Elita followed Orion back into the room where everyone else was still arguing. He didn't say anything, but waited by the door, and after a breem, everyone stopped talking and looked to him.
"Orion, do we have a plan?" Ironhide asked.
Orion took in a deep vent, but then hesitated. Back in the office, he'd felt a glimmer of hope, but now Elita could feel caution and unease coming through the bond, as if he didn't think the others would like his plan.
Ironhide spoke again before he could say anything. "You can't turn yourselves in."
"We will honor his decision, no matter what it is," Ultra Magnus snapped at him. "Though—"
"Just stop," Elita cut in. "Let Orion tell us what he's decided."
She smiled encouragingly at him, also sending support over the bond. Whatever his plan was, she would trust him and follow him, and she wanted him to know that.
"Thank you," he said, returning her smile, but feeling almost guilty now. "This is a very difficult decision, and I'm not sure how to proceed. But… there's something you should all know. I'm sorry I did not make it a priority earlier."
Silence fell.
"Shortly after the Council fell, I received a message from Simfur informing me that the Core of Cybertron has become… corrupted."
The silence deepened.
"The Defenders of the Allspark Temple asked me to visit Simfur. They wanted me to speak with Primus and see if there could be anything done about the Core. I felt I was too busy, and so I put it off and then forgot about it. That was wrong of me."
"So…" Ironhide said.
"So I must go to Simfur," Orion said.
"What?" Chromia demanded. "That's not relevant at all. We have to figure out what to do about Megatron and Iacon."
"If we lose Iacon, or our army, we can start over," Orion said. "But if the Core of Cybertron goes dark or stops producing energon…"
"Goes dark?" Mainspring said. "What does that even mean? Primus can't… can't die, can he?"
"I don't know," Orion said. "I will have to ask him. Perhaps there is something we can do to help him."
"What about Iacon?" Prowl asked.
"If Primus is willing to speak to me, then I will ask him what to do about Megatron and Iacon."
Prowl shook his helm. "Even if Primus actually exists, which I doubt, he doesn't seem like the type to help anyone. And if there's something wrong with the Core, I doubt you can do anything about it."
"I… kind of have to agree," Ironhide said. "Not about Primus not existing, but about this being a waste of time. Orion, you can't just run from this, we have to make a decision now. Megatron's going to keep killing our soldiers until we do something about it."
"This is my responsibility as a Prime," Orion said.
"Really?" Ironhide said. "Since when, Orion? This isn't the time to start caring about that. Prowl, you mentioned you had some sort of an idea before you went to talk to them. It wasn't this, was it?"
"Not at all," Prowl said.
"Let's hear Prowl's idea, then. And—"
"No!" Orion said. "This is what I need to do. If there's something I can do about the Core, then I need to know. If there's nothing I can do, and Primus won't speak to me, then I will go to Iacon and exchange myself for our soldiers."
Silence fell again.
"No."
"Ironhide, please..."
"You can't turn yourself in, and you can't just abandon us while you go on some spiritual journey while we sit and wait for Megatron to attack us. That's how we lost Tesarus!"
Orion looked down. No one spoke, not even Ultra Magnus, though he glared furiously at Ironhide.
"If this was so important, you should have done it earlier," Ironhide said.
"Yes," Orion sighed. "I should have." He raised his helm. "After the Council fell, Alpha Trion warned me that my priorities were in the wrong place. And Elita said the same thing before I went on the mission to retrieve the Key to Vector Sigma. Because I didn't listen to them, Iacon is now in Megatron's hands."
"Okay," Ironhide said. "Well, I'm warning you now. Are you going to listen to me, or ignore me like you ignore everyone who disagrees with you?"
The reflected turmoil over the bond was almost physically painful.
"What would you do?" Orion asked. "If you could trade your life for the lives of our soldiers?"
Ironhide didn't answer.
"I don't know," Orion said. "I don't trust myself, Ironhide. I know I'm not a good military commander, and I know I'm not a good Prime, but somehow I have to fill both of those roles. I don't know what to do, or what's most important, or what decisions I should make. If you were in my position, what would you do?"
The silence stretched out for several astroseconds.
Then Orion spoke again. "Relying on my own wisdom has brought this disaster upon us. If you can tell me what I should do, I will listen. Otherwise... please let me ask Primus for his advice on the matter."
Ironhide sighed. "Fine," he said. "But I'm going with you. You shouldn't wander around by yourself, even in Simfur."
