It took many stellar cycles, as well as a few emergency medical trips for Prowl and a couple of stockade guards, but the organic's conscious was eventually able to fully suppress Massacre's will. During this time, the organic adopted Massacre's name as a way of stripping any power from the cruel Decepticon. Now, she was laid out on Ratchet's examination table, still stasis locked to it for safety precautions, as the med-bot gave her a quick processor scan.
"How's it lookin', Ratchet?" Massacre questioned.
Ratchet smiled at the screen, which was displaying a full scan of Massacre's processor. The green organic code was covering about 97% of the CPU, more than Ratchet could have hoped for.
"I do believe it is safe to say that the Decepticon has been successfully suppressed." he declared, shutting off the machine and gently removing the wires from her head.
"Prowl was right." Massacre replied, smiling widely. "With patience and perseverance, I would succeed."
"Indeed." Ratchet agreed, freeing her from the table. "I doubt you'll be needing these anymore."
Massacre rubbed her wrists them slid off of the table. Ratchet took the opportunity to remove the clamp on her wings. She spread them stretching and letting out a sigh of relief.
"Thank the Allspark." she said as she relaxed. "That thing gave me a crick like nobody's business. Feels good to finally have it off."
"Why didn't you say something before?" Ratchet questioned, checking Massacre's back to make sure no damage had been done.
"Honestly, because I knew that with the clamp on, everyone felt safer around me." she replied with a shrug.
Ratchet just sighed as the door to the med-bay opened. The two bots turned to see Optimus Prime walking in. When he saw Massacre free of restraints, he smiled, knowing what that meant.
"It would seem our Massacre problem has been resolved." Optimus observed.
"Yes it has, thank the Allspark." Ratchet replied.
"Yep," Massacre added. "And it's a good thing you walked in when you did. Saved me the trouble of trying to find you to tell you the good news."
"Well there was actually something I wanted to talk to you about." Optimus said.
Ratchet paused what he was doing and Massacre turned towards Optimus curiously.
"What is it?" she asked.
"For too long, this war has ravaged our planet, and even after all these stellar cycles, there is still no end in sight." Optimus explained. "We need every able-bodied bot on the front lines if we are to stand any chance of winning this war."
"What are you getting at, Prime?" Ratchet questioned, turning back towards his friend. "Are you saying you want to put Massacre on the battlefield?"
"If she is will to join our cause, then I would welcome her openly." Optimus confirmed.
"You'd be willing to let me fight?" Massacre asked.
Ratchet turned to Massacre in surprise.
"You want to join this conflict?" he questioned.
Massacre turned to him, a determined look on her faceplate.
"Yes I do." she replied. "Massacre used to be a Decepticon that murdered innocent Autobots. But now I'm in control, and I want to protect my home, and my friends. I want to be an Autobot."
Optimus allowed a small smile to cross his face.
"I am glad to hear that." he informed her. "However, you being allowed to join the war effort does not come without a few conditions."
Massacre nodded, having expected as much.
"Name them." she replied.
"First, your Ion cannon." he addressed. "It is a powerful weapon, but it is one that should only be used as a last resort. Moreover, even with the Decepticon inside you suppressed, I cannot in good conscience allow even the slightest chance that she could use it against us again."
"What do you suggest?" Massacre questioned.
Ratchet provided the answer to that inquiry.
"I may be able to install and override system into the cannon." he suggested. "That way it can only be accessed after a remote code is sent in."
"Excellent idea, Ratchet." Optimus told the med-bot. "While you work on that, perhaps you can also do something about the symbol on her chest."
Massacre's fingers ran along the Decepticon symbol still emblazoned on her chest plate. Ratchet looked at it and nodded.
"Honestly, I should have removed that symbol the first day she was in my Lab." he muttered.
As they discussed this, a question popped into Massacre's mind.
"Umm, Optimus?" she called out hesitantly. "As much as I would love to fight for the Autobots, I can count on a single hand the number of bots that actually trust me. Who would be willing to fight alongside a former Decepticon?"
