Rescue time! And we'll finally see some action from Nemesis Prime. Be sure to leave a review and enjoy!
(Decagon, Cybertron)
The once Autobot fortress was dead quiet, saved for the sound of creaking metal underneath Ultra Magnus's feet. The large mech moved with great caution so as not to alert possible sentries. His neutron blaster rifle was at the ready as Magnus's optics scanned his surroundings. There had yet to be any signs of other Cybertronians, but that didn't mean he could let his guard down. It could be that most of their forces were concentrated at the Hall of Records. That meant this was the best opportunity to free Optimus.
As he reached the corner of the hallway, Magnus picked up voices. Leaning against the wall, he carefully peeked his head around the corner. Up ahead there were three Cybertronians. The first was Bombast, a large bulky green mech. Next was a pink-colored femme, Cameo, who was holding a pair of submachine guns. Finally, there was Contagion, a large, bulky navy blue and yellow mech with a hunched back with two large pumps on his shoulders. He was carrying a corrosive slime shooter, a dangerous weapon second only to Sentinel's cosmic rust cannon. However, what caught Magnus's attention was the sealed door beside them, as well as a sword, shield and blaster in the center of the three.
'Has to be where Optimus is being held.' Magnus thought as he took out an EMP grenade. With a strong throw, he threw the grenade right at Bombast's feet.
"Huh?" Was all the green mech could say before the electromagnetic pulse went off. The three Cybertronians shouted in surprise as their systems were temporarily disabled. That was Magnus's signal to move forward. Raising his blaster, he immediately gunned down Cameo, who didn't even stand a chance. He bashed aside Bombast with his shoulder before being forced to dodge a burst of corrosive slime heading his way. Contagion had managed to recover somewhat and was now firing wildly in order to hit Magnus.
The Autobot lieutenant responded by firing one of his shoulder rockets at the Star Seeker. The blast knocked Contagion's weapon out of his hand. The large mech was finished off when Magnus fired another missile that blew off Contagion's head from his neck. That just left Bombast, who had only recovered only to be shot right through the chest by Magnus.
With the guards down, Magnus made his way over to the cell. Deactivating the lock, the door slid open, revealing Optimus Prime. The Autobot leader had was held up by chains around his wrists, and he looked rather weak and he did not seem to respond to Magnus's presence. Ultra Magnus ran up to Optimus and did a quick scan of his leader, showing that the Prime was low on Energon and was currently in stasis lock.
Magnus immediately removed the bindings and laid Optimus against the wall. He then pulled out a cube of energon he had kept in his subspace before feeding it to Optimus. He watched as the energy went through Prime's systems, and life returned to his optics. "Optimus? Optimus, can you hear me?" Magnus asked.
As his optics and receptors started to come back online, Optimus let out a groan as he looked up. "Ultra Magnus?" Optimus asked, seeing his old lieutenant.
"On your feet, old friend. We're leaving." Magnus said as he helped Optimus up. The blue mech held up Optimus's Ion Blaster. "Can you still fight?"
Optimus nodded as he balanced himself. He grabbed his weapon and checked it over before grabbing his sword and shield. "Do you have a plan of escape, Magnus?" Optimus asked.
"My ship is waiting at the highest landing pad, in order to avoid detection. However, there are other prisoners here, Autobots. I have Springer, First Aid and Blades searching for them." Magnus explained.
"Then we should assist them. I may have been weakened, but I will not let that stop me in saving fellow Autobots." Optimus declared as he hefted his Ion Blaster.
The two proceeded to walk out of the cell and head towards where the other rescue team was. They had not even made it a hundred feet when a feminine voice filled the halls. :Can you hear me, Optimus Prime?: The voice asked.
"Quintessa…" Optimus growled.
:I detected intrusion the moment your guards were killed: The sorceress said in a haughty tone. :Know that everything you do is futile. I shall have my staff, Unicron and Earth will die, and Cybertron will be restored:
"We will not allow you to do that, Quintessa! I won't let an entire species die just to destroy Unicron!" Optimus declared.