Elita felt Orion's relief through the bond. "Thank you," he said. "Mainspring, can you arrange a groundbridge?"
"Yes," Mainspring said.
Orion turned to meet Elita's optics solemnly. "Can I leave you in charge while I'm gone?"
Elita hesitated. Technically, Prowl ought to be in charge, or Red Alert, or Mainspring, or even Ultra Magnus.
"Please?"
She nodded. "I'll hold down the fort," she said.
"Thank you."
"If you head to the station, they'll be ready for you," Mainspring said.
Orion nodded and left the room with Ironhide trailing after him.
Silence fell for a few astroseconds.
"The Core going dark?" Moonracer said. "Why… why haven't we heard about that? Are we sure this isn't another trap or something?"
"I'm getting really tired of those," Chromia crossed her arms.
"We trust the mech who sent us the information," Elita said. "It's difficult to get to the Core, so it's possible not very many mecha have been there. I… honestly, I knew too, but there was so much else going on, I forgot."
"You know, several energon mines have started producing some sort of toxic material instead of energon," Chromia said. "I wonder if that's related."
"How could the Core have been poisoned, though?" Prowl said.
"Maybe the war?" Moonracer suggested.
"That's illogical. War itself can't…"
"Prowl?" Elita said. "Everyone. Let's leave the issue with the Core to Orion. We need to try and come up with a plan while he's gone."
"The Prime said his plan is to turn himself in," Ultra Magnus said. "I dislike it as much as you do, but we can't go against his wishes."
"We won't," Elita replied. "But if we can come up with something better, I'm sure we can persuade him to change his mind."
Orion approached the Allspark Temple. He knew mecha were staring at him. Many of them probably recognized him and wondered why he was here.
It was so different this time. Last time felt like a million vorns ago. Yoketron had still been online, and The Autobots hadn't suffered any heavy losses yet. Last time had been a chance to mend his bond with Elita.
This time he was here to beg for Primus's help, and his forgiveness and find out if there was anything he could do to save the Core.
He and Ironhide climbed the steps and entered through the open front doors. As soon as he stepped across the threshold a feeling of the Allspark settled over him, taking some of his anxiety away. He'd forgotten about that. Maybe it was his imagination, but the feeling was more somber than it had been last time.
A mech approached them. "Optimus Prime?" he said.
"Venture requested that I come," Orion said. "Will you let him know I'm here?"
"Done," the mech said. "He's on his way."
They waited.
Orion remembered walking the halls of this place with Yoketron. He remembered the old mech saying that he was tired, that once he finished training Orion, he'd like to return to the Allspark.
Orion wondered if he'd known he was going to offline and just hadn't wanted to say it.
He glanced over at Ironhide, who was looking uncharacteristically distant and thoughtful. He seemed to see Orion looking and shook his helm.
"I haven't been here… since I was sparked, I guess," he said. "I didn't realize it felt so… different in here."
Orion nodded.
Ironhide looked as if he were going to say something else, but then Venture came rushing in. "Prime," he said. "I sent for you decaorns ago."
"I apologize," Orion said. "I know I should have come sooner."
"Well, at least you came." Venture waved for them to follow and they did, through crystalline hallways and around corners until they got to a set of double doors leading into a small, empty room.
"You'll have to stay out here," Venture said to Ironhide.
Ironhide looked as if he'd like to protest, but Orion spoke before he could. "Please stay."
It wasn't as if he was going to be in any danger—at least not any danger Ironhide could help with. He followed Venture into the small room and the Temple Defender shut the doors behind them.
"Do we know how long the core has been…?"
"We do not," Venture said. "But Primus has been unusually quiet for a long time so it may have been more than a decavorn."
"Do you know what I'm supposed to do? I don't have any experience interacting with Primus. I'm not even really a Prime yet."
"I know," Venture said. "And no, I don't know what you should do. But I am certain that if Primus can speak, he will speak to you. If I'm reading the signs correctly, you're not just meant to be a Prime. You are the prophesied Last of the Primes."
Orion looked down.
"Yoketron believed you were, and so does Alpha Trion. Are… are you?"
Orion took in a deep vent. "I don't know why Primus would choose me for that, but… I trust what Alpha Trion has said about it."
Venture frowned. "Perhaps speaking with Primus will help you find out for yourself," he said.
Orion nodded.
