Disclaimer:Transformers belongs to Hasbro, Takara, etc. The only thing in this that belongs to me is Arcee's sister.
Nobody moved as they didn't find the strength to move. Especially the Autobots as the dilemma Megatron presented to them was such a heavy weight on them. This dilemma that they never thought they would have to face. They knew it was a possibility when Jack, Miko and Raf discovered the war. But…they never thought it would actually happen.
There were only two real options that were presented to Optimus and the other Autobots. Hand over the keys to Megatron and save the lives of their friends and Arcee's boyfriend, Jack, the designated next Prime when he becomes a Cybertronian, who was very much like Optimus before he became Optimus and when he was known as Orion Pax, Miko, the young reckless, thrill seeking adventurer girl, who has grown attached to and in love with Bulkhead and has matured since her involvement in the war and the thirteen year old genius, who was 12 and a quarter when he learned about the Autobots and the war. Or… they could keep the keys and then slowly watch their young friends die and not have Jack become Cybertronian with Cybertronian and never become a Prime.
What could they do?
Miko kicked at the walls of the glass pod shaped container she was encased in before remarking, "Not how I wanted to spend my first trip to Cybertron."
"Starscream," Megatron said, calling out to his second-in-command.
"Jack! It's time to come out and play!" Starscream tormented as he lifted the pod shaped container higher for all to see before scratching the pod shaped container's glass casing with his sharp digits, causing Jack to quiver slightly as Arcee looked at the seeker with anger in her optics.
"You dare you hurt him, and you will wish that you joined the Allspark instead of Cliffjumper!" Arcee snarled at Starscream in anger.
"What? Is he like your boyfriend or something?" Starscream tormented the blue femme.
"Go ahead," Jack told the seeker as he turned to him, "The Autobots were prepared to sacrifice themselves for my planet. I'll do the same for theirs.
"Me, too, creepy," Miko said, agreeing with Jack as she glared defiantly at Knockout.
"Mm-hmm," Raf gulped nervously before hesitantly nodding in agreement. Soundwave did always scare him because of the visor he wore over his face plate.
"Perhaps we should oblige them," Megatron suggested.
"If my decision dooms the future of the Autobot cause on Cybertron, so be it. But I will never forsake our human allies," Optimus decided as he stabbed the Star Saber into the ground before stepping back towards the other Autobots in between Bumblebee and Smokescreen as despite how no one liked it, they lowered their weapons.
With a sigh in frustration, Arcee pressed the button on the center of her chassis, causing the Apex Armor to seemingly peel itself away from her small, strong frame. Slowly, everyone threw their weapons, which besides the Apex Armor included the Immobilizer, Phase Shifter, polarity gauntlet and the Skyboom Shield across to where the Star Saber was.
They had no choice anymore. It was all over.
They had nothing to fight with.
But most importantly, they had nothing to fight for.
"Now, if you please, the Omega Keys," Megatron requested as he held out the servo of Liege Maximo, "One at a time."
Knockout was the first Decepticon to step forward with his offering, Miko. Naturally, since he was her guardian, Bulkhead would be the first Autobot to step forward when the time would eventually come. Bulkhead didn't like doing this. But he knew it had to be done to save the love of his life. Miko's life as well as Jack's and Raf's were depending on this trade.
"You first, big boy," Knock out smirk only succeeded in stating the obvious in Bulkhead's processor.
Optimus' nod in approval gave him the strength to lift one of his bulky pedes. Following the first bulky pede was the second half of the pair of his bulky pedes. Soon enough, he was approaching Knockout, who was standing there casually waving the pod shaped container housing Miko around as if he was aiming to torment Bulkhead.
"If I don't get the girl, I'll make you eat this key," Bulkhead growled, dangerously as he slammed the Omega Key into Knockout's waiting servo.
"You're welcome," Knockout scoffed as he handed Miko over to the former Wrecker without a fight.
"Get scrapped!" Miko snapped at Knockout as Bulkhead carried Miko away after he groaned as Bumblebee began walking towards Soundwave, was was holding his best friend with shaky pedes and buzzed an angry response at the Decepticons' chief of communications as he handed the pod shaped container that housed Raf to the scout before he carried Raf away.
Optimus stared at Megatron as they both narrowed their optics at each other before turning to the pod shaped container that encased Jack inside of, "If this human was important enough to entrust with the Matrix of Leadership, he's worth two Omega Keys."
Arcee and Chromette then began to walk towards Starscream as he set the pod shaped container that held Jack within on the ground.
"No tricks! The keys if you please," Starscream told the two femmes as he aimed his missiles at them before rotating his arms around for them to hand him the last two Omega Keys before the twins handed him the Omega Keys as Arcee placed her servos on the pod shaped container that encased her boyfriend as he did the same as he placed his hands on the glass inside of the pod shaped container as they looked at each other.
They then heard a Space Bridge portal open as Vehicons rushed out of the portal, aiming their blasters as Arcee picked up the pod shaped container that had Jack trapped within and rushed back towards Optimus and the others with her sister.
The Vehicons charged their blasters as they surrounded the seven Autobots and three humans.