Quintessa merely chuckled sinisterly. :Fighting for others not of your kind, unwilling to make the sacrifices needed for victory. Just like how Alpha Trion was, even to the very end:
"What do you mean by that?" Optimus demanded, wondering how she knew of his mentor and caretaker.
:It does not matter. You are no longer needed, seeing how you will not fulfill the purpose give upon you: Quintessa replied. :Farewell, Optimus Prime: She finished as her voice went silent.
That's when the two Autobots picked up a noise from outside. Before they could react, the wall they were near exploded, sending both Optimus and Magnus falling out of the building and downwards. Fortunately, they were able to use the various parts of the Decagon that stuck out to lessen their thirty-feet fall. Both mechs landed with a loud grunt when they finally hit the ground.
As their systems recovered, Optimus and Magnus realized they were not alone. Surrounding them were the members of the Star Seekers, as well as Straxus, with his pick-axe at the ready. Flying in the air in his vehicle mode was Switchblade. "Take them!" Straxus ordered as Snow Cat, a steel-blue and white mech grabbed Optimus by the neck from behind, while Pitstop, a large blue and yellow striped mech hefted his large plasma rocket launcher.
Before they could execute the Autobots, Springer came flying out of the building in his Apache form before transforming. As he dived towards the ground, the green mech pulled out a dual-sided sword from his subspace compartment. Snow Cat had no time to react when Springer spun his blade, cutting off the Star Seeker's left arm and then head.
"Springer!" Magnus exclaimed, before the three Autobots were forced to shelter. After coming out of their shock, the other Star Seekers opened fire on them. The three Autobots returned fire, forcing their enemies to cover
"Don't worry!" Springer said as he brought out his laser rifle. "Calvary is right behind me!"
True enough, the sound of multiple engines filled the area. Driving out from the Decagon's main entrance were six vehicles. Two of them were First Aid and Blades. After them was the Protectobot leader, Hot Spot, a light blue mech with a Pierce Manufacturing Enforcer Fire Truck alt mode, the largest vehicle among the six. Next was Groove, the smallest member, with a white, blue and yellow Yamaha FJR1300A Motorcycle. The last two were Streetwise and Rook, the former a white and red stripped mech with a Nissan 370Z Police Car mode and the latter a black and white mech with a Lenco BearCat Truck for his alt mode.
They knocked aside several Star Seekers blocking their path before positioning themselves between the enemy and comrades. The Protectobots immediately transformed, showing their angered expressions. Hot Spot was the one who spoke first. "Time to give some payback! Protectobots, combine!" He yelled as he transformed to form a large chest as well as waist and upper legs.
Rook and Streetwise followed next, Rook forming a large lower right leg and foot, while Streetwise transformed into a lower left leg and foot. First Aid shifted into left arm that attached to Hot Spot, a hand popping out. Blades did the same, though he instead transformed into a right arm with a hand. Finally, Groove transformed into a large head, as well as a chest plate too.
"Defensor online!" The combiner bellowed as it stared down at the pirates. Said Cybertronians were slowly backing away, now realizing the opponent they were facing. Before they could react, Defensor brought out a pair of photon pulse cannons on his arms and opened fire. The cannons released explosive energy that automatically killed Pitstop, as well as Vectorium, a red and grey mech, and Rollcage, a black, purple and yellow femme. More Star Seekers were sent flying while others immediately took cover. Straxus also joined them, firing his neutron machine gun, plasma grenade launcher and missile launchers. Defensor paid these no mind as he activated his force field before firing his cannons again, forcing them back. Along with that, he activated his back-mounted Nucleon Missile Turret, resting it on his right shoulder. The missiles caused massive causalities among the Star Seekers, spreading them out. The combiner was soon joined by the other Autobots.
However, eventually Defensor's armor would wear down and Magnus knew that. "Gears! We're near the entrance to the Decagon! Where are you?" He yelled through the coms.
:We see the explosions, Magnus! Cosmos and I are beginning our descent. Get ready for a quick exit!: Gears said as the Iron Will came into view. The spaceship landed behind the Autobots as its ramp descended, revealing Gears armed with a plasma blaster as he fired at the Star Seekers. "Hurry! Cosmos has the engines running. I'll cover you." Gears said as he shot some more plasma bolts.