"Now," Venture said. "I know you don't have time to spare, so I will send you through a groundbridge. Going through a bridge to the center of the planet is dangerous, and there are some things you will need to do. The atmosphere is much denser at the Core, and so normally you would want to open all vents, valves, and so forth so that nothing implodes from the pressure change. Unfortunately, the atmosphere at the Core is currently toxic, so intaking any of it will not be healthy."
That… was a problem.
"You have two options. If you think your systems can handle it, you can pressurize and seal them while you're here, then keep your vents sealed while you are at the Core. Or, you can go through the bridge, let everything equalize, and then seal your vents and hope you didn't let too much of the toxin through them. Of course, you will probably intake toxin just by being there, no matter what you do."
"How… toxic is it?" Orion asked.
Venture looked away. "We don't really understand it, but somehow it affects our very life force, weakening all systems it comes in contact with. One of the mechs I brought with me when I went to visit the Core is offline. Of the others, most are predicted to make a full recovery, but many are still ill. I, myself, spent a decaorn resting before returning to my duties here. Of course, we didn't realize the danger until it was too late to seal our vents, and we were also there longer than we should have been. If you keep your conversation short, it shouldn't be too bad."
Orion stared.
"I apologize," Venture said. "I… didn't mention that before, did I?"
"It's all right," Orion said. "I need to go no matter the cost."
"Yes," Venture nodded gravely. "Let me know when you're ready."
Orion considered. He wasn't sure how much he would need to pressurize his systems. If he was going to intake some of the toxin in the atmosphere anyway, he'd rather not risk guessing at the core pressures. "I'm ready," he said.
The room fell silent for a moment, and then a groundbridge opened in front of them.
"Go through," Venture said. "Good luck. I will leave the groundbridge open, and if you do not return in fifteen breems, we will send someone in to retrieve you."
"You won't come with me?" Orion asked.
"I can't," Venture said. "I'm sorry. I'm still weak and I'd probably last about ten astroseconds down there before collapsing."
"How will I find the Core?"
"Primus will guide you there."
Orion took in a deep vent, trying to pretend he wasn't terrified, and stepped through the bridge.
He felt the sudden, crushing pressure of the atmosphere for a moment. Even after he let his internal pressure equalize, he could still feel it. As soon as he could, he sealed his vents. His sensors were picking up some unknown particulates in the atmosphere and flagging them as potentially hazardous.
He dismissed the warnings. He couldn't get distracted—he had to find the Core and then get out as soon as possible. In three breems, Megatron would kill another one of his soldiers.
Somehow, as Venture had promised, he knew where to go. It was a pull—like how the Key to Vector Sigma had felt since it had been stolen.
He stepped forward. The wide tunnel he was in was brightly illuminated by glowing cables, and far ahead, there was a brilliant light.
But there was something wrong with it.
He had never seen it before, so he didn't know what it looked like normally here, but he thought he could see the signs of Primus's illness. The glowing cables flickered irregularly, and sometimes plasmatic energon sparked from them. It wasn't the color he was expecting either. Energon could be anything from deep blue to aquamarine, but the light in here had a pale, almost purplish cast to it, with an occasional flash of sickly yellow-green.
Orion walked down the hall and out into a vast chamber. He could tell the toxicity was increasing, and he felt strangely dizzy.
The Core of Cybertron hung above him like a great optic. It flickered as well and Orion got the distinct sense that it ought to be brighter. A long walkway led out to it and the echoes of Orion's pedes sounded loud and harsh as he approached. He tried to walk more quietly, so as not to disturb the strong presence he felt in the chamber.
He stopped at the edge of the catwalk, unsure what to do, whether he should say something or just wait. He still felt dizzy, and his spark was starting to ache. He wasn't sure how much good sealing his vents had done.
He felt like speaking might somehow taint the sanctity of the place, but after several astroseconds, he didn't know what else to do. "Primus…" he said, and knelt. "Forgive me for intruding."
There was a deep humming noise, and the Core's light steadied and intensified until Orion had to turn down his optic sensitivity.
Sparkling. A voice spoke directly into his mind. You have come…
Orion shuttered his optics. He didn't dare move. He could hardly believe he was actually speaking to Primus, but there was no mistaking the Great Creator's voice. "I… I'm sorry I didn't come sooner." Shame washed over him as he continued. "I should have been here decaorns ago, but… I neglected you until I needed your help."
