Chapter 5: Decepticon Activity
Sky Lynx soared across the plains, staying out of the sun's path, for fear of casting a shadow. The manganese mountain range lay ahead of them.
"No sign of any scouts." Jazz said, looking at the scanner. "All the spark readings are comin from inside the crevice."
"Good. We're going to land on the southern face of the mountain, overlooking the crevice, and see if we can get a visual." Optimus stated.
"Aw what?" Warpath whined. "No combat?"
Optimus turned to the eager tank mech.
"Not if we can avoid it, Warpath." He replied. "This is a recon mission. Jazz here is a recon expert."
"I'm an aspiring recon expert." Bluestreak added, meekly raising his hand.
"So I hear." Jazz said with a grin. "Stick with me kid, I'll teach ya all the tricks."
"Optimus." Perceptor called from the back of the shuttle. "In order to get a reading, I'm going to need to release a drone. Do I have your permission?"
"Of course, Perceptor." Optimus replied as Sky Lynx circled the mountain range. He grabbed a handle on the ceiling, and turned to face the small group.
"Our mission today is solely to find out the purpose of the decepticon's presence here. Combat is to be avoided if at all possible." He gave Warpath a stern look. "Keep that cannon disarmed, soldier."
"Yes Prime!" Warpath replied with a salute.
Optimus turned and pressed the button, and the door opened.
"Best of luck lads!" Sky Lynx exclaimed.
"Thank you Sky Lynx. Stay nearby, we'll radio you for pickup." Optimus replied.
Warpath sprinted straight at the door and jumped out, leaving Jazz and Optimus staring at each other.
"He...certainly doesn't lack enthusiasm." Optimus noted.
"Enthusiasm like that can getcha killed out here." Jazz replied.
He and Optimus jumped, with Perceptor behind them.
They landed at different points on the slanted face of the mountain, just above the opening to the massive crevice.
They could hear drilling happening below them.
There was a cry as Bluestreak fell, and smacked off a rock formation.
The autobots turned to see him sliding down, across the mountainous metal surface.
"Slag!" Bluestreak exclaimed, optics wide as he tried to find a grasp of something.
Warpath reached out and grabbed the mech by his door wing.
"I ain't taking that beating." He said bluntly, as he began pulling Bluestreak back up towards him.
"Thanks." Bluestreak said breathlessly, as Warpath pulled him up toward the others.
"Rookies." Jazz noted, patting Bluestreak's doorwing. "Mirage and I, we'll get you figured out."
Perceptor unpacked the small, circular, hovering drone, and sent it on its way.
"Now we just have to hope the decepticons don't shoot it down." He said, as it flew down into the crevice. "I feel I have likely served my purpose here, Prime. I'm not much of a soldier."
"Just stay behind us Perceptor, you'll be fine." Optimus replied.
The autobot commander climbed up, and peered over the rocks, and into the crevice.
And saw the formation of decepticons below. Hard at work excavating, digging deep into the ground.
"There must be energon here." Jazz whispered. "No other reason for all this."
"I agree." Optimus replied, optics running across the interior of the mountain.
Until a familiar sight captured his attention. His optics widened.
Megatron stood, surrounded by his seekers, next to a drilling machine.
"So he is here." He confirmed quietly.
"Yeah. I see him." Jazz said, looking through binoculars. "Copy that Blaster? We have optics on Megatron."
Blaster turned to Prowl.
"They've spotted Megatron." He said, before turning back to the comms equipment. "Copy that, Keep a safe distance."
"This is bad." Prowl said tensely. "Whatever they're doing must be of utmost importance. Megatron wouldn't reappear after a year in the shadows if it wasn't something big."
"They should have backup." Arcee said, looking at the holographic map. "Five bots is not enough, even if one of them is Prime. They have a whole army down there."
Prowl nodded. "Agreed. Metroplex, find me Mirage please."
"Mirage...is not currently within me." Metroplex replied.
Prowl and Arcee both frowned, and Prowl turned to the room's intercom.
"What? Where is he?"
Skywarp narrowed his optics, as he looked up at the mountain range above him.
"This is a waste of resources, and time!" Starscream snapped, waving his arms around in frustration. "The amount of energon we're expending here might equal the amount of energon we can actually extract!"
Megatron turned and chuckled.
"Starscream, as usual you see only that which is on the surface. This is not about the energon." He reached down and picked up some dried purple energon in hand. "Though dark energon will serve us far greater than standard energon ever could. No this isn't about the energon. This is about what produces it. Something underneath these mountains is pumping out more dark energon than has ever been known to exist." He looked at Starscream, a condescending expression on his face. "Aren't you the least bit curious to see where it all comes from?"
"Oh so this is a science experiment then?" Starscream asked. "I thought this was going to help the war effort! Tip the balance of power, is that not what you said?!"
"And it still might." Megatron replied calmly.
"MIGHT?!" Starscream exclaimed.
"We have visitors." Skywarp muttered.
"What?" Megatron asked, turning sharply to look at him.
"Wait a moment." Skywarp replied. He turned purple, and with a zap, he teleported.
And reappeared behind Jazz and Optimus.
His null rays raised. A smirk on his face.
"Finally. Would you look at this." He drawled. "We caught us a pair of glitch rats huh?"
"Skywarp." Optimus replied, optics narrowed, as he turned to face him. He looked past him, down the mountainside.
Warpath, Bluestreak, and Perceptor were several meters away. They were unaware.
"All I gotta do to end yet another Primacy is fire this null ray." Skywarp sneered.
"And all it'll cost you is your head." A voice called.
Skywarp frowned.
As Mirage decloaked behind him, gun pointed.
"You even think about teleporting, and I mess up Jazz's paint job with your energon." The autobot spy warned.
"Mirage...did you stow away?" Optimus asked.
"Yeah. Sorry. After the old guy breaking into your room, figured I should tag along." He replied.
"What?!" Skywarp asked.
"Shut up." Jazz snapped. "Wait, what old guy?"
Optimus rolled his optics.
"It's a long..."
There was a blast, and the rock formation exploded beneath them, sending all four mechs sliding down the crevice edge, toward the other decepticons.
Optimus smacked off a rock, letting out a pained grunt, and came sliding to a stop on flat ground.
His optics were fuzzy, as he tried to pick himself up.
He looked up, and saw a pair of grey, thick legs walking toward him.
With tank treads.
He lifted his head up further, and realized he was staring up the barrel of a fusion cannon.
"How pleasant of you to join us, Optimus." Megatron hissed, a look of smug satisfaction on his face.