The first to move towards the ship was Springer, followed by Ultra Magnus and Optimus. Some of the Star Seekers fired a barrage of rockets at the ship but were thwarted when Defensor got in the way and generated a force-field that block the projectiles. The smoke from the rockets gave the Protectobots enough cover to uncombine and run towards the ship while Gears and Optimus gave cover fire. Once everyone was aboard, the ramp ascended back into the ship.
"Cosmos, full power to the thrusters and shield! Get us out of here!" Magnus ordered.
"Understood, Magnus! Hang on tight!" Cosmos said as the Iron Will took off, scattering the Star Seekers as they tried to ground the spaceship. The Autobot ship was soon in the sky and headed straight towards Earth. Due to the path they were taking, the Iron Will flew right over the Hall of Records, where Quintessa and Infernocus were standing outside of as they watch the ship soared over them.
A snarl forming on her face, Quintessa looked at her bodyguard. "Shoot them down!" She ordered.
Infernocus let out a growl of acknowledgment and fired his cannons. The barrage of neutron bolts covered the sky as it tried to hit the Iron Will with little success. Just as it was nearing Earth's atmospheres, one of the rockets managed to hit the bottom of the ship, causing the ramp to open. And unfortunately, Optimus was near the ramp when it did. The sudden shake from the blast caused the Prime to lose his footing and fall out of the ship.
"Optimus!" Springer yelled as he tried to grab his leader, but to miss by a few inches. Optimus felt himself being pulled down by Earth's gravitational pull.
"Slag! Cosmos, hurry and get after Prime!" Magnus ordered as he sat at the pilot seat next to Cosmos.
"I'm trying, sir! But he's already being pulled down into the planet's atmosphere. If we push the ship to fast, we'll risk having it break apart from the intense heat!" Cosmos said as he tried to catch up to the falling Autobot leader.
As Optimus began moving through Earth's exosphere, he struggled to grab his shield blaster. Once he got a hold of it, the Prime held it in front of him to protect his chassis from the heat. He was going too fast to use the shield's thrusters to stop his descent. But Optimus was able to scan for larges bodies of water to hit instead of the hard ground of Earth. Thus, he used the thrusters to control the direction of which he was falling. All the while Optimus did his best to remain online and not fall back into stasis lock.
(North Atlantic Ocean)
Megatron had his arms crossed as he stood on the transformed Gerald R. Ford-class Aircraft Carrier. Tidal Wave had already picked up the rest of Megatron's team, as well as Fracture's, all of whom were situated in the lower decks. He had Fracture and Barricade remained in England, to be ready to secure the center point once the staff had been retrieved. In the meantime, Megatron took this moment to stare up at Cybertron, as it could be faintly seen through the clouds. "It won't be long now, Cybertron. Soon, all we be as it should be."
"Lord Megatron" Soundwave said as he walked up to his master. "We have received confirmation from Storm Surge. Yeager and the Autobots have headed towards the staff's location. TRF is currently pursuing them, as well as Nemesis Prime. What are your orders?"
Megatron grinned, glad to hear such good news. "Tell Storm Surge to track them but remained undetected. Have Starscream, Nitro and Cyclonus join me. We'll be going to the location if it comes down to it. Then tell Shockwave to begin mobilizing our troops and have them head to Cybertron and prepare a defensive perimeter."
"As you command, Lord Megatron." Soundwave replied monotonously.
"Oh, and one more thing, Soundwave." Megatron suddenly said. "Tell, Rumble to begin the second phase of his mission. TRF's usefulness are nearing its end."
The communication officer nodded before heading to carry out his orders. Megatron returned his attention to his home planet floating above him. He frowned for a split second when his scanners picked up what appeared to be a burning projectile falling from the sky, but merely shrugged it off.
(Fort Collins, Colorado)
Within the hidden base of TRF, Rumble in his alt mode was waiting patiently alongside the other Gladiator TUGV. It hadn't been easy, but he had managed to sneak into the base, having uploaded its coordinates during Megatron's meeting with TRF. The mini-con had finished his entire scanning of the TRF base already, as well as the location of the remaining imprison Decepticons. Surprisingly, there were no Autobot prisoners, though Rumble could only conclude it was thanks to the efforts of Cade Yeager and the other Autobots.