Primus spoke gently. Nevertheless, you have come, and your arrival is welcome.
Orion studied the catwalk beneath him, not sure whether it would be disrespectful to look up. "Is there anything I can do? Any way to stop your illness?"
No.
Orion's spark sank.
But I can still help you. Ask your questions.
For a few moments, Orion was at a loss. He didn't know where to start. "Are you going to…?"
I am fading.
"Why?" Orion wondered. He wasn't sure if he was speaking out loud anymore or not. "How? I mean… How is that possible?"
I can die, just as my creations can.
"But… what made you ill?"
The answer to that question is not your burden to bear.
Orion couldn't help himself. He looked up into the brilliant light of the Core. "Then… what should we do? We'll starve without you."
With the last pulsing of my spark, I will produce as much energon as possible, but it will not be enough. The time will come when you must seek it among the stars.
"I… you mean leave Cybertron?"
Yes.
Leave Cybertron… and seek energon among the stars. But… they would still run out, wouldn't they?
All is not lost, Primus said. After I am extinguished, there will be a way to revive me.
"How?" Orion asked.
When the time comes, you will know. In the meantime, you must tell all of Cybertron that I am permanently offline.
Orion frowned. "But…"
You may tell Alpha Trion that I am merely dormant, but all else must believe I am gone.
If there was hope, why wouldn't Primus want everyone to know?
You may offer them hope by revealing that I have prepared a way for their survival, but they must have faith in what they do not know, and they cannot know I still function. Will you do as I have asked?
Orion hesitated. "I… yes, Primus."
Silence fell for a few astroseconds.
You have more questions for me.
Orion considered carefully. "What do I do about Megatron?" he asked. "Should I turn myself over to him in order to preserve the lives of my soldiers?"
No.
"Then… what should I do?"
Primus was silent for a moment before answering. You must not allow Megatron to win the war.
"Hasn't he already won?"
If you allow Megatron to win the war, all will be lost. You will be lost. I will be lost. Megatron will be lost.
Shocked, Orion stared more intently into the light. "Does that mean he can be saved?"
He is also my creation, Primus said. And I have guided his path as I have guided yours. He can be redeemed, but not if he wins.
"I… I feel more confused than before. You… meant for Megatron to become what he is?"
Truth is hard, sparkling. The war will bring much suffering, but you must trust that some orn, you will understand the meaning of it.
"All right," Orion said. "I do trust you. But how can I defeat Megatron? He has half of my army in captivity, and he'll kill them if I don't turn myself in. We can't attack him with the remainder of our forces, and any rescue attempt is too risky."
Silence.
"Primus?"
Peace Hunter, Greatest of the First, Omega Prime.
"Yes?"
Stand.
Orion got to his pedes. His spark ached and his dizziness was getting worse.
The light and energy from the core intensified. It was almost painful now. Are you willing to accept the responsibilities of your calling and receive the Matrix of Leadership?
What? Here? Now? He wasn't ready.
I will not force this upon you. Know only that you will not have another chance.
He hadn't had a chance to say goodbye to Elita—what if this broke their bond again?
Primus was silent—waiting patiently for him to answer.
He wished he could reach out to her, but he couldn't feel the bond amidst all this energy. She'd been so upset when he'd suggested looking for the Matrix early. Now Primus was offering it to him and he couldn't consult with her.
When he'd first accepted this calling, he hadn't known what he was giving up. He hadn't realized he would lose his bond with Elita.
Now he did know. This could hurt her—even kill her.
"I… haven't completed the trials," he said. "I'm not prepared."
This was foreseen, and intended, Primus said. The Primal Trials are not sufficient to prepare you, Omega Prime, for the tasks set before you. But I have created for you a Final Trial.
If the other trials weren't hard enough…
If you succeed in my Trial, I will bestow upon you the Matrix of Leadership. You will have no further opportunity to receive it.
He wanted to ask if it would break his bond with Elita, but he was too afraid of the answer.
Will you attempt this Trial?
What other options did he have? If he said no, he would have to go back and turn himself in, and Elita would die with him anyway.
This might be his one chance to save her.
To save everyone.
Cybertron needed him to be stronger than he was.
There was only one thing he could do.
"Yes," Orion said. "I will attempt it."
The light from the core faded and the world blurred around him.
