Chapter 4

The Games had by now fully started...

...and the different groups were all trying to react to it, each in their own way.

Some of them were drawing back, others were actually going on the offensive, either one how it was in their nature.

The Decepticon teams were generally more aggressive, but only by a bit. And even then there were exceptions.

While they were not warriors by nature, like the Decepticons, many Autobots had adapted all to well and learned to be them during the millions years long war. Some of them prefered to be going all out from the start.

It was true that none of the Autobot groups was attacking the others directly, but they were clearly moving openly and showing presence to anyone who would be targeting them. Some of them actually wanted to show their captors that they were not afraid. A few Decepticons on the other hand decided to hold back or were simply too afraid to attack the others in the open.

Some others from both factions refused alone out of principle to cooperate with this sick game they had been forces into and were standing down for this reason.

So it was all a question of individuality. Ironically their behavior pretty much mirrored Jhiaxus prediction from his speech a few minutes before.

The the bad luck of the first sort of teams however, their braveness also meant that they were easier to be found and in this arena that could mean the difference between life and death.

xxx

Nine groups of robots and also two humans who had been accidentally transported along with them, were fighting for their lives.

There was however a tenth one under them. This one consisted of ice-cold, alone for this special purpose specially trained, killers.

And they had just found their first targets.

xxx

A few minutes earlier

The different groups, consisting of Autobots and Decepticons had just heard the announcement and began to move. Many of them were afraid, in panic.

Nearly all of them were experienced warriors. But they were not used to working together. Barely anyone of them even knew the other. They came from different universes, different realities and had been forced together only by the whim of their captors, just a few minutes ago. So the coordination inside their groups was very hard.

To that came that they had been kidnapped, thrown into a game of life and death. It was understandable that their morale was for the most part not exactly high.

And they had just been told hat there was another group out there that would be going after all of them. Under this circumstances it was no wonder that some of them were loosing hope.

Still many of them had decided under themselves to fight, the best they could under this conditions at least. One of these was a team of Autobots from different realities who had learned to work together very quickly.

Of course like all of the others they hated the thought of actually `taking part´ in the game. No, their plan was in fact to make it out of the fighting area or the `game-zone´ as you could call it in this case, take control of a space-bridge and get away from this planet.

It was something the the Hunters had realized very quickly.

xxx

The Hunters, Overlord, Clench, Bludgeon, Demolisher and Wheeljack. They were the most feared unit the `Games´ had ever seen and answered only to the Cybertronian Empire´s High Command.

Their first victim in this round had been a panicked Decepticon with jet alt-mode who seperated from his group and was trying to fly out of the fighting area. But he didn´t get far.

Clench had shot him down from the distance and send him to a crashing course, until a second volley from him and Wheeljack had blown the unfortunate robot to shrapnel.

Now they were getting their eyes on the Autobot group who was trying to leave prematurely as well.

"It seems we have some more cowards," Clench commented.

"No, this are more than just cowards. They actually seem to have a plan," Overlord replied. "Do you see in what direction they are moving?"

"To the city-center," the black warrior with truck alt-mode replied.

"Not exactly the best direction if you just wanted to run away, don´t you think?"

"They are trying to find a ship or a space-bridge to use it to get off planet," Wheeljack pointed out. The scientist of their team had already realized the situation.

At first Overlord was not quite sure if he could trust him with their job because of his Autobot or like it was now political correct to call it, civilian-line heritage. But the scientist had turned out to be skilled and ruthless.

"You are right, they are. But we won´t let them," he said. A smile formed on Overlord´s face.

xxx

The group of five Autobots named Jolt, Grotesque, Sandstorm, Chameleon and a female name Stila had by their own estimation made about half of the way as they were suddenly ambushed.

They didn´t even noticed them coming until it was already too late. Their opponents were just too experienced in this giant fighting-pit.

For the Hunters this arena was their second home.

The Autobots tried to take cover as they noticed their enemies close by. But before they could reach a save spot, they were already covered by missiles and laser-fire. They could made out several attacker in robot modes who were shooting at their position.

Sandstorm was directly hit by multiple shots and nearly his entire upper body blown up. He was the first.

Moments later their situation became even worse. A frightenly large robot with jet alt-mode flew in, transformed and landed right in front of them.

The stranger turned to them instantly. To their horror they saw how he materialized several heavy weapons on his body and opened fire.

Jolt was literally reduced to burning ashes by him.

The others saw this. Many feelings rushed though them at once. One of their group was overcome by his anger.

Grotesque transformed into his monster-mode and threw himself at Overlord in a uncontrolled rage. But the large Transformer only laughed, grabbed him and squeezed his head and chestplate under his bare hands.

Then he threw him away as if he was a piece of trash.

Before he could even stand up again, Clench killed the damaged Monsterbot with a precise shot through his body.

At the same time Demolisher gunned down Stila and destroyed her in a similar manner.

The last living member of their group had watched his unwilling comrades fall one by one. He knew they had no chance, yet till now he had refused to just flee and leave the others behind. But now they were all dead anyway.

Like his name suggested, Chameleon possessed a cloaking field that allowed him to turn practically invisible. It was not quite as sophisticated as that of the legendary Mirage, but it was enough for the most opponents.

Now he activated it.

But his opponents here were not like the most.

"Ah, a cloaking field," Wheeljack said. "Too bad it is yesterday´s model," he commented.

The scientist activated his infrared and radiation sensors, an upgrade that he had installed himself.

Then he fired.

The resulting explosion threw the Autobot down who had turned visible again in the moment he was being damaged.

"Wh... Wheeljack," the wounded robot stammered unbelieving, as he recognized who had shot him.