Suddenly he got a signal from Soundwave, indicating it was time to begin the second part. Obviously happy, Rumble transformed once the coast was clear. He then made his way up to the nearest ventilation shaft and began moving through the air system, heading towards the base's control room. If he could just make it there, all he had to do was kill the staff there and then hacked the systems to release the other prisoners.
After a few minutes of making right and wrong turns, Rumble reached his destination. Looking behind the ventilation door, Rumble scanned the room, taking note of the several operators and the security there. All of them were busy doing their own work, not even noticing the small Cybertronian looking at them. Once he had marked every single human, Rumble loudly kicked the door off its hinges before landing on a consol. His presence had the expected reaction, operators shouted in shock and alarm, as the soldiers scrambled to ready their rifles.
Unfortunately, Rumble wasn't giving them a chance. "Get ready to crumble, before Rumble!" He yelled as his arms morphed into piledrivers. He started pounding them on the ground, creating shockwaves that knocked the humans off their feet and destroyed several machines too. With them disoriented, Rumble morphed his arms into a pair of machine guns, firing wildly and killing several people. He targeted the guards first, before going after the operators. A few had managed to escape, but Rumble only needed a few minutes to hack the system.
"Alright, you slaggers! Get ready for some freedom!" Rumble declared as he finished hacking the cells into opening. Soon, every Decepticon was free from their bindings and cages, and were now running amok across the base, killing any human in their way. A few TRF soldiers were fighting back, but it was at best a delaying tactic for the others to evacuate. With his work done, Rumble made his way out of the control room, joining the other Decepticons and contacting Soundwave on the completed mission.
At one of the base's hangars were several staff members, protected by some TRF soldiers. They were rushing to reach the vehicles parked in the garage to escape the massacre. Unfortunately, Berserker chose that moment to crash through the nearby wall, his arm-mounted machine guns out. "Die, meatbags!" He screeched as he opened fire. Several humans were killed immediately while the TRF soldiers returned fire, though having little effect on the maniacal Decepticon.
Berserker's killing spree came to an end, when a familiar M1117 Guardian came charging through. It struck the Con in the legs, knocking the mech over, who began screeching profanities in Cybertronian. Then the 'vehicle' transformed into a bulky, dark grayish-blue mech with blue optics. The mech pulled out a rifle and fired rounds of acidic pellets that burned Berserker's armor. The Decepticon scrambled to get back up, firing at the Autobot. The gray mech used his left arm to shield his face from the bullets, continuing to fire rounds at Berserker. Said Con tried to tackle his opponent, only for the Autobot to grabbed Berserker by the arm and toss him over his shoulder onto the ground hard. The mech then pointed his rifle at the Con's head and blew it into pieces.
With his work done, the mech turned to check on the humans, only to seem them already fleeing the base inside cars, vans and even trucks. They had used their brawl to open the garage doors and escape. In a show of gratitude, they left the door open for the Autobot to drive out of, as well as the base's outer fence. That said, the mech wasted no time in transforming back into vehicle mode and evacuating the soon to be overrun base. He knew that it would be folly to try and save any other humans, as he would be completely outnumbered.
Once he was far away from the base, the Autobot activated his coms. "This is Scattershot calling Prowl. Do you read me?"
A few seconds later, a voice spoke back. :This is Prowl. What's the situation, Scattershot?:
"Not good. Someone hacked into the TRF's systems and freed all the Decepticons. They're completely rioting, killing the humans. I managed to save a few before evacuating myself." Scattershot explained. He could see some other vehicles, and a few choppers, leaving the smoking base, probably more humans that had managed to escape.
There was a surprise grunt from the other side. :It seems that the time for stealth is over: Prowl mused. :I'm sending you some coordinates. Go there and Stratosphere will be waiting to pick you up. We've managed to secure a starship and are currently on our way to England. Stratosphere will fill you on the details: The lieutenant said.
:Understood. It will be good to see everyone again: Responded Scattershot as he made his way to the location give to him.