"We can't attack without them knowing beforehand," Red Alert insisted. "Because there's still a groundbridge shield over the whole city-state. We'd have to come from outside. Honestly, we should be trying to find somewhere better to hide."
"Maybe if we sent one mech in who could turn off the shield…" Mainspring said.
"Who? Jazz?" Red Alert demanded. "Pretty sure he's not feeling up to it. Did you see him?"
Elita was barely paying attention to the conversation anymore.
Something was wrong with Orion—or maybe just the bond. His emotions felt muted and strange as if there was some sort of interference preventing her from feeling him clearly. She wasn't sure what to think about it, but it was really starting to worry her.
"…check on that? I haven't heard from Ratchet yet…"
"Hopefully, no news is good news."
"Does it even matter? We're all going to die anyway." Red Alert said.
"We're not all going to die," Chromia snapped. "Would you calm down?"
"Calm down?" Red Alert said. "Calm down!? Megatron took Iacon! And then we contacted him from this building. This building! He's probably traced the comm. here already, and is sending a fleet of Seekers to bomb us out!"
Elita gasped.
It was like a wall had suddenly gone up, blocking her bond. She could still feel Orion faintly, but when she tried to reach out to him, she couldn't. What was going on?
"Elita?" Mainspring asked.
Everyone was staring at her.
"Excuse me," she said, and rushed from the room, out into the hall. She had to figure out what was going on. She tried comming him, but Orion's comm. was off.
Chromia came out into the hallway with her. "What's going on, Ellie?" she said quietly, glancing behind herself at the still-open door.
Elita took a deep vent and spoke quietly as well. "I… don't know. Something's wrong with…"
She got a comm. from Ironhide, and answered it immediately.
"Hey," he said. "Quick question. Is Orion all right?"
Elita hesitated.
"What?"
"I… I think so," she said.
"What?" Chromia asked.
Elita shook her helm and walked farther down the hall so the mecha in the room couldn't hear her. "Sorry. Um… there's something wrong with the bond. Some sort of interference. But I think he's all right. Why do you ask?"
"Well, apparently the groundbridge he took to the Core has unexpectedly shut, and we can't open another one and we don't know why we can't, because there's not a shield up or anything it's just... Are you sure he's all right?"
She wasn't. "He… doesn't feel hurt. But it's hard to tell. His comm's not working. It's almost like…"
Almost like he was in a trial, but ten times as strong.
"Almost like what?"
"Nothing," Elita said. "He must be… talking to Primus, or something?"
She heard Ironhide sigh over the comm.
"Hey, you two all right out here?"
She turned to see Moonracer standing by Chromia.
"Yes," Elita said. "I… think so? Something's happening with Orion, though… we're not sure what, though, or how long it will take."
"Okay," Moonracer said. "Because Megatron's trying to contact us again, so..."
Great.
"Excuse me," Elita said, and cut the comm. with Ironhide as she walked past her sisters. When she reached the meeting room, she nodded to Accord, who was standing by the computer connected to the projector. "I'll talk to him."
"Are you sure?" Accord asked. "We could just ignore him."
"No," Elita said. "I'll talk to him."
Accord nodded, and Elita turned to face the holoscreen as it lit up.
She stared into Megatron's bright red optics.
"Where is Orion?" he demanded.
"He's unavailable at the moment," Elita said. "I'm sorry, if you want to talk to him you'll have to wait."
Megatron glared. "Where is he?"
"I'm sorry, I can't say."
"Tell me where he is, or I'll kill all of your soldiers, not just four per joor."
Elita crossed her arms. "We don't know where he is," she lied. "He left me in charge. Why don't you just tell me whatever you wanted to say to him?"
Megatron looked surprised, then he smirked. "Interesting. If you're telling the truth, he must have abandoned you. Poor Elita. How many times has he left you now?"
Elita tried not to let her uncertainty show on her faceplate. She wished she could still feel Orion over the bond. The faint emotions that were coming through were mostly anxiety and sorrow, which didn't bode well, but she couldn't do anything about it. She hadn't felt this alone since before the Allspark had healed their bond.
"Well," Megatron said. "I suppose if he's gone, then there's nothing you can exchange for your soldiers anymore, which means there's no reason for me to keep them around."
"Did you call us just to make threats?" Elita snapped. "We can't stop you."
"Oh, but you can," Megatron said. "If you're really in charge, then I'm willing to make a deal with you—an even better one. I will release your soldiers, and return to Kaon with my army, in return for an unconditional surrender."