"The Decepticon who has slaughtered so many of our kind is long gone." Optimus reassured. "All I see in her place is a being who cares for this world and desires to fight for its survival. And while it will take some time, I know other Autobots will see the same."
Massacre allowed these words to sink in, a hopeful smile on her face.
"I hope you're right, Optimus." she told him.
"Of course he's right." Ratchet remarked, placing a hand on her shoulder plate. "Now, lay back down on the table. We've got work to do."
…
As Massacre had predicted, many of the Autobots weren't exactly thrilled to have her on their team. She lost count of how many snide comments and cruel remarks were said behind her back, but she refused to let them get to her. Instead, she decided to let her actions prove her intent.
She worked her way up the ranks, earning everything that she got. She never asked for help, but eagerly gave it. After awhile, a few brave bots approached her, giving her pointers and lending a hand. Once or twice, she could see an Autobot take down a foe before they could shoot her down.
In time, the actions of her Decepticon counterpart were set aside, giving way for a greater appreciation for the Autobot side of her. Soon, she became a valued asset of the Autobot cause, and found her place amongst the toughest group of Bots in existence.
…
Several centuries into the war for Cybertron, the Decepticons were making a move for Tyger Pax. The cons had the Autobots pinned down behind a ridge, the two sides trading fire while narrowly avoiding getting scrapped.
Leading the charge was Ironhide, leader of the notorious team known as the Wreckers. They were the toughest, gutsiest group of bots on Cybertron, and it was no surprise that they were behind such an operation.
"Keep pushing, Wreckers!" Ironhide declared. "We can't lose Tyger Pax!"
Bulkhead, a large green bot with a wrecking ball as a signature weapon, swung his ball wildly, sending several Vehicons to the scrapheap. Watching his tailpipe was Kup, one of the older members of the Wreckers with his arm cannon mowing down vehicons left and right. Seaspray, a newer recruit who'd made a name for himself in Aquatron, remained pinned behind some debris.
"I'm stuck!" He cried out, trying to make a run for it, only to be forced back down. "Could really use an assist!"
From across the battlefield, Springer came crashing through a wall of vehicons, his car mode running them all over as he went to aid his trapped comrade.
"Come on, rookie!" he shouted over the blaster fire. "You're no good hunkered down here."
"Thanks." Seaspray replied.
The cons were closing in, threatening to box the Wreckers into a corner. Ironhide let out a curse.
"Where is that flyer?" he demanded. "Did she stop for oil or something?"
"Not quite, Ironhide." Massacre's voice replied over the comms. "Just needed to snag a few more grenades."
About that time, a jet passed over the battlefield, several thermite grenades falling from it onto the approaching cons. Explosions rang out in a cacophony of sound, clearing a path for the Wreckers.
"I hope that makes up for my tardiness, General." Massacre called out from above.
"It's a good start." Ironhide replied. "There's still a lot more work to be done."
Massacre transformed into her robot mode, landing in the center of the Wreckers and activating her machine guns.
"Then why are we gossiping like young-bots?" she asked with a grin. "We've got cons to crush!"
"You heard her boys!" Ironhide called out spinning his cannons. "Let's show these cons who really owns Tyger Pax!"
The six bots all pushed forward, their collective weapons decimating the Decepticon forces attempting to stop them. From atop a nearby ridge overseeing the battle, Starscream watched their charge with a mixture of annoyance and worry.
"Of all the Autobots to run into on this mission, I had to cross paths with those six lunatics!" he lamented.
"Commander Starscream!" A Vehicon shouted, running up. "Our forces are being forced back! If this continues, Tyger Pax is lost to us!"
"No!" Starscream exclaimed. "If I allow Tyger Pax to end up in the hands of the Autobots, there's no telling what Lord Megatron will do to me. We must not fail!"
He looked down at the bots, his optics locking onto Ironhide with a malicious grin.
"And I think I know just how to tip the scales in our favor." he remarked, aiming a missile at the large bot.
The missile launched, making a beeline towards Ironhide. Luckily, Bulkhead heard it coming and acted fast enough.
