Chapter 8
Cybertronian universe
"Please lower your weapons. There is no logical reason for us to fight each other." That was what Shockwave had told them.
"Really, no reason you say? Were you not all too eager to leave us behind just a few minutes ago?" Scourge asked him.
"It was the logical choice," he responded. "I had orders to avoid detection at every cost. But that question had now settled itself. And we need each other when we want to survive here."
"`Logical choice´, you use that excuse every time no matter what you do Shocker," Skywarp stated mockingly, "and as it looks in every single universe as well."
"Don´t trust him," Cliffjumper said, "I hate to say it but the Decepticons are right. He will probably abandon us the first chance he gets."
"I agree with you," Arcee confirmed. "If he was willing to leave his own people behind here, what will he do with us?"
"I nearly hate to say it, but doesn´t he have a point?" Jack called out to her. "I mean you need every man you can get right now, right?"
"Not one who will stab us in the back as soon as he sees a `logical´ reason to do it," Cliffjumper stated.
"I won´t do that, I swear," Shockwave replied.
"Really?" Arcee questioned. "Not even the other Decepticons here seem to trust you after you tried to leave them in the dust."
"The human has made a logical argument," Shockwave stated.
"So we are letting a human decide for us now?" Motormaster remarked.
This comment brought him angry glares from a few of the Autobots, but nobody actually said something.
"This human is my friend, do you get this?" Arcee told him.
"Beside that the human has a point. If we force him to leave, we might just turn him into another enemy," Oil Slick of all people pointed out.
All eyes were turning to him. So far he had not said anything during this confrontation.
"We could just kill him here and now," Scourge offered.
"A waste of energy," he commented. "Besides, I am not sure how the Autobots in our little group here would feel about killing a defenseless robot."
The members of both sidea exchanged a short and uneasy look.
If she was honest with herself, Arcee would have no great problem with the idea to just blast him away, not with all what she had already seen here and also the things she knew about the Shockwave of her own world. But she knew it was not the way of the Autobots.
Cliffjumper, the alternate self of her old partner seemed to feel similar like herself. But Rotorstorm looked more uneasy.
Even Bumblebee and Sari, the two who had exposed him originally, had obviously great doubts about killing someone who was completely outnumbered and had no real chance to defend himself, even if he had wanted to leave them for dead.
"We will keep an eye on you," she finally told him, making her decision, "all of us."
She saw Rotorstorm and then Sari and Bumblebee nodding with their heads, accepting her choice, then finally even Cliffjumper, and two of the Decepticons, the black seeker and the large truck-robot.
"Okay, if that is your choice," Skywarp said to her, "even if I think my `old friend´ Scourge here would have rather melted him down." He gave a side-look to his comrade who was starring grimply at the one eyed robot.
Arcee nodded to him as well. Then she addressed Shockwave.
"We will keep you along, for now. But we will certainly not trust you after what you tried to pull. Believe me, attempting anything underhanded would be `very unlogical´."
"Just what she said," Skywarp told him, agreeing to her last statement with a grin.
xxxxxxx
Animated universe, Decepticon base
Parallel to all that, in another world, their Decepticon leader Megatron had just assembled his strike force.
The group Shockwave had selected consisted of Lugnut, Blitzwing, Cyclonus, Strika, Blackout, this version of him a very tall robot, Oil Slick and Blackarachnia, the techno-organic who had once been called Elita 1.
She had recently rejoined the Decepticon main forces after the Autobots had made several unsucessful attempts to capture her on Earth during the last months.
They would start within the next breem. Their mission had two steps. First surveillance, find out everything possible about the Autobots new modified space-bridge and this group of attackers that had appeared on Cybertron and second, make sure that this particular space-bridge will never be functional again.
That were their goals, the mission their assembled team was preparing for, but they never truly came to achieve it or to even start.
Just a short time before they had wanted to leave, their own space-bridge was coming to live after receiving a signal from outside, from an unknown location.
"The space-bridge is being activated," Shockwave stated, "outside signal."
The entire system was designed in a way that allowed it to be activated from both sides and that completely on purpose. There was always the chance of emergence transports or just teams not having the time to contact the control-center.
Everyone who possessed the security-codes could activate the bridge per remote.
Of course there were safety-measures, like for example the existence of these codes in the first place. But as it seemed, their system, like the one of the Autobots, had been hacked.
Before they could do anything about it, just seconds later, a large group of strangers, Transformers that they had never seen before and who weren´t wearing any sigils, was passing the bridge and had materialized on their world.
The new arrivals were heavily armed warriors, over a dozen of them, Decepticons in all but name. They had no doubts that these were members of the same faction that had attacked Cybertron.
"Intruders, Decepticons alar..." Shockwave called out. But suddenly the words were stuck inside his voice box.