(The Miranda)
It had been an hour since the Autobots' little encounter with TRF. The Cybertronian sub was making good time as its navigation system followed the coordinates. Cade and Viviane had already calmed down and were enjoying a, as Cogman described it, "last meal" of sushi from the fish he managed to catch.
Back at the wheel, Kup kept his optics up front. "Perceptor, any sign of us being followed?"
"Negative, Kup. We might have lost them, but its also possible they could be following us and somehow jamming our sensors." Perceptor replied as he checked the sonar.
"Aye, I've experience that stuff before." Kup commented. "Trailbreaker, Bumblebee. How's the sub's platting looking?"
Bumblebee let out several clicks and chirps. "We didn't take much damage from those torpedoes, or that stunt we pulled. And so far, the sub is handling the increase water pressure well." Trailbreaker explained.
Kup nodded and continued steering the Miranda. That's when the sonar began to ping loudly, catching everyone's attention. "Perceptor" The veteran asked as he slowed down.
"Detecting a massive structure ahead of us. This is also the place where the coordinates lead us." Perceptor said. "I can only assume that we've arrived."
"What's going on?" Asked Cade. He, Viviane and Cogman came onto the deck the moment they heard the pinging sound. On Cade's arm, the talisman was beginning to shift and shine, as if letting out excitement.
"Turning on lights." Kup announced as the submarine's forward lenses flashed on.
What they revealed was nothing less than spectacular. In front of the Miranda was a massive Cybertronian ship. It was about the same size as the Axalon, however, its unique shape made it appear taller. As the submarine made its approach, the ship suddenly lit up, as if responding to the talisman's presence.
"By the Allspark…" Trailbreaker murmured as he looked at the large vessel with wide optics.
"Behold the Steelhaven, the vessel of the Knights of Iacon. Resting place of Merlin and the staff." Cogman narrated. "We shall be the first beings in centuries to set foot on it."
The doors of a large airlock suddenly opened before the Miranda, and yet no one was there to greet them. "I guess the ship is letting us in." Kup commented as he steered the sub forward. The Miranda slowly went through the airlock, and it was only when the submarine was fully through did the door close behind them.
Outside, the TRF subs watched as the airlock closed. They had been momentarily awestruck when they watched the Steelhaven come to life, and had missed their chance to get in. "We need to find another way through, before we lose them." Lennox said as he steered his submarine to find an opening. "Epps, you see anything?"
"Negative, I don't…wait" Epps said through the radio. The second submarine focused its lights on a small opening. It was narrow, but big enough for them to get through. "I think I found our entrance."
"Okay, we're going in." Lennox ordered as he moved his sub to follow Epp's. "Let's take it slow and steady. We don't know what's in there."
Back with the Miranda, the submarine had managed to surface, though still half in water. "This is as far as we can go everyone. Perceptor, can you give us a scan of this ship?" Kup asked as he stopped the sub.
"One moment." Perceptor said as he typed in a few commands. A minute later a large holographic image appeared at the front of the vessel for everyone to see. "I'm reading several energy signatures at least a level below us. They're active but unmoving, I can only assume it's the Knights in stasis lock."
"Well, if we're going with tradition, wherever there are knights, that usually means they're guarding something." Viviane said, recalling one of her lessons.
"There is logic in that. I'm also picking up some other energy signatures, which matches those of drones. After that is an unusual signature that keeps fading in and out, as if it's being covered by something. I'm a hundred percent positive that it is the staff." The scientist answered.
"Okay, then looks like you lot will have to go downward. Bee and Cogman will go with you while the rest of us stay here and wait for you to get back. Good luck." Kup said.
With that said, the four got out of the sub. Bumblebee went into the water, where everything above his waist did not sink in. Cade, Viviane and Cogman were walking on the top of the sub. Viviane, now wearing a jumpsuit over her clothes, held a lantern, while Cade was carrying a single-strap bag over his shoulder, as well as Cybertornian gun he brought with him. Bumblebee already had his plasma cannon ready, with a built-in flashlight on too.
"So, where to now?" Cade asked through the earpiece communicator.
:According to the map, go straight for now. Be careful, some of the ship may have deteriorated over the centuries underwater: Advised Perceptor.