Elita shook her helm.
"Of course, you and the other commanders would have to come here to sign the document so it's official and binding."
She didn't want to play this game. But if she had to, she might as well give it her best shot. "We will consider your generous offer," she said. "Is that all?"
"You have until the sun dome activates at zero joors," Megatron said. "After that, I will simply slaughter your soldiers."
Elita said nothing.
"Your cowardice won't save you," Megatron said. "Once there are no more Autobots in Iacon, I will burn Nova Cronum to the ground, and then follow you wherever you go, killing everyone who stands in my way until every mech and femme among you has been eradicated."
The screen went black.
"What are you doing?" Red Alert demanded.
Elita looked at Prowl, who met her gaze.
"What's our best plan of attack?" she asked.
"No," Ultra Magnus said. "We cannot attack without the Prime's approval."
She rounded on him. "The Prime," she said. "Has gone to the Core of Cybertron. The groundbridge he took to get there has mysteriously closed, and they can't open another bridge for some reason. His comm. is off, and we don't know how long he will be unavailable. We don't have time to wait for his permission. Besides, do you think he'd want us to surrender? Do you think he would want us to let Megatron slaughter our soldiers? We don't have another option. Prowl?"
"Our best chance is to send mecha into Iacon to spread the word and try to rally support from the citizens," Prowl said. "Then take down the groundbridge shield and use the Nova Cronum groundbridges to attack the Iacon Academy where Megatron seems to be encamped. Our obstacles are the general communications block over the whole city-state, and the fact that the groundbridge shield generator will be heavily guarded and difficult to disable. As of now, we don't know where Soundwave is, so any attempt we make to rescue our soldiers or take down the shield will be risky."
"Megatron can still send messages, so it's not a complete block," Mainspring said. "I have mecha who can find ways past it."
"What about the groundbridge shield?" Ultra Magnus asked.
"I can help with that." Mirage suddenly materialized next to Red Alert who jumped out of his seat with an undignified squeak. "Unless Soundwave is specifically guarding it, I should be able to get to it. I'll need instructions for turning it off, though."
"I can probably find someone who knows what to do," Mainspring said.
"How long were you standing there?" Moonracer said.
"Long enough," Mirage said. "I was waiting for someone to remember that I existed, but I gave up. Don't smirk at me like you knew I was here all along," he glared across the room at Prowl, who flicked his doorwings dismissively.
"Prowl, do you think this will work?" Elita asked.
"I think Megatron knows he's backed us into a corner and he expects us to attack," Prowl said. "I think he knows where our base is. I think he has more mecha than we do and he knows we really don't have enough time to prepare. It's… twenty-eight joors in Iacon right now, isn't it? That gives us twelve joors at the most."
"But will this work?"
"I don't know," Prowl said. "But I'm not sure we have another choice. Megatron has underestimated us in the past. Perhaps we'll be able to outmaneuver him again."
That didn't sound very promising.
"Commander Elita One," Ultra Magnus said. "Have we really done everything we possibly can to reach Optimus? I agree that attacking may be our best option, but we should consult him first if at all possible."
"Yes," Elita said. "I know. And we will keep trying, and keep hoping to reach him, but for now we have to prepare to fight, because we won't have time if we wait."
Ultra Magnus nodded.
Elita commed Ironhide back, this time over an internal frequency.
He answered right away. "What's going on?"
"We need you back here," she said.
"All right," he said. "I'll send Mainspring my coordinates."
She cut the comm. again and shuttered her optics, trying to feel Orion amidst all the turmoil in her own spark.
She didn't want to do this. She didn't want to lead another battle. She didn't want to be alone.
But she wasn't really alone.
She had friends, and an army, and a sparkmate—he was there, whether or not she could feel him.
They were losing the war, yes, but they didn't have to lie down and accept their fate.
The Autobots had never taken a city-state back after Megatron had conquered it.
They had one last chance to change that.
Notes:
1. Sad story: I've been reeeally busy with school this month AND I realized that the next several chapters of Revolution need more revision than I thought. I hate to do this so close to the end of the story, but I'm out of buffer chapters and I don't know if the next one will be ready to post next week, so I might have to skip a week or two. We'll see. I'll try to post next week, but I can't make any promises, especially since I want the climax to actually be good.
2. Thanks for reading and reviewing and all that! Sorry about the potential update delay.