Back at Autobot Outpost Omega One, Ratchet was using the Cybertronian Computer system and sighed out in relief as he looked at one of the Cybertronian Computer system's monitors as he received a signal on it, "Optimus, were you successful?"
However, it wasn't Optimus who was contacting the medic, it was June as she stood in the garage of her house with her phone over her ear, "Ratchet, it's June Darby. How are you?"
"Busy, Mrs. Darby," Ratchet stammered, "I am expecting urgent news from the Autobots."
"Oh. Is Jack with them?" June asked him.
"No," the medic answered, "Why?"
"I haven't seen him all day," June explained, "And he isn't returning my calls."
"I will have Jack contact you immediately should I hear from him," Ratchet assured her.
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to keep the comm lines clear," he went on.
"Ratchet?" June said as he cut communications with her phone, "Hello?"
Back on Cybertron, the pod shaped container that housed Jack within stood in between Arcee and Optimus as the Vehicons continued to surround the Autobots and humans as a few feet away from them, Megatron held one of the Omega Keys in his servos.
"Now, bear witness as a new era dawns on Cybertron," Megatron proclaimed as he inserted the Omega Key he was holding into one side of the Omega Lock before Starscream, Soundwave and Knockout did the same to the ones they were holding, causing the Omega Lock to activate as it began to glow gold before a holographic image of Cybertron appeared from the Omega Lock as electricity began to flow up to the Cyber-Matter above them from one of the pillars surrounding the Omega Lock as the electricity spread out to the other pillars, "BEHOLD! THE AGE OF THE DECEPTICONS!"
Megatron then clicked on the hologram of Cybertron, causing the Omega Lock to fire a beam of energy from the Cyber-Matter at some nearby ruins, recreating them as if they were never ruins to begin with as Optimus watched in horror.
"By the Allspark," Optimus muttered in shock before Bumblebee buzzed a response as Arcee, Chromette, Bulkhead, Smokescreen, Jack, Raf and Miko looked at the ruins that had just been recreated with shock, worry and amazement in their optics and eyes.
"Whoa," Raf said with shock in his voice.
"Whoa, instant home makeover," Miko stated with shock and amazement in her voice.
"Sweet Solus Prime," Chromette muttered to herself in shock at what the Omega Lock just did to the ruins that it just recreated with its Cyber-Matter.
"Shiny," Knockout said as he looked at the ruins that had just been recreated from the Cyber-Matter from within the Omega Lock.
"You have what you want, Megatron," Optimus told the Decepticon warlord as he stepped forward, "This conflict is between Autobots and Decepticons. Allow me to return the humans to Earth."
"Oh, I wouldn't recommend it," Megatron argued as he turned to face the Prime, "They would be far safer here." Optimus narrowed his optics as he began to wonder why the humans would be safer on Cybertron than Earth before Megatron turned to Starscream, "Is the Space Bridge locked on target?"
"Per your instructions, Lord Megatron," Starscream answered.
"Excellent," Megatron rumbled before looking back at the Autobots and humans, "Why rule only one world, when I can rule two?"
A Space Bridge portal then suddenly appeared over the Omega Lock as Megatron clicked on the Omega Lock's control panel again, causing a blast of energy of Cyber-Matter to be fired through the Space Bridge portal.
"No," Optimus muttered in shock and horror as he realized what Megatron was planning to do with the Omega Lock.
The Space Bridge behind Earth's moon suddenly activated as a blast of energy from the Cyber-Matter began to head towards Earth.
Back in June's garage, she was leaning against an old wooden desk in the garage, using her phone to find her son's contact information and clicked on it before pressing the call button when she suddenly heard a loud sound that sounded like an explosion from outside, causing her to gasp in shock and rushed outside as a car's alarm outside began to go off and gasped again as she saw the energy of Cyber-Matter in the distance, causing her to drop her phone in shock.
"Hey, it's Jack. I can't answer 'cause I'm probably out saving the world right now," she heard her phone say as it went straight to Jack's voicemail.
"Optimus, do you read?" Ratchet said, trying to contact Optimus as the Cybertronian Computer systems began to go crazy, "An unknown energy spike in Earth's atmosphere is crashing all my systems. Please, tell me this is related to the activation of the Omega Lock."
"If the Omega Lock can restore Cybertron, it'll do the same for Earth, right?" Miko asked Optimus as she placed her hands on the glass of the pod shaped container that she was inside of.
"No," Optimus answered, "It will Cyberform your planet in favor of its new matrix, turning all indigenous life into mindless Cybertronian slaves in the process as the Cyber-Matter within the Omega Lock is not refined."
"Such raw power!" Megatron said, gleefully, "What should I call my new domain? New Kaon? Or perhaps Gilded Earth?"
Optimus looked at the Decepticon warlord before turning to the humans as Jack began to bang on the glass of the pod shaped container that he was housed within.
"No!" Jack said, banging on his pod shaped container's glass.
"Leave our planet alone!" Miko ordered the Decepticons as she placed her hands on the glass of the pod shaped container that she was inside of before Optimus looked back at Megatron as the Decepticon Leader laughed, evilly with the other Decepticons doing the same, while Soundwave did it quietly as Optimus knew what he had to do as he clenched his fist and unfolded his blade from his arm and used it to swipe one of the Vehicons surrounding them and pushed another at Knockout, who was pushed backwards, causing Megatron to look at Optimus, angrily.