Cogman frowned when he looked over the edge of the sub. "I am not going into that seawater. My gears will be sucked into my main shaft" Cogman said before letting out a yelp when Bumblebee, who had gotten annoyed by the Headmaster's complaining, knocked the smaller mech into the water. As Cade and Viviane jumped into a shallow end of the water, Cogman floated up to them. "Now you're both on my shit list." The Headmaster said, glaring at both Cade and Bumblebee.
The four finally reached the edge of the water, now walking on a metal surface. They had only made it a few steps from the water when they came upon a slightly collapsed entrance. There was still enough room for the humans and Cogman to move through, but definitely not for Bumblebee. "Uh, Perceptor." Cade spoked through the radio.
:Yes, I see it. One sec: The scientist said as he took a moment to find an alternate route. :Ah, here we go. Bee, there should be another passageway for you somewhere on your right. As for the rest of you, that one will take you to the next chamber. There should be an opening there that will lead you down to the chamber where the knights and staff are. You should regroup from there:
Bumblebee chirped in response before heading towards the right. The remaining three continued forward. They had to duck their heads a little but eventually got out on the other side. There, they found the opening that Perceptor mentioned. Fortunately, there were some debris that were stable enough for them to climb down on. Cade pulled out some flares for more light. What greeted them was a large chamber with thirteen statues. Each statue was of a different Cybertronian, with different forms. All of them were in pristine condition, however one of them was missing its head.
"Whoa, who the hell are these guys?" Cade asked out loud.
"Those guys are the Thirteen Primes, our original leaders. The ones who fought alongside Primus to defeat Unicron." Cogman said as he pointed at each statue. "At the front is Prima, the first Prime and the leader of the Thirteen. From the right are Amalgamous Prime, Quintus Prime, Onyx Prime, Logos Prime, Alpha Trion and Solus Prime. From the left are Liege Maximo, Alchemist Prime, Micronus Prime, Nexus Prime, Vector Prime, and the one missing the head is Megatronous Prime, who later became the Fallen." He finished as he stared at the headless statue, which had the form of a lean, bulky mech. "This was probably his chassis before his betrayal. However, that is not important right now. We must keep moving." The Headmaster proceeded forward, going past the statues. Cade and Viviane followed behind them, their eyes still somewhat locked onto the figures.
A few minutes later, the trio came upon a hallway. What made this hallway so special was that on both sides were the stilled form of large Cybertronians. Each one was holding a medieval-like weapon, whether it was a sword, axe, mace, or spear. The three concluded that these were the Guardian Knights of Iacon. And if what Perceptor said was true, they were currently in stasis lock. With the thought in mind, they did their best not to awaken the mechs.
Eventually, the trio reached a larger chamber, overlooking a deep chasm below. There were small openings on the floor, where flame would shoot out every few seconds. The chamber was also filled with statues of knights and knight-shaped drones too. Some of the drones were out of their position, lying across the floor, and many of them damaged. In the center of the chamber, which was illuminated from a mysterious source of light from above, were two statues that faced each other. In between them was a large cross symbol, just like the one on the talisman. Surrounding the mark were smaller runes that formed a circle.
"Okay, the staff has got to be here." Cade said as he looked around the rather large chamber. He made sure not to lose his footing. "This place screams important."
"Good deduction, Sherlock. Figured that all by yourself?" Cogman snapped.
Cade glared at the Headmaster. "Do you ever not act like a dick?" Cade asked.
As the two bickered, Viviane made her way over to the symbols. Bending down, she examined them as they seemed familiar. Meanwhile, not to far where the trio had been, the TRF team were slowly making their way towards them. They had been held back because they had come through one of the upper levels of the Steelhaven. Currently, they were in the same hallway where the Knights were. Santos stared at his energon scanner.
"Careful" He said quietly. "I'm still getting readings. Thermals are high too." Warily, Santos stared at the unmoving Knights. "These…these things might still be alive."
Lennox calmed the men down when a few raised their weapons. "No sudden moves. These aren't our targets. We're here for that weapon, remember." He ordered.
