Disclaimer:Transformers belongs to Hasbro, Takara, etc . The only thing in this that belongs to me is Arcee's sister.
"Why is the Blood of Unicron erupting from beneath the Earth?" Optimus asked himself as he saw Dark Energon erupting from the volcano.
"A question, Optimus, that you shall take to your grave," Megatron told him as he went to lower his sword.
A Ground Bridge portal suddenly opens nearby and Bulkhead came through and punched Megatron with his mace getting him off Optimus, stumbling him, as he fought Megatron Arcee and Chromette came came through, they looked up and saw the volcano pouring out Dark Energon, they are as confused as Optimus is and Ratchet then came through.
"Quickly! We must pull him through!" Ratchet instructed as he Arcee and Chromette went to help to get Optimus through the Ground Bridge.
Megatron punched Bulkhead, causing him to fly backwards on his feet, he started to feel woozy as he was standing between shards of Dark Energon.
"Bulk! Now, now, now!" Arcee yelled from the portal, Bulkhead transformed as he turned around accelerating towards the portal. Megatron charged after him with his sword covered in a purple flame. Bulkhead transformed as he jumped into the portal. With a roar of determination Megatron swung his blade at the portal…only to have it close in front of him.
With a growl of frustration, Megatron removed the blade from the ground and retracted it back into his arm. He glanced at his clawed fingers and saw purple liquid covering them. It was Dark Energon. Megatron had hit the mother lode.
"This is merely the beginning! I now possess enough Dark Energon to reanimate Unicron himself! Yes!" Megatron heeded before laughing evilly.
Bumblebee typed in the necessary commands into the computer and lowered the handles that activated the Ground Bridge. When he did, Bulkhead and Ratchet came through supporting a severely weakened Optimus towards the table where Raf was laying on. Arcee and Chromette followed behind them just before the portal closed.
"Easy Optimus, from the looks of things you've been exposed to a massive amount of Dark Energon.
"I am not the only one," Optimus reminded him as he pointed to Raf who was once again being checked over by June and sitting down on the table as before sitting next to him.
"Hey," Raf said weakly, looking at him.
"He's lucky to be alive," June told Optimus.
"Megatron found more of the dark stuff?" Jack guessed as he and Miko walked down the stairs.
"Yep," Chromette nodded.
"A volcano full," Arcee added.
"The question is :how?" Bulkhead remarked.
"No. The question is: what? As in, what in the world is the blood of Unicron doing here on Earth?" Ratchet corrected.
"The 'Cons killed a unicorn?" Miko asked them, all of the autobots looked at her with confused faces, "White horse with a horn on its head? Prances around all sparkly?"
"Unicron, an ancient evil whose fossilized blood comprises the matter which we call Dark Energon, as legend would have it," Ratchet corrected.
"So, you're saying this Unicron is some kind of boogeyman?" June asked.
"Boogeyman?" Ratchet repeated in confusion.
"Make-believe creepy guy who hides in your closet," Miko clarified.
"No, Nurse Darby. Unicron is very real. was. That is, well, I do believe he once existed. I just don't subscribe to the theory that his primordial life force is the substance which… harmed Raf," Ratchet stammered.
"I've heard enough. Jack, please, help me get Raf into the car," June requested before wheeling Raf away, earning protests from Bumblebee.
"Mom, I thought he was doing better," Jack protested.
"Raf needs to be examined by real doctors. And Raf's family needs to know what happened," June retorted before adding, "His real family."
"Mom, Raf's family can't protect him, not like they can," Jack objected, gesturing to the Autobots.
"June, it deeply grieves me that Ihave failed. But I will do everything in my power to ensure that no harm comes to our human friends… or any human ever again," Optimus told her, standing up.
"Optimus, they're children. They do not belong in your world. They should be worrying about grades, prom dates, pimples. Not their own survival!" June cried.
"Mom, Dark Energon is pouring out of the Earth. It doesn't do that. This could be about everyone's survival, not just ours," Jack reminded her.
"You're coming with me, all three of you, and they will not be coming back," June declared.
"I understand," Optimus said.
"That's it? After all we've been through together? See ya? What about our freedom to choose?" Miko cried.
"That may fly on their planet. But not here on Earth!" June cut in as she helped Raf inside of her car, "Get in!"
"Do you really expect me to ride in a non-transforming vehicle?" Miko scoffed.
"Miko, I'm serious," June warned.