Optims ran from his fellow Autobots and the humans as he went over to where the Star Saber was and picked it up from the floor as it began to glow blue and swung it at a couple of Vehicons coming towards him as a wave of energy was sent out towards the Vehicons from the sword, knocking them backwards as Knockout stood back up on his pedes as one of the Vehicons landed on the ground in front of Megatron.
Megatron grabbed the Dark Star Saber from his back plates as he began to run towards Optimus and yelled out a battle cry as they clashed their swords at each other, causing both of them to create a wave of energy from both swords before Optimus slashed Liege Maximo's elbow below Megatron's arm, causing both the arm and the Dark Star Saber to fly away from the Decepticon warlord as the Dark Star Saber stabbed itself into the ground nearby.
Megatron cried out in pain as Optimus ran towards the Omega Lock as Knockout and Soundwave began firing their blasters at the Prime with him deflecting their firepower with the Star Saber before Starscream fired a missile at him from one of his arms, only for Optimus to evade the missile and jump on top of his helm for a second before jumping higher in the air and used the Star Saber to slash the Omega Lock in half as one of the Vehicons fired their blaster at the pod shaped container that housed Jack within, shattering the pod shaped container's glass and causing him to be exposed to Cybertron's toxic atmosphere before every single Vehicon, including the one that shattered the glass of the pod shaped container that Jack was housed within to be flown backwards as the Omega Lock was destroyed.
"Jack!" Chromette, Smokescreen, Bulkhead, Raf and Miko cried out in fear, shock and worry, while Bumblebee beeped in the same tone as the others as Optimus noticed this and looked at the Decepticons with anger in his optics as Arcee looked at them with anger in her optics as well and went to deploy her arm blades and rush towards them to attack them, only for Bulkhead to hold her back.
"LET ME GO, BULKHEAD!" Arcee ordered the former wrecker, "The 'cons are gonna pay for what they did to Jack!"
"No can do 'Cee," Bulkhead told Arcee before everyone but Arcee looked at Jack as they saw that the toxic atmosphere of Cybertron wasn't killing Jack, but instead being exposed to the Omega Lock being destroyed and its unrefined Cyber-Matter, he groaned in pain as he was beginning to change as his D.N.A began to change to C.N.A as he began to turn into a Cybertronian as he fell unconscious, "Besides, I think Jack will be just fine."
"What do you mean?" She asked him as her arm blades retracted back into her arms as she looked at Jack and saw what everyone was seeing as Bulkhead let go of her as she realized what was happening to her boyfriend, "The Cyber-Matter, it's…"
"Turning him into a Cybertronian, Sis," Chromette said, finishing her sister's train of thought, "Just like he wants. But I don't think it will turn him into a mindless Cybertronian slave like what Optimus said that unrefined Cyber-Matter would do to a human or any organic for that matter."
As Chromette said that, Jack's body began to grow larger to a similar height to between the size of Bumblebee and Smokescreen with his skin becoming living metal as metallic plating appeared around his body, his hands becoming servos, his fingers becoming digits and his legs and feet becoming pedes. Wings that resembled ones of a Cybertronian jet began to grow on his back as his back gained back plates that had what resembled fins that of a Cybertronian jet embedded on it, while wheels of a Cybertronian car appeared around the sides of his pedes as more Cybertronian wheels appeared around his forearms.
His organs then began to be replaced by their Cybertronian equivalents like his nose being replaced by olfactory sensors, eyes being replaced by optics, ears being replaced by audio receptors, blood being replaced by Energon, heart being replaced with a spark as it began to hum and pulsate like a human's heartbeat and gaining a T-cog.
His frame turned mostly blue with red being its secondary color, while his servos turned gray with his chest becoming a chassis with what resembled that of a Cybertronian car's hood being the main part of his chassis and his head becoming a helm colored red and his face becoming a face plate colored silver that resembled his face from when he was human.
Every single Autobot and human looked at each other with shock and confusion on what they would have to tell June and Fowler of what happened to Jack.
"What will we have to tell June?" Arcee asked her sister as she was unsure how to tell her that her son changed species from human and into a Cybertronian and not sure how she would react.
"I'm not sure, Sis," Chromette answered, "But does she know about your relationship with Jack?"
"Yeah," Arcee answered, "A few weeks after the hunt for those four Iacon relics that Trypticon decoded, we revealed our relationship to her."
"How did she react?" Smokescreen asked her.
"She was okay with our relationship," Arcee answered, "And knew about Jack wanting to become a Cybertronian, so I have a feeling that she'll be fine with Jack being a Cybertronian."
"What I'm more concerned about is how Fowler will react," Bulkhead told them before Bumblebee buzzed a response, "Yeah I hope you're right, Bee."
"When we get back to Earth, I'll have Ratchet check on him to see if he'll survive the transformation or not," Optimus stated as he walked back towards his fellow Autobots, Jack and the humans as he placed the Star Saber back in its sheath on his back plate.