"Get down!" he shouted, grabbing Ironhide and dragging him to the ground seconds before Starscream's missile hit.
The wings of the missile just barely scraped Ironhide's shoulder plate before striking a piece of rubble behind him. Massacre followed the missile's trajectory, her optics locking onto him.
"Starscream..." she growled.
Starscream met her gaze and gulped.
"Scrap..." he swore.
He backed away slowly, then jumped off the ridge and transformed.
"Oh no you don't!" Massacre shouted.
"Go get 'im, fly-girl!" Kup told her. "We got it down here!"
Massacre wasted no time transforming and flying off in pursuit. While the two flyers took to the skies, the remaining Wreckers made short work of the vehicons. Unbeknownst to them, Starscream wasn't the only high ranking member of the Decepticons present. As they were laying down fire, a much larger aircraft flew towards them. It was a slight green color and had a large cannon attached to the bottom of it.
"We got company!" Bulkhead let out.
"It's Skyquake!" Springer declared.
"If he's here, then his twin's not far behind!" Ironhide reminded them all. "Find Dreadwing!"
Skyquake's cannon let loose on the wreckers, forcing them to scatter in order to avoid getting scrapped. While they avoided Skyquake's attempts to destroy them, Dreadwing watched them run, his thumb over a remote detonator. From the high vantage point he had chosen, he could see the dozens of explosives he had planted across the battlefield during the confusion.
"Boom, you're dead." Dreadwing said as he hit the button.
All across the field, Dreadwing's bombs went off one my one, knocking the Wreckers off their feet and sending them careening into one another. This left them vulnerable to Skyquake's attacks, something the con took full advantage of. He landed beside his twin, pulling out his cannon and firing on the Autobots. Kup, who was the first to recover from the shock of the bombs, saw the volley of fire coming towards a still dazed Seaspray. Acting fast, he shoved the rookie out of the way, taking a couple of hits in the process.
Up in the sky, Massacre was still chasing down Starscream, her machine gun attempting to strike him down.
"Get back here you cowardly con!" she shouted.
They danced through the skies, Starscream pulling every maneuver in the book to try and shake his pursuer. Massacre finally managed to get him in her sights, but before she could fire on him, Kup's pain-filled screamed echoed through the comms.
"KUP!" she exclaimed.
Seizing the opening left by the shocked flyer, Starscream did a quick 180, turning around and firing on the distracted Massacre. He clipped her wings, knocking her out of the sky and down amongst her fellow Wreckers.
"Fly-girl!" Ironhide shouted, making his way to her position in order to cover her.
Massacre slowly got to her knees, rubbing her wing in pain.
"I'm fine." she insisted. "Kup. Is he-"
"His hide is thicker than mine." Ironhide interrupted, letting off a volley of fire to deter Skyquake from attacking. "He took a blast or two for Seaspray, but he'll be fine."
Massacre straightened up, looking up at Skyquake.
"Ironhide, think it's time to call it in?" she asked.
Ironhide gave a single nod, placing two fingers against his audio receptor to activate his remote comm link.
"Ratchet, fly-girl needs that access code."
"Inputting it now." Ratchet replied.
Massacre felt something click in her processor as a smile crossed her faceplate. She held up her forearms, transforming them into the two halves of the ion cannon. They locked together, quickly powering up.
"Hey Skyquake!" she shouted as she aimed the cannon at him. "Eat this!"
Before the con could react, she let loose a powerful blast of energy, one that struck Skyquake with a devastating hit. His metal shell began to crumbled away to dust, the Decepticon screaming loudly as his spark was extinguished. Dreadwing witnessed this and his optic sensors widened in horror.
"Skyquake!" he screamed as he prepared to charge at the Autobots.
Starscream quickly landed beside him, placing a hand on the distraught Decepticon's chest plate.
"Stop you fool!" Starscream commanded. "Lest you wish to join your twin in the Well of All Sparks!"
Dreadwing growled in response, but loosened his stance.
"It's time we fall back." Starscream decided. "This battle is lost to us."