The others froze as well as they easily recognized the large imposing, silvery white colored robot who was standing in the center of the group of newcomers.
They all were looking, nearly subconsciously, from him to their own leader and back.
"Megatron, Leader of the Decepticons," the stranger greeted him, "I have been looking out for this meeting. It is after all not every day that you get to meet yourself," Megatron said to him.
xxxxxxx
Cybertronian Universe
The Liege Maximo was watching recordings of some of the earlier reports from Megatron´s research operation.
One of them in particular had found his current interest.
It showed two large groups of Transformers, Autobots and Decepticons, who were fighting a battle on the planet named Earth.
The recording were impressive, he admitted. Their surveillance teams had truly done an excellent work here. Under different circumstances he would certainly promote the commanders responsible. But since it was Megatron´s department, he would possibly have to kill them.
He was watching the battle going on at the organic planet as if it was simply an recording of a fight on one of the neighboring moons and not an event from another dimension.
Earth, he thought for a moments, again this planet, he had come across it in several alternate worlds he had visited. Just like the stronghold of the rebel forces in this universe, he thought. Somehow this seemingly insignificant organic planet always seemed to be interwoven with the fate of Cybertron in countless universes.
In opposite to many of the officers of the Empire he didn´t share their pathetic bigotry towards organic life-forms and he was quite certain that Megatron didn´t either.
He was completely willing to admit that they as well possessed certain skills and characteristics of worth. It was just that these paled in comparison to the abilities of the Cybertronians and their various brethen in the known universe.
So it made only sense that, to create a universe as close to perfection as possible, to remove the organics to make more room for the better distribution and thriving of the cybertronian race. That of course didn´t mean that he would not destroy the Cybertronians himself it it helped him to achieve his greatest ambitions.
Still the close relationship between the Transformers and the human race of Earth in practically every reality where the two species met, led to some unsettling questions.
But these were questions for another time. He directed his attention once again to the battle he was watching.
And it was also especially one of these two groups of robots he was interested in, Galvatron, the by Unicron himself reformatted version of his own creation Megatron.
The leader of the other side was the young Prime named Rodimus, originally known as Hotrod, another younger Prime. As it seemed their legacy lived on in practically every every world where Cybertronians existed.
"Decepticons attack," the recording of Galvatron shouted, while firing his arm-mounted cannon.
Some sort of highly advanced particle weapon, he observed, in many ways even more powerful than the fusion cannon he had supplied his original Megatron design with.
All around him, the Decepticons in the recording were following the command of their leader. Some of them landed and transformed into robot-mode, others were fighting as jets or tanks.
He recognized the Unicron designed Decepticon known as Scourge, who was leading a group of three of the identical clones of him called the Sweeps in their hovercraft forms.
As he remembered, according to Jhiaxus, they had a version of him in the arena right now. That could be another valuable source of information about Unicron´s designs. He would notify Jhiaxus to either run a line of close examinations of that Scourge should he survive his fights or to simply dissect his corpse, should he fall.
Flying not far from them, he also saw Cyclonus in his space-jet mode, closely flanked by another jet, virtually identical to himself. As it looked Unicron had created not just one but two robots of the Cyclonus design in this particular universe, one the actual officer, the other a warrior like the Sweeps were for Scourge.
The Liege was taking in every detail he could of the unicronian group, memorizing them all in his databanks.
Galvatron was impressive, he admitted. His strength and firepower might even rival the level of the Original Thirteen themselves. Just as he would have expected of a warrior forged by the Chaos Bringer from the remains of one of his own most powerful creations.
Every bit about Unicron´s technology might be useful for his own future designs.
The other Decepticons present where the local versions of Spinister, Needlenose, Quake, Fangry and a number of mass produced seekers. None of them which he hadn´t already seen in other universes.
On the side of the Autobots were Ultra Magnus, Kup, Wideload, Searchlight, Chase and several others, all of them under the command of their leader Rodimus Prime.
The young Autobot leader too, was impressive. While he certainly lacked the experience that some of the older warriors possessed, the raw stength, firepower, fighting skill and tactical intelligence that he obviously possessed, allowed him actually to fight seemingly evenly with Galvatron.
This young Autobot was the successor of none else than Optimus Prime, the same robot who was also known as Orion Pax in many worlds, including this one.
Orion Pax, the same as Megatron´s adjutant. While he had certain doubts about this Megatron, it was nothing against his hidden mistrust this robot, just because of who he could have been if things were a bit different.
More than once he had actually considered to just secretly eliminate him.
So why was he knowingly keeping a parallel version of one of the most well known Autobot leaders around, a being whose counterparts in a thousand universes spend millions of years fighting everything that he was aiming to achieve?
One of the reasons was quite simple, his connection with Megatron. The two had known each other for mega-vorn. If he decided to get rid of Pax and Megatron found out, it might actually cause him to rebel, exactly what he had wanted to avoid.
