Megatron sits on a large rock before a bonfire in a cave, now with an alternate mode of a dark green S.U.V., and has since rejected the name Megatron, taking the name "C-81". "I can't leave Earth until I find it." he muttered when someone puts an assuring hand on his shoulder; a tall Decepticon with a silver fire truck alternate mode like Sentinel Prime. "We'll find it, don't worry." the Decepticon answered with the voice of a young woman with a Japanese accent. This is Megaempress, C-81's daughter, born on the Decepticon ship Nemesis and raised on Earth. They stand up and look down to someone below them; a sapient malt ball with a big moustache and hobo beard, wearing a blue hat.
"Thank you for your hospitality, Starchy." C-81 thanked their host. "Anything fer a fellow traveller." Starchy responded with a tip of his hat. The two Cybertronians leave the cave and look upon the sunny green plains before them. "Otosan, it's been months since we lost otouto. Will we ever find him?" Megaempress asked C-81. "We must. That egg is a life entrusted to me by Primus. I don't know why it was given to me despite what I've done, but I pledged to protect it with my life." C-81 answered.
He thinks back to when he found the egg, on the desolate colony planet Combatron, which was in the process of being restored with the help of Cybertron's government. C-81 worked as a miner there, earning money to travel to the next planet. On the day before he departed from the planet, he encountered a glowing egg in the sands, far away from any hatchery on the planet. Through some instinct, he picks up the egg, and feels a strange feeling, one he's never experienced before: responsibility. He picks up the egg and carries it as he travels off-world.
"Otosan, are you sure that wasn't someone else's egg?" Megaempress asked C-81. "You question my judgement?" C-81 asked with a threatening glare. Megaempress steps back with fear in her face before C-81 looks away, realizing what he did. "When you were still developing inside your shell, I felt a kindred spirit inside. I didn't even need the Nemesis crew to confirm a genetic match, I just knew you were my progeny, as I did with your unborn sibling." C-81 answered in a calmer tone. "Come, otosan. Let's continue the search." Megaempress said before transforming into fire truck mode. C-81 transforms and drives through the grassy plains.
On the planet Velocitron, a line of massive train tracks assembles itself on the dunes as a massive, orange, high-tech railway gun rapidly speeds down the tracks. Following the war machine is a flying truck with massive jet engines. "Jetfire, we cannot let Infinitus escape the Velocitron. Only he knows where the Fallen Three are." Optimus Prime communicated to his combined counterpart, Jetfire. The jet components of the vehicle release the truck and transform into a white alien jet. The truck falls towards the train, transforms into robot mode and launches grappling hooks from his hands onto the back of the train.
He skis across the dune behind the train before pulling himself onboard. "Jetfire, provide suppressing fire to the turrets." Optimus Prime communicated to Jetfire as he looks at the smaller turrets on the platform aiming towards him. The turrets fire upon Optimus Prime as he runs the side of the platform to get to the other end, when Jetfire fires upon the turrets to re-direct their aim to himself. Optimus rushes through the gunfire and makes his way to the front end of the train. "Where is he?" Optimus wondered as he stands atop the frontmost train car with his energon blasters deployed.
A robotic orange arm emerges from the train car's cabin and grabs Optimus Prime, dragging him down as it transforms into a taller orange Decepticon, standing atop the railway gun's platform. "Optimus Prime. It's been a while." the Decepticon spoke in a familiar voice to Optimus Prime. "Sentinel Prime, you don't have to do this for The Fallen!" Optimus Prime pleaded as he lies on the platform. "Prime, you know very well I do not deserve that title. I don't know how many times I have to tell you this; my name is Infinitus!" the Decepticon told Optimus Prime angrily as he remotely commands two turrets to aim at Optimus Prime. Jetfire then rains down a flurry of bullets towards Infinitus, distracting him enough for Optimus Prime to tackle him to a wall.
"Sentinel, why waste your second chance at life to do this?! Cybertron is restored, as we have all wished!" Optimus Prime asked Infinitus angrily. "It's not just about Cybertron anymore. The entire universe must know the greatness of our empire, the empire that rightfully belongs to The Fallen!" Infinitus answered. Optimus releases one of his arms from Infinitus to deploy his energon blade, giving Infinitus the opportunity to kick him in the abdomen to free himself. Infinitus commands two front turrets to fire upon Optimus Prime, who deploys a holographic Autobot insignia shield to protect himself. As the turrets fire upon Optimus Prime, Infinitus monitors the railway gun's speed from a wrist-mounted interface.
"We've reached top speed. Prepare for takeoff." Infinitus spoke. The railway gun slowly transforms itself as it rolls down the railway, knocking Optimus Prime off balance. Infinitus descends into the machine's inner workings as the main gun lowers itself to Optimus Prime's level. The Autobot leader looks down the gigantic barrel before the cannon launches a massive artillery round at him, launching him into the sands. The Autobot leader gets up and witnesses the railway climbing into a slope as the railway gun transforms into a massive space ship rolling along the tracks.