On Earth, the blast of Cyber-Matter stopped as the Cybertronian Computer systems went back to normal as Optimus' signal reappeared on one of the Cybertronian Computer systems' monitors.
"Optimus, can you read?" Ratchet said, trying to contact Optimus.
"Ratchet, please open a Space Bridge and prepare for sickbay," Optimus requested the medic before Ratchet walked away from the Cybertronian Computer systems to open a Space Bridge Portal.
"There must be an Autobot down," Ratchet muttered to himself as he went to prepare sickbay.
Back on Cybertron, a Space Bridge portal appeared behind the Autobots, unconscious Jack and humans as Optimus picked Jack up, while Chromette and Smokescreen rushed towards their relics on the ground nearby and placed them back on their wrists before they and the other Autobots ran through the Space Bridge portal as Starscream began coughing before looking up and watched as the Autobots ran through the Space Bridge portal, causing him to widen his optics as he noticed the fires around them and where the Autobots were as Soundwave walked up to him.
"I guess we should cancel the welcome-party," Knockout remarked as he walked up to Starscream, who pushed him away in the chassis with anger.
"Attend to our master!" Starscream ordered the Decepticon medic, "He requires medical attention!" Starscream turned back to the Space Bridge portal as it closed, while Knockout walked up to Megatron to check on him, "PRIME! He will pay for dooming Cybertron to remain a lifeless husk!"
They then suddenly heard Megatron laugh, evilly, causing Starscream to turn to their leader, surprising Knockout as Megatron stood up, despite his severe injuries, "They can run, but they can never again run home."
Slowly, everybody walked through the Space Bridge portal back into the safety of their base. Arcee walked the slowest with evidence of worry in her optics as she was worried about her boyfriend from the transformation that he went through and if he would survive or not as Optimus placed Jack on the sickbed in the main room of the base.
"The children?!" Ratchet cried out in surprise before noticing that the Jack he knew wasn't there and there was a random Mech without an Autobot or Decepticon insignia came back with them instead, "If Raf and Miko came back with you guys from Cybertron, where's Jack?! What happened?!...Somebody say something!"
After a heavy silence, Bulkhead finally found the strength to tell him the truth after he placed the pod shaped container that Miko was encased in onto the catwalk with Bumblebee doing the same for the catwalk that Raf was housed inside of before they walked away from the humans, "Optimus destroyed the Omega Lock."
"What?!" Ratchet gasped in horror and disbelief, "You did…?!"
"What was necessary," Optimus said, interrupting Ratchet as he stepped forward, "There was no time for another prolonged battle, not with Earth in imminent danger."
"So you destroyed the only device in any universe capable of restoring our home?" Ratchet said with disbelief, "Optimus, we needed that."
"You weren't there, Doc," Smokescreen told the medic as he pointed at the medic with one of his right servo's digits, "And it's not your place to second-guess a battlefield decision."
"It most certainly is!" Ratchet argued as Smokescreen lowered his right arm, "There had to be another way!"
"Listen to Raf and Miko on this Ratchet and it wasn't that simple," Chromette told him.
"She's right, Megatron was using the Omega Lock to attack the Earth," Raf said, agreeing with Chromette.
"Optimus saved our planet," Miko added.
"WHAT ABOUT OUR PLANET?!" Ratchet cried, hopelessly, "All of our struggles and Energon spilled, Megatron poisoning Primus with Dark Energon, FOR NOTHING?!"
"Right decision or wrong, what's done is done. But we have another problem here on this world. The 'Cons just changed the rules when they put Jack, Miko, and Raf into play," Arcee stated as she looked towards the humans and Jack on the sickbed.
"So, what you're telling me is that, that Mech is Jack?" Ratchet asked with disbelief.
"Yeah," Bulkhead answered, "We all saw it happen and besides, his face plate looks exactly like his face when he was human and before he became a Cybertronian."
"So, this is why you wanted me to prepare sickbay, Optimus," Ratchet realized, "I thought we had an Autobot down."
"Indeed, Old friend," Optimus confirmed, "I need you to see if he'll survive his transformation or not."
"I'll try my best," Ratchet said as he walked away from the Cybertronian Computer systems and towards the sickbed that Jack was laying on and began to scan him with his scanner, "His vital signs are functional, spark is 100% functional, his processor isn't mindless like what unrefined Cyber-Matter usually does to an organic that uses Cyber-Matter to become a Cybertronian and is like normal born Cybertronians, and he has everything that a newly forged Cybertronian has." He then gasped as he deactivated his scanner and turned to the others as he found something within Jack's systems that surprised him, "You won't believe this?"
"What?" Arcee asked him, "What is it?"
"It seems that Jack has a Triple Changing T-Cog," Ratchet answered.
"What's the difference between that and a normal T-Cog?" Miko asked him.
"What does it sound like, Miko?" Raf asked the Japanese exchange student, "Triple means three, so he'll be able to transform into three modes."
"Indeed, Rafael," Ratchet said, confirming Raf's suspicions, "He'll have both a ground and flight alternate mode as he's a Triple Changer."