"You're not my mother," Miko retorted, placing her hands on her hips.
Bulkhead stepped forward, "Miko!"
Miko turned around, "Neither are you!" She snapped, surprising him.
"Well, I am yours. Let's go, Jack," June said.
Arcee approached Jack, "She is your mom," she said sadly as Jack looked at her.
"I'm staying. I'm sorry." Jack told her.
June was angry as her child defied her and wanted to risk his life for a war that doesn't concern him. Then, she decided to deal with the fact that he just spoke for himself later. Right now, she had to get Raf to the emergency room and give him medical help. She turned sharply on her heel and stormed towards her car, closed Raf's door and he put his hand on the window. June climbed in behind the steering wheel. Everyone was sad that she was taking Raf away.
"Ratchet, activate the Ground Bridge," Optimus instructed.
"No, thank you!" June objected harshly before racing away.
Raf peered out the back window, staring at Bumblebee until he disappeared from sight. Took his glasses off and began to cry.
"Prime, do you copy?" Fowler said on the Cybertronian computer system.
"I hear you, Agent Fowler," Optimus answered as he walked forward.
"Been watching the news?" Fowler asked him, "Mother Nature's got a twitch in her britches."
"We know about the volcano," Optimus told him.
"And the quakes?" He asked them, "Seven major tremblers of the same magnitude at the same time as a volcanic eruption all over the globe on different tectonic plates, in theory, un related, if it hadn't happened…" Fowler said, as an image of the Earth as a globe with every single tectonic plate on it appeared on the monitor in the center.
"...At the exact same time," Ratchet finished for him.
"How's that possible?" Chromette asked with confusion.
"Check it out. More good news," Miko remarked as she turned up the volume of the TV from the catwalk as everyone looked at the tv.
"Freak storms unlike any the region has seen. Tsunamis threaten the Canadian coast while lightning storms pummel the Gobi desert. Meanwhile, electromagnetic anomalies plague urban power grids. These abnormal global phenomena are leaving most to wonder why now and what next."
"Don't tell me your 'Cons have built a weather machine," Fowler said.
"One that powerful?" Ratchet asked, with objection in his voice, "Highly unlikely."
"I do not believe the appearance of Dark Energon at this point in time to be coincidental," Optimus said.
June was driving down the desert road taking Raf to the emergency room like she told the Autobots and that he wouldn't come back, which means he probably wouldn't see Bumblebee again. The thought alone made him want to cry once again. He saw lightning and decided to count, "One one hundred. Two one hundred."
June decided she needed to talk to Raf. He hadn't spoken a word since they left. He spent most of the trip crying over what he had lost. So she decided a conversation is what they would need to lighten the mood a bit. Considering they also don't have the radio playing in the car. So they're oblivious to what is actually going on.
"You okay back there, Raf?" She asked him.
"I saw lightning. I'm counting until the thunder-" Raf's explanation was cut off by a clap of thunder, causing them to physically wince.
"Looks like a storm," June laughed nervously, "My garden will love it."
June gasped when lighting struck the road just mere inches away from her car. Immediately, she began to lose control of the car and began to swerve around the road. She tried to regain control of the car. But the lightning hitting the road made the task virtually impossible. Eventually, the car did a complete 360-degree spin and crashed into a power pole situated next to the road. Both driver and passenger alike were panting. Clearly shaken up from their close encounter with death.
"Raf, are you okay?" June asked nervously, earning a hum from him, "What's that?"
They heard the sounds of wailing wind. They saw leaves drifting past them. Then, they looked ahead and saw the cause of the strong winds and wailing sounds, a tornado.
June thought that this was strange as Neavda hasn't had any tornadoes since 1962 and why now as it wasn't tornado season.
"No! June exclaimed as she tried to drive away, "Come on. Come on. Come on"
But the force of the tornado was too strong. Rather than allowing the car to drive away, it pulled it forward every time it reversed even a millimeter. They were stuck. And everything June tried to get away would only wind up being in vain. The tornado began to shift around the general area, edging closer to June and Raf. When June finally began to reverse away from the power line, the tornado began to lift them up. Immediately, June's main concern was Raf's safety. Occasionally, she sent nervous glances towards the pre-teen in the backseat. Raf was scared as well.