The space ship climbs the incline and launches off the edge into the blue sky, disappearing into space. "Graaah! He's escaped again!" Optimus Prime exclaimed as Jetfire lands and transforms into robot mode. "It's amazing how he can hide while lugging that thing around." Jetfire commented. "We have to put the colony worlds on high alert again. First, I have to see Override Prime before we leave." Optimus Prime told Jetfire. "Before that, there's something that I have to tell you…" Jetfire spoke to Optimus.
Back on Earth, C-81 and Megaempress travel the wasteland, from city ruins to mutated swamps, and even through fiery hellscapes. They search for the lost egg, but are no closer to its whereabouts. Eventually, they rest at a hill where a young willow tree stood, a white sword driven through its topmost branch. "We've looked everywhere twice. Did we even lose it here?" Megaempress said tiredly. "It must be. I know it was lost when we arrived to this land." C-81 answered.
"We last saw it in a forest, but we already looked through there! I really do think someone took it." Megaempress suggested. "If that is so, they shall feel…" C-81 spoke with a threatening tone as he clenches his fist. He relaxes his hand and lowers it. "I just want it back." C-81 said in a tired tone. "Let's get some energon and find a new hideout." C-81 told Megaempress as he stood up.
They travel to a small futuristic city in the plains where humans and Transformers live together as a single society. This is Hub City, one of the few advanced cities left on the planet, and headquarters of the human-Autobot alliance The Voyagers, whose aim is to reunite humans all over the world and beyond. C-81 and Megaempress transform into robot mode at an Autobot-populated districted designed to accommodate their larger frames. C-81 and Megaempress walk through the street, passing by storefronts for Cybertronian products and services, from shops serving various fuels, to sporting goods stores stocked with high-tech equipment. As they walk, Megaempress catches a few cautious glances from the Autobots as she wears the Decepticon insignia on her chest.
They go to an energon depot, closely resembling a filling station, to collect energon barrels. C-81 walks to a blue Autobot employee with a car mode. "Five barrels of standard-grade energon." C-81 requested. The employee dispenses five barrels of energon from a machine and turns back to the two, when he suddenly looks up with a look of surprise. C-81 and Megaempress turn around to see Optimus Prime, flanked by two truck-mode police Autobots with white paint jobs.
"Chotto matte! I thought I was pardoned after helping out Ellie-chan?!" Megaempress said in surprise. "We're not here for you, Megaempress. We're taking in your companion in for questioning." Optimus Prime told Megaempress as he approaches C-81, before turning back to her. "You are to come with us as well." Optimus told Megaempress. Optimus Prime looks back to C-81 and they stare at each other.
C-81 and Megaempress are brought to the Hub Dome, The Voyagers headquarters in Hub City. C-81 sat in a Transformer-sized interrogation room when Optimus Prime enters. "Prime." C-81 said. "Megatron." Optimus Prime responded. "I'm surprised you recognize me." C-81 said.
"How could I not recognize my own brother?" Optimus Prime responded as he took a seat before C-81. "How did you find me?" C-81 asked. "Jetfire informed me of your presence here on Earth. He listened in on your conversations with Megaempress, before she was pardoned and put off surveillance." Optimus Prime answered. "What are you doing here on Earth, Megatron? Why come back after five-hundred years?" Optimus Prime asked C-81. "Do not call me Megatron, that is no longer my name. I am C-Eighty-One." C-81 told Optimus Prime.
"Very well, C-Eighty-One. Tell me what you are doing on Earth." Optimus Prime asked C-81. "I've been travelling the universe ever since I killed Galvatron and left Cybertron. I came to Earth to see what progress the humans had with their world. I was surprised to see some working to restore their literally shattered world." C-81 answered. "And Megaempress? What is she doing here with you?" Optimus Prime asked. "I've been teaching her and her followers my way of life, to dissuade her from the same path I walked thousands of years ago." C-81 answered. "That would explain their cooperativeness when last they met Elita-Two Prime." Optimus Prime said.
"Now that you have found me, what will you do with me?" C-81 asked Optimus Prime. "As far as anyone is concerned, I'm not meeting with Megatron. Just a drifter. I just wanted to have a talk with you." Optimus Prime said. "A talk? I killed billions, if not trillions of lives for the sake of conquest, and all you want to do is talk?" C-81 questioned Optimus Prime. "Something… happened, and I decided to rethink the way I approach you if we ever met. I know someone willing to change when I see it, and if you need something, I'm here to help." Optimus Prime answered. C-81 was shocked at Optimus Prime's attitude towards him, expecting Optimus Prime to be somewhat furious of his presence, but knew something changed in him for the better.
"Actually, there is something you could help me with." C-81 answered. He projects a hologram photograph from his eyes of Megaempress posing with C-81's egg, edited with spark stickers and sunglasses stickers on the both of them. "You have an egg? Who is your conjunx?" Optimus Prime asked C-81. "I have none. It appeared to me on Combatron. It's accompanied me across the galaxy, but I lost it a few months ago when I first travelled to this land." C-81 explained. Optimus Prime stands up.
"I will help you, C-Eighty-One. I need you to take me to where you last saw the egg. We can begin investigating there." Optimus Prime told C-81. He goes to the door and opens it for C-81. "Thank you, Optimus. This means a lot to me." C-81 told Optimus as he walked to him. He walks out of the door before Optimus Prime follows him behind. "Something changed with him. But what?" both Cybertronians thought.
To be continued…