As the soldiers continued forward, they did not see the large shadow silhouette behind them. Nor the pair of glowing purple optics coming from the shadows.
In the main chamber, Viviane brushed away some of the dust to clear the marks. "Wait a minute. I recognize these. They're Celtic runes." Viviane explained as she touched some of said runes.
The moment her fingers made contact, that section of the floor started to move in response to her DNA. The noise from the vibration was loud enough that even the TRF team heard it as they had raised their weapons on reflex. The circle began to spin in different in directions at once, before the large symbol in the center opened. As it did, a human-size tomb came rising out from underneath, right before Cade and Viviane. Written on the tomb were the words 'The Great Wizard Merlin'.
A moment of silence filled the chamber as both humans stared at the tomb. Before them could possibly be the goal of this little adventure of theirs. It was a bit hard for them to imagine that it might be over. However, it was Cade who eventually came back to reality as he looked at the tomb and then Viviane. "Well? Aren't you going to open it?" He asked.
That snapped Viviane out of her daze. She gave Cade a look. "Course I'm going to open it." She replied.
The two then worked together to push the tomb's lid back. After a few seconds the lid slid off completely, revealing the tomb's contents. Inside were the remains of the great Merlin, only his bones and armor remaining. His arms were crossed over his chest and they were, as if hugging it, was a long object that had to be the staff. However, it was not as extravagant as Cade and Viviane imagined, it was nothing more than wood.
Its appearance did not go well with Cade. "This? This is it?" He exclaimed angrily as he picked up the wooden staff, making the corpse's arms falling to its sides. "This was what we were looking for? Nearly getting blasted by TRF and the Cons and all we got was some piece of wood?!" Growling, Cade chucked the staff to the side with a loud thump. Viviane also seemed a bit disheartened, as she had been expecting more from all this.
During the whole thing, Cogman was inspecting a drone that had collapsed from its post and lost much of its armor, showing its protoform shell. He was also missing parts of his face, giving off a skull-like look, with an optic missing. "You know, I honestly thought the Knights would do a better job of keeping this place together. Guess not." The headmaster commented as he climbed on top of the drone, lightly knocking against its face.
Unfortunately, that act caused the drone's optic to turn on and with a roar it got back up, knocking Cogman off. Picking up its swords, it roared. "Intruders! They have come for the staff!"
Cade and Viviane, who had by now noticed the active drone, ran as it chased after them it. The drone swung its swords wildly as it tried to kill the 'intruders'. Cogman managed to recover and fired a rocket at the drone, catching its attention.
"Shoot it!" Cade yelled as Viviane picked up his discarded blaster pistol. Fearfully, the professor fired a shot, hitting the drone in the chest. Unbothered by it, the drone went after her, even as Viviane shot at it more.
Cade rushed up to her and grabbed her arm. "Move!" He shouted as he pulled Viviane with him. Just in time as the drone swung his sword at the spot she was just at, destroying the tomb instead. The shockwave also sent Cade and Viviane flying in two different directions, with Cade nearly falling over the edge, while Viviane landed beside the staff.
It was at that moment Lennox's team arrived. Spotting the rampaging drone, the Colonel gave the order. "Everyone, fire at it. Aim for the optic!" He said as his team opened fire. Some of the men also fired their attached grenade launchers too.
The drone growled at the new attacks. Still yelling to protect the staff, it focused on the TRF soldiers, but had to protect its sole remaining optic. This gave Epps the opening to charge at it. Once he was close, the sergeant placed a detonator onto the drone's right leg, badly damaging it and ruining the drone's footing.
"It's weakened, push it over the edge!" Lennox ordered as Graham and Santos fired grenades. The combined impact was the finishing blow, as the drone was sent over the platform. It roared as it plummeted downwards into the bowels.