"So he's like Springer then?" Bulkhead surmised.
"Who's Springer?" Miko asked her guardian.
"Springer is an old friend of mine and was a Wrecker like me and Wheeljack," Bulkhead explained, "Last I heard, he was traveling the galaxy with Optimus' second-in-command, Ultra Magnus."
"So, we now have a flier on our team?" Chromette surmised.
"If you mean by part-time flier? Then I'd say yes," Ratchet confirmed, "And if he becomes the next Prime, he'll become the first Triple Changing Prime, considering that Amalgamous Prime wasn't a true Triple Changer and was just a shape-shifter instead."
"What happened?" They suddenly heard Jack groan, causing everyone to turn around towards him and saw that he was waking up and opened his optics to reveal that they were blue like most Cybertronian optics.
"Jack?!" Arcee said as she rushed over to her boyfriend, "What do you remember?"
"The last thing I remember is that Vehicon trooper shooting at the pod that I was encased in, causing me to be exposed to Cybertron's atmosphere and then waking up here back at base," Jack answered, "Why? What happened?"
"There's no difficult way to put this, Jack, but the destruction of the Omega Lock and being exposed to the Cyber-Matter, it turned you into a Cybertronian, just like you wanted so you could be with Arcee," Ratchet answered as Jack began to sit back up.
"So no wonder you all don't look as tall as before," Jack answered.
"You're somewhat different than any one of us, Jack," Smokescreen told the former human, "You have a Triple Changing T-Cog, allowing you to turn into two alternate modes."
"So, then Team Prime finally has a flier," Jack realized.
"It sure does, Jack," Chromette confirmed before Bumblebee buzzed a response, asking Jack if he was alright.
"Yeah, I'm fine, Bee," Jack answered before widening his optics as did every single Autobot, while Raf and Miko widened their eyes with shock and disbelief.
"Whoa, that was weird," Miko said with shock and confusion, "First Raf being able to understand Bumblebee and now Jack after becoming a Cybertronian."
"How can I understand Bee now?" Jack asked with equal shock and confusion as Miko.
"It seems that the transformation gave you a translator, which is how all Cybertronians understand Bumblebee's beeping," Ratchet answered as he placed his right servo under his chin.
"PRIME!" They all suddenly heard Fowler's angry voice as he appeared on the Cybertronian Computer systems' central monitor, wearing a helicopter headset over his head, "The Pentagon's preparing to go DEFCON 1. I need to know what we're dealing with!"
"To what do you refer, Agent Fowler?" Optimus asked as he and the other Autobots stepped forward towards the Cybertronian Computer systems.
"Maybe you should step outside and see for yourself," Fowler answered.
"Ratchet, watch Jack, Raf and Miko," Optimus instructed the medic, causing Jack, Raf and Miko to stare at one another, confused as to what was happening outside.
The helicopter pad on top of the Autobots' base separated in two as the elevator approached the cliffy roof. Optimus, Arcee, Chromette, Bulkhead, Bumblebee and Smokescreen stood on the elevator, looking up towards the skies that had blackened with dark, story, angry clouds. Immediately, they saw what Fowler was talking about.
There was a towing fortress standing tall in front of them - one of Cybertronian origin. Immediately, they knew this was the result of aiming the Omega Lock's Cyber-Matter at Earth with a Space Bridge portal. Slowly, they stepped off the elevator onto the yellowish-brown rocky cliffs that made up the structure of their base that was supposed to be above top-secret. Instantly, Fowler ran towards them, having landed his helicopter next to them.
"Megatron has accomplished the first phase of his Cyber-forming of Earth," Optimus rumbled, darkly, "The construction of his fortress."
"Is it me or does it look like his fortress in Kaon, Darkmount back on Cybertron?" Chromette asked everyone.
"Yeah, it does, Sis," Arcee said, agreeing with her twin.
"Definitely looks exactly like Darkmount," Bulkhead told them before Bumblebee beeped a response, agreeing with them.
"It would seem that Megatron has modeled his fortress after his one on Cybertron," Optimus stated.
"In Jasper, Nevada? I don't get it. I've already had the town evacuated. Why here?" Fowler asked with confusion before Bumblebee buzzed and pointed at the sky as the Nemesis appeared in the distance from the clouds, answering all the questions that Fowler had and hovered in front of Megatron's fortress as the scout pointed at it with one of his left servo's digits.
"Because the Decepticons have discovered the location of our base," Optimus answered, darkly.
Aboard the Nemesis, Megatron, who was still injured from the battle on Cybertron, stood on top of the Decepticon warship with Knockout and Soundwave standing next to him as he was rallying his troops for the battle that would change the tide of the Cybertronian Civil War forever.
"Our chance to revive Cybertron has been lost due to the treachery of Optimus Prime! But from our fortress of New Kaon, we will instead seize control of this world!" Megatron said, rallying Starscream and his armada, which were silver and red colored Jet Vehicons also known as Ace Vehicons or seekers and gifted to him by Megatron for rejoining the Decepticons, "DECEPTICONS, TRANSFORM AND RISE UP!"