Bumblebee was approaching them in his alternate mode as he evaded a lighting strike as it struck the road, and transformed. He ran towards the car which the tornado began to suck in, he jumped up and grabbed the car's hood with his hand, Bumblebee soon felt his feet begin to slide as he nearly lost his balance. The tornado was beginning to suck him in as well, he needed to find something solid and heavy to stabilize his balance, he saw a utility pole nearby, as he fought the strength of the tornado that was pulling him in, he walked backwards and grabbed it, but barely held onto it. The pole was beginning to crack underneath due to the wind and his strength. He turned to June and Raf, and began to buzz his instructions to them.
"He wants us to climb into his hand!" Raf translated for June.
Raf began to climb out the back-left window of the car. Bumblebee looked down and saw the power pole creating an even larger hole in the ground until it flew out completely.
Bumblebee immediately reached out for the car with his now free hand. Raf and June were now sitting on the hood slowly edging towards Bumblebee's hands. Raf decided to take a chance and jumped onto Bumblebee's hands. June went to do the same. However, the rest of the car ripped away from the hood lid. Bumblebee and Raf gaped at the sight of the car flying towards the tornado. However, they all sighed in relief when they saw June haul herself up from the hood of the car that flew away.
Now was not the time to waste as the prophecy was looming over them all. So as soon as Raf and June were secured inside, Bumblebee drove back towards the base at high speeds.
"Thank you," June panted in relief to Bumblebee, who beeped a reply.
"He says, you're welcome," Raf translated with a nod.
The volcano was surrounded by numerous crystals of Dark Energon. Decepticon miners were on the scene within seconds. Drilling and collecting the Dark Energon that Megatron desperately sought for years. Megatron himself was even more possessed by the substance than before. As the 47 spheres remained aligned, everything changed. For Autobots and Decepticons alike.
"Rivers of your very lifeblood rising from the depths to become one with me!" Megatron rasped happily before exclaiming in pain.
He was having another vision. This one was more vivid than the previous vision he had of the volcano that was sprouting Dark Energon from beneath. The explosions from the volcano were stronger than before. Purple cracks broke through the ground, spreading across the entire planet. And finally it happened, the Earth was destroyed.
Everyone inside the Autobot base watched as Bumblebee returned and slowed to a had heard that there was trouble involving Raf, June and the tornado. Bumblebee was immediately dispatched to help their friends escape death. Bumblebee opened the doors and June and Raf stepped out of the Urbana 500.
"Uh, we're back," Raf said awkwardly.
"And we are glad," Ratchet sighed in relief.
Bumblebee transformed as Jack approaches his mother.
"Are you all right?" Jack asked his mother.
"I will be," She answered.
"Jack…" she said.
"Mom, I…" he said.
she places a hand on his shoulder, "I know. Me too," she hugs him for a second, "But you're grounded till you're 30."
"Hey!" Jack protested.
"25," June relented.
"18," Arcee compromised.
"Fine by me," June shrugged.
"World leaders are classifying these bizarre weather patterns as a global emergency."
"Global?" June asked as she walks up the stairs to the TV on the catwalk.
"And scientists believe the phenomena to be somehow related to the current planetary alignment."
"What have you learned, Prime? And you better not blow smoke up my oven," Fowler began ranting before noticing the new presence in the room, "Ms. Darby. What a nice surprise."
"Special Agent Fowler," June greeted.
"We have learned this, as with the so called magma from the volcano, these earthquakes originated far below the Earth's crust, from the very center of the Earth's core, in fact," Ratchet began explaining as the diagram of the Earth's plates tilted as the images of the faultlines and continents disappeared leaving a sphere with seven dots representing each major plate with lines from each dot stretching down to a large reddish orange dot in the center which suddenly appeared and started flashing.
"Quakes don't start there," Fowler said before looking at June who approached him, "Do they?"
"Tiny tremors rising and falling in a constant pattern, almost like…" Ratchet trailed off as he studied the wavelengths of the tremors, the realization slowly came to him, "By the Allspark! If I convert these data points to audio files…"
"What? What is it?" Fowler asked.
"Listen," Ratchet whispered.
Ratchet began to play the audio file, everyone immediately began to listen. They heard the consistent drumming playing through the speakers. Felt the vibrations, as well. the sound of lub-dub was being heard through the speakers. Arcee and Chromette stood next to each other and Optimus as the realization hit everyone.
Aboard the Nemesis, Soundwave was playing the same audio file to Megatron, the noise was bothering him, so Megatron looked at him, "Stop, Soundwave! Turn it off!" he requested and Soundwave did just that but he still heard the noise, and grabbed his head with pain, "I can still hear it pounding in my brain!"