"Yes I am," he answered, right before he ended his life with a shot through the spark-chamber.

xxxxxxx

"Th...Thundercracker?" Skywarp visibly stuttered.

"Yes... well not exactly perhaps," Scourge answered. "The form of reformation we all went through had left many changes in our programming, but essentially, yes it is me."

The seeker was stil staring at him with an open mouth.

"What in the world has happened to you?" he finally asked.

The robot calling himself Scourge hesitated for a moment.

"It is a long story," he said then. "It all started with...actually it started with a large battle against the Autobots on Earth."

Scourge began to tell him what had happened in his world, the Battle of Autobot City, how Starscream and the others had abandoned them in space, Unicron, their hunt for the Matrix, his attack on Cybertron, Galvatron´s disappearance, the following years under Shockwave, everything.

"I have to say that is quite a tale Scourge," Skywarp answered. "Unicron, Chaos Bringer planet sized robots...and Starscream, he was willing to turn on both of us like that," he said then.

"It wasn´t the first time," Scourge reminded him.

"No," he replied.

They both indeed remembered several instances. Their memories however were not really the same.

"And on top of that this jerk had the audacity to just die and let me stuck with his job." Skywarp smirked now, but it seemed a bit forced.

"Not for long, that prick Shockwave had removed Cyclonus from the position very quickly after he took over, probably didn´t want the competion and invented some `logical´ reason to do it.

"You truly don´t like old Shocker, right? True, he sounds quite different from the Shockwave in my world," Skywarp responded. "Anyway, I have to say, you are really hard to recognize," he stated, "and whats about the beard and these wings? This Unicron truly had a wicked imagination."

"Indeed he does," Scourge replied. "But Skywarp, could you just cut it out and be serious for five astro-seconds?"

"This is a good idea," someone else interrupted them. "While we are all truly glad that you two have found each other again, we have enough from listening to your chatter."

It was one of the other members of their group. He was another version of the Stunticon leader Motormaster and just as irritating at the versions that both of them remembered.

The other two members were a helicopter named Blackout and a very strange guy named Oil-Slick who was looking and behaved just as his name suggested. They had never met one of them before.

In this moment they heard the begin of another announcement.

xxx

"Honored participants and our very appreciated audience of course," Jhiaxus voice halled over the area, "our game has made the first progress. I have to inform you that six participants has already been eliminated. This of course also means a better chance for the others. So we all are looking out to see the outcome of this round."

xxx

All over the arena, the other groups were also hearing the annoucement.

"Six... six are already dead?" Sari said horrified.

"In this short time?" Miko called out.

"We will find a way to get out of here," Arcee assured her.

"As sad as the loss of fellow Cybertronians is," Longarm reminded them, "their demise might increase our own chances of survival here."

"What? That is no way to..." the female Autobot exclaimed angrily.

"I don´t like it any more than you do Arcee, but with the rules they have given, their death might mean our life," he answered. "We should move now and find a safer place for ourselves."

Arcee growled, but admitted that he had a point.

Sari and Bumblebee exchanged a long look with each other before they also followed the stoic Autobot.

xxxxxxx

Cybertron (Animated-universe)

The `interference´ that Sentinel´s technicians had detected, it was actually growing, quickly. Their new modified space-bridge was getting out of control, again.

It was very similar to the last time, when they had lost Bumblebee and Sari. But this time they were able to make out the cause of the malfunction. In fact it wasn´t a malfunction at all.

It was a force from outside that had been interfering with the mechanics of their bridge.

Now this outside force had gotten active again. It was stronger before, different.

The last time the influence had caused an overloading and an uncontrolled portal through that two of them had disappeared.

This time something or rather someone was appearing.

"Bulkhead, what is happening?" Optimus called out.

"The bridge," the large green robot shouted, "it has been contacted from the outside. It´s systems are being hacked. It is receiving orders, but not from us."

"That is impossible," Sentinel Prime shouted.

"Did you not just suggest that we might not the only ones researching this form of interdimensional travel Sentinel? Maybe someone else out there had the same idea as we do," Optimus pointed out to him. "Only that they seemed to be far ahead of us in it," he said somewhat quieter.

"That is..." Sentinel said. But the more he thought about it, he realized that Optimus theory actually made sense. "Damn it," he exclaimed.

The space-bridge was being activated. Like before a portal was build up, one that connected not only different worlds but different realities.

And now someone materialized on their world.

Optimus, Sentinel and the others had already retreated to a greater distance to the unstable space-bridge as they saw them.

Six figures had appeared right in front of the space-bridge. They nearly instantly recognized them as Decepticons. But Optimus could also tell that something was definitely off about them.

One of them who was standing in front of the group had a great resemblance to the now dead former Air Commander Starscream. His design and his colors however were a bit different.

Two others, who were standing behind him, were identically build to him except for their color. Just like the clones of him who were mostly still around. But Optimus was not quite sure if this were clones.

The rest of them were three identical looking black colored robots with car alt-modes.

"We have arrived at the destination," the obvious leader reported in a strange, screeching voice through his communicator.

Despite the different sound, the tonefall reminded Optimus all too much of the Air Commander.

"Very good Starscream," he received the answer. "Continue your work and buld up a bridge-head for our forces.

While it was also a bit different, Optimus would have recognized the owner of the voice anywhere.

"If this mission succeed, we will be known as the officers who led the first conquest of a new version of Cybertron."

"As you wish Megatron," the robot replied, "and hail to the Cybertronian Empire."

Author´s note: The Autobot Chameleon was a character from the marvel comic story `Deadly Games´. He was killed during the same story.