"I THOUGHT HE'D NEVER ASK!" Starscream cheered joyfully before transforming into his alternate mode and taking off from the Nemesis with his seekers doing the same as they followed him, eager for the taste of Autobot Energon, "COME, MY ARMADA! ATTACK! ATTACK! ATTACK!"
Starscream and his seekers then began to open fire on the Autobots as they approached the Autobots standing on top of their base and flew past them as the Autobots ducked out of the way before they except Optimus and Bumblebee transformed their servos into their blasters, while Bumblebee deployed his blasters before they fired them back at the Decepticons before Optimus activated his battle mask and transformed his servos into his blasters as Insecticons began to fly towards them as they began firing their blasters at the Insecticons before Optimus swiped his blasters at an Insecticon, who approached him before Bulkhead transformed his blasters into his Wrecking ball maces and punched an Insecticon that approached him with them as Chromette activated the Skyboom Shield and pulled out its shield as it began to glow blue, surprising everyone but Smokescreen.
"Chromette, I thought you handed that to the Decepticons when we all handed our relics to the Decepticons when we surrendered our relics to them on Cybertron in exchange for Jack, Raf and Miko," Optimus told the pink and white femme as he grabbed the Star Saber from its sheath on his back plates after transforming his blasters back into his servos and slashed an Insecticon with it, "How did you get it back?"
"I reclaimed it during all of the confusion back on Cybertron, Optimus," Chromette answered as Optimus swung the Star Saber around, sending a wave of energy hurtling towards a horde of Insecticons, destroying them instantly.
"Autobots, into the base!" Optimus ordered everyone as they went to retreat as Chromette deactivated the Skyboom Shield before Bulkhead turned around and was surprised to see Fowler climb back into his black, government-issue helicopter and powered up its rotors once more.
"Fowler, what are you doing?" Bulkhead asked the special agent.
"My job, two-ton!" Fowler answered as he slid his helicopter headset back over his head.
"Agent, Fowler, if you see Jack's mother, can you tell her that something has happened to Jack?" Optimus asked Fowler as he turned to the special agent.
"Certainly," Fowler answered, "What happened to him, Prime?"
"It's hard to explain, Agent Fowler," Optimus sighed, "But let's just say that he, Raf and Miko were captured by the Decepticons and were brought to Cybertron and in the ensuing conflict on Cybertron, something happened to him, turning him into a Cybertronian."
"So, he's one of you now?" Fowler asked them.
"Not completely," Optimus told him, "He's still himself."
"All right, I'll tell her as soon as I see her," Fowler assured the Prime before he took off as the Autobots descended back down into the underground confines of their base. Deep down, they knew it would be the last time they would see it.
As Fowler approached the citadel, he prayed that he knew what he was doing. When he was first assigned to them. he never dreamt of doing anything like this. But his country was in danger of falling to alien invaders lusting for power. Something else he knew was that if he didn't do something and just allow America to fall under Decepticon control, the Decepticons would take over the world.
Taking a deep breath, he pressed a button on his gearstick and fired projectiles at the citadel and the oncoming Decepticon forces daring to stop him. Unfortunately for Fowler, the Decepticons flew past him and continued opening fire on the Autobot base.
"What's happening?" Jack asked as he stood up on his pedes from the sickbed as he approached Ratchet as Miko and Raf did the same from the catwalk as they heard rumbling sounds all around them.
"What is going on out there?" Ratchet demanded as the other Autobots approached them as the Star Saber was now back in its sheath on his back plates.
"The Decepticons have invaded Jasper," Optimus answered
"And Fowler seems to think he can hold them off," Bulkhead added.
Fowler was flying around the open desert trying to divert Decepticon fire. He knew this would allow the Autobots time to come up with a plan of action or, in his opinion was the best option, high-tail out of there and regroup later on.
"Special Agent Fowler to Air-defense command. I need immediate combat support," Fowler said, speaking into his helicopter's radio.
Fowler cried in surprise when one of the shots fired by the Vehicons hit his helicopter hard enough to knock some metal loose, revealing the wires and circuitry underneath. As Fowler went around the corner, the situation got worse as Insecticons blocked his path.
"Come on, Air-defense command," Fowler muttered as he began to pray when suddenly the Insecticons that were threatening him were destroyed by unknown Energon projectiles, "I'll be triple dipped."
"Prime, reinforcements just arrived," Fowler announced on one of the Cybertronian Computer systems' monitors as he contacted them again.
"Agent Fowler, your military cannot prevail against the…" Optimus began to inform the special agent when a very familiar Autobot contacted them on one of the Cybertronian Computer systems' monitors as well.
"You didn't think I was gonna let Team Prime have all the fun, did you?" They heard Wheeljack's voice ask them.
"Ha ha! It's Jackie!" Bulkhead laughed, excitedly.
"Wheeljack?!" Ratchet said with disbelief, "But how did you…"
"I picked up a strange energy surge," Wheeljack answered as he appeared on one of the Cybertronian Computer systems' monitors, flying the Jackhammer, "I hope you don't mind the company."
"No. It's just that after everything, well…" Ratchet began to say.
"We're still on the same team, Doc. Always will be," Wheeljack assured him.