Starscream and Dreadwing then transformed into their jet modes and took off, with the remnants of the Decepticon army following behind. Bulkhead saw them retreat, a smile gracing his face plate.
"Looks like we won!" He cheered. "Woo Hoo!"
"Thanks Ratchet." Massacre said over the intercom. "The cons are leaving, and we've only got one injured. No snuffed sparks this solar cycle."
"Excellent." Ratchet replied. "Bring Kup in and I'll get him patched up in no time."
"You got it, Ratch." Massacre declared.
"Come on, let's pack it up." Ironhide ordered. "First round of Energon is on me!"
There was a chorus of cheers at that as the Wreckers took their leave of the battlefield.
…
Inside a war room at Iacon, Optimus was waiting for a special report from one of his aerial bots. He paced around the room anxiously, more than a little worried about what the report would contain. After a few more minutes of pacing, the door to the War Room opened, allowing a weary Skydive entrance.
"Optimus Prime." He greeted, saluting respectfully. "Report from Cybertron's core."
"I hope this isn't the news we've been suspecting, Skydive." Prime replied.
"I'm afraid it is." Skydive lamented, handing over the report. "See for yourself."
Optimus took the report and looked it over. His spark sank upon reading the results.
"Then the worst has come to pass." Prime lamented. "Cybertron's days are numbered."
"What are you going to tell the others?" Skydive asked.
"The truth." Prime told him. "It's what they need to hear."
Prime then walked out of the war room, trying to figure out how to tell his comrades and friends the distressing news.
…
Meanwhile, Wreckers and a few other Autobots gathered at an Energon Pub. The place was abuzz with activity, bots laughing and cheering as they enjoyed being online. For a moment, it was as if the war ravaging their planet didn't exist, even as the slightly drunk bots swapped battlefield stories.
"And then I lobbed my grenade right into their fusion reactor." Bulkhead recalled. "The joint went supernova!"
Everyone let out a loud cheer, raising their cups high.
"Don't forget that time I escaped from Darkmount pass by using the vehicon's backsides as stepping stones!" Ironhide declared.
"How can we?" Seaspray quipped. "You tell that story every time we meet up like this!"
"Don't tell me you're sick of it, Seaspray." Ironhide remarked.
"Never, Commander!" Seaspray declared.
Once again, the pub was filled with loud cheers. Then Springer raised his cup happily.
"To another Autobot victory over the Decepticons!" He declared. "And to all the bots responsible for making it happen, especially our most surprising recruit."
"That's for sure." Bulkhead agreed. "When Prime first told us the most vicious Decepticon would be joining our ranks, we all thought he lost his processor. But now, I'd say she's the best darn Wrecker we've ever had!"
If Massacre was capable of blushing, she would have been as red as Optimus Prime's paint job. Especially when the entire pub raised their cups in her honor.
"To Massacre!" Bulkhead declared.
"To Massacre!" the entire pub shouted.
"Thanks everyone." she said with a smile. "This means a lot to me."
Ironhide gave her a hardy slap on the back in response before the door to the pub opened and Prime walked in.
"Hey Prime." Ironhide called out. "Decided to join us?"
"I thought you said Primes don't party, Bulkhead." Massacre said questioningly.
"Not since I've known him." Bulkhead replied. "Somethings up."
Prime just remained silent, much to the confusion of the Autobots.
"Optimus, is everything alright?" Ratchet asked.
"No, it is not." Optimus answered. "I have received a reconnaissance report from our Aerial-bots unit on the state of Cybertron's core."
The entire pub fell silent after that, setting their cups down as they listened intently to their leader.
"What did they say?" Ironhide asked.
"... The core is shutting down." Prime answered.
The pub exploded into gasps of horror, shouts of disbelief, and just a general feeling of horror.
"How is this possible?" Ratchet questioned.
"The stellar cycles of war have ravaged our world." Prime answered. "Draining its very core of the Energon we need to survive."
Bumblebee began buzzing and chirping, as if asking if there was anything that could be done to stop it.