Viviane had started to get up when she saw the staff and instinctively grabbed it. When she did, the staff shed its holographic design, revealing its true, Cybertronian metallic form. The tip of the staff began to glow a bright blue. Viviane felt overwhelmed as memories began pouring into her mind, showing her images of Merlin when he was given the staff. At the same time, several individuals also felt the staff activating. On Cybertron, Quintessa sharply turned her head towards Earth, a sinister smile forming on her lips. Across Earth, Unicron's horns began to shake a little as the planet eater felt the power. Back in the Bermuda Triangle, Thunderwing readied himself, knowing that the hour of his master's revival was coming. And finally, aboard the Axalon, which was halfway across the Atlantic Ocean, a still comatose Adam Nova, now garbed in Arthur's Cybertronian's armor, twitched a little. Unbeknownst to Ratchet, who was watching over the boy, the armor began to merge with Adam's body even quicker before the young man burst out of the medical room and flew out of the ship, startling the chief medic and everyone else aboard too.
Back with the Steelhaven, the ship itself was reacting too. After centuries of inactivity, the large Cybertronian vessel began to rise up out of the water. Everyone inside it felt the movement, almost losing their foot. Cade had managed to get back onto the platform when the radio came to life. :Cade! Lad, what's going on there?! Energy readings are off the charts and the whole bloody ship is moving now, too!: Kup exclaimed as he and the other two Autobots tried to steady the Miranda.
"Uh, I'm going to have to call you back, Kup. We got problems of our own here." Cade said as two TRF soldiers had their rifles aimed at him. More also surrounded Cogman, who appeared to be contemplating between fighting or surrendering. The rest quickly surrounded Viviane, who was now standing, staff still in hand.
"Ma'am drop the weapon." Lennox ordered Viviane, rifle raised. When she hesitated Lennox shouted, "Now!"
A determined look appeared on the woman's face as she quickly ran over to the edge of the platform. There she raised her arm until the staff was hovering over the chasm. "You drop it, or I will!" She said, indicating to the man's gun.
The entire chamber was now stuck in an intense stand-off. All the soldiers were trained on Viviane but were hesitant to fire. All the while the ship was getting closer to the surface. At the corner of the chamber, Bumblebee had finally arrived. The yellow mech kept his position hidden, plasma cannon at the ready, waiting for the right time to make himself known.
Trying to appeal to the Colonel, Cade said, "You don't know what you're doing Lennox. We need this staff or the whole Earth is screwed."
"All we want is that weapon!" Lennox said back, eyes still on Viviane.
"In that case, go ahead a shoot me!" Viviane dared, earning surprise looks from everyone. "However, I'm the only one here who can wield it. But, if you still want it, then go on! Shoot me!"
The intensity in the room increased even more. For a moment, Santos appeared to be ready to fire when a groaning sound caught everyone's attention.
From the hallway, two more drones appeared. Weapons out as they swatted nearby TRF soldiers. "Protect the staff!" One of them yelled with more coming up from behind.
Then, the 'statues' that had been near the tomb came to life and pulled out and raised their swords. With roars they attacked the humans who returned fire. The entire chamber had become a brawl. Bumblebee chose that moment to come out, firing at the drones closes to Viviane and Cade. One was shot in the head and destroyed immediately, while the other staggered before engaging the humans again before they gunned it down. Cogman also picked that moment to kick away the TRF soldiers that had been surrounding him while Cade ran to get Viviane.
Before the fight could escalate any further, the sound of weapon's fire came from the hallway as drones were gunned down from an unknown assailant. From the shadows was Nemesis Prime, armed with a pair of laser pistols. He fired more beams that cut down the remaining drones. Then retracting the pistols back into his arms, Nemesis pulled out a two-handed broad axe from his back. Swiftly he cut down one of the last two drones, before beheading the final one. All that left were the humans and two Autobots.
Everyone seemed to stare in silent shock at the large black and cyan mech who looked much like a certain Autobot leader. Bumblebee had even put back his plasma cannon when he had thought it was his commander. However, his spark froze when purple optics momentarily set their gaze on him.
"Optimus?" Cade asked. But it soon became apparent that something was very, very wrong. And that this was not the mech Cade knew.
When purple optics locked onto Viviane, to be more precise the staff in her hand, Nemesis Prime retracted his battle mask. This allowed everyone to see his demonic face, his mouthplate filled with sharp teeth. "I've come for that staff." He declared.
The staff has been found, Optimus Prime has escaped Cybertron and Nemesis Prime has made his presence known! I hoped you'd enjoyed this chapter and leave a review!