With those words said, Wheeljack continued swooping in, attacking any Vehicon, Ace Vehicon or Insecticon, that dared to come within a certain radius of the Autobot base. He then went out closer to the citadel to stop any Decepticons from coming any closer than they already were. He knew they would be a tough one. So he did something he rarely did, even during his time as a Wrecker.
Pray for success.
"Ratchet, prepare to bridge everyone out of here and get your experimental Energon damper," Optimus ordered the Autobot medic as he walked towards the Space/Ground Bridge's tunnel.
"We're abandoning the base?" Ratchet said with disbelief, "And why do I need the Energon damper that I've been working on when it hasn't been fully tested yet?"
"The base is lost and you'll need to install the damper into Jack's systems," Optimus explained as he turned to face him, "Wheeljack and Agent Fowler can only buy us time for you to install it into Jack and escape. Bumblebee, Rafael, you will depart first."
"You're splitting us up?" Raf said with disbelief after Bumblebee buzzed a response.
"Shouldn't we stick together, especially now that I'm a Cybertronian?" Jack asked, agreeing with Raf.
"All for one and one for all?" Miko said, agreeing with them.
"We must disperse to avoid capture until we can regroup and launch a counterattack," Optimus explained, "Survival is our only priority now."
Fowler cringed as Decepticons appeared to be coming from all directions to chase after him. So, using some clever movements, he made an Insecticon and a Jet Vehicon crash into one another, causing them to explode in mid-air over the Autobots' base. His helicopter was still emitting thick black smoke from when he was just hit before.
"The day I'm outflown by a bunch of toasters is the day I…" Fowler began to remark before trailing off when a massive shadow was cast over the damaged helicopter. And that shadow was the Nemesis that was casting a shadow over the base he was fighting tooth and nail to protect as well as the occupants inside of it.
Megatron walked towards the edge of one of the many wings of the Nemesis. Something he hadn't even bothered to do was have his severe injuries tended to. It seemed as though he was a dying mech without a single care in the world. Something else that was on his mindset was that the Autobots couldn't win. Because if he ended up going down…
He would take the Autobots with him.
Bumblebee was in his alternate mode with Raf in his passenger seat as a Ground Bridge portal was open within the Space Bridge tunnel as Jack stood in front of Ratchet, who held a square shaped Cybertronian device in his right servo as Bumblebee accelerated through the Ground Bridge portal before switching the coordinates of the Ground Bridge portal as Bulkhead, in his alternate mode with Miko sitting on the passenger seat rolled in front of the Ground Bridge portal.
"What does this damper do, Ratchet?" Jack asked the medic.
"It cancels your Energon signature from being detected by Decepticons, but we never had the chance to use and test it till now," Ratchet explained, "Now, hold still, it's still experimental. so we don't know what side effects it will have on you, but let's hope that you don't have any." Ratchet then placed the Energon damper on the right side of Jack's chassis, installing it into his systems, which finished installing after a few seconds before he removed the damper from Jack's chassis, "How do you feel? Anything different?"
"Besides being a Cybertronian now, I don't feel anything different," Jack answered.
"Then it seems that the Energon damper experiment is a success," Ratchet stated as he walked towards Arcee as Miko looked back at Jack as she placed her hand on Bulkhead's passenger window.
"We haven't much time," Optimus told them as Arcee and Jack walked towards the front of the Ground Bridge portal, "Jack, Arcee, once you two arrive at the destination that Ratchet is giving you both, you'll have to learn to scan an Earth-based ground vehicle, Jack and Arcee teach him how to do that and transform. An aerial form can wait till after we regroup."
"Yes, Sir," Arcee replied as Bulkhead accelerated through the Ground Bridge portal before Ratchet switched the Ground Bridge portal's location again as she looked at her boyfriend, "Ready, Partner?"
"Ready," Jack answered before they walked through the Ground Bridge portal.
"Till we meet again, Optimus," Chromette told Optimus as she gave him a salute before transforming into her alternate mode and activated her holographic driver as Ratchet changed the Ground Bridge portal's coordinates yet again.
"Till we meet again, Chromette," Optimus said, agreeing with her as Chromette accelerated through the Space Bridge portal, leaving Optimus, Ratchet and Smokescreen in the base and the only ones left.
Who would go next?
June gasped in horror as she saw the Decepticon warship hovering over where she knew where the Autobots' base was located and the fortress of Cybertronian origin through the mist, while she drove her car through the desert highway of Jasper. She knew that the Autobots have been very secretive towards Jack and the others lately. But this was on a whole new level.
What was happening?
She almost lost control of the car when shots landed on the road next to her. Glancing at her rear view mirror, she saw a Decepticon seeker approaching her fast. Using fast maneuvers, she tried to maintain control of her car and avoid crashing. However, she only ended up coming to a stop in the center of the desert highway. The car was straddling over the white dotted line that divided the road into two.
She gasped in horror as the seeker transformed and landed in front of her. its towering robot form approached her in a way that struck fear into her. Forgetting that it wasn't normal circumstances, she honked her car's horn twice. But it was useless. The Decepticon kept coming towards her.
She was fearing for her life now.