"None that we know of Bumblebee." Prime lamented. "Unless a new supply of Energon is found, our world is doomed, and no one is going to win this war."
"But we've already plowed through most of our Energon reserves." Wheeljack declared. "And Energon isn't native to any planet save our own."
That's when Massacre perked up.
"Maybe not, but perhaps it can be manufactured." she rationalized.
Everyone looked at her in confusion, so she continued.
"Preceptor's Organic Protoform theory proved to be true, so maybe his theory of Synthetic Energon derived from an organic source could be possible as well."
Ratchet pondered Massacre's proposal for a moment.
"It… could work." Ratchet admitted. "Provided we can find an organic planet with the right amount of resources."
"Why not Solaris-3?" Massacre offered up. "My planet of origin."
"The planet has come out of its deep freeze if my last scan of the sector is to be believed." Wheeljack added. "It could be a great place to start our Energon hunt."
Bumblebee chirped happily, practically jumping up and down with a desire to try.
"Very well." Optimus allowed. "But we shouldn't all go at once. I will lead a scout team to survey the planet and check its habitability. Once proper reconnaissance has been taken, we will send word here for additional aid in collecting the Energon we need to restore Cybertron."
"I volunteer my services." Wheeljack offered. "I've studied organic life for stellar cycles, and I'd be the best-"
"No, Wheeljack." Prime denied. "You are needed here to keep searching for more organic worlds that would suit our needs. Massacre will come along as our expert on the planet."
"Yes!" Massacre cheered. "I'm going home!"
"Prowl, Bumblebee, Ratchet, and Bulkhead will round out the team." Prime continued.
"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Bulkhead declared, getting to his feet. "Let's get this mission going! Cybertron ain't gonna save itself!"
While they were making plans, a certain winged spy was watching the whole conversation from a hole in the Pub's ceiling. After recording enough information, it took off to return to its dark masters.
…
In Kaon, the Decepticons all gathered in their own war room, Megatron berating Starscream for his latest failure, as well as the loss of Skyquake.
"Master, please let me explain." Starscream pleaded.
"What is there to explain, Starscream?" Megatron countered. "Tyger Pax should be in my grasp, but instead, you allowed the Autobots to claim it, and you allowed one of my finest warriors to be taken offline!"
"In my defense, Skyquake was never the sharpest-"
Starscream was interrupted by Megatron bashing him aside.
"He was still a greater warrior than you'll ever be." Megatron taunted.
Starscream curled into a little ball, trying to shield himself from any further blows. Luckily for the cowardly con, that's when a bird-like crow echoed through the chamber as Laserbeak returned to his masters.
"Lord Megatron, Laserbeak has returned from his mission." Soundwave declared.
"Welcome home, Laserbeak." Megatron greeted as the robot bird landed on his arm. "Unlike some of my other warriors, you never fail me. Soundwave, playback Laserbeak's findings."
"As you command, Megatron." Soundwave acknowledged as Laserbeak returned to him.
Laserbeak's razor-sharp bill opened up and a holographic projection began to play. It showed Optimus explaining the situation with the core, Massacre's suggestion to save it, and the formation of the team to go and retrieve the potential Energon. Once the hologram ended, Megatron was left intrigued.
"If there is a new source of Energon in the universe, then the Decepticons must find it first." He decided.
"Then perhaps I can be of assistance." Shockwave offered.
Megatron turned to see his former head scientist, still missing his arm after it was ripped off for his failure. The one-eyed bot bowed before Megatron before speaking again.
"I have been studying these organic specimens after the-" he let out a small cough. "Massacre incident. I am certain I could be of used to you on this journey."
"The last time I left you in charge of organic based projects, I lost my mightiest warrior to the Autobots!" Megatron reminded. "You are to stay behind."
"But Lord Megatron, I-"
"That is an order!" Megatron yelled.
Shockwave flinched, then wisely dropped the issue, backing away.
"I will be leading this mission personally." Megatron decided, curling his metallic fingers menacingly. "After all, I'm overdue for a reunion with my old friend Optimus."