack asked.
"Megatron was an Autobot?" Raf asked.
"Optimus was a con?" Miko suggested making Amber roll her eyes at the very ridicules thought of it.
"No on either account." Ratchet assured them and went on to explain about Optimus and Megatron's past history. "There was a time back on Cybertron, in the twilight hours of the golden age, when Optimus and Megatron were not sworn enemies. Do you recall when I mentioned that Optimus wasn't always a Prime? Well he wasn't always Optimus either. He was once a clerk, in the Iacon hall of records, named Orian Pax. But as he learned more about Cybertron's past, he grew increasingly concerned about the present corruption in high places. And the inequality among the masses.
"Orian became inspired by the words and ideas of a gladiator, one that had named himself after one of the thirteen original Primes… Megatronus." Amber's heart skipped a beat for some reason hearing that name but she didn't know why. So she pushed it aside and focused instead on Ratchet's story. "Megatronus vowed to challenge Cybertron's leadership and demand that all Cybertronians be treated as equals. This gladiator, turned revolutionary rapidly gained a following, Soundwave chief among them. Orian began corresponding with Megatronus, who came to be something of a mentor to him. As Megatronus began to leave the gladiatorial areas for the political he saw fit to shorten his name.
"Before long Megatron appeared before the high council and proposed his vison for a just society and it was here that he began to revile his true colors. Proclaiming the need to over throw the old guard with force and arrogantly demanding to be named the next Prime. But Orian did not believe in violence as a means of achieving justice. The sparks and minds of the council were moved by Orian's words, here for the first time since Cybertron's golden age stood someone worthy of being a Prime. But that honor could only truly be achieved by earning the legendary Matrix of Leadership.
"His ambitions thwarted Megatron spitefully cut all ties with Orian and the council and came to rage war on all who opposed him through his growing army of followers which he named Deceticons. He vowed to claim the Matrix for himself where ever it might lay. In time warfare consumed Cybertron, poisoning the planet to its core. Orain journeyed there, hoping to reverse the effects and found himself before the very spark of our life giver Primus himself. The ailing Primus sensed the innate nobility in Orain and bestowed the Matrix upon him. It was thus that a surprised and humbled Orian Pax came to be Optimus, the last Prime."
"Whoa." Amber muttered in awe. She knew her guardian was noble and honorable but after hearing about his journey in becoming that bot she had much more respect for him.
"So, Optimus got the Matrix from Cybertron's core and now hes going to give it to earths?" Miko asked.
"What's to stop Megatron from just claiming the Matrix for himself this time around?" Jack asked.
"Only his greater desire to save the planet so that he may in turn concur it as he so complying argued. Provided the lord of the Decepticons can ever be fully trusted" Ratchet snapped in distain.
"If there is one thing I have come to realise Ratchet is that Megatron reminds me too much of my father." Amber grumbled also not happy, worried for Optimus and the others. After Ratchet's little story time they fell silent for a while. Amber took up pacing, her mind mauling over what Optimus had said to her before he left and what Ratchet had told them. June and Fowler were off to the side, talking where none of the kids could hear them well Raf, Miko and Ractchet were looking at the terminal. They were discussing about the team's signal's not being picked up by the computers and wondering how they were going to know when Optimus and the others were ready for pick up. A tapping sound drew Ratchets attention to Jack seeing the silver and blue key card that the teen was tapping absently on the rail.
"Where did you get that?" Ratchet asked Jack in surprise.
"Optimus. Honestly I don't know why he gave me the key to the ground bridge power supply." Jack told him. Amber stopped pacing and looked at Ratchet, noting the look on the medic's face plating and was confused by the way he was looking at the key card.
"Jack there is no key to the ground bridge." Ratchet informed Jack.
"Well than what is this?" Jack asked confused.
"That is the key to Vector Sigma." Ratchet said.
"The what?"
"You are holding one of Cybertron's most important relics." Ratchet explained.
Jack looked alarmed well turning to Ratchet and tried to offer the key card to him. "I shouldn't have this."
"Optimus intrusted it to you Jack." Ratchet told him well-being sure to back up from Jack.
"But that doesn't make sense. Why?"
"Because he doesn't plan on coming back." Ratchet said looking thoughtful well his optics landed on Amber's alarmed face.
"What?!" she snapped. "When he said it was a contingency I didn't realise it was because he wasn't coming back."
"Wait you knew that he had lied to me about what this was?" Jack demanded, approaching her.
"Of course I did or did you forget that Ratchet has told me everything about how the ground bridge works?" Amber snapped at him in frustration.
"Alright, I'm sorry I got mad at you it wasn't right of me. I'm just a bit stressed" Jack said, rubbing the back of his neck, looking ashamed.
Amber gave a soft sigh well putting a hand on his shoulder. "I think it's safe to say we're all a bit stressed after what's been going on today." she told him.
Jack looked at Amber, than the key card. "Here, you should-"
Amber shook her head. "No Jack. Ratchet's right, Optimus gave it to you, so you hold on to it." she was pushing it back towards him when a burst of energy came from it and it entered Amber. Her mind was suddenly filled with pain as images flashed before her eyes. She could hear the others shouting her name but she couldn't do anything to stop what was happening. At first the images were moving too fast for her to get a good look at any of them but they soon began to clear up, or were they slowing down enough to let her see them?
There were mechs, she couldn't count how many there were but she could feel the power radiating off of them, their optics all ranged in colors from blue, red, amber and purple. Briefly she saw a face reflected in a shiny metal surface, this was more feminine and her Optics were a golden amber that seemed to bore into Amber's own blue eyes and right into her soul.
"Solus, you are reborn." The same voice she had heard from the night and earlier that day said in her mind.
Suddenly the pain and images were gone just as quickly as they came, leaving Amber gasping for breath, only just than realising she was curled up on the floor, and holding her head. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looking up she saw June, who was leaning over her. Looking past the worried nurse she noticed everyone was hovering over her, she could even see Ratchet looking down at her concerned. "Amber are you alright?" June asked gently moving Amber's hands off her head to get a better look at her face, slowly making her lay on her back.
Before Amber could answer the whole room started to shake. "Earthquake." Fowler called out.
"Take cover!" Ratchet shouted being careful well he shielded them with his own body, June hunching over Amber who was too dazed by what had happened to move. The shaking continued for a few moments, none of them moving until the shaking stopped and Ratchet straightened up. Looking around they waited but there were no further shakes.
"There could be aftershocks." June said helping Amber to her feet and into a chair.
"Do you think?" Jack asked Ratchet well the medic looked at the screen well all 5 Autobot signals appeared.
"I do." Ratchet confirmed, and everyone cheered for joy, Fowler grabbing June, surprising everyone but Amber couldn't help but laugh. Her laughter was short lived when a few moments later when Ratchet opened the ground bridge. Only Arcee, Bee and Bulkhead walked into the base.
Jack, Miko and Raf greeted their guardians, greatly relieved but Amber frowned when she didn't see hers. "And Optimus… is he-?" Ratchet asked before she could.
"Dead? No." Arcee said sadly.
"But he looked right at us without recognising us. Didn't even know his own name." Bulkhead said, leaving all of them speechless.
A/N: So there we go season 1 is done. I hoped you enjoyed it but I won't know unless you review, good or bad I want to know. I hope to have Chapter 7 up soon.