"June!" Fowler said with fear and worry as he saw the seeker standing before Jack's mother and her car after shooting down an Ace Vehicon with his helicopter's machine guns and flew towards the seeker from behind as it aimed its blaster at her before Fowler fired his helicopter's machine guns at the seeker, causing it to slant forward and land against the front of June's car, clearly offline.
Shaking slightly, June looked forward and saw the Decepticon against her car's hood. Without thinking about it, she jumped out as the helicopter landed behind her. She ran towards it, ignoring the firefight that was ongoing above her.
Wheeljack would soon have his own troubles in his own climatic battle as Starscream took advantage of the distracted Wrecker and flew behind him.
"You're scrap!" Starscream told Wheeljack as he fired his missiles at him. Gasping in horror at the appearance of projectiles on his monitor closing fast, the former Wrecker began performing high-speed maneuvers. Shuddering, the Jackhammer obeyed the commands of its pilot and flew around the skies, performing tricks at high speeds to avoid contact with the missiles.
Wheeljack cried out when the missiles finally came into contact with his ship's engines. Sparks and explosions engulfed him as he found himself entering a crash dive. Starscream watched in glee as the Jackhammer came crashing down in a patch of desert not far from where the Autobots' base was under attack.
"And that's how you wreck a Wrecker!" Starscream crackled.
Smokescreen turned around as he stood before the active Ground Bridge portal. Since Arcee, Jack, Bulkhead, Miko, Bumblebee and Raf were gone, it was now his turn to go as he gave Optimus a salute before transforming into his alternate mode and accelerated through the Ground Bridge portal.
"What about you?" Ratchet asked Optimus as the base began to rumble all around them after he switched the Ground Bridge's coordinates to another destination with his servo over the Ground Bridge's controls.
"I will ensure that the Decepticons cannot follow," Optimus answered before Ratchet walked towards the Ground Bridge portal.
"I…never imagined it would end like this," Ratchet told him before walking through the Ground Bridge portal.
"Neither did I, Old friend," Optimus said, agreeing with Ratchet before turning to the Ground Bridge's controls, clenching his fist as he knew what he had to do to keep his comrades and Jack, the potential next Prime safe and possibly die doing so.
Above the Autobots' base, a weapon-like device was appearing from beneath the Nemesis. Automatically, the device mantled itself and began powering up to fire upon the Autobots' base. Shining brightly at the end of it was a red light that turned white as its velocity grew.
Fowler and June watched in horror as they approached the area in Fowler's damaged helicopter.
As the laser cannon charged above him, Optimus grabbed the Star Saber from its sheath on his back plates, which glowed in his servos as he raised it high above his helm, preparing to strike the Ground Bridge controls and lowered the sword as he slashed the Ground Bridge controls in half as the laser cannon fired upon the Autobot base.
Fowler and June watched in horror as the Autobots' base, the Autobots' home and a home that they knew, was destroyed by something as simple as smoke and flames. When the smoke cleared, they surveyed the damage. The base was nothing but a pile of rocks and twisted metal. Nothing but a pit of never ending flames. Nothing but a chimney of smoke. The base was nothing at all. Filled with nothing. Knowing nothing. just… nothing.
"No," June gasped in horror as she immediately began to fear for the worse.
Fowler sighed in despair. Like June, he didn't know whether or not the others had managed to escape the base before it was a smoldering pit of flames. Heck. He wasn't even sure if anybody would be able to survive an explosion like that. All hope was lost.
It was game over.
Megatron jumped from the edge of the wing on the Nemesis that he was standing on and transformed into his Cybertronian Jet alternate mode as he and Starscream flew towards the results of their destructive ways. They were greeted by orange flames. Black smoke. Crumbling piles of rock. Twisted, melted metal. It almost reminded them of the numerous cities that had fallen during the War for Cybertron, by both their hands and the Autobots. However, they knew this was different compared to the War for Cybertron. There was more pride in the possible knowledge of the Autobots' demise.
No one could survive this.
When they landed on the ground and transformed into their robot modes, they saw the Autobot insignia on the floor of what once was the Autobots' base. Once a symbol of hope, prosperity, honor and dignity, it now symbolized nothing. Because the Autobots were nothing more than mere dust particles in the wind. Drifting aimlessly with no end in the journey that would continue on forever.
"This is the place alright," Starscream proclaimed as he glanced at the insignia.
"This was the place," Megatron corrected him, knowingly with a smirk on his face.
"United we stand. Divided, they fall," Starscream sneered.
They would do a thorough search of the base for significant wreckage later. But they would miss something important, both in the quick onceover and the search with the fine tooth comb…
And that was the servo sticking out of the rubble clutching the hilt of his sword, sparks flying everywhere.
They would miss the servo of Optimus Prime.
To be continued and please favorite, follow and review. And what type of Alternate modes should Jack have in the next chapter as I'm think his ground alternate mode should be that of a sports car, but not sure what type and would have to be in production from sometime within or around 2013 and should I have Chromette do the same thing that Smokescreen does and go back for Optimus?
And to those of you who are wondering, I changed what Cyber-Matter does to organic life to make sense of Jack's transformation into a Cybertronian.