"A Cybertronian heartbeat?" Jack gasped with disbelief.
"That's impossible," Chromette said with confusion, "We don't have hearts nor blood but have energon in place of blood as well as a spark in the place of a heart."
"She's right. How is that possible? A heart pumps blood. there's nothing inside the Earth to pump except-" June protested.
"Blood of Unicron," Raf realized.
Meanwhile inside the volcano filled with Dark Energon, Unicron's face appeared within the mountain, "I awaken," Unicron said in a deep menacing voice similar to John Noble.
"Okay, hold on. You mean something's living down there inside our planet?" Miko asked with disbelief.
"I fear that the Earth's very core is not comprised of magma, as your science has suggested, but of Dark Energon," Optimus declared.
"And we're hearing a spark, then unicron is the rising darkness that the prophecy foretold," Ratchet added.
"So, how do we stop this thing from rising?" Fowler asked the question that was on everybody's minds.
"That, I'm afraid was not foretold," Optimus answered sadly.
"How can something be in our Earth's core and be alive?" June asked.
"Such a thing is not unprecedented," Optimus said, knowing that he's going to explain to the human's of the war between Primus and Unicron, the thirteen primes, Well of All Sparks and the defeat of Unicron that happened so long ago.
"Before the Beginning, there was Primus, and there was Unicron. One, the incarnation of creation. The other of destruction. For eons, Primus and Unicron battled. The balance of power shifting between them more times than could be counted. Only by creating the thirteen, the original primes who preceded me, was Primus finally able to defeat Unicron and cast him out. Primus became one with the very core of our planet, creating life through the Well of All Sparks, while Unicron was never to be heard from again… until now."
"Maybe we can find the hole this uber 'Con left when he dug himself all the way down there and fill it full of explosives," Fowler suggested.
"Agent Fowler, I do not believe that Earth became Unicron's home but rather that with time and gravitational force, debris collected around the slumbering Titan," Optimus explained.
"Forming your Earth yourself," Ratchet finished.
"And he's only awakening now due to the magnetic pull created by the planetary alignment," Arcee realized.
"That makes a lot of sense," Chromette said.
"Okay, well, what happens now when Unicron wakes up from his billion year nap?" Jack asked.
"Yeah, does he stretch and kapw! Earth poofs to dust?" Miko guessed.
Optimus didn't answer her question. In fact, no Autobot did.
"You don't know, do you?" June realized.
"My guess is that Unicron has transcended physical form as we know it. Nonetheless, we must find a way to ensure that this force of nature never fully awakens. The fate of your planet depends upon it," Optimus declared.
"Lord Megatron, our cargo hold is nearly filled with the dark substance. I recommend a retreat. The troops are growing weak from its effects," Airachnid reported.
"And yet I grow stronger," Megatron murmured before turning to Airachnid, "Airachnid, you're in command until my return."
"Your return from where, Master?" Airachnid asked him.
"From my audience with Unicron," Megatron answered as he walked away.
Megatron found himself flying back towards the volcano where he collected the Dark Energon sprouting from the Earth and he nearly defeated Optimus Prime. True to his word, he intends to have an audience with Unicron the Destroyer. And the only way to do that is to stand before the mouth of the volcano. Megatron transformed and stood at the edge of the volcano's erupting mouth.
"I feel your presence! Share your very spark! I call upon you my lord and Master, oh, mighty Unicron!" Megatron spoke.
Lightning flashed and thunder clapped all around the Decepticon master. Thick, dark purple smoke began to rise from the deep recesses of the volcano. Before long, Megatron could see glowing purple eyes. And the face of Unicron appeared before him.
"Who would speak to me?" Unicron asked Megatron.
"Your servant, most humble," Megatron answered as he knelt before him, "Megatron, leader of the Decepticons, and your very herald,the one who wielded the Dark Energon which binds us to awaken you once again! The prophecy has been fulfilled! It is only the beginning of what we shall accomplish together, for you shall rule this planet and those who walk upon it through me!"
"Prideful fool! How dare you think yourself capable of summoning my life force? I rise because U have deemed it my time!" Unicron told him.
"Master, I did not mean to overstep," Megatron said as he began to apologize to the chaosbringer.
"Silence worm! I have no need of your lowly assistance," Unicron went on.
So this is how Starscream must have felt when I was treating him this way... Megatron thought to himself as he fell onto his knees, "Please, my lord! I exist only to serve you!"