This however, he admitted to himself, was not all of it. Despite all things that set them apart, just like himself, he was a Prime. So he felt some resistance to order his death in such a disrespectful way.
In opposite to what some people thought, being a Prime, a true Prime, was not just a rank that could be given to anybody. Of course in some universes it was treated as only a title.
But to become a real Prime, you have to be created with the potential. Orion Pax was one, just like Hotrod was, from the moment on their sparks had began to glow.
If he would destroy him, he should do it himself, in person, not through the work of helpers.
But things had changed now. The realization of his true goals was at hand. That meant he was not longer taking any risks or accepting any loose ends.
And that meant the time for both of them, Orion Pax and Megatron was coming to run out.
xxxxxxx
Beast Machines Universe
Starscream had fled, but only the distance necessary to keep himself out of direct danger.
Right now he was standing of top of one of the bizarre half-organic constructions this world seemed to be covered with and watching the events.
As it seemed were the natives not actually hostile. He had seen how they were in fact, as it seemed, greeting the two Autobots. For a moment he considered that it might have not been a good idea to fly off.
Maybe he could have come to an agreement with this beings. Maybe he could have even turned them against the Autobots. Now there was no telling what the two others would tell them about him. But he brushed the thought aside very quickly.
It hadn´t been wrong to play it save. For all he knew they could have also have shot him on sight.
He watched the two Autobots talking to the strange `robots´ or were they more cyborgs, he asked himself? Not that it mattered.
Now that he knew that this natives were not a direct threat, he could still return and try to talk to them. Sure it would be a bit harder now that the Autobots had already made contact with them. Surely they would not trust him. But he was confident he could deal with that.
After all he could tell them about his own faction whatever he wanted. He could tell them that Megatron and the Liege had forced him into the attack of their world, that he wouldn´t have done it willingly. Or even that he had been coerced into joining their forces in the first place.
Starscream knew of himself that he could be very convincing if he wanted. He could offer them information, promise them everything as long as he got help in return.
Maybe they could come to an agreement, now that they were all stranded here. That way or the other, he would find a way to turn this entire situation to his advantage.
The Liege would surely be interested in information about this place, wherever he was. Some of the designs of his surrounding reminded him of Cybertron, only that Cybertron was not half-organic of course.
xxx
Meanwhile a few miles away from him, Optimus and Sentinel Prime had just been told the basic facts about the history of this version of their home-world.
To say that both of them were shocked would be an understatement.
The Great War, a long time ago, Megatron and their version of Optimus Prime, Galvatron and Rodimus, the Pax Cybertronia and their change into Maximals and Predacons, the Predacon renegade calling himself Megatron, after the Decepticon leader and his take-over of the planet, Optimus Primal and his Maximal crew and then finally the so called Great Reformation, that turned all of Cybertron and it´s inhabitants into an half-organic state.
They all had listened with wild fascination, in Sentinel´s case however also mixed with some level of disgust.
It also reminded them to some degree of the history they had been told by their visitors from another universe from a few months ago.
There was however also something else. By the date these Maximals had given them, this place here was from their point of few around two and a half centuries ahead of their own time.
Was this the same world where their visitors came from, just a future version of it, or was it just a very similar one?
xxxxxxx
Animated universe, Decepticon base
It was the Decepticon outpost located closest to Cybertron.
A group of unknown robots, led by nobody else than obviously an alternate version of Megatron had just appeared on their planet.
"I am not here to fight," the other Megatron said to them. "I am here to talk. I have an offer for you," he addressed his counterpart, "and I am sure you will see that we can both profit from it."
The Decepticon was looking at him with distrust, but he gestured to his men not to fire, at least for the moment.
Authors note: Blackarachnia´s background here refers to the events at the end of the story Evolution. The Autobots from the G1 timeline had given them a method to change a transorganic back into a normal Cybertronians and Optimus had hoped it would work on Blackarachnia.
Optimus had started a search mission together with Sentinel in hope to try to change her back into Elita One. But Sentinel, who had far less hope that she could ever become the Autobot they had known again, showed a far more aggressive approach and convinced her instead that they were there for her head.
So she fled Earth and finally rejoined the Decepticons in space. More to that later.
xxx
Beside that. We now have an official answer who is Cyclonus. It is different for the different universes in the multiverse.
In some realities he is Skywarp, in others Bombshell or none of them. In some other worlds he was created directly as Cyclonus in the first place.
While in my main reality so far, he was reformed from Skywarp, I have here showed a few glympses of a world were was was created from Bombshell instead and Skywarp became the secondary `Cyclonus´.
I personally think it is also connected to the Insecticon cloning ability. In a universe where this ability exist, I think Unicron would more likely create Cyclonus from a seeker and turn all the Insecticons into self replicating Sweeps or `Armada´ clones.