"What is this I sense? The taint of Primus? Here?" Unicron pondered to himself.
"That is Optimus, the last of the Primes, our sworn enemy," Megatron clarified as he stood on his feet.
"You profess loyalty to me, yet allow a disciple of Primus to live ?!" Unicron said with anger.
"I will destroy him for you! His screams will be heard!" Megatron declared.
"I grow weary of your prattle. Surely I'd you had the power to destroy this Prime, you would have done so already. I will deal with him myself," Unicron told him.
With those words said, Unicron disappeared and the smoke floated back inside the volcano. Megatron stood over the volcano angry. He was disrespected. Oh, he will show him!
Optimus was walking through a gorge. The autobots were going to do whatever it takes to find out how to get to Unicron and how to defeat him. The fate of the planet and the entire human race depended on their success. And to start things off, Optimus searched the multiple epicenters of the seven earthquakes that occurred at different points of the globe at the same time. He knew that it would do very little to help them locate and defeat Unicron. But they had to start somewhere.
"Ratchet, this epicenter is consistent with the findings of the others. It's terrain is rich in ore," Optimus said, to Ratchet on the comlink.
"So what does that tell us?" Fowler asked.
"It follows that the natural metals in your Earth would be extensions of Unicron. His limbs, if you will," Ratchet answered.
"So, he did have his morning stretch, which is why these quakes happened," June said.
"Optimus, I'm detecting a swell in Unicron's spark activity," Ratchet warned.
"Rest assured, Ratchet, I will proceed with vigilance," Optimus answered.
He heard rocks moving, turned around and saw a face with purple eyes forming in a rock face. It was the face of Unicron.
"Do you know me, follower of Primus?" Unicron asked him.
"Unicron, the chaos Bringer," Optimus identified.
"Good," Unicron said and with that one small word said, his face disappeared and rocks crumbled around him. Emerging from the chasm in the wall created was the rock body of a titan. A direct representation of Unicron. Much like the Thirteen were direct representations of Primus. Optimus moves backwards slightly. From surprise and the rumbling Earth rather than absolute fear. Immediately, he knew that he couldn't show what they fear to Unicron as Unicron fed on fear.
"Now know me as Unicron, your destroyer!" Unicron said.
Optimus deployed his swords in time to block Unicron's attacks. Whenever Unicron moved forward, Optimus moved backwards. Strategically perfect to avoid any attack Unicron served upon him… Most of the time.
Optimus soon retracted his swords, "I humbly request your ear, Lord Unicron."
"And what would a Prime be so compelled to say to me?" Unicron asked him.
"I make this appeal not for myself but for this planet which you constitute and the beings who inhabit it," Optimus said, appealing to him, "Humankind relies upon you for life, sustenance. Your resurrection will only result in the destruction of a species which evolved from the seeds of your very greatness."
"So, this humankind of whom you speak, you consider them my progeny?" Unicron asked him.
"Indeed," Optimus answered.
"Parasites! They, too, shall know my wrathful hand. Once I am finished with you," Unicron said.
The spike-covered rock swords that made up the rest of Unicron's arms disappeared. Instead, hands that were Cybertronian like replaced them. With palms and fingertips glowing a striking purple.
Optimus gasped as electricity knocked him back. Only…it wasn't electricity. While lightning shot out of Unicron's hands and attacked his enemies, the lightning wasn't like the ordinary lightning the world sees during every storm. Made up of the static electricity caused by the friction of water and ice particles colliding with one another, but rather, it was made up of Dark Energon.
Optimus landed on his chassis as Unicron approached him, "The line of Primes has grown weak in my absence. And thus you shall fall." Unicron began charging the electricity made of Dark Energon from his hands.
"That outcome is inevitable but not on this day!" Optimus said, activating his blasters and began shooting at the representative of Unicron, which called soon afterward, he approached the corpse which dissolved into rock. It would take more than simply defeating one of his representatives for all of this to be over. He had to do so much more to finally finish this…
But first, he had to survive the obstacles that would be thrown at him.
Among the obstacles he had to face were even more of the rock representatives of Unicron. Optimus just stared as he saw Unicron create more representatives of himself from the rock piles and cliff faces that surrounded him. He was ready to fight.
"Yes, Disciple of Primus, on this very day, for Unicron may be one. But we all are Unicron!" The representatives of Unicron all said together as they surrounded the Prime.
To be continued, next is One shall rise part 2 and please review